Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 ASEAN looks forward to more cooperation with China: official Xinhua) 11:02, October 03, 2025 Kao Kim Hourn, secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), speaks at a reception hosted by the Chinese Mission to ASEAN to celebrate the 76th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Sept. 30, 2025. (Xinhua/Cen Yunpeng) JAKARTA, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) looks forward to deepening integration with China through trade, investment, supply chains, connectivity, and tourism, Secretary-General of ASEAN Kao Kim Hourn has said. He made the remarks on Tuesday while attending a reception hosted by the Chinese Mission to ASEAN to celebrate the 76th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. "ASEAN deeply values and appreciates China's unwavering support for ASEAN centrality and unity, shown through the active participation in ASEAN-led platforms and mechanisms," Kao said. Through numerous projects, programs, and activities across all levels, China has supported ASEAN's community-building efforts, helped bridge development gaps, and strengthened the bloc's capacity to serve its people, Kao added. Kao also noted that as neighbors bound by land, river, and sea, ASEAN and China share a fundamental responsibility, which is to preserve, promote, and maintain peace and stability in a region that is as dynamic and diverse as it is complex. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan) A man and a woman were arrested by armed officers and taken away in a van from an address in Bolton - Peter Byrne/PA The number of people arrested in the wake of the Manchester synagogue terror attack has risen to six as the attacker may have been influenced by extreme Islamist ideology, police have confirmed. Jihad Al-Shamie drove a black Kia Picanto into worshippers at the Heaton Park synagogue and stabbed congregants on Thursday. Two men were killed and three seriously injured in the terror attack which took place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Laurence Taylor, head of Counter Terrorism Policing, announced on Friday evening that three further arrests had been made at an address in Bolton. We have arrested three further people He said: We have now arrested three further people, one man and two women, aged between 18 and mid-40s. This brings the number of people in custody arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism to six. We will be seeking warrants of further detention for all six individuals and will seek to issue an update on this later. Police previously announced that two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s had been arrested. Mr Taylor said Al-Shamie did not appear to have been known to Counter Terrorism Policing, but confirmed the terrorist did have a criminal history. It was revealed earlier on Friday that the 35-year-old Syrian-born British citizen was on bail accused of rape when he carried out the attack. Mr Taylor added: At this stage, we believe Al-Shamie may have been influenced by extreme Islamist ideology. She told me she was a Muslim convert Officers descended on Central Avenue in Bolton, an outlying town in Greater Manchester, at 9pm on Thursday. A neighbour said he witnessed an Asian man and his white Muslim convert partner arrested at the house. The man, who gave his name as Wes, told The Telegraph: Shes in her mid to late 40s and always leaves the house with a hijab. When I first met her she told me she was a Muslim convert. Shes been renting that house off the council for 18 months. The Asian-looking man was a similar age. He is semi-bald with a short beard. I think he must have been her boyfriend but hes only been around for six weeks. I normally see him stood in the pathway waiting for a taxi. The police put him in the back of the van. And then they brought her out and put her in a different van. Shes the one who rents it off the council. He didnt look like he had any emotion in his face. Its weird. She was very quiet. Shes got two daughters and two sons. But only the daughters live there. The woman is white British Another neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, said: I saw a man and a woman get put in a van and taken away. The woman is white British. Age, roughly late 40s to early 50s. The man I hadnt seen until yesterday. He was Asian or Middle Eastern and the same sort of age. At the scene, camera flashes could be seen periodically inside the address as police continued to work the scene. The blinds were shut and a policeman was standing guard. Wajid Aslam, 39, who lives behind the raided house, said: The police came last night, around 9pm. I live right behind. My son heard noises and from his window he came to see me and told me there were police with guns. The children were very scared. They were asking whats going on. I asked police in the morning what was going on but they said they couldnt tell me until the investigation was finished. We still havent got any answers. I didnt see anyone arrested. There were a lot of people going in and out, and I cant see the front door from my house. It is very scary because nothing like this has happened since weve been here in this area since 2014. When told the arrests were related to the terror attack, the father of four said: Thats so, so scary. These people just moved here about a year ago. I moved in October and a few weeks later they moved in. The lady who lives there seemed very nice. The lady has two daughters. She was white English but she said she had converted. Thats what she told us. She said she had an English name but she had a Muslim name as well. I did see an Asian man at the address. I dont know if its the ladys boyfriend. She has two daughters, one about 13, 14, an older daughter and a son as well. We saw the son for the first few months but since then hes disappeared. Victims lauded as heroes Mr Taylor has also confirmed that a suspicious device attached to Al-Shamies torso during the attack was a fake. He said eyewitnesses had recalled seeing the terrorist acting suspiciously outside the synagogue before being confronted by security and walking away. Around 15 minutes later, the individual returned in a vehicle and began his horrific attack, he said, adding: There were a large number of worshippers in attendance but thanks to the bravery of security staff, worshippers and the fast action of the police, the attacker was prevented from gaining access. The victims, Melvin Cravitz, 66, and Adrian Daulby, 53, have been lauded as heroes for their courage in preventing the attacker from entering the synagogue. The police said Mr Cravitz had courageously stopped the attacker from entering the building before being killed by the assailant, while Mr Daulby is believed to have been struck by a stray bullet fired by police while trying to block Al-Shamie from entering through the main door of the synagogue. The Independent Office for Police Conduct has confirmed it is investigating the use of lethal force by Greater Manchester Police firearms officers. The mug at the centre of the workplace dispute A worker sued his boss for having a Dalek mug in the office that joked about exterminating someone. Joshua Aderemi claimed he was discriminated against by his boss, Alan Wordsworth, because he deliberately put his Doctor Who mug on the table during a meeting. Mr Wordsworths Dalek-themed mug said you may think I am listening but in my head I am thinking of exterminating someone, a tribunal heard. It had been bought for Mr Wordsworth a year earlier as a gift because he was a Doctor Who fan. Mr Aderemi, a support worker, lost his discrimination case at an employment tribunal in Sheffield last month. It was heard Mr Aderemi came to the UK from Nigeria on a student visa. He began working for Hesley Group, a firm which provides specialist autism care, in January 2023. That summer, he was called to a meeting to discuss issues with his performance at Hesley Groups assisted living residence near Doncaster, as well as visa regulations issues. It was at this meeting that Mr Aderemi said Mr Wordsworth put the Dalek mug on the table. However, Mr Wordsworth said he did not remember having it in the meeting. A dalek in Doctor Who. Alan Wordsworth said he was given the mug as a gift to use at work - James Pardon/BBC Studios Mr Aderemi told the tribunal it was a health and safety detriment because it occurred while he raised health and safety concerns. He also made other claims of race discrimination and disability discrimination. All of them were dismissed. Kirsty Ayre, the employment judge, said the Dalek mug was not intended to offend Mr Aderemi. We find that the mug was on the table during the meeting on June 28, but it had not been placed there deliberately, and the wording on the mug was not targeted at [Mr Aderemi], the judge said. The reason the mug was on the desk was because Mr Wordsworth uses it to drink tea and coffee out of whilst at work. It was nothing whatsoever to do with any health and safety concerns raised by [Mr Aderemi]. The judge added that Hesley Group went to considerable lengths to support Mr Aderemi. 10 fast food items that disappeared for a reason Fast food chains constantly introduce new menu items seeking the next viral sensation or profit-driving staple, but most innovations fail to achieve lasting success. The industrys experimental nature yields numerous menu flops that quickly disappear after disappointing sales and customer backlash. Understanding why specific items failed reveals patterns in fast food marketing, operational limitations, and customer expectations that determine which innovations succeed. The term scam is not used in a legal sense, but rather to describe products that were grossly overhyped, misleading compared to their advertising, offered poor value for the price, or were logistically flawed in ways that wasted customer time and money. These menu items promised experiences or value they couldnt deliver, creating customer disappointment that undermined brand trust. The failures resulted from broken promises, poor execution, or simply being bad deals that customers quickly recognized and rejected. This article explores ten infamous fast food menu items that felt like rip-offs to customers and were ultimately removed from menus due to their fundamental flaws in concept, execution, or value proposition. McDonalds / Wiki Commons The Arch Deluxe McDonalds introduced the Arch Deluxe in 1996 as a premium burger designed to appeal to adult customers with sophisticated tastes, offering a step above typical fast food options. The massive marketing campaign positioned the burger as gourmet dining suitable for mature palates, featuring upgraded ingredients including peppered bacon, stone-ground mustard, and a potato flour bun. The advertising budget exceeded $100 million, making it one of the most expensive product launches in the history of fast food. The fundamental problem was that the Arch Deluxe represented a slightly modified Quarter Pounder sold at significantly higher prices without delivering meaningfully superior taste or quality. Adult customers largely ignored the new burger, preferring familiar menu items at lower prices. The marketing campaigns emphasis on excluding children alienated families who represented McDonalds core customer base. The spectacular failure cost McDonalds hundreds of millions in development and marketing while generating minimal sales, making it one of the biggest product flops in fast food history. McDonalds / Wiki Commons The McDLT The McDLT featured a dual-chamber Styrofoam container that separated the hot beef patty from the cold lettuce and tomato, requiring customers to assemble the burger themselves after receiving it. McDonalds marketed this as preserving freshness and optimal temperature for each component. The packaging represented a significant innovation in fast food presentation, generating initial curiosity and sales. The unwieldy packaging created environmental waste concerns during an era of increasing ecological awareness about Styrofoam disposal. Customers found the assembly process inconvenient rather than beneficial, particularly when eating while driving. The packaging costs exceeded standard burger containers, forcing higher menu prices without corresponding value improvements. The combination of environmental criticism, customer inconvenience, and poor value proposition led to discontinuation as the novelty wore off and practical problems became apparent. Burger King Burger King Satisfries Burger King introduced Satisfries in 2013 as a healthier alternative to regular fries, featuring reduced calories and fat through different preparation methods. The marketing emphasized health benefits for customers seeking better fast food options. The product aimed to capture health-conscious consumers who might otherwise avoid fast food entirely. The actual calorie and fat reductions were negligible, representing less than 20% improvement over regular fries. Customers noticed inferior taste and texture compared to traditional fries, making the minor health benefits an insufficient justification for the quality sacrifice. The premium pricing for a product that tasted worse than the cheaper original created a poor value proposition. Sales remained weak as customers overwhelmingly preferred regular fries, leading to quiet discontinuation after the marketing push failed to generate sustained interest. Pizza Hut Pizza Hut Priazzo Pizza Hut launched the Priazzo in 1985 as Chicago-style deep-dish pizza requiring extended preparation time compared to standard menu items. The marketing positioned it as a premium offering, justifying higher prices and longer waits. The product aimed to elevate Pizza Huts image beyond basic pizza delivery. The 20-30 minute preparation time contradicted fast food expectations for quick service, creating operational problems and customer frustration. The extended cooking requirements overwhelmed kitchen capacity during busy periods, slowing service for all customers. The price premium and long waits failed to deliver correspondingly superior taste or quality compared to standard pizzas. The fundamental incompatibility between deep dish preparation requirements and the fast casual dining model made the product unsustainable, leading to discontinuation as operational problems outweighed any sales benefits. Taco Bell / Wiki Commons Taco Bell Seafood Salad Taco Bell attempted seafood offerings, including seafood salad during experimental menu expansion phases, featuring imitation crab and other processed seafood ingredients. The product aimed to diversify the menu beyond traditional Mexican-inspired items. The seafood salad represented an attempt to capture health-conscious customers seeking lighter options. Customers expressed skepticism about seafood quality and freshness from a fast food chain specializing in tacos and burritos. The perishable nature of seafood ingredients created food safety concerns and operational challenges for franchises lacking experience with these products. The fundamental mismatch between customer expectations for Taco Bell and seafood offerings resulted in weak sales. The product disappeared quickly as Taco Bell refocused on its core Mexican-inspired menu items, where customer trust and operational expertise were already established. Wendys Wendys Frescata sandwiches Wendys introduced Frescata sandwiches in 2006 as premium deli-style offerings competing with Subways fresh sandwich positioning. The marketing emphasized artisan bread and quality deli meats, distinguishing these sandwiches from typical fast food offerings. The product line aimed to capture lunch customers seeking alternatives to burgers. Customer complaints focused on dry bread, low-quality meat, and poor value compared to dedicated sandwich shops. The execution failed to deliver on the fresh, premium positioning promised in advertising. The sandwiches couldnt compete with those from Subway or local delis in terms of taste, quality, or value. The operational complexity of maintaining sandwich ingredients and preparation, along with added costs, resulted in insufficient sales to justify continued production. Wendys discontinued the line and refocused on burgers and chicken product,s where the chain maintained competitive advantages. McDonalds McDonalds Mighty Wings McDonalds launched Mighty Wings in 2013 as a premium chicken wing offering priced significantly higher than typical fast food items. The product aimed to capture the growing popularity of chicken wings beyond traditional wing restaurants. The marketing positioned these as restaurant-quality wings available through drive-through convenience. The pricing of around $1 per wing seemed excessive for fast food, particularly when dedicated wing restaurants offered comparable or better quality at similar prices. The heavily breaded wings and small portion sizes created poor value perception. Customers accustomed to McDonalds value pricing were reluctant to accept the premium pricing strategy. The massive overproduction resulted in millions of pounds of unsold wings, which McDonalds eventually discounted heavily to clear its inventory. The pricing miscalculation and overproduction resulted in a significant financial loss. Burger King Burger King Dinner Baskets Burger King introduced Dinner Baskets in the 1990s, featuring sit-down table service after 4 PM with basket-style meals similar to casual dining restaurants. The concept aimed to capture dinner customers seeking more substantial meals than those typically offered by fast food establishments. The table service represented a dramatic departure from Burger Kings quick-service model. Customers expecting fast service were confused and frustrated by the slow table service model that contradicted Burger Kings core identity. The operational complexity of maintaining two different service models in the exact locations created confusion and inefficiency among staff. The dinner basket meals offered poor value compared to actual casual dining restaurants. The fundamental incompatibility between sit-down service and fast food expectations made the concept unsustainable. Burger King abandoned the experiment and returned to standard quick-service operations across all hours. McDonalds McDonalds Hula Burger McDonalds developed the Hula Burger as a meatless option for Catholic customers during Lent, featuring a grilled pineapple slice and cheese on a bun instead of a beef patty. The product competed internally against the Filet-O-Fish sandwich, also developed for the same market. The Hula Burger represented an extremely low-cost alternative to developing a proper fish sandwich. The grilled pineapple and cheese combination failed to appeal to customers seeking satisfying meatless alternatives. The product felt like a cheap, low-effort substitute rather than a legitimate menu item. The simultaneously introduced Filet-O-Fish provided a vastly superior meatless option that customers actually enjoyed. The Hula Burger never achieved any meaningful sales and disappeared almost immediately as the Filet-O-Fish became the permanent Lent offering. Burger King Burger King Black Halloween Whopper Burger King introduced the Black Whopper for Halloween 2015, featuring a black-colored bun dyed with A.1. Steak Sauce and squid ink. The novelty item was designed to generate social media buzz and attract customers seeking unique food experiences. The marketing emphasized the dramatic visual appearance and Halloween theming. The unexpected side effect of turning consumers feces green created viral social media panic and negative publicity that overwhelmed any positive novelty appeal. The alarming bathroom experiences led to widespread customer complaints and concerns about food safety despite the harmless nature of the coloring. The bizarre bodily effects generated more negative publicity than positive attention. Burger King discontinued the product after the Halloween promotion, as the unsettling side effects made it unsuitable for regular menu inclusion despite generating significant media attention. hanohiki / iStock Common patterns in fast food failures Failed fast food items share recurring characteristics that predict their demise regardless of marketing investment or initial novelty appeal. Products that fail to deliver on their advertising promises create customer disappointment, which undermines brand trust and prevents repeat purchases. The Arch Deluxe and Frescata sandwiches exemplified this pattern by promising premium quality that execution couldnt support. Operational complexity presents challenges when products require preparation methods that are incompatible with fast food business models. The Priazzo and Dinner Baskets demonstrated how slow service contradicts customer expectations for quick meals. Products requiring excessive staff time or customer assembly, like the McDL,T create inefficiencies that make them unsustainable despite any taste advantages. Poor value propositions doom products when customers recognize theyre paying premium prices for inferior quality or quantity compared to alternatives. Mighty Wings and Satisfries failed because they charged more for products that didnt justify the higher costs through superior taste or meaningful health benefits. Products must deliver clear value advantages over existing menu items or competitive offerings to justify their existence. Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com. Conclusion Fast food scams share common characteristics, including overhyped marketing, poor execution, operational incompatibility with quick service models, and value propositions that customers quickly recognized as inadequate. These failures demonstrate how customers reject items that waste money, time, or violate trust through misleading advertising. The most successful fast food innovations deliver genuine value, operational efficiency, and realistic promises that can be fulfilled through execution. The fast food industry functions as a perpetual testing ground where most innovations fail, but occasional successes generate substantial profits. Customers demonstrate quick judgment in rejecting items that feel like rip-offs through misleading advertising or poor value. The items that disappear fastest are those that overcompromise and underdeliver, creating disappointment that prevents the repeat purchases necessary for menu permanence. Check out our other fast food history articles here at MediaFeed to discover additional insights into menu innovations and the factors that determine which products succeed or fail. Related: Like MediaFeeds content? Be sure to follow us. This article was syndicated by MediaFeed.org. yearbook-photos-of-1990s-criminals Last Updated on October 3, 2025 by Matt Staff The yearbook is where even the headline-makers look ordinary. These pre-fame portraits tie to 1990s crime stories that encapsulate an unsettling sense that history was waiting just off-camera. In this gallery, youll flip through 20 yearbook photos linked to notorious 90s cases and the quiet before everything changed. 1. Andrew Cunanan Crimedistrict / via youtube.com In 1997, Cunanan drifted across the country during a weeks-long killing spree that ended in Miami. His case drew international attention after the murder of the famous designer Gianni Versace. 2. Anthony T.J. Solomon masskillers / via reddit.com Solomon was a 15-year-old student in Conyers, Georgia. He opened fire at Heritage High School in 1999 and was apprehended at the scene. He later received a lengthy sentence under Georgia law. 3. Michael Alig kylekingen / via x.com The New York Club Kid impresario pleaded guilty in 1997 to manslaughter in a case that shocked the nightlife world. His rise and fall became a cautionary tale about the 90s club culture. 4. Barry Loukaitis masskillers / via reddit.com In 1996, Loukaitis carried out a school shooting in Moses Lake. He was convicted and given a long prison term. 5. Nick Leeson screenshot Leeson was the rogue trader behind Barings Banks 1995 collapse. He incurred massive losses with unauthorized bets. He was arrested in Singapore and served time. Later, he wrote a book about the scandal. 6. Hadden Clark lpotl / via reddit.com Clark was a drifter and a handyman linked to the early-1990s murders in Maryland. He was arrested in 1992 and received long sentences after multiple convictions. 7. Michael Milken screenshot Also known as the junk bond financier, Milken was sentenced in 1990 for securities violations tied to the 1980s market. His prosecution helped define the eras white-collar crackdowns. 8. Mitchel Johnson and Andrew Golden masskillers / via reddit.com These two Arkansas boys carried out the 1998 Westside Middle School attack in Jonesboro. They were tried as juveniles, and they served time under state law. 9. Ivan Boesky screenshot Boesky was a Wall Street arbitrageur whose insider-trading case broke in the early 1990s. His plea deal and fines made headlines worldwide. 10. Paul Bernardo serialkillers / via reddit.com Bernardo was a central figure in the early-1990s Canadian murder cases. He was arrested in 1993 and later convicted. The media coverage was extensive and closely regulated by the courts. 11. Carey Stayner screenshot Stayner was a Yosemite-area motel handyman. He was arrested in 1999 after a series of murders near the national park. He was convicted and received a death sentence. 12. Kip Kinkel masskillers / via reddit.com Kinkel was an Oregon teenager who killed his parents and then opened fire at Thurston High School in 1998. He pleaded guilty and received a long sentence. 13. Susan Smith Unionhighsouthcarolina / via facebook.com In 1994, Smith reported a carjacking before admitting that she had rolled her car into a lake with her two sons inside. She was convicted of murder and sentenced to life. 14. Luke Woodham masskillers / via reddit.com In 1997, Woodham killed his mother and then attacked students at Pearl High School. He was arrested nearby and later received life sentences. 15. Pamela Smart screenshot In 1990, in New Hampshire, Pamela had her husband murdered by a teen. She was convicted of plotting the crime, and it became one of the first trials to receive extensive live TV coverage. 16. Dylan Klebold masskillers / via reddit.com Klebold was one of the two perpetrators of the 1999 Columbine High School attack in Colorado. He died at the scene. 17. Timothy McVeigh masskillers / via reddit.com McVeigh was a Gulf War veteran convicted of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people. He was executed in 2001. 18. Eric Harris masskillers / via reddit.com Along with Dylan Klebold, Harris carried out the 1999 Columbine High School shooting. He also died at the scene. 19. Terry Nichols okbomb / via reddit.com Nichols was McVeighs co-conspirator in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. He was convicted in state and federal courts and is serving multiple life sentences. 20. Joel Rifkin serialkillers / via reddit.com Rifkin was a Long Island serial killer. He was arrested in 1993 after a routine traffic stop. He is serving a long prison term following multiple murder convictions. Explore more historical content: If these snapshots pulled you into time-capsule mode, keep the nostalgia going with these 20 Mugshots Of Prohibition Era Gangsters, or these 15 Lesser Known Tales About Famous Outlaws. You can also take a look at these 20 Unforgettable Stories about Criminals in the 1940s. Balin Miller/Instagram Balin Miller NEED TO KNOW Popular climber, Balin Miller, fell to his death while summiting Yosemite National Parks El Capitan on Wednesday, Oct. 1 Miller, 23, had been live-streaming his climb on social media, where he was given the nickname orange tent guy" "He wasnt ready to die. But he did die doing what he loved, for sure," Miller's mom, Jeanine Girard-Moorman said, per Alaska News Source An Alaskan climber fell to his death while summiting Yosemite National Parks famous El Capitan on Wednesday, Oct. 1. Jeanine Girard-Moorman confirmed the death of her 23-year-old son, Balin Miller, in a Facebook post alongside a short video showing photos of him taken throughout the years. He had been live-streaming his climb of El Capitan in the days before his death. It is with a heavy heart I have to tell you my incredible son Balin Miller died during a climbing accident today, Girard-Moorman wrote over the video. My heart is shattered in a million pieces. I dont know how I will get through this I love him so much I want to wake up from this horrible nightmare. The mountain took my Balin today I will never recover, she added in the posts caption. Gert Hofer/Getty El Capitan rock formation, California, Girard-Moorman learned about Millers death in a phone call from park rangers, according to Alaska News Source. My whole world just fell apart, and its tough, she told the outlet. Theres no greater pain than losing your child in such a horrific way." Millers death came on the first day of the federal government shutdown, which left national parks generally open, with limited operations and closed visitor centers, ABC News and the Associated Press reported. The National Park Service said in a statement obtained by the outlets that they are investigating Millers death, while adding that park rangers and emergency personnel responded immediately." Millers death is the third fatality in the park this summer, per ABC News. An 18-year-old from Texas died while climbing without a rope earlier this year, followed by a 19-year-old woman who died in August after being struck by a tree branch while hiking. El Capitan is described on the Yosemite Mariposa County website as being over 3,000 feet above the valley floor, making it one of the worlds ultimate challenges for adventure seekers and requiring years of training to tackle. The circumstances of Millers death are currently unconfirmed. Social media tributes have poured in from fans who watched his TikTok livestream for two days before his death, while referring to him as orange tent guy. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Laurens Verhoeven/Getty El Capitan It has been alleged that he was lead rope soloing a way to climb alone while still protected by a rope on a 2,400-foot (730-meter) route named Sea of Dreams, ABC News reported, citing his older brother Dylan. It is believed that Miller then rappelled off the end of his rope while hauling up his gear. Tom Evans, a photographer who was in Yosemite at the time, recounted similar thoughts about how the tragedy unfolded on Facebook. Yesterday, a climber finished his climb of the Sea of Dreams, on ElCap, and was hauling his bag up the last pitch when it became stuck, Evans wrote. So, he went down his lead line to clear it. His rope didn't reach the bags location by many feet, but he seemed unaware of that fact. On the way down, he rappelled off the end of the rope. He was a young man, highly regarded among the best climbers here, Evans continued. I photographed him for many days on the climb and spoke with him earlier. Many climbers on the wall saw the tragedy unfold. These things happen from time to time but the pain never passes. Rest in peace, Balin Miller. Girard-Moorman told ABC News that her son had been climbing since he was a young boy, adding that his heart and soul was truly to just climb. He loved to climb and it was never about money and fame. She revealed to Alaska News Source that he often sought out challenges, including ice climbing in Alaska, Montana and Canada. He knew the risks, but I dont think he was ready. You know, I mean, I guess thats kind of silly, most people arent ready to die if youre mentally healthy, she said, per Alaska News Source. He did not want to die. He wasnt ready to die. But he did die doing what he loved, for sure. Read the original article on People From Hollywood to your inbox Thanks for signing up Twice a week, our editors bring you the best entertainment and celebrity news You will receive a confirmation email shortly. Sophie Roske, who pleaded guilty earlier this year to attempting to kill Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2022, was sentenced to eight years and one month in jail on Friday, in Greenbelt, Maryland. Roske was arrested and charged under a male name but now goes by Sophie Roske, according to her defense attorneys. In April, she pleaded guilty to attempting to kill or kidnap a Supreme Court justice. The 97-month sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman, who also ordered a lifetime of supervised release. The Justice Department will appeal the sentence, said Attorney General Pam Bondi, who called the 97-month prison term "woefully insufficient" and argued it "does not reflect the horrific facts of this case." Prosecutors had asked for a 30-year sentence. During sentencing, the judge noted Roske's history of mental health issues and said Roske showed remorse, noting that she called the police on herself before attacking Kavanaugh, but said Roske's conduct was "incredibly serious" and a "significant prison sentence" was warranted. "Anyone who thinks they can intimidate a judge and [their] family by threatening to harm or engage in violence against them will be caught and punished," Boardman said, adding "whether the target audience sees this message, hears it," is "frankly unknown." In court, Roske briefly spoke, apologizing to Justice Kavanaugh. "I sincerely apologize to the justice and his family for the considerable distress I have put them through," Roske said, adding she was sorry for "contributing to the fear that judges feel while doing their job." Roske continued, calling her actions "selfish and misguided," before adding, "I have been portrayed as a monster, and this tragic mistake I have made will follow me the rest of my life." In September, prosecutors asked that Roske face at least 30 years in prison for attempting the "preplanned, coldblooded murder" of Kavanaugh at his home in 2022. Roske was seen by U.S. Marshals getting out of a cab near Kavanaugh's home in the early morning hours before walking up the street away from the home. But Roske then called an emergency line and reported having suicidal thoughts and a firearm in a suitcase. Roske then told the operator of coming from California to kill a "specific United States Supreme Court justice," according to a court filing. Roske was then detained without incident, in possession of a black tactical chest rig and tactical knife, a Glock 17 pistol with two magazines and ammunition, pepper spray, zip ties, a hammer, screwdriver, nail punch, crow bar, pistol light, duct tape, hiking boots with padding on the outside of the soles, and other items, an affidavit said. In her plea agreement, Roske admitted to traveling from California, where she lived at the time, to Maryland, to attack Kavanaugh and, according to federal prosecutors, aimed to kill three members of the Supreme Court in order to "single-handedly alter the constitutional order for ideological ends." Roske, prosecutors said Friday, had "ramped up" plans for the attack after the leak of a draft of the Supreme Court decision ending the federal right to an abortion and leaving questions about its legality to the states. "The defendant researched; planned; procured the tools for the planned killings; traveled across the entirety of the country with those tools, including a gun; and attempted to delete online evidence of motive and intent," prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memorandum. "The defendant's objective to target and kill judges to seek to alter a court's ruling is an abhorrent form of terrorism and strikes at the core of the United States Constitution and our prescribed system of government," the government said. Roske also conducted Google searches for "how much force do you need to stab someone's neck," "most effective way to silently kill someone" and "how to break a lock," according to the sentencing memorandum. Prosecutors said that a map saved in Roske's Google account contained pins that marked what Roske believed were the homes of four sitting Supreme Court justices. The Supreme Court has a 6-3 conservative majority. During Friday's sentencing hearing, federal prosecutors displayed some of the materials Roske possessed when arrested, including zip ties, a tactical vest with pepper spray and a knife, a lock-pick set and a hammer. Justice Department prosecutor Coreen Mao said Friday that Roske's "singular, focused mission" was "terrorism" and she had aimed to "affect the conduct of government," citing Roske's statements to law enforcement after arrest and internet searches for information about Supreme Court justices. Roske's attorneys did not dispute their client's actions leading up to the planned attack, but cited her yearslong history of mental health issues and an attempted suicide as context to her behavior in planning the attack. Roske's attorneys asked for a sentence of eight years in prison and 25 years of supervised release. Earlier this month, Roske wrote a letter to Boardman apologizing to Justice Kavanaugh for her actions. "I put them through a harrowing experience and for that I am truly sorry. I am very glad I did not continue," Roske wrote. "I am also sorry for contributing to a trend of political violence in American politics." Arrested former Des Moines superintendent's resume appears to have been greatly exaggerated Sean "Diddy" Combs: The Sentencing Costco now selling weight loss drugs Ozempic, Wegovy at a discount U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and other Democratic House members hold a press conference on the House Steps a day before a partial government shutdown is set to take effect on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 30, 2025. REUTERS/Annabelle Gordon By Nolan D. McCaskill WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Democrats in the U.S. Congress have rallied around healthcare as their top policy issue in a government shutdown standoff with President Donald Trump's Republicans, hoping a focus on Americans' concerns over access and affordability could help them in next year's midterm elections. The shutdown enters its third day on Friday, with the majority Republicans saying they will only back a stopgap bill to keep agencies funded through November 21. Democrats back a measure to continue and expand healthcare subsidies for the 24 million Americans who get their coverage through the Affordable Care Act. Democrats are betting that their stance will improve their chances in the November 2026 elections, when control of both chambers of Congress will be up for grabs. The contest for control of the House of Representatives is expected to be closely fought, while Republicans are seen as having a strong chance of defending their Senate majority. The American people understand clearly that Republicans forced a government shutdown because they are hell-bent on defunding Americans health care, said Katarina Flicker, a spokesperson for House Majority PAC, a super PAC aimed at electing House Democrats. It will cost them at the ballot box in 2026. Democrats have reversed their usual positions in advocating for a government shutdown, which in the past has been triggered by Republicans pushing for cuts to government spending and, during the 35-day standoff in Trump's first term, by his demands for border fence funds. Republicans hold a thin 219-213 House majority and face a challenge because the incumbent president's party typically loses seats in midterm elections. At Trump's urging, several Republican-led states are working to redraw congressional maps before November 2026 to limit Democrats' path to the majority. Senate Republicans hold a 53-47 majority and are favored to retain it as they are defending few seats up for grabs in battleground states. Democrats would have to hold seats in Georgia and Michigan where Trump won and win competitive races in Maine and North Carolina in addition to more Republican-leaning states such as Ohio and Iowa or Texas to win the majority. PLAYING THE BLAME GAME Public opinion polls have shown that Americans currently view Republicans as somewhat more to blame for the shutdown than Democrats. Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer seized on this and said of Trump's party, The longer they drag it out, the deeper the pain and that blame will grow." Not all Democrats shared his sanguinity. Mark Penn, a former adviser to President Bill Clinton, warned on X that a shutdown could backfire on the party. Shutting down the government could well cost them the midterms even (if) it plays well to the base voters, Penn said. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson shared that view. "It's very important for us to say who's being hurt in this," Johnson said in an interview with Fox Business' Larry Kudlow. "This is real pain to real people, and Chuck Schumer and the Democrats in the Senate seem not to care. (Reporting by Nolan D. McCaskill; editing by Scott Malone and Cynthia Osterman) Simply Recipes / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley No matter your background, Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes like tacos, burrito bowls, quesadillas, and more are staples in kitchens all across the countryincluding mine. I love how savory, zesty, and delicious these classics are. Theyre also versatile. I often do a fridge clean-out when making Mexican-inspired dishes since their flavors pair well with a wide variety of vegetables and proteins. One key ingredient I always keep on hand: taco seasoning. Even when Im not making tacos, this seasoning often finds its way into recipes like chili, queso, seasoned rice, and stewed beans. While I usually just grab whatevers on the shelf at my local grocer, I was curious about which brand experts prefer. Interestingly, after asking a few, I discovered they all recommended the same one! Read More: Homemade Taco Seasoning The Experts I Asked Kate Ramos: Chef and founder of Hola! Jalapeno and Kates Best Recipes Alejandra Graf: Mexican-born chef and creator behind Mexican food blog, Ale Cooks Erin Clarke: Best-selling author of Well Plated Cookbook and Well Plated Every Day and creator of recipe blog Well Plated Simply Recipes / Aldi The Best Store-Bought Taco Seasoning, According to Food Pros Unanimously, these foodies all agree that Simply Organic Spicy Taco Seasoning is the tastiest option out there. Simply Organic Taco Seasoning is widely available, certified organic, and has a clean, well-balanced flavor profile without unnecessary fillers, explains Ramos. Graf agrees: I love that it has clean, organic ingredients, isnt overly salty, and avoids fillers. It tastes fresh and balancedmaking it a solid option when you need something quick and easy. Clarke also selects this seasoning for its recognizable ingredients and delicious tasteits one of the few brands she doesnt have to doctor up at home. I like knowing Im using real spices without fillers or preservatives, and the flavor has a little kick without being overwhelming. Its smoky, warm, and super versatile. I keep a few packets in my pantry at all times for quick dinners, she says. This seasoning checks all the major ingredient boxes these experts expect out of a flavorful taco mix. The essentials for me are ground dried chiles, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, coriander, and a touch of smoked paprika for warmth, shares Ramos. Its also an added bonus that this supermarket convenience is easy to find and incredibly affordable at around two dollars per packet. Ideas for Using Taco Seasoning at Home These foodies arent just using this seasoning mix for tacosthey add this mix to plenty of other recipes. Funnily enough, I use taco seasoning most often for things other than tacos! I use it to saute ground beef or turkey for a base in burrito-style bowls, says Clarke. Ramos also gets creative with this seasoning blend. Dont be afraid to experiment with taco seasoning beyond tacostry it in chili, sprinkled on popcorn, or mixed into sour cream for an easy dip. It really does make a difference. Meanwhile Graf adds it to meats destined for a variety of dishesincluding tacos. Ill follow the directions on the packet, but I almost always add something fresh to make it come alivelike lime juice, minced garlic, chopped cilantro, or even a splash of vinegar, she adds. I know which taco seasoning packet Ill be looking for on my next grocery run! Read the original article on Simply Recipes In Fort Hope First Nation, Ontario, a black bear was caught on video working a bottle of Brisk Iced Tea at the local dump. Filmed by Shayna Kyla in July 2025, the scene shows the bear pawing at the plastic, wrestling with the cap, and finally tipping the drink back like it had done it before. Kylas reactionhalf shock, half laughterunderscored how strange and oddly relatable the moment felt. When the clip hit social media, the response was immediate. Viewers praised the bears persistence, called it brilliant and hilarious, and passed it along until it went viral. Black Bears and the Sugar Fix If you are curious about why a bear would guzzle iced tea like a college kid after a workout, the explanation is simple: sugar equals survival. Black bears are opportunistic eaters, which means theyll consume whatever packs calories. In the wild, they eat berries, roots, and insects, but a landfill is like an all-you-can-eat buffet. A 16-ounce bottle of iced tea contains around 2030 grams of sugar, which is similar to or slightly more than a single cup of wild blueberries. For a bear prepping for hibernation, that quick hit of concentrated sugar is an easy calorie boost, even if it doesnt outweigh what they could find in a whole patch of fruit. The downside is that habits like this create bigger issues for humans and wildlife alike. Once bears connect human garbage or drinks with easy calories, they lose their natural caution. Thats why conservation groups and local officials push so hard for better waste management in remote towns. Snack Time in the Wild The iced tea bear isnt the only one to score a human treat. In Alaska, two bears raided a Krispy Kreme van and made off with boxes of donuts. On TikTok, outdoorsman @stevenson_t shared clips of a black bear cub stealing sips of his morning coffee right on his porch. The cub returned for more while its mother stood nearby, clearly unbothered. According to Stevenson, shes been introducing her litters to him for years, which explains the strangely calm behavior. Viewers were quick to note that encounters like these are far less risky with black bears than with brown bears. Black bears, while still dangerous, often retreat when startled, while brown bears, including grizzlies, are more likely to defend themselves aggressively. Watching a bear drink iced tea or sip coffee blurs the line between the wild and everyday life. Its surprisingly funny, and it shows just how adaptable black bears can be when human food is around. For people living in rural areas, its a reminder to keep trash and food locked up. For everyone else, its one of those rare internet clips that feels too odd to believe. The Fort Hope bear may never know it became a viral sensation, but that iced tea break carved out its spot in Canadian internet lore. WKYT/YouTube NEED TO KNOW Ronald Exantus fatally stabbed 6-year-old Logan Tipton as the boy slept in his familys Versailles, Ky., home A 2018 jury found Exantus not guilty by reason of insanity for murder, but he was also found guilty but mentally ill for assaults involving Logans family Exantus is now on parole after serving about 7 years of a 20-year sentence for the attack that killed Logan A Kentucky man who broke into a familys home in 2015, took a knife from their kitchen and fatally stabbed 6-year-old Logan Tipton as he slept has been released on parole after serving about 7 years of a 20-year sentence behind bars. Ronald Exantus, an Indiana dialysis nurse, is listed as being on mandatory reentry supervision, with his parole beginning Oct. 1, 2025, and ending June 18, 2026, according to Kentucky Department of Corrections records reviewed by PEOPLE. WKYT, WDRB and WLKY report he was freed early through good-time and education credits. Exantus was sentenced in April 2018, at age 34, to 20 years after a jury found him not guilty by reason of insanity for Logans death, but also guilty but mentally ill on assault charges, according to the Associated Press. Court records reviewed by PEOPLE also show the jury returned a not guilty by reason of insanity verdict on the burglary count. The killing happened on Dec. 7, 2015, when Exantus drove from Indianapolis to the Tiptons Versailles home, entered while the family slept, went into the kitchen, took a knife and stabbed Logan in his bedroom as the boy slept, according to CBS News. Logans father was injured while subduing the attacker, per the outlet, and two sisters were also hurt. Woodford County Detention Center via AP When I got to the top of the stairs, he attacked me with a knife, Logans father, Dean Tipton, told WKYT. He stood up with me on top of him, just stood up and threw me 10 to 15 feet across the room and went after my daughter, he told KKTV. He stabbed me in the back, and then stomped on my head," Logans sister Dakota Tipton told the outlet. "And I remember waking up across the room, not where I was at, and I looked and he was killing Logan and Logan was screaming." He didnt just kill my son," Heather Tipton, Logan's mother, said during Exantus' sentencing hearing, per LEX 18. "He killed every member of my family, every single one of us, and every person thats sitting here today is a completely different person than they were when they went to bed December 6." You took a human beings life, the boys father said, per the outlet. Mentally ill or not, your life should be at least life in prison without the possibility of parole. It just seems like a 6-year-olds life is worth more than 10 years in prison. The family says officials told them Exantus will serve six months of parole in Florida before returning to Kentucky supervision, per WKYT, WHSV and WAFB. Ive had my talks with God, but like I told the court, if I ever cross paths with him, I will kill the man, Dean Tipton told WKYT. The AP reports the Kentucky Supreme Court upheld Exantus convictions in 2020. Read the original article on People Logan Federico (left) was allegedly shot dead by Alexander Dickey in a random attack in South Carolina in May Logan Federico was just 22-years-old when she was shot dead, allegedly by a career criminal in a random attack in South Carolina in May. The man accused of her murder, 30-year-old Alexander Dickey, has been characterised by authorities as a true convict. Although he was reportedly arrested dozens of times, a combination of lenient justice policies and incompetence left him free to walk the streets. Three months later, Iryna Zarutska, who had fled the war in her native Ukraine, was stabbed to death on public transport in neighbouring North Carolina. Both women, critics say, are dead because of a failed justice system resulting from a soft-on-crime approach that prioritises violent criminals over their victims. Logan Federico was just 22-years-old when she was shot dead On the night of Friday May 2, Federico had been enjoying a night out with friends, before heading back to a rented home on the 2700 block of Cypress Street, Columbia some time before 3am. Around the same time, authorities claim, Dickey was breaking into houses in the area, stealing a wallet, debit and credit cards, keys to a vehicle and a gun. Its hard to believe that Federico could have posed much of a threat to her attacker, at 5ft 3 and weighing around 115 pounds. Local police say Dickey entered the room where Logan was lying in bed and shot her in the chest, before escaping in the stolen vehicle. Think about your child coming home from a night out with friends, lying down, going to sleep, feeling somebody come into the room... and wake them, Steve Federico, her father, said recently. Drag her out of her bed. Naked. Forced on her knees with her hands over her head. Begging for her life. Begging for her hero, her father. Me. That couldnt be there. Mr Federico points to a picture of his daughter during his testimony - Nell Redmond/Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Dickey is then said to have embarked on a shopping spree using the stolen debit and credit cards, before he was eventually tracked down by authorities. He had to be taken to hospital after setting fire to the house he was hiding out in, police said. Federicos body was discovered shortly after 11am on Saturday May 3. Since May, Mr Federico had been campaigning to raise awareness about how soft-on-crime policies had allowed his daughters killer to roam free. He should have been in jail for over 140 years for all the crimes he committed, he said at a recent hearing with the local politicians. You know how much time he spent in prison? A little over 600 days in 10 years. Dickey had been arrested for 39 offences over more than a decade of criminal activity, of which 25 were felonies, according to local media. Yet despite the lengthy rap sheet, he was repeatedly able to avoid jail time after being sentenced to probation at least five times. In 2023, North Carolinas WIS-TV reported he was prosecuted for burglary as a first offence, even though it was his third burglary conviction. Authorities have admitted it was a result of a mix-up. Pleading guilty to third-degree burglary, Dickey was sentenced to five years but served just 411 days behind bars with credit for time served. What happened to Logan Federico is a clear illustration of our failed justice system, Pamela Evette, South Carolinas lieutenant governor, said on social media. There is no reason Alexander Devante Dickey, a man with 39 arrests and 25 felonies, shouldnt have been behind bars. Alexander Dickey had been arrested for 39 offences over more than a decade of criminal activity - Lexington SC Detention Center When Steve Federico addressed a hearing of politicians in North Carolina on Monday, his daughters home state, his voice was trembling. It was hard to tell whether it was grief or anger, but was likely a combination of the two. What you all did is you woke up a beast and you pd off the wrong daddy, he said, vowing to fight until my last breath for my daughter. You need to fight for the rest of our children, the rest of the innocents, and stop protecting the people that keep taking them from us, please, he said in his opening remarks. There is only one thing that would have kept my daughter alive and that is putting a career criminal in prison. At one point in the hearing, a lawmaker confused Federico with Iryna Zarutska, who was allegedly killed in August by Decarlos Brown Jr, who had previously been arrested 14 times and was out on cashless bail. Mr Federico had to correct the lawmaker, but it underscored the essential point that both have become symbols of a justice system that critics believe is failing victims. The tragic truth revealed today is that Iryna is just one of countless victims of violent crime, Mark Harris, a North Carolina Republican congressman, told the Daily Caller. The fact my Democrat colleague mixed up our witness Steve Federicos daughter Logan with Iryna says it all: there are too many victims of pro-crime Democrat policies for them to keep track. Zarutskas murder caused a national outcry when footage emerged of her being stabbed from behind on a train in Charlotte, North Carolina as she travelled home from work. Iryna Zarutska was stabbed multiple times in the neck Donald Trump has labelled Brown, who has been charged but not convicted of her murder, an animal who should be executed. Just a few years since the defund the police movement swept across the US, the shift towards softer crime enforcement seems to have halted. The US president in August mobilised the National Guard in Washington, DC to stop what he has called a rising tide of crime overtaking the city, which he has partly blamed on the widespread use of cashless bail. He has also deployed or pledged to deploy federal agents in other cities including Memphis, Chicago and Portland among others. And North Carolinas legislature this week approved a criminal justice package, named Irynas Law after Zarutska, limiting bail conditions for repeat and violent offenders. Both men accused of murdering Federico and Zarutska are behind bars and, before their trials, have pled not guilty and been denied bail. But for their alleged victims it is too little, and far too late. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. A view shows buildings behind a street of the Gombe area, in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo December 30, 2023. REUTERS/Justin Makangara By Daphne Psaledakis, Jessica Donati and Sonia Rolley WASHINGTON/DAKAR/PARIS (Reuters) -Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda will not sign an economic framework this week as expected, four sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday, in another stumbling block for the Trump administration's efforts to implement a peace deal and spur Western investment in the region. President Donald Trump is pursuing an ambitious bid to broker peace and draw billions of dollars of Western investment to a region rich in tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper, lithium and other minerals after Rwanda-backed M23 rebels seized two major cities in eastern Congo in January and February, posing the biggest threat to the government in Kinshasa in two decades. Though he says the war is over, the peace agreement reached in Washington in June has faced setbacks and Congo's army and M23 rebels are reinforcing military positions and blaming each other for going back on various agreements. Congo and Rwanda, which denies supporting M23, were expected to initial an agreement known as the Regional Economic Integration Framework (REIF) this week after a final round of negotiations in Washington. But a Rwandan official said that while the text was finalized, negotiations concluded without any initialing after Kinshasa was unwilling to sign. The official and other sources spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive, ongoing diplomacy. A second source familiar with the matter said Congo would not sign the economic framework until 90% of Rwandan troops withdraw from eastern Congo. The withdrawal of Rwandan troops is part of a wider peace deal mediated by Washington that the countries signed in June. "They're going to have to get Trump on the phone," the source said. US AIMS TO GET TALKS BACK ON TRACK The U.S. is trying to get the process back on track, the Rwandan official said, but the initialing was not expected to take place on Friday. "The negotiating teams had finalized the text of the REIF agreement but disappointingly, Kinshasa decided at the last minute not to initial it," the Rwandan official said. "We believe in this agreement and in the approach of the US mediation, and hope that the economic agreement will eventually be signed. The peace process must succeed," the official added. Congo, Rwanda and the U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. "The agreement has been finalized but the Congolese had never made any secret of the fact that they would not sign as long as the Rwandan army remained on their territory. So for us, it is not a surprise," an African diplomat said. The Congolese and Rwandan foreign ministers on June 27 signed a peace deal in Washington, which included a pledge to implement a 2024 agreement that said Rwanda would lift its defensive measures in eastern Congo within 90 days. Congolese military operations targeting the FDLR, a Congo-based armed group that includes remnants of Rwanda's former army and militias that carried out the 1994 genocide, are meant to conclude over the same timeframe. Reuters reported last month that Rwanda and Congo would begin implementing the security measures agreed under the deal on October 1, despite the initial agreement's 90-day deadline. Rwanda has sent at least 7,000 soldiers over the border, according to analysts and diplomats, in support of the M23 rebels. Kinshasa and Kigali were also meant to launch the regional economic integration framework within 90 days, the Washington agreement said. The 90-day deadline fell at the end of September. Two sources familiar with the matter said that Trump's senior advisor for Africa, Massad Boulos, had hoped that the economic framework and other agreements would be signed by heads of state on a visit to Washington by October 23. According to an earlier draft of the deal reported by Reuters last month, Rwanda and Congo were set to commit to work with third parties, including the U.S., to revamp their mineral supply chains and develop reforms. Rwanda and Congo had agreed to the draft, which was then discussed by stakeholders, including the private sector, multilateral banks and others, before meeting this week for the final round of negotiations. (Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis in Washington, Jessica Donati in Dakar, Sonia Rolley in Paris and Ange Kasongo in Kinshasa; Editing by Robbie Corey-Boulet and Daniel Wallis) President A person taking a photo of a Mediterranean food spread with President feta. Key Points President is hiring a Chief Feta Officer to create five original feta recipes to inspire the next viral feta trend. The role pays $20,000 plus $10,000 in travel expenses, and the "CFO" will be expected to create original photos, videos, and social media posts. However, applicants must follow one simple rule: don't add feta to salad. About five years ago, a baked feta pasta TikTok recipe broke the internet. The video single-handedly had feta blocks flying off shelves and into casserole dishes. One feta cheese producer, President, is ready to create more viral recipes, and this time, they want the public's help. The feta cheese brand is one of the most popular in the U.S., and it's searching for its first official Chief Feta Officerand the gig is paid. The lucky cheese lover chosen to be Chief Feta Officer will be an ambassador for President, developing five unique recipes or culinary concepts complete with photography, social media posts, videos, and recipe spotlights. The CFO will be paid $20,000 for the project and also receive an additional $10,000 for travel expenses. While the original baked feta pasta craze originated in Finland and then spread around the world, this culinary adventure will not be geographically limited. In fact, the Chief Feta Officer is encouraged to travel the world to find the next viral feta sensation. The only rule? You cannot use feta in salads. With the "President-ial Salad Ban" in mind, the opportunity is all about challenging feta lovers to get creative with experimenting with the cheese beyond what it's perhaps best knownas a salad topping. Of course, theres nothing wrong with a classic Greek salad, but President's goal is to spotlight feta's versatility in unexpected ways. "Feta is one of the world's most versatile cheeses, yet so often it's confined to salads," Karine Blake, director of marketing for President, said in a statement obtained by Travel + Leisure. "We're here to change that." Best of all, no professional chef credentials are required. However, President is looking for someone with strong storytelling skills who can write, take pictures, and make compelling social videos. The ideal candidate is a passionate foodie with an active social media presence and the flexibility to travel. You also must be at least 21 years old, have a valid passport, and be a U.S. citizen to apply. Applications are open through 5 p.m. EST on Oct. 21, 2025, giving aspiring Chief Feta Officers weeks to craft their pitch. The official application form and more information on the role can be found at President's website. Read the original article on Travel & Leisure New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo declined to say whether Israel was committing a genocide in the Gaza Strip, as a growing number of Democrats and some Republicans have condemned Israels actions amid the ongoing war against Hamas. I believe it is obviously a horrific situation. We want peace. Its long overdue. To watch on a daily basis the carnage that is going on in Gaza is difficult, Cuomo told NBCs Meet the Press NOW moderator Kristen Welker in an interview Thursday. Pressed on whether that meant he was not going as far as calling it a genocide, Cuomo replied, I dont, I dont its not my place to provide terminology in this political context. But return the hostages. Eliminate Hamas, which is a terrorist organization, and lets have peace finally, and that that is long, long overdue, he added. Now my opponent talks about it all the time. Its not really a mayoral issue, but it is his main political issue because it is a very emotional issue. Cuomo is running against New York City Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani and Republican Curtis Sliwa to succeed incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who announced this week he was dropping his reelection bid. A steady stream of lawmakers have started to refer to Israels actions as a genocide, and the U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory declared last month that Israel had committed a genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, saying in a report that Israel was namely (i) killing members of the group; (ii) causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; (iii) deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; and (iv) imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected those allegations, saying at a press conference in August, If we had wanted to commit genocide, it would have taken exactly one afternoon, according to The Times of Israel. Still, the broader Israel-Hamas war has become a flashpoint in recent U.S. elections, including the New York City mayoral race, where the city has a large Jewish population. Mamdani had come under intense criticism for initially refusing to denounce the phrase globalize the Intifada a phrase he has not used himself but that pro-Israel activists say risks inciting violence against Zionists and Jews, while pro-Palestinian activists equate it largely with Palestinian liberation. The New York City Democratic nominee has since said he wouldnt use the phrase and could discourage others from using it as well. During an interview Wednesday on ABCs The View, Mamdani condemned Hamas, called the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel a horrific war crime, and called what was taking place in Gaza a genocide. Cuomo attacked Mamdani over the issue in his interview with Welker, arguing Mamdani hadnt condemned the use of the globalize the Intifada phrase. Also remember that Mr. Mamdani wont condemn the use of the term globalize the Intifada, which you made this point during your interview with him. Globalize the Intifada means kill Jewish people, right? New York has the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, Cuomo said. He has made it clear he does not condone that term, though, in the wake of the interview that I did with him several months ago, Welker responded. He doesnt condemn the use either, and if it was, if I was saying, kill all Italian people, kill all fill in the blank. Of course, you condemn that, Cuomo pushed back. Of course, you condemn it. Its to me, its disqualifying to seek to be mayor of New York City when youre unwilling to condemn the use of the term globalize the Intifada, which is kill all Jews, especially at a time when you see killings happening again and again and again today in the U.K. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. House Ukraine Caucus Speaks On War's 3rd Anniversary Leading Democrats are fundraising off of the government shutdown and blaming Republicans and President Donald Trump for it despite voting against keeping government operations running, according to emails reviewed by the Daily Caller News Foundation. Senate Democrats sparked a government shutdown on Wednesday after rejecting a clean, bipartisan extension of government funding. Democratic lawmakers and top Democratic spending groups have sent a flurry of fundraising emails with donation links attached since the shutdown began despite the funding lapse jeopardizing active-duty service member pay, disaster relief funding and Americans access to certain healthcare services. (RELATED: Democrats Double Down On Shutdown Despite Americans Healthcare Programs Lapsing) The House Majority PAC, a top Democratic outside spending group involved in House races, sent out a fundraising email on Wednesday featuring an image of former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama, with text that reads Republicans shutdown continues, and Barack and Michelle Obama speak up! The email also states that one of the most powerful and respected Democratic couples in HISTORY have stood up and called on every American to act before its too late! Thats why House Majority PAC is uniting a HISTORIC wave of support to show Trump and Republicans that Democrats will make their government shutdown BACKFIRE!, according to the email. So top Democrats have agreed to 600% MATCH every donation to help us do it! A fundraising email penned by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Wednesday attacked the president for posting an altered-video of the minority leader donning a sombrero. He [Trump] just posted a racist and bigoted attack against me in a desperate attempt to distract from the Republican shutdown, the email read. When extremists fan the flames of hostility, you better believe Ill respond. Im asking 786 supporters to step up and prove Democrats stand united, the email continued. Will you rush $15 before midnight to hand Donald Trump and his MAGA allies a stunning rebuke? WASHINGTON, DC OCTOBER 02: U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) speaks to reporters during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol Building on October 02, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) Jeffries notably declined to say on Wednesday whether he would withhold a paycheck during the government shutdown. Vulnerable House Democrats who are expected to field competitive GOP challengers during the midterms have also blasted out fundraising missives during the shutdown. Democratic Nevada Rep. Steven Horsford argued Wednesday in a fundraising email that Republicans were responsible for the shutdown despite the Nevada Democrat voting against funding the government. Together, we can hold Republicans accountable and demand a government that works for the people, Horsford wrote. Thank you for being in this fight. Similarly, Democratic Ohio Rep. Marcy Kaptur wrote Wednesday in an email requesting donations that she and her Democratic colleagues in Congress have been in Washington all week, doing our job: working to keep our government open and fighting to protect affordable healthcare for families in Northwest Ohio and across the country, while Republicans literally walked out. House Speaker Mike Johnson adjourned the House following nearly every House Democrat, including Kaptur, opposing a bipartisan spending bill to fund the government on Sept. 19. Democratic candidates running for House seats in 2026 have also recently sent fundraising appeals attacking Republicans over the shutdown. Today, Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress have shut down the federal government, and we will all pay the price, Democratic New Hampshire House candidate Stefany Shaheen reportedly wrote in a fundraising email obtained by the NHJournal. Shaheen is running in a contested primary to succeed Democratic New Hampshire Rep. Chris Pappas, who is vying to replace Shaheens mother, Democratic New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, in the Senate. Shaheen did not disclose that her mother has voted against a House-passed bipartisan bill to fund the government three times. The retiring senator is expected to vote on the measure for a fourth time on Friday. The DCNF also reviewed fundraising emails sent by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Emilia Sykes of Ohio and Eugene Vindman of Virginia. Johnson told the DCNF in an interview Thursday that House Democrats have lost further credibility after voting to shut down the government and then immediately insisting that they are serious about reopening the government. Their whole existence is framed around messaging, no matter how false or misleading, Johnson said. The House Democrats are simply not being taken seriously by anyone at this point. Jeffries, Horsford and Kaptur did not respond to the DCNFs request for comment. Stefany Shaheen did not immediately respond to the DCNFs request for comment. All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporters byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org. Violet Yacobi NEED TO KNOW Daniel Yacobi was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Friday, Oct. 3 He was convicted in August of strangling his 67-year-old mother to death at her Beverly Hills mansion in 2017 He choked the life out of her, L.A. County Deputy District Attorney Shane Michael said during opening statements in July A Los Angeles dentist convicted of killing his mother was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Friday, Oct. 3, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office confirmed to PEOPLE. Daniel Yacobi was found guilty in August of strangling his 67-year-old mother Violet to death at her Beverly Hills mansion in 2017. Prosecutors said he killed the wealthy widow to inherit a share of her $12 million estate. The case came to light on Oct. 10, 2017, when Violets brother grew concerned after she didnt respond to a call about driving her to the mechanic for her car. It was out of character for the woman, who was nearing the end of a year-long period of mourning her husband Solomon, a physician who died in 2016. That evening, Violet was found dead on the marble floor near the foot of the grand staircase in the $8 million home. On what would have been her 68th birthday on Jan. 8, 2018, Daniel wrote on Facebook: I know you and Dad are up there smiling down on us. Daniel Yacobi Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. The sudden death of the quiet widow saddened friends and neighbors, but what followed sent the family into a state of shock. On Feb. 12, 2018, Daniel was arrested and later charged with murdering his mother after a coroner ruled her death a homicide. Violet Yacobi's Beverly Hills home He choked the life out of her, L.A. County Deputy District Attorney Shane Michael said during opening statements at Daniel's trial on July 21, 2025, following years of delay. [He] left her there in her home the home he lived in as a young person going to high school and when he graduated from college. During the trial, Dean Summers, the brother of one of Daniels neighbors, testified that Daniel was deeply depressed. He told me [his parents] pushed him into dentistry, and that he hated being in dentistry, and that his mother was very controlling, Summers said. He said he hated his mother and he hated his father. Family friend Joseph Mamalinger previously told law enforcement that weeks before Violets death Daniel asked him: Hey, what do you know about inheritance tax? Mamalinger allegedly told police he answered, I think your mom is healthy. Why are you asking me that? Mamalinger said Daniel then became flushed and left. Prosecutors also noted that Daniel had searched online, does the choke hold create a bruise? Daniels defense attorney, however, argued that Violet died from blunt force trauma from falling from the second-story balcony. He was found guilty of murder on Aug. 22. Read the original article on People People walk inside the airport in Munich, Germany, October 3, 2025, after shutting overnight due to drone sightings that forced the cancellation or diversion of dozens of flights on the eve of a national holiday and heightened concerns about the vulnerability of critical infrastructure in Europe. Operations resumed early on Friday morning. REUTERS/Ayhan Uyanik People walk inside the airport in Munich, Germany, October 3, 2025, after shutting overnight due to drone sightings that forced the cancellation or diversion of dozens of flights on the eve of a national holiday and heightened concerns about the vulnerability of critical infrastructure in Europe. Operations resumed early on Friday morning. REUTERS/Ayhan Uyanik By Ayhan Uyanik MUNICH (Reuters) -Drone sightings overnight at Germany's Munich airport led to the cancellation and diversion of dozens of flights on the eve of a national holiday, leaving nearly 3,000 passengers stranded and leading politicians to call for a tougher response to drone threats, potentially including shooting them down. The Munich airport disruption was the latest in a series of similar incidents that have rattled European aviation, raising concerns about deniable hybrid attacks on Ukraine's European allies, possibly directed by Russia. The Kremlin has indeed denied any involvement in the incidents. The airport said several drone sightings late on Thursday evening had forced air traffic control to suspend operations, leading to the cancellation of 17 flights and disrupting travel for nearly 3,000 passengers, who were provided with camp beds, blankets and food. Another 15 arriving flights were diverted around the region. "Our police must get the power to shoot drones down," said Markus Soeder, premier of Bavaria, of which Munich is the capital. He told Bild newspaper: "We need sovereignty over our airspace." As airport operations resumed early on Friday morning, passengers checking in for a flight to Varna in Bulgaria, and the departure board showed only a few flights had been cancelled. A flight from Bangkok was the first of the day to land at around 5:25 a.m. (0325 GMT). Public broadcaster BR said local and national police were investigating the incident. State and federal police had no immediate comment. The drones were sighted in the late evening above the airport, a police spokesperson told newspaper Bild. But because it was dark, the sizes and types of the drones could not be determined, he added. Police did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. The drone incidents follow airspace intrusions last week that temporarily shut airports in Denmark and Norway, which led European Union leaders at a Copenhagen summit to back plans to bolster the bloc's defences with anti-drone measures. "Europe must be able to defend itself," Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said after the meeting. Her defence minister spoke on Friday morning of a Russian "hybrid war against NATO and the West". Authorities have not publicly blamed anyone for the Munich drone incident, but some European officials have suggested Russia was behind other recent airspace violations. "Russia tries to test us. But Russia also tries to sow division and anxiety in our societies," European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday. Interior minister Alexander Dobrindt, who already plans legislation letting armed forces help shoot down drones, said more money was needed along with research into ways of countering the drone threat. "The race between the drone threat and drone defences is getting ever tighter," he told Bild. Russian President Vladimir Putin joked on Thursday that he would not fly drones over Denmark anymore, but Moscow has denied responsibility for the incidents. European authorities have accused Russia of brazen violations of the region's airspace, including recent incursions by drones over Poland and fighter jets over Estonia, while Moscow has in turn accused NATO of provocations. The airport disruption in Munich added to a tense week for the city after its popular Oktoberfest was closed temporarily due to a bomb threat and the separate discovery of explosives in a residential building in the city's north. Friday is German Reunification Day, a public holiday. (Reporting by Ayhan Uyanik in Munich and Gnaneshwar Rajan in Bengaluru; writing by Thomas Escritt, Editing by Jamie Freed and Hugh Lawson) One of my biggest motivations for going on a hike is anticipating the view from the top. Not all trails guarantee a breathtaking overlook, but my favorite ones always do. Theres something inherently rewarding about knowing that each step is getting you closer and closer to the top-the ultimate reward for a leg-burning climb. Thats why Hanging Rock Trail is officially on my hiking to-do list. This two-mile trail is a bit challenging, but it promises one of the states best views. Hanging Rock is tucked away in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests near Waiteville. Theres a dedicated parking lot along Waiteville Road, and from there, the trailhead is easy to find. The trail is narrow but well-marked, leading you to the top of the overlook. The climb up is just under one mile, but requires over 400 feet in elevation gain. Read: Youll want to wear your sturdy hiking boots, and hiking poles can help provide extra support as you navigate. Despite the serious incline, most hikers agree this ones not too tough, and its rated as moderate on AllTrails. Some sections are particularly steep and have loose gravel in areas, so youll want to be mindful of each step. As you make your way to the summit, youll pass through the woods. This section isnt what the trail is famous for, but there is something magical and soothing about walking through the hardwood trees. Visit early in the morning or on a weekday, and odds are, youll have this trail mostly to yourself. Well, mostly to yourself-depending on the time of year you visit, youll notice lots of snails and a few frogs along the path! The view from the top is breathtaking; even photos dont quite do it justice. From this stunning vantage point, youll be able to see Peters Mountain, Wind Rock, Potts Mountain, and other peaks, all framed by the dramatic rock formations that make up Hanging Rock. Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory is also nearby, although its currently closed for repair. Be sure to check the USDA website for updates on when it will be open again, because it offers another remarkable view of the valley below. So whether youre looking for a leg-burning trail or feel inspired by endless mountain views, youll be glad you added this trail to your hiking repertoire. Have you ever hiked Hanging Rock? What did you think of the view? If youve never visited, be sure to share this article with a fellow hiker and begin planning your trip! For more information about the trail, be sure to check out the official AllTrails listing. Of course, if you prefer hikes that are a bit less strenuous, West Virginia has plenty of those, too. Check out this one-mile trail that leads to a mysterious church in the middle of the woods. Feeling inspired to explore more of the Mountain State? Try planning your own trip using Only In Your State's itinerary planner. Some of Kentucky's best hiking trails can be found within the Daniel Boone National Forest and the Red River Gorge Geological Area. There are plenty of short and sweet hikes that lead to a beautiful view, but if you want to challenge yourself, we've got the perfect trail. This hiking trail in the Red River Gorge isn't too tricky, but just enough to push you out of your comfort zone. Your efforts will be rewarded when you see the view! While many of the hiking trails in the Red River Gorge are well marked, this isn't necessarily one of them. We strongly recommend downloading a trail map to your phone before you hit the trailhead. There are several trail spurs and other trails that cross in this area, and it's easier than you think to find yourself off the trail. The Pinch-em Tight Trail to Hanson's Point is a five-mile out-and-back trail with only 725 feet of elevation gain. The difficulty lies in staying on the trail rather than any technical ascents. As you hike further into the trail, it lives up to its name and gets a bit narrower. Many hikers have said that there's not much of a view along this trail, but I'd encourage you to take a different perspective. While that spectacular vista is the end goal, the journey to Hanson's Point is filled with beauty; you just need to open your mind. Appreciate the forest and the canopy of shade! This hike is truly stunning in the fall when you can wander through the fall foliage, but even in the warmer months, you can find beauty all around you-take note of the mushrooms, wildlife, and maybe even spot a few wildflowers peppering the trail. Swap your playlist for the soundtrack of songbirds and the sounds of your footsteps as you hike the trail. Just make sure youre checking your trail map when you come to a fork in the trail. Like we said, its easier than you think to find yourself off the trail and into a campsite or on another trail completely. Before you know it, you'll be at Hanson's Point, where you can enjoy some of the best views of the New River Gorge. Now, this view is fabulous any time of day, but I'll let you in on a little secret: it's one of the best sunrise hikes in Kentucky. It's worth setting your alarm for and hiking in the dark to witness a sunrise over the gorge. Bring snacks, or even bring a Jetboil and make yourself a cup of coffee while you watch the day break in one of the most beautiful places on the planet. Check out some of our favorite Kentucky hiking trails for more outdoor adventures. Feeling inspired? Try planning your own trip using Only In Your State's itinerary planner. U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shake hands as they meet at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 25, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque ANKARA (Reuters) -President Tayyip Erdogan told U.S. counterpart Donald Trump in a phone call on Friday that Turkey welcomed efforts to reach peace in the region, but that Israel must stop its attacks for efforts to be successful, the Turkish presidency said. Erdogan and Trump met at the White House last month for the first time in six years, for a meeting that the Turkish leader said helped the NATO allies make "meaningful progress" on a range of issues. In a statement, the presidency said the two had discussed bilateral ties in the call requested by the U.S. side, adding that Erdogan stressed the importance of taking steps to boost their cooperation, namely in the defence industry. Erdogan also said that their meeting had strengthened ties, it added. The two leaders also discussed the situation in Gaza, the presidency said, adding that Erdogan told Trump that Turkey was working hard to achieve regional peace and welcomed initiatives aimed at that goal. "Erdogan emphasised that Turkey had increased its diplomatic contacts for peace, that it would continue to support (Trump's) vision for global peace, and that Israel stopping its attacks is important for the success of initiatives aimed at achieving peace in the region," it said. Turkey, which has called Israel's attacks on Gaza a genocide and halted all trade with Israel, has voiced support for Trump's latest plan to end the war in Gaza. (Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Alex Richardson) Connecticut offers diverse landscapes, making it a wonderful state for lovers of the great outdoors. Here we have the coast along the Long Island Sound, the verdant Connecticut River Valley, and hills and forests peppered throughout. What may be overlooked are the states mountains. Within the Taconic Range, a part of the Appalachian Mountains that includes the states highest peak, Bear Mountain, and the southern part of the Berkshires extending from Massachusetts, small towns and communities can be found. One such town is Cornwall, and its a charming mountain town in Connecticut you should visit before the end of fall. Jennifer stock.adobe.com Named after Cornwall, England, the town of Cornwall, Connecticut, is set in the foothills of the Berkshires and is home to just over 1,500 people. Its nicknames are Home of the Covered Bridge due to the Historic West Cornwall Covered Bridge spanning the Housatonic River, and the Greenest Town in Connecticut due to the extensive forests here, as well as the amount of conserved land. While visiting the town any time of year guarantees bountiful scenery and outdoor recreation, Cornwall truly shines during the months of autumn. Head down to the Housatonic River, and you can take a look at its banks surrounded by fall foliage - what a stunning sight! To further enhance your fall experience, go for a hike, rent a kayak or canoe from local outfitter Clarke Outdoors in nearby Sharon, or take a bike ride through town. Alexander stock.adobe.com Of course, when visiting Cornwall, you must visit the Historic West Cornwall Covered Bridge, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. At 172 feet in length and 15 feet wide, vehicles still travel through the bridge over the Housatonic River along Route 128 - perhaps youll want to take a drive over it, too! Close to the bridge are a few local eateries like The Pink House, a bistro-style restaurant, and RSVP, a French restaurant. For a quick bite to eat, coffee, pastries, and other goodies, head to the Cornwall Market. Both breakfast and lunch are served here (and breakfast is available all day!). As for local shops, theres Jane Herold Pottery, where you can purchase unique dishware and even take a studio tour if you happen to be in town on a day when one is scheduled. Visit the pottery studios website to register for a tour. The Local, A Cornwall Collective Market, is another must-visit stop in town, located in the Hughes Memorial Union. Here, youll find local produce along with local art to purchase and take back home with you. Yoga classes are also scheduled at the Union throughout the week, if thats something youre interested in. Stopping by The Hughes Memorial Union will give you a sense of Cornwalls community. Alexander stock.adobe.com Cornwall is a quintessential New England mountain town, and a must-visit destination in Connecticut this fall. Visiting this time of year guarantees incredible fall foliage views as you spend time outdoors enjoying the crisp autumn air. So, plan a trip to Cornwall, a charming mountain town in Connecticut! Do your fall plans involve a weekend getaway to Cornwall, Connecticut this year? If so, book a stay at the Cornwall Inn and Lodge within walking distance of Kent Falls State Park (another destination with an epic show of fall foliage) and just a few miles from the Historic West Cornwall Covered Bridge. For more information, visit the Explore Cornwall CT website. Plan your own fall trip to Connecticut with Only In Your State's AI-powered itinerary planner. The head of the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday praised a plan announced by the White House earlier this week that President Trump said is designed to lower the cost of prescription drugs, calling it a "major step" toward making medication more affordable for Americans. On Tuesday, the president announced that drug giant Pfizer had agreed to be part of a new direct-to-consumer government purchasing platform known as TrumpRx, that, according to Pfizer, will allow "American patients to purchase medicines from Pfizer at a significant discount." The president said that Pfizer had "agreed to offer countless prescription medications at major discounts in the United States." Pfizer is the first of many drug makers the president claimed has agreed to offer steep drug discounts to all Americans through TrumpRx, in line with the lowest prices paid by Europeans. "We've seen this disparity for a long time, and we know it has not been sustainable," FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary told CBS News in an interview Thursday. The president also said that Pfizer had agreed to lower the cost of the prescription medications that it provides to Medicaid recipients. "Pfizer is committing to offer all of their prescription medications to Medicaid, and it will be at the most-favored nations prices," Mr. Trump said. Makary argues the Trump administration's agreement with Pfizer will help in addressing health care costs across the board. "By reigning in egregious drug prices, we're actually addressing the larger issue of healthcare costs in the United States, which is something no one has really be able to get a handle on until now," Makary said. According to Pfizer, TrumpRx will provide savings up to 85% for certain medications, such as Duavee, a drug that treats menopause symptoms. Duavee's sticker price is $203 per month, but according to Pfizer, on TrumpRx, it will cost $30 per month. Xeljanz, a Pfizer medication for arthritis, currently costs $6,000 out-of-pocket per month, but on TrumpRx, it will cost about $3,600. "This is a major, major step, and we have to do it," Makary told CBS News when asked if, even with the discounts, the drugs will still be unaffordable for many Americans. The Trump administration said the TrumpRx website will launch next year, but Makarty did not have specific timing. Makary believes that patients with health insurance who are still unable to afford certain medications will still be helped by TrumpRx. "I think it's going to help them significantly," Makary said. "You're going to see a series of announcements by different pharmaceutical companies. This has been the No. 1 health priority in this administration." Sarah Wisniewski, a Maryland resident in her mid-40s, has been living with multiple sclerosis since 2018. Although she she says she has good insurance, it has repeatedly failed to cover the specialty medication her doctor prescribed to slow the progression of her disease. In 2024, when her physician recommended a treatment that could help, she says her insurance company denied coverage three times. She was only approved after the Maryland attorney general intervened. When CBS News asked Makarty about Wisniewski, he explained, "I've seen that story throughout my career as a cancer surgeon, and it's tragic, and we've seen nothing on drug prices for the last 50 years." More than 90% of Americans have some form of health insurance, yet many still struggle to afford critical medications. Wisniewski told CBS News she is skeptical about the new TrumpRx program. "If big pharma isn't required to put their drugs on this market, and if they're not forced to lower prices, then this feels like a toothless, symbolic statement, as opposed to having any real, long-term impact on the lives of the clinically ill," she said. She also questioned how the administration plans to pressure pharmaceutical companies to list the most urgently needed medications on the platform. Even at 50% to 80% cheaper, she said, some of these drugs remain unaffordable. Makary told CBS News that this is just the beginning of the solution: "Each year, we throw good money after bad into a broken system where we pay more and more for drugs," Makary said. "This is the first time we're seeing a major reset cutting the price of some drugs, not all, but some, by 50% to 80%." Stacie Dusetzina, a prescription medication industry expert and a health policy professor at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, says the president's plan will not lower most Americans' out-of-pocket costs for medications. "The reality of who can actually benefit by paying cash for these drugs through this website, it's probably going to be a smaller number of people than what is being promoted," Dusetzina said. Sean Sullivan, a health economist at the University of Washington, also previously expressed doubts to CBS News about how much the program would help Americans save. "Most patients have drug coverageVery few are going to buy medications with cash, unless the drug is not a covered benefit, like weight loss or erectile dysfunction drugs," he said. Ret. Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges says Hegseth's fitness standard remarks were "completely unnecessary" Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth says National Guard is "not needed" in Chicago Face the Nation: Schumer, Duckworth, Hodges BOSTON (AP) A federal appeals court in Boston ruled on Friday that the Trump administration cannot withhold citizenship from children born to people in the country illegally or temporarily, adding to the mounting legal setbacks for the presidents birthright order. A three-judge panel of the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals became the fifth federal court since June to either issue or uphold orders blocking the presidents birthright order. The court concluded that the plaintiffs are likely to succeed on their claims that the children described in the order are entitled to birthright citizenship under the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment. The panel upheld lower courts' preliminary injunctions, which blocked the birthright order while lawsuits challenging it moved ahead. The order, signed the day the president took office in January, would halt automatic citizenship for babies born to people in the U.S. illegally or temporarily. The lessons of history thus give us every reason to be wary of now blessing this most recent effort to break with our established tradition of recognizing birthright citizenship and to make citizenship depend on the actions of ones parents rather than in all but the rarest of circumstances the simple fact of being born in the United States, the court wrote. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, whose state was one of nearly 20 that were part of the lawsuit challenging the order, welcomed the ruling. The First Circuit reaffirmed what we already knew to be true: The Presidents attack on birthright citizenship flagrantly defies the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and a nationwide injunction is the only reasonable way to protect against its catastrophic implications, Bonta said in a statement. We are glad that the courts have continued to protect Americans fundamental rights. A second appeals court ruling on Friday also found in favor of several organizations that challenged the birthright citizenship order. The plaintiffs, including New Hampshire Indonesian Community Support and League of United Latin American Citizens, were represented by the American Civil Liberties Union. The federal appeals court today reinforced that this executive order is a flagrant violation of the U.S. Constitution and we agree, said SangYeob Kim, senior staff attorney at the ACLU of New Hampshire. Our Constitution is clear: no politician can decide who among those born in this country is worthy of citizenship. In September, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to uphold its birthright citizenship order. The appeal sets in motion a process at the high court that could lead to a definitive ruling from the justices by early summer on whether the citizenship restrictions are constitutional. The court is misinterpreting the 14th Amendment. We look forward to being vindicated by the Supreme Court, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement. In July, U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin in Boston issued the third court ruling blocking the birthright order nationwide after a key Supreme Court decision in June. Less than two weeks later, a federal judge in Maryland also issued a nationwide preliminary injunction against the order. The issue is expected to move quickly back to the nations highest court. The justices ruled in June that lower courts generally cant issue nationwide injunctions, but they didnt rule out other court orders that could have nationwide effects, including in class-action lawsuits and those brought by states. A federal judge in New Hampshire later issued a ruling prohibiting Trumps executive order from taking effect nationwide in a new class-action suit, and a San Francisco-based appeals court affirmed a different lower courts nationwide injunction in a lawsuit that included state plaintiffs. At the heart of the lawsuits challenging the birthright order is the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which includes a citizenship clause that says all people born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to U.S. jurisdiction, are citizens. Plaintiffs in the Boston case one of the cases the 1st Circuit considered told Sorokin that the principle of birthright citizenship is enshrined in the Constitution, and that Trump does not have the authority to issue the order, which they called a flagrantly unlawful attempt to strip hundreds of thousands of American-born children of their citizenship based on their parentage. Justice Department attorneys argued the phrase subject to United States jurisdiction in the amendment means that citizenship isnt automatically conferred to children based on their birth location alone. In a landmark birthright citizenship case, the Supreme Court in 1898 found a child born in San Francisco to Chinese parents was a citizen by virtue of his birth on American soil. ___ The Eagle S ship's captain, Georgian national Davit Vadatchkoria sits for his trial, where he and the ship's first and second officers face charges of aggravated sabotage and telecommunications interference, as well as lesser offences such as vandalism and endangering public safety, in relation to an incident in the Baltic Sea last Christmas, where the prosecutor alleges that the ship's crew deliberately dragged the vessel's anchor along the seabed, damaging five undersea cables between Finland and Estonia including the Estlink 2 power cable, at the District Court in Helsinki, Finland September 1, 2025. Lehtikuva/Antti Aimo-Koivisto via REUTERS By Elviira Luoma HELSINKI (Reuters) -A Finnish district court ruled on Friday that it does not have jurisdiction to prosecute the captain and two officers of the Eagle S oil tanker, who are accused of breaking undersea power and internet cables in the Baltic Sea last year. Finland has said the Eagle S is part of a shadow fleet of tankers used by Russia to circumvent sanctions on its oil exports. The December 25 incident was one of a string of cable and gas pipeline outages in the Baltic Sea since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, putting NATO forces in the region on high alert. Russia has denied involvement in cable cutting. The trial was among the first judicial attempts to punish suspected perpetrators for damaging critical underwater infrastructure, but is complicated by provisions of international maritime law and the difficulty of proving criminal intent. The three crew members denied the charges. "The District Court has today issued a judgment dismissing the charge in the case... along with the claims for damages arising from the charge, as it was not possible to apply Finnish criminal law to the case," the court said in a statement. Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the power to prosecute any crime rests with the ship's flag state or the defendants' native countries, the court added. The ship operated under a Cook Islands flag. The ruling remains subject to appeal. DEFENDANTS BLAMED TECHNICAL FAULT The tanker, carrying Russian oil, dragged its 11,000 kg (24,000 lb) anchor for 90 km (56 miles) across the Gulf of Finland seabed, breaking the Finnish-Estonian Estlink 2 power cable and four internet lines, prosecutors said. Finland charged the Georgian captain, as well as the Georgian first officer and the Indian second officer, with aggravated criminal mischief and aggravated interference with telecommunications. The charges rested on allegations of gross negligence on the part of the crew regarding the poor condition of the vessel's anchor winch, rather than firm evidence that the anchor was intentionally dropped to cause damage, court documents showed. The defendants stated at trial that the vessel's anchor had dropped unnoticed due to technical faults in the winch that was supposed to hold it in place. They also rejected the cable owners' claims for tens of millions of euros in damages. The prosecutor had asked the court to sentence the defendants to prison for a minimum of two-and-a-half years each. The court lifted the defendants' travel bans at the end of the trial in September and they have since left Finland. No charges were brought against the ship's owner, and the vessel was released from Finnish custody in March. (Reporting by Elviira Luoma and Anne Kauranen, editing by Essi Lehto, Terje Solsvik, Kevin Liffey, Elaine Hardcastle) The Eagle S ship's captain, Georgian national Davit Vadatchkoria sits for his trial, where he and the ship's first and second officers face charges of aggravated sabotage and telecommunications interference, as well as lesser offences such as vandalism and endangering public safety, in relation to an incident in the Baltic Sea last Christmas, where the prosecutor alleges that the ship's crew deliberately dragged the vessel's anchor along the seabed, damaging five undersea cables between Finland and Estonia including the Estlink 2 power cable, at the District Court in Helsinki, Finland September 1, 2025. Lehtikuva/Antti Aimo-Koivisto via REUTERS By Elviira Luoma HELSINKI (Reuters) -A Finnish court dismissed a case on Friday against the crew of the Russian-linked tanker which damaged Baltic Sea cables last year, ruling prosecutors failed to prove intent and that alleged negligence must be pursued by the ship's flag state or the crew's home countries. The December 25 incident was one of a string of cable and gas pipeline outages in the Baltic Sea since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, putting NATO forces in the region on high alert. Russia has denied involvement in cable cutting. Finnish prosecutors will decide within a week if they will appeal the ruling, state prosecutor Jukka Rappe told Reuters. The criminal trial against the captain and two officers was among the first judicial attempts to punish suspected perpetrators for damaging critical underwater infrastructure, but was complicated by provisions of international maritime law and the difficulty of proving criminal intent. "The District Court has today issued a judgment dismissing the charge in the case... along with the claims for damages arising from the charge, as it was not possible to apply Finnish criminal law to the case," the court said in a statement. The court classified the case as an "incident of navigation", saying prosecutors had failed to provide sufficient evidence to show the crew dragged the anchor intentionally. Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, incidents of navigation must be prosecuted by the ship's flag state or the defendants' native countries, the court added. Finland has said the Eagle S tanker is part of a shadow fleet of tankers used by Russia to circumvent sanctions on its oil exports. The ship, operating under a Cook Islands flag, was carrying Russian oil, Finland said. Finland charged the Georgian captain, as well as the Georgian first officer and the Indian second officer, with aggravated criminal mischief and aggravated interference with telecommunications due to the difficulties in proving deliberate intent. The three crew members denied the charges. The court lifted the defendants' travel bans at the end of the trial and they have since left Finland. No charges were brought against the ship's owner. The vessel was released from Finnish custody in March. DEFENDANTS BLAMED TECHNICAL FAULT The tanker, carrying Russian oil, dragged its 11,000 kg (24,000 lb) anchor for 90 km (56 miles) across the Gulf of Finland seabed, breaking the Finnish-Estonian Estlink 2 power cable and four internet lines, prosecutors said. The charges alleged gross negligence on the part of the crew regarding the poor condition of the vessel's anchor winch, rather than firm evidence that the anchor was intentionally dropped to cause damage, court documents showed. The defendants stated at trial that the vessel's anchor had dropped unnoticed due to technical faults in the winch that was supposed to hold it in place. The defendants also rejected the cable owners' claims for tens of millions of euros in damages. The owners of the cables have suffered at least 60 million euros ($70 million) in immediate damage in the form of repair costs alone, the prosecutors' office said in August. The state prosecutor had asked the court to sentence the defendants to prison for a minimum of two-and-a-half years each. Following the incident, NATO launched "Baltic Sentry", a mission to protect undersea infrastructure in the region. NATO said on Thursday the mission was ongoing. "Allies are keenly aware of the threats of hybrid warfare in the Baltic Sea and we continue to demonstrate unity and resolve in our efforts to deter such capabilities," Commander Arlo Abrahamson, spokesperson for NATO's Allied Maritime Command, wrote in an emailed statement. (Reporting by Elviira Luoma and Anne Kauranen, editing by Essi Lehto, Terje Solsvik, Kevin Liffey, Elaine Hardcastle) DES MOINES The former superintendent of Iowa's largest school district, who was detained by immigration agents last week, has been charged in federal court with possessing firearms while in the United States without legal authorization, prosecutors said Oct. 2. Ian Roberts, who resigned earlier this week as the superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, was detained on Sept. 26 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents after he was pulled over and allegedly fled from officers. Federal authorities accused Roberts, 54, of lacking legal authorization to reside or work in the United States. During the arrest, federal agents discovered a loaded handgun that was wrapped in a towel inside the vehicle Roberts was driving, a criminal complaint alleges. Law enforcement also executed a search warrant at Roberts' home, and found three other firearms and multiple firearm magazines, according to the complaint. The Department of Homeland Security previously said it was referring Roberts to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives for an investigation into how he obtained the gun found in his vehicle. Roberts was being held at the Woodbury County Jail in Sioux City, about 150 miles northwest of Des Moines, pending deportation by immigration authorities. But on Oct. 2, Roberts was taken into custody by the Department of Justice on a federal warrant for his arrest and was removed from the jail. He had his initial court appearance on Oct. 2, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Iowa said in a news release. Roberts will remain in federal custody pending further proceedings. A photo included in the federal criminal complaint against former Des Moines Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts shows one of the guns U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents say they found in his home after he was arrested Sept. 26. Ex-Des Moines schools superintendent received order for deportation in 2024 Roberts, who was hired by Des Moines Public Schools in 2023, received a previously unreported order for deportation in 2024. He is originally from Guyana in South America and immigrated to the United States to study and play college sports. In 1999, the federal government granted Roberts a student visa. Between 2001 and 2018, according to the new criminal complaint, Roberts unsuccessfully applied to become a permanent U.S. resident. Federal authorities alleged in the complaint that Roberts was not eligible to work in the United States when he assumed the district's top job. Roberts' work authorization in the United States expired in 2020, more than two years before he became the Des Moines Schools superintendent, according to the complaint. In May 2024, Roberts failed to appear in a Dallas immigration court for a hearing on his potential deportation. A judge then ordered Roberts to return to Guyana. Roberts' attorneys have said they are seeking to pause his deportation and reopen his case. Attorney Alfredo Parrish told the Des Moines Register, part of the USA TODAY Network, on Oct. 2 that his legal team was still working with state and federal entities to try to protect Roberts' interest and "take this one step at a time." "We cant say we didnt know a possibility this would happen, but obviously we want to see if we can reach a resolution," he said of the complaint. Des Moines schools superintendent case: MIT and George Washington dispute Ian Roberts' claims about academic credentials, honors ICE agents found order of removal paperwork in superintendent's car, complaint reveals While searching Roberts' home on Sept. 26, officers allegedly discovered a copy of his May 2024 deportation order in another vehicle inside his garage, according to the complaint. Defending his client during a Sept. 30 news conference, Parrish said Roberts believed he was allowed to live and work in the United States. Parrish also shared a letter from Jackeline Gonzalez, a Texas immigration attorney who previously represented Roberts. "I am writing to inform you of the closure of your immigration case," Gonzalez wrote in the letter, dated March 27 of this year. "It has been my pleasure to represent you throughout this process, and I am pleased to report that your case has reached a successful resolution." Despite Gonzalez's announcement of a "successful resolution," an immigration judge denied Roberts' motion to reopen the case in April. Following Parrish's news conference, ATF Special Agent Robert Carlson wrote in the complaint that he had called Gonzalez, who told him she had been attempting to quit the case. He said she provided a November 2024 letter in which she told Roberts that he owed her firm about $11,800 in unpaid legal bills. She filed a motion to withdraw as Roberts' attorney in January, but a judge did not rule on her request before denying Roberts' motion to reopen his case, according to the complaint. Regarding Gonzalez's letter, Carlson wrote in the complaint that it was "not intended to convey to Roberts that his immigration case with the immigration court was completed but rather it was being closed in her office." Des Moines Public Schools is considering possible legal action Since Roberts' initial arrest, Des Moines schools officials have said they believed he was a U.S. citizen. They said Roberts completed an I-9 form, the document that employers must use to confirm employees' authorization to work in the United States. Phil Roeder, a spokesperson for the district, said in an email on Oct. 2 that Roberts gave the district a copy of his driver's license and a Social Security card before the school board hired him in May 2023. The school board said in an Oct. 2 news release that it will discuss possible litigation related to the arrest and subsequent revelations on Roberts' background during a special session on Oct. 3. "Des Moines Public Schools is facing a different reality than we were last Friday," school board chair Jackie Norris said. "As a learning institution, we will use this opportunity to both review the most recent superintendent hiring process as well as holding those accountable who contributed to this current situation." "From misrepresenting his citizenship status to degrees that did not exist, Ian Roberts appears to have misled people about who he was not only here in Des Moines, but a trail that extends from Pennsylvania and across the country," Norris said. "Between legal action and a thorough internal review, we pledge to find the truth so this can never happen again." More: Des Moines Superintendent Ian Roberts' Iowa administrator license revoked after ICE arrest Contributing: Samantha Hernandez, Des Moines Register; Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Ex-Des Moines Superintendent Ian Roberts hit with federal gun charges Getty Images Gisele Bundchen attends the Met Gala on May 1, 2023, in New York City. The Gist Gisele Bundchen wore a sheer crochet sweater for a new campaign with Brazilian footwear brand Democrata. She layered the piece with a bra, satin button-down, linen trench coat, and Bermuda shorts. In a second outfit, she wears a satin slip dress and blazer. Crochet for fall? Actually groundbreaking. Gisele Bundchen took a short break from soaking up all the love with her 8-month-old baby to set some trends and remind everyone of her It girl status (not that the world needed the reminder). The supermodel posted an idyllic video, set over soothing sounds, as a part of her new campaign with Brazilian footwear brand Democrata. The clip sees Bundchen frolicking around in a field with trees, close-ups of blooming flowers, time lapses of moving clouds among periwinkle-blue skies, and of course, plenty of chic fashion. Getty Images Gisele Bundchen at the Watches and Wonders on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in Geneva, Switzerland. One ensemble in particular is bound to catch fans' eyes. Bundchen gave sophisticated monochromatic dressing a sultry twist by way of a sheer crochet sweater that she layered over a matching beige bra. She kept the light Earth tones going with a coordinated satin button-down shirt, linen trench coat, and Bermuda shorts. She opted for leather accents in the form of a black belt and chocolate-brown loafers. Getty Images Gisele Bundchen attends a IWC Schaffhausen Live Talk on December 8, 2023, in Miami Beach, Florida. In a second ensemble, the 45-year-old wears an elegant, silky satin slip dress with a plunging neckline and calf-grazing skirt. She layered the centerpiece under a matching creamy-beige blazer. For a casual touch, this time she dressed the ensemble down with cherry-red sneakers, offering a pop of color. She added gold jewelry, including hoop earrings, as the final touches. Bundchen wears her golden-blonde locks down and free in their natural waves, gently tousling them and letting them fly in the wind. As for glam, the activist wears fresh makeup, complete with rosy cheeks, luminous skin, fluttery eyelashes, and glossy lips. Getty Images Gisele Bundchen in New York City on March 21, 2024. "Great to spend the day in nature photographing the new @democratacalcados campaign," she captioned the post. Bundchen's video breaks up some recent posts showcasing mom life. Earlier this week, the model posted a nature appreciation post that also gave a glimpse of her growing toddler. In one of the snaps, her bundle of joy reaches out to touch a lead, proving the little tot is taking after her love of nature. Read the original article on InStyle Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hopes to announce the release of all hostages from Gaza "in the coming days," after Hamas said it has agreed to parts of the peace plan that President Trump outlined earlier this week. In a brief statement late Saturday, Netanyahu said he has sent a delegation to Egypt "to finalize technical details," adding that "our goal is to contain these negotiations to a time frame of a few days." But Netanyahu signaled there would not be a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, something Hamas has long demanded. On Friday, Hamas said in a statement that while they agreed to parts of the peace deal, including the demand to release all hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, the group suggested other portions of the deal should be subject to negotiation. A U.S. official told CBS News the United States views Hamas' response as positive, though there are details that still need to be hammered out, such as the decommissioning of weapons, which may begin as soon as next week. After Hamas released its statement, Mr. Trump said Friday on Truth Social that he believes the group is "ready for a lasting PEACE." He pushed Israel to cease hostilities in the Gaza Strip. "Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly! Right now, it's far too dangerous to do that. We are already in discussions on details to be worked out," the president wrote. "In light of Hamas's response, Israel is preparing to immediately implement the first phase of Trump's plan for the immediate release of all hostages," a statement released by Netanyahu's office early Saturday morning local time read. "We will continue to work in full cooperation with the President and his team to end the war in accordance with the principles set forth by Israel that are consistent with President Trump's vision." Smoke rises from the area as Israel continues its attacks despite President Trump's call to In a separate statement, the Israel Defense Forces said that its high-level military officials held a meeting overnight, in which Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the IDF chief of staff, "instructed to advance readiness for the implementation of the first phase of the Trump plan for the release of the hostages." An Israeli political source told CBS News that the cessation of the IDF's activity in the Gaza Strip is intended to allow Hamas to begin organizing for the release of the hostages. The source added that this is not an official ceasefire that would require Hamas to return the hostages within 72 hours, as outlined in the plan. "This is not the beginning of a withdrawal, although there may be tactical improvements for the purpose of protecting our soldiers," the source added. "We are constantly examining what is happening on the ground and will not allow the terrorist organizations to try to take advantage of the opportunity and carry out a last-minute attack, or to strengthen their grip on the ground." The source said the negotiations are expected to begin on Sunday. Meanwhile, another source familiar with Israel's negotiation team told CBS News that it was getting ready to travel. U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, is set to travel to Egypt for the talks, a senior U.S. official confirmed to CBS News. Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, is also expected to attend. CBS News has reached out to the White House for more details. In a video posted to Truth Social later Friday, Mr. Trump called the deal "unprecedented in many ways" and thanked several Arab and majority Muslim countries that assisted with the deal as mediators, including Qatar and Egypt. "This is a big day," Mr. Trump said in the video. "We'll see how it all turns out. We have to get the final word down and concrete." In a follow-up post to Truth Social Saturday afternoon, Mr. Trump wrote: "After negotiations, Israel has agreed to the initial withdrawal line, which we have shown to, and shared with, Hamas. When Hamas confirms, the Ceasefire will be IMMEDIATELY effective, the Hostages and Prisoner Exchange will begin, and we will create the conditions for the next phase of withdrawal, which will bring us close to the end of this 3,000 YEAR CATASTROPHE. Thank you for your attention to this matter and, STAY TUNED!" The post included a map of what the proposed withdrawal line could look like. Also Saturday, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the second most powerful militant group in Gaza, said it accepted Hamas' response to the Trump plan. The group had previously rejected the proposal days earlier. Hamas says it's willing to release hostages, hand over control of Gaza Hamas said it is willing to release all living hostages and the remains of deceased hostages "in accordance with the exchange formula set forth in President Trump's proposal." The proposal laid out by the White House called for Hamas to release all hostages taken on Oct. 7, 2023, within 72 hours, and for Israel to release 250 Palestinians serving life sentences and 1,700 other Gazans who were detained following the start of the conflict. The deal also called for an immediate end to fighting if both sides accept the deal, and for Israel's military to withdraw to an "agreed upon line." Hamas also said it is willing to "hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body of independents (technocrats), based on Palestinian national consensus and with the support of Arab and Islamic parties" another portion of Mr. Trump's proposal. A senior Egyptian official told the AP that talks are underway for the release of hostages, as well as hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention. The official, who is involved in the ceasefire negotiations, also said Arab mediators are preparing for a comprehensive dialogue among Palestinians. The talks are aimed at unifying the Palestinian position toward Gaza's future. The group was less clear on other portions of the deal. The statement said some aspects of Mr. Trump's proposal "remain linked to a comprehensive national stance, grounded in relevant international laws and resolutions." It said those issues will need to be discussed "within an inclusive Palestinian national framework" that includes Hamas. It's not clear if Hamas has agreed that it will play no role in the governance of Gaza, which was one provision of Mr. Trump's proposal. The plan, unveiled Sept. 29 by Mr. Trump and backed by Netanyahu, called for Hamas to free all remaining Israeli hostages and for the Israeli military to begin withdrawing from parts of the Gaza Strip in phases, starting with an initial withdrawal before the hostages are freed. It also proposed handing over parts of Gaza to a "technocratic" Palestinian committee and deploying a temporary security force backed by Arab states. Netanyahu, who joined Mr. Trump for a joint news conference at the White House when the 20-point proposal was announced, had said he supports the plan, and that if Hamas does not accept the offer, "Israel will finish the job by itself." "We're giving everybody a chance to have this done peacefully," Netanyahu had said, warning Hamas what would happen if they didn't agree to the proposal. "But if Hamas rejects your plan, Mr. President, or if they supposedly accept it and then basically do everything to counter it, then Israel will finish the job by itself. This can be done the easy way or it can be done the hard way, but it will be done." The president told Netanyahu on Monday that if Hamas were to reject the proposal, "you'd have our full backing to do what you would have to do." Mr. Trump had said his goal is to ensure a "sustainable, long-term peace." The president on Monday also said he and Netanyahu were "waiting for signatures and waiting for approvals from a lot of different countries that are involved in this." Israel and Hamas have been at war since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led terrorists attacked southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Since then, Israel has waged an intense aerial bombardment and ground campaign in the Gaza Strip. More than 66,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which does not specify how many of the dead were civilians or militants. Some 50 hostages are still in Gaza, fewer than half of whom are believed to be alive, according to Israeli authorities. Claire Day, Margaret Brennan, Lucia Suarez Sang and Melissa Gaffney contributed to this report. A look at the booming business of Taylor Swift and her brand Rite Aid closes all stores nationwide 2 children killed, 2 others hurt in shooting near Houston "The Crocodile Hunter", Steve Irwin, poses with a three foot long alligator at the San Francisco Zoo on June 26, 2002 - Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Robert Irwin has been lighting up the floor on Dancing With the Stars Season 34, undoubtedly making his late dad, Steve Irwin, proud. The Crocodile Hunter died on September 4, 2006, when he was just 44 years old. Hes still part of every day, Robert told People. Hes part of every conversation. Hes part of my life. And I feel as though I get a little part of him back in some way, in every conversation I have about him, or any new story I hear about him, or in any new photo that I havent seen before. As Roberts journey in the dance competition continues, scroll down to learn more about his father and how he tragically died. What was Steve Irwins cause of death? The Crocodile Hunter host died after being stung by a stingray off the coast of Australia. Steve had been filming a documentary called Oceans Deadliest, but bad weather put a pause on production, so he and his cameraman, Justin Lyons, started recording a segment to be featured in a wildlife series narrated by Steves daughter (and Roberts sister) Bindi Irwin. The stingray attacked Steve while he was snorkeling in shallow water. Its barb punctured Steves lungs and heart, leaving a two-inch wide gash, according to Lyons. Steve Irwin poses with his family at Australia Zoo June 19, 2006 in Beerwah, Australia Australia Zoo via Getty Images It probably thought that Steves shadow was a tiger shark, which feeds on them very regularly, Lyons explained. I panned with the camera as the stingray swam away. I didnt even know it had caused any damage. It wasnt until I panned the camera back, that Steve was standing in a huge pool of blood, that I realized something had gone wrong. Steves Oceans Deadliest cohost told WUFT that the crew worked hard for several hours to try and resuscitate him, but the wound was too grievous into his heart from the stingray barb. How many times did the stingray sting Steve Irwin? The stingray only stung Steve once, but it delivered hundreds of strikes in a few seconds, according to Lyons. What were Steve Irwins last words? Steve was still conscious after the stingray attack, although Lyons noted that he was in a lot of pain at the time. The cameraman recalled his friends last words in an interview on Studio 10 in Australia. Were saying to him things like, Think of your kids, Steve, hang on, hang on, hang on, Lyons recalled on Studio 10. And he just sort of calmly looked up at me and said, Im dying, and that was the last thing he said. How old was Robert Irwin when his dad died? Robert was just 2 years old when his father died. He was three months away from turning 3. Now, he relies on archival footage to remember the man he never got to know. Ill often come across archive footage that I havent seen before, Robert explained to People. And all of a sudden, his memory just starts flooding back. So its weird that decades later, after losing someone when I was 2 years old, I almost have an even greater picture of the person he was. He also added, I think losing someone as important as him at such a young age solidified the idea that life is fragile. We dont know what tomorrow holds, so you have to take calculated risks, you have to have fun, enjoy what youre doing, and give everything 100 percent. Dancing With the Stars, Tuesdays, 8/7c, ABC and Disney+ (Streaming Next Day on Hulu) Read the latest entertainment news on TV Insider. Julio Aguilar/Getty Hulk Hogan NEED TO KNOW New court filings reportedly show Hulk Hogan's family is considering filing a medical malpractice lawsuit in connection with his death Hogan died on July 24 at the age of 71 The legal petition filed Tuesday reportedly asks for 90 more days for the family's legal representatives to investigate the possibility of filing a medical malpractice lawsuit, which names two local hospitals and surgeons The family of late professional wrestling icon Hulk Hogan is considering filing a medical malpractice lawsuit in connection with his unexpected death this past July, according to new reports. Local Fox 13 and NBC 6 reported on Thursday, Oct. 2 that Hogans family filed for a 90-day extension for the statute of limitations surrounding the possible malpractice lawsuit, as the investigation into the longtime WWE stars death continues. A copy of the Pinellas County filing made by Hogans family this week, published by NBC 6, names Tampa General, Morton Plant Hospital, two specific medical officials and any and all other applicable health care providers as possible defendants in a potential medical malpractice lawsuit. PEOPLE has reached out to spokespersons at both hospitals for comment, with Tampa General declining to comment. Morton Plant has not responded on Friday. Messages left with the two surgeons named in the Hogan familys legal petition a spine surgeon with Morton Plant Hospital and a cardiac surgeon with Tampa General also went unreturned. PEOPLE also reached out to the local Pinellas County Clerks Office for more information regarding the petition and legal process. If approved, legal representatives for Hogans estate, his widow Sky Daily, and his son Nicholas Hogan would have 90 days from Sept. 30 to explore filing a medical malpractice lawsuit, according to a copy of the filing published by NBC 6. Carley Margolis/FilmMagic From left: Nick Hogan, Brooke Hogan, Linda Hogan and Hulk Hogan Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, died at a local hospital after collapsing at his Clearwater, Fla., home on July 24. He was 71 years old. The local Pinellas County medical examiner determined Hogans death was caused by cardiac arrest, PEOPLE previously reported. Medical records showed the 12-time world champion had a previously unknown leukemia diagnosis and also had been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, a disorder that causes irregular heart beats and can trigger cardiac arrest. But according to reports this week by Fox 13 and NBC 6, Hogans family is looking closely at allegations that a surgeon severed his vital phrenic nerve during a recent surgery, allegedly studying whether the claimed surgical accident led to complications that caused Hogans death this past summer. Hogans widow Sky Daily alleged to TMZ in August that her husbands phrenic nerve was "compromised" during a recent surgery. Longtime friend and manager Jimmy Hart told PEOPLE one day after his sudden death in July that Hogan was seemingly doing great in just before then, despite recent health complications. Just overnight it all happened, but it was so positive the day before, Hart said at the time. ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Hulk Hogan In the weeks following Hogans death, daughter Brooke Hogan also publicly mulled theories about her dads death and whether someone was responsible. Hogans daughter questioned on social media and in interviews why there was no autopsy performed on her father soon after his death, which she referred to as a mystery. Hogan previously filed a medical malpractice lawsuit in 2013 against another local Florida spine surgeon, which was later dismissed, Pinellas County Court records show. Read the original article on People NEW DELHI/KABUL (Reuters) -The U.N. Security Council Committee has temporarily lifted a travel ban on the Afghan Taliban foreign minister, which would allow him to visit India between October 9 and 16, India's foreign ministry said on Friday. If confirmed, it would be the first visit to India by a senior leader of the Taliban-run Afghan administration since it seized power in 2021 after 20 years of U.S. military presence. Delhi and Kabul have traditionally enjoyed close ties when the Islamist Taliban were not in power. Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is among Afghan Taliban members who are under U.N. sanctions including a travel ban and asset freeze. Temporary exemptions are sometimes granted for diplomacy. The Afghan administration did not immediately respond to inquiries about Muttaqi's travel plans. India's foreign ministry spokesperson told reporters that New Delhi had already been speaking to the Afghan administration, and noted that it had provided support after an earthquake on August 31. He did not specifically confirm that the visit would take place. Indian and Afghan media have reported that Muttaqi will travel to Russia before visiting New Delhi. In Moscow, he is expected to discuss the situation in Afghanistan with representatives from Russia, China, Iran, Pakistan, India, and Central Asian countries, the reports say. Hekmatullah Hekmat, an Afghan political analyst, said the visit to India was highly significant for the Taliban government: "Afghanistan is in dire need of establishing relations with regional countries, especially its neighbours. It needs to build political, economic, and trade ties and to gain recognition." Only Russia has so far recognised the Taliban government. India closed its embassy in Kabul in 2021, but a year later opened a technical mission to coordinate humanitarian assistance. (Reporting by Sakshi Dayal and Shivam Patel in New Delhi, and Mohammad Yunus Yawar in Kabul; Editing by Kevin Liffey) DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Federal authorities on Friday said the superintendent of Iowa's largest school district had a history of criminal charges before his arrest by immigration agents last week, which shocked the community and prompted the school board to sue the consulting company it hired to vet candidates. Des Moines Public Schools hired Ian Roberts in 2023 to lead its district of about 30,000 students over two years ago, but federal authorities said the Guyana native was in the U.S. illegally and has not had work authorization for several years. Officials on Friday provided a list of criminal charges in Roberts' record, including drug possession and intent to sell in 1996 and weapons charges in 2020 and 2022. Roberts pleaded guilty to the 2022 weapons charge a minor infraction for unlawfully possessing a loaded hunting rifle in a vehicle and the district was aware of that early on. Federal officials did not specify the outcome of the 1996 or 2020 charges. Roberts' lawyer, Brandon Brown, emphasized that charges are not convictions, and said federal officials are recycling information they've already released in a fear-mongering campaign. As Des Moines school officials said they sued the consulting company that conducted the superintendent search, the charges on Roberts' record raised questions about how he was hired and licensed in Iowa as well as several other states. For the Des Moines application, Roberts had to undergo a background check and say whether he was ever charged with a misdemeanor, felony or major traffic violation, such as driving under the influence, according to the job profile in the web archive of JG Consulting, which conducted the search. It is not clear how Roberts responded at the time. In response to a records request from The Associated Press, district officials said the background check was conducted by a third party and is not a public record. Iowa's educational examiners board ran criminal history checks at the state level and with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Iowa law and administrative code allows for the denial of a license based on convictions, not charges, Heather Doe, spokesperson for the state education department, said in an email. Since Roberts' arrest after he ran from a traffic stop, students have walked out of their classrooms in protest. Community members have gathered to pose questions to Roberts lawyers, trying to reconcile the vibrant man who engaged with students and staff with the man at the center of a scandal that has grabbed national attention. The Des Moines school board has said it was a victim of deception throughout his tenure. Roberts, who is in federal custody in Des Moines, resigned as superintendent after the state education board revoked his license. Federal prosecutors charged Roberts with possessing four firearms while in the U.S. illegally, including one authorities said was wrapped in a towel inside a school-issued Jeep Cherokee he was driving when agents pulled him over, according to court filings. Officials release more details on Roberts' immigration history The district has said Roberts signed a form when he was hired attesting that he was a U.S. citizen, submitting a Social Security card and a drivers license as verification. District officials also stated they had no knowledge of an order of removal issued in 2024. Authorities said a final removal order was issued last year, and an immigration judge denied a motion to reopen Roberts immigration case this April. Alfredo Parrish, one of Roberts' attorneys, has said Roberts was under the impression from a prior attorney that his immigration case was resolved successfully. On Friday, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that Roberts first entered the U.S. in 1994 on a nonimmigrant visa, classified as a visitor for pleasure." He returned in 1999 on an F-1 student visa, which was set to expire in March 2004. In the interim, officials said he was denied a green card application in 2003. His next listed interaction with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services was in 2018, when he ultimately obtained work authorization. Authorities said his second application for work authorization was approved with an expiration in December 2020. Roberts was issued a notice to appear before an immigration judge in October 2020, according to the DHS statement. Officials also listed a 1998 charge for unauthorized use of a vehicle in New York City, which was dismissed the following year. The district sues its consulting company Also Friday, Des Moines Public Schools said it sued JG Consulting, which it hired in 2022 to facilitate the leadership search. The districts complaint accused the company of breach of contract and negligence. School board chair Jackie Norris said the focus is on recouping taxpayer dollars and addressing reputational damage. The firm failed its duty to properly vet candidates. Ian Roberts should have never been presented as a finalist, Norris said. If we knew what we knew now, he would never have been hired. The contract between the district and JG Consulting said the company was responsible for advertising, recruitment, application and resume review, public domain search, complete reference checks and the presentation of qualified candidates. The district said JG Consulting failed to disclose to the board all information, positive or negative. Josh Romero, an attorney for JG Consulting, said in a statement that Roberts provided the documents necessary to be eligible for the job and that the district had all relevant information since the beginning, including a discrepancy in his educational history. It should be noted that Mr. Roberts has a record of high-quality leadership and accomplishments in Des Moines and in each of his prior positions in other school districts, in other states, Romero said. Any discrepancy regarding his immigration status was not discovered in any prior placements, by any other consulting firm or any other board. Roberts, who has two decades of experience in education, used a doctorate title well before earning a doctoral degree from Trident University International in 2021. Roberts falsely claimed on a resume with his application that he earned a doctorate in urban educational leadership from Morgan State University in 2007, according to documents the AP obtained through a records request. Although Roberts was enrolled in that doctoral program from 2002 to 2007, the schools public relations office confirmed in an email that he didnt receive that degree. A background check during the hiring process flagged the discrepancy with the resume, according to the district. The district said the full school board only saw a resume that was revised to indicate he had not completed his dissertation, which is necessary for the degree. But the board did have access to the background check alerting members to the initial variance. Firefighters work to contain a large fire that broke out at the Chevron refinery, in El Segundo, California, U.S., October 2, 2025. REUTERS/Daniel Cole Firefighters work to contain a large fire that broke out at the Chevron refinery, in El Segundo, California, U.S., October 2, 2025. REUTERS/Daniel Cole By Erwin Seba, Shivani Tanna and Stephanie Kelly (Reuters) -A large fire erupted in a jet fuel production unit at Chevrons El Segundo refinery near Los Angeles on Thursday, disrupting supply in California's isolated energy market. Chevron's second-biggest refinery in the United States, the El Segundo facility supplies a fifth of all motor vehicle fuels and 40% of the jet fuel consumed in southern California. No injuries were reported and all workers at the refinery were accounted for, Chevron spokesperson Allison Cook said in an email. Media said the blaze had been contained, though it was still burning early on Friday. It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion at the facility in the suburb of El Segundo, which supplies jet fuel for Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), located just north of the refinery. WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS FOR CALIFORNIA'S FUEL MARKET? "There is no known impact to LAX at this time," Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said. The fire broke out in the refinery's Isomax 7 unit, which converts mid-distillate fuel oil into jet fuel, two sources said. It was unclear how it would affect the refinerys ability to produce jet fuel, and whether wider output had been affected. U.S. WTI crude futures prices were trading up 22 cents at $60.70 per barrel at 1136 GMT on Friday, on course for a weekly loss of more than 7%. [O/R] The fire is unlikely to have a large impact on the wider oil market, two analysts told Reuters, but California gasoline prices could rise as the state's fuel market is isolated from other U.S. refining centers in the Midwest and on the Gulf Coast. If supply is affected, the California market could draw fuel imports from northeast Asia refiners in South Korea, Taiwan and Japan, Asian trade sources said. Northeast Asia has sent 90,000 barrels per day of jet fuel to the U.S. West Coast region so far this year versus 112,000 bpd in 2024, Kpler data showed. FIREBALL TURNED THE SKY ORANGE "Chevron fire department personnel, including emergency responders from the cities of El Segundo and Manhattan Beach are actively responding to an isolated fire inside the Chevron El Segundo Refinery," Cook, the spokesperson, said. "All refinery personnel and contractors have been accounted for and there are no injuries." Local officials said no evacuation orders were issued for nearby residents, some of whom live in apartment buildings across the street from the refinery. Residents of Manhattan Beach, located southwest of the refinery, were told to shelter in place until 2 a.m. Los Angeles residents posted numerous videos of the fire online, saying they were stunned by the noise of the blast. A University of California-San Diego camera captured video of the explosion shortly after 9:30 p.m. PDT (0430 GMT). The fireball when the fire erupted turned the sky orange in the western Los Angeles area as did the refinery's safety flare, which was set off due to the blaze. Safety flares, which emit a tall plume of flame, are used when refineries cannot process hydrocarbons normally. In addition to Chevron, state and federal safety agencies will investigate the fire after the blaze is extinguished, they said. In December 2022, an isolated fire in the refinery was quickly extinguished. In the U.S. so far in 2025, there have been several refinery fire incidents. The refinery's total storage capacity is 12.5 million barrels in about 150 major tanks. The sources said they were not sure how much jet fuel was currently in storage. (Reporting by Erwin Seba in Houston, Shivani Tanna, Anmol Choubey, Mrinmay Dey in Bengaluru, Stephanie Kelly in London, Trixie Yap in Singapore; Editing by Susan Fenton, Clarence Fernandez and Mark Potter) Taylor Swift has appeared on The Graham Norton Show several times, including with Sophie Turner, Michael Fassbender, Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy during her promotion of her album Lover. (Matt Crossick/PA Images via Getty Images) (Matt Crossick - PA Images via Getty Images) Taylor Swift is making some rare talk show appearances to celebrate the release of her new album, The Life of a Showgirl. First up, the pop icon will be sitting down with Graham Norton on Friday, Oct. 3, alongside other celebrity guests including Cillian Murphy, Greta Lee, Jodie Turner-Smith and Domhnall Gleeson. Lewis Capaldi will be the musical guest. The BBC talk show airs at 10:40 p.m. in London. Unfortunately, in the U.S., The Graham Norton Show is typically replayed on BBC America six days after it airs in the U.K. But there is a workaround for tech-savvy Swifties who want to tune in live (or on demand sooner than six days later) from the U.S. Here's what you need to know about how to watch The Graham Norton Show live with a VPN, or virtual private network. What time will Taylor Swift be on The Graham Norton Show? The Graham Norton Show airs at 10:40 p.m. in London on Friday, Oct. 3 that's 5:40 p.m. ET and 2:40 p.m. PT for American viewers looking to tune in. What channel is The Graham Norton Show on? The Graham Norton Show airs on the BBC and is broadcast with a significant delay on BBC America. So, if you're in the U.S., you will eventually be able to tune in, but not when it airs in the U.K., or even shortly after it airs. How can I watch The Graham Norton Show in the U.S.? You can catch new episodes of The Graham Norton Show airing on a delay on BBC America. Don't have a cable package that includes BBC America or want to wait six days for the latest episode? A VPN can help with that. How to watch The Graham Norton Show with a VPN: Episodes of The Graham Norton Show air free in the U.K. on BBC One and stream free on BBC iPlayer. Don't currently reside in the U.K.? A VPN can help you stream from anywhere. If this is your first time using a VPN, Engadget has a guide to using a VPN on your iPhone and how to use a VPN on your TV. What other talk shows will Taylor Swift be on this week? The Tortured Poets Department singer is also making an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Oct. 6, and plotting a "TAY/kover" of Late Night With Seth Meyers on Oct. 8. Both shows air live on NBC and can be streamed the day after they air on Peacock. Watch on Peacock If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission. French President Emmanuel Macron greets Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz, on the day of the celebrations marking the 35th anniversary of Germany's Unification Day, in Saarbruecken, Germany, October 3, 2025. REUTERS/Heiko Becker French President Emmanuel Macron greets Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz, on the day of the celebrations marking the 35th anniversary of Germany's Unification Day, in Saarbruecken, Germany, October 3, 2025. REUTERS/Heiko Becker (Corrects attribution of quote in paragraph 3 to Merz, not Macron) By Tilman Blasshofer and Alessandro Parodi SAARBRUECKEN, Germany (Reuters) -The leaders of Germany and France marked the 35th anniversary of Germany's democratic reunification on Friday by calling for more resolve to check the spreading appeal of what they called the "dark enlightenment" of authoritarianism. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron said Europe must do more to counter illiberal, anti-immigrant parties surging in opinion polls, in part by bolstering the continent's flagging economy. 'DARK ENLIGHTENMENT' "New alliances of autocracies are forming against us and attacking liberal democracy as a way of life," Merz told an audience of dignitaries from both countries in Saarbruecken on Germany's border with France. "In the face of the return of the dark enlightenment ... there is a path to a new enlightenment," Macron said, "a way to love culture, music, literature, conversation and debate, to believe that respect and science are stronger than hate and fury." Merz warned that economic troubles across the European Union were giving openings to far-right nationalist parties offering radical solutions at odds with democracy. "Years of irregular, undirected migration to Germany have polarised our country," Merz said, asking its citizens to recognise the value of living in a democracy under rule of law. "Politics, the state, the government have their responsibility," he said. "But the scale of the challenge must be understood by us all, by every citizen in our country." CEREMONY MARKS 1990 END OF GERMANY'S POST-WAR DIVISION Germany's Reunification Day on October 3 commemorates the 1990 end of the nation's post-World War Two division into a western democracy and an eastern, Soviet-dominated Communist regime, symbolised by the Berlin Wall dividing the capital. Merz took office in February after an election campaign marked by emotional rhetoric on migration. The far right now leads his conservatives in some polls at a time when Germany's export-dependent, high-tech economy faces its biggest challenge in decades due to U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff blitz. Germany's economy, Europe's largest, has been hard hit by U.S. protectionism and a competitive onslaught from China. It has registered barely any growth since the end of the COVID pandemic, contributing to a broad mood of malaise. Both leaders are outspoken supporters of Ukraine against Russia's invasion and have called for more European strategic autonomy in the face of a United States they see as turning away from Europe. Both face stiff challenges from far-right parties with strong pro-Russian elements leading in many opinion polls. (Additional reporting by Andreas Rinke in Berlin and Brice Makini in Paris; writing by Thomas Escritt; editing by Tomasz Janowski and Mark Heinrich) A man who was duck hunting in coastal Maine had to be rescued by police after getting stuck in quicksand-like mud that reached up to his waist before help arrived, local authorities said. It happened Wednesday afternoon near Wharton's Point on Maquoit Bay in southern Maine, according to a news release from the Brunswick Police Department. The 31-year-old hunter, who had been standing on an embankment over the area's mud flats, "started walking across the mud to retrieve the ducks when he suddenly sank," Brunswick Police said in a news release. "He was unable to move and the more he struggled, the deeper he became." Courtesy Brunswick Police Department - PHOTO: In this still image from a video, police from the Brunswick Police Department rescue a man who got stuck up his waist in mud while duck hunting. The man was able to call 911 and officers arrived in a police boat to rescue him, according to the release. The department said it took two officers to "pull and break the suction" in order to free the hunter, who was taken to the hospital due to the amount of time he was exposed to the ocean water. Local police warned residents that mud flats along the coast are very unstable and often contain "honey pots" -- pockets of quicksand-like mud "which cannot be seen until too late." "The more a person moves, the deeper they become," police said in the news release. In addition to rescuing the hunter, police said they also retrieved the ducks the man had shot before he became enmired. CNN Chaim Loeb lives on a busy corner in Manchester, England, so sirens are not something he would normally find particularly concerning. But Thursday morning was a different story. The police cars just kept coming, one after another. Ambulances and fire trucks were speeding past. A helicopter was hovering overhead. On any other day, he would turn on the news and check local community groups on social media. But not on Thursday. Thursday was Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. As an observant orthodox Jew, Loeb was not permitted to use technology. He and most of his community in Crumpsall and the surrounding areas in northern Manchester had no idea what was happening. They didnt know they were under attack. The emergency services Loeb was hearing were headed to the nearby Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, where an assailant rammed a car into people before stabbing several members of the community. Two people were killed one of them, it later transpired, by a stray police bullet. Armed police officers at the scene near the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Manchester, England, on Thursday. - Peter Byrne/PA/AP The Manchester police were calling on people to stay inside and avoid the area, but that message was not reaching the community deep in prayer on this holiest of days. Rivka H., a mother of four who attends the Heaton Park synagogue and lives just minutes away from it, heard the police sirens all morning. She was worried, but like Loeb, the legal secretary who asked for her full name not to be published, couldnt use her phone due to the holy day. There was so much police around the synagogue, so many sirens, it made me feel sick. And then I knocked on my neighbors door and she told me that two people had died and I was really, really shocked, Rivka said. Rivka was speaking to CNN as she was rushing through the neighborhood, trying to get in touch with her two older daughters and ex-husband. Hopefully Ill be able to catch my girls and tell them Im safe. My brother came to check on me because they know that I go to that synagogue, she said. Running into friends and relatives, Rivka was trying to piece together what happened. She heard two people were killed, but didnt know who they were. A friend told her she heard it was two adult Jewish men. It wasnt until Friday morning that the authorities confirmed the identities of the two victims. The were indeed two men, Adrian Daulby, who was 53, and 66-year old Melvin Cravitz. At one point, a stranger stopped her to ask about a friend who attends the same synagogue as Rivka. The woman, tears running down her cheeks, explained that she hadnt been able to reach her friend all morning. Rivka had no information to share. Community feeling under attack Jews make up a small minority of the UK population, with just under 300,000 people living in England and Wales identifying as Jewish during the most recent census in 2021. But the community is feeling increasingly targeted, with the number of antisemitic incidents rising over the past decade and reaching new record levels last year, according to Community Security Trust (CST), a charity that monitors incidents and protects British Jews from terrorism and antisemitism. While the majority of British Jews live in London, Manchester is home to the countrys second largest Jewish community, counting some 30,000 people. Most live in the northern suburbs where the attack happened on Thursday. A member of the public is helped from the scene of a stabbing incident at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Manchester, England, on Thursday. - Peter Byrne/PA/AP Crumpsall is a close-knit community, the kind where a local bakery lets people come in after hours, take whatever they need and trusts them to leave money behind. Where a friend or a relative is never too far and always happy to help. But while both Rivka and Loeb come from families that have been living in the area for most of the past century, both said they are increasingly hearing people talking about moving to Israel because Manchester no longer feels safe. Loeb said that while the attack was shocking, it was not surprising. British Jews, he said, have feared an incident like this for some time. Most synagogues, Jewish schools and cultural centres in the area have long been employing security guards. Many from the community volunteer with the CST to protect the sites. The Chief Constable of the Greater Manchester Police, Stephen Watson, praised the community and security staff response to the attack, saying their immediate bravery prevented the attacker from gaining access to the synagogue, likely saving lives. I think this just brings it closer to home. People say all the time that our time here is finished, and everyone should go live in Israel, Loeb said. While he blames the British government for the hostile environment he said he was particularly angry about its recent decision to recognize the Palestinian state, something he said was a reward for terrorism Loeb said he was not thinking about leaving the country. I think Israel needs the diaspora as much as the diaspora needs Israel, you know, because if there was no diaspora, thered be no one to support Israel from the outside. We cant just all run off to Israel, he said. People react close to the scene of a stabbing incident at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Manchester, England, on Thursday. - Ian Hodgson/PA/AP The Heaton Park synagogue sits a bit away from the heart of the Jewish community. While the area just a few streets down the road is almost exclusively orthodox Jewish, the immediate vicinity of the synagogue is mixed, with Jews living next to Muslims and Christians. A Palestinian flag is proudly displayed in a window on a street where many trees are decorated with yellow ribbons the symbol of solidarity with the Israeli hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza. Ashfaq Malik, a British Pakistani who was born in Manchester, lives around the corner from the synagogue. Hes got an orthodox Jewish neighbor on one side and a Muslim family on the other side. We never had any problems. We talk to each other, we know each other. My mosque actually put a safety message on the website this morning when it happened, because our Imam is always talking to the Jewish rabbis here, Malik, who is Muslim, told CNN. One synagogue, just down the road from the site of the attack, has been employing private security guards to man the locked gates outside. On shift on Thursday was Ans Ahmad, a Muslim man from Manchester. Nobody thought it was unusual. Ahmad told CNN he never felt any animosity from the community. Anyone who kills innocent people is a bad guy. Whether its a Muslim or anyone, he told CNN. He said the morning was terrifying for everyone in the area. I have never seen anything like this, he said. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood speaking during a press conference near Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Crumpsall in Manchester, England, on Thursday. - Peter Byrne/PA/AP Even as nightfall approached, many in the neighborhood still didnt know about the attack. Yom Kippur is the one day when even people who are not particularly observant feel compelled to attend synagogue and refrain from using technology. Many have spent the day fasting and praying, with services in the areas many synagogues held continuously through the day. Several people in the neighborhood told CNN they didnt know what happened or had only very limited information. Some asked if the attacker was still at large, and were relieved to be told the suspect, identified by police as 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie, had been shot by firearms officers. Rivka was particularly worried about her mother, who is spending the high holidays in Israel and would be worried about her daughter once she learned about the attack. Tonight, after the restrictions are lifted, Ill get on my phone and call her. But it will be later for me, so then theres a couple of hours where it will be out for my mum in Israel, but not here. What can you do? she said. CNNs Florence Davey-Attlee, Nic Robertson and Alex Platt contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com A red, sometimes bumpy rash is a hallmark sign of measles. Cases in the U.S. continue to mount, especially in the West and the Midwest. (Natalya Maisheva / Getty Images) Measles outbreaks continue to simmer and spread across the country, with cases now popping up quickly in Minnesota. On Wednesday, the Minnesota Department of Health alerted residents that it had confirmed 10 new cases since Monday, bringing the states tally so far this year to 18. We have been worried about this all year, said Dr. Chase Shutak, a pediatrician and medical director at Childrens Minnesota in Minneapolis. When the outbreaks began in Texas, all of us anticipated that it would eventually work its way up into our state. Shutak was referring to a massive measles outbreak in West Texas, which totaled 762 cases. Ninety-nine patients needed to be hospitalized as a result of the outbreak, and two young girls died. In Minnesota, as of Thursday afternoon one child had been hospitalized at Childrens Minnesota, a spokesperson said. Most of the Minnesota cases are among families who traveled within the U.S., according to the states health department. None of the children had received the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. It was unclear, however, whether the patients were old enough to qualify for the shots, usually given in two doses starting around age 1. Arizona, too, is dealing with a large, growing outbreak that has spread across the area bordering southwestern Utah. Fifty-nine cases have been confirmed in Arizona, with one hospitalization. Most cases are in Mohave County, located in the states far northwestern corner, bordering Utah. You can safely say that we are actually a part of Northern Arizonas outbreak, said David Heaton, public information officer for the Southwest Utah Public Health Department. Theres one town that straddles the state line, and all of our cases appear to be linked. Forty-four measles cases have been identified in Utah, largely among unvaccinated young people. Five needed to be admitted to the hospital but have since recovered, Heaton said. If outbreaks continue around the country until the end of January, the United States will lose its status of having had eliminated measles 25 years ago. This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a total of 1,544 confirmed measles cases. Of those, just 21 cases were diagnosed in people visiting the U.S. from other countries. The government shutdown hasnt affected the CDCs monitoring of the ongoing measles spread, according to a person in leadership who was not authorized to speak to the media. Falling vaccination rates A recent NBC News investigation found notable declines in childhood vaccination rates in more than three-quarters of counties and jurisdictions since 2019. And among states with data on kids who get the MMR vaccine, 67% dont have enough coverage for herd immunity. There are two main ways to end a measles outbreak: vaccinate enough people for herd immunity, or let the virus invade communities with unvaccinated, unprotected people until it runs out of people to infect. The latter helped bring the Texas outbreak under control, in part. The virus the most contagious one known on the planet simply run out of people to infect. We got to a point where there was herd immunity within that under-vaccinated population, said Katherine Wells, public health director for Lubbock, Texas. Wells led the community in controlling the outbreak. Wells also touted the power of community education, making certain that people understood how the virus spread, staying home when necessary if theyd been exposed. People really listened to that messaging, which also helped to reduce exposures, she said. Symptoms of measles can include: Getty Images Michelle and Barack Obama on February 12, 2018. The Gist Michelle and Barack Obama posted a never-before-seen photo to celebrate their 33rd wedding anniversary. They put their love on display with gushing captions. The couple first crossed paths in 1989, became engaged in 1991, and tied the knot in 1992. Depending on who you ask, today is Taylor Swift day (A.K.A. The Life of a Showgirl release day), Mean Girls day ("On October 3rd, he asked me what day it is...It's October 3rd.), or just another TGIF. But, to Michelle and Barack Obama, it's the celebration of their adorable, swoon-worthy union. So, if you were feeling some extra love in the air this morning, it's undoubtedly the far-reaching power of the Obamas' gushing Instagram tributes. Michelle Obama / Instagram Michelle and Barack Obama celebrate their 33rd wedding anniversary. The former first couple took to their respective social media platforms to put their love on display for their combined 96.4 million followers. The spouses each posted the same sweet selfie, in which they smile big and glow. Michelle is stunning in a strapless black dress decorated with feathers, opulent gold drop earrings, and a slicked-back ponytail. She wears a bold red lip, rosy cheeks, and eyeliner. Barack looks dapper in a black button-down shirt and matching suit jacket. Michelle Obama / Instagram Michelle Obama posted for Barack's birthday in August. "Weve been on quite the journey over the last 33 yearsand yet, I love you even more today than the day we said 'I do,'" the Becoming author penned in her caption. "Happy anniversary, @BarackObama! Im so lucky to go through life with you. " The former president wrote something equally as fawning, captioning his picture with, "The best decision I ever made was marrying you, @MichelleObama. For 33 years, Ive admired your strength, grace, and determination and the fact that you look so good doing it all. Happy anniversary!" Getty Images Barack and Michelle Obama attend the 36th Annual NAACP Image Awards in Los Angeles, California. The Obamas' love story goes all the way back to 1989, when they met at law firm Sidley Austin LLP; Barack was assigned Michelle as his mentor. After just a month of working together, Barack asked Michelle out, which she found "completely tacky" and declined, before eventually saying yes. Their first date included a Spike Lee movie, ice cream, and a goodnight kiss that sealed the deal. Two years later, on July 31, 1991, Barack proposed and the next October they tied the knot. Read the original article on InStyle More unidentified drones were spotted in Europe on Thursday night, disrupting flight services at Germany's second largest airport, in Munich. Belgian defense officials are also investigating sightings of multiple drones over a military base in the east of the country overnight. Munich airport reopened Friday morning after the drone sightings prompted officials to temporarily close the facility and suspend 17 flights overnight. Police and fire department personnel are seen after drone sightings and flight cancellations at Munich Airport in Germany, Oct. 3, 2025. / Credit: Jason Tschepljakow/picture alliance/Getty A spokesperson for the German airline Lufthansa told CBS News on Friday that flight operations "resumed as scheduled early in the morning," adding that Lufthansa regretted any inconvenience to passengers. Munich airport said Friday that the flight disruptions had impacted nearly 3,000 passengers, but that those affected had been rebooked on new flights or had their flights rescheduled. "When a drone is sighted, the safety of travelers is the top priority," the airport said in a statement, noting that "reporting chains between air traffic control, the airport, and police authorities have been established for years." The airport said flights were suspended at 10:18 p.m. local time Thursday (4:18 pm ET) following the drone sightings. On Thursday, local media outlets in Belgium reported that unidentified drones had been spotted over the German city of Duren, about 20 miles from the German-Belgian border, at about 1:45 a.m. local time after flying over the Elsenborn military base in eastern Belgium, which is also close to the border. Belgium's VRT NWS news outlet reported Friday that German police in Duren had identified 15 different drones in the area. There was no immediate response from federal police authorities in Germany or the local police in Duren about the drone activity to a request for information from CBS News. A Belgian official familiar with the matter confirmed to CBS News on Friday that drones had been sighted over Elsenborn military base, but said that the number of drones was still under investigation. Belgium is a member of the U.S.-led NATO military alliance but the source told CBS News that only Belgian forces are stationed at the Elsenborn base. A spokesperson for the Belgian Defense Ministry told CBS News on Friday that defense officials were "currently examining this matter." Authorities have not identified where the drones came from, but it was the latest in a series of similar unexplained drone sightings near airports and military installations in Western Europe over the past month. But there is widespread suspicion in European capitals that Russia is behind these drone flights, and that it is seeking to probe NATO's security posture. After repeated incursions into Danish airspace, including around military bases and airports in recent weeks, European leaders met in Copenhagen earlier this week to discuss boosting European air defenses. The summit also came after Russian military aircraft violated NATO airspace in Poland, Romania and Estonia in recent weeks, and amid Russia's ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine. "We meet at a time when Russia has intensified their attacks in Ukraine, where we have seen Russian airspace violations and unwanted drone activity in several European countries," Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told reporters after the summit on Wednesday. "From a European perspective there is only one country... willing to threaten us, and that is Russia, and therefore we need a very strong answer back," said Frederiksen. Arrested former Des Moines superintendent's resume appears to have been greatly exaggerated Trump gives Hamas until Sunday to reach a ceasefire with Israel Rob Reiner | 60 Minutes Archive Alan Wooten | The Center Square (The Center Square) The pushback to a housing cooperative plan at the Wisconsin Capitol is not just because of whats in the bill. Sen. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, asked what the hell is going on after four Republicans joined Wisconsin Socialist Caucus member Ryan Clancy in voting for the plan. In what world would a majority Republican committee agree to spend up to $10 million for the renovations of, legal costs and startup costs for COMMUNES?, Nass said. The legislation says the idea is to have the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority start a condominium conversion grant program for the purpose of awarding grants to owners of multifamily housing for the costs associated with converting multifamily housing to condominiums, the bill states. Theres no specific mention of what Nass calls communes. Clancy, D-Milwaukee, said the idea is to find ways to provide more affordable housing across the state. "Housing co-ops are an important alternative for households in our communities that lack the means to individually purchase and maintain stable housing. They provide the assurance of predictable costs, create the potential for innovative forms of cost sharing and cost reduction, and help strengthen the communities that embrace this well-proven model," Clancy said in a statement. "There is nothing inherently conservative, liberal, or socialist about housing co-ops as an alternative to traditional, for-profit single-family housing and renting. Its simply a means to housing security, affordability and equity for people who face spiraling rent costs and profound barriers to home ownership, profound problems in my district and statewide." Illustration: Angelica Alzona/Guardian Design default It was a highway exit sign that gave away their final destination: Alexandria, Louisiana. They were driven in the back of an immigration enforcement truck their belongings confiscated and their passports seized. Rosario* and her two US citizen children one of whom has stage 4 kidney cancer had no idea where agents were planning to take them. The family had been apprehended at an immigration check-in just outside New Orleans on 24 April. After being blocked from accessing their attorney, which they would later allege in a legal complaint was a violation of their due process rights, the family was taken 200 miles (320km) to this small town in the center of the state. Rosario had been asked by US Customs and Immigration Enforcement (Ice) to sign paperwork, but she declined to do so, according to a legal complaint that accuses the US government of illegally deporting her and her children, but did not know precisely what it was. They never told me where I was going, Rosario said, answering questions from the Guardian via her lawyers about her ordeal for the first time after her familys case received widespread national and international coverage in April. They had told me I couldnt ask anything, I asked where we were going, but they stayed silent. Rosario, 25, and her two children were forcibly removed to Honduras in the early hours the next day, from a rural airport in Alexandria that has become a hub for Donald Trumps mass deportation program. The site houses a unique detention center that has been referred to as a legal black hole by attorneys with clients inside, and it opens straight on to an airport tarmac. A recent Guardian investigation into the facility revealed repeated reports of medical emergencies, prolonged detention, poor conditions and violations of detainees due process. While the detention center holds only adult male detainees, leaked flight records show at least 3,142 women and children have passed through the Alexandria airport on Ice charter flights during the first 100 days of Donald Trumps second term. Some, like Rosario, are detained in undisclosed hotels before they are removed from the country or transferred to other detention sites. It is not clear how many family groups and unaccompanied children have been detained this way in Alexandria. But data disclosed under a federal consent decree governing the standards of child detention shows at least 18 children have been booked out of detention locations in Alexandria between January and July of 2025. The number is almost certainly an underestimate. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to detailed questions including how many family groups and children have been detained in Alexandria-area hotels. Related: Trump revives family separations amid drive to deport millions: A tactic to punish Rosario could not remember which Alexandria hotel her family was taken to. I just remember we entered through a parking area, not the front, she recalled. The Guardian has reported that a Sheraton hotel a chain owned by Marriott an eight-minute drive from the detention center has been used to detain other families held in Alexandria. It could not be independently confirmed whether Rosario and her family had been detained at that Sheraton. Marriott did not respond to specific questions about Rosarios detention. A spokesperson has previously not disputed the Sheratons use as a venue to detain families in Alexandria but said its hotels are not designed or intended to serve as detention centers, adding that the property is operated by a third party. We were like prisoners in a room, Rosario said, adding: The kids would try to go toward the door, and the women [guards] would get mad. Rosarios four-year-old son Romeo* was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer at the age of two, which had metastasized to his lungs, and was receiving regular and critical life-saving cancer treatment at a specialized childrens hospital in New Orleans before his arrest by Ice. His sister, Ruby*, also a US citizen, was seven when she was arrested with her mother and brother. Rosario begged guards at the hotel to allow her to use a phone the night the family was there, she claimed in a federal civil rights lawsuit. She was eventually allowed one brief phone call to her father and informed him she was in Alexandria. The family was woken up at 2am the next morning, Rosario said, and taken straight to the airport in a van with another family also detained at the hotel. Unbeknownst to Rosario, her lawyers and advocates had searched throughout the night to find where the two families had been kept, in a bid to compel legal intervention. But they could not be found. The lawyers had made multiple applications to Ice immediately after the arrest to block the deportation and determine her whereabouts. They had been repeatedly ignored, according to filings. The Alexandria staging facility is itself already a black hole, said Sirine Shebaya, executive director of the National Immigration Project, which is representing Rosario and her family in their ongoing litigation against the Trump administration. But in the situation with families, they will often not take them to the facility itself, but put them in undisclosed hotel rooms close to the facility. The role that this plays is to facilitate this very rapid-fire deportation without a lot of scrutiny because they have the airport right there. At the center of the lawsuit filed on behalf of Rosario and another family is the allegation that immigration authorities have violated their own rules governing the care of US citizen children with parents facing removal from the US. The directives state that Ice must afford [parents] a reasonable opportunity to make a decision regarding the care or travel of their minor child[ren]. It further contends that the familys civil rights were violated under the fourth and fifth amendments to the US constitution, which guarantee due process and protect against undue search and seizure. Related: Plane to purgatory: how Trumps deportation program shuttles immigrants into lawless limbo Ice has not yet responded to Rosarios claims in court. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) did not respond to detailed questions from the Guardian about the claims. When we got there, it was a very empty airport, Rosario recalled. Only deportation vans were arriving. There were three vans with other mothers and children, she said. They were held in the van at the airport for four and a half hours, watching other vehicles roll up with men shackled at their hands and feet. That part was traumatic, she said. My kids kept asking why everyone was chained hand and foot if they were bad people. I told them it was just part of the process. The family were then forced on to an aircraft, legal filings say. At around this time, according to filings, an Ice field office director finally replied to Rosarios attorney informing them a stay of removal had been denied. Rosario said she had not consented at any point for her two US citizen children to be removed to Honduras. Shebaya said the timing of the arrests may not have been coincidental. She said the appointment rescheduled three times without explanation may have been timed to coincide with a deportation flight to Honduras the next day. They [Ice] seem to funnel as many cases as they can towards that airport so they can fill up the flight and send them out, Shebaya said. There was not any clear reason why they would have been called in for a special check-in that week and told to show up with their children and their childrens passports, she added. Rosario recalled a man in a green vest examining paperwork as they sat on the plane before takeoff. [He] approached me and asked why I was being deported when my kids are US citizens, she said. I said, This is injustice. I didnt do anything wrong. He told me, Im so sorry. She added: After that, I tried to sleep. I was emotionally overwhelmed anxious, suffocating, afraid, emotionally scrambled. The entire experience has led to irreparable harm, according to the lawsuit. Rosario continues to live with fear of extortion and kidnapping in Honduras. In a previously released statement, the DHS claimed that Rosario chose to bring her children to the immigration check-in in April, and was asked if she wanted Ice to place the children with someone safe. The DHS also claimed that Rosario chose to be deported with her children. Ruby, who was unable to finish her school year in the US, is at risk of academic regression and is experiencing significant mental health issues, according to the litigation. Romeo, who has now turned five, was unable to access specialized and life-saving medical treatment in Honduras. He temporarily visited the US, without his mother, to continue treatment. Romeos deteriorating health and the disruption to his treatment have caused Rosario tremendous anxiety and mental distress, the lawsuit claims. *Names of family members have been changed. Contributors Additional reporting: Will Craft Illustrations: Angelica Alzona Photography: Kathleen Flynn Photo editing: Gail Fletcher Copy editing: Matthew Grace You would never expect the small, unsassuming town of Gallipolis, Ohio, to be haunted by a folkloric monster, but that's just what you'll find in this enclave that sits on the West Virginia border. While most people associate the nearby town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, with the aforementioned diabolical creature, Gallipolis also has a claim to being this monster's hometown. The chilling history of the Mothman began in 1966 when a humanoid, flying creature was spotted on a remote, country road near Gallipolis. The first account was recorded on November 15, 1966, when two couples spotted the creature while driving down a deserted street. Red, glowing eyes, huge wings, and a humanoid body were the descriptions these frightened travelers gave to the local police station. Rosemarie Mosteller stock.adobe.com More sightings followed the original account, culminating with the Silver Bridge collapse on December 15, 1967. Countless locals claimed to have seen the Mothman near the bridge just before it crashed into the Ohio River, killing 46 people. Adding even more fuel to the fire, two of the victims were never found. Many residents began to believe that seeing the Mothman was an evil omen and harbinger of bad things to come. Investigators stated that an eyebar in the suspension bridge was the cause of the collapse, and the way American bridges were built changed forever following the incident. Rosemarie Mosteller stock.adobe.com The Mothman Museum is located just across the river from Gallipolis in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, a drive of less than 15 minutes. Here, you'll find everything from newspaper clippings to eyewitness accounts and historic documents. You can also check out the iconic Mothman statue in Point Pleasant, which happens to make for a fun photo opportunity and proof that you explored the town where Mothman himself was sighted. Visitors can further stoke their fear flames by watching the Mothman Prophecies, a 2002 film on the creature that took place in Pittsburgh, before visiting Gallipolis and Point Pleasant. Rosemarie Mosteller stock.adobe.com Many have tried to explain away the sightings of Mothman by saying it was a migrating sandhill crane or a barn owl, but locals are still haunted by this winged beast. Critics point to mass hysteria as a cause of the sightings that followed the original account. Although exploring the nearby forests, it isn't difficult to see why locals believed a creature of this size could be hiding in the hills. Gallipolis is small-town Americana at its finest, a tiny river town with deep history. The third-oldest settlement in the state, Gallipolis, was founded by French explorers in 1790. In fact, "Gallipolis" means "City of the Gauls," an homage to the original name for France before it was changed in the 5th century. Although there were no accounts of Mothman until 1966, some theorists believe the creature could be associated with the Native American myth of the Thunderbird. Christopher Boswell stock.adobe.com For those stopping by town to delve into all things Mothman, pay a visit to the Our House Tavern Museum-a tavern from 1819-or the Gallipolis Railway Freight Station Museum. For history buffs, Fort Randolph is another fun stop that's perched just across the river and offers a window into the city's storied past. If your stomach is rumbling, it's also worth your while to stop by the Tuscany Italian Restaurant, where you'll find homemade bruschetta and pasta. If you happen by over the holidays, Gallipolis is home to one of our favorite Christmas lights displays in Ohio. Feeling inspired? Try planning your own trip to Gallipolis using Only In Your State's itinerary planner. It was Russ Vought who huddled with House Republicans on the first day of the government shutdown to tell them that mass layoffs of federal workers would begin in "a day or two." Vought, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, stood with Vice President JD Vance and GOP leaders at the White House as they told reporters about the failures of a last-minute meeting with the president and Democratic leaders aimed at averting the closure. It was Vought whom President Donald Trump praised on social media Oct. 2 for helping him determine what would be cut during the shutdown and whether the cuts would be permanent. Vought, who helped write the policy blueprint known as Project 2025, is playing a major role during the shutdown, including on decisions over whether there are mass layoffs of federal employees instead of furloughs and what funding is cut and what is allowed to flow. See the impact of the government shutdown as agencies shutter or fight to stay open Travelers wait in line at a security checkpoint at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois on November 7 2025. Hundreds of flights were canceled across the United States on Friday after the Trump administration ordered reductions to ease strain on air traffic controllers who are working without pay amid congressional paralysis on funding the US budget. Forty airports were due to slow down, including the giant hubs in Atlanta, Newark, Denver, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles. Vought has played a key part of Trumps sweeping attempt to claim authority over the federal budget. Federal judges have stalled many of those actions, but the efforts are expected to escalate during the shutdown when the executive branch has broad authority to dictate which employees and programs are "essential" to a functioning government and which are not. Congressional Republicans say by shutting down the government, congressional Democrats have ceded spending authority to the White House, and in turn, Vought. Vought "has been dreaming about this moment, preparing this moment, since puberty," Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah, said on Fox News Oct. 1. "Russ Vought has a plan, and that plan is going to succeed in further empowering Trump. This is going to be the Democrats' worst nightmare, and it's of their own making." Vought was not made available for comment through the White House press office. More: Trump ups the pain, partisanship in taking shutdown politics to new levels On Sept. 30, Trump mused about using the shutdown as an opportunity to implement massive changes to the government without congressional approval. He talked about the chance to take irreversible actions such as benefit cuts, cutting programs that [Democrats] like and trimming the budget to a level that you couldnt do any other way. Trump also said a lot of good can come from shutdowns. Who is Russ Vought? Vought, who also lead the agency during Trumps first term, is responsible for overseeing the presidents budget, reviewing federal regulations and setting funding priorities for executive agencies. The role is one that often goes under the public radar yet holds key power in implementing the presidents goals. Russ Vought, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for director of the Office of Management and Budget, is pictured before a meeting in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., December 12, 2024. After leaving Trump's first administration, Vought founded the Center for Renewing America, one of several Washington think tanks created to advance and develop Trumps Make America Great Again agenda. He previously worked for public policy organizations, was vice president of Heritage Action for America, and worked on Capitol Hill. He was the key architect of the controversial policy blueprint known as Project 2025, much of which has been implemented during Trumps second term. Vought is credited with authoring the chapter on executive power. More: Government shutdown 2025: What to know about federal layoffs, Social Security During his Senate confirmation hearing, Vought drew bipartisan criticism for refusing to say if he would follow congressional spending laws when distributing funds to agencies, noting Trump has called existing restrictions unconstitutional and that he would follow the presidents directives. Vought said he believed that rather than dictating federal spending, Congress role is to set a ceiling, while the president can choose to spend less. Shutdown layoffs According to reports first published by Politico, Vought instructed agencies to prepare reduction-in-force plans, or layoffs, for all employees whose work is not consistent with the Presidents priorities. Normally employees deemed "nonessential" to government functions are furloughed. The executive branch does not normally use the shutdown as a reason for layoffs. Moments after the Senate failed to avert a shutdown, Vought sent a letter to federal agencies stating that "affected agencies should now execute their plans for an orderly shutdown." Democrats dismissed the threat to fire federal employees as an intimidation or negotiation tactic. The administration has begun rehiring some of the tens of thousands of federal employees laid off earlier this year. "We will not be intimidated by Russ Vought, who's completely and totally out of control...," House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York told reporters in a Sept. 25 news conference. "As a negotiating tactic, our response to Russ Vought is simple: Get lost." Funding cuts to Democratic states Vought wasted no time fulfilling the threat to force Democrats to pay a political price for the government shutdown. Vought's first post to social media Oct. 1 stated that $18 million in transportation funding was on hold for projects in New York, which both Jeffries and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer represent. Vance was asked about the timing and whether the strategy is to squeeze New York until Schumer caves. "I haven't talked to Russ about this this morning, but look, I'm sure that Russ is heartbroken about the fact that he's unable to give certain things to certain constituencies," Vance said. "We want to do everything we can to help the American people, but when Democrats shut down the government, we have to actually do a little triage to make sure the most critical and most essential services are provided." Hours later, Vought announced he would cancel funding for green energy projects in 16 Democrat-led states. "Nearly $8 billion in Green New Scam funding to fuel the Left's climate agenda is being cancelled," Vought said in a social media post. He said the cuts would impact California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington. Washington Sen. Patty Murray, the highest ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriation's Committee, decried the "mafioso tactics." "We're less than a day into this shutdown, and Trump & Vought are illegally punishing Democrat-led states," Murray said on social media. "This administration is clearly salivating at the opportunity to hurt people and using the shutdown they caused as the pretext to do it." The government redirected funds in a similar way in the first Trump administration, and the Government Accountability Office ruled it was a violation of the Antideficiency Act. Previous government shutdowns have not resulted in mass layoffs, and previous presidents have not used the time to make fundamental changes to agencies. Whether Trump and Vought can make permanent changes comes down to the particulars of what is done, said Matthew Spalding, constitutional government professor at Hillsdale Colleges Washington, D.C. campus. "In a constitutional government of three branches, in general, nothing is permanent as no president or Congress can restrict a future president or Congress," he said. On Oct. 2, Trump posted to social media that he was going to meet with Vought, "he of PROJECT 2025 Fame, to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent." "I cant believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity," Trump said. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Russ Vought? What role will he play in the shutdown? Gilbert Flores - Getty Images So, its been a few months since you took the plunge and got a bobnow what? While theres no denying just how cool and statement-making short hair can be, the growing-out periodwhere the length of your hair is neither short enough to deliver the same impact nor long enough to feel weighty or swishycan be tricky. Thankfully, 2025s reigning hair icon, Pamela Anderson, is back with another standout hair moment thats equal parts polished and understated enough for work and play. After debuting copper hair in Paris (the actor is preparing for her role in the upcoming film Love Is Not The Answer), Anderson attended the Tom Ford spring/summer 2026 show with her new shaggy bob styled with a side part and a softly slicked-back effect. Neil Mockford - Getty Images Created by hairstylist John Nollet, this modern finish is a departure from Andersons previously more Old Hollywood vibe, proving just how versatile the bob can be. While Andersons shaggy bob was inspired by French actor Marlene Joberts look in the film Nous Ne Vieillirons Pas Ensemble, it is also an excellent way to style a growing-out bob or bangs. It pushes back any awkward lengths away from the face while still creating a voluminous silhouette at the front. [instagram align='center' id='DPTbK9ZiIAy']https://www.instagram.com/p/DPTbK9ZiIAy&hidecaption=true[/instagram] Andersons not the only one embracing a pushed-back hairstyle. In Paris, celebrities such as Rosamund Pike and street style stars are all in favor of the minimalist, boyish bobs that put the face up front and center. Francesca Babbi - LAUNCHMETRICS SPOTLIGHT Achieving a similar look at home is easy. I would use a mousse on the hair once it has been towel-dried, says senior stylist Mitchell Ladbrook at Nicola Clarke Salon. Brush through the hair then apply heat from a hair dryer with the nozzle going away from the hairline, to keep the hair away from the face. Use hairspray to secure the style. Francesca Babbi - LAUNCHMETRICS SPOTLIGHT According to Ladbrook, there are also little things you can do to help speed up the growing-out phase. Schedule little trims to keep the ends healthy; this will make the growing-out process quicker and ensure hair is always looking its best, he shares. Keeping your scalp nourished through ingredients such as rosemary oil and caffeine will help, too. You Might Also Like Actress Patricia Routledge poses with her MBE at Buckingham Palace, London pn Oct. 14, 2004, after being presented with the honor by Britain's Queen Elizabeth II. Famed British television actress Patricia Routledge had reportedly died at 96. Best known for playing Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced "bouquet") on BBC's hit sitcom "Keeping Up Appearances," Routledge died Friday, Oct. 3, in her sleep, according to BBC and The New York Times. In a statement to BBC and The Guardian, her agent, Max Massenbach, wrote: "Even at 96 years old, Dame Patricia's passion for her work and for connecting with live audiences never waned, just as new generations of audiences have continued to find her through her beloved television roles." Queen Camilla poses with Patricia Routledge on April 27, 2016, in London. "She will be dearly missed by those closest to her and by her devoted admirers around the world," he continued. USA TODAY has reached out to Massenbach's agency for comment. A stage performer first, Routledge nabbed a Tony Award in the late 60s for her role in "Darling of the Day," a little over a decade after making her debut. A name well known by theater fans from the West End to Broadway, the actress also earned the coveted Olivier Award in 1988 for her performance in "Candide." It was the silver screen, though, that made Routledge a bona fide star among British and American television fans alike. Passages 2025: Jeff Garcia, Sophie Kinsella and more stars we've lost Sophie Kinsella, the bestselling English rom-com author of the "Shopaholic" series, died at the age of 55 following her battle with cancer, Kinsella's family revealed in an Instagram post Dec. 10. Kinsella announced in April 2024 that she had been diagnosed with glioblastoma, a form of aggressive brain cancer, at the end of 2022. She said she had undergone a "successful" surgery and continued to receive radiotherapy and chemotherapy at the University College Hospital in London. On "Keeping Up Appearances," which aired from 1990 to 1995, the actress charmed viewers as a caricature of a posh, socially obsessed middle-aged woman. She turned the mundane into high-stakes affairs, and often sported pearls and floral frocks. In a 2011 interview with The Guardian, Routledge said she didn't mind if her television work helped lift her popularity on the stage, telling the outlet: "It would be churlish of me not to appreciate what its brought me. If a good number of people come into a theatre because they know me from the dreaded Mrs. B, I couldnt be happier." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dame Patricia Routledge dead: 'Keeping Up Appearances' star dies at 96 A "Now Hiring" sign hangs in the window of a hair salon in the Greater Boston town of Medford, Massachusetts, U.S., August 12, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder By Saqib Iqbal Ahmed and Suzanne McGee NEW YORK (Reuters) -The release of U.S. jobs data typically has traders and investors glued to their screens at 8:30 am waiting for the all-important numbers. This Friday, however, is giving some a sudden surplus of free time along with the problem of trying to piece together the economic jigsaw puzzle from other sources. With the U.S. government shutting down much of its operations on Wednesday as deep partisan divisions prevented Congress and the White House from reaching a funding deal, the U.S. Labor Department will suspend economic data releases, including the closely watched monthly employment report, due Friday. Cue an unusual quiet on trading floors and in investment firms. "Friday does have all the makings of a rather long lunch somewhere now," quipped Michael Brown, senior research strategist at Pepperstone in London. For him, the report would normally land in the afternoon. The data disruption will upend the usual Friday routine for many on Wall Street. "Usually economists and strategists are dialed in at 8:30 in the morning; now you can potentially get some other work done," Matthew Miskin, co-chief investment strategist at Manulife John Hancock Investments, said. "It'll be nice to have a Friday morning where your eye's not twitching waiting minutes until that jobs report hits," Miskin said. PAYROLL DATA CONSIDERED 'THE KING OF THE NUMBERS' Still, the timing is awkward. Investors are laser-focused on the labor market for clues to how the Federal Reserve's newly-resumed rate cutting efforts might unfold. It also comes not long after a market-shocking weak scorecard on U.S. jobs prompted President Donald Trump to fire a top Labor Department official. "A few weeks ago we were questioning the accuracy of the data, and now all of a sudden we can't live without it," Michael Arone, chief investment strategist at State Street Investment Management, said. It's not just trading desks that will miss the familiar ritual. Social media usually lights up with #NFP and #NFPguessposts, a reference to the closely watched nonfarm payrolls figure. Those posts can number 10,000 to 50,000, in the 24 hours around the release, with activity spiking on big surprises, according to Grok, an AI chatbot on X. For Interactive Brokers Chief Strategist Steve Sosnick, a frequent guest on financial news shows breaking down the U.S. jobs report, Friday will be different. "I'll just sleep in," he joked about his plans for Friday. For others, like James Cordier, head trader at Alternative Options, far from affording extra sleep, the lack of data can spell sleepless nights, he said. Should the data drought last beyond mid October, Cordier, who trades commodities, might have to prematurely close trades because the risk of keeping them in place in the absence of data is too great. Interactive Brokers' Sosnick said missing out on the payrolls update was particularly problematic. "It is really sort of the king of the numbers, so to speak. The king, I guess, takes a vacation now." The data disruption, something that hasn't happened since the 2013 government shutdown delayed the employment report by a couple of weeks, could even make traders more jumpy. "Investors will fill the informational void left by the government shutdown with new trading narratives based on incomplete and misleading private-sector data releases, unfounded anecdotes, and flimsy rumors," Karl Schamotta, chief market strategist with payments company Corpay in Toronto, said "The risk of overreaction will grow." (Reporting by Saqib Iqbal Ahmed; Additional reporting by Suzanne McGee, Davide Barbuscia and Laura Matthews; editing by Megan Davies and Anna Driver) Protesters march Sept. 28 in Portland. Oregon officials have said the president's plan to deploy the National Guard to Portland was counterproductive and could lead to increased civil unrest. (Mathieu Lewis-Rolland / Getty Images) The Trump administration activated 200 National Guard troops in Portland on Friday as Oregon officials waited for a court ruling on their request to prevent the deployment. Lawyers for the city and state had asked a federal judge to grant a temporary restraining order blocking the mobilization. U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut, an appointee of President Donald Trump, said after a two-hour hearing Friday that she would make a decision by the end of the day or Saturday. But U.S. Northern Command announced hours later, before Immergut issued her ruling, that the troops had been activated by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to support and protect federal personnel and property in the Portland area. That includes the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center, which has drawn protests from opponents of Trump's immigration policies. In an emailed statement, Gov. Tina Kotek said she "will continue to hold the line on Oregon values" while her office waits for Immergut's ruling. Kotek did not directly address the mobilization of troops ahead of Immergut's decision. I know Oregonians want to know what happens next but right now, we need to be patient," the statement read in part. "I ask that Oregonians who want to speak out about the recent actions do so peacefully and remain calm." During Friday's hearing, lawyers representing the city and state said the president's plan to deploy the National Guard to Portland was counterproductive and could lead to increased civil unrest. They called Trump's rhetoric about the protests "hyperbole and political posturing" that does not reflect the reality on the ground. "We ultimately have a perception-versus-reality problem," said Caroline Turco, senior deputy city attorney. "The perception is that it is World War II out here. The reality is that this is a beautiful city with a sophisticated resource that can handle the situation." Deputy Assistant Attorney General Eric Hamilton countered that the troops are necessary to defend against "cruel radicals who have laid siege" to Portland's ICE facility. He said protesters lit incendiary devices and threw rocks at law enforcement officers over the summer. Portland lawyers said the examples were isolated incidents quickly handled by local police and occurred several months before Trump issued the deployment order. Immergut appeared skeptical of Trump's order throughout the hearing, repeatedly asking federal attorneys why troops were necessary when Portland police appeared to have the situation at hand. Residents opposed to Trumps order have said the quirky and largely peaceful ongoing protests in the historically liberal city stand in stark contrast to the rhetoric coming out of the White House, which paints Portland as an out-of-control center of crime. The deployment comes as three people were arrested Thursday night and charged with disorderly conduct after a skirmish outside the immigration detention center between Trump protesters and supporters. Conservative influencer Nick Sortor, who does not live in Portland, was among those arrested. After his release, Sortor said in social media post that police were being controlled by "Antifa thugs." Antifa, an abbreviation for anti-fascist, is not an organized group and does not have a leadership structure. Last month, Trump designated it a terrorist organization. Portland Police Chief Bob Day said Friday that Sortors arrest was not politically motivated and indicated he did not know who Sortor was before his detainment. The irony here is we were condemned in 2020 for our approach towards the left, and now were being condemned in 2025 for our approach to the right, Day told reporters, referring to months of unrest that erupted after George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police. Federal agents confront protesters outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building Sept. 28 in Portland, Ore. (Mathieu Lewis-Rolland / Getty Images) White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday that the administration is considering cuts in federal aid to Portland in response to left-wing anarchy that has been destroying this great American city for years, leaving police officers battered, citizens terrorized, and business properties damaged. "This is not peaceful protesting," she said. "This is left-wing anarchy that has been destroying a great American city for years." Members of the National Guard began reporting to duty on Wednesday and were undergoing military training on how to respond to civil disturbances. Kotek, a Democrat, has said the deployment could cost U.S. taxpayers some $10 million. As the governor has expressed many times to the president, there is no insurrection and no need for military intervention, said Kotek spokesperson Roxy Mayer. The Floyd protests in 2020 began as demonstrations against racism and police brutality. But after federal officers under the command of the Department of Homeland Security arrived to defend the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in downtown Portland, peaceful daytime demonstrations frequently gave way to nighttime riots and vandalism. "Whenever you put in militarized troops in cities where people are protesting, you're literally baiting people to do something violent," said Mark Knutson, pastor of Portland's Augustana Lutheran Church, who leads trainings on nonviolent civil disobedience. Civil rights advocates and state and local lawmakers have argued that Portland is much different now than it was five years ago. The downtown area, which was ground zero for civil unrest in 2020, has been revitalized by businesses that reopened after the pandemic, and foot traffic has returned. Activists say there is little appetite to relive the upheaval that occurred during the first Trump administration. Its not what the city is doing anymore, said Keren Rodriguez, congregational organizer and program director at Interfaith Movement for Immigrant Justice in Portland. We all understood that we didnt want to do that anymore. We knew we wanted to have a different approach. A young student concentrates while cutting a star shape from blue paper during a classroom art project. Photo: Allison Shelley / EDUimages / CC BY-NC 4.0 / Cropped from Original (The Center Square) A new report gave Colorado a B+ rating on open enrollment laws, which allows K-12 students to transfer to a different public school than the one they are assigned to. The report from Reason Foundation, a libertarian think tank, evaluates open enrollment laws in all 50 states across seven categories. Colorado got a zero in three of the categories, but still received a score of 87/100 overall. That meant it was ranked eighth nationally. The Center Square spoke with the reports author, Jude Schwalbach, in an exclusive interview. Schwalbach said the state is in a great position nationally. While the state could make its open enrollment policy more transparent at the state- and district-levels, it's an impressive example of a strong program, Schwalbach said. For example, during the 2023-24 school year, one in four students on average used open enrollment to attend a public school other than their assigned one. Under open enrollment laws, K-12 students are allowed to transfer to public schools other than their residentially assigned schools, if seats are available. The report found that, in 2024, only 16 states had strong open enrollment laws. That means that about 39.4 million K-12 public school students, or 80%, reside in states with weak or ineffective open enrollment laws. Schwalbach said students benefit from more accessible open enrollment options. Open enrollment is a common form of school choice with more than 1.6 million students using it according to data from 19 states, Schwalbach said. Many students use these programs to access better schools or specialized courses, such as Advanced Placement (AP) classes, shorten their commutes, access smaller class sizes or attend schools that are a better fit. With a score of 87, that means Colorado received all the points available (60) in the statewide cross-district open enrollment category. To round out its score, it also received all 15 points available for statewide within-district open enrollment policy. Between those two policies, that means school choice is available to most students in Colorado. Colorado was one of just a few states to receive such a good score. As of 2025, only 13 states received A or B grades per Reason Foundation's scoresheet, Schwalbach explained. Reason Foundation's open enrollment best practices offer a roadmap to states so they can improve their policies so more students can attend public schools that are the right fit. Colorado also received full credit for not charging transfer tuition, meaning transferring is free to students. It received only partial credit, two out of four points, for transparency. In the three other categories which include aspects of open enrollment like discrimination based on disabilities and allowing an appeals process Colorado scored zeros. Throughout the nation, the report found that more than 1.6 million students are utilizing open enrollment. In Colorado, those students made up 20% of all publicly-funded K-12 students. A7A5, a cryptocurrency pegged to the Russian rouble which has been targeted by U.S. and UK sanctions, has a booth at the TOKEN2049 crypto conference, in Singapore, October 2, 2025. REUTERS/Rae Wee A7A5, a cryptocurrency pegged to the Russian rouble which has been targeted by U.S. and UK sanctions, has a booth at the TOKEN2049 crypto conference, in Singapore, October 2, 2025. REUTERS/Rae Wee By Rae Wee and Elizabeth Howcroft SINGAPORE/PARIS (Reuters) -The business behind a rouble-backed cryptocurrency targeted by U.S. sanctions was among the sponsors of a major crypto conference in Singapore this week, as demand soars for the token, used by Russians. The TOKEN2049 event is one of the biggest on the global crypto calendar, with more than 25,000 attendees, over 500 exhibitors, and industry elite among the speakers, including the eldest son of the U.S. president. The U.S. and Britain in August sanctioned several companies that they said were behind Kyrgyzstan-based A7A5, a stablecoin pegged to the rouble that was launched in January by a Russian defence lender and a payments firm. They described the token as part of a network for helping Russians evade Western sanctions. A7A5 had a booth at the TOKEN2049 conference and was listed as one of more than 20 "platinum sponsors" on the conference website. Some conference staff wore t-shirts with the A7A5 logo and its director for regulatory and overseas affairs, Oleg Ogienko, spoke on stage. References to A7A5 on TOKEN2049's website had been removed and Ogienko was no longer listed as a speaker by 1300 GMT on Thursday, after Reuters sent a request for comment. Hong Kong-registered TOKEN2049 did not reply to multiple requests for comment. Ogienko confirmed that the A7A5 operation on the ground in Singapore was part of the group targeted by sanctions. "We were sanctioned several times," he told Reuters on the event's sidelines on Thursday. He said A7A5 had nothing to do with money laundering and was compliant with regulations in Kyrgyzstan. "We just regularly applied for our participation, and the organisers confirmed the participation (at TOKEN2049)," he said. Trading volumes on A7A5 are soaring, and its presence in Singapore highlights the difficulty for Western countries that are trying to disrupt alleged use of crypto for sanctions evasion. Neither Singapore nor Hong Kong has announced sanctions on companies connected to A7A5. The U.S. does not have jurisdiction if there are no U.S. persons involved, three lawyers specialising in sanctions told Reuters. Sweeping Western sanctions since Russia's February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, particularly the exclusion of Russian banks from the SWIFT global financial messaging system, have hampered Moscow's trading options and left it seeking alternative routes for cross-border payments. Some $70.8 billion of A7A5 has been traded since its launch in January, according to blockchain researchers Elliptic, up from $40 billion in July. The daily number of A7A5 transactions has doubled over the past month, Elliptic said. Reuters could not independently determine the source of funds in A7A5 or the reasons for the transfers. The Office of Foreign Assets Control, the U.S. Treasury agency which issued the sanctions, and Britain's finance ministry did not respond to requests for comment. Russia-based Ogienko said A7A5 was used for cross-border payments by Russian companies and trade partners. Its target markets are Asia, Africa and Latin America, he added. "There are many countries who trade with Russia, and some of them, many of them, use our stablecoin...and these are billions of dollars," he said. The Singapore gathering is one of the biggest in the crypto industry. Speakers included Donald Trump Jr; the chairman of U.S. brokerage Cantor Fitzgerald, Brandon Lutnick; and the heads of major crypto companies. Spokespeople for Trump Jr and Cantor did not respond to requests for comment. (Reporting by Rae Wee in Singapore and Elizabeth Howcroft in Paris; Additional reporting by Tom Wilson in London and Lucy Papachristou in Tbilisi; Editing by Tommy Reggiori Wilkes and Toby Chopra) Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) teamed up to release a Wednesday video explaining why they voted against the House Republican-authored stopgap legislation. Its failure in the Senate led to a government shutdown. In the clip that shows them taking a walk and talking together in Washington, the lawmakers raised concerns about the lapse in Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium subsidies as the main reason for their decision to withhold votes in favor of keeping the lights on in Washington. This is one of the dirtiest tricks that is being pulled on the American people right now. Starting today, Oct. 1 and throughout the rest of the month, Americans across this country are going to start getting notifications that their insurance premiums are up to doubling, Ocasio-Cortez said in the nearly three-minute conversation. The New York representative added the increase would hit millions of Americans. At a time when were already paying by far the highest prices in the world for health care, at a time when people cant afford it right now. So what happens? Sanders asked her. That means people getting bankrupt over chemotherapy, people going to the pharmacy and not being able to get their insulin, Ocasio-Cortez replied, claiming many Americans would be in danger. Republicans want us to rubber-stamp that, she continued, as they walked along a shaded sidewalk. So what are we going to say to that, Bernie? Sanders cited studies from Yale and the University of Pennsylvania alleging that 50,000 low-income, working-class Americans would die because of Medicaid reductions approved in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and ACA subsidy removals. To receive the subsidy, a persons household income must be no more than 400 percent of the federal poverty line, among other criteria, according to the IRS. If you dont have the money to go to a doctor, and youre sick, you die. And thats what were looking at. Thats what this clean bill is about, Sanders said. Ocasio-Cortez told viewers that based on what Sanders said, were saying no. Remember, right now, our health care system is broken. Right now, were the only major country on Earth not to guarantee health care to all people. And these guys want to make it even worse, Sanders added. Were not going to let that happen. Republican leaders have hammered Democrats for blocking the clean stopgap bill that would keep current spending levels in place until Nov. 21. Three members of the Senate Democratic caucus John Fetterman (Pa.), Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.) and Angus King (Maine), an independent who caucuses with the Democrats voted in favor of the bill. There were three Democrats that came over and voted with us because they know the strategy is a losing one, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said. President Trump has been raising pressure on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) to encourage additional lawmakers to cave and fund the government. His administration has promised mass layoffs in the face of a shutdown and other cuts to critical services amid the standoff. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. The Des Moines Public Schools board announced Friday it intends to pursue legal action against a consulting firm it says it hired in 2023 to conduct a search for a new superintendent, claiming the firm failed to "properly vet candidates" after the district's now-former superintendent was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents last week. Federal authorities said the superintendent, Ian Roberts, is not in the U.S. legally and has not had any work authorization in the U.S. since 2020. He had served as the superintendent of the Des Moines school district since July 2023 until his resignation this week following his detainment. Polk County Sheriff - PHOTO: Ian Andre Roberts' booking photo. "Ian Roberts should have never been presented as a finalist, and if we knew what we know now, he would never have been hired, Des Moines Public Schools board chair Jackie Norris said after the board emerged from a closed session Friday morning. Norris claimed it has become clear that the consulting firm failed to turn up information "of a negative nature" about Roberts that it should have flagged to the school board. "It's clear that people are identifying and finding information in a matter of hours," Norris said, in reference to public reporting on Roberts since his arrest by ICE last week. "And so it's probably something that they should have caught, and that was our expectation." Des Moines superintendent to resign after being detained by ICE, lawyer says Norris said the search firm, in its contract with the school board, was responsible for advertising, recruitment, application and resume review, public domain search, complete reference checks and presentation of qualified candidates. It also said it would conduct comprehensive reference calls on each applicant to include the verification of all related employment experiences, and would sub-contract with another company for a comprehensive criminal, credit and background check, she said. Norris said since Roberts' detainment, the district has learned "troubling information about someone we trusted," but did not go into detail. "We are pursuing legal action as allowed by law. This is about accountability, taxpayer dollars, and we are seeking accountability," Norris said. "As the facts revealed themselves over the past several days, it was crystal clear that the search firm did not do its job." In response to the litigation, an attorney for the consulting firm, JG Consulting, said the Texas-based executive search firm is "proud of its extensive record of successfully supporting school districts across the nation." "With regard to Mr. Roberts and his immigration status, he provided the documents necessary to show that he was eligible for the position in Des Moines," the attorney, Josh Romero, said in a statement. "Beyond that, our team conducted a thorough search of his background and utilized a respected third-party company trusted by many search firms to verify Mr. Roberts' information." Romero noted any "discrepancy regarding his immigration status" was not found by Roberts' prior employers or other consulting firms or boards. "That the district has now decided to litigate about their choice of candidate at this time, when they have had all relevant information since the beginning, is unfortunate and unwarranted," Romero added. "We will answer any claims brought by the district in court." ICE - PHOTO: Ian Roberts in a photo dated, Feb. 26, 2025, released by ICE. The district's petition against JG Consulting, filed Friday in Iowa District Court in Polk County, alleges that the company "materially breached" its obligations under the agreement by among other things, failing to properly vet Roberts and by referring Roberts as a candidate when he could not lawfully hold the position." The petition noted there have multiple reports since the detainment "casting doubt on the truthfulness of Roberts' stated biographical and professional background," but did not go into further detail. "As a result of JG Consulting's breaches, the District has sustained damages, including but not limited to the costs of employing, compensating, and now replacing Roberts, as well as reputational harm," the petition alleges. The district is seeking damages in an amount to be determined at trial, according to the petition. Former Des Moines superintendent who was detained by ICE federally charged Roberts, 54, entered the U.S. in 1999 on a student visa that has since expired, and a judge issued a final order of removal against him in May 2024, according to federal authorities. He resigned as superintendent of the 35,000-student district on Tuesday, a day after the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners said it revoked Roberts' administrator license and the Des Moines School Board voted unanimously to put him on unpaid administrative leave and to provide proof he is authorized to work in the U.S. or face termination. He did not provide the board with that information, according to Norris. Norris had previously said the Des Moines School Board was not aware of Roberts' immigration issues at the time of his hiring and that the board is "also a victim of deception by Dr. Roberts, one on a growing list that includes our students and teachers, our parents and community, our elected officials, and Iowa's Board of Educational Examiners, and others." The board says it hired JG Consulting in January 2023 from a pool of 11 companies considered to conduct a search for a new superintendent. JG's pricing bid was on the lower end of proposals submitted to the board, according to district records. The contact called for the firm to be paid $35,000 plus reasonable travel expenses for candidates for the position. The board said at the time it selected JG that it did so for its record of placing urban superintendents, its strong team and a demonstrated commitment to diversity and equity, as well as noted it submitted a competitive cost proposal. Following Roberts' detainment, the firm said in a statement on Sunday that its process "included a comprehensive background review by a nationally recognized third-party firm" and that "all required employment procedures were completed by DMPS prior to his appointment." ICE - PHOTO: A photo of what ICE reported as a loaded handgun found in Ian Robert's vehicle, Sept. 26, 2025. Roberts remains in federal custody and has since been arrested for alleged firearm offenses. After he was detained by ICE agents on Sept. 26, a loaded handgun was found in his vehicle, and three additional firearms were located in his residence, according to a federal criminal complaint charging him with being an "illegal alien in possession of firearms." In addition to his citizenship status and eligibility to work, portions of Roberts' resume have also come under scrutiny following his detainment regarding portions of his educational history. Among them, a spokesperson for MIT's Sloan School of Management said in a statement that they have no record of Roberts attending as an MBA candidate in 2019-2021, as Roberts has claimed on his LinkedIn profile. A spokesperson for George Washington University said the school never gave Roberts a "Principal of the Year" award in Washington, D.C., in 2013, as was stated on Roberts' since-removed superintendent biography on the Des Moines Public Schools' website. ABC News reached out to his attorney for comment but did not receive a response. The attorney, Alfredo Parrish, said earlier this week that his office has filed a motion in immigration court in Omaha, Nebraska, to stay the educator's order of removal. "This is a very complex case," Parrish said during a press briefing Tuesday. "It's complex, it's difficult and there are a lot of what I would call a myriad of issues that are involved." "What I would do is encourage people, as they review this case, to be patient, to take it a step at a time," he added. A demonstrator is detained as people protest outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Broadview facility in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., October 3, 2025. REUTERS/Jim Vondruska By Heather Schlitz BROADVIEW, Illinois (Reuters) -Several arrests were made on Friday as hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in suburban Chicago that has been the focus of protests since a federal immigration enforcement surge began last month. Tensions have been high in recent weeks in Chicago as the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has ramped up his efforts to deport immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, arresting many without criminal records. This week, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said the Trump administration had requested the Pentagon to send troops to the Democratic-run state. Outside the detention facility in Broadview, behind barriers erected by ICE, protesters initially stood peacefully on Friday, singing Christian hymns and Jewish morning songs. Then Gregory Bovino, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection commander who is leading the federal enforcement effort in Chicago, arrived with agents in gas masks and armored vehicles. Protesters began jeering and scuffling with police, some shouting obscenities. Illinois State Police officers, some carrying rifles, night vision goggles and clubs, made several arrests, including of an elderly woman, who appeared to hyperventilate as she was shoved to the ground and handcuffed. "It's outrageous. I'm just out here silently protesting and they're pushing us off the street and sidewalk and they're using violence against us," said Kevin Ryan, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate. An Illinois State Police spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ESCALATING PROTESTS People in the Chicago area have staged repeated protests condemning the stepped-up federal presence, and the facility in Broadview, a majority-Black village about 13 miles west of Chicago, has become a focus of them. On at least four occasions, about a dozen demonstrators sitting on the ground attempting to block ICE vehicles from carrying detainees into the facility have been repelled by heavily armed ICE agents using physical force, chemical munitions and rubber bullets, evoking combat scenes. Protesters have decried what they call similar heavy-handed policing in other Democratic-run cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered Department of Justice officials on Monday to "defend ICE facilities, specifically in Portland and Chicago." At Broadview, masked ICE agents have regularly fired volleys of rubber bullets, tear gas and pepper powder into the crowd. Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson said earlier this week that the clouds of tear gas were affecting residents who lived near the facility, and that a fence ICE had erected without village approval was blocking access for emergency vehicles. The city's police department has opened two criminal investigations into ICE officers' actions at the facility, including allegedly targeting the vehicle of a local TV news reporter. "We will not allow sanctuary politicians or violent rioters to stop us from enforcing the law," Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said on Wednesday. (Reporting by Heather Schlitz in Chicago, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien) Georgetown Wet Weather Treatment Station. King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks (The Center Square) Seattle and King County have been penalized a combined $87,500 by the Washington State Department of Ecology and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for breaching the terms of their water quality permits and federal consent decree violations pertaining to sewer issues. Public utilities for the two jurisdictions say the issues will be addressed as more projects are completed. The infractions took place throughout 2024. Seattle accrued a $35,000 fine for multiple sanitary sewer overflow events, and King County is facing a $52,500 penalty for issues at its wet weather treatment stations and other compliance shortcomings. Penalty money will be split in half between the state Department of Ecology and the EPA. Payments specifically to the Department of Ecology will go into the states Coastal Protection Fund, which provides grants to public agencies and tribes for water quality restoration projects. Despite the penalties, Seattle Public Utilities told The Center Square that polluted stormwater and sewage concerns will be addressed as more projects are completed. This includes the $710 million Ship Canal Water Quality Project, which the department anticipates is keeping more than 75 million gallons of polluted stormwater and sewage from flowing into local waters each year. "The project addresses a majority of our current combined sewer overflow volumes and is just one part of our work reducing Combined Sewer Overflows, Seattle Public Utilities said in a statement emailed to The Center Square. We have completed more than 50 projects across Seattle in the last decade designed to reduce overflows. The city department added that it had no more than four sanitary sewer overflows per 100 miles of sewer each year for more than a decade. King County-owned Georgetown Wet Weather Treatment Station is one of the countys largest capital projects with a price tag of $275 million. In its first full year of operation in 2023, the station treated an estimated 32 million gallons of polluted stormwater and wastewater. The station operates when its needed during heavy storms, when rainfall can overload sewer pipelines that carry stormwater and wastewater in Seattles Georgetown neighborhood. The station removes organic material and disinfects the tainted water with ultraviolet light. The treated water is then discharged into the Duwamish River. The recently announced penalties are required under consent decrees negotiated between Seattle, King County, the Department of Ecology and EPA. These legal agreements require the two jurisdictions to comply with Washingtons combined sewer overflow regulations. The consent decrees were recently modified in order to give Seattle and King County more time to develop larger projects that are more resilient to climate change and shift the priority of projects to ensure those in the lower Duwamish River area are completed first. King County and Seattle will also have to control all overflow points by 2037 instead of the original 2030 deadline, as part of the modified consent decrees. The modified consent decrees went into effect earlier this year. The King County Wastewater Treatment Division did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication. The government shutdown entered its second day on Thursday with no sign of a breakthrough, as congressional leaders seemed resigned to the impasse stretching into next week. Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters it was unlikely senators would remain in Washington through the weekend, while House Speaker Mike Johnson declared Republicans had nothing to negotiate. The standoff has hardened around Democrats push to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire this fall, which they say are critical to keeping premiums stable for millions of Americans. Republicans have flatly rejected including the subsidies in a stopgap funding bill, insisting the government must first be reopened before any policy negotiations can occur. The dispute has frozen negotiations, leaving agencies scrambling to shutter offices and brace for potential layoffs. Read more: Rising Health Care Costs Are the Real Reason for the Government Shutdown The Senate is expected to take up the Republican-backed measure again Friday, but it remains at least five votes short of passage. If that fails, well give them the weekend to think about it, Thune told reporters. Then well come back and vote on Monday. Johnson dismissed any talk of compromise, telling reporters on Thursday: I quite literally have nothing to negotiate. Their comments suggest that Republicans remain largely unified in their refusal to make concessionsand comfortable with the mounting disruptionseven as early polling largely indicates that more voters blame President Donald Trump and Republicans for the shutdown. That early data has emboldened Democrats, who appear committed to their strategy, and have shown no sign of backing down despite Trumps repeated threats to fire federal workers and cut benefits that Democrats have long championed. Trump met Thursday with budget director Russell Vought to discuss temporary or permanent spending cuts, including mass layoffs of federal workers, going beyond the furloughs that usually accompany shutdowns. The Trump Administration has already moved to withhold billions of dollars from infrastructure and green energy projects in states former Democratic nominee Kamala Harris won in last years presidential election. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer accused Republicans of deliberately weaponizing the shutdown. Trumps so-called maximum pain plan isnt hurting Democratsits hurting American families, he said. Yet beneath the surface of Republican unity, some cracks are visible. Sen. Mike Rounds, a South Dakota Republican, floated a one-year extension of the health care subsidies during a Senate floor vote on Wednesday, an idea that attracted attention from Democrats and some rank-and-file Republicans. While far from a breakthrough, it hinted at a potential off-ramp should the shutdown drag on. Still, the path forward remains murky. Federal agencies could soon lay off large portions of their workforce, while others deemed essential will remain on the job without pay. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has warned that as many as 750,000 workers could be furloughed on any given day, with $400 million in daily wages lost. Write to Nik Popli at nik.popli@time.com. Key Points Tilray Brands' shares are gaining ground on the possibility of cannabis legalization in the U.S. However, similar developments didn't lead to much success for the company in Canada. Tilray Brands still faces too many unknowns, and the stock remains too risky for now. 10 stocks we like better than Tilray Brands Is this the year Tilray Brands (NASDAQ: TLRY) finally starts its comeback? During the past five years, the company has lagged broader equities as the cannabis industry, where it is a leader, continues to fall far short of expectations. However, Tilray Brands has been on fire this year, and during the past six months alone, the stock is up more than 150% (as of Oct. 2). Yet, the shares are still well into penny stock territory and are currently trading for about $1.65 apiece. If Tilray can maintain the momentum of this year through the end of the decade, those who miss out on this opportunity to invest in the stock might regret it in the future. Let's see whether there is more upside ahead for Tilray Brands. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue Person working in a cannabis facility. Image source: Getty Images. Why is Tilray Brands performing well this year? Tilray's business spans several industries, including medical and recreational cannabis, the purchase and resale of pharmaceutical products, hemp-based wellness products, and the company's craft brewing operations. Tilray also operates in many countries, including Canada (where it is based), the U.S., Germany, and others. The company's biggest opportunities, however, might lie in the U.S., especially if cannabis is legalized at the federal level, which it hopes will be the case. During the past six months, Tilray's shares have soared precisely because of optimism regarding U.S. marijuana legalization. The latest signs of potential developments came directly from the White House. In August, President Donald Trump said that his administration was considering rescheduling cannabis from a Schedule 1 substance (the most dangerous category) to a Schedule 3 (substances with medical uses, but with risks). While that is short of full-blown legalization, it might still move the needle for the industry. And more recently, Trump posted a video on social media that promoted the alleged health benefits of CBD for seniors. Wall Street is very excited about these developments, and Tilray's shares jumped on this news. We have seen (a version of) this movie before Recreational use of cannabis has been legal in Canada since late 2018. Shares of leading pot companies in the country soared as a result of that milestone, as investors rushed to profit from what they thought would be a huge and ever-growing market. Things didn't turn out that way, however. Even though cannabis was legalized in Canada, the market opportunity has not been what many expected. First, the market was saturated. There were too many companies vying for market share. This competition created a supply glut. Second, even though cannabis was permitted, it remained under stringent regulatory oversight. The process to obtain the proper licenses to operate and sell cannabis slowed the progress of the market. Third, old habits die hard. Many people who had been buying cannabis illegally for a long time continued to do so, even though it became legal. The illicit market has shrunk significantly, though. According to one study, medical cannabis sales accounted for 11.8% of the market before legalization, with illicit channels grabbing 88.2%. As of 2023, illegal sales had dropped to 24.3%, a significant decline, but that still means that about a quarter of every dollar spent on cannabis in the country is from an illegal transaction. That's still a meaningful amount. All these challenges have weighed on Tilray and its peers in the industry. Tilray has generated inconsistent (at best) financial results due to these and other headwinds. That's why the company has lost most of its market value during the past seven years. Exercise extreme caution Of course, if the U.S. does legalize cannabis at the federal level, things might go differently for Tilray. But that will largely depend on the details of this still hypothetical development. Will retailers need to obtain proper licenses? What will that process look like? Will there be special taxes for sales of cannabis products -- similar to those on alcohol and tobacco -- at the federal level? These (and other) factors will affect the market opportunity. And just as in Canada, Tilray may have to contend with stiff competition, perhaps from larger companies that have significant experience in navigating markets for highly regulated products, such as tobacco and alcohol. And while we continue to speculate, there is still no guarantee that Trump's administration will actually legalize cannabis. That's why Tilray remains a speculative play at this point. Investors should avoid the stock. Should you invest $1,000 in Tilray Brands right now? Before you buy stock in Tilray Brands, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now and Tilray Brands wasnt one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $631,456!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $1,147,755!* Now, its worth noting Stock Advisors total average return is 1,063% a market-crushing outperformance compared to 191% for the S&P 500. Dont miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of September 29, 2025 Prosper Junior Bakiny has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Tilray Brands. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. High school students relax and chat on their campus. Photo: Allison Shelley / EDUimages / CC BY-NC 4.0 / Cropped from Original (The Center Square) - A high school student, previously muted and removed from a Zoom session for expressing his faith, has been invited back to share his beliefs. Zion Ramos, a junior at Arkansas Connections Academy, an online high school, has been invited to share his faith for three minutes after being muted and removed from a Zoom meeting. The First Liberty Institute, a legal organization focused on religious liberty, stated in a demand letter to ARCA that these actions infringed upon Ramos's First Amendment rights. Im glad the school agreed to do the right thing, said Ramos. Freedom of speech isnt just a right; it's the foundation of our liberty. Christians must stand up, speak out and defend our right to share what we believe. Three hours after the letter was sent, ARCA officials responded. ARCAs administration is dedicated to ensuring that every student has the opportunity to express their viewpoint in a respectful environment, ARCA said in a statement. ARCA Executive Director Nicole Stephens told The Center Square after the incident, [W]e are exploring training opportunities to help prepare all our educators with guidance on moderating student conversations. We will also be providing a timely response to the letter. In the letter, First Liberty demanded that the school allow Ramos to share his faith for three minutes during a future social time, promise not to censor religious expression and require school officials to complete religious liberty training. Now ARCA has agreed to all three requests. We are grateful that school officials acknowledge how concerning this situation was for Zion and his family, and that federal and state law protect students religious expression during social gatherings, said Kayla Toney, counsel for First Liberty Institute. Zion looks forward to sharing his faith during a future social time. In the Arkansas online public school's "social time" Zoom session, students are free to discuss any topic they choose, provided their comments are not violent, vulgar or obscene. In September, inspired by the memorial service for Charlie Kirk, Ramos started to share his faith for two minutes. The teacher, Kelsey Reid, then muted Ramos and removed him from the Zoom meeting. She later shut down the entire Zoom meeting. Reid later said she did not object to the content of the student's message, but how he delivered it, noting the short session is not the time for a speaking platform. Thomas Brown being detained by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office NEED TO KNOW Thomas Brown, 31, was arrested in association with the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Evan Clark and 18-year-old Pandora Kjolsrud, who were found dead in Arizona after going camping for Memorial Day weekend The suspect was arrested more than four months after the teens' bodies were found Court documents suggest that there is DNA evidence linking Brown to the case More than four months after the bodies of two Arizona teens were found fatally shot, a suspect has finally been apprehended. In the late hours of Thursday, Oct. 2, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office confirmed that their detectives arrested 31-year-old Thomas Brown as a suspect in the murders of 17-year-old Evan Clark and 18-year-old Pandora Kjolsrud. In a statement shared with PEOPLE, the office wrote that Sheriff Jerry Sheridan would provide more information during a press conference on Friday, Oct. 3, at 10 a.m. local time. Brown's mugshot was released alongside a video of the suspect being removed from a sheriff's vehicle and processed for detention. In it, he had his hands cuffed behind his back and was escorted by two officers. The video ended with him being shut in a holding cell. According to reporting by ABC15, Brown appeared in front of a judge and was charged with two counts of murder in the first degree on Thursday. He is being held on a $2 million bond and will appear in court again on Wednesday, Oct. 8. The outlet cited court paperwork, which alleged that DNA evidence found at the scene of the crime linked him to the case. Clark and Kjolsrud's bodies were found near Mount Ord in the Tonto National Forest, which is located in Maricopa County, Ariz., on May 27. They were reportedly in the area camping over Memorial Day weekend, according to reporting by Fox10. The Sheriff's Office addressed the murders in a statement shared with PEOPLE on June 1, saying that they were "actively working" on identifying a suspect responsible for the deadly shooting. "MCSO is seeking the communitys assistance," the statement continued. "If you have any information no matter how small that may be relevant to this case, we strongly encourage you to come forward. Your help could be critical in bringing answers and justice to the victims and their families. You may remain anonymous." ABC15 reported in May that officers were called to a campsite near the area on May 27. The cause of death was listed as homicide by the Maricopa County Medical Examiner. GoFundMe Evan Clark "At this time, our focus is on conducting a comprehensive and meticulous investigation to ensure justice for the victims and their loved ones," the Sheriff's Office said in a statement shared with the outlet. "We are coordinating closely with our law enforcement partners and ask for patience and respect for the investigative process as we work through the facts." Both Evans and Kjolsrud were students at Arcadia High School in Phoenix. A GoFundMe for Kjolsrud described her as having "a vivacious personality with an infectious smile that brought joy to so many." "She was a beautiful human being and a bright light in this world who loved every single person she met and had a unique ability to make every person feel special," the tribute continued. "She loved music in all of its forms and enjoyed playing violin, cello and guitar. The outdoors is where she truly felt at home. She loved camping, horseback riding, kayaking and hiking with friends and family." GoFundMe Pandora Kjolsrud Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Clark's mother, Sandra Malibu Sweeney, shared a statement about the loss of her "only child" and "beloved son" on another GoFundMe. "This last week, Evan was taken from me, and my level of grief feels insurmountable. I find myself at a complete loss to imagine a life without him. It is a small comfort to share some things about this boy who was on his way to becoming a wonderful man," she wrote, describing her son as "not a typical teenager." The statement continued: "He was funny, bright, kind and entrepreneurial. He was an old soul who was sensitive and loving. Evan wrote me letters, the last of which he gave me on Mothers Day that was so touching it made me both laugh and cry. He was special. He deserved a long life." Read the original article on People Tennessee Department of Correction via AP Christa-Pike NEED TO KNOW Colleen Slemmer was brutally murdered in January 1995 Her classmate Christa Pike was found guilty of murdering her and sentenced in 1996 Pike took a part of Slemmer's skull as souvenir A Tennessee woman's execution date has been set three decades after she killed her classmate as an 18-year-old, carving a pentagram on the victim's chest and taking away a prt of the slain woman's skull. The victim, Colleen Slemmer, was a Knoxville Job Corps student who was lured into a remote area by Christa Pike, who, along with her then-boyfriend, killed Slemmer in a remote area of the University of Tennessee Agricultural campus in January 1995, per the Associated Press. After stabbing and beating Slemmer, Pike took a part of the victim's skull as souvenir. Pike's boyfriend, then-17-year-old Tadaryl Shipp, and friend, then-18-year-old Shadolla Peterson were also involved in the murder, per The Straits Times. Pike was convicted at the age of 18 of murder and the conspiracy to commit murder, USA Today and The Straits Times previously reported. On Tuesday, Sept. 30, the Tennessee Supreme Court set an execution date for Pike, who is the only woman on death row in the state, the AP reported. Since her 1996 conviction, Pike has argued that she endured brutal physical and sexual abuse as a child and suffered from "severe mental illness" at the time of the murder, per the AP. Pike was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder years after her arrest, and advocates say that since receiving treatment, she has become "a thoughtful woman with deep remorse." A psychologist previously told The Tennessean that she believed Pike was detached from reality at the time of the crime. Related: https://people-app.onelink.me/HNIa/kz7l4cuf Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Shipp, who was Pike's boyfriend at the time of the murder, had been sentenced to life in prison with possibility of parole for his role, per the AP. He will be eligible for parole next year, USA Today reported, citing the Tennessee Department of Correction. Peterson turned state's witness and received a six-year probationary sentence after pleading guilty to accessory after the fact, according to USA Today. Pike is scheduled to be executed on Sept. 30, 2026, WSMV reported. Tennessee remains one of 27 states to still allow the death penalty. Read the original article on People PAWHUSKA, OK Texas megachurch founder Robert Morris pleaded guilty in an Oklahoma court on Oct. 2 to sex crimes against a girl that started in 1982 and continued for years. Morris, 64, entered guilty pleas to five felony counts of lewd or indecent acts to a child in an Osage County courtroom. He will serve six months in the Osage County jail and then be on probation for nine years and six months, according to a plea agreement outlined by Oklahoma Attorney General Getner Drummond in a news release. He also must register as a sex offender and pay $270,000 in restitution to the victim, Cindy Clemishire, who in court called him "a pedophile, disguised as a preacher." Morris did not apologize in court. Robert Morris' indictment: Here's a timeline of the events Osage County Special Judge Cindy Pickerill accepted the deal after Clemshire acknowledged she had been consulted about it and was in agreement with the punishment. The probation is considered a suspended sentence under the plea agreement, which means Morris is now a convicted felon. He could go to prison if he violates the conditions of his probation. "This case is all the more despicable because the perpetrator was a pastor who exploited his position of trust and authority," Drummond said in the news release. "The victim in this case has waited far too many years for this day." Victim says crimes 'wounded faith itself' Morris admitted to wrongdoing after Clemishire spoke to The Wartburg Watch, a blog about sexual abuse within the church. Clemishire previously told USA TODAY, which typically does not name victims of sexual abuse, that she decided to come forward publicly to encourage others who may be victims to tell their stories. "Any and all victims, come forward ... I just don't believe that I'm the only person," she said. In her victim impact statement during the Oct. 2 proceedings, Clemishire said again that Morris sexually abused her for more than four years. "While you built a megachurch, authored books, and gained fame, I dropped out of college, endured divorces, (and) struggled with self-worth," she told Morris in a voice choked with emotion. Cindy Clemishire leaves the Osage County courthouse where Texas megachurch founder Robert Morris pled guilty to child sex crimes in Pawhuska on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. "While you twisted your crimes into a story of 'infidelity' to protect your image, my family and I were left trying to explain the truth to pastors who looked the other way. I battled depression, made countless poor decisions, adding more shame to my life. And when I finally spoke, you tried to call it consensual." She told him his crimes "wounded faith itself" and that she hopes he genuinely repents. Morris kept his head down and his eyes closed during the impact statements. What was Robert Morris accused of? Clemishire said in the blog post that she and her family met Morris at a youth revival in Tulsa when he was 20 and she was 11 years old. Morris was a traveling evangelist with his wife, Debbie. Morris would preach at Clemishire's church on Sundays, and sometimes he, Debbie, and their son would stay at her family's home. She viewed him as "safe and friendly," she said. Things changed on Christmas in 1982 when Morris asked a 12-year-old Clemishire to "visit him in his room that night," and she thought nothing of it, she said in the post. Once in his room, she said he sexually abused her and warned her: "Never tell anyone about this because it will ruin everything." She said the abuse continued in Oklahoma and Texas until 1987. In statements made last year, Morris said he was involved in his early 20s in "inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady in a home where I was staying." Morris pleaded guilty "for the sake of finality," his Texas attorney Bill Mateja said in a news statement. "Pastor Robert made it a point to ask that I tell Ms. Clemishire and her family that he sincerely apologizes for his conduct and asks for their forgiveness," the attorney said. U.S. President Donald Trump is greeted by Pastor Robert Morris as he arrives for a roundtable discussion with members of the faith community, law enforcement and small business at Gateway Church Dallas Campus in Dallas, Texas, U.S., June 11, 2020. Morris was on Trump's spiritual advisory board during 2016 campaign Morris resigned as senior pastor of Gateway Church last year after admitting wrongdoing. He founded the church in Southlake, Texas, a suburb of Dallas and Fort Worth, in 2000. Under his leadership, it expanded to multiple locations. The church removed several of its officials following a law firm's investigation into the allegations in November. Morris was on Trumps spiritual advisory board during the 2016 campaign and during the first term of his presidency. He did not have a role in the 2024 reelection effort. Morris had a television program that aired in over 190 countries, and his radio program aired in more than 6,800 cities, according to his biography on the Gateway Church website. His YouTube page, which is no longer online, had 80,000 subscribers and included videos with titles like "Freedom Through Forgiveness" and "Did You Know You're Made Perfect By God's Grace?" What's next for Robert Morris? Morris still faces a civil lawsuit accusing him of defaming the victim over the years, including when he claimed she had forgiven him. Clemishire and her father filed the lawsuit in Dallas County District Court in June. They complained Morris has described the sexual offenses as an "extramarital affair" and has said Clemishire seduced him. They also complained church officials have known about the sexual abuse for years but attempted to cover it up "in order to continue to profit from the church." "So often victims experience what I did in 2024 slander of my character and an effort to shift blame, which minimized my abuse and turned my private pain into national news," Clemishire said in a statement after the guilty plea. If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, RAINNs National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support to survivors and their loved ones in English and Spanish at 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Espanol RAINN.org/es. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas megachurch founder pleads guilty to child sex abuse Time is running out for Hamas to accept a 20-point proposal for ending the war in Gaza or face severe consequences, according to an ultimatum set by President Donald Trump -- the plan's chief architect. "An Agreement must be reached with Hamas by Sunday Evening at SIX (6) P.M., Washington, D.C. time. Every Country has signed on! If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas," Trump announced via Truth Social on Friday. "THERE WILL BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ONE WAY OR THE OTHER," he added. The new deadline is a slight extension from the timeline he set on Tuesday after proposing the plan on Monday, when he said he would give the militant group about three or four days. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images - PHOTO: President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participate in a press conference in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, September 29, 2025. Trump unveils sweeping Gaza peace plan he says Netanyahu accepts, challenges Hamas Despite his threat, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday that the Trump administration had not received a response from Hamas. "The president made it very clear he wants to hear back from them very soon," Leavitt said. "We expect it and we hope that Hamas will accept the plan that was proposed," she added. "It's a good plan, and as you know, it's been applauded by leaders all over the world." External pressure, internal concerns Despite some global leaders misgivings about some of the plans details, including ambiguity over the future of an independent Palestinian state, Leavitt is correct in her assertion that the proposal has garnered widespread support, including from Arab countries that would be key to the plans implementation. "The Trump plan has the backing of virtually all major regional governments and the major Islamic states of the world other than Iran. The EU [European Union] and its members also support it," said Marc Weller, chair of International Law and International Constitutional Studies at the University of Cambridge and a senior research fellow at Chatham House. "There even seem to be Arab states willing to contribute armed stabilization forces a potentially dangerous role that had previously not attracted many takers," Weller, who is also a former United Nations senior mediation expert, added. Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters - PHOTO: Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, on Oct. 2, 2025. The number of pieces falling together has put considerable pressure on Hamas to accept the proposal or risk its standing in Middle Eastern countries like Qatar that play host to its political leaders, allowing the group to negotiate with the outside world. But accepting the terms of the deal also involves accepting considerable existential threats to the groups future, Weller says. "The plan calls for Hamas to accept its own dissolution as both a military force and a civil administration," he explained. "In other instances, demobilization, collection of arms and reintegration of fighters would be a multi-year venture. Here, quite rapid action is expected, with no infrastructure specified other than a reference to independent monitors." As Hamas faces pressure from world leaders who support the plan, the group is also feeling pressure from Israels military assault on Gaza City, which has intensified in the days following the unveiling of Trumps peace plan. A firm deadline? In the past, Trump has often shifted his deadlines when it comes to international negotiations, giving countries extra time to cut a trade deal or electing to give Moscow breathing room for talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. On the flip side, the president has also appeared to move up deadlines on occasion. In June, he said he would give himself two weeks to decide on whether to attack Iran. Just days later, he ordered U.S. B-2 stealth bombers to strike the country's key nuclear sites. But in this case, U.S. officials told ABC News on Thursday that they expected Trump to more or less stick to the timetable he set. A key reason, they said, was that it wasnt solely the presidents prerogative -- negotiators also need to keep Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on board to move forward. It took considerable pressure to get Netanyahu -- who is already facing backlash from the far-right members of his coalition in Israel -- to agree to terms of the proposal, and any further delay risks the loss of necessary momentum, the officials said. Mediators have been pushing Hamas to accept, or -- at the very least -- issue a positive response to the plan, one official familiar with the negotiations said. However, the official added that one intermediary -- Qatar -- had indicated to the Trump administration that Hamas may need additional time. Aaron Goren, an analyst and editor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, argues that Trump holding firm on his timeline is paramount. "The United States should not allow Hamas to shift the goalposts, seeking further concessions from Israel, he said. Additionally, Qatari, Turkish, and Egyptian mediators should convey to Hamas that it is unlikely that there will be a better diplomatic off-ramp, especially one that gives the groups leaders amnesty abroad, as this one does." Trump already has vowed that if Hamas rejects the plan, Netanyahu will have his unfettered support to continue his military campaign in Gaza. "Israel would have my full backing to finish the job of destroying the threat of Hamas," Trump said standing beside the prime minister on Monday. A view of the exterior of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences where the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences is announced in Stockholm, Sweden, October 14, 2024. REUTERS/ Tom Little A view of the exterior of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences where the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences is announced in Stockholm, Sweden, October 14, 2024. REUTERS/ Tom Little By Johan Ahlander STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -As scientists ready for next week's Nobel Prize announcements, one awarding body is warning academic freedom is under threat in the U.S. and elsewhere, with political interference risking long-lasting negative effects. U.S. President Donald Trump has introduced or proposed a swathe of measures in his second term that critics argue will hamper education and scientific research. Ylva Engstrom, Vice President of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which awards the prizes for chemistry, physics and economics, said the Trump administration's changes were reckless. 'PILLAR OF DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM' "I think in both the short and long term, it can have devastating effects," she told Reuters in an interview. "Academic freedom ... is one of the pillars of the democratic system." The Trump administration denies stifling academic freedom, saying its measures will cut waste and promote U.S. scientific innovation. Engstrom, who is also a board member of the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, is not herself on any of the three committees that will award the prizes for chemistry, physics or economics. The Nobel prizes, regarded by many as the most prestigious science awards in the world, are set to be announced from next week, starting with the award for medicine or physiology on Monday and ending with the unveiling of the winners in economics one week later. The awards were created by wealthy Swedish dynamite inventor Alfred Nobel and are also handed out for outstanding achievements in physics, chemistry, literature and peace. They come with a prize amount of 11 million Swedish crowns ($1.2 million). Trump has said several times that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, although experts say his chances are very slim. BUDGET CUTS AND PRIORITISING 'PATRIOTIC EDUCATION' Trump has proposed slashing the budget for the National Institutes of Health, the world's largest funder of biomedical research, and wants to dismantle the Department of Education, in a bid to shrink the federal government's role in education in favour of more control by the states. His administration has also said it would prioritise giving grant money to programmes that focus on "patriotic education," and demanded that schools cap international undergraduate enrollment at 15%. "For research, it's going to be a big dip in what the American scientists can do and what they are allowed to do, what they can publish, what they can get money for. So this is going to have big effects," said Engstrom, who is chairwoman of the research policy committee at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The White House said in an emailed response that the United States was the largest funder of scientific research in the world. "The Administration's targeted cuts to waste, fraud, and abuse in both research grant funding and visa programs are going to strengthen Americans' innovative and scientific dominance," it said. NOBEL LAUREATE WARNS OF DRAG ON ECONOMIC GROWTH Trump has also been wrangling with several prestigious universities - some of whose faculty may be among the Nobel prize winners in coming days - threatening to withhold federal funds over issues including pro-Palestinian protests against Israel's war in Gaza, campus diversity and transgender policies. British-born American economist Simon Johnson, who won the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 2024 for his studies of how institutions affect prosperity, said that, while he thought it was too early to tell how Trump's actions would affect academic freedom, they would certainly hamper economic growth. "These policies are absolutely, unambiguously very negative and particularly for job creation," Johnson, who is a professor at MIT Sloan School of Management, said. "All engineering and science-type activities, I think, are going to be affected," he said. "Life Sciences is a particularly dynamic sector at the moment and NIH is, for whatever reason, being targeted with truly massive cuts." The Nobel Foundation, which oversees Nobel's will and legacy, said that there were challenges to academic freedom, as there have been previously in the Foundation's 124 years, and that it was "keeping a watchful eye". "We protect knowledge," said Hanna Stjarne, chairwoman of the foundation. "We protect ... freedom, the opportunity for researchers to work freely, for writers to be able to write exactly as they want, and for peace initiatives to be taken in all kinds of conflicts that exist all over the world." (Reporting by Johan Ahlander; editing by Niklas Pollard and Alex Richardson) A view of the U.S. Capitol dome, following a partial government shutdown in Washington, D.C., U.S., October 2, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard By Andy Sullivan, David Shepardson and Nandita Bose WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump's administration froze $2.1 billion in Chicago transit funding on Friday, starving another Democratic city of funds as the government shutdown entered its third day. Budget director Russ Vought said the money, earmarked for elevated train lines, had been put on hold to ensure it was not "flowing via race-based contracting." The administration has now frozen at least $28 billion in funding for Democratic cities and states, escalating Trump's campaign to use the extraordinary power of the U.S. government to punish political rivals. He has also threatened to fire more federal workers, beyond the 300,000 he is forcing out this year, and a White House source speaking on condition of anonymity said dozens of agencies have submitted workforce reduction plans. The Republican president has made Chicago, the nation's third-largest city, a regular rhetorical punching bag and has threatened to send in National Guard troops. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a high-profile Trump critic seen as a possible 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, said the funding freeze amounted to hostage-taking. "Its attempting to score political points but is instead hurting our economy and the hardworking people who rely on public transit," he said on social media. The Illinois funding freeze follows moves on Wednesday to halt transit projects in New York, home to the top two Democrats in Congress, and green-energy projects in Democratic-leaning states like California and Colorado. In a separate move, the Trump administration reversed its plan to cut $187 million in security funds for New York, Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul said. NO SIGN OF SWIFT SOLUTION In Washington, the shutdown stalemate showed no signs of ending. The U.S. Senate is due to vote on dueling Democratic and Republican plans to end the shutdown on Friday, but neither is likely to win passage. If the shutdown continues into a fourth day Saturday, it will be the fifth-longest in U.S. history. Democrats and Republicans have spent the past several days blaming each other for their failure to keep the government funded beyond October 1, the start of the fiscal year, and they do not appear to have made any headway toward a deal that would allow the money to flow again. The standoff in Congress has frozen about $1.7 trillion in funds for agency operations, which amounts to roughly one-quarter of annual federal spending. Much of the remainder goes to health and retirement programs and interest payments on the growing $37.5 trillion debt. Democrats say any funding package must also expand pandemic-era healthcare subsidies due to expire at the end of December, while Republicans say that issue should be dealt with separately. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, said he is not troubled by Trump's pressure campaign, which undercuts Congress' constitutional authority over spending matters. "President Trump is just as anxious as we are to get the government back open," he told reporters. "Is he trying to apply pressure to make that happen? He probably is, yeah. And I applaud that." SERVICES INTERRUPTED The shutdown, the 15th since 1981, has suspended scientific research, financial regulation, and a wide range of other activities. Pay has been suspended for roughly 2 million federal workers, though troops, airport security screeners, and others deemed "essential" must still report to work. On Friday, the government did not release its monthly unemployment report, leaving Wall Street guessing about the health of the world's largest economy. A prolonged shutdown could disrupt air travel and food aid for millions of Americans, and also force federal courts to close. Federal workers would miss their first paycheck in mid-October if the standoff is not resolved by then. The longest shutdown lasted 35 days in 2018-2019, during Trump's first term in office. The Senate has three times already rejected a Republican plan, which would fund the government through November 21, and a Democratic alternative that would also bolster the expiring health subsidies. The chamber will vote on both of those plans again on Friday. Republicans control both chambers of Congress, but they need at least seven Democratic votes to advance spending legislation in the Senate. A group of senators from both parties say they have been exploring a compromise. But some Democrats say they do not trust Republicans to honor any agreement that would first reopen the government and then tackle the healthcare subsidies, which were passed as part of a 2021 Democratic COVID relief package and now help 24 million Americans pay for coverage. (Reporting by Andy Sullivan, Doina Chiacu, David Shepardson, Courtney Rozen, Nandita Bose, David Morgan and Nolan McCaskill; Editing by Scott Malone, Alistair Bell and Deepa Babington) President Donald Trump hosts a joint press conference at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, April 7. The White House | YouTube (The Center Square) A hard deadline has been set for Hamas to agree to a peace deal proposed by President Donald Trump and accepted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, warning this is their last chance. Trump told Hamas leaders that they have until 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 5, Washington, D.C. time, warning this is their last chance or all HELL will break loose. In a Friday Truth Social post, the president described the terror group as a ruthless and violent threat in the Middle East. The president warned Hamas that they will be hunted down, indicating that Israel is waiting for his approval to attack. They have killed (and made lives unbearably miserable), culminating with the October 7th MASSACREAs retribution for the October 7th attack on civilization, more than 25,000 Hamas soldiers have already been killed. Most of the rest are surrounded and MILITARILY TRAPPED, just waiting for me to give the word, GO, for their lives to be quickly extinguished. As for the rest, we know where and who you are, and you will be hunted down, and killed, Trump posted. Ahead of a possible invasion or attack on Hamas, the president is telling civilian Palestinians to evacuate to safer areas in Gaza. I am asking that all innocent Palestinians immediately leave this area of potentially great future death for safer parts of Gaza. Everyone will be well cared for by those that are waiting to help, said the president. On Monday, the president hosted Netanyahu at the White House to finalize the details of a 20-point peace agreement. Israel approved the detail, with other Arab and European nations signing off on it as well. Great, powerful, and very rich Nations of the Middle East, and the surrounding areas beyond, together, together with the United States of America, have agreed, with Israel signing on, to PEACE, after 3000 years, in the Middle East. THIS DEAL ALSO SPARES THE LIVES OF ALL REMAINING HAMAS FIGHTERS! said Trump. Regardless of Hamas decision, the president said there will be peace in the Middle East one way or the other. As part of the 20-point plan, it calls for the release of all remaining Israeli hostages, including the dead, which the president echoed in his post. Before signing off on his post, Trump again warned Hamas of the consequences if they dont agree to the deal. If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas, the president concluded. Multiple reports have claimed that Hamas is on the cusp of rejecting the deal, while others say they want more time to review the details. Earlier in the week, Trump had said he was giving the terror group three to four days to agree to the deal. During Mondays joint press conference, Netanyahu issued a stern warning to Hamas if it refused to agree to the peace plan. If Hamas rejects your plan then Israel will finish the job by itself. This can be done the easy way or it can be done the hard way. But it will be done. We prefer the easy way, but it has to be done, the prime minister told reporters. Trump said that he would support Israel if Hamas failed to agree to peace. Trump's 20-point plan to end the war calls for a terror-free zone in Gaza, redevelopment of the territory, and the return of all Israeli hostages, including the dead, within 72 hours of Israel accepting the agreement. To oversee the success of the plan, the president said that if it is accepted, he would lead it. The plan underscores that Hamas will have no role in the governance of Gaza, adding that regional partners will ensure that Hamas, and the factions, comply with their obligations. It also ensures that Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza. President Donald Trump speaks to press in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 25, 2025. Credit - Saul LoebGetty Images On Thursday morning, the second day of the partial government shutdown, Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that he was meeting soon with Russell Vought, his Office of Management and Budget Director, to decide where to start cutting the federal workforce. He said the shutdown has given him an unprecedented opportunity to pick and choose which agencies to target for layoffs. One problem with the Presidents plan: enacting permanent staffing cuts during a shutdown may be illegal under federal law. If Trump moves forward with layoffs, his action could be mired in court for months. Trump and other Administration officials began last month threatening widespread layoffs of federal workers in the event of a shutdown. On Thursday, Trump seemed to relish the position he found himself in, with Senate Democrats depriving Republicans of the handful of votes they need to keep the government funded. I have a meeting today with Russ Vought, he of PROJECT 2025 Fame, to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent, Trump wrote, giving a nod to Voughts role as the lead author of Project 2025, a blueprint for remaking the federal government hes largely followed since taking office but disavowed during his campaign. I cant believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity. When White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked what parts of the government Trump was referring to as Democrat agencies, she said the White House is looking at agencies that dont align with this Administrations values that we feel are a waste of the taxpayers dollars. The day before, Leavitt had told reporters, we believe that layoffs are imminent. Normally during a shutdown, a large portion of the federal workforce is furloughed on a temporary basis until Congress passes a spending bill to reopen the government and give workers back pay. Many agencies have published their plans for how many workers will be temporarily sent home during this shutdown. Agencies slated to furlough the largest percentages of their workers are the Environmental Protection Agency, the Education Department, the Commerce Department, the Labor Department, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Trump also chose to shut down operations of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, an office that had been established by the Inspector General Reform Act of 2008 to improve oversight of waste, fraud and abuse across the federal government. On Thursday afternoon, the agencys websitesincluding oversight.govand links to reports, manuals and training schedules showed a white screen and the message, Due to a lack of apportionment of funds, this website is currently unavailable. Its unclear if the office going dark is temporary or permanent. But Trump, Leavitt, Vought and Vice President J.D. Vance have all said that some federal workers could be permanently fired while the government is unfunded. In a rare appearance during the White House press briefing on Wednesday, Vance framed the potential layoffs, which are also called reductions in force, or RIFs, as necessary to ensure essential services can continue as the shutdown drags on. Hours before the shutdown began, the American Federation of Government Employees and other unions representing hundreds of thousands of federal workers filed a lawsuit in court seeking to block Trump from using the shutdown to fire thousands of federal employees. The lawsuit argues that the Administration doesnt have legal authority to permanently fire federal employees during a shutdown. The Antideficiency Act, first passed in 1870, forbids the federal government from spending money not appropriated by Congress, and guides much of what the federal government can and cant do during a shutdown. Reductions in force, on the other hand, are guided by regulations stemming from the Veterans Preference Act of 1944 and other statutes, according to the lawsuit, which argues that those statutes are not applicable during a shutdown. Trump officials have been warned internally that permanent firings during the shutdown could be effectively challenged as violations of appropriations law, according to a senior government official. But the Administrations budget officials arent convinced. Its called the Constitution, OMB spokeswoman Rachel Cauley replied in an email when asked what authority the Office of Management and Budget would use to move forward with reductions in force. Issuing RIFs is an excepted activity to fulfill the Presidents constitutional authority to supervise and control the Executive Branch, similar to conducting foreign policy, Cauley wrote in a statement. The lawsuit, which was filed by the unions in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, is asking the court to to block any efforts by the Administration to issue reductions in force, and to declare that the Administration exceeded its authority in even telling agencies to prepare to fire workers during the shutdown. The Trump administration must not be allowed to use a shutdown as an excuse for yet another illegal attack on federal workers, Norm Eisen, executive chair of Democracy Defenders Fund and one of the attorneys that filed the lawsuit, said in a statement. Contact us at letters@time.com. FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump gestures on the day he attends an event hosted by America250 in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S., July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo (Reuters) -The White House is in talks with CBS News program "60 Minutes" about conducting an interview with U.S. President Donald Trump, Semafor reported on Thursday, citing four people with knowledge of the discussions. Reuters could not immediately verify the Semafor report. News of the possible interview comes after media reports that CBS-parent Paramount Skydance will soon announce its takeover of center-right online news outlet, The Free Press, and hire its co-founder, Bari Weiss, as editor-in-chief of CBS News. Paramount in July agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit filed by Trump over his claim that CBS deceptively edited a "60 Minutes" interview with his Democratic presidential opponent Kamala Harris last year. Earlier this year, former "60 Minutes" executive producer Bill Owens resigned, citing concerns over editorial independence. CBS News president Wendy McMahon later stepped down, saying she and the company had differing views on the path forward. The company has also announced that it would next year cancel the show of comedian Stephen Colbert, a frequent critic of Trump. David Ellison, CEO of Skydance and the son of Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison, has been rapidly transforming Paramount into a sprawling sports, media and news empire. Larry Ellison, a strong supporter of Trump, briefly became the richest man in the world last month after a surge in Oracle's stock price driven by large contracts in artificial intelligence. Elon Musk later regained that spot. Ellison is also part of a group of investors negotiating a deal to keep TikTok operating in the United States. Reuters reported last month that Paramount was preparing to bid for Warner Bros Discovery, which would unite two of Hollywood's biggest studios and two major news networks, CBS News and CNN. (Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru and Andrea Shalal in Washington; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Lincoln Feast.) President Donald Trump has warned that all hell, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas if the militant group does not agree to the Gaza peace deal by his newly-appointed deadline. We will have peace in the Middle East one way or the other. The violence and bloodshed will stop. Release the hostages, all of them, including the bodies of those that are dead, now, said Trump via Truth Social on Friday. This deal also spares the lives of all remaining Hamas fighters. Offering Hamas one last chance to sign the deal, which was announced on Monday, Trump issued a deadline of 6 p.m. ET on Sunday night. The President claimed that 25,000 Hamas members have already been killed in the war, which is approaching its two-year mark on Oct. 7. (TIME has been unable to independently verify this figure.) As for the rest, we know where and who you are, and you will be hunted down, and killed, Trump warned. Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put forth their 20-point Gaza plan after meeting at the White House on Monday. The proposal includes a framework for the demilitarization of Hamas in Gaza, a gradual withdrawal of Israeli military, the restoration of aid without interference into Gaza, and the establishment of a transitional apolitical Palestinian committee to govern the territory. This Board of Peace in Gaza would be led by Trump, as well as former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has participated in talks between Palestinians and Israelis throughout his political career. At the core of the Gaza agreement lies the demand that all hostages be released. Its thought that 48 hostages remain in Gaza, with Netanyahu stating that 20 of those are still alive. Once all the hostages are freed, Israel will release 250 life sentence prisoners plus 1700 Gazans who were detained after Oct. 7, 2023. Palestinians move south after strikes on Gaza City in the north continue on Oct. 1, 2025. Khames AlrefiGetty Images Gaza will be redeveloped under the plan, with no Palestinians forced to leave, something which was previously of concern to those living in the territory and others in the international community. Notably, the 20-point plan does not put forth a two-state solution. Trump and Netanyahu have both voiced their disapproval of Western countries recognizing a Palestinian statehood. The topic featured heavily in their respective speeches during the United Nations General Assembly in September. Read More: Netanyahu Addresses Hamas, Demands Release of Hostages in U.N. Speech Netanyahu has welcomed the 20-point plan, saying it achieves Israels core aims. It will bring back to Israel all our hostages, dismantle Hamas' military capabilities, end its political rule, and ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel, said Netanyahu during a joint press briefing with Trump on Monday. If Hamas rejects your plan, Mr. President, or if they supposedly accept it and then basically do everything to counter it, then Israel will finish the job by itself, Netanyahu warned. Leaders from across the world have also voiced support for the proposal, including many western, Arab, and Muslim figures. On Friday, U.N. Humanitarian Affairs Chief Tom Fletcher welcomed Trumps proposal for bringing the Israel-Hamas war to an end, calling it a window of opportunity." It offers both a chance for Palestinians to receive life-saving aid at the scale urgently needed, and to bring the hostages home. We are ready and eager to act, said Fletcher, adding that the U.N. has some 170,000 metric tons of food, medicine, shelter and other desperately needed supplies poised to enter Gaza from across the region. Israel has ramped up military operations in Gaza over recent weeks, expanding ground and air operations in Gaza City, the territorys most densely populated area. 82% of the strip is currently under Israeli military control or displacement orders, according to the U.N. There is mounting concern over the malnutrition crisis in Gaza and the impact on civilians. The Israel-Hamas war started after Hamas launched a terror attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing over 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages. Over 66,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. In the absence of independent monitoring on the ground, the ministry is the primary source for casualty data relied upon by humanitarian groups, journalists, and international bodies. Its figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants and cannot be independently verified by TIME. Data from the IDF suggests a Palestinian civilian death rate of 83%. Contact us at letters@time.com. A protester sits outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Portland, Oregon, U.S., October 2, 2025. REUTERS/John Rudoff WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump has directed his team to review federal aid to Portland, Oregon, that can be cut as his anger with the city's anti-government and anti-fascism protesters mounts, the White House said on Friday. "We will not fund states that allow anarchy," White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters. She gave no details about what funds Trump, a Republican, might try to block. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has repeatedly use threats of withholding federal funding, which is mandated by Congress, to punish those he views as his political opponents, including Democrats in state and local government and elite universities, which he views as overrun by Marxists. The streets of downtown Portland, the largest city in Oregon, have been filled sporadically in the last few years with left-wing protesters, most recently focused on Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents carrying out Trump's plan to arrest and deport more migrants. Leavitt also said she was dismayed that a conservative independent journalist was among three people arrested by Portland police at a demonstration outside ICE's offices. "This incident is part of a troubling trend for Portland, where left-wing mobs believe they get to decide who can visit and live in their city," Leavitt told reporters. "It is not their city, it is the American people's city." Police said the journalist Nicholas Sortor was arrested along with two others for fighting at the protest and charged with disorderly conduct. Video showed Sortor arguing with protesters and he said on Friday he had acted in self-defense. Leavitt said she had spoken with Sortor and that the U.S. Department of Justice's civil rights division was examining whether Sortor was a victim of "viewpoint discrimination" by Portland police. Last week, Trump said he considered the city's anti-fascism protesters, sometimes referred to as "antifa," to be "domestic terrorists" and that he was sending soldiers there to protect ICE agents and facilities. This week, he said he was taking control of the Oregon National Guard, the state's militia. Spokespeople for Portland Mayor Keith Wilson and Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, both Democrats, did not respond to requests for comment. In response to the arrest of Sortor, the Portland Police Bureau said in a statement it enforced the law impartially. "As with all such situations, arrests are based on observed behavior and probable cause not political affiliation or public profile," the police statement said. Wilson and other leaders in Oregon have denounced efforts to militarize policing in Portland and say Trump is violating the U.S. Constitution. As with other states, most federal aid to Oregon helps fund healthcare, education and transportation infrastructure. (Reporting by Gram Slattery; Additional reporting by Jonathan Allen; Writing by Katharine Jackson and Jonathan Allen; Editing by Caitlin Webber and Cynthia Osterman) Half Acre Beer Company Steins from Half Acre Beer Company during Oktoberfest in Chicago. You could go to Munich for the ultimate Oktoberfest experience, but you dont have to. Just head to Chicago, a city with German roots so deep you may feel like youre celebrating in Bavaria. Whether you're looking for a family-friendly, dog-friendly, or beer-forward kind of Oktoberfest, you'll find it herecomplete with imported German beer, lederhosen, and carnival rides. If youre already thinking ahead to next year, keep in mind: Chicago's Oktoberfest season kicks off in September. You can keep the spirit alive-year-round at local German-inspired bars and restaurants like Edelweiss, Kaiser Tiger, and The Berghoff. And if you're looking for inspiration this year, here are some fun events to mark on your calendar. Fun for Adults At Oktoberfest Nation, you can chow down on giant pretzels, feast on bratwursts, and sip Hofbrau Munchen beer, just like I did at Oktoberfest in Munich in 2012. The band in Munich played the Dirty Dancing soundtrack that night, but in Chicago, expect traditional German folk music performed by Oompah bands flown in for the city's largest Oktoberfest celebration. Like in Munich, there are also carnival rides and crowd-pleasers like stein-carrying races. Dont have a dirndl or lederhosen? Dont worryyou can buy them here. Oktoberfest Nation is held at Fulton Market and runs through Oct. 19. Family-friendly Since 1996, St. Benedict Parish has hosted one of Chicago's oldest and most wholesome Oktoberfest celebrations. Every October, the parish courtyard fills with live music, carnival rides, games, and German food. This year, St. Benedict is holding its Oktoberfest celebration Oct. 3-5. Half Acre Beer Company Guests at the LagerTown event by Half Acre Beer Company. Oktoberfest Nation Women wearing drindles at the Oktoberfest in Chicago. Oktoberfest Nation Live musicians play at Oktoberfest Nation. Dog-friendly Bring your dog to Barktoberfest, arguably the most adorable Oktoberfest celebration in the city. Held at Cody's, a cozy Lakeview pub, this dog-friendly fest features a German buffet (sausages, sauerkraut, pretzels, brats), $6 beers, and $6 Jagermeister shots. Humans can enter a stein-holding contest, while canines can compete in a pup cup-holding challenge. You might even meet your next furry family member, as rescue dogs will be on site. Barktoberfest is scheduled for Oct. 5, and a portion of drink sales benefits Chicago Canine Rescue. For Local Beer Head to Malt Row for a celebration that doubles as a birthday party for one of Chicagos favorite microbreweries: Begyle Brewing. Each fall, Begyle partners with Dovetail Brewery to host Oktoberfestiversary in the Ravenswood Corridor, the heart of Chicago's microbrewery scene. Expect live music, food trucks, and special beer tappings. This years Oktoberfestiversary is scheduled for Oct. 11-12. Read the original article on Travel & Leisure UnitedHealth Group's headquarters building is seen in Minnetonka, Minnesota, U.S. in this handout picture taken in 2019. UnitedHealth Group/Handout via REUTERS (Reuters) -A UnitedHealth shareholder proposed on Friday that the healthcare group should adopt a policy to require an independent board chair, a role now held by CEO Stephen Hemsley. The Accountability Board, a nonprofit advocacy group and UnitedHealth's shareholder, said the current structure would decrease the board's "checks and balances by consolidating power." Hemsley took the CEO job after his predecessor Andrew Witty resigned abruptly in May. Hemsley served as the board chair since 2017. "Now, a single person holds both roles which is as far as it gets from the independent oversight shareholders so critically need," the proposal says. Matt Prescott, president of the Accountability Board, declined to disclose its stake in UnitedHealth but said it has at least $25,000 in the company for the past year. This comes as the largest U.S. health insurer is trying to regain the confidence of shareholders. Once hailed as a reliable earnings performer, UnitedHealth missed Wall Street's earnings target for two straight quarters this year, and was forced to pull back its 2025 outlook in May due to soaring medical costs and shortfalls in its government-backed plans. In the last two years, UnitedHealth has also dealt with a cyberattack at its technology unit that served as a major backbone in the U.S. healthcare system, the murder of its insurance unit chief in December, and a federal investigation into its government-backed health plans. (Reporting by Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona) An Alabama man is suing the Trump administration after immigration agents arrested him twice in three weeks despite having a valid REAL ID and U.S. citizenship. The new lawsuit alleges that masked immigration agents are targeting people based on their race, ethnicity or occupation and terrorizing U.S. citizens who fit a certain profile. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in an emailed statement to USA TODAY that "allegations that DHS law enforcement officers engage in 'racial profiling' are disgusting, reckless and categorically FALSE." Reports of Americans being detained in President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown are rising, from the Iraq War veteran held for three days in Southern California to the citizens whose apartments were ransacked in a recent Chicago raid. "I'm suing because it's not right what they did to me," Leonardo Garcia Venegas told USA TODAY. "I don't want it to happen to anyone else." The lawsuit is asking a judge to block DHS policies that allegedly permit agents to target people on private property without a warrant, who fit a racial or ethnic profile. Garcia Venegas is also seeking unspecified damages. Detained while working construction The 25-year-old construction worker said he was preparing to lay the foundation for a new home in Foley, Alabama, on May 21 when five agents in camouflage three wearing masks rushed onto the worksite around 8 a.m. There were two crews on site, according to the complaint filed Sept. 30 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama. Five Latino men, including Garcia Venegas, were there to set the foundation. A separate crew of two Black men and two white men were there to deliver the concrete. People work at a construction site facing labor shortages due to the pace of immigration-related raids in the region, near Mobile, Alabama, on July 14, 2025. The complaint alleges that, without a warrant, "officers ran right past the white and Black workers and went straight for the Latino workers." When Garcia Venegas started filming the arrests with his cellphone, an agent grabbed him by the arm and forced him to the ground. Two more agents rushed over and held him to the ground. He shouted that he was an American citizen: "I'll show you my papers now," he told them, according to the complaint. The first agent fished Garcia Venegas' wallet out of his pocket and found his REAL ID, an active driver's license only available to U.S. citizens and lawful residents, compliant with federal guidelines. According to the complaint, agents alleged the ID was fake and held him in handcuffs for more than an hour. The ID was genuine, and the agents released him. In the courts: Supreme Court said ICE can stop you based on race, accent, job and location Then it happened again Still, the encounter shook him enough that he stayed home from work for days, according to the complaint. Garcia Venegas was born in Florida but spent much of his childhood in Mexico, with his parents, before he returned to the U.S. for high school. He is dark-skinned, still more comfortable in Spanish than English. He feared those characteristics could make him a target. Not two weeks after he returned, it happened again. On June 12, Garcia Venegas was working inside a partially finished home, headphones on, listening to music while he finished a job. Agents "spotted Leo working through the bedroom window, thought he fit DHS's generalized profile of an undocumented worker and (an agent) entered the home through an unlocked door," according to the complaint. Agents allegedly entered the private property without a warrant. Construction sites are facing worker shortages amid immigration-related raids in the region near Mobile, Alabama, on July 14, 2025. They led Garcia Venegas outside; he showed them his Alabama-issued REAL ID and, again, they said it could be fake. They marched him to their vehicle and detained him for 30 minutes before determining his REAL ID was authentic. McLaughlin, the DHS assistant secretary, said DHS "enforces federal immigration law without fear, favor or prejudice." "What makes someone a target for immigration enforcement is if they are illegally in the U.S. NOT their skin color, race or ethnicity," McLaughlin said. "Under the fourth amendment of the U.S. Constitution, DHS law enforcement uses 'reasonable suspicion' to make arrests. There are no 'indiscriminate stops' being made." Immigration enforcement stirs fears Situated along Alabama's Gulf Coast near white-sand beaches, once-rural Baldwin County is one of the fast-growing areas in the state, with a population that jumped 66% in two decades to more than 260,000 people, according to the Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance. Residential construction is booming, and Garcia Venegas has had work nonstop since he went into construction full-time five years ago. But the continuous immigration raids are chilling the business climate, said Grace Resendez McCaffery, publisher of La Costa Latina, a Spanish-language newspaper distributed in Baldwin and nearby counties. Even American workers who are Hispanic fear going to jobs in industries that may be perceived by authorities as having undocumented workers, like construction sites and restaurants, she said. Grace Resendez McCaffery speaks out against an anti-immigrant proposal in Santa Rosa County, Florida, in June 2024. "You are left to prove you are not undocumented," she said. "We've seen where American citizens are being handcuffed and detained on site until the ICE agents determine they won't take them," she said. "At one point are they going to believe you? If you went through the process of getting a REAL ID, which is supposed to be unquestionable identification, still how can you trust you will be believed?" When a valid REAL ID isn't enough It's a question Garcia Venegas has had to ask himself. Alabama's REAL ID Act was passed in 2005 in a legislative package that included some of the most stringent, anti-illegal immigration provisions in the country. To get his REAL ID, Garcia Venegas had to present government documents to verify his Social Security number and U.S. citizenship. What more could he do to prove his citizenship? "It's an injustice what's happening to all of us Latinos, with brown skin," Garcia Venegas said. "It's racism. They've got to stop." Lauren Villagran covers immigration for USA TODAY and can be reached at lvillagran@usatoday.com. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US citizen detained twice by immigration agents sues DHS A Palestinian man carries an aid box distributed by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, November 4, 2024. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) -A U.S. judge dismissed a lawsuit by dozens of Israelis who accused the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees of funneling more than $1 billion that aided Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres in Manhattan said the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) had "absolute immunity" from the lawsuit because it is a subsidiary of the United Nations, which has immunity from such lawsuits. In her decision made public on Wednesday, Torres also rejected an argument that UNRWA was merely a "specialized agency" not entitled to immunity. She cited U.N. lawyers who said subsidiaries such as UNRWA that have considerable autonomy are not "completely independent" because their parent entities can change their structures or close them. Gavriel Mairone, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said on Friday his clients plan to appeal. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini and several current and former agency officials were also defendants. Their lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Hamas' attack on Israel killed about 1,200 people. The plaintiffs included more than 100 people who survived the attack or had relatives who were killed. They accused UNRWA of spending more than a decade helping Hamas build "terror infrastructure," including by funneling the $1 billion from a Manhattan bank account. Several countries including the U.S. halted UNRWA funding after Israel alleged that staff members were involved in the attack. The Biden administration said last October the lawsuit should be dismissed because UNRWA deserved immunity. On April 24, the Trump administration reversed that position, and said the defendants "must answer these allegations in American courts." Both administrations said Hamas committed "atrocious" crimes. Established in 1949, UNRWA provides schooling, healthcare and humanitarian aid in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. It is funded almost entirely by U.N. member states. The case is Estate of Kedem et al v United Nations Relief and Works Agency et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 24-04765. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Cynthia Osterman) U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh listens to remarks at U.S. Vice President JD Vance's residence during a visit by Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Micheal Martin, ahead of St. Patrick's Day, in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 12, 2025. REUTERS/Leah Millis By Mike Scarcella (Reuters) -A California resident who admitted trying to assassinate U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2022 was sentenced on Friday to eight years and one month in federal prison. Sophie Roske, who was charged under her birth name Nicholas Roske but now uses female pronouns, was sentenced at a hearing before U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman in Greenbelt, Maryland. The judge called Roske's crime "absolutely reprehensible" but said she showed sincere remorse, has no other criminal history and is not likely to reoffend. The sentence included lifetime supervision upon release and a ban on travel to Washington without approval. Roske pleaded guilty in April to attempted assassination and had faced a potential sentence of life imprisonment. Prosecutors said she traveled from California with a handgun, ammunition, a crowbar, pepper spray and other items with intent to commit murder "for terroristic purposes." At Kavanaugh's home, Roske called police after seeing U.S. marshals outside his house, telling the dispatcher she was suicidal and intended to kill Kavanaugh, according to court filings. Prosecutors said Roske, who was 26 when she was arrested, was dismayed at expected Supreme Court opinions ending the national right to abortion and rolling back gun regulations. Speaking to the district judge at Friday's hearing, Roske apologized to Kavanaugh and his family for "the considerable distress" she caused them. "I have been portrayed as a monster, and this tragic mistake I made will follow me for the rest of my life," Roske said. Prosecutors had recommended a prison sentence of at least 30 years, saying Roske had planned her actions for months and was resolved to find the addresses of four unidentified sitting Supreme Court justices. "The defendant posed a very real threat to our system of government, our Constitution," Assistant U.S. Attorney Coreen Mao said at the hearing. She said no public official should live in fear of being killed at any moment for doing their job. The judge in handing down her sentence said Roske had stopped short of carrying out her intentions. "Though she got far too close to executing her plans, the fact of the matter is she abandoned them," Boardman said. Roske's lawyers had asked Boardman to sentence her to no more than 96 months because she had called 911 to surrender and cooperated with the authorities. Roske should be sentenced "for what she did, not for what she thought about," they said. The sentencing comes amid signs of rising political violence in the United States, including two attempted assassinations of Donald Trump during his presidential campaign last year, and the killing last month of right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk at a college campus in Utah. Threats against federal judges more than doubled since 2021, according to U.S. Marshals Service data reviewed by Reuters last year. Some judges who have ruled against Trump administration policies have faced threats and harassment along with their families, according to a Reuters investigation. (Reporting by Mike Scarcella; Editing by David Bario and Rosalba O'Brien) Soybean plants begin to show signs of growth at Mark Tuttle's soy farm in Somonauk, Illinois, U.S., May 30, 2024. REUTERS/Jim Vondruska By Tom Polansek WATERMAN, Illinois (Reuters) -A trade mission to Nigeria. A memorandum of understanding with Vietnam. A surge of purchases from Bangladesh. These countries are not typically major customers for soybeans from the U.S. farm belt. But desperate farmers, their trade organizations and President Donald Trump's administration are turning to far corners of the world in hopes of averting a disaster for agriculture from a trade war that has kept China from purchasing U.S. supplies. The efforts so far are failing to offset the loss of the country's biggest customer for the crop, data and interviews show, with financial pain extending to tractor makers and other agricultural businesses. For the first time in more than 20 years, Chinese importers have not yet bought soybeans from the autumn U.S. harvest, forcing farmers to store their crops on hopes that prices will eventually rise from around a five-year low. It is a risk that delays their ability to bring in money from crop sales at a time when they face rising costs for everything from labor and energy to fertilizer. In a sign that hard times are expected to continue in rural America, Trump has promised to give proceeds from tariff revenues to farmers, who largely supported his campaigns for president. On Thursday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the government would make an announcement on Tuesday about support for farmers. Tit-for-tat tariffs that Washington and Beijing imposed on each other's goods this year have made U.S. soybeans too expensive for Chinese buyers, leading importers to buy from South America instead. But alternative markets for U.S. exports are tiny by comparison and have not replaced China, long the world's biggest importer by far. CRISIS ACUTE FOR ILLINOIS SOYBEAN FARMERS The crisis is particularly acute in Illinois, the largest U.S. soybean producing and exporting state. About 60 miles (97 km) west of Chicago, where the city and suburbs start to give way to green fields, farmer Ryan Frieders, 49, will be storing much of his beans in bins after previously selling some of his expected harvest at prices below the cost of production. After months of work that included planting seeds, fertilizing fields and spraying weedkillers, Illinois growers are facing losses of up to $8 per acre thanks to low crop prices and weak exports, according to University of Illinois estimates. U.S. soybean exports to China dropped 39% by volume to 5.9 million metric tons from January to July, before the autumn harvest began, the latest government data show. By value, shipments sank 51% to $2.5 billion, robbing farmers of billions of dollars' worth of business. The U.S. made a big increase in exports to Bangladesh at just over 400,000 tonnes, a fraction of China's typical demand. Despite rising shipments to Vietnam, Egypt, Thailand and Malaysia, total U.S. soybean exports were down 8% by volume from the same period a year ago to 18.9 million tonnes. Along with industry officials, Frieders, who farms in Waterman, Illinois, traveled to Turkey and Saudi Arabia in February to meet with buyers and visit processors on a trip sponsored by the U.S. Soybean Export Council trade group. "There's talk about India and expanding there, and Southeast Asia, and North Africa: those are markets of the future," said Frieders, adding, "there isn't this lost market that we haven't looked at that could just suddenly explode and be a new China." SOY INDUSTRY SEEKS TO IMPROVE TRADE U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on social media in September that Taiwan committed to $10 billion in U.S. agriculture purchases over the next four years, including soybeans. She called the commitment a "game-changer," but it was misleading: such a commitment would not represent an increase. The U.S. exported $3.8 billion worth of U.S. agricultural products to Taiwan in 2024, according to U.S. data. If that same pace of sales continued over four years, it would total $15 billion. The U.S. Department of Agriculture did not respond to a request for comment about Rollins' statement. Industry groups have also tried to boost U.S. exports. During a trade mission in June, co-sponsored by the U.S. Soybean Export Council, Vietnam's agriculture minister signed memorandums of understanding to buy more than $1.4 billion in U.S. farm products, including soybeans, the council said. The council also met with Nigerian importers and soybean processors in June to promote trade, hoping to build off a modest 64,000 metric tons shipped there last year, according to the U.S. Mission in Nigeria. In August, the U.S. Mission in Nigeria said it also joined the American Soybean Association at a graduation ceremony involving aquaculture, an industry that can use soy as fish food. Through July, though, the U.S. had not exported any soybeans to Nigeria this year, according to U.S. data. Illinois hosted agricultural buyers from Peru, Colombia, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Mexico and the Dominican Republic on an annual tour of farms and crop handling facilities in August. The U.S. did not export soy to Peru through July, while Nicaragua and El Salvador bought a negligible amount, U.S. data show. Exports were largely flat to Mexico and down to the Dominican Republic. Farmers hope the efforts pay dividends over the longer term, though they are struggling now. CHINA DOMINATES GLOBAL SOY IMPORTS With more than 1.4 billion people and the world's biggest hog herd, China is hard to replace as a soybean buyer. It has imported an average of 61% of the world's traded soybean supplies over the past five years, more than the rest of the world combined, according to the American Soybean Association. In 2024, the U.S. exported nearly 27 million metric tons of soybeans to China and 5 million metric tons to Mexico, the second biggest buyer. "The Soybean Farmers of our Country are being hurt because China is, for 'negotiating' reasons only, not buying," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday. He said soybeans would be a major topic of discussion when he meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping in four weeks. China's business is now going to South America, as it did during Trump's last trade war. Last month, U.S. soybeans were about 80 cents to 90 cents a bushel cheaper than Brazilian soybeans for shipment in September or October, but China's 23% tariff on U.S. shipments added $2 a bushel to the cost for importers, traders have said. In Argentina, the government of President Javier Milei briefly suspended export taxes on soybeans in September, luring Chinese buyers who swiftly booked cargoes, traders said. The deals infuriated U.S. farmers shut out of China as Bessent said Washington was negotiating to support Milei, a Trump ally, financially with a $20 billion swap line for Argentina. "The frustration is overwhelming," said Caleb Ragland, 39, a Kentucky farmer and president of the American Soybean Association. CHINA'S ABSENCE IN THE MARKET SPILLS OVER TO OTHERS The decline in income from crop production has spilled over into other facets of rural America. Equipment manufacturer CNH, which sells tractors and combines, said net sales in its agriculture business dropped 20% in the six months ending on June 30, compared to the previous year. "The good news only comes when China actually starts to order," CNH CEO Gerrit Marx said in an August interview at the Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Illinois. Decatur, home to Archer-Daniels-Midland's North American headquarters, was formerly known as the soy capital of the world because of its processing industry, Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe said. At the Farm Progress Show, when asked where the new soy capital was, the mayor dropped her voice to a whisper. "It might be Brazil," she said. (Reporting by Tom Polansek. Editing by Emily Schmall and Anna Driver) Exxon Mobil logo and stock graph are seen through a magnifier displayed in this illustration taken September 4, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration By Jan Wolfe WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Friday to hear ExxonMobil's bid to obtain compensation from Cuban state-owned firms for oil and gas assets seized in 1960 under a federal law that lets Americans sue foreign companies and individuals over property confiscated by the communist-ruled Caribbean country. The justices took up Exxon's appeal of a lower court's ruling that undercut its legal efforts to win such compensation from Cuban state-owned companies that allegedly have profited from stolen property in litigation invoking a 1996 U.S. law called the Helms-Burton Act. The court also took up a similar bid by a Delaware-registered company that built port facilities in Havana seized in 1960 by Cuba's government to revive $440 million in judgments against Carnival, Norwegian Cruise Line and two other cruise lines that have used the terminal. The Supreme Court is due to hear arguments in the cases during its new nine-month term that starts on Monday. The Exxon dispute relates to former Cuban leader Fidel Castro's confiscation of all of its oil and gas assets in Cuba - a loss valued at more than $700 million today. Cuba has never paid any compensation to Exxon, but the Helms-Burton Act gave the oil company an opening to sue for damages in U.S. court. The Helms-Burton Act allows U.S. nationals who owned property in Cuba to sue anyone who "traffics in property which was confiscated by the Cuban Government on or after January 1, 1959." It also authorizes the U.S. president to suspend that provision if deemed "necessary to the national interests of the United States." Exxon filed a lawsuit in 2019, seeking compensation from three Cuban state-owned companies it said continue to hold and profit off their stolen property. Those Cuban state-owned companies are Corporacion Cimex, S.A. (Cuba), Corporacion Cimex, S.A. (Panama) and Union Cuba-Petroleo. Years of litigation followed, focused on jurisdictional questions rather than liability. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit concluded that plaintiffs bringing cases under the Helms-Burton Act must satisfy an exception under a different U.S. law, the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, which shields foreign governments from lawsuits in the United States unless an exception applies. In the cruise lines dispute, Havana Docks Corporation sued four cruise lines - Carnival, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean Cruises and MSC Cruises - in federal court in Florida in 2019. Havana Docks built piers at the port prior to Cuban Revolution of the 1950s and is seeking compensation from the cruise operators because they used that property from 2016 to 2019. Shortly after coming to power in 1959, Cuban leader Fidel Castro nationalized and expropriated property held by U.S. companies including Havana Docks, which had a 99-year concession for the construction and operation of piers at the port of Havana, granted in 1934 by Cuba's government. Cuba has never paid any compensation to Havana Docks, but the Helms-Burton Act gave the company an opening to sue for damages in U.S. court. A federal judge ruled that the cruise lines had engaged in trafficking by having their ships dock at the terminal and imposed judgments of more than $100 million against each of the four. The Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals threw out those judgments last year, finding that Havana Docks did not have a viable claim because its concession would have expired in 2004, well before the cruise lines used the facilities. U.S. presidents of both parties opted to suspend the law, meaning private lawsuits could not go forward. But President Donald Trump lifted that suspension in 2019 during his first term in office, unleashing a wave of litigation in U.S. courts against Cuban state-owned entities and a few American companies that were accused of trafficking in confiscated property. (Reporting by Jan Wolfe; Editing by Will Dunham) I made several mistakes on my first trip to Japan that led me to miss out on some great opportunities. Ashley Probst I spent three weeks solo traveling through Japan on my first visit to the country. Even as a seasoned traveler, I made plenty of rookie mistakes before and during my trip. Next time, I'd try to learn more Japanese, splurge on fine dining, and visit more rural areas. Driven by a desire to connect with my heritage, I set out on a three-week journey to explore Japan on my own. Though I'm an avid solo traveler and did research about the country, its culture, and what I may expect as a first-time visitor, I still made plenty of mistakes. Here are several things I did wrong on my first trip to the Land of the Rising Sun and what I'd do differently if I return. My big, bulky luggage made my trip more difficult. My oversized suitcase didn't fit under the capsule bed in this hostel. Ashley Probst My suitcase was oversized, making it difficult to carry through train stations with seemingly endless stairs. I wasn't always able to find elevators, and not every station had one available for use. The big bag was also an issue throughout my stays in Japan's compact hotel rooms and hostels, where storage space was either tiny or nonexistent. In my accommodations, I usually had to stash it in shared spaces or leave it out in the open. Thankfully, I felt safe leaving it where it could be accessed by other guests. A few weeks on a language-learning app wasn't exactly enough to help me get by. Ashley Probst I thought I'd pick up Japanese through the language-learning app Duolingo and spent weeks practicing before my trip. Though the lessons helped me recognize some words, it didn't focus much on practical phrases or knowledge I actually needed, like how to order different kinds of food or ask for directions. I wish I'd known more, but I was able to get around fine with basic phrases I had already picked up elsewhere, such as "konnichiwa" ("hello") and "arigato gozaimasu" ("thank you very much"). The talk-to-text translator app Speak & Translate was also a helpful tool. It was recommended to me by one of my hosts so we could communicate and I used it during several local interactions, like inquiring about skincare products in a shop and complimenting a chef on his food at a restaurant. The hostels in Japan weren't the social environments I expected. My friend who lives in Tokyo introduced me to people and took me out for a couple nights on the town. Ashley Probst One of my favorite things about staying in hostels is how they can make it easy to meet people from all over the world. I'm used to them being set up for socializing. But in Japan, many of the places I stayed were capsule-style, and some didn't even have a common area. The ones that did still weren't designed as social environments, nor were they ideal for forming connections, as most people kept to themselves. In hindsight, this made sense given how Japanese culture embraces solitude. I only made friends at one of my accommodations. Luckily, I have a friend who lives in Tokyo we actually met at a hostel in Hawaii and he introduced me to some people. I also connected with other solo travelers through social media, mutual friends, and chance encounters. It probably would've made sense for me to download a Suica card much sooner. Ashley Probst I didn't mind buying individual tickets for each train ride when I was alone, but stopping to do this was inconvenient when I traveled with a group. I hated slowing everyone down. One of my friends encouraged me to get a Suica card, a rechargeable digital payment system used throughout the country for transportation, vending machines, and even convenience stores. Once I added it to my Apple Wallet, getting around became much easier. My poor planning planning cost me some unforgettable experiences. Ashley Probst Many friends and guides suggested I visit teamLab Borderless, a digital art museum with immersive exhibitions that flow between rooms. I booked a late entry time and spent so long in the first few rooms that I didn't get to see everything before it closed. I even tried to buy another ticket, but it was fully booked for the rest of my trip. I also skipped the Ghibli Museum and Ghibli Park despite being a huge fan of the animation studio because the tickets were pricey. Now, I wish I'd splurged on at least one. Thankfully, I did visit a few Donguri stores (official Studio Ghibli merch retailers), and one had displays perfect for fun photo ops. The food was fantastic, but I wish I'd sought out more fine-dining experiences. Ashley Probst Though I was proud to spend only about $10 on most meals, my frugal mindset was a disservice to my palate. Japan has the second most Michelin-starred restaurants in the world, just after France. And with the favorable exchange rate, I missed a rare chance to dine somewhere incredible at a more affordable price. I wasted time looking for clothes at mainstream stores. I found this skirt at a secondhand store in Tokyo. Ashley Probst Local clothing is one of my favorite souvenirs, but I quickly realized Japan's sizing wasn't made for my body type. American sizes tend to run significantly larger a US medium might be a large or even extra-large in Japan. As a curvy woman who wears a size-12 dress, I was considered plus-size in Japan. Most clothing stores I visited didn't carry items that fit me. I could have skipped the frustration and gone straight to vintage secondhand stores, where I had much better luck finding things that fit. At one point, I didn't realize I had committed a social faux pas until it was too late. It's proper etiquette to remove one's shoes before entering a home or some public spaces. Ashley Probst Researching cultural norms is part of my trip preparation process, and I knew Japan had several unspoken rules for proper etiquette. This includes staying quiet in public, especially on trains; not eating or drinking while walking; removing shoes indoors; and not tipping for services. Somehow, I missed that blowing your nose in public is considered rude, and I did just that at a restaurant. I was oblivious to any reactions from the staff or other customers, but I felt incredibly embarrassed when I later realized what I had done. Looking back, I wish I'd explored more rural areas instead of mostly sticking to major cities. I woke up before 5 a.m. to beat the crowds at Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine, a famous hike with thousands of torii gates. Ashley Probst I was hesitant to venture beyond the tourist-friendly "golden route" which includes Japan's major cities like Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka because I knew English would be less commonly spoken. Though these locations were incredible, they also felt overwhelmingly crowded. My shorter trips to smaller cities like Uji and Kanazawa were quieter and even more memorable. I plan to prioritize exploring more rural, less touristy areas in Japan when I return. Read the original article on Business Insider The White House is asking nine U.S. universities to sign an agreement pledging to uphold the Trump administration's higher education priorities, or risk losing out on preferred access to federal funding. The demands are outlined in a nine-page document, title the "Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education," that asks schools to freeze their tuition rate for five years, ban the use of sex and gender as factors in their admissions process, and cap their international student numbers, among other requirements. Signatories also must commit to "transforming or abolishing institutional units that purposefully punish, belittle and even spark violence against conservative ideas," according to the memo. According to a White House official, a letter outlining the plan and a copy of the agreement were sent on Wednesday to the University of Arizona, Brown University, Dartmouth College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Pennsylvania, University of Southern California, University of Texas, University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University. The official declined to say whether the Trump administration plans to make a similar offer to other colleges. The agreement was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. May Mailman, a senior adviser for special projects at the White House, told the paper that the Trump administration doesn't plan to limit funding only to institutions that agree to abide by the compact. However, schools that sign the agreement will be granted priority in receiving federal funding and engaging with White House officials. "Institutions of higher education are free to develop models and values other than those below, if the institution elects to forego federal benefits," the agreement states. A copy of the letter sent to universities obtained by CBS News notes that schools that agree to the compact will receive "allowance for increased overhead payments where feasible, substantial and meaningful federal grants, and other federal partnerships." The letter is signed by Mailman; Secretary of Education Linda McMahon; and Vince Haley, director of the White House's Domestic Policy Council. It asks for written comments from the universities by "no later than October 20." "After receiving feedback, schools that show clear alignment and a strong readiness to champion this effort will be invited to the White House to finalize language and be initial signatories," the letter says. "We are aiming to have a signed agreement by no later than November 21, 2025." The Department of Education did not respond to CBS News' request for comment. Prioritizing U.S. students A University of Virginia spokesperson said its interim president, Paul G. Mahoney, has created a working group to advise him on how to respond to the letter. "The University has not yet made any decision regarding the compact," the spokesperson told CBS News in an email. The University of Southern California said it is reviewing the letter. In a statement to CBS News, Vanderbilt said that "We look forward to carefully reviewing the compact and providing meaningful feedback to the administration." MIT acknowledged receiving the material but declined further comment. The other universities did not immediately respond to CBS News' request for comment. In a statement on Thursday, the University of Pennsylvania chapter of the American Association of University Professors said the White House letter amounts to a threat. "Penn must not allow itself to be threatened into ceding its self-determination," the group said. "Whatever the consequences of refusal, agreeing would threaten the very mission of the university." The agreement places a cap on foreign student enrollment, which it states cannot exceed 15% of a university's undergraduate population. Also, no more than 5% of foreign students enrolled at a college can come from a single country. "Universities that rely on foreign students to fund their institutions risk, among other things, potentially reducing spots available to deserving American students," the document states. The nine schools are also asked to freeze tuition for five years and to waive tuition for students pursuing "hard science programs" at institutions where the endowment exceeds $2 million per undergraduate student. Schools would not have to freeze tuition for students from "families of exceptional means," under the agreement. The letter represents the latest attempt by the Trump administration to reshape the nation's higher education system. The administration has targeted high-profile universities in recent months, threatening to pull federal funding if they do not agree to certain concessions on combating antisemitism and changing their diversity practices. Columbia University in July agreed to pay the administration $200 million to resolve an investigation into alleged violations of anti-discrimination laws. The Trump administration earlier this year also suspended roughly $2 billion in federal funding earmarked for Harvard University over what the White House said was the school's failure to crack down on antisemitism on its campus. Last month, a federal judge ruled that the Harvard funding freeze was illegal. Arrested former Des Moines superintendent's resume appears to have been greatly exaggerated Costco now selling weight loss drugs Ozempic, Wegovy at a discount Reporter's Notebook: Trump rebrands words as tools of power By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. government has put $2.1 billion in Chicago infrastructure projects on hold, Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought said on Friday, in another jab at a Democratic-led city during the government shutdown. Vought said $2.1 billion for major Chicago subway projects -- the Red Line Extension and the Red and Purple Modernization Project "have been put on hold to ensure funding is not flowing via race-based contracting." On Wednesday, Vought said the administration of President Donald Trump had frozen $18 billion for major transit projects in New York, including the Hudson Tunnel and the Second Avenue Subway, citing the same issue. The Trump administration's Energy Department on Wednesday said it would cancel nearly $8 billion for hundreds of energy projects in 16 Democratic-led states, including California and New York. The outgoing administration of former president Joe Biden finalized a nearly $2 billion award in its final days to help extend the Red Line 5.5 miles to connect Chicago Far South Side to the L system. The Biden administration said the project would "address inequalities in access and economic investment in predominantly Black and disadvantaged neighborhoods." Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and the Chicago Transit Authority, which handles more than 300 million passengers yearly and is the third largest U.S. transit agency, did not immediately comment. USDOT has previously threatened transit funding for New York, Chicago and Boston on a number of grounds. Trump on Thursday vowed to cut "Democrat Agencies," as he looks to inflict pain on his political opposition. Trump has repeatedly vowed to send National Guard troops to police Chicago. In recent days, there have been growing scenes of conflict involving federal immigration agents in Chicago and its suburbs. Vought cited a new rule from the Transportation Department that took effect Wednesday to review whether any small-business contractors are engaged in improper diversity initiatives. This is one of a series of efforts intended to pressure Democratic lawmakers in Congress over the partial government shutdown that began just after midnight Wednesday. USDOT said it would not process a $300 million reimbursement due for the subway project pending the review, which it said was hampered by the government shutdown. The $17.2 billion Hudson River tunnel project, which received more than $11 billion in federal grants, involves repairs to an existing tunnel, and the building of a new one for passenger railroad Amtrak and commuter lines between New Jersey and Manhattan. Any failure of the current Hudson tunnel, which was heavily damaged by 2012's Hurricane Sandy, would hobble commuting in the metropolitan area that produces 10% of the country's economic output. (Reporting by David Shepardson, Doina Chiacu, Susan Heavey; Editing by Brendan O'Brien and Chizu Nomiyama) Bananas may look the same, but small differences in their appearances hide a fascinating history. In fact, the bananas most people eat today are different from what your grandparents knew. Up until the 1960s, the Gros Michel banana dominated diets in the United States. Then disaster struck when a soil fungus devastated plantations and left growers searching for alternatives. The search brought us the Cavendish, now the worlds standard banana, but one with very different qualities. Gros Michel Was the First American Banana Image via Getty Images/Amphawan Chanunpha The Gros Michel banana, nicknamed Big Mike, became the dominant export in the late 19th century. Large fruit corporations such as United Fruit and Dole shipped it by the millions into American ports. Unlike todays Cavendish, the earlier variety carried a much sweeter taste and a denser, creamier texture. Its thicker peel protected it during shipping while keeping the fruit intact after long voyages. The variety also performed better in cooking, as it remained firm when baked or caramelized. Recipes for banana pudding and banana cream pie written before 1960 were designed with Gros Michel in mind, and the flavor was so distinctive that chemists modeled early artificial banana flavor on it. Panama Disease Destroyed the Gros Michel The collapse of Big Mikes production began with Panama disease, a fungal infection that spread rapidly through plantations. The problem was tied to the way bananas were grown. Farmers relied on monocropping, which means planting vast areas with genetically identical banana trees. Gros Michel had sterile seeds, so each new tree came from cuttings of the same genetic material. Once the fungus infected one plant, every tree nearby became vulnerable. By the mid-20th century, plantations across Central America were failing, and growers abandoned huge tracts of land. The losses were so severe that the banana industry faced potential collapse. The disease left companies with little choice but to replace Gros Michel with a different variety. By 1960, the banana that once defined American desserts was gone from supermarkets. The Cavendish Became the Replacement Image via Canva/Truecreatives Though the Cavendish banana was not new, it had always been overlooked in favor of Gros Michel. When Panama disease made the original commercial banana nearly impossible to grow, the Cavendish offered a solution. This is because it carried resistance to the particular strain of fungus that wiped out Gros Michel and could be cultivated at scale. Growers began exporting it in the 1950s, and by the 1960s, Cavendish had replaced Gros Michel on grocery shelves. The switch worked economically, but the fruit was different. Cavendish bananas had a lighter, less fragrant flavor and softened quickly during cooking. As time passed, this became the new normal. An entire generation grew up knowing only Cavendish as the standard banana, unaware that bananas once tasted sweeter and more complex. Today, Cavendish represents nearly all exported bananas worldwide. Is there anything cooler in the culinary world than the mushroom? For starters, they're blissfully weird: Some can have 23,000 sexes. Some glow-in-the-dark. Some can kill you. But more importantly for us cooks, so many mushrooms are just damn delicious. The fun thing about mushrooms and fungi is that they're always kind of upending our assumptions about things, says Maya Han, culture representative for the New York Mycological Society and consultant for the New York Botanical Gardens. And shes right: Fungi are inherently non-binary, not fitting into the neat, clean orders of the plant or animal kingdom, which is why biologists have placed them in a category all their own. The fact that they are the third kingdom makes them kind of inherently queer, Han says. Mushrooms are queer indeedespecially when it comes to narrowing down which ones are best to eat, and how to prepare them. So, to demystify these fungi, I spoke to Han, as well as forager and co-author of Wild Mushrooms, A Cookbook and Foraging Guide, Kristen Blizzard, and Joseph Rizzo, a mushroom cultivator and owner of Blue Oyster Cultivation. What Are Mushrooms? While mushrooms are found alongside vegetables and fruits at the grocery store, they arent plantsthey lack chlorophyll and are unable to make their own food, instead consuming dead and decaying organic matter. They also arent animals, as they consume their nutrients by absorption instead of ingestion and grow from spores. For those reasons, mushrooms belong to the fungi kingdom, along with yeasts, molds, mildews, and rusts. Mushrooms are actually the fruiting body of certain fungi, explains Han. They're kind of analogous to the fruit on a tree, she says, adding that they also bear spores, making them the reproductive part of a fungus. Most edible mushrooms are sought after for their taste; they contain glutamate, an amino acid also found in cheese, meat, and fish, which gives mushrooms their savory, umami flavor. Many also have a meaty texture due to the presence of chitin in their biological makeup, a substance found in the shells of shrimp and crab. Thanks to these elements, mushrooms are commonly found in many cuisinessauteed in a French duxelle, shaved over a pizza, simmered in a Japanese miso ramen, or braised in a Thai curry. Melissa Hom Where Do Mushrooms Come From? In the United States, mushrooms typically fall into two categories: cultivated varieties and foraged varieties. Some, like the oyster mushroom and shiitake, can either be foraged or cultivated, depending on where theyre found. The most common mushrooms in grocery stores, like the white button, cremini, and portobello, are cultivated, not foraged. A majority of common cultivated mushrooms in the US are grown in California and Pennsylvania. Rizzo explains that cultivated mushrooms are grown on either compost or sawdust, depending on the variety. White button mushrooms, along with portobello and cremini, are usually grown in sterile environments on compost. At Rizzos farm, he focuses on wood-eating varieties like shiitake, lions mane, and oyster mushrooms, and grows them on sawdust that's been steam sterilized to create a hygienic environment. The sawdust is put into a breathable bag, where a culture of mushroom spores are introduced. Those spores colonize the wood, and then mushrooms grow within it. Foraged mushroomslike morels, chanterelles, and maitakesare found in forested areas, as they prefer particular trees, and thrive in damp, dark conditions. These mushrooms can also vary slightly in appearance, texture, and flavor depending on where theyre grown. "We use the word terroir all the time in relation to mushrooms, says Blizzard. And for me, this idea of terroir is not just the forest and the soil, but there's also the recall of the experience of picking them." Whether cultivated or foraged, culinary mushrooms are available in a few distinctive shapes: cap and stem mushrooms, for example, can have a round, flat, or conical cap and a stem that varies in thickness. Shelf mushrooms are large and tend to grow in clusters, while trumpet mushrooms are shaped like small horns or open flowers, and a few mushrooms even look like puffballs. 19 Mushroom Varieties to Know There are 14,000 known species of mushrooms, and there are always more fungi being discovered on a semi-regular basis, according to Han. It's very difficult to go out on a birding walk and discover a new species of bird, she says. "But with fungi, you can do that. Below is a list of edible mushrooms commonly available and used in cookingthough its by no means exhaustive. Portobello Getty Images / Image Professionals GmbH Size: Large, about four to six inches in diameter Appearance: Cap and stem mushroom with a brown exterior, a large, flat, rounded cap, and dark brown gills underneath Texture: Firm and meaty Flavor: Rich, savory, and earthy Thanks to its large size, deep flavor, and meaty texture, the portobello is like the steak of the mushroom world, says Han. Its firm texture allows for easy grilling, making it an ideal substitute for burgers, as well as a great variety to stuff. The portobello, white button, and cremini are all actually the same mushroomAgaricus bisporusthat are just harvested at different times in their life to achieve their flavor, texture, and size. The portobello is the most mature, and loses moisture as it ages, giving it the most concentrated flavor and firm texture. White Button Getty Images / Nenov Size: Small to medium Appearance: Cap and stem mushroom with white, very rounded cap Texture: Spongy with a slight firmness in the cap; stem is often more fibrous than the cap Flavor: Mild, but intensifies when cooked The white button mushroom is the most popular in the US, accounting for the majority of mushrooms consumed. Its also the youngest of the Agaricus bisporus mushrooms available, and is white due to a genetic mutation that was discovered in the early 1920s. If the portobello is the steak of mushrooms, then Han considers the white button to be the tofu because of its mild flavor and versatility. Beyond its mild flavor, the white button is also one of the least expensive mushrooms available, making it more feasible to add to mushroom-heavy dishes like chicken marsala, top mushroom pizza, or slice raw en masse for a Ruby Tuesday salad bar. Cremini Getty Images / Floortje Size: Small to medium Appearance: Cap and stem mushroom thats light tan to rich brown in color, with a well-rounded cap Texture: Slightly firmer than white buttons, but similarly spongy Flavor: More umami and savoriness than white buttons Somewhat of a middle ground between the white button and portobello in terms of age and genetic makeup, the cremini (also spelled crimini) mushroom has a slightly firmer texture and a deeper, more savory flavor than the white button. While creminis can be used nearly interchangeably with white buttons, their deeper flavor makes them a better complement to beef and wild game dishes. Maitake (Hen of the Woods) Getty Images / MIXA CO Ltd Size: Very large; can reach one foot across and weigh about 5 to 10 pounds on average Appearance: Clustered shelf mushroom in a rippling frond shape that resembles a bunch of feathers; color can vary from cream to gray or dark gray, depending on age Texture: Tender and succulent Flavor: Rich and woodsy with a nutty aroma Also called hen of the woods, due to its feather-like shape, the maitake is found in the Eastern and Midwestern US in early fall. They grow under oak trees, and mother-loads are found around the biggest trees. Because of their large size, these mushrooms can be roasted whole, almost like a large cauliflower, says Han, or they can be broken down into smaller pieces and sauteed; they crisp up when fried as well. Their rich flavor makes them popular in Japanese and Italian dishes, especially vegan ramens and cream-based pastas. Shiitake Getty Images / John Gollop Size: Medium Appearance: Cap and stem mushroom with an umbrella-shaped cap that curls under itself; cap varies from tan to brown, with a white underside and stem Texture: Dense and meaty Flavor: Smoky and umami-packed; intensifies when dried Native to East Asia, shiitake mushrooms are commonly found in Japanese, Korean, and Chinese dishes, such as ramens or stir-fries. These mushrooms arent found wild in the US, but cultivators, like Rizzo, have been able to produce them commercially on sawdust blocks, and they are also easily cultivated on logs by backyard mushroom growers. Known for their deep, savory flavor, shiitakes are often used for an umami boost in many dishes, especially soups and stocks. They are also commonly found dried, which can intensify their flavor. To rehydrate them, let them soak for about 20 minutes in boiling water, then save the mushroom stock for use as a flavoring agent. Chanterelles Getty Images / Minh Hoang Cong Size: Small to large, depending on where its found Appearance: Cap and stem mushroom with a flower-like shape; typically golden in color but sometimes red or white, depending on where its found Texture: Delicate and crisp Flavor: Distinctive fruity, apricot aroma and delicate earthy flavor Found in the forests of Europe, Asia, and North America, this gourmet mushroom changes slightly in size, color, and flavor intensity depending on where its grown. In the Pacific Northwest, for example, chanterelles often grow under conifers, and don't come into season until later in the fall. When they do emerge, they have a bright golden color and a hint of apricot flavor, while chanterelles grown in drier climates, like parts of Colorado or Arizona, may have a more concentrated apricot flavor. Chanterelles from the Pacific Northwest are the most commonly sold variety in the States, even popping up at places like Costco when theyre in season. Because these can only be foraged in the wild during a limited season, chanterelles tend to be pricier than more common mushrooms like portobellos and white buttons. The delicate flavor of this mushroom is beautiful in dishes with cream or eggs, says Blizzard. My favorite thing to eat [chanterelles] with, I have to say, is eggs, she says. They're awesome in an omelet or anything with eggs and cheese, but especially quiche. Enoki Getty Images / View Stock Size: Small Appearance: Grown in tightly packed bouquets; wispy, small, and bright white with a tiny cap and long stem Texture: Thin stems take on an almost noodle-like texture when cooked, similar to rice vermicelli Flavor: Clean and slightly sweet Cultivated commercially in East Asia, the ghost white enoki we see at Asian markets and grocery stores in the US looks nothing like how it would appear in its natural habitat, notes Rizzo. In the wild, it's kind of more robust, thicker, very kind of a colorful brown-yellow type of mushroom, he says. When cultivated, the mushrooms are denied light and oxygen to give them their distinctive white color and legginess. Despite being so thin, though, they hold up well in many Asian soups, and are a common ingredient in Chinese hot pot due to their mild, slightly sweet flavor, which pairs well with ginger, soy sauce, and garlic. Lion's Mane Getty Images / Sakorn Jommanee Size: Medium to large Appearance: Fuzzy, white, and bulbous; almost resemble snowballs Texture: Shaggy exterior that looks a bit like crab Flavor: Sweet and reminiscent of seafood Perhaps one of the oddest-looking edible mushrooms, lions mane is often used as a seafood substitute in everything from fish tacos to crab cakes due to its stringy, pull-apart texture and sweet, shellfish-like flavor. It is definitely not the earthy, kind of heavy, rich, portobello mushroom fungal type flavor, says Rizzo. While the mushroom can be found in the States in the late summer and early fall, its considered an advanced foraging mushroom, so most varieties youll see at specialty stores are cultivated, either using logs or breathable bags. Morels Getty Images / Davies and Starr Size: Small Appearance: An elongated cap with a distinctive honeycomb pattern; ranges in color from brown to black and is hollow on the insidean important distinction between them and poisonous false morels Texture: Thin and tender Flavor: Meaty, nutty, and umami-packed In the US, morels appear in spring, sometimes as early as after the last snow, and are one of the more sought-after gourmet mushrooms in the country. (They often have a price tag to match, too.) Morels are a mycorrhizal fungus, meaning they have a symbiotic relationship with trees. For that reason, these mushrooms cannot be cultivated and must be foraged wild, despite having dangerous, toxic lookalikes, like the false morel. In fact, even true morels should always be thoroughly cooked, as they can also be toxic when raweven potentially fatal. When prepared properly, they are an unparalleled delicacy. They're just a delicious mushroom, says Blizzard, noting that they are often found in gravies with butter, creamy pastas, atop a steak, stuffed with cheese and fried, or simply sauteed. Oyster Getty Images / Chengyuzheng Size: Medium to large Appearance: Clusters of shelf mushrooms that grow like a bed of oysters in gray, yellow, pink, and blue hues Texture: Dense and velvety Flavor: Meaty and slightly briny, with a bit of anise on the nose when foraged wild Oyster mushrooms are becoming increasingly popular across the US, especially since they can easily be cultivated. They cook quickly, making them a no-brainer in stir-fries and other pan-seared dishes. The mushrooms are also easily substituted in dishes that call for white button or cremini mushrooms, especially if youre looking for an option with a bit more flavor. They are not only gorgeous to look at, but also delicious, says Han. I make a fabulous vegan carnitasshredding them like pork, marinating, and roasting them. Blizzard often includes them in curry, adding them after her aromatics and only simmering the dish for about five to 10 minutes, since oyster mushrooms can get slimy in dishes with added liquid. Porcini Getty Images / hsvrs Size: Medium to large Appearance: Short and squat cap and stem mushroom with a white stem and rounded cap that ranges from light tan to a dark reddish brown Texture: Slippery exterior when fresh, but firm and meaty Flavor: Bold and nutty Porcini thrive in forests globally, but are particularly a staple in European cuisines, especially Austrian, Italian, Polish, and Spanish, as well as in Russia. Appearing in late summer and fall in the US, these wild mushrooms are often found around pine trees in large numbers. The most sought-after varieties are young, as they can be eaten raw or cooked and (unlike many other foraged mushrooms) can hold up to freezing at home, too, thanks to their firm texture. Porcini soften as they age, but drying them is an ideal way to extend their culinary life. Try them in pastas and risottos, paired with potatoes in latkes or dumplings, or in gravy. Truffles Getty Images / anzeletti Size: Small to medium Appearance: Irregular round shape with a bumpy exterior; light tan to black Texture: Hard, like a raw potato Flavor: Intensely aromatic, musky, nutty, and earthy First things first: Truffles arent technically mushrooms, though they are similar. Both truffles and mushrooms are in the fungi kingdom and serve as the fruiting body for fungi. However, truffles belong exclusively to the Tuber genus, while mushrooms fall under several genera. Truffles also grow underground, relying on animals to help spread their spores, while mushrooms disperse their spores on their own. Because truffles are found only in the wild, in symbiosis with hazelnut and oak trees, and require a truffle dog or pig to help source them, they are an expensive delicacy. Truffles are often used raw, either thinly sliced or grated over a dish, or infused into oils, butters, and creams. Lobster Getty Images / Lew Robertson Size: Medium to large Appearance: Irregular, almost flower-like shape with a bright yellow-orange color Texture: Thick, dense, and very firm Flavor: Nutty and earthy with a hint of shellfish Unlike many other common edible varieties, lobster mushrooms are actually a parasiteforming only after an Ascomycetes fungi attacks and eats another fungi. They become that bright yellow-orange, and also their flavor changes, says Han. Lobster mushrooms appear primarily in North Americas temperate forests, and their firm texture and subtle shellfish flavor make them a great seafood substitute in American dishes. If you have any shellfish or fish stock or seasoning, you can add that, says Han, as this will enhance the mushrooms shellfish flavor, like in a creamy lobster mushroom bisque. What's also really fun is making vegan lobster rolls with the lobster mushroom, she says. It's very convincing. Wood Ear Getty Images / Empire 331 Size: Medium Appearance: Ear-shaped shelf thats dark brown to black Texture: Firm and gelatinous when raw, crispy and chewy when cooked Flavor: Mild and neutral Wood ear mushrooms are most commonly found in Chinese and East Asian cuisines because of their texture. Unlike other mushrooms, wood ears retain their texture in most dishes and take on the flavor of whatever theyre cooked with. They are commonly found in hot and sour soup, moo shu pork, and dumplings, as well as Korean japchae. Across the US, wood ears are typically sold dehydrated and found at Asian grocery stores and markets (sometimes labeled black fungus). King Trumpet Getty Images / Creativ Studio Heinemann Size: Large Appearance: Thick white stems with a light brown, flat cap Texture: Firm and meaty Flavor: Delicate, nutty Sometimes called king oysters, king trumpets actually belong to the oyster mushroom family, and are the largest variety available within it. While some mushrooms have fibrous stems that are often discarded when cooking, the stems of king trumpets are easy to use. When sliced and seared with butter, they can somewhat mimic the texture of scallops. They are often used thinly sliced in Korean dishes, like kimchi jjigae, bibimbap, or glazed with gochujang for a vegan main course. King trumpets are native to East Asia and the Mediterranean, but can also be cultivated elsewhere by hobbyists and small producers using sawdust. Chicken of the Woods Getty Images / Ed Reschke Size: Large Appearance: Shelf, feather-like clusters in bright orange and yellow Texture: Firm and meaty Flavor: Similar to chicken breast Emerging in late summer to early fall, chicken of the woods mushrooms grow in temperate and subtropical climates spanning Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America. They are often found on dead or dying wood and trees, and can even attack living trees as a parasite. In the kitchen, theyve become very popular as a stand-in for meat, specifically chicken. However, Blizzard notes that older varieties can be tough, and therefore benefit from being marinated before cooking. She especially loves the way they absorb sauces and broths. They do have this sponging effect where, if you introduce them to, say, cream and lemon and butter, they soak all that stuff into them, she says. And it makes this really delicious texture that kind of is firm but melts in your mouth and is full of all that flavor that you just put in. Black Trumpet Getty Images / Picture Partners Size: Small to medium Appearance: A trumpet shape with jet black skin Texture: Delicate, but slightly leathery Flavor: Deep and earthy with a subtle smokiness Despite having the nickname Trumpet of Death because of their jet black color, these mushrooms are not only edible, but a favorite for chefs and home cooks thanks to their intense and distinctive flavor, which is comparable to a truffle. (Black trumpets have even been called the poor mans truffle, as their flavor can mimic that of the truffle, but at a fraction of the cost.) If its your first time tasting, Id take a bite of them raw, and then sauce them in butter or olive oil to get their natural flavor, before adding in creams or herbs, says Han. In the US, the black trumpet is found predominantly in Northern California and Southern Oregon, popping up in January and February, making them one of the few edible mushrooms in season in the winter. They pair well with other winter ingredients, too: acorn and butternut squash, beets, and even citrus are great accompaniments, not to mention cozy dishes like risotto. Beech (Shimeji) Getty Images / Issarawat Tattong Size: Small Appearance: Bouquet-like cluster of white or brown small-capped mushrooms with thin stems Texture: Firm, crisp, and slightly chewy Flavor: Bitter when raw but cashew-like when cooked Often grown indoors, beech mushroomsalso sold in the US by their Japanese name, shimejiare typically found at specialty grocery stores and farmers markets, and are most prominent in Japanese cuisine. They are often included in miso soup, for example, as well as udon soups. Youll also encounter beech mushrooms in Thai soups and curries, and in Vietnamese pho chay (vegetarian pho). Often confused with enoki, as they are sometimes white and have a similar shape, beech mushrooms typically have a firmer texture that holds up when cooking. Straw Serious Eats / Italian Food Production Size: Small Appearance: Squat and short with an elongated brown cap Texture: Smooth, firm, and chewy Flavor: Mild, earthy Youll most often see straw mushrooms canned at Asian grocery stores, as they are firm enough to withstand the canning process, have a relatively uniform size and shape, and retain their mild flavor well. Straw mushrooms can be cultivated with rice straw, and are widely grown throughout AsiaChina being a major producer, as well as Vietnam, Thailand, and India. They are most at home in those cuisines, and can be added to stir-fries, soups, laabs, and curries. Canned varieties that are marked as unpeeled have a slightly stronger flavor, while dehydrated straw mushrooms tend to taste even stronger. How to Shop for Mushrooms As consumer interest in mushrooms continues to grow, many grocery stores are beginning to stock a variety of mushrooms beyond just white buttons. Han also suggests seeking out Asian grocery stores for an even greater variety of fresh mushrooms, as well as canned and dried options. Farmers markets are best for local options, especially foraged varieties. When buying fresh mushrooms, Han suggests choosing the freshest ones, with firm flesh. If it's starting to look a little shriveled or dried out, don't get it, she says. Also avoid mushrooms with dark spots or discoloration, as this can be one of the first signs of decay. If possible, its also best to smell mushrooms before purchasing them. [They] should have kind of a fresh, earthyfor lack of a better termmushroom-y scent, she says. Avoid anything that smells off or putrid or weird. How to Store and Clean Mushrooms While mushrooms need damp environments to grow, once picked, its best to keep them as dry as possible. Han suggests not cleaning mushrooms until youre going to use them. While Kenji found that it is OK to clean mushrooms by washing them, the experts I consulted recommend brushing dirt off rather than fully rinsing or submerging the mushrooms, as too much water can dilute the flavor of some more delicate varieties. The dirtiest part of the mushroom will likely be the end of its stem or base, which connects to the fungis mycelium, or root-like structure that forms underground. There might be a little bit of dirt on the bottom, but generally, cultivated mushrooms are raised in sterile environments, says Han. She uses a mushroom brush, much like a small pastry brush, to clean hers. If shes foraged mushrooms and thinks they could use a rinse, she gives them a spin in a salad spinner afterwards to ensure they are fully dry. Its also best to avoid keeping mushrooms in any type of plastica fully sealed plastic bag or plastic-wrapped container will collect moisture, which will speed up the mushrooms decay. Instead, store them in a paper bag in the fridge to extend their shelf life. If you only have plastic bags or storage containers around, keep them open to make sure the mushrooms are properly ventilated. How to Cook With Mushrooms Raw vs. Cooked While all the mushrooms on this list are edible, some require a few precautionary measures before consuming. Many varieties should not be eaten raw. Raw morels, for example, can be toxic, while raw chicken of the woods can sometimes cause gastric distress. Mushrooms have something called chitin in them that doesn't break down very well in your system unless they're cooked, explains Blizzard. Chitin is a substance often found in the exterior skeletons of insects, as well as in the shells of shrimp, crab, lobster, and many types of mushroomseven the most common varieties. It can be difficult to digest, but easier on the body when cooked. When sauteeing, make sure that the mushrooms release all their liquid, then soften and soak up any oil, fat, or aromatics. When simmering, they should be softened and take on a deeper color before consuming. Stir-Fries and Sautees Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez One of the simplest ways to prepare most mushrooms is in a pan with a neutral oil or butter. When using mushrooms in a saute or stir-fry, they'll often release liquid before theyre able to soak up a sauce, especially wild mushrooms like chanterelles. When we're cooking them, we will let them give up their moisture when we're sauteeing them, says Blizzard. And then at some point, they sort of suck that moisture back in and the pan becomes dry. A dry pan typically means the mushrooms are done. This is especially true when making duxelles, a simple traditional French preparation of mushrooms and shallots thats used to fill a tarte, stuff a chicken, or surround a beef Wellington. Soups and Stews Serious Eats / Mariel De La Cruz Whether its hot pot, ramen, or a creamy mushroom bisque, many types of mushrooms are at home in warm, comforting dishes. Umami-packed mushrooms can enhance broths and stocksespecially when driedand firmer mushrooms like lobster or chicken of the woods can withstand being simmered slowly without getting too mushy. According to Blizzard, another trick for softening tough mushrooms, like older chicken of the woods, is to marinate them overnight in buttermilk, or a bit of milk and lemon juice. Gravies and Sauces Mushrooms earthy, savory flavor is a welcome addition in pasta sauces, risottos, and gravy. Most mushrooms work well with creamy pastas, but if making a red sauce, look for mushrooms with bolder, deeper flavor, like shiitake or portobellos. If youre using truffles, a little goes a long wayjust adding a few shavings on top or incorporating a teaspoon of gratings in the finished dish will do the trick. As a Meat Substitute The firmest, meatiest mushrooms will hold up best to grilling and frying, or as a stand-in for meat, like in a portobello mushroom burger or a shiitake mushroom po-boy. Given that chicken of the woods has a particularly firm texture with a flavor that is actually reminiscent of chicken, its an ideal stand-in for a chicken breast or thigh. Additionally, lions mane, oyster, lobster, and king trumpet mushrooms all have a briny or shellfish-like flavor that makes them a great stand-in in faux fish tacos, lobster bisque, or even seared scallops. A mixed medley of chopped mushrooms can also be formed into a holiday roast or pate. Read the original article on Serious Eats Reviewed by Dietitian Emily Lachtrupp, M.S., RD Getty Images. EatingWell design. Key Points Zooey Deschanel uses oats, milk, yogurt, chia seeds and nut butter in her easy recipe. The mix is shaken in a jar, chilled overnight and topped with fruit or jam before eating. The recipe is highly flexibleuse any milk, yogurt or toppings you have on hand. Starting your day with oats is a great way to keep blood sugar levels in check and feel satisfied throughout the morning. A great way to get your oats in bright and early is to prep some overnight oats the night before so an easy breakfast is waiting in the fridge when you wake up. Turns out, actor Zooey Deschanel starts her morning with overnight oats, and the recipe is incredibly easy. The New Girl star appeared on The Drew Barrymore Show a while back, and she taught Barrymore how to make her go-to overnight oats recipe. Here are your oats, Deschanel says as they set up the recipe. This is so easy, we cant call this cooking, OK? Deschanel makes her overnight oats in lidded Mason jars with ingredients youve probably already got sitting in your pantry and refrigerator. I use almond milk, but you can use coconut milk, regular milk or whatever you want, she says. This is yogurt. You can do whatever kind of yogurt you want, toovegan yogurt, regular yogurt, Greek yogurt and then we have maple syrup to your taste and chia seeds. We love how versatile Deschanels overnight oats recipe is, especially since you can sub in any kind of milk or yogurt you have on hand. Just combine around 1 cup of oats with 1 cup of the milk of your choice, then add in around cup of yogurt and a drizzle of maple syrup, plus around 1 tablespoon of chia seeds and a big spoonful of nut butter. Also open to interpretation? The type of nut butter you toss into your glass jar. Deschanel goes for peanut butter but notes that almond and cashew are also tasty. Then, youre going to basically put the top on and just shake it up like youre going to make butter, because you really want the chia seeds especially not to get bunched up, Deschanel explains. You just put it in the fridge and leave it overnight. You dont have to cook it or anything. After allowing the lidded jar to hang out in the fridge overnight, Deschanels overnight oats are ready to eat. But the fun doesnt end there: The Elf actor suggests picking some colorful, delicious toppings from your kitchen to toss in before you chow down. This is the peanut butter flavor because I love peanut butter, she said. So we have strawberries, but you can put jam on topyou can put whatever you want. Were excited to give this recipe a try, and we love that the measurements are pretty imprecise. Just make sure you add enough milk to saturate the oats, and toss in a scoop of chia seeds, strained (Greek-style) yogurt, nut butter and a sweetener like maple syrup or honeythough we estimated the amounts to be around a cup of oats and a cup of milk, you dont need to grab your measuring cups if you dont want to. Overnight oats are fairly forgiving. Want some more overnight oats recipes to try out in your own kitchen? We have you covered with overnight oats recipes that are high in protein, perfect for fall and taste like dessert for breakfast. However you decide to make your overnight oats, just have fun, use your creativity and be sure that the jar lids screwed on tight before you start shaking. Read the original article on EatingWell Taylor Swift at the Grammy Awards in February. (Phil McCarten/CBS via Getty Images) (CBS via Getty Images) Taylor Swifts new album The Life of a Showgirl is finally here, and with it, 12 carefully selected tracks that explore everything from her romance with Travis Kelce to an ill-fated high school crush to a toxic relationship with the public. But on The Fate of Ophelia, Swift sings about a love thats rescued her from the terrible end met by the tragic figure in William Shakespeares Hamlet. But who, exactly, is Ophelia, and why was Swift so terrified she might end up like her? Swift spoke about the song The Fate of Ophelia on Hits Radio, explaining that she has this fixation on Shakespeare characters that I love and I cant stand to see them meet a tragic demise. For those who did not read Hamlet in high school, Ophelia is the daughter of one of Denmarks noblemen, Polonius, and a love interest of the titular Hamlet. While Hamlet, the prince, shows interest in Ophelia, hes got a lot of other things going on reeling from his fathers death, his mothers sudden marriage to his uncle and, eventually, plotting revenge after learning that his uncle Claudius murdered the king to take the throne. Ophelia, meanwhile, is basically a pawn: Shes innocent and tries her best to please the men of Denmark, who are busy waging power struggles and dragging her into schemes that have nothing to do with her. Eventually, when Hamlet kills Ophelias father and then flat-out rejects her after a lengthy situationship, Ophelia loses her grip on reality. Shes ultimately found dead in a stream whether it was suicide or an accident, however, is unclear. Swift doesnt dive into all the politics of Denmark in her song, but she does reference Ophelia specifically, referring to her as the eldest daughter of a nobleman. (Swifts also the eldest daughter in her family, and sings about the pitfalls of that birth order on another Showgirl song called, well, Eldest Daughter.) The Grammy winner also sings about how Ophelia lived in fantasy / But love was a cold bed full of scorpions / The venom stole her sanity. Swift is comparing herself to Ophelia here shes loved before, but its let her down. But there is good news for Swift, who is rescued from her tower and dug out of her grave by a person who was calling for her from a megaphone. (It wouldnt be a stretch to think this song could be about how her now fiance, Travis Kelce, who wooed her by publicly talking about wanting a date with her.) Now, Swift sings, she is No longer drowning and deceived / All because you came for me. Taylor Swift via Instagram Swift also seemingly references Ophelias death in the cover art for The Life of a Showgirl. The album artwork features Swift laying in a pool of water (in her full showgirl outfit, of course) which could be a nod to Ophelias drowning death. The image also bears similarities to John Everett Millais famous 1851 painting Ophelia. Its worth noting that this is not the first time that Swift has made a major Shakespeare reference in her work. Her single Love Story from her 2008 album Fearless placed her and her lover as Romeo and Juliet, the ill-fated couple from Shakespeares tragedy. But unlike these two, who end the play by taking their own lives after the worlds worst miscommunication, Swift and her Romeo end their love story with a marriage proposal. Right now, in her personal life, Swifts not meeting the fate of Ophelia but she did end up with her very own version of Romeo. We may earn money from links on this page, but commission does not influence what we write or the products we recommend. AOL upholds a rigorous editorial process to ensure what we publish is fair, accurate and trustworthy. Why you can trust us 10 insider Costco hacks you can't afford to miss (jetcityimage via Getty Images) Most shoppers know Costco for its $1.50 hot dog combo, $5 rotisserie chicken and legendary bulk bargains. But the real savings go far beyond supersized cereal boxes and discount toilet paper. From price tag cheat codes to membership-splitting tricks, here are 10 smart Costco hacks that help you squeeze every penny out of everyones favorite warehouse membership and keep your wallet full. 1. Crack the secret price codes Costcos price tags hide a secret language that can save you serious money. You just need to know how to decode them: Ends in .97 clearance alert. These deals are never advertised. It means a manager has marked down this item, and it wont be restocked. Once gone, its gone for good. Ends in .00 or .88 managers special. These are store-level markdowns, often due to too much inventory or damaged packaging. Ends in .49 or .79 endings manufacturer markdowns. These quirky numbers mean the manufacturer not Costco is cutting you an exclusive deal. Pro tip: Spot an asterisk at the signs top-right corner? That items discontinued so grab it now, or miss it forever. Read more: Think your household's too small for Costco or Sam's Club? We did the math Costco | Getty Up to $60 in Costco Shop Cards for new members AOL readers get money back with this limited-time offer on Costco Gold Star and Costco Executive Memberships up to $60 in Costco Shop Cards. Spend your Costco Shop Card online or at your local warehouse and enjoy all the perks of membership. Limited-time offer through December 21, 2025. $65 to $130 at Groupon 2. Split your membership costs in half Costcos Gold Star membership jumped to $65 last year. Most are willing to pay the price, but theres no need to shoulder the bill alone. Every primary cardholder can add one household member for free perfect for roommates, partners or family members who live with you. Shopping with friends? Bring along up to two guests per trip. Youll need to handle the payment at checkout, but your tagalongs can Venmo or Zelle you cash later. Read more: 5 ways to shop Costco without a membership and 1 perk they finally killed off 3. Dont skip the tire center Costcos cult-worthy deals go beyond the bulk snacks. The tire center regularly runs promotions that can knock $80 to $150 off a set of four tires. And installation comes with free lifetime rotations, balancing and flat repairs. If you log a lot of miles, the perks can save you hundreds over the life of your tires. A bonus? Costco fills your tires with nitrogen instead of air, which maintains pressure longer and can boost your fuel efficiency. Read more: This warehouse club is quietly beating Costco for retirees (and its not BJs) 4. Shop online without a membership Not ready to commit to Costco? You can browse and buy on Costco.com without a membership though with a catch: Youll pay a 5% surcharge on most everything you buy. (Thats less than the 10% service fee Sams Club tacks on for nonmembers.) The fee can make sense for big-ticket electronics or appliances, especially when you factor in Costcos generous return policy and warranty coverage. That said, Costco often runs promotions offering $30 or more off new memberships and even store credit, effectively cutting your first years costs in half. Read more: No card? No problem. 4 Sam's Club hacks that work without a membership 5. Stack cash back with the Costco Visa If youre a frequent shopper, the Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi can turn every purchase into a paycheck. Its among the most generous cashback cards on the market, offering: 5% back on fill-ups at Costco Gas Station locations 4% back on all other gas and EV charging (up to $7,000 per year, then 1%) 3% back on restaurants and travel 2% back at Costco and Costco.com 1% back on everything else Pro tip: Pair the card with an Executive Membership ($120 a year), and youll earn 2% back on Costco purchases on top of the cards 2% rewards thats 4% back on every Costco run. For regular shoppers, that $60 membership upgrade pays for itself. Read more: Expert picks: Best cashback credit cards to save on groceries and gas Sam's Club | Getty $25 Sam's Club Membership AOL readers save 50% with this exclusive limited-time offer that's $25 for low prices, member-only gas savings and two membership cards. Limited-time offer through January 31, 2026. $25 at Sam's Club 6. Hunt seasonal clearance like a pro Costco is aggressive about moving inventory, which means steep discounts on out-of-season clothing and other items. Shop patio sets and outdoor furniture in late August, winter gear in March or holiday toys and gifts in January youll find markdowns of 50% or more on things youll use next year. Pro tip: Hit your warehouse on weekday mornings, before the lunch rush. Clearance shelves get picked over fast, and theyre likely to be stocked before then. 7. Use the pharmacy and optical no membership needed Heres a little-known loophole: You dont need a membership to use Costcos pharmacy or optical center. Prescription medications, flu shots and eye exams are often significantly less than at CVS or Rite-Aid. You can also get glasses and contacts at competitive prices. Just walk in and ask. Read more: 6 simple ways to save money on your prescriptions without skipping your meds 8. Master the Kirkland Signature strategy Costcos Kirkland Signature brand consistently punches above its weight. Thats because many of its private-label items are made by the same companies behind your favorite name brands, just without the markup. Kirkland batteries come from Duracells factories, its high-quality vodka rivals premium brands and staples like organic peanut butter and olive oil deliver quality that matches or beats national brands. Worth noting: Not every Kirkland item is created equal. Check the per-unit price against name brands, especially when theyre on sale you might be surprised to find the national brand is cheaper. Read more: 4 unexpected money lessons hiding in your Costco membership 9. Book your vacation through Costco Travel Costco isnt just for bulk buys its travel program offers surprisingly competitive deals for your next vacation. Through Costco Travel, members can book bundled packages for cruises, rental cars, hotels and all-inclusive resorts, often kicking in extras like resort credits, free second drivers, hotel breakfasts and room upgrades. While Costco Travel shines on vacation packages and cruises, its worth cross-checking prices for standalone flights and hotels. A la carte bookings might be cheaper through Google Flights, Kayak or even your favorite airline. Read more: Can Costco Travel save you money? I dug around and found out 10. Stock up on discounted gift cards Costco regularly sells gift cards under face value a simple way to save money on purchases youre making anyway. Weve found $100 Uber and Uber Eats cards sold for $79.99, while DoorDash, iTunes and restaurant chains (think: TGI Fridays, California Pizza Kitchen and Romanos Macaroni Grill) offer discounts of up to 20%, turning everyday spending into instant savings. Read more: 20+ clever ways to stretch your dollar (that actually work!) Bottom line: Smart strategies beat bulk buying If youre only loading up on bulk groceries and toilet paper, you're scratching the surface of what Costco offers. From cracking price tags codes to booking discounted travel, these insider strategies can easily save you hundreds beyond your $65 membership fee. The real hack isnt buying bigger its shopping strategically. Other stories you might like About the writer Michael Kurko is a finance writer and editor who covers investing, real estate, personal budgeting and financial literacy. His expertise has been featured in FinanceBuzz, The Balance, Investopedia, U.S. News & World Report and Forbes Advisor, among other top financial publications. In addition to his work in finance, Michael is also a freelance book editor and fiction writer. He strives to make complex money topics clear and approachable so readers can make informed decisions and build lasting financial confidence. Article edited by Kelly Suzan Waggoner Have thoughts or comments about this story or ideas on topics youd like us to cover? Reach out to our team at finance.editors@aol.com. Illustration: Eddie Marshall | Midjourney; #AfghanEvac After a video of his arrest by masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents went viral in June, Afghan Sayed Naser was released on September 26 following 106 days of detention. On July 17, Naser's attorney Brian McGoldrick filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus requesting his immediate release. McGoldrick argued that "attempts to detain, transfer, and deport [Naser] are arbitrary and capricious and in violation of the law." Afghan ally Sayed Naser was arrested and put in handcuffs by two masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), despite his pending asylum request. pic.twitter.com/06oBHmCqI1 reason (@reason) June 19, 2025 According to court documents shared with Reason, the government opposed the petition, but Judge Gonzalo Curiel of the Southern District of California scheduled a hearing of Naser's habeas petition on September 25. McGoldrick told Shawn VanDiver, president of #AfghanEvac, that during the hearing, Curiel was "very inquisitive" and sounded "very friendly to our position." On September 26, Curiel put out a summarized opinion ordering Naser's immediate release. Curiel found that Naser "could not have been legally subjected to and detained" given his status at the time of his arrest, and that by revoking Naser's parole without providing notification, the government had denied "his due process rights." In an October 2 press conference, McGoldrick said that Naser was released at 9:45 p.m. last Friday, and added, "we've been celebrating ever since." Naser expressed gratitude for all the Americans who supported his case, telling assembled press that his time in detention was "the hardest piece of my life." "I thought that the time is stopped," Naser said, adding that every day felt "like a month." When asked if his ordeal had changed his mind about wanting to be an American citizen, Naser replied, "I still believe in America. I do not feel betrayed. I feel hopeful because of how many Americans stood up for me when I was arrested." McGoldrick also expressed gratitude for Naser's supporters, particularly the volunteers who filmed Naser's arrest, saying that without their documentation, "nobody would know what happened." Following Naser's release, Curiel has restored the terms of the parole Naser received when he legally entered the U.S. through the CBP One App in July 2024. Curiel has also ordered that "Respondents shall not cause [Naser] to be re-detained during the pendency of his removal proceedings without prior leave of this Court." Now, Naser and McGoldrick must return to square one and prepare his asylum claim once more before a new judge in San Diego immigration court. The Taliban murdered Naser's brother in 2023. A Special Immigrant Visa applicant who had worked with U.S. forces for two years during the Afghanistan War, Naser fled to Brazil in April 2024 and made his way to the U.S.-Mexico border. Like many parolees who utilized the CBP One App to claim asylum, Naser was told that his parole was revoked in a letter from the Department of Homeland Security in April. It was after presenting his asylum case in immigration court in June that Naser was arrested. The government said that Naser's notice to appear had been "improvidently issued," but provided no further information about their allegation. On June 26, a federal judge dismissed Naser's asylum case, which placed him in expedited removal proceedings. While Naser's release is a positive development, McGoldrick said he is now representing another Afghan, Habib, who is currently in ICE custody. Like Naser, Habib had entered the U.S. on parole in 2024. McGoldrick says that Habib had received work authorization and had filed an asylum claim when he was arrested on September 19. McGoldrick explained that Habib had been performing a delivery at a U.S. military base in California when base personnel noticed that he had a limited license. According to McGoldrick, base personnel called military police to the scene, and Habib was told that he could not depart the base until ICE arrived and took him into custody. Habib has a wife and two young children. With no money coming in, McGoldrick reports that Habib's wife cannot afford rent and is facing eviction. McGoldrick is working pro bono on Habib's case and filed a habeas petition for his release on September 29. After Naser's release, VanDiver noted that while the judicial system has been successful in achieving assistance for Afghans in detention, the U.S. cannot go about rectifying "just one case at a time. We need Congress, companies, and citizens to step up." The post Afghan Man Freed After Viral Arrest and Over 100 Days in ICE Custody appeared first on Reason.com. Illustration: Eddie Marshall | Midjourney The good news is that the first 20 years of the millennium saw overall increases in economic freedom around the worldwith continuous improvement through the second decade. The bad news is that not just the United States but most of the world lost ground during the massive government interventions of the COVID-19 pandemic. That's unfortunate for individual liberty, but also for prosperity since the economic freedom of a country strongly correlates with higher incomes and lower poverty. The world appears to be recovering freedom and wealth, but it lost years of progress to government meddling. The World Starts To Regain Lost Ground The latest edition of the Economic Freedom of the World report, published by Canada's Fraser Institute, the Cato Institute, "and more than 70 think tanks around the world" is out, and it finds the world digging itself out of a hole that started in 2020. "Overall, the index shows that economic freedom has increased since 2000, but fell precipitously following the coronavirus pandemic, erasing nearly a decade of progress," the authors note. "We take no position on the efficacy of the various public-health policies designed to deal with the coronavirus pandemic; they very well may have saved millions of lives, or they may have been completely ineffectual.Our concern is economic freedom, and on that margin, there is no question that government policies responding to the coronavirus pandemic have reduced economic freedom." While global economic freedom has started to improve again as the pandemic and its interventions fade into memory, the average across nations is back to where it was in 2012. Weighted for population, which accounts for large countries with statist governments including China, the world's economic freedom is just a hair better than it was in 2013 and has yet to start recovery from the COVID-era dip. The index shows North America experiencing the largest decline over the measured period, with Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and North Africa following. "The latter region's decline is especially tragic given its low starting point," comment the authors. "In 2023the latest year for which data are availablethe 10 highest scoring nations were Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United States, Ireland, Australia and Taiwan (tied for 7th), Denmark, and the Netherlands." Even High-Scoring Jurisdictions Suffer From Interference Hong Kong has consistently been at or near the top of the index for economic freedom, but that's a sign of a relative position rather than an absolute one. The Chinese government's growing interference in the territory's civil and economic life is doing real damage. "The deterioration in the territory's regulation and legal system and property rights areas is no doubt due to a notorious 2020 security law that seems to have ended China's promise of 'one country, two systems,'" per the report. Hong Kong isn't the only place suffering from government meddling. As a chapter of the report released early as a standalone publication ("U.S. Economic Freedom in a Trade War") makes clear, America's reborn protectionism under the Trump administration continues to threaten economic freedom: Due to the President's trade war, US citizens will soon pay some of the highest tariffs in the world. We use these tariffs to offer an estimated preview of US economic freedom in 2025. They cause the country's trade freedom rank to fall from 56th to 76th place, and the US's overall economic freedom rank to fall from 5th to 10th. Economic Free Countries Have Better Quality of Life These declines in economic freedom are enormously important not just because they represent an erosion in people's ability to guide their own lives (not that this should be minimized in any way). As the report shows, countries with greater economic freedom have higher per-person gross domestic product (GDP) than less-free countries. More-free countries have lower poverty rates, higher life expectancy, and reduced infant mortality as well. Also, economically free countries have greater personal freedom than unfree countries. It's interesting to see how closely the COVID-era decline in economic freedom coincides with other misfortunes during the same period of time. According to the Human Freedom Index, which measures "a broad measure of human freedom, understood as the absence of coercive constraint" and was published in 2024 by the Cato Institute and the Fraser Institute, "87.4 per cent of the world's population lost freedom from 2019 to 2022." The Economist Intelligence Unit's Democracy Index 2024 reports that "four years after the start of the covid-19 pandemic, which led to a rollback of freedoms around the globe, the 2024 results point to a continuing democratic malaise." In economic terms, the Human Progress Simon Abundance Index, which "quantifies and measures the relationship between resources and population" and finds that "resources have become 509.4 percent more abundant over the past 43 years" parallels the findings of Economic Freedom of the World. It reports a strong recovery for resource abundance "after a sharp downturn between 2021 and 2022, which was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, government lockdowns and accompanying monetary expansion, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine." And the number of people living in poverty is once again shrinking, according to the World Bank. It had alarmingly jumped from 840 million in 2019 to 890 million in 2021 after decades of steady decrease (it was 2.23 billion in 2000). The 2025 figures put the number of the world's poor at 831 million. Economic Freedom Is Worth Fighting For So, there's good reason to regret the ground the world lost when government interference in economic activity made the world's economies less free. At the same time, people around the world lost personal and political freedom. People also became poorer as their freedom to buy, sell, own property, and enter into contracts was compromised by presumptuous officials. By the same token, we should celebrate the seeming return to growth in economic freedom. That freedom is essential to our personal autonomy. We also need it for human flourishing, to defeat poverty and misery. That makes economic freedom something worth fighting for. The post Economic Freedom Begins Recovery From COVID-Era Government Meddling appeared first on Reason.com. Alexander Wills | Ada County Jail BOISE A Boise doctor has been arrested following an investigation into an alleged sexual assault involving one of his patients. Detectives began investigating on Sept. 2 after receiving a report of a sexual assault, according to a Boise Police Department news release. The victim, a woman, was provided support services while detectives with the Special Victims Unit launched their investigation. Police say the suspect and victim were connected through a doctorpatient relationship. Evidence indicates the suspect, identified as 45-year-old Alexander Wills of Boise, made aggressive physical contact with the victim and committed forcible penetration by use of a foreign object. On Sept. 30, while officers were conducting a separate investigation involving Wills, he was taken into custody and arrested on the listed felony charge. Detectives believe there could be additional victims and are encouraging anyone with information to come forward. Those wishing to file a police report or seek support can call Ada County Dispatch at (208) 377-6790 or visit the Ada County Victim Services Center. The Boise Police Behavioral Health Response Team (BHRT) is also offering assistance to individuals who may need mental health support or help accessing medication. Those in need can call 988 to connect with a clinician for referrals or request BHRT assistance through Ada County Dispatch. The post Idaho doctor arrested after police say he sexually assaulted patient appeared first on East Idaho News. Robert Lange | Bonneville County Jail IDAHO FALLS A 21-year-old has been convicted of second-degree murder after a four day trial, where prosecutors argued that he killed a stranger because he was mad and wanted to fight. A jury in Bonneville County found Robert Wyatt Lange guilty of second-degree murder in the death of 50-year-old Alejandro Parades Hurtado. The murder occurred on the Northgate Mile in Idaho Falls on Oct. 19. Officers were called to the scene near May Street where they found a man with significant injuries. RELATED | Man who turned himself in for murder allegedly told police he wanted to fight The man, later identified as Paredes-Hurtado, died from his injuries several days later, after being taken to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center for treatment. On Oct. 21, the Idaho Falls Police Department released dashcam video from the night of the assault. It showed Paredes-Hurtado being found unconscious and a person of interest walking away from the scene. RELATED | 20-year-olds murder trial pushed to July. Hes accused of beating man on Northgate Mile Lange turned himself into the Idaho Falls Police Department on Oct. 22. During an interview with detectives, he told them he had been out drinking but was mad and wanted to fight. Lange alleged that Paredes-Hurtado had come toward him, so he confronted him and kicked him. When questioned about the interaction between Lange and Paredes-Hurtado, Lange said he had punched the other man approximately 20 times until he realized (Paredes-Hurtado) was unconscious. After the fight, Lange told officers he got up and walked home and that Paredes-Hurtado never hit him. Lange is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 5 before Judge Brendon Taylor. He could face up to life in prison. The post Man convicted of second-degree murder after killing Idaho Falls father appeared first on East Idaho News. Tourists view the Glen Canyon Dam at the Carl Hayden Visitors Center in Page, Arizona, on July 10, 2025. Lake Powell, the nation's second-largest reservoir, is now less than one-third full. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images) The Colorado River, which provides water across the Southwest, has lost about 20% of its flow in the last quarter-century, and its depleted reservoirs continue to decline. But negotiations aimed at addressing the water shortage are at an impasse, and leaders of environmental groups say the secrecy surrounding the talks is depriving the public of an opportunity to weigh in. Representatives of the seven states that depend on the river have been meeting regularly over the last two years trying to hash out a plan to address critical shortages after 2026, when the current rules expire. They meet in-person at offices and hotels in different states, never divulging the locations. The talks have been mired in persistent disagreement over who should have to cut back on water and by how much. We need more transparency, and we need more accountability, said Kyle Roerink, executive director of the Great Basin Water Network. I think if we had more of those things, we wouldn't be in the situation that we are currently in. Roerink and leaders of five other environmental groups criticized the lack of information about the stalled negotiations , as well as the Trump administrations handling of the situation during a news conference Wednesday as they released a report with recommendations for solving the rivers problems. Roerink said there is "a failure of leadership" among state and federal officials, and "everybody else is being left in the dark." Read more:The dwindling Colorado River cant wait for states to cut water use, experts say Disagreements over how mandatory water cuts should be allotted have created a rift between two camps: the three downstream or lower basin states California, Arizona and Nevada and the four states in the rivers upper basin Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico. State officials have talked publicly about the spat, but much of the debate is happening out of the public eye. This process is a backroom negotiation, said Zachary Frankel, executive director of the Utah Rivers Council. We need to shift the governance of the Colorado River Basin ... back into the halls of democracy so that people can get engaged. Frankel said the limited details that have filtered out of the negotiators' "secret backrooms" indicate officials are still debating water cuts far smaller than whats really needed to deal with the current shortage. He said the Southwest could face serious water crashes soon if the regions officials dont act faster to take less from the river. The Colorado River provides water for cities from Denver to Los Angeles, 30 Native tribes and farming communities from the Rocky Mountains to northern Mexico. It has long been overused, and its reservoirs have declined dramatically amid unrelenting dry conditions since 2000. Research has shown that the warming climate , driven largely by the use of fossil fuels, has intensified the long stretch of mostly dry years. Water overflows Lake Mead into spillways at Hoover Dam in 1983 near Boulder City, Nev. (Bob Riha Jr. / Getty Images) Near Las Vegas, Lake Mead, the nations largest reservoir, is now just 32% full. Upstream from the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, the countrys second-largest reservoir, is at 29% of capacity. We're using a third too much water. There's no accountability for the fact that the reservoirs are disappearing, Frankel said. And we're not even looking at what the drop in future flows is going to be from climate change. California uses more Colorado River water than any other state, and has been reducing water use under a three-year agreement adopted in 2023. As part of the water-saving efforts, Imperial Valley farmers are temporarily leaving some fields dry in exchange for cash payments. Read more:Colorado River in Crisis: A Times series on the Southwests shrinking water lifeline A large portion of the water is used for agriculture, with much of it going to grow hay for cattle, as well as other crops including cotton, lettuce and broccoli. The main sticking point in the negotiations is how much and when the upper basin states are willing to share in the cuts, said J.B. Hamby, Californias Colorado River commissioner. The river is getting smaller. We need to figure out how to live with less, and the upper basin absolutely must be part of that, Hamby said in an interview. We are running out of time. The new rules for dealing with shortages must be adopted before the end of 2026, and federal officials have given the states several milestones in developing a consensus in the coming months, Hamby said. The clock is ticking, he said. And we're still essentially at square one. Morning sunlight hits Lone Rock on Lake Powell in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images) Federal officials have not said what they will do if the states fail to reach consensus. The impasse has raised the possibility that the states could sue each other, a path riddled with uncertainty that water managers in both camps have said they hope to avoid. Hamby said he believes solutions lie in a compromise between the upper and lower states, but that will require all of them to stop clinging to "their most aggressive and rigid dreamland legal positions." Experts have called for urgent measures to prevent reservoirs from dropping to critically low levels. In a study published this week in the journal Nature Communications, scientists found that if current policies remain unchanged, in the coming decades, both Lake Powell and Lake Mead will be at risk of reaching dead pool levels water so low it doesn't reach the intakes and no longer gets through the dams, meaning it doesn't flow downstream to Nevada, Arizona, California and Mexico. The researchers said a more sustainable policy will require larger water cutbacks throughout the region. Federal officials have said they recognize the need to move quickly in coming up with solutions. In August, Scott Cameron, the Interior Departments acting assistant secretary for water and science, said the urgency for the seven Colorado River Basin states to reach a consensus agreement has never been clearer. We cannot afford to delay. Read more:Groups call on Trump administration to curb wasteful use of Colorado River water But the coalition of environmental groups raised concerns that federal and state officials are flouting the normal procedures required when making new water rules. The environmental review began under the Biden administration, which announced several options for long-term river management. Roerink and other advocates noted the last time the public received any information about that process was in January, as Biden was leaving office. They said the Interior Department was expected to have released an initial draft plan by now, but that has not happened. The Trump administration is absolutely missing an opportunity here to get everybody at the table and to get something meaningful done under the time frame that they are obliged to get it done, Roerink said. The fact that we've heard nothing from the Trump administration is troubling. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Institute For Justice In September, a Missouri judge upheld the city of Brentwood's plan to seize businesses along the Manchester Road Corridor, siding with the city's $436 million redevelopment scheme and its decision to label the area "blighted." Judge Kristine Allen Kerr ruled in the case of Feather-Craft et al v. Brentwood that the blight determination of the Corridor is "fairly debatable"a legal standard that makes it harder for property owners to challenge government takingsand disagreed that the city made its blight determination "arbitrarily and capriciously." This ruling could clear the way for the seizure of several businesses along the Corridor. The Institute for Justice (I.J.) filed a lawsuit in December 2023 on behalf of four businesses that were designated as blighted by the city. The suit alleged that city leaders violated Missouri law with both the blight designation and their intent to use eminent domain to condemn their properties. Bob Belden, the lead I.J. attorney on the case, believes the court failed to apply the correct standard of review by using the "fairly debatable" standard, which placed the burden on the plaintiffs to "demonstrate that the reasonableness of the City's action is not even fairly debatable." "We argued to the trial court that the Missouri legislature was saying, 'this isn't the kind of standard or review that is supposed to be applied in these cases to protect property rights in a meaningful way,'" says Belden. "You're supposed to look at what the legislature actually considered and how [the law] was actually made." Ultimately, the court chose to "defer to the legislative determination of blight," even "where evidence contrary to the legislative determination appears stronger than the evidence supporting it." According to the ruling, "so long as substantial evidence exists on both sides," the question of whether an area is blighted can be considered "fairly debatable." In 2018, Brentwood hired PGAV Planners, an urban planning firm, to conduct a blight study on the Manchester Road Corridor. PGAV concluded that the Corridor was "blighted" based on its location in the city's floodplain and "other blighting factors present." During the trial, Mayor David Dimmitt testified about the issue of flooding facing the area, despite an $80 million flood mitigation project along Manchester Road that he deemed successful in 2022. The court determined that the 2022 project "did reduce the likelihood of flood damage," but "did not fully resolve the flooding problems and their future risks." Amy Stanford, owner of Time for Dinner, a family-oriented meal prep business that's been in Brentwood for over two decades, calls the court's ruling "absurd." "Unfortunately, for more than two years, the neighborhood has been under the threat of eminent domain, which has made it difficult for businesses to invest or expand," Stanford says. In fact, several new businesses that have applied to open here were not approved by the city of Brentwood. That lack of support and uncertainty has only added to the appearance of blight that the city now cites as justification for redevelopment." Brentwood city officials did not respond to Reason's request for comment. Belden says his clients are "looking forward to keeping the fight up on appeal." He says they plan to ask the Missouri Supreme Court to take the case under Article V, Section 10 provision of Missouri law based on the "general interest or importance of a question involved in the case, or for the purpose of reexamining the existing law." The post Missouri Judge Backs City's Eminent Domain Redevelopment Plan appeared first on Reason.com. An image collage containing 3 images, Image 1 shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets with U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, on Tuesday, September 23, 2025. , Image 2 shows An oil terminal seen at the port of Saint Petersburg, Russia on Sept. 26, 2025, Image 3 shows The Druzhba oil pipeline between Hungary and Russia seen in Szazhalombatta, Hungary on May 18, 2022 Kyiv has pitched Washington on ways it could help the US replace Russia in oil sales to Europe as President Trump pushes the continent to divest from Moscows energy sector to end its brutal war on Ukraine, The Post can exclusively reveal. Pipelines deep beneath Ukraines surface could help funnel fuel either drilled in the country through the US-Ukraine mineral deal or shipped in from the US, Ukrainian Energy Minister Svitlana Grynchuk told The Post. The potential partnership means American oil companies could replace Moscow in Europes energy sector. Ukraine has pitched the Trump administration a plan that could help push Europe to divest from Russian oil and replace it with American. Ukrainian Presidential Press Off/UPI/Shutterstock Ukraines gas and oil infrastructure has always been a key part of European energy security because Ukrainian territory was like a transit from Russia to Europe and we have very, very good gas and oil infrastructure, Grynchuk said. The US and other international partners could use this infrastructure for ensuring European energy security by supplying it and also the storage potential of gas and oil in Ukraine. Ukraine has the most liquid natural gas storage in all of Europe. Peace and profit Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskys top advisor, Andriy Yermak, said he briefly proposed the idea to US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last week, telling The Post that Kyiv could help the US supplant Russia in providing oil to holdout European nations. Should President Trump sign on, he could help end Russias war on Ukraine and boost the US economy in one swing by replacing Russian oil with American energy sales to Europe, Yermak said. Ukrainian Energy Minister Svitlana Grynchuk told The Post that Ukraines energy infrastructure can be used to pump American oil to European countries. Getty Images I asked him to introduce me to your Secretary of Energy, he said of his conversation with Waltz. I asked him that please, as soon as possible, please arrange the meetings [between US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Grynchuk,] and we can come. Americas potential interest in such an arrangement is unclear. Ukraines proposal is in the very early stages. Waltz and Wrights offices did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday. We need to work together, because Ukraine is the responsible partner [over Russia,] Yermak said. We are open. Lets see things together, and lets work together. Weaning Europe off of Russias energy sector is a key factor in pressuring Russian dictator Volodymyr Putin to end his war on Ukraine, Trump has repeatedly said. As Moscows main source of funding for its war needs, the US president has been adamant that Europe must stop buying Russian oil. Critics have argued that it would hurt Europes energy security but Yermak counters that it would also open up opportunities for other energy exporters, such as the US, to fill in the gap. In addition to importing American energy products for sale in Europe, Grynchuk said the US and Ukraine could also use their shared mineral deal to sell energy native to Ukraine to European partners, Grynchuk said. Andriy Yermak, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskys top aide, pitched the plan at the UN General Assembly last month. Lev Radin/Shutterstock That minerals deal which is already in place would see Kyiv and Washington splitting profits 50/50 on Ukrainian oil pumped by American companies and distributed through Ukrainian energy infrastructure. In the meantime, Ukraines state-owned Naftogaz this year began focusing on partnerships with US energy companies. American LNG now makes up 8% of its total supply up from zero before Trump took office, the companys CEO Sergii Koretskyi told The Post. An oil terminal is seen at the port of Saint Petersburg, Russia on Sept. 26, 2025. AFP via Getty Images We would like that to increase. We have not enough of our own production of natural gas, and I do not see the possibility to reach our energy independence in terms of natural gas in the coming years, he said. We are also happy to provide [US] companies with our infrastructure and underground storage, and we are happy to purchase [US] LNG resources for our own needs. European hold-outs President Trump for weeks has been hounding the European Union to divest from Russian oil the Kremlins main source of income fueling its war machine. The main holdouts are Slovakia and Hungary, as well as non-EU states such as Turkey and Serbia. Trump called on Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to stop buying Russian oil during an Oval Office meeting on Sept. 25, 2025. REUTERS Zelensky has been working on Slovakia, meeting with Prime Minister Robert Fico to urge the country to find other sources for its energy needs. Both Yermak and Zelensky were optimistic about Bratislavas propensity to find alternatives to Russian oil. We are ready to work together with European partners, if we can help and participate. And we have heard from Prime Minister [Fico] that he is open to find the alternative, he said. Meanwhile, Trump called out Turkish President Recep Erdogan for his countrys Russian oil purchases during the leaders visit to the White House last week. Id like to have him stop buying any oil from Russia while Russia continues its rampage against Ukraine, Trump said of Erdogan. [Moscow has] lost millions of lives already, and for what? You know, for what? Disgraceful. Hungary remains loyal to Russian oil, at least for now but Yermak said he believes Trump is the one world leader who could loosen Moscows hold over Budapest. The United States has great relations, good relations, and has the influence over the prime minister of Hungary, he said. The Druzhba oil pipeline between Hungary and Russia is seen in Szazhalombatta, Hungary on May 18, 2022. REUTERS Serbia is interested in ways to diversify its energy needs through the US sector, its Foreign Minister Marko uric told The Post. However, it has no plans to cut off its reliance on Russian oil, as the Kremlin has owned the majority share of Serbias Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS) oil and gas company since 2008. Instead, Belgrade has been seeking continued delays on sanctions that would target NIS due to its Russian-majority ownership. Those sanctions, which the US Treasury initially placed on Russias oil sector in January, were postponed multiple times but are now set to go into effect on Oct. 8. Serbia values the understanding shown so far by the Trump Administration in relation to the NIS sanctions issue, particularly with regard to the need to safeguard the regions overall energy stability, uric said. Our foremost objective is to ensure a secure and reliable energy supply for our citizens and to sustain the growth of our economy. In this spirit, we are continuing our dialogue with US partners to find a long-term and sustainable solution that is acceptable to all sides. Interview: British Museum director eyes deeper cooperation with China Xinhua) 11:09, October 03, 2025 Nicholas Cullinan, director of the British Museum, speaks during an interview with Xinhua in London, Britain, Sept. 29, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Ying) LONDON, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The British Museum has long maintained close ties with Chinese cultural institutions and seen vast potential for deeper cooperation, said Nicholas Cullinan, director of the British Museum. "It is wonderful when we can discover what we share in common and explore ways to collaborate in fostering greater understanding," Cullinan told Xinhua in an interview on Monday. Speaking of China's role in the global cultural landscape, he noted: "In terms of its population, innovation and deep historical traditions, China has all the elements to play an even greater role on the international stage. China is already a major force in global cultural exchange, and I hope to see more partnerships and collaborations in the future." Cullinan recalled his previous visit to Shanghai, describing China as "a country with a fascinating and profound history and cultural tradition." He will travel to Beijing in October to attend the Palace Museum's centenary celebrations and renew a memorandum of understanding with the museum. Beyond joint exhibitions, cooperation between Chinese institutions and the British Museum extends to professional training and academic research. Cullinan noted that the museum's training program has hosted several Chinese participants, creating "a cross-border network of friendship and expertise." He highlighted the landmark 2007 exhibition of China's Terracotta Warriors in London, which displayed over 100 artifacts from the Qin Dynasty (221 B.C.-207 B.C.), including 20 warrior and horse statues. The exhibition drew a record of over 700,000 visitors, the museum director added. "I remember visiting that exhibition with my family when I was still quite young. To this day, many people still recall it vividly. It has become a model of cross-cultural exchange. We hope to create more such 'cultural milestones' in the future to enhance mutual understanding between the peoples of our two countries," he said. Cullinan added that the museum welcomes many Chinese visitors each year, offering Chinese-language services and listening to feedback from Chinese audiences. "Whether they visit the Chinese collection specifically or other galleries, we hope they can make connections across civilizations during their visit," he said. Looking ahead, Cullinan stressed that the British Museum will continue to place greater emphasis on collaboration with international partners, including China. "We want museums around the world to feel they have a stake in the British Museum and contribute to what we do here. Together, we can create a more open and reciprocal cultural platform," he said. Nicholas Cullinan, director of the British Museum, speaks during an interview with Xinhua in London, Britain, Sept. 29, 2025.(Xinhua/Li Ying) Nicholas Cullinan, director of the British Museum, speaks during an interview with Xinhua in London, Britain, Sept. 29, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Ying) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan) Champion local news. Join our community of readers who value daily beat reporting and in-depth stories alike. Your membership allows us to continue the legacy of local, independent journalism in the Roaring Fork Valley. With your support, we can remain a free and accessible source of news for everyone, always without paywalls or corporate influence. Together, we can ensure that vital local stories are told. 3 October 2025 16:50 (UTC+04:00) Full digital access to all news for 1 year Full digital access to all news for 6 months Full digital access to all news for 3 months Full digital access to all news for 1 month Find the plan that suits you best. A critical pillar supporting Azerbaijans progress is its longstanding partnership with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Over 30 years, the EBRD has committed approximately 3.6 billion across 200 projects, making it one of the countrys largest foreign investors. As Mikhail Grechiko, Deputy Director for Central Asia, Caucasus and Turkiye for Bonds at EBRD, highlighted, this partnership spans multiple sectorsincluding renewable energy, infrastructure, and power generationkey to both economic growth and environmental sustainability. Here we are to serve you with news right now. It does not cost much, but worth your attention. Choose to support open, independent, quality journalism and subscribe on a monthly basis. By subscribing to our online newspaper, you can have full digital access to all news, analysis, and much more. Subscribe You can also follow AzerNEWS on Twitter @AzerNewsAz or Facebook @AzerNewsNewspaper Thank you! 3 October 2025 20:35 (UTC+04:00) Akbar Novruz Read more The two-day European Political Community (EPC) summit in Copenhagen concluded with a number of notable moments for Azerbaijan. President Ilham Aliyev held meetings with several European leaders, engaging in both political and economic consultations. Alongside discussions on bilateral relations, there was also an exchange of views with European Union leadership regarding Azerbaijan-Europe ties. Among the most significant meetings was the encounter with French President Emmanuel Macron. In recent years, relations between Baku and Paris have been strained, with Azerbaijan strongly criticizing the biased approach of certain French politicians in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, as well as Frances colonialist undertones in global politics. French officials condemned this posture as a response; meanwhile, they have insisted that their position was neutral. Despite this tension, there have been visible efforts in recent months to ease relations. Importantly, the disagreements were mostly politicaleconomic cooperation, while occasionally affected, largely remained stable. Trade figures from January to August illustrate this: Azerbaijan exported goods worth $46,318,400 to France, while French exports to Azerbaijan stood at $159,398,940. According to the State Customs Committee's data, this figure is nearly the same as in previous years, and France continues to be one of the leading trading nations in the EU. The Aliyev-Macron meeting in Copenhagen signaled that both sides were interested in restoring relations. It is likely that the initiative came largely from the French side, which appears to have recognized that its previous missteps brought no benefit. France understands that worsening ties with Baku would undermine both its political influence and economic interests in the South Caucasus. It's important to remember that we are already at the start of a quite ideal period in the region, and Paris wouldn't wish to be one of the parties that misses this opportunity. Azerbaijans growing influenceparticularly after the Washington Agreementhas further elevated Bakus role on the European stage. European leaders have openly congratulated President Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on the achievement, while also expressing their intention to strengthen ties with Azerbaijan. Even Macron, long accused of siding with Yerevan, has taken steps to improve relations. This shift reflects a broader reality: Azerbaijan has become an indispensable player in regional and Eurasian affairs. The opening of the Zangezur corridor and progress in connectivity projects such as the Belt and Road initiative strengthen Europes access to alternative routes, reducing dependency on Russia. At the same time, Baku holds a unique position as the only actor capable of mediating with Turkiye and other Turkic states to facilitate the transport of Central Asian energy resources to the West. For this reason, European leaders increasingly view President Ilham Aliyev as a key guarantor of regional stability and energy security. His participation in the EPC summit in Denmark serves as yet another indicator of Azerbaijans growing international weight. It is also worth recalling that relations between Azerbaijan and France were once at a high point, particularly during the presidencies of Francois Mitterrand and Nicolas Sarkozy, and even in the early years of Macrons rule. Azerbaijan has contributed to French cultural heritage projects such as the renovation of the Louvre Museum and the Notre Dame Cathedral, while French energy companies like Chevron have long been active in Azerbaijans Caspian energy sector. The Copenhagen meeting, set against the backdrop of ongoing Armenia-Azerbaijan peace efforts, could therefore mark the beginning of a new era in French-Azerbaijani relations. France remains one of the leading powers in the EU, and for Azerbaijancommitted to strengthening ties with European statesrelations with Paris retain strategic importance. 3 October 2025 12:01 (UTC+04:00) Nazrin Abdul Read more The economic reforms led by President Ilham Aliyev have significantly boosted the competitiveness of Azerbaijani entrepreneurs, said Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov at the 2nd National Competition Forum. Azernews reports, Jabbarov noted that the peace agreement signed on August 8 in the United States is expected to further strengthen international interest in Azerbaijans economy. He added that this development will also give rise to new opportunities for regional integration. The core strength of our economic policy lies in the non-oil and gas sector, the minister emphasized. Between 2021 and 2024, the non-oil sector has grown by 6.7%. Naturally, we are constantly looking for ways to accelerate this growth. Jabbarov also highlighted a major milestone: Azerbaijans non-oil exports have doubled over the past six years. 3 October 2025 13:25 (UTC+04:00) Akbar Novruz Read more The First Deputy Minister of Finance of Azerbaijan, Anar Karimov, met with a delegation led by Alexander Tyrell, Country Director of the UK Department for Business and Trade, during his official visit to Baku, Azernews reports. The meeting focused on the current state and future prospects of economic and financial cooperation between the two countries, as well as the implementation of the provisions of the Protocol of the 7th meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation, held in London in April this year. Discussions highlighted investment promotion, taxation and customs cooperation, the application of advanced technologies in agriculture and food security, and opportunities for closer business-to-business engagement. The exchange of experience in digital transformation, financial technologies, and professional services was also addressed. Anar Karimov underlined that economic modernization and diversification remain long-term priorities for Azerbaijan, and that collaboration with the UK creates additional opportunities to adapt to new challenges. Alexander Tyrell emphasized the significance of joint projects and initiatives, noting the key role of the Intergovernmental Commission in strengthening bilateral relations. The meeting concluded with a broad exchange of views on future partnership opportunities and other areas of mutual interest. 3 October 2025 17:10 (UTC+04:00) Nazrin Abdul Read more The 9th meeting of the Coordination Committee between the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) and Germanys energy company Uniper was held recently. Azernews reports, according to a statement from SOCAR that the meeting opened with remarks from SOCAR Vice President Elshad Nasirov, Uniper SEs Chief Commercial Officer Karsten Poppinga, and Germanys Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Dr. Ralf Horlemann. Following the opening speeches, SOCAR Vice President Ziba Mustafayeva delivered the keynote address. The speakers highlighted the ongoing success of the long-term and mutually beneficial partnership between SOCAR and Uniper. They emphasized the strategic importance of their joint projects in strengthening Europes energy security. Special attention was given to the continued efforts to expand cooperation between the two companies across various areas. Presentations were also delivered on key topics including the SOCARUniper partnership, the current status of the Southern Gas Corridor, European energy policy and emerging trends, energy transition, sustainability, decarbonization, public relations, and human resources strategies. These sessions sparked constructive discussions among participants. The meeting also underscored the importance of enhancing cooperation in the areas of communication and corporate social responsibility. At the conclusion of the event, SOCAR and Uniper signed a new Cooperation Program covering the years 20252026. 3 October 2025 19:00 (UTC+04:00) Akbar Novruz Read more Gedik Kaynak LLC, a resident of the Neftchala Industrial District managed by the Economic Zones Development Agency, has exported another 100 tons of electrode products to Turkmenistan. According to the agency, the company will gradually deliver a total of 600 tons of products to the country, Azernews reports. Registered as a resident of the Neftchala Industrial District in 2021, Gedik Kaynak LLC currently produces electrodes in eight sizes, including two types. In the next stage, the enterprise plans to expand its product range by launching the production of stainless steel and aluminum electrodes. As the only electrode producer in Azerbaijan, the enterprise has an annual production capacity of 330 tons. With an investment value of 7.5 million manats (about $4.4 million), it has also created more than 20 permanent jobs. In addition to meeting domestic demand under the Geka brand, the company exports its products to Iraq, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, while negotiations are underway to enter the Russian and Kazakh markets. 3 October 2025 11:42 (UTC+04:00) Laman Ismayilova Read more A delegation from the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Center, operating under the Azerbaijan Culture Ministry, has been on a business trip to South Korea, Azernews reports. It was noted that the visit took place as part of a project implemented under a memorandum signed between the Culture Ministry and ADA University. The main purpose of the trip was to learn about South Korea's experience in the development of cultural and creative industries, as well as to discuss new cooperation opportunities in the fields of innovation and technology. The delegation participated in the "EdTech 2025" exhibition held in Seoul and familiarized themselves with educational programs at the Korea Museum of Contemporary Art. Meetings at the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) focused on the international exchange of creative content and the implementation of joint projects. As part of the program, the delegation also visited the country's leading science and innovation center, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). During the visit, they were introduced to the "Startup KAIST" program and provided information on projects at the intersection of culture and technology. As a result of the visit, it is expected that Azerbaijan's creative industries will expand their international cooperation network, new opportunities will arise for young people, and the countrys creative ecosystem will be enriched with global trends. 3 October 2025 17:45 (UTC+04:00) Laman Ismayilova Read more Bilateral memorandums of cooperation have been signed between the National Libraries of Azerbaijan and Turkiye, Azernews reports. Trilateral memorandum has been signed involving the National Library of Azerbaijan, the Institute of Manuscripts named after Muhammad Fuzuli of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), and the National Library of Morocco. The documents were inked as part of the 11th Baku International Book Fair. In his speech during the ceremony, the Director of the National Library, Professor Karim Tahirov, provided information about the library's international cooperation. He highlighted that Azerbaijan has signed cooperation memorandums with the national libraries of 54 countries to date. Tahirov emphasized that these new agreements would create new opportunities for book and information exchange, the establishment of literature corners, the use of electronic resources, the exchange of expertise, exhibitions, conferences, and online services. Ayhan Tuglu, Director of the National Library of the Republic of Turkiye, noted that the signed document would contribute to the development of cultural and scientific cooperation between the two countries. President of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), Academician Isa Habibbayli, stated that the signing ceremonies held within the framework of the international book fair would make a significant contribution to strengthening international relations in the fields of science, education, and culture. Samira El Malizi, Director of the National Library of Morocco, remarked that libraries play a bridging role between nations, and the signed trilateral memorandum would open new opportunities for future joint projects, exhibitions, and scientific research. With over 5 million books, manuscripts, and maps, the Azerbaijan National Library is considered one of the largest libraries in the Caucasus region. Since 1939, the library has borne the name of the eminent playwright Mirza Fatali Akhundov. The library has an extensive collection of literature in Azerbaijani, Russian, English, and other languages. It has collected and preserved national editions, works of Azerbaijani and foreign authors about Azerbaijan published abroad. The National Leader, Heydar Aliyev, visited the National Library four times in 1995-1997 and donated nearly 300 books from his personal library. In 2004, the Mirza Fatali Akhundov Library was granted the status of a national library by the decision of Azerbaijan's Cabinet of Ministers. The building of the library is no less impressive. The library's faade is decorated with the statues of eminent poets and writers like Nizami Ganjavi, Mahsati Ganjavi, Uzeyir Hajibayli, Shota Rustaveli, Alexander Pushkin and many others. The scope of the library's activities is constantly expanding. In 2005, on the basis of legal copies received from publishing houses and printing companies, the library published the yearbook "Books of Azerbaijan" for 1990, 1991, 2000, and 2001. Over the past years, the National Library has signed a memorandum on bilateral mutual cooperation with about 80 libraries. In 2021, the Culture Ministry and Mirza Fatali Akhundov Library launched a joint campaign, "Let's go to Garabagh with a book", to restore libraries in the Garabagh region. A large number of books were donated to the Garabagh Book Fund by a number of international organizations working in the field of culture, Turkic-speaking countries, famous foreign and local authors, publishers, and printing houses. In 2025, Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) as w officially signed between the National Libraries of Tajikistan and Azerbaijan during a ceremony held in Dushanbe. The agreement was inked by the director of the Azerbaijani National Library, Karim Tahirov, and the director of the Tajikistan National Library, Farzalizada Jumakhon. This memorandum provides a framework for enhanced collaboration between the two institutions, emphasising the exchange of books, publications, and other cultural materials to foster mutual understanding and strengthen the cultural ties between the two nations. It also sets the stage for joint activities and projects aimed at promoting literacy, preserving cultural heritage, and supporting scholarly research. 3 October 2025 12:50 (UTC+04:00) Laman Ismayilova Read more A presentation of " Classic Czech Short Stories", an anthology edited by Dr. Ivana Bozdechova from Charles University and Jaroslav Olsa, Jr, has taken place in Baku. The translation into Azerbaijani was carried out by Shabnam Asadova, a renowned translator. The publication of the book in Azerbaijani by the "Elm v Thsil Nsriyyat" Publishing House represents an important step forward in the cultural exchange between the Czech Republic and Azerbaijan. In an interview with AZERNEWS, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Azerbaijan Milan Sedlacek emphasized the significance of this publication for strengthening the cultural ties between the two countries. He highlighted that this was the first-ever translation of Czech literature into Azerbaijani, describing it as a "momentous step" towards building a stronger cultural connection between the two nations. Q: How do you assess the significance of publishing the anthology for strengthening cultural ties between our countries? A: As I pointed out during the opening ceremony, this is a truly momentous occasion, as it represents the first-ever translation of Czech literature into Azerbaijani. I believe such events do not happen very often. I am very glad that we were able to dedicate three years to preparing this project. In my opinion, this is an important step in the development of our political and economic relations. Q: What contribution does your project make to the development of bilateral relations? A: This anthology covers Czech literature from the 19th century to the present, which allows the reader to gain a comprehensive understanding of the Czech literary tradition. This is a very significant aspect for a single book. After reading it, the reader may become interested in the works of such authors as Karel Capek, Jaroslav Hasek, and other prominent Czech writers. This will give them the opportunity to deepen their knowledge and continue exploring further. If there is demand, we will continue to translate and publish new works. It is also worth noting that this is not the second book in this series, as the first one was a collection of Azerbaijani short stories translated into Czech. This project was carried out by one translator, Shabnam Asadova. The anthology includes Azerbaijani short stories. This project was completed three years ago, and now, as a continuation, we have presented this new anthology. Q: What initiatives are being undertaken to further expand cultural ties between Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic, as well as in other areas? A: One of the key steps, in my opinion, is the opening of the Azerbaijani House in Prague. This is a significant event for the development of cultural exchanges. I know that the director of the Azerbaijani House is actively working in this direction. Many cultural events are held at the Azerbaijani House, and, as is well known, culture is always closely linked to economic development. When the economy prospers, successful businesses emerge that support culture. We are actively working in this direction, and the economic ties are already showing positive results. I hope that based on this, we will continue to develop both cultural and educational projects. Photo Credit: Aydin Sadikhov 3 October 2025 13:40 (UTC+04:00) Laman Ismayilova Read more Dr. Ivana Bozdechova is a distinguished scholar and professor at Charles University in Prague, specializing in Czech literature and translation studies. Dedicated to advancing Czech literary traditions, Doc. Ivana Bozdechova played a key role in editing the "Classic Czech Short Stories" anthology, which has been translated into Azerbaijani. In the interview with AZERNEWS, Doc. Ivana Bozdechova explained how this anthology opens a window into Czech culture, providing Azerbaijani readers with a rare opportunity to connect with Czech history, society, and artistic expression. She expressed her hope that the anthology would spark further interest in Czech literature and strengthen the cultural ties between the two countries. Q: Could you tell us a bit about the Classic Czech Short Stories anthology? What can readers expect from this collection? A: This is the very first collection of Czech literature translated into Azerbaijani. It includes 14 Czech writers, spanning from the second half of the 19th century to contemporary literature. The anthology features a mix of classical and modern Czech literature, showcasing a variety of genres. Among these, eight are living authors, including two women. The collection was designed to reflect the diversity of Czech writing, offering a blend of different genres and voices. The traditional Czech culture represented here will be a unique introduction for readers who might not yet be familiar with Czech literature. Some of the authors featured are well-known internationally, such as Karel Capek. His work is often celebrated not only for his inventions but for its deep reflection on human nature and societal issues. The collection aims to give readers an understanding of Czech culture, both historical and contemporary, through short stories that offer different backgrounds, characters, and life perspectives. It is a way to open the imagination and encourage readers to think about the world in a more expansive way. By reading these stories, one can reflect on how life is lived across different cultures and see common themes that unite us all. Q: Can you tell us about the process behind the creation of this project and how it came to life? A: I first came to Azerbaijan 10 years ago, when I began teaching the Czech language at Baku Slavic University. I started studying your country and the rich culture of the Azerbaijani people. Given that Czechs are avid readers, yet most of them are unfamiliar with Azerbaijani literature, I came up with the idea: why not introduce our readers to the works of Azerbaijani writers?! As a result of careful work, a collection of Azerbaijani short stories titled "Sar Glin" was published, translated into Czech by Shabnam Asadova, with me also serving as the editor. Now, our task was to introduce Azerbaijani readers to the works of Czech authors. Thus, the idea to publish the "Classic Czech Short Stories" anthology was born. What made this translation process especially challenging was our decision to translate directly from Czech. This ensured that the essence and subtleties of the original Czech texts were preserved. With the publication of both books, my goal has been achieved. Q: How do you think this anthology can help Azerbaijani readers connect with Czech culture? A: I believe this anthology can help Azerbaijani readers better understand Czech culture and values. Literature plays an important role in bridging cultural gaps, and this collection offers a window into Czech traditions, history, and society. Just as Azerbaijani literature reflects the unique character of this country, Czech literature expresses our own cultural identity, and through it, we share many common themes such as human emotions, social dynamics, and universal experiences. In both Czech and Azerbaijani cultures, literature and music are central to our identities. We both have a long history of appreciating art, and we share a deep connection to storytelling. I believe this anthology will allow Azerbaijani readers to see these connections and appreciate the shared values between our cultures. Thank you for the opportunity to introduce Czech literature to the people of Azerbaijan. It has been a pleasure to work on this project, and I am thrilled to see it reach Azerbaijani readers. Photo Credit: Aydin Sadikhov 3 October 2025 14:10 (UTC+04:00) Laman Ismayilova Read more A presentation of the anthology "Classic Czech Short Stories" has taken place in Baku, Azernews reports. The book was published by "Elm v Thsil" Publishing House, edited by Ivana Bozdechova and Jaroslav Olsa Jr., with stories translated from Czech into Azerbaijani by Shabnam Asadova. The presentation was attended by diplomats, public figures, members of the Azerbaijani intellectual community, scholars, journalists, and literature lovers. Milan Sedlacek, the Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Azerbaijan emphasized that the publication of Czech short stories in Azerbaijani would strengthen Czech-Azerbaijani cultural relations and provide Azerbaijani readers with an opportunity to explore Czech literature more deeply. He pointed out that this was a historic moment, as for the first time, works by 14 Czech authors were translated into Azerbaijani and published in a single collection. The project showcased Czech literature from the 19th century to the modern era. In his speech, Sedlacek noted that Azerbaijani readers could gain a broader understanding of Czech literature by exploring such a diverse selection of works. He also mentioned that if readers were drawn to any particular writer, they would be encouraged to seek out their other works, thus further immersing themselves in Czech prose. The Ambassador highlighted that the anthology is a continuation of cultural exchange between the two nations, referring to the release of an Azerbaijani short story collection in Czech three years earlier in Prague, edited by Bozdechova. He expressed hope that such initiatives would continue through collaborative literary and cultural projects in the future. Dr. Ivana Bozdechova, the editor of the collection, stressed that "Classic Czech Short Stories" is a unique anthology featuring works by 14 Czech authors, including both 19th-century writers and those who became literary icons in their lifetimes. She shared her personal connection with some of these authors, with whom she had the privilege of meeting. Reflecting on her journey, Dr. Bozdechova explained that she first came to Azerbaijan 10 years ago to teach Czech at Baku Slavic University. Over time, she grew fascinated with the country and its rich culture. Recognizing that Czech readers were largely unfamiliar with Azerbaijani literature, she decided to introduce them to works by Azerbaijani writers. This effort resulted in the publication of the "Sar Glin" anthology, translated by Shabnam Asadova, for which Dr. Bozdechova also served as editor. She noted that the current project "Classic Czech Short Stories" aimed to introduce Azerbaijani readers to Czech literature. After carefully selecting works for the anthology, they were translated into Azerbaijani by Asadova. Dr. Bozdechova expressed her belief that this project would help both nations gain a better understanding of each other's culture, enriching their spiritual lives. She also thanked the Czech Embassy in Azerbaijan and everyone who contributed to the realization of the project. The event also featured readings from selected stories in both Czech, read by Dr. Bozdechova, and Azerbaijani, read by Azerbaijani poetess Leyla Begim Jafarova, which sparked considerable interest among the audience. Photo Credits: Aydin Sadikhov 3 October 2025 11:20 (UTC+04:00) Nazrin Abdul Read more Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have held discussions on strengthening bilateral cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy and atomic technologies, Azernews reports. The talks were held between Chairman of the Kazakhstan Atomic Energy Agency, Almasadam Satkaliyev, and Azerbaijans Minister of Energy, Parviz Shahbazov. The meeting focused on exchanging expertise in the regulation and oversight of the atomic industry, ensuring nuclear and radiation safety, environmental monitoring, and the handling of radioactive materials. Both sides also discussed training and upskilling specialists, diversifying cooperation prospects, and introducing modern nuclear technologies. Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are brotherly nations, united by long-standing ties and a shared commitment to the safe and peaceful development of nuclear energy. We are determined to continue exchanging expertise and strengthening our cooperation, which will benefit both our countries and the wider region, said Satkaliyev. 3 October 2025 10:43 (UTC+04:00) Akbar Novruz Read more On October 2, a powerful photo exhibition dedicated to Azerbaijani landmine victims was opened in Brussels, Belgium, Azernews reports. The exhibition was organized within the framework of the CulMINATION Point of Danger project, implemented by the Gilavar Photo Club Public Union with support from the State Support Agency for NGOs of Azerbaijan. The Fireland Azerbaijanis Union partnered in the initiative on the Belgian side. Speaking at the event, Rashad Mehdiyev, Chairman of the Gilavar Photo Club, emphasized that this was the first NGO-led European exhibition series on Azerbaijans landmine problem held at such a scale. After Munich, Nuremberg, and Paris, the photos we are exhibiting this time in Brussels can be called talking pictures. They tell the stories of people whose lives were destroyed by mines planted by Armenia on Azerbaijani lands. We will not remain silentthe time has come for Armenias military-political leaders, responsible for this cruelty during the 30-year occupation, to answer. Our appeal to the world from Brussels, the capital of the European Union, is for the sake of justice, he said. The exhibition features portraits and testimonies of mine victims. For example, the photo of Elmir Bagirov, who lost both legs after stepping on an anti-tank mine before the age of 18, is accompanied by his words: Can a person fall into an anti-tank mine on his own land? It is difficult to imagine, but I survived. From that day my life full of suffering beganI lost my youth and both legs. Another photo shows Samir Alizadeh, who lost both legs and an eye: One step, two explosions You tell me what happens next Similarly, Rahim Garashov recalls losing his leg while rescuing a colleague from mines buried one on top of the other: What were they trying to do by burying the mines like this? Why so much cruelty? While saving someone else, I became a victim myself. Through QR codes attached to each portrait, visitors could access additional information and statistics about Azerbaijans mine contamination and the ongoing demining efforts. Organizers noted that the exhibition will continue across Europe, raising awareness of the humanitarian tragedy Azerbaijan faces due to mines planted during Armenias occupation of its territories. 3 October 2025 11:52 (UTC+04:00) Akbar Novruz Read more Armenia has expressed strong interest in normalizing relations with Azerbaijan, emphasizing that Yerevan would be among the main beneficiaries of lasting peace and cooperation in the region, Azernews reports. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan made the remarks in an interview with the Polish TPV World channel. If we talk about the railway connection, according to experts, its construction may take at least two years. But we can already use the infrastructure and territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan to send and receive cargo. We have begun discussions with our American partners regarding TRIPP, and I think we can complete this process in the coming months, after which construction should start, Mirzoyan said. The minister also underlined that the text of the peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan has already been initialed, and Yerevan is prepared to sign it as soon as possible. Touching on the broader reconciliation process, Mirzoyan acknowledged the heavy psychological legacy of the decades-long conflict: There is a bloody history and memory on both sides. I believe there is still a certain degree of caution between societies, probably on both sides. The reconciliation process will take time. Peace, as I have already noted, has been established, but it requires constant care and daily efforts from both sides. Mirzoyans remarks highlight Armenias recognition of the economic and strategic opportunities tied to regional cooperation, particularly in transport and connectivity, as well as the challenges of overcoming deep-rooted mistrust between the two nations. 3 October 2025 11:35 (UTC+04:00) President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Federal Republic of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Azernews reports. "Dear Mr. President, On behalf of myself and the people of Azerbaijan, I extend my sincere congratulations to you and all your people on the occasion of October 3 German Unity Day. Germany is an important partner for us, and we attach great importance to the comprehensive development of our bilateral relations. Your visit to Azerbaijan in April gave a fresh impetus to the advancement of our cooperation, which encompasses a broad agenda. I believe that we will continue our joint efforts to further develop the friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Germany, sustain our mutually beneficial cooperation across various fields, and enrich it with new content. On this festive occasion, I wish you robust health, happiness, and success in your endeavors, and the friendly people of Germany lasting peace and prosperity," the letter reads. 3 October 2025 11:38 (UTC+04:00) President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Republic of Korea Lee Jae Myung on the occasion of his countrys National Day, Azernews reports. "Dear Mr. President, On the occasion of the National Day of the Republic of Korea, I extend my heartfelt congratulations and extend best wishes to you and to your entire people on my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan. The successful development of relations between Azerbaijan and Korea is a source of great satisfaction. Today, we have ample opportunities to further deepen our cooperation in a number of areas, particularly in economic-trade, industry, high technologies, digital transformation, science, education, and other areas. I am confident that, in line with the interests of our friendly peoples, we will continue our joint efforts consistently to strengthen Azerbaijan-Korea relations and expand our cooperation. On this festive day, I extend to you my best wishes and wish lasting peace and prosperity to the friendly Republic of Korea," the letter reads. 3 October 2025 11:49 (UTC+04:00) President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid, President of the Republic of Iraq, on the occasion of the country's national day, Azernews reports. "Dear Mr. President, On behalf of myself and the people of Azerbaijan, I extend my most sincere congratulations and best wishes to you and all your people on the occasion of the national holiday of the Republic of Iraq. I highly value our recent meeting in New York and the exchange of views we held. I am confident that we will continue our joint efforts to further strengthen Azerbaijan-Iraq relations and to fully realize the potential of our mutually beneficial cooperation, both bilaterally and within multilateral frameworks. On this significant day, I wish you robust health, happiness, and success in your endeavors, and the friendly people of Iraq lasting peace and prosperity." 3 October 2025 11:53 (UTC+04:00) Germany is an important partner for us, and we attach great importance to the comprehensive development of our bilateral relations, said President Ilham Aliyev in a congratulatory letter to President of the Federal Republic of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Azernews reports. "Your visit to Azerbaijan in April gave a fresh impetus to the advancement of our cooperation, which encompasses a broad agenda. I believe that we will continue our joint efforts to further develop the friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Germany, sustain our mutually beneficial cooperation across various fields, and enrich it with new content," the letter reads. 3 October 2025 16:03 (UTC+04:00) Nazrin Abdul Read more On October 23, an international conference titled A Turning Point for the Caspian Sea: From COP29 and UNOC 2025 Outcomes to COP30 Action was held at the Baku Congress Center. Azernews reports that the event was initiated by Leyla Aliyeva, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and founder and head of the IDEA Public Union. The opening session on October 3 featured speeches from Mukhtar Babayev, Special Representative of the President of Azerbaijan on Climate Issues and COP29 President; Rauf Hajiyev, Deputy Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources; Michael Fishbach, founder and director of the Great Whale Conservancy; Jeyhun Aliyev, Director of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Center under the Ministry of Agriculture; Eugene Seah, Chief Operations Officer at Baku International Sea Trade Port; and Pascal Peduzzi, Director of the UN Environment Programmes (UNEP) Global Resource Information Database in Geneva, who joined virtually. Speakers addressed the mounting environmental challenges facing the Caspian Sea, the worlds largest enclosed inland body of water. These include a significant drop in sea levels, depletion of marine biodiversity, degradation of coastal ecosystems, and increasing pollutionissues that, as emphasized by participants, cannot be resolved by individual countries alone. It was noted that over the past decade, the Caspian Sea has experienced a drop of 2.5 meters, posing serious risks to coastal infrastructure, fisheries, local communities, and ecosystems. The receding shoreline introduces further environmental threats such as soil salinization and loss of biodiversity. The speakers stressed that the Caspians climate-driven transformations carry regional implications and require coordinated action, joint research, and mutual trust among littoral states. The importance of translating the outcomes of Azerbaijans COP29 presidency into practical steps and long-term solutions was also underlined. The conference continued with expert panel discussions involving representatives from COP29, UNEP, UN-Habitat, and leading scientific and research institutions from various countries. Discussions focused on strengthening regional cooperation for Caspian Sea protection, sustainable water resource management, and enhancing international coordination. Participants highlighted the need for stronger scientific collaboration in addressing the regions complex ecological challenges. Jointly organized by the IDEA Public Union and the Caspisnet scientific network, the conference brought together experts from more than 10 countries, specializing in marine ecology, sustainable aquaculture, hydrology, geographic information systems, and other relevant fields. The aim was to exchange knowledge on sea level fluctuations, marine biodiversity conservation, and ecological balance, while identifying shared solutions. As part of the event, participants are also scheduled to visit Absheron National Park to gain firsthand insight into the Caspians rich biodiversity. 3 October 2025 09:00 (UTC+04:00) By Alimat Aliyeva Major Korean food companies are shining the spotlight on K-food at Anuga 2025, which takes place from Saturday to Wednesday in Cologne, Germany. For the first time, Korea will be featured as the guest country at the worlds largest food trade fair, Azernews reports, citing Korean media. According to industry officials on Thursday, leading Korean brands such as Nongshim, Dongwon Group, Daesang, Lotte Wellfood, Samyang Foods, and Pulmuone will participate with booths. The fair will host around 8,000 companies from 118 countries and is expected to attract 150,000 visitors from the food and retail sectors. Nongshim and Pulmuone plan to showcase popular Korean snacks. Nongshim will operate a booth styled as a Shin Ramyun snack bar, offering tastings including the popular Shin Ramyun Toomba. The company will also unveil a new product, Shin Ramyun Kimchi Fried Noodles, aimed at global markets. Pulmuone will highlight tofu, Asian noodles, rice balls, tteokbokki (spicy sticky rice cakes), and gimbap (seaweed rice rolls), alongside a range of health-focused and vegan products. Pulmuone Chairman Lee Hyo-yul and CEO Lee Woo-bong will attend the event. Recently, Pulmuone opened a sales office in Amsterdam and plans to establish a European subsidiary later this year to strengthen its foothold in the region. Dongwon Group will present its exhibition under the slogan Answering Needs. Dongwon F&B will focus on its tuna products, which contain 25 grams of protein per canalmost half of the daily recommended intake for an adult. Its Yangban brand will showcase essential Korean foods such as tteokbokki, dried seaweed, kimchi, and instant rice. We aim to promote healthy, Korean-style products to global food buyers who have a strong interest in K-food, said Yoo Seol-a, head of overseas marketing at Dongwon F&B. Samyang Foods, famous for its fiery Buldak spicy noodles, will make its debut at Anuga. The companys booth, branded Buldak Spicy Club, will highlight Buldak noodles and sauces. Vice Chairman Kim Jung-soo will attend in person. We expect Anuga to strengthen Buldaks position as a leading K-spicy brand and help expand our international markets, the company said. Daesang will focus on kimchi in Europe, hosting a cooking show featuring Michelin-starred chef Fabrizio Ferrari, who will create innovative fusion dishes using kimchi. Binggrae will introduce its fish-shaped ice cream sandwich, Bungeoppang Samanco, to European buyers for the first time, while Lotte Wellfood will showcase Pepero and its sugar-free Zero brand. Korea is joining the worlds largest food fair as the guest country at a time when the global Korean Wave is boosting the popularity of K-food, said Park Jin-sun, chairman of the Korea Food Industry Association and CEO of Sempio Food. This event will help K-food establish itself not only as a consumer product but as an integral part of global culture. Andrej Babis, who earned the nickname "the Czech Trump" in a previous term is returning to power, with an impressive win for his populist nationalist anti-immigration ANO party in the Czech parliamentary election, soundly defeating the currently governing traditional conservative coalition led by the Civic Democrats. ANO means "Yes" in the Czech language and stands for the party's full name "Action of Dissatisfied Citizens." ANO exceeded poll predictions, winning 34.6% of the vote and 80 seats in the 200 seat parliament. Babis has announced he intends to form a coalition with two other populist nationalist anti-immigration parties, Freedom and Direct Democracy which won 15 seats, and Motorists for Themselves, which won 13 seats. All three parties campaigned against illegal immigration and against the European Union's climate policy. Freedom and Direct Democracy openly calls for a referendum to leave the EU. https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/2117215/czech-elections-andrej-babis-european-union?int_source=nba https://europeanconservative.com/articles/news/andrej-babis-returns-as-ano-tops-czech-elections/ https://rmx.news/commentary/we-are-so-back-babis-win-in-czechia-is-a-huge-victory-for-european-conservatives/ https://www.zerohedge.com/political/czech-trump-andrej-babis-wins-election-returns-prime-minister-latest-european-populist https://europeanconservative.com/articles/news/babis-kicks-off-coalition-talks-after-weekend-win/ ________________________________________________________________________________________ Original post: In his first stint as prime minister, Andrej Babis was nicknamed "the Czech Trump". Now the last poll prior to Saturday's parliamentary election shows Babis poised to return to power in the Czech Republic with his populist nationalist anti-immigration ANO Party holding a ten point lead over its nearest rival, the currently governing traditional conservative coalition built around the Civic Democrats. ANO means "Yes" in the Czech language and is the initials of the party's full name, Action of Dissatisfied Citizens. Babis has focused his campaign on two issues, rejecting illegal immigration, and rejecting the European Union's climate agenda which he calls "green madness". He is a staunch eurosceptic. Those policies are resonating with Czech voters. Overall, the poll gives parties of the populist nationalist anti-immigration right 51% of the vote, the traditional right 31%, the traditional left 10%, the populist nationalist left 7%, and others 1%. The once powerful Social Democrats who held the prime minister's post just before Babis' prior term have totally imploded. https://europeanconservative.com/articles/news/eurosceptic-babis-on-track-for-election-comeback-in-czech-republic/ ANO leads with 31%, followed by the Civic Democrat led coalition, SPOLU at 21%. In third place, with 13%, is an even more strident populist nationalist party, Freedom and Direct Democracy, whose anti-immigration platform even calls for banning mosques in the country and also calls for a referendum to leave the EU. Tied for fourth at 10% each are another traditional conservative coalition, STAN and the more or less traditional left Pirate Party. The only other party of the left in the running is Stacilo, a populist nationalist left party that also wants a referendum to leave the European Union and has said it is willing to join an ANO-led government. Stacilo is in sixth place at 7%. In seventh, at 5%, right at the threshold to be awarded seats, is another populist nationalist right party, Motorists for Themselves who are fiercely opposed to EU climate policies and wokeness generally. Falling below the threshold at 2% in eighth place is the populist nationalist anti-immigration Prisaha Party. It is expected that ANO and Freedom and Direct Democracy will be the core of the new government. If a third party is needed for a majority and it succeeds in passing the 5% threshold, Motorists for Themselves would round out the government If not, Stacilo would probably fill that role. They would be a better fit as the traditional conservative parties are too tied to the EU establishment. Construction work on the new terrace extension at Forestside Danish retailer Sostrene Grene is hoping to open a new store at south Belfasts Forestside Shopping Centre in the new year, Belfast Telegraph understands. The Belfast Telegraph revealed this week that both Sostrene Grene and confectionery brand Hotel Chocolat are due to open at Forestside. Its understood Sostrene Grene is aiming to open its store in the new year. However, no details have yet been confirmed. The incoming tenants are due to set up in a terrace with a canopy and space for four retail units being built at Forestside. Hotel Chocolat said it had no information about a Forestside opening, though the business has been expanding around Northern Ireland. It recently opened its fourth Northern Ireland outlet at Rushmere Shopping Centre in Craigavon. Construction work on the new terrace extension at Forestside Sostrene Grene sells homeware, stationery, gifts and interior furnishings, and first opened in Belfasts Ann Street in 2016. Its fourth Northern Ireland outlet is due to open at the Richmond Centre in Derry next week. The business has a target of 100 stores across the UK by 2030, with 50 open already. Sostrene Grene, meaning Grene Sisters, was set up in Denmark in 1973 by Inger Grene and Knud Cresten. The theme of the store is based on the recommendations of two fictional elderly sisters, Anna and Clara. The first shop on the island of Ireland was opened in 2015 by Niall and Heather Lawlor. Mr Lawlor had encountered the brand in Denmark during visits while he was living in Sweden and working for Gamestop. Christmas wares at Sostrene Grene In the UK, the stores are operated by Norma Jacob and Richard Power. Earlier this week as the opening date for its Derry store was announced, Ms Jacob said: Derry is such a dynamic and creative city and the Richmond Centre is the perfect location for our newest store. "Were excited to bring something a little different to the local shopping scene, offering a store that feels calming, welcoming and full of discovery. There are also Sostrene Grene stores in Rushmere Shopping Centre, Craigavon, and in Bangor. I love being here: Hollywood writer with Belfast roots on returning to Ireland for his show Moulin Rouge! The Musical He was very generous by nature, with young actors: Celebrating the life of Irish dramatist Brian Friel This weekend celebrates the anniversary of one of the islands greatest literary artists, writes Aine Toner Playwright Brian Friel. Aine Toner Fri 3 Oct 2025 at 07:18 This weekend, a star-studded series of events are taking place in Glenties, Co Donegal, to honour the 10th anniversary of Brian Friels death. One of Northern Irelands most senior judges is retiring from office after a career characterised by his profound sense of fairness and humanity. Tributes were paid to Lord Justice Mark Horner at a farewell gathering in Belfast for the intellectual ability and moral courage he has brought to the judicial role. BBC NI presenters Connor Phillips and Holly Hamilton have announced the birth of their second child. The couple took to social media to announce the arrival of their new baby boy yesterday after Holly confirmed her pregnancy in June. Oscar John James Phillips weighs 8lbs and 11oz and is now the younger brother of Fionn. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content Posting the announcement on Instagram, Connor revealed the name of their newborn and attached a photo of the baby with his hand wrapped around a finger. The post added: Oscar the Irish legend who battled the King of the world Im hoping his lifetime battles are a bit more manageable! Holly Hamilton is amazing and is doing great. His brother Fionn is taking his role very well! Failte romhat chuig an domhan a fhear beag. The couple revealed their first born would be having a sibling over the summer via a reel on Hollys Instagram account. The video at the time showed Holly presenting Connor with a teddy of a dog and a positive pregnancy test. She captioned it: We have some newsFeels like a lifetime ago that I told @connorphillipstv over a curry. (For a second, I think he thought we were getting a puppy). Connor and Holly News Catch Up - Thursday 2 October The video also featured baby scan images, clips of Holly displaying her baby bump, and images from the moment the couple shared the news with their young son, Fionn, who was born in January 2021. Connor said at the time that the birthing plan the couple had in place for the arrival of Fionn basically "went in the bin" as they arrived at the hospital. He also praised all the staff at the Ulster Hospital for their efforts on making the couple comfortable. "It's the weirdest thing, the scariest thing you'll ever do, but they made it.. they just sat there and had the craic with us. And we were cacking ourselves," he said. Holly, who's originally from Greyabbey in Co Down, and the Jonesborough man met when they were both together at Downtown Radio and Cool FM before landing jobs with the BBC. They were married in a ceremony in the Algarve in June 2018. Belfast City Council will send a letter of condolence to the family of Charlie Kirk, following a successful DUP proposal. At the October meeting of the full council, DUP Alderman Dean McCullough gave a eulogy on the campaigner. Kirk was a close ally of President Donald Trump, and his views attracted huge swathes of young people to the MAGA movement, while inflaming liberal observers who believed some of his messaging to be divisive. Charlie Kirk promoted free speech and open debates, particularly for young people. He was assassinated last month while addressing an audience on the campus of Utah Valley University during a Prove me Wrong debate, speaking at the moment of the attack about trans issues and guns. He was 31 years old, and left behind a wife and two children. At a memorial service held following his death and attended by both Mr Trump and vice president JD Vance, Mr Kirks widow, Erika, in her own address said in the midst of her grief, she was finding comfort that her husband left this world without regrets. She also said she forgave the man who is charged with killing him. Kirk, an evangelical Christian who was known for being a fluent speaker and skilful debater, was a big name in the United States, and had a highly successful podcast from 2019. Councillor Dean McCullough DUP Alderman McCullough said before the chamber at Belfast city hall: At just 18, Charlie co-founded Turning Point USA, spreading conservative ideas on campuses across America and the wider world. His message was clear: faith and family. It is deeply disappointing to see members opposite smirking during this tribute. He said: I was privileged to attend a rally at Belfast city hall held in his memory, a rally for free speech. I pay tribute to (TUV) Councillor McDowell, who spoke at that rally. There in the midst of such satanic hate, we saw the hope his life and message continues to inspire, particularly in young people. Young people like Charlie Kirk come along only once in a generation. He was winning the next generation back to the conservative cause, and that, make no mistake, was why he was targeted. The far left could not defeat him in debate, so they cheered on his assassination. Words are not violence, shooting Charlie Kirk in the neck, in front of his wife and children, is violence. He was asked once in a now famous clip, if he could be associated with one thing, how would he want to be remembered. His answer was: I want to be remembered for courage for my faith, that would be the most important thing, for the most important thing is my faith. That is how he will be remembered. Charlie Kirk is a martyr, a martyr for Christ, a martyr for free speech, and truly with the apostle Paul he can say: I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. He asked the Lord Mayor to write to Kirks widow, Erica, and their children, sending thoughts and prayers from Belfast. The Mayor agreed. Charlie Kirk. Photo: Getty News Catch Up - Thursday 2 October Mr Kirk was a provocateur who at times made statements that some called racist, misogynistic, anti-immigrant and transphobic. That has drawn backlash from conservatives who view the criticism as cherry-picking a few select moments to insult the legacy of someone they see as an inspirational conservative leader. A 22-year-old Utah man, Tyler Robinson, has been charged with killing Mr Kirk and faces the death penalty if convicted of the most serious charges. Authorities have not revealed a clear motive in the shooting, but prosecutors say Robinson wrote in a text to his partner following the shooting that he had enough of Mr Kirks hatred. Turning Point, the group Mr Kirk founded to mobilise young Christian conservatives, became a multi-million-dollar operation under his leadership with enormous reach. Graham Davidson and Ciaran Dunbar with the New York Festival Radio Award earlier this year The Belfast Telegraphs podcast series The BelTel has won a top award in The British Podcast Awards 2025. The prestigious award show was hosted in London last night, with The BelTel scooping bronze in the News and Current Affairs category. Significant big names were represented among those competing, with shows hosted by the likes of David Tennant, Louis Theroux, Lily Allen and Miquita Oliver all earning nominations, along with Angela Hartnett and Nick Grimshaw, as well as Elis James and John Robins. The ultimate winner of The BelTels category was the BBCs To Catch a Scorpion, with another BBC podcast, Who Killed Emma? earning sliver. Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring from The Citizens is the only non-BBC entry in the news and current affairs category, aside from The BelTel. The BelTel's Olivia Peden The awards, overseen by BBC Radio 4 Today presenter Emma Barnett, honour a wide range of genres such as arts and culture, documentaries, comedy, true crime, parenting, and health. Eoin Brannigan, editor-in-chief of the Belfast Telegraph and Sunday Life said: "Picking up bronze at the UK's primary podcasting awards is a phenomenal result for a regional podcast like the BelTel. I'm very proud of what our audio team produces and delighted that their work has been be recognised in such illustrious company." Earlier this year, The BelTel also won a New York Festivals Audio Award for the second year in a row. The NYF awards are considered among the most prestigious in the news genre. The BelTel won a Silver Tower prize in News Podcast category, competing against podcasts from Al Jazeera, the Economist and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Graham Davidson and Ciaran Dunbar with the New York Festival Radio Award earlier this year The BelTels sister podcast, The Indo Daily, won a Bronze Award in the same category. The award followed the two-part special of The BelTel Killing Edgar: The IRA murder of lawyer Edgar Graham, hosted by Sam McBride, being named runner-up in the News Report: Investigation category last year. The latest success comes in the same month the Belfast Telegraph was shortlisted across five categories at the prestigious UK-wide Society of Editors Media Freedom Awards 2025. The BelTel's Olivia Peden and Graham Davidson News Catch Up - Thursday 2 October The awards recognise excellence across all sectors of the UK news industry and will culminate with a high-profile ceremony at the iconic Underglobe in London in November. Northern Ireland Editor Sam McBride has been shortlisted in two categories at the awards, including the Ecotricity Impact Award For Environmental Journalism Regional. He has also been shortlisted as Journalist of the Year Regional. Visuals Editor Kevin Scott has been shortlisted in the Photo Journalist of the Year category. The Belfast Telegraph has also been shortlisted for the Investigation of the Year Regional for journalist Liam Tunneys exclusive investigation into Darren Campbell, the owner of a controversial Northern Irish brand builder company that went bust. Finally, the Belfast Telegraph has also been shortlisted in the Regional News Media Organisation of the Year category. The award ceremony this year will be presented on November 12 by high profile ITV News Journalist and Presenter Lucrezia Millarini. Police have arrested a man in connection with racially-motivated graffiti tagged in several locations of Lisburn. The PSNI said they received several reports of the graffiti in the city on Friday. Earlier this afternoon, Chief Inspector Rocks confirmed police were treating the incidents as racially-motivated hate crimes. He added: We will also continue to engage with local representatives and partner agencies concerning this issue. A 45-year-old man was arrested News Catch Up - Thursday 2 October We would appeal to anyone who may have witnessed suspicious activity in the area, or who may have relevant dash-cam, CCTV or other footage, to contact us on 101, quoting reference number 214 of 03/10/25. Read more Man who filmed himself smashing up boat with a hammer avoids jail They said a 45-year-old man has been subsequently arrested on suspicion criminal damage and remains in custody at this time. Sinn Fein councillor for Lisburn Declan Lynch condemned the appalling vandalism in his constituency. Councillor Lynch said: Lisburn is proudly welcoming and diverse. Any form of hate flies in the face of the spirit of our community. There is no place for racism in our society or the behaviours that fuel it, and those involved must face justice. I want to praise the swift response by Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council in removing the graffiti, as well as the work of the PSNI in arresting an individual connected to the incidents. Meet NIs schoolgirl writer who has released her debut novel: Its difficult to be taken seriously at 14 Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council has sent a warning letter to Royal Hillsborough Protestant Boys over an alleged nuisance level beating of a Lambeg Drum. But, the flute band says they dont own one of the instruments. The councils environment committee this week has now been asked to review how it progresses noise nuisance complaints in light of recent claims against the village band. Downshire East DUP councillor, Andrew Gowan said: I want to raise an issue with a complaint made to Royal Hillsborough Protestant Boys. It is not a matter whether the complaint is valid or not. But they have been warned over noise levels from a Lambeg Drum, but the band dont even own one. A simple check by council officers on Facebook would have been able to see that. He added: How are these matters reported and how do we respond? This is about the overall process, Im not looking to get into the right or wrongs of the complaints, but perhaps we need to look at how we manage such complaints and the sending out of letters. A Lambeg Drum, which can be used in Orange Order parades is considered one of the loudest acoustic instruments in the world. The Local Democracy Reporting Service contacted the Royal Hillsborough Protestant Boys for comment. A spokesperson said: We are annoyed and upset due to the fact that we only practice once a week from 6.30pm to 7.30pm and the majority of the band are children. We have never had anyone complain about us before. There definitely isnt a Lambeg Drum involved, the largest we have is a Bass Drum, which is about a third the size of a Lambeg. We are very active in the community and do a lot of family events and support vulnerable people in the village. We are just saddened. We are not people who go out to cause harm or injury to anybody. My only real worry is that the complaint is from someone who is intolerant of our culture. We are actually a band made up of members of different religions and atheists. We are not all Protestants and we are not all boys, we have girls in the band too. The majority of people in our country want to get on with each other, but there is a minority who keep division going. We would have preferred the person who made the complaint to come and discuss it with us instead of going to the council and we could have come to some agreement. The LDRS has seen the Noise Disturbance letter sent by LCCC on concerns of noise from Hillsborough Orange Hall. It reads: The complaint alleges that once or twice a week, up to three hours at a time, the volume created by the Lambeg Drum practice is causing a material disturbance within their property. A man plays a Lambeg drum during preparations for the Eleventh Night Bonfires in Belfast Belfast History Explained: The Story of the River Farset It adds: If the council is satisfied that a noise nuisance exists, it has a legal duty to serve a Noise Abatement Notice on the persons responsible. The LDRS understands that the Royal Hillsborough Protestant Boys is due to meet with officers of LCCC this week. In chambers, a council officer responded: There are no set levels of noise nuisance, it is subjective to the environment of a city or rural setting. Also, it is about how long or how often the noise is occurring. When some people make a complaint they may not be clear on what is causing the noise and may have complained about a Lambeg Drum, when it might not be that. He added: The legislation is written for Joe Bloggs it does not take into account a particular issue such as tinnitus for example. People can complain anonymously on the council website of a noise nuisance. It is then a matter of gathering up what evidence there is before any matter would potentially lead to a court hearing. Enniskillen bomb victim Jim Dixon stood in Fermanagh-South Tyrone in 2001 and was backed by the DUP. Photo: Brian Little/Presseye IRA victim Jim Dixon the most seriously injured person to survive the Enniskillen bomb has passed away in hospital. Mr Dixon, who died aged 88, was a businessman and was just 10 feet away from the bomb when it went off on November 8, 1987, during a Remembrance Day service in the Co Fermanagh town. Eleven people were killed and over 60 were injured after it blew out one of the building's walls, showering the area with debris and burying some people in several feet of rubble. A funeral notice said Mr Dixon passed away peacefully on Thursday at the South West Acute Hospital. The notice confirmed a funeral service will take in Enniskillen Independent Methodist Church, Tempo Road, Enniskillen on Monday 6th October at 3pm. He has been remembered as a beloved Father, Grandfather, Friend, Patron, and Brother in Christ. He is survived by his wife Anna, three daughters Suzanne, Sharon and Serena, his five grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. Paying tribute to him, Enniskillen councillor Roy Crawford said: I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Jim Dixon. Jim was a mentor, a man of great faith and integrity, and someone who gave so much of himself to others. "His quiet strength, wisdom and compassion left a lasting impact on everyone who knew him. My thoughts and prayers are with Anna and all the family circle at this difficult time. Jim will be sorely missed. Speaking to this newspaper back in 2009, Mr Dixon spoke about the injuries he sustained as a result of the blast. I suffer horrendously every day, life is a living hell for me, he said. My skull was fractured in a number of areas. My eyes were sitting down on my cheeks when the doctors found me. They had to put my eyes back into place. My mouth was blown out. My jaw was missing on the right hand said. I was split open nine inches from my chin to my ear. My face and tongue were paralysed. I had nine broken ribs. My pelvis, two hips and one leg were smashed. Three surgeons told me I wouldnt live. Its a miracle I survived. The time I spent in hospital was horrendous. I was in intensive care for a very long time. The IRA kidnapping of Dutch industrialist Dr Tiede Herrema that shocked the world The father-of-threes wife Anna was also caught up in the bomb that dreadful day, although she escaped unhurt. The buttons were blown off her coat and her shoes were blown off her feet and she was blackened all over, he said. It was nothing too serious, but the trauma was bad enough. Mr Dixon had also, with his wife, founded the Ely Centre in Enniskillen a charity that provides support and assistance to retired police, security force officers, armed forces veterans and their families, who have been physically or psychologically injured or bereaved as a result of their service. A spokesperson for the organisation stated on Friday: Jim, along with his wife Anna formed the Ely Centre after the Enniskillen Bomb and throughout all those years remained as Chairperson up until 2023 whereupon he was unanimously voted as our Organisational Patron. "Jim was fiercely loyal to his beliefs, to his family, to the truth and to us all here at the Ely Centre, they added. "He respected those who held differing perspectives on our past and always surprised many during our meetings and speaking events in confirming that he was a Proud Irishman, a Unionist, Gaelic Speaking Christian from Clones. "He really was one in a million, whose perspective is so desperately needed in our country. "For us close to him Jim was the one you called, when you didnt know who to call. He listened, maybe made you repeat it and when he did speak, his words mattered. Jim believed in showing up and always looking your best even on the hard days, or for the quiet moments when someone just needed to know they werent alone. "Thats the kind of love he gave. The kind that didnt make a show of itself but changed you all the same. His legacy will not just be in the memories we cherish but in the way we now try to live with a bit more patience, a bit more kindness, and a lot more heart. Online tributes have also poured in from various members of the local community. One person stated: What a wonderful gentleman. Musically gifted. A man of integrity. Another wrote: Jim was a gentleman with great Christian values. "A great family friend when our two families were growing up in Newtownbutler. Deepest sympathy to his wife and three daughters. Keeping you all in are thoughts and prayers at this sad time, said a third. Politics Alliance MP on honour of being only MP from NI nominated for Backbencher of the Year: I am more grateful than you will ever know Irish presidential candidate Catherine Connolly insists gun convict was not Eirigi member when she was hired Connolly rejects suggestion she engaged with Gardai over job offer as incorrectQuestions need to be asked Ms Connolly questions how story became leaked Presidential candidate Catherine Connolly said she had no contact with gardai in relation to the process (Niall Carson/PA) Eavan Murray and Mary Regan Fri 3 Oct 2025 at 09:33 Presidential candidate Catherine Connolly has insisted a gun convict she brought in to work in her Dail office was no longer a member of Eirigi at the time, even though the group continued to refer to her as a comrade while she was in prison. Activists want the Irish Government to act on claim of breach of maritime laws Sinn Fein Senator Chris Andrews is still being held by Israel. Photo: RollingNews.ie Tanaiste Simon Harris has confirmed that all 16 Irish citizens on board the flotilla on route to Gaza have been transferred to a detention facility in southern Israel. This morning I convened a meeting of senior officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, following updates overnight, on the situation of the 16 Irish citizens who were on board the Global Sumud Flotilla before its interception, said Mr Harris. Over the past number of weeks, I have repeatedly stated that I understand that the peaceful efforts of those that were on board reflect an understandable desire by many people around the world to urgently address the humanitarian needs of the people of Gaza. I can confirm that, in the last 24 hours, all 16 of our citizens were transferred to a detention facility in southern Israel. In this situation, my clear priority is their safety and wellbeing. An Embassy team, including our Ambassador to Israel, is currently at the detention facility, and is providing all possible and appropriate consular assistance, including ensuring access to legal representation and facilitating medical treatment where necessary. Dublin-based officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade are also in close contact with family members who have requested our support. I understand that this is an exceptionally difficult time for them, and we will continue to update them as we receive more information. I am aware of a number of Irish citizens participating in other Flotillas en route to Gaza and have instructed my Department to closely monitor that evolving situation. Meanwhile, Sinn Fein senator Chris Andrews is one of the Irish citizens who remains detained by Israeli forces after being forcibly abducted from boats in international waters as part of the flotilla attempting to carry aid to Gaza. Mr Andrews and the other Irish aboard were taken by Israeli soldiers on Wednesday night and have yet to be released. They were among 450 activists who were taken captive. The Sinn Fein senator last night said the boat he was on, the Spectre, was reportedly subjected to water cannon attacks, ramming and communication jamming. Hundreds of participants have been forcibly abducted despite committing no crime and sailing in international waters, Sinn Fein said, adding that Mr Andrews has been taken to the Israeli port city of Ashdod and is awaiting deportation. This is an unlawful kidnapping, in clear violation of international law, the spokesperson said. Among the Irish detained by Israeli forces are comedian Tadhg Hickey, poet Sarah Clancy, writer Louise Heaney, Diarmuid Mac Dubhghlais, Thomas McCune and Tara OGrady. The interception of the flotilla and detention of the activists aboard has caused widespread condemnation across Europe and sparked multiple protests in cities across the continent. Sinn Fein Senator Chris Andrews is still being held by Israel. Photo: RollingNews.ie The Global Sumud Flotilla, made up of 43 boats and 500 activists at its height, is trying to carry humanitarian aid to Gaza. Irish novelist Naoise Dolan, also aboard a smaller vessel at the tail of the flotilla, is steadfast she will still make it to Gaza. Ms Dolan (33) said she still expects to reach Gaza in seven days as part of a fleet of eight boats carrying 60 peace activists tailing the flotilla, intent on bringing aid in to the bombarded enclave. I lost contact with my friend, Cork trade unionist Donna Schwarz, at around 5am [yesterday], Ms Dolan told the Irish Independent. She told me her boat was still going and was around 15 nautical miles from Gaza. But I havent been able to get in contact with her since, so Im concerned they were intercepted illegally by Israel. The Irish Government must protect my friends, who have been illegally taken by Israel. Its a humanitarian mission, no threat to anybody Its vital the Irish Government orders the release of Irish citizens whove been illegally taken by Israel and that all governments call for the immediate release of their citizens. The Irish Government needs to act unilaterally now and not wait for Europe. It needs to sanction Israel. There were 22 Irish citizens on board the Global Sumud Flotilla before it was intercepted. Taoiseach Micheal Martin said those on the flotilla posed no danger to anybody and that it was important those on board are treated properly. Its a humanitarian mission, no threat to anybody other than to highlight and also to bring humanitarian aid into the people of Gaza, Mr Martin said. Gardai tackle protesters blocking Dublin Port yesterday. Photo: Mark Condren It underlines the absolute imperative of getting humanitarian aid into Gaza as quickly as possible under the auspices of the United Nations and the Red Crescent, as outlined in the peace proposals that emanated from the United States in consultation with the Arab states. Asked if it was a breach of international maritime law, Mr Martin replied: If it happened in international waters, yes. He said the Department of Foreign Affairs had consistently advised against people visiting the area because of the obvious dangers. There are no reports of injuries among the Irish citizens, Tanaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Harris said. He said his officials had been instructed to register strong condemnation of the actions of the Israeli authorities and to highlight an expectation that the welfare of the citizens is protected. Activists including Greta Thunberg after being intercepted. Photo: Reuters Hezbollah terror case against Kneecap rapper thrown out after technical error Read more Kneecaps Mo Chara could face new terrorism charge Ireland signed a joint statement that recalls that any violation of international law and human rights of the participants in the flotilla, including attacks against the vessels in international waters or illegal detention, will lead to accountability, Mr Harris said. This is our position, and it still stands. International law matters must be upheld and I will consider with counterparts how best to advance this. Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said her party lost contact with Chris Andrews on Wednesday evening, about 30 minutes before the boat he was on was intercepted. There must be a reckoning for Israel. Ireland stands with the people of Gaza and Palestine. We stand against genocide, occupation and brutalisation, Ms McDonald said. Whats happening in Palestine is unforgivable Protests erupted in many cities over the action taken by Israel against the flotilla and one such protest in Dublin city yesterday saw Dublin Port blocked for hours and traffic in the capital seriously disrupted. Members of the garda public order unit physically removed the protesters after hours of disruption. The group blocked both the entrance and exit of Dublin Port, creating a large build up of trucks and cars. Truck drivers transporting goods, people returning from holidays and port employees were held up in traffic for several hours. Those in attendance included Trinity College Dublins Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Committee, along with other protesters for Palestine. Former president of Trinitys student union, Jenny Maguire said: Whats happening in Palestine is unforgivable and the rules that are meant to stop this from happening havent worked. And the people have been organising with government inaction. And what we are seeing today is a demonstration of humanity. Weve had many activists go up and down the road. Its been mixed, but theres been great levels of support. Theres truck drivers sat down with us as well as, some who are annoyed and of course they are. A garda representative later declared that protesters had gone beyond the reach of a peaceful protest, requesting the group to move. Following this the exit of the port was vacated by the group themselves with gardai then physically removing protesters who remained blocking the entrance. Military Cameras broadcasting live feeds from the boats showed armed Israeli soldiers in helmets and night vision goggles boarding the ships, while passengers huddled in life vests with their hands up. A video from the Israeli foreign ministry showed Thunberg, the most prominent of the passengers, sitting on a deck surrounded by soldiers. Thunberg, 22, best known for her environmental protests, had pre-recorded a video that was released on her behalf after her ship was boarded. "If you are watching this video, I have been abducted and taken against my will by Israeli forces," she said. "Our humanitarian mission was non-violent and abiding by international law." Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he expected the members of the flotilla to be expelled from Israel on Monday and Tuesday and sent to European capitals on charter flights. The Israeli foreign ministry said in a statement it was taking all the people it had captured from the flotilla ashore at Ashdod, and that all were "safe and in good health." "One last vessel of this provocation remains at a distance," the ministry said. "If it approaches, its attempt to enter an active combat zone and breach the blockade will also be prevented." Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan criticised Israeli aggression, saying it showed Israel's government has no intention of letting hopes for peace grow. "I condemn the thuggery directed at the Global Sumud Flotilla, which set out to draw attention to the barbarity of children dying of hunger in Gaza and to deliver humanitarian aid to the oppressed Palestinians, he said in a speech to officials from his AK Party in the capital Ankara. The Istanbul chief prosecutor's office said it had launched an investigation into the detention of 24 Turkish citizens on the vessels, Turkeys state-owned Anadolu news agency reported. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa urged Israel to immediately release South Africans who were on the flotilla, including former President Nelson Mandela's grandson, Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela. The activists were expected to be transferred to the immigration authority upon arrival in Ashdod, from where they will be moved to Ketziot Prison in southern Israel before they are deported, said Suhad Bishara, the director at Adalah, a human rights organisation and legal centre in Israel. The flotilla, which set sail in late August, was transporting medicine and food to Gaza and consisted of more than 40 civilian vessels with parliamentarians, lawyers and activists in a high-profile display of opposition to Israel's blockade of Gaza, which many have said amounts to violations of the Genocide Convention. Israeli officials have repeatedly denounced the mission as a stunt. Israel is defending itself against charges of genocide in the International Court of Justice and broader global opprobrium, arguing its actions have been in self-defence. As the flotilla sailed across the Mediterranean Sea, Turkey, Spain and Italy sent boats or drones in case their nationals required assistance, even as it triggered repeated warnings from Israel to turn back. The flotilla is the latest seaborne attempt to break Israel's blockade of Gaza, much of which has been turned into a wasteland by almost two years of war. In a statement, Hamas, which governs Gaza, expressed support for the activists and called Israel's interception of the flotilla a "criminal act", calling for public protests to condemn Israel. The U.S. and Israel announced a new proposal to end the conflict this week that includes Hamas surrendering. U.S. President Donald Trump, who said he would temporarily oversee governance of Gaza under his plan, gave Hamas a few days to respond, and warned of continued escalation if Hamas refused. The boats were about 70 nautical miles off Gaza when they were intercepted, inside a zone that Israel is policing to stop any boats approaching. The organisers said their communications, including the use of a live camera feed from some of the boats, had been scrambled. Israel began its Gaza offensive after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken as hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. The offensive has killed over 66,000 people in Gaza, Palestinian health authorities say. One of the victims of Thursday's attack at synagogue was shot by police during their attempts to bring the unarmed attacker under controlThe 35-year-old attacker was shot dead by police seven minutes after officers were alertedGuard who shut attacker out of building praised for saving lives One of the victims of Thursday's attack at a synagogue in Manchester was shot by police during their attempts to bring the unarmed attacker under control, officers said on Friday in a statement. "It is currently believed that the suspect, Jihad Al Shamie, was not in possession of a firearm and the only shots fired were from GMP's Authorised Firearms Officer," the Greater Manchester Police (GMP) statement said. "It follows therefore, that subject to further forensic examination, this injury may sadly have been sustained as a tragic and unforeseen consequence of the urgently required action taken by my officers to bring this vicious attack to an end." The two men killed during the terror attack were named by police this morning. Greater Manchester Police named Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, as the victims after Jihad Al-Shamie drove into a group of people outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue before stabbing a man. Three others remain in hospital with serious injuries. The terrorist was a British citizen of Syrian descent, police have said. Three people have been arrested on suspicion of planning a terror attack, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) added. Al-Shamie, 35, who is understood to have entered the UK as a young child and been granted British citizenship in 2006 when he was around the age of 16, was shot dead by police seven minutes after officers were alerted to the attack in Crumpsall, Greater Manchester, on Thursday morning. Members of the community comfort each other near Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall The force said two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s were arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism. It is understood that Al-Shamies name has not appeared in initial searches of police and security service records, and he is not thought to have been under investigation. GMP said officers were working to understand the motivation behind the attack and confirmed the killer had not been referred to the Governments Prevent anti-radicalisation scheme. He appears to have lived in Prestwich, around two miles from the scene. His name is linked to a property in the town and a neighbour recognised his face from photographs of the synagogue attacker. She told The Telegraph: He lived there 10 years, with no wife or kids that I could see. He never seemed to speak to anyone around here. She added: Id see him walking around in his pyjamas and slip-on sandals, carrying a shopping bag. He was quite bulked up and used to keep his exercise weights in his garage. Id see them there. Reports suggest Al-Shamies father is a doctor. A Facebook profile of a Faraj Al-Shamie features numerous political posts about Syria and also includes a picture of a man, reported to be Jihad Al-Shamie, holding a baby in 2024 with the words great welcome grandson. A dramatic picture of Al-Shamie shows the moment he stood outside the synagogue with unidentified objects strapped to his waist, initially thought to be an explosive device which police later said was not viable. Three men remain in hospital with serious injuries after Al-Shamie who is yet to be formally identified rammed into people with a car before stabbing a man outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue. Among the men in hospital, one was stabbed and a second was hit by the car. A third man presented himself at hospital with an injury that may have been sustained as officers stopped the attacker, police said earlier. It is now understood this man may have been mistakenly shot by police. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited an unnamed synagogue on Thursday evening after he vowed to do everything in my power to protect Jewish communities in the UK. Former Tory minister Grant Shapps told The Times that his father-in-law, Michael Goldstone, came face-to-face with Al-Shamie from inside the synagogue, where he is a member of the congregation. Mr Shapps told the newspaper: He was face-to-face with the terrorist, holding the inside of the door, as he tried to break down the front doors. The chap had turned up 10 minutes earlier before the car came back and smashed into the security. They locked the doors when the car crashed into the gate, which prevented more killings. Police activity at a property in White House Avenue in Crumpsall, Manchester (Peter Byrne/PA) Elsewhere 40 people were arrested in Whitehall on Thursday evening during a protest organised by the Global Movement for Gaza UK, Scotland Yard said. Posters shared on X called for pro-Palestine activists to meet at various locations around the UK between 5.30pm and 6pm on Thursday in support of Greta Thunbergs flotilla, which was intercepted by the Israeli navy earlier this week. One protester, Fiona Smith, 42, told The Telegraph: I dont give a f*** about the Jewish community right now. I thought about it and Im sorry about what happened, but the whole story and why were here is because of what happened yesterday [with the flotilla]. Pro-Palestine activists were also pictured marching through the streets of Manchester city centre on Thursday evening. The police investigation continues at the scene near Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester, where two people died in a terror attack (Peter Byrne/PA) Police are continuing to question six people arrested as part of investigations into the background of Manchester synagogue terrorist Jihad Al-Shamie, who it emerged was on bail for an alleged rape at the time of the fatal attack. The 35-year-old was heard to shout this is what they get for killing our children as he tried to get inside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester, on Thursday. Adrian Daulby, 53, is believed to have been shot dead by police while attempting to prevent Al-Shamie entering the synagogue during the car and knife attack. He was killed together with Melvin Cravitz, 66, from Crumpsall, a worshipper who helped prevent the attacker from entering the premises. Armed police accidentally shot Mr Daulby and another member of the public who survived during the attack, which happened on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. On Saturday, the force said three men remain in hospital with serious injuries, including a security guard with car-impact injuries and a Community Security Trust (CST) worker with stab wounds. On Friday night, police raided a house in Central Avenue, Bolton, while six people have been detained on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts as part of the investigation, with counter-terrorism police saying they will seek warrants to give them extra time to continue questioning them. And Sir Keir Starmer has urged people planning to protest in Manchester and London this weekend to respect the grief of British Jews as he said demonstrations could cause further pain to mourners. Writing in The Jewish Chronicle and Jewish News, the Prime Minister said: This is a moment of mourning. It is not a time to stoke tension and cause further pain. Meanwhile Israels foreign minister Gideon Saar said he had spoken to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and urged the Government to fight the pro-Palestinian marches and protests. Melvin Cravitz (Family Handout/PA) The protest in central London, organised by the protest group Defend Our Juries, is set to go ahead and the group stated: Cancelling peaceful protests lets terror win. A minutes silence will be held at Old Trafford on Saturday during Manchester Uniteds match against Sunderland in tribute to the victims, with players expected to wear black armbands. Head of counter-terrorism policing Laurence Taylor said on Friday that a suspicious device attached to Al-Shamies torso had been confirmed as fake following analysis and that police believed he may have been influenced by extreme Islamist ideology. He added: Based on some fast time assessments conducted on our systems, this individual does not appear to be known to counter-terrorism policing, however he does have a non-CT (counter-terror) related criminal history. This includes a recent arrest for rape, which resulted in him being bailed. On Friday, the police watchdog, which is investigating the incident, said it was examining the use of lethal force by Greater Manchester Police firearms officers. Adrian Daulby (Family Handout/PA) The probe would include whether police may have caused or contributed to the death of Mr Daulby. The synagogues chairman of trustees, Alan Levy, who helped barricade the doors, described seeing Al-Shamie with a big knife, banging his knife into the glass, trying to get through. He told ITV News: We were barricading the doors between us with Rabbi Walker and a number of the other congregants. He couldnt get in because we were holding the doors firm. A tribute provided by Mr Daulbys family described him as a lovely, down-to-earth man and added: Adrian Daulby was a hero and tragically lost his life in the act of courage to save others. Mr Cravitzs family said in their tribute that he was kind and caring and was devoted to his wife and family. The family of Al-Shamie, who was born in Syria and came to the UK at a young age, posted a statement on social media distancing themselves from the attack and said: The Al-Shamie family in the UK and abroad strongly condemns this heinous act, which targeted peaceful, innocent civilians. Other older Facebook posts by the terrorists father, Faraj Al-Shamie, who has worked as a trauma surgeon in warzones, praised Iranian missile attacks on Israeli cities and said the October 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel were carried out by men of God on Earth. Lambeth Palace, the London residence of the archbishop of Canterbury (Alamy/PA) Former archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams summed up succinctly the balance and knowledge someone must have both of religion and current affairs to hold the senior Church of England role. He said he believed his successor, who ended up being Justin Welby, needed a newspaper in one hand and a Bible in the other. Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some of the challenges the new archbishop might face, both within the Church and on wider matters. Safeguarding and abuse scandals The Church has been plagued by safeguarding scandals (Alamy/PA) It was failures on safeguarding which led to the downfall of Mr Welby after more than a decade as the 105th archbishop of Canterbury. He announced his resignation in November 2024, following days of pressure after an independent review concluded barrister and Christian camp leader John Smyth, the most prolific serial abuser to be associated with the Church, might have been brought to justice had Mr Welby formally reported him to police in 2013. At the time, he said he was quitting in sorrow with all victims and survivors of abuse. The Church has been plagued by safeguarding controversies over the years, with Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell, who himself has also faced calls to quit over failures in handling abuse cases, admitting earlier this year that the Church has failed greatly on safeguarding. The General Synod, effectively the Churchs parliament, voted not to bring in full independent safeguarding in a move branded a punch in the gut for victims of abuse. Despite survivors pleas for the Church to endorse a new model which would have seen all Church-employed safeguarding officers transferred to a new independent body, members instead voted for a less independent model, meaning most national staff move to a new outside non-Church body, but other diocesan and cathedral officers remain with their current Church employers, and for further work to be done to implement the move to full independence. Same-sex blessings and equal marriage The first same-sex blessings in the Church of England were offered in December 2023 (Joe Giddens/PA) In May this year a call was made in Parliament for the next archbishop of Canterbury to show leadership on same-sex marriage. Labour MP Steve Race told MPs he wanted the person chosen to believe in treating LGBT+ Anglicans equally. While blessings for same-sex couples in civil partnerships and marriages were approved more than two years ago, there has been a failure to reach agreement on their use as part of standalone services. In February 2023, the General Synod voted in favour of offering blessings, with the first of these given in December of that year. The issue has divided church members, with blessings being welcomed as progress by some, others believing they go too far and some still feeling the real change needed is same-sex marriage recognition. Church attendance Church attendances have not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels (Alamy/PA) Data published in May showed in-person attendance has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels. The preliminary snapshot of Statistics for Mission showed the overall number of regular worshippers across the Church of Englands congregations stood at 1.02 million in 2024. While this was a rise from 1.01 million the previous year, it was still below the 1.11 million figure for 2019. Migration Church leaders have spoken out on political policies and proposals around migration (Gareth Fuller/PA) With immigration often in the headlines in recent times, the new archbishop is bound to be asked for views, or might even volunteer them as predecessors have done in the past. Mr Welby strongly criticised the previous Conservative governments scheme to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, which he warned was leading the nation down a damaging path. In August, Mr Cottrell, as interim head bishop in the Church, accused Nigel Farage of an isolationist, short-term, kneejerk response to the small boats crisis. The archbishop said the Reform UK leader, who has promised mass deportations, was not offering a solution to the big issues driving people to risk the English Channel crossing. Poverty The Church has spoken out on the issue of child poverty (Gareth Fuller/PA) The Church has long been part of calls for the scrapping of the controversial two-child benefit limit, which campaigners say pulls children into poverty. Organisations working in the sector argue that 109 children across the UK are pulled into poverty by the policy every day and that an estimated 350,000 children would be lifted out of poverty immediately if it was scrapped. In August, Mr Cottrell said the failure to tackle child poverty was deeply shaming for us as a nation and said the two-child limit was one of the contributing factors. The Labour Government has promised to publish its strategy for tackling child poverty in the autumn, after it was delayed from spring. Assisted dying Former archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey speaking in the Lords on the assisted dying Bill (Parliament TV/PA) Bishops in the House of Lords have spoken out strongly against the assisted dying Bill for England and Wales which is currently going through Parliament. Mr Cottrell described the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill as wrong because it ruptures relationships and argued it will turbocharge the agonising choices facing poor and vulnerable people. Dame Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London, said the choice to die is an illusion without fully-funded palliative and social care services and insisted there are no amendments to this Bill that can safeguard us completely from its negative effects and that the draft law fails in its central plank, that it delivers choice. But Lord Carey, a former archbishop of Canterbury, is at odds with his religious colleagues on the issue and claimed they are not representing their own Church in their staunch opposition to the Bill. He warned that both the Lords and Church bishops should not stand in the way as to do so would be to risk our legitimacy by claiming that we know better than both the public and the other place (the Commons). Smoke rises to the sky following an Israeli military strike in Gaza City (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP) US President Donald Trump has ordered Israel to stop bombing the Gaza Strip after Hamas said it had accepted some elements of his plan to end the nearly two-year war and return all the remaining hostages taken in the October 7 2023 attack. Hamas said it was willing to release the hostages and hand over power to other Palestinians, but that other aspects of the plan require further consultations among Palestinians. Senior Hamas officials suggested there were still major disagreements that required further negotiations. Displaced Palestinians flee northern Gaza carrying their belongings (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP) There was no immediate response from Israel, which is largely shut down for the Jewish Sabbath, and Hamass response fell short of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus demands that the group surrender and disarm. But Mr Trump welcomed the Hamas statement, saying on social media: I believe they are ready for a lasting PEACE. Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly! Right now, its far too dangerous to do that. We are already in discussions on details to be worked out, he wrote. Hamas said aspects of the proposal touching on the future of the Gaza Strip and Palestinian rights should be decided on the basis of a unanimous Palestinian stance reached with other factions and based on international law. The statement also made no mention of Hamas disarming, a key Israeli demand included in Mr Trumps proposal. Mr Trump appears keen to deliver on pledges to end the war and return dozens of hostages ahead of the second anniversary of the attack on Tuesday. His peace plan has been accepted by Israel and welcomed internationally. Key mediators Egypt and Qatar welcomed the latest developments, and Majed Al Ansari, a spokesman for Qatars Foreign Ministry, said they would continue discussions on the plan. President Donald Trump has set a deadline for his peace plan to be accepted (Alex Brandon/AP) A spokesman for UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said he urges all parties to seize the opportunity to bring the tragic conflict in Gaza to an end. French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on social media that the release of all hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza are within reach! The main organisation representing the families of Israeli hostages said Mr Trumps demand to halt the fighting is essential to prevent serious and irreversible harm to the hostages. It called on Mr Netanyahu to immediately begin efficient and swift negotiations to bring all our hostages home. Earlier, Mr Trump had warned that Hamas must agree to the deal by Sunday evening, threatening an even greater military onslaught. An agreement must be reached with Hamas by Sunday Evening at 6pm Washington DC time, Mr Trump wrote on Friday on social media. Every country has signed on! If this last chance agreement is not reached, all hell, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas. There will be peace in the Middle East one way or the other. Under the plan, which Mr Trump unveiled earlier this week alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Hamas would immediately release the remaining 48 hostages about 20 of them believed to be alive. It would also give up power and disarm. In return, Israel would halt its offensive and withdraw from much of the territory, release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and allow an influx of humanitarian aid and eventual reconstruction. Plans to relocate much of Gazas population to other countries would be shelved. The territory of some two million Palestinians would be placed under international governance, with Mr Trump himself and former British prime minister Tony Blair overseeing it. Smoke rises to the sky following an Israeli military strike in Gaza City (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP) The plan provides no path for eventual reunification with the Israeli-occupied West Bank in a future Palestinian state. A Hamas official told the Associated Press this week that some elements of the plan are unacceptable and need to be amended, without elaborating. Palestinians long for an end to the war, but many view this and previous US proposals as strongly favouring Israel. Israel has sought to ramp up pressure on Hamas since ending an earlier ceasefire in March. It sealed the territory off from food, medicine and other goods for two and a half months and has seized, flattened and largely depopulated large areas of the territory. Experts determined that Gaza City had slid into famine shortly before Israel launched a major offensive aimed at occupying it. An estimated 400,000 people have fled the city in recent weeks, but hundreds of thousands more have stayed behind. Most of Hamas top leaders in Gaza and thousands of its fighters have already been killed, but it still has influence in areas not controlled by the Israeli military and launches sporadic attacks that have killed and wounded Israeli soldiers. Hamas has held firm to its position that it will only release the remaining hostages its sole bargaining chip and potential human shields in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. Mr Netanyahu has rejected those terms, saying Hamas must surrender and disarm. Thousands of Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on October 7 2023, attacking army bases, farming communities and an outdoor music festival, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians. They abducted 251 others, most of them since released in ceasefires or other deals. Israels retaliatory offensive has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians, according to Gazas health ministry, which does not say how many were civilians or combatants. It says women and children make up around half the dead. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the U.N. and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties. The offensive has displaced about 90% of Gazas population, often multiple times, and left much of the territory uninhabitable. The true purpose of Brit Cards isnt placing limits on immigration... its controlling the people who already live here Prime Minister Keir Starmer has managed to unite all of Northern Irelands main political parties in opposition to his plan Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (PA) Fionola Meredith Fri 3 Oct 2025 at 07:11 Ulster says no to ID cards. Finally, the warring tribes at Stormont have found something they can agree upon. All five of Northern Irelands main parties have unanimously rejected Sir Keir Starmers plan to introduce a mandatory digital ID, otherwise known as a Brit Card. Dr Tiede Herrema was kidnapped by the IRA after stopping at a bogus garda checkpoint in 1975An IRA duo carried out the kidnapping with the goal of applying pressure on the Irish and British GovernmentsThe dramatic event attracted attention from across the globe Dr Tiede Herrema was kidnapped by the iRA in 1975 50 years ago, a pair of desperate Provisional IRA members etched their names in history as a crime driven by personal passion went astray. On the run from the authorities and determined to set their respective lovers free, the duo of Eddie Gallagher and Marian Coyle found themselves in Limerick, armed with weapons and a cunning plan to kidnap a leading European businessman to apply pressure on the Irish and British governments. Their victim however, Dr Tiede Herrema, would be a much shrewder hostage than they expected. Dr Herrema, who was managing the Ferenka plant in Limerick, was flagged down at a garda checkpoint as he drove to an early morning meeting. The 'guard' whipped out a revolver and bundled the 54-year-old into a getaway car. A phone call to the Dutch embassy demanded the release of three republican prisoners from prison. Failing the release of the trio, the industrialist would be "executed" in 48 hours. The IRA kidnapping of Dutch industrialist Dr Tiede Herrema that shocked the world The bogus garda was rogue republican bomber Eddie Gallagher, on the run from the law north and south, and from ex-IRA pals now gunning for him. Gallagher wanted his partner in crime Rose Dugdale set free. Gallagher's young accomplice, Marian Coyle, sought the release of boyfriend Kevin Mallon, who was serving time for IRA crimes. Dr Herrema was held for ransom for 36 days. Eventually, gardai received intelligence which led them to a property in Monasterevin, Co Kildare, on October 21. The bizarre incident would culminate in a dramatic siege for the final 18 days of the incident involving the Army at the house in Monasterevin, Co Kildare. It came to an end when he was released unharmed on November 7, when the IRA members threw their guns out the window of the house. While deeply shaken by his ordeal, Dr Herrema was physically unharmed. The dramatic events attracted attention from across the globe and became one of the standout moments of The Troubles era. Fionnan Sheehan is joined by Ralph Riegel Southern Correspondent with the Irish Independent, to remember the kidnapping ordeal of the Dutch industrialist turned adopted Irish son. This podcast was originally created by The BelTels sister podcast, The Indo Daily. If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom. ARLINGTON Joe Gervais announced this week that he is running for the post of state chairman of the Republican Party. Gervais, of Arlington, is currently the Bennington County party chair. He is expected to face current state Chairman Paul Dame, a former state representative from Chittenden County who has held the state GOP chairmanship for the past four years. The biennial political party reorganization process begins at the town or city level, with local committees affirming leadership teams, replacing team members and/or filling vacancies. The Bennington County Republican Party will meet on October 19 at the Community House in Arlington, and the state party reorganization meeting will be held in November. I think it is healthy for the parties to have multiple candidates for office, Gervais said Friday, adding that he would bring a different perspective as state chair. He said his goals would be to build up the partys volunteer base, increase campaign contributions and expand on the partys electoral successes statewide during the November 2024 election, when new members in the Legislature ended a supermajority advantage for Democrats. I think we have a huge opportunity here to get more people involved in the party, Gervais said. He added that the party is struggling financially at this point, and he would work to increase both individual involvement and contributions. Gervais said he hopes to ignite a grassroots movement that empowers every town committee and every voice from the Champlain Valley to the Connecticut River to reclaim Vermonts Republican heritage. He added, For too long, top-down control and an unaffordable chair salary have sidelined our grassroots and drained resources from candidates. As chair, I will serve without a salary, ensuring every dollar goes directly to party growth and 2026 victories. My vision is simple: empower county chairs, members, and volunteers to organize all 250 towns and ensure every candidate has the tools to win. Gervais said there are currently 100-plus active Republican committees among the 250 Vermont communities. Other goals, he said, are to secure at least 250 recurring donors and raise $250,000 in contributions for 2026. For 2026, my vision is to build a Contract with Vermont a clear plan and campaign focused on affordability, education, and public safety addressing priorities to help all Vermonters, he said. I have 30 years experience as an executive and business owner in the private sector and have led a thousand-person volunteer team as a missionary, Gervais said. Ive served the Republican Party at the town, county, state and national level; most recently as an RNC Delegate and on the State Executive Committee as chair of the County Chairs Council. This spring, I trained at the Leadership Institute in Virginia. These experiences have prepared me to unite, expand, and energize our party. Gervais also previously ran for the Vermont House and for the state Senate from the Bennington County district. Berkshire Bike and Board and the Berkshire District Attorney's Office has identified 20-year-old Wyeth Curtis as the motorcyclist killed in a crash with a moose on Route 7 on Thursday. The owners worked to renovate and transform the space, carrying through the colors, materials and design elements from the old space to the new. MILL RIVER When the sale of Limestone Farm became a matter of record last week, county and area dairymen and others were not sure whether to offer the former owners congratulations or condolences. Stay up to date on Berkshires news with Berkshires in Brief, our free daily newsletter ADAMS Retired Lanesborough Police Chief Timothy Sorrell has been appointed to serve as interim police chief in Adams. The Select Board voted 4-1 in favor of Sorrell, with member Joseph Nowak voting against, according to iBerkshires, which first reported the appointment. Im very happy, Sorrell said on Thursday. Theyre giving me a chance. The appointment is pending negotiations, and Sorrell will remain in the position for an undetermined period. Im here for as long as they need me, and all Im here to do is to steer the ship, Sorrell said. Theres a great bunch of officers here. Theyre fantastic. So Im not worried about anything. Sorrell, a Lenox native and Marine veteran, served in the Lanesborough Police Department for over 33 years, the final 5 1/2 as chief. He retired from the department in 2021, and has served a term on the Lanesborough Select Board starting in 2022. Police Chief K. Scott Kelley remains on paid leave in the wake of a Sept. 8 closed-door Select Board executive session. The reasons for his leave remain unclear. Sgt. Donna Malloy has been serving as interim chief, but the town has been looking for someone to lead the department for a longer term. On Sept. 8, the Select Board entered executive session in the town administrators office under an exemption that permits closed meetings to address personnel matters. The agenda cited concerns about the reputation, character, physical condition or mental health, rather than professional competence of an employee, or potential discipline or dismissal, or complaints or charges. Select Board Chair John Duval has said he can not discuss personnel matters regarding the reason for Kelleys leave. Malloy will be returning to her sergeant role, and Sorrell is looking forward to collaborating with her. Shes a wealth of knowledge," he said. Shes been here for 30 plus years, and Im going to use every bit of knowledge she has. ... Im going to use her as a good source to see where were going to go from here. Interim Town Administrator Holli Jayko and Finance Director Ashley Satko interviewed Sorrell, Malloy, and Sgt. Matthew Wright, and Jayko recommended Sorrell, according to the iBerkshires report. Jayko previously said she would hold interviews with any of the departments four sergeants Malloy, Wright, Gregory Onorato and Curtis Crane who were interested in the post. Sorrell has been a special officer in Adams for almost four years, where he has worked traffic details, election details, manned the desk and served as the firearms licensing officer. He said he has familiarity with the building and the other officers. His appointment is similar to how he started as chief in Lanesborough. Sorrell said that he remembers getting a call from the town administrator who asked how soon he could take over, and that he started that night. I remember saying, I just need the keys and the passwords, and I walked in and it was all self-taught, he said. Here, Im hitting the ground running with pretty much the same thing, and Im going to find where everything is and get us all squared away again. Sorrell said that to take the position, he will have to freeze his pension. He said he's clear to serve through October, but said that when it gets to November and December, he will need to have a discussion with the town. Kelley was hired on Jan. 18, 2021, succeeding Adams Police Chief Richard Tarsa. Kelley, who earns $115,172 a year, is serving a three-year contract that began Jan. 1, 2024, and runs through Dec. 31, 2026, according to Duval. Prior to coming to Adams, Kelleys nearly 25 years in law enforcement had been entirely in South Carolina. His last position was chief of police at Spartanburg Community College. He traded a college setting of 5,500 students and 2,000 faculty and staff for a town with a population around 8,500. Previously, Kelley worked for police departments in Anderson, S.C., with a population of 27,000, and the resort community of Folly Beach, which has 2,600 year-round residents but balloons to several hundred thousand in the summer. A review of Kelley's employment and training history in law enforcement in South Carolina shows no red flags. Donald Morrison is an Eagle columnist and co-chairman of the advisory board. The opinions expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of The Berkshire Eagle. Quality local journalism needs your support Access this story and all of our stories with 24/7 unlimited access. Subscribe today. Cancel anytime. Subscribe now for 99 Subscriber Sign In | Return Home BillOReilly.com is not available in this country. We apologize for any inconvenience. Lawyers for a mother who killed her three children at their family home in Dublin almost five years ago have claimed an inquest into their deaths would be inadequate and insufficient if it did not examine the state of her mental health at the time of the tragic incident. Counsel for Deirdre Morley, Fiona Gallagher BL, told a sitting of Dublin District Coroners Court that the inquest into her childrens deaths needed to call medical professionals who had treated her in the previous six months to give evidence rather than rely on expert witnesses. The bodies of her three children Conor (nine), Darragh (seven) and three-year-old Carla McGinley were discovered in their home at Parsons Court, Newcastle, Co Dublin, on January 24th, 2020. Ms Morley, a paediatric nurse, was subsequently found not guilty of their murder by reason of insanity following a trial at the Central Criminal Court in May 2021. Advertisement A postmortem showed the three young siblings had all died from suffocation. The submission by Ms Morleys legal representatives followed a ruling by coroner Myra Cullinane that evidence to be heard at the inquest about her mental health state would be given by two forensic consultant psychiatrists who had also given evidence at her criminal trial. Dr Cullinane pointed out that she had asked both psychiatrists, Brenda Wright and Mary Davoren, to prepare new reports specifically for the inquest. The coroner also stated that she had directed that all Ms Morleys relevant medical records should be disclosed to all parties granted legal representation at the inquest. The coroner noted that Ms Morley had changed her legal team since she had made a ruling on the scope of her inquiry on July 28th. At the opening of the hearing on Friday, Ms Gallagher said her clients position had arisen from the coroners determination that the state of Ms Morleys mental health at the time of the deaths was material to her inquiry. Ms Gallagher argued that relevant evidence should be allowed relating to the six months prior to the tragic circumstances, which would include Ms Morleys admission to St Patricks Hospital in Dublin and treatment by mental health professionals in Clondalkin and Tallaght, as well as her GP. She noted that the coroner had indicated through her decisions that the deaths of the three children had not occurred in a vacuum. Ms Gallagher stressed that she was not seeking to question the adequacy of the treatment provided to Ms Morley. Advertisement Instead, the barrister said she wanted a full picture of Ms Morleys mental health to be provided rather than having to rely on witnesses who were not her treating doctors but carrying out a retrospective review of records. Ms Gallagher warned there would be an evidential gap if the doctors who treated her client were not called as witnesses. She claimed the absence of such medical professionals from the inquest would represent an unwarranted trammelling of the evidence that the inquest should be examining. Opposing the submission, counsel for consultant psychiatrist, Olivia Gibbons, Simon Mills SC, accused Ms Morleys lawyers of engaging in a collateral attack on the coroners ruling. Dr Mills pointed out that it had been accepted by Ms Morley during her criminal trial that she had only formed the intention that led to the deaths of her children in January 2020. He noted that Ms Morley had also given evidence on that occasion that she had not told anyone about that intention. He claimed the relevance of what was being proposed by Ms Morleys legal representatives was skeletal in the extreme with no meat put on the bones of that argument. Dr Mills observed that the coroner had properly directed that Ms Morleys medical records should be available to all parties. He claimed it would be peculiar for the coroner to reverse her position about the witness list in consideration of the rights of someone whose rights were below those of the deceased. Advertisement Dr Mills argued that any evidence from Dr Gibbons would not be contemporaneous or relevant to the death of the McGinley children. He told the coroner that Ms Morleys lawyers had not provided a single reason to justify their claim that a failure to call her treating doctors as witnesses would be unreasonable and irrational. Counsel for the HSE, Sarah Corcoran BL, said she agreed with the submission made by Dr Mills. Legal representatives of both Mr McGinley and St Patricks Hospital said they had no comment to make on the submissions. Ms Gallagher replied that the consultant psychiatrists had previously noted that Ms Morleys mental health had started to deteriorate in the middle of 2019. She claimed Dr Mills was trying to back away from the coroners ruling that evidence should not be confined to the time immediately proximate to the deaths of the three children. Ms Gallagher had pointed out that Ms Morley had filled out a form at an earlier stage in which she accepted that while she did not pose a risk to her children that she felt she was unable to provide care for them. She insisted that her clients treating doctors were the most appropriate witnesses to provide evidence about her mental health. Dr Cullinane said she would consider the various submissions and would provide her ruling in writing to the parties early next week. Speaking outside the hearing, Mr McGinley said he had seen fresh information in his wifes medical records which had left him deeply troubled. Advertisement However, he said the inquest should not be about blame or exoneration. It should be about learning. It should be about engagement. It should be about an improved approach and better understanding, said Mr McGinley. He added: It is my hope that Conor, Darragh and Carlas inquests will lead to better care, diagnosis and treatment for patients, better control and management of pharmaceuticals. Mr McGinley continued: It should show the need for co-parents to be informed, advised and supported but most of all, it should lead to potential risks to children being greatly reduced, if not removed completely. He claimed such a collective goal could only be achieved by all parties working collaboratively with the aim of preventing similar tragedies. It is only in that way that something positive can possibly be taken from the devastating deaths of Conor, Darragh and Carla, he concluded. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can freephone the Samaritans 24 hours a day for confidential support at 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org. Alternatively, the contact information for a range of mental health supports is available at mentalhealthireland.ie/get-support. In the case of an emergency, or if you or someone you know is at risk of suicide or self-harm, dial 999/112. A former Fianna Fail minister has leapt to the defence of presidential candidate Catherine Connolly amid criticism from the Taoiseach of her decision to hire a woman who had been jailed for firearms offences. Ms Connolly hired Ursula Ni Shionnain in 2018 after her release from prison because she was a person who had rehabilitated herself. Ms Ni Shionnain had been convicted by the Special Criminal Court in February 2014 and given a six-year sentence for firearms offences, of which she served almost four-and-a-half years. She was a member of the dissident socialist republican group Eirigi. The court heard that she was travelling in a stolen van in 2012 with a co-accused and one of the weapons discovered in the vehicle was a pistol used in a murder ten years earlier. There was no suggestion that Ms Ni Shionnain was linked to the murder. Taoiseach Micheal Martin said Ms Connolly's decision to employ Ms Ni Shionnain raised "serious questions" about her judgement, but former Fianna Fail TD Eamon O Cuiv has defended Ms Connolly and confirmed he had recommended the hiring of Ms Ni Shionnain. Mr O Cuiv, a former Fianna Fail deputy leader, is known for regularly visiting prisons, particularly dealing with Republican prisoners. If Catherine showed a lack of judgement, I did equally, because she asked me about her and I said that I was personally satisfied that she (Ms Ni Shionnain) had moved on, Mr O Cuiv said. Mr O Cuiv said Mr Martin was entitled to his view but he said that Ms Ni Shionnain was an example of rehabilitation. Heres a person who was let out of prison and she got on with her life, finished a PhD, so shes now Dr Ursula Ni Shionnain, Mr O Cuiv said. Shes held down a number of jobs and shes getting on with her life in a positive way. So where is the lack of judgement? Because she has proven herself to those who had faith in her." Ms Connolly denied she had been prevented from hiring Ms Ni Shionnain by gardai, saying that she had been employed for six months in Leinster House before "leaving of her own volition". She said Ms Ni Shionnain had worked in Leinster House but left after six months. At this stage, the vetting process had not been completed and she did not have a permanent pass to enter Leinster House. She was absolutely perfect for the job, and I took her on, Ms Connolly said. It was for three days, and over the period of time, from day one, she filled out an application form, explained everything. The clearance process took some time, and in the end, she left of her own volition. She was there for almost six months, less than six months. Ive had no contact with the gardai in relation to this matter. Absolutely none. This woman filled out her application form from day one, declared everything and then there's a process, and that process went on for quite some time. It's not unusual. I've spoken to other people, and sometimes the process goes on for a year or two years. Ireland Connolly defends work with woman convicted of gun crime Read more In this case, it went on and I checked I have emails that asked, Where's the process at? It's going on for a very long time. There was no outcome. "The process just went on and on, and in the end, the person left, and my contact was simply with the superintendent, or whoever the relevant person is. My only intervention was to say, When is the process going to be completed? It was very inconvenient. Speaking in Denmark on Thursday morning, Taoiseach Micheal Martin described the hiring of Ni Shionnain as very serious. "It would indicate a very serious lack of judgment, and I think Catherine Connolly needs to clarify that in its entirety and be fully transparent in respect of it." A 29-year-old man charged over a series of assaults in south Dublin on Wednesday has been remanded in custody with an order for psychiatric attention. Oleh Schastnyi, from Ukraine but with an address at a hotel at Donegal, Co Donegal, appeared at Dublin District Court on Friday. Mr Schastnyi was charged with assault causing harm to a male at Kimmage Road Lower, and to a female at Mount Argus Park, and a less serious assault on another male at Mount Argus Park. Both locations are in Dublin 6W. He is also accused of producing a metal key as a weapon at both locations. Garda Cian Meade stated that he arrested the man on Wednesday at 4.16 pm at a property on Kimmage Road Lower. He was taken to Crumlin Garda station and detained. The court heard he made no reply to each charge following caution. Advertisement Mr Meade said he intended to object to bail. However, defence solicitor Daniel Hanahoe told Judge Treasa Kelly that there would be no application for bail at this stage and there was consent to the accused being remanded in custody. Dressed in a grey sweater, green tracksuit trousers and runners, Mr Schastnyi listened to the proceedings with the aid of a Russian interpreter but did not address the court. The defence applied for medical attention for the accused in custody, telling Judge Kelly that the accused was schizophrenic and would need psychiatric services. The judge made a direction that Mr Schastnyi receive appropriate medical attention in custody. She also noted from the garda that Its collectively the same incident, just three locations in close proximity. The judge noted there were three injured parties as well. Legal aid was granted as Mr Schastnyi was remanded in custody to appear again on October 9th at Cloverhill District Court. No plea was indicated. The charges are under Section 3 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act and Section 11 of the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act. People Before Profit is calling for state-owned supermarkets to help make food more affordable. The opposition party is proposing the creation of a pilot scheme, designed to improve access to food that is both locally sourced and nutritious. It is hoped that the project would lead to benefits for shoppers - making food cheaper, and encouraging people to eat more healthily. Food prices have skyrocketed in recent years, with prices 12 per cent above the EU27 average in 2024. This made Ireland the second most expensive in the Eurozone, and third most expensive in the EU27. Speaking on Newstalk, Dublin City Councillor Conor Reddy outlined what the pilot project would look like: "This is a pilot project, it'd be quite a modest one. We're talking three to five stores and a central hub for distribution at the start. It's not a buy everything kind of shop that we're talking about. "Instead, what we're talking about is a place to buy your staples, a place to buy nutritious veg and meat, hopefully supplied by local producers. So it brings in sustainability." Police are investigating racist graffiti at a number of locations in Lisburn. A councillor said graffiti in one area was targeting the citys Muslim residents. The PSNI said it had received a number of reports on Friday. A spokesperson said: These reports are being treated as racially-motivated hate crimes and our inquiries are ongoing. We will also continue to engage with local representatives and partner agencies concerning this issue. We would appeal to anyone who may have witnessed suspicious activity in the area, or who may have relevant dash-cam, CCTV or other footage, to contact us on 101, quoting reference number 214 of 03/10/25. SDLP councillor Pat Catney said the graffiti was chilling (PA) SDLP councillor Pat Catney said graffiti which had appeared in the Chapel Hill area targeting Muslim residents was chilling. He said: This disgraceful incitement has no place in Lisburn. Advertisement So many people from across all faiths and backgrounds are working hard to lift this city up and bring everyone together, and this goes completely against all of that work. Anyone inciting violence like this is to condemned. I have already contacted the PSNI in relation to the chilling appearance of this hateful message and I am working with council officials to get it removed. It is up to all of us to come together to reject division and bigotry in whatever form it takes. The man in his 40s injured during a storm incident in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, on Friday afternoon has died, gardai have confirmed. Gardai and emergency services attended the scene at a house around 4:15pm His body was removed to the morgue at Letterkenny University Hospital, where a postmortem examination will be carried out in due course. Gardai continue to carry out enquiries and the results of the post mortem will determine the course of those enquiries. A file will be prepared for the Coroner. 234,000 properties are without power across the island of Ireland as Storm Amy brings widespread disruption. The storm also brought localised flooding, fallen trees, transport disruption, and school closures. Met Eireann issued its highest-level wind warning in Co Donegal, where residents were advised to shelter in place between 4pm and 6pm. Advertisement The red wind warning meant fallen trees, damage to power lines, dangerous travelling conditions, structural damage and wave overtopping. #StormAmy Orange Wind Warning for Clare, Donegal, Connacht 14:00 to 22:00 Fri Yellow Wind Warning for Ireland 12:00 Fri to 00:00 Sat https://t.co/w5QtJ1V6un https://t.co/sFyGizBDqq pic.twitter.com/5NQELvVTAX Met Eireann (@MetEireann) October 3, 2025 The Electricity Supply Board (ESB) said approximately 184,000 homes, farms and businesses across the Republic of Ireland were without power at 5:15pm. The ESB said affected properties were predominantly in counties Galway, Mayo, Sligo, Roscommon, Leitrim, Cavan, and Donegal. It also warned that further power outages can be expected. A spokesman said: Crews will continue the restoration work for as long as possible this evening, but it is likely that the majority of customers will not have their power restored tonight due to the hazardous weather conditions and accessibility challenges. Schools across a large part of Northern Ireland were advised to close early as the high winds brought disruption. Around 50,000 properties are without power in Northern Ireland and NIE Networks said there had been a significant level of damage to the electricity networks in the region. It also said the number without power is expected to rise. Alex Houston, NIE Networks operations manager, said: Our incident management centre in Craigavon has been opened as have our local incident centres across Northern Ireland with staff across the company being escalated to assist with the response effort. We have mobilised additional call agents to deal with any queries customers may have regarding the repair process in their area. A provisional October wind gust record for Northern Ireland was set as 92mph winds were measured at Magilligan in Co Derry, the Met Office said. Flights and trains have been impacted and a number of roads were closed in the region due to fallen trees, including part of the M1. Advertisement Forecasters said there would be damaging winds with every county on the island under weather warnings on Friday. The UK Met Office said wind speeds could reach up to 80mph (130kph) along the most exposed coastal areas of the island, with fallen trees and power outages among the potential impacts. In Northern Ireland, a yellow wind warning was put in place for the entire region between 2pm on Friday and midnight on Saturday. A yellow rain warning is in place for the region until midday on Saturday, with the Met Office warning the flooding of homes and business is possible. An additional amber wind warning was put in place for Antrim, Fermanagh, Tyrone and Derry between 3pm and 8pm on Friday, and the Education Authority said a decision to shut schools from noon had been taken in the interest of the safety of children, young people and staff. The Met Office said Storm Amy is likely to bring a period of damaging south to south-westerly winds during the late afternoon and evening on Friday, with gusts of 60-70mph (97-113kph) inland and up to 80mph along some more exposed coasts. It said power outages could affect other services such as mobile phone coverage. The agency warned there will probably be some damage to buildings such as tiles blown from roofs. Forecasters also warned of a risk of injury and danger to life through flying debris and large waves. The weather will also affect commuters, with longer journey times and cancellations on public transport expected. Advertisement The Police Service of Northern Ireland said it may be necessary to close some routes and advised road users to consider if their journey is necessary, reduce speed, and take extra care if you must travel. In the Republic of Ireland, Met Eireann issued a nationwide yellow wind warning between midday and midnight on Friday. It forecast gale-force winds in the west and north west, and extended a more severe orange wind warning to Co Clare on Friday, in place between 2pm and 10pm. Clare joined the orange warning that was in place for Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, and Sligo, where Met Eireann warned of large waves and possible power outages. Gusts of up to 130kph (80mph) were recorded at Malin Head in Co Donegal at 3pm, while consistent wind speeds of up to 89kph (55mph) were recorded elsewhere in the county at Finner Camp. The most severe conditions were forecast for Co Donegal where a Red wind warning was put in place. Keith Leonard, from the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management, told RTEs News At One: If I had one key message it would be for that period from 4 to 6 in Donegal this afternoon, to ask people to shelter in place for that amount of time and to be very careful on the roads before that warning comes into place and after its gone through. Mr Leonard said the storm will also feature a lot of rainfall and that fallen trees are likely to be an issue. Advertisement The conditions led to some flight cancellations in and out of the countrys airports. At sea and along the coast, there is also a red warning from Loop Head to Rossan Point to Fair Head between 2pm and 8pm. On Saturday there will be further yellow warnings, for wind in Dublin, Louth and Wicklow between 6am and noon; a combined wind and rain warning for Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo between midnight and noon; and a wind warning for Clare, Kerry, Galway and Mayo also between midnight and noon. U.S. gov't shuts down for 1st time in 7 years amid widening partisan divisions Xinhua) 11:24, October 03, 2025 A woman walks on the street in Manhattan, New York, on Oct. 1, 2025. The U.S. federal government entered a shutdown at the start of Wednesday as partisan divisions prevented Congress from passing a funding bill, which marks the first government shutdown in nearly seven years. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling) WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. federal government entered a shutdown at the start of Wednesday as partisan divisions prevented Congress from passing a funding bill, which marks the first government shutdown in nearly seven years. Hundreds of thousands of federal employees will be forced to take unpaid leave, with some public services potentially suspended or delayed, and the release of economic data possibly impacted as well. The shutdown commenced hours after the U.S. Senate failed to pass a short-term spending bill that would have temporarily kept the government running. The continuing resolution proposed by Senate Republicans was blocked by Democrats, falling short of the 60 votes required for passage. In the latest negotiations, healthcare benefits have been one of the core sticking points between the two parties. Democrats are demanding stronger healthcare-related benefits, including an extension of the enhanced subsidies for Affordable Care Act set to expire at the end of the year, as well as restoring the act's coverage eligibility for certain immigrants who are legally present, including refugees and asylum seekers. Republicans, on the other hand, opposed these measures and have been pushing to temporarily maintain current government funding levels to allow more time for negotiations. Republicans and Democrats continued to trade blame recently, accusing each other of forcing the government into a "shutdown." U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday afternoon that Democrats want to shut down the government, claiming that their insistence on providing free healthcare to undocumented immigrants has caused the negotiations to stall. "The Democrats want to shut it down. So when you shut it down, you have to do layoffs. So we'd be laying off a lot of people that are going to be very affected. And they're going to be Democrats," Trump said. While top Democrats in the House and the Senate blamed Trump and Republicans for the shutdown early Wednesday morning, they also voiced Democrats' readiness to make a deal to reopen the federal government. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a joint statement on Wednesday that Democrats "remain ready to find a bipartisan path forward to reopen the government in a way that lowers costs and addresses the Republican healthcare crisis." With the shutdown now in effect, federal employees deemed "excepted" -- those who work to protect life and property, such as FBI investigators and air traffic controllers -- have to stay on their jobs without pay. They will not receive their wages until Congress passes a funding bill and ends the government shutdown. On the other hand, hundreds of thousands of federal workers will be forced into unpaid leave. The Congressional Budget Office estimated earlier that roughly 750,000 federal employees could be furloughed each day of a shutdown, with the total daily cost of their compensation at roughly 400 million U.S. dollars. Meanwhile, the shutdown will impact some public services. The Brookings Institution recently reported that a government shutdown can be disruptive, leading to delays in processing applications for passports, small business loans, or government benefits; shuttered visitor centers and bathrooms at national parks; fewer food-safety inspections; and other various inconveniences. "Shutdowns don't save money, they waste money," Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, said in a statement. "Under shutdowns, we pay federal workers not to work and rent buildings that aren't being used, all while requiring costly shutdown planning, inefficient allocation of government resources, and a reduction in the services available to the American people. We should avoid a shutdown and keep the government funded," MacGuineas said. The operating funds for the U.S. federal government are intended to be allocated through annual budget appropriations. Congress from both parties is normally expected to pass new annual appropriations bills before the start of the new fiscal year on Oct. 1. However, in recent years, intense partisan battles have often prevented timely agreement. Over the past year, the federal government has faced multiple "shutdown" crises, with Congress passing short-term spending bills just hours before funds ran out in December 2024 and March 2025. The most recent and longest federal government shutdown occurred from late 2018 to early 2019, during Trump's first term. Democrats opposed Trump's proposed funding for the U.S.-Mexico border wall, and the two parties' disputes over immigration led to a 35-day shutdown, during which some 800,000 federal employees were forced to work without pay or take unpaid leave. A man walks on the street in Manhattan, New York, on Oct. 1, 2025. The U.S. federal government entered a shutdown at the start of Wednesday as partisan divisions prevented Congress from passing a funding bill, which marks the first government shutdown in nearly seven years. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling) A man walks on the street in Manhattan, New York, on Oct. 1, 2025. The U.S. federal government entered a shutdown at the start of Wednesday as partisan divisions prevented Congress from passing a funding bill, which marks the first government shutdown in nearly seven years. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan) Friday's front pages focus on a range of stories, from a new flotilla heading toward Gaza to a "serious sense of threat" due to Russian drones. The Irish Times reports that a fresh flotilla of boats is heading towards Gaza and has vowed to continue on its course despite the interception of about 40 vessels by Israeli forces and the detention of more than a dozen Irish citizens. The Irish Examiner reports Taoiseach Micheal Martin has claimed there is a "degree of naivety" among the Irish public as to the "existential threats" from Russia and other aggressors. The Echo reports that it took 35 minutes for a woman to report to gardai that her three-year-old was missing. Good morning, here is today's front page of the Irish Independent pic.twitter.com/x3n5csu7rd Irish Independent (@Independent_ie) October 3, 2025 Another day, another round of finger pointing in the race for the Aras... pic.twitter.com/MW8gdO2TCP The Irish Daily Mail (@irishdailymail) October 2, 2025 The highest court in the Netherlands on Friday ordered the Dutch government to re-evaluate its currently suspended licence for exporting parts for F-35 fighter jets to Israel, in response to concerns they could be used in breaches of international law. The Supreme Court said an export suspension remains in place while the government reassesses the licence. The courts vice-president, Martijn Polak, said the government now has six weeks to re-evaluate the license. In its ruling, the Supreme Court said an appeals court in The Hague overstepped its authority when it banned the transfer of F-35 parts to Israel in February 2024, citing concerns they could be used in breaches of international law. The ruling led the government to suspend the exports. The ruling comes as Israel continues its offensive against Hamas in Gaza and at a time of political flux in the Netherlands, with national elections scheduled for October 29 and the current government in caretaker mode. Smoke rises following an Israeli military strike in Gaza City on Thursday (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP) The case was originally brought in late 2023 by three Dutch rights groups who argued that transferring the F-35 parts makes the Netherlands complicit in possible war crimes being committed by Israel in its war with Hamas. Israel denies committing war crimes in its campaign in Gaza. The district court in The Hague initially rejected the ban, but in February 2024 an appeals panel ordered the Dutch government to halt shipments of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel, citing a clear risk of violations of international law. Advertisement The government appealed to the Supreme Court, saying that foreign policy was a matter for the government, not courts. The Court of Appeal was not entitled to make its own assessment of whether there is clear risk of serious violations of international humanitarian law, the Supreme Court said in a written summary of its ruling. It added that the minister must reassess the licence based on that criterion. The foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Netherlands is home to one of three regional warehouses for US-owned F-35 parts. Dutch government lawyers argue that a ban on transfers from the Netherlands would effectively be meaningless as the US would deliver the parts anyway. Israels campaign in Gaza has killed more than 66,200 Palestinians and wounded nearly 170,000 others, according to Gazas Health Ministry. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and militants in its toll, but has said women and children make up around half the dead. Advertisement The war broke out on October 7 2023, after Hamas militants and others stormed into Israel and killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 250 people hostage. Hamas still holds 48 hostages about 20 of them thought by Israel to still be alive. In a largely symbolic move, Slovenia announced in August that it was banning the import, export and transit of all weapons to and from Israel, calling it the first such move by a European Union member. Last year, the UK government suspended exports of some weapons to Israel because they could be used to break international law. Spain says it halted arms sales to Israel in October 2023. There also are court cases in France and Belgium around weapons trade with Israel. US President Donald Trump has ordered Israel to stop bombing the Gaza Strip after Hamas said it had accepted some elements of his plan to end the nearly two-year war and return all the remaining hostages taken in the October 7 2023 attack. Hamas said it was willing to release the hostages and hand over power to other Palestinians, but that other aspects of the plan require further consultations among Palestinians. Senior Hamas officials suggested there were still major disagreements that required further negotiations. Displaced Palestinians flee northern Gaza carrying their belongings (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP) There was no immediate response from Israel, which is largely shut down for the Jewish Sabbath, and Hamass response fell short of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus demands that the group surrender and disarm. But Mr Trump welcomed the Hamas statement, saying on social media: I believe they are ready for a lasting PEACE. Advertisement Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly! Right now, its far too dangerous to do that. We are already in discussions on details to be worked out, he wrote. Hamas said aspects of the proposal touching on the future of the Gaza Strip and Palestinian rights should be decided on the basis of a unanimous Palestinian stance reached with other factions and based on international law. The statement also made no mention of Hamas disarming, a key Israeli demand included in Mr Trumps proposal. Mr Trump appears keen to deliver on pledges to end the war and return dozens of hostages ahead of the second anniversary of the attack on Tuesday. His peace plan has been accepted by Israel and welcomed internationally. Key mediators Egypt and Qatar welcomed the latest developments, and Majed Al Ansari, a spokesman for Qatars Foreign Ministry, said they would continue discussions on the plan. President Donald Trump has set a deadline for his peace plan to be accepted (Alex Brandon/AP) A spokesman for UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said he urges all parties to seize the opportunity to bring the tragic conflict in Gaza to an end. French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on social media that the release of all hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza are within reach! The main organisation representing the families of Israeli hostages said Mr Trumps demand to halt the fighting is essential to prevent serious and irreversible harm to the hostages. Advertisement It called on Mr Netanyahu to immediately begin efficient and swift negotiations to bring all our hostages home. Earlier, Mr Trump had warned that Hamas must agree to the deal by Sunday evening, threatening an even greater military onslaught. An agreement must be reached with Hamas by Sunday Evening at 6pm Washington DC time, Mr Trump wrote on Friday on social media. Every country has signed on! If this last chance agreement is not reached, all hell, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas. There will be peace in the Middle East one way or the other. Under the plan, which Mr Trump unveiled earlier this week alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Hamas would immediately release the remaining 48 hostages about 20 of them believed to be alive. It would also give up power and disarm. In return, Israel would halt its offensive and withdraw from much of the territory, release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and allow an influx of humanitarian aid and eventual reconstruction. Plans to relocate much of Gazas population to other countries would be shelved. The territory of some two million Palestinians would be placed under international governance, with Mr Trump himself and former British prime minister Tony Blair overseeing it. Smoke rises to the sky following an Israeli military strike in Gaza City (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP) The plan provides no path for eventual reunification with the Israeli-occupied West Bank in a future Palestinian state. A Hamas official told the Associated Press this week that some elements of the plan are unacceptable and need to be amended, without elaborating. Advertisement Palestinians long for an end to the war, but many view this and previous US proposals as strongly favouring Israel. Israel has sought to ramp up pressure on Hamas since ending an earlier ceasefire in March. It sealed the territory off from food, medicine and other goods for two and a half months and has seized, flattened and largely depopulated large areas of the territory. Experts determined that Gaza City had slid into famine shortly before Israel launched a major offensive aimed at occupying it. An estimated 400,000 people have fled the city in recent weeks, but hundreds of thousands more have stayed behind. Most of Hamas top leaders in Gaza and thousands of its fighters have already been killed, but it still has influence in areas not controlled by the Israeli military and launches sporadic attacks that have killed and wounded Israeli soldiers. Hamas has held firm to its position that it will only release the remaining hostages its sole bargaining chip and potential human shields in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. Mr Netanyahu has rejected those terms, saying Hamas must surrender and disarm. Thousands of Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on October 7 2023, attacking army bases, farming communities and an outdoor music festival, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians. They abducted 251 others, most of them since released in ceasefires or other deals. Israels retaliatory offensive has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians, according to Gazas health ministry, which does not say how many were civilians or combatants. It says women and children make up around half the dead. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the U.N. and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties. The offensive has displaced about 90% of Gazas population, often multiple times, and left much of the territory uninhabitable. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said he ordered a fourth strike on a small boat in the waters off Venezuela, according to a social media post. In his post, Mr Hegseth said that our intelligence, without a doubt, confirmed that this vessel was trafficking narcotics, the people onboard were narco-terrorists, and they were operating on a known narco-trafficking transit route. It is the fourth deadly strike in the Caribbean and the latest since revelations that President Donald Trump told politicians he was treating drug traffickers as unlawful combatants and military force was required to combat them. The assertion of presidential powers sets the stage for expanded action in Latin America and raises questions about how far the administration will go without sign-off from Congress. President Donald Trump posted online about the strikes (Alex Brandon/AP) Mr Trump said in a social media post that the boat was loaded with enough drugs to kill 25 TO 50 THOUSAND PEOPLE and implied it was entering American territory while off the coast of Venezuela. According to Hegseths post, the strike on Friday morning killed four men, but it offered no details on who they were or what organisation they belonged to. Advertisement The four strikes have claimed the lives of 21 people, according to the Trump administration. In a post about the very first strike, Mr Trump claimed the vessel was carrying members of the Tren de Aragua cartel. However, posts about all the subsequent strikes, including Fridays, have not provided any details about what organisations have been targeted. Trump has designated several Latin American drug cartels as foreign terrorist organisations, but Pentagon officials could not provide a list of the designated terrorist organisations at the centre of the conflict. The video of the strike posted online showed a small boat moving in open water when it suddenly explodes. As the smoke from the explosion clears, the boat is visible, consumed with flames, floating motionless on the water. Last month, the US military carried out three other deadly strikes against boats in the Caribbean that the administration said were ferrying drugs. With this strike, at least three of these operations have now been carried out on vessels that originated from Venezuela. Those strikes followed a build-up of US maritime forces in the Caribbean unlike any seen in recent times. The US Navys presence in the region eight warships with more than 5,000 sailors and Marines has been stable for weeks, according to two defence officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing operations. Officials in the Pentagon, when asked for more details about the strike, referred The Associated Press back to Mr Hegseths post on social media. Grand Duke Guillaume swore an oath to ascend to the throne of Luxembourg on Friday in a traditional ceremony attended by royals and European heads of state. Flanked by his wife, the new Grand Duchess Stephanie, Grand Duke Guillaume, 43, swore the oath in Luxembourgs parliament and took the throne. I will live the life of my people, from whom I do not want to be separated by any barrier. I will share their joys and sufferings, he said, quoting a 1919 speech by one of his predecessors, the Grand Duchess Charlotte, in his first address to the nation. Luxembourgs Grand Duke Guillaume raises his hand during the swearing-in ceremony in the session hall of the Chamber of Deputies (Omar Havana/AP) He drew a parallel between the carnage of the First World War and geopolitical tensions today. A symbol of the principles of freedom and unity enshrined in our constitution, the monarchy has remained then as now a constant point of reference and a steadfast support in times of crisis. Advertisement In this sense, the oath I have just taken on the constitution marks a significant institutional milestone for our country. Grand Duke Guillaume takes over from his father Henri, 70, who had served for 25 years in the largely symbolic role. Crowds gathered outside the yellow stone and ornate turrets of the palace. Some had their faces painted in the Luxembourg flag: red, white and light blue the same colour of gown worn by the new Grand Duchess, Belgian-born Stephanie. Grand Duke Guillaume and Grand Duchess Stephanie wave from the balcony of the Grand Ducal Palace in Luxembourg (Omar Havana/AP) The new grand duke greeted the public from a balcony of the Grand Ducal Palace with the royal family at his side, including his sons, Charles, five, and Francois, two. Royals from the Netherlands and Belgium attended the ceremonies. Later on Friday, the new grand duke will host an evening gala for guests including French President Emmanuel Macron and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. He is Luxembourgs seventh grand duke since 1890, when the modern monarchy was established. On Saturday and Sunday he will tour his new realm, a tiny duchy of 700,000 citizens in the heart of Europe. Over the weekend, Guillaume will make a traditional tour of the nation that will end with a Sunday Mass with Archbishop Jean-Claude Hollerich at the Catholic Notre-Dame de Luxembourg cathedral. Advertisement Cleaved from part of what are now France, Belgium and Germany in the 17th and 19th centuries, the small nation is a parliamentary democracy with the grand duke as head of state, akin to King Charles III in the UK or King Philippe in Belgium. Its citizens speak a mix of Luxembourgish, a Germanic language, and French and German in public life. It is the worlds last remaining grand duchy. One of the European Unions smallest nations and its richest per capita, Luxembourg is a financial powerhouse that hosts important EU institutions such as the European Court of Justice and the European Investment Bank. The grand duchy is home to many of the banks in the eurozone, reinsurance companies and managers of hedge funds and money markets. Guillaume, like Henri, was educated in France, Switzerland and at the UKs military academy Sandhurst. Guillaume then worked for Belgian, German and Spanish firms. Christoph Brull, a historian and professor at the University of Luxembourg, said Guillaume will be stepping into a very traditional role. His margin of manoeuvre or right to action is zero. So the only power he has is then the power of speech or words. For the rest, the grand duke will remain a political symbol, he said. Britain's Baroness Michelle Mone has said she has no wish to return to the UK House of Lords as a Conservative party peer after a company linked to her was ordered to repay millions of pounds for breaching a Covid-19 PPE contract. On Wednesday, PPE Medpro was ordered to pay back nearly 122 million (140 million) to the British government after it was found to have breached a contract to supply surgical gowns during the Covid-19 pandemic. Several high-profile British politicians have called for Lady Mone to relinquish her peerage following the High Court judgment, including the current Chancellor Rachel Reeves, with Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch telling BBC local radio on Thursday that Lady Mone had brought embarrassment and shame to the party, and should have the book thrown at her. If I have done wrong then so have all the others in the VIP lane. In which case, you should be calling out for them to resign as well Michelle Mone letter to Kemi Badenoch In a letter to Mrs Badenoch on Friday, Lady Mone said there seems to be a bit of amnesia about her loss of the Conservative whip, stating that she had removed it myself by taking a leave of absence. She continued: However, you will be pleased to hear that once I do clear my name, I have no wish to return to the Lords as a Conservative peer; thats assuming there still is a Conservative Party before the next general election. Advertisement In response, a Conservative spokesman said Lady Mone would never have the Tory whip returned, if she were to come back to the House of Lords. He said she had fallen well short of the expected standards. Lady Mone also said in the letter to Ms Badenoch that she was shocked to the core to read about your inflammatory language during the Tory leaders appearance on BBC radio. The businesswoman later said that the previous Conservative government knew of my involvement from the outset and welcomed my assistance at a time of national emergency and that she had not acted differently from other politicians who had referred companies. Baroness Michelle Mone told Kemi Badenoch she was shocked to the core about language the Conservative Party leader had used about her (PA) She continued: So Kemi, my role was exactly the same as all other Conservative MPs and peers who were trying to help provide PPE. Like me, they would all have acted as liaisons and conduits between the company and the government and would have worked hard to ensure that contracts got over the line and through the red tape that was still present in obtaining contract awards at a time of national emergency. Advertisement So, on the above basis, if I have done wrong then so have all the others in the VIP lane. In which case, you should be calling out for them to resign as well. Thats if you manage to work out what it is they are supposed to have done wrong. Lady Mone later said she had never received a penny from PPE Medpro. A Conservative Party spokesman said: Baroness Mone has not been in receipt of the Conservative whip since she took a leave of absence from the House of Lords, and she is not a Conservative Party member. Baroness Mone was formally written to yesterday by the Lords Chief Whip, and informed that she would not receive the Conservative whip were she ever to return. Under Kemi Badenochs leadership, the Conservative Party expects parliamentarians to maintain the highest standards, and on this Baroness Mone has fallen well short. PPE Medpro, a consortium led by Lady Mones husband Doug Barrowman, was awarded Government contracts by the former Conservative administration to supply personal protective equipment (PPE) during the pandemic, after Lady Mone recommended it to ministers. In her 87-page ruling on Wednesday, Mrs Justice Cockerill said the gowns were not, contractually speaking, sterile, or properly validated as being sterile, which meant they could not be used in the NHS. Barristers for PPE Medpro told the trial it had been singled out for unfair treatment and accused the UK government of buyers remorse, claiming the gowns became defective because of the conditions in which they were kept after being delivered. Advertisement Mrs Justice Cockerill found PPE Medpro had breached the contract. She said the UK's Department of Health and Social Care was entitled to the price of the gowns as damages, but not the costs of storing the items. Lady Mone criticised the judgment, calling it a win for the establishment, while Mr Barrowman said it was a travesty of justice. Fridays letter comes after Lady Mone accused Ms Reeves of using dangerous and inflammatory language about her, after she was reported to have joked that the British government had a vendetta against the peer during a fringe event at Labours party conference this week. In a letter to Britain's Prime Minister, Lady Mone described the statement as one of the most troubling interventions ever made by a senior minister of the Crown. Munich Airport was temporarily shut down overnight after several drone sightings in the area, the latest mysterious drone overflights in the airspace of European Union member countries, officials said. Germanys air traffic control restricted flights at the airport shortly after 10pm local time on Thursday and then halted them altogether, airport operators said in a statement. Seventeen flights were unable to take off, affecting almost 3,000 passengers, while 15 arriving flights were diverted to three other airports in Germany and one in Vienna, Austria. Flights in and out of the airport resumed at 5am local time, said Stefan Bayer, a spokesperson for Germanys federal police at Munich airport. Authorities were not immediately able to provide any information about who was responsible for the overflights. Passengers wait it out at Munich Airport as flights were grounded overnight (Jason Tschepljakow/dpa via AP) A statement from the airport early on Friday said there had been several drone sightings, without elaborating. Mr Bayer said it was not immediately clear how many drones might have been involved. He said police, airline employees and regular people around the airport were among witnesses who reported the drone sightings. Advertisement After the closure of the runways, federal police deployed helicopters and other means to try to track down the drones, but no signs of them could be found, Mr Bayer said. The incident was the latest in a series of incidents of mysterious drone sightings over airports as well as other critical infrastructure sites in several European Union member countries. A drone incident in Oslo, the capital of Norway, which is a Nato member but not part of the EU, also affected flights there late last month. In Belgium, several drones were spotted overnight above a military base near the German border, defence minister Theo Francken told Le Soir newspaper. The minister did not confirm how many drones were flying in the vicinity of the Elsenborn military base which serves mainly as an army training facility with a firing range just after midnight. Belgian public broadcaster VRT said that 15 drones were spotted near the base, which is roughly 600km (about 375 miles) from Munich. Mr Francken underlined that the nature of the flights was suspicious and unknown, Le Soir said. A defence ministry investigation is ongoing. It was not immediately clear who has been behind the flyovers, but European authorities have expressed concerns Russia could be behind them. Russian authorities have rejected claims of involvement in recent drone incidents in Denmark. Advertisement Hans-Christian Mathiesen, vice president of defence programs at Sky-Watch, a Danish maker of a fixed-wing combat drone that is being used in Ukraine, said it could be anybody who could carry out a drone flyover like the one at Munich airport. If you have a drone, you can always fly it into restricted airspace and disrupt activity. So everything from boys not thinking about what theyre doing, just fooling around, to someone that is doing it with a purpose: criminal organisations, state actors, you name it, said Mr Mathiesen, whose company is involved in the fast-evolving drone ecosystem. A state actor could disrupt activities and examine responses with a minimal level of effort, he said. Officials in Russia and close ally Belarus acknowledged last month that some drones used as part of Russias war in Ukraine had entered the territory of EU and Nato member Poland, prompting a scramble by Polish and Nato allies in which fighter jets were deployed to shoot them down. The drone overflights were a major focus of a summit of EU and European leaders in Copenhagen, Denmark, this week. Authorities have vowed to step up measures to minimise and thwart the threat posed by drones. Separately, a Russia-linked oil tanker that authorities in France detained, which had been suspected of possible involvement in the drone incursions over Denmark, was back at sea on Friday. The ship-tracking website Marine Traffic showed the ship heading southwest from the French Atlantic coast where it was detained and apparently bound for the Suez Canal. A thorough search by French Navy commandos who boarded the ship found no drones, no drone-launching equipment and no evidence that drones had taken off from the vessel, according to an official with knowledge of the investigation who spoke on condition of anonymity. The tankers name has changed several times and its now known as Pushpa or Boracay. Its route from a Russian oil terminal into the Atlantic took it past the coast of Denmark. The Trump administration is cancelling 7.6 billion dollars (5.6 billion) in grants that supported hundreds of clean energy projects in 16 states, all of which voted for Democrat Kamala Harris in last years presidential election. The move comes as Mr Trump threatens deep cuts in his fight with congressional Democrats over the government shutdown. The Energy Department said in a statement on Thursday that 223 projects were terminated after a review determined they did not adequately advance the nations energy needs or were not economically viable. Officials did not provide details about which projects are being cut, but said funding came from the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and other Energy Department bureaux. Russ Vought, US Office of Management and Budget director (Evan Vucci/AP) The cuts are likely to affect battery plants, hydrogen technology projects, upgrades to the electric grid and carbon-capture efforts, among many others, according to the environmental nonprofit Natural Resources Defence Council. White House budget director Russ Vought said the Trump administration will also withhold 2.1 billion dollars (1.5 billion) for Chicago infrastructure projects, expanding the funding fights that have targeted Democratic areas during the government shutdown. Advertisement The pause affects a long-awaited plan to extend the citys Red Line train. Mr Vought wrote on social media on Friday that the money was put on hold to ensure funding is not flowing via race-based contracting. He made a similar announcement earlier this week involving New York, where Vought said 18 million dollars (13.4 million) for infrastructure would be paused, including funding for a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River. Mr Trump is openly embracing the conservative blueprint he tried to distance himself from during the 2024 presidential campaign. In a post on his Truth Social site Mr Trump announced he would be meeting with his budget chief, Russ Vought, he of PROJECT 2025 Fame, to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent. The comments, posted on Thursday, represented an about-face for Mr Trump, who spent much of last year denouncing Project 2025, The Heritage Foundations massive proposed overhaul of the federal government, which was drafted by many of his long-time allies and current and former administration officials. Russias sustained bombardment of Ukraines power grid is deepening concerns about the safety of the countrys nuclear facilities after a drone knocked out power for more than three hours to the site of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in northern Ukraine, officials said. The drone strike adds to concerns raised more than a week ago when the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in south-eastern Ukraine became disconnected from the power grid following attacks that each side has blamed on the other. Both Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhia are not currently operational, but they require a constant power supply to run crucial cooling systems for spent fuel rods in order to avoid a potential nuclear incident. Russian air attacks continue to hit civilian areas, such as Barabashovo market in Kharkiv, Ukraine, this week (AP) A blackout also could blind radiation monitoring systems installed to boost security at Chernobyl and operated by the UNs International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Russia is deliberately creating the threat of radiation incidents, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said, as he criticised the UN nuclear watchdog and its chief Rafael Mariano Grossi for what he described as weak responses to the danger. Advertisement Every day of Russias war, every strike on our energy facilities, including those connected to nuclear safety, is a global threat, he said. We are bringing home 185 of our defenders from Russian captivity. One hundred eighty-three are enlisted personnel and sergeants, and two are officers. They are warriors of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service. Alongside our defenders, civilians pic.twitter.com/LsRN3O4T0q Volodymyr Zelenskyy / (@ZelenskyyUa) October 2, 2025 Weak and half-measures will not work. Strong action is needed. Russian president Vladimir Putin rejected Ukrainian claims that Russia has been shelling the power lines around the Zaporizhzhia plant as nonsense. He blamed Ukraine for attacking the Moscow-controlled plant and warned that Russia could respond in kind. It came as Russia launched its biggest attack of the war overnight against natural gas facilities run by Ukraines state-owned Naftogaz Group, officials said on Friday. It has no military purpose. This is yet another act of Russian malice aimed solely at disrupting the heating season and depriving Ukrainians of warmth in winter Serhii Koretskyi, chief executive of Naftogaz Russia fired a total of 381 drones and 35 missiles at Ukraine, according to Ukraines air force, in what officials say was an attempt to wreck the Ukrainian power grid ahead of winter and wear down public appetite for the thee-year conflict. This is deliberate terror against civilian facilities that provide gas extraction and processing for the normal life of people, Serhii Koretskyi, chief executive of Ukraines state-owned gas company Naftogaz, said in a statement. It has no military purpose. This is yet another act of Russian malice aimed solely at disrupting the heating season and depriving Ukrainians of warmth in winter. Advertisement Russia aimed 35 missiles, many of them ballistic, and 60 drones at Naftogazs gas extraction and processing facilities in the northeastern Kharkiv and central Poltava regions, some of which sustained critical damage, Mr Koretskyi said. Russias Ministry of Defence said its forces launched a mass strike using drones and guided weapons against Ukraines military-industrial complex and the gas and energy infrastructure that supports it. All designated targets were hit, it said in a statement. The war that followed Russias all-out invasion of its neighbour more than three years ago appears no closer to ending, despite months of US-led peace efforts. Mr Zelensky said in his nightly video address that Russia launched over 20 Shahed drones against energy infrastructure in Slavutych, the city whose power supply services Chernobyl, the site of the worlds worst nuclear accident nearly 40 years ago. A wave of drones overwhelmed defences and caused a blackout on Wednesday, he said, affecting the sarcophagus that prevents radioactive dust from escaping the destroyed fourth reactor and storage housing more than 3,000 tonnes of spent fuel. He did not provide details of how it was affected. Honoured to host the 50th session of the High-Level Committee on Programmes with senior officials from across the @UN system. We must read the signs of the times, act boldly, and build together. The UN systems strength lies in collaboration and shared purpose to deliver real pic.twitter.com/YPoQaTNuUU Rafael Mariano Grossi (@rafaelmgrossi) October 2, 2025 The Russians could not have been unaware that a strike on Slavutych would have such consequences for Chernobyl, Mr Zelensky said. Last February, a drone armed with a warhead hit Chernobyls protective outer shell, briefly starting a fire. Radiation levels there did not increase, officials said. The Zaporizhzhia plant, which is Europes biggest and one of the 10 biggest nuclear facilities in the world, has been disconnected from the grid for over a week. Advertisement It has repeatedly been caught in the crossfire during the war. Mr Zelensky blamed Russian artillery for cutting the power line to the plant, but Mr Putin mocked the claim, saying: Are we striking ourselves? A soldier returning from Russian captivity hugs his wife during a POW exchange between Russia and Ukraine in Chernyhiv region (AP) He accused Ukraine of playing a dangerous game by attacking the plant, adding ominously: People on the other side must understand that if they continue this dangerous game, they also have functioning nuclear power plants. What would prevent us from responding in kind? he added. Let them think about it. The facility is using emergency diesel generators to run cooling systems for its six shutdown reactors and spent fuel. The IAEA says the plant is not in immediate danger but wants it swiftly reconnected to the grid. Ukraines energy ministry said the situation is unprecedented, saying: No nuclear power plant in the world has ever operated under such conditions, and it is impossible to make any reliable forecasts. Russia and Ukraine exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war on Thursday. Mr Zelensky said 185 military personal, most of whom had been in Russian captivity since 2022, and 20 civilians were returned home. Since the war began, more than 7,000 Ukrainians have returned, Mr Zelensky said on Telegram. Russias defence ministry said 185 of its soldiers and 20 civilians returned. Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Share Whats good, whats bad, and whats in between in literature? Here we review the latest titles. See all stories . From a chilling outback thriller and a dark family saga about intergenerational curses to Stoic philosophy and the cultural politics of breasts, heres our round-up of 10 new fiction and non-fiction releases. FICTION The Midnight Timetable, Bora Chung (trans. Anton Hur), Scribe, $29.99 Korean speculative fiction got a boost with Bora Chungs Booker-shortlisted Cursed Bunny (2018). The Midnight Timetable continues an experimental approach to genre: its a novel constructed from ghost stories. Our unnamed narrator works at the Institute, a place that houses (and tries to contain) cursed objects left behind by the restless dead to torment the living. Most workers at the Institute are creeped out and make sure to play by the rules. Some dont listen. One employee turns ghost hunter and attempts to livestream a poltergeist to digital fans, only to find themselves hunted without mercy. Down the hall, a cat reveals the atrocious secrets of the family who owned it, while philosophising about its own future. And in Room 302, a handkerchief invested with the spirit of two brothers, forever locked in sibling rivalry, unleashes power without control. These tales are more fable-like and share a more obvious connection than Chungs previous short works. Social critique can be less complex and indeterminate. However, Chungs wry humour and eerie imagination never risk devolving into preachiness, and this footsure translation from Anton Hur showcases a distinctive and beguiling literary voice. Boudiccas Daughter, Elodie Harper, Bloomsbury, $32.99 Advertisement Elodie Harper has a taste for historical fiction, having penned a popular trilogy based on life in ancient Rome, set inside the lupanar (literally wolf den, or brothel) at Pompeii. Boudiccas Daughter takes readers into a different corner of the Empire. Records from Roman Britain are patchy, though the revolt of the warrior queen Boudicca, of the Iceni, remains etched in the annals. And history does record she had two daughters. Harper imagines one of them, Solina, who finds herself on a desperate odyssey to Rome, there to confront an enemy of her people after her mothers armed rebellion. All the qualities that made the Wolf Den trilogy worthy also animate this standalone. The author has a knack for merging sweeping epic with the travails of ordinary life. Her storytelling is rooted in the grandeur and barbarity of Roman civilisation, but it imagines too, and plausibly, what it might have been like for an individual to live through them. Boudiccas Daughter is an intensely drawn ordeal, a struggle for identity and control at the margins of empire, imagined from the gaps in which history is silent. Cursed Daughters, Oyinkan Braithwaite, Atlantic Books, $34.99 How do you follow up a successful debut titled My Sister, the Serial Killer? Well, Oyinkan Braithwaite continues to explore the darker side of relationships between female family members in Cursed Daughters, but she puts aside the psycho-thriller trappings that brought her to international attention and trades them for the tension between nature and nurture and the supernatural, of course. A love curse has befallen the Falodun clan. Born from an extramarital affair, and reportedly the product of a jilted wifes revenge, it passes down through the generations causing romantic mayhem. Bitter jealousies, betrayals, and a tragic death for one of the novels three protagonists are all attributed to the persistent malediction. The youngest generation includes Eniiyi, and the stories wont leave her alone, either. It is whispered the girl may be a reincarnation of her dead aunt, and when Eniiyi, like her forebear, falls in love with a light-skinned boy, it seems like history might be set to repeat itself. The book does draw us into a haunting tale of intergenerational trauma, though it isnt as character-driven or page-turning as the authors debut. Gunpowder Creek, Alex Dook, Echo, $32.99 Advertisement Outback crime fiction has emerged as a global publishing phenomenon on par with Scandi noir earlier this century. Alex Dooks debut lands in a crowded field. The plot elements are familiar enough this is a road trip narrative with a baddie pulling the strings; the protagonist coerced into playing a sadistic game of cat-and-mouse though it distinguishes itself by interleaving three perspectives to ratchet up the tension. For Emily Barnes, the nightmare begins with a panicked phone call from son Zach. Hes been kidnapped and is being held at gunpoint. Hes dead unless Emily drives a stolen car with unknown cargo deep into the West Australian outback within three days. But what awaits her at Gunpowder Creek? Who are Zachs captors, and why are they torturing Emily and her son? Its often said the landscape becomes a character in genres such as Oz gothic, and Dook certainly imbues the aridity, isolation and intense heat of the books setting with a hallucinatory quality. Part twisted psychological horror, part febrile action survival thriller, Gunpowder Creek is a propulsive addition to an internationally popular genre. When We Were Monsters, Jennifer Niven, Penguin, $19.99 Author of bestsellers All the Bright Places and Holding Up the Universe, Jennifer Niven turns the cloistered world of a creative writing retreat into a springboard for a YA thriller. Eight students sign up to be mentored by Meredith Graffam, a celebrity writer, director and actress whose unorthodox methods soon create conflict. For Effy and Arlo, the battle lines are already drawn Arlo ghosted her three years ago, breaking Effys heart, and now he seeks rapprochement. Effy, meanwhile, has a plan for a story based on a tragedy that hit her close to home. Writing ideas come thick and fast, as do flurries of academic vanity and point-scoring. But the tactics Meredith uses to inspire creativity in her charges become increasingly weird and voyeuristic, and the teacher has secrets of her own. Will one of her students make her take them to the grave, sooner rather than later? Niven blends YA romance and literary whodunit, in a mystery that should intrigue more bookish teens and young adults. NON-FICTION The Seeker and the Sage, Brigid Delaney, Allen & Unwin, $32.99 Advertisement Its one thing to introduce readers to Stoicism as Brigid Delaney did in her previous book Reasons Not to Worry. Its another to show how one might live by these principles. Delaneys solution is to give the Socratic dialogue a modern twist through the story of a journalist who treks to a remote town high in the mountains to find the secrets to happiness. Here, the journalist converses with the towns mayor about how its inhabitants put the precepts of this ancient Greek philosophy into action. What could have been a mechanical question and answer exercise is given urgency and drama through the framing device of a mass shooting in the newspaper office where the journalist works, which launches her on her quest. She brings with her all the baggage of contemporary life particularly the assumption that we can control our fate only to have it challenged and dismantled. Delaney fleshes out the main characters sufficiently for us to be drawn into their world and to feel for them as they strive for equanimity in the face of the ultimate deadline. The Secret Life of a Cemetery, Benoit Gallot, Greystone Books, $34.99 Tourists flock to Pere-Lachaise to seek out the graves of celebrated figures such as Marcel Proust, Colette, Jim Morrison and Maria Callas. I once saw a shiny pink granite tombstone there for a man who had not yet died. Yet there is so much more to this famous Parisian cemetery than its monumental public face. As the curator of the cemetery who lives with his family on the grounds, Benoit Gallot is privy to another side of the cemetery, which is as much about life as it is about death. Since 2011, when the Paris City Council forbade the use of pesticides, wild plants and animals have returned, creating havens of biodiversity. Gallot writes eloquently of how these environments have become refuges for all sorts of creatures foxes, hedgehogs, owls, insects not to mention that diverse array of humans that frequent the place. The Perelachaisians or retired enthusiasts, the flaneurs, the epitaph aficionados, the cat ladies, the lovers, the artists and the exhibitionists. A delightful and strangely uplifting work. No Straight Road Takes You There, Rebecca Solnit, Granta, $36.99 Advertisement Advertisement CultureMusicStreaming Massive Attack demanded their music be pulled from Spotify. Instead, their listeners grew Michael Dwyer October 4, 2025 5:00am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share When Massive Attack declared a fortnight ago that they wanted their music pulled from Spotify, it was a shot across the bow of the worlds biggest streaming service by the highest-profile act so far. The Bristol collective, long defined by political conscience as much as brooding sonics, has aligned with a growing crowd of indie acts King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Deerhoof, Xiou Xiou in denouncing chief executive Daniel Eks billion-dollar AI weapons investments. Massive Attack performing in 2024. The legendary band wants its music off Spotify but they are effectively trapped. In Pictures via Getty Images Its possible that Eks subsequent announcement this week that he would be stepping down as chief executive hell remain executive chairman was an attempt to address the brands rapidly declining reputation. Meanwhile though, Massive Attacks Spotify listeners have grown, up from 7.9 to 8 million. Yes, their mega-million-streaming catalogue is still streaming because they dont own it. Their label does. It takes more than a conscience vote to prise corporate product free of a machine that keeps so conveniently coughing up change. Advertisement Related Article Pop music Aussie musicians flee Spotify as ARIA shores up awards partnership Its a depressing symbol of where musicians find themselves in 2025: strapped, more or less starved, to the mast of a gigantic ship they had no say in boarding, and that no single act of mutiny will turn around any time soon. It also prompts more head scratching for conscious consumers looking for lifeboats that might rescue their favourite acts from the icefield of penury and moral compromise. All financial and ethical concerns considered, what are our options? Out of the frying pan ... The answer has little to do with changing deckchairs. Youll pay Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Tidal, Deezer and Qobuz much the same $13.99$17.99 a month for much the same infinite jukebox. How little of that goes to musicians, as distinct from labels and, say, AI death tech, is much the same too. Advertisement On the best opaque evidence available, for every 5000 streams, Spotify pays an artist around $30 although less than 1000 spins a month gets those losers zero. Amazon is around the same, Deezer about $50, Apple Music a relative bonanza at $77. Tidal nudges the $100 mark if you spring for its hi-fi tier and Qobuz, the boutique French audiophiles darling, pays a still-not-exactly-whopping $145. YouTube Music? A mortifying $5.50 for 5000 streams. Thats three McNuggets, so heres hoping the rest of the band isnt hungry. Melbourne indie outfit Camp Cope, who are breaking up but will deliver their farewell album, Live at the Sydney Opera House as vinyl later this month. Genna Alexopoulos The fine print adds brain injury to insult: different subscription tiers, geography, advertising rates, sound quality options, algorithm promotion opt-ins and more buffet the numbers like an accountants toupee in a gale, but the bottom line is clear: the infinite jukebox spins for shareholders. Musicians pocket bus fare. Some superstars have invested in their own lifeboats. James Blakes Vault subscription service $7.50 a month for unreleased tracks was hailed as a bold alternative 18 months ago, but whos ready to fork out $90 a year for the offcuts of every artist on their playlist? Advertisement What does that leave us? None of this is remotely surprising to Sarah Thompson, who works with artists on indie label Poison City Records and, until recently, played drums with Melbourne rock outfit Camp Cope. Related Article Review Streaming as surveillance: How Spotify is poisoning music in the digital age I worked in record stores, then labels, so I saw in real time how bleak the future was going to be, she says. It was obvious from the start that streaming wasnt going to do anything good for anybody. Camp Copes farewell album, Live at the Sydney Opera House, arrives on October 17 as a one-off vinyl pressing, and digitally only on the platform most indie acts cite as the least-worst online option: Bandcamp. Advertisement Bandcamp is not really streaming. Its more like a digital record store where you name your price and 82 per cent of it goes straight to the artist. Once a month, Bandcamp Friday waives its cut entirely which, in a world of fractions of cents, can feel like Christmas. The gulf between indie flexibility and the major label straitjacket is growing more stark. Bandcamp is great for smaller players, but Thompson gets why an act like Massive Attack cant just ditch their 7.9 million streamers and reposition their catalogue overnight. In a perfect world, every artist would just leave Spotify, she says. But why is the onus once again put on artists? We already dont have anything. Get angry at Spotify, not at musicians. Were artists. Theyre a multibillion-dollar corporation run by advertisers and tech guys. At the far organic end of that spectrum, if you squint hard enough, sits a tiny glimmer of light. Formidable Vegetable, a permaculture electro-swing outfit from regional Western Australia looks, from the burning deck of the modern music business, like the green shoots of a new world. Permaculture electro-swing outfit Formidable Vegetable have taken aim at Spotify in one of their songs. Ema Kneblova Advertisement Their song Spotify (Where Music Goes to Die) has had bugger all streams, funnily enough, says mainstay Charlie Mgee, but its clocked up 1.5 million Instagram views since August, and proved a crowd favourite on their recent fifth return to the Glastonbury Festival and other stops around Europe. Related Article Pop music This musician was getting millions of streams. Then fake tracks appeared under his name I have friends who are signed to majors who have thanked us for saying this because theyre on contracts that require them to be on Spotify, he says. But a lot of bands are using their platforms to advocate for what they believe in, he adds, citing King Gizzard, Stella Donnelly, Lime Cordiale and Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers. Were tired of being co-opted into a world-destroying machine. Bring back the punks! Mgee acknowledges that stadiums and concert halls may well remain beyond their grasp. And hes fine with it. Ours is a grassroots, mycelial approach to music, but weve survived and thrived for 12 years so its a model thats really worth exploring for anyone the industry is not working for. Advertisement That arguably describes a greater percentage of musicians today than at any other time in living memory. Thompson knows theres no easy fix, but she believes turning the tide is all about consumer education. Theres no HR department for musicians. No worldwide union. To collect every artist on Earth in a mass exodus [from streaming] would be ideal, but its going to be very difficult. Whats more beneficial is to re-educate people on how it all works, and how to financially support the artists they like. Turns out thats a lot easier that cancelling your streaming subscription. Buy the T-shirt. Buy the album. Go to the show. Must-see movies, interviews and all the latest from the world of film delivered to your inbox. Sign up for our Screening Room newsletter. Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Four masked men, one believed to be armed with a gun, invaded a south-west Sydney home on Friday morning, police allege, triggering a siege operation that lasted for several hours and blocked off a residential street. The four men are alleged to have stormed the property on Wollongbar Avenue, Panania just before 8am on Friday, assaulting a 24-year-old male occupant and stealing a large sum of cash. Loading Heavily armed police arrived at the scene after calls from neighbours, in addition to hostage negotiators, aerial support, and the dog unit. Police laid siege after the two occupants, which also included a 52-year-old female, were unable to confirm if the four men were still inside the property. Police urged the public to avoid the area, as emergency vehicles were stationed on the street and front yards of neighbouring properties amid fears of a potential shoot-out. Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Share This story is part of the October 4 edition of Good Weekend. See all stories . Lets begin this murder story with a confession. I spent years being completely anti-Jane Harper. In a short-lived book club I was once a part of, we selected her fourth novel, The Survivors, to discuss. This book was an instant international bestseller; The New York Times praised its complicated, elegant web of secrets; recently its been released as a globally successful Netflix series. But apparently I knew better than the reading and viewing audience of the entire world, because I was immediately filled with secret book club rage over our choice, and refused to read it (which means I either faked it at book club or didnt go that month mercifully I cant remember which). I had not read any of Harpers three preceding novels The Dry, Force of Nature or The Lost Man and I did not read her fifth, Exiles. Even when I wrote a story about, in part, the filming of Force of Nature: The Dry 2 (for which I interviewed the director, and the producer, and Eric Bana, and attended the premiere), I still didnt read the book on which it was based. What on earth was I thinking? Before I interviewed Jane Harper for this story I read every one of her novels, including her most recent, Last One Out, published this month. And all I can say now is, Im ashamed of myself. Few people do what she does The details of 45-year-old Jane Harpers life before she was hit by the juggernaut of fame are well known. How, after more than a decade as an unobtrusive newspaper journalist in the UK and regional Victoria, she signed up for an online novel-writing course and began working, quietly and methodically, on the storyline which became The Dry. How the manuscript won the Victorian Premiers Award before it was even published, was auctioned to Pan Macmillan on the day of her wedding and swiftly became a global sensation. How it was translated into more than 35 languages, sold more than a million copies and won awards all over the world, including a Book of the Year gong at both the British Book Awards and the Australian Book Industry Awards, not to mention spawning a movie which became one of the highest-grossing Australian films of all time. How her subsequent books have also been bestsellers her total sales now top 3.5 million and theres been a second movie (Force of Nature), the Netflix series, and an option on The Lost Man. And how her life, as a result, has changed beyond all recognition. She herself, however, seems not to have changed at all. When she opens the door to her comfortable old Californian bungalow in Melbournes Elwood (which is itself new since The Dry; she used to live in an apartment in St Kilda), she looks exactly the same as she does in photos from nine years ago: small, red-haired, corkscrew curls in a half-ponytail. Despite her turquoise top and casual pants, she has an appealingly old-fashioned face, like a character in a British costume drama an impression aided by the remnant of a northern English burr in her voice. Its a friendly, determined face: you could imagine her gossiping over a vicarage gate in a picturesque English village or leading a band of militant suffragettes into Hyde Park. Harpers 2015 wedding with Pete Strachan, held the same day that Pan Macmillan bid for The Dry. Eugene Hyland She really hasnt changed, confirms her husband Pete Strachan, a dark-haired man in glasses (also an ex-journalist, now a web developer), who along with the two cats of the house appears alongside Harper in the hall. Hes a quiet, friendly-seeming man: when I talk to him later, he sounds surprised to imagine that global fame and fortune might have had any impact on his wife. I mean, its true, you might think so, right? he agrees. But no. Her values are exactly the same as theyve always been. She cares about all the same things. Advertisement After introducing Strachan and the cats, Jane leads the way down a dim, cool corridor pale walls, dark floorboards to a staircase. Ive asked to see her writing room, which is at the top of the house, and as we climb, we pass a series of enormous black-framed posters of her book covers, carefully positioned in chronological order. Pete did this, she acknowledges cheerfully. There are few people who are capable of leading you up a staircase lined with four-foot-high glossy images of their own novels, past an alcove featuring several award trophies and into a room with a bookshelf containing their own words in multiple languages, and still not seem remotely like theyre showing off. Harper, apparently, is one. Is this one Japanese? she guesses, pulling out an edition with a cover of a shadowy figure who appears to be forest-bathing in a snowstorm. No, hang on, thats Korean. She pulls out another one. This is definitely, um, maybe Hungarian? These books demonstrate, as well as anything in Harpers low-key orbit can, the sheer enormity of her global achievement. Its hard to remember when you meet her but, measured by both her sales and her critical reputation, today she is one of the top crime writers working anywhere in the world. Her writing is recognised globally for what her Australian editor Claire Craig calls its intensity of character; its slow but inexorable creep of menace. Her success has been so great it has spread beyond her own novels, creating a demand thats spawned an entirely new sub-genre of crime writing, outback noir, now filled with other international Australian success stories such as Chris Hammer (of Scrublands fame), Candice Fox and Margaret Hickey. As an editor, you just sit back and enjoy it Every nut and bolt is in place. Its a masterclass. Claire Craig What Jane does is an incredibly hard, unusual thing to do, explains her UK editor, Alex Saunders. Shes able to marry tight structure, compelling plot, great characters all the things you get from really great crime fiction alongside this immersive setting, and this unique emotional intelligence. Very few people can do what she does. [The ingredients to a great crime novel are] very hard to balance, agrees her US editor, Christine Kopprasch. (In more than 20 years, Harper is the only novelist Ive ever interviewed working with three editors, on three continents, simultaneously.) Shes taking all these familiar crime tropes and doing them at such a high level. She is just a major talent. As an editor, you just sit back and enjoy it, concludes Claire Craig, describing the moment when the manuscript for Harpers latest novel, Last One Out, arrived in her inbox earlier this year. Every nut and bolt is in place. Its a masterclass. Advertisement A room of ones own So. How do you transform yourself from a successful first-time author into a world-wide crime fiction powerhouse, still going from strength to strength after a decade? Well, if youre Jane Harper, you have two children in quick succession, write your next five novels through the hellish fog of early parenting (her younger child, Ted, is still only five) and take quite a long time to secure yourself either a dedicated writing space or an organised writing plan. The room at the top of the house is Harpers answer to the first issue. Its sparse and efficient: grey rug; desk with a computer; chair; bookshelf; chest of drawers and a printer. The only touches of colour are an excellent framed jellyfish drawing by Harpers nine-year-old daughter Charlotte on the bookshelf and a wildly bright mat under her keyboard. I think thats to cheer me up, she says of the mat. On a hard day, I can look down and think, OK, maybe things arent so bad. Harper seems as she does about many things pretty matter-of-fact about this room. Theres no talk of inspiration or Woolfian creative independence. Its useful to have somewhere to go, she admits before this she rented an office space, and occasionally worked at the local library but she doesnt seem to love being up here, especially when her children are home. I tend to work around their schedules, she says. I dont shut myself away or stop them coming in. To be honest, I mostly dont work when theyre around. This privilege that of being a mum with her kids in all their after-school, witching-hour glory is the crazy, but also believable thing that Harper loves most about being a publishing multimillionaire. I remember the hours I used to work, she says. I can imagine how much beforecare and aftercare theyd have if I was still at the newspaper. So the absolute of luxury of not working on school holidays; not working on weekends that time is really, really valuable. I treasure it. Related Article Literature Why journalists are trading fact for crime fiction When her children arent around, however, Harper is a demon of efficiency. Leading the way into a bright living room containing an immaculate cat-scratching post, two heavily cat-scratched sofas and an avenue of Dubai-style Lego constructions, Harper sits down on a squashy couch. The fact is, she says, she always wanted to be a novelist. Honestly? Probably since I was a child. It was kind of my secret burning ambition. Becoming a journalist seemed like a step towards that, and it was a way of getting paid to write. Because I had very little confidence in my skills, even with journalism. But I did my training courses and things, so I knew I could write news stories. But a novel seemed like such a mountain to climb. I just couldnt imagine how anyone did it, you know? Advertisement With The Dry, one gets the sense Harper did it by sheer force of will: an hour at the kitchen table before work every day, an hour after work. I kind of thought, If I keep on doing this for as long as I can stand it, to be honest, eventually it will reach a standard where probably it will be workable. And then suddenly far more suddenly than she ever expected it happened: her novel was published, it was a huge hit, and she had to repeat it. And I had to think, Well how exactly did I do that? Lets try and really work out how it happened, and how to do it again. The answer, for Harper, was planning. Planning, planning, planning, she agrees, sitting forward. It took a few novels, but Ive kind of got it down now. So, with this last book, for instance. I start with a skeleton maybe one page. And quite often I start from the end point: the murder itself. Who did it, how did it happen, what brought the characters to this extreme moment? And then I literally just expand it out. This expansion can be enormous up to 35,000 words before she starts on the actual novel itself, which she writes straight through, from beginning to end. But by then, I might have mapped out a lot of the scenes, whole stretches of dialogue; I know theyre going to have this conversation in a cafe; I know theyre driving home and thats when so and so says, Youve always liked hunting knives or whatever; this is where Im dropping a clue in. I like to keep track of what the characters know at certain points; what the reader knows. She grins. Or what the reader thinks they know. Im dropping a clue in. I like to keep track of what the characters know at certain points; what the reader knows. She grins. Or what the reader thinks they know. Kristoffer Paulsen One of the cats appears in the sitting room, ignores the scratching post and vigorously attacks the sofa. Then, after a disdainful sniff at me, she arranges herself carefully on Harpers crossed legs. Harper holds her in place as she speaks. The planning helped me realise how to just take it literally one step at a time, she reflects. You dont have to know every single thing thats going to happen. You can just write down things you do know, then fill in some gaps, just keep working away. Its an important part of Harpers modesty that she really believes this: really believes that you can write a great novel just by taking things calmly, and not being too hard on yourself, and getting organised. In fact, she takes it so seriously shes even done a TED Talk, replete with suggestions about time management and word documents. Ive watched that TED Talk! laughs Sally Hepworth, a near neighbour and close friend of Harper, who is herself a bestselling author: the pair met when they were both pregnant (third and first babies respectively) and publicising novels (second and first). Whenever I get asked a question about writing a novel, I always say, Go and watch Jane. Shes so good, and its so unusual for such a successful writer to do a how to like that. But thats classic Jane. Matter-of-fact and really, genuinely kind. Harper brushes this off. I dont want people to get demoralised and give up, is how she puts it: I remember how hard it is when the only comparison you have is with published books, which have been through multiple drafts and editing and everything. Whereas Im lucky: I can go back and look at my early drafts, and say to myself, Look, look how bad this was at the start! Advertisement Its worth saying that nobody sees these drafts but Harper not her editors, not her friends, not even Strachan; though occasionally, she does ask for his input. Its a bit hard for him, because he has no context, she admits. Although I do remember when I was writing Exiles, theres a scene in it where Falk [Harpers protagonist] and Gemma [Falks love interest] first meet, and theyre in a bar. And I showed it to Pete, and I was like, Is it believable that she would have a drink with him, do you think? Have they had enough small talk? And of course, this is after the movie came out, with Eric Bana playing Falk. And Pete was like, Well, the good news is that everybody is going to be picturing Eric Bana. So yes, of course shes going to have a drink with him. Eric Bana with author Jane Harper, who created the Aaron Falk series. She has said the third book Exiles will be the last. Aaron Falk, it must be said, is a surprisingly memorable figure, even without Eric Banas input. Jane Harpers mother, Helen Harper, still hasnt got over his retirement into bucolic domesticity at the end of Exiles. Im sorry Janes got rid of him! she exclaims. Hes a deep character he could do with more exploring. Him and snakes. Im always saying to Jane, Put in more snakes! I think theyre terrifying. Helen and Mike Harper are lifelong crime fiction fans. Born in Manchester, Jane Harper, her younger brother and her sister all read the same authors as their parents: Patricia Cornwell, Ian Rankin, Val McDermid. Crime fiction was really our genre of choice as a family, explains Helen, whose own background was in English language teaching (she was an ESL trainer for Gurkha soldiers), while Mike was a product manager for a computing company who later opened a guitar shop. Both recall Harper as a talented writer, even as a kid. Shed work away on her diary which we never read! and on stories about everyday dramas: her drivers licence test; the arrival of an exchange student at school; the odd imaginary murder. Mike remembers her publishing a short story in the UK Big Issue in her late teens or early 20s a murder-mystery, recalls Helen with relish. And it had an ending I didnt spot though generally, with most authors, I do know. So that was a good sign. Related Article Literature The 21 top tips for becoming a bestselling author The family moved to Australia when Harper was eight, and she attended primary school here and learnt how to swim like an Australian rather than a Brit, as Helen puts it. This period also first introduced Harper to one of the crucial ingredients to the success of her novels: the Australian landscape. The whole family found the countryside around Melbourne endlessly fascinating. We lived in [the outer suburb of] Boronia, recalls Helen. And we got such a thrill even from the flocks of galahs out there. On the weekends, after netball or Little Aths, theyd drive out to Anakie, the Dandenongs, Phillip Island, Wilsons Promontory. We all enjoyed it, recalls Mike: I dont remember any of the kids rolling their eyes. When Harper was 14, her family returned to the UK, where she remained until her early 20s. But when she got a job with the Geelong Advertiser in 2008, her parents remember her being excited and pleased to come back to Australia. I think she felt safe here, says Mike. It did feel like home. Advertisement Advertisement NationalVictoriaGo west This prime inner-city site could house 6000 families, but its a toxic mess Sophie Aubrey October 4, 2025 5:00am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share 38 View all comments In this special series, The Age focuses on Melbournes western suburbs to see how life could improve in Australias fastest-growing region. See all stories . Michael Clarke vividly remembers when, as mayor of Maribyrnong in 2009, he visited Canberra to be told the federal government would hand over a sprawling, historic Defence site to create a new suburb in Melbournes inner west. Sixteen years on, the 128-hectare riverside slice of Maribyrnong, just 10 kilometres from the CBD, is no closer to housing families in a possible 6000 new homes. Former Maribyrnong mayor and long-time councillor Michael Clarke outside the Defence site. Jason South The soil remains riddled with dangerous chemicals from the sites former life as an ammunition and explosives factory, while buildings not used since 1994 grow increasingly derelict. The defence ministers office now signals further delays. Everyone was ooh, aah but god, its gotten nowhere, Clarke says. I understood that the cost of remediation would be an impediment, but not an insurmountable hurdle. Advertisement Its a hell of a long time coming and particularly given the housing crisis, its really ripe for development. The Age is strengthening its focus on Melbournes booming west as part of a special series examining the positives and challenges the region faces. Later this month, our reporters will moderate a West of Melbourne Economic Development Alliances (WoMEDA) summit to discuss a vision for the western suburbs success. The alliance of university, industry, community and local government experts works to unlock the wests economic potential. Discussions about the Maribyrnong sites potential started soon after its closure and the state government began negotiations to buy the land in 2004. In 2009, the Commonwealth announced it would clean up the site and sell the land to Victoria. This agreement was scuppered in 2017 when the Turnbull government rejected the Andrews governments final offer in the quest for better value for money, deciding instead to sell to a private developer and offload the cost of remediation. However, the selection process has dragged on for years. Advertisement The cost of decontamination has been a major sticking point for the Commonwealth. In 2009, the clean-up bill was estimated at $100 million. Two years ago, the same works were put at about $200 million. Clarke said the land ticked all the boxes due to its proximity to the city, a tram line and Highpoint Shopping Centre. He called on the Commonwealth to find the resolve and the money for remediation. The number of sites that are this big, this close to the CBD, you can count on one hand, Clarke said. You cannot leave that site, given our housing need, idle. There will be a tipping point where demand absolutely requires the federal government to move on cleaning this land up and making it available. Advertisement After the site went on the market in 2018, five property developers were selected to make submissions by July 2024. The Defence Department last year said it would provide recommendations on the sites future by early 2025 through a cabinet submission. A glimpse of the fenced-off abandoned former explosives factory this month. Jason South A spokeswoman for Assistant Defence Minister Peter Khalil now says not to expect a decision on the Maribyrnong site before the Commonwealth completes its response to an independent audit of its national real estate portfolio, which was finished in December 2023. Defence is undertaking further analysis to understand the impacts of the findings and recommendations of the Defence Estate Audit, particularly with respect to personnel and capability, the spokeswoman said. Advertisement The Albanese government will release its response to the audit this year, once that work is complete. While the audit has not been made public, Defence Minister Richard Marles quoted from the report in a speech in June: Urgent interventions are needed to correct the unsustainable trajectory that has resulted from decades of deferred decisions on contentious estate issues. A derelict building within the Defence site. Jason South The shortlisted developers have been kept secret. Chinese developer Enrichment Holding released a $2.5 billion vision for the land in 2017 that included carving a canal through the centre and an expected decontamination budget of $300 million. Company representative Nelly Wang said while the business remained prepared to fulfil its plans, it was not on the Defence Departments shortlist. Advertisement Andrew Gunter, who lives across the Maribyrnong River in Essendon West and runs the Facebook group Maribyrnong Defence Site Neighbours, hopes to see a wide riverside park and medium-density housing close to the tram line. Related Series Go west Go west The site has about three kilometres of river frontage, but remains entirely fenced off, breaking up recreational walking paths. Gunter called on the Commonwealth to get on with the clean-up. If a private developer had to bear the cost, Gunter said, they would just push down the land value and pass on the remediation bill to eventual buyers. Its contaminated because of Commonwealth use of the land for completely justifiable reasons, they needed a facility to manufacture this stuff and they should carry the burden that goes with that. Advertisement Maribyrnong Deputy Mayor Bernadette Thomas said the council had long advocated for the sites clean-up and reuse, but was still waiting for any movement from the Defence Department. The City of Maribyrnongs population is expected to rise by 55 per cent to about 155,000 by 2051, and this prime site which has sat unused for 20 years is crucial to realising the state governments targets to accommodate 48,000 dwellings across our municipality by 2050, she said. The Age sent a list of questions to the Allan government, which has ambitions for 800,000 new homes in Victoria by 2034. In response, a Department of Transport and Planning spokesman said: The future use or development of this site is a matter for the Commonwealth government. The Maribyrnong factory was established in 1908 to manufacture explosives, including bombs, mines and hand grenades. During World War II, there were 8000 workers on site and the workforce was wound down by the 60s to produce rockets. Advertisement The Albanese government reversed a Turnbull-Morrison era position in 2023, saying it would be prepared to wear the clean-up bill if necessary. The Defence Department is removing some legacy asbestos material from the site, according to its website. The West of Melbourne Summit, presented by WoMEDA with The Age, will be held on October 22-23. For details go to womeda.com.au Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter. Advertisement Analysis PoliticsFederalPolitical leadership Radio silence for days: The uneasy calm before Hasties bombshell resignation Paul Sakkal October 3, 2025 9:25pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share Andrew Hasties colleagues had been trying to reach him for days. The former SAS captain has always been a lone wolf in a Liberal party room full of former staffers, apparatchiks and business people. But he has become particularly dislocated from the partys centre of gravity in recent months as hes spent time with his family in Perth post-election. Andrew Hastie stands with Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, who was sidelined for her views on immigration. James Brickwood This week it went to a new level. Calls, texts nothing. Something was up. It was just radio silence for days, one of his close colleagues said. Advertisement Related Article Updated Political leadership Its pretty simple: Hastie says resignation not about leadership push That was until late Friday afternoon when Hastie posted on Instagram, the favoured platform for his recent outbreak of policy freewheeling, to reveal he was quitting Sussan Leys frontbench. The trigger for his drastic action is a point of disagreement between Ley and Hastie. It will be furiously debated for days, expose totemic tensions over the partys direction and stance on immigration, and put more pressure on Leys perilous leadership. Hasties silence started soon after he received a letter in his inbox from Ley on Tuesday. First reported by this masthead, Ley used the so-called charter letters normally a practice carried out by governments rather than oppositions to set out KPIs and emphasise solidarity and discipline. Hastie, who held the home affairs portfolio, said in his written statement that he felt compelled to quit because Ley had made it clear that the shadow home affairs minister wont lead the Coalitions response to immigration matters. Advertisement Related Article Exclusive Political leadership Ley sets KPIs for fractious frontbench Ley rejects this charge. She released her own statement after landing on the east coast from Western Australia, where she spent a week with most senior MPs except Hastie. Three days ago, I sent every member of my shadow ministry a charter letter. They set out key performance indicators, general expectations, it said In each phone conversation, and then in each letter, I made clear that every member of the team was bound by the shadow ministerial solidarity convention, both in public commentary and on parliamentary votes. Advertisement Today, Mr Hastie informed me via telephone, that he would be unable to comply with this longstanding and well-understood requirement, and on that basis he would be resigning his position as shadow minister for home affairs. If it were true that Ley had stripped Hastie of control of immigration policy, he would have good reason to protest. The immigration portfolio, held by Paul Scarr, sits underneath Hasties home affairs position. As home affairs shadow, Hastie just like Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke should have ultimate authority over all policy areas in the portfolio. The letter sent by Ley remains private. So are their phone calls, firstly earlier in the week to talk about the letter, and the Friday morning call when Hastie blew the issue up. The fight over whether Hastie or Scarr should handle immigration is symbolic of the bigger debate. Scarr is a mild-mannered, moderate MP who firmly believes in multiculturalism and is reluctant to emphasise any problems posed by high rates of migration. Right-wingers in the party have distaste for his views. Hastie, meanwhile, echoed controversial Tory MP Enoch Powells infamous 1968 speech when Hastie said last month that Australians were starting to feel like strangers in their own home. Advertisement So what next? Unless Hastie is hiding something from even his closest right-wing allies, there is no leadership challenge on the horizon. He reiterated his support for Ley repeatedly on Saturday. He will likely bide his time. Quitting the frontbench at 7pm on a Friday, as the news agenda winds down and half the country starts boozing before the NRL grand final, is no time to bring heat and light to a coup. Hasties resignation comes after Opposition Leader Sussan Ley wrote to Liberal MPs demanding their loyalty. Chris Hopkins Hastie did not loop into his resignation news the most senior right-wing Liberals, whose support he would need to topple Ley. Her leadership is backed by the moderates, the small centre-right grouping, and a younger group of influential and less zealous conservatives such as James Paterson and Jonno Duniam. Advertisement Leys backers point to the solidity of her numbers, which is well and good. She would not lose a leadership ballot if one was held when parliament is back on Tuesday next week. Related Article Nuclear energy Nuclear battle to resume as Coalition doubles down on Duttons push But John Howards broad church required accommodation of the diverging schools of thought in the party. Hastie now joins the other heroes of the populist-right media, Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and Barnaby Joyce, free to speak out on the backbench. Ley might remain in the job, but she will appear weak so long as the party fractures underneath her and remains confused about its path forward. With Hastie, Price, and scorned former shadow ministers Jane Hume and Sarah Henderson sitting on the backbench, it will only take one bad mistake by Ley to spark a leadership conflagration. One MP said on Friday evening that Hastie always had immense potential but lacked political nous. Advertisement Far from bringing down Ley, the Coalition MP suggested the Hastie saga showed the partys right flank was fracturing to the point of no return, with Hastie serving as the emblem of a new breed of MP comfortable with the politics of Nigel Farage than a more mainstream, free-market Liberal like Scott Morrison. Its possible the gulf is now irreconcilably large as right-wing politics transforms across the Western world. Leys former challenger, conservative Angus Taylor, is now in hand-to-hand combat with Hastie inside the Right. Hastie seemed to be searching for a reason to quit the shadow cabinet as he embarked on a kind of journey of political self-actualisation after years of toeing the line. The prospect of a new populist movement to compete with the Liberal Party has come up in conversations surrounding Hastie inside the Liberals. There are no signs such a move is in play. Australias voting system, migration policies, and party registration process makes a Reform-style outfit less likely to succeed than in the UK. Hastie, who until recently has not been an enthusiastic participant in the cut-and-thrust of daily politics, is now positioned as alternative internal voice to Ley. A leadership challenge is not imminent, yet it is hard to see how such an ambitious figure will gain satisfaction from two years on the backbench in opposition. Advertisement Listening to the words of the former soldier, its not obvious that Hastie will see out what he has framed as a life-or-death battle for the future of the party. His colleagues are genuinely confused about whether he is laying the groundwork for a challenge down the track or acting erratically without an end game, potentially leading to him quitting politics or charting a new path via a new party, or as a Matt Canavan-style renegade backbencher. Hastie might not know either. Speaking on radio last month about his crusade to remake the Liberal Party, Hastie said: If I go out with the tide ... thats great. Ill get a lot more time with my kids back. Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter. Advertisement Updated PoliticsFederalMiddle East tensions Women and children return to Australia after years stranded in Syria Alexander Darling Updated October 3, 2025 6:22pm ,first published October 3, 2025 5:17pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share A group of Australians believed to be the wives and children of Islamic State fighters who spent years stranded in Syria have managed to quietly return to Australia. The women went to Syria and Iraq during the rule of the terrorist group Islamic State, which controlled large parts of both countries between 2013 and 2019. Women and children in the foreign annex of a camp in Syria in 2019. Kate Geraghty After leaving Syria, the group of six arrived in Beirut and was detained by Lebanese authorities as they did not have valid visas or legitimate entry records, the federal government has confirmed. The opposition said it was gravely concerned ... that half a dozen ISIS brides and their children have secretly returned to Australia. Advertisement Related Article National security The fear is palpable: Australian women and children trapped in Syria afraid for their lives Members of the group were issued passports after being processed by Lebanese authorities, the government said. Australian citizens are entitled to passports if they meet eligibility requirements. The government also said it had been monitoring the women and children in Syria for some time, and that it anticipated some people would try to return unaided. It said agencies had been preparing to ensure Australians were safe if and when this happened. Advertisement The Australian government is not providing assistance and is not repatriating individuals in Syrian [internally displaced people] camps, a government spokesman said in relation to the group. If any of those people find their own way to return, our security agencies are satisfied that they are prepared and will be able to act in the interests of community safety. Our agencies have been monitoring these individuals for some time. We have confidence in our agencies. Owing to our privacy obligations, we are unable to provide further comment. The safety of Australians and the protection of Australias national interests remains the governments overriding priority. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke is yet to comment on the new information. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and acting opposition home affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash said in a statement: This is a highly dangerous cohort of individuals who associated themselves with the barbaric Islamic State regime. The government must come clean: either they knew about this cohort returning and hid it from the Australian public, or worse, family members of Islamic State terrorists returned to Australia without the governments knowledge. Advertisement This is nothing short of a dereliction of duty by the Albanese Labor government. These are people who willingly travelled to a war zone and aligned themselves with one of the most barbaric terrorist organisations in history. Related Article Exclusive Syrian conflict Life on 'Australia Street', Syria, where even our government fears to tread In 2019, at a time when the then-Coalition federal government was saying it was too dangerous to head into Syria to repatriate Australians in the IDP camps, this mastheads Michael Bachelard and Kate Geraghty walked into al-Hawl camp and spoke with Australians there. The group of hungry, scared women from Sydney and Melbourne told the reporter and photographer that there were too few guards, that food was scarce and that shootouts had occurred within the camp. In September, the government denied reports that more than a dozen women, children and young men were set to be evacuated from Al Roj camp in Syria to be brought to NSW and Victoria before Christmas in a secret operation. Advertisement Save the Children Australia CEO Mat Tinkler said his organisation had long advocated for the government to safely repatriate the Australians still stuck in Syria. Every child deserves a life free of violence and fear. As conditions in the camps worsen and the region grows more unstable, we hold serious concerns for the wellbeing of the innocent children who remain there, Tinkler said. We call on Australian authorities to provide all returnees with comprehensive support for reintegration, something Australia has proven it can do safely and successfully, as with the two previous repatriations in 2019 and 2022. Related Article Analysis Refugees Every day is a living hell: The Australians languishing in a Syrian detention camp A civil war that began in Syria in 2011 degenerated into a messy and multifaceted conflict. Advertisement Syrias long-term president, Bashar al-Assad, was ousted by rebel troops in December 2024. The country is set to hold an indirect vote on Sunday to establish its first parliament since Assad. Our travel advice continues to advise Australians do not travel to Syria due to the dangerous security situation and threat of armed conflict, airstrikes, terrorism, arbitrary detention and kidnapping as it has been since these Australians travelled there, the federal government said on Friday. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter. Advertisement Analysis WorldEuropeAntisemitism Britain gave him refuge. He repaid it with horror David Crowe October 3, 2025 11:41am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share Manchester: Nobody needed to know the name of the alleged killer to realise the terrorist attack in Manchester was an act of hatred by a man who targeted Jews simply because of their faith. Photographs from the scene showed the bald-and-bearded suspect wearing what looked like an explosive device around his waist, although it was later found not to be viable. Police named Jihad al-Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent, as the attacker. Police confirmed he was Jihad al-Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent. Soon, it was reported he was 35 and had lived in Manchester for at least a decade. He was single, his neighbours said, with no children that they knew of. He kept to himself. Authorities say he had no record of terrorism offences. Britain gave al-Shamie safety from Syria when he was a child and granted him citizenship when he was about 16. He repaid that by bringing terror to a Jewish community that has lived peacefully in Manchester for generations. It was Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year. Advertisement The anger over this attack is already sharpening the questions for Sir Keir Starmer about whether he has done enough as British prime minister to stop the rise in antisemitism. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar says anti-Jewish hate is rampant on British streets and campuses. Loading We expect more than words from the Starmer government, he says. Underneath this is the idea that Starmer opened the way for more hatred of Israel and the Jewish people with his decision to recognise a Palestinian state. Unless the investigation into al-Shamie turns up proof that he was guided by British political debate or United Nations resolutions, it is wiser to assume he was another weak-minded acolyte for the false prophets of terror. Is a political leader always to blame for a terrorist attack that happens on his or her watch? Advertisement The truth is that antisemitism surged in Britain after Hamas unleashed its assault on Israeli civilians in October 2023. Related Article Crime Germany arrests three men suspected of targeting Jewish institutions for Hamas The Community Security Trust, which tracks antisemitism in the UK, says attacks rose from 1662 in 2022 to 4296 in 2023. They eased a little to 2528 in 2024. If the next tally shows another surge, Starmer will be under even greater pressure to show that his government can use its full authority to curb the hatred. Jewish leaders say the problem is getting worse although they should not need to say it because the Manchester attack is proof. Advertisement Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester chief executive Marc Levy said there had been precious little solidarity from many in society in the face of this antisemitism. View post on X Sir Ephraim Mirvis, Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, offered a disturbing assessment. For so long, we have witnessed an unrelenting wave of Jew hatred on our streets, on campuses, on social media and elsewhere this is the tragic result, he posted on social media. This [was] not only an assault on the Jewish community, but an attack on the very foundations of humanity and the values of compassion, dignity and respect which we all share. Advertisement Related Article Updated Antisemitism Manchester police say one victim killed in synagogue attack was shot by officers accidentally I pray that this tragedy strengthens our collective resolve to confront antisemitism, in all its guises, once and for all. The Manchester attack will have an impact far beyond the immediate debates. It will intensify the national anxiety about a changing Britain. Those who march against migration, for instance, will no doubt point to al-Shamie as proof that migrants are bringing their hatreds and their wars into their new country. Politicians have been saying for decades that migrants should leave foreign wars behind them when they arrive. They say this in Australia as much as in the United Kingdom, and their words are meant to reassure everyone that migration does not import conflict. Advertisement This attack shatters that assurance. The anxiety will run deep. Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on whats making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter. Advertisement WorldMiddle EastIsraeli-Palestinian conflict Trump orders Israel to stop bombing Gaza after Hamas agrees to release hostages Updated October 4, 2025 12:36pm ,first published October 4, 2025 3:45am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip: US President Donald Trump has ordered Israel to stop bombing the Gaza Strip after Hamas said it had accepted some elements of his plan to end the two-year war and return all the remaining hostages taken during the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 that started it. Hamas said it was willing to release the hostages and hand over power to other Palestinians, but that other aspects of the plan require further consultations among Palestinians. Senior Hamas officials suggested there were still major disagreements that required further negotiations. In his Truth Social post, US President Donald Trump wrote that most of Hamas fighters are surrounded and militarily trapped. AP In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office said Israel was preparing for an immediate implementation of the first stage of Trumps Gaza plan, apparently referring to the release of hostages. But his office said in a statement that Israel was committed to ending the war based on principles it has set out before, without addressing potential gaps with Hamas. Israeli media, however, reported that the countrys political echelon had instructed the military to reduce offensive activity in Gaza. Advertisement Israel had earlier accepted Trumps plan in its entirety. Hamas response to the plan fell short of Netanyahus demands that the group surrender and disarm. But Trump welcomed the Hamas statement on Friday (Saturday AEST), saying: I believe they are ready for a lasting peace. Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly! Right now, its far too dangerous to do that. We are already in discussions on details to be worked out, he wrote on social media. The families of hostages and their supporters gather in Tel Aviv in August. Amit Elkayam/The New York Times Residents said Israeli tanks bombarded Talateeni Street, a major artery in the heart of Gaza City, after Trumps message to Israel to stop. Witnesses said Israeli military planes also intensified bombing in Gaza City in the hour after Hamas issued its response to Trumps plan, hitting several houses in the Remal neighbourhood. Advertisement Hamas said in its response to the Trump plan that aspects of the proposal touching on the future of the Gaza Strip and Palestinian rights should be decided on the basis of a unanimous Palestinian stance reached with other factions and based on international law. The statement also made no mention of Hamas disarming, a key Israeli demand included in Trumps proposal. Trump appears keen to deliver on pledges to end the war and return dozens of hostages ahead of Tuesdays second anniversary of the attack. Key mediators Egypt and Qatar welcomed the latest developments, and Majed al-Ansari, a spokesman for Qatars Foreign Ministry, said they would continue discussions on the plan. The main organisation representing the families of Israeli hostages said Trumps demand to halt the fighting was essential to prevent serious and irreversible harm to the hostages. It called on Netanyahu to immediately begin efficient and swift negotiations to bring all our hostages home. Advertisement A spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he urged all parties to seize the opportunity to bring the tragic conflict in Gaza to an end. French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on social media that the release of all hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza are within reach! Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he welcomed the progress on Trumps peace plan for Gaza, and called on Hamas to agree to the plan and release the hostages without delay. Australia will continue to support efforts to end the war and work towards a just and sustainable two-state solution, he said. Trumps plan would end the fighting and return hostages Earlier, Trump had warned that Hamas must agree to the deal by Sunday evening, threatening an even greater military onslaught. Advertisement If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas, Trump wrote on Friday on social media. THERE WILL BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. Under the plan, which Trump unveiled earlier this week alongside Netanyahu, Hamas would release the remaining 48 hostages about 20 of them believed to be alive, within three days. It would also give up power and disarm. Related Article Israeli-Palestinian conflict Tony Blair tried and failed to bring peace to the Middle East before. Can he succeed this time? In return, Israel would halt its offensive and withdraw from much of the territory, release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and allow an influx of humanitarian aid and eventual reconstruction. Plans to relocate much of Gazas population to other countries would be shelved. The territory of some 2 million Palestinians would be placed under international governance, overseen by Trump himself and former British prime minister Tony Blair. The plan provides no path for eventual reunification with the Israeli-occupied West Bank in a future Palestinian state. Advertisement Palestinians long for an end to the war, but many view this and previous US proposals as strongly favouring Israel. Senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk, who is based outside Gaza, told Al Jazeera on Friday that Trumps proposal cannot be implemented without negotiations. The Hamas statement had said it was willing to return all remaining hostages according to the plans formula, apparently referring to an exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. It also reiterated its longstanding openness to handing power over to a politically independent Palestinian body. But Abu Marzouk said it might be difficult for Hamas to release all the hostages within 72 hours because it could take days or weeks to locate the remains of some of the captives. Advertisement Another Hamas official, Osama Hamdan, told Al Araby television that Hamas would refuse foreign administration of the Gaza Strip and that the entry of foreign forces would be unacceptable. US, Israel seek to pressure Hamas Israel has sought to ramp up pressure on Hamas since ending an earlier ceasefire in March. It sealed the territory off from food, medicine and other goods for 2 months and has seized, flattened and largely depopulated large areas of the territory. Loading Experts determined that Gaza City had slid into famine shortly before Israel launched a major offensive aimed at occupying it. An estimated 400,000 people have fled the city in recent weeks, but hundreds of thousands more have stayed behind. Advertisement Trump wrote that most of Hamas fighters were surrounded and militarily trapped, just waiting for me to give the word, go, for their lives to be quickly extinguished. As for the rest, we know where and who you are, and you will be hunted down, and killed. Most of Hamas top leaders in Gaza and thousands of its fighters have already been killed, but it still has influence in areas not controlled by the Israeli military and launches sporadic attacks that have killed and wounded Israeli soldiers. Hamas has held firm to its position that it will only release the remaining hostages its sole bargaining chip and potential human shields in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. Netanyahu has rejected those terms, saying Hamas must surrender and disarm. Second anniversary approaches Thousands of Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023, attacking army bases, farming communities and an outdoor music festival, killing some 1200 people, mostly civilians. They abducted 251 others, most of them since released in ceasefires or other deals. Advertisement Israels retaliatory offensive has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which does not say how many were civilians or combatants. It says women and children make up about half the dead. Related Article Violence The police tape in Manchester marks a line that should not be crossed but it was The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the UN and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties. The offensive has displaced about 90 per cent of Gazas population, often multiple times, and left much of the territory uninhabitable. The Biden and Trump administrations have tried to end the fighting and have hostages returned, while providing extensive military and diplomatic support to Israel. Advertisement AP, Reuters Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on whats making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter. Le continent africain est le theatre de deux actualites diametralement opposees. D'un cote, un combat salvateur contre un fleau sanitaire en Republique Democratique du Congo. De l'autre, une decision politique qui suscite l'inquietude pour l'avenir democratique du Tchad. RDC : Une lueur d'espoir dans la lutte contre Ebola Un vent d'optimisme prudent souffle sur la province du Kasai. L'epidemie d'Ebola qui sevit depuis le 4 septembre montre des signes encourageants de declin, selon l'Organisation mondiale de la Sante (OMS). La transmission du virus, desormais plus localisee, laisse entrevoir la possibilite d'un controle prochain. La riposte s'organise et s'intensifie. La semaine derniere, sept nouveaux cas ont ete identifies, portant le total a 64, pour un bilan de 42 deces. Une tendance qui semble ralentir, grace a une surveillance renforcee et une augmentation des capacites des centres de traitement. Arme majeure dans cette bataille : la vaccination. La campagne progresse a un rythme soutenu, avec plus de 4 000 personnes deja vaccinees, incluant les soignants en premiere ligne et les contacts des patients. L'objectif est d'administrer le vaccin a 45 000 personnes. Malgre ces progres, l'OMS a lance un cri d'alarme financier, reclamant de toute urgence 21 millions de dollars supplementaires pour venir definitivement a bout de cette 16e flambee, rappelant que la vigilance reste de mise face a un virus qui a fait plus de 11 000 morts lors de la terrible epidemie en Afrique de l'Ouest en 2014-2016. Tchad : La democratie en peril ? A des milliers de kilometres de la, c'est une tout autre tempete qui s'annonce. Reunies en congres, les deux chambres du parlement tchadien ont adopte, a une ecrasante majorite de 236 voix sans aucune opposition, un amendement a la Constitution des plus controverses. Le mandat presidentiel passe de cinq a sept ans, renouvelable sans aucune limite. Porte par le president de l'Assemblee nationale, Ali Kolotou Chaimi, ce texte a ete defendu comme un "ajustement purement technique". Cette revision fondamentale de la Loi fondamentale, pourtant adoptee par referendum il y a a peine un an, intervient peu apres l'election de Mahamat Idriss Deby en mai 2024. Pour ses detracteurs, cette manuvre sonne comme une verrouillage institutionnel, consolidant le pouvoir entre les mains du fils de l'ancien president, Idriss Deby, mort au combat en 2021, apres trois ans de transition militaire. Alors que la RDC se bat pour la sante de sa population, le Tchad semble s'engager sur une voie qui interroge la separation des pouvoirs et les libertes fondamentales, pourtant inscrites dans les articles intangibles de sa propre Constitution. Deux pays, deux trajectoires. L'un tourne vers la lutte pour la vie, l'autre plonge dans un debat sur l'avenir de ses institutions. Dual Challenge in Africa: Congo Fights Ebola, Chad Locks Down Power As the DRC makes significant strides against the virus, Chad adopts a controversial constitutional reform extending the presidential term. The African continent is witnessing two starkly contrasting stories. On one hand, a life-saving battle against a health scourge in the Democratic Republic of Congo. On the other, a political decision raising concerns for the future of democracy in Chad. DRC: A Glimmer of Hope in the Fight Against Ebola A cautious wave of optimism is emerging from the Kasai province. The Ebola outbreak that began on September 4th is showing encouraging signs of decline, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The virus transmission, now more localized, suggests the possibility of soon bringing it under control. The response is organized and intensifying. Last week, seven new cases were identified, bringing the total to 64, with a death toll of 42. This trend appears to be slowing, thanks to reinforced surveillance and increased capacity at treatment centers. A major weapon in this fight: vaccination. The campaign is progressing at a steady pace, with over 4,000 people already vaccinated, including frontline healthcare workers and patient contacts. The goal is to administer the vaccine to 45,000 people. Despite this progress, the WHO has issued a financial alarm, urgently requesting an additional $21 million to definitively end this 16th outbreak, reminding everyone that vigilance remains crucial against a virus that killed over 11,000 people during the devastating 2014-2016 epidemic in West Africa. Chad: Democracy in Peril? Thousands of kilometers away, a different storm is brewing. In a joint session, both chambers of the Chadian parliament adopted, by an overwhelming majority of 236 votes with no opposition, a highly controversial constitutional amendment. The presidential term has been extended from five to seven years, renewable without any limit. Proposed by the President of the National Assembly, Ali Kolotou Chaimi, this text was defended as a "purely technical adjustment." This fundamental revision of the Basic Law, adopted by referendum just a year ago, comes shortly after the election of Mahamat Idriss Deby in May 2024. For its critics, this move signals an institutional lockdown, consolidating power in the hands of the son of the former president, Idriss Deby, who died in combat in 2021, after three years of military transition. As the DRC fights for the health of its population, Chad seems to be embarking on a path that calls into question the separation of powers and fundamental freedoms, which are nonetheless enshrined in the intangible articles of its own Constitution. Two countries, two trajectories. One focused on the fight for life, the other embroiled in a debate about the future of its institutions. Ebola RDC, Tchad mandat presidentiel, reforme constitutionnelle Tchad, Mahamat Idriss Deby, epidemie Kasai, OMS vaccination Ebola, actualite Afrique, politique africaine, sante publique Afrique, Cameroun24, Republique Democratique du Congo, Ali Kolotou Chaimi, virus Ebola, transition Tchad, parlement tchadien Didier Cebas K. State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington D.C. West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands Armed Forces Americas Armed Forces Pacific Armed Forces Europe Northern Mariana Islands Marshall Islands American Samoa Federated States of Micronesia Guam Palau Alberta, Canada British Columbia, Canada Manitoba, Canada New Brunswick, Canada Newfoundland, Canada Nova Scotia, Canada Northwest Territories, Canada Nunavut, Canada Ontario, Canada Prince Edward Island, Canada Quebec, Canada Saskatchewan, Canada Yukon Territory, Canada Zip Code MEMBERS of Carlows burgeoning Irish language community attended a very special event recently when a new pin was launched in Lamberts Cafe on Dublin Street. The pin, which says Ta Gaeilge Agam, is a badge of honour for local Gaelgeoiri who gather on a weekly basis in the popular cafe for a conversation, or comhra, where they exchange a cupla focal. Catherine Callaghan TD launched the 'Ta Gaeilge Agam' pin in Lambert's Cafe in Carlow. Also shown are Emma Ui Bhroin (left) and Bride de Roiste from Glor Cheatharlach The specially-designed badge is the latest initiative by Glor Cheatharlach in the promotion of Irish as a spoken language in the community. Bride de Roiste and Emma Ui Bhroin of Glor Cheatharlach explained the significance of the new Ta Gaeilge Agam lapel badge, saying its a way of showing that one has a certain amount of Irish and wishes to use it with other speakers in normal day-to-day life such as shopping, in the cafe, at work or on the street. The newly-launched pin is the modern version of the gold and silver fainne that Irish speakers wore with pride for decades. The new pin created by Glor Cheatharlach The pin is ideal for a town such as Carlow where people are so supportive of the language and they wish to avail of more and more opportunities to use whatever Irish they have in informal and natural settings, said Bride. The introduction of the pin happened in the middle of an Irish language festival called Feile an Fomhair in County Carlow, which aims to encourage people to speak as Gaeilge. Local TD Catherine Callaghan launched the pin and is an enthusiastic supporter of the language herself. Catherine has a good command of Irish but aims to improve her confidence to use it more frequently in political as well as social settings. And she has plenty of support as her own children are fluent having been educated through Irish. Ta an-athas orm an bioran nua seo a sheoladh inniu agus anseo in Cafe Lamberts ait a bhfuil failte roimh an teanga gach la, said Catherine. Im so delighted to launch this badge and I will wear it myself with pride. Im also delighted to be part of the vibrant Irish language community in Carlow now that my new constituency office is open on Dublin Street and I hope to drop into this weekly gathering as often as possible. Its such a welcoming environment where learners get the opportunity to continue to improve their Irish as they converse with others who are fluent in the language. Bride and Emma are keen for Irish language speakers to wear the badge, including the many past pupils of the local Gaelscoil and Gaelcholaiste fluent in Irish and who would themselves be delighted to use Irish with their customers. Full details and badges available from Glor Cheatharlach on 085 1340047, 087 2857048 or email emma@glorcheatharlach.ie By Cillian Sherlock, PA All 16 Irish citizens who were detained after Israel intercepted an aid flotilla have been transferred to a detention facility in southern Israel, according to the Tanaiste. Simon Harris said Irelands ambassador to Israel is at the facility and providing all possible and appropriate assistance to those detained. They were held after Israel intercepted around 40 vessels taking part in the Global Sumud Flotilla taking aid to Gaza. I understand that the peaceful efforts of those that were on board reflect an understandable desire by many people around the world to urgently address the humanitarian needs of the people of Gaza Simon Harris Organisers say the flotilla was arranged to carry humanitarian aid for Palestinians, break Israels blockade of Gaza and raise awareness. Israels foreign ministry said on social media that activists on board who included Sinn Fein senator Chris Andrews and other European legislators were safe and were being taken to Israel to begin procedures for their deportations to their home countries. In a statement after a meeting of senior Department of Foreign Affairs officials, Mr Harris said: Over the past number of weeks, I have repeatedly stated that I understand that the peaceful efforts of those that were on board reflect an understandable desire by many people around the world to urgently address the humanitarian needs of the people of Gaza. I can confirm that, in the last 24 hours, all 16 of our citizens were transferred to a detention facility in southern Israel. In this situation, my clear priority is their safety and wellbeing. Simon Harris. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA. An embassy team, including our ambassador to Israel, is currently at the detention facility, and is providing all possible and appropriate consular assistance, including ensuring access to legal representation and facilitating medical treatment where necessary. The department understands that those detained will be given the option to leave immediately or be brought before a hearing within a few days. Mr Harris added: Dublin-based officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade are also in close contact with family members who have requested our support. I understand that this is an exceptionally difficult time for them, and we will continue to update them as we receive more information. Mr Harris said the department will also monitor the situation around several other Irish citizens participating in further flotillas en route to Gaza. Sean McCarthaigh Lawyers for a mother who killed her three children at their family home in Dublin almost five years ago have claimed an inquest into their deaths would be inadequate and insufficient if it did not examine the state of her mental health at the time of the tragic incident. Counsel for Deirdre Morley, Fiona Gallagher BL, told a sitting of Dublin District Coroners Court that the inquest into her childrens deaths needed to call medical professionals who had treated her in the previous six months to give evidence rather than rely on expert witnesses. The bodies of her three children Conor (nine), Darragh (seven) and three-year-old Carla McGinley were discovered in their home at Parsons Court, Newcastle, Co Dublin, on January 24th, 2020. Ms Morley, a paediatric nurse, was subsequently found not guilty of their murder by reason of insanity following a trial at the Central Criminal Court in May 2021. A postmortem showed the three young siblings had all died from suffocation. The submission by Ms Morleys legal representatives followed a ruling by coroner Myra Cullinane that evidence to be heard at the inquest about her mental health state would be given by two forensic consultant psychiatrists who had also given evidence at her criminal trial. Dr Cullinane pointed out that she had asked both psychiatrists, Brenda Wright and Mary Davoren, to prepare new reports specifically for the inquest. The coroner also stated that she had directed that all Ms Morleys relevant medical records should be disclosed to all parties granted legal representation at the inquest. The coroner noted that Ms Morley had changed her legal team since she had made a ruling on the scope of her inquiry on July 28th. At the opening of the hearing on Friday, Ms Gallagher said her clients position had arisen from the coroners determination that the state of Ms Morleys mental health at the time of the deaths was material to her inquiry. Ms Gallagher argued that relevant evidence should be allowed relating to the six months prior to the tragic circumstances, which would include Ms Morleys admission to St Patricks Hospital in Dublin and treatment by mental health professionals in Clondalkin and Tallaght, as well as her GP. She noted that the coroner had indicated through her decisions that the deaths of the three children had not occurred in a vacuum. Ms Gallagher stressed that she was not seeking to question the adequacy of the treatment provided to Ms Morley. Instead, the barrister said she wanted a full picture of Ms Morleys mental health to be provided rather than having to rely on witnesses who were not her treating doctors but carrying out a retrospective review of records. Ms Gallagher warned there would be an evidential gap if the doctors who treated her client were not called as witnesses. She claimed the absence of such medical professionals from the inquest would represent an unwarranted trammelling of the evidence that the inquest should be examining. Opposing the submission, counsel for consultant psychiatrist, Olivia Gibbons, Simon Mills SC, accused Ms Morleys lawyers of engaging in a collateral attack on the coroners ruling. Dr Mills pointed out that it had been accepted by Ms Morley during her criminal trial that she had only formed the intention that led to the deaths of her children in January 2020. He noted that Ms Morley had also given evidence on that occasion that she had not told anyone about that intention. He claimed the relevance of what was being proposed by Ms Morleys legal representatives was skeletal in the extreme with no meat put on the bones of that argument. Dr Mills observed that the coroner had properly directed that Ms Morleys medical records should be available to all parties. He claimed it would be peculiar for the coroner to reverse her position about the witness list in consideration of the rights of someone whose rights were below those of the deceased. Dr Mills argued that any evidence from Dr Gibbons would not be contemporaneous or relevant to the death of the McGinley children. He told the coroner that Ms Morleys lawyers had not provided a single reason to justify their claim that a failure to call her treating doctors as witnesses would be unreasonable and irrational. Counsel for the HSE, Sarah Corcoran BL, said she agreed with the submission made by Dr Mills. Legal representatives of both Mr McGinley and St Patricks Hospital said they had no comment to make on the submissions. Ms Gallagher replied that the consultant psychiatrists had previously noted that Ms Morleys mental health had started to deteriorate in the middle of 2019. She claimed Dr Mills was trying to back away from the coroners ruling that evidence should not be confined to the time immediately proximate to the deaths of the three children. Ms Gallagher had pointed out that Ms Morley had filled out a form at an earlier stage in which she accepted that while she did not pose a risk to her children that she felt she was unable to provide care for them. She insisted that her clients treating doctors were the most appropriate witnesses to provide evidence about her mental health. Dr Cullinane said she would consider the various submissions and would provide her ruling in writing to the parties early next week. Speaking outside the hearing, Mr McGinley said he had seen fresh information in his wifes medical records which had left him deeply troubled. However, he said the inquest should not be about blame or exoneration. It should be about learning. It should be about engagement. It should be about an improved approach and better understanding, said Mr McGinley. He added: It is my hope that Conor, Darragh and Carlas inquests will lead to better care, diagnosis and treatment for patients, better control and management of pharmaceuticals. Mr McGinley continued: It should show the need for co-parents to be informed, advised and supported but most of all, it should lead to potential risks to children being greatly reduced, if not removed completely. He claimed such a collective goal could only be achieved by all parties working collaboratively with the aim of preventing similar tragedies. It is only in that way that something positive can possibly be taken from the devastating deaths of Conor, Darragh and Carla, he concluded. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can freephone the Samaritans 24 hours a day for confidential support at 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org. Alternatively, the contact information for a range of mental health supports is available at mentalhealthireland.ie/get-support. In the case of an emergency, or if you or someone you know is at risk of suicide or self-harm, dial 999/112. A former Fianna Fail minister has leapt to the defence of presidential candidate Catherine Connolly amid criticism from the Taoiseach of her decision to hire a woman who had been jailed for firearms offences. Ms Connolly hired Ursula Ni Shionnain in 2018 after her release from prison because she was a person who had rehabilitated herself. Ms Ni Shionnain had been convicted by the Special Criminal Court in February 2014 and given a six-year sentence for firearms offences, of which she served almost four-and-a-half years. She was a member of the dissident socialist republican group Eirigi. The court heard that she was travelling in a stolen van in 2012 with a co-accused and one of the weapons discovered in the vehicle was a pistol used in a murder ten years earlier. There was no suggestion that Ms Ni Shionnain was linked to the murder. Taoiseach Micheal Martin said Ms Connolly's decision to employ Ms Ni Shionnain raised "serious questions" about her judgement, but former Fianna Fail TD Eamon O Cuiv has defended Ms Connolly and confirmed he had recommended the hiring of Ms Ni Shionnain. Mr O Cuiv, a former Fianna Fail deputy leader, is known for regularly visiting prisons, particularly dealing with Republican prisoners. If Catherine showed a lack of judgement, I did equally, because she asked me about her and I said that I was personally satisfied that she (Ms Ni Shionnain) had moved on, Mr O Cuiv said. Mr O Cuiv said Mr Martin was entitled to his view but he said that Ms Ni Shionnain was an example of rehabilitation. Heres a person who was let out of prison and she got on with her life, finished a PhD, so shes now Dr Ursula Ni Shionnain, Mr O Cuiv said. Shes held down a number of jobs and shes getting on with her life in a positive way. So where is the lack of judgement? Because she has proven herself to those who had faith in her." Ms Connolly denied she had been prevented from hiring Ms Ni Shionnain by gardai, saying that she had been employed for six months in Leinster House before "leaving of her own volition". She said Ms Ni Shionnain had worked in Leinster House but left after six months. At this stage, the vetting process had not been completed and she did not have a permanent pass to enter Leinster House. She was absolutely perfect for the job, and I took her on, Ms Connolly said. It was for three days, and over the period of time, from day one, she filled out an application form, explained everything. The clearance process took some time, and in the end, she left of her own volition. She was there for almost six months, less than six months. Ive had no contact with the gardai in relation to this matter. Absolutely none. This woman filled out her application form from day one, declared everything and then there's a process, and that process went on for quite some time. It's not unusual. I've spoken to other people, and sometimes the process goes on for a year or two years. In this case, it went on and I checked I have emails that asked, Where's the process at? It's going on for a very long time. There was no outcome. "The process just went on and on, and in the end, the person left, and my contact was simply with the superintendent, or whoever the relevant person is. My only intervention was to say, When is the process going to be completed? It was very inconvenient. Speaking in Denmark on Thursday morning, Taoiseach Micheal Martin described the hiring of Ni Shionnain as very serious. "It would indicate a very serious lack of judgment, and I think Catherine Connolly needs to clarify that in its entirety and be fully transparent in respect of it." Advertisement Equator Energy Ltd, a commercial and industrial solar developer, has launched a 10MW photovoltaic facility at Mombasa Cements 1.5Mta Vipingo site in Kilifi County, Kenya. The captive power plantamong East Africas largest industrial solar installationswas built under a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) and is now operational. The new PV installation will reduce Mombasa Cements reliance on Kenyas national grid, deliver significant cost savings, and help cut the companys carbon footprint. Equator Energy is backed by IBL Energy, French impact fund STOA and Inspired Evolution. To date, it has delivered 53MW of solar across Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe, with a pipeline of 100MW and ambitions to reach 300MW by 2030. The project also created around 100 temporary construction jobs and established 15 permanent roles to support ongoing operations. The rollout highlights a growing trend in industrial self-generation as manufacturers seek energy security and sustainability. In Kenyas cement sector, where energy is one of the largest costs, such renewable power projects are becoming an important competitive advantage. Advertisement The Syrian Ministry of Economy and Industry has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Iraqi investment group Vertex to rehabilitate, develop, and operate the third production line at the Hama Cement plant in central Syria. The agreement aims to raise the lines production capacity from 3,300 tons to 5,000tpd of clinker within 13 months. It also provides for the establishment of a new 6,000tpd line, bringing the plants overall capacity close to 11,000tpd within five years. According to the Ministry, the MoU covers workforce training, adoption of international quality standards, and compliance with environmental and safety regulations to strengthen Syrias cement competitiveness. Mahmoud Fadila, director of the General Organization for Cement and Building Materials (OMRAN), described the deal as the most significant investment in the sector to date, valued at around US$300m. The contract will be finalised within a month under a buildoperatetransfer (BOT) system. The Hama Cement plant has already been the focus of foreign interest. In August, the Ministry signed an agreement with Emirati firm A&Co to rehabilitate the same production line, provide strategic advisory services, and train around 80 engineers and workers. That plan also envisioned introducing automation and AI technologies into Syrias cement sector. Fadila stressed there would be no conflict between the Iraqi and Emirati contracts, noting that the UAE-backed training is tied to facilities under direct Syrian state control, such as the plants second production line. The American Heart Association of Chattanooga invites the community to lace up their sneakers, grab the leash and join the movement to end heart disease and stroke at the Tennessee Valley Heart Walk this Saturday at AT&T Field, 201 Power Alley in Chattanooga.Check-in and activities begin at 8 a.m., and the walk at 9:30 a.m. Registration is free and open to the public at www.chattanoogaheartwalk.org Officials said, "This free, family- and dog-friendly event is more than a walk, its a celebration of life, a rally for health and a powerful way to support lifesaving science and community programs.Participants will enjoy music, local vendors, kids activities, and you can join a Nation of Lifesavers, because immediate CPR can double or even triple the chances of survival."Nearly half of U.S. adults have high blood pressure, a leading risk factor for heart attack, stroke and cognitive decline, said Bennett Smith, executive director of American Heart Association Chattanooga. The Heart Walk is a chance to take a step, literally, toward better health, while supporting research and programs that save lives right here in our community.Officials said, "The American Heart Associations latest high blood pressure guidelines emphasize early detection, lifestyle changes and personalized care using tools like the PREVENT risk calculator. The guidelines also highlight the importance of managing blood pressure before, during and after pregnancy to reduce serious complications."Funds raised through the Heart Walk support local initiatives like blood pressure screenings, CPR training, nutrition education and equitable access to care in underserved communities across the Tennessee Valley.Whether you walk in honor of a loved one, to improve your own health or to support your neighbors, every step makes a difference, said Mr. Smith. Bring your family, bring your dog and join us for a morning of movement, mission and community.Community participants are encouraged to form teams, wear tribute gear and share stories and photos using #TNValleyHeartWalk and tag @AHATennessee on Facebook and Instagram. An overnight electrical fire damaged a Chattanooga home, but the residents are safe and uninjured. The Chattanooga Fire Department responded at 2:44 a.m. to the 1800 block of Newton Street on a residential fire. Engine 4 arrived on scene and found heavy smoke showing from all sides of the structure. All occupants were found outside and walking across the street on arrival. Firefighters established a fire attack, made entry, and performed the primary and secondary search. They found heavy smoke conditions from all sides of the structure. A quick knock down was made from the exterior to slow down the fire growth. The fire was confined to a utility room on the back porch. Fire attack transitioned to overhaul within 15 minutes. The fire was rendered under control at 3:05 a.m. Fire spread was mostly confined to the area of origin, with the kitchen receiving moderate to heavy damage as well. The rest of the house received heavy smoke damage. After completing the investigation, it was determined that the fire was unintentional from faulty wiring beneath the floorboard in the utility room. The wiring was associated with the buildings circuit breaker. Occupants of the residence advised that they were awakened after they heard a pop from the rear of the residence. They found heavy smoke coming from the kitchen area, near the utility. No injuries were reported during fire operations. The American Red Cross will be assisting two displaced residents. Christians in India are praying while participating in a protest against the government's persecution of Christians. | Screenshot/ Youtube/ CBN News The first Christian to face charges under an 'anti-conversion law' has now become the first to be acquitted after a four-year legal battle in Uttarakhand. Judicial Magistrate Anju of the Ramnagar Court in Nainital District issued the acquittal order on September 17, officially clearing Pastor Nandan Singh, also known as Narendra Singh and widely recognized as Pastor Nandan Singh Bisht, of all charges under Sections 3 and 5 of the Religious Freedom Act, 2018. This was the first such acquittal since the legislation came into force in 2018, stated Rajesh Kumar, a friend of Pastor Bisht, who added that the pastor was the first Christian arrested in Uttarakhand under these laws four years ago. The pastors legal ordeal began on October 2, 2021, when he and around 25 Christians had gathered for an overnight prayer meeting at his rented house. About 30 to 35 Hindus, mainly from nearby villages, barged into his home at about 10 a.m. They tore all the posters with Bible verses, four Bibles, threw all our song books, broke all the things inside the prayer hall, Bisht told Morning Star News. They slapped me twice and asked me, You are a Thakore [by Hindu caste], why are you converting people? Instead of arresting the attackers, police detained Pastor Bisht, his wife, and their 3-year-old daughter, taking them to Ramnagar Police Station, where a case was registered following a written complaint by Jagdish Chandra. Police filed charges under First Information Report No. 567 dated October 2, 2021, and turned the detention into an arrest. Although his wife and daughter were released, Bisht appeared before the magistrate the next day and was imprisoned in Haldwani. Investigator Sub-Inspector Narendra Kumar prepared the charge sheet, and the court took formal cognizance on November 12, 2021. Nearly two years passed before formal charges were filed on September 12, 2023, prompting the pastor to deny all allegations and request a full trial. Throughout the four-year trial, Pastor Bisht lost more than he can even describe. My wife was four months pregnant when I was arrested, he told Morning Star News. I couldnt give her proper care, and because of all the stress and tension of my arrest and case, we lost our baby. His friend Rajesh Kumar, who supported him throughout the legal proceedings, commented on the heavy toll the case took on the pastor. Despite the absence of any victim or concrete evidence of illegal conversion activities, Bisht spent eight days in custody and endured nearly four years of legal proceedings before being cleared, Kumar explained. Bisht couldnt continue his church fellowship during this time. He could not take up a job because he had to present himself in court once or twice a month. Besides, nobody gives you a job when they know you are on trial for a crime. He and his family faced severe social stigma all these years. This acquittal marks a significant milestone for religious liberty in Uttarakhand. The detailed reasoning in the 16-page judgment provides important precedents regarding the standing requirement under Section 4 and the necessity of identifying specific aggrieved persons in conversion cases. The courts focus on constitutional protections for religious practice and the need for concrete evidence rather than suspicion sets a vital legal standard. The judgment makes clear that practicing ones faith, including holding prayer gatherings, does not automatically constitute illegal conversion activity under the law, concluded Rajesh Kumar. Open Doors, a Christian support organization, ranks India 11th on its 2025 World Watch List of countries where Christians face the harshest persecution. India stood at 31st place in 2013 but has steadily fallen in the rankings since Narendra Modi came to power as prime minister. Home News Altar boy goes into hiding, could face death penalty over false allegation A Christian altar boy in Pakistan has gone into hiding and could face the death penalty after he was accused of posting content on Facebook that some Muslims found offensive. He has denied the allegations and claims his own uncle created a fake account in his name. Religious freedom advocates are raising alarm about the case of Asher Bhatti, a resident of the Nishter neighborhood in Lahore, accused of blasphemy along with his uncle. A police complaint was filed against Bhatti and his uncle, Samuel Paul, on Sept. 16 by a resident named Muhammad Umair, who alleges the Asher Bhatti Facebook account shared material that blasphemed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The complaint alleged that the content caused public outrage among the local Muslim population. Umair seeks prosecution of Bhatti and his uncle under Section 295-C of Pakistans penal code, a provision of the blasphemy law that is punishable by the death penalty or life in prison. Religious freedom advocates have long criticized Pakistans blasphemy laws, saying Muslims too easily abuse them to settle personal scores or target religious minorities. According to advocate Faraz Pervaiz, who is outspoken about Pakistans human rights issues, Bhatti served as an altar boy at St. Matthews Church in Awan Market. In a statement shared with The Christian Post, Pervaiz stated that Bhatti filed a counter-complaint with the National Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency, claiming that the Facebook account in question is fake and was created by his paternal uncle, Paul, an asylum seeker in Thailand, to frame him. The uncle, who is allegedly tied to the radical group Jihadi Allama Muhammad Rashid Madni Hamadi, allegedly has financial motives and held personal enmity toward Bhatti, Pervaiz noted. Having fled from Pakistan to Thailand in 2014 due to threats against his life and family, Pervaiz said that the same jihadi group had previously placed a $20,000 bounty on his head and led protest rallies to incite violence against his family. I, Faraz Pervaiz, strongly assert that many individuals threatening my life are Pakistani refugees registered with UNHCR in Thailand, Pervaiz said. Muslim refugee women revealed my location, which led to a brutal attack by a group of Muslim refugees, including Samuel Paul, who also assaulted my niece. In his NCCIA application, Pervaiz said Bhatti claimed to have received threats from Paul via Facebook. For his safety, Bhatti has gone into hiding at an undisclosed location. The situation in Nadeem Chowk, Awan Market, remains tense to this day, Pervaiz added. UNHCR Thailand must urgently intervene to stop Samuel Paul a merciless extremist and self-serving predator who endangers innocent lives for personal gain and monetary rewards from further harming vulnerable families fleeing persecution from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. His refugee status offers no protection against prosecution for such crimes. Nasir Saeed, the director of the United Kingdom-based Centre for Legal Aid Assistance & Settlement, said Bhattis case is another tragic example of how Pakistans blasphemy laws are being grossly misused. Asher Bhatti is innocent, yet he has been forced into hiding because of a false accusation, Saeed said in a statement shared by International Christian Concern. Sadly, his case is not unique thousands of innocent people, including women and children, are currently languishing in prisons under false blasphemy charges. Several others have been murdered by vigilantes before their trials could even take place. Father Lazar Aslam, a member of the Pakistan Committee for Peace, is among the advocates seeking a solution to the case. As has often happened in other cases, Bhattis life is now in danger, even before the start of the judicial process, as he could be attacked or lynched, Aslam told Fides. As members of the Committee for Peace, we join together in prayer and solidarity, asking the Lord to protect Asher Bhatti and grant him justice, so that he does not become another victim of hatred and injustice. We will continue to raise our voices because faith should never be a reason for imprisonment or death. Pakistan, which has a 97% Muslim population, ranks as the eighth-worst country when it comes to Christian persecution on Open Doors International's 2025 World Watch List. Home News Charlie Kirk's murder sparked 'revival' that March for Life hopes to build on WASHINGTON Charlie Kirks assassination has sparked a religious reawakening, particularly among youth, according to the March for Lifes new president, who revealed how the groups 53rd annual march hopes to offer hope to a generation searching for meaning. Jennie Bradley Lichter, who became president of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund in February, believes that the largest pro-life demonstration in the nation's capital was built for this moment of revival following Kirk's Sept. 10 death. "This year's march will be more important and more timely than ever before, as it speaks into what so many people are longing to hear," Lichter said during a Tuesday news conference to announce the theme for the march in January, "Life is a Gift." Before unveiling the theme of the Jan. 23 march against abortion, Lichter addressed the murder of the 31-year-old Turning Point USA founder last month. The alleged gunman, Tyler Robinson, shot the conservative activist and influencer mid-conversation during a public debate session at Utah Valley University. Kirk's "commitment to reason [and] discussion of difficult topics," Lichter said, "is a commitment that the March for Life shares." She said his "boldness and adeptness in carrying on those discussions is shaping a generation of Americans." Lichter said she has noticed that young people are "looking for opportunities to come together, to hear the truth spoken boldly and persuasively, to recover the fundamental goodness of family life, and to hear people speak into that." Today's youth, she said, want "to be affirmed in their desire for children as something that's fundamentally good, and to hear people witnessing to what's good and true and beautiful." "That's my diagnosis of our moment," she said. "The March for Life offers all of these." The 2026 National March for Life theme, "Life is a Gift," is the truth at the heart of the March for Life's mission, Lichter said, one that "the nation needs to hear now more than ever." "In choosing the 'Life is a Gift' theme, our goal is to invite everyone to the irrepressible joy of the March for Life; to be swept up into a movement that transcends politics and celebrates the joy, beauty, and goodness of life itself." Lichter told The Christian Post that the theme is also intended to serve as an "open hand of welcome" to the younger generation as the organization seeks "to try and start a conversation again at the level of the heart for people, especially young people, who feel that something is missing or who want something more." "And they're looking for bold witness like Charlie Kirk provided, but also, I think, something to fill them up," Lichter told CP. "And the March for Life is here to say, 'Come and join this band of happy warriors, and be surrounded by and be fed and be filled by being with so many other tens of thousands, just countless other young people like you, and let that really lift you up and get you into the movement." Thousands are expected to gather at the National Mall for the 2026 National March for Life on Jan. 23. While the organization will announce more information about speakers at the event as January draws closer, this year's featured testimony speaker will be Sarah Hurm. The mother will share her story of undergoing a chemical abortion due to pressure from the baby's father, and how the abortion pill reversal process saved her child's life. The Friends of Club 21 Choir, whose members are all individuals with Down syndrome, will lead the singing of "The Star Spangled Banner." "Their music is beautiful, and their dignity and their joy even more so," the pro-life leader stated. "They embody our theme that life is a gift, no matter the circumstances. We are so honored that they'll be taking our stage." Home News Charlie Sheen talks the existence of God, search for spiritual truth: 'Nothing's a coincidence' Actor sees 'supernatural quality' at work in his recovery Famous for his viral rants as much as his acting work, actor Charlie Sheen recently offered a rare glimpse into his evolving perspective on spirituality, personal responsibility and the lessons learned from his tumultuous past. In a revealing Sept. 26 interview with Tucker Carlson, the 60-year-old Sheen reflected on everything from his abrupt firing from CBS' "Two and a Half Men" in 2011 to his controversial work with Infowars host Alex Jones and the "9/11 Truth" movement. The conversation took a profound turn as Sheen discussed his spiritual outlook, which he said was sparked by a surprising question about God from comedian Bill Maher. "Bill Maher asked you about God? What world is this?" Carlson asked. "We are in a brand new age." Dissatisfied with his initial response to Maher, Sheen offered another response to what he called the God question. "Most days, I don't know what else to call [God]; that's what I should have said in that moment. Most days, I don't have a better word or anything else for it." Discussing his spiritual journey, Sheen noted "threads throughout this whole experience" where the timing of events suggested a "supernatural quality." He also acknowledged his views on religion were largely influenced by his father, actor Martin Sheen. "My dad, devout Catholic growing up let us know that that was his personal journey and we were welcome to climb on board, but it wasn't anything that he was going to mandate," he said. The actor said the freedom to decide for himself left him "God curious." He stressed that he wasn't just saying that to appease Carlson, who comes from an Episcopalian background. Carlson assured that he's not necessarily an authority on spiritual matters. "Things are changing so fast, and I don't have the answers to most questions, but I definitely have become convinced that God's real, for sure," said Carlson. Sheen said it was "inspiring to see that level of acceptance." Carlson replied: "Don't you feel it?" "I do," Sheen answered. "But still, there is a part of me that still wants to be a science snob. ... I don't want to get there and be wrong. ... Aren't you allowed to wait until the last minute?" "I'm not controlling any part of all this [world]," he added. "That I know for a fact." One realization, he said, was that there is no such thing as randomness. "Nothing's a coincidence," he said. "It's just, everything's connected." Carlson agreed: "And people are connected." In January, Sheen's daughter, Lola, shared footage of her baptism and publicly declared Jesus as her Savior, revealing He saved her from "battling severe anxiety" and gave her a "peace that makes no sense." It's unclear how much Lola's faith influenced Sheen's own journey, but he acknowledges that, at this point, he still struggles with doubt and unbelief. "Some days I'm all in. I'm like, 'OK, then, sure.' Well, you know, can I describe it better? Do I have a better prediction? No," he said. "There's other days I'm like, 'I don't know. I don't know.'" After Carlson criticized contemporary science as a "dogmatic religion," Sheen agreed and appeared resigned to the conclusion that, in the end, he may not receive an answer to every question he has about life. "I'm not going to try to solve the unsolvable, right?" he said. "I'm fine being completely mystified by it." Following a public breakdown after leaving his hit show "Two and a Half Men" in 2011, Sheen has publicly explored the Christian faith. Los Angeles-based Pastor Tim Storey has ministered to Sheen and told The Christian Post in 2015 that he has had discussions with the actor about God for over a decade. "He is trying to learn about himself, he's trying to work through his own challenges, and we have amazing talks about God," Storey said at the time. "Just like a parent or a mentor, sometimes we wish our children or our students would make different choices. And even at a faster pace. I've obviously wished that for Charlie. I'm still very hopeful that he will continue to make better choices." Home News Hyde Amendment's impact affected by state Medicaid programs, abortion law changes: report State Medicaid programs and other policies have had a substantial impact on the effectiveness of the Hyde Amendment, a longstanding prohibition on federal tax dollars funding abortions that has been attached to spending bills for half a century, a new research report suggests. The Charlotte Lozier Institute, the research arm for the grassroots pro-life activist organization Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, released its updated calculations of the number of lives saved by the Hyde Amendment on Tuesday, the provision's 49th anniversary. Michael New, a senior associate scholar at CLI and an assistant professor of social research at The Catholic University of America, authored the report. He was aided by researchers Mia Steupert, Tessa Cox and Elyse Gaitan. Researchers considered data from all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, from 1976 to 2025 to determine the overall impact of the Hyde Amendment. Congress enacted the amendment, sponsored by Republican Henry Hyde, in 1976, several years after the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. The Hyde Amendment prohibits the use of federal funds to pay for most abortions, and it is a legislative provision that Congress attaches annually to spending bills. Despite the federal restrictions, 19 state Medicaid programs covered elective abortion as of September 2025. The report highlighted multiple abortion policy changes since May 2023 that the authors argue have impacted the Hyde Amendment. "Two state Medicaid programs have begun to cover elective abortions. Nevada's Medicaid program started paying for elective abortions on December 16, 2024, and Delaware's state Medicaid program started paying for elective abortions on January 1, 2025," the report stated. "The federal Hyde Amendment ceases to have an effect in preventing taxpayer funding of abortion when states use their own tax dollars to cover abortion through their Medicaid program," the paper continued. Additionally, multiple states have enacted or strengthened existing laws restricting abortion since May 2023, such as Nebraska and North Carolina. In May 2023, both Nebraska and North Carolina enacted laws that banned most abortions after 12 weeks of gestation. Indiana's near-total ban on abortion went into effect in August 2023, while Florida, Iowa and South Carolina enacted laws prohibiting abortions after six weeks of gestation, a time when the unborn child's heartbeat becomes detectable. "Abortion limits reduce the impact of the Hyde Amendment because these laws decrease the number of abortions that take place within state boundaries," CLI's report stated. "Thus, when an abortion is prevented, the abortion limit rather than the Hyde Amendment has protected the unborn child." "Also, when a woman circumvents an abortion limit by obtaining an abortion in another state where the laws are more permissive, the Hyde Amendment is not having an effect since state Medicaid programs do not pay for out-of-state medical procedures," the report continued. Since 2020, multiple state abortion limits, including heartbeat bills and gestational age limits, have gone into effect. "These laws have reduced the impact of the Hyde Amendment since it is these laws and not the Hyde Amendment that is protecting unborn children," the pro-life research institute reported. "Overall, CLI has estimated that the Hyde Amendment saved 2,551,838 lives between 1976 and 2022; 36,257 lives in 2023; 33,474 lives in 2024, and 24,905 lives in 2025 (as of September 30th)," the paper continued. "It is now estimated that the Hyde Amendment has saved a total of 2,646,474 lives since 1976." CLI released the report in the same week that President Donald Trump's administration announced that it is planning to expand the Mexico City Policy, which prohibits U.S. funding for foreign non-governmental organizations that provide or promote abortions. The State Department is working on an expansion that will also prohibit U.S. funding to organizations working abroad to promote gender ideology and diversity, equity and inclusion, as The Daily Signal reported Wednesday. "The department will soon take additional steps to close loopholes that allowed taxpayer funding for promotion of abortion in previous iterations of the Mexico City Policy and expand the scope of the policy to ensure every penny of U.S. foreign assistance prioritizes American values, not the woke agenda," a State Department official told the outlet. Home News Pastor says he was 'denied access' to interfaith chapel by Islamic cleric at DFW airport Incident occurred as Pastor Tom Ascol was returning home from visit with family of Voddie Baucham A Florida pastor says an Islamic cleric physically blocked him from entering an interfaith chapel at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Tom Ascol, pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral and president of Founders Ministries, shared the incident on social media, where he said that, as he was returning home from visiting the family of pastor and theologian Voddie Baucham, who died after suffering an emergency medical incident last week, he heard an announcement over the PA system in Terminal D of DFW Airport. The announcement, which Ascol said was repeated more than once, featured a womans voice saying that a prayer service would be held at Meadows Chapel near gate D40 and that all are welcome. I had a heavy heart, and hours before my flight back to Cape Coral was scheduled to depart, Ascol wrote in an Oct. 1 X post. Though I had very low expectations, thinking that this might be some weak ecumenical offering, I thought that perhaps someone might read Scripture during the service. When Ascol walked over, he says he saw the entry to the chapel lined with Muslim prayer mats along with two stalls with water faucets for Islamic ritual washing. They had signs saying that the stalls were not to be used for showers, he added. In the chapels main room were several men kneeling on the prayer mats as an imam stood in the far corner of the room, while another man recited a Muslim prayer near the chapel entry. I looked through the door, bags in hand, processing the fact that what the travelers in DFW were invited to was, in fact, Muslim prayers, said Ascol. Once the prayer was finished, Ascol said he attempted to enter the room to observe further, but was blocked by the man near the entrance as the chapels imam started speaking about Muhammad, who is considered a prophet in the Islamic faith. He said there was a chair in the back for me, but that I must take off my shoes, he said. But as Ascol moved closer to the door, he says the man shifted his position to stand directly in front of me, making it clear that this prayer service was only for certain kinds of people, namely Muslims. A kafir like me was not welcome except to a chair in the back and only if I removed my shoes, Ascol said, using the Arabic term for an unbeliever. I had no energy to press the issue of the dishonesty of the announcement. So, I walked away, took out my phone, and snapped a picture. Ascol shared the image in a Sept. 26 post on X showing three apparent airport employees sitting on Islamic-style prayer rugs while an imam stood at a podium. The caption read: With broken heart I went hoping maybe Scripture would at least be read. Instead I found this [and] was denied access. In the image, a placard above the entrance for Meadows Chapel reads, In Honor of the Military Service of the Men and Women of Texas. The image also shows a symbol on the ceiling of the chapel resembling a qibla, which is used to indicate which direction Muslims are required to face during prayer. Ascot says he posted the images on social media because he was grieved [and] angeredthat this type of false worship is not only taking place in a public facility but also is being promoted in deceitful ways by DFW authorities. As I await my flight home from seeing Voddies family an announcement in @DFWAirport says all are welcome to a prayer service in the chapel. With broken heart I went hoping maybe Scripture would at least be read. Instead I found this & was denied access. Imam-led Salah. pic.twitter.com/p6GhJ4IESB Tom Ascol @tomascol (@tomascol) September 26, 2025 A statement from the Rev. Greg McBrayer, executive director of the DFW Airport Interfaith Chaplaincy, called the report disheartening, and added, We never refuse others from observing any service, or place requirements or restrictions on entering the space during any services. McBrayer said upon learning of Ascols allegations, the chaplaincy a nonprofit organization that operates independent from the airport investigated the claims with its Muslim cleric, whom McBrayer said was shocked and saddened by the report. He was not aware of the incident, and it was not brought to his attention until after the post was made online, the statement added. Had he been made aware of the alleged encounter, he would have made clear that the space is open and available to all people with no restrictions on entry. According to the chaplaincys website, DFW Airport chapels are all inclusive and used by a variety of faith groups. The site also adds, We never refuse others from observing any service or require waiting for a particular service to end. In April, the DFW Airport Chaplaincy, which boasts a team of over two dozen chaplains representing several faith traditions and denominations, marked its 50th anniversary and is considered to be the worlds largest airport chaplaincy. While a new chapel space is set to open in Terminal F in 2027, DFW Airports chapel is modest compared to a new ablution room and prayer room in Houstons George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). Following its debut in February 2024, the ritual space, located in Terminal D, which services international flights, made IAH among the first U.S. airports to offer such accommodations for passengers. Home News Robert Morris to spend 6 months in prison after pleading guilty to child sex abuse Robert Morris, the founder of Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, was punished with a six-month prison term and a 10-year suspended sentence after pleading guilty Thursday to sexually abusing the now 55-year-old Cindy Clemishire beginning when she was 12 in the 1980s. "He simply accepted responsibility for his crime from the mid-1980's and pled guilty. He pled guilty because he wanted to accept responsibility for his conduct. While he believes that he long since accepted responsibility in the eyes of God and that Gateway Church was a manifestation of that acceptance he readily accepted responsibility in the eyes of the law by virtue of his guilty plea," Morris' lawyer Bill Mateja said in a statement after the hearing in Osage County Court, Oklahoma. "He also pled guilty for the sake of finality. Not only did he want to bring this legal matter to a quick end for his own sake and that of his family, he brought it to a quick end for the sake of Ms. Clemishire and her family and he sincerely hopes that his plea and jail sentence coupled with probation brings Ms. Clemishire and her family the finality that they might need." Morris was indicted in March on five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child by a multi-county grand jury in Oklahoma in connection to his actions against Clemishire, who reported that Morris began sexually abusing her on Dec. 25, 1982, when she was 12, and continued with the abuse for four-and-a-half years after that. Last November, Gateway Church, which Morris founded in 2000, removed multiple elders after a four-month investigation found that all but three church elders had some knowledge about Morris' encounter with Clemishire and "failed to inquire further." Some allegedly knew before allegations became public that Clemishire was a child when the abuse occurred. Earlier this year, Clemishire and her father, Jerry Lee Clemishire, filed a lawsuit seeking more than $1 million, alleging Morris and Gateway Church leaders mischaracterized the abuse she suffered as a consensual "relationship" with a "young lady" instead of the sexual assault of a child. In a statement to Morris during the sentencing hearing, Clemishire reiterated that she was nowhere near being a "lady" when she was abused. "Let me be clear," she said, according to NBC News. "There is no such thing as consent from a 12-year-old child. We were never in an 'inappropriate relationship.' I was not a 'young lady' but a child. You committed a crime against me." In addition to his six-month jail term and a 10-year suspended sentence, Morris will also have to pay $270,000 in restitution and register as a sex offender. "Finally, I know I speak for Pastor Robert's lead counsel in this case, Mack Martin, (1) in saying that it's been a privilege to represent Pastor Morris and (2) in sharing that we're both witnesses to Pastor Robert being genuinely apologetic and sorry for his actions," Mateja said. Home News Gafcon laments future of Anglican communion after Sarah Mullallys appointment as archbishop The appointment of Dame Sarah Mullally as the first female archbishop of Canterbury has drawn sharp criticism from Gafcon, a global Anglican movement, which accused the Church of England of abandoning biblical teaching by choosing a leader who has affirmed blessings for same-sex relationships. Gafcon leaders said Mullallys support for introducing prayers of blessing for same-sex marriages and her 2023 comment that some same-sex relationships could be blessed showed she had failed to uphold her consecration vows. They warned that her elevation would deepen divisions in the 85 million-member Anglican Communion and render Canterbury unable to serve as a focus of unity. In a statement to members of the Gafcon family today (Oct. 3), the Most Rev. Laurent Mbanda, chairman of the Gafcon Primates Council, said the news came after months of prayer and long waiting, but was received with sorrow. He said the Church of England had chosen a leader who will further divide an already split Communion. For over a century and a half, the Archbishop of Canterbury functioned not only as the Primate of All England but also as a spiritual and moral leader of the Anglican Communion, Mbanda said. In more recent times, the See of Canterbury has been described as one of the four instruments of Communion, whilst also chairing the other three Instruments, namely the Lambeth Conference, the Primates Meeting and the Anglican Consultative Council. However, due to the failure of successive Archbishops of Canterbury to guard the faith, the office can no longer function as a credible leader of Anglicans, let alone a focus of unity, he continued. As we made clear in our Kigali Commitment of 2023, we can no longer recognize the Archbishop of Canterbury as an Instrument of Communion or the first among equals of global Primates. Gafcon had hoped that the Church of England would choose someone who could bring unity to a divided Anglican Communion, Mbanda said. Sadly, they have not done so, he said. While some would welcome Mullallys appointment as the first woman to hold the office, he argued that most Anglicans still believe episcopal leadership should be male only. As a result, he said, her selection makes it impossible for Canterbury to function as a unifying role within the Communion. Mbanda said a greater concern, however, was Mullallys alleged failure to uphold her consecration vows. When she was consecrated in 2015, she took an oath to banish and drive away all strange and erroneous doctrine contrary to Gods Word, he said. And yet, far from banishing such doctrine, Bishop Mullally has repeatedly promoted unbiblical and revisionist teachings regarding marriage and sexual morality. He pointed to her 2023 remarks, when asked by a reporter whether sexual intimacy in a same-sex relationship is sinful, in which she said that some such relationships could be blessed. Mbanda added that she also voted in favor of introducing blessings of same-sex marriage into the Church of England. Anglicans believe that the church has been given authority by God to establish rites and ceremonies and to settle doctrine controversy, and yet it is not lawful for the Church to ordain any thing that is contrary to Gods Word (Article XX), Mbanda said. The church cannot bless or affirm what God has condemned (Numbers 23:8; 24:13). This, however, is precisely what Bishop Mullally has sought to allow. According to the Gafcon chairman, since the newly appointed Archbishop of Canterbury has failed to guard the faith and is complicit in introducing practices and beliefs that violate both the plain and canonical sense of Scripture and the Churchs historic and consensual interpretation of it (Jerusalem Statement), she cannot provide leadership to the Anglican Communion. The leadership of the Anglican Communion will pass to those who uphold the truth of the gospel and the authority of Scripture in all areas of life, he added. Mbanda recalled that Gafcon first met in Jerusalem in 2008 to restore the Anglican Communion to biblical foundations. He said Mullallys appointment shows that Canterbury has surrendered its authority to lead, leaving Gafcon to take responsibility for guiding the Communion forward. Gafcon has summoned global orthodox Anglican bishops to Abuja, Nigeria, from March 3-6, 2026, for the G26 Bishops Assembly to discuss these issues. It is expected to be the most significant gathering of faithful Anglicans since 2008, according to Gafcon. Mbanda, however, also pledged to pray for the new Archbishop of Canterbury despite the concerns. Todays announcement will cause sadness and dismay among Anglicans worldwide. Yet, every morning, Anglicans throughout the world recite the words of Psalm 95: Today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, he said. Today, that is our prayer for all bishops and leaders within the Anglican Communion, including Bishop Sarah Mullally. We pray that as she takes upon herself the weight of this historic office, she will repent, and earnestly work with the Gafcon leadership to mend the torn fabric of our Anglican Communion. May all our hearts be softened to hear the voice of God in Scripture, and may we all be inclined to obey, as we move out in gospel mission to a lost and hurting world, for the glory of God. This artice was origially published at Christian Daily International Home News 3 suspected Hamas terrorists arrested in Germany, planned large-scale terror attack Police confiscate multiple weapons and ammunition; Hamas denies connection German security forces on Wednesday arrested three men suspected of planning a large-scale terror attack against a Jewish or Israeli target on behalf of the Hamas terror organization, Germanys Prosecutors Office announced. On Thursday, a German judge ordered pre-trial detention for the three suspects. Two of the suspects, identified only as Abed Al G. and Ahmad I., are German citizens, while the third, Wael F.M., was born in Lebanon and is stateless. The police found an AK-47 rifle, a pistol and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in their possession at the time of their arrest in the capital, Berlin. The German daily BILD reported that one of the two German suspects originally immigrated from Syria in 2005 and was naturalized in 2016. The other reportedly entered Germany in 2012 and received citizenship in 2021. The entry of the third suspect, Wael F. M., into Germany in the summer of 2025 triggered alarm among security forces, as he was a known terror suspect considered highly dangerous and emotionally unstable. He was closely monitored, and authorities discovered that he met with several contacts, usually in forested areas at night, where suspicious items, believed to be weapons and ammunition, were exchanged. The weapons arsenal is being examined, and additional raids were carried out in the eastern city of Leipzig, where one of the suspects resides, as well as in Oberhausen in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia. German Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, who visited Israel earlier this year, said the authorities assume that this threat was concrete. He said Wael F.M. had known ties to Hamas; however, the exact target of the planned attack has not yet been established. Hamas, meanwhile, denied any connection to the terror cell, stating, The claim that the detainees have links to Hamas is without any foundation and aims to besmirch the movement's reputation and undermine the German people's sympathy for our Palestinian people. We wish to limit the 'fight against the Zionist occupation' exclusively to Palestine. Shortly after the three suspects were arrested in Germany on Wednesday, a Syrian-British man murdered two Jews in a terror attack on a U.K. synagogue in Manchester. Israeli authorities believe the attack could also be linked to Hamas, according to Channel 12 News. In February, a trial began in Berlin against four Hamas members accused of planning attacks on Jewish institutions in Europe, marking the first court case against Hamas terrorists in Germany. During the investigations, police found several weapons depots belonging to Hamas across Europe. This article was originally published at All Israel News Home Opinion Does the Charlie Kirk murder make you thirst for vengeance? The assassination of Charlie Kirk is an inflection point in American history. He is the first non-public office holder assassinated in the United States since Martin Luther King Jr. Ironically, both were public figures who called for nonviolence. Just as the senseless death of Dr. King sparked the transformational Civil Rights movement, it is certain that much good will come from the senseless killing of Charlie Kirk. But we must resist the temptation to react with anger, bitterness, name-calling, and violence. I propose that those of us who name the name of Christ learn to fight for peace using genuine love as our weapon without compromising truth or justice. Grace for enemies The polarization between those who loved Charlie Kirk and those who loathed him has made the once invisible war of worldviews now visible. We can see it with our own eyes. It is visceral and disturbing. Both sides see the other as the fascists, the haters, and the deceived. This is a very dangerous cultural moment. We are in an us-versus-them frame of mind. We are not seeing people on the other side of the divide. Ideology and language are painting each other in broad strokes, leading to rejection and condemnation. Our faith informs us that the most potent and powerful way to push back darkness is with sincere love and truth. This does not mean we accept evil. Sin has consequences. But it does mean we are not free to fight evil with evil. As many have noted, if we still practiced the law of eye for an eye, the entire world would be blind. None of us is without sin, and we must show grace to the sinner and allow justice from our legal system to do its work as needed. But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you (Luke 6:27 NIV). Lessons from Rwanda The assassination and funeral service of Charlie Kirk all happened while I was traveling in Africa interestingly, in Rwanda, the nation with the painful past of the worst genocide in modern history. Most of the people I talked with had never heard of Charlie Kirk, but this tragedy garnered many questions about the polarization and violent outbreaks we are experiencing in America. Today, I pulled from lessons learned in Rwanda and from Scripture that I believe can help our nation heal from the extreme political, cultural, and spiritual divide we find ourselves in now. Break the us-versus-them paradigm An oversimplification of the roots of the genocide that saw over a million people slaughtered in 100 days by their neighbors, sometimes their former friends, was an us-versus-them divide. The tribal majority harbored hatred toward the tribal minority and often referred to them as cockroaches. The hatred and rejection were fomented by the media and political rancor until there was an organized, full-scale assault on innocent, unarmed men, women, and children. The Church failed to bring peace and, in some cases, was complicit in the hellish evil that was unleashed. In so many ways, we are witnessing similar pre-genocide conditions of hatred and division in our nation. Celebrate unity, not diversity Most shocking to many visitors to Rwanda is that it is now united and one of the safest nations on Earth. Instead of celebrating their diversity, they now identify only as Rwandan. Tribal identification has been outlawed as it only led to more strife and bitterness. After massive efforts to bring the key perpetrators to justice, community tribunals were formed for forgiveness and reconciliation so that neighbors could return to being neighbors. It took genuine love to restore what had been generationally devastating to the victims. The grotesque, sickening result of the anger of man versus man left a lasting scar in the souls of the people all the people. Once the horror was brought to an end, the result was a revulsion to the heartless carnage of violence that cannot be forgotten. Avoid the horror of unconstrained evil Evil reared its ugly head and spilled out into the streets. Yet today, the Rwandans look back in regret, horror, and lament over how they got to such a senseless, unimaginable place of unconstrained violence. A visit to the Genocide Museum is a sobering reminder that now is the time to rise up and fight for peace. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: Love your neighbor as yourself. If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other (Galatians 5:1415 NIV). Love and acceptance are powerful forces Many of those spewing hatred today are the lonely, disenfranchised, outcast, or rejected. I grew up with an awareness that a wounded dog would lash out at those who tried to offer help. We should not be surprised that many of those carrying out violent acts today respond in a similar way. These are people suffering on the inside who want to live in a world where they are understood and accepted. When I encounter people like this, I seek to understand their fear, pain, or perspective. Many people held captive to lies are operating from a place of deep hurt. Rather than mock or condemn, ask if you can pray for or with them. It shows you care, and God may open their hearts. So, we must become fighters, not for vengeance, power, or control but for peace. This does not mean we accept sin or evil. But it does mean we dont fight the way Satan fights, with lies, deception, division, and destruction. If we dont participate in the cultural divide but rather love our neighbors, we will do more for our country than those casting stones. Are you interested in receiving encouraging ministry updates from around the world? Do you want tools and tips on financial stewardship? Sign up to receive the Crown Newsletter emails by using the form on the homepage at Crown.org. Home Opinion Doug Wilson's view on Christian marriage is blasphemous Last week, I read an article in The Wall Street Journal that profiled Douglas Wilson, pastor of Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, who is described in Wikipedia as a public proponent of postmillennialism, Christian nationalism, covenant theology and biblical patriarchy. The article in question, Douglas Wilson Wants the U.S. to be a Christian Republic. MAGA is Listening, proclaims, The incendiary pastor calls for taking away womens right to vote and barring non-Christians from holding office. I found many things in the article with which I disagree profoundly with Rev. Wilson. However, one statement I found so appalling and offensive that I felt compelled to take up my pen to refute it. In the midst of describing Wilsons views on womens subservient roles to men, the article quotes from Wilsons book Fidelity, where he wrote that: The sexual act cannot be made into an egalitarian pleasuring party: A man penetrates, conquers, colonizes, plants. A woman receives, surrenders, accepts. This description of Holy Matrimony, especially from a minister of the Gospel, is so at odds with Gods revealed design for marriage that it can only be adequately described as blasphemous, defined as sacrilegious, against God on sacred things, profane. What does Holy Scripture tell us about Holy Matrimony? In Genesis, God tells us it was not good for man to be aloneeven before the Fall and the entry of the sin nature into the human heart and humankinds DNA. God created marriage to make of the two people, husband and wife, one flesh. In the sexual union, they become one flesh in a way that can never be completely uncoupled. The Apostle Paul, writing to the Corinthian Christians in the first century A.D., employed this tremendous spiritual truth to warn them against sexual immorality, explaining that sexual union with another person involves becoming one with that other person and vice versa whether you desire it or not or even whether you are aware of it or not. (I Cor. 6:18-20) God created the sexual union as an act of giving of oneself to ones partner, not conquest or plunder. Before the Fall, Adam and Eve, after consummating the first marriage, were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. (Gen. 2:25) In the letter to the Ephesian Christians, the Apostle Paul commanded that husbands love their wives: Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it. Eph. 5:25 The word for love is the word agape, which is the Greek word for the highest form of love, a self-sacrificial, redemptive, in spite of kind of love that loves even in the face of hostility and rebellion. Fortunately, we have a divine essay on this Holy Spirit-generated kind of love in Pauls first letter to the Corinthian church. The Apostle informs us that agape love is kind, non-envious, and is not arrogant (is not puffed up. I Cor. 13:4). Agape is not selfish (seeketh not her own), and is patient (not easily provoked), and is faithful (never faileth) (I Cor. 13:8-13). These biblical pictures of Gods definition of, and intent for, marriage are utterly at odds with Rev. Wilsons blasphemous parody. A Christian husband is going to give himself in service of his wife just as Christ gave Himself for the church. The wife responds to that love with similar love for him, responding as a loved and cherished partner, not someone conquered or colonized. Perhaps part of the wedding vow from an early English wedding ceremony put it best. The bride and groom, as part of their vows, said each to the other, with my body I thee worship! Home Opinion Trump is right to clamp down on Portlands Jacobins President Donald Trump ordered the National Guard to war ravaged Portland last week in a move that has been a long time in coming. Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities have been besieged for months in the Oregon city with little indication that local authorities will do anything to get control of the situation. In early September, after a serious anti-ICE riot in which protesters violently clashed with police, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson said that he would do nothing to help the federal government enforce the law and would protect the citys sanctuary status for illegal aliens. We will not engage with the federal immigration enforcement that goes on, Wilson said, according to KOIN 6 News. That is our sanctuary city goals; that is what the governors goals are. So you can rest assured we wont be engaging with or working with ICE in any circumstances. That came after Portlands city council plotted earlier in the year not to stop the violence but to eject ICE from the city. It couldnt be clearer that Portlands leaders have little interest in getting the rioters under control outside of pressure from the Trump administration. Now, Oregon Democrats and their legacy media defenders are doing their best to spin a tale that Portland has no problems at all, and this is just the Trump administration being real mean. Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat, posted a video on X supposedly showing that all is well around Portlands ICE facilities in the middle of the day when the sun is shining. This is a part of the genre of crime deniers who think that a single snapshot of the city at an ideal time is indicative of how things are going in general. Im pretty sure you could find a nice spot of countryside along the Eastern Front in World War II during the spring and have said, Look, all is well! What war? As many noted in response, the problems at ICE facilities typically occur at night when the protesters gather to cause chaos. Heres a different view of the same place at a different time. An even more laughable comment was made by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, who said that Portland couldnt possibly be bad because it has such good wine. Yes, really. Hell does not serve Pinot Noir this good, he wrote. Id say the French Revolution was a largely hellish experience, and Im sure France is good at making Pinot Noir. Outside of the outright denials, some Oregon Democrats are simply trying to pin the blame for Portlands problems on the Trump administrations presence. An open letter to Trump by Oregon state Democrats and other local leaders insisted that Trumps deployment was perpetuating outdated narratives about Portland being out of control. They wrote that the incredible crime surge in the city and the complete mayhem in the summer of 2020 was Trumps fault rather than the fault of left-wing activists and irresponsible city leaders. Americans are supposed to believe that all is well in Portland, and if it isnt, it surely must be the presidents doing. But its the Democrat narratives that are completely bunk. The primary issue right now for Portland is not just an intractable problem with basic street crime, though that was a big one after the George Floyd riots when the city defunded the police. No, the problem is that Portland is returning to violence and chaos because organized agitators in their city like Antifa and other similar groups want to stop federal immigration enforcement. They are throwing a continual violent tantrum because they arent getting their way. Not only are the ICE facilities besieged on a regular basis, but many residents are fed up with having their lives disrupted while local officials do nothing. Since Portland is clearly not willing to do its job to protect the lives of federal employees in the city, the Trump administration has a duty to step in and put the kibosh on Portlands Jacobins. Originally published at The Daily Signal. By Chalabala, Adobe The Charity Commission has said it is ready to support the sector following a deadly attack on a synagogue in Manchester, which is being treated as a terrorist incident. A large number of people were worshipping at the Heaton Park synagogue on Thursday during Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, when police received reports about a car being driven towards members of the public outside the synagogue and a man being stabbed. Two people died following the attack while three others are in hospital in a serious condition. The attacker was shot dead by police while three other people were arrested. One of those who died is believed to have been mistakenly shot dead by police. Greater Manchester Police has said that inquiries are moving at pace to determine the circumstances around the incident. The attacker was prevented from entering the synagogue, operated by the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation charity, due to security staff and worshippers intervening, police confirmed. Ready to support charities Charity Commission chief executive David Holdsworth published a statement in response to the attack and defended the importance of charities to communities across the country. He said: Our thoughts are with those directly affected, and the wider Jewish community, after this abhorrent attack on a holy day. This attack is all the more abhorrent as it targeted people of faith and those serving in a charity simply for attending their place of worship. Violence and hatred have no place in our communities and society. Violence can never be justified and can never be excused. Charities are at the heart of communities across the country improving millions of lives daily. We as the regulator will robustly defend their right to do so and stand ready to support charities as they do what they do best bring communities together, protect societys most vulnerable and work to make our country and world a better place. Meanwhile, Jewish security charity CST said it was appalled by the attack and devastated by the news that two people were killed and three others seriously injured. This kind of attack is the reason why we have such extensive security in place across the Jewish community, and we thank all CST volunteers, security guards, and police officers who play their part in protecting our community from terrorism and antisemitism, it said in a statement . The commission published guidance last year for charities impacted by violence during the time of the riots and public disorder following the Southport attack. Further guidance from the commission about the best ways charities can protect themselves can be found here . sign up to receive the free Civil Society daily news bulletin here . For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector, The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) has confirmed that it ran a voluntary redundancy scheme recently following cuts to its funding and rising staff costs. ZSL, which operates London Zoo and Bedfordshires Whipsnade Zoo, said that after a challenging year for UK tourism and the global conservation sector, it decided to open a voluntary redundancy scheme, which closed to applicants on 26 September. The wildlife conservation charity cited an abrupt cut to USAID funding and the increase in employer national insurance contributions, as well as recent UK government cuts to overseas aid, as additional reasons behind its decision. Some of the charitys more than 100 global scientific research and conservation projects, which it runs in addition to the two zoos, had previously received USAID and UK foreign aid funding. In an email to all employees, seen by BBC News , ZSLs chief executive Matthew Gould said he was unable to rule out future compulsory redundancies but was doing everything possible to avoid them. Gould added that ZSL had already taken measures such as tightening budgets, freezing non-essential recruitment and reducing spending but that it had needed to go further. ZSL recorded an annual income of 83.2m and expenditure of 80.6m according to its most recently filed accounts. Declining consumer confidence also affecting charity A spokesperson for ZSL also said that the charity was suffering as a result of decreased consumer confidence. As a charity whose income is partially generated by visitors to London and Whipsnade Zoos, ZSL had observed its guests spending less this summer, the spokesperson said. The spokesperson added: Just this month VisitBritain published results from the most recent Great Britain Tourism Survey showing domestic tourism is down by 8% year-on-year, following a 16% decline reported in the previous quarter. This decline is attributed to increased cost-of-living and weaker consumer confidence in the UK economy. sign up to receive the free Civil Society daily news bulletin here . For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector, Sign up for the daily CJR newsletter. On Sunday, NBCs Yamiche Alcindor nailed an exclusive phone interview with President Trump. A good deal of news came out of that, and a story that followed highlighted Trumps vague and ominous threat to investigate former FBI director Christopher Wray amid false claims that FBI agents were part of the January 6 crowd that stormed the Capitol. Another big piece of news came out of that interview, and we know about that thanks to Evan Watson, a reporter for KGW-8, the NBC affiliate in Portland, Oregon. KGW obtained a transcript of Trumps remarks and published a story midday Sunday that highlighted a stunning quote from Trump. Here is the section, emphasis mine: Trump referenced a weekend conversation with Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, and he alluded to being told by Kotek that the reality in Portland is different from whats being portrayed to him. I spoke to the governor, she was very nice, Trump said. But I said, Well wait a minute, am I watching things on television that are different from whats happening? My people tell me different. They are literally attacking and there are fires all over the placeit looks like terrible. That quote tells us a great deal about Trumps decision to send troops to Portland, but it says even more about how our president obtains and processes information. And it jibes with a new lawsuit filed by the city and state to stop Trumps moves into Portland. In the suit, the plaintiffs allege that Trump has been relying on clips from violent George Floyd protests in Portland in 2020 to decide how to act there in 2025. Last September 5, the suit says, Fox News aired a report on Portland ICE protests that included misleading clips from Portland protests in 2020. Shortly thereafter, President Trump appeared to reference events in the same misleading Fox News report when speaking to the press. A reporter asked which city President Trump planned to send troops to next, and he said he was considering targeting Portland because of news coverage the night before. President Trump alleged that paid terrorists and paid agitators were making the city unlivable, further statingif we go to Portland, were gonna wipe them out. Theyre going to be gone and theyre going to be gone fast. The quote highlighted by KGW got a lot of attention on social media, but it took a day or more for mainstream outlets like MSNBC and Politico to tell their readers about it (while many other news organizations still havent picked up on it). This might be because reporters were focusing on some of Trumps other musings, including his reposting of an AI-generated video that included a fake President Trump and a fake Lara Trump promoting a fake medical remedy on a fake Fox News segment. In a more perfect universe, our nations leaders would be basing their decisions on current, verified informationnot five-year-old Fox News clips that happen to cross the TV screen while the president is watching. Trumps quote acknowledging that he got his Portland information this way tells us a lot, and Im not sure we wouldve known about it if not for the curiosity of a local TV reporter. You may know the feeling. A tantalizing tranche of documents gets dumped into your inbox or arrives in the mail, and it comes from an unofficial or anonymous source. Inside that pile is a ton of juicy, newsworthy detail. Youre getting more and more excited as you leaf through it, but you cant shake that deepening pit in your stomach. What if this is fake? What if I am about to be [insert foreboding music here] Dan Rathered? For those who werent around in 2004, Rathers illustrious career at CBS went askew during the lead-up to the George W. Bush/John Kerry election. He broadcast a sensational story that Bush had gotten special treatment in the Texas Air National Guard in the 1970s, basing this allegation on documents that soon turned out to be forgeries. It was a permanent exclusive, as the saying goes. Fast-forward a couple of decades to a few weeks ago, when Bloomberg News published an expose of eighteen thousand emails it had obtained from the Yahoo account of sex predator Jeffrey Epstein. The emails showed, among other things, the close relationship between Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell and the ways they both manipulated their victims with a mix of coercion and gifts. Excellent work, that, but also welcome and notable was Bloombergs sidebar showing the meticulous caution that its reporters exercised to ensure the emails were authentic. These journalists used cryptographic analysis, metadata analysis and corroboration with external sources to verify their provenance, and four independent experts reviewed our methods and said they aligned with best practices. As one of the experts told the Bloomberg team, Short of logging into Yahoo, thats the right way to vet an email archive. A couple of short takes: Nebraska officials are known to boast about the states low rate of drug-related deaths. With under twelve such fatalities per one hundred thousand people, they have billed theirs as the lowest rate in the US. Legislators have referred to the statistic as fortunate and exciting. It also appears to be flimsy or false, as we see in this deeply reported story by Destiny Herbers of the Flatwater Free Press. Nebraska has the same rate of nonfatal overdoses as such states as Montana and Texas, but those states death rates are twice that of Nebraska. So how is that possible? Those states have medical examiners who determine causes of death, Herbers notes. In Nebraska, that job falls to county attorneys. Many havent reported a drug death in years, even decades. A number of prosecutors arent interested in examining deaths when theres no evidence of a crime, as in some accidental overdoses. And the impact goes beyond mere statistics: by reporting so few deaths, Nebraska loses out on millions of dollars in federal funding to address substance abuse. of the Flatwater Free Press. Nebraska has the same rate of nonfatal overdoses as such states as Montana and Texas, but those states death rates are twice that of Nebraska. So how is that possible? Those states have medical examiners who determine causes of death, Herbers notes. In Nebraska, that job falls to county attorneys. Many havent reported a drug death in years, even decades. A number of prosecutors arent interested in examining deaths when theres no evidence of a crime, as in some accidental overdoses. And the impact goes beyond mere statistics: by reporting so few deaths, Nebraska loses out on millions of dollars in federal funding to address substance abuse. From the Department of Huh? A recent New York Times piece looked into a study that predicts thousands of additional deaths in coming decades from wildfire smoke. The story includes a state-by-state graphic showing how many new deaths could be attributed to the fires by midcentury, ranging from 19 in North Dakota to 4,551 in California. And at the bottom, it shows Florida, with negative 658 deaths caused by wildfire smoke. What does that mean? Were they saved by smoke? How is that possible? We never find out. Laurels and Darts will take a short break but will return later this month. Rebecca Blumenstein, chair of CJRs Board of Overseers, is the president of NBC News Editorial. She was not involved in the preparation of this column. We also give hat tips to Nathan Collier, who is a member of the CJR board, and to the Local Matters newsletter, assembled by Investigative Reporters and Editors. If you have a suggestion for this column, please send it to laurelsanddarts@cjr.org. We cant acknowledge all submissions, but we will mention you if we use your idea. For more on Laurels and Darts, please click here. To receive this and other CJR newsletters in your inbox, please click here. A federal judge rejected Elon Musks bid to transfer to a court in Texas a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit alleging he was late in disclosing his 2022 stake in Twitter Inc. The Court takes Mr. Musks convenience seriously, but it also notes that Mr. Musk has considerable means and spends at least forty percent of his time outside his chosen forum, US District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan wrote in an order Thursday in Washington. Indeed, although Mr. Musk may have rarely traveled to this District in recent months, Mr. Musks brief itself indicates that he has spent substantial time here this year. The SEC sued Musk in January, more than two years after he bought Twitter for $44 billion and less than a week before President Donald Trump took office. The Wall Street regulator alleged the serial entrepreneur blew the deadline to file a special form saying he had accumulated at least a 5% ownership stake in Twitter before launching a takeover bid of the social media platform. By waiting too long to reveal his stake, Musk was able to stockpile shares on the cheap. The failure to timely disclose cost Twitter shareholders more than $150 million, the SEC said. Musks attorneys in August sought dismissal of the SECs suit, calling it a waste of this courts time and taxpayer resources. The SEC fired back, saying that the evidence of a violation is clear and asking the judge to rule in its favor without a trial. Musks attorneys also requested that the case be moved from Washington, where the SEC is headquartered, to Texas, where several of his companies are based. Forcing Mr. Musk to litigate in this district would merely perpetuate and compound the harm from the SECs years-long campaign against him, Musks attorneys wrote in a filing at the time. Copyright 2025 Bloomberg. Police in Northern California were understandably perplexed when they pulled over a Waymo taxi after it made an illegal U-turn, only to find no driver behind the wheel and therefore, no one to ticket. The San Bruno Police Department wrote in now viral weekend social media posts that officers were conducting a DUI operation early Saturday morning when a self-driving Waymo made the illegal turn in front of them. Related: Waymo, Via to Offer Autonomous Public Transit Rides in Arizona Officers stopped the vehicle, but declined to write a ticket as their citation books dont have a box for robot. Thats right no driver, no hands, no clue, read the post, which was accompanied by photos of an officer peering into the car. Officers contacted Waymo to report what they called a glitch, and in the post, they said they hope reprogramming will deter more illegal moves. Related: Waymo Gets Green Light to Test Robotaxis in Manhattan and Brooklyn The departments Facebook post has generated more than 500 comments, with many people outraged that police didnt ticket the company. People also wanted to know how police got the car to pull over. But San Bruno Sgt. Scott Smithmatungol said they can only ticket a human driver or operator for a moving violation, unlike parking tickets that can be left with the vehicle. A new state law that kicks in next year will allow police to report moving violations to the Department of Motor Vehicles, which is figuring out the specifics, including potential penalties, the Los Angeles Times reports. Waymo spokesperson Julia Ilina told the LA Times that the companys autonomous driving system is closely monitored by regulators. We are looking into this situation and are committed to improving road safety through our ongoing learnings and experience, Ilina said. Waymos currently operate in Phoenix, Los Angeles and San Francisco and in areas south of the city, including the suburb of San Bruno. It blew up a lot bigger than we thought, Smithmatungol said of the viral post to The Associated Press on Tuesday. Were not a large agency like San Francisco. San Bruno has about 40,000 residents and a sworn police force of 50 officers, he said. Waymo is owned by Googles parent company, Alphabet. Asahi Group Holdings Ltd. revealed for the first time that cyber-attackers employed ransomware to bring its domestic factories to a standstill, shedding more light on an online breach thats raised questions about the countrys online-security preparedness. The maker of Japans most popular brew warned that the perpetrators may have made off with data, though its investigating the extent of the infiltration. Asahi has succeeded in isolating the system they attacked, and begun taking orders and commenced some shipments manually, it said in a statement. But it couldnt gauge when full operations will resume. The attack on Asahi this week has dominated headlines in Japan and raised concerns retailers will soon run out of Super Dry the countrys top seller. Seven & i Holdings Co. warned customers of possible shortages. Convenience-store chains Lawson Inc. and Familymart Co., whose outlets are ubiquitous across the country, warned that Asahi products including food might become scarce starting Friday. The disruption underscores Japans vulnerability to hacks, which have proliferated globally with the adoption of online storage and networking. Its of keen concern in a country with extensive digital supply chains that link factory floors to the convenience stores that fuel daily life. The fact that a big company like this is taking so long to recover shows their preparation was inadequate, said Nobuo Miwa, representative director at security firm S&J Corp. This shouldve been anticipated and planned for. Asahi halted production at most of its 30 factories in Japan after the cyberattack hobbled its ordering and delivery system. The company, which also makes Nikka Whisky, said group companies have suspended order processing, shipping and call center functions. On Friday, it said it still cant tell when it can get systems back online. We are investigating the content and scope of any possible information leak, Atsushi Katsuki, president and group CEO, said in the statement. We are doing our utmost to achieve recovery at the earliest possible date, while prioritizing product supply to our customers and finding alternative means to fulfill orders. The time its taking is weighing on Asahis shares, which are down around 7% this week. Asahi competes with Kirin Holdings Co. and Suntory Beverage & Food Ltd. in a cut-throat and saturated Japanese market. The incident is a wakeup call on how even big companies get hacked, said David Suzuki, founder of consulting firm Kikutora Special Risks. If Asahi beer were to disappear from shelves, that would raise awareness about cybersecurity in a country where cyber-literacy remains low and small-to-medium-sized businesses make up the vast majority of companies. Its not life-threatening, Suzuki said. But it actually makes the average consumer the average person on the street realize that Oh, this can actually affect me.' There were 116 reported ransomware cases in Japan in the first half of 2025, matching the six-month record set in the second half of 2022, according to the National Police Agency. Most soft drinks at 7-Eleven stores are supplied from dedicated inventory hubs, so the immediate impact is limited, a Seven & i representative said. But in places such as an e-commerce site run by Aeon supermarket, sales of Asahi Beer and Asahi Soft Drink products have been temporarily suspended. Marugen Ramen chain operator Monogatari Corp. said it may switch to Suntory or other beer brands if Asahi inventory runs out. Kisoji Co., a shabu-shabu restaurant chain, is also considering a switch to Suntory or Kirin, although its now working with liquor wholesalers to secure stock. Top photo: An Asahi brewery in Moriya, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Copyright 2025 Bloomberg. This photo courtesy of Dylan Miller shows Alaskan climber Balin Miller climbing the route "Crocs Nose" at Crocodile Rock last year in Hyalite Canyon near Bozeman, Montana. (Dylan Miller via AP) LOS ANGELES, California A young climber from Alaska who was becoming a star among the climbing community died Wednesday when he fell from El Capitan at Yosemite National Park. Balin Miller, 23, of Anchorage, Alaska, had reached the top and was trying to free a haul bag stuck below his anchor when he fell. Photographer Tom Evans, who witnessed the accident, writes on social media that Miller didnt realize his rope wouldnt reach the bag and rappelled off the end of the line. It is with a heavy heart I have to tell you my incredible son Balin Miller died during a climbing accident today, Millers mother, Jeanine Girard-Moorman, writes in a post on social media. My heart is shattered in a million pieces. I dont know how I will get through this I love him so much. I want to wake up from this horrible nightmare." The Los Angeles Times reports that several climbers saw Miller fall while watching a livestream on TikTok. The Guardian reports that the National Park Service has not issued an official report on Millers death. It occurred on the first day of the federal government shutdown, which left national parks generally open, with limited operations and closed visitors centers. El Capitan is a sheer granite rock face about 3,000 feet high. It attracts big-wall rock climbers from all over the world. (The Associated Press contributed to this story.) Fentanyl test strips, which help drug users know whether their street drugs are contaminated with dangerous opioids, are no longer considered contraband in Ohio, but Today in Ohio podcasters ask why it took so long to legalize them. (AP Photo/Leah Willingham) AP Ohio Gov. Mike DeWines executive order legalizing fentanyl test strips, which can prevent opioid overdose deaths, is a strategy that should have come a decade ago, say the hosts of Today in Ohio. The action comes as action cocaine has now surpassed fentanyl as the leading cause of overdose deaths in Cuyahoga County. Podcast hosts asked why DeWines life-saving measure took so long to implement, when it would have been helpful when opioid deaths are at their all-time highs. I remember in the early days of the opioid epidemic -- were talking 12, 13, 14 years ago -- talking to people in the U.S. prosecutors office about the need for this, said Chris Quinn during Fridays episode. And now when thats on the wane, thats when we get this, the law and the executive order. I just think, where were these guys? Why didnt they do this when the need was greatest? The executive order allows the Ohio Board of Pharmacy to legalize drug test strips and kits that can detect fentanyl, benzodiazepines, opioids, and other substances. These tools, which help drug users identify potentially lethal contaminants in their supply, have long been classified as illegal drug paraphernalia under state law. DeWines action comes after a law change this year that allows the pharmacy board to exempt items from paraphernalia laws. But the podcast hosts emphasized that these measures might have saved lives if implemented years earlier. The delay in implementing the common-sense policy points to deeper ideological battles that have hampered effective responses to the opioid crisis, as Lisa Garvin pointed out on the podcast: A lot of conservative people think that making these test kits available is condoning drug use. So that might be their reasoning. A reluctance to embrace harm reduction strategies, rooted in moral judgment rather than public health evidence, has had devastating consequences across Ohio as the epidemic claimed thousands of lives. Quinn said the delay makes no sense. Its just one of those that you just tilt your head and think, what is wrong with this picture. In the same week as DeWines executive order, the Ohio Senate passed legislation allowing schools to keep Narcan (naloxone) on hand for emergenciesanother seemingly straightforward measure that took years to implement. Narcan saves lives when people overdose. But even this life-saving bill didnt escape controversy. Laura Johnston it was part of a bill having nothing to do with opioids. It is about letting students skip more school for off-campus religious instruction. The pattern of delayed action on the opioid crisis, coupled with lawmakers using addiction-related bills as vehicles for unrelated policy changes, paints a troubling picture of Ohios priorities. As the drug overdose landscape shifts from fentanyl to cocaine, the question remains whether future responses will be proactive or, once again, years behind the crisis. Listen to the discussion here. Listen to full Today in Ohio episodes where Chris Quinn hosts our daily half-hour news podcast, with Editorial Board member Lisa Garvin, Impact Editor Leila Atassi and Content Director Laura Johnston. Robert Morris, 64, the founder and pastor of Gateway Church in Texas, on Thursday pleaded guilty to five charges of child sex abuse stemming from incidents in the 1980s, authorities said. (Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News via AP) AP The founder and pastor of a Texas megachurch on Thursday pleaded guilty to five counts of lewd and indecent acts with a child related to incidents from the 1980s in Oklahoma, authorities said. Robert Morris, 64, entered his plea agreement before Osage County District Special Judge Cindy Pickerill, according to a news release from the Oklahoma attorney generals office. Under the agreement, Morris received a 10-year suspended sentence with the first six months to be served in Osage County Jail, according to the release. Once released, he must register as a sex offender and will be supervised by Texas authorities via interstate compact. In addition, he must pay his costs of incarceration and $270,000 in restitution to the victim. Morris founded Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, in 2000 and resigned in June 2024 after he confessed to engaging in sexual behavior with a 12-year-old in the 1980s. The abuse began in December 1982 while Morris was a traveling evangelist visiting the victims family in Hominy, Oklahoma, according to the states AG. The abuse continued over the next four years. There can be no tolerance for those who sexually prey on children, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said in the release. This case is all the more despicable because the perpetrator was a pastor who exploited his position of trust and authority. The victim in this case has waited far too many years for this day. The victim, Cindy Clemishire, publicly identified herself and issued a statement after Morris pleaded guilty. Today justice has finally been served, and the man who manipulated, groomed and abused me as a 12-year-old innocent girl is finally going to be behind bars, she said. My hope is that many victims hear my story, and it can help lift their shame and allow them to speak up. I hope that laws continue to change and new ones are written so children and victims rights are better protected. I hope that people understand the only way to stop child sexual abuse is to speak up when it happens or is suspected. Today is a new beginning for me, my family and friends who have been by my side through this horrendous journey. I leave this courtroom today not as a victim, but a survivor, she added. Morris served on the faith advisory council during President Trumps first term. One of his lawyers, Bill Mateja, said in a statement that Morris sincerely apologizes to Clemishire and her family. While he believes that he long since accepted responsibility in the eyes of God and that Gateway Church was a manifestation of that acceptance he readily accepted responsibility in the eyes of the law by virtue of his guilty plea, Mateja said, according to The New York Times. Chinese military intensifies combat readiness patrols over Huangyan Dao Xinhua) 11:44, October 03, 2025 BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese military has stepped up combat readiness patrols in the surrounding areas of and airspace over the territorial waters of Huangyan Dao since September, an official statement said on Wednesday. The Chinese People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command said that naval and air forces have been deployed to reinforce patrols and vigilance, further strengthen control and management of relevant areas, and effectively counter unlawful infringements and provocations. The move aims to firmly safeguard China's sovereignty and security while maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea, it added. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan) India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to travel to Kuala Lumpur on the 26th and 27th of October for the 47th ASEAN Summit. Around 3 weeks before his visit, the 11th Joint Committee Meeting for the review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) is scheduled for 6th and the 7th of October at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta in Indonesia, which will be hosted by Malaysia.On the AITIGA review, government sources indicated that while progress has been noted in the past few months, some developments are expected in the joint committee meeting. Sources added that options remain open for separate FTAs with ASEAN member countries, indicating that India already has FTAs with ASEAN members Singapore and Malaysia.The ASEAN bloc comprises of Brunei, Cambodia Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. It is among the trading blocs India is looking to increase its exports to undo the impact of US tariffs. ASEAN accounted for around 11% of Indias global trade with bilateral trade touching $123 billion in FY 2024-25.However, India is looking for a country-wise review of the AITIGA (ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement) to contain its rising trade deficit with the 10-nation bloc.While India's exports to the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries have risen 65.23% from $26,628 million in FY 2010-11 to $44,000 million in FY 2022-23, imports from ASEAN countries to India have grown 186% from $30,608 million in FY 2010-11 to $87,577 million in FY 2022-23.Even in FY 2023-24, India's imports from ASEAN countries were recorded at $66,551 million against total exports of $32,713 million to the bloc, and $39 billion of exports compared to $84 billion in imports in FY 2024-25.India had hosted the 10th Meeting of the AITIGA Joint Committee at Vanijya Bhawan in New Delhi from 10th to 14th August this year. The Joint Committee had focused on advancing the ongoing review of AITIGA to enhance its effectiveness, accessibility, and trade facilitation capabilities by building on the progress achieved through eight active rounds of negotiations.Seven of the eight Sub-Committees under the AITIGA Joint Committee had also met on the margins, namely: The Sub-Committee on Customs Procedures and Trade Facilitation (SC-CPTF), Legal and Institutional Issues (SC-LII), National Treatment and Market Access (SC-NTMA), Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SC-SPS), Rules of Origin (SC-ROO), Standards, Technical Regulations and Conformity Assessment Procedures (SC-STRACAP), and Trade Remedies (SC-TR).These meetings provided a platform for deeper collaboration, ensuring alignment with the broader goals of updating AITIGA. Earlier this year too, in March, both the sides had agreed to speed up the AITIGA review for a conclusion within 2025 itself.On 10th July, India's Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal held a virtual meeting with Malaysia's Minister of Investment, Trade & Industry T Zafrul Aziz to discuss the ongoing AITIGA review. Malaysia is India's permanent coordinator from ASEAN on economic matters. The Ministers also discussed furthering discussions on India-Malaysia Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA).On the AITIGA review, sources had earlier indicated that India had opened 71% of its tariff lines while Indonesia had opened only 41%, Vietnam had opened 66.5%, and Thailand had opened 67% of tariff lines despite India having a lower per capita income.Stating that the government has only reflected anguish of the Indian industry against ASEAN FTA while renegotiating and reviewing the FTA, sources had questioned why duties on Chinese imports were reduced by the UPA regime. Pointing out that subsidized goods from a 3rd country were found to be dumped until India levied anti-dumping duty, sources indicated that India cracked down on dumping of steel imports via Safeguard duty as the "melt-and-pour" clause wasn't put in the FTA with the ASEAN bloc.In October 2024, Indian government sources had told CNBC TV18 that bilateral positions of many ASEAN countries have changed since the implementation of the agreement in 2010 and some of them don't reflect the same position anymore. Stating that the 10-nation bloc is not a common customs union but a grouping of countries at different stages of development, sources had added that India is trying to build flexibility in review while speaking to individual countries. There have been concerns raised by Indian industry over cheap imports from ASEAN countries impacting domestic industries in the steel and electronics sector. Right-wing comedian and podcasting giant Theo Von says that the reason why his stand-up show at the Beacon Theater last weekend went so haywire wasnt because he was back on drugs in fact, he was off of them. This past Saturday, Von played a set at the historic New York venue that was supposed to become his newest Netflix special, but which quickly devolved into catastrophe as Von repeatedly left the stage to the confusion of the audience and abruptly abandoned half-finished stories and bits throughout the night. Vons erratic, disjointed performance caused many attendees to walk out of the theater in the middle of the set, and, in a concerning moment captured on video by one fan near the front row, Von apologized to audience members for the nights unravelling and told them that he was trying not to take my own life. Earlier today, Von returned to his podcast, This Past Weekend, and he assured his fans that he is not a danger to himself, although he did have a trying month that took a toll on his mental health. During the new episode, Von admitted that he was in a bad headspace during the set because he had weaned myself off of his prescribed anti-depressants in preparation for the special taping, and because of the political violence that has plagued America over the last several weeks. Don't Miss Von again criticized the Department of Homeland Security for using his voice and his likeness in a social media post that celebrated their mass deportation campaign, which would be enough disrupt the mental health of anyone with a conscience. It wasnt that crazy what went on. And I wish it I wish it was going to be a more exciting story, but I just want to share with you kind of what happened, I guess, Von began of his Beacon Theater bomb. You know, so, mental health is important to me, right? Its important to me, we talk about that kind of stuff on here a lot So I had a comedy special we were taping, we were taping it last week, and about a month before I quit taking some anti-depressants I was taking. Advertisement Von explained of his decision to go off his medication during such a pivotal moment in his career, The reason why was because I wanted, like, during the comedy show, I wanted to have a little more emotion during it. I wanted to have this kind of like I just wanted to have some more feelings. If youve ever taken anti-depressants, or if you havent, it kind of takes away your feelings, you know? So you just kind of stay in this space where youre okay. And, while Von says the beginning of his weaning-off period went well, he says that the murder of Charlie Kirk on September 10th derailed his mental transition. Then, a few days after that, or maybe a week after that, the Department of Homeland Security put a video up online, said Von, referencing the infamous post in which footage of Von is intercut with video of the DHS deporting people. Long story short, that happens, this video goes mega-viral, 25 million views, 30 million views, its everywhere, and the first 10 seconds of it are me. I didnt have anything to do with this shit, nobody asked me about it. Advertisement I have a lot of different thoughts about immigration, Von insisted, saying of the video, Why is the government even making these? I dont know, but thats where were at in the world. Advertisement Von then explained that he believes the mass deportation effort by the DHS is intended to expand the federal governments power over the populace, saying, I think theyre doing a lot of bookkeeping in the country right now because were going to get into a surveillance state and everyone is going to have to be on the books, right? So thats where I believe that were headed. Advertisement Von also reported that the backlash he received for appearing in the DHS video against his will further worsened his mental state, especially as the son of an immigrant from Nicaragua himself. Von claimed that he even received a call from a government official offering to give him a security detail one week before the Beacon Theater Show in case Vons critics turned violent, which made him even more paranoid. As such, Von went into Saturdays taping in a tumultuous mental state, which led to the most high-profile bomb of his stand-up career. However, Von assured fans, he isnt a risk to himself as some feared. Said Von about his comments to the audience that seemed to suggest he was suicidal, You know that if youve listened to this show before or seen anything, you know: I say stuff. I would never take my own life. I would never take my own life. Henry Winkler stopped by the offices of The Howard Stern Show this week not to talk to Stern, but to visit old pal Jon Hein. As an undergraduate at the University of Michigan, Hein put a name to that inflection point at which sitcoms begin their decline. He called it jumping the shark, based on the Happy Days episode when Winklers Fonzie performed a death-defying water-ski jump over a killer shark. In other words, a dumb stunt that signaled Happy Days was officially out of ideas. Youd think Winkler would be disgruntled about being immortalized as the face of sitcom downswings, and Hein jumped directly into Henry is the greatest! mode to diffuse any potential conflict. Henry, you know, every time I see you, I am not in this chair without you, Hein fawned. So I thank you, and youve always been so great about it. Ive always said I appreciate it to the day I die because (jump the shark) will probably be on my tombstone. But it turns out that Winkler loves Heins concept for one simple reason. Every time they mentioned jump the shark at that time, they had a picture of me on water skis, he explained. And I had great legs, so I didnt care. Don't Miss Another reason Winkler can laugh off being the face of jump the shark? We were number one for four years after that. Well, not exactly, although the show was probably number one in its time slot. The year Fonzie jumped that tiger shark, Happy Days finished as the countrys second-favorite show, just a hair behind spin-off Laverne & Shirley. Winklers sitcom remained a top 20 hit for the four seasons after that a great run considering the show was then in its ninth season. Winkler performed his own stunts for the episode, created not because the writers were out of ideas, but because the actor was an expert water skier and wanted to show off his talents. Maybe thats why hes had a great sense of humor about the bit over the years. Im very proud that I am the only actor, maybe in the world, that has jumped the shark twice, he told The Wrap. Once on Happy Days, and once on Arrested Development. Advertisement If anything, Winkler said, Hein should be congratulated for turning a dorm room idea into a career. You got a book. A radio show. A board game. What else? Advertisement Two TV pilots, but none of them took, Hein replied sheepishly. But it doesnt matter, Winkler insisted. You made an industry out of your imagination of having one phrase about how you felt about Happy Days. I have a great respect for that. During his recent performance at the Riyadh Comedy Festival, Dave Chappelle declared that Saudi Arabia is a safer place for his freedom of speech than America, but that simply isnt true Chappelle is just as free to praise our own billionaire tyrants in any speech he chooses. According to reporters who attended Chappelles performance at the Saudi Royal Family-funded comedy show last weekend, Chappelle complained about the state of free expression in America to a Saudi audience who could face torture and execution if they ever tweet a mean joke about their own government. Critically, the same Saudi Royal Family who paid Chappelle a small fortune to launder their international reputation have made a habit of murdering journalists and dissidents who speak out against their authoritarian rule, and all the performers at the Riyadh Comedy Festival had to sign a contract promising not to criticize the Saudi government, Saudi culture and Saudi religious practices. Don't Miss However, since Chappelle felt no fear in making jokes about American politics during his overseas show, the self-branded free speech warrior declared to the crowd, Its easier to talk here than it is in America. Now, Chappelles former fans are wondering whether the comedian would sing similar praises of the Trump administration if the President was willing to open his checkbook, seeing as the comics integrity is apparently for sale to the most bloodthirsty bidder: The backlash to Chappelle claiming that Saudi Arabia was a safer space for comedy than America wasnt just contained to the comedy community on Twitter in the comedy subreddit, thousands of stand-up fans slammed Chappelles hypocrisy and mocked how the comic spent the last five years leading up to Riyadh Comedy Festival pretending to be a martyr for free speech. Advertisement In a mega-viral thread about Chappelles Riyadh performance, titled, Legitimately, Fuck This Guy, one particularly irate fan wrote, Just wow is all I can say. Im sure its very nice of him to have all this privilege. Comedy is dead. Its now just a mouth-piece for the oppressor class. His fall from grace is pretty sad. Early 2000s Chappelle was incredible, another former fan lamented. One user concurred, I knew the old Chappelle was gone for good when he brought Elon Musk on stage with him in San Francisco. Comedy fans were practically unanimous in expressing that, for all Chappelles posturing about free speech and the various social issues he mines for material, the uber-rich stand-up superstar is comically out-of-touch when it comes to how those topics affect average Americans who dont get seven-figure offers to be flown out by billionaire despots. Advertisement Chappelle was once a great voice speaking truth to power. Now hes just a rich asshole getting high off his own supply, one fan suggested. If people say your jokes arent funny, thats not censorship. Thats an invitation to tell better jokes. However, since Chappelle so often confuses criticism for censorship, perhaps his Riyadh visit could be a blessing in disguise, both for the comedian and for his former fans in America who are tired of his shtick. As one such fan suggested, Since Saudi Arabia is so amazing and superior and a paradise of free speech, these comics should move there. With the exception of Dick Van Dykes death trap of an ottoman, most sitcoms dont seem to be especially dangerous to make. And Frasier, specifically, appeared to be a pretty safe working environment, barring some kind of severe allergic to farcically off-the-rails dinner parties. But weirdly enough, the making of one Frasier episode actually put actor David Hyde Pierce in the hospital. And somehow it wasnt the episode in which Niles Crane nearly burns down his brothers apartment. Season 10s Door Jam found Frasier and Niles visiting a luxurious day spa, only to become fixated with its increasingly exclusive sections, none of which seem to satiate their lust for status. At one point, Niles is bound in a highly-constrictive wrap as part of a treatment, but still attempts to hop his way into the forbidden platinum area with Frasier. In a fitting twist, it turns out that the platinum door leads to a trash-filled alley. Advertisement A fan on Reddit recently shared a clip of actor and comedian Hal Sparks, who played the role of Receptionist in the episode, discussing the production in an interview with the Media Path Podcast. Advertisement David Hyde Pierce almost died on that episode, Sparks explained. They were doing a wrap, like a seaweed wrap on him. And he was wrapped like a mummy. His arms and his legs (were) completely tied together. He was sitting on a gurney for this scene, Sparks continued, and he sat up on it, and his arms were completely tied to his sides, and they hadnt secured the gurney and it tipped over. And he landed headfirst on the cement floor. Advertisement My back was to (him), and I heard him go down, the Queer as Folk star added. It was like somebody dropped a bowling ball. Sparks rushed to Pierces side to assist him, and made sure he stayed conscious while waiting for the paramedics to arrive. Work on the episode was halted because Pierce was in the hospital all weekend. Thankfully Pierce was fine, and later thanked Sparks for saving his life when he returned to tape the scene. Advertisement Frasier writer and executive producer Joe Keenan described the same incident during a 2024 interview. While he wasnt on set, Keenan recalled people being very concerned for David, noting that he was okay, but it could have been bad. Had his injury been worse, its not like the producers could have just bought another David Hyde Pierce at the pet store like they did with Eddie the dog. Shut up. As far as I am concerned, the worst thing about the terrible Michelle Mone scandal is the fact of her nationality. For Baroness Bra is a fellow Scot and, dear God, the black, burning shame of it all is almost too much to bear. The post-Nicola Sturgeon world is bad enough, with its tattered legacy of abstruse gender freedoms, support for Irn-Bru phone cards for the sub-Saharan disadvantaged, and championing of people like Isla Bryson. (May I remind you that Isla was a male-born double rapist who was initially allowed to stay in a Scottish female prison because he/she identified as a female and First Minister Nicola thought that was OK, absolutely fine. This is what we are dealing with.) Into this toxic McBrew comes the lustrously cleavaged, she-skunk Michelle, the bra-meister who cuckooed her way into our cosy, supportive Celtic hen coop to lay a stink bomb instead of a nice breakfast egg. Take that, Scottish sisters! When I listen to the familiar cadences of Mones raspy Glasgow voice, an accent that I have always absolutely loved, and hear her meeping on about how she lied over her Medpro connection just to protect her family because they had gone through hell with the media well, I just want to die. Who does this grasping, boobilicious blowhard think she is fooling? No one north of Berwick-upon-Tweed, that is for sure. No one with any sense. And while blaming newspapers is the last resort of the utter rogue, we also must also factor in her use of the Prince Harry defence, which is that being so ignorant of your ignorance makes you believe that everyone else is as ignorant as you. Well, I wonder if it is going to wash this time. Not just because Scottish womanhood has had enough, although we have. Listen, we havent suffered such an embarrassing blow since Wee Jimmy Krankie turned out to be a transboy called Janette in 1978. 'When I listen to the familiar cadences of Mones raspy Glasgow voice, an accent that I have always absolutely loved, and hear her meeping on well, I just want to die,' writes Jan Moir Perhaps even worse for this thinking sisterhood is femme star Nicola trying to defend her record on ferries, drug deaths, child poverty, education, dualling the A9, gender rights and her unpardonable hair. And dont get me started on Lulus phoney Mid-Atlantic accent, an ongoing national disgrace since 1975. Or that time earlier this year when Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman publicly applauded an unhinged trans activist at a demo, who was raging about openly breaking the law by continuing to use womens public toilets and addressed JK Rowling with the words: We should all take a sh**e on you, you heinous creeping old b**ch. Dear God. Readers, I am so sorry to lower the tone, but this is what were dealing with north of the border. In her keffiyeh (of course) and anorak, Ms Chapman politely applauded these vile words as if the activist had just suggested sprinkling wildflower seeds on the verges of the Arbroath bypass. Speaking of which, the Green MSP argued last year that only wealthy white men benefited from upgrading roads and reducing journey times between Scottish cities. How do these ludicrous headbangers ever get into public office? Cant people see them coming from a mile off? Which brings me back to Michelle Mone. If Baroness Mone of Mayfair hark at her! had any decency, shed do Scotland and me a favour by voluntarily resigning from the House of Lords. If she really is as innocent as she claims (excuse me while I cough into this non-sterile surgical gown) shed surely step back and devote her life to clearing her name and helping the National Crime Agency with their inquiries into her business doings. Do it for Scotland, Michelle. Do it for me. Achoo! Get a pack of tests in, Covid got me ... again You never know where and when you catch Covid, but I suspect my recent contamination came on a packed flight to and from Geneva the other week. New strains including the XFG, dubbed Stratus, and NB.1.8.1, known as Nimbus are fuelling a surge in infections across Europe, with cases doubling since August. All of a sudden it seems to be everywhere. You dont have to tell me. This is the second time I have caught Covid. It wasnt as bad as the first, but it brought a lot of awful memories surging back: the cotton swab up the nostril, the dread wait for the line on the test, the isolation and the utter awfulness of the disease itself like a glaucous storm passing through your body. I only mention it because I wouldnt even have tested myself for Covid thinking I had just caught a nasty cold had not a friend said to me you sound awful, are you sure its not Covid?' So this is my message. Buy yourself a little pack of tests. Dont be complacent. Take a test, keep yourself and others safe. Achoo! Fry's not the real star of this show Dragged up to the lipsticked nines, Sir Stephen Fry looked less like a Victorian grande dame and more like the Irish actress Fiona Shaw caught in a taffeta tornado Before I tested positive for Covid this week, I went to see a preview of The Importance of Being Earnest in the West End, a fabulously camp new production starring Sir Stephen Fry as an improbable Lady Bracknell. Boy, do people love him. The theatre audience cheered Frys pre-recorded turn your phones off auditorium announcement and applauded wildly when the old fool first steamed across the stage like a smug silken warship, fake breasts to the forefront as if he were a pouter pigeon looking for a fight. Dragged up to the lipsticked nines, the 68-year-old actor seemed fantastically pleased with himself when does he not? but looked less like a Victorian grande dame and more like the Irish actress Fiona Shaw caught in a taffeta tornado. Olly Alexander is wonderful in the role of Algernon Moncrieff but, really, it is Hayley Carmichael as the butler who steals the show. Hayley, you are fabulous! Would we have even heard of upstart JK Rowling if gorgeous Emma Watson had not agreed to grace the Harry Potter franchise with her presence? Ms Rowling surely owes everything to this pious, talent-free actress, who in her post-Potter career has achieved precisely nothing on her own merits. Indeed, she only hits the headlines when she attacks her former boss. This week, her quivering, totally fake support of Rowling was rightly trashed with withering precision by the Potter author. Emma is a woke flake whos done nothing of note since Harry Potter brought her fame and fortune except make a fool of herself. After toxic Fergie, no charity will risk Royal roulette Has the Duchess of York single-handedly broken the celebrity-royalty-charity model forever? Over the past week, eight charities have dropped the dud duch as their figurehead, treating the toxic Ferg as if she were a plutonium-laced radioactive brick with a juicy, mossy covering of leprosy. Who could blame them? Fergies disgrace runs deeper than the Mariana Trench, brighter than the brightest star, wider than the sky. And now in this game of Royal roulette, you have to wonder who would dare to ask a Windsor to be the figurehead of their charity ever again? The desirable and elite top tiers on the cake of Royal icing might be out of reach Charles, Camilla, William so what grubby crumbs are charities left with? Andy and Fergie, Harry and Meghan, money-grabbing Zara and the oafish Mike Tindall, who has already cashed in with adverts for Amazon Prime and Dominos Pizza and a stint on Im A Celebrity. Fergies disgrace runs deeper than the Mariana Trench, brighter than the brightest star, wider than the sky Dull Edward and dutiful Sophie in her twin sets are beyond reproach but come on, yawn. Who will now want to take a punt on this tainted family of clunking Munsters? Who would dare to willingly associate them with their hard-earned good works? The problem is that you might want a saintly Princess of Wales, but you could end up with the Duchess of York the grabbiest, grubbiest, greediest Royal who ever lived. Smart people would bet on Princess Anne. This week the low-key, no-nonsense Royal travelled to Ukraine and left a toy bear that once belonged to her daughter at a memorial to child war victims. What a beautiful gesture. Anne is class, all the way. Terrorism has come to my home city again. This time with the attempted mass slaughter of Jews at a place of worship on the holiest day in their calendar. I am horrified. But as a Mancunian, I must also tell you Im not surprised at what is happening here in Manchester. Weve watched this outrage building, inexorably. Just as weve watched the old Manchester slip away and a new, divided and more radical city take its place. Sure, like much of the North West, Manchester has a long tradition of being culturally mixed. Even in the 2000s, the streets around my secondary school, Manchester Grammar, were filled with the sights and sounds of life in faraway places, the Middle East and Pakistan in particular. The citys varied make-up included then as now the largest Jewish community outside London, with a population today of 30,000 or more. Yet in a few short decades Ive seen a startling change. There has been little short of a demographic revolution in Manchester. Small enclaves have become whole districts where you might not hear English spoken. People from the Middle East and South Asia abound. Major roads are closed for Pakistan Independence Day which would have been unthinkable when I was at school. My Jewish friends tell me such celebrations are a no-go zone. Some 22.3 per cent of the citys population were Muslim according to the 2021 census which is to say more than 120,000 in a population of 550,000. And the numbers have grown since then. Manchester is still majority white, but at 57 per cent, only just. The change in mood is palpable, too.The famous Christmas markets are patrolled by armed police. There are bollards to prevent Islamists, or other terrorists, driving cars into crowds of people. Greater Manchester Police issues statements telling people to be vigilant as they do their shopping. And it is Manchesters Jews in particular who live under a spectre of fear. And no wonder. Just hours after the killing, apparently heedless of Manchesters suffering, a group of pro-Palestine protesters descended on the city centre, chanting and carrying banners attacking Israel. Events at my old school are telling. Manchester Grammar, just a few miles from yesterdays attack, has always had a large contingent of Jewish pupils. Jews around Manchester had stayed at home yesterday even before news of the attack. And this on the holiest day in their calendar... because they didnt want to be killed while practising their faith. Pictured: A pro-Palestinian march yesterday But never in my time did they feel the need to remove their kippahs skull caps for fear of attack. Or to hide their faces on the bus. I spoke to a former teacher who told me that some Jewish parents are no longer choosing to send their children to Manchester Grammar. They are sending them to King David High an Orthodox Jewish school instead. Why? Because, with tensions mounting since the October 7 attack, they believe there are greater security measures there. Parents fear their children might be physically attacked or racially abused going to school. So they choose to put a metaphorical ring of steel around them and enrol at a Jewish school. I spoke to a Jewish friend of mine who lives a few minutes from the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, where the attack took place. He had his Bar Mitzvah there. Yesterday, he said this: Does anybody ever stop and ask, Why do Jews need security at synagogues? Because the answer is obvious we have to live with the threat of Islamic extremism every single day. Weve had swastikas on Jewish gravestones. Jewish shops have been attacked. The Jews in Manchester have been here for a long time. By and large, weve all integrated. We pay our taxes and we work hard. So the diversity brigade doesnt class us as vulnerable. But we are were the most vulnerable. My friends grandfather was injured in yesterdays attack. He told me that Jews around Manchester had stayed at home yesterday even before news of the attack. And this on the holiest day in their calendar... because they didnt want to be killed while practising their faith. One of my best friends, who also had his Bar Mitzvah at Heaton Park, told me of a cousin who wears the kippah. He routinely has anti-Semitic slurs hurled at him from passing cars. Another Jewish lad I went to school with works for the National Health Service. He wont tell anyone hes Jewish. He hides his faith. Why? Because hes worried about being discriminated against by both patients and staff. Yes, NHS staff. And hes worried with good reason. Its not long since relatives of a Jewish boy receiving treatment at Royal Manchester Childrens Hospital for a rare blood disorder complained he was booted out of his bed by nurses wearing pro-Palestine badges. He was told to lie on the floor instead, allegedly because he looked visibly Jewish. I spoke to another Jewish friend in Manchester yesterday, who said: Thats it, weve had enough, were moving to America. Why arent we waking up to this? Jews are leaving. They are and have always been the canary in the coal mine. Another of my Mancunian friends said yesterday morning: When October 7 happened, we Jews didnt blame, say, the Egyptians because we were able to distinguish between Hamas terrorists, and ordinary Muslims. But for us, its different. People round here from the large Pakistani or Syrian communities, or from other nationalities from around that region, just see all Jews as being responsible for everything the Israel Defence Forces do. Manchester has been rocked by terrorism before. We all remember where we were when we heard that Salman Abedi, the jihadi son of Libyan parents, had detonated a rucksack of explosives in the foyer of Manchester Arena in 2017. It turned out that security staff failed to approach him because they didnt want to seem racist. The Oasis song Dont Look Back in Anger became the unofficial anthem in the wake of that attack. We were told to stand up to racism. We were told that diversity is our greatest strength. But what attempts have there been since then to deal with radical extremism in Manchester? None that I can see. And the anger is growing. Sir Keir Starmer can save his platitudes, says the mother of one of my best friends, whose family attend the Heaton Park synagogue. He is a weak leader, and weak leaders create weak countries. People with his political views and ideology have emboldened lunatics who want to kill us. Jews from Manchester could set up a colony on the moon and theyd still come for us. Its not just Jews from Manchester who are suffering. As I write this, Im looking out of my window in London and see Jewish families men, women, children, little babies make their way towards the synagogue at the end of my road. They are being escorted by security guards. Four police officers are waiting for them at the entrance. Another police car is parked just around the corner. Like many, I find myself asking: how did it come to this in Britain? The answer, Im afraid, is that we let the problem in. And then we let it fester. I cant help feeling that this great country of ours has let our Jews down. Badly. They deserve better than this. Dont Look Back in Anger just wont cut it any more. Patrick Christys Tonight, 9-11pm daily on GB News Right, thats it. As of today, I dont want any more of your buts. I have had it with the howevers. When it comes to the question of Israel and anti-Semitism, I dont want to hear any more of those weaselly saving clauses, those two-faced, on-the-one-hand-on-the-other-hand attempts to have it both ways. You know what I mean by an anti-Israel BUT clause? They have been proliferating globally in the past two years, like bacilli in a petri dish. You hear the BUT clauses from politicians, from commentators, from the BBC. You hear them down the pub, and they go like this: Of course the October 7 massacres were abominable, and the torture and killings were obviously wrong, BUT the Israel Defence Forces... etc, etc. Or: Look, I am no supporter of Hamas, BUT when it comes to a four letter chap like Bibi Netanyahu... It was peculiarly tasteless that there were anti-Israel demos yesterday, writes Boris Johnson A member of the Jewish community outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Manchester yesterday, following the terrorist attack Or: I yield to no one in my condemnation of anti-Semitic violence, BUT... Or, worst of all: What happened in Manchester was appalling, and our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families, BUT we also have to recognise the underlying causes and the reality of what is happening in the Middle East... And so on and so, nauseatingly, on. That little word BUT is doing a huge amount of work, in the context of Israel and anti-Semitism, and much of it is puke-makingly pernicious. The plague of BUTs is being used to draw a moral equivalence between Israeli forces and Hamas; to undermine Israels right to defend itself; and to question Israels very right to exist. This handy and ubiquitous copulative BUT is blurring the difference between right and wrong, between a democracy and an Islamofascist terrorist group. Over the last two years the BUT campaign has been used to blame Israel for the sufferings of every man, woman and child in Gaza, for the failure to address the rights of the Palestinians, for the rise in anti-Semitism around the world. I must be realistic, and accept there will be good, kind, principled readers of this paper who over the past two years have tried to see both sides, and who have used the occasional BUT-clause in discussing the problem of Gaza. Am I right? If so, I am willing to forgive everyone, if we recognise that the time for the BUTs is over. As of this week, with the 20-point plan announced in the White House, and agreed between the US and Israel, we have a way to end the conflict. Today, the responsibility for ending the fighting in Gaza, and ending the misery, lies solely and squarely with Hamas. What they have been offered, in a nutshell, is peace: the complete withdrawal of the Israeli forces and a Gaza Strip run by the Palestinians. The terms are extraordinary. All they have to do is release the 20 living hostages, and the remains of the dead, and they will be amply repaid. They get the release of 250 Palestinian convicted terrorists, and 1,700 Gazans who have been jailed in the course of the conflict. They lose nothing by doing this. Hamas forfeits no bargaining chips. On the contrary, the killers and torturers of Hamas are offered an amnesty. No matter how disgusting the atrocities they may have committed on October 7 (or any other time) they will be allowed to enjoy a tranquil retirement on the shores of the Mediterranean. If they choose to leave Gaza, they will be given a safe passage elsewhere though frankly they have every incentive to stay. Huge sums will be disbursed to rebuild their communities, clearing the rubble, building new roads, new hospitals, new bakeries. Their security will be protected by a Palestinian-run police force, under the supervision of an impartial International Stabilisation Force. Bodies such as the UN and the Red Crescent will resume control of the distribution of aid, the Rafah crossing will be reopened virtually everything they have demanded. The plan even concludes with the hope it will provide a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood. And what does Hamas have to do, to achieve all this? They merely have to renounce terrorism, to scrap their ambition to kill every Jew in the world, and to accept that Hamas as currently constituted can never have a role in the government of Gaza. Is that really so hard to swallow, when the alternative is a further grinding war of attrition, in which more blameless people will suffer and die? This is a fantastic deal for the Palestinians. The package has attracted global support from virtually every country in the Arab world, from Europe, from the United States. In fact the only group of people who seem to be bitterly opposed are of course the extreme nationalist right in Israel. Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu shake on a deal. Now Hamas just has to sign up These people persist in the demented belief that Gaza should belong to Israel, which the plan specifically excludes. It is far from clear what would happen to Netanyahus coalition, were the deal to be approved by Hamas. In fact, the most likely outcome would involve the end of the current Netanyahu government. So you would have thought on the face of it that the Palestinians have every possible motive for signing up. But will they? And will their backers around the world encourage them to do so? We must pray that they do. But the Palestinians, as the late Israeli politician Abba Eban said, never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity; and this is therefore a perilous moment. There are countries in the region that are hugely influential with Hamas, which hold the purse strings Qatar and Egypt, for instance. Now is the time for those governments to exert their leverage and get this thing done. It is also time for all the kneejerk Israel-bashers, here and around the world, to grow up. Take off your ridiculous black and white Arafat dishcloths, and cease your revolting anti-Israel demonstrations. It was peculiarly tasteless that there were anti-Israel demos in Manchester yesterday, by people who knew Jews had just been murdered in a terrifying attack. If you really want to demonstrate against the suffering in Gaza, call on Hamas to sign the White House deal. Stop whingeing about Trump. Stop moaning about Tony Blair, who has evidently been hard at work on the project, and whose diplomacy, in my view, has paid off. You may be one of those fastidious types who disapprove of Trump, but you have to admit that objectively he has done a good job in preparing this plan. Look at what is actually on offer to the Palestinians, and beg them for once not to miss their moment; because the spotlight is now on Hamas alone. The time for blaming Israel is over. No more BUTS. If Hamas fails to sign this peace deal, they will have to live with the consequences, and they will have no one to blame but themselves. It is time for Britain to leave the European Convention on Human Rights. I have not taken this decision lightly. I have always been clear that we should leave the ECHR if we need to, but I was also concerned about the arguments that had been raised in opposition to leaving. The moment my mind was changed was earlier this year, during my campaign for a national inquiry into the grooming gangs. Hearing survivors horrific stories first-hand, and watching as the men who had raped young girls in Britain avoided deportation by using the ECHR, hardened my resolve that it was time to gather the legal evidence for leaving. So, before the summer, I commissioned distinguished KC Lord Wolfson, to advise me definitively on whether five key policies that a Conservative government I lead would want to implement could be delivered as a member of the ECHR. First, could we take back control of our asylum system and lawfully remove foreign criminals and illegal immigrants to their home country or a third country such as Rwanda? Second, could we stop our veterans being endlessly pursued by vexatious legal attacks, and make sure our military can fight a future war without one hand tied behind their backs? Third, could we put British citizens first when it comes to social housing and public services because we believe that charity begins at home and those who have paid in should come first? Fourth, could we make sure prison sentences actually reflect Parliaments intentions? And fifth, could we stop courts treating climate change as a human right and allowing endless legal challenges to frustrate the changes we need to make to our planning system? What all these questions really come down to is: who makes the laws that govern the United Kingdom? I am clear that it should be our sovereign Parliament, democratically accountable to the British people, that decides. Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch says the ECHR frustrates border control This week Lord Wolfson delivered his advice. He found that in all the five policy areas I outlined above, the ECHR places significant constraints on the Governments ability to address the key issue. When it comes to the removal of illegal immigrants and protecting veterans, ECHR membership makes it impossible to do what I believe is necessary. In the areas of public services, prison sentences and climate change constraints, the changes I want to make to our laws would be subject to the sort of debilitating legal challenges that lead to government policies getting delayed and ultimately killed in the courts. Lord Wolfsons advice also indicates that alternative options, such as re-negotiation, derogation or repealing only the Human Rights Act, are either unrealistic or ineffective. So, after consultation with my Shadow Cabinet, I have decided that the next Conservative government will withdraw from the ECHR. This is a big change in Conservative Party policy, but a necessary one. There will be some, such as our human rights lawyer Prime Minister, who will howl that by doing so we are turning our backs on the international community. But Britain has never needed supranational agreements and oversight by foreign courts to protect the rights and freedoms of our people. We will return to common law and statutory protections, focused on democratic legitimacy and ensuring a proper balance between rights and responsibilities. Leaving the ECHR will prevent the courts in the UK and in Strasbourg using ever-widening interpretations of its articles to frustrate sensible border control. The road ahead will not be simple. Lord Wolfson is clear that leaving the ECHR does create technical and political challenges. But we can no longer pretend that we can act in the interest of the prosperity and security of this country without taking those challenges on. And Lord Wolfson advises that withdrawing from the ECHR alone is not enough. If we are fully to control our borders and end illegal migration, there must be further action. We will be saying more shortly about what other changes we need to end the scourge of illegal immigration. But I am now very clear that, once we are out of the straitjacket of ECHR membership, a Conservative government will be able to enact the policies the British people rightfully expect control of our borders, and a strengthening of our economy. Even as the families of those killed at the Heaton Park synagogue were preparing their funeral services, Palestinian activists were gearing up for yet another march on London. Officially, it is a protest against the proscription of Palestine Action as a terrorist group. But we know from experience that it will be used as a front for rank anti-Semitism and the glorification of Hamas. Marchers on these demonstrations routinely call for the death of Jews, the destruction of Israel and 'globalisation of the intifada', a direct incitement to export to the wider world the sort of random terrorism committed by Palestinians on Jews in Israel. Police have made arrests but precious few and certainly not enough to deter these haters. Meanwhile, the Government fails to restrict the relentless stream of toxic messaging. Indeed, Sir Keir Starmer's decision to recognise a hypothetical Palestinian state encourages it, being a huge reward to Hamas and its legions of useful idiots in this country. It is against this backdrop that Jihad Al-Shamie felt emboldened to attack Heaton Park synagogue on the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, causing the deaths of two worshippers and wounding several others. One of the dead now appears to have been accidentally shot by police as they fired at Al-Shamie, who wore a fake suicide belt. The full circumstances must be rigorously investigated but there can be no doubting that it is Al-Shamie alone who bears ultimate responsibility for the carnage. A demonstrator speaks through a megaphone, as people gather in Parliament Square to protest and demand protection for the Global Sumud Flotilla Given sanctuary here as a child with his family from war-torn Syria, he repaid that hospitality by repudiating the sacred British principle of cultural and religious tolerance. It may be hard for Labour to bear but the truth is he is just the latest of several first and second-generation migrants to launch Islamist-inspired terror attacks in their adopted country. The perpetrators of the Manchester Arena bombing, London Bridge stabbings, and murder of MP David Amess are just a few examples. Small wonder people are worried about who we are allowing to slip through our porous borders. Some refugees gratefully embrace British values. Many clearly do not. They want the benefits British society offers but accept none of the obligations such as respecting the rights of all citizens to live in peace and freedom. When 150,000 people descended on London to express their concerns over uncontrolled migration, they were not driven by the far-Right, as Labour suggested, but by legitimate concern. In any case, who could be more far-Right than Hamas who rule Gaza through fear and intimidation, murder civilians, crush political opponents and want to exterminate all Jews. The Heaton Park atrocity didn't happen in a vacuum. Anti-Semitism has been rising for years, not least because the Left paints Hamas as noble freedom fighters and Israel as a rogue state. Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, was shot dead minutes after he targeted Heaton Park Synagogue They hide behind the assertion that anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism are different things. In fact, they have become two sides of the same coin, as will no doubt be demonstrated during today's march. The Home Secretary and Metropolitan Police Commissioner appealed to the organisers to show some respect and call it off, but they insist on their right to protest. If the authorities cannot or will not ban this morally bankrupt demonstration, they must come down hard and fast on any hint of incitement or hate crime. Having been unable to protect the Manchester victims in life, the police must honour them in death, by showing that religious bigotry and sectarian violence have no place in this country. If eating out has gone from regular treat to occasional luxury recently, you're not alone. But an exciting new feature from Uber Eats is about to make dining out in Sydney that much more accessible for everyone. No longer just for Friday night takeaways, the Uber Eats app has debuted a new world-first upgrade that helps Sydneysiders enjoy some of the city's most iconic eateries, for less. Dine Out with Uber Eats is designed to make eating out more affordable for foodies, while filling seats at restaurants. Some of Sydney's best-loved and hottest venues have jumped on board, ready to welcome diners with enticing deals, with many offering as much as 50 per cent off. From renowned fine-dining restaurants like Pendolino, to beloved eateries like Raw Bar Bondi and bibo Double Bay, and cult favourites such as Mary's Burgers and Fabbrica, many of the Harbour City's top establishments have embraced the app. NEL Restaurant, the Chef-hatted fine dining destination in the CBD, is setting the tone for the generous discounts app users can expect, offering a jaw-dropping up to $200 off the bill until November 9. Uber Eats' new Dine Out feature is designed to make eating out more affordable for Sydneysiders, with restaurants offering discounts and deals Bondi spot Raw Bar is offering guests $25 off the bill when they spend $100 - go to Dine Out in the Uber Eats app to claim the coupon and check available times Grabbing a drink? Bars are also offering deals, including city bars Centro 86 and Tio's. In the same way users scroll through the restaurant options for takeaways, they can discover which local restaurants are offering discounts. And if you're thinking that the offers will only be valid at 10am every second Tuesday, think again: These deals can be used all day, every day. Whether you're having an after-work margarita in the CBD on a Friday night at Centro 86 or an early dinner with friends at Fabbrica Darlinghurst, you can save a hefty chunk off your bill. Simply tap 'claim' on the discount offer, make a reservation if necessary, and then 'redeem' when you're at the restaurant to activate the offer. Once 'claimed', users have seven days to redeem the offer. To make dining out that much easier, users can even arrange their travel seamlessly by tapping 'ride' to request an Uber to the venue. Whether you're having an after-work margarita at Centro 86 for dinner with friends at Fabbrica (pictured), you can save a hefty chunk off your bill Grab a bite at Fabbrica (left) Darlinghurst and you can save 50% Sydney is the first city globally to try out the exciting new Uber Eats app feature, which the company hopes will be a win for both locals and business owners alike. 'At Uber Eats, we've become known for bringing local restaurant food into Aussie homes now, we're helping people get out and enjoy those restaurants in person,' said Ed Kitchen, Managing Director, Uber Eats Australia and New Zealand. 'We're incredibly privileged to be launching Dine Out in Sydney supporting local businesses and giving people the affordable dining options they've been asking for. 'We hope this helps drive more diners through the doors. And as a proud Melbournian, I'm making sure that Victoria's not far behind watch this space.' To find Dine Out deals click here. Innovative cultural tourism heats up China's eight-day holiday market Xinhua) 11:50, October 03, 2025 Artists performs for tourists at the Qilou old street in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, Oct. 1, 2025. This year, with China's Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu) SHENYANG, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- This year, with China's Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. According to the Ministry of Transport, China is expected to see around 2.36 billion passenger trips nationwide during the period, highlighting the country's enormous tourism potential. IGNITING PASSION WITH TRADITIONAL CULTURE "You can interact with the actors anytime, anywhere, as if you've stepped straight into the martial arts world of ancient times," said Zhang Jie from northwest China's Gansu Province, who visited Wansui Mountain Martial Arts City in Kaifeng, Henan Province, a Disney-style theme park that offers an immersive experience of Song Dynasty (960-1279) martial arts culture. According to Wang Xueying, the park's publicity manager, more than 100 staff dressed as swordsmen, shopkeepers and storytellers will interact with visitors during the holiday, putting on nearly 2,000 performances a day to make them feel like protagonists in a martial arts tale. "We have created an interactive treasure-hunting system that makes traditional culture perceptible, playable and shareable," she told Xinhua. In Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, the centuries-old art of creating molten iron fireworks along the Puhe River drew many tourists. Originally a northern Chinese ritual to pray for bountiful harvests, national peace and prosperity, it involves throwing molten scrap iron against a cold wall to produce a spectacular firework effect. One visitor surnamed Liu stood in awe, holding a sugar painting, a traditional Chinese folk art that uses hot, liquid sugar to craft two-dimensional figures. "It's so enjoyable to visit the market, taste delicious food and watch free performances all at once," she said with a smile. Zhang Xiangyu, head of the Henan academy of cultural and tourism planning, noted that such events integrating culture and hands-on experiences have become a highlight of the tourism market. "Tourists have moved from passive sightseeing to active exploration," he said. "Traditional culture has been revitalized through innovative expressions and has become a key driver for attracting visitors during the holiday." CREATIVITY UNLEASHING CONSUMPTION VITALITY Last week, China launched the National Cultural and Tourism Consumption Month, issuing over 480 million yuan (about 67.4 million U.S. dollars) in subsidies nationwide and introducing innovative cultural and tourism products to attract visitors. Latest bookings on tourism platform Tuniu showed that the number of its users traveling on Wednesday, first day of the holiday, increased by nearly 10 percent compared with the same period last year. In Henan's capital Zhengzhou, an exhibition by the trendy toy brand Pop Mart drew many young visitors eager to take photos near the ancient city wall, which dates back some 3,600 years. The exhibition is located on a newly opened high street, which welcomed visitors on Monday and features 40 percent of brands new to the city, drawing over 100,000 visitors on its first day. Benxi City in Liaoning is hosting its 19th maple festival, where visitors can enjoy the iconic autumn scenery, watch performances and exhibitions, and shop for creative cultural products at a pop-up market. Zhang Wei, a photography enthusiast who traveled from Shenyang, was busy capturing the scenes. "The maple leaves usually reach their reddest around Oct. 10, turning the mountains into a sea of red," he said, adding that the festival's photo exhibition offers inspiration for photographers like him. "The 'first store economy' and 'debut economy' have created new growth points in the tourism industry," said Zhang Xiangyu. "Whether through cultural experiences that transcend time and space or trendy, fashionable consumption venues, they not only offer the public diverse experiences but also showcase the vitality and resilience of China's holiday economy." An aerial drone photo taken on Oct. 1, 2025 shows a view of a morning-tea food culture festival in Wuzhong City, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. This year, with China's Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Xinhua/Feng Kaihua) A chef prepares dishes for tourists during a culinary competition at a morning-tea food culture festival in Wuzhong City, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Oct. 1, 2025. This year, with China's Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Xinhua/Feng Kaihua) Tourists visit the Qilou old street in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, Oct. 1, 2025. This year, with China's Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu) Tourists pose for a selfie at the Qilou old street in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, Oct. 1, 2025. This year, with China's Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu) Tourists watch a Wuju Opera performance in Jinhua City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Oct. 1, 2025. This year, with China's Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Photo by Shi Kuanbing/Xinhua) A drone photo taken on Oct. 1, 2025 shows tourists visiting the Wujiangzhai scenic spot in Zunyi, southwest China's Guizhou Province. This year, with China's Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Photo by Yuan Fuhong/Xinhua) Tourists watch a wedding custom performance of Tujia ethnic group at an ancient town in Xiushan Tujia and Miao Autonomous County, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Oct. 1, 2025. This year, with China's Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Photo by Hu Cheng/Xinhua) People visit the Longmen Grottoes scenic spot in Luoyang City, central China's Henan Province, Oct. 1, 2025. This year, with China's Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Photo by Li Weichao/Xinhua) An aerial drone photo taken on Oct. 1, 2025 shows tourists visiting the Shenxianju scenic spot in Taizhou, east China's Zhejiang Province. This year, with China's Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Photo by Wang Huabin/Xinhua) Tourists experience folk customs at an ancient town in Xiushan Tujia and Miao Autonomous County, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Oct. 1, 2025. This year, with China's Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Photo by Hu Cheng/Xinhua) An aerial drone photo taken on Oct. 1, 2025 shows tourists taking boat at the Slender West Lake scenic spot in Yangzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province. This year, with China's Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Photo by Ren Fei/Xinhua) Artists perform for tourists at Baohua Mountain National Park in Jurong, east China's Jiangsu Province, Oct. 1, 2025. This year, with China's Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Photo by Zhong Xueman/Xinhua) Tourists visit the Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring scenic spot in Dunhuang City, northwest China's Gansu Province, Oct. 1, 2025. This year, with China's Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Photo by Zhang Xiaoliang/Xinhua) Tourists watch a folk performance at a village pier in Shitang Town of Wenling City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Oct. 1, 2025. This year, with China's Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Photo by Xu Weijie/Xinhua) Tourists visit the Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring scenic spot in Dunhuang City, northwest China's Gansu Province, Oct. 1, 2025. This year, with China's Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Photo by Zhang Xiaoliang/Xinhua) Tourists watch a string puppetry show in Jinhua City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Oct. 1, 2025. This year, with China's Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Photo by Shi Kuanbing/Xinhua) An aerial drone photo taken on Oct. 1, 2025 shows tourists taking boat at Qinhu National Wetland Park in Jiangyan District of Taizhou, east China's Jiangsu Province. This year, with China's Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Photo by Zhou Shegen/Xinhua) People enjoy a drone light show in Shaoxing, east China's Zhejiang Province, Oct. 1, 2025. This year, with China's Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) This photo taken with a mobile phone on Oct. 1, 2025 shows people visiting the Dashilan shopping area in Beijing, capital of China. This year, with China's Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Xinhua/Chen Yehua) A drone photo taken on Oct. 1, 2025 shows a fish lantern parade in Yixian County of Huangshan City, east China's Anhui Province. This year, with China's Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Xinhua/Du Yu) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan) A popular influencer has urged her followers to beware of dangerous cosmetic procedures after she was tricked into getting surgery to change her eye color. TikTok star Dina Khalil underwent iris implant surgery as a teenager in Egypt to change her naturally brown eyes to a bright blue, only to be left with serious side effects that almost caused permanent blindness. Speaking to the Daily Mail about the ordeal, the 27-year-old said her doctor talked her into the procedure after she initially went in for laser eye surgery. 'I went in with my dad to get Lasik, and then the doctor offered this "amazing surgery" with apparently no risks, no side effects, 100 percent safe,' she said. Khalil said she was never insecure or unhappy with her natural brown eyes, and she only decided to go through with the color change after the doctor suggested it. 'It's so stupid when you look back and think about it - it's insane. But there was this doctor in front of us telling us that there's no problems.' 'I was a baby. I had never even thought of something like that.' Khalil said she had no idea she was actually getting an iris implant and believed that her eye color was being changed through non-invasive lasers. TikTok star Dina Khalil (pictured) underwent iris implant surgery as a teenager in Egypt to change her naturally brown eyes to a bright blue. She was almost left blind by the procedure Initially, she was happy with the results and spent around 10 years enjoying her new blue eyes. However, about a decade after the procedure, Khalil started experiencing redness and irritation in her eyes, which then advanced to vision problems. 'I started abusing whitening eye drops, like Lumify and Visine. In the beginning they were amazing, but then they stopped working and obviously there was a bigger issue. That's when everything started to get worse. 'My vision started getting really blurry, and I wasn't seeing clearly anymore. At first it only happened in the morning and then would clear up during the day, so I didn't think there was anything wrong.' But before she knew it, her vision started rapidly declining even further to the point that she believed she could be going blind. The influencer, who was living in New York at the time, reached back out to her doctor in Egypt. She told the Daily Mail that he completely ghosted her when her vision got worse. She then turned to New York-based ophthalmologist Dr Seth D Potash, who discovered that she not only had iris implants, but that they had caused her to develop glaucoma. Doctors can measure corneal endothelial cells (ECD) or photoreceptor cells (rods and cones) in the retina. Numbers tend to decrease with age and declining eye health. Khalil told the Daily Mail the cell count in her eyes was closer to that of someone 60 or 70 years old - significantly lower than it should have been. After being told that she could lose her eyesight for good, Khalil went to Los Angeles to work with ophthalmologist Dr Nicole Fram for glaucoma surgery. Khalil ended up having a total of five surgeries to save her sight. She was able to regain 20/20 vision in one of her eyes. 'They literally cannot believe how my eyes have healed,' she told the Daily Mail. 'It's a miracle.' Khalil (pictured) said she had no idea that she was actually getting an iris implant and believed that her eye color was being changed through non-invasive lasers While Khalil still needs to undergo a cornea transplant in one eye, she is relieved to have made it through the ordeal. 'It was the hardest time of my life,' she told the Daily Mail. Khalil urged anyone considering an iris transplant to 'please don't ever do it.' Her eyes are now back to their original brown, but Khalil wears colored lenses when she wants to switch back to blue. 'If you want to wear contact lenses then do that. I wear contact lenses now and they look exactly the same,' she continued. 'Don't do any cosmetic surgery when you're that young. You don't need it. And don't touch your eyes.' Khalil isn't the only social media star to suffer serious consequences after messing with their eyes. OnlyFans model and self-proclaimed plastic surgery addict Mary Magdalene almost went blind after tattooing her eyeballs. The controversial star already had the white of her left eye tattooed black, but she told her followers that she wanted to get her right eye inked neon green to look like a 'mutant hybrid apocalyptic otherworldly goddess.' However, just hours after the procedure, the yellow ink injected during the process began to clump near her tear duct and then seeped into her lower eyelids. OnlyFans model and self-proclaimed plastic surgery addict Mary Magdalene almost went blind after tattooing her eyeballs last year (pictured) Yellow ink that she had tattooed into her eyeballs started spreading (pictured), and she was forced to go to hospital to have it treated 'There's a big clump in the corner that isn't spreading - it's like it's stuck there,' she said in a TikTok video. 'It's completely bruised and completely bloodshot. I don't want them to amputate [sic] my eye for no reason, but I woke up just now and have so much light sensitivity in both eyes. I can barely even see.' In a series of videos following the procedure, Magdalene asked her followers for advice, as her eye began to swell dramatically until she couldn't see. 'I think I should go to the ER,' she said in a video, before heading to the hospital. Some people are turning to safer alternatives than eyeball tattoos and iris implants to change their eye color. Keratopigmentation has become a popular way to transform the eyes, although it is not without risk. The procedure involves doctors implanting medical-grade dye into the cornea - the translucent front part of the eye - to permanently change its color. Some people have turned to procedures like keratopigmentation to change their eye color (pictured) Celebrity surgeon Dr Deepak Dugar (pictured) has warned against the procedure due to the high risk involved Celebrity surgeon Dr Deepak Dugar, known for his scar-free nose surgery, told the Daily Mail he is 'cautious' about the procedure despite its growing popularity. 'The risks - including inflammation, light sensitivity, scarring or even vision loss - are significant and should not be underestimated,' he said. 'This type of procedure should only ever be performed by a board-certified ophthalmologist who is fully trained to manage any complications that may arise, both immediately and in the long term.' He told the Daily Mail that when it comes to these treatments and surgeries, there is a wide range of options, each with varying degrees of risk. But, he said, 'balancing the risk/benefit ratio of every elective procedure is always imperative.' Dr James Tsai, president of New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, also warned against cosmetic eye surgery. 'These risks can be sight-threatening and can include glaucoma, cataract and corneal problems,' he told ABC News in 2014. Additionally, experts from The American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Glaucoma Society and the Contact Lens Association of Ophthalmologists strongly discourage permanently changing your eye color due to the risks of infection and vision changes. Hotel heiress Marcia Kimpton is spilling all her secrets about how you can travel like an A-lister while still sticking to your budget - and do it in style. Marcia is the heiress of Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, and has been traveling ever since she was young, as the daughter of their founder, Bill Kimpton. Now, as a filmmaker, she's traveled to nearly 50 countries, and has had adventures all over the world, including ones in her new romantic comedy feature, starring Marcia and Brian Gross, An American Abroad. Although she grew up taking trips with her family, Kimpton told Daily Mail that what really made her fall in love with traveling was when she went to Paris alone at age 18. 'It just it ignited something in me that hasn't stopped, frankly,' Kimpton told Daily Mail in an exclusive interview, explaining that she loves to meet 'new people' and 'new cultures.' 'I think it's incredibly important to travel because you find out how human we are and how good people are, and so they may have a different religious background or cultural background, but we're truly a lot alike, and there's a lot of good.' In fact, the director just returned from a trip to Africa, where she was researching locations for her next film. Now, as a seasoned world traveler, she's sharing her top tips that will help you get the most out of your adventures. Hotel heiress Marcia Kimpton is spilling all her secrets about how you can travel like an A-lister while still sticking to your budget - and do it in style Although she grew up taking trips with her family, Kimpton told Daily Mail that what really made her fall in love with traveling was when she went to Paris alone at age 18 'I think it's incredibly important to travel because you find out how human we are and how good people are, and so they may have a different religious background or cultural background, but we're truly a lot alike, and there's a lot of good,' she shared In Kimpton's eyes, the most important thing you can do while traveling is hire a local guide to show you around. 'You have to get a guide in the local area,' she revealed. 'Do not be cheap.' 'I often travel alone and it really changes everything because then you find the great little local dive restaurant, or the dive bar, and you really get the feeling of the culture,' Kimpton explained to Daily Mail. Something else that Kimpton suggests is investing in a good piece of luggage that can withstand just about anything. Her personal favorite brand is Tumi, which she says is 'durable.' 'I think your luggage is key,' the author of Escaping the Hollywood Bardo shared. 'Because I've traveled so much, I find that whenever I buy the cheap bags, they fall apart and they fall apart sometimes right at the belt,' she said. And, lastly, Kimpton really recommends being able to be spontaneous on your travels. Something else that Kimpton suggests is investing in a good piece of luggage that can withstand just about anything 'I often travel alone and it really changes everything because then you find the great little local dive restaurant, or the dive bar, and you really get the feeling of the culture,' Kimpton explained to Daily Mail 'I think that, if you plan to march, you don't have any flexibility in finding the gems easily,' she said. 'I think that the spontaneity of finding that new place or that new restaurant or that new person that you meet is really what makes traveling so exciting.' Kimpton even has an app that's dedicated to helping others navigate their own trips around the world, called Kimpton Travel and Film. The app, which Kimpton says she is constantly updating, features her top 100 favorite films, as well as her favorite hotel, restaurant and shops around the world. And, on October 3, the hotel heiress will release her second mockumentary, available to stream on Prime Video, Apple TV+, Fandango, and VOD. The mockumentary, which she wrote and created with Brian Gross, follows her character, Marcia, as she travels around the world with her younger boyfriend. 'I wanted to be a travel reporter. I wanted to do what Anthony Bourdain did, and I kind of have done it, but I put it into a movie,' Kimpton explained. 'So you think it's real, but it is not,' she continued about the film. 'We do interview real people. There's about five percent of it that is nonfiction.' 'It's about the quirks, and it's about the comedy, and it's supposed to bring joy of travel,' Kimpton shared. 'It's supposed to bring laughter in this dark world, and you're supposed to just have fun watching it.' When Tiffany Gaines fell pregnant with her first child shortly after the death of her mother, it sent her into a spiral of 'ugly crying' that lasted for days while she grappled with a 'deep feeling of loss'. These intense emotions were not, however, provoked by the fact that she was bringing her first child into the world without her mother by her side. The issue was that she was expecting a boy - and the same grief overwhelmed her again when she found out she was pregnant with her second son two years later. This phenomenon is known as 'gender disappointment' - the 'grief parents feel when their babys sex doesnt match the hopes they had' - and while it can apply to boys and girls, it's male children who appear to cause the most despondency. It may be incomprehensible for women who would give anything just to conceive a healthy baby to hear mothers openly admitting that their hearts were so set on daughters. Yet gender reveal videos on social media now commonly feature a woman collapsing into her husband's arms after popping a balloon packed with blue confetti, or breaking down at the sight of cobalt cake filling. When asked to explain why the prospect of a son is so daunting, the reasons range from buying into cliches that boys are so much noisier and messier than girls, to fears about raising boys in a world where they will be influenced by toxic masculinity. It was a sentiment echoed by pregnant comedian Katherine Ryan, who said she would be 'dejected' if her fourth child is a boy because her four-year-old son is already a 'toxic male' who play fights with swords. Similarly, Love Island star Montana Brown, 30, who shares two children with her fiance Mark O'Connor, previously said she 'cried when I found out that I was having a boy', and had a 'sinking feeling'. Tiffany Gaines with her son Brighton, four, and Beau, two. She said that choosing positive names for her sons helped her cope with her gender disappointment Chloe, who runs the blog Sorry About The Mess, and three of her children, pictured together One mother all too familiar with gender disappointment is Chloe, 40, from South London, who runs a parenting blog Sorry About The Mess , and has four sons, aged five, nine, 12 and 15. She told The Daily Mail: 'I still find it strange to think that I won't have a daughter. I'm not cool with that, and it is still something I come back to every now and then, and I think I will do for the rest of my life.' Chloe had always wanted a large family with her husband Sam, and 'imagined Id have a mix of both boys and girls in there'. But during her third pregnancy, which she initially believed would be her last, the realisation hit her that she had just 'one more shot to have a girl'. 'At this point, I'd look at all-boy families and it would scare me a little. I'd think: "Oh that could be us, I'm not sure if I want that to be us". I felt this strange aversion,' she admitted. 'So to avoid any feelings of disappointment crowding the early days with my new baby, I booked an early gender scan at 16 weeks - and the first day after finding out we were having another boy I was just excited.' Yet during the next week, Chloe recalled how she had a 'slow adjustment' to the news, adding: 'I had this dawning that I would never have a daughter. That was hard to adjust to. 'It was this loss of an idea that wasn't going to happen anymore. I had to say goodbye to this image of a little girl I'd had. For me, this was quite a long process.' Chloe admitted that her 'feelings of sadness' and 'negative emotions' were 'strong and scary' while she went through a 'mourning phase' for the girl she wasn't going to have. She explained how her feelings didn't centre around wanting to buy dresses or do 'girly things' with a daughter. Instead she had no personal reference of what a family of boys could look like, having been raised in a female household. For Chloe (pictured with three of her sons), she had always wanted a large family with her husband Sam, and 'imagined Id have a mix of both boys and girls in there' The mother-of-four explained: 'Gender disappointment isnt about the baby youre having, but about letting go of the possibility you imagined. 'Our daughter has had a name since my first pregnancy. She isnt an abstract concept. She is a very real idea. Someone Sam and I had both been imagining for years. Someone who I thought I would always meet. 'Before the scan, both paths - boy or girl - feel real. Finding out means saying goodbye to the one that never was. For some, that goodbye is instant; for others, it takes time. 'Let alone my own gender disappointment, I wasnt able to shake the feeling that we were disappointing all the people around us who had already commented that they would like to see us have a girl.' Chloe tried to bury her feelings but it was only when she gave herself the proper time to mourn the vision of the little girl she'd created that she finally moved forward. 'By the end of my pregnancy, the feelings had well and truly cleared and made way for me to fully concentrate on looking forward to meeting our baby boy,' said the parent. 'For others experiencing gender disappointment, you won't always feel so emotionally raw as you do now, despite it feeling like one of the worst feelings that you can have. But during her third pregnancy, which Chloe (pictured with one of her sons) initially believed would be her last child for various reasons, the realisation hit her that she had just 'one more shot to have a girl' 'There was never any disappointment in my child at all, but a processing of the end of something you thought you might have, the closing of one door as another opens. I am lucky to have four sons with my husband, Sam, who I love and am grateful for. 'It occupied a lot of brain space during the baby years. But now my children are older, and our family is complete (and perfect the way it is), I don't think about it any more.' Chloe isn't alone in her feelings of gender disappointment, writer Eilidh Dorgan, 36, who shares a daughter and a son with her husband, was taken aback when she first found out she was having a boy during her second pregnancy. 'In my head, Id had a dream of having two girls, believing that theyd be best friends and form some kind of unbreakable bond,' she told The Daily Mail. 'The thought of having a boy was overwhelming, and I bought into all of the cliches: they have so much energy! Thered be sword fights everywhere! Not to mention the fact that Ive overdosed on crime podcasts and know all too well that the root of many a serial killers evil stems from their mother. 'And beyond accidentally creating a psychopath with body parts in his fridge, how do you even bring up a boy these days? 'Young men have so many conflicting things shoved on them by society - that they should be masculine, but not too masculine, assertive without bullying anyone. Make the first move, but ask for consent first! The prospect of raising a man felt like a minefield.' However, like Chloe, Eilidh's mixed emotions soon vanished once her son was born, with the writer insisting: 'It didnt take long for my concerns to melt away. Chloe isn't alone in her feelings of gender disappointment, writer Eilidh Dorgan (pictured with her two children) was taken aback when she first found out she was having a boy during her second pregnancy 'Hes not just a boy, hes my son - and hes the sweetest, funniest little thing. He delights everyone he meets, and I couldnt picture life without him - not to mention that the friendship he has with his big sister is far better than anything I had imagined when initially hoping for a girl. 'Sometimes I feel bad about ever having had a preference, but I think that its part of human nature to have some kind of instinctive partiality to a specific outcome. 'Ultimately, I think that these preferences are based on our own history and experiences, and that some of the greatest sources of joy come from the most unexpected of places.' Meanwhile, Tiffany Gaines from Santa Fe, California said that gender disappointment needs to be treated with compassion - describing it as a form of grief. 'I ugly cried for days after finding out with each of my pregnancies that I was having boys,' she said. 'It was jarring. It was like I entered a weird Freaky Friday dystopia where my identity flip-flopped right before my eyes.' When she pictured herself as a 'double boy mum', she recalls thinking: 'Who is this person and what did she do with my daughter?' Tiffany admits that her feelings sound dramatic, but argues that all grief is. 'Its time we treat gender disappointment with the levels of compassion, patience and grace that we would for any other type of grief,' she said. 'Gender disappointment is stigmatized because it is notoriously misunderstood. Its not an expression of remorse over the child we are given. Rather, its a deep feeling of loss over a version of love that we fear well never get to experience. 'Yet thats only half of it - along with the grief comes profound feelings of brokenness and shame. Because we dont want to feel this way. Society tells us we should just be thrilled to have the chance to birth a healthy baby. 'But this is why gender disappointment needs to be expressed more publicly - especially by women. Postpartum is already a difficult time - and this unspoken grief/shame from GD can spiral us into feelings of isolation and self loathing. 'This makes a profoundly negative impact on our maternal mental health - and how we can show up for ourselves and our children during those precious postpartum times. 'We deserve to feel safe grieving our gender disappointment. It's how we can move through it and mature into becoming the best moms we can be. And the only way we can make women feel safe expressing their grief is by normalizing it and respecting it.' A flick through gender reveal clips on TikTok, where excited parents share the sex of their baby without knowing the answer themselves, will showcase a world of disappointed mothers, dismayed by the idea of having a boy. Some of the most popular examples on the social media platform include a mother who ran off screaming after cutting into a cake with her partner and seeing the colour blue in the filling, while another woman broke down in her husband's arms after it was revealed that she's having a little boy. But it's not just your average parents that are now admitting to gender disappointment - celebrities have also opened up about the feeling. During her recent interview, comedian Katherine Ryan spoke of her dread at adding another boy to her brood, recalling how she's been 'antagonised by men' throughout her life. She explained: 'I have to say, that I cant ever complain post first trimester, Im quite big, so I think it might be a boy, so Im feeling dejected about that, because men have just antagonised me all life, even before their born.' Earlier this summer, Katherine Ryan (pictured with her children and partner) admitted that she's feeling 'dejected' at the thought of her next baby being a boy The 8 Out Of 10 favourite then went on to confess that she'll no doubt have 'gender disappointment' with her upcoming child if it was a boy as she spoke about her four-year-old son. She said: 'I will have it this time if its a boy. You know what it is, my son is a toxic male, hes four years old and he always wants to fight me, I drove him to nursery the other day, he sat behind me and he had a sword held to my throat for a while. 'Like whose giving you weapons. I didnt grow up with brothers, so its been an adjustment for me. But I love him, hes a very special guy.' Meanwhile, Love Island star Montana said last year that she 'initially wanted a girl' and 'cried when I found out that I was having a boy', but now 'couldn't imagine anything else'. In August that year, Jake Quickenden's wife Sophie defended herself after fans criticised her reaction to her third child's gender reveal. The mother couldn't hide her disappointment as it was unveiled that she was having another boy. 'For God's sake. I knew it. Ah man, where are all the girls at?,' she groaned. While lots of fans were left in hysterics with her 'honest reaction' after discovering she would soon be outnumbered by boys, many were upset by her response, saying she should be happy to be having a healthy baby. Jake hit back at several comments, while Sophie took to her Instagram to come to her own defence, writing that gender disappointment was valid and should be talked about more. In August that year, Jake Quickenden's wife Sophie defended herself after fans criticised her reaction to her third child's gender reveal She insisted that she was 'incredibly grateful' to be having another child, but admitted that she had 'always dreamed of having a daughter'. She confessed she had been 'sad' not to have had a girl to have been with for her wedding and 'girlie trips away', and added those feelings were okay. Sophie wrote: 'Gender disappointed is something that isnt ever spoken about so lets talk about it. 'I know I received some negatives comments on our gender reveal video but please know I am incredibly grateful and blessed to be pregnant whether that be with a girl or a boy, especially as it didnt happen quickly for us. 'And all I really wish for is a healthy baby. But if you asked me what gender I would have asked for, it would have been a girl and thats OK. 'Ive got two amazing boys already and I had always dreamt of having a daughter. And as this will be my last baby, I was a little sad about not having all my dreams coming true. 'I hadnt just wished to have a girl because I wanted to dress her up in pretty things, share clothes and go shopping together, but I wanted to be there for her prom, her wedding, her baby's birth and to also go away on girlie trips away. 'If you have felt the same, just know your feelings are valid and it doesnt make you a bad person or unappreciated of being pregnant. I cant wait to raise another boy and know this is whats meant for me.' But what is behind the rise of gender disappointment over having boys? Emiliana Hall, doula and founder of The Mindful Birth Group and PregnaHub app, is just one of the experts who say social media is somewhat to blame. 'Social media has fuelled expectations around the "perfect family set-up", often with a strong pull towards having little girls.' Psychotherapist Kamalyn Kaur explained how platforms like TikTok have made 'private feelings public', while Michele Koch-LaFemina, clinical director at Pathways Recovery, says 'there is a powerful social component'. 'Parents today are constantly exposed to images online of ideal family life, and those images often highlight daughters in matching outfits or mothers sharing experiences with little girls. 'That repetition can create subtle pressure, making parents believe that having a daughter is tied to being a nurturing or connected parent. 'When the reality is different, the disappointment feels sharper because it is layered with comparison and self-doubt.' Emiliana said that the feeling is being more 'openly discussed as society becomes more honest about the emotional realities of parenthood'. 'These feelings dont make anyone a bad parent. The key is to acknowledge them rather than push them down,' said the doula. 'Talking about it with a trusted friend, a professional, or a support group can really help. Most parents find that once their baby arrives, any feelings of fear or worry about this area soon disappear.' Janee Young, the clinical director of Wellness Detox of LA and a compassionate therapist with more than a decade of experience in mental health care, said there is a 'noticeable trend of parents expressing preference for girls'. 'Some of this comes from cultural messaging that daughters are seen as more emotionally available or more likely to stay close to family as they grow,' said the expert. 'When parents picture their future, they may imagine shared experiences they believe are tied to raising a girl, and disappointment surfaces when reality does not match that picture. 'The challenge is that unacknowledged disappointment can affect bonding. A child can feel when a parent is holding back, even if no words are spoken. 'Over time, this can create tension or feelings of inadequacy in the child, who may sense they were not the wanted gender. Families I have worked with often find healing when they can name those feelings and separate the fantasy of who they imagined from the child in front of them. 'The important truth is that gender preference usually says more about the parents needs than the childs value. 'By recognising and processing those expectations, parents can shift focus back to building a real relationship with their child, one that is not limited by the weight of disappointment but enriched by connection and acceptance.' Dr. Daniel Glazer, meanwhile, suggested that the disappointment some parents feel is not usually about the child but rather about what the parent hoped for. The medical professional added: 'Personal history plays a big role together with past experiences and cultural messages.' Daily Mail journalists select and curate the products that feature on our site. If you make a purchase via links on this page we will earn commission - learn more Interior design enthusiasts and thrifty shoppers alike rushed to buy Tesco's viral F&F 3 in 1 ottoman chair - a steal at 35 - after it sold out across online stores. But while the affordable multi-use stool is not longer available, there are now countless alternatives for the original, which was so popular that stocks ran dry in record time. When it returned in August, excitement spilled out onto social media with one video announcing its return gathering 6.5 million views and hundreds of comments in just two days. But the restock didn't last long, with the ottoman no longer available to buy. Customers needn't worry though, as dozens of stylish aficionados have now shared alternatives on TikTok. The original Tesco variant could also be used for storage, as a footstool or by lifting and swapping the lid around to turn it into a backrest. However, while many are weathering the disappointment of it no longer being in stock, a handful of options offer the same useful features, teamed with an aesthetically pleasing flare. Writing beneath a video showcasing the F&F seat, one person wrote: 'They had these in TK Max in much nicer colours.' Another shopper had spotted a similar version on the high street, commenting: 'Ive just bought a black one from Dunelm for 40 I believe and have also used it for nappies and wipes.' 'If you want a longer/bigger version, mine is from Argos,' a third offered. 'And it has the storage underneath.' The best boucle stools on the high street: Argos Habitat Large Dex Velvet Storage Footstool Store and sit, it's a perfect fit. Lift the lid of this comfy, cushioned contemporary oatmeal velvet ottoman stool and ta dah, storage revealed. Designed to help you achieve a clutter free lounge or bedroom. Shop Furniture 123 Boucle Dressing Table Stool with Ottoman Storage You're in for a treat with this luxe boucle dressing table stool by Furniture 123. Not just multifunctional, the ornament was created to elevate your home, owing to its soft to touch, cream boucle fabric. It's ideal for minimal spaces, particularly bedrooms and storage rooms and comes in colours white, beige and green. You might have to splash the cash a bit on this one as it's 129.97. Shop Asda Cream Boucle Footstool by George Shoppers are loving this boucle footstool by George at Asda - so be quick if you don't want to miss out! Made of 50% fabric, 30% MDF (medium-density fibreboard) and 20% wood, it also contains a sizeable interior space for storing items like blankets, tableware and books. Despite it only being available in one colour, we think it's a bargain for 45. Shop Dunelm Murray Sherpa Storage Footstool This plush Dunelm footstool is flying off the shelves as we speak, and with good reason too! Wrapped in a luxurious sherpa fabric, this footstool features built in storage and triples up as a footrest, extra seating, and a handy storage solution for items like blankets and magazines. Best of all it comes readily assembled and in three stunning colours - magenta, olive and ivory. Grab yours at Dunelm for 59. Shop TK Maxx Slate & Tweed Amber Vanity Stool It's circular shape and added panel makes it a great option for a seated stool while its wooded brown tone elevates its style appeal. It's currently available at TK Maxx for 79.99. This sleek Slate & Tweed vanity stool makes for a gorgeous addition to almost any home. Shop The Range Rosie 3 in 1 Storage Stool Make a stylish and functional addition to your space with the Rosie 3 in 1 Storage Stool. Featuring a three-in-one design, this stool provides both seating and storage. Its modern-chic look matches any decor to enhance your bedroom's appeal. Whether you style it next to your vanity or in front of your bed, it's sure to transform your home effortlessly. Shop Furniture 123 Boucle Dressing Table Stool with Ottoman Storage You're in for a treat with this luxe boucle dressing table stool by Furniture 123. Not just multifunctional, the ornament was created to elevate your home, owing to its soft to touch, cream boucle fabric. It's ideal for minimal spaces, particularly bedrooms and storage rooms and comes in colours white, beige and green. You might have to splash the cash a bit on this one as it's 129.97. Shop Dunelm Murray Sherpa Storage Footstool This plush Dunelm footstool is flying off the shelves as we speak, and with good reason too! Wrapped in a luxurious sherpa fabric, this footstool features built in storage and triples up as a footrest, extra seating, and a handy storage solution for items like blankets and magazines. Best of all it comes readily assembled and in three stunning colours - magenta, olive and ivory. Grab yours at Dunelm for 59. Shop TK Maxx Slate & Tweed Amber Vanity Stool It's circular shape and added panel makes it a great option for a seated stool while its wooded brown tone elevates its style appeal. It's currently available at TK Maxx for 79.99. This sleek Slate & Tweed vanity stool makes for a gorgeous addition to almost any home. Shop Furniture 123 An eagle-eyed Coles shopper noticed that a beloved childhood favourite beverage has made a comeback in supermarkets. A customer recently shared their surprise at finding bottles of Cottee's Pine Lime in the beverage aisle. 'To everyone that was missing the Cottee's Pine Lime flavour, it is finally back!!' the Aussie shopper wrote online. 'I picked this up at Coles today together with another flavour I haven't seen in cordial variety - Passiona.' Coles confirmed the return of Cottee's cordial flavours Pine Lime and Passiona both in stores and online, with a spokesperson telling Daily Mail 'customers just couldn't get enough of it'. The shopper was pleased to share that the formulation and flavour of the nostalgic Pine Lime flavour 'tastes exactly how I remember it'. They later confirmed that the Passiona flavour was also still 'good', but that the Pine Lime remained their personal favourite because it brought back 'fond memories'. An eagle-eyed Coles shopper noticed that a beloved childhood favourite beverage has made a comeback in supermarkets 'It was a sad few years of not being able to find it anywhere,' they said. Aussie shoppers were delighted with the news. 'Just in time for summer,' replied one customer. 'I wish more of our old favourites could come back and be as good as we remember,' mused another. In addition to the revived Pine Lime and Passiona flavours, other classic Cottee's cordial varieties are Coola, Lemon, Orange, Apple Raspberry, Fruit Cup and Raspberry. They also offer a 'zero sugar' iteration of some of their most popular flavours. All Cottee's cordials sold at Coles are $5.50 for a 1L bottle. Cottee's Coola, which is a tangy lime flavour, is reportedly the most popular cordial flavour in Australia. The brand also has a Zero Sugar version of its most popular cordial flavours For the perfect beverage ratio, the product usage recommendation is to 'mix one part Cottee's cordial with seven parts water'. Cottee's is an iconic Australian food and beverage brand founded in 1927. In addition to their cordials, which were launched in the mid 1980s, the brand is renowned for its jams, marmalades, spreads, toppings, jellies and puddings. Cottee's was sold in 1965 to the American company General Foods and then sold again in 1984 to Cadbury Schweppes. In more recent times Schweppes Australia was acquired by Asahi Breweries in 2009. The Cottee's brand is now owned by Kraft Heinz, with its drinks manufactured under licence by Asahi Breweries. Cottee's Coola is reportedly the most popular cordial flavour in Australia. In addition to being a beloved beverage, the 1980s Cottee's TV commercial is consistently acknowledged as one of Australia's most memorable television adverts. The ad is best recalled for its repeated catchy jingle: 'My Dad picks the fruit that goes to Cottee's, to make the cordial, that I like best!' Luxembourg installed a new head of state on Friday, with Grand Duke Henri, 70, abdicating the throne and his son Guillaume, 43, taking his place. Henri revealed in a shock announcement last December that he would be bringing his then-24-year reign to an end. On Friday, having reached 25 years as head of state, the 70-year-old stepped down during an event at the Grand Ducal Palace, which was attended by a range of guests including Dutch and Belgian royals. Then, Guillaume was crowned during a ceremony at the palace, where he also swore an oath to Luxembourg's constitution, in front of the 60 elected members of the parliament, known as the Chamber of Deputies. Following this ceremony, a gala dinner was planned to be held in Luxembourg City, attended by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. The grand duke role filled by Henri - alongside his Cuban-born wife, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa - is a largely ceremonial one. During Henri's time as head of the state, the government steered the country through various troubles - notably the 2008 financial crisis, the greatest shock to Luxembourg's economy since the 1970s. Henri was educated in France, Switzerland and at Sandhurst military academy in Berkshire. Ahead of the abdication ceremony on Friday, Luxembourg's Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa pose for a picture with Dutch King Willem-Alexander, his wife Queen Maxima and their daughter, Princess Catharina-Amalia And his son Guillaume followed a similar path - going to school in London, Switzerland, France and Sandhurst before working in Belgian, German and Spanish firms. Crown Prince Guillaume is married to Belgian-born Countess Stephanie de Lannoy and they have sons aged five and two. Luxembourg, which is one of the European Union's smallest nations and its richest per capita, is a financial powerhouse that hosts important EU institutions like the European Court of Justice and the European Investment Bank. The grand duchy is home to many of the banks in the eurozone, reinsurance companies, and managers of hedge funds and money markets. Guillaume will be Luxembourg's seventh grand duke since 1890, when the modern monarchy was established. Complex royal politics, as well as the loss of significant territories over the centuries, has meant Luxembourg is not a kingdom. Instead it is the world's last remaining grand duchy. Although Guillaume is almost 30 years younger than his father, the new Grand Duke is not expected to change a great deal. The head of state of the world's last remaining grand duchy puts into effect laws and performs representative functions. Henri's abdication last December marked the second European monarch to step down from their reign in 2024. His royal relation Queen Margrethe of Denmark decided to give up the throne after 52 years, making way for her son Frederik to take over as king on January 14 this year. Luxembourg's Grand Duke Guillaume (pictured, right) and Grand Duchess Stephanie (pictured, left) are photographed during Friday's ceremony FATHER AND SON: Grand Duke Henri (pictured, left) passed his title to his son Prince Guillaume on Friday (photographed together in 20220 During his December 2024 broadcast, the outgoing Grand Duke said he was 'proud' to have served his country for a quarter of a century. He said: 'It has been a period during which Luxembourg has undergone great changes, and I am proud to have been able to, together with the Grand Duchess, walk this path with you.' While explaining that 'the Grand Duke is above political parties and does not interfere in political debates,' he said, 'nothing prevents me from speaking out when the fundamental interests of the country and its citizens are at stake.' He continued: 'This is what I have strived to do over the past 25 years, paying particular attention from the outset to the diversity of our population, the need for coexistence, and sustainability in all areas of our society, so that we can leave our children a healthier country.' After the announcement, the Grand Duke appeared very moved and kissed his son whilst the room applauded. According to the official Palace website, 'designation of the Lieutenant-Representative traditionally occurs in the process of change of reign'. 'This is the beginning of a next chapter for our monarchy,' Luxembourg's Prime Minister Luc Frieden told local media at the time. Grand Duke Henri is the eldest son of the five children of Grand Duke Jean and Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte and took to the throne in 2000, after his father abdicated following a 36-year reign. He is married to Maria Teresa Mestre, the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg. and the pair have five children together; Prince Guillaume, Princess Alexandra, Prince Louis, Prince Felix and Prince Sebastien. Maher wore the controversial costume in 2006 weeks after the subject died The talk-show host, 69, has left social media users appalled by his outfit choice Bill Maher's controversial Halloween costume from almost two decades ago has resurfaced, much to the dismay of fans. In 2006, the talk-show host dressed as a dead Steve Irwin just a matter of weeks after the Crocodile Hunter's death. For the look, Maher, 69, wore a ginger wig and a khaki button-down shirt that featured a huge blood splatter on the chest. He completed the outfit with a stingray barb sticking out of the center of the wound. Maher defended his costume at the time. Addressing audiences on his talk show, he said: 'Stop hassling me about my Halloween costume. 'Yes, you've seen it on the internet. I went as the Crocodile Hunter with a bloody stinger in my chest. 'People who really love animals understand if you get killed by one, chances are you were doing something to it you shouldn't have been.' Bill Maher dressed up as a dead Steve Irwin just weeks after his death in 2006 Irwin was killed aged 44 when he was barbed by a stingray on September 4, 2006 Referring to former presidential candidate John Kerry, who apologized after his joke about US soldiers in Iraq failed to land, he added: 'You want me to apologize for making a joke? 'Who do you think I am, John Kerry?' The costume recently resurfaced on Reddit where users criticized Maher for the move. 'Gross, why are celebrities so obsessed with each other dying gruesomely?' one said. 'What a piece of human garbage Maher is,' another added. A third continued: 'I grew up admiring Steve Irwin. I get teared up viewing his content now. I have even more reason to dislike Bill Maher.' Beloved conservationist Irwin was killed when he was barbed by a stingray on September 4, 2006, at Batt Reef near Port Douglas in far north Queensland. He was 44. Camera crews worked desperately to save the environmental icon before getting him to shore, where paramedics performed CPR - but he died before reaching the hospital. The beloved conservationist was pierced in the heart by the stingray Irwin is survived by his wife, Terri Irwin, and their two children, Bindi (pictured) and Robert At the time, Maher defended his outfit choice. 'People who really love animals understand if you get killed by one, chances are you were doing something to it you shouldn't have been' Seconds before his death, Irwin swam above the usually docile and harmless stingray, before it projected one of its barbs into his chest - potentially mistaking him for a shark. Rays use the barbs, which are three venomous spinal blades in their tail, as a defence mechanism when threatened or stepped on. The stingray pierced Irwin's chest as he swam over it and struck his heart, with crews rushing the icon to their boat. News of his death sent shockwaves across Australia and around the world. Earlier this week, Chloe Sevigny sparked outrage after her Halloween costume of a dead Princess Diana resurfaced online. In 1999, two years after the royal's death, Chloe, now 50, dressed up as the late royal at a special bash hosted by model Kirsty Hume and actor Donovan Leitch at Lot 61 in New York City. For the costume, the famous face wore a camel-colored blazer with the words 'Die Di' embroidered on the lapel. READ MORE: Donald Trump has a new lookalike in the family The pair recently starred alongside each other in a newly released film The couple put on a cosy display at the Dior show at Paris Fashion Week Nico Parker and Cooper Hoffman have been branded the ultimate nepo baby couple after they appeared to go public with their relationship. Earlier this week, Thandiwe Newton's daughter, Nico, 20, and Philip Seymour Hoffman's son, Cooper, 22, looked extremely smitten as they stepped out for the Christian Dior fashion show as part of Spring/Summer 2026 Paris Fashion Week. In a photo that has since set the internet alight, Nico sweetly placed her hands on her beau's knee and lovingly tilted her head towards his. Onlookers noticed that she also gently rested her foot on top of Cooper's for the shot. Both parties seemed to be glowing in each other's company. Fans couldn't be more delighted by the nepo baby romance and celebrated the pair on social media. On X, formerly known as Twitter, one gushed: 'I'm so serious I love these two nepo babies and their love.' 'Such a lovely classy young couple, I'm enchanted,' exclaimed another. Nico Parker and Cooper Hoffman have set the world alight with their nepo baby romance The couple have seemingly soft launched their relationship during recent public appearances (pictured atthe Poetic License premiere party in September) A third wrote: 'Nepo couple to end all nepo couples.' 'She looks so much like her mom and he looks like his dad,' observed a fourth. A fifth declared: 'Two nepo superbabies.' 'Two of the best arguments FOR nepo babies,' added a sixth. Another raved: 'Cooper Hoffman and Nico Parker kinda the cutest couple I've ever seen.' The Daily Mail reached out to Nico and Cooper's reps for comment. While the couple has yet to publicly address their supposed romance, Nico has shared a loved-up snap of the two of them together, complete with a red love heart emoji, on her Instagram Story. Although it's not known when the pair struck up their romance, Nico and Cooper recently starred alongside each other in the comedy film Poetic Licence, directed by fellow nepo baby Maude Apatow. Nico is the daughter of actress Thandiwe Newton and writer/director Ol Parker (pictured in 2019) Cooper is the son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman and Mimi O'Donnell (pictured in 2013) Production on the film began last November, with the movie premiering at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival on September 6. Cooper, who is the son of the late Hollywood star Hoffman and costume designer Mimi O'Donnell, followed his father into the industry. He made his acting debut in Paul Thomas Anderson's 2021 film Licorice Pizza, in which he played lead role, Gary Valentine. More recently, he starred alongside David Jonsson, Charlie Plummer, and Mark Hamill in the 2025 film The Long Walk, which is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. For his next role, Cooper is playing OpenAI co-founder Gregory Brockman in Luca Guadagnino's upcoming comedy drama, Artificial. He will star alongside Andrew Garfield, Monica Barbaro, Zosia Mamet, and Chris O'Dowd. Similarly, Nico followed her mom into the industry and made her first appearance on screen in the 2019 film Dumbo, directed by Tim Burton. Since then, she has starred as Pedro Pascal's daughter Sarah in the wildly popular HBO show, The Last of Us. Nico, whose dad is writer/director Ol Parker, also appeared in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy and How to Train Your Dragon, both of which premiered this year. Researchers behind the latest studies investigating links between acetaminophen use and autism have slammed Donald Trump for 'spreading misinformation' about their work. Last month, President Trump and senior health officials declared in a press conference that pregnant women should not take acetaminophen, sold under the brand name Tylenol, claiming the drug raised the risk of their children being diagnosed with autism. He cited a study published in August by experts from Harvard, Mount Sinai, the University of California - Los Angeles and the University of Massachusetts Lowell, which suggested a potential link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and neurodevelopmental conditions like autism and ADHD. While the researchers behind that study emphasized more research is needed and that this link is just an association, officials with the Trump administration used more definitive language, with FDA commissioner Dr Marty Makary stating: 'We now have evidence we cannot ignore.' Now, experts behind the study, which was published in the journal BMC Environmental Health, told the Daily Mail that while they communicated with the administration and 'appreciate their interest in the study,' acetaminophen 'remains an important tool for pregnant patients and their physicians.' They also urged Americans to follow the direction of health authorities like the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), which have slammed Trump's advice as 'dangerous' and 'highly unsettling.' And the authors of another widely regarded 2024 paper, which studied 2.5million children and found 'no evidence' of acetaminophen causing autism, told this website that the president's statements are 'not accurate.' They also fear Trump's messaging will cause confusion among parents and increase the risk of them avoiding acetaminophen in dire situations, such as a high fever or extreme pain. President Donald Trump is pictured alongside Robert F Kennedy Jr and Dr Mehmet Oz lat month when the group advised pregnant women to avoid taking acetaminophen, sold under the brand name Tylenol Your browser does not support iframes. Dr Brian K Lee, one of the co-authors of the 2024 study and a professor of epidemiology at Drexel University, told the Daily Mail: 'The best science to date indicates that acetaminophen use during pregnancy does not cause autism. 'While there are several observational studies that have found a statistical association between acetaminophen and autism, association is not causation. 'In short, the President is spreading misinformation. One immediate concern which is already apparent is the number of persons out there who are confused by health messaging. Traditionally, we trust our authority figures to be able to inform us about what best to do. Dr Andrea Baccarelli, lead author of the August study referenced by Trump, is pictured here 'Few people have the time or training necessary to sift through all the scientific evidence to decide what to do about every health matter. But when conflicting messaging happens... this causes confusion and uncertainty.' Acetaminophen is widely used by pregnant women, with about 60 percent taking the drug, to reduce fevers and pain that could harm both mother and baby. Acetaminophen, called paracetamol in Australia and the UK, is found in Tylenol and a number of other medications, including over-the-counter cold and flu drugs such as DayQuil and NyQuil and sleep aids such as Excedrin PM. Kenvue, the makers of Tylenol, have pushed back against the Trump administration's claims that the painkiller causes autism, branding it 'dangerous' and insisting its drug remains the safest option for pain and fever relief in pregnant women. A spokesperson told the Daily Mail: 'The facts are that over a decade of rigorous research, endorsed by leading medical professionals and global health regulators, confirms there is no credible evidence linking acetaminophen to autism. 'We stand with the many public health and medical professionals who have reviewed this science and agree. We will continue to explore all options to protect the health interests of American women and children.' Researchers behind the BMC Environmental Health study cited by Trump conducted a review of 46 studies including 100,000 participants. Out of 46 studies, 27 found a positive association between acetaminophen and neurodevelopmental disorders like autism and ADHD. They suggested acetaminophen may cross the placenta, which delivers nutrients from mother to fetus, and induce oxidative stress that hinders neurodevelopmental pathways. Your browser does not support iframes. Dr Andrea Baccarelli, lead author of the August study and professor of environmental health at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, told the Daily Mail in a statement: 'We found evidence of an association between exposure to acetaminophen during pregnancy and increased incidence of neurodevelopmental disorders in children. 'This association is strongest when acetaminophen is taken for four weeks or longer.' He noted that animal studies have suggested prenatal exposure to acetaminophen can damage a developing brain. Dr Baccarelli also recommended caution against heavy or prolonged use of acetaminophen during pregnancy but emphasized 'further research is needed to confirm the association and determine causality.' However, he also acknowledged that 'acetaminophen remains an important tool for pregnant patients and their physicians,' as high fever in a mother can hinder fetal development. He said: 'After assessing the evidence, my colleagues and I recommended a balanced approach based on the precautionary principle: Patients who need fever or pain reduction during pregnancy should take the lowest effective dose of acetaminophen, for the shortest possible duration, after consultation with their physician about their individual risk-benefit calculation.' Dr Baccarelli told this website that his team discussed the findings with Kennedy and NIH Director Dr Jay Bhattacharya in recent weeks and that the researchers 'appreciate their interest in the study.' Tylenol maker Kenvue disputed Trump's claims, branding them 'dangerous' and insisting its drug remains the safest option for pain and fever relief in pregnant women (stock image) Your browser does not support iframes. Mount Sinai Health System, where one of the BMC study author Diddier Prada is affiliated, told the Daily Mail in a statement: 'The study found an association, but not a causal link, between prenatal acetaminophen exposure and an increased risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. 'As the authors note, these do not prove that acetaminophen use during pregnancy causes these conditions but underscores the need for further research to optimize management of pain and fever during pregnancy using current or future medications. 'The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) continue to recommend acetaminophen as one of the safest pain and fever treatment options during pregnancy when used as directed, and emphasize that pregnant patients should always discuss any medication use with their clinicians.' ACOG, meanwhile, earlier this week slammed the Trump administration for linking acetaminophen use to autism. The agency said in a statement: 'It is highly unsettling that our federal health agencies are willing to make an announcement that will affect the health and well-being of millions of people without the backing of reliable data. 'In more than two decades of research on the use of acetaminophen in pregnancy, not a single reputable study has successfully concluded that the use of acetaminophen in any trimester of pregnancy causes neurodevelopmental disorders in children.' A 2024 study published in JAMA, meanwhile, was cited in the BMC report and found no association between acetaminophen and autism. The study included 2.5million children born in Sweden between 1995 and 2019 who were followed up with through 2021. Of those, 7.5 percent were exposed to acetaminophen while in utero. The team initially found that children who were exposed to acetaminophen during pregnancy had a slightly increased risk of autism, ADHD and other neurodevelopmental disorders than those not exposed. However, when they compared those children to their siblings, the increased risk disappeared. Hugo Sjoqvist, JAMA study author and PhD student at Karolinska Institutet, told the Daily Mail: 'I fail to see the reasoning as to why one would claim that acetaminophen would lead to autism. The science is quite clear on this topic. 'It is also important to remember that the usage of acetaminophen is not random - its used when you are sick, in pain, etc. Therefore, drawing conclusions by simply looking at the usage and outcome can even be seen as a bit disingenuous. 'It is my hope that people do not unnecessarily abstain from pain relievers, as it will cause unnecessary pain, stress and discomfort.' Dr Viktor H Ahlqvist, lead author of the JAMA study, told the Daily Mail that Trump's statements regarding acetaminophen and autism are 'not accurate' Your browser does not support iframes. Sjoqvist explained that sibling studies like his team's help address limitations of other studies by adding additional information like genetic risk and environmental exposures, which are also linked to autism. He pointed to a Japanese study published earlier this month that replicated his team's findings. Looking at 217,000 children from 2005 to 2022, those researchers noted a small increase in autism risk among children whose mothers took acetaminophen while pregnant. However, there was no effect when looking at sibling comparisons. Dr Viktor H Ahlqvist, lead author of the JAMA study and postdoctoral researcher in the Institute of Environmental Medicine at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, told the Daily Mail that Trump's statements regarding acetaminophen and autism are 'not accurate.' He said: 'There have been smaller studies and animal examinations that suggested some increased risk. However, larger population-based studies from Sweden, Norway, and Japan suggest that this initial observation was biased.' Dr Ahlqvist also fears pregnant women will forgo the use of acetaminophen in needed situations, such as if they are suffering from a high fever. He told this website: 'I also think that these announcements stigmatize and puts blame on pregnant women and families of children with autism, when there is no evidence to support it.' 'There is no strong evidence to suggest acetaminophen used in pregnancy would cause autism. However, as with any medication use in pregnancy, best advice is always to consult with physicians and midwifes taking medications during pregnancy is always best done in light of expert advice. 'Trump is not a source of expert advice.' Britons have been urged to wear masks in crowded public spaces and isolate if they test positive for Covid, amid a spike in cases of two new variants of the virus. The strainsXFG, dubbed Stratus, and NB.1.8.1, known as Nimbusare fuelling a surge in infections, with cases doubling since August. Professor Lawrence Young, a virologist at Warwick University told the Daily Mail the increase in cases and hospitalisations is 'worrying so early in the Autumn period'. He put it down to a mixture of children returning to school, colder temperatures causing people to spend more time indoorsoften in places with poor ventilationand waning protective immunity. Experts say the new variantsone of which causes a distinct 'razor blade' sore throatdo not appear to pose any bigger threat than previous strains of Covid, or make people feel more ill. However, genetic changes to the virus means that infections may become more likely. Just yesterday health chiefs launched their winter vaccination drive, urging millions to come forward for Covid and flu jabs as hospitalisations creep up. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said positivity had risen from 7.6 to 8.4 per cent in just a week, while admissions increased from 2.0 to 2.73 per 100,000. Leading experts have revealed how you can stay safe amid a worrying surge in Covid cases Your browser does not support iframes. Although scientists are still assessing the two strains, they believe they have slightly different characteristics than have previously been identified. 'The symptoms are mainly similar to previous Covid infectionsheadache, coughing, runny nose,' explained Professor Young. 'But infection with the new variants is associated with a hoarse voice or a "razor blade" sore throat'. Stratus has been identified in particular with persistent dry coughs, tiredness and a fever. Now experts are urging people to take sensible action to stay safe and protect others from virus that can still be deadly. 'There are no specific rules other than people taking responsibility to ensure that the elderly and most clinically vulnerable are protected,' Professor Young explained. 'You should test to check that you are infected with the Covid virus and isolate until you are not infectious.' Covid tests are no longer free on the NHS but can still be bought at pharmacies. Your browser does not support iframes. Professor Stephen Griffin, a virology expert at the University of Leeds It's no longer mandatory to isolate if you test positive but voluntary guidance recently published by the UKHSA urges people to do so. But he added: 'Where this is not possible, it's important to reduce mixing with people in confined spaces and wearing a facemask to reduce the spread of infection.' While he doesn't believe there should be mandatory rules on isolating and wearing masks, he said: 'There should be more public health messaging about Covid. 'It's not like having a cold, and can result in both short-term disease and long-term effects.' Professor Stephen Griffin, a virology expert at the University of Leeds added: 'Anybody, regardless of how healthy they are can develop serious symptoms. 'It doesn't always mean that because you were fine last time, you'll be fine this time. Things change. Our immunity changes. The virus changes.' He continued: 'The virus is still badthere are dreadful tales about children developing long Covid. 'We have this issue around presenteeism in this country, and it doesn't help that, you know, things like school attendance. Your browser does not support iframes. I think it's really misguided that kids who are still ill are basically being encouraged to go to school. If you can isolate and you can stay home and stop it spreading to other people, then it's definitely worth doing that.' Similarly, he added: 'We should be improving indoor air quality, and we should be wearing filtering masks when we need to.' While it is no longer mandatory to wear one, Professor Griffin, who developed long Covid himself, says he wears one on a bus and other crowded places. 'I would wear a filtering FFP2 mask or FFP3 mask, if I was in an environment that was poorly ventilated and very busy, on a train for example, or a bus, or a crowded lecture theatre,' he explained. Long Covid has been linked to more than 200 symptoms from brain fog to heart inflammation which last longer than 12 weeks after infection. Professor Young added: 'It's important to get your Covid booster vaccine if you are eligible for a free jab, and if concerned, consider getting a private jab.' Over-75s, people with weakened immune systems and care home residents are eligible for the winter Covid booster, available on the NHS app, online, or at walk-in centres. Your browser does not support iframes. Pregnant women and children are also invited for vaccination, and toddlers can this year get a flu spray at community pharmacies. Some high street chemists are offering private Covid jabs, costing up to 99 ($134). Stratus was first detected in January in Southeast Asia. By June, the variant had spread to 38 countries, leading the World Health Organization to designate it as a 'variant under monitoring'. Nimbus was detected around the same time in China and soon spread across the world to Europe and the US. According to the UKHSA, roughly 63 per cent of monitored cases in the UK over the last month were Stratus, while 25 per cent were Nimbus. The health agency advises anyone with symptoms to stay at home if possible and avoid contact with vulnerable people. Those who must go out are urged to wear a face covering. But in fresh advice issued last week, they added: 'Current data does not indicate that these variants lead to more severe illness than other variants in circulation. 'If you have symptoms of a respiratory infection, such as Covid, and you have a high temperature or do not feel well enough to go to work or carry out normal activities, you should avoid contact with vulnerable people and stay at home if possible. 'For those of us who absolutely can't stay at home, the Living with Covid guidance remains unchanged, and will reduce the chance of passing on your infection to others.' In the UK, ministers have repeatedly said they won't resort to imposing lockdowns unless a doomsday Covid variant appears. A knot in the pit of your stomach; a racing mind; sweaty palms; or just a looming sense of dread: However they manifest, experiencing anxious thoughts is never pleasant. But while they can quickly get out of handa niggling concern you didn't turn the oven off can mutate into a cold fear you have burnt down your home, if not every building in a 1.5 mile radius, a la the Great Fire Of Londonthere are ways to nip them in the bud. Everyone suffers from some level of anxiety, it's part and parcel of the human experience, but when passing worries become all consuming, it can become a recognised mental health condition called Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD). It is estimated that in 2024, around 8.6 million people in England were prescribed antidepressants, which are also often used to treat symptoms of anxiety. Furthermore, dual diagnoses of anxiety and depression are not uncommon. Research released last week found that almost 650,000 people were claiming Personal Independence Payments (PIP) for anxiety and mood disorders in July. With the UK currently in the grip of what can only be described as an anxiety epidemic, having the tools to quieten your mind have never been more valuableeven if you don't have a formal diagnosis of the condition. Senior therapist Sally Baker compares troubling thoughts to being similar to 'seeds'and unfortunately, the conditions they need to grow are present in abundance in our minds. Anxious thoughts can quickly snowballbut there are ways to nip them in the bud She told the Daily Mail: 'The more attention you pay to your anxious thoughts, the more you are giving them sunlight and moisture.' It's hard to not focus on a worrying thought, or get lost in the ones that come after it, but with time and practice, it is possible to quash them shortly after they appear. Senior therapist Sally Baker shares her tips Ms Baker explained thatthankfullynot only do we have the conditions anxiety needs to bloom, weed-like, but we also have the tools to cut back its vines and dig it out at the root, stopping it from sprouting again and again. She said: 'When you realise you are spiralling into anxiety, it's vital to interrupt your thinking. 'There are several ways you can do this: You can make a noise, either silently inside your head, or if you can, say it out loud. 'This signals that it was an unhelpful thought, and interrupts that thought.' She also suggested two simple ways to force a stop in your nervous system. 'Go to a window or doorway and breathe slowly and deeply for several breaths, or if you can, run up a flight of stairs.' Anxiety can also manifest physically, causing sweats, heart palpitations and panic attacks Whether the action you take is mental or physical, Ms Baker says that it is the first step to stopping an anxious thought. She added: 'It's essential to take action instead of running the same program in your mind that always ends with the same results. 'Think about how a music box gets wound up and can only play one tune, and the dancer can only do one dance. 'If the anxious thinking is not interrupted, it will always end the same waygoing round and round in circles.' WHAT IS ANXIETY? Anxiety is a normal part of life that affects different people in different ways at different times. Whereas stress can come and go, anxiety often persists and does not always have an obvious cause. Along with depression, anxiety is among the most common mental-health condition in the UK, affecting 8.2million people in 2013 alone. Around 40million adults suffer from the condition in the US every year. Anxiety can make a person imagine things in their life are worse than they are or that they are going mad. Although it evolved as part of the 'fight or flight' mechanism in our caveman days to avoid danger, anxiety can be inappropriately activated in everyday life when stress builds up. It can have a clear cause, such as moving house or having surgery. However, sometimes little life events build up until a person is unable to cope, with anxiety then taking them by surprise. Physical symptoms can include: Increased heart rate and muscle tension Hyperventilation and dizziness Nausea A tight band across the chest Tension headaches Hot flushes Sweating 'Jelly legs' Shaking Feeling like you are choking Tingling in the hands and feet Some psychological symptoms are: Thinking you are going mad or losing control Thinking you may die or get ill Feeling people are staring at you Feeling detached from others or on edge Treatment often involves counselling or cognitive behavioural therapy. Activates like yoga, exercise, reading and socialising can help to manage anxiety. Advertisement However, if these short sharp shocks aren't enough to silent the gnawing angst in your head, Ms Bakerwho specialises in using EMT tapping therapies and hypnosis to help her clients overcome feeling 'stuck' in their livesoffers up a more intensive plan of attack. This can be particularly useful if you are suffering from a panic attack, or can feel yourself edging towards oneand the entire process can take less than 15 minutes. She said: 'I tell my clients to use the I.C.E. Protocol, which stands for Identify, Calm and Exchange.' The first step is to identify what it is which is making you feel anxious, and at the same time make a note of what emotions you are feeling and let yourself feel where that anxiety sits in your body. 'Ask yourself, is it in your head, jaw, neck, shoulders, heart, chest, stomach, legs or skin, or several of those places? 'What you've done is identify something that causes you to feel anxious, and as you've been thinking about it, you've even felt the sensations in your body attached to that anxiety,' she said. Once the concern and its location has been identified, it's time for step two, Calm. Ms Baker explained that this involves 'stepping outside of that feeling', and the easiest way to do that is by focusing on two points and the space between them. She explained: 'To do this, find a single point in front of you, preferably about head height. 'It could be the top of a set of shelves, a corner of a picture or a detail in a pattern within your line of vision. 'A moment ago, when you identified the issue that causes you anxiety, your body chemistry and how your body functions adjusted themselves to support that anxietyyou thought it and then you felt it. 'Now, you are focusing on something simple, so the chemistry in your mind and body adjusts and changes. 'After a moment of observing the first point, shift your attention to the second point you have chosen, not too far away from the first.' After switching your attention between the two points several times, and feeling your stress levels lessen, Ms Baker says the final step of this stage is to focus on the space between themand the emptiness. 'When you observe this space, you're observing nothing. When you observe this space, your body chemistry follows your mind,' she said. 'Looking at this space means there is nothing to react to.' The last step of I.C.E is E for Exchange. With your mind now quieter, return to the exact thought you started with which was causing you such intense anxiety. Ms Baker says that 'the old upset chemistry will be exchanged with a new calm chemistry you generated in the previous step'. If something else has come to mind in its place, don't panic, simply repeat the process again. Experts have pinpointed exactly why slimming jabs may trigger one bizarre side effect: a drop in sex drive. Once aimed at diabetes patients, drugs like Mounjaro and Wegovy are now famous for bringing about rapid weight loss by reducing appetite. The injections' side effects have been widely discussed, ranging from nausea and constipation and, in the most severe cases, life-threatening organ damage. Now, doctors have warned that the medication may also have another awkward and unsexy consequencepatient's libidos to plummet. But a lack of intimacy may not be triggered by unpleasant side effects like constipation, bloating or crushing fatigue, they say. According to a growing number of experts, it is believed the medication may cause a drop in libido because of how it impacts a certain brain chemical. The injections spurs weight loss by mimicking the actions of a hormone released by in the gut after eatingGLP-1 and research has shown they also influence dopamine release. Dr Ryan Sultan, an assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University told Medscape: 'Sex is based on drive and reward as well, and many neuronal networks involved in food and sex drives overlap. Now, doctors have warned that the medication may also have another awkward and unsexy consequencepatient's libidos to plummet Your browser does not support iframes. 'When we take GLP-1s, we are essentially dampening the internal processes that drive us to address our evolutionary needs. 'By inhibiting the pathways that drive us towards food acquisition, we are subsequently affecting the overlapping systems that drive us to have sex.' Dr Bronwyn Holmes, a doctor and hormone specialist at US weight loss clinic Eden, added: 'These drugs are thought to dampen dopamine-driven reward signals, which help reduce the cravings for food and other compulsive behaviors. 'This can indirectly affect mood and motivation, useful for weight loss but potentially relevant to other reward-driven activities like intimacy or alcohol use. 'In most cases, libido or mood-related side effects are reversible after stopping the medication. 'However, the timeline and completeness of reversal vary based on the individual and the presence of other contributing factors.' One British study published last year in QJM: An International Journal of Medicine found new patients on the drug may experience cognitive changes in their decision-making, partly from the calorie deficit the drug induces, as well as the effects of GLP-1 on brain function. 'This isn't as far-fetched as it might sound,' the researchers said. Your browser does not support iframes. The researchers found that females between the ages of 20 and 59 who had sex less than once a week were at a 70 per cent increased risk of death within five years Your browser does not support iframes. There are, however, no large-scale studies to suggest how common these changes are, or whether they affect certain groups of people more than others. Dr Kent Berridge, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Michigan, previously told the Daily Mail that having sex with a partner, thinking of having sex with them and seeing them would normally trigger sexual desire, 'just like drug use triggers desire for drugs'. 'But if you're suppressing [dopamine activation] a little bit and cutting down those mountain peaks, sexual desire is a natural peak, so that would be plausible. 'It may be partly acting right on the nucleus accumbens [the brain structure known for its role in pleasure, reward and addiction], because there are receptors there.' At least half a million NHS patients and some 15 million patients in the US are now thought to be using weight-loss jabs, which can help patients lose up to 20 per cent of their body weight in just a few months. And the numbers using them privately are even higher. The health service currently prescribes Wegovy to around 35,000 patients at specialist weight management clinics. Mounjaro, meanwhile, has been available in similar clinics since March and as of this month, GPs are also able to prescribe it. Your browser does not support iframes. The drug warning also comes amid concern about a global sex crisisor rather, lack of sex crisis. One recent survey revealed more than a quarter (27 per cent) of Britons are now having less sex than they used to, with one in six admitting they haven't got frisky the entire year. According to a Royal College of Occupational Therapists poll of 2,000 adults last year, men and women typically only have sex 46 times a year once every eight days. But some have far less frequent amorous activity, with a tenth reported having sex less than once a year. Sex and intimacy have been linked to several health benefits, including improving the condition of your heart, reducing stress and even boosting mental health. She's long been celebrated for her natural beauty and 'girl next door looks.' But Taylor Swift has once again sparked fan speculation with the release of her newest album, The Life of a Showgirl. Alongside excitement over her latest interviews promoting the album, some swifties have suggested the pop star may have had cosmetic enhancements. 'Oh no, not you, Taylor. You don't need Botox,' one fan wrote online after seeing photos from The Graham Norton Show, while another commented, 'The fillers are looking a bit overdone.' To address the rumors, Daily Mail showed recent images of Swift to three board-certified plastic surgeons. None of the doctors had treated her in person, but they offered opinions based on publicly available photos. All three suspected that Swift had filler in her cheeks, while two noted that her eyebrows appeared more angular than usual, an indication of possible Botox use. Botox works by paralyzing certain facial muscles, which can subtly alter the shape of the brows. Dr. Smita Ramanadham, a plastic surgeon based in New Jersey, told Daily Mail: 'Stars and celebrities, just like us normal people, get fillers or facial treatments or Botox as part of getting ready for big events to look and feel their best. And Taylor Swift appears to be no exception.' Taylor Swift is shown above in a handout from the Graham Norton Show aired on Friday. This photo was taken on Thursday Taylor Swift is shown above in February this year at the 67th Grammy awards and in a picture from the Graham Norton show aired on Friday. Surgeons say that her cheeks appear fuller than in previous images Your browser does not support iframes. Daily Mail contacted representatives of the star ahead of the publication of this article for comment on the allegations. Sources close to Swift previously addressed rumors to Daily Mail about her alleged plastic surgery, saying she had not had any touch-ups ahead of her appearance on the Graham Norton show. They pointed to other appearances by Swift, such as on BBC Radio 1 on Friday, which have not sparked the same speculation about her appearance. Dr Ramanadham told Daily Mail: 'This is one of those things that is so subtle, I would think that if I didn't have trained eyes, maybe I would not have caught it right away. '[But] her face is looking very full, especially in the cheek area. 'She has always had a youthful, rounder face, but compared to older pictures as an adult, [her face] is looking very full, and that to me just looks like she has had filler. 'Her eyes look a bit smaller too, it is very subtle, not as dramatic, but you get a sense her eyes are not as bright and as open, which can also be because of filler into the cheeks.' Asked whether the shift may be due to fluctuations in her weight, Dr Smita said: 'The fullness we are seeing is centralized around her cheeks, while the remainder of her face is still similar to earlier photos. She is also slim and in shape.' Taylor Swift is shown in another image from the Graham Norton show. It marked her fourth appearance on the program, which she went on amid the release of her newest album Suggesting the star had used Botox, Dr Ramanadham added: 'The Botox is less obvious, but her eyebrows do appear a little more angular, which can be caused by these injections. 'We don't see her eyebrows much, because her hairstyle usually covers them, but she's always had this beautiful arch... and now they look a little less soft and a little more angular.' Dr Gary Linkov, a plastic surgeon in New York who has previously reviewed photos of the star, also said that Swift appeared to have used filler in her cheeks and Botox. 'I am seeing two main things that have changed to a degree,' he said, 'but not as dramatically as people make out.' 'Her upper cheeks have a little more volume, it's just a subtle enhancement, [which would indicate filler] and her eyebrows look like they are a bit more arched than usual, [suggesting Botox].' He added: 'I'm not seeing anything in her lips recently, however, I think she just kind of overlined the upper lip with her makeup.' Dr Linkov also said it was not likely to be due to any weight fluctuations, saying that her lower face and neck still looked 'similar' to earlier photos. Surgeons also suggested that the puffier appearance in her cheeks could be from her having filler injections recently, which had not settled. It can take up to a month for swelling from an injection to subside. Swift is shown above appearing at BBC Radio 1 on Friday to promote the release of her newest album, The Life of a Showgirl Swift is pictured above with fiance Travis Kelce on the podcast where she announced her new album in August this year Fillers are the second most popular cosmetic treatment in the US, with about six million injections carried out in 2024 according to the latest data available, and are used to make the face appear younger. As someone ages, the face gradually loses volume and takes on a more drawn appearance. Filler is used to reverse this. The substance is injected into the face or body to smooth wrinkles and restore youthful volume to someone's features. But it is not long-lasting, with fillers typically only lasting six to 18 months before someone has to get new injections. Botox is the most popular cosmetic touch-up in the US, with about 10 million injections carried out nationwide in 2024, the latest data available. It is a neurotoxin that is injected into the face to temporarily paralyze muscles, with experts saying it can help to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and frown lines. But it is also not long-lasting, with Botox injections typically wearing off within three to four months. In 2023, Daily Mail reported comments from Beverley Hills plastic surgeon Dr Gary Motykie, who suggested the star may have had an upper blepharoplasty, or reduced skin above the eyelids to open up the eyes, and a possible nose job. He added that, in his view, Swift had only had 'subtle' touch-ups to enhance her natural appearance and, overall, 'not done too much'. At the time, a spokeswoman for the star said the allegations were 'completely false' and added that the star has 'not had any of these procedures.' Dr Barry DiBernardo, a plastic surgeon in New Jersey, agreed with the other surgeons, telling this website: 'It definitely looks like there is filler going on, her cheeks look a bit bigger, fuller, and her face looks a little wider. 'It is also possible she had filler put into the jawline, which can make it more pronounced. Her face looked very slim, and now it looks rounder, suggesting she had filler in multiple places.' MUV: The STORY OF THE MITFORD GIRLS MOTHER by Rachel Trethewey (History Press 22.99, 272pp) Muv is available now from the Mail Bookshop Picture this scene in the lobby of the Grand Hotel in Nuremberg in September 1938. Lord and Lady Redesdale, parents of the Mitford girls, were visiting the city as Hitlers guests of honour at the Nuremberg Rally. They looked like a couple of characters from a P. G. Wodehouse novel. In a corner of the lobby on the morning of the rally, Lady Redesdale was passing the time doing her embroidery. She lost her needle. Her husband got down on his hands and knees to search for it, while jackbooted stormtroopers and SS men marched past them in all directions. That sums up the character of Muv, as Lady Redesdale was known by their children. On the one hand, she was a zealous convert to Nazism almost as ardent as her Hitler-worshipping daughter Unity. On the other hand, she was a British aristocratic wife and mother, who did embroidery to pass the time and had clearly trained her doting husband to search on the floor for her mislaid needles. How could a sensible, devoted British mother of seven be so taken in by Nazi propaganda? Muvs chief flaw, writes Rachel Trethewey in her clear-eyed portrait of the woman whose lot it was to be the mother of the rebellious Mitford daughters, was her refusal to face anything politically unpleasant, such as the truth about what Hitler was really up to. Her husband (known as Farve) was equally blinkered throughout the 1930s. In a letter to The Times, he described Hitler as a right-thinking man of irreproachable sincerity and honesty. But when war broke out, Farve did a massive volte-face, turning fiercely against Nazism. Muv did not. She refused to stop admiring Hitler, Trethewey writes. It was the biggest act of defiance of her life. In this, she was as big a rebel as any of her daughters. She assured her family that when the Germans had won, everything would be wonderful, and theyd treat the British much better than those wretched, beastly Poles. Family Unit: Lord (right) and Lady (left) Redesdale with their children Pre war: Unity Mitford, Lady Redesdale and Joan Villiers at an RAF pageant in 1932 After Unity shot herself in the head with a mother-of-pearl pistol, in horror at the outbreak of war between the two countries she loved, and remained incontinent and with a mental age of 11 till her death nearly nine years later, Muv devoted her life to looking after her, never swerving from her fascist convictions. Her marriage came under increasing strain, leading to eventual separation. What caused this obstinacy? Born Sydney Bowles in 1880, Muvs own mother died when she was seven, during childbirth. She was brought up by her anti-Semitic father Thomas, a Conservative MP who had no patience with toleration, believing politics should be defined in black and white, not in shades of grey. That hard-line stance was inherited by his daughter. Her father was anti-medicine, never allowing Sydney to see a doctor. This, too, he passed on to Sydney, so when she had her children Nancy, Pamela, Tom, Diana, Unity, Jessica and Deborah (a gruelling string of pregnancies from the age of 24 to 40) she too took no notice of their illnesses, telling them the good body will heal itself. They arrived at childrens parties hacking with whooping cough or covered in chickenpox and measles spots. Muv also believed in the medical benefits of wholemeal bread, claiming to be the only peeress who has made all the bread for her family for years. When she first met Hitler for tea in the Carlton Tea Rooms in Munich in 1937, she raised her favourite topic: Did Germany have any laws to guarantee the use of wholemeal flour? In some ways Muv was quite progressive as a mother. A conscientious keeper of family accounts, she trained her children to keep pigs, hens and calves. They had to pay a farming rent to their father but were allowed to keep the profits. Sydney herself kept 500 hens and sold the eggs to London to pay for the childrens education, some of it by inept governesses (as her acerbic daughter Nancy later put it). Muv needed that extra money, because her husband David Mitford (who inherited the Redesdale title on the death of his elder brother) was useless as a businessman. He went prospecting for gold in Ontario, Canada, but the plot he bought yielded minimal traces. Unity was conceived during that time, in a town aptly named Swastika. Defiant: (Clockwise from top left) Unity, Jessica, Diana and Nancy In other ways, Muv was hopelessly out of touch with the times, driving her children mad with frustration. When Jessica said she wanted to go to grammar school and become a scientist, Muv said, A scientist! What nonsense! No, of course you cant go to grammar school. Jessica said that refusal burned into my soul. Instead of becoming a scientist, she became a communist, eloping to Spain with her lover Esmond Romilly, causing untold anguish to her parents who didnt know where she was. Its not unusual for parents to be torn between the different inclinations of their children, but Muv surely wins the prize in this regard, with one daughter an ardent communist and another an ardent fascist. After the war, Jessica refused to go to dinner with her sister Diana, saying she would not eat with murderers. Muv tried to keep the peace between her warring children. When Diana, who was married to fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley, was in jail in Holloway Prison for three years from 1940 to 1943, Muv visited her there every week. The bus driver announced, Holloway Gaol! Lady Mosleys suite! Everything the Mitfords did was done in the public eye. The two terrible losses of Muvs life were that of Unity, and of her only son Tom, who was shot by a Japanese sniper in Burma in 1945 and died aged 36. Muvs granddaughter Charlotte Mosley said: You could never underestimate the blow of Toms death. What Sydney went through during the war . . . most of us would be flattened. Charlotte explains her grandmothers politics thus: She was passionately anti-communist; that was why she took the other side. At that time, there was only one camp or the other. Lady Redesdale with Unity and Dr Fritz-Randolph at a Christmas Party given by the Anglo-German Fellowship at Victoria Hall in Bloomsbury, London Jessica did not let her off so easily. She said Muv was shown a copy of The Brown Book Of The Hitler Terror, which contained graphic photographs of the brutal persecution of the Jews by Hitlers stormtroopers. People say they didnt know what was happening to the Jews till after the war, but they did know, because it was all there. In her final years living at Inch Kenneth, their island in the Inner Hebrides, Muv kept old 78rpm records of Nazi songs in the drawing room, plus Wagners Ring Cycle a set of records given to her by her old friend Adolf Hitler. What's with Baum is available now from the Mail Bookshop WHATS WITH BAUM? by Woody Allen (Swift 18.99, 192pp) WOODY Allen has out Woody Allened himself with his debut novel. Asher Baum is a hypochondriacal Jewish New Yorker (sound familiar?) who pessimistically pontificates about everything from unusual moles to black holes. Baums marriage has grown stale and hes jealous of his stepsons success as a novelist. Baums own writing is panned as whiny and pretentious. When Baum is being interviewed by an attractive young woman he mistakes her praise as an invitation to kiss her then discovers she is going to write him up as a sexual predator. At first, one presumes the book will be a humorous take down of cancel culture, but instead Baum spends more time thinking about how to take down his smug stepson. As with any of Allens films it is an awfully fun ride. House of Day, House of Night is available now from the Mail Bookshop HOUSE OF DAY, HOUSE OF NIGHT by Olga Tokarczuk (Fitzcarraldo 14.99, 336pp) YET again, Nobel Prize winner Olga Tokarczuk has produced a firework of a novel. Tokarczuk has never been frightened of straying into the strange and this book may be her wackiest yet. It takes the form of a series of vignettes detailing the lives, deaths but mostly the dreams of the inhabitants of a small village in Poland. Characters we meet along the way include a 15th-century transgender monk, a wise and wisened wig maker and a clairvoyant bank clerk. Anything this unusual attempted by a lesser novelist would feel crude and knotty, but Tokarczuks genius makes this a truly spellbinding work. All the fragmented and shimmering parts come together as perfectly as the pieces in a kaleidoscope. Mesmerising and strange, putting down this book feels rather like waking up from a dream yourself. Pick a Colour is available now from the Mail Bookshop PICK A COLOUR by Souvankham Thammavongsa (Bloomsbury 12.99, 192pp) WELCOME to Susans nail salon. Ning the narrator is a retired boxer. Noi the receptionist is a 19-year-old single mother. Mai the manicurist juggles dating with looking after her aged mother. But to the customers, theyre interchangeable servants, all called Susan. Ning, the boss, insists that all her employees leave their names and identities at the door. While they scrub the feet and thread the eyebrows of their customers, the only occasion for expressing their true selves is wittily gossiping in their native language. As they chatter, we are drip-fed vivid details of Nings loneliness and her storied past. The immigrant experience and the tension between who we really are and the parts were forced to play is deftly explored in this triumphant debut. LOSING JAMES: A MOTHERS STORY by Caroline Jane Munday (Independent 18.99, 322pp) WEDNESDAY, October 15, 2008, began as an ordinary morning for mother-of-five Caroline Munday, working at Parcelforce near Coventry Airport. She did not expect to find herself on her knees in the depots car park at 4.30 that afternoon, screaming a loud, strong, and alien scream, like an animal in pain. Her sister Nicky had called her at 4.25pm, asking her to come straight to her house after work, rather than going on her planned date with her boyfriend. I need to see you, Cal. Just come home. It didnt take long for Caroline to deduce from Nickys tone of voice what must have happened. Beloved son: Trooper James Munday Carolines beloved son, Trooper James Munday of the Household Cavalry Regiment, whod had his 21st birthday just a fortnight earlier, had been killed in action in Afghanistan that morning. The vehicle he was driving, a Jackal, had been blown up by an Improvised Explosive Device. Caroline and her familys waking nightmare began. Her account of what happened in the ensuing days, weeks and months is terrifying: a visceral evocation of what its like to lose a child. Dont expect fine writing in the C. S. Lewis A Grief Observed mode. But almost because of that because its the raw outpourings of a mother in unimaginable (or perhaps all too imaginable) emotional pain it actually has great power. If every mother of all the soldiers who died in the First and Second World Wars experienced the grief Caroline felt and still feels and theres no doubt they did the universe seems inadequate to support that immeasurable weight. You havent got to go, Caroline said to James before the tour. But he said: See, Mum, I have my brothers at home but I also have my brothers in the Army. Were like a chain, and if I dont go, a link in that chain will be broken. He set his heart on fighting for Queen and Country, and returning to receive his medal on the Parade Ground at Windsor. And he was about to come home when the fatal explosion happened. He was in the final four weeks of the tour, during which hed served with distinction. Caroline was counting down the days to party time, when they could celebrate his safe return and his 21st birthday. A report was sent to the family by Major Will Bartle- Jones, the commander of his D Squadron a deeply kind man who looked after the family initially and did all he could to help them describing the events leading up to Jamess death. It doesnt give one much faith in Army procurement. The coffin of trooper James Munday The first vehicles the squadron was given were clapped-out tanks that had been on two previous tours and were totally exhausted in terms of fight-ability. Out of 34 vehicles, 30 suffered a major assembly failure. THE squadron then switched to the Jackal, an off-road vehicle with wheels rather than tracks, brilliant for getting around quickly, but with a few fatal flaws: it lacked surveillance capability, was not well armoured, and, as the soldiers discovered, the driver sat right above the steering wheel, which funnelled any explosion. Trying to comprehend this was just one aspect of Carolines nightmare. Her way of coping with the unbearable image of her son dying from blast injuries was to put herself in a protective bubble a mechanism for coping with emotional agony. Inside it, she felt safely numb, as if watching the tragedy from the outside. Occasionally, the bubble burst, and she was rocked by pain. Losing James is available now from the Mail Bookshop Grief is pretty public if youre the mother of a deceased soldier. There are endless civic and military events beside war memorials. Lining up at RAF Lyneham with the family, waiting in her best black coat for Jamess repatriation, she admits, I felt a little bit of excitement how mad was that? I dont know, perhaps after all the prep, I was waiting for my 6ft 2in of gorgeous soldier to walk off the plane, bag over his shoulder. YES, you would subconsciously think that, knowing that your son was coming home. Seeing the physical coffin, she says, I felt robbed. Receiving Jamess cap, belt and flag, plus the medals he was going to be given on the parade ground, seemed like a poor exchange. At those moments, and so many others, the truth assaulted her as if for the first time. She wasnt sure if she could face seeing James inside his coffin in the chapel of rest. But she heard his voice: Mum, you havent kissed me goodnight. So she went, and was glad she did. His face looked beatific. She gave him a final kiss on the lips: The smacker Id promised him. Then, horrifically, there was a new addition to the mental torture shed have to deal with. She discovered that her son, when he was first repatriated inside the coffin, was in the exact state hed been in at the moment of death, covered in filth and dust and, for some strange reason, not wearing trousers, although he did still have his boots on with the laces tied. The Army system is that post-mortems are done back in the UK, at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. Discovering her son, who was particularly careful about being wellturned-out, was in that filthy and semi-naked state inside the coffin as he was carried out from the plane to the hearse was a shock. She tried to find out why his trousers were off. It would be understandable if hed still been alive after the explosion. Medics might have needed to cut them open to check for injuries. But shed been told hed died instantly. She wrote to her MP, who wrote to the Secretary of State for Defence, for answers. No one could quite remember how, or when, the trousers had been removed. But the effect of her insistent letters was that a new rule came into force: I am now assured, the Minister of State for the Armed Forces wrote to her, that bodies cannot be returned naked to the UK. From now on the deceased are shrouded in an appropriate manner before being placed in the casket. None of this brought her beloved James back. Even now, she writes, shes still in her bubble. Facing reality still has the power to strip my breath away. A memorial bench beside Jamess grave expresses the feelings of Caroline, and perhaps all parents of deceased soldiers: Through our tears our pride shines bright.' Olivia Attwood opens up on divorce rumours as she admits she and Bradley Dack 'really weren't getting on very well' as she reflects on using partying to cope The Atlantic has sparked outrage across the political spectrum after running an opinion piece the right's reaction to Charlie Kirk's assassination to that of the left following the murder of George Floyd. The article titled, 'The Other Martyr: MAGA has found its George Floyd' was published Thursday and opens with an anecdote about how Floyd's 2020 killing by a police officer sparked countrywide riots. The author of the piece, Thomas Chatterton Williams, went on to explain why he believes 'the MAGA right is undergoing its own religious ferment, animated by a new martyr' - in Kirk. He was 31. 'Just as the left used Floyds death to justify and hasten all manner of political ends, the right is invoking Kirks name to advance illiberal aims and silence opponents,' Williams wrote. 'Today, like five years ago, a controversial man has been transformed overnight into a one-dimensional saint, marshaled in a culture war that precludes measured thought. 'Once again, Americans are being asked to genuflect before an idol,' the cultural critic added. The argument has since spawned backlash on social media, earning responses from figures like Megyn Kelly, as well as Fox News Contributor Benjamin Domenech, right-wing political commentator Rogan O'Handley, and Townhall writer Amy Curtis. 'How dare he utter these names in the same sentence,' Kelly raged on X. An Atlantic opinion piece likened the right's reaction to Charlie Kirk's dead to that of the left following the murder of George Floyd on Thursday George Floyd, who died in Minneapolis police custody, is seen with his daughter Gianna in an undated family photo O'Handley - who goes by the name DC Draino on X - added: 'George Floyd was a career criminal Charlie Kirk [and] committed no crimes and spoke the gospel on college campuses before being shot by a radical Democrat. 'Do not even put the 2 in the same sentence. Disgraceful comparison.' Fox's Domenech took a more sarcastic approach, calling the take 'a fair comparison'. '[S]ince George Floyd was also a role model for untold thousands of young Americans, and like him Charlie Kirk inspired the deaths of dozens and billions of dollars in the most expensive violent riot damages in American history,' he added. Jewish outlet Algemeiner's Washington correspondent Corey Walker observed: 'Unlike George Floyd, Charlie Kirk was not a career criminal. This is a bad comparison.' There was similar fury on Bluesky, a rival social media platform beloved by liberals and founded by former Twitter owner Jack Dorsey following the website's acquisition by Elon Musk. 'Now would be a good time to unfollow and block the Atlantic. Charlie Kirk is not the right's George Floyd, and it's unconscionable to make that comparison,' Writer Jerry Shaver wrote on Bluesky. Pictured, the author of the opinion piece, prominent cultural critic and author Thomas Chatterton Williams 'And just like that, The Atlantic is missing the point. George Floyd was NEVER a martyr,' someone else with a pride flag emoji next to their name wrote. Kirk was killed on September 10 while speaking at a college campus in southern Utah. The youth activist's millions of supporters have since remained peaceful. Floyd's May 2020 murder by a Minneapolis cop led to months of violent protests aimed at combatting police brutality and racial profiling. Williams, meanwhile, also complained about efforts from conservatives following Kirk's death to 'purge their opponents' if they disagreed about it being a tragedy. He also claimed that the right used the full force of the federal government to hold those celebrating their martyr's death - unlike liberals after Floyd's. 'While I understand the authors premise, his comparison is a well intentioned false equivalency,' wrote someone else on Facebook. Disgraced, incarcerated cop Derek Chauvin was seen in video footage from Memorial Day 2020 kneeling on Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes while he cried out that he couldn't breathe. Floyd died at the age of 46 and his death sparked countrywide riots and protests against police brutality Video footage of Floyd's murder showed disgraced former MPD police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on his neck for more than nine minutes as he died. He was 46. Chauvin was arrested and found guilty of murder. A suspect in the killing of Kirk - who was just 31 when he died - has also been arrested. The suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, has been charged with aggravated murder and could face the death penalty if convicted. If you scroll even a little bit of entrepreneurial social media, youll no doubt be familiar with the idea of a Moonshot. This Silicon Valley tech bro slang basically boils down to a big, bold, almost impossible-sounding project. Down on Londons AIM market, one small cap evidently has its own almost literal Moonshot. Pulsar Helium, a company valued at around 54 million, on Wednesday announced what were described as extraordinary results from lab analysis. It suggested that a project in Minnesota has among the highest naturally occurring levels of helium-3 a rarer, more valuable version of the gas ever recorded in terrestrial gas reservoirs. Attempting to give context, chief executive Thomas Abraham-James made an out-of-this-world comparison. Pulsar Helium thinks it's got the largest supply of helium it is possible to find - unless you travel to the moon The next-richest naturally occurring source of helium-3 is arguably the surface of the Moon, he said in the stock market statement. He added: We believe that Minnesota will be a more reliable and economically viable option. This last comment, which was surely intended as analysis rather than punchline, will now be the focus for Pulsar as it works up a commercial narrative to match the extraordinary geological story. A glance at the London share price, meanwhile, indicated that small-cap investors are on board, with Pulsar rocketing to as high as 36p at one point on Wednesday. Pulsar ended the week 47 per cent higher than it started. Sticking with the tortured interstellar puns, the AIM All-Share had one of its strongest weeks this year as it defied gravity with a 1.7 per cent gain to 792. Still, it underperformed a rocket-propelled FTSE 100, which rose 2 per cent into record territory. Among the small-cap winners, Sabien Technology surged 105 per cent this week after its Korean partner City Oil Field secured EU export certification for its circular plastic oil and fresh backing from Saudi and UAE investors. Sabien, via affiliate b.grn, holds rights to roll out COFs Regenerated Green Oil plants in the UK and US, worth $1.2 million per module. Bezant Resources jumped onto the market radar after UK investor Jonathan Mark Swann lifted his stake to 6.6 per cent. The Namibia-focused explorer also received a welcome 1.8 million boost after offloading its stake in Blackstone Minerals. The stock rose 47 per cent. It was also a stellar week for Kefi Copper and Gold, which reminded the market of the progress it has made so far in 2025 with its flagship gold mine in Ethiopia. Crucially, it confirmed that full development of Tulu Kapi remains on schedule to begin in October 2025. The market liked this, with the shares jumping 38 per cent. It was another brutal week for backers and management of Litigation Capital, which crashed almost 60 per cent. This came after the group, which funds expensive commercial court cases, confirmed it had suffered a High Court setback. And, as readers of this column will know, this is not a one-off. Year to date the shares are down 88 per cent. Tissue Regenix was in the sick bay as the market took a dim view of its latest results statement, which contained an asterisk against 2024 year-end inventory and cost of sales estimates. The shares were off 53 per cent. And finally, sometimes the best news for a share price is simply clearing the air. An example? Ceres Power, which jumped 29 per cent after revealing that Bosch has sold the remainder of its 14 per cent stake. The German group had already said in February it was pulling out of decentralised power projects using Ceres solid oxide fuel cell technology. Its overhang had been a drag on the stock, with investors wary of more shares dribbling onto the market. That risk is now gone, and the shares responded accordingly. Panmure Liberum called it a line in the sand and kept its buy rating with a 150p price target. Boschs departure does not change the fundamentals. Other partners remain committed. The chief executive of Santanders UK business Mike Regnier will leave ahead of its merger with TSB, the lender said on Friday. Santander agreed to acquire TSB in July in a 2.65billion deal that is expected to create Britains second biggest bank, overtaking NatWest and Lloyds, with 28million retail and business customers. The combined business, which will be the countrys third largest bank by personal current account balances, could see the TSB brand disappear from the high street upon completion. The deal has also sparked fears of further bank closures across the UK. Regnier, who will depart after four years leading the bank, said in a statement he would pursue other interests and now was the right time step down from Spanish lender. Santander's board has started the process to find a successor when Regnier exits early this year. Mike Regnier will depart after four years at the helm in the first quarter of next year Regnier said: It had been my intention to move on after four-five years with Santander as I have other interests I would like to pursue. Given that the integration of TSB will take considerably longer than this, I have suggested to the board that now would be a good time to find a successor who can see this critical project through to its completion and beyond. Judging the right moment to move on is very important to ensure leadership stability through a period of intense change and opportunity. Ana Botin, the executive chairwoman of the wider Banco Santander group, said Regnier was always very clear about his intention to stay for up to five years. She added: His decision allows an orderly transition and stable leadership through a very important integration project and the creation and growth of the newly enhanced bank. The prototype Rolex worn by the first British woman to swim the Channel during her 'Vindication' bid to prove her doubters wrong is set to sell at auction for at least 1million. Mercedes Gleitze was given the waterproof, pre-patent 'Oyster' wristwatch by Rolex's co-founder just days after she set her incredible record on October 7, 1927. Keen to promote his fledgling firm, Hans Wilsdorf asked Gleitze to wear the timepiece when she opted to get back in the water after a fraudulent rival claimed she had completed the notorious crossing from France to Britain more quickly. During what was dubbed her 'Vindication Swim' by the media, Gleitze - with the nine-carat yellow gold watch hanging from a ribbon around her neck - attempted the crossing again on October 21. Although Gleitze had to abandon the second effort after more than 10 hours at sea in horrendous conditions, the Rolex - among the first of its kind in the world - survived unscathed. Wilsdorf then spent the equivalent of hundreds of thousands of pounds in today's money buying the entire front page of the Daily Mail to proclaim the timepiece as 'The Wonder Watch that Defies the Elements'. The glamorous Gleitze, who was immortalised in the 2024 film Vindication Swim, featured in the advert. Her promotion helped popularise the wristwatch in favour of the then-dominant pocket timepiece. The prototype Rolex worn by the first British woman to swim the Channel during her 'Vindication' bid to prove her doubters wrong is set to sell at auction for at least 1million Mercedes Gleitze was given the waterproof, pre-patent 'Oyster' wristwatch by Rolex's co-founder just days after she set her incredible record on October 7, 1927. Above: Gleitze after her successful crossing of the Straits of Gibraltar in April 1928 The Rolex Oyster she wore - named thanks to its hermetically sealed case that protected the mechanism from water and dust - was one of the first practical wristwatches to be produced. Gleitze would go on to become something of a poster girl for Rolex, helping to propel it to global recognition. Her watch, which bears her name and the words 'Vindication Channel Swim' in capital letters on its reverse, is now being sold via Sotheby's auction house by a private collector who wishes to remain anonymous. It is tipped to sell at auction in Geneva next month for upwards of $1.3million (around 968,000). Sam Hines, Sotheby's global chairman for watches, said: 'The 1927 vindication marked a turning point for Rolex. 'From that moment forward, Rolex aligned itself with the pursuits of adventurers, athletes and professionals operating in the most demanding environments on Earth. 'Gleitze's Channel crossing, nearly a century ago, laid the foundation for what would become a legacy of tool watches built for real-world performance. 'The Oyster was instrumental in the transition from pocket to wristwatches and the Mercedes Gleitze played an important role in this transition, rendering it one of the most significant wristwatches still in private hands.' During what was dubbed her 'Vindication Swim' by the media, Gleitze - with the nine-carat yellow gold watch hanging from a ribbon around her neck - attempted the crossing again on October 21 Rolex co-founder Hans Wilsdorf then spent the equivalent of hundreds of thousands of pounds in today's money buying the entire front page of the Daily Mail to proclaim the timepiece as 'The Wonder Watch that Defies the Elements' He added: 'Rolex, because of this sponsoring of Mercedes Gleitze, they then would manufacture watches for athletes, for explorers and scientists. 'So it really defines the entire company in one event.' Born in Brighton in 1900 to German immigrants, Gleitze moved to London after leaving school to become a stenographer. With a passion for open-water swimming, she devoted her spare time to practising in the Thames after getting special permission from the Port of London Authority. Gleitze quickly began drawing large crowds with her Thames swims, although on one occasion almost drowned in strong currents at Westminster Bridge. Earlier in 1927, she swam from Westminster to Folkestone via the Thames and Kent coast, a total of 120 miles. She again narrowly escaped death when she was pulled underneath passing river barges. But Gleitze's ultimate aim was to swim the 21 miles of rough water that separated Dover from Calais. Gleitze after abandoning her 'Vindication Swim' across the Channel on October 21, 1927 The first person to do it was British steamship captain Matthew Webb, in 21 hours and 45 minutes in 1875. It is notoriously difficult. So hard in fact that fewer people have swum the Channel than have climbed Mount Everest. American swimmer Gertrude Ederle became the first woman to do it in August 1926. She made it across in 14 hours and 39 minutes. She was so much faster than Webb because by then swimmers were not limited to breast stroke. Another American, Amelia Gade Corson, completed the crossing later in 1926. Over five years, Gleitze - who did not have wealth or sponsors behind her - had made seven unsuccessful attempts to swim the Channel. She was variously defeated by the cold, stinging jellyfish, cramp and a swarm of flies. Gleitze was also battling against a common view at the time that women were not capable of conquering the Channel. There had been accusations that Ederle only made it across because she was protected from bad weather by the two accompanying tug boats carrying her entourage and reporters. At 2.55am on October 7, 1927, Gleitze made her eighth attempt. Starting from the French side at Cap Gris-Nez, she benefited from calm but chilly water. She was guided by a small fishing boat from Folkstone and was wearing a tight rubber hat and motorcycle goggles. Kirsten Callaghan starred as the intrepid Gleitze in the 2024 film Vindication Swim Gleitze had become something of a celebrity even before her 1927 swim The Mail's coverage of her successful Channel crossing, and the article reporting her unsuccessful 'Vindication' swim Her trainer, George Allan, talked to her as she swam and gave her hot tea every two hours. Gleitze, who was suffering from the extreme cold and was very thirsty, ate grapes he dangled on a string hanging from a rod. She said later: 'In the excitement of trying to catch them I forgot about being cold.' Because of severe fog, Gleitze and her team were unsure of their exact position. They only had the famous Dover Gun - the artillery piece fired to warn ships of the proximity of land - and the siren of the South Goodwin Lightship to guide them. Finally though, they heard the harbour foghorns. Gleitze had made it. 'When eventually I heard a loud shout from the boat, I felt a great hope surging straight through me,' Gleitze said. 'I let my feet go downwards gradually, and it was land. If I had not felt so weak, I should have cried with joy.' Gleitze proved to be a relentless competitor who battled against the elements Gleitze with her three children at their home in Queensbury, Middlesex, in 1949 The swimmer staggered ashore after 15 hours and 15 minutes in the sea. She quickly fell unconscious into her trainer's arms. On waking up, she felt 'pain too terrible to describe'. However, just a few days after her triumph, another British swimmer, Harley Street doctor Dorothy Lagan (also known as Mona McLennan), claimed she had made the crossing in just 14 hours and 10 minutes. Quickly, the media latched onto the controversy. Soon though, Dr Logan admitted that it had been a hoax. She said she had wanted to highlight how 'anyone can say they have swum the Channel'. Now, with doubts swirling about Gleitze's achievement, she felt the need to swim the Channel a second time. As she put it, she wanted to 'restore the prestige of British women Channel swimmers in the eyes of the world'. With an army of international witnesses on hand, Gleitze set off on October 21. But this time the sea was even colder than before and the conditions were worse. News of her progress was being transmitted by wireless around the world. After 10 hours and 30 minutes, with the sea temperature now at just 10.5C (51F), Gleitze was advised by doctors to give up. But the Briton defiantly swam away when a ladder was lowered from a boat towards her. However, the benevolent pursuers eventually reached her and pulled her out of the water. Pathe News called it a 'splendid failure' and there was little doubt that her earlier swim had been genuine. The record was then rubber stamped by the newly formed Channel Swimming Association. Gleitze proclaimed how, during her second swim, the Rolex had 'proved itself a reliable and accurate timekeeping companion even though it was subjected to complete immersion for 10h24 hours in sea water at a temp of not more than 58 and often as low as 51'. Nothing, she said, 'seemed to affect the even tenour of its movement.' Gleitze did not stop with her Channel swims. In 1928 she became the first person to swim the Strait of Gibraltar between Spain and Morocco. In 1930 she married Dublin engineer Patrick Carey, but opted to swim across the Dardenelles in Turkey rather than go on a honeymoon. The only stretch of water that defeated her was the North Channel separating Northern Ireland and south-western Scotland. Gleitze made eight attempts to complete the 22-mile crossing but was never able to. She went on to have three children but was then struck down by a genetic condition affecting her circulation. The swimmer died in London in 1981 aged 80. The Rolex Oyster is being sold by Sotheby's in Geneva on November 9. He was the teenager with the movie-star looks who spiralled out of control behind bars after being sentenced to die by an Indonesian firing squad. Once condemned in a third-world prison, his minor drug habit quickly escalated into full-blown addiction, given the easy access to drugs in jail. Over the years, Scott Rush became the basket case of the Bali Nine, lonely and terrified as he was caught up in a chaotic mental state known as 'death row phenomenon', leading him to use heroin and even self-harm behind bars. Inside Bali's Kerobokan jail, the former private schoolboy underwent a Muslim circumcision performed by an unauthorised visitor, enrolled in a methadone program, and became engaged twice to women from opposite sides of the globe. One of them, English lawyer Nikki Butler, said she was smitten with Rush, whom she described as 'the hottest guy ever... slightly psychotic and a bit naughty.' Still, she admitted 'his loneliness is killing him' and 'I dont know if I can save Scott - I just want to keep him alive.' Both engagements ended and Rush, who suffered from crippling depression while incarcerated, stated that he expected to be freed from Indonesian prisons only by being 'carried out in a box'. On Friday, Rush turned 40 at his parents' home in south-western Brisbane. Daily Mail has learned he is 'going okay' as he takes tentative steps towards life as a free man in Australian suburbia. Last week, he was seen leaving the house with a dog, driving the family car to a tobacconist two suburbs away, and stepping outside to smoke in the spring sunshine. The Bali Nine's Scott Rush, who turned 40 on Friday, smokes a cigarette as a free man living in the Brisbane suburbs, following his release from an Indonesian prison last December Left: A bewildered Rush, then aged 19, is publicly stripped down by local police as they remove the 1.3kg of drugs strapped to his body after being caught at Bali airport in April 2005. Right: Rush reacts to his life sentence at Denpasar court on February 13, 2006 Daily Mail has learned that Rush is 'going okay' as he restarts his life in Australian suburbia Rush is led from a cell to his first court appearance in October 2005 on heroin-trafficking charges, which eventuated in a life sentence, followed by five years on death row Of all the Bali Nine members recently returned from decades behind bars, Rush looked the most haunted as the prison-transfer papers were signed by Indonesian and Australian officials. But as we spotted him out and about in patterned boardshorts, thongs, a brown T-shirt and a cap, with an earring in his left ear, it was clear his demeanour has relaxed in the nine months since being granted freedom. Daily Mail reported last month that fellow Bali Nine mule Matthew Norman - a year younger than Rush and only 18 at the time his arrest - is now married with a stepdaughter and living in a $5million mansion on the Victorian coast. Rush personally had 1.3kg of heroin strapped to his body when he was apprehended at Bali airport on April 17, 2005. Weeks earlier, he had accepted an offer of a free holiday, a mobile phone and thousands in cash to participate in smuggling 8.3kg of heroin back to Australia. Rush and the eight other members of the Bali Nine drug syndicate were arrested that day. The two ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran would be executed by firing squad a decade later, recruiter Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen died from cancer in 2018, and mule Renae Lawrence was released the same year. The remaining five mules, all serving life without parole, were finally repatriated last December following a prisoner swap agreement with Indonesia - grown men with receding hair, paunches and wrinkles returning penniless to live with mum and dad. Within two weeks of his return, Rush had to contend with the legacy of the troubled youth he left behind for the '11-day Bali trip' from which his parents feared he would never return. Rush drove a family car from his parents' home to the suburb of Oxley where he entered a tobacconist and emerged for smoke Rush, with his dog on an outing in south-western Brisbane last week, will turn 40 on Friday and celebrate his first birthday as a free man in two decades Balinese authorities surround a helpless Rush in the hours after the Bali Nine's arrest on April 17, 2005, in what would be the beginning of a tortuous prison ordeal for the Brisbane teen The papers approving the transfer from Indonesia to Australia of (L-R) Martin Stephens, Michael Czugaj, Scott Rush, Matthew Norman and Si Yi Chen were signed last December Rush grew up in the Brisbane suburb of Chelmer and attended the private Catholic boys' school St Laurence's College where he was expelled in Year 10 for drug possession. He had begun smoking cannabis aged 15, used prescription drugs and tried ecstasy. In December 2004, five months before his fateful flight to Bali, Rush pleaded guilty at Inala Magistrates Court to 16 offences, including drug possession, fraud, theft and drink-driving. In March 2005, Rush and his friend Michael Czugaj met a young man named Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen in a hotel in Brisbane's hectic nightlife precinct Fortitude Valley and agreed to do what was portrayed as an easy money, low-risk drug run. Rush and Czugaj flew to the Bali capital of Denpasar on April 8 - but not before Scott's father, Lee Rush, sensed something was wrong and attempted to stop him from boarding by contacting the AFP through barrister Bob Myers. Mr Rushs actions were later misrepresented as a tip-off that alerted Indonesian authorities to the Bali plot - a myth that persists despite being untrue. The AFP already knew of the drug syndicate's plans, and its decision to alert Indonesia was made independently of Mr Rush's efforts to intervene. With Czugaj and Rush staying at the Hotel Aneka and visiting other establishments along Kuta Beach, they were sitting ducks in a major Balinese police operation. As they met up with ringleaders Chan and Sukumaran, the cops watched and filmed. Rush wouldn't be the only one to later say that Chan made threats against his family. He told Australian Story in 2006: 'We were forced to follow whatever they told us to do. I had no opportunity to be away and escape from the threat as I love my family and my mother and my father.' In court testimony at trial, supported by that of Czugaj, Rush said Chan's words made it clear: 'You do as I say, don't mess around with me. I've got a gun with me and I could kill you. If I wanted to, I could kill you right now.' Last days of freedom: Rush swimming in the hotel pool (left) and with a monkey on his shoulder in a Bali street (right) during an 11-day 'holiday' before the ill-fated drug run. The whole time, he was unknowingly under surveillance by police ready to swoop on the heroin syndicate Reality sinks in for Rush, whose bottomless stare from a room inside Bali police headquarters reflects the deep trouble the 19-year-old had found himself in Neither Brisbane teen had met Renae Lawrence or Martin Stephens until their arrest at Denpasar airport, all strapped up with heroin encased in body stockings, while Andrew Chan sat drug-free on a plane ready to depart. Back home in Chelmer, Lee Rush, already despairing after his son had made it to Bali, received a call from Australian Government authorities. 'Scott had been detained in Indonesia for attempting to export heroin. I was speechless, sickened to the gut,' Mr Rush would recall. Images of the men before their arrest show happy Australian youths. Rush was photographed relaxing in his hotel pool, with a monkey in a Kuta street, carefree and smiling, unaware he was under surveillance. Post-arrest, he had a bottomless stare - from the indignity of being stripped down and filmed in his underwear while the drugs were removed, to the hopelessness of perpetual custody. In February 2006, a Denpasar court sentenced Rush to life. Eight months later, the Bali High Court upgraded this to the death penalty. He spent five years on death row in Bali. It wasn't until 2011 that a judicial review commuted his sentence back to life. Rush was 25, staring down the barrel of life in prison, but told he should feel grateful to have death by firing squad taken off the table. Rush drove two suburbs away from his parents' home to purchase tobacco An old Myspace photo shows six of the Bali Nine inside Kerobokan jail. From left: Matthew Norman, Andrew Chan, Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen, Scott Rush, Si Yi Chen and Michael Czugaj He struggled with incarceration and the temptation of Kerobokan's steadily flowing drug market. Rush was once filmed by a visiting TV crew, clearly drug-affected at the prison. A psychiatrist would later categorise Rush's behaviour as 'confused' and 'thought-disordered'. 'He is an anxious, lonely and terrified young man. He is trying to find understanding in a world that no longer makes sense,' the psychiatrist told Nine newspapers. While still on death row, Rush caused an uproar at Kerobokan prison. After an alleged botched attempt to convert to Islam, Rush was going by the name Scott Suleiman and spending time with a small group of Muslim prisoners. Then on May 7, 2010, Rush was circumcised under local anaesthetic in the jail's musholla, or Islamic prayer room, by a man who had sneaked in and covertly performed the operation. Angry at the security breach, prison medical officer Agus Hartawan nevertheless confirmed that Rush's 'wound is healing properly and he is doing fine'. Rush has since maintained he is a Christian and that he underwent the circumcision 'for health reasons', despite the prison being equipped for such surgery. Locked up in Indonesia, Rush suffered 'death row syndrome' which made him feel anxious, terrified and alone THE PRISON ROMANCES Two weeks after learning he was getting off death row, Scott Rush was reported to be in love with an American woman who had been seeing him daily, often visiting the prison with Lee Rush. It was said Rush wanted to marry Karen Hermiz, but prison security refused to allow the marriage after the pair were caught getting intimate, which was against jail regulations. Prison security chief Ari Yudo refused to allow such a ceremony after an incident involving the two when Ms Hermiz entered the jail as part of a charity group conducting workshops and educational courses. After the couple were caught in the act, the security chief banned Ms Hermiz from visiting. 'I will not allow him [to marry] as long as he has childish and bad behaviour,' Yudo said. The romance fizzled out. Rush and his British former fiancee, lawyer Nikki Butler, are seen together in a prison visitors area. Butler described Rush as 'hot' and 'slightly psychotic' Scott had boyish good looks and charm at the time of his arrest. Taken on April 21, 2005, the image on the left is one of the earliest photos of Rush post-drug bust, while he was still being held at police headquarters and before his transfer to Kerobokan In 2014, Rush underwent a transformation from drug addict to law-abiding jail inmate under the influence of mother-of-two Nikki Butler, a London solicitor and banker he had coincidentally met in Bali days before his arrest. In the week prior to being locked up on drug-trafficking charges in 2005, Rush and Ms Butler had enjoyed a boozy afternoon together on the beach, having met that morning. Ms Butler renewed their friendship on visits to Bali from the UK, by which time Rush had transferred, at his request, to Karangasem prison in the island's relatively remote south-east in an effort to stay clean. In June that year, separated by bars, Rush got down on one knee in the visitors area and declared his love, saying: 'Nikki, I love you and you love me. I think we can have a happy ending. Will you marry me?' Then aged 28 and 38 respectively, Scott and Nikki, had 'an awesome connection', he said, 'I was meant to meet her. I never expected this to happen.' For her part, Ms Butler said that when she was asked, 'You are a London banker, so what would you want to hang out with a heroin trafficker for?', she answered: 'I love him I know the person Scott is and he is a really, really beautiful person.' Wearing a sign calling him a 'suspect', Scott Rush shows Balinese police how the drug plot was carried out during a humiliating crime reenactment during his trial Police strip search Rush, eventually getting down to his underwear and the pressure bandages strapping the heroin to his young body Rush struggled with incarceration and the temptation of prison's steadily flowing drug market. Rush was filmed by a visiting TV crew, clearly drug-affected at Kerobokan Rush was reading books on philosophy and history, and was enthusiastic about his future. He was interested in electrical engineering and spoke of his hopes, pre-arrest, of joining the Royal Australian Air Force. 'I feel really lucky,' he said at the time, 'excited to have somebody that I was in love with and had such a connection and I wanted to have a future so badly that I gave up early death. I don't just want to be a name on Wikipedia.' The pair planned to marry in prison with hopes of Rush getting a reprieve within three years. But in late 2014, it became clear that the Indonesian government would go ahead with its plans to execute drug dealers on death row, including the Bali Nine ringleaders. It was a powerful sign there would be no mercy for the lifers either. In 2015, armoured 'Barracuda' vehicles transported Chan and Sukumaran from Kerobokan. The men flew to Java's port town Cilicap, from where they were transferred by ferry to Nusakambangan, or 'Death Island'. At about midnight on April 29, 2015, Chan, Sukumaran and six other drug offenders were taken to a field on Nusakambangan and shot dead. The executions reportedly deeply affected the remaining Bali Nine members, in particular those like Rush who had also faced death. In the years since, he became close to local Balinese living near Karangasem jail who became his 'foster family' and who he says cared for him. THE TIP-OFF MYTH Much of the debate over the years since the Bali Nine arrests in Indonesia has centred on why the AFP chose to alert their Indonesian counterparts about the drug plot instead of waiting to arrest the conspirators when they hit home soil. Rush's father Lee had alerted police about what his son was up to, not realising the AFP would place the nine Australians into the hands of Indonesia. Had they been tried and sentenced in Australia upon their return with the drugs, all the Bali Nine would have served their sentences and by now been long out of jail. Both Scott Rush's father Lee and the AFP have been lambasted for what has been seen by some as monumental stuff-up, particularly around the time of Chan and Sukumaran's executions. Several attempts to clear the matter up have been made since, but it took a statement by the Rush family's lawyer Terry Fisher after Scott's return to clarify it. Fisher said that Lee Rush 'had reported to the Federal Police that he was suspicious of something going to happen, and the police said they would speak to [Scott] to advise him that he was under surveillance, to stop him getting involved in this. Scott talks to his father Lee and mother Christine through the bars at Bali police headquarters in April 2005, just days after he was arrested. In the weeks after the arrests, several of the Bali Nine's distraught parents rushed over to see their children Christine and Lee Rush in December last year at the family home where they tied a yellow ribbon on the letterbox as they prepared for their son's homecoming 'What happened was they [the AFP] didn't do that. And before he left for Indonesia, the AFP tipped off Indonesian authorities to the Australians being there, knowing full well it was a death-penalty sentence.' As Lee Rush would recall: 'I was informed at 1.30 in the morning that Scott would be spoken to and asked not to board the flight to Bali. 'It wasn't until about mid-morning that I received a call from [lawyer Bob Myers] and with a distressed tone in his voice he said, "Mate, we could not stop him, they have let him go through and he's on his way to Bali."' Mr Rush stressed that 'under no circumstances do I condone the trafficking of drugs I particularly dislike drugs of any nature, always have', while expressing his despair and frustration at the Feds. 'I feel very let down by our Australian Federal Police. We tried to lawfully stop our son leaving the country - it wasn't done, he said. Rush and Renae Lawrence's lawyers took court action against the AFP, alleging illegal conduct in handing over information to Indonesian police, which led to the arrests. They argued that, according to a bilateral treaty, this authority rested solely with the Attorney-General. The Australian Government maintained that treaty only applies after a suspect is charged. The application was dismissed by the Federal Court in 2006. HOME TO MORE COURT DRAMA On December 15 last year, Rush, Matthew Norman, Michael Czugaj, Si Yi Chen and Martin Stevens returned to Australia as free men. The botched Bali drug plot was just one of more than three failed overseas heroin deals masterminded by Chan and Sukumaran in 2005 for a Sydney-based Chinese drug-smuggling syndicate which had links to Myanmar. The men, who lured Rush and other mules into it, had paid with their lives at execution in 2015 at a time when then-Indonesian president Joko Widodo was determined to show the world his anti-drugs zealotry. But in 2024, Widodo lost power to the milder Prabowo Subianto and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese began negotiations in earnest. At the APEC Summit last November, he secured President Subianto's agreement to a transfer on humanitarian grounds. At the signing of the clemency releases last December, a tense and unhealthy looking Scott Rush could be seen watching on with the other ashen Bali Nine men. Michael Czugaj and Rush in the early days of their incarceration before Scott began to feel the terrible weight of his imprisonment Kerobokan prison in Bali - where Rush spent most of his sentence, and drugs were rife Two weeks after his return to Australia, Rush appeared at Brisbane Magistrates Court on charges dating from the month before his 2005 Bali arrest, when he was in the grips of drug addiction. Wearing a borrowed suit and accompanied by his now-aged parents, he pleaded guilty to receiving tainted property and seven counts of enter dwelling at several Brisbane properties where he stole cash, a hearing aid, a Nintendo Game Boy, Nokia mobile phones and jewellery. He also pleaded guilty to unlawful use of a Toyota Sedan, and twice defrauding Cash Converters in late 2004, as well as receiving stolen property and failing to appear in court in April 2005. Solicitor Terry Fisher told the court that Rush was committed to integrating himself back into society and 'to make himself a worthwhile contributor to society'. 'He was 19 years of age when he went to Bali, he was apprehended at the Bali Airport with 1.3 kilograms as a drug courier,' he said. 'He was not the main perpetrator. He did face the death penalty. Two of the members of the Bali Nine were shot by a firing squad, the two main ringleaders. Christine and Lee Rush comfort their son in the early days following his arrest Mr Fisher said his client had undergone intensive counselling in Indonesian jail and had taken self-improvement courses. 'Clearly, over a period of 20 years, you have plenty of time to do that. He has insight and remorse into his previous conduct, and what he's committed to now is to being reintegrated into Australian society,' Mr Fisher said. Magistrate Patricia Kirkman-Scroope noted Rush's significant drug habit at the time and extensive rehabilitation in Indonesia. She convicted but did not further punish Scott on the 13 offences. Rush's parents, Christine and Lee, who attended court to support their son, said he would continue to live with them. Part of the diplomatic coup hatched by Albanese to free the remaining Bali Five was struck on the grounds that the men continued their rehabilitation efforts on home soil. Mr Fisher told Daily Mail this week he believed Scott Rush was 'doing well', but had no further details about any job prospects or study. When the Mail called Scott's father Lee Rush, he declined to comment on his son's progress or any 40th birthday celebrations. For most of her life, Maddie Block was a daddy's girl - at least, her dad thought so. Her childhood was marked by Mediterranean cruises, European vacations and the comfort of a spacious family home in New Mexico. When the time came for college, her Air Force veteran father, Jay Block, now a Republican state senator, didn't hesitate to pay the bill, even emptying his military benefits to cover the cost. In an interview with the Daily Mail, Block recalls one especially proud moment: taking Maddie, then 16, to the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam to teach her the importance of their Jewish heritage. But now, he said, the once-close relationship has been shattered after Maddie dragged her father in viral online tirades after he accepted a state-funded diplomatic trip to Israel. Block told the Daily Mail that the videos - which racked up millions of views on social media - have 'torn our family apart.' He claimed the fallout has brought death threats, FBI visits and fears for his safety in today's climate of political violence. 'As a father, I provided her a very, very privileged life, and this has happened to too many families where [kids] just get indoctrinated and they turn on you,' he told the Daily Mail. 'What my daughter won't tell you is that I gave up my military benefits to pay for her undergrad degree, and her college fund went to her master's degree that she's still pursuing.' 'She doesn't talk about all the Mediterranean cruises and resorts,' he added, recalling all-inclusive trips to the Canary Islands, Majorca, London - happy memories that he said have been devastated by his daughter's public vitriol. New Mexico State Senator Jay Block said his family has been 'torn apart' by his daughter Maddie's 'nasty' attacks on him over politics, saying she has brought death threats and visits from the FBI. They are pictured together in happier times on a trip to the Anne Frank House Maddie Block, the daughter of the New Mexico Republican Senator, went viral last month as she slammed her father as a 'loser politician' for going on a trip with other US lawmakers to Israel The senator said his relationship with his daughter went sideways when he began supporting Donald Trump in 2016. Their bond worsened when she 'bought full-in' to Covid-19 lockdowns and became a feverish supporter of masking. He told the Daily Mail their family was dismayed when she praised Luigi Mangione for killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in 2024, and insisted that was 'not the way we raised her.' Maddie has since shifted her focus to pro-Palestine content on social media. Block said, at the moment, 'she just can't forgive me for being a Republican.' He said Maddie's grandparents have also been heartbroken by the rift after they saw 'really nasty messages.' The fallout within the family burst into public view in September as Maddie posted a video to TikTok calling out her father for taking a trip to Israel with other lawmakers. 'WTF does Netanyahu have to do with any local issues in New Mexico?' she captioned her clip, which was viewed more than 1.5 million times in a matter of days. She cited a lengthy X post from her father after the trip that she said peddled talking points from the Israeli government over its war in Gaza. In her TikTok, Maddie said: 'I genuinely believe that Israel is, like, paying my dad now to peddle propaganda... 'How much are they paying my dad? Like, how much is his soul? Because it seems like he has sold his soul to the devil.' She also mocked her father repeatedly and called him 'just a state senator, he's not even a US senator.' She said on camera that she hoped her video 'will be the end of my dad's political career.' Block said he worked hard to give his daughter a 'very, very privileged life', but their fallout over politics means she won't even speak to him as she slams him in public for millions of views on social media Block said his daughter Maddie's videos have launched a wave of abuse at their family, and said his wife is 'extremely worried about my safety' given the climate of political violence in the US Block argued that it should be important to all US lawmakers - local and national - to keep an interest in the Middle East. 'What happens in the Middle East affects us all,' he told the Daily Mail, citing a rise in anti-Semitic attacks in the US this year such as a flamethrower attack in Colorado in June and the murders of two Israeli embassy workers in Washington, DC, in May. 'There has been so much leftist, pro-Palestine, pro-Hamas violence in the United States... I never would have imagined it.' Block said this violent rhetoric has been turned on him thanks to his daughter's videos. He said he has had 'two conversations with the FBI, I've had numerous death threats, this has been picked up by anti-Jewish activists. 'With the political climate the way it is and recent violence, my wife is extremely worried about my safety.' Block said this is not the first time his daughter's social media rants have affected his political career. 'When I was running for the State Senate in 2024, a lot of people became aware of my daughter's horrible actions against me.' She had previously posted about her father 'infecting' people when he wouldn't wear a mask during Covid, and claimed he called her 'disgusting' over their political disagreements. Asked about Maddie's past tweets alleging such arguments, Block responded: 'She has constantly attacked me and that's ok. I will always love her and I forgive her for all she has said and done to me.' Maddie previously shared that it was their differing views on the COVID-19 pandemic that led to the end of their relationship in November 2020 Block said this is not the first time his daughter's social media rants have affected his political career, and recalled: 'When I was running for the State Senate in 2024, a lot of people became aware of my daughter's horrible actions against me' Block seen greeting President Donald Trump on a trip to New Mexico in 2019 Block told the Daily Mail his time serving in Afghanistan in the Air Force and trips to Nazi concentration camps 'really shaped my thinking' of the Middle East. He is disappointed that his daughter disagrees with him so vehemently. 'She's cut off all ties with me,' he said. 'No matter what happens and what she says, I love my daughter. I forgive her, but she doesn't want to talk to me and she's not ever going to forgive me for being a Republican.' Maddie did not respond to the Daily Mail's requests for comment via social media. In the depths of Kamala Harris's floundering 2024 presidential campaign, top advisors for Joe Biden told her the president would understand if she chose to break from him. Sources familiar with the conversations between the two political campaigns told the Daily Mail Team Biden knew she would have to separate herself from some of his more unpopular policies and stake out new territory if she was going to win the White House. But she never did, they revealed, either out of loyalty or because she worried it would create backlash against her role in the administration. That mentality led to the famous moment on The View, when she said that 'there is not a thing that comes to mind,' that she would do differently than Biden. Harris revealed in the book that she was prepared to say that 'great ideas come from all places' and that she would appoint a Republican to her cabinet - but failed. That was quintessential Harris. 'Some of the decisions that were made on that side of the building were so tone deaf that there was not much we could do to fix it,' a former Biden aide told the Daily Mail. These damaging insider anecdotes are now seeping out of Biden White House loyalists, as the former staffers and advisors to the then president reel from the release of Harris's new tell-all book '107 Days,' a diary of her failed campaign. Vice President Kamala Harris listens to US President Joe Biden in the Oval Office Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris walks on stage during a campaign rally 'It's like the political memoir's equivalent of a Regina George burn book, settling scores and, with personal animus,' a former senior Biden-Harris campaign official told the Daily Mail, referencing the movie 'Mean Girls'. 'It just struck me as very small,' the insider added. Well now, these aggravated parties appear to be out for revenge. Other former Biden advisors revealed Harris was very cautious about crossing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, frequently grilling Biden's staff why their administration's policies were at odds from hers. Staffers found it strange she seemed more preoccupied with a left-wing radical from New York than the lead from the president of the United States, people familiar with the behind the scenes details told the Daily Mail. Harris's difficulties preparing for high-profile meetings and high-stakes media appearances are well-known, but Biden insiders say she took longer to get up to speed than even the aging president. 'You'd think a candidate 20+ years younger would be able to prep faster and engage more with members of the media,' the ex-campaign official said. 'But we quickly found out that was indeed not the case.' Harris famously botched her interview with NBC's Lester Holt when she pointed out she 'hadn't been to Europe' when he asked her why she hadn't visited the border. The blowup over her answer bothered her so much, she ultimately chose to visit the border herself, despite warnings from Biden staff not to engage Republicans on the issue. What was worse, anytime Harris was asked a question she was not prepared for, she took it out on her staff according to people familiar with her campaign. That, too, is one her known modus operandi. But there was only so much they could do. Staff watched in horror, the Daily Mail was told, when interviewers asked her questions that she had been prepared for in advance with pre-rehearsed lines but then flubbed nevertheless. Other former Biden aides were not pleased when Harris blamed the president's staff for not defending her. They recalled former press secretary Jen Psaki, who served in the Obama and the early Biden administration, frequently defended Harris, especially when she was under attack from Republicans. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to supporters at Howard University after conceding the presidential race to Donald Trump Kamala Harris in conversation with Errin Haines at The Town Hall Democratic insiders expect Biden to remain above the fray - for now. Both the Bidens are currently crafting their own books, in which they expect to address not just the party-wide betrayal of the president, but also his vice president. Jill Biden, in particular, tends to hold grudges, and had a frosty relationship with Harris from the beginning. 'I remember every slight committed against the people I love,' Jill famously said in her 2019 memoir. 'I can forgive, sure, but I don't believe in rewarding bad behavior.' But some former advisors caution that allowing Harris to continue her political 'reset' unchallenged could damage their legacy. 'Acting with speed was a major blind spot for them when it came to the public relations strategies they follow,' former advisor to First Lady Michael LaRosa told the Daily Mail. 'It always feels rather tone deaf because they always leave it to others to tell their story instead of themselves.' LaRosa cautioned that Harris' new narrative about the Bidens, left unchallenged by the Bidens directly, could further damage the family reputation. 'It's tragically misguided to believe that their books can help shape or save his legacy by giving them the last word,' he said. Biden world is confident that details in the book will fade over time, just like former First Lady Hillary Clinton's memoir detailing how she lost to Trump. Just two political candidates lost to President Trump in presidential campaign, and Harris is now one of them. The former policeman accused of murdering a television presenter and his Qantas flight attendant partner offered to plead guilty to one count of manslaughter. Beau Lamarre-Condon made the claim on Friday morning as he pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder in the NSW Supreme Court. Lamarre-Condon allegedly shot dead Jesse Baird, 26, and Luke Davies, 29, at Paddington in Sydney's eastern suburbs in February last year. The onetime celebrity chaser reportedly briefly dated Mr Baird before the Network Ten identity began a relationship with Mr Davies. Lamarre-Condon said on Friday he had previously tried to admit to killing Mr Baird. After entering not guilty pleas to the murder charges, Lamarre-Condon delivered an extraordinary speech from prison as he appeared on an audio-visual link. 'Can you still hear me?' the 30-year-old asked Justice Peter Hamill. 'I would just like to respectfully say this so the following is noted on the court transcript, so the DPP cannot deny having no knowledge of this. Beau Lamarre-Condon made the claim on Friday morning as he pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder in the NSW Supreme Court Beau Lamarre-Condon allegedly shot dead Jesse Baird (left) and Luke Davies (right) at Paddington in Sydney 's eastern suburbs in February last year 'Whilst in the local court, I made a formal offer to the DPP of guilty to one count of manslaughter relating to Jesse Baird and Jesse Baird only. 'I want this noted on the transcript, so if I'm convicted of this offence at trial it was known I did take accountability. 'I am remorseful and I'm also entitled to my early plea discount.' Lamarre-Condon said he would 'strongly oppose' any move to have the court closed or evidence suppressed when he faced trial because 'I want the public to know the actual truth of what happened'. He then accused police who investigated Mr Davies and Mr Baird's deaths of 'serious misconduct and corruption', to which the DPP had been 'partly' complicit. 'The truth will always prevail and I will not be silenced,' he said. Justice Hamill told Lamarre-Condon he was represented by a 'very capable solicitor' and noted there would be a record of any negotiations which took place in the local court. 'But in any event, we'll proceed,' he said. The bodies of Mr Davies (right) and Mr Baird (left) were found several hours after detectives spoke with Lamarre-Condon in the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre at Silverwater Lamarre-Condon was originally charged with two counts of murder, later amended to indicate they were alleged to be related to domestic violence. He has also pleaded not guilty to aggravated break and enter with intent to commit a serious indictable offence. That charge relates to an allegation Lamarre-Condon broke into Mr Baird's Paddington house and stole his wallet and phone in August 2023, six months before he and Mr Davies were killed. Justice Hamill listed the case for trial in September next year. The court heard there were more than 200 witnesses in the brief of evidence but the Crown did not expect to call 'anywhere near that' number to give testimony. Lamarre-Condon's counsel John Stratton SC told the court he did not anticipate applying for the case to be heard by a judge alone, meaning it would go before a jury. At the end of the brief hearing Lamarre-Condon told Justice Hamill: Thanks for your time, Your Honour. Lamarre-Condon's lawyer Ben Archbold indicated his client would be entering not guilty pleas to all charges in Downing Centre Local Court on August 26. Lamarre-Condon has spent the past 19 months in jail. He is shown in a court artist's sketch Lamarre-Condons mother Coleen (above) has attended court to support her son Wearing prison greens, Lamarre-Condon looked tense and stared intently at the screen from within Long Bays Special Purpose Centre prison when he appeared via video link. He blinked, swallowed and answered the magistrate's questions in a clear voice. Asked if he could see and hear the court clearly, he said 'yes'. Lamarre-Condon was then asked if he had any questions about his pleas. 'No, Your Honour,' he said. Lamarre-Condon's mother Coleen was among those in the packed courtroom on that day. Outside court, Mr Archbold was asked how his client would defend the murder allegations. 'There are two sides to every story,' he said. Mr Archbold added that Lamarre-Condon's legal team looked forward to representing him in 'the appropriate forum'. Police allege Lamarre-Condon broke into Mr Baird's Paddington house (above) in August 2023, six months before he and Mr Davies were killed Police located the remains of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies near Bungonia in the NSW Southern Tablelands (above) eight days after they were allegedly murdered Lamarre-Condon, who joined the NSW Police Force in 2017, was a senior constable when he allegedly shot Mr Davies and Mr Baird with his Glock service pistol on February 19 last year. He then allegedly bundled their bodies into surfboard bags and dumped them at Bungonia, about 180km south-west of Sydney, where they were located on February 27. A day before the bodies were found, Deputy Commissioner Dave Hudson revealed an alleged timeline of events leading up to and following the men's deaths. Mr Hudson said gunshots were heard coming from Mr Baird's rented terrace house on the morning of February 19. Later that evening, Lamarre-Condon allegedly hired a Toyota HiAce van from Sydney Airport and on February 21, drove the vehicle to a property near the tiny town of Bungonia with a female companion. Lamarre-Condon allegedly left the property about 4.30am and drove to Newcastle, where he asked a former policewoman if he could borrow a hose to clean the van. Neither woman is accused of any wrongdoing, and the female ex-cop spoke to police when her suspicions were raised. About 10.30am the next day, February 23, Lamarre-Condon walked into Bondi police station and was arrested. Onetime celebrity chaser Beau Lamarre-Condon (above, with Katy Perry) joined the police force in 2017 The bodies of Mr Davies and Mr Baird were found several hours after detectives spoke with Lamarre-Condon in the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre in Silverwater. Before becoming a police officer, Lamarre-Condon ran a celebrity blog, posing in photos with visiting celebrities including Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, Harry Styles and Katy Perry. Lamarre-Condon has spent the past 19 months behind bars over the shootings, which were allegedly the result of a months-long campaign of 'predatory behaviour' targeting Mr Baird. He was sacked from the police force in March last year. Prisoners are having Mounjaro fat jabs and tooth-whitening strips delivered to their cells using drones. The gadgets are routinely used to smuggle drugs and mobile phones into jails - with inmates using makeshift hooks to grab packages hanging beneath them. At HMP Edinburgh , guards have now started intercepting other types of contraband, including pharmacy supplies they cannot access easily on the inside. Governor Fiona Cruickshanks said the most 'unusual' item she had seen were doses of the prescription-only medicine Mounjaro. 'It's obviously not something that we regularly see, so that would indicate to us that it has been specifically requested,' she told Newsnight. 'I would think that someone genuinely wants it to lose weight. I mean it's all the rave just now, it's very popular, people are seeing fantastic results on it. 'So you'll have people in custody thinking - "I want a bit of that".' Guards at HMP Edinburgh seized one device constructed out of a mop handle and wire from a clothes hanger that inmates were using to pull in parcels from drones. A packet of Mounjaro seized by guards at HMP Edinburgh after criminals tried to smuggle it in on a drone The jail has finally installed grilles in cell windows to increase security. On other occasions, drones drop off packages in yards or patches of undergrowth for retrieval later on. Charlie Taylor, the Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales, has described drones buzzing high-security prisons as a threat to national security and warned they could 'theoretically' carry escaping inmates. He has also blamed the devices for flooding prisons with drugs, with up to six in 10 prisoners at some establishments testing positive for narcotics. In June, footage emerged of a drone dropping a parcel into a yard at HMP Wandsworth in South London. At the time, Tom Wheatley, President of the Prison Governors Association, said the devices were a 'significant and growing problem', with drops happening 'every day'. Drones have already been used to bring in blades and zombie knives, and Mr Wheatley warned there was 'no practical reason' they could not be used for guns too. Operators can locate themselves hundreds of yards away and use live footage from the drone's camera to fly in and around the prison. It is a lucrative business, with gangs operating inside prisons reportedly willing to pay tens of thousands of pounds for 'Amazon-style' deliveries. Four people, including a former Staffordshire Police officer, are currently waiting to be sentenced over a plot to use drones to bring contraband into prisons. A drone and the bag of drugs it attempted to smuggle into a prison Guards at HMP Edinburgh seized one device constructed out of a mop handle and wire from a clothes hanger that inmates were using to pull in parcels from drones Mother-of-three Clare Davenport, a detective constable, and her husband Peter King worked in tandem to make as much money as possible by dropping drugs into high-security prisons between 2021 and 2022. Police identified 25 drone drops at prisons across the Midlands with parcels containing heroin, cannabis and spice worth tens of thousands of pounds. There were ordered directly by inmates. King, 52, pleaded guilty in August to smuggling drugs into prisons, while Davenport, 51, admitted a lesser charge of obtaining payment from prisoners and their families. Last month, their two accomplices, 'right-hand man' Mervyn Foster, 45, and drone pilot Kent George, 63, were found guilty of their roles in the drug-smuggling ring following a trial at Coventry Crown Court. The trial heard the couple had million-pound houses and an impressive lifestyle, with neighbours telling the Daily Mail they lapped up a life of luxury, enjoying overseas holidays, a fleet of luxury cars and visits to fancy restaurants. Davenport left the force in April 2023 after officers investigating the drone-smuggling ring found racist messages she had exchanged with Foster, which Staffordshire Police used to initiate gross misconduct proceedings. She retired before she could be sacked. This is the shocking moment a British holidaymaker forced a plane to divert to Crete after shoving an air stewardess and screaming at fellow passengers. Witnesses have described how the 38-year-old scratched the brave cabin crew worker, leaving her bleeding, while hurling abuse and threatening other travellers after a row sparked by someone kicking the back of her seat. The passenger, who was travelling with her husband and young child on a plane bound for Egypt, was said to be heavily intoxicated and became so aggressive that the captain was forced to divert for safety reasons. Appalling footage filmed inside the cabin shows her gesturing wildly, clapping her hands and swearing as the crew repeatedly begs her to sit down. Other travellers can be heard telling her to 'just chill out' and 'relax' as she points at the staff and shouts. As her outburst escalates, annoyed passengers in the row behind her tell her to 'shut up', to which she retorts: 'You f***ing shut up' and blurts to the cabin crew that she 'couldn't give a f***' along with other inaudible expletives. She then threatens other travellers, yelling: 'You'll go down with a bang in a minute.' In the clip, the girl travelling with the woman can be seen with her head buried in her hands, looking mortified. She also turns on her partner and grunts: 'Shut the f*** up. I'm done with you anyway. I hate you anyway. I f***ing hate you.' Witnesses have described how the 38-year-old scratched the brave cabin crew worker The passenger, who was travelling with her husband and young child on a plane bound for Egypt, was said to be heavily intoxicated Appalling footage filmed inside the cabin shows her gesturing wildly, clapping her hands and swearing as the crew repeatedly begs her to sit down One traveller who saw the drama unfold told the Daily Mail: 'She kicked off on the plane and moved seats because apparently someone was kicking a seat, so she got irate. 'They ended up having to move passengers that were in row one into her row, which was 11. She was booting off about that. 'I think they moved her to row one so they could keep an eye on her because she was shouting and being aggressive at that point. She was moved next to us, so that's why we had a prime view of all this incident.' The passenger, who asked to remain anonymous, added: 'She was being really aggressive about the fact that the crew challenged her. She was calling everybody the C-word.' 'The whole plane was telling her to shut up at this point. I just kept telling her to stop swearing.' At one point in the footage, the woman gets up and charges at the onlooker after she told her to be calm. According to the witness, passengers initially stayed quiet as they did not want to provoke her. She said: 'A lot of people on the plane didn't say anything as they didn't want to antagonise her. Her partner didn't get involved until it was too late. I asked him to try and calm her down. Other travellers can be heard telling her to 'just chill out' and 'relax' as she points at the staff and shouts The woman was arrested after the plane landed and is expected to face prosecutors in Crete, while her partner and daughter continued to Egypt 'I told the woman there were kids in the plane and she was scaring them as well as having a minor next to her.' The pilot eventually announced the diversion to Crete, which the passenger described as 'not ideal'. She explained: 'Obviously, it was not ideal. You're on your way to Egypt, and then it gets diverted. But I understand why it had to happen because the safety of people is paramount. 'She could not have continued on the flight because God knows what she would have done. The communication from the captain was brilliant. He kept us informed every step.' Even as the aircraft touched down in Heraklion, the woman refused to back down. The traveller recalled: 'When we touched down, the police didn't board to get her. She said she was walking off with her head held high, and nobody would be coming on. 'She also said she wanted a cigarette on the runway with loads of fuel'. The woman was arrested after the plane landed and is expected to face prosecutors in Crete, while her partner and daughter continued to Egypt. Incidents like this have become increasingly common, with drunken passengers forcing diversions, delays and arrests. Airlines warn that disruptive behaviour in the air puts passengers at risk and costs companies thousands of pounds each time a flight is diverted. This week, it was reported that a Ryanair service from London Luton to Alicante was forced to land in Toulouse after Daniel Ashley-Laws, a British stag-do passenger, tried to open an emergency exit. French police boarded the plane and removed five men before the flight could continue. And in September, a flight from Manchester to Ibiza was delayed when a drunken passenger refused to fasten his seatbelt. He argued with the crew and was eventually dragged off by police, sparking cheers from frustrated holidaymakers. An experienced marine biologist had a near-death experience after he tagged a nine-foot shark and it turned around to bite him in the head. Dr. Mauricio Hoyos, a 48-year-old Mexican marine biologist who has been tagging aquatic creatures for more than 30 years, encountered the large shark on Saturday off the coast of Cocos Island, about 340 miles southwest of Costa Rica. He was scuba diving to tag sharks for conservation research. After reaching a depth of 123 feet, he encountered a migratory Galapagos shark that was at least nine feet long. He aimed his pole spear armed with a tag at the shark and fired. The shot hit and embedded the tag in the base of the shark's dorsal fin. The startled shark, which was about a meter away, suddenly turned and darted at Hoyos with its jaws wide open. 'She turned sideways in my direction; it was really fast,' he told the New York Times. 'It was wide open; my whole head was inside of her mouth in less than a second.' Hoyos heard a loud crack but realized it was just the pressure from his scuba suit being released. He said that as soon as the shark felt his skull, it opened its jaws and released him from its grasp. Dr. Mauricio Hoyos was scuba diving to conduct conservation research when a shark he tagged suddenly turned and darted at him with its jaws wide open Hoyos was attacked by a migratory Galapagos shark that was at least nine feet long (stock image) But serious damage had been done. He would later discover that the shark had sunk 27 teeth into his head, slicing his scalp, puncturing his face and damaging his jaw. Blood and water began to fill Hoyos's mask which the attack had knocked out of place. The air hoses on his scuba gear had also been severed by the nine-foot fish's teeth. Blinded by his own blood, Hoyos sensed the shark moving away and could just about make out its shadow as it retreated. 'I saw the shadow twice in front of me,' he said. 'If she wanted, she could have killed me.' He began to ascend slowly as he bled and his oxygen supply leaked from his suit. It was important for him not to rise too quickly to avoid decompression sickness, a challenging situation given his limited time. 'To be honest it was like in slow motion,' Hoyos said. 'But my mind was very calm. I was thinking the whole time about what to do.' Eventually Hoyos reached the surface as he felt he was about to faint. He grabbed onto his team's boat and they helped him aboard. He was rushed to Cocos Island where park medics gave him first aid before he was transferred on a 36-hour journey to mainland Costa Rica for more serious treatment. He arrived in stable condition. There, he received stitches to close the laceration on his scalp and the 27 puncture wounds caused by the shark bite. He then awaited surgery to fix his jaw which had also been damaged in the attack. The terrifying encounter was Hoyos's first bite, and the marine biologist with a profound love for aquatic life had a surprising amount of grace in his heart for the shark that bit him. Hoyos was part of a team of scientists researching shark migratory patters. In this picture, his team measured juvenile Galapagos shark and took blood and tissue samples Hoyos said the shark hadn't seen him before he fired the spear and that it was startled by the feeling of getting punctured, which is why it attacked. 'It was a defensive bite. She wanted me to stay away from her personal space,' he said. 'I have been doing this for 30 years. She was scared also. It was not her fault.' Dr. Hoyos was the chief scientist for a team pursuing marine conservation efforts by studying shark migratory patterns along an underwater mountain ridge off Cocos Island. The team's research was meant to help assess the need to protect sharks from commercial fishing. The team left Costa Rica on September 20 and had its first dive off the coast of Cocos Island two days later. Hoyos's encounter with the Galapagos shark occurred on the sixth dive of the research trip. 'Incidents like this are extremely rare,' said Alex Antoniou, executive director of Fins Attached, on social media. 'Dr. Hoyos is an extraordinary scientist who has dedicated his career to shark conservation, and we are deeply grateful for the support of the Cocos Island community in this very difficult time.' Cocos Island is a Costa Rican national park that was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. An American woman was killed off the coast of the island by a female tiger shark in 2017, and her dive guide was also seriously injured in the attack. That was the first attack of its kind near Cocos Island, authorities said at the time. The Islamist terrorist who launched the deadly attack on a synagogue came to the UK from Syria as a young child and grew up just around the corner from the site of the horror. Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, who was shot dead minutes after he targeted Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester yesterday, is understood to have been granted British citizenship in 2006 when he was a teenager, aged around 16. Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, died in yesterday's attack. They were both members of Manchester's Jewish community. It is believed Al-Shamie was a dad - with a photo shared by his own father last year showing him holding a baby in his arms. The Facebook post was captioned 'great welcome grandson'. He had not been referred to the Government's anti-terror programme Prevent or was known to police or the security services, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood confirmed on Friday morning. Al-Shamie - who is yet to be formally identified - carried out his murderous rampage on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. He first rammed his black Kia Picanto hatchback into crowds of Jewish worshippers at 9.31am, before he got out and started 'stabbing everyone he could get to'. Videos on YouTube show Al-Shamie and his two brothers playing in the back yard of a home on Crescent Road, which is around a 20-minute walk from the synagogue he later targeted. The clips were shared by the killer's father Faraj Al-Shamie, who is believed to be a trauma doctor who has worked for several NGOs in warzones across the world. It is understood the family has lived in Greater Manchester for at least 30 years - and currently live in Prestwich, around two miles from the scene of the terror attack. Police yesterday arrested two men aged in their 30s and a woman in her 60s on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack. Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, who was shot dead minutes after he targeted Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester yesterday. It is believed he was a father and is pictured holding a child Videos on YouTube show Al-Shamie and his two brothers playing in the back yard of a home on Crescent Road, which is close to the synagogue he later targeted The 35-year-old was caught on camera armed with a knife trying to get into the synagogue moments before he was shot by armed police Al-Shamie's name was last night linked to a property in the town - with a neighbour recognising his face from photographs of the synagogue attacker. Al-Shamie is understood to have worked as a tutor teaching English and computer programming. It is not known whether he came to the UK as an asylum seeker or whether it was through another immigration route, such as 'family reunion' which can allow foreign nationals to join relatives already in Britain. Two men have been confirmed dead in yesterday's horror. Three other Jewish worshippers were rushed to hospital with serious injuries, one with stab wounds and the other hurt by being hit by the car. In an update last night, police said they had also arrested two men aged in their 30s and a woman in her 60s on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack. Police said officers were 'working to understand the motivation behind the attack'. Further checks are being carried out to see if any of his details appear anywhere in records of other investigations. The terrorist was shot dead by police following the attack outside a synagogue in Manchester (pictured is a member of the Army's bomb disposal team checking the attacker) Screengrab from a home video showing the brothers playing in the home near the synagogue Your browser does not support iframes. Al-Shamie tried to force his way inside the synagogue, but was prevented in doing so by hero Rabbi Daniel Walker, who barricaded worshippers inside. Father-of-three Yoni Finlay also helped to stop him from going inside. He was said to have been injured by a stray bullet when armed police shot Al-Shamie dead seven minutes after the horror unfolded. Mr Finlay was taken to hospital following the attack and is said to have undergone surgery. It is unclear whether he was accidentally shot or was injured from shrapnel and flying glass from the impact of the bullet on the door. 'Marauding' terrorist Al-Shamie had been seen wearing what was feared to be a vest with an explosive device. Police later confirmed the vest he was wearing was 'not viable'. Khurram Rafiq, who was driving past the synagogue, said Al-Shamie went from victim to victim in a 'robotic' manner like he 'had a job to do'. Mr Rafiq, 35, a manager for a global tech firm, told the Daily Mail: 'Initially I thought it was an accident and that the driver had lost control for whatever reason. 'But he then got out and stabbed the man who was lying on the ground. The knifeman walked through the front gates and stabbed at least two other men. I would describe him as an Asian man and he was going for anyone who was Jewish. 'The men he stabbed were all wearing the kippah. There was no shouting from what I could hear nor any religious slogans.' Rabbi Daniel Walker (pictured right) leapt into action after the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue came under attack Yoni Finlay stopped the knifeman - named on Thursday by police as 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie - from getting inside Heaton Park Synagogue A bomb disposal expert from the British Army's 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Search Regiment is seen investigating the device worn by the terrorist People in tears were seen comforting one another near the synagogue following the deadly attack Last night, Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said the terror attack had come following an 'unrelenting wave of Jew hatred on our streets, campuses, on social media and elsewhere'. He said: 'This is the day we hoped we would never see, but which deep down, we knew would come.' Police patrols have been bolstered outside synagogues since yesterday's bloodshed, with Sir Keir Starmer pledging to the Jewish community that he would do 'everything in my power to guarantee you the security that you deserve'. The premier later visited an unnamed synagogue in a show of solidarity having earlier heaped praise on the heroic emergency services and security who had 'no doubt whatsoever prevented an even greater tragedy'. Sir Keir had flown back from a summit in Copenhagen to oversee the emergency response. Greater Manchester Police chief constable Sir Stephen Watson said the bravery of security staff and worshippers had stopped the knifeman from entering the building. Sir Stephen said: 'There were a large number of worshippers attending the synagogue at the time of this attack, but thanks to the immediate bravery of security staff and the worshippers inside, as well as the fast response of the police, the attacker was prevented from gaining access.' Former Tory minister Sir Grant Shapps told The Times that his father-in-law, Michael Goldstone, came 'face-to-face' with Al-Shamie from inside the synagogue, where he is a member of the congregation. Sir Grant told the newspaper: 'He was face-to-face with the terrorist, holding the inside of the door, as he tried to break down the front doors. Following the incident, armed officers later reportedly arrested two men in a street just feet away from the deadly knife attack in Manchester (pictured is a man being detained by police) Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to the Jewish community that he will do 'everything in my power to guarantee you the security that you deserve' Members of the public and congregants seen as police and other emergency responders attend the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue A forensic technician gathers evidence at the scene following the stabbing and car attack 'The chap had turned up 10 minutes earlier before the car came back and smashed into the security. 'They locked the doors when the car crashed into the gate, which prevented more killings.' Shortly after police shot Al-Shamie, Rabbi Walker was seen outside, his white kittel - the traditional robes worn by Jewish religious leaders - seemingly covered in blood. Worshipper Rob Kanter, 45, was in the barricaded synagogue and told how Rabbi Walker was providing as much pastoral support as he could. He described the terrifying moment the Heaton Park Shul was placed into lockdown - but said most of those inside were able to remain calm. 'We knew there was a commotion because we had already made sure all of the doors and windows were shut,' he said. 'I would say the mood amongst our fellow congregants was very calm. Everyone deals with these things in their own way, but generally, everyone was very calm and dignified.' He said the worshippers evacuated across Middleton Road to a nearby relief centre. Speaking from Downing Street after a Cobra emergency committee meeting, Sir Keir condemned the 'terrorist attack that attacked Jews because they are Jews', which he said had been committed by 'a vile individual'. People are led through the scene at a police cordon in Manchester People were seen hugging one another close to the synagogue where two people were killed in the terror attack Benjamin Netanyahu called the deadly rampage a 'barbaric attack' and said Israel was grieving with the Jewish community in Britain. 'Our hearts are with the families of the murdered, and we pray for the swift recovery of the wounded,' the Israeli Prime Minister said. 'As I warned at the UN: weakness in the face of terrorism only brings more terrorism. Only strength and unity can defeat it.' Speaking in Manchester near the synagogue, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she was 'horrified by the anti-Semitic terrorist attack'. 'My prayers are with the victims and the families of all of those who are murdered here today,' she said. She added: 'I know that there are many questions that are still to be answered, and rest assured, they will be answered as quickly as possible, it will just take a little time for us to establish exactly what has happened here, but we will share more information as soon as we are able to. 'What I do want to say is to those who seek to divide us, they will fail.' Andy Burnham stood next to Ms Mahmood to condemn the attack. He said that 'Greater Manchester will never stand aside when one of our communities is attacked'. The Mayor of Greater Manchester added: 'We ask everyone to show solidarity to the Jewish community this weekend, and already, we've mobilised through our interfaith network messages of support and solidarity through places of worship.' A drunk former doctor and knife enthusiast was arrested for carving a six-inch laceration into his girlfriend's neck and driving away from the scene of the crime, according to police. James Michael Doyle, a retired physician with roughly 40 years of experience, was intoxicated around midnight on September 23 when he 'filleted open' his girlfriend's neck with a knife. The unidentified woman suffered a slash of six inches from the area towards the back of her ear down the trapezius muscles at their home in Taylor, Michigan. Authorities said she was watching TV on the couch when Doyle attacked her, and she managed to call 911 soon after she was cut, according to Fox 2. The woman reportedly told dispatchers that her boyfriend 'fileted' her with the knife. The woman was delirious from blood loss when police arrived and Doyle was missing. The cops reportedly found the 65-year-old in a car miles away from the house. Police officers confirmed that they believe Doyle is a former doctor. He was charged with domestic violence, felonious assault, assault to do great bodily harm less than murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, and operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol content of .17 or more. James Michael Doyle was intoxicated around midnight on September 23 when he 'filleted open' his girlfriend's neck with a knife, according to reports Authorities said she was watching TV on the couch when Doyle attacked her at his home in Taylor, Michigan. Pictured: The street where Doyle lives Police said the girlfriend: 'Didn't have much of a recollection since she didn't see any of it happen,' according to the outlet. Officials found that the couple had been together for four years and had previous domestic violence issues but never reported them. Lieutenant John Regan of the Taylor Police Department said to the outlet: 'Minimizing any sort of crime, especially domestic, once weapons become involved in just changes the whole circumstances around it.' The lieutenant elaborated on the woman's condition: 'She pulled through - the doctors did a great job working on her.' 'I believe she went through and is just recovering at a local hospital right now.' Authorities reported that the drunk doctor was also a knife collector. At this time there is no reported motive behind Doyle's actions. Police reportedly speculated that there may have been an argument beforehand. The Daily Mail contacted Doyle's former office, ProMedica, who said Doyle had retired from the practice. The office added they had no further comment. Doyle, a retired doctor, is pictured in a YouTube video from his practice in Michigan Doyle was a physician for roughly 40 years. The cops found the 65-year-old in a car miles away from the crime scene According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, one in four women 18 years or older in the US has been the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime. More than one in three women in the US have experienced rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime. The National Domestic Violence hotline number is 1-900-799-7233. Coffee giant Maxwell House is changing its name for the first time in its 133-year history as part of a marketing campaign meant to reflect the economic reality of millions of Americans. The brand, which is owned by Kraft Heinz, will be temporarily renamed to 'Maxwell Apartment,' in a nod to the fact that one third of Americans rent their homes rather than purchasing them. 'In a time where value matters now more than ever, Americans seek value in areas of their everyday, including where they live,' the brand said in a press release published to Kraft Heinz's website last Thursday. The change will be in name only, and the brand promised to maintain its 'same delicious taste, aroma, quality and ingredients.' The coffee is 'the same Maxwell House Original Roast Ground Coffee you love, thats just for renters,' the release said. The announcement closely aligned with National Coffee Day, which was on September 29, and the brand introduced its limited-edition Maxwell Apartment coffee canisters for purchase that day. As a part of the marketing campaign, the brand is offering a 12-month 'lease' on its coffee, allowing customers to save a little money while stocking up on a full year supply of java. The offer is for four 27.5-ounce canisters of Maxwell House Original Roast Ground Coffee for $39.99. One of those canisters usually goes for $12.99 on Amazon. The company cited statistics that say coffee drinkers could save more than $1,000 a year with the offer, compared to daily cafe runs. Coffee giant Maxwell House is temporarily changing its name to 'Maxwell Apartment' in a nod to one third of Americans renting their homes The Maxwell Apartment canisters will only be available for a limited time, and customers will still be able to purchase regular Maxwell House coffee canisters Customers will still be able to purchase regular Maxwell House coffee canisters online and in stores. The Maxwell Apartment canisters will only be available for a limited time. The marketing campaign comes at a time when Americans are paying near-record levels for their coffee as global production faces challenges and prices increase due to tariffs. The most recent Consumer Price Index released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that coffee prices were up 20.9 percent from a year ago in August. Prices also rose 3.9 percent on a month-over-month basis. That was the highest annual price gain since 2011, when it rose 21.2 percent in July that year. The name change reflects similar marketing campaigns carried out by a variety of brands in recent years. In January, Starbucks changed its name to 'The Starbucks Company' on its website and app. Its legal name remains the Starbucks Corporation. That same month, Coors Light announced it was temporarily changing its named to 'Mondays Light' in honor of people who had a little too much on Super Bowl Sunday. In October of last year, Goldfish temporarily changed its named to 'Chilean Sea Bass' in a quirky attempt to appeal to adults. In 2022, Kraft Heinz permanently shortened the name of 'Kraft Macaroni and Cheese' to 'Kraft Mac & Cheese' to better reflect what people called the brand. The first time I met Michelle Mone she was in a bad way. It was lunchtime and she was still in her dressing gown as she answered her door. She told me she had been waking up in the middle of the night screaming. She thought she may have a cracked rib. It was February 2003 and she was recovering from a carjacking ordeal outside her then business, MJM International, in Glasgows Govan. Her attacker had a knife, she said. She struggled with him, but he kicked and punched until she finally released the keys to her 54,000 BMW. He roared off in it. To this day police have not traced the brute who laid Michelle Mone low. They found her car sure enough good as new, within hours. Espionage The hooded thug with the blade, it seemed, had no interest in that. What was never recovered was the 30,000 of irreplaceable underwear samples she was about to hand over to Debenhams. Critics have said Michelle Mone should be stripped of her peerage following this week's High Court ruling Michelle Mone pictured on the luxury yacht Lady M So, on her account, in a case of apparent industrial espionage, a knifeman was hired to intercept the safe delivery of said lingerie to the retailer by staging a vicious carjacking under the cover of darkness. The culprit abandoned the BMW almost immediately because, of course, it was of no interest to him. What he was really after was that cargo of ladies underwear. Many questioned the account, and Ms Mone angrily denied the entire episode had been staged, telling reporters at the time that she couldnt believe people would go so low. Curious, wasnt it, that she was in a much greater hurry to talk to the Press about the incident than the police? A full account, laden with terror and melodrama, was offered to a reporter hours before any detectives were afforded the chance to interview her. Ive just been looking back at the feature I wrote about the lingerie tycoon that week. It carries the line as all reports did at the time that Julia Roberts wore one of MJMs cleavage-enhancing bras in the film Erin Brockovich. She didnt, it turns out. Michelle Mone just said that to get attention. Here is something else she did for attention. She axed Sir Rod Stewarts model wife Penny Lancaster as the face of her brand and replaced her with of all people his ex-wife Rachel Hunter. That prompted my next encounter with Ms Mone. She invited a gaggle of Glasgow journalists for one to ones with the New Zealand model who, by the way, comes out of this tawdry tale with no credit either. I dont say Ms Mone was a nasty piece of work and a manipulative cow, but that was what Sir Rod said. Its possibly the worst thing Ive heard this most mild-mannered of rockers say about anybody. These dubious entries in the public record of the Glasgow entrepreneur are, of course, ancient history. Far more contemporary is her involvement with PPE Medpro, the company which sprang up during lockdown in 2020 and struck a 122million deal to supply the Department of Health with surgical gowns which turned out to be useless. By now styling herself Baroness Mone of Mayfair and married to businessman Doug Barrowman, she used her position in the House of Lords to refer this firms PPE to the Government via the so-called VIP lane without declaring any interest such as the fact her husband led the consortium which set the company up. Then she lied to the Press about her involvement in the firm and threatened legal action against any news outlets printing the truth. Then, when caught in that lie, she sought refuge in the line that she was only trying to protect her family. If this weeks damning High Court ruling requiring the reimbursement of all 122million to government coffers finally opens a nations eyes to who Michelle Mone really is, it is not before time. There are those in my part of the world who are mystified that it took so long. They shake their heads in disbelief at the cluelessness of David Cameron who, as Prime Minister in 2015, reached the astonishing conclusion she was House of Lords material and worse, put her there. Had he done any homework? Was he aware of her reputation in the Scottish business community? Charlatan A letter to Mr Cameron from one representative of it, Douglas Anderson, put the matter succinctly, if mildly: Mone is not a successful entrepreneur, she is a small-time businesswoman with a PR exposure far in excess of any actual success. What was the PM thinking? How insulting to the real movers and shakers in Scottish business that this self-mythologising charlatan was now a de-facto ambassador in an ermine robe for start-ups in poor areas. The only person that I can think that this is good for is Michelle Mone, said Mr Anderson at the time. How prescient the remark seems today. My next encounter with Ms Mone came a couple of years before Mr Camerons catastrophic misjudgment. One would have thought the events of 2013 would have been fresh in the memories of his advisors at least. By then, Ms Mone had split acrimoniously with her first husband and business partner Michael, who had set up a rival firm. Fearing that a key employee may be planning to defect to her exs business, she arranged for a recording device to be hidden in his office. On discovering that his office had been bugged, operations director Scott Kilday lodged a claim for unfair dismissal at an employment tribunal and won. I remember one days evidence particularly well all about how Ms Mone would listen to the tape, then prime the device for the next days snooping. Baroness Mone of Mayfair is married to Scots businessman Doug Barrowman Ordered And I remember the phone call I took from her representative when I returned to the office to write the story. How did I plan to report this? Could she help at all? With writing a fair, accurate and contemporaneous report on proceedings in an ongoing employment tribunal which Id been present to witness? No, she couldnt help with that. She had the good grace, at least, to sound faintly embarrassed. To an extent, I pitied her in her task ringing up every journalist covering the case to gauge the potential for persuading them not to do their jobs properly. I surmised it was a task she was ordered to do. One gets a feel for media manipulators after a time. Like I say, that thug who stole the baronesss underwear samples all those years ago is still out there. If you doubt that then his victim cant believe you would go so low. Its just cruel utterly disgusting. I went through a terrible, terrible attack. And if you think a measure of justice has this week been meted out to a richly deserving recipient, youre wrong there too. The truth is, I have endured five years of pure torture Its nothing less than an establishment win for the Government in a case that was too big for them to lose She is free, of course, to defend herself to the credulous. But not, surely, as Baroness Mone of Mayfair. That grotesque title should be removed forthwith. Right-wing provocateur Candace Owens is losing friends on the right - and fast, after she continues to promote conspiracy theories about Charlie Kirk's assassination. Owens has tried for weeks to tie Kirk's assassination to Israel, and has also claimed that Kirk's views, after years of defending Israel, had been turning in the final weeks of his life. In a letter Kirk sent to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Maypublished by the New York Post earlier this weekKirk expressed deep love and steadfast support for Israel while warning that the Jewish state was 'losing the information war' on social media. Kirk urged Netanyahu to revamp Israel's media strategy to win back support, especially among younger Americans, including within the conservative MAGA community. But Owens isn't buying it. Owens has doubled down on her accusations, claiming Netanyahu has misrepresented the letter's contents and called on Turning Point USA, the organization Kirk founded, to disavow her claims or face exposure. 'Charlie Kirk's perspective on Israel was not starting to shift,' Owens said on Wednesday's episode of her podcast. 'It had shifted entirely. There are no ifs, no and's, and no but's. Israel knew that. Turning Point USA knew that, because Charlie was explicit,' Owens continued. Right wing podcaster Candace Owens on a episode of her podcast that aired Tuesday Founder and president of Turning Point USA Charlie Kirk speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland, U.S., February 28, 2019 Charlie Kirk, center, conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA, speaks to supporters of President Donald Trump at a rally outside the Maricopa County Recorder's Office, Friday, Nov. 6, 2020, in Phoenix 'I'm going to challenge the Turning Point USA executives to issue a very clean statement that I am lying if this is not true,' Owens declared. 'If you do lie, I'm going to expose the lies. I'm going to start dropping videos, actually,' she further threatened. In an episode of her show that aired on September 16th, Owens claimed that Netanyahu was 'severely misrepresenting the contents' of a letter Kirk sent him before he was assassinated, and called on him to release the full text. Meanwhile, Andrew Kolvet, spokesman for Turning Point, dismissed false reports that Kirk was paid $150 million by Israel, saying the group only accepted American funding. Prominent figures such as former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee have vouched for Kirk's unwavering love for Israel, while even some far-right voices critical of Owens have condemned her attacks as exploitative following Kirk's death. 'He told me that he was 'jealous of me becoming Ambassador to Israel' because it was the one thing he would love to do because he loved Israel,' Huckabee wrote on X around 1 AM Eastern Time on Thursday. 'I haven't mentioned this publicly as the comments were off air while we were chatting during a break, and I didn't want someone to allege that I made up the story,' the former Arkansas Governor and Presidential candidate recalled in his post. Conservative personality RC Maxwell, wrote on X that 'Candace unfollowed me after I had a private conversation with her last night about her recent antics.' Even far-right podcaster Nick Fuentes, who has frequently expressed anti-semitic views himself, believes that Owens has gone too far down the rabbit-hole. 'She should be ashamed of herself. She is a disgusting and vile human being,' Fuentes said of Owens, adding that it was a 'shame' how she was 'exploiting her friend's death.' A California dad at the center of a bizarre wildlife controversy says a sarcastic comment he made on the beach triggered a federal investigation and a nationwide manhunt. Jason Bietz, of Hanford, was at the beach with his daughter when they came across a dead sea lion and stopped to inspect it. An onlooker, identified as Rashelle Diaz, suspected Bietz of vandalizing the carcass and began recording the interaction. Bietz said when was confronted, he may have responded flippantly while he and his daughter were examining the dead animal. 'It's possible I said that I was just going to take the head,' Bietz told The Los Angeles Times, 'as a smart ass, sarcastic remark.' In Diaz's video, she's heard asking Bietz what he needs the dead seal for. 'I told you we're just taking the head,' he replies. When she asks why, he responds, 'the skull.' A sea lion was found decapitated on July 27 at Point Pinos Beach in Pacific Grove, California, sparking a nationwide manhunt for the suspect responsible Jason Bietz, a Hanford resident, was at Point Pinos Beach with his daughter when they came across a dead sea lion and stopped to inspect it. Pictured: Jason Bietz pictured at Point Pinos Beach in Pacific Grove, California She asks if it's 'to dry it,' and he answers, 'yes,' according to The Los Angeles Times. Diaz later reported the incident to authorities, recalling seeing Bietz prodding the sea lion carcass with what she believed was a knife. Bietz was identified by federal authorities after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) posted a photo of him on Monday, seeking information related to the July 27 decapitation of a sea lion at Point Pinos Beach in Pacific Grove. In its report, the agency claimed the man in the photo had been seen sawing off the animal's head with a hunting knife and carrying it away in a plastic bag. By Tuesday, however, NOAA removed the image, confirmed the man in the photograph had been located, and stated that no marine mammal parts were removed from the beach after all. Bietz has since denied ever harming the animal, telling The Los Angeles Times the incident stemmed from a misunderstanding during a beach outing with his teenage daughter, who is interested in marine biology. The NOAA however, initially supported Diaz's account, stating in the public bulletin that a man had used a hunting knife to remove the sea lion's head, placed it in a zip-style plastic bag, and left the area. Bietz, however, denied those claims. He said he was not carrying a knife and believes the object pictured in his hand was either a stick, his phone, or a key lanyard. Bietz said he was confronted by a woman while at the beach and may have responded flippantly while he and his daughter were examining the dead animal. Pictured: Sign for Point Pinos Lighthouse at Point Pinos Beach in Pacific Grove, California He also denied skinning the animal, saying the sea lion's skull was already exposed when he and his daughter discovered it earlier that day. He later provided The Los Angeles Times with a photo of the carcass, taken at 3:42pm, which appeared to show the skull already clean and intact - hours before his recorded encounter with Diaz. Diaz has since explained that she now knows no parts were removed, telling The Los Angeles Times: 'I currently know that he did not decapitate it, even though he said that's what he was doing, so that's what I had assumed that he did.' Still, she believes her intervention may have prevented further action. 'I caught him, and then he wasn't able to do what he was planning on doing, which was my goal,' she said. During the confrontation, Diaz informed Bietz that Point Pinos Beach is a protected area where it is illegal to remove any natural objects - including skulls. 'What law says that?' Bietz can be heard replying in the recording. Diaz said her original intent in confronting Bietz was to raise awareness about marine protection laws - not to launch a manhunt. 'My main goal was to spread awareness about the laws and protecting our beloved marine mammals here,' she said, 'not to have this whole $20,000-reward-if-you-find-him-type thing.' Under California's Marine Mammal Protection Act, it is illegal to disturb, harm, or remove parts from marine mammals, dead or alive. Violations can result in civil fines of up to $36,498 or criminal penalties of up to $100,000 and one year in jail per offense. The NOAA has not responded to any requests for additional comment, with a spokesperson explaining that they are currently furloughed due to the federal government shutdown. Educators and a top California lawmaker are demanding an investigation into an elementary school teacher who shared a photo in a work group chat showing a black toddler wearing an ankle monitor. John Solomon, a fifth-grade teacher at MacArthur Elementary School in Lakewood and a prominent leader in the Teachers Association of Long Beach, is under fire after a colleague shared the distasteful message he sent about their young students in May. In the text to the 11-member group chat, Solomon included a photo of a cartoon black toddler smiling while wearing an ankle monitor on one foot, according to the message obtained by The Long Beach Post. The image was styled to resemble a 'Little Tikes' toy package, with the mock toy labeled 'My First Ankle Monitor.' 'We need this for our runners!' Solomon wrote alongside the screenshot. One team member quickly spoke out against the disturbing post, responding, 'that image is troubling on many levels.' Rather than backtracking, Solomon instead replied from his number with a simple, 'yeah. I see that.' According to several teachers, his use of the term 'runners' was a pointed, mocking reference to their special education students, who are more likely to wander off than other students, as reported by the outlet. Educators and a top California lawmaker are demanding an investigation into a fifth-grade teacher who shared a photo in a work group chat showing a black toddler wearing an ankle monitor accompanied by the message: 'We need this for our runners!' John Solomon (pictured), the teacher at MacArthur Elementary School in Lakewood accused of sending the text, denied sending the message, insisting his phone must have been hacked Shortly after the group chat was exposed, state Sen. Lena Gonzalez issued a statement urging the union to remove him entirely. 'Racist disparaging comments about any child in our Long Beach schools should never be tolerated,' Gonzalez said in a public statement. 'But learning about the racist text and photo shared by an LBUSD teacher, who is supposed to have the trust of colleagues, students and parents, is horrendous,' she added. Solomon has denied sending the message, insisting his phone must have been hacked - an explanation the district isnt buying. 'I wish Mr. Solomon was here, because I wanted to wait and look him in the eye and talk to him,' Bola Oduwole, a math teacher at Poly High, said during a board meeting held on Thursday, as reported by the outlet. 'My question to him is: Every time you see an African American kid or an Asian kid or a brown kid, is that all you see?' he added. 'I wonder what other stereotypes exist in your mind.' The revelation of Solomons text put pressure on the Teachers Association of Long Beach (TALB), which has been trying to remove him from the union while also negotiating a new contract. Amid the ongoing controversy, the union appointed a three-person investigative committee to conduct an internal review. According to several teachers, his use of the term 'runners' was a pointed, mocking reference to their special education students, who are more likely to wander off than other students (pictured: Sen. Lena Gonzalez) An internal investigation determined that Solomon's message not only mocked disabled students, but also invoked harmful racist stereotypes about black children (pictured: MacArthur Elementary) Investigators ultimately determined that Solomon's message not only mocked disabled students, but also invoked harmful racist stereotypes about black children. They also found Solomons claim that his phone had been hacked to be 'simply not credible,' noting that several teachers in the group chat had saved his message, which came from the number he continued to use. Meanwhile, the fifth-grade teacher has called the accusations defamatory and says he will likely pursue legal action against the union and others he claims are spreading false information about the situation. But his staunch defense has done little to ease concerns among educators and the community. Solomon has since resigned from the bargaining committee, citing 'increasing responsibilities in the classroom,' but has refused to step down as secretary of the unions executive board. In his own words, the investigation is nothing more than a 'KANGAROO COURT,' according to LB Post. The board said it has no mechanism to remove him but can recommend closing the matter entirely if he resigns - a move that has prompted a union member meeting on Thursday. During the meeting, members pushed to launch a recall campaign - a petition requiring signatures from at least a quarter of the unions 3,700 members to trigger a special election to remove a board officer, according to The Long Beach Post. Sen. Gonzalez (pictured) called on schools across the state to unite their communities, 'not spread harmful stereotypes or divisive rhetoric' - especially when the 'federal administration is pushing discriminatory deportation tactics' Manar Totonji, a science teacher at Poly High School, revealed that when he learned about Solomon's text in July, he was 'in complete disbelief.' He called it astounding how something 'so repugnant and racist' had been sent by 'a person that we all elected, who is representing our collective interests to the district and who actually sits in a classroom himself.' In an email to LB Post, Gonzalez elaborated on the 'outrage' she felt over the incident. 'I am outraged and incredibly disappointed,' she said. 'As parents, we put our trust in schools to provide not just academics, but safe, nurturing spaces built on unity, equity, and inclusion.' She further called on schools across the state to unite their communities, 'not spread harmful stereotypes or divisive rhetoric' - especially when 'the federal administration is pushing discriminatory deportation tactics.' MacArthur Elementary School has declined to launch its own probe, claiming it 'falls outside their scope of authority,' according to the outlet. As of now, Solomon remains employed as a teacher at the school. A father of three was injured by a stray police bullet after helping stop the Manchester synagogue terrorist from murdering more innocent worshippers by barricading the front door from the inside, the Daily Mail can reveal. Yoni Finlay stopped the knifeman - named on Thursday by police as 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie - from getting inside Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester on Thursday. Al-Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent, was shot dead by armed officers minutes after his murderous stabbing spree on Yom Kippur - the holiest day in the Jewish year. Alongside the two killed, four others were also injured. Three are seriously hurt, with one suffering stab injuries, and another hit by a car. Mr Finlay, who lives near the synagogue, was taken to hospital following the attack and is said to have undergone surgery. It is unclear whether he was accidentally shot or was injured from shrapnel and flying glass from the impact of the bullet on the door. A friend said: 'We heard Yoni was one of those who was bravely helping to barricade the door from the inside to stop the terrorist gaining entry into the synagogue. 'He was taken to hospital because he was injured either from a stray police bullet or from shrapnel and flying glass caused when the bullet hit the door. We don't know the full details. Yoni Finlay stopped the knifeman - named on Thursday by police as 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie - from getting inside Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester on Thursday Yoni was taken to hospital following the attack and is said have underwent surgery. It is unclear whether he was accidentally shot or was injured from shrapnel and flying glass 'We don't know how serious he is either but are hoping that he will be ok. He suffered wounds to the side of his stomach below his ribs and around his waist.' A member of the Heaton Park Synagogue, who knew Mr Finlay, added: 'My wife saw him being taken into an ambulance on a stretcher. 'As far as I know he's undergoing surgery this evening. We don't yet know how he is but are hoping he'll be ok.' Two men aged in their 30s and a woman in her 60s have been arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism, police said. It comes after the Daily Mail exclusively revealed that the suspect, who was wearing what appeared to be an explosive vest, was an Islamic terrorist. Al-Shamie drove a car into a crowd outside the synagogue before he started stabbing people at 9.31am. He was shot dead within seven minutes of the first 999 call being made. It is understood he entered the UK as a young child and was later granted British citizenship in 2006 when he was still a minor. It is not known whether he came to the UK as an asylum seeker or whether it was through another immigration route, such as 'family reunion' which can allow foreign nationals to join relatives already in Britain. In an update this evening, Greater Manchester Police said: 'We are now able to confirm that, although formal identification is yet to take place, we believe the person responsible for today's attacks is 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie. 'He is a British citizen of Syrian descent. 'A suspicious device worn by the attacker during the incident has been assessed and was deemed not to be viable. Rabbi Daniel Walker (pictured right) leapt into action after the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue came under attack Police are seen standing guard outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, was caught on camera armed with a knife trying to get into the synagogue moments before he was shot by armed police A bomb disposal expert from the British Army's 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Search Regiment is seen investigating the device worn by the terrorist The terrorist was shot dead by police following the attack outside a synagogue in Manchester (pictured is a member of the Army's bomb disposal team checking the attacker) Following the incident, armed officers later reportedly arrested two men in a street just feet away from the deadly knife attack in Manchester (pictured is a man being detained by police) 'Based on what we currently know, our records do not show any previous Prevent referrals relating to this individual.' Sir Keir Starmer saluted those who bravely stopped Al-Sahmie from carrying out more bloodshed. The PM gave a statement from 10 Downing Street where he hailed emergency services and security saying they had 'no doubt whatsoever prevented an even greater tragedy'. Greater Manchester Police chief constable Sir Stephen Watson said the bravery of security staff and worshippers had stopped the knifeman from entering the building. Rabbi Daniel Walker was one of those who blocked the entrance to the 'packed' synagogue and was hailed a 'hero' by one worshipper. He was later seen outside comforting other people who broke down in tears. Rabbi Walker's wife, Esther, was informed about what happened when officers knocked on her door. She was unaware of what had happened and unable to contact him as she was prohibited from using her mobile phone or switch on her television or radio during Yom Kippur. 'I was so relieved but, beyond the fact he's alive and not hurt, I don't know anything,' she told The Telegraph. Speaking to the Daily Mail, Chava Lewin said: 'Rabbi Walker was incredibly calm, he shut the doors to the synagogue to stop him getting inside. 'He barricaded everyone inside. He is a hero, this could have been even worse.' Shortly after police shot the the man, Rabbi Walker was seen outside, his white kittel - the traditional robes worn by Jewish religious leaders - seemingly covered in blood. Worshipper Rob Kanter, 45, was in the barricaded synagogue and told how Rabbi Walker was providing as much pastoral support as he could. He described the terrifying moment the Heaton Park Shul was placed into lockdown - but said most of those inside were able to remain calm. 'We knew there was a commotion because we had already made sure all of the doors and windows were shut,' he said. Your browser does not support iframes. 'I would say the mood amongst our fellow congregants was very calm. Everyone deals with these things in their own way, but generally, everyone was very calm and dignified.' He said the worshippers evacuated across Middleton Road to a nearby relief centre. 'The rabbi was providing as much pastoral support in the circumstances as he could,' he said. 'We've obviously got to police quarters, and we continued to do part of the service, because at the end of the day, of course, it's awkward and it's difficult and people have got a multitude of emotions going on, but we carried on. 'We did not the whole service, but we did what we could in the circumstances. 'Your mind's on many things, but our Rabbi's role was to try and say "yes, this is a terrible tragedy, but at the end of the day, we want to try where possible to remember today is the Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement" and we did as much as we could as a group.' Police patrols have been ramped up outside synagogues across Britain as the PM vowed to the Jewish community that he would do 'everything in my power to guarantee you the security that you deserve'. Disgraced property developer Salim Mehajer has broken his silence to share harrowing details about being holed up in some of NSW's toughest prisons as he adjusts to his newfound freedom. The bankrupt one-time Auburn deputy mayor walked out of western Sydney's John Morony Correctional Centre on July 18, following a five-year stint behind bars. He had been in prison since November 2020, when he was jailed for lying to a court, and served back-to-back sentences for a string of other offences, including domestic violence against an ex-partner. Since his highly publicised release, when he was followed by a large media pack across Sydney Mehajer has mainly kept a low profile, apart from the occasional post on his private Instagram account, a court appearance, and running errands in a Tesla Model 3. He has now given his first interview in years, opening up about his incarceration, which included stints in Sydney's infamous Silverwater maximum-security prison and even a week in Goulburn Supermax while in transit from Cooma. Mehajer explained why he refused the option of 'boneyard' protective custody to avoid associating with 'rapists, paedophiles and informants'. 'I lost my freedom but I was not going to lose my dignity. Being forced into that environment is something I find intolerable,' he told news.com.au. Salim Mehajer (pictured on the day of his release on July 18) has opened up about his five-year stint behind bars The disgraced property developer has shared the occasional update to his private Instagram followers Mehajer admitted the toughest test wasn't violent inmates, but surviving months alone in solitary only to find freedom came with a challenge he never saw coming. 'Going from seeing just one person every second or third day to suddenly being surrounded by voices and movement has been overwhelming. It's made me realise how precious even the simplest human connection is and how much I took it for granted,' he said. He passed the time by studying law and going into 'fight mode'. 'I made time pass by in ways that kept me holding on. I wrote frequently, often 100 pages a week. I jotted down my thoughts, reflections, and even plans for the future, just to remind myself that my mind was still mine,' he said. Mehajer recently launched an appeal against his domestic violence convictions and sentence, which he claimed 'simply didn't happen.' He will ask the Court of Criminal Appeal for a retrial when the matter returns to court and vowed to take his fight to the High Court of Australia if he needs to. Mehajer has vowed to turn his tarnished reputation around. The NSW State Parole Authority ruled earlier this year that Mehajer had completed all possible programs in prison and that his rehabilitation was better served in the community under the supervision of a psychologist and community corrections officers. Salim Mehajer (pictured recently) spent months in solitary confinement The one-time Auburn deputy mayor first created headlines in 2015 with his wedding to Aysha Learmonth As part of his strict parole conditions, Mehajer must undergo drug and alcohol testing, participate in domestic violence programs if directed, and not communicate with any outlaw motorcycle gang bikies or associates. He is also banned from contacting his domestic violence victim and travelling to the NSW Central Coast. Mehajer reappeared on social media within hours of his release from jail. 'I am forever grateful,' he shared on Instagram. 'I am fully committed to fulfilling the expectations placed before me. 'Additionally, I express my sincere appreciation for the unwavering support of my family and friends, as well as the dedication of my legal representative, who has consistently stood by me throughout this journey.' While in jail, Mehajer launched a desperate attempt to have his bankruptcy discharged amid a slew of legal fights but the Inspector-General in Bankruptcy rejected his appeal and he remains bankrupt until May 2026. Under the terms of his bankruptcy he is not allowed to own a car worth more than $9,600 after taking into consideration any loan owed against it, with strict restrictions on him being able to borrow money. Salim Mehajer has vowed to turn around his tarnished reputation Mehajer rose to prominence following his elaborate western Sydney wedding, to Aysha Learmonth in 2015, which reportedly cost $1million. The ceremony began with the groom arriving via helicopter and featured a motorcade of luxury vehicles and doves. The wedding stirred controversy after the event closed a street in Lidcombe and Mehajer sent fake flyers to neighbours warning them their cars would be towed if they got in the way. But despite leaving the local council and police furious, Mehajer remained unapologetic about the chaos he caused, instead telling the media he wanted to be the next 'superstar.' The founder of an influential Texas megachurch with one of the country's largest congregations pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl in the 1980s. Robert Morris, 64, admitted on Thursday to five felony counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child in Osage County District Court in Oklahoma. Under a plea deal negotiated and accepted by his victim, Cindy Clemishire, Morris was given a 10-year suspended sentence but will only serve six months in the county jail. He was also ordered to pay his victim $270,000 in restitution, and he will have to register as a sex offender In court, Clemishire, now 55, called Morris 'a pedophile, disguised as a preacher' and she directly addressed her abuser, telling him his abuse strained her relationships, damaged her marriages and impacted the way she raised her children. She said she prayed God would help him understand the pain and damage he inflicted. Morris's eyes remained locked on the table in front of him as his victim confronted him while speaking through tears. After Morris received his sentence, Clemishire said, 'justice has finally been served, and the man who manipulated, groomed and abused me as a 12-year-old innocent girl is finally going to be behind bars.' Morris began sexually abusing Clemishire when she was just 12 years old on Christmas night in 1982, according to prosecutors. He was a traveling evangelist in his early 20s at the time, and he was staying with Clemishire's family in Oklahoma. Robert Morris, 64, admitted on Thursday to five felony counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child in Osage County District Court in Oklahoma Morris's victim, Cindy Clemishire, said 'justice has finally been served' after Morris's sentence That night, he invited Clemishire to his room. She said he instructed her to lie on her back before he groped her privates. Clemishire recalled him saying at the time, 'never tell anyone about this. It will ruin everything.' The abuse would continue for the next four years. Clemishire kept quiet until 1987 when she told her parents and leaders at her church about the abuse she suffered, but nobody called the police. Meanwhile, Morris was building a wildly successful career and gaining notoriety. He founded Gateway Church in 2000, a megachurch which at its peak boasted more than 30,000 weekly attendees. Morris also served on President Donald Trump's spiritual advisory committee during his campaign in 2016 and during his first term. Gateway Church hosted Trump on its Dallas campus in 2020 for a discussion on race relations and the economy. Morris was not involved in Trump's 2024 reelection campaign or in his second term. In the mid-2000s, Clemishire approached Morris and the leadership of Gateway Church asking for $50,000 to recover what she had spent processing her childhood trauma in therapy. In 2007, Morris's lawyer sent Clemishire a letter claiming she bore responsibility for the 'innapropriate behavior' she experienced as a child, NBC News reported. Morris offered to pay her $25,000, but she refused because the agreement would have forced her to sign a non-disclosure form. Decades later, a friend of Clemishire convinced her to go public with her story. She told the Wartburg Watch, a blog dedicated to exposing stories of abuse in churches, what happened to her. Within days of the public accusation, Morris stepped down from his position at Gateway Church and released a statement acknowledging what he described as 'a moral failure' with a 'young lady.' The statement did not go into specifics of the allegation. Morris served on President Donald Trump's spiritual advisory committee during his campaign in 2016 and during his first term Morris arrived at court on Thursday alongside his wife After his resignation, the Oklahoma attorney general's office opened an investigation into Morris which ultimately led to his guilty plea in court this week. Prosecutors used a frontier-era provision in Oklahoma law that pauses the statute of limitations when a defendant moves out of state in order to carry out their case. In court, Clemishire's sister, Karen Black, shared the way Morris's abuse damaged every member of her family and how their trauma was compounded by watching his rise to celebrity over the decades. 'You pretended to be holy, preaching from big pulpits,' Black said. 'As you hid behind your facade, we've known you are nothing but a predator.' In November, Gateway Church removed four elders after an investigation from a law firm concluded that they had known about Morris's abuse for years but failed to act. Bill Mateja, a lawyer for Morris, said the disgraced pastor 'sincerely apologizes' to Ms. Clemishire and her family and 'asks for their forgiveness.' Mateja went on to say: 'while he believes that he long since accepted responsibility in the eyes of God and that Gateway Church was a manifestation of that acceptance he readily accepted responsibility in the eyes of the law by virtue of his guilty plea.' Morris still faces a civil lawsuit accusing him of defaming Clemishire over the years, including when he claimed she had forgiven him. Clemishire filed the lawsuit alongside her father in Dallas County District Court in June. Clemishire said she hopes her story will inspire other victims of sexual abuse to share their experiences. 'I hope that laws continue to change and new ones are written so children and victims rights are better protected. I hope that people understand the only way to stop child sexual abuse is to speak up when it happens or is suspected,' she said. 'Today is a new beginning for me, my family and friends who have been by my side through this horrendous journey. I leave this courtroom today not as a victim, but a survivor.' A New York man has been accused of fatally stabbing his mother-in-law, wounding her son and setting their family home on fire. The 27-year-old suspect, who had been struggling with divorce-related issues and under the influence, allegedly launched the brutal attack inside a home on Smart Street in Queens just before 4pm on Thursday. Authorities say he stabbed his 50-year-old mother-in-law multiple times, along with her 17-year-old son, before igniting a fire inside the home and attempting to take his own life. The victims were rushed to New York-Presbyterian Hospital, where the mother-in-law was pronounced dead. The teen, who suffered multiple stab wounds, was listed in stable condition and is expected to survive, ABC7 reported. The suspect was hospitalized in critical condition and remains in police custody, according to law enforcement sources. NYPD officers and members of the FDNY work the scene of a fatal stabbing and fire inside of a home in Flushing, Queens The 27-year-old suspect, who police say had been struggling with divorce-related issues and had started drinking, allegedly launched the brutal attack inside a home on Smart Street in Queens (pictured) Police responded to a 911 call at 3:56 p.m. reporting a stabbing at the Flushing residence. When officers arrived, they discovered the injured victims and a growing fire inside the home. NewsCopter 7 captured aerial footage of the scene at 45-18 Smart Street between 45th Avenue and Holly Avenue, showing emergency responders swarming the block. Twelve FDNY fire units and 60 personnel responded, with the flames brought under control by around 4:40 p.m., officials said. However, Fire Marshals remained at the scene. In total, Emergency Medical Services transported at least eight people to the hospital, including several NYPD officers who were treated for smoke inhalation. A suspect has been taken into custody after allegedly stabbing his mother-in-law to death and injuring his brother-in-law before apparently starting a fire in Queens The attacker was hospitalized in critical condition and remains in police custody, according to law enforcement sources The suspect's actions have shocked residents of the typically 'quiet neighborhood'. 'The most trouble we have is the parking,' a woman who has lived on Smart Street for 65 years and wished to remain unnamed told The New York Post. 'I think the bad thing about it is that kids are messed up now. It's like too much pressure on them,' she added. 'It's sad I feel sorry for the family.' The investigation into the violent attack and subsequent fire remains ongoing, with police working to determine the full circumstances surrounding the incident. The search for the remains of a three-year-old girl who disappeared from a popular beach more than half a century ago has resumed. Cheryl Gene Grimmer was abducted on January 12, 1970, outside a shower block at Fairy Meadow Beach in Wollongong, on the NSW south coast. She was enjoying a day at the beach with her mother and three brothers. In the following decades, numerous searches found little to indicate what happened to her. Now, NSW Police are mounting a fresh search with the assistance of specialist officers and after receiving information from a member of the public. This information led police to bushland in the Wollongong suburb of Balgownie on Thursday afternoon, marking the start of the new search effort. It has declared a crime scene after potential human remains were found by detection dogs, giving Cheryl's surviving family renewed hope. Detection dogs scoured bushland on Thursday as Cheryl's older brother watched on. Three-year-old Cheryl Grimmer was enjoying a day at Fairy Meadow Beach with her family when she was abducted in 1970 Police have resumed a fresh search for Cheryl's remains after potential human remains were found by detection dogs in bushland this week Cheryl's brother Ricki Nash watched on as detector dogs scoured bushland in the Wollongong suburb of Balgownie Ricki Nash was seven when his little sister was abducted, never to be seen again. 'Why wasn't this done 55 years years ago by police,' he told WIN News. 'I don't want to be here but I have to be. 'It's the case that no one wants answers to, except our family.' At the time of Cheryl's kidnapping, witnesses reported seeing an unknown male carrying a child to a car park. In 2011, a coronial inquest found Cheryl was very likely dead, although the cause and manner of her death are undetermined. NSW Police re-investigated in 2012 and arrested a suspect who was extradited from Victoria. He was charged with her murder in 2017. Cheryl Grimmer was abducted on January 12, 1970, outside this shower block at Fairy Meadow Beach NSW Police have launched a fresh search for Cheryl's remains after they received information from a member of the public But the man, who was about 15 years old when Cheryl vanished, pleaded not guilty ahead of a pending trial. In the end, prosecutors dropped the charges against him because a confession he made as a minor during a 1971 police interview was ruled inadmissible by the Supreme Court. This was because no parent, adult or legal practitioner was present at any stage of the interview, raising concerns about how the boy was cautioned. In 2020, NSW Police announced a $1million reward for information about the abduction and likely murder of Cheryl. A huge police operation in a suburban street in Sydney's south-west has finally ended, three hours after a man was seen running into a home armed with a gun, plunging a nearby childcare centre into lockdown. Heavily armed officers swarmed Wollongbar Avenue in Panania on Friday morning and have surrounded a home, where an armed man is believed to be holed up inside. Police sources told the ABC a member of the public reported seeing four people, including an armed man, entering a home. CCTV shared online showed four people running into a home shortly before 8am. Wollongbar Avenue and an adjacent street were blocked off with dozens of police cars and specialist Bear Cat vehicles. Tactical response and riot quad officers were seen on rooftops as a police helicopter hovered above the scene. A nearby childcare centre was placed into lockdown. Residents were urged to stay away or remain indoors. Wollongbar Avenue in Panania is in lockdown following reports of an armed man CCTV showed four people, including one armed, running into a home shortly before 8am Police established a crime scene at the property after the operation concluded at 11.30am 'Police have been told a male occupant was assaulted by the men. He did not require treatment nor transport to hospital,' a statement read. 'The occupants of the house are assisting police with their inquiries. 'Inquiries are ongoing' A search for the suspects continues. Police are scheduled to provide an update on the incident on Friday afternoon. The dramatic scenes that unfolded shocked the neighbourhood. 'We were just taking the dog for a walk, and we walked past here. There were SWAT trucks, people with armed guns, big guns,' one resident told Nine News. Police are urged the public to stay away Munich airport was forced to close on Thursday evening after several drones were spotted hovering over the travel hub. At least 20 flights were grounded as a result, German news outlet Bild reported. The travel disruption could affect thousands of passengers as the German city has been welcoming revellers from around the globe for its world famous Oktoberfest beer festival. Federal police confirmed the drone sightings, but said no information on the type and size of the devices could be provided. According to local reports, the first drones were spotted at around 9.30pm on Thursday and reported to police. Officers investigated the area but were unable to identify either of the drones or their owners. An hour later, at around 10.30pm, the airport's both runways were closed, preventing aircraft from taking off or landing. Officials have not been able to determine who is behind the drone flights, while ground officers and police helicopters were deployed to the site. Munich Airport was closed on Thursday evening after a drone sighting. The closure left 20 flights affected The airport closure comes as revellers flock to Munich for its world famous Oktoberfest Beer Festival Neither the drones or suspects have been identified at the time of writing. Officials were unable to say whether regular operations at the airport will resume on Friday morning. The drone sightings come after German authorities said Wednesday that they are investigating claims that unidentified drones may have spied on critical infrastructure in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein. Multiple drones were spotted on September 25 over a power plant in the state capital of Kiel, as well as near a university hospital and a shipyard in the port city, according to a German news outlet Der Spiegel. Regional Interior Minister Sabine Sutterlin-Waack told a committee of the state parliament on Wednesday that flying objects of 'various types and sizes' had been spotted. Chief Public Prosecutor Stephanie Gropp said an investigation was underway. The sightings come as many NATO countries, including Germany, are on high alert following a series of recent incidents. It also comes after Denmark's defence ministry said on Sunday that it had again observed drones at several of its armed forces' locations, a day after the NATO alliance announced that it would enhance its vigilance in the Baltic Sea region. Meanwhile, Germany's northernmost state has been strengthening its drone defenses in coordination with other states in northern Germany, Sutterlin-Waack was cited by the dpa news agency as saying. Your browser does not support iframes. Authorities in Germany have urged caution about reading too much into drone sightings. 'I will explicitly say that not every drone controlled by foreign powers is automatically a threat either,' Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said Monday. Some incidents could be seen as 'provocation' - as was the case in the sightings last week in Schleswig-Holstein, he said. Dobrindt said authorities must 'respond appropriately' to the respective threat. Der Spiegel said two small drones had been seen over the Kiel factory premises of TKMS, a maritime defense technologies provider, late last Thursday. Top European leaders met in Copenhagen on Wednesday for talks on the continent's security. Before the talks, Danish PM Frederiksen warned that Europe is 'in the most difficult and dangerous situation since the Second World War'. Leaders also discussed plans to bolster the bloc's eastern defences as they accused Russia of brazen violations of the region's airspace with recent incursions by drones over Poland and fighter jets over Estonia. 'Russia will continue and we have to be ready, we have to strengthen our preparedness,' Finland's Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said as he arrived, voicing his support for a drone wall a network of sensors and weapons to detect, track and neutralise intruding unmanned aircraft. 'It is the pattern we need to observe, and in my view that pattern is essentially a hybrid war against Europe, and that is what we need to respond to,' Frederiksen told reporters on Wednesday. The meeting is also the first opportunity for leaders of the EU's 27 countries to debate a proposal to use Russian assets frozen in Europe to fund a major loan to Ukraine. A severely damaged house in the village of Wyryki in eastern Poland, where one of the Russian drones that breached Polish airspace collided with the building A soldier of the German armed forces demonstrates a HP 47 drone jammer during the defence exercise "Red Storm Bravo" in which civilian and military coordination is trained and led by German army Bundeswehr in Hamburg, Germany, September 26, 2025 As they arrived at the summit, some leaders voiced strong support for the idea while others were more cautious. The Kremlin condemned the proposal on Wednesday as 'pure theft'. Russia has denied responsibility for the drones over Denmark, disputed that its fighter jets entered Estonian airspace, and said it did not intend to send drones into Poland. But the incidents prompted European leaders to step up calls to bolster the continent's defences and boost support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia's invasion. US President Donald Trump has demanded the EU take more responsibility on both fronts. The drones that flew over Denmark 'show we need pre-alert systems, and we need to cooperate,' France's Macron said in Copenhagen. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen raised the idea of a drone wall last month, after some 20 Russian drones entered Polish airspace, although officials say it had been being worked on before then. 'What I see overall ... is a pattern. And this pattern is coming from Russia,' von der Leyen said on Wednesday. 'Russia tries to test us. But Russia also tries to sow division and anxiety in our societies. We will not let this happen,' she said. Influencer Bobbi Althoff has ignited fury after appealing to Donald Trump for an interview with her to allow him to 'form new opinions' after she appeared to be shaken by an experience with ICE. The one time social media sensation accepted she may not 'be the most educated person' but told her millions of followers in a three-minute video online 'what is happening right now is very scary'. 'President Trump, if you're watching this... I am asking you to please sit down and have an interview with me,' she said. 'I think perhaps you surround yourself with people who agree with you and maybe you need to hear another perspective.' Her request comes after a close family friend was rounded up by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents. Althoff accused ICE agents this week of racially profiling people in their efforts to track down and round up illegal immigrants. In her plea to Trump, Althoff described herself as as someone who grew up 'very Republican, very conservative, very Christian,' and with 'a lot of family members who are that way still' until she met her ex-husband when she did a 'complete 180'. She said: 'I think we can have a good conversation and perhaps I can open your mind to things you are perhaps closed to.' Influencer and podcaster Bobbi Althoff has sensationally begged President Donald Trump to take part in an interview with her about his immigration policies after a close family friend was rounded up by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents 'President Trump, if you're watching this... I am asking you to please sit down and have an interview with me,' she said Althoff's message to Trump drew wide-reaching criticism from MAGA supporters who have criticized everything from her interview style to her marriage breakdown. 'I've seen what she does to interview subjects, creating awkward moments for viral clips is her whole shtick. Easy hard pass from Team Trump,' one critic wrote. Another added: 'Didnt she cheat on her husband? Now shes lecturing Mexicans and politics. Bit rich.' Althoff admitted she was expecting backlash when she made the public appeal, but argued it is a 'huge problem' that people aren't willing to speak with others who hold different beliefs to themselves. 'It's okay to be wrong and it's okay to change your mind... for this world to get better people need to change their mind and open their mind and form new opinions,' she said. Speaking directly to Trump, she said: 'I would love an opportunity to try and speak to you and, obviously, just... I think people can change. 'I'm just doing whatever I can to try to make a positive dent in this world.' In an earlier statement, Althoff said the incident involving her family friend happened when he was shopping with her father - a white man - at a Home Depot She was accused by critics of being an 'industry plant,' due to the fact that she'd been able to start booking A-list guests on her podcast so soon In an earlier statement, Althoff said the incident involving her family friend happened when he was shopping with her father - a white man - at a Home Depot. 'Masked ICE agents pulled up in an unmarked car, asked only him for ID - not my white dad - and then took him away,' she said. 'You don't have to agree with me on immigration but this isn't okay. Racial profiling is never okay. Nobody should be pulled from their car by masked men just because of how they look.' Althoff had a large following on TikTok but became a viral internet sensation after her 2023 deadpan interview with Drake in her The Really Good podcast. The interview, which was released in July 2023, racked up close to 10 million views in just one month and turned the mom-of-two into social media's most viral comedian. Interviews with Mark Cuban, Offset, Scarlett Johansson, Shaquille O'Neal soon followed, as well as lucrative brand deals and a spot on Forbes' 30 Under 30 list. But it all seemed to come crashing down shortly after when she had a sensational falling out with Drake. The episode which made her a star was pulled from her channel. The pair unfollowed each other on social media and in 2024 Althoff was allegedly removed from the rapper's after party at the South by Southwest festival in Texas. Around the same time, she was accused by critics of being an 'industry plant,' due to the fact that she'd been able to start booking A-list guests on her podcast so soon. Her personal life took a hit in February 2024 when her husband Cory filed for divorce after four years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences. Althoff had a large following on TikTok but became a viral internet sensation after her 2023 deadpan interview with Drake Her personal life took a hit in February 2024 when her husband Cory filed for divorce after four years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences Althoff has since officially ended her podcast He listed their official separation date as July, 2023, which aligned with the timing of her viral Drake interview. 'Do you really believe that it was my dream in life to be a divorced mom of two kids by 25? Obviously not,' she said after her split. 'I'm obviously insecure about it and wish things played out differently in my life. But that's life, things don't always end up how we expect them to.' Althoff officially ended The Really Good podcast last month. She has launched a new show called Not This Again. More than $1 million worth of gold and silver coins were recovered from a 310-year-old shipwreck off Florida's Treasure Coast. Over 1,000 silver coins, known as 'Reales', and five gold coins, called escudos, along with other gold artifacts, were recovered from the wreckage of a ship that was part of the 1715 Spanish Treasure Fleet, which sank during a hurricane on July 31, 1715. The million-dollar discovery was unearthed during the '2025 summer salvage season' by Captain Levin Shavers and his crew aboard the M/V Just Right. 'This discovery is not only about the treasure itself, but the stories it tells,' Sal Guttuso, director of operations for Queens Jewels LLC, which holds the exclusive salvage rights to the fleet, said. 'Each coin is a piece of history, a tangible link to the people who lived, worked, and sailed during the Golden Age of the Spanish Empire. Finding 1,000 of them in a single recovery is both rare and extraordinary.' The 1715 fleet was carrying vast wealth from the New World back to Spain when it was caught in a storm and sank off Florida's east coast. More than $1 million worth of gold and silver coins were recovered from a 310-year-old shipwreck off Florida 's Treasure Coast (pictured) Over 1,000 silver coins, known as 'Reales', and five gold coins, called escudos were recovered from the wreckage of a ship that was part of the 1715 Spanish Treasure Fleet, which sank during a hurricane on July 31, 1715 Historians estimate the fleet lost as much as $400 million in gold, silver, and jewels, making it one of the largest maritime disasters - and treasure troves - in the Americas. The recently recovered coins were minted in Spanish colonies including Mexico, Peru, and Bolivia, with many still bearing legible dates and mint marks, according to a news release from the jewel company. Experts believe the condition of the coins suggests they were part of a single chest or shipment that spilled when the ship broke apart in the storm. 'The best way I can describe it is if you lose something you really, really like and you've almost come to terms with it just never being found again, and then, all of a sudden, it shows up,' Shavers said. 'It's just such an awesome feeling.' The discovery was made in waters off Florida's Treasure Coast - a stretch of coastline that includes Indian River, St. Lucie, and Martin counties. A gemstone and fragments of a gold chain were also recovered (pictured) The million-dollar discovery was unearthed during the '2025 summer salvage season' by Captain Levin Shavers (pictured) and his crew aboard the M/V Just Right The coins will now undergo conservation before being displayed publicly. Queens Jewels said plans are underway for select pieces to be exhibited in local museums The 1715 fleet was carrying vast wealth from the New World back to Spain when it was caught in a storm and sank off Florida's east coast The area is known for yielding shipwreck artifacts from the 1715 fleet, which has attracted decades of salvage efforts. The coins will now undergo conservation before being displayed publicly. Queens Jewels said plans are underway for select pieces to be exhibited in local museums. 'Every find helps piece together the human story of the 1715 fleet,' Guttuso said. 'We are committed to preserving and studying these artifacts so future generations can appreciate their historical significance.' A harbourfront water park that played a role in launching Nicole Kidman's acting career will be demolished within days. For almost five decades, Aussies flocked to Manly Waterworks in the Sydney seaside suburb every summer for school holidays and weekend fun, end-of-year gatherings, and birthday parties. First opened in 1981, its famous water slides featured in the 1983 teen flick BMX Bandits, which gave Kidman her first screen role. An iconic scene showed Kidman and her gang of bandits racing into the park on their BMXs to evade police, before hurtling down the water slides on the bikes to avoid capture. After a long list of leaseholders, a brief rename, and a temporary closure in 2015, The Boathouse Group took over Manly Waterworks in 2021 after the site emerged on Facebook Marketplace with an asking price of $950,000. The hospitality group confirmed this week that Manly Waterworks will be demolished after its waterslide structures were ruled unsafe. It comes after the water park closed in mid-February for the remainder of the summer due to 'necessary scheduled maintenance.' 'After 45 years, Manly Waterworks has come to the end of its life and will be turning off the pumps for good,' its website states. Manly Waterworks will be demolished after its waterslides were deemed no longer safe The Manly institution featured in BMX Bandits, which launched Nicole Kidman's career 'Engineers have deemed the structure no longer safe for sliders with demolition planned to commence from end of September. 'Although this Manly institution will no longer stand proud in West Esplanade, the memories will remain for generations of Manly locals and visitors who have enjoyed the water park over the years. 'Any further plans for the site are yet to be confirmed.' A complete rebuild of the aging waterpark was deemed as not only financially unfeasible but outside the operator's expertise food and beverage. 'I think if the structure was still sound, there would be no doubt that we would continue to operate it, because it brings a different clientele down,' a Boathouse Group spokesperson told the Manly Observer. 'But ultimately, we're a hospitality food and beverage business at our heart, and we're not an amusement park business, so it was really not the core of what we're good at. Essentially, we ran the slides for a couple of years, and we did a pretty good job, from our opinion, but at the end of the day, that's not our core business.' The closure comes seven years after nearby Manly Sea Life Sanctuary shut down after more than half a century in operation. Nicole Kidman hurtled down the famous water slides in an iconic scene in BMX Bandits The park's famous water slides will soon be lost forever Fans were sad to hear of the water park's demise. 'A sad day for Manly,' one woman wrote. Another added: 'I've lived here now for 23 years, and things I used to enjoy doing, or was looking forward to sharing with my children, are now vanishing. 'What is the point of having a billion apartment blocks everywhere and zero infrastructure to support it, no parking, no fun.' For others, the news brought back nostalgic memories. 'My first ever job was at Manly Waterworks in 1985. I got $6.30 an hour working weekends and holidays,' another said. Opened in 1981, Manly Waterworks endured a long list of leaseholders, a brief rename and a temporary closure in 2015 However, not everyone was sad to see the attraction go. 'Realistically, it was never anything special. A handful of slides crammed into a tiny area with massive lines during the summer,' one local wrote. Another added: 'Good, that noisy water thing is so old and archaic. Good riddance!' Police are scrambling to block a planned pro-Palestine protest set to converge on the Sydney Opera House next weekend just days after the third anniversary of the October 7 terror attack. The rally, organised by the Palestine Action Group, will be held on October 12 and 'mark two years of genocide'. Protesters will demand the Albanese Government impose sanctions on Israel and end Australia's arms trade with the country. 'This is genocide in real time, and Australia cannot continue to look away,' the group claimed. NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna said the Central Metropolitan Region will oppose the protest in court due to safety issues. 'Since those discussions (with the Palestine Action Group), I've been down and had a look at the area they wish to go to, I've been in discussion with the trustees of the Opera House,' he said. 'For a number of public safety concerns, I've instructed the office of general council to lodge this matter in the Supreme Court objecting to this particular public assembly at the Opera House.' The group slammed recent diplomatic proposals from Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, claiming they pressure Palestinians to 'relinquish their right to self-determination' in exchange for a 'vague' ceasefire. 'For two years, tens of thousands of people across this country have marched week after week demanding the Albanese Government sanction Israel,' the organisers said. 'Despite this, the government has failed to take any meaningful action to meet its obligations under international law to prevent and punish genocide.' A 2023 protest outside the Sydney Opera House saw an Israeli flag burned and flares shot The October 12 protest will coincide with demonstrations nationwide. Organisers say they are inspired by past anti-war movements, including the 2003 Iraq War protests. 'In 2003, the Howard Government ignored mass opposition to the invasion of Iraq, an illegal war that left millions dead,' the group said. 'The Albanese Government faces the same choice: to stand with the people and uphold international law, or to side with foreign powers like the United States and be complicit in genocide.' The Palestine Action Group has lodged a formal notice of intention to hold a public assembly, which is currently being reviewed by NSW Police. Authorities have not provided a timeline for when a decision will be made. Australian is among dozens of countries that contribute to the supply chain of Israel's F-35 jets used in the war on Gaza. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said this week Australia does not directly supply arms to Israel. The Opera House has become a major flashpoint for opposing views. Protesters remain angry over the NSW State Government's decision in 2023 to light the sails in the colours of Israel's flag following the October 7 attacks. On October 9, 2023, a large crowd gathered outside the Sydney Opera House for a pro-Palestinian demonstration. The protest spiraled into disorder as flares were thrown, an Israeli flag was set alight on the steps of the Opera House, and some participants were heard chanting 'f*** the Jews'. 'The Minns Government has tarnished this legacy by lighting the sails in the colours of a genocidal apartheid regime,' Palestine Action Group said. Protestors have lodged an application to march on the Sydney Opera House on October 12 'We will reclaim this space in the name of justice and humanity.' Organisers insist the march will be 'peaceful but resolute'. 'The people of this country are united in saying: enough is enough.' Federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley blasted the timing of the protest so close to October 7 as 'disgusting but not surprising.' 'On a day when the Australian Jewish community will be coming together to mark the largest loss of life since the Holocaust, the fact these activists will continue to sow division and tear at social cohesion is disgusting but not surprising,' Ms Ley said. 'The Sydney Opera House belongs to all Australians, not activists and protestors. We must resist these efforts to use it as a symbol to sow division.' Ley called on the group to urge Hamas to sign on to the Trump backed peace deal, which the terror group is understood to be considering. '[Protestors] should be focusing their voices on calling for Hamas' terrorists to sign up, lay down their weapons and end the war they started'. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said the timing of the march was 'disgusting but not surprising' Meanwhile, NSW Premier Chris Minns said he would 'leave it up to NSW Police.' 'They will make the decision based on public safety grounds,' he said. 'I'm not going to offer public commentary before they've spoken, if for no other reason that I don't want to draw attention to the organisers who seem to thrive on the notoriety of it all.' Palestine Action Group organised the 'March for Humanity' Harbour Bridge protest for Palestine in August which was opposed by NSW Police. The protest was granted approval by NSW Supreme Court Justice Belinda Rigg, who said that Palestine Action Group had showed a track record of keeping marches safe. It is estimated 90,000 people turned up to that march. A conservative influencer pepper sprayed what he claimed was a 'violent leftist' who harassed him and tried to remove his MAGA hat. Cam Higby, an activist and journalist for Today is America, posted the video of himself and a fellow MAGA fan sitting outside Union Station offering a chance to debate people as part of their 'Fearless Tour'. In the clip taken Wednesday, a woman is seen sitting directly in between Higby and his partner David Khait, appearing to try to agitate the pair. She then tried to grab the MAGA hat from Higby and throws it in his face as he falls from his chair. During the video, she can be heard telling Higby and Khait 'you're evil and you're violent' and 'you're not Christians.' As the woman tries to get away, Higby unleashes pepper spray, forcing her to tumble into a bush as she says: 'Stupid b***!' 'A leftist decided to physically attack me at Union Station tonight. I deployed mace in self defense,' Higby captioned the video. In another clip posted to social media, the woman is seen being arrested by the United States Park Police. Cam Higby, an activist and journalist for Today is America, posted the video of himself and a fellow MAGA fan sitting outside Union Station offering a chance to debate people as part of their 'Fearless Tour' In the clip taken Wednesday, a woman is seen sitting directly in between Higby and his partner David Khait, appearing to try to agitate the pair. As the woman tries to get away, Higby unleashes pepper spray, forcing her to tumble into a bush as she says: 'Stupid b***!' Higby explained his side of the story shortly after. 'At some point, she dropped to her knees, intentionally and she started yelling at us and started touching us,' Higby told Fox News Digital. 'I told her to back up and stop touching me, and she lunged at me and attacked me.' At one point, Higby said that the woman became belligerent and attempted to resist arrest. 'At this point now, she's struggling with federal police, and then they tried to arrest her,' he said. 'Her dad is yelling at us, 'why did you spray my daughter,' as she's actively fighting with federal police.' 'In my head, I'm thinking, this is why she got sprayed. It took four federal police officers to hold her down, and finally they loaded her into the back of the police car.' The US Parks Police said they were called to the scene at around 8pm Wednesday over what they were told was a 'dispute.' Officials told Fox 5 DC that she had received 'multiple charges' but did not specify what they were. The attacker has since been identified on X by both Higby and the assailant herself as Taylor Forte Higby said that he keeps the pepper spray with him 'at all times,' as he's faced violence for his views before, including being punched in Seattle at a vigil for Charlie Kirk Higby said that he keeps the pepper spray with him 'at all times,' as he's faced violence for his views before, including being punched in Seattle at a vigil for Charlie Kirk. 'I think I show incredible restraint with the points at which I use my Mace, because I personally think after four verbal warnings not to touch me, it would have been perfectly valid to use it. 'The roles are reversed, and I'm overly criticized because it's a woman, but I don't know what she has on her, and I'm not going to throw a punch at her. I think that using Mace is way better [alternative],' he added. The attacker has since been identified on X by both Higby and the assailant herself as Taylor Forte. 'Hello it is I! The LEFTIST ATTACKER,' she wrote on her account. She also retweeted Higby's post identifying Forte as his attacker and has said that she's since been released from jail. Donald Trump is considering giving Americans a cut of up to $2,000 of the revenues from his signature tariff program. The president said that, while the 'hundreds of billions' in funds will mostly be used to pay off the national debt, 'we also might make a distribution to the people.' 'We're thinking maybe $1,000 to $2,000 it would be great,' he told OANN, adding that it would be a 'almost like a dividend to the people of America.' Such a move would require approval from an already divided Congress. Rebate aside, Trump pressed that the national debt was going to be a priority for those revenues. 'Number one, we're paying down debt, because people have allowed the debt to go crazy.' However, he said the $37trillion debt will be 'very little, relatively speaking' in the context of the money the tariffs are generating. Washington has made approximately $215billion in revenues from the tariff program since it was launched in April, Fox Business reported. Donald Trump is considering giving Americans a cut of up to $2,000 of the revenues from his signature tariff program Washington has made approximately $215billion in revenues from the tariff program since it was launched in April The president has toyed with the rebate idea for much of 2025 and Republican Senator Josh Hawley has attempted to pass the American Worker Rebate Act to make it law. Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, proposed legislation in July to provide tariff rebate checks to families similar to the stimulus checks the government distributed during the pandemic. The amount received varies by family but typically includes at least $600 per adult and child, totaling $2,400 for a family of four. The week before Hawley proposed the law, Trump expressed his support for the idea but remained on message about the debt. 'We're thinking about a little rebate but the big thing we want to do is pay down debt. But we're thinking about a rebate.' Hawley moved forward with his American Worker Rebate Act after Trump's comments. 'Like President Trump proposed, my legislation would allow hard-working Americans to benefit from the wealth that Trump's tariffs are returning to this country,' he said in a statement. Tariffs are a tax imposed by foreign nations, paid by domestic companies that import goods or services. Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri proposed the rebate program So far most companies are absorbing the increased costs instead of passing them on to the consumer. However, prices could still rise. Hawley's program, which still needs to be passed by Congress, would be set up as a refundable tax credit, with the government sending checks this year should it become law. And there is flexibility in the proposal depending on a person's income levels. For example, the bill would reduce the rebate by 5 percent for joint filers who have adjusted gross income in excess of $150,000, a head of household whose income exceeds $112,500 and an individual taxpayer whose income exceeds $75,000. In early April, Trump announced a 10 percent blanket tariff rate, along with higher individualized rates of up to 50 percent for dozens of countries. In the ensuing stock market panic, he paused them for 90 days, which would have seen them restart on July 9. Then he initiated another pause until August 1. Trump went on a tear signing deals with countries in the run-up to that deadline. On a visit to Scotland, he came to a trade agreement with the European Union. It gives the EU a 15 percent tariff across the board. The president called it 'the biggest deal ever made.' Without the deal, Trump had threatened the EU's 27 member countries with a 30 percent tariff rate. Police have scaled back the search for missing four-year-old Gus Lamont and handed the investigation to their Missing Persons Unit after failing to find any trace of him. August 'Gus' Lamont vanished last Saturday afternoon from his grandparents' remote homestead, about 40 kilometres south of Yunta, north-east of Adelaide. Hours after a photo of Gus was released by the family, South Australian Assistant Police Commissioner Ian Parrott made the difficult call on Friday with the sad admission that it's unlikely Gus will be found alive. Despite a massive search effortone of the biggest in the state's historypolice have no significant clues regarding Gus's whereabouts, apart from a footprint located 500m from the property. 'While we've all been hoping for a miracle, that miracle was not eventuated,' Commissioner Parrott said. 'And in the last 48 hours, despite the professional advice it being unlikely that Gus would have survived, we have maintained and in fact increased the effort to try and locate him and bring him back to his family. 'We're confident that we've done absolutely everything we can to locate Gus within the search area, but despite our best efforts, we have not been able to locate him, and unfortunately, we are now having to scale back this search for Gus. 'We won't stop, we will continue to investigate and follow any lines of inquiry that we currently have... but everything that we have found to date, every piece of information and evidence that we have explored to date, indicates that, as best as we know, Gus has wandered off from this property and we have not been able to locate him.' Police have scaled back the seven-day search for four-year-old Gus (pictured) Police have cast doubt on the footprint found by searchers on Tuesday The tough call was based on scientific and professional advice on how long a four-year-old could survive alone in remote terrain in freezing overnight temperatures in the clothing Gus was last seen wearing. Police still hold slim hope that they will find Gus alive and return him to his family. 'But clearly that is that potential is diminishing as days go by, we will now transition into an investigation focus,' Commissioner Parrott said. 'Gus was seen outside at 5pm on Saturday playing on a mound of dirt by his grandmother. At 5.30pm she has gone outside to call him in, only to find him missing. 'According to a family member, he is a shy but adventurous child. While a good walker, he has never left the family property previously. 'On Tuesday night senior police spoke to Guss family and prepared them for the fact that Gus may not have survived due to the passage of time, his age and the nature of the terrain he is missing in. 'This assessment was based on medical evidence from a doctor who is recognised by the Australian rescue authorities as an expert opinion on time frame for survival. 'While those involved in the search have been hoping for a miracle, over the past 48 hours the search has shifted to a recovery operation. Your browser does not support iframes. South Australian Assistant Police Commissioner Ian Parrott made the tough call to scale back the search on Friday 'At this point, no trace of Gus has been located. No tangible pieces of evidence, such as footprints, a hat or clothing, have been located to identify any direction of travel to assist searchers. 'The investigation will now be managed by the Missing Persons Investigation Section. This is where all long term cases such as this are managed and investigated and is standard practice. 'We will now continue to pursue ongoing lines of inquiry, and we will not rest until we can try and find the answer to why Gus has gone missing, and hopefully, for the family, return him to them.' ADF personnel will be stood down from the search on Friday afternoon as the number of police vehicles surrounding the property significantly reduced. Hundreds of searchers have scoured the red dust and scrub, but the only trace of Gus is a single footprint discovered about 500 metres from the property's homestead. Gus was last seen wearing a grey broad-brimmed hat, a blue long-sleeved shirt with a Minion picture from Despicable Me on the front, light grey pants, and boots. Police believe that Gus wandered off and was not taken, as the only people who travel on the nearby road are station owners. Yorke Mid North superintendent Mark Syrus previously said it was 'unusual' for Gus to wander as he 'normally stays within the confines of the area'. Gus was last seen at his grandparents' sheep station property near Yunta 'But, who knows what goes through a four-year-old's mind?' he said. 'We understand he's a pretty quiet sort of lad but he is, as you know, a country lad and he's pretty adventurous as well. 'But him moving out of the area is a little bit unusual.' One local told the Daily Mail little Gus may have fallen into a mine. 'I would be more worried about the unmarked wells and mines he may have fallen into,' he said. 'That's the talk [among locals].' The state's north-east pastoral district is dotted with mines and wells from a bygone era well over 100 years ago - and many of the region's station owners are still stumbling across them to this day. They were used as water sources for livestock and for those 'chasing the gold dream' back in the day, according to our source. Many of these sinister holes are virtually invisible to an adult's naked eye - much less a meandering child. Police have not released an image of Gus, but said he was wearing a blue Minions shirt Family friend Bill Harbison issued a statement on the family's behalf earlier in the week. 'This has come as a shock to our family and friends, and we are struggling to comprehend what has happened,' it read. 'Gus's absence is felt in all of us and we miss him more than words can express. 'Our hearts are aching, and we are holding onto hope that he will be found and returned to us safely. 'At this time, we kindly ask for privacy as we focus all our energy on supporting the search and working closely with the police.' One of the worshippers who died in the Manchester synagogue attack yesterday has been pictured. Melvin Cravitz, 66, died alongside Adrian Daulby, 53, outside Heaton Park Congregation Synagogue in Manchester on Thursday morning. Both were from Crumpsall. Mr Cravitz was friends with Heaton Park Congregation Synagogue Rabbi, Daniel Walker, who bravely helped keep the knifeman at bay during the stabbings, which took place on Yom Kippur - the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. He leaves behind his wife Karen, whom he married in August 2009. In a tender family album picture shared online the couple are seen clinking glasses of whisky together on their wedding day. Four others were hurt, with three still in hospital with serious injuries. Last night, Greater Manchester Police named the suspect, who was shot dead by armed police, as 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie. He was not known to police prior to Thursday's attack. He is a British citizen of Syrian descent and police said they are 'working to understand the motivation', with the attack being treated as terror-related. Police also arrested two men aged in their 30s and a woman in her 60s on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack. The attack saw a car driven at members of the public, before it crashed and the attacker emerged and started stabbing those congregated outside. The attack took place on Yom Kippur - the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Melvin Cravitz, 66 (pictured) was killed in the terrorist attack on a synagogue in Manchester yesterday Adrian Daulby, 53, was also killed in the attack after being accidentally shot by police Victim Adrian Daulby seen walking across the road from his home in Crumpsall, Manchester, to feed a neighbour's cat the day before the attack. The footage was captured by a security camera at 10.27am on Wednesday Members of the community close to the synagogue where two people were killed in the terror attack Flowers laid at the scene of Heaton Park Congregation Synagogue reading 'in sympathy and with love' Your browser does not support iframes. Detective Chief Superintendent Lewis Hughes, who is in charge of coordinating the casualty response, said: 'My deepest sympathies are with Mr Daulby and Mr Cravitz's loved ones at this extremely hard time. 'Specially trained Family Liaison Officers are in contact with them. They will continue to update them on the investigation and support them throughout the coronial process. 'Whilst there are processes which must be followed, we commit to being mindful of cultural preferences and sensitivities and to ensuring that these men and their loved ones' wishes are respected.' Home Office post-mortems will take place later this morning. Tributes are pouring in for both victims today after the tragedy. Two friends of Melvin Cravitz described him as 'very beloved'. Elchonon and Hindi Cohen, friends of Melvin Cravitz, told The Telegraph: 'He was a lovely person. Always with a joke, always making a smile. He had his humour.' They added he had no children but was seen as a 'uncle' figure by his wife's children from her previous marriage. Mr Daulby's family said they were 'heartbroken' at his loss, and asked for privacy. A short statement shared on his Facebook page read: 'As Adrian's family, we are heartbroken by his passing. 'We kindly ask for privacy at this time as we grieve and seek the answers we need. Thank you for your understanding and respect.' The last images of Mr Daulby were tragically taken less than 24 hours before he died in the atrocity. In the photographs, Mr Daulby can be seen walking across the road from his home in Crumpsall, Manchester, to feed a neighbour's cat. The footage was captured by a security camera at 10.27am on Wednesday. In an emotional tribute, Mr Daulby's friend John Kelly, 52, said: 'He was a lovely bloke, who would do anything for anyone. He was a really warm and genuine guy. 'He would always feed my cat if I wasn't around - he was an animal lover, very gentle.' Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, came to the UK from Syria as a young child and grew up just around the corner from the site of the attack. Al-Shamie, who was shot dead minutes after he targeted Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester yesterday, is understood to have been granted British citizenship in 2006 when he was a teenager, aged around 16. It is believed Al-Shamie was a dad - with a photo shared by his own father last year showing him holding a baby in his arms. The Facebook post was captioned 'great welcome grandson'. Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, who was shot dead minutes after he targeted Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester yesterday. It is believed he was a father and is pictured holding a child The attacker was caught on camera armed with a knife trying to get into the synagogue moments before he was shot by armed police The scene outside the Heaton Park Synagogue, pictured early on Friday morning, as a police investigation continues into the attack The terrorist was shot dead by police following the attack outside a synagogue in Manchester (pictured is a member of the Army's bomb disposal team checking the attacker) Al-Shamie - who is yet to be formally identified - carried out his murderous rampage on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. He first rammed his black Kia Picanto hatchback into crowds of Jewish worshippers at 9.31am, before he got out and started 'stabbing everyone he could get to'. Within seven minutes of the first 999 call being made, armed police officers were on the scene and had shot the attacker dead. Videos on YouTube show Al-Shamie and his two brothers playing in the back yard of a home on Crescent Road, which is around a 20-minute walk from the synagogue he later targeted. The clips were shared by the killer's father Faraj Al-Shamie, who is believed to be a trauma doctor who has worked for several NGOs in warzones across the world. It is understood the family has lived in Greater Manchester for at least 30 years - and currently live in Prestwich, around two miles from the scene of the terror attack. This morning a police officer stood guard at the police tape restricting entrance to Langley Crescent, Al-Shamie is believed to have lived in the three-bed end-terrace council property. Dozens of reporters were also camped in the street outside as more police arrived in a van at the property in Prestwich, a couple of miles from the synagogue in Crumpsall. Al-Shamie is understood to have worked as a tutor teaching English and computer programming. It is not known whether he came to the UK as an asylum seeker or whether it was through another immigration route, such as 'family reunion' which can allow foreign nationals to join relatives already in Britain. Following the incident, armed officers later reportedly arrested two men in a street just feet away from the deadly knife attack in Manchester (pictured is a man being detained by police) The road where the arrests took place, White House Avenue, about 1,500ft from the synagogue, was cordoned off and put under armed guard Police officers gather inside a cordon on Friday morning after yesterday's terror attack killed two members of the Jewish community Police presence at a property in Langley Crescent, Prestwich, one of the crime scenes in place following yesteday's attacks Al-Shamie's name has reportedly not appeared in initial searches of police and security service records, and he is not thought to have been under investigation. Further checks are being carried out to see if any of his details appear anywhere in records of other investigations. Al-Shamie tried to force his way inside the synagogue, but was prevented in doing so by hero Rabbi Daniel Walker, who barricaded worshippers inside. Father-of-three Yoni Finlay also helped to stop him from going inside. He was said to have been injured by a stray bullet when armed police shot Al-Shamie dead seven minutes after the horror unfolded. Mr Finlay was taken to hospital following the attack and is said to have undergone surgery. It is unclear whether he was accidentally shot or was injured from shrapnel and flying glass from the impact of the bullet on the door. 'Marauding' terrorist Al-Shamie had been seen wearing what was feared to be a vest with an explosive device. Police later confirmed the vest he was wearing was 'not viable'. Pictured: Members of the British Army's bomb squad are seen with one of their robots A forensic technician gathers evidence at the scene following the stabbing and car attack Rabbi Daniel Walker (pictured right) leapt into action after the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue came under attack and barricaded the doors, preventing the attacker from gaining entry Police forensic investigators at the scene near Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall on Friday morning Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. Khurram Rafiq, who was driving past the synagogue, said Al-Shamie went from victim to victim in a 'robotic' manner like he 'had a job to do'. Mr Rafiq, 35, a manager for a global tech firm, told the Daily Mail: 'Initially I thought it was an accident and that the driver had lost control for whatever reason. 'But he then got out and stabbed the man who was lying on the ground. The knifeman walked through the front gates and stabbed at least two other men. I would describe him as an Asian man and he was going for anyone who was Jewish. 'The men he stabbed were all wearing the kippah. There was no shouting from what I could hear nor any religious slogans.' Last night, Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said the terror attack had come following an 'unrelenting wave of Jew hatred on our streets, campuses, on social media and elsewhere'. He said: 'This is the day we hoped we would never see, but which deep down, we knew would come.' Police patrols have been bolstered outside synagogues since yesterday's bloodshed, with Sir Keir Starmer pledging to the Jewish community that he would do 'everything in my power to guarantee you the security that you deserve'. The premier later visited an unnamed synagogue in a show of solidarity having earlier heaped praise on the heroic emergency services and security who had 'no doubt whatsoever prevented an even greater tragedy'. Sir Keir had flown back from a summit in Copenhagen to oversee the emergency response. Greater Manchester Police chief constable Sir Stephen Watson said the bravery of security staff and worshippers had stopped the knifeman from entering the building. Sir Stephen said: 'There were a large number of worshippers attending the synagogue at the time of this attack, but thanks to the immediate bravery of security staff and the worshippers inside, as well as the fast response of the police, the attacker was prevented from gaining access.' Firebrand feminist Clementine Ford's social media accounts have been disabled, a day after she posted about climate activist Greta Thunberg being detained by the Israeli navy. Ford has also recently mocked the murdered American conservative political figure Charlie Kirk's widow Erika in the wake of his assassination on September 11 (Australian time) and been a vocal supporter of Palestine. On Friday afternoon Ford's Instagram account was showing the message 'Sorry, this page isn't available', while her Facebook page said: 'This content isn't available at the moment.' Ford most recently posted about Thunberg and other protesters taking part in the Global Sumud Flotilla being detained in the early hours of Thursday while they attempted to break Israel's blockade of Gaza. She also made fun of Erika Kirk forgiving the man accused of killing her husband when the widow spoke at a memorial service in State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Ms Kirk had said of 22-year-old university dropout Tyler Robinson: 'That man, that young man. I forgive him.' Ford filmed a video captioned 'Erika Kirk addressing the Nazi rally' in which she pretended to weep and said in a trembling voice: 'That young man... I forgive him.' She then opened one eye and looked from side to side. The video remained uploaded on TikTok. Controversial feminist Clementine Ford 's social media accounts have been disabled, a day after she posted about climate activist Greta Thunberg being detained by the Israeli navy The writer and broadcaster sparked outrage last month with a furious Instagram rant within hours of Trump booster Kirk being killed at a rally at Utah Valley University. Ford did not condemn Kirk's shooting and claimed 'almost every freedom you have has been won through political violence'. 'Charlie Kirk was a piece of s*** who worshipped at the altar of political violence, and I will waste no tears nor time on lamenting his demise,' she said. The comment was part of a caption for a screenshot of an article headline by feminist news and opinion site Jezebel. 'We paid some Etsy witches to curse Charlie Kirk,' the headline read, which was published two days before the pundit's death. Jezebel was forced to add an editor's note at the top of the article condemning the Kirk's assassination after he was shot. 'This story was published on September 8. Jezebel condemns the shooting of Charlie Kirk in the strongest possible terms,' it read. Ford recently mocked the murdered conservative political figure Charlie Kirk's widow Erika in the wake of his assassination and been a vocal supporter of Palestine 'We do not endorse, encourage, or excuse political violence of any kind.' Addressing the Jezebel headline, Ford quipped: 'The witching hour is upon us.' Ford also used the opportunity to reference the war between Israel and Hamas. 'Democrats and self proclaimed 'progressive' pundits will join forces with the far right and openly fascist to devote more words of condemnation and remorse to the assassination of a white supremacist cheerleader for genocide in just one day than they will have for the last two years of Israel's barbaric assault on Gaza,' she wrote. 'We will see more headlines mourning Charlie Kirk than have ever been written about Hind Rajab, whose five-year-old body was pierced 355 times by US-funded Israeli terrorists. 'The same lawmakers lining up to claim "violence is never the answer" will continue to insist 'Israel has a right to defend itself', maintaining their staunch silence on the snipers who take out children and journalists and aid workers and health providers.' In the comments, Ford said she 'actually dreamt last night that Trump died and then woke up to this'. The social media post received significant backlash, with some expressing their 'disgust' over her words. Erika Kirk is pictured wiping away a tear as she spoke at a memorial service to her murdered husband in State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona 'By using someone's death to make content and declare you have no empathy makes you no better than you claim him to have been,' one person said. 'Two wings, same bird.' Another said: 'This is disgusting. You should all be ashamed to wish this upon someone and rejoice. Regardless of what your political views are - this is heinous.' Kirk was a loyal Trump ally and founder of Turning Point USA - a non-profit that spreads right-wing ideology at US colleges. Former Tory minister Grant Shapps has revealed how his hero father-in-law blocked the path of Islamic terrorist Jihad Al-Shamie during his attack on a synagogue. Michael Goldstone can be seen in a picture of Al-Shamie before he was shot dead by armed police seven minutes after the terror began. The 79-year-old was among worshippers at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue on Thursday to mark Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Al-Shamie, 35, a Brit of Syrian descent, had driven into the gates of the synagogue, hitting a bystander, before stabbing several people outside, killing at least two of them Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, died in yesterday's attack. They were both members of Manchester's Jewish community. As Al-Shamie tried to force his way into the synagogue, Mr Goldstone heroically blocked his path. Mr Shapps said: 'He was face to face with the terrorist, holding the inside of the door, as he tried to break down the front doors. 'The chap had turned up ten minutes earlier before the car came back and smashed into the security. Former Tory minister Grant Shapps (pictured) has revealed how his hero father-in-law blocked the path of Islamic terrorist Jihad Al-Shamie during his rampage Michael Goldstone (circled) can be seen in a picture of Al-Shamie before he was shot dead by armed police seven minutes after the terror unfolded 'They locked the doors when the car crashed into the gate, which prevented more killings.' The former defence secretary told the Times how according to his father-in-law the the attacker scouted the location ten minutes beforehand, then came back in a car. The man had started arguing with synagogue security when they would not allow him on to the site. 'He was claiming that it's a free country and he should be able to walk in the grounds,' Mr Shapps explained. He explained the terrorist began trying to kick down the doors and use his knife to get in - before resorting to using nearby plant pots to attempt to smash the window. Mr Shapps, speaking on his way to Manchester with his wife Belinda, dubbed the entire attack 'pretty harrowing'. The former MP said they had tried to check if Mr Goldstone, who is from Manchester, was ok but had been unable to reach him. It was not until they saw the retired taxi driver on Sky News leaving the synagogue that they knew he was uninjured. The 79-year-old was among worshippers at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue on Thursday to mark Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Pictured: Members of the local Jewish community outside the synagogue on October 2, 2025 Your browser does not support iframes. The politician said his father-in-law will 'never ever forget' facing up to the terrorist. Sir Stephen Watson, chief constable of Greater Manchester Police, said: 'There were a large number of worshippers attending the synagogue at the time of this attack, but thanks to the immediate bravery of security staff and the worshippers inside, as well as the fast response of the police, the attacker was prevented from gaining access.' Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer similarly said there was no doubt emergency services and synagogue security 'prevented an even greater tragedy'. 'They are true heroes,' he said. Rabbi Daniel Walker, who was leading the service, is said to have remained calm and led the congregation to safety along with other staff. The worship leader, who has been the synagogue's rabbi since 2008, was later seen outside with blood stains on his robes. His wife Esther only heard of the attack when a police officer knocked on her door. As she is an Orthodox Jew, she cannot use her phone on holy days like Yom Kippur - so had not spoken to her husband as of Thursday evening. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (pictured during his address on the attack on Thursday) said there was no doubt emergency services and synagogue security 'prevented an even greater tragedy' Rabbi Daniel Walker, who was leading the service, is said to have remained calm and led the congregation to safety along with other staff. He was later seen outside with blood stains on his robes (pictured) One worshipper said they felt a 'sense of shock and disbelief' that such a holy day, which is normally about community, turned so violent - and it had been 'a bit of a blur'. Pictured: Flowers at the scene She told the Telegraph: 'I was so relieved but, beyond the fact he's alive and not hurt, I dont know anything. 'I don't even know if his parents, who were at synagogue with him, are safe. I've heard nothing at all apart from that brief conversation with the police officer.' Rob Kanter, 45, who was in the service, said Mr Walker continued the service across the road after leading them safely out of the building. Yom Kippur, meaning day of atonement, sees many Jews attend synagogue all day instead of work and school. They pray throughout the day and undertake a day-long fast, reflecting on the past year and asking God's forgiveness for any sins. Mr Kanter felt a 'sense of shock and disbelief' that such a holy day, which is normally about community, turned so violent - and it had been 'a bit of a blur'. He said worshippers heard both when police arrived and when shots were fired. Officers soon came in and moved them from the main part of the synagogue to the back hall for safety before they were escorted from the premises. The congregants were then with police for the rest of the day and were taken to a relief centre across the road. The rabbi provided as much pastoral support there as he could given the circumstances. He also continued the service to the extent they could, amid the multitude of emotions after the horrifying attack. Three more people have been arrested on suspicion of terror offences in connection with the Manchester synagogue attack. A total of six people are now in police custody after two people died in the horrific assault on Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue yesterday. The attacker, Jihad al-Shamie, 35, was shot dead by officers at the scene just seven minutes after the first 999 call. It comes as police revealed two victims of the Manchester synagogue attack received gunshot injuries as officers attempted to shoot a killer who targeted Jewish worshippers with a knife. Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson said one of the men who died yesterday suffered a gunshot wound as well as another who sustained injuries not life threatening. It emerged both victims were together behind the doors at Heaton Park Congregation Synagogue when police opened fire after responding to an attack on Jewish worshippers in Crumpsall. A watchdog has launched an investigation into the use of lethal force by Greater Manchester Police firearms officers during the terror attack in Crumpsall, Manchester. Follow the Daily Mail's liveblog for all the latest updates Despite making up just 0.5 per cent of the UK population the Jewish British community have always strived to contribute and integrate within the values of their country. And for most Mancunian Jews their culture is woven into the only place they have ever called home. Marked by the long queues outside bagel shops on a Friday morning, the yatter of gloating grandparents always ready to help with school runs and the dogwalkers pausing to have a chat with every person they walk by. But after the horrifying scenes in the suburb of Crumpsall this week - many now feel that their British and Mancunian identity has been forever undermined. On Thursday morning, Melvin Cravitz, 66, and Adrian Daulby, 53, were killed outside Heaton Park Congregation Synagogue on Yom Kippur - the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. The terrorist attack has left the incredibly tight-knit community reeling and wondering if the city that was once considered their sanctuary still values them as citizens. 'The Mancunian Jewish community is so proud of their faith and they have a strong sense of patriotism to the country that has welcomed them,' Simon Johnson, former CEO of the Jewish leadership council said. He added: 'While the entire community feel a sense of shock, sadness and depression over two proud British Jews being murdered because they simply went to synagogue, there is equally an understanding that we all knew this would happen. Pictured: Members of the Jewish community comforting each other near Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue Pictured: Members of the Manchester community after Melvin Cravitz, 66, and Adrian Daulby, 53, were killed outside Heaton Park Congregation Synagogue on Yom Kippur A woman wrapped in the Israeli flag at a vigil for victims of the attack on Friday Members of the community gathered for a vigil outside the synagogue on Friday 'It is normalised now to have security outside all synagogues in the UK. And sadly we do need protection from an increasing wave of anti-Jewish racism. A lot of people in this country subscribe to an evil ideology that wants to hold British Jews responsible for what they dont like in the Middle East. 'Everybody has a responsibility to turn down the temperature and to stop making it so easy to turn a blind eye to anti-Jewish rhetoric.' One of the traits that the Jewish community prides itself on is togetherness and resilience and that has certainly echoed across Manchester since the attacks. From the moment the fast, which even the least observant Jews tend to keep, broke at 7.23pm, it would have been hard to find a member not scrambling to help someone in need or deeply affected by the situation. Rabbi Amir of the Sephardic congregation in south Manchester and a Jewish hospital chaplain in the NHS for the Manchester Foundation Trust, told the Daily Mail: 'The Jewish response is always a response of togetherness, strength in that whatevers thrown at as we always focus on doing good. 'For the past two years we have seen the constant tidal wave of hate against the Jewish community, it has created a terrible atmosphere and people do not feel safe.' Rabbi Amir emphasised that the community in Manchester are deeply grateful for Community Security Trust (CST) a volunteer-led private security charity that help provide security to Jewish schools, synagogues and community spaces. But he, like many, expressed a need for heightened security from British forces, especially the police. The Jewish community have been instrumental in so many aspects of industry in Manchester but the overwhelming response from residents is that Manchester has 'turned its back' on them. Members of the Jewish community stand outside the synagogue under umbrellas on Friday Pictured: Members of the community close to the synagogue where two people were killed in the terror attack The scene outside the Heaton Park Synagogue, pictured early on Friday morning, as a police investigation continues into the attack A Jewish presence in the northern city dates back to the 18th century when two brothers, Lemon and Jacob Nathan built its first synagogue. In 1871, Jews from north Africa and the Middle East began to settle there and by the end of the 19th century as antisemitism began to soar, many European Jews began to cross the Channel. Traditionally Jews worked in the crafts and cloth industry but as educational opportunities grew, many members started to create positive influence in the UK - among them was one of the historic leaders of Marks & Spencers, Israel Seiff. By the time World War II broke out the city began taking in Jewish refugees where possible and by 2021, 30,000 Jews called Manchester their home. James Berger, 51, who lives close to the synagogue felt it important to stress the meaningful contribution of his community within Manchester and the wider UK. Explaining his experience on Thursday, Mr Berger told the Daily Mail: 'Yesterday I picked up my phone from a frantic friend unable to get hold of their family and they told me there had been a terrorist attack. 'I saw people where I live in north Manchester, a couple of miles from the synagogue, I started seeing people walking past my house enroute to the shul and I started stopping them and telling them what had happened. 'They were in complete shock. And of course we all know people who go to that synagogue, its hard to find anyone in the Jewish community in Manchester that wont know someone affected by this.' During the first half of 2025, CST recorded 1,521 antisemitic incidents across the UK he second-highest total ever reported to CST in the first six months of any year. 'I have only started experiencing antisemtism in the past two years, a lot of people have been saying this country is not safe for Jews anymore and I was never of that opinion but after Thursday I think everyone feels that way,' Mr Berger added. 'But on the flip side there is support from non-Jewish people in Manchester that have reached out. And thats extremely important for the people of Manchester to show a united front with their Jewish population.' Pictured: One of the many delis frequented by the Jewish community in Manchester Pictured: Traditional Jewish stores in Manchester. By the time World War II broke out the city began taking in Jewish refugees where possible and by 2021, 30,000 Jews called Manchester their home A man holds flowers during a vigil In the 20th century the Jewish community started to move out of the city centre and settle in suburbs to the north such as Bury, Prestwich and Whitefield. Many moved toward south Manchester suburbs such as Didsbury and into north Cheshire. And they were certainly able to make their mark ensuring East European delicacies such as pickles and gefilte fish are easily accessible for those looking to feel connected to their ancestry. Elise Beilin, who grew up in Whitefield, said she was 'shocked but not in the least surprised' by the attack. She now felt it was time for the government to consider deploying armed police outside every synagogue in the UK. Ms Beilin said: 'Others might be surprised or even shocked, but its clearly been coming and many have been expressing precisely that concern for a long time now . There has been a rising climate of fear in the Jewish community. My husband and I discussed the possibility of a terror attack on Wednesday evening.' Elise, who went to King David school in north Manchester, had her Bat Mitzvah at the Heaton Park synagogue, where Al-Shamie brought terror and mayhem. Adrian Daulby and Melvin Cravitz(left and right) were killed in Thursday's horrific attack Pictured: Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue where Melvin Cravitz, 66, and Adrian Daulby, 53, were killed She said: 'We feared it was coming. So now it has happened. I just think in the current climate, emboldened by the authorities failure to address the ever increasing hatred on the streets its become acceptable, almost fashionable in certain factions of society to target the Jewish community in the UK. 'Almost daily I get fed up with removing all the boycott Israel stickers from my kosher food which I buy from a well known supermarket .' She added: 'The tragedy is that the Crumpsall area I know and love is quiet, sleepy and tolerant. Jews and Muslims always got on with each other. I suppose all that is gone now.' A member of the Jewish community in Altrincham, south Manchester, who asked not be named, added: 'So yes we now have the police outside our synagogue but so what. It's too late now. Everyone is saying all the right things, but it's too little and too late. It took blood on the floor for people to step back and think about what they are saying.' Shameless pro-Palestine activists have sparked outrage after staging 'disrespectful' and 'fundamentally un-British' hate-filled marches hours after the Manchester synagogue terror attack. Hundreds attended rallies outside of Downing Street chanting 'free free Palestine' - as Britain's Jewish community were in mourning following Thursday's atrocity, in which two people were killed. The terrorist, Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, was shot dead minutes after he targeted Heaton Park Synagogue. He is is understood to have been granted British citizenship in 2006 when he was a teenager, aged around 16. Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, died in yesterday's attack. They were both members of Manchester's Jewish community. Meanwhile one of those seriously injured is understood to be a guard working for the Community Security Trust. However, in a staggering display of disdain for the victims, one woman attending a march last night raged she 'doesn't give a f*** about the Jewish community'. In London, activists were seen clashing with police as the rally outside Number 10 descended into mayhem, with 40 people arrested - including six for allegedly assaulting police officers, the Metropolitan Police said. While in Manchester, just four miles away from the Heaton Park Synagogue tragedy, hundreds of pro-Palestine supporters marched on Manchester Piccadilly Station, waving Palestinian flags and carrying a banner that read: 'Israel is guilty of genocide, massacre, ethnic cleansing of Palestinian children and babies.' As anger continues to boil over today, the Home Secretary has urged pro-Palestine activists to step back 'for at least a few days' and axe demonstrations this weekend, which police chiefs fear will 'draw resources away' from the capital 'when they are needed most'. It comes as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer this morning visited the scene of Thursday's terror attack with his wife, Victoria, to meet worshippers there. Speaking to Sky News, Shabana Mahmood said those who gathered after the attack were behaving in a 'fundamentally un-British' and 'dishonourable' way. Police scuffle with protesters at the south end of Whitehall following a protest in Parliament square on Thursday Met Police officers have been seen scuffling with protesters, some of whom wore face masks and scarves, outside Westminster A Palestinian supporter is escorted away by police during a protest in London Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (left) visited the scene of Thursday's terror attack this morning accompanied by his wife, Victoria (centre) And with further demonstrations on the horizon, Ms Mahmood urged those who plan on protesting to show 'some humanity' and 'give the Jewish community here a chance to process what has happened'. As she called on activists to allow Jews to 'begin the grieving process', the Home Secretary told GB News: 'I am very disappointed that some of the organisers haven't heeded the call to step back. 'I would still call on people to show some love and some solidarity to the families of those who have been murdered and to our Jewish community.' Saturday could see one of the largest-ever gatherings at Trafalgar Square in central London in support of Palestine Action, which was proscribed as a terror group in July. More than 1,500 people have pledged to descend on the capital in support of the group, risking arrest as they do so. Their action will come less than a week after 66 people were arrested at a rally supporting Palestine Action during the first day of Labour's party conference in Liverpool. The Chief Rabbi said so many people in the Jewish community 'and well beyond it' have been left appalled by the marches and urged the government to 'get a grip' on pro-Palestine protests, draining police resources and costing the taxpayer millions. Sir Ephraim Mirvis told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'We call on the government yet again, we have been doing so continuously and yet again we say get a grip on these demonstrations, they are dangerous.' He added: 'Ever since October 7 2023 (when Hamas attacked Israel), there are so many people in our Jewish community and beyond it who have wondered why are such marches allowed to take place on our streets? 'Some of them contain outright antisemitism, outright support for Hamas. Not every single person, however there is so much of this, which certainly is dangerous to many within our society.' The Chief Rabbi - the most senior religious figure of Britain's Jewish community - feared the marches, which have taken place almost weekly, were fuelling a rise in anti-Semitism across Britain. 'You cannot separate the words on our streets, the actions of people in this way, and what inevitably results, which was yesterday's terrorist attack,' he added. 'The two are directly linked and therefore we call on the Government yet again, we've been doing so continuously, and yet again we say get a grip on these demonstrations, they are dangerous.' The Met has written to protest group Defend Our Juries, to cancel is planned march in the capital this weekend. A letter from the force shared by the group raised fears about the amount of police resources the protest would divert at a time when 'visible reassurance and protective security' is needed in communities across London. But the organisation, which has led demonstrations against the terrorist ban on Palestine Action, has defiantly railed against the call. 'Today, the Metropolitan Police wrote to us to ask that we postpone Saturday's mass protest in Trafalgar Square, citing 'significant pressure on policing',' it said on social media site, X. 'Our response in short: Don't arrest us then.' Police were seen scuffling with protesters in Whitehall, London on Thursday evening Police were seen scuffling with protesters at the south end of Whitehall following yesterday's protest in Parliament Square The Met Police hit out at pro-Palestine activists for defiantly vowing to stage their marches this weekend, saying it will 'draw resources away' from the capital 'when they are needed most' But in a fiery response, the Met hit back, accusing the campaign group of trying to 'encourage mass law breaking'. The force tweeted: 'The horrific terrorist attack that took place in Manchester yesterday will have caused significant fear and concern in communities across the UK, including here in London. Yet at a time when we want to be deploying every available officer to ensure the safety of those communities, we are instead having to plan for a gathering of more than 1,000 people in Trafalgar Square on Saturday in support of a terrorist organisation. 'By choosing to encourage mass law breaking on this scale, Defend Our Juries are drawing resources away from the communities of London at a time when they are needed most. We urge them to do the responsible thing and delay or cancel their plans.' The Campaign Against Antisemitism, which represents Britain's Jewish community, condemned the pro-Palestine group and have demanded urgent action from Downing Street. A spokesman told the Daily Mail: 'Within hours of Jews being murdered in a terrorist attack, extremists were already on the streets of London and Manchester chanting to "globalise the intifada", which historically has involved the murder of Jews. One even spat out, "I don't give a f*** about the Jewish community right now". That sums up who these people are. 'Synagogues had to cancel services on Judaism's holiest day but extremists were able to gather unmolested to chant hate. When will the Government and police chiefs recognise that this abominable inversion of citizens' rights cannot go on? What else needs to happen before they finally clamp down? 'Defend our Juries has revealed once more the utter narcissism of the anti-Israel movement. Their encouragement to show solidarity with a proscribed terrorist organisation apparently takes precedence over respecting the dead and a community in mourning which needs the police resources that they are diverting. It is not merely shameful but malevolent. After two years of indulging far-left and Islamist extremists, police chiefs are now faced with the consequences of their terrible choices.' Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. Yesterday's marches at Parliament Square saw clashes with police, with officers from the Met scuffling with protesters - some of whom wore face masks and scarves, while one person was pictured being escorted away outside Parliament. The timing of the protest, which also took place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, sparked fury from politicians and anti-Semitism campaigners, including the leader of the London Assembly, Susan Hall, who branded the march in central London as 'disgraceful, disrespectful, despicable behaviour'. Alex Hearn, co-director of Labour Against Antisemitism, also described the rallies as 'tone deaf' and an 'unacceptable state of affairs that needs to be stopped for the public order'. This morning, Robert Jenrick the shadow justice secretary, called on protesters to 'go home' and 'do the right thing' - as he labelled last night's marches as 'shameful' and 'totally disrespectful'. Asked on Times Radio what his message was to the pro-Palestine protesters, the Conservative MP said: 'Do the decent thing, go home. 'I thought it was shameful, totally disrespectful that you had people out on the streets, even in Manchester for goodness' sake.' He added: 'There's a right to peacefully protest, please just as British citizens, show some respect.' PM Sir Keir visited the scene of the Manchester synagogue attack this morning, arriving at 10.20am as worshippers gathered for Friday prayers. He arrived in massive police cortege with his wife Victoria, shaking the hands of officers before spending ten minutes with community leaders. Last night the PM attended a synagogue in north London. Protesters carrying the Palestinian flag and signs saying 'stop starving Gaza' marched on Westminster on Thursday hours after the terror attack in Manchester It comes as Sir Keir faced further pressure from within the Labour party to clampdown on the marches. Labour MP Joani Reid told the Daily Mail: 'Britain's Jewish community has been telling us for years that antisemitic hatred and abuse has been rising, yet too often they have been ignored. Now that hatred has overflowed into murder it is essential that all of us clearly state our solidarity and that the state is deployed to protect its Jewish citizens and to bear down heavily on the Jew-haters in our midst. 'The fear of further attacks is unfortunately likely to be well grounded and it's important that the police are given every assistance in their task of detecting and stopping would-be attackers. 'That means all political leaders with voice and authority should call for any protests planned for Saturday to be cancelled as a mark of solidarity and support for our common effort.' Speaking from Greater Manchester Police's headquarters earlier today, Sir Keir said: 'This was a dreadful attack, a terrorist attack to inflict fear. Attacking Jews because they are Jews. 'It's really important today that the whole country comes together, people of all faiths and no faith, stand in support and solidarity with our Jewish community, and I know that your work will help to that end.' The Prime Minister added: 'We must defeat antisemitism, and that is the responsibility of all of us. 'It is the responsibility of Government and we will rise to that challenge and do all that we can to absolutely ensure that our Jewish community is safe and secure, and that we show them the strength of the support and solidarity that we have for them.' Melvin Cravitz, 66, has been named as one of those who died during Thursday's terror attack The PM and his wife, Victoria were pictured at the scene of Thursday's terror attack today Sir Keir is seen shaking the hand of a police officer during his visit on Friday morning The terrorist behind Thursday's rampage was last night named as 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie. Police said he is a British citizen of Syrian descent and police added that they are 'working to understand the motivation', with the attack being treated as terror-related. The Daily Mail revealed this morning that Al-Shamie came to the UK from Syria as a young child and grew up just around the corner from the site of the attack. He had not been referred to the Government's anti-terror programme Prevent or was known to police or the security services, Ms Mahmood said yesterday. The Home Secretary added she was was 'surprised' by Al-Shamie's name when interviewed on LBC. The Home Secretary was asked about the attacker's name, Jihad Al-Shamie, which translated as 'struggle of the Syrian' in Arabic. She responded: 'I was very surprised to discover that name myself. Actually, as a Muslim, I've never heard someone being called Jihad, but it is the name that he was born with - that has always been his name.' Police have also arrested two men aged in their 30s and a woman in her 60s on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack. They remain in custody this morning. The attack, which took place on Yom Kippur - the holiest day in the Jewish calendar - saw Al-Shamoe ram his black Kia Picanto hatchback into crowds of Jewish worshippers at 9.31am, before he got out and started 'stabbing everyone he could get to'. Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, who was shot dead minutes after he targeted Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester yesterday. It is believed he was a father and is pictured holding a child A woman was seen being led away by police during the protest in central London yesterday Police officers were pictured leading a woman, wearing a face mask, away from the protest yesterday Demonstrators gathered outside Downing Street last night as part of a protest against the detention of members of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which included Greta Thunberg Sir Keir Starmer warned that anti-Semitism is 'a hatred rising once again' yesterday in the wake of the attack as he condemned the sickening violence in an address to the nation. But he faced criticism from the government of Israel after the attack, which came less than a fortnight after the UK recognised a Palestinian state in a bid to force a ceasefire in Gaza. Defending the Prime Minister, Ms Mahmood rejected the notion that recognising Palestine has emboldened those who are anti-Semitic. Speaking on Times Radio, she said: 'The only person responsible for this devastating attack on our Jewish community is the attacker himself. 'The police have made three additional arrests, and it's important that they are allowed to continue with their investigations and our process of justice is allowed to take its course. That is separate to what is happening in the Middle East. 'The work of this Government since the day we were elected has been to put our shoulder to the wheel in the diplomatic efforts in difficult and delicate conversations that are designed to try and bring an end to that devastating war. 'Far too many lives have been lost. We want to see a secure and safe state of Israel alongside a state of Palestine.' It is believed terrorist Al-Shamie was a father - with a photo shared by his own father last year showing him holding a baby in his arms. The Facebook post was captioned 'great welcome grandson'. Videos on YouTube show him and his two brothers playing in the back yard of a home on Crescent Road, which is around a 20-minute walk from the synagogue he later targeted. The clips were shared by the killer's father Faraj Al-Shamie, who is believed to be a trauma doctor who has worked for several NGOs in warzones across the world. It is understood the family has lived in Greater Manchester for at least 30 years - and currently live in Prestwich, around two miles from the scene of the terror attack. Videos on YouTube show Al-Shamie and his two brothers playing in the back yard of a home on Crescent Road, which is close to the synagogue he later targeted The 35-year-old was caught on camera armed with a knife trying to get into the synagogue moments before he was shot by armed police Al-Shamie's name was last night linked to a property in the town - with a neighbour recognising his face from photographs of the synagogue attacker. Al-Shamie is understood to have worked as a tutor teaching English and computer programming. It is not known whether he came to the UK as an asylum seeker or whether it was through another immigration route, such as 'family reunion' which can allow foreign nationals to join relatives already in Britain. As well as the two men killed yesterday, three other Jewish worshippers were also rushed to hospital with serious injuries, one with stab wounds and the other hurt by being hit by the car. Police said officers were 'working to understand the motivation behind the attack'. Further checks are being carried out to see if any of his details appear anywhere in records of other investigations. Al-Shamie tried to force his way inside the synagogue, but was prevented in doing so by hero Rabbi Daniel Walker, who barricaded worshippers inside. Father-of-three Yoni Finlay also helped to stop him from going inside. He was said to have been injured by a stray bullet when armed police shot Al-Shamie dead seven minutes after the horror unfolded. Mr Finlay was taken to hospital following the attack and is said to have undergone surgery. It is unclear whether he was accidentally shot or was injured from shrapnel and flying glass from the impact of the bullet on the door. The terrorist was shot dead by police following the attack outside a synagogue in Manchester (pictured is a member of the Army's bomb disposal team checking the attacker) Screengrab from a home video showing the brothers playing in the home near the synagogue Your browser does not support iframes. 'Marauding' terrorist Al-Shamie had been seen wearing what was feared to be a vest with an explosive device. Police later confirmed the vest he was wearing was 'not viable'. Khurram Rafiq, who was driving past the synagogue, said Al-Shamie went from victim to victim in a 'robotic' manner like he 'had a job to do'. Mr Rafiq, 35, a manager for a global tech firm, told the Daily Mail: 'Initially I thought it was an accident and that the driver had lost control for whatever reason. 'But he then got out and stabbed the man who was lying on the ground. The knifeman walked through the front gates and stabbed at least two other men. I would describe him as an Asian man and he was going for anyone who was Jewish. 'The men he stabbed were all wearing the kippah. There was no shouting from what I could hear nor any religious slogans.' Neighbours of the synagogue killer said he had lived there since around 2021, and one neighbour remembered a baby also living at the address but could not recall seeing a woman living there. One woman said: 'We used to see him out in the garden working out, doing weights, press ups. 'He used to change his clothes. One day he would be wearing the full gown, to the floor and the next jeans and pyjama bottoms.' Police are continuing to guard the scene of Thursday's terror attack. More officers are being deployed across Manchester in the wake of the killings. Synagogues and Jewish communities across the UK were on high alert, as extra police officers were dispatched across the country. Russia is jamming UK military satellites on a regular basis, according to the head of UK Space Command. Major General Paul Tedman said Russian forces are actively trying to disrupt UK-based military activities 'weekly' and are closely monitoring the country's space assets. 'We're seeing our satellites being jammed by the Russians on a reasonably persistent basis,' he told the BBC. The UK operates approximately six dedicated military satellites for communications and surveillance, which Major General Tedman said were equipped with counter-jamming technology. He added: 'They've got payloads on board that can see our satellites and are trying to collect information from them.' It comes after Munich Airport was forced to close overnight when multiple drones were spotted near the runways, grounding 17 departures, diverting 15 incoming flights and affecting nearly 3,000 passengers, before operations resumed early the next morning. Similar shutdowns in Scandinavia last week saw Copenhagen halt all take-offs and landings for nearly four hours after two or three large drones were reported, while Oslo closed its airspace for about three hours. Authorities have not formally attributed responsibility and investigations are ongoing, several officials have spoken about the possibility of Vladimir Putin's involvement. The threat of space-based interference is not limited to the UK. Major Paul Tedman stands outside the Solid State Phased Array Radar at RAF Fylingdales. He has warned that Russia has been attempting to jam military satellites in the UK In September, German defence minister Boris Pistorius revealed that Russia had been tracking two Intelsat satellites used by the German military. 'They can jam, blind, manipulate, or kinetically disrupt satellites,' he said at a space conference in Berlin. In response to growing international tensions, the United Kingdom and the United States conducted their first coordinated satellite manoeuvre in space last month, in what defence officials hailed as a major step forward in allied cooperation. Between September 4 and 12, a US satellite was repositioned in orbit to inspect a UK satellite and confirm it was functioning properly, under the umbrella of Operation Olympic Defender. 'Expertly executed with US Space Command, I could not be more pleased or proud of the rapid progress we are making with our allies,' Major General Tedman said. 'We are now, with our allies, conducting advanced orbital operations to protect and defend our shared national and military interests in space.' The escalation in space comes as tensions with Russia continue to rise. UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper last week warned that Britain is 'ready to act' after Donald Trump publicly urged Nato allies to shoot down intruding Russian aircraft. In a speech to the United Nations in September, Ms Cooper condemned Moscow's 'provocative and reckless' violations of Nato airspace in recent weeks, including incidents over Estonia, Poland, and Romania. Passengers stranded at Munich airport today amid cancellations after drone sightings. Similar incidents have been reported across Scandinavian airports Vladimir Putin has been accused of provoking NATO countries in recent weeks Estonia says three Russian MiG-31s violated its airspace near Vaindloo Island for around 12 minutes, a claim Moscow denies. Poland reported that 19 objects entered its airspace during a large Russian attack on Ukraine and said it shot down those posing a threat, with Warsaw triggering NATO's Article 4 consultations. Donald Tusk, Poland's prime minister warned Russia that he would shoot down any hostile objects found in his country's airspace. Other NATO leaders have also urged the organisation to do more to deter Putin and defend the airspace of member nations. Russia, however, has warned that the shooting down of any of its aircrafts would result in direct conflict. A group of six ISIS brides and their Syrian-born children have quietly slipped back into Australia after fleeing war-torn Syria, triggering a wave of fury from terror victims. The women, who left Australia years ago to live in Islamic State-controlled territories, were detained in Beirut by Lebanese border authorities for carrying invalid visas and lacking entry records. Despite this, they were later issued Australian passports following DNA testing and security checks conducted by Australian officials. Security agencies had been monitoring the group for months while they were still in Syria, anticipating that some may attempt to return independently. Authorities say they are prepared to act in the interests of community safety. The Albanese government insists it played no role in helping the women flee Syria, but critics say the operation reeks of secrecy. In Parliament last month, the Opposition grilled the government over reports that ISIS brides were being repatriated with official assistance. 'Those reports are not accurate,' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on September 3. A group of six ISIS brides and their children have fled Syria, to return to Australia (file image) Opposition Deputy Leader Sussan Ley on Friday slammed the government's lack of transparency. 'Australians expect strong borders, but under Labor it's secrecy at the expense of security,' she said. The Opposition has demanded the government reveal where the group is now living. 'This is nothing short of a dereliction of duty by the Albanese Labor Government. These are people who willingly travelled to a war zone and aligned themselves with one of the most barbaric terrorist organisations in history,' Ley said. 'Now they appear to have returned secretly, raising fundamental questions about how and why they were allowed back in. Australians deserve answers.' A government spokesperson told the Herald Sun that Australia had no role in helping the women flee Syria. 'The Australian government is not providing assistance and is not repatriating individuals in Syrian IDP camps,' the spokesperson said. 'If any of those people find their own way to return, our security agencies are satisfied that they are prepared and will be able to act in the interests of community safety. The Australian government has denied helping the group return, but was monitoring them (file) The Opposition has called on the Albanese Government to answer where the group is living 'Our agencies have been monitoring these individuals for some time. We have confidence in our agencies.' The return has sparked concern among Assyrian Christian communities, many of whom were victims of ISIS atrocities. 'Obviously there's members of our community who are victims of ISIS, and ISIS brides aided their men to perpetrate against the Assyrians,' said Dennis Suro, President of The Young Assyrians. Sussan Ley echoed those concerns. 'Assyrian Christian Australians, victims of ISIS themselves, have been ignored once again. Their communities may now be forced to live alongside those who chose to support the very terrorists who inflicted such horrors upon them,' she said. The controversy follows similar backlash in 2022, when Western Sydney leaders voiced anger over the return of ISIS brides, accusing the government of treating their suburbs as a 'dumping ground' for former Islamic State affiliates. French president Emmanuel Macron has been seen laughing as the leaders of Albania and Azerbaijan mock US president Donald Trump for claiming to have ended wars involving their countries. At the European Political Community meeting in Copenhagen, Macron was seen chatting with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama was seen storming over in mock fury, and telling Macron: 'You should make an apology to us because you didn't congratulate us on the peace deal that President Trump made between Albania and Azerbaijan'. The comment referenced Trump's repeated confusion of Armenia and Albania when discussing the long-held animosity between Armenia and Azerbaijan. In an interview with Fox News last month, Trump falsely claimed: 'I solved wars that was unsolvable. Azerbaijan and Albania, it was going on for many, many years, I had the prime ministers and presidents in my office'. And during a press conference with UK PM Keir Starmer, he butchered the name of South Caucasus country and confused the other one entirely, saying: 'We settled Aber-baijan and Albania'. Rama's joke cracked both Aliyev and Macron up. The French leader jokingly said: 'I am sorry for that!'. The Albanian leader added: '[Trump] worked very hard!' French president Emmanuel Macron (pictured, centre-left) has been seen laughing as the leaders of Albania and Azerbaijan mock US president Donald Trump Trump did broker a deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia in August, with both Aliyev and Nikol Pashinyan, Armenia's PM, agreeing to end decades of fighting and expand ties with Washington. But his claim that he has ended seven wars since returning to the Oval Office by acting as a mediator is false. Trump claimed to have ended wars between Serbia & Kosovo, and Egypt & Ethiopia. Though there are long-standing tensions between these nations, they have not gone to out-and-out war in recent years. And India trashed the White House's claim that Trump helped de-escalate hostilities with Pakistan in May. In Trump's latest setback on the world stage, a Hamas official has said the terror group needs more time to study the US president's 20-point plan for peace in Gaza. 'Hamas is still continuing consultations regarding Trump's plan... and has informed mediators that the consultations are ongoing and need some time,' the official said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly on the matter. Trump on Tuesday gave Hamas an ultimatum of 'three or four days' to accept his plan to end the nearly two-year war in the Palestinian territory. The plan calls for a ceasefire, the release of hostages within 72 hours, Hamas's disarmament and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. That would be followed by a post-war transitional authority headed by Trump himself. Greta Thunberg's captured Gaza flotilla crew has been detained in a notorious Israeli prison where guards have been accused of torturing Palestinian inmates, it is understood. It comes after IDF commandos intercepted almost all of the flotilla's 40 boats carrying aid to the Gaza Strip and took captive more than 450 foreign activists, including the 22-year-old Swedish climate campaigner. The Israeli foreign ministry said the arrested activists were in 'good health' and were making their way 'safely and peacefully to Israel', from where they will be deported to Europe in the next few days. But the Foreign Office has said it was 'very concerned' for the safety of British members of Thunberg's mission, who are understood to be incarcerated in the Ketziot prison in the Negev desert. Israel is reportedly not expected to begin deportations until Sunday or Monday, meaning activists may be in the Ketziot for multiple nights. Former Palestinian detainees have made claims about the mistreatment they experienced at the prison, including sexual abuse, severe beatings, medical negligence and being deprived of food and water. Speaking to the BBC about his experience, former Palestinian detainee Abdul Karim Mushtaha said he was threatened with castration. 'They would strip us naked. They would Taser us. They would hit us in a sensitive place. They would tell us "We will castrate you",' he said. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg (C) and Brazilian activist Thiago Avila (R), along with other activists, after the Israeli navy intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza on October 1, 2025 In footage posted to X by the Israel Foreign Ministry, Swedish climate activist Thunberg is seen among those being detained by officials Another former inmate of the jail, Omar, said prisoners were often hit with batons by guards. 'After we got tortured, I was in pain all night - from my back to my legs. The guys would carry me from my mattress to the toilet. My body, my back, my legs - my whole body was blue from beatings. For nearly two months I couldn't move,' he said. The Israeli Prison Service has previously said it is 'not aware' of the sexual abuse claim or any of the other claims made about torture at Ketziot. Israel faced international condemnation and protests on Thursday after its military intercepted Thunberg's flotilla. Cameras broadcasting live feeds from the boats showed armed Israeli soldiers in helmets and night vision goggles boarding the ships, while passengers huddled in life vests with their hands up. A video from the Israeli foreign ministry showed Thunberg, the most prominent of the passengers, sitting on a deck surrounded by soldiers. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators took to the streets in cities across Europe as well as in Karachi, Buenos Aires and Mexico City to protest Israel's capturing of the activists two years into its assault on Gaza. Italian unions called a general strike for Friday. The Global Sumud Flotilla, the organiser of the voyage, said on X that more than 450 volunteers had been detained. Earlier it said some of them were transferred to one large cargo vessel before being taken ashore. The Global Sumud Flotilla said its vessels were being boarded by military personnel, as it approached Palestinian territory, with cameras taken offline in a post on social media Thunberg and Nelson Mandela's grandson Mandla Mandela are part of the controversial convoy of around 43 boats and 500 activists and aid workers sailing on what they describe as a 'peaceful mission' to deliver supplies to Palestinians in Gaza Greta Thunberg has been hauled off her 'Freedom Flotilla' by Israeli naval forces as it neared the besieged Gaza Strip The Israel Foreign Ministry added that Thunberg will be transferred to an Israeli port One boat, the Marinette, was 'still sailing strong,' flotilla organisers said on a live video stream that showed the crew piloting the boat. Organisers said the Marinette was about 80 nautical miles from Gaza on Thursday night, and about 10 nautical miles from where Israel began intercepting other boats in the flotilla. In a video posted to social media, Thunberg, said: 'If you are watching this video, I have been abducted and taken against my will by Israeli forces. Our humanitarian mission was non-violent and abiding by international law.' Israel said the flotilla was set to violate a 'lawful naval blockade' it has imposed on Gaza. The activists who set sail as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla include Mandla Mandela, the grandson of Nelson Mandela, as well as British citizens including a former RAF pilot. They were expected to be transferred to the immigration authority upon arrival in Ashdod, from where they would be transferred to Ketziot Prison in southern Israel, according to Suhad Bishara, the director at Adalah, a human rights organisation and legal centre in Israel. A Foreign Office spokesman said: 'We are very concerned about the situation with the Sumud flotilla. We are in touch with the families of a number of British nationals involved and we have been in contact with the Israeli authorities to make clear that we expect the situation to be resolved safely, in line with international law and with due respect for the rights of all those on board. 'The aid carried by the flotilla should be turned over to humanitarian organisations on the ground to be delivered safely into Gaza.' Lithuania has told its citizens to start preparing bomb shelters as fears grow that the Baltic nation could be dragged into war with Russia. The country, which borders Belarus and Russia's Kaliningrad enclave, has been urging its residents to prepare for more than a year. Its location is seen as a potential danger, given that Belarus is a close ally of Putin, and both countries conduct joint Zapad military drills. This year, the government said: 'There are currently 6,453 bomb shelters in Lithuania that can accommodate approximately 1.5 million people, or about 54% of the country's population.' In the country's capital, Vilnius, the basements of many buildings have been turned into shelters. 'People wanted to feel safe, to know that they could protect themselves in the event of bombing and war, for at least a few days,' said Vidas Magnavicius, a building manager. 'We agreed that we had to prepare for the worst.' The warnings come as Vladimir Putin threatens swift retaliation against Europe, insisting Moscow will respond if provoked. Speaking at the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi on Thursday, he said: 'Russia's countermeasures will not be long in coming.' 'If anyone still has a desire to compete with us in the military sphere, as we say, feel free, let them try,' he warned. 'The elites of united Europe continue to whip up hysteria,' he added. 'It turns out that war with the Russians is almost on the threshold. They repeat this nonsense, this mantra over and over again.' Despite Putin's threats and the Lithuanian government's calls, critics have warned that many of the shelters in the country are outdated or too small. Lithuania has been urging its citizen to prepare bomb shelters amid the growing fears of a direct conflict with Russia Vladimir Putin with Belarus' leader Alexander Lukashenko at a meeting last year. Lithuania's location between Russia and Belarus makes it particularly dangerous as the two leaders are close allies More than half of municipalities face shortages, and some shelters exist only on paper. The Vilnius city council has promised to upgrade 32 sites so they can be ready within 12 hours of an emergency. The Interior Ministry has also launched a civil defence programme, putting tens of millions of euros into improvements. Officials admit the hardest part may be persuading people to prepare without causing panic. 'It would also be irresponsible to annoy people with talk about war, but we all need to find a way to address this very complex topic,' said Donatas Gurevicius of the Lithuanian Fire and Rescue Service. He added: 'New residential buildings and large public buildings in Lithuania must now be equipped with bomb shelters, a practice that countries well-prepared for civil defense, such as Finland and Switzerland, have been implementing for decades.' Lithuania, a former Soviet republic of 2.9 million people and now a member of NATO and the EU, has already approved a war evacuation plan. Vulnerable residents would be moved to safety, while those able to fight would support the army. The government has also produced an interactive shelter map and a survival guide showing people how to last 72 hours in a crisis. NATO countries are on high alert after several Russian provocations on the organisation's eastern flank The war in Ukraine, Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II, has already triggered the worst confrontation between Russia and the West since the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Kremlin denies it plans to attack NATO, but officials in Vilnius fear their country could be next. Many European countries are now gearing up for a possible war with Russia not just Lithuania. Finland, which shares a long border with Russia, is strengthening defences. This week, there were calls for Sweden, known for its neutrality to start building its own nuclear weapons to deter Putin. Several NATO countries are also on high alert after several Russian provocation on the organisation's eastern flank, including Putin flying powerful fighter jets over Estonia's airspace last week. Many countries, including the UK, Poland, and Germany have issued chilling warnings against further agression. In its heyday, streams of daylight would have shone through its magnificent stained glass windows. That was until Fountains Abbey, in Ripon, North Yorkshire, became one of the many victims of Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries in 1539. Now though, nearly 500 years later, the ruins of the Cistercian monastery are playing host to a source of light much closer to home: a huge sculpture of the Sun. The 23-foot model, which is named after Helios, the Greek god of the Sun, has been suspended in the nave of the abbey. It was made by artist Luke Jerram out of 400,000 photographs of the Sun's surface and boasts an accompanying sound installation of recordings of of swirling solar winds, made by US space agency Nasa. Helios, a 23-foot sun sculpture and soundscape by artist Luke Jerram, has been installed in the nave of the 900-year-old Fountains Abbey, in Ripon, North Yorkshire The sculpture, named Helios, is seen suspended in the nave at Fountains Abbey Fountains Abbey is managed by the National Trust and is one of the most extensive Cistercian abbey ruins in Europe. It was a thriving monastic community for 400 years until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539. In 2022 it came joint first with the Royal Yacht Britannia in a survey by consumer group Which? of the best historic attractions in the UK. Helios is being taken on a tour of National Trust properties around the UK. Its next destination will be Kedleston Hall in Derbyshire. Mr Jerram said: 'We all know that it is very dangerous to look directly at the sun, as it can damage our eyesight. 'Helios provides a safe opportunity for the public to get up close to, and inspect, its extraordinarily detailed surface including sunspots, spicules and filaments. 'Fountains Abbey is the best outdoor location I have seen this work exhibited so far. 'I hope that the soundscape, lighting and sheer scale of Helios will combine to make an extraordinary and uplifting experience for the public and I cannot wait to see it.' The sculpture can be viewed during the day, at sunset and at sunrise by visitors Artist Luke Jerram stands below his enormous sculpture of the sun at Fountains Abbey Tickets to see the sculpture at sunrise and sunset cost 12 for adults and 6 for children aged over five The sculpture is combined with sounds recorded by Nasa to bring the sun to life The sculpture seen in the ruined nave of Fountains Abbey. It is illuminated from within Helios is on display on October 4, 5, 11 and 12. It is set to be installed at other National Trust sites Justin Scully, from the National Trust added: 'We're thrilled to be hosting Helios here. Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal has a long history of displaying contemporary artwork with links to the history of the site. 'The sun will have been central to the day-to-day life to the monks who lived and worked here. 'It feels really special to see the sun taking centre stage amongst the ruins almost 900 years later.' Mr Jerram's other work includes a huge model of Mars that was installed in the Natural History Museum in 2021. In 2018, his 23foot model of the Moon went missing on route to a festival in Austria. It later turned up nearly 200 miles from its intended destination. Helios is free to view with normal admission from 10am-4pm on October 4, 5, 11 and 12. Tickets for special sunrise and sunset events are on sale via the Fountains Abbey website. Specialist cadaver dogs that helped locate the remains of Queensland teenager Phoebe Bishop have now been deployed in the hunt for alleged double cop killer Dezi Freeman. The elite dogs, trained to detect the scent of human decomposition, were instrumental in the heartbreaking discovery of Bishop's body in dense scrubland earlier this year. Now, they're being used to search Mount Buffalo National Park, 30km southwest of Porepunkah, where Freeman vanished after allegedly gunning down two police officers on August 26. Dogs from the K9 dog squad were sent into Good Night Scrub National Park, where they helped narrow the search zone for Bishop, whose remains were eventually found in a remote, heavily vegetated area. Their heightened senses allowed investigators to focus on terrain that would have been nearly impossible to search manually. Now, the same canine units are part of a massive manhunt involving drones, dive teams, and specialist police units, all working to flush Freeman out of the bush. Freeman, 56, has been on the run for more than five weeks since Detective Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart, 34, were shot dead while serving a warrant at his property in Porepunkah, 300km northeast of Melbourne. Thompson was just a week away from retirement. Cadaver dogs (pictured) which found the remains of Phoebe Bishop are searching for Freeman Despite searching deep bush scrub since August 26, Dezi Freeman has not been found (file) De Waart-Hottart was on temporary assignment. Both were honoured with full police funerals and memorials on National Police Remembrance Day. Despite hundreds of officers combing the mountainous terrain, Freeman has managed to evade capture. At the peak of the search, 400 officers were deployed. That number has since been scaled back to 200, but the hunt is far from over. Police have now turned their attention to a new area 100km from Freeman's last known location. On Wednesday, officers searched a rural property in Goomalibee near Benalla and intercepted a man in Undera near Shepparton. But Victoria Police confirmed the man was not connected to the case. 'He has been cleared of any link to our current investigation,' police said in a statement. The shift in tactics comes after a neighbour claimed to have CCTV footage showing Freeman's wife, Mali, 42, fleeing the area with at least two of her three children shortly after the shooting. Police are searching Mount Buffalo National Park southwest of where Freeman was last seen Naomi Wilson, who lives nearby, said she handed over the footage to police. 'It shows Mali with at least two of her kids about half an hour after the shooting on a dirt road about 30 metres away,' she told The Australian. Freeman's eldest son Koah, 20, said the family was blindsided by the tragedy. 'It was just another random Tuesday for me, and the biggest worry I had was what I was going to have for lunch that day,' he said. 'I got a phone call and that was that really. It was from mum at the time. It was devastating.' Mali and a 15-year-old boy were previously arrested and released without charge. Police have warned the public not to approach Freeman, who is considered armed and dangerous. A $1million reward and the possibility of indemnity are on offer for information leading to his capture. More than 1,400 tips have poured in since the killings, but Freeman remains elusive. K9 dogs were used to locate the remains of teenager Phoebe Bishop (pictured) earlier this year 'We will not give up until we find that person,' Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said. ' This has really damaged our police service and the community, and we are determined to bring this matter to a conclusion.' A Russian scientist close to Vladimir Putin claims the West is plotting to eliminate most of the human race with a virus, sparing only a small elite who will be served by robots. Mikhail Kovalchuk, head of Russia's Kurchatov nuclear research institute, made the extraordinary remarks while addressing a forum of school teachers in Moscow. His comments underline the kind of extreme conspiracy theories that critics warn are increasingly shaping Kremlin ideology, according to The Times. Kovalchuk, 77, alleged that western countries were planning to unleash a deadly disease to reduce the number of people on earth. He also claimed the West was using LGBT and child-free ideologies to curb populations because robots would soon be able to work better and more effectively. 'The West understands that a huge number of people are becoming unnecessary. They have begun to prepare for a population reduction,' the Kremlin boffin told the Forum of Class Teachers, a Russian-backed organisation. 'They introduced the LGBT agenda and for those who didn't go along with it, they offered a second option - the child-free family. 'It's working brilliantly. In a generation or two, there'll be no continuation of their bloodlines. Only a small elite, the ones they actually need, will remain.' A Russian scientist close to Vladimir Putin claims the West is plotting to eliminate most of the human race with a virus, sparing only a small elite who will be served by robots. Pictured: Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) looks at Director of Kurchatov Institute Mikhail Kovalchuk (L) in February this year Mikhail Kovalchuk, head of Russia 's Kurchatov nuclear research institute, made the extraordinary remarks while addressing a forum of school teachers in Moscow His comments underline the kind of extreme conspiracy theories that critics warn are increasingly shaping Kremlin ideology, according to The Times. Pictured: Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with Mikhail Kovalchuk He added: 'As for the rest - the people they don't even see as human - they'll be eliminated with biological weapons. A virus or something like that with a 90 per cent mortality rate will come along and mow them down.' The Kremlin has forbidden both the promotion of LGBT rights and any portrayal of the benefits of choosing not to have children, deeming them threats to Russia's future. In 2023 Russia banned the 'international LGBT movement,' claiming it was an extremist group, cementing a long crackdown on the community. And, that same year Putin demanded that Russian women give birth to 'seven, eight or more' children to halt a population slump. The teaching forum was opened by Sergei Kiriyenko, a senior Kremlin official and former prime minister, who told his 1,000-strong audience that they were responsible for not only educating Russia's children, but also shaping their beliefs. Kovalchuk, who has been described as one of Putin's close friends, told the forum that Russia needed to guard against such alleged western plots, reminding the teachers that their country's only friends 'are the army and the navy'. He was joined on stage by Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund, and Vladimir Medinsky, a former culture minister. Both men were members of Russia's negotiating teams for recent talks with the United States and Ukraine. Last year, Kovalchuk is said to have ordered Russian scientists to speed up research into anti-ageing remedies that included 3D bioprinting, a new technology that scientists hope will one day give doctors the ability to 'print' organs and tissue on demand. He also oversees a state-backed programme on research into genetics that involves Maria Vorontsova, an endocrinologist and Putin's eldest daughter. Putin, who turns 73 on Tuesday, referenced the research last month in China, when he discussed the prospect that people could soon 'achieve immortality' with President Xi. The Forum of Class Teachers declined to comment. A fraudster who conned elderly victims out of more than 50,000 by posing as a bank's fraud team has been jailed and will now be deported. Jeevan Bathula, 28, played a vital role in the nationwide operation in which victims were duped into believing their savings were at risk. Scammers based in call centres overseas phoned victims claiming to be bank staff and telling them their savings were at risk. They would be persuaded into withdrawing large sums from either a bank or a currency kiosk, before sending it to Bathula's home in Durham, leaving them feeling 'stupid' and 'stressed'. There, the 28-year-old counted and checked the cash, laundered it through transfers and dispersals, and even filmed himself celebrating with bundles of notes. Police launched an investigation after a tip-off from City of London Police led to a parcel being intercepted at a Royal Mail depot. Bathula was arrested at his home on March 12 after a police raid. There, they found 16,790 in cash, more than 13,000 in his account, letters from vulnerable victims and packaging from earlier scams. Jeevan Bathula played a vital role in the nationwide operation in which victims were duped into believing their savings were at risk He filmed videos of him on his phone counting the money on camera and giving a thumbs up Officers also found numerous videos of him on his phone, counting the money on camera and giving a thumbs up. One of his elderly victims has spoken out, saying: 'I was so stressed. I felt so stupid as to what I'd done. I didn't think I was such a person to be that gullible, it has taught me a lesson and deeply affected me.' Jeevan Bathula was charged with concealing and converting criminal property and was remanded to prison. He pleaded guilty and appeared at Durham Crown Court on September 26, where he was sentenced to 18 months in jail and given a deportation order, meaning he can never return to the UK. Detective Sergeant James Woodcock, from The North East Regional Organised Crime Unit (NEROCU), in charge of the case, said: 'This has been the result of dedicated work by everyone involved and it wouldn't have been possible without some fantastic partnership working. 'This case involved having to obtain evidence from victims across the UK in a very short space of time and I want to thank the Economic Crime Teams who helped us achieve that. 'Bathula at every turn has tried to minimise his role and involvement in the fraud however, the evidence from his phones has helped us build a strong case. 'Without cash couriers, this fraud type would struggle to operate, so for those that believe their role is any less criminal by just collecting victim's money and parcels, today's result is a clear sign that you will be located, charged, and be put before a court. 'Courier Fraud and Postal Courier Fraud is a national issue, and offenders typically target elderly or vulnerable people and purport to be from a trusted institution such as a bank or the police. They prey on people's trust and exploit it for illicit gains. 'We urge the public to speak to elderly relatives and explain the dangers of fraud. 'Remember, no bank or police officer will contact you to withdraw money from your account. 'If you think a phone call could be a scam, hang up, wait a few minutes, and call your bank's Fraud Team by dialling 159. To report fraud, contact police or visit the Action Fraud website here. A Russian shadow fleet ship that was raided by French troops may be linked to at least nine drone attacks on European targets, including airports. The Boracay, an 18-year-old crude oil tanker that sails under the flag of Benin, was raided by French authorities earlier this week after it dropped anchor near the western city of Saint Nazaire. Two senior crew members - who presented themselves as the ship's captain and his first mate - were arrested and taken into custody, though they have reportedly been released and are now sailing the vessel to the Suez Canal. An analysis of the Boracay's path across the Baltic Sea shows it sailed near a string of drone incursions across northern Europe, after leaving the Russian port of Primorsk on September 20. Data analysed by the Telegraph showed it was just 50 nautical miles away from Copenhagen, Denmark, on September 22 when drones brought the city's main airport to a total standstill. The Boracay was then seen sailing around Denmark's northern top before sailing down towards Germany's northwest coast between September 23 and 25. During those days, drones sightings forced four more Danish airports to close down, while in Germany drones were also spotted near key infrastructure. German authorities claimed the drones were spying on a power plant, a military shipyard, a key shipping canal, a hospital and the regional parliament. This aerial picture taken on October 1, 2025 off the coast of the western France port of Saint-Nazaire shows French soldiers onboard the tanker from Russia's so-called 'shadow fleet' suspected of being involved in drone flights across the EU Your browser does not support iframes. Britain and the EU imposed separate sanctions on the crude oil tanker in October 2024 and February 2025. The EU said the vessel was linked to the transport of Russian crude oil and petroleum products 'while practising irregular and high-risk shipping practices'. Britain said the vessel was 'involved in activity whose object or effect is to destabilise Ukraine or to obtain a benefit from or support the government of Russia' in the transport of oil or oil products that originated in Russia to a third country. The vessel, which changed its name to Boracay - or on some shipping databases Pushpa - in December 2024, was previously named Kiwala. Ships keep the same IMO identification number throughout their lives, but they may change names. Despite the arrest of the Boracay's first mate and captain, it was today seen heading towards the Suez Canal Friday with its captain back on board, according to data from maritime websites and a source close to the case. It resumed its journey on Thursday evening and was off the coast of western France on Friday morning, data from vessel tracking websites Marine Traffic and Vesselfinder showed. The tanker's Chinese captain - who had been due to appear in a French court in February over failing to comply with orders from the French navy - and first mate were back on board, a source close to the case said. 'They were brought back to their ship after being released from custody,' a source close to the case requesting anonymity told AFP. Shadow fleet tankers typically have opaque ownership and insurance and are often more than 20 years old. Over 400 Shadow Fleet vessels have so far been sanctioned by the UK, EU, US and Canada. A former anti-extremism tsar has suggested the Government has been 'complicit' in the 'demonisation' of Israel. Lord Walney, who was previously the independent adviser on political violence and disruption, called on Labour to 'stand up' to claims that Israel is 'uniquely evil'. The former Labour MP, now a crossbench peer, spoke out against a 'conducive atmosphere for anti-Semitism' after the Manchester terror attack. Two men were killed at a synagogue on Thursday morning on Yom Kippur, Judaism's holiest day. Following the atrocity, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer warned against 'rising' anti-Semitism and promised British Jews a 'more visible police presence'. But Lord Walney criticised the Government's recent recognition of a Palestinian state, which came while terror group Hamas is still in power. He said this 'gives heart to the people who have been part of creating the intimidating, threatening atmosphere that Jews are experiencing in the UK'. Lord Walney was appointed as the Government's independent adviser on political violence and disruption in 2020, but saw the role axed earlier this year. Lord Walney, who was previously the independent adviser on political violence and disruption, called on Labour to 'stand up' to claims that Israel is 'uniquely evil' Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria visited the scene of Thursday's terror attack at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Crumpsall, north Manchester Two men were killed at the synagogue in north Manchester on Thursday morning on Yom Kippur, Judaism's holiest day Speaking to Times Radio on Thursday night, Lord Walney said: 'Significant parts of our public life and media outlets have fuelled an obsessive focus on Israel, which has effectively demonised the country. 'I'm not downplaying, for a moment, the scale of the suffering in Gaza. It is terrible and it deserves our attention. 'However, there are a number of other conflicts across the world where many, many people are suffering. 'There are a number of governments where you could question the scale and severity of their response in a conflict situation. 'And yet, we are engulfed in a debate and have been for a long time now which suggests that Israel is uniquely evil, is motivated by a sense of malice, and is held to a higher standard by the United Nations. 'Also, I'm afraid, the UK Government has been complicit in that'. Lord Walney also suggested that only those British Jews who 'renounce Zionism' are 'allowed to go about their daily lives without being confronted with the evils of Israel'. 'And everyone else, they are fair game for being challenged as they go about their lives,' he added. 'That is part of creating the conducive atmosphere for anti-Semitism.' The former Labour MP added: 'I have to say to my friends in the Labour Party, it is time for them to stand up against this, to do what they know is right. 'And to stop this slide as a country that is leaving Jews in fear for their safety and has almost certainly been a driver of this grotesque killing today.' Lord Walney said that he personally wanted a Palestinian state, but added the 'symbolic gesture of the UK to recognise it right now, while Hamas is still in power, was deeply wrong'. 'It was seen as offensive and alarming by many Jews in the UK,' he added. 'It gives heart to the people who have been part of creating the intimidating, threatening atmosphere that Jews are experiencing in the UK at the moment.' Robert Jenrick, the Tory shadow justice secretary, on Friday said there was a need for the 'whole of society' to 'step up' on combating anti-Semitism. 'We have to take action against that. It's for government, but actually, this is for the whole of society,' he said. 'Institutions like our universities, our charities, the NHS, many, many others need to step up.' Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood denied that recognising Palestine had emboldened those who are anti-Semitic. 'The only person responsible for this devastating attack on our Jewish community is the attacker himself,' she said. 'The work of this Government since the day we were elected has been to put our shoulder to the wheel in the diplomatic efforts in difficult and delicate conversations that are designed to try and bring an end to that devastating war. 'Far too many lives have been lost. We want to see a secure and safe state of Israel alongside a state of Palestine.' But Ms Mahmood said she and Sir Keir 'both acknowledge that anti-Semitism in our country has been rising'. 'It is completely unacceptable, and we both condemn it utterly. We will not stand for it,' she told LBC. 'We have strong laws in our country against incitement to racial hatred.' Two boys were rushed to hospital after an alleged 'acid attack' took place in broad daylight on a busy London high street. The horrifying incident is said to have occurred during a fight between two groups of boys in Walthamstow High Street, East London, on Wednesday afternoon. A liquid - which was later confirmed to be a 'corrosive substance' - was thrown during the scuffle at around 4.30pm, Metropolitan Police said. Emergency services, including the Met Police, London Ambulance Service (LAS) and London Fire Brigade (LFB), responded to the incident. Three youths, all aged 17, were arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm, affray and possession of an offensive weapon, and remain in custody. Two have been charged and are set to appear at Stratford Magistrates' Youth Court today. The third was bailed pending further enquiries. LAS said it had checked over three youngsters at the scene, with two taken to hospital. Their injuries were assessed as being non life-threatening. A LAS spokesperson told Daily Mail: 'We were called at 4.40pm on Wednesday 1 October to reports of an assault in Stainforth Road, Walthamstow. Two boys were rushed to hospital after an alleged 'acid attack' took place in broad daylight on Walthamstow High Street, East London, on Wednesday afternoon 'We sent two ambulance crews, an incident response officer and our Hazardous Area Response Team to the scene. 'We checked over three patients at the scene and took two of them to hospital.' Met Police said today in a statement: 'Two teenage boys, both aged 17-years-old, were charged on Thursday, 2 October with attempted grievous bodily harm, possession of a bladed article, possession of a corrosive substance and affray. 'They are set to appear at Stratford Magistrates' Youth Court on Friday, 3 October and cannot be named for legal reasons. 'At around 4.30pm on Wednesday, 1 October officers responded to reports of a fight between two groups of boys on Walthamstow High Street, Waltham Forest. 'During the incident a liquid was thrown which was later confirmed to be a corrosive substance. 'Police attended the scene along with the London Ambulance Service and the London Fire Brigade. 'Three boys were taken to hospital, where they were assessed to have non life-threatening nor life-changing injuries. 'Three 17-year-old boys were arrested in connection with the incident. Two were charged as above and the third was bailed pending further enquiries.' Stella Creasy, Labour MP for Walthamstow, described the incident as 'horrific' and 'worrying' in a Facebook post. She said: 'I want to be clear I recognise [the] recent spate of incidents [as] worrying and am seeking further details of what actions are being taken to tackle serious crime in our community.' Met Police said enquiries are ongoing into the incident. Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101, quoting CAD 5267/01OCT or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. READ MORE: Outrage as ISIS brides are smuggled back into Australia West Australian Liberal MP Andrew Hastie has sensationally quit the Opposition frontbench after being told he would not lead the Coalition's migration policy. Hastie, who served as Shadow Home Affairs Minister, announced his resignation on Friday night, revealing he had been stripped of authority to shape the party's immigration strategy. 'The Leader has made it clear that I won't be leading the Coalition's response to immigration,' Hastie said. 'On that basis, I've made the decision to resign. I won't be silenced.' The former SAS commander and rising Liberal star said he could no longer 'remain silent' while the party crafted policy without his input. His departure follows a series of social media posts in which he criticised Labor's migration settings, arguing mass migration had left Australians feeling like 'strangers in their own country'. He also called for a return to what he described as 'stronger, more sustainable' immigration levels. Hastie framed his decision as a matter of principle, saying he was stepping down 'out of respect' for Opposition Leader Sussan Ley's leadership but would not compromise his values. Hastie (pictured) resigned from the front bench after his role on migration policy was reduced 'It's a Westminster convention: if you can't support the team publicly, you go to the backbench,' he said. 'Sussan deserves the chance to lead without interference. But I won't stay silent on immigration.' The resignation is a major blow for Ley, who is grappling with internal unrest as the Coalition struggles in opinion polls. Hastie's exit exposes deep fractures within the party, particularly over immigration and climate policy. Shortly after Hastie announced he was quitting, Opposition Leader Sussan Ley released a statement confirming his departure. 'Three days ago, I sent every member of my Shadow Ministry a 'Charter Letter',' Ley said. 'These letters provide clear direction and a tasking to shadow ministers beyond the conventional mirroring of government portfolios, putting the Coalition on a proactive policy path.' Ley said the letters set out key performance indicators, shared policy priorities, and reaffirmed the longstanding requirement of 'Shadow Ministerial Solidarity' in public commentary and parliamentary votes. Ley (pictured) sent Shadow Cabinet MPs a 'Charter Letter' outlining their roles on Wednesday Andrew Hastie (pictured) said he would not 'be silenced' over immigration policy proposals 'This expectation is not new and is a fundamental feature of our Westminster system of government,' she said. 'Compliance with this convention has always been a prerequisite for serving in both Cabinet and Shadow Cabinet.' Ley revealed Hastie informed her by phone that he could not comply with this requirement and would resign. 'Mr Hastie did not raise any matters relating to policy on this call,' she said. 'I thanked Mr Hastie for his service and assured him he would continue to be a very valued part of my Coalition team.' Ley also seized on reports that ISIS brides had secretly returned to Australia, accusing Labor of failing on national security. 'It is disappointing that this crucial Opposition portfolio has been left vacant today.' Senator James Paterson will serve as Acting Shadow Minister for Home Affairs until a permanent replacement is announced. Hasite will host a press conference in Perth on Saturday morning. Counter-terror police are investigating whether the Manchester synagogue terrorist previously sent death threats to a sitting MP. Former Conservative MP John Howell received threatening emails in 2012 over his position on Israel, after he spoke about the nation's right to defend itself against rocket fire. These included a series of messages from someone with the name Jihad Alshamie, who told him: 'It is people like you who deserve to die.' Last night police named the attacker who killed two members of the Jewish community in a terror attack at Heaton Park Hebrew Community Synagogue, in Crumpsall, Manchester, as Jihad al-Shamie. The close name match has prompted police to look again at the threats, and they will form a part of the investigation as counter-terrorism specialists seek to confirm whether they came from yesterday's attacker, it is understood. Mr Howell, who served as MP for Henley from 2008 to 2024, received around 30 emails after making the comments. He was forced to remove details of his local offices from his website after being left in fear of his life and for his family and staff. The threats came after a pro-Palestine activist contacted Mr Howell in an email and asked him what he would do to stop Israeli actions, arguing that it was taking steps 'in defiance of international law and basic human decency'. Former Conservative MP John Howell received threatening emails in 2012 over his position on Israel , after he spoke about the nation's right to defend itself against rocket fire Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, was shot dead minutes after he targeted Heaton Park Synagogue in a terrorist attack in Manchester yesterday. It is believed he was a father and is pictured holding a child The attacker was caught on camera armed with a knife trying to get into the synagogue moments before he was shot by armed police The activist attached a non-recent photo of an exploding building in Gaza to the email. Howell responded and asked them about the '100 rockets which have landed in Israel over the weekend'. This exchange was then posted on Facebook, which saw 'Jihad Alshamie' and others to contact the MP. Commenting on the threats at the time, Mr Howell said: 'The last thing I want to appear as is a drama queen, but you have to take seriously a threat when it says, 'I would like to see you dead'. 'It is not just a question of me, it is my family and my staff. All it takes is one person out there who is weird enough, with a distorted view of life, to make an attempt to carry this out.' It is unclear whether the individuals behind the threats were tracked down by police. The emails resurfaced after yesterday's terror attack, which saw 35-year-old Al-Shamie drive a car at members of the public before stabbing several people outside the Crumpsall synagogue. Two members of the Jewish community were killed and three people remain in hospital with serious injuries. Your browser does not support iframes. The terrorist was shot dead by police following the attack outside a synagogue in Manchester (pictured is a member of the Army's bomb disposal team checking the attacker) Following the incident, armed officers later arrested two men in a street just feet away from the deadly knife attack in Manchester (pictured is a man being detained by police) Two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s have been arrested on suspicion of planning a terror attack The two men who lost their lives were today named as Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, both from Crumpsall. Al-Shamie was shot dead by police seven minutes after officers were alerted to the attack in Crumpsall on Thursday morning, which took place on Yom Kippur, Judaism's holiest day. Three people, two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s, have been arrested on suspicion of planning a terror attack in connection with the killings. Al-Shamie is understood to have entered the UK as a young child with his family and been granted British citizenship in 2006 when he was around the age of 16. The Home Secretary confirmed today that Al-Shamie had not been referred to Prevent and his name has not appeared in initial searches of police and security service records. She added it is 'too early' to say if there was a terrorist cell behind the attack. Shabana Mahmood also told BBC Breakfast: 'Arrests have been made and the police investigation is continuing at pace. 'We will, of course, provide more information as that comes in from the police, but I think it's important we don't get ahead of what we know as the basic facts of what has happened.' Police officers gather inside a cordon on Friday morning after yesterday's terror attack killed two members of the Jewish community Detective Chief Superintendent Lewis Hughes, who is co-ordinating the casualty response, said: 'My deepest sympathies are with Mr Daulby and Mr Cravitz's loved ones at this extremely hard time. 'Specially trained family liaison officers are in contact with them. They will continue to update them on the investigation and support them throughout the coronial process 'Whilst there are processes which must be followed, we commit to being mindful of cultural preferences and sensitivities and to ensuring that these men and their loved ones' wishes are respected.' Greater Manchester Police said while formal identification is yet to take place, the families of Mr Daulby and Mr Cravitz, both from Crumpsall, have been informed and offered support by family liaison officers. On Friday morning, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed extra officers would provide a 'high visibility' presence in North Manchester, Bury, and Salford within Jewish communities and around synagogues. There will also be increased visits to local places of worship, police added. Further plans will be developed throughout Friday to cover into the evening and across the weekend. Greater Manchester Police has been contacted for comment. A gang of illegal immigrants who stormed a high street armed with machetes and brutally attacked a shop owner have been jailed. Hana Hassan, 22; Yosef Shaban, 24; Osama Qadir, 21, and Dawan Mantik, 28 - all Kurds from Iran and Iraq - arrived in Britain on small boats. The four were part of a larger mob of 12 who 'rallied the troops' after a dispute in a nightclub days earlier. They targeted fellow Kurd Kurwan Ali and his friends at his shop in Bournemouth, Dorset, in a 'ferocious and frighteningly violent attack', leaving one victim with life-threatening lung injuries. At the time of the attack Hassan was living in the taxpayer-funded Britannia Hotel, which was the focal point of local protests over the summer. The hotel has been plagued with violent migrant residents. Last month a court heard asylum seeker Shkar Jamal, 24, threatened a man with a snooker cue outside the troubled hotel - before then skipping his sentencing hearing to eat fish and chips. In another incident, a drunken Turkish migrant staying at the Britannia stabbed a man with a broken bottle. Despite the attack - and accusations he was in a terrorist group in his home country - Halil Dal, 30, will not be deported from the UK. Of the latest gang of migrants to be hauled into court, two of the men, Ahmed Omar and Rahel Omer, have already fled the country. As he jailed Hassan, Shaban, Qadir and Mantik for a combined 22 years, Judge Paul Dugdale said their behaviour was, 'not what we are about in this country'. Hana Hassan, pictured, was living in the Britannia Hotel, notorious for housing migrants at the taxpayer's expense and the focus of local protests Osama Qadir, 21, one of the gang of illegal immigrants who has been jailed for the machete attack Dawan Mantik, 28, was jailed for taking part in the attack in Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset He told the court: 'The people of Boscombe just want to live their lives peacefully and do not want this sort of behaviour to take place. 'People want to walk down the road without being scared. It causes fear in the community and makes people scared to go out. This is not a violent country. It is a country where people can walk freely in the street and we want to keep it that way.' The judge said their future 'in all likelihood lies within the Home Office'. Winchester Crown Court heard the attack followed a row on January 27, 2024, at Bar So in the seaside town, just 200 metres from the pier. The pair 'rallied the troops' after the dispute and two days later arrived with ten others, including the four defendants, at victim Kurwan Ali's shop. Mr Ali had three friends with him in the shop. There was then a 'ferocious and frighteningly violent attack'. One of the victims, Sepan Qasim was stabbed twice, suffering a collapsed lung, whilst others suffered bruising and cuts after being kicked during the attack. Local business owners Omar and Omer have not been seen since the incident and are believed to have fled the country to Kurdistan to escape the justice system. They had provided accommodation and work for the defendants. It was confirmed that all four are illegal immigrants from Kurdistan and arrived in the UK on inflatable boats. The four appeared at Winchester Crown Court charged with various offences, including grievous bodily harm, violent disorder and possessing violent weapons. Six other defendants had previously been acquitted. Hana Hassan, 22, was sentenced to seven years in prison, Yosef Shaban, 24, to four years in prison, Osama Qadir, 21, to six years in prison and Dawan Mantik, 28, to five years in prison. All four wore suits in the dock and showed little emotion during the sentencing, which followed a nine-week trial and will serve two-thirds of their sentence in custody. Judge Dugdale said: 'I have to sentence them for a variety of offences arising from a serious incident of roaming street violence on Christchurch Road in Boscombe. 'It is clear that a few days before that, there was some sort of disagreement in Bar So. 'Ahmed Omar ran a number of shops in the Boscombe area, which provide services to the Kurdish community. 'Kurwan Ali also ran some shops in the same area which also provided services to the Kurdish community. Residents gathered outside the Britannia Hotel in Bournemouth with signs reading 'Illegal criminals out' and 'stop the boats' 'What the dispute between these two gentlemen was about did not really come out in evidence but I have absolutely no doubt that there was a dispute. 'Mr Omar was a surprisingly young man, aged about 21. In all likelihood, he had some standing within the Kurdish community. Him and Rahel Omer were the two primary men involved. 'After the dispute there were a number of mobile phone calls between a number of people who were working for Mr Omar. 'The prosecution used the phrase "rally the troops" and I have no doubt that the calls were getting people to support him against Mr Ali. 'Twelve people went down Christchurch Road. Mr Ali was with three others. Everyone walking down that road knew that something was going to happen. 'If they knew exactly whether it was going to be just a few words and a handshake or whether they knew there was going to be a fight, we don't know. 'It is clear that some in the group were aware that people were armed. 'All four of the defendants were clearly aware that their weapons were going to be used. Mantik and Qadir were armed with large machetes. Omar and Omer were armed with knives. 'Mr Ali also had a knife but that is not entirely relevant. 'The four defendants in the dock were secondary parties in the incidents, and I accept that the injuries that were caused to Mr Qasim would have been caused by Omar and Omer. 'There had been a rolling movement of the group along the Christchurch Road, which was clear to see. 'These defendants were convicted after a nine-week trial. I accept that all four are previously of good character and are relatively young. None of them have been difficult prisoners. 'All four had a very difficult background history and start to their lives. 'All grew up in Iran or Iraq as part of the Kurdish community. All four came to the country by means that are not seen as legal. All have suffered traumatic incidents in their past. 'These are serious incidents. The people of Boscombe just want to live their lives peacefully and do not want this sort of behaviour to take place. 'People want to walk down the road without being scared. It is not what we are about in this country. 'It causes fear in the community and makes people scared to go out. People who carry out this sort of violence will have to deal with the consequences. 'This is not a violent country. It is a country where people can walk freely in the street and we want to keep it that way.' News of the gang's jailing comes after a furious judge condemned a group of Algerian migrants for 'abusing Britain's kindness' to commit crime. Adam Zawi, who claims to be 21, was living in a three-star hotel at the taxpayer's expense, when he and his 'sneak theft' gang swiped rucksacks filled with gadgets from a pub in London's financial district on July 30. The migrant pictured bottom left stealing a rucksack filled with gadgets from The Walrus and The Carpenter pub in London's financial district. He was living in a three-star hotel at the time Abderaouf is seen walking past the bag in the London pub before stealing the rucksack Adam Zawi, pictured, an Algerian small boat migrant who stole 4,000 worth of gadgets from City workers, already had six theft convictions The group, which included fellow illegal arrivals Oussama Fadage, 35, and Aouidj Abderaouf, 29, stole belongings from drinkers at The Walrus and The Carpenter pub and El Vino The Olde Wine Shades wine bar. They stole approximately 4,000 worth of gadgets from city workers during their crime spree. Zawi, who had an application for asylum pending after arriving in the UK 'via a boat' in 2023, has six previous convictions for theft, while Fadage has three, Westminster Magistrates' Court heard. The pair denied two counts of theft but were found guilty after a trial and sentenced to 12 months in prison. Abderaouf was sentenced to 36 weeks after admitting the charges. In his scathing remarks District judge Michael Snow said: 'There are no mitigating facts here. Mr Zawi must think I was born yesterday if he thinks I believe he is 21. He is older than that. 'These three defendants are committed criminals. There is no realistic prospect of rehabilitation.' He added: 'Even if you are all released from prison after you serve half of your sentences, the Home Office should consider deportation as a likely outcome here.' The judge told the court it was an 'appalling situation' he was having to deal with where 'all defendants have no right to live in this country'. 'They claim they need protection to live in this country, and then return that by stealing from citizens of this country,' the judge continued, in his fiery dressing down of the crooks. 'They went out with a plan to steal from citizens of this country. They took advantage of people who were distracted because they were socialising. The fact that the property was returned has nothing to do with these defendants, it is because they were caught.' A major software company has ruled out helping the Government to introduce digital ID cards after suggesting they don't have public support. Louis Mosley, the UK boss of Palantir Technologies, noted how Labour's manifesto prior to last year's general election made no mention of such a scheme. He said there was no 'clear resounding public support at the ballot box' for digital ID cards, adding that Palantir would not bid for any contracts related to the scheme. It is the latest blow to Sir Keir Starmer following his announcement last month that the new ID system would be introduced in 2029. The Prime Minister said it would be mandatory for people working in the UK as part of a bid to tackle illegal migration. But polling showed that support for digital ID had collapsed since Sir Keir's announcement on 26 September. The PM is also said to have faced a Cabinet backlash against the 'expensive and complicated' scheme. Ministers are reported to have warned Sir Keir that implementing digital ID will drive left-wing Labour voters towards the Liberal Democrats and the Greens. It is the latest blow to Sir Keir Starmer following his announcement last month that the new ID system would be introduced in 2029 Palantir Technologies holds a number of Government contracts across Whitehall, including with the NHS and the Ministry of Defence Palantir holds a number of Government contracts across Whitehall, including with the NHS and the Ministry of Defence. But Mr Mosley said his firm would not be participating in Labour's digital ID scheme. 'Palantir has long had a policy that we will help democratically elected governments implement the policies they have been elected to deliver,' he told Times Radio. 'And that does mean that often we are involved in the implementation of very controversial measures. 'Digital ID is not one that was tested at the last election. It wasn't in the manifesto. 'So we haven't had a clear resounding public support at the ballot box for its implementation. So it isn't one for us.' Asked how worried the public should be about data security in a new digital ID scheme, he said: 'Any digital system needs to be protected, secured. 'The more of these you have, the greater your surface area of risk.' Under the Government's plans for digital ID, photo IDs would be stored on smartphones in a similar way to digital bank cards. They would contain information on the holder's name, residency status, date of birth and nationality. Ministers have said the ID will only be required as proof of the right to work, but there is scope for its use to be widened in future to access public services. It is expected to be subject to consultation and may require legislation. More In Common polling showed strong support for a national digital ID card system in June, with 53 per cent of Britons in favour and 19 per cent opposed. But support dropped off dramatically since the PM announced plans to proceed with the scheme, with 45 per cent now saying they are opposed, and 31 per cent in favour. This means net support for the scheme shifted from plus 35 per cent in June to minus 14 per cent over last weekend. More In Common suggested there was 'good evidence that dissatisfaction with the PM and the Government has caused the collapse' in support. They noted that 58 per cent of those who think Sir Keir is doing a bad job oppose the introduction of digital ID, while 20 per cent support their introduction. By contrast, 72 per cent of those who think the PM is doing a good job support the scheme, compared with 14 per cent who oppose. Armed police officers left one victim of a terrorist attack at a synagogue in Manchester dead and another injured, it emerged today. Greater Manchester Police admitted one of the deceased men was shot by officers ahead of post-mortem examinations taking place later today, adding a second victim sustained a non-life threatening gunshot wound. The victims had been standing behind the synagogue door at the time. It is believed both victims were trying to stop the Islamic terrorist from gaining entry. In a statement this morning, Greater Manchester Police said it is not believed that attacker Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, was armed with a gun, and that both individuals were shot by officers. Melvin Cravitz, 66, and Adrian Daulby, 53, were killed following the attack outside Heaton Park Congregation Synagogue in Manchester on Thursday morning. A source told the Times a bullet scraped one man's leg and entered the stomach of a second, who died. Rabbi Daniel Walker confirmed on Friday that it was Mr Daulby who was accidentally shot by police. Syrian-born Al-Shamie, who came to the UK as a young child and was granted British citizenship in 2006, was also shot dead by police. He was not known to counter-terror police or security services prior to Thursday's attack. Greater Manchester Police referred itself to the police watchdog, the IOPC, over the incident, and the body has launched an independent investigation. Home Office post-mortems will take place today. Hero worshippers can be seen in the windows behind Jihad Al-Shamie as they barricaded the doors at Heaton Park Synagogue before police opened fire Worshippers are seen peering out from the synagogue's windows moments before Al-Shamie, pictured wearing a non-viable suicide belt, was shot dead by police Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, who was shot dead minutes after he targeted Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester yesterday. It is believed he was a father and is pictured holding a child The scene outside the Heaton Park Synagogue, pictured early on Friday morning, as a police investigation continues into the attack In a statement, Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson said: 'Following the terrorist incident yesterday at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation, Middleton Road, Crumpsall; further and urgent enquiries continue. Overnight, we have taken advice from the Home Office Pathologist ahead of full post mortem examinations scheduled for later today. 'The Home Office Pathologist has advised that he has provisionally determined, that one of the deceased victims would appear to have suffered a wound consistent with a gunshot injury. 'It is currently believed that the suspect, Jihad Al-Shamie, was not in possession of a firearm and the only shots fired were from GMP's Authorised Firearms Officers as they worked to prevent the offender from entering the synagogue and causing further harm to our Jewish community. 'It follows therefore, that subject to further forensic examination, this injury may sadly have been sustained as a tragic and unforeseen consequence of the urgently required action taken by my officers to bring this vicious attack to an end. 'We have also been advised by medical professionals that one of the three victims currently receiving treatment in hospital, has also suffered a gunshot wound, which is mercifully not life-threatening. 'It is believed that both victims were close together behind the synagogue door, as worshippers acted bravely to prevent the attacker from gaining entry.' It comes after the Police Chief yesterday praised 'brave' officers and told how armed police that were scrambled to the scene shot Al-Shamie dead within seven minutes of the first 999 call. Sir Stephen said last night that the bravery of security staff and worshippers had stopped the knifeman from entering the building. He told reporters: 'There were a large number of worshippers attending the synagogue at the time of this attack, but thanks to the immediate bravery of security staff and the worshippers inside, as well as the fast response of the police, the attacker was prevented from gaining access.' Melvin Cravitz, 66 (pictured) was killed in the terrorist attack on a synagogue in Manchester yesterday Adrian Daulby, 53, was also killed in the attack after being accidentally shot by police Circled is Michael Goldstone, Tory politician Grant Shapps' father-in-law, who was at the synagogue at the time and helped to barricade the doors against the attacker A bomb disposal expert from the British Army's 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Search Regiment is seen investigating the device worn by the terrorist Police arrested two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s after the attack on suspicion of planning acts of terrorism A car pictured at the scene today following the attack - Al-Shamie drove at members of the public before stabbing multiple people Rabbi Daniel Walker (pictured right) leapt into action after the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue came under attack The road where the arrests took place, White House Avenue, about 1,500ft from the synagogue, was cordoned off and put under armed guard The police investigation continues at the scene near Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester, on Friday One of those who died, Mr Cravitz, was close friends with Heaton Park Congregation Synagogue Rabbi, Daniel Walker. He leaves behind his wife Karen, whom he married in August 2009. In a tender family album picture shared online the couple are seen clinking glasses of whisky together on their wedding day. Mr Cravitz had previously survived two heart operations and had no children of his own, but was seen as an uncle figure to his wife's children from her previous marriage. Tributes are pouring in for both victims today after the tragedy. Two friends of Melvin Cravitz described him as 'very beloved', adding he 'always' smiled. Mr Daulby's family said they were 'heartbroken' at his loss, and asked for privacy. A short statement shared on his Facebook page read: 'As Adrian's family, we are heartbroken by his passing. 'We kindly ask for privacy at this time as we grieve and seek the answers we need. Thank you for your understanding and respect.' They later added: 'Adrian Daulby was a hero and tragically lost his life in the act of courage to save others, he was a beloved brother, loving uncle to his four nieces and one nephew and a cherished cousin. 'The family is shocked by the tragic, sudden death of such a lovely down to earth man. 'His final act was one of profound courage and he will forever be remembered for his heroic act on Thursday 2 October 2025.' One member of his extended family said: 'What has happened is tragic and beyond belief. Adrian was a lovely man who was helping to guard the synagogue.' Mr Daulby lived on his own after losing both his parents to cancer, and was battling the disease himself, a neighbour told the Daily Mail. As a result of his ill-health, the nature lover had debated whether to go for Yom Kippur, Hussain Shahzad said. The 27-year-old biomedical scientist fought back tears as he told how his neighbour, who lived alone following the death of his parents, spent his time enjoying the nature in the garden of his semi-detached home. Mr Shahzad added: 'He loved animals. He had a YouTube channel where he uploaded videos of the birds and wildlife. He would film my chickens. 'He had not been so well lately and when I spoke to him on Tuesday he said he wasn't going to fast on Yom Kippur. He was thinking about whether he would go to the synagogue or not for this reason. 'I didn't see him go yesterday but he would usually wear his best suit when he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath.' Last night, Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said the terror attack had come following an 'unrelenting wave of Jew hatred on our streets, campuses, on social media and elsewhere'. He said: 'This is the day we hoped we would never see, but which deep down, we knew would come.' Hero Rabbi Daniel Walker and several other members of his congregation barricaded the doors to the synagogue to prevent terrorist Al-Shamie from entering the building and causing more carnage. Rabbi Walker is also reported to have rushed to the aid of the worshipper who was accidently shot in the stomach by police. The attacker, who was pictured wearing a non-viable suicide belt that police have confirmed was not viable, drove his black Kia into pedestrians before stabbing multiple people at 9.31am on Thursday. Armed officers were scrambled to the scene, and video footage showed how one shouted the attacker had a 'bomb'. Al-Shamie was shot twice by officers, eyewitnesses said, but it appears that stray bullets also hit two members of the community stood behind the synagogue doors. When police arrived, it was reported that Al-Shamie was attempting to stab people through a window of the synagogue as he tried to get in. Your browser does not support iframes. The scene outside the Heaton Park Synagogue, pictured early on Friday morning, as a police investigation continues into the attack Pictured: Members of the British Army's bomb squad are seen with one of their robots A forensic technician gathers evidence at the scene following the stabbing and car attack Forensic officers work at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue on Friday Ex-firearms officer: 'Even the most highly trained officers can miss' Oliver Laurence, who spent 12 years as an armed police officer, described the accidental shooting as a 'tragedy'. Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: 'The priority of any armed response, when you know it's an active terrorism matter, is to minimise the loss of life for anyone not involved in the attack. The priority is neutralise the offender. 'It's absolutely tragic in these circumstances when you have an armed officer engaging with a terrorist and members of the public are caught up in crossfire. 'These officers are making life-or-death decisions in a split second in order to minimise the loss of life. Those decisions will come with significant consequences. 'There will be a thorough IOPC investigation to this, when the circumstances of the shooting will become clear.' He added: 'Having carried a firearm for over 12 years, these situations happen very fast, you make quick decisions and try to minimise the loss of life. Ultimately, you don't go to these jobs wanting to shoot someone and kill them. 'However, these armed officers would have known they're dealing with a very dangerous person who is likely not to come easy, so they already know they're going to have to make these very difficult decisions.' Mr Laurence said firearms officers were trained to target 'centre mass' - the chest - to take down armed attackers. Assault rifles using .556 calibre rounds were designed to ensure the bullets did not rip through the body of an attack, he added. However, Mr Laurence warned it was possible that even the most 'highly trained' officers could still miss from close range, particularly when an attack is moving. 'That's why officers shoot for centre mass,' he added. 'It's the best target. People often say, 'why can't you just shoot the knife out of someone's hand'? Because you'll miss. 'There are situations where highly-trained counter-terrorism officers can shoot elsewhere like the head to neutralise someone they believe might have a bomb. 'But this all become more difficult if you're faced with a moving target.' Advertisement As well as the two deceased, the horror left four injured, with three still in a serious condition in hospital. It emerged yesterday that father-of-three Yoni Finlay also helped to stop the terrorist gaining entry. He was said to have been injured by a stray bullet when armed police shot Al-Shamie dead seven minutes after the horror unfolded. Mr Finlay was taken to hospital following the attack and has undergone surgery, it is understood. Also immediately behind the synagogue doors was Michael Goldstone, Tory politician Grant Shapps' father-in-law. It is believed he was not injured in the attack. Former armed police officer Oliver Laurence told the Mail that the 'priority for any armed response' to terrorism is to 'minimise the loss of live', adding that officers make 'life-or-death decisions in a split second'. Mr Laurence said firearms officers were trained to target 'centre mass' - the chest - to take down armed attackers. But he warned it was possible that even the most 'highly trained' officers could still miss from close range, particularly when an attack is moving. 'That's why officers shoot for centre mass,' he added. 'It's the best target. People often say, 'why can't you just shoot the knife out of someone's hand'? Because you'll miss. Al-Shamie is a British citizen of Syrian descent and police said they are 'working to understand the motivation', with the attack being treated as terror-related. Officers also arrested two men aged in their 30s and a woman in her 60s on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack. The attack took place on Yom Kippur - the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Al Shamie's relatives took to social media this morning to share a statement in which they condemned his 'heinous' act. The family said: 'The news from Manchester regarding the terrorist attack targeting a Jewish synagogue has been a profound shock to us. 'The Al-Shamie family in the UK and abroad strongly condemns this heinous act, which targeted peaceful, innocent civilians. 'We fully distance ourselves from this attack and express our deep shock and sorrow over what has happened. Our hearts and thoughts are with the victims and their families, and we pray for their strength and comfort. 'We kindly request that all media outlets respect the family's privacy during this very difficult time and refrain from using this tragic event in any context that does not reflect the truth. 'May God have mercy on the innocent victims, and we pray for the swift recovery of the injured.' The statement was signed by Faraj Al-Shamie, on behalf of the Al-Shamie Family. Armed police officers were seen descending on a quiet street in Prestwich, where the attacker was said to have been linked to an address, on Thursday. Al-Shamie is understood to have worked as a tutor teaching English and computer programming, while reports suggest his father is a surgeon. Neighbours of the killer said he had lived there since around 2021, and one remembered a baby also living at the address but could not recall seeing a woman living there. One woman said: 'We used to see him out in the garden working out, doing weights, press-ups. 'He used to change his clothes. One day he would be wearing the full gown, to the floor and the next jeans and pyjama bottoms.' Another neighbour described how armed police arrived at the house around 3.15pm on Thursday. A man, who would only give his name as Mike, 35, said he was visiting his mother's house and was at the window and looked up to see police arriving. He said: 'There was a whole load of armed police coming up the street, they were all in black, they were all in vans and a big marked police car blocked the street. 'They went to the house and started screaming: 'Armed police! Come out!' They had a chainsaw. They left after about an hour.' The Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood this morning confirmed that Al-Shamie had not been previously referred to Prevent. Al-Shamie's name has also not appeared in initial searches of police and security service records, and he is not thought to have been under investigation. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria Starmer arrive at the site of the Manchester synagogue attack this morning The PM observed the scene outside Heaton Park Synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester, after flying home early from a European summit in Copenhagen Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Lady Victoria Starmer speak with a member of the Jewish community at the scene of the attack Members of the community close to the synagogue where two people were killed in the terror attack Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood during a visit to meet emergency responders at Great Manchester Police headquarters on Friday Your browser does not support iframes. Further checks are being carried out to see if any of his details appear anywhere in records of other investigations. Eyewitness Khurram Rafiq, who was driving past the synagogue, said Al-Shamie went from victim to victim in a 'robotic' manner like he 'had a job to do'. Mr Rafiq, 35, a manager for a global tech firm, told the Daily Mail: 'Initially I thought it was an accident and that the driver had lost control for whatever reason. 'But he then got out and stabbed the man who was lying on the ground. The knifeman walked through the front gates and stabbed at least two other men. I would describe him as an Asian man and he was going for anyone who was Jewish. 'The men he stabbed were all wearing the kippah. There was no shouting from what I could hear nor any religious slogans.' The IOPC are investigating yesterday's events. Emily Barry, IOPC Director of Engagement, said: 'Our thoughts remain with the victims and their families, as well as all those affected by yesterday's horrific events. 'As is standard when there has been a fatal police shooting, we are carrying out an independent investigation to establish the facts of what happened, and our findings will be shared with the Coroner in due course. 'IOPC investigators attended the police post-incident procedures and were at the scene last night gathering evidence. We will be present at the post-mortems today to provide independent oversight. 'It is important in these circumstances that the police are able to continue their vital work, and there are established protocols we follow to ensure our role does not hinder their ability to conduct enquiries as part of their own investigations. 'We will share further information when we are in a position to do so.' Local members of the community attended the scene today, leaving flowers, cards and other tributes to the victims. Yusit Stein, 43, said: 'One of the victims I knew very well. I was at another synagogue at the time and heard the news trickling down a little later. 'He was a lovely man. It is all very raw. We have suffered anti-semitism for years now. It is nothing new. 'It takes an awful act like this for it to be brought to people's attention.' A woman places bunches of flowers and tribute messages at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester A touching note left at the scene of the attack read: 'Terrorism will not prevail' Several bouquets of flowers are pictured at the edge of a police cordon Patrick Kirk, 37, said: 'I've just come here to pay my respects. No family should have to go through this. The men were just going about their daily business and end up losing their lives.' Jennifer Fitzgerald, 60, left flowers at the scene. She said: 'I live close by. It is just terrible. I don't know any of those involved but that doesn't make it any less awful. 'I tried to lay flowers yesterday but everywhere was cordoned off. Bringing flowers doesn't seem enough. There's nothing we can do for help.' A statement from Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Rabbi Daniel Walker, its president Hilary Foxler, and chairman of trustees Alan Levy, released on Friday said the 'loss we feel is beyond words'. It said: 'It is hard to find the words to convey the depth of our community's grief, as we try to process yesterday's act of unimaginable violence. 'This desecration of our synagogue, on Yom Kippur of all days, is an episode that has changed us all forever. 'Two of our beloved members were murdered in cold blood, and others remain in hospital with serious injuries. The loss we feel is beyond words. 'These were not simply members of our synagogue - they were our friends, our family - and their absence leaves a void that can never be filled. 'Even in this valley of deepest sorrow, we have been upheld by extraordinary courage and kindness from so many. 'We are profoundly grateful to our security team, to CST (Community Security Trust) and to the emergency services, whose swift and selfless actions saved countless lives and brought reassurance amid chaos. To all of them we owe a debt that can never be repaid. 'We have also been strengthened by the countless expressions of solidarity that have poured in, not only from across the Jewish community but from faith leaders, from political leaders and, from neighbours of every background. 'In our darkest hour, you have shown us that we do not stand alone. Your embrace reminds us that love and compassion remain stronger than hate. 'As the chief rabbi has noted, this attack was an assault not only on Jews, but upon our shared values. 'The greatest tribute to the memory of Adrian and Melvin Z'L (which means, may his memory be a blessing) would be for communities right across the country to come together in peace and solidarity, to challenge the evil of antisemitism wherever it is found, so that no other community has to endure these horrors ever again. 'For now we will continue to weep, we will continue to pray, and we will continue to live our lives as Jews with dignity and faith.' Police patrols have been bolstered outside synagogues since yesterday's bloodshed, with Sir Keir Starmer pledging to the Jewish community that he would do 'everything in my power to guarantee you the security that you deserve'. The Prime Minister visited the scene of the attack this morning with his wife Victoria, where they spoke with emergency service personnel and paid tribute to victims. Speaking at Greater Manchester Police headquarters where he thanked emergency services personnel for their work during the Crumpsall synagogue terror attack, Sir Keir Starmer said: 'This was a dreadful attack, a terrorist attack to inflict fear. Attacking Jews because they are Jews. 'It's really important today that the whole country comes together, people of all faiths and no faith, stand in support and solidarity with our Jewish community, and I know that your work will help to that end.' The Prime Minister added: 'We must defeat antisemitism, and that is the responsibility of all of us. 'It is the responsibility of Government and we will rise to that challenge and do all that we can to absolutely ensure that our Jewish community is safe and secure, and that we show them the strength of the support and solidarity that we have for them. 'That will be massively helped by what you have already done, what you're continuing to do.' The Prime Minister visited the silver command base in police headquarters before meeting responders from the police, ambulance and fire service. He praised 'the degree of professionalism and speed' that workers showed on Thursday. Sir Keir told them: 'I just wanted to come and say to you, thank you so much for what you did yesterday, what you are continuing to do, because here you are back at work the next day.' He added: 'The confidence that you've given people across not just Greater Manchester... but across the whole country, is really, really important to us. So thank you very much.' He also met two police sniffer dogs, Jimmy and Champ. Outside of Manchester, organisers of pro-Palestine protests this weekend are facing pressure to cancel them after activism in support of Greta Thunberg's Gaza flotilla led to 40 people being arrested. As anger continues to boil over today, the Home Secretary has urged pro-Palestine activists to step back 'for at least a few days' and axe demonstrations this weekend, which police chiefs fear will 'draw resources away' from the capital 'when they are needed most'. Speaking to Sky News, Shabana Mahmood said those who gathered after the attack were behaving in a 'fundamentally un-British' and 'dishonourable' way. With further demonstrations on the horizon, Ms Mahmood urged those who plan on protesting to show 'some humanity' and 'give the Jewish community here a chance to process what has happened'. And Flags in the House of Commons have been lowered for the victims of the attack. Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons Speaker, agreed for the flags to be lowered until 8pm on Friday. The father of Manchester synagogue attacker Jihad Al-Shamie has told of his family's 'deep shock and sorrow' and says he strongly condemns his sons's 'heinous act'. In a statement issued on Facebook, Jihad Al-Shamies father, Faraj, said he and his loved ones wanted to 'distance themselves' from Thursday's atrocity carried out by the Syrian-born terrorist. Al-Shamie, 35, was shot dead by armed police during his rampage outside Manchester's Heaton Park Synagogue which left two Jewish men dead. Faraj, who works as a trauma surgeon in war zones around the globe, said their thoughts and prayers were with the victims and their families. His statement said: 'The news from Manchester regarding the terrorist attack targeting a Jewish synagogue has been a profound shock to us. 'The Al-Shamie family in the UK and abroad strongly condemns this heinous act, which targeted peaceful, innocent civilians. 'We fully distance ourselves from this attack and express our deep shock and sorrow over what has happened. Our hearts and thoughts are with the victims and their families, and we pray for their strength and comfort.' They added: 'May God have mercy on the innocent victims, and we pray for the swift recovery of the injured.' Al-Shamie was shot dead seven minutes after he targeted the packed synagogue. Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, both died following the incident. They were members of Manchester's Jewish population. Al-Shamie's family's statement came as Greater Manchester Police today revealed one of the victims who died was believed to have been accidentally shot by police. Police fired at least two volleys of shots to bring down Al-Shamie, who had rammed his Kia Picanto into a group of worshippers before then launching a knife attack. In a statement issued on Facebook , Jihad Al-Shamies father, Faraj, said he and his loved ones wanted to 'distance themselves' from Thursday's atrocity carried out by his son Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, who was shot dead minutes after he targeted Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester yesterday. It is believed he was a father and is pictured holding a child The 35-year-old was caught on camera armed with a knife trying to get into the synagogue moments before he was shot by armed police At the time of the incident, it was feared he had an explosive suicide belt on. However, this device later proved to be fake. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) today claimed that during its 'urgent' response to the unfolding terror attack, two worshippers were inadvertently hit by stray rounds. One suffered fatal injuries, while the other sustained non life-threatening wounds. Both gunshot wound victims are believed to have been among those trying to barricade the door while Al-Shamie attacked. Officers have not confirmed which of the two men who died in yesterday's tragedy was shot. In a statement, GMP said: 'Following the terrorist incident yesterday at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation, Middleton Road, Crumpsall; further and urgent enquiries continue. Overnight, we have taken advice from the Home Office Pathologist ahead of full post mortem examinations scheduled for later today. 'The Home Office Pathologist has advised that he has provisionally determined, that one of the deceased victims would appear to have suffered a wound consistent with a gunshot injury. 'It is currently believed that the suspect, Jihad Al Shamie, was not in possession of a firearm and the only shots fired were from GMP's Authorised Firearms Officers as they worked to prevent the offender from entering the synagogue and causing further harm to our Jewish community. Pictured is the family statement released today on social media Footage shows the suspect lying on the ground outside the synagogue as armed police aim their guns at him. Moments later, he starts trying to get up before a gunshot rings out A knifeman has been killed by police following the terror attack outside a synagogue in Manchester (pictured is a member of the Army's bomb disposal team checking the attacker) Your browser does not support iframes. 'It follows therefore, that subject to further forensic examination, this injury may sadly have been sustained as a tragic and unforeseen consequence of the urgently required action taken by my officers to bring this vicious attack to an end. 'We have also been advised by medical professionals that one of the three victims currently receiving treatment in hospital, has also suffered a gunshot wound, which is mercifully not life threatening. 'It is believed that both victims were close together behind the synagogue door, as worshippers acted bravely to prevent the attacker from gaining entry. 'Our thoughts and prayers remain with all of the families, and the wider community, impacted by this incident across Greater Manchester and beyond. Specialist officers are providing support and care for all of those directly affected, including our brave first responders.' Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer visited GMP's HQ earlier today, as well as the scene of synagogue killing. Praising officers for their response to the terror attack, the PM added he had seen body-worn footage of the incident. 'I am absolutely clear in my mind of the professionalism of the response, the speed of the response, and also that an absolutely awful incident would have been even worse if it hadn't been for your response,' the PM said. 'So thank you is a really important two words at a time like this, and I say thank you to each and every one of you, and through you to all the other people that were there responding yesterday and ask that to be passed on to all of those.' Oliver Laurence, who spent 12 years as an armed police officer, described the accidental shooting as a 'tragedy'. Mr Laurence, who is group CEO of Periculum Security Group, added the officers' lives would 'now be put on hold' while a lengthy IOPC investigation is carried out. Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: 'The priority of any armed response, when you know it's an active terrorism matter, is to minimise the loss of life for anyone not involved in the attack. The priority is neutralise the offender. 'It's absolutely tragic in these circumstances when you have an armed officer engaging with a terrorist and members of the public are caught up in crossfire. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria visit the site of the synagogue attack on Friday morning 'These officers are making life-or-death decisions in a split second in order to minimise the loss of life. Those decisions will come with significant consequences. 'There will be a thorough IOPC investigation to this, when the circumstances of the shooting will become clear.' He added: 'Having carried a firearm for over 12 years, these situations happen very fast, you make quick decisions and try to minimise the loss of life. Ultimately, you don't go to these jobs wanting to shoot someone and kill them. 'However, these armed officers would have known they're dealing with a very dangerous person who is likely not to come easy, so they already know they're going to have to make these very difficult decisions.' Mr Laurence said firearms officers were trained to target 'centre mass' - the chest - to take down armed attackers. Assault rifles using .556 calibre rounds were designed to ensure the bullets did not rip through the body of an attack, he added. Officers can also use 'hollow-point' bullets, which are designed to break up inside the body on impact, minimising the risk of collateral damage, he said. However, Mr Laurence warned it was possible that even the most 'highly-trained' officers could still miss from close range, particularly when an attacker is moving. 'That's why officers shoot for centre mass,' he added. 'It's the best target. People often say, 'why can't you just shoot the knife out of someone's hand'? Because you'll miss. 'There are situations where highly-trained counter-terrorism officers can shoot elsewhere like the head to neutralise someone they believe might have a bomb. 'But this all become more difficult if you're faced with a moving target.' Al-Shamie is understood to have been granted British citizenship in 2006 when he was a teenager, aged around 16. Officers also arrested two men aged in their 30s and a woman in her 60s on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack. Forensic officers are pictured today close to the scene of Thursday's terror attack The attack saw a car driven at members of the public, before it crashed and the attacker emerged and started stabbing those congregated outside. The attack took place on Yom Kippur - the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Neighbours of the killer said he had lived there since around 2021, and one neighbour remembered a baby also living at the address but could not recall seeing a woman living there. One woman said: 'We used to see him out in the garden working out, doing weights, press-ups. 'He used to change his clothes. One day he would be wearing the full gown, to the floor, and the next jeans and pyjama bottoms.' A neighbour of a house raided in Langley Crescent, Prestwich, told the Daily Telegraph she recognised its occupant from photographs of the synagogue attacker. She said: 'He lived there 10 years, with no wife or kids that I could see. He never seemed to speak to anyone around here. 'I recognised him from the pictures of the attacker. I recognised his little car, the Kia, because he'd always park it badly outside ours. 'I'd see him walking around in his pyjamas and slip-on sandals, carrying a shopping bag. 'He was quite bulked up and used to keep his exercise weights in his garage. I'd see them there.' Al-Shamie is understood to have worked as a tutor teaching English and computer programming, while reports suggest his father is a surgeon. Police have also arrested two men aged in their 30s and a woman in her 60s on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack. They remain in custody. Vladimir Putin has mocked Europe's drone panic amid fears Russia is sending drones to test the continent's response to provocation, joking that he 'won't do it again'. At the The Valdai Discussion Club, held in Sochi, he was sarcastically asked by the Russian moderator: 'Why are you sending so many drones to Denmark?' The Russian despot joked: 'I won't do it any more. I won't go to France, Denmark or Copenhagen anymore. Where else do they fly? He added: 'If we speak seriously, we do not have drones which can reach Lisbon'. Europe has been on high alert since the beginning of the month, following a series of suspected Russian drone incursions into Western airspaces beginning with the flight of nearly two dozen UAVs into Poland. Since then, drones believed to have been directed by the Kremlin have been spotted across northern Europe, including in Germany, Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands. Moscow has consistently denied responsibility for these incidents. Most recently, a Russian shadow fleet tanker was detained by French authorities off the country's western coast amid allegations the Kremlin was launching disruptive drones from it. Putin said during the discussion that the seizure of the Boracay was simply an attempt by France to distract the nation from its own political problems. Vladimir Putin has mocked Europe's drone panic, joking that he 'won't do it again' Your browser does not support iframes. He also claimed that NATO was using the incident, and others, to stoke tensions and increase defence spending, threateningly adding: 'The risk of confrontation will increase significantly'. It comes after overnight drone sightings at Munich airport led to the cancellation and diversion of dozens of flights on the eve of a national holiday, leaving nearly 3,000 passengers stranded and leading politicians to call for a tougher response to drone threats, potentially including shooting them down. The airport said several drone sightings late on Thursday evening had forced air traffic control to suspend operations, leading to the cancellation of 17 flights and disrupting travel for nearly 3,000 passengers, who were provided with camp beds, blankets and food. Another 15 arriving flights were diverted around the region. 'Our police must get the power to shoot drones down,' said Markus Soeder, premier of Bavaria, of which Munich is the capital. He told Bild newspaper: 'We need sovereignty over our airspace.' Public broadcaster BR said local and national police were investigating the incident. State and federal police had no immediate comment. The drones were sighted in the late evening above the airport, a police spokesperson told newspaper Bild. But because it was dark, the sizes and types of the drones could not be determined, he added. 'Europe must be able to defend itself,' Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said after the meeting. Her defence minister spoke on Friday morning of a Russian 'hybrid war against NATO and the West'. Authorities have not publicly blamed anyone for the Munich drone incident, but some European officials have suggested Russia was behind other recent airspace violations. A severely damaged house in the village of Wyryki in eastern Poland, where one of the Russian drones that breached Polish airspace collided with the building on September 10, 2025 'Russia tries to test us. But Russia also tries to sow division and anxiety in our societies,' European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday. Interior minister Alexander Dobrindt, who already plans legislation letting armed forces help shoot down drones, said more money was needed along with research into ways of countering the drone threat. 'The race between the drone threat and drone defences is getting ever tighter,' he told Bild. Russian President Vladimir Putin joked on Thursday that he would not fly drones over Denmark anymore, but Moscow has denied responsibility for the incidents. European authorities have accused Russia of brazen violations of the region's airspace, including recent incursions by drones over Poland and fighter jets over Estonia, while Moscow has in turn accused NATO of provocations. Continuing pro-Palestine protests were branded 'dishonourable' by the Home Secretary today following the Manchester synagogue terror attack. Shabana Mahmood also said she was 'very disappointed' by the 'un-British' demonstrations which took place last night in the wake of the attacks. The Metropolitan Police said a protest from Defend Our Juries in Trafalgar Square in London tomorrow should not go ahead but the group vowed to still hold it. Another march by the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign is scheduled for October 11 and is expected to end outside the gates of Downing Street. Jonathan Hall KC, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, said there were no powers at present for the Government or police to bar a protest. He told BBC Radio 4 that he was against a 'general override' to ban a march or protest based on 'vague interests of national security', but added that there could be a case for a ban if the counter-terrorist burden on the police is 'so great'. But what do you think - should the Government ban planned pro-Palestine marches in the wake of the attack? Vote in the Daily Mail's latest poll below. In yesterday's poll, Daily Mail readers were asked: 'Is Britain doing enough to protect its Jewish population?' Out of 22,000 votes, 90 per cent said 'no' and 10 per cent said 'yes'. Police searching for a missing four-year-old boy in Australia say they have not given up hope, even as the huge operation to find him has been scaled back after nearly a week of fruitless searching. August 'Gus' Lamont vanished from his grandparents' remote Outback homestead, about 25 miles south of Yunta, north-east of Adelaide, on Saturday afternoon. While the chances of survival are slim after six freezing nights, officers admit Gus may still be alive in one of the region's countless unmarked wells or mine shafts. Despite this, conspiracy theories have flooded social media, with some users suggesting the four-year-old was abducted. Police say there is no evidence to support this. Locals and police believe the most likely explanation is that Gus simply wandered off from Oak Park homestead and slipped into an unseen shaft. The boy was last spotted by his grandmother at around 5pm on Saturday. He had been playing on a mound of dirt near the front yard of the property, which is reached by travelling through six gates across rough country. When she went back out to call him in just 30 minutes later, he was gone. A frantic search by family and neighbours quickly escalated into one of the biggest operations in South Australia's history, with hundreds of volunteers, police officers, trackers and even Australian Defence Force personnel scouring the region. Only one possible clue has been found - a single footprint, about 500 metres from the house. Yorke Mid North superintendent Mark Syrus admitted that was unusual. With no clear sign of him after days of searching, theories continue to swirl online. A picture of August 'Gus' Lamont. He went missing from his grandparents' remote homestead, nearly 25 miles south of Yunta, north of Adelaide on Saturday afternoon Your browser does not support iframes. A picture exclusively obtained by the Daily Mail shows one of the wells that authorities and locals believe Gus may have fallen in Some have suggested he could have made it as far as the Barrier Highway, a desolate 621 mile stretch of bitumen running between New South Wales and South Australia, used mainly by long-distance truck drivers. A local landowner, whose family has farmed the area for generations, told the Daily Mail that seemed highly unlikely. 'If he made the highway, I'd hate to think who picked him up,' the source said. He said residents of nearby Yunta, a settlement with just 60 people, believe there is another, more likely explanation. 'I would be more worried about the unmarked wells and mines he may have fallen into,' the source added. 'That's the talk [among locals].' The north-east pastoral district is scattered with relics from another age - mine shafts and wells dug more than a century ago by fortune seekers and graziers. Some are easy to spot, surrounded by piles of rock. But others lie flush with the ground, covered by weeds, and invisible even to an adult walking past. 'Most aren't on any maps,' the local said. 'If [Gus' grandparents] have owned that property for a while, they should know where they are - although I'm still finding new spots on my property.' He shared a picture of one shaft recently discovered on his land, showing how easy it would be for someone to fall in. 'Some are easy to see, some definitely not but hopefully [Gus] is just lost and not perished.' Although online speculation has suggested Gus may have been abducted, police say there is no indication anyone else was involved. The search has yielded just one clue - a single footprint that detectives have described as unusual The search party seen on September 30. The search quickly escalated into one of the biggest operations in South Australia's history 'The property is very isolated. You have to go through six gates to actually get to the station,' Supt Syrus explained. 'We're focusing our efforts that he's wandered off from the front yard.' Detectives believe the nearby road sees little traffic other than other station owners. No reports of strangers or vehicles have been made. Supt Syrus added: 'We understand he's a pretty quiet sort of lad but he is, as you know, a country lad and he's pretty adventurous as well. But him moving out of the area is a little bit unusual.' It is also unlikely that Gus may have been taken by a wild animal like a dingo. Unlike the infamous case of Azaria Chamberlain, who was killed by a dingo in the Northern Territory in 1980, the animals do not roam this part of South Australia. The land around Yunta is sheep country, not dingo territory. There is also a dog fence that stretches over 1,200 miles over the area to protect livestock against such predators. Additionally, there is little chance that he could have been snatched by a crocodile as there is no water source large enough to support them in the semi-arid outback where Gus went missing, unlike the northern part of the country which has a large population of the reptiles. By Wednesday, with Gus missing for more than 80 hours in freezing night temperatures, police warned his family that the operation may need to shift from a rescue to a recovery mission. 'Gus has been now missing for now into the fifth day, 84 hours, and a young boy without food, water, shelter for that period of time - it's going to be pretty tough on that little lad,' Supt Syrus said. 'We're preparing the family that we may be moving from a search effort to a recovery'. The next day, Assistant Commissioner Ian Parrott confirmed the investigation would now be handed to the Missing Persons Unit. 'While we've all been hoping for a miracle, that miracle was not eventuated,' he said. 'We're confident that we've done absolutely everything we can to locate Gus within the search area, but despite our best efforts, we have not been able to locate him, and unfortunately, we are now having to scale back this search for Gus.' Gus was last seen in a blue Minions T-shirt and a grey broad-brimmed hat Police have continued to comb through surrounding areas, hoping for a miracle On Friday afternoon, Australian Defence Force personnel were stood down, and the number of police vehicles at the property was reduced. Commissioner Parrott said the decision was based on expert advice about how long a child of Gus's age could survive without shelter. Temperatures in the area dropped close to freezing overnight during the search. The family has been told the chances of finding him alive are 'diminishing as days go by.' Even so, Commissioner Parrott said investigators would not stop looking for answers. 'We will now continue to pursue ongoing lines of inquiry, and we will not rest until we can try and find the answer to why Gus has gone missing, and hopefully, for the family, return him to them.' As the official search winds down, faint hope remains that Gus may yet be found alive. His family have been left clinging to the smallest chance that the boy in the Minions shirt will be found safe. An Aldi customer has claimed they found a needle in a package of mince meat - sparking an investigation from Victoria Police. The meat was allegedly bought from a store in Keilor East in Melbourne. It is not known yet if the find was a one-off or if other goods have been contaminated. 'Police are investigating after a foreign object was found in meat purchased from a supermarket in Keilor East on October 2,' a police spokesperson said. 'In general, produce contamination that is an item of machinery in processed food should be reported to local councils in the first instance.' Anyone found to be contaminating food products can be jailed for up to 10 years. Police want to speak to anyone else who has found a dangerous item in any meat products to determine if it is a one-off or part of a wider issue. In 2018, there was a nationwide crisis after strawberries grown in Queensland and Western Australia were found to be contaminated with sewing needles. An Aldi customer claimed they found a needle in a package of mince meat in Victoria The shopper said a needle was in their Aldi mince meat There were hundreds of reports of contamination. A Brisbane man was rushed to hospital after eating a punnet of strawberries containing needles. In 2019, hazardous objects were found in strawberries on two separate occasions. 'This is food terrorism that is bringing an industry to its knees,' Strawberries Australia Inc Queensland spokesman Ray Daniels said at the time. Daily Mail contacted Aldi for comment. Today's naming of Dame Sarah Mullally as the first female Archbishop of Canterbury marks a key turning point in the history of the Church of England. Since St Augustine was sent from Rome to convert the Anglo-Saxons just over 1,400 years ago there have been 105 holders of the post, and all have been men. Although the Church has come along way in those centuries, the institution's General Synod did not vote for women to become bishops until 2014. As for the campaign for the ordination of women priests, that only really gained traction in the late 1970s and the synod did not vote in favour of the move until 1992. The first women priests were finally ordained two years later, in March 1994. But each step proved hugely controversial in the church as traditionalists battled against reformers seeking to equalise the rights and roles of men and women in the institution. Some clergy and lay members were so incensed that they opted to leave the Church of England and become Catholics instead. Among the most high profile of those to depart was Conservative minister Anne Widdecombe. Women deacons waiting to be ordained inside Bristol Cathedral on March 12, 1994. Thirty-two women became priests that day The 32 women who were set to become priests are seen posing for a photo with Bishop Barry Rogerson of Bristol two days before their ordinations Dame Sarah, a former chief nursing officer for England, today told of her joy in making history as the first female Archbishop of Canterbury. She will remain as the Bishop of London until January, when she will legally take on her new role at a ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral. The first real progress towards female ordination came in 1975, when the General Synod - effectively the church's parliament - voted that there was 'no fundamental objection' to the ordination of women to the priesthood. However, three years later, Synod members voted down a motion that would have laid further groundwork for the move. The then Archbishop of Canterbury, Donald Coggan, had been supportive but the vote failed to pass through all three houses of the General Synod. A majority of bishops and lay delegates were in favour but clergy voted 94 to 149 against. Dame Sarah Mullally has been named the first female Archbishop of Canterbury in the Church of England's history Dr Una Kroll, a deacon in the church who had long campaigned for women priests, shouted down from the public gallery at Church House, Westminster, when the vote was announced. The path to the first female Archbishop of Canterbury: A timeline 1978: Motion to remove barriers to the ordination of women as priests fails at General Synod. 1985: General Synod votes to allow women to become deacons. 1987: First female deacons are ordained in the Church of England. 1992: General Synod votes to permit women to be ordained in the priesthood. 1994: 1,500 female deacons are ordained. 2005: General Synod votes to remove legal obstacles to women as bishops 2012: Legislation to allow women bishops is defeated at the General Synod by just six votes 2014: General Synod votes in favour of legislation introducing women bishops Advertisement She said: 'We asked you for bread and you gave us a stone. Long live God.' The vote was lost despite a fierce campaign in favour that was backed by the wives of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York. Seven years later, progress came in the form of a vote to allow women to become deacons. It meant they could call themselves 'the Reverend', wear a dog collar and conduct marriages and baptisms. But they were still not fully fledged priests, meaning they were not allowed to perform the communion service or give absolution. The synod's seismic 1992 vote came after yet another intense and heated debate and warnings that a move to allow the ordination of women would split the church. One campaigner, The Reverend Nerissa Jones, a deacon, said hate mail had threatened her with decapitation. She said: 'Some of the levels of resentment are plainly women-hating.' The arguments against female ordination stemmed largely from interpretations of verses in the Bible. A key passage cited by those opposed was 1 Timothy 2:12, which says: 'I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man.' Others were less opposed to the move itself and more concerned that it could only be made in coordination with the Roman Catholic Church. One leading opponent in the 1980s was the then Bishop of London Dr Graham Leonard. He wrote in 1987: 'The priest is there to represent the headship of Christ. 'This has been the position for nearly 2,000 years, and I have not heard one good reason for changing it.' Women deacons are seen in high spirits as they arrive at Bristol Cathedral for their ordination into the priesthood, March 12, 1994 A campaigner holds up a placard outside Bristol Cathedral on the day the first women were ordained as priests, March 12, 1994 He added: 'Men and women are equal, complementary but not identical, so it cannot be a matter of indifference as to which sex God chose to be incarnate.' Then, in November 1992, the General Synod finally voted to allow women priests. The move - which was passed by a margin of just two votes - came after a passionate debate lasting five and a half hours. The first women priests in the Church of England were ordained on March 12, 1994. Of the 32, the Reverend Valerie Woods, a divorcee, was the first to conduct a Holy Communion service. She did so at the church of St Paul's, Bristol, the day after she and her peers were ordained. A recently-ordained woman priest enjoys a humorous moment with her mother after historical ceremony in Bristol Cathedral Soon-to-be women priests share a laugh during a photo session at Bristol Cathedral on March 10, 1994 Critics though still refused to back down. One sniping priest claimed that the first 32 women priests were a 'new order of transvestites'. But, despite ongoing opposition from traditionalists, droves of women opted to become priests. By the year 2000, around 1,700 women were working as Anglican priests. Around 6,500 women are believed to have been ordained since 1994 and they now make up around a third of all clergy in England. Further progress came in July 2014, when the Church of England voted to allow women bishops. MPs had threatened to step in to force the Church to accept women bishops in 2012, after a disastrously botched vote saw traditionalists narrowly block reform. In December 2014, the Reverend Libby Lane was named as the first female bishop. She was announced the new Bishop of Stockport. JK Rowling said she feels 'appalled and ashamed' that Jewish people in Britain no longer feel safe following yesterday's terrorist attack on a synagogue. The author made the emotional admission on social media just hours after Islamist terrorist Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, targeted Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester yesterday morning on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, both members of Manchester's Jewish community, died in yesterday's attack, while another three people remain in hospital. It emerged this morning that one of the victims was shot dead by Manchester Police armed officers, while another injured worshipper, who remains in a serious condition, also suffered a gunshot wound. Both are believed to have been standing behind the synagogue door trying to stop Al-Shamie from gaining entry. Police last night arrested two men aged in their 30s and a woman in her 60s on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack. In a statement posted on X, Ms Rowling retweeted online influencer Laura Marcus, who commented: 'I wonder how most Brits feel when they hear Jews say they no longer feel safe in the UK? Responding to her words, the Harry Potter author wrote this morning: 'I dont know what most Brits feel, but Im appalled and ashamed.' JK Rowling said she feels 'appalled and ashamed' that Jewish people in Britain no longer feel safe following yesterday's terrorist attack on a synagogue Ms Rowling was responding to sentiments shared by online influencer Laura Marcus Her post has garnered 21,000 likes and been viewed nearly 345,000 times. The 60-year-old author, known for her forthright views, has previously been vocal on transgender rights but has also occasionally spoken out against antisemitism. Her latest post comes as TV personality Stacey Solomon revealed that being Jewish felt 'scary' and 'heartbreaking' in the wake of the attack. In a statement on Instagram, she wrote: 'It is heartbreaking to hear of the attack at a synagogue in Manchester on Yom Kippur. My thoughts & prayers are with everyone affected,' she wrote. 'I'm also thinking of anyone right now who feels scared for themselves & their loved ones just because of who they are. Being Jewish feels scary & that is heartbreaking.' Stacey also acknowledged her support for Palestinians in Gaza, adding: 'It goes without saying, although I've said this before, my thoughts are also with the innocent people in Gaza. 'Being proudly Jewish & being against the horrific attack today does not cancel the other. 'I realise no matter what I say. Someone somewhere won't like it. But all I really have to say is that none of this is ok.' Stacey Solomon revealed her 'heartbreak' at news of the attack on a synagogue in Manchester Broadcaster and barrister Rob Rinder's moving post on the attack yesterday Your browser does not support iframes. It came after broadcaster and barrister Rob Rinder, 47, whose grandfather fled to Britain after his family was wiped out in the Holocaust, echoed similar calls for solidarity with the UK's Jewish community. In a tweet, he criticised those who still allowed anti-Semitism to cloud their view on a horrific attack that left two worshippers stabbed to death on Yom Kippur - the most sacred and solemn day in the Jewish calendar. 'Some still answer this atrocity with "what about"', he said. He also urged: 'If you believe in Britain (wherever you're from & whatever your faith) you must stand with us. 'Many Jews cannot imagine a future here and history tells us what follows when that happens.' Al-Shamie was shot dead mere minutes after he rammed his black Kia Picanto hatchback into crowds of Jewish worshippers at 9.31am, before leaving the vehicle and 'stabbing everyone he could get to'. Syrian-born Al-Shamie, who came to the UK as a young child, was not known to counter-terror police or security services prior to Thursday's attack. He is understood to have worked as a tutor teaching English and computer programming. Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, who was shot dead minutes after he targeted Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester yesterday. It is believed he was a father and is pictured holding a child Videos on YouTube show Al-Shamie and his two brothers playing in the back yard of a home on Crescent Road, which is around a 20-minute walk from the synagogue he later targeted. The clips were shared by the killer's father Faraj Al-Shamie, who is believed to be a trauma doctor who has worked for several NGOs in warzones across the world. It is understood the family has lived in Greater Manchester for at least 30 years - and currently live in Prestwich, around two miles from the scene of the terror attack. Al-Shamie's name was last night linked to a property in the town - with a neighbour recognising his face from photographs of the synagogue attacker. A British soldier who won a Ukrainian medal for bravery took his own life aged 40. Captain Edward, 'Ned', Harris was a former Coldstream Guards officer who took up arms to fight against Putin's force as part of the Ukrainian International Legion. It was while he was fighting in the city of Bakhmut - in the Donetsk region - that Captain Harris's leg was severely injured. The accident occurred in November 2022 while Captain Harris and his team were carrying out a rescue operation to save a group of soldiers pinned down in an apartment block. The team were then ambushed by Russian drones. In the ensuing battle two of Captain Harris' men were killed and two others were badly injured. Meanwhile Captain Harris was was hit by several bullets in the upper body and his left leg was almost severed by shrapnel from an artillery round. He was then taken to a military hospital in Dnipro where he continued to work relentlessly manning two telephones and making sure that the wounded men were being looked after. And despite needing critical care he refused to leave without his men. Captain Edward, 'Ned', Harris was a former Coldstream Guards officer who took up arms to fight against Putin 's force in the Ukrainian International Legion Captain Harris on the frontline. It was following a battle in the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut that he lost his left leg Eventually, Captain Harris was repatriated to the UK where he was treated at St Georges Hospital in London. It was here that his left leg was amputated. Before he joined the international legion, Captain Harris attended Sandhurst's Military Academy. He was commissioned into the Coldstream Guards in December 2010 and posted to the 1st Battalion and was subsequently second-in-command of a company and operations officer in Afghanistan. Captain Harris left the army in 2014 but, after Russian invaded Ukraine in February 2022, he travelled to the to the Ukrainian border and offered to help with any humanitarian or training work in which he could use his skills. A month later he joined the International Legion as a private solider. Together with his fellow volunteers, he helped repel the Russian advances where Ukrainian forces were left impressed with his ability to carry out missions with determination. Captain Harris then managed to persuade his commanders to let him form two units. They would operate like special forces and raid high-value targets, especially Russian armour. In a daring commando raid led by Harris across the Southern Bug River, they infiltrated Kherson and brought back nine prisoners of war. After he lost his leg, Captain Harris did not allow that to stop him from helping with the war effort. Just three months after the amputation he was back in Ukraine, equipped with a prosthetic leg, leading his team from a mobile tactical headquarters. Captain Harris with his niece and nephew. He was not just a hero on the frontline, his three nephews and three nieces, loved him dearly and looked up to their 'Uncle Ned' When Ukraine launched its incursion into Russian-held territory at Kursk between August and October 2024, he strongly believed the operation was ill-conceived and some of those who died in the fight were his close comrades. In November 2024, Captain Harris resigned from the International legion and was promptly awarded the Ukrainian Order of Courage. In the last months of his life, Captain Harris visited the families of his fallen comrades and visited schools and talked to young people about his experiences, emphasising the importance of discipline, training and resilience in overcoming difficulties. He had planned to start studying for a degree in psychology at the end of this year and had engaged with combat stress organisations with a view to helping others. Captain Harris was not just a hero on the frontline, his three nephews and three nieces, loved him dearly and looked up to their 'Uncle Ned' who was always interested to hear their latest adventures and celebrate their achievements. He never married. In the summer, at home in London, he took his own life. He is survived by his father and mother and two sisters. Ned Harris, born August 20 1985, died August 26 2025 READ MORE: Nostalgic supermarket item returns to Coles shelves Other states and territories do not Millions of Aussies are gearing up for a well-earned long weekend, with two different public holidays set to be marked across the country. Residents in New South Wales, South Australia and the ACT will celebrate Labour Day on Monday, while Queenslanders will enjoy the King's Birthday public holiday. But if you're planning a shopping trip or need to stock up on essentials, it's worth knowing what's open and when. Daily Mail has pulled together a quick state-by-state breakdown of trading hours for the nation's biggest retailers this weekend. Coles All stores trading as normal in NSW, ACT and Queensland. Select stores only will open in SA, including Port Lincoln, Port Pirie, Berri, Port Augusta, Mount Barker, Adelaide Rundle Place, Whyalla, Murray Bridge Green, Mount Gambier, and Victor Harbor. All other Coles stores in South Australia are closed. Stores in states that don't celebrate the public holiday will have trading hours as normal Coles stores will trade as normal everywhere except SA, with shoppers urged to check listings Woolworths Most stores nationwide are open, including NSW, ACT, and Queensland. Some stores in South Australia will not be open. Customers are advised to check local opening times. Kmart All Kmart stores will be trading as normal in NSW, ACT and Queensland with most operating under slightly reduced public holiday hours. Select stores only will open in South Australia, with trading hours typically from 11am to 5pm in CBD areas and 8am to 6pm in exempt zones. Aldi Trading hours vary by location and state. Aldi recommends checking individual store hours via their website or app. Aldi stores all vary by state and territory, with residents urged to check their local store times Liquorland Reduced hours in states observing the public holiday. Some stores in Queensland will not open on the public holiday. Dan Murphy's Nationwide, most stores will operate from 10am to 7pm. BWS Most stores will open from 9am, closing between 7pm and 8pm depending on location. Most Dan Murphy's stores will be open between 10am and 7pm on Monday's public holiday Bunnings Warehouse All stores across Australia will be open. In states with public holidays, most stores will trade from 7am to 7pm. Sean ' Diddy ' Combs stood frozen like a statue as a judge ordered him to serve four years and two months in prison over prostitution offenses. Judge Arun Subramanian handed down the sentence of 50 months in a Manhattan courtroom on Friday and slapped him with a fine of $500,000. Following his time in prison, the judge sentenced Combs to another five years of supervised release. Subramanian said a lengthy sentence was needed for deterrence and that he was unconvinced that if Combs is released these crimes won't happen again. Diddy, 55, was convicted on two counts of prostitution charges during a grueling eight-week trial in July, but was acquitted of the two more serious charges against him of sex trafficking and racketeering. The judge condemned Diddy for his 'savage' abuse of his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura and said he was making an example of him because he caused 'irreparable harm' to his victims. The decision came following a disastrous sentencing hearing that saw the judge decide at the start of the day that he would still consider evidence from the acquitted charges as he made his sentencing decision. A college student killed in a Tesla Cybertruck crash was trapped inside the vehicle as it burst into flames due to a design flaw involving its doors, a lawsuit has claimed. Krysta Michelle Tsukahara, a sophomore at Savannah College of Art and Design, was one of three who died in the accident in Piedmont, California, last November. Her parents have alleged that Tesla, run by Elon Musk, knew of the design flaw for years and could have fixed the problem but failed to do so. Krysta, 19, along with friends Soren Dixon, 19, who was driving, and Jack Nelson, 20, died in the crash after the vehicle hit a tree at high speed and burst into flames. A fourth person was also injured. Her parents Carl and Noelle Tsukahara originally filed a lawsuit going after the automaker in April, before filing an amended wrongful death suit this week. The 36-page complaint claims that their daughter, who was sitting in the back of the car, suffered minor injuries but when the vehicle's battery caught fire she died from burns and smoke inhalation. The doors of the vehicle are battery powered and can fail if the vehicle loses power. The suit says Krysta was unable to escape the inferno due to the manual release on the door being too difficult to find. Krysta Michelle Tsukahara, a sophomore at Savannah College of Art and Design, was one of three who died following the crash last November in Piedmont All three were recent graduates of Piedmont High School who had returned home for Thanksgiving break when the crash occurred According to the suit, the teenager 'suffered unimaginable pain and emotional distress', due to being stuck in the rear of the vehicle as it burned. Her father spoke with The New York Times, who first reported on the suit, saying his daughter would still be alive had it not been so difficult to get out. He also spoke with KTVU Fox 2, adding: 'Krysta was a bright, kind, and accomplished young woman with her whole life ahead of her. 'We've had to endure not only the loss of our daughter, but the silence surrounding how this happened and why she couldn't get out. 'This company is worth a trillion dollars, how can you release a machine that's not safe in so many ways?' Attorney for the family Roger Dreyer added: 'This lawsuit is about truth and accountability. 'The design of this vehicle failed Krysta. There was no functioning, accessible manual override or emergency release for her to escape. Her death was preventable.' The Daily Mail has approached Tesla for comment on the allegations made in the suit. Nelson, left, and Dixon, right, who were stars of the Piedmont HS Lacrosse team, both died in the collision Investigators believe speed was a factor in the crash, but are still in the early stages of finding out exactly what happened All three were recent graduates of Piedmont High School who had returned home for Thanksgiving break. A fourth passenger, Jordan Miller, was the sole survivor after a witness managed to break a window using a tree branch and pull him from the burning wreckage. Dixon, who was behind the wheel when the crash occurred, had cocaine in his system and a blood alcohol concentration of 0.195, over twice the legal limit. The California Highway Patrol's preliminary investigation concluded that a deadly combination of alcohol intoxication, drug impairment and unsafe speeds caused Dixon to lose control of the vehicle. The lawsuit follows several others that have claimed various safety problems with Tesla cars. In August, a Florida jury decided that the family of a dead college student who was killed by a runaway Tesla should be awarded more than $240million in damages. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which opened an investigation last month, is looking into complaints by drivers that after exiting their cars, they couldn't open back doors to get their children out and, in some cases, had to break the window to reach them. The prosecution's case against Charlie Kirk's alleged assassin could be flawed, a top Utah attorney has revealed. Skye Lazaro warned there is still 'so much we don't know yet' with regards to the timeline of events around his killing. Tyler Robinson, 22, is accused of murdering Kirk with a single bullet to the neck as he spoke to a crowd at Utah Valley University last month. Pressure has been mounting on prosecutors and Utah Governor Spencer Cox to seek the death penalty, especially after they repeatedly pledged to do so following Robinson's arrest. But Lazaro, a prominent attorney with Salt Lake Citys Ray Quinney & Nebeker, questioned the timing around Robinson's alleged encounter with a police officer at the perimeter of the crime scene after the killing. Officials said he returned to the are hours after the assassination where he 'made contact' with an officer before fleeing 250 miles south to his home in St George where he evaded capture for almost two days. But the authorities have not revealed exactly when this alleged encounter took place. 'If it doesn't line up in a way that makes sense, it could definitely be bad for them,' Lazaro told Fox News. Charlie Kirk was killed by an assassin's bullet as he answered a question during an event at Utah Valley University last month Top attorney Skye Lazaro warned the prosecution has holes in its case surrounding the timeline of events around his killing Robinson allegedly told an officer he needed to retrieve something hed left near a nearby parking garage, but authorities didnt find it suspicious, as thousands had dropped things while fleeing in panic. The FBI reported that a high-powered bolt-action rifle was later found in a wooded area, wrapped in a towel, with a spent cartridge still in the chamber. But Lazaro also warned that if the officer who crossed paths with the alleged killer didnt turn on his bodycam, it could give Robinsons defense a key opportunity to challenge the investigation. She also pointed out that text messages between Robinson and his transgender partner Lance Twiggs do not have timestamps, which could prove problematic. In the texts, the suspect allegedly confessed to the murder, revealing key details about both planning and carrying it out. Robinson is said to have instructed his romantic partner to check under his keyboard, where a note reportedly read: I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and Im going to take it. Tyler Robinson, 22, is accused of murdering Charlie Kirk in Utah last month Authorities said he returned to the crime scene after the shooting and had an encounter with a police officer 'What?????????????? Youre joking, right????' Twiggs responded. Robinson said back: 'I am still ok my love, but am stuck in orem for a little while longer yet. Shouldnt be long until I can come home, but I gotta grab my rifle still. To be honest I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age. I am sorry to involve you.' An apparently panicked Twiggs responded: 'You weren't the one who did it right????,' to which he said back: 'I am, I'm sorry.' But while the investigation continues, Lazaro noted that more details from the texts could further damage Robinsons defense. 'A lot of times, what you can get when you subpoena cellphone records are where messages were sent from,' she told Fox, noting that location data could be crucial in proving the prosecutions allegations. If the subpoenas show the messages were sent from his phone in Orem and received at his partners home in St George, it would help create a timeline that aligns with the prosecutions story. 'The defense is going to want to get, going to wanna see, and probably spend a lot of time, whether they get their own forensic expert to analyze it or do it themselves, to really piece together a timeline,' Lazaro added. Lazaro suggested that crucial texts purportedly showing Robinson confessing could be problematic as they don't have time stamps However, she acknowledged that Robinsons defense is still expected to aggressively challenge the states case. 'It could come out that those aren't as damaging as they sound,' Lazaro told Fox. 'You have to keep in mind, when the government writes a probable cause affidavit, it's their greatest hits that they have in the moment.' But the ongoing gaps in the story have ultimately sparked massive online speculation. 'There are some conspiracy theories about... somebody else wrote the text messages or something was planted,' Lazaro told the outlet. 'As a defense attorney, unless you absolutely know and can prove that something like that happened, thats not the greatest defense, right?' she added. 'I think you tend to lose credibility unless you really can substantiate it.' The discovery process got under way Monday, with prosecutors given just five days to hand over initial evidence - while Robinsons team has already delayed his waiver hearing by a month, as reported by Fox. And although the Justice Department has yet to file any federal charges, they could still be coming. The .30-06-caliber bolt-action hunting rifle recovered near the scene of Kirk's fatal shooting If convicted for Kirk's murder, Robinson could face the death penalty Robinsons public defender, Kathy Nester, asked the court for more time to decide if he will push for a preliminary hearing - a session where prosecutors must prove theres probable cause before the case can proceed. With the initial charging papers offering little, Robinsons lawyers plan to dig for evidence through discovery and witness testimony, though a preliminary hearing to review it could still be months away. While the defense is unlikely to get the case tossed at this stage, a preliminary hearing could give them a key chance to cross-examine witnesses and challenge their credibility before trial. In Utah, preliminary hearings for serious felonies can be delayed for months, sometimes up to a year, Lazaro told Fox. She noted that since Robinson is charged with aggravated murder he could be given the death penalty if convicted. Robinsons next hearing is set for October 30 in Provo, but Lazaro expects his defense to request another delay. A Connecticut woman dubbed the 'wicked stepmother' is back in court seeking to return to the home where prosecutors say she held her stepson captive for 20 years. Kimberly Sullivan, 56, of Waterbury, is charged with kidnapping and cruelty to persons after police say she locked away her stepson in the family's Blake Street home for 20 years. Her stepson, who goes by the initial 'S,' set a fire in February to escape. When first responders carried him out of the burning house, he weighed just 68 pounds despite being 32 years old, with rotting teeth, dirty matted hair, and a body so emaciated that prosecutors compared his condition to 'a survivor of Auschwitz's death camp.' Authorities said he told them he was starved, neglected, and forced to drink from the toilet to survive. Police discovered plywood and locks on the door to his room, and S said he had been given only two bottles of water a day, occasionally using them to wash because he wasn't allowed access to a bathroom. Sullivan's attorneys have filed a motion seeking to ease her release conditions. They argue her ankle monitor should be removed, and that she should be permitted back into the Blake Street house - currently barred under a protective order - so she can retrieve personal belongings. Sullivan wore heavy makeup in her police booking photograph (shown above) A man who was allegedly 'held captive for 20 years' in a 'house of horrors' said that since he was rescued he's finally had a birthday party to celebrate turning 32 Pictured: the Waterbury, Connecticut home where the alleged victim said he was held captive The motion states that Sullivan has abided by all court orders, has had 'no violations,' and claims the GPS device 'stigmatizes Sullivan in her community, causing her an emotional burden.' Her hearing is scheduled for 2pm Friday. Since his escape, S has begun the slow process of reclaiming his life. In a statement released through the support group Survivors Say, he revealed that his first act of freedom was changing his name - and that this year he celebrated his first ever birthday party. 'I am speaking out today to begin the process of reclaiming my life and to have my say in how my story is told,' S said. 'I am much better and stronger than I was the day the first responders carried me out of my home.' He thanked police, first responders and medical professionals, adding: 'In addition to all of your care, I appreciated the chance to have my first ever birthday party to celebrate turning 32.' Safe Haven of Greater Waterbury has launched GoFundMe to cover S's medical and dental care, therapy, housing, and legal support. An investigation revealed that the victim's father died last year, leaving him alone with Sullivan. Photos revealed the horrific conditions of the home that led police to arrest Sullivan for the alleged abuse of her stepson for over two decades His biological mother, Tracy Vallerand, 52, previously told Daily Mail that the last time she saw her son was when he was just six months old. 'I had my own problems going on, I didn't give him away. His father took custody of him. He was supposed to be safe there,' Vallerand said. She added that the child's father never let her see him again and she eventually lost contact with the family. 'So many people have failed him. He was supposed to be safe, he was supposed to be cared for, he was supposed to be loved,' she told Daily Mail. 'He was denied that, and that makes me angry, that makes me upset. He shouldn't have ever had to deal with that, and he shouldn't have ever been afraid because they terrorized him.' Investigators believe S was pulled from school at age 11 and hidden from the outside world for over two decades. He was confined to a small room with no heat or air conditioning, and was only occasionally allowed outside to let the dog out. The victim, who now goes by S, recently released a statement thanking law enforcement, first responders, and victim support services for helping him after the alleged abuse 'I have been kept a secret my entire life,' S told police, according to court documents. Assistant State's Attorney Donald Therkildsen said S still 'lives in fear,' recalling that when he first met him, the victim immediately asked: 'Why is she out walking around when I was locked up in a room for 20 years?' Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo called the case 'the worst treatment of humanity that I've ever witnessed,' adding, 'It's shuttering to think that someone would treat any person, let alone a family member or someone entrusted as a parental figure, in this way.' Pictured: Sullivan at a previous court hearing in mid-March. She has said she is not guilty Sullivan has pleaded not guilty. Her attorney Ioannis Kaloidis has claimed her late husband - S's father - was responsible for his upbringing. 'She completely maintains her innocence,' Kaloidis said. 'These allegations are not true. They are outlandish. She provided food. She provided shelter. She is blown away by these allegations.' A judge has already described the accusations as among the worst he has seen in his career, demonstrating 'an unthinkable amount of lack of empathy.' Sullivan was released on a $300,000 bond in March under strict monitoring conditions. Now, she is asking to shed those restrictions - and to move back into the so-called house of horrors where her stepson says his childhood and adulthood were stolen. An ageing Royal Navy nuclear submarine has completed a 200-day patrol amid fears of shortages of alternative vessels. The Vanguard class submarine was welcomed back to port with her hull covered in slime and barnacles. The marine growth indicated how long the submarine which carries the UKs nuclear deterrent - had spent submerged. Nuclear submarines remain undetected by spending the majority of their time on patrol at very slow speed. This is to minimise their noise signature. Biofouling as it is also known, can also indicate a submarine has been operating in either shallower or warmer waters. Nuclear submarine patrols are being extended as Navy chiefs await new vessels. This submarine was understood to have spent 203 days at sea. Earlier this year another spent 204 days at sea. While only last year another Vanguard-class submarine broke the 200 day barrier for the first time. At least ten patrols are understood to have exceeded five months. The hull casing of the Vanguard-class submarine was covered by barnacles and slime, suggesting the vessel spent long periods on the oceanic floor Earlier this year, the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer welcomed submariners from a different Vanguard class boat to Downing Street to celebrate their achievements. Replacements for ageing UK submarines are being build at British shipyards The trend for extended patrols is dangerous according to Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the recently retired former Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS). In his final speech he decried the decrepit state of the Royal Navys subsurface fleet at a time when the world is getting more dangerous. In September Admiral Sir Tony said: Our armed forces are not as strong as we would wish. There is something wrong when governments profess the nuclear deterrent at sea is our highest priority but our sailors are having to put to sea for extraordinarily long patrols in some of the most complex machines on the planet that are beyond their original design life. The Vanguard class consists of four nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines HMS Vanguard, Vengeance, Victorius and Vigilant. These are powered by Rolls-Royce PWR2 reactors that converts water into steam to drive the engines and generate electricity. The oldest of the Vanguard class submarines first put to sea 33 years ago. The vessels have a recommended service life of 25 years. The physical strain on the Vanguard class submarines is mirrored by the psychological effects on their crews of spending six months and longer at sea. Each submarine has a crew of around 130 sailors and officers Experts have also warned of the growing risk of a catastrophic accident as parts are being cannabalised from other submarines which are more than 30 years old. Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the former Chief of the Defence Staff, has criticised governments for failing to build replacement submarines in time. The control room inside HMS Vigilant, a member of the Vanguard class. The submarines carry the UK's continuous nuclear deterrent. While many senior commanders are known for only raising issues once they have left retired, Admiral Sir Tony insisted he pressed governments repeatedly about the submarines. The shortage of submarines is also compounded by the length of time it takes to conduct repairs. The Vanguards will be replaced by Dreadnought submarines but these are not expected to enter service before the early 2030s. The Ministry of Defence said: The Vanguard Class submarines currently provide a capable and credible nuclear deterrent, safeguarding the UK and our NATO allies by deterring the gravest threats to our security. Deployed globally to protect national interests, they keep us safe, and we remain deeply grateful to all who serve and their families for their dedication. Donald Trump's team believes it can tap into the voters who feel empowered by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Make America Healthy Again agenda in a bid to help rocket Republicans to a history-defying victory in the 2026 midterms. Specifically, those who agree with Trump's bombshell announcement last month that Tylenol and vaccines could cause autism might now feel mobilized to go to the ballot box next November, according to a former MAHA-aligned organizer. Trump's allies in the MAHA movement think that Kennedy's focus on getting to the bottom of the autism surge will help rally those who feel abandoned by the medical establishment to turn out to vote for GOP candidates in the midterm elections. 'It's a huge issue and going to be an important part of the midterm election,' Republican lobbyist and former Moms for America representative Marty Irby told Axios. He added: 'Whether it's the food we eat, whether it's the vaccines, whether it's the drugs that the pregnant mother takes, it's definitely something that mothers across America are paying attention to.' President Trump has already expressed concern that Republicans will not maintain their congressional majority after the 2026 elections. Asked whether he thinks his agenda will be enough to carry the GOP to victory next year, the president said: 'I hope so.' The 2026 election is hugely consequential for Trump's ability to push through his agenda in the second half of his term. MAHA Moms could turn out in troves in the 2026 midterms to help propel Republican candidates to victory amid concerns that the GOP will lose its congressional majority next term It comes in response to President Donald Trump and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s focus on issues like autism and vaccine injuries that many MAHA allies feel have been ignored by the medical establishment Currently, Republicans have a six-seat majority in the House and an eight-seat majority in the Senate with an even larger gap because both of the two independent senators caucus with Democrats. Of the 72 races that Cook Political Report deems competitive in the House, it appears less than a handful are more likely to flip. But there are still 10 seats Democrats currently hold that are considered a 'toss up' and only eight seats thought to be a toss up that Republicans already control. Not every Senate seat is up for reelection in 2026 but of those that are, only Democrats appear to be in hot water. At least four seats currently held by Democrats are opening up and in Georgia and Michigan both swing states Cook Political Report deems the races a 'toss up' for Democrats. 'Now the one thing that I worry about is that if you look over many, many years I don't have the numbers but the person that wins the presidency always seems to lose the midterms,' Trump told One America News Network in an interview that aired Thursday. He added: 'I don't know why. It's crazy. Even presidents that did well and there have been some. And I think we're at the top of the list in terms of doing well.' Trump gathered with his health chiefs, including HHS Secretary RFK Jr., in the White House on September 22 to tell women not to take acetaminophen while they're pregnant and to space out vaccines given to their infants over four or five visits. He insisted that the science proves a link between spiking autism rates in U.S. children and Tylenol use among pregnant women and repeatedly said at the press conference: 'Just don't take it!' Two mothers with an autistic child spoke at the press conference about the importance of Trump's announcement and how they felt seen by the administration after years of their concerns being dismissed, ignored or discredited by the traditional medical establishment. While Trump uses growing mistrust in mainstream medicine to mobilize one demographic of voters, it could alienate another. People with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and their families slammed Trump and Kennedy's treatment of the condition as a disease rather than a lifelong condition they feel should be accommodated for. And some medical and health experts view Trump's announcement linking Tylenol to autism as harmful and misleading to the public and those who suffer with the mental disorder. Trump announced last month that reports have found a link between Tylenol use in pregnant woman and surging autism rates in the U.S. The press conference emboldened MAHA allies, but could alienate those with the disorder who feel it's not a disease that can be treated or reduced Trump said he's been 'waiting 20 years' to find more answers about the cause of surging autism rates in the U.S. A Health and Human Services spokesperson told Axios of the latest findings: 'Secretary Kennedy is focused on answers and action for families as autism spectrum disorder has surged nearly 400% since 2000 and now affects 1 in 31 U.S. children.' It's not clear if Trump will hit the campaign trail for Republicans in the midterms, but he suggested there are big plans in motion for the consequential election that will determine if the president can continue his agenda without any roadblocks in the second half of his term. 'I have big plans,' Trump told OANN. 'I wouldn't have survived if I didn't have big plans. If you look at what's going on, it's crazy.' 'You know the rhetoric that these crazy Democrats are using it's very dangerous. They've made politics very dangerous,' the president insisted. 'And we'll be you're going to be very happy with the job we're going to do.' Veteran MP Diane Abbott failed to declare more than 40,000 of earnings on time to parliamentary officials, it has been revealed. The 72-year-old blamed 'the pressures of work' for breaching House of Commons rules on the registration of financial interests. An investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards found Ms Abbott missed the 28-day timeframe for declaring outside earnings. This included a total of 40,950 in payments from a publisher for book royalties from her autobiography, titled 'A Woman Like Me'. She also failed to declare on time a visit to Ghana to attend a 'black women leaders' event, worth 2,930.19 and funded by a London-based data protection firm. Despite being found to have breached rules, Ms Abbott - who is the Mother of the House - escaped further punishment. The long-serving Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP apologised for breaching Commons rules and expressed her 'regret' about the late registrations. She also said she had implemented 'new checks and balances' in her parliamentary office to 'ensure this does not happen again'. Veteran MP Diane Abbott failed to declare more than 40,000 of earnings on time to parliamentary officials, it has been revealed In an email to the commissioner last month, Ms Abbott said: 'I take my responsibilities under the Code of Conduct very seriously and regret that, on this occasion, the registrations were made late. 'To ensure this does not happen again, I have put new checks and balances in place within my office. 'My publishers will now send an email notification once payment has been made regarding my book. 'And both my PA and I will check on a monthly basis to confirm whether any new registrable interests have arisen and to ensure they are registered on time.' Daniel Greenberg, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, had told Ms Abbott he was 'satisfied that the failure to register each of these interests on time was inadvertent'. He said his inquiry had 'established that all three late registrations occurred due to pressures of work'. In July, Ms Abbott was suspended from Labour for a second time after she doubled down on her suggestion that Jewish, Irish and Traveller people experience prejudice, but not racism. In a letter to The Observer newspaper in April 2023, Ms Abbott said that people of colour experienced racism 'all their lives', which was different from the 'prejudice' experienced by Jewish people, Irish people and Travellers. Despite withdrawing the remarks the same day and apologising 'for any anguish caused', Ms Abbott was suspended by Labour. This sparked a long-running process during which she sat as an Independent MP for about a year while an internal investigation took place. She was readmitted as a Labour MP shortly before the 2024 general election. But, in July this year, Ms Abbott told the BBC she did not look back on the incident with regret. 'Clearly, there must be a difference between racism which is about colour and other types of racism, because you can see a Traveller or a Jewish person walking down the street, you don't know,' she said. The remarks saw Ms Abbott suspended from Labour again, pending an investigation. A Massachusetts realtor accused of siphoning off more than $11.6 million is being held in Florida after prosecutors said he blew the money on casinos, luxury cars, and an $8,250-a-month Palm Beach apartment. Prosecutors say Stephen D. Webster, 57, drained escrow accounts and broker commissions to fund what they called an 'extravagant lifestyle.' Adding to his financial woes is an expensive divorce settlement, with court filings stating that his ex-wife, Johnna M. Webster, is demanding a $4 million attachment on several of his properties. The filings cite obligations that include $3,000 a month in child support, $2,167 for her living expenses, and an estimated $10,000 a month to maintain the couple's marital home in Marshfield. In one filing, Plymouth Assistant District Attorney Alex Zane wrote: 'These funds covered payments on merchant cash advances, bank loans, credit cards, auto and motorsports financing, gambling expenditures, travel, dining, and family transfers.' The spending detailed in court records includes multiple trips to the Encore Boston Harbor casino and Harrah's and Seminole casinos, with Webster allegedly withdrawing over $88,000 from ATMs. He also put down an $11,000 deposit on a $70,000 BMW 430i despite already owning two Tesla Model 3s worth $121,000. He continued to make payments on jet skis and a boat in Florida even after abruptly shutting down his company, Success! Real Estate, on December 14, 2024. Stephen D. Webster, 57, is accused of siphoning off more than $11.6 million from clients and colleagues to fund a lavish lifestyle of casinos, cars, and Florida rentals The Marshfield home tied up in divorce filings and lawsuits, which Johnna Webster says costs around $10,000 a month to maintain. Webster's ex-wife, Johnna M. Webster, is demanding a $4 million attachment on his properties as she pursues $13,000 a month in divorce payments The sudden closure blindsided about 140 agents, leaving them and their clients with pending transactions in limbo. One of those agents, Stacey Ballerino, has filed a suit claiming Webster owes her a $140,000 balance on a personal loan and a $17,000 commission check that was deposited two days before the firm's collapse but never paid out. Her attorney, Rich Vetstein, told DailyMail.com that Webster's alleged scheme has left victims reeling. 'He was stealing from innocent people to fund a luxury lifestyle while leaving agents and clients holding the bag,' Vetstein said, adding that Webster is now facing 'a torrent of civil litigation' on top of the criminal charges. At least six civil suits have been filed seeking $1.2 million, with losses expected to rise. Prosecutors say agents were misled into handing over personal loans, believing they were helping the business, while others lost hundreds of thousands in unpaid commissions. Webster was arrested in Palm Beach on September 29 as a fugitive from justice. He is fighting extradition to Massachusetts, where he faces four charges: fiduciary embezzlement, larceny by scheme over $1,200, witness intimidation, and filing a false financial statement. Webster was arrested in Palm Beach on September 29 and is fighting extradition to Massachusetts, where he faces four criminal charges The Marshfield office of Success! Real Estate, now shuttered, is among the properties targeted in lawsuits after Webster abruptly closed the firm in December 2024 Another Success! Real Estate office in Braintree has also been dragged into the legal fallout, with Websters ex-wife and former agents seeking multimillion-dollar attachments Prosecutors say they will ask for bail to be set at $100,000 cash. Authorities also accuse him of covering up the scheme by providing state investigators with a forged bank letter that falsely claimed he had $1 million in an escrow account when the true balance was closer to $7,000. The Attorney General's office has confirmed it is conducting an 'active and ongoing investigation.' Even after the company's collapse, prosecutors say, Webster continued making payments on luxury vehicles, jet skis, and a boat rather than repaying escrow shortfalls. The properties now tied up in lawsuits and his ex-wife's divorce filings include the family's Marshfield home, Success Real Estate's main office in Marshfield, and another office building in Braintree. An 89-year-old retired dentist from New Jersey may have set a world record after flying a single-engine aircraft across the Atlantic in a daring 10-hour journey. Ed Galkin, who turns 90 next March, completed the crossing from Portugal to St. John's in Newfoundland, Canada, on Wednesday alongside co-pilot Peter Teahen as part of the Flight to End Polio fundraiser. Organizers believe Galkin has now become the oldest person to complete a transatlantic route in a single-engine plane - a feet they have asked Guinness World Records to verify. Speaking to CTV News during a stopover in St. John's, Galkin said: 'I have a passion for flying. It's great being up here. It's a big ocean, and a lot of the problems that you think you have, you don't really have.' The duo are nearing the end of a 37-day, 8,800-mile mission that began in New Jersey and has already raised tens of thousands of dollars for Rotary International's polio vaccination program. With donations being matched two-to-one by the Gates Foundation, organizers believe they will surpass their $1 million goal. Teahen, 72, told CTV News the cause is deeply personal: 'I've been to the hospitals and lifted children up who are suffering in the hospital with polio. 'We've seen the horror of polio and the ugliness of it, but we've seen the greatness of Rotary and all these other organizations, united together to end polio.' Ed Galkin, 89, may have become the oldest pilot to complete a transatlantic flight in a single-engine aircraft Ed Galkins trusted Cessna 210 Centurion, the single-engine aircraft he bought in 1977 and has since flown more than 1.3 million miles, pictured landing in Newfoundland during his record-setting Flight to End Polio mission Galkin is no stranger to record-breaking journeys. According to NJ.com, he has flown around the world four times - in 1988, 2004, 2018 and 2022 - always in the same Cessna 210 Centurion he purchased in 1977. Over the decades, he has logged more than 1.3 million miles in the aircraft. His 2022 trip raised money for the Alzheimer's Association, but this time he opted for a shorter mission. 'I get a chance to do one more mission, to fly across the Atlantic,' Galkin, a married father of two, grandfather of five and great-grandfather of six, told NJ Advance Media before takeoff. Born in Newark and raised in Hoboken, Galkin retired from his dental practice in 2020 and still lives in Edison, New Jersey, where he and his wife Bobbie recently marked their 65th wedding anniversary. Despite spending five weeks together in the cramped cockpit, he and Teahen say they have rarely clashed. 'We definitely didn't have too much difficulty handling each other,' Galkin told CTV. 'We've never been at a loss of words about what to talk about or tell jokes about,' Teahen added. The pairs mission has taken them through 11 countries, with their most daunting leg a 10-hour Atlantic crossing Ed Galkin, 89, pictured during his travels - the retired New Jersey dentist is now on a 37-day, 8,800-mile Flight to End Polio mission that has already raised tens of thousands of dollars, with donations being matched two-to-one by the Gates Foundation 'Sometimes I get irritable and sometimes he gets irritable, and usually within minutes we're off talking about something else.' Their route has included stops in France, Spain, Denmark, Poland, Norway and Portugal, but the most daunting leg was the Atlantic crossing from the Azores to Newfoundland - roughly 10 hours over open ocean. Galkin recalled: 'The weather was pretty good. We had maybe two hours of moderate turbulence and a little bit of rain, but pretty much the trip was a normal routine flight for us. We were happy.' Now, with only a few stops left before returning home to Central Jersey Regional Airport in Hillsborough, the pair are waiting to see if Galkin's feat will be immortalized in the Guinness World Records. As for what keeps him going? The almost-90-year-old offers a simple explanation: 'I love flying.' A worker has sued because his boss had a Dalek mug in the office that joked about 'exterminating someone'. Joshua Aderemi claimed he was 'targeted' by Alan Wordsworth because he 'deliberately' put his Dr Who mug on the table during a meeting. Mr Wordsworth's Dalek-themed mug said 'You may think I am listening but in my head I am thinking of exterminating someone', a tribunal heard. Mr Wordsworth is a Dr Who fan and was gifted the mug to drink tea and coffee out of it at work, it was heard. Mr Aderemi, a support worker, alleged that he was targeted by the placement of the mug as part of a health and safety and discrimination case. He lost all his claims at Sheffield Employment Tribunal. It was heard that Mr Aderemi came to the UK from Nigeria in 2022 on a student visa and began working for Hesley Group in January 2023, a firm that provides specialist autism care. In the summer of 2023 he was called to a meeting to discuss issues with his performance at Hesley Group's assisted living residence near Doncaster, as well as visa regulations issues. A mug with this inscription was at the centre of a suing row over workplace discrimination It was at this meeting that Mr Aderemi said his boss Mr Wordsworth put the Dalek mug on the table. It had the words 'You may think that I am listening but, in my head, I am thinking of exterminating someone' printed on it. It had been bought for Mr Wordsworth a year earlier as a gift because he was a Dr Who fan. Mr Wordsworth said that he didn't even remember having it in the meeting. Mr Aderemi told the tribunal it was a 'health and safety detriment' because it occurred while he raised health and safety concerns. He also made other claims of race discrimination and disability discrimination. All of them were dismissed. Employment Judge Kirsty Ayre said the Dalek mug was not intended to offend Mr Aderemi. Alan Wordsworth, Joshua Aderemi's boss, had been gifted the mug a year earlier before the row because he was a Dr Who fan She said: 'We find that the mug was on the table during the meeting on June 28, but it had not been placed there deliberately, and the wording on the mug was not targeted at [Mr Aderemi]. 'Mr Wordsworth could not even remember the mug being on the table during the meeting. 'He accepted that it had the words written on it, alongside a picture of a Dalek. 'The words and picture on the mug are a reference to Dr Who, which Mr Wordsworth is a fan of. 'The reason the mug was on the desk was because Mr Wordsworth uses it to drink tea and coffee out of whilst at work. 'It was nothing whatsoever to do with any health and safety concerns raised by [Mr Aderemi].' The judge noted that Hesley Group went to 'considerable lengths to support Mr Aderemi'. Judge Ayre added: '[Mr Aderemi] has failed, in the race discrimination claim, to prove facts from which the Tribunal could infer that discrimination has taken place.' FBI Director Kash Patel abruptly tossed out an agent in training on Wednesday for previously showing off a gay pride flag on his desk, according to a report. The trainee had displayed the emblem while serving in a field office in California last year during President Joe Biden's administration. Patel sent the trainee a signed letter dated October 1, claiming he had presented an improper 'political' message in the workplace while assigned in Golden State. The termination letter cited Donald Trump's constitutional power to fire bureaucrats serving in the executive branch. 'After reviewing the facts and circumstances and considering your probationary status,' Patel's letter obtained by MSNBC reads without directly mentioning the flag. 'I have determined that you exercised poor judgment with an inappropriate display of political signage in your work area during your previous assignment in the Los Angeles Field Office.' 'You are being summarily dismissed from your position as a New Agent Trainee at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, and removed from the federal service. The letter was sent to the trainee during the first day of the government shutdown, which has since caused uncertainty throughout the federal workforce. It is unclear how Patel was tipped off about a flag that was displayed on an employee's desk a year ago. The FBI boss fired a trainee for displaying a gay pride flag while serving under Joe Biden Patel sent the trainee a signed letter on Wednesday claiming he had presented an improper 'political' message in the workplace while in California Donald Trump signed an executive order back in January calling for the removal of DEI programs in the federal workforce The Daily Mail reached out to the FBI for comment. The agency has not released a public statement on the matter to other media outlets. According to CNN, the FBI employee was undergoing training at the agency's academy in Quantico, Virginia, when Patel sent the dismissal letter. Previously, the trainee had worked in a FBI field office as a diversity program coordinator and has received multiple awards for service during his career. Two longtime FBI employees told CNN that displaying a pride flag historically would not result in a dismissal from the agency. Under Patel's FBI, however, the norms are being rewritten. Just ten days after Trump took back the White House, DOJ Pride, an LGBT employee resource group, shut down in late January. The group's closure came after the president signed an executive order looking to remove all DEI related programs from the federal bureaucracy. Following the trainee's removal, agents across the FBI began searching through social media to purge any and all messaging that could be considered critical to Trump or his supporters. Patel previously fired over a dozen FBI employees for kneeling during the George Floyd riots that rocked the nation in 2020 Last week, Patel fired over a dozen FBI employees for kneeling in front of a DC crowd protesting the death of George Floyd. Those who bent the knee did so amid violent nationwide riots that shook the country. Previous FBI director Christopher Wray, who tried to prosecute Trump during the 2024 election, concluded that the agents did not violate bureau policy. Karoline Leavitt laid the government shutdown at the Democratic Party's door on Friday as the impasse entered its third day. The White House Press Secretary said: 'The Democrats continue to recklessly hold the American people hostage over their demands to give illegal aliens free healthcare.' She said that the Republican Party was 'fully unified' behind a continuing resolution (CR) that will fund the government through November 21. She said that this bill was no no different to the CR backed by the Democrats in March. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer came under intense criticism for supporting the stopgap funding bill from progressives like Alexandra Ocasio Cortez. Schumer is dug in this time around and refusing to end the shutdown until billions of dollars worth of Obamacare insurance premiums are included in the budget. The Republicans say that this would give free healthcare back to more than one million illegal migrants who were stripped of the benefit in Donald Trump's Big Beautiful Bill. The shutdown began at midnight on Wednesday meaning many government services are temporarily suspended and workers are furloughed. Leavitt today warned that this included 1.3 million military personnel who are not being paid as they 'serve honorably and put their lives on the line to defend us all.' A general strike across Italy in support of the Gaza aid flotilla disrupted trains and port traffic Friday, causing chaos for commuters as tens of thousands took to the streets in protest. Left-wing demonstrators condemned the treatment of the Global Sumud Flotilla that set sail last month, ferrying politicians and activists including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg towards Gaza, where the United Nations says famine is taking hold. The Italian strike, called by the USB and CGIL unions, followed demonstrations Thursday in cities across the world, including Milan and Rome, where some 10,000 people marched from the Colosseum. Protesters marched again Friday morning in Rome to the vast plaza outside the central train station of Termini, where services were cancelled or delayed up to 80 minutes, and in other cities. Among the crowd - estimated at over 10,000 by Italian news agency AGI - was Giordano Fioramonti, 19, protesting along with fellow university students and professors. 'It's also our civic duty to show how angry and unhappy we are with what is happening in the world, with our government, to show our support for the flotilla, especially for Palestine, for the Gazans who are being killed, tortured and massacred,' Fioramonti said. Up and down the country, thousands of people gathered for marches and flashmobs, from Turin and Trento in the north to Bari and Palermo in the south, according to local media and television images. A general strike across Italy in support of the Gaza aid flotilla disrupted trains and port traffic Friday, causing chaos for commuters as tens of thousands took to the streets in protest. Pictured: Protesters in Rome The Italian strike, called by the USB and CGIL unions, followed demonstrations Thursday in cities across the world, including Milan and Rome, where some 10,000 people marched from the Colosseum. Pictured: Protesters block the train traffic at Catania's central station Demonstrators condemned the treatment of the Global Sumud Flotilla that set sail last month, ferrying politicians and activists including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg towards Gaza, where the United Nations says famine is taking hold. Pictured: Thunberg sits at an unknown location, after Israel intercepted the vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla A sea of people clapped and waved the Palestinian flag in Milan as they made their way through the streets, carrying a massive banner reading: 'Free Palestine, Stop the War Machine.' National rail firm Trenitalia warned the national strike would last until 20:59 pm on Friday. 'Today, one million Italians will be left stranded on trains alone,' Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini told the Mattino Cinque television show. Commercial traffic was blocked at the port of Livorno, local media reported. It comes after Greta Thunberg was hauled off her 'Freedom Flotilla' by Israeli naval forces as it neared the besieged Gaza Strip. As the Global Sumud Flotilla approached Palestinian territory with humanitarian aid on Wednesday evening, at least 19 vessels were intercepted and boarded by the Israeli navy, according to those onboard. The Sirius, Alma and Adara boats were intercepted some 70 nautical miles (80 miles) from the coast of Gaza, according to organisers who shared live positions of the flotilla. 'Today, one million Italians will be left stranded on trains alone,' Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini told the Mattino Cinque television show. Pictured: Protesters in Rome A woman in Milan, Italy, holds a sign reading: 'I pray for the day when the children of Gaza wake up to the sounds of birds not bombs' Protesters clash with the police as they try to block the access to the Port of Naples In footage posted to X by the Israel Foreign Ministry, Swedish climate activist Thunberg is seen among those being detained by officials. While sitting on the floor, Thunberg takes what appears to be a bottle of water and puts on a green frog bucket hat and a white coat as she retrieves her belongings. 'Already several vessels of the Hamas-Sumud flotilla have been safely stopped and their passengers are being transferred to an Israeli port,' the post said. 'Greta and her friends are safe and healthy.' Thunberg and American actress Susan Sarandon, along with Nelson Mandela's grandson Mandla Mandela, are part of the controversial convoy of around 43 boats and 500 activists and aid workers sailing on what they describe as a 'peaceful mission' to deliver supplies to Palestinians in Gaza. Thunberg was deported by Israel in June when the ship she was travelling on with 11 other people, the Madleen, was stopped by the military. Protesters use flares during a rally calling for the release of the Global Sumud Flotilla in Genova Up and down the country, thousands of people gathered for marches and flashmobs, from Turin and Trento in the north to Bari and Palermo in the south, according to local media and television images. Pictured: A crowd of protesters in Venice Pictured: Israeli forces intercepting on of the boats of the Global Sumud Flotilla At the time, Israel was accused of using drones to spray an irritant substance on Thunberg's flotilla before boarding and detaining her and other activists. At around 9.30pm on October 1 the flotilla said its vessels were being boarded by the Israeli navy as it approached Palestinian territory, with their cameras taken offline. The fleet with Thunberg and several activists and European lawmakers aboard, consists of nearly 50 boats. 'High alert. Our vessels are being illegally intercepted,' organisers of the flotilla said. 'Cameras are offline and vessels have been boarded by military personnel. 'We are actively working to confirm the safety and status of all participants on board.' The flotilla had earlier vowed to press on with its bid to deliver aid to the devastated coastal territory despite what it called 'intimidation' tactics by the Israeli military. It said on X that it remained 'vigilant as we enter the area where the previous flotillas were intercepted and/or attacked'. A violent prison brawl over a volleyball game has left one inmate permanently disfigured after his ear was bitten off in a shocking attack. The brutal fight erupted during what began as a friendly match at Canberra's Alexander Maconochie Centre on June 25, before it spiralled into a savage assault. Benjamin John Wickes, 33, has now been handed an extra one year, five months and five days behind bars after pleading guilty to grievous bodily harm and choking his fellow inmate. The ACT Supreme Court heard Wickes was playing on the opposing team when tensions suddenly boiled over. He stormed under the net to confront the other prisoner before tackling him to the ground. What followed was described in court as a 'high degree of violence' that left the victim with permanent injuries. Justice Verity McWilliam said Wickes sank his teeth into the man's ear with such force he tore off a chunk before spitting it out. Wickes also punched the victim repeatedly, gouged at his eyes and placed him in a chokehold as the man tried desperately to escape. An inmate at the Alexander Maconochie Centre (pictured) pleaded guilty to biting off a man's ear The judge ruled the violence was opportunistic rather than premeditated, but the consequences were devastating. Despite completing rehabilitation courses while on remand, Wickes showed 'no genuine remorse' for the shocking assault. Wickes' disadvantaged upbringing and personal struggles were noted, but his lengthy criminal history, including multiple violent offences, meant leniency was off the table. Wickes was already serving time for unrelated matters. His latest sentence will be served partially concurrently, with his earliest chance at parole set for November 19. The Alexander Maconochie Centre, Australia's first purpose-built human rights-compliant prison, has been rocked by a series of disturbing incidents, prompting renewed calls for urgent reform. In a damning ruling last month, the ACT Supreme Court recently found that the prison breached the human rights of Aboriginal detainee Julianne Williams. The court heard Williams was subjected to force, an attempted strip search, and a full strip search while in a state of extreme distress, after being denied permission to attend her grandmother's funeral. The ACT Human Rights Commission has voiced concerns about Canberra's only prison The court acknowledged Williams' traumatic background and ruled that the actions taken against her were unlawful and violated her dignity. The ACT Human Rights Commission has warned that the prison's legal obligations to treat detainees with respect have become secondary to operational concerns. The Commission has called on the government to implement a comprehensive, ongoing human rights education and training package for all employees in the prison. Longtime Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer is the most unpopular top lawmaker on Capitol Hill, a new poll shows, adding fuel to the rumors that another rising liberal star is set to replace him. Schumer has represented New York in the Senate since 1999, but earlier this year got in hot water with his party after agreeing to help Republicans fund the government in a high-profile battle. Democrats, including fellow New Yorker Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, fumed that Schumer worked with Republicans to keep the governments lights on in March. The deal provided funding that ran through September 30. However, the 74-year-old Democrat has changed his tune and refused to rally his party behind GOP funding proposals this week - a gambit that has led to the ongoing government shutdown. It seems unlikely that his reversal will help his popularity. Schumer is the most unpopular major leader on Capitol Hill, new polling shows. According to a new survey from Pew Research of nearly 3,500 U.S. adults, 50 percent of respondents hold an unfavorable view of the senior New York Democrat, with just 21 percent expressing a favorable view. Meanwhile, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson holds a 38 percent favorable rating, while Senate Majority Leader John Thune is at 26 percent and Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries clocks in at 30 percent. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is the most unfavorably viewed congressional leader, according to a new Pew Research poll Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is widely speculated to be preparing for a Senate run against Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer should she not opt for a White House bid Among respondents who identified as Democrats, Schumers prognosis is especially terrible. The poll found that Schumer holds a 39 percent unfavorable rating among adults who identify as Democrats or who lean Democratic. That spells trouble for Schumer as he prepares for yet another run for office next year. AOC, one of the most popular Democrats in the country, has flirted with a Senate run in 2028. Advisers close to the 35-year-old progressive star have said that the congresswoman is keeping her options open, both for a Senate bid and a potential run for the White House in 2028. Should she decide to enter the Senate race, her potential primary against Schumer would set up a generational showdown between a longtime establishment liberal and a rising progressive star. And suppose the current New York City mayoral race is any indicator, as Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani runs away in poll after poll, the Empire State may be interested in a new, more liberal approach to governing. The Trump administration also sees the loyalty to Schumer falling apart. The White House ridiculed Schumer and Jeffries in an AI-altered video this week, which the Democrats have loudly pushed back against and deemed racist over a digitally added sombrero and mustache Trump posted pictures of Schumer in the Oval Office next to a Trump 2028 hat this week When fielding questions from the press during a briefing on Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance highlighted how Schumer is willing to shut down the government and not negotiate with Republican lawmakers because the Democrat needs to look tough lest he lose an election to AOC. The reality here, and lets be honest about the politics, is that Chuck Schumer is terrified hes going to get a primary challenge from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Vance said. The reason why the American peoples government is shut down is because Chuck Schumer is listening to the far-left radicals in his own party because hes terrified of a primary challenge. However, AOC has fought back against that characterization. 'Theyre saying this stuff about me in the press, and the fact of the matter is, I can tell you, in the seven years that Ive been here, they [Republican leaders] have never given me a single phone call, because they know what the truth is,' she said this week. 'They know that the people that they need to be negotiating with, and who they are negotiating with, are Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer.' Schumer's office did not respond to the Daily Mail's request for comment. Nigel Farage has accused Keir Starmer of 'emboldening' hate marchers after recognising Palestine as a state. The Reform UK leader today condemned pro-Palestinian 'hate marches' and accused activists of 'celebrating' the Manchester synagogue terrorist attack. Farage also said yesterday's attack was an example of 'broken Britain' and 'societal breakdown' in a video message posted to social media on Friday. In it, he said protesters who turned out in Whitehall last night in support of a flotilla carrying aid to Gaza led by Greta Thunberg had been 'celebrating' the attack at the Heaton Park Congregation Synagogue in Manchester. Two people died and another four were injured, three seriously, after terrorist Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, drove his car at members of the public outside the synagogue before stabbing multiple people. Armed police officers rushed to the scene and had shot Al-Shamie, who was wearing a 'non-viable' belt which appeared to be a suicide vest, within seven minutes. It was revealed today that Adrian Daubly, 53, died after he was accidentally shot by armed police officers, as was a second victim who remains in hospital. Melvin Cravitz, 66, was also killed in the attack. The Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood criticised pro-Palestine activists who went ahead with a protest last night despite the atrocity in Manchester. Hundreds of activists have gathered outside the gates of Downing Street in Westminster as part of a protest against the detention of members of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which included Greta Thunberg. Farage took to social media on Friday to accuse the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer of 'emboldening' protesters by recognising the state of Palestine last month, amid catastrophic humanitarian conditions in Gaza Police scuffle with protesters at the south end of Whitehall following a protest in Parliament Square on Thursday Police were seen scuffling with protesters at the south end of Whitehall following yesterday's protest in Parliament Square Activists were seen clashing with police as the rally outside Number 10 descended into mayhem, with 40 people arrested - including six for allegedly assaulting police officers, the Metropolitan Police said. In Manchester, just four miles away from the Heaton Park Synagogue tragedy, hundreds of pro-Palestine supporters marched on Manchester Piccadilly Station. And one woman attending a march last night raged she 'doesn't give a f*** about the Jewish community'. Speaking ahead of a further planned protest in support of proscribed group Palestine Action, organised by Defend Our Juries, Farage posted a video to social media condemning the plans. He said the 'only way' to describe a planned protest in London on Saturday was 'a hate march', adding that he felt 'more worried about the state of broken Britain than I ever have before.' Farage said: 'The scenes of Jewish people being butchered on the streets of Manchester yesterday I think have shocked many of us deeply, deeply to the core. 'I want to extend, on behalf of myself and our party our absolutely most sincere condolences to all of those affected.' He added: 'Within just a few hours of this horrific incident we saw in London, Glasgow and elsewhere, pro-Palestinian flags on the streets, people out, previously unplanned, demonstrating. But here's the truth of it, they weren't demonstrating, they were actually celebrating. Melvin Cravitz, 66, has been named as one of those who died during Thursday's terror attack Adrian Daulby (pictured), 53, was also killed in the attack, which left four others wounded Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (left) visited the scene of Thursday's terror attack this morning accompanied by his wife, Victoria (centre) Police officers were pictured leading a woman, wearing a face mask, away from the protest yesterday Met Police officers have been seen scuffling with protesters, some of whom wore face masks and scarves, outside Westminster 'I can't even imagine we've ever seen such vile scenes on our streets, certainly not in my lifetime. 'I hope all of you watching this video are outraged. Outraged, and frankly frightened. 'This is broken Britain. This is evidence of societal breakdown. It is deeply worrying and very frightening.' Saturday could see one of the largest-ever gatherings at Trafalgar Square in central London in support of Palestine Action, which was proscribed as a terror group in July. More than 1,500 people have pledged to descend on the capital in support of the group, risking arrest as they do so. Their action will come less than a week after 66 people were arrested at a rally supporting Palestine Action during the first day of Labour's party conference in Liverpool. Last night, Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said the terror attack had come following an 'unrelenting wave of Jew hatred on our streets, campuses, on social media and elsewhere'. He said: 'This is the day we hoped we would never see, but which deep down, we knew would come.' The Met has appealed to protest group Defend Our Juries to cancel is planned march in the capital this weekend. Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, who was shot dead minutes after he targeted Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester yesterday. It is believed he was a father and is pictured holding a child Al-Shamie was caught on camera armed with a knife trying to get into the synagogue moments before he was shot by armed police The scene outside the Heaton Park Synagogue, pictured early on Friday morning, as a police investigation continues into the attack The scene outside the Heaton Park Synagogue, pictured early on Friday morning, as a police investigation continues into the attack Forensic officers work at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue on Friday The Met Police hit out at pro-Palestine activists for defiantly vowing to stage their marches this weekend, saying it will 'draw resources away' from the capital 'when they are needed most' Your browser does not support iframes. A letter from the force shared by the group raised fears about the amount of police resources the protest would divert at a time when 'visible reassurance and protective security' is needed in communities across London. But the organisation, which has led demonstrations against the terrorist ban on Palestine Action, has defiantly railed against the call. 'Today, the Metropolitan Police wrote to us to ask that we postpone Saturday's mass protest in Trafalgar Square, citing 'significant pressure on policing',' it said on social media site, X. 'Our response in short: Don't arrest us then.' But in a fiery response, the Met hit back, accusing the campaign group of trying to 'encourage mass law breaking'. The force tweeted: 'The horrific terrorist attack that took place in Manchester yesterday will have caused significant fear and concern in communities across the UK, including here in London. 'Yet at a time when we want to be deploying every available officer to ensure the safety of those communities, we are instead having to plan for a gathering of more than 1,000 people in Trafalgar Square on Saturday in support of a terrorist organisation. 'By choosing to encourage mass law breaking on this scale, Defend Our Juries are drawing resources away from the communities of London at a time when they are needed most. We urge them to do the responsible thing and delay or cancel their plans.' And Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood agreed organisers should cancel the protest. Speaking to Sky News, Ms Mahmood said those who gathered after the attack were behaving in a 'fundamentally un-British' and 'dishonourable' way. And with further demonstrations on the horizon, Ms Mahmood urged those who plan on protesting to show 'some humanity' and 'give the Jewish community here a chance to process what has happened'. As she called on activists to allow Jews to 'begin the grieving process', the Home Secretary told GB News: 'I am very disappointed that some of the organisers haven't heeded the call to step back. 'I would still call on people to show some love and some solidarity to the families of those who have been murdered and to our Jewish community.' A man accused of staging his wife's death as a tractor-drawn slasher accident will stand trial for murder despite his lawyer challenging experts about what caused her demise. Yadwinder Singh, 46, was charged with the murder of his wife Amarjit Kaur Sardar, 41, and interfering with her corpse after an incident on their farm at Woodhill, south of Brisbane, in February 2024. Ms Sardar was discovered two metres away from the tractor's vegetation slashing attachment with both her legs amputated. She was declared dead at the scene. Forensic experts found her fatal injuries were probably not caused by the tractor and there was not enough blood to match the trauma, Beenleigh Magistrates Court was told on Friday. Singh appeared before Magistrate Shane Elliott for a committal hearing wearing a turban and a black Lonsdale t-shirt while sporting a long beard. He previously told police he had been having an argument with his wife before he got into the tractor and reversed the vehicle with the slasher running. Forensic pathologist Beng Ong said Ms Sardar's cause of death was a combination of the 25 injuries she suffered to her head, face and scalp, which were inconsistent with damage from slasher blades. 'These injuries are probably more consistent with some sort of blunt trauma,' Dr Ong told the court. Yadwinder Singh (pictured) will stand trial over the death of his wife Amarjit Kaur Sardar Authorities say Amarjit Kaur Sardar's injuries were not consistent with the tractor Under cross-examination by Singh's solicitor Andrew Bale, he agreed some of the injuries to Ms Sardar's head could be consistent with contact with non-bladed parts of the slasher. Dr Ong also testified there was very little of Ms Sardar's blood found near the farm machinery. 'If she was still alive and her heart was beating, I would expect more,' he said. Dr Ong agreed Ms Sardar's death was the first of its type he had ever encountered and there were no similar documented cases. Queensland Supreme Court previously heard a prosecution theory that Ms Sardar was killed by being hit in the head with a brick. The committal also heard testimony from DNA experts and crime scene officers that a brick with Ms Sardar's hair on it had been found about 40 metres from her body and across a fence line. Singh did not wish to call evidence, make a statement or enter a plea when asked by the magistrate. He was ordered to stand trial at a future date on the charges of murder and interfering with a corpse, and was remanded in custody. Amarjit Kaur Sardar was found dead after she was allegedly run over by a tractor Speaking outside court, Mr Bale said the prosecution had not provided evidence that Ms Sardar's death wasn't an accident. 'It may well be that what the police say is not a tragic accident is a tragic accident,' he said. '(Singh) was the person to call triple zero. He was utterly distraught and performing CPR when police arrived ... the brick really is best described as a red herring.' 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14 Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491 The boss of Santander UK who worked from home up to two days a week will step down from his 3.3million-a-year role to pursue 'other interests'. Mike Regnier, who said previously he would never have taken the role if he was not allowed to work from home, has been chief executive of the lender's British arm since April 2022. But the 53-year-old, who lives in North Yorkshire and commutes to London to be in the office, will hand over the reins ahead of the the bank's major merger with TSB. The Spanish finance giant agreed to acquire its smaller UK rival in July in a 2.65billion deal that is expected to create Britain's second biggest bank, overtaking NatWest and Lloyds with 28million retail and business customers. This will make it the country's third largest bank by personal current account balances and could see the TSB brand disappear from the high street upon completion. The deal has also sparked fears of further brand closures across the UK. With the mammoth merger in mind, the board at Santander have already begun looking for Mr Regnier's successor after he signalled that he would not be the man to lead them through it. Announcing his departure, he said: 'It had been my intention to move on after four-five years with Santander as I have other interests I would like to pursue. Mike Regnier (pictured with TV stars Ant and Dec) will step down from his 3.3million-a-year role to pursue 'other interests' 'Given that the integration of TSB will take considerably longer than this, I have suggested to the board that now would be a good time to find a successor who can see this critical project through to its completion and beyond. 'Judging the right moment to move on is very important to ensure leadership stability through a period of intense change and opportunity.' Ana Botin, the executive chairwoman of the wider Banco Santander group, said Mr Regnier was 'always very clear about his intention to stay for up to five years'. She added: 'His decision allows an orderly transition and stable leadership through a very important integration project and the creation and growth of the newly enhanced bank.' Regnier previously admitted he would not have taken the job if he had to commute from North Yorkshire to London, saying it was not 'absolutely vital' that people spend their entire working week in the office. He was previously working as the chief executive of the Yorkshire Building Society, whose headquarters were located in the region. Speaking to The Guardian last year, Regnier said: 'I don't think it's absolutely vital that people spend all five days a week in the office as they did pre-Covid. 'And, actually, had it not been for Covid, I wouldn't have accepted this job, because I wouldn't have wanted to be away from home five days a week in London. That wouldn't have been good for the family or for me.' The father-of-two said he lost a lot of quality time with his own father, who would spend hours commuting by train to London from Leatherhead in Surrey in his role as an oil economist. The chief executive made the move to Yorkshire 20 years ago after he and his wife decided they did not want to raise children in London. Santander agreed to acquire its smaller UK rival in July in a 2.65billion deal that is expected to create Britain's second biggest bank (File Image) He added: 'He was an amazing father. One of those people who's extremely hard-working and felt that was the most important thing in life. So [he was] not absent, but I probably didn't see as much of him as my kids see of me now.' The now-chief executive's career initially began in consulting before he found his first senior role in Asda. He was then convinced to switch careers and join the fast-growing HBOS bank - which was a successful bank in Halifax at the time - in 2006. However, it went spectacularly wrong and Halifax Bank of Scotland's bosses accumulated 45billion in debts that required a 20billion taxpayer bailout after an emergency takeover by Lloyds TSB in 2008. The biggest thing Regnier learned from the experience was the 'importance of good culture in the banking sector'. He then went on to join TSB Bank, before being asked to join Yorkshire Building Society, where he was told he would have a shot at becoming chief executive - a role he held for five years between 2017 and 2021. Regnier had surprisingly never intended to go into the financial world, having initially wanted to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather and become an engineer. However, he was convinced to take a combined engineering, economics and management degree at Oxford after his father told him that 'in the UK, it's accountants who run industry'. A British tourist has been missing for a week in South Africa after hiking to a lake filled with man-eating crocodiles to photograph its resident hippo. Elaine McSorley, 71, and husband Leon, 81, had left their hotel for a short walk last Friday at Mkhuze in KwaZulu Province to search for local wildlife. But Leon said he found the heat and distance too much and returned to their 100-a-night hotel room to leave wife Elaine to continue on her own. When Elaine failed to return over three hours later he raised the alarm and search parties have been scouring the lake and banks since September 27. There are signs around the lake at the Ghost Mountain Inn where the UK couple were booked in warning tourists of the man-eating crocodiles. But police say they are being hampered in building up a profile of Elaine with regards to her hiking fitness and medical health as her husband has left. And the police chief in charge admitted he does not currently know where the husband is. However the Ghost Mountain Inn confirmed that husband Leon returned to the hotel at 2.40pm and that there was a confirmed sighting of her at 3pm British tourist Elaine McSorley (pictured) has been missing for a week in South Africa after hiking to a lake filled with man-eating crocodiles to photograph its resident hippo Elaine McSorley, 71, and husband Leon, 81, had left their hotel for a short walk last Friday at Mkhuze in KwaZulu Province to search for local wildlife. But Leon said he found the heat and distance too much and returned to their 100-a-night hotel room to leave wife Elaine to continue on her own When Elaine failed to return over three hours later he raised the alarm and search parties have been scouring the lake and banks since September 27 The hotel said she asked a farmer for directions to a different area of the lake but when she had not returned by 5.30pm Leon reported her missing. The area where Elaine vanished is almost crime free with safe game reserves and police say if she died of natural causes she would have been found. They suspect a crocodile took her or foul play but have no evidence of either. K9 units and the police helicopter and a small army of locals have found no trace of her despite the use of sniffer dogs, drones, helicopters and boats. Hotel staff say if she had been attacked by a crocodile that could explain her disappearance but are confused as to why her husband has checked out. As a pensioner she would have had no chance against a crocodile which kills 1000 people a year in Africa and can run at 25mph and grows to 20ft long. They can weigh 1650lbs and have the strongest bite of any animal in the world Lieutenant Colonel Paul Magwaza of the SA police said: 'The British couple checked into the Ghost Mountain Inn at 1pm and went for a walk at 2pm. There are signs around the lake at the Ghost Mountain Inn where the UK couple were booked in warning tourists of the man-eating crocodiles The Ghost Mountain Inn is surrounded by game reserves and tourists flock to the area for the wildlife including lions, elephants, buffalo rhino and leopard K9 units and the police helicopter and a small army of locals have found no trace of her despite the use of sniffer dogs, drones, helicopters and boats 'According to the husband during the walk to the lake he decided to turn back and returned to the hotel but when she did not return he raised the alarm. 'We have been searching day and night but there is no sign of her. It is like she has vanished into thin air. The dogs have picked up no traces either. 'If she had simply collapsed and died we would have found her by now. There are theories as to what happened but I am not going to speculate' he said. The police chief confirmed the husband had left as the search continued. The couple were on holiday and booked in to the hotel on the day Elaine went missing and police are not revealing where in the UK they couple are from. A member of the local Community Police Forum said: 'It is a mystery as it is a very safe area for tourists and there is no sign of a crime having happened. 'The husband said she was going to the lake as there is a hippo there that likes to come out of the reeds to try and get a photo but he returned to the room. 'There are hotel signs warning of crocodiles which are in the lake and we are starting to have to look at whether she was ambushed and devoured' he said. The Ghost Mountain Inn is surrounded by game reserves and tourists flock to the area for the wildlife including lions, elephants, buffalo rhino and leopard. China achieves milestone in compact fusion project with key component installation Xinhua) 11:53, October 03, 2025 A drone photo taken on Oct. 1, 2025 shows the construction site of the Burning Plasma Experimental Superconducting Tokamak (BEST) in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province. The BEST completed the installation of its base, the first key component of the device's main unit, here on Wednesday. East China's Anhui Province is actively constructing the Burning Plasma Experimental Superconducting Tokamak (BEST) in its capital Hefei, which is expected to demonstrate fusion electricity generation for the first time in history. The massive facility, an upgraded version of the record-breaking Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak currently operational at a research institute in the city, is expected to be completed by 2027. (Xinhua/Zhou Mu) HEFEI, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Burning Plasma Experimental Superconducting Tokamak (BEST), a compact fusion experiment device under construction in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, has reached a major milestone with the successful installation of its first key component, the Dewar base, marking progress toward the world's first electricity generation from fusion power. Fusion energy, often hailed as the ideal "ultimate energy source," seeks to replicate the nuclear fusion process that powers the sun. Unlike previous fusion experimental devices, BEST is designed to demonstrate actual "burning" of deuterium-tritium plasma. Since the project's full-scale assembly began in May this year, the facility has attracted significant public attention. At the heart of BEST lies the Dewar, a core component that functions like a giant high-vacuum thermos flask. It insulates the superconducting magnets, which must operate at minus 269 degrees Celsius, enabling them to confine plasma heated to over 100 million degrees. Huang Xiongyi, associate researcher with the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Plasma Physics, said on Wednesday that the Dewar base serves as the foundation of BEST and will eventually support more than 6,000 tonnes of equipment. Weighing over 400 tonnes, measuring about 18 meters in diameter and 5 meters in height, the Dewar base is not only the heaviest single component of BEST's main machine, but also the largest vacuum component ever produced in China's fusion research field. According to Huang, the development of the Dewar base required breakthroughs in multiple advanced technical areas, including high-precision forming and welding, millimeter-scale deformation control, and ultra-high vacuum sealing. These challenges were successfully overcome, resulting in millimeter-level precision during installation. With the Dewar base successfully installed, other core components of the main machine will be gradually assembled, and the BEST device is scheduled for completion by the end of 2027. A drone photo taken on Oct. 1, 2025 shows the base of the Burning Plasma Experimental Superconducting Tokamak (BEST) in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province.(Xinhua/Zhou Mu) This photo taken on Oct. 1, 2025 shows the base of the Burning Plasma Experimental Superconducting Tokamak (BEST) in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province.(Xinhua/Zhou Mu) A drone photo taken on Oct. 1, 2025 shows the construction site of the Burning Plasma Experimental Superconducting Tokamak (BEST) in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province. (Xinhua/Zhou Mu) A drone photo taken on Oct. 1, 2025 shows the construction site of the Burning Plasma Experimental Superconducting Tokamak (BEST) in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province. (Xinhua/Zhou Mu) A drone photo taken on Oct. 1, 2025 shows the base of the Burning Plasma Experimental Superconducting Tokamak (BEST) in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province. (Xinhua/Zhou Mu) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan) Conservative influencer Nick Sortor has been arrested after allegedly getting into a fight outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility. Sortor, 27, was released without bond after being arrested in the altercation in Portland, Oregon late Thursday evening. He was arrested on suspicion of second-degree disorderly conduct along with two people, the Portland Police Bureau said. It comes after Sortor shared videos earlier this week of clashes outside the Portland ICE facility, which has frequently been targeted by immigration protesters amid Donald Trump's deportation crackdown. Sortor took to X after he was released, saying: 'Hey (Portland Police): you made a big freaking mistake.' 'You PROVED what weve all been saying for years: youre CORRUPT and CONTROLLED by vioIent Antifa thugs who terrorize the streets. 'You thought arresting me would make me shut up and go away. You couldnt have been more wrong. Stay tuned.' He added in a follow-up post that Portland Police 'are going to absolutely HATE what's coming. Lawyer up, folks! Announcement coming shortly.' Conservative commentator Benny Johnson shared footage of Sortor being detained as he claimed he was 'attacked by Antifa' and branded the arrest 'an open assault on the First Amendment.' Conservative influencer Nick Sortor has been arrested after allegedly getting into a fight outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility. An image of a separate clash at the Portland ICE facility on Thursday night is pictured Sortor, 27, is known to agitate left-wing groups on social media, and earlier in the week he shared an X post predicting that he may be arrested at the ICE facility Sortor took to X after he was released and shared footage of himself in cuffs, saying: 'Hey (Portland Police): you made a big freaking mistake' Following Sortor's arrest, he wrote on X that Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered a full investigation into Portland authorities to look into his 'wrongful arrest.' Texas Governor Greg Abbott also waded in on X, issuing a call to 'free' the influencer and saying police should 'arrest criminals not journalists.' 'Maybe we just need to shut down Portland for good,' Abbott wrote. The exact details of how Sortor was arrested are unclear, although the Portland Police Bureau said it came after a number of fights outside the ICE facility on Thursday night. An earlier incident saw law enforcement briefly detain two other people, and police said it 'continued to monitor the situation and responded after seeing additional fights break out.' Sortor was in Portland as the city has become the latest target of Trump's federal crackdown on crime. The arrest came hours before a judge is scheduled to hear arguments on whether to block the White House from sending National Guard troops to the city. Sortor is known to agitate left-wing groups on social media, and earlier in the week he shared an X post predicting that he may be arrested at the ICE facility. 'If I defend myself, *I* will be the one who gets arrested. Not the assailant,' he posted. 'Portland is a f***ing third world hellhole,' he wrote. 'Antifa is in full control out here. President Trump NEEDS to step in.' Hey @PortlandPolice: you made a big freaking mistake. You PROVED what weve all been saying for years: youre CORRUPT and CONTROLLED by vioIent Antifa thugs who terrorize the streets You thought arresting me would make me shut up and go away. You couldnt have been more wrong. pic.twitter.com/Dz8oJ3V8NP Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) October 3, 2025 Sortor commands a following of over 1.2 million users on X, and first shot to prominence in 2023 as he criticized the Biden administration for its response to a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. He has since made Trump's deportation and crime crackdowns a central pillar of his social media activism. He traveled to Portland to support the deployment of National Guard troops, a move that Oregon authorities have fought. Portland Police Bureau Chief Bob Day told CNN earlier this week that the move would be an overstep, and cited falling crime numbers in the city. Referring to recent clashes at the ICE facility, he said: 'Were talking about one city block in 145 square miles.' 'Certainly (there have) been some challenges down at the facility. Police have been engaged down there extensively over the last nine months. Weve made over 20 arrests ourselves. Weve conducted assault investigations. 'Portland is very much engaged, and, once again, this is just one small block in a big city that we are trying to manage for all of Portlanders.' An American Airlines plane has been surrounded by emergency services vehicles at Heathrow Airport after it suffered a suspected malfunction. The Philadelphia-bound service from west London had made it just beyond England's south coast when it had to turn back. Images from Heathrow taken at 2.20pm this afternoon show police vehicles and fire engines encircling the huge jet. The blue flashing lights sparked concern online, with Flightradar24 posting on X that the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner 'didn't get very far before needing to return to London due to stuck flaps'. The post continued: 'The aircraft returned safely to LHR and taxied to a remote stand.' It is understood the plane landed safely, but the vehicles were ushered to the tarmac as a precautionary measure. There have also been suggestions that concerns had been raised over the plane being overweight on landing. American Airlines have been approached for comment. The London Fire Brigade confirmed to the Daily Mail it had attended the scene, but that 'no direct action' was required by its firefighters. Images from Heathrow taken at around 2.20pm this afternoon show police vehicles and fire engines encircling the huge jet The Philadelphia-bound service from the west London airport had made it just beyond England's south coast when it had to turn back The dramatic scenes come just two days after the airport was hit by an outbreak of fire after a vehicle burst into flames and tore through the Terminal 3 car park. Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters arrived on Wednesday to tackle the blaze as it wrecked the multi-storey facility. Plumes of smoke were seen billowing out of the car park while bright orange flames tore through the building. The fire caused a number of disruptions to road routes as those getting to Heathrow by bus were forced to terminate. Less than a month ago the airport was at the centre of yet more drama after a man was arrested on suspicion of bringing what was thought to be tear gas into the airport - causing Terminal 4's check-in area to shut down. Some 21 people reported being injured during a 'potential hazardous materials incident' at the airport on September 8, but only one required hospital treatment. Emergency services later attributed the ensuing chaos - which saw the terminal shut for around three hours - to 'mass hysteria'. Police might press charges against Tube passengers who tackled a man who exposed himself in front of children on a busy train. Three of the five passengers who helped remove the naked man have been interviewed by British Transport Police (BTP) under caution. In August, Daily Mail exclusively revealed the disturbing video of a well dressed man who suddenly dropped his trousers and put his belt around his neck leaving his bottom and genitals on show. The action left fellow passengers on the eastbound District line train outraged and they were quick to confront the man, who it later transpired had mental health issues. A passenger stood up and politely and firmly told him: 'You need to get off the train.' But the flasher began yelling back: 'f*** off', repeatedly. The commuter said in response: 'What do you mean f*** off. You need to get off the f***ing train. Now. There are kids on here.' A scuffle quickly broke out and the passengers tackled the man to the ground before they threw him off the train at East Ham station. In August, disturbing video footage emerged of a well dressed man who suddenly dropped his trousers and put his belt around his neck leaving his bottom and genitals on show Passengers then tackled the man to the floor before removing him from the train. Three passengers have since been interviewed by police under caution The man was then detained under the Mental Health Act and, according to the BTP, was 'sectioned in hospital where he remains two months later receiving appropriate care'. Now, BTP could bring charges against the people involved with three out of the five passengers having already been interviewed. The force also admitted it had not been able to identify two other individuals, nearly two months after the events of August 7. A British Transport Police spokesperson told the Daily Mail: 'We understand that footage of this incident was well circulated on social media, and while we understand passengers may have been alarmed by the man who was in a state of undress, the level of violence he received was unnecessary and unacceptable and as a police force we are required to uphold the law. 'The man in question is a vulnerable individual who was suffering significant mental health crisis at the time, and following the incident he was sectioned in hospital where he remains two months later receiving appropriate care. The law exists to protect everyone, including vulnerable members of our society, and we have a duty to investigate thoroughly.' Earlier this year, the Daily Mail revealed London's most dangerous tube and train stations. More than 4,100 crimes were recorded in 2024 at King's Cross St Pancras alone, one of the capital's busiest terminals. This is more than any other station on TfL's entire network. Your browser does not support iframes. However, when taking passenger numbers into account, the most dangerous station is Poplar on the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), near Canary Wharf. Statistics collated by the British Transport Police (BTP) and TfL show 46 crimes were committed at the stop on the self-driving line last year. This equated to a rate of 58.7 offences for every million passengers. It was followed by Cockfosters, the northern terminus of the Piccadilly line, with 57.4 crimes per million passengers, and then King's Cross St Pancras with 51.4. Since Sir Sadiq Khan became Mayor in 2016, Tube crime rates have more than doubled, from nine per every million journeys to more than 21 last March. Similarly, offences have risen on the Overground, DLR and Elizabeth line, which opened in 2022. A man has admitted stabbing an 11-year-old girl in a random knife attack in Londons West End. Romanian national Ioan Pintaru grabbed the Australian holidaymaker as she left the Lego store in Leicester Square with her 34-year-old mother, before launching the frenzied attack. The 33-year-old placed the schoolgirl in a headlock before stabbing her eight times. He was only stopped when brave members of the public intervened and pinned Pintaru to the ground before police arrived, shortly after 11.30am on August 12 last year. The victim, who cannot be identified because of her age, was left requiring plastic surgery for injuries to her face, shoulder, wrist and neck area. Pintaru, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm when he appeared at the Old Bailey before Judge Richard Marks KC on Friday. He also admitted possession of a knife. He denied a charge of attempted murder. Ioan Pintaru, 34, put the 11-year-old girl in a headlock before attacking her in Leicester Square in 2024 Police officers at the scene in London's Leicester Square after the girl was attacked The Trial Australia - Inside Australia's biggest criminal cases, every week: Listen to the new Daily Mail podcast now Pintaru entered his pleas by videolink and was assisted by an interpreter in court. Prosecutor Heidi Stonecliffe KC said there would be a trial on the outstanding charge from October 27. Leicester Square and the surrounding area attracts an estimated 2.5 million visitors every week and is home to shops, theatres, cinemas and restaurants. Manchester Synagogue killer Jihad al-Shamies first name may have extremist connotations in the West but it is common in the Arabic world and small numbers of parents in Britain have used it for their sons. The word can mean striving or doing ones utmost but it also means a struggle or fight against the enemies of Islam. According to the Office for National Statistics, between three and four babies were typically given the name each year between the late 1990s and into the early 2000s. But its use almost died out in the wake of the attacks in the US on September 11, 2001, and the rise of Islamist terrorism. Jihad is also incorporated in the names of several extremist organisations banned in Britain Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Kashmiri and Bangladeshi branches of Harakat-Ul-Jihad-Ul-Islami, and an Arabic name for Nigerian terror group Boko Haram. Fewer than three babies a year were recorded having the name in Britain from 2004 onwards, apart from four in 2012. ONS statistics do not record names where they were given to less than three children. Three babies in the UK were named Jehad, a different spelling, in both 2011 and 2013. A pharmacist called Jihad, practising in an English city, told the Daily Mail: It's just a name but I always have problems. Sometimes, I try to hide my name and use my surname because people are then less suspicious. Unfortunately, thats the reality. Murderer Jihad al-Shamie pictured cradling new-born baby in social media picture last year 'But the name was used in the Middle East 2,000 years ago, among Christians and before Islam even existed. Use of another name which became synonymous with Islamist terrorism, Osama, after al-Qaeda leader and 9/11 mastermind bin Laden, plummeted from around two dozen each year up to 2002, to the single figures but continues. In the five years between 2020 and 2024, 41 babies were born with the name, equivalent to eight each year. There were 26 baby Osamas in 2001 and 22 in 2002 but the figure fell to eight in 2003. In Arabic, Osama means lion-like and is symbolises strength, courage and nobility. Similarly, small numbers of baby girls are still called Isis the name of an Egyptian goddess but in recent years the acronym of the violent jihadist group which took over a swathe of Syria and Iraq. There were 24 people born called Isis from 2020-2024, averaging less than five a year. Babies given the name fell dramatically after the murderous groups rise in Syria, from 31 in 2014 to just four the next year. Last year, both Osama, with eight births, and Isis, with six, were more popular than traditional boys name Nigel, which had only five registered. People born with the name jihad have told how it can cause problems in western society due to its connotations. Destruction in Raqqa, Syria, pictured in wake of disastrous civil war and rise of ISIS regime Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who masterminded the September 11 attacks on the US Jihad Abdo, a Syrian actor whose shows had audiences of millions in his home country but moved to the US after being targeted by the Asad regime, initially struggled to find work and ended up changing his name to Jay. He told the BBC: I was introducing myself to people and seeing this reaction Especially in the Midwest, when they heard my name was Jihad the first thing that appeared to their minds was the image of suicide bombers, and the jihadists that attack the army in Afghanistan or Iraq. Jehad Fadda, a telecoms engineer originally born in Nablus, in the occupied West Bank who moved to the UK and lives in London, was interviewed for the same article. He said he was named after his grandfather and chose to keep the name. He said: Nothing dramatic has ever happened but being randomly selected not-so-randomly is normal. Mr Fadda said he avoids speaking Arabic in airport terminals, adding: I lose my wife somewhere, she will never shout my name out loud. She uses a nickname. Trigger warnings have been placed around a 'disquieting' exhibition about flowers at one of Britains grandest stately homes recently visited by the Queen. Chatsworth House is hosting a temporary exhibition called The Gorgeous Nothings, with modern, floral-based artwork throughout the 17th century property. Camilla attended a fortnight ago for her annual Queens Reading Room literary festival, alongside authors including Jilly Cooper, and took a short tour. Areas shown to the Queen included the Baroque chapel home to the most prominent trigger warning, which states: The artwork in this room includes images of conflict, starvation and death. Management stress the trigger warning refers to a video montage by the late Lithuanian-born artist Jonas Mekas, depicting a disquieting sequence of flowers intercut with images of disasters, and not biblical paintings on the walls and ceilings. The chapels focal point is a painting above the altar depicting The Incredulity of St Thomas when confronted by the risen Christ, by Antonio Verrio. The Italian artist, brought to the UK by Charles II, also painted at Windsor Castle and Hampton Court Palace. At ground level, Mekass lengthy video, played on loop, on two large screens, begins with television news coverage of a huge fire in the US. Footage then cuts to images of flowers and landscapes, interspersed with more clips of destruction and biblical quotes. Chatsworth House, Derbyshire, which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year Avant-garde cinematic artist Mekas imprisoned in a labour camp by the Nazis before moving to the US made the video aged 95, a year before he died in 2019. It aims to provide a space for us to contemplate suffering and loss alongside the regenerative force of nature. Trigger warnings also appear alongside two further exhibits. One room contains artificial peacock flowers set against bright yellow-painted temporary walls, in an exhibition called The Marias, by Canadian artist Kapwani Kiwanga. She highlights how the flowers' seeds were used to induce abortion - enabling women living in conditions of slavery (subjects not only of forced labour but also sexual violence) to break the chain of reproduction and exploitation. The trigger warning states: The text and artwork in this room includes reference to people in conditions of slavery, sexual violence and abortion. The final trigger warning covers a book of exceptional botanical paintings obtained by Clive of India from the Mughal Dynasty opened on facing pages showing two marigolds. The alert states: The following text discusses the colonisation of India. Trigger warning erected in the chapel at Chatsworth House covers video display Antonio Verrio's celebrated masterpiece set with in the alabaster altar at Chatsworth House A description next to the book refers to Clive who headed the East India Company and went on to be governor of Bengal - as a controversial figure who amassed a vast fortune while his leadership impoverished the region. Robin Simon, editor of the British Art Journal and an Honorary Professor at University College London, said: 'You would think the show was woke enough without more wokery. 'I dont really understand the purpose of these particular trigger warnings. 'They seem merely to state what one might call the bleeding obvious.' He said the warning in the Chapel might deter visitors from entering and could be misconstrued because it doesn't explain it is referring to Mekas's video. Robin Simon, editor of the British Art Journal, criticised the 'self-defeating' trigger warnings Artificial peacock flower display called The Marias by Canadian artist Kapwani Kiwanga Mr Simon said: 'What is this supposed to achieve? Worse, does it refer to the 17th-century paintings in the chapel on the walls and altar? Goodness knows, there are any number of biblical scenes that feature these unpleasant goings-on.' Of The Marias warning, Mr Simon said: 'This label is presumably meant to stop you in your tracks. It suggests again that any tender-hearted member of the public wont now look at it at all. I think the phrase for the curators of this dottiness is self-defeating.' Turning to the warning about the Mughal-era book, he added: 'Of course India was colonised. What is added to the appreciation of the beautiful botanical illustrations in question by stating that in a text? If people are so fragile that the very thought of colonisation makes them break out in a cold sweat, this can only make it worse. Mughal-era book opened at pages displaying beautiful marigold flowers as part of exhibition Mr Simon said: 'As with so much modern art, it is telling us what to think. The reason is, alas, that otherwise we would never know what on earth it was about. Art historian and journalist Richard Morris called the warnings a depressing example of history filtered through a twenty-first-century lens with twenty-first-century agendas. He said: Theres a sheer imperative to find something negative to say, to wring all pleasure and wonder to leave people thinking if they enjoyed a piece of work they should wear a hair shirt for a week as a form of penance. Visitors leave anxious and weary, the hectoring trigger warnings risk becoming a massive own-goal. Chatsworth known as the Palace of the Peaks attracts over 600,000 visitors a year and is thought to have been the inspiration for Pemberley, Mr Darcys home in Jane Austen novel Pride and Prejudice. It was used as a film set for the 2005 film adaptation of the book, starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen. The Gorgeous Nothings, ending this weekend, aims to showcase the resilience and persistence of nature. A Chatsworth House spokesperson said of the warning in the Chapel: The signage relates to a temporary video installation in the Chapel. Management added that advisory guidance has been included with exhibits in order to act in a responsible manner. Donald Trump has today issued one last ultimatum demanding Hamas accept a US peace agreement to end the bloody Gaza war. The president threatened that 'all hell' will break out on the militants if they did not accept his plan by 6pm on Sunday. The deal includes that all remaining hostages are released within 72 hours of an agreement. Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday: 'Hamas has been a ruthless and violent threat, for many years, in the Middle East! They have killed (and made lives unbearably miserable), culminating with the October 7th MASSACRE, in Israel, babies, woman, children, old people, and many young men and women, boys and girls, getting ready to celebrate their future lives together. 'As retribution for the October 7 attack on civilization, more than 25,000 Hamas soldiers have already been killed. Most of the rest are surrounded and MILITARILY TRAPPED, just waiting for me to give the word, GO, for their lives to be quickly extinguished. As for the rest, we know where and who you are, and you will be hunted down, and killed.' The president added: 'I am asking that all innocent Palestinians immediately leave this area of potentially great future death for safer parts of Gaza. Everyone will be well cared for by those that are waiting to help. Fortunately for Hamas, however, they will be given one last chance!' Trump met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday at the White House along with some of his top cabinet officials, and agreed on a new peace deal for Gaza. The White House released a 20-point plan, which included increasing aid to Gaza and an economic development proposal that includes preferred tariffs and access rates. Donald Trump met with Netanyahu with at the White House on Monday to discuss the recent Gaza peace plan The two-year war has killed ten of thousands and up-ended the lives of millions in the region Multiple European nations including the UK and France have recognized the state of Palestine just before the two-year anniversary of the war Trump added on Truth Social on Friday: 'Great, powerful, and very rich Nations of the Middle East, and the surrounding areas beyond, together with the United States of America, have agreed, with Israel signing on, to PEACE, after 3000 years, in the Middle East. 'THIS DEAL ALSO SPARES THE LIVES OF ALL REMAINING HAMAS FIGHTERS! The details of the document are known to the WORLD, and it is a great one for ALL! We will have PEACE in the Middle East one way or the other. The violence and bloodshed will stop.' Trump also demanded that Hamas release the bodies of dead Israeli captives before the Sunday deadline. 'RELEASES THE HOSTAGES, ALL OF THEM, INCLUDING THE BODIES OF THOSE THAT ARE DEAD, NOW! An Agreement must be reached with Hamas by Sunday Evening at SIX (6) P.M., Washington, DC time.' He added: 'If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas. THERE WILL BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.' On Friday, a senior Hamas official told AFP that the organization needs more time to study Trump's plan to end the war. Parts of the proposal call for a complete disarmament of Hamas followed by a gradual and complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. The plan mandates Israel withdraw from the Gaza region after Hamas disarms The plan also outlines that a post-war Gaza will be governed by Trump himself. 'Hamas is still continuing consultations regarding Trump's plan... and has informed mediators that the consultations are ongoing and need some time,' the Hamas official stated. An office worker in Chile quit his job after being paid more than 300 times his monthly salary, then won a court battle when his bosses tried to get the money back. The man, who worked as an assistant at food company Dan Consorcio Industrial de Alimentos de Chile, usually earned around 500,000 pesos (386) a month. But in May 2022, his employer accidentally deposited 165 million pesos, worth about 127,000, into his account. The firm claimed he initially agreed to return the cash during a meeting with HR. However, three days later, he handed in his resignation, triggering a legal fight that dragged on for three years. Managers accused him of theft, a charge that could have seen him fined and jailed for up to 540 days. But a judge in Santiago dismissed the case, ruling it was not theft but 'unauthorised collection,' which meant it was not a crime for the court to prosecute. The company says it remains determined to recover the funds. 'We will take all possible legal steps, particularly an application for annulment, to have the ruling reviewed,' it said in a statement to Diario Financiero. The office worker quit his job after his employers paid him more than 300 times his normal monthly salary It comes after another extraordinary salary blunder in Europe. A teacher in Germany remained on full pay for 16 years while on sick leave, without anyone at her school noticing. The woman, who taught biology and geography, first went off work in August 2009 due to illness and mental health problems. She was supposed to be reviewed by a doctor after three months, but the check never took place, and her leave was repeatedly extended. She continued to receive her full 48,000 salary while absent, despite not teaching a single class at the vocational school in Wesel, near Duisburg, since 2009. The error only came to light during an internal audit in 2024, when new management realised she had been quietly collecting her wages for nearly two decades. When officials ordered her to undergo a medical examination, she refused and even launched legal action against her bosses. Reports say she owns two apartments in Duisburg, the city where she once taught before disappearing from the staff roster. Dorothee Feller, the education minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, told Bild: 'I have a lot of questions because I've never been confronted with a case like this before.' Rick Stein's restaurant in Wiltshire will shut its doors for good this weekend, the second blow to the celebrity chef's empire after his coffee shop closed earlier this week. The Marlborough High Street branch will serve its last meals on Sunday, October 5, after the group confirmed the site was no longer viable. The closure ends almost a decade in the town. In a statement signed by Mr Stein, his wife Jill, and sons Ed, Jack and Charlie, the family paid tribute to staff and reassured customers with gift cards they can still redeem them elsewhere. The announcement follows last week's permanent closure of Stein's Coffee Shop in Padstow, the Cornish town dubbed 'Padstein' thanks to his 13 ventures there over five decades. Three staff were redeployed. The Marlborough closure comes as Stein's empire of restaurants, hotels, shops, a cookery school and online business battles falling revenues. Last year, the Seafood Restaurant in Padstow saw sales drop, with pre-tax losses widening to 459,000. Across the group, revenue fell 5.4% to 30.4million. Mr Stein has blamed Labour's tax raid for piling pressure on already fragile hospitality businesses. In the statement concerning the latest closure, the family said: 'After much consideration, we're very sad to announce that our restaurant in Marlborough will close from Sunday, October 5. The Marlborough High Street branch will serve its last meals on Sunday, October 5, after the group confirmed the site was no longer viable Rick Stein's Cornish business empire has been wounded by mounting financial losses as it grapples with Chancellor Rachel Reeves' tax raid on employers 'We want to sincerely thank everyone who has dined with us and supported us here over the years. We've loved being part of the Marlborough community.' Thanking the team, the statement went on: 'We also want to express our heartfelt thanks to our wonderful team in Marlborough, whose passion, hard work, and dedication have created so many memorable experiences for our guests.' Mr Stein's restaurants, hotels, shops, cookery school and online business saw revenues tumble last year - with his businesses calling on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to 'ease pressure' on employers amid Labour's tax grab. In a recent interview, Mr Stein railed against the Chancellor's Budget. He argued: 'Because the economy is not looking too good, people aren't going out as much, so the one thing you don't want to do is impose a heavy tax on the sorts of industries that are actually producing stuff.' Mr Stein's dominance in Padstow has long divided locals. His first restaurant opened there in 1975, but his growing portfolio has since transformed the town - filling gift shops with his merchandise, sending property prices soaring to an average 750,000, and attracting floods of tourists each summer. The town is home to 2,500 people, but that number typically doubles in the summer as second-home owners and tourists flock there. Locals say Mr Stein's influence has been both a blessing and a curse - boosting the tourist trade but also saying he has priced out locals and squeezed independent traders He has even been the target of a 'terrorist' group known as the Cornish National Liberation Army who once threatened his restaurants claiming they were hurting local people through driving up living costs. House prices have skyrocketed in the town as its popularity grew with the average property being sold over the last year costing more than 750k - higher than London. One visitor even branded the town's reliance on his empire 'medieval,' comparing holidaymakers to 'brainless sheep'. A spokesperson for Rick Stein Restaurants said: 'We can confirm our Marlborough restaurant will permanently close with our last service on Sunday 5th October. 'We sincerely thank our dedicated team for their hard work and our loyal guests for their continued support - weve loved being part of the Marlborough community. 'All guests who have upcoming reservations have been notified and Rick Stein Marlborough gift cards can still be redeemed at any other Rick Stein Restaurants or used for online purchases. 'Our other Rick Stein restaurants, and rooms, continue to trade well.' A military veteran allegedly murdered two teenagers in a seemingly random attack while they were camping in the remote Arizona wilderness - before calling in tips to police and handing over his own drone footage of the crime scene. Thomas Brown, 31, was arrested Thursday on first-degree murder charges for the May 26 killings of Pandora Kjolsrud, 18, and Evan Clark, 17, in the Mount Ord area of Tonto National Forest, near Phoenix. Brown has no known connection to the victims but was allegedly camping with his wife in the area at the time - before she left the trip early, leaving him alone to allegedly kill. Kjolsrud and Clark - who both attended Arcadia High School in Phoenix - had decided to go on a camping trip together over the Memorial Day weekend to celebrate the start of summer vacation, Kjolsruds mother Simone Kjolsrud told AZCentral. Clarks mother Sandra Malibu Sweeney told the outlet she had been wary about the trip because it meant the teens would be off grid. Her worst fears became a reality when the teens failed to return home as planned on May 26. Kjolsrud contacted law enforcement and Maricopa County Sheriff's Office deputies searched the campsite just off State Route 87 near Mount Ord. In the early hours of May 27, deputies found the bodies of the two teens. Both had suffered gunshot wounds to the head. Thomas Brown, 31, was arrested Thursday on first-degree murder charges for the May 26 killings Pandora Kjolsrud, 18, and Evan Clark, 17, were shot dead in the Mount Ord area of Tonto National Forest, near Phoenix, back in May The sheriff's office said the victims vehicle was found in a different location to their bodies. For four months, no arrests were made - until Brown was finally arrested Thursday for the grisly murders. In a press conference Friday, Maricopa County Captain David Lee revealed explosive details about how the net closed in on the suspected killer. Following the murders, several tips had come in from the public. Among them were tips from Brown himself, Lee said. Brown came forward and told investigators he had been camping with his wife in the area from May 23 through May 26. But, his wife left on the morning of May 25 while he remained until the following day, he told investigators. It is not clear why Brown's wife allegedly left the camping trip early - and police would not comment on whether or not she might have any knowledge of her husband's alleged crime. Brown also allegedly told investigators he had drone footage of the area and handed it over. Lee said the 31-year-old even admitted to seeing the two victims inside their car around on the day of the murders. Brown was seen sitting expressionless in a cell following his arrest for the teens' murders The suspected killer was perp-walked into the sheriff's office HQ in a video shared online Tips also came in to law enforcement from another group of campers who said they had encountered a man acting strange in the area. That group left on May 26, Lee said. With suspicion mounting over his possible involvement, Brown was ultimately tied to the murders when his DNA was found in the victims SUV, according to court records. A pair of gloves found near the scene was also found to contain DNA belonging to Brown, Kjolsrud, and Clark - as well as the victims' blood, the records show. The motive for the double homicide remains a mystery. Investigators have found no evidence of any connection between the suspected killer and the teenage victims. As far as we know they were complete strangers, Lee said. The suspect is also believed to have acted alone, with officials assuring the community there is no ongoing danger. Brown served 10 years in the military and has no known criminal history. Footage posted online by the Maricopa County Sheriffs Office shows the suspected killers vacant expression as he was perp-walked into the precinct Thursday. Pandora Kjolsrud was remembered for her vivacious personality and infectious smile that brought joy to so many, and love of camping Evan Clark's mom (pictured together) said now the suspect is in custody 'everyone can sleep safe knowing this person cant harm anyone else' Dressed in a khaki t-shirt and shorts and camo-patterned crocs, Brown was led from a car and into the building by two law enforcement officers in handcuffs. After being processed, he was placed in a cell. Brown sat down inside the cell, staring ahead expressionless with his back up straight and hands carefully placed on his knees as the door was shut, locking him inside. Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan called the murders a senseless violent act in the briefing as he said the remote location and terrain of the crime scene had slowed the investigation. Brown's arrest now brings an end to the victims' families months-long agony over not knowing who was responsible for the doomed camping trip. Speaking at Friday's press conference, Kjolsrud's mother choked back tears as she said 'for the last four months, I have prayed every day that her killer will be brought to justice'. 'We are all devastated and miss her every day. All of life's beauty feels less bright without her here,' she said. Simone Kjolsrud vowed that her daughter's 'light and love and beauty' would not be overshadowed by her killer's actions. 'The darkness she encountered on that day that she met her killer will not her life... is darkness will not overcome her light,' she said. 'My daughter Pandora was a beautiful, brilliant light in this world. She was so full of joy and life and love,' she said. Clark's mother Sweeney released a statement to 12News saying the arrest finally gave her the closure I desperately needed. The past four months, Ive been haunted every night by the murder of my son. I hope now that they have someone in custody, everyone can sleep safe knowing this person cant harm anyone else, she said. In the aftermath of the murders, heartbreaking tributes to the two teens were shared on GoFundMe campaigns launched to support their families with funeral expenses. Kjolsrud was remembered for her vivacious personality and infectious smile that brought joy to so many, and love of camping, in a GoFundMe topping $55,000. Pandora Kjolsrud's mother choked back tears as she spoke at Friday's press conference Investigators revealed chilling details about the suspected killer's actions in the aftermath of the murders She loved music in all of its forms and enjoyed playing violin, cello and guitar. The outdoors is where she truly felt at home. She loved camping, horseback riding, kayaking and hiking with friends and family,' it reads. Animals adored Pandora and she had a special bond with her two little dogs, and never failed to stop and greet any dog she passed on her hikes and neighborhood walks. She was a friend to so many and a beloved daughter. In a GoFundMe for Clarks family, his mother shared her insurmountable grief at losing her only child. Evan wasnt a typical teenager. He was funny, bright, kind and entrepreneurial. He was an old soul who was sensitive and loving, she wrote. Evan wrote me letters, the last of which he gave me on Mothers Day that was so touching it made me both laugh and cry. He was special. He deserved a long life. The teen worked at Crumbl Cookies and loved going to concerts, photography, cars and trips to Malibu, she said. It is unclear if the victims were friends or romantically involved. Brown is now facing two counts of first-degree murder. He appeared in court overnight Thursday where a judge ordered him to be held on $2 million cash bond. He is next due in court for a status conference hearing on October 8. David Lammy was booed and heckled today as he spoke at a vigil for the Manchester terror attack victims. The Deputy Prime Minister had his address interrupted as he faced persistent shouts from the crowd of hundreds gathered on Middleton Road in Crumpsall. The event was held following the killing of two people at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue on Thursday morning. As he was introduced at the vigil, Mr Lammy - who is also the Justice Secretary - was booed and faced shouts of 'shame on you', 'go to Palestine, leave us alone'. Others in the crowd were heard saying: 'You've allowed it to grow on campuses', and 'you have blood on your hands'. Heckler Geraldine Simon, a decades-long friend of slain Melvin Cravitz, said Mr Lammy was booed because the Labour government had 'let the Jewish community down'. The 67-year-old semi-retired lawyer said: 'I don't know what he came here for. 'His opening words addressed the crowd as 'friends' and that was like a red rag to a bull. David Lammy was booed and heckled today as he spoke at a vigil for the Manchester terror attack victims A woman shouts during a vigil organised by the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester 'I shouted "Platitudes! Platitudes!" and "We don't need you" when he said he was here with us. 'I just couldn't help snorting with derision. 'This community has been here (in Manchester) for 150 years, but what sort of peace can you have if people don't feel safe? 'We can't rely on this government to protect us. Starmer says he will provide more resources and security but we don't want that. 'The police community response to this attack has been brilliant, but we don't want to have to have officers outside our synagogues and schools. 'We don't want extra money or resources, we just don't want attacks.' Mrs Simon, from Crumpsall, described Mr Cravitz, a retail worker, as 'kind and funny' and added: 'He didn't have a bad word to say about anybody. 'Melvin was a born and bread Mancunian, we both were. I have known him since we were teenagers. He was just a good person.' She said Mr Cravitz, who she said married later in life and had no children of his own, was often late to services at the synagogue. But she said that at a meeting with the congregation in a local village hall today Rabbi Daniel Walker had reflected on the fact that it was his misfortune to arrive at the synagogue punctually on Wednesday. Later on during Mr Lammy's speech, which took place during the torrential rain, one person was heard to shout: 'Empty words, we want action.' Attendees held a banner reading 'No more words, we demand action' during Friday's vigil Uproar then resumed in the crowd as the Deputy PM said: 'That is why we stand in defiance of those terrorists who seek to divide us'. This saw further shouts from attendees, and one man could be heard saying 'you enabled it, every Saturday'. The Justice Secretary continued: 'We cannot, must not, let them divide us we must show them who we really are, not what they want us to become or to believe.' Joanne Lazarus, 61, from Whitefield, Bury, was among those who shouted 'shame on you' and 'you're embarrassing' at Mr Lammy as he spoke at the vigil. She said she wanted the Government to stop pro-Palestine marches taking place. 'I took the chance to make my voice heard. I can't take these marches every single Saturday,' Ms Lazarus said. 'I've been into town on a Saturday and have been told I'm a baby killer and to 'go home'. 'That hatred is felt through the whole of the UK and through what happened here yesterday. I knew it would happen.' Ms Lazarus, who attended the Heaton Park Shul when she was younger, said she didn't think Mr Lammy would 'care' about the response he received at the vigil. Joanne Sheldon, also 61, from Radcliffe, Bury, revealed how she turned her back when Mr Lammy began to speak. 'We didn't know he would be speaking here and when we found out we just thought 'why is he here?',' she said. 'Jewish people don't feel it's safe in Britain now.' Her friend Hayley Lawson, 49, said hatred was being 'stirred up' by pro-Palestine marches. She said: 'It is not our fault what is going on between Israel and Gaza. Nobody wants war. 'There were marches at the beginning with Ukraine and Russia but those marches have all gone and what about all the other things happening in the world? People aren't marching for them. 'That says to me these marches are against Jewish people, pure and simple, because if they weren't they'd be marching about other things going on in the world.' Attendees of the vigil vocally aired their frustrations at the Deputy PM David Lammy Karl Jacobs, 34, said: 'This Government's weak leadership and failure to take a stand are to blame for the murders. 'They need to be tough before these murders become the norm. Nothing will charge with [Sir Keir] Starmer in charge. 'I'm glad that he was booed. The Government needs to know that we are not happy.' Posting on social media after Friday's event, Mr Lammy said he had 'heard the pain, anger and grief at today's vigil'. Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, both died and three others remain in hospital with serious injuries following Thursday's attack, which took place on Yom Kippur, Judaism's holiest day. Killer Jihad Al-Shamie was shot dead by police seven minutes after officers were called about the attacker ramming into people with a car and stabbing a man outside the synagogue. One worshipper died and another was injured after they were accidentally shot by armed police while attempting to prevent the knife-wielding terrorist from entering the synagogue. Mr Lammy told Friday afternoon's vigil near the site of the synagogue attack that 'we must stand in grief, in solidarity and in defiance'. He said 'we must stand together' in 'grief for the innocent lives that were taken so cruelly - senseless murders carried out on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish year, grief that causes so much pain and so much suffering'. 'Today our hearts, our thoughts, our prayers must be with the families of those who were killed,' Mr Lammy added. 'And of course, with this community, this Jewish community, both here in Manchester and in Heaton Park synagogue.' Mr Lammy told Friday afternoon's vigil near the site of the synagogue attack that 'we must stand in grief, in solidarity and in defiance' The Deputy PM continued: 'Right across our nation, and as the MP for Tottenham, I know the suffering in Crumpsall is all the same as the pain, the worry and the frightened faces in my own constituency and in the area of Stamford Hill - one of the historic homes of the Jewish community in this country. 'In that sense, London and Manchester are twin communities grieving as one, and the whole nation is with them.' The Deputy PM told the crowd 'we stand in solidarity with the Jewish people, because an attack like this is never felt alone'. He added: 'Wherever you are in our country, Jewish people, our friends, our neighbours, our loved ones are terrified by the events of yesterday - of becoming targets, victims of antisemitic hate, simply for who they are. 'But I know this about Britain's Jewish community, a community I have known all of my life. 'You are strong, you are resilient, and you will never be cowed, and that's what I want you to know today - that our country, those of all colours, all faiths and none, stand with you.' Mr Lammy said 'we all feel terrorism' and used the example of his 'best childhood friend' who was 'blown to smithereens' in the July 7, 2005 London bombings. 'We stand with you against those who think bombs and blasts will break us, we stand against all states who would minimise or coddle or obfuscate on anti-Jewish hate,' he said. 'We know terrorism in this country. We know it, of course, in this city we saw it at the arena, and we have seen it in Heaton Park. 'We all know terrorism, we all feel terrorism my best friend from childhood, James Adams, was blown to smithereens in the 7/7 bombings. 'And I vow to you, every Christian, every Muslim, every Jew, every Mancunian, every Brit: We will never stop fighting it.' Attendees at the vigil stood in the Manchester rain to listen to speakers In his own speech at the vigil, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said: 'We care about you, we love you, we value what you have given to Greater Manchester over the years. 'An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us. 'That is the permanent principle, the firm foundation on which this city region has been built, by you by us, by everyone here over centuries, that is who we are, and we will not let this break us in any way, shape, or form. 'I salute the strength of our Jewish community.' Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, Sir Stephen Watson, told the vigil: 'I can pledge to you that GMP are with you as one in continuing relentlessly, professionally, ruthlessly, all of those who would harm our Jewish community and other communities across Greater Manchester where hate is the originator of their intent.' He praised the Community Security Trust, saying they are 'the embodiment of our mutual determination to keep our communities safe and for you to have your absolute God-given right to live your Jewish lives as you're entitled to do in our country'. Closing the vigil, Rabbi Daniel Walker, from the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue, said: 'I want to say thank you again to those special and heroic men who stopped that terrorist getting into my shul and stopped much worse things happening. 'I want to say thank you to emergency services, first of all, to the police, who came to our aid at the time of our greatest need, who were there for us. 'The fire service, the ambulance service, those who tended to the wounded. to all those who have helped us and supported us through this most terrible and darkest time. 'Adrian and Melvin died as Jews for being Jews. The only way to defeat darkness, the only way to defeat unholiness, is with goodness.' Earlier on Friday, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood condemned pro-Palestine marches that took place in the wake of Thursday's attack as 'dishonourable' and 'fundamentally un-British'. She also called for demonstrators to 'step back' from plans to hold marches in coming days, claiming this would show 'some love and some solidarity' with Britain's Jewish community following the attack. The father of the Manchester synagogue attacker praised the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks in a series of disturbing Facebook posts. Faraj Al-Shamie celebrated and praised the murderous invasion of Israel during which almost 1,200 people were killed and around 250 people were taken hostage. On October 7, 2023, the trauma surgeon who came to the UK from Syria, urged the Hamas terrorists to 'take good care of your weapons and aim them accurately for your brothers' hours after the fighters began their bloodthirsty siege of Israel. Writing in Arabic on Facebook, he added that the images of 'fighters storming' Israel with paragliders and motorbikes 'prove beyond a doubt' that Israel would be destroyed. On the day of the October 7 terror attacks, Mr Al-Shami wrote: 'Men like these prove that they are men of God on earth and regardless of who leads them, they are the real compass of men who are confident of their victory. 'Oh men of Allah (...) take good care of your weapons and aim them accurately for your brothers (...) may God protect Palestine and its heroic people.' He also expressed support for the Iranian missile attacks on Israel, which killed dozens of innocent civilians, writing: we are waiting for more. Earlier today Mr Al-Shamie issued a statement expressing his 'profound shock' after his eldest son Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, rammed his car into Jewish congregants at Heaton Park synagogue on Yom Kippur, Judaism's holiest day, before stabbing other worshippers. Two Jewish men - Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, - were murdered in the attack and three others were seriously injured. Meanwhile Jihad Al-Shamie was shot dead by armed police. Faraj Al-Shamie celebrated and praised the murderous invasion of Israel during which almost 1,200 people were killed and around 250 people were taken hostage. Your browser does not support iframes. On Facebook the killer's father tried to distance himself and his family from the attack, writing: We fully distance ourselves from this attack and express our deep shock and sorrow over what has happened. Our hearts and thoughts are with the victims and their families, and we pray for their strength and comfort. He added: We kindly request that all media outlets respect the familys privacy during this very difficult time and refrain from using this tragic event in any context that does not reflect the truth. But in the last two years Mr Al-Shamie, who arrived in the UK from Syria in the 1990s, has written frequently about the war in Gaza and even attended a pro-Palestine protest in Manchester on 31 August 2025. On the day of the October 7 terror attacks, Mr Al-Shamie wrote: 'The scenes broadcasted by the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade (Hamas) of a group of fighters storming the camp of the occupation army with simple means, [paragliders] and motorcycles, prove beyond doubt that Israel will eventually be destroyed. 'Men like these prove that they are men of God on earth and regardless of who leads them, they are the real compass of men who are confident of their victory. 'Oh men of Allah (...) take good care of your weapons and aim them accurately for your brothers (...) may God protect Palestine and its heroic people.' Then, three days after Hamas' devastating terror attack on Israel, Mr Al-Shamie appeared to question why other Arab nations weren't supporting the attacks against the Jewish state. In a social media post he wrote: 'Where is the so-called resistance with the Haifa rockets (...) May G-d's curse be upon the hypocrites and the traitors indulging in a disgusting and dirty sectarian agenda. 'The moment of truth is inevitably coming. 'You told me [about the] Haifa rockets. 'Our brothers in Palestine are publicly asking for help from anyone who still has part of honour or humanity left. 'But with Allah's permission they will be victorious oh you who sell your religion, your honour, and your humanity to the mullahs of Tehran (...) long live the brave men of Gaza #Palestine_is_Arab'. He also shared a picture of an elderly female hostage alongside the caption: 'Release the elderly and children. What you [Hamas] have done so far is a miracle by all standards. Do not harm them in a moment of anger. They have no place in war. But then - expressing his support for Hamas' plans - he wrote: 'May God grant you victory, support you, and guide you to the right path in a battle that history will record as the beginning of the liberation of Al-Aqsa, God willing.' Faraj Al-Shamie arrived in the UK from Syria in the 1990s. He settled in north Manchester which is home to a large Jewish population. Mr Al-Shamie, who qualified as a trauma surgeon in the UK, is believed to be working overseas currently. Were you on board this flight? Email: kelly.garino@dailym.com A Sun Country flight was forced to make an emergency landing after a passenger wearing no less than 15 face masks allegedly began screaming that the LGBTQ community was giving him cancer. The Newark, New Jersey-bound flight took off from Minneapolis-St. Paul at 7:13 am Friday and was due to land just before 9:45 am. But just over an hour later, the plane was forced to divert to Chicago OHare International Airport after an erratic traveler allegedly went on a midair rampage. The passenger began screaming, the plane is going down' and ranting about the LGTBQ community, according eyewitnesses. A Sun Country Airlines spokesperson told The Minnesota Star Tribune that the flight was suddenly ordered to ground as a precaution in response to a disruptive passenger. Passenger Seth Evans, a Minnesota native flying back to New York City, said he was seated just across the aisle from an unidentified man wearing a massive stack of medical masks, according to the outlet. According to Evans, the chaos erupted the instant the plane lifted its wheels off the runway. He recalled the man abruptly jumping out of his seat between rounds of Candy Crush, suddenly erupting into screams about being 'radiated' by the LGBTQ community. A Sun Country flight was forced to make an emergency landing after a passenger wearing no less than 15 face masks allegedly began screaming that the LGBTQ community was giving him cancer (stock photo) The Newark, New Jersey -bound flight took off from Minneapolis-St. Paul at 7:13 am Friday and had to divert to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport Evans said the unhinged passenger began ranting that he was being gang chased and cooked by the LGBTQ community, which in turn, had been causing him cancer. At one point, he said he even heard the passenger declaring, Trump is here. It wasnt until the passenger boldly stated, the plane is going down' that the flight was diverted to Chicago, packed with frustrated passengers, where it sat motionless on the runway. The deranged passenger was handcuffed and removed from the plane without incident by Chicago police. Passengers were ordered to stay in their seats as US Marshals and police questioned them about the incident. 'The flight landed without incident and the passenger in question was turned over to law enforcement and removed from the aircraft,' the statement added, according to Star Tribune. 'We appreciate our passengers patience during the interruption to their travels and the flight is continuing on to Newark this morning.' The FBI has since taken over the case and is now leading the investigation. The passenger began screaming, the plane is going down' and ranting about the LGTBQ community before it was forced to divert, according eyewitnesses Friday mornings incident is the latest in a long string of unruly passengers threatening flight safety and stranding travelers on sometimes hours-long - or even multi-day - journeys. Just last month, a growling drunk woman fought back against a police officer who tried to pull her off a Frontier airlines flight for allegedly threatening to blow the plane up. As America's fourth largest city is gripped by rumors of a serial killer, officials have now confirmed that the number of bodies found in Houston's bayous is greater than previously known. Fear of a mass murderer on the loose reached a fever pitch last week, after the remains of five people were pulled from the water in just five days. At the time, police revealed that 14 people had died in the different bodies of water around town this year. However, the real number is 22, the medical examiner confirmed to KPRC-TV. Various bayous scattered around the area are listed as the place of death for 22 people, the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences told the outlet. City officials addressed public fears earlier this week, assuring residents that the Houston Police Department has no evidence of a serial killer. Despite that, council member Letitia Plummer urged residents to be vigilant around the bodies of water. 'Residents need to remain cautious. Our young people need to understand that if you're walking around in the bayous past dusk, you're putting yourself in jeopardy.' Plummer pleaded. Remains were found in Buffalo Bayou on Saturday. It brings the total number of bodies discovered in the waterways around the city to 14 this year The city's 2,500 miles of bayous are often surrounded by trails or located near city parks and frequented by kayakers, runners or walkers. 'It is time to be very cautious and careful during this time,' Plummer added. The official cause of death has been determined in only six of the 22 cases. The rest of the deaths are either classified as undetermined or pending. Four people are confirmed drownings, with drugs or alcohol found in two of their bodies. Another died of sudden cardiac death related to hypertensive heart disease and hypothermia. A sixth person died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The vast majority of the victims have yet to be identified, Councilwoman Plummer said earlier this week. Jade McKissic, a University of Houston student, 20, went missing September 11, and her remains were found four days later in Brays Bayou. She is one of only two people pulled from the bayous this year who have been identified Your browser does not support iframes. Houston is nicknamed the Bayou City, for the many waterways where residents paddle, kayak around the metropolis. They are usually surrounded by trails used by joggers and cyclists The area is also vulnerable to flooding, with Buffalo Bayou seen after Hurricane Beryl last year 'This community wants answers, and we will deliver them,' Plummer said. 'We dont want assumptions. We dont want rumors. Families deserve the truth.' Jade 'Sage' McKissic, 20, is among the two victims whose identities are known. Last seen on September 11, the remains of the University of Houston student were recovered four days later in Brays Bayou. Leading up to her disappearance, McKissic had been at a local bar with friends, leaving on her own, the Houston Police Department explained. She also left her cell phone behind. However, she was spotted next door at a gas station buying a drink. Police were then able to track her walking towards Brays Bayou where she was last seen around 1am. Even though the cops say McKissic's cause of death has yet to be determined by the medical examiner's office, they have also ruled out murder. Investigators say her autopsy 'revealed no signs of trauma or foul play.' Recently-resigned Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner today attended a vigil for the Manchester terror attack victims. Ms Rayner dramatically left her post in the Government just weeks ago after breaking ministerial code by failing to pay tens of thousands of pounds in tax. Wearing a red coat, the former cabinet minister appeared glum as she huddled under an umbrella for the service, close to the synagogue in Middleton Road, Crumpsall. Ms Rayner was pictured hugging Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood who also attended the vigil. Her appearance comes amid rumours of a potential comeback for Keir Starmer's old number two. Earlier this week, the PM hinted at a possible return for Ms Rayner, hailing her a 'great story for social mobility' and saying she will be a 'major voice' in British politics for years to come. Sir Keir's comments followed those of Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who on Tuesday declared that Labour 'needs Angela Rayner back' for her work on the Employment Rights Bill. Angela Rayner hugs Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood as they attend a vigil to remember the victims of the Manchester Synagogue attack Wearing a red coat, the former cabinet minister Angela Rayner appeared glum as she sheltered under an umbrella for the service, close to the synagogue in Middleton Road, Crumpsall During her appearance in Manchester, Ms Rayner was spotted next to current deputy leadership candidate Lucy Powell (seen left) who was also in attendance at the vigil During her appearance in Manchester, Ms Rayner was spotted next to current deputy leadership candidate Lucy Powell, who was also in attendance at the vigil. The event also saw David Lammy being booed and heckled as he spoke at a vigil for the Manchester terror attack victims. Mr Lammy - who is currently stepping in as Deputy PM - stopped his address on several occasions as he faced persistent shouts from the crowd. The event was held following the killing of two people at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue on Thursday morning. As he was introduced, Mr Lammy, who is also the Justice Secretary, was booed and faced shouts of 'shame on you', 'go to Palestine, leave us alone'. Others in the crowd were heard saying: 'You've allowed it to grow on campuses', and 'you have blood on your hands'. Later on during Mr Lammy's speech, one person was heard to shout: 'Empty words, we want action.' The Deputy PM had told the vigil near the site of the synagogue attack that 'we must stand in grief, in solidarity and in defiance'. He said 'we must stand together' in 'grief for the innocent lives that were taken so cruelly - senseless murders carried out on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish year, grief that causes so much pain and so much suffering'. 'Today our hearts, our thoughts, our prayers must be with the families of those who were killed,' Mr Lammy added. 'And of course, with this community, this Jewish community, both here in Manchester and in Heaton Park synagogue.' David Lammy was booed today as he spoke at a vigil for the Manchester terror attack victims A woman shouts during a vigil organised by the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester Mr Lammy continued: 'Right across our nation, and as the MP for Tottenham, I know the suffering in Crumpsall is all the same as the pain, the worry and the frightened faces in my own constituency and in the area of Stamford Hill - one of the historic homes of the Jewish community in this country. 'In that sense, London and Manchester are twin communities grieving as one, and the whole nation is with them.' The Deputy PM told the crowd 'we stand in solidarity with the Jewish people, because an attack like this is never felt alone'. He added: 'Wherever you are in our country, Jewish people, our friends, our neighbours, our loved ones are terrified by the events of yesterday - of becoming targets, victims of antisemitic hate, simply for who they are. 'But I know this about Britain's Jewish community, a community I have known all of my life. 'You are strong, you are resilient, and you will never be cowed, and that's what I want you to know today - that our country, those of all colours, all faiths and none, stand with you.' In his own speech at the vigil, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said: 'We care about you, we love you, we value what you have given to Greater Manchester over the years. 'An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us. 'That is the permanent principle, the firm foundation on which this city region has been built, by you by us, by everyone here over centuries, that is who we are, and we will not let this break us in any way, shape, or form. 'I salute the strength of our Jewish community.' A man whose dinner lady wife won a 3million dream Cornish home in the Omaze lottery has been unmasked as a pervert. In April last year Rose Doyle, now 74, scooped a luxury home on the Cornish coast along with 100,000 in cash in return for a 25 stake. She and husband Tony, a gas engineer, were photographed kissing for the cameras as they toasted their win with champagne and spoke of their plans for retirement and spoiling their family. But a year later, Doyle was arrested by police and questioned over a series of attacks on young girls, as well as voyeurism and making indecent images of children. In August, while being held on remand, he pleaded guilty to 11 sexual offences. These were four sexual assaults against children aged under 13, two counts of sexual activity with a child, three counts of voyeurism, one of making indecent photographs of children and one of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. He was due to be sentenced for his crimes today, his 67th birthday, but to the fury of 13 family members who had attended court, the hearing was adjourned. They accused Doyle, who appeared on a video link from HMP Birmingham, of playing the system and deepening the agony for his victims. A man whose dinner lady wife won a 3 million dream Cornish home in the Omaze lottery has been unmasked as a pervert. In April last year Rose Doyle scooped a luxury home (pictured) on the Cornish coast along with 100,000 in cash in return for a 25 stake Doyle's barrister Carl TemplarVasey told Birmingham Crown Court that the usual barrister in the case was unavailable and he had only just met his client. He went on to call for the case to be adjourned due to discrepancies in the presentence report. He said, 'There are things said in the presentence report that do not accord with the pleas entered. 'For that reason I must ask for a short adjournment.' To the dismay of 13 family members who had attended court, Her Honour Judge Kerry Maylin agreed. Addressing Doyle, sitting behind a desk in an empty room, she said, 'There are things in the presentence report that give rise to concern for the pleas you have entered.' She added, 'Even if you were to apply to evict your pleas, there is no guarantee this will occur.' A new sentencing date was set for November 25 with the Defence given until November 14 to clarify their position. Judge Maylin added that Doyle would have to produced in person for the next hearing. 'If you fail to attend, or refuse to leave the prison then that constitutes a new offence for which you could be separately sentenced.' There was dismay from the members of his family who had gathered to hear him sentenced. Rose and Tony, who have been together for 47 years, had lived in the same threebedroom house in Birmingham for 44 years One said, 'This is him just playing with everyone's heads, thinking he can still pull the strings. It is disgusting given the age of his victims who just want to get over this day.' It is understood that Rose, who was not at the hearing, is in the process of divorcing Doyle, her husband for 47 years. One family member said, 'It will be finalised next month.' A family member said that his wife Rose was reeling from the revelations and filing for divorce from her husband of 47 years. Gran of four Rose said she'd worked two jobs to provide for her family and could now finally relax. 'When they confirmed the prize I was an emotional wreck!' she said. 'This win is life changing for us . 'It's fantastic for our family's future. They won't have to struggle as much as we had to.' The luxury property, which came mortgage free, has large windows offering stunning views over St Agnes But at a hearing before Birmingham Crown Court on Tuesday, Doyle admitted eleven sexual offences against three different victims spanning a 15year period from 2009. The counts included four sexual assaults against children aged under 13, two counts of sexual activity with a child, three counts of voyeurism, one of making indecent photographs of children and one of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. At an earlier hearing, prosecutor Fahad Gazge told magistrates that one victim had been sent round to the Doyle's house with cakes the family had made. 'On her return to her mother's house, she seemed quiet and withdrawn. She then broke down and said that Tony had kissed her with his tongue and grabbed her breasts, saying to her, 'You are very tempting'.' Doyle, who is being held on remand, will be sentenced on October 3 which, ironically, is also his 68th birthday. As the US military bolsters its presence in the Caribbean amid heightening tensions with Venezuela, there is mounting evidence that troops are preparing for a potential conflict within the country. Donald Trump has made no secret about his distaste for the current Venezuelan regime under dictator Nicolas Maduro where the infamous Cartel de los Soles and Tren de Aragua gangs are based. The president on Thursday informed Congress that the US is now engaged in a 'non-international armed conflict' against unnamed cartels that are killing thousands of Americans every year by importing narcotics such as fentanyl. The military, at Trump's instructions, has already carried out at least four strikes on what it claims were drug trafficking boats destined for America. Videos of boats sailing at high speeds just to get suddenly engulfed in violent explosions have been regularly posted to the president's social media. Trump appears set on reinstating the Monroe Doctrine, the political thought that the US should control the western hemisphere's area of influence, including in South America and the surrounding areas. The latest strike on a suspected drug-smuggling boat came on Friday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced. 'Earlier this morning, on President Trump's orders, I directed a lethal, kinetic strike on a narco-trafficking vessel affiliated with Designated Terrorist Organizations,' Hegseth posted on X. The US military is practicing operations in the Caribbean amid rising tensions with Venezuela An Air Force large-scale special operations exercise takes place near Chistiansted in St Croix, US Virgin Islands, in August 'Four male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel were killed in the strike, and no US forces were harmed in the operation. The strike was conducted in international waters just off the coast of Venezuela while the vessel was transporting substantial amounts of narcotics - headed to America to poison our people.' There's no independent verification that those killed were narco-terrorists beyond Hegseth's assertion. The secretary wrote that intelligence confirms that the individuals aboard were carrying illicit drugs and that the strikes will continue 'until the attacks on the American people are over!' Hegseth included video of the operation showing a boat out at sea getting obliterated by a US missile. Trump later celebrated the strike on Truth Social. 'A boat loaded with enough drugs to kill 25 to 50 thousand people was stopped, early this morning off the Coast of Venezuela, from entering American Territory,' he wrote. Neither the Pentagon nor the US Navy immediately responded to the Daily Mail's request for comment. It appears these strikes in international waters may just be the beginning. The US military is also mulling how to go about striking targets linked to drug trafficking in Venezuela directly, NBC News reported last week. Further, the large build-up of servicemen in the region, based out of Puerto Rico, has some wondering whether troops are practicing for potential operations to seize key locations within the country. The regional forces include numerous Navy vessels, ten advanced F-35, Harrier jets, a Navy submarine and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, which totals more than 2,200 soldiers, according to the Washington Examiner. Soldiers jump from a helicopter during a practice operation in the US Virgin Islands The regional forces have made no secret of that they are practicing land-based incursions as well. A recent practice operation in the US Virgin Islands had soldiers jump from helicopters into the sea and then rendezvous with other soldiers on the ground. 'Our airmen exercised their unique skill sets to parachute into contested territory, establish airfield operations, control aircraft, respond to search and rescue scenarios, manage notional medical evacuations and conduct reconnaissance and targeting operations on a very tight timeline,' an officer said of the practice operation, which occurred in late August. Trump notified Congress this week that the US is now engaged in a 'non-international armed conflict' against drug cartels that he deemed 'terrorist organizations' through an executive order earlier this year. In a confidential memo circulated among lawmakers on Capitol Hill, Trump shared his reasoning that the terrorists are 'unlawful combatants' whose actions 'constitute an armed attack against the United States.' The memo serves to provide the military with an iron-clad legal framework to carry out operations against drug traffickers headed to the US. 'The cartels involved have grown more armed, well-organized, and violent,' the memo states. 'They have the financial means, sophistication, and paramilitary capabilities needed to operate with impunity.' A controversial gay and transgender rights group for teenagers is to receive a boost in taxpayer funding despite once being led by a paedophile. LGBT Youth Scotland (LGBTYS) has been awarded nearly 500,000 for 2025/26 from the SNP Government - which continues to back the scandal-hit charity. Total funding from a variety of sources including government and the NHS was around 1.9million last year despite the organisations past links with one of the countrys worst paedophiles who was previously its chief executive. The Mail revealed last year that the BBC charity Children in Need had axed funding for LGBTYS amid a row over a coming-out guide co-authored by another convicted paedophile. Last night Scottish Tory equalities spokesman Tess White said: Taxpayers will be appalled that the SNP have handed another 500,000 to this discredited organisation while families are forced to tighten their belts. Its just common sense that SNP ministers should pull the plug on this funding, unless and until LGBTYS gets its act together - as charities like BBC Children in Need have done. The SNP Government said LGBTYS will receive funding of 488,915 for 2025/26 - up from 441,720 for 2024/25 - including 290,871 through the Equality and Human Rights Fund. Andrew Easton, who co-wrote a schools guide for LGBT Youth Scotland, was convicted last year of sharing indecent images of children Police Scotland has handed thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money to LGBT Youth Scotland for training courses and badges used to show solidarity with the gay and trans community Critics have said LGBTYS is mired in scandal and that the SNP Government should suspend public funding for it until it gets its act together The charitys accounts show overall funding was 1.89million in 2025, up from 1.87million in 2024, including cash from the government, councils, the NHS, and trusts and foundations. Earlier this year, it emerged Scotlands cash-strapped police force had handed thousands of pounds of taxpayers money to LGBTYS. It was given more than 3,500 for training courses and for 500 purple button badges to show solidarity with the gay and trans community. The badges mark Purple Friday, an annual fundraising day where people all over Scotland show their support for LGBTQ+ young people and fundraise for our [LGBTYSs] vital services. James Rennie, the former chief executive of LGBTYS, is serving life in prison for sexually assaulting a three-month-old after being convicted in 2009 along with seven others on sex abuse charges. He was an SNP Government adviser on child sex issues and had used computers at the LGBTYS offices in Leith to pursue his sordid double life. Andrew Easton, who co-wrote a schools guide for the youth charity, was convicted last year of sharing indecent images of children. He was never an employee or volunteer with LGBTYS but in 2009 he was a young person who attended its services. It was then that he helped to write the guide. Last year, Rosie Millard quit as chairman of Children in Need after protesting about grants given to the charity. The Scottish Tories have said LGBTYS is mired in scandal and that the SNP Government should suspend public funding from the organisation until it gets its act together. Schools which signed up to a scheme run by the charity, for a fee normally of at least 850, were ranked on how well they catered for LGBT pupils and received guides on how best to achieve this. Secondary pupils have been encouraged to sign LGBT rainbow flags, with children asked to celebrate the rainbow through the way they dress, and by decorating their schools - described by the Campaign for Real Education as brainwashing. In its annual report, LGBTYS condemned the vitriolic toxicity of the overblown debate in relation to young trans peoples lives which it said continues to escalate. Commenting on government funding, an LGBTYS spokesman said: We will not comment on the specifics of financial support, but what matters is clear: our vital work transforming the lives of young people is recognised and backed by the Scottish Government. Their support underlines the importance and impact of what we do. The charity said references to Rennie and Easton are repeatedly raised as part of a coordinated attempt to discredit the charitys reputation. The spokesman said: We want to state unequivocally that Andrew Easton has never worked for, volunteered with, or had any role in LGBT Youth Scotland. A Scottish Government spokesman said: We are committed to supporting LGBTQI+ young people, including through funding LGBT Youth Scotland. This is particularly important at a time when we are seeing a rise in attacks against the LGBTQI+ community. Dr Stuart Waiton, chairman of the Scottish Union for Education (SUE) and a sociologist at Abertay University in Dundee, said LGBTYS was spreading a highly dangerous and ideologically driven fantasy that has unfortunately been adopted by progressive-minded elites and institutions. He said: Future generations will look back and ask themselves: How on earth did we allow these ideologues into our schools? But he said they should look no further than desperately out of touch leaders, our virtue-signalling political class, and the educational establishment. A Libyan accused of building the bomb that blew up Pam Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie was in the safest place when he voluntarily admitted his involvement in the atrocity, prosecutors have said. Abu Agila Masud Kheir Al-Marimi claims he was forced into making a false confession after he was held captive in Libya by men who threatened his family. But U.S. prosecutors argue that there were no signs of coercion or torture and that the Libyan officer who interviewed him was unarmed. In court papers, they state that the 74-year-old, known as Masud, was housed in the same room as several other men and appeared to the officer to be in good health, and to have access to necessities and to news about the outside world through a television. This is contrary to claims by Masud, who is due to stand trial in Washinton DC in April over his role in the 1988 terror attack which killed 270 people, that he was kept in isolation. Abu Agila Masud Kheir Al-Marimi was extradited to the US in 2022 Masud is accused of building the bomb that blew up Pam Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie He also claims that while in custody he witnessed others being beaten and abused. Prosecutors, however, state: Based on the officers observations, the facility that the defendant was held at was one of the best available during the chaos of the post-revolution period, and it was the safest place for the defendant given the extent of street violence and anti-Gaddafi sentiment prevailing at the time. They add that the officer observed no signs of torture or coercion and that Masud was interviewed in a typical office-type room during which time he was afforded a lunch break andthe proper facilities to pray. The papers state: The defendant appeared in excellent health, he showed no difficulty understanding what was asked and he spoke with confidence. The officer asked the defendant whether he consented to be interviewed, and he freely gave his consent. Masuds defence team have filed a motion to suppress statements, saying the circumstances of his arrest, incommunicado detention and captivity in a system well known for human rights abuses renders his confession inadmissible. But prosecutors have urged the court not to accept this fictitious account. The bomb maker for the Libyan External Security Organisation was extradited to the US in 2022 after allegedly admitting to building the Lockerbie device. Another Libyan, Abdelbaset Al Megrahi, was convicted of planting the bomb by a Scottish court in 2001. Terminally-ill Megrahi was freed on compassionate grounds in 2009, three years before he died of cancer. Nicola Sturgeon has reignited her public spat with JK Rowling, accusing the author of being fixated with her. Their bad blood over the SNPs controversial gender-ID laws became personal when the Harry Potter writer wore a T-shirt branding the ex-First Minister a destroyer of womens rights. And theyve swapped further barbs since the former Nationalist leaders memoirs were published in August. Now Ms Sturgeon has aimed another swipe at her nemesis, claiming the Edinburgh-based author is obsessed with her and using inflammatory language. Asked on Irish radio station Newstalk whether she had felt hurt and targeted by Ms Rowlings T-shirt, she said: There are some people who just seem to fixate on me in this debate, and thats their right. I just sometimes wonder where they get the time or the energy. I certainly wouldnt have the time or the inclination to do it in reverse. I think everybodys got to be responsible and make their own decisions about how they engage in debates and, at the time, JK Rowling did what youre referring to. I was First Minister; of course I should have been under tough scrutiny, and I had - and had to have - a thick skin. JK Rowling wearing the t-shirt naming Sturgeon The former First Minister has been promoting her book claims the Harry Potter author is 'obsessed' with her But now Im not First Minister... Ill still speak out and have a voice. I always will do. My views should be scrutinised and challenged and all the rest of it, but I think we all just have a responsibility to try to keep debate civil, particularly in the climate we live in today where certain rhetoric, or ramping up rhetoric, can have consequences. Ms Sturgeons plea for temperate language is starkly at odds with comments she made in 2023 after the UK Government blocked the SNPs Gender Recognition Reform Bill because it cut across reserved equalities legislation. Back then, she said: There are people who have opposed this Bill that cloak themselves in womens rights to make it acceptable, but just as theyre transphobic youll also find that theyre deeply misogynist, often homophobic, possibly some of them racist as well. In her latest interview, Ms Sturgeon suggested most Scots supported her ill-fated gender reforms, which were struck down last April when the Supreme Court ruled that the definition of a woman is a matter of biological sex. She said: Trans people are less than half a per cent of the population. The threats to women come from abusive men. Genuinely abusive men must be laughing up their sleeve when they hear all of the debate focusing on this tiny, tiny minority. An even tinier minority of them will ever commit the kind of crimes were talking about - and when they do, should be dealt with. So I think most people absolutely just want to do the right thing and let people live the way they want to live. If theyre not harming anybody or bothering anybody, let them live with dignity and respect, and thats my view. In August, promoting her memoir, Frankly, Ms Sturgeon blamed Ms Rowlings T-shirt photo in 2022 for poisoning the gender debate and making her a target of verbal abuse. She said: Any hope of finding common ground disappeared. It seems blindingly obvious that a stunt like that was never going to elevate the debate or illuminate the issues at the heart of it. But Ms Rowling hit back on social media: When Sturgeon refers to an elevated debate, she means a discussion that takes place within a tiny, smug bubble from which regular women suffering real life consequences of her policies are firmly excluded. Nicola, you hated the T-shirt picture because you couldnt ignore it, as youd ignored so many other women trying to make you understand their concerns. Susan Smith, of campaign group For Women Scotland Appeals to your empathy, your intelligence and your compassion all failed. Apparently the only way to get through to you is through your vanity. Yesterday, Susan Smith, of campaign group For Women Scotland - which challenged the Scottish Governments gender reforms at the Supreme Court - said: Its ironic that most of the coverage Ms Sturgeon gets for her book is when she harps on about the time - three years ago - when JK Rowling wore a T-shirt. Having encouraged some of the worst people in Scotland to abuse feminist campaigners - including members of her own party - she has a nerve to pretend to that womens rights campaigners are the ones giving succour to violent men. Her own inflammatory language contributed to the toxicity ordinary women, without her level of protection, were exposed to. And she is deluded if she thinks most Scots support the idea of men in womens spaces. Armed police involved in the fatal shooting of Manchester synagogue terrorist Jihad Al-Shamie may face criminal charges. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) admitted one of the victims of Thursday's attack died after apparently being injured by a police gunshot. His family tonight described him as a hero. Another person was also injured as police sought to contain the terror threat. It is believed both victims were standing behind a door at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall when they were hit. Al-Shamie, 35, was shot dead at the scene wearing what appeared to be a suicide vest. The device was later discovered not to be viable. But police do not believe Al-Shamie was armed, meaning the two gunshot injuries were likely from police firearms. In a statement, Emily Barry, director of engagement at the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), said the watchdog would now investigate. She said: 'Our thoughts remain with the victims and their families, as well as all those affected by yesterday's horrific events. Forensic teams work at the scene of a stabbing incident that took place on Thursday, at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue 'As is standard when there has been a fatal police shooting, we are carrying out an independent investigation to establish the facts of what happened, and our findings will be shared with the coroner in due course. 'IOPC investigators attended the police post-incident procedures and were at the scene last night gathering evidence. We will be present at the post-mortems today to provide independent oversight. 'It is important in these circumstances that the police are able to continue their vital work, and there are established protocols we follow to ensure our role does not hinder their ability to conduct enquiries as part of their own investigations. 'We will share further information when we are in a position to do so.' Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, died after Al-Shamie drove into a group of people before stabbing a man. The terrorist was shot dead by police seven minutes after officers were alerted to the attack, which took place on Yom Kippur, Judaism's holiest day. Terrorist Jihad Al-Shamie was shot dead by armed police for Thursday's atrocities In a tribute Mr Daulby's family described him as 'a hero' who 'tragically lost his life in the act of courage to save others' They said: 'Adrian was one of the brave worshippers attending the synagogue at the time of incident and prevented the attacker from gaining access to the premises. 'It is currently believed that Adrian's injury may sadly have been sustained as a tragic and unforeseen consequence of the urgently required action taken by our officers to bring a vicious attack to an end.' Yoni Finlay, who is being treated for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound, was holding the doors of the synagogue closed to stop the attacker entering when he was injured during gunfire by police, the BBC reported. Arnold Saunders, a rabbi and Conservative councillor, said Mr Finlay was now 'stable' in hospital and 'out of the woods'. Mr Saunders said: 'It's very tragic that one of our community has lost his life as a result of being shot by the police, but I'm not going to lay blame. 'It was obviously a very difficult and dynamic situation. 'I was good friends with Melvin Cravitz, it's devastating that he's been killed like in such a horrific manner.' And he told the Daily Mail that a stronger police presence may be required on Jewish holy days in future. GMP Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson said that one of the dead appeared to have suffered a wound consistent with a gunshot injury. He said: 'It is currently believed that the suspect, Jihad Al-Shamie, was not in possession of a firearm and the only shots fired were from GMP's Authorised Firearms Officers as they worked to prevent the offender from entering the synagogue and causing further harm to our Jewish community. The police investigation continues at the scene 'It follows therefore, that subject to further forensic examination, this injury may sadly have been sustained as a tragic and unforeseen consequence of the urgently required action taken by my officers to bring this vicious attack to an end. 'We have also been advised by medical professionals that one of the three victims currently receiving treatment in hospital, has also suffered a gunshot wound, which is mercifully not life-threatening. 'It is believed that both victims were close together behind the synagogue door, as worshippers acted bravely to prevent the attacker from gaining entry.' The watchdog only investigates the most serious police complaints. It can gather evidence to support its investigation and look into any potential wrongdoing. The probe is currently in the early stages with investigators focusing on establishing the facts of what happened. If there is evidence to suggest any wrongdoing by the officers at the scene the inquiry may develop into a full conduct investigation, which could result in criminal or gross misconduct charges. The IOPC investigation again raises the prospect of specially trained police facing potential criminal sanctions for discharging their firearms during the course of their duties. Two years ago, around 300 firearms officers stood back from their duties after a colleague was charged with the murder of Chris Kaba. Mr Kaba, 24, was fatally shot in the head by Met Police sergeant Martyn Blake shot after he drove towards officers in an attempt to smash through a roadblock in Streatham, south London, in September 2022. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and wife Victoria visited the scene on Friday morning Officers had been tailing Mr Kaba, a 'core member' of one of the capital's most dangerous gangs, after linking his Audi to a gangland shooting the previous evening. Mr Blake later said how he feared his colleagues would be run over as the thug used his car as a 'battering ram' to try and force his way between a police car and a Tesla parked nearby. Mr Blake was later acquitted in court. It prompted a welter of political support for Mr Blake, including from former Home Office minister Robert Jenrick , who described the police marksman as 'a hero who found himself fearing for his life and the life of his colleagues'. Mr Jenrick added: 'His prosecution was wrong and endangered the public. The ordeal he has gone through, unthinkable. 'We must back our brave police officers, and not drag them through the courts for making split-second decisions.' Mike Peake, chairman of Greater Manchester Police Federation, this week praised the officers who responded to Thursday's atrocities, adding: 'The bravery of our colleagues involved in this incident - running towards extreme danger and dealing with an extreme threat - is to be commended.' A 'hero' father who barricaded the synagogue doors during yesterday's terror attack 'stopped loads of deaths' before police accidentally shot him, according to his son. Yoni Finlay was one of the worshippers at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall, Greater Manchester, when it was laid seige by Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, on Thursday. His brave actions stopped the knifeman from getting inside the building, his son Uriel, 15, told ITV Granada Reports. Al-Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent, was shot dead by armed officers minutes after his murderous stabbing spree on Yom Kippur - the holiest day in the Jewish year. Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, died in the attack while another four worshippers were injured - including Mr Finlay. Uriel was still asleep when the attack unfolded but realised as soon as he heard that his father would have been at a service as he liked to attend earlier in the day. He said: 'I ran out the house, I didn't think about anything else and it was complete chaos, there were loads of ambulances, armed police going inside the shul every five minutes.' Unable to spot his father among the victims, he spoke to the temple's Rabbi who informed him of Yoni's bravery. Yoni Finlay (right) saved lives by helping to barricade the door of Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue during Thursday's terrorist attack, his son Uriel (now 15) said The religious leadder also told Uriel that his dad had been accidentally shot by armed police while barricading the synagogue door with other worshippers. In the process of shooting the terrorist, a police marksman's bullet passed through the door and hit Mr Finlay in the chest. Mr Finlay, a passionate Manchester United fan who lives near the synagogue, was taken to hospital following the attack, where he underwent surgery. He remains 'very weak, very drowsy' and is unable to converse normally, his son said. Yoni remained on the barricade throughout the entire ordeal, preventing the death toll from being far higher. 'I spoke to a couple of people that had been in the shul and they told me that he just wasn't going to let him in,' Uriel said, reflecting on his father's actions. 'He's a hero, he stopped loads of deaths from happening, and I hope he knows that.' This morning Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson admitted that one of the men who died and another who was injured suffered gunshot wounds from armed police during the incident. He confirmed that the suspect, Jihad Al-Shamie, was not in posession of a firearm and that the only firearms discharged were Greater Manchester Police's 'Authorised Firearms Officers'. Chief Constable Watson said: 'Following the terrorist incident yesterday at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation, Middleton Road, Crumpsall; further and urgent enquiries continue. 'Overnight, we have taken advice from the Home Office Pathologist ahead of full post-mortem examinations scheduled for later today. 'The Home Office Pathologist has advised that he has provisionally determined, that one of the deceased victims would appear to have suffered a wound consistent with a gunshot injury. "It is currently believed that the suspect, Jihad Al-Shamie, was not in possession of a firearm and the only shots fired were from GMP's Authorised Firearms Officers as they worked to prevent the offender from entering the synagogue and causing further harm to our Jewish community. 'It follows therefore, that subject to further forensic examination, this injury may sadly have been sustained as a tragic and unforeseen consequence of the urgently required action taken by my officers to bring this vicious attack to an end. 'We have also been advised by medical professionals that one of the three victims currently receiving treatment in hospital, has also suffered a gunshot wound, which is mercifully not life threatening. 'It is believed that both victims were close together behind the synagogue door, as worshippers acted bravely to prevent the attacker from gaining entry. ''Our thoughts and prayers remain with all of the families, and the wider community, impacted by this incident across Greater Manchester and beyond. 'Specialist officers are providing support and care for all of those directly affected, including our brave first responders.' Adrian Daulby, 53, was shot by a police bullet at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall yesterday morning. Melvin Cravitz, 66, (left) and Adrian Daulby, 53 (right) both died during Thursday's terror attack He was among those bravely attempting to keep the doors of the worship centre closed during ruthless Jihad Al-Shamie's deadly rampage on Thursday. Brian Bell, the synagogue's chief executive, claimed Mr Daulby was one of those shot, having put his life on the line to courageously protect the terrified worshippers trapped inside. 'He was an unassuming member of the synagogue who actually rose to the terrible danger, because he ran to close all the doors, back and front,' Mr Bell said. He added it was while the 'gentle' 53-year-old was holding one of the doors closed that he was shot during the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. A written tribute from his family said: 'Adrian Daulby was a hero and tragically lost his life in the act of courage to save others, he was a beloved brother, loving uncle to his four nieces and one nephew and a cherished cousin. 'The family is shocked by the tragic, sudden death of such a lovely down to earth man. 'His final act was one of profound courage and he will forever be remembered for his heroic act on Thursday 2 October 2025.' The son of a self-styled gypsy king accused of bullying neighbours including a former British Airways pilot after setting up home outside a leafy village has lost a planning battle to stay. Frank Tomney and his family were seeking retrospective planning permission to retain their static caravans on land next to a woodland nature reserve but must now move on. The travellers pitched up around six years ago and, in 2020, received a three-year temporary planning permission but remained after it expired in 2023. Since then, neighbours including David McCorquordale, a former British Airways and Army Air Corps Captain and distant relative of Princess Diana and Dame Barbara Cartland have accused the family of making their lives hell. Mr McCorquodale, 65, said the site, on the edge of Charlwood, Surrey, had caused him and his family intolerable stress. His wife, Jessica, 35, told a meeting of Mole Valley Councils planning committee that they had endured a nightmare that no one should have to face in their own home, alleging the sites occupants had been involved in unlawful activity. Planning officials had recommended councillors approve the application. They reasoned that while the site was built on greenbelt land, the harm was outweighed by the very special circumstances of the family. But Mrs McCorquodale, who lives in a 2m home next to the gypsy site with her husband and their son, 7, urged councillors to reject permanent planning permission. Frank Tomney poses with Bentley which appears to display personalised numberplate Tomney jr and his family have been living at the site next to the McCorquordales since 2020 She told them: This application shouldnt just be about planning but whether you reward blatant disregard for the law at the expense of community safety and well-being. Theyve stolen water from our field supply for years, running up thousands in bills were still fighting. When we disconnected it, they used an excavator to smash the water main, forcing an emergency repair. Mrs McCorquordale told the meeting how the couples son witnessed her husband being assaulted when he went to challenge travellers using an angle grinder to cut down a fence post on their drive, which is also used by the gypsies under an access agreement. She recalled: On September 1, CCTV captured seven men one in a balaclava with an angle grinder cutting our (fence) post in broad daylight. My son screamed like Ive never heard before as he watched his father being assaulted on live CCTV at home. She said her family had traced an illegal electricity cable from the Traveller site to Gatwicks Northern aviation lighting mast, connected to UK Power Networks mains supply, adding: This has endangered us all and poses aviation safety risks. This all follows years of intimidation: threats, trespassing, and disruption thats shattered our peace. The toll on my family is devastating. My seven-year-old son has known nothing but his mothers constant stress, sleepless nights, anxiety, fearing for our safety. Our home is no longer a sanctuary. David McCorquordale, former British Airways pilot, claims his life has been made 'hell' Neither Tomney who installed a hot tub at the site and built a porticoed entrance to one of the static caravans - nor his family appeared at the meeting. Simon McKay, director of planning consultancy SJM Planning, spoke on their behalf and said the traveller family had worked with councillors to ensure the plan addressed concerns about impact on the neighbouring Glovers Wood. But the application was rejected by councillors. Councillor Simon Budd, who proposed the motion to deny the application, said: Its farmland and it should go back to being farmland, please. He added that for the traveller family, it was perhaps time to travel. After the meeting on Wednesday, Mr McCorquodale third cousin of the late Princess Dianas brother-in-law, said: I am delighted that the council has seen fit to refuse this application which has been a relentless period of time of intolerable stress. Overall, whilst this is a long haul, I am absolutely delighted that on this occasion the correct answer was found. He added that he would relish any appeal the applicant may seek, as it would give him the opportunity to hand over evidence that he said he was denied the chance to present at the planning committee, adding: I look forward to the opportunity even though its going to be painful to have to go through. Frank Tomney's father was buried in a supposed 'solid gold' coffin at a South London cemetery Frank Tomney sr, self-styled 'Gypsy King', was jailed for ripping off pensioners Tomney, whose gypsy king father Frank Tomney sr, also known as Frank Thompson, 69, died in July and was buried in south London in a supposed solid gold coffin, was unavailable for comment. The traveller patriarchs extravagant send-off included his supposed solid gold coffin being taken on a six day farewell tour by Rolls Royce before being laid to rest at a London cemetery. In 2011 Tomney SR and others were jailed for one of Britains biggest cowboy building scams, making 1.3m by tricking dozens of pensioners. Tomney SR was imprisoned for five-and-a-half years. Britain has become wearily familiar with activists who block roads, deface artworks and generally make life challenging for police trying to maintain order. Protesters from Just Stop Oil, Insulate Britain and Extinction Rebellion have been causing disruption and vandalism for years. But in recent months, a new group has come to the fore Defend Our Juries. It was started to highlight a perceived threat to Britains long-cherished jury system. However it seems to have morphed itself into the legal wing of the activists army. Whether it is climate campaigners being hauled away by police or Palestinian activists being arrested for supporting a terrorist organisation, there is increasingly someone sporting a Defend Our Juries badge to be found nearby, protesting they are being made political prisoners. For Defend Our Juries led by, among others, an Oxford classics graduate has become a legal pressure group seemingly willing to lend its crusade to almost any left-wing cause. Oxford graduate Tim Crosland, a former government lawyer, is one of the leaders of Defend Our Juries - seen here addressing Just Stop Oil activists outside the High Court in April Police officers arrest a protester during a mass demonstration in Parliament Square against the ban on Palestine Action in London in September Climate campaigner Trudi Warner, a retired social worker, was the inspiration for Defend Our Juries - which has spawned into a campaign group supporting Palestine Action And tomorrow marks its biggest act of rebellion yet as it throws down the gauntlet to police in London by organising a day of mass action in defiance of widespread requests to cancel. The Met has written to the group asking it to cancel the planned march in the capital this weekend following the terror attack at a synagogue in Manchester on Thursday. A letter from the force raised fears about the amount of police resources the protest would divert at a time when 'visible reassurance and protective security' is needed in communities across London. But the organisation wrote online: 'The Metropolitan Police wrote to us to ask that we postpone Saturday's mass protest in Trafalgar Square, citing 'significant pressure on policing'. 'Our response in short: Don't arrest us then.' Defend Our Juries was formed in 2020 by a movement of people including Tim Crosland, a poacher turned gamekeeper. Vegetarian Mr Crosland has gone from being a government barrister holding senior positions at the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and National Crime Agency (NCA), to being a radical activist using street protest to challenge the will of the state. Mr Crosland, 55, was born in Hammersmith, West London, and was one year ahead of George Osborne, the future Chancellor, at private school St Pauls, before going on to study classical literature and philosophy at Pembroke College, Oxford. He quit his legal career - after deciding you do not make substantial change from the inside in dramatic fashion by committing contempt of court in 2021 over a protest against Heathrows third runway, and being fined 5,000 and disbarred as a barrister. The inspiration for Defend Our Juries (DOJ) is said to be climate campaigner Trudi Warner, a 68-year-old retired social worker arrested for alleged contempt of court for holding a placard outside a crown court urging jurors to acquit a defendant according to your conscience. DOJ began organising protests outside courts where other climate activists were on trial, and quickly picked up support from various luvvies, including Chris Packham, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Juliet Stevenson. Presenter and naturalist Chris Packham outside the court where Extinction Rebellion co-founder Roger Hallam and four other climate protesters were given jail sentences in July 2024 Hundreds of people in a mass demonstration in Parliament Square in September holding signs supporting banned Palestine Action in an act of defiance orchestrated by DOJ Extinction Rebellion founder Roger Hallam looking cheerful in Parliament Square on a Just Stop Oil day of action in October 2022. Mr Hallam was later jailed Police officers arresting a protester during a mass demonstration in Parliament Square against the ban on Palestine Action in London on September 6 Success for the group came when juries acquitted several climate protesters. Yet in an almost comical misnomer, DOJ did not like it when Just Stop Oil veteran campaign Roger Hallam and four others were convicted and sentenced to years behind bars with the group set up to defend juries now openly attacking jurors verdicts by complaining to the Attorney General that Hallam and his co-conspirators were political prisoners. However it is its support for Palestine Action with which DOJ signed a statement of solidarity in November last year, before it became a banned terrorist organisation that has given it such prominence. DOJ has engineered mass arrests by encouraging its growing army of supporters to openly break the law with placards supporting the proscribed terror group. Organisers now plot to gather on such a vast scale as to overwhelm the police and render the law unenforceable despite costing millions to the public purse in extra policing. No matter what happens tomorrow, DOJ will only grow in notoriety. In August, when Mr Crosland himself was being handcuffed and hauled into the back of a police van for supporting Palestine Action, he was filmed by a fellow campaigner with the footage of him grinning going viral. A petition aligned with the Mails campaign to protect Northern Ireland veterans has broken through the 200,000 signatures barrier. As of yesterday evening, 205,690 people had made public their support for soldiers facing possible criminal charges from the Troubles era. These include SAS soldiers who took on the Irish Republican Army who find themselves in legal jeopardy after Labour repealed the Legacy Act. Last month, the government unveiled new plans for a cross-border agreement with the Irish Republic regarding inquests and criminal inquiries into unsolved deaths. The new policies leave Veterans vulnerable to continued legal persecution due to the application of human rights law. The Mails Stop the SAS Betrayal campaign has highlighted the trauma caused to Veterans by re-examinations of incidents involving IRA terrorists. Around 150 serving and retired SAS troops are also facing scrutiny as part of the Independent Inquiry Relating to Afghanistan. The Mail revealed last month how lawyers representing SAS troops have applied for a Judicial Review to challenge what they regard as unlawful rulings by the judge. Last night, Shadow Defence Minister Mark Francois said: I would like to commend the Mail and their readers for their staunch campaigning on this issue. SAS troops are fighting back against 'lawfare' campaigns run by opponents of their roles in Northern Ireland and Afghanistan. Shadow Defence Minister is backing more protections for veterans. We cannot allow this two tier justice one rule for Northern Ireland veterans and another for the likes of Gerry Adams to go ahead and this shows how strongly the British public agrees. Following the repeal of the Legacy Act soldiers in their 60s and 70s face fresh inquiries. The legislation was pushed through parliament by former Army officer Johnny Mercer. For the first time, Veterans were provided with protections against politically-motivated prosecutions. Cases which could be examined include a daring SAS mission to prevent IRA troops targeting the Loughgall police station in 1987. Eight terrorists were killed by the brave troops who stopped a digger truck with explosives in its bucket. Afterwards, republican groups complained the terrorists had not been given sufficient opportunity to surrender. Under the governments new proposals, Veterans will no longer be required to travel to Northern Ireland for inquests if they are witnesses. They can also give evidence remotely. However, this will not apply if they are charged with a criminal offence. Former soldiers will also be able to apply for anonymity, though it will not necessarily be granted, and they will no longer be served with court orders on their doorsteps. Instead, the Ministry of Defence, regimental associations and welfare groups will be involved in the process. Soldiers health and wellbeing will also be taken into consideration. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was denied accessing the bathroom of a public building while arresting illegal immigrants. Noem and a group of DHS and Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) agents were in the Chicago area on Friday conducting migrant operations. The secretary and her crew were filmed conducting arrests in a Walmart parking lot when leftist protestors attempted to intervene, video posted by conservative commentator Benny Johnson shows. Johnson was seen in a green bullet proof vest that read 'Border Patrol' and 'Federal Agent' despite not being a government official. After the migrants, and some protestors, were arrested, Noem and her crew attempted to enter the Chicago suburb Broadview Municipal Building. Unfortunately for the 53-year-old secretary and her officers, who needed to use the public building's restrooms, employees barred the doors and denied her entry. 'Can we use your restrooms,' one official asks a man holding the doors closed at the city hall building. 'No you cannot,' he shoots back at the secretary and her posse. The guard then asks them to not crowd the door, effectively telling them to leave. Noem and her crew attempted to enter the Chicago suburb Broadview Municipal Building Police clash with demonstrators during a protest outside an immigrant processing and detention center on October 03, 2025 in Broadview, Illinois 'We can't?' Noem says, stunned by the man's refusal. 'Ok, alright. Thank you. Interesting,' she says plainly before turning away and leaving. 'We were coming to go out and do some operations to pick up some guys with criminal convictions on them and the city police wouldn't even let us use the restroom,' she told Johnson. Later she took to social media to further explain the situation. 'My team and I were just blocked from accessing the Village of Broadview Municipal Building in Illinois. We were stopping for a quick bathroom break. This is a public building. The Village of Broadview receives at least $1 million in federal funding every year.' She used the encounter to slam Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. The governor similarly took to social media to scorch return fire at the secretary. 'Federal agents reporting to Secretary Noem have spent weeks snatching up families, scaring law-abiding residents, violating due process rights, and even detaining U.S. citizens,' Pritzker posted on X Friday morning. 'They fail to focus on violent criminals and instead create panic in our communities.' 'Secretary Noem should no longer be able to step foot inside the State of Illinois without any form of public accountability,' he continued. 'Illinois is not a photo opportunity or warzone, it's a sovereign state where our people deserve rights, respect, and answers.' At least five protestors were arrested at an ICE facility in the Chicago area on Friday Agents were seen on top of the federal facility monitoring the demonstrations below During the stint, at least five people were arrested for resisting arrest, obstruction and aggravated battery of a police officer, according to local reports. Noem and Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino were in the area to monitor clashes that occurred outside of the ICE office in Broadview. Protestors at the stand-off were demanding transparency about possible safety infractions and unlawful detentions at the federal facility. It is unclear how many illegal migrants were arrested in the operation. The Treasury Department is planning a dollar coin featuring Donald Trump to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States, it emerged today. The tails side of the coin features Trump holding his fist in front of an American flag with the words, 'Fight, fight, fight', in reference to his famous words after being shot in Butler, Pennsylvania. The image of Trump standing with blood dripping from his face in front of the Stars and Stripes was seared into the imaginations of American voters during the election campaign and is doubtless one of the most iconic political images in history. The heads side shows Trump in profile with the historic dates: '1776 - 2025'. There is precedent for a sitting president to be featured on a coin at such an anniversary. Calvin Coolidge appeared on the 1926 sesquicentennial half dollar, marking the 150th anniversary of American independence. No other sitting has ever been depicted on a US coin. Indeed, federal law prohibits living persons from appearing on circulating money, requiring at least two years after the death of presidents. The most recent president to appear on a coin is George HW Bush who was commemorated on the 2020 Presidential dollar, a collector's edition released after the Republican's death in 2018. 'Despite the radical left's forced shutdown of our government, the facts are clear: Under the historic leadership of President Donald J. Trump, our nation is entering its 250th anniversary stronger, more prosperous, and better than ever before,' a Treasury Department spokesman said. The tails side of the coin features Trump holding his fist in front of an American flag with the words, 'Fight, fight, fight', around the circumference, in reference to his famous words after being shot in Butler, Pennsylvania The heads side shows Trump in profile with the historic dates: '1776 - 2025' The image of Trump standing with blood dripping from his face in front of the Stars and Stripes was seared into the imaginations of American voters during the election campaign and is doubtless one of the most iconic political images in history 'While a final $1 dollar coin design has not yet been selected to commemorate the United States' semiquincentennial, this first draft reflects well the enduring spirit of our country and democracy, even in the face of immense obstacles.' Congress in 2020 passed a bipartisan bill that authorizes the Treasury Secretary to issue $1 dollar coins in 2026 to celebrate America's 250th anniversary. Treasurer Brandon Beach, who supervises the US mint, posted on X: 'Looking forward to sharing more soon, once the obstructionist shutdown of the United States government is over.' Sean 'Diddy' Combs bears a disturbing resemblance to Edvard Munch's famed 'The Scream' painting in a court sketch that lays bare his growing distress. The disgraced rap mogul, 55, clutched the sides of his face at Manhattan Federal Court on Tuesday as his children begged for him to receive a short sentence for prostitution offenses. Diddy's attorneys had requested he be sentenced to just 14 months with time served - meaning he would be freed by the end of the year. Prosecutors have asked for 11 years, but Judge Arun Subramanian has hinted the final sentence could be even longer. He has discretion to jail the rapper for up to 20 years. Friday's sentencing has been filled with gaffes and mistakes for the rapper. Prosecutors told the judge Diddy had arrogantly arranged speaking arrangements for Monday in Miami, suggesting he didn't believe he was going to spend any more time behind bars at all. They said the move was the 'height of hubris' as it presumed he would be set free, and warned the judge it showed 'the opposite of demonstrating respect for the law.' His attorney then broke down in tears when his defense tried to argue for a light sentence, and lawyer Nicole Westmoreland said he deserved leniency because he was awarded Menswear Designer of the Year by the American Fashion Council in 2004. 'It wasn't just about an award, it was about breaking barriers,' she said, as courtroom reporters said she appeared to start crying. Newly released courtroom sketches showed an anguished Sean 'Diddy' Combs mirroring the iconic 'The Scream' painting as his sentencing hearing went poorly The disgraced rap mogul, 55, held his head in his hands and contorted his face in a double of the famous Edvard Munch painting (pictured) After Diddy's attorneys finished their arguments, his six adult children took the stand to plead with the judge to show mercy. The testimony grew emotional as the children, Diddy and his attorneys wept. D'Lila Combs, 18, told of how she and her siblings are 'scared of the thought of not having our dad and our mom present in our lives'. She shared how they are scared for their sister Love, who is only a toddler, growing up without a father. 'We are scared for our two-year-old sister who runs to us every night asking us where daddy is and how much she missed him,' she told the court. 'We cannot watch our baby sister grow up fatherless the way way we had to grow up motherless. These are the years she will never get back. These are the memories she will never have.' The rapper was also moved to tears when his defense played an 11-minute video about his life, which documented the death of his partner Kim Porter, the mother of four of his children. Diddy, who has been in custody at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center since September 2024, was seen bent over in the courtroom, moving forward and shaking his head, his hands covering his face. Diddy also wept during the hearing as his attorneys played an 11-minute video about his life, which documented the death of his partner Kim Porter, the mother of four of his children Diddy's attorney cited his 2004 award for menswear designer of the year from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (pictured) as a reason he should be freed Judge Subramanian's decision during the hearing that he'll still consider evidence from the crimes Diddy was cleared off when deciding how long to imprison him for saw the anxious-looking rapper bow his head, with one of Diddy's lawyers also visibly perturbed by the news. Diddy has been held in custody in Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center since September 2024, with a 14 month sentence that his attorneys are fighting for meaning he'd be a free man by 2026. Diddy was convicted of two federal prostitution offenses but cleared of far more serious racketeering charges. That means any unexpected additions to his final sentence could be lengthy ones. Hours before the sentencing, Diddy's attorneys released a bizarre promo video presenting himself as a saintly do-gooder on the morning of his sentencing. Hours before the sentencing, Diddy's attorneys released a bizarre promo video presenting himself as a saintly do-gooder on the morning of his sentencing The 11-minute clip showed the 55-year-old with his children during their childhoods and portraying him as a loving father, seen playing with his young daughters in archival footage interspersed with Diddy meeting fans and recording music. The clip appears to have been released in hopes of softening Diddy's image ahead of his sentencing on Friday morning, showing him growing up from the streets of New York to celebrating lifetime achievement awards and living a life of luxury. Much of the promotional documentary also focuses on Diddy's charter school in Harlem, where he is seen speaking with young students alongside montages of them dancing and learning in class. Diddy faces a maximum of 20 years behind bars for transportation to engage in prostitution of his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura and another unnamed woman. President Donald Trump hasn't appeared in public since Tuesday, igniting fresh speculation from liberals that something is awry. 'Once again, we bury the lede even after [Karoline] confirms the essence of it: The camera-obsessed narcissist president is... where?' asked former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann on X on Friday. 'How long has Trump BEEN missing?' Trump last appeared in front of the press on Tuesday, ahead of this week's government shutdown that started at midnight. On Wednesday, Thursday and now Friday, Trump held no public events. On Thursday evening, the conservative One America News broadcast a sit-down interview with the president that had been pre-taped the day before. Also on Thursday, the president took his motorcade to the Naval Observatory to have dinner with Vice President JD Vance at the vice president's residence. Reporters didn't get a chance to peak into the dinner. On Friday, Trump was briefly captured seated at the Resolute Desk by longtime aide Margo Martin, as she shared a video of Vance performing the swearing-in of the U.S.'s ambassador to Sweden, Christine Toretti. President Donald Trump (right) was seen in video footage Friday posted by longtime aide Margo Martin at the conclusion of a swearing-in ceremony for U.S.'s ambassador to Sweden, Christine Toretti (center). He's held no public events since Tuesday Former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann stoked speculation that something was awry with President Donald Trump, who hasn't been in front of the press during all three days of the government shutdown Toretti's swearing-in stayed closed to press, after she was twice rejected by the Senate during Trump's first term after being nominated to be the U.S. ambassador to Malta. Later Friday afternoon, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt shared a photo of Trump taping a video in the Oval Office relaying the latest news on Gaza. Reporters were not invited into the Oval for the taping. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries has been calling out Trump for being MIA. 'Throughout this week, Donald Trump has been missing in action. He remains in the presidential witness protection program,' the New York Democrat said Friday at a press conference on Capitol Hill. During her Friday afternoon briefing, press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked to respond to Jeffries' dig. 'That's just more ridiculous fodder from Team Jeffries,' she replied. 'As you all know, because you're here every day, the president is literally working around the clock right now,' she continued. 'He has a swearing-in ceremony, or he already did. He has several meetings on the books today. He literally works 24/7. Anyone who works in this place or covers this place, as you all do, knows that to be true.' 'And Hakeem Jeffries and the Senate Democrats should get back to work in a few minutes and vote to reopen the government,' she scoffed. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries criticized President Donald Trump for being MIA amid the government shutdown, saying at a press conference Friday that 'he remains in the presidential witness protection program' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked about comments made by Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries who has pushed that President Donald Trump is in the 'witness protection program,' since he hasn't been seen since the start of the shutdown Leavitt was also asked if Trump was personally making calls to Democratic senators - as five more need to be peeled off to end the shutdown. 'The Senate Republicans are speaking directly with moderate Democrats,' she answered. 'I understand those conversations have become very serious and we hope positive in the right direction so that Democrats can do the right thing,' she added. White House spokesperson Kush Desai pointed out to the Daily Mail that Trump 'did multiple press conferences and in the last two days did an hour long sit-down interview and secured a historic peace agreement in the Middle East, which is something neither Joe Biden nor any other Democrat could ever dream of accomplishing.' Specifically addressing the claims that Trump has been 'missing' he answered: 'Whats missing is the Democrats' concern for everyday Americans who are reeling from the Democrats' government shutdown.' 'Democrats should do some soul searching about why they care more about free health care for illegal aliens than American citizens,' he added. In late August, Trump went several days before the Labor Day holiday without holding public events, sparking false rumors online that he had died. The 79-year-old president has made several cracks about it since. 'I want to thank the media. They've been very nice lately. Although - I'm still here,' the president said during a September dinner with tech leaders. During his sit-down with OAN this week, he was asked if he had big plans ahead of the 2026 midterm races. 'I have big plans, I want to survive,' the president said laughing. A man who heckled David Lammy at a vigil on Friday afternoon to commemorate the two Jewish men murdered in the Manchester Yom Kippur terror attack has accused Labour of enabling terrorism. Father-of-three Tony Levene, 50, told the Daily Mail: 'The Labour Government has been an enabler of terrorism. 'They have blood on their hands.' The sales manager's remarks come as the Deputy Prime Minister had his address interrupted as he faced persistent shouts from the crowd of hundreds gathered on Middleton Road in Crumpsall. As he was introduced at the vigil on Friday morning, Mr Lammy - who is also the Justice Secretary - was booed and faced shouts of 'shame on you', 'go to Palestine, leave us alone'. Others in the crowd were heard saying: 'You've allowed it to grow on campuses', and 'you have blood on your hands'. Mr Levene described being 'filled with disappointment and anger' when he saw Mr Lammy, adding that 'the Labour Government is responsible for what happened yesterday. 'They have allowed hatred on our streets. They allow hatred on campus. They let people chant 'intifada'. They have rewarded a terrorist regime.' Tony Levene, who heckled David Lammy at a vigil today, has accused Labour of enabling terrorism and said it has blood on their hands following yesterday's terror attacks in Manchester. Pictured: Eddie Edwards (left) and Tony Levene shout at Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy during a vigil on Middleton Road in Crumpsall, Manchester, after two people died in a terror attack at the Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester David Lammy was booed and heckled today as he spoke at a vigil for the Manchester terror attack victims He added: 'When you tell a terrorist group like Hamas that the reward for massacring Jewish people and for oppressing the Palestinian people is a state then you empower terrorists to commit more acts of terrorism.' 'When you give extremists a pass over and over again they just start to feel more empowered. When asked why he decided to shout at the Labour politician, Mr Levene said: 'I was just shouting my opinion at the MP and telling him what he needed to hear. Mr Levene said the attack is the 'root of Labour allowing this to happen and giving into fundamentalists in this country.' 'How many years have MPs said they will stop the scourge of antisemitism? These are empty words.' 'The joke always was that under Corbyn things couldn't get any worse for Jews in Britain. 'But on Thursday, it tragically did.' Heckler Geraldine Simon, a decades-long friend of slain Melvin Cravitz, said Mr Lammy was booed because the Labour government had 'let the Jewish community down'. A woman shouts during a vigil organised by the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester Attendees held a banner reading 'No more words, we demand action' during Friday's vigil The 67-year-old semi-retired lawyer said: 'I don't know what he came here for. 'His opening words addressed the crowd as 'friends' and that was like a red rag to a bull. 'I shouted 'Platitudes! Platitudes!' and 'We don't need you' when he said he was here with us. 'I just couldn't help snorting with derision. 'This community has been here (in Manchester) for 150 years, but what sort of peace can you have if people don't feel safe? 'We can't rely on this government to protect us. Starmer says he will provide more resources and security but we don't want that. 'The police community response to this attack has been brilliant, but we don't want to have to have officers outside our synagogues and schools. 'We don't want extra money or resources, we just don't want attacks.' Attendees of the vigil vocally aired their frustrations at the Deputy PM David Lammy Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. Mrs Simon, from Crumpsall, described Mr Cravitz, a retail worker, as 'kind and funny' and added: 'He didn't have a bad word to say about anybody. 'Melvin was a born and bread Mancunian, we both were. I have known him since we were teenagers. He was just a good person.' She said Mr Cravitz, who she said married later in life and had no children of his own, was often late to services at the synagogue. But she said that at a meeting with the congregation in a local village hall today Rabbi Daniel Walker had reflected on the fact that it was his misfortune to arrive at the synagogue punctually on Wednesday. Later on during Mr Lammy's speech, which took place during the torrential rain, one person was heard to shout: 'Empty words, we want action.' Uproar then resumed in the crowd as the Deputy PM said: 'That is why we stand in defiance of those terrorists who seek to divide us'. This saw further shouts from attendees, and one man could be heard saying 'you enabled it, every Saturday'. The Justice Secretary continued: 'We cannot, must not, let them divide us we must show them who we really are, not what they want us to become or to believe.' Joanne Lazarus, 61, from Whitefield, Bury, was among those who shouted 'shame on you' and 'you're embarrassing' at Mr Lammy as he spoke at the vigil. She said she wanted the Government to stop pro-Palestine marches taking place. 'I took the chance to make my voice heard. I can't take these marches every single Saturday,' Ms Lazarus said. 'I've been into town on a Saturday and have been told I'm a baby killer and to 'go home'. 'That hatred is felt through the whole of the UK and through what happened here yesterday. I knew it would happen.' Ms Lazarus, who attended the Heaton Park Shul when she was younger, said she didn't think Mr Lammy would 'care' about the response he received at the vigil. Joanne Sheldon, also 61, from Radcliffe, Bury, revealed how she turned her back when Mr Lammy began to speak. Mr Lammy told Friday afternoon's vigil near the site of the synagogue attack that 'we must stand in grief, in solidarity and in defiance' 'We didn't know he would be speaking here and when we found out we just thought 'why is he here?',' she said. 'Jewish people don't feel it's safe in Britain now.' Her friend Hayley Lawson, 49, said hatred was being 'stirred up' by pro-Palestine marches. She said: 'It is not our fault what is going on between Israel and Gaza. Nobody wants war. 'There were marches at the beginning with Ukraine and Russia but those marches have all gone and what about all the other things happening in the world? People aren't marching for them. 'That says to me these marches are against Jewish people, pure and simple, because if they weren't they'd be marching about other things going on in the world.' Karl Jacobs, 34, said: 'This Government's weak leadership and failure to take a stand are to blame for the murders. 'They need to be tough before these murders become the norm. Nothing will charge with [Sir Keir] Starmer in charge. 'I'm glad that he was booed. The Government needs to know that we are not happy.' Posting on social media after Friday's event, Mr Lammy said he had 'heard the pain, anger and grief at today's vigil'. Attendees at the vigil stood in the Manchester rain to listen to speakers Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, both died and three others remain in hospital with serious injuries following Thursday's attack, which took place on Yom Kippur, Judaism's holiest day. Killer Jihad Al-Shamie was shot dead by police seven minutes after officers were called about the attacker ramming into people with a car and stabbing a man outside the synagogue. One worshipper died and another was injured after they were accidentally shot by armed police while attempting to prevent the knife-wielding terrorist from entering the synagogue. Mr Lammy told Friday afternoon's vigil near the site of the synagogue attack that 'we must stand in grief, in solidarity and in defiance'. He said 'we must stand together' in 'grief for the innocent lives that were taken so cruelly - senseless murders carried out on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish year, grief that causes so much pain and so much suffering'. 'Today our hearts, our thoughts, our prayers must be with the families of those who were killed,' Mr Lammy added. 'And of course, with this community, this Jewish community, both here in Manchester and in Heaton Park synagogue.' The Deputy PM continued: 'Right across our nation, and as the MP for Tottenham, I know the suffering in Crumpsall is all the same as the pain, the worry and the frightened faces in my own constituency and in the area of Stamford Hill - one of the historic homes of the Jewish community in this country. 'In that sense, London and Manchester are twin communities grieving as one, and the whole nation is with them.' The Deputy PM told the crowd 'we stand in solidarity with the Jewish people, because an attack like this is never felt alone'. He added: 'Wherever you are in our country, Jewish people, our friends, our neighbours, our loved ones are terrified by the events of yesterday - of becoming targets, victims of antisemitic hate, simply for who they are. 'But I know this about Britain's Jewish community, a community I have known all of my life. 'You are strong, you are resilient, and you will never be cowed, and that's what I want you to know today - that our country, those of all colours, all faiths and none, stand with you.' Mr Lammy said 'we all feel terrorism' and used the example of his 'best childhood friend' who was 'blown to smithereens' in the July 7, 2005 London bombings. 'We stand with you against those who think bombs and blasts will break us, we stand against all states who would minimise or coddle or obfuscate on anti-Jewish hate,' he said. 'We know terrorism in this country. We know it, of course, in this city we saw it at the arena, and we have seen it in Heaton Park. 'We all know terrorism, we all feel terrorism my best friend from childhood, James Adams, was blown to smithereens in the 7/7 bombings. 'And I vow to you, every Christian, every Muslim, every Jew, every Mancunian, every Brit: We will never stop fighting it.' In his own speech at the vigil, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said: 'We care about you, we love you, we value what you have given to Greater Manchester over the years. 'An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us. 'That is the permanent principle, the firm foundation on which this city region has been built, by you by us, by everyone here over centuries, that is who we are, and we will not let this break us in any way, shape, or form. 'I salute the strength of our Jewish community.' Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, Sir Stephen Watson, told the vigil: 'I can pledge to you that GMP are with you as one in continuing relentlessly, professionally, ruthlessly, all of those who would harm our Jewish community and other communities across Greater Manchester where hate is the originator of their intent.' He praised the Community Security Trust, saying they are 'the embodiment of our mutual determination to keep our communities safe and for you to have your absolute God-given right to live your Jewish lives as you're entitled to do in our country'. Closing the vigil, Rabbi Daniel Walker, from the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue, said: 'I want to say thank you again to those special and heroic men who stopped that terrorist getting into my shul and stopped much worse things happening. 'I want to say thank you to emergency services, first of all, to the police, who came to our aid at the time of our greatest need, who were there for us. 'The fire service, the ambulance service, those who tended to the wounded. to all those who have helped us and supported us through this most terrible and darkest time. 'Adrian and Melvin died as Jews for being Jews. The only way to defeat darkness, the only way to defeat unholiness, is with goodness.' Earlier on Friday, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood condemned pro-Palestine marches that took place in the wake of Thursday's attack as 'dishonourable' and 'fundamentally un-British'. She also called for demonstrators to 'step back' from plans to hold marches in coming days, claiming this would show 'some love and some solidarity' with Britain's Jewish community following the attack. Kemi Badenoch today declares it is time for Britain to leave the 'straitjacket' of the European Convention on Human Rights. In what she admits is a 'big change' in party policy, the Tory leader says the move is necessary to regain control of Britain's borders and make Parliament sovereign once more. She made the decision after a review she commissioned concluded that remaining signed up to the human rights pact would put 'significant constraints' on five key policies she would want to implement if she becomes prime minister. Mrs Badenoch was told by her Shadow Attorney General Lord Wolfson KC that continued membership of the ECHR would hinder her plan to deport foreign criminals and illegal immigrants to their homelands or third countries such as Rwanda. It would also get in the way of her pledges to stop military veterans being 'pursued by vexatious legal attacks', to put British citizens first in the queue for council houses, to ensure tough prison sentences and to avoid endless challenges to the planning system. She was reassured by the barrister that quitting the ECHR would not breach the Good Friday Agreement or the Windsor Framework, risking chaos in Northern Ireland, despite the fears of some. Mrs Badenoch presented the findings of his 'Lawfare Commission' to her Shadow Cabinet yesterday and will set out the new policy tomorrow in her first conference speech as party leader in Manchester. It is understood that no dissent was voiced in the meeting, after opposition to the ECHR has hardened across much of Westminster over the past year. Even the Labour Government is now seeking to restrict the notorious Article 8 right to a family life commonly used by foreign criminals to avoid deportation. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has called on Britain to leave the 'straitjacket' of the European Convention on Human Rights One senior Tory told ConservativeHome they were 'one happy family', while another said it was a 'serious and considered discussion' with 'no opposition'. However, some party grandees are likely to speak out against the move, as they did following Mrs Badenoch's vow this week to scrap one of the UK's main climate laws. Writing in the Daily Mail, Mrs Badenoch admits: 'The road ahead will not be simple. Lord Wolfson is clear that leaving the ECHR does create technical and political challenges.' But she goes on: 'We can no longer pretend that we can act in the interest of the prosperity and security of this country without taking those challenges on. 'Once we are out of the straitjacket of ECHR membership, a Conservative government will be able to enact the policies the British people rightfully expect control of our borders, and a strengthening of our economy.' Mrs Badenoch had previously said leaving the ECHR would not be a 'silver bullet' and during last year's leadership contest warned that her rival Robert Jenrick's pledge to do so would 'divide our party'. In Lord Wolfson's letter to her, published last night, he wrote: 'My overall view and advice is that should you wish to take the decision that it be Conservative Party policy that the UK should withdraw from the ECHR, such a policy would be perfectly possible both legally and practically.' Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: 'The ECHR has been stretched by the courts to the point it is enabling foreign criminals and illegal immigrants to stay in the UK.' Kemi Badenoch believes that pulling out of the ECHR is necessary in order for the UK to regain control of its borders. Pictured: People gesture as they try to board a migrant dinghy into the English Channel on August 25 in Gravelines, France How scandal of grooming gangs was the tipping point for me by Kemi Badenoch, leader of the opposition It is time for Britain to leave the European Convention on Human Rights. I have not taken this decision lightly. I have always been clear that we should leave the ECHR if we need to, but I was also concerned about the arguments that had been raised in opposition to leaving. The moment my mind was changed was earlier this year, during my campaign for a national inquiry into the grooming gangs. Hearing survivors' horrific stories first-hand, and watching as the men who had raped young girls in Britain avoided deportation by using the ECHR, hardened my resolve that it was time to gather the legal evidence for leaving. So, before the summer, I commissioned distinguished KC Lord Wolfson, to advise me definitively on whether five key policies that a Conservative government I lead would want to implement could be delivered as a member of the ECHR. First, could we take back control of our asylum system and lawfully remove foreign criminals and illegal immigrants to their home country or a third country such as Rwanda? Second, could we stop our veterans being endlessly pursued by vexatious legal attacks, and make sure our military can fight a future war without one hand tied behind their backs? Third, could we put British citizens first when it comes to social housing and public services because we believe that charity begins at home and those who have paid in should come first? Fourth, could we make sure prison sentences actually reflect Parliament's intentions? And fifth, could we stop courts treating climate change as a human right and allowing endless legal challenges to frustrate the changes we need to make to our planning system? What all these questions really come down to is: who makes the laws that govern the United Kingdom? I am clear that it should be our sovereign Parliament, democratically accountable to the British people, that decides. This week Lord Wolfson delivered his advice. He found that in all the five policy areas I outlined above, the ECHR places significant constraints on the Government's ability to address the key issue. When it comes to the removal of illegal immigrants and protecting veterans, ECHR membership makes it impossible to do what I believe is necessary. In the areas of public services, prison sentences and climate change constraints, the changes I want to make to our laws would be subject to the sort of debilitating legal challenges that lead to government policies getting delayed and ultimately killed in the courts. Lord Wolfson's advice also indicates that alternative options, such as re-negotiation, derogation or repealing only the Human Rights Act, are either unrealistic or ineffective. So, after consultation with my Shadow Cabinet, I have decided that the next Conservative government will withdraw from the ECHR. This is a big change in Conservative Party policy, but a necessary one. There will be some, such as our human rights lawyer Prime Minister, who will howl that by doing so we are turning our backs on the international community. But Britain has never needed supranational agreements and oversight by foreign courts to protect the rights and freedoms of our people. We will return to common law and statutory protections, focused on democratic legitimacy and ensuring a proper balance between rights and responsibilities. Leaving the ECHR will prevent the courts in the UK and in Strasbourg using ever-widening interpretations of its articles to frustrate sensible border control. The road ahead will not be simple. Lord Wolfson is clear that leaving the ECHR does create technical and political challenges. But we can no longer pretend that we can act in the interest of the prosperity and security of this country without taking those challenges on. And Lord Wolfson advises that withdrawing from the ECHR alone is not enough. If we are fully to control our borders and end illegal migration, there must be further action. We will be saying more shortly about what other changes we need to end the scourge of illegal immigration. But I am now very clear that, once we are out of the straitjacket of ECHR membership, a Conservative government will be able to enact the policies the British people rightfully expect control of our borders, and a strengthening of our economy. The terrorist behind the Manchester synagogue attack may have been influenced by 'extreme Islamist ideology', police have said. Syrian-born Jihad al-Shamie, 35, was shot dead just minutes after he unleashed a murderous rampage on Heaton Park Synagogue yesterday morning. In an update tonight, police said they had arrested three more people on suspicion of terror offences in connection with the attack that left two people dead. It brings the total number of people in custody to six - with the latest suspects identified only as a man and two women, aged between 18 and their mid-40s. Detectives also revealed that al-Shamie was seen acting suspiciously near the synagogue 15 minutes before the attack. Police said the suspect, who was born in Syria but granted British citizenship as a teenager, was confronted by security before he walked away. He then returned at 9.31am in his car, and after ramming it into crowds of worshippers, he started stabbing people at random. Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, died the attack. Three other men remain in hospital with serious injuries. The attacker, Jihad al-Shamie, 35, was shot dead by officers at the scene just seven minutes after the first 999 call Al-Shamie, 35, targeted Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester on Thursday. It is believed he was a father and is pictured holding a child The road where the first three arrests took place was cordoned off and put under armed guard Laurence Taylor, head of counter terrorism at Greater Manchester Police, said: 'We have been told from witness accounts that a man was seen acting suspiciously outside the synagogue before he was confronted by security and walked away. 'Based on the information we have at this time, we don't believe this was reported to Greater Manchester Police because the man had left the area. 'Around 15 minutes later, the individual returned in a vehicle and began his horrific attack.' He added: 'At this stage, we believe Al-Shamie may have been influenced by extreme Islamist ideology. Establishing the full circumstances of the attack is likely to take some time. 'We have now arrested three further people, one man and two women, aged between 18 and mid-40s. 'This brings the number of people in custody arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism to six. 'We will be seeking warrants of further detention for all six individuals and will seek to issue an update on this later.' It comes as Greater Manchester Police today confirmed two innocent victims sheltering in the synagogue were hit by rounds discharged by armed officers. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) tonight said they were investigating the use of lethal force by Greater Manchester Police firearms officers. Melvin Cravitz, 66, (left) and Adrian Daulby, 53 (right) both died during Thursday's terror attack Your browser does not support iframes. IOPC Director Emily Barry said: 'This was a tragic incident that has had a devastating impact on so many people in Manchester and beyond. 'Families have lost loved ones and communities have been rocked by a senseless act of violence, which police are treating as terrorism. Our thoughts are with all those affected. 'Police investigations are ongoing and there are measures in place to ensure our enquiries do not get in the way of the vital work being done to keep people safe. 'However, we are also required to ensure there is an independent investigation to understand the circumstances that have led to the use of lethal force by police. 'This includes the decision to deploy armed officers and the use of force against the suspected attacker. 'At this time, the officers involved are being treated as witnesses to our investigation. As with all our investigations, this will remain under review as we continue to gather evidence.' Mr Daulby, 53, is believed to have been shot by police while attempting to prevent al-Shamie entering the synagogue during the car and knife attack. He was killed together with Mr Cravitz, 66, from Crumpsall, who was working as a security guard at the synagogue and also helped prevent the attacker entering the premises. A tribute provided by Mr Daulby's family said: 'Adrian Daulby was a hero and tragically lost his life in the act of courage to save others. 'He was a beloved brother, loving uncle to his four nieces and one nephew and a cherished cousin. 'The family is shocked by the tragic, sudden death of such a lovely, down-to-earth man. 'His final act was one of profound courage and he will forever be remembered for his heroic act on Thursday October 2, 2025.' Police officers were at the property carrying out searches on Friday, with neighbours telling the Daily Mail they often saw the attacker working out in the garden A member of the synagogue's executive, Brian Bell, said Mr Daulby was shot as he was holding a door shut, adding that he was 'an unassuming member of the synagogue who actually rose to the terrible danger, because he ran to close all the doors, back and front'. Mr Cravitz's family said in their tribute that he was 'kind' and 'caring' and was 'devoted' to his wife and family. A statement said: 'Melvin would do anything to help anyone. He was so kind, caring and always wanted to chat and get to know people. 'He was devoted to his wife, family and loved his food. He will be sorely missed by his wife, family, friends and community. 'We ask for privacy as we try to come to terms with this shocking loss.' Earlier today it emerged that al-Shamie was on police bail for an alleged rape when he carried out the attack. It is also thought that the killer had additional criminal convictions, although he was not being monitored by British counter-terrorism officers. Al-Shamie was also struggling with debt after splitting up with his wife and young son, the Daily Mail can reveal. He had been living with his mother and one of his two brothers at his old family home on Langley Crescent in Prestwich, Greater Manchester. Neighbours in the quiet cul-de-sac said that Al-Shamie appeared to be 'a bit of a loner', and was often seen in traditional Islamic clothes, and lifting weights in the garden. Al-Shamie's father, Faraj Al-Shamie, issued a statement on behalf of his family, saying the 'terrorist attack targeting a Jewish synagogue has been a profound shock to us'. Hamas says it has agreed to release all Israeli hostages and return the remains of the deceased under Donald Trump's peace plan for Gaza. The announcement comes just hours after the US president threatened to unleash 'all hell' on the jihadists if they did not agree to his peace proposal which was backed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday. 'The movement announces its approval to release all occupation prisoners, alive and dead, according to the exchange formula mentioned in President Trump's proposal,' Hamas said in a statement. The terrorists also agreed to hand over administrative control of Gaza to an independent body of Palestinian technocrats. It claimed those technocrats will be 'based on Palestinian national consensus and Arab and Islamic support.' Trump responded on his Truth Social platform that he believes Hamas are acting in good faith and demanded that Israel 'immediately stop the bombing of Gaza so that we can get the hostages out.' 'Based on the Statement just issued by Hamas, I believe they are ready for a lasting PEACE,' the president said. The terror group rejected Trump's proposed chairmanship of a 'Board of Peace' that would rule over Gaza, with other leaders such as ex-British prime minister Tony Blair suggested as members. It also refused to completely disarm. Hamas chief Mousa Abu Marzouk told Al Jazeera: 'We will never accept anyone who is not Palestinian to control the Palestinians. We can't bring someone like Tony Blair to be governor in Gaza because this man, he destroyed Iraq'. Trump and Netanyahu at the White House on Monday Your browser does not support iframes. Hamas fighters secure an area before handing over three Israeli hostages to a Red Cross team in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, on Saturday on February 8 The Islamists said that other elements of Trump's 20-point peace plan regarding the future of Gaza 'will be discussed through a comprehensive Palestinian national framework in which Hamas will participate and contribute responsibly.' Trump is set to respond to Hamas from the Oval Office later today, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. The jihadists praised Trump in its announcement, writing: 'Hamas appreciates the Arab, Islamic, and international efforts, as well as the efforts of US President Donald Trump, calling for stopping the war on the Gaza Strip, exchanging prisoners, immediate entry of aid, rejecting the occupation of the Strip, and rejecting the displacement of our Palestinian people from it.' Twenty hostages are thought to still remain in Hamas captivity, as well as the bodies of another 28 it has refused to send home to Israeli families since its barbaric attack on October 7, 2023. Hamas' statement comes a few hours after Trump issued a warning on Truth Social demanding the group accept his peace plan outlined earlier this week. Trump threatened that 'all hell' will break out on the militants if they did not accept his plan by 6pm on Sunday. The deal includes that all remaining hostages are released within 72 hours of an agreement. Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday: 'Hamas has been a ruthless and violent threat, for many years, in the Middle East! They have killed (and made lives unbearably miserable), culminating with the October 7th MASSACRE, in Israel, babies, woman, children, old people, and many young men and women, boys and girls, getting ready to celebrate their future lives together.' Trump met Netanyahu earlier this week at the White House along with some of the Israeli PM's top team, and agreed on a new peace deal for Gaza. This handout picture released by the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO) shows Israeli hostage Emily Damari (2nd L) embracing a relative welcoming her at the Sheba medical center in Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv, on January 19 The White House released a 20-point plan, which included increasing aid to Gaza and an economic development proposal that includes preferred tariffs and access rates. Hamas is pushing back against disarming, according to Arab mediators in Doha, Qatar, stating that they must retain defensive capabilities. The terror organization said it would be willing to handover offensive weapons to Egypt and the United Nations for storage. Hamas has also reiterated its demand for a timeline for Israel's withdrawal from Gaza. Previous attempts to pressure the Islamists into agreeing a peace deal, including threats from US envoy Steve Witkoff, have failed to yield an outcome. Negotiations almost collapsed collapsed last month after Israel's strike on Qatar, which has been a crucial mediator in the discussions. Since then, Trump has managed to gain support from Netanyahu as well as the key Arab power brokers in the region. BrewDog has sold the 'rewilding' forest it bought for 8.8million only five years ago amid increasing financial pressure. The 'punk' brewery purchased Kinrara Estate, claiming it would be funded by sales of its Lost Forest beer, as it looked to reinvent itself as a 'carbon negative' beer producer. It said it would turn the site into Scotland's 'biggest ever forest' with millions of trees. But half of the 500,000 trees planted died and it has now been sold to rewilding outfit, Oxygen Conservation. 'The time is right to hand over the reins to an organisation that specialises in protecting and investing in natural capital,' Brewdog said as it announced the sale. BrewDog, which posted losses of 37m and closed 10 pubs last year, was embroiled in a string of controversies after acquiring the forest. It was forced to admit it had falsely claimed the site was 12,000 acres rather than 9,142. The beer brand also suggested the forest could absorb 550,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, when it could only absorb a maximum of 1m tonnes in 100 years. BrewDog has sold its 'rewilding' forest just five years after the embattled chain bought it for 8.8million The 'punk' brewery purchased Kinrara Estate, claiming it would be funded by sales of its Lost Forest beer as it looked to reinvent itself as a 'carbon negative' beer producer The venture was part of a push by co-founder James Watt to brand the business as carbon neutral. But the business abandoned its claim to be a 'carbon negative' brewery months after it emerged that half of the trees in the eco-friendly forest had died. At least 690,000 of taxpayer cash had been put towards the company's environmental efforts. The firm, now run James Taylor after James Watt stood down in 2024, has previously promoted its lagers, ales and stouts as 'planet positive beer'. But bosses last year said offsetting its carbon with external schemes was too expensive and the company could no longer claim to be producing less carbon than it is offsetting. Rich Stockdale, chief executive of Oxygen Conservation, denied that Brewdog's work at Kinrara was a complete failure. 'We were blown away by the job that had been done. [It was] far better than we expected. No woodland creation or environmental restoration project is without its challenges,' he said. It is the latest asset to be sold by Brewdog as it stages a fightback after a decline in sales. The brewery recorded losses of 59m in 2023 and 30.5m in 2022. Last year was the fifth consecutive year the company made a loss. But half of the 500,000 trees died and it has now been sold to rewilding outfit, Oxygen Conservation And in August its beer were axed by almost 2,000 pubs across Britain as its popularity continues to wane. The company's range of draught beers have disappeared entirely from around 1,860 pubs in the last two years, according to private industry data. The blow means BrewDog's UK distribution has been cut by more than a third. The collapse came as CEO James Taylor recently told investors that its financials did not make for 'happy reading'. Mr Taylor is the second new CEO to take over since founder and face of the company James Watt stepped back in May 2024 amidst a flurry of accusations of improper conduct. Let's be honest, the humble KitKat has never been the cool cat of the chocolate world. It's long been the dependable one: nice, familiar and possibly a little bit boring. With good reason, in fact. KitKats were invented as a practical snack, born from an employee's suggestion to manufacturers Rowntree's in the 1930s that they make a chocolate bar which could be taken to work. Since then, the two-or four-finger snack not to mention the much-loved KitKat Chunky, released in 1999 has become a staple of train station vending machines, office canteens and your mum's hidden snack drawer. Fashionable they were not that is, until recently. For in the last few years KitKats have had what we young people like to call a 'glow-up', with dozens of new flavours on the market. And a recent poll of seven to 14-year-olds by consultants Beano Brain confirmed this, placing KitKat as the tenth 'coolest' brand among this age range. It all started in Japan, where KitKat sounds a lot like kitto katsu, which means 'you will surely win'. That neat little coincidence turned the bar into a good luck charm for students before exams and it wasn't long before Nestle, who acquired Rowntree's in 1988, spotted an opportunity and ran with it. As a result, since the early 2000s Japan has unleashed more than 300 different flavours, featuring everything from matcha green tea to sweet potato, melon, and even wasabi. Mimi Yates tries out a range of Japanese KitKats - but which one is the yummiest? Since the early 2000s Japan has unleashed more than 300 different flavours, featuring everything from matcha green tea to sweet potato, melon, and even wasabi Unsurprisingly, the trend has been supercharged by social media. Platforms such as TikTok and Instagram are flooded with taste-test videos of exotic KitKats sourced from Japanese import stores or online retailers. It doesn't hurt that the modern packaging miniature bars, often in pastel colours with delicate Japanese script is visually pleasing, although it's not just about aesthetics: young people are far more adventurous when it comes to food, and constantly on the hunt for experiences that feel a bit niche. The rise of K-pop, anime and Japanese and Korean skincare has also contributed to a wider appreciation of East Asian culture. This shift hasn't gone unnoticed. Shops in the UK and US are reporting increasing demand for Japanese snacks, and Nestle has started releasing some of their cult flavours worldwide albeit in maddeningly limited batches (good luck trying to get your hands on wasabi or apple, 'rare' flavours fans hunt like exotic truffles). The big question, of course, is whether these flavours are any good. Being the brave 25-year-old snack researcher that I am, I tried some for my own taste-test video. The verdict? Some are weirdly amazing (hello, matcha latte), while others should have been left on the production line. Platforms such as TikTok and Instagram are flooded with taste-test videos of exotic KitKats sourced from Japanese import stores or online retailers Shops in the UK and US are reporting increasing demand for Japanese snacks, and Nestle has started releasing some of their cult flavours worldwide Mint choc chip Given this is a flavour I've only ever encountered in ice cream, I wasn't surprised to find that this was what it tasted like with a touch of After Eight thrown in. It was definitely minty and if I closed my eyes and ignored the slightly speckled green colouring on top of the bar, I might have thought I was biting into a creamier version of a mint Aero. The army of fans of KitKat's dark mint variety, which was discontinued a year ago, would find this a good consolation prize. Strawberry This certainly looks pretty it's white chocolate with pinky bits to mimic a strawberry, and it tastes like one too. But, overall, I found it a bit too sickly. This is for those who really like chocolate on the sweet side, and it wasn't for me. Milk tea Yum! This was a win. It was also on the sweet side, but tempered by what tasted like a flick of Earl Grey and biscuits. Probably the closest you'll get to bubble tea (for the uninitiated, a Taiwanese beverage typically containing a base of tea, milk or fruit, and chewy tapioca pearls known as boba) in chocolate bar form. Matcha latte Double yum! This was my absolute favourite, probably because it tastes like the drink I buy religiously every morning on the way to work. Matcha, a finely ground powder made from specially grown and processed green tea leaves, has become a craze in the UK mainly because it gives you an energy boost without the jitters of coffee. I don't think I felt any different after munching on this, but I definitely enjoyed it. Dark chocolate This is likely the most traditional option from the array of alternatives on offer, and it seems to be the more sophisticated choice when set against the others. If you generally like dark chocolate, then this is the one for you. Chocolate orange While this tasted very similar to a Terry's Chocolate Orange, it was not quite as nice. It had a slightly bitter aftertaste which you don't get from a Terry's, who needn't be worried about this version snapping at their heels. I wasn't a fan. Strawberry shortcake This was like a Chupa Chups lollipop in chocolate form, which is either a good thing or a bad thing depending on your tastebuds. Like the strawberry, it has white chocolate laced through with bits of pink, is very sweet and reminded me of the sort of slightly sickly cake a friend's grandma used to make. Strawberry gateau chocolate Have you ever bitten into chocolate that feels like it has been sitting around for too long? If so, you'll have a sense of what it would be like to chomp on this. It was cake-like, and quite rich, but I couldn't shake the sense I was eating something that had outlived its shelf life. Cookies and cream I thought I would love this as on the packaging it looked like a KitKat version of an Oreo biscuit. Then I bit into it and found it tasted too milky and left a bit of a claggy aftertaste. KitKat gold It wasn't really clear from the packet what this was meant to be, but my tastebuds deciphered salted caramel in the mix. It tasted a bit saltier and less 'chocolatey', which I enjoyed although maybe because at this point I'd had my fill of the sweet stuff. Classic You can't taste KitKats without trying the original and best. There's a reason this has been a national favourite for decades. The perfect combination of milk chocolate and wafer, it still holds its own against fancier rivals. Since bowing out of The Prince's Foundation and ceasing all duties for King Charles four years ago, he has eschewed the chance to make a song and dance about his departure, still less publish a memoir detailing his time in royal service, and has instead quietly knuckled down to work at his own events company. So Michael Fawcett who resigned as chief executive of The Prince's Foundation following allegations that he'd discussed securing British citizenship and a knighthood for a Saudi tycoon, will be dismayed that his only son, Oliver, is now in line to suffer his own bucketload of opprobrium. Things seemed bad enough when Olly's company specialising in 'television programme production activities' went belly up in August last year, owing His Majesty's Revenue & Customs more than 500,000, as I revealed at the time. But it's the manner in which 29-year-old Fawcett has responded to that crisis which will surely have taxpayers angry. The clues are in the progress report just issued by the liquidator appointed to delve into the affairs of 303 London Ltd, the company which Olly precociously set up in 2013 when he was only 17. After fees for the liquidation have been deducted, just 10,000 remains for HMRC which, according to a slightly revised calculation, is owed 550,000. The position is just as gruesome for other creditors who, the liquidator now calculates, are owed more than 190,000. They can, in the vernacular, go and whistle for it. Or, as the liquidator puts it more formally, 'it is anticipated there will be insufficient funds... to pay [them anything]'. Michael Fawcett, pictured above left with King Charles, who resigned as chief executive of The Prince's Foundation following allegations that he'd discussed securing British citizenship But it's the disposal of company assets and, in particular, the identity of their new owner which will alarm some. Camera and computer equipment, bits and pieces from an office and a Mini Clubman JCW have all been snapped up by a company called 97 Creative Ltd. 97 Creative has also splashed out 4,000 for the 'goodwill' of the company name an unlikely outcome, you might think, for a firm that's crashed and burned owing 700,000 in total. So who's behind 97 Creative? Step forward one Olly Fawcett, who incorporated the company, of which he is sole director and, via a holding company, majority shareholder in July last year, just a month before 303 London Ltd went into liquidation. It will not be much of a surprise to learn that 97 Creative is engaged in 'television programme production activities' or that the website for 303 London is still up and running, and promoting itself as 'the Creative Performance Agency for Premium & Luxury Brands'. Fawcett declines to comment. Taxpayers will, I trust, observe his future business career with interest... The smart set's talking about... Lady Lucia's real romance Those thirsting for a dash of nuptial glamour need thirst no more: Kate Middleton's sister is heading to the altar. I refer, of course, not to Pippa Middleton happily married to James Matthews but to Lady Lucia St Clair-Erskine, 31, younger daughter of the Earl of Rosslyn and sister of actress Alice St Clair who starred as the future Princess of Wales in the 2011 television film, William & Catherine: A Royal Romance. Kate Middleton's sister Lady Lucia St Clair-Erskine, 31, is engaged to Richard Stanton Lucia, an alumna of 60,912-a-year Downe House the Berkshire school where Catherine was so unhappy has got engaged to Richard Stanton. Known as Dick to differentiate him from his father Richard he comes from a Norfolk family who've farmed for generations as tenants of the King's Sandringham estate. Presumably, the wedding will be held in Scotland at Rosslyn Chapel of Da Vinci Code fame which the earl owns. Casual Kate is really so down with the kids! Prince Harry moaned about the limited taxpayer-funded security that he and his family can have while in Britain, but the Princess of Wales takes such a robust approach to safety threats that her police protection officers struggle to protect her. So suggests Chief Scout Dwayne Fields, who has met Princess Catherine a number of times in her role as joint-President of the Scout Association, including last month with US First Lady Melania Trump. 'I wonder if her security have an easy job trying to mind her,' he tells me at the Employee Network Awards at the London Hilton on Park Lane. 'As soon as she arrives, she makes everyone feel comfortable. She'll get down on the ground... to their level... physically their level.' Dwayne, 43, adds: 'If they're sat down on the floor, reading maps or drawing or doing art, or being creative, she's gonna sit on the floor as well.' The Princess of Wales meets families of personnel serving at the base on a visit to RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire for her first official engagement at the station The Princess of Wales, left, and First Lady Melania Trump are welcomed by Chief Scout for the Scout Association Dwayne Fields as they tour Frogmore Cottage in Windsor Dwayne is not alone in worrying over the future Queen's relaxed approach. Earlier this year, I disclosed that William and Catherine insisted on shedding their protection officers on a sensitive engagement to a children's shelter in the Indian capital, Delhi, despite fears that it would cause a 'circus'. Steel yourself for more drama The topsy-turvy love life of comedians Mark Steel and Shappi Khorsandi is no laughing matter. I hear they have split up again, months after being reunited. Steel touchingly devoted a Nick Cave love song to Shappi on his Desert Island Discs last December and also performed an Abba hit with her on Valentine's Day. But, speaking at a gig this week in Leamington Spa, Shappi says: 'I have been single since February. 'I was saying it is just very difficult because my ideal man is someone that wants to see me once a month and in-between times just sends me the occasional emoji. 'And that's why I am single. [I] am not husband hunting.' Steel was treated for throat cancer during their first separation when he had a fling with another comic, Cally Beaton, only to get back with Shappi, who dubbed him 'the love of her life'. Mark Steel and Shappi Khorsandi have split up again, months after being reunited. He's the celebrated photographer and film-maker who's worked with Coldplay, U2, Bob Dylan and Sir Mick Jagger. But Anton Corbijn failed to impress the late Duke of Edinburgh. 'I got told off by Prince Philip at the Arts Club on Dover Street [Mayfair],' Corbijn, 70, tells me at the Abbey Road Studios Music Photography Awards in north London, where he won the Icon Award. 'Philip asked, 'What do you do?' I knew he didn't like photographers, so I told him I'm a film-maker, which I am. Philip said, 'You're probably not a very good one because you can't afford a tie' and walked off.' Earl's ex 'surprise' at wedding news Was the Earl of Dartmouth's recent wedding to Diandra Douglas, former wife of Fatal Attraction star Michael Douglas, society's best kept secret at least until I disclosed that William Legge, 76, the 10th Earl, had taken the plunge, very discreetly in Gibraltar two weeks ago? That certainly seems to be the verdict of glamorous actress Alexa Jago, who speaks with fondness of Princess Diana's stepbrother. 'We were going out, on and off, for years,' reflects Alexa, who tells me that she heard the news in the middle of the night. 'I got a phone call when I was in Los Angeles. That was a surprise.' Glamorous actress Alexa Jago has spoken with fondness of Princess Diana's stepbrother Les Mis lyricist to be remembered The brilliant lyricist behind Les Miserables will be celebrated on Monday. Friends and family of Herbert Kretzmer, who was given leave from his day job as TV critic of the Daily Mail to write an English version of the musical, will raise a toast to mark the centenary of his birth at the RAC Club in St James's. Herbie, to his friends, died in 2020 during the Covid pandemic so there was no commemoration. This week, his widow, Sybil, donated his archive to Cambridge University. Liz Savage, special collections assistant at Cambridge, says: 'When I was asked if I would like to work on the archive, I called my mum and had a cry. 'She introduced me to theatre at such a young age. Les Mis was the gateway to my lifelong love of theatre.' Oliver pockets another seven-figure payday Jamie Oliver recently said he 'got the basics wrong' when it came to the 83 million collapse of his restaurant empire six years ago. But I hear that the TV chef's numeracy struggles have not stopped him from pocketing another seven-figure payday from his remaining business interests. Oliver, 50, netted 2.4 million in dividend pay last year, with his wife, Jools, picking up 100,000 in pocket money, according to Companies House. Jamie Oliver recently said he 'got the basics wrong' when it came to the 83 million collapse of his restaurant empire six years ago Tomlinson wants a Gleeson bedtime story She's married to handsome rugby player Will Owen, with whom she has a baby daughter. But Poldark star Eleanor Tomlinson, 33, has declared that she finds another man attractive and 'sexy'. The lucky fellow in question is Oscar-nominated Irish actor, Brendan Gleeson, who, at the age of 70, is 37 years her senior. 'I'd really love Brendan Gleeson to read me a bedtime story,' she purrs. 'I just think he's absolutely magic, to be honest, and I think he's very sexy... very, very sexy.' The flame-haired beauty then made a bold proposition: 'So, if you're listening to this, Brendan, any time you want to read me a bedtime story, that would just be great.' In East Texas, there is a little village called The Bird's Nest. Despite only offering tiny homes and RVs, houses in the remote community are in high demand. What makes this compound unique is that there are strictly no men allowed and apparently, that's what makes it so sought-after. When a home was up for grabs in August, there were 500 people gunning to take over the humble property. The village declares itself a women-only community, and all the residents agree that women are easier long-term companions than men, the New York Times reported. The Bird's Nest sits in Cumby, TX 65 miles northeast of Dallas. Residents, who are mostly single and retired pay $450 a month for a 10-by-30-foot shack. Perks include running water, safety, affordability and, for these women, a lack of men. In East Texas, there is a little village called The Bird's Nest that has a 'no men allowed' rule The Bird's Nest only offers tiny homes and RVs, but houses in the remote community are in high demand nonetheless The residents - who are all women - pay $450 a month for the 10-by-30-foot tiny homes The Bird's Nest, described by residents as an empowering tight-knit community, was founded in 2022 by Robyn Yerian, 77. Yerian, a divorced mother of two and formerly a radiology technologist, used funds from her retirement account to purchase five acres of land in Cumby for $35,000. She then spent $150,000 to develop the Bird's Nest and moved the $57,000 tiny home she already owned onto the land. 'It really is paradise for us, it is completely gated nobody can just drive in,' Yerian told SWNS. There are 11 women and nine dogs who currently live there but not just anyone can move in. Those interested in living there must be vetted through a rigorous interview process, which begins with a scheduled call with Yerian, then a multi-day visit. It's important that the women get along they all cook and eat meals together in a shared outdoor kitchen. Beyond that, they're all there to support each other in times of need. Residents all cook and eat meals together in a shared outdoor kitchen The Bird's Nest was founded in 2022 by Robyn Yerian, 77, in 2022 Robyn Yerian spent $150,000 to develop the Bird's Nest and moved the $57,000 tiny home she already owned onto the land 'We drive each other to doctor's appointments if needed,' Yerian told Realtor.com. 'We look in on each other if someone has the flu or surgery. We are each other's therapists and sounding board.' Yerian highly recommends this quirky way of life: 'I have encouraged others to just go for it,' she told the publication. 'Quit saving that little bit of money and invest in a community. You will not get rich doing this, but it is a nice little cushion and the sense of community is everything.' The Bird's Nest's residents are just as unique as the concept. There are two married lesbians one who identifies as a 'tree hugger' and the other who is a Republican gun owner. Another resident is a former first-grade teacher, and another Sherry Moore a 65-year-old who is simply not interested in men anymore. 'I don't need to date anymore,' she said to the group. 'I'm 65 years old and I've had all the best sex I'm going to have. It's not going to get better than that.' The women disagree about a lot of things, especially politics. But if there's one thing all the women can agree on, it's that no men means no drama. A psychic has issued a warning about a shocking shift in global dominance following an 'unprecedented' military meeting held in the US this week. Athos Salome, 39, from Brazil, who is known as the 'Living Nostradamus,' earned his title after he accurately predicted dozens of world events. Those included the Microsoft global outage, the coronavirus pandemic and Queen Elizabeth II's death. Salome told the Daily Mail US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's gathering of around 800 of America's highest-ranking military officers on Tuesday 'revealed an imminent crisis or strategic urgency.' Hegseth called the meeting last week, requiring high-ranking admirals and generals in the US and worldwide to attend at the Quantico base in Virginia, where he fired a direct message to America's generals: 'No more DEI, dudes in dresses, or gender delusion .... prepare for war.' 'This meeting could result in new alliances, unexpected cuts or even changes in the global order,' Salome said. 'The next three months will be decisive in understanding whether we are facing merely an administrative reorganization or preparation for a much broader geopolitical transformation.' He also suggested that the meeting was not routine, but 'a test of collective loyalty.' Athos Salome warned that the Pentagon is waiting for the right moment to act, and so officials are promoting a series of changes, including the emergency meeting called for this purpose Pete Hegseth called the meeting last week, requiring high-ranking admirals and generals in the US and worldwide to attend at the Quantico base in Virginia Hegseth said that there would be a male standard of fitness for all troops, stating that he was 'tired of seeing fat troops.' He also said these new rules are 'not about preventing women from serving.' But he added that the physical standards needed to be gender neutral. 'If women can make it, excellent, if they cannot, then so be it ... it will also mean that weak men won't qualify. This is combat.' The Secretary of War said standard training guidelines will be restored 'to what they should be scary, tough disciplined,' and one where drill sergeants 'can put their hands on recruits.' Hegseth slammed the political softening of the armed forces, including concerns over bullying and hazing, and wokeness. 'This event marks a historic turning point: it is not just a meeting, it is a test of obedience,' Salome warned. 'Those who fall in line will remain; those who resist may fall. This means that the civil authorities are seeking to redefine the military chain of command, creating a new pact of loyalty.' The location of the meeting also appeared as a warning, as 'Quantico is no ordinary address,' Salome said. Salome believes the US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (pictured) called the meeting to also see which of America's high-ranking generals and admirals are loyal, along with a way to set the stage for changes in the global order 'It's a base associated with special operations and intelligence, quite different from the traditional spaces where meetings of this size take place,' he added. 'This points to a sensitive topic, possibly linked to cybersecurity or the development of next-generation weapons. The psychic also revealed key developments he foresaw following the meeting, including a mass purge in the Pentagon. 'After the meeting, there will be forced retirements, silent dismissals, and strategic replacements. It will be the largest purge of officers since World War II,' Salome said. He also believes a major shift is coming to the US, which will be less global presence in the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and a focus on domestic defense, borders, and the Western Hemisphere. 'It is the transformation of America into a continental fortress,' he warned. However, the attendance of President Donald Trump at the event was 'the most symbolic gesture.' The head of the War Department has offered no explanation for the surprise move (stock) 'Trump in front of hundreds of generals. It's not just a speech. It's the construction of an image of absolute power over the Pentagon,' Salome explained, adding that Hegseth was not seeking practicality, but visual impact. 'It is the first public rehearsal of collective submission by the military elite,' he added. 'The audiovisual recording will be proof of institutional loyalty to the government. This is the unprecedented element.' The implications are significant, as internally, there is a risk of a civilmilitary rupture, with officers split between those who accept the new direction and those who resist quietly, he explained. Externally, allies may fear the abandonment of international commitments, while rivals could interpret the move either as weakness or as a sign of internal hardening. Politically, Trump and Hegseth are reinforcing their authority and promoting a narrative of discipline and cohesion, but this also fuels accusations of militarization and the cultivation of personal loyalty. According to Salome, the coming months may bring discreet purges and the symbolic use of images from the meeting, along with the announcement of command mergers and a new National Defence Strategy. These steps would likely consolidate an aligned military elite while imposing tighter restrictions on transparency at the Pentagon. It may sound like the start of a horror film, but ancient infectious lifeforms are being brought back to life. Scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder have deliberately resurrected microorganisms that have been frozen in Alaska for around 40,000 years. These tiny bugs, invisible to the naked eye, have been trapped in 'permafrost' frozen earth material containing soil, rock and ice. In controlled experiments, the scientists discovered that if you thaw out permafrost, the microbes don't immediately become active. But after a few months, like waking up after a long nap, they begin to form flourishing colonies. Worryingly, the microbes have the potential to unleash dangerous pathogens that could spark the next pandemic. 'These are not dead samples by any means,' warned study author Dr Tristan Caro, a geological scientist at University of Colorado Boulder. What's more, as they reawaken, the microorganisms release carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas that fuels global warming. Back in 2022, an ancient virus called Pandoravirus that had lain frozen in Siberian permafrost for 48,500 years was revived. Pictured, digital rendering of Pandoravirus For their experiments, the team travelled to Alaska's Permafrost Research Tunnel an underground passage dug through permafrost in the 1960s For their experiments, the team travelled from Colorado to the Permafrost Research Tunnel near Fairbanks in Alaska, just south of the Arctic Circle. This spooky underground passage was dug through permafrost in the 1960s for the purpose of facilitating scientific research into climate change. Described as an 'icy graveyard', permafrost is a frozen mix of soil, ice and rocks that underlies nearly a quarter of the land in the northern hemisphere. The team collected samples of permafrost that was a few thousand to tens of thousands of years old from the walls of the tunnel. They then added water to the samples and incubated them at temperatures of 3C (39F) and 12C (54F) which is chilly for humans but warm for the Arctic. 'We wanted to simulate what happens in an Alaskan summer, under future climate conditions where these temperatures reach deeper areas of the permafrost,' Dr Caro said. Although the microbes 'likely couldn't infect people', the team kept them in sealed chambers regardless. In the first few months, the colonies grew gradually, in some cases replacing only about one in every 100,000 cells per day described as a 'slow reawakening'. Robyn Barbato of the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory drills a sample from the walls of the Permafrost Research Tunnel Permafrost is ground that remains permanently frozen even during summer months. Pictured, melting ice in the Arctic in spring What is permafrost? Permafrost is ground thats remained frozen for at least two consecutive years and in some regions of the Arctic, its been frozen for tens of thousands. It stretches across vast expanses of Siberia, Alaska, northern Canada, and Greenland, acting as a natural deep freezer for ancient organic material. As global temperatures rise, this permafrost is thawing faster and deeper than expected, revealing microbes, biological matter, animal bones, plants and more. Advertisement However, within six months, microbial communities underwent 'dramatic changes', forming strong communities distinct from the surrounding surfaces. Some had formed 'biofilms' slimy layers made from a thriving community of microorganisms that are hard to remove. Overall, the results suggest it could take a few months for microbes to become active enough that they begin to emit greenhouse gases into the air in large volumes following a hot spell. But this suggests that the longer Arctic summers last, the more likely microbes will become thawed and reawaken. 'You might have a single hot day in the Alaskan summer, but what matters much more is the lengthening of the summer season to where these warm temperatures extend into the autumn and spring,' Dr Caro said. Thawing could lead to the release of the permafrosts enormous reserves of greenhouse gases CO2 and methane, an even more potent greenhouse gas. The study, published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, also notes that microbes in permafrost rely on different kinds of fatty lipids to construct their cell membranes. These compounds may have helped them survive freezing, dark conditions for millenia. The ability of the microbes to survive for so long before reawakening is triggering concerns that the melting Arctic could release a deadly disease, new to humanity. One possible defence is that permafrostbased microbes need to find a host in order to survive and spread, like an animal. Fortunately, permafrost is remote by nature because it is found in highlatitude and highaltitude regions. Still, it may only take a single unfortunate infection scenario for such a microbe to make the initial jump to a wild mammal or human. Back in 2022, an ancient virus called Pandoravirus that had lain frozen in Siberian permafrost for 48,500 years was revived. Although the viruses are not considered a risk to humans, scientists warned that other viruses exposed by melted ice could be 'disastrous' and lead to new pandemics. Dr Brigitta Evengard, an infectious disease specialist from Sweden, thinks there could be possible pandemics from the Arctic that are caused by bacteria highly resistant to antibiotics. 'The two that we know could come out of the permafrost are anthrax and pox viruses, other than that its pandora's box,' she told Greenpeace. This is the jawdropping moment a 'big cat' is caught stalking the Lincolnshire countryside by a trail camera. Barry Raynor, 65, set the camera up outside his home in Allington in an area used for releasing hedgehogs into the wild. Yet it was something much larger that triggered the device last month, and the driving instructor knew what it was straight away. 'I said 'that was a big cat', I was quite excited,' he recalled. 'For me, it looks like an animal the size of a Labrador, but I believe it is a cat species. 'We had a big village debate in Allington some people think it's a lurcher, some people think it's a big cat, some people think it's somebody's domestic moggie.' He continued: 'The only other cat I get on that camera is my own black and white domestic cat. 'To get anywhere near the size of the one that's on that image, my cat would have to stand on a log.' This is the jawdropping moment a 'big cat' is caught stalking the Lincolnshire countryside by a trail camera Britain's community of big cat believers claim that the UK has its own wild population of large felids like panthers and pumas. Mr Raynor is as convinced as any. He said: 'I think it's a big cat. I sent the image to a website called My Big Cat Sightings and they think so too. 'I have actually seen a big cat before it was a panther in a town called Worksop about 20 years ago. 'It was on the crest of a hill with a rabbit in its gob.' The existence of a wild big cat population in Britain has not yet been proved. There have been isolated cases of big cats being captured, but sceptics say they were illegallykept exotic pets that escaped, or were released by their overwhelmed owners. 'People really don't want to think it is a big cat,' said Mr Raynor. Barry Raynor, 65, set the camera up outside his home in Allington in an area used for releasing hedgehogs into the wild. Yet it was something much larger that triggered the device last month, and the driving instructor knew what it was straight away 'I wish I'd got a better nature cam that would've got a better image of it. 'But they're a lot more careful than we are.' The Daily Mail has previously pinpointed the big cat sightings in the UK in past 20 years, providing just a glimpse of the thousands of reports that date all the way back to the 1940s. And in the last few years these claims have become more and more tangible thanks to an increasing amount of solid evidence including new DNA evidence revealed earlier this year. While big cat hunters claim the wild beasts roam the countryside, others remain unconvinced with some accusing the evidence of being flimsy or in some cases even photoshopped. But that hasn't stopped rumours swirling in some circles, with one seemingly farfetched and as of today, still unconfirmed, tale suggesting one had taken down and killed a horse. As Storm Amy thrashes the country, many Brits will reach for the kettle to make a nice calming cuppa. But your favourite brew might taste slightly different, according to scientists with the bad weather to blame. Dr Simon Lee, an atmospheric researcher at the University of St Andrews, says Storm Amy will reduce the boiling point of our kettles. As any tea enthusiast will know, water usually boils at 100C (212F). But as Storm Amy hits on Friday evening and into Saturday, this threshold could fall to 'below 98C' (208F). Such a temperature does not extract the full flavour from tea leaves, so tea may taste a bit weak no matter how long the teabag is left in for. 'Temperature does affect brewing of both tea and coffee,' Dr Lee told the Daily Mail. 'Brewing temperatures for black tea are normally recommended to be around 98 to 100C, or "straight off the boil".' Dr Simon Lee, an atmospheric researcher at the University of St Andrews, says Storm Amy will reduce the boiling point of our kettles (file photo) Storm Amy, due to hit today, is described as a deep area of low pressure currently developing in the Atlantic Ocean. Scientists have already warned that Storm Amy could be a 'weather bomb', a phenomenon also known as 'explosive cyclogenesis'. A weather bomb is a rapid drop in pressure at the storm's centre, causing it to intensify suddenly and rapidly with especially violent winds, heavy rain and flooding. According to Dr Lee, the pressure around the north west of Scotland especially will likely be a record low for the time of year. Unfortunately for tea lovers, the lower the pressure of the surrounding air, the lower the boiling point of water. Essentially, the boiling point of a liquid is reached when the vapour pressure of the liquid matches the surrounding air pressure. So when air pressure is lower (as it is expected to be this weekend) kettles will boil faster but at a lower temperature 98C or perhaps even lower. Tea experts believe that water reaching 100C is essential for a decent cuppa, as water below this range is not thought to extract the full flavour from tea leaves. A weather bomb is a rapid drop in pressure at the storm's centre, causing it to intensify suddenly and rapidly with especially violent winds, heavy rain and flooding. Pictured, weather conditions in London on Friday The Met Office has issued an amber severe weather warning for Storm Amy over parts of northern and western Scotland. The amber warning indicates 'increased likelihood of impacts from severe weather' so travel delays, road and rail closures, power cuts and even potential risk to life and property. Meanwhile, a yellow warning has been issued for all of Scotland, and large parts of north and west England and Wales, from 3pm Friday to late night Saturday The Met Office have issued a yellow warning for wind for Wales as storm Amy passes over the UK this weekend. Pictured, waves crash against the harbour wall on September 15, 2025 in Porthcawl, Wales Boiling point, pressure and altitude As any tea enthusiast will know, water boils at 100C in the home but this is actually only the case at sea level. At higher altitudes where atmospheric pressure is lower (such as up mountains), boiling point decreases. So water will boil faster in a kettle at higher altitudes compared to locations further down nearer sea level. However, storms can bring low pressure to locations regardless of their altitude, making the boiling point decrease even at low altitudes. 'I think were probably less aware of this in the UK because we all pretty much live close to sea level, and so dont experience this effect often (only during extreme storms),' Dr Simon Lee told the Daily Mail. Advertisement Giles Harrison, professor of atmospheric physics at the University of Reading, explained that 'weather can have subtle effects'. Along with colleagues, he wrote about the effect in a paper following Storm Ciaran two years ago. 'Like many Britons, I need my morning cup of tea. Although I know that the boiling point of water varies with atmospheric pressure, I wasnt expecting a storm to take the boiling water temperature outside the recommended range for brewing decent tea,' Professor Harrison said at the time. The reverse effect extremely high pressure raising the boiling point of kettles was reported in 2020. Dr Lee called the phenomenon 'just standard physics', although the difference in tea quality may be too subtle for some people to notice. 'I dont think the effect is necessarily significant enough for anyone to really notice unless they are truly methodical with their brewing every time,' he told the Daily Mail. Dr Lee describes Storm Amy as 'a bit on the strong side' for the sort of storm we would typically see in early October. 'We expect the storm to intensify to a rate which is almost twice the threshold needed to be called an explosive cyclogenesis,' he told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme. There is still uncertainty about the storm's exact track and strength. The Met Office has issued this graphic of the three most likely scenarios from Friday Although there is still uncertainty about Storm Amy's exact track and strength, it is expected to arrive on Friday and batter western and northern parts of the UK throughout Saturday. The Met Office has issued an amber severe weather warning for Storm Amy over parts of northern and western Scotland. It means possible travel delays, road and rail closures, power cuts and even the potential risk to life and property. Meanwhile, a yellow warning for 70mph winds has been issued for all of Scotland, and large parts of north and west England and Wales, from 3pm Friday to late night Saturday. A dental surgeon who had achieved professional success felt a void in his life until a rare exhibition in Turin, Italy, changed everything. Dr John Sottosanti stood before the Shroud of Turin, the ancient linen believed to have wrapped Jesus' body after the crucifixion, when he noticed something few had ever seen: the faint outline of human teeth beneath the cloth's imprint. In a new, yet-to-be peer-reviewed study, Sottosanti revealed that he could discern the biting edges of the lower front teeth, known as the incisal plane. While past researchers have debated the presence of upper and lower teeth, he concluded that only the lower teeth are visible, likely because the upper teeth were hidden by the mustache and lips. 'Immediately after death, a phenomenon called primary flaccidity occurs, where all the muscles in the body relax, including those in the jaw,' Sottosanti explained. 'This can lead to the jaw dropping open and the teeth separating.' The detail, he said, is extraordinary: the lower teeth on the Shroud suggest the body emitted a burst of radiant energy at the moment of the Resurrection, powerful enough to imprint even the smallest anatomical features. 'Suppose teeth, located behind the lower lip, are indeed evident in the image on the Shroud,' Sottosanti said. 'In that case, their presence lends credence to the theory that a burst of energy was released at the time of the resurrection, allowing them to be in the image.' A dental surgeon says there are visible teeth on the Shroud. Dr John Sottosanti believes the teeth were a result of the resurrection just as the image of the human body However, not all experts are convinced by the conclusion. Dr Kelly Kearse, an immunologist who has extensively studied the Shroud of Turin, told the Daily Mail: 'The issue of visible teeth on the Shroud is a subjective one and has been around for several years. 'In my opinion, for what it's worth, I believe it is difficult to tell because of the banding of the cloth, which appears white in the negative image.' Despite the skepticism, Sottosanti cited multiple published papers noting tooth observations in the imprint. These included images taken in 1982 by archaeological chemist Dr Giles Carter, who suggested that X-radiation emanating from within the body may have created the Shroud's image, including teeth and bones. The study also highlighted the work of Dr Alan Whanger, Professor Emeritus at Duke University Medical Center, and his wife, Mary, who developed the 'Polarized Image Overlay Technique' to study the Shroud. By overlaying positive and negative images with a polarized filter, they claimed to see 20 upper and lower teeth, including roots. In a 2023 interview, New Testament scholar Gary Habermas said: 'You can see very clearly what appears to be teeth and roots You can see the roots through the hair and through the skin.' Several studies have suggested that teeth are visible on the Shroud, including one that claimed roots are also present The Shroud of Turin is housed in Italy and is only put on display for the public on rare events Sottosanti countered, saying: 'Habermas believes you can see all the roots of the upper and lower teeth. I disagree, since throughout the Shroud image, there is a melding of the image with the pattern of the weave. 'In the area of the lower lip, at a certain point as you move away from the crowns of the teeth, the weave becomes more prominent, and the vertical striations appear to be roots. These striations extend beyond the normal length of the teeth, so it is the weave, not the actual roots. Vertical striations are also visible in the cheeks, chin, and other areas of the image.' The dental surgeon said his expertise in oral anatomy and surgical experience allowed him to identify what he believes are parts of the lower teeth. He argued that these teeth appear lighter than the surrounding jawbone, suggesting the body's imprint captured even fine anatomical details. The 14-foot-long Shroud of Turin is touted as wrapping used for Jesus' body after the crucifixion, which shows a faint, bloodstained pattern of a man with his arms folded in front The discovery, Sottosanti said, is extraordinary: the lower teeth imply that at the moment of the Resurrection, the body released a burst of radiant energy powerful enough to imprint even the smallest features onto the linen. 'Suppose teeth, located behind the lower lip, are indeed evident in the image on the Shroud,' Sottosanti said. 'In that case, their presence lends credence to the theory that a burst of energy was released at the time of the resurrection, allowing them to be in the image.' The Shroud features a faint, brownish image of a five-foot, six-inch-tall man with sunken eyes, wounds on various parts of his body that match the injuries suffered during Jesus' crucifixion. More than 170 peer-reviewed academic papers have been published about the mysterious linen since the 1980s, with many concluding it is genuine. A 1980 study tested a small corner of the shroud and dated it to some time between 1200 and 1400. However, many researchers have suggested that the sample was a repair done centuries ago. The burial cloth has captivated the imagination of historians, church chiefs, skeptics and Catholics since it was first presented to the public in the 1350s. French knight Geoffroi de Charny gave it to the dean of the church in Lirey, France, proclaiming it as the Holy Shroud. A scientist has claimed that astronauts may soon uncover the remains of a long-lost human civilization that once lived on the Moon 50,000 years ago. Author and geologist Gregg Braden told podcast host Joe Rogan that evidence of this ancient city was kept from the public by the US and Russia during the Cold War. However, during the interview on Wednesday, Braden noted that emerging superpowers China and India plan to televise their findings once upcoming expeditions reach the lunar surface. The two nations are planning to broadcast their lunar missions using live feeds from mission control and cameras on their robotic landers and rovers, streaming on national TV, social media, and official space agency apps. China's robotic Chang'e 7 mission is set for 2026, while India's Chandrayaan-4 drone is now likely to launch in 2028, with manned missions for both set between 2030 and 2040. According to the scientist, who has written about the possibility of life on the moon and Mars, astronauts will discover archeological structures covered in languages that people will be able to recognize as being written by human cultures. 'The evidence suggests they're from us, from a time in our past, a cycle of civilization where we did great and beautiful things by working together until we destroyed one another through war, and that we're repeating that cycle,' Braden claimed. Braden has previously stated in books like Deep Truth and Gaia TVs Missing Links that humans on the moon came from a long-lost Earth civilization 50,000 years ago, which developed space-faring technology before destroying itself in war. Author and geologist Gregg Braden has claimed that there are ancient structures on both the moon and Mars which prove lost human civilizations traveled through space NASA has not conducted a manned moon mission since 1972. Braden said the next ones conducted by other nations could televise their findings in real time Current scientific data, including NASA's Lunar Sample Compendium and high-resolution images taken of the moon, show no evidence of artificial structures or inscriptions on the moon. Braden claimed that photographs from NASA's Clementine mission revealed structures on the moon with 90-degree angles, which he argued don't exist in nature and suggest they were built by an ancient civilization millennia ago. He linked these lunar structures to similar geometric shapes in Mars' Cydonia region, like the famous 'Face on Mars' and several pyramid-shaped forms, which he believes date back 50,000 years ago based on the relative dating of rock layers by scientists. NASA has dismissed claims that there are structures on Mars, calling strange building-like images 'natural formations.' As for what proof he had of this world-changing theory, Braden cited unconfirmed stories from Apollo astronauts who allegedly saw structures and writings while visiting the moon, suggesting a cover-up by NASA and Russia 50 years ago. Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin allegedly witnessed a large UFO or metallic structure on the Moon's far side during their 1969 mission, with radio transmissions describing it as a "base" before NASA abruptly cut the signal. The unverified encounter was recounted in conspiracy literature like the 2001 book Dark Moon: Apollo and the Whistle-Blowers by Mary Bennett and David Percy. Anita Mitchell, who was married to the late NASA pilot Edgar Mitchell, the sixth man to walk on the moon in 1971, told the Daily Mail: 'He always felt that there were UFOs out there, because so many of the pilots and astronauts had seen something.' Gregg Braden claimed that astronauts have made deathbed confessions of what they really saw on the moon, including ancient buildings and inscriptions (Stock Image) 'I think when our space program was active, there were broadcasts from the lunar surface that were cut off, and astronauts had seen things that they were not allowed to see and not allowed to share,' Braden claimed during the podcast. 'Some of them are leaving this world now, and on their deathbed, they can't believe that this hasn't been made, made public already. So there have been recordings and videos and things, and I think they're authentic,' the author continued. 'They're going to see inscriptions in languages that we already recognize. And that will be the smoking gun,' Braden declared. Braden and Rogan argued that there was even more evidence suggesting human history may extend beyond the conventional 200,000 to 300,000-year timeline, citing discoveries like a debated million-year-old skull from China. The fossil has been linked to the extinct species known as Denisovans, suggesting modern humans or our close relatives existed far earlier than records have shown. A recent discovery of ancient skull suggested that Homo sapiens began to emerge over one million years ago, pushing back our species' origins by 400,000 years Study author Chris Stringer, an anthropologist at the Natural History Museum, said the 'landmark' findings offered an important window into our evolutionary past. 'Fossils like this one just show how much we still have to learn about our origins,' he said. Other DNA studies of ancient humans have also revealed that modern humans interbred with Neanderthals and Denisovans, pointing to a more complex and potentially older human race than previously thought. Braden claimed that, during this ancient time in history, human genes were intentionally modified by an unknown event that propelled humanity to become advanced beings. He highlighted the 2005 study of human chromosome 2, which carries genes that help control many body functions, like brain development, vision, hearing, and immunity. While scientists have attributed its creation to a natural mutation, chromosome 2 has displayed a strange fusion of two ancestral chromosomes that have the signs of modern gene editing. 'The kicker is that we can now look at the DNA and reverse engineer it and say, what did it take to get where we are?' Braden said, calling the evidence of advanced ancient humans 'the smoking gun.' Agents rushed to a West Texas farm Thursday morning after a massive balloon from space crash-landed in a crop field. The balloon, part of a NASA research mission, came down on farmland in Hale County near Edmonton, catching residents by surprise. Residents Hayden and Ann Walter were among the first to spot the object, describing it as a large parachute-like balloon floating silently above their property. Ann Walter called the Hale County Sheriff's Office, which confirmed the object was part of an unmanned high-altitude NASA experiment. 'They thanked me for informing them because a NASA team was already trying to locate and retrieve their equipment,' she wrote on Facebook. 'I was blown away by the comment.' A team from NASA's Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility (CSBF), led by a man identified only as Garrison, quickly arrived at the farm to secure the balloon. Walter said Garrison explained the purpose of the high-tech equipment: it ascends to the edge of the atmosphere, allowing telescopes to capture clearer images of stars, galaxies, and black holes. She told Daily Mail that the crew arrived and quickly went to work, 'packing everything up within an hour.' The cause of the balloon's sudden descent is unknown. The incident comes amid a government shutdown that has left many NASA offices empty, raising questions about how quickly such high-altitude missions can be monitored. A local family ran to the crash site, finding damaged NASA equipment lying in the dirt The family first spotted what they thought was a balloon soaring over the skies, but later learned it was a parachute The balloon had carried its payload to roughly 120,000 feet, hovering high into Wednesday night while gathering critical scientific data for researchers in Lowell, New Mexico. The unexpected landing turned a routine research mission into a dramatic event for the local community, who watched history quite literally fall from the sky. The Daily Mail has contacted Walter for comment. Walter recounted that her husband, Hayden, had stepped outside Thursday morning to start their truck when he shouted for her to come see something unusual. 'I was like, 'Oh my gosh, what?' Walter said. 'We both saw this parachute-like balloon floating in the sky.' The couple snapped photos and videos before returning to their morning routine, but Hayden soon realized the balloon had disappeared from view. 'He said he believes it landed somewhere nearby,' Walter added. After contacting Garrison from NASA's Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility, Walter was able to inform him that the equipment had come down on a neighbor's farm, allowing the team to coordinate its recovery. 'Hayden was able to contact Garrison and drop a pin so they could find where they were,' she said. Ann Walter (left) called the Hale County Sheriff's Office, which confirmed the object was part of an unmanned high-altitude NASA experiment. The research equipment featured a NASA sticker, along with one from the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Lowell, which appears to have developed and launched it Walter said she just started training for a new job, but called out to not miss this 'once-in-a-lifetime' experience 'The team showed up and started putting everything up. Currently, I'm in training for my job, and I reached out to my instructor and stated, "I'm sorry, I have to go check this out," and explained the situation. 'They gladly let me go, so I could see the equipment and experience this once-in-a-lifetime situation.' Garrison explained that the equipment 'hung around Clovis and Portales for a while, and then early [Thursday] morning, the wind changed,' and it landed in Texas. The telescope is known as 'PICTURE-D,' weighing 1,500 pounds and measuring 14 feet long by four feet wide. The project is funded by a $7 million, five-year grant from NASAs Astrophysics Research and Analysis Program to UMass Lowell. A terrified caller implores first responders to 'please hurry, she's bleeding' in harrowing 911 calls reporting the murder of a Ukrainian refugee on a North Carolina train. The dispatches were obtained just over a month after Iryna Zarutska was fatally stabbed as she rode a commuter train in Charlotte. 'A man just f***ing stabbed this woman for no reason. I was standing right beside her,' one man said during a three-minute call on August 22. 'Please hurry, shes bleeding. Shes bleeding a lot.' SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO Frenzy: For the first time, 911 calls reporting the brutal murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska (pictured) have been released Bright future: Zarutska, who came to the United States in 2022 after Russia invaded her country, was senselessly killed on train in Charlotte, North Carolina The recordings were obtained by the New York Post just over a month after prosecutors say DeCarlos Brown Jr, 34, repeatedly stabbed the 23-year-old woman with a pocket knife from behind aboard a Lynx Blue Line train. Another caller, when asked if he needed firefighters or police, responded: 'Police, man. This girl just got stabbed on the train.' 'I think she's dead, man,' he added as sirens could be heard in the background. 'The firetrucks just got here but there's no police presence, and the guy that did it is standing over here on the ramp.' Another person told the dispatcher that Zarutska who came to the United States in 2022 to flee the violence in Ukraine after Russia's invasion was 'not responsive.' She added that bystanders were trying to stop the bleeding by putting pressure on her wounds. 'This lady just got stabbed. There is a lady on the ground with a lot of bloodwe didnt see it,' the caller said. The train's security cameras captured the suspect, identified by police as Brown, jumping out of his seat and stabbing Zarutska three times. Video then shows Zarutska curled up with her knees against her chest and her hands over her mouth while she looks up at her attacker. About 15 seconds later, she fell to the floor. Brown, a career criminal with diagnosed schizophrenia, was then allegedly seen walking through the train as his knife was dripping with blood. Brown was arrested on the train platform several minutes after the fatal attack and was later taken to a hospital so he could be mentally evaluated. He is now in jail awaiting trial for first-degree murder charge at the state level. He also faces a federal charge of causing death on a mass transportation system. Both crimes can be punished with life in prison or the death penalty. The senseless nature of Zarutska's murder, plus the fact that Brown had been released after a misdemeanor charge months before the crime, has made it a political flashpoint for Republicans and the Trump administration. 'For far too long, Americans have been forced to put up with Democrat-run cities that set loose savage, bloodthirsty criminals to prey on innocent people,' President Donald Trump said on September 9 in an Oval Office address. 'In Charlotte, North Carolina, we saw the results of these policies when a 23-year-old woman who came here from Ukraine met her bloody end on a public train,' he added. 'A beautiful young girl that never had problems in life, with a magnificent future in this country and now she's dead.' Outrage: President Donald Trump holds up photos of Zarutska, the suspect and the attack itself during a September 9 Oval Office address Career criminal: DeCarlos Brown Jr, 34, has spent most of his life in and out of prison. He was put behind bars for five years in connection with a 2014 armed robbery The Daily Mail was the first to report that Brown told his sister, Tracey, on a jailhouse phone call that he believed the government had planted foreign 'materials' into his brain and they had been in control of his actions when he pulled the knife on Zarutska. In the audio recording from the afternoon of August 28, Brown said: 'I hurt my hand, stabbing her. I don't even know the lady.' 'I never said not one word to the lady at all. That's scary, ain't it. Why would somebody stab somebody for no reason?' He added he wanted police to 'investigate' the 'materials' which were 'controlling' him, while referring to the attacker in third person. Brown has spent most of his life in and out of prison. He was put behind bars for five years in connection to a 2014 armed robbery. He was released in September 2020 and went right back to his old ways. His most recent arrest before Zarutska's killing came on January 19 when he was taken into custody for 'misuse of the 911 system.' He called the authorities while police were conducting a welfare check on him. He made the call to 911 because officers told him there was nothing they could do about the 'man-made' material in his body he claimed was controlling his every move. This is exactly what he told his sister while he was behind bars. 'I strongly feel like he should not have been on the streets at all,' Tracey said. 'I'm going to be honest. 'I'm not blaming anyone for his actions, except for the state. I'm blaming the state for letting him down as far as seeking help.' A lucky few can still get their hands on tickets to Lapland UK, the luxe Christmas attraction beloved by stars including Elton John, The Beckhams and The Prince and Princess of Wales - but they'll need deep pockets. Tickets for the yuletide experience, which takes place in faux snow-dusted Whitmoor Forest in Ascot - and this year also in the brand's newest location, a festive-looking forest around Cheshire's regal Capesthorne Hall, have sold like hotcakes since first going on sale in the spring. The popularity of this glossy day out, which sees children making their way through an 'Enchanted Forest', making gifts in a Toy Factory and decorating gingerbread in Mother Christmas' kitchen before meeting the man himself, has soared in recent years - but so have the prices. Despite there still being nearly three months - or 83 sleeps - left until Christmas Day, there are just a few slots left available for the 'magical' day out, which uses Hollywood set designers to create an authentic winter setting - but parents might wince at the price. A four-hour 'Golden Experience' tour, which includes a personal guide, private access to activities, lunch and priority seating for performances, sees those who wilt in the face of festive pester power asked to part with 299 per person, and that's for a weekday in November when the vast majority of children are at school. Keen to go closer to the 25th? It's 399 per person, rising to 599 per person for weekends and weekdays after December 12th. Children under one are free, but as soon as a baby marks its first birthday, the cost leaps to the standard ticket price. Add in a booking fee of 19.80, and postage and packaging of 5.80 and a luxury afternoon at this festive Ascot outpost costs around 2,400. Since it first began in 2007, Lapland UK has become one of the UK's most popular festive attractions, and will open a new site close to Manchester this winter Celebrities including the Beckhams, Elton John and David Furnish and even the Prince and Princess of Wales are fans of the luxe brand - but critics say expensive ticket prices make the afternoon out unaffordable for most British families Much cheaper tickets are available for those quick off the mark in the spring, with December tours starting from around 95 per person for the standard experience, with early November weekdays from around 65. However, even at the cheapest price, a family of four will still pay more than 280 for a visit, almost double the price of a trip to a UK theme park, where tickets are around 30, and 2-for-1s are frequently offered. How does Lapland UK compare with a trip to actual Lapland on price? The cheapest return day trip the Daily Mail found was to Pajala in Swedish Lapland with Newmarket Travel. For 599pp for adults and 555pp for children, a family of four can enjoy a day trip on Friday December 19th from Leeds Bradford airport with a husky-sled ride, snowmobile experience and reindeer sleigh trip and Santa visit for 2,308 including return flights and lunch. Canterbury Travel has a more luxury option travelling to Finnish Lapland from Stansted on Sunday December 14th for 789 for adults and 699 for children - just over 2,967 for a family of four, with a dazzling array of Arctic snow activities, a hot lunch, a gift from Santa and flights and transfers also included. The 'Santapreneurs' behind Lapland UK, husband-and-wife team Alison and Mike Battle, a former teacher and hedge fund manager respectively, first opened the Ascot site 18 years ago in 2007, after spotting a gap in the market for a high quality attraction packed with authentic Christmas cheer. A day trip including flights and winter activities to Swedish Lapland comes in at around 2,308 for a family of four. An afternoon at Lapland UK in mid-to-late December can cost more for its premium Golden Experience package The year before they'd taken their own young son to meet Father Christmas at a local attraction, and had a dismal experience after being greeted by a Santa wearing a 'joke-shop' beard. After approaching the Forestry Commission, the enterprising couple set up the first incarnation of Lapland UK in Tunbridge Wells in 2007, selling 37,000 tickets in the first year. What do those who've been say about Lapland UK? Of 640 reviews on TripAdvisor, 361 describe the day out as 'excellent', with one happy customer saying their visit had seen her children 'absolutely blown away by the entire day'. Another added: 'Everything was so magical. My 10-year-old came away in shock that she had met the REAL Father Christmas as he knew about her.' Others baulked though at the price, with one writing: 'It was okay, we paid nearly a grand for a family of 5. Would I go again? No. Why? Overpriced for the experience we received.' Another warned: 'A nice day but dont believe the hype and dont expect value for money.' The Daily Mail has contacted Lapland UK for comment. A rival seasonal attraction, an immersive Believe! The Polar Express Experience, is heading to Manchester this winter, heading to the O2 Victoria Warehouse. Organisers say families can step inside the charming world of Hero Boy and Hero Girl's journey to the North Pole. The 'completely unique experience' runs from November 14 to December 31, with tickets ranging from 39.50 to 49.50. Differing from the classic The Polar Express Train Ride, the whole new attraction won't have any moving locomotives. Instead, passengers will immerse themselves into a walkthrough of the Polar Express world in a more 'hands-on environment'. Josh Baker, an associate producer for Plus Live, one of the companies running the attraction, tells the Daily Mail the experience would be 'one of a kind'. 'I don't think there are any other Christmas events like this. It's got something for everyone,' he says. Families can step inside the charming world of Hero Boy and Hero Girl's journey to the North Pole The brand-new immersive Believe! The Polar Express Experience promises to bring magic and enchanting moments to the O2 Victoria Warehouse Josh explains he is 'particularly excited about the set' and adds: 'We've been working very hard with Warner Brother to create a design that truly stands out'. Guests will start the experience in Hero Boy's bedroom and then step into a train carriage. They will then embark on a journey through 'magical landscapes' like the Caribou Forest, icy lakes. Beloved characters including Hero Boy, Hero Girl, the Conductor and Hobo will be on board to meet, too. What's more, guests will even be treated to a dazzling Northern Lights display, before ending at the North Pole. It has been crafted by Warner Bros. Discovery Global Experiences, Rail Events Inc., and Plus Live Events. The interactive experience will include hot chocolate, a cookie and passengers will receive the iconic golden ticket just like in the film. Children are encouraged to wear their favourite pyjamas and join in with the Pyjama Party. Flying through the air over a river might sound like a nightmare to some, but daredevils may be tempted by the exciting activity. The Bungee Jump Killiecrankie gives thrill seekers the opportunity to free-fall 40 metres (131ft) over the River Garry. Located in Highland Perthshire, Scotland, the experience is offered by Highland Fling Bungee and is priced at 89. Those brave enough to face their fears and take the leap will fly over 50mph off a jump platform and enjoy a few seconds of exhilarating joy before they are pulled back to safety by a cord. It's described as a 'safe and unforgettable adrenalin packed experience' and is run by qualified 'Bungee Jump Masters'. The daring activity uses the latest safety equipment and technology, and is the UK's first static bungee jump. Adrenaline-lovers can jump from the platform, which is suspended underneath the Garry Bridge and dive towards a stunning gorge as they swoop past trees and woodland. The creators of the bungee experience wanted participants to 'form a connection with an inspiring landscape through adventure and exhilaration'. The Bungee Jump Killiecrankie gives thrill seekers the opportunity to free-fall 40 metres (131ft) over the River Garry Located in Highland Perthshire, Scotland, the experience is offered by Highland Fling Bungee and is priced at 89 It's suitable for those from age 14, but anyone over 65 needs medical clearance. Thrill-seekers have to fit the weight requirements too, and must weigh between 32kg and 140kg. Anyone with medical conditions must check with their doctor while those who are pregnant cannot participate. The experience is available all year round and is described as one of a kind in the UK as it's the first permanent and purpose-built bungee platform that is located on a bridge in Britain. Plenty of videos have been uploaded on TikTok showing the daring jump, and in one clip, a man flips himself around as he flies down until the cord pulls him back. Other thrilling activities offered by Highland Fling Bungee include the Killie Zip Park, the Highland Swing, the Tandem Bungee Jump and the Blackout Bungee. Operations Manager Laurie Thomas previously told the Daily Mail the element that makes the bungee experience so terrifying is the feeling of 'falling into the abyss'. The Bungee Jump Killiecrankie has raving reviews on TripAdvisor from adrenalin-junkies who have experienced it first-hand. The experience is available all year round and is described as one of a kind in the UK as it's the first permanent and purpose-built bungee platform that is located on a bridge in Britain One penned: 'Brilliant experience! Staff are all very professional and knowledgeable and make the whole day enjoyable. 'Me and a friend did the bungee jump and can't wait to book the zipline next time!' Another said: 'Was given voucher as a Christmas present, really nervous about doing the bungee swing but all the staff were fantastic and really helped me feel a lot more confident in doing it. 'Absolutely loved it and had the most amazing day, I might even do it again!' It has been 200 years since the first steam-powered passenger train on a public line departed from a small, northern mining town. On September 27, 1825, 450 passengers piled on top of coal - in true northern style - for a 26-mile journey from Shildon to Stockton in the north east. It was a small but significant milestone, which led to rapid changes in the way Britain, and subsequently the world, lived, traded, travelled and communicated. The Stockton and Darlington Railway line was initially built to transport coal from mines in County Durham to Darlington. Though it was not the first railway, it was the first to incorporate the standard-gauge, steam-hauled features that would become the foundation of railways around the world. The train which took the famous journey was called the Locomotion No. 1. In Darlington, a holiday was declared and people travelled from all over the country, selecting different parts of the route to observe from. And two centuries later, history repeated itself. On September 26, a replica of the Locomotion steam engine once again ran along the original tracks between Shildon and Darlington as par of the 200th anniversary celebrations The steam engine, with three coal wagons and a passenger carriage, set off from the Locomotion Museum in Shildon, which is part of the National Railway Museum On September 26, a replica of the Locomotion steam engine once again ran along the original tracks. The steam engine, with three coal wagons and a passenger carriage, set off from the Locomotion Museum in Shildon, which is part of the National Railway Museum. The museum in Shildon is home to the original Locomotion No. 1 and provides in-depth information on the history of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. Organisers said the event attracted an estimated 40,000 spectators, including Prince Edward. Now, the Modern Tees Valley line that largely traces the route of the old Stockton and Darlington Railway is operated by Northern Rail. October half term is quickly approaching, but there are still plenty of bargain breaks to snap up and get away from the dreary UK. From the characterful streets of Krakow to sunny skies in Turkey, Brits can find affordable and fun trips as the weather begins to turn. Many seem to want to get away, too, as searches for flights are up 11 per cent compared to last year, according to Kayak. On average, a trip abroad during half term comes to 801 per person, but there are bargains to be found. Certain destinations are better value than others, and Krakow, Poland tops them all. Holidaymakers can bag a seven-night stay in a hotel and a return flight for 401 per person, on average, based on two adults sharing. Krakow has plenty to offer in the autumn months, it's still relatively mild and the city centre is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Hearty pierogi is easy to find and perfect for the cooler weather, and there are lots of cobbled streets to wander around. Certain destinations are better value than others, and Krakow, Poland tops them all Venice, Italy, doesn't cost much more either and comes to around 420 per person. Venice, Italy, doesn't cost much more either and comes to around 420 per person. Without breaking the bank, tourists could enjoy a canal-side spritz or tuck into local Italian cuisine. The third best-value trip, found by Kayak, is to Budapest, in Hungary at 461 per person on average. Visitors can head to the thermal baths, or explore the historic and characterful Old Town. Prague, in the Czech Republic, ranked fourth and still comes under 500 at around 481 per person. Meanwhile, Milan, Italy, came fifth and was priced at an average of 509 per person. Rachel Mumford, UK travel expert at Kayak said: 'This year, Brits are looking to balance value with adventure. 'Travellers are venturing further afield, with Marrakech, Toronto and Tokyo all seeing double-digit search increases for the half term. The third best-value trip, found by KAYAK, is to Budapest, in Hungary at 461 per person on average The best value trips for October half term Krakow, Poland - 401 per person Venice, Italy - 420 per person Budapest, Hungary - 461 per person Prague, Czech Republic - 481 per person Milan, Italy - 509 per person Malaga, Spain - 524 per person Istanbul, Turkey - 549 per person Luqa, Malta - 570 per person Athens, Greece - 578 per person Palma de Mallorca, Spain - 587 per person Source: Kayak Prices are the combined average of a return flight and a seven-night hotel stay, based on two adults sharing. Advertisement 'But, there are still savings to be found closer to home. Hotspots like Venice, Budapest and Krakow all offer seven-night stays for under 500 per person. 'Malaga and Palma de Mallorca in Spain are favourites for year-round sun, and both are ranked among Kayak's best-value one-week trips for the upcoming half term break.' Certain destinations are trending for October half term, too, like Granadilla in Spain which has an average price flight of 441 and has seen a 29 per cent increase in searches this year. Marrakech is also on the rise with a 27 per cent increase, with tourists considering warm evenings and local cuisine as a perfect escape from the UK. If you've ever dreamed of securing a lavish hotel room with a stunning view - all without paying the high-end price tag - two leading hotel experts say it's more possible than you might think. Seasoned reviewers Fiona Duncan and Mark C. O'Flaherty have shared simple and smart ways to boost your chance of getting a free room upgrade - starting with a simple phone call. Their top tip is to call the hotel directly before booking, with Fiona noting that too many travellers rely solely on online booking systems and miss out on the human touch. According to Fiona, who has spent decades visiting hotels across Britain and beyond, a friendly conversation with the hotel staff can go a long way. Politely asking if a better room might be available at check-in - especially if it's a special occasion - often pays off. Sharing an example, Fiona enacted: 'This is really cheeky of me, but if on check-in, you had one of your rooms with that amazing view, that would be so special to me and I would be so grateful if you could upgrade me to it.' Mark agreed that timing and charm are key to getting a more luxurious room, as he recalled being upgraded to a penthouse suite in New York simply because he arrived late, after the hotel had oversold standard rooms. He further noted that smaller hotels are also more likely to offer complimentary upgrades if they have availability, especially when they want to leave a good impression. If you've ever dreamed of securing a lavish hotel room with a stunning view - all without paying the high-end price tag - two leading hotel experts say it's more possible than you might think Seasoned reviewers Fiona Duncan and Mark C. O'Flaherty (pictured) have shared simple and smart ways to boost your chance of getting a free room upgrade - starting with a phone call He shared in The Telegraph: 'They want you to experience the best of the hotel. They're not going to shove you in the attic if all the other rooms are free. The pair also shared other insights into the changes UK hotels are now seeing - and what they hope to see more of. According to Mark, flexible check-in and check-out times are long overdue in Britain. While some hotel groups, such as Hoxton, have already introduced this, many UK properties stick to traditional time slots, which he believes could be rethought - especially in larger city hotels with adequate staffing. Fiona, on the other hand, expressed her frustration the decline of family-run hotels. She believes that the UK has lost a wealth of character and integrity in hospitality as smaller properties are bought up by large investment groups. When it comes to the debate of service versus facilities, the two experts share differing views. While Fiona values warmth, comfort and a personal touch, Mark leans more toward facilities - especially when visiting destination hotels where standout spas or high-end bathrooms make a stay especially memorable. According to the experts, politely asking if a better room might be available at check-in - especially if it's a special occasion - often pays off (stock image) Admittedly, both revealed they occasionally wish they could sneak a souvenir or two from rooms into their bags, from bespoke toiletries to glamorous miniatures to unique items like a James Joyce sundial statue once eyed up by Fiona in Dublin. It comes as travel expert Carmen Roberts has shared her sneaky hack to help guests avoid expensive mini bar costs in hotels. Many tourists reach for a refreshing drink from the hotel room mini fridge some without realising it may come with a high price tag. Most people will pay the bill at the end of their stay, but Carmen has revealed a way to avoid being hit with inflated pricing. A mother had to pay 1,500 after her son's backflip went wrong on holiday and the hospital wouldn't take her insurance. Rhiannon Dunn, 32, headed to Antalya in Turkey with seven-year-old Carlson Turner on September 1 after buying the trip for his birthday. However, the holiday took a turn when her son was having fun in the hotel pool and injured himself. Carlson backflipped into the water and hit his head causing it to split open and bleed. He ended up with a 1.5cm gash on the back of his scalp and hotel staff recommended Rhiannon take her son to Konakli Medical Center for treatment. Carlson had an x-ray of his skull, needed four stiches and was put under local anaesthetic. Rhiannon, a full-time carer from Cheltenham, had taken out 40 Superior Asda travel insurance but was dismayed to find the hospital refused to accept it. The mother-of-four claims she was left in a box room with her son until she found the money to cover the 1,532.27 in medical bills, and ended up calling a friend to transfer her the amount. Rhiannon Dunn, 32, headed to Antalya in Turkey with seven-year-old Carlson Turner on September 1 after buying the trip for his birthday However, the holiday took a turn when her son was having fun in the hotel pool and injured himself She also contacted Asda, who she claims were just as shocked to hear about the insurance policy not being accepted and the company apparently tried to talk to the hospital directly with no success. Konakli Medical Center Hospital has apologised for any 'distress' and insisted treatment is prioritised and 'never delayed' over insurance matters. It added that 'not all policies or insurers are accepted for direct cashless billing', and in those instances patients are expected to pay the bill. Rhiannon recalled the moment Carlson had the accident and said: 'He told me he'd hit his head, [then I spotted the blood] and started panicking. 'His cut was so wide open and deep, he needed stitches and to go to hospital. The wound was very deep and black and because he's a red head it stood out. After being moved into the room and informed they had to pay for the treatment Rhiannon said: 'I told the hospital we had travel insurance from Asda. It was a premium travel insurance with unlimited access as I know kids can be clumsy. 'I was more upset as you buy travel insurance for a reason and they wouldn't accept it.' She explained how Asda tried to help and added: 'Asda were shocked that they [the hospital] wouldn't accept it. Carlson backflipped into the water and hit his head causing it to split open and bleed 'Asda spoke to the Turkish hospital and the hospital still point blank refused to accept the travel insurance. 'We were [put] in an office box room until we paid up. Asda were very distressed with the hospital and said they tried everything they could. I was panicking and I was crying.' However, Rhiannon felt their holiday had been 'ruined' because Carlson could not get his head wet or use the water slides at the hotel. He also needed repeat doctor visits twice a day to change his dressings. Rhiannon added: 'I just want to warn other parents to check your insurance and what hospitals it covers. 'The hospital said they don't work with Asda travel insurance but Asda said they hadn't been notified that they didn't work with them. 'It's affected me financially as you pay for holiday insurance for a reason and expect to pay the excess [if you need to claim], but I've never known to have to cough up the whole amount. 'I want to raise awareness to other families to make sure they do thorough checks and to make sure the local hospital near to where you are staying is covered through your insurance.' He ended up with a 1.5cm gash on the back of his scalp and hotel staff recommended Rhiannon take her son to Konakli Medical Center for treatment The mother-of-four claims she was left in a box room with her son until she found the money to cover the 1,532.27 in medical bills, and ended up calling a friend to transfer her the amount Asda has since accepted the claim but Rhiannon says she is yet to receive any money. She added: 'Some families would not be able to afford what I had to pay [upfront], hence why travel insurance is bought for a reason. You pay for excess for a reason.' A spokesperson for Konakli Medical Center said: 'Firstly, we take all patient feedback seriously, and we are sorry to hear that Ms Dunn felt distressed during her visit. 'We work with many travel insurance providers; however, not all policies or insurers are accepted for direct cashless billing, particularly when there is no prior agreement or contract in place. 'In such cases, patients are generally required to pay for treatment and seek reimbursement from their insurer. This is standard procedure at many private healthcare facilities internationally. 'Our medical centre always prioritises the urgent care and well-being of the patient. Treatment is never delayed due to insurance matters. 'Once the patient is stable and treatment is complete, administrative steps regarding payment or insurance are handled. No patient is ever held against their will at our facility. 'Payment is processed in a separate administrative area from the patient registration desk. She also contacted Asda, who she claims were just as shocked to hear about the insurance policy not being accepted and the company apparently tried to talk to the hospital directly with no success 'Additionally, before any treatment is carried out, the full medical process and associated costs are clearly explained to the patient (or guardian), and informed consent is obtained prior to proceeding.' While Asda said they were 'surprised and disappointed' that the hospital didn't accept the insurance details but said they had now processed Rhiannon's claim. An Asda Travel Insurance spokesperson said: 'We are disappointed that Ms. Dunn had this experience on her holiday, and we wish her son a speedy recovery. 'Ms. Dunn's insurance claim has now been accepted and paid in full. We were surprised and disappointed that the hospital did not accept her insurance details, which was the cause of this problem and, had the hospital followed normal process, the challenges experienced could have been avoided.' Europe's green capital for 2027 has been revealed - and you might never have heard of it. Heilbronn, a city in southwest Germany, has been given the title. It was announced on October 2 at the European Green Capital Awards ceremony in Vilnius. The event aimed to bring together cities from across the continent to celebrate leadership in sustainability. As the 2025 title holder, Vilnius marked its year of progress and officially announced Heilbronn as the European Green Capital 2027. Plus, the European Green Leaf Awards - for smaller cities - will go to Assen in the Netherlands and Siena in Italy. Heilbronn was handed the crown based on top scores that the city received in air quality, water, noise, climate change adaptation and the circular economy. Heilbronn has shown its role in eco development through its 'Landscape Plan 2030' and the city's 'Mobility Concept'. Heilbronn, a city in southwest Germany, has been given the title Heilbronn was handed the crown based on top scores that the city received in air quality, water, noise, climate change adaptation and the circular economy Citizen engagement is central, with participatory platforms, awareness campaigns, and protection for quiet areas, the European Commission reported. The jury also recognised the city's ambitious targets for 2035, as well as the regional collaborations that Heilbronn has built to further improve air quality and noise reduction. Commissioner for environment, water resilience and a competitive circular economy Jessika Roswall said: 'The European Green Capital and European Green Leaf awards, each year, recognise cities that strive to be at the forefront of urban and environmental sustainability. 'Cities that simply put lead by example. 'I am delighted to congratulate Heilbronn, Assen and Siena for having been awarded these titles for 2027. 'This is both a recognition and responsibility you are our new ambassadors of the green transition.' In 2026, the European Green Capital title will pass from Vilnius to Guimaraes, Portugal. The Portuguese city will continue green initiatives and inspire communities to embrace sustainable change. After a close contest, Heilbronn emerged as the winner, earning the 2027 title After Vilnius and Guimaraes, Heilbronn is next in line. For 2027, the competition was fierce. It came down to Klagenfurt (Austria), Heilbronn (Germany), Siena (Italy) and Debrecen (Hungary). After a close contest, Heilbronn emerged as the winner, earning the European Green Capital 2027 title. Good Morning Britain's Kate Garraway and Adil Ray were left scrambling to console an emotional guest who broke down in tears discussing the horrifying Manchester attack on a synagogue. Emotions were running high as the presenter were joined by a panel of guests to discuss the latest news stories, including the attack that happened on Thursday. Armed police shot the knifeman outside Heaton Park Congregation Synagogue following a 'marauding terror attack' which took place on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur. On Friday morning, Melvin Cravitz, 66, and Adrian Daulby, 53, were named as victims of the attack, which also saw three others taken to hospital with serious injuries. Kate, 58, and Adil, 51, were joined by Jewish MP Luciana Berger, alongside political editor Ava Evans and political commentator Salma Shah. During the segment, Luciana, 44, opened up about the fear that is widespread throughout the Jewish community, who worried antisemitism would be 'amplified' in the wake of the events. Good Morning Britain's Kate Garraway and Adil Ray were left scrambling to console emotional guest Salma Shah as she broke down in tears The political commentator broke down as she opened up on her thoughts and feelings about the attack at the Manchester synagogue on Thursday She said: 'It is a genuine fear of people in this country on whether they have a safe place to live and I really wish that wasn't the case. 'It existed before today and I know it will be amplified in the wake of these horrific events and people being murdered in this country. 'This was an attack on British Jews, yes, we're Jewish, but I'm very proud to be British; this is an attack on Britain. 'We do have a responsibility to all minorities in this country.' Becoming visibly upset by Luciana's words, Salma broke down in tears and began wiping her eyes as she replied: 'I feel so upset about this entire sentiment.' After apologising for her showing her emotions, Salma continued: 'Luciana is a Parliamentarian, of course she's British, of course she belongs here. I'm so sorry.' Salma had be to reassured by Kate and Adil that she was allowed to show some emotion, and gave her a moment to compose herself. Looking glassy-eyed, Kate said: 'I think that's how we all feel, we don't want to be feeling this for any community this morning. Your emotions say it all, Salma.' Kate, 58, and Adil, 51, were joined by Jewish MP Luciana Berger, alongside political editor Ava Evans and political commentator Salma Shah Salma had be to reassured by Kate and Adil that she was allowed to show some emotion, and gave her a moment to compose herself Salma was seen reaching out for MP Luciana's hand as the pair consoled eachother. Instead turning their attentions to Ava, Kate asked if the political editor had any message for viewers who were watching from home. 'There shouldn't be any place for extremism in Britain, it is heartbreaking,' she said. Luciana added: 'It's not just about extremism, because extremism is the worst exposition of what discrimination can become. 'Actually, even low levels of discrimination and racism have an impact.' On Thursday, suspect Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, went on a six-minute stabbing spree leaving two dead and four seriously injured after crashing his car into the synagogue. Hero rabbi Daniel Walker barricaded worshippers inside the building after the suspect crashed into the gate and began stabbing 'anyone and everyone'. One witness described him moving from victim to victim in a 'robotic' manner 'like he had a job to do' - targeting 'anyone' wearing a Kippur. Salma was seen reaching out for MP Luciana's hand after getting emotional Salma admitted she 'felt so upset about the entire sentiment' of the attack The attacker, who was wearing a vest which looked like an explosive device, then tried to force his way inside before being shot dead by armed police at 9.38am. Greater Manchester Police said two members of the Jewish community died and four other people remain in hospital in a serious condition following the attack and confirmed a bomb disposal unit was sent to the synagogue. At 12.45pm a small bang could be heard from near the synagogue, suspected to be a controlled explosion. A senior security source, who for decades worked in armed policing, told the Daily Mail that the man's suicide belt 'looked real'. Greater Manchester Police said it had 'declared Plato' - the national code-word used by police and emergency services when responding to a 'marauding terror attack'. The Prime Minister addressed the nation following the attack. Speaking from Downing Street after rushing back to Britain from a summit in Denmark he lamented that Jews in the UK need round-the-clock protection outside buildings including schools. 'Today's horrific incident shows why. And while this is not a new hate, this is something Jews have always lived with, we must be clear, it is a hatred that is rising once again, and Britain must defeat it once again,' he said. The panellists shared their thoughts after the attack took place on Thursday on Yom Kippur Manchester has a Jewish population of more than 30,000, the highest in the UK after London. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch described the incident as a 'vile and disgusting attack' and called for the 'rise in antisemitism that we're seeing in our country' to be 'quelled completely'. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: 'I am appalled not only by this brutal attack, but also by the evil that lies behind it.' Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said he was 'horrified'. Rabbi Jonathan Romain, emeritus rabbi of Maidenhead Synagogue and current head of the Rabbinic Court of Great Britain, said he felt 'appalled' by what had happened'. 'This is every Rabbi's or every Jewish person's worst nightmare,' he said. 'Not only is this a sacred day, the most sacred in the Jewish calendar, but it's also a time of mass gathering, and the time when the Jewish community, however religious or irreligious, gathers together.' He added: 'This will obviously heighten the fears that many Jews have had, that political violence would spill over into religious hatred.' Good Morning Britain airs weekdays on ITV1 from 6am and is available to stream on ITVX. Married At First Sight UK's Sarah Gillanders and Dean Vary desperately tried to ignite their sexual spark on Thursday's episode after their body-shaming row - but it seriously backfired after she was slammed for flirting with the camera crew. The pair recently tied the knot moments after meeting each other for the first time down the aisle. While some of the couples in the experiment have gone from strength to strength with their sexual and emotional connection, Sarah, 31, and Dean, also 31, appear to be struggling. Recruitment consultant Sarah has made it clear in the last few episodes that she doesn't feel a sexual attraction towards team building host Dean - and sparked outrage after making a number of 'horrifying' comments about his weight. MAFS UK fans later praised relationship expert Paul C Brunson for tearing into 'rude and disrespectful' Sarah over her 'cruel' comments about her husband at the first commitment ceremony. During Wednesday's episode of the E4 programme, Sarah definitely made an effort with her new man and they decided to get a little closer. Married At First Sight UK 's Sarah Gillanders and Dean Vary desperately tried to ignite their sexual spark on Thursday's episode after their body-shaming row - but it seriously backfired after she was slammed for flirting with the CAMERA CREW. While some of the couples in the experiment have gone from strength to strength with their sexual and emotional connection, Sarah, 31, (pictured) and Dean, also 31, appear to be struggling After giving her husband a massage, Dean was in high spirits and said to the camera: 'I feel like this is a step in the right direction.' 'Ive been waiting a long time for this. Its been worth the wait.' Meanwhile Sarah said: 'I want to be Deans biggest cheerleader - I want for things to go in the right direction. But um, it was a bit funny, isnt it?' And while things appeared to be going well, Dean was left heartbroken when she made a move on one of the camera crew. At the start of Thursday's episode of MAFS, Dean explained what had happened. He said: 'We were doing really well. We had a blip. We had a massive argument.' 'I've put my foot in it again,' Sarah confessed to camera. Dean continued: 'A member of the crew came down when we were drinking, and Sarah said "Oh, if you were straight, Id be all over you". During Wednesday's episode of the E4 programme, Sarah definitely made an effort with her new man and they decided to get a little closer But on Thursday's instalment Dean showed how upset he was after his wife flirted with one of the camera crew 'Made me feel like, I dont know if shell ever feel that way about me. 'So last night, we had a massive argument, cos I was like, "Do you think youll ever fall for me?" 'She said "I don't know", and it did hurt.' 'I have learnt from that, I have been apologising to Dean today,' she said. It comes after Dean Vary broke his social media silence on his wife Sarah's 'horrifying' comments about him, after she was branded 'cruel' by the experts in Tuesday's episode. The team building host was paired with the recruitment consultant when the series kicked off last month, but Sarah has since made it known to viewers, and the other couples, that she isn't attracted to him. Along with suggesting that Dean needs to 'get tattoos and lose some weight' to ignite a sexual spark, Sarah openly complained at the dinner party that she 'didn't fancy' him, and saw his singing and impromptu rapping as 'over the top.' The experts then reprimanded Sarah for being 'disrespectful,' by talking about Dean behind his back, leading her to apologise to during the Commitment Ceremony. After the scenes aired, Dean shared a video on TikTok admitting that it was 'tricky' rewatching Sarah's comments about him. He said: 'Hello you lovely lot. I wanted to send a message to say thank you for all your kind words and support. 'A lot of you are saying don't change, be who you are and stay true to yourself. 'I can't lie, yesterday was a tricky one, it was tricky to watch, but your love and support has been very well received, and it has helped to put a smile on my face. 'I'm usually sunshine and rainbows all the time as much as I can be. Sometimes you can't be, but you try to be when you can. 'I know you guys are definitely helping to put the smile back on my face so thank you so much. 'I'd much rather be a care bear than a bad boy any day of the week, so don't worry I won't go changing who I am, and thank you once again for all the kindness and the love.' Dean finished his video by saying: 'There's too much meanness and not niceness in this world, so just keep being positive and happy, and keep smiling. 'Life at life before life laughs at you. That's what my granddad always used to say.' She's best known for her role as detective Vera Stanhope - but now, Brenda Blethyn has been spotted looking very different for an upcoming TV role. The actress, 79, who waved goodbye to the ITV character earlier this year, will get a glam new look for the Channel 4 drama, A Woman Of Substance. The new series is a remake of the broadcaster's most-watched drama ever, which is based on Barbara Taylor Bradford's best-selling 1979 book of the same name. The project was green lit by Channel 4 last year, after years of pitching and planning to bring back the 1985 series, which broke records for the channel. It tells the story of a servant girl who launches her own retail empire, becoming hugely successful but struggling with loneliness. Main character Emma Harte was previously played by Jenny Seagrove and Deborah Kerr, with Brenda taking on the iconic role in the reboot. Brenda Blethyn has been spotted looking very different from her ITV character Vera The actress, who waved goodbye to the ITV character earlier this year, will get a glam new look for the Channel 4 drama, A Woman Of Substance She joins Outlander star Jessica Reynolds in the role, who plays the younger version of character Emma, while Brenda portrays her later in life. And it's a far cry from her more stripped-back look as Vera, with Brenda strutting her stuff in chic white jacket and stylish handbag in a first look at the series. Her character also has an impressive bouncy blow dry, and big dark sunglasses. The new A Woman Of Substance series will feature eight episodes, with filming in Yorkshire already completed and a date for it to hit screens soon to be set. The show synopsis teases: '1911. Emma Harte, an impoverished ambitious maid in Yorkshire, England goes on a dizzying journey to become the worlds richest woman, gazing down from a sprawling luxury New York penthouse. 'A rags-to-riches tale of women through the 20th century, Emma defies the expectations of her society, fearlessly challenging the roles she's given, smashing glass ceilings, and never, ever deviating from her masterplan: Get to the top. Whatever it takes.' It comes after Vera came to an emotional end with its final series earlier this year. Inspired by the award-winning works of author Ann Cleeves, Vera has become a much-loved and acclaimed series since its debut in 2011. Brenda joins Outlander star Jessica Reynolds in the role, who plays the younger version of character Emma, while Brenda portrays her later in life The detective series is famed for its compelling storylines, mysteries and captivating performances. Oscar-nominated actress Brenda hung up her infamous trench coat and hat as she bids farewell to Northumberland and the North East in the final episodes. Brenda admitted she was sad to say goodbye to the beloved programme and recently how she felt shooting the final episode. She said: 'It was very appropriate that the last day of filming was scheduled to take place in the police incident room where so much of the drama has happened. 'I think our producer Will Nicholson contrived that incidentally, that is not where the final scene of the episode takes place.' She continued: 'You could hear a pin drop when we were filming. Then when I heard "that's a wrap", I was emotional. As, indeed, Vera would have been. 'There were a lot of people behind the cameras and at the end I thanked everybody. I said: "We're all as important as one another." 'I might be the one playing the title character, but it's only an ingredient in a great big pot. And all of the ingredients are necessary, everyone contributes to it, and it's the sum of all of those parts that made Vera a success.' Production on the Coronation Street and Emmerdale crossover episode has begun. Cameras for the one-off special - called Corriedale - started rolling on the production at the end of September, and the episode will air on ITV, STV, ITVX and YouTube in early 2026. Iain MacLeod, ITV Executive Producer for Continuing Drama, said: "Its beyond exciting that filming is underway on Corriedale. 'There is a massive buzz around both the Leeds and Manchester sites, and the images coming out of the shoot are utterly spectacular. 'And thats before weve even got to all the brilliant transpennine interactions between characters from the different shows! 'As a soap fan myself, I think my head is going to explode when the episode airs next year. Production on the Coronation Street and Emmerdale crossover episode has begun The villagers of Emmerdale, based in Yorkshire, will be joining forces with the fellow ITV cast 'It will be mind-blowing, historical and unmissable.' Corriedale will see the residents of Weatherfield - the fictional town in Salford, Greater Manchester, where Coronation Street is set - and the villagers of Emmerdale, based in Yorkshire, come together for an action-packed hour of drama. The combined production teams have embarked on an ambitious stunt that will have everlasting consequences for everyone involved. Details of the stunt and which characters are involved are being kept under wraps. However, Iain recently revealed that an iconic Coronation Street character will be killed off next year. He is quoted by the Daily Star newspaper as saying: 'The soap gods demand a sacrifice when you have an event of this kind. 'Sometimes the biggest and best exits are for characters that you care the most about. 'It's going to be shocking. There will be lots of trauma, drama and twists.' Corriedale will see the residents of Weatherfield - the fictional town in Salford, Greater Manchester, where Coronation Street is set, come together with Emmerdale Iain also suggested that the death is so significant that it has caused arguments between producers of the show. He said: 'There's always that equation where you think, 'If they were to go, the viewers will really care, but what damage will it do to the landscape of the show?' 'It's a big responsibility, so we do agonise about it quite a lot and argue about it.' The special marks the start of the new soap power hour schedule, with each show screening 30-minute episodes every weekday - Emmerdale at 8pm and Coronation Street at 8.30pm. It comes after it was revealed that Coronation Street's Denise Black is set to appear in yet another soap. The actress is best known for her role as Denise Osbourne, the former partner of Ken Barlow, in the long-running ITV series set in the fictional town of Weatherfield. Denise, 67, also starred in Channel 4 series Queer As Folk, written by Doctor Who's Russell T Davies, as Hazel Tyler, reprising her role in follow-up series Cucumber. While she also starred in rival ITV soap Emmerdale as Joanie, the adoptive grandmother of Chelsea Halfpenny's Amy Wyatt's son Kyle. Now Denise is heading over to the BBC, as she's joined the cast of school-based series Waterloo Road as its 16th season continues as new character Mo McManus. Coronation Street and Emmerdale air on ITV1 and are available to stream on ITVX. Vanessa Feltz's daughter Saskia was seen breaking down in tears as she joined her mother on her Channel 5 show to discuss the Manchester terror attack. Saskia, 35, who is a child anxiety therapist, was a guest panellist on the daytime show for a discussion about how best to speak to children about the news. She became visibly upset after mum Vanessa, 63, opened up on her and her families' experience as Jewish people in Britain after the news broke on Thursday. The grandmother revealed how two of her young grandchildren had been at their local London synagogue when the Manchester attack happened. It saw a community warning issued, and synagogue goers put on stab-proof vests in case they needed to protect themselves from an attack. Vanessa explained it had left the two children 'scared to sleep' as she trembled in front of the cameras retelling the story. Vanessa Feltz 's daughter Saskia was seen breaking down in tears as she joined her mother on her Channel 5 show to discuss the Manchester terror attack Saskia, 35, who is a child anxiety therapist, was a guest panellist on the daytime show for a discussion about how best to speak to children about the news Vanessa began: 'Before we get started with today's topics I did just want to talk about the events in Manchester yesterday, and the attack on Heaton Park Synagogue. 'Fifty-five year old Adrian Dolby and 66-year-old Melvin Kravitz were both killed when they came to pray on Yom Kippur, the Jewish faith's most Holy day, and three other people were hospitalised after the attacked rammed security barriers with his car before pulling out a knife and stabbing indiscriminately. 'In the last few hours, Greater Manchester police have said two of the victims were hit by police gunfire as they were trying to disarm the attacker. 'The reason I wanted to talk about this before we really get started, was simply because I can't see any purpose broadcasting if I don't do it from the heart and honestly. 'You may know, or you may not know, and you may care or you may not care that I'm Jewish, I come from a Jewish family, and I'm a Jewish person. 'I was born in Britain, and there are seven generations including my children and grandchildren born in Britain, I love this country, I couldn't feel more British, I'm British to my heart, soul, core. 'I love Britain with every fibre of my being and if I'm not British what could I possibly be - I've never lived anywhere else, I couldn't be more British to my soul and sinews. 'But I am Jewish as well, and yesterday what happened was such a terrible, terrible shock to me and to my family and I just thought I'd tell you how I feel about it and how my family feel about it. Saskia became visibly upset after mum Vanessa, 63, opened up on her feelings as a Jewish person in Britain after the news broke on Thursday Saskia had become visibly upset at hearing her mother explain what had happened to her family members 'In a way, not a surprise, because antisemitic incidents have increased by 117% in the last two years, that means for every 1,000 Jewish people in this country, and there are 230,000 Jewish people in this country, the chances are that of every thousand, 12 people would've experienced some kind of attack or incident. 'It did happen to me too when I came out of my work at LBC and I walked into a pro-Palestinian march and someone started screaming over the tannoy "Vanessa Feltz fascist Zionist scum". 'I'm a 63-year-old grandma, and I look round and there's a guy chasing me. Pretty terrifying actually, but I'm absolutely fine. 'Yesterday was this feeling that Jewish people, on the holiest day of the year who were simply walking to synagogue, and for that fact that you're Jewish and walking along in this country we're pleased and proud to be part of, there is a person who wanted to kill you for doing that.' Vanessa continued: 'I'll just say what happened to my family - all of whom were in the synagogue yesterday, two of my grandchildren, aged nine and 11, were in synagogue with their father and suddenly, into the synagogue service bursts this announcement over community security radio saying there's been a terror incident. 'My son-in-law and all the other men in the congregation stood up and put on stab vests, out rushes my son-in-law and all the other men, the children still inside the synagogue. 'In the night last night, my grandchildren were unable to sleep because of the feeling of it - and I just want to say I identify so strongly with anybody else who feels under threat because of their race, religion and the colour of their skin. 'If you think I'm trembling, I am trembling, and I'm sorry to take up your time talking about this but I just couldn't think of any other way of behaving.' The grandmother revealed how two of her young grandchildren had been at their local London synagogue when the Manchester attack happened Vanessa than introduced the first topic, which centred around how parents can talk to their children about terror attacks taking place. It was then the camera panned to Saskia, who had become visibly upset at hearing her mother explain what had happened to her family members. She told viewers of the Channel 5 shows: 'I'm also very emotional, so I hope I won't get too upset while talking about it.' Explaining how best to speak to children about the attacks, Saskia continued to hold back tears as she opened up on her own personal experience of the 'horrifying' events. While in the car, Saskia's six-year-old son had begun making noises over the sound of the car radio while the mother-of-two was busy packing their bags to protect his younger sister, aged three, from hearing about the attacks. Saskia explained: 'He knows they're Jewish, he didn't want her to hear there had been attack on Jewish people so he was trying to cover the information on the radio.' Starting to cry, she continued to explain how easy it is for children to 'mishear' or 'misunderstand' information, and what to do to explain attacks in a way they can understand. Saskia said: 'What we want to do is make sure they know this isn't a regular occurrence, and that they are safe and even though this horrible thing has happened they are going to be okay and don't have to worry about it in their daily lives.' Vanessa airs on Channel 5 on weekdays at 12:30pm. Kimberly Friedmutter calls herself a hypnotherapist - but the eight secret billionaire families and the celebrities on her client list who come to this $6million zen sanctuary in the hills above Las Vegas for a five-day 'rewire' keep her on retainer as a kind of global fixer. Troubled children of the superrich who have lost their way with substance abuse and other addictions are sent to Friedmutter, 62, for her five-day intensive that involves 'downloading' their issues and reconfiguring their subconscious as if she's updating a toxic operating system. 'Parents are sending them in droves,' she told the Daily Mail. 'They come in after months of using ketamine, Xanax and THC vapes. They do five days and leave without the substances and alcohol. That's the goal.' Celebrities ranging from Jackie Siegel, the so-called 'Queen of Versailles,' and David Hasselhoff to Clayton Echerd, the star of season 26 of The Bachelor, among many others she can't name for confidentiality reasons, also make the pilgrimage to the desert because, as Friedmutter says, 'believe it or not they have the same problems of a lot of us.' Her big-name celebrity supporters include Sharon Stone, Jennifer Hudson, Martha Stewart, Mike Tyson, Quincy Jones, George Lopez and two time World Series of Poker champion Jennifer Harman. Her pitch is simple and fast: five days, no medication, minimal talk and a promise of change. She charges $2,000 an hour or $50,000 for her five-day intensive. World renowned hypnotherapist Kimberly Friedmutter is known to treat A-list actors, top musicians, billionaires, CEOs and leading politicians Daily Mail got to witness Freidmutter at work at her $6million zen sanctuary in the hills above Las Vegas 'Hypnotherapy sets aside the critical mind so the subconscious can be rewired,' Friedmutter told Daily Mail. 'I treat the person, not the problem.' She is the author of the 2019 book, 'Subconscious Power: Use Your Inner Mind to Create the Life You've Always Wanted' and has been seen on reality shows like Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. But Friedmutter's work goes far beyond lulling people into a trance on the zero gravity chair in the lavish 15,000-square-foot estate called 'Shangri-Las Vegas' that she shares with her third husband, well-known architect Brad Friedmutter, who's designed some of the biggest casinos in the world. Friedmutter's eight billionaire families - one of which is the Siegel family - call upon her at any time of day or night for help from anywhere in the world with crises both personal and professional. Friedmutter says all the heads of the wealthy families she works with are self-made men and women who hire her to work across generations, from high-performing executives to struggling relatives. 'Some sessions happen with the family's medical doctor in the room,' she said. The glamorous hypnotist has been pictured with President Trump as well as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Kimberly is seen treating two time World Series of Poker champion Jennifer Harman, who has had major kidney problems, which led to two kidney transplants, also suffers from severe anxiety. She has been coming to Kimberly for seven years 'I'm brought in to treat everyone the granddaughter, the rogue uncle because they can't afford turnover or public drama.' She told Daily Mail about at least two recent situations in which two different families suspected that the patriarchs were being poisoned via some sort of food, drink, or supplements. Friedmutter said she didn't know what kind of poison was allegedly used only that she was part of the confidential response. Because her work can get complicated and veer into sometimes dangerous territory, Friedmutter has her own stable of private investigators and attorneys she can call on when a crisis among her high net worth clients might involve things of a suspicious nature. But her job just as often entails becoming as close to her wealthy clientele as an actual family member. Jackie Siegel, 59, best known as the subject of the 2012 documentary, 'The Queen of Versailles,' about the massive home she and her late billionaire timeshare magnate husband David Siegel built in Florida, began working with Friedmutter 15 years ago. Friedmutte keeps most of her high-profile clients confidential, but is known to be the personal hypnotherapist and mentor of socialite Jackie Siegel (right) also known as 'The Queen of Versailles' Friedmutter is the author of 2019 book 'Subconscious Power: Use Your Inner Mind to Create the Life You've Always Wanted Over time, Siegel said, Friedmutter has gone from professional contact to 'mentor, sister, guardian angel' - and proved invaluable as Siegel navigated the 2015 fatal drug overdose of her then 18-year-old daughter Victoria in 2015, the death of her 89-year-old husband in April 2025 and the drug overdose of her sister, Jessica Mallery, 43, three days after David's death. 'I keep her on speed dial,' Siegel told Daily Mail. 'She's been there every step of the way from when we lost our daughter to when I lost my husband and sister the year. 'She keeps me strong. She's like a magnet. She unites people and she creates solutions that help you get through the worst things that can happen.' But Friedmutter's calling card remains her five day intensive. Clients check in daily, typically starting at 10am and ending in late afternoon. It usually works out to be about 25 hours in total. 'It's like walking out of a cave,' she said. 'I have the map and the flashlight, but you're the one walking.' She says she guarantees results to families a confidence, she adds, that comes from picking cases carefully and staying in touch with weekly follow-ups she calls 'downloads.' Among the celeb clients who make the pilgrimage to her lavish 15,000-square-foot estate called 'Shangri-Las Vegas' for her services is Clayton Echerd, the star of season 26 of The Bachelor Daily Mail was invited to observe Friedmutter's session with Echerd, who reached out to her for help in overcoming the trauma he endured as a result of being falsely accused of impregnating a woman in 2023 Clayton Echerd of 'The Bachelor' fame arrived one day last week when Daily Mail was there to observe some of Friedmutter's process. Echerd, 32, who now works as a real estate broker in Scottsdale, Arizona, went through a public nightmare beginning in 2023 when an Arizona woman, Laura Owens, lied about being pregnant with his baby after a one-night stand in which she admitted they never had actual intercourse. Echerd's name was cleared when Owens was indicted on seven felony counts of fraud, perjury, and forgery in May in a case involving at least two other men and she will go on trial early next year. Echerd told the Daily Mail the trauma he endured as a result of the false accusations was one reason he reached out to Friedmutter for help as he plans to resume his side career as a mental health advocate and public speaker. 'Clayton wants to be seen as a serious person. I want to look at any of his self-sabotaging behaviors and lock in better behaviors,' said Friedmutter. 'Clayton is ready to launch. He's hungry for it. I'm going to get him there.' Friedmutter said one of her most successful clients that will allow her to go public is 'Baywatch' star David Hasselhoff who struggled with alcoholism for years. She said part of his change involved separating himself from 'The Hoff,' the hard-party persona he created. 'There were three of us in the room David, the Hoff, and me,' she said. 'We had to split the character from the man.' Friedmutter has firsthand knowledge of the kind of trauma she sees in her clients. As a child in San Antonio Texas, her schoolteacher mother was physically abusive - often coming into Kimberly's room at night and choking her. 'My mother, as lovely as she was, and as hard as she tried, you know, to get me on my way was extremely abusive,' Friedmutter said. Friedmutter's first marriage was in 1985 to 1987 to Charles Vallow (left) who was later murdered by his second ex-wife Lori Vallow (right) in 2019 'I mean, abuses that nobody should see or endure, and physical, mental, all of it. She would choke me in the night like just about every night.' Her mother, though, helped her get her start in modeling by pushing her to move to Manhattan at the age of 14 where she joined the Ford modeling agency. She was then sent overseas where she said she lived on her own with other young models in various apartments in places like Paris, Milan and Hamburg, Germany. Her first husband, who she married at age 19 in Texas, was Charles Vallow, who was later killed as part of the VallowDaybell doomsday murders in 2019. Charles Vallow later married Lori Vallow Daybell who was convicted of conspiring to kill him earlier this year. Friedmutter eventually wound up in LA where she worked as a TV and film actress before segueing into talk radio and found her way into neurolinguistic programming and hypnosis to help her deal with her anxiety with public speaking and performing. She chose to remain childless, she said, because she feared how she would do as a mother because of being abused herself by her mom. She said she's found true happiness with her current husband Brad, whose design of Vegas' Cosmopolitan Hotel can be seen in the distance from poolside at 'Shangri-Vegas.' Friedmutter uses a lot of neuro-linguistics in her practice which involves listening to how clients describe their problems so she can locate the 'build' of a habit. Then she scripts new language, rehearses it in trance and waking states, and pairs it with movement and touch. But Friedmutter says not everyone qualifies to be her client. 'If someone's lying in the interview or chasing therapists to prove they're 'unfixable,' I say, 'not right now.' Fans may remember him as Home and Away's resident bad cop Dylan Carter. But almost ten years later, Jeremy Lindsay Taylor has returned to the soap show as a different blue heeler. It was revealed last year that Jeremy would be playing the character of Sergeant David Langham, a newcomer police officer from Yabbie Creek. Jeremy seemed to slip back into the uniform with ease as he returned to Summer Bay. He was seen filming scenes for the upcoming 39th season on Sydney's Northern Beaches on Wednesday. Rocking the silver fox look, Jeremy flaunted salt and pepper slicked back hair while dressed head-to-toe in police attire. Fans may remember him as Home and Away 's resident bad cop Dylan Carter, but almost ten years later, Jeremy Lindsay Taylor has returned to the soap show as a different blue heeler It was revealed last year that Jeremy would be playing the character of Sergeant David Langham, a newcomer police officer from Yabbie Creek The 52-year-old could be seen enjoying an off-camera moment as he sipped on a takeaway coffee and saved a muffin for later while walking around set. Jeremy's new role is a far cry from his original character on the soap. He previously played Dylan, a secretive, corrupt policeman whose ulterior motives and sly demeanour saw him fired from the force. He was eventually killed in prison, ending Jeremy's storyline on the show in 2019. Jeremy's new role as a straight-shooting cop who seemingly has good intentions, a clean record and a lot of heart, is gearing him up to be a fan favourite. Jeremy rose to fame in the iconic '90s soap Heartbreak High. The Sydney-sider had a long-running role as sporty, good-looking student Kurt Peterson between 1997 to 1999, marking the beginning of a long career on the screen. The teen drama tackled important issues, including racism, at the fictional Hartley High, and ran for five years on Channel 10 and the ABC. Jeremy seemed to slip back into the uniform with ease as he returned to Summer Bay Rocking the silver fox look, Jeremy flaunted salt and pepper slicked back hair while dressed head-to-toe in police attire He was seen filming scenes for the upcoming 39th season on Sydney 's Northern Beaches on Wednesday Jeremy's new role is said to be a far cry from his original character on the soap, Dylan Carter (Jeremy as Dylan Carter) Jeremy as Kurt Peterson in Heartbreak High It launched the careers of Ada Nicodemou, who also has become a staple on Home and Away, and Callan Mulvey, among others. Fans are gearing up for the next season of Home and Away after the 38th instalment's finale soared in the ratings and broke hearts across the country. The heart-wrenching episode saw the Summer Bay residents say goodbye to one of the show's most beloved characters. Irene Roberts, played by Lynne McGranger, made an emotional farewell as she headed off to see the world after learning that she has Alzheimer's disease. Viewers watched with distress in the lead-up as McGranger's character, known for her sharpness, suffered memory loss. In her exit storyline, Irene left her life in Summer Bay to travel the world, 'while she still can'. In March, it was revealed that McGranger had filmed her final scenes as Irene on Home and Away, with the series sharing moving scenes from her last day on set. The 72-year-old has been a Home and Away fan favourite for three decades, playing the character of 'Aussie battler' Irene. The actress, who won the Gold Logie at this year's 65th Awards, announced her departure from the show earlier this year. Paris Hilton stunned in a little black dress as she joined Iris Law at the Isabel Marant catwalk during Paris Fashion Week on Thursday. The hotel heiress, 44, looked incredible in lace tights as she was seen alongside Iris at the glitzy event. Paris stepped out in black tights, which she layered under a black mini dress featured a black and white polka dot shawl and pearl detailing. She toted around her belongings in a black leather handbag and slipped into a pair of black pointed stilettos. To accessorise, Paris wore an array of chocker necklaces, silver chain earrings and elbow-length dress gloves. Meanwhile, Iris added a pop of colour to the event as she cut a casual display in an oversized red plaid shirt dress. Paris Hilton, 44, stunned in a little black dress as she joined Iris Law at the Isabel Marant catwalk during Paris Fashion Week on Thursday The hotel heiress looked incredible in lace tights as she was seen alongside Iris (pictured) at the glitzy event Paris stepped out in black tights, which she layered under a black mini dress featured a black and white polka dot shawl and pearl detailing Iris completed her ensemble with black leather boots as she carried a red leather bag slung over her shoulder. She accessorised with two long gold chains, which she paired with chunky gold earrings. Paris Fashion Week runs from Monday, September 29 to Tuesday, October 7, with a host of stars expected to be heading to the French capital for shows. Designers including Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Givenchy will showcase their latest collections, while Victoria Beckham will present her always-anticipated show in Paris on Friday. Paris's appearance during Paris Fashion Week comes after she told the fall/winter issue 375 of I-D magazine that the press was often 'abusive' to her and her circle of celebrity pals. 'During the 2000s, the media was so misogynisticthey would target certain girls, and there was a small group of us that they would constantly berate and abuse,' said the Simple Life star. 'It was extremely difficult to grow up in that way, having those few people who controlled the media control our storylines.' The post used the headline Bimbo Summit over a photo of Lindsay Lohan, Paris and Britney Spears in a Mercedes-Benz in 2006 after a night of partying at The Beverly Hills Hotel. She toted around her belongings in a black leather handbag and slipped into a pair of black pointed stilettos To accessorise, Paris wore an array of chocker necklaces, silver chain earrings and elbow-length dress gloves Meanwhile, Iris (pictured with Fai Khadra) added a pop of colour to the event as she cut a casual display in an oversized red plaid shirt dress The image became an emblem of a misogynistic era of tabloid culture and reflecting back to the time, Paris said she was misrepresented. 'For so long, no matter what I did in my life, or how much I had accomplished, people only saw me as The Simple Life character, [...] I wanted to show that theres much more to me,' said the pal of Nicole Richie and Kim Kardashian. Paris has also spoken about being placed in a boarding school. 'Rebellious types slept on mattresses in the hall with the lights on and doors open, [...] Staff came along once in a while to poke us to make sure we were breathingor just becauseso I never really slept. 'I just drifted in and out of this weird, twitchy state of semi-consciousness,' added the perfume mogul. 'My body was constantly on the alert, wired to wake up the instant someone touched me. If I dozed off, I went to a shallow nightmare place, haunted by an icky awareness of being watched.' Robert Irwin has sensationally called out The Morning Show's Larry Emdur. The nature conservationist, who is currently competing in the 34th season of Dancing With The Stars US, was interviewed by Dean McCarthy following this week's 'hot' salsa with partner Witney Carson. 'You know Kylie and Larry?' Dean asked the 21-year-old while pointing at the camera. Robert didn't hold back, catapulting into a monologue directed at the Gold Logie winner. 'Larry Emdur. Larry bloody Emdur. The man, the myth, the legend,' he began. 'I'll tell you one thing Lazza, we're getting on a "Larry Emdur" tonight. One hundred per cent,' he told the camera, referring to the rhyming slang for 'going on a bender'. Robert Irwin has sensationally called out The Morning Show's Larry Emdur (Pictured L-R: Dean McCarthy, Witney Carson and Robert Irwin) Robert catapulted into a monologue directed at the Gold Logie winner (Pictured: Larry Emdur) When asked if he had any dance moves he could teach Larry for his next night out, Robert admitted that the breakfast show host needed no help. 'I couldn't teach him anything. I know the reputation. I know the stories, I've heard them all! So, mate, Larry, you've got that covered,' he quipped. This isn't the first time Robert has ignited a friendly feud with a Channel Seven star. Sam Mac has been engaged in a hilarious tiff with Robert since 2022 after the conservationist filled in for him on Sunrise while he took personal leave. At the time, Robert spoke about his new gig to co-host Natalie Barr and joked: 'Sam Mac, I am coming for ya!' Sam later called Robert a 'snake in the grass' and joked the reality TV star was trying to steal his job on the popular Channel Seven breakfast show. Fast forward to April, when the weatherman was trolled by fans of his 'nemesis' after the wildlife warrior stripped down to his underwear for a sultry Bonds photoshoot. Sam posted a hilarious clip to social media in which he was seen scrolling through several news stories written about Robert's steamy photos. This isn't the first time Robert has ignited a friendly feud with a Channel Seven star. Sam Mac (right) has been engaged in a hilarious tiff with Robert since 2022 after the conservationist filled in for him on Sunrise while he took personal leave He looked incredibly frustrated as he read headlines from Sunrise and Bonds promoting the smouldering ad campaign. The media star did not mince words in the caption: 'Stop sending it to me. Stop tagging me in it. Just let me live my life. #Nemesis.' Robert whipped his fans into a frenzy with another sizzling performance on Dancing With The Stars US. After wowing judges and fans last week with a pulse-raising tango, Robert and his partner Witney, 31, smouldered again on Tuesday night, this time with a hot salsa. This week's TikTok theme saw the couple dance to the viral 2024 Tommy Richman hit Million Dollar Baby. The routine began with Witney sitting on Robert's shoulders before the wildlife warrior guided her to the floor and into an embrace. The pair looked all business as they energetically swayed their hips, with Robert sporting a serious 'blue steel' look that would make Derek Zoolander green with envy. As the pair continued their sizzling routine, Robert dialled up the raunch factor another notch by ripping his shirt off much to the delight of the roaring crowd. Robert whipped his fans into a frenzy with another sizzling performance on Dancing With The Stars US This week's TikTok theme saw the couple dance to the viral 2024 Tommy Richman hit Million Dollar Baby Robert was not afraid to flaunt his envy-inducing six-pack, and the roars of approval continued until the routine ended. Judge Carrie Ann Inaba was obviously enamoured with the routine, and she wasted no time in gushing over Robert's performance. 'Robert Irwin is all grown up, wow, youre making me feel like a grandmother,' she said. 'Put your shirt back on. Great performance.' Fellow judge Bruno Tonioli agreed, likening Robert to fellow Australian gym enthusiast Chris Hemsworth. The pair did face some criticism, however, with Derek Hough criticising the routine as 'rigid.' 'Youre strong, assertive, a great performer but I wasnt fooled by them abs,' he said, which elicited boos from the audience. Robert and Witney walked away with an overall score of 22, meaning that they slipped into third place in the competition. Dave Chappelle was blasted for saying he had more 'free speech' to make jokes in Saudi Arabia while performing at the Riyadh Comedy Festival. 'Right now in America, they say that if you talk about Charlie Kirk, that you'll get canceled,' the comedian told a crowd of 6,000 people in Riyadh. 'I don't know if that's true, but I'm gonna find out.' The legendary comic was called 'soulless' and a hypocrite for performing in front of the Saudi royals and joking about Kirk. 'Dave Chappelle who went to Africa to avoid his show becoming a soulless grab for a millionaire and Dave Chappelle now are not the same guys,' wrote critic one. Others dared him to take on the likes of Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman for the brutal 2018 murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. 'Dave Chappelle should try telling a joke about MBS bonesawing a journalist and report back how that goes,' said Armand Domalewski. One reporter said: 'Saudi law makes it illegal to 'challenge[], either directly or indirectly, the religion or justice of the King or Crown Prince. Also illegal: 'any attempt to cast doubt on the fundamentals of Islam.'' Pollster Frank Luntz added: 'Dave Chappelle said its easier to talk here than it is in America at a comedy festival in Riyadh where comedians had to contractually agree not to tell jokes about Saudi leadership or religion.' Dave Chappelle shocked the controversial Riyadh Comedy Festival by saying he felt freer to make jokes 'targeting' Charlie Kirk in Saudi Arabia that at home in America The legendary comic said: 'Right now in America, they say that if you talk about Charlie Kirk, that you'll get canceled' Fellow performer Bill Burr confirmed on his podcast earlier this week that comics had negotiated with the government to make it so that they could say anything they wanted, except for 'the royals and religion.' Chappelle, who converted to Islam when he was 17, was apparently unmoved by any potential outrage. 'It's easier to talk here than it is in America,' he said. Chappelle even said he feared reprisal over material critical of Israel's response in Gaza to the October 7 terror attack. 'They're going to do something to me so that I can't say what I want to say,' Chappelle said. The audience appeared to take notice at the comedian's material. 'I found it so interesting to hear political jokes targeting Trump and Charlie Kirk,' one person in attendance said of the comic's set. The comic, who has often spoken of being canceled over his stances on transgender rights, also criticized the suspension of ABC's Jimmy Kimmel, The New York Times reported. Social media referred to the comedian as 'soulless' and a hypocrite for performing in front of the Saudi royals The festival - which has booked major acts like Chappelle, Louis CK, Kevin Hart and Bill Burr - has drawn the ire of many for taking the repressive Saudi kingdom's money while complaining of 'cancel culture' at home. Some comedians have pulled out of the festival or been removed by the organizers due to criticism of the Saudi government. Comedian Tim Dillon bragged he is being paid $375,000 for his appearance, and claimed some of his rivals were pocketing up to $1.6million. 'I am doing this,' he said, 'because they're paying me a large sum of money enough money to look the other way. 'A lot of people are doing it. They [the Saudis] bought comedy. So what? Listen, what's your problem? 'Well, they have slaves and they kill everyone...' Hey, get over it. Do I have issues with some of the policies towards women, towards the gays? Well, of course I do... But I believe in my own financial well-being and I always have.' Dillon, who is gay, was later dropped for making jokes about migrant workers in Saudi Arabia. Australian comedian Jim Jeffries was also removed from the festival after making critical comments on Theo Von's podcast. Bill Burr, who performed at the festival, defended his appearance and praised the atmosphere. The festival - which has booked major acts like Chappelle, Louis CK, Kevin Hart and Bill Burr - has drawn the ire of many for taking the repressive Saudi kingdom's money while complaining of ' cancel culture ' at home US comedian Tim Dillon bragged he is being paid $375,000 for his appearance, and claimed some of his rivals were pocketing up to $1.6million 'It was great to experience that part of the world and to be a part of the first comedy festival over there in Saudi Arabia,' Burr said on his podcast. 'The royals loved the show. Everyone was happy. The people that were doing the festival were thrilled. The comedians that I've been talking to are saying, 'Dude, you can feel [the audience] wanted it. They want to see real stand-up comedy.' It was a mind-blowing experience. Definitely top three experiences I've had. I think it's going to lead to a lot of positive things.' Burr said that the rules had been negotiated by the comics down to two taboos: 'Don't make fun of royals [and] religion.' Comedian and former Arrested Development star David Cross has lambasted the comics who chose to perform at the festival in an open letter. 'I am disgusted and deeply disappointed in this whole gross thing, that people I admire, with unarguable talent, would condone this totalitarian fiefdom for what, a fourth house? A boat? More sneakers? We can never again take seriously anything these comedians complain about.' The festival is taking place from September 26 to October 9, 2025, at Boulevard City in Riyadh. Bin Salman, Saudi Arabias de facto ruler, has been eager to rehabilitate his global image after the killing of Khashoggi, which U.S. intelligence officials accused him of ordering. Hes also seeking an economic revival for the kingdom to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, and the occasion was an opportunity to demonstrate that the floodgates for investment were open again. It's been 26 years since Thomas Ian Nicholas' quick rise to fame in the crude comedy film American Pie. Fast forward to now, the actor was unrecognisable when he appeared on Channel Nine's Today Extra on Friday, where he took to the couch alongside co-hosts David Campbell and Sylvia Jeffreys. The 45-year-old star, who was 19 when filming the coming-of-age flick, rocked a full head of curly hair that brushed his shoulders and fell across his forehead as he promoted his American Pie 2 Emo Night show. With a stubbled goatee and a few extra smile lines since his foray into Hollywood, Thomas wore a giant smile on his face as he spoke about his upcoming Wynnum show and his wild connection to Australia. 'Obviously, we know you from American Pie, but you are related to an infamous Australian,' Sylvia pointed out. 'Yes! My great-great-grandfather was Ned Kelly's uncle,' Thomas revealed. It's been 26 years since Thomas Ian Nicholas' quick rise to fame in the crude comedy film American Pie (Pictured: Thomas Ian Nicholas and Tara Reid) Ned Kelly is arguably one of Australia's most infamous bandits from the mid-19th century, who ran an 'industrial-scale' horse-stealing operation in Victoria. When asked if Thomas knew much about the notorious figure's history, he revealed that he'd done his share of research. 'I've learnt a little bit more because on my first tour when I came into the studio, I had a show in Melbourne [...] and so I went to the library where his armour was.' He added: 'And the second tour, when I was here in July, I went to the actual jail cell.' Thomas first rose to global acclaim portraying Kevin Myers in the 1999 runaway hit American Pie. He went on to reprise the role in the three subsequent theatrical American Pie releases, in what was to become a billion-dollar film franchise. Thomas starred alongside a stellar cast including Jason Biggs, Jennifer Coolidge, Tara Reid, Mena Suvari, Eugene Levy, Alyson Hannigan, and Seann William Scott. The comedy told the age-old story of a group of teenagers trying to lose their virginity before college, and Thomas knew the film was destined for blockbuster success. The actor was unrecognisable as he appeared on Channel Nine's Today Extra on Friday as he took to the couch alongside co-hosts David Campbell and Sylvia Jeffreys ahead of his American Pie 2 Emo Night show in Wynnum The now 45-year-old star was 19 when filming the coming of age flick 'It was in my contract,' he joked to Daily Mail earlier this year. 'Must do at least four films, maybe five, and it has to be a billion-dollar franchise otherwise I won't consider doing the first one.' The film took cues from the raunchy sex comedies of the 1970s, such as Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Porkies, and Animal House. Though it later won him over wholeheartedly, Thomas wasn't always convinced by the plot and initially threw the script in the garbage, thinking it was too crude. The first scene, which didn't make the final cut, initially saw Vicky (Tara Reid) instructing Kevin on 'how to move his fingers'. 'I'll let you put the rest together with your mind,' Thomas said of the moment. 'I threw the script in the trash, thinking it was just smut. I didn't understand it was a modern-day Porkies, and I love Porkies.' Thomas' role was originally offered to his high school friend Andrew Keegan, who turned it down to star alongside Heath Ledger in 10 Things I Hate About You. 'They came back to me and once I read the script properly I saw all of the heart that existed in the characters. It wasn't just a teen sex comedy,' he said. 'It was a real coming-of-age story that everyone could find someone to relate to, or know someone who was exactly like Stiffler.' Naomi Campbell and Shailene Woodley led the glamour as they attended the Roger Vivier show on Thursday during Paris Fashion Week. Supermodel Naomi, 55, looked chic in a bright orange two-piece suit, which featured a midi-length skirt and padded 80s-inspired sleeves. She added inches to her statuesque frame as she slipped into a pair of purple suede stilettos. Naomi toted around her belongings in a red clutch as she accessorised her look with large brown sunglasses. Meanwhile, Shailene, 33, left little to the imagination as she wore a black lace dress which she layered over high-waitsed black underwear. She paired her look with strappy black heels and acessorised with a maroon handbag and a beige trench coat. Naomi Campbell and Shailene Woodley lead the glamour as they attended the Roger Vivier show on Thursday during Paris Fashion Week Supermodel Naomi, 55, looked chic in a bright orange two-piece suit, which featured a midi-length skirt and padded 80s-inspired sleeves Meanwhile, Shailene, 33, left little to the imagination as she wore a black lace dress which she layered over high-waitsed black underwear It comes after Naomi said she had put her wild days behind her as she said she thinks of herself as 'just a mom' while opening up on motherhood. Naomi, who has two young children, is the face of fashion designer Tolu Coker's spring 2026 collection. Instead of stepping out on a catwalk for the project, Naomi and the brand broke with tradition for a cinematic short film which centered around motherhood and black womanhood in fashion. In the two-and-a-half-minute clip, Naomi shares an insight into her life away from the cameras as she explained how she raises her kids - a son and a daughter, who she welcomed via surrogate, in 2021 and 2023. She said: 'I'm just a mom. That's how I kind of think of myself today.' Naomi continued: 'Those who know me know that I have a childlike way about me. Those who know me also know that I'm shy. 'But those who know me know more than anything in the world is what I wanted to be was a mother. 'With my kids I am fun, but I'm measured in the sense of discipline. The moral standard of how I was raised in a West Indian Jamaican household.' She paired her look with strappy black heels and acessorised with a maroon handbag and a beige trench coat It comes after Naomi said she had put her wild days behind her as she said she thinks of herself as 'just a mom' while opening up on motherhood Naomi, who has two young children, is the face of fashion designer Tolu Coker's spring 2026 collection She added: 'I find myself saying things that my grandmother would say to me. 'I've been mothering for so many decades that it was time to mother my own people that are no longer here that wee a part of my career and they changed how the world viewed women and how we looked and they changed our minds too.' In a shoot to accompany the campaign, Naomi oozed class as she posed in a 70s style bedroom. Naomi dazzled in a white mini dress for one look, pairing it with white knee-height socks with pointed toe heels to match. Sean 'Diddy' Combs has been hit with sexual assault allegations from two additional victims - a man and a woman - in civil suits filed just one day ahead of his blockbuster sentencing hearing. The fallen music mogul will return to court on Friday to learn his fate after he was convicted of transportation to engage in prostitution. He penned a heartfelt letter to the judge asking to be given a second chance and released almost immediately, while prosecutors are urging the judge to impose a sentence of 11 years for his offending. But just hours before his big day, Diddy has been hit with two new lawsuits. According to TMZ, Lakeisha Ward and Dejoan Bledsloe, both represented by Tony Buzbee, have filed suits claiming they were sexually assaulted by Diddy. In Ward's suit, she allegedly claims Diddy drugged and sexually assaulted her at his Los Angeles home in 2018 after hosting a pool party. She claims she signed an NDA before entering the party, and felt dizzy after just one or two drinks. In the suit, she states she was escorted to a bedroom, where Diddy 'climbed on top of her and penetrated her.' Sean 'Diddy' Combs has been accused of sexually assaulting two new women in newly filed civil suits just one day ahead of his blockbuster sentencing hearing Diddy used to host wild 'freak off' parties and was separately famous for his Hamptons 'white parties' The second victim, a male, alleged met Diddy in 2009, when he was just 18, at a party at the Beverly Hills Plaza Hotel. He claims Diddy promised him a recording contract, and drugged and sexually assaulted him that night. Both alleged victims are seeking compensation and punitive damages. Diddy has not yet responded to the new allegations. They will not have any bearing on his sentencing hearing on Friday for an unrelated matter. He was found innocent of more serious racketeering and sex trafficking charges during his blockbuster criminal trial in July. Diddy earlier revealed he thought he would be 'better off dead' as he expressed deep regret about his criminal past in a letter to the judge presiding over his case. 'I have to admit, my downfall was rooted in my selfishness... Over the past year there have been so many times that I wanted to give up,' Diddy wrote in his heartfelt letter. 'There have been some days I thought I would be better off dead. Your Honor may be inclined to make an example out of me. I would ask Your Honor to make me an example of what a person can do if afforded a second chance.' Diddy has been supported through the criminal proceedings by his family. Pictured: Three of his daughters leaving court after a hearing The fallen music mogul whined about the 'inhumane' conditions in prison in a four page letter to Judge Arun Subramanian ahead of his sentencing hearing on Friday Diddy (center) reacts after hearing his verdict in court on July 2. His attorneys are seen embracing and smiling, while he sits his head in his hands (court sketch) Diddy told the judge that his time in jail had changed him for the better, noting: 'The old me died in jail and a new version of me was reborn. Prison will change you or kill you - I choose to live. 'I have been humbled and broken to my core. Jail is designed to break you mentally, physically and spiritually.' He begged the judge to impose a sentence of just 14 months for his conduct. The judge has already rejected a proposed $50 million bail package. During his time behind bars, Diddy revealed the footage of him assaulting his former partner Cassie Ventura 'play over and over in my head daily.' 'I literally lost my mind. I was dead wrong for putting my hands on the woman that I loved. I'm sorry for that and always will be,' Diddy wrote. 'I take full responsibility and accountability for my past wrongs. This has been the hardest 2 years of my life, and I have no one to blame for my current reality and situation but myself.' He acknowledged that his actions against Ventura are something he could never forgive another man for doing if the victim was one of his daughters. 'My domestic violence will always be a heavy burden that I will have to forever carry. The remorse, the sorrow, the regret, the disappointment, the shame,' he wrote. 'I honestly feel sorry for something that I couldn't forgive someone else for: if they put their hands on one of my daughters. This is why it is so hard for me to forgive myself. It is like a deep wound that leaves an ugly scar.' While prosecutors have argued the judge must impose a harsh sentence to deter reoffending, Diddy argued in his letter that he has been sufficiently punished in custody. The former billionaire switched his life of luxury for a windowless cell with 25 other inmates. He acknowledged that his actions against Ventura are something he could never forgive another man for doing if the victim was one of his daughters 'In this room that I share, there are no windows, there is no natural/clean air, there is no sunlight and we all live in one room,' he said. 'We eat, sleep, use the toilet, take showers, and prepare meals all in the same room. 'The conditions that my actions have placed me in are inhumane. I dont tell you this for pity or sympathy. Im simply sharing my truth and the truth of my fellow incarcerated people. 'We have no clean drinking water and we boil our drinking water. We all share one washing machine (which is broken). I am surrounded by drugs and live every day with the constant threat of being stabbed or killed. 'My time at MDC has changed me forever.' He added that during his time behind bars, three of his daughters had their proms and graduations, and one of them started college - all milestones he had envisioned being there for which he ultimately missed. His youngest daughter, aged two, has learned how to speak, dance and play, and Diddy told the judge he had missed being 'there to console her when she falls down or has a nightmare.' 'Four of my children lost their mother, Kim Porter, as she tragically passed away in 2018. I am their only parent. I have failed my children as a father. My father was murdered when I was 3 years old so I know first-hand what it is to not have a father,' he wrote. During his time behind bars, Diddy revealed the footage of him assaulting his former partner Cassie Ventura 'play over and over in my head daily' Beyond the personal milestones, Diddy argued that his livelihood and everything he 'worked hard to earn' has vanished. 'Because of my conduct, I have lost all of my businesses,' he wrote. 'I have lost my career. I lost the charter schools that I started and I have destroyed my reputation. 'Between of all of my losses and lessons, I can state for a fact that I will never be in another criminal Courtroom again and I do not believe any other person would do anything similar from fear of similar punishment.' In a 189-page sentencing submission seen by the Daily Mail, New York prosecutors requested a minimum term of imprisonment of 135 months - which equates to just over 11 years. Additionally, prosecutors are seeking a fine of $500,000 to be imposed, describing a financial punishment as 'fitting here since the defendants access to wealth enabled his crimes.' Tammy Hembrow has distanced herself from her younger brother, Henri Oscar Thynne, after he was found guilty of crimes against his ex-girlfriend. The 21-year-old admitted to charges of common assault, stalking and two counts of strangulation in the Brisbane District Court in June. His fitness influencer sister, 31, has since disowned him, revealing on TikTok earlier this week that she has 'nothing to do with him'. The admission came in the comments in a vlog she posted on Tuesday, showing herself and her children grocery shopping. 'How's your brother?' a follower wrote beneath the video. Hembrow responded with two comments, writing in the first: 'I wouldn't know. I have nothing to do with my brother as I've addressed before, so leave me out of it.' Tammy Hembrow, 31, has distanced herself from her younger brother, Henri Oscar Thynne, 21, after he was found guilty of crimes against his ex-girlfriend 'I wouldn't know. Nothing to do with me,' she said in the second message. Thynne was released from prison three months ago after pleading guilty to a series of domestic violence offences against his ex-girlfriend. He was sentenced to a maximum three years in prison, but a minimum sentence that ended on June 19, given time already served at Queensland's high-security Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre. The court heard that during one incident, the then-couple were watching a movie together when Thynne hit her in the head and called her a 'c**t'. On another occasion, he pushed her against a wall and choked her while saying, 'I own you.' Thynne's victimwho cannot be named for legal reasonsbravely read aloud a powerful victim impact statement recounting the impact his violence has had on her. 'I question my safety in everyday situations. This experience has left lasting marks on my life,' she began. '[Before the assaults] I was a happy, confident and expressive person through my personality, social media and network interactions with other people.' Tammy has disowned her younger brother, revealing on TikTok earlier this week that she has 'nothing to do with him' The court heard she was now so fearful that she packed up and moved interstate twice. 'Since experiencing the abuse and assaults from him, I have changed. 'I had to relocate homes two times in two different states to attempt to feel safe, but no matter where I went, it was flooded with anxiety and fear that I would be confronted by him.' Thynne showed little emotion while sitting in the dock, occasionally rocking back and forth, his head bowed. Defence barrister Greg McGuire said the couple had an 'odd' relationship, with both of them being bodybuilders who used steroids during their relationship. A medical report stated Thynne had diminished emotional control and impaired judgment due to severe steroid use since the age of 16. Thynne's parents, father Nathaniel Thynne and mother Nathalie Stanley, did not appear to be in court during the sentencing. Soon after sentencing concluded, the victim posted a stark warning on her social media page. Thynne (far right) was released from prison three months ago after pleading guilty to a series of domestic violence offences against his ex-girlfriend 'Lock your doors! A criminal has been set free in Brisbane even after pleading guilty to everything!' the post began. 'Pre warninghe pleaded guilty to sexual assault, assault, strangulation x2 and unlawful charges like breaches of the DVO [domestic violence order] and bail and still got released on parole!' 'Law legislation needs some work this is not acceptable and best believe it will not be the last time you hear from me about it,' she concluded. Before Thynne's imprisonment last July, he took to social media Q&A after being asked if his musculature was 'natty', or natural. Instead of answering yes or no, Thynne replied with a meme that read: 'That's a nice argument you have there. Unfortunately my muscles are bigger than yours.' He added he had been 'tired of being a small sad nerd c***' and boasted that his buff physique was a result of 'hard work paying off'. 'Not gonna stop 'till I'm number one,' he said. In recent months, Thynne's crimes have caused grief for his high-profile older half-sibling Tammy, who faced fierce public backlash after publicly denying rumours she was supporting him. In a TikTok clip, she denied she bailed out her younger brother, stating she's not involved in 'any of the legal situation'. 'I don't usually address things like this, but this is a very serious topic, and what's being said about me is just not true,' she said. 'Firstly, I have had no involvement whatsoever in ever bailing my little brother out of anything. 'I'm not involved in any of the legal situation. I've [had] no contact with my brother. I haven't seen my brother. 'I'm not involved at all, in any way. So I wanted to make that clear.' She then explained she doesn't condone 'violence in any form' and reiterated her 'heart goes out to everyone involved'. If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit their website. In an emergency, call 000. Rapper 50 Cent started trolling Sean 'Diddy' Combs again just a day before the disgraced media mogul is set to receive his sentence. The 50-year-old, born Curtis James Jackson III, has been in a longtime feud with Diddy and wrote a 'letter to the judge' overseeing his self-proclaimed foe's case. On Thursday afternoon, he wrote a post on X asking Judge Arun Subramanian to 'consider the safety of the general public before unleashing [Combs] upon them.' He also wrote in his letter that he has 'feared for my life' over the years as he urged the judge to extend Combs's time in prison with his forthcoming sentencing. He said that the amount of time that the music mogul has already spent in prison so far is not long enough for reform, even in spite of the business class he started teaching. This comes after the prosecutors in the actual case recommended 11 years behind bars for prostitution charges related to Combs's wild 'freak-off' sex parties. 50 Cent started trolling Sean 'Diddy' Combs again just a day before the disgraced media mogul is set to receive his sentence The 50-year-old rapper has been in a longtime feud with Diddy, pictured, and wrote a 'letter to the judge' overseeing his self-proclaimed foe's case 'I have had an ongoing dispute with Puffy for over 20 years,' 50 Cent began. 'He is very dangerous. Multiple times I have feared for my life.' He added: 'I think you should consider the safety of the general public, your honor, before unleashing him upon them. There hasn't been enough time for him to reform or make any adjustments, despite his trying to teach a class in there. 'As you are already aware, the government has spent the maximum amount of money on deploying federal agencies, which appeared to be an army, in two locations simultaneously. 'Anyway, Diddy's only going to return to hiring more male sex workers and keeping most of the baby oil away from the general public. And babies need it!' 50 Cent also said that he was working to release a documentary for streaming. 'My Netflix doc on this scandalous subject is coming soon,' he declared at the end of his 'letter to the judge.' The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Combs for comment and has yet to hear back. This comes as a former babysitter employed by Combs wrote a letter to the judge ahead of his sentencing, pleading for his release from jail. Additionally, all of the rapper's children, with the exception of his toddler daughter, have written in support of him. 50 Cent's post comes just months after he trolled Combs with a wild AI baby oil video after the rap mogul's shock verdict. On Thursday afternoon, he took to X to share a text message directly addressing Judge Arun Subramanian and asking him to 'consider the safety of the general public before unleashing [Diddy] upon them' This comes after the prosecutors in the actual case recommended 11 years behind bars for Combs's wild 'freak-off' sex parties; pictured in March 2018 A former babysitter employed by Diddy wrote letter to the judge. Additionally, the rapper's children have written in support of him before the sentencing; pictured in February 2000 Ever since Combs's downfall amid allegations of sex crimes - which he has denied - 50 Cent has been giddily trolling him on social media. In July, Combs was acquitted of the most serious charges against him, sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. However he was found guilty of two lesser charges of transportation to engage in prostitution, which he is being sentenced for today. 50 Cent was among the first to speak out, sharing a photo of himself with a huge smile he wrote, 'Diddy beat the Feds that boy a bad man beat the Rico....' As the date crept nearer, 50 Cent posted a wild AI-generated video on Instagram that took a sly dig at the stash of baby oil the authorities discovered during a raid of Combs's Los Angeles home. In the clip - which he credited to the Instagram account @Geisha305 - a glistening Combs is seen walking a fashion show runway, modeling a pink dress with a Johnson & Johnson baby oil logo splashed across the front. The video was set to rapper Jody2Good's song Baby Oil Freak Off Party, a track about Combs that was released last year after his arrest. In his caption, 50 Cent wrote: 'I didnt know Diddy walked in the Michael Amiri show, when did he make Bond!' - prompting the fashion designer to leap into the comments and quip: 'Cmon 50, dont include me in this.' Abbie Chatfield has posted a bizarre clip of herself dancing to her boyfriend Adam Hyde's songs. The media personality, who rose to fame on The Bachelor Australia, shared a clip to Instagram on Thursday alongside her partner to promote his upcoming album. Adam, whose musical alias is Keli Holiday, revealed that his followers had the chance to pick which single off his new record he should release next. 'Since you guys have made Dancing2 such a beautiful thing, I want to give back to you,' he said of his recently released song, which was nominated for an ARIA. 'So choose out of the next four songs what you want to hear next off the album. 'My beautiful girlfriend Abbie shall do interpretive dance,' he said, as he introduced his reality star beau, 30, and his much-anticipated songs. Abbie Chatfield has posted a bizarre clip of herself dancing to her boyfriend Adam Hyde's songs Abbie, who wore a flowing blue Bec & Bridge dress, proceeded to get down to Adam's music in different styles while he sat beside her. Fans flooded the comments section as they voted which songs they wanted released, with a majority hailing song number three as the clear favourite. However, despite the gushing comments on the post, there were a few who found the whole thing rather odd. 'This hurt to watch,' one person wrote. Another simply penned: 'Wtf.' One fan confusedly asked, 'Is this satire of some description?' It comes after news that Abbie Chatfield is being sued for defamation by her one-time 'male best friend'. Heath Kelley claims she falsely suggested he supported genocide and the slaughter of children to her hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers. It comes after news that Abbie Chatfield is being sued for defamation by her one-time 'male best friend' Heath Kelley claims she falsely suggested he supported genocide and the slaughter of children to her hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers The Daily Mail can exclusively reveal details of the lawsuit against the one-time Bachelor star and outspoken activist in the Federal Court of Australia. It is understood that Kelley, a law student and former Virgin Australia guest services officer, had privately messaged Chatfield in May to say that he was 'pro-Israel' because of its support for gay and women's rights. That statement was what allegedly prompted her to shame Kelley - who is no celebrity - in the most public of ways. The Daily Mail revealed on Thursday that Kelley had filed a defamation lawsuit against Chatfield in September. Since the news broke, Chatfield's only response to the lawsuit has been a complaint about the Mail describing her controversies as 'woes'. Chatfield and Kelley were once so close their relationship sparked romance rumours. The pair made tabloid headlines in 2019 when they danced together in a raunchy online video. In it, Chatfield grinded up against Kelley and said 'I love this song and I love this man.' Chatfield, who had recently become a celebrity by starring on Channel Ten's The Bachelor, was quick to publicly deny they were an item, describing Kelley as 'my best friend of ten years.' However, that relationship has now clearly soured. Channel Seven viewers were left in tears on Wednesday night when a beloved Home and Away character died in a hit-and-run. Aussie actor Matt Evans, who plays Theo Poulos, left the series in dramatic fashion when his popular character was killed off in the brutal accident. The incident followed the wedding of characters Cash Newman (Nicholas Cartwright) and Eden Fowler (Stephanie Panozzo), leaving fans mourning Theo's death online. 'Goodbye Theo, we'll miss you,' one person wrote. 'Nooo not Theo!! My fave character,' another said, as a third noted: 'This one hurt more than saying goodbye to Irene.' 'This hits hard like when Mason died. So sudden and out of the blue,' added someone else. Channel Seven viewers were left in tears on Wednesday night when a beloved Home and Away character died in a hit-and-run 'Absolutely heartbreaking,' one user wrote next to a broken heart emoji. Theo died in a heroic moment when he threw himself in front of a speeding car to save his on-screen girlfriend, Lacey Miller. Lacey is portrayed by Matt's real-life partner Sophea Pennington. In an emotional final scene, Theo's aunt Leah Patterson-Baker (Ada Nicodemou) could be seen screaming and crying as she ran onto the crime scene. She collapsed into the arms of her husband, Justin Morgan, played by her real-life partner James Stewart, as fans at home were left reeling. Some refused to believe Theo was gone from the show for good, but actor Matt, 29, confirmed the heartbreaking news on The Morning Show the next day. 'I'll say if you were sad last night, tonight is going to be a whole 'other level,' he told hosts Kylie Gillies and Dr Chris Brown, who was filling in for Larry Emdur. 'I think it was quite a shock for a lot of people. Like people knew a character was going to die, but they didn't know it was really Theo.' Aussie actor Matt Evans, 29, who plays Theo Poulos, left the series in dramatic fashion this week when his popular character was killed off in a brutal accident. Pictured with co-star and girlfriend Sophea Pennington In an emotional final scene, Theo's aunt Leah Patterson-Baker (Ada Nicodemou) could be seen screaming and crying as she ran onto the crime scene Matt's character made his first appearance in Summer Bay in 2021 as Leah's nephew, a troubled teen who turned up on her doorstep with a police escort. In the wake of Theo's death, Matt, who will be chasing career opportunities in the US, shared a goodbye message to Instagram, recorded on the day the crash was filmed. 'Hey everyone, it is Theo here. Thank you so much for the last four years, what a wild ride!' he said. 'I'm here on my last day on set at the moment, just soaking it all in. I love you all so much, and keep enjoying and watching the show, and best wishes to all of you.' Kylie Jenner cut a glamorous figure as she exited the iconic Schiaparelli show with her sister Kendall during Paris Fashion Week on Thursday evening. The stylish sisters were stuck to each other's side after Kylie, 28, showed support for her older sibling, 29, as she walked for the designer. Mum-of-two Kylie changed out of the dazzling silver sequinned gown she had arrived in to leave the show in a little black dress. She added to the look with burgundy heels and slung a trench coat over her arm. Kendall emerged with her hair still scraped back into a slick bun from earlier in the night. She wore a peplum buttoned shirt paired with a tight pencil skirt, showing off her supermodel physique. Kendall and Kylie Jenner cut a low-key appearance as they exited the iconic Schiaparelli show together during Paris Fashion Week on Thursday evening Kendall has been in the French capital since the first day of Paris Fashion Week, which has attracted a slew of stars from all over the world. She has joined a number of models and A-list fashion fans dashing around the city to catch the Spring/Summer 2026 collections. On Monday, she walked for L'Oreal Paris alongside the likes of Cara Delevingne and Molly-Mae Hague. She has also been present at other shows, strutting her stuff, as well as having off-duty days in the city. Paris Fashion Week runs from Monday, September 29 to Tuesday, October 7, with a host of stars heading to the capital for shows. Designers including Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Givenchy will showcase their latest collections, while Victoria Beckham will present her always-anticipated show on Friday. Earlier this year, Kendall revealed how she maintains her supermodel figure as she gave fans a glimpse at her ultra-healthy breakfast. The glamorous sisters were stuck to each other's side as Kylie, 28, showed support to her older sibling, 29, as she walked for the designer Despite the fact they were both dressed in gowns prior to the catwalk, Kendall and Kylie turned heads as they stepped out in business casual The spread included parfait bowls with raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and yogurt. There was also a helping of nuts, a Golden Milk Latte, grapefruit, and a thin-sliced bagel. Functional nutritionist Monica Partier told DailyMail.com: 'The whole plate is about 200 calories, and it's full of healthy fats that help keep her thin... 'The meal consists of fresh berries like raspberries, strawberries and blackberries that have fiber and vitamins in them... 'It looks like Kendall added Matcha green tea powder, which is an antioxidant and contains vitamin C, chromium, magnesium, selenium and zinc... 'There are also a few small nuts, which contain healthy fats, and a splash of Greek yogurt which is high in calcium and protein, and supports gut health, and also is a healthy fat.' Rosie Huntington-Whiteley put on a leggy display in a sexy thigh-high split gown at a lavish Tiffany & Co. event during Paris Fashion Week on Thursday. The former Victoria's Secret bombshell, 38, has been living it up amongst other stars this week during Fashion Week festivities. And for the glitzy event, Rosie oozed glamour in a tight-fitted black dress which she paired with a simple black stiletto and dazzling jewellery. Rosie joined Tiffany's chief brand officer Lauren Santo Domingo at Le Grand Cafe to celebrate the new Bird On A Rock collection. The runway star has been making the most of the high-end fashion events this year, and was spotted at London Fashion Week in recent weeks with her actor fiance Jason Statham. The couple enjoyed a rare public outing with as they attended the Burberry catwalk together. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, 38, put on a leggy display in a sexy thigh-high split gown at a lavish Tiffany & Co. event during Paris Fashion Week on Thursday The former Victoria's Secret bombshell has been living it up amongst other stars this week during Fashion Week festivities Rosie and Jason cosied up to one another as they joined A-listers at the runway event. Last month, Rosie and Jason proved their relationship is going stronger than ever as they posed to promote their second collaboration for Falconeri. The model and The Meg star made their debut for the fashion brand in March this year. Proving that teamwork makes the dream work, the pair joined forces once more in a series of head-turning snaps shared on Instagram. Rosie stunned in a grey knitted bodysuit, while Jason modelled a grey cardigan with a matching top and beige joggers. Alongside the snaps, she penned: 'Excited to reveal the next chapter of our Fall-Winter 2025 campaign for @falconeriofficial. 'A vision of luxury and timeless style, beautifully captured by @lachlanbailey.' Rosie and Jason have been together since 2009 and got engaged in 2016, and they share two children. And for the glitzy event, Rosie oozed glamour in a tight-fitted black dress which she paired with a simple black stiletto and dazzling jewellery Rosie was there to celebrate the new Bird on a Rock Collection alongside other stars The supermodel is pictured with Hung Vanngo and Aimee Song at the glitzy bash Model Kelly Piquet, socialite Lala Rudge, model Caroline Daur and actress Laura Harrier all looked glamorous (L-R) Natalia Bryant turned heads in a simple LBD which she paired with ballet pumps Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece and Denmark with Tiffany's Lauren Santo Domingo Sarah Andelman, Paloma Elsesser and Caroline Daur looked incredible as they attended the party The low-key British couple, who live in Los Angeles, first began dating in 2009 after meeting at a party in London and experiencing what Rosie called 'instant chemistry'. They got engaged in 2016, with the model revealing they had taken their relationship to the next level when she flashed her impressive diamond ring at the Golden Globes. The happy couple share son Jack, seven, and daughter, Isabella, two. Stacey Solomon last night shared her feelings on the Manchester synagogue attack as she said being Jewish feels 'scary' and 'heartbreaking'. The TV personality, 35, issued an emotional statement on social media after Islamist terrorist Jihad Al-Shamie targeted Heaton Park Synagogue yesterday morning, in an attack that left two innocent civilians dead. Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, died in yesterday's attack. They were both members of Manchester's Jewish community. Police last night arrested two men aged in their 30s and a woman in her 60s on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack. In a statement posted on Instagram, Stacey echoed broadcaster and barrister Rob Rinder in condemning the attacks, and revealed how being Jewish makes her fear for herself and her loved ones. 'It is heartbreaking to hear of the attack at a synagogue in Manchester on Yom Kippur. My thoughts & prayers are with everyone effected,' she wrote. 'I'm also thinking of anyone right now who feels scared for themselves & their loved ones just because of who they are. Being Jewish feels scary & that is heartbreaking.' Stacey also acknowledged her support for Palestinians in Gaza, adding: 'It goes without saying, although I've said this before, my thoughts are also with the innocent people in Gaza. Being proudly Jewish & being against the horrific attack today does not cancel the other. 'I realise no matter what I say. Someone somewhere won't like it. But all I really have to say is that none of this is ok.' Stacey Solomon has revealed being Jewish feels 'scary' and 'heartbreaking' in the wake of the Manchester attacks on a synagogue In a statement posted on Instagram last night, Stacey revealed how being Jewish can make you fear for yourself and your loved ones Broadcaster and barrister Rob Rinder's moving post on the attack in Manchester yesterday Your browser does not support iframes. It came after Mr Rinder, 47, whose grandfather fled to Britain after his family was wiped out in the Holocaust, echoed similar calls for solidarity with the UK's Jewish community. In a tweet, he criticised those who still allowed anti-Semitism to cloud their view on a horrific attack that left two worshippers stabbed to death on Yom Kippur - the most sacred and solemn day in the Jewish calendar. 'Some still answer this atrocity with 'what about'', he said. He also urged: 'If you believe in Britain (wherever you're from & whatever your faith) you must stand with us. 'Many Jews cannot imagine a future here and history tells us what follows when that happens.' Al-Shamie, who was shot dead minutes after the attack, carried out his murderous rampage on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. He first rammed his black Kia Picanto hatchback into crowds of Jewish worshippers at 9.31am, before he got out and started 'stabbing everyone he could get to'. Videos on YouTube show Al-Shamie and his two brothers playing in the back yard of a home on Crescent Road, which is around a 20-minute walk from the synagogue he later targeted. Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, who was shot dead minutes after he targeted Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester yesterday. It is believed he was a father and is pictured holding a child The clips were shared by the killer's father Faraj Al-Shamie, who is believed to be a trauma doctor who has worked for several NGOs in warzones across the world. It is understood the family has lived in Greater Manchester for at least 30 years - and currently live in Prestwich, around two miles from the scene of the terror attack. Al-Shamie's name was last night linked to a property in the town - with a neighbour recognising his face from photographs of the synagogue attacker. Al-Shamie is understood to have worked as a tutor teaching English and computer programming. Two men have been confirmed dead in yesterday's horror. Three other Jewish worshippers were rushed to hospital with serious injuries, one with stab wounds and the other hurt after being hit by the car. Labour MP Joani Reid has since called for Palestine protests to be cancelled this weekend. She said: 'Britain's Jewish community has been telling us for years that antisemitic hatred and abuse has been rising, yet too often they have been ignored. Now that hatred has overflowed into murder it is essential that all of us clearly state our solidarity and that the state is deployed to protect its Jewish citizens and to bear down heavily on the Jew-haters in our midst. 'The fear of further attacks is unfortunately likely to be well grounded and it's important that the police are given every assistance in their task of detecting and stopping would-be attackers. That means all political leaders with voice and authority should call for any protests planned for Saturday to be cancelled as a mark of solidarity and support for our common effort. 'Above all each of us should reach out to Jewish people we know and tell them we understand the gravity of the moment and will do all we can to protect them.' She added: 'And let's be clear - when it comes to violence and murder history shows us what starts with the Jews quickly spreads. 'The struggle against antisemitism is something every decent person should be part of.' Macaulay Culkin and Ryan Reynolds lead the stars at the John Candy: I Like Me screening in LA on Friday. The Home Alone star, 45, and Deadpool actor, 48, shared a sweet embrace as they were among the star-studded guests at the event. For the occasion, Macaulay cut a dapper figure in a pink double-breasted suit with a white shirt. He added a pair of white trainers and finished off his look with several silver stacked rings. Meanwhile, Ryan, who co-produced the documentary with Colin Hanks, looked stylish in a grey knitted blazer layered over a white jumper and navy blue trousers. The duo appeared in great spirits as they posed up a storm for the camera on the red carpet. Macaulay Culkin and Ryan Reynolds lead the stars at the John Candy: I Like Me screening in LA on Friday The Home Alone star, 45, and Deadpool actor, 48, shared a sweet embrace as they were among the star-studded guests at the event Also at the event was John's wife Rosemary and their two children Jennifer Candy and Christopher Candy. The new documentary looks at the 'life, career, and loss' of comedy icon John Candy. He was one of the most successful stars of his generation, winning millions of fans all over the world with his stellar acting and comedic timing. On March 4, 1994, he was cruelly struck down by a massive heart attack aged just 43, leaving behind a young family and a world in mourning. The upcoming documentary debuts globally on Prime Video on October 10. It comes after Mcaulay revealed that John swiftly clocked onto the fact his father was a 'monster' - years before he became estranged from him. Former child star Macaulay shot to fame with blockbusters Home Alone and Uncle Buck - the latter film in which he first crossed paths with John. John became a 'paternal' figure to the actor on set as his own father Kit - who he would later accuse of physical and emotional abuse - became an 'infamous monster.' At the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) this week, Macaulay reflected on John 'looking out for him' amid his fraught home life. For the occasion, Macaulay cut a dapper figure in a pink double-breasted suit with a white shirt Meanwhile, Ryan, who co-produced the documentary with Colin Hanks, looked stylish in a grey knitted blazer layered over a white jumper and navy blue trousers Ryan pictured with Macaulay and Colin Hanks John's wife and children (L-R) Jennifer Candy, Rosemary Candy and Christopher Candy attended the screening Also at the event was Drew Scott Yi Zhou turned heads at the event Michael Bloom beamed for the cameras He said per People: 'I think he always had that really great instinct. I think he saw. Listen, even before the wave crested and the Home Alone stuff was happening, it was not hard to see how difficult my father was. It was no secret. He was already a monster. 'All of a sudden, the fame and the money came, and he became an infamous monster. He was already not a good guy. 'I think John was looking a little side-eyed, like, 'Is everything alright over there? You doing good? Good day? Everything's alright? Everything good at home? Alright.'' Adding John's care was a 'testament to the kind of man he was', he said John was 'just looking out for him on set.' 'It doesn't happen that often. It actually happened less as time went on. I wish I got more of that in my life. It's important that I remember that. I remember John caring when not a lot of people did.' Macaulay said of his time on 1989's Uncle Buck: 'I think that's why that's one of my favorite performances, because I think he put a lot of himself into it', adding John was 'always really kind and really good' when working with child actors. John first shot to fame via his work as a member of Toronto's branch of improv comedy group The Second City in 1972. He then joined the cast on Toronto-based comedy-variety show Second City Television which was picked up by NBC in 1981 and became a huge hit. It comes after Macaulay revealed the late John swiftly clocked onto the fact his father was a 'monster' - years before he became estranged from him - pictured 1990 The actor said John became a 'paternal' figure to him on set as his own father Kit - who he would later accuse of abuse - became an 'infamous monster' - Macaulay and Kieran Culkin are pictured with father Christopher Cornelius 'Kit' Culkin, and mother Patricia Brentrup in 1990 The show won Emmy Awards in 1981 and 1982 for its writing. His breakout role came when he played Tom Hanks' character's womanizing brother in Splash, which garnered universal acclaim. John appeared in a number of comedies throughout his career, including Spaceballs and Cool Runnings. He had a minor, yet important, role as the 'Polka King of the Midwest' in Home Alone. His character Gus Polinski helps reunite Kevin with his mother, making for a happy ending. Candy reunited with Culkin on the set of the holiday film. He won legions of fans for his role as shower curtain salesman Del Griffith in 1987 classic, Planes, Trains and Automobiles. In his 2006 memoir Macaulay would accuse his father of physical and emotional abuse, alleging he threatened to hit him if he used cue cards during his 1991 SNL hosting stint aged just 11. In 2016 a now reclusive Kit said he 'didn't consider Macaulay as a son anymore' while Culkin's Oscar winner brother Kieran Culkin has not seen his father since 2014. Kit and Patricia had managed Macaulay's career which began when he started acting at the age of four. Kieran and Macaulay - along with their five siblings, grew up in poverty, sharing one room in a tiny apartment in New York City. His parents struggled to make ends meet - his dad Kit, a washed up Broadway actor, worked as a taxi driver and a sacristan for a Catholic church, while his mom quit her job to take care of their large brood before eventually landing a part-time gig as a telephone operator. Macaulay started acting when he was only four - after a neighbor suggested that his parents try to turn him into a star - and right away, thanks to his adorable looks and charismatic personality, his star power was undeniable. The youngster became a global star at the age of 10 as Home Alone's Kevin, the little boy left behind when his family leaves on Christmas vacation, and he accumulated a fortune estimated at $50 million before he retired at 14. And while Macaulay's sudden stardom seemed like it would be a dream come true to most children, he later admitted that he struggled with his newfound fame and began to crumble under the immense pressure that came with it. To make matters worse, he says his father, who also worked as his manager, began 'physically and mentally abusing' him, forcing him to stay up for hours to learn lines even when he was exhausted, and threatening physical violence if he ever messed up on set. As soon as Macaulay was skyrocketed into the spotlight, his dad, Kit, quit his job to focus on managing his career full-time. John had a minor, yet important, role as Gus Polinski in 1990's Home Alone - which saw him reunite with Macaulay But the star later revealed that Kit would 'deny him certain things' - including a bed, which meant he had to sleep on the couch - and often forced him to stay up all night sometimes to study lines, despite the young actor feeling exhausted. 'I think it was just a way of him wanting to break my spirit,' he later told ABC News. 'He wanted me to know to know that he was in charge and if he didn't want us to sleep on a bed, we weren't gonna sleep on a bed.' He also remembered his dad threatening physical violence if he didn't perform well during an appearance on the WTF podcast with Marc Maron. Macaulay said: 'My father was jealous of me. He was a bad man. He was abusive. Everything he tried to do in life, I excelled at before I was 10 years old.' To the outside world, Macaulay seemed like a happy-go-lucky kid who was in for the ride of his life, but behind-the-scenes, he recalled feeling desperate for a break. His dad also kept his earnings a secret from him, while unbeknownst to Macaulay, taking a big chunk of the profits for himself. His parents took around 15per cent of his earnings per film. When Kit and Patricia split in 1995, there followed a bitter legal battle over who would get custody of the kids, including Macaulay and his fortune. Rumors swirled he had ended up 'divorcing' his parents, with Culkin telling Esquire in 2020: 'We didn't want to go with my father. It's always misconstrued, that I 'emancipated' myself from my parents. I legally took my parents' names off of my trust fund and found an executor, someone who would look over my finances, just in case anyone wanted to stick their f***ing pinkie in the pie. Culkin shares two children with partner Brenda Song - pictured March 2025 'But the next thing you know, the story was that I divorced my parents. I just thought I was doing it cleanlytaking my father's name off, taking my mom's name off, so my opinion is unbiased. And when I did that, the whole thing kinda ended a lot faster.' He has also said: 'Basically, I had millions and millions of dollars in the bank and my mother couldn't pay the rent because she was spending all of her money on lawyers. 'We were about to get evicted from our apartment. The only way I could get access to that money was to take my father's name off it, but I didn't want to make it messy, so I figured I'd take both their names off.' After the bitter fight was over Kit, a highly charged character, appeared to accept defeat. While Patricia and his children stayed in New York, he retreated to the West Coast and started over again with partner Jeanette Krylowski, who he had known since the 1970s. She died in 2017. Kit's other children are Shane, 48, Kieran, 41, Quinn, 40, Christian, 35 and Rory, 34. A daughter Dakota, 30, tragically died in December 2008 after being struck by a vehicle in Los Angeles. But the actor now credits his father with helping him to become a good dad himself. Macaulay has been keeping busy, and also made an appearance in the HBO show, The Righteous Gemstones, last year in 2022. He also puts his main focus in raising son Dakota, four, as well as a second child - whose birth was confirmed by Kieran in March - with fiancee, Brenda Song. The couple were first romantically linked in 2017 and a source informed People in January 2022 that the two stars were engaged. Dame Patricia Routledge, known to millions as Hyacinth Bucket on beloved sitcom Keeping Up Appearances, has died at the age of 96. The comedy followed the trials and tribulations of snobby Mrs Bucket (pronounced 'Bouquet') as she attempted to climb the social ladder. The BBC show ran for five series, between 1990 and 1995 and in 2001 was listed amongst Channel 4's Greatest 100 sitcoms of all time. In a statement, Dame Patricia's agent said: 'We are deeply saddened to confirm the passing of Dame Patricia Routledge, who died peacefully in her sleep this morning surrounded by love. 'Even at 96 years old, Dame Patricia's passion for her work and for connecting with live audiences never waned, just as new generations of audiences have continued to find her through her beloved television roles. 'She will be dearly missed by those closest to her and by her devoted admirers around the world.' A cause of death was not revealed. Dame Patricia Routledge, known to millions as Hyacinth Bucket on beloved sitcom Keeping Up Appearances, has died at the age of 96 (pictured in 2017) The comedy followed the trials and tribulations of snobby Mrs Bucket (pronounced 'Bouquet') as she attempted to climb the social ladder (pictured in 1992 with co-star Clive Swift) Patricia - who was born in Tranmere, Merseyside, in February 1929 - had many acting credits to her name. She made her professional debut as an actress at the Liverpool Playhouse in 1952 and was a long-standing member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Patricia was also a regular on the West End stage, appearing in productions including The Importance of Being Earnest, Little Mary Sunshine and Noises Off. In 1968, Patricia won a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role in Darling of the Day. And in 1988, she claimed an Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for Candide. However, Patricia's most notable role came in 1990, playing Hyacinth Bucket in the BBC sitcom Keeping Up Appearances. In an interview in October 2024, Patricia revealed she has no time for sloppy speech and 'can't stand' how people drop their aitches and 'now the 'ks' and 'gs' are going the same way,' she added. The theatrical grande dame also revealed she is a traditionalist when it comes to gendered language. 'I'm an actress, not an actor, by the way,' she said. Almost three decades on since the last series of Keeping Up Appearances, the star also revealed she still received letters from fans of the show. In a statement, Dame Patricia's agent said: 'We are deeply saddened to confirm the passing of Dame Patricia Routledge, who died peacefully in her sleep this morning surrounded by love' 'She will be dearly missed by those closest to her and by her devoted admirers around the world,' they added (pictured on Keeping up Appearances) Keeping up Appearances ran for five series, between 1990 and 1995 and in 2001 was listed amongst Channel 4 's Greatest 100 sitcoms of all time She made her professional debut as an actress at the Liverpool Playhouse in 1952 and was a long-standing member of the Royal Shakespeare Company (pictured in How's the World Treating You in 1966) Patricia, from Cheshire, won a British Comedy Award in 1991 for her performance in Keeping Up Appearances and she was also nominated for two BAFTA awards (pictured in 1992) She said: 'I get letters still from all over the world even though we made the last series in 1995. 'I had a letter from a lad of nine or 10 a few weeks ago saying how much the family enjoy it and watch it together.' Patricia continued: 'He said, 'my dad's been laughing at a woman like you across the road for years'. Wonderful. 'Fans in America still hold candlelight suppers (infamously organised by Hyacinth in the TV series) and invite me. People like it because there's no smut.' Patricia never married or had children and largely kept her personal life out of the spotlight. Eventually she admitted to having had two great love affairs, including one with a married man which caused her great guilt due to her devout Christian beliefs. 'I didn't make a decision not to be married and not to be a mother - life just turned out like that because my involvement with acting was so total,' she said. 'Now I think it's a pity I didn't have children. But I'm not sure you can have a career and a family and do both satisfactorily. I always knew, deep down, that everything has a cost.' Tributes poured in for Patricia after the news of her death. Taking to social media, etiquette expert William Hanson wrote: 'Now off the candlelight supper in the sky. Thank you for everything. Actor James Dreyfus added: 'We just lost a truly formidable, talented and brilliant actress. One of the very best.' Others wrote: 'Farewell Mrs. Bucket. Thank you for all the wonderful memories. May you Rest In Peace'... 'God bless her, she is an icon and always will be.' 'She was one of the stalwarts of TV. Her Keeping Up Appearances character will forever be remembered as one of the funniest roles ever.' 'Tremendously sad. She was incredible in this role, massive part of my childhood.' 'Dame Patricia Routledge could do it all. Expert comedienne, superb dramatic actress, accomplished singer and performer, but above all, a wonderful, wise and captivating person. We have lost a remarkable woman, and a true national treasure.' Tributes poured in for Patricia after the news of her death Although she has fond memories of the character one of her two best-known television roles along with detective Hetty Wainthrop, and for which she did 'all but two' of her own stunts she stressed: 'I'm not like her, of course.' Dame Patricia, speaking in a talk about her career at Derby Theatre, told how she began in showbusiness as an assistant stage manager at Liverpool Playhouse, so 'I know all about being a dogsbody'. As well as sweeping the stage, the actress said her work led to her interrupting performers in their dressing rooms. 'I wasn't much cared for, disturbing the little liaisons going on. I knew about the affairs,' she recalled. But after receiving classical training for her singing, a career in musical theatre took off, taking her to Broadway in New York where she impressed legendary figures. Composer Richard Rodgers who with Oscar Hammerstein and Lorenz Hart created some of the most iconic musicals came unannounced to see her in a show. Dame Patricia said: 'At the interval, I found a note in my dressing room from Richard Rodgers saying, 'I'm here to see the show, would you please call my office on Monday. I did the second half half-paralysed. 'I rang the office and arranged to go and see him. He was very complimentary and said, I want to write a musical for you. Who does that happen to? 'We tried to find the right subject and character but couldn't hit on the right one. (Fellow actress) Katharine Cornell made a suggestion which I didn't pass on, Joan of Arc. I didn't do it but I should have. I did perform in a musical written by him, though, as Nettie Fowler in Carousel.' She also recalled how Leonard Bernstein travelled from the US to London especially to audition her for a role in in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, a musical about the history of the White House which ran briefly on Broadway in 1976. Dame Patricia performed Duet for One, a musical about 'two prospective First Ladies' playing them both. 'One was a dizzy, high-pitched wife, the other a growly German,' she said. Dame Patricia put on a different wig for each character, and 'became good friends' with Bernstein, keeping in touch with him and going to his 70th birthday in 1988, two years before his death. She received her CBE from the Queen in 1993 The actress was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire by the the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace in 2017 In 2024, almost three decades on since the last series of Keeping Up Appearances, the star revealed that she still received letters from fans of the show Recently, Keeping Up Appearances was given a viewer discretion warning for its release on the streaming service BritBox back in 2021. The family sitcom featured several jokes that have fallen foul of modern-day channel bosses. In one episode Hyacinth and her husband visit her sister in the country and encounter a posh, well-spoken man. Hyacinth then tells her husband that the stranger is 'quent', meaning eloquent, and 'quent as a 4 note'. In another episode, many of the show's characters make jokes about a Polish person where they interrogate his right to be living in the UK. As a result, Britbox has now added a disclaimer warning viewers that the series 'contains language and attitudes of the era that may offend', the Daily Star reports. The ITV and BBC streaming service said: 'We review and refresh BritBox's programme catalogue on an ongoing basis. 'Programming on the service that contains potentially sensitive language or attitudes of their era has carried appropriate warnings since our launch in November 2019, to ensure the right guidance is in place for viewers who are choosing to watch on demand.' Mo Gilligan and his fiancee Taia Tulher were spotted out together after it was revealed they had welcomed their first child together. The couple are believed to have become parents over the summer but are choosing to keep their baby's name and gender private, just months after it was revealed the funnyman, 37, had fathered a 'secret love child' with an ex. They took a night off parenting duties on Wednesday evening, as they attended the launch of Clays in London's Soho -an interactive, indoor target shooting bar. Taia, 28, looked chic in a brown waistcoat and matching trousers, which she wore over a black sheer long-sleeved top. The new mother completed the look with a pair of strappy black heels and a quilted Chanel bag, wearing her raven locks in a loose curls. Meanwhile, Mo cut a cool figure in a black leather jacket, which he wore with trousers and a pair of black patent Chelsea boots. Mo Gilligan and his fiancee Taia Tulher were spotted out together after it was revealed they had welcomed their first child together The couple are believed to have become parents over the summer but are choosing to keep their baby's name and gender private, just months after it was revealed the funnyman, 37, had fathered a 'secret love child' with an ex Their joint outing came days after Taia opened up about the realities of motherhood. She took to her Instagram and shared a montage of her pregnancy including a clip of her holding the newborn in hospital. She also penned a lengthy caption about the ups and downs of parenthood and gushed over Mo, who she said was the 'the kindest and strongest soul'. As music played Taia wrote: 'My dearest baby, Every night I play you this song I wrote, so you can drift to sleep wrapped in the love I sometimes cant put into words'. 'And as I hold you, I hope you feel what I once felt in my own mothers arms, the kind of love so steady and deep it becomes part of who you are. I hope you feel it in every note, how every worry fades when I look at you, how holding you makes me feel like God has taken my hand once again'. She continued: 'Whenever I lose my way, it is you who brings me back to the path. There are days when the tiredness feels heavy, when the world seems to close in, when harm and pain try to reach me and I feel like Im slowly suffocating'. 'But then I remember I have you. And as I once read, you are not just the love of my life, you are life loving me back. 'I am endlessly grateful for your father too, the kindest, strongest soul I know. His steady love has been my anchor, and I pray you will carry his heart inside of you as you grow. They took a night off parenting duties on Wednesday evening, as they attended the launch of Clays in London's Soho -an interactive, indoor target shooting bar They took a night off parenting duties on Wednesday evening, as they attended the launch of Clays in London's Soho -an interactive, indoor target shooting bar Taia, 28, looked chic in a brown waistcoat and matching trousers, which she wore over a black sheer long-sleeved top Elsewhere Paloma Faith was all smiles as she attended the bash at Clays Soho Tinie Tempah looked incredible in a dark jacket as he posed ahead of the Clays game Their joint outing came days after Taia opened up about the realities of motherhood Before adding: 'This love, it is mine, it is yours, it is ours. It is the song that will always surround you. And it will never end. With all my life and love, Mamae'. Last week the couple attended the Labrum London show during London Fashion Week, where Taia was notably spotted without the blossoming baby bump she had been seen with in her Instagram photos earlier this year. And a source has now confirmed to The Sun: 'Mo and Taia have their baby and are in a bubble of bliss. She gave birth quite a few weeks ago now and she has been getting back to normal life. 'They are keeping their babys gender and name for just close friends and family but theyve been sharing the news of the babys arrival with people now.' Meanwhile, Taia's friends all appeared to confirm the happy news, as they took to the comments of one of her latest Instagram posts to praise her on being the 'most beautiful mommy'. Writing in Portuguese, they gushed: 'Mommy is so beautiful'; 'The most beautiful mother'; 'The cutest mom'; 'The most beautiful mommy ever!!' It is Mo's second child, after it was claimed he fathered son Rudi during his brief relationship with Selina Christoforou. Taia took to her Instagram she shared a montage of her pregnancy including a clip of her holding the newborn in hospital She also penned a lengthy caption about the ups and downs of parenthood and gushed over Mo, who she said was the 'the kindest and strongest soul' As music played Taia wrote: 'My dearest baby, Every night I play you this song I wrote, so you can drift to sleep wrapped in the love I sometimes cant put into words' The revelation came to light after the model publicly blasted the TV personality for failing to offer any support, claiming he showed no interest in their child since his birth in January 2024. In a viral TikTok video, Selina, 35, claimed she could 'count on her fingers and toes' how many times Mo had seen the child over the last 17 months. Shared her version of events, she said: 'I just finally posted on Instagram about my son's dad so for your information... 'If you don't follow my Instagram I don't blame you. Um, Mo Gilligan is his "dad". Very much in quotation marks. 'I've kept that for nine very long months of being pregnant on my own, bringing up my son on my own. 'Pretty much ignored his existence for the first year of his life, barely bothers with him now - can probably use my fingers and toes to count how many times he's even f***ing met him, you know. I kept thinking no, it'll get better. It has to get better. 'Rudi, that's my son, he's so unbelievable, he's the most amazing child. He's such a f***ing joy and I just kept thinking that would be enough. 'I completely get you can't make someone be a dad and he made it also very clear he didn't want to be a dad and seemed to kind of change his mind.' Selina is said to have become pregnant after dating Mo after they met online, and decided to keep the unborn child, despite it coming as a shock to the 'careful' pair. Last week the couple attended LFW (pictured), where Taia was notably spotted without the blossoming baby bump she had been seen with in her Instagram photos earlier this year It is Mo's second child, after it was claimed he fathered son Rudi during his brief relationship with Selina Christoforou (pictured) A source told The Sun: 'Mo met Selina after messaging her on social media and they hung out casually for a few months. 'She found out she was pregnant in May 2023 and it was quite a shock for them both because they'd been fairly careful. But she wanted to have the baby, despite the fact they weren't actually a couple. 'She adores their son and Mo sees him semi-regularly. Now he's about to become a dad for a second time and he's over the moon.' Following Selina's blistering attack, Mo then shared a rare video of his son, showing the little boy enjoying some quality time with his father. The brief black-and-white clip featured the youngster, whose identity was concealed, gazing up at the camera while playing a game. Blake Lively did not attend her husband Ryan Reynolds' movie premiere on Thursday evening. But her family members did. Posing with the A-list actor were two of her sisters Robyn and Lori, as well as Robyn's mini-me daughter Kate. It was the John Candy: I Like Me screening in Los Angeles; Reynolds is one of the producers on the film alongside Colin Hanks. Lively likely wanted to keep a low profile as her ex friend Taylor Swift's was releasing her album Life Of A Showgirl that same evening. One of the songs on the collection - a ditty called Canceled - is believed to be about the end of Swift's friendship with the former Gossip Girl star. Blake Lively did not attend her husband Ryan Reynolds' movie premiere on Thursday, but her family members did. Posing with the actor were two of her sisters Robyn (far left) and Lori (far right), as well as Robyn's mini-me daughter Kate (in gray top, center) Lively likely wanted to keep a low profile as her ex friend Taylor Swift 's was releasing her album Life Of A Showgirl that same evening Swift and Lively's friendship reportedly halted due to Lively's involvement in the lawsuit with Justin Baldoni regarding the It Ends With Us film, which resulted in Swift's legal subpoena and feelings of betrayal. Swift felt 'exploited' by being dragged into the legal battle, leading to a strain on their once close relationship. While the lawsuit has been dismissed, the friendship does not seem to be repaired. Also at the event was John's wife Rosemary and their two children Jennifer Candy and Christopher Candy. The new documentary looks at the 'life, career, and loss' of comedy icon John Candy. He was one of the most successful stars of his generation, winning millions of fans all over the world with his stellar acting and comedic timing. On March 4, 1994, he was cruelly struck down by a massive heart attack aged just 43, leaving behind a young family and a world in mourning. The upcoming documentary debuts globally on Prime Video on October 10. It comes after Macaulay revealed that John swiftly clocked onto the fact his father was a 'monster' - years before he became estranged from him. Lively (L) and Swift seen in the Lower East Side of NYC in December 2023 One of the songs on the collection - a ditty called Canceled - is believed to be about the end of Swift's friendship with the former Gossip Girl star Former child star Macaulay shot to fame with blockbusters Home Alone and Uncle Buck - the latter film in which he first crossed paths with John. John became a 'paternal' figure to the actor on set as his own father Kit - who he would later accuse of physical and emotional abuse - became an 'infamous monster.' At the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) this week, Macaulay reflected on John 'looking out for him' amid his fraught home life. He said per People: 'I think he always had that really great instinct. I think he saw. 'Listen, even before the wave crested and the Home Alone stuff was happening, it was not hard to see how difficult my father was. It was no secret. He was already a monster. Ryan, who co-produced the documentary with Colin Hanks, looked stylish in a grey knitted blazer layered over a white jumper and navy blue trousers Ryan pictured with Macaulay and Colin Hanks John's wife and children (L-R) Jennifer Candy, Rosemary Candy and Christopher Candy attended the screening It comes after Macaulay revealed the late John swiftly clocked onto the fact his father was a 'monster'; pictured 1990 'All of a sudden, the fame and the money came, and he became an infamous monster. He was already not a good guy. 'I think John was looking a little side-eyed, like, 'Is everything alright over there? You doing good? Good day? Everything's alright? Everything good at home? Alright.'' Adding John's care was a 'testament to the kind of man he was', he said John was 'just looking out for him on set.' 'It doesn't happen that often. It actually happened less as time went on. I wish I got more of that in my life. It's important that I remember that. I remember John caring when not a lot of people did.' Macaulay said of his time on 1989's Uncle Buck: 'I think that's why that's one of my favorite performances, because I think he put a lot of himself into it', adding John was 'always really kind and really good' when working with child actors. John first shot to fame via his work as a member of Toronto's branch of improv comedy group The Second City in 1972. He then joined the cast on Toronto-based comedy-variety show Second City Television which was picked up by NBC in 1981 and became a huge hit. Emma Chamberlain, Milly Alcock and Sarah Paulson put their best fashion foot forward as they attended Loewe's Spring/Summer 2026 show during Paris Fashion Week on Friday. Model Emma, 24, rocked bleached eyebrows as she exuded elegance in a white wrap dress while arriving at the venue. She added height to her frame with a pair of black cake stand heels and toted her essentials in a chic red Loewe clutch. To complete her look, the beauty accessorised with a stack of gold hoop earrings and wore a swipe of red lipstick. She appeared in high spirits as she waved and smiled towards the crowd ahead of the show. House of the Dragon star Milly, 25, cut a stylish figure in a blue-and-white checked oversized shirt, paired with a red cable-knit cardigan. Emma Chamberlain, 24, exuded elegance in a white wrap dress and rocked bleached eyebrows as she attended Loewe's Spring/Summer 2026 show during Paris Fashion Week The model was also joined by House of the Dragon star Milly, 25, who cut a stylish figure in a blue-and-white checked oversized shirt, paired with a red cable-knit cardigan Flaunting her long, toned legs, Milly teamed the look with a brown mini skirt and added inches to her frame with cream cake stand heels. She opted for toting her essentials in a clay green Loewe clutch as she took her place on the front row alongside Theodore Pellerin. Actress Sarah, 50, donned an oversized navy blue jumper, paired with a crisp white shirt, as she arrived at the event. She teamed the look with black drawstring shorts and added inches to her frame with metallic silver cake stand heels. Joining her on the front row was none other than Tracee Ellis Ross, 52, who channelled the 80s wearing a multicoloured striped bodysuit. She paired the ensemble with black high-waisted trousers and toted her essentials in a black Loewe clutch. Russian model Natalia Vodianova, 43, put on a leggy display in a brown pleated animal print skirt, paired with a matching cream jumper and a tan leather gilet. French actress Pom Klementieff, 39, cut a trendy figure in a pink button-up jacket paired with black wide-leg tailored trousers. Emma opted for adding inches to her frame with a pair of black cake stand heels and toted her essentials in a chic red Loewe clutch To complete her look, the beauty further accessorised with a stack of gold hoop earrings and wore a swipe of red lipstick She appeared in high spirits as she waved and smiled towards the crowd ahead of the show Flaunting her long, toned legs, Milly teamed her look with a brown mini skirt and added inches to her frame with cream cake stand heels She opted for toting her essentials in a clay green Loewe clutch as she took her place on the front row alongside Theodore Pellerin Sarah teamed her look with black drawstring shorts and added inches to her frame with metallic silver cake stand heels The American actress toted her essentials in a white Loewe handbag and was all smiles as she arrived at the venue American model Emily Ratajkowski, 34, donned a stylish red coat as she posed for the cameras ahead of the star-studded show Joining her on the front row was none other than Tracee Ellis Ross, 52, who channelled the 80s wearing a multicoloured striped bodysuit Russian fashion model Natalia Vodianova, 43, put on a leggy display in a brown pleated animal print skirt, paired with a matching cream jumper and a tan leather gilet French actress Pom Klementieff, 39, cut a trendy figure in a pink button-up jacket paired with black wide-leg tailored trousers Vogue's former editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, 75, looked effortlessly chic in a red striped coat as she took her seat on the front row alongside film director Baz Luhrmann, 63 Succession star Sarah Snook, 37, wore a baby pink Loewe jumper paired with brown high-waisted trousers as she posed for the cameras Meanwhile, American actress Yara Shahidi, 25, donned a black shell Loewe jacket paired with a floaty red skirt The American model looked relaxed as she posed ahead of the show Later in the day, the beauty flashed a glimpse of her taut midriff in a leopard print jacket and a black crop top as she headed to another Fashion Week event She paired the stylish jacket with black slouchy trousers and blue trainers, further accessorising her look with rectangle-shaped shades Vogue's former editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, 75, looked effortlessly chic in a red striped coat as she took her seat on the front row alongside film director Baz Luhrmann, 63. American model Emily Ratajkowski, 34, donned a stylish red coat as she posed for the cameras ahead of the star-studded show. Meanwhile, American actress Yara Shahidi, 25, donned a black shell Loewe jacket paired with a floaty red skirt. Succession star Sarah Snook, 37, wore a baby pink Loewe jumper paired with brown high-waisted trousers as she posed for the cameras. Paris Fashion Week runs from Monday, September 29 to Tuesday, October 7, with a host of stars expected to be heading to the French capital for shows. Sarah Jessica Parker grew emotional as she discussed the recent brutal cancelation of her polarizing Sex and the City spinoff And Just Like That.... Many fans of the original series were left exasperated by the follow-up, accusing it of having cloying dialogue, cringeworthy new characters and hackneyed storylines. While Sarah, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon returned to play their old fan favorite roles, Kim Cattrall notably declined to come back full-time, following years of reports she had feuded with her co-stars. Although Kim had a quick cameo in season two, her character was talking on the phone from London, so she did not have to film with any of the other actresses. Over the summer it emerged that HBO had axed the show after three seasons, and Kristin has since confirmed rumors the cast had 'no idea' they were going to be canceled until after they had wrapped their final episodes. Now Sarah, 60, an executive producer on And Just Like That..., has talked about the decision to 'gracefully walk away' from the show - only to drop the bombshell that she may only be on 'hiatus,' on CBS Mornings. Sarah Jessica Parker grew emotional as she discussed the recent brutal cancelation of her polarizing Sex and the City spinoff And Just Like That .... Now Sarah, 60, an executive producer on And Just Like That..., has talked about the decision to 'gracefully walk away' from the show, on CBS Mornings She said that giving up her iconic character of sex columnist Carrie Bradshaw was a 'very difficult decision,' but she left the door open to a potential return. 'I'm not certain I understand what that decision means, because I could just be on hiatus,' teased the Ed Wood actress with a small smile. Sarah revealed she extensively discussed the cancelation with showrunner Michael Patrick King, who had held the same job on Sex and the City. 'I think it's out of respect for this really singular professional experience that you have to consider what you want to do, have you done it, and sometimes it's best to gracefully walk away when things feel really right and energetic, versus squeezing and exploiting people's generosity and hospitality,' she claimed. Sarah exuded her trademark sense of sprightly New York chic when she was spotted Friday dashing around Manhattan en route to the interview. She was already wearing the outfit she modeled on CBS Mornings, including a sleek navy blouse and a long floral skirt with a black background. Adding an extra splash of color to the proceedings, she warded off the gathering autumn chill by wrapping herself in a long bubblegum pink coat. Sarah's latest comments about And Just Like That... come shortly after Kristin revealed the cast and crew were blindsided by the cancelation of the series. Sarah exuded her trademark sense of sprightly New York chic when she was spotted Friday dashing around Manhattan en route to the interview She was already wearing the outfit she modeled on CBS Mornings, including a sleek navy blouse and a long floral skirt with a black background Kristin, who charmed fans of the original show as the naive Charlotte York, said it was 'definitely true' she 'didn't know' her spinoff was headed for the scrap heap until she had already wrapped the third and ultimately final season. 'Our commitment that we had made was a three-year commitment to each other, so we knew that part, but I just assumed that we were going to keep going,' she said on The Drew Barrymore Show. 'That's how I am.' Meanwhile viewers had been increasingly fed up of the series' strained storylines, such as Carrie's renewed romance with Aidan (John Corbett) from the old show. In one snafu that inspired widespread mockery, a new character played by Nicole Ari Parker suffered the death of her father in season one, only for the writers to evidently forget and bring him back on season two and then kill him off again on season three. However a particularly unpopular plot with viewers was Cynthia Nixon's character Miranda leaving fan favorite Steve (Dave Eigenberg) and striking up a romance with 'queer non-binary Mexican Irish diva' Che Diaz, played by Sara Ramirez. Many fans of the original series were left exasperated by the follow-up, accusing it of having cloying dialogue, cringeworthy new characters and hackneyed storylines (from left) Kristin Davis, Sarah, Kim Cattrall and Cynthia Nixon are pictured in a publicity still for the original run of Sex and the City in 2000 When Che was written off the show ahead of season three, Sara claimed to have been fired for vocally expressing pro-Palestine views. However a source close to the show rubbished her allegations to the Daily Mail, saying Sara had been 'on the chopping block since last season' because Che Diaz was 'annoying' and 'held no value anymore.' And Just Like That... reportedly saw its ratings plummet over the course of its run, as critics lambasted the show and fans despaired of the 'woke' storylines, such as Carrie's daughter Lily entering a polycule. Shortly after the cancelation, sources informed the Daily Mail that the widely derided Che Diaz storyline was what tipped the scales for the show to be scrapped. Kylie Jenner shared several new images to Instagram where she was dressed in a plunging silver gown while at Paris Fashion Week. The reality TV star had a glass of champagne in her hand as she partied hard with her older sister Kendall, a supermodel, who was working the Schiaparelli show. In one of the images the Kylie Cosmetics founder looked to be having the time of her life as she rolled back her eyes and opened her mouth with her bubbly cocktail in hand. 'My sister closed schiaparelli!!!!! so that means i kinda did too right. DREAM NIGHT w @schiaparelli @danielroseberry,' wrote Kylie in her Instagram caption. Mom Kris Jenner commented, 'DUH !' while sister Khloe shared this: '.' It has been almost two months since she has been pictured with her boyfriend Timothee Chalamet. The Oscar-nominated actor has been busy filming his movie Dune: Part Three. Kylie Jenner shared several new images to Instagram where she was dressed in a plunging silver gown while at Paris Fashion Week The reality TV star had a glass of champagne in her hand as she partied hard with her older sister Kendall, a supermodel, who was working the Schiaparelli show. In one of the images the Kylie Cosmetics founder looked to be having the time of her life as she rolled back her eyes and opened her mouth with her cocktail in hand. In August the 28-year-old billionaire and the 29-year-old actor were spotted in Budapest where he is currently filming Dune: Part Three. This comes just after the Daily Mail reported that the beauty 'secretly jets off to see him when she can.' The image was shared by employees at a coffee shop that were star struck by the Hollywood power couple. 'Today Kylie Jenner and Timothee Chalamet just walked in to our coffeeshop at Buda we were so in confusion, we could barley concentrate, but i think you can see on our face,' wrote the woman behind the Instagram page Budapest Baristas. 'Thank god everyone look at them not us. They were super nice and kind thank you for coming @kyliejenner @tchalamet .' Timothee pulled his white T-shirt over his head to hide his current haircut for Dune 3 while adding a brown Brentwood Country Mart cap and black Oakley sunglasses (the Masseter model) as he held up a peace sign. A gold bangle bracelet hung from his wrist. Jenner looked sporty in a white tank top over a white one as she wore her thick raven hair down. She had on light makeup with a mauve-toned lip. The employees of the coffee shop looked young as they smiled for the camera. In August the 28-year-old billionaire and the 29-year-old actor were spotted in Budapest where he is currently filming Dune: Part Three On July 19, Chalamet's Dune: Part Three costar Zendaya was seen at the same coffee shop. The last time Jenner and Chalamet were spotted together was on July 5, in St Tropez, France for a yacht vacation. Their time apart had fans wondering if they had split up, but the Daily Mail pointed out on August 15 that his work had taken him overseas while Jenner stayed home in Hidden Hills, California but went to visit when she could. The Daily Mail explained that Chalamet has been filming his next project, Dune: Part Three, in Hungary. The thespian plays the character Paul Atreides in the third installment of the Dune franchise. 'Timothee is busy making a movie and the schedule is grueling because he is in so many scenes, he is the star,' said a source. 'So he has to be very focused and together to do his best work.' Jenner turned heads with her glamorous arrival at the Schiaparelli Fashion Show in Paris, adding to the star-studded atmosphere of Paris Fashion Week And the Daily Mail shared that Jenner was supporting her love. 'She helps him out as much as she can, like give him space to work and have her private jet on standby in case he needs to go somewhere fast,' said the source. 'Kylie is a good girlfriend to him. She is always there and wants him to be happy, and if that means he has to be overseas for a few months, she is OK with it, she will wait. She also secretly jets off to see him when she can. 'Of course she misses her man and her heart hurts when he is not near, but she makes it work.' There has been shooting in Budapest for the third Dune film. Chalamet's costars are Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Robert Pattinson, Anya Taylor-Joy, Florence Pugh and Jason Momoa. Dune: Part Three will be in theatres on December 16, 2026. The IMDb logline for the film is brief: 'The film follows Muad'dib, heir to unimaginable power, as he brings to fruition the ancient scheme to create a superbeing ruler among men, not in the heavens.' Dune Messiah is a 1969 science fiction novel by American writer Frank Herbert, the second in his Dune series of six novels. A sequel to Dune, it was originally serialized in Galaxy magazine in 1969, and then published by Putnam the same year. Jenner and Chalamet started dating in January 2023, were rumored to be an item in April 2023 and then they went public with their romance in September 2023. In Dune: Part Three, he plays the character Paul Atreides. Seen in March with Jenner Jenner looked incredible in lingerie as she held a glass of white wine while in her Paris hotel Their first red carpet together was at the 70th David Di Donatello event at Cinecitta Studios in Rome, Italy on May 7, 2025. In early July Jenner started following Chalamet on Instagram. The businesswoman boasts almost 400million followers on the photo-sharing site, but she is quite choosy about who she follows, with only 119 profiles making the cut. However, one of those is now her boyfriend of two years. Fans of TyMothee - the pair's most popular ship name - have been driven into a frenzy after spotting Kylie has allowed the A Complete Unknown actor into her close social circle. However, at the time of writing, the follow is yet to be reciprocated. The actor has 19.7 million Instagram followers, and has only shared 147 posts, compared with Kylie's whopping 7,244 posts. Chris Dreja has died at the age of 78, his family confirmed in a statement released on Friday. The iconic rock guitarist, best known for The Yardbirds, had been battling health conditions for a number of years. In a statement announcing his passing, family friend Muriel Levy announced the news in a post on social media. She penned: 'This is with a deep sadness that I have to announce that my brother-in-law Chris Dreja, former member of legendary band The Yardbirds, rhythm guitarist and also bass player has passed away after years of health problems. 'I share the pain with my sister Kate who took care of him during all those years and his daughter Jackie. May he RIP.' Chris had been with the band for its original tenure and was even inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame for his contribution to the genre. Chris Dreja has sadly died at the age of 78, his family confirmed in a statement released on Friday (pictured in 2011) The iconic rock guitarist, best known for The Yardbirds, had been battling health conditions for a number of years He had retired from music a decade ago after suffering a number of strokes in 2012 and 2013. Led Zeppelin star and Chris' former bandmate Jimmy Page paid tribute on social media, writing: 'I heard today of the passing of musician Chris Dreja, who passionately played with the iconic Yardbirds, on rhythm guitar and then the bass. 'I hadn't seen him in a while, and I wish I had. RIP Chris.' The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame also paid tribute to the musician, with one post reading: 'Yardbirds' innovations in feedback and distortion shaped such diverse genres as psychedelic rock, progressive rock, and punk.' Another said: 'Dreja co-wrote all the material, including the revolutionary hit 'Over Under Sideways Down,' on their self-titled 1966 album and several songs on 1967's Little Games. 'His playing was an essential component of the Yardbirds' hits like 'For Your Love' and 'Shapes of Things'.' The Yardbirds were founded in 1963 with Anthony Topham, Keith Relf, Jim McCarty and Paul Samwell-Smith. The band had secured the 89th position in Rolling Stone's prestigious roundup of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. The Yardbirds were founded in 1963 with Anthony Topham, Keith Relf, Jim McCarty and Paul Samwell-Smith (pictured in 1967 at Holterhallen in Holte near Copenhagen in Denmark) Their popularity increased after they released their second album, For Your Love in 1965. It contained hits tracks such as Heart Full of Soul and I'm a Man. The Yardbird's officially disbanded in 1968. However, in 1992, Chris reformed The Yardbirds alongside Jim McCarty and they continued to play until 2013. Oasis star Paul 'Bonehead' Arthurs has revealed he has prostate cancer and will be missing a leg of the band's reunion tour as he undergoes treatment. The legendary guitarist, 60, shared the devastating news with fans in a post on X this evening. Bonehead said he had received the diagnosis earlier this year and was responding well to treatment. However, he is set to miss Oasis's Seoul, Tokyo, Melbourne and Sydney gigs before returning as the band heads to South America. In a statement, the guitarist said: 'Early this year I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. 'The good news is I'm responding really well to treatment, which meant I could be part of this incredible tour. 'Now, I am having to take a planned break for the next phase of my care, so I'll be missing the gigs in Seoul, Tokyo, Melbourne and Sydney. 'I'm really sad to be missing these shows but l'm feeling good and will be back ready to go in time for South America. Oasis star Paul 'Bonehead' Arthurs has revealed he has prostate cancer and will be missing a leg of the band's reunion tour as he undergoes treatment Liam Gallagher is pictured with Paul 'Bonehead' Arthurs in Germany in 2016 'Have an amazing time if you're going this month and I'll see you back onstage with the band in November.' Bonehead, who was previously diagnosed with tonsil cancer in April 2022, has been credited with helping reunite the Gallagher brothers. At the start of their sell-out tour he was praised by Liam and Noel, who confirmed he is one of the main reasons the band are back together. Bonehead was an original member of the Britpop band and has remained friends with both brothers over the years. A source previously told The Mirror: 'Bonehead is one of the few people they are both pals with and he has recently been trying too and it's finally paid off.' He left Oasis in 1999 during the recording of its fourth album, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, with an official statement saying he wanted to spend more time with his family. Bonehead has performed with Liam in recent years. Oasis band members Tony McCarroll, Paul 'Bonehead' Arthurs, Liam Gallagher, Paul 'Guigsy' McGuigan and Noel Gallagher are pictured together In September 2022, the guitarist revealed he had been given the all-clear following his tonsil cancer diagnosis. 'Update on my cancer, I had a full scan 10 days ago, and it's all clear, it's gone,' Bonehead said in an Instagram post, that was 'liked' by bandmate Liam. 'Thank you so much all of you for the messages I've had throughout, you've helped me more than you know.' He went on to thank his doctors and nurses that helped him throughout his battle, writing: 'Thank you especially to the team @TheChristieNHS, into recovery now and see you all soon x (sic).' The Diocese of Buffalo has filed a Chapter 11 reorganization plan years after the church found itself in bankruptcy court. The new filing is essentially a roadmap of how the organization plans on exiting bankruptcy court. Lawyers representing the diocese initially filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February 2020. The plan comes five months after the diocese and more than 900 local survivors of clergy abuse agreed to a $150million settlement. Last week, two insurance companies representing the diocese agreed to pay an additional $122.5million, bringing the settlement total to $272.5million. More insurers are expected to increase their contributions to the settlement. So far, it's the second-largest clergy settlement in New York State, only trailing a Long Island dioceses's $300 million settlement. 'These settlements are a testament to survivors who refuse to stay silent until the diocese is held accountable,' Stacey Benson, the attorney who represented the victims, told local NBC affiliate WGRZ. The Diocese of Buffalo has filed a roadmap for how it will exit its bankruptcy - the group initially filed Chapter 11 in February 2020 and has since shuttered several churches Rev. Robert Moss, a former employee at the Diocese of Buffalo, was one of the diocesan priests who the organization said had substantiated claims of abuse The Diocese of Buffalo represents 163 parishes and 34 Catholic elementary schools, according to its website. It spans eight counties in Western New York, and serves over a half-million people each year. The Diocese has remained in court for the past five years while negotiating a settlement with survivors. In May 2024, the organization said it would 'rightsize and reshape' a third of its churches to save some cash. Multiple area churches have shuttered as a result. The Diocese also said it was under a crunch because of declining attendance and a priest shortage. According to its website, the diocese has substantiated claims of abuse by more than 80 former employees. A representative for the organization didn't immediately respond to the Daily Mail's request for comment. Pakistan's jailed former prime minister Imran Khan has been questioned by government investigators about his social media account on X, which frequently posts against Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and state institutions. Officials from the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (formerly Federal Investigation Agency cybercrime wing) visited the high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi this week and interrogated Khan about his "anti-state" posts, a NCCIA officer told PTI on Thursday. He said Khan did not cooperate with the investigators and refused to respond to queries like "who is running his X account." Khan, the patron-in-chief of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), posted on Wednesday details of his meeting with the investigators on X. Sri Lankas top anti-graft official on Thursday rejected allegations of his involvement in active politics as completely false, saying it was a sinister campaign to tarnish the image of his organisation. Ranga Dissanayake, the Director General of the Commission to Investigate Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), said his job is to uphold the CIABOC mandate without fear or favour. Emboldened by the new anti-corruption law adopted in 2023, the Commission has come under focus for its renewed vigorous filing of cases, mostly against opposition politicians and public officials. Several former high-ranking politicians have been arrested since Dissanayake took over as the DG in January this year. Dissanayake, a serving High Court judge on secondment to the Commission, denied the allegations made by a former JVP member that he had been a committee member of the ruling NPPs mother party, JVP. He rejected the allegations of his involvement in active politics as completely false. He said the allegations are to be part of an organised campaign aimed at sabotaging both his work and the role of CIABOC. It is very clear the motive, to tarnish the Commissions image, Dissanayake said. He said the Commission lacks resources. I have only 169 investigating officers and just 31 legal officers with an increasing workload. The CIABOC needs around 967 staff, but the Treasury has blocked recruitment, he added. Switzerland's glaciers have faced enormous melting this year with a 3 per cent drop in total volume the fourth-largest annual drop on record due to the effects of global warming, top Swiss glaciologists have reported. The shrinkage this year means that ice mass in Switzerland home to the most glaciers in Europe has declined by one-quarter over the last decade, the Swiss glacier monitoring group GLAMOS and the Swiss Academy of Sciences said in their report Wednesday. Glacial melting in Switzerland was once again enormous in 2025, the scientists said. A winter with low snow depth combined with heat waves in June and August led to a loss of 3 per cent of the glacier volume. Switzerland is home to nearly 1,400 glaciers, the most of any country in Europe. 2025 Grand Canal Public Art Season kicks off in Beijing Xinhua) 11:55, October 03, 2025 People visit an exhibition of the 2025 Grand Canal Public Art Season in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 1, 2025. The 2025 Grand Canal Public Art Season kicked off here on Wednesday, enabling the public to experience the charm of art through interactive experiences. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai) People visit an exhibition of the 2025 Grand Canal Public Art Season in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 1, 2025. The 2025 Grand Canal Public Art Season kicked off here on Wednesday, enabling the public to experience the charm of art through interactive experiences. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai) This photo taken on Oct. 1, 2025 shows a scene at the 2025 Grand Canal Public Art Season in Beijing, capital of China. The 2025 Grand Canal Public Art Season kicked off here on Wednesday, enabling the public to experience the charm of art through interactive experiences. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai) People visit an exhibition of the 2025 Grand Canal Public Art Season in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 1, 2025. The 2025 Grand Canal Public Art Season kicked off here on Wednesday, enabling the public to experience the charm of art through interactive experiences. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai) A man takes part in an art event of the 2025 Grand Canal Public Art Season in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 1, 2025. The 2025 Grand Canal Public Art Season kicked off here on Wednesday, enabling the public to experience the charm of art through interactive experiences. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai) People take part in an art auction of the 2025 Grand Canal Public Art Season in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 1, 2025. The 2025 Grand Canal Public Art Season kicked off here on Wednesday, enabling the public to experience the charm of art through interactive experiences. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai) An artist introduces her artwork at an exhibition of the 2025 Grand Canal Public Art Season in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 1, 2025. The 2025 Grand Canal Public Art Season kicked off here on Wednesday, enabling the public to experience the charm of art through interactive experiences. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan) Comrades, I recently recognised a place as a state which is run by a terrorist group called Hamas. Hamass pledge is to kill every Jew in Israel and the world. On October 7th nearly two years ago they attacked Israel and committed many atrocities. By appeasing a terror group as a legitimate state, the Labour government of the Peoples Republic of Soviet Britain has legitimised terrorism, which was witnessed today in Manchester where a terrorist murdered in cold blood two Jews in a synagogue on Yom Kippur. Jews are not safe in Labours Britain, but who cares about that? Not us. I was told by the far-right fascist scum that terrorism should never be appeased, and if it is appeased, this only opens the gates for more terror, because the terrorists and their actions have been emboldened and legitimised, but as a staunch socialist, inclusivity is our primary priority as well as virtue signalling. Terrorists! You are welcome in our socialist utopia of Soviet Britain! By accommodating and celebrating Marxist Islamic Jihadism and antisemitism, Labour has created an atmosphere in Soviet Britain that is toxic and is on the brink of nationwide civil unrest with continued mass terrorism, but this is okay because leftists are always morally right in their superior opinions and actions we will cancel you if you think otherwise. Antisemitism is encouraged in the PRSB remember Comrades: From the River to the Sea! that is our call for terrorism, right there. The Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens has welcomed the winners of Retail NIs High Street Hero Awards 2025 to a reception in Councils Headquarters, Cloonavin. The awards, voted for my members of the public, saw thousands of local people having their say to recognise the businesses that make their high streets truly special. Independent retailers across Northern Ireland were celebrated across 13 categories, with Coleraine named High Street of the Year, beating stiff competition from fellow finalists Dromore and Lisburn. The accolade is a great achievement for the town, having previously shared the title with Newtownards in 2022. The Causeway Coast and Glens Borough proved its status as a great place to shop, with The Real Health Store, Coleraine named Best Healthcare Retailer for the second year running and MS Mobiles, Ballymoney won Best Generalist Retailer. Ballymoneys much-loved The Winsome Lady, scooped the Best Fashion Retailer award for the second year in a row. The store, owned by Winnie Mellet, will be entered into the Hall of Fame in 2026, receiving their certificate at next years launch. Customers helped McListers, Ballycastle take home Bronze for Best Generalist Retailer, and The White House, Portrush picked up Bronze for Best Homeware Retailer at the awards ceremony held at the end of August. In another great feat for the Borough, Ballymoneys high street was entered into the Hall of Fame after winning the coveted title for two successive years in 2023 and 2024. Couples, Coleraine (Best Fashion Retailer 2022 & 2023) and W & J Walker, Ballymoney (Best Homeware Retailer 2023 & 2024) were also entered into the Hall of Fame. Welcoming attendees to the reception, Councillor Oliver McMullan said: I am delighted to welcome you to this reception highlighting your recent success at the High Street Heroes Awards. A huge congratulations goes to Coleraine for winning the coveted High Street of the Year accolade and well done to all the businesses recognised in this years awards. Causeway Coast and Glens has a wealth of fantastic independent shops and businesses, and the work you all do alongside your counterparts in towns and villages throughout the area really is appreciated. Thank you for making our high streets wonderful places to visit! The High Street Hero NI Awards are a joint initiative by Retail NI, in partnership with National Lottery operator Allwyn, SSE Airtricity and Gig Grafter. For more information on Retail NIs High Street Hero Awards visit: Retail NI Schools across counties Antrim, Derry, Tyrone and Fermanagh have been told by the Education Authority (EA) in Northern Ireland to close at noon. The EA said the decision had been taken in the interests of the safety of children, young people and staff as Storm Amy arrives across the UK and Ireland. An EA statement said: "All schools located in the areas affected by the amber weather warning in Northern Ireland are required to close at 12midday today (Friday, October 3). "This decision has been taken in the interests of the safety of children, young people and staff. "The amber warning covers the western half of Northern Ireland - counties Antrim, Derry, Tyrone and Fermanagh. READ NEXT: Derry and Strabane Council services to be impacted by Storm Amy this weekend "The Education Authority consulted with the Met Office to ensure there had been no overnight amendments to the alert. "The alert applies to the period 3pm to 8pm today and is warning of a spell of damaging winds on Friday late afternoon and evening. "It has cited the potential for power cuts and damage to buildings, including a risk of injuries from flying debris." Derry's weekly 'Defend the Right to Protest' rally will take place in Waterloo Place. The rally will be held at 3.00pm on Saturday (October 4) as part of a "mass defiance across these islands of the banning of Palestine Action" according to spokesperson, Eamonn McCann. Mr McCann added: "The October 5, 1968 Derry civil rights march was banned and anyone who supported it dubbed a 'terrorist' under the Special Powers Act. The proscription of Palestine Action under the 2000 Terrorism Act feels like a re-run. "Here in Derry at 3pm in Waterloo Place, we will be continuing our weekly action in defence of the right to protest. As in other weeks, civil rights activists from the 1960s will be joined by a (slightly) younger generation in refusing to accept the idea that taking direct action to oppose genocide is a crime or could be described as 'terrorism'. "Palestine Action has been proscribed under the Terrorism Act for direct action which they tell us was inspired by Derrys Raytheon campaign. In the course of that campaign, 23 people were charged with a range of offences including aggravated burglary and criminal damage. All were found not guilty by Belfast juries who accepted that we were trying to stop Israeli war crimes being committed in Lebanon in 2006 and in Gaza in 2009. "Over the last two years, we have seen war crimes such as using starvation as a weapon which were unimaginable in 2006 or 2009. We have watched a genocide played out on our screens," said Mr McCann. He added: "Those trying to stop more arms reaching Israel should be cheered. Instead of charging Palestine Action activists with similar offences to the Raytheon campaigners, they are now being charged under the Terrorism Act which means they have fewer rights. "We can see this in the way that the Filton 24 are being held in custody awaiting trial, some for over 18 months so far with no sign of a trial. In the North, we know this as 'internment by remand'. "This Saturday, come and support those defying the proscription of Palestine Action at the same time as others are defying it in Cardiff, Edinburgh, Liverpool and Totnes." A man who admitted sending 'unacceptable' messages to another man has been given a suspended sentence at Derry Magistrate's Court. Ryan Mallett (33) of Berryburn Park in Derry admitted abusing the communications network on June 17 this year. The court heard that the injured party reported that he had received numerous messages over Facebook of a threatening nature. One message said that if he left his street he was 'a dead man'. When interviewed Mallett made admissions to sending the messages. Defence solicitor Paddy MacDermott said there was a history in the case and police were currently investigating another party. He said that the defendant would claim he was 'standing up for himself'. District Judge Ted Magill said the messages were 'very specific and detailed' and said he could send Mallett straight to prison. READ NEXT: Northern Trust celebrates Leadership Challenge success for second year in a row He told the defendant that if there issues it was for the police to investigate. Mallett was sentenced to four months in prison suspended for three years. The annual Derry Halloween Carnival Parade taking place on October 31st is the spectacular finale of Europes biggest Halloween festival, drawing thousands of spectators and participants in a celebration of creativity, community spirit, and spooky fun. The parade is led by the North West Carnival Initiative, where a team of artists and volunteers are working round the clock to come up with the amazing creations that bring the spirit of Halloween to life. The Mayor of Derry and Strabane, Councillor Ruairi McHugh, popped in to the carnival hub where all the magic is happening today, to see some of the phenomenal props and costumes. He had the chance to catch up with some of the performers who are preparing to join the Wolf Pack who will be on the prowl during the Awakening the Walled City Trail from October 28-30. Im delighted to get the chance to be right at the heart of Europes biggest Halloween celebration, said Mayor McHugh. The NWCI do a fantastic job in getting so many people involved each year. We are incredibly proud of our communitys talent and energy, and I would encourage schools, clubs, and groups of all kinds to get involved. Whether you're dancing, drumming, or dressing up your involvement will help make this years parade truly unforgettable. Jim Collins, Project Manager of the North West Carnival Initiative, said the parade offers a fantastic platform for celebrating the creative talent of the community. Every year, were blown away by the imagination and energy of the groups who take part. The parade is about celebrating who we are our stories, our creativity, and our incredible community. We have groups representing the diversity of community from right across the City and District. Im really looking forward to seeing the wolf in the parade this year, the wolf was created during a masterclass based in Park village and exemplifies the wonderful creativity within our rural communities. The masterclass was funded by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland through the Rural Engagement Arts Programme. The Derry Halloween 2025 programme, taking place from October 28th to 31st, will transport visitors into the City of Bones, with a packed line-up of events including haunting installations, live music, storytelling, street performances, and the return of the eerie Awakening the Walled City Trail. READ NEXT: Derry and Strabane Council services to be impacted by Storm Amy this weekend If you are interested in helping out with North West Carnivals preparations contact Jim at nwcarnival@gmail.com or on 02871414243 Derry Halloween is organised by Derry City and Strabane District Council with support from Tourism NI and The Executive Office. You will find information on the full Derry Halloween programme and tickets at www.derryhalloween.com. Motorists have been urged to take care as Storm Amy sweeps in. Road users in Derry have been advised that the Foyle Bridge is closed due to high winds. A yellow wind warning is in place for the entire region between 2pm on Friday and midnight on Saturday. Meanwhile, a yellow-level rain warning is in place for the region until midday on Saturday, with the Met Office warning the flooding of homes and business is possible. An additional amber wind warning was put in place for Antrim, Fermanagh, Tyrone and Derry between 3pm and 8pm on Friday. A number of trees have already been reported to have fallen down across Derry because of the high winds. Schools across counties Antrim, Derry, Tyrone and Fermanagh were told by the Education Authority in Northern Ireland to close at noon due to safety concerns. The UK Met Office said Storm Amy said there is a good chance power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage. It warned there will probably be some damage to buildings, such as tiles blown from roofs. Forecasters also warn of a risk of injury and danger to life through flying debris and large waves. The weather will also affect commuters, with longer journey times and cancellations on public transport expected. The Police Service of Northern Ireland said it may be necessary to close some routes and advised road users to consider if their journey is necessary, reduce speed, and take extra care if you must travel. Save my User ID and Password Some subscribers prefer to save their log-in information so they do not have to enter their User ID and Password each time they visit the site. To activate this function, check the 'Save my User ID and Password' box in the log-in section. This will save the password on the computer you're using to access the site. Note: If you choose to use the log-out feature, you will lose your saved information. This means you will be required to log-in the next time you visit our site. All 16 Irish citizens who were detained after Israel intercepted an aid flotilla have been transferred to a detention facility in southern Israel, according to the Tanaiste. Simon Harris also said he believed Israel had breached international law in the detention of the 16 Irish citizens among hundreds of others. He said Irelands ambassador to Israel is at the facility and providing all possible and appropriate assistance to those detained, They were held after Israel intercepted around 40 vessels taking part in the Global Sumud Flotilla taking aid to Gaza. Organisers say the flotilla was arranged to carry humanitarian aid for Palestinians, break Israels blockade of Gaza and raise awareness. Israels foreign ministry said on social media that activists on board who included Sinn Fein senator Chris Andrews and other European legislators were safe and were being taken to Israel to begin procedures for their deportations to their home countries. In a statement after a meeting of senior Department of Foreign Affairs officials, Mr Harris said: Over the past number of weeks, I have repeatedly stated that I understand that the peaceful efforts of those that were on board reflect an understandable desire by many people around the world to urgently address the humanitarian needs of the people of Gaza. I can confirm that, in the last 24 hours, all 16 of our citizens were transferred to a detention facility in southern Israel. In this situation, my clear priority is their safety and wellbeing. An embassy team, including our ambassador to Israel, is currently at the detention facility, and is providing all possible and appropriate consular assistance, including ensuring access to legal representation and facilitating medical treatment where necessary. The department understands that those detained will be given the option to leave immediately or be brought before a hearing within a few days. Mr Harris added: Dublin-based officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade are also in close contact with family members who have requested our support. I understand that this is an exceptionally difficult time for them, and we will continue to update them as we receive more information. Mr Harris said the department will also monitor the situation around several other Irish citizens participating in further flotillas en route to Gaza. Asked on RTE radio if he believed Israel had breached international law, Mr Harris said: Yes I do. He added: I think the people who have travelled on the flotilla are brave and peaceful people who have tried to shine a light on the humanitarian catastrophe, the famine, the genocide thats happening in Gaza. Asked what action he wanted to see taken, Mr Harris said he did not want to cause any provocation while prioritising the safety of Irish citizens in detention. However, he said: But there are obviously international courts, there are obviously UN human rights bodies, and I think there are a number of ways of being able to test and I believe prove that Israel has violated international law. Pressed on whether Ireland would send a naval vessel to monitor other flotillas, the Tanaiste said he had given it a lot of consideration, but said ships from Spain, Turkey, and italy didnt make any difference whatsoever. He added: But what I have agreed with European colleagues is that when theres a European boat in the waters, Irish citizens will be treated the same as the nationality by whom that boat is owned. So I am satisfied that there are European eyes on that water that are acting also as Irish eyes. Mr Harris also said he had raised concerns with the European Union over a lack of public statement or action on the detention of European citizens. He further called for a full suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. A Louth champion of circular living was honoured at the Circular.ie Full Circle Awards held in the Aviva Stadium last Wednesday. Ray Hunt, artist-in-residence in the Dolmen Centre in Omeath, Co Louth, was a runner-up in the Creative Circular Artist category, honouring those who transform waste materials into art, furniture, decor, or other creative expressions through upcycling. The judging panel paid tribute to Ray Hunt for being an exceptional artist and recycler. They praised him for having transformed the Dolmen Centre where he works by bringing a wealth of beauty to it and to other community spaces around Omeath, and for being renowned for being generous with his time. This is the first year of the Full Circle Awards, created by Circular.ie to spotlight people and projects that demonstrate what circular living looks like, and celebrate the big impact that individuals and communities throughout Ireland, including in Louth, are creating by making circular living part of their everyday lives in practical ways. Speaking about the Full Circle Awards, Minister of State at the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment with special responsibility for the Circular Economy, Alan Dillon TD said: These awards highlight how people across Ireland are making a real difference in their community by embracing and promoting circular living in their daily lives. They also act as inspiration to others, creating momentum throughout the country. The event in the Aviva also celebrated the launch of Circular.ie Irelands new national platform designed to help people in Louth reduce waste, get more from the things they already have, save money, and build thriving local communities through circular living. Developed by The Rediscovery Centre, in collaboration with the Department of Climate, Energy and Environment and other stakeholders working in this area, Circular.ie offers practical tools, guidance, and inspiration for anyone in Louth looking to live more sustainably from reusing and repairing to sharing and repurposing. Increasing awareness and engagement with the circular economy is a key goal of the Circular.ie platform, which aims to simplify the concept of circularity and show how everyday choices can lead to meaningful change. Recent research by Circular.ie shows that while awareness of the term circular economy is growing, many people still see it as a business or government activity and not as something they can personally get involved with. Read Next: Louth sees fall in number signing on Live Register Welcoming the launch of Circular.ie, Minister Alan Dillon TD said: Im delighted to officially launch Circular.ie, Irelands national platform for the circular economy. Driving engagement through effective communication is paramount to delivering real change and is a key objective of the Circular Economy Strategy, which I have launched for public consultation. Going beyond digital communications, this programme supports communities across Ireland to embrace the opportunities of circular living, increase engagement and share their impact. Announcing Circular.ie, which includes the new online platform and a public engagement programme, CEO of The Rediscovery Centre, which is spearheading the project, Claire Downey said: Circular living is all around us. Our mapping has identified brilliant initiatives all across the country and a growing interest from communities to get more involved, including in Louth. Circular.ie is about meeting people where they are at and providing practical steps and support for them to get started or go that bit further. Former Fianna Fail TD for Louth, Declan Breathnach yesterday endorsed Fine Gael candidate for president Heather Humphreys as she canvassed in Blackrock. The former TD and councillor explained his decision saying: Im here today to endorse you Heather and wish you every success. I have known you as a colleague on the council, in Dail Eireann and I am very conscious that you are a peoples person and you will be a peoples president. I have a memory as a 15 year old of seeing Former President Erskine Childers travel to Dundalk on his election campaign and I believe you can succeed in renewing the Presidency in a way that the people will want. Ms Humphreys began her visit in Blackrock and met with the Blackrock Tidy Towns group. She said: "Tidy Towns groups are at the heart of our communities. As Minister I always supported them, and if elected President I will highlight them and celebrate the unsung heroes in communities all across Ireland. I was delighted to present Blackrock Tidy Towns Group with Ireland's Tidiest Small Town Award in 2024 which was very well deserved considering the great work they do here in keeping the village and the beach so clean." Read Next: Louth community invited to help shape Irelands nature restoration plan at Omeath event She then moved on to Ardee where she visited Ardee Credit Union and spent time talking to young people in the Dee Hub and Mid-Louth Youth Service. After a short walkabout in the town, she visited Ardee Castle saying, "Im delighted that funding was provided by my former Department of Rural and Community Development to support the regeneration of Ardee Castle. It was great to visit the Castle today and hear about the plans to progress this exciting project which will see this wonderful historic building in the Town Centre renovated and restored into a community space for the people of Ardee to enjoy. The Old Dundalk Society said it is pleased to invite you to the first lecture in its Autumn 2025 series. The event will take place at the County Museum Dundalk on Wednesday, 8th October, starting promptly at 8pm. The lecture, titled Getting the Light, will explore the fascinating story of how electricity transformed Dundalk and beyond. It will trace the journey from the early days of electric power in the 1870s ,when it began to replace gas for lighting streets and steam for powering industry, to the introduction of a national electricity system under the ESB (Electricity Supply Board). The talk will also highlight the Rural Electrification Scheme, a major turning point that brought light and modern convenience to homes and farms across Ireland, profoundly changing rural life and opportunities. READ NEXT: Former Louth Fianna Fail TD backs Fine Gael candidate for president The speaker, Tony Rice, brings a wealth of personal and professional experience to the topic. He began his career with the ESB as an apprentice over 60 years ago and worked throughout the wider Dundalk district (including Louth, Cavan, Monaghan, and Meath). Later, he spent more than 30 years lecturing at what is now Dundalk Institute of Technology (DKIT). As space is limited at the venue, we recommend arriving early to avoid disappointment. Voluntary contributions are welcome at the door. The spirit of Aurfest is alive and roaring as Aur (Wee) Fest storms into Toales Live Venue, Dundalk on Saturday 4th October. Doors open at 7pm, with tickets priced at just 10 online via Eventbrite and 13 on the night and believe us, this is one event you simply cannot afford to miss. This one-day indoor festival isnt just a night out, its a celebration of everything Aurfest stands for: original music, community spirit, and raw energy. The line-up is stacked with some of Irelands finest, ready to deliver from the very first note. Headlining are The Twisted Sisters, bringing their trademark firepower to the Toales stage. READ NEXT: The Old Dundalk Society are set to host a lecture in the County Museum But the electricity doesnt stop there youll also catch the sheer intensity of Fomorian, the captivating soundscapes of Elephant, the sonic experimentation of Psyrin, the soulful talent of Rowan Murphy, the unique artistry of Catherine McCrystal, and the one-of-a-kind presence of Eugene OHanlon. This is not just variety its a showcase of Irelands creative heart, all under one roof, all in one unforgettable night. And heres what makes it even more special: Aur (Wee) Fest is about giving back. Every single act is performing for free, with every cent raised going directly towards Aurfest 2026. By buying your ticket, youre not just getting a night of top-class music youre helping to keep Dundalks very own music and arts festival alive, thriving, and growing. As if that wasnt enough, festival-goers will get exclusive access to Aurfest 2026 tickets at this years prices and you might even walk away with a pair for free. Thats right, only those at Aur (Wee) Fest will have this golden opportunity. So mark it down, tell your friends, and get ready Aur (Wee) Fest at Toales on October 4th is more than a gig, more than a fundraiser. Its a movement, a party, and a promise of whats to come. Miss it, and youll miss a piece of Dundalks musical soul. When Margaret Daly was in her mid-forties, with a house, three children and a job, there wasnt a whole lot of sitting-around time to be had. But one day, when the busy mum, who also worked as a home help and child-minder, managed to snatch a few precious minutes to read The Echo, she spotted an advertisement which brought to mind the inspiring words of her mother Nora. Nora had passed away when Margaret was just 24, but her personal motto was one which would inform her daughters life and inspire her to raise more than 120,000 for charity over the years to come: If you can help anyone or do someone a bit of good, do it. Help them, was what Nora always said. The newspaper advertisement that Margaret was now reading was seeking volunteers to host fundraising coffee mornings for what is now Marymount Hospice and Margaret answered the call. It was 1994 and in the midst of a grim recession when the mother-of-three travelled from her home in the small village of Shannonvale outside the West Cork town of Clonakilty to meet hospice staff and undergo an assessment of her suitability for the fund-raising morning. They explained what I would do and how it would work, she recalls. We held our first coffee morning that September, and we have held one every September since, apart from the one we missed at the start of the pandemic! To date, and over 32 years, Margaret and her band of helpers have raised a staggering 57,000-plus for Marymount. But this was only the beginning. Margaret, of Shannonvale, near Clonakilty Charity fundraisers and community work were to become a major part of Margarets daily life over the ensuing decades. Now aged 77 and a grandmother of five children aged from three to 16, the West Cork woman has been described by loved ones as an unstoppable force of nature who keeps going no matter what. Over several decades, she has given her time and effort to assist a staggering range of organisations. These include the Cope Foundation, Clonakilty GAA Club, Meals on Wheels, the Parents Association of her local primary school, St Josephs National School, and the Darkness into Light campaign. She also helps organise everything from charity fund-raisers like tractor runs, to table quizzes for her beloved Shannonvale Community Association. But the story doesnt end there. Far from it. Life turned head over heels for Margaret in April, 2015, following a visit to the GP. That day, she was looking after her young grandson on top of everything else, shes a very hands-on granny - and when he complained of earache she brought him to the doctor. By the by, she casually mentioned that she might be needing an appointment herself and the doctor, a good friend, asked why: Her ears pricked up immediately! Margaret recalls. She asked me what was wrong. I told her Id been passing a bit of blood for a few months. Margaret was put straight up on the examination table. Next came an immediate referral to Cork University Hospital for a colonoscopy, a medical procedure which examines the inside of the colon or large bowel for signs of disease, such as bowel cancer or other conditions. The results were terrifying. Margaret had Stage Four bowel cancer. There is no doubt I was in the red territory, recalls Margaret. The staff were fantastic. I couldnt speak highly enough of them. Prior to surgery, the consultant explained that if the tumour was contained in her bowel, Margarets chances were good. However, he warned that if it had penetrated through the wall of the bowel I would be in trouble. I was very worried. The operation took place shortly afterwards and, two weeks later, Margaret got the all-clear - the tumour had indeed remained contained in the bowel. I was told I needed no further treatment. Ive been great ever since, and all thanks to those wonderful staff! Heres the thing. On receiving such news, most of us would probably just have thanked our lucky stars to still be alive and got on with the day-to-day. Not Margaret. After being discharged from hospital in May, she went back to doing one of the things she does best. She gave back: I decided to fundraise for the CUH cancer unit. I got a few of my buddies in the Shannonvale Road Bowling Club together and we organised a weekend of fundraising. Weve done this every year since. To date, and including this years fundraising total, the group has raised more than 63,000 for the unit. Margaret remains involved in the Shannonvale Bowling Association - and with good reason. This autumn has been taken up with organising the Liam Daly Perpetual Memorial Cup in memory of my late husband Liam, a great fan of road bowling, who passed away three years ago, she said. Liam and the family enjoyed bowling but I never did it. I just love going out and meeting my buddies and enjoying the social side of it. The Liam Daly Perpetual Memorial Daly Cup is sponsored by Shannonvale bowling club and the finals are taking place this weekend. In the meantime, Margaret has no intention of slowing down: I just have a drive to help people and, you know, some day I might want someone to help me! Thats not the motivation for what I do, but it is something I occasionally think about. Currently, the pensioner is still fundraising and volunteering with Marymount Hospice, the cancer unit at CUH, her local bowling club, and the Darkness into Light annual event, to name but a few. And you never know, she quips: There might be more new ones coming up yet! Advocacy groups are hoping for a renewed focus on the elderly in Budget 2026. The importance of looking after the elderly into the future is evidenced by figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), which is predicting that the numbers of those aged 65 or older will increase by 140% by 2057. As far as Budget 2026 is concerned, in its pre-budget submission Age Action Ireland is calling for the state pension to be increased in line with growing incomes in Ireland. They are also calling for targeted supports for older people, who are particularly vulnerable to poverty, especially those living alone. Camille Loftus, head of advocacy and public affairs at Age Action Ireland, said the elderly are really concerned about things like meeting energy costs. What a load of older people are really worried about now is that the pension is not adequate to meet their costs. People have been left with a pension that is inadequate and an absence of any other supports to help them meet their costs. Ms Loftus added: A sensible plan for the future would benchmark the pension and set up an independent body that would be able to advise government on what is the best way to ensure the pensions are financed on a sustainable basis into the future. Age Action Ireland is also hoping that Budget 2026 can help towards advancing the goal of delivering a quality and safe statutory homecare scheme. Paddy OBrien, a Cork advocate for the elderly, told The Echo that the issues impacting the elderly need to be reflected in the 2026 budget. The hardship being experienced by large numbers of our senior citizens must be given greater consideration in the budget. Many elderly people are struggling on a daily basis, especially those people who live alone. The current weekly payment must be increased, he added. The Government now has an opportunity to improve the quality of life for our senior citizens, by announcing a substantial increase in the weekly payment. A woman convicted of shoplifting 178 times who committed three more thefts last week, including snatching 280 worth of steaks from a supermarket, has been failed by the system, her lawyer claimed. Joseph Cuddigan said at Cork District Court that when Margaret Deasy, aged 37, finishes a prison sentence she is turfed out with nowhere to go and she falls back into her previous patterns. Mr Cuddigan said that in Nordic countries there is a half-way house that prisoners can attend on their release from custody and that this is not available in Ireland. However, Judge Mary Dorgan disagreed and said: It is not the systems failure, the system is not sending her in to steal in Dunnes, Tesco, and Marks and Spencer in one day, she did that herself. Mr Cuddigan said: What I am saying is that in other countries there is a half-way house, in this country there is not. Judge Dorgan said: What is stopping her walking to Arbour House? There is nothing stopping her. She was put on probation bonds previously. Everything was done for her. The situation is very sad for her. But equally it is sad for the stores and the guards going after her for these offences. She has had plenty of assistance from the system, as you call it. Since 2007, she has been on several probation bonds. She also has the services of Simon, she has the services of Coolmine, of Cuan Mhuire, of Tabor Lodge. I dont think she is the victim of the system. I think Mr Cuddigan and I can agree she is the victim of her own very sad addiction to drink. I would urge her to attend for services. There are very good services. After a brief adjournment to establish how many times the accused has been put on probation bonds, Mr Cuddigan said: There may be a misunderstanding this has worked in Nordic countries. Judge Dorgan said Deasys latest offences were shoplifting at three stores on September 26. She is a menace, she is stealing again, and that was in one day. Judge Dorgan imposed an eight-month prison sentence with the last two months suspended for 12 months on condition that Deasy complies with directions of the probation service upon her release. Don OLeary, a past member of Cork City Council and the former director of the Cork Life Centre, has passed away. He was 68. Through his work with the Cork Life Centre, Mr OLeary, who had been living for more than four years with terminal cancer, made life immeasurably better for hundreds of young Cork people failed by Irelands mainstream education system. A native of Ballyphehane who lived most of his life in Fairhill, Mr OLeary was jailed in 1987 for three years in Portlaoise Prison for membership of the Provisional IRA. He often said his real crime had been possession of Sinn Fein election posters, and he once told The Echo that while he had not actually been a member of the IRA when he went to prison, I most certainly was when I came out. Elected as a Sinn Fein councillor for the Cork city north-west ward in 1999, contemporaries remember him as a firebrand who always defended the oppressed and the overlooked. Ill health forced him to stand down in 2000 and he was replaced on the council by future TD Jonathan OBrien. In 2006, Mr OLeary began as director of the Cork Life Centre, a volunteer-led alternative education facility offering one-to-one, relationship-based tuition to students who have not thrived in the mainstream education system. When he took over, the centre, founded in 2000 by Nashs Boreen native Brother Gary OShea, tutored five students every year, up to Junior Cert. In his time as director, Mr OLeary expanded the curriculum and introduced Leaving Certificate subjects for those who wished to study them, growing the number of students tutored there every year to 55. In late 2022, after long and often fractious negotiations, and following several interventions by Taoiseach Micheal Martin, Mr OLeary announced that a deal had been agreed with the Department of Education whereby nine of the centres staff would be given contracts by the department, a development Mr OLeary said would secure the Life Centres future. In December 2023, Mr OLeary resigned as director of the Life Centre, a position he had held for more than 18 years, following a number of unresolved disputes with the centres board of trustees. In his professional life, his time as director of the Life Centre meant more than anything else. He would arrive in the office early every morning, some days before dawn, and he would stay into the evening, doing everything he could for the young people who found a new purpose in life during their time under his care. In December of 2021, when he made public his diagnosis of terminal cancer, he told The Echo: If I had one wish for anyone, it would be to give them one day of the last 16 years of days that I have had in the Life Centre. Mr OLeary is survived by his wife Betty, their children Don and Eilis, and their beloved grandchildren Daniel, James, Eoin, and Cian. Movement on flood protection works in East Cork is good news, but more is needed, residents said, as a planning notice was erected in an estate where more than 60 homes were flooded two years ago. The notice states that Cork County Council intends to undertake work on the Tir Cluain flood defence project in Knockgriffin and Broomfield West, Midleton. The proposed project comprises three key infrastructure elements: a flood defence embankment, a surface water drainage network, and landscaping. A submission or an observation on the proposed development can be made online on the council website or in writing, with the Midleton and East Cork Flood Protection Group urging people to make a submission in support of the works. Caroline Leahy, who lives in Tir Cluain, told that in October 2023, in the region of 62 to 65 houses in the estate were flooded. She said that interim work has been done in Midleton, but this is the first sign of the big scheme progressing a little bit, at least it shows something is moving, two years on. Its good news, but it doesnt benefit the whole town, we need more, said Ms Leahy. Theres over 900 properties in East Cork that were flooded or at risk of flooding. Hundreds more homes around East Cork are not going to see that planning notice in their estate for 10 years. We are lucky that they can do this work and it wont have a knock-on effect elsewhere. Most places need it all to work in tandem or else if they fix one place, it will cause a bigger problem downstream. Hopefully, we just have one more winter to get through before me and my neighbours are safe, but the project is still open to objections [as well as] delays if they cant find a contractor. Residents are constantly concerned about the risk of flooding, said Ms Leahy. Its not even just the storms that worry us, the wet weather leading up to the storms is also a contributing factor if we have general Irish wet weather for two weeks, that saturates the ground and has a knock-on effect when theres a storm as theres no soakage left. The storm this weekend is going to be relatively bad, but weve had a dry patch before it, so were hopeful it will be OK, but every time it rains were worried. Social Democrats TD for the area, Liam Quaide, told The Echo: There is so much about flood relief in East Cork that is a source of concern and despair for residents, two years on from Storm Babet. This scheme for Tir Cluain and some nearby houses is, however, a very good news story, and I commend Cork County Council for their initiative with it. Lancang-Mekong international tourist route launches in southwest China's Yunnan Xinhua) 11:58, October 03, 2025 KUNMING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Lancang-Mekong River international tourist shipping service was officially launched on Wednesday in the Dai Autonomous Prefecture of Xishuangbanna in southwest China's Yunnan Province, according to the prefectural cultural and tourism department. The inaugural vessel departed from Jinghong Port -- a national-level waterway port located in Jinghong City of Xishuangbanna -- and proceeded to the Guanlei Port to complete exit procedures. It then traveled downstream along the Lancang-Mekong River, ultimately arriving at Chiang Saen Port in Thailand. This milestone signifies a groundbreaking achievement in the integration of culture and tourism along this golden waterway that connects six countries. This international tourist route covers the destinations of China's Xishuangbanna, Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai in Thailand, and Luang Prabang in Laos. The five-day, four-night itinerary represents a pioneering travel experience that seamlessly integrates tourism resources from China, Laos, and Thailand, utilizing a coordinated network of transportation options including waterway, road, air, and rail. According to the Xishuangbanna cultural and tourism department, future plans include accelerating tourist market development, launching more diverse Lancang-Mekong travel itineraries, and fostering a more vibrant "golden tourism circle" in the region. These initiatives will inject fresh vitality into building a regional economic and cultural community. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan) A busy supermarket on the northside of Cork city was closed this week by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) for the second time in a month. On Monday, September 29, Singletons SuperValu in Hollyhill posted a notice on its door saying it was temporarily closed and expected to reopen later in the week. This morning, the FSAI posted a notice online saying a closure order had been issued through the HSE on Monday to the stores owners, Crimdale Developments Limited, which is currently in receivership. It is understood that notice of that enforcement order had not been posted on Monday due to technical issues at the FSAI. When contacted on Monday by The Echo, a spokesperson for Musgrave, which owns the SuperValu franchise, said the company did not wish to comment at this time. Local Fianna Fail city councillor Tony Fitzgerald said he had spoken with the receivers, who had told him the store was now expected to reopen on Sunday. On September 4, the FSAI issued a closure order on Crimdale Developments Limited, an order which was subsequently lifted on September 6. The FSAI did not provide a reason for the September 4 closure order, but a full report is expected to be published in in the coming weeks. At the time of the initial closure, a spokesperson for Musgrave said: We can confirm that SuperValu Hollyhill is currently closed to allow essential maintenance works to take place. When queried on the reason for the September 4 closure, the spokesperson said: SuperValu Hollyhill was temporarily closed to allow for essential maintenance works following the identification of a pest control issue. Immediate action was taken to resolve this matter, including engaging external contractors, and the store fully reopened on Saturday, September 6, and is continuing to trade as normal. The health and safety of customers and staff at Supervalu Hollyhill is and remains our top priority. Musgraves was asked for a comment. A former Fianna Fail councillor who admitted harassment of a woman in Cork city three years ago had sentencing adjourned again until November 7. Judge Mary Dorgan adjourned the case for finalisation at Cork District Court on that date. 49-year-old Joseph ODonovan, formerly known as Gary OFlynn, of Melvindale House, Coolowen, Blarney, County Cork, previously indicated through his solicitor Frank Buttimer that he was pleading guilty to the harassment. A victim impact statement was presented to the court at an earlier sitting. The charge which he admitted is contrary to the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997, for the offence of harassment on three dates between July 30 and August 6 2022 at a location in Cork city. Details of the background to the case in relation to where the incident occurred are not published in order to prevent identification of the injured party. As Gary OFlynn, the defendant was a councillor on Cork City Council from 2003 to 2008. Almost 30 years of legal investigations, thousands of newspaper articles, several documentaries and podcasts, and still there is no Irish answer to the question of who murdered Sophie Toscan du Plantier in West Cork during Christmas week, 1996. It is a story that has fascinated people from day one: how a French woman travelled to her holiday home alone at Christmas to do a repair job at the cottage, only to be found dead, a rock the only murder weapon left at the scene. Theories have multiplied over the years, and one chief suspect has stood out, Ian Bailey, a man who courted the limelight, allegedly made references to killing Toscan du Plantier, yet not one piece of evidence showed him to be near her that night. While the Irish legal system found no reason to prosecute Bailey, the French tried him and found him guilty in absentia. Many believe that Bailey, who died last year, is guilty, but there are also those who supported his claims of innocence. Among his strongest supporters is the award-winning director Jim Sheridan, whose latest film, written and directed with David Merriman, Re-Creation: The Trail Of Ian Bailey, aims to prove that the Englishman is innocent. The film is a fictionalised account that imagines what would have happened if Bailey had gone on trial for murder. Bailey is played by Colm Meaney, but we never hear him speak. The film opens with the prosecuting barrister, played by Aidan Gillen, giving his closing statement before the jury adjourns to deliberate. The film, inspired by Sidney Lumets iconic courtroom drama 12 Angry Men, is mainly set in the jury room, where 11 of the 12 jurors are ready to find Bailey guilty. Juror Number Eight, played by the excellent Vicky Krieps, is the only member of the group to believe that Bailey is innocent. She cannot explain why at first but says she has a feeling that he didnt do it. The loudest and most overbearing member of the jury, Number Three, played by John Connors, is quick to point out that feelings dont equal facts. Number Three hates all forms of violence towards women and sees red when he is reminded of Baileys actions towards his former partner, Jules Thomas. Sheridan and Merriman do not shy away from reminding us that Bailey was a domestically violent person, but just because he hit women doesnt necessarily mean he was a murderer. As Juror Eight begins to explain her reasoning, the other jurors start to waver. Sheridan plays Juror One, the jury foreman who guides the jury as they go over the evidence. It is a clever device; no-one knows this case better than Sheridan, and as much of the film is improvised, he can guide the actors and their actions as much as Juror One guides his fellow jurors. The jury, along with the audience, is presented with new evidence, including a new pathology report. We are led to question the statements made by the witness, Marie Farrell, as well as ponder whether the Garda investigation was carried out correctly, and if media interference may have led to some of Baileys questionable comments and actions in the aftermath of the murder. We also travel with the jury as they do a field trip to West Cork and recreate Toscan du Plantiers last moments in her home before her murder. As ideas coalesce, more jurors begin to doubt Baileys guilt. Following the film screening, a pre-recorded interview, West Cork Murder: 2025 Case Analysis, will take place, featuring directors Sheridan and Merriman, hosted by Jennifer Forde from the well-known West Cork Podcast. The idea of presenting the real story in this fictionalised manner is refreshing. After 30 years, the case still holds considerable interest, but for many, the fact that it involved a real woman has been overshadowed by sensationalism and curiosity. Allowing the jurors to connect with the case and share their personal stories helps bring back the truth of this case: Sophie Toscan du Plantier was a real person. She had a son, a career, a husband, parents, friends, and siblings, and she was murdered before her 40th birthday. While the improvisation goes a little over the top at times, and the overall structure falters on occasion, there is no denying that there are great performances, particularly from Krieps, who brings raw emotion to the role. The film has great moments but is overly uneven; its triumph, however, is humanising Sophie Toscan du Plantier once again, and that is more important than any star rating could be. Re-Creation: The Trial Of Ian Bailey, in cinemas, Oct 3, cert 15a, *** Apple has removed ICEBlock, the app which allowed users to put a pin on a map to show where ICE agents have recently been spotted, from the App Store. It has also pulled other apps that served a similar purpose. According to Fox Business, Attorney General Pam Bondi demanded their takedown, telling Apple that the apps were "designed to put ICE agents at risk just for doing their jobs." Bondi added that "violence against law enforcement is an intolerable red line that cannot be crossed." She also said that the "Department of Justice will continue making every effort to protect [its] brave federal law enforcement officers, who risk their lives every day to keep Americans safe." "We created the App Store to be a safe and trusted place to discover apps," Apple told the publication in a statement. "Based on information we've received from law enforcement about the safety risks associated with ICEBlock, we have removed it and similar apps from the App Store." Bondi demanded the apps' removal after the FBI and the administration reported that the gunman who attacked an ICE facility in Dallas used tracking apps, including ICEBlock, to open fire from a rooftop. The gunman killed two immigrants and injured a third, but he was allegedly targeting ICE agents. Joshua Aaron, the app's developer, told Fox Business that he was "incredibly disappointed" by Apple's actions. "Capitulating to an authoritarian regime is never the right move," he said. "Apple has claimed they received information from law enforcement that ICEBlock served to harm law enforcement officers. This is patently false." Aaron added: "We are determined to fight this with everything we have. Our mission has always been to protect our neighbors from the terror this administration continues to reign down on the people of this nation." ICEBlock climbed to the top of the App Store charts in July after administration officials slammed it, making more people aware of its existence. At the time, officials warned Aaron that they were "looking at him, and he better watch out" because the app threatens the lives of law enforcement agents. NBC News reports that it was downloaded more than 1 million times since it was introduced. Tom Homan, the administration's "border czar," recently told Fox News that the government will investigate the "people who put these apps up" because they put "law enforcement at great risk." Indonesia has suspended TikToks operational registration status in the country, alleging that the social media platform did not fully co-operate with a request to share its data during nationwide protests in August. In a statement , Alexander Sabar, an official from Indonesias digital and communications ministry, said TikTok had violated national laws by only providing partial data while the protests were ongoing between August 23 and 30. Sabar said TikTok was given until September 23 to hand over its data related to traffic, streaming and monetization, after it emerged that some accounts with links to online gambling may have profited from TikTok livestreams during the protests. All forms of gambling are illegal under Indonesian law. TikTok reportedly said that it couldnt provide all of the requested data due to internal policy. The app has now been temporarily suspended, although Bloomberg claims that TikTok remains accessible in the country for now. Anger about the state of Indonesias economy, widespread police brutality and a number of government policies sparked Augusts violent protests. TikTok voluntarily suspended its live feature for a number of days during the unrest in an attempt to keep the platform a "safe and civil space." The app has over 100 million users in the country. There's a long list of reasons US stability is now teetering between "Fyre Festival" and "Charlie Sheen's 'Tiger Blood' era." Now you can add cybersecurity to the tally. A crucial cyber defense law, the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 (CISA 2015), has lapsed. With the government out of commission, the nation's computer networks are more exposed for who knows how long. Welcome to 2025, baby. CISA 2015 promotes the sharing of cyber threat information between the private and public sectors. It includes legal protections for companies that might otherwise hesitate to share that data. The law promotes "cyber threat information sharing with industry and government partners within a secure policy and legal framework," a coalition of industry groups wrote in a letter to Congress last week. As Cybersecurity Dive explains, CISA 2015 shields companies from antitrust liability, regulatory enforcement, private lawsuits and FOIA disclosures. Without it, sharing gets more complicated. "There will just be many more lawyers involved, and it will all go slower, particularly new sharing agreements," Ari Schwartz, cybersecurity director at the law firm Venable, told the publication. That could make it easier for adversaries like Russia and China to conduct cyberattacks. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) (Kevin Dietsch via Getty Images) Before the shutdown, there was support for renewal from the private sector, the Trump administration and bipartisan members of Congress. One of the biggest roadblocks was Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee. He objected to reauthorizing the law without changes to some of his pet issues. Notably, he wanted to add language that would neuter the ability to combat misinformation and disinformation. He canceled his planned revision of the bill after a backlash from his peers. The committee then failed to approve any version before the expiration date. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, House Republicans included a short-term CISA 2015 renewal in its government funding bill. But Democrats, whose support the GOP needs, wouldn't support the Continuing Resolution for other reasons. They want Affordable Care Act premium tax credits extended beyond their scheduled expiration at the end of the year. Without an extension, Americans' already spiking health insurance premiums will continue to skyrocket. In its letter to Congress last week, the industry coalition warned that the expiration of CISA 2015 would lead to "a more complex and dangerous" security landscape. "Sharing information about cyber threats and incidents makes it harder for attackers because defenders learn what to watch for and prioritize," the group wrote. "As a result, attackers must invest more in new tools or target different victims." This week, EA announced that it plans to go private as part of a massive $55 billion sale, a move that will likely have huge implications for the gaming landscape. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget's Sam Rutherford chat about what this deal really means (and why it includes a Saudi Arabian investment fund), and also dive into the messy state of Xbox. Is the ROG Ally Xbox X already a failure at $1,000? Subscribe! Topics Electronic Arts to go private in a deal worth $55 Billion 1:43 What the heck is going on with Xbox? The $1,000 ROG Ally Xbox X could be a failure even before launch 15:23 Great games out now: Final Fantasy Tactics, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Hades II and more 42:46 Amazons fall hardware event announced new Echoes, a new Fire TV and a panopticon powered by Ring 59:10 Google announces new Nest Doorbell along with a couple of Nest Cams 1:09:34 Hollywood film stars recoil in disgust at Tilly Norwood, an AI actress created by a Dutch production studio 1:14:30 OpenAIs Sora video app is full of fake shoplifting clips 1:14:13 Working on 1:17:35 Pop culture picks 1:19:01 Credits Hosts: Devindra Hardawar and Sam Rutherford Producer: Ben Ellman Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien Its getting increasingly difficult to say smart rings are just a niche inside the broader world of wearable technology. The raft of celebrities who are seen wearing them, the NBAs use of Oura rings as an early warning system against COVID-19 and, last year, Samsungs entry into the market has made them far more prominent in the minds of mainstream consumers. Weve tested plenty of smart rings, and are likely to test plenty more as the years roll on. To help you better understand the category, weve built this guide that explains what they do, what theyre for and which ones are worth your time and money right now. Best smart rings for 2025 Daniel Cooper for Engadget 89 100 Expert Score The best smart ring for most people Oura Ring 4 Read our full Oura Ring 4 review Oura has arguably done more than anyone else to push the category forward and its rings are category-leading. The Ring 4 is one of the strongest on the market and the company makes a big deal about how much of its work is scientifically validated. What Oura does better than a lot of its competitors is making a ring and app ecosystem that is accessible to everyone. It turns all of the metrics it generates into a series of easy-to-understand scores that will tell you instantly where you need to improve. The companys Symptom Radar, too, has the potential to act as an early warning system for some illnesses. Since it can keep an eye on your temperature and heart rate, it can catch when things start changing long before you start feeling it. The downsides are, really, that the company charges a monthly subscription ($6 monthly or $70 annually for US users), with some features paywalled behind it. And that while the ring is comfortable to wear, the dimple which marks which way the ring should be worn (with the mark pointing toward your palm) still annoys. Pros More comfortable Better data collection Gorgeous, clean app Cons Requires paid subscription to use basic hardware features Unclear why the paint jobs cost extra $349 at Oura Daniel Cooper for Engadget The best smart ring for fitness fans Ultrahuman Ring Air Ultrahumans Ring Air is stylish, elegant and sits comfortably on your finger to blend seamlessly in with your style. What sets the Ultrahuman Ring Air apart from its competitors is the sheer volume of data it will throw at you. You can set the ring to bombard you with statistics about every fact of your body from your sleep, recovery, stress, movement through to your caffeine window. Wear it to bed and, midmorning the next day, youll get a recap of your night, including being told off when you opted to reach for the snacks too close to bedtime. If youre a weekend warrior, or part of the #MarginalGains crowd, then youll likely love the sheer volume of extra stuff the Ring Air can do. As well as the regular suite of features, youll be able to access Power Plugs which unlock additional stat-specific insights. That includes a score on how much Vitamin D youve been exposed to, or examining your cardiovascular fitness. Bear in mind that while some of these are free, the ones that charge arent just looking for a token fee. To add cycle and ovulation tracking to your ring will cost $40 per year, while AFib analysis will set you back $24. The company has also broadened its ecosystem to work with continuous glucose monitors (CGMs). These arm-worn sensors, which are primarily worn by people with diabetes but have become popular with the fitness crowd, offers real-time glucose monitoring. Similar to the Power Plugs, however, youll be forking out a chunk of change $299 a month for the privilege. The company has also built Ultrahuman Home, a sensor styled like an old Mac Mini that can monitor your air quality, light exposure, temperature, noise and humidity. It will set you back $549, although its worth adding all of its products are HSA/FSA eligible. Pros Stylish design Tracks an impressive amount of data Works in tandem with other health devices like glucose monitors Cons Some trackable data comes at an extra cost $299 at Ultrahuman Sam Rutherford for Engadget 80 100 Expert Score The best smart ring for sleep tracking Samsung Galaxy Ring Read our full Samsung Galaxy Ring review Samsung has beaten the likes of Google, Fitbit, Garmin and even Apple to the category. Its debut offering has been surprisingly capable. While it doesnt track as many things as some of its rivals, the Galaxy Ring feeds into Samsungs Health App. If youre already in Samsungs ecosystem and own one of its phones, integrating the Galaxy Ring would be fairly seamless. Managing editor Cherlynn Low found it was responsive and accurate at monitoring sleep and walks. It has a sensor to keep tabs on your body temperature overnight and tracks your heart rate, blood oxygen and sleep stages. It also lasts about a week on a charge. Unfortunately, it doesnt track workout data beyond walking and running at the moment, so if youre looking for sophisticated exercise data, look elsewhere. If theres one caveat, its that Samsungs patchy track record with battery manufacture may be rearing its head once again. Daniel Rotar, a YouTuber who posts under the name ZoneofTech posted an image of his Galaxy Ring that had swelled on his finger. The swelling was caused by the battery pack, which led him to the ER to have the ring safely removed. Cherlynn said she hasnt experienced this despite recently re-testing the Galaxy Ring for a week, and notes that other reviewers shes spoken to have also reported no issues with their units. Because of its limited feature set, the Galaxy Ring is a lot lighter and smaller than its competitors. And while it does cost around $100 more than the Oura Ring, Samsungs wearable doesnt require an additional subscription to unlock some of its features. At least, for now. With its small size, light weight and accurate sleep tracking, the Galaxy Ring is a better buy for those looking for passive data collection. Pros Lightweight Comfortable design Surprisingly detailed data presentation No subscription for longterm use Cons Pricier than the competition Some features need a Samsung phone $399 at Samsung What is a smart ring? Smart rings offer an alternative to smartwatches and fitness trackers to keep an eye on your health and daily activity. They can track your movements, heart rate, temperature and monitor how well youve been sleeping. Essentially, they take much of the same hardware youd find in a smartwatch or tracker and shrink it down into a much smaller package. The trade-offs are, as such, obvious: Rings are smaller and cant track anywhere near as many things as a wrist-worn device can. Youll also miss out on any of the added features that are found on those bigger pieces of gear, like a screen on which to see your notifications or real-time readings of your steps count. But they may be more accurate for your heart rate and temperature, and are significantly more discreet. Advertisement Advertisement That discretion is important if you want to keep an eye on your health without looking like you care. Sure, theyre still gadgets, so theyre still noticeably bigger than traditional pieces of jewelry but not by much. Plus, its an alternative for people who dont like watches, with one statistic saying 68 percent of Americans dont wear them. What can smart rings track? Much like smartwatches and fitness trackers, smart rings are equipped with accelerometers and gyroscopes that can track your movement. That lets them interpret how much youre moving and, based on whether you toss and turn in the night, how well youre sleeping. Many rings have PPG (photoplethysmography) sensors to monitor your heart rate and blood oxygenation, either continuously or at intervals. Plus, they often come with temperature sensors that can be used to track signs of infection, and the data they gather on body heat can be used to predict the wearers menstrual cycle. Its possible to use this information to draw broader conclusions about how youre doing more generally. You can get metrics for your stress, resilience and recovery rates, and youll even get data on how calm you are during meditation sessions. Advertisement Advertisement Ive personally been able to look back at stressful days and then compare my vital signs to the baseline. This can be useful to monitor how well, or badly, youre dealing with stress at any given time and chart progress made. But not all smart rings are alike. Circulars Ring 2 is one of a handful to offer its own one-line ECG (electrocardiogram). This, like many fitness watches that now offer the same, will look at your hearts electrical activity to look for irregularities, such as atrial fibrillation. Evie, meanwhile, markets itself as a smart ring designed for women with a focus on reproductive cycle tracking. Smart rings vs. smartwatches At the risk of winning this years Yeah, obviously award, smart rings are not a replacement for smartwatches. Rings do not have built-in displays or vibration motors, so the only way to interact with them is via their companion apps on your phone. Theres no way for you to get any idea of how youre doing at any given time unless youre able to look at your primary device. Even activity alerts pop-ups telling you to move if youve been still for too long can only be pushed to your phone. Advertisement Advertisement You wont get any of the added-value stuff you get with most wrist-worn devices either, and not just the ability to tell the time. That means no calls, apps, message responses, GPS, fall detection or mobile payments via NFC. There are a few exceptions: Samsungs Galaxy Ring can detect pinch gestures to activate the camera trigger or turn off alarms with a compatible phone. Its probably worth noting that while no consumer wearable will be as accurate or reliable as a clinical diagnostic tool, the smaller hardware may mean a compromise in accuracy. Rings might also get in the way of certain types of activity, like pull-ups, barbell deadlifts or any other movement that involves gripping onto a handle that might push the accessory into your finger and cause discomfort. Who should use a smart ring? Given the broader features available in even the most basic fitness tracker, its hard to say smart rings are a better choice. A $300 ring will do a lot less than a $50 tracker, and if youre led by your wallet, a ring will always work out to be the luxury option. What they offer, however, is a far more elegant aesthetic, especially if youre not likely to wear a tracker, smartwatch or fitness watch. And thats before we get to people with skin sensitivities or other reasons for preferring a smaller, more unobtrusive tracker. What to consider before buying a smart ring What do you want to get out of it? Are you hoping a smart ring will encourage you to get out and exercise more? Help you keep an eye on your physical health? Manage your mental health? Its good to go in with a clear picture of what you want because you may find the limited applications frustrating. Will it fit your finger? Most reputable smart rings will, during the ordering process, send you a sizing kit so you can find the most comfortable model. Youre asked to find a size that sits snugly on your index finger ensuring the sensors make good contact with your skin. Advertisement Advertisement The companies often suggest you wear this plastic dummy on your hand for a few days before placing your order. After all, our hands can swell and shrink during the day and depending on the ambient temperature. Normal rings can be sized up or down a bit (by a competent jeweler) if your body shape shifts over time. You cant do that with most smart rings, so if you do change sizes drastically, youll have to go through the process from the start and pay full price again. There are exceptions to this: If you pay for a coverage plan with Ultrahuman, for example, youll get one free ring replacement if you lose weight. Anecdotally, some makers will offer ad-hoc discounts if you speak to them but thats obviously at the discretion of the name in question. One thing to bear in mind is wearing your ring while working out, which might be an issue as pointed out earlier. Depending on your activity, you might find a ring uncomfortable compared to a watch. If gripping onto a dumbbell or handlebars is something you do frequently, it might be better to use a smartwatch or wristworn device. But for runners, swimmers or other folks who dont need to grab onto much while they work out, a ring should be just fine. Whats the battery life like? Bigger rings will have bigger batteries, so its a lot harder to give a clean figure as to how long each ring will last on a charge. Thankfully most rings sip, rather than slurp, at their batteries and so most of them last at least five days or so on a charge. Thats one big plus over some smartwatches given they often will only last a day or so before needing more power. What can you do if you lose your smart ring? Several companies include Find My Ring features in their apps to identify the last location that your ring was connected to your phone. However, if youre not a fan of minimalism and your home is full, it might be harder to find them. After all, the rings dont have vibration motors or speakers to offer an audible chirp as and when youre looking for them. Advertisement Advertisement I once lost an Oura Ring 3 for two days before downloading a third-party app that could locate it within a few feet. Turns out, when Id made my kids bed, the ring had fallen into my daughters duvet cover, which I found only once Id turned the room upside down twice. Samsung, meanwhile, offers location-tracking in its app and can give you a rough idea of your rings last location. You can also, if youre hunting for it in dark environments, set its lights to blink, which is something its rivals do not offer. Are there long-term costs? The nature of the technology world, especially in 2025, is that a lot of hardware companies cant survive selling users one device every three or four years. So, to supplement that income and to offer users a better value proposition, companies offer additional features at an extra cost. Advertisement Advertisement That can come in the form of a premium subscription to unlock additional features and insights about your body. There are also one-off purchases to unlock specific features that you may want to focus on, as well as extended warranties or insurances. Id wager most people plan on wearing a smart ring for several years before opting to upgrade, and so its important to keep an eye on the total cost of ownership. If your budget will only stretch to the initial payment and no further, keep in mind what features youll be missing out on. With the AI boom, construction of new data centers has skyrocketed, and not without consequence some communities that count these facilities as neighbors are now facing water shortages and strained power supplies. While tech's data center footprint has been growing for decades, generative AI has seemingly shifted the impacts of these operations toward the catastrophic. What exactly makes these new data centers such a burden on the environment and existing infrastructure, and is there anything we can do to fix it? Chips The industry believes AI will work its way into every corner of our lives, and so needs to build sufficient capacity to address that anticipated demand. But the hardware used to make AI work is so much more resource-intensive than standard cloud computing facilities that it requires a dramatic shift in how data centers are engineered. Typically the most important part of a computer is its brain, the Central Processing Unit (CPU). It's designed to compute a wide variety of tasks, tackling them one at a time. Imagine a CPU as a one-lane motorway in which every vehicle, no matter the size, can get from A to B at extraordinary speed. What AI relies on instead are Graphics Processing Units (GPU), which are clusters of smaller, more specialized processors all running in parallel. In the example, a GPU is a thousand-lane motorway with a speed limit of just 30 mph. Both try to get a huge number of figurative vehicles to their destination in a short amount of time, but they take diametrically opposite approaches to solving that problem. Advertisement Advertisement Phil Burr is Head of Product at Lumai, a British company looking to replace traditional GPUs with optical processors. In AI, you repeatedly perform similar operations, he explained, and you can do that in parallel across the data set. This gives GPUs an advantage over CPUs in large but fundamentally repetitive tasks, like graphics, executing AI models and crypto mining. You can process a large amount of data very quickly, but its doing the same amount of processing each time, he said. In the same way that thousand-lane highway would be pretty wasteful, the more powerful GPUs get, the more energy hungry they become. In the past, as [CPUs evolved] you could get a lot more transistors on a device, but the overall power [consumption] remained about the same," Burr said. They're also equipped with specialized units that do [specific] work faster so the chip can return to idle sooner. By comparison, every iteration of a GPU has more and more transistors, but the power jumps up every time because getting gains from those processes is hard. Not only are they physically larger which results in higher power demands but they generally activate all of the processing units at once, Burr said. In 2024, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory published a congressionally mandated report into the energy consumption of data centers. The report identified a sharp increase in the amount of electricity data centers consumed as GPUs became more prevalent. Power use from 2014 to 2016 was stable at around 60 TWh, but started climbing in 2018, to 76 TWh, and leaping to 176 TWh by 2023. In just five years, data center energy use more than doubled from 1.9 percent of the US total, to nearly 4.4 percent with that figure projected to reach up to 12 percent by the start of the 2030s. Heat Like a lightbulb filament, as electricity moves through the silicon of computer chips, it encounters resistance, generating heat. Extending that power efficiency metaphor from earlier, CPUs are closer to modern LEDs here, while GPUs, like old incandescent bulbs, lose a huge amount of their power to resistance. The newest generation of AI data centers are filled with rack after rack of them, depending on the owners needs and budget, each one kicking out what Burr described as a massive amount of heat. Advertisement Advertisement Heat isnt just an unwelcome byproduct: if chips arent kept cool, they'll experience performance and longevity issues. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) publishes guidelines for data center operators. It advocates server rooms should be kept between 18 to 27 degrees celsius (64.4 to 80.6 degrees Fahrenheit). Given the sheer volume of heat GPUs kick out, maintaining that temperature requires some intensive engineering, and a lot of energy. The majority of data centers use a handful of methods to keep their hardware within the optimal temperature. One of the oldest ways to maximize the efficiency of air conditioning is a technique of hot and cold aisle containment. Essentially, cold air is pushed through the server racks to keep them cool, while the hot air those servers expel is drawn out to be cooled and recirculated. Many data centers, especially in the US, rely on the cooling effect that occurs as water changes from a liquid to a gas. This is done by drawing hot air through a wet medium to facilitate evaporation and blowing the resulting cooled air into the server room, in a method known as direct evaporative cooling. There's also indirect evaporative cooling, which works similarly but adds a heat exchanger a device that's used to transfer heat between different mediums. In this type of setup, the heat from the warm air is transferred and cooled separately from the server room to avoid raising the humidity levels indoors. Due in part to their cooling needs, data centers have a tremendous water footprint. The Lawrence Berkeley report found that, in 2014, US-based data centers consumed 21.2 billion liters of water. By 2018, however, that figure had leapt to 66 billion liters, much of which was attributed to what it collectively terms hyperscale facilities, which include AI-focused operations. In 2023, traditional US data centers reportedly consumed 10.56 billion liters of water while AI facilities used around 55.4 billion liters. The reports projections believe that by 2028, AI data centers will likely consume as much as 124 billion liters of water. Advertisement Advertisement "Collectively, data centers are among the top-ten water consuming industrial or commercial industries in the US," according to a 2021 study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters. About one-fifth of these data centers use water from stressed watersheds, i.e. areas where the demand for water may be greater than the natural supply. Most of the water consumed by data centers evaporates and won't be immediately replenished, while the rest goes to wastewater treatment plants. As a trio of academics explained in an op-ed for The Dallas Morning News, data centers are "effectively removing [drinking water] from the local water cycle." Water used in the cooling process is typically treated with chemicals such as corrosion inhibitors and biocides, which prevent bacterial growth. The resulting wastewater often contains pollutants, so it can't be recycled for human consumption or agriculture. And data centers' water use goes well beyond cooling. A much bigger portion of their water footprint can be attributed to indirect uses, mainly through electricity generated by power plants but also through wastewater utilities. These account for about three-fourths of a data center's water footprint, the study notes. Power plants use water in a number of ways, primarily for cooling and to produce the steam needed to spin their electricity-generating turbines. According to the authors, 1 megawatt-hour of energy consumed by data centers in the US on average requires 7.1 cubic meters of water. "Data centers are indirectly dependent on water from every state in the contiguous US, much of which is sourced from power plants drawing water from subbasins in the eastern and western coastal states," the authors explain. To adequately address the water issue, energy consumption must be reigned in too. Exploring the alternatives One major approach to reduce the massive water footprint of these systems is to use closed-loop liquid cooling. This is already ubiquitous on a smaller scale in high-end PCs, where heat-generating components, such as the CPU and GPU, have large heat exchangers that a liquid is pumped through. The liquid draws away the heat, and then has to be cooled down via another heat exchanger, or a refrigeration unit, before being recirculated. Advertisement Advertisement Liquid cooling is becoming more and more common, especially in AI data centers, given the heat that GPUs generate. With the exception of mechanical issues, like leaking, and the water needed to operate the facility more generally, closed-loop systems do not experience water loss and so make more reasonable demands on local water resources. Direct-to-chip liquid cooling drastically cuts a data center's potential water use, and more efficiently removes heat than traditional air-cooling systems. In recent years, companies including Google, NVIDIA and Microsoft have been championing liquid cooling systems as a more sustainable way forward. And researchers are looking into ways to employ this approach on an even more granular level to tackle the heat right at the source. Whereas cold plates (metal slabs with tubing or internal channels for coolant to flow through) are commonly used in liquid cooling systems to transfer heat away from the electronics, Microsoft has been testing a microfluidics-based cooling system in which liquid coolant travels through tiny channels on the back of the chip itself. In the lab, this system performed "up to three times better than cold plates at removing heat," and the company said it "can effectively cool a server running core services for a simulated Teams meeting." A blog post about the findings noted, "microfluidics also reduced the maximum temperature rise of the silicon inside a GPU by 65 percent, though this will vary by the type of chip." Another option is "free" cooling, or making use of the natural environmental conditions at the data center site to cool the operation. Air-based free cooling utilizes the outdoor air in cold locales, while water-based free cooling relies on cold water sources such as seawater. Some facilities couple this with rainwater harvesting for their other water needs, like humidification. A map of Start Campus (Start Campus) Start Campus, a data center project in Portugal, is located on the site of an old coal-fired power station and will use much of its old infrastructure. Rather than simply employ a closed-loop, the high temperatures will require the closed-loop system to interact with an open loop. When the campus is fully operational, its heat will be passed onto around 1.4 million cubic tons of seawater per day. Omer Wilson, CMO at Start Campus, said that by the time the water has returned to its source, its temperature will be the same as the surrounding sea. Start Campus has also pledged that there will be no meaningful water loss from this process. Advertisement Advertisement There is another novel cooling method, immersion, in which computing equipment is you guessed it immersed in a non-conductive liquid suitable to draw heat. Wilson described it as a relatively niche approach, used in some crypto mining applications, but not used by industrial-scale facilities. To keep with both energy and cooling needs, some researchers say the industry must look to renewable resources. "Directly connecting data center facilities to wind and solar energy sources ensures that water and carbon footprints are minimized," wrote the authors of the aforementioned Environmental Research study. Even purchasing renewable energy certificates which each represent one megawatt-hour of electricity generated from a renewable source and delivered to the grid could help shift the grid toward these sources over time, they added. "Data center workloads can be migrated between data centers to align with the portion of the grid where renewable electricity supplies exceed instantaneous demand." Geothermal resources have begun to look especially promising. According to a recent report by the Rhodium Group, geothermal energy could meet up to 64 percent of data center's projected power demand growth in the US "by the early 2030s." In the Western US, geothermal could meet 100 percent of demand growth in areas such as Phoenix, Dallas-Fort Worth and Las Vegas. For cooling, geothermal heat pumps can be used to "leverage the consistently cool temperatures" found hundreds of feet beneath the surface. Or, in locations where there are shallow aquifers present, data centers can make use of geothermal absorption chillers. These rely on the low-grade heat at shallower depths "to drive a chemical reaction that produces water vapor," the report explains. "This water vapor cools as it is run through a condenser and cools the IT components of a data center using evaporation." Advertisement Advertisement Iron Mountain Data Centers operates a geothermally cooled data center in Boyers, Pennsylvania at the site of an old limestone mine. A 35-acre underground reservoir provides a year-round supply of cool water. Geothermal may not be a widespread solution just yet, but it's catching on. In 2024, Meta announced a partnership with Sage Geosystems to supply its data centers with up to 150 megawatts (MW) of geothermal power starting in 2027. Beyond the hardware While novel cooling methods will undoubtedly help curb some of the AI data centers' excessive resource demands, the first step to meaningful change is transparency, according to Vijay Gadepally, a senior scientist at MIT's Lincoln Laboratory Supercomputing Center. AI companies need to be upfront about the emissions and resource use associated with their operations to give people a clear view of their footprints. Then there is the hardware to consider. Incorporating more intelligent chip design i.e. processors with better performance characteristics could go a long way toward making data centers more sustainable. "That's a huge area of innovation right now," Gadepally said. And large data centers are often "running underutilized," with a lot of power that isnt being allocated efficiently. Rather than leaning into the push to build more such facilities, the industry should first make better use of existing data centers' capacities. Similarly, many of today's AI models are vastly overpowered for the tasks they're being given. The current approach is "like cutting a hamburger with a chainsaw," Gadepally said. "Does it work? Sure but it definitely is overkill." This doesn't need to be the case. "We have found in many instances that you can use a smaller but tuned model, to achieve similar performance to a much larger model," Gadepally said, noting that this is especially true for new "agentic" systems. "You're often trying thousands of different parameters, or different combinations of things to discover which is the best one, and by being a little bit more intelligent, we could dismiss or essentially terminate a lot of the workloads or a lot of those combinations that weren't getting you towards the right answer." Each of those unnecessary parameters isn't just a computational dead end, it's another nudge towards rolling blackouts, less potable water and rising utility costs to surrounding communities. As Gadepally said, "We're just building bigger and bigger without thinking about, 'Do we actually need it?'" Tom Holland and Zendaya have reportedly hired full-time security at their $4 million West London home after fans began arriving at the gates asking for selfies and autographs. According to The Sun, the couple are paying about $1,300, for protection. Both 29, the "Spider-Man" stars got engaged earlier this year and have been trying to live quietly. A source told the outlet that fans "kept rocking up to their place and it started to get a bit much." They added that while the pair enjoy meeting fans when working, they "are just a young couple trying to have a normal life" outside of their public roles. Neighbors have reportedly noticed the new measures. One told The Sun that fans kept showing up once filming started on Holland's new "Spider-Man" film. Now, the person said, "they've got this burly security bloke outside," describing him as friendly but clearly there to deter visitors. Tom Holland and Zendaya at The Brothers Trust Gala in London. pic.twitter.com/SuC2mdufIL Film Crave (@_filmcrave) September 21, 2025 Production Halt After On-Set Injury The security arrangements come as Holland is recovering from an on-set accident that halted filming of "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," the fourth installment in the Marvel franchise. In another report by The Sun, paramedics were called to Leavesden Studios in Watford last Friday, and Holland was treated at a hospital for what insiders described as a mild concussion. A production source told the outlet the incident was not as severe as first feared, saying "a line snapped on a pull ring and he got a bump on his bonce." Filming, which was scheduled to resume in London last week, has been delayed by about two weeks while Holland rests. "No one wants him to rush back to set," the insider said. The film's budget is estimated at $200 million, with production delays reportedly costing the studio $2.01 million per day, according to the Daily Mail. Industry experts said that expenses like crew pay, studio rental, and equipment fees continue even when cameras are not rolling, putting pressure on the production schedule. Despite the pause, the film remains on track for its planned July 2026 release. Former First Lady Michelle Obama had been candid about the little frustrations of marriage, confessing one of her husband former President Barack Obama's behaviors at the dinner table gets on their daughters' and her nerves. In a recent episode of her "IMO" podcast, Michelle touched on life as an empty-nester with Sasha and Malia no longer living at home. According to Atlanta Black Star, she explained that some of the conversations between her and Barack now feel different. "We always have the kids to talk about, but not on a day-to-day basis," Michelle said. "We've noticed how much of our time we've spent talking about them, right? So now that we're empty-nesters, it's like, 'Well, what are we going to talk about?'" Her visitor, couples therapist Dr. Orna Guralnik, probed her for what she was really thinking during those quieter moments. Michelle laughed before confessing: "I don't actually want to tell you what I was thinking about, which is like, 'The way you're chewing makes me want to smack you upside the head.'" She continued with a smile, "Why does your chewing annoy me so much? Let's discuss. Yeah, I don't know if I'd bring that up." Michelle said she is not the only one who is annoyed. "The girls and I are very irritated with the way Barack chews," she admitted, adding that her daughters too share the same grievance. The lighthearted admission isn't the first time Michelle has talked about Barack's idiosyncrasies. She has told ET before joking about his snacking habits from chips and guacamole to his tendency to munch on nuts by pouring them into his hand and stuffing them into his mouth with one finger. 19 News reported that their more than 30-year marriage has also withstood light jibing in the public eye. Michelle once joked that Barack had difficulty getting his socks in the wash or on time to family gatherings. Nevertheless, Michelle has explained that such idiosyncrasies don't undermine the solidity of their marriage. Even when rumors surfaced earlier this year regarding the couple's union, she downplayed them, stating, "People couldn't believe that I was saying no for any other reason. They had to assume that my marriage was falling apart." Four months after his defamation case was thrown out, filmmaker Justin Baldoni is now facing a new legal challenge and this time from The New York Times. On September 30, the newspaper filed a countersuit against Baldoni and his company, Wayfarer Studios, seeking at least $150,000 in damages. The lawsuit, obtained by People on October 2, accuses Baldoni of launching a "meritless" case that wasted time and resources and aimed to "harass, intimidate, or punish" protected free speech. This legal move follows a June 2025 court ruling that dismissed Baldoni's $400 million lawsuit against The Times, which stemmed from a December 2024 article titled "We Can Bury Anyone: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine." The story detailed Baldoni's alleged efforts to damage actress Blake Lively's reputation during the troubled filming of "It Ends With Us." Baldoni originally claimed the article misrepresented facts, accused him of sexual misconduct, and was unfairly timed, ENews said. However, the judge ruled that Baldoni and his team did not present enough evidence to prove The Times acted with actual malice a legal standard required in defamation cases involving public figures. Another day, another lawsuit. Justin Baldoni is now being SUED by the New York Times over false claims he made about them in his dismissed lawsuit. The donkey-faced actor is also being sued by his insurance company for failing to disclose Blake Livelys workplace complaints. pic.twitter.com/EGbd3sDTwc la bella vita (@drugproblem) October 1, 2025 Justin Baldoni Sued by NYT Under Anti-SLAPP Law Now, The New York Times is seeking compensation under New York's anti-SLAPP law, which protects journalists and publishers from being dragged into lawsuits aimed at silencing their reporting. "The District Court's opinion makes clear that Wayfarer and its affiliates both commenced and continued the lawsuit... without a substantial basis in fact and law," the paper stated in its new filing. According to US Magazine, in response, Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, vowed to keep fighting. "Win, lose or draw, we refuse to cave to power brokers even in the face of seemingly impossible odds," he said in a statement. "We continue to stand tall for a reason: the pursuit of truth, in the face of giants." This is only the latest chapter in the ongoing legal saga involving Baldoni and Lively. Though Baldoni's lawsuits were dismissed, Lively's civil suit against the "Jane the Virgin" actor remains active. She has accused him of sexual harassment during production, claims Baldoni has denied. The trial for Lively's lawsuit is currently set to begin in March 2026. Meghan Markle has been left embarrassed after Mariah Carey appeared to overlook her entirely during a recent UK radio interview, RadarOnline.com has learned. The Duchess of Sussex, 44, launched her Archetypes podcast in 2022 with high-profile guests, including Carey, 56, who, according to Sky News drew headlines at the time for calling Meghan a "diva." While Carey quickly clarified the remark as a compliment about Meghan's style and presence, the exchange left the former actress unsettled. Three years later, that awkward moment has resurfaced. During an appearance on Hits Radio this week, Carey was asked to reflect on her connections with the British royals ahead of a scheduled performance at Sandringham House. As per RadarOnline, rather than mention Markle, she highlighted Sarah Ferguson, describing the Duchess of York as "cool" and a memorable royal encounter. For insiders close to Meghan, the omission has revived wounds. "Meghan saw the podcast as a way to connect with influential women she respected," a source told RadarOnline.com. "Being so openly passed over now feels deeply humiliating as though the 'diva' controversy is still casting a shadow over her." The original Archetypes conversation focused on the layered meaning of the word "diva." Carey teased that Meghan sometimes gave off "diva moments," pointing to her polished wardrobe and public poise. Meghan, visibly unsettled, pressed for clarification before Carey reassured her it was about image, not character. Industry sources said Carey has quietly declined invitations to appear in Markle's newer Netflix projects, a decision that has only fueled speculation about strained relations. "Mariah just isn't a fan of Meghan and her ultra-sensitivity," one Hollywood insider said. "Mariah plays up to her diva image in a fun way, but with Meghan it just comes across as irritating." The snub comes at a critical time for Markle and Prince Harry, 41, as they work to sustain momentum for their media ventures. Season two of Markle's Netflix lifestyle series With Love, Meghan launched recently, while Harry's polo documentary received harsh reviews earlier this year. Friends say the perceived rejection has tapped into Meghan's long-running insecurities about how she is received by both Hollywood and the royal establishment. "Meghan's biggest fear is being disregarded," a confidante explained. "To her, this was yet another sign that she's still struggling to secure her place." Taylor Swift's new album, "The Life of a Showgirl," features a standout track that now feels like a prophecy. In "Wood," released Oct. 3, the pop star appears to sing about her engagement to Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce weeks before the couple shared the news publicly. Swift and Kelce, both 35, confirmed their engagement on Aug. 26 with a joint Instagram post that read, "Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married," accompanied by a dynamite emoji. The playful caption was a nod to their couple nickname, TNT. Lyrics Point to Engagement "Wood" leans into Swift's history of unlucky romances before shifting to a bold celebration of new love. On the track, she declares she doesn't "need to catch a bouquet" to know a proposal is coming, adding, "Seems to me that you and me, we make our own luck." The song also references Kelce's podcast "New Heights" and playfully calls her partner a "hard rock." Later, she sings about permanence and commitment, "It's you and me forever." The lyrics continue with lines about finding clarity in his love, which she describes as "the key to open my thighs." The direct nods to Kelce, from podcast mentions to imagery tied to their engagement, position the track as one of the most personal on the album. Expert Reaction Stephanie Burt, a Harvard professor who has studied Swift's work and is publishing a book on her music, told USA Today the song fits into a long history of sexual storytelling in pop and country but marks a new level of openness for Swift. "Women have grown up thinking that they shouldn't talk about sexual pleasure," Burt said. "Especially a woman in her mid 30s, who is going to get married soon. I think that's cool." The professor also noted that Swift flips traditional superstitions into affirmations. The lyrics about not knocking on wood suggest confidence in her relationship rather than fear of jinxing it. Building Toward Showgirl Era Swift announced "The Life of a Showgirl" on her fiance's "New Heights" podcast in August, calling it an album shaped by the "exuberant and electric and vibrant" emotions she felt during her "Eras" Tour. She worked on the album in Europe between tour stops, flying to Sweden to collaborate with Max Martin and Shellback, longtime partners behind "1989" and "Reputation." Kelce praised the music himself on the podcast, calling tracks like "Cancelled!" a "banger" and describing the album as "banger after banger." Swift, in turn, called Kelce her "human exclamation point." The 12-track project includes "The Fate of Ophelia," "Elizabeth Taylor," "Opalite," "Father Figure," "Eldest Daughter," "Ruin the Friendship," "Actually Romantic," "Wi$h Li$T," "Wood," "Honey" and the title track. A little silver-haired lady calls her neighbor and says, Please come over and help me. I have a killer jigsaw puzzle, and I cant figure it out how to get started. Her neighbor asked, What is it supposed to be when its finished? The little silver-haired lady says, According to the picture on the box, its a rooster. Her neighbor decides to go over and help with the puzzle. She lets him in and shows him where she has the puzzle spread all over the table. He studies the pieces for a moment, then looks at the box, when turns to her and says, First of all, no matter what we do, were not going to be able to assemble these pieces into anything resembling a rooster. He takes her hand and says Secondly, I want you to relax. Lets have a nice cup of tea and then he said with a deep sigh Lets put all the Corn Flakes back into the box. My friend Jim Schneider we called him Hymie thanks to our English teacher Mr. Reed) came from Denver, Colorado and visited his sister Joan Wajtala in Great Falls and his sister Nancy Sasser in Choteau. Hymie and I went through school together and graduated in 1954. I was glad he stopped to see me. I found out he is a month older than me. For almost 90 we are doing well. He was one of the good kids. September marks the transition from summer to autumn (fall started Sept. 22nd). Bringing with it a change in the weather, the landscape and our routines. As the last of summers lingering humidity (which we do not have much of) dissipates and the start of school season begins, theres a certain melancholy in the air. Oct. 1, 1949: Mao Zedong declares the founding of the Peoples Republic of China. Oct. 2, 1836: Charles Darwin returns to England aboard the HMS Beagle after a five-year-long expedition along the coast of South America. Oct. 3, 1990: East and West Germany are reunited after 45 years. Oct. 4, 1883: The Orient Express begins its inaugural journey, leaving for Constantinople from Paris. Oct. 5, 1970: The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is launched. Oct. 6, 1948: Paleoanthropologist Mary Leakey discovers the first fossil skull of Proconsul africanus, an ancestor if apes and early humans that lived 25 million years ago, on Rusinga Island, Kenya. Oct. 7, 3761 BCE: The Hebrews calendar begins. Oct. 8, 1871: The Great Chicago Fire, which will devastate much of the city over the course of three days, begins to burn. Trivia: 1981 The longest game at Fenway Park in Boston is completed in 20 innings and ends with the Mariners scoring eight and he Red Sox scoring seven. Words of wisdom: Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall. Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale. Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree. I am going to see my daughter on Sept. 29th and will be gone for two weeks. I will not have a column on Oct. 8th and Oct. 15th. I do not have that capability at her home. Next one should be Oct. 22, 2025. A fire at a pig unit in Cookley, East Suffolk, has left 75 animals dead despite a major firefighting operation and urgent veterinary care on site. Firefighters were called shortly before 7:30am on 29 September, after reports of flames tearing through a farm building. The structure a brick and steel unit holding around 400 pigs was already heavily ablaze by the time crews arrived. Many of the animals had been released from the shed before fire crews reached the scene, but a number sustained severe burns. A vet was present throughout the incident, treating injuries and, where necessary, humanely putting down pigs that could not be saved. Engines from Framlingham, Wrentham, Leiston, Bungay and Saxmundham attended, supported by a water carrier to offset the limited local supply. Two hose reels were deployed, with the fire divided into sectors to help contain the flames. By just after 10am, firefighters had the blaze surrounded, declaring it extinguished within the hour. The official stop message signalling the end of the active incident came at 10:57am. Although most of the livestock survived, Suffolk Fire and Rescue confirmed that 75 pigs were lost. The Environment Agency also attended to monitor any environmental risks. A full fire investigation will now examine the cause of the blaze. This tragic incident occurs against a backdrop of rising costs from farm fires across the UK. According to NFU Mutual's latest figures, the total cost of farm fires rose by 37% to 110.3m in 2023 (up from 80.4m in 2022). Interestingly, this increase came even though the number of fire claims fell by around 15 per cent year on year, suggesting that incidents have become more severe or destructive on average. NFU Mutual attributes the jump to a combination of larger-scale events and higher costs of rebuilding, materials, machinery, labour and replacement. Vehicle fires within the agricultural sector have also remained costly, with claims for tractors alone estimated at 20.4 million in 2023. Farmers in Wales face new restrictions on spreading high-nitrogen manures this autumn, as closed periods under the countrys pollution control rules come into force. The measures are part of the Water Resources (Control of Agricultural Pollution) (Wales) Regulations 2021, designed to reduce the risk of nutrient losses during the winter months, when crop growth slows and run-off is more likely. The rules cover cattle slurry, pig slurry, poultry manure and any organic manure with 30% or more nitrogen available at application. Dates vary by soil type and land use. For sandy or shallow soils, tillage land is covered from 1 August to 31 December 2025, and grassland from 1 September to 31 December 2025. On all other soils, tillage land is restricted from 1 October 2025 to 31 January 2026, with grassland covered between 15 October 2025 and 15 January 2026. Solid cattle manure and other low-nitrogen manures can still be applied where crops require it. Simon Griffiths of Natural Resources Wales, said the closed periods are a vital safeguard for our environment, especially during the winter months when the risk of runoff is highest. He advised farmers to check their slurry storage capacity and ensure applications are recorded in a Nitrogen Management Plan. Not all in the farming community agree that these rules are workable. NFU Cymru has expressed deep frustration with the pace of regulatory change, complaining that the review of pollution rules failed to reflect the sheer desperation of farmers in Wales. Farmers, they say, are under very significant pressure and see little hope in recommendations that merely consider the possibility of alternative closed-period models. The Farmers Union of Wales (FUW) goes further, describing the regulations as bureaucratic, costly and disproportionate. The FUW has long argued for a more targeted approach, with exemptions or flexibility for low-risk farms, rather than blanket farming by calendar rules that apply the same restrictions everywhere To comply, NRW recommends farmers ensure at least five months storage for cattle slurry and six months for pig or poultry manures; spread only before the deadline in suitable conditions; avoid overapplication; and make sure to monitor weather and soil. The governments pledge to press ahead with three new towns before the next general election has sparked alarm, with the NFU warning that valuable farmland must not be overlooked in the rush to deliver homes. The New Towns Taskforce has published its final report, identifying 12 potential sites across England for development. Between them, they could accommodate more than 200,000 new homes, subject to approval by Housing Secretary Steve Reed. The proposed locations range from major urban extensions in Manchester and Leeds, to greenfield developments in Cheshire and Devon. Among the largest are Tempsford in Bedfordshire and Marlcombe in East Devon, both earmarked for 40,000 or more homes. Other sites include Worcestershire Parkway, Heyford Park in Oxfordshire, and Crews Hill in Enfield. Once approved, each development will be overseen by a dedicated corporation with full planning powers, acting as temporary local authorities. Alongside housing, new infrastructure and commercial space will be delivered largely by private developers. Farming groups have made clear that while housing is necessary, it must not come at the expense of agriculture and the wider countryside. NFU vice-president Rachel Hallos said the union has serious concerns that the construction of these new towns will have a significant impact on the great British countryside and rural communities. She stressed that farmland must be safeguarded: Thats why we are calling for transparency and for productive farmland to be protected wherever possible. We will continue to engage with government to ensure the needs of farmers and landowners are being heard. The NFU is pushing for stronger assurances that the drive to increase housing supply does not undermine food production or weaken the resilience of farming businesses. The union says it will continue lobbying government, while also working with regional and national stakeholders to secure better outcomes for rural areas. Farmers and landowners who could be directly affected particularly those near urban centres or with large tracts of undeveloped land should seek advice. The organisation is urging them to contact their local NFU representatives or CallFirst for guidance, as details of the proposals continue to emerge. With sites yet to be finalised, the union says it will maintain pressure on ministers to ensure farmland protection is at the heart of future planning decisions. Scottish farmers and landowners are on high alert as the cost of quad bike thefts almost doubles in just nine months, new NFU Mutual figures reveal. Data released in September 2025 shows the cost of quad bike thefts in Scotland has already risen 90% compared with the whole of 2024. Losses now stand at almost 194,000 with three months of the year still to go, against 102,000 for the previous year. The rural insurer said hotspots include the Borders and Dumfries and Galloway, but thieves are willing to travel long distances to target valuable machinery. Across the UK, quad bike thefts cost farmers an estimated 2.7m in 2024. Hannah Binns, NFU Mutuals rural affairsspecialist, described the surge as alarming. With three months still left this year, its deeply concerning to see that the cost of quad bike and all-terrain vehicle (ATV) thefts across Scotland is almost double that of the whole of 2024, she said. These vehicles are vital for navigating farmland and carrying out essential work, particularly in the typical terrain of Scottish farms, making each theft highly disruptive. Being from a family farm, I understand the toll rural crime has on those working and living in the countryside. NFU Mutual and the National Rural Crime Unit (NRCU) are urging farmers to strengthen their defences. Farmers are advised to always remove keys from quad bikes and store them securely away from the machine. Vehicles should be locked and kept out of sight when not in use. Visible deterrents such as wheel clamps, ground anchors or steering locks can make it harder for thieves to act quickly. GPS tracking devices and immobilisers are also recommended, as they can send alerts if tampering is detected and help police recover stolen vehicles. Applying CESAR forensic marking and keeping accurate records of serial numbers provides an additional layer of protection, making it easier to identify and recover stolen machinery. NFU Mutual offers policy discounts for customers who adopt approved security measures, including trackers, immobilisers and forensic marking. Campaigners argue that Scotland should follow England and Wales, where the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 requires manufacturers to fit immobilisers and forensic marking as standard. Rachael Hamilton MSP said the rise in thefts underscored the need for urgent action: It is extremely concerning to see that the costs of rural crime are continuing to soar. "I know from my own constituency in the Borders that those living and working in the countryside are increasingly fearful of having expensive equipment stolen. She added that she is pressing for tougher punishments for offenders: Our farmers and rural communities deserve greater protection rather than being left abandoned to try and tackle these crimes on their own. NFU Mutual is a major funder of both the NRCU and the Scottish Partnership Against Rural Crime (SPARC), which work with police and rural organisations to disrupt theft networks. In 2024, the National Construction and Agri Theft Team, part of the NRCU, recovered 4.4m worth of stolen vehicles and machinery. Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release Chemicals SubCategory Select Sub-Category Exports of knitted and crocheted clothing and accessories (HS Chapter **) fell by *.* per cent to $*,***.*** million, down from $*,***.*** million in JanuaryAugust ****. Non-knitted apparel and accessories (HS Chapter **) declined by *.* per cent, dropping to $*,***.*** million from $*,***.*** million during the same period last year, as per the trade report on the top twenty chapters. The sharper decline in woven apparel highlights a stronger impact on higher-value categories, while knitwear showed relatively greater resilience. In August ****, Turkiyes garment exports fell by *.** per cent to $*,***.*** million. Exports of knitted and crocheted clothing and accessories decreased by *.* per cent to $***.*** million, compared to $***.*** million in August ****. Non-knitted apparel and accessories declined by *.* per cent, falling from $***.*** million in August **** to $***.*** million in August ****. Sherlock (2010) - BBC One/Netflix The Woman in Cabin 10 (2025) - Netflix Big Little Lies (2017) - HBO/Jio Hotstar Gone Girl (2014) - Directed by David Fincher The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011) - Directed by David Fincher Mystic River (2003) - Directed by Clint Eastwood Zodiac (2007) - Directed by David Fincher The Silence Of The Lambs (1991) - Directed by Jonathan Demme Sharp Objects (2018) - Mini-Series The Big Sleep (1946)- Directed by Howard Hawks Murder On The Orient Express (2017)- Directed by Kenneth Branagh Gone Baby Gone (2007)- Directed by Ben Affleck Rebecca (2020)- Directed by Ben Wheatley A Simple Favor (2018)-- Directed by Paul Feig The Woman In The Window (2021)-- Directed by Joe Wright A Good Girls Guide To Murder (2024)-- BBC/Netflix Murder mystery movies and series have a timeless allure that has been captivating audiences for generations. They are known for their ability to craft intricate plots, deliver suspenseful storytelling, and introduce us to memorable characters who navigate the murky waters of crime and investigation. What makes them even more intriguing is when they find their origins in the pages of celebrated books, where authors have meticulously woven tales of mystery, deception, and murder.Here are the best murder mystery movies and series born from the rich literary tapestry, celebrating the enchanting fusion of literature and cinema that has consistently delivered heart-pounding narratives of murder, intrigue, and suspense.Undoubtedly, one of the most popular television shows, Sherlock, is based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes detective stories. It was created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss with Benedict Cumberbatch playing the eccentric detective and Martin Freeman his sidekick, Dr John Watson.The Woman in Cabin 10 is an upcoming psychological thriller starring Keira Knightley, Guy Pearce, Art Malik, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Kaya Scodelario, among others. It is based on Ruth Ware's 2016 novel of the same name and follows a journalist covering the maiden voyage of a luxury cruise ship. However, she thinks that she has witnessed a passenger being thrown overboard, despite all guests being accounted for. This leads to the unravelling of a series of mysteries.Big Little Lies is a psychological dark comedy drama which is based on Liane Moriarty's novel of the same name. It aired on HBO from 2017 to 2019 and has now been renewed for a third season. The show follows five women who become embroiled in a homicide investigation. The show stars Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern, Zoe Kravitz, with Meryl Streep joining season 2.Based onbestselling novel,is a dark and twisted tale of a seemingly perfect marriage gone horribly wrong. Directed by, the film captures the essence of Flynn's intricate storytelling, maintaining the suspense and unpredictability that made the book a sensation.chilling performance as Amy Dunne andportrayal of her husband Nick complement the film's exploration of deception and media manipulation. Gone Girl is a masterclass in adapting a complex narrative to the screen, earning its place among the best murder mystery movies.series introduced readers to Lisbeth Salander, a brilliant but troubled hacker, and Mikael Blomkvist, an investigative journalist.adaptation ofbrought this gripping mystery to life, withandin the lead roles.The film delves into a decades-old disappearance and a wealthy family's secrets, staying true to the book's gritty atmosphere and complex characters. Its dark, atmospheric tone and impeccable performances make it one of the standout murder mystery adaptations.novelexplores the lasting impact of childhood trauma and the haunting mysteries of the past.adaptation is a riveting exploration of the human psyche, featuring a powerhouse cast that includes, andThe film's portrayal of a murder investigation in a tight-knit neighborhood is as emotionally resonant as it is suspenseful. Eastwood's direction and the stellar performances make Mystic River an unforgettable murder mystery.is a chilling adaptation of the real-life hunt for the Zodiac Killer in San Francisco during the late 1960s and early 1970s.meticulous direction and attention to detail create an atmosphere of paranoia and obsession.The film's ensemble cast, including, anddelivers exceptional performances as they become increasingly consumed by the unsolved case. Zodiac combines the elements of a murder mystery with a true crime thriller, making it a must-watch for fans of the genre.plays a young FBI cadet who askscannibalistic and brilliant, who is currently imprisoned, for assistance. Even though she is a rookie,is chosen to convince Lecter to reveal information on a number of horribly murdered and skinned women. Lecter and Starling develop a close bond in exchange for his assistance, and their mutual regard for one another aids in the case's resolution.The Hannibal franchise's, which was adapted fromnovels, won the Big Five Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Every scene in this movie draws you in and makes you want to keep watching.debut novel,, was adapted into a gripping mini-series starringas Camille Preaker, a troubled journalist returning to her hometown to cover a murder case. The story is a haunting exploration of family, trauma, and small-town secrets.Directorvisual storytelling captures the eerie atmosphere of the book, and Amy Adams delivers a mesmerising performance. Sharp Objects is a prime example of how a well-crafted mini-series can do justice to a complex murder mystery narrative.is a classic example of a murder mystery film that originated from literature. This 1946 film, directed by, is an adaptation ofnovel of the same name. The novel, published in 1939, introduced the world to the iconic private detective Philip Marlowe. In both the book and the film, Marlowe is tasked with investigating a complex case involving blackmail, deceit, and murder within a wealthy family.The film, starringas Philip Marlowe andas Vivian Rutledge, captures the dark and gritty atmosphere of Chandler's novel. This adaptation is not only a testament to the enduring appeal of Chandler's work but also a classic in the film noir genre.is a recent adaptation ofrenowned detective novel, first published in 1934. Directed by, who also stars as the iconic Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, this film brings the captivating mystery of the novel to life once again. Christie's novel revolves around the murder of a passenger on the luxurious Orient Express train. Poirot, known for his keen powers of deduction, is aboard and is called upon to solve the baffling murder.The film follows the same premise, with a star-studded ensemble cast that includes, and, among others. What sets this adaptation apart is its visual grandeur and the modern approach to storytelling. Branagh's direction captures the opulence of the train and the tensions among the passengers, and his portrayal of Poirot adds depth to the character while staying true to Christie's creation.After the police are unsuccessful in finding a missing four-year-old, the girl's aunt employs two private investigators. Even though the detectives aren't experts in discovering missing children, they are well-versed in the harsh Boston neighbourhood, which comes in useful when the family runs into drug dealers, gang members, and paedophiles while looking for the young girl. What begins as a kidnapping develops into a moral quandary that poses a threat to their collective stability.The author of the bookis based on,, is no stranger to mystery books. They were able to effectively turn his book into a hugely popular film with the aid of, who was making his directorial debut. This movie is a sophisticated, compelling thriller supported by a strong ensemble.A young woman marries attractive widower Maxim de Winter, with his family estate serving as her new home, after they first met in Monte Carlo. The little girl, who is naive and inexperienced, starts to adjust to her new life only to feel perpetually eclipsed by Maxim's deceased first wife,, whose memory is preserved by the evil housekeeper Mrs. Danvers. She seeks to learn more about the lovely Rebecca and her untimely demise as the young man's unease over her life grows.1938 psychological suspense novel has been adapted into a film several times. The book and its 2020 film version, which is frequently hailed as the best thriller of all time, both use tension to draw in the audience and make them want to learn the truth. This timeless mystery starsand, directed by, is a stylish mystery thriller based on2017 novel. The film starsas Stephanie, a mommy vlogger who seeks to uncover the truth behind her friend Emilyssudden disappearance. As Stephanie delves deeper, she uncovers a web of secrets and betrayals.The movie blends dark humour with suspense, offering a fresh take on the genre.Adapted from2018 novel,is a psychological thriller film directed by. The movie starsas Dr. Anna Fox, an agoraphobic psychologist who believes she has witnessed a crime in her neighbours house. As she investigates, Annas world begins to unravel, blurring the lines between reality and imagination.Despite facing production challenges and mixed reviews, the film garnered significant attention upon its release on Netflix.Based onbestselling novel,is a British mystery thriller television series that premiered on BBC iPlayer on July 1, 2024. The six-episode series follows 17-year-old Pip Fitz-Amobi, portrayed by, as she reopens a closed murder case in her small town for a school project.As she delves deeper, Pip uncovers dark secrets and realises that the truth is more complex than it seems. The series has been praised for its engaging narrative and strong performances, leading to its renewal for a second season. Director Neeraj Ghaywan has responded to reports claiming that the family whose life inspired his latest film Homebound was paid only Rs 10,000 in compensation. The filmmaker, whose movie has been shortlisted as Indias official entry to the Oscars, issued a clarification note on X to set the record straight. The reports alleged that the real-life family behind the story received a mere Rs 10,000, sparking outrage online. Addressing the claims, Ghaywan explained that the amount was a small token sum he had personally given to Amrits father, Ram Charan, years ago while conducting research for the film. Some of you have expressed concerns about reports claiming that the family whose life inspired Homebound was compensated with a mere Rs 10,000, a shamefully low amount. I want to clarify that this sum was a small token I personally gave to Ram Charan ji many years ago during my initial research, simply as a parting gesture, he wrote. The director further emphasized that this gesture should not be mistaken for the full compensation provided. Without disclosing the actual figure, Ghaywan stated that the families involved had been honoured with sincere respect and significant support. He also mentioned that both Amrit and Saiyub, whose lives inspired the film, expressed their happiness with how their stories were portrayed. Neither I, nor the producers, would ever reduce such a deeply personal story to such a pittance, he added, clarifying that the families contributions were invaluable to the project. Take a look at his post here: Some of you have expressed concerns about reports claiming that the family whose life inspired Homebound was compensated with a mere 10,000a shamefully low amount. I want to clarify that this sum was a small token I personally gave to Ram Charan ji (Amrits father) many years Neeraj Ghaywan (@ghaywan) October 3, 2025 Homebound is inspired by journalist Basharat Peers article Taking Amrit Home (also titled A Friendship, a Pandemic and a Death Beside the Highway). The film follows the story of a Muslim and a Dalit childhood friend who aspire to join the police force in search of dignity often denied to them because of their surnames. The countdown to the 70th Hyundai Filmfare Awards 2025 with Gujarat Tourism began on a high note today as a star-studded press conference was held at JW Marriott in Mumbai to announce the deserving winners of the Technical and Writing categories along with some special details about the event. The event served as a fitting prelude to the main awards night, which is set to electrify the Eka Arena in Ahmedabad on October 11. The event started with the auspicious lighting of the lamp, setting a respectful tone for the celebrations to follow. As the names of the winners across the various important, behind-the-scenes categories were announced, the collective mood in the room was one of immense pride and happiness. These talented individuals, whose hard work often shapes the very backbone and structure of a film, looked very thrilled to finally step into the limelight and receive their due recognition in the form of the prestigious Black Lady. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Filmfare (@filmfare) Adding to the glamour and offering their wholehearted support were actors Tamannaah Bhatia and Rajkummar Rao, both of whom have delivered memorable performances in their careers. Taking to the podium, both stars spoke about their fondest Filmfare memories and the value of the Black Lady. This press conference has successfully stoked an enormous build-up for the spectacular main event in Ahmedabad. The 70th edition promises to be an even grander affair, hosted by the ultimate trio superstar Shah Rukh Khan, dynamic filmmaker Karan Johar, and the master of wit, Maniesh Paul. With their legendary humour and camaraderie, the hosts are guaranteed to deliver an unforgettable night of laughter and celebration. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Filmfare (@filmfare) The stage is now set for October 11 at the Eka Arena, where the magic of Indian cinema will be celebrated in partnership with Gujarat Tourism. From the most intricate technical achievement to the final dramatic performance, Filmfare is ready to honour the very best of the industry, ensuring the 70th Hyundai Filmfare Awards 2025 with Gujarat Tourism is remembered as an iconic chapter in the history of Indian cinema awards. The countdown to the ultimate night of glitz, glamour, and the Black Lady has officially begun! For more updates: 70th Filmfare Awards 2025 - Date, Hosts, Venue, Nominees, Red Carpet Moments & Highlights Malayalam director Tharun Moorthy has officially lifted the curtain on his long-rumoured sequel to Operation Java. Titled Operation Cambodia, the film will see Prithviraj Sukumaran stepping in as the lead, alongside familiar faces from the first installment, Balu Varghese, Lukman Avaran, Binu Pappu, Alexander Prasanth, and Irshad Ali. The Sequel Gets Bigger Moorthys debut, Operation Java (2021), won praise for its taut narrative around real cybercrime cases and the unsung techies who cracked them. This time, though, the sequel signals a tonal shift. With a poster featuring guns, passports, and shadows of conflict, Operation Cambodia hints at a grittier, more action-driven story that stretches beyond the boundaries of the original. The core crew from Moorthys first outing is intact: Faiz Siddik returns as cinematographer, Jakes Bejoy composes the score once again, and Shafeeque VB, who edited Thudarum, takes charge of the cut. The production is a joint venture between Worldwide Films, V Cinemas International, and Moorthys new banner, The Manifestation Studio. Moorthys Busy Slate Interestingly, Operation Cambodia isnt Moorthys immediate project. Before cameras roll on the sequel, he will be directing Torpedo, a multi-starrer film featuring Fahadh Faasil, Naslen, Arjun Das, and Ganapathi, which was announced earlier. For this film, the director's regular collaborator Binu Pappu has turned writer, and he will also serve as co-director on Operation Cambodia. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tharun Moorthy (@tharun_moorthy) Tharun Moorthy had previously teased the idea of extending the Operation Java universe, and now its official. With Prithviraj on board and the scale looking more expansive, fans are eagerly waiting to see whether the director can balance the intellectual edge of Operation Java with the adrenaline rush promised by its successor. Also Read: Prithvirajs Santhosh Trophy Kicks Off With Grand Launch; 60 Debutants Join The Cast Backed by NASA, the U.S. Space Force and private investors, this test validates technology that can supply deep space missions with resources from asteroids and prevent cascading collisions in orbit. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA / ACCESS Newswire / October 2, 2025 / For the first time, technology designed to capture dangerous space debris and asteroids has been successfully tested aboard the International Space Station (ISS). This marks a pivotal step toward making Earth's orbit safer and tapping into the vast resources of the solar system. TransAstra Completes Successful Demonstration of Its Capture Bag Technology on the ISS TransAstra Engineers Kieana Fana & Caleb Kracke-Bock Monitor Our Capture Bag Payload as NASA Astronaut Cardman Closes the Hatch to the Voyager Bishop Airlock The need is urgent. Tens of thousands of debris fragments, some moving up to 50 times faster than a bullet, circle Earth. Even a paint chip at those speeds can destroy a spacecraft. Some think a single major collision might spark a chain reaction of impacts - known as the Kessler Syndrome - that would cripple satellite operations and endanger human missions in low Earth orbit. Furthermore, as industry expands in space, humanity needs asteroid mining to provide resupplies of water and other materials - not only for human consumption but also for propellant. Asteroids will also provide the metals, shielding, and semiconductors necessary to build structures and spacecraft at a fraction of the cost it would take to send supplies from earth. California-based aerospace company TransAstra completed a successful demonstration of its Capture Bag technology on the ISS on Oct. 2, 2025. The inflatable structure can envelop and remove orbital debris and capture asteroids to serve as resource hubs for deep space missions. "With support from the space agency, DoD, and private investors, we're tackling the problem of space debris head-on and gearing up for an asteroid resource capture mission in the very near future," said Joel Sercel, TransAstra's founder and CEO. "The partnerships with NASA and Space Force are a powerful validation of our technology and our team." The Capture Bag was deployed in Voyager Space's Bishop airlock, where astronauts conducted evaluations simulating orbital conditions. The successful test proved the technology could withstand the extreme environment of space while maintaining integrity - an essential milestone before scaling up to larger versions. The mission also marked the first in-space use of TransAstra's DAQAstra system. Unlike legacy data acquisition systems still in use across many labs, DAQAstra is more affordable, higher performing, and built from the ground up to be cybersecure. The Capture Bag was built and flight-qualified through NASA and Space Force SBIR funding. The ISS demonstration was jointly funded by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) and TransAstra's private investors. Next, the company will build on this momentum with a $2.5 million NASA CCRPP award - matched by private funds - to develop a 10-meter version of the Capture Bag. The scaled-up design will capture larger debris and small asteroids, moving the concept from proof-of-principle to operational readiness. With these breakthroughs, TransAstra is charting a path toward safer, more sustainable space operations while opening the door to industries supplied by the nearly limitless resources of asteroids - ushering in a future where humanity not only explores space, but thrives there. SOURCE: Trans Astronautica Corporation View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/aerospace-and-defense/transastra-demonstrates-asteroid-capture-and-orbital-debris-cleanup-technolog-1081225 ELGIN, Scotland, Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Gordon & MacPhail has revealed the 'Artistry in Oak' decanter design by internationally acclaimed American architect Jeanne Gang, marking the release of the oldest single malt Scotch ever bottled - Gordon & MacPhail 85 Years Old from Glenlivet Distillery. Gordon & MacPhail sought to commission a creative partner to design a unique decanter to house their most precious whisky to date. A partnership built on common values and a shared commitment to leave a legacy for future generations, Jeanne Gang's design is shaped through her close observation of growth and form in nature. The four branches which suspend the glass decanter are made from solid bronze, providing an armature that cradles the precious liquid in the same way the oak cask has nurtured the whisky for eight and a half decades. Only 125 decanters are available worldwide, each with an RSP of 125,000. Over the last 130 years, Gordon & MacPhail has been driven by a simple mission: to create single malt Scotch whisky of exceptional quality. Through four generations of family ownership, the company has matched its own specially selected casks with spirit from over 100 Scottish distilleries. Managing a portfolio of casks requires a complex level of expertise which Gordon & MacPhail has honed to fully understand cask maturation matched to different styles of spirit. Patience is undoubtedly a virtue in this realm and Gordon & MacPhail's whiskies are often the oldest expression ever to be released from a particular distillery. The decanter design by Jeanne Gang is a celebration of the profound artistry, craft, care and time alongside nature that went into the liquid it encases. The maturation of whisky over very long periods of time is a very challenging proposition often quoted as more art than science. As the oldest single malt Scotch ever bottled, this release is the ultimate expression of this art and testament to the foresight of George Urquhart and his father, John, who selected cask 336 in 1940 to cradle this liquid for decades to come. "One of the greatest challenges was that this has never been done before. We're the first to mature a whisky for 85 years. Every year that goes by is a year into the unknown. We have to appreciate we're always dealing with mother nature so the key traits of this process are patience and trust," comments Stephen Rankin Director of Prestige at Gordon & MacPhail, and member of the fourth generation of the family that owns the company. Embracing the creative theme of 'Artistry in Oak', the design evokes the idea of a tree slowly entwining a piece of amber. Four separate branches spiral upward, wrapping around a suspended glass vessel that contains the amber liquid originally distilled at Glenlivet Distillery. American oak informed the branches' design, a nod to the wood used to comprise the Gordon & MacPhail cask which cradled the spirit for 85 years. "It was of utmost importance that the quality of the whisky itself be manifest in the design of the decanter. Made from handblown glass and cast bronze, I thought about how each material would exhibit its own inherent qualities while fulfilling its purpose to hold and protect the liquid," explains Jeanne Gang. The design was conceived as a single object, with the suspended glass vessel relying on the branches for support, evoking the reciprocity between whisky and its cask. Jeanne chose bronze for the four entwining branches that cradle the vessel because it is an enduring material; one that evolves slowly and beautifully over time, much like whisky. As bronze develops a patina, it mirrors the way whisky deepens in colour and character over the years. "Standing tall and strong, the patinated bronze entwines the vessel, suspending it while revealing the amber colour of the whisky within. Together, the elements depend on and complement each other, in a reciprocal dance whose form, like the whisky it holds, is a product of both natural growth and the nature of its materiality," expresses Gang. As part of this landmark release, Gordon & MacPhail is supporting American Forests, the oldest national non-profit conservation organisation in the United States - a leader in forest restoration - via the online auction of Decanter #1 in partnership with Christie's. "Given the importance of oak in our craft, this partnership was a natural fit, aligning with our mission to leave a meaningful legacy for ongoing generations via fundraising for the sustainable future of American oak trees," adds Stephen Rankin. The auction conducted online by Christie's, opening for bids on Friday 7th November and concluding on Friday 21st November 2025, will see proceeds of the lot (minus costs) donated to the American Forests, to support their work dedicated to creating healthy and resilient forests in cities and large landscapes, including the regeneration and long-term sustainability of America's oak-dominated forests essential for whisky maturation. As well as Decanter #1, the lot will include a personalised whisky tasting hosted by Gordon & MacPhail's Director of Prestige Stephen Rankin or Richard Urquhart, Sales Director, both fourth generation family members; a framed, signed sketch of an oak tree by Jeanne Gang, which informed the decanter's design; and the cask end of cask 336 which nurtured the single malt Scotch whisky, presented in a bespoke frame. Adam Bilbey, Christie's Global Head of Wine and Spirits says: "Partnering with Gordon & MacPhail for Artistry in Oak is a moment of pride for Christie's. The unveiling of Decanter No. 1 from Gordon & MacPhail 85 Years Old is not just a highlight of our season-it's a celebration of time, tradition, and craftsmanship. Over the last 85yrs this extraordinary spirit has been carefully and patiently nurtured by Gordon & MacPhail, culminating in the extraordinary moment." A TASTE OF LIQUID HISTORY At 85 years old, this historical liquid has spent decades maturing in a unique cask that has had a profound impact on its flavour. Cask 336 had previously held mature sherry before being re-filled on 3 February 1940 with spirit at the Glenlivet Distillery. This was a time when production across Scotland was much reduced due to the raw materials required being diverted for other uses or there being a shortage in them created by the war. This long maturation has imparted deep, complex flavours to the whisky, with vibrant, full-bodied notes that remain remarkably robust at 43.7% ABV. The influence of the cask, combined with the rarity and incredible scarcity of the liquid, creates a whisky that is not only extraordinary in its taste but also a living piece of history. Aroma: Soft, aged leather aromas lead to apricot compote, cinnamon, and subtle waxy, citrus fruit notes. Vanilla gives way to dried sultana and aniseed with underlying beeswax polish. Subtle smoky undertones develop. Flavours: Smooth and vibrant with cracked black pepper and sweet dried tobacco flavours, followed by Seville Orange peel. Morello cherry and plum flavours are balanced by subtle oak. Finish: A full-bodied finish with lingering herbal notes. This exceptional release represents the pinnacle of whisky craftsmanship - an 85-year-old single malt matured over four generations. Not only is it the oldest whisky ever bottled, but its extreme rarity, scarcity and provenance, coupled with the artistry of Jeanne Gang's design, make it an unparalleled collector's piece. Gordon & Macphail 85 Years Old From Glenlivet Distillery Available worldwide, priced at 125,000 WWW.GORDONANDMACPHAIL.COM Christie's Online Auction of Decanter #1 Bidding opens Friday 7 November and closed Friday 21 November 2025 Proceeds of the lot (minus costs) donated to the American Forests WWW.CHRISTIES.COM @GORDONANDMACPHAIL Video: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2785796/GMP.mp4 Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2785791/Gordon_MacPhail_Hero.jpg Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2785801/Gordon_MacPhail_Jeanne_Gang.jpg Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2785790/Gordon_MacPhail_Cask.jpg Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2785808/Gordon_MacPhail_bottle.jpg Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2785788/GMP_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/gordon--macphail-reveals-artistry-in-oak-decanter-design-by-acclaimed-architect-jeanne-gang-for-the-worlds-oldest-single-malt-scotch-whisky-302571163.html Coquitlam, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 2, 2025) - Nord Precious Metals Mining Inc. (TSXV: NTH) (OTCQB: CCWOF) (FSE: 4T9B) (the "Company" or "Nord") further to the Company's news release dated September 15, 2025, the Company has amended its previously filed Listed Issuer Financing Exemption ("LIFE") Offering Document. The Company will now be raising 13,056,041 units at a price of $0.12 per share for gross proceeds of $1,566,724 through the LIFE Offering Document. In addition, the Company intends to complete a financing by way of a non-brokered private placement of up to 20,277,292 units at a price of $0.12 per share for gross proceeds of $2,433,275 whereby Research Capital Corporation (the "Finder") are the exclusive finders assisting with the Offering. Each Unit will consist of one common share of the Company ("Common Share") and one common share purchase warrant of the Company ("Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase an additional Common Share at an exercise price of $0.155 for a period of five years following the closing of the Offering. Nord's primary business objective over the next 12 months is to increase the silver resource at the Castle East property and identify potential economics of tailings processing and metal recovery from tailings. Nord intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering to test tailings recovery through the Ontario Ministry's unique Recovery Permit and continue pilot scale testing of the Re-2Ox process with SGS Lakefield. Diamond drilling will continue on the Castle East Property to test new targets and, using new intersections, update the Company's Resource Estimate. Over the next 12 months, Nord expects to: Advance Castle East targeting and resource work. Begin the fall drill program guided by the recent 3D model, reinterpretation and incorporate results into the next resource update. (Press Release, August 26, 2025). Submit Recovery Permit materials and prepare potential tolling templates. Finalize the single-application approach that may include potential toll processing of adjacent properties, and standardize commercial tolling templates for district tailings owners. Progress Re-2Ox from bench to pilot with SGS Lakefield. Complete arsenic-balance work, unit-op selection, and pilot-ready testwork; maintain refinery optionality under the non-binding MOU. (Press Releases, 2018; February 6, 2025; June 2025). fund administrative expenses including legal, audit, overhead and consulting fees for the ensuing 12 months. The Units will be offered for sale pursuant to the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption under Part 5A of National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions ("NI 45-106"). as amended by Coordinated Blanket Order 45-935 - Exemptions from Certain Conditions of the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption and Section 2.3 of the Offering is being made in all provinces of Canada (except Quebec) and other qualifying jurisdictions, including the United States. The Units offered under the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption will be immediately "free-trading" under applicable Canadian securities laws. Units sold to subscribers resident in the United States will be subject to additional restrictions on trade. The amended offering document (the "Amended Offering Document") related to this Offering that can be accessed under the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca and at the Company's website at www.nordpreciousmetals.com. Prospective investors should read this Amended Offering Document before making an investment decision. The Offering is anticipated to close on or around October 9, 2025 ("Closing"), or such later date as the Company may determine. The Closing is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary regulatory and other approvals, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. The Finders will receive a cash commission of 8% of the aggregate gross proceeds of the Offering from subscribers introduced to the Company by the Finders and such number of finder's warrants (the "Finder's Warrants") as is equal to 8% of the number of Units sold under the Offering to subscribers introduced to the Company by the Finders. Each Finder's Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Common Share at an exercise price equal to the Offering Price for a period of 5 years from the date of the Closing. In connection with the Offering, the Company has entered into an Advisory Agreement with Research Capital Corporation (the "Advisor"), pursuant to which the Advisor provided financial advisory, consulting, and support services in connection with the Offering (the "Advisory Services"). In consideration for the Advisory Services, the Company will pay the Advisor a work fee equal to $25,000 (the "Fee") and issue 175,000 advisor shares (the "Advisor Shares") at a deemed price of $0.12 per share. The Advisor Shares will be subject to a four month and one day hold period in accordance with Canadian securities laws. The Finder Warrants and the Advisor Shares are subject to a four month and a day hold period pursuant to applicable Canadian Securities Laws. About Nord Precious Metals Mining Inc. Nord Precious Metals Mining Inc. operates the only permitted high-grade milling facility in the historic Cobalt Camp of Ontario, where the Company has established a unique position integrating high-grade silver discovery with strategic metals recovery operations. The Company's flagship Castle property encompasses 63 sq. km of exploration ground and the past-producing Castle Mine, complemented by the Castle East discovery where drilling has delineated 7.56 million ounces of silver in Inferred resources grading an average of 8,582 g/t Ag (250.2 oz/ton). Nord's integrated processing strategy leverages the synergistic value of multiple metals. High-grade silver recovery supports the economics of extracting critical minerals including cobalt, nickel, and other battery metals, while the company's proprietary Re-2Ox hydrometallurgical process enables production of technical-grade cobalt sulphate and nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) formulations. This multi-metal approach, combined with established infrastructure including TTL Laboratories and underground mine access, positions Nord to capitalize on both precious metals markets and the growing demand for battery materials. The Company maintains a strategic portfolio of battery metals properties in Northern Quebec including its 35% ownership in Coniagas Battery Metals Inc. (TSXV: COS) as well as the St. Denis-Sangster lithium project comprising 260 square kilometers of prospective ground near Cochrane, Ontario. More information is available at www.nordpreciousmetals.com. "Frank J. Basa" Frank J. Basa, P. Eng. Chief Executive Officer Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release may contain forward-looking statements which include, but are not limited to, comments that involve future events and conditions, which are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Except for statements of historical facts, comments that address resource potential, upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt and security of mineral property titles, availability of funds, and others are forward-looking. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may vary materially from those statements. General business conditions are factors that could cause actual results to vary materially from forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information in this news release or other communications unless required by law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/268981 SOURCE: Nord Precious Metals Mining Inc. Melbourne, Victoria--(Newsfile Corp. - October 2, 2025) - Zebra Plumbing Melbourne today announced the release of a guidance statement outlining the qualities that homeowners should expect when engaging a licensed plumber. The announcement accompanies the launch of the company's updated website, designed to improve clarity and access to service information for residential and commercial customers across Melbourne's eastern suburbs. A Zebra Plumbing technician performing a detailed inspection, showcasing the company's commitment to professionalism, responsiveness, and going the extra mile for Melbourne homeowners. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10926/268855_4258de17243f4914_001full.jpg The initiative follows ongoing consumer concerns around transparency and responsiveness in the trades sector. According to Consumer Affairs Victoria, plumbing complaints remain among the most frequently reported issues, with many stemming from undisclosed costs and a lack of communication. Zebra Plumbing Melbourne's newly published guide aims to highlight key qualities, including fair pricing, timely responses, and consistent workmanship, that enable customers to make informed decisions when selecting a service provider. Identifying Key Qualities in Plumbing Services The statement identifies four qualities that the company believes should be standard practice across the industry: Responsiveness: Plumbers should be equipped to address urgent requests, such as burst pipes or blocked drains, in a timely manner. Transparent Pricing: Clear, upfront estimates reduce the risk of disputes and build trust between customer and service provider. Workmanship and Care: Professional standards include both technical execution and respect for the client's property and time. Local Knowledge: Familiarity with local building conditions and community expectations supports reliable service delivery. By publishing this framework, Zebra Plumbing Melbourne aims to align with broader industry discussions on service quality. A national survey conducted in 2023 by ServiceSeeking noted that response time and transparency ranked as the top considerations for homeowners when selecting tradespeople. Relevance for Melbourne Households The guidance is particularly relevant for homeowners across Melbourne's eastern suburbs, where plumbing infrastructure can vary significantly depending on housing age and style. Issues such as ageing pipework, outdated hot water systems, and high-density residential developments have increased demand for accessible and reliable plumbing services. Zebra Plumbing Melbourne, a family-owned business, has positioned the guidance as a resource for residents in suburbs such as Kew, Hawthorn, and Richmond. The company states that the framework is designed to function as a reference point for households seeking to evaluate plumbing providers against clear and practical standards. Updated Website Reflects Transparency Efforts Alongside the release of its service quality guide, Zebra Plumbing Melbourne has launched an updated website at https://zebraplumbing.com.au/. The revised platform introduces streamlined navigation, expanded service descriptions, and improved accessibility for mobile users. The update is intended to simplify how customers access information on specific services, including hot water system repairs, emergency plumbing support, blocked drain solutions, and burst pipe response. Company representatives noted that the redesign reflects ongoing efforts to improve the transparency of operations and facilitate easier communication between customers and plumbing professionals. Consumer Landscape and Industry Context Melbourne households are increasingly facing plumbing emergencies ranging from burst pipes to sudden hot water failures, creating a critical need for fast and dependable services. With many residents reporting little time to compare providers when urgent problems strike, the spotlight is now on ensuring the public can access clear and trustworthy information about local plumbing businesses. This demand has underscored the importance of readily available resources that help customers connect with reputable tradespeople before disruptions escalate. Industry data suggests that consumer confidence is closely tied to visible commitments to transparency. Independent reviews on public platforms have become an essential factor in household decision-making. Zebra Plumbing Melbourne's guidance aims to complement these resources by articulating qualities that homeowners can look for across any provider in the sector. Balancing Service and Standards The company emphasised that the guidance is not intended to serve as promotional material, but rather as a contribution to ongoing efforts to improve clarity in the marketplace. By publishing the framework alongside its website update, Zebra Plumbing Melbourne has sought to formalise values that are commonly referenced by consumers and regulators alike. The qualities outlined, responsiveness, transparent pricing, workmanship, and local knowledge, are presented as standards that can be observed, measured, and compared across providers. Customers, in turn, can use these benchmarks to evaluate options and select plumbers who demonstrate alignment with these expectations. Byron Slabbert, Owner of Zebra Plumbing Melbourne, said the release of this guidance was intended to provide clarity for households navigating essential but often urgent service needs. "Plumbing problems usually occur without warning, and in those moments, homeowners need a clear way to judge who they can rely on," Slabbert said. "By putting these qualities into writing, we hope to contribute to greater transparency in the industry and give customers a framework they can use no matter which provider they choose." Statement from the Company Although no direct promotional claims were made, company representatives stated that publishing the guide aligns with a broader goal of increasing transparency in the service industry. They noted that formalising these standards in written form reflects both community expectations and industry trends toward greater accountability. The announcement also coincides with Zebra Plumbing Melbourne's continued service to households in its core catchment areas of Kew, Hawthorn, and Richmond. About Zebra Plumbing Melbourne Zebra Plumbing Melbourne is a family-owned plumbing company providing residential and commercial plumbing services across Melbourne, including Kew, Hawthorn, Richmond, and surrounding suburbs. The company offers a range of services, including emergency plumbing, blocked drain repairs, burst pipe responses, toilet repairs, and hot water system installations. Visit their website at https://zebraplumbing.com.au to learn more. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10926/268855_4258de17243f4914_002full.jpg To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/268855 SOURCE: Brand Featured OTTAWA (dpa-AFX) - Open Text Corp. (OTEX, OTEX.TO) announced that it has agreed to divest an on-premise solution or eDOCS, a part of its Analytics portfolio, to NetDocuments, for US$163 million in cash. The business to be divested is part of OpenText's Analytics product group, primarily focused on automating the work of legal professionals, and contributed approximately $30 million in annual revenue in OpenText's fiscal year ended June 30, 2025. OpenText intends to use the proceeds of the sale to reduce its outstanding debt. Under the terms of the agreement, the software, customer contracts, associated services, and employees will be integrated into NetDocuments. The transaction is expected to close by early 2026. Copyright(c) 2025 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. JAKARTA, INDONESIA, Oct 3, 2025 - (ACN Newswire) - FOCUSING on building network connectivity between Indonesia and China, TransNusa launched its maiden flight from Manado to Shenzhen yesterday. This announcement was made less than a month after TransNusa launched its maiden flight from Manado to Shanghai.The Manado and Shenzhen as well as Manado and Shanghai scheduled commercial routes were launched on 2 October and 8 September, respectively.TransNusa Group Chief Executive Officer, Datuk Bernard Francis said TransNusa aims is to strengthen its network connectivity between Indonesia and China's secondary tourism-based markets."Our main priority and focus is to offer additional options for passengers while providing seamless, secure and fast travels," Datuk Francis said, adding that TransNusa will also provide its passengers with options to visit other major tourist destinations from Manado, such as Bali, also known as Indonesia's Island of Gods.Details of the Scheduled FlightTransNusa will be operating three flights a week from Manado's Sam Ratulangi International Airport to Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport. The TransNusa flight, 8B 175, will depart Manado at 21.10pm and arrive at the Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport at 01.00am while TransNusa flight, 8B 176, will depart Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport at 02.00am and arrive in Manado at 05.50am.TransNusa, which will be utilising its C909 jet airliner for this newly launched international route, will be operating the Manado-Shenzhen route three times weekly. The Manado-Shenzhen route scheduled commercial flights are on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday while the Shenzhen-Manado route scheduled commercial flights will be on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.TransNusa's scheduled Manado-Shenzhen flight ticket price starts from as low as IDR3.499.000, CNY1.525 and USD226. TransNusa tickets are available for purchase at transnusa.co.id and all other main online travel agent platforms worldwide.Future PlansOn its plans for new routes, Datuk Bernard said that TransNusa has plans to introduce, at least, one new international route before the end of this year."We hope to launch an additional new scheduled international route and increase, at least, one more international scheduled route frequency before the end of 2025," Datuk Bernard explained.Brief History On TransNusaTransNusa, which had to close business due to the Covid-19 pandemic was injected with new shareholders and management team in 2022. The airline opened its doors for business in October and within six months, in April 2023, launched its first international flight from Jakarta to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.After which, under the new leadership of Datuk Francis, and the new management team, the airline successfully launched three more new international routes by the end of 2023. In 2024, the airline continued growing its international and domestic route and at the same time recording historical firsts that also became a significant industry first for the Indonesian aviation industry.Since April 2023, TransNusa has been making headlines in Malaysia, Singapore, China, West Australia and around the world with news of being the first airline in Indonesia and the world to develop and introduce a new domestic route connecting Bali and diving haven, Manado. TransNusa also became the second Indonesian airline to receive approval to fly to China and provided Indonesians with more pricing and route options to China.TransNusa's aggressive international growth strategy combined with its domestic business operations approach has enabled the airline to be the fastest growing airline in South East Asia.About TransNusaTransNusa Airline, is a Premium Service Carrier. After the take-over, in February 2024, the airline rebranded itself from being a Low-Cost Carrier to a Premium Service Carrier in line with its upgraded aircrafts that offers better comfort as well as based on the flexibility and quality of the services offered.TransNusa, which received its AOC certification on 9th September 2022, launch its first three A320 operations on 6th October, 14th October and 12th December, 2022. In 2023, TransNusa introduced a new business model making it the first Premium Service Carrier in the Asia Pacific region. TransNusa introduced its first international flight on 14th April, 2023. The airline currently has bases in Jakarta, Bali and Manado.The airline currently flies from Jakarta to Yogyakarta, Bali, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Subang, Malaysia and Guangzhou, China. It also flies from Bali to Perth, Guangzhou, Jakarta and Manado. TransNusa will be launching its scheduled Bali to Perth route on March 20th and its Bali to Guangzhou route on April13th.TransNusa made history when it became the second Indonesian airline to fly to China and the first Indonesian airline to launch a Premium Service Carrier business model.Passengers can book their flights on the TransNusa website (www.transnusa.co.id), through authorized travel agents in West Australia, Singapore, and Indonesia, or by contacting the airline's customer service centre at, +62216310888. For the Singapore market, passengers can contact TransNusa's General Sales Agent, Chariot Travels Pte Ltd, at +65 86602719 for assistance.TransNusa's Primary Media Contact:Trina Thomas Rajtrina@myqaseh.org+60124992672 (watsapp)Source: TransNusaCopyright 2025 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved. Vancouver, British Columbia and Boise, Idaho--(Newsfile Corp. - October 3, 2025) - Thunder Mountain Gold, Inc. (TSXV: THM) (OTCQB: THMG) (the "Company" or "Thunder Mountain") is issuing this news release in order to clarify that the private placement announced in its news release disseminated earlier today (the "Original News Release") is for an aggregate of up to 10,000,000 units of the Company (each, a "Unit") at a price of US$0.25 (CAD$0.35) per Unit for gross proceeds of up to US$2,500,000 (CAD$3,500,000) (the "Private Placement"). The Original News Release had incorrectly referred to an offering of up to 1,000,000 Units but had correctly stated the aggregate offering proceeds of up to US$2,500,000 (CAD$3,500,000). Each Unit will consist of one share of the Company's common stock (each, a "Common Share") and one-half common share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one additional share of common stock of the Company at a price of US$0.40 (CAD$0.55) for a period of 24 months from the date of issuance. Subject to regulatory approval, the Company may close the Private Placement in one or more tranches. The proceeds raised pursuant to the Private Placement will be used for exploration and for general working capital. The Company has received the conditional approval of the TSX Venture Exchange to the completion of the Private Placement and closing remains subject to satisfaction to the conditions required by the TSX Venture Exchange. The Private Placement will be made on a private placement basis to accredited investors only pursuant to exemptions from prospectus and registration requirements of applicable securities laws. The securities described herein have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws, and accordingly, may not be offered or sold within the United States or to "U.S. persons", as such term is defined in Regulation S promulgated under the U.S. Securities Act, except in compliance with the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, or pursuant to exemptions therefrom. The securities issued in the Private Placement will be "restricted securities" under the U.S. Securities Act. The securities issued in the Private Placement will be subject to a four-month hold period in accordance with the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange and applicable Canadian securities legislation. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which the offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. Regarding Thunder Mountain Gold, Inc. Thunder Mountain Gold Inc., a junior exploration company founded in 1935, owns interests in base and precious metals projects in the western U.S. The Company's principal asset is The South Mountain Mine, a historic former Anaconda Mining development of zinc, silver, gold, lead, and copper, located on private land in Owyhee County Idaho. Thunder Mountain Gold also owns 100% of the Trout Creek Project - a gold exploration project located along the western flank of the Shoshone Mountain Range in the Reese River Valley, adjacent to and surrounded by Nevada Gold Mines, a Barrick and Newmont Gold, Inc. joint venture. For more information on Thunder Mountain Gold, please visit the Company's website at www.Thundermountaingold.com. The South Mountain Project The South Mountain Mine is a polymetallic development project containing high-grade zinc, silver, gold, and copper, and is located on private land approximately 70 miles southwest of Boise, Idaho (See Figure 1 above). The Project is on private land, permitting has been, and should remain straightforward. The Project was intermittently mined from the late from 1940s to the late 1960s, most notably by Anaconda Copper, with over 4,000 feet of underground developmental workings that that have been rehabilitated, re-engineered, and are MSHA compliant. Thunder Mountain Gold Inc. purchased and advanced the project from 2007 through Present, with expenditures into the project of approximately US$25 million. Historic test mining and processing at the Project has mostly come from high-grade Carbonate Replacement Deposits (CRD) and skarn zones that remain open at depth and along strike. According to historical smelter records, approximately 53,642 tons of mineralized material have been mined and direct shipped to the smelter, with average grades; 14.5% Zn, 10.6 o.p.t. Ag (363.42 g/t Ag), 0.058 o.p.t. Au (1.98 g/t Au), 1.4% Cu, and 2.4% Pb were realized (See SK-1300 Technical Resource Statement, and NI 43-101 Technical Report: Updated Mineral Resource Estimate for the South Mountain Project, dated December 31, 2023, and December 15, 2023, respectively. More details are available on the Thunder Mountain Gold Inc. website and at www.SEC.gov, and www.sedarplus.ca). Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements that are based on the beliefs of management and reflect the Company's current expectations. Generally, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative connotation thereof. The forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions, which could change materially in the future. By their nature, forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is provided as of the date of this press release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required in accordance with applicable laws. Cautionary Note to Investors Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/269004 SOURCE: Thunder Mountain Gold, Inc. - USD Partners Group / Key word(s): Acquisition/Investment Partners Group and CVC agree partnership to drive next phase of growth at International Schools Partnership, a leading global K-12 school platform 03.10.2025 / 07:00 CET/CEST London, UK; 3 October 2025 CVC will acquire a significant minority stake in ISP ISP educates over 110,000 students in 111 schools across 25 countries ISP follows a proven growth strategy, adding high-quality schools to its platform in locations with strong demand Partners Group, one of the largest firms in the global private markets industry, acting on behalf of its clients, is to welcome CVC Strategic Opportunities ("CVC"), a leading global private equity manager, as a significant minority shareholder in International Schools Partnership ("ISP" or "the Company"). CVC will acquire a 20% stake in the Company. Partners Group will remain the majority shareholder and OMERS, which acquired a minority stake in ISP in 2021, will also remain a shareholder. Partners Group and the ISP management team founded the Company in 2013 and have since built it into one of the largest K-12 school platforms globally, educating over 110,000 students in 111 schools across 25 countries. ISP follows a proven growth strategy, adding high-quality schools to its platform in locations with strong demand and enhancing them with the Company's differentiated learning approach. ISP aims to provide a holistic education and develop all aspects of a student's learning experience, with a strong focus on academic progress, as well as the development of language, digital, and life skills. During its ownership, Partners Group's transformational investing approach has focused on helping ISP's schools to deliver high quality education. In ISP's next phase of growth, the new shareholder group and management team will work together on further driving the Company's successful strategy. Key value creation initiatives will include adding new schools to the platform, investing in the development and implementation of proprietary technology solutions as part of teaching, and further expanding the infrastructure of schools to improve the student experience and provide room for future growth. Steve Brown, Chief Executive Officer, International Schools Partnership, comments: "ISP's schools seek to be the 'school of choice' in their area. We seek to cultivate lifelong learners who possess the resilience, adaptability, and self-belief to navigate a changing world and future working environments. Partners Group has always shared our fundamental belief in putting students and their education first. As we reflect on our growth to-date, we look forward to welcoming our new shareholders at CVC on board and continuing our mission." Andrew Deakin, Partner, Partners Group, says: "ISP is one of our proudest achievements as a private equity platform. We started with just an idea, a team, and a thematic conviction that the global education market would continue to grow. After over a decade of hard work, strategic planning, and careful execution alongside the talented management team, we stand as a global leader in K-12 education with a differentiated learning approach. The tailwinds driving our growth are strong and we are excited about the next chapter for ISP. We look forward to welcoming CVC as a new shareholder." Jan Reinier Voute, Managing Partner and Co-Head of CVC Strategic Opportunities, CVC, added: "We are excited to embark on our partnership with ISP, one of the world's leading K12 education platforms. The K-12 sector, and ISP in particular, is an excellent fit for our Strategic Opportunities strategy, which focuses on supporting value creation in long-term partnership investments. We believe ISP is exceptionally well placed for continued growth and, most importantly, provides high-quality education to more than 110,000 students worldwide, creating long-lasting value for families and communities. We look forward to supporting this mission over the coming years, alongside Partners Group having successfully built the group since inception." About ISP Partners Group founded International Schools Partnership ("ISP") in 2013 with a small group of experienced leaders from the education sector. ISP acquired its first school in Spain in 2014, quickly followed by schools in the Middle East and North America in 2016. By 2018, ISP was both adding existing schools to its platform and building greenfield schools in certain markets. The tailwinds driving growth in the K-12 education market have continued to accelerate, leading to ISP reaching 111 schools across 25 countries in 2025. Partners Group has been proactively involved in ISP's value creation from the start, investing in education and driving M&A. Partners Group shares ISP's fundamental belief in putting education first and remains a proud majority shareholder. For more about ISP, please visit: www.internationalschoolspartnership.com . About Partners Group Partners Group is one of the largest firms in the global private markets industry, with around 2'000 professionals and over USD 174 billion in assets under management globally. The firm has investment programs and custom mandates spanning private equity, private credit, infrastructure, real estate, and royalties. With its heritage in Switzerland and primary presence in the Americas in Colorado, Partners Group is built differently from the rest of the industry. The firm leverages its differentiated culture and its operationally oriented approach to identify attractive investment themes and to transform businesses and assets into market leaders. For more information, please visit www.partnersgroup.com or follow us on LinkedIn . About CVC Capital Partners CVC is a leading global private markets manager with a network of 30 office locations throughout EMEA, the Americas, and Asia, with approximately 200 billion of assets under management. CVC has seven complementary strategies across private equity, secondaries, credit and infrastructure, for which CVC funds have secured commitments of over 243 billion from some of the world's leading pension funds and other institutional investors. Funds managed or advised by CVC's private equity strategy are invested in approximately 150+ companies worldwide, which have combined annual sales of over 165 billion and employ nearly 600,000 people. For further information about CVC please visit: www.cvc.com . Follow us on LinkedIn . The CVC Strategic Opportunities platform was established in response to growing demand from large investors to be able to invest longer term in high-quality businesses. The platform provides partnership capital to make control, co-control, and minority investments in companies with a longer-term return profile and a secure capital structure. For further information about CVC Strategic Opportunities please visit: www.cvc.com/strategies/strategic-opportunities . Partners Group media relations contact Henry Weston Phone: +44 207 575 2593 Email: henry.weston@partnersgroup.com CVC Capital Partners media relations contact Nick Board Phone: +44 203 906 9700 Email: nboard@cvc.com End of Media Release Health Canada approved AGAMREE for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy in patients aged 4 years and older This approval makes AGAMREE the first and only approved therapy for DMD in Canada Pratteln, Switzerland, October 3, 2025 - Santhera Pharmaceuticals (SIX: SANN) today notes that Health Canada has approved AGAMREE (vamorolone) for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in patients aged 4 years and older following Priority Review, marking the first approved treatment for the disease in Canada. The Canadian Neuromuscular Disease registry estimates that there are more than 800 boys and young men living with DMD in Canada and coping with its debilitating symptoms. Kye Pharmaceuticals holds exclusive Canadian commercial rights to AGAMREE for the treatment of DMD and potentially other indications, following the agreement of a sub-license with Santhera's commercialization partner Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("Catalyst") in July 2024. Santhera will receive royalties on Canadian sales and these sales will also contribute towards North American sales milestones payable to Santhera from its partner Catalyst. This is the sixth independent approval a by local health authority, following positive regulatory decisions in the U.S., Europe, the UK, China and Hong Kong. About Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a rare inherited X-chromosome-linked disease, which almost exclusively affects males. DMD is characterized by inflammation which is present at birth or shortly thereafter. Inflammation leads to fibrosis of muscle and is clinically manifested by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness. Major milestones in the disease are the loss of ambulation, the loss of selffeeding, the start of assisted ventilation, and the development of cardiomyopathy. DMD reduces life expectancy to before the fourth decade due to respiratory and/or cardiac failure. Corticosteroids are the current standard of care for the treatment of DMD. About AGAMREE (vamorolone) AGAMREE is a novel drug with a mode of action based on binding to the same receptor as glucocorticoids but modifying its downstream activity. Moreover, it is not a substrate for the 11--hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11-HSD) enzymes that may be responsible for local drug amplification and corticosteroid-associated toxicity in local tissues [1-4]. This mechanism has shown the potential to 'dissociate' efficacy from steroid safety concerns and therefore AGAMREE is positioned as a dissociative anti-inflammatory drug and an alternative to existing corticosteroids, the current standard of care in children and adolescent patients with DMD [1-4]. In the pivotal VISION-DMD study, AGAMREE met the primary endpoint Time to Stand (TTSTAND) velocity versus placebo (p=0.002) at 24 weeks of treatment and showed a good safety and tolerability profile [1, 4]. The most commonly reported side effects were cushingoid features, vomiting, weight increase and irritability. Side effects were generally of mild to moderate severity. Currently available data show that AGAMREE, unlike corticosteroids, has no restriction of growth [5] and no negative effects on bone metabolism as demonstrated by normal bone formation and bone resorption serum markers [6]. ? This medicinal product is subject to additional monitoring. This will allow quick identification of new safety information. Healthcare professionals are asked to report any suspected adverse reactions. References: [1] Dang UJ et al.. [2] Guglieri M et al. [3] Liu X et al. [6] Hasham et al., MDA 2022 Poster presentation. Link. About Santhera Santhera Pharmaceuticals. AGAMREE is a trademark of Santhera Pharmaceuticals. For further information please contact: Santhera Catherine Isted, Chief Financial Officer IR@santhera.com ICR Healthcare Santhera@icrhealthcare.com About Kye Pharmaceuticals Kye is a leading growth-stage Canadian specialty pharmaceutical company committed to bringing value to Canadians by identifying, licensing, and commercializing novel prescription medicines that may not otherwise be available to patients across Canada. With a growing pipeline of innovative medicines, Kye's portfolio spans a range of therapeutic areas including cardiology, psychiatry, pediatrics, rare diseases, neuromuscular, hematology, and neurology. Kye Pharmaceuticals is a private company, founded in Canada and focused exclusively on the healthcare needs of patients in Canada. Kye aims to provide medicines that deliver better outcomes to our partners, Canadian healthcare professionals, and most importantly, patients across Canada. Kye, headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario was recognized on the Globe & Mail 2025 Canada's Top Growing Companies list. For more information about the company, its management, portfolio, pipeline and commitment, please visit www.kyepharma.com Disclaimer / Forward-looking statements This communication does not constitute an offer or invitation to subscribe for or purchase any securities of Santhera Pharmaceuticals Holding AG. This publication may contain certain forward-looking statements concerning the Company and its business. Such statements involve certain risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such statements. Readers should therefore not place undue reliance on these statements, particularly not in connection with any contract or investment decision. The Company disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements. # # # Attachment The global leader in multi-modal travel announces operations in South America's largest country, elevating journeys for domestic and international travellers alike BERLIN and SAO PAULO, Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Omio,the leading multi-modal booking platform, today announced its official launch in Brazil, marking a major milestone in its global growth. Driven by the mission to make every journey seamless, Brazilian travellers can now effortlessly search, compare and book long-distance/intercity bus routes and flights from over 300 carriers - all on one app. With the expansion into Brazil, the Omio platform now unifies transportation via flights, trains, ferries and buses across 46 countries in four continents: Europe, North and South America, and Asia. Simplifying travel across Brazil Local and international travellers exploring Brazil will enjoy the seamless app experience that has made Omio the trusted companion for over a billion users worldwide. With multiple modes of transport in one app, Omio makes searching, comparing, and booking journeys radically simple - without app, tab, or site switching. Many cities such as Gramado/RS, Buzios/RJ, Paraty/RJ, Chapada Diamantina/BA, Lencois Maranhenses/MA, Bonito/MS are difficult to reach by one mode of transport, and can now be easily accessed with options provided by Omio. From finding the fastest or most affordable routes, navigating in 32 different languages, choosing preferred payment methods and local currencies or AI-assisted Customer Service, travellers stay in control and well cared for, with Omio. In addition to enhancing the travel experience within Brazil, Omio elevates journeys for Brazilian travellers venturing to Omio's worldwide destinations. Successful beta phase accomplished Flights and Brazil's extensive, high-quality bus network remain the backbone of domestic travel. After a successful soft launch/Beta phase (July - September) and extensive partner onboarding, Omio now covers nearly complete ground transportation options, with plans for full coverage soon. So far, Omio's Beta app in Brazil has been well received by international and local travellers, with bookings coming from 48 different countries and a current review score of 4.9 on the App Store and 4.8 on Google Play Store in Brazil. Building on Brazil's momentum Omio's entry into Brazil coincides with a booming tourism sector. The country is experiencing unprecedented growth: In the first half of 2025 compared to the same period of the previous year, the sector recorded a 6.9% increase. The reported R$108 billion in revenue stands as the highest figure ever recorded in the country. The convergence of economic scale, travel appetite, digital readiness and the opportunity to take the sting out of travel via a multi-modal platform makes Brazil a strategic and timely choice for continued expansion. Vitor Lalor, General Manager Brazil, Omio comments: "Brazil is one of the most vibrant markets globally, with continental dimensions, natural diversity, vast cultural heritage, and world-famous events. We are proud to support millions of travellers in experiencing the country at its best. By unifying transportation options in a single app combined with our unmatched booking experience, we empower Brazilians and international visitors alike to explore all corners of Brazil with ease, and play a vital role in supporting local tourism." About Omio Since its foundation in 2013, the Omio Group has helped customers discover new ways of travelling. Thanks to its two interconnected platforms, Omio and Rome2Rio, Omio is the world's leading travel platform for searching, comparing, and booking. Omio B2B Partnership services OTAs and mobility providers with bespoke business solutions. Omio supports its customers in their desire to explore Europe, the US, Canada, Southeast Asia and Brazil via train, bus, flight, and ferry. Omio sells more than 80,000 tickets daily, employs over 430 staff from more than 50 countries and maintains offices in Berlin, Prague, Melbourne, London and Bangalore. The Omio Group offers its customers journeys that move them. omio.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2482408/5543288/OMIO_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/next-stop-brazilomio-expands-to-south-america-strengthening-its-global-presence-across-four-continents-302574074.html In its 16th year, Diageo World Class saw bartenders from 51 countries take to the stage for the world's most coveted bartending title TORONTO, Oct. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Felice Capasso from Norway has been awarded the career defining title of World Class Global Bartender of the Year 2025 at one of the world's leading cocktail competitions, celebrated in Toronto this year. Competing against finalists from 51 markets around the world, spanning six continents, Felice was named as the ultimate winner by an international line-up of industry leading experts, during the annual celebration of global cocktail culture. Felice Capasso, of Nedre Lkka Cocktailbar in Oslo and founder of Sesto Senso Academy, a center for wine and spirits education, stood out amongst the other competitors by presenting a series of signature serves that showcased his passion for bartending. Alongside the esteemed title, Felice will win a trophy, an all-expenses trip to next year's Global Finals, mentorship from top talent and a year-long schedule of all-expense paid travel to Diageo markets around the world. He will also be featured as a guest bartender at top tier venues, leading bartender training and hosting events. As part of his journey the winner competed in several cutting-edge challenges including reinventing classic serves with Johnnie Walker Black Label where Felice uniquely presented traditionally gin classics with a Johnnie Walker Black Label twist including a serve named Top Notes inspired by the classic French 75. For the Don Julio 1942 challenge, Felice took inspiration from an original AI artwork to create an accompanying aperitif serve that captured the spirit of the origins of tequila. For The Singleton's multi-sensory cocktail challenge, Felice crafted a custom record sleeve inspired by the iconic song That's Amore, evoking the warmth of a Napoli street corner smile. Paired with his signature cocktail 'Between Us', he delivered an experience that captivated the judges. Felice Capasso, World Class Global Bartender of the Year 2025, said: "Winning World Class is not just a dream come true. It is a goal I have worked tirelessly to achieve. It's living proof that if you want something and you work for it, and you never, ever give up, no matter what - you can achieve it. By winning I know that I am taking on a responsibility which I plan to take seriously, promoting education in spirits and inspiring other bartenders who want to progress in the industry." Kevin Delaney, Global Head of World Class, said: "World Class is the ultimate toast to the people who are the beating heart of the hospitality industry. The best bartenders create cocktails at the highest level of craft whilst having their finger on the pulse of the trends of today, tomorrow and the future. We have celebrated and nurtured the careers of over 450,000 bartenders through the World Class program and tonight is the pinnacle moment of celebration for this incredibly special community. We welcome Felice into the Diageo family and congratulate the outstanding efforts of all our brilliant participants." Competitors were put through their paces by a diverse expert panel of bartenders and bar owners from some of the world's most famed venues. Among them was Eric Van Beek, the creative force behind Mexico City's acclaimed Handshake Speakeasy, crowned World's 50 Best Bar 2024. He was joined by industry icon Monica Berg, co-owner of London's pioneering Tayer + Elementary, consistently recognised among the world's best bars and renowned for her leadership in driving innovation, education, and sustainability within the community and Ago Perrone, the highly influential Director of Mixology at London's legendary Connaught Bar. Ago Perrone, World Class Judge and Director of Mixology at Connaught Bar, said: "World Class is such a special occasion, bringing together some of the world's most creative and driven bartenders. Its impact on the industry is tangible, not only in driving innovation but also in inspiring and nurturing generations of rising talent. Year on year, the competition gets tougher, as a testament to the progress of our cocktail industry. Congratulations to Felice for such an outstanding performance and all the best for the new career journey ahead!" NOTES TO EDITORS For more information, please contact worldclass@thestory.co.uk Assets available: Images of winner, spokesperson for interviews. ABOUT FELICE CAPASSO For several years Felice ran bar operations for high-end cocktail bars, including prestigious hotels while simultaneously working as Director of Education and Brand Consultant for acclaimed spirits brands. His curiosity for flavours and aromas awakened at a very early age, eventually sparking an interest in beverages, destining him to pursue the bar industry. ABOUT WORLD CLASS World Class is on a mission to inspire people to drink better, not more, by engaging, educating and empowering people to make informed choices about drinking. Whether at home or in a bar, World Class encourages people to think and care about what, where and how they drink, and in doing so, discover the best of cocktail culture. World Class features mentoring, training and networking that has enhanced the careers and lives of hundreds of thousands of bartenders worldwide, as well as creating a global network of lifetime advocates that place Diageo brands in consumers' hearts and hands. ABOUT DIAGEO Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands across spirits and beer categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, J&B and Buchanan's whiskies, Smirnoff and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness. Diageo is a global company, and our products are sold in nearly 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the London Stock Exchange (DGE) and the New York Stock Exchange (DEO). For more information about Diageo, our people, our brands, and performance, visit us at www.diageo.com. Visit Diageo's global responsible drinking resource, www.DRINKiQ.com for information, initiatives, and ways to share best practice. Celebrating life, every day, everywhere. Photos accompanying this announcement are available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/69a60cb1-6d57-4f1b-99be-c5e3ea7db5b5 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3fc18ec7-0101-4bbe-bb22-d44a146f6f94 MUTTENZ (dpa-AFX) - Clariant AG (CLN.SW, CLZNF), a Swiss speciality chemical company, on Friday announced it has been served two damage claims totaling about 1.1 billion euros and 860 million euros. Now the company rejected the allegations and said it will vigorously defend its position, citing economic evidence of no market impact. The allegation is infringement of competition law in the ethylene purchasing market, which was sanctioned by the European Commission in July 2020. The claims were filed by BP Europe SE, BP p.l.c. (BP.L) and ExxonMobil Petroleum & Chemical B.V., Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM), with the courts of Munich and Dortmund. On Thursday, Clariant closed trading 0.47% higher at CHF 7.41 on the Swiss Stock Exchange. Copyright(c) 2025 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Lonza Group AG / Key word(s): Personnel Lonza Nominates Claudia Sussmuth-Dyckerhoff as Board Member 03.10.2025 / 09:00 CET/CEST Subject to her election at the AGM, Claudia will also be appointed Vice-Chair of the Board and a member of the Remuneration Committee Jurgen Steinemann and Barbara Richmond will not stand for re-election at the 2026 AGM, as they reach their maximum tenures on the Lonza Board of Directors Basel, Switzerland, 3 October 2025 - Today, the Lonza Board of Directors announced the nomination of Claudia Sussmuth-Dyckerhoff as an Independent Member of the Board. The Board will propose Claudia's election to shareholders at the Lonza Group Annual General Meeting (AGM) in May 2026. Subject to her election at the AGM, Claudia will also be appointed Vice-Chair of the Board and a member of the Remuneration Committee. Claudia has served on the Boards of several listed companies across a range of sectors. Since 2016, Claudia has been a member of the Board of Directors for Roche Holdings, and has served on the Audit, Governance and Sustainability Committee. She also serves on the Boards of Prudential Corporation, Clariant AG, Ramsay Health Care and Quest Global. Claudia previously spent two decades in executive roles at McKinsey & Company with a focus on global healthcare and Asia. Following their twelve-year tenures with Lonza, Jurgen Steinemann and Barbara Richmond will not stand for re-election at the 2026 AGM. Jurgen has served as Vice-Chair of the Board since 2024, and is also currently a member of the Renumeration Committee and the Nomination and Governance Committee. Barbara currently serves as the Chair of the Audit and Compliance Committee. The planned Board composition for 2026 promotes long-term succession planning, as Claudia will be nominated as Vice-Chair of the Board and a member of the Remuneration Committee, while Marion Helmes will transition from member to Chair of the Audit and Compliance Committee, succeeding Barbara Richmond. These nominations demonstrate a structured approach to continuity and succession, which reflects the Lonza Board's focus on ensuring robust governance. Jean-Marc Huet, Chairman of the Board, Lonza, commented: "On behalf of the Board, I am delighted to congratulate Claudia on her nomination. Claudia has extensive international experience in healthcare and life sciences and an outstanding track record of Board membership in listed companies. This experience is relevant to our industry and business, making her an invaluable addition to the Board. I am also very thankful to Barbara and Jurgen for their continued service on the Board until the AGM in 2026. They have both contributed leadership experience and financial acumen to Lonza. On a personal level, I am very grateful for their collaboration, dedication and humor, all of which have been highly valued by the Board." Note to Editors: The following materials are available for download: Claudia's biography Claudia's headshot About Lonza Lonza is one of the world's largest contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs) dedicated to serving the healthcare industry. Working across five continents, our global team of more than 19,000 colleagues works alongside pharma and biotech companies to turn their breakthrough innovations into viable therapies. We support our customers in bringing life-saving and life-enhancing treatments to patients worldwide with a combination of cutting-edge science, smart technology and lean manufacturing. Our company generated sales of CHF 3.6 billion with a CORE EBITDA of CHF 1.1 billion in Half-Year 2025. Find out more at www.lonza.com Lonza Contact Details Daniel Buchta Head of Investor Relations Lonza Group Ltd Tel +41 61 316 2985 daniel.buchta@lonza.com For media inquiries: media@lonza.com Additional Information and Disclaimer Lonza Group Ltd has its headquarters in Basel, Switzerland, and is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. It has a secondary listing on the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited ("SGX-ST"). Lonza Group Ltd is not subject to the SGX-ST's continuing listing requirements but remains subject to Rules 217 and 751 of the SGX-ST Listing Manual. Certain matters discussed in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations and estimates of Lonza Group Ltd, although Lonza Group Ltd can give no assurance that these expectations and estimates will be achieved. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainty and are qualified in their entirety. The actual results may differ materially in the future from the forward-looking statements included in this news release due to various factors. Furthermore, except as otherwise required by law, Lonza Group Ltd disclaims any intention or obligation to update the statements contained in this news release. All trademarks belong to Lonza and are registered in CH, US and/or EU, or belong to their respective third-party owners and are used only for informational purposes. Privacy Policy link To immediately delete all the data End of Media Release Swedish manufacturing companies are facing a tougher autumn than expected. Order intake and revenues have been revised downward, margins are under pressure from continued weak demand - while trade tariffs have become an increasing headache for companies. Yet despite a weaker 2025, confidence for 2026 remains stronger. These are the findings of the latest Manufacturing Report from the advisory firm Triathlon Group. GOTHENBURG, Sweden, Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Since 2015, Triathlon Group has published the Manufacturing Report, which takes the pulse of Sweden's 100 largest manufacturing companies. The report is based on a survey among decision-makers combined with a study of company data. This autumn's report highlights a challenging situation in which the optimism seen in the spring has faded. Order intake has been revised down and the share of companies expecting lower revenues has increased compared to the spring report. At the same time, operating margins remain largely unchanged. "The Swedish manufacturing industry is under pressure from several directions right now. Uncertainty, continued weak demand, and - for export-intensive companies - the negative impact of a stronger swedish krona make 2025 a year where firms are focusing more on efficiency and cost control rather than expansion," says Fredrik Wadsten, CEO of Triathlon Group. Next year, however, growth is expected to pick up again. Nearly seven out of ten companies (65%) anticipate an increase in order intake and six out of ten (61%) expect higher revenues, although revenue growth is not likely until the latter part of 2026. There is also a cautious optimism regarding profitability. Only three percent (3%) of companies expect a decline. Company data shows that in recent years, the manufacturing sector has shed more jobs than the private sector as a whole. However, heading into next year, companies expect headcount to remain broadly unchanged. "Growth is expected to come from stronger demand. Productivity is expected to increase through improved capacity utilization, which is currently relatively low. Investment appetite has increased somewhat, but remains selective," says Fredrik Wadsten. Trade tariffs have quickly emerged as one of the industry's biggest uncertainties. This autumn, seven out of ten companies (68%) report being negatively affected - a sharp increase compared with 44 % in the spring. Despite this, the survey shows that many companies are passive and hesitant when it comes to managing tariffs. More than half lack both short-term and long-term strategies. The survey was conducted through telephone interviews between weeks 35-37 in 2025. The sample consisted of the 100 largest manufacturing companies in Sweden. For comments or to access the report, please contact: Fredrik Wadsten, CEO and Senior Partner, Triathlon Group, +46 (0)70-318 21 20 | fredrik.wadsten@triathlon.se Triathlon Group Triathlon Group is a professional services firm and a leading actor in business performance improvement, supporting Nordic multinational clients to strengthen international competitiveness. Based on specific expertise, Triathlon delivers lasting improvements with its clients. Triathlon Group is an independent, partner-owned firm headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden. www.triathlon.se This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/triathlon-group/r/challenging-times-for-swedish-manufacturing-industry,c4245053 The following files are available for download: https://news.cision.com/triathlon-group/i/fredrik-wadsten--foto--jonatan-jungebrant,c3474920 Fredrik Wadsten. Foto: Jonatan Jungebrant View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/triathlon-group-challenging-times-for-swedish-manufacturing-industry-302574620.html Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 3, 2025) - Homeland Uranium Corp. (TSXV: HLU) (OTCQB: HLUCF) (FSE: D3U) ("Homeland" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has completed its previously announced transaction with Hightest Resources ("Hightest") to acquire the Skull Creek Uranium Project ("Skull Creek" or 'the Property") in Moffat and Rio Blanco Counties, Colorado. Skull Creek is located adjacent to the Company's Red Wash Project and is approximately 20 miles (33 km) west of Homeland's flagship Coyote Basin Uranium Project (see Figure 1). For more details about the Property and the transaction, please see the news release dated September 22, 2025 on the Homeland website at www.homeland-uranium.com or on the Company's profile on SEDARplus.ca). The Skull Creek Property is comprised of 154 mining claims all located on federal Bureau of Land Management-administered lands and one single state exploration permit administered by the State of Colorado (the "SEP Lands"). "The addition of the Cross Bones Uranium Deposit on the Skull Creek Property is a tremendously exciting acquisition for Homeland. Strategically located in close proximity to our Coyote Basin Project in mining-friendly Colorado, we anticipate Skull Creek providing significant potential operational synergies with Coyote Basin and further strengthens our position in the district. With a dominant land package containing two considerable historical uranium deposits with outstanding expansion potential, Homeland is eager to start drilling at both Coyote and Skull Creek to systematically upgrade these deposits to modern standards and become a key part of the urgently needed resurgence of domestic uranium supply chain in the United States," stated Roger Lemaitre, President & CEO of Homeland. As part of the transaction, Homeland paid Hightest US$300,000 cash and issued 750,000 common shares of Homeland to acquire a 100% interest in the Property. Hightest retains a 2% NSR royalty on all mineral production from the Property, with the exception of production from the SEP Lands where the royalty is reduced to 1.5%. The royalty can be reduced to 1% should Homeland issue an additional payment of US$1.5 million at any time before delivering to Hightest a notice of the intention to commence commercial production from a mineral deposit located wholly or partially within the Property. Hightest will also receive potential contingency payments based upon the size of any uranium resource defined on the Property consistent with NI 43-101 standards in the future. Should a mineral resource equal to 10 million pounds U3O8 be defined, Homeland will pay to Hightest an additional U.S.$250,000 in cash and the equivalent of U.S.$250,000 in common shares of Homeland based on the 10-day VWAP immediately prior to the date that Homeland receives the technical report citing resources authored by an independent qualified person. Should the Mineral Resource be equal to or greater than 30 million pounds U3O8, Homeland will pay Hightest an aggregate of U.S.$500,000 in cash and the equivalent of U.S.$500,000 in common shares of Homeland (inclusive of any payments made and shares issued pursuant to previous sentence). If the Mineral Resource is between 10 million pounds and 30 million pounds U3O8 Homeland will pay to Hightest a cash payment and common shares payment determined on a pro rata basis ranging between the 10 million pounds U3O8 and 30 million pounds U3O8 thresholds as described above. About Homeland Uranium Corp. Homeland Uranium is a mineral exploration company focused on becoming a premier US-focused and resource-bearing uranium explorer and developer. The Company is the 100% owner of the Coyote Basin, Skull Creek and Red Wash uranium projects within the northern portion of the Colorado Plateau in northwestern Colorado. The Colorado Plateau district has been a uranium-producing region of the United States for several decades. Qualified Person Roger Lemaitre. P.Eng., P.Geo., the Company's President and CEO, is a Qualified Person as defined in NI 43-101, and has reviewed and approved the technical content of this news release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release relate to, among other things: the completion of the transaction, confirmation of the historical resource estimates, the Company's expectations and strategic plans in relation to the exploration of the Company's uranium mineral properties, including all phases of the exploration program at the Coyote Basin and Red Wash uranium projects in Colorado, and receipt of applicable regulatory approvals to complete the transaction as contemplated. These forward-looking statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant operational, business, economic and regulatory uncertainties and contingencies. These assumptions include, among other things: the availability of funds; the ability to complete the transaction; receipt of applicable regulatory approvals conditions in general economic and financial markets; accuracy of assay results; geological interpretations from drilling results, timing and amount of capital expenditures; performance of available laboratory and other related services; future operating costs; future demand for energy; the historical basis for current estimates of potential quantities and grades of target zones; the availability of skilled labour and no labour related disruptions at any of the Company's operations; no unplanned delays or interruptions in scheduled activities; all necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals for operations are received in a timely manner; the ability to secure and maintain title and ownership to properties and the surface rights necessary for operations; and the Company's ability to comply with environmental, health and safety laws. The foregoing list of assumptions is not exhaustive. The Company cautions the reader that forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements contained in this news release and the Company has made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation: the availability of funds; the ability to complete the transaction as contemplated; receipt of applicable regulatory approvals; the timing and content of work programs; results of exploration activities and development of mineral properties; receipt of applicable regulatory approvals the interpretation and uncertainties of drilling results and other geological data; receipt, maintenance and security of permits and mineral property titles; environmental and other regulatory risks; project costs overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses; availability of funds; failure to delineate potential quantities and grades of the target zones based on historical data; general market and industry conditions; and those factors identified under the captions "Risks Factors" and "Risks and Uncertainties" in the Company's disclosure materials filed on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Forward-looking statements are based on the expectations and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. The assumptions used in the preparation of such statements, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date the statements were made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements included in this news release if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as otherwise required by applicable law. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Figure 1: Homeland Uranium's uranium holdings in the Northern Colorado Plateau To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10583/269005_2c34b49a2460bbef_002full.jpg Figure 2: The location of the Skull Creek Property and the Cross Bones Uranium Deposit. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10583/269005_2c34b49a2460bbef_003full.jpg To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/269005 SOURCE: Homeland Uranium Corp. Eclos introduces a new category of mineral surfaces with zero crystalline silica, high recycled material content, and groundbreaking layered design system Its development has involved more than 28,000 hours of research and more than 1,500 hours of testing conducted by Cosentino R&D and Product departments With Eclos, Cosentino expands its brand portfolio alongside Silestone, Dekton, and Sensa by Cosentino MADRID, Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Cosentino, a global leader company in the production and distribution of innovative surfaces for architecture and design, announces the global launch of its new mineral surfaces brand, Eclos, aimed to the kitchen and bathroom countertop market. This launch marks a milestone in the global industry by introducing an entirely new category: "Inlayered Mineral Surface" based on its Inlayr design technology. Eclos combines superior physical and mechanical performance, a 3D integrated design, and a crystalline silica-free composition, while also incorporating more than 50% recycled materials. This innovation reinforces Cosentino's commitment to sustainability and fabricator safety. "Since our founding, we have been committed to leading innovation rather than following trends. Just as we did with Silestone, Dekton, and most recently with Hybriq+ technology for Silestone. Eclos involves a new turning point for our industry, an evolution that responds to real market needs and anticipates the future," says Pilar Cosentino, Cosentino Group CEO. Like Silestone in 1990 and Dekton in 2013, Eclos represents a paradigm shift in the evolution of surfaces for architecture and design. Its development, which involved 50 specialized researchers in different areas, required more than 28,000 hours of research and more than 1,500 hours of testing mainly from the company's R&D and Product departments. Inlayr Technology: layered design with 3D realism Inlayr technology enables Eclos to be manufactured using a layered design system. Thanks to an advanced robotics engineering process and innovative decoration techniques, it gives the entire surface a 3D design with unique veins and patterns, and unprecedented depth and consistency. The result is a surface with a three-dimensional design integrated into the edges, with realistic aesthetics and a natural touch and feel that redefine industry standards. Pioneering composition: zero crystalline silica and almost 90% recycled material Eclos also introduces a groundbreaking development in the composition of mineral surfaces. The first collection, which will be available globally in the coming months, has zero crystalline silica in its formulation. Furthermore, all colors use a minimum of 50% recycled materials, while several colors incorporate almost 90% recycled materials, demonstrating Cosentino's dedication to the circular economy. It's composition, and the formulation developed specifically for this new product, gives Eclos better flexibility, ductility and impact resistance, making it easier for fabricator and industry professionals to handle and install. Additionally, through Inlayr technology, Eclos offers superior heat resistance that can withstand temperatures up to 220 C (428F), including direct contact with cookware immediately after use, making it an ideal solution for kitchen countertops and other high-performance applications. A paradigm shift in a changing global industry In a context determined by protectionist policies, tariff disputes, and growing concerns about the safety of materials like quartz, Cosentino is once again leading the path with Eclos. This new surface category seeks to transform the sector and offers a safe, sustainable, aesthetics design, and high added value alternative. According to recent reports, the global countertop market will grow at a rate of 3% annually until 2028, reaching $50 billion and 650 million square meters, of which 100 million square meters will be mineral and porcelanic surfaces. The US will remain the largest market, while the largest growth is expected in Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and developing countries. About Cosentino Cosentino is a global family-owned company that produces and distributes innovative and sustainable surfaces for architecture and design. As a leading company, Cosentino imagines and anticipates, together with its customers and partners, design solutions that offer value and inspiration to people's lives. This goal is made possible by pioneering brands that are leaders in their respective segments such as Silestone, Dekton and Sensa by Cosentino. These innovative surfaces allow the creation of unique environments and design for the home and public spaces. Cosentino currently distributes its products in more than 120 countries, from its headquarters in Almeria (Spain), and it's present with its own assets in 32 of them. The multinational has nine factories (eight in Almeria, Spain and one in Brazil), one intelligent logistic platform in Spain, and more of 180 commercial and business units throughout the world. More than 90 percent of Cosentino Group's financial turnover comes from international markets. www.cosentino.com Video: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2787199/Cosentino_Eclos.mp4 Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2787198/Cosentino_Eclos_Kitchen_Ambience.jpg Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2787184/Cosentino_Labs_Center.jpg Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2787183/Cosentino_Inside_Factory_Cosentino_HQ_Almeria.jpg Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2787185/Cosentino_Eclos.jpg Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2787789/Cosentino_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/cosentino-launches-its-new-eclos-brand-an-innovative-generation-of-mineral-surfaces-featuring-inlayr-technology-302574052.html PARIS, Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Following its successful backstage debut earlier this year, global K-beauty leader COSRX returned to Paris Fashion Week, collaborating with international artist agency RAVE to sponsor two of the week's most anticipated shows - Courreges (Sept. 30) and Caroline Hu (Oct. 1). COSRX supported the backstage teams with its core skincare heroes and newly launched haircare innovations, ensuring models were runway-ready under the direction of world-renowned artists Thomas de Kluyver and Eugene Souleiman. "Fashion Week is a true global stage, and we are proud to once again support its backstage teams - this time with both our core skincare heroes and our newest PEPTIDE-132 haircare trinity." said a COSRX representative. "Bringing the ultimate glow to the skin and hair at Paris Fashion Week reflects not only our innovation but also the trust professionals place in COSRX." COSRX's role as an official backstage sponsor of Paris Fashion Week's September main season is a milestone in itself. Traditionally, these shows rely on in-house beauty lines or major global affiliates, leaving little room for outside brands. Verified records confirm that this marks the first time in the 53-year history of Paris Fashion Week that a Korean brand has officially partnered backstage for the September main season. More than a sponsorship, it signals a cultural and industry breakthrough - K-beauty making its mark at the very heart of global fashion and beauty. Courreges Glow: Skincare That Radiates Under the Lights Backstage at Courreges, London-based makeup artist Thomas de Kluyver, known for his collaborations with Miu Miu, Hermes, and Jean Paul Gaultier, relied on COSRX's targeted formulas to create glowing, hydrated, and makeup-ready skin. Backstage Skincare Essentials The 6 Peptide Skin Booster Serum: A lightweight booster that firms and hydrates, enhancing every step that follows. A lightweight booster that firms and hydrates, enhancing every step that follows. The Peptide Collagen Hydrogel Eye Patch: Collagen eye patches that de-puff and smooth, reviving tired eyes instantly. Collagen eye patches that de-puff and smooth, reviving tired eyes instantly. The Ceramide Skin Barrier Moisturizer: A highly concentrated ceramide moisturizer that locks in hydration, soothes the skin, and replenishes the moisture barrier A highly concentrated ceramide moisturizer that locks in hydration, soothes the skin, and replenishes the moisture barrier The Ceramide Skin Barrier Moisturizing Mist: A refreshing spritz that locks in hydration and calms the skin barrier. Caroline Hu Glow: Haircare That Elevates Style on the Runway At Caroline Hu, backstage hair was directed by Eugene Souleiman, one of the most influential figures in hair design and wigs. For the first time at Paris Fashion Week, COSRX introduced its Peptide-132 Hair Care line, supporting glossy, resilient hair looks that withstood the runway's demands. Backstage Haircare Essentials PEPTIDE-132 Ultra Perfect Hair Bonding Shampoo: The patented PEPTIDE-132 fills in damaged strands, reinforcing broken protein bonds from within. A rich, luxurious lather gently cleanses the scalp and hair of impurities while infusing deep hydration and nutrients-leaving your hair visibly healthier, shinier, and stronger from root to tip. The patented PEPTIDE-132 fills in damaged strands, reinforcing broken protein bonds from within. A rich, luxurious lather gently cleanses the scalp and hair of impurities while infusing deep hydration and nutrients-leaving your hair visibly healthier, shinier, and stronger from root to tip. COSRX PEPTIDE-132 Ultra Perfect Hair Bonding Treatment: Designed for the mid-lengths to ends- where damage tends to show the most, the advanced formula with PEPTIDE-132 delivers intensive nourishment to dry, brittle strands, leaving hair visibly softer, smoother, and more resilient. Designed for the mid-lengths to ends- where damage tends to show the most, the advanced formula with PEPTIDE-132 delivers intensive nourishment to dry, brittle strands, leaving hair visibly softer, smoother, and more resilient. COSRX PEPTIDE-132 Ultra Perfect Hair Bonding Oil Serum: Infused with patented PEPTIDE-132, this high-performance bonding oil serum penetrates deep into damaged strands, reinforcing weakened areas and restoring strength from within. By supporting Courreges and Caroline Hu backstage at Paris Fashion Week, COSRX demonstrated the performance of its skincare and haircare innovations under the pressure of one of fashion's most prestigious stages. With glow delivered from skin to hair, COSRX continues its evolution from a K-beauty bestseller into a trusted partner for professionals worldwide. About COSRX Founded in 2013, COSRX is a global skincare brand known for its "essentials-only" approach: highly effective ingredients, concentrated formulas, and affordable prices. Trusted by millions worldwide and powered by social media virality, COSRX has grown into one of the most influential K-beauty brands across skincare and haircare. COSRX is also on Instagram + TikTok. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2787876/COSRX_and_makeup_artist_Thomas_de_Kluyver_light_up_the_backstage_of_Courr_ges_Spring_2026__Paris_Fas.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2787878/Eugene_Souleiman_crafts_runway_ready_looks_with_COSRX_PEPTIDE_132_Hair_Bonding_Trio_backstage_at_Car.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2648141/5543518/COSRX_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/cosrx-makes-history-as-first-korean-skincare-and-haircare-brand-to-sponsor-paris-fashion-week-main-season-302573797.html Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - October 3, 2025) - Marvel Biosciences Corp. (TSXV: MRVL) and its wholly owned subsidiary, Marvel Biotechnology Inc. (collectively the "Company" or "Marvel"), is announcing that, further to the Company's press releases of May 16, 2024, June 21, 2024 and July 19, 2024, the Company is formally providing notice that it will be accelerating the expiry date of the warrants issued in relation to its non-brokered private placement unit offering (the "Offering"). The offering resulted in the issuance of 5,000,000 units at $0.10 per unit (the "Units"). Each Unit was comprised of one common share in the capital of the Company (a "Common Share") and one Common Share purchase warrant ("Warrant"). Each Warrant entitled the holder to purchase one Common Share at an exercise price of $0.15 per share at any time prior to 5:00 p.m. (Calgary time) on July 19, 2026; provided that if the volume weighted average trading price of the Common Shares on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") is at least $0.175 per share for a period of five (5) consecutive trading days (whether or not trading occurs on all such days) (the "Triggering Event"), the expiry date of the Warrants could be accelerated by the Company to a date that is not less than 30 days after the date that notice of such acceleration is provided to the Warrant holders, which notice may be by way of general press release (the "Accelerated Expiry Date"). As at October 3, 2025 the Triggering Event has occurred. The Company has set November 5, 2025 as the Accelerated Expiry Date for the Warrants. All Warrants that are not exercised prior to 5:00 p.m. Calgary time on the Accelerated Expiry Date will expire immediately after such time on the Accelerated Expiry Date. As of October 3, 2025, 4,300,000 of the outstanding warrants have been exercised and only 700,000 remain outstanding. Rod Matheson states, "With 4,300,000 warrants exercised prior to this notice our shareholders are sending a clear message that they believe in the Company, our vision and the science that the Company is built on. We look forward to their continued support through this warrant acceleration as we continue to progress towards Phase 1 trials." About Marvel Biosciences Corp. Marvel Biosciences Corp., and its wholly owned subsidiary, Marvel Biotechnology Inc., is a Calgary-based pre-clinical stage pharmaceutical development company. The Company is developing MB-204, a novel fluorinated derivative of the approved anti-Parkinson's drug Istradefylline, the only clinically approved adenosine A2a receptor antagonist. A signicant and growing body of scientic evidence suggests drugs that block the adenosine A2a receptor, such as MB-204, could be useful in treating other neurological diseases such as autism, depression and Alzheimer's Disease. The Company is actively investigating its potential in addressing other neurodevelopmental disorders, such as Rett Syndrome and Fragile X Syndrome, to expand its therapeutic reach. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is dened in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. All information contained in this news release with respect to the Company and its subsidiary,(collectively, the "Parties") were supplied by Marvel, respectively, for inclusion herein and each parties' directors and officers have relied on each other for any information concerning such Party. This news release may contain forward-looking statements and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identied by terms such as "will", "may", "should", "anticipate", "expects" and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the future plans and objectives of the Company are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations of the Company and include other risks detailed from time to time in the lings made by the Company under securities regulations. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. As a result, the Company cannot guarantee that the above events on the terms will occur and within the time disclosed herein or at all. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualied by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements as expressly required by Canadian securities law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/268961 SOURCE: Marvel Biosciences Corp. HIROSHIMA, Japan, Oct 3, 2025 - (JCN Newswire) - Mazda Motor Corporation (Mazda) has been recognized as the highest-ranking brand for the second consecutive year in the Mass Market Domestic Brands segment of the J.D. Power 2025 Japan Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study, conducted by J.D. Power, a global leader in customer insights, advisory services, data, and analytics. Mazda's overall satisfaction score increased by 17 points compared to the previous study, receiving the highest ratings in all factors within the segment: dealer facilities and support; delivery; negotiations; and contract procedure.Additionally, Mazda ranked third in the Mass Market Domestic Brands segment of the 2025 Japan Customer Service Index (CSI) Study.Upon receiving the award, Tadashi Miura, General Manager of Domestic Brand and Business Management Division, said, "Our efforts to strengthen customer-centric initiatives under Mazda's brand value management have contributed to improving customer satisfaction, and we are truly honored and grateful to receive such recognition. We are encouraged by this acknowledgment as we advance with our domestic business structural reforms to enhance our sales network and brand. We will continue to work closely with our dealer partners and affiliated companies to drive operational transformation, putting customers at the heart of everything we do to further enhance customer satisfaction."Mazda will continue to pursue the "Joy of Driving" under its core value of Radically Human, and aim to deliver the "Joy of Living" by creating moving mobility experiences in the daily lives of its customers.For Reference:- 2025 Japan Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study | Paragon- 2025 Japan Customer Service Index (CSI) Study | Paragon- MAZDA NEWSROOM Mazda announces Domestic Business Structural Reform Policy NEWS RELEASESSource: mazdaCopyright 2025 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved. Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. On September 24, 2025, the Sanya Tourism Board and Sanya Phoenix International Airport took part in Routes World 2025 in Hong Kong. Hosted by Informa Markets, the conference brought together over 250 airlines from more than 115 countries and 2,500 industry representatives to explore global aviation development and support the recovery of tourism. During the event, the Sanya delegation held discussions with 15 international aviation enterprises and organizations, including Japan Airlines, Qatar Airways, LOT Polish Airlines, Canadian Airports, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), and Batik Air. Talks centered on new route opportunities, air service rights, subsidy policies, and collaborative market strategies. The delegation also highlighted Hainan's facilitation measures, including visa-free entry for citizens of 86 countries, 240-hour transit visa exemptions, and 144-hour visa exemptions for tour groups from Hong Kong and Macao, as well as available route subsidies to support international connectivity. Meetings with Japan Airlines emphasized the strong momentum of Sanya's high-end tourism market, which the airline will incorporate into its Asia-Pacific strategy review. Qatar Airways expressed interest in further dialogue on expanding service rights and launching potential direct or charter flights. LOT Polish Airlines discussed the feasibility of Warsaw-Sanya services, aligning with Eastern Europe's growing demand for coastal vacations. Canadian representatives suggested positioning Vancouver as a key hub and pledged to facilitate contacts with Air Canada. At a broader industry level, IATA committed to promoting Sanya on its global platform while sharing insights on aviation best practices. Although Typhoon "Ragasa" forced some meetings online, the delegation established new links with Azerbaijan Airlines, Air Serbia, and Air Premia. Progress was also made with Batik Air, with both sides reaching a preliminary consensus on a direct Sanya-Kuala Lumpur route and planning to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Looking ahead, the Sanya Tourism Board identified three follow-up priorities: fast-tracking new route negotiations, maintaining continuous engagement with international airlines, and actively participating in the 2026 Asia Routes Conference in Xi'an and the World Routes Conference in Riyadh. By strengthening partnerships at Routes World 2025, Hainan has deepened its global aviation ties, enhanced its visibility, and taken another step toward building a more open and convenient "Air Silk Road" for international travelers. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251002933771/en/ Contacts: Su Su office@visitsanya.com https://www.visitsanya.com/ Ajman, United Arab Emirates--(Newsfile Corp. - October 3, 2025) - Saudi German Health (SGH), one of the region's leading healthcare providers and pioneer in advancing medical excellence across the region, today announced a major expansion of its relationship with Mayo Clinic; with Saudi German Hospital Ajman officially joining the Mayo Clinic Care Network. Leaders from Saudi German Health and Mayo Clinic Care Network mark a historic milestone in Ajman, celebrating the launch of a new era of healthcare excellence in the UAE. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/11274/268916_sgh1en.jpg Leaders from Saudi German Health and Mayo Clinic Care Network mark a historic milestone in Ajman, celebrating the launch of a new era of healthcare excellence in the UAE. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/11274/268916_sgh2en.jpg With this announcement, SGH cements its position as the largest group of Mayo Clinic Care Network members in the region, reflecting the group's unwavering commitment to advancing healthcare standards and delivering exceptional outcomes in the UAE, KSA & Beyond. The announcement was made during a landmark ceremony held at the Emirates Hospitality Centre in Ajman, under the patronage of H.E. Sheikh Dr. Majid Bin Saeed Al Nuaimi (Chairman of the Court of H.H. the ruler of Ajman), alongside senior leaders from Saudi German Health and Mayo Clinic. "By working with Mayo Clinic, we are combining our strengths to create a future where exceptional healthcare is accessible to all. Together, we are ensuring that every patient receives the highest standard of care, right here at home. This is a direct reflection of SGH promise of Caring Like Family," said Makarem Sobhi Al-Batterjee, President & Vice Chairman, Saudi German Health. Today, Saudi German Health is proud to be the largest Mayo Clinic Care Network member in the region. By 2030, the company's vision with this large new ecosystem is to be the number 1 private healthcare provider in Medical Quality and Excellence in the UAE and the Arab World, said Makarem Sobhi Al-Batterjee. Over the next three years, six additional SGH hospitals across Saudi Arabia and the UAE, will join the Mayo Clinic Care Network, creating an unprecedented ecosystem of shared expertise. Dr. Ahmed Eissa, Group CEO, Saudi German Health UAE, added: "This relationship places SGH Ajman at the forefront of innovation in patient care. It enables us to combine global expertise with local insight, delivering solutions that improve lives and transform communities in alignment with the UAE's healthcare vision. For us, 'A New Era of Healthcare Excellence' is a reality we are committed to delivering." This initiative will directly enhance patient care in key specialties including Cardiology - a specialty most critical to the healthcare needs of the UAE community. "Our relationship with Saudi German Health reflects a deep commitment to advancing care through knowledge sharing and clinical transformation," says Dr. Eric Moore, medical director, Mayo Clinic International, and chair of head and neck surgery at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. "Together, we are elevating healthcare standards and delivering meaningful value for patients and communities throughout the Middle East." Looking ahead, the relationship will also introduce specialty-based clinical transformation programs, beginning with cardiovascular care, a critical priority for the region's healthcare landscape. Mayo Clinic experts will conduct annual evaluations at SGH hub hospitals, co-developing transformation roadmaps to improve patient safety, operational efficiency, and leadership capabilities. These learnings will be shared across the SGH network to ensure consistent world-class standards. SGH and Mayo Clinic's relationship reflects a simple but powerful idea: when global expertise and local passion unite, extraordinary healthcare becomes possible. About Saudi German Health Saudi German Health (SGH) is one of the largest private healthcare providers in the Middle East and North Africa, with a growing network of hospitals and clinics across Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and beyond. Guided by its promise of Caring Like Family, SGH is committed to delivering patient-centered care, driving medical excellence, and forging global partnerships that transform healthcare delivery. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/268916 SOURCE: Awareness Marketing Management DWC LLC LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Flags will be flown at half mast on UK government buildings until 8 PM Friday in honor of the victims of the Manchester synagogue attack. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport urged other organisations and local authorities to follow suit. Police have identified two men killed in an attack on the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue as Adrian Daulby, 53, and 66-year-old Melvin Cravitz. Three others have sustained serious injuries, and are hospitalized. A man rammed a car into the worshipers who gathered at the synagogue to mark Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, at 9:30 AM local time, Thursday. The attacker was shot and killed at the scene. Reports quoting the Manchester police say the suspect is a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent named Jihad Al-Shamie. The Police have officially designated the incident as a terrorist attack. Last night, dozens were arrested during pro-Palestinian protests, including on suspicion of assaulting police officers. The Charity Commission for England and Wales has issued a statement in response to the attack at Heaton Park Synagogue. Charity Commission Chief Executive, David Holdsworth, said violence and hatred have no place in communities and society, and can never be justified or excused. 'We as the regulator will robustly defend their right to do so and stand ready to support charities as they do what they do best - bring communities together, protect society's most vulnerable and work to make our country and world a better place.' Copyright(c) 2025 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Oil prices inched higher on Friday as fears of disruptions to Russian energy exports outweighed oversupply concerns. However, oil prices were still poised for their steepest weekly loss in over three months amid expectations of an upcoming OPEC+ output hike. Benchmark Brent crude futures jumped 1.3 percent to $64.94 a barrel in European trade, while WTI crude futures were up 1.2 percent at $61.20. Both contracts were on track for weekly losses of around 6-7 percent, marking their biggest weekly losses since June amid bets that OPEC+, the group of oil producers led by Saudi Arabia and Russia, will boost output for next month at an upcoming meeting on Sunday. Analysts say that higher supply from the oil cartel, combined with a seasonal decline in U.S. oil demand, could raise stockpiles in the United States, the world's biggest consumer of crude. A report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration released earlier this week showed that inventories climbed last week on tepid demand and refining activity. Meanwhile, the U.S. is set to provide Ukraine with intelligence to support long-range strikes on Russia's energy sites and is considering Tomahawk missile supplies, according to U.S. outlets. Elsewhere, the Group of Seven (G7) finance ministers on Thursday pledged to step up coordinated economic pressure on Russia over its war in Ukraine, vowing new sanctions and trade measures targeting Moscow and those helping it circumvent restrictions. Copyright(c) 2025 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 3, 2025) - Exploits Discovery Corp. (CSE: NFLD) (OTCQB: NFLDF) (FSE: 634) ("Exploits" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the management information circular (the "Circular") for its upcoming annual general and special meeting of shareholders (the "Meeting") is now available on the Company's website at https://www.exploitsdiscovery.com/investors#2025AGM as well as under its profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. The Meeting has been called for the purposes of, among other things, electing directors of the Company for the ensuing year, to reappoint the auditor of the Company for the ensuing year, and to consider a special resolution to approve the transaction previously announced on September 8, 2025 involving the sale of a 100% interest in all of the Company's mineral claims in Newfoundland to New Found Gold Corp. The Board of Directors of Exploits unanimously recommends that shareholders vote FOR all the meeting resolutions. Shareholder Meeting Details The Meeting will be held on Tuesday October 28, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern time) at 199 Bay Street, Suite 5300, Commerce Court West, Toronto, Ontario. Shareholders are encouraged to read the Circular and vote your shares as soon as possible. The deadline for voting your shares is at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern time) on Friday October 24, 2025. Only Exploits shareholders of record at the close of business on September 15, 2025 are entitled to receive notice of and vote at the Meeting, or any adjournment or postponement thereof. Registered shareholders who have questions or need assistance with voting their shares are encouraged to contact the Company's registrar and transfer agent, Computershare Investor Services Inc., Attention: Proxy Department, 100 University Avenue, 8th Floor, Toronto, Ontario, M5J 2Y1, or at 1-800-564-6253 (Toll Free, N. America) or +1 514 982-7555 (International). Shareholders who hold their shares through an intermediary (including, among others, banks, trust companies, securities dealers or brokers and trustees or administrators) who have questions or need assistance with voting their shares are encouraged to contact such intermediary and to carefully follow the instructions of their intermediary on how to vote. About Exploits Discovery Corp. Exploits Discovery is a Canadian gold exploration company focused on growing ounces in top-tier mining jurisdictions. Following the completion of the sale of its Newfoundland claims, Exploits' portfolio is anchored by the Hawkins Gold Project in Ontario and three advanced-stage gold projects in Quebec (Fenton, Wilson, and Benoist). The Company's strategy is to advance projects with district-scale potential through systematic exploration and partnerships, creating shareholder value through discovery and resource growth. On Behalf of the Board of Directors /s/ "Jeff Swinoga" President and CEO For more information, please contact: Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as the term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected including, but not limited to, market conditions, availability of financing, actual results of the Company's exploration and other activities, environmental risks, future metal prices, operating risks, accidents, labor issues, delays in obtaining governmental approvals and permits, and other risks in the mining industry. All the forward-looking statements made in this news release are qualified by these cautionary statements and those in our continuous disclosure filings available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances save as required by applicable law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/268967 SOURCE: Exploits Discovery Corp. In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that trontal systems, widespread wildfires and an omega block pattern contributed to highly mixed irradiance anomalies across North America in September. Solar conditions underperformed in much of the West and Midwest, while the Northeast, South, and parts of Canada recorded a strong month.Frontal systems, widespread wildfires and an omega block pattern contributed to highly mixed irradiance anomalies across North America in September, according to analysis using the Solcast API. Solar conditions underperformed in much of ... Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. AUSTIN, Texas and TOKYO, Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- According to DataM Intelligence, the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Market Size reached US$ 238.7 Billion in 2024, up from US$ 224.7 Billion in 2023, and is projected to grow to US$ 428.5 Billion by 2033, recording a CAGR of 6.8% between 2025-2033. The Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Market is undergoing rapid expansion as pharmaceutical and biotech companies intensify investments in innovative therapies, biologics, and contract manufacturing partnerships. Digital & AI-driven transformation - Artificial intelligence, machine learning, and digital twins are being integrated into R&D and manufacturing. These tools optimize synthesis pathways, predict yields, reduce time-to-market, and enable "smart API factories" with real-time quality monitoring. APIs remain the foundation of the global pharmaceutical value chain. Increasing demand for oncology and metabolic disease therapies, biologics and biosimilars, and outsourced manufacturing models is redefining how APIs are developed and supplied. The industry is also seeing accelerated adoption of biotech APIs, particularly monoclonal antibodies, peptides, and RNA-based molecules. Global supply chains are adjusting to post-pandemic resilience strategies, with leading players such as Pfizer, Teva, Merck KGaA, and Dr. Reddy's strengthening vertical integration, while CDMOs/CMOs like Divi's Laboratories and Aurobindo Pharma expand capacity for global clients. Download Exclusive Sample Report: https://www.datamintelligence.com/download-sample/active-pharmaceutical-ingredients-market Key Supply-Chain Risks & Structural Weaknesses Concentration in limited geographies & input sourcing risk Despite strong demand growth, the API industry remains fragile due to geographical concentration of synthesis (especially intermediates and raw reagents). Several studies show China and India account for a substantial share of key raw materials and intermediates, creating "single-point failure" risk. For example, India reportedly sources up to 70 % of its starting materials from China - meaning even APIs "made in India" carry embedded China supply-chain exposure. Tariffs, trade policy uncertainty, and regulatory friction Recent proposals of steep U.S. tariffs (up to 30 %) on imports from Europe risk perturbing API supply. In parallel, in the U.S., additional tariffs on Chinese APIs and raw materials (some exceeding 35 %) further complicate cost forecasting and sourcing decisions. These shifts drive companies to consider "reshoring" or near-shoring, particularly for high-value or critical-therapy APIs - but doing so requires capital intensiveness, regulatory re-qualification, and new logistics buildout. Export dependency & lead-time volatility The global API business is export-intensive, and any disruption (e.g. port delays, customs, shipping constraints) can cascade into drug shortages. For instance, a 2025 commentary on global API exports noted 6,427 discrete API shipments between September 2023 and August 2024 - indicating not only volume but complexity and fragmentation in logistics. Because high-value APIs often travel under tight timelines, even modest delays in raw material shipment or customs clearance can lead to supply gaps. Reshoring pressure vs cost, scale and regulatory burden Efforts in the U.S. and EU to bring API production back domestically are underway, but hurdles remain. The cost base (labor, energy, environmental compliance) is much higher. A 2023 European Parliament-commissioned study noted that although Europe retains niche API capabilities (complex, low-volume APIs), scaling to mass-volume generics or commodity APIs remains challenging without targeted subsidy, incentives, and upstream material co-location. Export & Trade Data: APIs (by Region) Because "API" is often embedded within pharmaceutical or chemical trade codes, pure public disclosure is limited. Below is a synthesis of credible estimates and observed trade flows, with caveats. Region / Country Export Share / Volume / Value Indicators Observations & Caveats United States The U.S. sources approximately 50 % of its prescribed drug APIs from a combination of India + EU. In 2019, only 28 % of API manufacturing sites supplying the U.S. were domestic; 72 % were overseas (including 13 % in China). As per a USP / USP-Medicine Supply Map analysis: half of APIs used in U.S. prescription medicines originate in India and EU. This shows how reliant the U.S. remains on external manufacture, even as policy pushes toward localization. European Union In 2024, EU exports of medicinal & pharmaceutical goods (API + finished) rose 13.5 % year on year, reaching EUR 313.4 billion. The EU estimated its trade surplus in pharmaceuticals (exports minus imports) at EUR 193.6 billion in 2024. While this includes finished forms, the figures underscore Europe's role not just as a market but as a supplier of critical inputs. This surplus highlights Europe's upstream strength in high-end APIs and specialty molecules. APAC (especially India / China / Southeast Asia) India is among the leading global exporters/contract suppliers of generic APIs and DMFs, playing a critical role in global generics supply. (Industry consensus) A 2025 industry blog counted 692 API shipments from India in a 12-month frame (Sep 2023-Aug 2024). While precise export volumes are proprietary, India is widely acknowledged in industry reports as a backbone of global generic API exports. Shipment count is only a proxy (not weight/monetary value) but shows India's active participation in global API flows. Request for Customized Sample Report as per Your Business Requirement: https://www.datamintelligence.com/customize/active-pharmaceutical-ingredients-market Market Segmentation Insights By Type Innovative APIs (branded) dominated the market in 2024 with revenues exceeding US$ 140 billion. These APIs, developed under patent protection, form the backbone of specialty medicines in oncology, neurology, and rare diseases. Investment in precision medicine and biologics is accelerating this segment. Generic APIs, valued at US$ 98.7 billion in 2024, continue to expand, driven by patent expirations and cost-effective alternatives across cardiovascular, infectious diseases, and metabolic therapies. The rise of biosimilars is expected to further strengthen this category. By Type of Synthesis Synthetic APIs accounted for US$ 162 billion in 2024, supported by established manufacturing ecosystems in India, China, and Europe. Demand for generics and cardiovascular therapies anchors this segment. Biotech/Biological APIs, valued at US$ 76.7 billion in 2024, are growing at double-digit rates. Monoclonal antibodies, recombinant proteins, and RNA-based therapies are fueling demand, especially in oncology and immunology. By 2033, biologics are expected to contribute nearly 40% of total API revenues. By Application Oncology remained the largest segment in 2024 (US$ 60 billion), with targeted therapies, immuno-oncology, and antibody-drug conjugates requiring high-value APIs. with targeted therapies, immuno-oncology, and antibody-drug conjugates requiring high-value APIs. Cardiovascular diseases contributed US$ 42 billion, supported by demand for generics in hypertension and cholesterol management. supported by demand for generics in hypertension and cholesterol management. Neurology & psychiatry disorders accounted for US$ 38 billion, with APIs supporting treatments for epilepsy, depression, and Alzheimer's. with APIs supporting treatments for epilepsy, depression, and Alzheimer's. Endocrinology & metabolic disorders generated US$ 32 billion, driven by rising diabetes prevalence. driven by rising diabetes prevalence. Respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases together contributed US$ 28 billion. Musculoskeletal disorders and infectious diseases accounted for US$ 25 billion, reflecting rising antimicrobial resistance. By End-User Pharmaceutical & Biotech Companies accounted for US$ 160 billion in 2024, reflecting their strong in-house R&D and vertically integrated production. CDMOs/CMOs contributed US$ 65 billion, as outsourcing surged to reduce costs, accelerate time-to-market, and ensure regulatory compliance. This segment is projected to grow fastest at over 8% CAGR. Regional Insights: USA & Japan Emerging market expansion - Beyond traditional hubs (U.S., EU, APAC), demand for APIs is rapidly growing in Latin America, Middle East, and Africa. Rising healthcare investments, generics adoption, and biosimilar launches in these regions present new opportunities for global players. United States The U.S. API market, valued at US$ 78 billion in 2024, is expected to retain its leadership through: Heavy R&D investments in biologics, oncology APIs, and rare disease therapies. Government incentives to reduce dependence on foreign supply chains by expanding domestic API manufacturing hubs. Recent highlight (2025): Pfizer announced a US$ 2 billion expansion of its biotech API facilities in Michigan, focused on RNA-based therapies and oncology. Japan Japan's market, valued at US$ 21 billion in 2024, is expanding steadily due to: Growing reliance on APIs for oncology and metabolic therapies targeting its aging population. Partnerships between local firms and global API suppliers to ensure high-quality imports. Recent update (2025): Takeda partnered with Dr. Reddy's to co-develop cost-efficient generics, strengthening API access across Asia-Pacific. Industry Trends & 2025 Developments Biotech Boom: Expansion of monoclonal antibodies, gene therapy, and RNA-based therapies is redefining API pipelines. Expansion of monoclonal antibodies, gene therapy, and RNA-based therapies is redefining API pipelines. Outsourcing Surge: Global pharma companies are increasingly relying on Indian and Chinese CDMOs for cost efficiency and scale. Global pharma companies are increasingly relying on Indian and Chinese CDMOs for cost efficiency and scale. Supply Chain Localization: U.S. and Japan are investing in domestic API manufacturing for critical drugs. U.S. and Japan are investing in domestic API manufacturing for critical drugs. Regulatory Tightening: FDA and EMA continue to strengthen GMP standards, increasing compliance costs. FDA and EMA continue to strengthen GMP standards, increasing compliance costs. M&A Activity: In 2025, AbbVie acquired a mid-sized biotech API firm to expand biologics production capacity. Buy This Exclusive Report at Just USD 4350 Only: https://www.datamintelligence.com/buy-now-page?report=active-pharmaceutical-ingredients-market Competitive Landscape: Pfizer Inc. Pfizer remains a market leader with a strong portfolio across branded APIs, including oncology and vaccines. In 2025, the company announced capacity expansions in biologics API production, reinforcing its leadership in specialty therapeutics. Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. Teva dominates in generic APIs, generating US$ 11 billion in 2024 revenues from its API segment. Its global reach and manufacturing expertise anchor its competitive position. Merck KGaA Merck focuses heavily on specialty APIs, particularly for oncology and neurology. Its investment in biotech API platforms positions it for long-term growth. Dr. Reddy's Laboratories & Aurobindo Pharma Both firms are global leaders in generics and contract manufacturing. Combined, they generated over US$ 9 billion in 2024 from API businesses. Divi's Laboratories Limited Divi's leads the CDMO segment, with revenues exceeding US$ 3 billion in 2024. Its API services for global pharma giants underscore its strategic importance. Strategic Outlook The Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Market is at a turning point. Future growth will be shaped by: Biotech API dominance - Biologics, peptides, and RNA therapies will reshape revenue mix. Outsourcing growth - CDMOs/CMOs will capture significant share, supported by generics and specialty APIs. Resilient supply chains - U.S. and Japan will localize critical API manufacturing. Regulatory innovation - Harmonization of global standards will drive compliance and quality. Conclusion The Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Market projected to grow from US$ 238.7 Billion in 2024 to US$ 428.5 Billion by 2033, underscores its pivotal role in modern medicine. With the U.S. leading innovation in biologics and Japan strengthening regional access through partnerships, APIs will remain the backbone of global pharmaceutical progress. Related Report: Insect-Based Ingredients Market Poised for Rapid Ascent: Growing at a CAGR of 9.10% by 2025-2031 | Sustainability & Protein Innovation. Nutraceutical Ingredients Market Size to Reach $327 Billion by 2030: Driven by Clean Label, Personalized Nutrition & Functional Foods. Algae-Based Omega-3 Ingredients Market Size expected to reach US$1,471.3 million in 2032 | Rising Demand for Plant-Based Nutrition & Clean Label Innovation. Sustainable Ingredients Market Size to Soar from USD 112B in 2024 to USD 211B by 2032 - Powered by Clean & Eco-Friendly Innovation. About DataM Intelligence DataM Intelligence is a renowned provider of market research, delivering deep insights through pricing analysis, market share breakdowns, and competitive intelligence. The company specializes in strategic reports that guide businesses in high-growth sectors such as nutraceuticals and AI-driven health innovations. To find out more, visit https://www.datamintelligence.com/ or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Contact: Sai Kiran DataM Intelligence 4market Research LLP Ground floor, DSL Abacus IT Park, Industrial Development Area Uppal, Hyderabad, Telangana 500039 USA: +1 877-441-4866 Email: Sai.k@datamintelligence.com Visit Our Website: https://www.datamintelligence.com/ Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1858619/3573087/DataM_Intelligence_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/active-pharmaceutical-ingredients-api-market-to-surpass-us-428-5-billion-by-2033-as-biotech-apis-and-oncology-applications-lead-global-growth--datam-intelligence-302574683.html Aims to standardize HR processes, enhance employee productivity and experience BENGALURU, India, Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Infosys (NSE: INFY) (BSE: INFY) (NYSE: INFY), a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, today announced its collaboration with Telenor Shared Services (TSS), a global business services organization that provides systems, services, and support to Telenor Group. Infosys will help TSS standardize HR processes, enhance employee productivity and experience through implementation of Oracle Cloud Human Capital Management (HCM). This collaboration highlights Infosys' deep expertise in Oracle Cloud HCM implementations and its commitment to delivering digital transformation solutions that improve HR performance and operational efficiency for the telecom industry. Through this collaboration, Infosys will help TSS streamline HR operations and unify its Human Capital Management, Financial Management, Supply Chain Management, and Projects Portfolio Management on a single platform. The resulting end-to-end digital integration will improve data quality and enable better decision-making through dashboards and advanced analytics, reshaping how TSS engages with its partners, suppliers, and employees. Morten Dean Dunham, CEO, Telenor Shared Services, said, "Modernizing our HR operations is crucial to improve efficiencies and employee experience. By collaborating with Infosys to implement Oracle Cloud HCM, we are confident we will get a solution that meets our future needs. This change will further streamline our processes, provide a unified view of critical data, and ultimately enhance the experience of our employees." Yvette Cameron, SVP, Global HCM Product Strategy, Oracle, said, "Our collaboration with TSS and Infosys is going to help drive the future of their HR operations with Oracle Cloud HCM. By leveraging our robust HCM cloud solution, we're helping TSS to standardize and streamline their HR processes to improve employee productivity and enhance employee experience. This collaboration will help organizations harness the full potential of embedded AI and cloud technology to transform business processes and stay ahead of competition." Upendra Kohli, EVP - Communication, Media and Technology (Americas & Europe), Infosys, said, "We are thrilled to collaborate with TSS on this important HR transformation journey. By leveraging our deep Oracle expertise, we have overcome significant data and system integration challenges to deliver a modern, unified HR platform. This allows us to break down silos, improve data accuracy, and unlock new levels of operational efficiency. This unique approach positions TSS at the forefront of HR transformation, driving a competitive advantage in the market." Trademarks Oracle, Java, MySQL, and NetSuite are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation. NetSuite was the first cloud company-ushering in the new era of cloud computing. About Infosys Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. Over 320,000 of our people work to amplify human potential and create the next opportunity for people, businesses, and communities. We enable clients in 59 countries to navigate their digital transformation. With over four decades of experience in managing the systems and workings of global enterprises, we expertly steer clients, as they navigate their digital transformation powered by cloud and AI. We enable them with an AI-first core, empower the business with agile digital at scale and drive continuous improvement with always-on learning through the transfer of digital skills, expertise, and ideas from our innovation ecosystem. We are deeply committed to being a well-governed, environmentally sustainable organization where diverse talent thrives in an inclusive workplace. Visit www.infosys.com to see how Infosys (NSE, BSE, NYSE: INFY) can help your enterprise navigate your next. Safe Harbor Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects, or our future financial or operating performance, are forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the 'safe harbor' under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding the execution of our business strategy, increased competition for talent, our ability to attract and retain personnel, increase in wages, investments to reskill our employees, our ability to effectively implement a hybrid work model, economic uncertainties and geo-political situations, technological disruptions and innovations such as artificial intelligence ("AI"), generative AI, the complex and evolving regulatory landscape including immigration regulation changes, our ESG vision, our capital allocation policy and expectations concerning our market position, future operations, margins, profitability, liquidity, capital resources, our corporate actions including acquisitions, and cybersecurity matters. Important factors that may cause actual results or outcomes to differ from those implied by the forward-looking statements are discussed in more detail in our US Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. Infosys may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company unless it is required by law. Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/633365/5460444/Infosys_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/infosys-collaborates-with-telenor-shared-services-to-modernize-its-hr-operations-with-a-new-oracle-fusion-cloud-human-capital-management-hcm-solution-302574693.html Massimo Bottura is Beko's global brand ambassador, a partnership that took the spotlight at The Best Chef Awards in Milan, celebrating Beko's commitment and desire to innovate with a strong sense of reliability and sustainability. ISTANBUL, Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Beko, one of the leading brands in the global home appliances sector, proudly announces the appointment of Massimo Bottura as its global brand ambassador. This strategic collaboration builds on the long-standing relationship and trust between the Italian chef and Beko's parent company, founded on shared values of reliability, sustainability, and innovation. The synergy between Beko and Massimo Bottura marks the beginning of a shared journey that looks to the future with both concreteness and inspiration. Their partnership reflects a shared commitment to creating lasting value, whether through appliances built to endure or culinary creations designed to inspire generations. Together, they champion a more reliable, thoughtful and sustainable way of living. Recognized by Time Magazine as one of the world's most sustainable companies - ranked 17th globally and #1 in its industry - Beko has chosen Massimo Bottura as its global brand ambassador: an alliance that celebrates responsible innovation and authentic passion. The Michelin-starred chef, visionary, and pioneer of sustainable gastronomy brings to Beko his revolutionary philosophy: turning every daily gesture into an act of love for the planet and for all. A commitment translated into action Bottura and Beko have always shared the same vision: uncompromising excellence, innovation that respects tradition, and a concrete commitment to sustainability. These values found a prestigious stage at The Best Chef Awards (Milan on October 2), where Beko was the official 'sustainability' partner. The event, which brought together leading figures and emerging talents from the global culinary scene, celebrated cuisine as an art form and as a cultural bridge between traditions. In this context, Beko sponsored the "Terroir" Award, a recognition dedicated to the chef who demonstrated excellence across every stage of their gastronomic activity. A role model who combined production and cuisine, by innovating through new technologies or safeguarding traditional practices, while always placing sustainability and local communities at the heart of their work. In this spirit, this year the "Terroir" Award went to Debora Fadul, DIACA, Citta del Guatemala, Guatemala, who stood out for their remarkable ability to unite tradition and innovation, and for promoting a vision of gastronomy rooted in responsibility, respect, and environmental awareness. The "Terroir" Award embodies the mission of creating a better future by fostering education in environmental respect and by preserving what was already valuable. A commitment that was further strengthened through the use of cutting-edge technological tools, such as those offered by Beko. To seal this synergy, Massimo Bottura presented the award on stage as Beko's global brand ambassador, as a testament to the shared commitment to a future where gastronomic excellence and sustainability walk hand in hand. About Beko Beko, from Europe's No.1 Home Appliances Company*, is helping customers make confident choices with its highly reliable appliances that are rigorously tested for proven durability, ensuring they stand the test of time. The brand's essence is built on the motto of 'Beko state of mind', which defines the absolute confidence that customers have in making the right choices. Beko is committed to protecting the planet by designing and manufacturing innovative, reliable, efficient and sustainable products. * Source Euromonitor International Limited; Consumer Appliances 2025 edition, Beko Corp, Large Appliances as per "Major Appliances", GBO, retail volume, 2024 data. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2788432/Best_Chef_Awards_Beko.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2788430/Best_Chef_Awards_Beko__1.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2788431/Best_Chef_Awards_Beko__2.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2765641/5543834/Beko_Logo_Corporate.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/beko-and-massimo-bottura-crafting-lasting-value-together-302574708.html HIGHLIGHTS 12,000-metre discovery drill program on 100%-owned permits with C$15 million cash on hand. Up to 88,000-metre discovery and resource definition drill program on the Odienne East JV permit throughout 2025-2026. Drilling begins October 2025, targeting first Mineral Resource Estimate in 2026. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 3, 2025) - Awale Resources Limited (TSXV: ARIC) (OTCQX: AWLRF) (FSE: 2F60) ("Awale" or the "Company") is pleased to announce a proposed program of up to 100,000 metres of resource definition and discovery drilling, through 2026, at the Odienne Project ("Odienne" or the "Project") in Cote d'Ivoire. This large-scale program is planned to position Awale to deliver a first Mineral Resource Estimate and Preliminary Economic Assessment for the Project in Q2 2026 and to advance toward a Pre-Feasibility Study in 2027 encompassing the BBM, Charger, and Empire zones. In parallel, Awale is aggressively advancing a systematic exploration program on the recently granted Sama and Seydou permits, where discovery drilling is designed to unlock the Project's district-scale potential and generate the next wave of discoveries. These highly prospective permits lie within the same mineralized system and along strike from BBM, Charger, and Empire. "We are very pleased to launch 100,000 metres of drilling at the Odienne Project, the program consists of a combination of resource development and discovery drilling that is designed to deliver the first resource estimate and preliminary economic study for the Project. We have an impressive inventory of discoveries demonstrating Odienne as a district-scale gold and copper mineralized system, and we have confidence in the potential for the Project to deliver new discoveries in our recently granted permits. Awale is well-financed and supported to achieve this ambitious program and we look forward to delivering new discoveries and our first resources in 2026," said Andrew Chubb, CEO of Awale Resources. Drilling is currently planned to commence after the rainy season in October 2025, with up to five (5) rigs expected on site and near-continuous drilling planned throughout 2026. Drilling on any JV claim has been planned and remains subject to Newmont's ongoing approval. The Company will provide shareholders with updates on specific targets, timelines, and results as the program advances. The Company also anticipates publishing assay results from earlier drilling at Charger, BBM, and Fremen in the near term. Figure 1: Odienne Project - Permits and Targets Map To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10016/268865_57bed123d4504af3_002full.jpg About Awale Resources Awale is a diligent and systematic mineral exploration company focused on discovering large high-grade gold and copper-gold deposits. Exploration activities are currently underway in the underexplored regions of Cote d'Ivoire, where the Company is exploring the Odienne Copper-Gold Project ("Odienne" or the "Project"), covering 2,346 km2 across seven permits-five granted and two applications. This includes 797 km2 in two permits held under the Awale-Newmont Joint Venture ("OJV"). Awale manages all exploration activities over the OJV, with funding provided by Newmont Ventures Limited ("Newmont"). Awale has discovered four gold, gold-copper, and gold-copper-silver-molybdenum mineralized systems within the OJV and has recently commenced exploration on its 100%-owned properties. The Odienne Project is underexplored and has multiple pipeline prospects with similar geochemical signatures to Iron Oxide Copper Gold (IOCG) and intrusive-related mineral systems with substantial upside potential. The Company benefits from a skilled and well-seasoned technical team that allows it to continue exploring in a pro-mining jurisdiction that offers significant potential for district-scale discoveries. Qualified Person The technical and scientific information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved for release by Andrew Chubb, the Company's Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Chubb is the Company's Chief Executive Officer and holds an Economic Geology degree, is a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists (AIG), and is a Member of the Society of Economic Geoscientists (SEG). Mr. Chubb has over 25 years of experience in international mineral exploration and mining project evaluation. AWALE Resources Limited On behalf of the Board of Directors "Andrew Chubb" Chief Executive Officer The Company's public documents may be accessed at www.sedarplus.com. For further information on the Company, please visit our website at www.awaleresources.com. Forward-Looking Information This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws (collectively "forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, plans, propose, potential, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. All statements that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include but are not limited to statements regarding, the Company's presence in Cote d'Ivoire and ability to achieve results, creation of value for Company shareholders, achievements under the Newmont JV, works on other properties, timing and extent of planned drilling, expectations to achieve a first mineral resource estimate and preliminary economic assessment, advancing towards a pre-feasibility study, potential for new discoveries, timing for providing assay results, commencement of operations. Although the Company believes any forward-looking statements in this news release are reasonable, it can give no assurance that the expectations and assumptions in such statements will prove to be correct. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, the results of the proposed drilling programs, the number of drilling rigs on site, changes in the state of equity and debt markets, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in obtaining required regulatory or governmental approvals, and other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, including those risks set out in the Company's management's discussion and analysis as filed under the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca. Forward-looking information in this news release is based on the opinions and assumptions of management considered reasonable as of the date hereof, including that all necessary governmental and regulatory approvals will be received as and when expected and that the proposed drilling program will proceed as planned. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, other than as required by applicable securities laws. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/268865 SOURCE: Awale Resources Ltd. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 3, 2025) - Intrepid Metals Corp. (TSXV: INTR) (OTCQB: IMTCF) ("Intrepid" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Evelyn Cox as Vice President Corporate Development of the Company. "I've had the privilege of working with Evelyn for more than four years at Intrepid and in several prior roles, and her impact has been consistently invaluable," says Mark Morabito, Chairman and CEO of Intrepid. "She combines deep industry knowledge with an ability to communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively, which has been invaluable in building trust with our investors, partners, and stakeholders. Evelyn brings both strategic vision and a collaborative spirit to every initiative. Her decades of experience will continue to be a tremendous asset as we move forward." Ms. Cox brings over two decades of experience in public markets, with a proven track record on corporate communications, corporate development, marketing and finance in the mining sector. She has played a key role in guiding junior mining companies through growth and development, contributing her expertise to organizations with projects across the Americas. Her career includes contributions to Liberty Gold Corp, Excelsior Mining Corp (now Gunnison Copper Corp.), Alderon Iron Ore Corp, Candente Copper (now Alta Copper), among others, where she has been recognized for her ability to bridge technical, financial, and stakeholder perspectives. In addition to her executive and consulting roles, Ms. Cox has served as a director for several TSXV-listed companies, gaining governance and board-level experience that continues to shape her strategic perspective. She joined Intrepid in April 2021 as a Corporate Communications consultant and has since taken on an active and evolving role in advancing the Company's corporate strategy, marketing initiatives, and corporate communications efforts. Ms. Cox holds a B.Sc. in Geological Sciences from the University of British Columbia, where she earned a place on the Dean's Honour List and was a three-time recipient of the Thomas and Marguerite MacKay Memorial Scholarship for academic achievement in Geology. Stock Option Grant Certain directors, officers, employees and consultants of the Company have been granted incentive stock options to purchase 1,750,000 common shares of Intrepid at an exercise price equal to $0.445 per share. The options have a 5-year term, expiring October 3, 2030, and vest in equal instalments over a 24-month period. About Intrepid Metals Corp. Intrepid Metals Corp. is a Canadian company focused on exploring for high-grade essential metals such as copper, silver, and zinc mineral projects in proximity to established mining jurisdictions in southeastern Arizona, USA. The Company has acquired or has agreements to acquire several drill ready projects, including the Corral Copper Project (a district scale advanced exploration and development opportunity with significant shallow historical drill results), the Tombstone South Project (within the historical Tombstone mining district with geological similarities to the Taylor Deposit, which was purchased for $1.3B in 20181, though mineralization at the Taylor Deposit is not necessarily indicative of the mineral potential at the Tombstone South Project) both of which are located in Cochise County, Arizona and the Mesa Well Project (located in the Laramide Copper Porphyry Belt in Arizona). Intrepid has assembled an exceptional team with considerable experience with exploration, developing, and permitting new projects within North America. Intrepid is traded on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) under the symbol "INTR" and on the OTCQB Venture Market under the symbol "IMTCF". For more information, visit www.intrepidmetals.com. INTREPID METALS CORP. On behalf of the Company "Mark Morabito" Chairman & CEO Notes 1 Details regarding the sale of the Taylor Deposit can be found in South32 News Release dated October 8, 2018 (South32 completes acquisition of Arizona Mining). Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information Certain statements contained in this release constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Such forward-looking statements relate to: the advancement of the Company's projects in Arizona; continued growth; the expected contributions of Ms. Cox; the exploration potential of the Company's other mineral projects; and potential future production. In certain cases, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "occur" or "be achieved" suggesting future outcomes, or other expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions, intentions or statements about future events or performance. Forward-looking information contained in this news release is based on certain factors and assumptions regarding, among other things, the Company can raise additional financing to continue operations; the results of exploration activities, commodity prices, the timing and amount of future exploration and development expenditures, the availability of labour and materials, receipt of and compliance with necessary regulatory approvals and permits, the estimation of insurance coverage, and assumptions with respect to currency fluctuations, environmental risks, title disputes or claims, and other similar matters. While the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors include risks inherent in the exploration and development of mineral deposits, including risks relating to the ability to access infrastructure, risks relating to the failure to access financing, risks relating to changes in commodity prices, risk related to unanticipated geological or structural formations and characteristics risks related to current global financial conditions, risks related to current global financial conditions and the impact of any future global pandemic on the Company's business, reliance on key personnel, operational risks inherent in the conduct of exploration and development activities, including the risk of accidents, labour disputes and cave-ins, regulatory risks including the risk that permits may not be obtained in a timely fashion or at all, financing, capitalization and liquidity risks, risks related to disputes concerning property titles and interests, environmental risks and the additional risks identified in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's reports and filings with applicable Canadian securities regulators. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information is made as of the date of this news release. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) has reviewed or accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/268972 SOURCE: Intrepid Metals Corp. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 3, 2025) - Happy Belly Food Group Inc. (CSE: HBFG) (OTCQB: HBFGF) ("Happy Belly" or the "Company"), a leader in acquiring and scaling emerging food brands, today announced the approval and adoption of its 2026-2031 Compensation Growth Plans, designed to retain and incentivize the executive team while aligning compensation directly with long-term shareholder value creation. As the Company nears the successful completion of its five year Phase I growth plan, originally launched in June 2021, Happy Belly is moving forward with planning and implementing Phase II, focused on scaling the current brands, acquiring additional businesses as a part of its consolidation strategy within existing categories, and potentially expanding to new categories to deliver long-term shareholder value. Happy Belly's Compensation Committee, and Board of Directors has designed and approved the issuance of a combination of stock options and performance warrants that again aligns executive incentives to shareholder objectives. These options and warrants are structured to reward executives and board members only upon the achievement of sustained business performance and the achievement of significant share price milestones. Key Highlights of the Plan Alignment with Shareholders: Executives and board members will only earn performance incentives if shareholders realize meaningful value creation, including achievement of a share price progression at vesting targets at each dollar up to $10 per share , which would represent a market capitalization of significant value for shareholders. Executives and board members will only earn performance incentives if shareholders realize meaningful value creation, including achievement of a share price progression at vesting targets at each dollar up to , which would represent a market capitalization of significant value for shareholders. Performance-Driven Vesting: Equity grants are tied to both share price triggers and continued positive business performance, including year-over-year growth in royalty and franchise income and sustained positive adjusted EBITDA. Equity grants are tied to both share price triggers and continued positive business performance, including year-over-year growth in royalty and franchise income and sustained positive adjusted EBITDA. Long-Term Retention: Vesting provisions require executives and board members to remain actively employed or serving on the board at the time of milestone achievement, reinforcing commitment to the Company's growth journey. Vesting provisions require executives and board members to remain actively employed or serving on the board at the time of milestone achievement, reinforcing commitment to the Company's growth journey. Capital Commitment: At full vesting, executives and directors would be required to invest over $60 million back into Happy Belly to exercise their options and warrants, further aligning leadership's success with shareholders. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6625/269006_82c8830d444a1833_001full.jpg In accordance with the Company's stock option plan, the Company is granting an aggregate of 12,125,500 stock options to certain directors and officers of the Company. The options are exercisable for a period of five years at a strike price of $2.00 per share, subject to the vesting triggers and business performance requirements outlined. The Company is also issuing an aggregate of 17,875,000 performance warrants to certain directors and officers of the Company. Each performance warrant will entitle the holder to acquire one common share of the Company for a period of five years at a strike price of $2.00 per share, subject to the vesting triggers and business performance requirements outlined. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6625/269006_82c8830d444a1833_002full.jpg To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6625/269006_82c8830d444a1833_003full.jpg "We believe we are just getting started and want more for shareholders. By tying the leadership team's rewards directly to long-term business performance and sustained share price appreciation, we ensure that our leadership team is fully aligned with shareholders as we execute the next phase of our growth plan. We have transformed Happy Belly into a disciplined growth company with 13 consecutive record quarters of growth, and this plan sets the foundation for scaling to new heights," said Sean Black, Chief Executive Officer of Happy Belly. "Our Compensation Committee and Board have been diligent in ensuring this plan retains, and motivates our leadership team while aligning to shareholder objectives. We have an incredible team that are successfully delivering on Phase I of our growth plans, and we trust all shareholders will agree that as we shift to Phase II we want to retain our current team and motivate them to scale Happy Belly to new heights. Happy Belly is a pay for performance company and there is an opportunity for significant compensation for our key leaders and that is only achieved after building value for shareholders. Our Leaders' Compensation is linked to business performance and ambitious share price milestones, we believe this plan strengthens our ability to retain, and reward current talent and enable Happy Belly to attract future talent that will contribute to shareholders success," said Kevin Cole, Independent Director and Chair of the Compensation Committee. "We are just getting started", said Sean Black. Franchising For franchising inquiries please see www.happybellyfg.com/franchise-with-us/ or contact us at hello@happybellyfg.com. About Happy Belly Food Group Happy Belly Food Group Inc. (CSE: HBFG) (OTCQB: HBFGF) ("Happy Belly" or the "Company") is a leader in acquiring and scaling emerging food brands across Canada. Happy Belly Food Group To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6625/269006_82c8830d444a1833_004full.jpg Sean Black Co-founder, Chief Executive Officer Shawn Moniz Co-founder, Chief Operating Officer Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release, which has been prepared by management. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking information" with respect to the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-Looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur and include the future performance of Happy Belly and her subsidiaries. Forward-Looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates at the date the statements are made and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. There are uncertainties inherent in forward-looking information, including factors beyond the Company's control. There are no assurances that the business plans for Happy Belly described in this news release will come into effect on the terms or time frame described herein. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis and other disclosure filings with Canadian securities regulators, which are posted on www.sedarplus.ca. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/269006 SOURCE: Happy Belly Food Group Inc. Highlights: Prospecting has identified six NEW spodumene mineralized zones that are outside the known resource envelope. Expansion of the Jackpot lithium mineralization through geological mapping and surface rock sampling. Sample results include 4.155% Li2O, 3.918% Li2O and 3.596% Li2O from 145 samples throughout the property. The Jackpot Property consists of 297 mineral claims covering 18,800 hectares. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 3, 2025) - IMAGINE LITHIUM INC. (TSXV: ILI) (OTCQB: ARXRF) (the "Company" or "Imagine") is pleased to report a successful field season to expand the known lithium mineralisation on the Jackpot property. The Jackpot lithium project is located in the Georgia Lake Pegmatite Field, approximately 140 km northeast of Thunder Bay, Ontario (Figure 1). The Jackpot property is characterized by swarms of mineralized lithium-bearing granitic pegmatite dikes distributed over at least five zones on an 18,800 ha land package (Figure 2). The 2025 exploration program focused on property wide expansion of the known lithium mineralization on the property (Figure 2). Geological mapping and surface rock sampling was completed to follow-up soil geochemical anomalies identified by the 2024 program and additional soil sampling was completed to infill gaps in the older girds. During the 2025 field program, a total of: 1,106 field mapping stations were observed; 145 surface grab samples were collected for assay outside the current resource envelope; 28 muscovite samples were collected for LIBS geochemical analysis; 306 soil samples collected from the northern portion of the property (Jackpot West and Newkirk area); and 199 soil samples collected from the SW infill grid (north of MNW area). Figure 1: Jackpot property located next to Trans-Canada Highway, power, port, railroad, and workforce. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2962/269014_73d7d455640f8a18_001full.jpg Figure 2: Jackpot project target zones and diamond drillhole collar locations. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2962/269014_73d7d455640f8a18_002full.jpg Results of the geological mapping and sampling program yielded 34 samples that returned greater than 0.10% Li2O, with an additional 8 samples returning tantalum values anomalously higher than 100 ppm Ta in bedrock (Table 1). The highest bedrock sample returned 3.92% Li2O from 85 bedrock samples and the highest boulder sample returned 4.16% Li2O from 60 boulder samples throughout the property (Figure 3). Table 1. Highlights of 2025 Surface Grab Samples Li2O (%) Sample ID UTM E UTM N Li2O % Ta (ppm) K/Rb Occurrence 487615 428136 5457163 4.155 8.8 34 Boulder 487583 431656 5456574 3.918 99.7 24 Outcrop 487737 429764 5463597 3.596 130 19 Boulder 487614 432222 5460802 3.509 2.4 42 Boulder 487736 429768 5463570 3.488 292 19 Subcrop 487585 430310 5460007 3.402 28 34 Boulder 487559 432030 5459442 2.907 16 61 Boulder 487565 432120 5459630 2.734 21.5 36 Boulder 487653 426929 5456950 2.691 23.6 42 Boulder 487739 429800 5463609 2.627 65.3 18 Boulder 487564 431947 5459457 2.519 21.7 42 Boulder 487600 428840 5460019 2.476 3.4 29 Boulder 487582 431624 5456581 2.153 124 24 Outcrop 282971 431615 5457724 2.112 42.6 30 Bedrock 487740 429819 5463642 1.869 102 17 Boulder 487609 431613 5457720 1.839 66.2 31 Outcrop 487734 429788 5463582 1.735 80 17 Boulder 487587 430554 5460710 1.425 51.4 33 Boulder 487701 425971 5460170 1.322 13.8 20 Boulder 487706 432605 5460995 1.240 39.2 31 Boulder 282969 436151 5473996 1.238 44.1 29 Bedrock 487738 429814 5463617 1.234 140 19 Boulder 487595 429906 5459611 1.171 40.9 41 Boulder 487624 433069 5461440 1.115 43.4 35 Subcrop 487623 433115 5461453 1.053 15.7 38 Boulder 487704 432771 5461161 0.771 33.2 30 Boulder 487569 431667 5459386 0.360 59.2 42 Boulder 487558 432111 5459552 0.353 4.8 20 Boulder 487563 431794 5459506 0.325 280 78 Boulder 487562 432113 5459495 0.271 18.9 56 Boulder 487703 432802 5461185 0.243 9 32 Boulder 487705 432765 5460980 0.217 2 78 Boulder 487567 431989 5459614 0.180 10 68 Boulder 487639 432665 5460995 0.101 9 91 Boulder 487743 432917 5455683 0.026 205 93 Outcrop 487654 430757 5463261 0.004 147 27 Subcrop 487731 432705 5456421 0.008 121 40 Outcrop 487649 440055 5459580 0.004 118 24 Outcrop 487591 430194 5459890 0.011 112 25 Outcrop 487730 432717 5456397 0.036 109 32 Outcrop 487608 431555 5457713 0.021 101 26 Outcrop 487590 430188 5459887 0.007 100 21 Outcrop Figure 3: Jackpot project surface grab sample results from the 2025 field program. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2962/269014_ili10032025.jpg Of the six new spodumene mineralized zones, Jackpot West and Cosgrave North have in-situ lithium pegmatite on surface (Figure 3). The Jackpot South and Newkirk Zones consist of subcrop and boulders, while the Southwest Zone and Blay Lake Zone are defined by boulders (Figure 3). The Jackpot South, Blay Lake, Jackpot West, Cosgrave North and Newkirk Zones will all be permitted for diamond drilling and bedrock stripping that will be completed in the winter and spring of 2026. Simone Suen, President of Imagine, commented: "We have discovered lithium mineralization in new areas of the property that have previously been untested and we are currently prioritizing diamond drill targets based on a very productive summer prospecting season. Our team is very excited to commence drilling on these new targets and we are in an excellent position to build on our 3.1 Mt indicated and 5.3 Mt inferred (grading 0.85% and 0.91% Li2O, respectively) Mineral Resource on the project." Scale (m)QA/QC Protocol Imagine Lithium implemented a strict QA/QC protocol in processing all rock and soil samples collected from the core material and soil horizons obtained on the Jackpot property. The protocol included the insertion and monitoring of appropriate reference materials. High and low concentration certified lithium standards, blanks and duplicates are used to validate the accuracy and precision of the assay results. All collected core rock and soil samples were put in sturdy plastic bags, tagged, and sealed in the core shack under the supervision of a professional geologist. The sample number, depth and brief description of each sample is logged and entered to a digital database. Rock core samples were split using a diamond saw with half of the sample remaining in the core box and the other being placed in a labelled sample bag. Duplicate samples were quarter split and placed into individual sample bags. All sample bags were put into rice bags and stored securely before being delivered to AGAT Laboratories in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Samples are processed and crushed at the AGAT facility in Thunder Bay. Lithium was analyzed by Sodium Peroxide Fusion with ICP-OES and ICP-MS Finish. Soil samples were placed into small brown paper bags and analyzed by 4-Acid digest with ICP-OES and ICP-MS Finish. Qualified Person The technical content of this news release was reviewed and approved by Jason Arnold, P.Geo., an Independent Qualified Person as defined by the National Instrument 43-101. About Imagine Lithium Inc. Imagine is a junior mining exploration company focused on seeking and acquiring world-class mineral projects. The company holds the Jackpot lithium property located in the Georgia Lake area about 140 km NNE of Thunder Bay, Ontario, is approximately 12 km by road from the Trans-Canada Highway (Hwy 11), and is in proximity to sources of power, railroads, and ports. The Jackpot Property consists of 297 mineral claims covering 18,800 hectares. The Property contains NI 43-101 compliant Mineral Resources of 3.1 Mt grading 0.85% Li2O in the Indicated category and 5.3 Mt grading 0.91% Li2O in the Inferred category, as well as a number of other known pegmatite showings. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: This news release contains forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Investors are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected. These forward -looking statements are made as of the date hereof and, except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. All the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and by those made in our filings with SEDAR in Canada (available at www.sedarplus.ca). To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/269014 SOURCE: Imagine Lithium Inc. San Diego, California--(Newsfile Corp. - October 3, 2025) - TruthFinder, a leading public records search service, today announced the launch of new features designed specifically to support family reunifications across the United States. As adoption rates and estrangement numbers rise, TruthFinder continues to expand its role in helping individuals locate and reconnect with long-lost family members, providing valuable tools for emotional reunions. The new enhanced systems come as a response to growing demand for reliable family search resources, with millions of Americans separated due to adoption, estrangement, or other life circumstances. According to recent reports, approximately 115,353 adoptions took place in the U.S. in 2019, further underlining the need for services like TruthFinder's. New Features to Improve Family Reunification Searches As part of its ongoing commitment to expanding family search capabilities, TruthFinder has introduced several new tools to help users find relatives more efficiently. Key features include: Advanced Name-Based Searches Reverse Phone Number Lookups Address-Based Record Search These features leverage publicly available records to help users track down lost family members and build connections that may have otherwise been impossible to make. The platform's powerful algorithms and extensive public record databases offer a structured approach to reuniting families and relatives. A Growing Need for Family Search Solutions In recent years, TruthFinder has seen a dramatic rise in users seeking to reconnect with family members due to adoption, foster care, and long-term estrangement. As family dynamics continue to evolve, the company remains focused on developing services that meet these unique needs while ensuring privacy and security. "Our technology is built to facilitate positive, emotional reunions, and we are proud to support families as they reconnect with each other," said Kristle Khoury, Public Relations Director at TruthFinder. "These new tools represent our ongoing commitment to responsible innovation in public records search technology." About TruthFinder Founded in 2015, TruthFinder is a San Diego-based public records search service. The platform provides individuals with access to background information, contact details, and public record data to help reconnect with family members, friends, and acquaintances. TruthFinder is known for its commitment to reliability, user accessibility, and continuous product innovation. Website: https://www.truthfinder.com/ Address: 3111 Camino Del Rio N, Suite 400 San Diego, CA 92108 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/268926 SOURCE: FG Newswire Silver Storm Mining Ltd. ("Silver Storm" or the "Company") (TSX.V: SVRS OTCQB: SVRS FSE: SVR) is pleased to announce its initial fall conference participation and the retention of Renmark Financial Communications Inc. ("Renmark Upcoming Conference Schedule Silver Storm will be attending and/or presenting at the following initial events this fall, with other events to be added. Representing the Company will be Greg McKenzie, Director, President CEO. 121 Mining Investment Global Online Online: October 14 15 Spartan Capital Investor Conference New York, NY: November 3 Red Cloud Fall Mining Showcase Toronto, ON: November 4-5 121 Mining Investment London London, UK: November 17-18 Engagement of Renmark As of October 1, 2025, the company retained the services of Renmark to provide investor relations services to the Company (the "Services") for an initial term of twelve (12) months, which term is subject to monthly renewal. The consideration for services provided is a monthly cash fee of up to $9,000 CAD, starting October 1, 2025, for a period of one year ending on September 30th, 2026. The Services include communication of the Company's corporate message, introductions to Renmark's financial contacts, organization of Virtual Non-Deal Roadshows, distribution of Silver Storm's company information and providing investor relations research and feedback to the Company. Renmark does not have any direct or indirect interest in the Company, or its securities, nor any right or intent to acquire such an interest. Greg McKenzie, President Chief Executive Officer stated, "We are pleased to announce that we have selected Renmark to reinforce Silver Storm Mining Ltd.'s profile in the financial community and enhance the visibility of our company. We chose Renmark because its standards and methodologies fit best with the message we wish to communicate to the investing public. Founded in 1999, Renmark is a leading privately held full-service investor relations firm, located in Atlanta, New York, Toronto and Montreal. For the past 25 years, Renmark has provided services in investor relations, media relations and web development representing small, medium and large cap public companies listed on all major North American exchanges. On a daily basis, Renmark's team of professionals enhance client visibility within the retail market space as corporate communicators. With the largest roadshow footprint in North America, and a state-of- the-art media studio, Renmark hosts a multitude of live streaming Virtual Non-Deal Roadshows across North America and Europe. About Silver Storm Mining Ltd. Silver Storm Mining Ltd. holds advanced-stage silver projects located in Durango, Mexico. Silver Storm is committed to restarting operations at its 100% owned La Parrilla Silver Mine Complex, a prolific operation comprised of a 2,000 tpd mill and three underground mines. The Company also holds a 100% interest in the San Diego Project, which is among the largest undeveloped silver assets in Mexico. For more information regarding the Company and its projects, please visit our website at www.silverstorm.ca. Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251003712249/en/ Contacts: For additional information, please contact: Greg McKenzie, President CEO Ph: +1 (416) 504-2024 greg.mckenzie@silverstorm.ca Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 3, 2025) - Standard Uranium Ltd. (TSXV: STND) (OTCQB: STTDF) (FSE: 9SU0) ("Standard Uranium" or the "Company") is pleased to announce a significant expansion to the planned diamond drill program at its flagship Davidson River project ("Davidson River" or the "Project") in the southwest Athabasca Basin region, northern Saskatchewan (Figure 1). The drill program will now aim to complete between 8,000 to 10,000 meters beginning in May 2026. The Company is also pleased to announce that it has closed an additional tranche ("Tranche 3") of its non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement Offering") for gross proceeds of $503,800. Davidson River Highlights: Expansion of Drill Program: Due to increased funding, the Company will shift the planned Davidson River drill program to begin in spring 2026. The timeline adjustment will decrease cost per metre through utilizing two diamond drills in favorable weather conditions and therefore enable a more efficient drill program with the completion of additional metres of drilling at high-priority targets. Poised for Discovery: New and refined target areas across the Warrior, Bronco, and Thunderbird conductor corridors are significantly derisked with new high-resolution 3D imaging of basement structures and potential alteration zones, providing key targeting information for spring 2026 drilling. Multiphysics Results: Standard Uranium in partnership with Fleet Space Technologies Canada Corp. ("Fleet Space") recently executed the first Exosphere Multiphysics survey in the prolific southwest Athabasca Uranium District on the Davidson River project. Drill Ready: The Company has secured all drill permits, has signed Exploration Agreements with our Clearwater River Dene Nation ("CRDN") partners, has secured all crucial vendors and drilling is now planned for a four-to-six-week drill program in early spring 2026. Jon Bey, CEO of Standard Uranium, commented, "Our shareholders and advisors asked us to complete a larger drill program than we originally had planned for this fall based on the targets we are seeing from the work completed this summer. With the recent financial support of our capital raise, we will be fully funded to complete the 8,000 to 10,000 meters of drilling planned. We are extremely excited to get back to our flagship Davidson River project and get those drills turning once again." Figure 1. Overview of Standard Uranium's Flagship Davidson River Project in the southwest Athabasca Basin uranium district along trend from significant uranium discoveries and resources1,2. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10633/268993_d31cb81d14aefab9_001full.jpg Figure 2. Summary of results from Multiphysics surveys on the Warrior, Bronco, and Thunderbird corridors, highlighting integrated target areas - EM conductors, cross-faults, gravity lows, and velocity lows. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10633/268993_d31cb81d14aefab9_002full.jpg Davidson River Exploration Davidson River covers 30,737 hectares of prime exploration real estate in the Southwest Athabasca Uranium District, highly prospective for basement-hosted uranium deposits along trend from high-grade* uranium deposits under development (Figure 1). From May 26 to July 8, 2025, the Company and Fleet Space completed the first-ever ExoSphere Multiphysics survey grids in the uranium-rich southwest Athabasca Basin region (Figure 2). Multiphysics surveys collected three types of geophysical data (Ambient Noise Tomography ("ANT"), Horizontal-to-Vertical Spectral Ratio ("HVSR"), and Gravity) over three (Warrior, Bronco, and Thunderbird) of the four major conductive corridors on the Project. The surveys provide critical targeting layers in the form of 3D ANT-HVSR shear velocity models and custom inversion models for subsurface density, leveraging both passive seismic and ground gravity datasets as inputs. Following post-survey data analysis and integration, the Company plans to execute a diamond drill program to begin testing the highest priority targets across all three surveyed conductor corridors. Drilling is planned to be completed the spring/summer of 2026, marking the first drill program on the Project since 2022. Positive results from previous drill campaigns will be integrated into drill targeting with the newly acquired Multiphysics data. High confidence datasets from all three survey grids are being used to refine drill targets for a significant summer drill program planned for spring 2026. About Davidson River Davidson River is Standard Uranium's flagship property, located in the southwest Athabasca Uranium District of the Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan, and encapsulates the inferred extension of the structural trend that hosts the Triple R and Arrow uranium deposits (Figure 1). The Project consists of 10 contiguous mineral dispositions and lies approximately 25 to 30 km west of Arrow and Triple R and 75 km south of the past-producing Cluff Lake uranium mines. The Company has completed 16,561 metres of diamond drilling in 39 drill holes on the Davidson River property since 2020, which has further refined the exploration strategy for high-grade basement hosted uranium mineralization on the property3. Davidson River hosts four main conductive corridors - the Warrior, Bronco, Thunderbird, and Saint trends. These conductive trends are associated with graphitic-sulphidic structures in basement rocks, which are commonly associated with high-grade* uranium systems, providing the conduits for mineralizing fluids. This concept has been proven for all four corridors, with several instances of graphitic-sulphidic fault rocks and reactivated structures intersected along the tested strike length. Favorable basement rock types and alteration phases have been observed across the strike length of the main trends, resembling those which host other uranium deposits in the southwestern Athabasca Basin region. Key indicators include clay-dravite alteration and stacked lenses of variably strained graphite and sulphide-bearing garnetiferous gneisses and altered feldspar-rich rocks. Structural zones in the basement are locally associated with elevated uranium and/or boron values (over 1,000 ppm B), such as in DR-20-009 and -0113. The results from diamond drilling programs to date highlight the potential for the Davidson River Project to host significant basement hosted unconformity-related uranium mineralization, and the property contains several priority targets along all four trends that warrant further exploration. *The Company considers uranium mineralization with concentrations greater than 1.0 wt% U3O8 to be "high-grade". Private Placement Update In connection with closing of Tranche 3 of the Private Placement Offering, the Company issued 6,297,500 non-flow-through units (each, an "NFT Unit") at a price of $0.08 per NFT Unit. Each NFT Unit consists of one common share of the Company and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one common share of the Company at a price of $0.15 at any time on or before October 2, 2027. To date, the Company has issued 15,598,750 NFT Units, and 5,760,000 FT Units, in connection with the Private Placement Offering for combined gross proceeds of $1,823,900. In connection with Tranche 3, the Company paid finders' fees of $15,828 and issued 197,850 non-transferable share purchase warrants (each, a "Finders' Warrant") to certain arms-length parties who assisted in introducing subscribers to the Private Placement Offering. Each Finders' Warrant is exercisable on the same terms as the Warrants. All securities issued pursuant to Tranche 3 of the Private Placement Offering, and any shares that may be issuable on exercise of any Warrants or Finders' Warrants, are subject to a statutory hold period until February 3, 2026. The Company does not intend to offer any further NFT Units at this time, but will continue to offer up to a further 16,761,000 flow-through units (each, an "FT Unit"), at a price of $0.10 per FT Unit, for gross proceeds of up to $1,676,100. Each FT Unit consists of one common share of the Company, issued as a flow-through share within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada), and one-half of one Warrant. The offering will be made available to purchasers resident in Canada pursuant to the accredited investor exemption under Section 2.3 of National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions. As result, the FT Units will be subject to a statutory hold period for four-months-and-one-day in accordance with applicable securities laws. In addition, the Company also announced an offering (the "LIFE Offering") of up to 25,000,000 FT Units to purchasers resident in Canada, except Quebec, pursuant to the listed issuer financing exemption under Part 5A of National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions (the "Listed Issuer Financing Exemption") for gross proceeds of up to $2,500,000. The LIFE Offering is being conducted as a separate private placement from the existing Private Placement Offering in accordance with the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange. The securities offered under the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption will not be subject to a hold period in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws. There is an offering document related to the LIFE Offering that can be accessed under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and on the Company's website at: www.standarduranium.ca. Prospective investors should read this offering document before making an investment decision. The Company will pay finders' fees to eligible parties who have assisted in introducing subscribers to the LIFE Offering. The Company anticipates the net proceeds raised from the Private Placement Offering and the LIFE Offering will be used for the exploration of the Company's Saskatchewan uranium projects and for working capital purposes. Completion of the offering of additional FT Units and the LIFE Offering, remain subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. Qualified Person Statement The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed, verified, and approved by Sean Hillacre, P.Geo., President and VP Exploration of the Company and a "qualified person" as defined in NI 43-101. Historical data disclosed in this news release relating to sampling results from previous operators are historical in nature. Neither the Company nor a qualified person has yet verified this data and therefore investors should not place undue reliance on such data. The Company's future exploration work may include verification of the data. The Company considers historical results to be relevant as an exploration guide and to assess the mineralization as well as economic potential of exploration projects. Any historical grab samples disclosed are selected samples and may not represent true underlying mineralization. References 1 Arrow deposit, Rook I Project, Saskatchewan, NI 43-101 Technical Report on Feasibility Study, Prepared for NexGen Energy Ltd., Effective date: February 22, 2021 2 Feasibility Study, NI 43-101 Technical Report, for PLS Property, Prepared for Fission Uranium Corp., Effective date: January 17, 2023 3 Davidson River Proje ct Overview, https://standarduranium.ca/projects/davidson-river-project About Standard Uranium (TSXV: STND) We find the fuel to power a clean energy future Standard Uranium is a uranium exploration company and emerging project generator poised for discovery in the world's richest uranium district. The Company holds interest in over 235,435 acres (95,277 hectares) in the world-class Athabasca Basin in Saskatchewan, Canada. Since its establishment, Standard Uranium has focused on the identification, acquisition, and exploration of Athabasca-style uranium targets with a view to discovery and future development. Standard Uranium's Davidson River Project, in the southwest part of the Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan, comprises ten mineral claims over 30,737 hectares. Davidson River is highly prospective for basement-hosted uranium deposits due to its location along trend from recent high-grade uranium discoveries. However, owing to the large project size with multiple targets, it remains broadly under-tested by drilling. Recent intersections of wide, structurally deformed and strongly altered shear zones provide significant confidence in the exploration model and future success is expected. Standard Uranium's eastern Athabasca projects comprise over 43,185 hectares of prospective land holdings. The eastern basin projects are highly prospective for unconformity related and/or basement hosted uranium deposits based on historical uranium occurrences, recently identified geophysical anomalies, and location along trend from several high-grade uranium discoveries. Standard Uranium's Sun Dog project, in the northwest part of the Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan, is comprised of nine mineral claims over 19,603 hectares. The Sun Dog project is highly prospective for basement and unconformity hosted uranium deposits yet remains largely untested by sufficient drilling despite its location proximal to uranium discoveries in the area. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as of the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: the timing and content of upcoming work programs; geological interpretations; timing of the Company's exploration programs; and estimates of market conditions. Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements contained herein. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Certain important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements are highlighted in the "Risks and Uncertainties" in the Company's management discussion and analysis for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2025. Forward-looking statements are based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Company at this time, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies that may cause the Company's actual financial results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied herein. Some of the material factors or assumptions used to develop forward-looking statements include, without limitation: the future price of uranium; anticipated costs and the Company's ability to raise additional capital if and when necessary; volatility in the market price of the Company's securities; future sales of the Company's securities; the Company's ability to carry on exploration and development activities; the success of exploration, development and operations activities; the timing and results of drilling programs; the discovery of mineral resources on the Company's mineral properties; the costs of operating and exploration expenditures; the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on mining; employee relations; relationships with and claims by local communities and indigenous populations; availability of increasing costs associated with mining inputs and labour; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development (including the risks of obtaining necessary licenses, permits and approvals from government authorities); uncertainties related to title to mineral properties; assessments by taxation authorities; fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Any forward-looking statements and the assumptions made with respect thereto are made as of the date of this news release and, accordingly, are subject to change after such date. The Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities laws. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Neither the TSX-V nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX-V) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/268993 SOURCE: Standard Uranium Ltd. Miami, Florida--(Newsfile Corp. - October 3, 2025) - On episode 109 of the DesignRush Podcast, Prashant Puri, Co-Founder & CEO of AdLift, and Cliff Skelliter, Founder & Creative Director of Sky Story Creative, unpack the hidden mistakes that cause agencies to lose clients before they've even won the pitch. Source: DesignRush To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10587/269015_33dbf87264e9289e_001full.jpg Drawing on years of experience leading global campaigns and creative storytelling initiatives, Puri and Skelliter reveal that the real reason agencies lose clients is broken trust. The episode tackles a critical challenge for agencies today: why do so many brands walk away from pitches, even when agency credentials are strong? According to Puri and Skelliter, the four most common deal-breakers are: Generic, copy-paste pitches that erode confidence before the conversation even begins that erode confidence before the conversation even begins "Secret sauce" mysticism that hides strategy instead of building transparency that hides strategy instead of building transparency Selling clicks and vanity metrics instead of tying work to business outcomes instead of tying work to business outcomes Unclear processes that create doubt, even when results are strong "What are we trying to do here? We're just trying to build rapport. Once we have connection, we can build from there," says Skelliter. Puri emphasizes how foresight and clarity set agencies apart: "Having foresight becomes really, really critical that's what makes the differentiating factor." Key Takeaways for Agencies: Lead with client-specific relevance, not recycled slides Be transparent about strategy and process Tie work to measurable growth outcomes Use structured systems and high-touch communication to build trust Want to be a guest on the DesignRush Podcast? Email spotlight@designrush.com to get featured. About the Prashant Puri Co-founder and CEO of AdLift, Puri helps Fortune 500 and growth-stage brands. He distills complex performance marketing into clear, scalable strategies and is a regular speaker at BrightonSEO, Pubcon, and Digital Summit. About Cliff Skelliter As founder and creative director of Sky Story Creative, Skelliter blends cultural insight with creative storytelling to build brands that resonate. His approach, rooted in interpretive design, emphasizes community knowledge and authentic brand narratives. About DesignRush DesignRush is a media platform and a B2B marketplace connecting businesses with agencies through expert reviews and agency ranking lists, awards, knowledge resources, and personalized agency recommendations for vetted projects. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/269015 SOURCE: DesignRush WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - As the travel period for the Jewish holiday of Sukkot approaches, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has reminded travelers to use vigilance when crossing the nation's ports of entry. Beginning after sundown October 6, until after nightfall on October 13, travelers observing Sukkot may carry religious items that are normally regulated to prevent the introduction of invasive pests and diseases. These items, including ethrogs, palm fronds (lulav), twigs of willow (aravah) and myrtle (hadassim), might be allowed into the United States after inspection by CBP agriculture specialists. Travelers can bring ethrogs into the U.S. through specific ports in the North Atlantic or Northern Pacific regions. The ethrog will need to be unwrapped so a CBP agriculture specialist can inspect it and will not be allowed in if they find pests or insect damage. Single palm fronds will be inspected by CBP agriculture specialists and released if they find no pests or symptoms of disease. European twigs of willow are prohibited from entering the United States, but if they come from other locations, they will be inspected by CBP agriculture specialists and released if no pests or symptoms of disease, such as being green in color, having soft tissue, or sprouted buds are found. Twigs of myrtle will be inspected by agriculture specialists and released if no pests or symptoms of disease are found. Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles or Feast of Booths, is a Torah-commanded Jewish holiday celebrated for seven days, beginning on October 6. Copyright(c) 2025 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. WNS (Holdings) Limited (NYSE: WNS), a digital-led business transformation and services company, announced today that an annual general meeting ("AGM") of its shareholders will be held on Thursday, October 30, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. (GMT), at 22 Grenville, St Helier, Jersey JE4 8PX, Channel Islands. If the proposed acquisition by Capgemini S.E. (or its nominee(s)) of the entire issued and to be issued share capital of the Company to be implemented by means of a scheme of arrangement between the Company and its members pursuant to Articles 125 and 126 of the Companies (Jersey) Law 1991 (the Acquisition) completes at any time on or prior to 11:00 a.m. GMT on October 30, 2025 the record date for determining those Shareholders who will be entitled to attend and vote at the Annual General Meeting will automatically change to 11:00 a.m. GMT on October 30, 2025 (so that the only member of the Company entitled to attend and vote at that meeting will be Capgemini S.E. (or its nominee(s)); and at the direction of Capgemini S.E., the Annual General Meeting will be cancelled. The notice of AGM, proxy statement, voting card and proxy card is being sent to WNS shareholders today and will be made available on WNS's website at https://ir.wns.com. A Shareholder entitled to attend and vote at the AGM is entitled to appoint a proxy or proxies to attend the AGM and to vote on their behalf. A card of proxy should be completed in accordance with the instructions printed thereon. Shareholders may also obtain a copy of the notice of AGM, proxy statement, proxy card and voting card, free of charge, by sending a written request at web.queries@computershare.com or to the Computershare Trust Company, N.A. at 150 Royall Street, Canton, Massachusetts 02021, United States of America or by calling Shareholder services line: +1 (781) 575 3100 or write to the Company at Gopi.Krishnan@wns.com, attention Gopi Krishnan. About WNS WNS (Holdings) Limited (NYSE: WNS) is a digital-led business transformation and services company. WNS combines deep domain expertise with talent, technology, and AI to co-create innovative solutions for over 700 clients across various industries. WNS delivers an entire spectrum of solutions including industry-specific offerings, customer experience services, finance and accounting, human resources, procurement, and research and analytics to re-imagine the digital future of businesses. As of June 30, 2025, WNS had 66,085 professionals across 65 delivery centers worldwide including facilities in Canada, China, Costa Rica, India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Poland, Romania, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States. For more information, visit www.wns.com. Safe Harbor Provision This release contains forward-looking statements, as defined in the safe harbor provisions of the US Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and assumptions about our Company and our industry. Generally, these forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of terminology such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "will," "seek," "should" and similar expressions. These statements include, among other things, expressed or implied forward-looking statements relating to discussions of our strategic initiatives and the expected resulting benefits, our growth opportunities, industry environment, our expectations concerning our future financial performance and growth potential, including estimated capital expenditures, and expected foreign currency exchange rates. Forward-looking statements inherently involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Such risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to our pending acquisition by Capgemini S.E., including our expectations relating to timing and completion of the transaction, worldwide economic and business conditions, our dependence on a limited number of clients in a limited number of industries; currency fluctuations; political or economic instability in the jurisdictions where we have operations; regulatory, legislative and judicial developments; increasing competition in the BPM industry; technological innovation; our liability arising from fraud or unauthorized disclosure of sensitive or confidential client and customer data; telecommunications or technology disruptions; our ability to attract and retain clients; negative public reaction in the US or the UK to offshore outsourcing; our ability to collect our receivables from, or bill our unbilled services to our clients; our ability to expand our business or effectively manage growth; our ability to hire and retain enough sufficiently trained employees to support our operations; the effects of our different pricing strategies or those of our competitors; our ability to successfully consummate, integrate and achieve accretive benefits from our strategic acquisitions, and to successfully grow our revenue and expand our service offerings and market share; future regulatory actions and conditions in our operating areas; our ability to manage the impact of climate change on our business; and volatility of our share price. These and other factors are more fully discussed in our most recent annual report on Form 10-K and subsequent reports on Form 6-K and Form 8-K filed with or furnished to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) which are available at www.sec.gov. We caution you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, we do not undertake to update any forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251002883435/en/ Contacts: Investors David Mackey EVP Finance Head of Investor Relations WNS (Holdings) Limited +1 (646) 908-2615 david.mackey@wns.com Media Archana Raghuram EVP Global Head Marketing Communications WNS (Holdings) Limited +91 (22) 4095 2397 archana.raghuram@wns.com; pr@wns.com SAN RAMON (dpa-AFX) - A large fire and explosions were reported at a jet fuel production unit at Chevron's El Segundo refinery near Los Angeles Thursday night. Large flames and substantial smoke emanated from the fire, which was confined to one area, and contained later. No one was injured in the incident, Chevron said, adding that the company has informed the concerned authorities. It will investigate the cause of the fire and ensure the safe resumption of operations. 'Our office is coordinating with local and state agencies to ensure public safety,' California Governor Gavin Newsom's press office said on X. Surrounding air quality was mostly unaffected, according to reports. Manhattan Beach city authorities issued an emergency notification of a brief shelter-in-place order for parts of the region, located about two miles southwest of El Segundo. The El Segundo refinery is one of the biggest refineries on the U.S. West Coast, processing 276,000 barrels of crude oil per day, according to Chevron. Copyright(c) 2025 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 3, 2025) - Daura Gold Corp. (TSXV: DGC) ("Daura" or the "Company") announces that due to strong investor interest the Company is upsizing its previously announced non-brokered private placement. The Company will now offer (the "Offering") up to 28,000,000 units (each, a "Unit") by way of non-brokered private placement at a price of $0.25 per Unit for gross proceeds of up to $7,000,000. Each Unit will consist of one common share of the Company and one-half-of-one share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to acquire an additional common share of the Company at a price of $0.375 for a period of twenty-four months following closing of the Offering. The Company expects to utilize the proceeds of the Offering for advancement of its exploration land package in the Ancash Department of Peru, including the Company's flagship Antonella project and the Yanamina Project 40km, north of Antonella, and for general working capital purposes. Daura's President, Mark Sumner, commented: "We are very grateful to those who have supported us in this upsized, oversubscribed private placement, which has significantly exceeded $7 million. It was very gratifying to see the confidence and support investors have shown in Daura. As stated before, this oversubscribed offering puts Daura in a strong position to advance and accelerate our work and community programs across Daura's projects. We would like to thank all of those who subscribed and look forward to Daura's next phase of growth." In connection with completion of the Offering, the Company will pay finders' fees to eligible third-parties who have introduced subscribers to the Offering. All securities issued in connection with the Offering will be subject to restrictions on resale for a period of four-months-and-one-day in accordance with applicable securities laws. Completion of the Offering remains subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. ABOUT DAURA GOLD CORP. Listed on the TSX Venture Exchange, Daura is advancing high-impact exploration projects in Peru's renowned Ancash region. Daura owns a 100% undivided interest in over 13,000 hectares of exploration concessions in Ancash, including the 900-hectare Antonella target, which is the primary focus of Daura's current exploration efforts. For further information please contact: Daura Gold Corp. 543 Granville, Suite 501 Vancouver BC V6C 1X8 CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION: Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations; they are not guarantees of future performance. Daura cautions that all forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond Daura's control. Such factors include, among other things: future prices and the supply of gold and other precious and other metals; future demand for gold and other valuable metals; inability to raise the money necessary to incur the expenditures required to retain and advance the property; environmental liabilities (known and unknown); general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; results of exploration programs; risks of the mineral exploration industry; delays in obtaining governmental approvals; adverse weather conditions and failure to obtain necessary regulatory or shareholder approvals. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Daura disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/268984 SOURCE: Daura Gold Corp. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan--(Newsfile Corp. - October 3, 2025) - 1844 Resources Inc. (TSXV: EFF) (the "Company" or "1844") announces that it has amended the previously announced shares for debt agreements (see Press Release dated April 2, 2025) with certain arm's length creditors and two companies owned by directors of the Company (collectively, the "Creditors"). The amended agreements settle debts in an aggregate amount of $413,067[1] in relation to services provided by the Creditors to the Company by the issuance of 3,596,936 common shares in the capital of the Company (the "Shares") at a deemed price of $0.05 per Share (the "Debt Settlement"). The Company also announces an agreement to settle debts of $195,556 for services provided by an arm's length creditor by the issuance of 1,758,687 common shares in the capital of the Company at a deemed price of $0.11 per Share (collectively with the Debt Settlement, the "Debt Settlements"). All the Shares issued in connection with the Debt Settlements will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months plus a day from the date of issuance in accordance with applicable securities legislation. Closing of the Debt Settlement is subject to a number of conditions, including receipt of all necessary corporate and regulatory approvals, including the TSX Venture Exchange. About 1844 Resources Inc.: 1844 is an exploration company with a focus in strategic and energetic metals and underexplored regions "Gaspe, Quebec." With a dedicated management team, the Company's goal is to create shareholder value through the discovery of new deposits. FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION This press release may contain forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, constitute "forward-looking statements" and include any information that addresses activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future including the Company's strategy, plans or future financial or operating performance and other statements that express management's expectations or estimates of future performance. Neither the Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. [1] $137,500 of $370,720 owing to two companies owned by two directors of the Company is being settled through Shares at a deemed price of $0.05 per Share. The remainder of the balance, $233,220, has been written off. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/269017 SOURCE: 1844 Resources Inc. Congratulations, Angelina Widmer, on winning the 2025 Community Impact Scholarship! WESTBURY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / October 3, 2025 / Levine And Wiss and its team of Westbury personal injury lawyers debuted the Community Impact Scholarship to reward students who've contributed their time and talents to the betterment of in-need communities. This year, Angelina Widmer 's efforts to address literacy concerns in and around New York City moved the team and secured her $2,500 to dedicate toward her studies at Babson College. Although she pursues higher education in Massachusetts, Widmer is originally from Levittown, NY, and has dedicated many years of her life to serving the New York community. Widmer's scholarship essay detailed over seven years of work with the New York organization, The Book Fairies. Widmer connected with the literacy program after cultivating a deep love of reading as a child. As a volunteer and member of the organization's charity board, Widmer oversaw the collection of $1,200 on behalf of literacy initiatives as well as the donation of thousands of books to communities in need. Widmer's efforts have made her a pillar of literacy activism among her family and friends. Her efforts with The Book Fairies saw her help overcome educational barriers brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Those efforts also allowed her to marry her passion for competitive swimming and indoor track with book drives, ensuring that she could introduce new audiences to The Book Fairies' literacy initiatives. With help from family, friends, neighbors, and community members, Widmer has also donated a swath of books to prisons, homeless shelters, and international literacy programs. Widmer is currently majoring in business at Babson College. She hopes to concentrate in finance, making it easier for her to pursue a career in corporate finance upon her graduation. She intends to continue working with The Book Fairies for years to come, making it easier for the literacy initiative to continue expanding its reach. Widmer's efforts to improve literacy rates throughout New York State embody the exact kind of compassionate community support that Levine And Wiss wants to reward. The team hopes that future Community Impact Scholarship applicants can follow in Widmer's footsteps and offer a helping hand to others in need. Future scholarship applicants can read through the Community Impact Scholarship page to learn more about the qualifying criteria and upcoming submission deadlines. About Levine And Wiss Levine And Wiss are here to protect clients' rights to legal action and to preserve their access to fair compensation. The team doesn't bow in the face of insurance companies or others. The firm has over 100 years of combined experience that it puts to work for the people who trust its legal professionals with their futures. Levine And Wiss clients can count on its attorneys to tactfully tackle their personal injury and wrongful death cases. Anyone interested in fighting for the financial and medical resources they need to recover from a recent accident can contact the team for assistance today. SOURCE: Levine And Wiss, PLLC View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/levine-and-wiss-pllc-announces-2025-scholarship-winner-1081175 GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA / ACCESS Newswire / October 3, 2025 / Cameron Ashley Building Products (Cameron Ashley) has opened its newest distribution center in Fort Myers, Florida, strengthening its ability to serve contractors throughout the Gulf Coast. The facility will stock fiberglass insulation, mineral wool, spray foam, rigid board, sheathing, and related accessories, giving customers faster access to the products they need for residential and commercial projects. "Fort Myers and the surrounding Southwest Florida market are experiencing tremendous construction activity, and our goal is to be right there alongside our customers," said Cameron Ashley Regional Vice President John Gambone. "By opening this new location, we can bring inventory closer to the jobsite, cut down delivery times, and ensure customers can keep projects moving without delay. Just as important, we are local product knowledge experts, committed to helping our customers win more jobs, improve their profitability, and grow their business. We see ourselves as true partners in their success." The Fort Myers facility joins Cameron Ashley's Lakeland distribution center and follows the highly successful launch of Fort Pierce earlier this year. Together, these sites form a growing statewide network designed to keep pace with Florida's rapid growth. "Jacksonville is up next before the end of the year," Gambone added. "Our commitment is clear -- keep expanding where our customers need us most." Distribution Center Manager Johnny Walker will lead the Fort Myers team. With more than 15 years of experience in the insulation industry, beginning his career as an installer before moving into operations and sales, Walker brings a deep understanding of both the product and the customer. "I have seen this business from the ground up, and I take great pride in sharing that knowledge with our customers," Walker said. "Our mission here is simple -- get the right materials to customers quickly, while backing it up with expertise they can count on." The Fort Myers Distribution Center is located at 9385 Laredo Ave, Ste. 170, Ft. Myers, FL 33905 and can be reached at 239-288-0119. About Cameron Ashley Building Products, Inc. Cameron Ashley is a leading wholesale distributor of roofing, insulation, gypsum, siding, and other specialty building products. We deliver a premier portfolio of nationally recognized brands to customers across the lumber and building materials industry. With more than 70 distribution centers nationwide, we stock large volumes of building products locally and offer flexible, customer-centric delivery options through our F^ST same-day or next-day delivery platforms. Our relationship-driven approach includes the industry-leading PLUS Points loyalty program, free merchandising support, as well as exclusive purchasing and show incentives. Customers can shop anytime through either our CONNECT online portal or mobile app, which provide real-time access to product availability, pricing, order history, secure payments, and detailed product specs and warranties. To learn more or place an order, visit cameronashleybp.com. SOURCE: Cameron Ashley Building Products Related Images View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/cameron-ashley-expands-in-florida-with-new-fort-myers-distributi-1081218 Miami, Florida--(Newsfile Corp. - October 3, 2025) - ONAR Holding Corporation (OTCQB: ONAR), a fast-growing marketing technology company and global network of performance-driven agencies, today announced its role as a Platinum Sponsor for the upcoming Centurion One Capital 3rd Annual Bahamas Summit. ONAR is also pleased to confirm that its Chairman and CEO, Claude Zdanow, will be a featured presenter at the exclusive event, which runs from October 28-29, 2025, at the Rosewood Baha Mar in Nassau, The Bahamas. The summit is an invitation-only event that brings together the world's leading small cap growth companies to an audience of global growth investors. Zdanow's presentation will be a cornerstone of ONAR's participation, offering attendees from around the world a unique opportunity to learn about the future of marketing and the Company's strategies to deliver AI-driven marketing solutions to the underserved middle market. "The Centurion One Capital Bahamas Summit provides an unparalleled platform for meaningful dialogue and collaboration," said Zdanow. "At ONAR, our philosophy is built upon visionary leadership and transformative ideas. Sponsoring this event aligns perfectly with our mission to connect capital with innovation. We are particularly excited to engage with the brilliant entrepreneurs who are shaping the future of global industry and to share our perspective on the growing need for AI-powered marketing technology and services." Set against the stunning backdrop of Nassau's iconic Cable Beach, the two-day summit blends formal company presentations and strategic one-on-one meetings with dynamic panel discussions. To further encourage collaboration, the event also includes exclusive networking opportunities during hosted lunches and dinners, creating an ideal environment for sparking investment and forging lasting partnerships. Zdanow will be available for a limited number of one-on-one meetings to discuss the company's forward-thinking strategy and provide exclusive insights into how ONAR is shaping the future of marketing. Accredited investors interested in discovering transformative growth opportunities are encouraged to register for the summit promptly to secure their participation. About ONAR ONAR (OTCQB: ONAR) is a leading marketing technology company and marketing agency network. The Company's mission is to power unparalleled marketing services that drive revenue growth through an integrated, AI-driven approach. Committed to honor, candor, and best-in-class results, ONAR's agency network offers a range of digital marketing services including performance marketing & healthcare marketing. ONAR's agencies focus on servicing middle-market and growth stage companies, and the Company is actively searching for agencies to acquire and become part of the network. Additionally, the Company's technology incubator, ONAR Labs, is focused on identifying, developing, and commercializing innovative marketing technology solutions. For more information, visit www.onar.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements are based on ONAR's current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that it believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, and financial needs. These statements are not historical facts and are inherently uncertain and outside of ONAR's control. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements regarding ONAR's expectations regarding its ability to achieve its financial and strategic goals; its ability to expand its client base and market share; and its ability to develop and launch new products and services. Actual results may differ materially from ONAR's expectations and projections due to various risks and uncertainties, including market conditions, competition, the ability to protect intellectual property, the ability to manage growth, changes in laws and regulations, and other factors described in ONAR's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release, and ONAR undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/268942 SOURCE: Centurion One Capital Corp. RALEIGH, N.C., Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- UtilityInnovation Group (UIG) today announced the appointment of Jon Rodriguez as President of Energy Centers, a new role focused on delivering next-generation power solutions to support the rapid expansion of data centers in North America and Europe. The global surge in artificial intelligence (AI) and high-density compute applications is transforming the power requirements of data centers. UIG's Energy Centers solutions have met this challenge head-on, providing data center developers and operators with energy systems optimized for development readiness, operational flexibility, and enhanced resiliency. Rodriguez's appointment will accelerate UIG's deployment of these solutions, positioning UIG at the forefront of one of the fastest-growing segments in the energy industry. As President of Energy Centers, Rodriguez will lead UIG's efforts to expand on its industry-leading experience and programmatically deliver solutions. A core part of UIG's advanced power offering is its Energy Storage for Resiliency (ESR) and GridSure platform. ESR enhances Energy Center power stability, alleviates the load challenges of energy-intensive AI, and optimizes large microgrids. GridSure integrates controls and asset management for enhanced resilience and reliability for mission-critical data center operations. Together, these advancements ensure that UIG's Energy Center solutions deliver scalable, intelligent, and secure solutions for clients navigating the unprecedented growth of AI infrastructure. Rodriguez brings over two decades of experience in utility-scale power plant development, design, construction, and operations. Most recently, he held a leadership position within Wartsila Energy's North American team, where he focused on large-scale reciprocating engine (RICE) power plant solutions for utilities and data centers. His career also includes extensive experience developing behind-the-meter generation solutions, including demand response, capacity management, and resiliency strategies for industrial, retail, and data center clients. Rodriguez holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and is a licensed Professional Engineer. "Taking on the role as President of Energy Centers at UIG is an extremely exciting opportunity-one that includes working collaboratively with all stakeholders in the data center industry to enable Energy Center solutions and building practices that support the rapid implementation and expansion of grid capacity and flexibility," said Rodriguez. "Development of Energy Center solutions that are optimized for absolute resiliency using industry-leading technology is critical to data center growth, and I'm thrilled to expand on UIG's track record alongside an exceptional team." "Jon's experience leading the commercialization of utility-scale power plants will be instrumental in UIG's growth in the global Energy Center market," said Derek Tugwell, President and Co-founder of UIG. "His leadership and expertise will accelerate our ability to deliver innovation at scale, supporting the demands of AI-driven data centers, utilities, and other large energy users. We're excited to welcome him to our team." About UtilityInnovation Group (UIG) UtilityInnovation Group (UIG) is a global leader in advanced energy controls and resilient infrastructure engineering. The company specializes in transforming complex power hardware into intelligent, adaptable systems capable of meeting the demands of AI data centers, microgrids, and other critical infrastructure. With a proven record of large-scale deployments worldwide, UIG's technology ensures both reliability and continuous adaptability in the face of evolving energy challenges. For more information about UtilityInnovation Group, visit www.UIG.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2251850/Utility_Innovation_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/utilityinnovation-group-appoints-jon-rodriguez-president-of-energy-centers-to-drive-data-center-power-solutions-302574272.html Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 3, 2025) - Hispania Resources Inc. (TSXV: ESPN) ("Hispania" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce that it has closed its previously announced non-brokered private placement (the "Offering"). In connection with the Offering, the Company issued 20,000,000 units of the Company (the "Units") at a price per Unit of $0.025 for aggregate proceeds of $500,000. The Units consist of (i) one common share of the Company (each, a "Common Share"); and (ii) one Common Share purchase warrant (each, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant shall entitle the holder to acquire one additional Common Share at an exercise price of C$0.05 for a period of 36 months following the Offering. The proceeds from the Offering will be used for exploratory work at any of the Company's three owned mining assets, as well as general working capital and general administrative expenses. No commission or finders fees were payable in connection with the Offering. The securities issued pursuant to the Offering will be subject to a four-month and one day hold period in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws and TSXV policies. Rahim Allani subscribed, directly or indirectly, for 1,800,000 Units. Mr. Allani is considered a related party for the purposes of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"), and his purchase of Units constitutes a "related party transaction" within the meaning of MI 61-101. The Company is relying upon exemptions from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 pursuant to sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a), respectively. The Board of Directors of the Company has, subject to the appropriate recusal of the interested directors, unanimously approved the issuance and no contrary view or abstention was expressed or made by any director in relation to the issuances. The Company has not filed a material change report more than 21 days before the expected closing of the Offering as the details of the Offering and the participants thereof had not yet been finalized. Prior to the Offering, Mr. Allani owned, or had control or direction over 4,282,000 Common Shares, representing approximately 7.75% of issued and outstanding Common Shares on a partially diluted basis. After the closing of the Offering, Mr. Allani owns, or has control over 6,082,000 Common Shares and 1,800,000 Warrants representing approximately 8% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares on a partially diluted basis. This disclosure is being included pursuant National Instrument 62-103 - The Early Warning System and Related Take-Over Bid and Insider Reporting Issues which requires a report to be filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ containing additional information respecting the foregoing matters. About Hispania Resources Inc. Hispania Resources Inc is a mineral exploration company focused on mining opportunities in Spain. Hispania is currently focused on developing 3 core assets across Spain, including the copper, zinc project Otero; the formerly producing tin project Lumbrales; and the copper, zinc Puebla de la Reina project. The management of Hispania contains industry veterans who have more than 120 years of mineral exploration and production experience in multiple jurisdictions and have successfully managed multiple international mining companies. This includes in Spain, where some of the team was responsible for the founding and building of Iberian Minerals with the continued support of the local and regional governments, including the well-developed and sophisticated transportation and mining infrastructure. For more information on Hispania Resources Inc., visit: http://HispaniaResources.com. Forward Looking Statements Certain information in this news release constitutes forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, the "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of Canadian securities laws, and is subject to numerous risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, many of which are beyond the Company's control. This forward-looking information includes, among other things, information with respect to the Company's beliefs, plans, expectations, anticipations, estimates and intentions. The words "may", "could", "should", "would", "suspect", "outlook", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "plan", "target" and similar words and expressions are used to identify forward-looking information, including the use of proceeds of the Offering. The forward-looking information in this news release describes the Company's expectations as of the date of this news release. The Company cautions that the foregoing list of material factors is not exhaustive. When relying on the Company's forward-looking information to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. The Company has assumed a certain progression, which may not be realized. It has also assumed that the material factors referred to in the previous paragraph will not cause such forward-looking information to differ materially from actual results or events. However, the list of these factors is not exhaustive and is subject to change and there can be no assurance that such assumptions will reflect the actual outcome of such items or factors. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release represent the expectations of the Company as of the date of this news release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Readers should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. While the Company may elect to, it does not undertake to update this information at any particular time. Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Not for distribution to United States Newswire Services or for dissemination in the United States. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/269021 SOURCE: Hispania Resources Inc. KAWASAKI, Japan, Oct 3, 2025 - (JCN Newswire) - Fujitsu today announced an expanded strategic collaboration with NVIDIA to create full-stack AI infrastructure that integrates AI agents. The initiative aims to bolster enterprises' competitive edge through AI, while preserving their autonomy in AI utilization.The collaboration will focus on co-developing and delivering an AI agent platform tailored for industry-specific AI agents in sectors such as healthcare, manufacturing, and robotics, along with an AI computing infrastructure that seamlessly integrates the FUJITSU-MONAKA CPU series and NVIDIA GPUs via NVIDIA NVLink Fusion. The combined AI agent platform and computing infrastructure will accelerate the AI industrial revolution with AI agents that continuously learn and improve. This will enable cross-industry, self-evolving, full-stack AI infrastructure, overcoming the limitations of general purpose computing systems.Through this initiative, Fujitsu aims to transform industries starting in Japan, fostering widespread AI adoption that expands globally, thereby enhancing competitiveness across all sectors and contributing to a sustainable society.Takahito Tokita, Representative Director, CEO of Fujitsu, comments:"Fujitsu's strategic collaboration with NVIDIA will accelerate AI-driven business transformation in enterprise and government sectors. By combining the cutting-edge technologies of both companies, we will develop and provide full-stack AI infrastructure, starting with sectors such as manufacturing where Japan is a global leader. To further support the expanding needs of AI infrastructure, Fujitsu and NVIDIA will expand this partnership in the areas of high-performance computing and quantum."Jensen Huang, founder and CEO, NVIDIA, comments:"The AI industrial revolution has begun, and we must build the infrastructure to power it - in Japan and across the globe. Fujitsu is a true pioneer in computing and Japan's trusted leader in supercomputing, quantum research, and enterprise systems. Together, NVIDIA and Fujitsu are connecting and extending our ecosystems to forge a powerful partnership for the era of AI."BackgroundThough generative AI is already helping people communicate and create more quickly, high costs and technical hurdles can make it challenging to deploy, which confines its benefits primarily to large enterprises. To accelerate AI adoption and drive industrial transformation, Fujitsu is collaborating with NVIDIA to strengthen corporate competitiveness through AI while maintaining corporate autonomy in AI utilization.Vision for a full-stack AI infrastructureWorking with NVIDIA, Fujitsu aims to realize a human-AI co-creation cycle and continuous system evolution by integrating high-speed AI computing with human judgment and creativity. Specifically, it will accelerate manufacturing using digital twins, leverage physical AI [1], including robotics for operational automation to address labor shortages, and stimulate human innovation. The resulting cross-industry, full-stack AI infrastructure will deploy advanced AI to achieve transformative automation and intelligence previously unattainable.Fujitsu is focused on three key initiatives with NVIDIA as part of the expanded collaboration:1. Co-development of a self-evolving AI agent platform for industries- Development of an AI agent platform that balances high speed and strong security through multi-tenancy support, built on Fujitsu Kozuchi and integrating Fujitsu's AI workload orchestrator technology (developed with Fujitsu AI computing broker technology) with the NVIDIA Dynamo platform.- Creation of a mechanism enabling AI agents and AI models to autonomously evolve and be customized for specific sectors like healthcare and manufacturing and customer needs, achieved by leveraging NVIDIA NeMo and enhancing Fujitsu's multi-AI agent technologies, including optimization of Fujitsu's Takane AI model.- Provision of these developed AI agents as NVIDIA NIM microservices accelerating and streamlining AI adoption for customers with optimized inferences.2. Co-development and promotion of next-generation computing infrastructure- Co-development of a high-speed, sophisticated next-generation computing infrastructure, integrating Fujitsu's cutting-edge FUJITSU-MONAKA CPU series with NVIDIA's high-performance GPUs, coupled by NVIDIA NVLink-Fusion.- Co-creation of an optimized, AI computing platform from the silicon-level designed for zetascale performance, enabling widespread industrial adoption.- Provision of a comprehensive HPC-AI ecosystem through integrated software, combining Fujitsu's high-speed software technology for ARM with NVIDIA CUDA, offering one-stop support for AI transformation.3. Driving Customer Engagement- Establishment of a robust partner ecosystem to amplify the utilization of AI agents and models, with the ability to develop joint partner programs to accelerate ecosystem growth.- Development of transformative use cases, starting in specific industrial sectors, leveraging the AI infrastructure to support society.- Promotion of AI-driven societal transformation in sectors such as robotics through the social implementation of advanced technologies like physical AI, thereby contributing to customer growth.Future PlansThrough this collaboration with NVIDIA, Fujitsu aims to unlock new AI markets in previously challenging domains. By establishing this AI infrastructure as an indispensable social foundation for Japan's digital society by 2030, the initiative will accelerate enterprise AI market growth, fostering corporate development and creating significant social value.[1] Physical AI:AI that perceives and judges real-world situations through sensors and autonomously executes tasks through the operation of actuators i.e., in robots.Press Conference MaterialsHeld on October 3, 2025Materials from the press conference on Strategic Collaborationhttps://youtu.be/QAz5pB8JAgYAbout FujitsuFujitsu's purpose is to make the world more sustainable by building trust in society through innovation. As the digital transformation partner of choice for customers around the globe, our 113,000 employees work to resolve some of the greatest challenges facing humanity. Our range of services and solutions draw on five key technologies: AI, Computing, Networks, Data & Security, and Converging Technologies, which we bring together to deliver sustainability transformation. Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 3.6 trillion yen (US$23 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025 and remains the top digital services company in Japan by market share. global.fujitsuPress ContactsFujitsu LimitedPublic and Investor Relations DivisionInquiriesSource: Fujitsu LtdCopyright 2025 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 3, 2025) - Renegade Gold Inc. (TSXV: RAGE) (OTCQB: TGLDF) (FSE: 070) ("Renegade" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has entered into a purchase agreement dated October 2, 2025 (the "BobJo Agreement") to acquire the BobJo Property, covering 65 ha of nine patented claims, and an option agreement dated October 2, 2025 (the "Keystone Agreement") to acquire the Keystone Property, covering 4,320 ha of 212 unpatented single-cell claims, in the Red Lake Mining District, Ontario. With the addition of these properties, Renegade's consolidated land position in Red Lake now totals approximately 94,000 ha, one of the largest exploration portfolios in the district. The BobJo Property will be advanced as part of the Company's Confederation Project, while the Keystone Property expands Renegade's contiguous holdings between Red Lake Main, Gullrock, and Confederation properties, further strengthening the Company's position across both the Red Lake and Confederation greenstone belts. Devin Pickell, President and CEO for Renegade, commented, "The Keystone Property represents a strategic stretch of the Confederation unit that connects our core Red Lake land with our vast Confederation Belt holdings. This 15 km corridor begins near Red Lake at the Balmer-Confederation contact and extends eastward along highly favorable structural targets and mafic-felsic contacts which are key to recent Red Lake discoveries. The Keystone Property provides an excellent bridge between Red Lake and the Birch-Uchi Confederation belt while also allowing for more efficient claim management. The addition of BobJo comes at an exciting time as we renew our focus on building a strong pipeline of exploration targets within the Confederation Project. This property lies fully inside of our existing land position, and the historical presence of high-grade gold mineralization is extremely encouraging. We look forward to solidifying our exploration models and advancing new drill targets in this area." Figure 1. Location of the BobJo and Keystone Properties in the Red Lake Mining District, Ontario. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9850/269025_cfcaf64c74542ac1_001full.jpg About the BobJo Property The BobJo Property consists of nine patented mining claims covering approximately 65 ha within the Birch-Uchi greenstone belt, east of Red Lake, Ontario. The property is contiguous with Renegade's Confederation Project, providing a strategic addition to the Company's consolidated land position in the district. The surrounding area has a long history of production from both base metal and gold deposits including: the South Bay Mine, which produced 1.5 million tonnes at 1.8% copper, 11.06% zinc and 73 g/t silver over its 13-year mine life.1 The Grassett, Uchi, Hanalda and Jalda Mines also reported combined production output of 757,000 tonnes at 5.14 g/t gold,2 with the Grasset Mine alone producing 78,000 tonnes at 7.54 g/t gold.3 Exploration at BobJo dates back to the 1920's, when a shaft and small-scale mining activity were developed. Modern exploration includes a 2007 drilling program comprising 28 holes totalling 5,700 m, which returned multiple high-grade intercepts such as: 6.53 g/t Au over 8.3 m (BJ07-01) (BJ07-01) 123.6 g/t Au over 2.1 m (BJ07-14) (BJ07-14) 20.8 g/t Au over 1.1 m and 29.0 g/t Au over 0.3 m (BJ07-06)5 Figure 2. The BobJo property with surrounding historical mines within the Birch-Uchi greenstone belt. Past production in the area includes the South Bay and Grasset Mines, highlighting the prospective nature of the property for high-grade gold and base metal mineralization. See "Disclaimer Regarding Other Projects" below. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9850/269025_cfcaf64c74542ac1_002full.jpg About the Keystone Property The Keystone Property consists of 212 unpatented single-cell mining claims covering approximately 4,320 ha. The property is strategically located between Renegade's Red Lake Main, Gullrock, and Confederation properties and is contiguous with the Company's existing land holdings, consolidating a district-scale land package across the Red Lake and Confederation greenstone belts. Keystone is underlain by felsic volcanic and intrusive rocks of the Confederation assemblage and is considered prospective ground for volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) and orogenic gold deposits. With its large contiguous footprint and favourable geology. Keystone represents a compelling addition to Renegade's Red Lake portfolio, complementing the high-grade potential at BobJo and enhancing the Company's pipeline of exploration targets. Terms of BobJo Agreement Pursuant to terms of the BobJo Agreement, the Company must issue to the vendor 750,000 post-Consolidation (defined below) common shares within five business day of receipt of TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") approval of the BobJo Agreement. Terms of Keystone Agreement Pursuant to the terms of the Keystone Agreement, the Company has the option to acquire the Keystone Property by issuing a total of 3,000,000 post-Consolidated common shares and paying $150,000 in cash to the optionor as follows: (a) issue 1,500,000 post-Consolidation common shares within five business days of receipt of TSXV approval of the Keystone Agreement; and (b) on or before the first anniversary of TSXV approval, issue an additional 1,500,000 post-Consolidation common shares and pay $150,000 in cash. The optionor will retain a 2% net smelter returns royalty, half of which can be purchased by the Company for the payment of $500,000. Completion of the transactions under the BobJo Agreement and the Keystone Agreement remain subject to approval of the TSXV. No finders' fees are payable with respect to the transactions. Common Share Consolidation The Board of Directors of the Company has recommended and authorized a consolidation of the Company's outstanding common shares on the basis of three (3) pre-consolidation common shares for one (1) post-consolidation common share (the "Consolidation"). The Consolidation remains subject to TSXV approval. The effective date and further details of the Consolidation will be disclosed in a subsequent news release following receipt of all requisite approvals. Qualified Person The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Dale Ginn, P.Geo., the Executive Chair and director of the Company and a Qualified Person pursuant to National Instrument 43-101. Disclaimer Regarding Other Projects The information provided herein regarding adjacent properties, including, without limitation, the Grassett, Uchi, Hanalda and Jalda Mines, is not necessarily indicative of the mineralization on the property portfolio being acquired by the Company, including the BobJo and Keystone properties, or the Company's other properties. The Qualified Person has not verified the information concerning the adjacent properties, and there is no certainty that the same results or mineralization will be obtained on the property portfolio being acquired by the Company or the Company's other properties. 1 Ontario Mineral Inventory Record MDI52N02SE00012: South Bay Mine, South Bay, Selco Prospect 2 Ontario Mineral Inventory Record MDI52N02SE00002: Uchi (Hanalda), Hanalda, Kenelda, Uchi No. 3 Shaft 3 Ontario Mineral Inventory Record MDI52N02SE00009: Grassett, Uchi (Grasett) 4 Ontario Mineral Inventory Record MDI52N02SE00011: Bobjo, New York Oils 5Archibald, J.C. (2007): Diamond Drilling Report on the BobJo Mine Property for Mainstream Minerals Corporation and King's Bay Gold Corporation Ltd.; Assessment Report 20000003525 About Renegade Gold Inc. Renegade Gold Inc. is a growth focused company engaged in the business of acquisition, exploration and development of mineral properties located in the Red Lake Mining District of Northern Ontario. As part of its regional-scale consolidation strategy, the Company has assembled one of the largest prospective land packages in and around the Red Lake mining district in proximity to major mines and deposits, as well as along the Confederation Lake and Birch-Uchi greenstone belts. The 94,000-hectare prospective and diversified exploration portfolio has significant potential for gold and critical minerals on trend with the major structures hosting known gold occurrences in the Red Lake mining district today, though mineralization elsewhere in the Red Lake mining district is not necessarily indicative of the mineral potential at the Company's properties. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note regarding Forward-Looking Statements Statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "Forward-Looking Information") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words "anticipate," "significant," "expect," "may," "will" and similar expressions are intended to be among the statements that identify Forward-Looking Information. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, without limitation, statements related to: the closing of the transactions contemplated by the BobJo Agreement and Keystone Agreement; the Company making all payments under the BobJo Agreement and Keystone Agreement necessary for the Company to acquire the properties; the proposed Consolidation; TSXV approval of the BobJo Agreement, Keystone Agreement, and the Consolidation; details about potential mineralization; and the exploration potential of the BobJo and Keystone properties and the Company's other mineral projects. Forward-Looking Information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those implied by the forward-looking information. In preparing the Forward-Looking Information in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including, but not limited to, assumptions that general business and economic conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner and all requisite information will be available in a timely manner. Factors that may cause actual results to vary materially include, but are not limited to, inaccurate assumptions concerning the exploration for and development of mineral deposits, currency fluctuations, unanticipated operational or technical difficulties, risks related to unforeseen delays; general economic, market or business conditions, regulatory changes; timeliness of regulatory approvals, the risks of obtaining necessary licenses and permits, changes in general economic conditions or conditions in the financial markets and the inability to raise additional financing. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on this Forward-Looking Information. The Company does not assume the obligation to revise or update this Forward-Looking Information after the date of this release or to revise such information to reflect the occurrence of future unanticipated events, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/269025 SOURCE: Renegade Gold Inc. Edmonton, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - October 3, 2025) - TrustBIX Inc. (TSXV:TBIX) ("TrustBIX" or the "Company") announces it has signed an asset purchase agreement dated October 3, 2025 ("Agreement") with Mindsgate Ltd. (the "Vendor") for the acquisition of an Indoor Farm Management System ("IFMS") asset (the "Proposed Transaction"). TrustBIX believes that the Proposed Transaction will enhance its ability to provide a comprehensive indoor farming technology solution to businesses and operators in the sector. The IFMS is a fully integrated, production-ready platform featuring modules for farm operations, Internet of Things ("IoT") device management, AI-driven plant recognition, traceability, client relationship management ("CRM"), operator training, order management, and resource tracking. Together, these capabilities form an Enterprise Resource Planning ("ERP") grade solution tailored to indoor farming. Key Terms of the Agreement Pursuant to the Agreement, TrustBIX will acquire the IFMS asset, subject to the conditions contained in the Agreement, in exchange for issuing 6,000,000 units (the "Consideration Units") to the Vendor on the closing date. Each Consideration Unit will be comprised of one (1) common share in the capital of TrustBIX ("Common Share") and one (1) Common Share purchase warrant ("Warrant"), whereby each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one (1) Common Share at a price of $0.08 for a period of two (2) years from the date of closing. All securities issued under the Proposed Transaction, including any Common Shares issued upon exercise of the Warrants, will be subject to a statutory four-month and one-day hold period in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws. The closing of the Proposed Transaction is subject to a number of terms and conditions, including without limitation, the parties obtaining all necessary consents, orders and regulatory approvals, including approval of the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV"), and certain other customary closing conditions. No finder's fee is expected to be payable in connection with the Proposed Transaction. Board and Management Change Mr. Adam Morand has resigned from the Board of Directors and as the Chief Technology Officer of the Company, effective October 3, 2025. The Company wishes to express its appreciation to Mr. Morand for his contributions during his tenure. About TrustBIX (TSXV: TBIX) TrustBIX is an agricultural technology company providing Gate to Plate solutions to create a world where we trust more, waste less, and reward sustainable practices. Our award-winning technologies offer practical tools trusted by local and international agri-food organizations. www.TrustBIX.com Forward-Looking Information This press release contains certain forward-looking information and reflects the Company's present assumptions regarding future events. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, levels of activity, performance, and/or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Certain statements contained in this document constitute forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. When used in this document, the words "may", "would", "could", "should", "will", "intend", "plan", "propose", "anticipate", "believe", "forecast", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions used by any of the Company's management, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the Company's internal projections, expectations, future growth, performance and business prospects and opportunities and are based on information currently available to the Company. Since they relate to the Company's current views with respect to future events, they are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update any such factors or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect future results, events or developments except as required by applicable securities legislation, regulations or policies. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy of accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/268953 SOURCE: TrustBIX Inc. Kelowna, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 3, 2025) - F3 Uranium Corp. (TSXV: FUU) (OTCQB: FUUFF) (FSE: GL7) ("F3" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the closing of its previously announced "bought deal" private placement (the "Offering") for aggregate gross proceeds of C$20,000,000, which includes the exercise in full of the Underwriters' (as defined herein) over-allotment option. Pursuant to the Offering, the Company sold the following: 25,000,000 units of the Company (each, a "Unit") at a price of C$0.20 per Unit; 14,814,815 non-critical mineral flow-through units of the Company sold to charitable purchasers (the "NFT Units") at a price of C$0.27 per NFT Unit; 16,666,667 federal flow-through units of the Company sold to charitable purchasers (the "FFT Units") at a price of C$0.30 per FFT Unit; and 18,181,818 Saskatchewan flow-through units of the Company sold to charitable purchasers (the "SFT Units", and together with the NFT Units and FFT Units, the "FT Units") at a price of C$0.33 per SFT Unit. The Units and FT Units shall be collectively referred to as the "Offered Securities." Red Cloud Securities Inc. ("Red Cloud") acted as lead underwriter and sole bookrunner, on behalf of a syndicate of underwriters including Canaccord Genuity Corp., Haywood Securities Inc. and SCP Resource Finance LP (collectively, the "Underwriters") under the Offering. Each Unit consists of one common share of the Company (each, a "Common Share") and one-half of one Common Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each FT Unit consists of one Common Share issued as a "flow-through share" within the meaning of subsection 66(15) of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (each, a "FT Share") and one-half of one Warrant. Each whole Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Common Share (each, a "Warrant Share") at a price of C$0.30 at any time on or before October 3, 2028. The proceeds of the Offering will be used by the Company to fund the exploration of the Company's projects in the Athabasca Basin in Saskatchewan as well as for general corporate purposes and working capital, as is more fully described in the Amended Offering Document (as herein defined). The gross proceeds from the sale of FT Shares will be used by the Company to incur eligible "Canadian exploration expenses" that qualify as "flow-through critical mineral mining expenditures" (with the exception of FT Shares issued from the sale of Non-Critical FT Units, which proceeds will qualify as "flow-through mining expenditures") as such terms are defined in the Income Tax Act (Canada), and to incur "eligible flow-through mining expenditures" pursuant to The Mineral Exploration Tax Credit Regulations, 2014 (Saskatchewan) (collectively, the "Qualifying Expenditures") related to the Company's uranium projects in the Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan, on or before December 31, 2026. All Qualifying Expenditures will be renounced in favour of the subscribers of the FT Units effective December 31, 2025. In accordance with National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions ("NI 45-106"), the Offered Securities were issued to Canadian purchasers pursuant to the listed issuer financing exemption under Part 5A of NI 45-106, as amended by Coordinated Blanket Order 45-935 - Exemptions from Certain Conditions of the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption (the "Listed Issuer Financing Exemption"). The securities issuable from the sale of the Offered Securities to purchasers resident in Canada are immediately freely tradeable in accordance with applicable Canadian securities legislation. The Units were also offered in offshore jurisdictions and in the United States on a private placement basis pursuant to one or more exemptions from the registration requirements of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"). All securities not issued pursuant to the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption are subject to a hold period in Canada ending on February 3, 2026. In connection with the Offering, the Company paid to the Underwriters an aggregate cash commission of C$1,095,619, equal to 5.5% of the gross proceeds raised in respect of the Offering (except for gross proceeds raised from the sale of Offered Securities sold to purchasers on a president's list (the "President's List"), which were subject to a reduced 2.75% cash commission). The Company also issued to the Underwriters a total of 4,091,975 warrants of the Company (the "Broker Warrants"), equal to 5.5% of the number of FT Units sold pursuant to the Offering (except for those FT Units sold to purchasers on the President's List, which were subject to a reduced number of Broker Warrants equal to 2.75%). Each Broker Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Common Share at a price of C$0.20 at any time on or before October 3, 2028. There is an amended and restated offering document (the "Amended Offering Document") related to the Offering that can be accessed under the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca and at the Company's website at www.f3uranium.com. The closing of the Offering remains subject to the final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to sell any of securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. About F3 Uranium Corp. F3 is a uranium exploration company, focusing on the high-grade JR Zone and new Tetra Zone discovery 13km to the south in the PW area on its Patterson Lake North (PLN) Project in the Western Athabasca Basin. F3 currently has 3 properties in the Athabasca Basin: Patterson Lake North, Minto, and Broach. The western side of the Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan, is home to some of the world's largest high grade uranium deposits including Paladin's Triple R project and NexGen's Arrow project. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Information This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, identified by words or phrases such as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "is expected", "scheduled", "estimates", "pending", "intends", "plans", "forecasts", "targets", or "hopes", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "will", "should" "might", "will be taken", or "occur" and similar expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking information herein includes, but is not limited to, statements that address activities, events or developments that F3 expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future including statements regarding the intended use of proceeds of the Offering, the tax treatment of the FT Shares and the receipt of final approval of the Offering by the TSX Venture Exchange. Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information relating to any future mineral production, liquidity, enhanced value and capital markets profile of the Company, future growth potential for the Company and its business, and future exploration plans are based on management's reasonable assumptions, estimates, expectations, analyses and opinions, which are based on management's experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, and other factors that management believes are relevant and reasonable in the circumstances, but which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, the price of metals; costs of exploration and development; the estimated costs of development of exploration projects; the Company's ability to operate in a safe and effective manner. These statements reflect the Company's respective current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of other assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information and the Company has made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation: the future tax treatment of the FT Shares, competitive risks and the availability of financing; uranium price volatility; risks associated with the conduct of the Company's exploration activities; regulatory, consent or permitting delays; risks relating to reliance on the Company's management team and outside contractors; the Company's inability to obtain insurance to cover all risks, on a commercially reasonable basis or at all; currency fluctuations; risks regarding the failure to generate sufficient cash flow from operations; risks relating to project financing and equity issuances; risks and unknowns inherent in all mining projects; contests over title to properties, particularly title to undeveloped properties; laws and regulations governing the environment, health and safety; operating or technical difficulties in connection with mining, development or exploration activities; employee relations, labour unrest or unavailability; the Company's interactions with surrounding communities; the speculative nature of exploration and development; stock market volatility; conflicts of interest among certain directors and officers; lack of liquidity for shareholders of the Company; litigation risk; and the factors identified in the Company's public disclosure documents. Readers are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or forward-looking information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements or information, other than as required by applicable law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/269019 SOURCE: F3 Uranium Corp. The Swiss startup presented the battery plus hydrogen idea to a Symposium this week.From ESS News Plan-B Net Zero has presented a concept that integrates battery storage and hydrogen systems for grid balancing, specifying the option as ideal for the grids in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The company outlined the approach at the D-A-CH Hydrogen Symposium in Wiener Neustadt this week. The Swiss company, founded in 2023, proposes using battery energy storage systems (BESS) for short-term grid fluctuations, while making use of stored hydrogen for "seasonal storage," the company said. The concept ... Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 3, 2025) - Silver Dollar Resources Inc. (CSE: SLV) (OTCQX: SLVDF) (FSE: 4YW) ("Silver Dollar" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the closing of its previously announced brokered private placement offering (the "Offering") of units of the Company (the "Units") at a price of $0.35 per Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of $5,900,000. The Offering was led by Research Capital Corporation as the sole agent and sole bookrunner (the "Agent"). Each Unit consists of one common share of the Company (each, a "Unit Share") and one common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one common share of the Company (each, a "Warrant Share") at a price of $0.45 until October 3, 2028. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering for exploration activities on the La Joya Silver Project in Durango, Mexico, the Ranger-Page Ag-Pb-Zn Project in Idaho's Silver Valley and for general working capital purposes. As part of the Offering, 14,000,000 Units ("LIFE Units") were sold to purchasers pursuant to the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption under Part 5A of National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions, as amended by Coordinated Blanket Order 45-935 - Exemptions from Certain Conditions of the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption (the "Listed Issuer Financing Exemption"), in British Columbia, Ontario, Alberta, Nova Scotia, Manitoba and other qualifying jurisdictions, including the United States. In addition, 2,857,150 Units ("Accredited Investor Units") were sold to accredited investors under the accredited investor exemption in Ontario. The LIFE Units offered are immediately "free-trading" under applicable Canadian securities laws. Unless permitted under securities legislation, the Accredited Investor Units cannot be traded before February 4, 2026. Mr. Eric Sprott, through 2176423 Ontario Ltd., a corporation which is beneficially owned by him, acquired 2,857,150 Units at $0.35 per Unit for total consideration of $1,000,002.50. Prior to the Offering, Mr. Sprott beneficially owned or controlled 10,021,241 common shares and 1,500,000 warrants representing approximately 17.7% of the outstanding shares on a non-diluted basis and approximately 19.8% on a partially diluted basis assuming the exercise of such warrants. Following the completion of the Offering, Mr. Sprott beneficially owns and controls 12,878,391 common shares and 4,356,150 warrants representing approximately 17.5% of the outstanding Shares on a non-diluted basis and 22.1% on a partially-diluted basis assuming the exercise of such warrants. The Units were acquired by Mr. Sprott for investment purposes. Mr. Sprott has a long-term view of the investment and may acquire additional securities of the Company including on the open market or through private acquisitions or sell securities of the Company including on the open market or through private dispositions in the future depending on market conditions, reformulation of plans and/or other relevant factors. Mr. Sprott is an existing insider of the Company, and as such, his participation in the private placement is a related-party transaction under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company is relying on exemptions from the minority shareholder approval and formal valuation requirements applicable to related-party transactions under sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a), respectively, of MI 61-101, as neither the fair market value of the Units purchased on behalf of Mr. Sprott nor the consideration paid by him exceeds 25 per cent of the Company's market capitalization. A copy of Mr. Sprott's early warning report will appear on Silver Dollar's profile on SEDAR+ and may also be obtained by calling Mr. Sprott's office at (416) 945-3294 (1106-7 King Street East, Toronto, ON, M5C 3C5). In connection with the Offering, the Company paid to the Agent a cash commission of $347,343.15 and issued to the Agent 992,409 broker warrants (the "Broker Warrants"). Each Broker Warrant entitles the holder thereof to acquire one Common Share at a price of $0.35 per Common Share at any time until October 3, 2028. None of the securities sold under the Offering have been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and no such securities may be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in the United States or any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. About Silver Dollar Resources Inc. Silver Dollar is a dynamic mineral exploration company focused on two of North America's premier mining regions: Idaho's prolific Silver Valley and the Durango-Zacatecas silver-gold belt. Our portfolio includes the advanced-stage Ranger-Page and La Joya projects, as well as the early-stage Nora project. The Company's financial backers include renowned mining investor Eric Sprott, our largest shareholder. Silver Dollar's management team is committed to an aggressive growth strategy and is actively reviewing potential acquisitions with a focus on drill-ready projects in mining-friendly jurisdictions. For additional information, you can visit our website at silverdollarresources.com, download our investor presentation, and follow us on X at x.com/SilverDollarRes. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Signed "Gregory Lytle" Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Information This news release includes certain statements and information that may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical facts, including statements regarding future estimates, plans, objectives, timing, assumptions or expectations of future performance, including, without limitation, the anticipated use of the net proceeds of the Offering are forward-looking statements and contain forward-looking information. Generally, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "intends" or "anticipates", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "should" or "would" or occur. Forward-looking statements are based on certain material assumptions and analysis made by the Company and the opinions and estimates of management as of the date of this press release, including, among other things, that the Company will use the net proceeds of the Offering as anticipated. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. Important risks that may cause actual results to vary, include, without limitation, that the Company will not use the net proceeds of the Offering as anticipated. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, forward-looking information or financial out-look that are incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/269016 SOURCE: Silver Dollar Resources Inc. ASTANA, Kazakhstan , Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Envision Energy, a global leader in green technology, announced a landmark collaboration in Kazakhstan's 1 GW Mirny Wind Farm, Kazakhstan's first and most ambitious renewable energy project to date, signing a Letter of Award (LOA) to supply 124 of its advanced 6.5 MW wind turbines. The agreement was signed during Kazakhstan Energy Week in Astana, in the presence of project partners TotalEnergies, Samruk-Energo JSC, and KazMunayGas. Developed by Aktas Energy, a partnership between TotalEnergies, Samruk-Energo JSC, and KazMunayGas, the Mirny project exemplifies how strategic investment, technological innovation, and international cooperation can transform a nation's energy landscape. With an estimated annual output of 4 billion kWh, the project will power over one million households while preventing 3.5 million tons of CO2 emissions annually. With an integrated 300 MW / 600 MWh Battery Energy Storage System, it will also enhance grid reliability and energy security for the country to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. Envision Energy was selected for its global leadership, cost-efficient solutions that make clean energy more accessible, and its strong commitment to local content and community engagement. The first turbines are expected to arrive in Kazakhstan by late 2026, with construction scheduled to begin the same year. Once completed, the project will not only reinforce Kazakhstan's energy security but also support the nation's pathway toward achieving carbon neutrality by 2060. "Kazakhstan is not only a vital partner of Envision Energy in the global energy transition, but also a nation with extraordinary potential to lead Central Asia toward a net-zero future," said John Lee, General Manager of Asia & Africa Markets at Envision Energy, "The Mirny wind project stands as a landmark example of how innovation and cross-border collaboration can come together to deliver clean, reliable, and affordable energy at scale. With our advanced 6.5 MW turbines, localized capabilities, and renewable-powered global supply chain, we are proud to support Kazakhstan's ambition to achieve 15% renewable energy by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. Together with our partners, we are turning this vision into reality- bringing lasting benefits to Kazakhstan, the region, and the world." "No nation or company can tackle climate change alone; it requires cross-border collaboration, technological excellence, and a shared vision," said Thierry Plaisant, Managing Director for TotalEnergies Renewables Kazakhstan, "With the advanced turbine technology, global expertise, and strong commitment to local content development, Envision Energy is the partner of choice for Kazakhstan's landmark wind energy project. Together with Envision, we are confident that the Mirny project will play a pivotal role in helping Kazakhstan achieve 15% renewable energy in its national energy mix by 2030, delivering reliable, efficient, and sustainable clean energy while creating lasting economic and social benefits for local communities." Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2788535/image.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/envision-energy-powers-central-asias-green-future-with-landmark-1-gw-mirny-wind-project-in-kazakhstan-302574830.html TOKYO, Oct 3, 2025 - (JCN Newswire) - NEC Security, a subsidiary of NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701), has been awarded a contract to provide cybersecurity services for GREENxEXPO 2027 (International Horticultural Expo 2027, Yokohama, Japan).GREENxEXPO 2027, organized by the Japan Association for the International Horticultural Expo 2027, Yokohama, is an A1 International Horticultural Exhibition that is scheduled to take place for approximately six months from March 19, 2027, to September 26, 2027. A1 is the highest category for horticultural exhibitions approved by the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) and recognized by the Bureau International des Exhibitions (BIE). Under the theme of "Scenery of the Future for Happiness," the event is expected to attract approximately 15 million visitors, including 10 million paid visitors.NEC Security has been awarded a contract to provide cybersecurity services for GREENxEXPO 2027 in recognition of its extensive track record and advanced technical capabilities. As part of the cybersecurity measures for this A1 International Horticultural Exhibition, NEC Security will contribute to stable operations by providing comprehensive services that include security monitoring, vulnerability management, and incident response, as well as operational support services, such as system development, assessment, and training.NEC Security's Cybersecurity Strengths- Extensive experience and know-how in security operations for international events, as well as cybersecurity measures for government agencies and critical infrastructure operators.- Cutting-edge Security Operations Center (SOC) services that leverage AI technology and the globally accumulated intelligence of the NEC Group (NEC plans to establish a new Cyber Intelligence and Operations Center* in the second half of FY2025).- Incident handling capabilities utilizing the knowledge and experience gained from building and operating the NEC Group's Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT), as well incident response capabilities, including on-site support.- An operational structure made up of highly specialized personnel with extensive practical experience and professional cybersecurity certifications, such as Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), and Information Security Specialist.- Extensive track record in conducting cyber defense exercises for government agencies and critical infrastructure companies, both in Japan and internationally.NEC Security is committed to contributing to the safety and security of digital infrastructure. Moving forward, the company will continue to work on the implementation of safe, secure, and reliable technology by providing cybersecurity products and services for international events, government agencies, critical infrastructure, and global enterprises.(*) Cyber Intelligence and Operations Center: A highly advanced security facility that will provide comprehensive services integrating intelligence-driven proactive cyberattack detection with incident response support, in addition to conventional SOC functions.About NEC CorporationNEC Corporation has established itself as a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies while promoting the brand statement of "Orchestrating a brighter world." NEC enables businesses and communities to adapt to rapid changes taking place in both society and the market as it provides for the social values of safety, security, fairness and efficiency to promote a more sustainable world where everyone has the chance to reach their full potential. For more information, visit NEC at https://www.nec.com.Source: NEC CorporationCopyright 2025 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 3, 2025) - Eric Olivier Savoie, President and Chief Executive Officer, National Bank Investments ("NBI" or the "Company") and his team, joined Graham MacKenzie, Managing Director, Exchange Traded Products, Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), to open the market and celebrate the launch of their ETF Series suite: NBI Canadian Core Plus Bond Fund - ETF Series (TSX: NCPB) NBI U.S. Equity Fund - ETF Series (TSX: NBUE) NBI U.S. Equity Fund - ETFH Series (TSX: NBUE.F) NBI Global Equity Fund - ETF Series (TSX: NBGE) NBI Global Equity Fund - ETFH Series (TSX: NBGE.F) NBI International Equity Fund - ETF Series (TSX: NBIE) NBI International Equity Fund - ETFH Series (TSX: NBIE.F) NBI Global Small Cap Fund - ETF Series (TSX: NBSC) NBI Global Small Cap Fund - ETFH Series (TSX: NBSC.F) NBI Target 2029 Investment Grade Bond Fund - ETF Series (TSX: NTGD) NBI Target 2030 Investment Grade Bond Fund - ETF Series (TSX: NTGE) NBI Target 2031 Investment Grade Bond Fund - ETF Series (TSX: NTGF) NBI Innovators Fund - ETF Series (TSX: NINV) NBI Innovators Fund - ETFH Series (TSX: NINV.F) NBI Quebec Growth Fund - ETF Series (TSX: NBQC) NBI SmartData U.S. Equity Fund - ETF Series (TSX: NSDU) NBI SmartData U.S. Equity Fund - ETFH Series (TSX: NSDU.F) NBI SmartData International Equity Fund - ETF Series (TSX: NSDI) NBI SmartData International Equity Fund - ETFH Series (TSX: NSDI.F) NBI Active U.S. Equity ETF - Hedged ETF Units (TSX: NUSA.F) Cannot view this video? Visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eADfEPHINK0 The launch of the ETF series by National Bank Investments marks a major strategic milestone in our investment solutions offering. These new series enable investors to build portfolios that are more robust, flexible, and aligned with today's market realities. True to our commitment to innovation and performance, we are opening the door to new investment opportunities while supporting our clients in a constantly evolving environment. This launch represents a turning point in our ability to deliver high-quality solutions designed to generate long-term value. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/269029 SOURCE: Toronto Stock Exchange Feature: Standing on deck, feeling proud: Hong Kong residents tour PLA ships Xinhua) 12:09, October 03, 2025 HONG KONG, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- On Wednesday morning, as the sun rose over the pier of the Stonecutters Island Naval Base in Hong Kong, Chinese navy ships Qi Jiguang and Yimengshan were lined up and ready for inspection. Qi Jiguang and Yimengshan arrived in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Tuesday morning. The two ships are hosting a series of naval-themed open ship activities. All 11,000 tickets for the activities were snapped up quickly. Many Hong Kong residents arrived early at the Stonecutters Island Naval Base to visit the two ships. Despite the hot weather, people's enthusiasm remained strong. "Please watch your step. This is the queue for photos. If you need any assistance, feel free to ask," said one of the guiding officers, whose uniform was soaked with sweat. He repeated instructions patiently throughout the day. At 10 a.m., the media area on the deck of the Qi Jiguang was bustling. Four naval cadets spoke to the press, sharing their experiences. When asked how naval cadets differ from regular university students, Luo Jinneng, one of the cadets, replied with a smile, "Our youth carries the vibrant navy blue and the weight of responsibility." Ms. Huang, who was visiting a naval ship for the first time with her child, appreciated the presence of onboard guides. "As lay people, we don't know much about naval equipment or ship structures, so the explanations helped a lot." Mabel Chui, a young local resident, toured the ships with her friends. She said that she felt honored to visit the vessels. "It's a valuable opportunity to see the country's modern military equipment and strong defense capabilities up close." Despite the sweltering heat, crowds continued to arrive. Aboard this "floating classroom," Hong Kong residents felt a growing sense of connection with the motherland. "I brought my child today to take part in the National Day celebrations and visit the country's ships. It's very meaningful," Ms. Sze said, adding that the country's growing strength gave her a real sense of security. Hong Kong resident Chan Siu-hang, a military enthusiast, was impressed by the weapon systems on the Yimengshan. "Our country's military capabilities are getting stronger and are now among the best in the world. I feel truly proud." (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan) Mindbreeze, a leading global provider of AI-based knowledge management solutions, has been recognized as a Leader in The Forrester Wave: Cognitive Search Platforms, Q4 2025. Forrester evaluated fourteen cognitive search providers based on their current offering, strategy, and customer feedback. Mindbreeze received recognition for its robust and secure platform, positive customer experiences, and vision for enabling enterprises to transform knowledge into an asset they can act on in real time. Access a complimentary copy of the report from the Mindbreeze website. In its evaluation, Forrester notes that "Mindbreeze is a great fit for enterprises that want a cognitive search platform that is both highly secure and highly flexible." The report also notes that "Mindbreeze's superior capabilities include a robust pipeline for ingesting, understanding, and contextually indexing data." Customers interviewed by Forrester further "report very positive experiences working with the Mindbreeze team when selecting and implementing the platform." "We believe being named a Leader in this Forrester Wave with the highest score in the current offering category reflects our engagement in delivering secure, enterprise-grade AI solutions in various deployment environments to meet the requirements of our different customer use cases. Just as importantly, it pointed out our commitment to helping customers prepare for the future of agentic AI by transforming knowledge into actionable intelligence," explains Daniel Fallmann, CEO and founder of Mindbreeze. More than 2,700 of the world's largest companies are leveraging Mindbreeze InSpire as a secure and accurate AI-based search solution for proactive knowledge management. Access "The Forrester Wave: Cognitive Search Platforms, Q4 2025" now. The Forrester Wave: Cognitive Search Platforms, Q4 2025 evaluation classifies vendors into the categories Leaders, Strong Performers, and Contenders. The review assesses the most significant providers in the market and is not representative of the entire vendor landscape. The Forrester Wave: Cognitive Search Platforms, Q4 2025 was authored by Rowan Curran and published on October 3, 2025. Forrester does not endorse any company, product, brand, or service included in its research publications and does not advise any person to select the products or services of any company or brand based on the ratings included in such publications. Information is based on the best available resources. Opinions reflect judgment at the time and are subject to change. For more information, read about Forrester's objectivity here About Mindbreeze Mindbreeze is a global leader in AI-powered enterprise intelligence, with headquarters in Europe and the United States. Mindbreeze InSpire redefines how organizations access and utilize information. Powered by advanced AI, it transforms complex data into actionable insights, seamlessly connecting and analyzing information across systems. Unlike traditional solutions, our AI agents deliver hyper-relevant, context-aware insights tailored to unique business needs, enabling smarter, faster decision-making. With unmatched integration capabilities, data security, and automation at its core, Mindbreeze InSpire maximizes the value of your information ecosystem while driving innovation. Trusted by industry leaders and recognized for our cutting-edge technology, Mindbreeze leads the way in unlocking new dimensions of enterprise intelligence. Learn more at www.mindbreeze.com or follow us on LinkedIn and X @Mindbreeze. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251003896209/en/ Contacts: Press contact Mindbreeze Britney Chandler +1-312-300-6745 pr@mindbreeze.com NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESS Newswire / October 3, 2025 / Crates ready for pickup in MO It was late Thursday afternoon when FedEx received an urgent email from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) as Hurricane Imelda threatened to make landfall on the Carolina coast. The organization requested support to get a two-pallet, 425-pound shipment of 76 animal crates from its warehouse in Missouri to a disaster response staging area in South Carolina. In less than 15 minutes, FedEx operations responded. The shipment was scheduled and then picked up Friday. It was delivered Sunday, right on time. The crates were needed before Imelda to accelerate safe evacuation and sheltering of unowned shelter animals in harm's way. By staging crates ahead of an expected storm, the ASPCA can rapidly move and house unowned companion animals and livestock from affected communities, helping to prevent overcrowded shelters, and ensure humane handling during transport and intake. Having the crates ready in advance also reduces critical delays once responders reach disaster zones, allowing them to quickly set up temporary holding areas and begin providing care as soon as conditions allow. The ASPCA's disaster response efforts are a testament to the organization's commitment to animal welfare during emergencies. The ASPCA provides critical support in disaster zones across the country, including animal search and rescue, supply distribution, emergency operation management, and more. In addition to hurricanes, the ASPCA also responds to wildfires, tornadoes, and other natural and human-made disasters, ensuring that both shelter and owned animals receive the care and support they need when they are at their most vulnerable. FedEx has provided financial and in-kind shipping services to the ASPCA for more than 10 years. Click here to learn about FedEx Cares, our global community engagement program. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from FedEx on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: FedEx Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/fedex Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: FedEx View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/transportation/dozens-of-animal-crates-delivered-sunday-for-aspca-by-fedex-ahead-of-hurricane-imeld-1081397 Regulatory News: emeis (Paris:EMEIS) filed, today, its half-year financial report for the period starting on 1 January 2025 and ending on 30 June 2025, with the French Autorite des Marches Financiers The half-year report can be consulted and downloaded from the Company's website at: https://www.emeis.com/en/investors-shareholders/financial-information-and-publications/universal-registration-document. It is also available at the Company's headquarter (emeis, Investor Relations Department, 12 rue Jean Jaures, 92813 Puteaux Cedex). An English version will soon be available on the Company's website. About emeis With nearly 83,500 experts and professionals in the fields of health, care and support for the frail, emeis is present in some twenty countries and covers five business lines: psychiatric clinics, medical care and rehabilitation clinics, nursing homes, homecare services and residences. Every year, emeis welcomes nearly 280,000 residents, patients and beneficiaries. emeis is committed to meeting one of the major challenges facing our society: the growing number of people made vulnerable by accidents, old age and mental illness. In June 2025, emeis became a mission-driven company, incorporating four commitments in its Articles of Association: striving to change the way one looks at the most vulnerables and those close to them, to ensure they are truly included; contributing to the fair recognition and attractiveness of our care professions making care for the most vulnerable a major contribution to local social cohesion; and innovating to foster a planet-friendly care that respects living things emeis, 50.3% owned by Caisse des Depots, CNP Assurances, MAIF and MACSF Epargne Retraite, is listed on Euronext Paris (ISIN: FR001400NLM4) and is a member of the SBF 120 and CAC Mid 60 indices. Website: www.emeis.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251003141714/en/ Contacts: Press Contacts Isabelle HERRIER NAUFLE Medias e-reputation Director +33 7 70 29 53 74 isabelle.herrier@emeis.com IMAGE 7 Charlotte LE BARBIER // Laurence HEILBRONN +33 6 78 37 27 60 // +336 89 87 61 37 clebarbier@image7.fr // lheilbronn@image7.fr Investor Relations Samuel HENRY DIESBACH Investor Relations Director samuel.henry-diesbach@emeis.com Toll-free number for shareholders (from France Only) 0 805 480 480 NEWCAP Dusan ORESANSKY +33 1 44 71 94 94 emeis@newcap.eu Miami, Florida--(Newsfile Corp. - October 3, 2025) - Analysis by OysterLink of the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data reveals that U.S. porter roles have seen one of the steepest employment declines in hospitality, dropping by 52.15% between 2020 and 2024. Despite modest wage growth of 13.4%, this occupation continues to lag behind other hotel and restaurant roles in both pay progression and job outlook. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10722/268718_3dd70b67142f8b11_001full.jpg According to OysterLink's research, porter employment fell from 65,240 workers in 2020 to just 31,220 in 2024. While average annual wages rose from $32,580 to $36,960, this increase is significantly below the wage growth seen in comparable hospitality jobs such as housekeepers (+29%) and waiters (+40%). The long-term outlook also shows limited recovery, with only 1% projected growth through 2033. "Porter positions have experienced the most dramatic decline of any major hospitality role since 2020," said Milos Eric, Co-Founder and General Manager of OysterLink. "With stagnant demand and slower wage growth than the rest of the industry, this data points to a long-term shift in how hotels and venues allocate staffing resources." Table 1. Porter Employment and Wage Trends (2020-2024) Year Average Annual Wage Number of Employees 2020 $32,580 65,240 2021 $34,680 54,100 2022 $36,140 64,120 2023 $36,100 28,780 2024 $36,960 31,220 Why the Decline in Porter Roles Stands Out The sharp drop in porter employment contrasts with broader trends across hospitality, where most roles have seen both rising wages and steady job growth since 2020. Housekeepers, for example, added nearly 60,000 jobs during the same period, while hotel managers grew by 30%. By comparison, the porter role not only lost more than half its workforce but also saw slower wage gains than almost every other hotel occupation. This divergence signals a rebalancing of staffing priorities within hotels, where front-desk and housekeeping positions remain essential while porters are becoming less common. About OysterLink OysterLink is a job platform for restaurant and hospitality professionals with over 400,000 monthly visitors. OysterLink connects talent with opportunities across the U.S., including the top-paying part-time fast-food jobs in Miami and part-time housekeeping jobs in Miami. The platform also offers trend reports, expert insights, and interviews with leaders in hospitality. To explore more data-driven insights or post a job that works for today's talent, visit www.oysterlink.com. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/268718 SOURCE: OysterLink Tucson, Arizona--(Newsfile Corp. - October 3, 2025) - Alaska Silver Corp. (TSXV: WAM) (the "Company," "Alaska Silver" or "WAM") is pleased to announce that it has closed its previously announced offering of 21,229,000 units of the Company ("Units") at a price of US$0.65 per Unit for gross proceeds of US$13,798,850 (the "Offering"). The Offering was led by Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. ("Cantor") as lead book-running manager on behalf of a syndicate of underwriters including Canaccord Genuity Corp., ATB Capital Markets Inc. and Agentis Capital Markets (First Nations Financial Markets LP) (collectively, the "Underwriters"). Each Unit consists of one subordinate voting share and one subordinate voting share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant is exercisable for one subordinate voting share of the Company at US$0.97 until the date which is three years from the closing date of the Offering. The full over-allotment option granted by the Company to the Underwriters was exercised in connection with the Offering. The net proceeds of the Offering will be used to fund the Company's mineral exploration activities, to repay certain outstanding debt and for general working capital purposes. The Offering was completed (i) in each of the Provinces and Territories of Canada, except for Quebec, in reliance on the "listed issuer financing" exemption from the prospectus requirements available under Part 5A.2 of National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions, as modified by Coordinated Blanket Order 45-935 - Exemptions from Certain Conditions of the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption, and pursuant to the public offering exemption available under BC Instrument 72-503 - Distribution of Securities outside British Columbia; (ii) in the United States pursuant a prospectus that forms a part of an effective registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission; and (iii) in such other jurisdictions other than Canada and the United Sates pursuant to relevant prospectus or registration exemptions in accordance with applicable laws, provided that no prospectus filing or comparable obligation, ongoing reporting or continuous disclosure requirement or requisite regulatory or governmental approval arises or has arisen in such jurisdictions. There is no hold period on the Units issued in the Offering. In connection with the Offering, the Company paid to the Underwriters an underwriting discount of US$1,034,913.75 and issued to the Underwriters warrants to purchase up to 849,160 subordinate voting shares (the "Underwriters' Warrants"). Each Underwriters' Warrant entitles the holder thereof to acquire subordinate voting shares of the Company at a per share exercise price of US$0.97 beginning on the date which is 180 days after September 30, 2025, which is the date of the pricing of the Offering (the "Pricing Date"), until the date which is 18 months after the Pricing Date. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy any of the Company's securities, nor shall such securities be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration, nor shall there be any offer, solicitation or sale of any of the Company's securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offers, solicitations or sales would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such state or jurisdiction. About Alaska Silver Alaska Silver is one of the pioneers of North America's next major silver and critical minerals district at the Illinois Creek Project, a prolific 8-km mineral corridor hosting two stand-alone deposits with a new Warm Springs discovery zone in between (the "IC project"). The claims of the IC project cover a 100% owned land package of 73,535 acres (115 square miles or 29,758 hectares), located approximately 38 kilometers from the region's marine highway, the Yukon River. "Kit Marrs" Or visit our website at: www.alaskasilver.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Information This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. "Forward-looking information" includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the activities, events or developments that the Company expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future. Generally, but not always, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or the negative connotation thereof or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative connation thereof. This forward looking information relates to, among other things, the intended use of proceeds from the Offering. Such forward-looking information is based on numerous assumptions, including among others, that the Company will be able to utilize the proceeds of the Offering in the manner intended. Although the assumptions made by the Company in providing forward-looking information is considered reasonable by management at the time, there can be no assurance that such assumptions will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's plans or expectations include market conditions, metal prices, and the risk that the Company will not be able to utilize the proceeds of the Offering in the manner intended. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information or implied by forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information or financial outlook that are incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Any forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. We seek safe harbor. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/269046 SOURCE: Alaska Silver Corp. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 3, 2025) - 01 Quantum Inc. (TSXV: ONE) (OTCQB: OONEF) ("01 Quantum" or the "Company"), one of the first-to-market, enterprise level cybersecurity providers for the quantum computing era, is pleased to announce the closing of its previously announced equity financing of 4,892,499 units (the "Units"), led by Hampton Securities Limited ("Hampton"), at an issue price of $0.48 per Unit (the "Offering Price") for gross proceeds of $2,348,399.52 (the "Offering"). Each Unit consists of one common share of the Company (each a "Common Share") and one-half of one Common Share purchase warrant of the Company (each full warrant, a "Warrant" and collectively the "Warrants"). Each Warrant is exercisable at $0.75 for a period of thirty-six (36) months from the closing of the Offering. "This financing strengthens our balance sheet and provides the necessary capital to pursue our strategic roadmap," said Andrew Cheung, CEO of 01 Quantum "With a solid financial foundation, we are expanding our product development and sales and marketing capabilities to drive engagement with key stakeholders. As quantum computing advances, we remain focused on building the secure communications infrastructure that will underpin trust in the quantum era." The Company relied on Part 5A of National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions, as amended by Coordinated Blanket Order 45-935 - Exemptions from Certain Conditions of the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption, for the issuance of Units pursuant to the Offering and as such the securities underlying the Units are not subject to resale restrictions. Hampton acted as the sole agent on the Offering which was completed on a commercially reasonable efforts basis. As consideration for its services, the Agent received a cash fee equal to 7% of the gross proceeds of the Offering. In addition, the Company issued to the Agent 342,475 compensation options (the "Compensation Options"). Each Compensation Option entitles the Agent to purchase one Common Share at the Offering Price for a period of thirty-six (36) months from the closing of the Offering. The Compensation Options are non-transferable and the securities issued on exercise of the Compensation Options are subject to a hold period that expires four months and one day after issuance. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering to advance its product development initiatives, expand its product development and sales and marketing teams, accelerate commercialization efforts of its technology and commercial applications, and general working capital needs as further described in the Offering Document (as defined below). Pursuant to the Offering, the Company issued 200,000 Units to Tyson Macaulay, a director of the Company, who is consider to be a "related party" (within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101")), making the Offering a "related party transaction" (within the meaning of MI 61-101) (the "Related Party Subscription"). The Company was exempt from obtaining a formal valuation for, and minority approval of, the Related Party Subscription pursuant to Section 5.5(b) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101, respectively. The material change report to be filed in connection with the Offering will be filed less than 21 days prior to the closing of the Offering. The shorter period was necessary in order to permit the Company to close the Offering in a timeframe consistent with usual market practice for transactions of this nature. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of any of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful, including any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, or an exemption from such registration requirements is available. About 01 Quantum 01 Quantum Inc., formerly 01 Communique Laboratory Inc., (TSXV: ONE) (OTCQB: OONEF), is known for its innovative work in post-quantum cybersecurity and remote access solutions. The Company's cyber security business unit focuses on post-quantum cybersecurity with the development of its IronCAP product line. IronCAP's technologies are patent-protected in the U.S.A. by its patents #11,271,715 and #11,669,833. The Company's remote access business unit provides its customers with a suite of secure remote access services and products under its I'm InTouch and I'm OnCall product offerings. For more information, visit the Company's web site https://01quantuminc.com | https://01com.com and follow us on our blog at https://blog.01com.com/wp. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements. Certain statements in this news release may constitute "forward-looking" statements which involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of 01 Quantum to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. When used in this news release, such statements use such words as "may", "will", "expect", "believe", "feel", "plan", "intend", "are confident" and other similar terminology. Such statements include statements regarding the use of proceeds of the Offering. These statements speak only as of the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether or not such results will be achieved. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, developments that may impact the how the proceeds of the Offering are used, as well as the factors discussed under "Risk and Uncertainties" in 01 Quantum's Management, Discussion and Analysis document filed on SEDAR+. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of 01 Quantum believes are reasonable assumptions, 01 Quantum cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and 01 Quantum does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by applicable laws. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES # To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/269049 SOURCE: 01 Quantum Inc. LONDON, Oct. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Apollo Art Auctions is pleased to announce its upcoming Ancient Art & Antiquities E-Sale, taking place on Sunday, 12 October 2025. This carefully curated auction brings together an exceptional selection of works from across the ancient world, encompassing Classical Europe, Egypt, and the Near East, alongside distinguished pieces from the Islamic world, India, and China. Every lot is meticulously handled by Apollo's dedicated white-glove packing team, with all shipping carried out securely in-house to ensure the highest level of care for each acquisition. Auction Highlights A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on this link. Lot 1700 - Merovingian Iron Longsword with Inlaid Guard, Rock Crystal Pommel and Scabbard Fittings Merovingian swords are among the most celebrated weapons of early medieval Europe, emerging at the crossroads of the late Roman and Migration periods. This rare example demonstrates the fusion of cultures: Roman military traditions combined with the Germanic mastery of iron production, resulting in durable blades ideal for battle. Its rock crystal pommel, inlaid with garnets sourced from Byzantine workshops, reflects the era's far-reaching trade and cultural exchange, making this piece both beautiful and formidable. View lot Lot 1721 - Rare Elamite Silver Beaker with Procession of Ram Heads Dating to the Middle Bronze Age, this silver beaker would have been used for mixing ritual liquids during ceremonies and significant communal events. The ram motif symbolised strength and resilience, qualities admired and embodied by Elamite society. Vessels such as this illuminate the transition of prehistoric cultures into organised, ceremonial civilisations, where art and ritual became central to identity and social order. View lot Lot 1476 - Large Greek Geometric Pottery Amphora Produced in Athens during the Geometric period (9th-8th century BC), this amphora represents one of the most iconic stages in Greek ceramic art. It reflects a pivotal moment when Greek society transitioned into the Iron Age and artists began introducing human figures into ritual and funerary scenes. This vessel exemplifies that movement, capturing the emerging creativity and identity of a society on the brink of its classical flowering. View lot Lot 1405 - Egyptian Stone Figure of Osiris (Museum-Exhibited) This finely carved figure represents Osiris, the god of the afterlife, among the most revered deities of ancient Egypt. Shown mummified, Osiris embodies resurrection and eternal life-concepts at the heart of Egyptian belief. His myth, in which his brother Seth dismembers him and Isis reassembles his body, leading to the birth of Horus, made Osiris a powerful symbol of death, renewal, and kingship. Such figures were central to ritual practice and devotion, affirming the Egyptians' profound focus on the afterlife. View lot Lot 1622 - Byzantine Silver-Gilt Shallow Bowl with Complex Ornament This elegant bowl illustrates the dynamic cultural exchanges of the Byzantine era, a time when artistic traditions of the Christian and Islamic worlds intersected. Its form follows Roman prototypes, while its intricate decoration draws inspiration from both Byzantine and Islamic motifs, revealing how artisans adapted designs to appeal to diverse markets. The result is a remarkable object that embodies dialogue and competition between two great cultural spheres. View lot Auction Details The Ancient Art & Antiquities E-Sale will be held Sunday, 12 October 2025, live online via the Apollo Art Auctions platform. For further details, to view the full catalogue, or to register to bid, please contact enquiries@apolloauctions.comor call (+44) 7424 994167. NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESS Newswire / October 3, 2025 / Originally published on 3M News Center The global demand for energy continues to surge, driven by population growth, urbanization, energy-intensive AI models and the increasing electrification of industry and transportation. Amid this evolving energy landscape, nuclear power is emerging as a pivotal component, offering a safe, reliable, and low-carbon source of electricity. The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that nuclear capacity could double by 2050, and with advancements in reactor technologies, including small modular reactors (SMRs) and fundamentally safe designs, nuclear energy is poised to play a crucial role in meeting global demand, alongside renewables and other innovative energy solutions. 3M's long support of commercial nuclear applications 3M has supported commercial nuclear applications since 1988, delivering solutions throughout the nuclear fuel cycle. In fact, 3M is one of just a few commercial sources in the world to maintain facilities for separation of boron isotopes, offering secure, consistent supplies and products for water chemistry, neutron absorption, emergency shutdown, fuel control and fuel storage. "3M remains a leader in providing solutions that drive energy security for the world and nuclear energy remains one of the safest and most reliable sources of power, providing a stable, low-carbon baseload of electricity to the grid," said Stefanie Engbrocks, business director for energy solutions at 3M. "We will continue to work with our customers in the nuclear industry to advance materials science innovations that meet the growing global energy demands." How 3M's existing technology helps in the future Existing 3M technology can help the industry meet upcoming advancements in nuclear reactor design and technology today, by providing enriched boron compounds, advanced metal matrix composites (AMMCs), and technical ceramics solutions that cannot be procured from any other known source in the world. 3M is ready to help shape the future of nuclear energy by working with industry leaders to apply 3M's global materials science expertise-enhancing modular reactor construction, accelerating construction, and improving material quality. In addition to materials solutions, 3M has products to help support the safety of workers in the nuclear industry. 3M offers a comprehensive range of personal safety equipment, including respiratory protection, fall protection, and communications/hearing protection, to help enhance worker health and safety. 3M's ongoing commitment to nuclear energy While nuclear energy is a key focus, 3M's commitment extends to broader energy solutions, including energy production, transmission and distribution, EVs and mobility solutions, the built environment and energy efficiency, and waste reduction. 3M's innovative materials and technologies are designed to deliver scalable impacts that can help shape the future of energy across the value chain. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from 3M on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: 3M Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/3m Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: 3M View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/3m-helps-shape-a-new-age-of-nuclear-energy-1081481 Article L. 238-8-II of the French commercial Code and article 223-16 of the AMF (French Financial Markets Authority) general regulation Regulatory News: Corporate name of the issuer: Veolia Environnement 21 rue La Boetie 75008 PARIS FRANCE (ISIN code: FR0000124141-VIE) Information closing date Total number of shares forming the share capital Total number of voting rights September 30, 2025 741,723,437 Total number of theoretical voting rights: 741,723,437 Total number of voting rights that may be exercised (1): 731,314,881 Inclusion in the Veolia Environnement Articles of Association of a clause requiring a reporting obligation of the declaration of crossing a shareholding threshold, complementary to the one relating to the thresholds provided by the French law and the regulations in force (article 8). (1) Number of voting rights that may be exercised number of theoretical voting rights (or total number of voting rights attached to shares) shares without voting rights (number of treasury shares held as of September 30, 2025, i.e. 10,408,556 shares). Veolia Environnement Siege social/head office: 21, rue La Boetie 75008 PARIS France Adresse postale/Correspondence address: 30, rue Madeleine Vionnet 93300 AUBERVILLIERS France tel.: +33 (0)1 85 57 70 00 Fax: +33 (0)1 71 75 10 45 www.veolia.com A Public Limited Company (Societe Anonyme) with a share capital of 3,708,617,185 403 210 032 RCS PARIS View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251003635114/en/ Contacts: Veolia Environnement Ball Chain Manufacturing Co., Inc.'s Promotional Products Division Proudly Supports Neuroendocrine Cancer Research Family Fun Walk at the Philadelphia Zoo MOUNT VERNON, NY / ACCESS Newswire / October 3, 2025 / Ball Chain Manufacturing Co., Inc.'s (Ball Chain) promotional products division, LogoTags (www.logotags.com ), is proud to support the 14th annual Run For The Stripes 5k and 1 Mile Family Fun Walk. This event will take place on November 8, 2025, at The Philadelphia Zoo. Last year, the event attracted 1,015 participants and raised over $85,000. Founded in 2012, Run For The Stripes is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation organized and operated exclusively for charitable purposes. The organization's mission has been to build a supportive community, increase awareness, and raise funds to conduct further research for those affected by Neuroendocrine Cancer. LogoTags, America's Leading Name in Custom Challenge Coins & Race Medals LogoTags Sponsors Race Medals to Run for the Stripes 5K and 1 Mile Event LogoTags' is the leader in custom metal products with a focus on custom challenge coins, military dog tags, bottle openers, race medals, metal tags, lapel pins, key chains and more. Custom challenge coins and custom military challenge coins along with custom race medals can be created in any shape, size and finish with no set up charges, and LogoTags offers unlimited art changes and digital proofs, free of charge. Working with Run For The Stripes, LogoTags has carefully created a custom race medal to be given to recognize top finishers and participants of the race. "We are proud to design these custom race medals for Run For The Stripes, supporting their important efforts toward Neuroendocrine Cancer research. We have several art teams that can bring any design to life. Customers can send us any art, drawings, files, images, logos, pictures, wording, etc., and our art teams will make a mockup at no cost and no obligation. We like to say, no art, no problem!" explains Dawn Milanese, LogoTags Division Manager. Lori Canzanese, Vice President and Race Director Run for the Stripes expressed her excitement in advance of the event: "Run for the Stripes is a non-profit organization that focuses on raising research funds, awareness, and creating community for Neuroendocrine patients. LogoTags is a valued partner, supporting our organization by providing medals we use to acknowledge participants in many categories at our 5k event. We appreciate their prompt service and personal approach to all customer interactions. We look forward to continuing our partnership with LogoTags in the years to come." In addition to offering the highest quality products at industry-leading prices, LogoTags is synonymous with exemplary customer service. LogoTags representatives work to ensure that all customers, and especially returning customers, such as law enforcement and military personnel who frequently purchase challenge coins, are treated with the greatest care and respect. LogoTags supplies challenge coins made of the highest quality brass and offers unlimited art changes and digital proofs free of charge distinguishing itself from competitors. Like the other Ball Chain businesses, LogoTags is committed to providing high-quality, authentic products to its customers through a transparent and secure supply chain. More about Ball Chain Manufacturing Co., Inc. and LogoTags, a division of Ball Chain Manufacturing Co., Inc.: Bill Taubner, the current company President, honors his great-grandfather and grandfather who started Ball Chain Manufacturing Co., Inc. in a small garage behind their home in the Bronx, NY. The company has been family-owned and operated since 1938. Ball Chain is now the world's largest manufacturer of ball chains, seen on military dog tags, ceiling fans, handbags, and light pulls, among many other goods. The company manufactures millions of feet of chain per week at its Mount Vernon, New York, factory (all ball chains are made in the USA). LogoTags, Ball Chain's promotional products division, provides custom challenge coins, military dog tags, bottle openers, lapel pins, charms and metal tags to name just a few items. LogoTags fabricates custom promotional products at its Mount Vernon, New York, manufacturing facility and works with long-time production partners overseas to bring customers the finest items from across the globe. We put our heart into everything we do. More about Run For The Stripes: The mission of Run for The Stripes is to raise awareness and research funds for Neuroendocrine Cancers with all proceeds used for NET (neuroendocrine tumor) research at the Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania. Interested in participating in the Run for The Stripes? Sign up here. SOURCE: LogoTags View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/consumer-and-retail-products/logotags-the-usas-leading-custom-challenge-coin-company-and-part-of-a-1081485 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 3, 2025) - Phenom Resources Corp. (TSXV: PHNM) (FSE: 1PY0) ("Phenom" or the "Company") announces that it has closed its fully subscribed non-brokered private placement (the "Offering") previously announced on September 12, 2025, subject to final acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange. The Company has issued 4,400,000 Units (the "Units") at a price of $0.16 per Unit for gross proceeds of $704,000. The Company is pleased to advise that Mr. Robert Kopple, through KF Business Ventures LP by Kopple Financial Inc., subscribed for 3 million units of the Private Placement. Eric Muscinski, the Company's largest shareholder subscribed for 700,000 units. Paul Cowley, President & CEO of the Company, commented: "I would like to thank Bob Kopple and Eric Muschinski for their significant support in this financing. To them, and to all of our shareholders, we thank you for your continuing support." Each Unit is comprised of one common share in the capital of the Company ("Share") and one transferable Share purchase warrant of the Company ("Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one additional Share ("Warrant Share") at an exercise price of $0.22 at any time before 5:00 p.m. (Vancouver time) on October 3, 2029, being the fourth anniversary of the date of issuance. No finder's fees are payable in connection with the Offering. The Company expects to use the proceeds received from the Offering for work programs on the Company's exploration properties and for general working capital. All securities issued under the Offering are subject to a hold period expiring February 4, 2026, in accordance with applicable securities laws and the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange. The Offering remains subject to final acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States of America. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 (the "1933 Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons (as defined in the 1933 Act) unless registered under the 1933 Act and applicable state securities laws, or an exemption from such registration is available. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-looking information Certain statements in this news release constitute "forward-looking" statements. These statements relate to future events or the Company's future performance including statements regarding the intended use of proceeds and receipt of final acceptance from the TSX Venture Exchange. All such statements involve substantial known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results to vary from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, they should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and they will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether or not such results will be achieved. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes are reasonable assumptions on the date of this news release, the Company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable securities regulations. Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/269057 SOURCE: Phenom Resources Corp. WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Crude oil advanced on Friday amid U.S. dollar weakness despite oversupply concerns triggered by OPEC+'s reported plans to increase production and the resumption of Iraqi oil exports. WTI Crude Oil for November delivery was last seen trading up by $0.41 (or 0.68%) at $60.89 per barrel. In the U.S., the government shutdown entered its third day today. Around 750,000 workers have been furloughed, with many potentially not being being reinstated. As a result, economic data vital for commodity markets shall not be released. Based on private jobs data that showed weakening momentum in hiring in the U.S., investors are expecting additional U.S. Federal Reserve rate cuts in October and December. The U.S. dollar index was last seen trading at 97.76, down by 0.06%. Oversupply concerns are increasing, with a potential OPEC+ production increase of up to 500,000 barrels per day in November in the offing contrary to initial reports that suggested an increase of only up to 137,000 bpd. OPEC, however, has rejected the reports, calling them 'misleading.' If the cartel approves a 500,000 bpd increase at its upcoming Sunday meeting, it would in effect, be triple the increase in October, which could lead to massive volume growth. Last month, the cartel approved adding about 137,000 bpd in October, citing steady global economic outlook and healthy market fundamentals. Recently, Kuwait's oil minister suggested that robust global demand conditions could justify meaningful production increases. Kuwait's position is seen as mirroring OPEC+ strategy that the current global economic scenario can soak in excess barrels without a price drop. Recent data revealed that OPEC's output has already increased by approximately 330,000 bpd in September. In the U.S., on Wednesday, the Energy Information Administration reported that crude oil inventories climbed by 1.79 million barrels for the week ending September 26 on tepid demand and refining activity. Data released by Baker Hughes today revealed that crude oil rigs in the U.S. decreased to 422 in October from 424 of the previous week. Last week, following a tripartite agreement between Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government, and international oil companies, Iraq restarted its oil exports from the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region to Turkey via Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline. Iraq's resumption was pressured by U.S. President Donald Trump, who wants to nullify Iranian oil exports. Trump's administration is working to ensure the continuation of this oil trade permanently. According to Iraqi state oil marketer SOMO, Iraq is aiming for 400,000 to 500,000 barrels per day by 2026. Meanwhile, despite an ultimatum, militant group Hamas has not responded to the 20-point Gaza Peace Plan introduced by Trump to end the Israel-Palestine war. A critical component of the deal involves the disarmament and surrender of Hamas. Tired of the drawn out war, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, and Turkey are pressuring the group to accept the proposal. A peace in the Middle East is expected to streamline and secure oil trade. Analysts feel that the unfolding of events in the coming weeks, geopolitically and economically, could dictate crude oil prices. Copyright(c) 2025 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX 2025 AFX News CHICAGO, Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Cboe Global Markets, Inc. (Cboe: CBOE), the world's leading derivatives and securities exchange network, today reported September trading volume statistics across its global business lines and provided guidance for selected revenue per contract/net revenue capture metrics for the third quarter of 2025. The data sheet "Cboe Global Markets Monthly Volume & RPC/Net Revenue Capture Report" contains an overview of certain September trading statistics and market share by business segment, volume in select index products, and RPC/net capture, which is reported on a one-month lag, across business lines. Average Daily Trading Volume (ADV) by Month Year-To-Date Sep 2025 Sep 2024 % Chg Aug 2025 % Chg Sep 2025 Sep 2024 % Chg Multi-listed options (contracts, k) 15,273 10,459 46.0 % 14,325 6.6 % 13,318 10,587 25.8 % Index options (contracts, k) 5,250 4,130 27.1 % 4,893 7.3 % 4,775 4,112 16.1 % Futures (contracts, k)1 207 232 -11.0 % 218 -5.2 % 223 250 -10.5 % U.S. Equities - On-Exchange (matched shares, mn) 1,703 1,234 38.0 % 1,646 3.5 % 1,760 1,369 28.6 % U.S. Equities - Off-Exchange (matched shares, mn) 240 85 183.6 % 229 4.7 % 141 79 78.8 % Canadian Equities (matched shares, k) 192,599 148,628 29.6 % 148,538 29.7 % 157,964 144,297 9.5 % European Equities (, mn) 11,789 10,121 16.5 % 10,701 10.2 % 13,044 9,579 36.2 % Australian Equities (AUD, mn) 1,046 891 17.3 % 1,064 -1.7 % 923 790 16.9 % Global FX ($, mn) 52,406 48,096 9.0 % 48,819 7.3 % 52,713 47,092 11.9 % Cboe Clear Europe Cleared Trades (k) 107,956 102,208 5.6 % 98,364 9.8 % 1,142,301 900,227 26.9 % Cboe Clear Europe Net Settlements (k) 1,191 943 26.3 % 1,115 6.8 % 10,032 8,236 21.8 % 1 In the second quarter of 2025, Digital futures products were transitioned to Cboe Futures Exchange. Futures metrics prior to the second quarter of 2025 exclude Digital futures products. September and Third Quarter 2025 Trading Volume Highlights U.S. Options Total volume across Cboe's four options exchanges set monthly and quarterly records, with an ADV of 20.5 million in September and 18.8 million in the third quarter. Trading in Cboe's proprietary index options products set several volume records for the month and quarter, including: New quarterly proprietary index options ADV record of 4.9 million contracts. New quarterly S&P 500 Index (SPX) options ADV record of 3.9 million contracts. New quarterly Mini-SPX (XSP) options ADV record of 119 thousand contracts. New monthly SPX options ADV record of 4.3 million contracts, eclipsing 4 million contracts for the first time ever. Third-Quarter 2025 RPC/Net Revenue Capture Guidance The projected RPC/net capture metrics for the third quarter of 2025 are estimated, preliminary and may change. There can be no assurance that our final RPC for the three months ended September 30, 2025, will not differ materially from these projections. (In USD unless stated otherwise) Three-Months Ended Product 3Q Projection Aug-25 Jul-25 Jun-25 Multi-Listed Options (per contract) $0.054 $0.057 $0.062 $0.068 Index Options $0.926 $0.924 $0.926 $0.923 Total Options $0.280 $0.288 $0.293 $0.300 Futures (per contract) $1.742 $1.721 $1.697 $1.673 U.S. Equities - Exchange (per 100 touched shares) $0.015 $0.013 $0.014 $0.012 U.S. Equities - Off-Exchange (per 100 touched shares) $0.063 $0.070 $0.078 $0.082 Canadian Equities (per 10,000 touched shares) CAD 4.100 CAD 4.204 CAD 4.028 CAD 4.222 European Equities (per matched notional value) 0.288 0.288 0.282 0.261 Australian Equities (per matched notional value) 0.206 0.191 0.176 0.160 Global FX (per one million dollars traded) $2.885 $2.881 $2.838 $2.808 Cboe Clear Europe Fee per Trade Cleared 0.010 0.010 0.009 0.008 Cboe Clear Europe Net Fee per Settlement 1.012 1.000 0.996 0.956 The above represents average revenue per contract (RPC) or net capture is based on a three-month rolling average, reported on a one-month lag. Average transaction fees per contract can be affected by various factors, including exchange fee rates, volume-based discounts and transaction mix by contract type and product type. For Options and Futures, the average RPC represents total net transaction fees recognized for the period divided by total contracts traded during the period for options exchanges: BZX Options, Cboe Options, C2 Options and EDGX Options; futures include contracts traded on Cboe Futures Exchange, LLC (CFE). For U.S. Equities, "net capture per 100 touched shares" refers to transaction fees less liquidity payments and routing and clearing costs divided by the product of one-hundredth ADV of touched shares on BZX, BYX, EDGX and EDGA and the number of trading days for the period. For U.S. Equities - Off-Exchange, "net capture per 100 touched shares" refers to transaction fees less OMS/EMS costs and clearing costs divided by the product of one-hundredth ADV of touched shares on BIDS Trading and the number of trading days for the period. For Canadian Equities, "net capture per 10,000 touched shares" refers to transaction fees divided by the product of one-ten thousandth ADV of shares for Cboe Canada and the number of trading days for the period and includes revenue. For European Equities, "net capture per matched notional value" refers to transaction fees less liquidity payments in British pounds divided by the product of ADNV in British pounds of shares matched on Cboe Europe Equities and the number of trading days. For Australian Equities, "net capture per matched notional value" refers to transaction fees less trading fee relief in Australian Dollars divided by the product of ADNV in Australian Dollars of shares matched on Cboe Australia and the number of trading days. For Global FX, "net capture per one million dollars traded" refers to transaction fees less liquidity payments, if any, divided by the Spot and SEF products of one-thousandth of ADNV traded on the Cboe FX Markets and the number of trading days, divided by two, which represents the buyer and seller that are both charged on the transaction. For Cboe Clear Europe, "Fee per Trade Cleared" refers to clearing fees divided by number of non-interoperable trades cleared and "Net Fee per Settlement" refers to settlement fees less direct costs incurred to settle divided by the number of settlements executed after netting. About Cboe Global Markets Cboe Global Markets (Cboe: CBOE), the world's leading derivatives and securities exchange network, delivers cutting-edge trading, clearing, and investment solutions to people around the world. Cboe provides trading solutions and products in multiple asset classes, including equities, derivatives, and FX across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Above all, we are committed to building a trusted, inclusive global marketplace that enables people to pursue a sustainable financial future. To learn more about the Exchange for the World Stage, visit www.cboe.com . Cboe Media Contacts Cboe Analyst Contact Angela Tu Tim Cave Kenneth Hill, CFA +1-646-856-8734 +44 (0) 7593-506-719 +1-312-786-7559 atu@cboe.com tcave@cboe.com khill@cboe.com CBOE-V Cboe, Cboe Global Markets, Cboe Clear, Cboe Futures Exchange, CFE, Cboe Volatility Index, and VIX are registered trademarks of Cboe Exchange, Inc. or its affiliates. Standard & Poor's, S&P, SPX, and S&P 500 are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services, LLC, and have been licensed for use by Cboe Exchange, Inc. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners. Any products that have the S&P Index or Indexes as their underlying interest are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Standard & Poor's or Cboe and neither Standard & Poor's nor Cboe make any representations or recommendations concerning the advisability of investing in products that have S&P indexes as their underlying interests. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners. Cboe Global Markets, Inc. and its affiliates do not recommend or make any representation as to possible benefits from any securities, futures or investments, or third-party products or services. Cboe Global Markets, Inc. is not affiliated with S&P. Investors should undertake their own due diligence regarding their securities, futures, and investment practices. This press release speaks only as of this date. Cboe Global Markets, Inc. disclaims any duty to update the information herein. Nothing in this announcement should be considered a solicitation to buy or an offer to sell any securities or futures in any jurisdiction where the offer or solicitation would be unlawful under the laws of such jurisdiction. Nothing contained in this communication constitutes tax, legal or investment advice. Investors must consult their tax adviser or legal counsel for advice and information concerning their particular situation. Cboe Global Markets, Inc. and its affiliates make no warranty, expressed or implied, including, without limitation, any warranties as of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy, completeness or timeliness, the results to be obtained by recipients of the products and services described herein, or as to the ability of the indices referenced in this press release to track the performance of their respective securities, generally, or the performance of the indices referenced in this press release or any subset of their respective securities, and shall not in any way be liable for any inaccuracies, errors. Cboe Global Markets, Inc. and its affiliates have not calculated, composed or determined the constituents or weightings of the securities that comprise the third-party indices referenced in this press release and shall not in any way be liable for any inaccuracies or errors in any of the indices referenced in this press release. There are important risks associated with transacting in any of the Cboe Company products discussed here. Before engaging in any transactions in those products, it is important for market participants to carefully review the disclosures and disclaimers contained at:?https://www.cboe.com/us_disclaimers/. Options involve risk and are not suitable for all market participants. Prior to buying or selling an option, a person should review the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options (ODD), which is required to be provided to all such persons. Copies of the ODD are available from your broker or from The Options Clearing Corporation, 125 S. Franklin Street, Suite 1200, Chicago, IL 60606. Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Information This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. You can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as "may," "might," "should," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential" or "continue," and the negative of these terms and other comparable terminology. All statements that reflect our expectations, assumptions or projections about the future other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements, which are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions about us, may include projections of our future financial performance based on our growth strategies and anticipated trends in our business. These statements are only predictions based on our current expectations and projections about future events. There are important factors that could cause our actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. We operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks and uncertainties emerge from time to time, and it is not possible to predict all risks and uncertainties, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Some factors that could cause actual results to differ include: the loss of our right to exclusively list and trade certain index options and futures products; economic, political and market conditions; compliance with legal and regulatory obligations; price competition and consolidation in our industry; decreases in trading or clearing volumes, market data fees or a shift in the mix of products traded on our exchanges; legislative or regulatory changes or changes in tax regimes; our ability to protect our systems and communication networks from security vulnerabilities and breaches; our ability to attract and retain skilled management and other personnel; increasing competition by foreign and domestic entities; our dependence on and exposure to risk from third parties; factors that impact the quality and integrity of our and other applicable indices; our ability to manage our global operations, growth, and strategic acquisitions or alliances effectively; increases in the cost of the products and services we use; our ability to operate our business without violating the intellectual property rights of others and the costs associated with protecting our intellectual property rights; our ability to minimize the risks, including our credit, counterparty, investment, and default risks, associated with operating our clearinghouses; our ability to accommodate trading and clearing volume and transaction traffic, including significant increases, without failure or degradation of performance of our systems; misconduct by those who use our markets or our products or for whom we clear transactions; challenges to our use of open source software code; our ability to meet our compliance obligations, including managing our business interests and our regulatory responsibilities; the loss of key customers or a significant reduction in trading or clearing volumes by key customers; our ability to maintain BIDS Trading as an independently managed and operated trading venue, separate from and not integrated with our registered national securities exchanges; damage to our reputation; the ability of our compliance and risk management methods to effectively monitor and manage our risks; restrictions imposed by our debt obligations and our ability to make payments on or refinance our debt obligations; our ability to maintain an investment grade credit rating; impairment of our goodwill, long-lived assets, investments or intangible assets; the accuracy of our estimates and expectations; and litigation risks and other liabilities. More detailed information about factors that may affect our actual results to differ may be found in our filings with the SEC, including in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 and other filings made from time to time with the SEC. We do not undertake, and we expressly disclaim, any duty to update any forward-looking statement whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/622233/Cboe_GM_New_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/cboe-global-markets-reports-trading-volume-for-september-2025-302575080.html Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 3, 2025) - BQE Water Inc. (TSXV: BQE), a leader in the treatment and management of mine impacted waters, is pleased to announce its participation at the upcoming 2025 Cantech Investment Conference on Thursday, October 9, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario. Peter Gleeson, Executive Chairman will be attending the conference, delivering an investor presentation and participating in scheduled 1-on-1 meetings with investors at the conference. If you would like to hear about how BQE is building a recurring revenue portfolio, with sector-leading IP in risk mitigation for miners and their water issues, schedule a one-on-one meeting with our team here: https://conference.cantechletter.com/. 2025 Cantech Investment Conference Date: Thursday, October 9, 2025 Location: Arcadian Loft, 8th floor, 401 Bay Street, Toronto, ON Contact: tara@cantechletter.com to register More info: https://www.cantechletter.com/conference/ About BQE Water BQE Water is a service provider specializing in water treatment and management for metals mining, smelting and refining. We are helping to transform the way the industry thinks about water in the context of natural resource projects by offering services and expertise which enables more sustainable water management practices and improved overall project performance at reduced risks. BQE Water invests in innovation and has developed unique intellectual property through the commercialization of several new technologies at mine sites around the world for organizations including Glencore, Jiangxi Copper, Freeport-McMoRan and the US EPA. BQE Water is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada and trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol BQE. Visit www.bqewater.com for more information. About The Cantech Investment Conference The Cantech Investment Conference, recognized as Canada's foremost technology and diversified industries investment event, provides emerging companies with the unique opportunity to showcase their innovations and growth strategies, and participate in individual 1-on-1 meetings with potential investors and capital markets professionals. The conference serves as a hub for networking, knowledge exchange, and investment opportunities, while also featuring panel discussions with industry experts to offer insights into current trends, challenges, and opportunities. For fifteen years, Cantech Media, the parent company of Cantech Letter, has been committed to the innovation sectors in the Canadian public markets. Cantech Letter gathers research from Canada's leading investment banks to provide individual investors with timely, expert voices in the space. **** Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION Certain information contained herein may not be based on historical fact and therefore constitutes "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. This includes without limitation statements containing the words "plan", "expect", "project", "estimate", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "may", "will" and other similar words or expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual events or results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, the Company's dependence on key personnel and contracts, uncertainty with respect to the profitability of the Company's technologies, competition, technology risk, the Company's ability to protect its intellectual property and proprietary information, fluctuations in commodity prices, currency risk, environmental regulation and the Company's ability to manage growth and other factors described in the Company's filings with the Canadian securities regulators at www.sedarplus.ca (including without limitation the factors described in the section entitled "Risks and Uncertainties" in the Company's MD&A for the year ended December 31, 2024). Given these risks and uncertainties, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. All forward-looking information contained herein is based on management's current expectations and the Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update such forward-looking information to reflect subsequent events or circumstances, except as required by law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/269122 SOURCE: Cantech Letter Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 3, 2025) - KO Gold Inc. (CSE: KOG) ("KO Gold" or the "Company") announces that its wholly owned subsidiary KO Gold NZ Limited (the "Subsidiary") entered into a definitive agreement with an arm's length party (the "Purchaser") dated September 22, 2025, for the sale of certain New Zealand exploration and prospecting permits, namely Exploration Permit EP 60733, Exploration Permit EP 60677, and Prospecting Permit PP 60705 (together, the "Permits"). Under the terms of the agreement, the Purchaser acquired the Subsidiary's interest in the Permits for total consideration of CDN $260,000. As part of the transaction, the Subsidiary will retain a 2% Net Smelter Royalty ("NSR") on future production from the Permits. The Purchaser will have the right, at any time following closing, to repurchase 1% of the NSR for CDN $1,000,000. The transaction remains subject to customary closing conditions, including approval of the New Zealand Minister of Energy and Resources pursuant to the Crown Minerals Act (1991). The Company also announces that it has fully repaid its outstanding convertible debentures notes in the principal amount of $200,000 (the "Notes"), together with all accrued interest. The repayment of the Notes strengthens the Company's balance sheet by eliminating outstanding debt and potential equity dilution from note conversion. This transaction will allow KO Gold to focus on its four, priority drill ready permits. About KO Gold Inc. KO Gold is a Canadian junior exploration company listed on the CSE under "KOG". The Company's strategy is to acquire and explore highly prospective gold properties within the Otago Gold District in New Zealand. KO Gold has eight 100%-owned prospecting and exploration permits within the Otago Gold District for a combined land package of 399.9 km2. The Company's Smylers and Glenpark EPs are located adjacent to OceanaGold's Macraes Gold Mine and the Carrick EP hosts the historic Carrick Goldfield which holds promise as a significant gold deposit near Santana Minerals' Bendigo-Ophir Gold Project. KO Gold has spent over C$3M in exploration and drilling on its permits in the Otago Gold District over the past five years including RC and diamond drilling on its Smylers EP. For further information, please contact: The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. Neither the CSE nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Forward-Looking Information This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, including statements with respect to the completion of the sale of the Permits, the receipt of regulatory approvals, the anticipated benefits of the transaction, and the Company's future financial position and business strategy following repayment of the convertible notes. Forward-looking information is based on the reasonable assumptions, estimates, expectations, analyses and opinions of management made in light of its experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that management believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual events, results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. These risks, uncertainties and factors include, among others: the risk that the sale of the Permits may not close on the terms or timeline currently contemplated, or at all; the risk that required regulatory approvals will not be obtained or will be obtained subject to conditions; risks related to exploration and mining generally, including operational risks in carrying out exploration and development activities; volatility of commodity prices; political and regulatory risks; risks related to the Company's ability to maintain stock exchange listings; risks related to future financing requirements; and those risk factors discussed in the Company's continuous disclosure documents available under the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is made as of the date hereof and is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/269107 SOURCE: KO Gold Inc. WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Luxury Hotel Association (ILHA) will soon welcome luxury hospitality leaders from across Europe and beyond to INSPIRE Europe, November 12-13 at the Congress Centre of the Czech National Bank in Prague. This 15th edition of INSPIRE will feature 60+ speakers and 300+ attendees, delivering two days of insights, networking, and solutions for the year ahead. Spotlight on Key Sessions Among the highlights in Prague: Third-Party Hotel Management: Investment, Agility, and Growth Xavier Grange , Chief Development Officer, Sofitel, MGallery, Emblems Global & Luxe Europe Ina Plunien , Vice President, Cedar Capital Partners Nicolas Horky , Partner, Head of Hotel Transactions CEE & SEE, Cushman & Wakefield David Anderson , President, Aimbridge EMEA Moderator: Alexandra Dumoulin , Director, HVS For Goodness Sake. Relax! Richard Hyde , Chief Operating Officer, Small Luxury Hotels of the World In-Depth Interview with Tom Rowntree VP Global Luxury Brands - Six Senses, Regent, InterContinental, and Vignette Collection, IHG Exploring the evolution of luxury brand storytelling and guest experience. Sponsors Driving Innovation INSPIRE is made possible by the support of leading partners who bring expertise and thought leadership to the stage. Ecolab will lead a panel on Sustainability in Luxury Hospitality . will lead a panel on . Avendra International will present Resilient Luxury: Reinventing Procurement Strategy for Uncertain Times . will present . WorldHotels will join the conversation with Building Iconic Luxury Brands in the Digital Age: Strategies for the Next Generation of Luxury Hospitality. Additional sponsors across both conferences include Honeywell, Encore, WorldVue, ADA Cosmetics, Nutrafi, Matrix, Berkshire Hospitality, and many more . A Global Platform for Luxury Hospitality INSPIRE Europe in Prague sets the stage for ILHA's 16th Annual INSPIRE USA Conference, held December 10-11 at Resorts World Las Vegas with 1,000+ attendees and 100+ speakers. Together, the two forums create the most influential B2B gathering for hoteliers, asset managers, investors, and developers worldwide. Register Today Tier three is almost sold out! Prague (Nov 12-13, 2025) : inspire.ilha.org/eu : Las Vegas (Dec 10-11, 2025): inspire.ilha.org/us About the International Luxury Hotel Association (ILHA) The ILHA is the leading trade association in the luxury hospitality industry, uniting hoteliers, travel professionals, and industry partners across the globe. With a community of over one million professionals worldwide, ILHA advances growth, best practices, and innovation in luxury hospitality. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2595059/ILHA_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/the-international-luxury-hotel-associations-inspire-prague-to-explore-hotel-management-wellness-and-brand-leadership-with-global-sponsors-302575092.html Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 3, 2025) - Kobrea Exploration Corp. (CSE: KBX) (FSE: F3I) (OTCQB: KBXFF) ("Kobrea" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has closed its previously announced private placement offering of 17,000,000 units of the Company ("Units") at an issue price of $0.50 per Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of $8.5 million (the "Offering"). Each Unit consists of one common share of the Company (a "Common Share") and one-half of one common share purchase warrant of the Company (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to acquire one Common Share at a price per share of $0.75 for a period of 24 months from the date of issuance, provided the Warrants may not be exercised for a period of 60 days from the date of issuance. The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering towards drilling and exploration at the Company's projects in Mendoza Province, Argentina, and for working capital and general corporate purposes. The Offering is comprised of (i) a brokered tranche for 7,753,000 Units for gross proceeds of $3,876,500, and (ii) a non-brokered tranche for 9,247,000 Units for gross proceeds of $4,623,500. The brokered offering was led by Kernaghan & Partners Ltd. (the "Lead Agent"), as lead agent and sole bookrunner, on behalf of itself and a syndicate of agents including Beacon Securities Limited and Red Cloud Securities Inc. (collectively, the "Agents"). The Agents received a cash commission of $180,090 in connection with the brokered tranche of the Offering, as well as 360,180 non-transferable broker warrants (the "Broker Warrants"). Each Broker Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Common Share at a price of $0.75 per share for a period of 24 months following the closing of the Offering. The Company also paid cash fees of $180,960 to certain finders in connection with the non-brokered tranche of the Offering, as well as 364,920 non-transferable finder's warrants (the "Finder's Warrants"). Each Finder's Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Common Share at a price of $0.75 per share for a period of 24 months following the closing of the closing of the Offering. The Units were issued on a private placement basis pursuant to Part 5A of National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions ("NI 45-106"), as amended and supplemented by Coordinated Blanket Order 45-935 - Exemptions from Certain Conditions of the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption (the "Listed Issuer Financing Exemption"), and as such will not be subject to resale restrictions under applicable Canadian securities laws. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act, or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the "United States" (as such term is defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. About Kobrea Kobrea Exploration Corp. is a mineral exploration and development company focused on the acquisition and exploration of base metal projects. Kobrea holds the right to earn a 100% interest in 7 projects totaling 733 km2 in southwestern Mendoza Province, Argentina (see the Company's August 19, 2024 news release for details). The properties are considered highly prospective for porphyry copper and porphyry copper-gold deposits. Numerous porphyry copper targets have been outlined to date exhibiting multi-kilometre hydrothermal alteration footprints, anomalous copper gold molybdenum geochemistry, quartz stockwork veining, localized hydrothermal breccias and Pliocene to Miocene aged granodioritic to dioritic porphyry intrusions. Kobrea also holds a 100% interest in the Upland Copper Project in British Columbia, Canada. For more information, please consult the Company's filings, available at www.sedarplus.ca. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Per: "James Hedalen" James Hedalen CEO & Director Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by words such as "believe," "project," "aim," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "strategy," "future," "opportunity," "plan," "may," "should," "will," "would," and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements made in this news release include statements regarding the Offering and the anticipated use of proceeds of the Offering. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements and information are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements and information because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements and information address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this news release. The forward-looking statements included in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable laws. The forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed this news release and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/269124 SOURCE: Kobrea Exploration Corp. WASHINGTON, DC / ACCESS Newswire / October 3, 2025 / The Crypto Lawyers PLLC has filed claims on behalf of more than one hundred victims of cryptocurrency confidence scams in federal forfeiture proceedings involving more than $225 million in seized digital assets. The filings seek the return of over $70 million stolen from victims and laundered through the same network of accounts identified in the government's complaint. The firm is joined in the case by co-counsel Greenberg Traurig LLP and Boies Schiller Flexner LLP. TCL Logo On June 18, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that federal agents had seized approximately 225,364,961 USDT, worth more than $225 million, from accounts used to launder the proceeds of the fraud. In filing its forfeiture complaint, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro stated that her office was "taking a leading role in the fight against crypto-confidence scams, partnering with law enforcement throughout the country to seize and forfeit stolen funds and rip them from the hands of foreign criminals, all with the eye toward making victims whole." The DOJ reported that investigators traced approximately $19 million to sixty victims but acknowledged that many more could not be identified. The Crypto Lawyers has since identified more than one hundred victims, nearly double the number recognized in the government's filing, whose combined losses exceed $70 million beyond those set forth in the complaint. By bringing these additional victims forward, The Crypto Lawyers looks forward to working with the government to ensure they are made whole. "The Crypto Lawyers has long been at the forefront of efforts to recover stolen cryptocurrency for scam victims. Our clients' assets have been painstakingly traced to the funds now under seizure, and they have waited patiently for the opportunity to be made whole. We are grateful for the Department of Justice's work in securing these assets and look forward to seeing them returned to the victims," said Rafael Yakobi, Managing Partner of The Crypto Lawyers and lead counsel to the victims. This unprecedented case highlights the scale of harm caused by organized crypto scams and the importance of ensuring that victims are not left behind. "This case is not only about recovering stolen funds, it is about restoring dignity and recognition to victims who have endured tremendous loss. For too long, many of these individuals had little hope that their voices would be heard. By identifying over one hundred victims whose assets were laundered through this network, the firm is helping ensure they are not overlooked, but instead given a meaningful chance to be made whole. This represents an important step toward justice in the face of widespread and organized fraud," said Agustin M. Barbara of The Crypto Lawyers and also lead counsel to the victims. Contact Information Rafael Yakobi Managing Partner - The Crypto Lawyers, PLLC rafael@thecryptolawyers.com SOURCE: The Crypto Lawyers, PLLC View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/the-crypto-lawyers-pllc-seeks-recovery-of-stolen-funds-for-more-1074359 WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - After a $6.6 billion secondary share sale involving both current and former employees, OpenAI has reached a $500 billion valuation, according to Bloomberg. With the transaction, OpenAI surpasses valuations previously set by tech giants at comparable stages of growth to become the most valuable privately held company in history. SoftBank, Thrive Capital, Dragoneer Investment Group, MGX, and T. Rowe Price were among the buyers in the deal. Profits from the sale went to shareholders rather than OpenAI itself, in contrast to a traditional funding round. However, the sale helps the company's retention efforts as it contends with growing competition from rivals like Meta. At least seven of the top OpenAI engineers were enticed to join Meta this summer with multimillion-dollar signing bonuses. With support from SoftBank, Thrive, T. Rowe Price, Dragoneer, Blackstone, TPG, Founders Fund, Sequoia, and Andreessen Horowitz, OpenAI closed a $40 billion round at a $300 billion valuation in August. With a $300 billion investment in Oracle Cloud Services over the next five years, the company is also getting ready for significant capital requirements. As part of a strategic partnership that was announced in September, Nvidia has committed $100 billion. The secondary sale's timing is noteworthy because it occurred just weeks after OpenAI and Microsoft reached a non-binding agreement that may allow OpenAI to become a for profit company, a process that has not yet been completed in court. If legal approval is delayed, the new sales may make that conversion more difficult. With the release of its most recent Sora 2 video model and social media platform earlier this week, OpenAI is still growing rapidly. In the first half of 2025, the company's reported revenue of $4.3 billion was offset by $2.5 billion in cash burn. Copyright(c) 2025 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Early next week, India will receive an unlikely guest the Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi of the Taliban government. This will be the first high-level visit from Kabul to New Delhi since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021. But what will be the agenda of Muttaqis visit? Taliban acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi was unable to visit India in September after he could not secure the waiver on the travel ban. File image/Reuters Its been four years since the Taliban took over Afghanistan once again, and it seems that their period of isolation is slowly coming to an end. This comes after news emerged that Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi of the Taliban government will visit India on October 9, marking a new chapter in India-Taliban engagement. Ahead of Muttaqis visit, we take a closer look at why this trip matters for India. Muttaqis visit to India Talibans Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is expected to visit India from October 9 until the 16 after the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) approved an exemption to the travel ban imposed on him. The UN Security Councils Taliban Sanctions Committee announced that it approved an exemption to the travel ban for Amir Khan Muttaqi to visit New Delhi, India, from October 9 to 16, 2025. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Muttaqi has been under UN sanctions since January 25, 2001, which placed him on the list subjecting him to a travel ban, an assets freeze, and an arms embargo. This means that if he wished to travel, he would need a clearance from the UN sanctions committee. The UN Security Councils Taliban Sanctions Committee has approved an exemption to the travel ban on Afghanistans Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, paving the way for his visit to New Delhi next week. File image/AFP Now, after receiving the waiver, the Taliban minister will visit New Delhi with the focus being on developmental assistance to Afghanistan, which has been struggling with scarcity of essential medicines and agricultural products since their takeover of Afghanistan in 2021. According to The Hindu, one of the issues that is likely to be discussed is the continued use of Irans Chabahar port, especially after US President Donald Trump ended the waiver to India to use the strategically important port. Moreover, the Taliban minister is likely to raise the issue of Trump wanting the Bagram air base in Afghanistan too an idea that the Taliban has rejected before. As per a Hindustan Times report, the Taliban side is also expected to press for the posting of its envoy and more diplomats at the Afghan embassy in New Delhi and consulates in Mumbai and Hyderabad. Muttaqis visit long time in the making Muttaqis visit to India next week comes after his previous plan in September didnt materialise as the Taliban minister failed to receive permission from the UN. At the time, reports suggested that the US and Pakistan, currently a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, were opposed to granting a waiver. As per the rules, all decisions by the committee are by consensus, and even if one country objects to a decision, it can be blocked. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Notably, in the earlier travel request, it is believed that Islamabad blocked Muttaqis visit to India. The Taliban official was also scheduled to travel to visit Pakistan in Afghanistan, which was called off due to an objection by the US, according to media reports. Notably, Muttaqis visit in September was to come after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar disclosed that he had spoken to Muttaqi earlier in May. At the time, Indias foreign minister was quoted as saying, I had a good conversation with him, adding that he deeply appreciated his condemnation of the Pahalgam terrorist attack. Jaishankar further added that he welcomed his firm rejection of recent attempts to create distrust between India and Afghanistan through false and baseless reports. Underlined our traditional friendship with the Afghan people and continuing support for their development needs. Discussed ways and means of taking cooperation forward. Also, its part of Indias long diplomatic game; India has been courting the Taliban since earlier this year. Indian officials, including Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and senior IFS officer JP Singh, have held multiple rounds of dialogue with Muttaqi and other Taliban leaders, often meeting in neutral venues like Dubai. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri meets Afghanistan acting Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi, in Dubai, earlier in January. File image/ANI India-Taliban and a strategic realignment Muttaqis visit to India is significant for a number of reasons. Firstly, its the first such high-level visit from Kabul to New Delhi since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021. Its important to note here that India has long been anti-Taliban. In fact, New Delhi was even against the Mujahideen in the 1980s. And after the Taliban dethroned the US in Afghanistan in 2021, New Delhi did not recognise the Taliban regime in the country even its embassy in the Indian capital suspended operations in 2023. But despite not recognising the Taliban, India has been keeping up its engagement with them. Experts attribute this to its regional geopolitical and geo-economic interests. The Taliban were long considered a Pakistani asset. However, reality hit Pakistan hard when the Taliban refused to rein in the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has increased its attacks inside Pakistan since the Taliban regimes seizure of power in Afghanistan. The patron-client relationship between the Taliban and Pakistan ceased to exist, which provided India an opportunity to ease its opposition to the Taliban. Theres also the China factor. India is aware that Beijing is cosying up to the Taliban and that could endanger New Delhis position in the Central Asian region. Since their coming to power, Beijing has been courting the Taliban with an eye on Afghanistans resources. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD India also needs access to Central Asian markets and for that it needs the Taliban. As Shanthie Mariet DSouza, an Afghanistan expert, told DW earlier, At the heart of Indias policy is the goal of regaining its lost influence and reestablishing its connections in Kabul. Additionally, India aims to restore its influence in a region where China has significantly stepped up its presence since August 2021. The visit next week, will no doubt, be closely watched by all, as many believe it could redraw power equations across South Asia. With inputs from agencies Bajrang Singh, a former NSG commando who fought terrorists during the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, was arrested in Rajasthans Churu for masterminding a multi-state cannabis smuggling racket. The man, who carried a Rs 25,000 reward on his head, was nabbed with 200 kg of cannabis by the states ATS and Anti-Narcotics Task Force in a dramatic operation Bajrang Singh, a former NSG commando was kingpin of a sprawling multi-state cannabis (ganja) smuggling racket and carried a Rs 25,000 reward on his head. He was finally nabbed after a two-month-long chase by authorities. Image courtesy: X He was once hailed as a hero, an NSG commando who fought terrorists during the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Today, that same man stands accused of running a drug empire. Bajrang Singh was arrested in Rajasthans Churu on Wednesday night with 200 kg of cannabis, which police say was trafficked from Telangana and Odisha. Once decorated for his bravery, he is now branded the kingpin of a sprawling multi-state cannabis (ganja) smuggling racket and carried a Rs 25,000 reward on his head. He was finally nabbed after a two-month-long chase under Operation Gaanjaney, led by the states ATS and Anti-Narcotics Task Force. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But how did a man who once defended the nation slip into the world of crime? Heres a closer look at his journey. Life as an NSG commando Bajrang Singh, a native of Rajasthans Sikar district, dropped out of school after Class 10. But his towering six-foot frame and strong fitness levels opened the door for him to join the Border Security Force (BSF). As a BSF constable, Singh was posted across several states, including Punjab, Assam, Rajasthan, Odisha and West Bengal. His commitment to duty soon caught the attention of his seniors, who recommended him for the National Security Guard (NSG), Indias elite counter-terror force. For the next seven years, Singh served as an NSG commando. His most defining moment came in 2008, when he was part of the operation to neutralise the Pakistan-sponsored Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists during the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, which had left at least 166 people dead, including 26 foreign nationals. But after retiring from service in 2021, Singhs life took a very different and unfortunate turn. Also read: Explained: Centre's 3 Bills on removal of PM, CMs and other ministers facing criminal charges Entry into the world of crime After leaving service, Singh returned to his village with political ambitions. He threw himself into party work and even fielded his wife in the panchayat elections. Though she lost, the attempt earned Singh visibility and influence in the area. According to a senior police officer, Singhs stint in politics introduced him to people with criminal ties. It was during this time that he learned about the immense profits of the ganja trade through one such associate. Drawing on his past experience in Odisha during his BSF postings, Singh reconnected with old contacts in Odisha and Telangana. Slowly, he established links with those already active in the illegal trade. Joint teams of Rajasthan ATS (Anti-Terror Squad)and ANTF (Anti-Narcotics Task Force) have arrested Bajrang Singh, a former NSG commando, the main mastermind of the illegal business of Ganja smuggling between Rajasthan, Odisha, and Telangana. (Source: Rajasthan Police) pic.twitter.com/l3AEcugJsE ANI (@ANI) October 3, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD His rise was quick. Within a year, Singh had moved beyond small dealings and positioned himself as a major player in the syndicate. Unlike low-level smugglers, he dealt in large consignments, taking on the dangerous job of moving quintals of cannabis across state borders. Over time, several cases were registered against him, including one in his home district of Sikar after large quantities of ganja were seized. In 2023, he was caught near Hyderabad with two quintals of the banned drug but was released on bail. Also read: Cyberfrauds, offences against women & more: The crimes on the rise in India How the drug kingpin was nabbed Bajrang Singh managed to stay under the radar for months, despite being on the polices watchlist. According to NDTV, Rajasthans ATS and ANTF had been tracking him for two months, trying to uncover the masterminds behind the ganja trade. Singh went to great lengths to hide his identity, using fake mobile IDs and moving between remote villages. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD One tip ultimately cracked the case: Singh always travelled with a trusted Odiya cook. Security agencies traced the cooks relatives, which eventually led them to Singhs hideout in Ratangarh, reported the Indian Express. The police did not arrest him immediately, realising that such a move against a former commando could be dangerous. They quietly followed him to his secret hideouts, and only after proper planning, they executed a surprise raid. VIDEO | IGP ATS (Jaipur) Vikas Kumar informs, "I want to tell the drugs mafia, there is a war against drugs. The joint teams of Rajasthan ATS and ANTF teams are acting, they have arrested the kingpin of drugs smuggling from Odisha, Telangana to Rajasthan, his name of Bajrang pic.twitter.com/K8MHYnCkJ5 Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 2, 2025 This operation was a result of weeks of planning and intelligence sharing. The arrest of a hardened operative like Bajrang is a significant achievement in neutralising the terror-narcotics nexus in Rajasthan, Inspector General of Police Vikas Kumar said. With Singh now in custody, police hope the operation will disrupt the large-scale ganja smuggling network from Odisha and Telangana into Rajasthan, delivering a major blow to the states drug trade. With input from agencies Dr Gitanjali J Angmo, wife of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, has approached the Supreme Court, seeking her husbands unconditional release from prison. He was arrested on September 26 under the National Security Act (NSA) following violent protests in Leh. Angmo, the co-founder of the Himalayan Institute of Alternative Learning (HIAL), is an accomplished social entrepreneur and educationist Geetanjali Angmo has moved the Supreme Court to seek the release of her husband, Sonam Wangchuk, from detention. Image Courtesy: Instagram/gitanjalijangmo Dr Gitanjali J Angmo, wife of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, has moved the Supreme Court seeking her husbands unconditional release. Wangchuk was arrested on September 26 under the National Security Act (NSA), 1980, days after violence erupted during protests in Ladakh. Angmo has filed a habeas corpus petition asking the apex court to direct authorities to clarify the whereabouts of Wangchuk and order his immediate release from detention. The climate activist is reportedly lodged in a Jodhpur jail in Rajasthan. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Lets take a closer look. Who is Gitanjali J Angmo? Gitanjali J Angmo is the co-founder and chief executive officer of the Himalayan Institute of Alternative Learning (HIAL). A social entrepreneur and educationist, she is helping transform education in the Union Territory. Angmo, who is Punjabi by birth, left her entrepreneurial career and moved to Ladakh in 2017, as per a PTI report. HIAL was established in 2018 as an alternative university for mountain development, with a focus on responsible tourism, sustainable architecture and applied ecology, reported ThePrint. The buildings at HIAL in Phyang village are passive solar-heated, which maintains a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius even as severe cold envelops the outside. In just five years of HIAL, Angmo has led the creation of 150,000 square feet of sustainable infrastructure and developed over 12 cutting-edge courses. The institute runs groundbreaking projects like artificial glaciers that store 500 million litres of water, an innovative solution to address water scarcity. Angmo, a Chevening Scholar, has been honoured with the Women Transforming India Award by the Indian government. She has several other achievements under her belt, including a black belt in karate. She is also an accomplished Odissi and Russian Bolshoi ballet dancer, as per her LinkedIn. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Angmo has established a K-12 school called Desert Flower to promote creativity, higher-order thinking and spiritual living from early childhood. Gitanjali J Angmos efforts for her husbands release Gitanjali J Angmo has been using her voice to demand her husband Sonam Wangchuks release from jail. On Wednesday (October 1), she wrote to President Droupadi Murmu, seeking her intervention for the release of the climate activist. In the three-page letter, she alleged a witch hunt against her husband for taking up the cause of the people over the past four years. Angmo said Wangchuk has been detained without cause and questioned why she was not allowed to speak to Wangchuk over the phone or in person. We request for an unconditional release of Wangchuk, a person who can never be a threat to anyone, leave alone his Nation. He has dedicated his life to serve the brave sons of soil of Ladakh and stands in solidarity with the Indian Army in defence of our great nation, Angmo said in the representation forwarded through the deputy commissioner, Leh. She called Wangchuks detention illegal and said she got to know of this through a station house officer. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD I was also told the officer would explain to me my legal rights. Even that has not been done till today. I am shocked and devastated, she said, adding that her husband was not even allowed to take his clothes while being taken away. I am not aware whether he has been given fresh clothes and basic amenities including medicines that he needs on a daily basis, especially after his fast of 15 days in September that has weakened him physically. Alleging a full scale witch hunt against the climate activist, Angmo said in her representation that people of this country are reaching out in solidarity and support, shocked by the Government action against a peaceful Gandhian protestor with an impeccable track record of service to the nation. Highlighting her husbands efforts to build effective shelters for the Indian Army and the nationalism of the Ladakhi people, Angmo stated that to treat the son of the soil of Ladakh so shabbily is not just a sin but a strategic error for building strong borders with solidarity and peaceful coexistence. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Angmo also sent copies of the representation to the Prime Ministers Office, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Law Ministry and the office of the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Ladakh. Her letter came after Wangchuk was arrested in Leh on September 26 under the stringent NSA, two days after violent protests in the town. Angmo has now moved the Supreme Court, seeking her husbands release. She said in her petition that there was no information on the grounds of his detention or his health. She claimed she had not received a copy of the detention order, describing it as a violation of established rules, despite several attempts. I have sought relief from the SUPREME COURT OF INDIA through a HABEAS CORPUS petition against @Wangchuk66s detention. It is one week today. Still I have no information about Sonam Wangchuks health, the condition he is in nor the grounds of detention. pic.twitter.com/P4EPzO630A Gitanjali J Angmo (@GitanjaliAngmo) October 3, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Angmo also rejected the charge that Wangchuk was in touch with a Pakistani intelligence operative, and accused the Ladakh police of working with an agenda. Whatever the DGP is saying, he has an agenda. They dont want to implement the 6th Schedule under any circumstances and want to make someone a scapegoat, she alleged. Why Sonam Wangchuk was arrested On September 24, thousands of protesters gathered in Leh, mostly in the 18-24 age group. Clashes between the police and demonstrators erupted, leading to the death of four people and the injury of over 70 others. The protesters were demanding statehood for Ladakh and Sixth Schedule protections for the UT. Wangchuk, who had been on a 35-day hunger strike to press the government over these demands, had condemned the violence and ended his strike. However, he was arrested two days later for alleged provocative speeches that led to violent protests. Following Wangchuks arrest, the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance, the two organisations spearheading talks with the government on Ladakh matters, pulled out of the negotiations, claimimg political motives behind the arrest. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Ladakh administration has, however, dismissed allegations of political vendetta. The Centre said in a statement, The Government has always been open for dialogues on Ladakh matters with Apex Body Leh (ABL) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) at any time. We would continue to welcome the discussion with ABL and KDA through the HPC on Ladakh or any such platform. Defending her husband, Angmo told ThePrint in an interview, They have picked everything out of context and are trying to defame Sonam Wangchuk. The whole world has seen that he is a Gandhian, he isnt a threat to the public but is a celebrated hero. She also said that the video where Wangchuk is heard speaking in Ladakhi about protests in Nepal, Sri Lanka and other countries was taken out of context. All he is saying is that if the government isnt responsive to the needs of the people, then the natural reaction is revolution, which we can see is happening in other countries, He is urging the government to be responsive and then also says that if a persons life is needed for it, then let it be his life, she told ThePrint. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD All Sonam wanted was for them (government) to honour the commitment they had made regarding the Sixth Schedule. His hunger strikes were simply a way to remind them of that promise, she added. With inputs from agencies Japan is on the brink of running out of Asahi Super Dry as a cyberattack cripples the nations largest brewer. With production halted across most of Asahis 30 factories and shipments frozen, retailers warn that shelves could be empty within days A staff of a restaurant Kushiyaki Tosaka holds a freshly poured glass of Asahi Super Dry beer at the restaurant in Tokyo, Japan, October 3, 2025. File Image/Reuters Japans most popular beer brand, Asahi Super Dry, is facing a large-scale cyberattack that has paralysed domestic operations of Asahi Group Holdings, leaving production facilities offline and distribution networks shut down. With breweries idle for several days and no timeline for restoration, shelves across the country are expected to soon run empty, creating one of the most severe supply disruptions in Japans drinks industry in recent memory. Why Asahi beer is going to run out in Japan The Asahi Group confirmed earlier this week that it had suffered a cyberattack which triggered a system failure across its Japan-based operations. This technical disruption immediately halted orders, deliveries, and customer service functions. The company stated, We are actively investigating the cause and working to restore operations; however, there is currently no estimated timeline for recovery. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Most of the companys 30 domestic plants have been unable to operate since Monday, according to company disclosures. An empty keg of Asahi Super Dry stands outside the restaurant Kushiyaki Tosaka in Tokyo, Japan, October 3, 2025. File Image/Reuters While the brewer has attempted to identify the scope of the damage, it remains unclear how many facilities have been directly affected, reported Reuters. At present, the issue is limited to Japan, with Asahi stressing that international businesses, particularly in Europe where it owns global brands, remain unaffected. The company has also suspended its call centrr operations. In a statement, Asahi confirmed there had been no confirmed leakage of personal information of customer data. However, it acknowledged the seriousness of the attack and apologised to its customers and business partners. How Asahi beer shortage is impacting retailers Convenience store chain Lawson, one of Japans biggest distributors of packaged goods, issued a statement cautioning that it is possible that some of these products may become increasingly out of stock from tomorrow onwards. An executive at another large retail group gave an even starker warning, saying, This is having an impact on everyone. I think we will run out of products soon. When it comes to Super Dry, I think well run out in two or three days at supermarkets and Asahis food products within a week or so. Supermarkets, convenience stores, and izakaya pubs are bracing for shortages, reported The Financial Times. Industry insiders suggest that demand may shift temporarily toward rival brands produced by companies such as Kirin and Suntory. But experts also point out that loyalty to Asahi Super Dry, known for its crisp taste, means many drinkers will not easily switch. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD How Asahi is a heritage brand in Japan Asahi has a long history in Japans drinks market. Founded in 1889, the company released its first bottled draft beer in 1900 under the leadership of Komakichi Torii. Over the decades, it grew from a local brewery into a global drinks empire, exporting its products and acquiring international brands. Its signature Asahi Super Dry, introduced in the late 20th century, quickly became Japans best-selling beer and a staple at supermarkets, restaurants, and izakaya pubs. Today, it is a symbol of modern Japanese brewing. Beyond beer, Asahi produces an array of other beverages, including non-alcoholic drinks and whisky brands such as Nikka. It also manufactures baby food and produces own-brand products for major Japanese retailers. Yet the domestic market has been increasingly challenging in recent years. Japans younger generations are drinking less alcohol, leading to declining beer sales across the country. To address this, Asahi has sought to diversify. Chief executive Atsushi Katsuki said in 2024 that the company aimed to double the share of low- and no-alcohol beverages to 20 per cent of its total beverage sales in the coming years. What the numbers say Asahi Group is the dominant player in Japans beer market and also one of the largest beverage companies globally. Based on its 2024 sales figures, the company produces the equivalent of 6.7 million large bottles of beer daily in Japan. About half of its overall sales revenue comes from the domestic market. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The interruption of its production line and distribution systems therefore represents a major financial setback. Its shares fell by 2.6 per cent on Thursday following the news of the cyberattack. The crisis has already forced Asahi to postpone the launch of eight new products, ranging from soft drinks such as fruit soda and lemon-flavoured ginger ale to health-oriented offerings like protein bars. These had been scheduled to debut this autumn but are now delayed indefinitely. On Wednesday, the company trialled a paper-based manual system to process orders and deliveries on a small scale. While this shows an attempt to restart operations, it remains uncertain whether such methods can be scaled up effectively to meet nationwide demand. While Japan struggles with the outage, Asahis overseas businesses continue unaffected. The group owns some of the most recognised European beer brands, including Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Grolsch, Pilsner Urquell, and Fullers in the UK. These brands are brewed and distributed independently of Japanese operations. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In the UK alone, Asahi owns Fullers brewery in West London, which produces London Pride, cider under the Cornish Orchards label, and craft beers under Dark Star. How cyberattacks are a growing vulnerability in Japan The Asahi incident puts into the spotlight a larger problem that has been mounting across Japans corporate sector: growing vulnerability to cyberattacks. Cybersecurity experts at Tokyo-based Nihon Cyber Defence (NCD) have repeatedly warned that Japanese companies are particularly attractive to attackers. Their assessment is that many firms have inadequate defenses and, in some cases, resolve attacks by paying ransoms discreetly, which encourages further targeting. The National Police Agency of Japan reported 222 ransomware attacks in 2024, a 12 per cent increase compared with the previous year. However, experts say the real scale is far higher, since many companies choose not to report such breaches publicly. A survey by the agency found that in nearly half of the reported ransomware cases, businesses took at least one month to fully recover lost data. Japans government has already identified cyber risks as a national threat. In May, it passed new legislation giving authorities more power to act against cybercriminals and state-sponsored hacking groups. At the time, Itsunori Onodera, chair of the governments policy research council, cautioned, Without an urgent upgrade of the nations cyber security the lives of Japanese people will be put at risk. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Why the Asahi cyberattack in unique In its 2024 annual report, Asahi itself listed cyberattacks as one of its key medium- and short-term risks. It acknowledged that such an event could disrupt business continuity, strain cash flow, and harm the brands reputation. The shutdown in Japan is already creating ripple effects. With Asahi Super Drys availability shrinking, restaurants and retailers are scrambling to adjust supply chains. Customers, meanwhile, are finding fewer options of their preferred beer. Even if the company manages to restore systems quickly, the impact on its seasonal sales and brand image could linger. In the absence of digital systems, Asahi is experimenting with reverting to paper-based processes for orders and shipments. This move mirrors strategies used by other global companies that faced cyber incidents. It remains unclear whether Asahi can implement similar measures nationwide at the scale necessary to satisfy demand. The complexity of logistics for a company producing millions of bottles daily makes manual operations difficult to sustain for more than a short period. With inputs from agencies The holiest holiday in the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur, turned into a horrific tragedy in Manchester when a man ran a car into a synagogue, and then went on a stabbing rampage. Jihad Al-Shamie, the man who is the slain suspect, has been identified as a 35-year-old who moved to the UK from Syria Armed police officers stand with their weapons inside a police cordon near Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Crumpsall, north Manchester, following an incident at the synagogue. Two people died and three others were injured in the tragedy. AFP While this is not a new hate, this is something Jews have always lived with We must be clear, it is a hatred that is rising once again, and Britain must defeat it once again, said the United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday after a man drove his car into people near a synagogue in Manchester, proceeding to stab two to death and injuring three others. The attack came at 9.30 am, local time, on Thursday, on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish religious calendar, which the police then treated as a terrorist incident. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The suspect, later identified as Jihad Al-Shamie, has since been killed, with the police also arresting three other people within hours of the attack in the city of Manchester. But how did the attack take place? Whos behind it? What was the motive for it? We get you all the answers to these questions. How did the Manchester synagogue attack unfold? On Thursday morning, the day of Yom Kippur, Greater Manchester Police said they received a call at 9:31 am, local time, informing them that a car had been driven toward members of the public, and that several people had been stabbed outside Heaton Park shul, a synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester. By 9.38 am, the police, who rushed to the scene of the attack, shot dead the suspect. But what ensued in those seven minutes of terror? A large crowd had collected at the synagogue on account of it being Yom Kippur. As the congregants gathered at the spot, a car appeared on the scene, with witnesses saying they heard a loud bang. Chava Lewin, a religious Jew who lives next door, told The Times, I thought it might be a firework. My husband went outside and then ran back inside and said, Theres been a terrorist attack. I spoke to someone who said she was driving and saw a car driving erratically, and it crashed into the gates [of the synagogue]. She thought maybe he had a heart attack. The second he got out of the car, he started stabbing anyone near him. He went for the security guard and tried to break into the synagogue. He was in the courtyard. Someone barricaded the door. Emergency services at the scene of a stabbing at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue, in Crumpsall, Manchester, England. AP Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson later stated that security staff and worshippers managed to stop the man from entering the building. Within seconds of the suspect ramming his car into the gates of the synagogue, armed police arrived, giving the suspected attacker several warnings before opening fire at 9.38 am. The suspect was dead. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A video shared on social media showed two armed officers pointing guns at a man, believed to be the suspect, lying on the ground outside the synagogue. The man filming can be heard saying theyve killed him as officers turn to bystanders and shout Move back, run away. Somebody stay with the casualties; everybody else, he has a bomb, go away. Get back! Warning: distressing footage 'Get back... he has a bomb, go away.' Watch the moment armed officers attempt to get members of the public away from the suspect involved in the Manchester Synagogue attack. pic.twitter.com/Y8gj0rUJSU GB News (@GBNEWS) October 2, 2025 A witness shouts to the officer, hes got a bomb on his f***ing jacket. Hes going to blow himself up. Hes trying to press the button as the camera pans to what appears to be an elderly man lying down and bleeding in the street. As the man believed to be the suspect stood on his knees, the officers took their aim once more. Seconds after the man recording the video screamed f***ing shoot him, the officers shot him two more times, leaving the man rolling on the ground. By 10.30 am, the immediate danger appeared to be over, but authorities urged the public to avoid the area as the police response continued. The man who killed two men outside a synagogue in Manchester on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar is believed to be a British citizen of Syrian descent and has been identified as Jihad al Shamie. Image Courtesy: X Who was the suspect in the Manchester synagogue attack? Much after the attack took place, the Manchester Greater Police identified the suspect to be Jihad Al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent. He is believed to have entered the UK as a very young child, and was granted British citizenship in 2006 as a minor. Authorities add that Al-Shamies name did not appear in any records of Prevent the UK governments counter-terrorism programme. Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Stephen Watson told reporters that the attacker was wearing a vest, which had the appearance of an explosive device. However, the force later confirmed it was not viable. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Al-Shamies motive is yet to be determined, the police has said. The police has also said three other people two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s have been arrested on suspicion of committing acts of terrorism. A member of the public is helped from the scene of a stabbing incident at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue, in Crumpsall, Manchester. AP Who are the victims in the attack? According to the police, two people have died in the Manchester synagogue attack, while three others have been critically injured in the stabbing. Their identities, however, have yet to be released. The police has confirmed that both of those killed were Jewish, while one of the people stabbed was working as a security guard outside the synagogue, though whether they were there in a professional or volunteer capacity is still unknown. Members of the Jewish community comfort each other near to the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue, in Crumpsall, Manchester. Police reported that two people were killed and three others were seriously injured in a synagogue attack in northern England. AP What has been the response to the Manchester attack? UK PM Keir Starmer returned early from a summit of European leaders in Copenhagen, Denmark, to London where he chaired an emergency security meeting. He condemned the vile individual for attacking Jews because they are Jews. He also promised that he would do everything in his power to guarantee the security of the Jewish population, starting with a more visible police presence. The British monarchy also expressed their grief after the incident. King Charles III said he and his wife, Queen Camilla, were deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the horrific attack in Manchester, especially on such a significant day for the Jewish community. Police guard a cordon at the scene of a stabbing incident at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue, in Crumpsall, Manchester. AP Meanwhile, members of the Jewish community in Crumpsall are still trying to wrap their heads around the tragedy. One man told Sky News, This is an extremely tolerant community, where people of many faiths, including Jews and Muslims, have lived side by side for years, and I am stunned by what has taken place. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Rabbi Jonathan Romain, of Maidenhead synagogue, told The Times that the incident was every Jewish persons worst nightmare. Not only is this a sacred day, the most sacred in the Jewish calendar, but its also a time of mass gathering, and the time when the Jewish community, however religious or irreligious, gathers together. Flowers lie at the scene, following a report of an incident in which a car was driven at pedestrians and a stabbing attack outside a synagogue, in north Manchester. Reuters Is the attack reflective of rising anti-Semitism in the UK? Reacting to the incident, oppositions Tory leader Kemi Badenoch called it vile and disgusting, further condemning the rise in antisemitism that were seeing in our country. This begs the question: has anti-Semitisim risen in the UK? Community Security Trust (CST), a UK-based charity for the welfare of British Jews, reported 3,528 instances of anti-Semitism in 2024, the second highest recorded by CST in a single calendar year. Nineteen of the instances recorded in 2024 involved damage to synagogues. The highest was in 2023, when 4,296 instances were recorded. With inputs from agencies While Donald Trump is the front man, it is Russell Thurlow Vought who is the architect of Americas government shutdown. But who is Vought, 49, the director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the co-author of Project 2025? What do we know about him? Russ Vought, the idrector of the White House Office of Management and Budget. Reuters The United States government has shut down yet again. This comes after the Democrats and Republicans have been unable to agree on the terms of passing a spending Bill. The Republicans have been unable to do so despite holding both Houses of Congress. Some US services have been suspended and government staff are already being furloughed. This is the third such shutdown under US President Donald Trump the first two of which came during his previous term. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD However, Trump is unmoved. In fact, Trump has said the Republicans should take this opportunity to massively reduce the size of the government. But while Trump is the front man, it is Russ Vought who is the architect of the shutdown. But who is Vought, 49, the director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the co-author of Project 2025? What do we know about him? Who is Vought? Russell Thurlow Vought was born on 26 March 1976. Hailing from New York originally, Vought was brought up in Connecticut. In 1998, he graduated with a BA from Wheaton College in Illinois and a JD from the George Washington University Law School in 2004. According to Vought, his parents were everyday working people. Growing up as the son of an electrician and a schoolteacher, I saw firsthand the sacrifices my parents made to balance their budget and save for the future. They are a reminder of the burden government spending can place on everyday Americans, he told Congress in February. Ascending the ladder Vought early in his career served as a legislative assistant for Republican Senators Phil Gramm from Texas and Chuck Hagel of Nebraska. He later held several positions in US Congress including policy director for Representative Jeb Hensarling of Texas, as executive director for the House Republican Study Committee, and policy director for the House Republican Conference under its then chairman Mike Pence. He was also vice president of grassroots outreach and policy initiatives for Heritage Action for America the arm of the Conservative Heritage Foundation. During Trumps first term, Vought first served as the deputy director and then as acting director of the OMB a little-known but powerful agency within the federal government. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Vought, who later succeeded Mick Mulvaney, would later be confirmed as director of the OMB by the US Senate. During his time as OMB chief, Vought formulated Executive Order 13957 which allowed federal agencies to reclassify thousands of jobs within the federal government. This allowed the White House to quickly change who could apply for such jobs and who could hold them. Vought held the position of OMB chief until the end of Trumps first term. The executive order was quickly reversed by the Biden government. When Trump was out of office for the next few years, Vought served as the president of the pro-Trump Centre for Renewing America, which he founded. Going into the 2024 election against Kamala Harris, Vought served as the policy director of the Republican National Committee platform committee. Russell Thurlow Vought has held several positions in US Congress. Reuters He also co-authored Project 2025 a 900-page document put out by the Heritage Foundation think-tank which outlined the goals of the second Trump Administration and how to effectively achieve them. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD While Trump denied any knowledge of the initiative on the campaign trail, he has changed his tune since taking office. Many of the initiatives underlined under Project 2025 have been implemented by the Trump administration. Key figures from the project have also been appointed to positions within the US government. Trump in November 2024 confirmed that Vought would be his pick for OMB chief during his second term. He did an excellent job serving in this role in my First Term We cut four Regulations for every new Regulation, and it was a Great Success! Trump wrote. Vought seems to be a great believer in the power of the unitary executive that is that the president has unrivalled powers which cannot be curtailed by Congress. During his confirmation Vought also told the US Senate that it is the president who controls the power of the purse not Congress. These beliefs are actually the opposite of what the US Constitution says. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Regardless, the US Senate confirmed Vought to the position in February 2025 by a vote of 5347. Fierce critic of deep state Vought has been a fierce critic of the federal government. He has claimed that the White House must retain control of the government agencies to stop opponents within them from blocking their initiatives. He said his role as OMB chief is to tame the bureaucracy, the administrative state. For example, Vought has claimed that the Government Accountability Office, the agency that monitors US government spending, should not exist. Vought had also proposed cuts to Medicaid, the Education Department and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) all of which have been implemented by the Trump administration this year. US President Donald Trump has previously denied any link to project 2025. Reuters Vought is also said to have synchronised the campaign between Maga Republicans in Congress and the Department of Governmental Efficiency against the experts and bureaucrats in the federal government what some Maga Republicans refer to as the deep state. One journalist described Vought as the glue between Musk and the Republicans. Regardless, there were reports that Vought as OMB chief felt sidelined by Elon Musk and Doge. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Vought though took pains to praise Doge publicly. I think theyre bringing an exhilarating rush of creativity, outside the box thinking, comfortability with risk and leverage, Vought said. Vought prior to the shutdown promised mass layoffs and took to Steve Bannons War Room podcast in September to claim it was a very critical juncture. Dreaming of this moment According to Utah Senator Mike Lee, Vought has been dreaming and preparing for the shutdown since puberty. As per Lee, Trump and Vought are jointly orchestrating the shutdown to hurt Democrats. Vought is already making moves to cut the size of the government specifically in blue cities and states. On Thursday, Vought announced he was cutting $8 billion (Rs 0.71 lakh crore) from climate-related projects. On Wednesday, Vought said he would be withholding $18 billion (Rs 1.60 lakh crore) in subway and tunnel funding for New York City. Trump, who had sought to distance himself from Project 2025, is now publicly embracing it. The US President on social media wrote he is meeting Vought to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut. I cant believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Opposition has slammed Vought with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer calling him evil and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries referring to him as a malignant political hack. Even those who do not agree with Vought admit he is extremely capable. He cares a lot about understanding all the details so he can maximally weaponise things, Bobby Kogan, a former OMB staffer during the Biden administration, told Axios. Hes incredibly effective. With inputs from agencies North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has declared cosmetic surgery, especially breast enlargement procedures, as anti-socialist, calling them a symbol of capitalist vanity that corrupts the countrys values. He will now deploy strike teams monitoring local neighbourhoods, conducting invasive checks and flagging women with noticeable changes in their bodies Kim Jong un has declared cosmetic surgery, especially breast enlargement procedures, as "un-socialist" and "bourgeois. Image courtesy: Reuters, Pixabay If pop songs and a ban on the use of the word hotdogor icecream were not enough, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has added breast implants to his list of anti-socialist wrongs. According to the Telegraph, the supreme leader has declared cosmetic surgery, especially breast enlargement procedures, as bourgeois, calling it a symbol of capitalist vanity that corrupts the countrys values. In a country where even a haircut can be dictated by the state, this latest ban pushes the limits of how far the regime is willing to go in controlling personal choices. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Heres a look at the latest crackdown Public trial for getting breast implants North Koreas latest crackdown on cosmetic surgery made headlines after a doctor and two women in their 20s were hauled before a public trial in Sariwon, a city around 75 km from Pyongyang, for undergoing illegal breast implant procedures. The doctor, according to South Korean outlet Daily NK, had dropped out of medical school before completing his programme and was secretly performing surgeries at home. He allegedly used silicone smuggled in from China when he was caught. The trial, which attracted a large audience, stirred shock as details of the trios backgrounds and the investigation were revealed. Authorities even displayed medical tools, bundles of cash, and imported silicone seized from the doctor as evidence. Eyewitnesses said the doctor stood on stage with his head bowed the entire time, while the two women, too ashamed to lift their faces, admitted they had gone through the procedure because they wanted to improve their figure. North Koreas Ministry of Public Safety issued an emergency order to launch a full-scale crackdown on cosmetic surgery. File Image But prosecutors were quick to condemn them, accusing the women of being tainted by bourgeois customs and indulging in rotten capitalist behaviour. The judge echoed those sentiments, promising strict punishment and declaring, Instead of being loyal to the organisation and collective, they were consumed by vanity and became poisonous weeds that erode the socialist system. The most disturbing revelation came when it emerged that the Security Bureau had carried out physical examinations on other women suspected of breast surgery, leaving many in the audience horrified, Daily NK reported. Crackdown on breast implants In the wake of the trial, North Koreas Ministry of Public Safety issued an emergency order to launch a full-scale crackdown on cosmetic surgery. Local neighbourhood watch groups have been instructed to flag women who appear to have undergone breast augmentation or even double-eyelid surgery. Those identified will be sent to hospitals for further examinations. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A source told Daily NK that strike teams are already patrolling central Pyongyang in plain clothes to catch offenders. Women and doctors found guilty face criminal punishment, including stints in labour training camps, on charges of anti-socialist behaviour. As a result, many young women in Sariwon are reportedly terrified of being subjected to invasive checks if authorities suspect them of having had surgery. North Koreas long list of bizarre bans This isnt the first time Kim Jong Uns regime has targeted personal freedoms in the name of fighting western influence. In recent months, the government banned everyday words like ice cream, hamburger, and karaoke, forcing citizens to use long-winded state-approved alternatives. For instance, ice cream must be called eseukimo or eoreumboseungi, hamburger becomes dajin-gogi gyeopppang (literally double bread with ground beef), and karaoke is reduced to on-screen accompaniment machine. Earlier this year, hot dogs were outlawed entirely, with eating, serving, or selling them labelled as treason. Reports also suggest that even South Koreas beloved street food, tteokbokki, or spicy rice cakes, has been banned. Fashion and grooming are heavily policed too. Short skirts, jeans, flashy clothes, logos, high heels, and unauthorised makeup are strictly prohibited. Hairstyles are limited to state-approved cuts, with rules on acceptable hair length for both men and women. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A recent United Nations review highlighted that repression in North Korea has only worsened over the last decade, particularly against citizens who access foreign media. It reported, cited by the BBC, even claimed that executions have been carried out against people caught watching foreign films or dramas, evidence, it said, that no other population is under such restrictions in todays world. With input from agencies Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has put the spotlight on Sir Creek a 96-km tidal estuary dividing Gujarat and Sindh with a sharp warning to Pakistan. The decades-old dispute, rooted in colonial-era maps, now carries high stakes involving oil, gas, maritime rights, fisheries, and security India's Border Security Force (BSF) soldiers patrol near the international border with Pakistan at Sir Creek, Gujarat, November 25, 2009. File Image/Reuters The quiet tidal estuary of Sir Creek, nestled in the marshlands of the Rann of Kutch, has once again come to the forefront of India-Pakistan tensions. Defence Minister Rajnath Singhs strong words directed at Islamabad in have put into the spotlight a border dispute that has endured for more than seven decades. During his address at the Lakki Nala Military Garrison in Gujarats Kutch region on Thursday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh issued a direct warning to Pakistan. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Evoking history, he said, Let us remember that in the 1965 war, the Indian Army had reached Lahore. And in 2025, Pakistan should remember that the road to Karachi goes through Sir Creek. Singh accused Pakistan of pursuing malafide intentions in keeping the Sir Creek issue alive. He pointed out that despite Indias multiple diplomatic overtures to resolve the dispute, Pakistan continues to create obstacles. Indias Border Security Force (BSF) soldiers patrol near the international border with Pakistan at Sir Creek, Gujarat, November 25, 2009. File Image/Reuters Referring to Pakistans recent military build-up, the defence minister remarked, Even after so many years of Independence, a border issue is brought up on Sir Creek. India has tried diplomacy several times to solve the issue but Pakistan has malafide intentions (niyat me khot). The way Pakistan has set up military infrastructure in the Sir Creek area shows its intention. He warned that any provocation from Pakistan in the creek region would be met with decisive retaliation. If Pakistan tries any misadventure in the Sir Creek area, it will get such a strong response that both history and geography will be changed. Rajnath Singhs visit to Gujarat coincided with the Hindu festival of Vijaydashami, also known as Dussehra. At Bhuj Military Station, he performed Shastra Puja, the traditional worship of weapons, symbolising respect for the instruments that defend the nation. Celebrated Vijayadashmi with the Indian Armed Forces personnel at Bhuj Military Station in Gujarat and performed Shastra Puja. Shastra Puja on Vijayadashmi is an integral part of our Indian culture. The worship of weapons on this day is deeply connected with Indias pic.twitter.com/aftqSgzJFv Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) October 2, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He also observed a multi-agency operational exercise, where land, air, and naval forces, along with the Border Security Force (BSF), demonstrated their coordinated capabilities. Singh stressed the importance of joint operations for Indias defence preparedness. Our land, air, naval forces and the BSF are pillars of our strength. It is only when they work together that we can rise to all challenges. Our government is constantly emphasising on the jointness of our forces. We saw an example of this during the Varunastra exercise here today. It was also this very jointness that gave success to Operation Sindoor in record time. Singh also commended the armed forces for their success in Operation Sindoor, a recent counter-action against Pakistani attempts to breach Indias defences. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Pakistan had tried to penetrate Indias defences from Leh to Sir Creek Sector, but the swift and effective counter-action of the Indian forces not only exposed the weaknesses of Pakistans air defence system but also sent out a clear message to the world that India can inflict heavy damage at a time, place and manner of its choosing, he declared. During the visit, Singh virtually inaugurated the Tidal Independent Berthing Facility and the Joint Control Centre in the Sir Creek sector. These facilities are expected to significantly enhance Indias coastal security network by integrating operational capabilities across agencies, improving coordination, and enabling faster responses to emerging threats. What we know about Sir Creek Sir Creek is a 96-kilometre-long tidal estuary situated in the uninhabited salt marshes of the Rann of Kutch. Flowing into the Arabian Sea, it serves as a natural divide between Gujarat on the Indian side and Sindh on the Pakistani side. Despite its seemingly desolate landscape, the estuary has been a matter of contention for decades, with disputes rooted in colonial-era boundary arrangements. Indias Border Security Force (BSF) soldiers patrol near the international border with Pakistan at Sir Creek, Gujarat, November 25, 2009. File Image/Reuters The origins of the conflict can be traced back to 1908 when rulers of Kutch and Sind quarreled over a pile of firewood along the creeks banks. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The matter was taken up by the British administration of Bombay, which issued a resolution in 1914. However, the disagreement resurfaced in the 1960s. After a series of armed skirmishes in 1965, Pakistan laid claim to territory extending along the 24th parallel in the Rann of Kutch, whereas India maintained that the border lay further north. The matter was referred to the Indo-Pakistani Western Boundary Case Tribunal, which delivered its award on February 19, 1968. The tribunal upheld nearly 90 per cent of Indias claims, conceding only small areas to Pakistan. While most of the Rann of Kutch was settled, Sir Creek was excluded from the award, leaving it unresolved. The unresolved status of Sir Creek stems from different interpretations of the 1914 resolution. Pakistan insists that the boundary should be fixed on the eastern bank of the creek, giving it control over the entire channel. India, on the other hand, argues that the same resolution invoked the thalweg principle which places the boundary along the mid-channel of navigable waterways. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD India backs its claim with the 1925 map and the presence of mid-channel pillars. Pakistan counters that the thalweg principle applies only to rivers and not to tidal estuaries such as Sir Creek. Another complicating factor is the creeks changing course, as shifting tidal flows alter its navigable channels over time. This directly affects the maritime boundary and the demarcation of Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) in the Arabian Sea. Why Sir Creek matters Although the creek has limited direct military significance, it carries immense economic and strategic weight. The waters and seabed around Sir Creek are believed to be rich in oil and natural gas deposits. Whoever controls the creek can influence the delimitation of EEZs, which extend 200 nautical miles into the sea and allow a country to exploit marine and energy resources. Beyond hydrocarbons, the creek also plays a role in fisheries. Thousands of fishermen from Gujarat and Sindh rely on these waters for their livelihoods. However, the absence of a clearly demarcated maritime boundary often leads them into disputed zones. Strong tidal flows and winds make it nearly impossible for small boats to determine the invisible border. Consequently, fishermen from both sides are routinely detained, often spending years in jail before being released through formal exchanges. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD International law calls for minimal penalties and the release of both crew and vessels, but in practice, the boats are usually confiscated, leaving fishers economically devastated. How Sir Creek is seeing escalating militarisation Since 2019, Pakistan has strengthened its presence by raising new Creek Battalions, deploying coastal defence boats and marine assault crafts, and upgrading its air defence with radars, missiles, and surveillance aircraft. Plans for additional naval posts and patrol vessels further signal its intent to consolidate control in the region. India has mirrored these measures, driven in part by security concerns following the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, which were launched from the Arabian Sea. Indian security agencies have intensified monitoring of Sir Creek, intercepting boats suspected of smuggling or infiltration. In 2018, the BSF seized several vessels in the area, and in September 2019, abandoned boats were discovered, raising fears of another terror attempt. What next Another dimension of the Sir Creek dispute involves Pakistans Left Bank Outfall Drain (LBOD) canal, built between 1987 and 1997. The canal was designed to discharge saline agricultural runoff and industrial effluents from the Indus basin into the sea through Sir Creek. While it helped prevent contamination of the Indus Rivers freshwater supply, it created ecological and political challenges. India argues that the LBOD canal violates Article IV of the Indus Waters Treaty, since it causes flooding and damage to land exposed during low tide on the Indian side of the creek. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Despite multiple rounds of bilateral talks over the decades, the Sir Creek issue remains unresolved. Indias position prioritises first demarcating the maritime boundary in the Arabian Sea, which would allow the equitable division of EEZs and continental shelves. Pakistans Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Defence Rear-Admiral Tanveer Faiz (L) greets Indian Major General M. Gopal Rao, (R) Surveyor General of India, at the Pakistani defence ministry in Rawalpindi near Islamabad May 17, 2007. India and Pakistan began two-day talks on a maritime dispute over Sir Creek, a coastal strip that links Indias Gujarat state with Pakistans Sindh province. File Image/Reuters Pakistan, however, argues that the territorial dispute over the creek itself must be settled before any maritime boundary can be drawn. With inputs from agencies In a development that has left many alarmed, US President Donald Trump seems to be attempting to expand the use of the military both at home and overseas. The Trump administration, in a memo, has claimed that the US is at war with drug cartels. He earlier also told Americas top generals that America is at war from within and that US cities could be used as training grounds for the military FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attend a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 26, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo What is President Donald Trump up to? In a development that has left many alarmed, Trump seems to be attempting to expand the use of the US military. Trump, who has already sent the National Guard to Democratic-run cities, is now seemingly preparing to deploy US troops on American soil. Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier this week addressed hundreds of top US generals at the Marine base in Quantico. But what do we know? What is he planning to do? STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What we know The Trump administration has claimed that the US is at war with drug cartels. It did so after Trump ordered strikes on boats in the Caribbean. Trump has made the assertion in a presidential memo. The President determined that the United States is in a non-international armed conflict with these designated terrorist organisations, the memo states. Trump directed the Pentagon to conduct operations against them pursuant to the law of armed conflict. The United States has now reached a critical point where we must use force in self-defence and defence of others against the ongoing attacks by these designated terrorist organisations, the memo says. The government earlier conducted strikes on what it claimed was a drug boat in Venezuela. The White House has claimed that the boat was part of the Tren de Aragua cartel and was heading to the United States with drugs. Trump claimed 11 drug traffickers had been killed in the strike. However, there are doubts as to whether this is in fact true. Trump in the memo directed the Pentagon to conduct operations against them pursuant to the law of armed conflict. Experts have said that the strikes overseas in all likelihood contravene international law and have questioned whether Trump even has the authority to do so. Under the US Constitution only Congress has the power to declare war though this is unlikely to stop the administration as the Republicans control both the House and the Senate. There are also reports that the Trump administration has deployed several naval warships off the coast of Venezuela. Venezuela slammed what it called an "illegal incursion" Thursday by US fighter jets into an area under Venezuelan air traffic control, accusing the United States of a provocation that threatens national sovereignty. What is he planning to do? Trump, with this memo, and his remarks to generals earlier this week, seems to be attempting to expand the boundaries of what he can and cannot do with the US military both at home and overseas. Trump in his speech to the generals earlier this week said America was at war from within. He claimed the military could be deployed in dangerous American cities run by radical-left Democrats and used as training grounds. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Were under invasion from within. No different than a foreign enemy, but more difficult in many ways because they dont wear uniforms, Trump said. Trump has previously taken aim at the Democrats as the enemies within. Were going to straighten them out one by one. This is going to be a major part for some of the people in this room. Its a war too, Trump said. History is filled with military heroes who took on all enemies, foreign and domestic, he said in a reference to George Washington and Abraham Lincoln who used the armed forces to keep domestic order and peace. Many of our leaders used the military to keep peace. Now they say you arent allowed to use the military, Trump said. The US president, who mused about deploying the military domestically during his first term, faced pushback from top brass at the time. Trump at the beginning of the speech noted how he wasnt applauded. If you want to applaud, you can applaud. He also seemed to jokingly threaten the generals. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Members of the military awaiting US President Donald Trumps speech. Reuters If you dont like what Im saying, you can leave the roomof course, there goes your rank and your future. You just feel nice and loose, okay, because were all on the same team. Ironically, Trumps threats to deploy the US military in American cities come even as crime rates across the country continue to steadily decline. Even a cursory reading of this speech shows that Trump is seemingly laying the groundwork for deploying US troops in American cities. Many speculate that the reason for doing so is to curb dissent against his already unpopular government. The problem with this is that it is patently illegal under the law. The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 forbids the president from using the troops as his personal police force. Deploying US troops on the streets of America is also a bad idea for several reasons. The foremost one is that the military is trained for two things to take territory and to kill. Any deployment of US troops on American soil in a showdown with protesters could go horribly wrong, as any number of experts have already pointed out. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD And the images of US troops cracking down on protesters on American soil as if it were any other country run by a strongman would be visually devastating and only further soil Americas already dented reputation around the world. All this comes as Trump and Defence Secretary Hegseth have already culled the ranks of many of the US top officers and sought to rework the military in their own image. What are critics saying? Critics have already taken aim at Trump. They say Trump is a dictator-in-waiting and might even take steps to influence the mid-term elections or suspend them entirely. California Governor Gavin Newsom wrote on X: This speech should terrify anyone who cares about our country. Declaring war on our nations cities and using our troops as political pawns is what dictators do. This man cares about nothing but his own ego and power. Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said drug cartels are despicable but the Trump administration has offered no credible legal justification, evidence or intelligence for these strikes. Reed, a former Army officer, said: STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Every American should be alarmed that their president has decided he can wage secret wars against anyone he calls an enemy. The American Civil Liberties Union also slammed Trump. In cities across the country, the presidents federal deployments are already creating conflict where there is none and instilling profound fear in people who are simply trying to live their lives and exercise their constitutional rights, the ACLU said in a statement. What happens next? Will Trump order Americas top generals to deploy the military on the streets of America? Will they refuse and risk a constitutional crisis? Will he order them to shoot protesters? Will the US Supreme Court back him up if it comes to that? Or will we witness scenes many could never have imagined? One can only wonder what comes next in Trumps second term. With inputs from agencies Facial recognition technology is becoming an increasingly common form of identification. While it may seem quick, convenient and secure, at the same time, it evokes concerns over privacy violations, especially for children. Heres how Joanne Orlando, Western Sydney University Walk into a shop, board a plane, log into your bank, or scroll through your social media feed, and chances are you might be asked to scan your face. Facial recognition and other kinds of face-based biometric technology are becoming an increasingly common form of identification. The technology is promoted as quick, convenient and secure but at the same time it has raised alarm over privacy violations. For instance, major retailers such as Kmart have been found to have broken the law by using the technology without customer consent. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD So are we seeing a dangerous technological overreach or the future of security? And what does it mean for families, especially when even children are expected to prove their identity with nothing more than their face? Pros and cons of facial recognition Facial recognition tech is marketed as the height of seamless convenience. Nowhere is this clearer than in the travel industry, where airlines such as Qantas tout facial recognition as the key to a smoother journey. Forget fumbling for passports and boarding passes just scan your face and youre away. In contrast, when big retailers such as Kmart and Bunnings were found to be scanning customers faces without permission, regulators stepped in and the backlash was swift. Here, the same technology is not seen as a convenience but as a serious breach of trust. Things get even murkier when it comes to children. Due to new government legislation, social media platforms may well introduce face-based age verification technology, framing it as a way to keep kids safe online. Social media platforms may well introduce face-based age verification technology, framing it as a way to keep kids safe online. Image for Representation. Reuters At the same time, schools are trialling facial recognition for everything from classroom entry to paying in the cafeteria. Yet concerns about data misuse remain. In one incident, Microsoft was accused of mishandling childrens biometric data. For children, facial recognition is quietly becoming the default, despite very real risks. Also read: Israel used Google Photos, facial recognition to identify Gazans, mistook them for having ties to Hamas STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD How does facial recognition work? Facial recognition technology works by mapping someones unique features and comparing them against a database of stored faces. Unlike passive CCTV cameras, it doesnt just record, it actively identifies and categorises people. This may feel similar to earlier identity technologies. Think of the check-in QR code systems that quickly sprung up at shops, cafes and airports during the COVID pandemic. Facial recognition may be on a similar path of rapid adoption. However, there is a crucial difference: where a QR code can be removed or an account deleted, your face cannot. Why these developments matter Permanence is a big issue for facial recognition. Once your or your childs facial scan is stored, it can stay in a database forever. If the database is hacked, that identity is compromised. In a world where banks and tech platforms may increasingly rely on facial recognition for access, the stakes are very high. If the database is hacked, that identity is compromised. In a world where banks and tech platforms may increasingly rely on facial recognition for access, the stakes are very high. Image for Representation. Reuters Whats more, the technology is not foolproof. Mis-identifying people is a real problem. Age-estimating systems are also often inaccurate. One 17-year-old might easily be classified as a child, while another passes as an adult. This may restrict their access to information or place them in the wrong digital space. A lifetime of consequences These risks arent just hypothetical. They already affect lives. Imagine being wrongly placed on a watchlist because of a facial recognition error, leading to delays and interrogations every time you travel. Or consider how stolen facial data could be used for identity theft, with perpetrators gaining access to accounts and services. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In the future, your face could even influence insurance or loan approvals, with algorithms drawing conclusions about your health or reliability based on a photo or video. Facial recognition does have some clear benefits, such as helping law enforcement identify suspects quickly in crowded spaces and providing convenient access to secure areas. But for children, the risks of misuse and error stretch across a lifetime. Whats the verdict? As it stands, facial recognition would seem to carry more risks than rewards. In a world rife with scams and hacks, we can replace a stolen passport or drivers licence, but we cant change our face. The question we need to answer is where we draw the line between reckless implementation and mandatory use. Are we prepared to accept the consequences of the rapid adoption of this technology? Security and convenience are important, but they are not the only values at stake. Until robust, enforceable rules around safety, privacy and fairness are firmly established, we should proceed with caution. So next time youre asked to scan your face, dont just accept it blindly. Ask: why is this necessary? And do the benefits truly outweigh the risks for me, and for everyone else involved? STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Joanne Orlando, Researcher, Digital Wellbeing, Western Sydney University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. On October 1, the US government shut down, putting thousands of federal workers at risk. Political experts have predicted a lengthy period of government closure. But, why are these shutdowns common in the US alone, while the UK and other western countries remain immune to such steps? There are significant differences in how the legislatures of the UK and US shape the budgetary process. AP When it comes to shutdowns, the US is very much an exception rather than the rule. On October 1, 2025, hundreds of thousands of federal employees were furloughed as the business of government ground to a halt. With negotiations in Congress seemingly deadlocked over a funding deal, many political watchers are predicting a lengthy period of government closure. According to the nonpartisan nonprofit Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, the latest shutdown represents the 20th such funding gap since 1976. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But it doesnt have to be like this and in most countries, it isnt. Other Western democracies experience polarisation and political turmoil, too, yet do not experience this problem. Take, for example, the UK, traditionally one of Washingtons closest allies and home to the mother of parliaments. In the British system, government shutdowns just dont happen in fact, there has never been one and likely never will be. So why do they occur in Washington but not London? Essentially, it comes down to four factors: the relative power of the legislature; how easy it is to pass a budget; the political stakes at play; and distinctive appropriation rules. Legislative power There are significant differences in how the legislatures of the UK and US shape the budgetary process. In the UK, the executive branch the party or coalition in power has the authority to propose spending plans. Parliament, which consists of members from all political parties, maintains an oversight and approval role, but it has very limited power over the budgetary timeline or to amend spending plans. This is a stark contrast with the US, where Congress which may be split or controlled by a party different to the executive plays a far more consequential role. The US president starts the budget process by laying out the administrations funding priorities. Yet, the Constitution grants Congress the power of the purse that is, the power to tax and spend. Moreover, past legislation has bolstered congressional control. The 1974 Congressional Budget Act helped curtail presidential involvement in the budgeting process, giving Congress more authority over the timeline. That gave Congress more power but also offered it more opportunities to bicker and derail the budgetary process. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Thresholds to pass a budget Congress and the UK Parliament also differ when it comes to their voting rules. Passing the US budget is inherently more complicated, as it requires the support of both the Senate and the House of Representatives. In Parliament, however, the two houses the elected House of Commons and unelected House of Lords are not equally involved. The two Parliament Acts of 1911 and 1949 limited the power of the House of Lords, preventing it from amending or blocking laws relating to budgeting. Additionally, approving the budget in Westminster requires only an absolute majority of votes in the House of Commons. That tends to be quite a straightforward hurdle to overcome in the UK The party in power will typically also command a majority of votes in the chamber or be able to muster one up with the support of smaller parties. It is not, however, so easy in Congress. While a simple majority suffices in the House of Representatives, the Senate still has a 60-vote requirement to close debates before proceeding with a majority vote to pass a bill. Political stakes US and UK politicians do not face the same high stakes over budget approval. Members of Congress may eventually pay a political price for how they vote on the budget, but there is no immediate threat to their jobs. That is not so in the UK. Indeed, the party or coalition in power in the UK must maintain the confidence of the House of Commons to stay in office. In other words, they need to command the support of the majority for key votes. UK governments can actually fall be forced to resign or call for new elections if they lose formal votes of confidence. Since confidence is also implied in other major votes, such as over the annual budget proposals, this raises the stakes for members of Parliament. They have tended to think twice before voting against a budget, for fear of triggering a dissolution of Parliament and new elections. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Distinctive appropriation rules Finally, rules about appropriation also set the US apart. For many decades, federal agencies could still operate despite funding bills not being passed. That, however, changed with a ruling by then-Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti in 1980. He determined that it would be illegal for governments to spend money without congressional approval. That decision has had the effect of making shutdowns more severe. But it is not a problem that the UK experiences because of its distinct rules on appropriation. So-called votes on account allow the UK government to obtain an advance on the money they need for the next financial year. This is an updated version of an article that was first published by The Conversation U.S. on September 28, 2023. Garret Martin, Hurst Senior Professorial Lecturer, Co-Director Transatlantic Policy Center, American University School of International Service This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. An increasing number of startups and businesses in the US and UK are asking their employees to ditch their shoes in the office and instead stroll around in socks or slip into comfy slippers once they arrive. The goal is to make the office feel less like a stiff, stressful place Companies are trialling a no-shoes policies as a way to boost focus, morale, and comfort in the workplace. AI-generated image for Representation If casual Fridays once felt like the ultimate office perk, some workplaces are now taking things a step further: by asking employees to ditch their shoes. At first, it might sound like the kind of quirky idea youd hear on a wellness retreat. But this trend is actually tied to a deeper goal: making the office feel less like a stiff, stressful place and more like somewhere people actually want to be. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With stress levels at an all-time high, burnout on the rise, and more workers prioritising wellbeing over paychecks, even small gestures like going shoeless can make a real difference. Heres why some offices believe bare feet could be better for employees. Peace is the sole purpose In Silicon Valley, shoeless offices are being embraced as just another perk to entice people back to the workplace. Startups such as Cursor, an AI company from San Francisco, Speak, an OpenAI-backed language app, and Whop, a platform that helps creators run and grow their businesses, all let employees stroll around in socks or slip into comfy slippers once they arrive. In an era when anxiety is reaching epidemic proportions, creating a space where employees can experience greater comfort can bring big advantages for creativity and innovation, as well as encouraging them to develop more meaningful relationships at work that foster cohesion and commitment, Anita Williams Woolley, professor of organisational behaviour at Carnegie Mellon Universitys Tepper School of Business, told Fortune. The trend isnt staying confined to the US either. In the UK, some companies are also trialling no-shoes policies as a way to boost focus, morale, and comfort in the workplace. Natalie James, founder of skincare startup helloSKIN, introduced a socks-only rule at her UK office last year. Offices are, by their very nature, stressful environments, she told The Guardian. If a little thing like taking off your shoes makes you feel more comfortable and thus be more creative then thats a no-brainer. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Of course, there are boundaries. At helloSKIN, staff cant go barefoot, socks must be clean (and hole-free), and shoes are still required in kitchens, bathrooms, and outdoors. Even with those rules, James says the difference has been obvious. Theres definitely been an increase in calmness, and with that comes better focus and more creativity. Also read: Burned-out workers are considering 'micro-retirement'. What is it? But not everyone agrees While walking around in socks might make the office feel homelier, its not without drawbacks. After all, shoes arent just about fashion; they also play a role in workplace norms and professionalism. The increased comfort and intimacy that could in some cases be a benefit to such a policy may also be a double-edged sword, as they may result in making important interpersonal boundaries less clear than they should be, Anita Williams Woolley said. There are also wider social concerns. In many workplaces, men are often able to dress more casually without consequence, but women are judged far more on how professional they appear. Removing shoes could risk widening that imbalance. Also read: Dad as negotiator? Why Gen Z is now bringing parents to job interviews STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Generational differences add another layer. Younger workers might see informality as a sign of creativity. Older workers might see it as unprofessional. That gap can create divisions in how people are valued, Professor Mustafa Ozbilgin, who researches workplace inclusion at Brunel University in London, told The Guardian. For now, the shoeless trend seems mostly confined to smaller, fast-moving startups. But as companies continue experimenting with ways to tempt staff back into the office, it might not be long before business casual means turning up in clean socks. With input from agencies India is fully prepared this time. We will not show the restraint we exhibited during Operation Sindoor 1.0. This time, the action will be such that perhaps Pakistan will have to think whether it wants to exist geographically, said Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi In a stern message to Pakistan, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi on Friday said that India is fully prepared to take decisive military action if provoked again and made it clear that if Pakistan wants to continue existing geographically, it must stop cross-border terrorism. Addressing jawans in Rajasthans Anupgarh, the Army Chief said, India is fully prepared this time. We will not show the restraint we exhibited during Operation Sindoor 1.0. This time, the action will be such that perhaps Pakistan will have to think whether it wants to exist geographically. If Pakistan wants to continue with its position in geography, it should stop its state-sponsored terrorism, he added. The Army Chief also conveyed a special message from Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, crediting the troops for the success of Operation Sindoor 1.0. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Defence Minister specifically asked me to tell you that the entire credit goes to you. Operation Sindoor is linked to our lives in such a way that it will remain with us forever. Whenever a woman applies sindoor on her forehead, she remembers the men in uniform standing guard at the borders, he said. General Dwivedi noted that his visit to the forward areas was to review operational readiness in the event of a possible Operation Sindoor 2.0. The motive behind my visit here was to see our preparedness. I am confident that if we get the chance, we are fully prepared. Whenever the opportunity arises, the results will be in our favour, he said. Any move in Sir Creek will alter history: Rajnath On Thursday, in a similar warning to Pakistan, the defence minister warned against expanding military infrastructure in the bordering Sir Creek area, saying it would be met with a decisive response that can alter both history and geography. Even after 78 years of independence, a dispute over the border in the Sir Creek area is being stirred up. India has made several attempts to resolve it through dialogue, but there is a flaw in Pakistans intentions; its intentions are not clear. The way in which the Pakistan army has recently expanded its military infrastructure in areas adjacent to Sir Creek reveals its intentions, said Rajnath Singh, who performed the Shastra Pooja of the L-70 Air Defence Gun on the occasion of Vijayadashami at the Bhuj Military Base, which was successfully used during Operation Sindoor. Continuing with tradition, the minister visited areas near the Sir Creek line in the Rann of Kutch marshlands and acknowledged the efforts of soldiers in defending against threats from Pakistan, praising their courage and valour. The Indian Army and BSF are jointly and vigilantly protecting the borders of India. If any misadventure is attempted from the Pakistan side in the Sir Creek area, it will receive such a decisive response that both history and geography will change. In the 1965 war, the Indian Army had demonstrated the capability to reach Lahore. Today in 2025, Pakistan should remember that one route to Karachi passes through the creek, he added. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Sir Creek a 96-kilometre-long disputed tidal waterway between India and Pakistan lies between Gujarats Kutch region and Pakistans Sindh province. While India maintains that the boundary should run through the middle of the creek, Pakistan claims it lies along the eastern bank, closer to Indian territory. Singh said that during Operation Sindoor, Pakistan attempted to breach Indias defences from Leh to Sir Creek, but the attempt failed. Todays India says that whether it is terrorism or any other kind of problem, we have the capability to deal with and defeat it, Singh said. During Operation Sindoor, Pakistan made a failed attempt to breach Indias defence system from Leh to this area of Sir Creek. Indias armed forces completely exposed the Pakistani air defence system and sent a message to the world that Indias armed forces can inflict heavy damage on Pakistan whenever, wherever, and however they wish, he added. Lauding the Indian Armed Forces, Singh credited their joint efforts for the swift execution of Operation Sindoor. He emphasised that victory in such operations does not come from weapons alone, but from the bravery, discipline, and determination of those who serve. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Weapons alone are not enough, he said, highlighting the armed forces courage, unity, and resolve, which ensure victory in difficult situations. He also underscored Indias measured approach during the operation, saying that despite having the capability to escalate, the focus remained solely on counter-terrorism. Singh expressed satisfaction over the outcome of the operation and reaffirmed Indias commitment to continue its fight against terrorism with unwavering resolve. With inputs from agencies India has initiated a probe into an alleged dumping of certain steel items from China, Indonesia and Vietnam following a complaint by domestic players. This is an AI generated image for representational purpose. India has launched an investigation into alleged dumping of certain steel products from China, Indonesia, and Vietnam, following a complaint from domestic industry players. The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR), under the Commerce Ministry, has opened an anti-dumping probe into imports of cold-rolled flat products of 300 and 400 series from the three countries. The Indian Stainless Steel Development Association (ISSDA) filed the application on behalf of local manufacturers, claiming that the alleged dumping has hurt domestic producers. They have sought the imposition of anti-dumping duties on these imports. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD On the basis of the duly substantiated application by the domestic industry, and having satisfied itself on the basis of prima facie evidence submitted by the domestic industry substantiating the dumping and consequent injury to the domestic industry, the Authority hereby initiates an anti-dumping investigation into the alleged dumping, the DGTR said in a notification. The DGTR will determine the existence, degree and effect of the dumping. If it is established that the dumping has caused material injury to domestic players, the DGTR would recommend the imposition of the levy on imports of all these items. The finance ministry takes the final decision to impose duties. The DGTR is also probing dumping of a number of other goods from China, including wallpapers, borosilicate table and kitchen glassware, and nylon. A similar investigation is underway against the dumping of medical examination rubber gloves from Malaysia and Thailand. Anti-dumping probes are conducted by countries to determine whether domestic industries have been hurt because of a surge in cheap imports. As a countermeasure, they impose these duties under the multilateral regime of Geneva-based World Trade Organization (WTO). The duty is aimed at ensuring fair trading practices and creating a level playing field for domestic producers vis-a-vis foreign producers and exporters. India and these countries are members of the WTO. India has already imposed anti-dumping duties on several products to tackle cheap imports from various countries, including China. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies India must maintain a pragmatic, cautious approach to advance its interests and check rival powers without overlooking human rights concerns under the Taliban rule Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Afghan foreign minister, is expected to visit India next week around October 9-10, 2025. The upcoming visit is highly significant, as it will be the first ministerial-level meeting between the Taliban government and India since the Talibans takeover of Afghanistan in 2021. The visit is also clubbed with his Russia visit for Moscow format talks on Afghanistan. India does not officially recognise the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan government or the Taliban government but has pragmatically engaged with Kabul since 2021 for humanitarian aid and trade facilitation and increased diplomatic contacts. In January 2025, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with Muttaqi in Dubai. This was followed by a phone conversation between Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Muttaqi in May 2025. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Muttaqi, like other senior Taliban leaders, is subject to a UN travel ban. India secured a waiver from the UN Security Councils 1988 sanctions committee to allow the visit. This was a critical step in enabling the meeting to take place. Significance of Visit The significance of the visit lies in several key areas: Strengthening diplomatic ties: The meeting marks a key moment in the improving, though unofficial, relationship between India and the Taliban-led administration. India has been cautiously increasing its engagement with the Taliban, and this high-level visit represents a major step toward normalising relations. Countering regional rivals: The visit allows India to reassert its influence in Afghanistan, particularly in response to China and Pakistan, which are also vying for a strong relationship with the Taliban. India aims to ensure its interests are protected and prevent its rivals from dominating Kabul. By engaging with the Taliban, India seeks to balance its security interests with other regional dynamics, including the growing influence of China and Pakistan in Afghanistan. Geopolitical and trade interests: The visit will provide an opportunity to discuss crucial issues, including trade and connectivity projects. A key focus will be leveraging Irans Chabahar port, which India is developing, to provide Afghanistan with a sea route for trade that bypasses Pakistan. This would decrease Afghanistans economic reliance on Pakistan and undermine the importance of Pakistans ports. The Taliban is supportive of Indias plans to improve connectivity, as it would benefit Afghanistans own trade links. Security cooperation: Combating terrorism will be a central topic of discussion. India has been concerned about Afghanistan being used as a staging ground for anti-India activities and will seek security guarantees from the Taliban. The Taliban, for their part, have a shared interest in cooperating against rivals like the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP). Humanitarian and developmental needs: The discussions will build on Indias continued humanitarian aid and development projects in Afghanistan, including in the health, food, and education sectors. India has provided scholarships to Afghan students and continues to support the Afghan people through various assistance programmes. Indias continued humanitarian aid and consideration of development projects offer the Taliban regime pragmatic incentives to cooperate on counter-terrorism and prevent Afghanistan from becoming a haven for anti-India terror groups. Counter-Terrorism During the forthcoming visit of Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to India, a primary focus for India will be on securing firm commitments regarding counter-terrorism. A central concern is that Afghanistans territory could be used as a base for terrorist groups to plan and launch attacks against India. India will press Muttaqi for concrete assurances that the Taliban regime will not permit anti-India terrorist activity from Afghan soil. India has long been worried about the activities of Pakistan-based militant groups, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), which have historical links with the Taliban and have executed attacks in India. India will seek action from the Taliban to dismantle these groups and prevent them from operating out of Afghanistan. India is concerned about a resurgence of cross-border terrorism, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir. In May 2025, a terror attack in Kashmirs Pahalgam killed 26 tourists. Although the Taliban government condemned the attack, India will emphasize the need for continued action against such threats. India is concerned that advanced weaponry left behind by international forces could fall into the hands of extremist groups in Afghanistan, potentially being used against Indian interests. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Talibans ability to control and secure these arms is a key security consideration. Indias decision to engage with Muttaqi is a pragmatic move intended to address these security issues directly with the Taliban government. Despite not formally recognizing the Taliban regime, direct high-level talks provide a channel to convey Indias security interests clearly and seek assurances from the Afghan leadership. During his visit, India should seek concrete assurances from Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi regarding Pakistan-based militant groups. Indias main security concern is that Afghanistan could become a safe haven for terrorist organizations that have historically targeted India, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), which are both based in Pakistan. Specifically, India should seek assurances and actions related to the following issues: Dismantling militant infrastructure: India should press the Taliban to dismantle the training camps, funding networks, and other infrastructure used by Pakistan-based militant groups within Afghanistan. Ending support for cross-border terrorism: New Delhi wants a firm guarantee that Afghan territory will not be used to launch terrorist attacks into India, particularly in regions like Jammu and Kashmir. This was highlighted by Indias concern over the May 2025 terrorist attack in Kashmirs Pahalgam, which the Taliban condemned. Action against designated terrorists: India could push for action against specific individuals and groups designated as terrorists by India and the United Nations, such as Jaish-e-Mohammed founder Masood Azhar and Lashkar-e-Taiba leader Hafiz Saeed. India wants these individuals brought to justice and prevented from using Afghanistan as a base of operations. Intelligence and security cooperation: India will likely seek assurances of cooperation from the Talibans security apparatus to prevent infiltration and monitor the movements of Pakistan-based militants. This reflects Indias broader pragmatic approach to security, engaging directly with the de facto rulers in Kabul. Pakistans Strategic Depth A key part of Indias strategy is to prevent Afghanistan from again being used by Pakistan as a source of strategic depth, a tactic where Pakistan cultivates militant allies in Afghanistan to counter Indian influence. India will seek assurances that the Taliban will assert an independent foreign policy, free from Pakistani influence, particularly in matters of security. Indias renewed engagement with the Taliban, including Muttaqis visit, is driven by the need to protect its national security interests and is an attempt to seek reliable security guarantees directly from Kabul, rather than through intermediaries. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Talibans increasing engagement with India directly affects its relationship with Pakistan, largely to the latters disadvantage. This shift represents a significant turn in the geopolitical rivalry between India and Pakistan over influence in Afghanistan. For decades, Pakistan viewed Afghanistan as a source of strategic depth to counter India. Indias renewed engagement with the Taliban erodes this strategic calculation in several ways: After the Taliban regained control in 2021, many expected Pakistan to have a dominant influence in Kabul. However, the Taliban is now using its diplomatic ties with India as leverage to assert greater independence from Pakistan. By expanding its own relationship with the Taliban, India can fill a vacuum created by Pakistans declining influence. Conclusion In conclusion, Indias approach marks a notable change from its policy during the Talibans previous rule in the 1990s, when it refused to engage and left a vacuum for Pakistan to fill. Indias current calibrated engagement suggests a shift in its strategy from opposition to active, pragmatic competition for influence. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD By offering humanitarian aid and signalling potential development projects, India aims to build influence and goodwill in Afghanistan, which Pakistan views as a deliberate attempt to encircle and destabilise it. Pakistan is uncomfortable with Indias growing engagement with the Taliban in Afghanistan, viewing it as a diplomatic setback and a potential threat to its security interests. Pakistans historical attempts to influence the Taliban for strategic depth against India appear to have backfired, leaving Islamabad resentful of the developing relationship. While the shift may yield tactical gains for India, it comes with risks. It normalises relations with a regime widely condemned for human rights abuses and may alienate the broader Afghan population who resent the Talibans rule. The Talibans policies, particularly those restricting women and girls from education and public life, pose a significant moral dilemma. For India, engaging with the regime while maintaining its diplomatic stance on human rights and inclusivity is a delicate balancing act. India will need to maintain a pragmatic, cautious approach to advance its interests and check rival powers while overlooking human rights concerns under the Taliban rule. India has shifted from a policy of detachment to a more pragmatic engagement, driven by regional realities, but it will still refrain from formally recognising the Taliban regime. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The writer is a retired Indian diplomat and had previously served as Ambassador in Kuwait and Morocco and as Consul General in New York. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views. On one more occasion, this time again a UN General Assembly speech, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans objectionable reference to Kashmir has received Indias condemnation. However, Erdogan has made the controversial reference in a different Islamic ummah than in the past. Or so it seems. The facts are simple. During Operation Sindoor, to which Erdogan made a veiled reference in terms of a ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan, Islamabad did use Turkish drones. Yet, without loss of much time in diplomatic terms, Pakistan signed a bilateral defence cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia, whose prime place in the ummah Ankara and Erdogan have been coveting. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Pakistan-Saudi pact says that they would mutually treat any aggression on one of them and would treat it as an aggression on the other, too. Primarily, it can impact India-Saudi relations, especially if India is involved in a military engagement with Pakistan, and the latter terms it as aggression. It is political as far as Saudi Arabia and the rest of them all are concerned, as the reference may also be about Riyadh & Co crying wolf over a theoretical possibility of Israel attacking them, now or later. The same may be the case if Israel, in the context of the Pakistan-Saudi defence pact, anticipates an Israeli aerial attack. For Islamabad to weave a tale of an Israeli-Indian collusion in the matter is a real possibility. That would be enough for Pakistan to raise hackles and remind Saudi Arabia about the current pact. Inconceivable but true This is only one side of a multi-faceted story that may have external powers outside of the ummah, citing precisely the ummah as the reason for such involvement/intervention. Overnight, the bilateral defence pact, which implies the deployment of Pakistani nuclear weapons, too, for defending Saudi Arabia (against Israel?), may have already made Islamabad more acceptable to the Islamic ummah than the South Asian outsider actually had been all these many years, post-Partition. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In turn, this has raised the stakes for Pakistan, which can now boast that they provide the nuclear weapons cover for Saudi Arabiaand by extension most of the rest of them, even if not all of them. That is to say, the late Zulfikhar Ali Bhuttos dream (?) of Pakistan making and possessing an Islamic bomb for the ummah as a whole. But this has another angle to it, from within the ummah. The unspoken rising influence of Pakistan within the Islamic grouping, if not the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation per se. The politico-religious logic behind Saudi Arabia, unintentionally or otherwise, sharing its pride of place in the ummah by making Pakistan the guardian of the Gulf-Arab regions security architecture is inconceivable but true. Be it as it may, Turkey would now find itself in a tighter spot in the matter, as Pakistan, which still feeds on it for military weapons apart from China, is a silent challenger to its ummah-centric ambitions from within. Islamabad may be playing a dangerous game, first by courting Saudi Arabia in strategic matters and then by challenging Saudi Arabia by providing them all the nuclear umbrella, which technically none of them possess. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD That includes Turkey, which otherwise is an original weapons maker on other fronts. Yes, Iraq under Saddam Hussein and Iran for a long time have been aspiring and also working to become nuclear weapons powers, but Israels continuous targeting of their n-installations and periodic UN/International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) interventions continue to get in the way. For the same reason, it is anybodys guess if Tehran, too, is going to like the Pakistan-Saudi defence deal, as it underscores Islamabads pride of place within the ummah, thanks to its nuclear weapons capability. That Iran is a Shia-majority and Shia-controlled nation does not help, even after Chinas Xi Jinping played cupid to make Tehran and Riyadh acceptable to each other two years back. Dangerous game Yes, the involvement of China in the larger region, now covering from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia and much of the rest of the Islamic world, thanks to Riyadh influencing the Islamic Council member nations to shake hands with Xi during his last visit, makes a difference. It is a dangerous game that Pakistan is playing wooing the US back under President Donald Trump, who has overnight developed a distaste for India, for reasons best known to him, even while continuing to court China under an even more ambitious Xi. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Yes, Pakistans continuing economic crisis is making the nation dance to everyones tune(s). But it can go only so far, and not anymore. The twin incongruity of Islamabads relations with Saudi Arabia and Turkey, with Iran being left to watch, on the one hand, and its simultaneous balancing game with the US and China can get it caught in a cleft stick, if it has not done so already. It is not only about how Islamabad manages this multipolar relationship. Instead, it is also about how it all can impact India and the nations immediate defence and medium/long-term geostrategic security and politics, not to overlook global economic dynamics. The world is now in a greater flex than when Trump 2.0 commenced less than ten months ago. No one is talking about a unipolar, bipolar or even multipolar world. Instead, under their breath, each one is thinking, if not talking about, the world that Trump 2.0 would leave behind. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Closer to peace? In the interim, you have the Ukraine War raging unabated, despite Trumps own false starts about an impending peace and pact. He claims to have succeeded in bringing the Gulf-Arab region closer to peace, but not prosperity, through his 20-point plan involving Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which requires attestation by Hamas, but within three or four days. The key element of Trumps plan, which India has since attested to, as have many Arab nations, is that Israel still resists a two-state solution, which has since been acknowledged by all western hard-liners, barring the US. Will any or all of them stand by the US if it bombs Hamas bases or even Iran as its proxy parent? Remains the question. That puts the Gulf region in a flux. Any acceptance from Hamas of the 20-point Trump plan without a two-state solution would leave the Gulf Arab masses unhappy with their own governments, and that can create the kind of socio-political commotion that they have been fearing in the medium and long terms, and which has been coming true, or closer to the truth, from time to time. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It is this flux that they fear is what is at the bottom of Saudi Arabia embracing Islamabad, so as not to continue to depend on the US, whose military bases in the country and across the region have proved to be just showpieces and nothing more, from their own street perspective. Yes, of course, the Saudi-Pakistan bilateral pact might have taken its time through secret negotiations, yes, but the Israeli bombing of Qatar, where the Hamas leadership was housed, may have sent out a strong signalabout the uselessness or otherwise of the American base there. And it is saying a lot in terms of the dynamics of evolving geopolitics within the ummah and its influence on external factors and players. And India can only keep watching across the region for slight moves that may have consequences for the future, near and far. N Sathiya Moorthy, veteran journalist and author, is a Chennai-based policy analyst & political commentator. The views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Defence Minister warned that any attempt by Pakistan to intrude into the Sir Creek sector would be met with a decisive response, one that could change both its history and geography Pakistan has long been eyeing the Sir Creek sector with strategic intent. Defence Minister Rajnath Singhs latest remarks have once again brought national focus to the 96-kilometre tidal estuary along the India-Pakistan border. He highlighted that the recent expansion of military infrastructure by the Pakistani Army across the Sir Creek region clearly signals Islamabads ambitions. The Defence Minister warned that if Pakistan dares to intrude in the Sir Creek region, it will face a resounding response that will alter both its history and geography. He reminded that in the 1965 war, the Indian Army demonstrated its capability to reach Lahore, and that today, in 2025, Pakistan should remember that one route to Karachi passes through the creek. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Clearly, Singh has issued a strong and clear warning to Pakistan. This warning was given while performing the Shastra Puja at the military cantonment in Bhuj, the headquarters of Kutch district in Gujarat, on the occasion of Vijayadashami. It should be noted that Sir Creek, a marshy part of Kutch, is the drain over which Pakistan claims its rights, without any reason and legitimacy. The signals are clear: if Pakistan intrudes or advances further into Sir Creek, India will respond strongly. This response will not be limited to the local level; action will be taken at a more advanced level. This is why the Defence Ministers statement mentions Karachi. Karachi is a major city in Pakistan, and has served as its capital for many years after the Partition of 1947. Sir Creek is located just 200 to 300 kilometres from Karachi, making it relatively close in strategic terms. Hence, Singh is reminding Pakistan and its political and military leaders of the route to Karachi via Sir Creek, so that Pakistan remains under no illusions or misconceptions. The need for this warning has arisen because over the past few years, Pakistan has been continuously increasing its military resources and infrastructure in the Sir Creek area. It is natural that these actions by Pakistan raise suspicion, and hence the need for a warning from Singh. However, Pakistans conspiracy and deceptive stance on the Sir Creek sector is nothing newit dates back to the time of independence. This is why the area remains one of the major points of dispute between India and Pakistan. The question arises: What exactly is Sir Creek, the disputed area between India and Pakistan that has remained unresolved for over six decades? Like Kashmir, Sir Creek is another long-standing issue on which no consensus has been reached between the two countries. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Sir Creek is a tidal estuary located between the Kutch district of Gujarat in India and the Sindh province of Pakistan. Although commonly called Sir Creek today, old Kutch documents refer to it as Siri Creek. This name is believed to come from a fish breed called Siri that was once found in the stream. Over time, the name evolved to Sir Creek, partly because Sir and Siri are spelled similarly in English. Photograph of the Sir Creek estuary The total length of Sir Creek is about 68 kilometers, with an additional 36.4 kilometers of marshy land extending up to Border Pillar No 1175. Together, this 104.4-kilometer area forms the heart of the dispute. The mutual agreement between India and Pakistan defines the border from the Samba sector of Jammu up to Border Pillar No 1175 in the Rann of Kutch. However, beyond this point lies Sir Creek, where no formal agreement has been reached between the two nations. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The author at Border Pillar No 1175 Actually, the Sir Creek dispute dates back more than a hundred years, even before the existence of Pakistan. Before independence, Kutch was a major princely state of India, whose king was addressed as Maharao. In the early 20th century, a dispute arose between the Kutch Maharao and the then administration of Sindh province over a criminal case that occurred in the Sir Creek area. This led to a dispute over where the case would be heard: in the court of the Maharao of Kutch or in the court of Sindh province. Following this dispute, an agreement was reached in 1914 between the two parties to determine the border between Kutch State and Sindh Province. Based on this, the work of laying stones to mark the border was completed in 1924-25. Since then, there has been no dispute between the two parties in this area. However, after Indias independence, Kutch State merged with India, while Sindh Province went to Pakistan. Following this, the dispute erupted once again, culminating in Pakistans 1965 incursion into the Rann of Kutch and the subsequent India-Pakistan war. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD At that time, the international tribunal chaired by British Prime Minister Harold Wilson to resolve the Kutch border dispute decided to cede approximately 10 per cent of the Rann of Kutch, including Chhar Bet, to Pakistan. Despite this, the dispute over Sir Creek remained unresolved. Pakistan raised a new controversy, claiming that it had jurisdiction over the eastern bank of Sir Creek, which is on the Indian side. However, India refuted Pakistans claim, stating that according to international norms, if a river or stream flows between two countries, its median line forms the border, not its banks. Pakistan refused to accept this and, citing a map attached to the 1914 agreement, argued that the map showed Pakistans border up to the eastern part of Sir Creek, which is on the Indian side today. However, India dismissed Pakistans claim as illogical and illegitimate, stating that border pillars were erected by 1925, following the 1914 agreement, and therefore, the points shown on the map are irrelevant. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Five meetings were held between the two countries between 1969 and 1992 to resolve this dispute. Subsequently, the Composite Dialogue Process, initiated in 1998 during the Vajpayee government, included the issue of resolving Sir Creek dispute as a confidence-building measure. However, the 1999 Pakistani incursion into Kargil once again derailed this process, further escalating tensions between the two countries. War broke out, and the Indian Army drove the Pakistani intruders out of the Kargil area during an operation that lasted from May to July 1999. After Pakistan was brought to its knees and Delhis all objectives were achieved, India declared a ceasefire in Kargil. However, just a month later, the shadows of the Kargil tensions were visible in Kutch. Pakistan was continuously sending reconnaissance aircraft into the Kutch region. The Indian Army was also alert. As soon as the Pakistani reconnaissance aircraft, the Atlantic, entered Indian territory, Indian aircraft flying from the Naliya base in Kutch shot it down on August 10, 1999. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Atlantics wreckage fell in the Sir Creek region, an area Pakistan has been plotting to seize. All 16 Pakistani soldiers on board the Atlantic were killed. But even then, Pakistan did not learn its lesson. Following this incident, Pakistan replaced the Pakistan Rangers with the Pakistan Marines in the Sir Creek region. The Pakistan Marines are a special commando unit of the Pakistani Navy, capable of operating both underwater and marshy terrain and are specially trained for this purpose. Until the deployment of the Pakistani Marines, the Border Security Force (BSF) was deployed on the Indian side of Sir Creek. However, Pakistan secretly deployed the Pakistan Marines as part of a conspiracy. As soon as India took this into account, it established floating border outposts to enhance surveillance in the Sir Creek area. These floating BOPs are specialised watercraft on which BSF personnel can maintain surveillance while armed. The creeks marshy terrain makes it difficult to stand on land, hence the new technology made BSFs patrolling convenient. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The author with a senior BSF personnel at the Sir Creek sector Amidst all these, in 2004, the Congress-led UPA government came to power at the Centre. Several rounds of talks were held between the two countries regarding Sir Creek. Based on the consensus reached during these talks, a joint survey of Sir Creek was conducted by both countries in 2005-07. A report was prepared following the joint survey, but no further decisions were made. During this period, the deadline set by the United Nations for India and Pakistan to resolve the Sir Creek dispute also expired. In 2004, the United Nations had set a five-year deadline for resolving this long-standing disputed issue, requiring both countries to resolve the Sir Creek issue by 2009, ensuring the determination of their international water boundaries and Exclusive Economic Zones. If no agreement was reached between the two countries by the expiration of this deadline, the United Nations had threatened to declare the sea area near Sir Creek as international waters. In this situation, any third country could carry out any kind of mining or other exploitation within a distance of 200 nautical miles from the maritime boundary. Under normal circumstances, the area extending 200 nautical miles from the shore is considered the exclusive economic zone of the country whose coast lies there. After the Pakistan-sponsored Mumbai terrorist attack on November 26, 2008, negotiations regarding Sir Creek did not progress, and the dispute remained unresolved. In fact, India cannot show any leniency in this matter because the maritime boundary between India and Pakistan is determined by Sir Creek. Even ceding two inches of this area to Pakistan could impact resources across hundreds of nautical miles of sea. The potential for substantial oil and gas reserves in the Sir Creek area has long been recognised. Therefore, it holds not only strategic but also significant economic importance. This is why India is unwilling to compromise on this issue, while Pakistan continues to plot to seize it completely. In December 2012, a major political controversy erupted within the country regarding Sir Creek. Narendra Modi, then Chief Minister of Gujarat, received indications that, in an effort to improve relations with Pakistan, then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was considering handing over all of Sir Creek to Pakistan, and that a decision on this matter would be made on December 15. In light of this apprehension, Modi wrote a letter on December 12, 2012, urging Manmohan Singh to refrain from considering the Indian governments intention to hand over all of Sir Creek to Pakistan. Since the Gujarat Assembly elections were underway, Manmohan Singh immediately refuted this and dismissed Modis allegations as unfounded. However, Modi remained unconvinced, stating that the Prime Ministers response was unclear. He demanded that the Prime Minister clarify whether any announcement was forthcoming regarding Sir Creek. The then Congress President Sonia Gandhi also jumped into this internal dispute over Sir Creek. During an election rally in Kalol, Gandhinagar, she stated that the Congress party had never compromised on the countrys interests, unity, and integrity, but that some individuals were trying to provoke people by making provocative statements. After this controversy, the ongoing talks with Pakistan regarding Sir Creek completely stalled. The people of the country, and especially Gujarat, could not afford to lose anything in Sir Creek, having never forgotten the pain of losing the Chhad Bet area to Pakistan in 1965. When Modi himself assumed the reins of power as Prime Minister in 2014, security in the Sir Creek area was rapidly strengthened. The BSF, which guards the Sir Creek area, was continuously provided with modern weapons, equipment, fast craft, and ships. Not one, but three permanent security posts were established in the area. To further enhance security and provide a strong response to any nefarious activities by Pakistan, a US-made fast patrol vessel was also deployed. In addition to the BSF, the Army has significantly increased its preparedness in this area as a precautionary measure in the past few years. To signal the Indian governments firm resolve regarding Sir Creek, Prime Minister Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh have been regularly visiting Sir Creek and periodically reviewing security preparations. However, despite Indias serious warnings, Pakistan has not ceased its activities in the Sir Creek area. In recent years, it has established the Iqbal Bajwa Post near Sir Creek. This is being considered a symbol of its nefarious efforts. Furthermore, it has also increased the deployment of its troops in this area. Indeed, as it is unable to achieve any significant gains in Kashmir, Pakistan is plotting to carry out nefarious activities in Sir Creek. There are continuous protests against the Pakistani army and government in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. To divert attention from there, Pakistan can do something daring in Sir Creek, especially during the tenure of Mullah General Asim Munir as Army Chief, who got himself promoted as Field Marshal even after facing humiliation during Operation Sindoor. Thats why, Rajnath Singh has gone to Kutch and warned Pakistan about Sir Creek. It would be better if the military rulers of Pakistan come to their senses, otherwise Indian security forces are ready to teach them a lesson. PM Modi has already said that Operation Sindoor is going on. The author is Group Editor-Convergence at Network18. The views expressed in this piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of Firstpost. As France deals with a ballooning debt crisis and a political deadlock around it, economist Gabriel Zucman has emerged as the most polarising figure. His proposed 2% wealth tax dubbed the Zucman tax on all households earning above 100 million has divided the French politics. Economist Gabriel Zucman has emerged as Frances most polarising figure with his solution dubbed the Zucman tax to solve the countrys debt and deficit crises. He has proposed that that all households earning more than 100 million should pay at least 2 per cent wealth tax. Zucman expects his proposed wealth tax to generate 20 billion in annual tax revenue. His supporters say his ideas would not just solve the inequality problems but also address the debt and deficit crises. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD However, Zucmans critics maintain that his estimates are far-fetched and gains would be minimal. They also say that the flight of wealthy persons, investments, and businesses could nullify any gains from the tax and render the net impact negative. To his supporters on the left, Zucman has a rockstar status. And public appears to be supporting his proposal as well a survey by pollster Ifop on behalf of the Socialist party found 86 per cent people looking at the Zucman tax favourably. France is in the grips of the worst debt crisis in decades where it touched 3.4 trillion ($4 trillion) as of September 2025. That amounts to around 115 per cent of the GDP. The budget deficit has reached 5.8 per cent of the GDP nearly double the European Unions (EU) upper limit of 3 per cent. Historical Accumulation of debt President Years in Office Debt at Start (EUR) Debt at End (EUR) % of GDP at Start % of GDP at End Major Causes Jacques Chirac 1995-2007 ~665 billion ~1.2 trillion 55% 64% Budget deficits, slow reforms Nicolas Sarkozy 2007-2012 ~1.2 trillion ~1.8 trillion 64% 90.2% Financial crisis response, increased spending, limited cuts Francois Hollande 2012-2017 ~1.8 trillion ~2.3 trillion 90.2% 98.4% Slow growth, high unemployment, maintained social spending Emmanuel Macron 2017-2025 ~2.3 trillion ~3.4 trillion 98.4% 115.6% Covid-19 crisis, energy subsidies, continued deficits Even if you would disagree with him, Zucmans most impressive to the public could be that Frances crisis is not unsolvable. The merit of the Zucman tax is not the tax itself, it is the diagnosis and moving away from the idea that nothing can be done, Pascal Saint-Amans, a French official who for a decade led the push for global corporate taxation reform at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), told Politico. Zucman triggers folks from France to US Zucmans basic idea is that, at current rates, French billionaires essentially lower tax than most taxpayers. He has maintained that the wealth tax is a must so that billionaires pay their fair share of taxes. And he has not just inspired Frances left-wing leaders. Zucmans work has inspired US Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, who ran for Democratic presidential nomination in 2020. Last year, he advised Brazil in its advocacy of a global minimum tax on billionaires during the countrys presidency of G-20. In France, however, the elite are miffed. LVMH chief Bernard Arnault has warned Zucmans tax would destroy the French economy, other economists have said the proposal would bring in around 5 billion at most, not 20 billion, and legal experts are concerned about the proposals constitutionality Zucmans tax will not just affect billionaires, but it will also affect entrepreneurs who have developed their businesses and family businesses, Mikael Petitjean, the Chief Economist at Waterloo Asset Management, told Euronews. I dont think well come up with 20 billion. Some estimates are more like 5 billion, but I even wonder. I think its even possible that it wont make any money at all. There is a dynamic of behavioural adjustment that is often very much underestimated by economists, which means that people dont let themselves be taken advantage of. Strategies are used to try and avoid this tax, said Petitjean. French govt may seek compromise While Socialists have adopted Zucmans proposals, French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu have opposed the proposal. But there are hints that the government may seek a compromise over political compulsions. Lecornu lacks a parliamentary majority and needs support from left-wing parties like Socialists to get the budget passed. And that may force him to accept at least in part Zucmans proposal. The previous two prime ministers, Francois Bayrou and Michel Barnier, were ousted after the parliament rejected their budget proposals. Both of them had proposed austerity measures to tackle Frances debt crisis. While the crisis existed previously as well, the financial support during the Covid-19 pandemic, subsidies to cushion the impact of rising energy costs, rising interest payments, and tax cuts and spending increases have added to the deficit and debt in recent years. Chinas K-visa to attract global tech talent faces fierce domestic backlash as millions of local graduates struggle to find jobs. Critics question whether Beijing can balance foreign talent with domestic employment needs. This is an AI generated image for representational purpose. Chinas ambitious K-visa scheme, designed to attract top global technology talent, has sparked a fierce backlash domestically, exposing tensions between Beijings innovation ambitions and its struggling domestic labour market. A visa for global tech talent The K-visa, widely seen as Chinas answer to the United States H-1B program, aims to lure highly skilled engineers, AI specialists and other technology experts to work in the country. Officials have touted the scheme as part of Chinas broader push for technological self-reliance and global competitiveness. However, full eligibility criteria and implementation details remain unclear, leaving both domestic and international observers questioning how the program will operate in practice. Public outcry and social media backlash Since the proposal became public, Chinese social media has been abuzz with criticism. Platforms like Weibo and WeChat saw hundreds of thousands of comments expressing concern that the program could disadvantage local job seekers. Some users have described it as a foreign talent flood in the midst of domestic economic pressures, while others accuse the government of prioritising imported skills over supporting local graduates struggling to find work. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This policy feels tone-deaf when so many young people here cant find jobs, one widely shared comment on Weibo read, reflecting a sentiment echoed across online discussions. The domestic backlash is reminiscent of the 2020 response to proposed changes in permanent residency rules for foreigners, which were shelved after public disapproval. Observers suggest that authorities may face similar pressure to revise or delay the K-visa rollout. Youth unemployment and economic pressures Critics argue that introducing a visa to attract foreign talent at a time when domestic youth unemployment hovers near 19% is politically and economically risky. China is set to welcome a record 12.2 million new college graduates in 2025, all competing for opportunities in a challenging labour market. For many young workers, the perception that foreign talent could be prioritised in high-paying tech roles adds to frustration over economic stagnation and limited career prospects. Analysts warn that without complementary policies to create more domestic opportunities, the K-visa could exacerbate social discontent. Younger generations are sensitive to fairness in the labour market, said a Beijing-based economist. Policies perceived to advantage foreigners over locals can trigger backlash even if intended to boost Chinas tech ecosystem. Strategic ambitions vs. domestic realities From Beijings perspective, the K-visa represents a strategic gamble. Chinas government seeks to accelerate its domestic AI, semiconductor, and software industries and tapping global talent is seen as essential to closing the technology gap with the US and other leading economies. Yet the disconnect between this vision and domestic concerns highlights the challenge: balancing global competitiveness with social stability. Some industry insiders said that the program could still appeal to expatriates if paired with incentives such as tax breaks, relocation support, and streamlined residency procedures. The road ahead For now, Beijing has yet to provide full requirements for the K-visa and the government appears cautious in responding to domestic criticism. Whether the policy will be rolled out as planned or adjusted remains uncertain. Analysts suggest that how authorities manage public sentiment will be crucial to the schemes success. The K-visa debate underscores a broader challenge for China: pursuing technological leadership without alienating its domestic workforce. As global competition for AI and tech talent intensifies, Beijing faces a delicate balancing act, encouraging innovation through foreign expertise while ensuring its homegrown talent feels valued and secure. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Congo and Rwanda stall signing of US-brokered Regional Economic Integration Framework, delaying Trumps push for peace and Western investment in eastern Congo. Read here Donald Trump holds a picture of himself with Rwanda's foreign minister Olivier Nduhungirehe, at a meeting in June. Pic: Reuters The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda will not sign the expected economic framework this week, sources told Reuters on Friday, dealing a setback to the Trump administrations efforts to implement a peace deal and attract Western investment to the region. President Donald Trump has sought to broker peace and encourage billions of dollars in investment in the mineral-rich eastern Congo after Rwanda-backed M23 rebels captured two major cities earlier this year, the most serious threat to Kinshasa in two decades. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Despite claims that the conflict is over, the June peace agreement reached in Washington has faced hurdles, with Congos army and M23 rebels reinforcing positions and accusing each other of violating terms. The Regional Economic Integration Framework (REIF), expected to be initialled after final negotiations in Washington, was not signed because Kinshasa refused to approve the agreement, a Rwandan official said. Another source indicated Congo will only sign once 90% of Rwandan troops have withdrawn from eastern Congo, a key condition of the broader peace deal. Theyre going to have to get Trump on the phone, one source said. Congo refuses to initial US-mediated economic deal The U.S. is trying to get the process back on track, the Rwandan official said, but the initialing was not expected to take place on Friday. The negotiating teams had finalized the text of the REIF agreement but disappointingly, Kinshasa decided at the last minute not to initial it, the Rwandan official said. We believe in this agreement and in the approach of the US mediation, and hope that the economic agreement will eventually be signed. The peace process must succeed, the official added. Congo, Rwanda and the U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The agreement has been finalised but the Congolese had never made any secret of the fact that they would not sign as long as the Rwandan army remained on their territory. So for us, it is not a surprise, an African diplomat said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Congolese and Rwandan foreign ministers on June 27 signed a peace deal in Washington, which included a pledge to implement a 2024 agreement that said Rwanda would lift its defensive measures in eastern Congo within 90 days. Congolese military operations targeting the FDLR, a Congo-based armed group that includes remnants of Rwandas former army and militias that carried out the 1994 genocide, are meant to conclude over the same timeframe. Reuters reported last month that Rwanda and Congo would begin implementing the security measures agreed under the deal on October 1, despite the initial agreements 90-day deadline. Rwanda has sent at least 7,000 soldiers over the border, according to analysts and diplomats, in support of the M23 rebels. Kinshasa and Kigali were also meant to launch the regional economic integration framework within 90 days, the Washington agreement said. The 90-day deadline fell at the end of September. Two sources familiar with the matter said that Trumps senior advisor for Africa, Massad Boulos, had hoped that the economic framework and other agreements would be signed by heads of state on a visit to Washington by October 23. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD According to an earlier draft of the deal reported by Reuters last month, Rwanda and Congo were set to commit to work with third parties, including the U.S., to revamp their mineral supply chains and develop reforms. Rwanda and Congo had agreed to the draft, which was then discussed by stakeholders, including the private sector, multilateral banks and others, before meeting this week for the final round of negotiations. With inputs from agencies Czechs began voting on Friday in a two-day general election, which the party of self-described Trumpist Andrej Babis is expected to top, though without gaining an outright majority, spelling tricky negotiations ahead A woman casts her ballot for a general election at a poling station in Brno, Czech Republic, on Friday. AP Czechs began voting on Friday in a two-day general election, which the party of self-described Trumpist Andrej Babis is expected to top, though without gaining an outright majority, spelling tricky negotiations ahead. A possible return to power of the billionaire ex-premier could draw the Czech Republic - an ally of Ukraine - closer to EU mavericks Hungary and Slovakia and turn relations with both Kyiv and Brussels rocky. Babis is campaigning in the EU and NATO member of 11 million people on pledges of welfare and halting military aid to Ukraine. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Many voters blame the centre-right coalition government of Prime Minister Petr Fiala for ignoring problems at home while providing aid to Ukraine. Casting his ballot in the eastern city of Ostrava, Babis labelled the vote as a showdown between him and Fiala. Nothing is certain, we havent won yet, the 71-year-old said. Babiss ANO (Yes) party tops the opinion polls, with support exceeding 30 percent, ahead of Fialas Together grouping with about 20 percent. U-turn Casting her ballot at a Prague school, librarian Magdalena Servitova, 50, told AFP she would hate a U-turn that would take us somewhere else. I would like our policy vis-a-vis Ukraine to continue as well, we should not turn our backs on Ukraine, she said. Prague driver Vaclav Nikl, 65, told AFP he would expect a better life than now after the election. Polling stations were opened from 1200 GMT to 2000 GMT on Friday. They are due to reopen from 0600 to 1200 GMT on Saturday. Election results were expected late Saturday. Describing himself as a peacemonger calling for a truce in Ukraine, Babis has vowed a Czechs first approach echoing US President Donald Trump. While he was prime minister from 2017 to 2021, Babis was critical of some EU policies and is on good terms with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Slovakias Robert Fico, who have maintained ties with Moscow despite its invasion of Ukraine. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Fiala, a 61-year-old former political science professor, said the vote was deciding the direction of the Czech Republic. It will decide whether we head into the past or into the future, whether our path goes east or west, he said after casting his ballot in the second Czech city of Brno. Pro-Russian propaganda But Charles University analyst Josef Mlejnek told AFP he did not expect a fundamental change if Babis wins. Babis is a pragmatic businessman and the only thing he cares about is being prime minister, he added. Analysts caution, however, that all will depend on the election results. If Babiss party comes first but fails to win a majority, he could try to pursue a coalition with the far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD), which is expected to gain about 12 percent, according to surveys. US factchecking organisation American Sunlight Project reported on Friday that SPD has spent thousands of dollars on online ads without the necessary disclosures, more than 10 times the amount of Babiss and Fialas parties on such ads. The group examined records of ads up to September 24, 2025, starting from 2019. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A group of analysts also said last week that Czech-language accounts on TikTok reaching millions of viewers systematically spread pro-Russian propaganda and support anti-system parties through manipulated engagement. The European Commission held an emergency meeting with TikTok on Thursday in the context of the Czech elections, after which the social media platform removed several bots, commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said. Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Amar Preet Singh said that India destroyed four to five Pakistani fighter planes during Operation Sindoor, including most likely F-16 fighter planes. He said a Pakistani AEWAC was also destroyed in addition to surface to air missile and air defence systems. The undated photograph published on March 25, 2004, shows F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter planes from the 57th Wing at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. (Photo: US Air Force handout via Reuters) In his first press conference since Operation Sindoor, Indian Air Force chief Amar Preet Singh said that India destroyed at least four to five Pakistani fighter planes, including most likely US-made F-16s. He rejected Pakistan's claim of downing six Indian fighters as fanciful stories. Singh suggested that F-16s were likely destroyed when India struck a hangar at a Pakistani airbase. Singh said that the IAF has gathered evidence that in strikes at an airbase, in a hangar as well as on the tarmac, at least four to five fighter aircraft, most likely F-16s, were destroyed. He said the assessment is based on the fact that the hangar struck belonged to F-16s that would have been under maintenance that time. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD We have signs of one C-130 class of aircraft and at least four to five fighter aircraft, most likely F-16s, because that place happened to be F-16 hangar with whatever was under maintenance at that time, said Singh, as per ANI, going into details. Singh further said, We have clear evidence of one long-range strike, which I talked about, of more than 300 kilometres which happened to be either an AEW&C [airborne early warning and control] or a SIGINT [signal intelligence] aircraft, along with that five high-tech fighters between F-16 and JF-17 class. This is what our system tells us. Singh added that India also destroyed Pakistans surface to air missile systems air defence systems. ALSO READ Operation Sindoor: With battlefield edge, India cornered Pakistan to seek peace & thats new normal As for Pakistans claim of shooting down six Indian fighters, Singh dismissed such claims as fanciful stories that the Pakistani military tells its public to save face. If they think that they have took down my 15 aircraft, let them think. I wont speak anything. Have you seen any picture which can establish their narrative? These are their fanciful stories. Let them tell these stories to their public to save their face, said Singh. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD After the Pahalgam attack on April 22 in which terrorists killed 26 people, India on the night of May 6 launched Operation Sindoor and struck nine terrorist sites in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK). As Pakistan responded with attacks on Indian military and civilian sites, India retaliated and two sides fought for next four days. As India struck a host of Pakistani military sites, such as airbases, radar sites, and air defences, and Pakistan requested a ceasefire on May 10 that India granted. In the four-day conflict, Pakistan claimed to have shot down as many as six Indian fighters. While India has acknowledged the loss of fighters, India has maintained that the number claimed by Pakistan six is far-fetched. India has not given the number of aircraft lost but has said multiple aircraft were lost, including possibly one France-made Rafale Defence Secretary RK Singh said in July that the claim of India losing multiple Rafales was false. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Europe, in general, has been troubled with unexplained drone sightings in the past couple of days, with most countries suspecting Russia behind the incursions, although the Kremlin has categorically denied being involved Recent drone sightings in Denmark have sparked panic among residents who are flocking to military surplus shops and supermarkets to stock up on supplies as tensions with Russia rise. Europe, in general, has been troubled with unexplained drone sightings in the past couple of days, with most countries suspecting Russia behind the incursions, although the Kremlin has categorically denied being involved. Last week, Denmark closed several of its airports after drones were sighted in its airspace, the second such incident reported in the Nordic country that week. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said that the drone incursions were done professionally, adding that they looked systematic and hybrid in nature. While the countrys Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, said that authorities cannot conclude who was behind the drone sightings, he noted that we can at least conclude that there is primarily one country that poses a threat to Europes security and that is Russia. Crazy increase in sales According to a report by the New York Times, sales at Danish arms and food stores have skyrocketed since last weeks drone sightings. Valdemar Badsted, a salesperson at Wolf Tactical, a military surplus shop in Copenhagen, said, Weve seen a crazy increase in sales. People are getting worried about war. Sales of freeze-dried camping food at Wolf Tactical have surged by 400 per cent, according to the stores owner. Danish media outlets report similar spikes at other retailers, with emergency rations, radios, rice, and canned mackerel flying off the shelves. Meanwhile, the Danish public broadcaster recently published a guide titled, How to Talk to Your Child About Drones and Hybrid Attacks. Police officials in Denmark, Sweden and Norway the countries that have also witnessed drones in the past few weeks have been swamped with calls from concerned citizens reporting false alarms that turned out to be small planes, industrial lights or just stars. What is the EU doing? European Union leaders are discussing setting up a drone wall of defences after high-profile air incursions by Russia. The first call for the project came last month from EU chief Ursula von der Leyen in the hours after a swarm of Russian drones breached Polands airspace. While details were scant, the initial plan appeared clearly focused on helping to shore up the EUs eastern frontier from the threat from Moscow. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The EU has said it wants to work with Ukraine, which has developed deep expertise in tackling Russian drones after almost four years of war. We are ready to share this experience with our partners, Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Royals from the Netherlands and Belgium attended the ceremonies. Later on Friday, the new grand duke will host an evening gala for guests including French President Emmanuel Macron and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier Royals from the Netherlands and Belgium attended the ceremonies. Later on Friday, the new grand duke will host an evening gala for guests including French President Emmanuel Macron and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. AP Grand Duke Guillaume swore an oath to ascend to the throne of Luxembourg on Friday in a traditional ceremony attended by royals and European heads of state. Flanked by his wife, the new Grand Duchess Stephanie, Grand Duke Guillaume, 43, swore the oath in Luxembourgs parliament and took the throne. I will live the life of my people, from whom I do not want to be separated by any barrier. I will share their joys and sufferings, Guillaume said, quoting a 1919 speech by one of his predecessors, the Grand Duchess Charlotte, in his first address to the nation. He drew a parallel between the carnage of World War I and geopolitical tensions today. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A symbol of the principles of freedom and unity enshrined in our Constitution, the monarchy has remained then as now a constant point of reference and a steadfast support in times of crisis. In this sense, the oath I have just taken on the Constitution marks a significant institutional milestone for our country. Grand Duke Guillaume, 43, takes over from his father Henri, 70, who had served for 25 years in the largely symbolic role. Luxembourgs public waits to greet the new grand duke Crowds gathered outside the yellow stone and ornate turrets of the palace. Some had their faces painted in the Luxembourg flag: red, white and light blue the same color of gown worn by the new Grand Duchess, Belgian-born Stephanie. Nefeni Neocleousk, 18, wore a Luxembourgish flag across her shoulders and wished the grand duke well in the Luxembourgish language. Maach dat gudd! Du packs dat! she said, which means Do it well, you will succeed in English. The new grand duke will shortly greet the public from a balcony of the Grand Ducal Palace with the royal family at his side, including his sons, 5-year-old Charles and 2-year-old Francois. Royals from the Netherlands and Belgium attended the ceremonies. Later on Friday, the new grand duke will host an evening gala for guests including French President Emmanuel Macron and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He is Luxembourgs seventh grand duke since 1890, when the modern monarchy was established. On Saturday and Sunday he will tour his new realm, a tiny duchy the size of Rhode Island of 700,000 citizens in the heart of Europe. Over the weekend, Guillaume will make a traditional tour of the nation that will end with a Sunday Mass with Archbishop Jean-Claude Hollerich at the Catholic Notre-Dame de Luxembourg cathedral. Baker who taught Guillaume celebrates his rise to the throne An official supplier to the Royal Court, Lea Lister, 70, dropped off roughly 200 madeleines, a small shell-shaped sponge cake, for staff at the ceremonies. Shes selling commemorative boxes of the cakes with Guillaume and Stephanie designed to look like a romantic fairytale reflective of Luxembourgs picturesque castles and forests. When Guillaume was 13, she began teaching him to cook dishes like Bouneschlupp, a hearty green bean and ham soup. Sitting beneath portraits of the French novelist Marcel Proust and a Grand Duke Henri, she said Guillaumes kindness and empathy will do him well as sovereign and hell be able to feed the family. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD You can feel that he is the son of a couple of parents who loved each other very much, she said, of Guillaume. Hes very emotive, very sensitive. So I love that and I think he will be a beautiful Grand Duke for us. Luxembourg is the richest country in the EU Cleaved from part of what are now France, Belgium and Germany in the 17th and 19th centuries, the small nation is a parliamentary democracy with the grand duke as head of state, akin to King Charles in the United Kingdom or King Philippe in Belgium. Roughly 700,000 citizens speak a mix of Luxembourgish, a Germanic language, and French and German in public life. It is the worlds last remaining grand duchy. One of the European Unions smallest nations and its richest per capita, Luxembourg is a financial powerhouse that hosts important EU institutions like the European Court of Justice and the European Investment Bank. The grand duchy is home to many of the banks in the eurozone, reinsurance companies and managers of hedge funds and money markets. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Guillaume will be Luxembourgs seventh grand duke since 1890, when the modern monarchy was established. Across the duchy, his photo will replace that of his fathers. His monogram, symmetrical golden G letters below a crown, will also be added to the uniforms of the army, the police, emergency services, the prison service and customs. Guillaume, like Henri, was educated in France, Switzerland and at the United Kingdoms military academy, Sandhurst. Guillaume then worked for Belgian, German and Spanish firms. Christoph Brull, a historian and professor at the University of Luxembourg, said Guillaume will be stepping into a very traditional role. His margin of maneuver or right to action is zero. So the only power he has is then the power of speech or words. For the rest, the grand duke will remain a political symbol, he said. India has slammed Bangladeshi interim regimes accusation as false and baseless that said India could be behind ethnic unrest in the countrys Chittagong hills region. At least four people have been killed and hundreds of families have been forced to flee for safety in ongoing tensions there. Smoke billows from a burning market area at Guimara in Khagrachari district in Bangladesh's Chittagong region on September 28, 2025, after it was set ablaze during a clash between the region's native tribals and Bengali settlers residents over the alleged rape of a girl. (Photo: AFP) India on Friday slammed Bangladeshs interim regimes accusation as false and baseless" that said India could be behind ethnic unrest in the countrys Chittagong Hills Tracts region. The response came after Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, Bangladeshs interim home adviser, on Monday said that the ongoing unrest in Khagrachhari district in the Chittagong region was fuelled by external influences, including India or fascist elements. At the weekly press conference, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal suggested the Bangladeshs interim government to introspect over its failure to maintain law and order instead of shifting the blame elsewhere. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD We categorically reject these false and baseless allegations. The interim government, which is unable to maintain law and order in Bangladesh, has routinely sought to shift the blame elsewhere. It would do well to introspect and conduct serious investigations into the action of local extremists committing violence, arson and land grab against the minority communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, said Jaiswal. In the latest episode of decadeslong ethnic tensions in the Chittagong region, four people from the tribal community have been killed and hundreds of families have fled for their lives, according to DD News. Bangladeshs interim regime blames India for law & order failure After violence in the Chittagong region, Bangladeshi interim home adviser Chowdhury blamed India and other foreign forces. Chowdhury said, This is being orchestrated with the backing of external influences, including India or fascist elements. We are taking comprehensive measures to ensure no one can incite incidents. Our adviser for the Chittagong Hill Tracts is on site, monitoring the situation and coordinating with law enforcement and local leaders." Bangladesh has been in the grips of cyclic violence since groups behind last years weekslong street violence and the military propped the unelected regime of Muhammad Yunus to replace the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Mobs supported either directly by the interim regimes backers or indirectly by the inaction of the police have kept attacking political rivals and religious and ethnic minorities in the country. The ethnic violence in the Chittagong region is the latest episodes in this cyclic violence presided over by Yunus regie. The episode is rooted in the alleged rape of a tribal girl and subsequent protests by tribal groups collectively called the Jumma people in the Chittagong region. In subsequent clashes between the Jumma people, who are from minority communities like Buddhists and Hindus, and mainly Muslim Bengali settlers, at least four tribals have been killed and scores injured in Khagrachhari and Rangamati districts of the Chittagong region, as per DD News. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The report said that least 50 shops and dozens of houses were burnt in Khagrachhari. In the Chittagong region, ethnic tensions and violence have existed for decades as hundreds of thousands Bengali Muslims have been settled in the region that is historically the home of 11 indigenous ethnic groups collectively called the Jumma people. Tens of thousands of troops have also been deployed over the decades to suppress any dissent or protests by indigenous groups against what they say is the systematic dilution of their property rights and cultural identities. The airport said on Thursday that a total of 17 flights were grounded after 10 pm local time, affecting nearly 3,000 passengers. Apart from this, 15 flights were also diverted to the German cities of Stuttgart, Nuremberg and Frankfurt Germanys Munich Airport was closed temporarily last night after several drones were spotted in its airspace, the latest in unmanned aircraft entering European aviation hubs and forcing the closure of airports. The airport said on Thursday that a total of 17 flights were grounded after 10 pm local time, affecting nearly 3,000 passengers. Apart from this, 15 flights were also diverted to the German cities of Stuttgart, Nuremberg and Frankfurt. Located in southern Germany, the airport in Bavaria serves as a hub for the German flag carrier Lufthansa and handled nearly 20 million passengers in the first half of this year. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Europe has been troubled with unexplained drone sightings in the past couple of days, with most countries suspecting Russia behind the incursions, although the Kremlin has categorically denied being involved. Last week, Denmark closed several of its airports after drones were sighted in its airspace, the second such incident reported in the Nordic country that week. Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said that the drone incursions were done professionally, adding that they looked systematic and hybrid in nature. While the countrys Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, said that authorities cannot conclude who was behind the drone sightings, he noted that we can at least conclude that there is primarily one country that poses a threat to Europes security and that is Russia. European Union leaders are discussing setting up a drone wall of defences after high-profile air incursions by Russia. The first call for the project came last month from EU chief Ursula von der Leyen in the hours after a swarm of Russian drones breached Polands airspace. While details were scant, the initial plan appeared clearly focused on helping to shore up the EUs eastern frontier from the threat from Moscow. The EU has said it wants to work with Ukraine, which has developed deep expertise in tackling Russian drones after almost four years of war. We are ready to share this experience with our partners, Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies Mediators from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey are engaged in productive talks with Hamas, which has not formally accepted Trumps 20-point peace plan A man holds a Palestinian flag during a demonstration in solidarity with the Global Sumud Flotilla, in Rio de Janeiro. AP Hamas is likely to respond positively to US President Donald Trumps Gaza peace plan proposal, but can suggest a few amendments to its terms, according to a report by Times of Israel. Sources told the news outlet that mediators from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey are engaged in productive talks with Hamas, which has not formally accepted Trumps 20-point peace plan. It is worth noting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted the presidents proposal. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Earlier this week, Trump gave Hamas an ultimatum of three to four days to respond to the plan. Speaking at the White House on Tuesday, Trump said all other parties had agreed to the plan and only Hamas remained. All of the Arab countries are signed up. The Muslim countries are all signed up. Israel is all signed up. Were just waiting for Hamas, and Hamas is either going to be doing it or not and if its not, its going to be a very sad end, he warned. Whats the peace plan? The plan specifies an immediate ceasefire, an exchange of all hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, a staged Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas and the introduction of a transitional government led by an international body. Many elements of the 20 points have been included in numerous ceasefire deals proposed over the last two years, including those accepted and then subsequently rejected at various stages by both Israel and Hamas. Under the fresh plan, once all hostages are freed, Israel will release 250 prisoners serving life sentences, along with 1,700 Gazans detained after October 7, 2023, including all women and children held during that period. Additionally, for each Israeli hostage whose remains are returned, Israel will hand over the remains of 15 deceased Gazans. What amendments are Hamas likely to suggest? According to the source, Hamass proposed amendments will seek to ease certain terms that Prime Minister Netanyahu introduced at the last minute, particularly those concerning the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and Hamass disarmament. One major point of contention is the plans demand for Hamas to disarm. The group is unlikely to accept a full surrender of its weapons, especially in the absence of a political process or meaningful steps toward a two-state solution. Meanwhile, it is not yet clear whether the US will accept Hamass amended terms, as the group was unable to convince special envoy Steve Witkoff the last time they responded to a peace proposal with Yes, but Gen-Z-led protests grip Madagascar after the governments fall, exposing deep poverty, corruption and echoing global youth movements for change. Read here Anti-government protesters in Antsiranana, Madagascar gathered on October 2, 2025 for demonstrations and called for a general strike, seeking to force President Andry Rajoelina to step down, after nearly a week of action by the youth-led movement. -AFP Riot police locked down Madagascars capital Antananarivo on Friday as demonstrators prepared to resume anti-government protests, despite President Andry Rajoelina sacking his cabinet earlier this week in an attempt to defuse unrest. The protests, which began on September 25, have since spread beyond the capital to regions including Sambava, the worlds vanilla hub, highlighting the scale of anger at years of economic stagnation, corruption and the governments failure to deliver basic services such as electricity and clean water. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Security clampdown in Antananarivo The city centre was placed under heavy surveillance, with security forces blocking access to Independence Avenue, the main protest site. Authorities imposed a 24-hour strategic pause earlier in the week, but multiple protest groups called for fresh gatherings at 11:00 a.m. local time (0800 GMT). The government appeared determined to prevent mass mobilisation. Just three kilometres away from the cordoned-off zone, daily life went on, with schoolchildren walking to class and vendors setting up stalls, a stark contrast to the tense atmosphere in the city centre. The security build-up follows a week of escalating violence that, according to the UN, has left at least 22 people dead and hundreds injured. The government has rejected these figures, dismissing them as rumours. Gen-Z at the forefront The protests have been spearheaded by a youth-led Gen-Z movement, which on Thursday named official spokespeople and outlined its demands. Activists say they are fighting for accountability and the restoration of democratic norms in a country where nearly three-quarters of the 32 million population live below the poverty line. The Gen-Z activists argue that their frustration stems from broken promises and worsening living conditions. We want electricity, water, dignity, not empty slogans, one young organiser said on local television. The movement has found support among trade unions, including workers from the national water and electricity company, who have declared a general strike. The opposition, usually divided has also united behind the protests, giving them greater political weight. Gen-Z protests worldwide The prominence of Madagascars Gen-Z movement echoes a broader global pattern of youth-led protests in recent years. From Chiles student-driven demonstrations to Nigerias #EndSARS movement and climate strikes across Europe, younger generations are increasingly challenging political elites they view as corrupt, authoritarian or unresponsive. According to a Statista analysis shared on X, Gen-Z has shown higher rates of political engagement through protests than any generation before. In Madagascar, this generational defiance represents both a challenge to entrenched elites and a signal of shifting political culture. Government response and dialogue attempts President Rajoelina, who first came to power in 2009 through a coup, has sought to project calm. In a Facebook post Friday, he said he met religious leaders to pray for the nation, alongside diplomats and officials from the IMF and the UN. He also launched consultations to appoint a new prime minister after dissolving his government. But the move has done little to ease tensions. For many demonstrators, the crisis goes beyond a change of cabinet. They see it as a reckoning with years of political stagnation and elite dominance. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Rajoelina, re-elected in 2023 in polls boycotted by the opposition, has long faced questions over legitimacy. Corruption is rife, with Transparency International ranking Madagascar 140th of 180 countries in its corruption perception index. A fragile democracy under strain The unrest highlights the fragility of Madagascars political system since independence from France in 1960. Despite natural resource wealth, the country remains one of the poorest globally, with recurring crises eroding public trust. As protesters vow to return to the streets, the standoff underscores a broader question: whether Madagascars leaders can reconcile with a generation unwilling to tolerate business as usual politics. For now, the country teeters between promises of dialogue and the reality of armoured police vehicles in its capital. Amid rising antisemitism in the UK, the terrorist attack on a synagogue in Manchester that killed two persons was just a matter of time and something they had seen coming, said top Jewish leaders. Members of the community comfort each other near Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall, north Manchester, England, on October 2, 2025, after a terrorist attack at the synagogue. (Photo: Paul Currie/AFP) British Jewish leaders have said that the Manchester attack was only a matter of time as antisemitism has been on the rise lately. A man on Thursday rammed a car on the grounds of Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Englands Manchester and went on a stabbing spree. He killed two Jewish men and injured four others in the attack that ended seven minutes later when police shot him dead. The attack occurred on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calander. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD After the attack, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, the Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom, said that the attack was the tragic result hatred against Jews that was only a matter of time. He said it was the day we hoped we would never see, but which deep down, we knew would come. For so long we have witnessed an unrelenting wave of Jew hatred on our streets, on campuses, on social media and elsewhere this is the tragic result. This not only an assault on the Jewish community, but an attack on the very foundations of humanity and the values of compassion, dignity and respect which we all share, said Mirvis in a post on X. After the Hamas-led October 7 attack on Israel, and the beginning of the war in the Gaza Strip, antisemitism has been on the rise throughout West. In the UK, the Community Safety Trust (CST) recorded 3,528 antisemitic incidents in 2024 and 4,296 incidents in 2023 the highest numbers since it began tracking. Our hearts are shattered. Emerging from the holy fast of Yom Kippur, British Jews are now grasping the full extent of todays terror attack at the Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester. This is the day we hoped we would never see, but which deep down, we knew would come. For Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis (@chiefrabbi) October 2, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD After the Manchester, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer promised to do everything in his power to protect Jews as he said the UK must defeat antisemitic hate. He condemned the vile individual who carried out the horrific attack. We feared it was coming In a separate statement, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council said the attack was sadly something we feared was coming at a time of rising antisemitism in the UK, according to Sky News. The Board said, We are devastated at the loss of two members of our Jewish community, and our thoughts are with their families, those who are injured and receiving treatment, and all those who have been affected by this act of antisemitic terror, the Board said. The Board urged all those in power and influence to take the required action to tackle rising antisemitism. Pinchas Goldschmidt, the President of the Conference of European Rabbis, called for more to be done to stamp out murderous ideologies. Jews in Manchester, England, woke up this morning to pray, and were murdered in their own synagogue. Governments from the world over should spare us the statements about fighting antisemitism and instead ensure Jews are safe, said Goldschmidt. Ahead of the December election whose legitimacy is under question, Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing has been hopping from one capital to another to garner support. After meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping, he reached Moscow to meet Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Myanmar's military chief Min Aung Hlaing attend a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, September 25, 2025. (Photo: Ramil Sitdikov/Pool/Reuters) Myanmars junta chief is becoming a frequent flier. In the last six months, Min Aung Hlaing has flown to more countries than he did in the years after he grabbed power in a 2021 coup that ousted an elected civilian government. His travels part of a diplomatic push by Min Aung Hlaing to win support for a controversial December election include two trips each to key allies China and Russia, and one each to Thailand, Belarus and, this week, to Kazakhstan. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Together, they have yielded bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russias Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, building on momentum that started in the wake of a deadly March earthquake. Min Aung Hlaings frequent foreign trips this year are a reflection of his increased confidence less elite threats against him, an improved battlefield situation, and eased international diplomatic isolation, said Richard Horsey, senior Myanmar adviser at Crisis Group, referring to the military winning back control of some towns. A junta spokesperson did not respond to calls seeking comment but state media has featured Min Aung Hlaings international trips prominently on their front pages, describing them as positive developments for the country. To summarise all the trips, all three countries welcomed Myanmars election, junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun told state media referring to Min Aung Hlaings most recent trips to China, Russia and Kazakhstan. After the coup, and the militarys crackdown on protesters, Myanmar became a pariah in many capitals, with some countries imposing sanctions on the generals. In an unprecedented move, the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which includes Myanmar, banned Min Aung Hlaing and top junta ministers from their summits. Last November, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court announced he would seek an arrest warrant against the 69-year-old general for crimes against humanity, limiting his travel options. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Battling an unprecedented nationwide armed uprising against the coup, the junta leaders domestic movements were also minimal. After four years of extended emergency rule, Myanmars military in late July announced the formation of an interim government to hold a multi-phase election starting on December 28. As fighting continues, voting is likely to take place in only around half the country, and dozens of opposition political groups have been banned, leaving only vetted, pro-military parties in the fray - drawing criticism from Western nations that the polls are an exercise to perpetuate Min Aung Hlaings hold on power. Jamboree of authoritarian states In nearly all of his meetings with foreign leaders over the past six months, Min Aung Hlaing has emphasised the militarys preparations for the upcoming election, according to state media reports. During a week-long visit to China in September to attend events including a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Min Aung Hlaing met Xi and Indias Modi and shook hands and exchanged a few words with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Min Aung Hlaings visit was certainly a boost for his international acceptance, joining what was a jamboree of authoritarian states, and it certainly suggested a closer relationship with Beijing, said David Mathieson, an independent analyst who monitors Myanmar, referring to the summit. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In a statement issued after Xi and the Burmese general met in late October, Chinas Foreign Ministry said that it supports Myanmar in unifying all domestic political forces as much as possible and restoring stability and development. China remains one of the most important foreign partners of Myanmars military, maintaining close ties with top generals and supplying equipment such as drones. Beijing has also invested in projects in Myanmar under its Belt and Road Initiative, including an oil and gas pipeline that cuts across the country, and planned infrastructure such as a deep-sea port. China has opted to extend a degree of legitimacy to the junta, said independent analyst Ye Myo Hein. Beijings backing could give the military the diplomatic cover and material support it needs to press ahead with this charade. (This is an agency story. Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by Firstpost staff.) The fight over expiring Obamacare subsidies has paralysed Washington, leaving the government shuttered and millions of Americans uncertain about their health coverage (File) A sign designating Palm Avenue as "President Donald J. Trump Avenue" stands across from a sign advertising "Obamacare" in Hialeah, Florida, US, on December 5, 2024. Reuters The US government shutdown has entered its third day with little sign of resolution as both parties remain locked in a standoff over health care subsidies central to the Affordable Care Act. The dispute has halted federal operations and could drag into next week deepening political and economic uncertainty across the country. A shutdown with no end in sight The deadlock emerged earlier this week when lawmakers failed to agree on a short-term funding bill to keep government offices open. Federal agencies have begun scaling back services, while hundreds of thousands of employees face furloughs or delays in paychecks. Despite urgent warnings from economic analysts about the cost of prolonged disruption, Congress appears no closer to a breakthrough. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Republicans insist that the government must first be funded before tackling policy debates. Democrats, however, have drawn a firm line, arguing that any funding measure must also extend enhanced subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), often dubbed as Obamacare as it was the flagship healthcare programme launched by former US President Barack Obama. These subsidies, first expanded during the pandemic and extended through 2025, are set to expire at the end of the year. Without action, millions of Americans could face steep hikes in insurance premiums in time for the new year, The Wall Street Journal reported. Why Obamacare subsidies are in focus At the heart of the shutdown is the future of enhanced ACA subsidies. These premium tax credits cap how much households spend on health coverage as a percentage of their income. When Congress expanded them in 2021, eligibility broadened and subsidy amounts increased, removing the previous income cap that disqualified many middle-income families. The programme has proven enormously popular. More than 24 million people are now enrolled in ACA coverage, with over 22 million receiving subsidies to lower the cost. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, if the enhanced provisions expire, average out-of-pocket premiums could more than doublefrom $888 this year to $1,904 next year. The Congressional Budget Office projects that as many as 4.2 million people would lose their coverage altogether. For Democrats, this looming reality makes the subsidies non-negotiable. They argue that millions could be forced to choose between health insurance and other essentials if premiums spike at the start of 2026. Republicans counter that the subsidies are expensivecosting an estimated $350 billion through 2034and should be considered only after a funding bill reopens the government. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trump vs Democrats: Who will blink first? The shutdown has exposed familiar partisan divides. Democrats see the subsidies as a lifeline that has dramatically expanded access to healthcare. They warn that failing to extend them now would create confusion as open enrollment begins in November with many Americans receiving notices of higher premiums even before the subsidies officially lapse. Republicans, long critical of Obamacare, frame the subsidies as wasteful government spending that distorts insurance markets. They say negotiations on any extension must be tied to broader fiscal reforms such as restoring income caps and addressing fraud risks. While some Senate Republicans have floated compromise ideasincluding a one-year extension with a gradual phase-outHouse conservatives have shown little appetite for such deals. The partisan impasse is further complicated by election-year politics. Many of the states with the fastest growth in ACA enrollment are Republican-leaning, including Texas, Mississippi and Tennessee. This raises the stakes for GOP lawmakers, who could face backlash if voters in their states are hit with sudden premium increases. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Is it about Trump and his politics? President Donald Trump, who continues to wield influence over congressional Republicans, has further inflamed tensions. He has accused Democrats of seeking more than $1 trillion to fund healthcare for immigrants, framing the subsidies as part of a broader expansion of benefits for non-citizens. In reality, migrants without legal status are not eligible for ACA coverage. Democrats have proposed restoring eligibility for certain categories of lawfully present immigrantssuch as refugees and asylum seekerswhose access was restricted by a GOP-backed tax law signed by Trump earlier this year. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that revoking this eligibility would leave about 1.4 million legal immigrants without insurance. By painting Democrats proposals as giveaways to immigrants, Trump is aiming to rally conservative voters and pressure Republicans in Congress to hold the line. His interventions have made it harder for moderates in the GOP to support a deal, even though many of their constituents benefit directly from the subsidies. What Americans think about govt shutdown? The shutdown has already begun to shape public perceptions. A Washington Post flash poll found that nearly half of Americans blame Trump and Republicans for the shutdown, compared with 30 per cent who blame Democrats. Independents were more than twice as likely to fault Republicans than Democrats, suggesting potential electoral fallout for the GOP. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD However, Democrats face risks as well. While 95 per cent of Democratic voters support extending the subsidies, fewer than half support prolonging the shutdown to achieve that goal. This indicates that public patience may wear thin if the standoff drags on, particularly if federal workers continue to miss paychecks or government services remain disrupted. Healthcare hampered: What is at stake? The timing of the dispute adds urgency. Health insurance marketplaces begin open enrollment in early November. Without clarity from Congress, insurers must set rates and notify consumers of expected premium costs for the coming year. If subsidies are not extended in time, millions could be told they will owe far more for coverage. The impact would be particularly acute in rural and older populations, where premiums tend to run higher. These communitiesoften Republican strongholdscould be among the hardest hit if subsidies expire. This dynamic complicates the political calculus for GOP lawmakers, who may face pressure from constituents even as they seek to maintain fiscal discipline. What could break the deadlock? Despite the entrenched positions, there are signs of potential compromise. A small group of Senate Republicans has begun drafting proposals to extend the subsidies with new guardrails such as tighter income caps. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Some vulnerable House members from both parties have expressed support for a one-year extension to avoid coverage losses while leaving room for further debate. But any deal is unlikely before Congress resolves the immediate question of reopening the government. Republicans insist Democrats must first vote to fund federal operations before discussing health care. Democrats argue that waiting until later in the year would destabilise the insurance market and leave millions facing uncertainty. A political showdown with far-reaching implications As the shutdown stretches on, Obamacare once again sits at the centre of a national political battle. The fight over subsidies is about more than dollars and cents, but it is about the federal governments role in ensuring access to affordable health care. For now, the government remains shuttered, millions of Americans face uncertainty over their health insurance and the path to compromise remains elusive. One of the two victims in the Manchester synagogue attack was shot by the police when they were firing at the attacker, according to Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson. Police and emergency personnel are at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Manchester, UK, after a car-ramming and stabbing attack on October 2, 2025. (Photo: Phil Noble/Reuters) The police have said that one of the two victims in the UKs Manchester synagogue attack was mistakenly shot by the police. A man on Thursday rammed a car on the grounds of Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Englands Manchester and went on a stabbing spree. Two Jewish men were killed, and four others were injured in the attack that ended seven minutes later when the police shot dead the attacker. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD While it was initially said that the attacker, identified as Jihad al-Shamie, stabbed two people to death, the Manchester police chief has now said that one of the two deceased was shot mistakenly by the police as they fired at Jihad. Ahead of full post-mortem examinations, the pathological assessment by the British Home Office has provisionally determined that one of the victims suffered a gunshot injury, said Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson of the Greater Manchester Police in a statement. Watson further said that it is currently believed that Jihad was not in possession of a firearm and the only shots fired were from the police personnel as they worked to prevent him from entering the synagogue and attack more people. He said that, subject to further examination, this injury may sadly have been sustained as a tragic and unforeseen consequence of the urgently required action taken by my officers to bring this vicious attack to an end. #UPDATE | Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson has provided an update following yesterdays tragic incident on Middleton Road in Crumpsall. pic.twitter.com/VWTpOE4KG3 Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) October 3, 2025 Watson added that one of the three injured also suffered a gunshot wound from the police firing. He said the wound was not life threatening. He said that these two persons were close together behind the synagogue door as worshippers acted bravely to prevent the attacker from gaining entry. Watchdog to probe police shooting The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which serves as the police watchdog in England and Wales, has said it will look into the matter. As per the standard practice in case of any fatal police shooting, the IOPC is carrying out an independent investigation to establish the facts of what happened the findings will be shared with the coroner in due course, the watchdog said in a statement carried by the Guardian. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD IOPC investigators attended the police post-incident procedures and were at the scene last night gathering evidence. We will be present at the post-mortems today to provide independent oversight, the statement further read. It is not clear at the moment if the policeperson whose bullet hit the victim would face an investigation. Prior to the confirmation that police bullets had hit victims, the Guardian reported that IOPC was treating policepersons who responded to the attack as witnesses, not suspects. But now the policeperson whose bullet hit victims may face an investigation. We must defeat antisemitism, says Starmer As Jewish leaders flagged rising antisemitism that drove the attack, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said that antisemitism must be defeated. Speaking at the Manchester police headquarters, Starmer said that defeating antisemitism is the responsibility of everyone. Starmer further said, It is the responsibility of government and we will rise to that challenge and do all that we can to absolutely ensure that our Jewish community is safe and secure, and that we show them the strength of the support and solidarity that we have for them. That will be massively helped by what you have already done, what youre continuing to do. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Amid ongoing protests in Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) and violent police crackdown, India has said that PoJK is an integral part of India and protests are a natural consequence of Pakistans oppressive approach and its systemic plundering of resources. Police personnel stand on a bridge as they stop the protesters of the Awami Action Committee during a protest following a shutter-down strike in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) on October 1, 2025. (Photo: Naseer ud Din/Reuters) Amid ongoing protests in Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) and violent crackdown, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday said that POJK is an integral part of India and protests are a natural consequence of decadeslong loot by the Pakistani regime. We have seen reports on protests in several areas of Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK), including brutalities by Pakistani forces on innocent civilians. We believe that it is a natural consequence of Pakistans oppressive approach and its systemic plundering of resources from these territories, which remain under its forcible and illegal occupation. Pakistan must be held accountable for its horrific human rights violations, said MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD For the past few days, the PoJK has been rocked by the violent crackdown of protests driven by the regions political and economic complaints. At least nine persons six civilians and three police personnel have been killed and authorities have said that over 220 people, including 172 police personnel and 50 civilians, have been injured, according to Pakistani outlet The News. While the history of demonstrations and unrest in PoJK is long, the current episode began on September 29 when the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC), a civil society group, began a strike to protest over their 38-point agenda. The crackdown worsened after talks between JKAAC and the Pakistani regime broke down. Pakistani media reports have said that shops, hotels, and commercial centres across Muzaffarabad, the capital of the PoJK, and public transport disappeared from the roads and schools were almost empty even though no formal holidays had been declared. Mobile and internet services had also been suspended. Since 1947-48, Pakistan has occupied parts of present-day union territories of J&K and Ladakh. Weeks after Independence, Pakistan invaded the princely state of J&K that also comprised Ladakh. Maharaja Hari Singh had not yet acceded to India. But once the invasion began, he acceded in exchange of Indian protection. While Indian forces stopped Pakistani forces from capturing Srinagar and largely repelled them, Pakistan ended up controlling around a third of J&K. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In recent years, protests in PoJK have risen about the regions economic and political neglect and dissatisfaction over the exploitation of the regions resources by Pakistans Punjab-based political and business elites. Protesters around the world on Thursday railed at Israels interception of a flotilla carrying aid for Gazas besieged Palestinians, urging greater sanctions in response. Demonstrators take part in a rally in solidarity with Palestinians and to condemn the interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla by Israeli army, in Istanbul on October 2, 2025. AFP Protesters around the world on Thursday railed at Israels interception of a flotilla carrying aid for Gazas besieged Palestinians, urging greater sanctions in response. From Europe to Australia and South America, demonstrators took to the streets to condemn the treatment of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which set sail from Barcelona last month to challenge Israels blockade of Gaza, where the United Nations reports famine conditions after nearly two years of war. Forty-one ships with more than 400 people aboard, including politicians and climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, were halted by the Israeli navy from Wednesday and prevented from reaching the coastal territory, an Israeli official said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Around 15,000 people marched through Barcelona in protest at Israels actions, according to the municipal police force in Spains second city, chanting slogans including Gaza, you are not alone, Boycott Israel and Freedom for Palestine. Riot police beat back a portion of the protesters who attempted to climb over barriers with truncheons, forcing them to retreat, images broadcast on Spanish public television showed. A boat carrying former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau was among those prevented from proceeding. Colau and her fellow activists, including Nelson Mandelas grandson Mandla Mandela, face deportation by Israel. Several hundred protesters also marched outside the Irish parliament in Dublin, where support for the Palestinian cause has often been compared to Irelands centuries-long struggle against British colonial rule. Miriam McNally, who said her daughter had set sail with the flotilla, was at the Dublin demonstration. I am worried sick for my daughter, but I am so proud of her and of what shes doing, McNally told AFP. She is standing up for humanity in the face of grave danger. Around a thousand people marched in Pariss Place de la Republique, an AFP journalist saw, while in the port city of Marseille, in southern France, around a hundred pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested in the afternoon after attempting to block access to offices of weapons maker Eurolinks, accused of selling military components to Israel. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Protests were also held in Berlin, The Hague, Tunis, Brasilia and Buenos Aires, according to AFP correspondents. Intolerable In Italy, where the countrys main unions have called a general strike for Friday in solidarity with the flotilla, thousands took to the streets to urge Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to defend the activists. Besides Rome, where police said 10,000 people joined a march, other protests took place in cities including Milan, Torino, Florence and Bologna. A day after a similar demonstration Wednesday evening, protesters in the capital gathered at the Colosseum and marched, slamming the far-right prime ministers support of Israel. We are prepared to block everything. The genocidal machine must stop immediately, demonstrators chanted. In Turkey, whose government is among the fiercest critics of Israels offensive, a long column of demonstrators marched to the Israeli embassy in Istanbul, with banners including Total embargo on the occupation. We demand the release of all members of the Sumud fleet and all prisoners, and as university students, we demand that all academic and economic ties with the genocidal Israeli state be terminated at our universities, 21-year-old student Elif Bozkurt told AFPTV. Around 3,000 demonstrators also took to the front of the European Parliament building in Brussels, with one banner urging the EU to break the siege as smoke bombs and crackers were set off in the crowd. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The message is that each boat must be protected, a protester named Isis told AFPTV at the demonstration, urging the European Unions leadership to halt the astronomical sums of money sent to Israel through the blocs agreements with the Middle Eastern country. Apartheid state A similar-sized crowd rallied in Geneva, according to an AFP journalist at the scene and Swiss broadcasters, with the mostly young protesters lighting a bonfire near the central station. The protesters then headed to the Swiss citys Mont Blanc bridge, at the end of Lake Geneva, to be met by a line of police in riot gear, who pushed the demonstrators back after brief clashes. In the Greek capital Athens, a throng of protesters set off fireworks and flares. The attack against the flotilla Sumud, it was a barbaric escalation from the Israeli apartheid state. They dont want to even open a passage for humanitarian help to Gaza, Petros Konstantinou, coordinator of Greeces World Against Racism and Fascism (KEERFA) group, told AFPTV. Dozens also rallied in Malaysias capital, Kuala Lumpur, in front of the embassy of the United States, Israels key ally. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD We are very upset Upset, angry, disgusted because what they are doing is for humanity, said Ili Farhan, 43. They are just bringing in aid and baby food This arrest is unjust. In his televised speech on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected the nonsense fears that Moscow is planning to attack Nato as he struck a conciliatory tone for US President Donald Trump The 'Russkiy Mir' ('Russian World') is a Kremlin-promoted doctrine which asserts that Russia has the right to a preeminent political, cultural, and military role in the post-Soviet space. Image: Reuters/File Photo Amid the brewing tension in Europe, Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to retaliate against Europes escalating militarisation. However, he dismissed nonsense Western allegations that Moscow is planning to attack Nato. In his televised speech in Sochi on Thursday, the Russian leader warned that he is closely monitoring the developing situation in Europe. We are closely monitoring the escalating militarisation of Europe We simply cannot ignore what is happening. We have no right to do so for reasons of our own security," Putin said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD I think no one doubts that Russias countermeasures will not be long in coming, he added. The Russian president was speaking at the Valdai plenary session, an annual gathering of officials and foreign policy experts where Putin often sets out his views on global affairs. It is pertinent to note that Putins remarks on the matter came as 45 European leaders gathered in Copenhagen for a summit aimed at bolstering support for Ukraine. The European leaders have also been eyeing the accelerated defence projects intended to ensure the continent is capable of deterring the Russian aggression. The summit in Denmark followed turbulent weeks in which several European countries reported Russian drone and jet incursions, raising fears that Moscow was testing Natos defence capabilities. Putin attempts to please Trump While dismissing Nato plans, the Russian president threatened Europe and struck a conciliatory tone towards US President Donald Trump. In what appeared to be an attempt to win back Trumps favour, Putin lavished praise on him, claiming that if Trump had been in power, the conflict in Ukraine could have been avoided a line the US president has often used himself in public speeches. What is interesting is the fact that Putins praise for Trump came just days after the American leaders recent disparaging remarks about him, where he proclaimed that Ukraine can win back its territory. Both Moscow and Kyiv have spent months trying to court Trump over the war in Ukraine, as the US leader has repeatedly shifted his stance. In his Thursday speech, Putin described Trump as a comfortable interlocutor who knows how to listen and said Moscow was seeking a full-scale restoration of relations with the US, praising Trumps administration for its directness and lack of hypocrisy. Putin also responded to Trumps paper tiger jab, suggesting that the remark might have been ironic, saying: If we are comfortable being at war with the whole Nato bloc, but were a paper tiger, then what is Nato? Overall, Putins tone was harsher towards Europe, with the Russian leader blaming European elites for obstructing peace in Ukraine and whipping up hysteria in the region. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It turns out that war with the Russians is practically on the doorstep. They repeat this nonsense, this mantra, over and over again They cant believe what theyre saying, that Russia is going to attack NATO? Theyre either incredibly incompetent if they truly believe it, because its impossible to believe this nonsense, or theyre simply dishonest," he said. Putin concluded his address by claiming that Ukraine was suffering far greater losses than Russia even though Western estimates put Russian casualties at close to a million, higher than Ukraines. Given Ukraines losses, Kyiv should think seriously about starting negotiations, he averred. With inputs from agencies. No one benefits from the destruction of the nation. I am here, I stand here ready to listen, ready to extend a helping hand, and above all, ready to bring solutions to Madagascar, said President Rajoelina in a speech broadcast on his Facebook page Protesters flee from police officers during a nationwide youth-led protest over worsening water shortages and power outages, and demands for the resignation of Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina , in Antananarivo, Madagascar, on Friday. Reuters File Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina on Friday rejected calls to resign but expressed willingness to listen and work toward solutions for the challenges facing the impoverished island nation amid nationwide youth-led protests. In a speech broadcast on his Facebook page, Rajoelina said, No one benefits from the destruction of the nation. I am here, I stand here ready to listen, ready to extend a helping hand, and above all, ready to bring solutions to Madagascar. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Without presenting evidence, he claimed that some politicians were attempting to exploit the protests and had even contemplated staging a coup while he was at the United Nations in New York last week. Criticism of existing problems does not necessarily have to be expressed in the streets; it should be done through dialogue, said Rajoelina, who first came to power in a 2009 coup after leading mass protests against the government. Inspired by similar Gen Z protests in Kenya and Nepal, the demonstrations in Madagascar have surged since last week into the largest wave of unrest the country has seen in years, fueled by widespread frustration over persistent poverty and corruption. In an effort to calm public anger, President Rajoelina dissolved the government late Monday. However, the move has done little to ease the grievances that first erupted in the capital on September 25, sparked by worsening water shortages and power outages. The United Nations reported that at least 22 people were killed and over 100 injured during the initial days of the protests, though the government disputes these figures. On Friday, Rajoelina posted on his X account that he had spent the past three days meeting with various groups to discuss the crisis. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD After a one-day pause, protests resumed in the capital on Friday, with police using tear gas to disperse some demonstrators, according to footage from Real TV Madagasikara. Despite Madagascars abundant mineral resources, rich biodiversity, and agricultural land, the island nation remains one of the poorest in the world. According to the World Bank, between independence in 1960 and 2020, the countrys per capita income fell by 45% in real terms. The bank attributes the poor economic performance to the tight control of institutions and resources by an unaccountable elite, coupled with a lack of competition and transparency. With inputs from agencies Dame Sarah Mullally created history after she became the first woman to be appointed to the Church of Englands most senior ministry position as Archbishop of Canterbury. Dame Sarah Mullally created history after she became the first woman to be appointed to the Church of Englands most senior ministry position as Archbishop of Canterbury. Her appointment followed a distinguished career marked by several pioneering roles, including Englands youngest chief nursing officer and the first female bishop of London. However, she will now face a challenging tenure, navigating ongoing safeguarding scandals, deep divisions over blessings for same-sex couples, and declining church attendance. Despite these obstacles, her experience positions her as a widely regarded safe pair of hands for the role. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Dame Mullally was ordained in 2001 and eventually left her government post as chief nursing officer at the Department of Health in 2004. She later took up a full-time ministry in the London borough of Sutton. She was made Dame in 2005 in recognition of her outstanding contribution to nursing and midwifery. In 2017, she was named the bishop of London. While speaking about her different careers, Dame Mullally said that she feels she has always had one vocation: to follow Jesus Christ. I am often asked what it has been like to have had two careers, first in the NHS and now in the Church, she said at that time. I prefer to think that I have always had one vocation: to follow Jesus Christ, to know him and to make him known, always seeking to live with compassion in the service of others, whether as a nurse, a priest, or a bishop, she added. Why it matters Her appointment to all her posts emerged as a sign of the Churchs progress on womens roles, having followed Libby Lane, who made history when she was consecrated as the first woman bishop in 2015. As the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Mullally will be automatically granted a seat in the House of Lords. It is pertient to note that Dame Mullaly has had a place there since 2018 as a senior bishop. She will also have a vote on the Assisted Dying Bill for England and Wales that is currently being considered at Westminster. As a strong opponent of the Bill, Dame Mullally warned that the legislation fails in its central plank, that it delivers choice. Last month, she said during a debate in the Lords that choice is an illusion and said she believed no amendments to this Bill that can safeguard us completely from its negative effects. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Meanwhile, Dame Mullally is seen as a progressive on the issue of same-sex blessings in the Church - a subject which has seen strongly competing opinions among Church members. As the US government shutdown entered its third day, the Trump administration on Friday froze $2.1 billion in federal funding designated for Chicagos transit system, cutting off another major Democratic stronghold from crucial infrastructure support A view of the US Capitol dome, following a partial government shutdown in Washington, D.C., US, on October 2, 2025. Reuters As the US government shutdown entered its third day, the Trump administration on Friday froze $2.1 billion in federal funding designated for Chicagos transit system, cutting off another major Democratic stronghold from crucial infrastructure support. According to a Reuters report, White House Budget Director Russ Vought said the fundingintended for upgrades to Chicagos elevated train lineswas being withheld to ensure it wasnt flowing via race-based contracting. The move adds to a growing list of funding freezes targeting Democratic-led cities and states. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Earlier this week, the administration blocked funds for transit projects in New York, home to the top two Democrats in Congress, and suspended $8 billion in green energy projects across California, Illinois, and other states. In total, at least $26 billion in funding has been frozen so far, added the report. President Donald Trump has frequently taken aim at Chicago, the nations third-largest city, threatening in the past to deploy National Guard troops to address crime and social unrest. The city is also the political base of Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a Democrat widely viewed as a potential 2028 presidential contender. Meanwhile, in Washington, there was no sign of progress on ending the funding impasse. The US Senate is expected to vote on competing Democratic and Republican proposals to end the shutdown, but neither is likely to pass, reported Reuters. If the shutdown stretches into Saturday, it will become the fifth-longest in US history. Lawmakers on both sides continue to trade blame for the failure to pass a budget beyond the October 1 deadline, marking the start of the fiscal year. Roughly $1.7 trillion in government funding about a quarter of annual federal spending remains frozen due to the standoff. The rest of the federal budget is largely allocated to healthcare, Social Security, and interest payments on the national debt, which now exceeds $37.5 trillion. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Healthcare fight Democrats insist any funding deal must include an extension of pandemic-era healthcare subsidies set to expire in December, while Republicans argue the issue should be handled separately. Meanwhile, former President Trump has escalated pressure by targeting funds for Democratic-leaning states and threatening to fire more federal employees adding to the 300,000 already set to be ousted by year-end. Now in its 15th shutdown since 1981, the budget impasse has halted scientific research, financial oversight, and other federal operations. Around 2 million federal workers are going unpaid, though essential personnel including troops and airport security must continue working. The government also skipped its monthly unemployment report on Friday, leaving markets in the dark about the state of the economy. If unresolved, the shutdown could soon disrupt air travel, food assistance, and court operations. Federal workers are expected to miss their first paycheck by mid-October. The current standoff recalls the longest shutdown on record 35 days in 201819 also under Trumps presidency. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Senate has already rejected both parties funding proposals three times. Republicans want to fund the government through November 21, while Democrats also want to extend the expiring health subsidies. Though Republicans control both chambers, they need at least seven Democratic votes in the Senate to pass any spending bill. Bipartisan talks are underway, but some Democrats remain wary, citing concerns that Republicans wont uphold a deal that separates reopening the government from healthcare funding. The subsidies, part of a 2021 COVID relief law, help 24 million Americans afford insurance. With inputs from agencies US President Donald Trump has given Hamas last chance until 6 pm on Sunday to accept his 20-point proposal to end the war in Gaza. Otherwise, he has warned all hell like no one has ever seen before will break out against Hamas. After Hamas violated the deadline to respond to his proposal to end the war in the Gaza Strip, US President Donald Trump on Friday said that Hamas has until 6 pm on Sunday to accept the proposal. In a Truth Social post, Trump said it was the last chance for Hamas to accept the proposal. He said the rejection of the proposal or lack of response would mean that all hell like no one has ever seen before will break out against Hamas. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Previously, Trump on Tuesday said that Hamas would have three to four days to respond to the proposal. Trump repeated his previous statement that Israel had accepted the proposal, saying that Middle Eastern nations together with the United States of America, have agreed, with Israel signing on, to peace in the region. ALSO READ Hamas disarmament, handover to PA, buffer zone: Trumps 20-point Gaza plan | Full Text However, just hours after Trump first said Israel was onboard with the proposal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had announced that Israeli military would remain in most of Gaza and he would continue to oppose the Palestinian state both of these assertions violated Trumps 20-point agreement. You will be hunted down & killed: Trumps warning to Hamas In his Truth Social post, Trump warned Hamas that he knows where most of the remaining Hamas terrorists are, and they would be hunted down and killed at his go-ahead. He said the only condition he would spare them would be if Hamas would accept his Gaza proposal. Trump said, As retribution for the October 7th attack on civilization, more than 25,000 Hamas soldiers have already been killed. Most of the rest are surrounded and militarily trapped, just waiting for me to give the word, go, for their lives to be quickly extinguished. As for the rest, we know where and who you are, and you will be hunted down and killed. Trump said that Hamas has until 6 pm (Washington DC time) on Sunday to accept the proposal. Every Country has signed on! If this last chance agreement is not reached, all hell like no one has ever seen before will break out against Hamas. There will be peace in the Middle East one way or the other, said Trump. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD ALSO READ: Muslim countries join Europe in backing Trump's Gaza plan ousting Hamas, restoring PA rule However, there have been reports that Hamas could in its response seek certain amendments to the proposal. Observers have said that Hamas would not likely easily accept the plan as it calls for its disarmament and ouster from power in Gaza. But has Israel really accepted Trumps proposal? Trump has said that Israel has accepted his proposal and it is up to Hamas to accept it now to close the deal. But Israels position is far from clear. Just hours after Trump released the plan, Netanyahu walked back on two of the most important points of the proposal. In a statement in Hebrew, Netanyahu said the Israeli military will remain in most of the Gaza Strip, as per AFP. On the question of Palestinian statehood, Netanyahu said, Not at all, and it is not written in the agreement. One thing was made clear: We will strongly oppose a Palestinian state. Both of these assertions were in violation of Trumps Gaza proposal. Trumps proposal released a map that showed that Israel will gradually withdraw from the majority of Gaza. The map showed that there will just be a small buffer zone on the Gazan side of the Israel-Gaza border upon the completion of the phased withdrawal. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trumps plan explicitly said that Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza. Moreover, Trumps proposal mentioned a pathway for Palestinian statehood. With progress in Gazas redevelopment and the handover of the strip to the reformed Palestinian Authority (PA), the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood, which we recognise as the aspiration of the Palestinian people, Trumps plan said. The Trump administration has deployed several military vessels to the Caribbean Sea to counter drug smugglers amid mounting tensions with Venezuelas leftist President Nicolas Maduro President Donald Trump speaks to a gathering of top US military commanders at Marine Corps Base Quantico, on Tuesday, in Quantico, Va. AP President Donald Trump has declared that the United States is engaged in armed conflict with drug cartels, his administration said in a notice sent to Congress after recent strikes on boats off Venezuela.The letter, a copy of which was obtained by AFP on Thursday, is designed as a legal justification for at least three recent strikes in international waters that have killed at least 14 people. The Trump administration has deployed several military vessels to the Caribbean Sea to counter drug smugglers amid mounting tensions with Venezuelas leftist President Nicolas Maduro. The president determined these cartels are non-state armed groups, designated them as terrorist organizations, and determined that their actions constitute an armed attack against the United States, the notice from the Pentagon said. The notice also describes suspected smugglers as unlawful combatants. The recent US strikes targeted boats allegedly loaded with drugs off the coast of Venezuela but legal experts have raised doubts about the legality of Washingtons actions. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD As we have said many times, the president acted in line with the law of armed conflict to protect our country from those trying to bring deadly poison to our shores, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told AFP. He is delivering on his promise to take on the cartels and eliminate these national security threats from murdering more Americans. Provocation A White House official said the note was sent to Congress after one of the strikes on September 15, adding that it was legally mandated to do so after any attack involving the US military. It does not convey any new information, the official told AFP. Tensions have mounted over the strikes and the US naval build-up. Venezuela said Thursday it had detected an illegal incursion by five US fighter jets flying 75 kilometers from our shores. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino denounced the alleged flights as a provocation and a threat to our national security. A government statement meanwhile accused the United States of flouting international law and jeopardizing civil aviation in the Caribbean Sea. Trump last month dispatched 10 F-35 aircraft to Puerto Rico, a US territory in the Caribbean, as part of the biggest military deployment in the area in over three decades. He also sent eight warships and a nuclear submarine to the region as part of a stated operation to combat drug trafficking across the Caribbean to the United States. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD After two Venezuelan military planes buzzed an American naval vessel last month, Trump warned Caracas that its jets would be shot down if there was any repeat of the incident. Maduro has accused Trump of a covert bid to bring about regime change. The Trump administration plans to use Army Reserve and National Guard lawyers as temporary immigration judges after firing more than 100 sitting judges. Critics warn the move could undermine due process, weaken the military justice system and heighten backlogs in already overburdened immigration courts. President Donald Trump walking off stage after speaking to a gathering of top U.S. military commanders at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, in Quantico. Image- AP The Trump administration is turning to the militarys legal corps to staff the nations immigration courts, a move that has alarmed legal experts, immigrant advocates and some lawmakers. Under the plan, Army Reserve and National Guard lawyers will temporarily serve as immigration judges after the firing or departure of more than 100 sitting judges, raising questions about training, due process and the potential militarisation of a civilian legal process. The plan Training for the first group of Army lawyers begins Monday, with a second group scheduled to start in the spring, according to several former and current military reserve lawyers. Roughly 100 Army Reserve attorneys are expected to take part, with 50 beginning six-month assignments after training, according to a September 3 email reviewed by the Associated Press. The administration ultimately hopes to bring in up to 600 military-trained attorneys to hear cases, effectively doubling the number of current immigration judges. The move comes amid ballooning backlogs 3.4 million pending cases, up from 1.5 million four years ago as the Trump administration ramps up immigration arrests. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD An internal Army Reserve Legal Command email cast the plan as an opportunity to gain judicial experience in a high tempo, nationally significant setting. Both the Army and National Guard have sought volunteers. Why its a concern Critics argue that the plan risks undermining due process in one of the most complex areas of American law. Lack of experience: Theyre letting a lot of experienced judges go, terminating them with no notice, and yet they claim theres a shortage, said Margaret Stock, a retired Army lieutenant colonel and immigration lawyer. Immigration law is super technical and complicated. Its worse than tax law, and its constantly changing. No prior requirements: In the past, temporary immigration judges needed 10 years of immigration experience and were often retired judges. The new plan does not require expertise in immigration or administrative law. Training gaps: Military lawyers, known as JAGs undergo only two months of military law training. While highly skilled in areas such as courts-martial or national security law, they are not specialists in asylum cases or deportation hearings that carry life-or-death stakes. Impact on courts: Matt Biggs, President of a federal employee union representing immigration judges, warned that tapping lawyers with little or no immigration experience will lead to more appeals of decisions. It will further increase the backlog. Its going to be an inefficient and costly endeavour. The broader context The administration has increasingly drawn on the military to support its immigration crackdown from deploying troops to the US-Mexico border to housing detainees on military bases. Now, military lawyers are being asked to step into civilian courts. Supporters argue this is a practical response to shortages. They are some of the greatest lawyers youll meet in the national security world, said Mark Nevitt, a former Navy JAG and law professor. Others, like former Army lawyer Greg Rinckey, argue JAGs will not simply rubber-stamp deportations: Most of us have served as defense counsel. Were not all government hacks. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Legal and political pushback Some Democratic lawmakers question whether the plan violates the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits the military from performing law enforcement duties. A Pentagon memo says the six-month appointments will be structured to avoid legal conflicts, with the Justice Department responsible for ensuring compliance. Still, Democrats have demanded clarity on where the lawyers will come from, whether the military justice system will be weakened by their absence, and what protections will exist to prevent political pressure from influencing judicial decisions. Gregory Chen of the American Immigration Lawyers Association said the Justice Department was watering down the qualifications of those it will empower to make life-or-death decisions. He also warned that temporary hires may be more vulnerable to political influence since permanent judges enjoy civil service protections. What it means The plan reflects both the scale of the immigration backlog and the administrations willingness to reshape institutions to meet policy goals. But experts fear that assigning undertrained military attorneys to adjudicate asylum and deportation cases risks weakening confidence in the courts, heightening appeals, and ultimately delaying justice further. It sets a dangerous precedent in this country when it comes to due process protections, Biggs said. For the reservists who do step in, the assignment may offer career opportunities and exposure to complex legal issues. For immigrant families whose futures hinge on those rulings, the consequences could be far more profound. Russian President Vladimir Putin has cautioned that the delivery of US-made Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine could lead to a whole new level of escalation, potentially straining already tense relations between Moscow and Washington Russian President Vladimir Putin has cautioned that the delivery of US-made Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine could lead to a whole new level of escalation, potentially straining already tense relations between Moscow and Washington. Addressing a forum in Sochi on Thursday, Putin said the move would have little impact on the battlefield, where Russian forces continue to make gradual gains. Just hours after President Putin warned that supplying US Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine could trigger a major escalation, Reuters reported that the plan may not be feasible due to existing commitments of the missile inventory to the US Navy and other operational needs. According to the report, citing a US official, while there is no shortage of Tomahawk missiles widely used for long-range land-attack missions the current stock is largely allocated, making it unlikely that they would be sent to Ukraine. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Instead, Washington may consider providing Ukraine with alternative, shorter-range weapons or allowing European allies to purchase other long-range systems and transfer them to Kyiv, added the report. In recent weeks, President Donald Trump has notably shifted his stance on the Ukraine conflict. He has suggested that Kyiv is capable of reclaiming all territory seized by Russia and referred to the Russian military as a paper tiger. As part of this evolving approach, the US has now agreed to assist Ukraine in targeting Russian energy infrastructure. One concrete outcome is the creation of the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) a financial mechanism developed by the US and its allies to streamline the delivery of both newly manufactured weapons and those drawn from existing US stockpiles, funded by Nato member states. Military experts say that if Ukraine were to acquire Tomahawk missiles, it would dramatically enhance its long-range strike capabilities potentially allowing it to hit critical targets deep within Russian territory, including command centres, airfields, logistics hubs, and military bases. On Thursday, the Kremlin reiterated that any such move by the US would provoke a dangerous new phase in the conflict, escalating tensions further between Moscow and the West. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD According to Pentagon budget data, the US Navy the primary operator of the Tomahawk has procured approximately 8,959 missiles since the 1980s, at an average cost of around Rs 10.8 crore ($1.3 million) each. Production has continued steadily in recent years, with annual outputs ranging from 55 to 90 missiles. The Pentagon plans to acquire 57 more Tomahawks in 2026. With inputs from agencies In an exclusive conversation with Firstposts Bhagyasree Sengupta, Hanna Shelest, the Security Studies programme director at Prism UA and the editor-in-chief of Ukraine Analytica, shared her take on Trumps recent change of stance on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin hold a press conference following their meeting to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine in Anchorage, Alaska. File image/Reuters In the span of just a few weeks, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war has witnessed a dramatic turn of events. From US President Donald Trumps latest U-turn from his old position to Russias latest incursion into the European airspace, the geopolitical dynamics between the nations are in a whirlwind. After he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Trump came out in public and shared a dramatically different position on the war from the one he had been propagating even before he came back to the office. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, where he is known to share controversial takes on numerous issues, Trump said that Kyiv can win all of Ukraine back in its original form. The proclamation by the American leader marked a major shift in his position on the war. In the past, Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to end the war. However, he had warned that the process would likely involve Ukraine giving up its territory, an outcome consistently rejected by Zelenskyy. Trump did not stop there; he went on to call Russia a paper tiger, indicating all is not well between Trump and his old-mate, Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trumps change of heart also came at a time when several Nato members reported infiltration by Russian drones or fighter jets, an allegation that Russia attempted to brush under the rug. In an exclusive conversation with Firstposts Bhagyasree Sengupta, Dr Hanna Shelest, the Security Studies programme director at Prism UA and the editor-in-chief of Ukraine Analytica, shared her take on the recent developments and delivered her assessment on what lies ahead for Ukraine, Nato, Russia and Trump. Shift in Trumps stance While speaking to Firstpost, Shelest pointed out that Trumps change in stance was not as sudden as the world is perceiving it to be. She recalled the Ukrainian delegations previous visit to Washington, DC, where they laid out the map of the battleground in front of Trump. It is difficult to say that it came all of a sudden because very intense work was done by the Ukrainian diplomats and the Ukrainian president himself, Shelest averred. If you remember that almost a month ago, there was a meeting in the White House where Ukraine came with the map and the military commanders and clearly explained what was happening on the ground, STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD She claimed that during the Alaska Summit, Putin attempted to paint a rosy picture of what the situation on the ground was. The problem is that President Putin, since Alaska, tried to persuade the American side that they are winning and they can take just in one week the east of Ukraine, especially the Donbas region. But the situation on the ground was absolutely different, and Ukraine even started a counterattack at some places on the frontline, she said. The US intelligence also presented this data to the White House, and after they finally received the full information and explanation of what was happening, President Trump was eager to state a new position that just demonstrated reality on the ground and not the narrative that the Russian president tried to persuade him, Shelest told Firstpost. The map in the Oval Office included areas of Ukraine under Russian occupation. White House Trump has been reliant on the map depicting the Russia-Ukraine war for a while. In August, Trump already had a map in the Oval Office, depicting the Russian occupation in eastern Ukraine. I assume youve all seen the map, Trump told Fox News on Tuesday. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A big chunk of territory is taken, and that territory has been taken. Will Trump change his stance again? Trumps latest remarks sparked speculation over the overall dynamics between him and Putin. Shedding light on the equation between the two leaders, Shelest admitted that Putin had undermined the Potuss trust. President Trump hoped that they were friends, that they were individual nations and that Putin is the man with a sound mind, that he is pragmatic, she said. All this mounted when Putin promised a lot but didnt do anything, which indicated that he is not a trusted partner. Trump thinks that if you trust somebody, you already have the agreement even by words, then both sides will follow this, and when somebody tries to cheat him, thats what he doesnt like. So will he change his position in the future? Yes, that is totally possible, and we are aware of this. But as for now, I would say that Putin did a lot by himself to undermine his position and trust the US side had and if the behaviour of his ministry of foreign affairs and of the top personalities in Russia will continue to be the same, meaning the violition of the agreements, not willing to negotiate and just provoke, things will not change, the Ukrainian analyst told Firstpost. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD US President Donald Trump looks on next to Russian President Vladimir Putin during a press conference following their meeting to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, in Anchorage, Alaska. File image/Reuters It is important to point out that Russias initial response to all of this has been rather restrained. Soon after Trumps remarks, Putins spokesman Dmitry Peskov gently brushed aside the paper tiger insult. Russias in no way a tiger, Peskov told a Russian radio station. Its more associated with a bear. And there is no such thing as a paper bear. Peskov also maintained that Trump is only hearing the Ukrainian side and that Russia would present its side soon. Soon after the exchange of words between the two nations, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sat down with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the UNGA. Members of the delegations, led by Russias Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, attend a meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York CitySeptember 24, 2025. Reuters When asked if Moscow would be able to bring Trump back to their side, Shelest told Firstpost that the Trump administration is aware that Russia is not willing to end the war. We have an expression that deeds speak louder than words, and we have already had the positions expressed publicly by the Russian delegation many times. First of all, the US side sees that they are not changing their position, they are not eager for compromises and negotiations, she explained. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The simple fact is that for the last two weeks, the Russian Federation have sent its drones, they have tried to undermine the security of the borders of the Nato countries, not only Ukraine. So theres a clear understanding that just negotiations between Lavrov and Rubio would not be enough to change the perception. Is Trump trying to wash his hands of the war? After Trumps proclamation, The New York Times shared an assessment noting that the American leader is taking Bidens approach to wash his hands off the conflict. Shelest had a different understanding; she pointed out that Trumps stance on the matter changed because he now has a better understanding of how complex the war is. The President really hoped that he could end this war quickly, and he thought that his personal relations would help. He had this desire for these quick decisions. We have often heard: one call, 7 days, 2 weeks, 1 month. But now he came to the understanding of how complex this war is and how complex the reason for the war is, she said. It is not about Nato, it is not about some weapons. It is about Russias colonial policies and the desire for the Ukrainian state to just stop existing. He understands the limits and complexities of the war. He is trying different variants now. He is trying different opportunities to push Russia into different negotiations. It is just the process that we will have to follow to see if he understands the best way to mediate it, she said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Why are India and China facing the wrath? One such variant approach of Trump is to target Russias biggest trade partners, India and China. While Trump has been threatening secondary sanctions on both nations for a while, he has already imposed nearly 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods. Not only this, but Trumps trade representative, Peter Navarro, made several provocative remarks after the tariffs were imposed. He eventually went on to describe the Russia-Ukraine war as Modi War. When asked if such scrutiny is warranted, Shelest said: It is a very difficult question regarding the secondary sanctions, but at the same time, lets be honest: Russia is still able to conduct this war only because it can sell oil abroad. That is the main income that allows them to have this war and produce weapons. Other spheres of the economy are not working in the Russian Federation. Their economy is in decline. So when Russia can bypass sanctions or when they can send a lot of energy resources abroad, it means that they have the budget to target Ukrainian civilian infrastructure to destroy Ukrainian residential areas and just to conduct a war. Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi enter a hall for the family photo before a plenary session of the BRICS 2024 Summit in Kazan, Russia, 23 October 2024. File Photo/Reuters There were three years during which it was possible to diversify energy resources or to have a different level of relations with Russia. However, India and China preferred to continue this cooperation with Russia, she averred. Shelest noted that despite all these challenges, Ukraine maintains good ties with India. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Is it that harsh? Thats another question. But it is the position of the American president; it is not something Ukraine can decide. It is not a reason to stop buying Russian energy. It is the press to stop Russia from finishing this war and aggression as soon as possible, she told Firstpost. Zelenskyys address at the UNGA Shelest maintained that Zelenskyys speech at the UNGA accurately reflected the current position of the war-torn nation. On the one hand, it is to be a responsible member of the international community; the charter and the efficiency of this organisation are very dear to our hearts. But at the same time as the founder member, we can be critical of a lot of issues that are happening around because we clearly understand that the organisation is as effective as the members are allowed to be, she said. Thats why Ukraine needed to balance between caring about the principles and the role of the United Nations, but at the same time openly speaking about the problems we currently have in this world, where the UN has appeared to be less effective. It is always a big hope that the United Nations is the organisation to prevent this war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends the Coalition of the Willing meeting in Paris. X / @ZelenskyyUa In his UNGA address, Zelenskyy maintained that the world is in the most destructive arms race in human history". When asked if such remarks push the country away from a peace agreement, the Ukrainian analyst made it clear that Kyiv is absolutely ready for a peace agreement. So the current situation is that all countries understand, unfortunately, that just by diplomacy, we cannot protect our territorial sovereignty. There are always bigger countries to undermine your security, Shelest said. We know that the bad guys are creating a coalition. We already saw Iran, Russia and North Korea. We already saw the statements and the Chinese involvement in the last six months, which is growing, and China supports Russia in their military and the war. So because of all this, we would like to focus and stress to the international community that it is not only the question of production, it is the question that now we will see more and more countries buying weapons because they would like to defend themselves. They would like to be ready for any type of aggression, and that is dangerous, she explained. I would say that peace processes and peace negotiations are possible when both sides would like it. But if Russia doesnt, definitely Ukraine will speak about the arms production to defend our people, she furthered. On recent Russian incursions Recently, several Nato member nations reported infiltration by Russian drones and jets. The latest development prompted Poland and Estonia to invoke Article 4 of the Western alliance, reflecting how tensions have reached a boiling point in Europe. When asked about the latest development on the continent, Shelest told Firstpost that the Russian incursion into the Nato member state is a dangerous process, but it is not the first time that Russia has done it. We already have numerous incidents with the Russian drones entering Polish and Romanian airspace. But those were individual cases, and each time these countries were able to say that because they did not want to provoke or escalate the situation, so they always emphasised that most probably they were not the target, they were not aimed at, and it was just an accident. This September 19, 2025, Hand Out image released by the Swedish Air Force shows a Russian MIG-31 fighter jet flying above the Baltic Sea after violating Estonian airspace. AFP But when 20 drones enter the airspace, you cannot say that it is by accident, you clearly understand that it is a provocation, especially when it is coming on the same week as the aeroplanes as the Russian jets are crossing the line on the other Nato member states, like near the Baltic, she averred. The Ukrainian expert maintained that Russia has now decided to raise the stakes. They are provoking because they would like to see the reaction of the Nato member states. They would like to see whether they are united or not. They would like to see the reaction of Washington, whether they will protect small states and also one very practical reason is that they would like to test European defence and to see how strong and capable it is to intercept the Russian missiles and Russian drones, she told Firstpost. When asked, Putin is taking these measures because he has lost Trump as an audience, Dr Shelest maintained that the Russian leader wants to see if Trump would support European allies. Putin would like to demonstrate that he is still strong, that he is in control of the situation, and he would like to stress that Trump and the European coalition should think more about their own security rather than about the security of Ukraine, Shelest told Firstpost. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Britains Prime Minister Keir Starmer, European Commissions President Ursula von der Leyen, Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, Finlands President Alexander Stubb and NATOs Secretary General Mark Rutte, at the White House Library, in Washington, DC, US, August 18, 2025. Image/Ukrainian Presidential Press Service He needs these countries to stop delivering weapons and air defence systems to Ukraine. So he needs to create the perception of fear in the European countries so they will be busy with their own security situation. He is not successful in this because of two reasons: European countries understand that Ukraine has the best experience of air defence from the drones, so they are coming to Ukraine to learn our experience. The Polish delegation was recently here. At the same time, they understand that it is the joint European airspace, and we would have to develop joint European projects now, like with Ukraine and EU & Nato countries, if we want to be efficient in these interceptions, Shelest explained. So is the Ukraine war on the verge of a spill-over? Shelest disagrees with such an assertion. Russia definitely would like to provoke European countries. They have been doing it for a long time. They have already conducted plenty of hybrid operations. They intensified espionage in the European countries. They intervened in social networks and elections in several countries, like what happened in Romania and in the latest elections, she said. They intervened in the movements and protests in several countries. Violation of airspace has happened before, but they were more careful. Now they are trying to be more aggressive with this. But I would like to say that these are just provocations. The reason is that their capabilities are less than those of Nato. We see that Nato, for the last several years, have created several groups to help Eastern European nations. Will we have more provocations? Yes, we will because Russia needs European countries to care about themselves and not Ukraine, but at the same time, I dont think that we are on the edge of a full-fledged war just because Russia does not have the capacity or money to go to war, she asserted. On Moldovan elections and what lies ahead for Europe Amid the chaos, Ukraines neighbouring nation, Moldova, went to the polls. In the intense parliamentary elections, the pro-European party of Moldovan President Maia Sandu won a new majority. Before the results were announced, Shelest recalled the struggles the Eastern European nation has faced over the years. Moldova is an EU candidate together with Ukraine, so we coordinate all of our policies. Lets remember that Moldova has been the target of Russian interference since the day of its independence. The Transnistria region, which is de facto occupied by Russia and where the Russian forces are stationed, has been a problem for Moldova for decades, she said. Moldovan President Maia Sandu arrives for a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris on May 19, 2022. (Photo: Ludovic Marin/AFP) So thats why current interference in this election is nothing new. Its just that Russia is spending more and more money. Because they understood that buying politicians didnt work. Moldova still works with the EU because it is best for its economy and security. It is the total corruption during the election. Russia is trying to buy voters; they are trying to buy fighters because they understand politically that Moldova is not interested anymore. So that is why they are using all corrupt methods, she furthered. Europe knows the consequences of a world war more than anyone Shelest concluded her assessment by insisting that no one knows the implications of a World War better than Europe. We saw that last year, most of these countries were resolute regarding their security, weapon supply, and production of weapons. But if we look at the latest decisions of the EU, they have created a new commissioner for the military industry. They created a special fund that will sponsor the military research development and joint production for the European countries. So the fact is that they are preparing, she said. They finally understood that the best way to prevent war is to be ready for it. Thats why we see diplomatic rhetoric that we would like peace and restoration, but the military is preparing and industry is preparing to be ready with technical means, munitions, and ammunition, she explained. As the tensions continue to escalate on the continent, it will be interesting to see which way the raging war is currently heading. The US military on Friday launched another strike on a suspected drug trafficking vessel in the Caribbean, killing all four individuals on board, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced in a post on social media Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth speaks to senior military leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico, on Tuesday, in Quantico, Va. AP File The US military on Friday launched another strike on a drug trafficking boat in the Caribbean, killing all four individuals on board, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced in a post on social media. Described as a narco-trafficking vessel, the boat was the latest target in a string of US operations in the region. This marks at least the fourth known strike in the Caribbean since early September, all aimed at vessels the administration says are linked to drug cartels recently designated as terrorist organisations. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Earlier this morning, on President Trump's orders, I directed a lethal, kinetic strike on a narco-trafficking vessel affiliated with Designated Terrorist Organizations in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility. Four male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel were killed in the pic.twitter.com/QpNPljFcGn Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) October 3, 2025 Taking to X, Hegseth wrote, Earlier this morning, on President Trumps orders, I directed a lethal, kinetic strike on a narco-trafficking vessel affiliated with Designated Terrorist Organizations in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility. Four male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel were killed in the strike, and no U.S. forces were harmed in the operation. The strike was conducted in international waters just off the coast of Venezuela while the vessel was transporting substantial amounts of narcotics - headed to America to poison our people. Our intelligence, without a doubt, confirmed that this vessel was trafficking narcotics, the people onboard were narco-terrorists, and they were operating on a known narco-trafficking transit route. These strikes will continue until the attacks on the American people are over!!!!, he added. On Tuesday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro had said that he is preparing to declare a state of emergency to protect his country in the event of an attack by the US military. The Trump administration has previously defended its military strikes on suspected drug-trafficking boats by arguing they were en route to the United States, requiring immediate action. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD However, CNN reported that at least one vessel targeted last month had already turned away before being hit raising questions about whether it posed an imminent threat to the US or its forces. After the first strike on September 2, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the boat was likely headed toward Trinidad or elsewhere in the Caribbean. The legality of these strikes has come under scrutiny from legal experts and lawmakers across party lines. According to a CNN report, the Pentagon informed Congress this week that President Trump has determined the US is engaged in an armed conflict with drug cartels designated as terrorist groups, and that their smugglers qualify as unlawful combatants. Framing the strikes as part of an armed conflict signals a broader, potentially long-term military campaign rather than isolated acts of self-defence. In a post on X on Friday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote: These strikes will continue until the attacks on the American people are over!!! STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies After US President Donald Trumps dramatic shift in stance on the Russia-Ukraine war, reports are emerging that Washington, DC, is preparing to share intelligence with Ukraine on long-range energy infrastructure targets in Russia US President Donald Trump meets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the 80th United Nations General Assembly, in New York City, New York, US, on September 23, 2025. (Photo: Al Drago/Reuters) As the Russia-Ukraine war continues to intensify, reports are emerging that the United States would provide Ukraine with intelligence on long-range energy infrastructure that is deep inside Russia. The news was reported by several American news outlets, with many calling it a move that would signal a significant shift in the White Houses support for Kyiv. It is also one of the first actions by the White House after US President Donald Trump proclaimed that Ukraine could win back all the territory occupied by Russia. Citing multiple sources, both The Wall Street Journal and Reuters reported that the policy had quietly changed before Trumps statement, and that the White House wanted Nato allies to follow suit. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD However, it remains unclear when the Trump administration plans to provide new information to Kyiv. Many also saw the leak as a ploy to put pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate a ceasefire as Trump grows impatient with Russias continued attacks on Ukrainian cities. Apart from this, no decision has been made on whether the US will supply Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine. Earlier this week, US Vice President JD Vance said that Trump was considering a request from Kyiv for the missiles, which have a range of 1,500 miles. Why it matters It is pertinent to note that Western, particularly the American, intelligence on Russia in the form of satellite imagery and other monitoring data, is considered a significant help in permitting the accurate targeting of facilities deep inside Russias borders. A focus on energy targets such as oil refineries would allow Ukraine to extend an already successful campaign that has hit 21 out of 38 refineries with long-range drone strikes. These attacks have already led to significant fuel shortages in several parts of Russia. On some days, it has been estimated that daily production is down by a fifth, The Guardian reported. Meanwhile, Russia seems not flustered by the reports. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, The US transmits intelligence to Ukraine regularly online. The supply and use of the entire infrastructure of NATO and the US to collect and transfer intelligence to Ukrainians is obvious. Peskov went on to warn the White House that the delivery of Tomahawk cruise missiles would mark a new serious round of tension that will require an adequate response from the Russian side, though he said there was no magic weapon for the Kyiv regime that could win the war. Meanwhile, Putin said in a televised address on Thursday that he was seeking a full restoration of relations with the US and blamed Europe for prolonging the war in Ukraine. Putin said Russia was observing Europes militarisation and he vowed there would be a significant response if Russias sovereignty was violated. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trumps recent change of heart Following a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Trump proclaimed that Ukraine could win the war against Russia, referring to Moscow as 'Paper Tiger'. After getting to know and fully understand the Ukraine/Russia Military and Economic situation and, after seeing the Economic trouble it is causing Russia, I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form, he wrote on his social media platform TruthSocial. However, Trumps attitude towards intelligence sharing with Ukraine has remained dicey and changes periodically since he returned to the White House. The US and Russia have regularly gone through rounds of tension over the supply of weapons and intelligence to Kyiv. Last September, Putin warned that Russia could use a nuclear weapon in retaliation if it was struck with a massive launch of missiles, aircraft or drones. Shortly after this, Trump had a public row with Zelenskyy in the White House at the end of February. The US eventually paused all intelligence sharing with Kyiv for a week in March. This led to Ukraine taking rapid losses on the battlefield in Russias Kursk region before Trump relented after pressure from Western allies. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trumps unprecedented security guarantee to Qatar reinforces US commitment to the Gulf, enhances Dohas diplomatic leverage, and signals potential constraints on Israeli military actions, raising questions about regional deterrence. President Donald Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrive for a news conference in the East Room of the White House, on Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington. AP File US President Donald Trumps decision to extend an unprecedented security guarantee to Qatar has reshaped the dynamics of Gulf politics, testing Washingtons ties with Israel and offering Doha a new level of strategic leverage. The executive order, signed this week after Israeli air strikes in Doha killed Hamas leaders and a Qatari officer, commits the United States to regard any armed attack on Qatar as a threat to US peace and security, a rare pledge for an Arab ally. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What did Trump promise? The order states the US will take all lawful and appropriate measures including diplomatic, economic and if necessary, military to defend the interests of the United States and of the state of Qatar if Doha comes under attack. According to Andreas Krieg, a senior lecturer at Kings College London, the directive turns attacks on Doha into problems for Washington. For the region, it restores a measure of deterrence but leaves the United States with ample discretion over how to act. Elizabeth Dent, senior fellow at the Washington Institute and a former Pentagon Gulf policy director, warned that such executive orders are non-binding. While the language is much stronger than anything weve seen for Qatar (and frankly most countries in the Middle East) it is largely unenforceable and likely intentionally vague, she noted. What does it mean for Qatar and Israel? For Qatar, the announcement is a diplomatic victory. Doha hosts Al-Udeid, the largest US military base in the Middle East, and has positioned itself as a critical mediator in regional conflicts, from Hamas to the Taliban. After Israeli strikes in Doha last month, the guarantee restores a sense of protection for a Gulf state heavily reliant on American security commitments. The order gives Qatar a major diplomatic and strategic win, Dent said, underscoring Washingtons appreciation of Qatars mediation role in Gaza. The same day Trump signed the order, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally apologised to Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani during a three-way call with Trump, and pledged no further strikes. Qatar, in turn, resumed its mediation in the Gaza war. For Israel, the move carries more symbolic weight. Dent described it as both a strategic and symbolic loss, limiting Israels room for unilateral action in a region where it has struck targets in Lebanon, Iran and Yemen largely unchecked. Krieg added that any future Israeli action in Qatar would carry a higher risk of serious American response. Still, the wording leaves Washington with flexibility, especially if Israel sought US approval for further operations. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Regional reactions and ripple effects The pledge has raised questions about how other Gulf states will respond. Under Joe Biden, the US had discussed a potential defence package for Saudi Arabia tied to normalisation with Israel, a plan that collapsed after the Gaza conflict reignited. Riyadh has since sought alternative security arrangements, signing a mutual defence deal with nuclear-armed Pakistan. The UAE, which normalised ties with Israel under the 2020 Abraham Accords, remains without a similar US security guarantee. Even the sale of advanced F-35 fighters promised after the deal has stalled. Trumps order, therefore, elevates Qatar as a balancing power in the Gulf, according to Dent, one that Washington appears formally more invested in protecting. Krieg argued that the move raises the bar for US commitments in the region: Other states will now be tempted to seek similar assurances, or else accelerate their own hedging strategies and regional defence arrangements. What it means for deterrence The pledge underscores Qatars unique dual role: as both host of Americas most important Gulf base and as a diplomatic bridge to groups and states Washington cannot directly engage. For the Gulf, it signals that the US is willing to selectively extend stronger guarantees, but only where its own interests are deeply embedded. For Israel, the assurance signals limits on its military freedom, particularly in Qatar though Trumps executive order still allows significant ambiguity in how Washington would respond to any violation. For Doha, however, it strengthens its hand as mediator and raises its security profile across the Gulf. As Dent concluded, It signals the value the US places on Qatars role as a diplomatic negotiator. But whether the guarantee translates into hard deterrence or remains a symbolic gesture will depend on whether Washington ever has to act on it. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD China is expected to see around 2.36 billion passenger trips nationwide during the holiday period, according to a report, citing the Ministry of Transport People walk on the platform to board a train at Shanghai Hongqiao railway station in Shanghai, China, on January 24, 2025. Reuters File China is experiencing an unprecedented travel boom this week, with millions of people crisscrossing the country during the ongoing National Day holiday a surge that has set new records. According to state broadcaster CCTV, on the first day of the eight-day holiday on Wednesday, Chinas national railway network recorded 23.13 million trips, an all-time single-day high. This marks an 8% increase from the same period last year. The travel momentum didnt slow. Over 19 million railway trips happened on Thursday alone, with the Yangtze River Delta Railway carrying roughly four million passengers, up more than 10% year-on-year, highlighting the scale of movement concentrated in key economic regions. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The extended National Day holiday also known as the Golden Week is not just a peak travel period but also a crucial barometer of consumer sentiment and economic health. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism will release comprehensive travel and spending data after the holiday concludes on October 8. According to Xinhua, citing the Ministry of Transport, China is expected to see around 2.36 billion passenger trips nationwide during the holiday period. That equates to an average of 295 million trips per day, reflecting a 3.2% increase over the same period in 2024, added the report. In 2024, Chinas national rail network recorded 21.45 million trips on October 1, setting a record at the time. For comparison, the figure stood at 17.13 million on the same day in 2019. This year, the National Day holiday has been extended from the usual one week to eight days, as it coincides with the Mid-Autumn Festival, giving travellers more time to explore. On platforms like Xiaohongshu, users have been actively sharing money-saving travel tips, such as taking overnight trains to cut down on hotel costs. The Golden Week holiday is traditionally one of the busiest periods in Chinas travel calendar. Trip.com Group had predicted that 2025 could mark one of the most active travel seasons in recent years. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With the economy showing signs of slowing, authorities are hoping the holiday rush will stimulate domestic spending. Meanwhile, smaller and less popular cities are gaining attention from budget-conscious Chinese travellers seeking affordable getaways. Im taking my family to a village in Chizhou, Anhui, Reuters quoted Deng Xin, a 51-year-old Beijing resident, as saying. There are mountains and rivers, but no crowds, and the price is far more affordable than hotels in big cities, Deng added. With inputs from agencies OnePlus India has announced the integration of Googles Gemini models into its upcoming operating system, OxygenOS 16. This move will bring a range of generative AI capabilities to future OnePlus devices. The integration will power new on-device AI features. In a social media post accompanying the announcement, OnePlus described the new capabilities as Your planner, assistant, and manager all in one, highlighting the objective of creating a comprehensive user aid. This shows Mind Space, is a central hub for organizing user memories and collections. According to the company, Google Gemini will be able to leverage content from this space to perform complex tasks. An example provided demonstrates a user asking Gemini to help plan a 5-day trip to Paris using content and memories stored within the Mind Space app. This collaboration signals a deeper push into artificial intelligence for the smartphone brand, aiming to create more personalized and context-aware user experiences. The new AI features, including the Mind Space powered by Gemini, are slated to be available on several OnePlus devices that will run on the forthcoming OxygenOS 16. The company has indicated that the rollout is coming soon, with specific device compatibility and a timeline to be announced when it launches in the coming weeks. China leads hydrogen development with outstanding deployment, ecosystem: experts Xinhua) 12:13, October 03, 2025 BRUSSELS, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- International experts highlighted China's advances in hydrogen energy during the ongoing 2025 European Hydrogen Week in Brussels, noting its strong deployment and well-developed industrial ecosystem. As Europe's leading hydrogen event, the European Hydrogen Week featurs high-level policy conferences, B2B forums, and innovation forums focusing on hydrogen industry development and policies. China has effectively adopted a staged approach to applying hydrogen energy in passenger vehicles, Erwin Penfornis, vice president of Air Liquide's global hydrogen energy business line, said at a B2B forum titled "Hydrogen Markets in Motion: Europe, United States, China, India and the Global Race to Scale-Up." The approach has allowed China to test new technologies and foster sufficient competition, ultimately leading to the most effective solutions for hydrogen energy production and application in the country, he said. According to statistics from Hydrogen Europe, China ranks first worldwide in committed hydrogen investment by 2030 and accounts for the majority of hydrogen production both in Asia and globally. In 2022, data from a plan released by Chinese authorities for the development of hydrogen energy from 2021 to 2035 showed that China's annual hydrogen output had reached around 33 million tonnes. "China has world-class electrolyzers (the key component for producing hydrogen) which are highly competitive with those made in Europe," said Khaled Nageib, CEO of Egypt Hydrogen, adding that Egypt has cooperated extensively with Chinese manufacturers because of their reputation for high quality and reasonable prices. "Another advantage of China's hydrogen industry, as well as other green sectors, is the smooth transition between higher education, research institutes, and industry," he noted, adding that close collaboration between academia and businesses enables China to accelerate technological upgrades. According to Willem-Jeroen Stevens, managing partner of a financial services company Clear in the Netherlands, hydrogen development in China advances through an industrial "valley" model, meaning that a complete supply chain thrives within a connected city or region, reducing costs and improving the efficiency of research and production. China's plan aims to establish a well-organized industrial layout and promote the widespread use of hydrogen production from renewable sources by 2030, providing robust support for achieving its carbon peaking goals. Eugene McKenna, senior vice president of Hydrogen & Sustainable Technologies at Johnson Matthey, encouraged more Europeans to visit China and see the situation firsthand. "I would really recommend going to China because it feels like a test case for how to do strategy and how to do execution," he said. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan) Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2024. Sun Sunday 52 /30 Times of sun and clouds. Highs in the low 50s and lows in the low 30s. Prague Pushes EU To Rein In Russian Diplomats By Rikard Jozwiak October 02, 2025 The European Commission opted against including a Russian tourist visa ban when it sent its latest sanctions proposal to EU member states earlier this month. Too many countries in the bloc, notably those with major tourist destinations, indicated that they would be against such a move in unofficial discussions with the EU executive branch before the fine-tuned draft was sent out to national governments. But now, the European Commission has instead proposed another measure that would at least theoretically limit the movement of Russian diplomats inside the EU if it were adopted. The two-page document, seen by RFE/RL, was dispatched to ambassadors of the bloc on September 26. And it doesn't just concern Russian diplomats. Family members and members of the administrative and technical staff of diplomatic missions or consular posts are also included. The rationale for this move is stated from the outset -- these individuals "are often involved in activities that contribute to Russia's aggression against Ukraine, notably by spreading Russian rhetoric on the causes of the war, its unfolding or the role of the Union and its member states in supporting Ukraine." While not stated in the document, there have also been several instances where Russian agents have been posted to the bloc under diplomatic cover to carry out various acts of sabotage, which has led most European countries to drastically reduce the Russian diplomatic presence on their territory in recent years. The Czech Republic, which has seen its fair share of alleged Russian hybrid activities, has been pushing for more than two years to limit the movement of Russian diplomats. While most member states dismissed this idea when it was first floated by Prague, it has gained traction in recent weeks as Moscow is believed to be behind several drone incursions and other incidents on EU territory. On September 30, Czech authorities announced that they were unilaterally prohibiting Russian diplomats stationed elsewhere from entering the Central European country. "Sabotage operations are on the rise and we will not risk agents operating under diplomatic cover," said Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky on X. "We are setting an example for other countries and I will continue to push for the most rigorous measures at the Schengen level." However, when the idea discussed among EU diplomats in Brussels last week, there was still some skepticism about the proposal to introduce a similar measure throughout the European Union -- particularly with respect to its effectiveness and the political signals it could send. A Tall Order Given that this is a sanctions measure, all 27 member states need to agree on it -- and that will be a tall order. The big question is how it would actually work. Most EU member states are in the passport-free Schengen zone, where border controls are mostly nonexistent. A Russian diplomat stationed in the Czech Republic, for example, can easily take either public transport or a private vehicle to any neighboring EU state with little chance of having to show any form of official documentation when crossing the border. The idea behind the Czech proposal -- at least in theory -- is to oblige diplomats, their family members, and other diplomatic staff to give advance notification that they will be traveling to an EU member state other than the one they are stationed in. Member states would then be allowed to deny entry into their territory even though this decision must be communicated to other capitals five days in advance. Only passage through an EU member state on a diplomat's way to or from a posting should be allowed without prior authorization. Individuals should "notify the member states concerned at least 24 hours before the intended date of entry into their territory" and such a notification should include the means of transport, the make, type, and license numbers of private vehicles used and the name of the carrier and route code if public transport is being used. The point of entry as well as the date of entry and exit must also be provided. A Symbolic Move? But why would any Russian official do this if they risk not getting permission to travel to another EU state? After all, there's a slim chance that they will get caught. If they are, they risk being declared persona non grata and expelled by their host country. The question is whether that is stringent enough to put anyone off trying to travel without prior authorization. Countries skeptical of the Czech proposal have pointed out that it is pretty much impossible to keep track of individuals in this way and that it requires too much effort from police and border control officers to constantly monitor people's movements. Many are also wary of measures that target foreign diplomats, as the idea of keeping some channels of communication open is still strong in some capitals. They are also worried that Moscow might retaliate by completely closing their countries' consulates or embassies in Russia. The argument is very much that this is largely a symbolic move and could potentially hurt member states more than the Kremlin's war efforts in Ukraine. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-czech-proposal-russian- diplomats-travel-restrictions/33545086.html Copyright (c) 2025. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Progress report 2025: EU's ambitions take shape through PESCO Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) 1 October 2025 From unmanned ground vehicles to maritime surveillance, integrated missile defence and cyber capabilities, the EU is focused on military readiness. Not to be overlooked amid the dynamism of new initiatives, Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) now encompasses 74 ongoing projects. The 2025 progress report highlights the momentum of 66 projects, nearly half of which have reached the execution phase. They are aimed at strengthening readiness, addressing capability gaps and enhancing the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB). The projects also underscore PESCO's contribution to EU defence strategies such as the European Council Conclusions and the Defence Readiness 2030 White Paper. The European Defence Agency (EDA) forms part of the PESCO Secretariat, together with the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the European Union Military Staff, facilitating the implementation of projects. This year's report evaluates the progress of PESCO projects in the first phase of the initiative from late 2017 to 2025. It also stresses that some projects may require greater effort to overcome obstacles or, where necessary, should be retired or transferred to a different framework. Notable achievements include the Cyber and Information Domain Coordination Centre (CIDCC), which has reached Initial Operational Capability, laying the groundwork for EU-wide cyber defence cooperation. In parallel, the Common Hub for Governmental Imagery (CoHGI) is advancing towards a unified platform for secure imagery sharing, while the Network of Logistic Hubs (NetLogHubs) facilitates cross-border military transport through a network of logistics nodes across Europe. Projects in the air and maritime domains are advancing technical components essential for future superiority. The Air Power and Essential Elements for European Escort (4E) projects continue to define the systems needed for integrated naval and air operations. On land, the Integrated Unmanned Ground Systems 2 (iUGS2) project is built upon earlier, successful, efforts to deliver unmanned ground support assets. Soldier systems and medical facilities As the EU and NATO focus on the return of high-intensity warfare, recent expansions within PESCO highlight commitment to strategic priorities. In November 2024, EU Ministers of Defence signed Letters of Intent in four key areas: integrated air and missile defence, electronic warfare, loitering munitions, and a new-generation combat surface vessel. Meanwhile, the sixth wave of PESCO projects, approved in May 2025, introduced 11 new projects spanning air and missile defence, EW doctrine, quantum technology, soldier systems and medical facilities. Progress in critical capability areas is evident. In air and missile defence, the Integrated Multi-Layer Air and Missile Defence System (IMLAMD) and Timely Warning and Interception with Space-based TheatER surveillance (TWISTER) projects are developing concepts for layered missile defence, including space-based early warning and interceptor solutions. In munitions, the EU Beyond Line of Sight Land Battlefield Missile Systems (EU BLOS) and the Future Short-Range Air-to-Air Missile (FSRM) projects are aligning on needs and requirements. Artillery remains the biggest factor on the battlefield, responsible for most of the damage in modern conflicts. To stay ahead, artillery capability improvements continue through the Counter Battery Sensors (CoBaS) project, which integrates target acquisition, command and control, and effectors for responsive counter-battery operations. Unmanned aerial platforms will be developed under the European MALE RPAS (Eurodrone) and Next Generation Small RPAS (NGSR) projects, while the Counter Unmanned Aerial System (C-UAS) focuses on modular detection and interception of small drones. Complementing these efforts, the Directed Energy Systems (DES) project seeks to develop directed-energy weapons for air defence. Meanwhile, military mobility is being reinforced in the PESCO framework through projects designed to ensure rapid cross-border troop movements. Maritime security initiatives, like the Harbour and Maritime Surveillance and Protection (HARMSPRO) and Anti-Torpedo Torpedo (ATT) projects, include efforts to protect seabed infrastructure, standardise patrol and escort vessels, and introduce innovations such as semi-autonomous surface vehicles, anti-torpedo systems and modular underwater intervention packages. New frontiers: 2026-2030 Despite PESCO's progress, the EU faces a hard truth: persistent shortfalls, many rooted in uneven commitments by Member States, can no longer be deferred. The next phase of Permanent Structured Cooperation, running from 2026 to 2030, will unfold in an EU increasingly defined by insecurity. New projects will be needed for the long term, reshaping Europe's defences rather than simply patching them up. PESCO is positioned as one of the EU's strongest mechanisms for bridging capability gaps. The framework's value lies in its capacity to foster diverse, pan-European initiatives. From strategic enablers and force multipliers to advanced technologies such as quantum, PESCO is there to help develop military capabilities no single Member State can achieve alone. As the 2025 progress report underlines, a significant share of ongoing projects already aligns with the EU's declared priorities, from airlift and mobility to cyber defence and maritime protection. In practice, this means PESCO can be a driver of Europe's rearmament, linking political ambition to tangible outcomes. The key question for the next five years is whether Member States will summon the will to work together to turn PESCO's promise into power. For the full report please see here NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NATO, nations defend sky during summits in Denmark NATO Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) Oct 2 2025 Mons, Belgium -- NATO and nations deployed additional multi-domain capabilities on the land, in the air and on the sea to defend the sky during the European Union (EU) and European Political Community (EPC) summits in Copenhagen, Denmark, October 1-2, following recent drone incursions in that country. "We have to keep our skies safe," said NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in a press statement together with the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen ahead of a meeting of the College of European Commissioners in Brussels, September 30, and ahead of the EPC, which he attended. The two-day gatherings in Denmark brought together EU leaders and more than 40 European heads of state or government to discuss a variety of pressing subjects, including those on security and defence, and support to Ukraine Denmark requested the additional support to secure the events, prompting immediate deployments from NATO's Allied Air Command (AIRCOM) and Maritime Command (MARCOM). On land, NATO dispatched a small team of ground forces and counter unmanned aircraft system capabilities from the U.S. to serve alongside troops and similar capabilities deployed bilaterally from other nations, including France, Germany and Sweden. In the air, U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft surveilled the area. Finally, between the North and Baltic Seas, NATO's Standing Maritime Group 1 ship, FGS Hamburg (F220), a German Sachsen-class frigate, and the USS Bulkeley (DDG 84), a U.S. Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, both operating under NATO's Baltic Sentry, a maritime monitoring activity, patrolled the Danish Straits along with Danish maritime units to defend the area from the sea. "The USS Bulkeley represents a fraction of U.S. involvement in Baltic Sentry as Europeans continue to shoulder more of the burden for their own security," said U.S. Army Col. Martin L. O'Donnell, NATO's Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe spokesperson. "More than 95 percent of the ships that have supported Baltic Sentry since it began in January are European." Several other Allies provided other support to Denmark in a national capacity. While most of the capabilities returned to the control of their nations upon completion of the summits, FGS Hamburg remains in the area to support Baltic Sentry. That activity, alongside Eastern Sentry, continues to deliver even more focused deterrence and defence along NATO's Eastern Flank, from the High North and Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, and beyond. Story by SHAPE Public Affairs Office NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NATO Secretary General visits Denmark to discuss threats to democracies, security cooperation and aid to Ukraine NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation 01 Oct. 2025 - 02 Oct. 2025 Last updated: 02 Oct. 2025 NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte arrived in Denmark on 1 October 2025. His visit began with a meeting with Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the United Kingdom. In the evening, Mr. Rutte was received by Their Majesties King Frederik X and Queen Mary. Mr. Rutte praised UK's armed forces for "providing the hard power, not only for the defence of the UK, but for the whole of NATO." He also commended Prime Minister Starmer for his leadership on Ukraine and for "making sure that Ukraine has all the weapons they need to stay in the fight, but also be in the strongest possible position whenever peace talks start." The following day, the Secretary General joined the European Political Community (EPC) meeting in Copenhagen. He participated the plenary as well as a roundtable discussion with European leaders and the President of Ukraine Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyy on security and resilience. He emphasised the pressing dangers from Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran, noting their efforts "to undermine us and tear up the rules-based order." He urged greater support for Ukraine and enhanced defence production to counter escalation risks and deter aggression. The Secretary General also held several bilateral meetings while at the EPC with Allies as well as partners, including the President of Moldova Ms. Maia Sandu and President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address After Internet Restored, Afghans Recount 'Being Suffocated' During Blackout By RFE/RL's Radio Azadi October 02, 2025 For nearly 48 hours, Afghanistan was plunged into confusion and chaos after the Taliban government imposed a nationwide telecommunications blackout. The restoration of cell phone and Internet services on October 1 was met with widespread relief and anger, with Afghans recalling how their lives were abruptly upended. "These two days felt unreal, and I felt like I was having a bad dream," said a businessman in the southern province of Kandahar. "It had a massive impact on our trade, work, and cargo transportation," said the man, who spoke to RFE/RL's Radio Azadi on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. "We couldn't even do five percent of our normal work." The Taliban cut off access to fiber-optic Internet and cell phone service, which relies on the same system, without warning on September 29. The move triggered chaos, disrupting flights and cutting people off from banking and e-commerce systems as well as online jobs and schools. The Taliban has not given an official reason for its decision. But the shutdown came weeks after the hard-line Islamist group blocked access to fiber-optic Internet in several provinces because of concerns over "immorality." Critics have said the decision is part of a wider crackdown on individual freedoms and the free flow of information. The communications blackout affected ordinary Afghans, private businesses, and government offices and caused challenges for thousands of Afghans who are outside the country. "We couldn't call, text, or send an e-mail to anyone," said a man from the northern province of Balkh. "During these two days, people had so many problems, especially the younger generation that had never experienced life without a telephone or the Internet," added the man, who spoke to Radio Azadi on condition of anonymity. The Internet has been a lifeline for Afghan women, many of whom lost their right to work and study following a Taliban ban in 2022. The blackout triggered fears among women that they were losing their last hope. "During these 48 hours, we felt like we were being suffocated," a woman living in the western province of Herat told Radio Azadi. After losing many of their rights under the Taliban, she said she felt like women were now losing access even "to the Internet, mobile phones, and an ability to call someone." Written by Farangis Najibullah based on reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Azadi Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-internet- blackout-outage-taliban-morality/33547233.html Copyright (c) 2025. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN Human Rights Council 60: UK Statement for the Interactive Dialogue on the report of the Independent Expert on the Human Rights Situation in Somalia Speech UK Statement for the Interactive Dialogue on the report of the Independent Expert on the human rights situation in Somalia. Delivered by the UK's Human Rights Ambassador, Eleanor Sanders. From: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and Eleanor Sanders Published 2 October 2025 Location: Geneva Delivered on: 2 October 2025 (Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered) Eleanor Sanders Thank you, Madame Vice President, Let me thank the Independent Expert. We are grateful for her work on Somalia since 2020. As we transition to a nationally led partnership with OHCHR, we recognise the invaluable work of the Independent Expert mandate since 1993 in documenting and reporting on the situation of human rights in Somalia and supporting the government. We welcome the presence of the Minister of Family and Human Rights Development and her team from Mogadishu. We welcome the passing of the Juvenile Justice Bill in March 2025, and the adoption by the Council of Ministers of the Amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code Bill in January 2025. We remain concerned at the continuing loss of civilian life due to ongoing conflict and insecurity, continuing cases of sexual and gender-based violence, and restrictions on the freedom of expression, including detention of journalists. We encourage the Somali government to strengthen the rule of law and enhance fundamental freedoms by finalising the establishment of the National Human Rights Commission. We also emphasise the importance of promoting the rights to freedom of expression and opinion, protecting vulnerable and marginalised groups, and fostering a broad consensus, as Somalia prepares for timely, free and fair elections in the coming year. The UK stands ready to work with Somalia on all these issues. To the independent expert: what action can the UN and other international partners take to support the work of the National Human Rights Commission over the next year? NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN Human Rights Council 60: UK Statement for the Interactive Dialogue on the High Commissioner's Report on Haiti Speech UK Statement for the Interactive Dialogue on the High Commissioner's Report on Haiti. Delivered by the UK's Human Rights Ambassador, Eleanor Sanders. From: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and Eleanor Sanders Published 2 October 2025 Location: Geneva Delivered on: 2 October 2025 (Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered) Eleanor Sanders Thank you, Madam Vice President. We are grateful to the High Commissioner for his report. Criminal gangs continue to commit abuses, including killings, kidnappings and sexual violence. Over a million Haitians have been displaced, and access to essential services is severely restricted. Restoring security is essential to Haiti's long-term stability. The UK supported the Multinational Security Support Mission by providing 5 million to the Office of the High Commissioner to ensure the Mission complies with international standards on human rights, conduct and discipline. We welcome the Office's role in ensuring the Mission operates in line with the highest standards of human rights protection. We also welcome efforts at the UN Security Council to develop a coordinated and sustainable way forward for Haiti's security and stability. Any future arrangements should seek to protect the rights and civil liberties of Haitians. Moreover, we will continue to act against perpetrators of human rights abuses in Haiti, including through our human rights sanctions regime. How can the international community ensure that future security arrangements in Haiti support a Haitian-led political process that protects rights and freedoms? Thank you. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Moldova's Parliamentary Elections: UK statement to the OSCE, October 2025 Speech Ambassador Holland welcomes the preliminary conclusions of the ODIHR Election Observation Mission, and congratulates President Maia Sandu's Party of Action and Solidarity on its decisive election victory. From: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and Neil Holland Published 2 October 2025 Location: Vienna Delivered on: 2 October 2025 (Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered) Neil Holland The United Kingdom notes the results of Moldova's parliamentary elections on 28 September, and congratulates President Maia Sandu's Party of Action and Solidarity on its decisive election victory. We look forward to further strengthening our partnership and friendship with the government and people of Moldova, and continuing our support to Moldova's economic and democratic reforms as it works towards its European future. The UK welcomes the preliminary conclusions of the ODIHR Election Observation Mission that elections were competitive and offered voters a clear choice between genuine political alternatives. We are deeply concerned by the serious reported cases of foreign interference, illegal funding, cyber-attacks and widespread disinformation - as well as credible evidence of vote-buying schemes. As was the case during presidential elections in 2024, the information environment during the electoral campaign was weaponised by malign actors to sow division in society in an attempt to subvert Moldovan democracy. We, alongside partners, will redouble our efforts to aid Moldova's ability to hold elections that both meet international standards and that are free of external interference in the future. The United Kingdom fully supports the findings outlined in the ODIHR preliminary conclusions, and encourages the Moldovan government to engage constructively with international partners to address outstanding recommendations. We will continue to support Moldova's efforts to stop interference from Russia undermining democracy in their country. Let me also take this opportunity to reiterate the UK's strong support for ODIHR, and its vital work in observing elections across the OSCE region. Thank you, Mr Chair. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Department of Public Information . News and Media Division . New York 2 October 2025 The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General. ** Guest Today The noon briefing guest is Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, the World Health Organization's (WHO) representative in the occupied Palestinian territory, briefing from Deir Al-Balah in Gaza. [briefing by Dr. Peeperkorn followed.] ** United Kingdom I'll now read a few notes and take questions. First off, the Secretary-General strongly condemns today's deadly terrorist attack on a synagogue in Manchester, in the United Kingdom. Houses of worship are sacred places where people can go to find peace. Targeting a synagogue on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, is particularly heinous. The Secretary-General extends his deepest condolences to the victims and their families and wishes a swift recovery to the injured. He stands in solidarity with the Jewish community and calls for those responsible to be brought to justice. The Secretary-General is deeply concerned by the alarming rise in antisemitism worldwide and stresses the urgent need to confront hatred and intolerance in all their forms. ** Jane Goodall The Secretary-General said in a social media post yesterday that he was deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Jane Goodall, who had served as a UN Messenger of Peace since 2002. The Secretary-General said that she has left an extraordinary legacy for humanity and for our planet. He said he is grateful for her lifelong environmental protection efforts and her strong support for the United Nations. As a UN Messenger of Peace for over two decades, Dr. Goodall's voice brought global attention to the urgency of protecting our environment. Her legacy will continue to guide and inspire humanity's collective efforts for peace, sustainability, and harmony with nature. ** Occupied Palestinian Territory The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, said today that as fighting continues in Gaza City, getting aid to the north is difficult. He stressed the need for humanitarians to be able to work unimpeded, noting that many have been forced to suspend their work in the area. Mr. Fletcher stressed that issuing displacement orders does not take away the parties' obligations under international humanitarian law; many civilians remain in Gaza City and must be protected. Meanwhile, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that people continue to be displaced from northern Gaza. In the span of just 10 hours yesterday, our colleagues tracking population movements counted 6,700 people fleeing from the north to the south. Since mid-August, more than 417,000 such displacements have been recorded. But conditions in the south remain unsafe. OCHA has received reports of intense strikes in recent days in parts of Deir al Balah, one of the places where people have been told to move. Tents, houses and even a crowded market have been hit, with the UN Human Rights Office reporting that many of those killed appear to be civilians. Between Saturday and Tuesday, some 127,000 people arrived in nearly 360 displacement sites that our partners have been able to monitor in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis. Altogether, those sites are hosting more than half a million people. Families in southern Gaza are squeezed into these and other overcrowded shelters or makeshift tents along the coast. Many others are sleeping out in the open, often amid rubble. New arrivals in the south face poor sanitation, no privacy or safety, and a high risk of children being separated from their families all while being exposed to explosive ordnance. Our partners also warn of the financial burden of displacement, as families are selling their essential belongings to pay for transport. Those who can't afford it are forced to walk, which is especially hard for families with mobility challenges. To support people in the south, the UN and our partners have expanded services. For example, in Khan Younis, the UN Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA, has recently rehabilitated nine medical points, alongside the Japanese Health Centre and Hamad Health Centre more than doubling the number of functioning health facilities there. Work also continues to rehabilitate shelters and other medical facilities. And, of course, the UN and our humanitarian partners continue to operate in the north, to the extent possible. Just today, humanitarians successfully transferred some fuel to that area to power critical facilities that people rely on for their survival. ** Ukraine From Ukraine, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tells us that over the past two days, continued attacks across the country have struck large urban centres and damaged critical civilian infrastructure, disrupting the power supply as cold weather arrives. According to Ukrainian authorities, between 30 September and 2 October, at least 90 civilian casualties were reported nationwide. Dnipro City, one of Ukraine's most populated cities, suffered a massive attack during the busy afternoon hours of 30 September. Several parts of the country particularly the regions of Chernihiv, Kyiv and Sumy in the north and north-east experienced power outages, reportedly impacting nearly 300,000 people. Furthermore, the Ministry of Energy reported a temporary disruption of its power supply, critical for maintaining the non-functional Chornobyl Nuclear Plant in the Kyiv Region. In the Odesa region, the impact of continued attacks was aggravated by heavy rains on 30 September, which resulted in widespread flooding, killing 10 people and causing widespread destruction, according to the authorities. Speaking on behalf of the humanitarian country team, Matthias Schmale, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, expressed condolences to all those who lost loved ones due to the floods and appreciation to the Ukrainian Red Cross Society for mounting a swift humanitarian response, working with local authorities. In the wake of the flooding and attacks, more than a dozen national and international NGOs (non-governmental organizations) with the support of UN agencies delivered emergency assistance to the affected people, including in the Odesa Region. This included medical and psychological aid, emergency shelter materials and legal support. OCHA stresses that with resumed attacks impacting Ukraine's critical energy infrastructure and worsening weather conditions, timely assistance is especially vital. The humanitarian community relies on sustainable support from donors to continue assisting the most vulnerable people in Ukraine. ** Democratic Republic of the Congo Turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports a continued uptick in violence in Ituri province, in the east of the country. As of the end of August, local authorities estimate that the province hosts more than 1 million displaced people. Since mid-September, and as we have mentioned here, attacks by local armed groups in Djugu territory have specifically targeted civilians, including people living in displacement sites. Just this morning, local civil society groups reported that at least 10 displaced people living in the Rhoe displacement site in Djugu territory were killed by armed individuals while on their way to their fields. On 27 and 28 September, armed groups attacked a displacement site and at least seven surrounding villages. These attacks resulted in four civilian deaths, multiple injuries, and the looting and burning of dozens of homes. More than 15,000 people were forced to flee to safer areas. Local sources report that these newly displaced people urgently need essential household items, shelter and food. Our humanitarian partners are working hard to reach civilians affected by the violence, but they face acute access constraints, including the presence of numerous armed groups and funding shortfalls. Despite these challenges, yesterday, our partners completed a round of cash transfers to nearly 6,000 vulnerable households, reaching more than 20,000 people. This marks the first cash-based food assistance for communities in the Mambasa territory of southern Ituri. We call on all armed groups to respect international humanitarian law, including by ensuring the protection of civilians in all conflict-affected areas. ** Central African Republic We have an update from our peacekeeping colleagues in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), who continue to support the peace process in the country, including through their support to the national disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programme. In Sanguere Lim, in the north-west of the country, the mission assisted the national authorities to disarm and demobilize 37 ex-combatants from the 3R (Retour, Reclamation et Rehabilitation) armed group. In total, 154 members from this group were demobilized. Meanwhile on the political front, the Mission is also assisting preparations for the upcoming elections, which are scheduled for 28 December. The Mission is facilitating the delivery of electoral lists and candidate forms from Bangui to the prefectures and supporting the operationalization of local branches of the electoral authorities (Autorite Nationale des Elections). Our colleagues in the Central African Republic welcome the Government's recent announcement of additional funding for the elections and remain fully committed to providing support, in line with the peacekeeping mandate. Lastly, following recent clashes that we mentioned a few days ago near the Sudanese border, peacekeepers have reinforced their presence in the border town of Am Dafock to protect over 11,000 displaced civilians. Blue helmets intensified patrols and facilitated dialogue between local leaders and communities across the border to prevent further escalation and foster peaceful coexistence. ** Haiti The World Food Programme (WFP) warned today that rising violence by gangs in Haiti's capital is restricting humanitarian access and pushing families deeper into hunger as extreme funding shortfalls force WFP to slash rations and suspend programmes. WFP said that more farmers are cut off from markets, further straining already fragile food systems and pushing food prices even higher. Funding shortfalls have forced WFP to suspend hot meals for newly displaced families and to slash food rations in half. And for the first time, the lack of resources has prevented WFP from prepositioning food stocks to respond to a natural disaster during the Atlantic hurricane season. Despite restricted access and extreme insecurity, WFP has reached more than 2 million people with assistance since January. Efforts to support longer term food security and reduce dependence on aid are also continuing as WFP works with the Government to provide school meals for 600,000 Haitian students. Alongside this, WFP has also been able to launch targeted community infrastructure projects, including in areas controlled by gangs, to restore irrigation systems and boost local food production. As a reminder, Haiti is the only country in the Americas, and one of only five countries globally, with people facing catastrophic (IPC5) levels of hunger, which is equivalent to famine-like conditions. It is also one of the world's most severe food crises with 5.7 million people facing acute food insecurity. WFP requires $139 million for the next 12 months to reach the country's most vulnerable families. And in Geneva this morning, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, briefed the Human Rights Council on the situation in Haiti. The human rights situation in the country has reached a boiling point, he said, with more than 16,000 people killed and some 7,000 people injured in armed violence since January 2022, when monitoring by the human rights office on gang related violence began. Mr. Turk urged States to support the Gang Suppression Force with sufficient funding and personnel. We can and must turn this situation around for the people of Haiti, he concluded. ** Myanmar I wanted to flag a new analysis from the UN Development Programme (UNDP) that highlights the precarious learning situation facing Myanmar's young people, who make up more than one-third of the country's population. Entitled A Generation on Hold: Youth Employment and Education in Myanmar, this is the second report in a UNDP Asia-Pacific series tracking the effects of prolonged conflict on young people in Myanmar. UNDP calls for immediate, locally-driven actions to expand flexible learning and vocational training, especially for rural, displaced, and caregiving youth. The full report is available online. ** International Day of Non-Violence Today is the International Day of Non-Violence. On this Day, we honour the life and legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, and his unwavering commitment to peace, truth and dignity for all. In his message, the Secretary-General says currently we are witnessing a troubling erosion of our shared humanity. In these dangerous and divided times, he adds, let us find the strength to follow Gandhi-ji's lead. ** Guest Tomorrow Tomorrow, our guest will be Denise Brown, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan. She will be joining us from Tawila in North Darfur to brief on the humanitarian situation in Sudan. That's it for me, if you have any questions. Yes, Dezhi? ** Questions and Answers Question : On the latest situation of the flotilla, Israel Government now intercepts the vessels and escorts them to Ashdod Port. Do you consider this action again a violation of international law, given the fact it's being intercepted in the international waters? Deputy Spokesman : Certainly, we believe that the laws applying to international waters must be respected. That's as much as I would have to say on that. Question : So what's the reaction from the Secretary-General on those people who got detained? Deputy Spokesman : We certainly hope that, again, our priority is avoiding any harm to come to those on board the vessels, and we hope that they will be treated fairly and with respect for their rights and their dignity. Ibtisam? Question : A follow-up on that. Given the humanitarian nature of the flotilla, they were there to provide aid and break the siege. Do you believe that the Israelis should have let them reach the Gaza Coast and upload their humanitarian aid? Deputy Spokesman : We want all efforts to provide humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza to be supported. Obviously, we're aware of the security concerns that they had raised, but we want to make sure that all civilians are treated fairly and are not harmed. Yes. You also had a question? Question : Yes. Thank you, Farhan. I noticed today there was not a statement on the ongoing protests in Morocco. On Wednesday, just yesterday, security forces reportedly opened fire on demonstrators in the small town of Lqliaa, which killed three people, and the country is now bracing for a sixth night of demonstrations. What is the SG's reaction, particularly to the use of live fire against the civilians, and has there been any attempt by the UN to contact senior political figures in Morocco? Thank you. Deputy Spokesman : We're certainly aware of the violence that's happened in these demonstrations, and it's deplorable that, according to the reports that, at least three people have been killed. So from our side, we would urge transparent investigations and accountability for any people found responsible for violating the rights of people who are engaged in peaceful protest. Question : An apology. Sorry. Just to follow-up on the second part of that, of what I asked. Was there any attempt by the UN to get in contact with any of those senior officials in Morocco? Deputy Spokesman : I believe our colleagues on the ground in Morocco are aware of the matter and are reaching out to their counterparts. Islam? Question : Thank you, Farhan. Israel threatened remaining population in Gaza City, asking them to move out and telling them that they would be considered militant supporting terrorism if they [don't] leave. What's the Secretary-General position on this? Deputy Spokesman : The Secretary-General's position on this is that we believe that all civilians need to be kept safe wherever they are. And we've also made clear repeatedly that no place is safe in Gaza, so those who choose to stay in Gaza City must be kept safe there. Dezhi? Question : Let me get back to the flotilla. There's something help me understand this. This fleet of vessels, they are carrying humanitarian aids They're not carrying weapons. They're civilians. They are not soldiers. So why doesn't the US support this flotilla to finish its work? Given the fact that you are actually this very Organization last year also mentioned about this, what they called the maritime humanitarian aid route, which has never been fulfilled. Deputy Spokesman : We certainly encourage efforts to raise attention to the humanitarian problems in Gaza. We do this ourselves, and we support civilians who are trying to do the same. At the same time, what we're trying to do is find ways to avoid any escalation of the situation on the ground. Question : You think this is an escalation, the flotilla? Deputy Spokesman : No. We don't think that the flotilla is an escalation, but we're aware of how this has worked out on the ground and in the waters. And what we're trying to do is make sure that everything is resolved without, in particular, any harm to those who are participating in this nonviolent act. First, we're going to go to some questions on the screens, and then I'll go back to you. I believe, there's a question from Denis from TASS. Question : No. Before it was me, anyway. Deputy Spokesman : No. The list I have has Denis from TASS. Question : Hello, Farhan. Thank you so much. President [Vladimir] Putin stated today that the UN's structure must be reformed to reflect the reality of the global majority. Does the Secretary-General agree with this assessment, and does he view this call as supportive of his own initiatives to reform the organization? Question : Sorry. Could you repeat the question, please? Question : Yes. Does the Secretary-General agree with this assessment, and does he view this call as supportive of his own initiatives to reform the organization? Deputy Spokesman : No, no Which assessment are you referring to? Question : Assessment made by the President Putin earlier today that the UN's structure must be reformed to reflect the reality of the global majority. Deputy Spokesman : Certainly, the Secretary-General also believes that there is a need to reform the structure of the UN. I can't comment on the specifics of this, because I'm not aware of the specifics of what the Russian President was talking about. But, yes, the general thrust of what he's saying is exactly in line with what the Secretary-General is talking about. Stefano? Question : Thank you, Farhan. I'm sorry. I have to follow up on the flotilla. I don't think your answer was satisfactory because I repeat again the question. The question I think also my colleague is this. Can you clarify the UN's position on the interception of the flotilla by Israel in international waters? Was this action legal under international law? And are the arrests of those on board considered lawful? So we're asking if Israel could do this or not for international law. And you're just saying you repeated the same, the Secretary-General wants everything goes on the international law. We want to know from you if the Secretary-General consider this legal or not. Deputy Spokesman : There are some disputes among different countries about what are the relevant parts of international law that apply to this situation. We believe that no harm should come to people in international waters, but we are aware of the different rationalizations that people have made. Obviously, it would be for courts to settle that. Question : But I'm sorry. But we're asking what the Secretary-General think, not what other country dispute it. We know that a country that think it's illegal; other country thinks it's not illegal because they don't transport weapons. Because the fact is, it would have been illegal if they transported weapons, because they did not transport weapons. What we ask is simple. Does the Secretary-General think that this was legal or not? Not what other countries think. What he thinks. Deputy Spokesman : Our belief is that people who are simply carrying humanitarian aid should be left alone. We're aware of the different countries and the different fleets and different ships who have been involved in this. Obviously, at the centre of it is the right of people to draw attention to humanitarian crisis, and we wanted them to be able to do that without harm. Yes, please? And then Abdelhamid. Question : Yes. Thank you, Farhan. I'm sorry. Again, it's just another follow-up on the flotilla. You just mentioned how the reluctancy to comment on the matter as a violation of international law stems from the fact that the UN is waiting on a court ruling. Is that correct? Or not court ruling, but [Cross talk] Deputy Spokesman : There are many different internationals law on this, in terms of the laws applying to the seas are complex. I don't want to oversimplify them. Question : Understood. So there was a court ruling already not on this matter specifically, but in 2024, the ICJ (International Court of Justice) again ruled that Israel's occupation of Gaza was illegal under international law, which, of course, means that the sail of the flotilla through international waters is not in Israel's jurisdiction. So there is a ruling, which again is what you commented on. So doesn't that mean that, again, this is a violation of international law? The reluctancy, I understand. But [cross-talk] Deputy Spokesman : The Secretary-General has repeatedly called on Israel to abide by the relevant International Court of Justice's ruling, the one that you've mentioned, and he continues to do that. Abdelhamid? Question : Thank you, Farhan. You know, I always ask about a statement that shows me some kind of public standard on behalf of the spokesperson. Few days ago, you issued a strong statement condemning Ecuador for attacking demonstrators and killing one person. Now in Morocco, I raised the question to Mr. [Stephane] Dujarric. Today, the demonstration in Morocco is expanded and there are three persons killed. Why there was no special statement? Not to tell me our position. No, why there was no statement condemning the killing of civilians in Morocco? Deputy Spokesman : You're in luck, Abdelhamid. I have this just in, and I can read this out to you now. The Secretary-General deplores the violence during recent demonstrations in Morocco, reportedly resulting in three people killed and several hundred injured. He underscores that protests must take place in a peaceful manner, respecting life, property, and the rule of law. He calls for a prompt and impartial investigation with a view to ensuring accountability. He welcomes the Moroccan Government's stated intention to enter into dialogue and to listen to the voices of Moroccan youth. Islam? Question : Thank you. Can I continue? I have one more question. Deputy Spokesman : Okay one more, and then we'll get go to Islam. Question : Yes. Yes. one more. I promise one more. Yesterday, there was large number of settlers storming the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. However, I didn't see that in any of your briefing yesterday or today. What is your position on that? Deputy Spokesman : We believe that all of the holy sites in Jerusalem, including Al Aqsa Mosque, must be respected and that the status quo with the holy sites must be respected. So we stand against any violation of that. Islam? Question : Farhan, thank you again. This is not exactly comparison, but what comes to the mind, so I would like to bring that up. When there were attacks in Red Sea in the international waters to the shipping, Secretary-General was so quick to condemn, rightfully so. But now about the flotilla, he seems like hesitating, maybe to use some impartiality. At least, did he contact any other leaders in terms of what happened to Sumud Flotilla in terms of how international law was breached? Deputy Spokesman : Well, I don't have any contacts regarding the flotilla to share with you. Obviously, he's been in touch with world leaders, including during General Assembly week, and has talked extensively about the situation in Gaza, including the sort of needs that were raised by the people on board the Sumud Flotilla. Dezhi? Question : Again, the flotilla, since Stefano talking about the international law, I have some further references. According to Geneva No. Sorry. According to United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, article 87 and 89, international waters are international waters. They're not sovereign to any countries, so they cannot be intercepted there. There's a freedom of navigation, and according to Geneva Convention and guidelines on maritime humanitarian assistance operation, you cannot intercept humanitarian vessels. So these are international laws. So, clearly, if you're looking into the article, that's against international law. Deputy Spokesman : Yes. We're aware of the Law of the Sea, and we believe that all countries need to abide by that. We're also aware of what Israel has said about its security corridor. Regarding that, again, for us, the priority has been to make sure that no one who is on these humanitarian vessels is put to any harm. And with that, I wish you all a good afternoon. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Increasing violence and funding cuts imperil millions across Haiti 2 October 2025 - Rising violence by gangs in Haiti's capital is restricting humanitarian access and pushing families deeper into hunger, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Thursday. Haiti faces one of the world's most severe food crises that is only worsening due to steep funding cuts to WFP relief programmes. "We urge international partners to step up to enable WFP and partners to provide not only life-saving emergency assistance, but also to invest in programmes addressing the root causes of hunger," said Wanja Kaaria, the agency's director in Haiti. The WFP reported that armed groups now control nearly 90 per cent of the country's capital, Port-au-Prince, leading to higher food prices for a population already facing grave food insecurity and obstructing farmers' access to markets. Over 16,000 killed A staggering 1.3 million people, more than half of them children, have been forced to flee their homes in search of food and shelter, says the WFP, while over 16,000 people have been killed and some 7,000 injured since January 2022, according to UN human rights chief Volker Turk. The violence is spreading beyond the country's capital and into nearby regions - fertile ground for more arms, drugs and human trafficking, Mr. Turk said, in an update on the situation in Haiti to the Human Rights Council. "More children are being subjected to trafficking, exploitation and forced recruitment by the gangs," he continued. "We can only imagine the long-term impact, for the children of Haiti, and for society as a whole." 'Running out of options and hope' The WFP requires $139 million for the next 12 months to reach Haiti's most vulnerable families. Currently, funding shortfalls have forced the agency to suspend hot meals for newly displaced families and slash food rations in half. For the first time ever, the WFP has not prepositioned food stocks to respond to any climate-related disaster during the Atlantic hurricane season because of lack of resources. "Today, more than half of all Haitians don't have enough to eat," said Ms. Kaaria. "With our current levels of funding, WFP and partners are struggling to keep starvation at bay for thousands of the most vulnerable - children, mothers, entire families who are running out of options and hope." Despite challenges, the WFP has reached over two million people in need since January 2022 and is working with the Haitian government to provide school meals to thousands of students, among other aid. State violence In his update, Mr. Turk expressed concern that Haitian Government-backed security forces have been responsible for some "unnecessary and disproportionate lethal force" in their fight against the gangs. More than half of killings and injuries so far this year have been at the hands of State authorities, with 174 people executed for alleged gang affiliations. The Government has also been using explosive, or attack drones, in a bid to purge the capital of armed groups - which is "likely unlawful under international human rights law" - killing at least 559 people as of mid-September. New Security Council-backed force A new Gang Suppression Force (GSF) of over 5,000 armed personnel to neutralize gangs and protect the population was authorized earlier this week by the UN Security Council. But details of how it will be financed, and which countries will be supplying troops have yet to be finalised. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Sudan: UN rights chief calls for urgent action to protect civilians in El Fasher 2 October 2025 - UN human rights chief Volker Turk on Thursday warned that civilians in Sudan's El Fasher face the imminent risk of large-scale atrocities, as fighting intensifies around the regional capital of North Darfur, besieged for more than 500 days by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia. "El Fasher is on the precipice of an even greater catastrophe if urgent measures are not taken to loosen the armed vice upon the city and to protect civilians," he said. Reports of the RSF deploying long-range drones in South Darfur have heightened fears of an escalation in the coming days. Catalogue of killings Between 19 and 29 September, at least 91 civilians were killed in artillery shelling, drone strikes and ground incursions. Attacks have targeted civilian infrastructure, raising concerns that the aim is forcible displacement, including from the Abu Shouk camp for IDPs. Neighbourhoods sheltering the displaced in and around the last Government-held city in Darfur have been hit repeatedly. On 19 September, a drone strike on a mosque killed at least 67 civilians, while two attacks struck a market in Daraja Oula last week. On 30 September, credible reports indicated that 23 civilians were killed when a community kitchen in the Abu Shouk neighbourhood was shelled. Mr. Turk stressed that civilians who remain in El Fasher - including the elderly, people with disabilities and those with chronic illnesses - must be protected. Safe passage must be given "Safe and voluntary passage of civilians must be ensured out of El Fasher, and throughout their movement along key exit routes and at checkpoints controlled by different armed actors," he said, citing persistent reports of executions, torture, abductions and looting. He warned of a risk of ethnically motivated abuses similar to those reported during the RSF offensive on Zamzam camp in April, when sexual violence targeted Zaghawa women and girls. He also called for "immediate and unhindered access" for humanitarian aid, as residents face dwindling food, water and health care. "As essential supplies are dwindling daily, and prices are skyrocketing, the recent attack on one of the few remaining community kitchens will further diminish what remains of the right to food," Mr. Turk said. Atrocities 'not inevitable' He renewed his call for the siege to be lifted, and humanitarian access ensured. "Atrocities are not inevitable; they can be averted if all actors take concrete action to uphold international law, demand respect for civilian life and property, and prevent the continued commission of atrocity crimes," he said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ukraine UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Occupied Palestinian Territory UN Relief Chief warns that as fighting continues in Gaza city, access to the north is difficult The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, said today that as fighting continues in Gaza city, getting aid to the north is difficult. He stressed the need for humanitarians to be able to work unimpeded, noting that many have been forced to suspend their work in the area. Fletcher stressed that issuing displacement orders does not take away the parties to the conflict's obligations under international humanitarian law; many civilians remain in Gaza city and must be protected. Meanwhile, OCHA says that people continue to be displaced from northern Gaza. In the span of just 10 hours yesterday, partners tracking population movements counted 6,700 people fleeing from the north to the south. Since mid-August, more than 417,000 such displacements have been recorded. However, conditions in the south remain dire and unsafe. OCHA has received reports of intense strikes in recent days in parts of Deir al Balah, one of the places where people have been told to move. Tents, houses and even a crowded market have been hit, with the UN Human Rights Office reporting that many of those killed appear to be civilians. Between Saturday and Tuesday, some 127,000 people arrived in nearly 360 displacement sites that partners have been able to monitor in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis. Altogether, those sites are hosting more than half a million people. Families in southern Gaza are squeezed into these and other overcrowded shelters or makeshift tents along the coast. Many others are sleeping out in the open, often amid rubble. New arrivals in the south face poor sanitation, no privacy or safety, and a high risk of children being separated from their families - all while being exposed to explosive ordnance. Partners working on protection also warn of the financial burden of displacement, as families are selling their essential belongings to pay for transport. Those who cannot afford it are forced to walk, which is especially hard for families with mobility challenges. To support people in the south, the UN and its partners have expanded services. For example, in Khan Younis, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has recently rehabilitated nine medical points, alongside the Japanese Health Centre and Hamad Health Centre - more than doubling the number of functioning health facilities there. Work also continues to rehabilitate shelters and other medical facilities. The UN and its humanitarian partners continue to operate in the north, to the extent possible. Just today, humanitarians successfully transferred some fuel to that area to power critical facilities that people rely on for their survival. Democratic Republic of the Congo Escalating violence imperils civilians in Ituri province OCHA reports a continued uptick in violence in Ituri province, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. As of the end of August, local authorities estimate that the province hosts more than 1 million displaced people. Since mid-September, attacks by local armed groups in Djugu territory have specifically targeted civilians, including people living in displacement sites. Just this morning, local civil society groups reported that at least 10 displaced people living in the Rhoe displacement site in Djugu territory were killed by armed individuals while on their way to their fields. On 27 and 28 September, armed groups attacked a displacement site and at least seven surrounding villages. These attacks resulted in four civilian deaths, multiple injuries, and the looting and burning of dozens of homes. More than 15,000 people were forced to flee to safer areas. Local sources report that these newly displaced people urgently need essential household items, shelter and food. Humanitarian partners are working hard to reach civilians affected by the violence, but they face acute access constraints, including the presence of numerous armed groups and funding shortfalls*. Despite these challenges, partners completed a round of cash transfers yesterday to nearly 6,000 vulnerable households, reaching more than 20,000 people. This marks the first cash-based food assistance for communities in the Mambasa territory of southern Ituri. OCHA calls on all armed groups to fully respect international humanitarian law, including by ensuring the protection of civilians in all conflict-affected areas. *Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with urgent support. Ukraine Hostilities hit urban areas, damaging key infrastructure and disrupting electricity OCHA says that over the past two days, continued attacks across Ukraine have struck large urban centres and damaged critical civilian infrastructure, disrupting the power supply as cold weather arrives. According to Ukrainian authorities, between 30 September and 2 October, at least 90 civilian casualties were reported nationwide. In particular, Dnipro City - one of Ukraine's most populated cities - suffered a massive attack during the busy afternoon hours of 30 September, injuring more than 30 people, including a child, and damaging many homes. Meanwhile, several parts of the country - particularly the regions of Chernihiv, Kyiv and Sumy in the north and north-east - experienced power outages, reportedly affecting nearly 300,000 people, as temperatures dropped. Furthermore, the Ministry of Energy reported a temporary disruption of its power supply, critical for maintaining the non-functional Chornobyl Nuclear Plant in the Kyiv Region. In the Odesa region, the impact of continued attacks was aggravated by heavy rains on 30 September, which resulted in widespread flooding, killing 10 people - including a displaced family with a child - and causing widespread destruction, according to the authorities. Speaking on behalf of the Humanitarian Country Team, Matthias Schmale, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, expressed condolences to all those who lost loved ones due to the floods and appreciation to the Ukrainian Red Cross Society for mounting a swift humanitarian response, working with local authorities. In the wake of the flooding and attacks, more than a dozen national and international NGOs - with the support of UN agencies - delivered emergency assistance to the affected people, including in the Odesa region. This included medical and psychological aid, emergency shelter materials and legal support. OCHA stresses that with resumed attacks impacting Ukraine's critical energy infrastructure and worsening weather conditions, timely assistance is especially vital. The humanitarian community relies on sustained support from donors to continue assisting the most vulnerable people in Ukraine. Posted on 2 October 2025 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russo-Ukraine War - 02 October 2025 - Day 1317 Su M Tu W Th F Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While GlobalSecurity.org takes utmost care to accurately report this news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos. On 24 February 2022, Ukraine was suddenly and deliberately attacked by land, naval and air forces of Russia, igniting the largest European war since the Great Patriotic War. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" (SVO - spetsialnaya voennaya operatsiya) in Ukraine in response to the appeal of the leaders of the "Donbass republics" for help. That attack is a blatant violation of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. Putin stressed that Moscow's goal is the demilitarization and denazification of the country. The military buildup in preceeding months makes it obvious that the unprovoked and dastardly Russian attack was deliberately planned long in advance. During the intervening time, the Russian government had deliberately sought to deceive the world by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace. "To initiate a war of aggression... is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole." [Judgment of the International Military Tribunal] The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that since the beginning of this day, there have been 133 combat clashes. Today the Russian occupiers made 47 aviation strikes, dropped 115 controlled air bombs. In addition, the Russians involved 1803 kamikaze drones and carried out 3247 shelling at the positions ofUkrainian troops and settlements. Ukrainian defenders repelled three attacks by Russians in the North-Slobozhansky and Kursky directions, another confrontation is ongoing. Since the beginning of the day, the Russian enemy launched four air strikes, dropped eight controlled air bombs in total and carried out 86 artillery shells, including two from the reactive systems of arson-fire. In the South-Slobozhansky direction, Ukrainian troops stopped eight Russian attacks in the areas of settlements Vovchansk, Vovchansk Hutory, Kamyanka and towards settlements Kolodyazne, Novovasilivka. In the Kupyansk direction, the Defense Forces successfully repelled three Russian attacks in the direction of settlements of Kupyansk and Boguslavka. In the Lyman direction during the day Russian zagarbniks ten times attacked the positions of Ukrainians near the settlements of Kolodyazi, Shandrigolove, Torske, Grekivka and towards the settlement of drobisheve. Ukrainian defenders stopped all enemy attacks. In the Siver komu direction, the Defense Forces repelled six Russian attacks near Yampol, Serebryanka and Ivano-Daryivka. In the Kramators komu direction, there are currently two combat clashes. The Russian zagarbnik tried to move near the settlements of the Times of the Yars and Predtecina. In the Toretsky direction Russians attacked the positions of Defense Forces 13 times. The main efforts of the invasion were concentrated in the areas of settlements Oleksandro-Shultine, Toretsk, Scherbinivka, Ivanopillya, Oleksandro-Kalinove, Rusin Yar and Poltavka. In the Pokrovsky direction, Russian Zagornytsky units tried 36 times to break throughUkrainian defense in the areas of settlements Volodymyrivka, Chervony Liman, Romin, Zvirove, Kotline, Udaachne, Novomykolaivka, Molodetske, Gorihove, Novoukrainka and in the direction of Pokrovsk and Philia. Three confrontations are being sharpened so far. Today in this direction Ukrainian soldiers zneskodili 114 Russian invaders, of them 75 - irrevocably. 13 unmanned aircraft and one cannon were also damaged, two cannons and eight enemy infantry hideouts were damaged. In the Novopavli direction, the Russian enemy 28 times attacked in the areas of settlements Novohatske, Komyshuvakha, Sosnivka, Novovasilivs ke, Sichneve, Berezove. The four enemy attacks are still ongoing. Five combat clashes were recorded in the area of the Poltavka settlement in the Gulyaipil direction. Three combat clashes occurred in the Orihivsky direction - the Russian enemy tried to advance near the settlements of Pyatihatki and Lobkove. Aviation strikes were hit by the settlements of Malokaterinivka, Grigorivka and Novoukrainka. In the Pridniprovsky direction, Ukrainian units repelled four Russian assaults in the direction of Antonivsky Bridge. In other directions, the situation has not changed significantly. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation. Units of the Sever Group of Forces inflicted fire damage on formations of one mechanised brigade and one jaeger brigade of the AFU close to Novaya Sech, Sadki, Spasskoye, and Varachino (Sumy region). In Kharkov direction, Russian troops hit units one mechanised brigade and one motorised infantry brigade of the AFU and one border detachment of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine near Volchansk, Okhrimovka, and Kazachya Lopan (Kharkov region). The AFU losses were up to 200 troops, one tank, one armoured fighting vehicle, three motor vehicles, and one field artillery gun. One electronic warfare station and seven materiel depots were neutralised. The Zapad Group of Forces improved the situation along the forward edge. Russian troops launched attacks on manpower and hardware of two mechanised brigades, one assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, one territorial defence brigade, and one National Guard brigade close to Kupyansk, Novoosinovo, Shiykovka (Kharkov region), Novoselovka, Drobyshevo, Kirovsk, and Yampol (Donetsk People's Republic). The enemy losses were more than 230 troops, three U.S.-made HMMWV armoured vehicles, 14 motor vehicles, and one artillery gun. Four electronic warfare stations and six ammunition depots were neutralised. Units of the Yug Group of Forces improved the tactical situation. Russian troops hit formations of two mechanised brigades, one airmobile brigade, one assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and one territorial defence brigade near Seversk, Dronovka, Pereyezdnoye, Konstantinovka, Pleshcheyevka, Verolyubovka, Ivanopolye, and Aleksandro-Kalinovo (Donetsk People's Republic). The enemy losses were up to 235 troops, two Western-made armoured fighting vehicles, and seven motor vehicles. Eight ammunition and materiel depots were neutralised. The Tsentr Group of Forces' units took more advantageous lines and positions. Russian troops delivered strikes at manpower and hardware of three mechanised brigades, two air assault brigades, one airmobile brigade, one assault regiment of the AFU, one marine brigade, and one National Guard brigade close to Krasnoarmeysk, Toretskoye, Rodinskoye, Dimitrov, Kutuzovka, Krasny Liman, and Kotlino (Donetsk People's Republic). The AFU losses were more than 515 troops, one tank, two U.S.-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, one Kazak armoured vehicle, three field artillery guns, and one motor vehicle. The Vostok Group of Forces' units continued to advance into the depths of enemy defences. Russian troops hit formations of one mechanised brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and one territorial defence brigade close to Vishnevoye (Dnepropetrovsk region), Novogrigorovka, and Poltavka (Zaporozhye region). The AFU losses were up to 295 troops, two armoured fighting vehicles, and five motor vehicles. The Dnepr Group of Forces' units inflicted fire damage on manpower and hardware of one mechanised brigade and one mountain assault brigade near Stepovoye, Malaya Tokmachka (Zaporozhye region), and Lvovo (Kherson region). The AFU losses were up to 35 Ukrainian troops, one electronic warfare station, and one ammunition depot. Operational-Tactical Aviation, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces inflicted fire damage on a transport infrastructure facility, which supported the work of Ukrainian military industry enterprises, assembly and storage areas of long-range unmanned aerial vehicles, ammunition depots as well as temporary deployment points of the AFU and foreign mercenaries in 138 areas. Air defence systems shot down one U.S.-made HIMARS MLRS projectile and 142 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles. In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, the enemy has lost 667 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 87,644 unmanned aerial vehicles, 631 anti-aircraft missile systems, 25,327 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,592 MLRS combat vehicles, 30,115 field artillery guns and mortars, and 43,055 special military vehicles. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Governor Newsom: No state funding for sell-out universities California Governor - Gavin Newsom Oct 2, 2025 SACRAMENTO -- Governor Gavin Newsom today issued the following statement in response to the White House's proposed "Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education," which ties access to federal funding to radical conservative ideological restrictions on colleges and universities: IF ANY CALIFORNIA UNIVERSITY SIGNS THIS RADICAL AGREEMENT, THEY'LL LOSE BILLIONS IN STATE FUNDING INCLUDING CAL GRANTS INSTANTLY. CALIFORNIA WILL NOT BANKROLL SCHOOLS THAT SELL OUT THEIR STUDENTS, PROFESSORS, RESEARCHERS, AND SURRENDER ACADEMIC FREEDOM. Governor Gavin Newsom According to news reports, President Donald Trump's so-called proposed "compact" is nothing short of a hostile takeover of America's universities. It would impose strict government-mandated definitions of academic terms, erase diversity, and rip control away from campus leaders to install government-mandated conservative ideology in its place. It even dictates how schools must spend their own endowments. Any institution that resists could be hit with crushing fines or stripped of federal research funding. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Canada - M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems NEWS | Oct. 1, 2025 Media/Public Contact: T_Outreach_PM@state.gov Transmittal No. 25-76 WASHINGTON, October 01, 2025 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Canada of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and related equipment for an estimated cost of $1.75 billion. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress. The Government of Canada has requested to buy twenty-six (26) M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS); one hundred thirty-two (132) M31A2 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) Unitary pods with Insensitive Munitions Propulsion System (IMPS); one hundred thirty-two (132) M30A2 GMLRS Alternative Warhead (AW) pods with IMPS; thirty-two (32) M403 Extended Range (ER) GMLRS AW pods with IMPS; thirty-two (32) M404 ER GMLRS Unitary pods with IMPS; and sixty-four (64) M57 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) pods. The following non-MDE items will be included: Low Cost Reduced Range Practice Rocket pods; interactive electronic technical manuals; integration support services; spare parts; tool kits; test equipment; contractor logistics support; training; training equipment; technical assistance; technical publications; transportation; Type 1 radios (AN/PRC-160 and AN/PRC-167); 7800I intercom equipment; Simple Key Loaders (SKL); U.S. Government and contractor technical, engineering, and logistics personnel services; and other related elements of logistics and program support. The estimated total cost is $1.75 billion. This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by helping to improve the military capability of Canada, a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Ally that is an important force for ensuring political stability and economic progress and is a contributor to military, peacekeeping, and humanitarian operations around the world. The proposed sale will improve Canada's ability to meet current and future threats by providing the M142 HIMARS long range precision strike system and munitions. This capability will protect Canada by improving Canada's contribution to collective hemispheric defense and to defense and deterrence in Europe, as directed by NATO's defense plans. Canada will have no difficulty absorbing these articles and services into its armed forces. The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region. The principal contractor will be Lockheed Martin, located in Grand Prairie, TX. At this time, the U.S. Government is not aware of any offset agreement proposed in connection with this potential sale. Any offset agreement will be defined in negotiations between the purchaser and the contractor. Implementation of this proposed sale will require multiple trips to Canada involving up to twenty U.S. Government and up to fifteen contractor representatives for program management reviews to support the program. Travel is expected to occur approximately twice per year as needed to support equipment fielding and training. There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale. The description and dollar value are for the highest estimated quantity and dollar value based on initial requirements. Actual dollar value will be lower depending on final requirements, budget authority, and signed sales agreement(s), if and when concluded. All questions regarding this proposed Foreign Military Sale should be directed to the State Department's Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, Political-Military Affairs Outreach, at T_Outreach_PM@state.gov. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Operation Sindoor Exposed Pakistan's Air Defence, Proved India's Decisive Capability: Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh India - Press Information Bureau Ministry of Defence Any misadventure by Pakistan in the Sir Creek sector will invite a decisive response; The reply will be so strong that it will change both history & geography: Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh celebrated Vijayadashmi and performed Shastra Pooja in Bhuj, Gujarat Weapons must always be used for the protection of justice & righteousness: Raksha Mantri during Shastra pooja Posted On: 02 OCT 2025 1:07PM by PIB Delhi On the occasion of Vijayadashmi Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh performed Shastra Puja at the Bhuj Military Station, Bhuj, Gujarat on October 02, 2025. In his address, Raksha Mantri lauded the Indian Armed Forces for successfully thwarting Pakistan's attempts to breach India's defence network during Operation Sindoor. "Pakistan had tried to penetrate India's defences from Leh to Sir Creek Sector, but the swift and effective counter-action of the Indian forces not only exposed the weaknesses of Pakistan's air defence system but also sent out a clear message to the world that India can inflict heavy damage at a time, place and manner of its choosing," he said. Raksha Mantri drew attention to the fact that even after 78 years of Independence, Pakistan continues to create disputes over the Sir Creek Sector, despite India's repeated efforts to resolve the issue through dialogue. He pointed out that Pakistan's recent expansion of military infrastructure in the Sir Creek Sector reflects its ill intent. He also said that any misadventure by Pakistan in the Sir Creek sector will invite a decisive response, stating, "If Pakistan dares to act in Sir Creek Sector, the reply will be so strong that it will change both history and geography. In 1965, the Indian Army showed courage by reaching Lahore and in 2025 Pakistan must remember that the road to Karachi also passes through the Creek." Lauding the success of Operation Sindoor in record time, Rajnath Singh said that it was possible due to the seamless jointness of the Armed Forces. He congratulated the soldiers and officers for their strategy, courage and capability that proved India's ability to defeat its adversaries under any circumstances. The Raksha Mantri underlined that despite having the capability, India demonstrated restraint as the Operation Sindoor was aimed at countering terrorism, not provoking a wider conflict. He expressed satisfaction that all military objectives of Operation Sindoor were successfully achieved and reaffirmed that India's fight against terrorism will continue with full resolve. Raksha Mantri assured that Indian Armed Forces and the Border Security Force are vigilantly guarding the nation's borders. Addressing the armed forces on this occasion, Raksha Mantri highlighted that Shastra Puja is not merely a ritual, but a reflection of India's civilizational philosophy, where weapons are regarded as instruments of dharma, not just tools of violence. He drew parallels from Indian tradition where farmers worship their plough, students revere their books, and soldiers honour their weapons. He stressed that weapons must always be used for the protection of justice and righteousness. "Knowledge without the power to defend it is vulnerable, and power without the guidance of knowledge leads to chaos. The balance of Shaastra (knowledge) and Shastra (weapons) keeps our civilization vibrant and invincible," he added. Raksha Mantri underlined that India, which has always been rich in knowledge, is today becoming Aatmanirbhar in defence manufacturing as well. Under the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, India is emerging as a manufacturer and exporter of defence equipment. Shri Rajnath Singh also praised the jointness of the Army, Navy and Air Force, calling them the three strong pillars of India's national security. Referring to Exercise Varunastra, which was conducted in the sector, he said it demonstrated the combined operational capability of the three services and their readiness to thwart any threat. Along with highlighting the importance of Shastra (weapons), Raksha mantri also talked about the challenges along the country's borders. He said that the challenges have never been simple, and they come in different forms. " At times, these challenges appear in the form of external aggression, at times as terrorist organizations, and in today's world, they also appear in the form of cyber warfare and information warfare," he added. Extending greetings on the occasion of Vijayadashami, Shri Rajnath Singh said the festival reminds us that no matter how powerful evil may appear, it is righteousness that ultimately prevails. "The worship of weapons on this day is deeply connected with India's national life, as it represents respect for the country's collective strength, security and freedom," he added. Raksha Mantri praised the courage, strategy and capability of the Armed Forces, stressing that their preparedness and determination will continue to safeguard India's sovereignty and integrity. Raksha Mantri also paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his birth anniversary, describing him as a shining example of moral courage. He remarked that Gandhiji, with the power of his spirit alone, compelled the strongest empire of the time to bow down. "Our soldiers possess both morale and weapons, and therefore no challenge can withstand their resolve," he said. Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh virtually inaugurated the Tidal Independent Berthing Facility and the Joint Control Centre (JCC), in the strategic Creek sector. The facilities will act as major enablers for integrated coastal operations while significantly enhancing joint operational capability, coastal security coordination and rapid response to any threats. Raksha Mantri also interacted with the troops at Bhuj Military station. The event was also attended by Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi, Southern Army Commander Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth, Corps Commander of 12 Corps, Jodhpur, Lieutenant General Aditya Vikram Singh Rathee, and Air Officer Commanding, Air Force Station Bhuj, Air Commodore KPS Dham. VK/SR/SS (Release ID: 2174073) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address INDIAN NAVY SHIP TRIKAND VISITS TARANTO, ITALY India - Press Information Bureau Ministry of Defence Posted On: 02 OCT 2025 9:00AM by PIB Delhi Indian Navy's stealth frigate INS Trikand, called at Taranto, Italy, on 28 Sep 2025 during her ongoing operational deployment to the Mediterranean Sea. During the visit, the ship's crew engaged in professional exchanges and cross-deck visits. These interactions focused on sharing best practices and enhancing mutual interoperability between the two navies. Captain Sachin Kulkarni, Commanding Officer of INS Trikand, paid a courtesy call on Rear Admiral Andrea Petroni, Commander of the Italian Navy's Second Naval Division. The port call underscores the importance attached by India to its relations with Italy and reflects the shared commitment of both nations to strengthening their growing defence cooperation and maritime partnership. The ship has now proceeded for the next phase of deployment. **** VM/SKY 206 /25 (Release ID: 2174284) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Foreign Ministry statement in connection with the entry into force of the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the Russian Federation and the Islamic Republic of Iran 2 October 2025 09:49 1636-02-10-2025 The Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the Russian Federation and the Islamic Republic of Iran, which President of Russia Vladimir Putin and President of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian signed in Moscow on January 17, 2025, officially comes into force on October 2. This marks a major stage in the history of interstate relations between Russia and Iran, which have entered a fundamentally new stage of comprehensive strategic partnership. The document sets out key long-term reference points in all priority spheres of bilateral long-term cooperation. It stipulates tighter interaction on the international stage in conditions of the emerging multipolar world, including close coordination within the leading multilateral associations, joint efforts to strengthen stability and security in the region, as well as countering common threats and challenges. The Treaty is evidence of the strategic choice made by the political leadership of Russia and Iran in favour of further strengthening our friendly and good-neighbourly relations, which meets the fundamental interest of our two nations. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Republic of Korea - AGM-65G2 Maverick Tactical Missiles NEWS | Oct. 1, 2025 Media/Public Contact: T_Outreach_PM@state.gov Transmittal No. 25-71 WASHINGTON, October 01, 2025 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Republic of Korea of AGM-65G2 Maverick Tactical Missiles and related equipment for an estimated cost of $34 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today. The Republic of Korea has requested to buy forty-four (44) AGM-65G2 Maverick tactical missiles. The following non-Major Defense Equipment items will be included: U.S. Government and contractor engineering; technical, and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistics and program support. The estimated total cost is $34 million. This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a major ally that is an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific region. This proposed sale will improve the Republic of Korea's capability to meet current and future threats by increasing its critical air defense capability to deter aggression in the region and to ensure interoperability with U.S. forces. The Republic of Korea already has Maverick missiles in its inventory and will have no difficulty absorbing these articles into its armed forces. The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region. The principal contractor will be RTX Corporation, located in Arlington, VA. The purchaser typically requests offsets. At this time, the U.S. Government is not aware of any offset agreement proposed in connection with this potential sale. Any offset agreement will be defined in negotiations between the purchaser and the contractor Implementation of this proposed sale will not require the assignment of any additional U.S. Government or contractor representatives to the Republic of Korea. There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale. The description and dollar value are for the highest estimated quantity and dollar value based on initial requirements. Actual dollar value will be lower depending on final requirements, budget authority, and signed sales agreement(s), if and when concluded. All questions regarding this proposed Foreign Military Sale should be directed to the State Department's Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, Political-Military Affairs Outreach, at T_Outreach_PM@state.gov. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UK Think Tank Says Leaked Documents Show Russia Is Helping China Prepare To Seize Taiwan By Reid Standish October 01, 2025 Summary Leaked documents reveal that Russia is aiding China's military preparations for a potential invasion of Taiwan, including selling advanced equipment and training special forces. According to the documents, Moscow's support aims to bolster China's airborne and seaborne invasion capabilities, with a focus on capturing key infrastructure like Taipei port. Experts suggest Russia's geopolitical goal is to provoke a prolonged conflict involving the United States and allies, escalating global tensions in the Indo-Pacific. A recently released 800-page cache of contracts and correspondence shows that Russia is helping China prepare its military for a potential invasion of Taiwan, according to an independent think tank that received the files and had them independently verified. Oleksandr V. Danylyuk, an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), who obtained the leaked files along with his co-author, Jack Watling, spoke to RFE/RL about what the findings mean for future China-Russia military cooperation and why Russia may be in favor of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, the self-governing island of 23 million people that Beijing claims as its territory. According to RUSI, the documents indicate that Moscow agreed in 2023 to sell a suite of military equipment to China's People's Liberation Army (PLA), including assault vehicles, anti-tank guns, and airborne armored personnel carriers. The armored vehicles would be equipped with Chinese specifications, and Russia would train a battalion of special Chinese paratroopers to use them. The contracts also state that Russia would transfer technologies to China that will allow it to make similar weapons. Such an agreement would bolster China's air maneuver capabilities, one of the few areas where Moscow's military still has an edge over the PLA, and intensify concerns that Beijing could seize infrastructure inland even as it storms ports and beaches along the coast as part of a potential invasion. The approximately 800 pages of contracts and collateral materials "appear genuine" and details from within the documents have been independently verified, RUSI said. However, there is also the possibility that parts of the documents have been altered or omitted, it added. Moscow has not commented on the leaked documents. The interview below has been condensed and edited for clarity. RFE/RL: Can you briefly explain what are the key elements of those deals and why they are significant for Beijing in regards to a potential invasion of Taiwan? Oleksandr V. Danylyuk: So, in a few words, the deal is about getting some very specific equipment which is needed for airborne landing operations. It's the set of equipment for landing a heavy airborne battalion and also specific equipment for special forces. Both of these sets are needed for an airborne invasion, which in turn would set the stage for a seaborne invasion by the Chinese military. The idea is to actually have a special forces team on the ground and by using this Russian equipment, they would be able to jump from civilian cargo aircraft from a very high altitude and glide to Taiwanese territory without being detected. And they would also use these automatic systems to deliver equipment -- like Russian airborne tanks and fighting vehicles -- there so that not every [special forces soldier] would actually need to parachute to Taiwan -- a lot of them could enter Taiwan legally as tourists ahead of time. We believe that this heavily equipped battalion would be just a part of a bigger number of battalions, so perhaps one battalion using Russian equipment and two or three using Chinese equipment. That's enough for taking control of at least Taipei port, which in our opinion is the key target for such an operation as it gives the Chinese control of a vital port for a coming seaborne invasion by the People's Liberation Army. RFE/RL: The conventional wisdom has always been that Russia is very wary of exporting military equipment in more advanced areas to China out of fear that this would be stolen and reverse engineered. So why do you think that that's changing now, and what does that mean moving forward? Danylyuk: Politically, this type of military cooperation is super important for the Russians because they don't want to be in this club of completely isolated countries. We can say that some kind of axis of likeminded countries [Editor's note: analysts have begun to refer to political and military coordination between China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea as the "Axis of Upheaval"] exists and for the Russians the most important element of this axis is China. Russia has also invested so many resources into the means of war, and the only way they can convert that means into a proper geopolitical power is through a wider, global war. And the most desirable theater for that war is the Indo-Pacific. So the Russians appear ready to do anything to push China toward invading Taiwan, especially if that would lead toward an actual conflict between the United States and China. And I think the Russians are not interested in a Crimea-type scenario for the invasion of Taiwan where there is limited resistance and not much of a negative international reaction. Rather, the Russians would like China to invade, but have the blitzkrieg attack stall and have it be as protracted as possible because that would actually create the possibility for escalation. It could then actually bring the Americans and some other nations, like Japan, into the war, which I believe is what they want. RFE/RL: Ok, so I can summarize a bit because I think there's a lot to unpack. You're saying not only do these documents indicate to you that Moscow would be supportive of the Chinese invading Taiwan, but that they're also looking for ways to influence the situation so that it could happen? Danylyuk: Yes, absolutely, that's right. Right now, you can't influence Chinese society the same way that you can a democratic one and I'd expect Russia to have some levers of influence on the Chinese government, although I don't know that. But the easiest way for Russia to actually create these preconditions for making the war and the invasion of Taiwan feel inevitable is to actually influence Taiwanese society, and to be honest, American society and American politics. In terms of those preconditions in Taiwan, look at what's going on in Taiwanese politics. The real stage zero is not infiltration by special forces but actually political destabilization. The current political situation in Taiwan, where you have parliament, controlled by the KMT, and then [President Lai Ching-te] from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), split and spending much of the past year blocking bills and stalling constitutional court appointments, which has led to fights in parliament and mass protests. This is an ideal precondition to try and stoke a political crisis, which is needed for destabilization of the command and control system in Taiwan, both politically and militarily. RFE/RL: So, beyond this aerial capability outlined in the documents you've examined, what are other other areas that you think China's military would need to look to Russia to improve in regards to a potential invasion of Taiwan? Danylyuk: An obvious one would be some feedback about Russian missile and drone attacks. So, how do you suppress air defenses and also how do you deplete them of ammunition? Russia has lots of recent, first-hand experience with that and it's all very transferable to a Taiwan scenario. RFE/RL: With this type of military cooperation that we've been talking about in mind, what else are you watching for a scenario around Taiwan? Danylyuk: I think that the key question is to what extent Taiwanese society can actually avoid confrontation and polarization, and if it can unite around the need to protect the island, which is an even more difficult task. The natural reaction from Washington to this is to give Taiwan more military capabilities, but in my opinion, they have enough capabilities. The issue is more about if they can actually be united and determined about resisting and fighting against an invasion. An invasion of Taiwan would be extremely costly for the Chinese, so the real immunization against Taiwan being invaded lies in the field of morale and unity, and also the ability of the United States to offer a clear message of support. Because, the reality is pretty simple: China is getting stronger and there is still a crisis in Europe. So, we will see. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/china-russia-taiwan- invasion-rusi-danylyuk-putin-xi-/33545169.html Copyright (c) 2025. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Boost to jobs and military capability with new defence equipment system Press release New 320 million contract for a platform to revolutionise how the Armed Forces manage and maintain defence equipment to help the military make better decisions faster will create 100 new highly-skilled UK jobs. From: Ministry of Defence and Luke Pollard MP Published 2 October 2025 The UK's Armed Forces will be strengthened by a new cutting-edge platform that will revolutionise how the military manages and maintains its equipment, driving efficiency and creating more than 100 highly-skilled jobs. The new platform will use artificial intelligence (AI) to help ensure Armed Forces have the right equipment in the right place at the right time, delivering on the ambitions of the Strategic Defence Review. The 320 million contract with IBM UK for the Defence Equipment Engineering Asset Management Systems (DEEAMS) will create 100 new highly-skilled jobs in the UK, making defence an engine for growth and delivering on the Government's Plan for Change. The new system will replace 17 fragmented, siloed and outdated applications with one enabled modern streamlined platform, using AI to bring over 1 billion in benefits such as savings on support and IT costs. It will provide personnel with real-time information to predict maintenance and repairs, stock availability, and engineering planning across major equipment and platforms. It will also enable the adoption of future productivity-enhancing technologies, making sure the UK's Armed Forces stay at forefront of defence innovation and capability. Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard MP, said: This is a major step forward in our commitment to ensuring our military has the very best equipment support available. We are revolutionising how we provide our front-line personnel with the kit they need, when they need it, whether they're operating at home or deployed overseas. We are delivering on the Government's Plan for Change with this 320 million investment, creating 100 new skilled jobs here in the UK and driving defence as an engine for growth. This government is delivering the biggest transformation of UK defence in a generation to reshape how the military protects Britain against unprecedented global threats. This is backed with the largest sustained increase to defence spending since the Cold War, rising to 2.6% of GDP by 2027, with an ambition for hitting 3% in the next Parliament. Serving over 65,000 users across more than 130 major military platforms and assets, the system will improve the quality and speed of military decision making, boost operational effectiveness, and support the resilience of digital networks. Rahul Kalia, Managing Partner, IBM Consulting UKI, said: IBM is proud to support the Ministry of Defence to deliver the transformational DEEAMS programme to enable a next generation, full-lifecycle asset management solution for the UK Armed Forces. Working with our ecosystem partners, we will deliver this mission-critical platform with predictive intelligence and real-time data driven insights to improve planning and support strategic decision making. This investment follows the launch of the Defence Industrial Strategy and demonstrates defence's commitment to supporting UK economic growth and maintaining Britain's position at the forefront of technology innovation. The project builds on the Strategic Defence Review's recommendations for the UK Armed Forces to rapidly modernise and embrace the latest technology. Digital integration, data and digital systems are fundamental underpinnings of all modern military capabilities, making them more capable, resilient, and effective. This contract represents defence's ongoing commitment to digital transformation, ensuring our Armed Forces have warfighting capabilities with cutting-edge systems and innovative technologies that provide modern information systems and processes, streamlining support and enhancing operational effectiveness home and overseas. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia's war in Ukraine has been built on a foundation of falsehoods Speech Ambassador Holland examines the various falsehoods that Russia deployed in seeking to justify its illegal and unjust war of aggression against Ukraine. From: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and Neil Holland Published 2 October 2025 Location: Vienna Delivered on: 2 October 2025 (Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered) Neil Holland Thank you, Mr Chair. The recent Moscow Mechanism report further highlighted widespread and systematic mistreatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war, reflecting Russia's ongoing disregard for International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law. Now, it is right that this Council devotes significant attention to Russia's conduct in its illegal war against Ukraine. But we should also not forget to challenge the falsehoods that have been used as justifications for this war. This week marks three years since Russia's unlawful attempts to annex Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk, and Luhansk oblasts. Russia attempted to justify these actions, along with its eleven-year occupation of Crimea, by claiming to protect Russian-speaking populations. But there is no credible evidence that these communities faced any genuine threat. Instead, the occupation has brought suffering, violence, and feardenying freedoms, abducting children, forcing Russian passports, and destroying local communities. Furthermore, the notion that speaking Russian in Ukraine equates to support for Moscow and its war is flawed. Russia's narrative of "protecting Russian-speakers" is unsubstantiated, oversimplifying Ukraine's diverse linguistic and ethnic landscape. On 24 February - in addition to the false claim that Russian-speakers in Ukraine were facing a genocide - President Putin claimed that Russia's "Special Military Operation" aimed to demilitarise and "denazify" Ukraine and prevent NATO's expansion. These justifications have proven to be gross distortions. Firstly, the assertion that Ukraine needed to be demilitarised is unfounded. Indeed, Russia itself thought the Special Military Operation would last three days. Ukraine posed no threat to Russia; its military was significantly smaller, and it had voluntarily given up its nuclear arsenal, with Russia pledging in the Budapest Memorandum to respect Ukraine's sovereignty and independence. We have seen, though, over the past three and a half years that size isn't everything. Secondly, the objective to "denazify" Ukraine is a misapplication of historical facts. Ukraine's president is Jewish and has family members who were Holocaust victims. Far-right parties received only 2.15% of the vote in the last parliamentary election, which further undermines Russia's claims. And thirdly, President Putin's claim of acting to prevent NATO expansion does not stand up to scrutiny. NATO is a defensive alliance, and membership is voluntary. Allies do not seek expansion, though experience shows states may feel compelled to seek membership in such alliances precisely because of the aggressive behaviour Russia has displayed towards Ukraine and its neighbours. And the Helsinki Final Act guarantees each nation's sovereign right to determine its own alliances. Russia's illegal war is built on falsehoods and has resulted in the deadliest conflict in Europe since the Second World War. So, while we rightly tackle the appalling conduct of its war, we should always remember that this is an unjust war. Moscow's true objections are to Ukrainian sovereignty and the existence of an independent, democratic neighbour. The 1991 Ukrainian independence referendum, where Ukraine voted overwhelmingly for independence and three years of determined resistance demonstrate Ukraine's clear desire for self-determination and freedom from external control. Russia must respect this will and withdraw its forces unconditionally from all of Ukraine. Thank you. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 185 Ukrainian service members freed from russian captivity Ministry of Defence of Ukraine 2 October, 2025, 5:29 PM EEST 185 Ukrainian service members have returned home from russian captivity. Almost all of them had remained in captivity since 2022. Among those released are defenders of Mariupol and Azovstal, as well as participants in the defense of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant. These are service members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including representatives of the Navy, the Land Forces, the Territorial Defense Forces, and the Air Assault Forces, as well as military personnel of the National Guard of Ukraine and the State Border Guard Service. Those released from captivity will undergo a full medical examination, receive physical and psychological rehabilitation, and be granted all state-guaranteed payments. "We thank each of them for their heroism in defense of Ukraine. We are grateful to all who helped bring Ukrainian defenders home. We will continue doing everything possible to return all our people from russian captivity. We remember each and every one," stated Denys Shmyhal, Minister of Defence of Ukraine. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Anna Gvozdiar and Lieutenant General Curtis Buzzard discuss joint production of unmanned systems Ministry of Defence of Ukraine 2 October, 2025, 12:11 PM EEST Anna Gvozdiar, Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine, held a meeting with Lieutenant General Curtis Buzzard, Commander of the Security Assistance Group - Ukraine (SAG-U) and Commander of NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU). The parties discussed strengthening bilateral cooperation, including the joint production of weapons and military equipment. "The strengthening of the partnership with the United States is essential for the development of Ukraine's defense industry. Our discussions focused on launching joint production of modern unmanned systemscapabilities that are now saving the lives of service members and civilians on a large scale," said Anna Gvozdiar, Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine. The meeting devoted particular attention to involving international partners in delivering Ukraine's defense industry strategic projects for 2025-2026, to reinforce the country's capacity in the war against the aggressor. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukrainian MoD technical delegation discusses drone acquisition and joint production agreement with the United States Ministry of Defence of Ukraine 2 October, 2025, 9:01 AM EEST The delegation of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, mandated by the President of Ukraine, discussed the technical details of the 'Drone Deal' with the United States. The primary purpose of the visit was to discuss with US teams the procurement of Ukrainian-made drones and their effective use. The Ukrainian side presented its proposals regarding specific drone models, their effectiveness, and operational conditions. The Ministry of Defence team held a meeting with representatives of all service branches of the United States Armed Forces to discuss the U.S. military's needs for Ukrainian drones. The U.S. side highlighted Ukraine's expertise in developing the drone sector, including the production of not only UAVs but also maritime drones and ground robotic systems. The technical teams' negotiations constituted a preparatory step toward the signing of the 'Drone Deal', earlier announced by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The agreement provides for the acquisition of Ukrainian drones under a five-year contract. In addition, provision is made for the joint production of several Ukrainian models. On a separate track, the Ukrainian and U.S. teams discussed the supply of U.S. weapons to Ukraine under the PURL mechanism. The primary focus was on supply plans for 2026 and the potential for increasing delivery volumes. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Presidents of Ukraine and Cyprus Discussed Defense Cooperation and Implementation of Joint Infrastructure Projects President of Ukraine 2 October 2025 - 20:26 President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides. The Head of State thanked Cyprus for its military and humanitarian support for Ukraine during Russia's full-scale aggression and noted Cyprus's participation in the Coalition of the Willing. The leaders exchanged views on the efforts needed to achieve peace and coordinated positions for further diplomatic work. The parties discussed in detail the priorities of Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2026. President Zelenskyy emphasized that during this period it is important to achieve substantial progress in the enlargement of the European Union. Among other important topics was defense cooperation. There are prospects for drone production, which are important to implement. The leaders also spoke about joint infrastructure projects that could strengthen the entire European Union. Volodymyr Zelenskyy invited the President of Cyprus to visit Ukraine. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address President Discussed Defense Support for Ukraine with the Prime Minister of Portugal President of Ukraine 2 October 2025 - 19:46 President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Prime Minister of Portugal Luis Montenegro. The Head of State thanked Portugal for its consistent support for Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion and separately highlighted the financial assistance provided for the Schools of Superheroes in hospitals in Chernihiv and Cherkasy. The parties discussed further defense support, including new aid packages. Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Portugal to join the PURL initiative. In addition, the leaders spoke about the development of the SAFE instrument and the opportunities it provides for strengthening defense capabilities. The leaders also discussed Portugal's readiness to take part in Ukraine's reconstruction. Volodymyr Zelenskyy invited Luis Montenegro to visit Ukraine. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Statement by the President of Ukraine During the Joint Press Conference with the Prime Minister of Denmark President of Ukraine 2 October 2025 - 19:34 Thank you so much, dear Mette! Thank you for your kind words, support, and invitation! Dear journalists, dear our teams, We had a lot of very productive meetings today. And I'm thankful to Mette and to Denmark for hosting the summit so well. Unfortunately, we all see that Russia is stepping up its destructive actions. And what matters most for Europe's security now is political will - and that was the main topic today. We feel that Europeans are clearly determined to respond - and to respond properly - to the growing drone threat. Russian drones have gone too far. Dangerous incidents with Russia have also gone too far. Denmark, other Nordic countries, Poland, our neighbors, Romania, and violations of Baltic airspace - all of this shows the need for joint action, and for every European country to have the ability to shoot down drones. Our military guys with solid experience in drones are now in Denmark, and we will share their experience and their expertise. And I hope today's meetings will strongly support the idea of joint defense against drones. It can be called anything - a "Drone Wall," a "Drone Dome," or "Drone Rapid Response," but the point is the same: every country, of course, must be protected from spy, strike, and any other drones. And from the threat Russia has created for Ukraine with daily drone attacks, we see clearly that only joint action and united efforts can guarantee real security. No country should be left alone against this threat. I also want to thank all our partners for supporting the further development of programs like PURL. We value this program a lot - it helps our defense. Today we spoke with partners who may join, and we expect new support. We also talked about the SAFE program - one of Europe's strong defense tools - and we hope Ukraine will be an equal partner in it. It is important that there is a common understanding that we need to move forward with security guarantees for Ukraine. The model that works for us can also work for others in Europe. Today we talked a lot about the battlefield in Ukraine - about how our soldiers are stopping Russian assaults. Russia planned a lot for this year but has achieved very little. This is thanks to our soldiers and to everyone who helps us. Russia is making many mistakes, and that is why we need to increase the pressure now, so that they are forced to end the war and change their policy. We are counting on a strong 19th package of EU sanctions and its quick approval, as well as strong measures from our partners. Special focus should be on Russia's tanker fleet, the ship captains and crews, and the oil terminals - all of this deserves maximum sanctions. It is important that European countries keep limiting the buying of Russian energy and reducing ties with Russia. Any connection with Russia can be used against you, so the fewer ties with Russia, the safer life will be. Life must be protected. I am glad that almost all leaders are raising the issue of fully using the frozen Russian assets. The decisions are clear, and it is important to fully implement them. I thank everyone for their support in this. And today we also spoke with leaders about the European future of Ukraine, and also the European future of Moldova, and the Western Balkans. Everyone agrees that Ukraine is ready to open the clusters, starting with Cluster 1, "Fundamentals." It is important to keep promises and open them. I thank you, Mette, again for your role and support in this process. And I thank Denmark for hosting us today, hosting today's meeting. Thank you so much! Glory to Ukraine! NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address President Discussed Countering Russian Provocations and New Contributions to the PURL Initiative with NATO Secretary General President of Ukraine 2 October 2025 - 18:47 President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. The Head of State emphasized the importance of the PURL initiative, which enables the purchase of American weapons with the funds of NATO member states. Within the initiative, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, and Canada have financed four packages worth over $2 billion. The meeting focused on expanding the number of countries contributing to and participating in PURL. Special attention was given to Russian threats, in particular the incidents involving Russian drones in the airspace of European countries. Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Mark Rutte agreed on further steps, coordinated positions within Ukraine-NATO cooperation, and discussed the upcoming Ramstein meeting at the level of defense ministers. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ulf Kristersson Discussed Tools for Using Frozen Russian Assets to Defend and Rebuild Ukraine President of Ukraine 2 October 2025 - 18:18 President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson to discuss key issues and coordinate positions. A detailed and special focus of the discussion was on the use of frozen Russian assets for the defense and reconstruction of Ukraine. The leaders discussed the instruments prepared and ways to implement them as quickly as possible. The meeting also touched upon the continued support for Ukraine and the expansion of defense cooperation. The partnership between Ukraine and Sweden holds great potential, and it is important to realize it fully. In addition, the leaders spoke about the further development of the PURL initiative. The Head of State highlighted Sweden's contribution to the initiative in the amount of $275 million. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Joint Security and Contributions to the PURL Initiative: Meeting of the Leaders of Ukraine, Denmark, France, Germany, and Poland Took Place in Copenhagen President of Ukraine 2 October 2025 - 18:12 In Copenhagen, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen, President of France Emmanuel Macron, Federal Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz, and Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk. One of the main focuses of the discussion was the recent cases of Russian violations of European airspace. Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine had proposed to its partners the creation of a joint air shield against Russian threats. Ukraine is ready to ramp up the production of drones, electronic warfare systems, and other critical components, including through joint production format and with the help of the SAFE instrument. The meeting also addressed the implementation of the PURL initiative. The President of Ukraine thanked Denmark and Germany for their contributions to this initiative and called on other partners to join. Special attention was given to work on security guarantees, which must provide protection on land, in the air, and at sea. The leaders agreed on further contacts within the Coalition of the Willing. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Shared Path to the European Union and Trade and Economic Relations: Volodymyr Zelenskyy Met With Maia Sandu President of Ukraine 2 October 2025 - 18:00 In Copenhagen, on the sidelines of the European Political Community Summit, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President of Moldova Maia Sandu. The Head of State once again personally congratulated Maia Sandu on the victory of pro-European forces in Moldova's parliamentary elections. The President noted that despite all Russian attempts to destabilize the situation, it was Moldova and Europe that prevailed in these elections. Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Maia Sandu held a detailed discussion on the joint path of Ukraine and Moldova toward the European Union. The President congratulated Moldova on the successful completion of the bilateral screening process and thanked her for supporting Ukraine on its path to EU membership. The leaders share a common position: it is important to find ways to ensure the simultaneous opening of the first cluster for Ukraine and Moldova. The Presidents also discussed the development of trade and economic relations. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Volodymyr Zelenskyy Met with Ilham Aliyev President of Ukraine 2 October 2025 - 17:38 President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. The Head of State thanked Azerbaijan for its principled and consistent support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated Ilham Aliyev and the entire Azerbaijani people on the peace agreement with Armenia reached with the involvement of U.S. President Donald Trump. The leaders of Ukraine and Azerbaijan discussed diplomatic efforts to establish real peace in Ukraine and ways to achieve it as soon as possible. Special attention was given to energy cooperation. The President of Ukraine thanked Azerbaijan for its assistance in supporting Ukraine's energy system. Both sides emphasized their mutual interest in continuing the partnership in this field. The leaders also discussed potential defense cooperation and agreed on further contacts. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Volodymyr Zelenskyy Met With Giorgia Meloni President of Ukraine 2 October 2025 - 17:15 On the sidelines of the European Political Community Summit in Copenhagen, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President of the Council of Ministers of Italy Giorgia Meloni. The Head of State thanked Italy for its unwavering support for Ukraine during the war. The meeting focused on Russia's violations of European airspace, potential risks, and ways to respond to all Russian threats. The President noted that Ukraine is ready to share its experience in countering Russian drones. The parties also discussed security guarantees, preparations for the next meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, and contacts with U.S. President Donald Trump. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address President Discussed European Integration and Defense Support for Ukraine with Ursula von der Leyen, Antonio Costa, and Mette Frederiksen President of Ukraine 2 October 2025 - 16:21 On the margins of the European Political Community Summit in Copenhagen, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Council Antonio Costa, and Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen. Special attention was given to supporting Ukraine on its path to EU membership. Ukraine expects the simultaneous opening of the first cluster with Moldova, which is intended to advance reforms in key areas such as the rule of law and the fight against corruption. The discussion also addressed the EU initiative to establish a Drone Wall. Ukraine is ready to join the initiative and share its experience in countering Russian drones. The parties also discussed the use of frozen Russian assets and new financial instruments to support Ukraine. In addition, the conversation focused on strengthening sanctions policy against Russia. Ukraine expects the adoption of the 19th EU sanctions package, which will include new restrictions targeting the financial sector, the military-industrial complex, the shadow fleet, propagandists, companies attempting to circumvent sanctions, as well as individuals responsible for crimes against Ukrainian children. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Volodymyr Zelenskyy Met with Friedrich Merz President of Ukraine 2 October 2025 - 14:17 On the sidelines of the European Political Community Summit in Copenhagen, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Federal Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz. The Head of State thanked the Federal Republic of Germany for its consistent support for Ukraine and provided the Chancellor with a brief overview of the key needs. The leaders discussed strengthening Ukraine's air defense, including the delivery of Patriot systems and compatible missiles. They also addressed the implementation of the PURL initiative. The Head of State thanked Germany for financing the third package, totaling USD 500 million. Furthermore, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Friedrich Merz discussed the potential use of frozen Russian assets for Ukraine's defense and reconstruction, as well as new financial instruments to support our state. A particular focus was placed on further development of security guarantees and defining the concrete contributions of each country within the Coalition of the Willing. Additionally, the leaders coordinated their next contacts in preparation for intergovernmental consultations. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address President: Ukraine Is Ready to Share with Partners Its Experience in Detecting and Shooting Down Attack Drones - It's A First Step Toward an Effective Drone Wall to Protect All of Europe President of Ukraine 2 October 2025 - 14:01 Recent drone incidents across Europe are a clear sign that Russia still feels bold enough to escalate the war. This was stated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the 7th European Political Community Summit in Copenhagen. The Head of State emphasized that the challenges facing countries today require joint solutions and strong action, including the creation of an effective air defense system against enemy drones. "Our guys are already here in Denmark. And there are experienced Ukrainians who know how to detect and shoot down attack drones. And they've already begun deploying their mission. And we are ready to share this experience with you, partners. And this is just the beginning - the first step on the path toward an effective Drone Wall to protect all of Europe," Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted. The President stressed that a fast and effective response is needed for violations of European airspace by the Russian Federation, as well as defense forces that know how to counter drones. The Head of State also called for more countries to join the PURL initiative, which not only supports our defense but also strengthens ties between Europe and the United States. Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized the need to remember: the root of all these problems is Russia's war, which still has the resources to continue its aggression. The President called for the urgent adoption of the EU's 19th sanctions package against Russia. "We also need to seriously think how to truly down Russia's entire oil trade infrastructure - because that's what fuels their war machine. Right now, we're seeing that even tankers already under sanctions are still being used by Russia. That has to stop," the President noted. The Head of State further underlined the need to also impose sanctions against captains and crews of shadow fleet vessels, the owners of relevant companies, and to consider sanctions on Russian oil terminals and remaining fuel infrastructure on Russian territory. "We should also support President Trump's call to stop buying Russian oil here in Europe. It's short-sighted to go against the USA - and guys from Hungary need to hear this clearly. Energy from the U.S. and other partners can fill the gap on the European market," Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed. A separate focus was on security guarantees for Ukraine. The President called for finally completing the work on them: to put everything on paper, and fully prepare every detail. Lastly, Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated the President of Moldova, Maia Sandu, on her victory in the parliamentary elections. The Head of State concluded that supporting Moldova, Ukraine, and the Western Balkans on their path to EU membership is critical, and real progress is needed. "Ukraine has completed the screening process. We are ready to open Cluster 1 - and this must be done. Just as agreed. This will definitely strengthen the overall situation," the President summed up. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Strengthening Air Defense and Implementing the PURL Initiative: President of Ukraine Met with Prime Minister of Norway President of Ukraine 2 October 2025 - 11:38 President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with the Prime Minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Stre, in Copenhagen. The Head of State expressed gratitude to Norway for supporting Ukraine from the very start of Russia's full-scale aggression and for providing USD 8.5 billion in assistance this year. The leaders discussed continued defense support, including strengthening air defense and funding drone production in Ukraine. A key focus of the meeting was countering Russian threats. Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Jonas Gahr Stre exchanged views on airspace violations, including by drones, in Norway, Poland, Denmark, Romania, and Estonia. They also addressed the EU initiative to establish a Drone Wall. Ukraine is willing to share its expertise with Norway in countering Russian drones and hybrid attacks overall. The PURL initiative, aimed at procuring weapons from the U.S. using partner contributions, was also discussed. The President thanked Norway for being among the first countries to join the program, contributing USD 150 million. Additionally, the parties spoke about energy support for Ukraine. The Head of State expressed appreciation to Norway for allocating USD 100 million for gas imports. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Mette Frederiksen Discussed Countering Threats from Russia President of Ukraine 2 October 2025 - 11:07 President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen, in Copenhagen, where the Head of State came to participate in the European Political Community Summit. The leaders discussed Russian escalation and the September incursions into the airspace of Denmark, Poland, Romania, Norway, and Estonia, as well as ways to respond to these threats. Ukraine has repeatedly proposed creating a joint, integrated air defense system. The expertise of Ukrainian professionals and Ukrainian technologies could become an important part of the EU's Drone Wall initiative. Ukrainian servicemembers are currently in Denmark to provide their Danish colleagues with the necessary assistance. The President thanked Denmark for its decision to provide a military aid package exceeding EUR 360 million, which will primarily be directed toward investments in Ukrainian defense production under the Danish model. The meeting also focused on the implementation of the PURL initiative. The Head of State highlighted Denmark's contribution of EUR 90 million. The leaders also discussed Denmark's further participation in this program. Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Mette Frederiksen coordinated their positions and agreed on the next joint security steps. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukraine Battles To Restore Power As Russian Strikes Batter Grid Sites By RFE/RL October 03, 2025 Ukrainian emergency crews were battling to restore power to northern parts of the country as Russian forces continued to attack crucial civilian infrastructure with drone and rocket attacks, while Ukraine's strategic Pokrovsk region remained under pressure. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking in Sochi amid drone alerts in that Black Sea resort city, warned the United States against sending long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, saying it would bring an entire new "level of escalation." Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko wrote on Telegram late on October 2 that power was back on line in the Sumy region near the Russian border following overnight attacks. "The enemy continues to purposefully hit the energy infrastructure. We are working to protect the system from new threats," she wrote. She added that work is continuing in the Chernihiv region to bring back power following Russian shelling on October 1 that had left an estimated 300,000 people without electricity. Ukraine's General Staff said at least 133 combat clashes took place along the front lines during the day on October 2, with much of the activity in the embattled Pokrovsk region. Pokrovsk, a city with about 7,000 inhabitants -- down from more than 60,000 prewar -- holds crucial road and rail junctions and has been under threat of encirclement by Russian forces for most of the year. "In the Pokrovsk direction, the invading units tried 36 times to break through our defenses," the General Staff said. In all, it said, Russian forces launched 47 air strikes and dropped 115 guided aerial bombs along with hundreds of kamikaze drones. Putin claimed that Russian troops had entered the city of Pokrovsk, but Ukrainian officials denied the report and said Russian forces continued to suffer heavy losses in the region. Ukrainian military spokesman Maksym Bakulin said Russian forces have attempted around-the-clock raids to enter Pokrovsk but have been hampered by the weather and Ukrainian resistance. In Sochi, Putin spoke to a discussion club, railing against Western involvement in Ukraine and warning Washington against sending long-range missiles to aid Kyiv. "Using Tomahawks without the direct participation of American military personnel is impossible. This would mark a completely new, qualitatively new stage of escalation, including in relations between Russia and the United States," Putin said. Following Putin's speech, a drone alarm was sounded in the Black Sea resort city, although it was unclear where Putin was at the time of the alert, and it was not immediately known if drones had hit the region. US Missiles For Ukraine, Via Europe US Vice President JD Vance on September 28 said the United States was considering Ukraine's request to obtain long-range Tomahawk missiles in its battle against Russian aggression. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has asked Washington to sell the missiles to European nations that would then send them to Kyiv. Zelenskyy says US President Donald Trump told him Kyiv could respond to Russia's attacks on its energy infrastructure with tit-for-tat strikes, as Ukraine continues to pound Russian refining operations. "If they attack our energy, President Trump supports that we can answer on energy," Zelenskyy said in an interview with Axios released on September 25. He added that Trump had also green-lit retaliatory strikes on Russia's military factories. However, he suggested they might be harder to reach due to the high level of defense of such facilities. On October 2, Zelenskyy warned European leaders that Russia has the ability to violate airspace anywhere on the continent and urged them to develop defense forces to fend off drones. "If the Russians dare to launch drones against Poland, or violate the airspace of northern European countries, it means this can happen anywhere," Zelenskyy told European leaders gathered for a summit on security and defense in Copenhagen. "In Western Europe, in the south, we need fast and effective response and defense forces that know how to deal with drones," he said. The gathering came after drone sightings in Denmark forced the closure of Copenhagen's airport on September 22 and after multiple Russian drone incursions into the airspace of other European countries. Also on October 2, Russia and Ukraine conducted another prisoner exchange, the most recent in a series of such swaps. The Russian Defense Ministry said on Telegram that 185 Russian servicemen had been returned, adding that 20 civilians were also released as part of the swap. Zelenskyy confirmed the exchange, posting pictures of the released Ukrainians wrapped in Ukrainian flags. "We are bringing home 185 of our defenders from Russian captivity. One hundred eighty-three are enlisted personnel and sergeants, and two are officers," Zelenskyy said on X. Twenty civilians are also returning home, he added. With reporting by Reuters Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-tomahawk- putin-power-outages-war/33547434.html Copyright (c) 2025. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vireo Growth Inc. ("Vireo" or the "Company") (CSE: VREO; OTCQX: VREOF) today announced that it has entered into definitive agreements to acquire approximately 86% of the outstanding senior secured convertible notes (the Notes) of public U.S. multi-state cannabis operator, Medicine Man Technologies Inc. (dba Schwazze) from third-party noteholders. The Notes will be acquired at a price substantially below par value, for total consideration of approximately $62 million payable in subordinate voting shares of the Company at closing, at a deemed price per share of $0.54. The transaction is expected to close later this month. Completion of the transaction is subject to customary conditions, including receipt of necessary approvals. About Vireo Growth Inc. Vireo was founded in 2014 as a pioneering medical cannabis company. Vireo is building a disciplined, strategically aligned, and execution-focused platform in the industry. This strategy drives our intense local market focus while leveraging the strength of a national portfolio. We are committed to hiring industry leaders and deploying capital and talent where we believe it will drive the most value. Vireo operates with a long-term mindset, a bias for action, and an unapologetic commitment to its customers, employees, shareholders, industry collaborators, and the communities it serves. For more information about Vireo, visit www.vireogrowth.com. Contact Information Joe Duxbury Chief Accounting Officer investor@vireogrowth.com Forward-Looking Statement Disclosure This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable United States and Canadian securities legislation. To the extent any forward-looking information in this press release constitutes financial outlooks within the meaning of applicable United States or Canadian securities laws, this information is being provided as preliminary financial results; the reader is cautioned that this information may not be appropriate for any other purpose and the reader should not place undue reliance on such financial outlooks. Forward-looking information contained in this press release may be identified by the use of words such as should, believe, estimate, would, looking forward, may, continue, expect, expected, will, likely, subject to, and variations of such words and phrases, or any statements or clauses containing verbs in any future tense and includes statements regarding the Companys M&A strategy, the timing of the close of the acquisition of the Notes, if closing occurs at all; and the receipt of necessary approvals and satisfaction of other customary conditions. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Forward-looking information includes both known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company or its subsidiaries to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements or information contained in this press release. Forward-looking information is based upon a number of estimates and assumptions of management, believed but not certain to be reasonable, in light of managements experience and perception of trends, current conditions, and expected developments, as well as other factors relevant in the circumstances, including assumptions in respect of current and future market conditions, the current and future regulatory environment, and the availability of licenses, approvals and permits. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking information is based are reasonable, the reader should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking information because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: risks related to the timing and content of adult-use legislation in markets where the Company currently operates; current and future market conditions, including the market price of the subordinate voting shares of the Company; risks related to epidemics and pandemics; federal, state, local, and foreign government laws, rules, and regulations, including federal and state laws and regulations in the United States relating to cannabis operations in the United States and any changes to such laws or regulations; operational, regulatory and other risks; execution of business strategy; management of growth; difficulties inherent in forecasting future events; conflicts of interest; risks inherent in an agricultural business; risks inherent in a manufacturing business; liquidity and the ability of the Company to raise additional financing to continue as a going concern; the Companys ability to meet the demand for flower in its various markets; risk of failure in the lawsuit with Verano and the cost of that litigation; our ability to dispose of our assets held for sale at an acceptable price or at all; and risk factors set out in the Company's Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, which is available on EDGAR with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and filed with the Canadian securities regulators and available under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.com. The statements in this press release are made as of the date of this release. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements. Vancouver, B.C., Oct. 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NextGen Digital Platforms Inc. (CSE:NXT) (OTCQB:NXTDF) (FSE:Z12) (NextGen or the Company) a digital asset and fintech platform bridging traditional capital markets with Web3 infrastructure, announces that it has been requested by OTC Markets Group Inc. ("OTC Markets") to issue this statement about promotional activity concerning its common shares (the "Shares") traded on the OTCQB Venture Market ("OTCQB") (operated by OTC Markets). On September 29, 2025, OTC Markets informed the Company that it became aware of certain promotional activities concerning the Company and its Shares traded on the OTCQB, including the distribution of two newsletters (collectively, the "Promotional Materials") published by Gold Standard Media LLC (GSM), discussing the Company, its Bittensor business, and the digital assets market generally. On July 28, 2025, the Company entered into an advertising agreement with GSM, whereby GSM would provide investor relations and advertising services to the Company. The Company was therefore aware of GSM's promotional activities respecting the Company since July 28, 2025. Accordingly, the Promotional Materials were paid for by the Company through its engagement of GSM. The engagement of GSM, the nature of the relationship between the Company and GSM, as well as the compensation paid to GSM, was publicly disclosed in a news release on July 25, 2025, which can be found under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca). The Company provided GSM with publicly available sources of information for its marketing materials and management reviewed and approved the materials prepared by GSM prior to their dissemination, including to ensure factual accuracy. The Company does not believe the statements in the Promotional Materials were materially false or misleading. However, the Company notes that investing in the Company's securities involves certain risks and uncertainties which investors should review prior to making any investment decision. The Company encourages all investors to undertake proper due diligence and carefully consider all investment decisions. The Company directs potential investors to rely solely on its filings and disclosures made with the Canadian Securities Administrators, available at www.sedarplus.ca . The Company does not believe the promotional activities were the primary factor in any increase in trading volume in the common shares. Rather, the Company believes the promotional materials drew attention to the Company, causing an increase in investor interest and awareness of the Company. After inquiry of management, other than as disclosed herein, no directors and control persons, its officers, directors or controlling shareholders, or any third-party service providers have, directly or indirectly, been involved with the creation, distribution, or payment of promotional materials related to the Company and its securities. Except as disclosed below, after inquiry of management, its officers, directors, any controlling shareholders, or any third-party service providers, the Company is not aware of any purchases or sales of the Shares in the past 90 days: The CEO of the Company purchased 300,000 shares. The Company has engaged the following third-party service providers to provide investor relations services, public relations services, marketing, or other related service within the last twelve months: Gold Standard Media, LLC (July 28, 2025), Tafin GmbH (May 15, 2025), Global One Media Group Pte. Ltd. (January 1,2025), Independent Trading Group (ITG), Inc. (December 17, 2024), and Machai Capital Inc. (December 17, 2024). The Company has not issued Shares, or convertible instruments allowing conversion to equity securities, at prices constituting, at the time of issuance of such shares or convertible instruments, at a discount to the then current market price. About NextGen Digital Platforms Inc. NextGen Digital Platforms Inc. (CSE:NXT) (OTCQB:NXTDF) (FSE:Z12) is a publicly listed fintech and digital asset company that provides investors with exposure to a diversified portfolio of Web3 technologies, blockchain infrastructure, and digital assets. The Company is committed to developing innovative financial structures that align with the future of decentralized finance while prioritizing transparency, regulatory compliance, and shareholder value creation. NextGen also operates PCSections.com, an e-commerce platform and a hardware-as-a-service business supporting the artificial intelligence sector, called Cloud AI hosting. For More Information: Matthew Priebe, Chief Executive Officer (647) 296-1994 https://nextgendigitalplatforms.com/ info@nextgendigitalplatforms.com The Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This press release includes certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements contained herein, other than statements of historical fact, including, without limitation, those relating to the Companys growth strategy, the potential impact of its TAO purchase and staking activities, expected revenue generation, and other future plans, constitute forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is frequently identified by words such as "expects," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," and similar expressions or statements that events, conditions, or results "will", "may", "could", or "should" occur or be achieved. There can be no assurance that such forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements herein except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements herein. Investors are encouraged to consult the Company's public filings available on SEDAR+ for a comprehensive discussion of risk factors relevant to its business and operations. Basel, 3 October 2025 - Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) announced today that Dr. Claudia Sussmuth Dyckerhoff has decided not to stand for re-election as a member of the Roche Board of Directors at the Annual General Meeting in 2026. Instead she will be nominated for election to the board of another company which is serving the healthcare industry. Dr. Sussmuth Dyckerhoff has served on the Board of Directors since March 2016. Roche Chairman Severin Schwan: "Claudias profound knowledge of the healthcare industry and her deep understanding of international market dynamics, particularly in Asia, have resulted in significant contributions to the success of Roche. On behalf of the Board, I would like to sincerely thank Claudia for her dedication to Roche over the past decade and wish her all the best for the future. About Roche Founded in 1896 in Basel, Switzerland, as one of the first industrial manufacturers of branded medicines, Roche has grown into the worlds largest biotechnology company and the global leader in in-vitro diagnostics. The company pursues scientific excellence to discover and develop medicines and diagnostics for improving and saving the lives of people around the world. We are a pioneer in personalised healthcare and want to further transform how healthcare is delivered to have an even greater impact. To provide the best care for each person we partner with many stakeholders and combine our strengths in Diagnostics and Pharma with data insights from the clinical practice. For over 125 years, sustainability has been an integral part of Roches business. As a science-driven company, our greatest contribution to society is developing innovative medicines and diagnostics that help people live healthier lives. Roche is committed to the Science Based Targets initiative and the Sustainable Markets Initiative to achieve net zero by 2045. Genentech, in the United States, is a wholly owned member of the Roche Group. Roche is the majority shareholder in Chugai Pharmaceutical, Japan. For more information, please visit www.roche.com. All trademarks used or mentioned in this release are protected by law. Roche Global Media Relations Phone: +41 61 688 8888 / e-mail: media.relations@roche.com Hans Trees, PhD Phone: +41 79 407 72 58 Sileia Urech Phone: +41 79 935 81 48 Nathalie Altermatt Phone: +41 79 771 05 25 Lorena Corfas Phone: +41 79 568 24 95 Simon Goldsborough Phone: +44 797 32 72 915 Karsten Kleine Phone: +41 79 461 86 83 Kirti Pandey Phone: +49 172 6367262 Yvette Petillon Phone: +41 79 961 92 50 Dr Rebekka Schnell Phone: +41 79 205 27 03 Attachment Combination reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 46% and risk of death by 27% in pivotal phase III IMforte study 1 First and only combination therapy for the first-line maintenance treatment of ES-SCLC, which is critical to help address the high rate of relapse in ES-SCLC 2 Regimen recommended in National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines for SCLC*3 Basel, 3 October 2025 - Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Tecentriq (atezolizumab) and Tecentriq Hybreza (atezolizumab and hyaluronidase-tqjs) in combination with lurbinectedin (Zepzelca) for the maintenance treatment of adult patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) whose disease has not progressed after first-line induction therapy with Tecentriq or Tecentriq Hybreza, carboplatin and etoposide (CE).4 This approval marks the first and only combination therapy for the first-line maintenance treatment of ES-SCLC, a highly aggressive disease for which treatment options have been limited. The U.S. National Comprehensive Cancer Network Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines)* have been updated to include the regimen as a category 2A and preferred option for maintenance treatment of people with ES-SCLC, following induction therapy with Tecentriq and CE.3 For people with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer and their families, the period after induction therapy is often filled with uncertainty, given the high risk of relapse, said Roy Herbst, M.D., Ph.D., deputy director and chief of medical oncology and haematology at Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital. The Tecentriq and Zepzelca combination provides a new option and a proactive approach in this setting shown to improve progression-free and overall survival in patients who haven't progressed after standard induction treatment with Tecentriq and chemotherapy. The approval may lead to a meaningful shift in how we manage this challenging disease and gives us a new tool to help to delay disease progression and extend survival. The Tecentriq and lurbinectedin combination reduced the risk of disease progression or death by nearly half, said Levi Garraway, Roches Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Product Development. We are proud to deliver this advancement for the small cell lung cancer community in partnership with Jazz Pharmaceuticals, as it reflects our abiding commitment to improving outcomes in the hardest-to-treat cancers. The FDA approval is based on results from the phase III IMforte study, which showed that the Tecentriq and lurbinectedin combination reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 46% and the risk of death by 27%, compared to Tecentriq maintenance therapy alone. Following 3.2 months of induction therapy, the median overall survival (OS) for the Tecentriq plus lurbinectedin regimen was 13.2 months versus 10.6 months for Tecentriq alone (stratified hazard ratio [HR]=0.73; 95% CI: 0.570.95; p=0.0174). Median progression-free survival (PFS) by independent assessment was 5.4 months versus 2.1 months, respectively (stratified HR=0.54; 95% CI: 0.430.67; p<0.0001). Safety was generally consistent with the known safety profiles of Tecentriq and lurbinectedin.1 Todays approval builds on Tecentriqs established role in ES-SCLC. In 2019, the FDA approved Tecentriq in combination with chemotherapy for the first-line treatment of adults with ES-SCLC, based on the IMpower133 study, which at the time was the first new treatment option in two decades for this patient population.5 About the IMforte study IMforte [NCT05091567] is a phase III, open-label, randomised trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of Tecentriq (atezolizumab) plus lurbinectedin (Zepzelca) versus Tecentriq alone as first-line maintenance therapy for adults (18 years) with extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC). Patients first received induction therapy with Tecentriq, carboplatin and etoposide for four 21-day cycles. Those without disease progression were then randomised 1:1 to receive maintenance therapy with either Tecentriq plus lurbinectedin or Tecentriq alone until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The study enrolled 660 patients in the induction phase and randomised 483 patients in the maintenance phase. The studys primary endpoints were independent review facility (IRF)-assessed progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) from randomisation into the maintenance phase.1 The trial is sponsored by Roche and co-funded by Jazz Pharmaceuticals. About Tecentriq (atezolizumab) Tecentriq is a monoclonal antibody designed to bind with a protein called PD-L1, which is expressed on tumour cells and tumour-infiltrating immune cells, blocking its interactions with both PD-1 and B7.1 receptors. By inhibiting PD-L1, Tecentriq may enable the re-activation of T cells. Tecentriq may also affect normal cells. Tecentriq has been approved for some of the most aggressive and difficult-to-treat forms of cancer and is the first PD-(L)1 cancer immunotherapy available in both subcutaneous and intravenous formulations. Tecentriq was the first cancer immunotherapy approved for the treatment of a certain type of early-stage (adjuvant) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Tecentriq is also approved in countries around the world, either alone or in combination with targeted therapies and/or chemotherapies, for various forms of metastatic NSCLC, certain types of metastatic urothelial cancer (mUC), PD-L1-positive metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), BRAF V600 mutation-positive advanced melanoma and alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS). About Roche in cancer immunotherapy To learn more about Roches scientific-led approach to cancer immunotherapy, please follow this link: https://www.roche.com/solutions/focus-areas/oncology/cancer-immunotherapy About Roche Founded in 1896 in Basel, Switzerland, as one of the first industrial manufacturers of branded medicines, Roche has grown into the worlds largest biotechnology company and the global leader in in-vitro diagnostics. The company pursues scientific excellence to discover and develop medicines and diagnostics for improving and saving the lives of people around the world. We are a pioneer in personalised healthcare and want to further transform how healthcare is delivered to have an even greater impact. To provide the best care for each person we partner with many stakeholders and combine our strengths in Diagnostics and Pharma with data insights from the clinical practice. For over 125 years, sustainability has been an integral part of Roches business. As a science-driven company, our greatest contribution to society is developing innovative medicines and diagnostics that help people live healthier lives. Roche is committed to the Science Based Targets initiative and the Sustainable Markets Initiative to achieve net zero by 2045. Genentech, in the United States, is a wholly owned member of the Roche Group. Roche is the majority shareholder in Chugai Pharmaceutical, Japan. For more information, please visit www.roche.com. ZEPZELCA is a trademark of Pharma Mar, S.A. used by Jazz Pharmaceuticals under license. All trademarks used or mentioned in this release are protected by law. *NCCN makes no warranties of any kind whatsoever regarding their content, use or application and disclaims any responsibility for their application or use in any way. References [1] Paz-Ares L, et al. Lurbinectedin (lurbi) + atezolizumab (atezo) as first-line (1L) maintenance treatment (tx) in patients (pts) with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC): Primary results of the phase 3 IMforte trial. Presented at: ASCO Annual Meeting; 2025 May 30-Jun 03; Chicago, IL, USA. Abstract #8006. [2] Paz-Ares L, et al. Unmet Needs in Maintenance Therapy for Extensive Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer. Clinical Lung Cancer. 2025;26(3): 168-178. [3] National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN). NCCN Guidelines small cell lung cancer version 2.2026. [Internet; cited September 2025]. Available from: https://www.nccn.org/guidelines/guidelines-detail?category=1&id=1462. [4] TECENTRIQ Prescribing Information. Genentech, Inc. [5] F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd. FDA approves Roche's Tecentriq in combination with chemotherapy for the initial treatment of adults with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer [Internet; cited September 2025]. Available from: https://www.roche.com/media/releases/med-cor-2019-03-19. Roche Global Media Relations Phone: +41 61 688 8888 / e-mail: media.relations@roche.com Hans Trees, PhD Phone: +41 79 407 72 58 Sileia Urech Phone: +41 79 935 81 48 Nathalie Altermatt Phone: +41 79 771 05 25 Lorena Corfas Phone: +41 79 568 24 95 Simon Goldsborough Phone: +44 797 32 72 915 Karsten Kleine Phone: +41 79 461 86 83 Kirti Pandey Phone: +49 172 6367262 Yvette Petillon Phone: +41 79 961 92 50 Dr Rebekka Schnell Phone: +41 79 205 27 03 Roche Investor Relations Dr Bruno Eschli Phone: +41 61 68-75284 e-mail: bruno.eschli@roche.com Dr Sabine Borngraber Phone: +41 61 68-88027 e-mail: sabine.borngraeber@roche.com Dr Birgit Masjost Phone: +41 61 68-84814 e-mail: birgit.masjost@roche.com Investor Relations North America Loren Kalm Phone: +1 650 225 3217 e-mail: kalm.loren@gene.com Attachment Maranello (Italy), October 3, 2025 Ferrari N.V. (NYSE/EXM: RACE) (Ferrari or the Company) will host its Capital Markets Day in Maranello (Italy) on October 9, 2025. A live webcast, commencing at 9:00 a.m. BST / 10:00 a.m. CEST / 4:00 a.m. EDT on Thursday, October 9, will be available on the Investors section of the Ferrari corporate website (https://www.ferrari.com/en-EN/corporate/capital-markets-day-2025). The webcast details, the presentations delivered during the event, and a replay video will remain archived on the same section of the corporate website for those unable to participate in the live session. For further information: Media Relations tel.: +39 0536 949337 Email: media@ferrari.com Investor Relations tel.: +39 0536 949695 Email: ir@ferrari.com www.ferrari.com Attachment TORONTO, Oct. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Felice Capasso from Norway has been awarded the career defining title of World Class Global Bartender of the Year 2025 at one of the worlds leading cocktail competitions, celebrated in Toronto this year. Competing against finalists from 51 markets around the world, spanning six continents, Felice was named as the ultimate winner by an international line-up of industry leading experts, during the annual celebration of global cocktail culture. Felice Capasso, of Nedre Lkka Cocktailbar in Oslo and founder of Sesto Senso Academy, a center for wine and spirits education, stood out amongst the other competitors by presenting a series of signature serves that showcased his passion for bartending. Alongside the esteemed title, Felice will win a trophy, an all-expenses trip to next years Global Finals, mentorship from top talent and a year-long schedule of all-expense paid travel to Diageo markets around the world. He will also be featured as a guest bartender at top tier venues, leading bartender training and hosting events. As part of his journey the winner competed in several cutting-edge challenges including reinventing classic serves with Johnnie Walker Black Label where Felice uniquely presented traditionally gin classics with a Johnnie Walker Black Label twist including a serve named Top Notes inspired by the classic French 75. For the Don Julio 1942 challenge, Felice took inspiration from an original AI artwork to create an accompanying aperitif serve that captured the spirit of the origins of tequila. For The Singletons multi-sensory cocktail challenge, Felice crafted a custom record sleeve inspired by the iconic song Thats Amore, evoking the warmth of a Napoli street corner smile. Paired with his signature cocktail Between Us, he delivered an experience that captivated the judges. Felice Capasso, World Class Global Bartender of the Year 2025, said: Winning World Class is not just a dream come true. It is a goal I have worked tirelessly to achieve. It's living proof that if you want something and you work for it, and you never, ever give up, no matter what - you can achieve it. By winning I know that I am taking on a responsibility which I plan to take seriously, promoting education in spirits and inspiring other bartenders who want to progress in the industry. Kevin Delaney, Global Head of World Class, said: "World Class is the ultimate toast to the people who are the beating heart of the hospitality industry. The best bartenders create cocktails at the highest level of craft whilst having their finger on the pulse of the trends of today, tomorrow and the future. We have celebrated and nurtured the careers of over 450,000 bartenders through the World Class program and tonight is the pinnacle moment of celebration for this incredibly special community. We welcome Felice into the Diageo family and congratulate the outstanding efforts of all our brilliant participants." Competitors were put through their paces by a diverse expert panel of bartenders and bar owners from some of the worlds most famed venues. Among them was Eric Van Beek, the creative force behind Mexico Citys acclaimed Handshake Speakeasy, crowned Worlds 50 Best Bar 2024. He was joined by industry icon Monica Berg, co-owner of Londons pioneering Tayer + Elementary, consistently recognised among the worlds best bars and renowned for her leadership in driving innovation, education, and sustainability within the community and Ago Perrone, the highly influential Director of Mixology at Londons legendary Connaught Bar. Ago Perrone, World Class Judge and Director of Mixology at Connaught Bar, said: World Class is such a special occasion, bringing together some of the worlds most creative and driven bartenders. Its impact on the industry is tangible, not only in driving innovation but also in inspiring and nurturing generations of rising talent. Year on year, the competition gets tougher, as a testament to the progress of our cocktail industry. Congratulations to Felice for such an outstanding performance and all the best for the new career journey ahead! NOTES TO EDITORS For more information, please contact worldclass@thestory.co.uk Assets available: Images of winner, spokesperson for interviews. ABOUT FELICE CAPASSO For several years Felice ran bar operations for high-end cocktail bars, including prestigious hotels while simultaneously working as Director of Education and Brand Consultant for acclaimed spirits brands. His curiosity for flavours and aromas awakened at a very early age, eventually sparking an interest in beverages, destining him to pursue the bar industry. ABOUT WORLD CLASS World Class is on a mission to inspire people to drink better, not more, by engaging, educating and empowering people to make informed choices about drinking. Whether at home or in a bar, World Class encourages people to think and care about what, where and how they drink, and in doing so, discover the best of cocktail culture. World Class features mentoring, training and networking that has enhanced the careers and lives of hundreds of thousands of bartenders worldwide, as well as creating a global network of lifetime advocates that place Diageo brands in consumers hearts and hands. ABOUT DIAGEO Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands across spirits and beer categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, J&B and Buchanan's whiskies, Smirnoff and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness. Diageo is a global company, and our products are sold in nearly 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the London Stock Exchange (DGE) and the New York Stock Exchange (DEO). For more information about Diageo, our people, our brands, and performance, visit us at www.diageo.com. Visit Diageo's global responsible drinking resource, www.DRINKiQ.com for information, initiatives, and ways to share best practice. Celebrating life, every day, everywhere. Photos accompanying this announcement are available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/69a60cb1-6d57-4f1b-99be-c5e3ea7db5b5 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3fc18ec7-0101-4bbe-bb22-d44a146f6f94 FORM 8.5 (EPT/RI) PUBLIC DEALING DISCLOSURE BY AN EXEMPT PRINCIPAL TRADER WITH RECOGNISED INTERMEDIARY STATUS DEALING IN A CLIENT-SERVING CAPACITY Rule 8.5 of the Takeover Code (the Code) 1. KEY INFORMATION (a) Name of exempt principal trader: Investec Bank plc (b) Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates: Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree Treatt plc (c) Name of the party to the offer with which exempt principal trader is connected: Investec is Joint financial adviser, Rule 3 adviser and corporate broker to Treatt plc. (d) Date dealing undertaken: 02nd October 2025 (e) In addition to the company in 1(b) above, is the exempt principal trader making disclosures in respect of any other party to this offer? If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state N/A N/A 2. DEALINGS BY THE EXEMPT PRINCIPAL TRADER Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(b), copy table 2(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in. The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated. (a) Purchases and sales Class of relevant security Purchases/ sales Total number of securities Highest price per unit paid/received Lowest price per unit paid/received Ordinary shares Sales 38,868 270.25 270 (b) Cash-settled derivative transactions Class of relevant security Product description e.g. CFD Nature of dealing e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position Number of reference securities Price per unit N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A (c) Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options) (i) Writing, selling, purchasing or varying Class of relevant security Product description e.g. call option Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc. Number of securities to which option relates Exercise price per unit Type e.g. American, European etc. Expiry date Option money paid/ received per unit N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A (ii) Exercise Class of relevant security Product description e.g. call option Exercising/ exercised against Number of securities Exercise price per unit N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A (d) Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities) Class of relevant security Nature of dealing e.g. subscription, conversion Details Price per unit (if applicable) N/A N/A N/A N/A 3. OTHER INFORMATION (a) Indemnity and other dealing arrangements Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the exempt principal trader making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer: Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state none None (b) Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the exempt principal trader making the disclosure and any other person relating to: (i) the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or (ii) the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative is referenced: If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state none None Date of disclosure: 03rd October 2025 Contact name: Priyali Bhattacharjee Telephone number: +91-9768034903 Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service. The Panels Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Codes dealing disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129. VIENNA, Austria, Oct. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Immigrant Invest, a leading consulting company in investment migration, has announced that Latvias Golden Visa now stands out as one of the strongest alternatives to Greece for American investors. Elena Ruda, Chief Development Officer at Immigrant Invest, underlined three key advantages that make Latvia more attractive: the ability to buy any type of real estate for 250,000, no restrictions on property rental, and a faster residence permit process. Latvia Golden Visa vs. Greece Golden Visa: comparison We see strong interest from American families who are comparing Golden Visas side by side, commented Elena Ruda. Latvia is more flexible in property choice and also faster in granting residence. For many, this combination is decisive. Flexible real estate choice. In Latvia, an investor can buy any residential or commercial property worth at least 250,000. By contrast, Greece now restricts this option: properties at the 250,000 level are only eligible if purchased for renovation or conversion into residential use. Rental freedom. Latvian law allows investors to rent out their property on both a short- and long-term basis. Greece imposes restrictions on short-term leases in popular areas, which limits opportunities to generate income from investment properties. Faster processing. Residence permits in Latvia can be issued within 3 months. In Greece, the process takes longer and is often delayed by backlogs, which creates uncertainty for applicants. Latvia Golden Visa highlights Investment options for Latvian residency. Besides the real estate route, the Latvia Golden Visa offers two additional options, including the most affordable one in the EU. Applicants can contribute 50,000+ to a business or deposit 280,000+ in a Latvian bank. Validity. The residence permit is valid for 5 years, tied to the validity of the investment and property ownership. It can be renewed indefinitely. Family inclusion. The Latvia Golden Visa extends to the main applicants spouse and minor children. Path to permanent residence and citizenship. After 5 years of temporary residency, Latvian Golden Visa holders can apply for permanent residence. After a further 5 years, they may become eligible for Latvian citizenship. Schengen Area access. As part of the Schengen Area, Latvia allows its Golden Visa holders to travel visa-free throughout the region, with permitted stays of 90 days within any 180-day period. How to obtain the Latvian Golden Visa The process of obtaining a Latvian residence permit by investment takes 3+ months and includes the following steps: Preliminary Due Diligence. Preparation of documents. Fulfilment of investment requirements. Due Diligence. Travel to Latvia to submit biometrics and undergo a medical examination. Issuance of residence permit cards. To ensure a smooth and successful outcome, professional guidance is strongly recommended. About Immigrant Invest Immigrant Invest is a consulting company assisting with EU residency for US citizens. We are well-versed in investment migration laws in Latvia and other jurisdictions we work with. We guide clients throughout the entire process, from the initial consultation to obtaining residence cards. Contacts: Elena Ruda Chief Development Officer at Immigrant Invest +356 2033 0178 digital@immigrantinvest.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7d2eb8c3-9e83-4c7b-93c8-e85a5f61ce77 SYDNEY, Oct. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Barking Dog Marketing, a full-service marketing agency based in Sydney, announced big plans for global growth after reaching their multi-million dollar revenue milestone. The announcement comes as founder Paul Fitzgerald gets the agency ready for international growth, focusing on established businesses in Australia, the UK, the US, and Europe. The agency typically partners with companies that want to exponentially grow their brand and allocate at least $500,000 to marketing. Paul Fitzgerald, the founder of Barking Dog Marketing in Sydney, uses his unique experience as both a former corporate executive and a successful entrepreneur to scale to international markets. Barking Dog has made its mark in the industry because Fitzgerald has a unique dual perspective that sets it apart. He has worked in senior marketing positions at big companies like LG, Daikin, Dexion, and Thermos for more than 20 years. He knows the client side of things in ways that most agency founders never will. "I've sat in the chair of the GM. I've scaled a business. The reality is that 99% of agencies out there have never sat in the client's shoes where I have, and they've never scaled a business like I have," says Fitzgerald. "Most agencies are just executional they'll just do SEO or paid ads or content. We start with the business strategy, because brand strategy is business strategy, and you can't really pull the two apart." Fitzgerald went from working as a corporate insider to starting his own agency after managing marketing budgets in the tens of millions at companies like LG and working with what he calls "some really unbelievable marketing minds." He was in charge of managing business portfolios in the hundreds of millions at some iconic global brands. He took a big risk when he left the safety net of a steady corporate salary. He started Barking Dog in 2017 while having a mortgage and raising a young family. His goal was clear: he wanted to build an agency that really understands what clients want. Most businesses need strategic partners who think about the long term, get things done, and understand what it's like to be on the client side, he explained. Unlike traditional agencies that focus purely on execution, Barking Dog begins every client relationship with business strategy. Whether serving as a fractional CMO, integrating with existing marketing departments, or acting as a complete marketing solution, the agency's approach is deliberately agile and results-focused. "We can be quite nimble. It's not step one, step two, step three, and step four. We can be quite agile, and we'll adapt to whatever the business requirements are," explains Fitzgerald. "We might start some performance marketing and digital campaigns while working on the business strategy in the background. Sales solves all problems, so we create that speed and those quick wins because everyone's looking for quick wins." The global expansion announcement points to Barking Dog's ambition to double in size over the next 24 months. The agency has already gotten trademark protection in Australia, the UK, and the US, which sets it up for growth in other countries. Fitzgerald also has ambitions to open an office in Europe to meet the growing demand for strategic marketing partnerships. About Barking Dog Marketing Barking Dog Marketing is a full-service marketing agency based in Sydney that helps established businesses with their brand strategy and growth. It was started by Paul Fitzgerald in 2017. The agency works with businesses that have marketing budgets of more than $500,000. It offers full-service marketing solutions in Australia, the UK, and the US. Barking Dog is a registered trademark. Media Contact: Paul Fitzgerald Founder & Brand Strategist Barking Dog Marketing Email: paul.fitzgerald@barkingdog.com.au Website: https://barkingdog.com.au Disclaimer: This content is provided by Barking Dog Marketing. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or business advice. All investments carry inherent risks, including the potential loss of capital. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own due diligence and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. 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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b0fa72ec-9a1a-44d7-8d89-ed7129966ffc Dublin, Oct. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "EU5 Oncology Market Outlook to 2033 - Colorectal Cancer Screening Tests, EGFR Tests, KRAS Tests and Others" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This comprehensive databook report covers key market data on the EU5 Oncology market. The databook report provides value (USD), volume (units) and average prices (USD) within market segments - Colorectal Cancer Screening Tests, EGFR Tests, KRAS Tests, HER2 Tests, BRCA Tests The EU5 Oncology Market report provides key information and data on: Annualized market revenues (USD), volume (units) and average prices (USD) data for each of the market segments. Data is provided from 2018 to 2033. 2023 company share data for Oncology Market. Global corporate-level profiles of key companies operating within the EU5 Oncology Market. Based on the availability of data for the particular category and country, information related to pipeline products, news and deals is also available in the report. Scope Colorectal Cancer Screening Tests EGFR Tests KRAS Tests HER2 Tests BRCA Tests ALK Tests BRAF Tests BCR-ABL Tests PD-L1 Tests Reasons to Buy Business strategies by identifying the key market segments poised for strong growth in the future. Market-entry and market expansion strategies. Design competition strategies by identifying who-stands-where in the market. Develop investment strategies by identifying the key market segments expected to register strong growth in the near future. Key Topics Covered: 1 Table of Contents 1.1 List of Tables 1.2 List of Figures 2 Introduction 2.1 What Is This Report About? 2.2 Oncology Market Segmentation 2.3 Definitions of Markets Covered in the Report 3 Oncology Market, EU5 3.1 Oncology Market, EU5, Revenue ($m), 2018-2033 3.2 Oncology Market, EU5, Revenue ($m), 2018-2033 3.3 Oncology Market, EU5, Volume (Units), 2018-2033 3.4 Oncology Market, EU5, Volume (Units), 2018-2033 3.5 Oncology Market, EU5, Company Share by Revenue ($m), 2024 4 Oncology Market, France 4.1 Oncology Market, France, Revenue ($m), 2018-2033 4.1.1 ALK Tests Market, France, Revenue ($m), by Segment, 2018-2033 4.1.2 BCR-ABL Tests Market, France, Revenue ($m), by Segment, 2018-2033 4.1.3 BRAF Tests Market, France, Revenue ($m), by Segment, 2018-2033 4.1.4 BRCA Tests Market, France, Revenue ($m), by Segment, 2018-2033 4.1.5 Colorectal Cancer Screening Tests Market, France, Revenue ($m), by Segment, 2018-2033 4.1.6 EGFR Tests Market, France, Revenue ($m), by Segment, 2018-2033 4.1.7 HER2 Tests Market, France, Revenue ($m), by Segment, 2018-2033 4.1.8 KRAS Tests Market, France, Revenue ($m), by Segment, 2018-2033 4.2 Oncology Market, France, Volume (Units), 2018-2033 4.2.1 ALK Tests Market, France, Volume (Units), by Segment, 2018-2033 4.2.2 BCR-ABL Tests Market, France, Volume (Units), by Segment, 2018-2033 4.2.3 BRAF Tests Market, France, Volume (Units), by Segment, 2018-2033 4.2.4 BRCA Tests Market, France, Volume (Units), by Segment, 2018-2033 4.2.5 Colorectal Cancer Screening Tests Market, France, Volume (Units), by Segment, 2018-2033 4.2.6 EGFR Tests Market, France, Volume (Units), by Segment, 2018-2033 4.2.7 HER2 Tests Market, France, Volume (Units), by Segment, 2018-2033 4.2.8 KRAS Tests Market, France, Volume (Units), by Segment, 2018-2033 4.3 Oncology Market, France, Average Price ($) , 2018-2033 4.4 Oncology Market, France, Company Share by Revenue ($m), 2024 5 Oncology Market, Germany 5.1 Oncology Market, Germany, Revenue ($m), 2018-2033 5.1.1 ALK Tests Market, Germany, Revenue ($m), by Segment, 2018-2033 5.1.2 BCR-ABL Tests Market, Germany, Revenue ($m), by Segment, 2018-2033 5.1.3 BRAF Tests Market, Germany, Revenue ($m), by Segment, 2018-2033 5.1.4 BRCA Tests Market, Germany, Revenue ($m), by Segment, 2018-2033 5.1.5 Colorectal Cancer Screening Tests Market, Germany, Revenue ($m), by Segment, 2018-2033 5.1.6 EGFR Tests Market, Germany, Revenue ($m), by Segment, 2018-2033 5.1.7 HER2 Tests Market, Germany, Revenue ($m), by Segment, 2018-2033 5.1.8 KRAS Tests Market, Germany, Revenue ($m), by Segment, 2018-2033 5.2 Oncology Market, Germany, Volume (Units), 2018-2033 5.2.1 ALK Tests Market, Germany, Volume (Units), by Segment, 2018-2033 5.2.2 BCR-ABL Tests Market, Germany, Volume (Units), by Segment, 2018-2033 5.2.3 BRAF Tests Market, Germany, Volume (Units), by Segment, 2018-2033 5.2.4 BRCA Tests Market, Germany, Volume (Units), by Segment, 2018-2033 5.2.5 Colorectal Cancer Screening Tests Market, Germany, Volume (Units), by Segment, 2018-2033 5.2.6 EGFR Tests Market, Germany, Volume (Units), by Segment, 2018-2033 5.2.7 HER2 Tests Market, Germany, Volume (Units), by Segment, 2018-2033 5.2.8 KRAS Tests Market, Germany, Volume (Units), by Segment, 2018-2033 5.3 Oncology Market, Germany, Average Price ($) , 2018-2033 5.4 Oncology Market, Germany, Company Share by Revenue ($m), 2024 6 Oncology Market, Italy 7 Oncology Market, Spain 8 Oncology Market, United Kingdom 9 Overview of Key Companies in EU5, Oncology Market 10 Recent Developments 11 Appendix Companies Featured F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd Agilent Technologies Inc Abbott Laboratories Danaher Corp Qiagen NV Sentinel CH. SpA Eiken Chemical Co Ltd Resonac Corporation Hemosure Inc For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/cvl58t About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. BINGHAMTON, N.Y., Oct. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York, led by Binghamton University, today announced the launch of GUARDIAN (Global Unified Assessment for Risk Detection, Intelligence and Awareness Navigator), a free and publicly available supply chain risk management self-assessment tool developed with MITRE to help energy storage companies strengthen operations, protect growth, and advance U.S. national security. GUARDIAN translates U.S., European, and global supply chain risk management practices into concise, actionable guidance. Companies answer a brief series of questions about current practices; the tool then prioritizes recommended next steps and generates a downloadable checklist so teams can move quickly on the highest-impact items. Built for real-world decision points from lab to market, GUARDIAN is available in two tracks: Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3-5 (R&D/early prototyping) and TRL 6-9 (pilot/scale-up) so founders, spinouts, and scaling manufacturers receive guidance matched to their maturity. The result is a practical roadmap companies can execute and revisit as they grow to strengthen compliance, meet customer and investor expectations, and document risk mitigations across their supplier base. The launch comes at a time when global battery supply chains face heightened geopolitical and market-concentration risk. Export controls, reciprocal tariffs, and single-source dependencies can strand startups mid-scale and deter investment. GUARDIAN points companies, and academic teams preparing to spin out, to resources to start identifying chokepoints, diversifying sourcing, and tackling the process disciplines that enable the resilience necessary to succeed in the critical infrastructure and defense markets. Our mission at the Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York is to drive leap-frog innovations for American-made batteries and to help build a secure, self-reliant U.S. battery industry, said Meera Sampath, CEO of the NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York. Batteries are not just the backbone of modern technology, they support U.S. energy dominance, enable AI leadership, and are vital for our military and defense sector. GUARDIAN is a great example of how the Engine is driving U.S. competitiveness and national security in collaboration with industry-academia and government partners from around the country. National security is inseparable from supply chain security, said Fernando Gomez-Baquero, Translation Director of the NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York. GUARDIAN turns complex frameworks into a clear, prioritized to-do list that founders and executives can use immediately to build more resilient, U.S.-controlled energy storage supply chains that increase investor confidence. GUARDIAN is designed to empower innovative start-ups, equipping them to scale effectively while strengthening U.S. industry and its supply chains, said Charles Clancy, Senior Vice President, General Manager of MITRE Labs, and Chief Technology Officer at MITRE. By leveraging industry expertise and publicly sourced content, this free tool delivers tailored best practices for supply chain risk management to the user. As an independent and objective partner dedicated to the national interest, MITRE is excited to partner with the Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York to address complex supply chain challenges and provide actionable guidance that enhances both industry resilience and national security. GUARDIAN unites industry and the federal government to tackle a shared challenge at the intersection of national and economic security. GUARDIAN is available today. To explore the tool and complete the self-assessment, visit: https://upstatenyengine.org/guardian-tool About MITRE MITREs mission-driven teams are dedicated to driving solutions to our nations most pressing challenges. As a not-for-profit research and development organization, MITREs staff leverage our unique multi-sponsor vantage point, systems expertise, and innovative solutions to ensure the health, prosperity, and security of our nation. Contact: Lisa Fasold MITRE media@mitre.org About The NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York The NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York, led by Binghamton University, is a National Science Foundation-funded, place-based innovation program. The coalition of 40+ academic, industry, nonprofit, state, and community organizations includes Cornell University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Syracuse University, Griffiss Institute, Launch-NY, and NY-BEST as core partners. The Engine advances next-gen battery technology development and manufacturing to drive economic growth and bolster national security. Its vision is to transform upstate New York into Americas Battery Tech Capital. For more information on the NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York, visit https://upstatenyengine.org/ . Contact: Fernando Gomez-Baquero Ph.D. Translation Pillar Director NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York SAN DIEGO, Oct. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Shareholder rights law firm Johnson Fistel, PLLP, is investigating whether BellRing Brands, Inc. (NYSE: BRBR), or any of its executive officers, violated securities laws by misrepresenting or failing to timely disclose material information to investors. What if I purchased BRBR securities? If you purchased securities and suffered losses on your investment, join our investigation now: [Click Here to Join the Investigation ] Or for more information, contact Jim Baker at jimb@johnsonfistel.com or (619) 814-4471. There is no cost or obligation to you. What is this about? The investigation focuses on whether the companys prior statements were misleading in light of developments disclosed on May 6, 2025. On that date, BellRing, during its Q2 2025 earnings call, stated that it anticipated a reduction in retailer trade inventory levels for the third quarter. The company noted that beginning in late Q2 and continuing into Q3, several major retailers had cut back their weeks of supply on hand a shift expected to create a mid-single-digit headwind for third-quarter growth. BellRing further disclosed that due to these changes, it now expects Q3 net sales growth in the low-single-digit range, led primarily by Premier Protein, while other segments are forecasted to be flat or decline. What if I have relevant nonpublic information? Individuals with nonpublic information regarding the company should consider whether to assist our investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the SEC program, whistleblowers who provide original information may, under certain circumstances, receive rewards totaling up to thirty percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, contact Jim Baker at (619) 814-4471 or jimb@johnsonfistel.com . About Johnson Fistel, PLLP | Top Law Firm, Securities Fraud, Investors Rights: Johnson Fistel, PLLP is a nationally recognized shareholder rights law firm with offices in California, New York, Georgia, Idaho, and Colorado. The firm represents individual and institutional investors in shareholder derivative and securities class action lawsuits. We also extend our services to foreign investors who have purchased on US exchanges. Stay updated with news on stock drops and learn how Johnson Fistel, PLLP can help you recover your losses. For more information about the firm and its attorneys, please visit http://www.johnsonfistel.com. Achievements: In 2024, Johnson Fistel was honored to be ranked in the Top 10 Plaintiff Law Firms by the ISS Securities Class Action Services. This recognition underscores our effectiveness in advocating for investors, having recovered approximately $90,725,000 for aggrieved clients in cases where we served as lead or co-lead counsel. This notable accomplishment marks the eighth occasion our firm has been recognized as a top plaintiffs securities law firm in the United States, as determined by the total dollar value of final recoveries. Attorney advertising. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Services may be performed by attorneys in any of our offices. Johnson Fistel, PLLP has paid for the dissemination of this promotional communication, and Frank J. Johnson is the attorney responsible for its content. Contact: Johnson Fistel, PLLP 501 W. Broadway, Suite 800, San Diego, CA 92101 James Baker, Investor Relations or Frank J. Johnson, Esq., (619) 814-4471 jimb@johnsonfistel.com or fjohnson@johnsonfistel.com Trenton, NJ, Oct. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- New Jersey is presenting a united front against the opioid epidemic as communities across the state gear up for the annual Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day on Monday, October 6. This initiative, led by the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey, provides essential information to healthcare professionals, community leaders and families. It aims to teach people about the risks of prescription opioids, their link to illicit street drugs and fentanyl, and effective strategies for preventing their misuse. Counties are preparing various activities and initiatives tailored to their residents' needs. In the first half of 2024, drug deaths declined in 17 of New Jerseys 21 counties. Increases were observed in Hunterdon, Cape May, and Somerset, while Sussex reported the same number of suspected deaths in that period in 2023 and 2024. While it is encouraging to see a decline in overdose deaths, the fact remains that thousands of lives are still being lost each year, said Angelo M. Valente, executive director of the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey. We cannot afford to be complacent. Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day is a reminder that prevention, education, and community engagement remain critical to protecting New Jersey residents. Opioid misuse is not just an issue for young adults. It affects people across the lifespan, from children who may encounter unused prescriptions at home to older adults managing chronic pain. In New Jersey, adults ages 55 to 64 recorded the highest number of suspected overdose deaths from January to April of this year, more than any other age group. Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day underscores the importance of reaching every generation with education and resources to reduce risk and save lives. Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day serves as a crucial opportunity for communities across New Jersey to unite in addressing the opioid epidemic, said Valente. It is a time to increase awareness, provide education, and encourage residents to take meaningful steps to safeguard their families and neighborhoods from the harmful impact of opioid misuse and addiction. Many communities are organizing events to coincide with October 6 and have incorporated local businesses, law enforcement and students into efforts to share lifesaving information about opioids. Digital resources and handouts are available for communities to share at KnockOutDay.DrugFreeNJ.org. In recognition of KOOAD, a webinar titled "Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day: Evaluating Recent Progress to Address the Opioid Epidemic" will take place at 11 a.m. Thursday, October 9. Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day is held in partnership with the Governor's Council on Substance Use Disorder; the New Jersey Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services; and the Community Coalition for a Safe and Healthy Morris. The New Jersey Senate and General Assembly unanimously passed legislation designating October 6 as Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day in the state, an initiative signed into law by Governor Phil Murphy. Visit knockoutday.drugfreenj.org for more information and to sign up to participate or get additional information. ### Best known for its statewide substance use prevention advertising campaign, the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey is a private not-for-profit coalition of professionals from the communications, corporate and government communities whose collective mission is to reduce demand for illicit drugs in New Jersey through media communication. To date, more than $200 million in broadcast time and print space has been donated to the Partnerships New Jersey campaign, making it the largest public service advertising campaign in New Jerseys history. Since its inception, the Partnership has garnered 232 advertising and public relations awards from national, regional and statewide media organizations. Burlingame, CA, Oct. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Cannabidiol Market is estimated to be valued at USD 9.46 Bn in 2025 and is expected to reach USD 27.57 Bn by 2032, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.5% from 2025 to 2032. The cannabidiol market is projected to experience steady growth during the forecast period, driven by rising R&D investments and the expanding legalization of medical cannabis across multiple regions. Increasing health awareness and broader acceptance of cannabidiols therapeutic benefits in managing diverse health conditions are further expected to boost global investment and market expansion. Request Sample Report: https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-sample/4613 Global Cannabidiol Market Key Takeaways Hemp remains the most widely used source for cannabidiol production, with the target segment expected to account for 58.6% of the global cannabidiol market share in 2025. Cannabidiol oil is projected to remain the top-selling product during the forecast period. Cannabidiol consumption is expected to remain high in medical applications throughout the projection period. North America is set to account for over two-fifths of the global cannabidiol industry share in 2025, making it the market leader. Asia Pacific is poised to emerge as the most lucrative pocket for cannabidiol manufacturers over the forecast period. Increasing Acceptance and Legalization Fueling Market Growth Coherent Market Insights new cannabidiol market analysis outlines prominent factors driving industry growth. One such key growth factor is the increasing acceptance and legalization of cannabidiol (CBD). Many nations are easing laws around hemp-derived cannabidiol. As of September 2025, nearly 50 countries have fully or partially legalized cannabis for medical and/or recreational use. For instance, In December 2024, Japan changed its laws to allow the use of cannabis-derived drugs containing CBD. In August 2024, Ukraine legalized medical cannabis, including CBD products, for patients with prescriptions. This wave of legalization is increasing consumer access and demand for CBD products. It is creating a more stable market as well as encouraging businesses to enter the industry. Immediate Delivery Available | Buy This Premium Research Report: https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/buy-now/4613 Government Restrictions and Limited Scientific Evidence Limiting Market Growth The global cannabidiol market outlook appears promising, owing to expanding medical applications. However, government restrictions on CBD usage and limited scientific evidence might limit market growth to some extent during the forthcoming period. Many countries are putting limits on cannabidiol (CBD) to stop misuse. For example, in June 2025, Italy introduced strict rules on CBD products. This may slow down cannabidiol market growth during the assessment period. In addition, many health claims about CBD are not fully supported by strong clinical evidence. This makes it difficult for regulators to approve it for medical use. Limited scientific backing may also reduce consumer confidence, thereby dampening overall cannabidiol market demand. Escalating Demand for Natural Wellness Products Opening Growth Avenues There is a growing consumer preference for natural and plant-based wellness products in the contemporary world. This is expected to drive demand for cannabidiol due to its perceived health benefits. Cannabidiol is thought to provide various health benefits, including pain relief, reduced stress and depression, better sleep, and support in managing epilepsy. These potential advantages are driving more people, particularly those seeking natural wellness solutions, to choose CBD. Emerging Cannabidiol Market Trends Expanding usage of cannabidiol in medical applications is acting as a catalyst for boosting revenue growth. CBD is increasingly recognized for its potential therapeutic properties, including pain relief, anxiety reduction, and management of conditions like epilepsy and insomnia. For instance, the FDA-approved drug Epidiolex is used to treat seizures associated with certain syndromes. The wellness and self-care movement is helping CBD market to grow rapidly. This is because CBD is being positioned as part of holistic health and lifestyle, not just medical or recreational. People are increasingly consuming CBD-based products for their perceived wellness benefits like relaxation as well as stress relief. CBD is gaining immense traction across industries like nutraceuticals and skincare due to its potential health benefits as well as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Growing adoption across these sectors is expected to boost the cannabidiol market value in the coming years. Ongoing product diversification will play a key role in fostering sales growth. There is a vast array of CBD-infused products, including edibles, pet wellness products, topicals, and CBD drinks. This variety caters to different consumer preferences and consumption methods, expanding the markets reach. Rapid growth of e-commerce and online retail is making CBD-based products more accessible to a wider consumer base. Rising sales of these products through online shopping platforms are expected to boost growth of the cannabidiol market during the forecast period. Request For Customization: https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-customization/4613 Analysts View The global cannabidiol industry is poised to exhibit strong growth, owing to increasing legalization of CBD, rising demand for natural wellness products, and expanding use of cannabidiol in pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and skincare sectors, said a senior CMI analyst. Current Events and Their Impact on the Cannabidiol Market Event Description and Impact U.S. Federal Cannabis Regulatory Evolution Description: The FDA is considering CBD regulations and acknowledges a need for a new framework. Impact: Clear rules would likely increase market trust and consumer confidence. Consumer Health and Wellness Market Integration Description: CBD is being used more in pharmaceutical and nutraceutical sectors. Impact: CBD market reach is expanding through healthcare distribution channels. Advanced Extraction and Bioavailability Technologies Description: Nanotechnology is improving CBD absorption. Impact: Better absorption can make premium products stand out and justify higher prices. Competitor Insights Key companies in cannabidiol market report: Cannoid LLC ENDOCA Medical Marijuana Inc. Elixinol NuLeaf Naturals LLC Folium Biosciences Medterra CBD Isodiol International Inc. Aurora Cannabis Inc. CV Sciences Pharmahemp d.o.o. Canopy Growth Corporation Organigram Holding Inc. Aphria, Inc. GW Pharmaceuticals Plc Key Developments In September 2024, Bedrocan announced the launch of a new high-CBD cannabis product called Bedrolina. It contains about 14% CBD. Most of the production will take place at the companys new EU-GMP-certified facility in Kge, Denmark. In June 2024, DSM-firmenich announced the launch of CBtru, an advanced formulated CBD drug product intermediate designed for oral solid delivery formats. This new product will allow companies to create more convenient and patient-friendly dosage forms like tablets and chewables. Market Segmentation Source Type Insights (Revenue, USD Bn, 2020 - 2032) Hemp Marijuana Product Insights (Revenue, USD Bn, 2020 - 2032) Oil Tinctures Suppository Transdermal patches Vape Oil Isolates Creams and Roll-on Capsules Tablet Others Application Insights (Revenue, USD Bn, 2020 - 2032) Medical Chronic Pain Mental Disorders Cancer Others Personal Use Pharmaceuticals Wellness Food & Beverages Personal Care & Cosmetics Nutraceuticals Others Distribution Channel Insights (Revenue, USD Bn, 2020 - 2032) Hospital Pharmacies Online Stores Retail Stores Regional Insights (Revenue, USD Bn, 2020 - 2032) North America U.S. Canada Latin America Brazil Argentina Mexico Rest of Latin America Europe Germany U.K. Spain France Italy Russia Rest of Europe Asia Pacific China India Japan Australia South Korea ASEAN Rest of Asia Pacific Middle East GCC Countries Israel Rest of Middle East Africa South Africa North Africa Central Africa Related Reports: Medical Marijuana Market Analysis & Forecast for 2025-2032 Legal Marijuana Market Size, Share, Trends & Opportunities for 2025-2032 Cannabidiol Consumer Health Market Outlook for 2025-2032 Our Trusted Partners: Worldwide Market Reports, Coherent MI, Stratagem Market Insights Get Recent News: https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/news Ottawa, Oct. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global specialty films market was assessed at USD 22.13 billion in 2025, with projections indicating an increase to USD 27.16 billion by 2034, based on insights from Towards Packaging, a sister firm of Precedence Research. Get All the Details in Our Solutions - Access Report Sample: https://www.towardspackaging.com/download-sample/5616 The market is driven by increasing demand for sustainable and recyclable films, the development of smart films with dynamic properties, and the implementation of nanotechnology to improve durability and functionality. Significant investments in research and development, as well as the adoption of the latest technologies, are crucial for maintaining competitiveness and developing new, high-performance film solutions. China leads the specialty films market due to strong government support through incentives and R&D investment, a massive and rapidly growing manufacturing sector, a significant demand from key industries such as electronics, automotive, and packaging, and substantial investment in innovative and sustainable solutions. What are Specialty Films? Specialty films refer to a wide range of flexible packaging materials designed to meet specific performance requirements that exceed those of standard packaging films. These films are designed to offer unique properties and functionalities tailored to specific applications. Unlike standard films, they are often customized for industries like electronics, medical, automotive, and high-end packaging. The market is experiencing strong growth due to rising demand for lightweight, durable materials, advancements in film technologies, and the increasing use of these materials in emerging sectors such as flexible electronics and renewable energy. If there is anything you'd like to ask, feel free to get in touch with us @ sales@towardspackaging.com What are the Latest Trends in the Specialty Films Market? Strong Focus on Sustainability Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental impact of packaging and actively choosing products made with sustainable materials. Companies are acknowledging sustainability as a main aspect of responsible business practices, along with their contribution to a circular economy. Eco-friendly materials help reduce waste, minimize pollution, and lower the carbon footprint associated with packaging throughout its lifecycle. Development of Active and Smart Films with Embedded Sensors for Smart Packaging Active and smart films with embedded sensors are a top trend in the market because they enhance product quality and safety, reduce food waste, extend shelf life, and provide valuable information to users and supply chain partners. Sensors with wireless capabilities, such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, enable remote monitoring and data transmission to the cloud, facilitating improved logistics and inventory management. Innovation in Functional Coating and Nanotechnology Innovation in functional coatings and nanotechnology is a key trend in the specialty films market, as it provides new functionalities, enhanced performance, and improved sustainability. Nanotechnology can alter surface features by depositing thin layers of nanoparticles, adding properties such as corrosion resistance or durability without significantly altering the film's weight or appearance. What Potentiates the Growth of the Specialty Films Market? Rapid Shift Toward Eco-Friendly Packaging Solutions The significant shift toward sustainable and eco-friendly film solutions is expected to drive the market's expansion. Consumers are increasingly demanding environmentally friendly products, driven by strict regulatory pressures to decrease plastic waste. As a result, brands are focusing on developing sustainable packaging to gain a competitive edge. Governments globally are implementing stricter regulations to reduce plastic waste, mandating that packaging be reusable or recyclable by specific dates, which prompts manufacturers to develop and adopt eco-friendly films. There is a significant rise in the need for recyclable, biodegradable, and even bio-based films in the healthcare, food and beverage, and agriculture packaging sectors. Limitations & Challenges in the Specialty Films Market Fluctuations in Raw Materials Prices The market faces challenges from volatile raw material expenses, complex global supply chains that are susceptible to geopolitical issues, and stringent regulatory compliance requirements. Inconsistency in the expenses of specialized resins and a limited number of materials directly influence profit margins, financial planning, and even production schedules. Manufacturers must adhere to numerous product safety, quality, and environmental regulations, which can vary by region and raise compliance costs. The market is heavily influenced by ongoing technological advancements, compelling producers to continually innovate to meet evolving market demands and integrate new technologies. More Insights of Towards Packaging: Regional Analysis Who is the Leader in the Specialty Films Market? Asia Pacific dominated the market by capturing the largest share in 2024. This is mainly due to high demand for durable and specialty packaging solutions from sectors such as pharmaceuticals, food, and electronics. The booming middle class and industrialization also supported the regions dominance. The region benefits from a robust manufacturing infrastructure, lower labor costs, and government initiatives that promote innovation and sustainable packaging practices. China Market Trends China's market is booming, driven by strong demand from key sectors such as packaging, electronics, and automotive, combined with significant industrial and technological advancements, along with government support for sustainable manufacturing. India Market Trends Indias market is rapidly growing, driven by rising demand from the packaging, construction, automotive, and electronics industries, as well as increasing disposable incomes and technological advancements. Key trends include a remarkable shift toward sustainable, biodegradable, and even eco-friendly films due to environmental concerns and regulations. How is the Opportunistic Rise of North America in the Specialty Films Market? North America is experiencing an opportunistic rise in the market due to a combination of strong industry demand, technological innovation, and a supportive regulatory environment. These films offer enhanced properties, addressing the requirement for energy efficiency in construction, improved functionality in electronics, and superior performance in other sectors. North America is positioned as the largest and most significant market worldwide, due to its advanced infrastructure and widespread adoption of new technologies. U.S. Market Trends The U.S. is a major contributor to the market, driven by the need for sustainable, high-performance, and even smart films. The automotive and construction industries require lighter, more energy-efficient solutions, which contribute to the development of films that reduce weight while maintaining strength and performance. Canada Market Trends The Canadian market is growing, driven by an increased requirement for sustainable and high-performance packaging in the food and pharmaceutical sectors, as well as developments in the electronics and automotive industries. The advancement of functional and smart films is enhancing features for various applications, such as privacy and variable transparency in smart films for construction. Join now to access the latest packaging in industry segmentation insights with our Annual Membership: https://www.towardspackaging.com/get-an-annual-membership Segment Outlook Material Insights The polyethylene (PE) segment dominated the specialty films market in 2024 due to its versatility, low cost, and excellent combination of properties, including moisture resistance, flexibility, strength, and chemical resistance. Polyethylene is an inexpensive and abundant material, making it a cost-effective alternative for large-scale manufacturing of specialty films. PE films can be manufactured in numerous thicknesses, clarity, and colors, allowing for tailored solutions for specific products and advertising needs. Product Insights The shrink film segment dominated the market, accounting for a significant revenue share in 2024. This is because shrink films are adaptable for numerous packaging needs, from bundling peoples items for retail to creating multipacks and even securing products for transportation. The films conform to product shapes, improving shelf appeal with clear, scuff-resistant surfaces, and can be programmed to detect tampering, ensuring product safety and authenticity. The food and beverage sector relies heavily on shrink films for packaging bottled water, beverages, and food products due to their ability to securely hold products and maintain visibility. End Use Insights The food and beverages segment dominated the specialty films market in 2024. This is primarily due to the increasing demand for convenience foods and the need for packaging that extends shelf life and ensures product freshness. Specialty films provide vital high-barrier properties against oxygen, moisture, and even light, thereby protecting products and maintaining their integrity. Films provide excellent barrier properties against light, oxygen, and moisture, which can degrade food quality along with shorten shelf life. The expansion of e-commerce and online grocery platforms requires lightweight, strong, and protective packaging films to ensure products are not damaged during shipping and handling. Elevate your packaging strategy with Towards Packaging. Enhance efficiency and achieve superior results - schedule a call today: https://www.towardspackaging.com/schedule-meeting Recent Breakthroughs in the Market In June 2025, Covestro signed an agreement to obtain Pontacol, a Swiss producer of multilayer adhesive films. With this acquisition, Covestro strategically stretches its specialty films portfolio and thus advances the implementation of its "Sustainable Future" corporate strategy. At the same time, the firm continues to expand its growth in sustainable and innovative business areas consistently. In June 2025, Cosmo First commissioned a new BOPP film line at its Aurangabad plant with an investment of over 400 crore. Featuring advanced technology and an annual capacity of 81,200 MT, the new line boosts the companys total BOPP capacity by ~40% to 2,77,000 MT. The new BOPP Line will support Cosmo in further expanding its product portfolio across specialty films and packaging. Access our exclusive, data-rich dashboard dedicated to the Specialty Films Market - built specifically for decision-makers, strategists, and industry leaders. The dashboard features comprehensive statistical data, segment-wise market breakdowns, regional performance shares, detailed company profiles, annual updates, and much more. From market sizing to competitive intelligence, this powerful tool is one-stop solution to your gateway. Access Now: https://www.towardspackaging.com/contact-us Top Specialty Films Market Players 3M Company Covestro AG Solvay S.A. DuPont Teijin Films (DuPont de Nemours) SaintGobain Honeywell International Inc. SABIC (Saudi Basic Industries Corporation) Segments Covered in the Specialty Films Market By Material Polyethylene (PE) Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) Polyamide (PA) Polypropylene (PP) Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Polyvinylidene Chloride (PVDC) Ethyl Vinyl Alcohol (EVOH) Polycarbonate (PC) By Product Shrink Film Stretch Film Conductive Film Safety and Security Film Anti-fog Film By End Use Food and Beverages Cosmetics and Personal Care Agriculture Building and Construction Pharmaceuticals Electrical and Electronics Automotive Parts By Geography North America U.S. Canada Europe U.K. Germany France Asia-Pacific China India Japan South Korea Malaysia Philippines Latin America Brazil Rest of Latin America Middle East & Africa (MEA) GCC North Africa South Africa Rest of the Middle East & Africa Invest in Our Premium Strategic Solution: https://www.towardspackaging.com/price/5616 Become a Valued Research Partner with Us - Schedule a meeting: https://www.towardspackaging.com/schedule-meeting Request a Custom Case Study Built Around Your Goals: sales@towardspackaging.com About Us Towards Packaging is a global consulting and market intelligence firm specializing in strategic research across key packaging segments including sustainable, flexible, smart, biodegradable, and recycled packaging. We empower businesses with actionable insights, trend analysis, and data-driven strategies. Our experienced consultants use advanced research methodologies to help companies of all sizes navigate market shifts, identify growth opportunities, and stay competitive in the global packaging industry. Stay Connected with Towards Packaging: Towards Packaging, Your Trusted Research and Consulting Partner, Has Been Featured Across Influential Industry Portals - Explore the Coverage: Towards Packaging Releases Its Latest Insight - Check It Out: PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MGBSP Services LLC, a Pennsylvania-based private finance firm led by Martyn Kingsley (MartynGBuckets), has rolled out an institutional-scale, multi-million dollar secured receivables strategy, marking a new phase in its development as a private operator committed to discipline and sustainability. The strategy focuses on building receivables portfolios that are enforceable, reliable, and structured with consistency. Martyn Kingsley said the initiative reflects MGBSPs focus on applying the same discipline expected of larger creditors, while maintaining the firm's independence and private ownership. Beyond receivables, MGBSP Services has expanded its role in supporting businesses at critical moments of their lifecycle. The firm assists companies in preparing agreements for operational clarity, strengthening financial recovery strategies, and formalizing branding through LLC formations, trademark protection guidance, and creating curated access points to professional networks. MGBSP Services is currently assisting businesses nationwide, extending well beyond the Pennsylvania region. Kingsley (MartynGBuckets) emphasizes that MGBSPs role is not to provide legal services, but to help companies organize their foundations so they are better positioned when working with attorneys, lenders, and partners. The announcement comes during a period of heightened recognition for MGBSP Services, as industry observers have increasingly noted the firms disciplined approach and expanding role in private finance. Observers note that MGBSP represents a growing category of firms that blend finance and consulting, helping companies not only secure receivables but also strengthen their internal structures. This approach positions clients to operate with greater stability and confidence in an increasingly competitive environment. About MGBSP Services LLC Founded in Pennsylvania, MGBSP Services LLC is led by Martyn Kingsley, a 25-year-old finance operator. The firm specializes in secured receivables, intellectual property lending, and strategic business consulting. Its services include receivables strategies, recovery support, operational agreement preparation, LLC and trademark guidance, and curated networking opportunities. Contact: MGBSP Services LLC mgbspservices.com corporate@mgbspservices.com Contact person name: Martyn Kingsley Disclaimer: This content is provided by MGBSP Services LLC. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or business advice. All investments carry inherent risks, including the potential loss of capital. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own due diligence and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. 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Photos accompanying this announcement are available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/618cb0d8-078d-460f-b050-63112851aace https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e6db1afc-aabf-4fb5-a660-e284bf8dd516 SAN DIEGO, Oct. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Johnson Fistel, PLLP is investigating potential claims on behalf of Alto Neuroscience, Inc. (NYSE: ANRO) shareholders against certain of its officers and directors who may have breached the fiduciary duties they owed to the Company. A recently filed federal securities fraud class action complaint alleges that Alto Neuroscience, Inc., through certain of its officers, made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Companys business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, the complaint alleges that Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that ALTO-100 was less effective in treating MDD than Defendants had led investors to believe, that ALTO-100s clinical, regulatory, and commercial prospects were overstated, and that as a result, Altos business and financial prospects were overstated. Consequently, the Companys public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. What You Can Do Now: You may be able to pursue changes to the companys corporate governance practices, seek the recovery of funds for the company, and request a court-approved incentive award, all at no cost to you. You can click or copy and paste the link below in a browser to join this action: https://www.johnsonfistel.com/investigations/alto-neuroscience-inc/ or contact Johnson Fistel, PLLP at (619) 814-4471, or email jimb@johnsonfistel.com. You may be eligible to seek corporate reforms, the return of funds to the Company, and a court-approved incentive award at no cost to you. About Johnson Fistel, PLLP: Johnson Fistel, PLLP is a nationally recognized shareholder rights law firm representing individual and institutional investors in shareholder derivative and securities class action lawsuits. For more information about the firm and its attorneys, please visit https://www.johnsonfistel.com. Attorney advertising. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Services may be performed by attorneys in any of our offices. Johnson Fistel, PLLP has paid for the dissemination of this promotional communication, and Frank J. Johnson is the attorney responsible for its content. Contact: Johnson Fistel, PLLP 501 W. Broadway, Suite 800, San Diego, CA 92101 James Baker, Investor Relations or Frank J. Johnson, Esq. (619) 814-4471 | jimb@johnsonfistel.com or fjohnson@johnsonfistel.com NEW YORK, Oct. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SweepstakesTable.com has released its recent comprehensive analysis of instant withdrawal casinos and the fastest payout online casino sites accepting US players. This report examines which platforms deliver on their speed promises, which payment methods actually process in minutes rather than days, and which casinos have optimized their verification and cashout systems to eliminate the frustrating waiting periods that plague traditional online gambling sites. Withdrawal speed has become the single most important factor in player satisfaction across the US online casino market in 2025. After years of 5-7 day processing times becoming the industry norm, a new generation of operators has emerged that processes cashouts in hours rather than days. However, marketing claims often exceed reality, with many casinos advertising "instant withdrawals" while still imposing 24-48 hour pending periods or verification delays that negate any speed advantage. Key Insights: Fastest Payout Casinos in USA Fastest Payout Casinos : Elite operators processing e-wallet withdrawals within 1-6 hours and completing verification in under 30 minutes, delivering genuinely rapid access to winnings. : Elite operators processing e-wallet withdrawals within 1-6 hours and completing verification in under 30 minutes, delivering genuinely rapid access to winnings. Instant Withdrawal Casino Sites : Platforms that have eliminated traditional 24-48 hour pending periods, processing approved requests immediately through automated systems. : Platforms that have eliminated traditional 24-48 hour pending periods, processing approved requests immediately through automated systems. Quick Withdrawal Online Casinos : Sites optimizing every step from verification to payment processing, reducing total payout time from industry-standard 5-7 days to under 24 hours. : Sites optimizing every step from verification to payment processing, reducing total payout time from industry-standard 5-7 days to under 24 hours. High RTP Casino Sites : Platforms curating slot and table selections with return-to-player rates consistently above 96%, giving players a mathematically stronger chance of sustained winnings over the long term. Platforms curating slot and table selections with return-to-player rates consistently above 96%, giving players a mathematically stronger chance of sustained winnings over the long term. Mobile Casino Platforms : Licensed and sweepstakes operators offering same-day cashouts via PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, and instant bank transfers, ensuring fast and reliable access to winnings on the go. >>> Explore the Complete List of Fastest Payout Casinos >>> What Qualifies as an "Instant Withdrawal" Casino? An instant withdrawal casino is a gambling platform that processes cashout requests in real-time or near-real-time, typically completing the transaction from withdrawal request to funds arriving in your account within 1 to 6 hours. This stands in stark contrast to traditional online casinos that impose 24-48 hour pending periods before even beginning to process withdrawals, followed by an additional 3-7 days for funds to actually arrive. In October 2025, the term "instant" has become somewhat diluted by marketing departments, with casinos claiming instant withdrawals while still operating multi-day processing systems. For this report, SweepstakesTable defines genuine instant withdrawal casinos using specific, measurable criteria that reflect actual player experience rather than theoretical best-case scenarios. The Three Tiers of Withdrawal Speed Tier 1: True Instant (Under 1 Hour) These casinos process withdrawals from request to account arrival in under one hour for at least one payment method, typically e-wallets like PayPal or Skrill. Pre-verified accounts experience zero pending periods, with funds moving immediately upon request approval. Characteristics: Automated withdrawal approval systems No manual review for amounts under $5,000-$10,000 E-wallet processing in 15 minutes to 1 hour Zero pending periods for verified accounts 24/7 processing capability for select methods Tier 2: Same-Day Fast (1-6 Hours) These platforms complete withdrawals within the same business day for e-wallets and select payment methods. While not technically "instant," they represent a massive improvement over industry norms. Characteristics: E-wallet withdrawals in 1-6 hours during business hours Minimal manual review processes Pre-verification systems that expedite future cashouts Clear processing windows published on the site Weekend/holiday processing may take 12-24 hours Tier 3: Next-Day Standard (12-24 Hours) These casinos advertise "fast" payouts but still impose some pending periods or manual reviews that extend processing into the next business day. Characteristics: 12-24 hour total processing time May include short pending periods (2-8 hours) Business days only (weekends add 1-2 days) Manual review for most withdrawals Actual arrival may extend to 24-48 hours Industry Comparison: Instant vs. Traditional Casinos Feature Instant Withdrawal Casinos (2025) Traditional Casinos E-Wallet Withdrawals 15 min - 6 hours 24-48 hours Instant Bank Transfers 1-4 hours N/A (not offered) Debit Card Payouts 12-24 hours 3-5 business days Bank Transfer Processing 1-2 business days 5-7 business days Pending Period 0-2 hours 24-48 hours standard Weekend Processing Available for e-wallets Monday processing only Verification Time 5-30 minutes (AI systems) 24-72 hours (manual) Manual Review Threshold $5,000-$10,000+ $500-$2,000 Processing Automation 90-95% automated 40-60% automated Average Total Time (E-wallet) 2-4 hours 36-48 hours Critical Insight: The difference between instant and traditional casinos is not just speed-it's automation. Instant withdrawal platforms have invested heavily in systems that eliminate human bottlenecks, allowing most cashouts to process without manual intervention. Why Withdrawal Speed Matters: Player Perspective The importance of fast withdrawals extends far beyond simple convenience. For players, payout speed is directly tied to trust, transparency, and the overall credibility of a casino. When winnings arrive quickly, players feel reassured that the operator is both legitimate and reliable. On the other hand, delays or long pending periods often create frustration, reduce repeat deposits, and can even drive players to competing platforms that promise faster access to funds. SweepstakesTable's recent survey of 2,100 US online casino players revealed that withdrawal speed influences much more than cashout timing. It shapes playing patterns, affects how often players are willing to deposit, and plays a decisive role in whether they return to the same platform in the future. In fact, for many respondents, quick and predictable payouts ranked as highly as game selection or bonus offers when choosing a casino. Fast withdrawals, then, are not just a nice-to-have feature - they are a critical component of modern online gambling, directly impacting both player satisfaction and long-term loyalty. Survey Results: How Players Value Fast Payouts Impact on Trust and Loyalty (2025) Player Behavior Players Reporting (%) Why It Matters Would switch casinos for faster payouts 82% Speed is a primary decision factor in 2025 Trust casinos more that pay quickly 89% Fast payouts signal financial stability and fairness Increased deposit frequency after fast cashout 67% Positive withdrawal experience drives continued play Would pay higher fees for instant withdrawals 54% Players value time over small transaction costs Stopped using casino due to slow payouts 71% Withdrawal delays are the #1 reason players leave Recommended casino to others after fast payout 76% Speed creates organic word-of-mouth marketing The Psychology of Instant Access to Winnings Immediate Gratification : Receiving winnings within hours creates a positive response that reinforces good associations with the casino. Traditional 5-7 day waits diminish this psychological reward. : Receiving winnings within hours creates a positive response that reinforces good associations with the casino. Traditional 5-7 day waits diminish this psychological reward. Trust Validation : Every delayed withdrawal creates doubt-"Will they actually pay me?" Instant cashouts eliminate this anxiety, proving the casino's legitimacy with every transaction. : Every delayed withdrawal creates doubt-"Will they actually pay me?" Instant cashouts eliminate this anxiety, proving the casino's legitimacy with every transaction. Bankroll Management : Players who can access winnings quickly have better control over their gambling budgets, reducing the temptation to "play back" winnings while waiting for payouts. : Players who can access winnings quickly have better control over their gambling budgets, reducing the temptation to "play back" winnings while waiting for payouts. Financial Flexibility: Fast withdrawals allow players to use winnings for real-life expenses or opportunities without waiting days, making gambling winnings feel like actual money rather than theoretical balance numbers. How Instant Withdrawal Casinos Actually Work The technology and infrastructure behind instant withdrawal casinos represents a fundamental reimagining of how online gambling platforms handle money movement. Traditional casinos were built with manual approval processes, conservative risk management, and banking systems designed for a pre-digital era. Modern instant withdrawal platforms have invested millions in automation, real-time risk assessment, and payment partnerships that enable speed without sacrificing security. The Traditional Casino Withdrawal Process Understanding why most casinos are slow helps explain why instant platforms are remarkable: Step 1: Withdrawal Request (Player Action) Player submits cashout request through account dashboard Request enters "pending" status immediately Step 2: Pending Period (24-48 Hours) Withdrawal sits in queue waiting for review Player can still cancel and play back funds during this window Casino claims this is for "security" but primarily serves to reduce cashouts Step 3: Manual Review (2-24 Hours) Finance team reviews account activity Checks for bonus abuse, wagering completion, duplicate accounts Verifies identity documents if not already done Flags suspicious patterns for detailed investigation Step 4: Payment Processing (Variable) If approved, request moves to payment processor Processor batch-processes transactions (usually once or twice daily) Payment method determines final speed (e-wallets faster than cards) Step 5: Banking System Transfer (1-5 Business Days) Funds move through traditional banking networks ACH transfers take 3-5 business days Card networks take 1-3 business days Wire transfers take 1-2 business days Total Traditional Timeline: 3-7 business days minimum, often extending to 10+ days for first-time withdrawals The Instant Withdrawal Casino Process Step 1: Withdrawal Request with Instant Pre-Screening (Seconds) Player submits request through account interface AI system instantly analyzes: account verification status, wagering requirement completion, bonus terms compliance, betting pattern analysis, previous withdrawal history 85-90% of requests pass automated screening immediately Flagged requests (10-15%) route to express manual review Step 2: Real-Time Risk Assessment (Under 60 Seconds) Machine learning algorithms evaluate fraud risk factors System cross-references against known abuse patterns Verification documents checked via AI image recognition Payment method validation occurs automatically Decision rendered in 15-60 seconds for clean accounts Step 3: Automated Approval and Processing (Immediate) Approved withdrawals trigger instant payment processor notification No batching-each transaction processes individually Payment routing optimized based on method and amount Real-time balance adjustment in player account Step 4: Instant Payment Method Execution (Method-Dependent) E-Wallets : API calls to PayPal/Skrill/Neteller process in real-time (15 minutes - 6 hours) : API calls to PayPal/Skrill/Neteller process in real-time (15 minutes - 6 hours) Instant Bank Transfers : Trustly/Plaid connections enable same-day ACH (1-4 hours) : Trustly/Plaid connections enable same-day ACH (1-4 hours) Cards: Fast-track processing through priority banking channels (12-24 hours) Total Instant Timeline: 15 minutes to 24 hours depending on payment method, with e-wallets achieving fastest status under 6 hours. Key Technologies Enabling Instant Withdrawals AI-Powered Document Verification Modern instant withdrawal casinos use computer vision and machine learning to verify identity documents in 5-15 minutes instead of 24-72 hours. Systems analyze: Document authenticity (detecting forgeries) Photo-to-selfie matching Address verification against utility bills Cross-referencing multiple identity proofs This eliminates the verification bottleneck that historically delayed first-time withdrawals. Real-Time Payment APIs Instant casinos integrate directly with payment processors using APIs that enable real-time transactions: PayPal Commerce Platform for instant e-wallet transfers Trustly and Plaid for instant bank connections Visa Direct and Mastercard Send for fast card payouts Modern systems process individually, not in batches Risk Management Automation Instead of manual fraud review, sophisticated algorithms provide instant risk assessment: Behavioral pattern recognition Transaction velocity monitoring Device fingerprinting IP geolocation verification Social network analysis of linked accounts This allows 90%+ of legitimate withdrawals to process without human intervention. >>> Explore Quick Withdrawal Casinos >>> Payment Methods Ranked by Actual Withdrawal Speed Not all payment methods are created equal when it comes to instant withdrawals. Even at the fastest casinos, certain payment types inherently process more quickly due to infrastructure limitations, banking regulations, or network capabilities. Here's the definitive hierarchy based on real-world testing across 67 casinos in October 2025. Tier 1: True Instant Methods (Under 1 Hour) PayPal Average Processing Time : 2-4 hours during business hours : 2-4 hours during business hours Best-Case Speed : 15-60 minutes : 15-60 minutes Worst-Case Speed : 12-24 hours on weekends : 12-24 hours on weekends Availability : Limited to state-licensed casinos (NJ, PA, MI, WV, CT) : Limited to state-licensed casinos (NJ, PA, MI, WV, CT) Fees : Usually free : Usually free Limits: $10-$5,000 per transaction typically Why It's Fast: PayPal's real-time API connections with licensed casinos enable near-instant fund transfers once the casino approves the withdrawal. Funds appear in PayPal balance immediately and can be spent via PayPal or transferred to a bank. Drawbacks: Only available at fully regulated, state-licensed casinos. Not an option for offshore/sweepstakes platforms. Withdrawal limits often lower than other methods. Suitable For: Players at regulated state casinos prioritizing safety and speed, those who already use PayPal for other transactions, and players wanting buyer protection features. Skrill and Neteller Average Processing Time : 1-6 hours : 1-6 hours Best-Case Speed : 30 minutes to 2 hours : 30 minutes to 2 hours Worst-Case Speed : 12-24 hours : 12-24 hours Availability : 60% of US-facing casinos (more common than PayPal) : 60% of US-facing casinos (more common than PayPal) Fees : Usually free, sometimes 1-2% withdrawal fee : Usually free, sometimes 1-2% withdrawal fee Limits: $10-$10,000 per transaction Why It's Fast: Similar to PayPal, these e-wallets maintain direct API integrations with online casinos. Once approved, funds transfer almost instantly to your e-wallet account. Drawbacks: Less common in the US than PayPal. May require currency conversion fees for USD players. Must maintain separate e-wallet accounts. Suitable For: International players, those using casinos that don't accept PayPal, and players who prefer keeping gambling funds separate from primary bank accounts. Instant Bank Transfer (Trustly, Plaid) Average Processing Time : 1-4 hours : 1-4 hours Best-Case Speed : 30 minutes to 2 hours : 30 minutes to 2 hours Worst-Case Speed : 6-24 hours : 6-24 hours Availability : 40% of newer casinos : 40% of newer casinos Fees : Usually free : Usually free Limits: $10-$10,000 per transaction Why It's Fast: These services connect directly to your bank account and use real-time ACH transfers instead of traditional 3-5 day processing. Funds arrive in your actual bank account, not an intermediary wallet. Drawbacks: Not universally supported by all banks. Requires sharing bank login credentials with the service (secure but uncomfortable for some). Limited to business hours for fastest processing. Suitable For: Players who want speed but prefer funds in their bank account rather than e-wallets, those without credit cards, and players at casinos not offering faster methods. Tier 2: Fast-Track Traditional Methods (12-48 Hours) Debit Cards (Visa, Mastercard) Average Processing Time : 12-24 hours : 12-24 hours Best-Case Speed : 6-12 hours : 6-12 hours Worst-Case Speed : 2-3 business days : 2-3 business days Availability : 85% of casinos : 85% of casinos Fees : Sometimes 2-3% processing fee : Sometimes 2-3% processing fee Limits: $10-$5,000 per transaction Casinos using Visa Direct and Mastercard Send can push funds to debit cards much faster than traditional card processing. However, it still requires bank network participation and doesn't work 24/7. Drawbacks: Only works with debit cards, not credit cards. Some banks don't support fast-track deposits to cards. Weekend transactions process Monday. Suitable For: Players without e-wallets who want reasonably fast access, those preferring funds directly on their debit card, and casual players not needing absolute fastest speeds. Apple Pay and Google Pay Average Processing Time : 12-24 hours : 12-24 hours Best-Case Speed : 6-12 hours : 6-12 hours Worst-Case Speed : 24-48 hours : 24-48 hours Availability : 25% of newer mobile-first casinos : 25% of newer mobile-first casinos Fees : Usually free : Usually free Limits: $10-$2,000 per transaction typically These mobile payment methods connect to your bank account or card, but withdrawal processing speed depends on the underlying payment method. Generally faster than traditional options but not truly instant. Drawbacks: Lower limits than other methods. Not widely available yet. Processing time varies based on linked payment source. Suitable For: Mobile-first players, those already using Apple/Google Pay for deposits, and players making smaller withdrawals under $2,000. Tier 3: Traditional Slow Methods (3-7 Business Days) ACH Bank Transfer Average Processing Time : 3-5 business days : 3-5 business days Best-Case Speed : 2-3 business days : 2-3 business days Worst-Case Speed : 5-7 business days : 5-7 business days Availability : 90% of casinos : 90% of casinos Fees : Usually free : Usually free Limits: $50-$50,000+ Traditional ACH (Automated Clearing House) processes in batches and follows the banking network's multi-day settlement schedule. No way to accelerate this through casino optimization. Drawbacks: Slowest common method. Adds weekends to processing time. No real advantage over faster options except higher limits. Suitable For: High rollers withdrawing amounts exceeding e-wallet limits ($10,000+), players without access to faster methods, and those comfortable waiting for security of traditional banking. Wire Transfer Average Processing Time : 3-5 business days : 3-5 business days Best-Case Speed : 1-2 business days : 1-2 business days Worst-Case Speed : 5-7 business days : 5-7 business days Availability : 70% of casinos : 70% of casinos Fees : $15-$35 per transaction : $15-$35 per transaction Limits: $500-$100,000+ Why It's Slow: Despite being intended for large transfers, wire transfers require manual processing at both the sending and receiving banks. Intermediary banks add delays. Drawbacks: Expensive fees. Processing time similar to free ACH transfers. Mostly used for international transactions or very large amounts. Suitable For: International players, those withdrawing $25,000+, and situations where other methods aren't available for large amounts. Paper Check (Mail) Average Processing Time : 7-14 business days : 7-14 business days Best-Case Speed : 5-7 business days : 5-7 business days Worst-Case Speed : 14-21 days : 14-21 days Availability : 40% of casinos (declining) : 40% of casinos (declining) Fees : $5-$25 per check : $5-$25 per check Limits: $50-$10,000 Why It's Slowest: Physical mail depends on postal service timelines. Checks must be printed, mailed, received, and deposited before clearing. Drawbacks: Extremely slow. Risk of lost mail. Must manually deposit at bank. Outdated method. Suitable For: Players with no other options, those without bank accounts or e-wallets, and situations where digital methods are unavailable. Payment Method Speed Comparison Table Payment Method Optimal Speed Average Speed Worst Speed Availability Suitable For PayPal 15-60 min 2-4 hours 12-24 hours Licensed casinos only State-regulated casino players Skrill/Neteller 30 min-2 hrs 1-6 hours 12-24 hours 60% International players, speed seekers Instant Bank Transfer 30 min-2 hrs 1-4 hours 6-24 hours 40% Direct bank account deposits Debit Card 6-12 hours 12-24 hours 2-3 days 85% Moderate speed, direct to card Apple/Google Pay 6-12 hours 12-24 hours 24-48 hours 25% Mobile-first players ACH Transfer 2-3 days 3-5 days 5-7 days 90% Large withdrawals, no rush Wire Transfer 1-2 days 3-5 days 5-7 days 70% International, very large amounts Paper Check 5-7 days 7-14 days 14-21 days 40% Last resort only For true instant withdrawals, e-wallets (PayPal, Skrill, Neteller) or instant bank transfers provide same-day access. Debit cards offer reasonable speed as a middle ground. Traditional ACH, wire transfers, and checks should be avoided when speed matters. How to Verify a Casino's Actual Withdrawal Speed Marketing claims about instant withdrawals often diverge significantly from reality. Casinos advertise "instant payouts" while burying pending periods, verification delays, and manual review processes in fine print. Before trusting any platform's speed claims, players should verify actual processing times using specific testing methods that reveal true performance. Check the Terms and Conditions Every legitimate casino publishes withdrawal processing times in their terms, though often buried deep in the document. Look for: "Pending period" duration (0 hours is ideal, 24-48 hours is traditional) "Processing time" estimates by payment method "Verification requirements" that might delay first withdrawal "Manual review thresholds" (amounts triggering human review) "Business days" versus "calendar days" (business days exclude weekends) Red Flag: Vague language like "withdrawals processed as quickly as possible" without specific timeframes suggests the casino is not confident in its speed. Test Customer Support Before depositing, ask support specific questions: Questions to Ask: "What is the exact processing time for [your preferred payment method]?" "Is there a pending period before processing begins?" "How long does account verification take for first-time withdrawals?" "Do you process withdrawals on weekends and holidays?" "What is the threshold for manual review versus automatic approval?" Quality casinos will provide specific, confident answers. Evasive or uncertain responses indicate they do not actually prioritize speed. Research Recent Player Reviews Check multiple review platforms for recent (last 3-6 months) withdrawal experiences: Where to Look: Reddit (r/onlinegambling) Trustpilot AskGamblers Casinomeister forums SweepstakesTable user reviews What to Look For: Recent positive reviews mentioning specific fast payout times Complaints about delays, pending periods, or verification issues Patterns of slow payouts despite marketing claims Ratio of positive to negative withdrawal experiences Warning Sign: If multiple recent reviews mention withdrawal delays, the casino's "instant" claims are likely exaggerated. Check Payment Method Details Review the casino's banking/cashier page for specifics: Good Signs: Specific timeframes listed for each method (e.g., "PayPal: 2-4 hours") Clear explanation of verification requirements Statement like "No pending periods for verified accounts" 24/7 processing noted for e-wallets Transparent fee structure Bad Signs: Generic "instant withdrawals available" with no method-specific details No mention of pending periods (suggests they exist but are hidden) Vague "processing times vary" language Only showing deposit methods, not withdrawal specifics How to Check Casinos Withdrawal Speed After Registration 1. Complete Verification Immediately The single biggest withdrawal delay for most players is unfinished account verification. Test the casino's verification speed: Testing Process: Register account Immediately upload ID, proof of address, and payment method verification Note submission timestamp Track how long approval takes Speed Benchmarks: Excellent: Under 30 minutes (AI verification) Good: 1-4 hours Acceptable: 4-24 hours Slow: 24-72 hours or longer If verification takes more than 24 hours, expect similarly slow withdrawal processing. 2. Make a Minimum Test Deposit Do not start with a large deposit. Test with the minimum amount: Smart Approach: Deposit the minimum required ($10-$25 typically) Play through any mandatory wagering if required Request a test withdrawal of $50-$100 Why This Works: Small withdrawals often process faster and reveal the casino's actual capabilities without risking significant funds. 3. Request Test Withdrawal After minimal play, request a small withdrawal to gauge true processing speed: Documentation Process: Note exact time of withdrawal request Screenshot the pending status Track when status changes to "processing" Record when status changes to "completed" Confirm actual arrival time in your payment account Calculate Total Time: Pending time: Request to processing start Processing time: Processing start to completion Arrival time: Completion to funds in your account Total real time: Request to funds available Compare this against advertised speeds. If reality exceeds promises by more than 2-4 hours, the casino is not truly "instant." Warning Signs During Testing The Pending Period Trap Watch for withdrawals that sit in "pending" status for 24-48 hours before the casino even begins processing. This negates any "instant" claims since you cannot access funds during pending. Verification Delays Some casinos request additional verification documents after withdrawal requests, even for verified accounts. This creates artificial delays and should be considered a red flag. Manual Review for Small Amounts If withdrawals under $500-$1,000 require manual review, the casino has not invested in modern automation and will be consistently slow. Payment Method Unavailability Casinos sometimes advertise instant e-wallet withdrawals but conveniently make them "temporarily unavailable" when players try to withdraw, forcing slower methods. Red Flags: Fake Instant Withdrawal Claims Not every casino advertising instant payouts actually delivers. Some operators use "instant" as a marketing buzzword while maintaining the same slow processes as traditional platforms. Learning to identify these fake speed claims protects players from disappointment and prevents deposits at casinos that will not respect your time. Hidden Pending Periods The most common tactic involves mandatory pending windows before processing begins. How It Works: Casino advertises "instant e-wallet withdrawals in 1-2 hours" Player requests PayPal withdrawal Withdrawal enters 24-hour pending status where the casino "reviews" it After 24 hours, the PayPal transaction finally processes in 2 hours Total actual time: 26 hours, not 2 hours The Fine Print: Terms buried in the withdrawals section reveal "all withdrawals subject to 24-48 hour security review" making instant claims technically true for the final processing step but practically meaningless for total time. Red Flag Language: "Instant processing after approval" "Fastest payment methods available" "Up to 24 hours for security verification" These phrases signal that instant payouts only apply after a non-instant delay. Bait-and-Switch Payment Methods Some casinos advertise instant withdrawals but make the fastest methods difficult or impossible to use. Common Tactics: E-wallets available for deposits but "unavailable" for withdrawals Instant methods requiring minimum withdrawal amounts of $500-$1,000+ Fast options only available to "VIP" players who wager $10,000+ Example: A casino prominently features "Instant PayPal Withdrawals" on their homepage. When you try to withdraw, PayPal shows as "under maintenance" and has been for weeks. The only available option is bank transfer taking 5-7 days. Excessive Verification Requirements Legitimate instant withdrawal casinos verify accounts quickly and once. Problematic platforms use verification as a delay tactic. Suspicious Patterns: Requesting the same documents multiple times Rejecting clear, valid documents for minor reasons Asking for additional unusual verification after withdrawal request Taking 3-5 days to review standard ID documents Requiring video verification calls for small withdrawals Real Example: Player completes KYC verification, then requests $200 withdrawal. Casino suddenly demands proof of employment, 6 months of bank statements, and a video call before processing the cashout-despite the account being "verified." Manual Review for All Amounts True instant withdrawal casinos automate 85-90% of cashouts. Fake instant platforms manually review everything. Warning Signs: All withdrawals "reviewed by finance team" Processing only during business hours (9 AM - 5 PM Monday-Friday) No automatic approvals regardless of amount Generic "processing times may vary" with no specifics If a casino cannot process a $50 withdrawal automatically, they do not have instant withdrawal infrastructure. Reversal Windows and Forced Play-Back Some casinos allow players to cancel pending withdrawals, creating a window where they hope you will reverse the cashout and lose the money back. How It Works: You request $500 withdrawal Withdrawal sits "pending" for 48 hours During pending, you can cancel anytime Casino hopes you will get impatient, cancel, and play the money back 43% of players do exactly this True instant withdrawal casinos eliminate reversal windows by processing immediately. If you can cancel your withdrawal for more than 2-4 hours, the casino is not prioritizing speed. Unrealistic Speed Claims Some casinos make promises that are technically impossible given payment method limitations. Impossible Claims: "Instant bank transfer withdrawals in 5 minutes" (ACH takes 1-3 days minimum) "Instant debit card payouts in under an hour" (card networks require 6-12 hours minimum) "Instant wire transfers" (wires take 1-3 business days by definition) If a casino claims speeds that exceed the payment method's technical capabilities, they are lying. Withdrawal Limits That Force Delays Some casinos set extremely low withdrawal limits that force multiple transactions, each with its own processing time. Example: Casino advertises "instant withdrawals" Maximum withdrawal is $500 per transaction Maximum 1 withdrawal per 24 hours You win $5,000 Result: Even with "instant" processing, it takes 10 days to withdraw your full winnings due to artificial limits. Pro Tips for Maximizing Withdrawal Speed at Any Casino Even at casinos with instant withdrawal capabilities, players can inadvertently create delays through common mistakes. These proven strategies ensure you receive payouts in the shortest possible time regardless of which casino you are using. Complete KYC Verification Immediately After Registration This is the single most impactful action for fast withdrawals. Why It Matters: Most withdrawal delays occur because players wait until requesting their first cashout to complete verification. By then, you are anxious for your money and frustrated by the wait. Key Practices: Upload all verification documents within 30 minutes of registration Use high-quality, well-lit photos showing all four corners of documents Ensure text is clearly legible Match the name on your ID to your casino account name exactly Complete verification before making your first deposit Result: First-time withdrawal processed as fast as subsequent withdrawals, eliminating the typical 24-72 hour verification delay. Use the Same Payment Method for Deposits and Withdrawals Most casinos require withdrawals to return to the original deposit method for anti-money-laundering compliance. Strategy: If you want fast e-wallet withdrawals, deposit via e-wallet If you want PayPal withdrawals, deposit via PayPal If you deposited via debit card, your first withdrawal must return to that card Result: Eliminates verification friction and method-matching delays. Maintain Consistent Personal Information Ensure all account details match your verification documents exactly. Check: Full legal name (not nickname) Current residential address Date of birth Phone number Email address Result: Automatic verification systems approve your account instantly without flagging mismatches for manual review. Read and Understand Bonus Terms Before Claiming Bonuses often add wagering requirements that delay withdrawal eligibility. Smart Approach: Check wagering requirements (20x-40x is fair, 50x+ is excessive) Know which games count toward wagering (slots usually 100%, table games 10-25%) Understand time limits for completing wagering Note maximum bet restrictions while wagering bonuses Alternative: Decline the welcome bonus if you prioritize speed over bonus value. Without wagering requirements, you can withdraw after minimal play. Track Your Wagering Progress Many casinos display wagering progress in your account dashboard. Actions: Check progress regularly to know when you are eligible to withdraw Calculate remaining wagering: (Bonus amount wagering requirement) - amount wagered so far Focus on games that count 100% toward wagering (typically slots) Result: You know exactly when you can request a withdrawal without premature requests being rejected. Pro Tips: Withdrawal Request Optimization 1. Request Withdrawals During Business Hours Even at casinos with automated systems, business hours see faster processing. Optimal Times: Monday-Friday, 9 AM - 5 PM Eastern Time Avoid requesting late Friday (may wait until Monday) Avoid requesting on holidays Result: If any manual review is needed, staff are available to process quickly. 2. Choose the Fastest Available Payment Method Review all available options and select the fastest for your situation. Priority Order (Fastest to Slowest): PayPal (if available at your casino) Skrill or Neteller Instant bank transfer (Trustly/Plaid) Debit card Bank transfer (ACH) Wire transfer Paper check (last resort) Result: Maximizes speed based on payment infrastructure limitations. 3. Request Slightly Less Than Your Full Balance Some casinos process requests faster when you leave a small balance in your account. Example: Balance: $1,247 Request: $1,200 Leave: $47 This signals you are a returning player rather than someone cashing out completely and never returning. Result: May receive prioritized processing as a "continuing player" versus "one-time winner." 4. Include Complete Information in Withdrawal Requests Some casinos require additional details for certain methods. Provide: Correct email for PayPal/e-wallets Correct account details for bank transfers Double-check before submitting. One typo can delay your payout by days while support corrects it. PAA (Players Also Ask) What is the fastest withdrawal method at online casinos? E-wallets like PayPal, Skrill, and Neteller are consistently the fastest withdrawal methods, processing in 1-6 hours from approval to account arrival at trusted instant withdrawal casinos. PayPal is typically fastest for players at state-licensed casinos in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, while Skrill and Neteller offer similar speeds at sweepstakes platforms. Instant bank transfer services like Trustly and Plaid also provide same-day processing of 1-4 hours. Do instant withdrawal casinos charge fees? Fee structures vary by casino and payment method. E-wallets like PayPal and Skrill are usually free for withdrawals. Debit cards may incur 2-3% processing fees. Bank transfers and wire transfers sometimes have flat fees of $15-$35. Always check the casino's banking page for specific fee information before requesting a withdrawal. The fastest methods (e-wallets) typically have the lowest or zero fees. Are instant withdrawal casinos safe? Legitimate instant withdrawal casinos are as safe as traditional casinos. Verify the casino holds licensing from recognized regulators (MGA, UKGC, Curacao, or US state gaming boards), features games from established software providers like NetEnt and Pragmatic Play, displays SSL encryption (padlock icon in browser), publishes clear terms and conditions, offers responsive 24/7 customer support, and has positive player reviews from multiple sources. Can I withdraw without completing wagering requirements? No. If you claimed a welcome bonus or any promotion with wagering requirements, you must complete the specified amount of wagering before withdrawing. Attempting to withdraw before completion typically results in the bonus and associated winnings being forfeited. Check your account dashboard for wagering progress before requesting withdrawals. Do instant withdrawal casinos have withdrawal limits? Yes. Most casinos impose daily, weekly, or monthly withdrawal limits. Instant withdrawal casinos typically offer limits of $5,000-$10,000 per transaction, $20,000-$50,000 per week, and $100,000-$200,000 per month for regular players. VIP players often receive higher limits. Check the casino's banking or terms page for specific limits that apply to your account level. Conclusion: Leading Instant Withdrawal Casinos in 2025 The landscape of online casino withdrawals has transformed dramatically in 2025, with technology finally catching up to player expectations for immediate access to winnings. However, the gap between marketing claims and operational reality remains significant. Of the 67 US-facing casinos tested for this report, only 31% delivered genuine instant or same-day withdrawals consistently across multiple payment methods and account scenarios. What Separates the Standouts from the Rest The leading instant withdrawal casinos share five characteristics: Zero Pending Periods : They eliminate the traditional 24-48 hour limbo where withdrawals sit waiting for review, processing requests immediately upon submission for verified accounts. : They eliminate the traditional 24-48 hour limbo where withdrawals sit waiting for review, processing requests immediately upon submission for verified accounts. AI-Powered Verification : They approve account verification documents in 5-30 minutes using automated image recognition instead of 24-72 hour manual review processes. : They approve account verification documents in 5-30 minutes using automated image recognition instead of 24-72 hour manual review processes. Payment Method Diversity : They offer multiple instant options including e-wallets (1-6 hours) and instant bank transfers (1-4 hours), not just slow traditional methods. : They offer multiple instant options including e-wallets (1-6 hours) and instant bank transfers (1-4 hours), not just slow traditional methods. Extended Processing Hours : They maintain automated systems that process e-wallet withdrawals beyond standard business hours, including evenings and weekends, not just Monday-Friday 9-5. : They maintain automated systems that process e-wallet withdrawals beyond standard business hours, including evenings and weekends, not just Monday-Friday 9-5. Transparent Communication: They publish specific processing timeframes by payment method, clearly explain any delays, and consistently deliver on their speed promises. Every piece of withdrawal speed advice ultimately returns to one critical action: complete account verification immediately after registration. This single step eliminates the biggest delay factor in the first withdrawal process. Players who verify before depositing experience 2-3x faster first withdrawals than those who wait until cashout time to submit documents. Payment Method Reality Check Marketing emphasizes instant capabilities, but reality depends entirely on payment method selection: E-wallets deliver : PayPal, Skrill, and Neteller consistently process in 1-6 hours at well-operated casinos, providing genuinely fast access during business hours and reasonable speed on weekends. : PayPal, Skrill, and Neteller consistently process in 1-6 hours at well-operated casinos, providing genuinely fast access during business hours and reasonable speed on weekends. Instant bank transfers improving : Services like Trustly and Plaid now enable 1-4 hour processing to actual bank accounts, offering middle ground between e-wallet speed and traditional banking comfort. : Services like Trustly and Plaid now enable 1-4 hour processing to actual bank accounts, offering middle ground between e-wallet speed and traditional banking comfort. Traditional methods still slow: Debit cards take 12-24 hours minimum, ACH transfers require 3-5 business days, and wire transfers need 3-5 business days. These methods cannot be accelerated regardless of casino infrastructure. Quick Summary: How To Test Instant Widrawals Casinos No player should trust marketing claims without verification. The recommended safe testing protocol protects your bankroll while revealing true casino performance: Verify your account immediately after registration and track approval time Deposit only $20-$50 for initial testing Complete minimal play through requirements Request small test withdrawal of $50-$100 Document actual processing time versus advertised speeds Test weekend processing separately Make larger deposits only after confirming fast payout delivery Instant withdrawals provide maximum value for players who win occasionally but significantly, prefer keeping gambling funds separate from living expenses, want proof of casino legitimacy through fast payment action, play frequently and need quick access to roll winnings into next sessions responsibly, or feel tempted to play back pending withdrawals during traditional delay periods. Speed matters less if you gamble infrequently with small amounts, can comfortably wait 3-5 days for traditional bank transfers, withdraw only large amounts exceeding instant method limits, or prefer the familiarity of traditional banking over newer technologies. The Responsible Gambling Connection Fast withdrawals support responsible gambling by reducing play-back temptation during pending periods, enabling immediate separation of winnings from gambling accounts, making gambling results feel real and consequential, and allowing clear session endpoints with confirmed cashouts. However, speed requires discipline to prevent rapid redeposit cycles. Combine instant withdrawals with deposit limits, loss limits, session time limits, mandatory cooling-off periods after big wins or losses, and separate banking accounts for gambling versus living expenses. Final Thoughts Instant withdrawal casinos represent a genuine improvement in the US online gambling landscape in 2025. For players willing to use e-wallets or instant bank transfers, same-day access to winnings is now standard at well-operated platforms. However, due diligence remains essential. Verify licensing, test with small amounts, complete verification immediately, and choose payment methods that match your speed requirements. The casinos that invested in automated processing infrastructure, AI verification systems, and comprehensive payment partnerships are delivering on instant withdrawal promises. Those still operating legacy manual systems cannot compete on speed regardless of marketing claims. Choose accordingly, and your casino winnings will reach your account in hours instead of days or weeks. >>> Discover All Leading Fast Withdrawal Casino Sites >>> Attachment SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sixteen Intermountain Health hospitals have received Vizients 2025 Bernard A. Birnbaum, MD, Quality Leadership Awards for demonstrating excellence in high-quality clinical and patient care. Three hospitals Intermountain Fillmore Community, Intermountain Park City, and Intermountain St. George Regional hospitals were ranked number one in the country within their respective categories. Vizient, a leading health care performance improvement company, ranked the Intermountain hospitals as top health care performers in their annual Quality and Accountability Study, which looked at data from 1,220 hospitals across the United States. The study measured quality of patient care based in six factors: patient safety, mortality, effectiveness, efficiency, patient-centeredness and variation in care. These awards affirm that the priorities Intermountain is committed to (safety, high reliability, quality, and patient-centeredness) are not just aspirations, but realities taking hold across our system, said Cara Camiolo, MD, chief quality and safety officer for Intermountain Health. This recognition is the direct result of exceptional dedication and hard work of our frontline caregivers and managers delivering high-quality care." Intermountain Health hospitals were ranked in the following categories: Comprehensive Academic Medical Center Intermountain Medical Center: #4 Critical Access Hospital Intermountain Health Fillmore Community Hospital: #1 Intermountain Health Cassia Regional Hospital: #6 Intermountain Health Heber Community Hospital: #11 Complex Care Medical Center Intermountain Health Saint Joseph Hospital: #13 Community Hospital Intermountain Health American Fork Hospital: #2 Intermountain Health LDS Hospital: #6 Large, Specialized Complex Care Medical Center Intermountain Health St. George Regional Hospital: #1 Intermountain Health McKay-Dee Hospital: #4 Intermountain Health Utah Valley Hospital: #13 Small Community Hospital Intermountain Health Park City Hospital: #1 Intermountain Health Layton Hospital: #2 Intermountain Health Sevier Valley Hospital: #4 Intermountain Health Spanish Fork Hospital: #9 Intermountain Health Cedar City Hospital: #16 Intermountain Health Alta View Hospital: #18 The study factors in measures from the Vizient Clinical Data Base and includes performance data from the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey and the CDCs National Healthcare Safety Network. The Vizient Quality and Accountability Study helps participating hospitals and health systems understand their performance against their peers and identifies structures and processes associated with high performance in quality and safety across a broad spectrum of patient care activity. The recognition period is for work spanning July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025. To see the full list of hospitals on this years list, click here. ### Attachments Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Oct. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AKATI Sekurity, an award-winning MSSP, announced today that it has been named a 2025 MSP 501 AI MSP of the Year at the prestigious Channel Futures MSP 501 Gala held in Orlando, Florida on September 17. The award recognizes AKATI Sekurity's pioneering work in integrating artificial intelligence into its cybersecurity framework and developing proprietary AI solutions. AKATI Sekurity was honored as the 2025 AI MSP of the Year by the prestigious Channel Futures MSP 501. In the rapidly evolving landscape of managed services, the MSP 501 AI MSP of the Year award stands as a prestigious recognition of excellence in what has become the most transformative technology category for MSPs todayartificial intelligence. Only 13 companies from the entire MSP 501 qualified for this distinguished honor in 2025, underscoring both the rigorous standards of the award and the revolutionary nature of AI integration in the managed services sector. The qualification threshold requires AI revenue to constitute at least 10% of overall revenue, establishing a meaningful benchmark that separates true AI innovators from those merely experimenting with the technology. AKATI Sekurity was selected from among top industry finalists for its groundbreaking approach to creating proactive, intelligent security defenses that anticipate and mitigate cyber threats. "This award is a monumental testament to the relentless dedication and brilliant innovation of our entire team," said Krishna, CEO of AKATI Sekurity. "It recognizes our commitment to integrating artificial intelligence into our cybersecurity framework, creating proactive, intelligent defenses that stay ahead of the curve. To see our vision and hard work celebrated on such a grand stage is truly a humbling experience." "The AI MSP of the Year award celebrates those elite MSPs who have not merely adopted AI technologies but have pioneered their own commercial AI solutions, demonstrating exceptional vision and technical prowess," said Robert DeMarzo, VP Content, Informa Channels. "These leaders are redefining what it means to be a managed service provider in the AI era, transitioning from traditional IT support to becoming strategic business transformation partners." "In 2025, AI has emerged as the definitive competitive differentiator in the managed services industry," said David Raffo, Editor, MSP 501. "The award recipients represent the vanguard of a fundamental shift in how MSPs deliver value, moving beyond reactive support to predictive, proactive, and increasingly autonomous service delivery." Krishna thanked the MSP community and acknowledged the wonderful work that Channel Futures is doing for the MSP community. "Most importantly, we want to thank our clients and partners," Krishna added. "Your trust is the foundation of everything we do, and this win is as much yours as it is ours. We are more energized than ever to continue pushing the boundaries of what's possible in AI-driven security." Award Recognition The MSP 501 Special Awards are application-based for outstanding industry contribution by an organization or individual. The awards are voted on by a panel of judges who are industry leaders, including top global MSPs, industry analysts, and past winners. These award winners are judged for special accomplishments and achievements beyond just revenue and profit. The 2025 MSP 501 Special awards were presented in the following categories: MSP of the Year Executive of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award Newcomer of the Year Award Digital Innovator of the Year Award Vanguard Award Woman-Powered MSP of the Year Cybersecurity MSP of the Year AI MSP of the Year Cloud MSP of the Year About the MSP 501 The MSP 501, now in its 17th year, represents the best in the technology services industry, delivering outstanding vendor and platform-neutral advice and value to small, midsized, and enterprise customers. This year, the MSP 501 generated aggregate revenue of nearly $25 billion with average growth of recurring revenue of 19%. The MSP 501 is responsible for keeping their global customers safe, connected, and efficient. Many of their services and technology offerings focus on customer needs in the areas of AI, cloud, security, collaboration, networking, help desk, and remote monitoring and management. About AKATI Sekurity Established in 2007, AKATI Sekurity is a premier managed security service provider specializing in advanced cyber defense operations. With a presence across five continents serving over 400 global clients, the company embodies its ethos of "always striving ahead" in every facet of operations. Over two decades, AKATI Sekurity has mastered the complexities of today's evolving information security environments with an independent, in-depth risk management consulting approach. AKATI Sekurity provides clients with 24x7x365 security monitoring and offers a comprehensive suite of security services, approaching cyber defense from multiple angles including Managed Security Services (MSSP), Brand Protection and Darkweb Monitoring, Intel-Led Penetration Testing and Red Teaming, Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC), and Digital Forensics Investigation & Cyber Incident Response. About Channel Partners Channel Partners is a media and events destination for the information technology and communications industry. We provide information, perspective, and connection for the entire channel ecosystem, including solution providers (SPs), managed service providers (MSPs), managed security service providers (MSSPs), cloud service providers (CSPs), value-added resellers (VARs) and distributors, technology solutions brokerages, subagent and agents, as well as leading technology vendor partners and communication providers. Channel Partners properties include awards programs such as the Channel Partners MSP 501, a list of the most influential and fastest-growing providers of managed services in the technology industry; the Channel Circle of Excellence, which honors innovative leaders from top channel vendors and distributors; Channel Partners events, which delivers unparalleled in-person events including Channel Partners Conference & Expo and MSP Summit. Channel Partners is part of Informa Connect, a leading provider of live events, digital content and training for the global business technology community. Through in-depth expertise and an engaged audience community, Informa Connect helps business professionals make better technology decisions and marketers reach the most powerful tech buyers and influencers in the world. Informa Connect's portfolio includes more than 450 annual events. The Channel Partners media organization, owned and operated by Informa, is the only channel-centric events, media and research company that can provide such insight into the managed services market. Krishna Rajagopal, CEO of AKATI Sekurity (center), accepts the 2025 AI MSP of the Year award at the Channel Futures MSP Summit in Orlando, Florida. Media Contacts: AKATI Sekurity: Joanna Woon joanna@akati.com www.akati.com Channel Partners/Informa Connect: Dave Raffo Sr. Conference Editor & Community Manager | Informa Connect david.raffo@informa.com Sydney Kurtz Associate Marketing Manager Sydney.kurtz@informa.com Dublin, Oct. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Pharmacogenomics Market Report by Technology, Application, End User, and Region 2025-2033" has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global pharmacogenomics market size is projected to grow from USD 8.6 Billion in 2024 to USD 17.0 Billion by 2033, with a CAGR of 7.55% from 2025 to 2033. The pharmaceutical sector's growth worldwide is a key driver of market expansion. There's an increasing demand for precision medicines due to rising chronic lifestyle diseases, with targeted drug therapies offering minimal side effects. Pharmacogenomics plays a critical role in cancer treatment, optimizing the effectiveness and minimizing the adverse effects of chemotherapy and targeted therapies. Technological advancements, such as pharmacogenomic biomarker labeling, further contribute to this field by reducing adverse drug reactions and enhancing clinical outcomes. Additionally, heightened R&D activities and improved healthcare infrastructure are pivotal in driving market growth. Key Market Segmentation The market is segmented into various sub-segments, analyzed with forecasts at global, regional, and country levels from 2025-2033, based on technology, application, and end users. Breakup by Technology: Polymerase Chain Reaction Microarray DNA Sequencing Mass Spectrometry Electrophoresis Others Breakup by Application: Oncology Infectious Diseases Cardiovascular Diseases Neurological Diseases Psychiatry Pain Management Others Breakup by End User: Hospitals and Clinics Academic and Research Institutes Breakup by Region: North America:United States, Canada Asia-Pacific: China, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, Others Europe: Germany, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Russia, Others Latin America: Brazil, Mexico, Others Middle East and Africa Key Questions Answered: How big is the pharmacogenomics market? What is the future outlook of the pharmacogenomics market? What are the key factors driving the pharmacogenomics market? Which are the leading companies in the global pharmacogenomics market? Companies Featured in the Report: Abbott Laboratories AstraZeneca plc Bayer AG Becton Dickinson and Company Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc. F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG GlaxoSmithKline plc Illumina Inc. Johnson & Johnson Merck KGaA Myriad Genetics Inc. Qiagen N.V. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/exx2g9 About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. TORONTO, Oct. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In recognition of a transformational $6 million gift from The Hennick Family Foundation, York University is renaming one of its top-ranked programs and designations, the Hennick JD/MBA Program. The gift will provide scholarships and support world-class learning experiences, further elevating the programs reputation and student outcomes. On behalf of York University, I extend heartfelt thanks to Jay and Barbara Hennick for their visionary philanthropy and their enduring commitment to the Schulich School of Business and Osgoode Hall Law School over more than two decades, says President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda Lenton. Naming this exceptional program after the Hennicks reflects their commitment, as well as that of the University, to ensure that future leaders in business and law are equipped with the knowledge, skills and values they need to drive meaningful and positive change in the world. Jay and Barbara Hennick are prominent Canadian business leaders and philanthropists whose impact spans the fields of healthcare, education, and the arts. Together, they are the founders of The Hennick Family Foundation, established in 2008 to support charitable initiatives that reflect their familys values and passions. The Foundation plays a vital role in advancing access and excellence in areas such as medical research, higher education, and cultural enrichment across Canada and around the world. In recognition and support of the Hennicks generous donation, the University has also committed to matching a part of the funds with a further combined $2 million commitment from Osgoode, Schulich, and the University, bringing the total investment in the program to $8 million. We are delighted to have our name associated with such an iconic program as it approaches its 50th anniversary. By encouraging and supporting exceptional students to pursue a joint degree in business and law, we hope to broaden their perspectives and expand their career opportunities. This program will empower them to contribute meaningfully and prepare them to take on leadership roles in any field they choose, say Barbara and Jay Hennick. The Hennick JD/MBA program combines the three-year Osgoode Hall Law School Juris Doctor (JD) law degree with the two-year Schulich School of Business Master of Business Administration (MBA) to create a four-year combined program. Graduates will receive a Hennick JD/MBA certificate in recognition of their dual degrees. The joint program features a unique combination of courses to prepare students for the demands of leading-edge careers in business, law, public policy and a variety of fields in which the two disciplines intersect. More than 550 Osgoode/Schulich JD/MBA alumni hold positions of influence around the world a testament to the exceptional training they have received. We are truly honoured by Jay and Barbara Hennicks support, which will ensure that our internationally recognized JD/MBA program continues to thrive, allowing our students to pursue a wide range of career opportunities, says Trevor Farrow, Dean of Osgoode Hall Law School. This gift will strengthen recruitment and student support, expand programming and career mentorship, and foster further connections with our amazing alumni network across Canada and around the world. Building on current strengths, the Hennick JD/MBA program will provide students with the knowledge and perspective needed to lead in law, business, and society. This investment propels the JD/MBA program forward, giving us the resources to expand, innovate, and attract top students whether in law or business, adds Detlev Zwick, Dean of the Schulich School of Business. It strengthens an already exceptional program and positions our graduates to make an even greater impact in the years ahead. For more information about the program, visit the website . - 30 - About Osgoode Hall Law School A world-recognized centre of excellence in legal education, Osgoode Hall Law School of York University has a proud history of shaping Canadas leading lawyers, scholars and thought leaders. Committed to excellence and innovation in legal education and research, Osgoode offers a rigorous and accessible Juris Doctor (JD) program, graduate research degrees (LLM and PhD), and a wide range of professional LLMs and certificates at Osgoodes York University and downtown Toronto campuses. About the Schulich School of Business Recognized as Canadas Global Business School, the Schulich School of Business offers undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate programs that prepare students for success in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. With campuses at York University and in downtown Toronto, and partnerships with leading schools worldwide, Schulich provides a global, innovative, and diverse learning experience. The School pioneered North Americas first cross-border Executive MBA and offers one of the largest portfolios of one-year specialized masters programs. Today, Schulichs network includes more than 37,000 alumni working in over 90 countries, and the School is consistently ranked among Canadas and the worlds top business schools. Fort Lauderdale, FL, Oct. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Onyx Reserve is set to welcome an exclusive group of investors, founders, and cultural leaders to its Investor Gala on October 4, 2025, hosted by Eric McNeil, President and Fund Manager of The Onyx Reserve Fund, and Tommy S. Shields, Head of Founder Relations. The high-profile event will take place in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and will also feature a private online webinar for accredited participants unable to attend in person. The Investor Gala marks one of The Onyx Reserves most anticipated events of the year, bringing together visionary entrepreneurs, capital partners, and brand innovators in an invitation-only setting designed to foster meaningful connections and high-level dealmaking. This is more than a networking eventits an environment where strategic capital meets cultural leadership, said Eric McNeil. Our goal is to curate an elevated space where opportunities naturally align with innovation. Tommy S. Shields added, The Onyx Reserve was built on relationships. Tomorrows event is a testament to the power of putting the right people in the right room. Were excited to see the partnerships and ventures that will emerge from this evening. The evening will feature curated programming, strategic introductions, and brand activations led by members of The Onyx Reserve team, including Brand Activation Strategist Alexa Collins and Executive Assistant Lauren Schondau. Guests will also have the opportunity to learn more about The Onyx Reserve Fund, a private investment vehicle offered under Regulation D, Rule 506(c), exclusively available to accredited investors. For those unable to attend in person, The Onyx Reserve will host a live webinar on the same day. Interested accredited investors can request access through the official websites events page. Event Information Date: October 4, 2025 Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL Access: By invitation only. Webinar available for accredited investors. Website: https://theonyxreserve.com/events About The Onyx Reserve The Onyx Reserve is a private investment platform designed for visionary investors and cultural leaders. Through exclusive events, brand activations, and strategic partnerships, The Onyx Reserve connects capital with innovation in curated settings that drive real-world outcomes. Legal Disclosure: The Onyx Reserve Fund is offered under Regulation D, Rule 506(c), and is available only to accredited investors. This communication is for informational purposes and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy securities. Past performance is not indicative of future results. LONDON, Oct. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Apollo Art Auctions is pleased to announce its upcoming Ancient Art & Antiquities E-Sale, taking place on Sunday, 12 October 2025. This carefully curated auction brings together an exceptional selection of works from across the ancient world, encompassing Classical Europe, Egypt, and the Near East, alongside distinguished pieces from the Islamic world, India, and China. Every lot is meticulously handled by Apollos dedicated white-glove packing team, with all shipping carried out securely in-house to ensure the highest level of care for each acquisition. Auction Highlights A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on this link. Lot 1700 Merovingian Iron Longsword with Inlaid Guard, Rock Crystal Pommel and Scabbard Fittings Merovingian swords are among the most celebrated weapons of early medieval Europe, emerging at the crossroads of the late Roman and Migration periods. This rare example demonstrates the fusion of cultures: Roman military traditions combined with the Germanic mastery of iron production, resulting in durable blades ideal for battle. Its rock crystal pommel, inlaid with garnets sourced from Byzantine workshops, reflects the eras far-reaching trade and cultural exchange, making this piece both beautiful and formidable. View lot Lot 1721 Rare Elamite Silver Beaker with Procession of Ram Heads Dating to the Middle Bronze Age, this silver beaker would have been used for mixing ritual liquids during ceremonies and significant communal events. The ram motif symbolised strength and resilience, qualities admired and embodied by Elamite society. Vessels such as this illuminate the transition of prehistoric cultures into organised, ceremonial civilisations, where art and ritual became central to identity and social order. View lot Lot 1476 Large Greek Geometric Pottery Amphora Produced in Athens during the Geometric period (9th8th century BC), this amphora represents one of the most iconic stages in Greek ceramic art. It reflects a pivotal moment when Greek society transitioned into the Iron Age and artists began introducing human figures into ritual and funerary scenes. This vessel exemplifies that movement, capturing the emerging creativity and identity of a society on the brink of its classical flowering. View lot Lot 1405 Egyptian Stone Figure of Osiris (Museum-Exhibited) This finely carved figure represents Osiris, the god of the afterlife, among the most revered deities of ancient Egypt. Shown mummified, Osiris embodies resurrection and eternal lifeconcepts at the heart of Egyptian belief. His myth, in which his brother Seth dismembers him and Isis reassembles his body, leading to the birth of Horus, made Osiris a powerful symbol of death, renewal, and kingship. Such figures were central to ritual practice and devotion, affirming the Egyptians profound focus on the afterlife. View lot Lot 1622 Byzantine Silver-Gilt Shallow Bowl with Complex Ornament This elegant bowl illustrates the dynamic cultural exchanges of the Byzantine era, a time when artistic traditions of the Christian and Islamic worlds intersected. Its form follows Roman prototypes, while its intricate decoration draws inspiration from both Byzantine and Islamic motifs, revealing how artisans adapted designs to appeal to diverse markets. The result is a remarkable object that embodies dialogue and competition between two great cultural spheres. View lot Auction Details The Ancient Art & Antiquities E-Sale will be held Sunday, 12 October 2025, live online via the Apollo Art Auctions platform. For further details, to view the full catalogue, or to register to bid, please contact enquiries@apolloauctions.com or call (+44) 7424 994167. NEW YORK, Oct. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ACG Metals Limited (LSE: ACG), listed in London and operating a copper-gold Gediktepe mine in Turkey, focused on the consolidation of the copper sector, today announced that Artem Volynets, CEO, and Patrick Henze, CFO will present live at the Metals and Mining Virtual Investor Conference hosted by VirtualInvestorConferences.com, on October 7, 2025. DATE: October 7th TIME: 12:00 PM ET LINK: REGISTER HERE Available for 1x1 meetings: October 7th 15th. Schedule 1x1 Meetings here This will be a live, interactive online event where investors are invited to ask the Company questions in real-time. If attendees are not able to join the event live on the day of the conference, an archived webcast will also be made available after the event. It is recommended that online investors pre-register and run the online system check to expedite participation and receive event updates. Learn more about the event at www.virtualinvestorconferences.com . About ACG Metals Limited ACG Metals is a company with a vision to consolidate the copper industry through a series of roll-up acquisitions, with best-in-class ESG and carbon footprint characteristics. In September 2024, ACG successfully completed the acquisition of the Gediktepe Mine which is expected to transition to primary copper and zinc production from 2026 and will target annual steady-state copper equivalent production of 20-25 kt. Gediktepe produced 55koz of AuEq in 2024, generating close to $90m in free cash flow and that cash generation is expected to significantly increase with transaction to the copper production. ACG's team has extensive operational and M&A experience built through decades spent at blue-chip multinationals in the sector. The team brings a significant network as well as a commitment to ESG principles and strong corporate governance. For more information about ACG, please visit: https://acgmetals.com/ About Virtual Investor Conferences Virtual Investor Conferences (VIC) is the leading proprietary investor conference series that provides an interactive forum for publicly traded companies to seamlessly present directly to investors. Providing a real-time investor engagement solution, VIC is specifically designed to offer companies more efficient investor access. Replicating the components of an on-site investor conference, VIC offers companies enhanced capabilities to connect with investors, schedule targeted one-on-one meetings and enhance their presentations with dynamic video content. Accelerating the next level of investor engagement, Virtual Investor Conferences delivers leading investor communications to a global network of retail and institutional investors. CONTACTS: Palatine Communications Advisor Conal Walsh / James Gilheany/ Kelsey Traynor/ Richard Seed acg@palatine-media.com Virtual Investor Conferences John M. Viglotti SVP Corporate Services, Investor Access OTC Markets Group (212) 220-2221 johnv@otcmarkets.com OKOTOKS, Alberta, Oct. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (TSX: MTL) Mullen Group Ltd. ("Mullen Group" and/or the "Corporation") intends to release its 2025 Third Quarter earnings results on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, at 6:00 a.m. ET, and has scheduled a conference call and webcast as follows: Date: October 22, 2025 Time: 10:00 a.m. ET Pre-Registration: registration link Upon registering, you will receive a calendar booking by email with dial in details and a unique PIN. This process will bypass the operator and avoid the queue. Registration will remain open until the end of the conference call. Dial-in: 1-833-752-3592 (for participants in North America) +1-647-846-8386 (International participants) Webcast: www.mullen-group.com Replay: Two weeks until November 5, 2025 by dialing 1-855-669-9658 (Canada/US toll free) or 1-412-317-0088 (International toll), access code 1376905 followed by the pound key. About Mullen Group Ltd. Mullen Group is a public company with a long history of acquiring companies in the transportation and logistics industries. Today, we have one of the largest portfolios of logistics companies in North America, providing a wide range of transportation, warehousing and distribution services through a network of independently operated businesses. Service offerings include less-than-truckload, customs brokerage, truckload, warehousing, logistics, transload, oversized, third-party logistics and specialized hauling transportation. In addition, our businesses provide a diverse set of specialized services related to the energy, mining, forestry and construction industries in western Canada, including water management, fluid hauling and environmental reclamation. The corporate office provides the capital and financial expertise, legal support, technology and systems support, shared services and strategic planning to its independent businesses. Mullen Group is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "MTL". Additional information is available on our website at www.mullen-group.com or on the Corporation's issuer profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Contact Information Mr. Murray K. Mullen - Chair, Senior Executive Officer and President Mr. Richard J. Maloney - Senior Operating Officer Mr. Carson P. Urlacher - Senior Financial Officer Ms. Joanna K. Scott - Senior Corporate Officer 121A - 31 Southridge Drive Okotoks, Alberta, Canada T1S 2N3 Telephone: 403-995-5200 Fax: 403-995-5296 LOS ANGELES, Oct. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP reminds investors of the upcoming October 14, 2025 deadline to file a lead plaintiff motion in the class action filed on behalf of investors who purchased or otherwise acquired KinderCare Learning Companies, Inc. (KinderCare or the Company) (NYSE: KLC) common stock pursuant and/or traceable to the Companys October 2024 initial public offering (the IPO). IF YOU SUFFERED A LOSS ON YOUR KINDERCARE INVESTMENTS, CLICK HERE TO INQUIRE ABOUT POTENTIALLY PURSUING CLAIMS TO RECOVER YOUR LOSS UNDER THE FEDERAL SECURITIES LAWS. What Happened? In October of 2024, KinderCare conducted its IPO, selling over 27 million shares of common stock at $24 per share. On April 3, 2025, the Bear Cave published a report alleging, among other things, that KinderCare fails to deliver the safe and nurturing environment it promises parents and taxpayers and is a broken business that harms the children and families it claims to help. Specifically, the report detailed several incidents of child neglect and abuse that had occurred at KinderCare daycares and stated that on several occasions, individuals employed by KinderCare were later arrested on charges of child sex abuse. On this news, KinderCares stock price fell $1.59, or 12.4%, to close at $11.19 per share on April 3, 2025, thereby injuring investors. Then, on June 5, 2025, the Bear Cave published a second report stating that allegations against [KinderCare] are growing, [and] lawmakers are demanding accountability. Specifically, the report cited a statement from a congresswoman questioning the continued federal funding of KinderCare. On this news, KinderCares stock price fell $0.63, or 5.5%, to close at $10.78 per share on June 5, 2025, thereby injuring investors further. What Is The Lawsuit About? The complaint filed in this class action alleges that throughout the Registration Statement, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Companys business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants failed to disclose to investors: (1) that numerous incidents of child abuse, neglect, and harm had occurred at KinderCare facilities; (2) that KinderCare did not provide the highest quality care possible at its facilities, and, indeed, in numerous instances had failed to provide even basic care, meet minimum standards in the child care industry, or comply with the laws and regulations governing the care of children; (3) that, as a result of the foregoing, KinderCare was exposed to a material, undisclosed risk of lawsuits, adverse regulatory action, negative publicity, reputational damage, and business loss; and (4) as a result, Defendants positive statements about the Companys business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times. If you purchased or otherwise acquired KinderCare common stock pursuant and/or traceable to the IPO, you may move the Court no later than October 14, 2025 to request appointment as lead plaintiff in this putative class action lawsuit. Contact Us To Participate or Learn More: If you wish to learn more about this action, or if you have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact us: Charles Linehan, Esq., Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP, 1925 Century Park East, Suite 2100, Los Angeles California 90067 Email: shareholders@glancylaw.com Telephone: 310-201-9150, Toll-Free: 888-773-9224 Visit our website at www.glancylaw.com. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook. If you inquire by email, please include your mailing address, telephone number and number of shares purchased. To be a member of the class action you need not take any action at this time; you may retain counsel of your choice or take no action and remain an absent member of the class action. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. Contact Us: Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP, 1925 Century Park East, Suite 2100 Los Angeles, CA 90067 Charles Linehan Email: shareholders@glancylaw.com Telephone: 310-201-9150 Toll-Free: 888-773-9224 Visit our website at: www.glancylaw.com. LOS ANGELES, Oct. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Portnoy Law Firm advises Fluor Corporation, (Fluor or the "Company") (NYSE: FLR) investors of a class action on behalf of investors that bought securities between February 18, 2025 and July 31, 2025, inclusive (the Class Period). Fluor investors have until November 14, 2025 to file a lead plaintiff motion. Investors are encouraged to contact attorney Lesley F. Portnoy, by phone 844-767-8529 or email: lesley@portnoylaw.com, to discuss their legal rights, or join the case via https://portnoylaw.com/fluor. The Portnoy Law Firm can provide a complimentary case evaluation and discuss investors options for pursuing claims to recover their losses. On August 1, 2025, Fluor reported its Q2 2025 financial results and lowered its full-year guidance. The Company blamed its lackluster performance on growing costs in multiple infrastructure projects due to subcontractor design errors, price increases, and scheduling delays. The Company also claimed that customers are reducing capital spending. On this news, Fluors stock price fell $15.35 per share, or 27.03%, to close at $41.42 per share on August 5, 2025. The Portnoy Law Firm represents investors in pursuing claims caused by corporate wrongdoing. The Firms founding partner has recovered over $5.5 billion for aggrieved investors. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. Lesley F. Portnoy, Esq. Admitted CA, NY and TX Bar lesley@portnoylaw.com 310-692-8883 www.portnoylaw.com Attorney Advertising LOS ANGELES, Oct. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Portnoy Law Firm advises Quanex Building Products Corporation, (Quanex or the "Company") (NYSE: NX) investors of a class action on behalf of investors that bought securities between December 12, 2024 and September 5, 2025, inclusive (the Class Period). Quanex investors have until November 18, 2025 to file a lead plaintiff motion. Investors are encouraged to contact attorney Lesley F. Portnoy, by phone 844-767-8529 or email: lesley@portnoylaw.com, to discuss their legal rights, or join the case via https://portnoylaw.com/quanex. The Portnoy Law Firm can provide a complimentary case evaluation and discuss investors options for pursuing claims to recover their losses. On September 4, 2025, Quanex issued a press release announcing the Companys financial results for the third quarter of 2025. Among other items, Quanex issued non-GAAP earnings per share of $0.69, missing consensus estimates by $0.15. The press release quoted Quanexs Chief Executive Officer as stating that [a] significant amount of work had to be done to re-segment the business, as well as describing macroeconomic uncertainty and low consumer confidence, as well as operational issues related to the legacy Tyman window and door hardware business in Mexico as challenges for us in our third quarter[.] On this news, Quanexs stock price fell $2.73 per share, or 13.06%, to close at $18.18 per share on September 5, 2025. The Portnoy Law Firm represents investors in pursuing claims caused by corporate wrongdoing. The Firms founding partner has recovered over $5.5 billion for aggrieved investors. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. Lesley F. Portnoy, Esq. Admitted CA, NY and TX Bar lesley@portnoylaw.com 310-692-8883 www.portnoylaw.com Attorney Advertising Washington, DC, Oct. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In April, leaders of Americas colleges, universities, and scholarly societies called for constructive engagement with government in response to unprecedented overreach and political interference in higher educationexpressing openness to constructive reform and acceptance of legitimate government oversight, while also affirming the core principles, shared values, and established legal framework on which the American system of higher education rests. Regrettably, the administration has continued to seek ways to impose its own ideologically driven vision for higher education through unilateral executive action and the coercive use of public funding. On October 1, it invited a first cohort of university leaders to sign a compact that would commit their institutions to the vigorous pursuit of the administrations priorities. The compact is, in effect, an ultimatum: sign and receive multiple positive benefits, including substantial and meaningful federal grants, or retain the freedom to develop models and values other than those of the administration, and forgo federal funding. This is not constructive engagement. Well-established legal and administrative processes for exercising oversight and developing policy are far more effective than executive fiat in promoting reform and strengthening higher education. Leaders across American higher education welcome the opportunity to engage with the administrations concerns and consider its proposals for reform. Yet, as stewards of Americas system of higher education, college and university presidents cannot bargain with the essential freedom of colleges and universities to determine, on academic grounds, whom to admit and what is taught, how, and by whom. They cannot trade academic freedom for federal fundingand should not be asked to do so. They cannot abandon the American model of self-governance, which guarantees meaningful roles for faculty, administration, and governing boards in academic and institutional decision-making. Principles of academic freedom and self-governance, as long recognized by American policymakers and the Supreme Court, are essential for the public good provided by higher education through its research and teaching. The stakes could not be higher. The American system of higher education is the envy of the world, renowned for its cutting-edge research, culture of innovation, and commitment to academic freedom. It prepares students not only for professional success, but also for responsible citizenship and lifelong learning, while attracting top talent from around the globe. Its combination of rigorous scholarship, diverse perspectives, and institutional autonomy has made it a model for excellence internationally and a driver of social, scientific, and economic progress. Americas colleges and universities are open to change and have always welcomed constructive reform. Indeed, their historic partnership with government has been a key driver of innovation and improvement. In renewing the call for constructive engagement, AAC&U also strongly opposes any alternative that would erode or eviscerate essential freedoms and promote instability by making Americas colleges and universities subject not to the law and the principles that have served us so well for centuries, but to the changing priorities of successive administrations. About AAC&U The American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) is a global membership organization dedicated to advancing the democratic purposes of higher education by promoting equity, innovation, and excellence in liberal education. Through our programs and events, publications and research, public advocacy, and campus-based projects, AAC&U serves as a catalyst and facilitator for innovations that improve educational quality and equity and that support the success of all students. In addition to accredited public and private, two-year and four-year colleges and universities, and state higher education systems and agencies throughout the United States, our membership includes degree-granting higher education institutions around the world as well as other organizations and individuals. To learn more, visit www.aacu.org. Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. Litigation Partner Brandon Walker Encourages Investors Who Suffered Losses In Freeport (FCX) To Contact Him Directly To Discuss Their Options If you purchased or acquired stock in Freeport and would like to discuss your legal rights, call Bragar Eagel & Squire partner Brandon Walker or Marion Passmore directly at (212) 355-4648. Click here to participate in the action. NEW YORK, Oct. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Whats Happening: Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C., a nationally recognized stockholder rights law firm, is investigating potential claims against Freeport-McMoran Inc. (Freeport or the Company) (NYSE:FCX) on behalf of Freeport stockholders. Our investigation concerns whether Freeport has violated the federal securities laws and/or engaged in other unlawful business practices. Investigation Details: On September 9, 2025, Freeport issued a press release announcing the suspension of mining activities at its Grasberg Block Cave operation in Indonesia, after "a large flow of wet material from a production drawpoint . . . blocked access to certain areas within the mine," trapping seven workers. On this news, Freeport's stock price fell $2.80 per share, or 5.99%, to close at $43.87 per share on September 9, 2025. Next Steps: If you purchased or otherwise acquired Freeport shares and suffered a loss, are a long-term stockholder, have information, would like to learn more about these claims, or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Brandon Walker or Marion Passmore by email at investigations@bespc.com, by telephone at (212) 355-4648, or by filling out this contact form. There is no cost or obligation to you. About Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C.: Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. is a nationally recognized law firm with offices in New York, South Carolina, and California. The firm represents individual and institutional investors in commercial, securities, derivative, and other complex litigation in state and federal courts across the country. For more information about the firm, please visit www.bespc.com . Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn, X, and Facebook, and keep up with other news by following Brandon Walker, Esq. on LinkedIn and X. Contact Information: MIAMI, Oct. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PennantPark Floating Rate Capital Ltd. (the "Company") (NYSE: PFLT) announced that it will report results for the fourth fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2025 on Monday, November 24, 2025 after the close of the financial markets. The Company will also host a conference call at 9:00 a.m. (Eastern Time) on Tuesday, November 25, 2025 to discuss its financial results. All interested parties are welcome to participate. You can access the conference call by dialing toll-free (800) 330-6710 approximately 5-10 minutes prior to the call. International callers should dial (646) 769-9200. All callers should reference conference ID #4736718 or PennantPark Floating Rate Capital Ltd. An archived replay will also be available on a webcast link located on the Quarterly Earnings page in the Investor section of PennantParks website. ABOUT PENNANTPARK FLOATING RATE CAPITAL LTD. PennantPark Floating Rate Capital Ltd. is a business development company which primarily invests in U.S. middle-market private companies in the form of floating rate senior secured loans, including first lien secured debt, second lien secured debt and subordinated debt. From time to time, the Company may also invest in equity investments. PennantPark Floating Rate Capital Ltd. is managed by PennantPark Investment Advisers, LLC. ABOUT PENNANTPARK INVESTMENT ADVISERS, LLC PennantPark Investment Advisers, LLC is a leading middle market credit platform, managing approximately $10 billion of investable capital, including potential leverage. Since its inception in 2007, PennantPark Investment Advisers, LLC has provided investors access to middle market credit by offering private equity firms and their portfolio companies as well as other middle-market borrowers a comprehensive range of creative and flexible financing solutions. PennantPark Investment Advisers, LLC is headquartered in Miami and has offices in New York, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Amsterdam and Zurich. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this press release are forward-looking statements and are not guarantees of future performance or results and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including those described from time to time in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. PennantPark Floating Rate Capital Ltd. undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statement made herein. You should not place undue influence on such forward-looking statements as such statements speak only as of the date on which they are made. CONTACT: Richard T. Allorto, Jr. PennantPark Floating Rate Capital Ltd. (212) 905-1000 www.pennantpark.com DALLAS, Oct. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Triumph Financial, Inc. (NYSE: TFIN) today announced that it expects to release its third quarter financial results and management commentary after the market closes on Wednesday, October 15, 2025. Upon filing, the financial results and commentary will be available on the Companys IR website at ir.triumph.io. Aaron P. Graft, Vice Chairman and CEO, and Brad Voss, CFO, will review the financial results in a conference call with investors and analysts beginning at 9:30 a.m. central time on Thursday, October 16, 2025. The live video conference may be accessed directly through this link, https://triumph-financial-q3-2025-earnings.open-exchange.net/ or via the Company's IR website at ir.triumph.io through the News & Events, Events & Presentations links. An archive of this video conference will subsequently be available at the same location, referenced above, on the Companys website. About Triumph Triumph (NYSE: TFIN) is a financial and technology company focused on payments, factoring, intelligence and banking to modernize and simplify freight transactions. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, its portfolio of brands includes Triumph, TBK Bank and LoadPay. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Investors are cautioned that such statements are predictions and that actual events or results may differ materially. Triumph Financials expected financial results or other plans are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of such risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see Risk Factors and the forward-looking statement disclosure contained in the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 11, 2025. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made and Triumph Financial undertakes no duty to update the information. Source: Triumph Financial, Inc. Investor Relations: Luke Wyse Executive Vice President, Head of Investor Relations lwyse@tfin.com 214-365-6936 Media Contact: Amanda Tavackoli Senior Vice President, Director of Corporate Communication atavackoli@tfin.com 214-365-6930 TORONTO, Oct. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nexus Industrial REIT (Nexus or the "REIT") (TSX: NXR.UN) announced today that it intends to release its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2025, before the opening of the TSX on Thursday, November 13, 2025. Management of the REIT will host a conference call at 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time on Thursday, November 13, 2025, to review the financial results and operations. To participate in the conference call, please dial 1-647-846-8414 or 1-833-752-3601 (toll free in Canada and the US) at least five minutes prior to the start time and ask to join the Nexus Industrial REIT conference call. A recording of the conference call will be available until December 13, 2025. To access the recording, please dial 1-412-317-0088 or 1-855-669-9658 (toll free in Canada and the US) and enter access code 1891640. About Nexus Industrial REIT Nexus is a growth-oriented real estate investment trust focused on increasing unitholder value through the acquisition of industrial properties located in primary and secondary markets in Canada and the ownership and management of its portfolio of properties. The REIT currently owns a portfolio of 87 properties (including one property held for development in which the REIT has an 80% interest) comprising approximately 12.1 million square feet of gross leasable area. The REIT has approximately 97,018,000 voting units issued and outstanding, including approximately 71,300,000 REIT Units and approximately 25,718,000 Class B LP Units of subsidiary limited partnerships of Nexus, which are convertible to REIT Units on a one-to-one basis. For further information please contact: Kelly C. Hanczyk, CEO at (416) 906-2379; or Mike Rawle, CFO at (647) 823-1381. MONTREAL and IDAHO FALLS, Idaho, Oct. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Novacap, a leading North American private equity firm, is pleased to announce that it has successfully closed its investment in FyberCom. The transaction marks the sixth platform investment by Novacaps Digital Infrastructure Sector. Headquartered in Idaho Falls, Idaho, FyberCom is a broadband service provider delivering high-speed fiber and fixed wireless internet to rural homes and businesses across Eastern Idaho. Since 2014, FyberCom has been committed to connecting underserved communities, with a strong focus in recent years on expanding its fiber network to meet the growing demand for reliable, high-speed connectivity. This partnership reflects our continued conviction in the rural broadband opportunity, said Francois Laflamme, Senior Partner at Novacap. FyberCom has built a strong local presence and a meaningful impact in the communities it serves. We are pleased to support the team as they continue to grow their network and expand access to essential digital infrastructure across Idaho. This partnership with Novacap represents an important step forward for FyberCom, said Jared Stowell, CEO of FyberCom. We remain committed to delivering fast and reliable internet to rural communities and are excited to accelerate that mission with Novacaps support. The investment reflects a shared commitment to supporting broadband expansion in underserved markets and aligns with a strategy of Novacap Digital Infrastructure Fund of partnering with companies that deliver essential connectivity across North America. About FyberCom Founded in 2014, FyberCom provides high-speed fiber and fixed wireless internet services to residential and commercial customers throughout Eastern Idaho. With a focus on rural and underserved communities, the company is dedicated to expanding reliable digital access across the region. For more information, visit: fybercom.net About Novacap Novacap is a leading North American private equity investor and one of Canadas most experienced private equity firms. Founded in 1981 to partner with visionary entrepreneurs, Novacap focuses on middle market and lower-middle market companies in four core sectors: Technologies, Digital Infrastructure, Industries and Financial Services. Novacap combines deep sector specific expertise and strategic and operational excellence to partner with entrepreneurs and management teams. Since its inception, the firm has made primary and add-on investments in more than 250 companies. With over US $10 billion in assets under management and a presence across offices in Montreal, Toronto, and New York, Novacap accelerates value creation through strategic growth initiatives and a strong focus on execution. For more information, visit: novacacorp.com Renata Kappaun Conseillere senior, communication Senior advisor, communications 7003400 rue de l'Eclipse Brossard, Qc, J4Z 0P3 Tel : +1 5142344152 Text : +1 4388340905 Image by Contemporary Care NAPLES, Fla., Oct. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Contemporary Care today announced the availability of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation therapy at its Naples, Florida facility, expanding access to advanced psychiatric treatment for residents of Southwest Florida. The clinic now provides FDA-approved, non-invasive brain stimulation therapy for major depressive disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder, representing a significant addition to the regions options for depression treatment. TMS, or Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, uses electromagnetic pulses to stimulate regions of the brain associated with mood regulation. Sessions are conducted in a clinical setting and do not require anesthesia. Patients remain awake, can drive themselves to and from appointments, and resume daily activities immediately after treatment. Clinical Oversight and Expertise The program is led by Dr. Tarique Perera, Clinical Director of Contemporary Care. Dr. Perera is the founding president of the Clinical TMS Society and authored the National TMS Guidelines, which established treatment standards that are now adopted worldwide. His clinical experience spans more than 30 years and includes research contributions and teaching roles at Columbia University, where he first treated patients with TMS. Applications Beyond FDA Approval TMS received FDA clearance for major depression in adults and later for obsessive-compulsive disorder and adolescent depression. While these are the approved clinical indications, Contemporary Care also draws upon its experience to extend treatment to additional psychiatric conditions through off-label use. Patients with anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other treatment-resistant conditions may be considered for therapy under carefully monitored protocols informed by emerging research. Insurance and Financial Accessibility Insurance coverage for TMS has expanded considerably in recent years. Medicare and most commercial insurers now cover the treatment for adults diagnosed with major depressive disorder who have not improved with at least two antidepressant trials. Contemporary Care works directly with insurance carriers to handle prior authorization, ensuring that patients understand their coverage and out-of-pocket responsibilities before beginning therapy. Treatment Safety and Patient Experience One of the distinguishing features of TMS is its safety profile. Unlike electroconvulsive therapy, it does not require anesthesia, hospital admission, or recovery time. Reported side effects are generally mild and may include scalp discomfort or headache during sessions, which typically subside quickly. Importantly, TMS does not cause systemic side effects such as weight gain, sexual dysfunction, or cognitive impairmentconcerns often associated with psychiatric medications. Integration with Comprehensive Services Contemporary Cares Naples location is not a standalone TMS center but part of a broader mental health practice . In addition to TMS, the clinic provides psychotherapy, medication management, and Spravato (esketamine) treatment. This integration allows for coordinated treatment planning, where psychiatrists and therapists collaborate to design individualized care paths. Community Impact and Regional Need Mental health remains a critical concern across Florida, with increasing rates of depression, anxiety, and stress-related conditions documented over the past decade. Access to specialized care such as TMS remains limited in many regions. By introducing this treatment in Naples, Contemporary Care addresses both clinical demand and geographic accessibility. The presence of a dedicated TMS service in Naples reduces the need for patients to travel to larger metropolitan areas, such as Miami or Tampa, for advanced treatment. This local availability is expected to benefit not only patients but also families and caregivers who support individuals undergoing therapy. To further increase accessibility, the Naples clinic maintains extended weekday hours from 7:30 AM to 6 PM, Monday through Friday, as well as Saturday hours from 9 AM to 1 PM, offering scheduling flexibility for working individuals and families. About Contemporary Care Contemporary Care is a mental health practice committed to advancing evidence-based treatment in psychiatry. With services that include TMS therapy, psychotherapy, medication management, and Spravato treatment, the practice emphasizes clinical innovation under the leadership of Dr. Tarique Perera, founding president of the Clinical TMS Society. Contemporary Care operates multiple locations and maintains a focus on integrating treatment modalities to improve patient outcomes. More information is available at https://contemporarycare.com . Media Contact: Dr. Tarique Perera Contemporary Care (239) 598-9006 Contempcarehelp@contemporarycare.net https://contemporarycare.com/contact-us/ A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/46d9dc63-3d99-465f-a50c-3897f8655816 ALBUM IS A COLLECTION OF STANDARDS, COVERS, CLARK ORIGINALS, & A COLLECTIVE IMPROVISATION PERFORMED BY A SELECT QUINTET FEATURING EDDIE HENDERSON, CRAIG HANDY, PATRICE RUSHEN, HENRY FRANKLIN CD RELEASE SHOWS AT SFJAZZ, SAN FRANCISCO, 10/4-5, & KUUMBWA JAZZ, SANTA CRUZ, 10/6 RICHMOND, Calif., Oct. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As ever, drummer Mike Clark refuses to conform to anyones expectations on Itai Doshin, set to release October 3the leaders 79th birthdayon Wide Hive Records. The celebrated Californians second Wide Hive album is a searing set of (mostly) straight-ahead jazz that keeps listeners guessing even as it never wavers from Clarks solid, unerring sense of swing. Joining Clark for the festivities is a true all-star quintet that includes trumpeter and NEA Jazz Master Eddie Henderson, tenor saxophonist Craig Handy, pianist Patrice Rushen, and bassist Henry The Skipper Franklin. The title of Itai Doshin translates from Japanese to many in body, one in mind: a state in which a group of people share a mental and spiritual unity. Technically its a concept in Nichiren Buddhism, but its very much like what jazz musicians call in the pocket. Regardless of what you call it, Clark and the band are unquestionably in that state on the album, converging on a shared groove that they pass back and forth amongst each other in their improvised solos. Thats no accident. All of the players are not only virtuosos in their own rights, but seasoned veterans whom Clark has known and worked with for years. Itai Doshin accurately and honestly captures where I am as a jazz artist at this point, says Clark. The artists I have chosen to play on this date, along with the arrangements of Towner Galaher, brought my musical vision to life. I have played jazz with Eddie Henderson most of my life. I first recorded with Patrice at the beginning of my recording career, at the Hyde Street Studio where we also recorded Itai Doshin. She always brings her A game! Craig Handy, also a Herbie Hancock alumnus, is one of my brothers from Oakland who like myself is a New York transplant. He is one of our greatest voices on tenor! Henry The Skipper Franklin, a legend who I have made many gigs with, was my first choice on bass. As a Buddhist bandleader, I can say that this band delivers Actual Proof! Produced by Wide Hives Gregory Howe, arranged by drummer Towner Galaher, and bookended by two hard-driving takes on Thelonious Monks Epistrophy (an unofficial theme song for Clark), the album is full of the kind of surprises that will keep even the most jaded listener on their toes. From a rare and tender ballad rendition of Ray Nobles Cherokee (with a gorgeous Franklin solo) to a Fender Rhodes-driven, deep-fried soul treatment of Bob Marleys I Shot the Sheriff, to Clarks own jump-blues swinger Yakinis Dance thats highlighted by rollicking Henderson and Rushen lines, Itai Doshin consistently shows that Clark and his cohorts can take the music anywhere and everywhere, achieving highly successful results every time. That even includes a free-jazz workout, Savant Clark: an unheralded bit of abstraction that strays from expectations for a dyed-in-the-wool groover like Clark. But of course, any jazz musician worth his salt has to be ready for anything, especially if that musician came up through a band as hip, shapeshifting, and unpredictable as Herbie Hancocks electro-funk outfit Headhunters, as Clark did. Moreover, the piece has a rhythmic propulsion of its own, riding on snare-drum waves that the leader pushes forward with kicks and cymbals. Clark is game for anything on Itai Doshinand the album makes listeners game for anything too. Mike Clark was born October 3, 1946 in the postwar boomtown of Sacramento, California. His father, George, was a railroad switchman and union representative who was also a jazz drummer. The elder Clark bought a kit for his son and was stunned when he heard the four-year-old play a perfect Gene Krupa lick. Before he attended school, Clark was sitting in with bands around Sacramentoand then in Texas, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and New Orleans as he accompanied his father on job assignments. By the time he graduated high school and moved to Oakland, where he lived with bassist and best friend Paul Jackson, Clark was working seven nights a week. He and Jackson were something of a house rhythm section at San Franciscos Both/And Club, and Clark made his first recordings with Bay Area pianist Vince Guaraldi. However, the turning point in his career came in 1973, when Jackson won the bass chair in keyboard star Herbie Hancocks funk-fusion ensemble Headhuntersand original drummer Harvey Mason left shortly thereafter. Clark took over behind the kit, traveling the world with the Headhunters and with Hancock as a solo artist, earning his credentials as a hard-edged funk drummer (with no shortage of swing, R&B, and freeform improvisation inserted into the mix). But Clark was never content in so wide-ranging a box. He spent the nearly 50 years after the Headhunters heyday freelancing with a panoply of jazz and adjacent musicians, including Tony Bennett, Eddie Henderson, Dave Liebman, Babatunde Olatunji, Chet Baker, Julius Hemphill, Andrew Hill, Dr. Lonnie Smith, and Christian McBride, among countless others. He recorded his own debut as a leader, Give the Drummer Some, in 1989, going on to record nearly two dozen more times as a leader or co-leader and receiving near-universal acclaim for his work. CD release shows with the Itai Doshin band (with Essiet Essiet subbing for Franklin) are planned at SFJAZZ, San Francisco, Sat. 10/4 and Sun. 10/5, and at Kuumbwa Jazz, Santa Cruz, Mon. 10/6. www.drummermikeclark.com Terri Hinte 510-234-8781 hudba@sbcglobal.net Photos accompanying this announcement are available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c4f28385-3b8e-4afb-b23f-89bb6d5504c9 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e1460e9b-e85d-47d4-adc2-ba0d109f0cfd VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- King Copper Discovery Corp. (King Copper, or the Company; KCP-TSXV, TBXXF-OTCQB, 3RI-FSE) is pleased to report on continued progress onsite at the Companys Colquemayo Project in Peru. In anticipation of an upcoming and fully funded 15,000 metre drill program, Company geologists are onsite relogging and reinterpreting historic drill core. Relogging and reinterpretation of the historical drill core covering approximately 4 km of the known 12km mineralized corridor has been completed for 12,346m in 31 holes in the Amata-Cairani zone, 7,287m in 30 holes at the Coripuquio zone, while 4,763m in 16 holes from Yanarico zone are pending. Multiple new high priority drill targets were generated based on geology, geochemistry, and geophysics. A field crew is currently mobilizing for an October program to complete validation of these drill targets generated. The road-accessible project, of which the Company has an option to earn a 100% interest, covers 6,600 hectares with copper-gold-silver mineralization in high-sulphidation epithermal systems hosted by phreatomagmatic and hydrothermal breccias that have been emplaced into Miocene to Pliocene andesitic volcanic rocks. Intense hydrothermal alteration has been mapped over an area of 12 km by 3 km. Historic drill results from Colquemayo (see King Copper News Release dated July 3, 2024 for details) include an intersection that returned: 237.3 m @ 2.4 % Cu, 0.08 g/t Au & 10 g/t Ag , including 161.2 m @ 3.4% Cu, 0.09 g/t Au & 14 g/t Ag , and 31.3 m @ 14.8% Cu, 0.2 g/t Au & 47 g/t Ag . , including Current interpretation of data indicates the potential for multiple porphyry discoveries, including the Amata-Cairani and Coripuquio target areas, where most of the historic drilling was completed. Investor Awareness and Marketing Agreement The Company has entered into a service agreement dated October 1, 2025 to retain Bluehand Consulting AG (Bluehand) to provide ongoing digital media marketing services. Bluehand will work to facilitate investor awareness about the Company and its projects. Bluehand will be paid EURO 200,000 to develop required content and for advertising and will provide its services for a period of six months after TSX Venture Exchange acceptance of the engagement. The budget allocated to Bluehand may be adjusted during the term based on market conditions and Company requirements, and the agreement may be renewed upon mutual agreement. The Company will not issue any securities to Bluehand in consideration of the services. Bluehand does not have any prior relationship with the Company and the Company and Bluehand deals at arms length. Neither Bluehand or its principals have any interest, directly or indirectly, in the Company or its securities or any right or intent to acquire such interest. Contact information for Bluehand is as follows: email: info@bluehandconsulting.ch; mailing address: Bartholomeplatz 3, 7310 Bad Ragaz, Switzerland; phone: +41 764802584. On Behalf of the Company, Jonathan Richards, Chief Executive Officer Website: kingcopperdiscovery.com Address: #1507 1030 West Georgia St, Vancouver, BC V6E 3M5. For Investor Relations enquiries, please contact +1 604 229 5208 or via info@kingcopperdiscovery.com. Statements About King Copper Discovery Corp and Our Projects: King Copper is a TSXV-listed exploration company focused on the Colquemayo gold-copper project in South America. The Company is led by a team responsible for multiple gold-copper-silver discoveries. Forward-Looking Statement: This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed forward-looking statements. All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements, including the expected use of proceeds from the Financing. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words expects, plans, anticipates, believes, intends, estimates, projects, potential and similar expressions, or that events or conditions will, would, may, could or should occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include the receipt of regulatory approvals, market prices, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions, as well as legal, social, and economic conditions in Argentina and Peru, where the Companys mineral exploration properties are located. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Companys management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release or has in any way approved or disapproved of the contents of this press release. Sarasota, Oct. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sarasota, FL October 03, 2025 - - Kingdom Land Buyers, a division of Cornerstone Homebuyers, has expanded its cash acquisition services throughout Florida in response to a 34% increase in distressed land sales nationally, according to ATTOM Data Solutions. The expansion addresses growing demand from landowners navigating complex situations including code violations, tax delinquencies, foreclosure proceedings, and title complications. Florida continues to lead the nation in land transfer complications, with the Florida Department of Revenue reporting over 47,000 properties entered tax certificate sales in 2024, representing a 12% increase from the previous year. "Florida landowners increasingly face situations where traditional real estate transactions are not viable," said Ellie Verdura, real estate consultant and Founder & CEO of Kingdom Land Buyers. "Inherited land with accumulated violations, delinquent taxes, or multiple liens often sit unsold for years. Our expansion enables us to serve more families seeking immediate solutions to these challenges." According to National Association of Realtors data, traditional vacant land listings in Florida average 120 to 180 days on market, with those carrying liens or code violations taking significantly longer. Kingdom Land Buyers' process can complete transactions in two to four weeks. The company specializes in challenging land acquisitions as vacant land buyers, addressing situations where conventional real estate agents and traditional buyers may not proceed. The business model eliminates barriers that prevent property owners from accessing liquidity in urgent situations. Inherited land complications represent a significant portion of transactions. Probate proceedings in Florida typically cost between $3,000 to $8,000 in court fees and legal representation, according to The Florida Bar. In qualifying situations, the company may assist with these costs. Many families discover inherited properties carry unexpected burdens beyond probate expenses. Outstanding property taxes, unpaid homeowner association dues, and accumulated code violations can total thousands of dollars before sale proceeds are realized. These costs often exceed the property's market value, leaving heirs with assets that drain finances rather than provide inheritance benefits. In some cases, multiple probate proceedings become necessary. According to Florida probate law, when an heir dies before the estate is settled, an additional probate may be required to transfer their share to beneficiaries. This creates compounding costs and delays for families resolving inherited property. "Many property owners don't realize they have options when facing these circumstances," said Verdura. "Whether it's an infill lot or rural acreage, we evaluate properties that others pass on. Land owners who need to sell vacant land due to inheritance, financial emergencies, or unused assets now have alternatives to lengthy traditional listings." Property tax delinquencies create time-sensitive situations for landowners. Under Florida law, property taxes become liens on April 1 when unpaid by the March 31 deadline. After two years of delinquency, tax certificate holders can initiate tax deed sales, forcing property liquidation. The tax deed sale process moves quickly once initiated, giving property owners weeks to resolve years of debt. Traditional buyers require clear title, making conventional sales impossible when tax certificates are outstanding. Code enforcement liens can accumulate rapidly, with daily penalties ranging from $50 to $500 depending on violation severity. The company works with municipalities to negotiate lien reductions and accepts properties with existing encumbrances. Inherited properties frequently involve multiple heirs with differing objectives. Kingdom Land Buyers can acquire partial interests from individual co-owners, providing payment without requiring unanimous family consent and avoiding partition lawsuit expenses that typically reach thousands of dollars in legal fees. The company accepts land with complex situations including disputed boundaries, unrecorded easements, and landlocked parcels without legal road access. These title defects can take months or years to resolve, during which property owners continue paying taxes and maintenance costs on land they cannot sell. Estate settlements, medical expenses, and business capital requirements create situations where landowners cannot accommodate traditional listing timelines. According to Florida Realtors market data, financing contingencies cause an estimated 8% of traditional land sales to fail. Kingdom Land Buyers' cash offer structure addresses this issue. Ongoing property taxes, liability concerns, and maintenance expenses create financial drains for landowners, particularly absentee owners in other states who discover code violations when attempting to sell land quickly. "We've expanded across Florida markets to address increased demand," said Verdura. "Whether someone inherited property they never intended to own, purchased land for retirement plans that changed, or needs to sell land fast for cash, our cash offer may serve as an option to selling your land the traditional way. As a vacant land cash buyer with experience across diverse situations, we eliminate uncertainties that delay transactions. We expect continued growth as more landowners discover options beyond conventional listings." Kingdom Land Buyers are land cash buyers in Miami and throughout Florida, including Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, Port Charlotte, Lehigh Acres, Ocala, and Sarasota. The company's cash offer process provides property owners the option to sell land fast for cash in various situations. ### For more information about Cornerstone Homebuyers Inc, contact the company here: Kingdom Land Buyers Ellie Verdura (941) 491-1133 ellie@kingdomlandbuyers.com Kingdom Land Buyers 5342 Clark Rd # 1333 Sarasota, FL 34233 Vancouver - King Global Ventures Inc. (CSE:KING) (OTC: KGLDF) (FSE: 5LM1) (the "Company" or "King Global") announces the appointment of Davidson & Co. LLP (the "Successor Auditor"), chartered professional accountants, as the Company's new auditor to hold office until King Global's next annual meeting of shareholders. The appointment of the Successor Auditor has been approved by the board of directors (the "Board") and the Company's audit committee (the "Audit Committee"), and King Global will seek shareholders ratification of the Successor Auditor's appointment at the annual meeting of shareholders. The Company's former auditor, Saturna Group Chartered Professional Accountants LLP (the "Predecessor Auditor"), resigned effective September 29, 2025. The Predecessor Auditor's reports with respect to King Global's financial statements for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2024 did not contain a modified opinion. The Company's reporting package, including the notice of change of auditor, together with the required letters from the Predecessor Auditor and Successor Auditor, each prepared in accordance with Section 4.11 of NI 51-102, will be available on King Global's SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca. The Company also announced it has entered into a Consulting Agreement with David Reavis. Under the terms of his engagement, Mr. Reavis has been retained for a 12 month period and as compensation for his consulting services, has been granted 100,000 options at $0.85 for a period of two years, with 25% of the options vesting every 3 months. About King Global Ventures: Black Canyon Property in Arizona King Global Ventures is focused on the exploration of precious and base metals in North America. The Black Canyon Project in Yavapai County Arizona is comprised of 213 contiguous concessions covering a total area of 4,000 ac, including 15 former operating mines including the past producing Howard Copper Mine. And is situated 100 km (62 miles) north of Phoenix Arizona. The Black Canyon Project represents an early-stage exploration opportunity targeting copper-gold-silver-zinc, Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide ("VMS") mineralization. The geology of Yavapai County, Arizona is notable due to the presence of a variety of base and precious metal deposit types. The region has a significant history of exploration, discovery and mining operations, including base metals from mining operations like Bagdad, Jerome and Cleopatra. The property is on trend and is approximately 13 km (8 miles) N.W. of Arizona Metals Corp. (T:AMC). The Howard Copper Mine Property is located on 78 acres of patented land. Discovered in the early 1920's, small scale production and development focused on high-grade copper. Historical reports state that the main shaft was sunk to the 900-foot level, but that no ore was mined below the 500-foot level. The Mikwam Property The Mikwam Gold Property is located in Noseworthy Township within the Abitibi Greenstone Belt of the Superior Province, northeastern Ontario. It lies along the Casa Berardi Deformation Zone that hosts Detour Gold's Burntbush Property. The Mikwam deposit is hosted within Timiskaming-aged polymictic conglomerate and greywacke units and contains disseminated and vein-hosted gold mineralization associated with quartz-carbonate veins and pyrite mineralization. A NI 43-101 technical report prepared for Galena International Resources Ltd. by Caracle Creek International Consulting Inc., dated December 8, 2016, disclosed a historical inferred mineral resource of 1,810,000 tonnes grading 2.34 g/t gold, containing 136,000 ounces of gold at a cut-off grade of 1.00 g/t Au. This estimate (announced by Galena in a December 12, 2016 press release) is historical in nature, was not prepared for King Global Ventures Inc., and should not be considered current. A Qualified Person has not done sufficient work to classify the historical estimate as current mineral resources and the issuer is not treating the historical estimate as current mineral resources. Additional information about King Global Ventures can be viewed at the Company's website at www.kingglobal.gold or at www.sedarplus.ca. On behalf of King Global Ventures Robert Dzisiak Chief Executive Officer 204-955-4803 ir@kingcse.com The technical contents of this news release were approved by Andrew Lee Smith, Bsc., P.Geo, ICD.D, a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Neither the CSE Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information Certain information in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of the Company, including but not limited to, the uncertainty of the financing, the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions, dependence upon regulatory approvals. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in preparing such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove imprecise and undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company undertakes no obligations to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities law. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN THE U.S. OR DISSEMINATION THROUGH U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES Copyright (c) 2025 TheNewswire - All rights reserved. Xi congratulates Tianjin University on 130th founding anniversary Xinhua) 09:01, October 03, 2025 BEIJING, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has sent a congratulatory letter to Tianjin University, celebrating its 130th founding anniversary. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, extended his congratulations to the faculty, students and alumni of the university. In his reply letter dated Tuesday, Xi described the anniversary as a new starting point for the university and called on its faculty and students to focus on major national strategic needs. He expressed his hope that they deepen reforms in teaching and scientific research, strengthen efforts in basic research, and achieve greater breakthroughs in science and technology. Xi also urged them to raise the quality of talent development, better serve economic and social progress, and contribute to the country's efforts to build a strong educational system, enhance scientific and technological strength, and advance Chinese modernization. Founded in 1895 as Peiyang University, Tianjin University was the first modern university of China and adopted its current name in 1951. Its faculty and students recently wrote to Xi, expressing their determination to cultivate talent independently and achieve greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan) Explainer: What caused yet another U.S. government shutdown? Xinhua) 12:15, October 03, 2025 WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. federal government officially shut down early Wednesday after lawmakers failed to reach an agreement on a funding bill, the latest casualty of partisan deadlock in Washington. The shutdown has forced hundreds of thousands of federal employees to work without pay or take unpaid leave, while many government services face disruption. Efforts are underway in the Capitol to reopen the government, but the outlook remains uncertain as Republicans and Democrats continue to trade blame over who is responsible for the impasse. WHY IS SHUTDOWN HAPPENING? The U.S. Senate on Wednesday failed to approve a short-term spending bill, following the two bills' failure to pass on Tuesday night, which led to the shutdown. Healthcare benefits remain a key sticking point in the latest negotiations, with Democrats advocating stronger healthcare funding, while Republicans accuse them of seeking to provide free healthcare to undocumented immigrants. "(Democratic congresswoman) Maxine Waters admitted that she is demanding Healthcare for Illegal Aliens, and it's going to be Top of the Line, taking American Taxpayers' Healthcare away from them!" U.S. President Donald Trump said in a social media post. "Republicans shut down the government because they can't be bothered to protect health care for Americans across this country," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday on X. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told CNN on Wednesday that Democrats are willing to reach a bipartisan agreement to reopen the government, while blaming Republicans for a "health care crisis that is devastating everyday Americans all across the country." HOW WILL SHUTDOWN IMPACT AMERICANS? Following the government shutdown, those functions essential to the protection of lives and property will remain open, while services such as National Parks, air traffic, and health care, among others, will be partially interrupted or affected. The government shutdown will also hit the domestic economy. The previous shutdown, which lasted 35 days from December 2018 to January 2019, caused an unrecoverable 3 billion-U.S. dollar hit to economic growth, with some private businesses permanently losing income, according to a Congressional Budget Office estimate. What makes this shutdown different from previous ones is that the Trump administration has signaled its willingness to use it as an opportunity to cut government jobs and programs that do not align with Trump's priorities, rather than simply furlough employees or require them to work without pay. "Let's be honest, if this thing drags on for another few days, or, God forbid, another few weeks, we are going to have to lay people off," U.S. Vice President JD Vance told reporters at a White House press briefing on Wednesday. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said at the briefing that she expected layoffs to happen "very soon." The indication has raised concerns over job security for a workforce strained by budget cuts and layoffs, Bloomberg reported. WHAT CAUSED FREQUENT SHUTDOWNS? The U.S. government has suffered 15 shutdowns since 1980, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington-based think tank. Frequent shutdowns stem from deep-rooted partisan gridlock over federal spending. Triggered by Democrats' opposition to Trump's proposed funding for the U.S.-Mexico border wall, the previous 35-day shutdown from 2018 to 2019, the longest in U.S. history, forced some 800,000 federal employees to work without pay or take unpaid leave. Hours before entering the latest shutdown on Wednesday midnight, the U.S. Senate failed to pass a short-term spending bill that would have temporarily kept the government running, as Republicans and Democrats have been trading blame recently, accusing each other of forcing the government into a shutdown. "The Democrats want to shut it down. So when you shut it down, you have to do layoffs. So we'd be laying off a lot of people that are going to be very affected. And they're going to be Democrats," Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday. "The White House simply wants to win the confrontation (with the Democrats). It may be that they will lose in terms of public opinion if they proceed to mass firings," Clay Ramsay, a researcher at the Center for International and Security Studies at the University of Maryland, told Xinhua. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan) G Mining Ventures Corp. ("GMIN" or the "Corporation") (TSX: GMIN) (OTCQX: GMINF) is pleased to announce that the Superintendencia do Desenvolvimento da Amazonia ("SUDAM") has formally approved the Tocantinzinho Gold Mine ("TZ"), located in Para State, Brazil, for inclusion in its regional development tax incentive program. With this approval, the Brazilian nominal corporate income tax rate applicable to TZ will be reduced from 34% to approximately 15.25% for a period of 10 years, from fiscal year 2025. The incentive is renewable following the initial term and is expected to materially enhance after-tax earnings and free cash flow generation. " The approval of this tax incentive further strengthens TZ's already robust economics and affirms the value of our investment in the Amazon region ," said Louis-Pierre Gignac, President & Chief Executive Officer. "With over 80% of our workforce from Para and 99.8% Brazilian employees, we are deeply committed to sustainable growth that benefits local communities. By lowering our effective tax rate, we expand margins and increase free cash flow - reinforcing TZ's role as the engine that funds our disciplined growth pipeline for our Oko West Gold Project in Guyana and our advanced exploration at Gurupi. This outcome highlights strong local support and underscores the execution capabilities of our in-country team." About the SUDAM Program SUDAM is a federal development agency tasked with fostering sustainable economic growth in the Amazon region of Brazil. Its tax incentive program provides eligible projects with a reduced Brazilian nominal corporate income tax rate, typically from 34% to ~15%, renewable after the initial 10-year period. The program is intended to support investment, job creation, and sustainable development within the Amazon region. About G Mining Ventures Corp. G Mining Ventures Corp. is a mining company engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of precious metal projects to capitalize on the value uplift from successful mine development. GMIN is well-positioned to grow into the next mid-tier precious metals producer by leveraging strong access to capital and proven development expertise. GMIN is currently anchored by the Tocantinzinho Mine in Brazil, supported by the Gurupi Project in Brazil and the Oko West Project in Guyana - all with significant exploration upside and located in mining-friendly jurisdictions. GMIN trades on the TSX under the symbol "GMIN". Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained in this press release constitute "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of certain securities laws and are based on expectations and projections as of the date of this press release. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release include, without limitation, those related to (i) the SUDAM incentive being expected to enhance the Corporation's after-tax earnings and free cash flow generation; and (ii) in general, the sections entitled "About G Mining Ventures Corp." and "About the SUDAM Program"; as well as the quoted comments of GMIN's President & Chief Executive Officer. Forward-looking statements are based on expectations, estimates and projections as of the time of this press release. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Corporation as of the time of such statements, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. These estimates and assumptions may prove to be incorrect. Such assumptions include, without limitation, those relating to the price of gold and currency exchange rates, those relating to the SUDAM incentive's perennity and those underlying the items listed in the above sections entitled "About G Mining Ventures Corp." and "About the SUDAM Program". Many of these uncertainties and contingencies can directly or indirectly affect, and could cause, actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that, notably but without limitation, (i) the SUDAM incentive will remain in force and provide a reduction of the tax rate over 10 years or any other period of time; or (ii) TZ will continue to be the engine funding the Corporation's growth pipeline; or (iii) GMIN will achieve its stated objectives for TZ; or (iv) TZ and Oko West will grow GMIN into the next mid-tier precious metals producer, as future events could differ materially from what is currently anticipated by the Corporation. In addition, there can be no assurance that Brazil and/or Guyana will remain mining friendly and prospective jurisdictions. By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and risks exist that estimates, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will not be achieved or that assumptions do not reflect future experience. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of providing information about management's expectations and plans relating to the future. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements as a number of important risk factors and future events could cause the actual outcomes to differ materially from the beliefs, plans, objectives, expectations, anticipations, estimates, assumptions and intentions expressed in such forward-looking statements. All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and those made in the Corporation's other filings with the securities regulators of Canada including, but not limited to, the cautionary statements made in the relevant sections of the Corporation's (i) Annual Information Form dated March 27, 2025, for the financial year ended December 31, 2024, and (ii) Management Discussion & Analysis. The Corporation cautions that the foregoing list of factors that may affect future results is not exhaustive, and new, unforeseeable risks may arise from time to time. The Corporation disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking statements, except to the extent required by applicable law. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/g-mining-ventures-announces-approval-of-sudam-tax-incentive-for-tocantinzinho-gold-mine-302574290.html SOURCE G Mining Ventures Corp This press release is issued pursuant to Multilateral Instrument 62-104, The Early Warning System and Related Take-Over Bid and Insider Reporting Issues. Calgary, Alberta - Mr. Ryan Kalt (the "Acquiror" or "Mr. Kalt") reports that he has filed an early warning report (the "Early Warning Report") in connection with the aggregate acquisition of 591,500 common shares (the "Acquired Shares") of Rottenstone Gold Inc. (CSE:SK)("Rottenstone Gold" or the "Issuer"), as purchased during the inclusive period of May 20, 2025 to October 2, 2025 (the "Acquisition Period"), on an indirect basis through Kalt Industries Ltd., a corporate entity wholly-owned by the Acquiror, for which aggregate cash consideration of approximately $128,066 was paid to various open-market sellers during the Acquisition Period (the "EWR Reporting Event"). The Early Warning Report is the result of the Acquired Shares, which, in their aggregate, represent 2.02% of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Issuer, therein providing for the regulatory disclosures herewith associated. Mr. Kalt now owns, on a combined direct and indirect basis, a total of 24,433,400 common shares of the Issuer, representing 83.57% of its issued and outstanding common shares as at the date hereof. As of October 2, 2025, the Issuer reports 29,236,400 common shares issued and outstanding. The Acquired Shares were acquired by Mr. Kalt for investment purposes with such particulars being further described in the Form 62-103F1 that accompanies this prescribed Early Warning Notice press release, such Early Warning Report having been made available today on SEDAR+. Mr. Kalt is an approved Control Person of the Issuer, as that first term as defined by the policies of the Issuer's listed exchange and, where applicable, by securities law. Mr. Kalt and/or corporate entities owned by him may acquire additional securities of the Issuer either on the open market or through private acquisitions or sell securities of the Issuer either on the open market or through private dispositions in the future depending on market conditions, reformulation of plans or other relevant factors. Other than the foregoing, Mr. Kalt and/or corporate entities owned by him do not have plans or any future intentions which relate to or would result in any of the other foregoing matters. "Ryan Kalt" Ryan Kalt The Form 62-103F1 - Required Disclosure under the Early Warning Requirements associated with this press release can be obtained from SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. In the alternative, to obtain a copy of the report, please contact Mr. Kalt at 1.403.454.2984. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Copyright (c) 2025 TheNewswire - All rights reserved. Norsemont Mining Inc. (CSE: NOM, OTC: NRRSF, FWB: LXZ1) ("NOM" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that, further to its September 26, 2025 news release, it has closed a non-brokered private placement of 3,500,000 share purchase warrants (each, a "Warrant") of the Company at an issue price of CAD $0.10 per Warrant for gross proceeds of CAD $350,000 (the "Offering"). Each Warrant has an exercise price of CAD $0.59 per Warrant (which, upon exercise, will result in a total cost of CAD $0.69 per common share). If all Warrants issued in the Offering are duly exercised by holders, it will result in an additional $2,065,000 in proceeds being raised by the Company. Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one common share in the capital of the Company (each, a "Share") at a price of CAD $0.59 per Share for a period of five years from the closing of the Offering, provided that if the Shares have a closing price on the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE") (or such other securities exchange on which the Shares may be traded at such time) of CAD $1.00 or greater per Share for a period of 10 consecutive trading days at any time after four months and one day from the Closing, then the Company may accelerate the expiry of any outstanding Warrants by giving notice to the holders thereof (by disseminating a news release advising of the acceleration of the expiry date of the Warrants) and, in such case, the Warrants will expire on the tenth (10th) business day after the date of such notice. The proceeds of the Offering are anticipated to be used for general working capital purposes and mineral exploration of the Choquelimpie Gold-Silver-Copper project. More information regarding the Offering is available in the Company's Form 9 posted under the Company's profile on the CSE website. All Warrants, and any Shares issued on the due exercise of the Warrants, are subject to a restricted period of four months and one day from closing of the Offering. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities offered have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, unless an exemption from such registration is available. On Behalf of the Board, NORSEMONT MINING INC. Marc Levy CEO & Chairman About Norsemont Mining Inc. The Norsemont team comprises experienced natural resource professionals focused on growing shareholder value and developing its flagship project through to bankable feasibility, with an initial mineral resource estimate of 2,184,000 indicated gold equivalent ounces and 557,000 inferred gold equivalent ounces for its Choquelimpie Gold-Silver-Copper project. Norsemont Mining owns a 100% interest in the Choquelimpie gold-silver-copper project in northern Chile, a previously permitted gold and silver mine with significant exploration upside. Choquelimpie has over 1,700 drill holes, with significant existing infrastructure, including roads, power, water, camp and a 3,000-tonne-per-day mill. Norsemont is committed to responsible and sustainable resource development, leveraging modern exploration techniques to unlock further value for all stakeholders. For more information, please contact the Company at: Investor Relations: Paul Searle (778) 240-7724 Follow Norsemont Mining: Twitter: @norsemont LinkedIn: @norsemontmining Facebook: @norsemontmining Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. Forward-Looking Statements Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This release includes certain statements and information that may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company regarding future events. Generally, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "intends" or "anticipates", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "should", "would" or "occur". This information and these statements, referred to herein as "forward?looking statements", are not historical facts, are made as of the date of this news release and include without limitation, statements regarding discussions of future plans, estimates and forecasts and statements as to management's expectations and intentions with respect to, among other things, the Offering and entry into the marketing agreements. These forward?looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties, and actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, the Company not receiving the necessary regulatory approvals in respect of the Offering and marketing agreements contemplated herein and, with respect to the Offering, risks adverse to the capital markets, the mining industry, and investor support. In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that the Company will receive the necessary regulatory approvals and receive market interest to close the Offering on the terms herein. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, except as required by applicable securities laws. Renegade Gold Inc. (TSXV: RAGE) (OTCQB: TGLDF) (FSE: 070) ("Renegade" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has entered into a purchase agreement dated October 2, 2025 (the "BobJo Agreement") to acquire the BobJo Property, covering 65 ha of nine patented claims, and an option agreement dated October 2, 2025 (the "Keystone Agreement") to acquire the Keystone Property, covering 4,320 ha of 212 unpatented single-cell claims, in the Red Lake Mining District, Ontario. With the addition of these properties, Renegade's consolidated land position in Red Lake now totals approximately 94,000 ha, one of the largest exploration portfolios in the district. The BobJo Property will be advanced as part of the Company's Confederation Project, while the Keystone Property expands Renegade's contiguous holdings between Red Lake Main, Gullrock, and Confederation properties, further strengthening the Company's position across both the Red Lake and Confederation greenstone belts. Devin Pickell, President and CEO for Renegade, commented, "The Keystone Property represents a strategic stretch of the Confederation unit that connects our core Red Lake land with our vast Confederation Belt holdings. This 15 km corridor begins near Red Lake at the Balmer-Confederation contact and extends eastward along highly favorable structural targets and mafic-felsic contacts which are key to recent Red Lake discoveries. The Keystone Property provides an excellent bridge between Red Lake and the Birch-Uchi Confederation belt while also allowing for more efficient claim management. The addition of BobJo comes at an exciting time as we renew our focus on building a strong pipeline of exploration targets within the Confederation Project. This property lies fully inside of our existing land position, and the historical presence of high-grade gold mineralization is extremely encouraging. We look forward to solidifying our exploration models and advancing new drill targets in this area." Figure 1. Location of the BobJo and Keystone Properties in the Red Lake Mining District, Ontario. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9850/269025_cfcaf64c74542ac1_001full.jpg About the BobJo Property The BobJo Property consists of nine patented mining claims covering approximately 65 ha within the Birch-Uchi greenstone belt, east of Red Lake, Ontario. The property is contiguous with Renegade's Confederation Project, providing a strategic addition to the Company's consolidated land position in the district. The surrounding area has a long history of production from both base metal and gold deposits including: the South Bay Mine, which produced 1.5 million tonnes at 1.8% copper, 11.06% zinc and 73 g/t silver over its 13-year mine life.1 The Grassett, Uchi, Hanalda and Jalda Mines also reported combined production output of 757,000 tonnes at 5.14 g/t gold,2 with the Grasset Mine alone producing 78,000 tonnes at 7.54 g/t gold.3 Exploration at BobJo dates back to the 1920's, when a shaft and small-scale mining activity were developed. Modern exploration includes a 2007 drilling program comprising 28 holes totalling 5,700 m, which returned multiple high-grade intercepts such as: 6.53 g/t Au over 8.3 m (BJ07-01) 123.6 g/t Au over 2.1 m (BJ07-14) 20.8 g/t Au over 1.1 m and 29.0 g/t Au over 0.3 m (BJ07-06)5 Figure 2. The BobJo property with surrounding historical mines within the Birch-Uchi greenstone belt. Past production in the area includes the South Bay and Grasset Mines, highlighting the prospective nature of the property for high-grade gold and base metal mineralization. See "Disclaimer Regarding Other Projects" below. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9850/269025_cfcaf64c74542ac1_002full.jpg About the Keystone Property The Keystone Property consists of 212 unpatented single-cell mining claims covering approximately 4,320 ha. The property is strategically located between Renegade's Red Lake Main, Gullrock, and Confederation properties and is contiguous with the Company's existing land holdings, consolidating a district-scale land package across the Red Lake and Confederation greenstone belts. Keystone is underlain by felsic volcanic and intrusive rocks of the Confederation assemblage and is considered prospective ground for volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) and orogenic gold deposits. With its large contiguous footprint and favourable geology. Keystone represents a compelling addition to Renegade's Red Lake portfolio, complementing the high-grade potential at BobJo and enhancing the Company's pipeline of exploration targets. Terms of BobJo Agreement Pursuant to terms of the BobJo Agreement, the Company must issue to the vendor 750,000 post-Consolidation (defined below) common shares within five business day of receipt of TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") approval of the BobJo Agreement. Terms of Keystone Agreement Pursuant to the terms of the Keystone Agreement, the Company has the option to acquire the Keystone Property by issuing a total of 3,000,000 post-Consolidated common shares and paying $150,000 in cash to the optionor as follows: (a) issue 1,500,000 post-Consolidation common shares within five business days of receipt of TSXV approval of the Keystone Agreement; and (b) on or before the first anniversary of TSXV approval, issue an additional 1,500,000 post-Consolidation common shares and pay $150,000 in cash. The optionor will retain a 2% net smelter returns royalty, half of which can be purchased by the Company for the payment of $500,000. Completion of the transactions under the BobJo Agreement and the Keystone Agreement remain subject to approval of the TSXV. No finders' fees are payable with respect to the transactions. Common Share Consolidation The Board of Directors of the Company has recommended and authorized a consolidation of the Company's outstanding common shares on the basis of three (3) pre-consolidation common shares for one (1) post-consolidation common share (the "Consolidation"). The Consolidation remains subject to TSXV approval. The effective date and further details of the Consolidation will be disclosed in a subsequent news release following receipt of all requisite approvals. Qualified Person The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Dale Ginn, P.Geo., the Executive Chair and director of the Company and a Qualified Person pursuant to National Instrument 43-101. Disclaimer Regarding Other Projects The information provided herein regarding adjacent properties, including, without limitation, the Grassett, Uchi, Hanalda and Jalda Mines, is not necessarily indicative of the mineralization on the property portfolio being acquired by the Company, including the BobJo and Keystone properties, or the Company's other properties. The Qualified Person has not verified the information concerning the adjacent properties, and there is no certainty that the same results or mineralization will be obtained on the property portfolio being acquired by the Company or the Company's other properties. 1 Ontario Mineral Inventory Record MDI52N02SE00012: South Bay Mine, South Bay, Selco Prospect 2 Ontario Mineral Inventory Record MDI52N02SE00002: Uchi (Hanalda), Hanalda, Kenelda, Uchi No. 3 Shaft 3 Ontario Mineral Inventory Record MDI52N02SE00009: Grassett, Uchi (Grasett) 4 Ontario Mineral Inventory Record MDI52N02SE00011: Bobjo, New York Oils 5Archibald, J.C. (2007): Diamond Drilling Report on the BobJo Mine Property for Mainstream Minerals Corporation and King's Bay Gold Corporation Ltd.; Assessment Report 20000003525 About Renegade Gold Inc. Renegade Gold Inc. is a growth focused company engaged in the business of acquisition, exploration and development of mineral properties located in the Red Lake Mining District of Northern Ontario. As part of its regional-scale consolidation strategy, the Company has assembled one of the largest prospective land packages in and around the Red Lake mining district in proximity to major mines and deposits, as well as along the Confederation Lake and Birch-Uchi greenstone belts. The 94,000-hectare prospective and diversified exploration portfolio has significant potential for gold and critical minerals on trend with the major structures hosting known gold occurrences in the Red Lake mining district today, though mineralization elsewhere in the Red Lake mining district is not necessarily indicative of the mineral potential at the Company's properties. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note regarding Forward-Looking Statements Statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "Forward-Looking Information") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words "anticipate," "significant," "expect," "may," "will" and similar expressions are intended to be among the statements that identify Forward-Looking Information. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, without limitation, statements related to: the closing of the transactions contemplated by the BobJo Agreement and Keystone Agreement; the Company making all payments under the BobJo Agreement and Keystone Agreement necessary for the Company to acquire the properties; the proposed Consolidation; TSXV approval of the BobJo Agreement, Keystone Agreement, and the Consolidation; details about potential mineralization; and the exploration potential of the BobJo and Keystone properties and the Company's other mineral projects. Forward-Looking Information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those implied by the forward-looking information. In preparing the Forward-Looking Information in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including, but not limited to, assumptions that general business and economic conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner and all requisite information will be available in a timely manner. Factors that may cause actual results to vary materially include, but are not limited to, inaccurate assumptions concerning the exploration for and development of mineral deposits, currency fluctuations, unanticipated operational or technical difficulties, risks related to unforeseen delays; general economic, market or business conditions, regulatory changes; timeliness of regulatory approvals, the risks of obtaining necessary licenses and permits, changes in general economic conditions or conditions in the financial markets and the inability to raise additional financing. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on this Forward-Looking Information. The Company does not assume the obligation to revise or update this Forward-Looking Information after the date of this release or to revise such information to reflect the occurrence of future unanticipated events, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. Vancouver, October 3, 2025 - Phenom Resources Corp. (TSXV: PHNM) (FSE: 1PY0) ("Phenom" or the "Company") announces that it has closed its fully subscribed non-brokered private placement (the "Offering") previously announced on September 12, 2025, subject to final acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange. The Company has issued 4,400,000 Units (the "Units") at a price of $0.16 per Unit for gross proceeds of $704,000. The Company is pleased to advise that Mr. Robert Kopple, through KF Business Ventures LP by Kopple Financial Inc., subscribed for 3 million units of the Private Placement. Eric Muscinski, the Company's largest shareholder subscribed for 700,000 units. Paul Cowley, President & CEO of the Company, commented: "I would like to thank Bob Kopple and Eric Muschinski for their significant support in this financing. To them, and to all of our shareholders, we thank you for your continuing support." Each Unit is comprised of one common share in the capital of the Company ("Share") and one transferable Share purchase warrant of the Company ("Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one additional Share ("Warrant Share") at an exercise price of $0.22 at any time before 5:00 p.m. (Vancouver time) on October 3, 2029, being the fourth anniversary of the date of issuance. No finder's fees are payable in connection with the Offering. The Company expects to use the proceeds received from the Offering for work programs on the Company's exploration properties and for general working capital. All securities issued under the Offering are subject to a hold period expiring February 4, 2026, in accordance with applicable securities laws and the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange. The Offering remains subject to final acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States of America. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 (the "1933 Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons (as defined in the 1933 Act) unless registered under the 1933 Act and applicable state securities laws, or an exemption from such registration is available. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-looking information Certain statements in this news release constitute "forward-looking" statements. These statements relate to future events or the Company's future performance including statements regarding the intended use of proceeds and receipt of final acceptance from the TSX Venture Exchange. All such statements involve substantial known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results to vary from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, they should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and they will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether or not such results will be achieved. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes are reasonable assumptions on the date of this news release, the Company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable securities regulations. Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/269057 Latest Headlines Westpac looks to can trail commissions Westpac is proposing to alter the way it remunerates mortgage advisers who originate its mortgages and remove trail commissions. Friday, October 3rd 2025, 5:19PM by Jenny Ruth While it has been reported from Australia that Westpac will lift its up-front commissions to an unspecified level from the current 0.6% and that it will cease to pay current 0.2% trail commissions, no final decisions have been made. Asked for comment, Westpac said: We have strong and long-standing relationships with mortgage advisers and we value the role they play in supporting customers with their home ownership aspirations. Were in discussions with our adviser network about some commercial aspects of our relationship. We are currently considering a range of feedback and no final decisions have been made, the bank said. We cant comment further while the conversations are ongoing. Westpac said in May that mortgage advisers accounted for about 64% of its net new mortgages in the six months ended March and chief executive Catherine McGrath told GoodReturns/TMMonline that advisers are a really important part of the market. Advisers have been gradually increasing their share of Westpacs mortgage business at March 31, advisers had originated 55.2% of the banks total mortgage book. At NZs largest bank, ANZ Bank New Zealand, if the institutional business is excluded, advisers account for more than 80% of mortgage origination. The Reserve Banks financial strength dashboard showed Westpac had lost market share in the year ended June because it accounted for 13.4% of net new lending on mortgages by registered banks, reducing its market share to 18.64% - its market share at March 31, 2024 had been 19.02%. TMMonline understands that the aggregators Westpac has been negotiating with have been given legal letters warning them against discussing the negotiations publicly. The Finance and Mortgage Advisers Association of NZ (FAMNZ) managing director Peter White acknowledged that there is precedent for scrapping trail commissions. We cant interfere with Westpacs commercial arrangements but the industry must be given fair notice of any change, White said. Westpac needs t be very clear as to what is happening as there is too much speculation in the market place at the moment, he said, adding that advisers have built up trail incomes over 10 years through supporting Westpac. White added that past trail commissions need to be protected. Trail commissions have been a contentious issue in the industry for decades with ANZ and ASB currently not paying trail, but Westpac, BNZ and Kiwibank all paying it and a number of non-bank mortgage lenders, including Sovereign, Bluestone and Liberty Financial, also paying trail commissions. In theory, trail commissions are aimed at encouraging brokers to keep providing service to their clients after the initial placement of a mortgage and are a measure designed to discourage churn. Such commissions also tend to increase the value of a mortgage advisers business with sales prices of such businesses often reflecting a multiple of trail. Currently, up-front commissions range between 0.5% and 0.85% while trail commissions typically range anywhere from 0.05% to 0.2%. In the 2000s, all four of the major NZ banks were not paying advisers trail commissions while BNZ ceased dealing with advisers at all. Then in 2014, Westpac broke ranks to reintroduce trail commissions, saying explicitly that it wanted to increase its share of adviser business and that it wanted to build sustainable relationships with advisers. A Westpac official said at the time that the bank had been seen as a fair-weather friend by advisers and it had wanted to change that perception. Although all four of NZs major banks are owned by Australias big four banks, trail commissions arent common in Australia Australias Productivity Commission had recommended in 2018 that the industry eliminate trail commissions, arguing that they provided advisers with perverse incentives to keep clients locked into their loans, reducing competition. Special Offers Comments from our readers Sign In to add your comment The innovation delivery teams that five cities across the country have launched are part of an effort, supported by the Bloomberg Philanthropies , to produce smarter, more informed, big-picture solutions to significant policy and service-delivery challenges. At the core of their efforts is a concept known as "ideation."In the context of local-government innovation, "ideation" means directly examining a problem in a systematic way, amassing many possible solutions culled from many places, and then probing and testing those ideas to see which are most likely to work.This post, the fourth in a series on the topic of innovation delivery teams, offers something of a beginner's guide for cities interested in using ideation to help them set better policy; a full report on the subject can be found here A good ideation process can be thought of as one that encompasses four perspectives and entails looking in four "directions": A city must look:at the national and even international landscape, scanning the horizon for ideas., at the issue or problem as it is manifested within the city, and at what the city is doing, or can do, about it., by speaking with stakeholders and insiders about how things have been. And then, by collaborating with stakeholders, agency staff and those who will use or benefit from the services to generate and examine ideas and hone them into a plan of action.The work done by the cities that are part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies effort--Atlanta, Chicago, Louisville, Memphis and New Orleans--helps to illustrate the four-direction concept.For example, New Orleans's innovation delivery team looked outward when it brought a group of peer-experts from other cities to the Big Easy for an interactive seminar and discussion. The Atlanta team's members did the traveling themselves, making visits to view some of the nation's best practices up close.When Chicago's team looked inward at the city's existing policies and processes, one of the things it learned was that the city's 100-page guide to starting a restaurant was impenetrable to most who tried to read it. This led Chicago to embark upon a process of prototyping and testing new ideas until its team had produced a much clearer and shorter publication--one that aspiring restaurateurs could really use.In Memphis, the innovation delivery team's members looked backward and forward at once by convening what they called "co-creation studios," at which they encouraged local business owners both to describe the challenges they had faced in the past and to talk about what they would like to see happen to their businesses and to the area in the future.Louisville took a totally different approach to looking forward, holding an all-agency competition seeking grand-yet-feasible ideas from every corner of municipal government. By engaging with agency staff from the very earliest, conceptual stages of the process, the team laid the groundwork for policy initiatives informed and supported by those who would ultimately help implement them.In addition to ensuring that it adopts each of these perspectives, a city should adhere throughout the ideation process to three core principles. First, an effective process requires an authorizing environment, in which a mayor or agency chief advocates strongly for the work and for those charged with spearheading it. Everyone should understand the role and mandate of the team leading the effort, with honesty and openness embraced at every level, starting at the top.Second, a good process will balance openness with discipline. The process should be free enough to produce a wealth of new ideas and feedback, yet clearly time-limited. Ideation is about being creative and thoughtful, but it should not be mistaken for--or allowed to devolve into--random wish-making. The work should be rigorous, but also vigorous.Third, cities should designpeople, not for them. This means bringing not only those who are making and executing policy but also those who will be affected by it into the process and getting their perspectives and feedback. This helps ensure that the end product both reaches and serves the target audience.If a city looks in all four directions in the course of its efforts and follows the guiding principles outlined above, it should wind up with a comprehensive view of the problem and a shortlist of the most promising potential solutions. In a 5-4 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Tuesday that a California law that requires crisis pregnancy centers -- which are often run by anti-abortion groups -- to inform women of their rights to an abortion is presumptively unconstitutional.California's Reproductive FACT Act, passed in 2015, mandated those centers to post signage in a conspicuous location alerting women that the state offers all women public programs that provide immediate free or low-cost access to services for contraception, abortion and prenatal care. The Supreme Court struck down that part of the law.The case, National Institute of Family and Life Advocates vs. Becerra, came about when religious liberty groups objected to the law. They argued that forcing these centers to advertise abortion services violated their freedom of speech and placed an undue burden on their operations.Anti-abortion groups celebrated the ruling, saying it allows them to continue to do the work they want without violating their moral beliefs against abortion."Today is a victory for more than just the dedicated volunteers who staff pregnancy care centers; it is also a victory for the thousands of women who go to the centers seeking life-affirming care and support, said Catherine Glenn Foster, president and CEO of Americans United for Life, in a statement.Reproductive rights advocates, however, say that the case didnt deal with the heart of the issue: that many crisis pregnancy centers mislead women about their health-care options.Its been difficult to establish laws and rules on them so that unsuspecting patients dont walk in the door expecting it to be a womens health center. They look like health centers and have similar names, but many of them provide medically inaccurate information. It just delays the care they really need, says Elizabeth Nash, a state policy expert for the Guttmacher Institute, which studies and advocates for reproductive health.The ruling throws similar laws in Hawaii and Illinois into doubt. Both states require crisis pregnancy centers to notify women that they have options for comprehensive health-care services beyond what they provide.The ruling could also have the unintended consequence of bringing down laws typically backed by anti-abortion groups that require women seeking abortions to view ultrasounds or learn about the growth of their fetus.At the local level, Austin and Baltimore both had similar ordinances struck down in recent years. King County, Wash., New York City and San Francisco still have laws regulating crisis pregnancy centers. Its unclear if they will be challenged or abandoned.Reproductive health experts say they will continue to work with communities to make sure women understand the difference between crisis pregnancy centers and full-service womens health clinics.Were going to continue to develop strategies to let women know the sort of services these clinics do and dont provide, says Heather Shumaker, senior counsel for reproductive rights and health at the National Womens Law Center. Alonso to wear cooling vest at heat hazard race This weekend's Singapore GP has been designated Formula 1's first official 'heat hazard' race, with the FIA moving to address driver safety in extreme conditions. Fernando Alonso, Azerbaijan GP 2025 Aston Martin Racing The decision follows the infamous Singapore edition two years ago, when several drivers fainted or vomited in their cockpits amid brutal heat and humidity. The new classification allows the FIA to mandate innovative cooling measures - including a liquid-filled vest system that drivers can wear under their fireproof overalls. For now, the vests remain voluntary, but teams must run ballast in every car to compensate for those who choose to use them. Fernando Alonso confirmed he will race with the system for the first time on Sunday. "I've been using it in a couple of free practice sessions, basically in preparation for this race or even for Qatar. I think I plan to use it on Sunday, he told reporters. The jersey itself, with the whole system in place, is a little thicker, so it's less comfortable. It's a counterbalance - it's less comfortable to drive, but it's a little cooler. Let's see how it goes on Sunday. The Aston Martin driver said he had not experienced reliability issues. It should be fine for the entire race. At least during an hour of free practice, it continues to work the same from minute one to minute sixtieth, Alonso explained. Carlos Sainz, who trialled the vest in Saudi Arabia, has had less success with the vest but is bracing for a tough weekend in Singapore. I think it might be 29 degrees, but the humidity is felt inside the car and outside, which creates a much greater perception of heat, he said. Humidity alone isn't so bad if it's not too hot. But when combined, it's a different story. The Williams driver admits the cooling technology is still imperfect. "If it breaks or doesn't work, I'm not worried. I'll run the race and start fresh, as always, but if it works, even better, because that way you suffer less. It seems like something that needs refining and working to be completely optimal. Meanwhile, Gabriel Bortoleto prepared in an unusual way. I got used to the heat at home in Monte Carlo with 500 laps on the simulator, he smiled. Instead of wearing a t-shirt as usual, I wore two thick jackets at night to simulate the heat. (GMM) Final Dutch GP at Zandvoort already sold out Next year's Dutch GP at Zandvoort - the last on Formula 1's calendar for now - is already a sell-out. Isack Hadjar, Dutch GP 2025 Red Bull Organisers confirmed that all weekend passes for the August 21-23, 2026 event have been snapped up, with only a handful of hospitality options remaining. Circuit boss Robert van Overdijk described the demand as overwhelming . It will be an unforgettable, final edition of a unique event in Dutch sporting history, he told De Telegraaf. Especially with a sprint race, all-new cars, and Cadillac, an eleventh team on the grid. The 2026 Dutch GP will feature the sprint format. Separate tickets for Friday's practice action will go on sale later. (GMM) Multiple options rumoured for Horner's F1 return Speculation is swirling in Singapore about Christian Horner's next move, after the ousted Red Bull boss pocketed an estimated $80-100 million payout. Christian Horner, Japanese GP 2023 Red Bull The severance package allows Horner, 51, to rejoin Formula 1 as early as mid-2026, and three possible scenarios are being discussed in the paddock. One involves Haas, although team boss Ayao Komatsu quickly dismissed the idea. "It's true that he approached us and one of our guys had an exploratory, let's say, talk. But that was it. Nothing's going any further. I've got nothing more to say on that one, said the Japanese. Austria's oe24 reported that Horner has even looked at founding Formula 1's 12th team, with talks said to be ongoing with investors. Entry before 2028 is considered unlikely, but insiders believe Horner is determined to return as team principal of his own operation. The most credible option appears to be a reunion with Adrian Newey at Aston Martin. The pair have reportedly repaired their previously fractured relationship - even attending a recent Oasis concert together - while Horner has past links with Aston through team sponsorship and the Valkyrie hypercar project. Aston Martin principal Andy Cowell would not deny the rumours when asked by Auto Motor und Sport. "As far as I know, Christian is currently taking some time off. But he loves this sport. His successes speak for themselves. Whatever he does, we wish him the best. Asked if the Silverstone-based outfit has room for another heavyweight figure, Cowell was evasive. "We are a strong but still young team that has strengthened itself in recent months with great people like Adrian Newey and Enrico Cardile. We have a new factory and the best tools, which we want to make the most of. Our plan is to continue to grow and move forward. Christian needs to know what he wants to do in the future. If Horner does join Aston, his role would likely mirror Dr Helmut Marko at Red Bull or Niki Lauda at Mercedes - an external advisor and shareholder outside the budget cap. Newey himself is said to have been offered a 2.5 percent stake. Owner Lawrence Stroll has already brought in a wave of senior hires, including Cowell, Newey, Cardile, Bob Bell, Eric Blandin, and former Red Bull lieutenants Giles Wood and Giles Scott. We're growing and building a team that's moving forward, Cowell said. Our focus was very deliberately on the 2026 season. (GMM) Red Bull driver picture takes shape amid Dunne rumours The Red Bull stable's 2026 lineup remains unsettled, with fresh intrigue following Alex Dunne's sudden departure from McLaren's young driver program. Alex Dunne, Austrian GP 2025 McLaren The Irish teenager, recently praised by Dr Helmut Marko and spotted in talks with the Austrian, confirmed he has split with McLaren in a year that included an F1 test and two FP1 outings. From today I've mutually decided to part ways with the McLaren Driver Development program, Dunne said. McLaren wished him well, while speculation immediately linked him to the Red Bull system. A spokesman, however, was cautious. "Alex is a talented driver who is of interest to many in the paddock. However, Red Bull will only comment on drivers already in our program. Marko has already admitted that only Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar are guaranteed contracts for 2026. Hadjar, currently impressing at Racing Bulls, is expected either to move up alongside Verstappen or continue leading the junior outfit. It's a good position to be in, Hadjar said in Singapore. "But at the same time my whole career I've been used to having to chase until the very final race. It definitely takes out a bit of pressure. Yuki Tsunoda, meanwhile, is increasingly tipped to leave Red Bull Racing for a reserve role at Aston Martin. I haven't spoken to Helmut yet about my future, the Japanese driver admitted. For me it's clear - I just have to show what I can do every week. I've had more confidence lately, and I'm gradually understanding the car better, so things are definitely going in the right direction. As for Liam Lawson, the New Zealander concedes he is still waiting anxiously. No, normally the calls from Helmut only come after a bad race, so I haven't heard much, he smiled. Honestly, I'd like to know tomorrow, but in this industry, it's not unusual to stay on edge. Until I have an answer, I'll keep focusing on scoring points and good races. (GMM) Russell hints at short-term Mercedes deal George Russell insists there is no risk of missing the 2026 grid with Mercedes - but admits his new deal is still not agreed. George Russell, Azerbaijan GP 2025 Mercedes The 27-year-old Briton is widely expected to stay at Brackley, with team boss Toto Wolff also acknowledging that fact - but negotiations are proving protracted. Reports suggest long and intense discussions between the pair over terms have delayed an announcement. I like to look at the here and now and the short-term future and I know that if I do everything right today, and everything right tomorrow, and everything right the day after, my long-term goal will be achieved, Russell told The Straits Times before the Singapore weekend. Pressed by reporters on Thursday, Russell was unable to confirm a deal. Surprise. No dates to give you. I told you you'd be the first to know when there's something to report, he smiled. For any driver, when you get to a certain point in your career, things have to be done right. Every time you renew a contract, it's the most important one of your life and it has to be done with good care. There's nothing to worry about, and it will get done when it gets done. Russell also pushed back on suggestions he was a tough negotiator. I don't think so. I think it's just about something that's fair, mutually beneficial. That's what we all chase, he said. Asked if the process could drag on into next year, Russell insisted: No, I don't think so. It shouldn't, to be honest. Yeah, things are moving and progressing. There is no necessary danger of that happening. But if it does, it does - but I don't expect it to. Russell also revealed he has already been working on the next rules era. Even just yesterday, I was driving the simulator with the 2026 car and the 2026 engine, he said. (GMM) Williams posts $67m loss despite revival Williams has revealed another heavy annual loss, even as the historic team celebrates progress on and off the track. Carlos Sainz, Azerbaijan GP 2025 Williams Financial filings show a post-tax deficit of $67.5 million in 2024 - the Grove outfit's fifth straight year in the red - bringing cumulative losses since 2020 to over $285m. Revenue, however, rose sharply by $67.6m to $243.2m, though soaring administrative expenses of $238.3m left the bottom line unchanged. The team also bolstered its balance sheet by raising more than $747m in new capital late last year, strengthening liquidity with $25m cash in hand. Williams said the result was in line with expectations and the Group's strategy to continue investing in all areas of the business to drive both on-track and commercial performance in pursuit of success in the medium and long-term. Despite the financial pain, the team sits fifth in the standings after Carlos Sainz's recent podium - a milestone Alex Albon described as validation for the rebuilding project. It's more just a validation - to Grove and to everyone that we're on the up, he said. "I think we're the most improved midfield team by far. It feels like every year we've made a big step, and this year is clearly the bigger one of all the four years I've been in the team. Albon credited the team's leadership under James Vowles for a cultural turnaround. "When I first joined, there was an element of just being low down - they kind of expected 'this is where we belong.' There's been a huge shift in open-mindedness and a hunger to move and be a top team. That's very much down to James and the key individuals within the team. The Thai-British driver admits even he underestimated the progress. I would never have said at the beginning of 2025 we would score a podium - and almost on pace as well. But what's exciting to me is we're only 60-70% in our journey, maybe even less, and yet we can score a podium at this time. It makes me believe even more that we can do a better job. (GMM) One UI 8 stable update now rolling out for the Samsung Galaxy Wide 8 and Galaxy A35 Samsung's Android 16-based One UI 8 stable update rollout is in full swing, and the latest smartphones in line to receive the stable One UI 8 are the Galaxy Wide 8 and Galaxy A35. Samsung Galaxy A35 The Samsung Galaxy Wide 8 is receiving the One UI 8 stable update in South Korea with firmware version M166SKSU3BYI8. However, it's worth noting that the Galaxy Wide 8 is known as the Galaxy M16 outside South Korea, and it has also been launched as the Galaxy F16 in some markets, so the stable One UI 8 for the M16 and F16 could be released soon. Samsung Galaxy A35 Regarding the Samsung Galaxy A35, the stable One UI 8 is currently rolling out for this smartphone in Iran with firmware version A356EXXU5CYI8/A356EOJMCYI8. Samsung Galaxy M16 These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales. 128GB 4GB RAM 12,499 128GB 6GB RAM 13,999 Show all prices If you own the Galaxy Wide 8 or the Galaxy A35 and haven't received the stable One UI 8 yet, you can check for it manually by heading to the phone's Settings > Software update menu. Samsung Galaxy F16 These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales. 128GB 6GB RAM 14,990 Show all prices Via 1, Via 2 (in Persian) The Guam Police Department is asking for the publics help in locating Cameron Jose Guerrero, 33, who is wanted for questioning in connection with multiple theft cases, including motor vehicle theft in the Upper Tumon area. Guerrero has a history of arrests for violent offenses, has been known to carry a firearm in the past, and is known to flee when approached. He is described as a 33-year-old CHamoru male, 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighing 170 pounds, with a medium complexion and shaved brown hair. He has a large tattoo on his neck and multiple tattoos on his arms and legs. He is considered transient, meaning he moves frequently and does not stay in one place for long, and was last seen in the Mongmong-Toto-Maite area. Guerrero is known to frequent the following locations: Matsumila Street, Mangilao Calle V. D. Perez Street, Mongmong-Toto-Maite Sinajana Agana Heights Chalan Pago Harmon Dededo He is connected to several ongoing cases and is considered potentially dangerous. Anyone with information is urged to call 911 or contact a CID detective via GPD Dispatch at (671) 475-8615, 475-8616, or 475-8617. Police advise the island community not to approach Guerrero if seen. For over 20 years, the Commission on Decolonization has worked to inform the public about the three political status options officially recognized by the United Nations and the United States: Statehood, Free Association, and Independence. However, comprehensive draft constitutions illustrating the potential implications of each option for daily life, individual rights, governance, and prospects have not yet been made available. The Commission on Decolonization panel has not yet presented or distributed a printed draft on the following topics at the town hall meetings. Draft Constitution for Statehood A full constitutional framework showing how Guam would integrate as a U.S. state. Provisions for representation in Congress, federal obligations, and local autonomy. Clear articulation of rights, responsibilities, and federal-state relations. Draft Constitution for Free Association A sovereign constitution outlining Guams self-governance while maintaining a negotiated relationship with the United States. Terms of association, defense, aid, and cooperation. Cultural protections and international recognition. Draft Constitution for Independence A fully sovereign constitution establishing Guam as an independent nation. Structures for executive, legislative, and judicial governance. Provisions for citizenship, foreign relations, economic policy, and cultural preservation. Without concrete constitutional drafts, public education remains abstract, and self-determination remains stalled. We cannot vote on our future without knowing what each future looks like. We deserve more than pamphlets. We deserve a blueprint. Therefore, I urge the Commission on Decolonization to establish a constitutional drafting committee for each of the status options. These committees should be composed of legal experts, cultural leaders, youth representatives, and community advocates. The drafts should be: Publicly accessible Translated into CHamoru, English, Filipino, Korean, Chinese, and other ethnic group languages Presented in forums and media Let the people of Guam see, read, and debate the futures we are being asked to choose from. The Guam Commission on Decolonization has been officially tasked with educating the people of Guam on the three political status optionsStatehood, Free Association, and Independencesince 1997, when it was established by the 24th Guam Legislature under Public Law 23-147. Timeline highlights 1997: The commission created to implement and exercise CHamoru self-determination. 2000s: The commission was inactive for several years, stalling progress. 2011: Gov. Eddie Calvo re-launched the commission, appointing Edward Alvarez as chair. 2025: Sen. William Parkinson breathes new life into the effort to resurrect the referendum and to be placed on the ballot in the 2026 election. State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington D.C. West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands Armed Forces Americas Armed Forces Pacific Armed Forces Europe Northern Mariana Islands Marshall Islands American Samoa Federated States of Micronesia Guam Palau Alberta, Canada British Columbia, Canada Manitoba, Canada New Brunswick, Canada Newfoundland, Canada Nova Scotia, Canada Northwest Territories, Canada Nunavut, Canada Ontario, Canada Prince Edward Island, Canada Quebec, Canada Saskatchewan, Canada Yukon Territory, Canada Postal Code Haiti - Insecurity : 60 to 80% of health facilities closed or out of service in Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince is sinking into a deepening crisis due to violent clashes between armed groups and law enforcement. Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) (Doctors Without Borders) reports an increase in the number of victims arriving at its facilities and an alarming decline in healthcare provision in the capital. 60 to 80% of Port-au-Prince's health facilities are closed or out of service due to widespread insecurity and violence in the city. At the same time, nearly two out of five Haitians require urgent medical care. Between January and June 2025, MSF teams treated 2,600 victims of sexual violence, admitted 13,300 patients to the emergency room, and treated nearly 2,300 victims of violence. This violence increasingly affects children. 26% of victims of violence are minors, the majority under the age of 15, compared to 11% in 2024. Among these minor victims, a third were girls, and 30% suffered gunshot wounds. "These figures reflect the alarming developments in the situation in Haiti, where civilians, including women and children, are exposed to danger every day," said Mumuza Muhindo Musubaho, MSF Head of Mission in Haiti. "[...] Around 18% of patients followed by MSF teams in neighborhoods under the control of armed groups report not using public transportation to reach healthcare facilities located outside these areas for fear of being targeted. Furthermore, many hospitals have closed due to armed attacks, looting, the exodus of medical staff, or difficulties in obtaining medicines. [...] This situation is putting extreme pressure on facilities that are still operational. This is the case for the MSF trauma hospital in Tabarre, which has increased its capacity by 50%, and 26% of cases treated in the trauma emergency department are due to violence. The University Hospital of Peace remains the only major public facility still operating in the capital, and is also regularly overcrowded. This situation fuels a deep sense of abandonment among Haitians. And, it must be said, the terrible decline in healthcare provision also gives rise, among the few humanitarian and medical workers present, to the impression of being overwhelmed by ever-increasing needs." concludes Mumuza Muhindo Musubaho. HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Education : Official ceremony for the back-to-school 2025-2026 On Wednesday, October 1st, the grand official back-to-school ceremony for the 2025-2026 academic year took place in the first municipal section of Haut-Les Perches, in the Northeast. In addition, the Secretary of State for Literacy and Non-Formal Education, the Director General of the National Institute of Vocational Training (INFP), the Director General of the Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC), the General Coordinator of the National School Canteen Program (PNCS), departmental, municipal, and local authorities, senior officials from the Ministry of National Education, and prominent figures in international cooperation participated in this activity : Geeta Narayan, UNICEF Representative; Wanja Kaaria-Ndoho, World Food Program (WFP) Representative; Eric Voli Bi, UNESCO Representative; and Antoine Michon, French Ambassador to Haiti. "Restoring the Authority of Schools" is the theme for the new academic year. It involves a whole series of initiatives that the Ministry intends to expand and strengthen over the next nine months, stated Minister Augustin Antoine. These initiatives include : promoting the teaching profession, monitoring school activities, strengthening sector governance and, above all, the quality of education offered, improving the external effectiveness of the education system, eliminating the multi-tiered school system, and mobilizing communities around schools. As part of preparations for the start of the school year, the MENFP (Minister of Education and Training) Minister recalled some major measures taken by the Government, following approval by the Presidential Transitional Council. He noted, in particular, the distribution of more than 300,000 school kits, 2.2 million copies of the single book, 320,000 sets of uniforms, and several thousand benches, primarily in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, where schools were looted and burned by armed groups. Government action includes the rehabilitation of 117 schools nationwide. https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-45643-haiti-grand-nord-grant-of-nearly-150-million-to-58-schools.html and https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-45584-haiti-grand-south-more-than-160-million-for-rehabilitation-work-on-57-schools.html and the deployment of the Cash Transfer Education program targeting more than 200,000 parents of students in national, presbyterian, community, and municipal schools. "These initiatives represent an investment of more than 7.5 billion gourdes, and this is just the beginning, as other actions are in preparation to provide every Haitian child with a dignified and safe school environment," stated the Minister, who elaborated on other points relating to preschool education, school canteens, and dialogue with unions. of teachers with the aim of continuing to work for the benefit of all students. "WFP welcomes the strong commitment of the Government of Haiti to making school feeding an important pillar in the fight against food insecurity and malnutrition, strengthening community resilience, and a catalyst for socioeconomic development, particularly through the scaling up of school canteens based on local purchases. Indeed, the ambitious goal of reaching 1.5 million schoolchildren, beneficiaries of the school canteen program starting in 2025 and 100% local purchases by 2030, as mentioned in the 2024-2030 National Action Plan (PNAS), demonstrates the national priority given to school feeding," said Wanja Kaaria-Ndoho, WFP Resident Representative in Haiti, recalled WFP's contribution to school canteens last year, which was around US$23 million, invested in the acquisition of 12,000 tons of food products, 72% of which were local products purchased from 32,000 small farmers. "The ambitious goal of reaching 1.5 million schoolchildren, beneficiaries of the school canteen program by 2025, and 100% of local purchases by 2030, as mentioned in the National Health Adaptation Plan (PNAS 2024-2030), demonstrates the national priority given to school feeding," said Eric Voli Bi, UNESCO Representative in Haiti, "The authority of the school is not force. It is confidence in its ability to offer a future. It is respect for common rules. It is the legitimacy of the teacher in the classroom. Restoring this authority is crucial. This requires supporting teachers, strengthening school management, but above all, clarifying the school's place at the center. of the community, as a place of order and knowledge, protected from external turbulence." HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Diaspora : A new office to facilitate obtaining police certificates Kathia Verdier, Minister of Haitians Living Abroad, in collaboration with the Central Directorate of the Judicial Police, has opened a new office dedicated to welcoming all compatriots in the diaspora who need certificates... Thanks to this new initiative, the result of the Minister's vision, obtaining a police certificate will be simplified for Haitians in the diaspora. The MHAVE recognizes the suffering and difficulties encountered by many citizens in obtaining these important documents. Therefore, the Ministry renews its commitment to continuing its work in the interest of all Haitians living abroad. Police Commissioner Harold Barreau, of the Central Directorate of the Judicial Police (DCPJ), is responsible for leading this new office specifically designed for the diaspora. The MHAVE is convinced that the diaspora deserves to benefit from quality services, without any hindrance. The Ministry is committed to continuing to provide concrete solutions to make life easier for all Haitians in the diaspora. For more information or to access this service, contact the MHAVE Call Center. List of Countries and Call Center Numbers : United States : 1-305-770-6111 Canada : 1-514-316-1246 Brazil : 55-21-2018-1144 Dominican Republic : 1-829-956-5455 Chile : 56-2-2583-0660 Mexico : 52-55-8957-7774 Haiti : (509) 4289-8888 / 3270-8888 / 3574-9090 / 3579-9393 (+509) 3233-9696 (WhatsApp) (available) HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Gang Repression Force : Statement by the CARICOM Ambassadors' Caucus Francois Jackman, Permanent Representative of Barbados, in support of the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2793 on the establishment of a United Nations Support Office in Haiti (BANUH) and a Gang Repression Force (FRG) in Haiti https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-45891-haiti-flash-the-security-council-has-voted-for-the-new-gang-repression-force.html declared on behalf of the fourteen Member States of the Caribbean Community : "CARICOM applauds the resounding support of world leaders for the urgent and united action towards the restoration of peace and stability in Haiti, echoed throughout the recently concluded General Debate of the 80th session of the General Assembly. These critical objectives can only be achieved if security is restored in Haiti. In that regard, we wholeheartedly welcome the Security Councils adoption today of this Resolution as a fundamental step that responds to the urgency of the security situation in Haiti. And we thank the co penholders for their leadership. CARICOM in particular welcomes the timely transition of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission to a Gang Suppression Force (GSF) with a UN-authorized mandate to bring an immediate end to violence and to restore public safety in Haiti. Furthermore, CARICOM endorses the establishment of a UN Support Office in Haiti to provide the necessary logistical and administrative support for this robust Force. Finally, we underscore the need to ensure sustainable, predictable resourcing of the Gang Suppression Force by all international partners. In closing, CARICOM reaffirms its solidarity with Haiti as well as our openness and willingness to work with all members of the Security Council to provide the necessary support for the Haitian people, and we look to the wider international community to step up its support boldly and with resolve to end the violence and suffering that the people of Haiti have endured for too long." HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Zapping... Gangs : 16,000 Haitians Killed On Thursday, October 2nd, 2025, as part of the 60th session of the Human Rights Council, which is being held in Geneva, Switzerland, from September 8 to October 8, 2025, at the Palais des Nations, Volker Turk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, revealed that in Haiti since January 1st, 2022, "[..] more than 16,000 people have been killed and more than 7,000 others injured in armed violence." School Canteen : France Funds 80,000 Meals per Day "On the occasion of the start of the school year, I visited, with the Director General of the National School Canteen Program (PNCS), the CLES organization, which provides the (PNCS). This 2025/2026 school year, France will finance the daily meals of 80,000 students in Haiti." Antoine Michon, French Ambassador to Haiti, stated, "These meals are prepared with 100% local products : rice, corn, beans, milk, to support 3,500 national producers and 1,500 livestock farmers. Every meal means a child who learns better. Every meal also means a market for a farmer and an income for a family." Customs : Seizure of semi-professional drones The fight against smuggling continues... This Thursday, October 2nd, 2025, Customs officers seized semi-professional drones at the CPS 7 terminal in Drouillard, Cite Soleil. Haiti on the Brink of Famine The World Food Program (WFP) is alerting the international community to a real risk of famine in Haiti, with 5.7 million Haitians living in food insecurity amid a very serious humanitarian crisis. Illegal Use of Explosive Drones ? Since March 2025, the authorities' increasing use of explosive drones against gangs has killed at least 559 people, including 11 children. hhttps://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-45833-haiti-flash-kamikaze-drones-kill-at-least-15-people-including-8-children.html . "The use of force by police and security forces must respect the principles of legality, necessity, proportionality, non-discrimination, precaution, and accountability," noting that most of these strikes are "probably unlawful," said Volker Turk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, at the 60th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland. CFI, new website, new address The Investment Facilitation Centre (CFI) announces the change of its website address to www.cfi.ht "With this new domain, we are taking an important step in modernizing our digital communications. This website is now the official showcase of the CFI and reflects our commitment to staying as close as possible to investors' needs, with a personalized and free service offering," said Ms. Fatima Leonne Prophete, CFI's General Director. HL/ HaitiLibre Ruby Central, a non-profit organisation of the Ruby community, seized control of the GitHub repositories and some important gems of the RubyGems and Bundler package ecosystems without warning in mid-September. Long-time maintainers speak of a "hostile takeover" and some have resigned in protest. Continue after ad Ruby Central justifies its actions with the need to strengthen supply chain security in the Ruby ecosystem. Behind the scenes, however, funding issues and the influence of Shopify (a major Ruby sponsor) play a major role. The incident raises fundamental questions about the governance of open source projects: Who owns community code, and how much influence are funders allowed to have over open source infrastructure? Ruby Central, RubyGems and Bundler Who is who? RubyGems (abbreviated to Gems) is the official package system for the Ruby programming language. Gems are published and installed via the central directory RubyGems.org. Bundler, in turn, is a dependency management tool integrated into Ruby that ensures that all required gems are available in the correct versions in a project. RubyGems.org has always been run by Ruby Central, a non-profit organization that hosts the annual Ruby conferences (e.g. RubyConf and RailsConf) and takes care of important community infrastructure. In the past, Ruby Central also funded developers working on RubyGems and Bundler, but did not formally have ownership of their source code. Rather, RubyGems and Bundler were maintained and further developed as open source projects by community maintainers over the years. David Heinemeier Hansson (DHH) is a prominent figure in this context: as the creator of the web framework Ruby on Rails and co-founder of the company Basecamp, he enjoys cult status on the one hand, but on the other he is increasingly causing controversy with his controversial political statements. In the Ruby community, there has recently been outrage over blog posts by Hansson in which he complained, for example, that London is "no longer full of native Brits" and showed sympathy for right-wing activist Tommy Robinson. Community members described such statements as "toxic" and called for a new leadership structure for Rails or a fork. Hansson's polarizing demeanor has led to his participation in community events like the last RailsConf in Philadelphia is controversially discussed. Shopify, a Canadian e-commerce giant, is one of the biggest users of Ruby on Rails. The company employs numerous Rails developers and invests heavily in the Ruby ecosystem. Shopify CEO Tobias Lutke is also a supporter of DHH (Hansson even sits on Shopify's board of directors). In recent years, Shopify has been one of the main sponsors of Ruby Central and therefore has considerable influence both financially and in terms of personnel (some Ruby Central board members are Shopify employees). Continue after ad Funding crisis: DHH controversy leads to loss of sponsors The roots of the current crisis lie partly in a funding shortfall. Ruby Central lost an important sponsor (USD 250,000 per year) in Sidekiq (a background job framework widely used in the Ruby world) at the beginning of 2025 after DHH was invited to speak at RailsConf 2025 (incidentally, it was the final RailsConf). Mike Perham from Sidekiq was annoyed that Ruby Central gave Hansson a stage despite his controversial views. This cancellation tore a big hole in the budget Ruby Central was therefore practically financially dependent on Shopify. Shopify, in turn, is said to have used the opportunity to impose conditions. According to individual, but unsubstantiated, reports from the community, Shopify formulated an ultimatum: Ruby Central was to gain complete control of RubyGems by a certain deadline both via the code repositories on GitHub and via essential gems (namely the rubygems and bundler projects as well as the bundler and rubygems-update gems) otherwise Shopify would discontinue its support. This demand was justified about supply chain security, but at the same time was clearly linked to continued financial support a "clearly outlined ultimatum deal". It is important to realise that such a demand from Shopify could be well-intentioned. There are not many companies that are as dependent on a functioning Ruby ecosystem as Shopify. But well-intentioned is not always well done. Ruby Central came under massive pressure as a result. Internally, it was apparently clear that if Shopify's demands were ignored, the existence of the organisation would be at stake. Freedom Dumlao, a member of the Ruby Central board, later put it in a nutshell: if he had voted against the takeover, he would have effectively "started the process of shutting down Ruby Central". The majority of the board therefore decided despite all reservations in favour of following Shopify's conditions so as not to jeopardise the financial future and operation of RubyGems.org. Takeover process: from zero communication to a complete reset In the second week of September 2025, Ruby Central officials abruptly put the plan into action. Without prior notice or consultation with the previous maintainer teams, they made drastic changes within just a few days: 9 September 2025: a RubyGems maintainer (Hiroshi SHIBATA, GitHub alias HSBT) arbitrarily renamed the GitHub organisation "RubyGems" to "Ruby Central", added Ruby Central director Marty Haught as the new owner and revoked the admin rights of all other maintainers. When perplexed community members lodged a protest, HSBT initially refused to reverse these changes He claimed that he needed Marty's permission first. September 15, 2025: After several days of unrest, Marty Haught told the RubyGems team that the previous permission changes were a "mistake" and "should never have happened". HSBT then restored some old permissions. However, Marty himself remained registered as the owner of the GitHub orga although the maintainer team had never granted it this right. The community maintainers took advantage of the breathing space and immediately began drafting a formal governance guideline for RubyGems to avoid future disputes over competences. (This was modelled on the package manager Homebrew, which had already established such structures.) 18 September 2025: Without further explanation, Marty Haught took the step of removing all remaining admin members of the GitHub organisation in the RubyGems, Bundler and RubyGems.org teams. Virtually overnight, all long-time maintainers lost access to their projects. On the same day, Ruby Central also deactivated the authorisations of these people on the RubyGems hosting platform itself Specifically, the bundler and rubygems-update gems on RubyGems.org were placed under the control of Ruby Central. With this move, the previous maintainers were completely disempowered and the RubyGems ecosystem was now in the hands of Ruby Central (or their staff). Ellen Dash, a RubyGems maintainer for over ten years, commented bluntly: "This was a hostile takeover". The "forcible removal of those who had nurtured RubyGems and Bundler for over a decade" could not be described in any other way. Dash resigned from her role at Ruby Central shortly afterward. She had made the events, beginning on September 9th, public in a detailed PDF report titled "Ruby Central's Attack on RubyGems". Other maintainers and community members also reacted with shock. The sudden takeover had happened without any warning or community consultation. Several of those removed emphasized that Ruby Central had taken over projects that did not even belong to the organization . The code of RubyGems, Bundler and the RubyGems.org web application is the common property of the community, not the property of Ruby Central. Even people close to Ruby Central admitted that Marty Haught and the board knew that they had no right to these repositories. In a meeting on 17 September, Marty is even said to have suggested a fork of the codebases in question as an alternative and warned of the foreseeable consequences of a forced takeover. Nevertheless, the decision was made in favour of a crackdown. Don't miss any news follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn or Mastodon. This article was originally published in German. It was translated with technical assistance and editorially reviewed before publication. The decision brings an end to criminal proceedings in Finland related to an incident that caused extensive economic damage when five submarine cables were severed on 25 December 2024. Helsinki District Court has ruled that it lacks the authority to hear criminal charges against the captain and crew of the Eagle S oil tanker over the destruction of undersea cables in the Gulf of Finland. The Eagle S, which is registered in the Cook Islands and is associated with Russias shadow fleet, was travelling from Ust-Luga to the Mediterranean when its anchor dragged along the seabed for nearly 90 kilometres within Finlands exclusive economic zone. The prosecution had demanded unconditional prison sentences of at least two and a half years for the ships captain Davit Vadatchkoria, and first officers Robert Egizaryan and Santosh Kumar Chaurasia. Charges included aggravated sabotage and serious interference with telecommunications. All three men denied the charges during hearings at Helsinki District Court between August and September. The court concluded that the case involved a maritime incident that occurred outside Finnish territorial waters and before the vessel entered Finlands area of criminal jurisdiction. Because the alleged crimes took place before the vessel arrived in Finnish territorial waters, Finnish criminal law cannot be applied, the court said in its written ruling. The case was reviewed under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which distinguishes between territorial waters, exclusive economic zones, and the high seas. Jurisdiction over incidents in international waters typically belongs to either the flag state of the vessel or the home countries of the crew. The Eagle S was in Finlands exclusive economic zone when the cable damage occurred, but not in its territorial sea. The court found that Finnish law could not apply under these conditions, even though the ship later entered Finnish waters. The Finnish authorities argued that the vessel entered voluntarily, but the defence claimed it had been forced to do so. The court ruled that this point was irrelevant to the question of jurisdiction. Investigators had spent half a year examining whether the anchor was intentionally or negligently dragged across the seabed. The prosecution claimed the crew should have noticed the anchor had dropped, as the ship's speed and engine RPMs had declined. The defence said the speed change was due to an engine fault and denied any awareness of anchor deployment. The court found no evidence that the crew had used the anchor deliberately to damage cables. It also noted that the consequences in Finland did not meet the legal threshold for either sabotage or aggravated sabotage. There has been no claim that the anchor was used in a deliberate manner to damage cables, the ruling stated. There was no disruption to energy supply or telecommunications of the kind required to fulfil the criteria for aggravated sabotage. The court accepted that the incident had caused substantial financial damage in Finland. Claims for compensation were said to reach tens of millions of euros. The economic harm met the definition for aggravated criminal damage, but the court ruled that even this did not give it criminal jurisdiction. Given that the alleged failures were related to the defendants duties aboard the vessel, the case must be treated as a maritime accident under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the court said. Criminal jurisdiction therefore belongs to the vessels flag state or the defendants states of nationality. All criminal charges were left unexamined. As a result, the Finnish state must now pay approximately 195,000 in legal costs for the defence. The seamen were subject to a travel ban during the nearly nine-month investigation and trial. These restrictions were lifted on 12 September following the end of proceedings. None of the defendants remain in Finland. The incident, which took place on Christmas Day, caused damage to several critical data and electricity cables. The court heard expert testimony that disruption could have caused short blackouts and higher electricity prices in Finland, but that such an outcome would have required other simultaneous system failures. The risk was not insignificant, the court said. But it would have required additional serious disruptions to the energy system along with cold and calm weather, which was not the case. While the case is now closed in Finland, the possibility of charges in the Cook Islands or the crews home countries remains. HT In Finland, protesters gathered in central Helsinki and Tampere to demand government intervention and support for the detained Finns. Israeli forces intercepted the final vessel of the 44-boat Global Sumud Flotilla on Friday morning. Hundreds of international activists were detained, sparking widespread condemnation and demonstrations in several countries. Protests broke out in Helsinki and Tampere following Israels seizure of a Gaza-bound humanitarian flotilla that included six Finnish nationals. In Helsinki, more than 1,000 people assembled outside Parliament House and at Rautatientori on Thursday afternoon. Protesters called on the Finnish government to condemn Israels actions and secure the safe return of the Finnish citizens on board the flotilla. Demonstrators carried Palestinian flags and signs denouncing the blockade of Gaza. The event remained peaceful, according to police and reporters on site. Activist Noora Aho, present with her child, said the situation in Gaza required a public response. Now is not the time to stay at home, she said. We must act. The protest was organised by Global Movement to Gaza, which had coordinated the Finnish involvement in the flotilla. Its spokesperson Amal Salih said the arrest of peaceful humanitarian volunteers in international waters was unacceptable. We urge the Finnish government to ensure the safe return of its citizens, Salih said. In Tampere, a separate protest blocked traffic in the city centre on Thursday evening. Around 150 people gathered on Hameenkatu, halting buses and trams for over an hour. Police ordered the group to move off the road and onto the pavement. No arrests were made, and the demonstration ended by 20:10. Traffic disruptions lasted between 45 and 60 minutes. The protest had not been registered with authorities in advance. Police said the situation remained calm throughout. The Global Sumud Flotilla had set sail from ports in Spain and Tunisia last month, carrying over 470 people and humanitarian supplies. Its stated goal was to challenge the blockade on Gaza and deliver aid directly to civilians. The Israeli navy intercepted all 42 vessels, most in international waters. The last ship, the Marinette, was boarded early Friday about 43 nautical miles from the Gaza coast. The vessel had a six-person crew and was flying a Polish flag. Israeli authorities have confirmed the detention of 461 individuals and said deportations were underway. Four Italian citizens were deported on Friday. Finland has not confirmed the location or status of its six citizens involved. The flotilla organisers said several detainees began a hunger strike immediately upon arrest. They also reported that communications from the vessels had been cut. International Transport Workers Federation general secretary Stephen Cotton said Israels actions violated international law. Attacking or seizing nonviolent, humanitarian vessels in international waters is illegal, he said. Reporters Without Borders said more than 20 journalists were among those detained. The group called the arrests a serious violation of the right to inform and be informed. Israeli officials said the flotilla had ignored warnings to stay clear of the area, which they described as an active combat zone. They claimed the vessels were attempting to breach a lawful naval blockade. The United Nations has not yet issued an official statement, though UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese called the interceptions illegal abduction. World leaders have also responded. Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced the expulsion of Israeli diplomats and the cancellation of a bilateral free trade agreement. European governments, including those of Germany, Ireland and Greece, have called for the release of the detained activists. One of the highest-profile figures reported on the flotilla is Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. Israeli authorities did not disclose her condition or confirm her whereabouts. In Finland, the protests turned political after Jussi Halla-aho, Speaker of Parliament, said he was insulted by protesters while observing the demonstration outside Parliament House. Writing on social media, Halla-aho said demonstrators shouted insults and slogans targeting him personally after recognising him. He claimed chants shifted from Free Palestine to No Nazis in Helsinki upon his arrival. The incident has sparked debate about public discourse and protest conduct. Halla-aho said he did not feel unsafe but questioned the inclusivity of the demonstration. The Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs has not issued a public statement on the flotilla or the protests. The Global Movement to Gaza continues to urge the government to take diplomatic action. The seized vessels remain at the Israeli port of Ashdod. It is not known when or if they will be returned to their owners. HT City honors Mosses for 27 years of community service Lightning Editor Bill Moss and his wife, Interfaith Assistance Ministry Executive Director Elizabeth Moss, received a proclamation in their honor from Hendersonvilles City Council on Thursday. Hendersonville honored Lightning Editor Bill Moss and his wife, Interfaith Assistance Ministry Executive Director Elizabeth Moss, on Thursday with a proclamation acknowledging their contributions to the community for the last 27 years. View the Slideshow The two will move later this month to start a new adventure as Grammy and PawBill, as they are known to their three grandchildren and as Mom and Dad to their two children in Boise, Idaho, where they all reside, according to the Resolution of Respect and Appreciation presented to the couple during Hendersonville City Councils regular monthly meeting. The resolution went on to say that the city council and mayor, on behalf of the employees and residents of the city and readers of the Hendersonville Lightning extend to Bill and Elizabeth Moss their sincere appreciation for all of their loyal and dedicated service to the City of Hendersonville and surrounding area. Bill and Elizabeth both thanked the council for the resolution and the Hendersonville community for its support over the years. Im humbled and proud to receive this. Thank you for tolerating me, Bill said to laughter from the council and members of the public who attended the meeting. He said he respected the council and the leadership City Manager John Connet and Henderson County Manager John Mitchell showed during Hurricane Helene. Bill also reminded those who attended the meeting that he will remain editor of the Lightning while in Idaho. Im not gone completely, he said. I can see you from 2,200 miles away as I do sometimes from five miles away in the Flat Rock bureau. If I call you up, as you are always good about doing, please call back. Elizabeth said she too was humbled by the recognition. This is the nicest thing anybodys ever done for us, she said. She thanked the council for its funding and support of IAM over the years and said she enjoyed the times she worked with Connet and Mayor Barbara Volk on issues involving IAM. Its really hard for us to leave this community that we love, she said. Weve been here 27 years. We raised our children here and we just love everything about it. Elizabeth will retire Friday after eight years as IAMs executive director. IAM provides crisis assistance with a range of essential items and services, including food for a week for each family member, clothing, linens, personal hygiene supplies, heat and utility bills, rent and mortgage payments, medications, pet food and other basic needs. Under her tenure as executive director, Elizabeth has grown IAM including the planning and construction of the IAM Thrift Store, the addition of the IAM Mobile Pantry which provides weekly food in the lowest income areas of our community where transportation access is limited, and she pursued and provided two ongoing new revenue streams and raised $5 million in grants. IAM has provided services to one in nine families in Henderson County, the resolution said. Elizabeth also volunteered to serve on a number of board of directors for various organizations in the community. She grew up in South Jersey before graduating from the University of Florida with a degree in journalism and communications. Following an award-winning career as a newspaper reporter and magazine editor for the Miami Herald, the St. Petersburg Times, the Boston Globe, Florida Trend Magazine and the Times-News. Elizabeth also served as the Director of Community Affairs and Outreach in Pardee UNC Health Cares Administration. She also worked as a fundraiser and major gifts officer for the Pardee Hospital Foundation. Bill founded the Lightning in 2012 and quickly gained 1,150 paid subscriptions and launched a website. The newspaper is known for its coverage of local governance, politics, culture, history and occasional features. The Lightning name embodies the papers unique character of fearlessness, speed and accuracy, the resolution said. In the 2014 North Carolina Press Association contest, the Lightning won 10 awards and quickly became known for excellence in journalism. Over the course of eight years, the Lightning has won nearly 100 awards and Bills success also made national news when it was featured in Forbes magazine. A native of Chapel Hill and 1976 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a journalism degree, Bill worked as a reporter at the Marshville Home News, Thomasville Times, Salisbury Post, Knoxville News-Sentinel and the St. Peteresburg Times before coming home to North Carolina in 1996 as editor of the Roanoke Rapids Daily Herald. The New York Times Regional Newspaper Group in 1998 named him executive editor of the Times-News. AN Olympic medallist from Henley who carries the mutated gene that causes Huntingtons disease said the announcement of the first successful treatment of the disease felt life-changing. Sarah Winckless, a former Team GB rower and patron of Scottish Huntingtons Association, said the breakthrough had come after a number of false dawns in the race to treat it over the years. Huntingtons is a rare and devastating inherited disease. It affects the nervous system, killing brain cells and impacting on movement, thinking and mental health, and until last week was thought to be incurable. However, a new gene therapy trialled by uniQure has been heralded as a breakthrough after a three-year trial found the drug slowed progression of symptoms by 75 per cent. Winckless, who lost her mother, Valerie, to the disease in 2019, said the breakthrough was huge. She said: Hearing the news just felt life-changing. In the past weve had some positive ideas in mouse models and we think when we put it into a human model it will work and then that hasnt been the case, so weve had a number of false dawns over the years. This is the first time that scientists have been able to slow the disease in this amount. Winckless, who won a bronze medal in the double sculls at the 2004 Athens Olympic games, said it was incredibly tough watching the symptoms alter her mothers life. She said that by the 2004 games, her mother had lost her ability to walk and was confined to a wheelchair. Four years later at the Beijing Games, she was then unable to travel and had lost most of her verbal communication. A person with the disease has a 50 per cent chance of passing the mutated gene down to their child, with symptoms typically appearing in your thirties and forties. It is normally fatal within 10 to 20 years. Following her mothers diagnosis, Winckless decided to be tested and found she had inherited her mothers gene. She said: Over six months I got my genetic testing and I learned that I had inherited mums genetics. I was young and I was a sportswoman so I took a lot of solace that if I was still doing my sport at a high level I was probably doing good things for my body. It has been a shadow over my existence I think and that shadow feels a lot lighter right now. UniQure hopes to get regulatory approval in the US next year. It would then be processed by the UK regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency, to determine it is safe and effective. It would then require approval from National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to decide if it is affordable for the NHS. The drug is given directly to the brain during a 12- to 18-hour surgery, bypassing the blood-brain barrier. THE chairman of the Henley branch of the Royal British Legion has returned from touring serving British soldiers around the El Alamein battlefield. Richard Pinches, 60, led 27 servicemen and women around the Egyptian site, which saw a landmark victory for the Allies in the Second World War. Mr Pinches put together a bespoke tour for the Princess of Waless Royal Regiment, the Tigers, who found out about his work online. The second Battle of El Alamein took place from October and November 1942 and was a turning point in the North African campaign. While Mr Pinches is an experienced battle tour guide, this was his first time touring a group of serving British soldiers. The tour involved following in the footsteps and visiting the graves of the Desert Rats who were awarded the Victoria Cross for their bravery. Many of the officers had chosen a soldier to research and read their medal citation, either by their grave in the cemetery or, in instances where the medal winner survived, the location of their brave act. The soldiers had limited time to tour the battlefield and Mr Pinches had to condense his normally week-long tour into a day. Locations included the train halt at Tel el Eisa where the battle began, the military museum and Kaponga Box, where dugouts can still be seen, as well as tins that may have contained Hardtack biscuits. One lesson he was pleased to pass on to the soldiers was the origin of the word sniper, standing in a location at Kidney Ridge that was nicknamed Snipe. Mr Pinches said: I found it highly amusing that I was able to explain the sniper meaning while standing in the feature called Snipe, with Woodcock not far away. Both are small game birds but especially snipe has a very unusual zigzag flight pattern and hence is very hard to shoot. The old school game shooters who were able to do this were called snipers. This was something none of the group knew. Mr Pinches interest and connection to the war largely stems from hearing the stories of his father, Peter Ginger Pinches, who served with the British 8th Army as a Desert Rat in 1942. His late father was born in Marlow and moved to Henley in the late Fifties. Mr Pinches said: I grew up always listening to his stories of his time in the desert. He always said he had a good war he was a driver, not a member of the infantry, so he didnt witness some of the atrocities some of the infantry had. Being a young lad going off to war, who had hardly left his home town, he visited 15 different countries in total during the Second World War and, not being in the infantry, he was able to recall his experiences without the equivalent of PTSD. When his father died 10 years ago, Mr Pinches interest in the conflict grew. He said: Post my father dying I felt I wanted to give something back. I started helping with the Poppy Appeal and was then invited to become chairman. I have really enjoyed it. Mr Pinches sometimes wears a replica of his fathers uniform to Legion events, in his memory. A photographer by trade, Mr Pinches has recorded the stories of veterans, including his fathers, to keep their memory alive. He added: I hope that we continue to preserve these stories for future generations. THE gravedigger at the Henley Woodland Burial Ground has been recognised with a national award. Jonny Yaxley, 56, was named Gravedigger of the Year for the second time at the Good Funeral Awards in September. He was celebrated at an awards ceremony held at the National Space Centre in Leicester by the Association of Green Funeral Directors. Mr Yaxley, who lives in Drayton, has been digging graves at the burial ground in Greys Road for 14 years and first won the award in 2014. This year, he was nominated by Leedam Natural Burials, which runs the burial ground, Henley Town Council, which owns Fairmile Cemetery, where he also digs graves, and two families of people he has buried. Mr Yaxley said: I was just blown away to be honest. Im lucky to get it a second time and its an honour. He started gravedigging more than 20 years ago, when it was part of a groundskeeping contract he had with South Oxfordshire District Council. Mr Yaxley said: When I first started digging graves, I wasnt sure about it for about a month or so. Its not what I wanted to do when I was a little boy but Ive definitely found what I want to do in life. Its not even a job anymore its just what I do. People think it might be depressing but I think its an honour and someones got to do this. I try to make the most of it and do it as well as I can. To be part of something thats bigger than you, thats a beautiful thing. Its a legacy for future generations to enjoy. Ive been here from the start, watching the burial ground grow and develop into a natural woodland. Its fantastic because Im up here all the time and get to see all the changes. He added: Were creating something for the future, for other people. Leedam Natural Burials has a focus on sustainability, with graves dug among trees native to the UK, planted at random with a gap to allow sunlight through. The deceased are laid to rest in biodegradable coffins, with boards of plaques instead of gravestones. Were also working with the wildlife, Mr Yaxley said. We have lots of ground nesting birds like skylarks so fence areas off and stop people walking their dogs where theyre nesting. The burial ground will eventually become 40 acres of woodland. Mr Yaxley said: These are the sorts of places people come back to. Weve had people come here in the summer and bring a camping chair to set up at the foot of a grave, with a bottle of wine and a book and weve had people come down for Mothers Day picnics. You wouldnt get that at a normal cemetery. Its not sombre. Theres a place for both and I get that but if you ask me which one I prefer, its here. He said people who are buried at the site are often artists, musicians and athletes, as well as those who dont feel the need to have a headstone and who want to give something back to the environment. Mr Yaxley said he takes the time to get to know people who have chosen to be buried at the site, as well as their loved ones who lay them to rest. He said: Its important to know who you are burying. I wouldnt dig a grave for someone if I didnt know their name. You have to have that link. I build friendships with people whose loved ones Ive buried. Its nice to see how they get on with their lives. I like to say I put people to bed for the last time and its an honour. Phil Pawley-Kean, custodian of the burial ground, said: Beyond his technical competence, which is very good, its Jonnys attitude. People know him hes friendly, they come and chat to him and get to know him as the one who is putting their loved ones to rest. Mr Pawley-Kean, who lives in Sonning Common, said his job looking after the grounds and showing people round is the best Ive ever had. He said he enjoys working with Mr Yaxley to look after people and the burial ground. and hopes to welcome schools and students of agriculture to the site to help their studies. Mr Yaxley said involving the community in this way could help facilitate conversations around death. He said: Its the only thing that is guaranteed to happen to all of us, so can we just talk about it more? COUNTERTERRORISM police are to investigate whether the Manchester synagogue attacker made death threats against Henleys former MP more than a decade ago. John Howell, who was the Conservative MP for Henley and Thame from 2008 until last year, received a number of threatening emails over his views on Israel in 2012. The correspondence came after Mr Howell, a former member of the Parliamentary Group Conservative Friends of Israel, spoke about Israels right to defend itself when it came under rocket fire. The Times reported that one of the emails was from a Jihad Alshamie, who wrote: It is people like you who deserve to die. The paper understands that the correspondence will form part of Greater Manchester polices investigation into Thursdays synagogue attack, in which two people were fatally stabbed. The attack came on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish religious calendar, and is being treated by police as a terror incident. The Times said officers will now try to determine whether the attacker, named by police last night as Jihad Al-Shamie, is the same person who wrote to Mr Howell in 2012. Following the threats, Mr Howell was offered police protection and was forced to remove the details of his constituency office from his website. He said he feared for his life. The death threats were sent after his email exchange with a constituent, about Israels military action, were posted on Facebook. The constituent had sent Howell an email asking what he would do to see that Israel halts the military actions that are taking place in defiance of international law and basic human decency. He attached a photograph of an exploding building, purportedly of a recent attack in Gaza, although other reports say the picture was in circulation in 2009. Mr Howell responded, asking for his constituent's view on the 100 rockets which have landed in Israel over the weekend? The Jerusalem Post, which covered the incident at the time, reported that Howell recovered around 30 emails after the exchange was placed on Facebook, some of which he described as worrying. The post reported that the former MP received a series of emails from someone calling himself Jihad Alshamie, who told him: It is people like you who deserve to die. The Times say it is unclear whether police tracked down the senders of all the emails and it has been reported that those issues are being determined in the present investigation. In an update yesterday, counterterrorism police said that based on what was currently known and their records do not show any previous Prevent referrals relating to Al-Shamie. It confirmed that three suspects are currently in custody and have been arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism. They are two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s. Mr Howell declined to comment. Interview: Xinjiang's stability, prosperity debunk Western misinformation, Egyptian expert says Xinhua) 12:17, October 03, 2025 CAIRO, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has achieved broad development and sustained stability, debunking Western misinformation stemming from geopolitical rivalry, an Egyptian expert has said. After a recent visit to Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang, to attend a symposium on counter-terrorism, Mostafa Amin, a researcher on Arab and international affairs, observed that Xinjiang enjoys a high level of security, stability, and economic prosperity. Depicting his visit to Xinjiang as "very special," Amin said, "Development and progress are evident in the roads, architecture, excellent infrastructure, and the sense of order." The researcher highlighted the impact of the Chinese government's investment across all facets of life, including "numerous and diverse projects" and ubiquitous green spaces, which he viewed as a reflection of the government's commitment to residents' health and the local ecosystem. Noting that he moved freely and toured Urumqi alone, and visited several mosques, including one dating back approximately 300 years, he said that what he saw was a "safe place" where citizens enjoy "great freedom." Amin also dismissed Western allegations of so-called "persecution" in Xinjiang. "The claim of persecution in China by the United States and some Western powers is false." He regarded such accusations as part of a broader strategy linked to U.S. hegemony and its rivalry with China, with Washington using the issue as a tool of pressure against China. He commended the pivotal role of China's top leadership in the region's transformation, underscoring that Chinese President Xi Jinping pays special attention to Xinjiang, a commitment that is evidently translating into profound and tangible progress. This high-level commitment is reflected not only in the general development the region enjoys but also in the strategic decision to grant the region high autonomy, he said, deeming this policy instrumental in fostering development and prosperity. The leadership's comprehensive strategy, he said, has led to stability and security, hence the "complete eradication of all terrorism routes" within the region. "The overall effect is a region enjoying significant cultural freedom," he said. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan) China rescues 10 Myanmar seafarers in South China Sea amid threats of Typhoon Bualoi Xinhua) 12:18, October 03, 2025 HAIKOU, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- China successfully rescued all 10 Myanmar crew members, who faced dangers from Typhoon Bualoi, on a vessel that experienced malfunctions in waters off China's Xisha Qundao in the South China Sea, according to the Sansha maritime search and rescue center on Thursday. On Sept. 26, the center received a report that a vessel carrying 10 Myanmar seafarers had suffered a steering gear failure, about 203 kilometers southeast of Yongxing Island of the city of Sansha, China's southernmost province of Hainan, and drifted uncontrollably. The center immediately activated an emergency response and dispatched a rescue vessel as the crew faced imminent danger from Typhoon Bualoi, the 20th typhoon of the year, which was rapidly approaching their location. In the early hours of Sept. 27, the rescue vessel arrived near the distressed one in the waters off Xisha Qundao. However, due to the approaching typhoon, towing was not yet feasible. Thus, the center decided to evacuate the crew and transferred all 10 members to the rescue vessel on the same day. After the typhoon left, the center searched for the distressed vessel with helicopters and satellites, which had lost contact due to its power and electrical systems being shut down. On the afternoon of Sept. 28, the drifting vessel was located in waters near Yongxing Island after 36 hours of search efforts. On Sept. 29, a rescue helicopter returned the crew to their vessel and China's rescue vessel began towing. The distressed ship was subsequently handed over to the owner's tugboat on the morning of Oct. 1, and arrived at its destination, Da Nang port of Vietnam, at around 2:30 p.m. Thursday, according to the center. According to the Sansha Maritime Safety Administration, the rescue operation safeguarded the lives of the crew and prevented potential marine environmental pollution. In recent years, China has continuously enhanced its integrated maritime and aerial emergency response system in the South China Sea, providing reliable support for vessels from various countries. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan) Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Carlton Hotel Singapore is pleased to announce the appointment of Niall Cowan as its new General Manager, bringing with him more than two decades of international experience in luxury hospitality across Asia, Africa, and Europe. Mr Cowan joins the flagship property following a successful tenure at Carlton City Hotel Singapore, where he led the hotel through post-pandemic recovery, introduced innovative dining concepts, and achieved sustainability certification. In his new role, he will oversee 940 guestrooms, acclaimed dining destinations including Wah Lok Cantonese Restaurant and Cafe Mosaic, together with the hotel's extensive meeting and event facilities. His proven expertise in operations, service excellence, and brand strategy will further strengthen the hotel's standing as one of Singapore's most distinguished business and leisure destinations. As a seasoned hotelier, Mr Cowan has held leadership roles at some of the world's most iconic properties, including The Savoy and The Berkeley in London, Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club, and Fairmont Sanur Beach Bali. Renowned for his collaborative and visionary leadership style, Mr Cowan is dedicated to delivering memorable guest experiences, introducing unique food and beverage offerings, and embedding sustainable practices across hotel operations. He is also a strong advocate for corporate social responsibility (CSR), championing initiatives that support local communities, celebrate cultural diversity, and promote environmental stewardship. Beyond his professional responsibilities, he contributes actively to marine conservation projects in the Maldives, taking part in collaborative shark research to protect and conserve the region's marine biodiversity. This passion for environmental stewardship mirrors his wider vision of hospitality as a platform for positive and impactful change. With his appointment, Carlton Hotel Singapore embarks on a new chapter, further cementing its reputation as the preferred choice for discerning business and leisure travellers in the heart of the city, while deepening its commitment to sustainability, community engagement, and authentic hospitality. First Hospitality, a national hotel operating, management, and development company, has assumed management and operations of the Hyatt House and Hyatt Place Chicago Medical/University District. This dual-branded property marks First Hospitalitys fifth multi-brand hotel and expands the companys Chicagoland presence to 16 properties. The combined hotels feature 210 guest rooms in a historic landmark building at the heart of the Illinois Medical District. This is First Hospitalitys ninth historic property nationwide, underscoring the companys commitment to revitalizing landmark buildings and aligning them with the needs of todays travelers. Other historic properties include Hotel LeVeque (Columbus, OH), Hotel Fort Des Moines (Des Moines, IA), Hotel Indy (Indianapolis, IN), and more. The project also reflects First Hospitalitys expanding partnership with longtime owner Murphy Real Estate Services, with whom the company already operates voco Chicago Downtown and Holiday Inn Chicago Downtown, another dual-branded property. Expanding our portfolio with Hyatt House and Hyatt Place Chicago Medical/University District highlights the strength of our continued relationship with Murphy Real Estate Services and our ability to deliver value across multi-brand properties. We are especially proud to grow in our hometown of Chicago, while also adding to our portfolio of historic hotels. David Duncan, president and CEO of First Hospitality First Hospitality has been very effective and shown exceptional performance at our voco Chicago Downtown/Holiday Inn Chicago Downtown, a dual-branded hotel in Chicago. Entrusting them with our Hyatt House/Hyatt Place nearby was a natural step in our expanding relationship. Steve Steinberg, president of Murphy Real Estate Services' asset management arm, Murphy Asset Management Hyatt House Chicago Medical/University District offers apartment-style suites with kitchens, ideal for extended-stay guests, along with complimentary breakfast, a fitness center, and more. Hyatt Place Chicago Medical/University District caters to business and leisure travelers with flexible meeting spaces, complimentary breakfast, a fitness center, and additional amenities. The property also features on-site dining, H Bar. Both hotels provide convenient access to the Illinois Medical District, the United Center, and downtown Chicago. For more information about First Hospitality and its portfolio of hotels, please visit: firsthospitality.com. About First Hospitality First Hospitality is a top-ranking development, investment, and third-party operating company with a portfolio of branded, lifestyle and independent properties along with a portfolio of restaurants & bars located throughout the United States. Founded 40 years ago, the organization fosters opportunities for associates, investors, owners, and partners to prosper together. The foundation of First Hospitality's success is built on an individualized approach that puts people first, encourages a strong ownership culture, and consistently demonstrates astute business acumen. The company and its hotels are frequently recognized by the industry and media for high guest service and associate satisfaction, including accolades from Forbes, Conde Nast, TripAdvisor, and AAA. For more information, visit www.firsthospitality.com. Bridget Fairless First Hospitality People older than 50 make up less than a fifth of all hotel employees, revealing a stark underrepresentation of experienced workers in an industry that should value their expertise. Research from The Hong Kong Polytechnic Universitys School of Hotel and Tourism Management found that only 3.1% of hotels recruit people aged 65 years or over, despite the potential benefits these workers could bring to the industry. Stereotypes and Misconceptions About Veteran Hoteliers Hotel managers often harbor both conscious and unconscious biases against older workers. Hotel managers - unwittingly or not - often hold negative perceptions of older workers, creating barriers to employment for veteran hoteliers who possess decades of valuable experience. The research identified several problematic stereotypes: Physical and Health Assumptions : Managers incorrectly believe that older workers have more health problems, longer recovery times, and higher insurance and medical costs. However, the study notes that age-related differences in health insurance costs are negligible for hotels and may even be offset by the savings brought by the lower turnover rate of older workers. : Managers incorrectly believe that older workers have more health problems, longer recovery times, and higher insurance and medical costs. However, the study notes that age-related differences in health insurance costs are negligible for hotels and may even be offset by the savings brought by the lower turnover rate of older workers. Technology and Adaptability Myths : Theres a persistent belief that older workers have poorer "hard" skills, such as physical and mental competence and willingness to adapt to technological changes, despite many veteran hoteliers having successfully adapted to numerous technological advances throughout their careers. : Theres a persistent belief that older workers have poorer "hard" skills, such as physical and mental competence and willingness to adapt to technological changes, despite many veteran hoteliers having successfully adapted to numerous technological advances throughout their careers. Appearance-Based Discrimination: Perhaps most troubling is the bias against older workers in guest-facing roles. The research revealed that although older workers were perceived as having strong customer service skills, resulting from their rich experience, managers rarely regarded them as suitable for front desk positions, potentially due to their "less youthful physical appearance." The Value of Veteran Hoteliers Ironically, the same research that exposed these biases also highlighted the significant advantages that veteran hoteliers bring to the industry: Reliability and Commitment : Older workers were believed to have a lower turnover rate and better work attitudes, qualities that are especially valuable in an industry known for high staff turnover. : Older workers were believed to have a lower turnover rate and better work attitudes, qualities that are especially valuable in an industry known for high staff turnover. Soft Skills Excellence : Veteran hoteliers are recognized for their superior "soft" qualities, such as reliability, commitment to the organization, social and customer-oriented skills, accuracy, and emotional stability. : Veteran hoteliers are recognized for their superior "soft" qualities, such as reliability, commitment to the organization, social and customer-oriented skills, accuracy, and emotional stability. Cost Effectiveness: Hotels can realize savings made in training costs from employing older workers, as these professionals often require less initial training due to their extensive experience. The Brand Experience Paradox: Why Older Hoteliers Are Undervalued The observation about older hoteliers facing discrimination despite their extensive experience highlights a critical paradox in the hospitality industry. Hotels often prioritize recent experience with specific hotel brands over deep industry knowledge and proven leadership abilities, creating artificial barriers for seasoned professionals who understand the timeless fundamentals of hospitality. The reality is that while different hotel flags may use different property management systems (PMS), the core mission of hospitality remains unchanged across all brands. A hotel PMS is software that consolidates operations such as reservations, online booking, payments, and reporting, but these are merely operational tools that support the fundamental purpose of hospitality. Hotel Business Fundamentals Never Change Despite technological advances and brand-specific procedures, the essential principles of hospitality remain constant: Core Guest Service Principles : Staff members should make an effort to learn guests names and preferences and use that information to provide a more personalized experience. Professionalism and friendliness: Staff members should be professional and courteous, while also being friendly and approachable. These principles transcend any brand affiliation. : Staff members should make an effort to learn guests names and preferences and use that information to provide a more personalized experience. Professionalism and friendliness: Staff members should be professional and courteous, while also being friendly and approachable. These principles transcend any brand affiliation. Timeless Hospitality Values: Originally hospitality was based on generosity, a warm reception, special care for a guest, good intentions and the willingness to help others. These foundational values remain consistent whether working at a Marriott, Hilton, or independent property. Human-Centric Focus: Recent industry analysis confirms that the fundamental principles of the industry: delivering human-centric experiences that foster connection, comfort, and discovery remain at the heart of hospitality, regardless of brand flags or technological systems. The PMS System Reality: Surface-Level Differences While its true that different hotel brands use various property management systems, these technological differences are superficial compared to the deep hospitality expertise that older hoteliers possess: System Standardization : Hotels primarily use PMS systems to manage operations, while Guest Experience Platforms, also known as Guest Experience Software, enhance the guest journey. The core functions remain consistent across platforms. : Hotels primarily use PMS systems to manage operations, while Guest Experience Platforms, also known as Guest Experience Software, enhance the guest journey. The core functions remain consistent across platforms. Universal PMS Functions : The most important functions are front-desk operations, reservations, channel management, housekeeping, rate and occupancy management, and payment processing. These fundamental operations are the same regardless of whether youre using Oracle, Marriotts systems, or Hiltons platforms. : The most important functions are front-desk operations, reservations, channel management, housekeeping, rate and occupancy management, and payment processing. These fundamental operations are the same regardless of whether youre using Oracle, Marriotts systems, or Hiltons platforms. Adaptability Over Brand Specificity: The PMS should be user-friendly for staff with varying levels of technical expertise, suggesting that experienced hoteliers can quickly adapt to different systems once they understand the underlying hospitality principles. Taking Care of Guests and Associates: The Unchanging Mission The research consistently shows that successful hospitality depends on principles that older hoteliers have mastered throughout their careers: Service Excellence : A warm, friendly welcome assures guests that they can relax and enjoy their experience. This fundamental principle applies whether youre working at a luxury Ritz-Carlton or a boutique independent hotel. : A warm, friendly welcome assures guests that they can relax and enjoy their experience. This fundamental principle applies whether youre working at a luxury Ritz-Carlton or a boutique independent hotel. Team Leadership : This commitment is the foundation we are built on, and it determines how we make decisions. This is achieved through a firm foundation of investing in People First, including supporting great employees. Older hoteliers often excel at this people-first approach that benefits both guests and associates. : This commitment is the foundation we are built on, and it determines how we make decisions. This is achieved through a firm foundation of investing in People First, including supporting great employees. Older hoteliers often excel at this people-first approach that benefits both guests and associates. Authentic Experience Delivery: Provide Authentic Experiences - In hospitality, it is not cliche to "Say what you mean, do what you say, and mean what you do." This authenticity comes from experience and maturity that older hoteliers possess. The Shortsighted Focus on Brand-Specific Experience The industrys obsession with brand-specific experience often overlooks the transferable skills that older hoteliers bring: Guest Recovery and Problem-Solving : Years of experience have taught older hoteliers how to handle difficult situations with grace and professionalism. : Years of experience have taught older hoteliers how to handle difficult situations with grace and professionalism. Team Development : They understand how to mentor and develop staff, creating stronger teams that deliver better guest experiences. : They understand how to mentor and develop staff, creating stronger teams that deliver better guest experiences. Revenue Management Principles : The fundamentals of maximizing revenue while maintaining service quality remain consistent across brands. : The fundamentals of maximizing revenue while maintaining service quality remain consistent across brands. Crisis Management: Older hoteliers have weathered multiple industry downturns and crises, providing valuable leadership during challenging times. Legal and Ethical Considerations The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission protects workers over 40 years old from age discrimination, making many of the hiring practices that exclude veteran hoteliers potentially illegal. However, subtle forms of discrimination persist, often masked as preferences for "cultural fit" or "brand-specific experience." The Business Case for Change The hospitality industry faces significant labor shortages, making the exclusion of qualified veteran hoteliers economically counterproductive. Promoting the employment of older workers is an important way to reduce the negative economic impact of population aging and labor shortage problems of hotels. Furthermore, as the customer base ages, having experienced staff who can relate to and serve senior guests becomes increasingly valuable. Employing older workers would not only reduce turnover but also help hotels to respond to the needs of senior customers, a rapidly growing market segment. Recommendations for Industry Reform The research suggests several concrete steps: Focus on Competency Over Age : Hotel managers should reduce their age stereotyping and focus more on a persons abilities, knowledge, and previous work experiences when making hiring decisions. : Hotel managers should reduce their age stereotyping and focus more on a persons abilities, knowledge, and previous work experiences when making hiring decisions. Implement Diversity Training : Diversity training programs should be provided for all employees to increase employees understanding of and improve their attitudes toward age diversity. : Diversity training programs should be provided for all employees to increase employees understanding of and improve their attitudes toward age diversity. Expand Training Opportunities: Rather than assuming older workers are less trainable, hotels should ensure that employees of all ages be given access to on-the-job training, which should be designed to facilitate cooperation between younger and older employees. The hotel industrys focus on brand-specific experience over hospitality expertise represents a fundamental misunderstanding of what drives guest satisfaction and business success. While PMS systems may differ, the art of hospitality - taking care of guests and associates with genuine care and professionalism - remains unchanged and is where older hoteliers truly excel. The hospitality industrys mission to care for guests would be better served by embracing the wisdom, stability, and customer service excellence that veteran hoteliers bring, rather than perpetuating age-based discrimination that wastes valuable human resources and potentially violates employment law. Sources Cheung, Sau Yin and Woo, Linda (2021). "Age Stereotypes and the Job Suitability of Older Workers from Hotel Managers Perspectives." International Journal of Hospitality Management, Vol. 95, 102932. Hong Kong Polytechnic University School of Hotel and Tourism Management (2022). "Building an Older, Wiser Workforce. " HospitalityNet. Canary Technologies (2024). "Best Practices for Guest Service in the Hotel Industry." Canary Technologies Blog. HotelTech Report (2025). "What Is a Hotel Property Management System (PMS): Complete Guide." HotelTech Report. EHL Hospitality Insights (2025). "Hospitality Industry Trends For 2025." EHL Group. eHotelier (2020). "The core values of hospitality have never been needed more." eHotelier Magazine. U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. "Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)." EEOC Guidelines. Hospitality Technology (2025). "Understanding the Fundamental Differences Between Hotel Property Management Systems." Hospitality Technology Magazine. Oracle Hospitality (2024). "Property Management System Features and Functions." Oracle Corporation. Marriott International (2024). "Our Core Values and Philosophy." Marriott Corporate Guidelines. Reprinted from the Hotel Business Review with permission from www.HotelExecutive.com. View source In the lead up to the Future Hospitality Summit - FHS World 2025, taking place at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai from 27-29 October, we asked several industry partners about what's next for hospitality investment in line with this year's event theme: "Where Vision Leads, Investment Follows." The hospitality industry stands at a defining moment. While demand has rebounded strongly since the pandemic, who is travelling, for how long, and for what purpose has become far less predictable, and the profile of todays traveler is becoming more fragmented. Investment in hospitality must be guided not just by short-term market cycles, but by a vision for how people will live, work, and travel in the coming decades. Business nomads, leisure explorers, long-stay residents, and multi-generational families each seek different forms of space, services, and flexibility. In this shifting landscape, the central challenge for industry lies in designing investment strategies that are resilient to evolving traveler behaviors while creating long-term value. The last three years have also revealed just how quickly traveller patterns can shift. A pandemic, supply chain disruptions, and geopolitical instability have all demonstrated that the most carefully laid forecasts can be overturned in a matter of months. What has endured, however, is the travellers demand for choice. Flexibility has become a baseline expectation, and the hospitality industry must respond with models that can stretch across demographics, travel purposes, and lengths of stay. The evolution of a multi-typology brand strategy is crucial for meeting changing travel patterns. This means catering across a spectrum of hospitality assets; hotels, serviced apartments, resorts and branded residences. This flexibility between short and long stays allows us to serve a wide range of clientele, from families and business travellers to digital nomads. Against the backdrop of shifting geopolitics and trade uncertainties, the Middle East is increasingly drawing international travellers, and in select cases, professionals and entrepreneurs from Asia, Europe, and North America who are considering more permanent or semi-permanent relocation. These guests arent necessarily looking for hotels, theyre seeking accommodations with enough space to work, play, and unwind, often with kitchen amenities for example, multi-typology strategy and flex-hybrid model is ideally suited to meet those preferences. This demand is particularly evident among younger generations who are rewriting the rules of travel. Millennials and Gen Z are more likely to combine business and leisure, to stay longer in a destination, and to seek out community and experience alongside convenience. For them, the question is not simply where will I stay? but how does this place fit into the way I want to live while I am here? This shift has profound implications for how hospitality assets are designed, operated, and financed. A flexible hospitality model allows conversion between short- and long-stay formats, strengthening asset resilience by sustaining occupancy even during softer demand periods. Unlike a traditional hotel, a flex-hybrid concept gives owners more adaptability, appealing to both transient and extended-stay guests while keeping the product agile to market shifts. Importantly, this versatility extends to the assets long-term value: owners retain the option to convert into residential units, sell individually or in bulk, or repurpose the property in multiple ways, rather than being locked into a single hotel use. The principle where vision leads, investment follows suggests that forward-looking strategies are the true drivers of capital. In hospitality, vision must extend beyond building assets to building ecosystems, places where different living and travel typologies converge. Investors are already signaling appetite for such models. Mixed-use developments that integrate hospitality, residential, retail, and workspace are attracting premium valuations. Similarly, flexible lodging formats that blur the line between hotel and home are seeing stronger investor confidence because they hedge against seasonality and macroeconomic shocks. Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond, the opportunity lies in embracing this adaptability more fully. Travellers are telling us, with their choices, that they want spaces that mirror the way they live; fluid, flexible, and connected. They are less concerned with whether they are in a hotel or a serviced apartment than with whether the accommodation supports their lifestyle. For the industry, this is a clear signal. Meeting demand is no longer about building more of the same; it is about creating properties that can shift and adapt in real time to the needs of different guests. The vision, then, is simple but powerful: hospitality that reflects the complexity of modern travel rather than resisting it. Investment follows that vision naturally, because assets that are adaptable, resilient, and future proof will always be more valuable than those bound by rigidity. In an era of uncertainty, multi-typology strategies offer certainty of another kind - the assurance that whatever shape travel takes next, hospitality will be ready to meet it. Anne Bleeker In2 Consulting +971 56 603 0886 The Bench Stephanie Smith of Cogwheel attended the Destination AI Conference for Hoteliers in Washington DC on September 30, 2025. There is a lot of AI slop and every vendor is AI-first, AI-enabled or AI-augmented. This conference, in only its 2nd year, was a chance to take a pulse on the industry stance on AI and separate hype from reality. While I would have wished people would have geeked out more on MCPs and differences in each LLM and their different outputs, there were still a lot of solid take-aways. What Hospitality Problems are We Solving? 73% of executives believe AI will have a significant or transformative impact on our industry, while 41% think AI is 2+ years away. I believe we can harness it now and make incremental impacts. But we need to stop looking for a magic bullet in AI and look to layer in AI to solve smaller problems consistently. Focus on solving real business problems, not chasing the next shiny tool. The top impact areas are consistent across every panel fall into one of these buckets: Guest engagement Meeting travelers where they are, enhancing experiences Meeting travelers where they are, enhancing experiences Revenue growth Packaging, merchandising, customer journey mapping Packaging, merchandising, customer journey mapping Operational efficiency Cutting costs and automating the chaos in back-of-house and front desk. There was agreement that GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out) is forcing us to both consolidate fragmented data and processes while also adhere to a middleware or backbone that AI infrastructure can easily be adapted. Reviewing AI Myths We are all still learning about AI, how to harness, train and execute. There was a recent MIT study that indicated that 95% of organizations studied get zero return on their AI investment. The panel said the study defined success incorrectly; and that AI had to be scalable across the enterprise, which is not realistic. Generally, hospitality is behind in technology. But, consumer adoption of AI in terms of travel planning is actually ahead of retail by 500%. As an industry, we need to embrace trends set by the consumer and follow their lead. AI is going to replace humans. It was said over and over: AI wont replace you, but the person using AI will. The People Side of Hospitality AI is moving faster than most of us can process, but the winners will be those who bridge human interaction (HI) + AI. Stop throwing tools at employees; make technology invisible. There was a lot of discussion about bringing your people along the technology journey. You cant just drop a tool in their lap and hope they use it. As an industry, we need to upskill our workforce (a common theme) and use people more effectively to leverage technology.To have an AI-first culture, you need BOTH a top down approach AND a bottom up approach to engage the entire team. Then celebrate the small wins. Agent-to-Agent: The Next Battleground It is not just B2B and B2C anymore; we now have to consider A2A (Agent-to-Agent) commerce. In a world where AI agents are making bookings, how do brands differentiate themselves to machines, not humans? The considerations: Be machine-visible Structure content semantically so AI can see and rank you. Map intents AI agents book based on intents (family trip, business overnight, weekend spa). Are you prepared to bundle and serve offers this way? Make proof portable Machines (and savvy travelers) value verifiable claims. Think reviews and validated data, not just marketing copy. Agent-to-Agent (A2A) commerce means Expedias AI agent could book directly with Hiltons AI agent. Your ARI and content must be structured to play in that world. The Effect on Hotel Marketing and the Customer Journey As an agency, we have been talking about transitioning from keyword searches to contextual inquiries and understanding how different personas matter in the booking process. The big disruptor will be when transactions can be completed by AI; either by humans or agents. While the impact to search traffic is expected to shift, less than 1% of traffic from LLMs makes it to hotel websites currently. For luxury hotels, the goal is how you make people feel. Can AI take the information from their shopping patterns, CRM, PMS and actually understand each customer better to deliver epic personalization? Can it prompt the agent at check in to offer me my favorite wine? Does it give the ability to allow the hotel to communicate with me in my desired language? We have an opportunity, as an industry, to truly steal back market share from the OTAs. We have to make our ARI (Availability Rates Inventory) portable so AI can leverage it, in real time. By doing so the traditional website + booking engine + app combo may no longer be needed. Hotel Chains on AI Hearing from the big brands was interesting, but nobody truly showed their cards. IHG: Experimenting with robotics in China; limited scale as there are issues deploying in the United States Experimenting with robotics in China; limited scale as there are issues deploying in the United States Wyndham: Fixated on cost reduction, mostly in call centers and IoT efficiency Fixated on cost reduction, mostly in call centers and IoT efficiency Choice: Incorporating new data points into existing BI data Incorporating new data points into existing BI data Hilton: Wants clean, standardized data to avoid semantic confusion; the industry needs common language and a data dictionary Wants clean, standardized data to avoid semantic confusion; the industry needs common language and a data dictionary Marriott: Obsessed with guest conversations across the full journey Obsessed with guest conversations across the full journey Hyatt: Focused on lead scoring and RFP responses while balancing latency/speed with governance/safety The theme? Every brand is experimenting, but none have solved the fragmentation puzzle. Whats Next for Hotels and AI Whats clear to me is that AI isnt a tool; its a culture shift. You dont sprinkle AI on top of broken systems and expect magic. Winning with AI in hospitality requires clean, centralized data with common semantics and connected systems, an AI-first culture where you upskill your teams, encourage small wins, and test constantly and an alignment of the business problems you want to solve. This isnt about dashboards or attribution models anymore. Its about creating a guest journey that feels personal, efficient, and trusted. About Cogwheel Marketing Cogwheel Marketing is a full service digital marketing agency specializing in branded hotels, first leveraging brand systems then coupling that with supplemental strategies to maximize total online presence. Their reporting and business intelligence tool, Cogwheel Analytics, aggregates data from multiple sources to allow companies to identify trends and opportunities in their online presence. Our defined processes ensure the best positioning for your hotel against the competitive set and against other hotels of the same brand. Let us work with your sales and revenue management teams to identify and close the gaps and target your ideal guests. Stephanie Smith Founder and Digital Matriarch +1 540 239 1052 Cogwheel Marketing & Analytics View source Global Hotel Industry Outlook for H2 2025: Regional Variations and Key Trends - Image Credit Unsplash The global hotel industry is experiencing varied performance across regions, with significant differences in RevPAR growth forecasts. Economic factors, geopolitical tensions, and competition from alternative lodging are influencing hotel market dynamics worldwide. The global hotel industry is navigating a complex landscape in 2025, characterized by regional disparities in performance and growth prospects. CBRE delves into the key trends and projections for the hotel sector across various regions, highlighting the factors that influence these variations. Americas Hotel Performance & Key Macroeconomic Indicators as a % of 2019 Source: CoStar, CBRE Hotels Research, Oxford Economics, International Air Transport Association. United States: A Challenging Environment The U.S. hotel market is facing headwinds, with CBRE revising its 2025 RevPAR growth forecast to a mere 0.1% from an earlier estimate of 1.8%. This downward adjustment is attributed to several factors, including a decline in occupancy rates and economic uncertainties stemming from trade tensions and geopolitical issues. The proliferation of alternative lodging options and rising operating costs are further pressuring hotel margins. Canada: Resilient Despite Trade Tensions In contrast, Canada is expected to experience a 2.4% increase in RevPAR, buoyed by strong inbound travel from the U.S. and robust domestic tourism. Despite rising trade tensions, the Canadian hotel market remains resilient, supported by balanced supply and demand dynamics and moderate ADR growth. Northern Latin America: A Tourism Upswing Northern Latin America is experiencing a dynamic upswing in tourism, with countries such as Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic showing strong performance. Significant hotel development projects and strategic investments in tourism infrastructure are driving growth in this region. Mexico, in particular, is leading the charge with a notable increase in international tourist arrivals. Europe: Steady Growth Amidst Challenges Europe's hotel industry continues to grow, albeit at a more measured pace. RevPAR is projected to increase by 2% to 5% in 2025, supported by rising international tourist arrivals. However, the region faces challenges such as slower recovery in travel from mainland China and delays in hotel development projects in the U.K. and Germany. Middle East: Strong Performance with Strategic Initiatives The Middle East, particularly the UAE, is experiencing robust growth in the hotel sector. Abu Dhabi and Dubai are leading the way with significant RevPAR improvements, driven by strong exhibition seasons and the introduction of new leisure attractions. Strategic initiatives, such as Abu Dhabi's Stopover program, are enhancing the region's appeal to international visitors. Asia-Pacific: Diverse Market Dynamics The Asia-Pacific region is witnessing a 9% increase in international tourist arrivals, with Japan, Vietnam, and Korea leading the growth. While ADR growth has slowed, occupancy rates continue to rise. Japan's hotel market is benefiting from record tourism inflows, while Korea's ADR is supported by continued tourism growth. However, challenges remain in mainland China, where ADRs have stagnated due to limited inbound demand. Key Takeaways The global hotel industry in 2025 is marked by regional variations in performance, influenced by a myriad of economic, geopolitical, and competitive factors. While some regions are experiencing robust growth, others face challenges that require strategic adaptation. Hotel operators and asset managers must navigate this complex landscape by optimizing channel mix, investing in guest-facing services, and maintaining high service standards to remain competitive. Discover more at CBRE. Rendering of the Signia by Hilton Indianapolis - Image Credit Hilton The Signia by Hilton Indianapolis has reached its highest structural point, marking a significant milestone in its construction, with completion expected by fall 2026. The construction of the Signia by Hilton Indianapolis has reached a major milestone, with the building topping off at 38 stories. This development marks the first Signia by Hilton in both Indiana and the Midwest, with the hotel set to open in the fall of 2026. The project is currently 62% complete. The hotel, once finished, will feature 800 rooms and approximately 100,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 50,000-square-foot ballroom. It will be directly connected to the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium via a skywalk over Capitol Avenue. The facility will include seven dining options, a rooftop sky bar and pool, a fitness center, and wellness-focused guest rooms. The project has created over 2,300 construction jobs, with nearly 40% of the workforce composed of minorities. The construction involves more than 100 local subcontractors and has seen the installation of 5,100 out of 5,900 panes of glass. Additionally, 72,000 cubic yards of concrete have been used, and up to five cranes have been present on-site simultaneously. The hotel will be part of the sixth expansion of the Indiana Convention Center, which has been in planning for nearly a decade. This expansion will allow Indianapolis to host two citywide conventions simultaneously, featuring one of the nation's ten largest convention center ballrooms. The development has already secured $1.3 billion in retained convention business, with potential new bookings valued at $1 billion. The City of Indianapolis has financed the project with $625 million in hotel revenue bonds. Key partners include construction manager AECOM Hunt, design firm Ratio Design, Central Indiana Building and Construction Trades, and concrete subcontractor FA Wilhelm Construction. Chicago, IL (60637) Today Mostly cloudy. A few flurries or snow showers possible. High 31F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Cloudy skies. Low near 10F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph. 2025 Kusik Award Winners Announced PITTSFIELD, Mass. Berkshire Regional Planning Commission has named the four recipients of the Kusik Award for 2025. The Kusik Award is given annually to projects, groups, or individuals who have made contributions to Berkshire County. Nominations are submitted by staff, BRPC Delegates, or members of the public looking to recognize these contributions. This year, four impactful women from across the region and working in separate fields are receiving the honor. Kusik honorees will be recognized at the BRPC annual meeting, at 5 p.m. on Oct. 16 at Proprietor's Lodge in Pittsfield. Advanced registration is required and is available here or by calling 413-442-1521, Ext. 10. About the 2025 Kusik honorees (in alphabetical order): Meg Bandarra is a landscape artist, outdoor recreation enthusiast, accessible trail advocate, and outdoor accessibility consultant. After developing a disability and experiencing firsthand the limited and often inadequate outdoor options for those with mobility concerns, she founded Unpaved Trails For All, a volunteer, disability-led group dedicated to educating about and advocating for high-quality, soft-surface accessible trails. "Meg is a knowledgeable advocate, teacher, and consultant on outdoor accessibility," said Jaymie Zapata, senior public health planner at BRPC. "She has consulted on many BRPC projects across the county, visited our towns and parks, and elevated awareness of accessibility in the outdoors across multiple BRPC departments." Ellen Kennedy has served as president of Berkshire Community College since 2012. At BCC, Kennedy has spearheaded efforts to create accessibility to higher education for all. Her extensive involvement includes having served as a Commissioner of the New England Commission of Higher Education and on the boards of the Massachusetts Workforce Incentive, MassHire Berkshires, Gov. Maura Healy's K-12 Graduation Council, Mass Tech AI Hub Education and Workforce Training, the Massachusetts Economic Empowerment Trust Fund and the Pittsfield School Building Needs Commission (resulting in a new Taconic High School). She is a tri-chair of the Governor's Berkshire Skills Cabinet and serves on the Executive Committee of BERK12 (formerly Berkshire Education Task Force), and the Berkshire Innovation Center (BIC). "Under President Kennedy's leadership, Community is once again the operative word, as the college is responsive to the needs of Berkshire residents as well as employers seeking workers in their businesses," said BRPC Executive Committee member Douglas McNally. "She has taken a leadership role in workforce development and economic development in the County, partnering with MassHire Berkshire Workforce Board, Taconic High School, and McCann Technical School to provide trainings that result in certifications for incumbent workers in technical fields where the Berkshires are experiencing workforce shortages." Jane Winn's career has been dedicated to upholding environmental laws, pushing for improved regulation, and training community members to be the 'eyes and ears' of environmentalism in the Berkshires. She advocates for community involvement in infrastructure projects and engages community members of all ages in appreciation for the natural world. She led the Berkshire Environmental Action Team through legal battles, regulatory interventions, and social movement building to prioritize environmental justice. Jane is succeeded at BEAT by Brittany Ebeling as executive director, hired two years ago as deputy director with an eye toward the organization's succession plan. "Jane's career is a testament to the power of community advocacy and activism," said Melissa Provencher, manager of BRPC's Environmental and Energy Planning Program. "During her time as BEAT's founder and executive director, she matured an all-volunteer effort into an environmental advocacy leader for the region. Jane worked tirelessly to advocate for a cleaner Berkshire County free of environmental pollution, mobilized significant grassroots efforts, and worked continuously toward connected, not just conserved, spaces for wildlife to move, among so many other accomplishments." Rene Wood is a community volunteer who has also been elected or appointed to many Sheffield boards, including the Select Board and all land-use boards. Her work in Sheffield has focused on both zoning and general bylaws; grant writing and awards on many subjects from local, state, and federal agencies; over a decade of work to reach the Rest of River Agreement; Community Preservation Act adoption; defeat of the Berkshire Hills and Southern Berkshire regional school districts merger; accessibility improvements; and now micro-transit, to mention a few. She was Sheffield's delegate or alternate to BRPC for 20 years, a volunteer for several non-profits, and, currently, a Berkshire Regional Transit Authority Advisory Board member. "I had the privilege of working closely with Rene to support grants that will soon bring digital skills classes and computer devices to residents and organizations in Sheffield," said senior economic development planner Wylie Goodman. "My respect for her deepened as I watched her lead the effort to ensure all properties in town now lacking stable, high-speed internet will finally receive it. Rene doesn't have to care this hard, but she does. Her town and our county are better for her empathy and energy." Berkshire Regional Planning Commission began the Kusik Award program in 1996. It is named in honor of the late Charles Kusik, a resident of Richmond who, for over three decades, placed his imprint on the zoning bylaws of nearly every town in Berkshire County. More about Kusik and a list of previous awardees is available on the BRPC website. "Each of this year's honorees has had a significant impact on the region, and on our work here at BRPC," said BRPC Executive Director Tom Matuszko, "They all prioritize the common good and the advancement of Berkshire County." This restored 18th century home in Williamstown offers modern conveniences and privacy in a historic setting. Friday Front Porch Feature: A Historic House in Williamstown WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. Are you looking for a historic home near many attractions? Then this is the 261-year-old home is for you. Our Friday Front Porch is a weekly feature spotlighting attractive homes for sale in Berkshire County. This week, we are showcasing 196 South St. This home was built in 1764 and was moved from Main Street three decades later. It is now adjacent to the Clark Art Institute on nearly four acres with a possible additional building site. This 2,437 square feet Georgian boasts four bedrooms and four bathrooms and comes with a barn. It has wide plank floors, fireplaces, wood paneling and multi-paned windows, along with modern appliances and finishes. It is on the market for $1.1 million. We spoke to Carolyn Umlauf with Harsch Associates, which has the listing. What do you think makes this property stand out in the current market? Generally, inventory of available properties is still very low in Williamstown. Although this is a very unique historic home, its location makes it particularly special in that it sits on almost four acres across the street from the world-class Clark Art Institute with its own 140 acres of hiking trails, in addition to its impressive research library and renowned various art collections. Although a historic home, it is not restricted regarding changes and has had the baths and kitchen updated with specific finishes and modern appliances. What was your first impression when you walked into the home? It is rather museum-like, as the owner is an American preservationist and is a Deerfield fellow, attesting to its unique restored interior details. What kind of buyer do you see this home being perfect for? Someone who appreciates history and living in an 18th-century property with some acreage that allows for the feeling of a country setting but yet is easily walkable to downtown restaurants and theater plus the campus of Williams College. What is the neighborhood like? This property sits on one of the prettiest streets in Williamstown with unique privacy created by its almost four acres. Are there any standout design features and/or recent renovations? This home is a Georgian style with center chimney and feather-sheathing restored walls with faux-painted wall treatments, wide pine board floors, 12-over-12 windows with interior and exterior storm sash, a replacement of the original double front doors, a cage bar with wet sink, a large keeping room with a working fireplace and adjacent beehive oven, an additional working fireplace in the living room across from an intimate small library. The primary bedroom has been updated to include an en suite bath with dressing room and the primary guest room has its own 3/4 bath, with two back bedrooms with a shared bath and access to the back staircase. A surprise space is the colonial children's bedroom over the garage that could be a studio, as well, with heat and electricity. The barn has a new roof and the owners are seeking a replacement roof on the main house. Do you know any unique stories about the home or its history? Built in 1764 by Williams Horsford, it was moved in 1802 from the Main Street of Williamstown where currently the president of Williams College's home now sits, by an eight-span team of oxen driven by Obadiah Bardwell consequently named the Horsford-Bardwell house. Many other stories abound in its printed history. What would you say to a buyer trying to imagine their life in this space? Your home will be like no other but reflective of a time prior to when our country was even established a rare opportunity to experience a visible piece of American history. You can find out more about this house on its listing here. *Front Porch Feature brings you an exclusive to some of the houses listed on our real estate page every week. Here we take a bit of a deeper dive into a certain house for sale and ask questions so you don't have to. As more and more Filipino businesses turn to digital solutions to streamline operations, digital leaders are prioritizing technologies that enable them to grow their business and reach new markets. G-Xchange, Inc. president and CEO Ren-Ren Reyes (5th from left) joins other industry leaders during the fireside chat of the segment titled Scaling B2B Businesses through Digital Innovation This shift was the central focus at Pulse 2025: B2B Innovation & Leadership Forum, organized by Asticom, a leading shared services and tech solutions company. Held at Shangri-La The Fort, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, the forum brought together business leaders, technologists, and decision-makers from across industries to explore how responsible AI, platform partnerships, and digital transformation are redefining the business landscape in the Philippines. Among the leading voices at the event was GCash, the countrys top finance superapp. G-Xchange Inc., (the mobile wallet operator of GCash) president and CEO Ren-ren Reyes, along with Jong Layug, general manager for GCash for Business, shared how the platform is evolving beyond consumer finance to drive financial empowerment and provide enterprise-scale solutions. G-Xchange, Inc. general manager of GCash for Business Jong Layug (4th from left) convenes with key voices in the industry on the discussion titled The Future of B2B: Al, Automation, and Emerging Technologies During one of the fireside chats, Reyes emphasized that the core purpose of GCash extends to both individual users and the broader enterprise landscape. He said, Whether it's a consumer reloading RFID or a company streamlining collections, we aim to remove pain points through digital tools. Every efficiency gained contributes to a stronger, more empowered economy. He also addressed the question of emerging technologies, such as AI, and how GCash filters them through a practical lens: We dont adopt tech for techs sake. We ask, does this solve a real problem? If it doesnt, its not worth the distraction. If it does, we scale it in a way thats intuitive and secure for our users. In the end, at the heart of GCash is our visionFinance for All. We help Filipinos establish a digital identity and financial footprint, bringing them into the formal system. That small step unlocks services they never thought possible before. Noting the crucial role of B2B partnerships and how theyre foundational to GCashs growth model, Layug shared how GCash has been expanding its enterprise focus through ecosystem collaboration and scalable solutions. If something defines who we are, we build it. If speed is critical and others can do it better, we partner. Either way, we always test side by side to ensure were delivering the best outcome. Weve always solved for the Filipino consumer. Now were applying the same mindset to businessescreating tools that remove friction, improve cash flow, and simplify interactions between brands and their customers. Also present at the event were industry leaders from McDonalds Philippines, Globe, Google Philippines, Microsoft Philippines, LinkedIn, Entrego, and other key players in digital innovation and enterprise transformation. The event was part of Asticoms 10th anniversary celebration, marking a decade of enabling businesses through shared services, workforce solutions, and technology-driven innovation. Asticom supports organizations in scaling operations and navigating transformation by delivering smart, people-centered business solutions. As GCash deepens its engagement with the B2B sector through responsible AI, scalable partnerships, and customer-first innovation, it reinforces its mission to support smarter, more inclusive business growth across the Philippines. For more information, please visit http://www.gcash.com. China's longest international passenger air route linking Shenzhen, Mexico City handles 50,000 trips Xinhua) 12:20, October 03, 2025 SHENZHEN, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- The direct passenger flight between Shenzhen and Mexico City, which has been in operation for over a year, has completed 348 trips (including both outbound and inbound ones) and has received more than 50,000 passenger visits as of September 21, according to China Southern Airlines' Shenzhen branch on Thursday. Stretching over 14,000 kilometers, the outbound flight from Shenzhen to Mexico City is currently the longest non-stop international route operated in China's civil aviation industry. The inbound flight includes a stop in Tijuana, Mexico. Among the 50,000 passenger trips, 27,000 departed from Shenzhen to Mexico City, while 23,000 were return journeys. The route has also facilitated 1,700 tonnes of cargo transport, according to the branch. Launched on May 11, 2024, the route is serviced by Airbus A350 aircraft, with three round-trip flights per week. Yuan Jintao, general manager of China Southern Airlines Shenzhen Branch, said the route helps Chinese enterprises explore the Mexican market, and improve trade efficiency between the two countries. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan) On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice India shot down five Pakistan fighter jets in May when the two nuclear-armed nations came dangerously close to a full-scale war, the top Indian Air Force official said on Friday. Air Force chief Amar Preet Singh also revealed the class of the fighter jets India struck. As far as air defence part is concerned, we have evidence of one long range strike along with that five fighters, high-tech fighters between F-16 and JF-17 class, our system tells, Captain Singh said at the Indian Air Force annual day press conference in New Delhi on Friday. Pakistans fighter jet F-16 is US-made and the JF-17 is of Chinese origin. The Indian Air Force and the government had not, until now, revealed the class of jets of the rival nation they targeted since the military escalation earlier this year. Indian prime minister Narendra Modi holds a security meeting with top security officials and IAF chief Amar Preet Singh ( EPA ) The top Indian Air Force official also declined to comment on questions on Pakistans claim of downing Indian jets. India and Pakistan exchanged heavy fire for four straight days in their worst conflict in more than a quarter century in May, launching missiles and drones at each others military bases and leaving dozens of people dead. The Narendra Modi government said it launched airstrikes at terrorist installations in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Pakistan in May retaliation to the terror attacks carried out on its civilians in Kashmirs Pahalgam in April. Both sides used fighter jets, missiles, artillery and drones during the four-day conflict, killing dozens of people, before agreeing to a ceasefire. While Islamabad denied involvement in the Kashmir attack and said that there was no evidence linking the strike back to Pakistan, India said in July that three terrorists involved in the attack who were killed and there was lot of proof that they were Pakistani nationals. The attack in Kashmir killed 26 men and was the worst assault on civilians in India since the Mumbai attacks in 2008. Islamabad has denied Indias assertions and the Pakistan foreign ministry said the Indias account of the events was replete with fabrications. India and Pakistan have been locked in a dispute over Kashmir since independence from British colonial rule in 1947. They both claim the territory in full but control it only in part. The neighbours have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir. India has long accused Pakistan of fuelling an armed separatist movement in its part of Kashmir which started in 1980 and has killed tens of thousands so far. It also blames Pakistani Islamist groups for attacks elsewhere in the country. Pakistan rejects the accusations. It claims to only provide moral, political and diplomatic support to Kashmiri separatists. Both countries have expelled each others diplomats and nationals, as well as closed their borders and shuttered airspace. India has also suspended a critical water-sharing treaty with Pakistan. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice India is set to host the Talibans acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi next week, people aware of the development said on Thursday. The UN-sanctioned Taliban leader was due to make his first trip to India in August but failed to secure a waiver on his existing travel ban by the United Nations Security Council last month. He was sanctioned by the UNSC in 2001 over the acts and activities of the Taliban in Afghanistan during the hardline Islamist groups previous rule in the 1990s. However, the UN security council said its committee approved an exemption to his travel ban, allowing him to visit India between 9 October to 16 October. On 30 September 2025, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1988 (2011) approved an exemption to the travel ban for Amir Khan Motaqi to visit New Delhi, India, from 9 to 16 October 2025, a statement by the UN said. The Independent has learnt New Delhi is set to host the Taliban leader in the capital next week on 10 October where he will meet Indian external affairs minister S Jaishankar for a high-level meeting. This marks the first ever visit by a Taliban leader to India after the hardline Islamist group captured power in Afghanistan in August 2021, in a significant boost to the former militia groups diplomatic ambitions. For sanctioned people like Muttaqi, a waiver has to be secured for their travel ban to visit foreign countries. The 1988 sanctions committee a subsidiary body of the Security Council to oversee the implementation of sanctions is currently led by Pakistan. It is overseeing the travel bans imposed on the Taliban leaders along with assets freeze and an arms embargo. The visit from Muttaqi will bump India into a brief list of nations that have hosted the sanctioned Taliban leader joining the ranks of China and Russia who have engaged with the fundamentalist group despite censure. Officials on the Indian side had failed to secure a waiver last month for Muttaqis visit, leading to the cancellation of arrangements from the Taliban side. According to officials in New Delhi, a waiver for Muttaqi was sought from the UNSC but it was not given clearance, in a move reportedly blocked by Pakistan. The visit to India by a senior Taliban official is seen as problematic as it will give legitimacy to the group that has banned almost half of its population of girls and women from schools, colleges, and workplaces on top of curtailing their basic human rights. On Monday, the Taliban suspended internet services across Afghanistan, cutting off millions of people from the outside world. Afghan media reported that the restriction was in line with the Taliban leaderships decree from earlier this month to tackle online immorality. The ban blocked mobile and broadband internet services, disrupted satellite television, and even affected flight operations. Flightradar24 showed that at least five flights scheduled to arrive at or depart from Kabul airport on Tuesday were cancelled. The services were later restored after the 48-hour blackout. Phone services of the largest providers, Roshan and Etisalat, both foreign-owned, were restored late afternoon on Wednesday, Reuters quoted residents in Kabul as saying. India has gradually ramped up its cautious yet increasingly diplomatic approach in engaging with the Taliban by meeting with the groups senior officials in Qatar and also in Kabul. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Outside a Tokyo train station, hundreds gathered to hear Sohei Kamiya, leader of the burgeoning nationalist party Sanseito, launch into a critique of Japans expanding foreign population. Amidst accusations of racism from opponents, separated by police and bodyguards, Kamiya retorted, insisting his views were merely "common sense". Despite its current minor party status, Sanseito saw notable gains in Julys parliamentary election. Its "Japanese First" agenda, championing anti-globalism, anti-immigration, and anti-liberalism, is now resonating more widely ahead of a crucial ruling party vote on Saturday, which is expected to determine Japans next prime minister. Such anti-immigrant policies, often used by populists to target easy scapegoats, are increasingly appealing to a Japanese populace grappling with stagnant wages, escalating living costs, and a pessimistic outlook for the future. Many Japanese are frustrated by these problems, though we are too reserved to speak out. Mr. Kamiya is spelling them all out for us, said Kenzo Hagiya, a retiree in the audience who said the foreigner problem is one of his biggest concerns. The populist surge comes as Japan, a traditionally insular nation that values conformity and uniformity, sees a record surge of foreigners needed to bolster its shrinking workforce. In September, angry protests fueled by social media misinformation about a looming flood of African immigrants quashed a government-led exchange program between four Japanese municipalities and African nations. open image in gallery Japan's Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya speaks at election campaign in Yokohama, near Tokyo Japan, Monday, Sept. 15, 2025. (AP Photo /Mayuko Ono) Even the governing party, which has promoted foreign labor and tourism, now calls for tighter restrictions on foreigners, but without showing how Japan, which has one of the world's fastest-aging and fastest-dwindling populations, can economically stay afloat without them. Kamiya says his platform has nothing to do with racism We only want to protect the peaceful lives and public safety of the Japanese, he said at the rally in Yokohama, a major residential area for foreigners. Japanese people tolerate foreigners who respect the Japanese way, but those who cling to their own customs are not accepted because they intimidate, cause stress and anger the Japanese, he said. Kamiya said the government was allowing foreign workers into the country only to benefit big Japanese businesses. Why do foreigners come first when the Japanese are struggling to make ends meet and suffering from fear? Kamiya asked. We are just saying the obvious in an obvious way. Attacking us for racial discrimination is wrong. Kamiya's anti-immigrant message is gaining traction All five candidates competing in Saturday's governing Liberal Democratic Party leadership vote to replace outgoing Shigeru Ishiba as prime minister are vowing tougher measures on foreigners. open image in gallery Demonstrators take part in a 'protest rave' against racism and nationalist party Sanseito ahead of the upper house election in the Shinkuku district of Tokyo, on July 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte, File) ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. ) One of the favorites, former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi, a hardline ultra-conservative, was criticized for championing unconfirmed claims that foreign tourists abused deer at a park in Nara, her hometown. Takaichi later said she wanted to convey the growing sense of anxiety and anger among many Japanese about outrageous" foreigners. During the July election campaign, far-right candidates insulted Japan's about 2,000 Kurds, many of whom fled persecution in Turkey. A Kurdish citizen, who escaped to Japan as a child after his father faced arrest for complaining about military hazing, said he and his fellow Kurds have had to deal with people calling them criminals on social media. Japan has a history of discrimination against ethnic Koreans and Chinese, dating from the colonialist era in the first half of the 20th century. Some of that discrimination persists today, with insults and attacks targeting Chinese immigrants, investors and their businesses. Hoang Vinh Tien, 44, a Vietnamese resident who has lived in Japan for more than 20 years, says foreigners are often underpaid and face discrimination, including in renting apartments. He says he has worked hard to be accepted as part of the community. As we hear about trouble involving foreigners, I share the concerns of the Japanese people who want to protect Japan, and I support stricter measures for anyone from any country, including Vietnam," Hoang said. Rising foreigner numbers, but not nearly enough to bolster the economy Japans foreign population last year hit a new high of more than 3.7 million. That's only about 3% of the countrys population. Japan, which also promotes inbound tourism, aims to receive 60 million visitors in 2030, up from 50 million last year. The foreign workforce tripled over the past decade to a record 2.3 million last year, according to Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare statistics. An increase of 300,000 from a year earlier was twice the projected pace. Many work in manufacturing, retail, farming and fishing. open image in gallery Sohei Kamiya, leader of a surging nationalist party Sanseito, speaks during an interview with the Associated Press at his party's headquarter on Sept. 2, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved ) Even as the foreign population surged, only about 12,000 foreigners were arrested last year, despite alarmists claims that there would be a crimewave, National Police Agency figures show. The pro-business ruling Liberal Democratic Party in 1993 launched a foreign trainee program and has since drastically expanded its scope in phases. But the program has been criticized as an exploitive attempt to make up for a declining domestic workforce. It will be renewed in 2027 with more flexibility for workers and stricter oversight for employers. Many Japanese view immigrants as cheap labor who speak little Japanese, allow their children to drop out of school and live in high-crime communities, says Toshihiro Menju, a professor at Kansai University of International Studies and an expert on immigration policies. He says the prejudice stems from Japan's stealth immigration system that accepts foreign labor as de facto immigrants but without providing adequate support for them or an explanation to the public to help foster acceptance. A Sanseito supporter in her 50s echoed some of these views but acknowledged that she has never personally encountered trouble with foreigners. Meanwhile, Japan faces real economic pain if it doesn't figure out the immigration issue. The nation will need three times more foreign workers, or a total of 6.7 million people, than it currently allows, by 2040 to achieve 1.24% annual growth, according to a 2022 Japan International Cooperation Agency study. Without these workers, the Japanese economy, including the farming, fishing and service sectors, will become paralyzed, experts say. It is unclear whether Japan can attract that many foreign workers in the future, as its dwindling salaries and lack of diversity makes it less attractive. A growing party that's part of a changing political landscape Sanseito started in 2020 when Kamiya began attracting people on YouTube and social media who were discontent with conventional parties. Kamiya, a former assembly member in the town of Suita, near Osaka, focused on revisionist views of Japans modern history, conspiracy theories, anti-vaccine ideas and spiritualism. open image in gallery Kirk was fatally shot at an event on a Utah college campus on September 10 ( Andrew Harnik/Getty Images ) Kamiya said he's extremely inspired by the anti-globalism policies of U.S. President Donald Trump, but not his style. He invited a conservative activist and Trump ally Charlie Kirk to Tokyo for talks days before his assassinationhas been also connecting with far-right parties such as the Alternative for Germany party (AfD) and Britain's Reform UK. His priority, he said in an interview with The Associated Press, is to further expand his support base, and he hopes to field more than 100 candidates in future elections. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Activist and former beauty queen Meghna Alam recalls that she first met Essa Yousef Al Duhailan, then Saudi Arabias ambassador to Bangladesh, at an event in Dhaka last September. Al Duhailan, she claims, pursued her with charm. First he gave her a copy of the Quran, a prayer mat and a prayer dress as gifts. Then he sent flowers, jewellery, and even 200kg of dates labelled a Gift from the King of Saudi Arabia. What followed is a saga that has gripped Bangladeshi gossip columns for months, but also had real and damaging consequences for Alams reputation, career and even her liberty. Brands have dropped their associations with her, and she has been arrested and accused of jeopardising her countrys relationship with Saudi Arabia, an important ally. Alam became a national celebrity when she won the Miss Earth Bangladesh pageant in 2020. She now chairs the Miss Bangladesh Foundation and identifies herself as a political leadership trainer. Now 30 years old, Alam says she was initially hesitant when the ambassadors advances began. But they soon embarked on a romantic relationship, she says. It was a whirlwind: intense, but brief. I also did like the fact that a very powerful man was pursuing me, she tells The Independent. So, I am not lying about this, okay? He seemed like a very genuine person. I can understand now that things were rushing too fast. Alam was drawn in by the attention that Duhailan showered on her. She says the envoy told her he was divorced, and gave her a diamond ring. But, she says, there was a caveat. Duhailan told her, Alam claims, that Saudi Arabian diplomats were not allowed to marry Bangladeshi nationals. Alam was taken aback. If they got married, Duhailan allegedly told her, it would not be recognised and have any legal basis in his home country. In 2021, multiple news reports, citing the Makkah Daily, suggested that Saudi Arabia had banned its men from marrying women from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Chad. The Independent has reached out to Saudi Arabian authorities for clarification. Even as talk of Alam and Duhailans marriage was in the air, rumours started circulating in their circles that she had gotten pregnant and had an abortion. In a Muslim society like Bangladeshs, pre-marital relations are frowned upon, and pregnancy or abortion outside of marriage is taboo. open image in gallery Meghna Alam says she attends court with symbolic personal items to prove she had no illicit relationship with former Saudi envoy ( Meghna Alam ) Alam felt targeted. She tells The Independent that brands refused to work with her after these rumours started flying. People were literally telling me, we cannot have a brand ambassador whos had an abortion, she says, who had an illegitimate child, with the ambassador. These, she insists, were all lies. A few months after they first met, Alam says she received a call from a woman who identified herself as Duhailans wife. The caller allegedly told her that Duhailan was fooling her. At one point she even racially abused Alam, allegedly telling her that he will be ashamed to even tell his friends that he loves a Bangal. Shocked by the callers claim that Duhailan was married, Alam says she returned most of his gifts. She kept the Quran, the prayer mat and a few other items of religious meaning. And she demanded that Duhailan clarify the rumours about her having aborted his child. I was so furious, she recalls. Alam says the diplomat had a good, positive image. She claims he would hold her shoes, feed her with his hands and be so helpful all the time. In the wake of the call, all she needed from him, she says, was to provide a proper closure and an apology. She warned him that she would make a formal complaint if he didnt speak out and clear her name. The next day, 9 April 2025, when Alam was still processing her confrontation with Duhailan, there was a knock on her door. Plain-clothed men declared they were there to talk about her birth certificate and alleged there were drugs in her house. Alam says she was terrified and confused. She went live on Facebook to document what was happening. What followed was two days of interrogation in a secretive government facility, she alleges, where she was cut off from her family, stripped of her phone and laptop, and pressured to retract her statements. It was an ordeal she describes as psychological torment designed to break her will. She was taken to the Detective Branch headquarters, she alleges, a place notorious during ousted leader Sheikh Hasinas rule for enforced disappearances. Inside, officers subjected her to intense questioning, compelling her to erase the live Facebook video and pressuring her to hand over her passwords. Alam alleges she was arrested before a formal complaint had been filed. She was charged days after her detention. The Independent has reached out to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police for comment. Alam says she was detained under flawed legal procedures after officials warned that displeasing the Saudi ambassador could threaten Bangladeshs economic relations with Riyadh. Local media reports said that she was accused of fraud, extortion, and honey-trapping diplomats. She was in addition accused of harming relations with Saudi Arabia. Police charged that, along with businessman Dewan Samir, CEO of Kawaii Group, and several other people, Alam was part of a syndicate that used women to entrap foreign diplomats and wealthy Bangladeshi traders in romantic schemes, extorting money by threatening to tarnish their reputations. On 10 April, a midnight court reportedly ordered Alams 30-day detention under the Special Powers Act, citing a threat to public safety. The next day, police claimed she had endangered state security and foreign relations. She was granted bail on 28 April, the Dhaka Tribune reported. Alam says that while she was in detention, her photos from public events where she appeared with former ministers or at the Indian High Commission were circulated online by unknown accounts to falsely portray her as a prostitute or foreign agent, undermining my work and identity. open image in gallery Meghna Alam says she faces public scrutiny and character assassination ( Meghna Alam ) In the meantime, a group of 27 womens rights advocates wrote to Muhammad Yunus, Bangladeshs interim leader, demanding Alams immediate release. The letter, signed by lawyers, academics, artists and other professionals, condemned the circumstances of her arrest, including the use of nearly 30 officers, detention without a warrant, and alleged violations of her fundamental rights. Amnesty International said it was deeply concerned about the use of the Special Powers Act for the arrest of model Meghna Alam. The draconian legislation, with vague, overbroad provisions, has historically been used to arbitrarily detain people for long periods of time, without charge, and without judicial oversight. These all constitute gross violations of due process safeguards and international human rights standards and best practices, the rights group noted. As per media reports, Meghnas detention was shrouded in secrecy, and was allegedly carried out without a warrant, which are considered to be alarming violations of procedural safeguards. We call on the authorities to either charge Meghna with an internationally recognisable crime or release her. They must also end the use of and repeal the Special Powers Act. Alam claims Duhailan left Bangladesh the very day she was detained. He deactivated his SIM, deleted his LinkedIn and Facebook accounts, she adds. The Independent couldnt find an online presence for Duhailan. Both the Saudi embassy in Dhaka and the Saudi foreign ministry have been contacted for comment, but had not replied at the time of publication. Alam has since moved back in with her parents. She is thankful that they have been supportive. She had to give away her apartment, she says, due to harassment in the wake of the scandal. She also says she endured severe psychological and emotional distress due to her unlawful detention, character assassination, and harassment. They dragged it to an extent that it made me an object of shame for the whole society, she says, fighting back tears. A lot of people who dont know me at all are saying stuff like, I have been a prostitute for this person. Im going to the court every month and people think that I pull a lot of stunts, but, to be honest, I know there is no legal way to fight him, because it seems certain forces within the government are plotting to save him. The Independent has contacted the Bangladeshi home affairs ministry for comment. To demonstrate that there was nothing illicit about her relationship with the diplomat, Alam always took a few symbolic personal items he had given her like the Quran and the prayer dress to all her court dates. It is almost a year since Alam first met the diplomat and she is still struggling to put her life back together. If there are continuously anti-state kind of statements being made about me, I mean, no matter how positive I want to be, this is an obstruction to my work, Alam says. This has been five months, and this way I cannot survive. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Indonesia's shrimp industry has seen a 30-35 per cent drop in processing absorption after radioactive contamination was found in a US-bound shrimp batch in August, its farmers' association reported. The shrimp came from a Jakarta-area industrial estate, later confirmed to contain Cesium 137. Its nuclear agency is now pinpointing the affected area's size. Indonesia, the world's fifth-largest shrimp exporter (six per cent of global exports), sends two-thirds to the US. While the radioactive finding was in just one shrimp consignment from one company, PT Bahari Makmur Sejati (BMS), U.S. and other foreign buyers are now waiting to determine whether all shrimp from Indonesia is safe, said Andi Tamsil, the head of Indonesia's shrimp farmers' association. Prices have fallen by up to 35% in several regions, he said. "Since BMS was added to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's red list, shrimp absorption from farmers has decreased by around 30%-35%," Tamsil told Reuters. In 2024, Indonesia exported about 215,000 tonnes of shrimp, valued at about $1.7 billion, according to government data. The U.S. is the main market for Indonesian shrimp, accounting for 63.7% of the total exports, followed by Japan. "If this continues, millions of households that depend on this industry from upstream to downstream are at risk of losing their jobs," Tamsil said. A worker sorts shrimps at a farm in Kebumen, Centra Java, Indonesia, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. ) The shrimp industry had become the victim of negligence and the incident had shaken public confidence, he added. "This fatal mistake has caused the U.S. to question the safety of our food." Indonesia established a task force after the U.S. FDA issued an advisory to American consumers, distributors and sellers not to eat, sell or serve frozen shrimp imported by BMS, doing business as BMS Foods, after their products were associated with Cesium 137 contamination. So far, the U.S. FDA has listed 10 brands associated with BMS. Cesium 137 is present in the environment mainly from past nuclear testing or accidents, like Chernobyl and Fukushima, according to the FDA's website. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A court in Bangkok on Friday sentenced a Thai man who shot and killed an opposition politician from Cambodia to life in prison. The January shooting in Thailand's capital was widely seen as a political assassination, but the suspect's motives were never fully revealed. Lim Kimya, a former lawmaker from the dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party, was fatally shot on 7 January in broad daylight near Bangkok's Khaosan Road, a neighbourhood popular with backpacking tourists. The gunman, who fled the scene and made his way across the border to Cambodia, was identified as Ekkalak Pheanoi. He was arrested and deported from Cambodia, and later confessed, according to authorities. Ekkalak told authorities that he was hired to carry out the shooting, but the trial never established ultimate responsibility for the killing. The Bangkok Criminal Court formally sentenced Ekkalak to death for the killing but his sentence was immediately reduced to life imprisonment because he had confessed and cooperated with the authorities. Human rights activists saw the killing as one in a series of extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances carried out in recent years in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam against dissidents in exile. Before the killing, Lim Kimyas Facebook page had carried messages critical of Cambodias government. Security camera footage from the crime scene showed the gunman arriving on a motorbike. Three gunshots are heard before the man walks away as the victim collapses to the ground. The suspect, whose face was not covered, then rode away on the motorbike. In the months that followed, Thai police also issued an arrest warrant for two Cambodian men, one suspected of hiring Ekkalak and the other suspected of helping identify Lim Kimya to the shooter. Both suspects are believed to have fled to Cambodia and remain at large. Ekkalak was convicted of all charges, including premeditated murder and charges related to carrying and using weapons. He was also ordered by the court to pay the victims family in total of 1.7 million baht ($55,100) in compensation. Lawyer Nadthasiri Bergman, who represents Lim Kimyas wife, said her client may file an appeal demanding a higher amount of compensation. She demanded police push harder to bring the two other suspects to justice. Cambodia under former Prime Minister Hun Sen, who held power for almost four decades, was widely criticized for human rights abuses, including the suppression of freedom of speech and persecution of political opponents. Hun Sen was succeeded in August 2023 by his U.S.-educated son, Hun Manet, but there have been few signs of political liberalization. Also on Friday, the court acquitted another Thai man who was tried in the same case, Chakrit Buakhli. He was accused of helping Ekkalak by driving him to the border with Cambodia after the shooting, but the court ruled he was merely a hired driver and not connected to the killing. Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The death toll from Typhoon Bualoi and the floods triggered by it in Vietnam has risen to 51, according to a government report released on Friday. Bualoi made landfall on Monday in northern central Vietnam, bringing huge sea swells, strong winds and heavy rains that also left 14 people missing and 164 injured, according to the report from the government's disaster management agency. The agency also raised its estimate of property damage caused by the typhoon and the resultant flooding to nearly 447m, up from 323m in a previous estimate released on Thursday. The typhoon severely damaged roads, schools and offices, and caused power grid failures that left tens of thousands of families without electricity, the latest report noted. Residents described the scenes of destruction as unprecedented. "I stayed awake the whole night fearing the door would be pulled off by strong winds," Ho Van Quynh from Nghe An province told Reuters. His neighbours said they spent the night trying to protect their homes as the power to their apartment building went out. "I've witnessed many storms, and this is one of the strongest," said Nguyen Tuan Vinh, 45. Aerial view shows flooding caused by Typhoon Bualoi in Lao Cai, Vietnam ( AP ) In Hue, streets were left submerged, a teenager was electrocuted during the rainfall, and at least one person was reported missing after being swept away in floodwaters. In Quang Tri province, one fishing boat sank and another ran aground while seeking shelter. More than 230,000 houses were damaged or inundated and nearly 89,000 hectares of rice and other crops were destroyed. The report did not mention any major damage to industrial properties. Vietnam is a regional manufacturing hub and large factories in or near the typhoon's path included those owned by Foxconn, Formosa Plastics, Luxshare, and Vinfast. The countrys central bank has told banks to consider restructuring or freezing loans for firms hit by the typhoon, deputy governor Pham Thanh Ha said on Friday. The storm had killed at least 20 people in the Philippines before arriving in Vietnam. Bualoi was the second major cyclone to strike Asia in a week after Super Typhoon Ragasa, marking one of the fiercest typhoon months in recent memory and leaving trails of destruction from the Philippines to Taiwan, southern China and now Vietnam. Scientists warn that the climate crisis is fuelling stronger, wetter storms by warming the oceans, which in turn drives more intense winds and rainfall. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Two men have died after a knifeman wearing what appeared to be an explosive belt unleashed an appalling terror attack on a synagogue on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. Three more casualties are being treated for serious injuries in hospital after the attacker, named by police as Jihad Al-Shamie, targeted worshippers marking Yom Kippur at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, on Middleton Road in Crumpsall on Thursday morning. The 35-year-old drove his car towards pedestrians before getting out and stabbing bystanders while terrified worshippers barricaded themselves inside the synagogue. Within just seven minutes of the first 999 call at 9.31am, Al-Shamie was shot dead by armed police who feared he would detonate an explosive belt strapped to his waist, which was later found not to be viable. He is understood to be a British national of Syrian descent, who entered the UK as a very young child, and was granted citizenship in 2006 as a minor. Police do not believe he had ever been referred to Prevent, Britains counter terrorism programme. Two men aged in their 30s and a woman in her 60s have also been arrested on suspicion of planning a terror attack in connection with the killings. Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has said Britain must defeat rising hatred and antisemitism as he condemned the vile attack which targeted Jews because they are Jews. Head of Counter Terrorism Policing, assistant commissioner Laurence Taylor, vowed to step up efforts to protect members of the Jewish community as he declared the attack was a terrorist incident on Thursday afternoon. Synagogues and other Jewish sites across the country were last night being protected by extra patrols. open image in gallery Emergency services rushed to the scene ( PA ) In a late update on Thursday evening, police confirmed three men remain in hospital, including one suffering with a stab wound and another who was struck by the car involved in the attack. The third man later presented himself at hospital with an injury that may have been sustained as officers stopped the attacker, police said. Scores of worshippers had flocked to the synagogue for Yom Kippur - the Day of Atonement - a sacred day which focuses on making amends and repentance. An eyewitness said prayers had just started when the attack took place but Rabbi Daniel Walker, who was leading the service, remained calm and helped lead the congregation to safety. Chava Lewin, who lives next door to the synagogue, said she heard a banging sound and thought it might be a firework. My husband went outside and then ran back inside and said, Theres been a terrorist attack, she said. I spoke to someone who said she was driving and saw a car driving erratically and it crashed into the gates (of the synagogue). She thought maybe he had a heart attack. The second he got out of the car he started stabbing anyone near him. He went for the security guard and tried to break into the synagogue. He was in the courtyard. Someone barricaded the door. Everyone is in utter shock. Footage shared on social media appeared to show officers pointing guns at someone lying on the ground outside the synagogue as they shouted at onlookers to get back, warning: He has a bomb. open image in gallery The attacker was wearing what appeared to be an explosive device on a belt, which was later found to be non-viable ( Reuters ) Eyewitness Khurram Rafiq was driving past when he saw the knifeman plough into someone on the pavement outside the synagogue. Initially I thought it was an accident and that the driver had lost control for whatever reason, the tech firm manager, 35, told the Daily Mail. But he then got out and stabbed the man who was lying on the ground. This happened directly outside the synagogue. The knifeman walked through the front gates and stabbed at least two other men. He said the attacker, who had what appeared to be explosives strapped to his belt, appeared robotic. He was quiet, there was no shouting from what I could hear nor any religious slogans or chants, he was very robotic in his actions like he had a job to do and was just focused on doing it, he added. open image in gallery Emergency services were called to the Heaton Park Synagogue at around 9.30am on Thursday ( PA Wire ) Greater Manchester Polices chief constable Sir Stephen Watson said: At this time, we know that a car was driven directly at members of the public outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue on Middleton Road, Crumpsall in Manchester. The driver of the car was seen then to attack people with a knife. He was wearing about his body a vest which had the appearance of an explosive device. Police declared Plato the national code-word used by police and emergency services when responding to a marauding terror attack. A specialist bomb squad was called to the scene, but the device was later confirmed not to be viable. open image in gallery Members of the congregation were escorted to safety ( Getty Images ) A security guard who bravely tried to stop the attacker from entering the synagogue is believed to be among those seriously hurt. Manchester has the second-largest Jewish community in the country outside of Greater London. Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer flew back to the UK early from Denmark to chair a Cobra meeting and announced additional police assets would be deployed at synagogues across the country. In a press conference from Downing Street on Thursday evening, he said Jewish schools, buildings and synagogues are forced to deploy specialist security thanks to the threat of antisemitic hatred. Todays horrific incident shows why, he added. And while this is not a new hate, this is something Jews have always lived with, we must be clear, it is a hatred that is rising once again, and Britain must defeat it once again. On behalf of the nation, I want to offer my condolences to the families and victims affected. I want to thank the Greater Manchester police, the first responders and those dedicated security specialists, there is no doubt whatsoever that they have prevented an even greater tragedy, and we thank them for their bravery. open image in gallery Police patrolling at synagogues is set to increase across the country ( Jonathan Brady/PA Wire ) Home secretary Shabana Mahmood, who visited the scene of the attack, vowed the government would do whatever is required to keep our Jewish community safe. She said many questions remained to be answered after Thursdays attack but urged the public to exercise patience, saying they would be probed over the coming days. Jewish community leaders have shared their condolences and outrage following the incident. The Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester said in a statement: Today, on Yom Kippur the holiest day of the Jewish year our communitys worst fears came true when a terrorist attacked congregants as they entered the Heaton Park Synagogue on Middleton Road in Manchester. This horrendous attack is the culmination of two years of constant Jew hatred targeting our community by those who wish to attack us because of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. It is an event that every Jewish person in the UK has feared. open image in gallery People gather at the cordon in Crumpsall ( PA Wire ) Our thoughts and prayers are with those members of our community who have been injured in this attack and we will provide them and their families with all the support they require. We want to thank GMP, Community Security Trust and the other emergency services for their swift response and to the government for their messages of support. In a joint statement, Crumpsall local councillors Nasrin Ali, Jawad Amin and Fiaz Riasat said: Today, Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, should have been a special time for our Jewish communities a time of reflection, atonement and peace. Instead, Crumpsall has been shocked by the horrifying and senseless attack on a place of worship an act that we condemn in the strongest possible terms. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families, along with the entire Jewish community in Manchester and further afield. We will always stand against hatred and we offer our Jewish friends solidarity and our full support at this time. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Two victims of the Yom Kippur terrorist attack in Manchester were shot by armed police as they sheltered inside the barricaded door of the synagogue, it has emerged. Greater Manchester Police confirmed one of the victims was found to have suffered a gunshot wound. Another survivor is in hospital with a bullet wound, which is not life-threatening. Knifeman Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, who appeared to be wearing a belt laden with explosives, was not carrying a firearm when he launched the car and knife onslaught on Thursday morning. He was under investigation over an alleged rape earlier this year and had been released on bail at the time of the attack, The Independent understands. Sir Stephen Watson, chief constable of Greater Manchester Police, said the victims bullet wounds may sadly have been sustained as a tragic and unforeseen consequence of the urgently required action taken by my officers to bring this vicious attack to an end. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), the police watchdog, has launched an investigation into the fatal shooting by armed officers, who opened fire on Shamie within seven minutes of the first 999 call. Tributes have flooded in as victims of the horrific attack were named as Melvin Cravitz, 66, and Adrian Daulby, 53, who sustained the bullet wound. open image in gallery Adrian Daulby died trying to protect others, his family said ( GMP ) The men were both bravely trying to defend Heaton Park Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall when the tragedy unfolded on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Speaking at an emotional vigil attended by senior politicians on Friday, Rabbi Daniel Walker who helped save worshippers barricaded inside the synagogue said Cravitz and Daulby were two special men whose lives were snatched from them as they tried to pray as Jews on Yom Kippur. However, he insisted the killer had failed to shut down their shul (synagogue) as he led prayers for a hero who suffered terrible wounds trying to defend the synagogue and who is recovering in hospital alongside two men who blocked the terrorist with their bodies. open image in gallery Neighbours paid tribute to beloved Melvin Cravitz, 66 ( Facebook ) I want to say thank you again to those special and heroic men who stopped that terrorist getting into my shul and stopped much worse things happening, he said. I want to say thank you to emergency services, first of all, to the police, who came to our aid at the time of our greatest need, who were there for us. Deputy prime minister David Lammy was booed as he spoke at the vigil amid a growing row over continuing pro-Palestine protests in the wake of the attack. Organisers have refused calls from the Metropolitan Police and the home secretary Shabana Mahmood to call off a demonstration in support of banned group Palestine Action in central London on Saturday, in which 1,500 people have pledged to risk arrest by defying terror laws. open image in gallery Rabbi Daniel Walker said Melvin Cravitz and Adrian Daulby were two special men ( PA ) Grieving family members said Daulby, who was struck by a stray police bullet, was a beloved brother, loving uncle and cherished cousin who lost his life trying to save others. The family is shocked by the tragic, sudden death of such a lovely down-to-earth man, they said. His final act was one of profound courage, and he will forever be remembered for his heroic act on Thursday 2 October 2025. Neighbours in Crumpsall described Daulby, who lived alone, as a gentle and innocent soul who loved nature and looking after children. They began frantically ringing his phone when they realised he was missing following the attack at around 9.30am. open image in gallery David Lammy faced boos as he spoke at the vigil ( Reuters ) Ive known him since I moved here in 2005, Abdul Rahimi said. He was like family. It is a real shock, especially to my children, because he was friends with them. He was children-minded. He did a lot on the road, too much. He was always helpful. Always on Eid or Christmas he would bring a gift. Locals said beloved Cravitz, who was working as a security guard at the synagogue, had survived two heart operations. In a moving tribute, his family said: Melvin would do anything to help anyone. He was so kind, caring and always wanted to chat and get to know people. He was devoted to his wife, family and loved his food. He will be sorely missed by his wife, family, friends and community. Police are still working to establish the full details of the motivations of the 35-year-old attacker, who was a British national of Syrian heritage and was granted citizenship in 2006 as a minor. Investigators do not believe he had ever been referred to Prevent, Britains counterterrorism programme. In a statement, his family condemned the attack, describing it as a heinous act. open image in gallery Jihad Al-Shamies family condemned the heinous acts in a statement on Facebook ( Facebook ) The post, signed by his father Faraj Al-Shamie, on behalf of the Al-Shamie family, read: The news from Manchester regarding the terrorist attack targeting a Jewish synagogue has been a profound shock to us. The Al-Shamie family in the UK and abroad strongly condemns this heinous act, which targeted peaceful, innocent civilians. We fully distance ourselves from this attack and express our deep shock and sorrow over what has happened. Neighbours of the killer said he had lived there since around 2021, and one neighbour remembered a baby also living at the address but could not recall seeing a woman living there. open image in gallery Police have cordoned off Shamies address in Prestwich ( PA ) One woman said: We used to see him out in the garden working out, doing weights, press-ups. He used to change his clothes. One day he would be wearing the full gown, to the floor, and the next jeans and pyjama bottoms. Two men aged in their thirties and a woman in her sixties, who have been arrested on suspicion of planning a terror attack in connection with the killings, remain in police custody. Emily Barry, IOPC director of engagement, said: As is standard when there has been a fatal police shooting, we are carrying out an independent investigation to establish the facts of what happened, and our findings will be shared with the coroner in due course. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice It was supposed to be a day of solemn reflection. Members of Manchesters Jewish community, young and old, had gathered to mark Yom Kippur the Day of Atonement the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. But a day of fasting and prayer was shattered when a knifeman ploughed into a worshipper outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall on Thursday morning, before getting out and stabbing bystanders. Within just seven minutes of the first 999 call at 9.31am, the knifeman was shot dead by armed police who feared he would detonate a fake suicide belt strapped to his waist. Officers have been praised for their swift response to the deadly attack, which claimed two lives and has been declared a terrorist incident. Greater Manchester Police had declared Plato, the national code word used by police and emergency services when responding to a marauding terror attack, and a major incident by 9.37am. Security staff and worshippers have also been singled out for their bravery after their quick thinking stopped the knifeman from entering the synagogue, where terrified worshippers barricaded themselves inside as he stabbed at the window. open image in gallery Armed police officers at the scene near the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester ( PA ) Chava Lewin, who lives next door to the synagogue, said: I was outside and heard a banging sound, and I thought it might be a firework. My husband went outside and then ran back inside and said, Theres been a terrorist attack. I spoke to someone who said she was driving and saw a car driving erratically and it crashed into the gates [of the synagogue]. She thought maybe he had a heart attack. The second he got out of the car, he started stabbing anyone near him. He went for the security guard and tried to break into the synagogue. He was in the courtyard. Someone barricaded the door. Everyone is in utter shock. Horrifying footage shared on social media appeared to show officers pointing guns at someone lying on the ground outside the front of the synagogue as they shouted at onlookers to get back, adding: He has a bomb. The person on the ground starts to get up before there is the sound of a gunshot, and they fall to the ground. open image in gallery The attacker was wearing an apparent suicide belt, which police later said was found to be non-viable ( Reuters ) Eyewitness Khurram Rafiq was driving past when he saw the knifeman plough into someone on the pavement outside the synagogue. Initially, I thought it was an accident and that the driver had lost control for whatever reason, the tech firm manager, 35, told the Daily Mail. But he then got out and stabbed the man who was lying on the ground. This happened directly outside the synagogue. The knifeman walked through the front gates and stabbed at least two other men. He said the attacker, who had what appeared to be explosives strapped to his belt, targeted men wearing the Jewish skullcaps called kippahs. He was quiet, there was no shouting from what I could hear, nor any religious slogans or chants, he was very robotic in his actions, like he had a job to do and was just focused on doing it, he added. A delivery driver told BBC Radio Manchester the suspect was then stabbing the window and trying to get into the synagogue. As we looked over, the guy had a knife, and he was just stabbing the window trying to get in the school [synagogue], he said. And then within seconds the police arrived. They gave him a couple of warnings. He didnt listen, so they opened fire. open image in gallery Get back... he has a bomb: Armed police at the Manchester synagogue attack warned the public to stay away ( Social media ) He went down on the floor, and then he started getting back up, and then they shot him again. Paramedics arrived at the scene at 9.47am. Three further casualties were taken to hospital with serious injuries. Bomb disposal crews attended after 11am, but police later confirmed the device strapped to the attacker was not viable. Two members of the Jewish community died in the attack. At a press conference on Thursday afternoon, Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson said: There were a large number of worshippers attending the synagogue at the time of this attack, but thanks to the immediate bravery of security staff and the worshippers inside, as well as the fast response of the police, the attacker was prevented from gaining access. All those inside were safely contained until police were able to confirm that it was safe to leave the premises. Yom Kippur is a day where we see our Jewish community attending their places of worship, places where they and their families should feel entirely safe from harm. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Humans are thought to reach their physical peak in their mid-to-late 20s, and their optimal happiness in their early 20s or in retirement. Previous research suggested that reasoning, memory span, and processing speed decline after early adulthood. But according to a new study, middle age is actually the peak of brain functioning. New research, published in the journal Intelligence, found that humans cognitive ability is at its best between the ages of 55 to 60, with achievements like career success tending to climax later in life. The studys lead author, Dr Gilles Gignac of the University of Western Australia, told The Times: The mix of accumulated knowledge, judgment and life experience is what shifts the overall peak of human functioning into the late fifties. So, while youth has advantages, maturity arguably brings a broader and more powerful set of tools for navigating complex problems and responsibilities. While some people might find this obvious, it had never been quantified and established scientifically. open image in gallery The brains ability to apply acquired knowledge, make decisions, and problem solve is at its best in midlife ( AFP/Getty ) While fluid intelligence, which is often believed to be the most important cognitive ability, tends to peak at around 20 years old, other dimensions like crystallised intelligence and emotional intelligence continued to improve, the study said. Researchers analysed age-related trends across nine markers linked to life success, which were cognitive abilities, personality traits, emotional intelligence, financial literacy, moral reasoning, resistance to sunk cost bias, cognitive flexibility, cognitive empathy, and need for cognition. They created two models to test this and found that in both, overall functioning peaked during late midlife. Crystallised intelligence, which is responsible for applying acquired knowledge, decision-making and problem-solving, continues to improve as you age. Other traits, including emotional intelligence, moral reasoning, and resistance to the sunk cost fallacy - the ability to abandon something that is not proving to be beneficial - also peak later on. open image in gallery Middle age is no longer the unhappiest point of life, a study found ( Getty Images/iStockphoto ) These compensatory developments may help offset the declines observed in fluid cognitive abilities, facilitating effective decision-making and achievements well into later adulthood, the study said. Researchers said the findings suggest that functional capacity, defined in terms of key differential psychological traits, may peak in late midlife, closely aligning with the typical peak in career achievement. They added: Also, individuals best suited for high-stakes decision-making roles are unlikely to be younger than 40 or older than 65. A recent study of more than ten million Americans and 40,000 British households found the unhappiness hump that scientists had observed for decades - in which worry, stress and depression peak in midlife, and then decline - may have disappeared. The study found that instead, the average 22-year-old was likely to be unhappier than their parents. Professor David Blanchflower of Dartmouth College said the shift was not due to middle-agers becoming happier, but rather because Gen Z were more prone to despair and anxiety. Join the Independent Women newsletter with Victoria Richards for a thoughtful take on the weeks headlines Join the Independent Women newsletter Join the Independent Women newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The Duchess of Edinburgh has spoken out against the issue of sexual violence after meeting women affected by conflict-related rape in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Sophie spent four days in the country during a secret high-security trip to shine a light on the weaponisation of rape and recognise the work being done to support those who survive horrific war-related sexual violence. She visited Beni, in the conflict-hit east of the country, on Monday and was visibly moved as a 16-year-old girl recounted being attacked by a police officer, while another woman described being sexually assaulted while fleeing rebel-held areas. The duchess has two children, Lady Louise Windsor, 21, and 17-year-old James, the Earl of Wessex, with her husband the Duke of Edinburgh. She entered a tent close to a hospital and sat barefoot with the survivors, some of whom wept as they spoke. During a visit on Wednesday to the Panzi Clinic in Kinshasa, which provides care to survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, she watched as a five-year-old girl underwent surgery by Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr Denis Mukwege. open image in gallery The Duchess of Edinburgh and Dr Denis Mukwege at the Panzi Clinic ( Aaron Chown/PA Wire ) She was joined by Alyson King, the UK ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The duchess told reporters afterwards: You have to really question yourself and go how can we have reached a point where rape is just accepted as a part of daily life? So its horrible to hear their stories, but each one deserves to be told and each one deserves recognition, so I dont make light of any of them and I just wish we didnt have to hear them but its important that we do. She went on: I think you have to allow this issue to get under your skin. And there is only one way to achieve that, you really have to go and see it for yourself. You have to understand the environment in which people are living and sit with these people, where they come from, dont make them come to you, you have to go to them. And you have to understand where they live, the circumstances that theyre in, what has brought them to the moment that I am with them and what their futures may or may not hold, and unfortunately what they might not hold is often the case. Sophie then visited women who were survivors of sexual violence during a mass escape attempt at Makala Central Prison in Kinshasa last year. The duchess walked along a narrow path littered with rubble to get to a safehouse where the women are being cared for. open image in gallery Sophie talks with people at the Makala Prison Safe House ( Aaron Chown/PA Wire ) She sat in a small, sweltering room with two bunkbeds and heard women speak of forced abortions, marginalisation from their own families and the daily risks they still face. Mineral-rich eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has endured decades of war, displacing more than seven million people. Earlier this year, M23 rebel group, said to be backed by Rwanda, seized the cities of Goma and Bukavu in a major escalation of the conflict. Other rebel groups, including the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), which is linked to the so-called Islamic State (IS) group, have carried out deadly attacks in the region. Sophie, 60, flew into Beni on a flight from Entebbe in Uganda on Monday morning, travelling with a security team throughout the trip. Upon landing she said it was an honour to return to the Democratic Republic of Congo, having previously visited in 2022, though she added: I wish it was in happier times. At a Danish Refugee Council-run safe space for women in Beni, which receives funding from the UK, one woman told Sophie that women are likely to be raped when they seek firewood. Another woman, aged 24, said she made a three-day 40km journey to Beni with a baby and her family members after ADF members set houses on fire. She told the PA news agency via a Swahili translator that the safe space helped her recover from the mental health issues she suffered as a result of the conflict. One woman told of travelling from near Goma through rural areas to Beni amid M23 shelling in June, while another said she worried that Beni could be next taken by militant groups. Earlier, the duchess had met women peacekeepers, telling them she returned to the Democratic Republic of Congo because the conflict requires resolution and that she plans to visit again. One woman was heard passionately saying that the UK was complicit in what was happening for not being tough enough on the Democratic Republic of Congos neighbour Rwanda. open image in gallery Sophie said she was doing all she can to shine a light on what was happening in the conflict in Congo ( Aaron Chown/PA Wire ) Sophie later told the woman that she was doing all she can to shine a light on what was happening in the conflict. Dr Mukwege said he was touched by the duchesss visit, adding that her presence sent a message to survivors: You are human. The duchess is a champion of the UNs Women, Peace and Security Agenda (WPS) and a supporter of the UKs Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI). On Thursday, the duchess visited Kintambo General Hospital, which provides physical, mental and legal support and economic opportunities to survivors. As she met survivors alongside DRC prime minister Judith Suminwa, one doctor told reporters that some of those at the facility are children and that she has seen cases where babies have been sexually abused. A survivor said she and her daughter were raped by armed robbers, causing her marriage to break down and her husband to take her daughter away. She now sells waffles as part of the economic activities provided, saying the hospital has been a game changer. One mother told of how her 12-year-old daughter was raped after she left the house and now sells vegetables at markets to send her child to school. One survivor, 22, handed the duchess a Union flag made from red, white and blue beads, which she had spent five hours making. Sophie later met DRC president Felix Tshisekedi at his office where they exchanged pleasantries in French. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Two people have died after a car and stabbing attack at a synagogue in Greater Manchester on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. Greater Manchester Police said three more people remain in hospital after the vehicle drove into the crowd at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, on Middleton Road, Crumpsall, around three miles north of Manchester city centre. The suspect, named by police as Jihad Al-Shamie was shot by officers after attack, which is being treated as a terror incident by police. The 35-year-old was wearing a vest that looked like an explosive device - which was later found to be not be viable - during the attack which saw several people stabbed. Two men aged in their 30s and a woman in her 60s have also been arrested on suspicion of planning a terror attack in connection with the killings. open image in gallery Emergency personnel work at the scene outside the synagogue in Manchester ( Reuters ) Sir Keir Starmer has condemned the vile attack as he said Britain must defeat rising antisemitism and deployed additional police assets to synagogues across the country. A GMP spokesperson said: We are working to formally identify those who have tragically been killed and provide support to their loved ones, in addition to the injured and the wider community. We are working to understand the motivation behind the attack as the investigation continues. Heres everything we know so far: This is a developing story: For the latest updates follow The Independents live coverage HERE How did the incident unfold? Greater Manchester Police say officers were called to Heaton Park Synagogue at 9.31am by a member of the public. They stated that they had witnessed a car being driven towards members of the public, and that one man had been stabbed. Police declared a major incident at 9.37am, labelled Plato a codeword used for a potential marauding terrorist attack. Shots were fired by GMP officers at 9.38am, when one man believed to be the offender was shot dead. open image in gallery Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester, where the incident took place ( Google Street View ) Paramedics arrived on the scene at 9.41am, and began tending to members of the public. Four people were confirmed to have injuries caused by both the vehicle and stab wounds and were being treated. At 12.11am, GMP confirmed that two people had been killed in the attack, and that the suspect was believed dead after being shot by officers. A bomb disposal unit was sent to the scene, while hospitals and other synagogues in the area ramped up security measures. Armed police officers remained near the synagogue, alongside many paramedics. Eyewitness Chava Lewin, who described herself as a religious Jew and lives next door to the synagogue, said her husband saw the incident unfold. She said: I spoke to someone who said she was driving and saw a car driving erratically and it crashed into the gates (of the synagogue). She thought maybe he had a heart attack. The second he got out of the car, he started stabbing anyone near him. He went for the security guard and tried to break into the synagogue. He was in the courtyard. Someone barricaded the door. Everyone is in utter shock. open image in gallery Members of the public look on as police, emergency responders and congregants gather near the synagogue ( Getty ) Is it being treated as terrorism? Counter Terrorism Policing has declared the attack as a terrorist incident. Head of the unit, Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, has said that specialist teams are leading the investigation. The event coincides with the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur, which is the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Mr Taylor said said: As we do this, those who have been killed and injured are the forefront of our minds, as are their families, friends and all those who love them. An attack on our Jewish community, today on Yom Kippur, is devastating. Greater Manchester Police said there was a suspicious item on the suspects person, which a bomb disposal unit has was called in to assess. It was later deemed not to be viable. A short distance away from the synagogue in Crumpsall, police officers armed with Heckler & Koch machine guns stood guard at the head of a path, between houses, leading up to the back of the synagogue. Various police vehicles, sirens blaring, could be heard in the distance and an unmarked car, driven by a man who appeared to be military personnel, wearing brown camouflage army fatigues and a green cap, drove towards the cordon. What do we know about the victims? Authorities have confirmed two men, who were members of the Jewish community, were killed in the incident. Three others remain in hospital, though authorities have not released any more details. It is understood that a security guard for the synagogue was among those who were attacked. What do we know about the suspect? Police have named the man behind a terrorist attack on a synagogue in Greater Manchester that left two people dead as Jihad Al-Shamie. The 35-year-old was shot dead by police seven minutes after officers were alerted to the car and stabbing attack on Thursday morning. It is understood that Al-Shamies name has not appeared in initial searches of police and security service records, and he is not thought to have been under investigation. Further checks are being carried out to see if any of his details appear anywhere in records of other investigations. Greater Manchester Police said he was a British citizen of Syrian descent. It has been widely reported he entered the United Kingdom as a young child, before being granted British citizenship in 2006. GMP said officers were working to understand the motivation behind the attack and confirmed the killer had not been referred to the Governments Prevent counter-terror scheme. The force said two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s were also arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism. Their identities have not been confirmed. open image in gallery Members of the army prepare a bomb disposal robot inside a cordon outside the synagogue in Crumpsall ( AFP/Getty ) What has been the reaction? Sir Keir Starmer is flying home early from a meeting of European leaders to chair a Cobra meeting following the attack at a synagogue in Greater Manchester. The PM said he was appalled at the attack, adding: The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific. Home secretary Shabana Mahmood said: I am horrified by the news of an attack at a synagogue in Manchester today, on the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. My first thoughts are with the victims, our brave police and emergency services. I am being kept updated by Greater Manchester Police. I urge people to follow the advice of the emergency services. Rabbi Jonathan Romain, emeritus rabbi of Maidenhead Synagogue and current head of the Rabbinic Court of Great Britain, said the attack was every Jewish persons worst nightmare. He said: Not only is this a sacred day, the most sacred in the Jewish calendar, but its also a time of mass gathering, and the time when the Jewish community, however religious or irreligious, gathers together. Where did the attack happen? The incident unfolded outside Heaton Park Synagogue in Crumpsall, north Manchester. The area is home to a large Jewish community, with many synagogues and community centres. According to its Facebook page, Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation is a large Ashkenazi Orthodox synagogue, which was formally founded in 1935. Rabbi Daniel Walker currently heads the congregation. Minute by minute: how the attack unfolded 9.31am GM police officers were called to Heaton Park Synagogue by a member of the public. They said they had seen a car being driven towards members of the public, and that one man had been stabbed. 9.37am Police declare a major incident and Plato the codeword used for a potential marauding terrorist attack. 9.38am Shots are fired by police officers, striking the suspected offender. 9.41am Paramedics arrive on the scene and begin tending to members of the public. Four people are confirmed injured at this point. 12.11pm GMP confirm that two people were killed in the attack, and that the suspected offender is believed to be deceased after being shot by officers. 15.18pm Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor announces that the attack is being treated as a terrorist incident. 21.05: GMP name the suspect as Jihad Al-Shamie and confirm three people have been arrested in connection with the incident. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Our editorials call for unity after the Manchester synagogue attack has prompted a wide-ranging discussion among readers on how Britain can come together and why it often feels so divided. Many emphasised that solidarity must start with communities themselves. They argued that Britain has long prided itself on tolerance and diversity, but these values need to be actively defended rather than assumed. Several said interfaith events, visible shows of support for Jewish neighbours, and public acts of remembrance could help counter the fear and isolation many Jewish families now feel. But others warned that division is being deepened by political opportunism, polarised debate on Gaza, and the failure to tackle antisemitic rhetoric from both far-right extremists and elements of the left. Many called for tougher regulation of online platforms, which they accused of fuelling hatred while shirking responsibility for hosting such toxic discourse. Overall, readers urged that Britain confront antisemitism head-on while resisting the temptation to let grief and fear harden into mistrust between communities. Heres what you had to say: Enough of hate We've been encouraged to hate one another for at least the past 15 years aimed at one another, encouraged not to stand up for our communities, not to seek unity and solidarity, but to mistrust the next person. Hate and manipulation are used against us so we don't have our best interests at heart; we only assist the very rich and powerful in their attempts to strip us of everything we value as a country. A country is a community made up of many people from a range of backgrounds. I send best wishes to Manchester from Yorkshire. I hope for peace and an end to all wars and killing. Too often in this world we are told to hate the other person when all the majority want is to be safe, be well and get on in life. The majority don't want to see anyone hurt or harmed. We value fairness and justice in this country, and it is still there. We cling to hope and our connections. Too many people in positions of power across this world want to see us at each other's throats to spread hate and chaos. We need to say no more. Human beings have the capacity to care for people across this world who are being harmed and killed, be they in Manchester, Gaza, Ukraine, Israel, and many other places. Yes, some people seek only to harm, but human beings have a huge capacity to care for one another. It is time to call an end to the rich and powerful, the haters, manipulations, and war games, because some people in power see our lives as nothing else than something they can play with. They see no worth in ordinary people's lives, when we all have people in our life that we love and need us. Well, it's time we told the haters we don't want their hate and greed hurting us all anymore. It's time we told those aiming to destroy our lives we've had enough of your hate! JJAMMontoast The dark side of humanity Historically, Britain never had a "traditional tolerance"! It would be insulting to debunk the many myths, and it is not alone as such anyway. Human nature, shared backgrounds, and experiences cause people to form enclaves naturally. It's the same if you come from a rough housing estate or a prestigious public school. The dark side of humanity doesn't come from being different, but rather from calling other people different. As several of the comments point out, this human phenomenon has been used by many and not always for the benefit of those being used. ouleejit Supporting all communities Love, strength, support, and kindness to the families of those who sadly perished in Manchester and elsewhere today. We have more in common than that which divides us; may we find the strength to challenge those who seek to create and maintain such division. Peace and love. Bianca Jews are part of Britain Starmer said that Britain was a welcoming place for Jews. I find that wording wrong, albeit I wish it was unintentional. Why? Well, to welcome someone, you need to consider they come to you, so they are not you. Let me explain what I mean: imagine Starmer said Britain was a welcoming place for gays. That would imply that Britain welcomes gays as if they were not already part of Britain. Jews are not "welcomed" in Britain; they are part of Britain! The Jews are an integral part of Europe and its history too. Joe22 Social media profits from anger Anger is very profitable to social media in terms of engagement. When people are angry, they talk endlessly and uncontrollably about it. They obsess over it like an addiction. This then spreads like a virus, infecting others. Social media is also designed to encourage and promote any content that's profitable, regardless of what it is. It's no coincidence that society has become more fractured and hostile. We're seeing more and more blatant and open hate speech every year. Calls for more moderation are only a token gesture. It is going to get worse simply because these products are fundamentally geared towards promoting such content, and there isn't the political will or ability to ban these companies due to their profitability and popularity. Ajames Building bridges We need to be kind to each other. There are families hurting in Manchester this evening. It's really sad! Like the suffering in Gaza. We need to reach out and build bridges. Maggie20 Britain is not tolerant In no way is Britain a tolerant society. Britain is only tolerant to outsiders if they have the same skin colour, even if they are supportive of genocide. If you have a different skin colour, you will be accused of all sorts of despicable crimes, and the Met Police will be after you too. Wolfe Tone Some of the comments have been edited for this article for brevity and clarity. Want to share your views? Simply register your details below. Once registered, you can comment on the days top stories for a chance to be featured. Alternatively, click log in or register in the top right corner to sign in or sign up. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A day usually reserved for worship and celebration became the darkest of moments, as neighbours struggled to come to terms with a heartbreaking and terrible attack on Britains Jewish community. Two people have died and three are in a serious condition after Jihad al-Shamie launched an attack outside the Heaton Park shul in Greater Manchester on Thursday morning. Police have since declared it a terrorist incident, confirming that al-Shamie was shot dead by firearms officers at the scene. Speaking to The Independent, some neighbours said they were shocked and heartbroken at the loss of innocent lives in a well-respected community. Others said they were saddened but not surprised by the act of terror, saying that global tensions had spilled onto the streets as residents of one of Britains largest Jewish neighbourhoods were targeted on their holiest day. Samantha Breeze, 55, lives just round the corner from where the attack took place. She said she first heard about the incident on a neighbourhood social media page. open image in gallery Samantha Breeze, 55, said she was heartbroken for Manchesters Jewish community ( The Independent ) Its a terrorist attack on innocent people, she told The Independent. Everybody cant believe it. We all get on around here. Were all together. She blamed global tensions surrounding the war in Gaza, which she said were being taken out on innocent people on the street. We need to look inward, she said. I think there is a lot of anger [among] the British people on the street. I dont feel safe. open image in gallery Mourners gathered at the scene on Middleton Road ( Reuters ) Ms Breeze said the Crumpsall community had been left in a state of deep shock and grief by the attack. Our hearts are broken for you, she told her Jewish neighbours. There could have been children there imagine what they witnessed. We are with you, dont be scared, the community is with you. We know you are innocent. One woman told reporters near the scene: I dont think the community has even had a chance to react. Today is Yom Kippur. I think after that there will be a lot of shock. She added: This isnt a surprise. We know there are people that want to hurt us. As long as were doing the right thing, were OK, and we trust in God. open image in gallery Members of the community embrace near the scene of the attack on Thursday morning ( PA ) Amid the grief, there was fury. One man from the Jewish community gestured angrily at reporters as he said that members of his community are peaceful towards others. It happened at my shul, he added. Others came from across the city to pay their respects on what they called a horrible, horrible day. Gurmeet Singh, 25, told The Independent he felt it was important to come from his home in Old Trafford to show support for the citys Jewish community. open image in gallery Gurmeet Singh, 25, said he had come to show support for the Jewish community on a horrible day ( The Independent/Camille Chorley ) I was quite moved and wanted to pay my respects on a very tragic and sad day, he said. Its unfortunate we have to have these sort of attacks. They should be condemned by [everyone]. Before anyone is of any faith, they are a human first. So of course, on a purely humane level, its wrong. In a message for the citys Jewish community, he said: Carry on doing what youre doing. Stand up to oppression. It was innocents who were killed today. Innocent lives were lost today. It makes me very emotional, and I feel quite deeply when things like this happen. As the scale of the incident unfolded, prime minister Sir Keir Starmer condemned it as a terrorist attack that attacked Jews because they are Jews, committed by a vile individual. Speaking from Downing Street after a Cobra meeting, he said: Earlier today, on Yom Kippur, the holiest day for the Jewish community, a vile individual committed a terrorist attack that attacked Jews because they are Jews, and attacked Britain because of our values. Local leaders said the incident had left a deep mark on Manchester as they gathered to express their sorrow. Manchester City Council leader Bev Craig told reporters that residents had been left horrified by the antisemitic terrorist attack. open image in gallery Shabana Mahmood shook the hands of officers before giving a press conference ( Reuters ) We know that this will leave a deep mark on our community here in Manchester, as Jewish people were attacked on their holiest day as they went to worship, she continued. But know this: in Manchester we will stand with and support our Jewish friends, our Jewish community, our neighbours, fellow residents. Tonight is a difficult moment of sadness and reflection, but I know that Manchester will come together theyll show the unity that were proud of, and theyll stand [together] in declaring that hate has no place in our city and that Manchester is a city we can all be proud of, and a city that will show the love and the support to our Jewish friends that they need in this moment of darkness. Her words were echoed by home secretary Shabana Mahmood, who travelled to Manchester to meet with police chiefs in the wake of the attack. She vowed that the government would do whatever is required to keep our Jewish community safe. But as dusk fell, workers replaced police tape with orange fences and notices saying Road closed a sign that the work is far from over, and the questions are far from answered. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Mounjaro weight loss jabs and tooth whitening strips are being delivered to jail cells using drones, according to prison governors. BBC Newsnight visited HMP Edinburgh, where prison governors said flying delivery machines have been regularly used to smuggle weapons, drugs and mobile phones into jails. Guards have started intercepting contraband, including pharmacy supplies not readily available inside prisons. The most unusual item weve had recently is Mounjaro - the weight loss drug - and tooth whitening strips, Fiona Cruickshanks, Governor of HMP Edinburgh told BBC Newsnight. It's obviously not something that we regularly see, so that would indicate to us that it has been specifically requested to be sent in for a particular individual. I would think that someone genuinely wants it to lose weight. I mean it's all the rave just now, it's very popular, people are seeing fantastic results on it so you'll have people in custody thinking - I want a bit of that. open image in gallery The most unusual item weve had recently is Mounjaro - the weight loss drug - and tooth whitening strips, Fiona Cruickshanks, Governor of HMP Edinburgh, spoke to BBC Newsnight ( PA Wire ) A Scottish Prison Service spokesperson said: We use all technological and intelligence tools available to prevent the introduction of illicit articles into our establishments. We continue to work with Police Scotland, and other partners, to take action against those who attempt to breach our security. There has been a record high of 1,712 drone deliveries in a year spotted by prison staff, data shows. These incidents in the year to March are up 43 per cent from 1,196 in the previous year and nearly five times the 357 in 2021/22. open image in gallery Drone incidents around prisons have been increasing as the Ministry of Justice aims to tackle the rise (Andrew Matthews/PA) ( PA Archive ) Footage released in June caught a drone delivering a package into the yard at HMP Wandsworth. Tom Wheatley, president of the Prison Governors Association, said that at the time drones were a "significant and growing problem, with drops happening every day. Dangerous blades and zombie knives have been brought in already and Mr Wheatley warned guns could be delivered next. open image in gallery Dangerous blades and zombie knives have been brought in already and Mr Wheatley warned guns could be delivered next ( PA Wire ) Four people, including an ex-police officer from Staffordshire force, are awaiting a sentence over a contraband drone prison plot between 2021 and 2022. Detective constable Clare Davenport, 51, and her husband Peter King, 52, worked in tandem to make as much money as possible and enjoyed a luxury lifestyle from dropping drugs into high-security prisons. The police detected 25 drone drop offs at prisons across the Midlands containing tens of thousands of pounds of heroin, cannabis and spice, ordered directly by inmates. Mr King pleaded guilty to drug smuggling in prisons in August, while his wife admitted to the smaller charge of collecting payments from prisoners and their families. Two accomplices, Mervyn Foster, 45, and drone pilot Kent George, 63, were also found guilty in a trial at Coventry Crown Court. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The organisers of a protest in support of Palestine Action have refused a plea by Scotland Yard to call it off in the wake of the Manchester synagogue attack. Hundreds of people have said they will attend a demonstration in Trafalgar Square on Saturday in support of the group, which has been banned by the government as a terrorist organisation. Organisers Defend Our Juries said the protest will go ahead as planned. It said it was contacted by the Metropolitan Police asking for the demonstration to be postponed in light of the terrorist attack on Thursday. Defend Our Juries said the correspondence highlighted how previous demonstrations have put significant pressure on police. In a letter of response to Scotland Yard, it said: The protection of our democracy and the prevention of countless deaths are critical issues. Therefore, our protest will go ahead as planned for this Saturday. We urge you, therefore, to choose to prioritise protecting the community, rather than arresting those peacefully holding signs in opposition to the absurd and draconian ban of a domestic direct action group. We hope you make the right choice to not arrest those taking part, and correctly deploy counter-terrorism resources this weekend. Police officers carry during a march to support Palestine Action in London last month ( AP Photo/Joanna Chan ) Protesters are calling on the government to reverse the ban on Palestine Action. The letter adds: It is unfortunate that the Home Office has not decided to rescind the ban in the wake of the ever-growing defiance and has chosen instead to put an increasing and unnecessary strain on police resources. According to your letter, it appears the political oversight in proscribing Palestine Action, which aimed to save lives in Palestine, is taking away from the police protecting the community from those who seek to take lives. A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: The horrific terrorist attack that took place in Manchester on Thursday morning will have caused significant fear and concern in communities across the UK, including here in London. Yet at a time when we want to be deploying every available officer to ensure the safety of those communities, we are instead having to plan for a gathering of more than 1,000 people in Trafalgar Square on Saturday in support of a terrorist organisation. By choosing to encourage mass law breaking on this scale, Defend Our Juries are drawing resources away from the communities of London at a time when they are needed most. We urge them to do the responsible thing and delay or cancel their plans. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Russian forces are regularly attempting to jam UK military satellites, the head of UK Space Command has revealed. Major General Paul Tedman told the BBC that these efforts to disrupt UK-based military activities occur "weekly", with Russia also closely monitoring the countrys space assets. "Were seeing our satellites being jammed by the Russians on a reasonably persistent basis," Maj Gen Tedman stated. The UK maintains approximately six dedicated military satellites for communications and surveillance, which he confirmed are equipped with counter-jamming technology to mitigate such attacks. He added: Theyve got payloads on board that can see our satellites and are trying to collect information from them. The threat of space-based interference is not limited to the UK. open image in gallery Russian President Vladimir Putin answers questions during a meeting with foreign policy experts at the Valdai Discussion Club in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (Grigory Sysoyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) ( AP ) In September, German defence minister Boris Pistorius revealed that Russia had been tracking two Intelsat satellites used by the German military. They can jam, blind, manipulate, or kinetically disrupt satellites, he said at a space conference in Berlin. In response to growing international tensions, the United Kingdom and the United States conducted their first co-ordinated satellite manoeuvre in space last month, in what defence officials hailed as a major step forward in allied cooperation. Between September 4 and 12, a US satellite was repositioned in orbit to inspect a UK satellite and confirm it was functioning properly. The test was part of Operation Olympic Defender, a joint military framework aimed at improving satellite defence and resilience. Expertly executed with US Space Command, I could not be more pleased or proud of the rapid progress we are making with our allies, Maj Gen Tedman said. We are now, with our allies, conducting advanced orbital operations to protect and defend our shared national and military interests in space. open image in gallery Major General Paul Tedman said Russian forces are closely monitoring the UKs space assets (Alamy/PA) The escalation in space comes as tensions with Russia continue to rise. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper last week warned that Britain is ready to act after US President Donald Trump publicly urged Nato allies to shoot down intruding Russian aircraft. In a speech to the United Nations in September, Ms Cooper condemned Moscows provocative and reckless violations of Nato airspace in recent weeks, including incidents over Estonia, Poland, and Romania. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Storm Amy has caused widespread disruption across the UK and Ireland for a second consecutive day, leaving thousands of homes without power and forcing the closure of parks, railway lines, and ferry routes as winds of up to 100mph batter parts of the country. The Met Office had issued a yellow wind warning for the entire UK, with an amber alert in place for northern Scotland, where damaging gusts exceeding 90mph have been recorded. A yellow warning for northeast Scotland has been extended to midday on Sunday. Scotland and Ireland have been the worst affected, with power cuts continuing across the Highlands. Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN), the distribution network operator for the north of Scotland, said 42,000 homes remained without power on Saturday afternoon. The company said hundreds of additional team members are working on SSENs response to the storm. In Northern Ireland, NIE Networks said 50,000 properties had been cut off. open image in gallery A lorry remains stuck after being hit by a falling tree due to high winds caused by Storm Amy in Antrim, Northern Ireland ( Getty ) In Moray, northeast Scotland, a man was airlifted to safety after he was stranded on a sandbank on the River Spey near Garmouth. The coastguard said he was winched off the island by Coastguard Rescue Helicopter 151 from Inverness and flown to a place of safety. He was said to be safe and well. Meanwhile, several buildings collapsed and some cars were hit by fallen trees. On Saturday morning, ScotRail said about 80 trees had been brought down on lines and engineers were checking routes before resuming services. All services out of Glasgow Central were suspended. open image in gallery A yellow weather warning for wind was in place for all the UK on Saturday ( Met Office ) Network Rail has said teams were working around the clock to repair extensive damage caused by Storm Amy. It said more than 170 separate incidents have been reported so far. Royal Parks confirmed that all of its sites in London, including Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, and St Jamess Park, were closed due to severe wind gusts. In a statement, Royal Parks said: Due to severe wind gusts caused by Storm Amy, all of the royal parks, plus Brompton Cemetery and Victoria Tower Gardens will be closed on Saturday October 4. This closure includes all park roads and cycleways, cafes and kiosks, parks sports venues, the Serpentine lido and boating lake, and the royal parks shop. The Met Office also confirmed that a new UK record for the lowest pressure in October had been set. Storm Amy showed a central pressure of 947.9 hectopascals (hPa) at Baltasound, Shetland, breaking the previous record of 950.9hPa set in 1988. The agency said the weather will remain wet and very windy in northern Scotland, while elsewhere winds will slowly begin to calm. On Sunday, the strong winds will continue to ease, the Met Office said. Sign up to our free Brexit newsletter for our analysis of the continuing impact of Brexit on the UK Sign up to our free newsletter for the latest analysis on Brexit's impact Sign up to our free newsletter for the latest analysis on Brexit's impact Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Organisers of a major pro-Palestine protest this weekend have defied pressure to call it off in the wake of the terror attack at a Manchester synagogue. Sir Keir Starmer urged protesters to respect the grief of British Jews as a row over the demonstration intensified. Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley asked organisers to cancel Saturday's event in support of Palestine Action, warning it would escalate tensions and will pull police resources away from communities at a time when they are needed most. His plea came after home secretary Shabana Mahmood called for a pause in protesting in solidarity with the Jewish community, calling on demonstrators to show some humanity. However organisers Defend Our Juries have pledged to carry on with their demonstration in Trafalgar Square, insisting: Cancelling peaceful protests lets terror win. Around 1,500 people are expected to risk arrest by holding placards showing support for the direct-action group, which was designated as a terrorist organisation in July. open image in gallery Supporters of Palestine Action have protested in Parliament Square over recent months ( PA Wire ) The previous two events have seen a total of 1,422 people arrested under terrorism laws in a mass show of defiance against the controversial decision to ban the group. Writing in the Jewish Chronicle on Friday evening, Sir Keir said: I know that planned protests over the weekend, just a few days before the anniversary of the October 7 attacks, as well as in the shadow of the Manchester attack, will cause distress. Peaceful protest is a cornerstone of our democracy and there is justified concern about the suffering in Gaza but a minority have used these protests as a pretext for stoking antisemitic tropes. I urge anyone thinking about protesting this weekend to recognise and respect the grief of British Jews this week. This is a moment of mourning. It is not a time to stoke tension and cause further pain. The Met said the horrific attack at Heaton Park Synagogue on Thursday had caused significant fear in communities. Yet at a time when we want to be deploying every available officer to ensure the safety of those communities, we are instead having to plan for a gathering of more than 1,000 people in Trafalgar Square on Saturday in support of a terrorist organisation, Sir Mark said. By deliberately choosing to encourage mass law breaking on this scale, Defend Our Juries are drawing valuable resources away from the communities of London at a time when they are needed most. open image in gallery Keir and Victoria Starmer visited the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue following the attack ( PA Wire ) His comments come after Ms Mahmood condemned a protest that took place in Manchester on the night of the attack, arguing the Jewish community should have been given a day or two to process their loss. Others took place in Westminster and Leeds. I was very disappointed to see those protests go ahead last night, Ms Mahmood told Sky News. I think that behaviour is fundamentally un-British. I think its dishonourable. I would have wanted those individuals to just take a step back. Chief rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said Jewish communities have faced unrelenting wave of hatred since the 7 October 2023 attacks. He said many people in the Jewish community and well beyond it wonder why marches in support of Palestine Action are allowed to take place. open image in gallery The home secretary called on pro-Gaza demonstrators to cancel protests ( PA Wire ) Defend Our Juries said they unreservedly condemn the horrific synagogue attack and they stand in solidarity with the Jewish community across the UK. However, they said their demonstration will go ahead, noting their Jewish supporters fear postponing the rally would risk conflating the actions of the state of Israel with Jewish people around the world. A spokesperson added: It couldnt be clearer that tomorrows action, which is in Trafalgar Square and not near any synagogue, is about defying the governments absurdly authoritarian proscription of Palestine Action and the governments complicity in the genocide being committed by the Israeli government. Yesterdays attack was actual terrorism and we join others across the country in condemning it unreservedly and we urge the home secretary and the police to prioritise protecting the community, instead of arresting entirely peaceful protesters. Green party leader Zack Polanski, who is Jewish, accused the home secretary of being deeply irresponsible with her call to halt the march. He said: I think ultimately conflating protests against a genocide in Gaza and ultimately weaponising that against an antisemitic attack on our streets, a terrorist attack, is deeply irresponsible. He added: We need statesmanship in this moment. We need responsibility. We need people to be sensitive about their language, but also recognise that there is complexity for this and it can't just be about finger pointing at people who are very worried about a genocide. Labour MP Kim Johnson also told The Independent the march should go ahead and policing should prioritise public safety over silencing peaceful protest. open image in gallery A pro-Palestine supporter is detained by police officers following a protest in central London ( PA ) She said: We must stand together to condemn the awful violence in Manchester there is no place for hate. But the Defend Our Juries response is right banning Palestine Action has put unnecessary strain on the Met Police. Political decisions like this are diverting resources away from tackling genuine threats to our communities. The march should go ahead this weekend, and policing should prioritise public safety over silencing peaceful protest. However, Lord Walney, the governments former adviser on political violence, said Ms Mahmood was absolutely right. He added: I hope Labour will instruct its elected representatives to play no part in these demonstrations. We particularly need to see leadership from Andy Burnham about the planned Palestine protest in Manchester tomorrow. And former Tory home secretary Amber Rudd said: The leaders of this march, irrespective of who they are or what they stand for, are doing the wrong thing. By cancelling the protest the organisers would show the kind of solidarity with their fellow citizen she said, adding she believes it would show that the country can engage together rather than be in their boxes. open image in gallery Chief rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said this is a very dark time ( PA Archive ) Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, died after car and knife attacker Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, targeted worshippers marking Yom Kippur, Judaisms holiest day. He was shot dead by armed police who feared he would detonate a belt laden with explosives, which was later found not to be viable. However police confirmed two innocent civilians, including Mr Daulby, were hit by stray police bullets as they barricade themselves behind the synagogue door. Three people have been arrested on suspicion of planning a terror attack in connection with the killings in Manchester. Shamie, a British national of Syrian descent, had entered the UK as a young child and was granted British citizenship in 2006 at around the age of 16. Sign up to our free Brexit newsletter for our analysis of the continuing impact of Brexit on the UK Sign up to our free newsletter for the latest analysis on Brexit's impact Sign up to our free newsletter for the latest analysis on Brexit's impact Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Zack Polanski has vowed to defend Britain from a descent into authoritarianism under Sir Keir Starmer, warning the prime minister that our rights and our liberties are not negotiable. In his first conference speech as Green Party leader, the left-wing firebrand attacked Sir Keir over digital IDs, the proscription of the Palestine Action protest group and Labours decision to ban a handful of journalists from its own conference in Liverpool. This country has a proud tradition of protecting civil liberties, but once again a Labour government is cracking down on our rights, he warned. Mr Polanski said: From terrorist proscription against protesters, to banning journalists from their conference, to diving into a rushed, evidence-free plan for digital IDs that are likely to discriminate against minorities. The alarm bells of authoritarianism are now ringing. He said: Its down to us, the Green Party, to take a stand and say that our rights and our liberties are not negotiable, and we will do everything in our power to protect both our privacy and defend our juries. Mr Polanski said the proscription of Palestine Action, which is planning another protest in London on Saturday despite the threat of arrest against those who support it, must be withdrawn. It comes after the home secretary called for pro-Gaza demonstrations to be cancelled in the wake of Thursdays terror attack at a synagogue in Manchester. Shabana Mahmood urged those considering attending protests in the wake of the tragedy to show some humanity. open image in gallery Polanski giving his first conference speech as leader of the Green Party on Friday ( PA ) Elsewhere in his speech, Mr Polanski warned Sir Keir is the handmaiden for Reform UKs dangerous and deceitful politics. Mr Polanski has used his address in Bournemouth to accuse Labour of enabling Reform UKs rise in the polls, painting the Green Party as the left-wing alternative. Offering a populist view, the Green Party leader vowed a wealth tax on the richest 1 per cent, an end to arms sales and intelligence sharing with Israel and public ownership of Britains utilities and public services. Accusing Sir Keir of aiding the rise of the far right, he added: I am under no illusion as to the threat we face in this country: A march in London addressed by a whos who of the far right. A party leading in the polls with plans to deport our friends, our neighbours, our family members. And a government, a Labour government who are the handmaidens of this dangerous, deceitful politics. He described Mr Farage as a Trump-loving, tax-avoiding, science-denying, NHS-dismantling corporate stooge and said Sir Keirs Labour Party is dancing to his tune. open image in gallery Zack Polanski wants to force Keir Starmers Labour Party to the left ( PA Wire ) Mr Polanski was elected leader of the Greens last month with 85 per cent of member votes. Since he announced his leadership bid, the Green Partys membership has grown by a third to pass 80,000. The current London Assembly member, who will stand as an MP at the next general election, is hoping to cement the Greens as a left-wing alternative for disgruntled Labour voters. He has kept the door open to cooperation with Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultanas Your Party, but believes it is an unnecessary force and has called for its supporters to join the Greens instead. Mr Polanski is hoping that the Green Partys surging membership will be reflected in a growing poll rating, forcing Sir Keirs government to lurch to the left. If Reform can rocket through the polls with a politics of despair, then its time for the Green Party to do the same thing with a politics of hope, he said. He added that the partys primary focus will be on the cost of living crisis in the UK, but said it would not turn a blind eye to Israels ongoing bombardment of Gaza. Mr Polanski said: When Keir Starmer in one of the most deeply cynical and morbid acts Ive seen in my lifetime decides to recognise a Palestinian state at the same moment that his government is an active participant in the murdering of the Palestinians, then we must never be silent. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Newly merged media firm Paramount Skydance is preparing to appoint journalist Bari Weiss as editorinchief of CBS News while finalizing a $150 million deal to acquire her media outlet, The Free Press, according to reports. Weiss, 41, a former New York Times opinion writer and editor who dramatically quit the paper in 2020, citing bullying and frustration with editorial policy she perceived as too left-leaning, is expected to be formally announced in the role as early as Monday. Sources told the New York Post the timing of the appointment remains fluid, but the move would give her sweeping influence over CBS News as the network undergoes a major shakeup that has itself already sparked controversy. The $8bn August merger of Paramount and Skydance, given the go-ahead by Donald Trumps government, brings Paramount's Hollywood legacy, major TV networks like CBS and MTV, streaming services and more together under the roof of a new power player: billionaire Skydance founder David Ellison. open image in gallery Bari Weiss quit the New York Times in 2020 alleging bullying and harassment ( YouTube ) Weiss would report directly to Ellison, who has apparently long sought to acquire her and The Free Press, to set the editorial direction at CBS an institution which the Times has described as the countrys quintessential traditional TV news organization. There has been strong reaction in the media to news of Weiss expected arrival at CBS, with one former CBS veteran telling the Post it would be like dropping a grenade in the newsroom. A recent profile in The Guardian contends that more than any other figure in her age cohort, Weiss wrote the playbook on canceling anti-Zionists and woke progressives, even as she decried cancel culture and claimed to champion free speech. The piece, by David Klion, a columnist for the Nation and contributing editor at Jewish Currents, added: If Weiss does join CBS, it will only formalize the role she has already carved out as the Trump administrations de facto ally in its effort to silence progressive and pro-Palestinian voices. open image in gallery Weiss has been described as one of the most polarizing figures in media Author of the successful Status newsletter, Oliver Darcy described Weiss as one of the most polarizing figures in media, and said her stridently pro-Israel, proudly anti-'woke' culture warrior stance will erode trust in the media, putting CBS News on a course to squander its hard-earned credibility. Fox News said one CBS staffer had welcomed the potential changes however: "Maybe more free thought, free expression is on the way. Nothing to fear here," they reportedly said. A source told the Post that The Free Press, which Weiss set up with her wife and sister following her departure from the Times, will remain a standalone operation, separate from CBS News and owned by Paramount. Weiss has used The Free Press to argue against diversity and inclusion programmes, described Israels war on Gaza as a war of defense, and described Melania Trump as the least ambitious First Lady in history. She also said she voted for Joe Biden in the 2020 U.S. Election. Weisss appointment casts doubt on speculation about the possible return of former CBS President David Rhodes to the network, the Post said, with one of their sources saying it was an either/or situation. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A nervous corgi that ran away during a storm in its Northern California hometown was found 2,000 miles away near Chicago. Opie from Bieber, California, had an oopsie daisy when he went missing back in July to be found two months later on the other side of the country. Luckily, he was brought into the warm arms of the people at DuPage County Animal Services in Illinois and found to be microchipped. DuPage County Animal Services said in a recent Facebook post that their team and the Itasca Police Department scanned for the microchip, and to everyones surprise, it traced back to California! Laura Flamion, an administrator at DuPage County Animal Services, told the Los Angeles Times that Opie, a five-year-old corgi shepherd mix, was found on September 28 and turned in to police as a lost pet. Opie, a nervous corgi that ran away during a storm in its Northern California hometown, was found 2,000 miles away near Chicago ( DuPage County Animal Services ) One phone call later, and the very next day (plus a flight), Opie was back where he belonged- home with his owner, the shelters Facebook post read. Flamion said Opies owner told her she didnt believe them when she heard the news that her furry friend was found all the way in Illinois. Flamion said the owner wasted no time in reuniting with her beloved dog. The owner believes Opie, who doesnt like storms, ran away from his home when one rolled through, Flamion said, adding that the owner tracked Opie as far as to a local gas station. Flamion believes someone took Opie, adding that the dog had a collar with a different name. Well never know exactly how Opie made his way nearly across the country, but we do know this: microchips work, DuPage County Animal Services said in its Facebook post. They make reunions like this possible, no matter how far our four-legged friends may travel. Owners can opt to implant a small electronic chip in their dogs, allowing them to be found if they ever get lost. The American Veterinary Medical Association explained the concept on its website: The microchip itself does not have a batteryit is activated by a scanner that is passed over the area, and the radio waves put out by the scanner activate the chip. The chip transmits the identification number to the scanner, which displays the number on the screen. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The family of a man who died while riding on a rollercoaster at Universals Epic Universe theme park in Orlando, say multiple warning signs were missed prior to the tragic incident. Kevin Rodriguez Zavala was found unresponsive following a ride on the Stardust Racers roller coaster on September 17. The 32-year old had a laceration and was "not breathing, according to the Orange County Sheriffs Office. Multiple eye-witnesses said that Zavala was slumped over with blood everywhere. Park staff seemed unprepared for such an emergency situation and were panicked, the witnesses said. His cause of death was from multiple blunt force impact injuries, but was ruled an accident by the Orange County Medical Examiner. However, speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, lawyer Ben Crump, who is representing Zavalas family said that multiple warning signs had been missed. open image in gallery Kevin Rodriguez Zavala was found unresponsive following a ride on the Stardust Racers roller coaster on September 17. The 32-year old had a laceration and was not breathing, according to the Orange County Sheriffs Office ( GoFundMe ) Crump said that since launching an investigation into Zavalas cause of death, several witnesses had come forward, including people who were on the rollercoaster and others who had suffered injuries while on the ride. The Stardust races just opened on May 22 2025, yet in just a few months there have already been multiple complaints of injuries long before Kevin's death, even before the ride opened, Crump said. He noted that another woman had recently filed a lawsuit, claiming that she had sustained injuries after her head shook violently and slammed again into her seats headrest throughout the duration of the ride. This is very consistent with the medical examiner statement that Kevin died from multiple blunt force impact injuries, Crump said. It is consistent, very consistent, and that is what is so troubling for this family. Crump said previously that the incident on Stardust Racers was a "matter of great public concern. At Tuesdays conference he added that his office had requested that Universal provide videos of the incident but have so far been denied access. open image in gallery A GoFundMe page set up for Zavala, which has raised almost $30,000, described him as truly one of a kind ( GoFundMe ) A GoFundMe page set up for Zavala, which has raised almost $30,000, described him as truly one of a kind. He had an old soulwise beyond his yearswith a heart full of compassion, love, and understanding. He was the kind of person who always made time to listen, offer thoughtful advice, and lift others up, even when he was facing challenges of his own, the page description read. Despite the restrictions and obstacles he encountered throughout his life, Kevin met them all with grace, strength, and an unwavering spirit. He overcame so much, and he did so with quiet resilience and humility. Zavala had a pre-existing spinal injury and used a wheelchair. Kevin was deeply loved by everyone who knew him. As a son, he brought warmth and pride to our parents hearts. As a brother and uncle, he was a source of laughter, guidance, and unconditional love. As a friend, he was loyal, thoughtful, and always present, the page read. His presence lit up every room, and his absence leaves a space no one can fill. The Independent has reached out to Universal for comment on the incident and subsequent investigation. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A stretch of waterfront trail in Clearwater, Florida, is being renamed to honour wrestling legend Hulk Hogan, who called the city home and died earlier this year. Florida residents and tourists will soon be able to memorialise "the Hulkster" along the causeway connecting Clearwater to Clearwater Beach. The trail will feature workout stations adorned in Hogan's signature red and yellow colours, Republican Governor Ron DeSantis announced on Friday. Speaking at Hulk's Hangout, a bar and restaurant opened by the pop culture icon, DeSantis, an avowed wrestling fan, said: "It shows that, you know, his memory is going to live a long time. I mean, it was always said, Hulkamania is gonna live forever." Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, passed away at 71 in July after suffering a heart attack at his Clearwater home. open image in gallery Florida Governor Ron DeSantis gestures during a news conference after naming a trail in honor of wrestling legend Hulk Hogan ( Associated Press ) Police were still investigating the death as of late August. His influence stretched into television, pop culture, and conservative politics during a long and scandal-plagued second act of his life. For many of his admirers, Hogan remains the flag-waving American icon with a horseshoe mustache and bulging biceps who urged fans: say your prayers, eat your vitamins. The Hulk Hogan Trail will be a 2-mile (3-kilometer) stretch of the Clearwater Memorial Causeway Trail. On Friday morning, a red and yellow sign had already been erected along the trail to honor the wrestler. Nick Hogan, the wrestler's son, said his father would be so, so proud to see the trail renamed in his honor. open image in gallery The Hulk Hogan Trail will be a 2-mile (3-kilometer) stretch of the Clearwater Memorial Causeway Trail ( Associated Press ) Clearwater was always home for him. No matter how far he traveled around the world or where his career took him, he always was grounded here, said Nick Hogan, whose real name is Nick Bollea. He loved to inspire people to be the best version of themselves. So this trail isnt just a dedication. This is a living legacy, he added. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A massive explosion at the Chevron oil refinery in Los Angeles set off an inferno that rocked the city overnight. People living nearby reported hearing a huge blast like a small earthquake, at around 9.35pm, with the fireball appearing to set several more areas of the refinery ablaze. Firefighters rapidly responded to the incident, with the refinery located close to LAX, the busiest airport in California. Officials in El Segundo, an area south west of central LA, where the fire erupted, urged people to stay indoors and close their windows. El Segundo Mayor Chris Pimentel praised the emergency services while saying he was very concerned about the incident. open image in gallery Hoses mounted on the ladder of a firefighting vehicle are used to contain a fire that broke out at the Chevron refinery, in El Segundo, California ( Reuters ) We were able to respond to the Chevron fire immediately, our station is about a .25 miles away from the gates of Chevron, Pimentel said. Obviously, we are very concerned, and there is a lot of investigative work to be done to see what has happened. Live feeds showed the fire continuing to burn for several hours. I was walking my dog and the entire sky lit up like it was daytime, one witness wrote on X. People are crowding the streets watching the blaze Later in the night Chevron confirmed there had been no reported injuries at the El Segundo Refinery, with all personnel accounted for, adding that monitoring indicated the fire remained within the facility's fence line. LAX airport said the fire had not impacted flights into or out of the airport. In a statement issued late last night officials said there was no immediate threat to public safety and no evacuations had been ordered. open image in gallery Flames rise from the Chevron refinery in El Segundo, California as fire crews tackle the blaze ( AP ) LA County Supervisor Holly Mitchell told CBS News that fire crews contained the blaze to one area of the refinery, but warned the fire would most likely affect air quality in El Segundo and surrounding cities. South Coast Air Quality Management District said it had not yet recorded elevated levels of toxins, but said conditions could change. "We're currently not seeing any elevated particulate matter or air toxins," said Nahal Mogharabi, assistant deputy of communications for AQMD. "That may change as the smoke settles, she said. The refinery, constructed in 1911, is capable of refining 290,000 barrels of crude oil per day into highly volatile products including gasoline, jet and diesel fuels, making it the largest such facility on the U.S. west coast. Chevrons statement did not say what caused the fire. California Governor Gavin Newsom's office said it was monitoring the situation and coordinating with state and local authorities to protect the surrounding community. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A 60-year-old man from Missouri was camping in Arkansas and, during his trip, sent photos of a bear he saw near his campsite to his family. Two days later, he was dead. The man was camping at Sam's Throne, in the Ozark National Forest near Mt Judea, Arkansas, when he spotted what authorities believe to have been a young male bear near his campsite, the Miami Herald reports. The man sent photos of the animal sighting back to his family and continued his camping excursion. On October 2, the man's son called police after receiving no word from his father for "a couple of days," according to the Newton County Sheriff's Office. A 60-year-old man was reportedly killed by a black bear at his campsite in the Ozark National Forest after sending a photo of the animal to his family two days prior ( NPS ) A deputy was sent to look for the camper and found "evidence of a struggle and injury" at his campsite, along with "drag marks leading from the campground into the woods." The camper was found dead several yards away from his campsite, according to deputies. Until the Arkansas Crime Lab completes the autopsy, we cant 100% say it was a bear, but everything strongly indicates it, Newton County Sheriff Glenn Wheeler said. He told the paper that the tragic incident was "highly unusual" and said that deputies are searching for the bear to test it for anything that may have led to the encounter. Wheeler cautioned locals not to go out hunting for the bear. I dont want this to become open season on any bear that someone may see, as most bears fear humans and run away, he said. He advised that anyone who sees a bear should avoid the animal. The victim's name has not been released. Wheeler said that the sheriff's office is still in the very early" stages of the investigation. The incident marks the second fatal bear encounter in the last four weeks. In the past 25 years, there have been no fatal bear attacks recorded. On September 3, Vernon Patton, 72, was mauled by a bear in an unprovoked attack in Franklin County. He died from his wounds on September 15, according to the Arkansas Times. Bear attacks are typically extremely rare and generally result from a bear feeling that its food, its cubs, or itself is threatened, according to the National Parks Service. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Nancy Bass Wyden, wife of U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and owner of legendary Manhattan bookstore The Strand, claims her late assistant, who died by suicide last spring, embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars from her, allegedly stealing not just money but also rare books, family heirlooms, and countless pieces of designer clothing that wound up for sale on Poshmark. Beyond hocking her personal property online a pair of Dior sneakers for $800, in one example Brandon OBrien, 35, used Bass Wydens credit cards to finance a high-flying lifestyle for himself and his husband, buying everything from gym memberships to an annual Disney Incredi-Pass, the highest tier of the Walt Disney World Passes, according to an explosive new lawsuit obtained by The Independent. In it, Bass Wyden describes a breathtaking array of criminal acts, even accusing OBrien of stealing her Amazon rewards points, as well as a coveted emerald pendant that had belonged to her late mother. When the piece mysteriously disappeared from Bass Wydens residence in New York City, she initially believed she had lost it, her complaint states. However, it goes on, Bass Wyden eventually discovered the emerald pendant in OBriens office among his personal affairs. The thievery commenced in or about August 2022, the complaint alleges. Plaintiff Nancy Bass Wyden had no knowledge of this thievery when it occurred. open image in gallery Bass Wyden, seen here with husband Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) arriving at a state dinner at the White House in 2023, is suing her former personal assistant over hundreds of thousands of dollars in alleged theft ( Getty Images ) Bass Wyden reported OBrien to police, who dropped the case after his suicide, according to the complaint. Wydens suit, which was filed Friday morning in New York State Supreme Court, comes roughly three weeks after OBriens husband, Thomas Maltezos, sued Bass Wyden over allegations her two young children drove OBrien to suicide by subjecting him to relentless homophobic slurs and comments. Maltezos, who is in the process of being named the executor of OBriens estate, claimed in his suit that Bass Wydens 10-year-old daughter engaged in highly inappropriate sexual behavior directed at Mr. OBrien, such as exposing herself, making sexually explicit comments, and inquiring into Mr. OBriens intimate life. Maltezos also accused Bass Wydens teenage son of calling OBrien a f****t, a homo, and a zest kitten, according to his complaint. In one instance, Maltezos claims the boy became so physically aggressive and violent toward OBrien that Bass Wyden maced her son to restrain him but inadvertently maced Mr. OBrien. Yet, Bass Wyden took no corrective action, according to Maltezos. Attorney Reyna Lubin, who is representing Maltezos, told The Independent that Bass Wydens lawsuit is baseless, contending it was brought as retaliation for our clients refusal to drop his wrongful death claims and his late husbands employment discrimination claims. open image in gallery Thomas Maltezos (left) and Brandon O'Brien, Nancy Bass Wyden's former assistant. She is now suing Maltezos to recoup what she claims O'Brien stole from her before he died by suicide earlier this year ( GoFundMe ) It is shocking that a U.S. senators wife would try to use her power to bring down a family already suffering from the loss of suicide, Lubin said on Friday. Instead of addressing the documented homophobic slurs directed at Brandon O'Brien, Ms. [Bass] Wyden (has) chosen to pursue these false allegations. Nearly a year after their NYPD report, Mr. OBrien was never even questioned much less arrested. This is a calculated attempt to destroy Mr. OBriens character because he stood up against discrimination, and we will vigorously defend this family against further harm. In an email, Bass Wyden told The Independent that she is seeking accountability for the egregious misconduct directed at me and my family by OBrien and Maltezos. She said the claims in the wrongful death suit filed against her by Maltezos are not only baseless but calculated to divert attention from OBriens systematic theft and manipulation of both me and our impressionable children, who were only 14 and 9 years old when OBrien began working for me. Even more disturbing is what we now know to have been a deliberate effort by O'Brien to ingratiate himself with the children over time, gaining their trust in order to twist isolated interactions and steal from me and my family, Bass Wyden said. Maltezos played a complicit role in the alleged scheme, aiding and abetting OBrien, according to Bass Wyden, who said his current efforts to deflect from the theft do not lessen the deplorable nature of his actions. She also emphasized the critical importance of mental health support in our society, in light of OBriens death, claiming he struggled with longstanding mental illness. open image in gallery Bass Wyden is the third-generation owner of the Strand Bookstore, an iconic New York City retailer that has been operating for nearly 100 years ( Getty Images ) In June 2022, Bass Wyden hired OBrien to be her personal assistant, according to her complaint. It describes her as the third-generation owner of the near century old New York City icon, Strand Book Store, which is the largest independent bookstore in New York City and home to many rare books. Bass Wyden worked out of an office several floors above the shop on lower Broadway, and installed OBrien in an office close to hers, the complaint says. Over the course of two years and four months, OBrien managed various aspects of Plaintiff Nancy Bass Wydens personal, family, and business life, according to the complaint, which lists OBriens duties as having included picking up dry cleaning, scheduling, grocery shopping on Amazon Prime, general Amazon shopping, providing financial information to relevant persons, child-care, caring for Plaintiff Nancy Bass Wydens nonagenarian aunt, social media, and party planning (including for The Strand). Accordingly, Bass Wyden gave OBrien access to her personal credit card, personal email, Amazon Prime account, and her Manhattan home, the complaint continues. OBrien succeeded in ingratiating himself with both Plaintiff Nancy Bass Wyden and her children, evidenced by the Wydens inclusion of not just OBrien on family trips, holidays, and celebrations, but also O'Brien's spouse, Defendant Maltezos, and Defendant Maltezos' mother, according to the complaint. Although OBrien appear[ed] trustworthy, Bass Wyden says in her complaint that he instead used his position to steal systematically from her. The first step in the alleged scheme occurred when OBrien encouraged Bass Wyden to let him purchase a signature stamp that he could use to sign business checks on her behalf, according to the complaint. open image in gallery Bass Wyden says her belongings began to show up on Poshmark, after which she claims she discovered her trusted assistant was running the account with his husband ( NYS Supreme Court ) In the period that followed, OBrien wrote more than 100 checks to himself from Bass Wydens personal Fidelity brokerage account, signing them with the signature stamp, the complaint alleges. It says the proceeds, totalling nearly $600,000, were deposited in a bank account in OBriens name, and claims OBrien concealed the ongoing theft from Bass Wyden by deleting emails from Fidelity notifying her of the expenditures. As her trusted helper, OBrien had the code to open the front door at Bass Wydens apartment, the complaint states. Still, it says, she didnt suspect him when things started to disappear. Plaintiff Nancy Bass Wyden sent for dry cleaning a gown and a blouse skirt set with a coveted emerald pendant (it belonged to her late mother) attached to the set, according to the complaint. Plaintiff Nancy Bass Wyden initially believed she lost the gown, blouse, and pendant. Plaintiff Nancy Bass Wyden eventually discovered the emerald pendant in OBriens office among his personal office affairs. Other personal items that went missing from Bass Wydens residence included jewelry, shoes, designer clothing, and a new sealed Monopoly Star Wars game, worth more than $14,000 in total, the complaint states. All of it ended up on Poshmark, listed on an account run by OBrien and Maltezos, according to the complaint, which includes screenshots of the listings. open image in gallery Bass Wyden says in court filings that her personal assistant convinced her to get a signature stamp for 'business' use, which he allegedly then used to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from her ( NYS Supreme Court ) To confirm her suspicions, one of Bass Wydens associates used an assumed name to purchase an item from the Poshmark account allegedly run by OBrien and Maltezos, which was mailed from their Manhattan address, the complaint states. From there, the pilferage escalated, the complaint says. In October 2022, Bass Wydens Saks 5th Avenue credit card expired and a new one was mailed to her. The complaint accuses OBrien of stealing the card while picking up Bass Wydens mail, linking it to Bass Wydens Fidelity account and enabling autopay, then spending more than $35,000 on mens designer luxury clothing items that were then put up for sale on Poshmark. On or about October 4, 2024, Plaintiff Nancy Bass Wyden learned of these purchases when she received an e-mail from Saks notifying her that she had amassed points for shopping, the complaint states. At that time, Plaintiff Nancy Bass Wyden did not know she had a new Saks card. The thefts went on, unabated, according to the complaint. A collection of rare books The Strand had acquired from an estate disappeared before they could be inventoried, then showed up for sale on Poshmark, along with a pricey Strand-branded Bottega Veneta bookmark, the complaint alleges. open image in gallery O'Brien's alleged thefts from Bass Wyden began with forged checks made out to himself, drawn on her Fidelity account ( NYS Supreme Court ) Of the 37 books taken by O'Brien and listed on Maltezos and O'Brien's Poshmark account, 20 had been sold, 3 had been removed, and 14 were still actively listed for sale, according to the complaint. It says OBrien used Bass Wydens Amazon account to pick up nearly $1,000 worth of merchandise, which he mailed to himself on the Disney World vacation he allegedly took with her money. Bass Wyden also claims OBrien used her Amazon points to send himself gift cards each week, from Amazon, hotels.com, Nordstrom, and Uber Eats, for a total of $42,034.40. The cards were sent to an email address associated with an account OBrien maintained on a site called RentMasseur.com, according to the complaint. There were unauthorized purchases on a Visa card linked to Bass Wydens Fidelity account, which the complaint says OBrien made on a Disney World Incredi-Pass, for $1,648.62. 91, a monthly membership at the YMCA, for $1,428, and various expenditures on an Apple Music account OBrien allegedly set up with another credit card that Bass Wyden gave him to buy her daughter a new cell phone. Those charges went on until December 18, 2024, some 2.5 months after OBrien resigned which is when Bass Wyden went to the cops. After O'Brien quit Bass Wyden found thirty Folio books from the aforesaid estate sale that O'Brien had hidden in his office in filing cabinets or Dior boxes, the complaint alleges. The complaint says the Manhattan District Attorneys Office became involved in the investigation, but that it was closed when OBrien took his own life on May 24, 2025. Two weeks prior, OBrien and Maltezos held a yard sale at Maltezoss mother's Pennsylvania home, where they sold more of Bass Wydens belongings, according to the complaint. open image in gallery Bass Wyden's longtime personal assistant held a yard sale at his husband's mom's house in order to sell off some of the items she claims he stole from her, according to court filings ( NYS Supreme Court ) Bass Wydens complaint says Maltezos had actual knowledge of OBriens fraud and provided substantial assistance by receiving and assisting OBrien to monetize the stolen property. To that end, it contends, Maltezos must be divested of the benefits of his wrongdoing. Bass Wyden is seeking compensatory damages in an amount to be determined at trial, but not less than $655,000, plus pre-judgment interest, as well as punitive damages in an amount sufficient to punish Defendant Maltezos and deter similar conduct, restitution and disgorgement of all ill-gotten gains, and attorneys fees and court costs. Our children remain my top priority, and I will continue to vigorously defend myself in court, confident that the truth and facts will prevail, Bass Wyden told The Independent. Maltezos, who raised more than $7,500 on GoFundMe following OBriens suicide, now has roughly three weeks to file a formal response to Bass Wydens allegations. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The family of a college student killed in a Cybertruck car crash has sued Tesla, claiming the design of the vehicles doors were a death trap. Krysta Tsukahara, 19, and two others were killed when the driver of the vehicle rammed into a tree in Piedmont, California in November 2024. The Savannah College of Art and Design student, riding in the backseat, was trapped inside the vehicle as it burst into flames, unable to find the manual door releases when the vehicles battery caught fire. The doors are electronically powered, but when theres no power, riders must use the manual door releases, according to the vehicles owner manual. To do this from the rear seat, the passenger must remove the rubber mat on the bottom of the rear door's pocket, pull the mechanical release cable forward and then push the door open. The Cybertruck lacked a functional, accessible, and conspicuous manual door release mechanism, fail-safe, or other redundant system for emergency egress, the filing, obtained by the The Independent states. The Independent has asked Tesla for comment. open image in gallery The family of Krysta Tsukahara is suing Tesla after she and two others were killed after a crash last November ( City of Piedmont / AP foto/Richard Vogel ) Carl and Noelle Tsukahara, the teens parents, are seeking damages against Tesla, which is owned by the worlds richest person Elon Musk. Weve had to endure not only the loss of our daughter, but the silence surrounding how this happened and why she couldnt get out. This company is worth a trillion dollarshow can you release a machine thats not safe in so many ways? Carl Tsukahara said in a statement. Matt Riordan, a friend of the teens, told police that he was driving behind the Cybertruck and jumped into action when he saw it was ablaze, Bloomberg reported. Although he tried pressing the buttons to open the doors, they didnt open. Riordan then smashed the front window open with a tree branch, rescuing the passenger in the front seat. He unsuccessfully attempted to rescue Tsukahara from the back, the outlet reported. Soren Dixon, the 19-year-old driver, and Jack Nelson, a 20-year-old also riding in the rear seat, also died in the crash. Nelsons family also sued the automaker Thursday, Bloomberg reported. open image in gallery The automaker is developing new designs that will make it easier to open doors in the event a car loses power, Franz von Holzhausen, Teslas chief designer, said on a podcast ( Getty Images ) This case arises from catastrophic design defects in the Tesla Cybertruck that turned a survivable crash into a fatal fire, the Nelsons complaint states. This is a case where two things can be true at the same time, Matthew Davis, a lawyer for the Nelsons, told Bloomberg. There can be people responsible for the crash and there is a company responsible for the fact that they couldnt get out. The lawsuits come weeks after federal automobile safety regulators revealed they were investigating the door handles on another Tesla vehicle: the 2021 Model Y. At this time, NHTSAs investigation is focused on the operability of the electronic door locks from outside of the vehicle as that circumstance is the only one in which there is no manual way to open the door, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration disclosed last month. The automaker is developing new designs that will make it easier to open doors in the event a car loses power, Franz von Holzhausen, Teslas chief designer, said on Bloombergs Hot Pursuit podcast last month. Tesla has known about the issues with the door handles for more than a decade before the crash, the Tsukaharas suit says. In that period, Tesla had repeated and direct notice that its reliance on electronic door systems created a serious risk of entrapment. Owners, bystanders, and first responders documented instances where Tesla occupants survived crash forces but could not escape when electrical power failed and fire ensued, the filing alleges. Tesla was added to the suit Thursday. Earlier this year, the Tsukaharas filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Dixons estate. Toxicology reports showed Dixon, as well as other passengers, had alcohol and drugs in their systems, the familys lawyer Roger Dreyer said in a statement in May. This young woman suffered the most horrifying death one could imagine, the familys lawyer, Dreyer said. Her death was caused by her inability to get out of the car and being consumed in the fire that engulfed the vehicle. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A woman in Newburgh, Maine, who placed an Amazon order for coffee, rice and paper plates was astonished when the box arrived stuffed with 250 unused state election ballots, according to a report. The shopper, who preferred not to be identified, told ABC News she believed her package had been opened and retaped before it arrived at her door, suggesting it may have been tampered with after leaving the retail giants regional depot. She explained that she had passed it on to the office of the Newburgh town clerk via law enforcement. open image in gallery Maines Secretary of State Shenna Bellows has launched an investigation into the incident ( AP ) A spokesperson for Amazon told The Independent: Were cooperating with the law enforcement agencies investigating this incident. Based on our initial findings, it appears that this package was tampered with outside of our fulfillment and delivery network, and not by an Amazon employee or partner. The mystery comes just days before voters in her state can begin voting by mail on a referendum about tightening restrictions on absentee voting. Maine has one of the highest voter participation rates in the U.S. Shenna Bellows, its secretary of state, has said she is investigating the incident and said in a statement: Safe and secure elections are my top priority. As soon as we became aware of allegations of ballots being received outside of the appropriate chain of custody, I immediately initiated an investigation through my secretary of states law enforcement division. Law enforcement is working diligently to determine who is responsible, and they will be held accountable. We will not stop until we have answers. The states House Republican Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham has since called on U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel to launch federal investigations of their own. The discovery of hundreds of authentic state ballots in a private Amazon delivery is beyond alarming, Faulkingham said in a statement of his own. open image in gallery The customer concerned said she believed the Amazon parcel had been opened and then resealed before it reached her door ( PA ) At a time when Maine people are being asked to weigh in on whether to adopt the same common-sense Voter ID standards used in 36 other states, this shocking breach exposes how vulnerable our elections really are. When ballots appear in household shipments of rice and toys, trust is shattered. Mainers deserve answers, accountability, and immediate action. Alex Titcomb, a local election reform campaigner, said the incident was a perfect illustration of just why voting regulations need to be tightened. This is a stunning breach of election security that no free state can tolerate, he said. Mainers deserve to know how many other ballots are unaccounted for, who is responsible, and whether our elections have already been compromised. This is an appalling breakdown in the chain of custody that makes it impossible for Mainers to have confidence in the integrity of our elections. The campaign group Voter ID for ME wrote on X: HUNDREDS of ballots are now turning up in Amazon packages?? This isnt satire, fear mongering or political hyperbole. Its reality. And its very likely not a one-off, either. This is HUGE and means our elections are even MORE unsafe than we thought. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo has launched a new, AI-generated campaign ad branded slop by social media users. The video, in which Cuomo appears as a subway train driver, a stockbroker and a window cleaner, comes as the New York City mayoral race tightens ahead of polling day on November 4. Cuomos $45,000 ad buy was aired for the first time on Wednesday and features an AI-generated version of the former New York governor claiming that he could pretend to do a lot of jobs. open image in gallery Andrew Cuomo released an AI-generated ad which depicts him in a range of jobs in NYC ( X/@AdImpact_Pol ) But I know what I know, and I know what I dont know. And I do know how to make government work, he adds. There are a lot of jobs I cant do, but Im ready to be your mayor on day one. Cuomos spokesman Rich Azzopardi described the video in press release as a humorous attempt to reach out to voters. His team described it as a positive use of AI in political campaigning - but many online commenters are not convinced. AI slop that tells people hes bad at jobs but for some reason he wants to be your mayor, one X user wrote. Great look using AI instead of hiring artists in a city where you could throw a rock and hit 3, said another. The ad was also slammed on X by Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic candidate in the mayoral race. In a city of world-class artists and production crew hunting for the next gig, Andrew Cuomo made a TV ad the same way he wrote his housing policy: with AI, Mamdani wrote. Then again, maybe a fake Cuomo is better than the real one? The Republican candidate in the race, Curtis Sliwa added: So many people looked at his AI and laughed. The mayoral race has been extremely close, with the incumbent New York Mayor, Eric Adams, dropping out on Sunday. open image in gallery Zohran Mamdani is the frontrunner in the mayoral race, with a Fox News poll predicting he will win 47 percent of the vote ( Getty Images ) Mamdani beat Cuomo in the Democratic primary by winning 56 percent of the votes in the third round. Cuomo won 44 percent. The Democratic nominee has long been a target for Donald Trump, who branded Mamdani a 100% Communist Lunatic. Speaking on The View, Mamdani told Joy Behar that he is not a communist but a democratic socialist. Mamdani remains the frontrunner in the race, according to a Fox News Poll, which suggests 47 percent of likely voters will cast their ballot for the Democratic nominee. Cuomo is in second place with 29 percent, and Silva is at 11 percent. However, there has not been a poll since Adams dropped out of the race, which could lead to Cuomo and Silva experiencing a boost in support. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The imminent arrival of anti-woke and stridently pro-Israel heterodox pundit Bari Weiss as the editor-in-chief of CBS News has left the newsrooms staff literally freaking out, with sources telling The Independent that the Tiffany Network is not a good place right now. The rising frustration among the networks journalists has also been compounded by the fact that David Ellison, the chief executive of the newly merged Paramount Skydance, is preparing to implement brutal layoffs and slash up to 10 percent of CBS News staff all while paying Weiss up to $150 million to acquire her digital media outlet The Free Press. Meanwhile, Weiss seizing the reins of the networks vaunted news division which has been months in the making comes as staff have grown increasingly disgruntled with Ellisons transformation of CBS News, with many feeling that the new owner lied to them when he insisted he didnt want to politicize the network. The Independent has reached out to representatives for Paramount, Ellison and Weiss for comment. Following a politically tainted $8.4 billion merger between Ellisons Skydance Media and Paramount Global, which saw Paramount agree to pay Donald Trump $16 million to settle a meritless lawsuit over a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris, the new leadership team has made several moves to seemingly appease the right and the president. open image in gallery Bari Weiss, the founder of anti-woke online outlet The Free Press, is preparing to come aboard CBS News as its editor-in-chief. ( Getty ) Days before the Federal Communications Commission approved the merger, Skydance promised Trumps handpicked FCC chairman Brendan Carr that the new Paramount would not only eliminate all diversity hiring policies but would also install an ombudsman who would review complaints of bias at CBS News. Last month, Kenneth Weinstein a former Trump appointee and leader of a conservative think tank was appointed by Paramount to serve as the ombudsman of the news network. Paramounts leaders also effectively sided with the White House last month when it implemented new editing rules for the Sunday show Face the Nation, announcing that all interviews on the show will either be broadcast live or live to tape, following complaints from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about her answers being shamefully edited during a taping. In recent weeks, Democratic lawmakers have opened an investigation into whether the 60 Minutes settlement and Trumps claims that he reached a side deal with Ellison to air pro-Trump ads on CBS after the merger was complete - constituted a bribe. The probe is also looking into Paramounts pre-merger decision to cancel prominent Trump critic Stephen Colberts top-rated late-night CBS show. Ellison, the son of Oracle founder and top Trump ally Larry Ellison, has been in talks to purchase The Free Press and bring Weiss aboard to set the editorial direction of CBS News for months now. Weiss, a former New York Times opinion columnist who famously quit The Grey Lady in 2020 over what she cited as the papers left-leaning editorial policies and illiberal environment, is expected to report to Ellison directly. Tom Cibrowski will remain as president of CBS News and work alongside Weiss, according to The New York Times. The Free Press, which Weiss launched in 2021 alongside her wife, will be purchased for a price tag of roughly $150 million, paid out in a combination of cash and stock. The site, which is hosted on Substack, has 1.5 million subscribers with roughly 10 percent of those paid. According to Puck, the heterodox sites valuation sits at around $100 million. Her stunning comeback is a tribute to her hustle, her oft-acknowledged personal charisma, and above all her unapologetic support for Israel and attacks on progressive social justice dogmas, often disparaged as wokeness both of which align her with some of the most powerful people alive even as they alienate her from many of her generational peers in journalism, The Guardian noted about Weiss in a profile last month. While it appears that The Free Press will remain a standalone property and it isnt clear yet if it will be integrated into CBS News digital site, Weiss presence as a newsroom leader will almost certainly fuel even more tension at the network, which has been in turmoil since Paramount began negotiating a settlement over the 60 Minutes lawsuit. The 41-year-old commentator will step into a news organization that has already seen the executive producer of 60 Minutes and the networks news president resign over what they saw as corporate interference with editorial and journalistic independence, noting that they would not apologize for the Harris interview. Additionally, the belief among network insiders and staffers is that Weiss is being hired to tamp down on pro-Palestinian coverage of the Gaza War, which was already a central sticking point with former Paramount chair Shari Redstone. A major reason why this deal is happening is The Free Press unflinching pro-Israeli stance and Larry Ellison and his son David Ellisons close ties to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Breaker reported this week. open image in gallery Bari Weiss, seen here with Sen. Ted Cruz, is likely to fuel even more tension in an already tumultuous newsroom with her ascendence at CBS News. ( Getty ) While CBS News staffers who spoke with The Independent noted that the majority of the newsroom wouldnt welcome Weiss because of both her lack of experience and editorial sensibilities, they also said some reporters would love the hire specifically over her pro-Israel position. I think there are some people there that are like, yes, get her in here because they care about one issue, and that's Israel, one reporter said. However, for the most part, sources stated that morale is extremely low and there is no real appetite among most of the staff to see Weiss take charge of the network and potentially squander its credibility, as well as that of 60 Minutes, its legendary and long-running newsmagazine. People are using words like depressing and doomsday feels like some sort of doomsday, the same reporter declared. I think the ombudsman, Bari Weiss, and the impending massive layoffs that are coming in a couple of weeks have everyone just kind of freaking out, like, literally freaking out, another CBS journalist noted. It's not a good place right now. There was a proper way to do this and a not proper way, and they're doing it in the non-proper way, and maybe that's by design. Indeed, with Ellison already making it clear that the new Paramount plans to slash $2 billion from its ledger sheet, painful layoffs are just around the bend with hundreds of reporters and news staffers on the chopping block. Therefore, the windfall of cash to Weiss is not exactly sitting well with employees who are currently fearful of impending pink slips. The fact that we don't have money to pay journalists, but we have money to pay Bari Weiss between $100 and 200 million is indicative of what the Ellisons' true goal here is, a network correspondent said. And it's not journalism. Network staffers also told The Independent that Weiss would have a tough time gaining the respect of the newsroom because they see her as something of a political operative, adding that CBS News is already not a welcoming place for outsiders. There are so many people who've come in here and been chewed up and spit out that the idea that somebody that we don't want is going to come in here and somehow manage to survive this is, I think, laughable, the CBS reporter declared. So she's in for, I would venture to guess, a rough ride. While Ellison insisted right after the close of the merger that he was committed to accuracy, integrity, and public trust and wanted to maintain CBS News storied legacy, all while steering clear of politicizing the network, sources said that the installation of Weiss as top editor of the news division flies in the face of all of that. open image in gallery Does she know how to do this stuff? Forget what her political views are, does she know how to do this?! one network employee wondered about Bari Weiss ability to lead a large broadcast news organization. ( Getty ) He's essentially going to hand the keys to the kingdom to Bari Weiss and to anyone and everyone who is an ideologue that supports his and his father's world, the CBS reporter told The Independent. The network journalist added that Weiss lacks experience dealing with a broadcast organization of CBS News' size, wondering if shell be able to determine if we cover weather in Mississippi or send reporting crews to various American and international cities. There's such a gulf between your own online publication and broadcast television, they stated, adding: Does she know how to do this stuff? Forget what her political views are, does she know how to do this?! Furthermore, in response to a source close to Ellison telling The Financial Times that the news became extreme, elitist, and performative and that Ellison plans to bring back a performance-based culture at CBS in the tradition of Walter Cronkite and Edward Murrow, a network insider scoffed while invoking the Weiss move. Also, is Weiss Free Press not extreme, elite, and performative? Its both those things, which is why its considered fringe media and CBS News is not, the insider said. Is Bari Weiss considered objective or a journalist? Cronkite and Murrow would absolutely not think she is and would have tossed her out of the newsroom inside an hour. Ultimately, at least one source pointed out that it was what they saw as a relative lack of qualifications for the senior editorial position that could really hinder Weiss in the eyes of those she hopes to supervise and lead. It's just like anybody that you think isn't qualified for the job that comes in, there's going to be trepidation, right? the network correspondent wondered. Whether it's Bari Weiss or, you know, Michael Scott from The Office. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice At a press conference announcing that the suspect in the shooting of Charlie Kirk had been detained, FBI director Kash Patel ended his speech with a personal message to his brother, saying: We have the watch, and Ill see you in Valhalla. Many people commenting on the press conference reacted to this confusing reference to Valhalla with a mixture of amusement and disdain, with some pointing out the contradiction of eulogizing a Christian nationalist with reference to the pagan afterlife. For scholars of the Vikings, Patels reference to Valhalla looked like something far more sinister. To understand why, we need to know both whatValhalla meant to the Vikings, and what it means in political discourse today. The Norse peoples had a developed concept of the afterlife. The desirable destination for Norse warriors was Valhalla, the hall of the slain, where Odin watched over his band of chosen warriors as they prepared for Ragnarok, the world-destroying battle against the giants. Only those who died a heroic death in combat were brought to Valhalla by the Valkyries. Those who died by sickness, old age or accident or who had committed murder and other dishonourable crimes seem to have been excluded from this martial afterlife. Some believed that you could cheat the Norse gods by arranging to be buried with deliberately worn and damaged weapons as if you had seen heavy combat. Theres a lot we dont know. What we do know is that in the 1930s the concept of Valhalla, along with the image of the heroic Viking and many of the symbols of Norse mythology, had a profound appeal to Nazi thought leaders. They looked to Norse mythology as a survival of a wider Germanic culture that had been erased by Judeo-Christian dominance. open image in gallery FBI Director Kash Patel said: We have the watch, and Ill see you in Valhalla ( AFP/Getty ) The Nordic race was held up as the Aryan ideal. Norse cultural remnants were used to add legitimacy to the idea of a glorious German past. Heinrich Himmler in particular repurposed Norse symbols for use by the SS. Today, many white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups continue to brand themselves using a widening range of symbols taken from Norse mythology. One aspect of Norse culture that has gained increasing prominence in the past few decades is the specific co-opting of Valhalla by those who are prepared to kill, and die, in the cause of protecting an endangered white supremacy. Valhalla in terrorist manifestos The most chilling example of the co-option of the phrase see you in Valhalla is found in the manifestos published by far-right terrorists in the wake of their atrocities. In 2019, Brenton Tarrant carried out mass shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in which 51 people were killed. He published a rambling manifesto in which he attempted to justify his actions, and touted the great replacement conspiracy theory which holds that Jewish elites are deliberately engineering the replacement of white populations through immigration. About the author Tom Birkett is a Professor of Old English and Old Norse at University College Cork. This article was first published by The Conversation and is republished under a Creative Commons licence. Read the original article This has since become a far-right talking point and was pushed by Charlie Kirk on his show. Tarrant signed off his diatribe against multiculturalism and white genocide by saying Goodbye, god bless you all and I will see you in Valhalla. Tarrant in turn influenced other far-right terrorists. One such terrorist, Peyton Gendron, was convicted of the Buffalo mass shooting in 2022 in which 10 black Americans were murdered. Gendron plagiarized much of his 180-page manifesto, and similarly ends his screed with the statement: I hope to see you in Valhalla. By invoking Valhalla, these terrorists are attempting to cast themselves as warriors in the Viking tradition. There is, of course, nothing remotely heroic about gunning down unarmed civilians. But the point is that this reference doesnt require any understanding of the Norse tradition. In this context it comes directly from the Nazis fetishization of violent death to secure the racial purity of Germany. From terrorists to the FBI Rather than borrowing from extremist discourse, Patel may have been influenced by the use of til Valhalla by the US marines to honour fallen comrades including those who died by suicide. This is a use which has been traced back to the influence of Norwegian Nato forces in Afghanistan, who may have used til Valhalla as a kind of battle cry. Of course, the optics of using a military honorific to commemorate the assassination of a civilian is problematic in itself. Patels see you in Valhalla was much closer in its wording to the sign off used by far-right terrorists but even this phrasing was unlikely to have been lifted directly from extremists. It is more likely an example of a phenomenon often observed in the study of the far-right online ecosystem, which is the seepage of extreme right discourse into more mainstream spaces. open image in gallery Flowers laid in the New Zealand city of Christchurch after white supremacist Brenton Tarrant murdered 51 members of the Muslim community ( Getty Images ) Neo-Nazi groups use memes, shitposting and humour as a deliberate strategy to seed increasingly extreme ideas into groups amenable to their message. It isnt hard to find references to Valhalla commercialized, repackaged as inspirational Viking quotes for Maga consumption, referencing cancel culture, or even using Norse video games as a gateway to white supremacy. In this way, the more mainstream right often ends up sharing and amplifying extremist messaging. Patels reference to Valhalla was at the very least a huge misstep by a government official trying to appeal to the Maga base and elevate Kirks tragic killing into a heroic warriors death. While he may not have made his reference to Valhalla in knowledge of its association with far-right terrorism, it nevertheless served as a signal to white supremacists. As reported elsewhere, there was a lot of engagement from the extreme right on social media, but their posts tended to ridicule Patel. His words prompted memes on social media playing on the apparent absurdity of someone of Patels ethnicity cosplaying as a Viking. And among this racially tinged mockery, there was also some revelling in the fact that a stock phrase of violent white supremacy had found its way into the mouth of the director of the FBI. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The Trump administration has exempted personnel working in the Office of Management and Budget and the Department of Government Efficiency from government shutdown furloughs even as many other federal workers and White House staff are sent home with no pay. A contingency plan released online showed that one-third of White House staff will be furloughed during the government shutdown. Politico first reported the story. The plan says that 554 of the 1,733 staffers for the Executive Office of the President would be placed on furlough status and 1,179 of the staff would continue to report for duty. But the plan says that the 49 staffers at the Office of Management and Budget and 46 staffers at DOGE, the government-slashing agency that generated headlines for cutting personnel at agencies like the U.S. Institute of Peace and the U.S. Agency for International Development, would be exempt. This comes because these agencies receive money other than from Congress. OMB is led by Russell Vought, the intellectual architect of Project 2025. On Thursday, President Donald Trump met with Vought and threatened that to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent. Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought has paused numerous federal projects amid a government shutdown. ( AP ) Trump added that he could not believe that Democrats gave him an unprecedented opportunity. Vought has become a symbol of anger for many Democrats for his desire to slash government agencies and his work on Project 2025, the Heritage Foundations blueprint for the Trump administration. In total, only 93 officials will be furloughed from the Voughts office and 437 officials will be retained during the government shutdown. During the 2024 campaign, Trump distanced himself from Project 2025 despite the fact many officials from his first administration helped craft it. Other offices will not be as fortunate. The Office of the National Cyber Director will 17 of its 32 employees furloughed during the shutdown. The Council of Economic Advisers will see 16 of its 25 staff furloughed. The Council of Environmental Quality will see 10 of its 21 staff furloughed. The government into shutdown mode on the Tuesday evening after Senate Democrats voted down a stopgap bill known as a continuing resolution that would keep the government open. The House of Representatives had passed the legislation last month and left town. It hasnt returned since then. Democrats are demanding an extension of the enhanced subsidies for the health insurance marketplace created under the Affordable Care Act that passed during the Biden administration. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Federal employees at several agencies were surprised to learn that their email accounts were automatically responding to messages with out-of-office replies that blamed Democratic members of Congress for the government shutdown. Earlier this week, the White House budget office sent out email templates to furloughed workers, encouraging their out-of-office reply messages to blame Democrat Senators for a lapse in funding that resulted in their unpaid leave. Due to the lapse in appropriations I am currently in furlough status. I will respond to emails once government functions resume, the template said. But workers who did not update their automatic out-of-office replies discovered that their accounts were manipulated to include a partisan shot at Democratic officials while they were locked out of work, as members of Congress try to break through an impasse over a continuing resolution to keep the government running. They changed our out-of-office message [They] did it after everyone left, one Department of Education employee told ABC News. [I'm] so pissed We as career government employees need to be neutral when carrying out our jobs. This is such bull****. open image in gallery Federal workers protest a government shutdown as members of Congress scramble to put together a continuing resolution to fund the government ( AP ) Another worker told NBC News that they had changed the partisan language, only for the message to revert back. None of us consented to this, the person told the outlet. And its written in the first person, as if Im the one conveying this message, and Im not. I dont agree with it. I dont think its ethical or legal. A spokesperson for the Education Department told NBC News that the email reminds those who reach out to Department of Education employees that we cannot respond because Senate Democrats are refusing to vote for a clean CR and fund the government. Wheres the lie? At the Department of Health and Human Services, human resources leadership told employees that creating an out-of-office message blaming Democrats was required for those who wouldnt be working during the shutdown, according to HuffPost. The messages follow a wave of partisan attacks on government websites explicitly blaming Democratic officials and the radical left for the federal shutdown. That language is on banners and pop-up messages on the websites of the Department of Justice, State Department, the Food and Drug Administration, Department of Agriculture, Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Small Business Administration, among others. open image in gallery A message on the Department of Agricultures website blames a Radical Left Democrat shutdown for a funding lapse that has suspended work at government agencies and furloughed workers. Other federal websites displayed similar partisan messages ( USDA ) Watchdog groups say the statements are in apparent defiance of ethics laws that prohibit political attacks and campaigning from inside federal facilities which Donald Trump and administration officials have continued to do since entering office without facing any consequences. Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, is urging acting special counsel Jamieson Greer to investigate the White House for its messaging on the government shutdown. Consumer advocacy group Public Citizen has filed at least nine complaints alleging Hatch Act violations. Democratic members of Congress have accused Trump and Republicans of blatantly lying about Democratic opposition to a GOP-led government funding plan, particularly around claims that Democrats are pushing for healthcare benefits for undocumented immigrants, who cannot legally access federal healthcare programs. Democratic officials have also rejected Republican attempts to blame them for mass layoffs and furloughs of federal employees, arguing that the administration is using the shutdown crisis as a pretext to slash budgets and fire workers. In response to The Independents questions about the legality of partisan messaging on government websites, a White House official pointed to multiple examples in which officials from the Barack Obama and Joe Biden administrations repeatedly assigned partisan blame on Republicans in official fact sheets, press releases and statements, the official said. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Florida has received a substantial reimbursement of $608 million for the construction and operation of its controversial immigration detention centre in the Everglades, federal officials confirmed on Friday. However, this payment now leaves the facility, dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz', vulnerable to a second closure order. The US Department of Homeland Security confirmed the state was awarded its full reimbursement request via email. Yet, this financial confirmation coincides with a federal judge's injunction issued in August, which could force Florida to cease operations at the remote site once more. The Miami judge sided with environmental groups who had successfully argued that the site lacked a proper environmental review before its conversion into a detention centre. Consequently, Florida was granted a two-month period to wind down its operations. The judge's injunction, however, was put on hold for the time being by an appellate court panel in Atlanta that said the state-run facility didn't need to undergo a federally required environmental impact study because Florida had yet to receive federal money for the project. If the federal defendants ultimately decide to approve that request and reimburse Florida for its expenditures related to the facility, they may need to first conduct an EIS (environmental impact statement), the three-judge appellate court panel wrote last month. open image in gallery In July, President Donald Trump visited a Florida detention center, nicknamed "Alligator Alcatraz," but a judge this week ordered it be wound down ( REUTERS ) The appellate panel decision allowed the detention center to stay open and put a stop to wind-down efforts. President Donald Trump toured the facility in July and suggested it could be a model for future lockups nationwide as his administration pushes to expand the infrastructure needed to increase deportations. Environmental groups that had sued the federal and state governments said the confirmation of the reimbursement showed that the Florida-built facility was a federal project from the jump. This is a federal project being built with federal funds thats required by federal law to go through a complete environmental review," Elise Bennett, Florida and Caribbean director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement. "Well do everything we can to stop this lawless, destructive and wasteful debacle. ___ Follow Mike Schneider on the social platform Bluesky: @mikeysid.bsky.social Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A Florida Republican wants to make it easier for armed volunteers to provide security for churches and other houses of worship. A bill, titled "Security Services at Places of Worship," has been sponsored by Senator Don Gaetz and aims to waive some of the licensing and training requirements for individuals who want to volunteer to protect religious facilities. Gaetz said that pastors in his district have asked for the measure, adding that smaller congregations typically don't have the money to afford private security, FOX 13 reported. Anyone hoping to volunteer will have to obtain a concealed carry permit, pass a level 2 background check, and secure approval from their local sheriff's office before formally acting in a security capacity. The bill specified that those acting as security via this method cannot be paid for their work, but it allows them to receive a "reasonable" reimbursement for their training costs. Florida Senator Don Gaetz introduced a bill that will make it easier for volunteer armed security guards to procure training and licensing for the purposes of protecting houses of worship Gaetz said he was sorry he even had to file the bill, and hopes that no one who begins working security under his bill will ever have to make use of their training. "I hope my bill is never necessary and I'm really sorry that we had to file it, but the fact is that congregations need to have some way to provide area security for themselves if they can't afford to buy or arrange for an armed security patrol," he told FOX 13. Under the current Florida concealed carry law, licensed gun owners with concealed carry permits can already have their guns on them inside houses of worship, unless expressly prohibited from doing so by that religious institution. The bill is being introduced in the wake of several high-profile, deadly attacks on houses of worship over the month. On Thursday, Jihad al-Shamie, 35, rammed his car into a synagogue in Manchester, Englan,d and proceeded to stab worshippers at the site before police shot and killed him. Last weekend, Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, rammed his truck into a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints facility in Grand Blanc, Michigan, and began shooting at congregants inside before burning the building down. He killed four people and injured eight others. According to a state police officer investigating the shooting, several bomb threats were called in to local churches after Sanford was killed. In late August, Robin Westman, 23, fired a rifle into Annunciation Catholic Church in south Minneapolis, killing two children, a 10-year-old and an 8-year-old, and injuring 17 other people, including 14 children and three adults. The children and adults were praying at the time of the shooting. Westman died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. It does not appear as though any of the shooters share similarities or likely motives al-Shamie was a Syrian-born British citizen whose terrorist attack on Yom Kippur is likely tied to Israel's genocide in Gaza. Sanford was a MAGA conservative who hated members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints due to a failed relationship. Westman was reportedly a trans individual who wrote hundreds of pages of diary entries suggesting they were racist, antisemitic, Islamophobic, and fascinated with mass shooters. Gaetz said he and his colleagues in the Florida House will be introducing a companion bill in the coming days. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice California Gov. Gavin Newsom ramped up his attacks on the Trump administration, with a meme mocking White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. On Thursday, Miller made an X post, urging Americans to join the Department of Homeland Security, writing, Sign up to become a homeland defender. Newsoms press office responded with a meme of Miller with rainbow sparkles and a nail polish emoji, captioned, The guy sitting in the hotel armchair wants you to defend the homeland. Slay queen! The jab echoed a May Democratic Party post tagging Miller and featuring an empty hotel-room chair. Newsom has long mocked Trump, with jabs including a joke on X about the presidents escalator mishap at the U.N., mimicking his signature all-caps style. open image in gallery Gavin Newsom's press office posted this meme on Thursday, one day after posting an AI-generated image of President Donald Trump as Marie Antoinette ( X/@GovPressOffice ) Dozy Don was defeated by the escalator, poor guy! Newsoms press office said on x. The U.N. later said a videographer may have triggered the safety stop. open image in gallery Newsom's latest post comes after a Democratic post in May, featuring a hotel-room chair ( X/@TheDemocrats ) On Wednesday, Newsoms press office criticized Donald Trump for continuing construction on a $200 million White House ballroom during the ongoing government shutdown, posting an AI-generated image of the president as 18th century French Queen Marie Antoinette, who became a symbol of wealthy self-indulgence mixed with obliviousness to the less fortunate. Trump Marie Antoinette says, no health care for you peasants, but a ballroom for the queen! This critique was a response to the administration's decision to prioritize the ballroom project over addressing the shutdown's impact on federal services and healthcare programs. open image in gallery Newsoms press office responded to an X post from Stephen Miller with a meme of Miller with rainbow sparkles and the nail polish emoji ( Getty Images ) Despite the shutdown, work on the ballroom continues, as its funding is not tied to the 2026 fiscal year appropriations. This move has drawn criticism from Democrats, who argue that the administration is neglecting essential services while pursuing luxury projects. Newsoms press office also posted the Antoinette image several times on Friday, writing, again, in all caps, If the peasants are poor, maybe they should start a reality show like our queen! Worked out beautifully for her. Now shes rich, and you losers are about to lose your health care! Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The Trump administration has approved a generic version of the abortion pill mifepristone, despite Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr ordering a review into the drugs safety. The drug will now be produced by Evita Solutions LLC, which describes its mission as being to normalize abortion and make it accessible to all. The company received approval from the FDA on Tuesday. We have completed the review of this ANDA [abbreviated new drug application] and have concluded that adequate information has been presented to demonstrate that the drug meets the requirements for approval under the FD&C Act, the FDA wrote. Accordingly the ANDA is approved. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, described the reckless decision by the FDA to expand the availability of abortion drugs as unconscionable. open image in gallery The Trump administration has approved a generic version of the abortion pill mifepristone, despite Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr ordering a review into the drugs safety ( AP ) These dangerous drugs take the lives of unborn children, place women and underage girls at serious risk, empower abusers, and trample the pro-life laws enacted by states across the nation, Dannenfelser said in a statement Thursday. Dozens of peer-reviewed studies have found that fewer than 0.5 percent of patients who take mifepristone have serious adverse reactions, and it has been approved by the FDA and widely used for over 20 years. However, earlier this year, a dubious report from anti-abortion activists attempted to cast doubt on the safety of the drug. In the report, the Ethics and Public Policy Center, a right-wing think tank, claimed that serious complications from mifepristone use were 22 times higher than previously reported and called on the FDA to reconsider its approval altogether. Despite the report being condemned by pro-abortion advocates and public health officials as unscientific and politically motivated, Kennedy and Trump-appointed FDA commissioner, Marty Makary, have said they will reexamine the safety of mifepristone. open image in gallery Pro-abortion activists protest outside the Capitol in WAshington D.C. ( Getty Images for Women's March ) open image in gallery Dozens of peer-reviewed studies have found that fewer than 0.5 percent of patients who take mifepristone have serious adverse reactions, and it has been approved by the FDA and widely used for over 20 years ( Getty Images ) Makary had said previously he had no plans to change the governments position on mifepristone unless new data discovered a safety concern. Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley, whose wife, Erin Hawley, is a senior counsel with the right-wing legal advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom, was one of those who called on Makary to follow this new data. Hawley expressed outrage Thursday following the announcement of the FDAs decision, describing it as shocking. FDA has just approved ANOTHER chemical abortion drug, when the evidence shows chemical abortion drugs are dangerous and even deadly for the mother. And of course 100% lethal to the child, he wrote. FDA had promised to do a top-to-bottom safety review of the chemical abortion drug, but instead theyve just greenlighted new versions of it for distribution. I have lost confidence in the leadership at FDA. open image in gallery Despite the report being condemned by pro-abortion advocates and public health officials as unscientific and politically motivated, Robert F Kennedy Jr (center) and Trump-appointed FDA commissioner, Marty Makary (right), have said they will reexamine the safety of mifepristone ( Getty Images ) Meanwhile, on Wednesday, anti-abortion District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk whose court ruling on mifepristone triggered a Supreme Court battle ruled to transfer a case that challenges the FDAs approval of the drug to a court in Missouri, which is packed with Trump appointees. We are disappointed that the court failed to rule today on our motion to dismiss, allowing this politically motivated case to continue to proceed, said Evan Masingill, CEO of GenBioPro, the company at the center of the case, which also has approval to manufacture the drug. Mifepristone has been approved by the FDA for a quarter century using their rigorous standards. Any attempt to roll back access to mifepristone infringes on Americans reproductive freedom and will jeopardize the health of millions nationwide. GenBioPro remains committed to ensuring affordable, science-based access to medication abortion for all who need it. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The U.S. government has once again been sent into shutdown. For the 21st time in the past 50 years, Congress has not been able to reach an agreement on funding for federal agencies, despite negotiations stretching late into the night. The reason is that, while Republicans control both houses of Congress and the presidency, they still needed 60 votes in the Senate to ram funding bills past a potential Democratic filibuster. That means that as long as Democrats refuse to budge, the GOP must either offer them a compromise or abolish the filibuster. This time, no common ground could be found. So what does a government shutdown actually mean for you and for the nation? open image in gallery Republicans and Democrats have failed to reach a deal on funding for federal agencies ( Nathan Howard/Reuters ) What is a government shutdown and how long will it continue? The U.S. Constitution hands Congress the sole power of the purse. No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, reads Article I, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law. Under the Antideficiency Act, passed in 1884 and amended in 1950, the government is also prohibited from incurring expenses that Congress hasnt already appropriated. The idea was to prevent federal departments from forcing Congresss hand by deliberately blowing their entire budget early in the year, which used to happen frequently. For a while, the U.S. government operated on the assumption that Congress couldnt possibly have meant this to cover routine annual budgets. However, in 1980 and 1981, Jimmy Carters attorney general, Benjamin Civiletti, ruled that, in fact, it did meaning all non-emergency work had to stop as soon as the funds ran out. How long this lasts is anyones guess: the shortest shutdowns last only a day or a few hours. The longest was in 2018-19, during Trumps first term, which lasted 34 days and wiped an estimated $6bn or more off the countrys economy. Will federal workers be furloughed or fired? Typically, non-emergency employees are furloughed, meaning theyre instructed not to report for work and are not paid during the shutdown. Thanks to a 2019 law, they will get back pay after its all over. But this time things might be different. Last week, the Office of Management and Budget, led by Russell Vought, a participant in Project 2025, instructed federal agencies to consider permanent layoffs of any programs not consistent with the presidents priorities. That could mean yet more layoffs at departments already drained by Elon Musks cuts at DOGE earlier this year, some of which are now being reversed. Ahead of the shutdown, President Donald Trump warned Tuesday there would be irreversible layoffs of federal employees if lawmakers didnt reach an agreement. Which essential government services will continue regardless? The Antideficiency Act includes explicit exceptions for emergencies involving the safety of human life or the protection of property. Hence, when the government shuts down, federal law enforcers will keep up their investigations and border agents will stay on patrol. The CIA and NSA will continue their snooping. The National Weather Service will keep its eyes on the skies, albeit with a skeleton crew, as will air traffic controllers. The TSA will also continue to scan your body parts and require you to remove your shoes. Programs that are self-funding or funded by means other than annual appropriations usually continue. That includes the USPS, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Benjamin Civilettis memo back in the 1980s also ruled that the presidents constitutional duties were unaffected by shutdowns. That argument has since been extended to court employees, members of Congress, and aides who support them in their essential activities. So those will keep running. Fortunately for Congress and the President, their salaries will continue to be paid, as mandated by the Constitution. open image in gallery Donald Trump has warned the shutdown could lead to lay-offs ( AFP/Getty ) What does actually get shut down? Potentially everything else. Exactly what remains unclear, since many agencies have not yet released their contingency plans. Previous shutdowns have impacted everything from environmental inspections of chemical plants to food safety checks, as well as passport approvals and immigration decisions. Many such services are covered by fees, which means they can continue for an extended period. But if expenditures outstrip those fees, the services may have to shut down. Other programs, such as food assistance, pre-school subsidies, or student loans, may or may not stop depending on how long they are funded. Not all such services have the same fiscal year as the rest of the government, meaning they may still be within budget when a shutdown begins. The national park system could be closed, wholly or partially. During the 2018-19 shutdown, this did not happen; however, services such as trash collection were stopped, leading to unpleasant conditions in some facilities. The Smithsonian museums could similarly be forced to close, although they have previously managed to stay open for a few days following the start of a shutdown. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Apple has removed a number of apps from its App Store allowing users to track the movement of ICE agents as they conduct raids on alleged illegal immigrants across the United States on behalf of Donald Trumps administration. Most prominent among the apps is ICEBlock, a free program with hundreds of thousands of users that has been heavily criticised by top administration officials. Apple said in a statement that it had acted after being contacted by law enforcement but did not state which agency it was referring to. open image in gallery A federal agent walks past portraits of U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. Vice President JD Vance as he patrols the halls of the Ted Weiss Federal Building in New York City on August 4 2025 ( Getty ) White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told The Independent: ICE Officers are facing a 1,000 percent increase in assaults because of unhinged rhetoric from activists and Democrat politicians smearing heroic ICE officers. Apps that encourage the doxing of ICE agents only feed into this dangerous mindset and put officers at risk. Anyone who assaults or otherwise harms law enforcement officers will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. The Independent has also reached out to Apple and ICE for further comment. ICEBlock, which was the stores most downloaded app at one point this summer, invites users to share legal information about ICEs activities in their communities and carries the slogan: See something, tap something. In recent years, ICE has faced criticism for alleged civil rights abuses and failures to adhere to constitutional principles and due process, making it crucial for communities to stay informed about its operations, the app explains on its official website. Modeled after Waze but for ICE sightings, the app ensures user privacy by storing no personal data, making it impossible to trace reports back to individual users. It was attacked by the Trump administration in July, with Attorney General Pam Bondi saying that the Justice Department was looking at the apps creator, Joshua Aaron, and warning: He better watch out. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also expressed disapproval of ICEBlock, saying it sounds like this would be an incitement of further violence against our ICE officers, while Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused CNN of actively encouraging people to avoid law enforcement activities simply by reporting on its existence. open image in gallery ICE has been widely criticized this year, not least over agents wearing masks and failing to identify themselves when going about their business ( AFP/Getty ) We will not be intimidated, Aaron told The Independent in response to the administrations comments in July. As long as ICE agents have quotas, and this administration ignores peoples constitutional rights, we will continue fighting back. No human is illegal. Ending the availability of such programs in app stores is unlikely to prevent members of the public opposed to ICEs mission from sharing agents locations on encrypted messaging services like Signal and WhatsApp or in Reddit threads, a number of which have been used to attempt to try to thwart raids this year. ICEs operations have attracted widespread protests across U.S. cities this year, most notably in Los Angeles, California, which led to Trump sending in the National Guard and active-duty Marines to support local law enforcement in June. The Trump administration has repeatedly warned about its immigration forces being made the target of violence, the latest example of which was a deadly sniper attack on an ICE detention center in Dallas, Texas, last week, in which three people, including the gunman, were killed and two more injured. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Immigration and Customs Enforcement is reportedly seeking to buy access to a powerful suite of highly controversial surveillance tools that will allow the agency to monitor peoples locations based on data from hundreds of millions of mobile phones. The move, which comes after immigration agencies scaled back the use of such data under the Biden administration, has alarmed privacy advocates. Don Bell, policy counsel at the Constitution Project at the Project on Government Oversight, an advocacy group, warned that the surveillance tools could let ICE get around the privacy protections of the warrant process and the Fourth Amendment. This is probably unconstitutional, Bell told The Independent. Usually, if law enforcement wants to take your phone, and is interested in getting your location data, they would need a warrant, but because the law has not kept up with technology, there is this loophole that effectively has allowed law enforcement to purchase location data, which is highly sensitive, without getting a warrant first. In a redacted acquisition document obtained by the tech news site 404 Media, the immigration agency proposes entering into a contract to buy all-in-one tools from a company called PenLink that will allow agents to compile, process, and validate billions of daily location signals from hundreds of millions of mobile devices. The document also mentions payments for services involving face detection, advanced face search, and a dark web data feed. open image in gallery ICE wants to purchase tech tools to surveil hundreds of millions of mobile devices, despite the agency backing away from such data as recently as last year. Privacy advocate warn the Trump administration could abuse this capability to skirt the Fourth Amendment ( Scott Olson/Getty Images ) The Biden Administration shut down DHSs location data purchases after an inspector general found that DHS had broken the law, Senator Ron Wyden told the outlet. Every American should be concerned that Trump's hand-picked security force is once again buying and using location data without a warrant. The Independent has contacted ICE and PenLink for comment. One of the products, Tangles, automatically ingests historical data from multiple communication channels, mobile forensics, internet-based communications, location data, financial records and web intelligence, according to procurement records obtained by Forbes. The company that originally created Tangles, Cobwebs, was founded by a former member of Israels elite cyber intelligence agencies, and it was reportedly kicked off Meta in 2021 after allegedly being found using Facebook and WhatsApp accounts to snoop on activists and opposition politicians in Hong Kong and Mexico. The company later merged with PenLink in 2023. The ICE documents also describe the agency testing out a tool called Venntel, whose creators the Federal Trade Commission in 2024 accused of unlawfully tracking and selling sensitive location data, including information about mobile users visits to health-related locations and places of worship. ICEs reported purchase of these high-powered tools reverses the trend from the Biden administration, when law enforcement's purchasing of mass amounts of consumer data for surveillance came under heavy scrutiny. open image in gallery Immigration agencies have sought sensitive government tax and health data, as well as new spyware tools, as they carry out the Trump administrations mass deportation campaign ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. ) A 2023 report from the Department of Homeland Security inspector general found that ICE, Customs and Border Protection, and DHS failed to follow internal privacy guidelines and federal law in their use of such location data. That same year, CBP said it would stop using commercially sourced smartphone location data, and ICE did the same by early 2024. By April of that year, the House of Representatives passed the Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act, which would ban the government from buying Americans data from data brokers it they would otherwise need a warrant to obtain it. That momentum has reversed under the second Trump administration, which has pushed to obtain vast new surveillance powers as part of its overall mass deportation campaign and infusion of unprecedented funding into federal immigration enforcement. The Trump administration has reportedly restarted a $2 million contract with Paragon Solutions (US) Inc., a spyware company founded in Israel whose products have been accused of facilitating the surveillance of journalists and activists. The deal had previously been frozen to review whether it complied with a March 2023 Biden administration executive order limiting the use of commercial spyware that could pose counterintelligence risks to the U.S. or that might be improperly used by a foreign government, WIRED reported. open image in gallery ICE, DHS, and CBP abused commercial location data, an inspector general report found in 2023 ( AP ) Paragons zero-click Graphite program can quietly invade the mobile phone of its target and extract its contents, even from encrypted apps. Under Trump, ICE has also struck agreements with fellow government agencies to access highly sensitive data, including from the Internal Revenue Service and Medicaid. Bell, the Constitution Project attorney, warned that the combination of recent leaps in computer and AI power, ICEs mass expansion of surveillance and data access, and the Trump administrations willingness to brand ideological opponents and protesters as domestic terror threats could pave the way to arbitrary and concerning action from federal agents. This seems to be part of a much larger pattern of ICE trying to collect anything and everything it can, he said. Even if that means scooping up information on Americans, which is different from their purported goal, and it is made all the more concerning and dangerous because it seems like this administration is also redefining what it means to be in opposition. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice While a federal government shutdown imperils critical services for millions of Americans, courthouses that handle the fates of immigrants across the country will remain open for business for Donald Trumps mass deportation agenda. Shutdown contingency plans for the Department of Justice deemed immigration court staff essential, suggesting that tens of thousands of deportation cases can proceed as normal. The American Immigration Lawyers Association told members that cases for clients who are not in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers are proceeding as usual despite the government-wide shutdown. I have no reason to believe that it will change, because they want to deport as many people as they can, according to Ohio immigration attorney Margaret Wong. But Justice Department attorneys are also making dozens of requests to federal judges to pause high-stakes immigration-related cases, citing a lapse of appropriations during the congressional budget fight that has prohibited lawyers from working on most cases except in very limited circumstances. As lawyers in one high-profile immigration battle wrote Thursday: They apparently have the resources to detain and deport thousands of immigrants with no criminal history to dangerous countries but would prefer not to expend the resources needed to defend the legality of such actions in court. open image in gallery Every immigration court is marked as open and operational during the government shutdown despite cuts to immigration services as the Trump administration continues a mass deportation campaign ( AFP via Getty Images ) The Independent has requested comment from the Justice Departments Executive Office of Immigration Review. Courts must pause most non-essential functions during a shutdown; all court hearings for immigrants who were not in ICE detention were suspended and deemed non-essential during previous shutdowns. During the last shutdown, during Trumps first term, immigration courts saw significant delays in proceedings for non-detained migrants. That 2019 shutdown forced as many as 94,000 cases to be put on hold, according to the American Immigration Council. But there were roughly only 1 million pending cases at the time. The backlog has now reached nearly 4 million cases. That backlog would be greatly exacerbated during a shutdown absent excepted activities if immigration court proceedings were paused during the shutdown, according to the Justice Department. Two days out from the start of the latest shutdown, every immigration court in the country is marked as open and operational, while staff and attorneys scramble to determine whether cases are still moving forward. Some courthouse hallways are empty, but immigrants and their attorneys are still showing up for their court-ordered hearings, unsure whether theyll be heard. Like with most things these days, particularly when it comes to the federal government, there is nothing but uncertainty, said Sarah Burrow, the director of immigration law at Lewis Kappes Law Firm in Indianapolis. open image in gallery A man is detained by federal agents on October 1 after his hearing in an immigration court in New York City, where courthouse hallways have emerged as critical flashpoints for the Trump administrations deportation plans, with officers ready to arrest immigrants moments after they leave their hearings ( AFP via Getty Images ) The Department of Homeland Security which includes ICE and U.S. Customs and Immigration Services, among other agencies has been spared some of the biggest impacts of a shutdown, with roughly 5 percent of its more than 270,000 employees facing furloughs. Tens of thousands of federal workers will be furloughed through the shutdown, but a separate, massive funding package approved by Congress earlier this year keep ICE and other Homeland Security agencies in service to hire, train, and deploy law enforcement across the country to make America safe again, according to Homeland Security assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin. Meanwhile, other immigration services including visa appointments and naturalization ceremonies are expected to be rescheduled or delayed indefinitely while federal agencies are focused on arresting and removing people from the country. USCIS director Joseph Edlow, who blamed congressional Democrats for the shutdown, said the agency will ensure available resources focus on reviewing cases with national security concerns, including vetting immigrants and referring threats to ICE. Unfortunately, this reprioritization may impact processing times for other services, including immigration interviews and naturalization ceremonies, he said Thursday. USCIS regrets any negative impacts caused to aliens and Americans seeking benefits from the agency but must ensure that it complies with the law. Houston-based immigration attorney Steven Brown argued that USCIS does not need to shut down; he said a government shutdown should not be used as bad-faith pretext to reduce adjudication speed, as there is no excuse for it. Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow with the American Immigration Council, suggested that USCIS is illegally using the shutdown as cover to deliberately slow benefit granting. open image in gallery Immigration court judges, which include federal district courts operate under the Justice Department, have been ordered to quickly dismiss cases for some immigrants, making them easy targets for arrest and removal ( AFP via Getty Images ) Immigration courts which unlike federal district courts are under the direction of the Justice Department have emerged as a critical flashpoint for the presidents anti-immigration agenda. Immigration court judges, serving under Attorney General Pam Bondi, have been ordered to quickly dismiss thousands of cases, making immigrants vulnerable for immediate arrest on the other side of the courtroom doors. That policy has sparked scenes of masked federal agents patrolling hallways and descending on immigrants moments after they leave their court hearings. A federal judge lambasted the practice as a game of detention roulette that violates due process. Immigration attorneys and advocates are warning that the government shutdown could exacerbate already-chaotic immigration court proceedings under the second Trump administration. This isnt how a just and functional democracy for the people should work, said Murad Awawdeh, president of the New York Immigration Coalition. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice FBI Director Kash Patel fired an agent in training, who displayed a gay pride flag on his desk last year, according to reports. The incident in question occurred when the trainee, who has not been publicly identified, was on an assignment in California some time under President Joe Biden, sources told MSNBC News. The Independent has reached out to the FBI for comment. A signed letter from Patel, dated October 1, alleged that the trainee had displayed an improper political message in the workplace during this previous assignment, according to a copy of the letter obtained by the outlet. After reviewing the facts and circumstances and considering your probationary status, I have determined that you exercised poor judgment with an inappropriate display of political signage in your work area during your previous assignment in the Los Angeles Field Office, Patel wrote. The employee was undergoing training at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia when he was summarily dismissed, the letter shows. open image in gallery FBI Director Kash Patel reportedly dismissed an agent in training for displaying a pride flag in his workspace ( REUTERS ) "You are being summarily dismissed from your position as a New Agent Trainee at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, and removed from the federal service," the letter stated. The letter also cited Article II of the Constitution, which lays out the presidents powers. The Trump has administration used this justification in other recent firings, which has sparked several lawsuits. The bureau employee previously worked as a diversity program coordinator and received multiple awards for service, according to CNN. The trainees notice of dismissal occurred the same day the government shut down. On Thursday, President Donald Trump threatened mass layoffs, suggesting he would be using the shutdown as an opportunity to shake up the federal workforce. The president said he planned to meet with Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent. I cant believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity, he wrote on Truth Social. Since returning to the White House, Trump has also made curbing diversity, equity, and inclusion programs a priority including in the Justice Department. open image in gallery The agent in training, who displayed a gay pride flag on his desk (not pictured), was fired and accused of displaying an improper political message in the workplace, according to reports ( Getty Images ) Days after the president signed an order seeking to end radical and wasteful DEI programs in January, DOJ Pride, an LGBTQ employee resource group at the department, shut down, NBC News reported at the time. The group ceased to operate effective immediately, the groups board said in an email. In this time of uncertainty and concern, we have taken the extraordinary measure of ceasing operations of DOJ Pride, the email read. We have made this decision in the interest and for the protection of all members. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Welcome to Day 3 of the government shutdown. The Senate was holding no votes yesterday because of Yom Kippur, the Jewish high holiday that is a time of atonement. So far, it seems there is no chance for reconciliation between the Democrats and Republicans. Democrats want Republicans to include an extension of expanded subsidies for the Affordable Care Acts marketplace. Republicans want that conversation to begin after the government reopens, and generally are averse to the program that Barack Obama signed into law. While there seems to be no end in sight, government shutdowns are ultimately about which side can tolerate the most pain before they cry uncle. President Donald Trump has vowed since the shutdown to clear out deadwood, waste and fraud in government and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, the intellectual godfather of Project 2025, has canceled projects in Democrat run, so-called blue states. The pain might ultimately cause enough Democrats to cross the aisle and cut a deal. Republicans would need five Democrats to join them, considering Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) opposes any continuing resolutions and most spending bills and three members of the Democratic caucus Sens. Angus King (I-Maine), John Fetterman (D-Penn.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) have already voted with them. Here are five likely Democratic candidates to do just that. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner: The Virginians Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner have the most interesting perspective of any of the Democratic senators. Virginia is home to hundreds of thousands of federal workers. They simultaneously have faced the business end of Elon Musks Department of Government Efficiency. But in the same token, even more federal workers risk losing their jobs during a shutdown. As former governors, Kaine and Warner know the pain their constituents have and do feel. It's like, wait theyre doing it anyway, Kaine told The Independent of the Trump administrations policy. Kaine said that Virginians believe Trump will not stop cutting workers unless the courts stop him. Warner said that the reductions in force (RIFs) had demoralized federal workers already. open image in gallery Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) (L) and Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) represent hundreds of thousands of federal workers who have been affected by DOGE but who could lose their paychecks during a shutdown. ( (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) ) I'm not saying it's going to be the case three weeks from now, two weeks from now, but they had felt so brutalized that they felt like they were under already constant threat of being RIF-ed, and there was an overwhelming you got to push back, Warner told The Independent. To Warners point, it all depends how long a shutdown continues. The longer it goes on and the longer people go without paychecks, the more Virginias economy will hurt. Theres also the fact that next month, Virginia will have its gubernatorial election and Democrats hope Abigail Spanberger will win back the governors mansion after Glenn Youngkin won in 2021. Keeping the government shut for too long might hurt her chances of victory. Chris Coons: The militarys pursekeeper As a young man, Chris Coons interned for his home state senator Joe Biden. And when Biden would resign his Senate seat to become Barack Obamas vice president, Coons won Bidens old seat. As a result, he still practices the style of civility politics that Biden championed. Coons is the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committees subcommittee on defense, meaning he works with its chairman, former majority leader Mitch McConnell. On Tuesday evening, as he walked onto the floor of the Senate, he and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) were talking about whether U.S. servicemembers would be paid during a shutdown. Republicans could likely make hay out of military servicemembers missing a paycheck and say Democrats dont like the military. open image in gallery Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), a protege of Joe Biden, is in charge of spending for the military. ( Getty Images ) In the olden days, then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell used to tell Obama, Get Joe on the phone, when it was time to fix a problem. Get Chris on the phone, may be current Majority Leader John Thunes new calling card. Gary Peters: The retiree Democrats are opposed to voting on a clean continuing resolution because their voters are furious at them for rolling over to Trump. But, as Janis Joplin sang many years ago, freedoms just another word for nothing left to lose. This might be where the retirees come into play. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) will not seek re-election. He voted for the continuing resolution in March with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer despite the fact that the majority of the caucus voted against it. open image in gallery Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., could feel more free to vote for the CR becuase he isnt facing a reelection battle ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. ) The fact he will not need to answer to primary voters could serve as an advantage. Note: New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen is in the same boat and could easily be a wildcard here. Sen. Jon Ossoff: The most endangered Democrat open image in gallery Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) faces a tough re-election and represents the state where the CDC is headquartered. ( Getty Images ) Of all these Senators, Sen. Jon Ossoff is perhaps in the most difficult position. Trump won Georgia last year and he is up for re-election next year. Georgia is also home to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has been under assault from the Trump administration, most recently with the firing of CDC Director Susan Monarez. That puts him in a bind. Ossoff voted against the March continuing resolution and has made opposing Trump a hallmark of his re-election campaign. But if enough people lose their jobs, he might feel like he has little choice and protecting workers his priority. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Democrats may investigate President Trump over his repeated claims that a $17 trillion flood of foreign and domestic investment has poured into the U.S. during his administration. Trump has boasted that the supposed investment has been sparked by companies expanding operations or moving business to the U.S. after he imposed a raft of global tariffs. Donald Trump is living in a fantasy world, Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said Thursday in an interview with MeidasTouch. If there is $17 trillion somewhere, the government doesnt know about it. None of our committees have access to it. Treasury has no idea what the hell hes talking about. Hes either a liar, or hes somehow stashed away money in some magical way, and theres even more corruption happening. If this keeps going, were going to have to investigate where the hell those $17 trillion are, Garcia added. Rep. Eric Swalwell, another Democratic House member, has voiced similar criticisms. WHY are we in a shutdown? he wrote on X. Trump says the US has taken in $17 Trillion since he became president. Where is the money? Why havent you gotten a check? open image in gallery President Trump has claimed his administration helped attract $17 trillion in investments to the U.S., though official White House figures suggest the president may be exaggerating ( AP ) The White House hammered Democrats for their claims. This is astonishingly stupid even for a Democrat, White House spokesman Kush Desai told The Independent. Instead of calling on the federal government to somehow expropriate trillions in investment commitments by private companies to make and hire in America, Robert Garcia should tell Senate Democrats to just reopen the government. The president has said multiple times in recent days that there has been $17 trillion in investments since he took office. In just eight months since I took office, we have secured commitments and money already paid for $17 trillion, Trump told the United Nations last month. Think of it. Four years less than a trillion, eight months much more than $17 trillion is being invested in the United States. And it's now pouring in from all parts of the world. open image in gallery Democrats say they may investigate the president over the $17 trillion claim ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. ) Weve taken in almost $17 trillion of investments, Trump said elsewhere in September. Most of it is coming because of tariffs. The presidents statements appear to nearly double the White House estimate on such deals, which claims $8.8 trillion in investments and commitments under Trump. The Trump administrations tariffs, which have netted the U.S. upwards of $158 billion since Trump took office, are expected to raise $2.3 trillion in revenue over the next decade, and $17 trillion is more than double the entire GDP of the U.S. economy. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice President Donald Trump has accused Democrats of being the party of hate, evil, and Satan on Truth Social in his latest broadside in response to the U.S. government shutdown. As part of a short posting spree late on Thursday, the president posted an image of a frowning Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, surrounded by unflattering images of New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Joe and Jill Biden, under the headline: The Party of Hate, Evil, and Satan. Below that, the post declared: The Democratic Party is Dead! They have no leadership! No message! No hope! Their only message for America is to hate Trump. open image in gallery A meme posted by President Donald Trump accusing the opposition Democrats of being the party of Satan ( Donald J Trump/Truth Social ) Despite the Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress, the GOP could not secure the support of the seven Democrats it needed in the Senate to pass a House resolution that would have secured fresh funding for government agencies before Tuesdays midnight deadline. While two Democrats and a left-leaning independent did cross the aisle during the 55-45 vote, Kentucky Republican Rand Paul likewise broke ranks to side with the opposition in obstructing the stopgap bill, which the Democrats refused to support without an extension of Covid-era healthcare premium subsidies for Obamacare being included. Without such a measure, they argued, premiums for more than 20 million American citizens could more than double each month from $888 to $1,904 once the subsidies expire on December 31. The result leaves as many as 750,000 federal employees going unpaid and public services cut to a minimum until lawmakers on Capitol Hill can find common ground. Earlier Thursday, Trump said he would be meeting with Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent. open image in gallery Trump has repeatedly blamed Democrats for the shutdown but has arguably inflamed the situation by taunting the opposition rather than playing mediator ( AP ) He added that he cant believe that Radical Left Democrats have given him the unprecedented opportunity to do so. However, many will argue that the president himself bears significant responsibility for the failure to avert the shutdown, having cancelled a meeting with Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries last week, meeting them only belatedly in the Oval Office on Monday without reaching an agreement and then taunting both men with a brace of AI-edited memes depicting Jeffries as a sombrero-wearing mariachi musician. Trump has meanwhile not publicly offered any concessions to the opposition, preferring to insist instead that they simply abandon their concerns and fall into line with his demands. He has equally made no attempt to cool his rhetoric at a time of heightened tensions and political division in the U.S. in the wake of the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah last month, despite calls from politicians on both sides for all parties to adopt a more measured tone. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A 12-foot-tall statue depicting President Donald Trump and late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein holding hands has reappeared on the National Mall, just days after its removal drew national attention. The statue, titled Best Friends Forever, first appeared on September 23 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., accompanied by a plaque that read: We celebrate the long-lasting bond between President Donald J. Trump and his closest friend, Jeffrey Epstein. The statue had a permit to remain on the property until September 28, but it was hauled off only one day after it was installed. The Interior Department told The Washington Post that park officials removed the statue because it was not compliant with the permit issued, but did not elaborate on why it was out of compliance. The Secret Handshake, a small anonymous group that claims to be behind the statue, previously told The Independent that the statue was broken as it was removed. The statue was returned to the anonymous artists last Thursday and has since been restored, The Washington Post reports. Its now back on the National Mall after D.C.-based location manager Carol Flaisher applied for another permit on behalf of the artists, according to The Washington Post. That new permit from the National Park Service reportedly went into effect at noon on Thursday. open image in gallery A bronze statue of President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein reappeared on the National Mall on Thursday ( Getty Images ) The statue appeared as the Trump administration faced ongoing calls for greater transparency on the investigation into Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while in custody on suspicion he trafficked and abused young girls. The issue came to a head over the summer after the Trump administration said there would be no further disclosures on the case. Since then, lawmakers have subpoenaed and released some documents from Epsteins estate. Justice Department officials also released transcripts from a July interview with Ghislaine Maxwell, Epsteins ex-girlfriend who is serving a 20-year sentence for her role in helping him abuse girls. Trump was once friends with Epstein, and called him a terrific guy in 2002. Epstein also once said he was Trump's closest friend, according to audio recordings obtained by The Daily Beast last year. Their friendship dissolved around the mid-2000s, and Trump has said that he banned Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago estate around that time. Trump has never been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein. open image in gallery People pose for photos near the Epstein-Trump statue on Thursday ( AFP via Getty Images ) When reached for comment, the White House reiterated that Trump barred Epstein from his club. Liberals are free to waste their money however they see fit but its not news that Epstein knew Donald Trump, because Donald Trump kicked Epstein out of his club for being a creep, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said. Democrats, the media, and the organization thats wasting their money on this statue knew about Epstein and his victims for years and did nothing to help them while President Trump was calling for transparency, and is now delivering on it with thousands of pages of documents, she added. The Independent has contacted the National Park Service for comment. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice U.S. military assets killed four people and destroyed another boat in a fourth strike against alleged drug traffickers, according to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Under Donald Trumps orders, Hegseth directed a lethal, kinetic strike on a narco-trafficking vessel affiliated with Designated Terrorist Organizations off the coast of Venezuela on Friday morning, according to Hegseth. Hegseth, in a post on X with a video of the destruction, accused the boat of transporting substantial amounts of narcotics to the United States to poison our people. Our intelligence, without a doubt, confirmed that this vessel was trafficking narcotics, the people onboard were narco-terrorists, and they were operating on a known narco-trafficking transit route, he wrote. These strikes will continue until the attacks on the American people are over!!!! The attack marks the fourth such strike, which have killed more than 20 people within the last month. open image in gallery A screenshot of a video posted by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shows an alleged drug boat blown up by U.S. forces off the coast of Venezuela October 3 ( Pentagon ) A recent notice from the Pentagon to members of Congress and obtained by The Independent states that the United States is formally engaged in an armed conflict with drug cartels that the Trump administration has labeled unlawful combatants. The unclassified notice appears to claim extraordinary wartime powers to justify military strikes against alleged drug traffickers which have drawn legal scrutiny and allegations that the administration and defense officials committed extrajudicial murder. According to the notice, the administration says that the president has determined that cartels are nonstate armed groups whose actions constitute an armed attack against the United States and are now engaged in a noninternational armed conflict or war with a non-state actor. The administration cites a statute requiring reports to lawmakers about conflicts involving U.S. military personnel. A White House official told The Independent that the administration is complying with requirements under the National Defense Authorization Act to inform Congress of any attack involving armed forces. open image in gallery Under Donald Trumps direction, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered a fourth strike on an alleged drug-carrying boat, killing four on board, after the administration declared the US is engaged in armed conflict with cartels ( Getty Images ) Following news of the notice to Congress, White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly told The Independent that the president acted in line with the law of armed conflict to protect our country from those trying to bring deadly poison to our shores, and he is delivering on his promise to take on the cartels and eliminate these national security threats from murdering more Americans. Defense officials have been ordered to conduct operations against them pursuant to the law of armed conflict, the notice says. The United States has now reached a critical point where we must use force in self-defense and defense of others against the ongoing attacks by these designated terrorist organizations, according to the notice. It remains unclear what evidence the United States has collected to justify the attacks; the White House and defense officials have declined to share additional information about the strikes, citing national security concerns. Legal experts and former national security officials have disputed the presidents legal authority to launch extrajudicial killings against suspected drug traffickers, raising consequential questions on both the administrations growing conflict with Venezuela and the presidents anti-immigration agenda. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The Senate failed to reach an agreement to reopen the government on Friday, causing the federal shutdown to enter the weekend. Meanwhile, the clerk of the House of Representatives read a letter from House Speaker Mike Johnson Friday afternoon saying that next week would be a district work week, sending the House home and guaranteeing the House would not need to convene. As of right now, the Democrats and Republicans are in the same spot they were on Tuesday evening: Republicans want a clean stopgap spending bill called a continuing resolution to buy time to negotiate spending bills for a full fiscal year, while Democrats want to include a provision to extend enhanced subsidies for the Affordable Care Acts health insurance marketplaces. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he would be available, but he likely would be back home in South Dakota over the weekend. And dont expect a working group to get this truck out of the ditch: Thunes fellow South Dakotan Sen. Mike Rounds said he is not optimistic about talks between Democrats and Republicans. I'm not optimistic that more than just a few of them want to get to yes, Rounds told The Independent. And it's unfortunate because their time is running out as well, because there is no way to begin working and trying to solve any issues surrounding any of the supplemental credits, the covid credits, that are expiring. Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson called it quits after another day of impasses amid the government shutdown. ( AP ) Rounds said he knows the subsidies are a big problem and said Democrats need to come up with a solution by the beginning of November so states can make any modification to the cost of premiums. If not, Democrats set this up to expire on January 1 of 2026 it will expire at that time, Rounds said. And as long as they're in a shutdown, there is nobody negotiating on that, and we continue to share with them, this is not a case of where Republicans are running out of time. Other dealmakers like Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) told The Independent no talks are happening I think, outside of casual conversations with colleagues you want to work with. I'm gonna have to go back and find the last time the negotiating strategy of shutting down the government, when all that we've asked to do is continue funding while we negotiate things has ever happened, Tillis said. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has turned Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought loose to determine which parts of government to keep open and which projects to cancel. Of course, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer warned that this would happen when he joined Republicans to keep the government open in March. But Democrats seem to have five words for Vought: youve already done your worst. I'm worried about what everything he's done since he came in, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) told The Independent. He says he wanted to traumatize federal employees and that's what he's doing and that's, and that's just kind of gratuitous cruelty. Even Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), who joined Republicans to vote for the continuing resolution, expressed disappointment. It shows you how punitive the administration is they're not willing to get in a room and help us, and work with us to negotiate, Cortez Masto told The Independent. To them this is a game and it's unfortunate because the only people who are being hurt are the American people. At this point, both Democrats and Republicans have a major conundrum. For Democrats, their voters have been furious at them ever since Trump won. Their own voters are dissatisfied with them and think they do not stand up to Trump enough. But Republicans have an allergy to prop up the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare. Thune opposed it in his first term as a senator while Rounds and Tillis flipped previously Democratic-held seats to because of their opposition to the law. The Obamacare enhanced or covid subsidies, are inflationary, and rates have been going up because that program is fundamentally flawed in the way it's designed, Thune told The Independent when asked if he was worried about rising premiums in South Dakota. This means that Schumer and Thune are waiting to see who can withstand the most pain before they tap out. In the coming weeks, stories will abound of national parks being canceled, Medicaid reimbursements being at risk and basic government services being unavailable. Whoever gives in first will ultimately lose. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice President Donald Trump on Friday called on Israel to cease the bombing campaign it has waged against Gaza to permit hostages to be released by Hamas after the militant group said it agreed in part to his 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza pending some negotiations of details. Writing on Truth Social, the president said Hamas was ready for a lasting PEACE based on a statement released by the group earlier in the day in which it agreed to proceed with the hostage exchange portion of the peace plan, which hed unveiled on Monday alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly! Right now, its far too dangerous to do that, Trump said. He also said discussions on details to be worked out were already in progress before adding: This is not about Gaza alone, this is about long sought PEACE in the Middle East. open image in gallery Trump has called on Israel to cease the bombing campaign it has waged against Gaza to permit hostages to be released by Hamas ( REUTERS ) The presidents announcement followed an earlier statement released by Hamas agreeing to release all Israeli prisoners, both living and dead, according to the exchange formula contained in President Trump's proposal so long as the field conditions for the exchange are met. It said the group appreciates the Arab, Islamic, and international efforts, as well as the efforts of U.S. President Donald Trump, calling for an end to the war on the Gaza Strip, the exchange of prisoners, [and] the immediate entry of aid. Hamas also said it had agreed to turn over the day-to-day responsibility of running Gaza, which it has controlled since 2007, to a Palestinian body of independents (technocrats), based on Palestinian national consensus and Arab and Islamic support while maintaining that other points in the 20-point plan regarding the future of Gaza should be discussed within a comprehensive Palestinian national framework that it would contribute to with full responsibility. At the same time, the groups statement did not address a provision in the plan calling on Hamas militant wing to permanently disarm. A senior Hamas official, Mousa Abu Marzouk, told Al Jazeera Friday that the group would not agree to do so before the Israeli occupation of the enclave ends, but said Hamas would be willing to hand over its weapons to a future Palestinian body that runs Gaza. The group added that it affirms its readiness to immediately enter, through the mediators, into negotiations to discuss the details." open image in gallery Smoke billows following an Israeli strike in Gaza City amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas ( AFP via Getty Images ) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was prepared for the implementation of the first stage of Trumps plan, referring to the release of hostages. But his office said in a statement early Saturday local time that Israel was committed to ending the war based on principles it has set out before without addressing potential gaps with Hamas. "In light of Hamass response, Israel is preparing for the immediate implementation of the first stage of President Trumps plan for the prompt release of all the hostages, the statement from Netanyahu's office said. We will continue to work in full cooperation with the President and his team to bring the war to an end in accordance with the principles set out by Israel, which are aligned with President Trumps vision." open image in gallery Protesters shout slogans against the visit Monday to the US of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Lafayette Square in Washington, DC ( AFP/Getty ) The militant groups announcement and Trumps call for Israel to halt bombing came just hours after Trump posted an ultimatum giving Hamas until 6:00 p. m. Sunday to accept the deal and vowed all hell would break out had an accord not been reached by then. If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas, he said, adding later that there would be PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. He also threatened Hamas several times in his Truth Social post, claiming that its members are surrounded and MILITARILY TRAPPED, just waiting for me to give the word, GO, for their lives to be quickly extinguished by Israeli forces while vowing that Hamas militants will be hunted down and killed and urging Palestinian civilians to evacuate this area of potentially great future death in Gaza City for safer parts of Gaza. In a video posted to his Truth Social Friday evening following his call to Israel to stop the bombing of Gaza the president said, I want to thank the countries that helped me put this together, Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and so many othersthis is a big day, well see how it all turns out. We have to get the final word down in concrete, Trump said. He added that he was looking forward to having the living hostages come home to their parents and said those hostages who are no longer alive will also be coming home. This is a very special day, maybe unprecedented in many ways but thank you all ... Everybody was unified in wanting this war to end and seeing peace in the Middle East, and were very close to achieving that. A spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, Majed Al Ansari, said in a statement that the government of Qatar welcomes the announcement by the Hamas movement of its agreement to the proposal ... to end the war in Gaza [and] its readiness to release all hostages, within the framework of the exchange formula outlined in the proposal. He added that Doha agreed with Trumps call for an immediate ceasefire to facilitate the safe and swift release of hostages and to achieve rapid results that stop the bloodshed of our Palestinian brothers in the Gaza Strip. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Democrats in one of the most important battleground states in the nation are rallying their forces in a comparatively small race but one the partys leaders fear could have big implications for the 2026 midterms and 28 presidential elections. The unusual scene is playing out around a city clerk election in Southfield, Michigan, where Democrats entered the spring faced with the real possibility of a MAGA Republican who helped lead an effort to toss more than a million votes in the 2020 election becoming the local elections chief, virtually without a challenge. Gavriel Gabi Grossbard is running for city clerk in Southfield, Michigan, where voting is taking place in just two months. Off-year elections like Grossbards have leapt in significance since 2020, when Donald Trump leaned on local officials in an attempt to overturn the presidential election. In some states, slates of alternative electors clashed with officials and even police officers. But Grossbard, to Democrats in Michigan, represents everything MAGA wanted to achieve after its failure in 2020 and the subsequent return to power of Trump four years later. Once part of a legal bid to disqualify votes in three Michigan counties including Wayne, home to Detroit, Grossbard is alleged by Democrats to be a dyed-in-the-wool believer of conspiracy theories about Americas election systems. And now Grossbards will be the only name on Novembers ballot as his Democratic opponent is stuck running a write-in campaign, and struggling to win a race that should have been a lay-up for the party, given the deep-blue tint of Southfield. open image in gallery Gavriel 'Gabi' Grossbard will be the only candidate on the ballot for the city clerk office in Southfield this year but not the only one running ( YouTube - Vote Gabi! ) The incumbent, Janet Jackson, learned she was ineligible to run due to lingering issues related to her successful 2023 bid against him, when she beat Grossbard by roughly 50 percentage points. She never released a statement explaining her withdrawal. Michigan Democratic Party officials faced the reality that Jacksons ineligibility would have left the door wide open for the seat to be won by a MAGA Republican who signed on to a lawsuit that sought to invalidate the votes of more than one million Michiganders in 2020. Grossbard is also a former Republican congressional candidate who also ran for city clerk unsuccessfully in 2023. In response, the party is throwing its weight behind the write-in campaign of Wynett Guy, an employee of Jacksons office. Jacksons ineligibility was the wrench in the works; in April of this year, Guy says that she reached out to offer her support for Jacksons re-election bid, only to learn that the incumbent wasnt eligible to run again. A spokesperson for Grossbard contended it was due to unpaid financial liabilities stemming from her 2023 campaign. Guy has attacked Grossbard in an ad for his participation in the lawsuit as well as a challenge filed against her own ballot eligibility. The state party chair, Curtis Hertel, is meanwhile blasting Grossbard as an extremist conspiracy theorist as organizers pour into the city to reverse Guys fortunes. Theres reason to believe that Grossbard would be on the far right fringe of his partys elected officials in Michigan were he to win. In Facebook comments reviewed by The Independent, Grossbard defended protesters who participated in the attack on the Capitol, writing in one: contrary to reports, no capital police death that day was caused by violence of any of the rioters. Other Facebook statuses posted by Grossbard and comments made by his wife Milaine and others strongly imply that the candidate himself was in Washington, D.C. during the attack on the Capitol, where dozens of police officers were injured as they clashed for hours with violent rioters. Several responding officers died after the attack. Im [sic] ok. Driving back to Detroit, he wrote on the evening of January 6, 2021, in a status after the attack concluded. Comments following the post are entirely focused on the riot. So proud of my husband Gabi Grossbard, wrote his wife in a Facebook status the same day. Another commenter replied: We are behind you Gabi! Thank you for going! You are there for all of us! open image in gallery Gavi Grossbard posted on January 6, 2021 that he was ok and heading back to Detroit after violence broke out at the U.S. Capitol ( Getty ) Stay safe, please! another Facebook user wrote in response to a now-hidden or deleted update posted by Grossbard on the morning of January 6. Grossbard liked the reply, but didnt respond. There is no indication Grossbard directly took part in storming the Capitol or any of the rioting. The Independent reached out to Grossbard for clarification regarding where he was on Jan. 6, 2021, and whether he participated in demonstrations at the U.S. Capitol. A spokesperson for Grossbards campaign responded in an email, detailing a range of issues with the Southfield city clerks office which Grossbard has highlighted during his campaign, including a backlog of minutes from city council meetings: a vote for Mr. Gabi Grossbard, would be a vote for much needed upgrades to the clerk's office. The clerk's office would be in compliance with all mandated laws [under Grossbards management]. On a phone call, Grossbards volunteer campaign manager contended that the state party was attempting to smear the candidate and said that she did not know whether Grossbard had gone to the Capitol during the January 6 riots. The volunteer also claimed that Democrats and potentially the media were framing the race unfairly as an issue of race by pitting Black and Jewish candidates against one another. Hertel, the chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, fired back in a text message: That is the most ridiculous thing I ever heard. This is about Grossbards history of denying fair elections and his lack of qualifications for the job. With the November election now just two months away, Democrats are hoping an unconventional campaign to support Guy who is one of two write-in candidates will prevent a takeover of Southfields election office by a conservative whod be a rare red dot in the citys all-blue Democratic leadership. The root of the problem for Democrats appears to be Jackson, who defeated Grossbard in his first run for clerk and then promptly faced a wave of issues leading to her own ineligibility two years later. According to Guy, she learned her boss was ineligible to run again just two days before a deadline to gather the 200 signatures requied for appearance on the ballot. Though Guy rallied to collect signatures, her petition and signatures were challenged by Grossbard in front of the state elections board and she lost. open image in gallery Wynett Guy, a candidate with the backing of the state Democratic Party, was left with just two days to gather the signatures required to be on the ballot ( Facebook - Wynett Guy ) Grossbards spokesperson contended that the issues Jackson faced on her own campaign were endemic of a dysfunctional city clerks office that was more than a year behind in reporting city council minutes and was in violation of state open records laws. She also scorched state party officials who she argued were uninterested in the race and those longstanding issues before Grossbards victory looked like a real possibility. Guy, she argued, worked in the clerks office for months while those issues worsened. Guy is now running to win a race where she wont even be on the ballot, with the backing of state party organizers whove stepped into the race as triage. The Michigan Democratic Party chair told The Independent on Wednesday that volunteers were knocking on thousands of doors on Guys behalf. Right now, in Southfield, Michiganders are facing a choice between extremist, conspiracy theorist Gabi Grossbard and dedicated public servant, and write-in candidate Wynette Guy for Southfield Clerk, said Hertel. Michigan Democrats are knocking thousands of doors and making thousands of calls to ensure that we elect someone that cares about the fairness, safety, and security of our election process. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Donald Trump has floated the idea of giving Americans a $2,000 dividend, using money generated through his controversial tariff policy. The president continues to claim the benefits of his economic plan despite widespread criticism, telling One America News Network that Americas $37 trillion national debt is very little, relatively speaking because of his Liberation Day tariffs. In the same interview, he said that his tariffs will generate trillion dollars a year. Since April, tariff revenues have raised around $214 billion. Now, Trump has said that he wants to use some of this money to give a dividend to the people of America. open image in gallery Trump slapped some of Americas closest allies with reciprocal tariffs on Liberation Day ( Getty Images ) Were thinking maybe $1,000 to $2,000 it would be great, he told One America News Network. However, the president is still locked in a battle with the Supreme Court who are deciding whether his tariff policy is even legal. In August, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that most of the presidents tariffs were not covered by the emergency powers law he used to impose them. Following the courts ruling that the tariffs were "invalid as contrary to law, Trump claimed on Truth Social that the appeals court was highly partisan. He went on to say that reversing the tariffs would be a total disaster for the country. His tariffs will remain in place, though, while his administration appeals the ruling at the Supreme Court. Scott Bessent, Trumps treasury secretary, has said that the government could be forced to refund between $750 billion and $1 trillion in projected revenue if the tariffs are found to be illegal. open image in gallery U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has warned of refunds as high as $1 trillion if the tariffs are scrapped ( Reuters ) Announced on April 2, which Trump dubbed Liberation Day, the tariffs hit countries around the world, including some of Americas closest allies. At the time, the president claimed that the US had been exploited and pillaged by other countries because of the US trade deficit. Trump has claimed that his approach to the economy has led to $17 trillion in foreign and domestic investment flooding into America. However, U.S., Representative Robert Garcia said that Trump was living in a fantasy world. If there is $17 trillion somewhere, the government doesnt know about it, he told MeidasTouch. None of our committees have access to it. Treasury has no idea what the hell hes talking about. Meanwhile, the federal government shut down continues after Congress failed to reach an agreement on funding for federal agencies. Republicans control both houses of Congress, but need 60 votes in the Senate to have Trumps spending plans approved. Democrats are demanding that cuts made to Medicaid, set out in Trumps One Big, Beautiful Bill, must be reversed and subsidies in the Affordable Care Act extended before they agree to any spending plans. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The U.S. Treasury has released a draft design of a $1 coin with President Donald Trumps image on it. Treasurer Brandon Beach shared the first drafts on X, writing Friday that the coins were designed to honor Americas 250th anniversary. Beach noted he will share more details on the coins after the government shutdown, which is now in its third day, comes to an end. The heads side of the coin will feature Trumps profile, the draft designs show. The other side will show Trump raising his fist with the U.S. flag in the background, along with the words Fight, Fight, Fight, and the usual United States of America and E Pluribus Unum. This image resembles the infamous photo of Trump raising his fist at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024, moments after he was shot in the ear by a would-be assassin. Trump chanted Fight! Fight! Fight! as Secret Service agents ushered him off the stage. open image in gallery The U.S. Treasury is considering minting a coin that bears President Donald Trump's image to celebrate America's 250th anniversary ( U.S. Treasury ) The draft design has raised questions, as U.S. law states that only the portrait of a deceased individual may appear on United States currency and securities. However, coins and currency appear to be in separate categories. Coins are produced by the U.S. Mint, while currency is produced by the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing, according to the Treasury website. Living people have also appeared on coins in the past. For example, the U.S. Mint unveiled a design for a gold coin featuring Former First Lady Nancy Reagan in February 2016, one month before her death. Former President Calvin Coolidges portrait also appeared on a half dollar in 1926, marking the first time a U.S. President's portrait appeared on a coin during his lifetime, according to the U.S. Treasury website. The Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020, which allows the Treasury to issue $1 dollar coins with designs emblematic of the U.S. semiquincentennial, also states that no head and shoulders portrait or bust of any person, living or dead, and no portrait of a living person may be included in the design on the reverse of specified coins. open image in gallery The tails side of the coin resembles this gesture made by President Donald Trump just moments after he was shot in the ear at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, last summer. ( Getty Images ) This isnt the first Trump-themed celebration for the countrys milestone birthday. In June, Trump hosted a massive military parade in Washington, D.C., celebrating 250 years of the U.S. military. The event, which cost about $30 million, also coincided with his 79th birthday. A Treasury Department spokesperson confirmed that the design hasnt been finalized yet. While a final $1 dollar coin design has not yet been selected to commemorate the United States semiquincentennial, this first draft reflects well the enduring spirit of our country and democracy, even in the face of immense obstacles, the spokesperson said. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Most of the federal government may be shut down with rank and file employees forced to stay home on furlough or work without pay under threat of layoffs but that isnt stopping President Donald Trump from enjoying a couples night out. The president, joined by First Lady Melania Trump, left the White House on Thursday for the first time since government funding lapsed two days earlier for a six-minute motorcade along closed-off streets to a neighbors house Vice President JD Vances official residence at the U.S. Naval Observatory. There, the Trumps dined with the vice president and second lady Usha Vance for roughly an hour and a half before heading back to the White House. Vance later wrote on X that he and his wife were so grateful the President and First Lady were able to join them. It's always a good time when you get to have the boss over for dinner, he said. The high-powered foursomes double date night came just over day after Vice President Vance made a surprise appearance in the White House briefing room on Wednesday, the first day of what has now become a three-day partial government shutdown with no end in sight. At the time, Vance falsely accused Democrats of instigating the shutdown out of a desire to force the Trump administration to give billions of dollars to health care funding for illegal aliens something that has been illegal since the enactment of a 1986 law signed by then-president Ronald Reagan. The president, joined by First Lady Melania Trump, left the White House on Thursday for the first time since the government shutdown took effect for dinner with neighbors Vice President JD and second lady Usha Vance at the U.S. Naval Observatory. ( Getty Images ) He also promised imminent layoffs of federal workers on account of the shutdown, something that has no precedent in previous government funding fights and which may be illegal because carrying out the layoffs would incur new debts on the part of the government. Vance also defended President Trumps use of a racist AI-generated video to mock House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries by depicting the New York Democrat, who is Black, with an oversized sombrero and a cartoonish mustache. The vice president said the video was funny and said Trump was joking and having a good time. I'll tell Hakeem Jeffries right now I make this solemn promise to you that if you help us reopen the government, the Sombrero memes will stop. And I've talked to the President of the United States about that, he said. For his part, Trump has continued to threaten to fire thousands of federal workers from what he called Democrat Agencies in a social media post on Thursday, with the aid of Office of Management and Budget director Russ Vought. Vought, an architect of the right-wing Project 2025 plan for consolidating federal power in the White House and using that power to weaken the Democratic Party, has used his authority over federal spending during the shutdown to punish voters who elected Democrats to the Senate and did not vote for Trump last year by suspending or cancelling funding for infrastructure and clean energy projects in their states. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A fresh search for the remains of Cheryl Grimmer, the toddler who disappeared more than five decades ago, has concluded without any significant findings. Police conducted a thorough investigation of a bushland area in Wollongong, first named in a confession over 50 years ago, but the effort did not yield any results, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported on Friday. The location was initially mentioned in a 1971 confession by a man referred to by police as Mercury. His name was kept confidential because he was just 17 when the alleged crime took place. The confession contained specific details, including fence lines, cattle grids, and the type of tree near which he claimed to have left Cheryls body. At the time, authorities deemed the statement unreliable, and the area was never investigated. Cheryl was just three years old when she disappeared from Fairy Meadow beach near Wollongong in January 1970, sparking one of Australias longest-running missing persons investigations. Despite extensive searches, appeals, and repeated reviews of the case, her fate has remained a mystery for 55 years. On Friday afternoon, NSW Police released this statement: Bones were located and photographed within the search area. Following expert advice, the bones were confirmed to belong to an animal. The search was concluded. The investigation into the abduction and suspected murder of Cheryl Grimmer remains an active investigation by the NSW Police Homicide Squads Unsolved Homicide Unit. A$1m reward for information remains, anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Earlier on Thursday, Australian authorities said they made a breakthrough in the decades-long search for Cheryl Grimmer. A volunteer group using cadaver dogs to search for the remains of the child said they had identified an area of interest. Police had also confirmed that new information had emerged. While officers had not disclosed precise details, the development was expected to bring long-awaited answers to the Grimmer family, who have endured decades of uncertainty. Cheryls family, who emigrated from England to Australia shortly before her disappearance, have continued to call for answers. The investigation into Cheryls disappearance has faced many twists. A man was charged with her murder in 2017, but the case collapsed due to insufficient evidence. This should have been done 55 years ago. The police have never canvassed this area in detail even though they had a confession, Grimmers brother Ricki Nash told the outlet. My question is, why wasnt it? He added: We always live with the hope that someone took her that couldnt have a child, raised her well. One day shed grow up, find out she didnt belong to that family. Weve had people over the years do that to me and to our family: knock on the door and say that they are Cheryl and your heart rate goes at a million-to-one. We were hoping for it to be Cheryl one day. So, to be here looking for a body or part thereof, I mean, its not a good thing. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Australian mushroom killer Erin Pattersons new barrister said she intended to appeal her conviction for triple murder but would need more time to prepare. Richard Edney confirmed his clients intention to file an appeal during a hearing in the Supreme Court of Victoria on Thursday. Patterson, 51, was sentenced to 33 years in prison without parole after being found guilty in July of murdering her former husbands elderly parents and aunt by feeding them a lunch of beef Wellington pastries laced with death cap mushrooms. She was found guilty of killing her parents-in-law Gail and Don Patterson, both 70, as well as Gails sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, and of attempting to murder Heathers husband, Ian Wilkinson, 68, who survived the poisoned lunch after a few weeks in hospital. She had also invited her estranged husband, Simon Patterson, to the lunch, but he cancelled at the last minute. Patterson maintained her innocence during the trial earlier this year, insisting the poisoning of her relatives was an accident. She attended Thursday's hearing via video link with a new legal team, which included Mr Edney, and high-profile barrister Julian McMahon SC. There will be an appeal against conviction, Mr Edney said. Pattersons lawyers must lodge some appeal paperwork by Tuesday but, under a new rule being trialled, they will get an additional 28 days to finalise the leave application. Justice Christopher Beale noted that the new procedural rule allowed the Court of Appeal to give a 28-day extension for applications without the applicant needing to explain why more time was required. Given the length of this trial, the applicant wants to take advantage of that extension of time? he then asked. Yes, Mr Edney replied. Pattersons original 28-day window to lodge an appeal was set to expire at midnight on October 6 but that period doubled after the new rule came into effect. The rule change follows concerns from lawyers about the challenges of completing the required documentation within the original timeframe. Pattersons murders devastated the close-knit rural community of Korumburra, where all the victims lived. Media interest in the case had been traumatic for his family, Mr Patterson said at the sentencing hearing. The case has already inspired several books, documentaries and a drama series, Toxic, set to air on state broadcaster ABC. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Police in Australia scaled back the search for a four-year-old boy who went missing six days ago, conceding that he was likely dead. August Lamont, also called Gus, went missing Saturday afternoon from his familys sheep station in the remote mid-north of South Australia. He was last seen playing outside a dirt mound in an area 40km south of Yutna, nearly 300km north of Adelaide. Police, assisted by sniffer dogs, drones and helicopters, launched one of the largest and most intensive searches of South Australia in recent years to find the blond-haired boy, but were unable to locate him even after six days. Addressing a press conference on Friday, assistant police commissioner Ian Parrott said that the search had been scaled back but they would continue to investigate all lines of inquiry. Whilst we have all been hoping for a miracle, that miracle has not eventuated, and in the last 48 hours, despite the professional advice, it being unlikely that Gus would have survived, we have maintained and in fact increased the effort to try and locate him and bring him to his family, he said. We are confident that weve done absolutely everything we can to locate Gus within the search area, but despite our best efforts, we have not been able to locate him, and unfortunately, we are now having to scale back this search for Gus. open image in gallery Gus went missing in South Australia's outback on Saturday ( SA Police ) Mr Parrott said senior officers spoke to the boys family and prepared them for the fact that Gus might not have survived due to the passage of time, his age, and the nature of the terrain. Around 50 personnel worked on the ground to search for the boy near the homestead and surrounding bush, covering a 470 square metre area over the past week. Searches by foot covered about 25km every day, police said. On Tuesday, search teams found a footprint around 500m from the sheep homestead but no further clues. open image in gallery A footprint was found around 500m from where Gus was last seen ( SA Police ) Mr Parrott said it had been a difficult time for police and local community members. We all feel the pain and the heartache associated with a young person going missing, he said. The willingness for people to help has been amazing, that community spirit has really shone through this process, as has the outpouring of sympathy and acknowledgement from the broader community of South Australia." Police phone lines had been inundated with calls since authorities released a photo of Gus on Thursday, senior constable Peter Williams told ABC Radio Adelaide on Friday. Mr Williams urged the public to contact authorities only with information that could genuinely assist. "We just ask people, we are not after your opinions. We are after help with the investigation, he said. If it is just an opinion, perhaps keep it to yourself, but if you've got factual information, feel free to give us a call and provide that." In October 2021, four-year-old Cleo Smith went missing from her familys tent at the Quobba Blowholes campsite, a remote location north of Carnarvon in Western Australia, for 18 days. Police broke into a locked house in Carnarvon and found Cleo alive and well and later arrested a 36-year-old man in connection with her abduction. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The Boracay, a tanker under Western sanctions and facing a French investigation as part of Russia's suspected "shadow fleet", has unexpectedly departed its anchorage off western France, raising questions after a recent raid by French Navy commandos. MarineTraffic data showed the vessel heading southwest down the Bay of Biscay at cruise speed on Friday morning. Its departure remains unexplained, with neither local French maritime authorities nor the Brest prosecutor's office, investigating the Benin-flagged vessel's nationality, responding to requests for comment. Before its detention, the Boracay was destined for India's Vadinar port, home to a Nayara Energy refinery, though its current course is unconfirmed. French President Emmanuel Macron stated on Thursday that the ship's detention was part of a European strategy to combat oil revenues funding Russia's war in Ukraine. Macron also said it was unclear whether the vessel was involved in drone incursions in Denmark last week, which shut Danish airports close to the route the ship had been sailing from the Baltic to the North Sea. French troops boarded the oil tanker Boracay several days ago after being suspected of belonging to the so-called "shadow fleet" involved in the Russian oil trade ( REUTERS ) French police arrested the captain and first officer as they investigated whether it was involved in last weeks drone incursions in Denmark. The captain has since been charged with one count of refusing to follow instructions from the French navy and told to attend a court hearing in the northern coastal city of Brest next February. The second captain was released without charge after being questioned. French soldiers boarded the ship several days ago at the request of prosecutors who suspected wrongdoing. The prosecutors office in Brest previously said an investigation was opened into the crews refusal to cooperate and failure to justify the nationality of the vessel. French naval forces boarded the ship again on Wednesday to provide food and fuel to the crew on board, a military official told Associated Press. The tanker known as Pushpa or Boracay, whose name has changed several times, was sailing under the flag of Benin and appears on a list of ships targeted by EU sanctions against Russia. It was on its way to India from Russias Baltic Sea port of Primorsk, according to the Marine Traffic monitoring website. Russia increasingly uses old vessels, known as the "shadow fleet", to skirt Western sanctions. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Grand Duke Guillaume officially ascended to the throne of Luxembourg on Friday, taking his oath in a traditional ceremony attended by European heads of state and fellow royals. As church bells pealed, hundreds gathered outside the Grand Palace erupted into chants of "Guillaume, Guillaume!" as the new grand duke appeared on a balcony to greet his eager subjects. The 43-year-old, resplendent in an olive-green military uniform adorned with a yellow sash, was joined by his royal family. His wife, Grand Duchess Stephanie, wore a sky-blue gown, and they carried their two young sons, five-year-old designated heir Charles and two-year-old Francois, both dressed in shorts. Just moments earlier Guillaume had taken the throne after swearing the sovereign's oath in Luxembourg's parliament. I will live the life of my people, from whom I do not want to be separated by any barrier. I will share their joys and sufferings, Guillaume said, quoting a 1919 speech by one of his predecessors, the Grand Duchess Charlotte, in his first address to the nation. He drew a parallel between the carnage of World War I and geopolitical tensions today. A symbol of the principles of freedom and unity enshrined in our Constitution, the monarchy has remained then as now a constant point of reference and a steadfast support in times of crisis. In this sense, the oath I have just taken on the Constitution marks a significant institutional milestone for our country. Grand Duke Guillaume takes over from his father Henri, 70, who had served for 25 years in the largely symbolic role. The crowd gathered outside the yellow stone and ornate turrets of the palace carried photographs of the new grand duke and duchess, others flags of Luxembourg and the red lion and orange fields of the Royal House of Nassau. Some people had their faces painted in the Luxembourg flag: red, white and light blue. open image in gallery Luxembourg's Grand Duke Guillaume and Luxembourg's Grand Duchess Stephanie wave from the balcony of the Grand Ducal Palace in Luxembourg ( AP ) All across the old city of Luxembourg, storefronts boasted portraits of the royal couple and blue banners commemorated Trounweissel or ascension to the throne in Luxembourgish. Nefeni Neocleousk, 18, wore a Luxembourgish flag across her shoulders and wished the grand duke well in the Luxembourgish language. Maach dat gudd! Du packs dat!" she said, which means Do it well, you will succeed. Royals from the Netherlands and Belgium attended the ceremonies. Later on Friday, the new grand duke will host an evening gala for guests including French President Emmanuel Macron and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Guillaume is Luxembourgs seventh grand duke since 1890, when the modern monarchy was established. On Saturday and Sunday he will tour his new realm, a tiny duchy the size of Rhode Island of 700,000 citizens in the heart of Europe. The tour will end with a Sunday Mass with Archbishop Jean-Claude Hollerich at the Catholic Notre-Dame de Luxembourg cathedral. An official supplier to the Royal Court, Lea Linster, 70, dropped off roughly 200 madeleines, a small shell-shaped sponge cake, for staff at the ceremonies. Shes selling commemorative boxes of the cakes with Guillaume and Stephanie designed to look like a romantic fairytale reflective of Luxembourgs picturesque landscape of castles and forests. When Guillaume was 13, she began teaching him to cook dishes like Bouneschlupp, a hearty green bean and ham soup. Sitting beneath portraits of the French novelist Marcel Proust and a Grand Duke Henri, Linster said Guillaumes kindness and empathy will do him well as sovereign and hell be able to feed the family. You can feel that he is the son of a couple of parents who loved each other very much, she said, of Guillaume. Hes very emotive, very sensitive. So I love that and I think he will be a beautiful Grand Duke for us. Cleaved from part of what are now France, Belgium and Germany in the 17th and 19th centuries, the small nation is a parliamentary democracy with the grand duke as head of state, akin to King Charles in the United Kingdom or King Philippe in Belgium. Roughly 700,000 citizens speak a mix of Luxembourgish, a Germanic language, and French and German in public life. It is the worlds last remaining grand duchy. One of the European Unions smallest nations and its richest per capita, Luxembourg is a financial powerhouse that hosts important EU institutions like the European Court of Justice and the European Investment Bank. The grand duchy is home to many of the banks in the eurozone, reinsurance companies and managers of hedge funds and money markets. open image in gallery Luxembourg's Grand Duke Guillaume and Luxembourg's Grand Duchess Stephanie hold their children Prince Charles and Prince Francois ( AP ) Guillaume will be Luxembourgs seventh grand duke since 1890, when the modern monarchy was established. Across the duchy, his photo has replaced that of his fathers. His monogram, symmetrical golden G letters below a crown, has also been added to the uniforms of the army, the police, emergency services, the prison service and customs. Guillaume, like Henri, was educated in France, Switzerland and at the United Kingdoms military academy, Sandhurst. Guillaume then worked for Belgian, German and Spanish firms. Christoph Brull, a historian and professor at the University of Luxembourg, said Guillaume will be stepping into a very traditional role. His margin of maneuver or right to action is zero. So the only power he has is then the power of speech or words. For the rest, the grand duke will remain a political symbol, he said. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Russia launched its largest attack of the war against critical natural gas facilities run by Ukraines state-owned Naftogaz group overnight, officials said on Friday. Serhii Koretskyi, chief executive of Naftogaz, said Russia had fired 35 missiles and 60 drones at facilities of the gas and oil company in the Kharkiv and Poltava regions. Mr Koretskyi said the attack had no military purpose and was yet another act of Russian malice aimed solely at disrupting the heating season and depriving Ukrainians of warmth in winter. Officials accused the Kremlin of plotting to wear down the Ukrainian power grid ahead of winter. open image in gallery Smoke billows from an oil refinery in Russia on Friday following a Ukrainian drone strike ( SBU ) The Russian Defence Ministry said its forces had carried out massive overnight strikes on Ukraine's gas and energy infrastructure, saying it had also attacked industrial facilities linked to the military. Russia launched a total of 381 drones and 35 missiles at Ukraine, according to Ukraines air force. Ukraine has also targeted Russian oil refineries recently. Attacks against Ukraine escalated as Kyivs backers in Europe raised their own concerns about alleged Russian interference in Nato territory. Danish intelligence warned on Friday that Russian warships have repeatedly sailed on collision courses, disrupted navigation and aimed weapons at Danish naval vessels in the Baltic Sea. "We have seen several incidents in the Danish straits, where Danish air force helicopters and naval vessels have been targeted by tracking radars and physically pointed at with weapons from Russian warships," Danish Defence Intelligence Service director Thomas Ahrenkiel told a press conference. He said Russian warships had sailed on collision courses with Danish vessels during their passage through the straits. open image in gallery A Russian drone attack caused a fire at a farm in northeast Ukraine overnight, emergency services said on Friday ( Ukrainian Emergency Service ) Defence intelligence has also recorded Russian warships sailing through Danish straits with sonar and jamming equipment, according to Mr Ahrenkiel. He said it was "highly probable" that they, on at least one occasion, had jammed signals and caused extensive GPS interference in Denmark. Denmark in recent days has also reported drone sightings over military sites, and Copenhagen and Oslo airports in Denmark and Norway respectively were forced to close temporarily due to drone sightings last month. Mette Frederiksen, the Danish prime minister, last week described recent drone incursions over Danish airports and military installations as a "hybrid attack" on the country. Danish police have not found any evidence that Russia was behind the drone disruption, but said that it appeared to be the work of a professional actor. Danish intelligence assesses that Russia is conducting hybrid warfare against Denmark and the broader West. Russia has repeatedly denied responsibility for hybrid attacks in Europe. open image in gallery A firefighter at a residential house damaged by a Russian strike on Kherson ( Ukrainian Emergency Service ) On Thursday, Russian president Vladimir Putin joked that he would not fly drones over Denmark anymore and described as "nonsense" the idea that his country would potentially target a Nato member. I wont anymore. Not to France, not to Denmark, not to Copenhagen, he joked. Hours later, Munich airport closed due to suspicious drone sightings in the area, airport officials said. The closure grounded 17 flights, affecting nearly 3,000 passengers. There was no immediate confirmation where the drones had come from, or who was operating them. But amid rising concern about drone disruption in Europe, Germanys interior minister Alexander Dobrindt said he would raise the matter of anti-drone defences at a meeting on Saturday of European interior ministers. Polish media, citing sources linked to the Polish Internal Security Agency (ABW) and the Polish General Prosecutors Office, reported on Thursday that Russias main intelligence directorate may have orchestrated drone strikes within Poland, Germany and Lithuania. open image in gallery Flights were cancelled at Munich airport after a reported drone sighting ( AP ) The ABW detained a suspect allegedly recruited by Russias GRU to transport explosives, drone parts and SIM cards between the countries. Hybrid threats, which include sabotage, disinformation, espionage and cyberattacks, have been flagged as increasingly aggressive by Western security agencies. Nato has strengthened its Baltic operations in response to the drone incursions. Sweden proposed new legislation on Friday to expand maritime surveillance by its coast guard. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Russia appears to have upgraded its ballistic missiles in use against Ukraine to bypass US-made Patriot air defence systems, according to a report. The upgrades likely involve Russias Iskander-M and Kinzhal missiles, which have ranges of up to 500km and 480km respectively. These missiles follow a standard flight path before suddenly diving steeply, making interception by Patriot systems difficult, Ukrainian and Western officials told the Financial Times. One former Ukrainian official described it as a game-changer for Russia. Ukraines missile interception rate has dropped sharply in recent months, from 37 per cent in August to just 6 per cent in September, the FT reported, citing Ukrainian Air Force data. open image in gallery Russian troops load an Iskander missile onto a mobile launcher during military drills at an undisclosed location in Kaliningrad region of Russia ( Russian Defence Ministry via AP ) Russia targeted at least four drone manufacturing sites near Kyiv earlier this year, causing major damage, according to the officials. One of those targets was a facility producing Turkish Bayraktar drones that was hit on 28 August. During this strike, Russian missiles evaded air defences and also damaged nearby offices of the EU delegation and British Council. A report by the US Defence Intelligence Agencys special inspector general, covering the period between 1 April and 30 June, states that the Ukrainian armed forces has struggled to consistently use Patriot air defence systems to protect against Russian ballistic missiles due to recent Russian tactical improvements, including enhancements that enable their missiles to change trajectory and perform manoeuvres rather than flying in a traditional ballistic trajectory. The Patriot air defence systems are the only ones in Kyivs arsenal capable of shooting down Russian ballistic missiles, according to the FT. They are a vital element of Ukraines layered defences, which have sought to shield cities, including the capital, Kyiv, from large-scale strikes. open image in gallery Kyiv mayor Vitalii Klitschko shows a Kh-47 Kinzhal Russian hypersonic missile warhead, shot down by a Ukrainian air defence unit in 2023 ( Reuters ) It follows reports that the US is set to provide Ukraine with intelligence to carry out long-range strikes against energy infrastructure targets inside Russia. Washington is also weighing whether to send missiles to Kyiv that could be used in such strikes, the Wall Street Journal and Reuters have reported. These include Tomahawk cruise missiles, which have a range of 2,500km (1,550 miles). According to US officials cited in the reports, approval on additional intelligence came shortly before US president Donald Trump posted on social media last week to suggest Ukraine could retake all its land occupied by Russia, in a striking shift in Kyivs favour. The move would make it easier for Ukraine to hit infrastructure such as refineries, pipelines and power plants with the aim of depriving the Kremlin of revenue and oil. The US and Ukraine have not publicly commented on the reports, but Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed the US and Nato were already supplying intelligence to Ukraine on a regular basis. The supply and use of the entire infrastructure of Nato and the United States to collect and transfer intelligence to Ukrainians is obvious, he said on Thursday. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Protests have been held worldwide after a flotilla of ships carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza were stopped by Israeli military miles from the shores of the besieged strip. The Global Sumud Flotilla, carrying nearly 500 volunteers and activists representing 47 nationalities, aimed to break the blockade and deliver essential supplies to Palestinians after sailing for weeks. However, the group were intercepted by Israeli military on Thursday, detained and then taken to the notorious Ketziot Prison in the Negev desert. open image in gallery Protesters rally in Bologna, Italy against the detention of the aid ships ( LaPresse ) One boat, assumed to be part of the fleet, is said to have docked in Cyprus, the islands government said. The last remaining vessel, named the Marinette, continued to sail towards the Strip before being stopped 42 nautical miles off the coast. The interception prompted international backlash and a wave of demonstrations across the world. Protests broke out in London, with clashes between police and protesters outside Downing Street on Thursday. The Metropolitan Police said that 40 people had been arrested, six for assaults on officers. Italian unions called for a general day of strikes across the country on Friday after 20 Italian citizens on board the flotilla were detained. Israel confirmed that four had been deported following their detention. Demonstrations were seen in Milan, Bologna and Rome, with tens of thousands taking part in strikes. Prime Minister Georgia Meloni suggested people had used the protests as an excuse for a longer weekend. open image in gallery Thousands have gathered to protest in support of Gaza aid flotilla ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved ) Other European cities including Berlin, Paris, Athens, Madrid, Barcelona, and Geneva also saw large turnouts in support of the aid mission. Protests in support broke out across Los Angeles, California and New York City in the US, with high-profile Amazon labour organiser, Chris Smalls, on board one of the vessels. Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia saw thousands turn up to demonstrate with umbrellas in the rain after 12 Malaysians were also detained. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Buenos Aires, Argentia, Istanbul, Turkey, and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico also saw huge demonstrations. Israel has hit out at the high-profile mission as a sham, provocation and publicity stunt. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said that the activists would be deported as quickly as possible. It released pictures of Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, writing: Attached are photos of Greta Thunberg and other members of this provocation while arriving to Israel. open image in gallery All vessels have been intercepted ( Global Sumud Flotilla ) It added: All are safe and in good health. As Israel, Italy, Greece, and the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem have stated time and again, any aid these boats might have carried, as little as it was, could have been peacefully transferred to Gaza. This was nothing but a provocation. Israels National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was seen apparently taunting volunteers, branding them terrorists as he said they had left a mess on the yachts. He later released footage of himself touring Ketziot prison, where volunteers are detained. We are in Ketziot Prison and as I promised, these flotilla members, supporters of terrorism are here in security prison, the far-right politician said as he toured prison, in footage shared by Israels Channel 14. The games are over they are getting conditions like terrorists for all intents and purposes. Terrorists sweatshirts, terrorists conditions. open image in gallery The Israeli military released images of Greta Thunberg on Friday ( Israeli Foreign Ministry ) Colombian president Gustavo Petro called the interception an international crime and expelled Israeli diplomats earlier this week. He was joined by Turkey, who called the Israeli action in international waters an act of terror, while Malaysia and Pakistan also released statements criticising the blockade and the treatment of flotilla volunteers. Human rights group Amnesty International has called out Israels interception of the Gaza aid flotilla as a calculated act of intimidation. The group called the action a brazen assault against solidarity activists carrying out an entirely peaceful humanitarian mission, Amnesty Internationals Secretary General Agnes Callamard said. This seizure comes after weeks of threats and incitement by Israeli officials against the flotilla and its participants and after several attempts to sabotage some of its ships, he continued. open image in gallery Activists will be deported, say Israel ( AP ) The head of Amnesty called for the unconditional release of all activists. The very fact that they had to set sail in the first place is a clear indictment of the international communitys persistent failure to end Israels ongoing genocide and to ensure the unhindered flow of aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Over 66,000 people have been killed and nearly 170,000 wounded, according to Gazan health authoritiesm, as experts have urged urgent intervention for the humanitarian crisis in the enclave. The UN has concluded Israel is committing a genocide, following a two-year investigation. Israel has called the claims false and distorted and says it is eliminating Hamas after attacks on Israel killed around 1,200 people on 7 October and took around 250 more hostage. US president Donald Trump has given Hamas until Sunday to agree to his ceasefire plan, as he warned all hell will break loose if an agreement is not reached by that deadline. At least 53 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes on Thursday as Israel intensified its assault on Gaza City, warning remaining residents they would be treated as terrorists. Israeli forces struck multiple sites across Gaza on Thursday, including the southern al-Masawi area, previously designated a safe zone, where a food store was hit, killing nine members of the same family: a grandfather, his four sons, and a grandson. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Israel has dismantled a Gaza-bound flotilla carrying humanitarian aid and hundreds of activists after its naval forces intercepted the vessels, sparking debate over the legality of enforcing a naval blockade in international waters. The Global Sumud Flotilla, made up of more than 40 civilian boats with an estimated 500 people onboard, was stopped in its tracks when most of the boats were intercepted by Israeli authorities about 70 nautical miles off Gazas coast. The Israeli navy had earlier warned the activists via radio to turn back, as they risked entering an active warzone, adding: If you continue and attempt to break the naval blockade, we will stop your vessel. The warning was effectively ignored and the Israeli military stormed the vessels and seized the activists, including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, Nelson Mandelas grandson, Mandla Mandela, and several European politicians. World leaders and human rights groups have condemned Israels actions, saying they violated international maritime law. open image in gallery This grab from a video released by the Global Sumud Flotilla shows Israeli navy soldiers aboard one of the flotilla's vessels after it was intercepted ( Global Sumud Flotilla via AP ) Was the Gaza aid flotilla legal under international law? The activists said their non-violent, civilian mission is lawful. While they acknowledged they carried only a symbolic amount of aid, including baby formula, food and medical supplies, they said their goal is to establish a humanitarian corridor to facilitate the flow of aid into famine-stricken Gaza. Israeli and European government officials had proposed alternative ways for the flotilla to deliver the aid, but the activists refused, arguing that Israel's strict control over Gaza's borders would prevent the supplies from reaching those in need. Defending their mission, flotilla activist and spokesperson Thiago Avila cited a provisional International Court of Justice ruling that ordered Israel to take immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance to address the adverse conditions of life faced by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. He told the Israeli navy via radio shortly before the interceptions began that it was not allowed by international law to stop them. Therefore we do not comply with your request," he said. Only one boat appears to have crossed the 12-nautical-mile line marking territorial waters off Gaza, according to the Associated Press. What about Israels interception? The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea stipulates that a nation's territory does not extend beyond 12 nautical miles from its shores. The convention says authorities may exercise control up to 24 nautical miles from land to prevent violation of customs, immigration, fiscal or sanitary laws. Robbie Sabel, an international law expert and former legal adviser to the Israeli foreign ministry, said states generally do not have the right to seize ships in international waters, though there are exceptions, including during armed conflict. He argued that even before the current war, Israel was already engaged in an armed conflict with Hamas, which, in its view, gave it the legal right to intercept ships suspected of violating its longstanding blockade of Gaza. However, human rights groups have long criticised the blockade, calling it an unlawful form of collective punishment against the Palestinian population. open image in gallery A Gaza-bound flotilla boat is escorted into the port of Ashdod, Israel ( AP ) Can Israel legally block humanitarian aid to Gaza by sea? The debate over the legality of Israels blockade remains a point of contention. Adalah, a legal rights group in Israel representing the activists, said that the abduction of peaceful civilians in international waters, constitutes a brazen violation of international law. Omer Shatz, an Israeli international law expert who teaches at Sciences Po University in Paris and co-litigated a previous flotilla case before the Supreme Court of Israel, told the Associated Press that even if the disputed siege of Gaza was considered lawful, international law paves a humanitarian road from the high seas to Gaza. If the basic needs of the population are not provided by the occupying power, there is a right to provide humanitarian aid, albeit under certain conditions, he added. He explained that Israel has the right to board and search the vessels to verify the cargo, as it does with aid trucks crossing into Gaza by land. It is not the first time Israel has halted and confiscated humanitarian ships bound for Gaza. Dozens of boats have attempted to reach the Palestinian territory in the past two decades, but none has reached it since 2008. In 2010, an Israeli commando raid on the Mavi Marmara flotilla descended into violence. Eight Turkish activists and one Turkish-American were killed. A subsequent UN report acknowledged attempts to breach a lawfully imposed naval blockade place the vessel and those on board at risk", while also urging member states to be cautious in using force against civilian vessels. It called on humanitarian missions to deliver aid through regular channels and said a country's naval blockade must abide by their obligations with respect to the provision of humanitarian assistance. How is maritime law enforced? Enforcing international maritime law is a challenge across the globe. Generally, only states can take other states to court for violations of the UN Convention for the Laws of the Sea. But there are other legal frameworks and mechanisms individuals can use to seek justice, including those their state flags (the country where their ship is registered) are party to. For example, Israel forcibly removing people from foreign-flagged vessels in international waters and taking them to Israel could be considered a crime, Mr Shatz said. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice US president Donald Trump warned Hamas has until Sunday to respond to his Gaza peace plan, and vowed all hell will break out if a deal is not reached by his new deadline. Trump demanded Hamas agree to his 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza by Sunday, 6pm Washington time (11pm BST), and insisted the group will be given one last chance to respond. If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas, he wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform on Friday. THERE WILL BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, he added in all caps. Various Israeli media reports, citing officials familiar with the talks, indicate that Hamas is likely to respond positively to the US proposal but with a series of amendments. However, the BBC reported that Izz al-Din al-Haddad, head of Hamass military wing in Gaza, opposes the plan and is determined to keep fighting. Trump threatened Hamas several times in his Truth Social post, claiming that its members are surrounded and MILITARILY TRAPPED, just waiting for me to give the word, GO, for their lives to be quickly extinguished. open image in gallery Israel has intensified its military operation in Gaza City ( Reuters ) He continued: As for the rest, we know where and who you are, and you will be hunted down and killed. He urged Palestinians to leave this area of potentially great future death for safer parts of Gaza, seemingly referring to Gaza City in the north of the enclave, where Israeli forces have intensified their bombing campaign. Around 400,000 Palestinians have fled Gaza City and have headed south since Israel launched a major offensive last month aimed at occupying it, but hundreds of thousands remain. On Wednesday, Israels defence minister, Israel Katz, issued a warning which he described as the last opportunity for Palestinians to leave Gaza City and move south. Those who remain in Gaza will be [considered] terrorists and terror supporters, he said. open image in gallery Benjamin Netanyahu met with Donald Trump in Washington last month ( AP ) At least 60 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza on Friday, including 37 in Gaza City alone, medical sources told Al Jazeera. In his Truth Social post, Trump assured those who choose to leave for safer parts of Gaza that they will be cared for by those that are waiting to help, without elaborating further. Trumps Sunday deadline comes just two days before the second anniversary of the 7 October Hamas terror attack that killed around 1,200 people and saw around 250 taken hostage. Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Get Simon Calders Travel email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Passengers will be able to cruise on the River Duoro aboard a new Tui ship that is set to launch in 2027. The river cruise ship Tui Luzia, meaning light in Portuguese, will be purpose-built to sail on the Duoro from March 2027 as part of summer itineraries for the brand. The cruise ship will accommodate 111 passengers across 56 cabins with access to four decks, including a top deck with a shallow pool and sun loungers and Cinder, a bar and dining area open every day for drinks and self-serve lunches. Other venues on the ship include Novo, the main lounge bar; Retreat, a hybrid area offering a juice bar and space for wellness classes such as yoga in the day; and an intimate lounge bar for a quiet drink at night. The main restaurant, Sorriso, will serve breakfast through to dinner. There will also be Vinha, a Portuguese inspired alfresco dining space where guests can enjoy a la carte dinner in the evening. By day, it will be a place for relaxation and unwinding. The ship will operate seven-night sailings on the famous Portuguese river, with round trips starting in Porto and visiting destinations such as Entre-os-Rios, Peso de Regua, Vega de Terron (and Barca dAlva. There will be flight options with Tui partner airlines to Porto to join Douro cruises. open image in gallery Cinder on the top deck of Tui Luzia will offer a bar and dining area with riverside views ( Tui River Cruises ) Tui River Cruises has also announced two new ports of call in the summer 2027 season. Tuis Arias Dutch Delta Discovery route will visit the city of Zaandam, Netherlands. Tui Maya will stop in Aljmas, Croatia, a picturesque village known for its unique modern swan-shaped church, on its East Danube Delights itinerary. The summer itineraries go on sale from 16 October 2025, offering 35 sailings across the entire European fleet from March 2027 until October 2027. Prices start from 899 per person. Tui River Cruises is also currently offering up to 300 off sailings that are booked by 6 October. Katy Berzins, head of river cruises at Tui River Cruises, said: Were thrilled to introduce Tui Luzia, our first new-build ship, which will sail the stunning River Douro in Portugal a brand-new destination for Tui River Cruises. This marks a major milestone as we launch our biggest summer programme to date, with more itineraries, more durations, and exciting new ports of call across Europe. From the charming villages of Croatia and the Netherlands, were giving guests the opportunity to explore Europes rivers in a way thats more flexible, immersive and exciting than ever before. Read more: The best river cruises around the world Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Get Simon Calders Travel email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Dublin's ambitious Metrolink project, set to connect the city centre with Dublin Airport, has officially received planning permission. The 18.8km rail line, which will predominantly run underground, is planned to stretch from north of Swords to Charlemont in the south of the capital, at an estimated cost of 11 billion. An Coimisiun Pleanala granted the permission, largely in line with an inspector's 1,600-page recommendation. This decision also authorises the compulsory acquisition of land necessary for the development. Various Metro projects for the capital have been proposed in recent decades, but none have yet proceeded to build stage despite more than 100 million euro being spent on those planned routes. When operations commence, there will be trains every three minutes during peak periods. open image in gallery Interior view of the main hall of Dublin Airport ( Getty/iStock ) The approval was welcomed by Minister for Transport Darragh OBrien, who will bring proposals to Government for the establishment of MetroLink as a statutory delivery body responsible for the construction of the project. The project is the largest single investment project in the National Development Plan. Mr OBrien said: Todays planning news is a hugely positive step for MetroLink, which is a key strategic project for the Government and Ireland. He said MetroLink will be transformative for the people of North Dublin and the entire country. He added: MetroLink will provide a fast, high capacity, high frequency public transport route, and it will enable the construction of tens of thousands of new homes. The Railway Order authorises all necessary works for the construction of MetroLink. The journey time from Swords to the city centre is expected to last approximately 25 minutes. Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Get Simon Calders Travel email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Dozens of flights were cancelled or diverted at Munich airport overnight after drone sightings caused widespread disruption, leaving almost 3,000 passengers stranded on the eve of a national holiday. Authorities confirmed on Friday that they are investigating the incident, which marks the latest in a series of similar events to plague European aviation. These disruptions have fuelled concerns over potential deniable hybrid attacks targeting Ukraines European allies, with Russia being a suspected orchestrator. Despite the overnight chaos, airport operations had largely resumed by early Friday morning. A witness at the scene observed passengers checking in for a flight to Varna, Bulgaria, with the departure board indicating only a handful of cancellations remained. The first flight of the day, arriving from Bangkok, touched down at approximately 5am (3.25am GMT), according to the airports website. The airport said several drone sightings late on Thursday evening had forced air traffic control to suspend operations, leading to the cancellation of 17 flights and disruption for nearly 3,000 passengers, who were provided with camp beds, blankets and food. Another 15 arriving flights were diverted around the region. Public broadcaster BR said local and national police were investigating the incident. The drones were sighted in the late evening above the airport, a police spokesperson told newspaper Bild. But because it was dark, the sizes and types of the drones could not be determined, he added. Police did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. Police stationed outside Munich airport after drones were sighted ( DPA/AP ) The drone incidents follow airspace intrusions last week that temporarily shut airports in Denmark and Norway, which led European Union leaders at a Copenhagen summit to back plans to bolster the blocs defences with anti-drone measures. Europe must be able to defend itself, Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen said after the meeting. Her defence minister spoke on Friday morning of a Russian hybrid war against Nato and the West. Authorities have not publicly blamed anyone for the Munich drone incident, but some European officials have suggested Russia was behind other recent airspace violations. Russia tries to test us. But Russia also tries to sow division and anxiety in our societies, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday. Russian President Vladimir Putin joked on Thursday that he would not fly drones over Denmark anymore, but Moscow has denied responsibility for the incidents. The airport disruption in Munich added to a tense week for the city after its popular Oktoberfest was closed temporarily due to a bomb threat and the separate discovery of explosives in a residential building in the citys north. Friday is German Reunification Day, a public holiday. Ban can ang nhap e thuc hien chuc nang nay! Lee Miller's work continues to be relevant today thanks to its humanity and tenderness, Tate Britain assistant curator Saskia Flower said as the most extensive retrospective of the trailblazing photographer opened at the iconic London gallery this week. The Independent is pleased to announce that it is the exclusive media partner for Tate Britains exhibition, celebrating the career of the influential American photographer. The retrospective follows Miller from her days as a model in the 1920s before she stepped behind the lens and forged an extraordinary career. "Her ability to translate those experiences in profound and humane ways has resulted in extraordinarily poetic, tender, impactful images that continue to feel relevant and exciting and fresh to contemporary audiences," Flower said. Lee Miller at Tate Britain runs from the 2nd of October to the 15th of February 2026. The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice From what can be gathered so far, the attack on Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Manchester was undoubtedly antisemitic. The timing can hardly have been a coincidence Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar and it carries a grim echo of the atrocities infamously committed by Hamas on 7 October 2023 at a music festival in Israel. At a holy place of worship, on the solemn day of atonement, three people, including the perpetrator, are dead, and three more are in hospital. The police response was rapid and lethal, and undoubtedly saved many more people from harm, especially as the subject was, according to Stephen Watson, the chief constable of Greater Manchester Police, wearing a vest which had the appearance of an explosive device. The synagogue was full of children a terrifying thought. At a time when weve been reminded of the grave flaws in some forces, Greater Manchester Police showed the best of professionalism. The prime minister was right to cut short a visit to Denmark and mobilise the Cobra emergency apparatus to find out what happened and discover if there are any more imminent threats. Security for synagogues and other Jewish centres, already tight, has been stepped up, and both the Community Security Trust and Jewish communities have to be afforded all the resources and protections they require. Not even the Secret Intelligence Service can yet know for certain if this is a one-off lone wolf attack or part of a campaign or if it will now be followed by copycat assaults. Defences have to be strengthened. Sir Keir Starmer and the mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, have said that they will do all they can to protect Jewish communities, and that is some reassurance. For the Northern city, it is a reminder of the threat of such terror, stirring memories of the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017 by an extremist, which claimed 22 lives and injured hundreds. There is no escaping the fact that this is an explicitly antisemitic attack and has to be treated as such. For the Jewish community in Britain, and around the world, it obviously comes as a shock a horrendous, cowardly, murderous terror attack but the terrible fact is that many Jews in Britain felt that a day such as this would eventually come. Tragically, their fears have been realised, and they are right to raise painful questions about the protection the authorities have given to them in recent years. To give one example, just last month, an individual was smearing excrement on synagogues and other Jewish centres around Golders Green in London. It is relatively small-scale violence, but it took too long to apprehend a suspect, and Jewish people had cause to feel that it was not taken seriously enough. That is the kind of complacency that makes people feel fearful and vulnerable and, if carried out with impunity, can invite more serious acts. The Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester was filled with Jewish families celebrating Yom Kippur ( Getty ) Incidents of Jew-hate of every kind have been escalating for some years, and the trend has accelerated since the 7 October attacks and the war in Gaza that followed. The facts have to be faced. Certain social media platforms have descended into shameful digital antisemitic propaganda channels, spreading vile blood libels and antisemitic conspiracy theories old and new. Some of this material is generated by racial supremacists on the right, and much of it from elements on the left, sadly including for a time in Labour circles, where sympathy for the suffering of the Palestinians shaded, and sometimes lurched, into virulent hatred of Jews, holding the British Jewish community to account for the actions of the Israeli government 2,000 miles away. It is wrong that some Jewish people felt frightened to venture into central London during pro-Palestine protests, intimidated by the allegations of a new Holocaust inflicted by a Nazi Israeli state. Physical attacks on synagogues and Jewish schools have increased. None of this is acceptable, as it would not be for any other group. Every police force should look again at what lessons can be learned from this latest Manchester attack. The security services will also have to explain how this particular plot was missed, allowing for the fact that very many more are thwarted, and it is impossible to have complete surveillance of every possible threat. Albeit in vain, the British authorities should press social media firms such as X to look again at moderation and restraining open incitement to racial hatred. There will surely be a full inquiry into what happened. The last few weeks have seen an excess of open racism and violent language, and it is incubating a more dangerous political culture. What happened in Manchester was, first and foremost, an evil attack on Jewish people. It is also a further test of Britains traditionally tolerant, multicultural democracy. Dublin City Council (DCC) has refused planning permission for contentious plans by developer Keith Craddock to construct a 38-unit accommodation block for elderly members of religious orders in need of care. DCC refused Mr Craddocks Granville Developments Ltd planning permission for the three-storey residential accommodation comprising 38 en-suite bedrooms at Haddington Place in Ballsbridge on a site to the rear of Sisters of The Holy Faith after the Department of Education and locals objected. Mediahuis Ireland has reported revenues of 95.2m and a profit of 6.2m in accounts just filed for 2024. The numbers are both significantly higher than in 2023, following changes to the group's Irish corporate reporting structure. Accounts for Mediahuis Ireland Limited now capture additional income that was previously recorded in the accounts of other entities within the group. What I spend on Christmas: I would imagine that my total will be about 2,000 and the majority of my budget will be on my own kids Funding rounds for Deciphex (15m) and Aerska (18m) have rounded off a strong week for Irish biotech companies The company, founded and led by Donal OShea, will use the cash to grow its business internationally, particularly the US. It says it wants to be the market leader in the UK by 2027. The feminist bomb that changed Irish theatre forever A decade on from the #WakingTheFeminists movement, two leaders of the campaign recall the spark that inspired change and how they had to tread carefully to avoid a split in the ranks Lian Bell and actress Kate OToole at The Waking the Feminists public meeting at The Abbey Theatre in 2015. Photo: Colin ORiordan Katy Hayes Fri 3 Oct 2025 at 06:30 Its difficult for people who do not closely follow Irish theatre to see what a momentous change the #WakingTheFeminists campaign has made. In this years Dublin Theatre Festival, the two prime slots, the Abbey and the Gate main stages, both have new work written and directed by women: The Boy by Marina Carr at the Abbey and Poor, adapted by Sonya Kelly from Katriona OSullivans memoir, at the Gate. Tanya Sweeney: When I moved to London in 1997 it swallowed me whole and spat me out for todays Irish twentysomethings its so much easier Sinn Fein calls on Government to send observers on future Gaza aid flotillas involving Irish citizens Now is the time to escalate pressure on Israel, said the partys spokesperson on foreign affairs Vessels travelling as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla were boarded by Israeli navy soldiers (Global Sumud Flotilla/AP) Keith Kelly Fri 3 Oct 2025 at 20:48 Sinn Fein has said that the Government should look into sending observers on any future aid flotillas sailing to Gaza to ensure Israel abides by international law. LIVE | Storm Amy: Man (40s) dies in storm-related incident as 184,000 remain without power; Met Eireann issue fresh Status Orange warnings Damaging gusts are also expected further inland, Met EireannStatus Yellow wind warning is in place for the rest of Ireland from middayFollow the latest on our Irish Independent live blog below Stormy conditions at Blackrock Diving Board in Salthill. Photo: Ray Ryan. The issue of assisted dying is a sensitive and complex one. Photo: Getty A displaced Palestinian boy looks on as smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City. Photo: Reuters US president Donald Trump gets in a round of golf at his Trump International Golf Links & Hotel in Doonbeg, Co Clare, during his visit to Ireland in May 2023. Photo: PA VoteSmart gave each presidential election candidate the opportunity to provide a rationale or motivation for their position on different issues so they could add nuance if desired. Below are the responses supplied by Independent Catherine Connolly. Fine Gaels Heather Humphreys did not provide any context for her answers. Fianna Fails Jim Gavin has withdrawn from the contest but you can also read the answers he gave to each statement. I want a president who does not intervene in significant policy debates Catherine Connolly: The president has a constitutional obligation to serve the welfare of the people, and it would be my honour to use my voice to fulfil that role. Jim Gavin: This is not the role of the president, and every president in the past 87 years has recognised this. Heather Humphreys: No motivation provided. US president Donald Trump gets in a round of golf at his Trump International Golf Links & Hotel in Doonbeg, Co Clare, during his visit to Ireland in May 2023. Photo: PA The president should be fluent in Irish Catherine Connolly: It is important that the president should have Irish. Statutes in the Irish language take precedence over those in the English language. A president interrogating the constitutionality of any law must have a strong command of the Irish language. Jim Gavin: Yes, the president should seek to use Irish as much as possible and promote it. But we have had three very fine presidents who had limited Irish but served with great distinction. Heather Humphreys: No motivation provided. Migration has made our country a better place Catherine Connolly: Ireland's history is defined by migration. We have travelled the world. Our immigrant communities enrich Irish society and we should resist the division promoted by some. Jim Gavin: Migration has been hugely positive for Ireland. Immigrants are contributing enormously to our economy, and help fund essential public services and pensions. We see their contribution in our healthcare system, our nursing homes, the hospitality sector and many other important sectors. Heather Humphreys: No motivation provided. A displaced Palestinian boy looks on as smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City. Photo: Reuters There are already too many climate policies Catherine Connolly: We need climate policies that deliver a fair transition to a world without fossil fuels. For example, we need free public transport, big investment in bus and rail, and supports to make it affordable for everyone to have a warm, energy efficient home. Jim Gavin: Policies should be continually reviewed in terms of their impact and cost but action is required on many fronts. Heather Humphreys: No motivation provided. The EU should get more powers Catherine Connolly: I want to see an EU using its power to create societies that serve the people, not corporations and the arms industry. We need an EU that uses its powers to promote peace, inclusion and a fair transition to a Europe free of fossil fuels. Jim Gavin: It should get more powers to help countries address specific challenges like protecting public health. Heather Humphreys: No motivation provided. The president should avoid events that commemorate the Provisional IRA Catherine Connolly: As President, the commemorations I will attend, as head of state, will be the 1916 Easter Commemoration at the GPO and the National Day of Commemorations in Kilmainham. Jim Gavin: No motivation provided. Heather Humphreys: No motivation provided. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. Photo: AP The rules on abortion should be relaxed Catherine Connolly: Women should have access to free, safe, legal, local and accessible abortion services. I believe that the three-day wait should be removed so that women can make their own decisions about their own bodies. Jim Gavin: This is a matter for expert research and decision by the Executive and Oireachtas. Heather Humphreys: No motivation provided. The presidential term should be shorter than seven years Catherine Connolly: The seven-year term of the presidency is set down in the Constitution and therefore can only be changed by a vote in a referendum. However, I think there could be merits to a shorter term. Jim Gavin: There is no obvious problem with the current term. The relatively long term gives the president the opportunity not to be part of the regular election cycle this is beneficial to the office and the state. Heather Humphreys: No motivation provided. Ireland should spend more money on weapons for defence Catherine Connolly: We have no need for weapons of war. We need homes, we need disability services and supports, we need school places for all. Our Defences Forces must be valued and paid accordingly. This is what we should invest our resources in. Jim Gavin: This question is especially badly worded. Ireland must spend more on essential defence and most of this does not directly involve weapons. For example, cyber security and marine surveillance. Heather Humphreys: No motivation provided. Opinions vary on the personal use of smoking cannabis. Photo: Getty Government policies should be more directed towards redistribution of wealth Catherine Connolly: We live in a deeply unequal society. Our wealth is created by our people and should be shared fairly by our people. We are constantly told the country is awash with money, yet many people struggle to have a home and basic public services. Jim Gavin: Governments should strive to help those in need and to overcome structural barriers holding people in poverty. This includes a redistributive tax policy. Changes in tax policy are not a matter for the president. Heather Humphreys: No motivation provided. All asylum-seekers should be provided with appropriate housing Catherine Connolly: All people seeking international protection should be treated with dignity and respect. Not only are we legally obliged to provide appropriate housing to those seeking international protection, it is also the moral thing to do. Jim Gavin: Everyone should have access to a safe, secure and adequate place to live. This is also a legal responsibility under binding international law. Heather Humphreys: No motivation provided. The president's office should be subject to freedom of information Catherine Connolly: Throughout my time on the Public Accounts Committee, I appreciated the values of openness and transparency, and I believe the office of the president should be subject to the same standards and scrutiny. Jim Gavin: There are sufficient protections for the confidential elements of the president's duties, and greater transparency on other activities is reasonable. Heather Humphreys: No motivation provided. An Air Corps C295 surveillance aircraft at Casement Aerodrome. Photo: PA Cannabis should only be legal for use on health grounds Catherine Connolly: I favour the decriminalisation of possession of drugs for personal use, in line with the recommendations of the Citizens Assembly. Instead of criminalisation, we need a genuinely health-led approach to the use and misuse of substances. Jim Gavin: The primary focus in drug policy must be on more serious drugs. The response to drug abuse should be health-led. At a minimum, people should not be criminalised for personal use. However, it is a matter for the Oireachtas to decide. Heather Humphreys: No motivation provided. The president should advocate for a united Ireland Catherine Connolly: A united Ireland is one of my key visions for the future of our country. As president I would use my voice in every way possible to promote Irish unity and to build the broad support needed to fulfil this historic vision. Jim Gavin: This is primarily a party political and activist issue, and no president has ever breeched the convention of remaining detached from referendum debates. However, Bunreacht na hEireann sets out the national aspiration to unity and the president should advocate for this. Heather Humphreys: No motivation provided. The president is currently paid too much Catherine Connolly: The salary for the president is high, and I would consider how the salary could best be used to serve the common good. Jim Gavin: The president's salary should continue to be set in relation to changes in wider public sector and official salaries. Heather Humphreys: No motivation provided. Israel is committing genocide in Gaza Catherine Connolly: Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and our Government has an obligation to take immediate meaningful action: full implementation of the Occupied Territories Bill, end the export of dual use goods, end the misuse of Irish airspace to transport weapons of war to Israel. Jim Gavin: No motivation provided. Heather Humphreys: No motivation provided. People who are successful in life work harder and earn it Catherine Connolly: In an unequal society, success very often flows from the advantages and resources that the wealthiest and most powerful have. We also need an understanding of success that recognises the contributions of so many in their communities, in the arts, etc. Jim Gavin: There are clear structural issues which benefit many individuals: however, these are not responsible for all success. Heather Humphreys: No motivation provided. Assisted dying (euthanasia) should be allowed in Ireland under defined circumstances Catherine Connolly: I voted for and support the Report of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Assisted Dying. This report includes a recommendation that the Government introduce legislation allowing for assisted dying in certain restricted circumstances. Jim Gavin: This is a matter for the Executive and Oireachtas. It is an extremely difficult moral question and, as we have seen from the recent debates in Britain, it is also extremely difficult to define in legislation. Any such regime would have to be very limited. Heather Humphreys: No motivation provided. The issue of assisted dying is a sensitive and complex one. Photo: Getty The president should refer more laws to the Supreme Court Catherine Connolly: Under Article 26 of the Constitution, it is for the president to decide, after consultation with the Council of State, if any bill should be referred to the Supreme Court. The frequency of such referrals cannot be predetermined. Jim Gavin: All legislation can, if signed by the president without a referral, be appealed by any citizens impacted by the legislation. It is a power which has been used relatively few times because its main purpose is limited to measures where urgent clarity is required. Heather Humphreys: No motivation provided. Migrants should learn English and adapt to our culture and habits Catherine Connolly: We should provide the opportunity for immigrant communities to learn Irish and English. This can help break down barriers to inclusion and enable them to participate fully in Irish society and culture. Jim Gavin: Agree. However, just as the Irish abroad proudly retained their own identity and national attachment, we should welcome our new citizens continuing to maintain the culture and language of their original countries. Heather Humphreys: No motivation provided. Ursula von der Leyden is doing a good job as EU Commission president Catherine Connolly: Ursula von der Leyden has been a disaster for the EU. She has overseen the EU becoming deeply complicit in the genocide in Gaza, is leading a terrifying drive to militarisation, and has overseen a deepening of inequality across Europe. Jim Gavin: It is not the position of the president to pronounce judgment on international officials. Heather Humphreys: No motivation provided. The Triple Lock should be kept in place Catherine Connolly: I believe in neutrality as an active, living tradition of peace-making, bridge-building and compassionate diplomacy. It is one of Irelands greatest strengths, and I will defend it and the Triple Lock with determination. Jim Gavin: The Triple Lock is not essential to neutrality, but it is now preventing peacekeeping missions being authorised. Heather Humphreys: No motivation provided. The president should welcome President Trump on a state visit Catherine Connolly: As president I will receive all visiting heads of state in the manner that is appropriate for such engagements as is required by the role of president. Jim Gavin: It is the government's responsibility to invite foreign heads of state. The president should always, following the precedent of all holders of the office, welcome official visitors. Heather Humphreys: No motivation provided. LATEST | Simon Harris confirms all 16 Irish citizens in Gaza flotilla transferred to a detention facility in southern Israel Activists want the Government to act on claim of breach of maritime laws Activists including Greta Thunberg after being intercepted. Photo: Reuters Keith Kelly, Sarah O'Mahony and Laura Lynott Fri 3 Oct 2025 at 12:57 Tanaiste Simon Harris has confirmed that all 16 Irish citizens on board the flotilla on route to Gaza have been transferred to a detention facility in southern Israel. Kildare-born Burke emigrated to Canada in the 1970s before settling in Los Angeles. Among the films she worked on were Interview With The Vampire, Bram Stokers Dracula and Mission Impossible. Photo: Massimo Masini The Dulux Colour of the Year is a triptych of indigos, a calm antidote to a frazzled world One day, well understand how the human brain reacts to colour. But the science isnt there yet. The relevant discipline neuroaesthetics is a strand of neuroscience that studies the impact of beauty on the brain. The jurys still out on how effective it will be. Currently, the psychology of colour is a heady cocktail of generalisation, cultural tradition and codswallop with a few strands of actual science. Colour affects us emotionally, theres no doubt about it, but there are many layers to that experience. Some are informed by where we come from the symbolism of colour varies in different parts of the world others by personal preference. Dulux Rythm of Blues Colours of the Year 2026 Colour is natures superpower, says Marianne Shillingford, creative director of Dulux in Ireland and the UK. Its a language we all speak but dont really understand. To up the ante, some of us can see more colours than others. A small percentage of women, she explains, have tetrachromatic colour vision. This is a chromosomal difference that allows them to see a whole new spectrum of colours. Dinosaurs, she explains, had tetrachromatic vision. They could see more colours than we can, including ultra violet light. We think of them as drab but they may have been as brightly coloured as butterflies. Its a gorgeous thought, but it didnt save them from extinction. Dulux Rhythm of Blues Colours of the Year 2026 Fast forward to 2025 and humans are getting antsy about extinction too. These are complex and chaotic times and, according to the trend forecasters, theyre pushing us towards the colour blue. Many of those who trade in colour, paint companies in particular, come up with a Colour of the Year (COTY). Their purpose is to sell paint that fits into the way people want to feel, but also works with the things they just bought. The research is informed by trend forecasters, who make predictions based on whats going on around the world. Trend forecasting is reading the tea-leaves on a global scale. Colourtrend Wonders of the Woodlands Collection, Faerie Moss According to Dulux Colour Futures 2026, an annual publication that accompanies their COTY: When the world becomes unsettled, people return to the familiar in design and blue is the most familiar colour we have. We need to see blue sky in the morning and dark blues take us to the night sky. The Dulux COTY of 2026 is a triptych. Instead of a single colour, the paint pundits have chosen a colour family three different shades of indigo blue. Talk about hedging your bets! From a more positive angle, its three for the price of one. All the blues are compatible with each other, but each has a supporting palette of attendant colours. Colourtrend Wonders of the Woodlands Collection, Forest Floor Sometimes the actual COTY is hugely successful, Shillingford says. Sometimes not so much. Our colour of 2017, Denim Drift, became our bestselling colour around the world. It just nailed it! In 2020, a greyish green called Tranquil Dawn caught peoples imagination too. Last years colour an eye-bleeding yellow called True Joy was less of a crowd pleaser. We always knew we werent going to sell loads of bright yellow paint. True Joy is a visual condiment. A little goes a long way. Even when the COTY isnt that popular, the palettes that come with it always attract attention. All blues are receding colours, Shillingford explains. They make small spaces seem bigger. The palest of the three is Mellow Flow. Its a smoky greyish blue almost a neutral but with more punch. You could use it anywhere. Colourtrend Wonders of the Woodlands Collection, Rua Dusk Mellow Flow is suitable for colour drenching, which means painting an entire room in the same colour, including the ceiling and skirting boards. It also combines well with earthy pinks and clay neutrals and with natural materials like rattan, jute and wood. Its a cool colour, so I wouldnt use it in a north-facing room. The deepest and darkest of the three blues is Slow Flow. Its a real grown-up colour. I have it on my kitchen units and the dining room table legs, and Im going to use it in my bedroom. This is a colour that slows everything down. If youre planning to use it on the walls, Shillingford recommends doing so in a room you use at night. I love this colour around window frames it amplifies the sky but dont combine it with white. That would do your head in. Electric Blue from Yes Colours The mid-tone Free Groove is an energetic electric blue. Shillingford recommends using it in punch blocks of colour combined with yellows and greens. Its a colour for a younger space. Use it like a drum beat! Colour drenching a room in Free Groove would be great, but youd have to be a particular type of person. Dulux vinyl matt emulsion costs 36.50 for a 2.5 litre tin. Electric Blue is surprisingly popular. When the UK paint brand Yes Colours launched in 2021, the super-saturated shade was part of their original palette. This year, a 115pc surge in the sales of Electric Blue (47.95 per litre) made it the top performing colour on their site. Electric Blue from Yes Colours The colour reminds me of the David Bowie song, Sound and Vision (1977): Blue, blue, lectric blue / thats the colour of my room. The song is about sitting in an empty room with drawn blinds and Bowie once said in an interview that it described his mental state after a period of drug addiction. Colour is the last thing on the budget and the first thing that hits you when you come into a house, says Ger Cooney, interior architect and colour consultant. You can change it relatively quickly and economically, compared to changing furniture or flooring. Colourtrend Wonders of the Woodlands Collection, Golden Gleam Cooney is part of the team behind Wonders of the Woodlands, a capsule collection of eight new paint colours from the Irish paint company Colourtrend (44 for a litre of ceramic matt). The colours are inspired by Irish forests. This too is indicative of a desire to retreat from a chaotic world but, instead of the big blue yonder, it speaks to the urge to live deep in the woods. Fairie Moss is a soft olive green, Rua Dusk is an earthy brown, and Whispering Hollow is a gentle taupe. Im a big fan of Brittle Bark, Cooney says. Its a brown with green undertone and it has a comforting quality. Id use it in a bedroom. Deep colours are great at absorbing early morning light. He also likes Forest Floor, a deep dark green. Its bold, but not overpowering and looks great with furniture in mahogany or teak. The most energetic colour in the collection, Golden Gleam, is a warm yellow with gold undertones. Its not just an accent colour, Cooney explains. You could use it in a dining room or even a playroom. See dulux.ie, colourtrend.ie, and yescolours.com The Kerry mans artwork represents an Ireland thats gone, but that existed within living memory, depicted on canvas and through bronze sculpture First Pot by the Three Sisters by Liam O'Neill When Liam ONeill started school, he walked there in his bare feet. Born in 1954, the artist comes from Corca Dhuibhne, Co Kerry. His paintings and a new series of sculptures come from his memories of his father at work: cutting turf on the mountain, pulling lobster pots by hand, and harvesting oats with a scythe. Someone once said that Liam ONeill paints his father in every painting, he says. But he also paints everybodys father. This universality is part of their appeal. ONeills paintings represent an Ireland thats gone, but that existed within living memory. They speak to those who remember, or wish they remembered, a way of life so recently lost. The world has changed a lot since then, ONeill says. But for generations before that, it hadnt changed at all. ONeills new sculpture collection in bronze (from 18,000 to 44,000) and a selection of his paintings (from 10,500 to 39,500) are on view at an event hosted by Gormleys at Sheen Falls Lodge, Kenmare, until October 12. The exhibition includes works by Andy Warhol, Salvador Dali and Patrick Rubinstein. Hes very collectable, says Oliver Gormley. A lot of Americans buy his work, and his paintings hold their value. The sculptures are too new for Gormley to predict their trajectory on the secondary market. I know the paintings will go up in price but, with the sculptures, its too early to say. People are buying them because theyre Liam ONeill but theyre not market proven. To date, ONeills auction record is held by Whytes. His painting, Two Horses, went under the hammer in March 2023 with an estimate of 5,000 to 7,000. It sold for 35,000. Naomhog Capall na Farraige by Liam O'Neill The horses are painted in ONeills distinctive, semi-abstract style, with thick impasto applied with a palette knife. They appeal to those whod love, but cannot afford, a horse painting by Jack B Yeats. ONeill has been described as a poor mans Jack B Yeats, Gormley says. I dont know if thats fair or unfair. The comparison isnt fair on either artist. There was only one Jack B Yeats, whose work is unequalled. ONeill is doing his own thing, informed by his west Kerry heritage. Yeats came from relative privilege: art college education and a family of writers and artists. ONeill did not. My father had no land, ONeill says. My grandfather had no land. We worked for farmers and in return, theyd give you a quarter field to grow potatoes or a quarter field for oats. We improved the land. ONeill is a self-taught artist, but this was not intentional. I wanted to be an architect and I passed the exams to study in Bolton Street, but then my father died and we couldnt afford the fees, he says. ONeill trained as a special needs teacher and taught in north Dublin for 20 years, but he also made and exhibited paintings. They say the best way of learning how to do things is to make mistakes, he reflects. But there are things I wish Id been told 50 years ago! Cutting Mountain Turf by Liam O'Neill at Gormley's He recalls a professor from NCAD who used to come to his exhibitions. ONeill once told him that hed love to study at the art college. If I was you, Id stay away from us, the professor advised. Wed knock it out of you. Like his paintings, ONeills bronze sculptures have a strong narrative thread. Naomhog Capall na Farraige, 28x60x33 cm (26,000) shows three fishermen in a naomhog a traditional west Kerry boat on a choppy sea. Two are rowing, one is tending a lobster pot. Its closely observed, but also informed by experience. In the 1970s, ONeill was tending the lobster pots with his cousin when they caught a blue lobster. We fished in a naomhog each summer, he says. Wed always start out before dawn. I was the one pulling the pots. Our line would be marked with a red buoy, and the pots would be pulled by hand five pots on 20 fathoms of rope and this magical thing comes up out of the water. It was glowing! Most lobsters are mottled brown. Theres a one in two-million chance of catching a blue lobster (the colouring is caused by a genetic mutation). Theres also a superstition attached. A blue lobster supposedly gives you the best of luck, ONeill says. But only if you throw it back in the sea. In real life, the blue lobster was released. In the sculpture, its ambiguous. The boat is threatened by an approaching wave. Theres another tradition about the seventh wave. If it hits the naomhog on the side, youre a gonner! ONeills book of poems in Irish, Riastail (300), illustrated with 100 images of his work, was published in 2024. See liamoneillart.com and gormleys.ie Mark Keenan: Dublins houses of Guinness were built to protect pints of profit As House of Guinness splashes around the old-school paddywackery, Mark Keenan examines Edward Guinnesss true motives for building vast amounts of housing all over Dublin Iveagh Trust flats complex at Bride Street, Dublin Mark Keenan Fri 3 Oct 2025 at 06:30 Didnt you remember that we Irish love nothing better than to dress up in green, drink Guinness and fight with shillelaghs en masse; preferably to the raucous accompaniment of some diddley-eye fiddle scraping? Martina Devlin: Remembering a hero who gave her life to speaking out against the evils of war Victoria Amelinas diary of life in Ukraine during Putins invasion tells a terrible story but also offers hope for the future A soldier holds a portrait of Ukrainian author and war crimes researcher Victoria Amelina during her funeral in Lviv in 2023. Photo: Getty Martina Devlin Fri 3 Oct 2025 at 06:30 It is not open warfare but nor can it be called peace. Vladimir Putin is prosecuting a hybrid war in Europe, amid an escalation of Russian drone infiltration, and fears have heightened about infrastructure security such as energy supplies. Meanwhile, his war in Ukraine grinds on. In the Cold War it was considered delusional not to be paranoid. Fears were so stoked that real dangers could not be differentiated from the imaginary. But there was nothing histrionic or hyperbolic in Denmarks prime minister warning that Europe is facing its biggest threat since World War II. Mette Frederiksen said: When I look at Europe today, I think we are in the most difficult and dangerous situation since the end of the Second World War not the Cold War. At a gathering of the EUs 27 members in Copenhagen, a new drone wall costing billions was centre stage. The idea has gained new urgency after recent incursions in Nato airspace, including in Poland, Estonia, Romania and Denmark. Nato secretary general Mark Rutte has praised the idea of the drone wall, saying: We cannot spend millions of euro or dollars on missiles to take out drones, which only cost a couple of thousand dollars. Taoiseach Micheal Martin was also at the meeting. Clearly the menace of Russian fighter jets needs more serious attention, as the possibility of a flashpoint draws closer. There was also renewed focus on the 200bn in frozen Russian assets in Europe. Pressure to seize the money and to use it to equip Ukraine to hold back a Russian advance is intensifying. The Kremlin warned that Russia would pursue any individual or country that stole its money. We see that they continue with this militaristic attitude instead of thinking about how to engage in dialogue Earlier this year a spokesman for then-chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz warned that many Germans were in denial about the dangers of Russian aggression. The most acute threat to us to our lives, to the legal system, but also to the physical lives of all people in Europe is now Russia, Johann Wadephul said. The continents rush to re-arm is a direct response to Moscows provocations to see whether the EU and Nato have the stomach for confrontation now that the US under President Donald Trump has pulled back. Washington has been seeking an off-ramp for its role as Europes protector. Vladimir Putin smells weakness, and is playing an ever more reckless and mutually destructive game. Following his red-carpet treatment in Alaska, Putin feels he has been dealt a free hand to do what he wishes in Europe. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has dismissed the European accusations over Russian incursions as groundless. We see that they continue with this militaristic attitude instead of thinking about how to engage in dialogue, he said. Such rhetoric is especially disingenuous given Putins refusal to meet for direct peace talks to end the Ukraine war. If anyone has an aversion to honest dialogue it is the Russian leader. Nonetheless, with Moscow becoming ever more brazen, the risks multiply. But ignoring them will only invite further violations. As one EU official at the summit put it: Brussels needed to act more and talk less. Attempting to gauge whether Washington is either all in, or all out, with Europe and Nato is a hard call. But recognising that Moscows intentions are unashamedly predatory, is not. In theory, the ballot sheets in the hands of voters determine who wins elections. But realpolitik often proves the fate of a candidate is in their own hands. James Joyce wrote: A man of genius makes no mistakes; his errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery. If hes right, Jim Gavin, Catherine Connolly and Heather Humphreys will have discovered a lot in recent days. All have been gaining attention for a string of gaffes. Mr Gavin had been catching flak, first over an errant drone, and then for contravening regulations after being filmed in a video with members of the Defence Forces. He may feel he owes a debt of gratitude to Ms Connolly for taking the spotlight off him. Controversy has engulfed the combined-left candidate, after it emerged she employed a woman convicted by the Special Criminal Court of unlawful possession of firearms. Ms Connolly said that the woman had served her time. She confirmed she had worked for her in Leinster House for six months. She was absolutely perfect for the job, and I took her on, she said, adding everyone deserved a second chance. Last week Ms Connolly made the headlines for saying in a UCD address that she believed Germanys rearmament was like the 1930s. Theyre absolutely championing the cause of the military-industrial complex in Germany, as a booster for the economy, she said. Seems to me, there are some parallels with the 30s. When I look back now, I think perhaps there should have been more groundwork done Yesterday, Fine Gaels candidate Ms Humphreys had to deny that Tanaiste Simon Harris put pressure on her to drop disability reforms during her time in the Department of Social Protection in 2023. She was also on the back foot over her role as Fine Gaels director of elections for the referendums on family and care. When I look back now, I think perhaps there should have been more groundwork done. People didnt understand what a durable relationship was, she said. Whoever eventually wins out in the race for the Aras had better have figured out what a durable relationship is. They will be expected to maintain one with the public for the next seven years at least. All candidates have provided plenty of ammunition for their rivals, but none has stolen a march. If the campaign has failed to ignite in the public imagination, part of the reason has to be to do with the ultra-cautious approach being adopted. Yet the last few days have proven that no matter how careful one is, there are always banana skins. But relying on someone else to slip up is not necessarily the best way to prove yourself as a winner. Or as the US actor and social commentator Will Rogers put it: A statesman [or woman] is someone who can do what the politician would like to do but cant, because he is afraid of not being elected. Any campaigns will fall flat when the fear of losing is more discernible than the infectious enthusiasm that goes with the confidence of conviction. More beds are of course welcome, but are there other ways to alleviate the crisis? Stock image: Getty I note that Hiqa makes clear that at the heart of the ongoing risk to patients safety is lack of beds. No one will dispute that more beds would be welcome and ease the crisis, but I certainly would not prioritise this over ensuring that the existing beds are properly allocated first. Im tired of writing about this after encountering, on two occasions in recent years, the shocking misuse of beds, especially involving those who occupy them while they await diagnosis. I have many times tried to find out why every patient needing hospitalisation is required to enter the hospital through A&E, to no avail. Why are patients occupying beds informed that they must remain until they have the X-rays or scans necessary for diagnosis? Why are they not discharged, unless extremely sick, and allocated a day and time for X-ray or scan? I spent one week taking up a bed while waiting for a scan when I could have been discharged and invited to return when this could be provided. Quite recently I spent three weeks in hospital awaiting diagnosis having been informed that I could not return home in the meantime as if I had to be readmitted it would take too long to do so through A&E. How could it be possible to avoid a trolley crisis when every patient must be admitted through A&E, leading to serious overcrowding and unacceptable conditions for staff? So, once more, I ask, why has everyone to be admitted through A&E, even those being readmitted? Mary Stewart, Donegal town, Co Donegal Forget McDowell, it was Harriss intervention that really hurt our democracy Much has been made of Michael McDowells refusal to nominate Maria Steen to allow her to stand in the presidential election, but far more damage was done by Simon Harris. He was wrong when he interfered in the independent right of county councillors to nominate candidates by instructing Fine Gael councillors, under threat of the party whip, to actively vote against citizens seeking a nomination. The Constitution is specific in giving three separate routes: nominations from the Oireachtass elected representatives, nominations separately from county councils and from currently serving or previous holders, provided they have only served one previous term. Mr Harris has interfered in the independent right of councils to nominate as they see fit by threatening Fine Gael councillors with potential expulsion. Im not sure what can be done at this stage about this, but perhaps the Electoral Commission or the Supreme Court may have an opinion. David Doran, Bagenalstown, Co Carlow Councils should fly the white flag to racists but then put a sting in the tail I have a solution to the issue of flags being posted on lampposts, which we know are associated with a certain xenophobic attitude recently amplified across the UK and Ireland. Councils could make a white flag with their local council logo and a text reading: Xenophobia will not improve your life! with a smiley emoticon and a heart emoticon, just to rub it in, and place them just under the Irish flags posted on lampposts. That would set the record straight, leaving the flags in place to express our national love for our land, our Constitution, for each other and for those who come to Ireland to live, legally, and contribute to our always-growing culture. Corneilius Crowley, Ballincollig, Co Cork Can Americas defence secretary protect us from tubby Trump? Fat chance US defence secretary Pete Hegseth told his defence force generals and admirals on Tuesday its a hard look for him to stare down the halls of the Pentagon and see fat generals. Nancy Pelosi has several times chided the US president and commander-in-chief for his own obesity. I find it a hard look to both listen to and watch Donald Trump on TV. Perhaps Pete Hegseth could have a word with The Donald in regard to his bulk. More seriously, flying these many hundreds of generals and admirals from all over the world to Washington must be massively costly to US taxpayers, as well as the needless damage to the environment. A simple email would have done it. James J Ryan, Lisnagry, Co Limerick Israel commits terrorism and ignores international order with impunity It is apparent any group or individual who does not support the state of Israel in its present actions, either in Gaza or occupied West Bank, is considered antisemitic or a terrorist. Yet, in my opinion, the actions of Israeli Defence Forces both in Gaza and occupied West Bank may well be considered as acts of terrorism. No need to recount what we all see has been happening: the government of Israel violates international law, engages in daily killing of unarmed civilians including children and medical personnel and the wilful destruction of property. Now the Israeli Defence Forces is committing acts of piracy in international waters. Yet Western politicians continue to do nothing to call the prime minister of Israel or his government to account. Our politicians talk of democracy and the rule of law, but where are either when Palestinians are concerned? Michael Moriarty, Rochestown, Cork So, scientists can now read minds that could help me survive my marriage Scientists can now read a mouses thoughts just by looking at its face (Scientists can read mices minds by looking at faces, Irish Independent, October 2). After 38 years of marriage, I still cant reliably tell what my spouse is thinking or what Ive done wrong by looking at theirs. Clearly, the scientists are ahead of me. Then again, some mysteries in marriage may be better left unsolved and mental privacy might be the only thing keeping the peace. Enda Cullen, Tullysaran Road, Co Armagh Presidential hopefuls are human and will err no need to drone on about it I note there has been a spot of bother over the use of a drone in the presidential election. Any candidates judgment can get a little clouded in seeking a direct runway to the Aras; especially when the sky is the limit. Ed Toal, Galway city Adrian Weckler (Parents should be in control of their childs account says Meta boss, Irish Independent, September 30) wrote about a conversation that is long overdue. I can appreciate the pressures that parents feel, which appears to grant them pardon to give their children access to smartphones, but I think this is a poor excuse. Children are being dragged around city streets as they glare at smart devices. Babies too young to talk have had their soothers replaced with smartphones. There appears to be a national effort to bury our heads in the sand with regards to the fact that children are being reared by smartphones. Parents need to take responsibility. This pointing the blame at someone else will neither undo nor fix the damage being done to young people in our society. Sarah Roberts, Youghal, Co Cork Why should housing-crisis victims give government Aras choices a new home? As the presidential election gathers momentum and campaigns unfold, it is worth reflecting on the housing crisis and the promises that accompanied past electoral cycles. In the leadup to the most recent general election, several pledges were made and a number of measures were proposed; however, many remain unimplemented. Consequently, house prices and rents continue to rise, constraining the ability of ordinary citizens to secure affordable housing. Thousands of young voters remain reliant on their parents homes, with limited prospect of entering the property market. This situation has curtailed their independence and opportunities for financial and personal autonomy. The ongoing monetisation of the housing sector at the expense of the common good has contributed to a sense of disenfranchisement among this cohort. Given these realities, it is understandable that many affected voters feel hesitant about endorsing candidates who have not demonstrated tangible progress on housing. If a young person has no realistic path to home-ownership, what is the value of casting a vote for a candidate who promises change but delivers little on the housing front? Why would anyone without a house or even the prospect of one, use their democratic franchise to put a government candidate in the big house in the park? Thomas OConnor, Crumlin, Dublin 12 Spoiling ones vote is the only way for a citizen to vent their frustration Sinead Ryan writes that a spoiled vote isnt the great act of protest some think it is (Irish Independent, October 1). I disagree. Ms Ryan urges people considering spoiling their vote to be good little citizens and find out who these candidates are. She offers no alternative as to how people register their unhappiness. Its a bit like saying to people taking part in a public protest ah sure why dont ye go home and put yer feet up in front of the fire. Spoiling your vote isnt ideal. A president will be elected anyway, but at least its a legitimate way to vent your feelings about a process you do not support. Tommy Roddy, Ballybane, Co Galway Think of the people who are not in position to exert their democratic right I agree with Sinead Ryan that a spoiled vote is not the great act of protest some think. There is nothing worse than cynicism. I have worked as a tally man in counts all over the country. I have seen every type of spoiled vote. Some people think that their vote will not matter. But remember how Labour leader Dick Spring lost his seat in 1987 by only a few votes. Your duty is to assert your democratic right. Think of the people on the day lying on sick beds that are unable to carry out this task. I remember on a trip to Belgium once upon a time, I learnt people were fined if they did not vote. Thomas Garvey, Claremorris, Mayo Perception of how many in politics are conservative may be a bit off the mark Tommy Roddy claims that the three presidential candidates do not represent the population given that around one-third of the population voted against the same-sex marriage referendum (With just three options on ballot, conservative voters are denied representation, Irish Independent, Letters, September 30). Assuming that this third of the population can be considered conservative voters, then one-third of the Dail elected in last years general election should have been conservatives, which would have been 55-60 TDs. This is more than enough TDs to give a conservative candidate a nomination. However, Maria Steen only received nominations from 13 TDs, or 7.5pc of them. Perhaps the number of conservative voters in Ireland is not as high as some people believe. I am open to being proven wrong if one-third of the presidential election ballots are spoiled. Jason Fitzharris, Rivervalley, Swords, Co Dublin How vaccine refusal could be the greatest health hazard of this generation Vaccine refusal is rare. The greater hazard lies with parents who delay or customise schedules, seeing health as a matter of private instinct rather than collective responsibility. That cultural drift undermines the very trust that makes public health work. I recall my mother talking about working in a TB sanatorium in Armagh, when beds were filled with young patients. Later came polio outbreaks that paralysed children until vaccination brought relief. These diseases were not beaten by instinct or consumer choice, but by collective science and shared action. I suspect Ireland will face its own reckoning. Not because vaccines stop working, but because suspicion of expertise will make uptake low enough for long-banished diseases to return. A single outbreak in Dublin or Belfast will do more to shake complacency than any government press release. Herd immunity, like clean water or safe roads, is a collective bargain. We only learn its value once it is gone. Enda Cullen, Tullysaran Road, Armagh The cycle of controversy continues as bike sheds are saddling us with debt In yesterdays Irish Independent, more controversy has arisen over a bike shed (McDonald critical of plan for 100,000 bike shed at Holles Street hospital). Is there a spokes person available to let us know, if the taxpayer will be saddled with the bill? Noel Kelly, Doonbeg, Co Clare At the age of 23, Elizabeth Liz Plunkett was raped and murdered by John Shaw and Geoffrey Evans at Brittas Bay 49 years ago. Her story has been back in the news this year after it was uncovered that her killer John Shaw had never actually been convicted for her murder. Originally, both men were charged with the murder, rape and false imprisonment of Elizabeth Plunkett and Mary Duffy but when Shaw began a parole application in 2023, it was revealed he had never actually been convicted for Elizabeths murder, even though it had been reported so for years. Elizabeths death had been incredibly difficult for Emmas family to live through the publicity surrounding the case. Books and newspaper features poring over the murder, exploring every gory detail, have been published over the years. None have had the familys blessing. Crude caricatures of Elizabeth and Mary were published in a national newspaper alongside those of their killers. An Irish influencer and makeup artist told the story of Lizs death while doing a makeup tutorial; the thumbnail image of the video featured a crass photo of Liz flanked by her two killers and splattered in blood. The family persisted with their pledge not to discuss Liz or what happened to her outside of the family until 2023 and the revelation that John Shaw had not been convicted of Elizabeths murder, led to that vow of silence being irrevocably broken. The years of silence to anyone other than the family were meant to protect Liz from the exploitation that comes with being a high-profile murder victim. It was time to give Liz a voice. Since then, Elizabeths sisters Kathleen Nolan and Bernadette Plunkett have been on a tireless mission to get justice. The murder was the subject of the RTE podcast Stolen Sister, released this year. On today's Indo Daily, Tabitha Monahan is joined by Emma Nolan, Elizabeth Plunkett's niece, to discuss the traumatic effect of the killing on her family and their continued fight to secure justice for Elizabeth. Clare County Fire and Rescue Service clearing fallen trees and debris from the countys roads on Saturday Clare County Fire and Rescue Service clearing fallen trees and debris from the countys roads on Saturday Clare County Fire and Rescue Service clearing fallen trees and debris from the countys roads on Saturday Clare County Fire and Rescue Service clearing fallen trees and debris from the countys roads on Saturday Saturday morning Clean-up has begun in County Clare as the council is working to free local roads from fallen trees and debris. In the meantime, power is being restored to home and businesses as thousands experienced power outages on Friday afternoon and evening due to Storm Amy. This morning only a few remain without power, especially in the areas of Kilcolgan, Kilrush and Scariff. Clare County Fire and Rescue Service clearing fallen trees and debris from the countys roads on Saturday Friday Thousands of homes and businesses across Clare are now without power as Storm Amy batters the country. The status orange warning for Clare remains in effect until 10pm on Friday, October 3, with near gale force to gale force winds and very gusty southwest to west winds expected. In the west of the county, a status red marine warning has been issued including areas from Loop Head to Rossan Point to Fair Head. This red warning is valid until 8pm on Friday, October 3. 6.30pm As winds seemingly ease across the county, further power outages have seen approximately 4,000 homes and businesses left without electricity as the ESB claims it could take until 5.00pm tomorrow, October 4, to get these customers re-connected. More trees have fallen across the county creating difficult driving conditions, including a large tree in the Kilmaley area and one near Meelick National School. It has been reported by Clare Fianna Fail TD Cathal Crowe that a tree that had fallen in the Sixmilebridge area has been cut up and cleared by Browne Brothers Construction. A number of Clare businesses have closed their doors due to Storm Amys extreme conditions including the Cliffs of Moher visitor centre and Doolin cave. Clare County Council has also reported that John OSullivan Park, Lees Road, Ennis will remain closed until tomorrow morning. The facility will reopen at 8.00am tomorrow, October 4, pending early morning inspection, the council said. The council is encouraging Clare residents to monitor Met Eireann forecasts and visit the Met Eireann website for the most up to date information. 5.00pm A number of roads across the county are impassable to traffic due to flooding and fallen trees. A large tree is down on the backroad to Cratloe which has completely blocked the road. A number of large branches are down on the Ennis to Ennistymon road, with a tree down on the Ballingaddy back road to Ennistymon making the road impassable. A tree has also fallen on the Tulla Road between Kilkishen village and Cullaun lake. The road from Sixmilebridge to Cratloe is experiencing spot flooding, with locals encouraging drivers to exercise caution in the area. The Mullagh road is flooded, as is the road between Cree and Cooraclare. There have been several reports of serious traffic on the old Cratloe road and Wood Road between Meelick and Cratloe, and some reports of extremely dangerous driving conditions. Local Clare TDs and Councillors are encouraging residents to exercise extreme caution while driving. 4.00pm Four flights have been diverted to Shannon Airport due to Storm Amy. We can confirm that four flights have already been diverted to Shannon Airport due to the adverse weather conditions, a spokesperson for Shannon Airport told the Irish Independent. These include Ryanair flight FR423 from London Luton to Cork, which landed safely at 1.38pm, Ryanair flight FR905 from London Stansted to Cork, which arrived safely at 2.09pm, Ryanair flight FR6552 from Liverpool to Knock, which arrived safely at 2.24pm and Ryanair flight FR1742 travelling from East Midlands to Knock, which landed safely at 2.41pm. Shannon Airport anticipates that additional diversions to Shannon will take place over the coming hours. When possible, we are always happy to assist other airports and airlines when weather related disruptions or operational challenges arise," their spokesperson added. 3.30pm As wind speeds significantly increase, approximately 3,500 homes and businesses are now without power right across the Banner County. A storm update on the ESBs website reads: We're assessing the damage to the electricity network caused by the recent weather event. We'll provide updates on the estimated restoration times as soon as crews have evaluated impacted areas. Thank you for your understanding. While downpours of rain are easing off, wind speeds have reached as high as 120kmph on the coast, with even inland areas seeing gusts of up to 110kmph. 1.30pm Approximately 800 premises are without power in the first of the Storm Amy repercussions in Clare. Power outages north of Ennis and in Scarriff were reported just before 1.00pm on Friday, October 3, with electricity not expected to return until around 5.00pm of Saturday, October 4. A note on the ESBs website reads: We apologise for the loss of supply. We are currently working to repair a fault affecting your premises and will restore power as quickly as possible. 1pm Shannon Airport is closely monitoring weather conditions with no delays expected at present. A spokesperson for Shannon Airport told the Irish Independent: At present, we are operating a full schedule as normal with no reported delays. However, we are closely monitoring weather conditions and recommend that passengers stay informed by checking with their airlines for any possible updates throughout the day. This morning, locals have expressed that roads in the Ennis region and surrounding areas are not too badly impacted. A lot of surface water everywhere, especially on the Inagh to Ennis road, one person said. Otherwise not as bad as I expected. Others claimed that roads were wet between Clarecastle and the Gort road on Friday morning, but no damage or flooding was to be seen. Just been in around town and out the Limerick Road etc and its wet but fine, another person added. Theres actually very little traffic - I suppose everyone is staying indoors. On Thursday evening, locals warned that those travelling to and from Crusheen should be wary of flooding on the Ennis Road after the Dromore turn off. Met Eireann are expecting fallen trees, damage to power lines, possible power outages, very difficult travelling conditions, and possible wave overtopping as a result of high winds during Storm Amy. On the coast, southwest to west winds may reach violent storm force 11 at times. Cork County Council has refused an application by a wind farm in north-west Cork to extend its operational life by another ten years on the grounds that an extension would limit the available habitat of the hen harrier, a highly endangered bird of prey. The Taurbeg Wind Farm, which is about 10km north-west of the town of Newmarket, has been operating since 2006 and consists of eleven 108m-tall turbines, supplying 25.3 MW of electricity to the national grid. Its current planning permission expires next year but owner Statkraft had applied for permission to extend the farms lifespan for a further ten years until 2036. However, the local authority has refused permission, saying that an extension had the potential to result in the continued loss of a significant area of habitat within the SPA [Special Protection Area] which could otherwise be available and suitable to support the hen harrier. The refusal also stated that the collision assessment carried out by the applicant failed to satisfy the Planning Authority that it has not underestimated the risk of impact to hen harrier associated within this wind farm. The applicant has therefore failed to demonstrate that the proposed development would not be non-compliant with the Habitats Directive and Birds Directive, the councils refusal statement said. The hen harrier is one of Ireland's most endangered birds. A national survey in 2022 recorded a maximum of 106 breeding pairs throughout the country, a decline of one-third since the previous survey seven years earlier. At the current rate of decline, the iconic bird of prey could be extinct within 25 years. Figures contained in Statkrafts application documents said there were 14 observations of hen harriers within 500m of the wind farm during the 2022 breeding season while surveys were being carried out for another wind farm. However, the company said no collision-related mortality incidents for the species were detected during dedicated dog-led searches at the turbines of the Taurbeg Wind Farm over a twelve-month period. "Statkraft is currently reviewing Cork County Council's decision," a company spokesperson told the Irish Independent. Planning decisions can be appealed to An Coimisiun Pleanala within four weeks of the decision. The company, which is Europe's largest renewable energy producer, says it gives 23,000 a year to local community groups in the area where the wind farm is based, an amount which would be increased by 2pc year on year for the next ten years. In addition, Statkraft says it pays annual rates of approximately 250,000 per year to Cork County Council for the wind farm. That means if the facility closes next year the local authority is set to lose around 2.5m in potential rates over the next decade. Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme. Team Ireland members, left to right: Lucy O'Connor, Maeve Flynn, Ben Buckley, Emily Fox and Isobel Fitzgerald Lucy O'Connor who is a member of the West Carbery Pony Club Seventeen-year-old Lucy OConnor who is a member of the West Carbery Pony Club enjoyed a weekend to remember at the inaugural Pony Club Nations Cup, which was held at Ballindenisk International in County Cork. Riding 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse, Rowanhill Luka Chan, Lucy proudly represented Ireland as part of the five-strong national squad. Lucy was joined on the team by Cork colleague, Maeve Flynn who is a member of Duhallow Hunt Pony Club. The competition, hosted by the Fell family on the 50th anniversary of Ballindenisk, brought together teams from Ireland, Northern Ireland, Great Britain, Scotland, and Wales. Over three challenging days of dressage, cross-country and show jumping, Team Ireland set the standard early and never looked back. Kealkill native Lucy impressed from the outset, producing a polished dressage performance that placed her fourth individually and contributed to the teams lead. Facing her first-ever two-star international cross-country track, she rode with composure and courage, clearing the bold fences with only a few time penalties. Her consistent performances across all three phases proved pivotal as Team Ireland claimed victory over Great Britain. Lucy was joined on the Irish team by Meave Flynn (Duhallow Hunt Pony Club), Ben Buckley (Co. Limerick Pony Club), Emily Fox (Tipperary Hunt Pony Club) and Isabel Fitzgerald (United Hunt Pony Club). On individual scores, Ben Buckley finished first on his horse Tullabeg Flamenco, Isobel Fitzgerald finished third on her horse OLS Pixie Hollow and Lucy O Connor finished fourth on her horse Rowanhill Luka Chan. The success marks an exciting milestone for the Irish Pony Club, highlighting the talent, determination and teamwork of its young riders. For Team Ireland, Ballindenisk was not just a victory it was a statement of intent for the future of Irish eventing. For Lucy, the Nations Cup was more than just a medal it was the thrill of representing her country on an international stage, showcasing determination, skill and partnership with her horse. Her performance has firmly established her as a young Irish rider to watch. The RSA is trying to get the national average waiting time down to 10 weeks. Photo: Getty. Mitchelstown is set to get a new driving test centre next month, which it is hoped will help to cut waiting lists in Cork where almost 6,500 learner drivers are waiting to do their test. The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has confirmed that it is now in the final stages of a lease agreement for a new driving test centre in the north Cork town. The centre is expected to open in November and is part of a national plan to reduce waiting times to an average of 10 weeks. The new centre should take some of the pressure off Corks three existing driving test centres of Wilton, Mallow, and Skibbereen. Wilton, one of the five busiest test centres in the country, currently has 4,403 applicants waiting on a test with a wait time of 16 weeks. The Mallow test centre has 1,496 on its waiting list with a wait time of 15 weeks while in Skibbereen there are 596 awaiting a test with a wait time of 9 weeks. Of the 6,495 people whove applied for a driving test in Cork, around a third (2,071) have been given a test date. East Cork TD James OConnor has welcomed the announcement, saying he has frequently raised Corks lengthy waiting list with the RSA. The waiting times currently being experienced in Wilton, Mallow, and Skibbereen are unacceptable and far too long. Many people rely on access to a car for employment, education, and daily life, so reducing these delays is absolutely essential, the Fianna Fail deputy said. I look forward to seeing the Mitchelstown driving test centre open in November and to the positive impact it will have in reducing waiting times for applicants across the region. Across the country driving test applications remain at record levels, with 192,373 applications received between January and August 2025. More than 74,000 driving tests were carried out between June and August, according to RSA figures. Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme. A North Cork-based nun will host a special mourning session this weekend in the aftermath of the destructive fish kill that decimated River Blackwater. Sister Alba, originally from India, is part of Nano Nagle Birthplace Centre, which is located in Mallow, and she felt compelled to host the event to allow anglers and locals alike to mourn the death of the estimated 40,000 fish. The event will take place at the Nano Nagle Birthplace Centre, which is located in Ballygriffin, on Saturday, October 4, from 5pm to 7pm. Mary Cronin has attended the centre for over 15 years, and she meditates under Sister Albas watchful eye and she said the ethos of the facility is intertwined with ecology and spirituality. The Blackwater runs along the boundary of it, and this place is called the centre of ecology and spirituality, and everything that affects the ecology of the area is central to the sisters here. We all have greater understanding of the impact on our lives by the ecology of where we live. We are all one and if there is a trauma in the river, it impacts us all personally, she said. Ms Cronin said she will be in attendance on Saturday, and although the Nano Nagle Birthplace Centre caters for the Catholic faith, Ms Cronin said the event is open to everyone. A woman whose business is largely impacted is a Protestant, we said come on away because it is nothing to do with religion at all. She will read a poem from Gerard Manley Hopkins called When Kingfishers Catch Fire. It refers to when the fish die, what does the kingfisher eat then? she said. Follow Nano Nagle Birthplace Centre on Instagram at @birthplacenanonagle. Driving conditions continue to be difficult in many parts of Cork County, especially in West Cork. A spokesperson for Cork County Council said their crews are continuing to respond to weather related incidents and are preparing for the arrival of Storm Amy. Motorists are urged to drive with care especially in areas affected by flooding in west Cork with severe damage caused to road surfaces in Borlin and Castledonovan, while theres a tree down blocking access at Castlelands, Kinsale. Cork County Council has confirmed that the R594 Madore and R587 at Ardcahan Bridge have both reopened to traffic. After a similar warning in Cork yesterday, a Status Yellow Wind warning for the entire country comes into force at midday today, which may lead to difficult travelling conditions, debris and some fallen trees. The Coast Guard is appealing to people to stay away from coastal areas during this period, while the electricity network may be affected. People are urged to stay away from fallen wires and cables and report it immediately to 1800 372 999. Cork County Council is asking road users to exercise caution over the coming days as driving conditions may be hazardous, with surface water flooding possible. Motorists are advised to avoid driving through flowing or standing water and to exercise caution during heavy rain. Motorists are also asked to be conscious of cyclists and pedestrians. Strong to near gale force winds and gusty south-westerly winds are forecast until midnight tonight. The potential impacts include difficult travelling conditions, debris, loose objects displaced and some fallen trees possible. Road users are urged to pay particular attention to the risk posed by fallen trees and flying debris. Independent Ireland councillor Danny Collins has urged people to be careful. Please be careful out and about as there is flooding on a lot of roads and a lot of storm damage done. Storm Amy will bring damaging winds to the island of Ireland with every county under weather warnings on Friday, forecasters said. Wind speeds could reach up to 130km/h along the most exposed coastal areas of the island, with fallen trees and power outages among the potential impacts. Met Eireann issued a nationwide status yellow wind warning between midday and midnight on Friday. It said Storm Amy will bring heavy rain and stormy conditions with severe and damaging gusts. It added that winds will increase to storm or violent storm force in western and northwestern coastal areas at times during the afternoon and evening. Cobh native John ODonovan is one of 14 Irish citizens understood to be captured by Israeli forces The daughters of a Cork man being detained by the Israeli Defence Forces, having taken part in a humanitarian flotilla destined for Palestine, have said it is horrible to hear his voice and not be certain of his safety. Cobh native Paddy ODonovan is one of 22 Irish citizens taking part in the flotilla, of which at least 14 were captured, including fellow Corkonian and comedian Tadhg Hickey, and Sinn Fein Senator Chris Andrews. Mr ODonovan was one of almost 500 activists in total taking part in the flotilla which is attempting to smuggle humanitarian aid such as baby formula into Palestine, which the United Nations say is currently experiencing a genocide. He was skippering his own boat, the Fair Lady, one of several dozen ships as part of the flotilla. Earlier today, Paddys daughters, Robyn and Rebecca, spoke to The Neil Prendeville show on RedFM about the worry and upset they have experienced since learning of his capture, which they say has lead to their father taking part in a hunger strike. Were trying to piece it all together and figure it out, but so far we know that theyre on an indefinite hunger strike and theyre being transferred to a prison, about 30 miles off Egypt, Robyn told the programme. Were just waiting for more news, but its a waiting game, I suppose. When he was leaving, he said, "it will take two weeks, Ill be home before you know it. The Cobh native was one of several on the flotilla who had pre-recorded a video message ahead of an anticipated detention by Israeli Defence Forces. Holding his passport, Mr ODonovan urged followers to put pressure on local representatives and TDs to provide support to the Irish citizens. Demonstrations took place outside Cork City hall yesterday, and at Belvilly Bridge in Cobh today, delaying traffic exiting and entering Mr ODonovans home town. It was put out this morning that theyre on an indefinite hunger strike; it hasnt been confirmed whoto be honest, if you know my Dad, he would definitely be included in that, said daughter Robyn. Thats the type of person he is, hes going to do everything in his power to make a difference, to try and prove a point. Ms ODonovan also lauded the actions of her brave father, who said, despite family concerns as the flotilla approached the eastern coast of the Mediterranean, the 61-year-old refused to come home. Were all so proud of him, after all the hard times they have gone through, not once, at any second, did they think about backing out or going home. Hes been gone for around five weeks. When he was leaving, he said, it will take two weeks, Ill be home before you know it, and it feels like a lifetime for us, so I can only imagine being on the boats for that long, how it feels for him. A selfie taken by Paddy O'Donovan aboard the Fair Lady the day before his detention The days are leading into each other because youre waiting to get a message or an update, everything is a waiting game, said Robyn, who said the last time she spoke to her father was on Tuesday night (September 30). Were just trying to keep busy and find out everything we can find out, were worried, we want our Dad home, said Rebecca. Hes 61, he doesnt need to be there, said Rebecca, who doubts whether her father will sign papers admitting an illegal entry into Israel, which would allow him to be deported. I personally dont think they will sign these pieces of paper to say theyre terrorists and theyre in the wrong. They will do anything that they can, apart from sign those documents to agree to that, said Rebecca, who says the escalating situation is causing the family untold worry. They knew the blockade was waiting for them; they knew that the Israelis were going to do something to them. They knew just because the Spanish and Italians were there, they werent going to stop, so they were playing the waiting game, too. Scrambler bike seizures by gardai are on the rise Public parks and green spaces in Fingal are being taken over by scramblers and e-bikes performing dangerous stunts, according to local councillors. Councillor JK Onwumereh of BlanchardstownMulhuddart raised a motion at a local area meeting for Fingal County Council (FCC) asking to introduce a motorbike track to avoid more life-altering accidents. We need to accommodate this special interest in a safe and productive way in view of the rising cases of life-altering accidents involving scramblers and e-scooters, the motion said. Motorbike facilities in areas like Mulhuddart were shut down recently due to increasing insurance prices, according to a report from the council. Current facilities are inadequate and without proper facilities, they conveniently hide under the excuse of having no other option than to ride their scramblers in our parks, streets and residential areas, Mr Onwumereh said. This is anti-social behaviour there was an incident in Tyrrelstown which left a four-year-old girl seriously injured in a case of hit and run. We also had a fatality on Navan Road. Last year, cllr Onwumerah raised a motion on the same issue, calling on authorities to regulate the use of scramblers to ensure safety in public spaces. Their use has only increased since my last motion, and so have seizures by the gardai we had 164 seizures in Dublin in just the first four months of this year, he said. The misuse of scramblers and e-bikes are on the increase, drivers have been seen on footpaths, disregarding traffic lights and speed limits, and performing dangerous stunts. The council needs to step in and develop suitable grounds for people to use and figure out a way to make insurance more affordable. FCCs Senior Parks and Landscape Officer, Kevin Halpenny, said they are working with gardai to tackle anti-social behaviour in public parks. Were being challenged by this and were trying to respond to it, theres a need for a more focused response, he said. He said that FCC had provided motorbike facilities at St Catherines Park in Lucan and Tolka Valley Regional Park. The Tolka Valley facility was being run by Mulhuddart Motocross Club. Unfortunately, due to insurance related issues, this facility has had to cease operating, Mr Halpennys report said. Councillors said that rising insurance prices had made such facilities out of reach for many residents. Supporting the motion, Ongar councillor Angela Donnelly said: Its difficult to see how people are ever going to afford those insurance requirements. Having a motorcross in that area was positive. We have a massive problem with scramblers it will be great to have somewhere they can go to do their tricks and daredevil stunts with the right equipment and safety measures. Castleknock councillor Helen Redwood added: Ive been seeing very dangerous activities on our roads there was a scooter on its back wheel right beside my car and it was very frightening. I saw five bikes chasing after deer in Phoenix Park just last week. BlanchardstownMulhuddart councillor, John Walsh also supported the motion. This has been an absolute scourge on families here. At a time when we are trying to make these services more accessible, public parks and green spaces are being taken over by scramblers. Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme Planning denied for North Kerry solar farm opposed by many Ballylongford residents Locals opposed to the solar farm will be hoping that the refusal is not appealed to An Coimisiun Pleanala over the course of the next month File image. Jack Joy Kerryman Fri 3 Oct 2025 at 18:00 Ballylongford residents who objected to a massive solar farm proposed for their area will be relieved that planning permission has been refused for the development. A war of words erupted in Dail Eireann on Thursday when the funding process for two Kerry festivals Listowel Writers Week, and Tralee arts festival, Anam was called into question. The row erupted when Dublin South-Central Deputy Aengus O Snodaigh asked Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport Patrick ODonovan to be more transparent in how funding is allocated to festivals. Deputy O Snodaigh asked the Minister to confirm whether he granted funding to a festival [Listowel Writers Week] on an exceptional basis outside the normal application processes for annual departmental or Arts Council schemes. I understand the Deputy is referring to the approval on May 30 of an allocation of support not to exceed 25,000 in respect of the Listowel Writers Festival, Minister ODonovan said. He added that support of 25,000 for Listowel Writers Festival was approved alongside allocations for other arts and summer festivals. Deputy O Snodaigh emphasised that he did not name Listowel Writers Week because he believes it deserves to be funded. I have absolutely no problem with that, but I am interested in the way in which the normal funding process was circumvented in this instance, he said. The row escalated when Minister ODonovan reminded the deputy that his Sinn Fein party colleague Deputy Pa Daly had used a similar funding channel for Anam for 7,500. There was no difficulty with that, said Minister ODonovan. I do not know what Deputy O Snodaigh has against the people of Listowel, and I do not know what he has against Listowel Writers Week, which is a very worthy festival. The Minister said the last time he answered questions in the Dail, Deputy O Snodaigh and Deputy [Pearse] Doherty tore the place asunder over funding for a musical event in Gaoth Dobhair, County Donegal. Since those parliamentary questions, I was able to allocate funding to that event outside what the Deputy [O Snodaigh] would call normal procedures, the Minister said. Does Deputy O Snodaigh believe I should take that money back from Gaoth Dobhair? Will he take it up with Deputy Doherty? Will he take up the 7,500 that the department allocated to a festival in Tralee on foot of a request from Deputy Pa Daly? According to Deputy O Snodaigh, this was done outside of the normal channels? Deputy O Snodaigh said the problem is the Minister and his Department are not being transparent in the way it is funding events. Yes, there are exceptions and, yes, there is a need, Deputy O Snodaigh said. There are exceptions and those exceptions include Listowel Writers' Week, Tralee and others, but that should be published. The Minister should be open that this funding stream is available to everybody, he added. The Minister called Deputy O Snodaigh a hypocrite and advised him to take up the matter with his colleague Deputy Pa Daly. I could not be more open about Listowel. If the deputy's party deputy from north Kerry had turned up to the opening of Listowel Writers' Week, he would have got a press release on the extent of what the Department was giving, the Minister said. The Deputy [O Snodaigh] does not have an issue with Tralee, because of Deputy Pa Daly, or with Gweedore, because of Deputy Pearse Doherty. A special meeting has been convened to discuss the byelaws around camping on the island, and future plans to accommodate the rising number of camper vans visiting the area Keem Bay on Achill Island - Local councillors welcomed the growing number of visitors to the area but stressed that more must be done to provide adequate facilities for camper vans in Achill and Mulranny. Photo: Stock Image. Mayo must draw up a clear plan to cater for the growing number of camper vans visiting the county's beaches, a council meeting has heard. The increasing number of tourists presents a significant opportunity for Mayo, but it also poses a challenge in providing the proper facilities to accommodate them. This challenge is already visible, with reports of wild camping along Achill Island's Blue Flag beaches raising concerns that their status could be at risk. At the most recent meeting of the Westport and Belmullet Municipal District, councillors highlighted the lack of byelaws, enforcement, and infrastructure to address the issue. Cllr Paul McNamara, who raised the matter, asked what byelaws currently apply to Mayo's beaches, who enforces them, and whether there are future plans to address the rise in camper van numbers. "We are seeing an awful lot more camper vans, and I want to make it clear that we love them coming to the area, but we haven't done anything to facilitate them in Achill or Mulranny," he said. Currently, Achill Island has three campsites, two in Keel and one in Dugort, along with a designated area in Achill Sound that caters for overnight parking and provides essential facilities. Reports state that since Covid the number of registered camper vans across Ireland has jumped from 12,000 to over 20,000. Cllr McNamara said he was positive that the number of camper vans coming into Achill had quadrupled since the pandemic. "It's great to see them coming, but we have to provide proper facilities, proper parking, and proper facilities where they can get rid of their waste, "If we continue to ignore this situation we are getting ourselves into, particularly in tourist areas, we will end up losing our Blue Flag beaches," he warned. Cllr McNamara also pointed to complaints following the recent 'Battle for the Lake' event. Following the event, he received several emails from campers in Keel reporting that they were unable to sleep due to loud music from wild campers outside the campsite throughout the night. Follow Independent Mayo on Facebook "You can't have 20 or 30 camper vans parked along Blue Flag Beach and staying overnight," he said, pointing out that the Keel campsite was only a third full while visitors chose to camp illegally nearby. Cathaoirleach Peter Flynn agreed with his colleague and called for the matter to be added to an upcoming special meeting of the municipal council. The meeting was originally convened to discuss illegal parking on Roman Island in Westport. It will now also include a discussion on beach byelaws and camper van facilities in the area. "It's a huge opportunity, but it's a huge challenge as well," Cllr Flynn said, "we have to move as a local authority with the times. It's a massive industry." No date has yet been set for the meeting, but councillors agreed that the discussion must include both enforcement and long-term planning. "These people are investing in and coming to the tourist destinations, and they have to be catered for," said Cllr McNamara. "We need to know where we stand when it comes to byelaws, and we also need to have a vision and a plan on how to cater for the ever-changing tourism industry, "We have an obligation as a council to put a plan in place," he added. This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme. Elected representatives express concern as Storm Amy descends on Roscommon A Met Eireann map of the weather warnings in place for Storm Amy Roscommon County Council has urged the public to limit travel to essential journeys as all its civic amenities in the county are to remain closed during Storm Amy. Roscommon is the only county in Connacht not currently under an Orange Wind Warning but is currently experiencing strong winds and flooding in parts of the county. The ESB are reporting two faults affecting 35 customers in west Roscommon and 44 customers in the north of the county. Sections of the N60 between Roscommon and Castlerea have been flooded following heavy rain in the past 48 hours.# Follow Independent Roscommon on Facebook Roscommon County Council have said that smaller upland and urban catchments in the south-west, west and north-west are at the greatest risk of flooding, following heavy rainfall today (Friday) and Thursday. Mountainous areas are currently forecast to see the greater rainfall accumulations, with potential for between 80 and 100 millimetres of rain in 48 hours. All of the local authoritys civic amenities remain closed today (October 3) due to the storm. This comes as elected representatives have expressed concern about the level of preparedness for storms. I hope State agencies are better prepared for Storm Amy than they were for Storm Eowyn. And I hope more that power infrastructure can withhold, and households do not lose electricity, said Roscommon-Galway Sinn Fein TD, Claire Kerrane, in a Facebook post. Independent Ireland MEP, Ciaran Mullooly, expressed similar concerns on Shannonside FM, saying that the government had no plan in place for future storms following Storm Eowyn, which struck the country on January 24. Yesterday, (October 2) Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne TD, said that a review of the coordinated response to Storm Eowyn has been submitted to the Government Task Force on Emergency Planning. Examining all aspects of the response to Storm Eowyn, and identifying all the key lessons across all sectors, this review and its recommendations will inform our responses to extreme weather events and how we keep communities safe in the future, said Mr Browne. This comprehensive report is almost ready and I hope to be in a position to publish it very shortly and I will be keen for its recommendations to be implemented as soon as possible. Elsewhere, the Irish Independent has learned that Fine Gael presidential election candidate, Heather Humphreys, has postponed her visit to Roscommon today. The former government minister was due to canvass in Roscommon Mart at 4.30pm after canvassing in Longford and Athlone. Olivia Jones (Clean Coasts Coordinator for the North West Region) and Beth Brown (ATU PhD Researcher) chatting with students at the ATU Clubs and Societies Fair. The Think Before You Flush team headed to Sligos Atlantic Technological University to attend their annual Clubs and Societies Fair and talk to students about all things sewage related litter. The event encouraged the students of ATU to cultivate responsible flushing behaviours and to pledge their commitment to the Think Before You Flush campaign. This initiative aims to raise awareness about the detrimental effects of flushing sanitary products and other damaging items down the toilet and to promote responsible waste management practices. The Think Before You Flush campaign, operated by Clean Coasts in partnership with Uisce Eireann, emphasises the importance of appropriate flushing behaviour and the disposal of items including wipes and other sanitary products in the bin, even if they are labelled as flushable. Only the 3 Ps (pee, poo and paper) should be flushed down the toilet. When items such as wet wipes are flushed down the toilet, they can cause serious blockages in our plumbing, damage our waste-water networks and lead to sewage overflows that pollute our rivers, lakes, beaches and coastlines. The team also discussed the Think Before You Pour campaign that looks at the issue of pouring fats, oils, and greases (FOGs) from cooking, down the kitchen sink. Instead of flowing freely, FOGs cool and harden as they travel along the wastewater network. When FOGs combine with sewage related litter such as wipes, hair and dental floss fatbergs can form. Uisce Eireann clears thousands of blockages, including fatbergs, from the wastewater network every year. The Think Before Pour campaign urges everyone to avoid washing FOGs down the kitchen drain and, instead, dispose of them in the bin once cool. Speaking about the event Olivia Jones from Clean Coasts said: We are delighted to visit ATU Sligo and engage in conversations about the Think Before You Flush campaign with the students. Sewage-related litter poses a real burden on our wastewater network and marine environment. The wonderful news is that the solution is straightforward. Only flush the 3 Ps, thats pee, poo, and paper, down the toilet. Everything else belongs in the bin. Through collaboration, we can support better flushing behaviour and deliver a tangible positive impact on our natural environment. Patrick Cross, Campaign Officer for Think Before You Flush said: This event is the first in a three-part series we are running at universities across the country in September and October. We will be at Trinity, Dublin on the 14th of October and UCC, Cork on the 16th. Both events fall during Climate Action Week. We think this is an apt occasion to discuss the importance of small changes that the young people of Ireland can make that can have a big impact on the health and vitality of our natural spaces. Beth Brown of ATU, who organised the event, added: As a PhD researcher at ATU Sligo, Green Campus Committee member and all-round water-lover its been great collaborating with Clean Coasts to bring their Think Before You Flush campaign to the university. From hanging posters in the university toilets, collaborating on social media and delivering a stand at the Clubs and Societies Fair, we have delivered the campaign messaging to many students during their first week back on campus. The collaboration was also highlighted at our Green Flag raising ceremony, awarded by An Taisce to ATU earlier this year thanks to the dedication of the student-led Green Campus Committee. Were looking forward to getting involved in the Clean Coasts National Big Beach Clean at Streedagh Beach on Friday the 26th of September. A huge thank you to everyone who supported and engaged with the campaign so far! Affected landowners will be written to soon A preferred route has emerged for the Sligo to Enniskillen greenway. The preferred route for the Sligo to Enniskillen greenway will be available for viewing from Wednesday this week. All landowners who fall within the preferred corridor will receive a letter in coming weeks and are encouraged to contact their project liaison officer with any queries. The design and environmental evaluation stage has begun with support from Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII). Feedback from local communities and stakeholders is actively being reviewed to shape the future route of the Sligo Leitrim and Northern Counties (SLNCR) greenway. Hundreds of people submitted their views during the last public consultation (28 April 3 June 2025) with almost 200 people attending in-person events to speak directly with the design team. This input has shaped the preferred corridor where the final greenway will go and will inform the project team of possible options for the final route. This week (from October 8) the preferred corridor will be available on the project website along with two new reports: The Options Selection Report (OSR): this sets out the approach taken to identify the preferred corridor www.slncr-greenway.com/phase-2 The Public Consultation Report: this set outs views shared by statutory stakeholders, community groups, landowners and members of the public www.slncr-greenway.com/public-consutlation-no3 The 75km greenway from Enniskillen to Sligo will honour the old railway line as a safe space for local walkers and cyclists. It will be a strategic and scenic route for people to come, stay, visit and explore the region passing through Carraroe, Ballysadare, Collooney, Ballintogher, Dromahair, Manorhamilton, Glenfarne, Blacklion, Belcoo and Letterbreen on the way to Enniskillen. Brendan McKenna from Leitrim County Council, senior executive engineer to the project said: We are delighted to reach the next milestone of the Sligo to Enniskillen SLNCR greenway by publishing the preferred corridor. We had important and engaging conversations during the public consultation where local people told us about their land and communities. We thank everyone for their input which is directly helping the design team understand how people live and work the land, how they would use the greenway to link with neighbours, wildlife and safely walk and cycle in their local area. In direct response to these views, we have widened the corridor up to 200m in some areas. This step will enable us to develop options for the final route which will be no more than 10 metres wide and is set to be published next year. Other factors we need to consider are ecology and environmental elements, gradient, water courses and flood risk, impact on farmland, traffic and road crossings. We continue to work with all stakeholders to produce a route option as we work towards planning submissions. A team of ecologists will undertake surveys of wintering birds from now up to March 2026 to establish their presence, food sources and to assess any potential impact. Structural engineers will begin non-intrusive assessments of existing historic features such as historic rail and road bridges, underpasses, culverts to confirm whether existing structures may be used or repurposed. Future work on the preferred corridor will include topographical surveys, drone and satellite surveys of the land and assessments of potential road crossings. The project team is led by Leitrim County Council in partnership with Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Sligo County Council and Cavan County Council under the auspices of (TII) and Department for Infrastructure (NI). Arup is appointed as design and project consultants In the lead up to the spooky season, two of the countys leading history enthusiasts are putting their heads together to create the most thrilling, spine-tingling and absolutely terrifying night-walking tours. With tours taking place across Wexford town and Enniscorthy, Paul Walsh, who has previously led tours around Irelands most haunted grounds of Loftus Hall, guarantees that the New Ross route has the bloodiest history of all, and hopes that people from other towns will dip into other districts for a night of horrors and history combined. Theres such a big history in New Ross, and such a bloody one, especially with 1798 and the Norman invasion, but on top of all that, its a riverside town, which would always be open for attacks, and then theres history linking to Cromwell and a lot of medieval graveyards around the town, said Mr Walsh. But one thing I love the most is setting the scene for the walking route which will mean that, to get to those sites were talking about, well have to navigate our way through the narrow side streets and lanes, which are filled with a massive amount of history of slaughters and murders that took place, he continued. "Working in New Ross and building the tour with Myles Courtney has been a ball, Ive loved learning about it because, I thought Wexford had a bloody, gruesome history, well New Ross is right up there with it and its been a very easy place to make a decision on doing the ghost tour because of that, Mr Walsh said. The former designated tour guide of Loftus Hall, where the devil is said to have appeared, is hoping to inflict some of his most chilling experiences onto those who take part in the terrifying tours. I used to hate having to lock up Loftus Hall by myself. Nothing ever appeared in front of me, but I certainly felt like there was something standing beside me. I experienced hearing little whispers, really weird smells, cold spots, upstairs in Loftus Hall really was one of the freakiest feelings Ive ever had, Mr Walsh said. Right up there with Loftus Hall, according to Mr Walsh, was another spine-tingling experiences is from when he was in the old Dun Mhuire in Wexford town, which has since been demolished. Mr Walsh recalls being on site to prepare for night of theatre as part of one of the drama festivals. There was only me and Mark Redmond in the theatre, and I think Pip couldve been there somewhere too, but I was out the back down by the dressing rooms and went to go down to the toilet. Then suddenly, I felt like someone was breathing heavily on my neck and dragging at me. It was horrible. I still feel sick thinking about it was that bad, he said. As Mr Walsh hopes to incorporate those experiences into his Haunted Hallows tours, he said theres a huge build up of excitement and, despite the tours having a spooky theme to them, enhancing tourism is still at the fore. He said: This is also a big reason why we want to do the tour, because people tend to do stuff in their own towns and stay in those areas, but I'm hoping that people from around the county will come and get a new appreciation for the other towns, and hopefully it's going to be terrifying. Taking place on Thursday, October 16 and Thursday, October 30, the over 18s tours in New Ross will commence in St Marys Church and end inside St Michaels Theatre, walking through some of the really dark, dingy, scary, spooky places in between where people should expect an hour of fun and an hour of scares, all at the same time. Limited availability remains for both the Enniscorthy and Wexford town tours; both equally as terrifying, the tour around Wexford will take place on Friday, October 17, at 9pm after the official opening of the opera festival and firework display on the Wexford quay front, and Enniscorthys tour on Friday, October 31 will commence at 6pm. To book your place or for further information contact 086-2138062. The owners of three Arklow-based small and medium enterprises have outlined how major government reform is needed if they are to flourish. Overtly familiar with the unknowns each business year brings, Stephen Smith, founder of local pet food company Green Treat Ltd, has voiced strong criticism of Budget 2026, insisting that only sweeping, systemic reform can foster job creation and entrepreneurial spirit. Having launched his business in 2019 and worked extensively with other SMEs as a consultant, Stephen describes the current environment for Irish entrepreneurs as ultra-challenging. He believes the budgets potential benefits are outweighed by rising costs (raw materials, electricity, insurance, council rates), new financial pressures like auto-enrolment pensions, an impending minimum wage hike, and additional bank holidays, and the burden of high rents and housing shortages, which strain employers and workers alike. Any budgetary support will be buried under layers of bureaucracy, making it inaccessible to most, he said. Even if something is offered, the red tape and audits make it not worth pursuing. SMEs are constantly hit with price increases, and farmers are suffering too. In a letter to Taoiseach Micheal Martin, Mr Smith expressed concern that employers are forced to absorb the cost-of-living crisis, arguing that minimum wage increases are nullified by rising rents and unregulated consumer prices, leaving workers no better off. Despite his own companys modest success, Mr Smith said daily operations remain a struggle. Its a lot of dog food to sell just to keep up, he quipped. Entrepreneurship in Ireland is becoming unviable unless youre in high-tech, and food producers are closing due to pressure from multinational corporations. Theres no incentive to start or grow a business. The volatility and constant cost increases are major deterrents. While each SME may seem small, together they represent a significant part of the jobs market and theyre being held back. Explaining how he fully supports fair wages and the principle of a living wage, Smith said the reality is that when minimum wage increases, that cost doesnt disappear it gets passed on. Business owners are left with two options: raise prices or reduce staff, he continued. Any wage increase is swallowed by other rising costs especially rent, which remains sky-high due to insufficient housing. Add the inflated prices at the checkout, driven by unregulated markets and what feels like government-sanctioned price gouging, and workers end up no better off. Employers are asked to shoulder the cost-of-living crisis burden. Without broader reform, this cycle will continue to punish businesses and workers. Commenting on the pressures of staffing costs, Bernie Breen, founder of BEE Smart Training and Consultancy, which provides training for management, staff, teams and individuals involved in social care, said she hopes for measures to ease the strain. It would be great to see something that would make it a little bit easier to provide employment, Bernie said. When you have a high percentage to pay in terms of employers PRSI contributions, on top of paying employees wages, it makes it very hard for a small business to create jobs and offer employment. After selling their restaurant of 30 years in one of Italys gastronomical hubs, Marco Sacchi and his wife Marta opened their authentic cafe/bistro, A Taste of Italy, at the Arklow Riverwalk on St Patricks Day in 2023. Although delighted with an expected reduction in the hospitality sector Vat rate from 13.5pc to 9pc, Marta said Vat will remain a big issue and that the budget wont address local barriers, where more government investment and incentives would do wonders to increase tourist footfall. From our point of view, the cut will help, but for us, the whole Vat system is a big pain for small business owners, she said. When we purchase products from our suppliers, and we mainly buy Italian products, many of them except wine come without Vat, but when we sell them, there is Vat on top of it. In Italy, when we purchased anything, there was some Vat on it, but its different here, and its a big issue for us. There are some supermarkets where they wont give you a Vat receipt. Small and medium businesses dont just rely on suppliers. Sometimes we need to run out to get flour or sugar, but we cant get a Vat receipt. Our business has exceeded our expectations, and we have very loyal customers in Arklow, its surrounds, and from Dublin down to Wexford, but it is still a big challenge, she continued. We came to Arklow because theres lots of potential, and its great to see positive initiatives like the arts centre bring in more people, but it would be great to see more investment in the Main Street, the roads and accommodation to bring more tourists into the town. George and Amal Clooney arrive at the Albie Awards at the Natural History Museum in London (James Manning/PA) Celebrities including Meryl Streep and Dame Emma Thompson put on their best outfits for George Clooneys star-studded London awards event on Friday. Stars arrived in their droves to The Albies an awards ceremony created by Clooney and his wife, human rights lawyer Amal, to shine a protective spotlight on brave individuals and groups from around the globe who, at great personal risk, have devoted their lives to fighting for justice. Hannah Waddingham in a glittering gown (James Manning/PA) Glittering in a sequinned dress was Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham, who arrived at the event wearing a neutral-coloured gown with stripes of sequins and a matching cape. Top Guns Meg Ryan, CBS News presenter Gayle King, and Now You See Me star Isla Fisher were among the other attendees at the event, held at the Natural History Museum in London. Meg Ryan arrives at the awards (James Manning/PA) British stars included Saltburn actor Richard E Grant, chat show host Graham Norton, fashion designer Stella McCartney, actress Felicity Jones and Gavin And Stacey star Russell Tovey. Elsewhere, make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury was pictured wearing a figure-hugging dress with ruffles and a corset alongside the Clooneys. Meryl Streep arrives at the Albie Awards (James Manning/PA) Oscar-winning actress Streep wore black trousers with a sheer black top adorned with green beads, while Dame Emma, another Oscar winner, wore a corduroy suit with a heavily sequined top. Another notable figure was New Zealands former prime minister Jacinda Ardern, who sported a halter neck gown with a floral motif. Michaela Jae Rodriguez, Bella Tilbury, Isla Fisher, Charlotte Tilbury, Hannah Waddingham, Jemima Khan and Felicity Jones (James Manning/PA) The Albies are named after anti-apartheid hero Justice Albie Sachs, who received a lifetime achievement award at the charitys inaugural fundraiser in 2022, according to the Clooney Foundation for Justice website. He also attended Fridays event, which gives out awards in multiple categories, including the justice for women award. The Clooneys are co-founders of the Clooney Foundation for Justice, which provides free legal aid in defence of free speech and womens rights. LATEST | Manchester synagogue attack: One of the victims shot by police in attempts to bring attacker under control One of the victims of Thursday's attack at synagogue was shot by police during their attempts to bring the unarmed attacker under controlThe 35-year-old attacker was shot dead by police seven minutes after officers were alertedGuard who shut attacker out of building praised for saving lives Two men killed in Manchester synagogue terror attack named by police Irish Independent Newsdesk Press Association Fri 3 Oct 2025 at 12:10 One of the victims of Thursday's attack at a synagogue in Manchester was shot by police during their attempts to bring the unarmed attacker under control, officers said on Friday in a statement. A BBC Panorama documentary revealed shocking attitudes British prime minister Keir Starmer has described the officers' behaviour as shocking. Photo: Leon Neal/PA A shocking BBC Panorama documentary revealed serving members of the Met Police called for immigrants to be shot, were dismissive of rape claims and celebrated the use of force by fellow officers. Joe Barnes: Tomahawk missiles could target Moscow and change the war in Ukraine Zelensky hoping Trump gives him green light to use game-changing weapons Donald Trump meets Volodymyr Zelensky and EU leaders in the White House last month. Photo: PA Joe Barnes Telegraph Media Group Holdings Ltd Fri 3 Oct 2025 at 06:30 When an American submarine unleashed 30 Tomahawks on Iranian nuclear facilities, Donald Trump hailed their pinpoint accuracy and destructive power. Vladimir Putin hits back at Donald Trump and says Russia is ready to respond to any European threat Russian president says counter-measures will not be long in coming if country is provoked Vladimir Putin addresses a meeting at the Valdai Discussion Club. Photo: AP Vladimir Soldatkin Reuters Fri 3 Oct 2025 at 06:30 Russian president Vladimir Putin criticised US president Donald Trump for calling Russia a paper tiger and said Moscow would respond swiftly if it thinks Europe is provoking it. Russia's sustained bombardment of Ukraine's power grid is deepening concerns about the safety of the country's nuclear facilities after a drone knocked out power for more than three hours to the site of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Smoke rises over Gaza City after an Israeli attack, as seen from Nuseirat, Gaza on October 02, 2025. Photo by Khames Alrefi/Anadolu via Getty Donald Trump said Israel must immediately stop bombing Gaza after Hamas agreed to release all Israeli hostage held in the strip as part of a US-led peace plan. Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump's Gaza proposal, and signalled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details. Greta Thunberg among 443 volunteers detained Protesters take part in a rally in support of the Gaza flotilla boats in Geneva. Photo: AP Israel faced international condemnation and protests yesterday after its forces intercepted around 40 boats carrying aid and more than 400 foreign activists including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg to Gaza. Cameras broadcasting live feeds from the boats, verified by Reuters, showed armed Israeli soldiers in helmets and night vision goggles boarding the ships, while passengers huddled in life vests were seen with their hands up. It is beyond revenge, enough is enough Egypt calls for peace agreement, but says ball now in Hamas court As a mediator, Egyptian government is co-ordinating with terror group to convince it to respond positively to US plan Palestinians watch as smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip. Photo: Reuters John Irish and Wafaa Shurafa Reuters Fri 3 Oct 2025 at 06:30 Egypts foreign minister said yesterday that Cairo was working with Qatar and Turkey to convince Hamas to accept US president Donald Trumps plan to end a nearly two-year-old war in Gaza, and warned the conflict would escalate if the militant group refused. US President Donald Trump gave Hamas until Sunday evening to reach a last-chance agreement on his plan for Gaza's future or have "all Hell" break out against the Palestinian militants. Presidents plan to downsize federal government ramps up with threats to fire more workers US president Donald Trump said he was meeting with his budget director Russell Vought to determine which Democrat Agencies to cut, as he looks to inflict pain on his political opposition in the second day of a government shutdown. Mercedes Gleitze, the first British woman to swim the Channel (PA) A watch worn by the first British woman to swim the English Channel is going to auction with an estimated selling price of almost 1 million. ( Image credit : ABO Desire Episode 15 online. Credit: GagaOOLala ) ABO Desire: Release date and time for Episode 15 Where to Watch ABO Desire Episode 15 Online? ABO Desire: Episode 15 Plot? ABO Desire episode 15: Spoilers "Desire" is holding on strong amidst the entrance of strong BL series! Have you watched it all? Don't forget to watch and stream shows right only on GagaOOLala! Go to GagaOOLala website or app and start watching now pic.twitter.com/J4fC0LsquZ GagaOOLala (@gagaoolala) October 3, 2025 ABO Desire: Cast and Characters FAQs Fans of the Chinese dramacan stream Episode 15 online, October 4, 2025, at approximately 5:30 PM IST / 12:00 PM GMT / 8:00 AM ET, according to the official release schedule.ABO Desire is set in a world reshaped by a virus that divided society into Alphas, Betas, Omegas, and the elusive Enigmas - each with unique instincts and social roles. The story centers on Sheng Shaoyou, a powerful S-class Alpha burdened by family secrets, and Hua Yong, a cunning intern who seems like an Omega but hides his true Enigma nature. Their intense cat-and-mouse dynamic, filled with secret deals and emotional clashes, keeps audiences hooked.Episode 15 airs on Saturday, October 4, 2025, at 5:30 PM IST / 12:00 PM GMT / 8:00 AM ET. It will also be available to international viewers via simultaneous streaming on Viki, all of which offer English subtitles to make the series accessible to a global audience.Episodes 15 is available to stream on Viki - the main legal platforms offering high-quality video and English subtitles. For viewers in the U.S., Canada, India, Indonesia, and Viki remains the top choice for watching the series., also called, is heating up the summer watchlist for Boys' Love (BL) fans who crave messy, mysterious, and biologically intense romance. This Chinese web drama plunges into the Omegaverse world filled with pheromones, power struggles, and hidden identities. Adapted from Nong Jian's novel, it has gained a devoted global fanbase thanks to its unexpected twists and a captivating, magnetic cast.The emotional stakes between Wong and Sheng Xiaoyu reach their peak in this episode. Their bond has always been a fragile balance of loyalty, mistrust, affection, and hidden truths, but now everything intensifies. What unfolds is both heartbreaking and tender - a reminder that in a world of alphas, omegas, and power struggles, love is never simple.Wong, weakened and vulnerable after tragedy, finds himself relying on Xiaoyu more than ever. At breakfast, Xiaoyu's constant stolen glances betray his concern, even as he hides behind his cold facade. Wong notices - and secretly thrives on these subtle signs of affection. Their push-and-pull becomes addictive: Wong using vulnerability with clever restraint, and Xiaoyu wavering despite his tough words.The turning point comes when Wong, refusing to stay hospitalized, asks softly, "Will you never take me home?" - a plea that goes beyond the hospital walls. Its about belonging. Xiaoyu scolds him, but the words cut deep.Then comes the revelation: Wong is not an ordinary alpha. His permanent mark can transfer strength, speed, and healingalong with all of his love. Its both a confession and a promise, intimate yet heartbreaking. Xiaoyu's response - "Whats the price?" - hangs heavy, framing the risk of this bond.Episode 15 captures the scars - both physical and emotional - that shape their love. Wong lays himself bare, risking his life, while Xiaoyu is forced to decide whether to trust the impossible. Their stolen glances, raw honesty, and unspoken longing make this one of the most powerful episodes yet, leaving us desperate to know if love will triumph over doubt.The primary cast of the Chinese BL seriesfeatures Huang Xing as Hua Yong, Qiu Dingjie as Sheng Shaoyou, Li Peien as Gao Tu, and Jiang Heng as Shen Wenlang.Episode 15 will be released on October 4, 2025, at 5:30 PM IST / 12:00 PM GMT / 8:00 AM ET.You can stream Episode 15 on Viki. All three platforms offer English subtitles.Yes, the series is fully subtitled in English on Viki, including Episodes 15.No,is not available on Netflix. It officially streams on Viki. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday assured protesting youth that the state government will recommend a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the recent Uttarakhand Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UKSSSC) examination case. The assurance came after Dhami visited the Parade Ground in Dehradun, where several young aspirants had been demonstrating, demanding a transparent investigation. The Chief Ministers unannounced arrival at the protest site was marked by an interaction with students, where he expressed concern over their difficulties during the festive season. Dhami said the governments stance remains clearthat the recruitment process must be free of doubt and fully transparent. While the case is already being examined by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the supervision of a retired High Court judge, he acknowledged the demand for a CBI probe and promised to recommend it. Dhami emphasised that in the last four years, over 25,000 recruitments have been carried out in the state without complaints, and only this case has raised questions. Stressing solidarity with the youth, he assured that all efforts will be made to remove mistrust. He also announced that cases filed against students during the agitation will be withdrawn. Highlighting the importance of young aspirants for the states future, Dhami said their role would be central to Uttarakhands progress. He added that his decision to meet the protesters in person was meant to build trust and address concerns directly. Fated Hearts ( Image credit : Fated Hearts: Watch episode 9 online. Credit: iQIYI ) Fated Hearts: Release date and time for Episode 9 Where to Watch Fated Hearts Episode 9 Online? Fated Hearts episode 9: Spoilers Fated Hearts Fated Hearts: Cast and Characters FAQs Fated Hearts Fated Hearts Fated Hearts Fated Hearts Fated Hearts Fated Hearts Fated Hearts Fated HeartsFans of the Chinese dramacan stream Episode 9 online on October 4, 2025, at 3:30 PM IST / 10:00 AM GMT / 6:00 AM ET, according to the official release schedule.In the war-torn Jinxiu Kingdom, archer Fu Yixiao saves Prince Feng Suige but loses her memory after falling off a cliff. Rescued by the Ling family, she unexpectedly reunites with Suige. Once enemies, they must now rely on each other to survive in turbulent Yujing City. Amid betrayal, danger, and dark conspiracies, their bond slowly turns to love as they fight to overcome fate and protect one another.Episode 9 airs on Saturday, October 4, 2025, at 3:30 PM IST / 10:00 AM GMT / 6:00 AM ET. It will also be available to international viewers via simultaneous streaming on iQIYI, with English subtitles to make the series accessible to a global audience.Episodes 9 is available to stream on iQIYI - the main legal platforms offering high-quality video and English subtitles. For viewers in the U.S., Canada, India, Indonesia, and iQIYI remains the top choice for watching the series.The latest chapter of the epic drama unfolds with Fu Yixiao and Prince Suige navigating a fragile alliance amid war and intrigue. After a daring display at Pingling, where Yixiao's arrow changes the course of battle, she suffers a fall that leaves her injured and disoriented. Rescued by the Ling family of healers, she unexpectedly reunites with Suige, her former enemy.What begins as mutual suspicion quickly turns into a tense cooperation. Both have their own motives: Suige seeks answers about the battle at Pingling, while Yixiao needs his protection to survive under constant pursuit. Despite their past enmity, the two find themselves relying on each other in a city rife with danger, betrayal, and hidden threats.Their interactions are a delicate mix of tension, wit, and unspoken understanding. Suige teases Yixiao but also demonstrates care, tending to her injuries with rare gentleness. Yixiao, for her part, balances defiance with pragmatism, ensuring she maintains her independence while navigating Suige's bold advances.Amid the chaos, their relationship evolves. They make tentative agreements, set boundaries, and establish rules for their cooperation. Both remain wary, yet moments of vulnerability reveal glimpses of trust and mutual respect. Even a tense exchange over old debts and past grievances turns into an opportunity to reset their bond, highlighting their evolving dynamic.As Yixiao and Suige traverse the perilous streets of Yujing, dodging enemies and spies alike, sparks of romance begin to emerge. Their alliance, built on survival and strategy, gradually deepens into something more profound - showing that even in a world full of deceit and danger, trust and love can quietly take root.With every confrontation and near-miss, the stakes rise. Audiences are left captivated by the chemistry between the two leads and eager to see how this reluctant partnership will develop into a bond that might defy fate itself.The historical drama Fated Hearts stars Li Qin as Fu Yixiao, Chen Zheyuan as Prince Feng Suige, Xia Meng as Feng Xiyang, and Chen Heyi as Xia Jingshi. The 38-episode series premiered on iQIYI on October 2, 2025.Episode 9 will be released on October 4, 2025, at 3:30 PM IST / 10:00 AM GMT / 6:00 AM ET.You can stream Episode 9 ofon iQIYI. All three platforms offer English subtitles.Yes, the series is fully subtitled in English on iQIYI, including Episodes 9.No,is not available on Netflix. It officially streams on iQIYI. ( Image credit : Love's Ambition episode 19 release date and time | Credit: WeTV ) Love's Ambition: Release date and time for Episode 19 Where to Watch Love's Ambition Episode 19 Online? Love's Ambition: Episode 19 Plot? Love's Ambition episode 19: Spoilers Love's Ambition: Cast and Characters FAQs Fans of the Chinese dramacan stream Episode 19 online on October 4, 2025, at 3:30 PM IST / 10:00 AM GMT / 6:00 AM ET, according to the official release schedule.This drama follows glamorous anchor Xu Yan and urban elite Shen Hao Ming, an enviable couple whose contrasting backgrounds strain their relationship. Xu Yan marries him through her crafted image and his influence, but after a conflict, she breaks free. Only then does Shen Hao Ming realize his true feelings and vows to win her back. As they drop their facades, they grow closer and rediscover each other.Episode 19 airs on Saturday, October 4, 2025, at 3:30 PM IST / 10:00 AM GMT / 6:00 AM ET. It will also be available to international viewers via simultaneous streaming on Viki, with English subtitles to make the series accessible to a global audience.Episodes 19 is available to stream on TencentVideo, WeTV and Viki - the main legal platforms offering high-quality video and English subtitles. For viewers in the U.S., Canada, India, Indonesia, and Viki remains the top choice for watching the series.Glamorous anchor Xu Yan and urban elite Shen Hao Ming seem like the perfect couple, but their contrasting backgrounds strain their relationship. Xu Yan marries him using her carefully crafted image and his influence, yet a conflict drives her to break free. Only then does Shen Hao Ming realize his true feelings and vow to win her back. As they let go of their facades, they grow closer and rediscover both each other and themselves.Shen Hao Ming kisses Xu Yan and begs for forgiveness in front of everyone, leaving her unsure if he's sincere or just putting on a show. Episodes 19 and 20 of Love's Ambition are full of tension as Jong Leang uncovers the truth about Xu Yan and Shen Hao Ming's troubled marriage. He pursues her, offering to invest in her fashion brand and asking for her WeChat, sparking jealousy in Shen Hao Ming.Xu Yan agrees to act as his loving wife to secure a deal with Balagin, giving Shen Hao Ming a chance to repair their marriage, though his pride remains. Their sharp exchanges reveal lingering tension and unresolved feelings. Shen Hao Ming insists that being with him will benefit her, prompting Xu Yan to assert her independence.Meanwhile, rival Steven attempts to expose their cracks to sabotage the deal, pointing out separate beds and private habits. Anticipating this, Shen Hao Ming prepares their room to appear like a honeymoon suite, impressing Balagin and keeping the deal intact.During a tense dinner, Steven questions Xu Yan about her missing wedding ring. Shen Hao Ming presents the ring, admits his mistakes, and pleads for another chance. Stunned, Xu Yan hesitates but eventually extends her hand. A public kiss seals the business deal and leaves Steven furious.These episodes force Xu Yan and Shen Hao Ming to confront their feelings, blending pride, love, and vulnerability, making this one of the series most emotionally charged moments.The drama(also known asor) stars Zhao Lusi as Xu Yan and William Chan as Shen Hao Ming. The main cast also features Wan Peng as Lin Qiao, Tang Xiaotian as Yu Yi Ming, and Guan Zijing as Lin Tao.Episode 19 will be released on October 4, 2025, at 3:30 PM IST / 10:00 AM GMT / 6:00 AM ET.You can stream Episode 19 on Viki. All three platforms offer English subtitles.Yes, the series is fully subtitled in English on Viki, including Episodes 19.No,is not available on Netflix. It officially streams on Viki. ( Image credit : Manchester Synagogue attack on Yom Kippur: What we know so far | Credit: X/ReinCohen ) Worshippers targeted on the holiest day ( Image credit : Manchester Synagogue attack on Yom Kippur: What we know so far | Credit: X/streetwize ) The victims and the injured Who was the suspect? ( Image credit : Manchester Synagogue attack on Yom Kippur: What we know so far | Credit: X/TRobinsonNewEra ) Eyewitness accounts of terror National response and security measures ( Image credit : Greater Manchester Police Confirm Arrests in Synagogue Attack Investigation | Credit: X/MiddleEast_24 ) A city in mourning Manchester was rocked on Thursday morning after a brutal attack outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue. Hundreds of worshippers had gathered for Yom Kippur prayers when a car ploughed towards them. The driver, armed with a knife, then attempted to stab people before being confronted by police within minutes.Officers shot dead the attacker at 09:38, just seven minutes after emergency calls were made. Worshippers and security staff reportedly acted with immediate bravery, blocking the suspect from entering the synagogue itself, preventing what could have been an even greater tragedy.Police later confirmed that two Jewish people were killed in the attack, while three others remain in hospital with serious injuries. One victim suffered a stab wound, another was struck by the attackers car, and a third was injured during the police response. Their identities have not yet been released.The horrific events unfolded as families observed Yom Kippur, a solemn day of atonement, fasting, and prayer. For many in the Jewish community, the timing of the attack has made the tragedy feel even more profound.Authorities named the attacker as Jihad Al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent. He reportedly entered the UK as a young child and became a citizen in 2006.Police said he was wearing a vest that initially appeared to be an explosive device, but later confirmed it was not viable. Al-Shamie had no immediate record in counter-terrorism databases, though further checks are ongoing.Three other suspects, two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s, have been arrested on suspicion of preparing or instigating acts of terrorism.Locals described scenes of panic and fear. One witness said she saw the car rushing directly at worshippers before a man leapt out with a knife and began what she called a terrifying rampage. Another witness described seeing a victim bleeding out on the floor before armed officers opened fire on the attacker.Footage verified by the BBC shows police ordering the suspect to drop his weapon. When he attempted to stand after being shot, officers fired again, bringing him down.The incident triggered a national Plato response, which is used during marauding terror attacks. An SAS counter-terror helicopter, Blue Thunder, was deployed over Manchester as part of the emergency operation.Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called the events horrific, especially given their timing on Yom Kippur. He chaired an emergency Cobra meeting and confirmed that additional police units would be stationed at synagogues across the country.King Charles III and Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis also expressed their grief. The Chief Rabbi described the tragedy as a stark reminder of what he called an unrelenting wave of Jew hatred seen across communities, campuses, and online spaces.As Greater Manchester mourns the lives lost, questions remain about how the attacker carried out the assault seemingly undetected by security services. For now, what stands out most is the bravery of worshippers and police who prevented even greater devastation on a day meant for peace, reflection, and faith. Dar rejects ownership of Trumps plan Pakistan becomes the first country to back Donald Trump's 20 point peace plan in Gaza. Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif posting on X has fully extended his support to US President Donald Trump. pic.twitter.com/E4YNB4WC8b Raj Yadav (@RajYadav873) September 29, 2025 Public backlash against Sharifs support Trumps postwar Gaza plan proposes the voluntary mass removal of Gazas 2 million residents with $5,000 cash payments, four years of rent, and one year of food aid in exchange for their land so the territory can be rebuilt as a luxury tourist and investment zone. Follow: pic.twitter.com/pWUwn1F8Ld AF Post (@AFpost) August 31, 2025 Joint endorsement and changing clauses BREAKING: Pakistan takes a massive U-Turn, rejects Trumps Gaza Peace Plan. Asim Munir and Shehbaz Sharif betray Trump shortly after White House meeting. Pakistan Deputy PM & Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar says, Trumps 20-points to end Gaza peace plan are not their points. pic.twitter.com/nqV9bDnxTR Manish Kumar ad (@ma427906099) October 3, 2025 Hamas yet to respond Pakistans Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Ishaq Dar, clarified before parliament on Friday that US President Donald Trumps 20-point proposal to end the Gaza conflict does not represent Pakistans position. He reiterated that the plan is a US initiative and not aligned with the draft prepared by Muslim-majority countries.Dar stated that Pakistan had contributed to a separate draft along with several Muslim countries, but the document made public by Washington was not the same. I have made it clear that these 20 points which Trump has made public are not ours. These are not the same as ours. I say that some changes have been made in it, in the draft we had, he said, according to Reuters.Earlier in the week, in a TV interview, Dar had again stressed that Pakistan was not the author of the US proposal. This is not our document. There are some key areas we want addressed and if they are not, we will ensure they are, he told Geo News. He identified Pakistans immediate concerns as a ceasefire, stopping the bloodshed, enabling humanitarian aid, and ending forced displacement.Dars comments followed widespread criticism across Pakistan against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who openly backed Trumps plan. The Prime Minister had written on social media: My firm belief that President Trump is fully prepared to assist in whatever way necessary to make this extremely important and urgent understanding to become a reality.This statement triggered accusations that Sharif was compromising Pakistans long-held stance on Palestine. Social media users accused him of pleasing Washington, undermining Pakistans stance, and even legitimising Israel in a single tweet. Critics also argued that the proposal served Israels interests more than the Palestinians.On September 30, Pakistan had joined Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, and Indonesia in endorsing Trumps Gaza peace plan through a joint statement. However, changes were later discovered in the version presented to Hamas compared to the draft the Muslim-majority countries had backed.This discovery has created friction. Hamas has demanded changes in certain clauses, and Qatar, which has played a central role in mediation, also wants further discussions. These developments have placed the proposal at risk of collapsing before it can be implemented.Hamas has not issued a formal response to the altered proposal. The groups stance, along with ongoing discussions by regional mediators, will determine whether Trumps plan can move forward or whether it stalls under new demands. For now, Dar has made Pakistans position clear: the 20-point plan is not Islamabads, and any agreement must reflect priorities like ceasefire and humanitarian relief. Why the subsidies are central for the first time in nearly seven years, the US government shutdown overnight, after lawmakers and President Trump failed to reach a deal. Republicans and democrats are in a bitter fight over spending priorities. up to 750,000 workers could be furloughed every day, costing them pic.twitter.com/lEEbto62P2 captkyle Patriots (@captkylePa56630) October 3, 2025 Trumps influence and immigration angle The government shutdown is a shame but gave us one of the greatest memes of Trump: The Mexican sombrero shutdown pic.twitter.com/AahbFmWBTL AV (@Andresevd) October 1, 2025 Political divides on display Public opinion on the shutdown As the US government shuts down, here's Donald Trump explaining (in 2011) that the only person to blame for a shutdown is the President. pic.twitter.com/II4XOnGVz8 Parody Keir Starmer (@Parody_PM) October 1, 2025 The stakes for both parties $SHUTDOWN POSITION NOW BEFORE FOMO TRUMP TWEETS! pic.twitter.com/eHoshp5vdL US government Shutdown (@GovShutdownSoL) October 2, 2025 Possible paths to compromise The US government shutdown has now stretched into its third day, with Washington locked in a standoff over the future of Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies. Lawmakers failed earlier this week to pass a short-term funding bill, forcing federal agencies to scale back operations and leaving hundreds of thousands of employees furloughed or waiting for delayed paychecks. Economic analysts state that the longer the disruption continues, the greater the political and financial strain will be. But both sides remain unwilling to shift their positions.At the core of the dispute are ACA subsidies, introduced under former president Barack Obama and expanded during the pandemic. These premium tax credits were designed to cap household spending on health coverage based on income. In 2021, Congress widened eligibility and raised subsidy amounts, removing earlier income caps. The changes proved populartoday, over 24 million Americans are enrolled in ACA coverage, with 22 million receiving subsidies.If the enhanced subsidies are allowed to expire at years end, premiums are projected to rise sharply. The Kaiser Family Foundation estimates average out-of-pocket costs could more than double, from $888 this year to $1,904 next year. The Congressional Budget Office warns that 4.2 million people could lose their health coverage entirely. Democrats argue these numbers make subsidies non-negotiable, while Republicans insist the programs estimated $350 billion cost through 2034 must be reconsidered.President Donald Trump has made his presence felt in the debate, framing the subsidies as an attempt by Democrats to direct funds toward immigrants. In reality, migrants without legal status are not eligible for ACA benefits. Democrats have suggested restoring eligibility for certain lawful immigrant categories, including refugees and asylum seekers, that were restricted by a GOP-backed tax law signed by Trump. The Congressional Budget Office estimates about 1.4 million legal immigrants could lose coverage without this change. Trumps framing of the issue has further hardened Republican opposition, making compromise more difficult for moderates.The fight reflects familiar partisan lines. Democrats see the subsidies as essential to protect families from sudden premium hikes. Republicans argue that the policy is costly and distorts insurance markets, pushing for fiscal reforms such as restoring income caps. Some Senate Republicans have floated compromise plans like a one-year extension or phased reduction, but House conservatives remain firm. With enrollment season beginning in November, insurers must soon set rates. Any delay in subsidy extension could confuse consumers and drive notices of higher costs even before the official deadline.Polls suggest Americans are already assigning blame. A Washington Post flash survey found nearly half of respondents fault Trump and Republicans for the shutdown, compared to 30 percent who fault Democrats. Independents were more likely to hold Republicans responsible. However, Democrats also face riskswhile most support extending subsidies, fewer back prolonging the shutdown as a negotiating tactic. Public patience may decline if missed paychecks and service disruptions continue.The timing is particularly sensitive for Republicans. Many of the fastest-growing ACA enrollment states are Republican-leaning, such as Texas, Mississippi, and Tennessee. If subsidies lapse, voters in these states could face sudden premium spikes, raising the political cost for GOP lawmakers. Democrats, meanwhile, face pressure to secure the subsidies without appearing willing to keep the government shut indefinitely.Though both sides remain entrenched, small signs of movement exist. A handful of Senate Republicans are drafting proposals for tighter income caps tied to subsidy extensions. Some House members from both parties back a short-term one-year renewal to prevent immediate coverage losses while further negotiations continue. Yet for now, Republicans insist the government must be funded first, while Democrats warn that waiting until later risks destabilizing the insurance market.As the shutdown drags on, the clash over Obamacare subsidies highlights not just budget priorities but the broader role of government in healthcare. Hurun India Rich List 2025 1,000 crore Key highlights from the Hurun list 2025 16 Indian professional managers made it to the global ranking. The majority of them are working in the United States. Tech firms such as Google, Microsoft, and Adobe dominate the top positions. dominate the top positions. Jayshree Ullal of Arista Networks emerged as the wealthiest professional manager. Full list of the top 10 richest Indian professional managers Hurun list 2025 Rank Name Age Company Country Wealth (INR Cr) 1 Jayshree Ullal 64 Arista Networks USA 50,170 2 Satya Nadella 58 Microsoft USA 9,770 3 Nikesh Arora 57 Palo Alto Networks USA 9,190 4 Ignatius Navil Noronha 50 Avenue Supermarts India 6,570 5 Ajaypal Singh Banga 65 Investments USA 5,970 6 Thomas Kurian 59 Investments USA 5,900 7 Sundar Pichai 53 Google USA 5,810 8 Indra K. Nooyi 69 PepsiCo USA 5,130 9 Shantanu Narayen 62 Adobe USA 4,670 10 Ajit Jain 74 Berkshire Hathaway USA 2,950 Meet the top 3 richest Indian professional managers 1. Jayshree Ullal Arista Networks professional managers Jayshree Ullal CEO of Arista Networks $7 billion 2. Satya Nadella Microsoft CEO Chairman of Microsoft 9,770 crore 3. Nikesh Arora Palo Alto Networks Nikesh Arora Chairman and CEO of Palo Alto Networks Google Chief Business Officer SoftBank President COO Why the Hurun list matters FAQs 1. What is the Hurun list? 2. Who is the richest Indian professional manager in 2025? 3. How many Indian professional managers are included in the 2025 list? 4. Which sectors dominate the richest Indian professional managers list? 5. Are all richest Indian professional managers based in India? 6. Who are some of the other top names apart from Jayshree Ullal, Satya Nadella, and Nikesh Arora? 7. Why is this list important? India continues to strengthen its position as a major global economy, with a rapidly expanding base of high-net-worth individuals. According to the, the country now has over 1,680 people with wealth above an increase of 148 compared to 2024. Together, their combined fortune is estimated at 167 lakh crore, which is nearly half of Indias GDP.Among these, a unique category stands out the richest Indian professional managers. Unlike entrepreneurs or founders, these are senior executives who have built their wealth by leading some of the worlds most influential companies. The Hurun list highlights 16 such professionals in 2025, most of whom are based in the United States, heading global tech and business giants like Google, Microsoft, and Adobe.At the top of the Hurun list of richest Indianis, the President and. She has held this role since 2008 and owns around 3% of the company. Under her leadership, Arista has grown into anetworking powerhouse, making her one of Silicon Valleys most respected figures.Born in London and raised in New Delhi, Ullal studied electrical engineering in the US before starting her career in tech. Today, she is not only the wealthiest professional manager but also the richest Indian woman in the Hurun rankings, ahead of Radha Vembu (Zoho) and Falguni Nayar (Nykaa).Satya Nadella, theand, secures the second spot with a net worth of. Originally from Hyderabad, Nadella joined Microsoft in 1992 and climbed steadily through leadership positions.He is widely credited with transforming Microsoft into a cloud-first company, driving the success of its Azure platform. Nadellas journey from Mangalore University to the University of Chicago exemplifies the global impact of Indian-born leaders in the corporate world.In third place is, a leading cybersecurity firm. Since taking charge in 2018, Arora has overseen a sharp rise in the companys market value, which has also boosted his personal fortune.Before this, he had stints atasand atasand. His story, from being rejected over 400 times early in his career to becoming one of Silicon Valleys most influential executives, is an inspiring tale of resilience.The Hurun list of richest Indian professional managers not only reflects individual achievements but also demonstrates the global reach of Indian talent. While many of these executives are based in the US, their influence extends worldwide, shaping industries such as technology, retail, finance, and consumer goods.India continues to be a strong breeding ground for world-class managers who drive innovation and growth in some of the biggest multinational companies.The richest Indian professional managers featured in the Hurun list 2025 highlight the growing impact of Indian leaders on the global stage. From Jayshree Ullals dominance in networking to Satya Nadellas cloud revolution at Microsoft and Nikesh Aroras cybersecurity leadership, these professionals prove that Indian talent remains unmatched in the corporate world.The Hurun list is an annual ranking of the wealthiest individuals and professional managers, highlighting their net worth and achievements.Jayshree Ullal, CEO of Arista Networks, tops the list with a wealth of 50,170 crore.A total of 16 professional managers of Indian origin are featured this year.Technology companies such as Google, Microsoft, Arista, and Adobe lead the rankings.No, most of them are based in the United States, though their roots are in India.Notable names include Sundar Pichai (Google), Shantanu Narayen (Adobe), and Indra K. Nooyi (PepsiCo).It highlights the contribution of Indian professionals to global companies and showcases how Indian talent is shaping the future of technology and business worldwide. Multiple suspects are in custody following a Friday afternoon police pursuit that resulted in school lockdowns and a shelter-in-place order in Lower Merion Township. The chase erupted shortly before noon in the area of City Line Avenue, leading to an hourslong incident. It came after the FBI responded to an alleged attempted robbery of an armored vehicle, said Sofia Kettler, a spokesperson with the bureaus Philadelphia division. Advertisement Officials with the Lower Merion Police Department and Philadelphia Police Department referred The Inquirer to the FBI for comment. Additional details about the robbery attempt or those taken into custody were not immediately available, and Kettler declined to comment further, citing an ongoing investigation. In response to the incident, Lower Merion police issued a shelter-in-place order for the Bala Cynwyd area, writing in a social media post that officers were searching for three potentially armed suspects. Bala Cynwyd residents were advised to remain indoors and not approach police officers as part of the order, which was lifted just before 2 p.m. The Lower Merion School District also issued a lockdown order for at least eight of its schools, including Lower Merion High School, Belmont Hills Elementary School, and Bala Cynwyd Middle School. Police, the district said in messaging to parents, were pursuing a robbery suspect, and there was no immediate danger to students or staff. The lockdown lasted a few hours before being lifted, according to postings on the districts social media accounts. Saint Josephs University, whose Hawk Hill campus is located on the 5600 block of City Avenue, was also briefly placed in a lockdown on Friday afternoon amid the pursuit. Officials declined to discuss further details about the incident, and the FBI did not immediately respond to questions about the number of suspects placed into custody, or what charges they might face. It was also unclear if those apprehended were suspected in any other armored car robberies, which had been plaguing the region this summer. In August, the bureau announced a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of men involved in several armored-car robberies and an attempted robbery earlier this year. The reward announcement noted that authorities were searching for two to three suspects who robbed the vehicles while armed with handguns and AR-style rifles. Another group of Philadelphia men were charged with robbery and related offenses for stealing $2 million from an armored Brinks truck in Port Richmond in June. Wayne Jacobs, special agent in charge of the FBIs Philadelphia office, told The Inquirer in August that authorities were committed to holding [people] accountable. To those who would engage in similar behavior: Your time will come, he said. Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel on Thursday said his staff is well on its way to drafting a five-year strategic plan shaped by input from community members something he and the mayor dubbed as a first for the department and that it should be completed shortly after the start of the new year. Early workings of the plan, Bethel said, have been molded by conversations with more than 200 people so far, from police captains and administrators to community stakeholders and young people directly affected by the criminal justice system. Advertisement He said that while police commissioners have long developed public safety and crime-fighting plans, theyre often drafted by police and city leadership and then prescribed to the community not influenced by everyday residents wants and needs. It must be built with trust, Bethel said at a news conference Thursday alongside Mayor Cherelle L. Parker and other city officials. How can you invest in a plan if you dont see yourselves in that plan? How can you invest in this work if you dont see yourself as part of that work? The commissioner stopped short of sharing any specific insight into the proposal, but said it would build off the 100-day public safety plan he developed at the request of Parker. Generally, he said, the department intends to expand officer training and wellness programs, and build out a clearer definition and model for community policing. I always tell people, is it policing the community, or community policing? Bethel said. We havent taken the time to really stop and say, What does that look like? David Zega, whom Bethel hired from the Philadelphia School District to lead the initiative and craft the plan, said he is still in the process of drafting its framework, and that specific investments or changes for the department arent yet firmed up. Zega began convening stakeholders in May, and said that a draft of the plan should be finished by January. He encouraged residents to complete a survey in the meantime. Its common for police commissioners and mayors to work together to craft long-term public safety plans to guide their administrative goals. In 2012, then-Mayor Michael Nutter said the department would focus on confiscating illegal guns and ramp up overtime to put more cops on the street. And in 2019, former Mayor Jim Kenney unveiled a road map to safer communities just as the citys gun violence crisis was on its way to ultimately reaching historic heights. But Bethels plans come as the city faces an entirely different outlook. Philadelphia this year is expected to record the fewest homicides in 50 years. The homicide and nonfatal shootings clearance rates sit at 86% and nearly 40%, respectively, the highest in decades. And for the first time since 1979, Philadelphia is no longer the poorest big city in America. New York Yankees hurler Vic Raschi, center, was manager Casey Stengel's choice as starting pitcher for the opening game of the 1950 World Series at Shibe Park in Philadephia on Oct. 4, 1950. Read more Vic Raschi was raiding the strike zone. It was Game 1 of the 1950 World Series, and the New York Yankees ace was tossing a shutout against the upstart Phillies in front of 30,746 fans at Shibe Park. Advertisement But at some point on that Wednesday afternoon of Oct. 4, between Raschis angry scowls into the batters box and his barrage of wobbly fastballs, a prowler crept into the Warwick hotel and Raschis ninth-floor room. Hit and run Around 4 p.m., shortly after the Yankees finished off the Whiz Kids, a 16-year-old boy passed an alley near Girard College and spotted something out-of-place: an aluminum suitcase. He took it home and showed his mother, who called police. More than an hour later, Raschi and his wife returned to the Warwick in Rittenhouse Square, and panicked. Two suitcases were missing. Combined, they contained more than 120 World Series tickets and assorted jewelry valued at more than $1,000 (more than $13,000 today). At a police station at 19th and Oxford Streets, detectives opened the aluminum suitcase and found two ties, a pair of pajamas, and a white envelope marked Vic Raschi. Inside were 80 box-seat tickets for the three Series games scheduled at Yankee Stadium. The pitcher went to the station, and told police an additional 20, reserved-seat tickets were missing from the baggage. And Sallys black-leather suitcase, which was arguably more valuable, was unaccounted for. Her suitcase contained 20 more box-seat tickets, a blouse, jewelry, and a diamond-studded wristwatch that featured an intricate inscription: New York Yankees World Champions, 1949. The 11th-floor room of the Yankees traveling secretary, Frank Scott, was also burglarized. Raschi, however, was the only player hit. He was most concerned with the World Series tickets, which he had bought for friends and relatives for $465 ($6,000 today). His wife was heartbroken over the loss of her World Series watch, which was presented to her by MLB Commissioner A.B. (Happy) Chandler after Raschis inspired performance in the final game of the 49 series. Through sobs, Sally Raschi said: You couldnt buy that watch from me for love or money. Inside job Detectives believed the thief entered both rooms with keys. Newspapers reported that two men slinked through a fire escape earlier that day and tripped an interior burglar alarm, but a watchman claimed the two men were empty-handed. Ultimately, investigators couldnt locate Sallys missing suitcase or any suspects. Some news reports rhetorically wondered whether the thief was a Phillies fan who executed the pro-sports equivalent of stealing a rival schools mascot before a big game. The Yankees swept the series, and the thief gained a fan base, with one newspaper quipping, Who knew: the Phillies cleanup hitter was back at the team hotel. A Camden County property claims adjuster is accused of creating phony identities, fake companies, and sham invoices to funnel about $200,000 in fraudulent claims to himself. The New Jersey Attorney Generals Office announced the fraud and theft by deception charges against John Philbin, 48, this week, noting that fraud only adds to the already high costs of insurance. Advertisement In this case, the defendant is someone who worked in the industry, said Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin in a statement. We need to be able to trust the people who are working for insurers to do their jobs fairly and honestly. Philbin, a Clementon resident, was a property claims adjuster at Assurant Insurance Company when he created 11 bogus fraudulent claims that he assigned to himself and approved, prosecutors said. The claims were filed between October 2022 and May 2023. Philbins submissions included emergency mitigation and restoration work that never occurred. He used post office boxes in Clementon and Blackwood to try and avoid detection, said prosecutors. But the phony businesses he created had no registrations that investigators could find. Investigators linked the creation and approval of the claims to Philbin through internal audit logs and metadata bearing Philbins unique identifier. Assurant did not immediately respond to requests for comment. That Philbin used his industry knowledge for personal gain makes his crimes especially egregious, according to prosecutors. The Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor, which falls under the attorney generals purview, focuses on people who try to exploit the system. Prosecutors point out that perpetrators who might not consider stealing a car see insurance fraud as easy money. When someone with inside access allegedly creates fake claims and funnels payouts to themselves, it betrays policyholders and undermines confidence in the system, Al Garcia, interim insurance fraud prosecutor, said in a statement. The charges Philbin faces carry a five- to 10-year sentence in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000. A view of a St. Francis building, where the church-run charity gives out free clothes, across the street from the St. Francis Inn, the longtime soup kitchen, in Kensington. Read more The St. Francis Inn soup kitchen has stood proudly in the heart of Kensington for more than 45 years, its mural of the popular saint overlooking an intersection that has for decades been home to the downtrodden and has seen its fair share of drug activity. But recently, in the midst of a city-led crackdown on the open-air drug market in the neighborhood, some staff members and volunteers feared for the Catholic ministrys very existence. Advertisement Last week, Capt. Brian Gress of the 26th Police District sent a letter to St. Francis staff, saying that nuisance behavior including litter and disorderly conduct had occurred on the sidewalk outside the soup kitchen. It advised the staff that if similar behavior happened three more times in the next year, the soup kitchen could be the subject of legal action to close your establishment. After The Inquirer reached out to the Police Department for comment, Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said in a statement Thursday that the letter was clearly a misstep and that the department was working to not only rectify the situation, but to ensure that it does not happen again. Laws against nuisance businesses, he said, are meant to address chronic problem properties that facilitate disorder, not organizations serving vulnerable populations. The Philadelphia Police Department values the vital work that faith-based organizations like St. Francis Inn does for our communities, he said. The letter in question was not meant to suggest that the Inn itself is a nuisance business. However, the threat was enough to stoke fear among staff and volunteers that a community pillar that provides free meals to hundreds of the citys neediest people every week could be no more. And it was reflective, some say, of the trepidation among many of Kensingtons service providers that they could be targeted by the city amid a yearslong effort to change conditions in the neighborhood. Mayor Cherelle L. Parkers administration and City Council have made ending the Kensington open-air drug market and improving quality of life a top priority since Parker took office in 2024, and both have taken at-times controversial steps to regulate existing services. This is real, live pressure at this point. This is like, youre on our radar, and youre a problem, Karen Pushaw, who has worked at St. Francis and lived in the area for three decades, said of receiving the letter. Were like, Weve been here, and the guests are coming. We serve 10 meals a week plus associated services. Weve been around for so long. This is the safest area Founded in 1979, St. Francis Inn was started by three friars who wanted to operate a soup kitchen like a restaurant, where the poor would be treated with dignity. The people they served would be called guests, and the food would be dropped off at tables by waiters. Today, at the intersection of Kensington Avenue and Hagert Street, St. Francis still operates in that Catholic-Franciscan tradition. Staff called team members live on the block in solidarity with the people they serve. In addition to providing food, they operate a clothing center several days a week. The area outside St. Francis is also seen by many as a safe zone. Jerome Hayward, 48, has been homeless since his mother died in 2021, he said. Hes one of about a dozen people who stay outside St. Francis all day, chatting, drinking, playing cards with other men. He prefers the block because its safer and quieter than many other parts of Kensington, he said. Id rather stay here. Theres too many problems down there, he said, motioning north on Kensington Avenue, where drug use and sales are more heavily concentrated. They ask us to leave but we stubborn, Hayward said. They really helping us though. And this is the safest area. Pushaw said the recent pressure on staff at St. Francis to manage the sidewalk outside the ministrys walls is the result of the dueling dynamics of creeping gentrification and a lack of adequate support for people with complex health needs who live on the street. As developers have built trendy apartment buildings nearby, complaints have proliferated about the 10 to 15 people who often camp out on the sidewalk outside, frequently leaving behind trash or creating noise at night. READ MORE: How speculators fueled a nightmare for Kensington residents and could soon cash in The Police Departments letter to the St. Francis Inn followed a Sept. 17 incident when a staff member called police for assistance with a man selling items outside. When police responded, officers warned the staff member about the overcrowded homeless population, according to an incident report. Police, in the report, wrote that the staff member refused to comply with police in assisting with keeping the homeless population from alongside the building. Pushaw said this was a misunderstanding. St. Francis staff, she said, have little tolerance for the misconduct that can come from crowds or encampments growing on the sidewalk trash, fights, open drug use, public urination, and defecation and they regularly ask people to leave. But theres only so much they can do, Pushaw said, and its not always safe for staff to take further action. Many of the people on the street, she said, are resistant to treatment and shelters. We agree its not great for people to be out there, Pushaw said. But we dont have any place to really direct them. Jennifer McNally and her fiance, Spartacus Saldana, have been homeless since they were evicted from their Kensington home about a year ago. They come to St. Francis for dinner every day and said they dont know what they would do without it. McNally, 52, said she was frustrated that people on the sidewalk could put St. Francis at risk but she doesnt just blame them. Its hard to fault anybody, she said. These people, theyre mentally ill and addicted. theyre just trying to stay close to where they can survive. Fear among service providers The Parker administration has employed a multipronged strategy to address quality of life and nuisance behavior in Kensington since early 2024. The Police Department deployed dozens more officers many of them rookies to patrol the neighborhood. And the city opened a massive, new recovery house while it works with existing drug treatment facilities to expand capacity for people in addiction who are ready to leave the neighborhood. But other outreach service providers in Kensington have faced threats of elimination or new restrictions that they say make it difficult for them to reach the people they serve. For example, City Council this year passed legislation outlining new rules for mobile service providers, which are roving vans that offer medical services, serve free food, or conduct clothing drives. Residents have long complained that the vans attract people who use drugs to residential blocks, prompting the city to curtail where the vans can operate. READ MORE: Restrictions on Kensington outreach services wont be enforced yet The Parker administration and members of Council have also targeted some brick-and-mortar service providers in Kensington that offer so-called harm reduction services, such as distributing sterile syringes. Parkers administration last year cut $1 million in funding from the addiction treatment center, Prevention Point, and the zoning board voted to place stricter regulations on the organization. A separate nonprofit harm reduction group, Savage Sisters, lost its lease in Kensington after intervention from City Hall. However, Council members have not sought to close down soup kitchens or churches that provide services to the poor and are generally seen as having a positive presence in the neighborhood. Councilmember Jim Harrity, who represents the city at-large and lives in Kensington, has advocated for stronger regulations in the neighborhood. But he said he wasnt aware of complaints about St. Francis. We still need some of these places to be open, Harrity said, especially when they have a building and are not on the streets. Still, theres pervasive concern among service providers that they could be targeted with new restrictions or enforcement. Bill McKinney, executive director of the New Kensington Community Development Corp., said the police letter to St. Francis last week speaks to the fear a lot of providers live in. A small thing can feel like the world is collapsing, he said, adding that hes grateful the Police Department resolved the matter. We need to work collectively on this stuff, especially when we have good partners who can do that. Bethel, the police commissioner, said he has the same goal. We are confident that we can work together to address concerns in a constructive way, he said. Our goal is not to penalize or discourage community service, but to ensure public safety and quality of life for all who live, work, and serve in Kensington. In a week when Donald Trump openly declared war on the enemy within meaning anyone who disagrees with his edicts, from blue city mayors to generals to judges to universities to media we all could use a glimmer of hope in the wider world. Perhaps, just perhaps, we may have one, as Hamas agreed Friday to release all Israeli hostages, living and dead, according to the exchange formula contained in President Trumps proposal, and as the field conditions for the exchange are met. Advertisement The reference, of course, is to the 20-point peace plan Trump put forth on Monday, standing alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Like so much of Trumps foreign policy, his plan is high on hoopla but vague on details, and often fantastical in its aspirations. In reality, almost every point will require intense negotiations, including details of returning the hostages. Most importantly, the moderate Arab states, on whom Trump is relying to squeeze Hamas and fund the project, feel double-crossed by his negotiators and want some points revised. Yet Trump released his plan as a take it or leave it proposition, declaring were beyond very close [to] eternal peace in the Middle East. In a celebratory video after the Hamas announcement, he exulted as if peace could be achieved simply by putting words on paper. Trumps call on Friday for Israel to stop the bombing is welcome. But in truth, much more U.S. pressure and hard work by the White House is required for any forward movement. However, Hamas offer, no matter its sincerity, may be the best chance to get the Trump peace plan off the ground. Thats because it opens the door to clarifying many murky provisions in his proposal clarifications that can help get the Gulf Arabs more firmly on board, which is required for any peace plan to have a chance. Right now the plan is so full of loopholes that either Hamas or Israel could easily derail it. The clearest of the 20 points call for an immediate end to the war once both sides accept the proposal, after which all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, are returned. Then Israel will supposedly release Palestinian prisoners, including 250 with life sentences. (If the Israeli government gets all the hostages back, Netanyahu has already hinted Israel might renege on subsequent steps as it did on the second phase of a previous deal in 2024.) Hamas is then supposed to surrender, disarm, and receive amnesty or go into exile, leaving Gaza to be temporarily governed by a committee of apolitical Palestinian technocrats, supervised by an international Board of Peace chaired by Trump (with an assist from former British Prime Minister Tony Blair). A very Rube Goldberg-like structure which is difficult to imagine being put into practice. For Hamas to comply, the key enforcers will be Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, and Turkey, along with Jordan and Egypt. But they were furious at Trumps bait and switch tactics to win Israels tentative approval for the deal. Seeking a swift and simple triumph, the president agreed to one set of 21 points with Arab allies, then radically revised it during a last-minute meeting with Israeli negotiators without forewarning Arab leaders. The Gulf Arabs had accepted a heavy responsibility for Gazas future based on three conditions, according to Nimrod Novik, an Israel Policy Forum fellow, and longtime Israeli peace negotiator, with strong Arab contacts. These [conditions] were a complete Israeli withdrawal, a clear role for the Palestinian Authority from the outset, and a credible Israeli commitment to a future two-state solution, Novik told me by phone from Jerusalem. But during the negotiations, in the lead-up to the White House ceremony, Netanyahu managed to dilute those Arab conditions by making [Israel Defense Forces] withdrawal unbinding, PA involvement remote and uncertain, and the terms for Palestinian statehood obscure. This latest version leaves open the possibility for long term Israeli occupation of Gaza. It also gives short shrift to any form of Palestinian self-determination in the future, even if Hamas accepts defeat. If they are going to play their part, moderate Arab and Muslim leaders insist that, after Hamas demise, there must be a political future for West Bank and Gazan Palestinians. Otherwise, the fighting will never stop. Unless the text is revised, they are unlikely to press Hamas to lay down arms, demilitarize, and adhere to all the plans provisions for a path to peace. In a statement, Gulf foreign ministers along with counterparts from Pakistan, Turkey and Indonesia, made clear they want to return to the original text they agreed upon with U.S. negotiators. At the moment, Hamas is only offering to deal with the initial points. It has called for negotiations via mediators over hostage release details and also said it is willing to hand over administering the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body of independent technocrats, based on Palestinian national consensus and Arab and Islamic support. But Hamas offer provides Trump with a breather to reconfigure some of the sticking points that will block any permanent peace. The current plan virtually rules out any role for the Palestinian Authority, which is recognized globally as the Palestinian leadership, but despised and undercut by the Israeli government even though it has long combated Hamas. The Palestinian Authority might have a role, after it has completed its reform plan, says the ninth point, but leaves out who would define when it has done so. Israel has categorically rejected any PA role. And there is little incentive for the PA to make critical reforms if Israel bans it from any governance role. Nor is there any clear definition or any timeline for when or whether Israel Defense Forces will withdraw and hand over security to the proposed international force. In fact, although it states otherwise, loopholes in the current text leave open the prospect for permanent Israeli occupation. And there is only the vaguest hint, in point 19, that conditions may emerge someday for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood. That prospect is effectively left entirely to Israel, and Netanyahu firmly ruled it out last week. Even when it comes to humanitarian aid, the plan is murky, as the need grows more desperate. Upon acceptance of the deal, full aid is supposed to be sent into Gaza, with its distribution controlled by the United Nations and its agencies or the Red Crescent, but not by groups associated with either Israel or Hamas. However, in recent months, Israel banned any involvement by U.N. agencies and insisted on controlling aid distribution itself, which has exacerbated the current famine. There is no clarity in the deal on whether Jerusalem would be willing to change course. The only thing that can be said for sure [about this deal] is that Netanyahu received a huge gift from Trump, wrote Raviv Hecht in Haaretz on Thursday. Thats because the Israeli leader likely believes Hamas will reject most of the deal, thereby lifting international pressure on Jerusalem. Netanyahu has left the door open for continuing the war. On Monday, he proclaimed, If Hamas rejects your plan Mr. President, or if they supposedly accept it and then basically do everything to counter it, then Israel will finish the job by itself. However, now that Hamas has said, Yes, but , backed by moderate Arab states seeking revisions, Trump is put in a hot spot. The president has always preferred performance to taking on the hard stuff. But securing a hostage release, the demise of Hamas, and an end to the Gaza war, will require him to press both sides, and make a long term commitment to his peace project. Failure to do so is likely to lead to another bloody Mideast failure, not a Nobel Peace Prize. There is no singular moment that aptly illustrates the racist underpinnings of the Trump administration. Rather, the bigotry lives in the cumulative effect of its words, its writings, and its actions. From the executive order enabling federal contractors to engage in discrimination, to the dismantling of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, to the federal firings that helped to spark over 300,000 Black women losing their jobs, this administration has worked to reverse racial progress on multiple fronts. Advertisement The administration launched a successful effort to legalize the racial profiling of Latinos, and in the wake of Charlie Kirks unfortunate shooting death, Donald Trump and his followers portrayed Kirk as a martyr, in spite of his many racist and homophobic statements. However, rhetoric is not enough for Trump and his allies. They want to go further. That much was clear when Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth summoned more than 800 military commanders for a speech in which he called for Americas warfighters to intimidate, demoralize, hunt, and kill the enemies of our country. Taken alone, Hegseths statement might be troubling. Combined with Trumps later statements to the group about the enemy from within, and Trumps musings about American cities being used as training grounds for the military, it is terrifying. Clearly, Trump is comfortable using the military against his fellow Americans. He has already dispatched National Guard troops to largely Black cities like Washington and Memphis under the guise of fighting crime, and to progressive cities like Portland, Ore., to quell anti-government protests. But if Trump believes the so-called enemy within populates our cities, and that those enemies should be intimidated, demoralized, hunted, and killed, we should all be concerned. Trump has used racism to stir up Americas underlying feelings of resentment and fear. He has convinced his followers that only their group is deserving of the American dream. He has exploited their anxieties about that dream being snatched away, and after feeding them a steady stream of misinformation, he has found they are willing to lose certain freedoms, so long as they believe others will lose even more. That dynamic explains why Trumps followers are cheering him on in last weeks government shutdown a conflict thats centered on the fight over affordable healthcare. Trump has convinced his followers that only their group is deserving of the American dream. Democrats are fighting to maintain tax credits that help 22 million Americans buy health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. Conservative leaders are pressuring Trump to allow those tax credits to expire. Meanwhile, Trump is threatening to fire even more federal workers during the shutdown. His followers think thats good. Trumps movement is, in many ways, an appeal to the most selfish aspects of human nature, and its based on a simple strategy: Tell people what they already want to believe that someone different and frightening is taking their stuff, and someone must fight to take it back. That simple act of deception has convinced tens of millions of Trump-supporting Americans to hand over their speech to censorship, hand over their democracy to pseudo-dictatorship, and hand over their cities to the military. In spite of it all, I believe theres hope, and it may reside within the ranks of the very military Trump and Hegseth are seeking to weaponize against the American people. The military, you see, is a place where its impossible to hide. You either do the hard work to advance, or you dont. And in such an institution which, like so many others, is dominated by white men women and people of color must work twice as hard to advance. READ MORE: I love seeing anti-Trump protests. Like many other Black folks, I wont be joining them. | Solomon Jones Yet, Hegseth, in his speech to military commanders, said, Weve promoted too many uniformed leaders for the wrong reasons: based on their race, based on gender quotas, based on historic so-called firsts. It was an insult to the men and women in uniform, but more than that, it was a lie. In an organization like the military, where each persons life is dependent on the competence of their comrades, I know those commanders recognized Hegseths statement for what it was. The question now is this: Will our military give in to the racism that drives Trumps movement, or will it fight for the equality the Constitution promises to us all? The first government shutdown since 2019 began on Wednesday. The news was in front of mind for politicians, reporters, government workers, and even tourists. But Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican nominee for New Jersey governor endorsed by President Donald Trump, was largely quiet on the issue that day. Advertisement At a campaign event in Haddon Township in Camden County, he gave an energetic speech that lasted more than 15 minutes to a courtyard full of supporters as progressive protesters could be heard across the street. He attacked his Democratic opponent, U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, but despite running against a member of Congress he didnt raise the biggest news of the day: the federal government shutdown. Ciattarellis campaign did not make him available for an interview about the shutdown Wednesday as he hurried to a fundraiser that night and hit the trail the next day. Earlier in the day on Wednesday, Ciattarelli said that he doesnt know who to blame for the shutdown because he doesnt know enough about the details when asked by a reporter for NJ.com. Sherrill shared Ciattarellis quote on X and responded, Its your boss, referencing Trump. Sherrill on Wednesday blamed Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress, for the shutdown and said they have once again shown theyre willing to turn their backs on the American people in order to blindly follow Donald Trumps demands. Republicans will need at least seven Democratic votes to end the shutdown under the Senate rules, which require a 60-vote threshold. Democratic leaders are asking to extend health subsidies and roll back Medicaid cuts in exchange for their votes, but Trump and GOP leadership have so far rejected that demand. Instead of working with Democrats to lower costs, protect healthcare, and support working people, Washington Republicans bent the knee to Donald Trump, shutting down the government in the process, Sherrill said. The Trump administration said it plans to withhold funding for the Gateway Program as part of its punishment of Democratic leaders not supporting the stopgap bill. Russell Vought, the director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, pinned blame on needing to ensure funding is not flowing based on unconstitutional DEI principles. The Gateway Program, championed by Sherrill to connect New York and New Jersey under the Hudson River, is already under construction. Sherrill said she will fight tooth and nail to sue Trumps administration and protect the project as governor. She also criticized Ciattarelli for his continued support of Trump. Ciattarelli finally weighed in on the issue Thursday, calling Sherrill an absentee Congresswoman who missed 90% of votes this year in a social media post and text from his campaign manager. Sherrills campaign did not comment on that figure. According to GovTrack, a website that tracks congressional attendance, Sherrill has missed 87% of votes from July 23 to Sept. 18 this year, though she has not missed any of the three that took place since then. Sherrill missed 6.5% of votes during her last term from January 2023 to January 2025. Ciattarelli also blamed Sherrill for voting against a bipartisan plan to keep the govt open & fund Gateway. Just one House Democrat and three Senate Democratic caucus members voted for the GOP plan to keep the government open without rolling back the Medicaid cuts. The Gateway project already secured federal funding which Trump is now freezing as part of the government shutdown. Chris Russell, Ciattarellis campaign consultant, said Wednesday that Sherrill owns this shutdown and is to blame for any negative impacts on Gateway tunnel project and other N.J. priorities. Vought on Wednesday also said New Jersey is among a list of states that will lose federal funding for climate projects. Gov. Phil Murphys office declined to comment on that announcement. A battle over the proposed sale of Gloucester Townships sewer system is back on the ballot as key players face off in the mayoral race. After spearheading a campaign last year that overwhelmingly blocked the sale of the Camden County towns sewer system to a private water company, Keith Gibbons is drawing on his local renown to run for mayor. Advertisement The race is between Gibbons, a self-employed independent who has served on the Gloucester Township School Board for three years, and 15-year incumbent Democratic Mayor David Mayer, an executive at New Jersey American Water, the company that unsuccessfully sought the townships sewer system. Both sides are hurling insults and accusations. Gibbons is a con artist, Mayers campaign asserts, adding that Mayer recused himself from any township business related to the sewer sale to dispel the appearance of a conflict of interest. Some of Mayers supporters say without evidence that Gibbons is backed by extremists who want to defund police, a claim Gibbons refutes. Gibbons, meanwhile, has criticized Mayer for being part of the South Jersey Democratic political machine that runs this town. READ MORE: A pending $143 million sewer sale in South Jersey has ignited a battle of lawn signs and campaign ads ahead of Election Day Last years sewer fight was so consequential, its still reverberating this election. Residents supporting Gibbons believe that although they won the referendum, theres a chance township officials will again try to sell the sewer system if Mayer wins reelection. Both sides are politicking with fervor, denouncing each other in the continuation of a fight fueled by an enmity that hasnt stopped flowing since last year. Shocking overreach The conflict began in 2023 when the Municipal Utility Authority, which ran the sewer system autonomously, voted to dissolve itself. That gave the township council control over the system. The decision alarmed many of Gloucesters 66,000 residents who feared the public system would be sold to a private company that would charge more. During sworn oral testimony in a May 2023 teleconference, Mayer and an attorney representing the township were asked whether the utility would be sold within the following five years, according to a transcript of a meeting of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs Local Finance Board, which oversees fiscal operations of local governments. There is no current expectation to sell either portion [water or sewer] of the system, the attorney said. Mayer agreed. Eleven months later, they were putting out bids for selling the sewer system, said Peggy Gallos, executive director of the Association of Environmental Authorities, a New Jersey trade association of governmental entities in charge of sewage, water, and solid waste. In July 2024, the township received two widely contrasting bids: one from Aqua for $52 million and another from New Jersey American Water for $143 million, with a promise to spend an additional $90 million in capital improvements of the sewer system. The township went with the larger bid from Mayers company, citing debts that had to be paid. The overreach of the winning bid was shocking, Gallos said. They promised to do more work than necessary the system needed around $25 million in improvements, not $90 million. Thats how private companies make a profit." A New Jersey American Water spokesperson didnt address Gallos assertions. Instead, she said the company is committed to making improvements, adding that throughout the companys service area, average water and wastewater bills remain below 1-2% of median household income. Asked more than a dozen questions about the sale and the mayoral race, the mayors office didnt respond. Denise Lugo, Mayers campaign manager, emailed anti-Gibbons campaign material. Grassroots campaign Gibbons, 48, has had a varied career, from running a Christmas tree farm in Oregon to working for Live Nation in Philadelphia. He moved to Gloucester Township in 2006, and by 2024, when the township council announced a referendum on the sewer sale would be on the November ballot, Gibbons threw himself into the fight. He led a grassroots campaign that included a podcast and door-to-door canvassing with activists. New Jersey American Water launched its own $800,000 campaign. Gibbons said township residents were concerned the mayor had a conflict of interest as the water companys director of government affairs. New Jersey American Water said attorneys helped Mayer recuse himself by establishing firewalls around sewer discussions. Gibbons efforts helped convince more than 80% of nearly 28,000 voters to defeat the referendum. Now, running for mayor as an independent, hes getting support from Republicans in a township where Democrats hold a 2-to-1 registration advantage. We didnt want to have a third party drawing votes from Keith, said Tom Crone, Gloucester Townships Republican Club chairman. We liked what he did with the sewer. That left a hole in the Republican slot. Soon a shadowy figure appeared, Crone said an alleged phantom candidate named Neil Smith who announced he was running as a Republican. He had no voting record and didnt move in Republican circles, said Crone, who contended Smith was recruited by Democrats to draw away Gibbons votes. Calls to the Camden County Democratic Committee were not returned. Trading accusations A PAC known as Gloucester Township Citizens for Government Reform is sending out numerous fliers accusing Gibbons, without evidence, of accepting support from extremists wanting to defund police. However, as a member of the local school board, Gibbons has voted for funding to pay for extra police protection in school. The Mayer campaign wrote in an email that Gibbons is supported by a radical left-wing candidate who wants to defund police. Gibbons said his opponents campaign is referring to Kate Delany, head of the South Jersey Progressive Democrats, a grassroots organization. Theres no evidence that either Delany or Gibbons has ever advocated defunding police. Mayers side charges Gibbons is under investigation by two state commissions. Regarding alleged investigations, The Inquirer confirmed the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (NJELEC) received a complaint that Gibbons misused funds by transferring around $3,000 collected for his anti-sewer sale fight into his mayoral campaign. According to the NJELEC Compliance Manual for Political Committees, such a transfer isnt improper because political committees can make contributions to candidates. A state government official who didnt have permission to speak on the record said Gibbons did nothing wrong. Mayers campaign also said Gibbons was the subject of an investigation by the state School Ethics Commission, which neither confirmed nor denied the claim. Mayers representatives touted the incumbents record, pointing to achievements such as implementing innovative policing strategies, introducing a solar discount program to lower electric bills, and preserving more than 1,000 acres of land. As the race continues, Gibbons, who promises to be more transparent and responsive than Mayer, knows he faces an uphill battle as an independent candidate without the support of a political party. It was never my intention to run, Gibbons said. But the referendum went well, and its hard not to speak out. And they could try to sell the sewer system again. Janelle Stelson has raised more than $1.2 million since launching her rematch campaign in July against Republican U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, according to her campaign. Stelson, a former broadcast journalist, lost to Perry by just a little more than 1 percentage point in the 2024 election, a tough year for Democrats in Pennsylvania and nationally. Shes making another run as the party hopes to rebound in the 2026 midterm election after President Donald Trumps win last year. Advertisement Stelson, a moderate Democrat who was previously registered as a Republican, was a longtime local news anchor in the region before launching her first campaign against Perry in October 2023. Perry, a staunch Trump ally and former leader of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, was first elected in 2012. His Central Pennsylvania district is a top target for Democrats next year. It includes Dauphin County and parts of Cumberland and York Counties. Stelson has received contributions from more than 8,000 individual donors since launching and has $1 million cash on hand, according to her campaign. She quickly garnered support for her rematch bid from prominent Pennsylvania Democrats including Gov. Josh Shapiro and Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, as well as a handful of former Republican public officials. READ MORE: Janelle Stelson officially launches her rematch campaign against U.S. Rep. Scott Perry after razor-thin loss Alma Baker, Stelsons campaign manager, said residents in the 10th Congressional District are already familiar with Stelson and know that she will fight to lower costs and improve their lives in Congress. Thats why we are proud to have received the support of so many individuals across our community who are sick and tired of Scott Perry selling us out and are ready for new leadership, Baker added. Janelle has the momentum and resources to beat Scott Perry and deliver real representation for Central Pennsylvania. Perry co-signed a public letter in Newsweek last month arguing in favor of letting COVID-19-era Affordable Care Act subsidies expire. Democrats in Congress are currently fighting to extend those subsidies, triggering the current shutdown standoff. The October quarterly campaign finance reports, which encompass through Sept. 30, are due on Oct. 15, at which point they will become publicly available. Perrys campaign did not provide early fundraising figures. Perry had more than $1.2 million cash on hand at the end of the second quarter of the year and owed more than $268,000. Stelson reported more than $4,100 cash on hand and no debts at that point, not long before she officially announced her run. Matt Beynon, Perrys campaign spokesperson, called Stelson a racist carpetbagger. Stelson lived outside district lines during her campaign last year in nearby Lancaster, but she now lives inside the district in Cumberland County, according to her campaign. Beynon was also referencing a decade-old joke Stelson made on television about Asian people making cat tacos, pulling from a racist trope. Stelson said during her campaign last year that her comment was wrong and that she apologized for it at the time. I was live on TV for thousands of hours over 38 years and one inappropriate joke from a decade ago is the worst thing they can find? she said in April 2024. Stelson will face a primary contest with Dauphin County Commissioner Justin Douglas, a progressive pastor, for the chance to challenge Perry. Douglas was elected to his position in 2023, flipping the county commission for the first time in over a century. Beynon, who also attacked Douglas for aligning with progressives, said Perrys team is looking forward to watching as they race to left in the Democrat primary. William Lillich, an Army veteran, also filed to run in the Democratic primary. Karen Lynn Dalton, a Carlisle lawyer who previously worked for Pennsylvania House Republicans, filed to challenge Perry in the Republican primary, and Isabelle Harman, a Carlisle independent, has also filed to run. The art deco style south tower of the former Hahnemann hospital complex, which is almost 100 years old. Read more Almost five months after placing its initial $16.25 million offer on a collection of former Hahnemann University Hospital buildings, Dwight City Groups bid was finally approved last week. Despite the auctions delay from its original date in July, there were no other bidders, and the sale is expected to close before years end. Advertisement Dwight City Groups new properties include the two long-empty patient towers at Broad and Race Streets. The developer plans 288 apartments with amenities, such as a shared working space and a lounge. Parking will be offered in a neighboring garage and surface lot. One- and two-bedroom units are planned for the site. We stick with middle market apartments, not super high end, said Judah Angster, the Dwight Groups CEO. We like to believe that theres a lot of space for affordable luxury product in the area. Thats the only thing we do. Angster cautioned that the redevelopment of the former Hahnemann buildings will be a slow process and that the building may not be leased up until close to 2030. Environmental remediation alone could take a year, as asbestos has to be cleared out. Construction would take at least a year and a half, and filling the building could take as much time due to the large number of units. When Dwight Groups interest first became public in May, Angster described potential plans for both hotel and commercial operations in the building as well. Now he de-emphasizes those aspects, saying it will likely not be a full-service hotel. And although Dwight Group is still exploring commercial options for the ground floor, that could prove difficult as well. Weve had a few commercial brokers walk through ground-floor space on the north and south tower and thus far, theyve not been optimistic, Angster said. They feel that its a very busy street facing Vine, which is the challenge. The Hahnemann acquisition will be Dwight Groups second major Center City project. Earlier this year the company obtained 84-unit Anderson Hall, a former University of the Arts building on South Broad Street. Before that, the New York-based company, which also has offices in Upper Darby, had been quietly expanding outside Philadelphias hottest housing markets and remaking historic buildings into apartment projects in working-class city neighborhoods and inner-ring suburbs. Its been a slow migration to get into Center City, Angster said. With the current pricing in Center City as attractive as it is, we just feel blessed that were able to do projects so close to the core CBD [central business district], which has always been our goal. Dwight Groups acquisition is the first major movement on the former Hahnemann properties since 2021, when Iron Stone Real Estate Partners purchased the New College Building, which is used by Drexel University, and the former Bobst Building, now known as Race Street Labs. The north and south towers that are being purchased by Dwight Group share some minor utilities, stairs for egress, and pathways with Iron Stone buildings. Iron Stone is very excited for their acquisition and plans for redevelopment, said Andrew Einstein, a partner with Iron Stone. They will create an anchor [at an] important corner of Center City right at the front door of the Convention Center. Iron Stone, Temple University, and Parkway Corp. all considered purchasing the Hahnemann buildings that Dwight is acquiring, but none decided to bid on them. With Dwights acquisition of this last large bloc of Hahnemann properties, only Martinelli Park, across Vine Street from the north tower, is still available. In July, the HOW Property Group bid $5.5 million for that last piece of Hahnemann property, but a later and lower offer from the company was not accepted. For the third time in less than two and one-half years, a western Pennsylvania insurance agent is facing charges regarding fraudulent business practices this time for deceiving a long-time insurance customer into investing more than $75,000 in his insurance agency. The latest victim emptied a retirement account and provided the money to Chad Skena but never received a dollar back on the investment, according to prosecutors. Skena allegedly contacted the victim and claimed that he was in the process of buying out his fathers insurance agency and that he was looking for someone to invest in this venture. He convinced the victim to give him more than $75,000 with the understanding that he would return the investment in the amount of $120,000 over the course of one year. Shortly after receiving the money, Skena told an investigator with Progressive Insurance that he had recently obtained a $75,000 personal loan to keep his insurance agency financially solvent. Additionally, Skena provided the victim with a mortgage document for Skenas residence as a backing for the investment. However, the document proved worthless as Skena had the terms written to only go in effect if the victim were to pay $80,000 for the investment (which the victim did not). Skena, of Monroeville, was charged in Armstrong County with insurance fraud, theft by deception, deceptive business practices, and securing execution of documents by deception, according to Attorney General Dave Sunday. His bail was set at $50,000 unsecured, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for October 14. This is the third time Skena has been charged with fraud since April 2024, according to Sunday. The first two waves of charges involved the theft of approximately $70,000 in client insurance premium payments from a total of 16 victims in Allegheny County between 2020 and 2022, Sunday reported. This defendant has repeatedly taken advantage of trusting clients to line his own pockets this time, lying about an investment he knew full well did not even exist, Sunday said. The publication of the defendants prior bad acts prompted this victim to come forward, and our Insurance Fraud Section took it from there. Skenas insurance licenses were revoked on March 17. The charges are merely allegations and Skena is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Topics Agencies Fraud Two Delta Air Lines Inc. regional jets collided at low speed while taxiing at New Yorks LaGuardia Airport on Wednesday night, causing minor injuries to one flight attendant and prompting regulators to open an investigation. Both planes were CRJ-900 aircraft operated by Endeavor Air. Endeavor Air Flight 5047 was heading to its gate at the airport when it struck Endeavor Air Flight 5155 around 10 p.m. local time, the US Federal Aviation Administration, which is probing the incident, said in a statement Thursday. According to the regulator, air traffic control had instructed flight 5155 to hold short and yield to the other aircraft. The National Transportation Safety Board said in a social media post Thursday that its also investigating the collision and that it had dispatched a team of 10 people to LaGuardia. The agency said the flight recorders from both planes have been recovered and are being analyzed at NTSB headquarters in Washington. Video footage posted on X that appeared to be taken from inside a neighboring plane showed flashing emergency vehicle lights on the tarmac and damage to a jets wing. According to Delta, preliminary information indicates the wing of flight 5155, while taxiing for departure to Roanoke, Va., made contact with the body of the other aircraft, which was arriving from Charlotte, N.C. The airline said one flight attendant was treated for minor injuries but there were no reported passenger injuries. Delta will work with all relevant authorities to review what occurred as safety of our customers and people comes before all else, the carrier said in a statement. ABC News spoke to someone who was on the plane that had just landed from Charlotte and said the aircraft was turning right off the main runway when the pilot slammed on the brakes. Passengers could feel the plane getting dragged as it made contact with the other aircraft, he said in a TV interview. BREAKING: Two Delta Airlines aircraft collide while taxiing at LaGuardia International in New York pic.twitter.com/Bzd33IAvlN Intel Point Alert (@IntelPointAlert) October 2, 2025 Its the latest in several incidents at LaGuardia in recent months that have raised safety concerns. In March, a Delta jets wing struck the runway while the pilot was executing a maneuver known as a go-around, prompting an FAA investigation. Read More: Trump Plans to Use Shutdown to Fire Federal Workers This Week Federal investigators are also probing a May runway close call in which a Republic Airways jet aborted takeoff to avoid a collision with another aircraft on the same runway. The latest mishap involving the two Endeavor Air aircraft comes just days after a letter signed by more than 50 industry and labor groups including the International Air Transport Association warned that a US government shutdown now in its second day would threaten aviation safety. Photo: Delta airlines passengers planes at LaGuardia airport in New York City. Photographer: Daniel Slim/AFP/Getty Images Copyright 2025 Bloomberg. Topics New York Aviation Numbers An explosion at a New York City apartment building blew off a massive chimney that ran up the side of the high-rise, leaving residents to wait for clearance to return to their apartments as officials investigate what caused the blast. A plume of dust covered the block in the aftermath of the explosion, which left a huge pile or bricks around the buildings base and on a nearby playground. The building stood with a 20-story gash in its side. As residents and officials wait for more answers, here is what to know about the collapse. No injuries despite pile of rubble No injuries or deaths were reported in the collapse of the chimney, which vents exhaust from the boiler room that provides heat to the Bronx building. Residents reported hearing a blast just after 8 a.m. Investigators were trying to determine if there was a gas leak or whether something else triggered the explosion, Mayor Eric Adams said. Apartments in the building werent seriously damaged, though some had their air conditioners ripped from windows by the falling bricks. Firefighters sifted through the rubble and sent rescue dogs bounding over the pile to look for any victims, but found none. We avoided a major disaster here, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson said at a news conference. Still, some apartments were evacuated as a precaution while inspectors assessed the damage. Aging public housing The building was part of New York Citys huge and aging public housing system. Buildings in the system average roughly 60 years old, according to the New York Housing Authority. The complex of buildings where the collapse occurred was built in 1966. A 2023 Physical Needs Assessment conducted by the citys housing authority estimated that the Mitchel Housing complex would need nearly $726 million in repairs over the next 20-years. The highest infrastructure need was listed as Heating. Around half a million New Yorkers live in the aging buildings run by housing authority, which is the countrys largest public housing system. Tenants have complained for decades about dangerous or unsanitary conditions, including rodents, mold, and heat and hot water outages. In 2019, a federal monitor was appointed to address chronic problems like lead paint, mold and lack of heat. When he wrapped his five-year term in 2024, the monitor, Bart Schwartz, noted that the overarching issue for residents remained the poor physical state of NYCHAs buildings. Investigation and recovery underway City officials are investigating what went wrong. The citys Emergency Management Commissioner, Zach Iscol, said building inspectors are checking the buildings foundations and the apartments to make sure they are sound. Right now were kicking into the next phase of this, which is recovery, Iscol said, adding that the city was working to restore heat and hot water services to the building. The mayor said the building will be repaired. Iscol said that the city opened up a reception center for impacted residents to receive resources like food and other necessities. Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. A Finnish district court ruled on Friday that it does not have jurisdiction to prosecute the captain and two officers of the Eagle S oil tanker, who are accused of breaking undersea power and internet cables in the Baltic Sea last year. Finland has said the Eagle S is part of a shadow fleet of tankers used by Russia to circumvent sanctions on its oil exports. The December 25 incident was one of a string of cable and gas pipeline outages in the Baltic Sea since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, putting NATO forces in the region on high alert. Russia has denied involvement in cable cutting. The trial was among the first judicial attempts to punish suspected perpetrators for damaging critical underwater infrastructure, but is complicated by provisions of international maritime law and the difficulty of proving criminal intent. The three crew members denied the charges. Read more: Finland Charges Eagle S Tanker Captain, Officers Over Cable Cuts The District Court has today issued a judgment dismissing the charge in the case along with the claims for damages arising from the charge, as it was not possible to apply Finnish criminal law to the case, the court said in a statement. Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the power to prosecute any crime rests with the ships flag state or the defendants native countries, the court added. The ship operated under a Cook Islands flag. The ruling remains subject to appeal. Defendants Blamed Technical Fault The tanker, carrying Russian oil, dragged its 11,000 kg (24,000 lb) anchor for 90 km (56 miles) across the Gulf of Finland seabed, breaking the Finnish-Estonian Estlink 2 power cable and four internet lines, prosecutors said. Finlandcharged the Georgian captain, as well as the Georgian first officer and the Indian second officer, with aggravated criminal mischief and aggravated interference with telecommunications. The charges rested on allegations of gross negligence on the part of the crew regarding the poor condition of the vessels anchor winch, rather than firm evidence that the anchor was intentionally dropped to cause damage, court documents showed. The defendants stated at trial that the vessels anchor had dropped unnoticed due to technical faults in the winch that was supposed to hold it in place. They also rejected the cable owners claims for tens of millions of euros in damages. The prosecutor had asked the court to sentence the defendants to prison for a minimum of two-and-a-half years each. The court lifted the defendants travel bans at the end of the trial in September and they have since left Finland. No charges were brought against the ships owner, and the vessel was released from Finnish custody in March. (Reporting by Elviira Luoma and Anne Kauranen, editing by Essi Lehto, Terje Solsvik, Kevin Liffey, Elaine Hardcastle) Photograph: Finnish Coast Guard stopped a small boat which tried to reach the Cook Islands-registered oil tanker Eagle S anchored near the Kilpilahti port in Porvoo, on the Gulf of Finland, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024. (Jussi Nukari/Lehtikuva via AP) Denmark accused Russia of waging a hybrid war against the Nordic nation and warned more attacks are likely, after a series of drone incursions disrupted operations at civilian and military airports. The Danish Defence Intelligence Service said in a threat assessment report on Friday that the risk of hybrid attacks from Russia against military facilities has increased. The report is based on the drone incidents as well as other recent events in Denmark and Europe. On Thursday evening, flight operations were suspended at Munich Airport after several drone sightings, affecting thousands of passengers at Germanys second-biggest hub. Read More: Denmark Warns Russian Sabotage Likely as Another Drone Suspected Russia is waging a hybrid war against Denmark because they want to create uncertainty, Thomas Ahrenkiel, director of the intelligence agency, said at a press conference in Copenhagen. Drone incursions last week disrupted commercial air traffic and spooked the Nordic nation of six million people ahead of a summit of high-level European leaders in the Danish capital. While the Danish government repeatedly has linked the drones to Russia, Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said theres no conclusive evidence yet of who operated them. We will see more hybrid attacks coming against Denmark, Poulsen said at the press event on Friday. Still, theres no reason to fear a war; theres no direct military threat against Denmark, he said. Russia has previously denied any involvement in the drone incidents. Denmark has also been the subject of cyberattacks from Russia and has registered Russian warships sailing through its straits with sonar and drone equipment, Ahrenkiel said, without specifying when the events occurred. Russia has used jammers in Danish waters, which caused GPS disruptions, he said. Ahrenkiel said theres currently a Russian warship present in the waters off Denmark, which may be positioned there to engage if the Danes try to prevent Russias shadow fleet from sailing through the straits. Related: Copyright 2025 Bloomberg. Topics Russia When faced with testimony that Zug Islands EES Coke Battery is one of Michigans worst sulfur dioxide polluters, an attorney for the facility said Monday: So what? The DTE Energy-owned facility was permitted to do so, said Michael Hindelang, attorney for the utility and its subsidiaries that are defendants in the EPAs Clean Air Act lawsuit over the emissions. Hindelang and a U.S. attorney representing the EPA made their closing arguments Monday in a federal bench trial. U.S. District Judge Gershwin Drain said each party has until Oct. 9 to submit its findings of fact in the case. The EPA requested that EES Coke Battery pay a $140 million civil penalty and begin operating with full desulfurization technology within three years. Hindelang said a $5 million penalty should be assessed against EES Coke Battery, and the facility should continue reasonable environmental reporting requirements until otherwise directed by the state. The court should decide whether its a civil fine or environmental mitigation funding, and the facility is willing to install pollution controls that would reduce at least 33% of sulfur dioxide emissions, he said. The EPA is asking Drain to order the installation of full desulfurization, including the best available control technology with the lowest achievable emissions rate. EES Coke Battery produces coke, a raw material in the steelmaking process. The facility has contracts of one to five years in length to sell its product to Cleveland-Cliffs and ArcelorMittal, a DTE Vantage executive testified last week. Drain ruled Aug. 25 that EES Coke Battery violated the Clean Air Act by making a major modification to its operations, instead of a minor modification as its 2014 permit allowed. U.S. attorney Tom Benson said Monday that EES Coke Battery discovered that blast furnace gas was harming the battery, and chose to switch fuels and apply for a new Clean Air Act permit in 2014. EPA lawyer on Zug Island pollution: They buried their heads in the sand The U.S. government seeks to bring EES Coke Battery back into compliance and secure a penalty, Benson said Monday. To follow the law, EES Coke Battery needs to obtain New Source Review permits from the state within 90 days, pay $140 million, and begin operating full desulfurization within three years, he said. New Source Review is a Clean Air Act permitting program that requires facilities to install modern pollution controls when they build new plants or make major modifications. This is not a shutdown order. Defendants can afford to comply with the law and keep running the battery, Benson said. Hindelang said the governments proposal amounts to a shutdown order a wolf in sheeps clothing, he said. The government is asking for an order EES Coke Battery cannot afford or physically accommodate, and its on an unfeasible timeline, Hindelang said. Benson is saying the quiet part loud: clean up or shut down,' he said. EES Coke Battery can either clean up, by installing pollution controls that would cut at least 33% of sulfur dioxide emissions, or shut down, Hindelang said. The desulfurization technology the EPA proposes is massively expensive and would not fit on Zug Island, he said. EES Coke Battery can afford a Claus reactor, a type of desulfurization technology, that could prevent future violations on the island, Hindelang said. The Claus reactor is good, Hindelang said, but the government wants great, and great is a shutdown order, he said. Benson said a 33% reduction in sulfur dioxide emissions is not a solution at all. Referring to New Source Review permitting, the U.S. attorney said: You cant uncrack an egg. Once a major modification is done, the law steps in, Benson said. The Clean Air Act has spoken, and they have to install the best available control technology and lowest achievable emissions rate. Hindelang said EES Coke Battery made good faith efforts to comply with its permits, while Benson said the state never approved emissions increases that it did not know were occurring. Closing your eyes is a choice that brought us here today, he said. Clean Air Act penalties factor in the duration of a violation, which is seven years in this case, Benson said; prior payments, of which he said there are none; and the seriousness of the violation based on health impacts. They buried their heads in the sand and hoped the court wouldnt notice. They already harmed thousands of people downwind, Benson said. The community didnt choose to roll the dice, but they lost nonetheless. Some had heart attacks, some died earlier than they should have. Hindelang said installing desulfurization technology takes six years, not the three the government is requesting, if everything goes smoothly. Permitting would take two years, installation of desulfurization technology would take three, and engineering design would take more than a year, he said. The waterfall effect of a shutdown order would include a loss of $450 million in economic output from EES Coke Battery, a $900 million overall loss to Michigan, and 2,700 job losses across the state, Hindelang said. A shutdown order would eliminate the coke that supports the production of 2.5 million tons of steel a year, he said. EPA, DTE on Zug Island facilitys public health impact Twenty-six premature deaths, 3.8 nonfatal heart attacks, 8,000 acute respiratory symptom days, 14.5 new asthma cases, and additional Alzheimers cases are modeled to have occurred in 2019 due to sulfur dioxide and particulate matter pollution from the coke battery, an epidemiologist testified in federal court earlier in the trial. Joel Schwartz, professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said the social cost of pollution from EES Coke Battery from 2019-2022 totals $1 billion. An air quality expert with 40 years of experience testified Sept. 17 that EES Coke Batterys excess particulate matter emissions are one of the largest sources Ive ever seen. Pollution from the coke battery reached Maine, Missouri, and North Carolinas coast, according to Lyle Chinkin, an air quality expert and CEO and chief scientist of Sonoma Technology. Hindelang said Monday theres no proof that public health impacts can be traced to EES Coke Battery emissions. We understand the concerns of the Sierra Club witnesses, Hindelang said. Some of the witnesses called to testify were lifelong residents of 48217, the highly polluted zip code near Zug Island. Their stories of red-orange skies are from long before the coke battery opened, Hindelang said. The Sierra Club intervened in the lawsuit, which was filed by the EPA in 2022. The biggest harm to public health occurs at EES Coke Batterys fenceline and is from fugitive sources like door leaks when a worker opens the oven door to shovel coal in and theres no technology to fix that, Hindelang said. ___ This story was originally published by Planet Detroit and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press. Topics Michigan Pollution White House Budget Director Russell Vought announced the withholding of more than $2 billion for transportation projects in Chicago, the latest move by the Trump administration to use the shutdown as leverage to shrink the federal government. Vought said in a post on X early Friday that $2.1 billion in Chicago infrastructure projects specifically the Red Line Extension and the Red and Purple Modernization Project have been put on hold to ensure funding is not flowing via race-based contracting. President Donald Trump has threatened to use the government shutdown to fire thousands of federal workers and cut programs that he says Democrats like. The Chicago announcement comes as the shutdown enters its third day with Democrats and Republicans in a standoff over renewing federal funding. Spokespeople for the Chicago Transit Authority, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson didnt immediately reply to requests for comment. Since the shutdown began earlier this week, Vought has already suspended $18 billion in New York infrastructure funding and $8 billion for clean energy projects in Democratic states. These critical reviews are intended to ensure no additional federal dollars go towards discriminatory, illegal and wasteful contracting practices, the US Transportation Department said in a statement about the New York and Chicago projects. Chicago has become a focal point for Trump, who has repeatedly threatened to send National Guard troops to crack down on what he has cast as out-of-control crime and violence in the Democratic stronghold. The citys Red Line Extension, which will add four new stations and extend service 5.6 miles south of 95th Street, secured a $1.97 billion grant from the Federal Transit Administration in January 2025 and is slated to finish construction in 2031. The Red and Purple Modernization initiative includes building a new bypass structure, rebuilding several stations and installing a modern signal system. The White House is also looking to fire thousands of federal workers. Vought and Trump met on Thursday to discuss federal job cuts. An announcement on their plans could come as soon as Friday. If they keep the government closed it will get more and more painful, House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters on Thursday. The White House is going to look to the administrations priorities and make sure they are funded. Copyright 2025 Bloomberg. White Mountains Insurance said on Friday it would sell a controlling interest in insurance distribution platform Bamboo to European private equity firm CVC in a deal that values the company at $1.75 billion. Shares of Hamilton, Bermuda-based White Mountains jumped nearly 11%. The stock had lost 14% so far this year, as of last close. White Mountains will reap a significant return from the deal, having bought a majority stake in Bamboo in January 2024 for nearly $300 million to enter the California homeowners insurance market. The company expects net cash proceeds of nearly $840 million and a gain of roughly $310 to its book value per share from the deal. Bamboo was launched in 2018 after several wildfire losses in California, a market where some large national insurers have scaled back their presence in recent years due to frequent natural disasters. Founded and led by John Chu, Bamboo provides homeowners insurance and related products to the residential property market. Under White Mountains ownership, Bamboo has grown rapidly, with managed premiums more than doubling to $484 million in 2024. Related: Private Equity Firm B.P. Marsh Takes Minority Stake in UK Broker Oneglobal Initially a pure-play California homeowners insurance agency, Bamboo is now expanding into other states. Last month, Bamboo announced its expansion into the Texas homeowners insurance market. Bamboos mix of high growth and recurring revenue make it an optimal fit for CVCs US portfolio, said Lorne Somerville, managing partner and co-head of CVC US. White Mountains is holding company that owns and manages businesses in the insurance and financial services industries. The company will retain a 15% fully diluted equity stake in Bamboo post-closing, worth $250 million. The deal is expected to close by the end of the year. Evercore Group and Piper Sandler are the financial advisers to both White Mountains and Bamboo. (Reporting by Arasu Kannagi Basil in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar and Krishna Chandra Eluri) Georgias highest court on Tuesday sided with Black landowners in a fight over zoning changes that weakened long-standing protections for one of the Souths last Gullah-Geechee communities founded by freed slaves. The state Supreme Court unanimously reversed a lower court ruling that had stopped a referendum to consider repealing a revised zoning ordinance passed by McIntosh County officials two years ago. Residents of Sapelo Island opposed the zoning amendments that doubled the size of homes allowed in a tiny enclave called Hogg Hummock. Homeowners feared the change would result in one of the nations most historically and culturally unique Black communities facing unaffordable tax increases. Residents and their supporters last year submitted a petition with more than 2,300 signatures from registered voters seeking a referendum in the coastal county, which lies 60 miles (96 kilometers) south of Savannah. McIntosh County commissioners sued to stop the referendum and a lower court ruled that one would be illegal. The decision halted a vote on the zoning change with less than a week to go before Election Day. Hundreds of people had already cast early ballots in the referendum. The high court on Tuesday found that the lower court was wrong to conclude that the zoning ordinance was not subject to referendum procedures provided for in the Georgia Constitutions Home Rule Provision. Nothing in the text of the Zoning Provision in any way restricts a county electorates authority to seek repeal of a zoning ordinance, Supreme Court Justice John Ellington wrote in the opinion. We feel vindicated, said Jazz Watts, a Hogg Hummock homeowner who helped organize the referendum effort. The election should not have been stopped. It was stopping the voice of the people. It wasnt immediately clear when a referendum might be rescheduled. But attorney Dana Braun, who represents the Hogg Hummock residents, said the ruling will give county residents some real say in whether they support the zoning change. McIntosh County attorney Ken Jarrard said in an email that the county commissioners are obviously disappointed by the order but respect the high courts ruling. Jarrard had asserted during oral arguments at the Supreme Court in April that zoning powers are different from others entrusted to county governments by the state Constitution and, therefore, cant be challenged by referendum. Philip Thompson, an attorney representing the Hogg Hummock residents, had argued that they have a constitutional right to a referendum on the zoning changes so that they can defend a place thats a cultural and historical treasure. Roughly 30 to 50 Black residents live in Hogg Hummock, also known as Hog Hammock, a community of dirt roads and modest homes founded by their enslaved ancestors who worked the cotton plantation of Thomas Spalding. Its among a dwindling number of small communities started by emancipated island slaves known collectively as Gullah, or Geechee, in Georgia scattered along the coast from North Carolina to Florida. Scholars say the islands separation from the mainland caused the communities to retain much of their African heritage, from their unique dialect to skills and crafts such as cast-net fishing and weaving baskets. In 1996, Hogg Hummock earned a place on the National Register of Historic Places, the official list of treasured U.S. historic sites. Residents depend on the local government in McIntosh County, where 65% of the 11,100 residents are white, to maintain protections that preserve the community. The state Supreme Court was not weighing whether Hogg Hummock deserves special protections. Instead, the justices had to consider technical questions about whether local zoning laws can be challenged by referendum and whether McIntosh County commissioners had a right to sue to stop the vote last October. ____ Associated Press writer Russ Bynum contributed reporting. Photo: Cornelia Bailey on the front porch of the Sapelo Island Cultural and Revitalization Society in the Hog Hammock community of Sapelo Island, back in 2013. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File) Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Georgia The wait continues for Georgia farmers who need more aid after Hurricane Helene, even as state and federal officials in other states announce agreements. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper this week announced Georgia farmers will receive $531 million, on the same day that federal and state officials announced $38 million in additional aid for South Carolina farmers. But unlike in South Carolina, as well as earlier announcements in Florida, North Carolina and Virginia, Georgias aid amount wasnt accompanied by a finalized agreement on how the state is going to hand out the block grant. Matthew Agvent, a spokesperson for the Republican Harper, said Georgia officials are ironing out administrative details in the agreement with USDA while we also finalize the states work plan. He didnt estimate when a final agreement might be signed. Agvent said Tuesdays announcement is significant, though, because it means state and federal officials agreed on how much money should be spent aiding farmers for different crops. Agvent called that the vast majority of the negotiation process. This funding is absolutely essential to help our farm families bounce back from Hurricane Helene, and our team invested hundreds of hours into the negotiation process to secure the maximum possible amount of federal funding for our state and our producers, Harper said in a statement, citing the urgency of the situation. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in her statement that aid was being delivered in record time. Harper, a strong supporter of President Donald Trump, has been facing questions about when money would begin flowing around the anniversary of Helenes Sept. 26, 2024, landfall. Georgia officials previously said they had hoped to finalize their agreement in May or June. The delays are frustrating Georgia farmers, who have operated for a year without making up losses not covered by insurance or other assistance. Some farmers have dipped into savings. Others have unpaid debts from last year, and couldnt borrow as much to plant 2025 crops. A few have sold equipment or land to generate cash. The financial stress comes as farmers face low prices for some crops even as the price of farming has risen. Vann Wooten, a farmer in south Georgias Jefferson Davis County, told WJCL-TV last week that hes stopped raising chickens and refocused on cattle and produce after the storm demolished his chicken houses, causing $2 million in damage. Georgia officials have said the poultry industry is a big target for additional aid. We still havent gotten nothing. We still havent even got a word, Wooten, also a county commissioner, told the television station. We got a promise. But nothing on paper. Delays came even though state and federal officials promised the process would move quickly, unlike after October 2018s Hurricane Michael, when assistance to farmers got held up because of a dispute between Trump and Democrats over additional aid for Puerto Rico. Then, Georgia officials didnt start taking grant applications until March 2020. U.S. Sen Raphael Warnock, a Georgia Democrat, called Tuesdays announcement welcome news but said, Im concerned this agreement has taken so long and is still not finalized. Georgia farmers and foresters cant wait any longer for relief. Helene storm cut a swath from Floridas Big Bend across eastern Georgia and upstate South Carolina before causing historic flooding in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. Its the seventh-most expensive disaster in the United States since 1980, causing an estimated $78 billion in damage and 219 deaths. Officials estimate Helene caused billions in property and economic damage to agriculture, including $5.5 billion in Georgia and $4.9 billion in North Carolina. Federal agriculture officials have said they negotiating block grants with 14 different states following a $100 billion package passed by Congress in December. In July, they announced completed agreements for $676 million in relief for Florida farmers covering losses from not only Helene but also Hurricanes Idalia, Debby and Milton. They also announced $61 million in relief for Virginia farmers that month. Earlier this month, they announced $221 million for North Carolina. In all those cases, like with Tuesdays South Carolina announcement, those included final deals on distribution. Photo: A barn and farm flooded by Helene. (Adobe Stock) Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Agribusiness Georgia AM Best revised the outlook for Golden Bear Insurance Company from stable to negative, while the ratings agency affirmed the carriers Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of a (Excellent). The ratings reflect Stockton, California-based Golden Bears balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its strong operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management. The revised outlooks to negative from stable reflect escalation in adverse loss reserve development patterns that have been reported in recent periods, elevating the need for underlying performance to offset reserve volatility, AM Best stated. In addition, the negative outlooks reflect concerns with the efficacy of GBICs ERM practices when it comes to managing reserve developments. Furthermore, the negative outlooks contemplate growing tail risk driven by earthquake coverage as it relates to the companys ERM program. According to AM Best, Golden Bear management implemented a series of initiatives to reverse the adverse developments, which stem primarily from the hospitality and habitational lines of business. The steps include applying assault and battery exclusions, limiting liquor coverage in certain states, eliminating large affordable housing accounts, focusing on complex claims, strengthening analytics and reporting of claims and coordinating with outside actuaries to build reserves back up to actuarial central estimates. The expectation is for these initiatives to gain traction to alleviate pressure on GBICs operating performance and ERM, AM Best stated. AM Best assesses the carriers balance sheet strength as very strong, driven by what the ratings agency said is the strongest level of risk-adjusted capitalization, consistent growth in surplus in recent years, a conservative investment portfolio and net underwriting leverage. It assesses the companys operating performance as strong, which reflects consistent positive earnings. AM Best assesses Golden Bears business profile as neutral as the company is a specialty insurance writer, offering surplus lines coverage across the U.S. and admitted coverage in California and Arizona. Topics Trends AM Best A large fire erupted in a jet fuel production unit at Chevrons El Segundo refinery near Los Angeles on Thursday, disrupting supply in Californias isolated energy market. Chevrons second-biggest refinery in the United States, the El Segundo facility supplies a fifth of all motor vehicle fuels and 40% of the jet fuel consumed in southern California. No injuries were reported and all workers at the refinery were accounted for, Chevron spokesperson Allison Cook said in an email. Media said the blaze had been contained, though it was still burning early on Friday. It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion at the facility in the suburb of El Segundo, which supplies jet fuel for Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), located just north of the refinery. What Are The Options For Californias Fuel Market? There is no known impact to LAX at this time, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said. The fire broke out in the refinerys Isomax 7 unit, which converts mid-distillate fuel oil into jet fuel, two sources said. It was unclear how it would affect the refinerys ability to produce jet fuel, and whether wider output had been affected. U.S. WTI crude futures prices were trading up 22 cents at $60.70 per barrel at 1136 GMT on Friday, on course for a weekly loss of more than 7%. O/R The fire is unlikely to have a large impact on the wider oil market, two analysts told Reuters, but California gasoline prices could rise as the states fuel market is isolated from other U.S. refining centers in the Midwest and on the Gulf Coast. If supply is affected, the California market could draw fuel imports from northeast Asia refiners in South Korea, Taiwan and Japan, Asian trade sources said. Northeast Asia has sent 90,000 barrels per day of jet fuel to the U.S. West Coast region so far this year versus 112,000 bpd in 2024, Kpler data showed. Fireball Turned The Sky Orange Chevron fire department personnel, including emergency responders from the cities of El Segundo and Manhattan Beach are actively responding to an isolated fire inside the Chevron El Segundo Refinery, Cook, the spokesperson, said. All refinery personnel and contractors have been accounted for and there are no injuries. Local officials said no evacuation orders were issued for nearby residents, some of whom live in apartment buildings across the street from the refinery. Residents of Manhattan Beach, located southwest of the refinery, were told to shelter in place until 2 a.m. Los Angeles residents posted numerous videos of the fire online, saying they were stunned by the noise of the blast. A University of California-San Diego camera captured video of the explosion shortly after 9:30 p.m. PDT (0430 GMT). The fireball when the fire erupted turned the sky orange in the western Los Angeles area as did the refinerys safety flare, which was set off due to the blaze. Safety flares, which emit a tall plume of flame, are used when refineries cannot process hydrocarbons normally. In addition to Chevron, state and federal safety agencies will investigate the fire after the blaze is extinguished, they said. In December 2022, an isolated fire in the refinery was quickly extinguished. In the U.S. so far in 2025, there have been several refinery fire incidents. The refinerys total storage capacity is 12.5 million barrels in about 150 major tanks. The sources said they were not sure how much jet fuel was currently in storage. (Reporting by Erwin Seba in Houston, Shivani Tanna, Anmol Choubey, Mrinmay Dey in Bengaluru, Stephanie Kelly in London, Trixie Yap in Singapore; Editing by Susan Fenton, Clarence Fernandez and Mark Potter) Topics Louisiana Federal officials have opened inquiries into California State University for allegations of antisemitism and claims of racial discrimination tied to a diversity hiring initiative. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has launched an investigation into claims of antisemitism and was reaching out to employees to gather evidence, Chancellor Mildred Garcia said in a message to the entire CSU community on Friday that was seen by Bloomberg. The U.S. Education Departments Office for Civil Rights is examining CSUs past participation in The PhD Project a nonprofit that works to diversify business education over claims of racial discrimination. The Los Angeles Times was first to report on the inquiries. Federal investigators had subpoenaed Cal State LA for employees personal contact information, the newspaper reported. The campus, one of 22 in the CSU system, hosted a Gaza Solidarity Encampment during nationwide protests over Israels war in Gaza. One of our 22 campuses, Cal State LA, received a discrimination complaint (antisemitism) in 2024 and is working with the EEOC to resolve that matter, according to a statement from CSU. As part of that campus-specific process, Cal State LA received a subpoena from the EEOC for contact information for its employees. This review is still ongoing. This is the only subpoena that the CSU has received. The Justice Department and the EEOC is also pursuing similar investigations on antisemitism and discrimination across the University of California as well. Garcia said CSU has always complied with state and federal law and doesnt give preferential treatment based on race or religion. The university is cooperating with the federal inquiries, she added. CSU participated in The PhD Project for university job postings until 2024, a university spokesperson said in a statement without explaining why it ended the association. Copyright 2025 Bloomberg. Topics California Education Universities Following the revamp of the Department of Agricultures AgFood Portal, the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) has called for a review following challenges arising from the update. IFA Rural Development Chair, John Curran, said: We are getting calls from farmers the length and breadth of the country that are having issues getting into AgFood, particularly those in poor coverage areas who cant get their access tokens on time, or its sent to their son/daughter who signed in before them. Rural Ireland is not a dumping ground for projects that would never be tolerated in urban areas that is what Sinn Fein senator Nicole Ryan told the upper house when she raised concerns about a proposed battery energy storage system (BESS) in Newmarket, Co Cork. Communities deserve proper transparency, consultation, and independent safety assessments before developments of this scale are considered, she said. Ms Ryan said the proposed site is beside a sensitive ecological area that drains into a watercourse connecting to the River Dalua and then onto the River Blackwater, both of which are designated special areas of conservation. These are habitats for species of European importance, including Atlantic salmon, yet the dangers posed by the lithium-ion batteries have not been adequately addressed. If a leak occurs, these batteries contain liquid electrolyte, which can react with moisture to form hydrofluoric acid. "The potential consequences for the environment, drinking water and community safety are enormous, she said. Ms Ryan said the risks of fires and toxic contamination from BESS sites had been seen in other countries. Once such a facility is built, the community bears the risk while large corporations reap the profits, she said. Ms Ryan said this raises a wider question around how energy infrastructure is being planned and where it is being placed. The voices of local residents, farmers, and environmental groups should be respected. Clarity is needed on safety protocols around these sites, the environmental safeguards and who will carry responsibility if something goes wrong. This is not about being anti-renewable or anti-progress. Everybody wants the future to be robust. Communities like Newmarket want to play their part in climate action but not at the expense of their health, their environment and their future, she said. Ms Ryan asked that time be allocated in the House to properly debate the regulation of BESS developments to ensure that safety, sustainability and community input are at the forefront. Fianna Fail senator Fiona O'Loughlin, presiding, said consultation is obviously key in relation to the local area. Clarity is needed around why the area was chosen. To be fair, the senator raised a fair point about the general criteria in respect of battery storage and the regulation of same. "We will look to have a debate on that issue, she said. On December 11, 1920, the day after the official declaration of martial law, the IRA ambushed another Auxiliary patrol, this one just outside their barracks in Cork City. An officer was killed and several were wounded. So soon after Kilmichael, it was a provocation that was guaranteed to generate reprisals. Just hours after the attack on the patrol, Auxiliary police and Black and Tans swarmed through downtown Cork, and soon the commercial centre of the city was ablaze. An inventory for General Tudor, prepared on December 15, listed 57 destroyed buildings, 20 badly damaged, and 12 houses wrecked and looted. The British army launched its own inquiry. The cabinet discussed the armys findings on December 29. While blaming a specific unit of the Auxiliary police for starting the fires, General Strickland, senior army officer in Cork, singled out the higher authority who ordered a unit in so raw a state to move into Cork so soon after the massacre at Kilmichael. Tudor, who, along with General Macready, was at the meeting, bristled at the accusation in his opinion, Stricklands focus on discipline reflected on him personally. He had a manpower problem after the Kilmichael massacre and had done his best to cope. Strickland replied that he should have asked the military for assistance. Gen Macready raised the heat: Police discipline was always challenging, because policemen had no code to work under and the RIC leadership was not the standard of men who could enforce discipline. Linden MacIntyre is a multi award-winning author who also has worked as a journalist and documentary maker. Tudor shot back that, according to former military officers now serving in the RIC, discipline on the police force was stricter than the army. Lloyd George weighed in diplomatically. He simply wanted an assurance that Tudor would deal strongly with indiscipline. He appreciated the fine work that Tudor and his men had done. He only hoped the police chief could prevent further incidents of the kind that generated scandals like torching major cities. The government, under pressure, had promised that Gen Stricklands arson investigation would spare no effort in the search for truth, and that the findings would be published. By the end of 1920, public attitudes about the struggle for Irish independence, in Ireland and in Britain, were unsettled and politically unsettling. The Archbishop of Canterbury, one of Englands leading moral voices, was privately describing Ireland as the worst sore on our body politic. In a November speech in the House of Lords, he specifically denounced reprisals. On April 6, 1921, 20 British Protestant prelates would denounce the governments reprisals policy in a letter to The Times. A commission of inquiry created by the British Labour Party to investigate the governments handling of the Irish conflict was preparing a report, to be released in January 1921, that would describe reprisals as a cruel and inhuman policy. Black and Tans and the Auxiliary police were out of control The Black and Tans and the Auxiliary police, according to the Labour Party, were out of control. They had become a weapon which [the government] cannot wield ... undisciplined and virtually uncontrolled. The report concluded: Things are being done in the name of Britain which must make her name stink in the nostrils of the whole world. Photographs of Corks commercial and administrative centre, after the inferno of December 1112, brought back scenes from the Great War. That British officers had turned the core of a major Irish city in to a smouldering ruin was shocking, even for hard-liners, and was another serious public relations setback for British policy in Ireland. Questions screamed for answers and critics screamed for accountability, and the government had made a reckless promise to investigate the Cork fires and to make the findings public. The cabinet was now dithering, because the army officer handling the inquiry had been bluntly critical of police leadership. He didnt name the name but he didnt really have to. Even though Gen Tudor didnt light the match in Cork, he was the man in charge of the Auxiliaries who did. And, to make matters potentially more serious, Tudor was, as usual, standing firm behind his officers. In his own supplementary report on Cork, Tudor pointed out that no one claimed to have seen Auxiliary officers actually setting fires; or maybe some unknown person set a small fire that just spread and grew because of gas explosions; or maybe Sinn Feiners set the fires themselves, confident that Crown forces would be blamed. But the official finding, based on an investigation by an army general, Peter Strickland, was unambiguous. Policemen set the fires. Police leaders were ultimately responsible. Lloyd George and Churchill cringed. The reckless promise to make the findings public now had to be reconsidered. Even more politically sensitive was the murder of a 73-year-old priest by a drunk Auxiliary on a roadside in Dunmanway. The image of an old priest bleeding on a roadside, a victim of a rogue policeman, had universal resonance that could shift political opinions. Especially in the United States. British policy in Ireland was now threatened by a hovering American reality the agitated interest of a large and influential Irish migrant population. It is unlikely that Tudor considered the influence of the American diaspora to be significant, but the politicians, Churchill and Lloyd George, saw it as a major threat to the British strategy. Churchill even contemplated the possibility that the Irish war could escalate in to a major international confrontation. A recurring nightmare for Lloyd George was that by continuing with reprisals like Cork and Dunmanway, the Irish conflict would eventually create unpleasantness with the United States, where feeling was dangerous. As he reminded members of the cabinet and his military and police commanders on December 29, these were the kinds of incidents that drove a country like the United States to do something beyond discretion. And he wondered, hypothetically, if it was time to throttle back the violence. What about a truce? In a rare show of unanimity, the generals and the police told him a truce was a bad idea. The reprisal strategy, controversial though it was to many, was delivering results. In the most likely scenario, the IRA considered by the generals to be stumbling would use a pause in the war to recover and reload, which was a bad idea when a clear-cut victory could be just around the corner. A GP who was prosecuted for fraud, but whose trial collapsed, is taking legal action against An Garda Siochana for malicious prosecution. Tony Margiotta was accused of issuing fraudulent sick notes to his sister Lynn, who was a civilian employee of An Garda Siochana. Lynn Margiotta was arrested at her home in Navan in July 2014 by colleagues from Store Street Garda Station in Dublin in connection with an investigation into obtaining sick notes on a fraudulent basis. She had been absent from work on a number of occasions over the previous six months, following the unexpected death of her mother. Two weeks before her arrest, Ms Margiotta had made a workplace complaint of bullying against a garda sergeant. The following year, she was arrested for a second time. According to documents seen by the Irish Examiner, no new evidence was presented to her during this second arrest. She was shown various doctors certs, or sick notes, which were all available to the gardai prior to her first arrest. Following a lengthy investigation, the siblings were charged in 2017 with seven counts of issuing a medical document as a false instrument. The case went to trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court in March 2019. The trial collapsed within days when the presiding judge ruled that Ms Margiottas rights had been breached by the gardai. During early evidence at the trial, a Garda Superintendent accepted that Ms Margiotta had been ill for the times that she had submitted sick notes but, he told the court, the case was over how those notes were obtained. Tony Margiotta, as a GP, was fully qualified to issue such notes. He was working as a locum GP at the time and had used the stamp of the resident GP who was absent. Ms Margiotta took legal action against An Garda Siochana at the time, and that action is ongoing. Now her brother has issued his own proceedings through solicitor Kevin Winters. After the criminal trial collapsed, the Medical Council began a process to determine whether Tony Margiotta should face a fitness-to-practice hearing. The council had been contacted by the gardai about the investigation into Dr Margiotta, and further contact was made in the wake of the aborted criminal trial. The Medical Council process has now been in train for nearly six years, and it is 11 years since the brother and sister were first interviewed by gardai. The bullying complaint that Lynn Margiotta submitted just prior to her arrest was never advanced. She was never asked about it thereafter, once the criminal investigation began. The Irish Examiner understands she was not contacted in any form about the matter, as would have been standard procedure in dealing with any industrial relations matter. Lynn Margiotta has since resigned from An Garda Siochana. Tony Margiotta, who had been working as a locum GP at the time, is now employed in a public health role. When contacted, Dr Margiotta said he was not in a position to comment on any aspect of the case. Two men drove to an apartment at Washington St in Cork at 5.30am and carried out a burglary where the resident was assaulted and had property including a 40-inch TV stolen, it was claimed in court. These allegations were made today at Cork District Court where Garda Patrick Houlihan and Detective Garda Myles Moran objected to bail being granted to the two accused, Timmy Saubolle, aged 31, of Lagan Grove, Mayfield, Cork, and Michael Ryan, aged 43, of 94 Curraheen Drive, Bishopstown, Cork, They were charged that on the September 26 they carried out a burglary at Washington St, Cork. The alleged circumstances was that they arrived in the area at around 5.30am in an Opel Astra. It was alleged by gardai that the injured party was subjected to an assault in his apartment and that the two defendants took a number of items including a 40-inch TV, a PlayStation 4, a mobile phone and 150 in cash. It was further alleged that they were seen on high-quality CCTV loading the stolen items into the Astra. In a second charge against both defendants, it is alleged that they carried out a theft at Spar, St Patricks St, Cork, on the same date. Gardai spoke with staff who stated two men and a woman entered the store, selected groceries to the value of 16 and left without paying. Judge Mary Dorgan refused the application for bail made by Timmy Saubolle through barrister Paula McCarthy and remanded him in custody until October 9 when he is to appear by video link from prison at Cork District Court. Michael Ryan was granted bail, in his application through Aoife Buttimer solicitor on his own bond of 1,000 with no lodgement, on condition that he resides at 94 Curraheen Drive, Bishopstown, Cork, does not bring any drugs or related paraphernalia to the house, is contactable at all times by gardai, signs on three times at a week at Togher garda station, and has no contact with the injured party or co-accused and to keep a nightly curfew between 11pm and 7am. Judge Dorgan adjourned his case until October 22, on the application of Sergeant John Kelleher to allow time for directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions. Two men dealing with an incident at a shop on Cork City's MacCurtain Street ended up crossing the nearby Mary Elmes Bridge where they were threatened by a man who said he would throw both of them into the River Lee, acourt has heard. 41-year-old Roy OCallaghan, with an address at an apartment at Bridgefield Close, Bishopstown, Cork, pleaded guilty to a charge of engaging in threatening behaviour. Judge Mary Dorgan said this public order charge carried a maximum penalty of three months in prison and that the offence was at the higher end of such offences. The judge imposed a sentence of 10 weeks on him at Cork District Court. While on foot patrol in Cork City, gardai were approached by two members of staff from Spar, MacCurtain Street. Sergeant Gearoid Davis said: They told gardai that there was an altercation on Mary Elmes Bridge with a group of people. The two identified Roy O'Callaghan as being aggressive and shouting at both of them. They told gardai that the defendant was 'getting aggressive with us, threatening to throw us both over the bridge saying I'll do it, watch me. "At this point both of his fists were clenched and his chest puffed out. We didn't back away. He got right into our faces screaming numerous profanities." One injured party said of the accused he was very aggressive.... The more he was shouting, the more riled up he was getting... There was spittle flying out of his mouth and onto my face. He said he was going to f*** the two of us into the river. "'I told him I wasn't afraid of him. He called me a fat f***er. He was badgering me in an aggressive threatening manner. His chest was forward and both fists were clenched. Solicitor Frank Buttimer said Roy OCallaghan pleaded guilty to being threatening and abusive but that the reason he got involved in the first place was because he felt that the two men were blaming another party for taking something from the Spar shop. Mr Buttimer said whatever occurred in the shop did not involve Mr OCallaghan. A Cork grandfather is on hunger strike in an Israeli jail after being arrested for his involvement in a flotilla trying to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza. Paddy ODonovan, 61, from Cobh, is among 16 Irish citizens arrested after his boat, part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, was intercepted yesterday. All 42 boats in that flotilla have now been intercepted. His daughters, Robyn and Rebecca ODonovan, said they have heard their father is on an indefinite hunger strike after being transferred to a prison about 30 miles from Egypt. Robyn told the Neil Prendeville Show on RedFM that information on their fathers status is slow to reach them. "We are just trying to piece it all together now and figure it out, but so far, we know that they're on an indefinite hunger strike and that they've been transferred to a prison about 30 miles off Egypt, and we're just kind of waiting for more news. But it's just, it's a waiting game, I suppose." They understand their father is being held in a detention facility in the Negev desert within Israeli territory, about 30 kilometres from the Egyptian border. This frame grab from video released by the Global Sumud Flotilla shows Israeli navy soldiers aboard one of the flotilla's vessels after it was intercepted as it approached the coast of Gaza early Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (Global Sumud Flotilla via AP) He's going to do everything in his power to make a difference, to try and prove a point. He's so brave, Robyn said. There's nothing that he wouldn't do to help somebody. My heart breaks, but I'm so proud of him. We are all so proud of him. [Despite] all the hard times that they've gone through, not once for any second did he think about backing out or coming home. He just wants to finish it out. Paddy has been gone for about five weeks, Robyn said. While that has felt like a lifetime for the family, it must feel even longer for those still on the boats. Her sister Rebecca said the family is very worried: We want our dad home. He is 61. She last spoke to him on Tuesday night, just hours before his boat was intercepted. He was telling me it was a beautiful, calm night out there. The moon was shining. He said it was so peaceful you wouldn't think that there was a war zone a couple hundred miles away. They knew the blockade was waiting for them. They knew that the Israelis were going to do something to them. Despite her worry, Rebecca said she is beyond proud of her father. He wants nothing more than to help those children and those women and those poor people over there. Hes so brave. And he's taken all his life experience and used it to do something good. The Italian fleet of the Global Sumud Flotilla departs from the port of Siracusa, Italy, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (Sebastiano Diamante/LaPresse via AP) Meanwhile, the legality of Israels actions against the Gaza flotilla is open to question, according to a leading maritime security expert. Professor Ian Speller, Director of the Centre for Military History & Strategic Studies at Maynooth University, said international law protects the right to freedom of navigation outside territorial waters. He told the Irish Examiner there are very few exceptions, including piracy, the slave trade, illegal broadcasting and stateless ships. However, a state can legally stop a ship if it is enforcing a lawful blockade, he said. The key issue here might be whether or not the Israeli blockade can be considered lawful. Prof Speller, author of numerous works on naval warfare and maritime strategy, said the San Remo Manual on International Law Applicable to Armed Conflict at Sea (1994) sets out the conditions for a lawful blockade. He said it must be formally declared, effectively enforced, impartially applied, and not extended to neutral ports. It does not allow for the interdiction of humanitarian aid to civilians, he said. Attempts to block the delivery of such aid could be considered contrary to customary international law, but note that Israel declares that it is willing for such aid to be delivered but that this must occur through routes and agencies that it controls. The matter, therefore, is open to some interpretation. Prof Speller added that the San Remo Manual mandates: if the civilian population of a blockaded territory is inadequately provided with food then the blockading party must provide free passage for foodstuffs etc. But he noted: Israel claims that it already provides for the free passage of food. The manual also prohibits blockades if: it has the sole purpose of starving the civilian population or denying it other objects essential for its survival; "the damage to the civilian population is, or may be expected to be, excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated from the blockade. Russias sustained bombardment of Ukraines power grid is deepening concerns about the safety of the countrys nuclear facilities after a drone knocked out power for more than three hours to the site of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in northern Ukraine, officials said. The drone strike adds to concerns raised more than a week ago when the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in south-eastern Ukraine became disconnected from the power grid following attacks that each side has blamed on the other. Both Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhia are not currently operational, but they require a constant power supply to run crucial cooling systems for spent fuel rods in order to avoid a potential nuclear incident. Russian air attacks continue to hit civilian areas, such as Barabashovo market in Kharkiv, Ukraine, this week (AP) A blackout also could blind radiation monitoring systems installed to boost security at Chernobyl and operated by the UNs International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Russia is deliberately creating the threat of radiation incidents, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as he criticised the UN nuclear watchdog and its chief Rafael Mariano Grossi for what he described as weak responses to the danger. Every day of Russias war, every strike on our energy facilities, including those connected to nuclear safety, is a global threat, he said. Weak and half-measures will not work. Strong action is needed. Russian president Vladimir Putin rejected Ukrainian claims that Russia has been shelling the power lines around the Zaporizhzhia plant as nonsense. He blamed Ukraine for attacking the Moscow-controlled plant and warned that Russia could respond in kind. The war that followed Russias all-out invasion of its neighbour more than three years ago appears no closer to ending, despite months of US-led peace efforts. Mr Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address that Russia launched over 20 Shahed drones against energy infrastructure in Slavutych, the city whose power supply services Chernobyl, the site of the worlds worst nuclear accident nearly 40 years ago. A wave of drones overwhelmed defences and caused a blackout on Wednesday, he said, affecting the sarcophagus that prevents radioactive dust from escaping the destroyed fourth reactor and storage housing more than 3,000 tonnes of spent fuel. He did not provide details of how it was affected. The Russians could not have been unaware that a strike on Slavutych would have such consequences for Chernobyl, Mr Zelenskyy said. Last February, a drone armed with a warhead hit Chernobyls protective outer shell, briefly starting a fire. Radiation levels there did not increase, officials said. The Zaporizhzhia plant, which is Europes biggest and one of the 10 biggest nuclear facilities in the world, has been disconnected from the grid for over a week. It has repeatedly been caught in the crossfire during the war. Mr Zelenskyy blamed Russian artillery for cutting the power line to the plant, but Mr Putin mocked the claim, saying: Are we striking ourselves? A soldier returning from Russian captivity hugs his wife during a POW exchange between Russia and Ukraine in Chernyhiv region (AP) He accused Ukraine of playing a dangerous game by attacking the plant, adding ominously: People on the other side must understand that if they continue this dangerous game, they also have functioning nuclear power plants. What would prevent us from responding in kind? he added. Let them think about it. The facility is using emergency diesel generators to run cooling systems for its six shutdown reactors and spent fuel. The IAEA says the plant is not in immediate danger but wants it swiftly reconnected to the grid. Ukraines energy ministry said the situation is unprecedented, saying: No nuclear power plant in the world has ever operated under such conditions, and it is impossible to make any reliable forecasts. Russia and Ukraine exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war on Thursday. Mr Zelenskyy said 185 military personal, most of whom had been in Russian captivity since 2022, and 20 civilians were returned home. Since the war began, more than 7,000 Ukrainians have returned, Mr Zelenskyy said on Telegram. Russias defence ministry said 185 of its soldiers and 20 civilians returned. Lifestyle / Travel and Tourism by Stephen Jakes The Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry has reaffirmed its commitment to promoting religious tourism in Zimbabwe, highlighting the upcoming Benny Hinn Crusade as a major milestone.In a statement posted on its official X (formerly Twitter) account, the ministry announced that Zimbabwe continues to elevate religious tourism, with the three-day Benny Hinn Crusade - scheduled for 10 to 12 October 2025 at The Miracle Grounds in Ashdown Parkset to draw thousands of attendees."The founder of Heartfelt International Ministries, Apostle Tavonga Vutabwashe - whose ministry now boasts over 15,000 congregants nationwide - alongside Dr Doorn Marie, Missions Director of Benny Hinn International Crusades, paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Hon Barbara Rwodzi, ahead of the event," the ministry posted.The crusade is expected to attract approximately 45,000 attendees, underscoring its significance as a flagship religious tourism event."The meeting reflects the Ministry's active collaboration with faith-based organizations to ensure the successful hosting of large-scale events, providing both domestic and international tourists with a memorable experience," the ministry added.Religious tourism, the ministry noted, contributes to economic growth by supporting local industries such as food, transport, accommodation, and energy - creating jobs and promoting enterprise development."This reinforces Zimbabwe's reputation as a welcoming destination where faith, culture, and hospitality converge."The meeting was also attended by the Minister of Information, Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services, Hon Tatenda Mavetera. Hopes for a quick end to the US government shutdown were fading on Friday as Republicans and Democrats dug in for a prolonged fight and president Donald Trump readied plans to unleash layoffs and cuts across the federal government. Senators were heading back to the Capitol for another vote on government funding on the third day of the shutdown, but there has been no sign of any real progress toward ending their standoff. Democrats are demanding that Congress extend healthcare benefits, while Republicans are trying to wear them down with day after day of voting on a House-passed Bill that would reopen the government temporarily, mostly at current spending levels. Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaks to reporters at the US Capitol (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP) Until they have eight or hopefully more 10 or more people who want to decide they want to end the government shutdown, Im not sure this goes anywhere, Senate majority leader John Thune said on Thursday. Although Republicans control the White House and both chambers of Congress, the Senates filibuster rules make it necessary for the government funding legislation to gain support from at least 60 of the 100 senators. That has given Democrats a rare opportunity to use their 47 Senate seats to hold out in exchange for policy concessions. The party has chosen to rally on the issue of healthcare, believing it could be key to their path back to power in Washington. Their primary demand is that Congress extend tax credits that were boosted during the Covid-19 pandemic for healthcare plans offered under the Affordable Care Act marketplace. Standing on the steps of the US Capitol on Thursday, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said: Understand this, over the last few days and over the next few days, what youre going to see is more than 20 million Americans experience dramatically increased healthcare premiums, co-pays and deductibles because of the Republican unwillingness to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits. Democrats are running the high-risk strategy of effectively voting for a government shutdown to make their stand. Mr Trump has vowed to make it as painful as possible for them. House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks to reporters on the Capitol Hill on Thursday (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP) The Republican president has called the government funding lapse an unprecedented opportunity to make vast cuts to federal agencies and potentially lay off federal workers, rather than the typical practice of furloughing them. White House budget director Russ Vought has already announced that he is withholding funds for infrastructure projects in states with Democratic senators. Mr Jeffries displayed no signs of budging under those threats. The cruelty that they might unleash on everyday Americans using the pretence of a shutdown is only going to backfire against them, he said during an interview with The Associated Press and other outlets at the Capitol. Still, the shutdown, no matter how long it lasts, could have far-reaching effects on the economy. Roughly 750,000 federal employees could be furloughed, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, and they could lose out on 400 million dollars (297 million) in daily wages. That loss in wages until after the government reopens could drive down wider demand for goods and services. House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Thursday that real pain is being inflicted upon the American people because 44 Democrats in the Senate have voted for the third time to reject Republican legislation that would reopen the government and keep spending levels mostly the same. The American public usually spreads the blame around to both major political parties when it comes to a government shutdown. While Mr Trump took a significant portion of the blame during the last partial government shutdown in 2018 as he demanded funding for a US-Mexico border wall, this standoff could end differently because now it is Democrats making the policy demands. Still, politicians were relentlessly trying to make their case to the American public with news conferences, social media videos and livestreams. Both sides expressed confidence that the other would ultimately be found at fault. And in the House, party leaders seemed to be moving farther apart rather than closer to making a deal to end the shutdown. Mr Jeffries on Thursday called for a permanent extension to the ACA tax credits. Meanwhile, Mr Johnson told reporters that conservatives are very concerned about the subsidies, saying they have lots of problems. As senators prepared for their last scheduled vote for the week on Friday, they appeared resigned to allow the shutdown to continue at least into next week. Mr Thune said that if the vote failed, he would give them the weekend to think about it before holding more votes. Senator Amy Klobuchar, in a floor speech, called for Republicans to work with her and fellow Democrats to find common ground on the ACA subsidies, saying their expiration would impact plenty of people in states with Republican senators especially in rural areas where farmers, ranchers and small business owners purchase their own health insurance. Unfortunately, right now our Republican colleagues are not working with us to find a bipartisan agreement to prevent the government shutdown and address the health care crisis, she said. We know that even when they float ideas which we surely do appreciate in the end the president appears to make the call. Sean Diddy Combs faces sentencing on Friday in a criminal case that could keep him locked up for years. The former hip-hop mogul was convicted in July of flying people around the country for sexual encounters, including his girlfriends and male sex workers, in violation of the federal Mann Act. A jury acquitted Combs, 55, of more serious racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges that could have put him away for life. Prosecutors say he should spend more than 11 years in prison for his conviction on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs lawyers want him freed now, saying the long sentence sought by prosecutors is wildly out of proportion to the crime. Sean Diddy Combs lawyer Xavier Donaldson arrives at the Manhattan federal court for the sentencing on Friday (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/AP) US District Judge Arun Subramanian, who will decide the sentence, has signalled that Combs is unlikely to be freed soon. He twice rejected bail for the rapper, who has been jailed at a federal detention centre in Brooklyn since his arrest a year ago. The sentencing comes after a nearly two-month trial featuring evidence from women who described being beaten, threatened, sexually assaulted and blackmailed by Combs. A former girlfriend, R&B singer Casandra Cassie Ventura, said Combs ordered her to have disgusting sex with strangers hundreds of times during their decade-long relationship. The jury was repeatedly shown video clips of Combs dragging and beating Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel hallway after one of those multiday sexual marathons, which she referred to as freak-offs during her four days of evidence. A woman who testified under the pseudonym Jane told jurors she too was subjected to violence and felt obligated to perform sexually with male sex workers at drug-fuelled hotel nights while Combs watched and sometimes filmed. To support their racketeering case, prosecutors also brought on witnesses who testified about other violent acts. A former personal assistant testified that Combs raped her. One of Cassies friends told the jury Combs dangled her from a 17th floor balcony. The rapper Kid Cudi testified that Combs broke into his home after learning he and Cassie were dating. Although the jury acquitted Combs of racketeering, the judge can still consider that evidence as he decides the sentence. Judge Subramanian is also considering letters submitted by Combs and some of his accusers. In his letter to the judge on Thursday, Combs promised he would never commit another crime if released, saying: The old me died in jail and a new version of me was reborn. In her letter, Ms Ventura called Combs a manipulative abuser who has no interest in changing or becoming better. He will always be the same cruel, power-hungry, manipulative man that he is, she wrote. A former personal assistant who said Combs raped her in 2010 asked Judge Subramanian to deliver a sentence that takes into account the ongoing danger my abuser poses to me, and to others. The former assistant, who gave evidence under the pseudonym Mia, is expected to speak at Fridays sentencing. Combs will address the court, according to court filings. His defence team is also planning to play a roughly 11-minute video. Combs lawyers say the sexual encounters were consensual and that being in jail has hastened Combs sobriety and forced him to learn from his misbehaviour. They have said there is no need for him to remain behind bars because he has already been punished enough. At a court hearing last week, Combs told his mother and children that he is getting closer to going home. US President Donald Trump has said Hamas must agree to a proposed peace deal for Gaza by 6pm Washington time on Sunday and threatened the group will suffer more attacks if it does not. An Agreement must be reached with Hamas by Sunday Evening at SIX (6) P.M., Washington, D.C. time, Mr Trump wrote on social media. Every Country has signed on! If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas. THERE WILL BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. The Republican president unveiled the plan alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this week. Sean Diddy Combs has arrived in court in New York for his sentencing after being convicted in July of flying people around the country for sexual encounters. A jury acquitted the hip-hop mogul, 55, of more serious racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges that could have put him away for life. On the eve of his sentencing, Combs wrote to US District Judge Arun Subramanian asking for mercy and proclaiming himself to be reborn after realising that he was broken to my core. Combs will be sentenced under the Mann Act, which makes it illegal to transport someone across state lines for the purpose of prostitution or other illegal sex acts. Janice Combs, mother of Sean Diddy Combs, arrives at court (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez) Prosecutors urged the judge to reject leniency, saying witnesses fear for their safety if he is freed. Prosecutors say he should spend more than 11 years in prison for his conviction on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs lawyers want him freed now, saying the long sentence sought by prosecutors is wildly out of proportion to the crime. As he has throughout the case, Combs entered the packed courtroom through a side door, escorted by deputy US marshals. Combs was transported to the court on Friday morning from the Metropolitan Detention Centre, the Brooklyn federal jail where he has been held since his arrest in September 2024. Given permission by the judge to wear non-jail clothes, Combs arrived wearing a light-coloured sweater over a button-down shirt and dark-coloured trousers. He hugged his lawyers and greeted his family and supporters as he walked to the defence table. Combs smiled briefly and waved to his family in the gallery before sitting down, putting on a pair of glasses and reading through papers from a large accordion-style folder. Good morning and good morning to you, Mr Combs, the judge said. Good morning, your honour, Combs replied. The judge confirmed that Combs children and a minister will be able to speak in support of the hip-hop impresario. Judge Subramanian is considering whether he will also hear from some other people the defence proposed. All of them have written letters to the court. People wait outside to enter Manhattan federal court for the sentencing (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/AP) The defence wants the court to hear from two doctors who have evaluated and cared for Combs while he has been in jail. A former personal assistant who testified at Combs trial that he raped her in 2010 is no longer planning to speak at his sentencing. Prosecutors told the judge that a former assistant, who gave evidence under the pseudonym Mia, has changed her mind about giving a statement in person. She already submitted a lengthy personal statement urging the judge to hold Combs fully accountable. This letter has been excruciating to write, her victim impact statement said. She wrote that the little girl she once was is gone. She was buried alive by an abuser, trapped in a world of terror, abuse, humiliation, and coercive control. Assistant US Attorney Christy Slavik said Mia changed her mind about speaking in court after Combs lawyers submitted a letter objecting to Mias appearance. The letter, the prosecutor said, can only be described as bullying. The judge agreed, concluding that the tone of the defences letter was inappropriate and advising Combs lawyers not to do it again. Judge Subramanian is declining to add certain enhancements to the sentencing guidelines that probation officials have used to calculate Combs possible sentencing range. The judge denied the prosecutions request to add factors that could increase the hip-hop moguls potential sentence, such as for causing serious bodily injury, vulnerable victims and obstruction of justice. Nevertheless, the judge said, he will weigh all relevant conduct including Combs violence and threats as he decides on a sentence. He left in place an enhancement for coercion, overruling the defences objection. In doing so, he cited Combs threats to his long-time former girlfriend Casandra Cassie Ventura to publicly release videos of their so-called freak-offs. Probation officials concluded that the guidelines range for Combs sentence is around five years and 10 months to seven years and three months. Adding the enhancements that prosecutors wanted would have increased the guidelines range to nine years to 11 years and three months in prison. Quincy Brown, Chance Combs, Dlila Combs and Jessie, the children of Sean Diddy Combs, arrive at court (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/AP) The judges actual sentencing decision is many hours away. But in the course of legal arguments, the judge gave a glimpse of his view of Combs stance toward the case. In general, the narrative that he and his attorneys have put forth that this case involves nothing more than adults paying for time, not sex is flatly inconsistent with both reality and an acceptance of responsibility, the judge said. In this first phase of the sentencing, the judge is going through complex legal reasoning in response to objections that both sides have raised to the pre-sentencing report. Judge Subramanian said that while Combs was acquitted of certain charges, the verdict does not absolve him of underlying conduct, such as violence and coercion. Nor does it mean that such conduct is irrelevant to sentencing, the judge said. While Combs continues to fight his conviction on two prostitution-related charges, the judge said the evidence plainly established in whole or in part the defendants participation in the convicted conduct. It was Combs who organised sex parties and hired male escorts, and it was his money that paid for them, the judge said. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said he ordered a fourth strike on a small boat in the waters off Venezuela, according to a social media post. In his post, Mr Hegseth said that our intelligence, without a doubt, confirmed that this vessel was trafficking narcotics, the people onboard were narco-terrorists, and they were operating on a known narco-trafficking transit route. The strike comes less than a day after it was revealed that President Donald Trump declared drug cartels to be unlawful combatants and said that the United States is now in an armed conflict with them in a memo obtained by The Associated Press. According to Mr Hegseths post, the strike killed four men, but it offered no other details on who they were or what organisation they belonged to. The video of the strike posted online showed a small boat moving in open water when it suddenly explodes. As the smoke from the explosion clears, the boat is visible, consumed with flames, floating motionless on the water. Last month, the US military carried out three other deadly strikes against boats in the Caribbean that the administration said were ferrying drugs. With this strike, at least three of these operations have now been carried out on vessels that originated from Venezuela. Those strikes followed a build-up of US maritime forces in the Caribbean unlike any seen in recent times. The US Navys presence in the region eight warships with more than 5,000 sailors and Marines has been stable for weeks, according to two defence officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing operations. Officials in the Pentagon, when asked for more details about the strike, referred The Associated Press back to Mr Hegseths post on social media. Terrorist Jihad Al-Shamie was on police bail for an alleged rape when he carried out the Manchester synagogue attack, according to sources. Al-Shamie was also heard to shout this is what they get for killing our children as he tried to get inside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester, on Thursday. The synagogues chairman of trustees, Alan Levy, who helped barricade the doors, told ITV News he saw Al-Shamie with a big knife, banging his knife into the glass, trying to get through. His final act was one of profound courage and he will forever be remembered for his heroic act He added: The heroes of the congregation who saw what was happening then came to the doors because he was trying to break the doors down to get in. We were barricading the doors between us with Rabbi Walker and a number of the other congregants. He couldnt get in because we were holding the doors firm. Mr Levy told the broadcaster: All I heard him say was when the guys were outside the perimeter and were shouting at him. He shouted, this is what you get for killing our children. It comes as the families of the two men who died during the attack paid tribute to them. Adrian Daulby, 53, is believed to have been shot dead by police while attempting to prevent Al-Shamie entering the synagogue during the car and knife attack. He was killed together with Melvin Cravitz, 66, from Crumpsall, who was working as a security guard at the synagogue and also helped prevent the attacker entering the premises. Adrian Daulby (Family Handout/PA) Armed police accidentally shot Mr Daulby and another member of the public during the attack, which happened on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. A tribute provided by Mr Daulbys family said: Adrian Daulby was a hero and tragically lost his life in the act of courage to save others. He was a beloved brother, loving uncle to his four nieces and one nephew and a cherished cousin. The family is shocked by the tragic, sudden death of such a lovely, down-to-earth man. His final act was one of profound courage and he will forever be remembered for his heroic act on Thursday October 2, 2025. A member of the synagogues executive, Brian Bell, said Mr Daulby was shot as he was holding a door shut, adding that he was an unassuming member of the synagogue who actually rose to the terrible danger, because he ran to close all the doors, back and front. Mr Cravitzs family said in their tribute that he was kind and caring and was devoted to his wife and family. Melvin Cravitz (Family Handout/PA) A statement said: Melvin would do anything to help anyone. He was so kind, caring and always wanted to chat and get to know people. He was devoted to his wife, family and loved his food. He will be sorely missed by his wife, family, friends and community. We ask for privacy as we try to come to terms with this shocking loss. The tributes came as deputy UK prime minister and justice decretary David Lammy was heckled during a vigil for the men close to the scene of the attack on Friday, with Mr Lammy facing calls of you have blood on your hands. During a vigil for the victims, the Justice Secretary was booed by some of the crowd, with shouts of shame on you and go to Palestine, leave us alone. In his address, Mr Lammy said that is why we stand in defiance of those terrorists who seek to divide us. There were shouts from attendees, and one man could be heard saying you enabled it, every Saturday. We also remember Adrian and Melvin, truly wonderful, special men whose lives were so truly snatched from them as they tried to pray as Jews on the holiest day of the year on Yom Kippur Rabbi Daniel Walker, from the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation, paid thanks during the vigil to one of the heroes who is recovering in hospital from terrible wounds. Mr Walker said the man is recovering alongside two others who blocked the terrorist with their bodies. He added: We also remember Adrian and Melvin, truly wonderful, special men whose lives were so truly snatched from them as they tried to pray as Jews on the holiest day of the year on Yom Kippur. It is understood that police are no closer to providing a conclusive motive for the attack. News / Health by Stephen Jakes Bulawayo residents, civil society leaders, and political commentators have expressed outrage over repeated incidents of fake health practitioners being exposed at Mpilo Central Hospital - raising serious concerns about patient safety and institutional accountability.In June, a 27-year-old man was sentenced to seven years in prison for impersonating a qualified medical doctor at the hospital. Just last month, another scandal emerged when 23-year-old Thelma Gurupira from Mbare, Harare, was arrested for allegedly using a forged Zimbabwe Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) certificate to gain admission into Mpilo School of Nursing.Gurupira appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Takudzwa Gwazemba and was released on free bail. Prosecutor Sibusisiwe Sithole told the court that Gurupira knowingly submitted a fake certificate in 2017, which falsely indicated she had passed six subjects. She was enrolled and trained as a student nurse from September 2022 to September 2025.Her arrest came barely a week after another student nurse from Murehwa faced similar charges for using fraudulent academic credentials.The incidents have sparked widespread condemnation, with critics pointing to systemic failures in recruitment and verification processes.Max Mkandla, Chairperson of the Residents, Churches, and Peace Network, said:"This issue is disgusting and poses a serious health risk to patients. It's unclear whether this stems from the Human Resources department or elsewhere, but government must act to stop this rot."Mkandla also raised concerns about the treatment of patients and the regional imbalance in recruitment."Most of these fake practitioners are not from Matabeleland. I was recently admitted at Mpilo and what I saw was shocking. Nurses were rough, even general hands were disrespectful. You wonder who employs these people."ZAPU Bulawayo Secretary Vivian Siziba echoed the concerns, saying:"Children from this region are denied places at Mpilo Nursing School to make way for holders of fake O Level certificates from other regions, particularly Mashonaland. Corruption is at the centre of this decay."Siziba added that the problem extends beyond fake qualifications to compromised academic standards."Underperforming students are awarded high marks, and patients are never safe under such a criminal and uncaring environment."Social and political analyst Abigail Mupambi called for urgent reforms."It's disturbing to have such regular incidents. The security of patients is compromised. Government must take corrective measures and restore public confidence in Mpilo's administration."Nkayi Community Parliament Speaker Nhlanhla Ncube said the region is being targeted."The lives of people in Matabeleland are treated as expendable. Government must decisively address these corrupt activities that undermine the credibility of Zimbabwe's education system."Ntabazinduna Chief Nhlanhlayamangwe Ndiweni expressed disappointment, saying:"Health is a universal equaliser. Recruitment of health officials should follow strict checks and balances. It's shocking that such lapses continue to happen."As pressure mounts, stakeholders are demanding a full investigation and immediate reforms to prevent further infiltration of fake health workers into Zimbabwe's public hospitals. 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe ( Tomdispatch.com ) Ours would be the normal story of imperial powers rising and falling on Planet Earth nothing new there, of course if it werent for one thing: the fact that this world, too, is now falling. Unfortunately, nothing is truly normal about this planet of ours anymore, as the slow-motion equivalent of atomic weaponry goes off in our already distinctly overheating atmosphere. And though hes seldom thought of that way, President Trump, the who would once have believed it? second time around, should be considered an all-too-literal embodiment of some mad human urge to turn this planet into a (once almost unimaginable) disaster zone. He would, in fact, be truly unbelievable, if whats happening to this planet at this very moment werent even more so. Were distinctly in a twenty-first century from hell and yet our president continues to act as if this were still the twentieth (if not the nineteenth) century. Under other circumstances, it might seem little short of amusing, but not on this planet, not in 2025, not in a world drying out at a remarkably rapid pace, not on a planet to whose atmosphere we humans have added about 200 billion more tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent greenhouse gases just between 2020 and 2024. (And if youre already sweating, I dont blame you!) If you want to know what century Donald Trump is in, check out his recent visit (his second!) to yes! Great Britain to meet King Charles III and Queen Camilla. And what a dinner the king and queen threw for him with some of the wealthiest, most influential, and best connected people in the world all together at one long table inside a nearly-thousand-year-old castle. It was so wonderfully twentieth, if not nineteenth, century! Of all places to pay the only visit of his second term in office so far, Donald Trump chose to travel back in time, which is, of course, no small thing, to an era when Great Britain and its royalty mattered globally in order to offer an imperial bow to a planet that functionally no longer exists. But honestly, you shouldnt have been surprised. Though you might not have noticed few have made a point of it Donald Trump is indeed living in the wrong century. In his brain, I suspect, hes still in the era when, after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, this country became the planets sole superpower. Hes still in the century in which Elvis was king. Hes still in the time when tariffs (I am a Tariff Man) actually mattered. Oh wait, wasnt that the nineteenth century of President William McKinley who, as Trump has claimed, made our country very rich through tariffs and through talent? Admittedly, the president did go to Great Britain accompanied by AI executives, and that certainly made him look reasonably modern, but dont be fooled, not for a second. Strange as he may be in some deeper sense, he distinctly is Donald J. (Been There, Done That) Trump. And in retrospect (if, of course, there even is a retrospect), I think it will be all too clear that, by identifying with Big Oil, Big Gas, and Big Coal, and turning his back on climate change and the twenty-first century, while putting tariffs from another age on much of other nations economic dealings with the United States, he will have turned this very planet of ours over to the place China thats producing twice as much green power as the rest of the world combined and madly developing the equipment to produce more of it (not to speak of electric vehicles), while already starting to sell its green products around the world. Phew! Donald Trump, on the other hand, has essentially declared war on green energy and, in doing so, has in his own strange fashion declared war on the American people, modernity, and the future of this country, not to speak of this planet. And yet, all too sadly, doing exactly that got him elected president a second time. After all, he ran his winning presidential campaign in 2024 on, above all else, a slogan that couldnt have been blunter about his vision of the future drill, baby, drill and he now seems intent on ensuring that the world-record profits of the five big oil companies and the estimated investment by banks of almost $7 trillion in the fossil-fuel industry since the Paris Climate Agreement went into effect in 2016, will indeed remain a, if not the, crucial part of our future, not our past. (Only recently, at the United Nations, he called climate change the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world, while praising clean, beautiful coal.) And that should be considered his way of turning that very future over to China. Hes also using tariffs from another age, in his own striking fashion, to reject and cut the U.S. off economically from much of the rest of this planet, while giving China the economic edge it needs to thrive at least to the degree that anyplace can thrive on a world thats literally going to hell in a handbasket (even if in relatively slow motion). Long ago, in 2017, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman suggested, however tongue-in-cheekily, that Donald Trump might actually be a Chinese agent. He pointed out then that, in his first weeks in office, the president had already taken his Make China Great campaign to a new level by rejecting the science on climate change and tossing out all Obama-era plans to shrink our dependence on coal-fired power. The Drill-Baby-Drill Presidency Now, more than eight years later, he seems, if anything, intent on doubling down when it comes to rejecting any thought of dealing with climate change, while still focusing remarkable energy (and I use that word advisedly) on helping the oil, natural gas, and coal industries prosper. Think of the drill-baby-drill president as, in his own way, a satanic force (since the result will be heat of an unparalleled nature). China, on the other hand, continues to put striking amounts of money and (again, excuse the word) energy into the creation of a green-energy economy. Yes, I know that it also continues to produce and use staggering amounts of coal at record rates (though its use of carbon energy is expected to peak soon), but its already beginning to sell green-energy equipment wind turbines, solar panels, and electric cars globally in a fashion not faintly equaled by any other country. In that sense, it visibly represents the future (if there is to be any future) on planet Earth, while Trumps version of America represents an increasingly devastating past. Typically, for instance, while doing his damnedest to get rid of wind power in this country, President Trump only recently made a deal with the European Union in which he forced those countries to agree to buy another $750 billion of American natural gas and oil by the end of his second term in office (and while such sales may, in the end, prove something of a fantasy, the point remains). If the American people had declined Donald Trump the second time around, we might be in a somewhat different situation, but (explain it as you will) no such luck. Whether we realize it or not, we Americans are, it seems, still living somewhere in the twentieth century in energy (and perhaps other) terms. Yet you may not even know it, since hes so intent on making the free press into the freeze press, both by working hard to restrict what information reporters can get from his world and by suing anyone who writes something that displeases him. Add to that his functional takeover of the Justice Department (which past presidents had given a certain level of independence) and you know that were in a new world in a sense that no one who once used that phrase to describe America would recognize. So, welcome to an American present and future thats functionally a terrifying version of the past, Trump-style. In fact, get used to it, since over (minimally) the next three years and three months, if youre living in the United States, were going to have quite a ride ahead of us. (And remember, hes never ruled out a third term in office. To hell with the Constitution!) Donald Trump Is Only Beginning And Who Knows Whats Ending? Give us all the credit we deserve. We humans are distinctly strange creatures. Were creative in so many ways and yet, historically speaking, we seem to have been and continue to be incapable of not making war on one another. And bad as that may have been once upon a time, its even worse today, since militaries, even at peace but especially when making war, pour startling amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. (Keep in mind, for instance, that a 2024 study indicated the U.S. militarys carbon output as of 2022 exceeded that of nearly 140 national governments.) And dont think that Donald Trump is an exception to the rule (any rule) on planet Earth right now when it comes to creating future atmospheric chaos. After all, at this very moment, there are three major wars occurring that have relatively little to do with the United States. Theres Russias war on Ukraine, Israels war on Gaza and surrounding areas (admittedly, heavily supported by the Trump administration, which is now planning to send another $6.4 billion in weaponry to that country), and a disastrous civil war in Sudan (largely ignored by the rest of the world). Worse yet, none of them show any signs of ending any time soon. Only recently, of course, India and Pakistan also briefly went to war with each other. And if you want to ensure that this planet grows ever hotter ever faster, theres hardly a better way to do it than by making war, since such conflicts pour greenhouse gases into the atmosphere at a remarkable rate. And of course, President Trump is cementing his singular power in place in ever more significant ways. They range from deploying at least 35,000 National Guard and other troops to American cities and the border with Mexico to going after seemingly random ships in the Caribbean Sea and blowing them to smithereens, while gathering American naval and air power there in preparation for a possible war on Venezuela and who knows where else? In short, in a remarkable fashion, in significantly less than a year of his second term in office, Donald Trump has succeeded in steering what not so long ago was the greatest power on planet Earth to the planetary margins in a big-time, possibly even historically unique fashion. And count on this (but take a breath first): with at least three-plus years to go, he (or do I mean He?) is only beginning. Yes, this is just the start of well, who really knows what? The only thing you can truly count on is that, whatever it may be, its already guaranteed to be a historical disaster of the first order for this country (and, unfortunately, the rest of the planet, too). Its hard even to imagine having a president at this very moment who is literally incapable of taking in the most dangerous and devastating thing that may ever have happened on or to planet Earth. I mean, honestly, just try to take that in yourself for a moment. Think of Donald Trump (though hed hate it!) as the Surrender President who, in his own striking fashion, is turning the U.S. into a distinctly declinist power on a distinctly declinist planet. And all of this is indeed and all too literally something new under yes! the sun (and nothing but the sun). Welcome, in short (or, given the nature of climate change, do I mean in long?), to Donald Trumps (ever)hot(ter) world. Think of him, in fact, as both the surrender and the hell-on-earth president. Via Tomdispatch.com Chicago (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) When Israel launched an attack on Doha in September 2025, Arab and Muslim leaders convened an emergency summit. They condemned Israels blatant violation of international law and praised Qatars restraint. However, the joint statement, like so many before it, contained no concrete measures. CNN called it a wordy communique, while AP observed that the meeting led to little action. Just three days later, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a new defense pact. Commentators rushed to speculate: could this be the start of an Islamic NATO? Might nuclear-armed Pakistan provide a protective umbrella for the Gulf? History suggests otherwise. Far from signaling a new era of Muslim unity, these events highlight how nationalism and elite interests have steadily undermined collective action since the founding of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in 1969. From Al-Aqsa Fire to the OICs Decline The OIC was born out of a crisis. In August 1969, a fire at Jerusalems Al-Aqsa Mosque galvanized Muslim-majority states to meet in Rabat, Morocco. They pledged to defend Palestine, liberate Jerusalem, and strengthen cooperation across politics, economics, and culture. The new organization represented over a billion people and appeared poised to become a significant global player. However, by the mid-1980s, the OICs momentum had stalled. Lofty resolutions piled up, but a lack of political will prevailed. As ruling elites consolidated power and settled into privilege, their enthusiasm waned. The 14th-century historian Ibn Khaldun warned that dynasties often lose vigor after a few generations a pattern that fits many Muslim nationalist elites. Nationalism as Both a Weapon and a Trap In the 20th century, nationalism was a powerful tool against colonialism. Leaders in Egypt, India, Algeria, and Indonesia all invoked the phrase Love of the homeland is part of faith, attributing it to a hadith. However, it does not appear in any authentic hadith collections. For independence struggles, the rhetoric worked. However, as the British historian Arnold Toynbee argued, nationalism can regress into tribalism, placing loyalty to the nation above universal principles. In the post-colonial Muslim world, the appeal to national interest increasingly justified repression at home and division abroad. The case of Pakistan is telling. While its military elites have long leveraged the idea of an Islamic bomb for prestige, they have also marginalized democratic politics most recently by sidelining former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Nationalism empowered the state but weakened the broader cause of Muslim solidarity. The SaudiPakistan Pact: Hype vs. Reality Against this backdrop, how should we interpret the SaudiPakistan defense pact? Some analysts see it as a potential game-changer. Iranian state media compared it to NATO, while activists on social media hailed it as a seismic shift. Others are more cautious. The Times of Israel argued that Saudi Arabias real focus is normalization with Israel, not confrontation. Scholars at Harvards Belfer Center noted that Riyadh and Islamabad have a long history of military cooperation what is new is formalization, not transformation. In short, the pact is better read as a political signal of solidarity rather than a binding military commitment. Unlike NATOs Article 5, the promise that an attack on one will be considered an attack on all lacks institutional backing or enforcement mechanisms. Faith, Pragmatism, and the Question of Unity For Muslim publics, the deeper issue is moral. The Prophet Muhammad compared believers to a single body: When one limb suffers, the whole body responds (Sahih Muslim 2586). However, today, Muslim governments respond to Israeli actions with statements rather than coordinated action. The contrast with past examples is striking. In 1973, King Faisal of Saudi Arabia joined the oil embargo against Israels supporters, using economic leverage to reshape global politics. In 2011, Turkey helped mediate the release of Israeli captive Gilad Shalit, showing that even without force, pragmatic diplomacy can matter. So why do todays leaders hesitate? Partly because nationalism has reoriented priorities toward elite survival and bilateral deals with extraordinary powers. Material pragmatism trumps collective principle. The result is paralysis at moments of crisis such as the ongoing war in Gaza. Lessons from History If there is one consistent lesson, it is that Muslim unity requires more than summit communiques or defense pacts. It demands political will anchored in trust what Islamic tradition calls amanah (trustworthiness). Civilizations, Muslim and otherwise, have flourished when leaders honored this principle in governance, trade, and justice, and declined when they betrayed it. Here, some Quranic references are relevant because not only does the OIC justify its existence based on Quranic teachings, but Muslim scholars, regardless of their background, also frequently quote Quranic verses to support their political and intellectual positions. The Quran underscores this point: Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves (Quran 13:11), and warns against false dependencies: They have taken other gods besides Allah, hoping to be helped. But they cannot help them, though they are made to stand guard over them (Quran 36:7475). File Photo. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, at the Royal Court at al-Salam Palace in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on June 24, 2019. RON PRZYSUCHA, US DEPT OF STATE. Public Domain. Via Picryl The present crisis has also revealed a paradox: while OIC governments remain cautious, global civil society from South Africas case at the International Court of Justice to protests in European capitals has taken more decisive action in support of Palestinians. In the current context, Colombian President Gustavo Petros call at the UN General Assembly session for an international army is also significant. No OIC leader seems to have the courage to consider his call seriously. What to Watch For The SaudiPakistan pact is unlikely to become an Islamic NATO. Its real significance lies in what it signals about shifting alliances and the erosion of the OICs collective role. The more Muslim states prioritize bilateral deals and elite interests, the less effective their institutions become. Most important of all is that issues such as the Palestinian crisis widen the gap between elites and the masses in the Muslim world. The concept of Ummah is very much alive among the people; they are hungry for dignity and justice. We have witnessed through the participation of non-national Muslims in the Bosnian crisis in the 1990s and in the Afghanistan crisis in recent decades. If Muslim elites ignore this sentiment among the public, non-state actors will take advantage, and extremism will grow, which may jeopardize the world order. ( Middle East Monitor ) He had moments of discomfort and embarrassment pressed into calling the Qatari prime minister by his host to apologise for striking Doha and made to pay lip service to the prospect of a Palestinian state but Israels Benjamin Netanyahu had many reasons to be pleased. On 29 September, President Donald Trump advanced a peace proposal that essentially preserves Israeli pre-eminence regarding the fate of Palestinians, though it entails a cessation of hostilities, an affirmation that Gazans would not be expelled (those leaving would have the right to return), and an injunction against Israeli annexation of the Strip. But Hamas, militarily and politically, would have to surrender all claims, with the Palestinian Authority shepherded and supervised by foreign powers. Trumps peace proposal comprises twenty points. They include a deradicalised terror-free zone, Gazas redevelopment for the benefit of its people aided by a panel of experts who have helped birth some of the thriving miracle cities in the Middle East, and an immediate end to the war on its acceptance by the parties. Israel would withdraw to an agreed upon line in anticipation of a hostage release, during which all military operations would cease pending complete withdrawal. All hostages, dead and alive, would be returned within 72 hours, to be followed by the release of 250 Palestinian life sentence prisoners and Gazans detained since 7 October 2023. Hamas and militant factions will forfeit any role in governing Gaza, with any offensive infrastructure and equipment destroyed, but any of its members wishing to commit to peaceful co-existence and decommissioning of weapons will be granted amnesty, with those wishing to leave given safe passage to receiving countries. Compliance by the militant group will be overseen by regional partners. Full aid would resume, with the UN and Red Crescent restored to their role as chief distributors. On the issue of governance, a temporary technocratic apolitical Palestinian committee of qualified Palestinians and international experts would form a temporary transitional body, subject to a Board of Peace personally chaired by Trump. Most unfortunately, it is likely to include such figures as Sir Tony Blair, the Middle Easts typhoid Mary when it comes to peace. The transitional authority would hold the reins till reforms by the Palestinian Authority had been completed. With immediacy, however, the US would work with Arab and international partners to deploy an International Stabilisation Force to Gaza. The ISF will be responsible for training Palestinian police forces and provide support in terms of vetting recruits, with assistance from Jordan and Egypt. The proposal clearly envisages a significant role for the ISF, though says about who will comprise it. Israel will not, under the plan, occupy or annex Gaza, surrendering what territory it has taken to the ISF. Even if Hamas were to delay or reject the proposal, the Israeli Defence Forces would still hand over occupied territory of terror-free areas to the stabilisation force but retain a security perimeter to stem any resurgent terror threat. The plan also envisages the establishment of an interfaith dialogue to promote the values of peace between the parties, and a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood if the programs for Gazas redevelopment and PA reform take place as planned. A vague US promise to establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians regarding peaceful and prosperous co-existence rounds off the points. There was palpable grumbling from the Israeli camp. Netanyahu undoubtedly harbours ambitions of finishing the job, and there is little to say the war will not resume once the Israeli hostages are returned. Having previously rejected any governing role of the Palestinian Authority in Gaza, he now reluctantly accepts the idea subject to a radical and genuine overhaul of the body. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, one of the right-wing heavies in the Israeli cabinet, is threatening to withdraw his Religious Zionist Party from the coalition. Agreeing with the plan had been an act of wilful blindness that ignores every lesson of October 7. It would only end in tears. Fellow zealot, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, is also likely to be seething. > small> Finishing the Job, Digital, Dream / Dreamland v3, 2024 Opposition leader Yair Lapid is also suspicious of Netanyahu, who tends to say yes when visiting Washington, standing in front of the cameras at the White house, feeling like a breakthrough statesman. On returning to Israel, however, he always seemed to add a qualifying but, his political base always reminding him who the boss is. In keeping with history, the Trump plan, even if it were to be implemented to the letter, enshrines the essential subordination of Palestinian goals to the dictates of other powers. Palestinian military presence is not only to be curtailed but essentially eliminated altogether. Hamas, never consulted regarding the peace terms, is to accept its own effacing. The PA is to accept its own subservience and infantilisation. The Gazans are also to accept an economic and development program dictated and directed from without. Statehood is to be kept in cold storage till appropriate, controlled conditions for its release are approved and certainly not by the Palestinians themselves. They, it would seem, remain the considered errant children of international relations, mistrusted and requiring permanent, stern invigilation. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor or Informed Comment. Via Middle East Monitor Every Serbian knows the clenched fist of Otpor -- it was stencilled on city walls, over government propaganda, and on flags above the mass protests that brought an end to strongman Slobodan Milosevic's rule. Twenty-five years on, one of Otpor's founders, Srdja Popovic, sees a connection to the "brave, intelligent and highly creative" new generation marching under another emblem -- the bloodied hand -- in some of the largest demonstrations ever witnessed in the Balkan nation. "Otpor arose as a cry of a generation against wars, economic collapse and growing repression," Popovic told AFP, from the United States, where he teaches at the University of Virginia and Colorado College. The current protesters, on the streets since November, call for justice and fresh elections over "an attempt to cover up corruption" linked to the collapse of a train station roof in Novi Sad that killed 16 people, he said. "Both generations realised that it was not enough simply to march, chant slogans and carry banners -- a whole new system of values has to be created." -'Enemy Number One'- When hundreds of thousands marched on Serbia's parliament on October 5, 2000, it was "the crown of a generational struggle", the 52-year-old said. In a country scarred by NATO bombardment and economic collapse, Otpor helped build Belgrade's uprising through years of protest, alongside the political opposition. "For me, October 5 is above all a symbol -- proof that even the harshest regimes can fall if people unite, organise and persist in non-violent struggle." Otpor's campaign of peaceful resistance and stunts, often laced with satire and parody, targeted a nationalist government marked by war and sanctions. When Otpor left a barrel with Milosevic's face plastered on it in central Belgrade, people queued to batter it. Police eventually intervened, seizing the barrel. "Such actions shattered fear and gave people back a sense of power. And the more the regime got irritated, the more mistakes it made." But the cost was high. "Otpor became Milosevic's enemy number one," Popovic said. More than 2,500 members were detained in 2000 alone, many beaten and tortured. -'Hope that carried the country' - After Milosevic's fall, Serbia held its first democratic elections since World War II, electing reformist Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic. "The period from 2000 to 2003 was perhaps the greatest renaissance of Serbia in its bleak recent history," Popovic said. For Popovic, those three years pulled Serbia out of an economic and diplomatic abyss, as Belgrade partially confronted war crimes, restored free elections, and gave the people back hope. "Hope that carried the country until the assassination." Djindjic was shot dead in 2003. His killers were from a special police unit linked to organised crime and the secret service. Within five years, Milosevic's party -- and many of his close associates -- would return to power as part of a coalition government. It has been part of every government since. Today's nationalist government, led by Milosevic-era minister Aleksandar Vucic -- faces a new wave of student demonstrations, some drawing hundreds of thousands. "Could I have imagined such a scenario in 2000? Honestly, at that time we -- obviously naively -- thought we were opening a long chapter of normality," Popovic said. -'Fresh air'- Based on his activist experience, he has penned a book, 'Blueprint for Revolution,' and taught non-violent resistance to pro-democratic movements around the world. The new Serbian protesters are "a true breath of fresh air". Though many were born after Milosevic's fall, Popovic sees many similarities with Otpor. Their symbolic 16 minutes of silence in memory of the Novi Sad victims has, he says, become "as widely recognised as the clenched fist was in the late 1990s". It took eight years of learning from mistakes for his movement to overthrow Milosevic, and now the future is hard to predict. But, he said, one thing is clear. "Eleven months of protests have shattered fear and apathy in the broadest layers of society. And that's not nothing." On October 5, 2000, mass protests in Belgrade ousted Slobodan Milosevic, Serbia's nationalist strongman who spent more than a decade in office throughout bloody wars, crippling sanctions and financial collapse. The uprising, triggered by the president's refusal to concede electoral defeat, brought dramatic change to a country that had suffered widespread destruction from NATO bombardment and economic decline. But 25 years on, many of Milosevic's ministers have returned to power. Now they decry his overthrow as they face some of the largest demonstrations in the Balkan nation's history. Here are the essential facts about the overthrow of Serbia's strongman: -What happened?- After ruling over a disintegrating Yugoslavia in the 1990s, Milosevic lost presidential elections in September 2000 to opposition leader Vojislav Kostunica. In a country still recovering from NATO bombing that had driven Serbian forces out of Kosovo at the end of the 1998-1999 war, his refusal to accept the result catalysed the opposition. Backed by unions, students and the pro-democratic opposition, protests soon spread nationwide. Strikes in late September at major coal mines brought much of the country to a standstill and set the stage for the October 5 march on Belgrade. From early morning, hundreds of thousands of people poured onto the streets of the capital. Some arrived on tractors and bulldozers as lines of traffic streamed into the city to attend the rally. The demonstrators surrounded the parliament, demanding that Milosevic step down. Despite being hit with tear gas and batons, the crowd eventually broke through lines of riot police and stormed parliament. Using a bulldozer, protesters also smashed their way into the offices of the rabidly pro-Milosevic state broadcaster and set it ablaze. As smoke billowed from the parliament building's shattered windows, a growing number of police joined the protesters. Milosevic had clearly lost his grip on power, and unrest transformed into jubilant celebration. He would concede the next day. -What followed?- Kostunica, backed by the opposition coalition, was sworn in as the new president, and in the following months, Serbia elected its first democratic government led by Zoran Djindjic with overwhelming support in the ballot box. In June 2001, Milosevic was extradited to The Hague and accused of war crimes during the conflicts in Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo. He died five years later before the trial reached a conclusion. But despite Milosevic's extradition, many of his close associates remained in Serbia. Djindjic, who had pursued democratic reforms and prosecutions for those suspected of war crimes, was shot dead in 2003. He was assassinated by a special police unit tied to organised crime and the secret service. Kostunica remained in office until 2008, when Milosevic's Socialist Party (SPS) returned to power as part of a coalition government. It has been part of every government since. -Why does it matter now?- Many who held power on October 5, 2000, have returned to office, while the parties that led the protests are once again in opposition. The Serbian Progressive Party, which emerged from the Milosevic-aligned Serbian Radical Party, has been in power since 2012. President Aleksandar Vucic, once Milosevic's information minister, has again centralised power. The SPS has also returned under Ivica Dacic, a former Milosevic spokesman now serving as interior minister. Since November, anti-corruption protests have gripped the country as a push for a transparent investigation into a fatal railway station roof collapse morphed into a call for snap elections. Led by students, many born after Milosevic's fall, the protests blame entrenched corruption for the tragedy that killed 16 people. Facing almost daily demonstrations, some drawing hundreds of thousands, Vucic and his ministers have labelled the backlash part of a foreign coup -- echoing attacks on the popular movement decades ago. Vucic has insisted that a popular ousting, such as that of Milosevic in 2000, will "never again" be repeated. "Siphoning off $195 million allocated to victims of the Kisangani war, another financial crime awaiting redress." Such is the title of the 29-page report published on September 24, 2025, by the Center for Research on Public Finance and Local Development (CREFDL), a respected Congolese NGO, on the functioning of the Special Fund for the Distribution and Compensation of Victims of Uganda's Illegal Activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), known as Frivao. Between 2022 and 2024, Uganda paid 195 million dollars in reparations for crimes and destruction perpetrated in Kisangani, in northern DRC, in 2000. This payment was made in accordance with a ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in February 2022. The ICJ ordered Kampala to pay Kinshasa 325 million dollars over five years, or 65 million annually. By 2024, Uganda had paid three installments. Between June and August 2025, CREFDL teams analyzed Frivao's accounts bank statements, payment lists, administrative correspondence, and the 2022-2023 finance law. Their research was supported by some 50 interviews. The findings are shocking: less than 2% of the funds were paid to beneficiaries. Scattering of funds, cascading withdrawals, low allocations for victim compensation, prestige bonuses for the FRIVAO team, says the scathing report. Of the 105 million dollars allocated for compensation to individuals (other reparations concern damage to property and natural resources), just over 1 million had been paid to victims by October 2024, or 1.98%. The slow processing of files and the low level of qualification of the staff assigned to the Identification and Certification Commissions explain the low rate of compensation for individual victims, writes the Center. The report specifies that 3,163 victims out of 14,000 identified in Kisangani were declared eligible for compensation by Frivao. After analyzing the data, it appears that a total of 998 victims (...) received their compensation of US$2,000 each at the end of December 2024. This is a derisory amount, adds the report, which estimates that each victim could receive up to US$30,000, based on the number of victims declared eligible. Dubious operations There is no finance law or accountability report that traces the collection of the amount by Frivao, and the public institution does not appear in any budget voted by parliament and promulgated by the head of state, the research center criticizes. The funds paid by Uganda were transferred to at least ten bank accounts, seven of which are held by the Minister of Justice, in violation of the decree, the Center notes. On September 18, 2023, the Minister asked the Frivao coordinator to order a transfer of 2.6 million dollars before making a cash withdrawal of 1.5 million two weeks later. This amount has not been traced in the accounts, the report notes. Worse still, the victims' money was even used to finance the activities of a currency exchange office, called Clic Change Sarl, to the tune of $4.2 million, protests the CREFDL. Meanwhile, the general secretariat of the Ministry of Justice obtained the purchase, on its behalf, of two buses for 228,000 dollars. According to the CREFDL, this was an illegal operation, carried out in violation of public procurement rules. Another questionable operation was the payment of 172,800 dollars in advances for the installation costs of the members of the board of directors and the coordination of the Fund. "This payment has no legal basis and is purely and simply an undue advantage that public officials have granted themselves." The national electricity company (Snel) received 9 million dollars for the rehabilitation of the Kisangani electricity network. Only 115,000 was reportedly returned to the province, and 6.2 million has still not been spent, according to Snel. A complaint was filed against the company in August 2024. Chart taken from the report by the Center for Research on Public Finance and Local Development, a Congolese organization, on the management of Frivao. CREFDL A cascade of scandals The public institution was created by decree in 2019 to manage the reparations paid by Uganda. Its first committee was suspended in August 2024 by the Minister of Justice, Constant Mutamba, on charges of embezzlement, before being reinstated by his interim successor, Samuel Mbemba, in July 2025. In June and September 2025, the prosecutor at the Court of Cassation, Firmin Mvonde, who initiated the indictment of Mutamba, has stated his commitment to investigate the management of Frivao. In early September, Mutamba was sentenced to 10 years of hard labor for embezzling 19 million dollars from Frivao. While his trial was underway, the Fund's second coordinator, Chancard Bolukola, was arrested on similar allegations and remains in detention. Based on its analysis, the CREFDL unequivocally recommends the dissolution of Frivao and the allocation of the fund to another existing body, either the Commission for the Management of Seized and Confiscated Assets or the Fund for the Fight against Organized Crime. It calls for an investigation into all managers of the accounts concerned and those of the Fund since the first payment by Uganda; the restitution of ill-gotten gains; the suspension of compensation payments and their evaluation; and the publication of the audit by the Court of Auditors. This audit was requested by Mutamba himself in June 2024. Uganda was due to make its fourth and penultimate payment of 65 million dollars on September 1, 2025. This is enough to set off alarm bells and heighten concerns about the management of Frivao. Russia overnight carried out its largest attack on Ukraine's gas network since Moscow first invaded in 2022, Kyiv's state-owned gas operator said Friday. Moscow's military has targeted Ukraine's power grid relentlessly in waves of overnight attacks that have at times plunged millions into darkness and cut off heating supplies as temperatures plunged below freezing. "The enemy carried out the largest mass attack on gas production infrastructure since the beginning of the war," Ukraine's state-run gas company Naftogaz said in a statement. "As a result of this attack, a significant portion of our facilities have been damaged. Some of the damage is critical," said Naftogaz chairman Sergiy Koretsky. Around 35 missiles and 60 drones were fired at its facilities in the northeastern Kharkiv region and central Poltava region, it added. "Some were successfully shot down. Unfortunately, not all," it said. There were power cuts in several regions, Ukraine's energy ministry said, but did not provide further details. Russia's military said it had attacked Ukraine's "military-industrial" complex in combined missile and drone strikes. Massive power outages in Ukraine are less common now than during the winter of 2022-2023, when Russian attacks triggered widespread electricity cuts across the country. The International Criminal Court in 2024 issued arrest warrants for Russia's ex-defence minister and its top army commander over the strikes on Ukraine's energy grid, which it said constituted a war crime. Ukraine has also launched retaliatory long-range drone strikes on Russia's oil refineries, seeking to cut off vital energy revenues that it says fund Moscow's army. A source in Ukraine's SBU security service told AFP on Friday that Kyiv had struck a refinery some 1,400 kilometres (870 miles) from the front in Russia's Orenburg region. Unverified social media videos showed a drone crashing into what appeared to be a refinery, sending a plume of grey smoke into the sky. The local Russian governor of the region said on social media a drone had hit an industrial facility, without elaborating. South Sudan's opposition leader, Riek Machar, on Friday told the court trying him for crimes against humanity his position as vice-president made him immune from prosecution. Machar is a long-standing rival of President Salva Kiir but served as his vice-president under a peace deal that ended their civil war in 2018. He was suspended from his position last month after being charged with treason and accused of ordering an ethnic militia's attack on an army base in March. "I am the first vice-president. I have immunity," Machar said in his first statement to the court in Juba. "I will give a statement but I cannot and do not want to be investigated. If the time comes I will explain myself." Machar was placed under house arrest in March, shortly after the attack in Nasir County by a militia known as the White Army, in which the government says some 250 soldiers died. The White Army is largely drawn from the same Nuer ethnic group as Machar. But he denied ordering the attack and his supporters say the trial is part of efforts by President Kiir to sideline him and consolidate power. In a statement given to investigators in April and read out to the court on Friday, Machar said the Nasir attack was part of a wider phenomenon of unrest that "the government needs to address". "The armed youth organised themselves and no government is governing them and they are all over the country," he said. "They are in our controlled areas, so if there is anything I will have to intervene and help quell the tensions," he added. The trial was initially broadcast live online but the court suspended the feed on Wednesday as Machar and seven co-accused began giving their opening statements. South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 but quickly descended into a five-year civil war between supporters of Kiir and Machar in which some 400,000 died. A 2018 peace deal ended the fighting and created a unity government but its leaders repeatedly failed to hold elections or unify their armed forces. A drone killed a French photojournalist on assignment in eastern Ukraine on Friday and wounded a Ukrainian reporter, officials and media groups said. Antoni Lallican, 37, was embedded with Ukraine's Fourth Armoured Brigade near the front line in the Donbas region when he was killed in a drone attack on the area, said Ukrainian authorities. Ukrainian journalist Georgiy Ivanchenko was wounded in the same attack, which Ukraine's military and French President Emmanuel Macron blamed on Russia. Lallican, an award-winning photojournalist whose work had appeared in leading French and international media, is the first journalist to be killed by a drone in the Ukraine war, said the European and International Federations of Journalists. At least 17 journalists have now been killed in Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, according to the groups. UNESCO puts the number killed at 22. They include AFP video journalist Arman Soldin, killed by rocket fire in 2023. Macron voiced his "deep sadness" at Lallican's death, which comes at a moment of surging tension between Russia and Ukraine's European allies. Lallican and Ivanchenko were embedded near the area of Druzhkivka, around 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the front line in the Donetsk region, Ukrainian authorities said. "Both journalists were wearing personal protective equipment, and their bulletproof vests had identification marks with the word 'PRESS' on them," the Fourth Armoured Brigade said on Facebook. It said Ivanchenko's condition was stable. Free-press watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) called for a swift investigation. Lallican "died while doing his job, bearing witness to the consequences of war", said its director general, Thibaut Bruttin. - 'Passion for news photography' - Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said Russia "continues to deliberately target journalists", calling it "a heinous crime and violation of international humanitarian law". The European and International Federations of Journalists condemned what they termed a "war crime". Lallican, who was based in Paris, travelled the world covering international news stories for publications including Le Monde in France and Germany's Der Spiegel. French news site Mediapart, where he had been a contributor, called him a "formidable photographer and excellent colleague". The Hans Lucas photography agency, where he also worked, said he regularly travelled to Ukraine and knew the terrain well. "He documented the siege of Kyiv and has not ceased bearing witness to the reality of war and its consequences for civilians," it said. Lallican studied to be a pharmacist, but switched careers at age 30 after a trip to Kashmir, where he saw independence fighters clashing with Indian army forces, he told French newspaper L'Est Republicain last year. "That awakened a passion in me for news photography," he said. His work took him to Sudan, Syria, Lebanon, Israel and the Palestinian territories. War photography is "a very risky profession, where you need a lot of preparation, to always be on alert", he told a festival in 2022. When at home, Lallican documented issues such as impoverished housing in Paris. Last year, he won the Victor Hugo prize for "committed photography". burs-ah/jhb/phz WASHINGTON, D.C. For decades, corporations have provided shields for business owners, separating personal liability from professional activity. Today, that same principle is increasingly applied to personal privacy. Across the United States, individuals are using LLCs, trusts, and layered holding companies not just for commerce but as protective veils that allow them to live anonymously. This practice, once confined to the ultra-wealthy, has become more accessible to entrepreneurs, professionals, and even families seeking privacy in a world where exposure is the default. From property ownership to vehicle registration, from financial accounts to travel arrangements, business structures are being leveraged as a means to protect personal identifiers from public view. Amicus International Consulting has observed a marked increase in demand for corporate anonymity strategies, as Americans navigate a landscape of surveillance, litigation risk, and digital exposure. This press release examines the mechanics, motivations, case studies, and legal frameworks surrounding corporate veils as personal masks. The Evolution of Corporate Anonymity The concept of corporate anonymity is not a new one. States like Delaware, Nevada, and Wyoming have long marketed themselves as privacy-friendly jurisdictions, allowing companies to incorporate without disclosing ultimate beneficial owners in public records. These structures, once associated with multinational corporations, are now accessible to individuals seeking privacy in everyday life. The 2021 Corporate Transparency Act introduced beneficial ownership reporting requirements to federal authorities; however, these filings remain private. As a result, public exposure is still minimized when structures are properly established. The trend reflects a broader shift: privacy, once considered a business need, has become a personal one. Motivations for Using Corporate Veils Americans use business entities as personal masks for various reasons: Property Ownership Purchasing homes through LLCs prevents personal names from appearing in county registries. Purchasing homes through LLCs prevents personal names from appearing in county registries. Litigation Protection Professionals in high-risk industries shield assets from lawsuits. Professionals in high-risk industries shield assets from lawsuits. Financial Privacy Transactions routed through entities reduce personal exposure. Transactions routed through entities reduce personal exposure. Travel and Mobility Booking flights, hotels, or vehicles through corporate accounts minimizes the need for individual records. Booking flights, hotels, or vehicles through corporate accounts minimizes the need for individual records. Family Protection Trusts ensure that inheritances and assets related to children remain private. Trusts ensure that inheritances and assets related to children remain private. Philosophical Resistance Citizens who reject overexposure prefer corporate structures to manage daily life. These motivations illustrate the versatility of corporate veils as tools for anonymity. The Mechanics of Corporate Anonymity Using business structures for personal anonymity requires strategic planning. Key mechanisms include: 1. LLCs for Property Ownership Individuals create LLCs that purchase real estate, preventing names from appearing in deed searches. Mail forwarding services or registered agents provide a registered address. 2. Trusts for Wealth Transfer Revocable and irrevocable trusts protect family assets and prevent probate disclosures. Children inherit without public exposure. 3. Holding Companies Layered entities create additional separation. A Wyoming holding company may own a Delaware LLC, masking beneficial ownership in public filings. 4. Corporate Accounts Bank accounts, credit cards, and vendor agreements under LLCs reduce personal identifiers in financial systems. 5. Business Structures for Lifestyle Vehicles, boats, or even aircraft are registered under entities, removing personal names from DMV or FAA databases. 6. International Structuring Offshore companies provide additional privacy, when properly reported, diversifying not only assets but also identifiers. These structures transform the corporate veil into a personal shield, enabling individuals to operate within society while minimizing their exposure. Case Studies: Corporate Veils in Action Case Study One: The Entrepreneur in Nevada A tech entrepreneur purchased a Las Vegas home through a Nevada LLC managed by a registered agent. His personal name does not appear in county records, and utility bills run through the entity. Visitors see a home, but databases reveal only the company. Case Study Two: The Retiree in Florida A retired couple transferred property into a family trust. Their names no longer appear in probate records, ensuring children inherit privately. Vehicles and insurance policies also flow through the trust, minimizing exposure. Case Study Three: The Consultant in New York A management consultant operates entirely through a Delaware LLC. Client contracts, payments, and even travel bookings run through the company. Her personal name rarely appears in professional contexts, shielding her from competitors. Case Study Four: The Family Office Strategy A high-net-worth family established a Wyoming holding company that owns multiple LLCs across states. Properties, investments, and businesses all flow through layered entities. While compliant with reporting requirements, their personal names remain absent from public searches. Case Study Five: The Journalist Abroad A journalist covering sensitive topics uses an entity to book international flights and accommodations. This prevents adversaries from tracking travel through personal records. The structure, combined with clean devices, protects professional safety. These examples demonstrate the wide range of anonymity achieved through corporate veils. Legal Frameworks Corporate anonymity operates within defined legal boundaries. Attorneys emphasize that structures must not cross into concealment or fraud. Permissible Using LLCs or trusts to own property, register vehicles, or manage finances; layering holding companies; creating offshore entities when properly reported. Using LLCs or trusts to own property, register vehicles, or manage finances; layering holding companies; creating offshore entities when properly reported. Impermissible Using false names, hiding assets during litigation, or evading tax reporting requirements. Courts respect the corporate veil if entities are correctly maintained. However, misuse risks piercing the veil, where judges hold individuals personally liable if fraud or commingling is proven. Financial and Identity Benefits The financial advantages of corporate veils extend beyond anonymity. Asset protection reduces litigation risk. Tax efficiency may be achieved through state selection. Families preserve wealth without exposing minors in probate filings. Identity benefits are equally powerful. When entities own assets, individuals appear less frequently in public databases, reducing vulnerability to harassment, stalking, or reputational attacks. Technology and Corporate Privacy Technology supports entity-based anonymity. Secure digital signatures, encrypted corporate records, and online registered agent services streamline operations. Professionals use dedicated email addresses and domains for their entities, thereby separating communication channels from personal accounts. Some individuals combine corporate veils with digital suppression campaigns, ensuring that search results highlight business accomplishments rather than personal details. Expanded Legal Case Studies Case Study: The Litigated Doctor A physician in California, who has been frequently sued for malpractice, placed his personal assets in a family trust and owned his practice through an LLC. While lawsuits continued, his personal wealth and property remained shielded. Courts upheld the structures because they were maintained properly. Case Study: The Divorced Parent A parent in Illinois restructured finances post-divorce by moving assets into a trust. This prevented the exposure of childrens inheritance in court filings. Transparency with the court preserved compliance while ensuring privacy. Case Study: The Political Donor A donor in Texas utilized an LLC to make political contributions, thereby separating their personal identity from their affiliations. While fully disclosed to regulators, the structure prevented casual public searches from revealing associations. These legal cases underscore how corporate veils, when lawfully applied, protect not only wealth but reputation. Risks and Challenges Corporate anonymity carries risks. Compliance Entities must be maintained properly to avoid piercing the veil. Entities must be maintained properly to avoid piercing the veil. Costs Annual fees, registered agent services, and legal counsel add expense. Annual fees, registered agent services, and legal counsel add expense. Complexity Layered structures require careful management and oversight. Layered structures require careful management and oversight. Perception Aggressive use of corporate veils may raise suspicion. Aggressive use of corporate veils may raise suspicion. Regulatory Changes Laws such as the Corporate Transparency Act evolve, requiring adaptability. Amicus International Consulting stresses that corporate veils should be designed for sustainability, not short-term concealment. Broader Implications The rise of corporate anonymity reflects a cultural shift away from exposure as the default. Where governments argue that transparency ensures accountability and corporations say that data collection enhances efficiency, individuals counter that overexposure erodes dignity. Corporate veils allow citizens to participate in society without surrendering control. They transform anonymity from reactionary suppression into proactive design. Amicus International Consultings Perspective Amicus International Consulting advises clients that corporate veils are among the most effective tools for lawful anonymity. The firm emphasizes several principles: Choose Jurisdictions Carefully Delaware, Nevada, and Wyoming offer strong privacy protections. Delaware, Nevada, and Wyoming offer strong privacy protections. Maintain Entities Properly separate accounts, keep accurate records, and adhere to corporate formality. separate accounts, keep accurate records, and adhere to corporate formality. Layer Structures Holding companies and trusts add protection. Holding companies and trusts add protection. Integrate with Lifestyle Use entities not only for business but for property, travel, and finance. Use entities not only for business but for property, travel, and finance. Stay Compliant Always respect reporting obligations and tax laws. The firm emphasizes that anonymity is not about concealment, but instead control, and corporate veils, when used lawfully, provide that control. Conclusion Corporate veils as personal masks represent a growing frontier in American privacy. From entrepreneurs shielding their ventures to families protecting their children, from retirees restructuring their assets to professionals managing their reputations, Americans are using business structures to live anonymously. The trend reflects a more profound truth: anonymity is not obsolete but evolving. As exposure becomes the default, structures once designed for commerce now serve as tools for dignity. By adopting corporate veils, Americans affirm that they can live publicly without being personally exposed. Contact Information Phone: +1 (604) 200-5402 Signal: 604-353-4942 Telegram: 604-353-4942 Email: [email protected] Website: www.amicusint.ca WASHINGTON, D.C. Extradition is one of the most scrutinized intersections of international law and diplomacy, where crime, politics, and human rights converge. For the United States, extradition has long been more than a judicial tool; it is an instrument of foreign policy, a signal of accountability, and a reflection of its determination to enforce law across borders. From cartel leaders to financiers, arms traffickers to hackers, and even cultural icons, high-profile extradition battles offer an unparalleled window into American strategy and the global limits of power. The Framework of U.S. Extradition Law The U.S. extradition system operates on bilateral treaties. These treaties create obligations and restrictions, defining which crimes qualify, setting evidentiary thresholds, and embedding safeguards against political prosecution. The principle of dual criminality requires that alleged conduct be punishable under both systems. The rule of specialty ensures that once surrendered, the defendant is tried only for the charges approved by the foreign court. Unlike domestic criminal law, extradition combines multiple layers of government. The Department of Justice, through the Office of International Affairs, prepares the evidentiary package. U.S. Attorneys coordinate with investigators to assemble certified records and sworn statements. The Department of State provides diplomatic cover, ensuring that requests align with broader policy interests. This integration highlights the multifaceted nature of extradition, which is simultaneously a legal, political, and diplomatic process. Famous Cases as Lessons in U.S. Strategy By analyzing headline extradition cases, one can discern the strategies and priorities of U.S. prosecutors. Joaquin El Chapo Guzman When Mexico surrendered El Chapo to the United States in 2017, the move capped years of legal wrangling and diplomatic negotiation. The U.S. avoided death penalty charges and offered assurances about humane prison conditions. By tailoring charges and securing bilateral alignment, Washington demonstrated its focus on dismantling organized crime leadership while respecting Mexicos sovereignty. Allen Stanford and White-Collar Intricacies Financial fraud extraditions often lack the urgency of violent crime cases. Stanfords alleged Ponzi scheme spanned borders, with investors worldwide. To secure extradition, U.S. prosecutors painstakingly assembled evidence that showed apparent fraud, rather than regulatory gray areas. The case illustrates a strategic reality: in white-collar cases, Washington invests heavily in making its charges palatable to foreign judges, who are wary of politically driven disputes. The Influence of Human Rights Standards Extradition is never automatic. Many treaties permit refusal if the conditions risk violating human rights or if the penalties appear disproportionate. The Gary McKinnon case in the United Kingdom exemplifies this. Accused of hacking Pentagon and NASA systems, McKinnon argued that extradition would exacerbate his mental health and expose him to cruel punishment. Years of appeals concluded with Britain blocking his extradition, citing humanitarian grounds. This underscores a limit on U.S. leverage: even allies will defy requests when domestic politics or human rights law requires protection. Washingtons strategy adapts by narrowing charges, offering assurances, or seeking venues where humanitarian objections are less forceful. Case Study: Viktor Bout and Charge Tailoring Viktor Bout, arrested in Thailand in 2008, became one of the most contested extradition fights in recent memory. Russia lobbied heavily against his transfer, portraying the U.S. request as a political move. American prosecutors countered by focusing narrowly on conspiracy and terrorism-related support, avoiding overt political framing. Bout was extradited in 2010 and later convicted. His case illustrates Washingtons core tactic: shaping indictments to survive judicial scrutiny abroad, even under intense geopolitical pressure. Case Study: Roman Polanski and Cultural Barriers Roman Polanskis decades-long flight from U.S. justice reveals another limit. Despite repeated requests, European courts refused his extradition, citing concerns about due process and cultural perceptions of fairness. Switzerland, Poland, and France each declined to hand him over. Unlike cartel leaders or arms dealers, Polanskis case was seen in parts of Europe as disproportionate, even though the U.S. considered it a matter of justice for serious crimes. The lesson is clear: cultural framing can derail even technically sound requests. Case Study: Meng Wanzhou and Diplomatic Fallout Meng Wanzhous detention in Canada in 2018, at the behest of U.S. authorities, exemplified the entanglement of extradition with global politics. Accused of bank fraud tied to sanctions evasion, her case triggered Chinese retaliation, including the detention of Canadian citizens. After years of proceedings, a deferred prosecution agreement paved the way for her release, but the fallout damaged Canada-China relations. For Washington, the case reinforced the message that financial crimes with national security implications would be pursued aggressively, even at the cost of diplomacy. Case Study: Julian Assange and Free Press Concerns Julian Assanges extradition proceedings in the United Kingdom highlight another controversial line. U.S. prosecutors argue that publishing classified material crossed into espionage and conspiracy. Critics frame the request as an attack on press freedom. Britains courts continue to balance treaty obligations with protections for freedom of expression. The case illustrates the U.S. strategy of framing sensitive allegations under neutral criminal categories, while exposing the global debate about the limits of journalism and state secrecy. Extradition Treaties in Practice The United States has signed over 100 bilateral extradition treaties, but not all are equal. The U.S.-U.K. treaty, for example, allows extradition on relatively broad evidentiary grounds, a feature that has fueled criticism in the United Kingdom. By contrast, the U.S.-France treaty embeds stronger protections, limiting the extradition of nationals and subjecting requests to extensive judicial review. These differences shape outcomes. When suspects reside in Europe, U.S. requests must pass through courts highly attuned to human rights law. When fugitives are found in countries with weaker legal protections, Washington sometimes benefits from expedited or less contested transfers. Specialty Doctrine and Prosecutorial Adaptation One of the least understood yet most critical doctrines is the doctrine of specialty. Under this rule, the United States may only try an extradited person for the offenses certified by the foreign court. Prosecutors, therefore, frequently adjust indictments, dropping or consolidating charges. In the Viktor Bout case, the doctrine of specialty forced U.S. authorities to proceed only on conspiracy counts certified by Thailands courts. Similarly, in El Chapos extradition, assurances about sentencing and confinement were essential to maintain compliance with treaty obligations. Case Study: John McAfee and Tax Crimes Abroad John McAfees extradition battle in Spain underscored the limits of U.S. jurisdiction in financial and tax matters. Charged with failing to report millions in income, McAfee argued that the case was politically motivated. Although extradition was approved, he died in custody before transfer. The case illustrates the challenges of applying U.S. tax law to citizens abroad and the importance Washington places on enforcing financial transparency in an era of globalized assets. Case Study: Edward Snowden and Non-Treaty Safe Havens Edward Snowdens residence in Russia demonstrates that not all fugitives can be retrieved. Without a U.S.-Russia treaty, requests are primarily symbolic. Washington instead employs indirect tools, including sanctions, pressure on intermediaries, and public diplomacy. Snowdens case exemplifies how the absence of treaties or adversarial relations can halt extradition, forcing the U.S. to rely on containment strategies rather than courtroom proceedings. Emerging Focus: Cybercrime and Financial Crimes The globalization of digital infrastructure has shifted extradition priorities. Hackers, ransomware operators, and crypto fraudsters now dominate Washingtons most urgent requests. Roman Seleznevs extradition from the Maldives in 2014 highlighted this shift. His conviction for credit card theft demonstrated the United States willingness to pursue cybercriminals across borders, often with the cooperation of smaller nations. This reflects a trend: as transnational crimes evolve, so too does Washingtons focus on extradition. Treaty Challenges: Allies and Critics While allies like Canada and the U.K. cooperate closely, not all partners are aligned. Some nations refuse to extradite their own citizens, requiring Washington to pursue prosecutions in absentia or rely on asset seizures. Others apply stricter evidentiary rules, effectively stalling proceedings. These inconsistencies fuel criticism that the U.S. applies pressure selectively, securing outcomes with some partners while facing outright resistance with others. Practical Lessons for Businesses and Global Professionals For business executives and professionals, these battles highlight practical takeaways. Extraterritorial reach is broad: Actions abroad that touch U.S. banking systems, securities markets, or sanctions regimes can trigger extradition. Compliance programs are essential; multinational businesses must design compliance structures that anticipate U.S. scrutiny, not just local laws. Risk mitigation requires awareness: Professionals should track which jurisdictions have close extradition ties with Washington and which do not. Defense strategies are viable: Specialty, humanitarian objections, and proportionality arguments remain effective in delaying or blocking extradition. Broader Implications for International Law Extradition cases also serve as barometers of global governance. They reveal where international cooperation is strong and where sovereignty remains a guarded concern. They highlight the tension between protecting individual rights and deterring crime. And they show that while Washington has unmatched reach, it must often adapt its charges, adjust its diplomacy, and tailor its requests to pass foreign scrutiny. Case Study: Manuel Noriega and Sovereignty Issues The 1989 arrest of Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega following the U.S. invasion of Panama was not an extradition in the traditional sense but remains relevant. By forcibly removing Noriega and trying him in U.S. courts, Washington bypassed treaty structures. The precedent underscored the U.S.s willingness to pursue justice outside traditional frameworks, although it remains a controversial chapter in international law. Conclusion High-profile extradition battles, whether resolved through courtroom victories or diplomatic stalemates, reveal the strategies and constraints of American power. They show how prosecutors adapt indictments, offer assurances, and persist through appeals. They also highlight the role of foreign courts in safeguarding rights, the influence of cultural perceptions, and the impact of global politics on individual fates. Extradition is more than a legal process. It is a negotiation between states, a balancing act between sovereignty and cooperation, and a test of whether international law can keep pace with the globalized nature of crime. For the United States, these battles reaffirm a commitment to pursuing accountability across borders. For the world, they remain reminders that justice is rarely straightforward when nations collide. Contact Information Phone: +1 (604) 200-5402 Signal: 604-353-4942 Telegram: 604-353-4942 Email: [email protected] Website: www.amicusint.ca WASHINGTON, DC Extradition is one of the most consequential instruments of international cooperation, allowing nations to return fugitives across borders to face prosecution. Yet in the United States, extradition has never been an unconditional obligation. For more than a century, the political offense exception has limited the U.S. power to surrender individuals when charges arise from political struggle rather than ordinary crime. This safeguard has protected revolutionaries, dissidents, and whistleblowers while shaping U.S. foreign policy and defining the boundary between justice and persecution. Though narrowed in the modern age of counterterrorism, the exception remains vital in ensuring extradition is not weaponized by regimes to silence opposition. A Legal Principle Rooted in Treaties The political offense exception is not simply a judicial invention. It is embedded in treaty practice dating back to the 19th century. After the revolutionary upheavals of 1848, European nations began to insist that political offenses be excluded from extradition agreements. The United States, with its revolutionary heritage, adopted the principle. By the 1850s, U.S. treaties with countries such as France and Switzerland included explicit clauses regarding political offenses. This signaled an American commitment to providing refuge for political dissidents and prevented foreign powers from transforming extradition into a tool of political repression. Treaty Evolution: Britain, France, and Mexico The U.S.-UK extradition relationship provides a clear example of how the political offense exception developed. The 1842 Webster-Ashburton Treaty allowed extradition only for a limited set of crimes and excluded political offenses. Later renegotiations, particularly during the late 20th century, narrowed the scope of the exception, especially after disputes over Irish Republican Army (IRA) members. In U.S.-France treaties, similar exceptions were built in, reflecting a mutual recognition that political conflict often blurred the line between crime and dissent. With Mexico, the political offense exception became critical during the Mexican Revolution, when fighters fleeing across the U.S. border were shielded from extradition. These treaty dynamics underscore how the doctrine has long influenced cross-border relations. Case Study: Cuban Exiles and Extradition Battles The Cuban Revolution of 1959 generated waves of political refugees arriving in the United States. Havana accused some of these exiles of sabotage, assassination plots, and attacks on Cuban institutions. Cuba frequently sought extradition, but U.S. courts and policymakers invoked the political offense exception. Many of the acts, though violent, were considered inseparable from political opposition to the Castro regime. By denying extradition, the U.S. not only protected dissidents but also reinforced its opposition to Cubas government. These cases illustrate how the political offense exception has often aligned with U.S. foreign policy interests. Case Study: Chile and the Pinochet Era During Augusto Pinochets rule in Chile, political opponents fled to the United States and Europe. The Chilean government attempted to secure the return of activists accused of terrorism, sabotage, and sedition. U.S. courts frequently denied these requests, ruling that the charges were politically motivated. For many Chilean dissidents, the political offense exception meant the difference between safe refuge and imprisonment. The U.S. stance also reflected broader international opposition to Pinochets authoritarian practices. These cases demonstrated how extradition law can intersect with global human rights concerns. Basque Separatists and U.S.-Spain Relations Spain has also sought the extradition of Basque separatists accused of violence tied to the ETA movement. U.S. courts have faced difficult decisions in determining whether ETA-linked acts constituted political offenses or terrorism. Early cases often leaned toward protection, viewing the conflict as political in nature. Later cases, however, particularly after the rise of international counterterrorism frameworks, treated ETA attacks as exceptions. The evolution of these rulings reflects the broader global shift toward narrowing the political offense doctrine in response to the threat of terrorism. Comparative Perspective: Europes Stricter Carve-Outs While the U.S. has historically applied the political offense exception broadly, European practice has become stricter over time. The European Convention on Extradition of 1957 included a political offense clause; however, subsequent protocols and European Union agreements have narrowed it, particularly in relation to terrorism. By the 1990s, the EU framework essentially eliminated the political offense exception for violent acts. Compared to Europe, the U.S. still retains a somewhat broader application, though modern treaties also carve out terrorism and violent crimes against civilians. The divergence highlights differences in how democracies balance liberty with security. The Legal Tests for Political Offense in U.S. Courts American courts apply several legal tests to determine whether an act qualifies as a political offense. The incidence test asks whether the act occurred during or in connection with a political uprising. The motive test determines whether the act was politically motivated or personal. The target test examines whether the act was directed at the state or at civilians. Direct political offenses, such as treason, are relatively straightforward; however, indirect political offenses remain contentious. Judges often grapple with gray areas, balancing treaty obligations, humanitarian principles, and security concerns. Executive Branch Authority and Discretion Even when courts rule extradition permissible, the final decision rests with the executive branch. The Secretary of State may deny extradition on the grounds of politics or humanity, even if a court has approved it. This dual structure ensures that extradition reflects not just legal doctrine but also foreign policy priorities. The political offense exception gives the executive a legal justification for refusing extradition in politically sensitive cases. In practice, this has allowed the U.S. to protect dissidents without violating treaty commitments. Case Study: Anti-Apartheid Fighters in Exile During South Africas apartheid era, anti-government activists sought refuge abroad, including in the United States. The South African government charged them with sabotage, treason, and violence against state property. U.S. courts often invoked the political offense exception to deny extradition, recognizing that these acts were inseparable from the political struggle against apartheid. By refusing to extradite activists, the U.S. reinforced its opposition to apartheid while safeguarding individuals from politically motivated prosecution. Post-9/11 Treaties and Terrorism Carve-Outs The aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks marked a turning point in U.S. extradition law. Modern treaties signed since then explicitly exclude terrorism from the scope of the political offense exception. Crimes such as hijacking, hostage-taking, and indiscriminate bombings cannot be shielded by political justification. The U.S. now insists on these carve-outs in new bilateral treaties, reflecting the global consensus that political labels must not protect terrorism. This change has fundamentally narrowed the scope of the exception in practice. Case Study: Terrorism-Linked Extradition After 2001 A case involving suspects accused of planning attacks on civilian targets tested the modern doctrine. The defendants argued that their actions were politically motivated. U.S. courts rejected the argument, ruling that indiscriminate violence against civilians falls outside the exception. The ruling underscored the post-9/11 shift: political motivation does not excuse terrorism. The Digital Age: New Frontiers in Political Offenses The digital era has raised new questions for the political offense exception. Whistleblowers, cyberactivists, and hackers accused of leaking sensitive information often claim that they are motivated by political reasons. Governments, however, treat such acts as crimes of espionage or theft. U.S. courts are now grappling with whether digital leaks and cyber-sabotage qualify as political offenses. The doctrine is being tested in cyberspace, where political speech, activism, and crime frequently overlap. Case Study: Whistleblowers and Extradition Risks High-profile cases involving the disclosure of government secrets highlight the challenge. Defendants claim their leaks were acts of political protest intended to expose wrongdoing. Prosecutors argue they committed crimes under espionage statutes. Courts have yet to resolve these questions definitively, but the debates demonstrate how the political offense exception must adapt to new forms of political action in the digital age. Intersection with Asylum and Refugee Law The political offense exception intersects closely with asylum and refugee protections under international law. Both doctrines prohibit returning individuals to regimes that criminalize dissent. In practice, asylum claims and extradition proceedings often overlap. Courts must reconcile treaty obligations with humanitarian law, ensuring that individuals are not extradited to face political persecution. The exception provides a legal bridge that aligns extradition practice with refugee protections. Policy Implications: Human Rights and Security The political offense exception remains a crucial safeguard in striking a balance between human rights and security. Authoritarian regimes continue to misuse criminal charges to silence opponents. Without exception, democratic states risk becoming complicit in repression. At the same time, the rise of terrorism and cyber threats has necessitated a more targeted approach to security. The challenge for the U.S. is to maintain a principled balance: denying haven to terrorists while protecting genuine political dissidents. The Future of the Exception in a Changing World As authoritarianism rises globally, more dissidents will seek refuge abroad, and more regimes will attempt to use extradition as a tool of repression. The digital age introduces complexity, as political action is increasingly taking place online. U.S. courts and policymakers will continue to refine the boundaries of the political offense exception. Its survival across centuries suggests it will remain a cornerstone of U.S. extradition law, though its scope will be shaped by evolving threats and values. Conclusion: A Principle of Justice and Freedom The political offense exception has shielded individuals for more than 150 years, reflecting a principle that justice cannot be blind to context. From 19th-century revolutionaries to Cold War defectors, from Irish nationalists to cyber-whistleblowers, the doctrine has prevented extradition from becoming an instrument of political repression. Though narrowed in the age of terrorism, it endures as a safeguard for human rights and a reminder that the line between crime and politics must always be respected. Contact Information Phone: +1 (604) 200-5402 Signal: 604-353-4942 Telegram: 604-353-4942 Email: [email protected] Website: www.amicusint.ca Actor Lee Min Ho stunned fans with a dramatic new look for his latest film "Assassins," triggering a massive debate online about his physical change and career direction. According to Kbzoom Lee was seen on set recently, and photos of him soon circulated on social media sites, especially X. His more streamlined physique and clearly sharper facial features surprised many fans. # #Assassins I feel like this is the first time I've seen actor #LeeMinho. I once worked as an #extra in "Gangnam 1970."I wasn't able to see it then...He looked exactly like he does on TV... This shoot was the toughest...Running through the rain, sprinting up stairs... pic.twitter.com/N8MxrTaBmO JapanMinoz-haruharu- (@akichoiyoung) September 28, 2025 Online reactions, as reported by Kenh14, conveyed shock. One commented, "He's so skinny, I couldn't tell who it was at first glance." Another remarked on his consistent popularity despite the transformation. One viewer stated, "The photo quality is low, but the visuals are top-tier." Others commented on the drastic physical change. A netizen posted, "His cheeks are sunken... this is going to be interesting." Others argued that the makeover silenced critics who had previously commented on his appearance. One said, "Now no one can call him fat or old. He looks slimmer than ever." Even the shocking change led others to doubt whether it was really him. "That's Lee Min Ho? He looks so different," one expressed, while another said, "Even if you paid me, I wouldn't believe this was Lee Min Ho." "Assassins" has already been one of the most buzzed-about productions in South Korea. Based on the true assassination of First Lady Yuk Young Soo on August 15, 1974, the film is bound to delve not only into the historical event but also into the surrounding political and social tensions. Lee Min-ho is reportedly set to play the lead role in the project, with critics suggesting that it could be a turning point for the actor. His previous two projects, "When the Stars Gossip" and "Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy," had been subjected to vicious criticism and were described as among the worst Korean projects of 2025. After being once hailed as a surefire ratings winner, Lee has recently been questioned about his ability to act and to script. "Assassins" is a turning point an opportunity to showcase his ability to deliver sophisticated, high-caliber performances and regain his reputation in the industry. Success could mark Lee Min Ho's turning point, putting to rest critics who had said his career was at its peak. Disney+ has released its first video teaser for 'The Manipulated,' a new crime-thriller that sets up Ji Chang-wook against D.O. in a battle of wits. The drama airs on November 5. The story, as per Dramabeans, is a remake of the 2017 film Fabricated City, with Ji Chang-wook once again playing the lead role. In the teaser, Ji portrays Park Tae-joong as "an ordinary deliveryman living an ordinary life." There is also a glimpse of his relationship with Pyo Ye-jin and a suggestion of a comfortable life that is shattered by tragedy. Trouble starts when Tae-joong stumbles upon a lost phone. As the report explains, "Our unsuspecting hero doesn't realize, though, that this is all a setup because when he goes to return said phone to its presumed owner, Tae-joong ends up arrested and jailed for brutal crimes that he didn't commit." The teaser, according to MBC, is focusing on the fight of Tae-joong to clear his name. "With his pleas of innocence falling on deaf ears, Tae-joong becomes despondent and unhinged baddie Ahn Yo-han (D.O.) is disappointed by Tae-joong's lack of fight," the publication added. READ MORE: Ji Chang Wook Reveals Vision for His Acting Future: 'I Want to Deconstruct and Reconstruct an Image of Myself' However, the twist comes when Tae-joong discovers the real truth about his situation. "ngrily throwing the blood money he's been given as compensation, Tae-joong thus begins his mission for revenge," Dramabeans reported. The teaser also presents a glimpse of supporting actors, such as Kim Jong-soo, Jo Yoon-soo, and Lee Kwang-soo, who star in frantic action scenes. From the production end, the production features impressive talent. Director Kim Chang-joo and PD Park Shin-woo are helming, with writers Oh Sang-ho, who also wrote the screenplay for Fabricated City. The release timeline was also confirmed within the coverage. "Slated to premiere on November 5, Disney+'s "The Manipulated" will begin with episodes 1-4 on that same day. The story will then continue with two episodes a week thereafter." With its star-studded cast and action-packed setup, the series is already generating a lot of buzz prior to its international release. READ MORE: Ji Chang Wook Reveals His Shopping Obsessions with Unusual Purchases and Priceless Antics Friday, October 3, 2025 - Photos of a Form 2 student from Rangala Girls High School has gone viral after she stole the show during the schools cultural day celebrations. The young girl, dressed to impress, was captured strutting confidently on a makeshift runway, instantly stealing the spotlight and turning heads online. Many Kenyans hailed her elegance and confidence, with some even predicting that she could be a future model if she keeps nurturing her talent. Is she Kenyas next big model in the making? See photos and be the judge. The Kenyan DAILY POST Thursday, October 2, 2025 - Kenyan influencer Cera Imani has fired back at her ex-boyfriend, disgraced car dealer Khalif Kairo, after he claimed to have spent nearly Ksh 300,000 on her during their relationship. When asked during an interview to comment on Kairos claims, Cera challenged the statement with, I think you can go back to him and ask him to show us the evidence. Kairo made the claims in a candid interview after being acquitted of criminal charges while dismissing viral claims that romantic relationships with city slay queens contributed to his companys collapse. Operating at the level I do, a woman is 0.005% of your problems, he said, adding, In business, a girlfriend is a very small liability. My car probably costs more to run. He went on to reveal that the highest amount of money he has spent on a girlfriend is Ksh 300, 000, calling it peanuts. Ceras response flipped the narrative, questioning the truth behind the claim and refusing to let her past be reduced to a price tag. Ceras reaction resonated with many fans who praised her for standing her ground. By demanding receipts, she made it clear she wont be a prop in anyones public performance. Kairo hasnt responded, but all eyes are on him whether hell back up his claim - or let the drama fade. The Kenyan DAILY POST Friday, October 3, 2025 - A bold University of Nairobi student has caused a stir online after he was filmed trying to woo a 57-year-old mumama during a school trip. The hilarious clip, which has since gone viral, shows the cheeky student leaning out of the university bus window and engaging the older woman stuck in traffic. Unbothered by his fellow students' cheering and recording the scene, the young man confidently declared: Sisumbuangi nikishiba - a line that has now been turned into a trending meme on social media. The encounter left many Kenyans divided, with some praising his bravery and sense of humor, while others called him out for disrespecting a woman old enough to be his mother. Cases of young men, commonly referred to as Ben 10s, seeking financial support from older women continue to rise as tough economic times bite. The Kenyan DAILY POST Thursday, October 2, 2025 - The family of retired Nigerian Air Force officer, Air Vice Marshal Terry O. Okorodudu (Ret.), has filed a legal petition against Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, seeking the immediate release of his remains. The hospital is accused of unlawfully detaining the body over an unpaid medical bill amounting to Ksh 8 million. Bidemi Okorodudu, daughter of the deceased and legal representative of his estate, argues that holding the body as collateral violates Kenyan law and the dignity of the deceased, citing Article 28 of the Constitution. The family is requesting urgent court orders to release the body unconditionally, prevent burial interference, and facilitate repatriation for a military interment in Nigeria. Aga Khan Hospital has opposed the release, citing non-payment and accusing Bidemi of being uncooperative and hostile during her father's treatment. The hospital claims the late officer required intensive care for multiple conditions and that Bidemi interfered with medical decisions. It also alleges she reneged on a payment agreement and now demands a full waiver, Ksh 70 million in damages, and Ksh 2 million in funeral costs. The hospital insists that releasing the body without financial security would harm its operations and violate its property rights. It has asked the court to compel Bidemi to provide an enforceable undertaking before releasing the remains. The Kenyan DAILY POST Thursday, October 2, 2025 - Former nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba has made it clear that she would walk away from supporting Fred Matiangis 2027 presidential bid if ODM leader, Raila Odinga, were to join forces with him. Speaking during a televised interview on October 2nd, Orwoba stated that such an alliance would cast doubt on the oppositions true intentions. Myself, the day Raila Odinga leaves the broad-based Government and joins Fred Matiangi, I will not be part of that movement, she stated. I wont believe the intentions will be clear. Orwoba warned that political coalitions formed under questionable motives risk misleading Kenyans and collapsing under their own weight. She likened such shifts to a political merry-go-round, where promises of reform are often replaced by hidden agendas. Her remarks come days after Jubilee Party Secretary General, Jeremiah Kioni, endorsed Matiangi as the ideal candidate to challenge President William Ruto in 2027. Kioni praised Matiangis managerial style and cross-regional appeal, saying Kenyans are ready for a leader who isnt a career politician. Kenyans should field a presidential candidate who will deal with President William Ruto one touch, and I believe that candidate is Fred Matiangi. Not because he is in Jubilee, but because he seems to attract support from across all tribes, regions and cadres of society, Kioni said. The Kenyan DAILY POST Thursday, October 2, 2025 - Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has been thrust into the spotlight after it emerged that he has yet to settle payment for a prized bull he picked during last years Nairobi ASK Showground cattle auction. According to insiders, Gachagua personally selected the three-year-old Boran bull, weighing a hefty 690 kilograms and valued at Sh 550, 000, during the auction hosted by the Kenya Seed Company. At the time, he allegedly promised to clear the payment soon after. But more than a year later, reports indicate that the bill remains unsettled, sparking a heated debate online and raising questions about accountability. Neither Gachagua nor ASK Show organizers have commented publicly, but the revelations have already ignited mixed reactions among Kenyans. Just days ago, Gachagua was dragged into a separate scandal involving a woman said to be his mistress. Reports claim he moved her into a luxury apartment in one of Nairobis leafy suburbs, promising to purchase the property for Ksh 25 million, a promise he allegedly failed to honor. Instead, he is accused of forcefully grabbing the property, prompting the rightful owner to seek legal redress in court. The two scandals combined have left Gachagua battling growing criticism, with critics accusing him of a pattern of unfulfilled promises. The Kenyan DAILY POST Thursday, October 2, 2025 - Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti has shared a heartfelt tribute to her late husband, Prince Henry Oduwole, in honor of what would have been their 32nd wedding anniversary. In a touching message posted on October 2nd, she remembered Prince as a loving husband and devoted father. Today marks 32 years since I got married to the love of my life, my dear husband, the late Prince Henry Oduwole. He was not only a loving husband but also a devoted father to our children. The children and I miss you deeply every single day. Continue resting in eternal peace, Prince, she wrote. Prince Oduwole passed away in 2016 at Nairobi Hospital after a sudden spike in blood pressure. "I was called by my sister around 1 am, telling me that the condition of her husband had worsened. Upon arriving at the hospital a few minutes later, he passed on "He has been in and out of the hospital since March. He has actually been to Matter Hospital, Nairobi Hospital, and even to London. But this morning, God decided to have him rest," Wavinyas elder brother, Raphael Musyoki, said at the time. The Kenyan DAILY POST Friday, October 3, 2025 - Kenyan media personality and content creator, Azziad Nasenya, has set social media ablaze after sharing a sultry vacation video thats raising eyebrows amid swirling debt rumors. Just days after a gazette notice revealed that her luxurious four-bedroom apartment at Platinum Oak Residency in Kileleshwa is set for auction on October 8th, 2025, fans were stunned to see her dancing carefree, seemingly unbothered. The auction, reportedly triggered by a Ksh 25 million loan default, has sparked intense speculation online. While Azziad has yet to publicly address the financial claims, her latest video has ignited a firestorm of reactions. Some netizens applauded her for living boldly despite the headlines, while others suggested she might be hunting for a wealthy mubaba to rescue her from her financial woes. Whether its defiance, distraction, or simply dancing through the drama, Azziads unapologetic vibe has everyone talking. Watch the video and reactions below. The video pic.twitter.com/Exdv2K9bV4 Prime Media News (@primemediakenya) October 3, 2025 The Kenyan DAILY POST Friday, October 3, 2025 - A viral video shared by a Nairobi trader has left Kenyans talking after it showed fellow traders deep asleep in their vibanda due to lack of customers. The footage paints a grim picture of the current economic situation, with entire rows of traders struggling to stay awake as business remains painfully slow. This comes at a time when President William Ruto has been bragging about how his Government has stabilized and improved the economy, a claim that many struggling business owners strongly disagree with. Kenyans online are now mocking the Governments promises, with some saying that the only thing thriving under Rutos leadership is sleep economy. The clip continues to circulate widely, fueling debate about the widening gap between Government rhetoric and the reality on the ground. The Kenyan DAILY POST Thursday, October 2, 2025 - Popular Kenyan comedian, Mannerson Oduor Ochieng better known as Akuku Danger, has shared the emotional reason behind his decision not to sire children. In a candid interview with NTV, Akuku explained that although he loves children, he has chosen a childless marriage over his battle with sickle cell anemia to avoid passing the condition to future generations. Its not because I cant have kids, he said. I choose to live a life where Im keen on what happens around me. His heartfelt honesty has sparked admiration across social media, with fans applauding his courage and selflessness. Akuku emphasized the importance of genetic screening before starting a family. Its my job to ensure that sickle cell dies with me. He revealed that he and his partner had undergone screening but ultimately decided against having children. Ive actually chosen a childless marriage, but I love kids, he added. Sickle cell anemia is a hereditary blood disorder that affects the shape and function of red blood cells. Instead of being round and flexible, the cells become rigid and crescent-shaped - like a sickle - making it difficult for them to flow smoothly through blood vessels. This can lead to painful episodes, fatigue, organ damage and increased risk of infections. The condition is passed down genetically, meaning a child can inherit it if both parents carry the sickle cell trait. While theres no universal cure, early diagnosis and proper management can improve quality of life. Akuku Dangers decision to forgo parenthood stems from a desire to prevent future generations from enduring the same challenges he has faced. His story highlights the importance of awareness, screening, and informed choices when it comes to hereditary conditions. His heartfelt honesty has sparked admiration across social media, with fans applauding his courage and selflessness. The Kenyan DAILY POST Friday, October 3, 2025 - A Kenyan woman has stirred a lively debate online after candidly sharing why she walked away from her marriage - and lets just say, it wasnt infidelity or finances. Responding to a viral thread asking women why they left, she revealed her breaking point was when her husband insisted that she irons his shirts at 5 a.m so that he could wear them while still warm. Mimi kupiga pasi 5:am ilinitoa kwa ndoa, she wrote, adding that he refused to have his clothes ironed the night before. Her story lit up social media, with many amused by the oddly specific demand. Some joked that the husband was either deeply committed to warm collars - or simply trying to drive her away. While divorce stories often involve dramatic twists, this one proves that sometimes, its the little things that push people over the edge. And judging by the reactions, many agree: if youre waking up before sunrise to heat up a shirt, maybe its time to rethink the relationship. See the post and reactions below. The Kenyan DAILY POST Friday, October 3, 2025 - A Kenyan man was left devastated after his younger brother tragically took his own life in unclear circumstances. The grieving man took to social media to share the heartbreaking news, posting an emotional tribute alongside a photo of his late brother. His announcement quickly spread online, with many Kenyans expressing shock and sorrow at the untimely loss. What has struck many is the young age of the deceased. His sudden death has reignited conversations around mental health struggles in Kenya, especially among the youth who often suffer in silence. Messages of condolence continue to pour in as family and friends grapple with the painful reality of losing someone so young to suicide. May his soul rest in peace. The Kenyan DAILY POST Friday, October 3, 2025 - Kenyan TikTok queen, Azziad Nasenya, has once again landed at the center of a heated online discussion after dropping a sizzling thirst trap video that has left tongues wagging. The viral clip, which spread across multiple platforms within hours, shows the controversial content creator dancing provocatively, a move that many fans interpreted as a desperate attempt to lure potential sponsors. Azziad, who has often been accused of living a flashy lifestyle beyond her means, is now being roasted by netizens who insist she is fishing for attention from loaded men to bail her out of financial woes. After her recent woes, TikTok personality Azziad Asenya takes the bull by the horns and embarks on a risky path towards financial recovery, an X user mocked. The video surfaced just days after reports emerged that her posh Kileleshwa apartment was being auctioned over mounting debts - fueling speculation that the viral video was not just about clout, but survival. After her recent woes, TikTok personality Azziad Nasenya takes the Bull by the horns and embarks on a risky path towards financial recovery. pic.twitter.com/gKMoE500sc Thirsty Kipsoiwet (@Makiadi_) October 3, 2025 The Kenyan DAILY POST Friday, October 3, 2025 - Nakuru West MP, Samuel Arama, is under fire after allegedly sending goons to attack a man who dared criticize him over NG-CDF embezzlement. The victim, Erick Monyancha, had openly called out Arama over the alleged misappropriation of public funds. The assault took place near Menyaciaku, close to a local boda boda stage, leaving Monyancha injured and traumatized. A shocking video shows the attackers mercilessly whipping Monyancha as he lies on the ground, pleading for mercy, but his cries were ignored. Residents in the area have condemned the attack, urging authorities to act swiftly against anyone using violence to silence accountability. The incident has also sparked online outrage, with Kenyans demanding justice for Monyancha and calling for full investigations into the alleged role of the MP in orchestrating the assault. Arama is notorious for using goons to silence his critics and political opponents. Watch the video. Nakuru West MP, SAMUEL ARAMA's goons pic.twitter.com/FPqHVbdtcR DAILY POST (@dailypost_ke) October 3, 2025 The Kenyan DAILY POST Friday, October 3, 2025 - A group of notorious con artists linked to the infamous Sim-Swap fraud in Nakuru has been exposed. The gang, believed to be camping along a busy street, is said to have perfected the art of targeting the elderly, especially those unfamiliar with mobile money transactions. Once they obtain your personal details, they quickly execute Sim-Swap scams, drain bank accounts, and disappear before victims realize what has happened. Photos of the suspects, now circulating widely online, have left Kenyans calling on police to move fast before more victims fall prey. Reports suggest that the gang may be working hand-in-hand with rogue police officers, a move that has allowed them to operate with impunity and escape arrest. See photos. The Kenyan DAILY POST Friday, October 3, 2025 - East Africas busiest gateway, the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), is once again under the spotlight after an explosive KTN investigation exposed how global drug cartels are exploiting glaring security loopholes to move narcotics through Nairobi. According to evidence gathered by KTNs investigative unit, a British national managed to slip through watertight checks at JKIA while in possession of Class A and B drugs, including cocaine worth millions of shillings. Disturbingly, the suspect did not act alone - airport officials and security personnel are alleged to have facilitated his smooth passage onto a London-bound flight. The scheme, however, collapsed upon arrival at Heathrow Airport. Londons Metropolitan Police Specialist Crime Division swiftly arrested the suspect, ending what investigators believe was part of a wider trafficking network operating between Nairobi and European capitals. The revelations have sparked outrage, raising questions about collusion at JKIA and exposing Kenyas premier airport as a soft target for international drug cartels. Security analysts warn that such lapses not only damage Kenyas reputation globally but also endanger its role as a trusted aviation hub. Watch the footage. The Kenyan DAILY POST Thursday, October 2, 2025 - A Kenyan man has taken to X formerly twitter to rant over a lady called Wambui while comparing her to anything evil you can think of. In a series of tweets, he keeps bringing up Wambuis name while responding to all unfortunate incidents. When someone tweeted Fear Kikuyu women, he shot back, She must be a Wambui. Asked what animal still scares him even as an adult, his answer? Wambui. And when another netizens posted, When the devil cant get you, he sends a what? - he didnt miss a beat: A Wambui. Netizens are now wondering what Wambui did to deserve such epic shade, with some even calling on her to apologize. Whether its heartbreak or humor, one things clear - Wambui left a lasting impression. The Kenyan DAILY POST Thursday, October 2, 2025 - In a thought-provoking message thats making waves online, South African lawyer, Milton Hosea, has urged parents to rethink how they handle conflict at home. His viral Facebook post challenges couples to treat arguments with the same discretion they give to intimacy. You hide to make love so your children wont see you. Good. But why dont you also hide when you want to quarrel? Hosea wrote. He asserts that children absorb emotional cues from their environment and witnessing frequent fights can instill fear, normalize aggression, and diminish their respect for marriage. He added Children dont forget what they see. Let your home be a sanctuary of peace, not a battleground. Love loudly - but fight quietly. The Kenyan DAILY POST By Bairbre Holmes, PA Free GP care and public transport for children are some of the proposals Labour have put forward in an alternative budget, with leader Ivana Bacik saying they are making a case for a childrens budget. The Labour Party also said it would abolish the means test on the Carers Allowance, increase social welfare rates and charge a windfall tax on energy profits and data centres to pay for targeted energy support payments to households. Speaking at the launch on Thursday finance spokesman Ged Nash TD insisted the plans are fully funded through sustainable taxes. At the alternative budgets launch on Thursday the partys representatives repeatedly focused on issues affecting children and young people with Mr Nash saying: We have record numbers at work, with record numbers of children with no place to call home. We have eye-watering business tax returns side by side with shameful levels of child poverty. The Labour Partys plan for free GP care for children would be rolled out over a two-year period, first for under-12s followed by all under-18s the following year. With the ultimate goal of creating a public childcare service, the party say they would take several steps to ease the pressure on the childcare system. Aiming at Government partys election promises last year, Marie Sherlock TD said they engaged in a bidding war to win the votes of families desperate for childcare. She suggested: People went into that election believing some of the promises that were made, that there were going to be more childcare places, that we were going to see a real reduction in childcare costs. And 12 months on, theres barely a peep out of Government. Instead, the Labour Party says it would create 6,000 new childcare places in 104 centres and reduce the costs for parents to 50 a week in two years. It also said it would not bring in the hotly debated cut in VAT for the hospitality sector and would, instead, spend 770 million on a targeted second tier of child benefit. Other measures Labour TDs outlined at the launch include the street-by-street retrofitting of homes, where neighbours would be encouraged to retrofit their homes at the same time so they can benefit from economies of scale. The partys climate spokesman, Ciaran Ahern TD, said the party wants to drive a retrofitting revolution and called on the government to ramp up its funding of retrofits for local authority housing. The Labour Party also outlined a number of promises to tackle the housing crisi,s including abolishing Help to Buy and the First Home schemes, which Conor Sheehan TD described as a scam, saying all theyre doing is driving up house prices. The partys housing spokesperson also claimed that, if in power, Labour would build an additional 6,000 social and affordable homes, convert HSE-owned properties into accommodation for health care workers and would increase the vacant home tax to 10 times the Local Property Tax rate. He told reporters gathered at the Labour Partys head office: We are proposing this as a big stick, essentially to beat people with in order to enforce them to bring their vacant and derelict properties back in to use. After over 30 incredible years on Home and Away, Lynne McGranger is saying goodbye to beloved character Irene Roberts and fans in Kilkenny will have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be part of it. McGranger is the longest-serving female actor in an Australian drama and one of the longest-serving Home and Away cast members. READ NEXT: Landmark Kilkenny building primed for multi-million euro investment Join Lynne at The River Court Hotel in Kilkenny City on Monday (November 3) at 7.30pm for an unforgettable evening featuring a live Q&A, the chance to meet her in person, snap a photo together, and pick up exclusive signed merchandise. This is a rare opportunity to celebrate Lynnes extraordinary journey on Home and Away, hear about her favourite storylines over the years, and a chance for fans to say farewell to a TV legend. Tickets are extremely limited and expected to sell fast so dont miss out. READ ALSO: Presidential candidates to seek nomination from Kilkenny County Council next week Interestingly, Lynne will not be the first Home and Away star to visit Kilkenny this year. Back in June, John Palmer (aka Shane Withington) sampled a piece of Kilkenny life whilst on holiday, visiting Kilkenny Castle before stopping off for some lunch in Kytelers Inn. FOR MORE LOCAL NEWS, CLICK HERE A cardboard sign, a sleeping bag, and one night alone on the streets for the CEO of a homeless organisation. This is how the Good Shepherd Centre Kilkenny, together with Carlow County Development Partnership (CCDP), will mark World Homeless Day. On Friday, October 10, Good Shepherd Centre CEO Noel Sherry will step out of his office and onto the pavements of Carlow for 24 hours, to stand in solidarity with those who have no choice but to sleep rough or live in temporary accommodation. READ NEXT: 'It could've been so different' - popular Kilkenny man recovering from stroke The campaign, themed Sleeping Out, Speaking Out for the Homeless, aims to highlight the crisis facing families, children and individuals across the south-east. Speaking at the campaign launch outside the JETS Centre in Carlow, Noel Sherry said, "we dont just talk about statistics because the reality is even more stark, and the official figures never tell the full story." "Children are losing their pets, their toys, their sense of security," he continued. "Families are in crisis, lives are in limbo. Its older people, its children, people with disabilities sadly no one group is exempt from homelessness. "We have too much Government indecision, and we need to fast-track solutions now. READ NEXT: An Coimisiun Pleanala make decision on hotel planned for Kilkenny The latest Department of Housing figures underscore the scale of the problem: - 16,353 people are recorded as homeless in Ireland. - That includes 5,145 children living in emergency accommodation. - Homelessness has risen 12.9% in the past year, with 2,391 families now affected. Mr Sherry also extended his gratitude to An Garda Siochana, particularly Superintendent Anthony Farrell, for their ongoing support of the Good Shepherd Centres work. Annette Fox, CEO of Carlow County Development Partnership, expressed her pride to support this important campaign with the Good Shepherd Centre. "At CCDP, we work with people experiencing homelessness day in and day out through our community projects and endeavours," she explained. READ NEXT: Presidential candidate Jim Gavin canvasses in Kilkenny "We know the reality of the crisis in our region, and we fully support this initiative to shine a light on the human impact and the urgent need for solutions." World Homeless Day, marked globally on October 10, raises awareness of the needs of people experiencing homelessness and provides opportunities for the wider community to get involved. The Good Shepherd Centre supports individuals and families through emergency accommodation, transitional housing, tenancy sustainment, outreach, and resettlement services. Its message is clear: Hope is a Home. The public is encouraged to support the campaign by donating, volunteering, or sharing the message online using hashtags: #HopeIsAHome #SleepingOutSpeakingOut #WorldHomelessDay FOR MORE LOCAL NEWS, CLICK HERE Almost 300 events are set to be hosted by Ireland when the country takes on the Presidency of the EU next year and Kilkenny is the ideal host location, according to one local TD. John McGuinness, Fianna Fail TD for Carlow/Kilkenny, has formally submitted a case for both Carlow and Kilkenny to be selected as key locations for meetings during Irelands Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2026. TAP HERE FOR MORE WHAT'S ON IN KILKENNY The submission follows a Parliamentary Question tabled by Deputy McGuinness to the Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Harris TD, seeking clarity on plans for the management of the Presidency. The Government confirmed that Ireland will host an informal European Council meeting, a European Political Community summit, 22 informal Ministerial-level Council meetings, and more than 250 other Presidency events throughout the country. Deputy McGuinness said that the Presidency provides an opportunity to showcase Irelands regions equally. The Governments confirmation that over 250 events will be hosted across Ireland during our EU Presidency is a significant opportunity that we must seize, Deputy McGuinness said. While Dublin will understandably host major summits, the programme for the numerous ministerial and official meetings presents a perfect platform to promote the unique strengths, culture, and enterprise of regions like our own in Carlow and Kilkenny. Deputy McGuinness outlined compelling reasons why the area is an ideal host location, including world-class conference facilities, accommodation, and transport infrastructure. The region is home to a dynamic mix of cutting-edge multinational companies, alongside a vibrant community of indigenous SMEs and a rich agricultural heritage, making it a prime example of modern Irish enterprise. As well as that, the region is a cultural powerhouse that would leave a lasting impression on European visitors. This is about more than just hosting meetings, Deputy McGuinness said. It is a strategic opportunity to promote tourism and drive inward investment. By bringing European decision-makers to Carlow and Kilkenny, we can showcase our skilled workforce, our innovative companies, and our quality of life directly to a European audience. Businesses in the South East are encouraged to take part in GreenTech HQ's incredibly insightful Business Beyond Borders: USA event in Enniscorthy, County Wexford, designed to help SMEs unlock growth in the United States. Based in Enniscorthy, GreenTech HQ is the South Easts leading not-for-profit innovation hub. The organisation supports scaling SMEs through workspace, mentorship, events, and internationalisation programmes. By connecting local ambition with global opportunity, GreenTech HQ is helping position the South East as Irelands gateway to the world. This free and practical event, hosted by GreenTech HQ, helps give businesses in the South East the tools and knowledge to expand into the United States. The session takes place on Wednesday, 8 October from 12pm to 3pm in GreenTech HQ, Senan House, Enniscorthy Technology Park, Killagoley, Enniscorthy (Y21 A9K8). Registration is open now via Eventbrite. To register for this fantastic event you can click on this link here. The South East has become one of Irelands fastest-growing regions for innovation, trade, and entrepreneurship. With Wexfords proximity to Rosslare Europort and its increasing international connectivity, local companies are well placed to scale beyond Ireland and into global markets. "The South East is brimming with ambitious businesses ready to go global. This event ensures they have the right playbook to take those next steps in the US," said organisers at GreenTech HQ. As Ed Murphy, CEO of GreenTech HQ, said: "Its about putting Wexford and the South East firmly on the international business map." Why this matters for the South East: Stronger exports: The event supports local firms in industries from tech to food and engineering to break into the worlds largest market. Jobs & growth: Successful US expansion translates to more employment and investment in the South East economy. Regional voice: By hosting the event in Enniscorthy, GreenTech HQ is ensuring South East entrepreneurs can access international expertise without having to travel to Dublin. What attendees will gain: Guidance on choosing the right US state and city for their first base. Advice on corporate structure, tax, and compliance. Sales and distribution strategies for early traction. Insights into funding routes and investor expectations. Practical steps for hiring US staff and building operations. Featured Speakers & Experts: Liz Maguire - US onboarding supports Sam Saarsteiner - Clark Hill US legal supports Rome Rauter - State of Wisconsin International Market Development Steve Lenox - State of New Jersey Expansion opportunities and business incentive Rhoda Campbell - State of Florida Supports for companies locating in Florida Thomas Clarke, CBII Texas Real estate solutions and US property market insights Sinead O'Riordan - Skillnet Innovation Exchange SME collaboration and growth Nakita McCarthy - Chief Financial Officer, Taoglas who will share the expansion journey and insights Jonathan McMillan - Head of Enterprise Ireland Tariff Response Team Event details: Date/Time: Wednesday, 8 October 2025, 12pm to 3pm Location: GreenTech HQ, Senan House, Enniscorthy Technology Park, Killagoley, Enniscorthy Co. Wexford (Y21 A9K8) Tickets: Free (advance registration required via Eventbrite, limited places) This event is a collaboration between GreenTech HQ, The Mill Enterprise Hub Drogheda, County Wexford Chamber and Skillnet Innovation Exchange. A letter calling for increased investment in youth work has been signed by 95 people in the Carlow/ Kilkenny constituency. The open letter to Deputy Catherine Callaghan, Deputy Peter Chap Cleere, Deputy John McGuinness, Minister Jennifer Murnane OConnor and Deputy Natasha Newsome Drennan calls on them to support the call for an increased investment of 21.3m in youth work in Budget 2026. TAP HERE FOR MORE LOCAL NEWS The letter says youth work supports mental health, builds confidence and life skills, and creates safe offline spaces where young people are supported to grow and thrive. However, youth services are under pressure. The cost of living, rising demand, and years of underfunding are making it harder to keep services running. Open Letter Dear Deputy Catherine Callaghan, Deputy Peter Cleere, Deputy John McGuinness, Minister Jennifer Murnane O'Connor, Deputy Natasha Newsome Drennan We are 95 of your constituents in CarlowKilkenny urging you to support the call for an increased investment of 21.3m in youth work in Budget 2026. You might think only young people care about youth work, but we are voters across all ages who believe in the value of youth work to our community. Nationally, this letter has been signed by: 461 people aged 18-24 327 people aged 25-34 523 people aged 35-44 945 people aged 45-54 725 people aged 55-64 644 people aged 65+ Youth work supports mental health, builds confidence and life skills, and creates safe offline spaces where young people are supported to grow and thrive. Right now, youth services are under real pressure. The cost of living, rising demand, and years of underfunding are making it harder to keep services running. Thats why we have added our names to this localised version of the National Youth Council of Irelands All Ages for Youth Work campaign, calling for increased investment of 21.3m in Budget 2026 to protect existing services, expand access, and fund safe, well-equipped spaces. As your constituents, we are asking you to support this call publicly, by raising this issue in the Dail and with Minister McEntee as soon as possible, to ensure that we have the best chance at securing investment for youth work locally. With the right support, we can meet young peoples needs in CarlowKilkenny today and build stronger communities across Ireland for us all. Signed, your constituents: We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. South Korean girl group izna achieved significant success with the release of their latest mini-album, Not Just Pretty, which recorded over 150,000 sales on its first day. This milestone marks a notable achievement for the group, reflecting strong support from fans and growing popularity in the competitive K-pop market. The album's first-day sales were officially reported by major music charts and industry sources, confirming izna's rising commercial impact. Not Just Pretty contains several tracks that showcase the group's musical versatility and development, departing somewhat from their previous releases. This mini-album emphasizes a more confident and mature image, aligning with the growing recognition izna has been building since their debut. The group's agency expressed gratitude toward the fans for their unwavering support, highlighting how the solid sales performance demonstrates the group's expanding fanbase both domestically and internationally. Several of the tracks from the mini-album have already been featured in several music show performances and streaming platforms, further contributing to the album's rapid sales. Read more: Former Wanna One Member Bae Jin Young Teases Solo Debut This October Industry analysts believe that surpassing 150,000 units sold on day one positions izna among some of the top-ranking girl groups in the current K-pop scene. These kinds of sales figures indicate the girl group's potential for further commercial success and increased visibility at major music events and award shows. The achievement is particularly important for izna as the group continues to solidify its place in a highly saturated K-pop industry. The group's Not Just Pretty mini-album showcases a blend of different music styles, putting together pop elements with strong vocal performances and dynamic choreography. This release strategy seems to resonate well with both long-time followers and new listeners alike, contributing to the album's positive commercial performance. The South Korean girl group is scheduled to continue promo activities across various media outlets and live performances throughout the coming weeks to maintain momentum following Not Just Pretty's first-day sales. Additionally, their growing international fanbase has prompted plans for expanded marketing efforts overseas. With this landmark first-day sales record, izna sets a promising foundation for its ongoing career growth and establishes itself as a formidable presence within the competitive landscape of K-pop girl groups. The city of lights is glowing a little extra these days, thanks to K-pop royalty making waves at Paris Fashion Week. Among the standout moments: Jimin (of BTS) turning heads at Dior, Jisoo (BLACKPINK) grounding elegance with her ambassadorship, Felix (Stray Kids) walking Louis Vuitton, and Lisa (BLACKPINK) serving chic contrast in layered couture. The runway is a battlefield of style, and these four are claiming territory. Jimin: shirtless, daring, unforgettable At Dior's Spring/Summer 2026 show, Jimin caused an immediate stir by appearing shirtless beneath a sheer Dior piece, letting the ensemble do part of the storytelling. That bold move felt like a statement. Returning to public life after military service, Jimin used his moment in Paris to blend vulnerability, strength, and style in one shot. Jisoo: timeless elegance meets Dior As a global ambassador for Dior, Jisoo is no stranger to Paris Fashion Week, and 2025 was no exception. Her presence in Dior's front row continued to solidify her status as a fashion figure who bridges KPop's pop appeal with haute couture gravitas. Her calm poise contrasts (in the best way) with Jimin's drama, showing how diverse KPop fashion presence can be. Felix: runway debut meets KPop aura Felix of Stray Kids didn't just attend, he also walked. At the Louis Vuitton show, he made a runway appearance, seamlessly bridging idol and model worlds. His role as Louis Vuitton ambassador plays a key part in this crossover. At Paris Fashion Week, he and Lisa even exchanged warm selfies, demonstrating the camaraderie among KPop's fashion elite. Lisa: knit layers, bold contrast Lisa's look was a standout in itself. At Louis Vuitton's SS26 show, she layered cozy knits over bold shorts and accessorized with a babyblue handbag , a mix of street ease and runway polish. Already a Louis Vuitton ambassador since 2024, Lisa is turning fashion appearances into statements. Her style here spoke in soft textures and confidence. Why this matters KPop stars dominating Paris Fashion Week signals global visual influence. The interplay between music and style is intensifying. Jimin pushing boundaries, Jisoo embodying luxury, Felix walking the runway, Lisa mixing contrast , together they frame a new chapter in fandom and fashion. Paris is the proving ground. And these four are proving that KPop's style isn't just a side effect of fame: it's a cultural force. Sean McCarthaigh A narrative verdict has been returned on the death of a hotel chef who was found dead at home two days after he was involved in an altercation with security staff outside a bar in Dublin city centre. James Kailedzi, 31, who came originally from Malawi, was pronounced dead at his apartment on Hatch Street, Dublin 2, on March 25th, 2023 where he was discovered by friends concerned about his welfare. A postmortem showed he died as a result of a traumatic blunt force head injury. The inquest heard evidence that Mr Kailedzi had gone to the Pygmalion bar on the corner of Coppinger Row and William Street South, Dublin 2 on March 23rd, 2023 with two friends, one of whom, Arthur Bradford, was denied entry to the premises. Mr Bradford said he and the deceased were subsequently followed by security staff who grabbed Mr Kailedzi. The inquest heard there appeared to be some physical contact which resulted in Mr Kailedzi falling to the ground. Mr Bradford recounted how Mr Kailedzi was unconscious for a short period but walked home alone after he regained consciousness. The witness said his friend seemed a bit drowsy at the time but believed his appearance was due to alcohol. He told coroner Aisling Gannon that he had unsuccessfully tried calling Mr Kailedzi several times the following day and subsequently called to his friends apartment on March 25th, 2023 with some others, where they discovered Mr Kailedzi deceased on his bed. Another witness, Reo Odirile, gave evidence that both the deceased and Mr Bradford had been quite aggressive before seeing security staff from the Pygmalion pushing them towards South William Street. Mr Odirile said he observed Mr Kailedzi swinging at a security staff member, Leonardo Santos, at one point before next noticing the deceased on the ground. He said he did not see how Mr Kailedzi fell to the ground, but did recall that he was wobbly after getting up. Mr Odirile said he believed the security staff had overreacted to the situation. In a written statement, another eyewitness, Sean Richardson, said he had seen Mr Kailedzi falling like somebody who got knocked out at the UFC after he was pushed by Mr Santos in retaliation for his own push. Mr Richardson said the deceased had hit his head on a pole as he fell. A former security guard at Pygmalion, Gabriel Manfrim, said he had refused Mr Bradford entry to the bar as he had been barred from the premises, while he had also been threatened by him when he worked at another venue. The witness said he had asked Mr Kailedzi to leave the bar after a group of girls had complained about his conduct. He recalled that the two men started arguing with the pubs security staff when they were asked to move away after they had been arguing with a group of females sitting outside the bar. Mr Manfrim said he was dealing with Mr Bradford, while his colleague, Leonardo Santos, was with the deceased. He told the inquest that he saw Mr Kailedzi grabbing onto a pole and making to go through his colleague as well as swinging at Mr Santos with a whiskey glass. Mr Manfrim said the other security guard had pushed back against Mr Kailedzi to protect himself. He said Mr Kailedzi fell and stayed on the floor for several minutes. Mr Manfrim said he called gardai as he was afraid of Mr Bradford after he had threatened him: I will kill you. I know where you live. The security guard stressed that no kicks or punches were thrown by security staff, and the only thing he saw was the push by his colleague In evidence, Mr Santos corroborated what had happened and said Mr Bradford had stood outside the bar insulting security staff while the deceased was inside. He said Mr Kailedzi was asked to leave Pygmalion when a group of girls complained he was disrespecting them. Mr Santos said the two men were screaming and shouting at them as they tried to come back towards the bar a short time later. He admitted pushing Mr Kailedzi once when he lost his balance and then a second time after the deceased came at him with a glass. Mr Santos said Mr Kailedzi fell on the ground but later stood up and left, heading in the direction of St Stephens Green with Mr Bradford. In reply to the questions from the coroner, Mr Santos said he had pushed the deceased with the same level of force on both occasions in self-defence. Cross-examined by counsel for Mr Kailedzis family, William Dunne BL, who questioned if he had overreacted on the night. Mr Santos replied: We were always calm. Detective Inspector Katherina Joyce said CCTV footage showed that security staff at the bar only escalated their interaction with the deceased and Mr Bradford following a complaint from a group of French tourists. Det Insp Joyce said Mr Bradford had been persistently antagonistic and abusive to the two security guards at the door to Pygmalion for 50 minutes while Mr Kailedzi was inside in the bar. She said the demeanour of both security guards during this period was tolerant and patient. Det Insp Joyce described what happened as a very tragic incident with the direst of consequences. She agreed with the coroner that the physical contact with the deceased was minimal. Det Joyce noted that the right side of the deceaseds skull, where he suffered a head injury, was thinner than the other part. The inquest heard that the DPP had directed that no prosecution should arise in relation to Mr Kailedzis death following a review of a Garda file on the case. Det Joyce said an appeal against that decision by Mr Kailedzis family was not upheld. She told Mr Dunne that the need for an ambulance has been raised by Garda command and control in a 999 call. However, it was not proceeded with after being informed that the deceased had left the scene. The coroner said she would record a narrative verdict to reflect the complexities of the facts of the case. Ms Gannon said she would notify the owners and directors of Pygmalion about concerns of the response of staff to patrons, including non-customers in a crisis or emergency situation. In response to a suggestion by Mr Dunne, the coroner said she would also ask the Private Security Authority to consider making first aid training a requirement for the issuing of licences for security staff. A Northampton County jury on Thursday found a Bethlehem man guilty of second-degree murder and related charges in a womans 2022 shooting death. Marquis Michael Watkins was convicted of second-degree murder, robbery, and firearms offenses in the killing that claimed Jani Bostic, a 21-year-old woman from East Stroudsburg, District Attorney Stephen Baratta announced. The murder charge carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison; Watkins sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled, Baratta said. Bostic was shot as she sat in the drivers seat of her blue Kia Forte on December 10, 2022, in the 1200 block of Butztown Road in Bethlehem. She died of the gunshot wounds four days later in Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg. Police said Watkins arranged a marijuana drug deal at the Butztown Road location, which was near his home, and Bostic and another man arrived at the spot in her vehicle. Once at the vehicle, Watkins took marijuana and then fatally shot Bostic as she sat in the drivers seat, police said. The other man returned fire at Watkins, investigators said. Watkins was seen getting out of the back seat of the Kia after gunfire was heard, prosecutors previously said. Witnesses reported hearing two shots before Watkins, wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt and a plaid shirt, got out of the vehicle and put what appeared to be a semiautomatic handgun with an extended magazine into the front pocket of his sweatshirt, prosecutors said. Watkins walked to a nearby home, according to police, and officers found a weapon that matched the description in a toilet tank in the home. A gunshot residue test indicated Watkins had recently fired a weapon, prosecutors said. Two spent shell casings were found in the Kia and one of them matched the caliber, color and brand of ammunition recovered with the weapon. The indictment against officers and prison officials at the former Edna Mahan Correctional Facility in Hunterdon County was dismissed by a New Jersey judge Thursday. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) AP AP An indictment against more than a dozen people who worked at the now shuttered Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for women were dismissed Thursday by a judge in Hunterdon County. The employees, including corrections officers and facility officials, were accused of the coordinated beating of inmates during forced extractions in a high-security wing of the prison in 2021. The incident was among those that led to a criminal inquiry and Gov. Phil Murphy moving to close the troubled prison. The indictment was dismissed with prejudice, meaning the same charges cannot be refiled against the defendants. State Superior Court Judge Christopher J. Garrenger listed deficiencies in the superseding indictment, defendants arguments and delays in getting to a trial as some of the reasons for dismissing the charges. The whole thing is appalling. This is a mans life that they put on hold for five years, Robin Lord, attorney for Ryan Valentin, who was a major at the correctional facility and one of the employees charged in the incident, told NJ Advance Media. Lord said Valentin wasnt even working the day of the incident but came in to supervise the aftermath. Valentin was a 24-year veteran of the Department of Corrections and was a highly regarded employee, according to Lord. She added that Valentin has been out of work and unable to support his family for the past five years as hes fought the charges leveled against him. We intend to file a notice of tort claim to reclaim millions in costs, expenses, attorneys fees and lost income, Lord said. New Jersey First Assistant Attorney General Lyndsay V. Ruotolo told NJ Advance Media that the case stems from deeply troubling allegations and that the office disagrees with Thursdays decision and plans to immediately appeal it. If the Appellate Division, which already reversed the trial court once in this matter, agrees with us again, and our office is permitted to bring these charges to a trial jury, we are confident in our proofs, Ruotolo said in a statement. As alleged, this behavior constitutes a profound breach of duty and a grave betrayal of the public trust. The courts ruling does not exonerate the defendants or erase the allegations. Rather, it rests on legal conclusions and distorted characterizations of the record about the pace of proceedings and the way in which the law was presented to the members of the grand jury. Those conclusions are mistaken and our office will continue to seek justice for the victims in this case. Assemblywoman Aura Dunn, R-25th Dist., pointed blame at the attorney generals office for the dismissal. This is an unconscionable failure of leadership. Women who were beaten, brutalized, and humiliated behind bars have now been denied justice not because the evidence was lacking, but because Matt Platkins office botched the prosecution," Dunn said in a statement. Dunn said she was calling for immediate hearings to force Platkin to answer questions about how the prosecution was handled and how he planned to address the ruling. The public deserves answers, and the victims deserve more than silence, she said. The charges stemmed from a Jan. 12, 2021, incident in which teams wearing riot gear marched into the prisons restorative housing unit and began forcibly removing prisoners. On that day, inmates in the high-security unit sprayed unknown liquids on corrections officers which prevented them from providing food and medication to the inmates, Lord told NJ Advance Media. Officers at the prison then staged a middle-of-the-night raid on the unit, assaulting multiple prisoners, according to state prosecutors. Multiple inmates involved in the forced extraction told NJ Advance Media at the time that prison administrators and medical staff were also present during the violent encounter. The incident led to a probe by the state Office of Public Integrity and Accountability, which brought the charges against the officers and staff. The charges against the officers and officials included official misconduct, aggravated assault and tampering with public records. Videos released publicly show officers punching, kicking and pepper spraying prisoners. State prosecutors argued the worst of the violence happened outside the frame of security cameras and camcorders, alleging supervisors deliberately helped cover up brutal beatings of prisoners. The indictment followed years of complaints from inmates at Edna Mahan about sexual and physical abuse that led to charges against dozens of correctional police officers. Allegations of misconduct and criminal behavior by staff at Edna Mahan cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars in settlements, including a $21 million settlement over claims of sexual and physical abuse, to millions paid to outside law firms and consultants, according to public records reviewed by NJ Advance Media. Authorities have identified the four children and woman who were killed in a Carbon County house fire. Crews were called for a house fire at 11:50 p.m. Tuesday in a home at 56 Willow St. in Franklin Township. Responding troopers and firefighters found the main floor and rear second floor of the home fully engulfed, Pennsylvania State Police previously said. Initial reports indicated that people were trapped in the home, but despite every effort by firefighters and emergency services personnel to safely and efficiently rescue the individuals trapped inside, those efforts were unsuccessful, the Carbon County coroners office said Thursday. The victims were identified Thursday as Aida Marrero, 37; Kaylee Quevedo, 14; Matthias Wheelock, 6; Aiden Wheelock, 5; and Nathaniel Wheelock, 1. Chief Deputy Coroner Jason Smith previously said all five victims lived in the home. Following autopsies Thursday at the Lehigh County Coroners Office and Forensics Center in Allentown, all the deaths were ruled as accidents. Marrero and Aiden Wheelock died from smoke inhalation and thermal burns, while Kaylee Quevedo, Matthias Wheelock and Nathaniel Wheelock died from inhalation of products of combustion and thermal injuries, the coroner said. This is a profound and heartbreaking loss not only to the close-knit community of Franklin Township, but to the entire county, Smith said in a news release. We recognize that family members are mourning and working to process this unimaginable tragedy. Please know that the community stands with you during this difficult time. The deadly fire is still under investigation by the Carbon County Coroners Office and state police. Mount Tammany in New Jersey is photographed on a clear day Sept. 19, 2025, from Mount Minsi in Pennsylvania at Delaware Water Gap. Kurt Bresswein | For lehighvalleylive.com Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area generated significant economic benefits for surrounding communities last year, with 4.1 million visitors spending $164 million that resulted in a cumulative $211 million boost to the local economy, according to a new National Park Service report. The economic impact demonstrates how outdoor recreation drives financial activity beyond park boundaries, supporting businesses and jobs in nearby Pennsylvania and New Jersey communities. People come to Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area to hike, paddle, hunt and fish, enjoy nature, and learn about the history of the river valley, said Acting Superintendent Eamon Leighty. Along the way, they end up supporting the U.S. and local economies. Its truly rewarding to provide visitors opportunities to experience some wonderful and unique resources, while also generating $211 million in revenue for our local communities. The local figures are part of broader national trends outlined in the 2024 National Park Visitor Spending Effects report. Nationwide, visitors to national parks spent $29 billion in nearby communities, providing $18.8 billion in labor income and $56.3 billion in economic output to the U.S. economy. The lodging sector received the largest direct economic contributions nationally with $11.1 billion in economic output, while restaurants captured the second-highest amount at $5.7 billion. Additional information about national parks in Pennsylvania and New Jersey is available at www.nps.gov/pennsylvania and www.nps.gov/newjersey. Generative AI was used to organize and structure information for this story, based on data provided by the National Park Service. It was reviewed and edited by lehighvalleylive.com staff. If you purchase a product through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. Get your baking hats ready, because KitchenAid wants to celebrate with Swifties with a special giveaway this week. In honor of Taylor Swifts 12th album The Life of a Showgirl album dropping on Oct. 3, KitchenAid is giving away a limited-edition Tangerine Twinkle stand mixer, and Swifties cannot contain their excitement. Artisan Series 5 Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer with Premium Accessory Pack in Juniper $550 $400 This Artisan KitchenAid mixer is perfect for whipping up Taylor Swift's favorite chai tea cookies, if you miss out on the giveaway. Buy Now at KitchenAid Called their Showbiz Sweepstakes, KitchenAid will give away 12 of these limited-edition mixers, and you can sign up now on their website. But, we wouldnt wait on signing up for this giveaway because the sweepstakes will end on Oct. 3 at 11:59 p.m. So, if you want to channel your inner Taylor Swift in the kitchen with this themed mixer, while making her signature chai cookies, then you better sign up for this giveaway ASAP. However, if you happen to miss out on this giveaway, there are several other KitchenAid stand mixers you can get on sale instead now. KitchenAid stand mixers on sale now Even if you dont win one of the 12 KitchenAid Tangerine Twinkle stand mixers, you can snag one at a discount through the website. Plus, score several marked-down KitchenAid appliances to host your own Life of a Showgirl premiere party at home. A Laois nurse and the coordinator for the Irish delegation on the Global Sumud Flotilla says that all of the Irish citizens aboard the flotilla have now been detained, with all 43 boats now intercepted by Israeli forces. Helen Lawlor from Mountmellick spoke on RTE Radio's Morning Ireland to say that they have been transported to a prison in the Negev desert for processing. She sayts that the only contact they have with the Irish citizens is from Palestinian lawyers there. It is understood that 22 Irish citizens were on board the flotilla in total. Ms Lawlor added that they will pass that information on to the families once they know it is credible and verified. "Generally, what happens is they're offered various forms to sign. People choose themselves whether to sign the forms or not because the first form will say that they have entered Israel illegally, whereas none of these people have actually entered Israel illegally, they were all brought there against their will after being intercepted in international waters," she explained. "If they don't sign those forms, they have the opportunity to go in front of a judge and have a hearing and be deported, generally maybe 72 to 96 hours afterwards. "But we can never guarantee what will happen this time, because this is very different. People have been through this process before but never almost 500 people at one time." Read more: Laois nurse supporting Irish families of detainees of Gaza flotilla Helen Lawlor says more flotillas will keep coming. "Either humanity perseveres or governments step up and create this humanitarian aid corridor. The sea is a legal way of travel, and this is through international waters. None of these flotillas are doing anything illegal, these are all legal acts. Read also: Laois Palestine solidarity group picket McDonalds in Portlaoise "It's absolutely preposterous to think that one government can control the whole world's reaction to a genocide. That's what's happening here. These flotillas will continue over and over and over again until aid gets into Gaza by the sea," she said. Planning permission for a new site entrance and carpark area for Rockview Walkways and Rambling House has been granted by Laois County Council. Laois Friends submitted the application in order to address safety concerns and difficulties accessing the site for people with disabilities and additional needs. Rockview Walkways is situated in the Cashel and Pass townlands between Ballyroan and Portlaoise. At the moment an existing parking arrangement, a very small lay-by off a minor country road adjacent to a hump back bridge, cannot safely accommodate minibuses, wheelchair adapted vehicles or people carriers. The amenity is used by local groups on a regular basis and letters of support for the development accompanied the application from C-Ability, the Muiriosa Foundation, Special Olympics Laois, and Ballyroan Active Retirement. The Laois Friends woodland Walkway (Rockview Walkway) has become a successful amenity providing a safe haven for locals and persons with disabilities and additional needs, the application stated. Organisations such as C-Ability and the Muiriosa Foundation and other local groups all frequent the walkway amenity on a regular basis. Laois Friends also sought retention planning permission for an existing Rambling House Amenity Area comprising of a hall/rest area, seating area and toilet facility. READ NEXT: Councillor objects to votes of sympathy at Laois County Council meeting The application explains that while the group has ambitions to develop a purpose built community centre, as a non-profit organisation, there are financial constraints. Due to the growing visitor demand, part of the farm storage area has been converted for visitor use which provides young patrons and ambulant disabled users a safe haven from the unpredictable Irish weather, and a much needed and essential rest area, the application explained. It is still the intention that a resource/community centre would be included within the Laois Friends amenity but unfortunately as Laois Friends is a non-profit organisation with limited financial resources, funding for a new purpose community building is not currently a viable option, particularly with the current cost of construction. As a storage area/building was available and with a limited budget, it was decided to temporarily convert part of the existing building as a rest/amenity area. The temporary facility has now become an essential part of the walkway, amenity, servicing approximately 40 to 50 visitors per week. Laois County Council planners granted the application with 13 conditions attached. Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. The parents associations of eight Laois primary schools held an information night for parents on the proposed phone ban pact they hope to roll out. The evening saw key speakers Child Psychologist Ms Catherine Hallissey, Director of Waterford Education Service Centre and founder of Phone Free Waterford Dr Brian Barron, and local councillors John King and Cllr Conor Bergin. Parents of children attending Scoil Bhride Rathdowney, St. Colmcille's NS Errill, Killadooley NS and Borris-in-Ossory NS , Clough NS, St Pius X Ballacolla, Cullohill NS and Our Lady's Meadow, Durrow were in attendance to learn more on the 'Phone Free Pact'. Pictured: Attendees gathered in St Fergal's College for Thursday's event Parents in attendance were left pale and horrified following the latest research into child grooming operations online, where Irish children as young as five are being exposed to pornographic content on the childrens game Roblox. Key speaker Dr Barron explained that he saw an endemic rise in young girls self harming, and limiting their food intake. There were videos online showing them how to self harm and how to hide it from their parents. It came to a head in our school when two girls in 5th class were hospitalised from starving themselves, he shared. This isnt an anecdotal rant against phones- since 2019, kids under the age of three exposed to over an hour of screens a day, have an abnormal disorganisation of the white matter in their brains, responsible for language and communications, Dr Barron explained. Pictured: Dr Ben Barron shares reports and researched evidence "Excessive screen time in 9 and 10 year olds screen to cause a physical failing of the cerebral cortex responsible for interpreting information in the physical world. This is what you see in patients with dementia, he said. We have to understand the extent and level of hyperviolence and pornography our children are seeing online. The director explained that within the last few months, three separate investigations have been carried out into Roblox, including one from the Wall Street Journal. The report then discovered that Roblox social media features allow pedophiles to efficiently target children, he said. In Ireland, research shows that Roblox is the most likely place for an 8-12 year old to encounter inappropriate content. The design of avatars and interactions can be of a sexual nature. "Its a haven for pedophiles and perverts- Im not trying to be dramatic, this is what we are being told. But it's still the most popular place in Ireland for primary school children to be, he said. Dr Barron explained recent research from reliable sources such as Ofsted and the UKs Childrens Commissioner, showing that children as young as six are now exposed to pornography online. "The average age of seeing porn is 13, with some seeing it as young as six. 60% saw porn without seeking it out- they aren't looking for it, it's being sent because it keeps them on the screen, he said. Over 58% of children from 11-17 have seen pornography featuring strangulation, with 44% of 11-17 year olds having seen rape scenes online, he said. Hotline.ie are hired by the state to tackle child porn in Ireland. In 2024, the watchdog detected 53,441 cases of child sexual abuse on the internet last year. A 32% increase on 2023, and a 110% increase on 2022. 56% of the content was children aged four to twelve years old, 43% of children in teens, and 1% aged younger. Im 44, my parents said that would never happen here. There is no here any more, all your children are in the same place no matter where they live, Dr Barron highlighted. Sexual extortion sees males aged 18-24 particularly vulnerable, 15% were under 18 years of age. Perpetrators are targeting children, he said. Online spaces are not neutral spaces, there are sinister actors out there looking for your children, looking for their content. There are 'Nudify' apps where an AI model needs 12 images of your child to create a child sex abuse video. "Hotline.ie made an advert telling parents to think before taking back to school photos. Even at that level, the sinister actors out there are mind boggling. And so many people will open the door because they don't want their kid to be the only one without a phone, Dr Barron said. Principals in attendance stressed the 'tiredness and lack of attention' in class that they are experiencing in children. Child Psychologist Ms Catherine Hallissey explained ways that parents can help protect their children from online harms, and how to deal with stress. Pictured: Errill principal Colin Dowling and Killadooley principal Orla O'Connor We have all handed our children screens so we could get a few jobs done, or just have a few moments peace. There are practical things we can do, she said. Dont demonise screens - screens can be incredibly useful to learn, to be entertained, to socialise and to pass time. Instead, foster the mindful, conscious use of screens. Use the Model, Mentor, Manage method, Dr Hallissey explained. Model how much you use your own phone, take note of the amount of times you check your phone, along with when and where you do. Would you be happy with your children using their phones as much as you do? she asked. Mentor your children on the impacts phone have on their safety, their attention span, their social skills and their sleep schedule. So many parents bring their children to my clinic, and the first question I ask them is whether they have their phones in bed with them at night. You would be surprised at the amount of issues a good night's sleep can solve, she said. Dr Hallissey recommended parents monitor the content their children are watching, highlighting the 'shallow engagement' children have with online content. Follow age restrictions on games and apps, with no social media for children below 13 years of age. It should be made on a 'case by case' basis depending on your child's personality, temperament and behaviour, Dr Hallissey said. The Balance Phone is a great option if your child needs a phone to contact you, but you don't want them on social media. The phone allows users to download apps such as WhatsApp, Google Maps and Spotify, yet it blocks the download of any social media platforms, she shared. The psychiatrist shared one important tip: it is better for screen-related technology and toys to come from parents, rather than Santa Clause at Christmas time. When presents come from Santa, kids tend to find that this an agreement between themselves and Santa Clause that they can the device freely, that it has nothing to do with the parents, she said. It comes up a lot in my clinic. You should own the screens, or have a control where the kids ask you for permission to use the devices, so it's better if the devices are for birthdays rather than santa lists, she said. Cllr Conor Bergin congratulated the Parents Associations on doubling in force for positive change. Pictured: Cllr John King and Cllr Conor Bergin spoke at the event I must commend the parents in these organisations for taking a proactive role, and the key speakers for the work they have done, he said. Myself and Cllr King will bring a motion to the Council calling for the Government to act on the issue of smartphone use in primary schools, he said. Cllr John King also praised the initiative. It's a hard world, and it's not easy being a parent, he said. It's much harder now than it ever was. But well done to you all. GAA clubs can do their part as well to promote this, he said. A member of Scoil Bhride Rathdowney's Parents Association praised locals for their work to help them on this issue. Principals have a key role to play in brilliant role in bringing us all together, along with teachers and peers within the school community, they shared. This evening is a key milestone in our journey to safeguard our children from the negative effects of smart phones, and the next key step will be circulating the parent pact, which will happen in the next week or so. Based on the information we have heard tonight, I think that the children will benefit from this pact long beyond their school days, the representative finished. Read more on the 'Phone Free Pact here. Storm Amy is battering Ireland with Status Red weather conditions impacting seas just of the west coast while the rest of the country is under Met Eireann Status Orange or Yellow Met weather alerts. Morning reports Met Eireann observation stations on Friday before the full impact of the storm was being felt showed winds hitting 65 kms along the west coast with gusts of up to 40 kms inland. The latest Met Eireann forecast warned that Storm Amy would bring heavy rain and very windy or stormy conditions on Friday with strong to gale force south to southwest winds, veer westerly, along with severe and damaging gusts. It warned that winds would increase to storm or "violent storm force" in western and northwestern coastal areas at times during the afternoon and evening. Rain from the southwest was due to extend across the country, heavy spells at times, possibly causing spot flooding. The rain is expected to gradually clear eastwards through the afternoon, followed by scattered showers and some brighter breaks. Highest temperatures of 16 to 19 degrees. Friday night is also expected to be windy with widespread heavy showers or longer spells of rain. Strong to near gale force west to southwest winds will affect the country with gales on northern and western coasts. Cooler with lowest temperatures of 6 to 9 degrees. WATCH LIVE: Storm tracker here Saturday will also be wet and windy with strong and gusty westerly winds. A band of heavy showery rain will move down from the north across the country. The afternoon will gradually become drier with just well scattered showers and some sunny spells developing at times too. Cooler with highest temperatures of 12 to 15 degrees. The forcaster has issued a Status Red marine area storm warning from Loop Head to Rossan Point to Fair Head along the west coast. This will feature southwest to west winds reaching violent storm force 11 at times. Storm force winds can reach nearly 120 kms an hour. The onshore warnings are below photo: Status Orange - Wind warning for Clare, Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo Near gale force to gale force and very gusty southwest to west winds. Impacts: Fallen trees; Damage to power lines and possible power outages; Very difficult travelling conditions; Possible wave overtopping Valid: 14:00 Friday 03/10/2025 to 22:00 Friday 03/10/2025 Status: Yellow Rain warning for Galway, Kerry Potential impacts: Flooding; Difficult travelling conditions; Valid: 09:00 Friday 03/10/2025 to 15:00 Friday 03/10/2025 Status: Yellow Storm Amy: Strong to near gale force and gusty southwesterly winds. Met Eireann Weather Warning Potential impacts: Difficult travelling conditions; Debris, loose objects displaced; Some fallen trees possible Valid: 12:00 Friday 03/10/2025 to 00:00 Saturday 04/10/2025 A new EU-funded pilot project launched in North Kildare, bringing together local communities, employers, and Ukrainian Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection to explore practical approaches to refugee integration. The project will run for one year across Maynooth, Kilcock, Leixlip, Celbridge, and Straffan, gathering evidence to inform local authority practice and national policy on refugee integration. Co.Here is funded under the EUs Social Innovation+ programme and conducted by partners from University College Dublin, the non-profit Helping Irish Hosts, and using an ethical people data platform from international tech partner Pairity. Research lead from UCD School of Politics and International Relations, Dr Graham Finlay said: Welcoming newcomers brings real opportunities but it also creates challenges for communities under pressure. With Co.Here, we want to understand, through evidence, how communities and newcomers can find common ground and build the kind of belonging that lasts. Co-Founder of Helping Irish Hosts, Jill Robinson said: At its heart, Co.Here is about joining the dots between real people and real experiences. It builds on lived community experience and applies technology to make those efforts more practical, connected, and lasting, for everyone involved. The launch was held at the Glenroyal Hotel, Maynooth, and was attended by members of local communities as well as local councillors and TDs. Attendees were invited to take part in an interactive Belonging Wall, sharing ideas on what truly helps people feel at home. Speaking at the launch, Kildare North Councillor Angela Feeney said: I am delighted to support the Co.Here project. It is a model of good practice, taking a partnership approach to solving everyday problems. A key part of the project is listening to peoples lived experience, looking at what is already in place in our communities, and using technology to help communities and newcomers connect in ways that work for everyone involved. It is by working together that we can achieve so much more. Over the next year, Co.Here will invite Ukrainian newcomers, local residents, community groups, and employers in North Kildare to take part. Participants will be matched with opportunities in learning, work, education, health, and social life, while also sharing their insights on what helps people feel at home. By gathering this evidence, the pilot project aims not only to improve support locally but also to inform integration policy and practice nationally. Principal and Dean of UCD College of Social Sciences and Law, Professor Niamh Moore Cherry said: At a time of huge geopolitical upheaval, social disruption and migration, we need co-created, community-centric social innovation initiatives like this to provide the holistic, evidence-based policies that will enable communities to thrive, even in adverse circumstances. Social sciences research has never been more necessary to safeguard our society and deliver the right to safety and dignity for all. READ NEXT: Kildare house hunters! Check out home valued at only 65k! There would have been an underlying 1.9 billion euro Exchequer deficit at the end of September if Apple tax receipts were not included, according to the latest data. An Exchequer surplus of 1.4 billion euro was recorded to the end of September, down significantly from the 5 billion euro recorded at the same point last year and follows major transfers to long-term investment funds. Ireland has recovered more than 13 billion euro plus interest in corporation tax from Apple after the European Commission successfully argued the US tech giant had been given undue tax benefits that were illegal under EU state aid rules. When receipts arising from the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruling on Apple taxes are excluded, an underlying Exchequer deficit of 1.9 billion was recorded a deterioration of 6.9 billion euro on the same period last year. The underlying deficit largely reflects the transfers to the Future Ireland Fund and the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund. The latest Exchequer returns came ahead of Tuesdays Budget. The data also shows that tax revenue to the end of September was 73 billion euro 4.8 billion euro or 7.1% ahead of of the same period last year. However, this was improved by one-off tax revenues arising from the CJEU ruling which, when excluded, left underlying tax receipts of 71.3 billion euro. Gross revenue to the end of September was 91.2 billion euro, an increase of 8.1 billion euro compared with the same month last year. Non-tax revenue and capital resources for the year were 4.8 billion euro, up by 2.5 billion euro on last year, primarily driven by transfers to the Exchequer arising from the CJEU ruling. Appropriations-in-aid of 13.4 billion euro brought total other revenue to 18.2 billion euro. September, a key month for corporation tax, saw receipts up 300 million euro on the same period in 2024. On a cumulative basis, and excluding receipts arising from the CJEU ruling, corporation tax receipts of 18.2 billion were 400 million euro ahead of the same period last year. Total expenditure to the end of September was 89.8 billion euro. Of this, gross voted expenditure was 77.5 billion euro, which was 5.4 billion euro (7.6%) ahead of the same period last year. Non-voted expenditure accounted for 12.3 billion euro, up by 6.3 billion euro on the same period in 2024. This reflects the transfer of 6.1 billion euro to the Future Ireland Fund and the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund this year. Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said broadly steady tax revenue growth is a positive sign of the underlying strength of our economy ahead of Budget 2026, which he will announce with Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers. Budget 2026, which Minister Chambers and I will present to the Oireachtas on Tuesday, will set out a budgetary package that will help keep our economy and public finances on the right track, protecting the jobs we have, and adding to that, and meeting the needs of our people in a way that is affordable and sustainable. Mr Chambers said increased spending has supported the country through a series of economic challenges and shocks. He said the focus for the Budget remains on value for money and ensuring that public spending delivers real impact for our people. The Summer Economic Statement set out a planned package of 9.4 billion euro for Budget 2026 including 7.9 billion in additional public spending and 1.5 billion in the tax package. Additional spending is broken down to 5.9 billion euro for current expenditure and 2 billion euro for capital expenditure. The Central Bank, Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (IFAC) and Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) have raised concerns about the risk of the planned Budget package overheating the economy. Fenagh Development CLG today announced that it has been nominated by their local community to receive 20,000 in funding from the fourth annual AIB Community 1 Million Fund to help with its work in the Fenagh community in Leitrim. In four years, the AIB Community 1 Million Fund will have supported 296 charities across Ireland. Earlier this year, AIB asked its customers, the wider public and staff to again nominate registered charities that connect with causes that matter most to them and their communities, in the AIB Community 1 Million Fund. To those charities chosen by the customers and wider public, AIB is allocating 700,000 across the four provinces and a separate category for charities in the greater Dublin area, while 300,000 will be donated to charities chosen by employees. READ MORE: Safety improvements called for at Ballinamore meeting for Charlton's Cross A statement to the Leitrim Observer said: "AIB is committed to connecting customers with their local community groups. They have introduced, through their partnership with Payzone a donation feature on the AIB Mobile app, enabling customers to donate to their nominated charities directly on the app. The charities will be listed on the app for the year following nomination." Speaking about receipt of the award, Seamus McLoughlin, Chairman of Fenagh Development said: We are delighted with this award from the AIB Community 1 Million Fund, which is crucial for maintaining the services we offer to the Fenagh community. AIB's ongoing support for local organisations is invaluable, and we have witnessed the positive impact on other local groups that received funding last year. The publics nomination makes this particularly special for us. Its touching because it shows that our efforts in the community are being acknowledged. We would like to thank all those who took the time to vote for us and pass the word around. Thank you to everyone who is involved in Fenagh Development and a special thanks to AIB for setting up this important fund This award will be of considerable assistance in some of the projects which Fenagh Development are currently undertaking, including energy upgrades to the Community Centre and Visitor Centre while these projects are in the main grant funded, match funding is always a limiting factor and this award will help us achieve our goals." READ MORE: RIP: Tributes flood in following the sudden passing of absolute gentleman from Leitrim Speaking about the Fund, AIB Managing Director Retail Banking, Geraldine Casey said: We are delighted once again this year to support over 66 charities through the AIB Community 1 Million Fund. AIB is deeply rooted in towns and villages across the country, and we are privileged to be able to provide much needed funding to those who are making such a powerful contribution to improving the lives of those who live in these communities. I would like to thank our customers and the public for taking the time to nominate these very worthy charities. Meggan McGoldrick, Martina Gilrane, Alan Burke AIB & Paul Gilmartin (AIB Ballinamore) and Seamus McLoughlin, John Ellis, Paul Keegan, Aidan Greenan, Mary Beirne and Alanna O'Carroll (Fenagh Development) For more information on Fenagh Development CLG visit www.fenagh.com USE THE ARROWS OR 'NEXT' TO BROWSE THROUGH THE FULL GALLERY Keelderry, Bodyke, Co. Clare, V94R298 An Irish farmhouse complete with 20 stables, a barn and its own sulky race track has sold at auction after being seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB). The two-bedroom cottage, based at Kealderry near Bodyke in Clare, sits on almost 18 acres of land with sweeping views of the Slieve Aughty mountains. Auctioneers described it as in need of refurbishment but praised the mature boundaries, tree-lined avenue and "magnificent unspoilt views of the Clare countryside." According to RTE, the property went under the hammer at Wilsons Auctions last week for around the asking price of 175,000. USE THE ARROWS OR 'NEXT' TO BROWSE THROUGH THE FULL GALLERY The holding includes a large yard, four-span barn and equestrian facilities, with the land laid out in manageable paddocks and featuring a circular gallop that was previously used as a sulky racing track. The site came under CAB control last year following a High Court ruling. It had previously been owned by William McInerney, whom the Bureau has linked to organised crime in the region. CAB has sold several such seized properties, with proceeds from the sale now returning to the State coffers. READ MORE | PICTURES: Irish coastal cottage with sea air and sandy beaches up for grabs at just 75k A Massachusetts writer who battled ALS left her loved ones a final story: A tongue-in-cheek, self-penned obituary that has won legions of fans online. Well, if you are reading this obituary, it looks like Im dead, Linda Brossi Murphy wrote. WOW, it actually happened I died of FOMO due to complications of Bulbar ALS. Murphy, a Framingham native, died September 21 at the age of 60, which she noted was way too young!. She died after a three-year struggle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ALS, also known as Lou Gehrigs disease, is a rare condition that destroys nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that are needed to talk, walk, swallow, and breathe. There is no cure for ALS, and most people live three to five years after diagnosis. My stupid Bulbar ALS got me to the sad point of not being able to talk. Never speaking means never being able to say, I love you! It means not being able to call my Mr. BoJangles over for a snack, and it means not being able to order at the Dunkin drive-through, Murphy wrote. Linda Murphy, a Massachusetts woman who died last month of ALS, urged people to spread kindness in her self-penned obit (McCarthy McKinney & Lawler Funeral Home and Cremation Services) Murphy lamented that it totally stinks to be surrounded by loved ones enjoying juicy burgers or heaping piles of Chinese food, when she isnt able to participate. She wrote that living became an overwhelming burden every day, day after day, but that she did her best not to let anyone know about her daily suffering and struggles with the terminal disease. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Later in the obituary, she joked that she and her husband, David, had been together for 42 years, but had recently entered a thruple when her respirator Hosee moved into their bed. From then on, David woke up next to what looked like a fighter pilot with smooshed hair! she wrote. Murphy paid tribute to her wonderful family, who she said were the absolute best thing about my life. Before she was diagnosed with ALS in 2022, Murphy was fought breast cancer in 2012 and survived. She also turned to humor when battling the disease, writing a book titled F-Off Cancer to show people can still have fun even after being diagnosed with cancer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My favorite pastime was being with my family & friends, hence why FOMO [fear of missing out] did me in! I also adored having fun, anytime, anywhere! No matter what I was doing, I had fun, she wrote. I was a very happy person to the core. Murphy then urged anyone reading to say yes to the party, the trip, the adventure and while you are there, please raise a glass and Cheers for me! Please be kind to everyone: the telemarketer, the grocery clerk, the Dunkin's staff, the tailgater, your family, your friends. Speak nicely and positively. Is there really ever a reason to be negative? I don't think so she wrote. In addition to urging people to be kind, Murphy requested that they dont buy her flowers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE dont waste money on flowers, she wrote. Buy a bunch of scratch tickets and give them out to strangers along your way. Make people happy, that is the best way that you can honor my memory, she wrote. Murphy had her brain and spinal cord donated for ALS research. She asked that, in place of flowers, people should consider donating to Compassionate Care ALS, noting the organization has helped me and so many others live a better life while struggling with ALS. In the days after her death, Murphys obituary has been shared far and wide online, drawing attention both locally and nationally. In addition to penning her last words, the comedic writer also picked out her own casket, chose the music at her funeral and planned a dance party in her own honor, CBS News Boston reported. She was the life of the party. She was the party, her daughter, Justine Hastings, said with a laugh. One of my favorite comments was, I just read this, and I just wish I could have had a glass of wine with her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Commenters from all over the world agreed with her daughter, with many writing in from various U.S. states and countries as far as India that they were moved by her words. Wow! What an AMAZING, BEAUTIFUL, LOVING and inspiring person she was, a beautiful spirit!!! one commentator wrote, later adding that they literally snorted laughing while almost crying while reading. Your obituary was absolutely perfect. It sounds like you lived a great life and you also sounded very brave. I have a very dear friend who was diagnosed with the same ALS as you were we were devastated when we found out, but were staying strong for him. You definitely sound like you lived your life like he lived his. Hes still with us but struggles every day but we stay positive. The best medicine is laughter. We try to get him to laugh every day. May you rest in peace you are definitely with the angels, another person wrote. I'm sitting in India and reading this obituary. I don't know you but I wish I did. I wish I could have told you just how much I admire your outlook and your strength. I truly hope you find peace in the abyss and if a concept of multiple lives exist, you have the most wholesome peaceful and joyous one in your next, one person wrote. Another added: Wow, This was touching. I never met her but I sure wish I had. I hope you are dancing the night away and eating all that you can. Linda Murphys full obituary can be found here. Anthology Restructures, Focuses on Teaching and Learning Business Anthology has announced a strategic restructuring, divesting its Enterprise Operations, Lifecycle Engagement, and Student Success businesses and filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in an effort to right-size its finances and focus on its core teaching and learning products. The company's Teaching & Learning arm, comprised of Blackboard, Ally, Illuminate, and Institutional Effectiveness, will be reorganized into a stand-alone business. Ellucian has stepped up as the "stalking horse" bidder for the Enterprise Operations business, including Anthology Student, Finance & HCM, Student Verification, and Enterprise Ops Legacy. Encoura has agreed to serve as the stalking horse bidder for the Lifecycle Engagement business, including Anthology Encompass, Reach, Advance, as well as the Student Success business. Stalking horse bidders set the baseline offer in a bankruptcy auction and can be superseded by higher, competitive bids. The restructuring process is expected to be completed over the next three to six months, without disruption to day-to-day operations. "Anthology is an innovation powerhouse, designing solutions in partnership with our customers that empower institutions to thrive amid rapid change and rising expectations. Following a strategic review, we saw a clear inflection point and opportunity to realign these three businesses for sustainable growth while unlocking their full potential," commented Bruce Dahlgren, CEO of Anthology, in a statement. "With the strong support of our investors, a recapitalized Teaching & Learning platform is well positioned to invest in new capabilities, drive greater efficiency, and help our customers stay focused on what matters most: delivering exceptional outcomes for students." Consultant and market analyst Phil Hill has posted a thorough breakdown of the news in several OnEdTech Newsletter posts, noting that "Coming out of the process, the new Blackboard will have $0 in long-term debt on its balance sheet." His assessment of what the overall restructuring means for the LMS and ed tech markets: "Blackboard will continue operating through the case, but the ownership and investment thesis behind the LMS are changing. This could affect long-term product direction and stability. The core question isn't 'Will Blackboard survive bankruptcy?' It will. Rather, it's what kind of Blackboard emerges when [investors] Nexus and Oaktree are in the driver's seat, and how higher ed institutions adjust to yet another wave of vendor consolidation." For more information, visit the Anthology site. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close GARDAI have launched an investigation after an early morning arson attack on the southside of Limerick city. A car was gutted in the blaze with reports of damage caused to a nearby house. Nobody was hurt in the incident. READ NEXT: Suspected dog food thief bites off more than he could chew as gun and drugs seized When contacted for comment, a garda spokesperson confirmed gardai received a report of an incident of criminal damage by fire that occurred in the Ballinacurra Weston area of Limerick city on Wednesday, October 1 at approximately 1.40am. A car was reported as damaged. No injuries have been reported at this time. Investigations are ongoing, said a garda spokesperson. It is not known if it is connected to an ongoing feud involving rival groupings, centred around the Ballinacurra Weston area. There was a series of pipe bomb and arson attacks on cars and homes, as well as drive-by shootings, earlier this year. Anyone with information, or was driving in the Ballinacurra Weston area in the early hours of Wednesday morning and has dash-cam footage, is asked to contact Roxboro Garda Station on (061) 214340, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any garda station. As October's cool nights draw in, a different kind of cosmic show lights up our skies: the Orionid meteor shower. These fast-moving streaks of light are tiny fragments left behind by the famous Comet Halley, a beautiful reminder of the cosmic wanderers that pass through our solar system. But beyond the visible wonders, there are incredible human stories that have helped us understand the universe, and this month, we celebrate one of the most compelling. Born on October 19, 1910, the Indian-American physicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar changed our understanding of how stars die. While still a young student, he discovered a crucial limit for a star's final moments: if a dying star is more than about 1.44 times the mass of our Sun, it cant become a "white dwarf," a dense stellar remnant. Instead, its own immense gravity forces it to collapse into something far more exotic, like a neutron star or even a black hole. READ MORE: Pick up the latest edition of Limerick Life magazine This idea, known as the Chandrasekhar limit, was revolutionary. Yet, the young physicist's work was publicly opposed by the celebrated astronomer Arthur Eddington. The two were locked in a long scientific dispute, but Chandrasekhars dedication to his work ultimately prevailed. His research laid the groundwork for the later discovery of neutron stars and black holes, fundamentally reshaping modern astrophysics. He was finally recognised with the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1983, a testament to his incredible contribution and persistence in the face of adversity. The Limerick Astronomy Club meets in Mary Immaculate College, Room 202 at 8pm. We'd love to welcome you and embark on this cosmic journey together. Reach out to us at limerickastronomyclub@gmail.com for more info. As Storm Amy makes landfall in Ireland, weather warnings are now in effect for 15 counties across the country. County Kerry has been issued a Status Orange rain warning in effect from 6 am this morning until 8 pm tonight. Cavan, Donegal, Longford, all of Munster and Connacht were also issued with Status Yellow rain warnings by Met Eireann from 6 am this morning until 8 pm tonight. Read next: STORM TRACKER: Follow 'Storm Amy' as it bears down on Ireland amid brutal forecast They have warned the likely impacts this adverse weather will be localised flooding possible, difficult travelling conditions and blocked drains. In their latest Storm Amy update, Met Eireann has issued a Status Yellow Thunderstorm warning for County Galway now in effect from 7:35 am until 12:30 pm. They have warned of "some thunderstorms today with possible lightning damage" for the county. A Status Yellow wind warning has been issued for the entirety of Ireland from 12:00 pm on Friday October 3 until 12:00 am on Saturday October 4. Forecasters have warned that Storm Amy will bring near gale force winds to Ireland this weekend, explaining that: "severe and possibly damaging gusts will occur widely." They have advised that Storm Amy: "will bring heavy rainfall with strong winds expected on Friday. A number of warnings will be issued today, with updates as certainty increases." Met Eireann is expected to continue to update its forecast and weather warnings for the Republic of Ireland throughout the day. A 27-year-old Irish man converted a van into a home in just four months for him and his dog Tezza. Dean Maher from Tramore in Waterford is a mechanic and is currently in Spain working on repairing go-karts. Dean said in an exclusive interview that he decided to take on the huge DIY project of converting a small van into a home because of his dog! When Dean went on a ski-trip in Italy he had left his dog Tezza with his mother to mind but he said: "my poor dog was just depressed and looking out the window everyday waiting for me to come home". "When I came home then I said right I need to find a way to bring the dog with me next time....I said I'll have to buy a van....so that was the idea just to be able to bring my dog away with me." READ NEXT: Fans 'can't wait to watch' new series of DIY SOS: The Big Build Ireland airing very soon The process of converting a van into a home took Dean four months to do himself. Dean is a plumber by trade and said with that experience over the last six years he had a good idea of how to convert a van. "It was actually a really fun situation, " Dean said when he was asked how he went about buying a van in the first place. "I started initially by bringing my dog with me in my jeep.....but my dog hated it! She wouldn't settle in it at all and I ended up driving home from Dingle at like four o'clock in the morning". "My neighbour beside my garage...I was telling him about it and he said 'no way I actually have a van in my field and it's been there about two years now'". Dean said the van was fairly mossy and mouldy but he went out anyways and had a look and "took it away for 1,000". He gave the van a good power wash and gave himself four months to convert the van. "It's probably 90 per cent there...there's still a couple of things....but it's pretty much done...I lived it in Spain for four months with the dog off the coast in Spain". "It was brilliant...but it was very hot. In Valencia in July it was 55 degrees....it was bad and obviously the dog was struggling". "I just had to stay beside the beach and we would just be in the water throughout the whole day....but it was the best four months of my life". Dean said that Spain in his experience is very camper living friendly and can be very easy and safe to do. "I met a 37-year-old Norwegian fella who has been living in his Jeep in Spain for the last four years just working remotely". At the moment, Dean has bought a bigger van because the one he has now doesn't have a bathroom or shower. Dean said that it's "terrible that the economy has gone this bad that people are looking at living in the back of vans as a way to live.....but from a travel point of view I think it's absolutely brilliant". "It doesn't cost you any money really.....you just have to put diesel in it...buy a disposable barbeque....cook up at any beach anywhere and wake up to the sunrise". "And your not fixed to one place.....if you have a big night out and you embarrass yourself you can just get up and move town!". MICHAEL Noonan has recalled a night out in Ballingarry with former Taoiseach, the late Dr Garret FitzGerald - and his interesting choice of tipple at the bar! Mr FitzGerald succeeded Liam Cosgrave as leader of Fine Gael, at a time when the party was at a low ebb, having lost the 1977 General Election heavily. In a bid to rebuild its ranks from the grass roots up, the new party leader took a tour around the country. READ MORE: Council planning to map public toilet spots across Limerick city centre Former finance Minister Michael Noonan recalled a stop-off in Ballingarry, part of the Limerick West constituency where he was then chairman. Ballingarry has two things about it - it is fairly central in the constituency, and it has one of those huge Muintir na Tire halls. Close to 1,000 people turned up that night, he recalled. By the time proceedings were over, we went for a drink. There were several pubs in Ballingarry, but the Fine Gael activists liked to go down to Mary Quaids. I said to Garret, can I get you a drink, Dr Fitzgerald? He said, you know what Id like? Id love to have a creme de menthe frappe, recalled Mr Noonan. The former Limerick East TD recalled how he proceeded to the bar, and said: Mary, Dr Fitzgerald would like a creme de menthe frappe. We dont have it, Michael, were sold out, she said. Theres been a huge demand in Ballingarry for it!, recalled Mr Noonan, of the deadpan response he got. The former Fine Gael leader recalled the events as he was launching a new book by Corbally-born academic Eoin OMalley in the Castletroy Park Hotel. In shops now, Charlie vs Garret tells the story of a political rivalry that shaped modern Ireland between the Fine Gael leader, and the Fianna Fail boss Charlie Haughey. Mr Noonan recalled that while he was able to call his own party leader by his first name, no matter when he was Taoiseach or leader of the opposition, it was always Mr Haughey, as opposed to Charlie. Everyone in the Dail was aware of a certain tension between them, a certain conflict and competition between then. And antagonism. It was a most interesting time, he said. Mr Noonan - who served as TD between 1981 and 2020 - said there is often conflict for conflicts sake within Government and opposition politicians. But with Mr Haughey and Dr FitzGerald, things were different. There was personal needle between the two of them, he admitted. Speaking to Limerick Live, after the proceedings, the former Finance Minister revealed he has left the city and returned to his old parish in West Limerick, where he enjoyed daily swims in the estuary through the summer months. The weather was very poor in July, but August it got better, and Ive been enjoying it, he said. Prior to launching Mr OMalleys book, Mr Noonan had been on the campaign trail with Fine Gael presidential hopeful Heather Humphreys. Describing the Monaghan woman as a very warm candidate, he dismissed criticism of the fact that only three are on the ballot for the election later this month. Theres a nomination process. Its the same for everybody. If you take the Dail and Seanad together, there must be 230 members now. If you cant get 20 of them, why should you be on the ballot paper? he asked. During his six years as finance minister, he believes he did get a lot of abuse on social media. But there was an instruction in the office - never show any of it to the minister, he revealed, so I didn't really know about it. It seems to be more personal now, and nasty, he added. WASHINGTONA multibillion-dollar deal to send Nvidias artificial-intelligence chips to the United Arab Emirates is stuck in neutral nearly five months after it was signed, frustrating Chief Executive Jensen Huang and some senior administration officials. The delays are a setback to Huang and White House AI Czar David Sacks, who hoped to see the deal advance quickly to highlight a new U.S. tech strategy focused on exports, according to people familiar with the matter. They see agreements like the U.A.E. deal as key to the U.S. staying ahead of China in the AI race. Under the deal, which was announced in May, the U.A.E. promised to invest in the U.S. in exchange for up to several hundred thousand Nvidia chips a year. But the investment hasnt materialized after months of talks, baffling some administration officials who dont know the reason for the delay, the people said. The future of the agreement is largely in the hands of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who initially championed the deal. The Commerce Departments approval is critical to getting the deal done because the agency has to give Nvidia and others involved permission to send the chips to the U.A.E. The commerce secretary has pressed the Emiratis to finalize their U.S. investments before his department authorizes the delivery of the chips, some of the people said. Those prolonged conversations have slowed the deal, they said. This summer, Lutnick and some administration officials also worried about national-security risks because the U.A.E. is close to China. That relationship fueled fears that the chips could benefit Chinas AI industry, and held up the deal. The negotiations have high stakes for Lutnick, who has come under fire for the rollout of tariffs and a new $100,000 fee for applicants seeking H-1B visas popular among tech companies. Tension with Nvidia, the worlds biggest company with a nearly $4.6 trillion market value, could be a major test between the White House and the company. Huang and various Nvidia executives have complained privately about Lutnicks tactics and the slow progress to other administration officials, some of the people said. Sacks and others in the administration are also annoyed, they said. One senior administration official said Lutnick hasnt held up the deal, but other administration officials contended he had slowed the process down. View Full Image Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, left, with Trump administration officials during an AI summit in Washington, D.C., over the summer. Photo: andrew caballero-reynolds/AFP/Getty Images The U.A.E. is progressing ahead with its agreement using a 1:1 ratio of the nations investment in the U.S. in exchange for billions of dollars worth of Nvidias chips, the senior administration official said. At least $1 billion will be sent from the U.A.E. to the U.S. in exchange for at least $1 billion worth of Nvidia chips by the end of the year, according to the official. The U.A.E. would have to pay separately for the chips, some other people said. A senior Nvidia executive said Huang and others havent complained and said the company isnt concerned with how the deal has been handled. White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement that Sacks and Secretary Lutnick are integral to the Presidents AI agenda and are working diligently to get deals done on behalf of the American people." A spokeswoman for Sacks declined to comment. The U.A.E. Ministry of Foreign Affairs didnt respond to a request for comment. Huang has praised Lutnick publicly, saying recently that the commerce secretary is the person he talks to most in the administration. The Nvidia CEO is walking a tightrope between the U.S. and China, trying to keep both countries hooked on chips without getting caught in their trade spat. Trump praised the U.A.E. chip deal during the first overseas trip of his second term in May, which highlighted U.S. AI technology and hopes other countries would adopt it instead of Chinas. The White House at the time said Trump secured over $200 billion in U.S.-U.A.E. deals, including an agreement between both nations to help develop U.S. technology and manufacturing. The U.A.E committed to investing, building or financing U.S. data centers for training AI models, the White House said at the time. The U.A.E. has also done deals with the Trump familys crypto venture and is part of the investor group taking control of TikToks U.S. operations. The administrations discussions with the U.A.E. are the latest example of the presidents team pressing corporations and countries to invest in the U.S. Lutnick recently negotiated a deal with Japan in which the country agreed to invest $550 billion in the U.S., putting the money into a fund overseen by the commerce secretary. Trump and Lutnick recently used nearly $9 billion in federal grants to take an equity stake in Intel. Nvidia is also working with Lutnick to get the licenses it needs to send chips to China. Trump and Lutnick asked the company to give the government 15% of the chip sales to China for a chip called the H20 in August, a move that some lawyers say amounts to an illegal export tax. Under the terms of the U.A.E. agreement, most of the chips would go to U.S. companies operating in the Middle East nation. Some administration officials have raised issues with the involvement of G42, an Abu Dhabi-based AI firm that is supposed to be part of the agreement, the Journal previously reported. They worry that chips sent directly to G42 could end up being diverted to China. The Commerce Department currently doesnt plan to approve chips going directly to G42, but it may in the future. Write to Brian Schwartz at brian.schwartz@wsj.com, Amrith Ramkumar at amrith.ramkumar@wsj.com and Josh Dawsey at Joshua.Dawsey@WSJ.com China is pushing the Trump administration to roll back national-security restrictions on Chinese deals in the US, dangling the prospect of a massive investment package as part of a proposal that would upend a decade of policy. The demands from President Xi Jinpings negotiators also include lowering tariffs on imported inputs from the worlds No. 2 economy used by any Chinese factories built in the US as a result, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations. The proposals were raised during trade talks in Madrid last month, the people said. During those meetings, the two sides reached a framework deal to keep Chinese social-media giant TikTok operating in the US, despite national security concerns raised by American lawmakers. The Chinese floated a figure of $1 trillion earlier this year, according to one of the people, but the size of the potential investment being discussed now is unclear. After the Madrid talks, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told Fox Business that the two sides had discussed the investment climate in the United States for Chinese companies. Days later, Xi urged President Donald Trump in a phone call to create conditions for Chinese enterprises to invest in America. The Chinese proposals are part of a bold set of requests that include pressing the US to change its decades old stance on Taiwan another red line for Washington. They also represent a shift from trade talks during Trumps first term that focused on purchases of US exports rather than investment in the US, an area subject to stringent national security reviews. A White House spokesperson didnt respond specifically to questions about the talks, saying the administration is focused on ensuring that China is fulfilling its current obligations, an apparent nod to the so-called Phase 1 deal in Trumps first term. The administration continues to engage with the Chinese to level the playing field for American businesses, farmers, and workers, the official said. The Commerce Ministry in Beijing didnt immediately reply to a request for comment made on a public holiday in China. Trump has said hell meet Xi at a summit in South Korea this month. Whether the US president will accept Chinas offer is unclear though one of the people said the US hasnt yet ruled anything out. Questions remain around exactly how much investment China would pledge and the structure of such commitments, although the TikTok framework American control of a Chinese entitys US operations could be one possibility. Matt Pottinger, a China hawk who served as deputy national security adviser during Trumps first administration, said allowing a surge of Chinese investment into the US economy would be a major concession to Beijing. That would be tantamount to the US becoming part of the Belt and Road indeed, its final destination, he said, referring to the $1 trillion-plus global infrastructure spending program that China launched in 2013 to bolster its economic and security interests, as well as its political influence. Trump has made rebalancing the US economic relationship with China and the rest of the world, in part by securing major investment flows into the US, a pillar of his second-term trade strategy. He has repeatedly claimed the US has attracted $17 trillion in commitments since he took office in January. Hes also declared his top priority with China is frankly, more importantly, a big deal. Investment by Beijing of $1 trillion or more would dwarf commitments from other nations. The European Union has committed to $600 billion in investment by its companies over the next four years. Japan has signed on to finance $550 billion in investment into the US, while South Korea is in discussions over the structure of a $350 billion pledge. Those pledges are arranged differently, with the Japanese one taking the form of a joint fund over which the US has significant discretion. Its not clear which model any China deal would adhere to. READ: Trumps $900 Billion Funding Demands Face Korea, Japan Caution Any agreement to greenlight significant Chinese investment would involve a sharp reversal of policies enacted by both Washington and Beijing over the past decade. A big Chinese investment push into the US could face other barriers, with a growing number of states imposing their own restrictions in recent years, one person familiar with the discussions said. But securing greater access to the worlds biggest consumer market would be a blessing for China, where companies struggling with weak domestic demand are cutting both prices and jobs. While Beijing has slapped export controls on some of its most innovative green technologies, the nations executives are eager to break into new markets. After hitting a record $57 billion in 2016, Chinese investment in the US has slowed to a trickle, coming in at $2.1 billion for the first half of 2025, according to data on completed deals compiled by Rhodium. After the buying binge, Beijing tightened capital controls, while Washington moved to shut down Chinese deals on national security grounds. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the US has been at the heart of those efforts in sensitive sectors such as chips. The Treasury-led panel scuttled an attempt by a Jack Ma-founded fintech company to buy payments giant MoneyGram International Inc., forced a Chinese investor to sell the gay dating app Grindr and kicked a Chinese cryptocurrency mining company off land near a US military base, citing national security concerns in each case. As recently as February, a similar if not even more hawkish approach to Chinese investment in the US appeared to be prevailing. In a presidential memorandum that month laying out an America First Investment Policy, Trump said investment at all costs is not always in the national interest. That memo accused China of using investment in the US to obtain cutting-edge technologies, intellectual property and leverage in strategic industries. The National Security Council staffer who authored the memo, David Feith, was fired in April amid a purge of China hawks. With assistance from Josh Xiao, Colum Murphy and Linda Lew. 2025 Bloomberg L.P. A new regulatory pilot project from the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is under review at the White House budget office, suggesting that the Trump administration is seeking to take regulatory action against drugmakers even as it strikes deals with individual companies. There are no details about the policy CMS plans to test, titled the Guarding US Medicare Against Rising Drug Costs pilot, including what drugs or companies could be impacted. Regulatory pilot projects help the government determine if a new regulation will save money, allowing it to experiment with rules before implementing them widely. The proposed regulation is the agencys second recent move toward new rules on drug prices; another posted on Sept. 25. During his first administration, President Donald Trump pursued pilot programs that would have lowered what Medicare pays for drug prices. The pharmaceutical industry steadfastly opposed those initiatives. Medicare is the US governments health insurance for older adults and the largest purchaser of medicines in the nation. New rules could put a damper on Wall Street enthusiasm toward drugmakers. Pharmaceutical stocks are poised for their best week in 16 years after a splashy event with Pfizer Inc. in the Oval Office earlier this week, in which the company signed a deal that allowed it to escape tougher tariffs investors had feared. Pfizer committed to lower prices in the Medicaid program for low-income and disabled adults, which is a comparatively much smaller part of its revenue, in exchange for relief from tariffs. The deal was seen as a blueprint for other companies looking to strike accords with the administration. Those talks are ongoing, as the threat of regulatory action looms. 2025 Bloomberg L.P. Flipkart has revised its Goods Transport Agency (GTA) rate card, a copy of which Mint has reviewed, in a shift thats slicing into brand toplines. The Flipkart-Myntra restructuring pushes logistics costs onto sellers, squeezing already thin margins. Multiple sellers told Mint that Flipkart is unfairly using a small-transporter goods and services tax (GST) rule to boost its own profits and cut theirs, which explains why sales figures vary between platforms. Goods Transport Agency refers to businesses that move goods by road and issue a consignment note. Under GST rules, freight billed by a GTA can be subject to a lower or even exempt tax rate. It cuts our topline and margins, while boosting theirs. Earlier, when a customer paid 118, we booked 100 as revenue and later paid Flipkart 5 for delivery. We would raise one invoice of 118. Flipkart would then charge us separately, say 5, for freight. Now Flipkart splits the billwe book only 95 as sales, while Flipkart shows that 5 under its own topline. So our numbers shrink, theirs look bigger," said a top multi-national company with a significant e-commerce presence. For sellers, the shift translates to an about 15% annual impact on e-commerce revenues and a roughly 2% hit at the overall company level. The change, they say, was implemented without any consultation or alignment. Also Read | Flipkart turns to Bollywood buzz to capture Gen Z shoppers Differing rules Flipkart seems to be gaining at both endsfrom the tax structure and from sellerswhile our topline and margins have shrunk. Lenders will eventually question why our reported sales are falling, and that could complicate discussions when we go to renew our credit limits," said Ravi from Noida, who does about 8.5 crore in annual sales through online platforms. How can the rules be different for Flipkart and Amazon? I sell on multiple platforms, yet my topline varies for the same products depending on the marketplace," said Anand from Jaipur, who recorded a turnover of 2.77 crore last year. Sellers said Flipkart began implementing the new invoicing structure around mid-June, but only sent out an email, reviewed by Mint, about the rate card change in the last week of July, after brands had started raising questions. Queries sent to Flipkart on 2 October did not elicit a response until press time. Also Read | Inventory wars: Swiggy and Blinkit stock up quick commerce race The new rate card, reviewed by Mint, shows that Flipkart has changed the way it bills delivery charges. Earlier treated as separate fees, these costs are now grouped under what it calls GTA charges." In the fixed fee sheet, charges range from 48 to over 200, described as GTA Fixed Fee Including GST." The shipping rate card shows charges at 25 for 0-0.5 kg, 78 for 1-1.5 kg, and 335 for 11-12 kg. Sellers argue that these slabs inflate costs compared to actual courier rates and claim that the consistent use of GTA-linked headers throughout the document suggests a deliberate restructuring. The Delhi-based Federation of International Trade Investor Gunodaya Association, in a press statement on 23 August, highlighted concerns about Flipkarts billing. However, artificially recasting marketplace fees as transport charges will no longer fly under GST law, experts said. The amendment, as per a notification on 17 September and effective from 22 September, excludes e-commerce operators that provide or facilitate local delivery from the GTA definition. The recent amendment to the GTA definition explicitly excludes e-commerce operators from being treated as GTAs, whether they provide delivery themselves or route it through group or partner companies," said Amit Baid, head of Tax at BTG Advaya, a law firm. This, he added, effectively shuts the door on platforms restructuring their commissions or facilitation fees into so-called exempt freight. Also Read | Snapdeal tries fashion route to reclaim its spot in e-commerce race Risk for sellers Invoices reviewed by Mint for a single order show the bill split across multiple Flipkart group entities. For one order, the sellers invoice showed the product at 17,718. Additionally, Flipkart entities raised separate line items 135 as offer handling" and credit card fee," another 99 as a protect fee," and 281 as GT Charges" under Goods Transport Agency, all of which were billed at 0% GST. Instead of a single consolidated invoice, the single transaction was split across multiple bills, cutting into the sellers topline while allowing Flipkart to shift delivery into a tax-exempt bucket, the seller said. Artificial splitting of invoices to show oversized transport charges risks re-characterization and addition to the taxable value, along with possible tax demands under Sections 73 and 74," said Alay Razvi, managing partner, Accord Juris, a law firm. Inflated transport charges will likely be viewed as a colourable device to avoid GST. Exemptions under GTA are narrowly intended for small transporters, not for large, technology-driven e-commerce platforms," he added. This follows Mints earlier report that Flipkart was allegedly recasting marketplace fees as transport charges to tap lower GST rates meant for small transporters. This could risk spilling over to sellers as well. Key Takeaways Flipkart's new invoicing structure, which recasts various fees as tax-exempt Goods Transport Agency (GTA) charges, directly reduces sellers' reported topline and profit margins, hitting e-commerce revenues by an estimated 15% and overall company revenue by about 2%. Sellers believe Flipkart is leveraging a small-transporter goods and services tax (GST) rule to inflate its own reported topline figures by showing delivery costs as its own revenue, while cutting the corresponding figures on the seller side. Legal experts warn that this practice is highly vulnerable to regulatory challenge, citing recent GST amendments that explicitly exclude large e-commerce operators from being treated as GTAs. Flipkart is splitting single transactions across multiple invoices from different group entities, with "GT Charges" billed at 0% GST, a practice experts label a "colourable device" that risks tax demands and re-characterization of charges. While primary liability rests with the platform, sellers are not completely insulated and risk being drawn into tax disputes and potential demand notices if authorities argue they benefited or colluded with the platform's invoicing structure. While primary liability would rest with the platform issuing such invoices, sellers may not be fully insulated," said Pankaj Goel, partner at CNK, a chartered accountant firm, adding that tax officers could argue that sellers colluded or benefited, leading to potential demand notices. In litigation, sellers might be dragged into disputes even if the platform drives the invoicing structure." Flipkart Internet, the marketplace arm of the Walmart-owned e-commerce giant, reported revenues of 20,493 crore in FY25, a 14% increase from the previous year, even as losses narrowed sharply to 1,494 crore from 2,386 crore a year earlier, according to regulatory filings. Flipkart has continued to trim losses, suggesting a sharper focus on profitability alongside revenue expansion. The company is also preparing for a reverse flip"shifting its domicile from Singapore back to Indiaa move widely interpreted as part of a run-up to an eventual initial public offering (IPO). (Bloomberg) -- HSBC Holdings Plcs head of equity capital markets for Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa is set to leave, the latest departure as the lender undergoes a sweeping overhaul. Christopher Laing is set to exit the bank after eight years, according to people familiar with the matter, during which HSBC became one of the top arrangers for share sales in the budding Middle Eastern market. He was part of the team that helped arrange Saudi Aramcos $29 billion listing in 2019, the largest IPO on record. Laings departure comes as HSBC undergoes a broad shake-up under Chief Executive Georges Elhedery, with the lender cutting jobs and scaling back its investment banking footprint in Europe, the UK and the Americas. Although the Middle East remains one of the few regions where it still aims to pursue mandates on transactions and listings, the UK-based lender also recently lost its head of ECM in Saudi Arabia to PJT deNovo. Laing did not respond to calls and messages seeking comment. Over the past four months, the bank has relocated three managing directors from London to the Middle East, and is also planning to move some junior bankers to the region from the US and London, according to a person familiar with the matter. We are fully committed to investing in our investment banking franchise in the Middle East and have relocated talent from across our global network to build on our ECM and M&A practice in the region, an HSBC spokesperson said in a statement, while declining to comment on Laings departure. The Middle East has become an active market for share sales as regional governments pursue sweeping privatization programs to develop local capital markets. Companies have raised over $5.3 billion from initial public offerings in the Gulf so far this year, comparable to last years levels despite tariff turmoil and regional tensions. HSBC has consistently ranked in the top four arrangers for IPOs in the Gulf by deal volume since 2021, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Laing joined HSBC in 2017 from Deutsche Bank, where hed been head of its emerging markets ECM franchise, according to his LinkedIn profile. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com Palantir Technologies Inc.s stock fell more than 8% on Friday following a report that its battlefield communications system, along with that of defense tech firm Anduril Industries Inc., was seriously flawed a claim both companies said was out of date and inaccurate. In a statement Friday, Palantir said that issues in the report, published by Reuters, had already been addressed. The report centered on a September Army memo expressing concerns over Andurils NGC2 prototype system, which stands for Next Generation Command and Control, and includes subcontractors Palantir and Microsoft Corp. The problems were mitigated immediately, Palantir said, adding, No vulnerabilities were found in the Palantir platform. Fridays share move was the biggest intraday decline for Palantir since August, after a remarkable upward trajectory for the stock, which has gained more than 2,000% in the last three years. Other tech companies also slipped Friday following threats from the White House to lay off government workers. In a story published this week about the Army report by the website Breaking Defense, Lieutenant General Jeth Rey stressed that finding security vulnerabilities was an important part of integrating advanced technology.This is a new capability coming in and we found a risk and we mitigated it right out the gate, he said. According to the Army the memo dated Sept. 5, reported by Breaking Defense and Reuters, the communications networks for the companies had been vulnerable to insider threats, external attacks, and data spillage, with critical deficiencies in fundamental security controls, processes, and governance, before the interventions. In a statement, Anduril also said that problems had been addressed. The recent report reflects an outdated snapshot, not the current state of the program, the company said. NGC2 is progressing through the normal process of iterative development, we find risks early, address them quickly, and harden the system before fielding. Representatives for the Army did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 2025 Bloomberg L.P. New Delhi [India] October 3 (ANI): Saumitra P Srivastava has assumed charge as Director (Marketing) at IndianOil, bringing with him a distinguished career spanning over three decades. An academic stalwart, Srivastava is a Civil Engineering Graduate from IIT Roorkee and holds an Executive MBA from SP Jain Institute of Management & Research, Mumbai, a release said. His career has been instrumental in shaping key business segments, starting with an initial four-year tenure in the LPG business before transitioning to various key positions within the sales function. He is an accomplished executive with extensive experience, specifically in downstream operations, marketing, and strategy. His leadership style is noted for being collaborative and result-oriented, underpinned by a consistent track record of success in driving business growth, increasing profitability, and enhancing customer satisfaction. He successfully led major transformation projects, including the structured Non-Fuel Convenience Stores and the Dhruva - Retail Transformation project, along with several other technology and digitalisation initiatives. His leadership experience also included serving as the Head of Retail Transformation group and the Retail Business Head for North & East, IndianOil. He demonstrated broad operational expertise, having headed Divisional offices in New Delhi and Mumbai and led sales for Western Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. He leveraged his deep operational knowledge while serving as the Head of State for Maharashtra & Goa, where he managed all major products and businesses. Immediately prior to his new appointment, he served as the Executive Director (Corporate Strategy), where he focused on strategic initiatives to enhance customer satisfaction and bring greater efficiency to overall operations. In his new role, he will steer the strategic direction of IndianOil's vast, nationwide marketing infrastructure, ensuring sustained market leadership and customer service. WALLOPS ISLAND, Va.The newly constructed Rocket Lab launchpad on Virginias Atlantic coast needs to be able to withstand 1.5 million pounds of thrust. Peter Beck, the companys founder and chief executive, had another requirement: It had to look beautiful. The launchpad behind us is almost an architectural monument," he said in August to a crowd of government officials and investors. Launch sites are usually these boxy, horrible-looking things, but I was not going to have that." Becks fixation on detail and form has guided his course as an entrepreneur. A self-taught engineer from a remote part of New Zealand, he has been the driving force behind Rocket Labs growth as a launch-and-satellite company. His companys next bet will soon roll onto the new pada 141-foot-tall rocket called Neutronand help Rocket Lab go toe-to-toe with Elon Musks SpaceX, Jeff Bezos Blue Origin and other industry powers. Neutron is Rocket Labs most powerful rocket to date, designed to offer the kind of reusability that has made SpaceXs Falcon 9 the worlds busiest. With Neutron, Rocket Lab wants to compete to handle a wider range of launches and more ambitious missions. If youre trying to build a big company, then you do bigger things," Beck, 48 years old, said in an interview. Peter Beck founded Rocket Lab in New Zealand and serves as its chief executive. Rocket Lab is pushing to fly Neutron for the first time before the end of 2025. Landing the rockets booster could be tough. SpaceX has pulled it off hundreds of times, but the operation will be new for Becks company. Hes got to solve the reusability equation," said Marv Vander Weg, a former rocket executive at SpaceX and United Launch Alliance. Thats a huge challenge. Nobody has been able to do it like SpaceX." Do this myself Beck grew up in the southern New Zealand city of Invercargill, where a fascination with space came early in a place where the aurora borealis often lights the night sky. So did a DIY mentality. Becks father built a telescope that ended up in a regional observatory, and a workshop at home gave Beck access to tools. Shop-floor tinkering led him to skip college to work as a tool-and-die apprentice. Engineering jobs followed, including one for a yacht maker. The space bug never went away for someone who designed a small engine in his spare time. Beck tried to enter the space industry about 20 years ago by traveling to the U.S., where he was able to visit with NASA officials. But he found that getting a job as a foreigner without a degree wasnt in the cards. I go back and go, Well, Im just going to do this myself," he said. Rocket Lab was founded in 2006. Its first vehicle was a roughly 20-foot-tall, needlelike suborbital rocket called Atea-1. Later, Beck drummed up funds for the companys next project, the 59-foot-tall Electron. Sven Strohband, a partner at Khosla Ventures, recalled speaking with Beck about a novel engine-pump system Rocket Lab was developing around the time he was considering an investment in the company. He recommended Beck visit NASA officials in Huntsville, Ala., so they could suss out the technology. I think Peter was on a flight in the next few hours," Strohband said. His friends at NASA said the pump system was a clever idea, and Strohband was impressed by Becks drive. Khosla went forward with the investment. Electron was ready for its first mission by 2017. That flight failed but Rocket Lab recovered and has used the vehicle to carve out a business in the launch market. It also created a business that makes satellites, sells equipment ranging from sensors to solar arrays and offers flight software. Through both divisions, the company has bolstered connections with officials from the U.S. government and other clients. The Electron rocket lifting off in New Zealand in 2017. Facing off with SpaceX Rocket Lab has captured the imagination of investors of late. Shares closed Thursday near an all-time high, after soaring over the past year. The run-up has heightened expectations for the company, and Neutrons debut will test investors confidence in it. Setbacks for publicly traded space companies have been tough: Firefly Aerospaces stock plunged 21% Tuesday, the day after one of the companys rocket boosters exploded during a test. Rocket Lab is increasingly competing with entrepreneurs and companies backed by the deepest pockets on the planet, including SpaceX and Blue Origin. United Launch Alliance, another big rocket launcher, is owned by Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Becks company cant outspend many rivals, but has tried to find other ways to get ahead. One opportunity came after the 2023 bankruptcy of rival Virgin Orbit. Rocket Lab was able to snag the Richard Branson-founded companys headquarters and factory in Long Beach, Calif., for $16 million. Rocket Labs revenue last year hit $436 million, almost doubling from 2023. Its net losses widened too, to $190 million, and the company hasnt generated a profit since going public four years ago. To help fund its work, Rocket Lab has sold shares. While the company has beaten out many other would-be rocket companies in the small-launch market where Electron competes, SpaceX is a tougher rival. Musks company typically conducts at least a couple of missions a year, where companies and others split costs and space on a single Falcon 9 rocket to deploy their satellites. The shared rides are generally cheaper than what Rocket Lab offers. But Rocket Lab executives said their vehicle has its own advantages. One compared the shared SpaceX missions to waiting for a city bus, while Electron is Ubermore expensive but more flexible. Its new Neutron rocket aims to offer flights priced at $50 million to $55 million each, below the current Falcon 9 list price of about $70 million. Rocket Lab is anticipating a response from SpaceX, which hasnt faced much competition while ramping up Falcon 9 flights. SpaceX didnt respond to a request for comment. Beck said he wants to keep Rocket Lab focused on the tough challenges ahead, with Neutrons first flight coming up. The rocket gods do not care how much money youve got," he said. You still have to execute." Write to Micah Maidenberg at micah.maidenberg@wsj.com (Bloomberg) -- A UnitedHealth Group Inc. shareholder has filed a proposal to require an independent board chair distinct from the chief executive officer, roles that were combined when Stephen Hemsley returned to lead the company this year. The proposal from a nonprofit advocacy group called the Accountability Board, if approved by shareholders, would ask the board to amend the companys bylaws to codify an independent board chair. We were very disturbed to see recently that at such a trying time for UnitedHealth, the company chose to go backward and combine the CEO and chair roles, said Matt Prescott, president of the Accountability Board. We think the company needs a stronger leadership structure. He declined to disclose the size of the groups stake in UnitedHealth, beyond saying it meets the minimum required to file a shareholder proposal. UnitedHealth, which operates the largest US health insurer, is trying to regain investors confidence. The company drastically cut its earnings outlook, cast doubt on long-term growth targets, replaced its CEO and finance chief, and disclosed federal criminal and civil probes in the past year. It was also grappling with the fallout from a catastrophic cyberattack that breached data on 190 million Americans. The killing of top executive Brian Thompson in December was followed by widespread consumer backlash over insurance denials. UnitedHealth representatives didnt immediately have a comment on the proposal or say whether the company would try to block it. The companys most recent annual meeting was in June. Investor proposals have to meet strict criteria to go to a vote for shareholders, and its not clear yet whether the Accountability Boards resolution would be placed on the ballot. Hemsley served as UnitedHealth CEO for more than a decade before becoming executive chair in 2017. When the company reappointed him to replace Andrew Witty as chief executive in May, Hemsley held on to the board chair role. That contradicted UnitedHealths principles of governance, posted on its website and updated in November. The policy states: the Board believes that the roles of the Chair and Chief Executive Officer should be separate as an aid in the Boards oversight of management and to allow the Chief Executive Officer to focus primarily on management responsibilities. In a statement supporting the resolution, the Accountability Board said combining the roles is as far as it gets from the independent oversight shareholders so critically need. It cited UnitedHealths most recent proxy statement, which touts the separate chair and CEO roles as an example of effective corporate governance. The Accountability Board invests in about 200 companies and advocates on issues ranging from greenhouse gas emissions and the treatment of animals to shareholder rights, Prescott said. This week it filed a similar proposal seeking an independent chair at Target Corp. UnitedHealths board formed a public responsibility committee in August to oversee financial, regulatory, and reputational risks, and shuffled some board roles. The company got a lift earlier this year when Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway Inc. disclosed a stake of 5 million shares. Still, its shares have lost more than 30% so far this year through Thursdays close. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com As Balrampur Chini Mills Ltd, a 50-year-old sugar producer in Uttar Pradesh, builds its first bioplastic plant, the companys fourth-generation promoter already has ideas on how to further diversify beyond its sugar and ethanol business. Avantika Saraogi, an executive director on the board of BCML, is betting on diversifying into biochemicals and other organic materials in the face of growing environmental concerns. Her plans have an unusual moatthe companys direct connection to over 550,000 sugarcane farmers. Besides cane, the farmers can also supply the company with biowaste, which could, in theory, become the feedstock for making bioplastics or ethanol. The same farmer plants everything. We as an industry are sitting on bio-oil well. We are the oil rig," said Saraogi, 33. I have a 50-year relationship with my farmers. And I have 5.5 lakh farmers." Saraogis plan involves breaking down the feedstock received from farms into complex sugars and lignin. The complex sugars would then go into making biomaterials. She is also exploring commercially viable technologies for using lignin, which is a complex polymer that lends structure and strength to plants. Biochemicals and biomaterials, besides bioplastics, are an ocean. PLA is not even the tip of the iceberg," she said. PLA, or polylactic acid, is a biodegradable polyester derived from renewable resources like corn or sugarcane and used in manufacturing biodegradable plastic. Saraogis math is simple: the cost of a carbon element in a sugar molecule is cheaper than that in crude oil. Now, the industry has to figure out how to extract the carbon in bio-based feedstock more effectively, she said. Everything requires heavy processing. Its just that the traditional plastic industry has had 100 years to do it. We will be more efficient in the future," she said. A decadal vision Saraogis plan, however, is far from firm. Neither the technology nor the chemistry are fully cracked. Once the technology is developed, ramping it to commercial scale and making it economically viable would also be a significant challenge. But the biggest hurdle for Saraogi would be to convince the 50-year-old companys board of directors. It took her only four-and-a-half years" to convince them to greenlight the bioplastic plant. At an investment of 2,850 crore, it will be Indias first large-scale PLA factory. Saraogi plans to position the bioplastic produced at the plant as an eco-friendly alternative to single-use plastics such as bags, straws, sticks, and water bottles. When Saraogi joined Balrampur Chini Mills about five years ago she had two mandatesto work on maintaining farmer relationships and sugar cane procurement; and to figure out value additions from products and by-products. BCMLs bioplastic plant is expected to be operational by the end of 2026. The company estimates it will ramp up to its full capacity of 80,000 tonnes of PLA per annum within six months of beginning operations. Saraogi has the next 10 years of expansion for Balrampur Chini Mills mapped out. Once the PLA plant becomes operational and ramps up to full capacity, the company will chart out plans for a larger unit, she said. She has also received the boards nod to invest another 65 crore to install new equipment that would allow the plant to also use grain as feedstock instead of sugar. If the company is able to achieve its target of full utilisation within six months, phase-2 of PLA is definitely on the cards, in our view," analysts at JM Financial said in a 13 August report. In such a case, the companys shift to specialised products from commodities could be even faster than anticipated." Wind in its favour When its bioplastic plant is up, Balrampur Chini Mills will benefits from being the only producer globally with a fully integrated setupfrom sugar cane procurement to PLA production in one location. Other PLA producers globally source either sugar or lactic acid, which is then processed into PLA. Among the few globally companies making PLA at scale are NatureWorks Llc in the US and Thailand, Futerro in Belgium, TotalEnergies Corbion in Thailand, BASF SE in Germany, and some companies in China. The total capacity of these companies is about 620,000 tonnes per annum, with plans of ramping it up to 900,000 tonnes in the near term, as per research from JM Financial. This places BCMLs 80,000-tonne unit competitively against global competitors. BCMLs bioplastic push also has several policy tailwinds behind it. Also Read | Humanity may be at risk of being strangled by a plastic straw The Uttar Pradesh government has introduced a Bioplastic Incentive Policy that offers 50% capital subsidy disbursed over seven years post the commissioning of a plant and when its capital expenditure exceeds 1,000 crore. The state government also offers subsidized loans, 10 years of electricity duty exemption, and 10 years of net state goods and services tax reimbursement to bioplastic manufacturers. BCMLs first PLA plant at Kumbhi in the state qualifies for this. In addition, many state governments have already banned various types of plastics and others are in the process of doing so. Himachal Pradesh has banned the use of 500 ml plastic water bottles at hotels and government events. Assam and Delhi have banned the use of 250 ml plastic bottles. In 2022, the Indian government announced a ban on the use of single-use plastic across the country. With favourable [government] measures in place, PLA can act as a replacement for [single-use plastics] and banned water bottles," JM Financial analysts said in a June report. The next-generation: Not just about bioplastics The Saraogi family was one of the founders of Balrampur Chini Mills in 1975, when it was a modest outfit based in Balrampur Uttar Pradesh. Over the following years, the Saraogi family bought out their relatives to become the sole promoters of what is today the second-largest and the most-profitable sugar company in India. The Saraogi family is based in Kolkata but has its entire business concentrated in eastern and central Uttar Pradesh. Meenakshi Saraogi, the grandmother of Avantika and the second-generation promoter of the company, was instrumental to the companys expansion to 10 factories from one. She oversaw the farmer relations and cane procurement. Nobody can beat me at understanding the cane industry," she said in a 2011 interview to Fortune magazine. She was succeeded by her son Vivek Saraogi, now the managing director of BCML. Avantika, who started running two restaurants in her home city of Kolkata in 2015, never planned on joining the family business. However, when her father Vivek asked her if she wanted to join BCML or if the family should look at a professional management to run the business, she rose to the challenge. She joined BCML in 2019 and the first order of business was to take over farmer relations and cane procurement from her grandmother. Her plan to diversify beyond sugar and ethanol isnt just about sustainabilityits expected to help Balrampur Chini Mills partially insulate itself from the vagaries of the sugar industry. In an industry where cane, sugar, ethanol, and power prices are heavily regulated by the government, companies are left with few tools to overcome external challenges like an unfavourable monsoon. The stagnant prices of ethanol the past two years have weighed on the profitability and share prices of sugar companies. BCML shares have fallen by more than 16% on BSE this year. Any potential increase in cane prices in UP without a similar rise in sugar and ethanol price poses further strain on financials of sugar mills," analysts at Elara Capital said in a report dated 13 August. A material increase in MSP (maximum selling price) of sugar and allowing exports would bolster sentiments as well as financials." Tamil Nadu government is set to conduct Right to Education (RTE) admissions for the current academic year from October 6 to October 17, according to Times of India report. This comes days after Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav transferred 489 crore to 20,652 private schools as fee reimbursement for 8.45 lakh students admitted under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009. As per the report, RTE admissions will be conducted through an online portal. With priority being offered to orphans, HIV-affected children, transgender children, children of scavengers and differently-abled children, 25% RTE seats will be identified. Over 6,000 private schools will upload their total seats filled in entry-level classes. Also Read | Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin pays floral tribute to late actor Sivaji Ganesan on his birth anniversary Tamil Nadu state government had refused to follow the three-language policy in PM Shri schools following which the Union government withheld 2151 crore grant under the Samagra Shiksha scheme. This figure includes the reimbursement for RTE admissions for the previous academic session. Hence, the state government delayed RTE admissions in private schools for 2025-26 due to a lack of funds for reimbursement. "The govt of India has now released the funds, thereby enabling the commencement of RTE admission for 2025-26 across TN," TOI quoted school education secretary B Chandra Mohan as saying. Following directions from Madras High Court and subsequent proceedings before the Supreme Court, the Centre released the funds. Union government's press release stated, The issue was examined with the approval of Union education minister, and it was decided to implement the directions of Madras HC to release funds for RTE entitlements component of Samagra Shiksha." This comes after the TN High Court directed the Union government to disburse funds and consider delinking RTE component of Samagra Shiksha. Political parties in poll-bound Bihar are scheduled to hold talks with a team of the Election Commission in Patna today, 4 October, an official was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. The EC team, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, is already in Patna for its two-day visit to the poll-bound state. During this visit, the team will receive feedback from representatives of recognised national and state parties. Also Read | Who will be next Bihar CM? New poll reveals a surprise Dates for the assembly polls are likely to be announced by the EC after the two-day visit to the state. The BJP, Congress, JD(U), RJD and CPI(ML) are prominent among the parties, which will be permitted to send "up to three representatives each" for the meeting. The exercise was needed to remove 'impurities' from the voters' list. The poll panel had on 30 September published its final electoral roll in Bihar, containing details of 7.42 crore voters, a drop of more than 47 lakh since June, when the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was launched. Actress Kriti Sanon has wrapped up the scenic Sicily schedule of her upcoming film Cocktail 2 and marked the occasion with a series of behind-the-scenes photos on Instagram. Sharing candid moments with the cast and crew, Kriti expressed her excitement about completing what she called The Sicilian Chapter of the film. Ciao my Bellas. And just like that weve wrapped #TheSicilianChapter of #Cocktail2. Sunshine, rain and ending with a beautiful rainbow, she wrote in her post. The pictures featured director Homi Adajania, snapshots from the wrap party, and glimpses of Sicilys breathtaking landscapes. Kriti was also seen enjoying dessert and posing with the team, giving fans a peek into the camaraderie on set. Check out the post here: Cocktail 2: The Anticipated Sequel The film is the sequel to the 2012 romantic drama *Cocktail*, starring Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone and Diana Penty. Directed by Homi Adajania and written by Imtiaz Ali, the original explored a love triangle between two best friends and a man caught between them, and remains one of the most-loved romantic dramas of its decade. The sequel, produced by Dinesh Vijan under Maddock Films, has been scripted by Luv Ranjan and is expected to bring a fresh spin on friendship, romance and emotional dilemmas while carrying forward the films legacy. A fresh ensemble cast This time, Cocktail 2 brings together a new star cast. The film will see Kriti Sanon share screen space with Rashmika Mandanna and Shahid Kapoor. While it marks Rashmikas first collaboration with both actors, Kriti and Shahid were last paired in the 2024 romantic drama 'Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya', which makes their reunion a major highlight for fans. Although details about the storyline and release date are still under wraps, the film is already one of the most-awaited sequels in Bollywood. Netflix has added another striking title to its catalogue with Monster: The Ed Gein Story, which premiered on October 3. The limited series stars Charlie Hunnam as the notorious murderer Ed Gein and Laurie Metcalf as his overbearing mother, Augusta. What follows is a grim yet compelling dive into the making of a man whose crimes horrified 1950s America and who later inspired some of cinemas most enduring horror villains. The series is set against the bleak backdrop of rural Wisconsin, a setting that immediately feels suffocating and isolated. The cinematography captures this brilliantly, with wide shots of desolate farmland and dimly lit interiors that give the impression of a world cut off from reality. The atmosphere is one of constant unease, and even in the quieter moments, the shadow of something unspeakable lingers over the screen. It is a production that knows how to set its tone and maintain it even if it occasionally strayed into sensationalism. Charlie Hunnam gives what may well be the most chilling performance of his career. He inhabits Ed Gein with unnerving conviction, portraying not just the grotesque acts for which Gein is remembered, but also the loneliness, confusion and repression that shaped him. His portrayal is terrifying because it feels authentic a reminder that monsters are often not born, but made. Laurie Metcalf matches him with a commanding performance as Augusta, Geins mother, whose domineering presence echoes through every scene. She becomes the embodiment of control, religious fervour, and suffocating love twisted into cruelty. The series deserves praise for exploring Geins psyche with such intensity. Instead of reducing him to the butcher of Plainfield, it traces how his strict upbringing and isolation led him down a path of madness. However, this is also where the show falters. By focusing so heavily on Eds psychology, it places the suffering of his victims into the background. Their voices, their lives, and their tragedy remain secondary to the central narrative. This imbalance makes the show feel, at times, more sympathetic towards Gein than towards the people he destroyed. To appreciate the series fully, it is important to understand who Ed Gein was. Living in Plainfield, Wisconsin, he was a solitary man whose crimes shocked the nation when discovered in 1957. Police found human remains in his farmhouse, fashioned into furniture and clothing. Although Gein was convicted of only two murders, his acts of grave robbing and body mutilation became cultural nightmares, inspiring Psychos Norman Bates, The Texas Chainsaw Massacres Leatherface, and Silence of the Lambs Buffalo Bill. He remains one of the most infamous figures in true crime history, a man who blurred the line between human and horror legend. Also Read | Why we love The Silence of the Lambs, 25 years on In conclusion, Monster: The Ed Gein Story is a hauntingly well-made series with powerful performances, masterful cinematography, and an atmosphere of dread that rarely lets go. Charlie Hunnam and Laurie Metcalf elevate the material with their fearless acting, making it both unforgettable and unsettling. Record Store Day announced exclusive vinyl releases for Black Friday. This time a number of RSD favourites will return for the 2025 edition of Record Store Day Black Friday, Variety reported. These include Billie Eilish live EP and The Freewheelin Bob Dylan with tracks that were censored from the original release, among others. Other notable artists include Talking Heads, Fleetwood Mac and the Grateful Dead, with a special 'Wicked For Good' soundtrack and limited-edition turntables. Record Store Day organisers will not be repeating the same mistake this time that they made in last spring. Limited quantity of variant edition of the soundtrack for the first Wicked movie created ruckus due to high demand. The sequel soundtrack, which is the RSD-exclusive version of the Wicked For Good will be up in indie stores a week after the movie hits the silver screen. The latest soundtrack of the Wicked franchise is a picture disc with alternative cover art that will be released in a pressing of 15,000, the publication said. Also Read | The reclusive Swede who helped make Taylor Swift a pop star Wicked fans can keep their eyes fixed on another surprising element that is turntables which will be released on special occasion an Elphaba Edition in green and a Glinda Edition in pink. What will stay out from Record Store Day Black Friday exclusive vinyl releases? Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo vinyl will be missing this time. However, contemporary hit artists such as Chappell Roan, Post Malone, Benson Boone, GloRilla, Jelly Roll and Role Model will be well-represented. It is important to note that classic artists will make their debut with fresh variants. Music enthusiasts will be pleased to find never-before-released material of Elton John (paired with Brandi Carlile, in this case), Tom Petty, Prince, Warren Zevon, Randy Newman, the Rolling Stones, George Harrison and Billy Joel. Weve put together a list of titles for the gift-giving season that will be available at participating record stores. They come out on RSD Black Friday (this year 11/28) but may be available at record stores throughout the rest of the year, because record stores are the best place to go with a Holiday Wish List, RSD website states. In a disturbing real-life incident, Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar shared that his 13-year-old daughter was approached by an unknown person while playing an online video game, highlighting the growing threat of cybercrime among children. The actor recalled how a few months ago, his daughter, Nitara, was asked to send nude pictures of herself by a person. Also Read | Akshay Kumar calls out AI-generated videos casting him as Maharishi Valmiki Here's what Akshay Kumar said: Addressing a ceremony of Cyber Awareness Month 2025 at the Maharashtra State Police Headquarters in Mumbai on Friday, Akshay Kumar recounted the horrific incident and said, I want to tell you all a small incident which happened at my house a few months back. My daughter was playing a video game, and there are some video games that you can play with someone. You are playing with an unknown stranger. While you are playing, sometimes a message comes from there...Then a message came, Are you male or female? So she replied female. And then he sent a message. Can you send me nude pictures of yours? the actor shared. It was my daughter. She switched off the whole thing and she went and told my wife. This is how things begin. This is also a part of cybercrime, Akshay highlighted, while requesting Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to introduce a cyber period in schools. Also Read | Akshay Kumar reveals he could marry Twinkle Khanna because of Aamir Khan .every week in the seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth standards, there should be a period called cyber period where children should be explained about it. You all know that this crime is becoming bigger than street crime. It is very important to stop this crime..., he said. The actor also appealed to the government to include cyber education as a weekly subject for school students (7th-10thgrade), so they can stay safe and informed in the rapidly changing digital space. Watch video here: Mongolia is a nation of horsemen. In the 13th century its cavalry, led by Genghis Khan, conquered huge chunks of Asia and Europe. These days the country puts its equine expertise to different uses. It is leading efforts to rewild perhaps the worlds most endangered horse. The beasts in question are known to Mongolians as takhis, and to the wider world as Przewalskis horse. Genetically, these animals are about as far removed from a common nag as it is possible for a horse to be (they have additional chromosomes, for a start). Romantics call them the worlds last truly wild horses. Unlike other free-roamers such as mustangs, the takhis have never been tamed. The animal was unknown to Western horse-fanciers until the late 19th century when Nikolai Przewalski, a Russian explorer, brought home proof of life. Cue a grim horse rush that nearly did them in. Mongolian hunters trapped foals on demand for foreign collectors (often killing the parents in the process). Habitat loss and climate shocks later thinned the herd. By the late 1960s there were none at all left in the wild. That blow spurred conservationists in lots of places to breed the ones they had in captivity better (these had themselves fared terribly, for a time dwindling in number to only about 30). This has been a qualified success. Today there are probably some 2,000-2,500 Przewalskis horses. That is no armybut it is a relief, given how close they came to the abyss. These horses are being returned to their old homes. At Hustai National Park, not far from Mongolias capital, Ulaanbaatar, your correspondent spies the stocky animals cresting a ridge. Some 350 live on the reserve, says Dashpurev Tserendeleg, the park director (sporting a takhi-themed T-shirt). That is the biggest population in one place in the world. And it is one of three reserves in Mongolia, hosting around 800 of them in all. New Delhi: Indias top automobile component makers are borrowing from market leader Samvardhana Motherson International Ltds playbook to pursue global expansion as they face headwinds in their two largest export marketsthe US and Europe. Tata AutoComp has acquired companies in Europe and Latin America, while Sona Comstar has entered China with a partnership, targeting its electric vehicle market. Anand Group bought a Swiss firm, while Minda Corp has struck joint ventures in Taiwan, China and Japan. This follows co-founder Vivek Chaand Sehgal's Mothersons approach, which has built presence across more than 40 countries through acquisitions and joint ventures. Its revenue has also more than doubled from $10 billion in FY2020 to $25 billion in FY25, making it the countrys largest component player. View Full Image Vivek Chaand Sehgal, chairman and co-founder of Samvardhana Motherson Group. These companies are scouting for global opportunities in their core areas of forgings, castings, interiors, and electronics, according to Harshvardhan Sharma, group head for auto tech and innovation at Nomura Research Institute. The difference is that while Motherson has pursued acquisitions as a core strategic pillar for decades, for many others this is now becoming a more active lever, especially as organic growth in developed markets remains limited." Also Read | How India's newest billionaire is spreading his business bets wide India's auto component industry grew by 9.6% in the financial year 2025, with total revenue at 6.73 trillion. Although growth has been healthy, the sector faces high tariffs in the US. According to industry data, exports to North America, the largest market after Europe, constituted nearly a third of the $22 billion exports last fiscal. The companies are now deploying cash strategically to enter new geographies, strengthen local play in the US, Europe, Asia and Latin America and increase non-auto related revenue. Deals, JVs across continents Tata AutoComp acquired UK-based Artifex Interior Systems in March for 827 crore, while it inked a joint venture in Mexico with Katcon Global. In August, the company also acquired Slovakias IAC group in a bid to strengthen its international business. Following our earlier acquisition of Artifex, this step strengthens our European presence and reflects our commitment to serving global OEMs (original equipment makers) more effectively," Arvind Goel, vice-chairman at Tata AutoComp, said in a statement after the deal. This move supports our vision to be a trusted and value-driven partner in the global automotive supply chain." Meeting analysts last week, Minda Corp leadership told investors that it wants to increase its revenue by more than three times by 2030. Minda is building adjacencies via global partnershipssunroofs with HCMF Taiwan, switches with Toyodenso Japan, and EV components with SANCO China, thus strengthening its right-to-win in premiumization/electrification trends," analysts at Emkay Global wrote in a 24 September note. Anand Groups subsidiaries ANEVOLVE Pvt Ltd and Asia Investments UK Pvt Ltd acquired a majority stake in a Swiss firm APAG Holding, an auto electronics firm. The automotive company is targeting to increase its revenue from around 19,000 crore to 50,000 crore by 2030. Also Read | Why India's largest auto parts maker wants to build cars In July, Sona Comstar entered the Chinese market through a joint venture with Jinnaite Machinery Co. as part of its look east approach to counter tariffs in its largest market of North America, which contributed over 40% of 3,555 crore revenue in 2025. "This joint venture marks a significant step in our strategy to expand into the rapidly growing Asian markets," Vivek Vikram Singh, managing director and chief executive officer of Sona Comstar, said in a statement after inking the joint venture. As the largest electric vehicle market in the world and a leader in EV technologies, China offers tremendous opportunities for innovation and growth." Mints queries emailed to Tata AutoComp, Sona Comstar, Minda and Anand Group remained unanswered. An industry executive working with a large auto component manufacturer said Indian rivals have noted Mothersons success in acquiring then maintaining the health of businesses across the world. It is a very challenging task they have managed to achieve. Although it is difficult to match their scale, leaders at companies are also making their own international play to replicate some success," the executive said on the condition of anonymity. Natarajan Sankar, managing director and partner at BCG, says that the international strategy of Indian component players should take into account building local presence closer to customers One of the key areas highlighted by global customers for improvement and hence an opportunity is building a local presencethat could be in terms of local supply chain, warehouses; on-site engineering, sales and service support." Moreover, Sankar highlights that companies are also looking at strategic acquisitions globally. For players in the component space, there are viable options of buying global assets and using the technology to grow into new spaces while localizing the manufacturing to India to be more competitive." Oil climbed as US President Donald Trumps warning of stark consequences if Hamas doesnt agree to his plan to end the war in Gaza overshadowed an impending OPEC decision on crude supplies. West Texas Intermediate futures rose as much as 1.5% to trade near $61 a barrel on Friday, a day after settling near a five-month low. Trump set a Sunday evening deadline for Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist organization by the US and EU, to accept his proposal. The president earlier said that Israel would have the full backing of his administration to destroy the militant group if Hamas rejects the deal. The approaching deadline is increasing concerns of a wider conflagration that could disrupt oil flows from the Middle East, the source of about one-third of the worlds supplies. Any premium associated with the two-year conflict in Gaza had previously dissipated as the conflict failed to materially affect supplies. Elsewhere, Ukraine claimed an attack on Russias Orsk oil refinery near the border with Kazakhstan. Traders have honed in on Russian flows over recent weeks amid intensifying Ukrainian attacks on the countrys energy infrastructure. Still, those tailwinds werent enough to shake prices out of their bearish stupor. Oil has declined over the past four days and is set for a weekly slump of about 8% amid expectation that OPEC will discuss fast-tracking supply hikes. Meanwhile, efforts by the Trump administration to keep oil exports flowing from northern Iraq, as well as a US government shutdown, have added to bearish sentiments. The OPEC meeting comes as the oil market heads for a record surplus next year, according to the International Energy Agency. Traders have been closely watching Chinas buying, which has until now helped prevent a surfeit in a narrow set of hubs in the US Midwest and Northwest Europe. Looking back at the past four days performance, it is tempting to conclude that the long-awaited glut expected to characterize the second half of the year is finally loudly knocking on the doors of our market, Tamas Varga, an analyst at brokerage PVM, wrote in a report. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries raised output by 400,000 barrels a day in September, formally completing the restart of 2.2 million barrels a day shuttered by the group and its partners in 2023, according to a Bloomberg survey. To get Bloombergs Energy Daily newsletter in your inbox, click here. With assistance from Rong Wei Neo and Jack Wittels. 2025 Bloomberg L.P. Public offerings worth more than 1 trillion are impatiently waiting in the wings, ready to unleash a wave of capital-market activity. Kicking off the action this Friday is WeWork's 3,000 crore issue. But the real behemoth on the horizon is Tata Capital its 15,512-crore offering is set to be the fourth-largest in Indian history. However, history shows that the biggest IPOs often lead to the biggest disappointments. Meanwhile, few companies this year have recorded huge gains upon listing. Urban Company was an exception, with an overwhelming response and a bumper debut. In such a scenario, the main question on investors' minds is whether the market will welcome the new wave of IPOs or whether it's headed for a washout. Welcome to IPO season IPOs worth more than 1 trillion are already in queue as of 26 September, and another 1.4 trillion worth of issues are awaiting clearance from the market regulator. Leading the charge are WeWork's 3,000-crore IPO, set to open on Friday, and LG Electronics India's offering next week. But all eyes are on Tata Capital's 15,512-crore issue, which opens on Monday and constitutes a historic test for India's capital market. For the Tata Group, the listing is more than just a chance to raise fundsit will cement Tata Capital's position among India's market heavyweights. To woo retail investors, the issue has been priced at a 5% discount to its last rights offering. The stakes are immense, as history has repeatedly shown that blockbuster IPOs often end up disappointing investors. Will a strategic discount be enough for Tata Capital to defy the past? Also Read | Sensex@94,000: Why HSBC is betting big on India The bigger they are Of the 10 largest mainboard IPOs in India, six listed at a discount. The quintessential cautionary tale remains Reliance Power's 10,000-crore issue in 2008. Though the IPO was oversubscribed nearly 70 times, the stock crashed 17.2% on debut, scarring retail investors. More recently, Paytms 18,300-crore issue in 2021 set a new record for disappointment after the stock plummeted 27.2% on debut. According to the Primedatabase, this was the sharpest wealth erosion by a new-age tech stock. Even industry giants havent been immune. Hyundai Motor India and LIC both stumbled 7-8% on debut. Prashanth Tapse, senior VP and research analyst at Mehta Equities, said, Before diving into Tata Capitals fundamentals and pricing, it's important to reflect on what went wrong with some 'mega' IPOs of the past such as Reliance Power and Paytm. Key lessons from those listings were about overvaluation and inflated expectations, especially in an expensive, peak-phase market. These IPOs were driven more by hype than fundamentals, and when the business realities failed to match market expectations, they corrected sharply upon listing." Fundamentals over frenzy History also suggests subscription frenzy is no predictor of a stock's success on debut. Reliance Power's IPO in 2008 was oversubscribed 69.6 times but ended in losses on debut, while Coal Indias 15,199-crore issue in 2010 was oversubscribed only 15.1 times but saw the stock pop 39.7% on debut. HDB Financial Services and NTPC Green Energy also posted strong double-digit gains on debut despite lukewarm responses to their IPOs, while SBI Cards overcame a weak opening to establish itself as a portfolio staple. The verdict? Size drives headlines, but timing and fundamentals decide outcomes. More recently, Swiggy rewarded its backers with a healthy 16.9% jump on debut, though its post-listing journey has been far more tempered. An IPO is about two things: the quality of the company and the valuation. On both counts, Tata Capitals IPO looks attractive enough to draw heavy oversubscription and deliver a positive listing. But in such high-demand issues, retail investors are unlikely to secure more than a single lot," said Pranav Haldea, managing director of Prime Database Group. While experts feel Tata Capital is on a strong footing, risks remain.Tata Capitals diversified portfolio, rapid growth, and the Tata Group's backing strengthen its case. But high leverage and credit costsaround 1.4% after the Tata Motors Finance mergerraise questions. Trading at a premium to peers, the IPO leaves little room for error. To avoid the fate of Reliance Power or Paytm, pricing discipline and asset quality transparency will be critical," said Harshal Dasani, business head, INVasset PMS. Fading sparkle The challenge for other companies is how to navigate a market in which ease money is drying up and big listing gains have become rare. The median debut return of mainboard issues so far this year is around 6%, down from 17.3% in 2024 and 20.8% in 2023. WeWork India IPO Day 1 LIVE: The Initial Public Offering (IPO) of WeWork India Management Ltd. has hit the Indian primary market today and will remain open until October 7, 2025. This means the WeWork India IPO subscription period is from October 3, 2025, to October 7, 2025. The flexible workspace operator company has declared the WeWork India IPO price band at 615 to 648 per equity share. The public issue is proposed for listing on the BSE and the NSE. The company aims to raise 3,000 crore from this public offer, which is entirely an offer for sale (OFS). This means that the net proceeds of the WeWork India IPO will not be reflected in the company's balance sheet. Meanwhile, shares of WeWork India Management Ltd are available for trade in the grey market. According to market observers, WeWork India Management shares are available at a premium of 15 in the grey market today. In short, WeWork India IPO GMP (Grey Market Premium) today is 15. WeWork India IPO subscription status By 3:48 PM on day 1, the public issue had been booked 0.03 times, the retail portion had been subscribed 0.13 times, and its NII segment had been filled 0.01 times. The QIB segment of the mainboard IPO had been subscribed 0.00 times. WeWork India IPO details in 10 points 1] WeWork India IPO GMP today: According to market observers, shares of the company are available at a premium of 15 in the grey market today. 2] WeWork India IPO date: The public issue has opened today and will remain open until 7th October 2025. 3] WeWork India IPO price: The company has declared a price band of the public issue at 615 to 648 per equity share. 4] WeWork India IPO size: The OFS issue aims to raise 3,000 crore from the primary market. 5] WeWork India IPO lot size: One lot of the public issue comprises 23 company shares. Infographic: Courtesy mintgenie 6] WeWork India IPO allotment date: The most likely date for share allocation is 8 October 2025. 7] WeWork India IPO registrar: MUFG Intime India Private Limited has been appointed the official registrar of the book build issue. 8] WeWork India IPO Lead Managers: JM Financial, ICICI Securities, Jefferies India, Kotak Mahindra Capital, and 360 One WAM have been appointed lead managers of the public offer. 9] WeWork India IPO listing date: The book build issue is proposed for listing on the BSE and the NSE. The most likely date for the share listing is 10 October 2025. WeWork India IPO: Should You Apply? 10] WeWork India IPO review: Advising investors to apply, Anshul Jain, Head of Research at Lakshmishree Investment, said, "WeWork India Management Ltd. exhibits a strong financial turnaround and operational excellence, highlighted by its transition to profitability with a Net Profit of 128 Crore in FY25 (vs. a Net Loss of 136 Crore in FY24). This positive momentum is built on robust revenue from operations of 1,949 Crore in FY25 and a solid EBITDA margin of over 60%. WeWork India Management Ltd.s strategy focuses on deepening its presence in Tier-1 cities, catering to the growing demand from large enterprises, and expanding its diverse product portfolio of flexible and managed solutions. We recommend that investors seeking exposure to a market-leading, financially sound, and well-managed company poised for sustainable growth in the future of Indian real estate consider SUBSCRIBING for a medium-to-long-term perspective." Assigning a 'subscribe' tag to the public issue, Canara Bank Securities report says, "Company has entered the primary market, while competitors like Awfis and Smartworks are already listed. Management expects shifts in US immigration policy, including tighter H-1B visa regulations, to boost demand for the Indian workforce by retaining talent locally. Revenue grew from 1,314 Crore in FY23 to 1,949 Crore in FY25 (CAGR 21.77%); PAT moved from - 147 Crore in FY23 to + 128 Crore in FY25. The IPO is priced at 65x PE, compared to only one profitable peer at 58x PE, which appears to be on the higher end. Growth supported by rising grade A office supply in India; superior margins attributed to flexible offeringsfrom hourly desk bookings to multi-month floor leases." (Bloomberg) -- European power prices turned negative in several markets as Storm Amy is set to drive record wind generation this weekend. Power prices for Saturday in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands all settled below zero. Wind generation in the UK and Germany are both forecast to reach new highs, according to Bloomberg models. Amber alerts are in place for parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland with gusts in excess of 95 miles per hour expected, according to the UK Met Office. Bloomberg analysis, based on an internal model, predicts wind generation could reach as much as 24 gigawatts on Friday afternoon, with high output continuing into Saturday. The previous record set was 22.5 gigawatts last December, data from the National Energy System Operator shows. Storms can at times bolster Europes energy supplies by increasing renewable generation and reducing the need for gas-fired power. Traders will be closely watching output as heating season begins, since stronger wind generation reduces how much gas needs to be drawn from storage on peak-demand days. German wind generation is expected to surge above 54 gigawatts on Saturday according to a Bloomberg model, beating a previous record of just above 53 gigawatts in December 2023. UK day-ahead power prices fell to -0.42 per megawatt-hour, according to data from Epex Spot SE. The equivalent contract in Germany settled at -0.29 per megawatt-hour. Negative electricity prices which occur when abundant cheap power outstrips grid demand have become a regular feature of European markets, often appearing at midday during the solar peak. However a full day of negative prices is relatively rare, and the UK has not recorded one since 2023. In The UK, the extreme weather is also disrupting transport. Avanti West Coast has advised rail passengers not to travel north from England to parts of Scotland after 5 p.m. on Friday, or at all on Saturday. The Met Office warned of further disruptions to flights and road travel due to the heavy rain and strong winds. Yellow warnings have been issued on Saturday for large parts of England including London. Windy weather is also expected across large parts of northwestern France, with yellow wind warnings in place by Meteo France for Saturday stretching as far east as Paris. Electricite de France SA said it would reduce nuclear output at some sites due to economic reasons as high wind generation could push down power prices. Power prices for delivery on Saturday in France did not drop below zero but settled at 4.62 per megawatt-hour. Storm Amy, driven by low-pressure systems in the Atlantic, has been intensified by recent interactions with Hurricanes Humberto and Imelda. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com India-Turkey conflict: In a significant step to counter the strengthening alliance between Pakistan and Turkey, India is deepening defense cooperation with Ankaras adversaries, as the Indian Navy recently conducted joint drills with the naval forces of Greece and Cyprus, according to media reports. As per report by India.com, a news portal by Zee Media, the Indian Navys Talwar-class frigate, INS Trikand, was stationed at Salamis and carried out joint naval drills with three vessels of the Greek Navy in the Myrtoan Sea from September 17 to 18. Subsequently, the Indian warship reached the port of Limassol on September 24 and conducted similar drills with vessels of the Cyprus National Guard Navy. Since the launch of Operation Sindoor in May, India has been working to build a new strategic alignment with Greece, Cyprus, and Israel to counter the alliance of Pakistan, Turkey, and Azerbaijan, the report added. In response to Pakistans growing defense ties with Turkey, New Delhi has strengthened its own defense cooperation with Greece, Cyprus, and Armenia. Therefore, Indian defence stocks are likely to remain in focus amid ongoing India-Turkey conflict. Market experts believe that defence stocks can be good option. Indias defence sector has once again come into sharp focus, particularly after heightened geopolitical tensions with Turkey. The governments strategic reorientation underscores the urgent need for greater indigenisation of defence technology, while simultaneously forging stronger alliances with Turkeys rivals. The recent joint naval exercises with Greece and Cyprus highlight New Delhis intent to counter Ankaras growing involvement in South Asia and its deepening military cooperation with Islamabad and Azerbaijan. At the same time, India is enhancing defence ties with Israel, a long-standing strategic partner, thereby cementing a multi-pronged strategy aimed at building deterrence against hostile regional alliances, said Sugandha Sachdeva- Founder-SS WealthStreet. HAL, BEL to Bharat Dynamics - Which defence stock to buy? Anshul Jain, Head of Research at Lakshmishree said that HAL, BEL, and Bharat Dynamics are showing signs of a 34 per cent bounce, but caution is key. None of them carry a strong bullish pattern to sustain a major rallyeach time they recover 58% from recent lows, overhead supply pulls them back. The IndiaTurkey conflict news may spark short-term momentum in defence stocks, but traders should avoid confusing headlines with lasting fundamentals. BEL stands outif it manages to sustain above 410, it could break into new highs. For now, the wise move is to track levels closely rather than chase the rally blindly, Jain said. On the other hand, Anuj Gupta, Director, Ya Wealth Research & Advisory, recommended investors to buy HAL stock. As per HAL, American firm GE Aerospace has handed over the fourth F404-IN20 fighter jet engine to them against the 2021 order. The engines will power Indias indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk1A, which is being inducted into the Indian Air Force. Apart from this recently The restructuring initiative stems partly from the substantial backlog of orders, currently exceeding 2.7 lakh crore. The pending orders include fighter aircraft, utility rotorcraft, combat helicopters and propulsion systems, with additional contracts anticipated within the year. Now expecting further upside trend may seen in these stocks. HAL may test 5000 to 5200 levels, BEL may test 450 to 480 level and Bharat dynamics may test 1700 to 1900 levels till end of 2025, Gupta said. * Bridgewater's Pure Alpha fund gains 6% in September * Marshall Wace's Eureka Fund up 8.04% year-to-date * Systematic stock trading funds rise over 13% in 2025, Goldman Sachs reports By Nell Mackenzie and Anirban Sen LONDON, Oct 3 (Reuters) - Hedge funds returned 1.3% in September, with managers in Europe, Asia and the Middle East outperforming their North American rivals, according to a JPMorgan client note on Thursday, seen by Reuters on Friday. Global equities in September climbed 3.4%. An index of developed market sovereign bonds rose around 0.7% last month. The JPMorgan note, which tracks hedge fund trading, said positioning in U.S. stocks was only "somewhat bullish," indicating an expectation for equities to rise. Crowding in the biggest "Magnificent Seven" tech stocks, which include Apple, Amazon and Nvidia, remained near historical highs, the note said. In Europe, stock-pickers tended to bet that equities would rise. But multi-strategy funds - those that trade many strategies - and quantitative funds, which use algorithms, tended to wager that stock prices would decline. In Asia, where stocks rose, hedge funds had more bets on a decline than a rise, the note said. The $92.1 billion Bridgewater notched a 6% monthly gain in its Pure Alpha fund to September 29. From the beginning of the year until September 29, Bridgewater's Pure Alpha, Asia Total Return, All Weather, and China Total Return funds posted returns of 26.2%, 32.5%, 15.3%, and 28.4%, respectively. British hedge fund Marshall Wace posted September returns of 1.32%, up 8.04% for the year so far in its Eureka Fund, a source said. The $79 billion hedge fund's Market Neutral Tops fund returned 0.45% in September and was up 13.66% for the year, the source added. Systematic stock-trading hedge funds, such as Marshall Wace, are up over 13% for 2025 so far, Goldman Sachs said in a note to clients. Multi-strategy funds remained largely flat on the month, apart from the $28 billion Balyasny Asset Management, which added 1.3% in September to its annual return so far this year of 10%, another source with knowledge of the matter said. The Indian stock market benchmark indices, Sensex and Nifty 50, are likely to open on a tepid note amid mixed cues from global markets. The trends on Gift Nifty also indicate a tepid start for the Indian benchmark index. The Gift Nifty was trading around 24,948 level, a discount of nearly 19 points from the Nifty futures previous close. Indian financial markets were closed on Thursday, October 2, on the account of Dussehra and Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti. On Wednesday, the equity market ended sharply higher, snapping its eight-day losing streak, after the Reserve Bank of Indias (RBI) monetary policy announcement. The Sensex rallied 715.69 points, or 0.89%, to close at 80,983.31, while the Nifty 50 settled 225.20 points, or 0.92%, to close at 24,836.30. Also Read | Indian stock market: 7 key things that changed for market overnight Heres what to expect from Sensex, Nifty 50, and Bank Nifty today: Sensex Prediction Immediate resistance for Sensex is at 82,000 82,200. A convincing move above this zone could propel the index higher. On the downside, support lies at 80,000 79,800. A break below this zone could test the next support level at 79,500, said Om Ghawalkar, Market Analyst, Share.Market (PhonePe Wealth). Nifty 50 Prediction Nifty 50 formed a big bullish candle on the daily chart near the trend line support, signalling a short-term reversal. A long bull candle has formed on the daily chart after the range bound action with weak bias of a few sessions. This indicates formation of a short-term bottom reversal pattern in the market. Nifty 50 has bounced back sharply from near the crucial support of around 24,500 - 24,400 levels (ascending trend line and 200day EMA). This is a positive indication, said Nagaraj Shetti, Senior Technical Research Analyst at HDFC Securities. According to him, the larger degree higher tops and bottoms is in store as per daily and weekly timeframe chart and the recent swing low of 24,587 could now be considered as a new higher bottom of the sequence. The short-term trend of Nifty 50 has reversed up firmly with the formation of a near-term bottom reversal pattern. The next upside hurdles to be watched are around 25,000 and next 25,200 in the next one week. Immediate support is placed at 24,600 levels, Shetti said. Om Ghawalkar said that the immediate resistance for Nifty 50 is at 25,000 25,100, and a convincing move above this level could propel the index toward 25,500. On the downside, support lies at 24,400 24,500. A break below this zone could test the next support level at 24,000, said Ghawalkar. Bank Nifty Prediction Bank Nifty index surged 712.10 points, or 1.30%, to close at 55,347.95, forming a big bullish candle, reflecting strength. The trend line resistance for the Bank Nifty is placed near 55,700, which will act as the immediate hurdle, followed by 56,000. On the downside, major support is placed near 54,900, where the 100-DEMA is positioned. Thus, traders are advised to adopt a buy on dips strategy in Bank Nifty, said Hrishikesh Yedve, AVP Technical and Derivative Research, Asit C. Mehta Investment Interrmediates Ltd. Bajaj Broking Research noted that the formation of a bullish Marubozu candle signals a strong and positive start to the month, underpinned by heavy buying interest in major private sector banks. Bank Nifty index is now trading above its key 21- and 50-day EMAs, currently at 54,940 and 55,120, respectively, indicating that the short- to medium-term trend remains bullish. Support levels have also shifted higher, now positioned around 54,800 and 55,000, providing a solid base for further upside. On the upside, immediate resistance is placed at 55,480, corresponding to the previous swing high, followed closely by 55,800, said Bajaj Broking Research. Strength is also evident on the hourly chart, reinforcing the bullish bias and suggesting a buy-on-dips strategy. The overall technical setup points to a favorable risk-reward scenario for traders looking to capitalize short-term pullbacks, it added. Margins arent everything. Investors often equate high margins with strengthpricing power, efficiency, and resilience. But the market doesnt always play by that rule. Some businesses thrive with wafer-thin margins, delivering profits that rival or even outpace their high-margin peers. Their secret? Scale, operating leverage, and business models built for massive volumes. Here, single-digit margins arent a weaknesstheyre a different, equally powerful path to profitability. This research unpacks three such companiesDixon Technologies, Avenue Supermarts, and Blue Starto understand how they consistently turn slim spreads into strong earnings. Dixon Technologies: Scale over spread Dixon Technologies has long been a pioneer in Indias electronics manufacturing services (EMS), earning its place as the brand behind brands." It assembles everything from TVs and washing machines to smartphones and wearables for global players. The companys latest numbers once again highlight the paradox of scale over margins. As a contract manufacturer, Dixon works on razor-thin spreads, but its high-volume, capital-efficient model keeps profits on a steady climb. Dixon's revenue nearly doubled to 12,836 crore in the first quarter of FY26 from 6,580 crore in the same period last year. This growth was driven by strong momentum in its mobile and other EMS divisions, whose revenue rose 125% to 11,663 crore. This segment generated a margin of 3.4%, while the consumer electronics and lighting products operated at about 6%. Home appliances stood out with a higher margin of 11.5%, although its revenue contribution was modest at 313 crore, which is not yet enough to move the needle. However, it holds the potential to lift overall margins as the share of home appliances grows. Ebitda rose 89% year-on-year to 484 crore, while profit after tax (PAT) doubled to 280 crore from 140 crore. At first glance, the numbers look extraordinary, but Dixon's margins stand razor-thin. Ebitda margin was 3.8%, broadly flat compared to 3.9% a year ago, while PAT margin improved just a shade to 2.2% from 2.1%. Also Read | Dixon preps for life after PLI, fearing hit to margins Manufacturing costs account for over 92.5% of Dixons revenue, leaving little room for fat margins. Yet, its diversified portfolio across mobiles, TVs, appliances, and lighting allows profits to scale rapidly. High returns back this upreturn on equity (RoE) at 49% and return on capital employed (RoCE) at 34%. With working capital at minus four days, Dixon gets paid faster than it spends, ensuring strong cash flows. The company aims to produce between 42 and 43 million smartphones. The acquisition of a 51% stake in Vivo's manufacturing unit is expected to boost sales by about 20 million units starting FY27. Dixon also expects to generate 7,000 crore in export revenue, up from 1,600 crore last year. Dixon expects significant growth across its non-mobile segments, which are anticipated to help improve blended margin. To this end, it sees a multi-year growth opportunity in the telecom segment. Apart from this, it is increasing the capacity of refrigerators from 1.2 million units to 2 million units, and is also expanding the capacity of other home appliance products. Avenue Supermarts: Turning inventory into profits Avenue Supermarts (DMart) has built its empire on a simple philosophy: sell at the lowest price and let volumes do the heavy lifting. Operating on wafer-thin margins, the chain has turned scale and cost discipline into its strongest weapons, making it Indias most successful value retailer. In the June 2025 quarter (Q1FY26), DMart reported consolidated revenue of 15,932 crore, up from 13,712 crore in the same period last year. Ebitda stood at 1,313 crore, growing 7.5% year-on-year, while PAT rose by just 3% to 830 crore. Shoppers' shift towards quick commerce has been weighing on its business lately. Thin spreads remain the hallmark of DMarts model. Ebitda margin stood at 8.2% versus 8.9% a year ago, while PAT margin moderated to 5.2% from 5.9%. Foods, which account for 56% of revenue, naturally run at low margins. By contrast, non-food FMCG and general merchandise (44% of revenue) offer higher profitability. Also Read | Startups take the DMart playbook to smalltown India DMart's value proposition lies not in extracting fat margins but in turning inventory rapidly and maintaining tight control over costs. In FY25, DMart sold its inventory in just 31 days, but paid suppliers after only 7 days, demonstrating the rapid inventory turnover. DMart's efficiency is reflected in its return ratios. RoCE and RoE stood at 18% and 14%, respectively. Looking ahead, management is highly optimistic about the offline sector and believes India offers immense opportunities for value retail across all segments. The company plans to double its investment in store expansion by adding 10-20% of its base stores annually. These stores are expected to be concentrated in Uttar Pradesh and Odisha. DMart also aims to create a unique and hard-to-imitate online model that delivers value with convenience. It plans to accelerate the opening of fulfilment centers near delivery markets and deliver all orders within six hours (currently, 65% of orders are delivered within 12 hours). BlueStar: Cooling India with steady returns Blue Star benefits from being a diversified cooling solutions player. Unlike consumer-durables peers tied to seasonal AC sales, it operates across B2C and B2B segments. BlueStar revenue in Q1FY26 rose 4% to 2,982 crore, due to uneven growth across segments. The B2B-focused (electro-mechanical projects and commercial air conditioning systems) business grew 36% to 1,412 crore, driven by demand from factories and data centres. In contrast, the unitary products business (room ACs and refrigeration) de-grew 13% to 1,499 crore, hit by an early monsoon that dampened cooling demand. At a consolidated level, Ebitda dropped to 200 crore from 238 crore last year, with margins narrowing to 6.7% from 8.3%. PAT slipped 28% to 121 crore. The weaker summer muted operating leverage benefits, particularly in the AC segment. Still, RoE and RoCE remain robust at 21% and 36%. Also Read | Blue Star faces the heat in Q1 from a milder summer season Looking ahead, management expects demand to rebound during the festive season, which will offset some of the summer weakness. The recent reduction in GST on ACs from 28% to 18% is also expected to boost AC sales. It expects unitary cooling products to grow at 10-15% by the end of FY2026, driven by pent-up demand. Margins are also likely to remain in 7-8% range. On the B2B side, order inflows remain strong in data centres, healthcare, and manufacturing, positioning the company well for 15% growth. However, exports, which account for 2% of total revenue (1% from the US), may be affected due to geopolitical factors. To offset this, the company is expanding in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Bottomline The journeys of Dixon Technologies, Avenue Supermart, and Blue Star show that profitability is not always about commanding high margins. Each operates in industries where spreads are inherently limited, yet scale, efficiency, and disciplined execution have allowed them to generate healthy earnings and strong returns. Dixon leverages high-volume contract manufacturing, DMart thrives on rapid inventory turns in value retail, and Blue Star balances cyclical consumer demand with steady project-driven revenues. For investors, the lesson is clear: single-digit margins do not always equate to weak businesses. What matters is how effectively revenues are converted into absolute profits and shareholder returns. For more such analysis, read Profit Pulse. Madhvendra has over seven years of experience in equity markets and writes detailed research articles on listed Indian companies, sectoral trends, and macroeconomic developments. The writer does not hold the stocks discussed in this article. The purpose of this article is only to share interesting charts, data points, and thought-provoking opinions. It is NOT a recommendation. If you wish to consider an investment, you are strongly advised to consult your advisor. This article is strictly for educational purposes only. On 25 September, US President Donald Trump announced a 100% tariff on imports of branded or patented pharmaceutical products starting 1 October. The tariff aims to boost US domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing and reduce its reliance on imports. It applies across the board, unless the pharmaceutical company is building a manufacturing plant in the United States and has at least broken ground. In this article we discuss three Indian pharma stocks that have been affected by the news. We wish to emphasise that this is not an analysis of the nature of impact, since the details are unclear. For example, does it exempt companies that already have a manufacturing plant in the US? Are complex generics included? All we are saying is that these stocks have seen a reaction from investors since the tariff announcement. #1 Aurobindo Pharma Aurobindo Pharma specialises in the development, production, and global distribution of a diverse array of generic medications, active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), and injectable products, reaching over 150 countries worldwide. It is the largest generic pharma company in the US. Aurobindo Pharma generates 89% of its sales through exports, with the US contributing 49%. How the 100% tariff on branded products affects the company will be known only once clarity emerges on the specifics. However, the stock has already reacted negatively to the news, falling from 1,097 on 25 September to 1,086.90 on 1 October. The company reported revenue of 7,868.1 crore in Q1 FY26, up from 7,567 crore a year earlier, while net profit dropped to 822.30 crore from 919.60 crore. Aurobindo Pharma is looking to advance its capabilities beyond traditional generics and aims for leadership in high-value complex generics and specialty products. The company is betting big on complex nasal, respiratory and biosimilars, and is diversifying into the fast-growing biologics contract manufacturing organisation (CMO) space. Its also expanding its geographical presence, localising manufacturing in China and the US and entering markets such as Indonesia, Canada and South Africa. Its building supply-chain resilience, integrating backwards with Pen-G and 6-APA facilities that strengthen its API and intermediates base and secure cost efficiencies. #2 Dr Reddys Laboratories Dr Reddy's is an Indian multinational pharmaceutical company that initially focused on manufacturing active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) but over tim expanded into branded formulations and generics. The company operates across four main segments: generics (branded, unbranded, and biosimilars), API & services (development, manufacturing, and research support), innovative medicines, and consumer health solutions. The US accounts for about 46% of total sales, which is one reason why the stock has fallen over the past few days. The company reported revenue of 8,572.10 crore in Q1 FY26, up from 7,696.10 crore a year earlier, while net profit grew to 1,409.7 crore from 1,386.50 crore. The company continues to prioritise R&D, investing in complex generics such as peptides, biosimilars and novel oncology assets. Its pipeline, which includes several first-to-market opportunities, positions it well for future growth. In FY26, Dr Reddys plans to grow and strengthen its core businesses, enhance value through portfolio management and strategic differentiation, and scale its presence in consumer healthcare, innovative therapies and biosimilars. It plans to introduce new revenue streams through acquisitions and strategic partnerships, boost efficiency across the value chain, and streamline structural costs. Also Read | Paint sectors new challengers put to the test in tepid festive season #3 Sun Pharma The company is a global leader in specialty generics, with a portfolio that includes innovative therapies, generic medications, and consumer healthcare products. It is relatively shielded from Trumps tariff as it has a significant presence in the Indian market and exports to the US comprise just 31% of its sales. This is perhaps why the stock rose almost 3% on 1 October. Sun Pharma reported revenue of 13,851.40 crore in Q1 FY26, up from 12,652.80 crore a year earlier, while net profit dropped to 2,302.60 crore from 2,871.3 crore. The company is reducing its dependence on markets where there is price erosion, including the US. Over time, significant price erosion in its generic business in certain markets, including the US, has caused the company to adopt a more conservative approach in those markets. Sun Pharma is now looking to fortify its branded portfolio while remaining cost-competitive in the generics business. Note: Investors should evaluate a companys fundamentals, corporate governance, and stock valuation thoroughly before making an investment decision. Disclaimer: This article is for information purposes only. It is not a stock recommendation and should not be treated as such. This article is syndicated from Equitymaster.com Also Read | Blue Jet Healthcare investors await margin recovery amid rosy growth prospects Frequent tussles between hospitals and insurers have made policyholders anxious about getting cashless approvals at the time of hospitalization. At times, insurers suspend cashless coverage for certain hospitals or blacklist them; at other times, hospitals disallow cashless coverage for specific insurers. Even large chains like Max Hospitals have seen such stand-offs, with cashless unavailable for a few insurers customers. In such situations, policyholders may need to draw on their emergency funds for immediate expenses and later file for reimbursement. While the reimbursement process can seem complex, knowing the steps well can help avoid delays and ensure claims are settled smoothly. View Full Image Graphic by Gopakumar Warrier/Mint View Full Image Graphic by Gopakumar Warrier/Mint TAT for reimbursement claims The turnaround time (TAT) for insurers to settle reimbursement claims is 15 days from the date of submission of the last complete document, as per the Irdai's Master Circular on Protection of Policyholders' Interests, 2024. Also Read | Think bigger health cover means better protection? Think again Experts say reimbursement claims are typically settled within 3-5 days, and in most cases, within a week. Delays mainly occur due to missing documents or insurers seeking clarifications, said Neeraj Khushalani, founder of InsureSmart. Since hospitals dont submit documents directly, customers often miss sharing important reports or the initial diagnosis. As the discharge summary outlines the full illness chronology, the claim team relies on it and requests any missing documents. This is the biggest reason for reimbursement delays," he explained. What should you do to avoid delays? Keep a record of every single document and receipt you get from the hospital, including doctor prescriptions, pharmacy bills, and investigation reports. Policyholders should maintain a date-wise record of bills, reports and payments so the total claim amount can be easily tracked. This also clarifies whether the insurer has settled the full amount or made deductions. Non-medical items should be listed separately, as these are often a cause of disputes. Customers should not expect insurers to cover such charges," said Khushalani. Also Read | Hospital group urges creation of regulator as insurance disputes hit patients Policyholders must file reimbursement claims within 30 days of discharge. Any delay may lead to rejection. Insurers may still accept it if you provide a clear explanation, but its always safer to file within the deadline," said chartered accountant Mayank Gosar, founder and chief executive, Softcon Capital. He also advised checking the insurers latest list of blacklisted hospitals. If the hospital where you take treatment is blacklisted, your reimbursement claim will not be accepted," he cautioned. Afghan Taliban's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is set to visit India from 9 to 16 October, the MEA announced on Friday. Muttaqi's visit marks the first high-level delegation from Kabul to New Delhi since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, signalling a new phase in India-Taliban relations. The United Nations Security Council has approved a temporary exemption on international travel restrictions for Muttaqi, allowing him to stay in New Delhi from 9 to 16 October. Speaking about the Taliban minister's visit, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: All of you would have seen the exemption that has been granted by the UN Security Council Committee for the travel of Afghanistans Foreign Minister to New Delhi from 9 to 16 October...We will keep you updated in this regard. Under UN Security Council resolution 1988 (2011), certain individuals linked to the Taliban are subject to travel bans. However, the resolution allows the Council to grant exemptions for official duties or medical reasons. Earlier, Muttaqi's planned visit to India last month was called off after he could not get a waiver for the trip. India's ties with Afghanistan To date, India has supported Afghanistan with humanitarian aid. In September, India sent 21 tonnes of relief materials including blankets, tents, hygiene kits, water storage tanks, among others following the deadly earthquake that rattled Afghanistan. View full Image In this image posted on Sept. 25, 2025, Relief materials as part of humanitarian assistance being unloaded in Kabul, following the recent earthquake, in Afghanistan. (@MEAIndia/X via PTI Photo)(PTI09_25_2025_000472B) ( @MEAIndia ) Indian diplomatic circles have reportedly been preparing for Muttaqi's visit for months. In May this year, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had said he had a good conversation with Muttaqi and deeply appreciated his condemnation of the Pahalgam terrorist attack. Jaishankar had welcomed his firm rejection of recent attempts to create distrust between India and Afghanistan through false and baseless reports. Underlined our traditional friendship with the Afghan people and our continuing support for their development needs. Discussed ways and means of taking cooperation forward. Who is Amir Khan Muttaqi The UN Security Council listed Muttaqi on 25 January 2001. He was subject to a travel ban, an assets freeze, and an arms embargo. All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi has claimed that it is easier for someone to say "I love Modi", but not "I love Mohammad" in India. The Hyderabad Member of Parliament's remarks come as Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly remained tense since a protest over "I Love Mohammad" posters row turned violent last week. A case is going on for the Sambhal mosque. Our mosques are being snatched away. In this country, one can say 'I love Modi' but not 'I love Mohammad'. Where are you taking this nation? If someone says 'I love Modi', everyone becomes becomes happy. But if someone says 'I love Mohammad', then that is objected to, Owaisi said during a speech in Hyderabad on October 2. Internet was suspended across four districts in the Bareilly division, and a massive security deployment was seen on the streets on Thursday in light of Dussehra festivities and the scheduled Friday prayers on October 3. If I am a Muslim, it is because of Mohammad. There is nothing above and beyond that for the 17 crore Indians who participated in the country's independence. We condemn violence," Owaisi said citing videos showing the alleged police lathicharge on people and some shopkeepers showered flowers on them. If you install his posters, you have to respect them... I want to ask the government why they are making so many laws. "There are videos in which police are lathi-charging and shopkeepers are showering flowers on them. We must keep in mind that the police are only accountable to those in power and no one else. They will beat you tomorrow when the power shifts... No one was named Mohammad other than the Prophet Mohammad, he said. What led to 'I love Mohammad' protests? Over 2,000 protestors gathered outside a mosque in Bareilly after Friday prayers last week to protest the cancellation of a proposed protest over the I Love Mohammad poster row. Protestors hurled stones, police personnel were injured and people were lathi-charged upon. At least 81 arrests have been made over the violence so far. The protests, called by Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan, stemmed from an FIR filed in Kanpur on September 9 regarding the alleged installation of I Love Mohammad boards on a public road during a Barawafat procession. While Owaisi questioned the government he also urged people to act within the law. Act within the law: Owaisi If you install his posters, you have to respect them... I want to ask the government why they are making so many laws, and what is happening? 3000 Muslims in Assam were made homeless, claiming that the construction was on government land... We must not be bothered by the situation. We have to deal with patience. We must do everything within the law. Don't take the law into your own hands. When you act within the law, you will realise that the law is just a spiderweb and nothing else, he said. Earlier the AIMIM chief also slammed local administration's bulldozer action on Mohsin Raza's property following his arrest in connection with the Bareilly violence case. Mohsin is connected to Maulana Tauqeer Raza, who was arrested earlier and is currently in judicial custody. Bareilly Range Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Ajay Kumar Sahni said that many associates of Maulana Tauqeer Raza, who has emerged as the chief conspirator in the stone pelting case, have been arrested. Domestic airlines in India flew 1.29 crore passengers in August 2025, representing a slight year-on-year decline as 1.31 crore flyers were carried by them during the same month in the previous year, according to the latest official data. However, the traffic quantum was higher in August compared to the preceding month, July 2025, which saw 1.26 crore passengers, PTI reported. Overall traffic in positive territory Despite the monthly decline, the overall passenger traffic for the first eight months of the year (January to August 2025) reported positive growth. Domestic airlines carried approximately 11.07 crore passengers during this period, an annual growth of 4.99 per cent compared to the 10.54 crore passengers in the corresponding period of the previous year, as stated by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Market share of IndiGo declined IndiGo's domestic market share fell to 64.2 per cent in August from 65.2 per cent in July. Whereas, the market share of Air India Group comprising Air India and Air India Express rose to 27.3 per cent from 26.2 per cent during the same period. Meanwhile, the market share of Akasa Air saw a minor dip to 5.4 per cent in August from 5.5 per cent in the previous month, and that of SpiceJet remained unchanged at 2 per cent. Government-owned airline Alliance Air's market share slipped to 0.3 per cent in August from 0.4 per cent in July. Star Air and Fly91's market share remained unchanged at 0.5 per cent and 0.2 per cent, respectively. What caused the decline in air travel? In August 2025, scheduled domestic airlines received a total of 1,407 passenger-related complaints. The DGCA data also highlighted that 74,381 passengers were affected by flight delays, with airlines incurring 1.18 crore in facilitation costs in August. Also Read | SpiceJet to launch daily direct flights from Delhi and Mumbai from these dates India downed four to five Pakistani fighter jets including the US-made F-16s and Chinese-made JF-17s class during the military confilct between between the two neibouring countries in May, Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief Amar Preet Singh said on Friday, 3 October. The IAF chief, speaking at the 93rd Air Force Day celebrations, also dismissed claims about Indian jets being destroyed as manohar kahaniyan (fascinating tales) calling them Pakistani propaganda to mislead its citizens. Pakistan's losses included radars, command and control centres, runways and hangars. ...As far as Pakistan's losses are concerned...we have struck a large number of their airfields and we struck a large number of installations...Because of these strikes, radars at least four places, command and control centres at two places, runways of course damaged at two places, then three of their hangars in three different stations have been damaged...we have signs of one C-130 class of aircraft...and at least 4 to 5 fighter aircraft, most likely F-16, because that place happened to be F-16 with whatever was under maintenance at that time. The IAF chief said IAF targeted several Pakistani airbases, damaging radars, command centres, runways, hangars, and a surface-to-air missile system. He added that a C-130-class aircraft and possibly a high-value surveillance aircraft were also hit during the operation. "Along with that, one SAM system has been destroyed...We have clear evidence of one long-range strike, which I talked about more than 300 km, which happened to be either an AEW&C or a significant aircraft, along with that five high-tech fighters between F-16 and JF 17 class this is what our system tells us," Singh said. The IAF chief said that during Operation Sindoor, the IAF's advanced long-range surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) prevented Pakistan from operating even within its own territory up to a certain range. Operation Sindoor, India's precision strikes on terror camps in Pakistan, was launched on May 7 in the aftermath of Pahalgam terror attack in which 29 people, mostly tourists were killed in Kashmir's Baisaran tourist meadow on April 22. Singh said the operation marked a historic achievement with the longest successful missile strike of over 300 kilometres, which significantly limited Pakistan's actions. "Our long-range SAMs that we had procured recently and operationalised. We could look deep inside their territory. We could make sure that they were not able to operate even within their territory up to a certain distance. It will go down in history that longest kill that we achieved of more than 300 kilometres by that. And it seriously curtailed their activities," Singh said. A week after violent clashes erupted in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly over I Love Muhammad posters, security was beefed up ahead of Friday prayers. On September 26, there was a confrontation between police and about 2,000 people who had gathered outside a mosque in the Kotwali area in Bareilly after Friday prayers over I Love Mohammad posters. Stone-pelting was also reported. Following that, Bareilly has been on alert and internet services have been suspended. Here are the latest updates on the situation. I Love Mohammad poster protests: 10 Updates 1. Security was strengthened in several sensitive areas in Bareilly ahead of the prayers on Friday evening. The district magistrate and the senior superintendent of police patrolled the city with heavy forces ahead of the prayers. 2. Very few people were seen in the markets as internet restrictions continued. Markets like Roadways Bazaar, Kutubkhana, Shivaji Marg, Alamgirganj, Sarafa, Sahmatganj and Qila Bazaar opened on Friday, but the usual chaos was missing. 3. President of All India Muslim Jamaat, Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Bareilvi, urged the public to avoid attending any events after Friday prayers. What happened last Friday was regrettable. And today is Friday again. Therefore, I appeal to all Muslims to go straight home after namaz and concentrate on their work. Do not be part of any crowd. If any person or organisation invites you, avoid attending their events, he was quoted as saying by ANI. 4. On Thursday night, senior officers from police and administration toured sensitive areas and interacted with locals, according to Bareilly District Magistrate Avnish Singh. Residents have assured communal harmony will be maintained. "We are still carrying out foot patrols. The arrangements are foolproof," Singh said. 5. Bareilly has been divided into four super zones and eight other zones for tighter patrolling, Senior Superintendent of Police Anurag Arya said. Four IPS officers have been brought in from other districts for stricter patrolling. 6. Heavy forces of police and paramilitary have been deployed outside major mosques including Nau Mahal Masjid, Ala Hazrat Dargah, Azam Nagar Masjid in the Kotwali area, and Baradari mosque. Drone cameras are also being used to monitor the situation. 7. Sajjadanashin of Ala Hazrat Dargah, Badrush Shariah Mufti Ahsan Miyan, urged Muslims to offer Friday prayers peacefully and return home. Do not pay attention to rumours. Peace must be preserved at all costs, he said in an appeal. The cleric announced that the annual 'Julus-e-Gausia', traditionally taken out to mark the Urs of Hazrat Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani, will not be held this year in view of the current situation. 8. Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Bareilly, AK Sahni, told ANI that the situation in the city was completely normal. 9. Internet was suspended in Bareilly on Thursday and will continue to remain in place until 3 pm on Saturday. This was done to prevent any communal messages from circulating on the social media that may incite violence. A woman in Karnataka's Puttenahalli reportedly accused her husband and in-laws of harassment, blackmail, and exploitation. She alleged in her complaint that husband was already married to another women at the time of their marriage. According to NDTV, the woman said in her complaint that she married Syed Inamul Haq in December 2024, about two months after their engagement. Soon after, she discovered that her husband had already been married. The accused allegedly told her that she was his second wife and even boasted of having relationships with 19 other women. Also Read | X to appeal Karnataka HC ruling on secret content removal system Sahyog The woman's complaint alleged that her husband secretly installed a camera in their bedroom, recorded their private moments, and shared those videos with his associates abroad, NDTV reported. He also allegedly pressured the woman to have physical relations with his contacts outside India. When she resisted, the accused threatened to make her private videos public on social media. The husband was also accused of repeated physical and mental harassment in public places, hotels, and even at her parents' residence. In one instance, the woman said he pressured her to sell her gold jewelry to purchase a flat and assaulted her when she refused. Her in-laws were also named in the complaint. During a family event in February, the husband's sister allegedly humiliated the complainant, while she accused her brother-in-law of behaving in a sexually inappropriate manner towards her. On September 21, the accused allegedly assaulted the complainant during a fight and later fled the house. A case was registered against the husband and other accused family members. The Madras High Court issued an order on the Karur stampede incident on Friday (October 2), prohibiting political rallies, roadshows and similar public events along state and national highways in the state until Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) were formulated. According to news agency ANI, the order was passed while hearing four Public Interest Litigations (PILs) that sought directions to frame SOPs for mass gatherings to prevent incidents similar to the recent Karur stampede. What did Madras HC order? Top points 1. The high court formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the Karur stampede that killed 41 people and injured several others on September 27. The court formed the SIT under the leadership of IG (North) Asra Garg to probe the incident. The court directed Karur police to hand over all related documents to the SIT immediately. 2. Hearing a plea filed by a petitioner, PH Dinesh of Villivakkam, Justice Senthilkumar expressed condolences to the victims of Karur stampede and said, "Watching the videos is painful." He noted that only two persons have been arrested so far and questioned the authorities on further action taken. 3. The court came down heavily on the Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), condemning the party for failing to rescue the public and children during the Karur incident and for not taking responsibility for the tragedy. 4. The judge observed, "You have permitted everything to happen. The police cannot turn a blind eye.". He stressed that law enforcement agencies must act proactively in such situations. 5. The government also assured the court that it will not permit any meetings on the state and national highways, except the earmarked places, until the SOPs are finalised. 6. The principal bench of the HC also dismissed a BJP leader's plea seeking a CBI probe into the incident, and directed her to approach the Madurai bench. 7. The Madurai bench dismissed the anticipatory bail pleas of TVK state general secretary Bussy N Anand and deputy general secretary CTR Nirmal Kumar, who were named in the FIR in connection with the incident. The TVK functionaries, besides a local leader of the party who has since been arrested, were booked under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 125 (endangering life of others), and 223 (disobedience to order), of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. 8. Meanwhile, a single-judge bench of the HC on Friday dismissed the anticipatory bail petition of a TVK functionary from Namakkal in connection with an attack on a private hospital in that town during actor Vijay's public meeting there. TVK's Namakkal (western TN) district secretary Sathish Kumar, fearing arrest, had moved the court. Karur stampede The stampede in Karur, Tamil Nadu, occurred on September 27 during a public rally led by Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief and actor Vijay, resulting in the death of 41 people and leaving several others injured. The event drew a massive crowd, and preliminary observations suggested lapses in crowd management. A major legal development has occurred in the aftermath of the Karur stampede, which claimed 41 lives during Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijays public rally on 27 September. The Madras High Court on Friday dismissed an anticipatory bail plea filed by TVK Namakkal district secretary N Sathish Kumar and rejected petitions seeking a CBI investigation into the tragedy. Justice N Senthil Kumar criticised the party for failing to control the crowd and questioned the conduct of its members, while multiple FIRs against TVK cadre remain under investigation. Also Read | Vijay Rally Stampede: Anurag Thakur writes to CM Stalin What did the Madras High Court decide? The Madras High Court on Friday dismissed an anticipatory bail plea filed by N Sathish Kumar, the Namakkal district secretary of TVK, in connection with the Karur stampede that occurred during TVK chief and actor Vijays public rally on September 27. The court also rejected a batch of petitions seeking a CBI probe into the incident. Justice N Senthil Kumar questioned the partys inability to control the mob, highlighting the cadres unruly behaviour, indulging in a rampage and causing damage to public property during the roadshow. Also Read | TVK leader booked for controversial Gen-Z post after 41 killed in Karur stampede What were the legal arguments? Government Advocate S Santhosh informed the court that nine FIRs had been registered against TVK members, including the district secretary, in connection with damage to public property. He objected to the granting of anticipatory bail. Meanwhile, BJP leader Uma Anandans plea for a CBI investigation into the tragedy, citing possible official apathy, was also dismissed. The division bench advised the petitioner to approach the Madurai bench of the high court, the jurisdictional court for such matters. How did the Karur stampede unfold? The stampede occurred during a public rally of TVK chief Vijay in Karur, Tamil Nadu, when a massive crowd turned chaotic, causing panic. Multiple attendees fainted and were rushed to nearby hospitals. Sources indicated that overcrowding at the venue was a major factor in the tragedy, which claimed 41 lives. How have political parties responded? In the wake of the incident, TVK announced a temporary suspension of all political rallies for two weeks. The party also committed 20 lakh in relief to the families of the deceased. The TVK posted on social media: "In this situation where we are in pain and sorrow over the loss of our loved ones, the public meeting program of our party leader for the next two weeks is being temporarily postponed. We inform you with the approval of our party leader that new details regarding this public meeting will be announced later." The Congress party has previously announced 1.25 crore in aid to the affected families, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced 2 lakh ex-gratia for the kin of the deceased and 50,000 for the injured. What are the wider political and safety implications? DMK MLA and district secretary V Senthilbalaji urged restraint. "I do not wish to view this politically. Of the 41 victims, 39 were from Karur. Without blaming anyone, we must ensure that such incidents do not occur in the coming days. This situation should not be politicised. Whatever party's event it may be in the future, we must join together and take the necessary steps to prevent such incidents," he said. The DMK leader emphasised that the responsibility for crowd management ultimately lies with the organising party, highlighting the need for careful planning to prevent future tragedies. Thayil Jacob Sony George, popularly known as TJS George, passed away on Friday, 3 October, at a private hospital in Bengaluru. He was 97. A Padma Bhushan awardee, George was widely respected for his incisive writings, often marked by satire and sarcasm. He is survived by his children, Sheba Thayil and author-poet Jeet Thayil. Who was TJS George? TJS George was a renowned journalist and author. He was the Editorial Advisor of The New Indian Express and gained acclaim for his widely read weekly column, Point of View, which he wrote for 25 years until 2022 and continued until his death at the age of 94. Hailing from Kerala, George spent most of his life in Bengaluru and Coimbatore. Why was TJS George awarded the Padma Bhushan? TJS George was awarded the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award of India, in 2011. George got the award for his outstanding contribution to literature and education. Condolences pour in Mourning his demise, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on X, Saddened by the passing of veteran journalist, editor & author T J S George. With his sharp pen and uncompromising voice, he enriched Indian journalism for over six decades. He was a true public intellectual who made readers think, question and engage. My heartfelt condolences to his family, colleagues and countless admirers. Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy also expressed his condolences, noting Georges contributions in various roles, including editor, editorial director, and editorial advisor of national and international newspapers. I have closely read the Point of View column he wrote in The New Indian Express. I was captivated by his writing talent after reading his book MSA Life in Music, based on the life of the great musician Smt M S Subbulakshmi, Kumaraswamy wrote on X. May the departed soul rest in eternal peace and may God grant his family, fans and well-wishers the strength to bear the grief, he added. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor also noted George's contributions to literature and his fearless commentary, saying his books will live long. Saddened to hear about the passing of veteran journalist T.J.S. George. A true giant of Indian journalism, his sharp wit and powerful Point of View columns will be deeply missed. His contributions to literature and fearless commentary leave an indelible mark. His books, including a memorable Treasury of Indian Quotations, will live long, he wrote on X. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, along with Congress national general secretary K C Venugopal, visited Georges residence to pay homage to the veteran journalist. Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi said on Friday that if Pakistan wants to exist geographically, it must stop its state-sponsored terrorism. Speaking at an event in Rajasthan, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi said, India is fully prepared this time. He further issued a stern warning to Pakistan, saying, We will not show the restraint we exhibited during Operation Sindoor 1.0. This time, the action will be such that perhaps Pakistan will have to think whether it wants to remain on the world map or not, he was quoted by news agencies ANI and PTI as saying. Also Read | Pak govt forced to seek path of negotiation amid PoK protests If Pakistan wants to continue with its position in geography, it should stop its state-sponsored terrorism, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi said. The Army chief was addressing soldiers at Anupgarh in Rajasthan's Sriganganagar district. Also Read | IAF chief BIG reveal: India downed 5 Pakistani fighter jets in Op Sindoor If god wants Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi also told the soldiers to stay prepared. "Keep yourselves fully prepared now, if god wants, the opportunity will come soon," he said. General Dwivedi said India has given evidence to the world of the presence of terrorist hideouts in Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. Had India not unearthed this evidence, Pakistan would have hidden all of it, he noted. Also Read | Rajnath's BIG warning to Pak against aggressive approach towards Sir Creek The Army chief said the entire world stood with India when it launched Operation Sindoor in the wake of the April 22 Pahalgam attack. He said the Indian military hit nine targets inside Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, of which seven were hit by the Army and two by the Air Force. "We had identified the targets because we only wanted to harm the terrorists. We had aimed to strike their bases. We have no complaints against ordinary Pakistani citizens, so long as their country does not sponsor terrorists. Because terrorists were being sponsored, those terrorist targets were hit," General Dwivedi said. Replying to a question about his appeal to those living near the international border, he said, "We consider the border population not as ordinary civilians but as soldiers. That means they stand shoulder to shoulder with us in the battle. This is crucial because the coming struggle is the nation's struggle, not just the Army's." The Army chief said history bears witness that during the 1965 and 1971 wars, ordinary citizens stood shoulder to shoulder with the soldiers. "We would want them to join us in the days ahead as well. I want to thank them their zeal boosts the morale of our soldiers," he said. Sonam Wangchuk's wife Gitanjali J. Angmo has moved the Supreme Court challenging his arrest and seeking his release. The climate activist has been lodged in the Jodhpur jail in Rajasthan since he was taken into custody following the September 24 violent Ladakh clashes. According to official records, Angmo filed her plea at the top court on October 2, Thursday. She further alleged that she is not getting judicial help to contact her husband. I only got a call from a member of an apex body that he recieved a call from DSP saying that some people could meet (Sonam Wangchuk). I told him that I want this in writing. But I have never received anything such. Angmo said that she is being followed, and associates of Wangchuk are being tortured in detention. I am being followed everywhere in Delhi. A car follows me wherever I go... The staff that was working closely with us have been detained. They are in police custody... They are being beaten up. They are being tortured mentally and physically, she said. The climate activist's wife explained why she had to approach the Supreme Court. On one hand, Sonam is being detained inhumanely, and on the other hand, a witch hunt against us has been intensified. This is why we had to approach the Supreme Court. I am worried about how he must be getting treated in jail. This message should reach throughout India: If justice can be delayed for a celebrity, with whom the whole country is rallying, who has worked at the grassroots, then what recourse does a commoner have? This comes a day after the climate activist's wife sought President Droupadi Murmu's immediate intervention for Sonam Wangchuk's release. Angmo has also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the release of her husband. She also addressed her letters to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh Kavinder Gupta, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, and also the Leh District Collector, which she published on X as well. Sonam Wangchuk arrested Sonam Wangchuk was arrested under the National Security Act NSA on September 26 and shifted to Jodhpur jail shortly after. The arrest happened following violence in Leh during protests, which claimed the lives of at least four people. The restrictions under section 163 of BNSS, which were imposed in the region, were eased for a few hours on Tuesday, allowing people to buy essential items. The protesters have been demanding inclusion of the region in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. A total of 44 people have been arrested in connection with the violence. Gitanjali Angmo's letter In her letter to the President, Prime Minister and other ministers and officials, Angmo alleged that a full-scale witch hunt has been unleashed against her husband to kill the spirit of Sonam wangchuk over the past month. Mentioning the requests to the PM, President and HM Shah, Angmo questioned, "Am I not entitled to meet and speak with my husband on the phone and in person wherever he is detained?" Angma further questioned, "Can I not be of assistance to my husband to know his ground of detention and to espouse his legal rights of seeking justice before the court of law? Am I not entitled to know the condition of my husband, who has been in detention since 26 September 2025, with no communication with me or anyone else close to us? As a responsible citizen of India, are we not entitled to peaceful freedom of expression and movement?". Reiterating that she has not been able to meet her husband despite assurances from officials, Angmo highlighted the message she allegedly received from the police, stating that she would be contacted as soon as Wangchuk reaches Jodhpur jail, which has not yet occurred. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament Anurag Thakur, who is part of the BJP-NDA delegation that visited Karur, has writen to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin seeking accountability for stampede in Karur during actor-politician Vijay's rally. I urge you take complete charge of this situation and ask the concerned authonties to furnish a report at the earliest, covering the following aspects: The primary reasons for the incident: What were the primary factors and sequence of events that led to the occurrence of the stampede in Karur, Thakur said in the letter. What were the primary factors and sequence of events that led to the occurrence of the stampede in Karur, Thakur said in the letter. A delegation of BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) visited Karur in Tamil Nadu and looked into circumstances which led to the stampede and loss of lives during the TVK party's rally last weekend. BJP MP Hema Malini is the convenor of the eight-member team. The other members in the team are BJP MPsAnurag Thakur, Tejasvi Surya, Braj Lal, Shrikant Shinde(Shiv Sena), Aprajita Sarangi, Rekha Sharma and TDP MP Mahesh Kumar. Also Read | Vijaydashami 2025 images: 10 pictures to wish Shubha Vijaya to your loved ones "Crowd management measures: What arrangements and precautionary measures were taken by the administration and law enforcement agencies to regulate and manage the crowd prior and during the event. Cause analysis: What, according to the initial findings, were the lapses or unforeseen circumstances that contributed to the tragedy despite preventive actions. I also request you to kindly suggest & share the measures that are being planned by the State Government to ensure such incidents do not occur in the future," the letter reads. At least 41 people died, and many others were injured after a stampede broke out during a political rally of TVK chief Vijay in Tamil Nadu's Karur on Saturday evening. The victims included women and children, while those who fainted during the commotion were taken to the nearest hospital for treatment. Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 2 praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a wise leader who thinks first about his country, ANI reported, citing a Russia Today. The Putin's comments came at the plenary session of the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi, where he also stated that India and Russia share a special relationship. The statements are significant as India and Russia's relationship has bloomed while United States President Donald Trump's hiked tariffs on India stalled free trade agreement (FTA) talks between US and India. Also, in his address during the 80th UN General Assembly session last week, Donald Trump again called China and India primary funders of the ongoing Ukraine war, accusing them of financing it by continuing to buy Russian oil. What did Vladimir Putin say? People in India do not forget Russia Today quoted Putin saying, People in India do not forget about this and our relations, I believe. Some 15 years ago, we made an announcement about a privileged strategic partnership, and that is the best description. Prime Minister Modi is a very wise leader who thinks first about his country. Putin also addressed US tariffs on India at the event, emphasising that if India stops buying Russian oil, it could suffer economic losses of $9-10 billion. He also expressed confidence that Modi would back India's dignity and strategic autonomy instead of bowing to foreign pressure. There is no political aspect here; it's purely an economic calculation. Will India give up our energy resources? If so, it will incur certain losses. Estimates vary; some say it could be around $9-10 billion. But if it doesn't refuse, sanctions will be imposed, and the loss will be the same. So why refuse if it also carries domestic political costs? [Indian people] will never allow themselves to be humiliated by anyone. I know Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi, he will also not make any such decisions, Putin added, as per Russia Today. Putin, Lavrov to visit India: What we know Putin is scheduled to visit India by 2025-end. At the UNGA session on September 27, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced that Putin's visit to New Delhi is being planned for December. Further, Lavrov himself is also expected to visit India ahead of the Russian President's visit to prepare for the summit and discuss bilateral issues. Cargo company Wintrack on October 1 said it is suspending all import-export operations in India and accused Chennai Customs officials of harassment over a period of 45 days. The Customs department, on its part, has called the claims false and accused the Tamil Nadu-based logistics company and founder Prawin Ganeshan of making unsubstantiated allegations. Replying to the post where Wintrack alleged that it is being forced to shut down due to crippling retaliation from Chennai Customs over their bribery complaints, the department denied the claims and presented rebuttals. Amid all this, the Centre has ordered a fair probe into the issue. In a statement, the Finance Ministry said it has taken cognisance of the matter and has directed the Department of Revenue to start a fair, transparent probe into the allegations against Chennai Customs. Wintrack vs Chennai Customs: 10 key highlights In a post on X, Wintrack alleged relentless harassment from Chennai Customs after it exposed bribery demands of the officials twice this year. This retaliation has left Wintrack's business crippled and destroyed in India, it added. Wintack claims in its X bio that it has exposed bribery taken by Chennai Customs and, as a result, faced revenge, which forced the company to shut its operations in India. Corruption won this battle, they can destroy our business, not our voice, the bio read. Wintrack founder Prawin Ganeshan reiterated the allegations, naming several officials from the Special Intelligence and Investigation Branch (SIIB) and claiming that his wifes company was forced to pay 1.5 lakh in bribes for a shipment. He further alleged that officers even offered a 10 per cent discount during the negotiations. However, in reply to the company's allegations on X, Chennai Customs claimed: This importer has an established pattern of making unsubstantiated allegations of corruption and bribery on this platform, only to delete such posts once factual rebuttals are provided by this department. It claimed that during examination, goods declared by Wintrack were found to be misclassified and physical examinations revealed boxes containing items that were undeclared in the Bill of Entry, commercial invoice, and packing list a clear violation of Section 111 of the Customs Act, 1962. Further, Chennai Customs stressed that the allegations of harassment and non-cooperation are demonstrably false, adding that Wintrack was granted personal hearing on 08.09.2025 in full accordance with principles of natural justice. It alleged, The importer's social media posts reveal a calculated pattern: allegations of corruption when facing legitimate scrutiny, followed by deletion of his thread when facts of violation by importer are placed on record We categorically state that every action taken was legally mandated, procedurally proper, and based on documented violations discovered during examination. The Department of Pharmaceuticals has opened applications for the 5,000 crore program aimed at funding research and development (R&D) in the pharma and med-tech sectors. The initiative seeks to support companies and startups in developing new drugs, complex generics, and medical devices, marking a major push towards innovation. The scheme, called the Promotion of Research and Innovation in Pharma-MedTech, represents the governments effort to move India beyond its traditional role as a low-cost generics manufacturer and towards becoming a global innovation hub. Mint explains the schemes key objectives, funding model, and what it could mean for the future of Indias pharma and med-tech industry. What are the key objectives and financial scope of the PRIP scheme? The scheme aims to accelerate Indias shift from a generics powerhouse to an innovation-led pharma and med-tech hub. It has an approved outlay of 5,000 crore and is expected to attract a total R&D investment of about 11,000 crore. Around 300 projects will be supported, with focus areas including new medicines, complex generics, biosimilars, and novel medical devices. Unlike the 15,000 crore production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme, which focused on boosting manufacturing, this is a fresh, standalone budget allocation aimed squarely at innovation. It was first mentioned in the Union Budget of 2023-24 and represents the governments most direct attempt yet to plug Indias longstanding gap in pharma and medtech R&D. How does PRIP promote industryacademia collaboration? The scheme offers incentives for MSMEs, startups, and companies to partner with top government academic and research institutions. Applicants with such tie-ups will get preference. Firms can also in-license research outputs from academic institutions, ensuring discoveries dont remain in labs but translate into commercial products. The scheme also incentivizes the use of funds to create public R&D assets within these institutions. What levels of financial assistance are on offer? Financial assistance is tiered based on the project stage. Early-stage projects (up to 9 crore): MSMEs/startups can receive up to 5 crore, with 100% funding for the first 1 crore and 50% for the balance. Later-stage projects (up to 285 crore): Companies can get up to 100 crore, covering 35% of costs. For projects in strategic priority innovation areas, support rises to 50%. Also Read | What Indias ban on livestock antibiotics means for human drug resistance What are strategic priority innovation (SPI) areas? SPI areas target public health needs with limited commercial returnssuch as rare diseases, antimicrobial resistance, tropical vector-borne diseases, vaccines, and pandemic-causing pathogens. The scheme provides higher financial assistanceup to 50% of the project costfor later-stage projects in these areas to strengthen India's health security framework. What is the application process and timeline? The application window opened on 1 October, through a dedicated digital portal. Applicants must submit a project plan with sequential milestones, including associated expenditures and timeframes. They also need to provide documents evidencing financial closure for the approved total project cost. Additionally, applicants must disclose all entities within their related group, as the total financial assistance to a single related group cannot exceed 5% of the scheme's total outlay. The deadline to register on the PRIP Portal is 3 November, and the deadline for application submission is 10 November. How is industry responding? Industry leaders have welcomed the move as a milestone. Himanshu Baid, MD of Poly Medicure Ltd., a manufacturer and exporter of medical devices, called it a landmark initiative that addresses the missing piece in Indias medtech growth story." He added, The responsibility now lies with industry to not just manufacture in India but also design, develop, and build world-class medical technologies that compete globally. It is time to move beyond reverse engineering and foster homegrown innovation that can set global benchmarks." A Reddit post by an Indian employee has gone viral for highlighting the abrupt and impersonal way mass layoffs are being handled by global companies. The user, who worked remotely for a US-based firm, described how October 1 began like any other day until an unexpected calendar invite appeared for a mandatory meeting with the companys Chief Operating Officer (COO). According to the post, the COO joined the call at 11:01 am, disabled employees cameras and microphones, and within three minutes announced that most of their Indian workforce was being laid off due to internal organisational restructuring. He clarified that the decision was not performance-based, but no questions were allowed. The call ended at 11:04 am. By the time the employee checked their inbox, the layoff email had already arrived confirming October 1 would be their last working day. Employees were told they would receive one months salary and encashment of unused leaves as part of the severance. This is the first time Ive been laid off and it just truly sucks, the employee wrote, expressing shock at the lack of notice or empathy. The sudden announcement, with no time to prepare, left many feeling shocked, stunned, frustrated and stressed. The employee later updated the post, addressing scepticism from some Reddit users. If youre being rude or calling this post fake simply because I didnt name the company, Im just not gonna interact Learn how to talk to people, especially when theyre ranting about possibly one of their top 3 worst days. While the companys name was not disclosed publicly in the post, the individual said they shared it privately with those who asked politely. Several users also offered help and job leads in the comments. The post has sparked discussions online about the growing trend of mass layoffs being conducted via short video calls or emails, raising concerns about corporate culture, employee dignity, and the mental health impact of sudden job losses. A user shared, Sorry to hear this. I can understand how you must be feeling. I was laid off a couple of years ago and I was devastated for months. Just understand that its not your fault and almost everyone gets laid off at least once in their careers. It took me a few months to get back on my feet but I got a job that I love now. Another user wrote, This is just sad. OP, you deserve a workplace where you are valued and respected and I hope you can land a better opportunity soon! HealthTech platform EarKart Ltd made its steady debut on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on 3 September 2025, prompting an enthusiastic reaction from its first investor, Ashneer Grover. Grover, the co-founder of BharatPe and an ace investor, took to X (formerly Twitter) to congratulate the company and its founders, Rohit Misra (Managing Director) and Monika Misra (Whole-Time Director). What did Grover say? The billionaire investor also praised the company's ability to go public before the more famous and already established karts did, highlighting how EarKart managed to reach this milestone in less than four years since its launch in 2021. Congrats EarKart Ltd for a successful IPO and listing. Elated as your first investor !! Grover posted on his social media handle. Who wouldve thought back in 2021 we would IPO before the more famous and already established karts. Kudos - Rohit & Monika Misra." Earkart specialises in manufacturing and selling modern hearing aids at affordable prices across India. The company also trades in hearing aids and related accessories of other brands, both domestic and international. In addition, the company offers products such as adjustable foldable walkers, Multi-Sensory Integrated Educational Development (MSIED) and Teaching Learning Material (TLM) kits to support the mobility and daily needs of physically challenged individuals. EarKart listing details EarKart was trading at 142.25 on Friday, the day of its listing, which is a premium of 5.37% compared to its issue price of 135. The company's share had a flat debut at 135, matching the initial public offer (IPO) price. The counter hit a high of 142.25 and a low of 135.50. A large fire erupted at a Chevron oil refinery in El Segundo, California on Thursday night, producing massive flames that could be seen from miles away. Authorities advised residents to remain indoors. By early Friday, the blaze had been contained and city officials confirmed there was no danger to the public. No evacuation orders were issued. However, there is still an active fire and road closures remain in place, the statement mentioned, according to AP. Chevron refinery fire in el segundo: Top 10 updates Residents living near the Chevron El Segundo Refinery said feeling a rumble before spotting the flames. Sam Daugherty, who told KABC-TV he resides 10 blocks away and started packing a bag in a tensed situation, adding, Pretty much the whole sky was orange." 2. Firefighters arrived at 9:30 pm and managed to keep the fire confined to a single area of the refinery, El Segundo Fire Department Division Chief Casey Snow informed CNN. Snow said, Were applying water to it to the gasoline and diesel fuel thats burning Were working on cooling everything until fuel burns itself out. Also Read | How the California fires are remaking the L.A. economy 3. El Segundo Mayor Chris Pimentel told CNN affiliate KCAL/KCBS that the citys fire station is just a quarter mile from the refinery, allowing crews to respond immediately. The mayor said, Obviously, we are very concerned, and there is a lot of investigative work to be done to see what has happened." 4. Chevron fire department personnel, including emergency responders from the City of El Segundo and Manhattan Beach are actively responding to an isolated fire inside the Chevron El Segundo Refinery, Bloomberg quoted a spokesperson for the company as saying. 5. A shelter-in-place order was put in effect for areas of Manhattan Beach, roughly two miles southwest of El Segundo, but it was lifted shortly after 1 am, according to an emergency alert from the city, CNN reported. Also Read | Major fire erupts at Chevron Refinery in Los Angeles suburb of El Segundo 6. The cause of the explosion at the El Segundo facility, a suburb refinery that supplies jet fuel to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) just to its north, was not immediately known. 7. US WTI crude futures rose 22 cents to $60.70 per barrel at 11:36 GMT on Friday, heading toward a weekly decline of over 7%, Reuters reported. 8. Residents of Los Angeles shared numerous videos of the fire on social media, expressing shock at the loud noise from the blast. A University of California-San Diego camera recorded footage of the explosion shortly after 9:30 p.m. PDT (0430 GMT). 9. California governor Gavin Newsoms office took to X and said, Our office is coordinating in real time with local and state agencies to protect the surrounding community and ensure public safety." 10. Chevrons El Segundo facility, the companys second-largest refinery in the US, established in 1911, provides 20% of all motor vehicle fuels and 40% of the jet fuel used in Southern California. The refinery has a capacity of approximately 290,000 barrels per day. Conservative influencer Nick Sortor claimed that the Attorney General Pam Bondi has ordered a probe into the Portland Police Bureau after his arrest on suspicion of second-degree disorderly conduct during the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) clash. His arrest followed Portland Police Bureau stating it was monitoring the protest during the evening and observed some protest participants engaging in fights, according to Fox News. Sortor took to X and said, Attorney General Pam Bondi has ORDERED a full investigation, led by Asst. AG Harmeet Dhillon, of the Portland Police Bureau, following my wrongful arrest last night, Bondi confirmed to me. @AGPamBondi personally called me to deliver this news, and Im incredibly grateful to her for doing so. The Trump DOJ WILL NOT allow Portland Police to continue to do the bidding of Antifa. "This was as big of a surprise to me as it was to everybody else. All of a sudden, you know, I'm being jumped by Antifa thugs. I get back up, I stumble away and go back toward cops where I think, you know, at least, all right, well, maybe that'll be a safer place for me to go never suspected that I was going to be the target of the arrest, that they were coming in to me," Fox News quoted Sortor as saying after his release. "And when they put me into handcuffs, the first thing that went to my mind wasn't, 'Oh, you're being arrested.' It's, 'Oh, they're trying to help you and get you out of here and make it look like they're doing something.' Because they weren't telling me what they were doing. They weren't telling me I was under arrest. They weren't telling me what I was being charged with. And it took over an hour for me to find out what I was charged with," he further said. Also Read | Trump Orders US Troops to Portland Citing Anti-ICE Protests The Antifa people out here don't exactly love the First Amendment, Sortor said, adding, "They act like they do until it's reciprocated on them. I have every right to stand out here and film them. We saw them get in the way of federal agents trying to come out of the ICE facility here, and they end up pushing up against ICE agents. And what happens? They get maced. Okay, so I go in, and I film that aftermath," Sortor said. What did the the Portland Police Bureau say? The Portland Police Bureau stated, "At about 8:09 pm, PPB Dialogue Officers (DLOs) observed two men fighting near the ICE building driveway. Hamas said on Friday it was ready to release hostages held in Gaza under a peace deal proposed by Donald Trump but wanted negotiations on the details and a say in the future of the Palestinian territory, news agency AFP reported. "The movement announces its approval for the release of all hostages - living and remains - according to the exchange formula included in President Trump's proposal," Hamas said in a statement released on Telegram, adding it was ready to enter talks "to discuss the details". The hostages, some of whom have been released earlier, were taken in by Hamas in the October 7, 2023, attack. Donald Trump responds Soon after the Hamas statement, US President Donald Trump said Israel must immediately stop bombing Gaza and that he believes Hamas is ready for peace. Trump also shared full Hamas statement which came hours after President Trump issued an ultimatum to the Palestinian militant group, warning that it must agree to a proposed Gaza peace deal by Sunday evening, or it will face more attacks. "Based on the Statement just issued by Hamas, I believe they are ready for a lasting PEACE. Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly!" Trump posted on Truth Social. In the statement, Hamas said it agreed to hand over power in Gaza to a body of Palestinian technocrats but said decisions on the territory's long-term future would need to be discussed within a Palestinian framework "in which Hamas will participate and contribute responsibly". No mention of its intentions on disarmament Hamas's statement, however, made no mention of its intentions on disarmament, a key part of the US president's plan and a move the group has previously resisted. Mahmoud Mardawi, a senior Hamas official, told AFP, after the statement, the group welcomed Trump's proposal, but that "without clear terms, criteria, and transparency, we need clarification and confirmation through a negotiated agreement". "The American proposal is vague, ambiguous, and lacks clarity," Mardawi said. Hamas had "made our position clear, and we are now waiting to see how the details of the terms will be implemented and clarified", he added. What is Donald Trump's Gaza Plan? On Monday, White House released the 20-point blueprint for ending the war between Israel and Hamas under which all hostages, living and dead, would be returned within 72 hours of a ceasefire. It refers to a redeveloped "New Gaza" in future. President Trump laid out a 20-point plan , backed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for ending the Israel-Hamas war and establishing a post war governance in the war-battered Palestinian territory. Trump's plan would establish a temporary governing board that would be headed by Trump and include former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict calls for Gaza to become a deradicalised terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbours and pledges redevelopment for the benefit of the people of Gaza, who have suffered more than enough. US Senators Charles E. Grassley and Richard J. Durbin rapped Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) for hiring thousands of H-1B visa holders while laying off employees worldwide, including American staff. They wrote a letter to TCS Chief Executive Officer Krithi Krithivasan on 24 September, while taking note of a Wall Street Journal report that highlighted troubling employment trends. "We are concerned about some troubling employment trends in the tech industry. Earlier this year, the Wall Street Journal reported that the tech sector's unemployment rate was "well above" the overall jobless rate," the letter read. It added, "The Federal Reserve also found that recent American graduates with STEM majors now face higher unemployment rates than the general population." The letter by Senator Charles E. Grassley, the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senator Richard J. Durbin, the ranking member of the Committee came days after the US administration introduced new H-1B visa rules. New H-1B visa rules On 19 September, US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation, requiring a $100,000 payment to accompany or supplement H-1B petitions for new applications. The White House said the decision was made to restrict the entry of certain "H-1B aliens" into the US as non-immigrant workers. TCS 'second-largest employer of H-1B beneficiaries' The letter lashed out at TCS, saying, In evaluating the high unemployment rate for American tech workers, we cannot ignore the massive, ongoing layoffs ordered by you and your peers in C-suites over the past few years. The Senators highlighted TCS's plans to lay off over 12,000 employees worldwide, including American staff. They also said, TCS laid off nearly five dozen employees in its Jacksonville office alone last month. At the same time you have been laying off American employees, you have been filing H-1B visa petitions for thousands of foreign workers, they added. Sharing some numbers, the US Senators claimed that in fiscal year 2025, TCS received approval to hire 5,505 H-1B employees, making the company the second-largest employer of newly approved H-1B beneficiaries in the nation. With all of the homegrown American talent relegated to the sidelines, we find it hard to believe that TCS cannot find qualified American tech workers to fill these positions, they said. TCS under investigation The US Senators said in their letter that TCS is already under investigation by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for allegedly firing older American workers in favour of newly hired South-Asian H-1B employees. TCS is doing itself no favours by replacing Americans with H-1Bs while this investigation is ongoing, they added. US Senators ask TCS to explain Senators Charles E. Grassley and Richard J. Durbin also asked tech giant TCS to explain itself and answer some key questions "We would like to give you an opportunity to explain yourself. Please provide answers to the following questions, with accompanying data where appropriate, by October 10, 2025," they said. They shared a list of questions. They were: 1. Why is TCS hiring foreign tech workers when hundreds of thousands of American tech workers have been laid off over the past few years? 2. Does TCS make a good faith effort to fill open positions with Americans before filing H 1B petitions? Explain in detail. 3. Does TCS hide H-1B recruitment ads by listing them separately from general hiring ads. 4. Has TCS displaced any American employees with H-1B employees? 5. Are your company's H-1B hires provided the same salary and benefits as your American workers with the same qualifications? Please provide specific details. 6. How many H-1B workers at TCS were recruited and hired at level one wages? How many of those workers are still working at level one wages? 7. Does TCS outsource any hiring to contractors or staffing firms that place H-1B workers within your organisation? 8. Of the H-1B workers currently working at TCS, how many of those workers are directly employed and paid by TCS? Rap mogul Sean Diddy Combs has been sentenced. Judge Arun Subramanian has handed Diddy a sentence of 50 months, which is 4 years 2 months. He has also been asked to pay a fine of $500,000. Judge Subramanian said the sentence was intended to send a strong signal to the public, calling it a message to abusers and victims alike. He told the court that victims who come forward must feel confident that speaking out can bring real consequences, while abusers should see such punishment as a clear deterrent. The 55-year-old founder of Bad Boy Records founder was in custody since his arrest in September last year. He was convicted in July of transportation to engage in prostitution including his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura and another woman who testified under the pseudonym Jane,' and male sex workers across state lines. During the hearing, Judge Subramanian said the advisory guidelines suggest about six to seven years of sentencing and that he saw no reason to depart from the same. The prosecution had sought at least 11 years in prison from Judge Arun Subramanian, sayin he did horrible things while Sean Diddy Comb's counsel had argued for a more lenient sentence of 14 months. Combs has already spent 12 months at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. In the letter on Thursday, the eve of his sentencing, Sean Diddy Combs said he had no one to blame but himself. His lawyers submitted the letter to Judge Arun Subramanian. The sentencing follows a nearly two-month trial that included emotional testimony from women who accused Combs of physical abuse, threats, sexual assault and blackmail. Sean Diddy Combs sentencing: What the key witnesses said? Casandra Ventura, who dated Combs from 2007 to 2018, testified that Combs beat her and ordered her to have disgusting sex with male sex workers, reported news wire AP. A model, who had also dated Combs, testified under the pseudonym Jane stating that the music mogul put her in a chokehold, punched her in the face and forced her into an encounter with a sex worker. Rapper Kid Cudi testified that Combs broke into his home in late 2011 after learning he and Cassie were dating. Combs' former personal assistant, who testified under the pseudonym Mia said Combs forcibly kissed her at his 40th birthday party What Combs' attorneys said? Defense attorneys had pushed for a lighter sentence for Sean Diddy, citing that the music mogul lacked any financial motive for transporting male escorts across state lines. The parents of a teenager Krysta Tsukahara who was killed in a crash last year involving one of Tesla's Cybertrucks have sued the Elon Musk-owned company, alleging that a design flaw in the vehicle made it nigh impossible for their daughter to escape the crash. The incident, which took place on 27 November 2024, involved four passengers who were in the Cybertruck when the speeding vehicle driven by an intoxicated driver hit a tree and burst into flames in the Bay Area in San Francisco. Three, including Tsukahara and the driver, perished, leaving only one survivor. As the vehicle burst into flames, the power to the Cybertruck's electric doors shut down, locking the four passengers in with no way out. The lawsuit by Tsukahara's parents allege that Musk, the world's richest man, was aware of the flaw for years, but did not move fast enough to fix the problem, giving rise to the situation that left the 19-year-old dead. Her death was preventable, the teens parents, Carl and Noelle Tsukahara, said in a statement. She was alive after the crash. She called out for help. And she couldnt get out. The design of this vehicle failed Krysta, said Roger Dreyer, the attorney representing the Tsukahara family was quoted as saying by The Guardian. There was no functioning, accessible manual override or emergency release for her to escape. Tesla had repeated and direct notice that its reliance on electronic door systems created a serious risk of entrapment. Owners, bystanders, and first responders documented instances where Tesla occupants survived crash forces but could not escape when electrical power failed and fire ensued, reads the lawsuit filed by the Tsukaharas. What's the issue with Tesla doors? The design of Tesla door handles, which do not protrude from the body of the vehicle like traditional ones, has been a signature design. That said, doors of Tesla vehicles have often come under scrutiny in crash cases, because the battery that powers the unlocking mechanism can easily be destroyed by fires, and the manual release mechanisms through which the sealed doors can be opened are difficult to find. This lawsuit, reported first by The New York Times, is the latest in a long line of lawsuits that have alleged a variety of safety problems with Tesla vehicles. (Bloomberg) -- White House Budget Director Russell Vought announced the withholding of more than $2 billion for transportation projects in Chicago, the latest move by the Trump administration to use the shutdown to target political opponents in Democratic strongholds. Vought said in a post on X early Friday that $2.1 billion in Chicago infrastructure projects specifically the Red Line Extension and the Red and Purple Modernization Project have been put on hold to ensure funding is not flowing via race-based contracting. President Donald Trump has threatened to use the government shutdown to fire thousands of federal workers and cut programs that he says Democrats like. The Chicago announcement comes as the shutdown enters its third day with Democrats and Republicans in a standoff over renewing federal funding. Spokespeople for the Chicago Transit Authority, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson didnt immediately reply to requests for comment. Since the shutdown began earlier this week, Vought has already suspended $18 billion in New York infrastructure funding and $8 billion for clean energy projects in Democratic states. These critical reviews are intended to ensure no additional federal dollars go towards discriminatory, illegal and wasteful contracting practices, the US Transportation Department said in a statement about the New York and Chicago projects. Chicago has become a focal point for Trump, who has repeatedly threatened to send National Guard troops to crack down on what he has cast as out-of-control crime and violence in the heavily Democratic city. The citys Red Line Extension, which will add four new stations and extend service 5.6 miles south of 95th Street, secured a $1.97 billion grant from the Federal Transit Administration in January 2025 and is slated to finish construction in 2031. The Red and Purple Modernization initiative includes building a new bypass structure, rebuilding several stations and installing a modern signal system. The White House is also looking to fire thousands of federal workers. Vought and Trump met on Thursday to discuss federal job cuts. An announcement on their plans could come as soon as Friday. If they keep the government closed it will get more and more painful, House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters on Thursday. The White House is going to look to the administrations priorities and make sure they are funded, he added. The Senate is slated to vote again Friday on a House-passed temporary spending bill but that measure is not expected to pass. Senators are unlikely to hold votes over the weekend, which would push the shutdown into next week. --With assistance from Shruti Date Singh, Danielle Moran and Miranda Davis. (Updates with additional context throughout) More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com President Donald Trump has formally declared that the United States is engaged in an armed conflict with foreign drug cartels, labelling them terrorist organisations and classifying suspected smugglers as unlawful combatants, according to a confidential notice sent to Congress this week. The document, as obtained and reported by The New York Times, expands upon the administrations legal justification for recent US military strikes in the Caribbean, which left 17 people dead, and signals Trumps intention to invoke sweeping wartime powers against transnational criminal groups. Also Read | Trump weighing military action against drug cartels inside Venezuela: Report Why is Trump administration framing this as an armed conflict? The notice from Trump administration argues that cartels engaged in drug smuggling constitute nonstate armed groups whose actions amount to an armed attack against the United States. It describes the military campaign as a non-international armed conflict a term in international law usually applied to civil wars or conflicts with insurgent movements. Based upon the cumulative effects of these hostile acts against the citizens and interests of the United States and friendly foreign nations, the president determined that the United States is in a non-international armed conflict with these designated terrorist organizations, the notice reads. What powers does this give US President Donald Trump? By designating the campaign as an armed conflict, Trump is claiming authority to: Order targeted killings of cartel members without proof of imminent threat. Detain suspects indefinitely without trial. Use military commissions instead of civilian courts. Legal specialists warn this marks a dramatic departure from established practice. Geoffrey S. Corn, a retired Army legal adviser on the laws of war, condemned the move. This is not stretching the envelope, Corn said. This is shredding it. This is tearing it apart. How has White House defended the strikes? Anna Kelly, a White House spokeswoman, insisted Donald Trumps actions were lawful: The president acted in line with the law of armed conflict to protect our country from those trying to bring deadly poison to our shores, and he is delivering on his promise to take on the cartels and eliminate these national security threats from murdering more Americans. The administration has framed the killings as acts of self-defence, arguing that drug trafficking is directly linked to the tens of thousands of US overdose deaths each year. Are drug cartels comparable to Al Qaeda or ISIS? The Trump administrations reasoning recalls the Bush-era justification for military action against Al Qaeda after the September 11 attacks. Then, the US Supreme Court accepted that a nonstate group engaged in deliberate mass violence against Americans could trigger the laws of war. Critics, however, point out that cartels have not launched armed attacks on US soil. Corn argued that selling a dangerous product is different from an armed attack. Brian Finucane, a former State Department lawyer and conflict law expert, said the legal theory was tenuous. One major problem, however, is that it is far from clear that whoever they are targeting is an organized armed group such that the US could be in a NIAC [non-international armed conflict] with it, he said. Also Read | Watch: Flyers hide below seats as drug cartels shower gunfire outside What are political risks of Donald Trump's move? Congressional Democrats expressed alarm, accusing the president of unilaterally authorising secret wars. Senator Jack Reed, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, warned: Drug cartels are despicable and must be dealt with by law enforcement. But now, by the presidents own words, the U.S. military is engaged in armed conflict with undefined enemies he has unilaterally labelled unlawful combatants, and he has deployed thousands of troops, ships and aircraft against them. Yet he has refused to inform Congress or the public. Also Read | Drug cartel battle kills 52 in northeastern Mexican prison What comes next for Trump vs Drug Cartels? The Trump administration has not named the cartels it considers enemy combatants, though officials have pointed to Venezuelas Tren de Aragua. A declassified intelligence assessment earlier this year described it as loosely organised and decentralised, raising questions about whether it meets the threshold of an armed group under international law. US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that hes considering rebate checks of $1,000-$2,000 from tariff revenue. He reportedly proposed to share some of the hundreds of billions of dollars the federal government has collected since he imposed steep levies on imports from foreign nations in April. Also Read | Trump will not let the world move on from tariffs Well pay back debt. But we also might make a distribution to the people, almost like a dividend to the people of America, Trump told One America News on Thursday. When asked how much that would be, Trump said, Maybe $1,000-$2,000. The US President also estimated that tariffs are going to be worth over a trillion dollars a year. Trumps proposal comes as the Supreme Court is slated to hear arguments in a case next month that will decide whether the president has the power to impose such sweeping global tariffs. Theyre [tariffs] just starting to kick in, Trump was quoted as saying in an interview with One America News Network, but ultimately, your tariffs are going to be over a trillion dollars a year. What does he plan to do with the money? Number one, were paying down debt, Trump said, adding that because people have allowed the debt to go crazy. The president argued that the $37 trillion national debt is actually very little, relatively speaking because the government is taking in unprecedented sums of money from tariffs. Also Read | Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit India in December With that being said, well pay back debt, but we also might make a distribution to the people, Trump continued. Trump described his plan as a dividend to the people of America. Were thinking maybe $1,000 to $2,000 it would be great, the president said of the size of the checks Americans might get. Any disbursement from the federal government would require congressional approval. Fox Business cited data from the Treasury Department to claim that the federal government has raked in about $214.9 billion in revenues from tariffs this year. Also Read | Monetary policy committee leaves repo rate unchanged amid tariff uncertainties The $31.3 billion in tariff revenue collected in September, however, was $73 million less than the August record, the New York Post reported. Halloween this year could be scarier for Americans, financially. Thanks to President Donald Trump's tariffs. A consumer survey by the National Retail Federation (NRF) revealed that Halloween spending is expected to reach a record $13.1 billion this year up from $11.6 billion last year. According to the NRF survey, Halloween shoppers can expect to spend a record high of $114.45 per person this season nearly $11 more than last year and up from the previous record of $108.24 in 2023. Candies, costumes, decorations and greeting cards are among the most popular purchases this Halloween season. Also Read | Putin warns Trump tariffs on India, China may backfire on US economy Why Halloween this year may cost American shoppers more The NRF's annual survey found that 79% of Halloween shoppers expect to pay higher prices this year due to tariffs. Concerns have been raised about an increase in prices of Halloween products due to the tariff imposed by US President Donald Trump on foreign imports since April especially on China. Notably, Trump increased US tariffs on most Chinese goods from about 20% to 145% in April, before reducing the rate to 30% in May. According to CNN, many production orders were halted in April because importers decided it would be too costly to bring them into the US for the Halloween season. Amid the rising concerns, the Halloween and Costume Association told CNN that roughly 90% of Halloween products contain at least one component made overseas, most often in China. As a result, Halloween 2025's inventory will be tighter, and things will cost more, CNN reported. The report, however, claimed that prices for items produced outside of China may not see much of a price increase, if at all. Also Read | Trump will not let the world move on from tariffs Impact of US tariffs on Halloween Chris Zephros company, Trick or Trick Studios, reportedly produces and imports goods that are sold to more than 10,000 retailers around the world, 65% in the US. According to CNN, he has paid upwards of $800,000 in tariff costs so far this year. That cost has reportedly forced Zephro to lay off 15 employees for the first time since he co-founded his company 15 years ago. Meanwhile, Reyna Hernandez, who is piecing together a Halloween costume for her six-year-old, told CNN, "A lot of people are not going to be able to afford a costume this year." Costumes will likely cost customers $5-10 more this year, Phantom Halloweens (a store in Northridge, California) Ryan Goldman told CNN. He was quoted as saying that hes trying to keep the price of child costumes the same while boosting the price of adult costumes. Goldman said some makeup will remain the same price because it is made in Vietnam, India, or the UK. Also Read | Zomato's Deepinder Goyal sharply reacts to Trump tariffs on India Many sellers also decided that some pieces are not worth selling this year due to import costs. Meanwhile, a prop called Cagey the Clown" a 6.5-ft tall clown holding a screaming child in a cage was reportedly being sold at $399.99. This year, it would cost customers closer to $600. The US government shutdown came into effect from October 1 for the first time in seven years, after Republican and Democrats failed to resolve a budget stand-off. The shutdown affects the funding of government operations in October and, perhaps, beyond, leading to widespread disruption for Americans in areas ranging from jobs to air travel. The political stand-off is expected to put 40 per cent of the federal workforce about 750,000 people on unpaid leave, as per reports, including the one in BBC. This is how the shutdown will have impact across the US and beyond The US government has seen shut down 14 times since 1980. Three of these have happened during Trumps first term (2017-2021) alone. The present one is first in this term. What is a government shutdown? The US Congress has to approve about a dozen appropriations bills, which determine the funding of federal agencies, and get the presidents assent. This has to happen before October 1 every year. So technically, a shutdown comes into play when the Congress in the US is unable to authorise funds within the deadline lapses. What was the impact of last shutdown? The last government shutdown, which continued for 35 days between December 2018 and January 2019, saw about 8,00,000 federal government employees sent to home. This time, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has estimated that 750,000 employees would be furloughed at $400 million per day in back pay. Why is it happening now? The present shutdown followed the Democrats demand for an extension on expiring healthcare subsidies and to restore Medicaid cuts introduced as part of Donald Trumps One Big Beautiful Bill the tax cut package cleared by the Republican-majority Senate three months ago. The Bill expanded the scope of tax breaks to the wealthy, increased defence spending through cuts in federal programs such as Medicaid, and sought to expand the scope of mass deportations. As a result of the Bill, some departments such as the Department of War and the Department of Homeland Security will receive funding and continue to function through the shutdown. In the run up to shutdown that started midnight October 1, Republican lawmakers in Congress championed a clean continuing resolution to ensure federal funding would continue at current levels until November 21. Democrats opposed this and instead presented a counterproposal to keep the government functional through October. The resulting impasse has led to the what is now the present shutdown. Will federal workers be paid? Federal employees are feared to be hardest hit. Federal workers will largely not be paid during a shutdown. Employees who are considered essential must still report to work, although they will not be paid until the government reopens. Furloughed and essential employees will receive back pay after a shutdown ends. Law enforcement officers will, however, continue to work through the government shutdown. As many as 200,000 of them will go to work unpaid, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on X. Other employees who will continue to work include those in the border protection staff, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, in-hospital medical care staff and air-traffic controllers. According to CBS News, the five government departments with the most furloughed staff are: -US Department of War: (civilian staff): 334,904 furloughed, 406,573 retained -US Department of Health: 32,460 furloughed, 47,257 retained -US Department of Commerce: 34,711 furloughed, 8,273 retained -US Department of State: 16,651 furloughed, 10,344 retained -Nasa: 15,094 furloughed, 3,124 retained There is also a provision in which some workers may choose to take second jobs, as used to happen during previous shutdowns. Employees who are not deemed to be essential will be forced to stay at home. In the past, these workers have then been paid retroactively. US President Donald Trump, who has slashed government spending and cut federal jobs since taking office, has warned repeatedly that a shutdown could accelerate further layoffs and allow him to cut services and programmes he says are important to Democrats. Will there be Layoffs? White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Wednesday that layoffs would be imminent. Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought also told House Republicans during the day that federal employees would begin to be fired in one to two days, according to reports in US media Trump said in a Truth Social post on Thursday that he would meet with Vought to decide which Democrat Agencies the OMB director recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent. Will the Members of Congress be paid? Members of Congress, however, will still be paid. They are protected under the US Constitution - a convention that has been opposed by some lawmakers. How does shutdown affect the air travel? A federal shutdown will potentially hit flyers in many ways and might as well result in long security queues and delays caused by unpaid air traffic controllers choosing to stay home rather than work for free, according to a BBC report. Air traffic control and Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) workers are considered "essential", so they will continue to go to work. But they will not be paid until the shutdown ends. Air traffic control services will continue, allowing more than 13,000 air traffic controllers to work through a shutdown but without pay until the government is funded again. In the 2018-2019 shutdown, these workers increasingly began to call in sick, leading to delays that had a ripple effect across the country. Is the military affected in shutdown? As things stand, majority of veteran benefits and military operations will continue to be funded regardless of the shutdown. The salary of military and civilian workers will potentially be delayed until a funding deal is reached. Most of these workers might be forced to continue going to work without pay. Military personnel on active duty, including active guard reserves, remain on duty, but no new orders may be issued except for extenuating circumstances such as disaster response or national security, the CBS report said. Some National Guard members serving through federal funding could have their orders terminated unless performing an essential duty. Federal employees will largely not be paid during a shutdown. The Department of Veterans Affairs said ahead of the shutdown that it expected 97 per cent of its employees to work. The Army and Navy has said they will provide "limited updates" on their websites during the shutdown. The Air Force and Space Force said their websites are "not being updated. What about Social Security checks? The Social Security benefits will continue in the shutdown. The recipients will keep receiving their payments. However, the Social Security Administration could face a furloughed workforce. Fewer workers that usual could mean that processing new Social Security applications could be impacted or delayed. How is the Department of Health affected? The Department of Health and Human Services said in its contingency plan that it expects more than 32,000 of its nearly 80,000 workers to be furloughed during the shutdown. The department run critical agencies such as the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Food and Drug Administration The department said expcepted activities will continue, citing responses to pandemic, flu and hurricanes as examples. Additionally, the National Institutes of Health is still conducting research and clinical services necessary to protect human life and government property. The research contracts and grants to external organisations, such as universities, are now frozen. The National Institute of Health (NIH) will not admit new patients to its research hospital unless medically necessary. HHS also said it will not process Freedom of Information Act requests during a shutdown. What happens to National Parks? National Parks and National Forests remain visitors during past shutdowns since the rangers and other employees are staying home. In last shutdown, the Trump administration made the decision to leave parks open, with few to no federal workers there to staff them. The decision, however, led to vandalism in parks, as visitors drove through protected landscapes and indulged in loots at historical sites. What about zoos? The famous Smithsonian Institution museums will stay open until at least Monday, 6 October. The management said it had money available from years prior to help it keep operating. Animals at the National Zoo will continue to be fed and cared for, according to the Smithsonian, which runs the zoo. Will the Mail arrive? The US Postal Service has previously been unaffected by government shutdowns. This time too, it is unlikely to be affected. In a statement posted on its website earlier this week, the service said all post offices would remain open for business as usual. This is precisely because the postal service does not depend on Congress for funding. US Government Shutdown Highlights: The US Senate Democrats on Friday rejected a Republican spending bill after conducting a vote, which now is likely to push the government shutdown into the upcoming week, reported the news agency Reuters. Both the Democratic and Republican sides are standing firm in the face of the US government shutdown and Donald Trumps threats to fire thousands of federal workers to exercise political revenge. The government shutdown entered its fourth day on Sunday, 4 October 2025. If the US government shutdown enters into the upcoming week, then it is also expected to lengthen the furloughs and cause a prolonged disruption in government services. Friday's vote was the fourth time that Democrats have rejected a no-strings temporary measure to open the government through 21 November 2025, according to the agency report. When was the last government shutdown in the US? The US government shutdown announced by the Donald Trump administration comes for the first time in nearly seven years. The last time the US government experienced a partial shutdown was during Donald Trump's first term at the White House in 2018. What is a government shutdown? In the event of a government shutdown, the United States federal government halts all non-essential services. For employees who work to protect life and property, stay on their job while continuing to work. However, these people will not get their payment until after the shutdown has ended. In the event of a shutdown, essential services such as flight operations, postal mail, and other similar services are likely to continue operating as usual. Mint reported earlier that US President Donald Trump cancelled 321 key energy projects in the economy. Stay tuned to LiveMint for all the LIVE Updates on the US Government Shutdown Ukraine has suggested the United States ways it could help Washington replace Russia to sell oil to Europe, as President Donald Trump pushes the EU to back off from investing in Moscow's energy to end its war on Ukraine, according to a report by The New York Post. Ukrainian Energy Minister Svitlana Grynchuk told the newspaper that the pipelines situated beneath Ukraine's surface could be used to supply fuel either drilled in the country with the US-Ukraine mineral deal or shipped in from America. Ukraines gas and oil infrastructure has always been a key part of European energy security because Ukrainian territory was like a transit from Russia to Europe and we have very, very good gas and oil infrastructure, the minister was quoted as saying. The suggestion, if taken in, could mean that American oil can soon replace Russia in the energy sector of European countries. Also Read | Zelenskiy Says Ukraine Seeks Long-Range Arms Deals With US The US and other international partners could use this infrastructure for ensuring European energy security by supplying it and also the storage potential of gas and oil in Ukraine, Grynchuk said. Ukraine proposes idea at UNGA Andriy Yermak, the top advisor of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, told The New York Post that he proposed the idea to US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last week. He told the newspaper that Kyiv could help the US supplant Russia in giving oil holdout to European countries. According to him, US could see its economy skyrocket and help Kyiv stop the war against Moscow should Donald Trump join in on the offer. I asked him to introduce me to your Secretary of Energy, Yermak said of his conversation with Waltz. Also Read | EU unlikely to impose tariffs on India, China over Russian oil purchases Ukraine has the highest amount of liquid gas storage across all of Europe. I asked him that please, as soon as possible, please arrange the meetings [between US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Grynchuk,] and we can come, Yermak said. Is US on board? However, the proposal tabled by Ukraine is still in early stages and the US' reaction to it is unclear. We need to work together, because Ukraine is the responsible partner [over Russia,] Yermak said. We are open. Lets see things together, and lets work together. Oil has acted as Russia's main source of income in fuelling its war with Ukraine. Weaning off the trade would mean that Moscow is likely to be pressured into signing a peace deal as Trump wants. The 20-point plan announced last this week by US President Donald Trump to end the war in Gaza was not in line with a draft presented to him by a group of Muslim-majority countries, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Friday. I have made it clear that these 20 points which Trump has made public are ... not the same as ours. I say that some changes have been made in it, in the draft we had, Dar, who is also deputy prime minister of Pakistan, was quoted as saying in remarks to Pakistani lawmakers by Reuters. Also Read | Full text of Donald Trump's Gaza plan released by White House Dars statement in the Pakistan National Assembly comes just days after Trump praised Islamabad for supporting his Gaza plan. Also, Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif had earlier welcomed Trump's plan. PM Sharif while in transit had given a general response to Trump's broader social media post, Dar said. What is the Trump's Gaza Plan? On Monday, White House released the 20-point blueprint for ending the war between Israel and Hamas under which all hostages, living and dead, would be returned within 72 hours of a ceasefire. It refers to a redeveloped "New Gaza" in future. President Trump laid out a 20-point plan for ending the Israel-Hamas war and establishing a post war governance in the war-battered Palestinian territory. Trump's plan would establish a temporary governing board that would be headed by Trump and include former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict calls for Gaza to become a deradicalised terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbours and pledges redevelopment for the benefit of the people of Gaza, who have suffered more than enough. What did eight Muslim nations say? Trump unveiled his plan a week after meeting leaders of eight Muslim nations - Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia and Pakistan - to discuss the situation in Gaza. Eight Muslim nations, including Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates, had issued a joint statement welcoming Donald Trump's sincere efforts to end the war in Gaza. What did Dar say? On Friday, Dar said in the House that the eight nations received a commitment from Trump that he would not allow an Israeli annexation of the occupied West Bank, which far-right allies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his governing coalition have called for. I say that some changes have been made in it, in the draft we had. A consensus draft prepared by the Muslim countries asked for a "full Israeli withdrawal" and "a path for a just peace on the basis of the two-state solution" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Dar said, reading from a copy of their proposal. The creation of a Palestinian state co-existing with Israel is Pakistani policy, he said. Netanyahu has repeatedly ruled out Palestinian statehood, saying this would endanger Israel. European leaders at a high level summit in Copenhagen poked fun at US President Donald Trump's repeated mix-ups between Armenia and Albania, with a viral clip showing French President Emmanuel Macron sharing a laugh with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama. In a clip from the European Political Community meet on Thursday, the trio can be seen laughing over Trump's assertion that he brokered a peace deal with Azerbaijan and Albania, with the French President even offering a mock apology. "You should make an apology to us...because you didnt congratulate us on the peace deal that President Trump made between Albania and Azerbaijan," Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama is heard telling an initially confused Macron. The moment the words leave Rama's mouth Aliyev is seen bursting into laughter, and Macron immediately catches on and issues a mock apology. "I am sorry for that," Macron says jokingly as the clip cuts off. Watch: The viral clip is a peek into how President Trump's continued mix-ups and gaffes and his nonchalance about the same are received in international political circles. With the US President eyeing a Nobel Peace Prize, Trump, since taking office in January, has claimed to have ended seven wars, including one between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Having brokered the peace and ended decades of conflict, the US President has gone around telling the world of his achievements, but in the process, has produced gaffe after gaffe. Addressing a joint press conference with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently, Trump confidently announced, "We settled Aber-baijan and Albania," instead of Armenia, much to the UK PM's confusion. Earlier, he had told Fox News that he had brought an end to an "unsolvable war" between Azerbaijan and Albania (not Armenia) "which was going on for many, many years". Munich Airport closed: The Munich Airport in Germany was forced to undergo a temporary closure on Thursday night after a wave of drone sightings, becoming the latest European aviation hub to shut down over unexplained drone spotting. According to German air traffic control, several flight operations were disrupted, affecting thousands of passengers at the country's second-biggest aviation hub. As many as 17 flights could not depart as they were grounded, while 15 incoming flights were diverted to Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Vienna and Frankfurt, an official statement said. Nearly 3,000 passengers have been affected due to the sudden shutdown of the Munich Airport. According to a report by CNN, the Munich Airport is scheduled to reopen at 5 am, as some flights are still awaiting takeoff. Also Read | Mystery drone sightings reported over critical infrastructure in northern Germany Some flights are still waiting to take off, others have been cancelled. Everything is under control and the airport is due to reopen, the news outlet reported quoting a call handler fielding passenger enquiries. The Munich Airport, located in Bavaria, southern Germany, is a hub for German flagship airline Lufthansa. According to the statement, German air traffic control officials restricted flight operations at Munich airport from 10:18 pm (2018 GMT) on Thursday and later suspended them altogether due to several drone sightings. Munich was already placed on edge this week when its popular Oktoberfest was closed temporarily due to a bomb threat and the discovery of explosives in a residential building in the city's north. Also Read | Suspected Russian drone incursions expose gaps in Nato defenses Munich airport latest closure victim Munich Airport became the latest European airport to fall victim of closure due to drone sightings, with officials across the countries suspecting a Russian angle to the incidents. Recently, airports in major European hubs, including Copenhagen and Oslo, were forced to shut down or face large-scale diversions due to drone incidents. The recent incidents prompted officials to warn of sophisticated operators and broader security implications. A spate of aerial incursions has sparked talks in the European Union around building a drone wall. Denmark has fallen just short of who it believes is responsible for the drone incident in its airspace last week. However, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has suggested it could be Russia. The European Union on Wednesday backed plans of its leaders to strengthen their efforts to ensure defence against Russian drones. US President Donald Trump issued an ultimatum to the Palestinian militant group Hamas, warning that it must agree to a proposed Gaza peace deal by Sunday evening, or it will face more attacks. An Agreement must be reached with Hamas by Sunday Evening at SIX (6) P.M., Washington, D.C. time, Trump wrote on Truth social media on Friday. He gave Hamas one last chance to accept the deal. Every Country has signed on! If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas. THERE WILL BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, Trump said. Trump's Gaza peace deal US President Donald Trump unveiled the proposed Gaza peace deal alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this week. Trumps proposal would place Gaza under control of a temporary governing committee led by Trump himself. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair would be involved as well, the Associated Press reported. Civilians would not be required to evacuate the territory, something that Trump had floated before. Hamas would be required to disarm and release any remaining hostages. Surviving fighters would be allowed to leave. Trump said on Friday, Great, powerful, and very rich Nations of the Middle East, and the surrounding areas beyond, together with the United States of America, have agreed, with Israel signing on, to PEACE, after 3000 years, in the Middle East. THIS DEAL ALSO SPARES THE LIVES OF ALL REMAINING HAMAS FIGHTERS! The details of the document are known to the WORLD, and it is a great one for ALL! We will have PEACE in the Middle East one way or the other., he added. Also Read | UN aid workers promised Gaza women food in exchange for sexual interactions The violence and bloodshed will stop. RELEASES THE HOSTAGES, ALL OF THEM, INCLUDING THE BODIES OF THOSE THAT ARE DEAD, NOW!, the US President said in a message to Hamas. Hamas react Hamas said Tuesday that it would study the proposal. Trump told reporters then that Hamas would have three or four days to respond. Trump has struggled to force an end to the conflict, which began when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. His latest post on social media is another attempt to increase pressure on Hamas. Also Read | UN aid workers promised Gaza women food in exchange for sexual interactions Since the data pertains to transactions done in August, it signals reasonably robust demand, given that many big-ticket buys may have got deferred mid-month after Prime Minister Narendra Modis Independence Day announcement of an indirect tax-relief bonanza. Also Read | Indias GST reset is positive but may put government revenue under pressure If GST rate cuts effective from 22 September result in surging retail offtake, incipient indications of which have arisen, the countrys mop-up could be higher in October and November. Also Read | India GST rate cut: Consumption boost vs capital expenditure dilemma The government would be tracking this data closely. Its tax stimulus is designed to stoke consumption, which accounts for about three-fifths of Indias economic output and was in need of policy support. Moreover, the Centres fiscal math for 2025-26 would add up better if the revenue loss of rate cuts is offset by a boom in retail sales volumes. The trend in collections after this years festive season would show how durable the GST boost proves. Should it endure, economists who argue that high taxation is almost always a big restraint on growth would have good reason to feel acquitted. The stock-market debut of two startups has put the spotlight on Indias biggest economic challenge: creating enough jobs for the worlds largest cohort of youth. Urban Company gave investors the best post-listing pop of any major company that has gone public in India this year; shares in the home-services marketplace rose 62% on its opening day last month. Next up is the much-awaited initial public offering of Physicswalla, an edtech firm. From the capital markets standpoint, the two startups are a testament to rapid digitization. The kind of rent-a-service that Urban Company offerscleaning and pest control, handyman support, appliance repair, and beauty and groomingisnt new. Without a smartphone app, however, it would have been impossible to connect individual contractors scattered across a vast geography with affluent households. Urban Company, which assesses its near-term opportunity at $21 billion across 200 cities, has barely scratched the surface. Thats what excites investors. Ditto for Physicswallah (PW). For a talented tutor, it was never difficult to fill a classroom in a city like Kota, a test-prep hub in the northwestern state of Rajasthan where 16- and 17-year-old high schoolers camp out for a year or two, cramming for engineering and medical school entrance exams. The genius of PW founder Alakh Pandey lay in getting nearly 100 million of these aspirants to subscribe to his YouTube channels. However, the success of PW and Urban Company is not just about digitization; its also about dreams and despair. The handyman whos signed up as a contractor on an app would prefer a factory job. Digital aggregators provide accident and life insurance, but a full suite of social-security benefits, including statutory contributions to retirement funds, is a bridge too far. Our business would be adversely affected if service professionals were classified as employees, workmen or quasi-employees," Urban said in its IPO prospectus. That wont happen. As a nod to gig workers welfare, some sort of a fee on platforms would be the likely limit to government legislation. After all, even politicians know they cant provide factory jobs to their voters. At 13%, the share of manufacturing in Indias GDP last year was the lowest since at least 1960, according to the World Bank. And that was before Trumps imposition of a prohibitive 50% tariff on Indian exports, a tax that would disproportionately affect labour-intensive industries like textiles, home furnishings, and gems and jewellery. A white-collar career is the ticket out of this rut. Or at least thats the dream for the 13 million to 15 million youth hoping to get into the 23 Indian Institutes of Technology that accept fewer than 18,000 students a year. Thats one of PWs core markets. But even for these aspirants, some of whom prep for as many as four years, fierce competition is no longer the only source of anxiety. Trumps immigration policies, especially his attack on the H-1B work visa, are getting in the way of income security of Indian families, supported by their childrens tech jobs in the US. At the same time, breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI) are upending the domestic outsourcing industry that employs nearly 6 million. Amid speculation of mass layoffs at Mumbai-based Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), the software-export behemoth has clarified that only 2% of its workforce, or about 12,000 code-writers and support staff, may be affected. The 30,000 dismissals figure floating on social media is incorrect and misleading," it says. Multinationals are the one bright spot in this gloomy landscape. Theyre still adding lucrative positions in the most-populous nation, and giving their researchers and engineers cutting-edge AI tools to make them more productive. But with US lawmakers considering a 25% tax on American companies for payments made to foreign workers for services consumed in the US, even the so-called global capability centers may face a squeeze. The challenge is grave. One in five additions to the working-age population worldwide over the next decade will take place in India, according to Morgan Stanley. At the current labour-force participation rate of 60%, the number of jobseekers would go up by 1.3% each year, while the current GDP growth of around 6.5% can only absorb a 1% increase. Then there is the underemployment that ballooned when tens of millions of migrant workers went back to their villages during the covid pandemic. Only an extraordinary pace of 12%-plus GDP expansion would clear the backlog over 10 years, says Chetan Ahya, the banks Asia economist. And thats assuming a modest increase in the participation rate to 63%. Were more discouraged workers, particularly women, to return to the labour market, the required growth rate would be 14%. Even half of that may not be sustainable without US technology, capital and markets. Also Read | The temporary staffing model beats gig employment hollow China has a lot of industrial machinery, raw materials and consumer goods to sell to India, but very little to buy from it. For the sake of its youth, New Delhi must put its derailed relationship with Washington back on track. Physicswallah and Urban Company are joined at the hip via the labour market. The formers success in placing teenagers on the first rung of high-growth careers will create demand for the latters services. But without Americas active encouragement of Indias economic rise, repairmen and house painters wont transition to factory jobs. Nor, for that matter, would a sufficient number of budding software engineers be able to realize their dream of upper-middle-class lifeat home or in the US. Bloomberg The author is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering industrial companies and financial services in Asia. The news this week that the U.S. will lend intelligence support for Ukraines long-range missile strikes on Russian targets is welcomeand testifies to the live debate inside the Trump Administration on how to deal with Vladimir Putins refusal to negotiate an end to his assault on Ukraine. All who follow the war understand that Ukraine wont gain the upper hand in the fight if the Russian homeland is a sanctuary. Mr. Trump himself said on social media this year that President Bidens big mistake was refusing to let Ukraine fight back" instead of merely defending its own territory. He was right then, not that his policy has changed much since. Ukraines attacks on Russian energy infrastructure are doing real damage. The Hudson Institute in its Oct. 1 battlefield update noted that Russia has been placing protective metal structures over its energy facilities to protect them from long-range Ukrainian drone strikes. The Kremlin also recently banned the export of gasoline until the end of 2025 in an effort to conserve its resources for domestic use." U.S. intel will make these attacks pack a more powerful and precise punch. The intelligence support is at least a tacit overruling of those in the Administration, especially in the Pentagons strategy shop, who fret that any such help amounts to dangerous escalation that might rile Mr. Putin. A crucial question is whether Mr. Trump will put targeting restrictions on the new Extended Range Attack Munition soon to arrive in Ukraine. These cheaper munitions will give Ukraine better ability to strike at longer ranges. Their U.S. development for Ukraine is a success story amid so much defeatism about insufficient and too-expensive U.S. weapons inventories. Mr. Trump still isnt ready to get tough on Mr. Putin, and one wonders if this weeks leaks are designed to stave off criticism that he isnt doing what he really should: Putting sanctions on buyers of Russian oil and on Mr. Putin himself; seizing Russian assets frozen in foreign accounts; expanding Ukraines long-range weapons arsenal, including Tomahawk cruise missiles. Even on the good days, Mr. Trumps Ukraine policy is a muddle. But well still applaud an incremental improvement like more U.S. intelligence support for Ukraine to help pressure Mr. Putin to the negotiating table. (Bloomberg) -- The US Supreme Court said it will take up a new gun-rights case, agreeing to review a Hawaii law that bars people from bringing firearms to malls, stores and other private property without the owners express permission. The high court will hear an appeal from three Hawaii residents who say the restrictions operate as a sweeping prohibition on the right to carry a handgun in public, violating the Constitutions Second Amendment. Hawaiians no longer may carry firearms for lawful self-defense in tens of thousands of private property locations, the residents argued. The court will hear arguments and rule by July. The Supreme Court ruled in 2022 that the Second Amendment protects gun rights outside the home, striking down a New York law that sharply limited who could get a license to carry firearms. Hawaiis 2023 law bars people from carrying firearms onto private property that is open to the public unless the owner gives permission by unambiguous written or verbal authorization or by posting clear and conspicuous signage. A federal appeals court sided with the state on the disputed provision, and Hawaii urged the Supreme Court to reject the appeal. The provision represents a valid governmental effort to vindicate property owners fundamental right to exclude by enacting a default rule that comports with the communitys reasonable expectations regarding armed entry onto private property, the state argued. Other parts of the 2023 Hawaii law not directly at issue in the Supreme Court case ban firearms in government buildings, public parks and beaches, and bars and restaurants that serve alcohol. The case could be one of multiple Second Amendment clashes the Supreme Court takes up in the nine-month term that starts Monday. Pending appeals ask the justices to consider the federal ban on firearm possession by drug users, as well as state laws that set 21 as the minimum age to possess a gun and a ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines. The new case is Wolford v. Lopez, 24-1046. (Updates with excerpts from court filings starting in third paragraph.) More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com WASHINGTON (AP) The Supreme Court said on Friday that it will take up its latest gun rights case and consider striking down a strict regulation on where people can carry firearms in Hawaii. President Donald Trump's Republican administration had urged the justices to take the case, arguing the law violates the courts landmark 2022 ruling that expanded gun rights by finding the Second Amendment generally gives people the right to carry firearms. The court will consider Hawaii's law that bans guns on private property like stores and hotels unless the owner has specifically allowed them, verbally or with a sign. Because most property owners do not post signs either allowing or forbidding guns, Hawaiis default rule functions as a near-complete ban on public carry, Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote in court documents. The case isn't aimed at its restrictions on guns in other places, like beaches, parks and restaurants that serve alcohol. State attorneys argue that theyve already loosened its concealed-carry permit regulations to align with the high courts 2022 ruling. They say its new law strikes a reasonable balance between gun rights and public safety. A judge blocked the Hawaii law after it was challenged in court by a gun rights group and three people from Maui. But the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals largely reversed that decision and allowed Hawaii to enforce the law. The gun-safety group Everytown urged the court to uphold the measure. The Ninth Circuit was absolutely right to say its constitutional to prohibit guns on private property unless the owner says they want guns there, said Janet Carter, managing director of Second Amendment litigation. Four other states have laws banning guns in areas often referred to as sensitive locations, though similar presumptive restrictions for guns on private property have been blocked elsewhere, including in New York. The Supreme Court had previously declined a push from gun-rights groups to fully strike down the New York law. The conservative-majority court's 2022 ruling also found modern gun regulations must fit within historical traditions, a major shift in the country's gun law landscape. Since then, the justices have struck down a ban on bump stocks from Trumps first term but upheld another on ghost guns imposed under then-President Joe Biden. The court has also upheld a law intended to protect domestic violence victims. ___ New Delhi: Is flu rampant at your home and neighborhood? You are not alone. India is witnessing a surge in influenza cases this year with data from hospitals across the country showing that one in four people sampled have tested positive for the virus. A 25% positivity rate is considered high for seasonal influenza in India and indicates a widespread outbreak. The high positivity rate can be directly linked to the rapid spread and virulence of the latest H3N2 strain, which is currently the dominant circulating subtype of the virus. Of the 100,000 samples collected between January till September, some 25,000 cases were confirmed as flu, per data from hospitals uploaded to the central government's Integrated Health Information Platform. This data is closely tracked by the country's apex biomedical researcher, the Indian Council of Medical Research, and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the government's disease and public health institute' accurate. Mint has reviewed the data. Queries sent to the health ministry spokesperson remained unanswered. Seasonality The peak of this flu season hit in August and September following monsoon rains raising public health concerns across the country. The data reveals that the H3N2 virus is the most common strain, accounting for some 10,000, or 40%, of the confirmed cases. The H1N1 virus, also a common swine flu strain, was detected in about 4,000 samples. The high percentage of H3N2 cases is a cause for worry given the vulnerability of young children, men with pre-existing conditions, and the elderly, who make up a significant portion of the affected, a government official said, declining to be identified. A specialist doctor called for urgent public health communication. "This recent spike is a significant public health issue," said Dr Sanchayan Roy, Senior Consultant in Internal Medicine at Apollo Spectra Hospital, New Delhi. We need to place a greater emphasis on flu vaccination, hygiene, and early detection to contain the spread. Public awareness campaigns, particularly in schools and workplaces, are crucial for minimizing transmission." Fast mutation A scientist familiar with the research pointed to the risk of influenza leading to more serious illnesses. The influenza virus has a tendency to change suddenly, it's very unstable," the scientist said. "The key is to diagnose and detect these respiratory viruses early so they dont develop into more serious conditions like pneumonia." The scientist requested anonymity. NCDC last year recorded 20,414 H1N1 cases and 347 deaths in India, numbers that highlight the seriousness of these infections. It is early to track data on H3N2 year to date because the virus is still spreading rapidly. The rise in flu cases in the last nine months needs to be studied further for better public health strategies, an expert said. We see these surges every now and then. We need to go by the pattern it is showing, when and where the peaks are," said Dr Jayaprakash Muliyil, virologist and former principal of Christian Medical College, Vellore. Meanwhile, at the individual level, Dr Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist for the World Health Organization, had a simple piece of advice: "When infections are on the rise, it's always advisable to wear a mask in crowded places and wash your hands frequently." Google has warned that executives and IT departments at major organisations are facing extortion attempts after hackers claimed to have stolen sensitive data from Oracle Corps widely used E-Business Suite, Reuters reported on Thursday. The campaign, linked to the notorious Cl0p ransomware group, began in late September and includes ransom demands of up to $50 million, according to cybersecurity firms involved in the response. Cl0ps new campaign A group of hackers claimed they have breached Oracles E-Business Suite, software that underpins critical corporate functions such as finance, supply chains and customer management. At least one affected company has confirmed its systems were compromised, while multiple victims have received proof of intrusion in the form of screenshots and file listings. Halcyon, a cybersecurity firm responding to the incidents, reported that ransom demands have reached eight-figure sums. We have seen Cl0p demand huge seven- and eight-figure ransoms in the last few days, said Cynthia Kaiser, vice-president at Halcyons ransomware research centre. How the attacks work Googles Threat Intelligence Group found that the extortion emails were first circulated on or before 29 September, sent through hundreds of hijacked third-party accounts. The attackers claimed to have exfiltrated corporate data and used email addresses previously linked to Cl0p affiliates. According to Halcyon, the hackers obtained access by abusing Oracles default password-reset process on internet-facing portals, though some security experts believe an underlying software flaw may have been exploited instead. Sloppy emails, high stakes People familiar with the campaign described the ransom notes as riddled with spelling and grammar mistakes, a hallmark of the groups previous operations. Victims were provided with contact details matching those on Cl0ps dark web leak site, though it remains unclear whether any organisations have agreed to pay. Oracle has so far declined to comment on the alleged breaches. The incidents add to a growing list of attacks attributed to Cl0p, which in 2023 exploited a flaw in MOVEit file-transfer software, stealing data from hundreds of firms including Shell, British Airways parent IAG and the BBC. A persistent global threat Cl0p has long been described as one of the worlds most prolific ransomware groups. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) warned last year that the gang had compromised thousands of organisations worldwide through phishing and mass email attacks. Apple on Thursday removed ICEBlock, the most popular app tracking US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, from its App Store after being contacted by President Donald Trumps administration, citing safety concerns raised by law enforcement. Justice Department flags safety risks According to Reuters, the US Justice Department argued that the ICEBlock app, which alerts users when ICE agents are nearby, could put officers at risk of assault. In a statement to Fox Business, Attorney General Pam Bondi said: ICEBlock is designed to put ICE agents at risk just for doing their jobs, and violence against law enforcement is an intolerable red line that cannot be crossed. Apple confirmed its decision in an emailed statement, saying: Based on information we've received from law enforcement about the safety risks associated with ICEBlock, we have removed it and similar apps from the App Store. Trumps hardline immigration drive Since taking office, President Trump has intensified his immigration crackdown. ICE has conducted repeated raids on workplaces and communities, detaining undocumented migrants, visa holders, and even permanent residents. According to rights groups, some of those targeted have been singled out over their political views, including pro-Palestinian advocacy. Advocates have warned that the administrations approach threatens civil liberties, including freedom of speech and the right to due process, noted Reuters. App creator faces legal threats Joshua Aaron, a Texas-based developer who created ICEBlock, has already been cautioned by federal officials. Bondi and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem have told him he is not protected under the US Constitution and could face prosecution. The app had become a key tool for immigrant communities and activists seeking to avoid ICE raids, before being taken down. Tech firms under scrutiny? Apples swift compliance may signify the close ties major technology companies are attempting to maintain with Trump during his second term. The removal is likely to draw fresh scrutiny over Silicon Valleys relationship with the administration, particularly where it intersects with law enforcement and civil rights concerns. Elon Musk recently encouraged the mass cancellation of Netflix subscriptions after the streaming giant faced backlash over a trans character in the animated series, Dead End: Paranormal Park. After Rep. Tim Burchett vowed to question Netflix officials about their agenda regarding the series, Tesla CEO publicly supported him on X, formerly Twitter. Elon Musk pushes for committee investigation into Netflix show Netflix officials will appear before a congressional committee to face questions about the streamers treatment and presentation of transgender characters, according to Deadline. Rep. Tim Burchett, a member of the DOGE subcommittee, said the matter was of concern because Dead End: Paranormal Park had been listed as appropriate for viewers aged seven and older, as per The Guardian. Elon Musk praised Burchett's commitment by reposting a brief clip of his statement on X. Good, Musk simply captioned the post. Tim Burchetts plan for Netflix While Burchett called for a committee investigation of the matter, he was unsure which committee would be fit to handle it. Im going to follow up with my folks after we get off, and well call them and say, Which committee can they be brought in front of? I think what we have to look at, who regulates the FCC, and since its cable, does that count? Burchett said on conservative Benny Johnsons podcast, as per Deadline. We need to find out what their agenda is and why theyre pushing this stuff. Because, from what I understand, that little cartoon is apparently the number one-rated cartoon they have on their show. I havent seen it. It looks kind of like claymation or something, Im not really sure, Burchett added. Netflix faced backlash after rightwing activist account Libs of TikTok posted a clip from Dead End: Paranormal Park, where the character Barney identifies as transgender, on X. FAQs Who is the creator of Dead End: Paranormal Park? Hamish Steele is the creator of Dead End: Paranormal Park. Who identifies as transgender in Dead End: Paranormal Park? The character Barney identifies as transgender in Dead End: Paranormal Park. Sr Stephanie Duggan, 96, from Long Island, New York came home to Ballymahon along with her sister Lucy to visit family and friends. Sr Stephanie is Darren Mulledy's fathers godmother. She was born in a towns land called Gurteen a few miles from Ballymahon in 1929. She grew up like most children of that generation, helping her father and mother on the farm and doing her chores around the house. For education, Sr Stephanie attended Gurteen school and worked locally. Read more: Longford continues to grow with fruit tree orchard planned for the Mall In 1950 and at the age of 21, she boarded the ship the Mauretania for New York and worked in Brooklyn as a nurses' aid. In 1952, she entered convent of The Sisters of St. Joesphine Brentwood, Long Island, New York. Afterwards, Sr Stephanie trained as nurse and worked in St Johns Hospital Elmhurst, New York for 29 years. She returned to her convent in 1999 to care for the elderly sisters, and lives there currently. Down through the years Sr. Stephanie (fondly known as Cissie) would travel home every couple of years to visit family and friends. Darren Mulledy, who passed on the story, said the following: Shes now in her 96th year, enjoying good health, keeping tabs on family over the pond using FaceTime and Messenger. Read more: Edgeworthstown encouraging young Longford readers with new book club Enjoying her visit, Sr Stephanie has been staying with her sister-in-law in Gurteen, called Cissie Duggan. With plenty of friends and family to meet, her flight back to America is due on Saturday with her sister, Lucy. Both sisters were received warmly by the Ballymahon community. With strong ties to Longford, the sisters' visit has shown the link between Ireland and America. The death has been announced of writer, broadcaster and documentary maker Manchan Magan, aged 55. Mr Magan, who has strong family links to Killashee in County Longford, contested the 2016 General Election as a Green Party candidate in the Longford Westmeath constituency. He received 1,104 first preference votes and said at the time, My heart is with Longford; my people are from Longford over 200 years. What I want is strong representation for Longford. When international companies come, Longford is just outside Dublin, so we are this expansion zone for Dublin. What we need is international representation that will look confident and look proper." Also read: Trocaire appoints Longford man as new Chief Executive Officer He added, I can't say I enjoyed the campaign. It's a struggle it's a tough a tough thing to do but it's so enlightening, so rewarding. Born in 1970, and raised in Donnybrook, Mr Magan moved to Westmeath in 1997, after purchasing a plot of land in Collinstown. He was a passionate advocate for the Irish language and explored it in a variety of ways including books and documentaries. Last December Mr Magan appeared at Longford's Backstage Theatre with his 'Rewilding the Mind' talk and show in which he explored the rising connection people are having with the spirit and the lore of the land of Ireland. In an interview with Brendan O'Connor on RTE Radio 1 on September 13, Mr Magan confirmed he had terminal prostate cancer, that had spread to multiple organs. Sympathy is extended to Mr Magan's family, wife Aisling, his mother Croine and his three siblings. Also read: Magan satisfied with election performance in Longford-Westmeath constituency Minister for Rural and Community and Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary TD, has expressed his deepest sympathy to the family and friends of broadcaster and writer Manchan Magan who has passed away at the age of 55. Minister Calleary said, I am very saddened to hear of Manchans death this morning at such a young age. Manchan was a gifted broadcaster, writer, and passionate advocate of the Irish language. Manchan leaves behind an extraordinary legacy in how he championed the Irish language. His dedicated work on television, his unmistakable voice on radio, and his writing didnt just promote Irish, it reignited a gra for it in people. This legacy will live on. I want to join with others in offering my deepest condolences to his wife Aisling, his family, his friends and his former colleagues in TG4, RTE and the wider arts and culture community across Ireland. May he rest in Peace. Also read: Popular Longford bar in Lanesboro set to serve its last orders before closure Lotto Our Lotto was held in Ballymahon on Wednesday last September 24, numbers drawn were 9, 14, 16, 27 and we had no jackpot winner. Congratulations to the three lucky dip winners, Teresa Dooner, Caroline Lambe and Mary Fagan. Our next draw will be held in Keenagh on Wednesday, October 8 when the jackpot will be 900, tickets can be purchased from any guild member or from Bells shop Newtownforbes, thanks to all who continue to support our lotto and to the guilds for hosting. Read more: Longford Penneys department manager runs fundraiser for Alzheimer's Knit and stitch This years knit and stitch show will be held in the Eikon Exhibition Centre Lisburn and we will be running a bus on Saturday, November 15, the bus will be open to all , however you must purchase your own tickets, early bird tickets are available until Sunday, November 2 so now is the time to purchase them. Anyone interested in travelling please contact Virginia on 086 2036542 so you can be added to the list for the bus. Cookery Cup Our cookery cup will take place on Tuesday, October 21 in ICA HQ, details of competitions are on the October page of the calendar, we will also have a speaker on the night, so put the date in your diary and we look forward to a nice evening. Activities in ICA HQ this week, classes are open to all: Wednesday 6 to 6.50pm Pilates. Thursday 12.30 to 1.30pm Chairobics 8pm; Keep Fit with Line Dancing Friday 11am to 1pm Craft Morning Saturday 4pm to 6pm Crochet class with Virginia Line dancing is back in the Chestnut Tree on Monday night, October 6 Read more: Longford Bridge Club releases mid September results from games Social Dancing Longford Town ICA Guild supported by Longford Nighttime economy are holding a social dancing evening on Sunday, October 12 in the Temperance Hall Longford from 6 pm to 8pm. Refreshments will be served. Music by Sean Hussey. It is a great opportunity to meet up with people to have a chat and a cup of tea even if you don't want to dance and to listen to great music. All the better if you enjoy dancing. Admission is 10. All are welcome. Open night in Ennybegs Ennybegs Guild meets on the 2nd Monday of the month at 8pm in the community centre. They are looking for new members to join them and are holding an open meeting on Monday the 13th October, if there are any ladies in the area that might like to join ICA or just see what we do please feel free to come along on the night for a chat and a cuppa. Everyone has something to offer and the ladies would love to see new faces at their meetings. Federation President Olive will be in attendance on the night and along with the ladies from Ennybegs she will answer any questions you may have. There is no pressure on you to join, come along on the night, have a chat and sure once you come in you won't want to leave, we look forward to seeing you all on the night. At a glance Expert's Rating Pros Innovative solar-power tech Comfortable, responsive keys Full-size keyboard, with numeric keypad Useful app for reprogramming Fn keys Cons A wired keyboard would be simpler No backlight Cant adjust angle or height of keyboard LightCharge tech adds to the price Our Verdict Logitechs LightCharge tech is innovative, but it adds to the cost of what is otherwise a fairly conventional Bluetooth keyboard. Its well built, though, and comfortable to use, and Logitechs Options+ app will appeal to business users who want to reprogram the various Function keys. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Logitech Signature Slim Solar+ (K980) There have been plenty of rumours on the web recently predicting some big updates to Logitechs MX range of keyboards and mice. However, the company took a swerve in an unexpected direction when it announced the new Signature Slim Solar+ keyboard (which also goes by the model number K980). As the name suggests, the Slim Solar+ is a solar-powered keyboard that, according to Logitech, means you never have to worry about charging again. There are three versions of the Slim Solar+ available, starting at $99.99/99.99 for the Universal version that we review here, which is designed for use with most types of computers and mobile devices. You can also pair it with three different devices and quickly switch between devices as required. Logitech also plans to release a For Mac version at the same price, although this will only be available in North America, along with a Business version that includes Logitechs Bolt USB wireless adaptor to provide an alternative to Bluetooth, for $109.99/109.99. For other options take a look at our Best Mac Keyboards round up. The top section of the Slim Solar+ houses a sensor that can absorb light. Logitech Solar Power The Slim Solar+ looks fairly conventional at first glance, with a low-profile design similar to the companys MX range of keyboards and Apples own Magic keyboards. Its a full-size keyboard with a top row of Function keys, separate Navigation keys and numeric keypad. Its plastic casing doesnt feel as sturdy as the metal-clad MX keyboard, but its solid enough to cope with general day-to-day use sitting on your desk in an office. The keys on the Slim Solar+ also use a scissor-switch mechanism rather than the lifeless plastic membranes used in some low-profile keyboards. As a result, the keys feel firm and responsive when typing, and they travel well, so the Slim Solar+ will allow you to type up a storm when youre facing a deadline. Our only complaint about the design is that the keyboard lies very flat on your desk the back edge is raised slightly, but theres no way to adjust the angle of the keyboard for people (like me) who prefer the keyboard to be raised a little higher off the desk. But, of course, the star of the show is Logitechs solar energy tech, which it calls LightCharge. Theres an extra section to the keyboard, just above the Function keys, that houses a light-absorbing sensor. This light strip is recessed a little, and looks like a holder for a pen or stylus, but Logitech prints a warning on the box not to place anything on this strip as it will affect the sensors ability to absorb light. As youd expect, the sensor can absorb energy from direct sunlight, but its also sensitive enough to charge the keyboard from artificial lighting too, such as lamps or over-head lighting in an office. The light energy is stored by a rechargeable battery inside the keyboard, and Logitech says that once the battery is fully charged it can power the keyboard for four months even if its used in complete darkness. The Slim Solar+ is a full-size keyboard with navigation keys and numeric keypad. Logitech Seeing The Light You can check the light level in your office using Logitechs Options+ app, and the app did initially tell me that the small lamp that sits on my desk wasnt strong enough to charge the keyboard on a gloomy September morning. However, turning the overhead light on in my office was enough to start charging the keyboard again, so you dont need to blind yourself with a spotlight in order to top up the keyboards internal battery. As with Logitechs MX keyboards, the Options+ app also allows you to reprogram the various Function keys in order to perform commands such as opening specific apps when you start work in the morning. The Slim Solar+ does have some limitations, though. Theres no backlight on the keyboard since, of course, it needs to be used in a fairly bright environment for the solar charging to work. Theres no option to charge it up using a USB connection either, or to use it in wired mode if the battery does run flat, so some people might still prefer to spend a little extra on one of the more versatile battery-powered MX keyboards. The Options+ app lets you monitor the lighting in your office to make sure that the keyboard can charge properly. Logitech.com Should You Buy The Logitech Signature Slim Solar+? If having to recharge your keyboard bugs you that much then Im tempted to suggest that you could just buy a good old-fashioned USB keyboard instead which would probably be cheaper too. Alternatively, some people might prefer to pay a little extra for the more solidly built Logitech MX keyboard. But, if you like the idea of using sustainable solar energy, along with the ability to pair the keyboard with a variety of different devices, then the Slim Solar+ will earn its keep. New Englands oldest fair will ring in its 207th year starting Friday, offering a plethora of fair food and other bites. The 2025 Topsfield Fair will officially open for an 11-day run on Friday, Oct. 3 and last until Monday, Oct. 13. With more than 70 vendors to choose from, here is everything that visitors can eat at the fair. Burgers, sandwiches and hot dogs Annies (736 Grange Road): Crispy chicken sandwiches, chicken nuggets, french fries, blooming onion. Atseif Mobile Foods, Inc./Sausage (487 Oval): Sausage with peppers and onions, foot-long hot dogs, french fries, chicken tenders and drinks. Bees & Thank You (444 Cattle Road): Honey grilled cheese sandwiches with options like bacon, ham and tomato or peanut butter, banana and Nutella. Blue Ribbon (482 Oval): Turkey Gobbler Sandwich, soup, chowder, pumpkin pie, pecan pie and drinks. Bobs Burger Joint/Country Coffee (311-313 Coolidge Square): Sausages, hamburgers and hot dogs as well as coffee and slush. Bruisers BBQ (254 Center Road): Pulled pork sandwiches, beef brisket, pulled pork nachos, baked beans, coleslaw, mac and cheese. Buchinos Footlong (302 Oval): Foot-Long hot dogs, sausage with peppers and onions, steak and cheese, corn dogs, chicken and french fries basket. Congregational Church of Topsfield (748 4-H Road): Turkey dinners, turkey sandwiches and hamburgers. Cousins Main Lobster (769 Oval): Lobster rolls, bisque/chowder, chips, grilled cheese, quesadillas. Gene Dean (492 Oval): Roast beef sandwiches, chicken sandwiches, chicken fingers, steak fries, onion rings, corn dogs and drinks. Grandstand Roast Beef (210 Oval): Roast beef, chicken, sausage, shaved steak, hot dogs, corndogs. Grandstand Sausage (212 Oval): Sausage, cheesesteak, hot dogs and drinks. Marleys (466 Picnic Pathway): Smash Burger, deep-fried Monte Cristo, fried pickles, french fries, truffle fries, mozzarella sticks. The Lunch Box (213 Oval): Hot dogs, fries, and pot roast sundae Riverfront Restaurant (400 Oval): Hot dogs, pizza and grilled cheese Sausage (495 Oval): Sausage with peppers and onions, steak philly cheese, burgers, corn dog, hot dogs, fries Steak House (307 Coolidge Square): Steak and cheese subs, pulled pork sandwiches, turkey legs. Steak Out (301 Oval): Steak tips, sausages, hot dogs, corn dogs, hamburgers, meatball subs and drinks. Tim-Col Sausage (315 Oval): Sausages Pizzas, potatoes and pasta Billies Baked Potatoes & Lemonade (263 Oval): Baked potatoes and lemonade Grandstand Mac and Cheese (248 Oval): Mac and cheese with pulled pork, among other options. Pie Sons (146 River Road): Cheese pizza, pepperoni pizza, margarita pizza, buffalo chicken bacon pizza, rustic pizza, eggplant ricotta cheese pizza, chicken broccoli Alfredo pizza and gluten free pizza. Spuds (316 Coolidge Square): Buffalo mac and cheese, sweet potato fries, french fries, steak sub, blooming onion, chili, chowder, burgers and dogs. Valenti Pizza (484 Oval): Pizza and drinks. International flavors BNai BRith (798 Oval): Jewish food and drinks. Ginger Love Cafe (740 Grange Road): Filipino Food, Siopao, vegan noodles, Filipino style waffle and hot dog. Gyros (223 Oval): Gyros, french fries, Greek salads and drinks. Mr. Petisco (403 Bee Road): Pastel, empanadas and chicken coxinha Pablos Tacos & Burritos (214 Oval): Tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, taco salad and churros. Snacks and other handhelds Animated Concessions (106 Country Way): Turkey legs, ribbon chips and french fries. AnneMarie Day - Germain Fries (305 Coolidge Square): German fries with cheese, sour cream, bacon toppings. Also Lemonade, fruit, water, punch and soda. Atseif Mobile Foods, Inc./German Fries (483 Oval): German fries with cheese and bacon toppings and drinks. Boston Nut Roasters (419 Bee Road): Roasted nuts. Boston Poppers (145 Grange Road): Kettle corn and water. California Pockets (490 Oval): Pita Pockets stuffed with chicken, veggies and rice. Chompers (229 Center Road): Crispy fried balls in flavors such as bacon cheeseburger, chicken parmesan, taco and cheesy potato and corn. Crispellis (787 Oval): Rice balls (arancini) and drinks. Dean & Flynn (203 Oval): Spiral fried potato (Chipstix) on a stick Deanos (215 Oval): French fries, onion rings, chicken tenders, mozzarella sticks, corn dogs, cheese fries, cheese and bacon fries and drinks. D&L Concessions (235 Oval): Pickles, chicken fingers and fries. Elliott Bros. & Sons (477 Oval): Onion rings, cheese sticks, shoestring french fries, chicken tenders, fried clams, corn dogs and drinks. Eggrolls (234 Oval): Eggrolls. Gene Dean Tempura (612 Oval): Fried veggies with sauce and drinks. The Hidden Pig (421 Bee Road): Bone-in and boneless chicken Wings Heidi Jos Jerky (583 Fair Trade Center): Beef jerky. Hot Delicious Corn Dogs (418 4-H Road): Corn dogs, pretzels, popcorn and drinks. Kettle Corn (310 Coolidge Square): Kettle corn, root beer and other drinks. Onion Rings & Fried Clams (477 Oval): Onion rings, cheese sticks, shoestring fries, chicken tenders, fried clams, chicken wings, corn dogs ONN Specialties Beef Jerky (738 Grange): Jerky available in various options like teriyaki, mild, spicy, extra spicy, jalapeno, pepper, lemon pepper, mild lemon, sriracha and mango habanero. Roast Beef & Chicken Finger (492 Oval): Roast beef sandwiches, chicken sandwiches, chicken fingers, steak fries, onion rings, corn dogs Texas Grill (258 Center Road): Chicken and beef fajitas, chili bread bowl, nachos, blooming onion, loaded fries, salads and drinks. Top Fries (488 Oval): Fries with buffalo chicken, barbecue chicken, pulled pork Topsfield American Legion Post 255 (486 Oval): Corn on the cob, grilled cheese and drinks. Sweets, treats and desserts Annas Fried Dough (211 Oval, 480 Oval, 494 Oval): Fried dough, fried dough bites and drinks. Barnyard Donuts (122 River Road): Apple cider and doughnuts. Chocolate Moonshine (737 Grange): Fudge, truffle bars, turtles, chocolate covered pretzels and drinks. Chocolate World (322 Rabbit Road): Chocolate fountain with fruit to dip in Cookie Monstah (479 Oval): Cookie ice cream sandwiches. Dragons Breath (594 Fair Trade Center): Freeze-dried candy and power teas Elilies Licorice (521 Fair Trade Center): Two-feet-long licorice ropes. Fried Sweets (303 Coolidge Square): Fried ice cream, fried Reeses, fried Oreos, fried chocolate bars and drinks. Funnel Cake & Fried Oreos (474 Bee Road & Picnic Pathway): Chocolate-dipped bananas and cheesecake, fried PBJ, fried cheesecake, fried Twinkie, fried Oreo, fried coffeecake, funnel cake (with or without ice cream) and slush. Gene Dean Candy Apple (613 Oval): Candy apples, cotton candy, caramel apples, popcorn, slush and drinks. Gene Dean Fried Dough (150 River Road, 611 Oval): Fried dough and drinks. Goodness Shakes (610 Arena Road): Ice cream, hot or iced coffee, frozen coffee, frappes, floats, slush, hot chocolate. Hey Sugar (556 Fair Trade Center): Freeze-dried candy and power teas Jerrys Pastries (716 Grange Road, 233 Center Rd & Oval): Eclairs, cannolis, cookies, whoopie pies, lemonade, coffee, cappuccino, frozen drinks, hot chocolate, coffee, cappuccino (hot or iced), soda, lemonade, frozen drinks. Marys Kitchen (485 Oval): Apple crisp, strawberry shortcake with whipped cream, blueberry crisp and drinks. Nothing Bundt Cakes (790 Oval): Individual bundt cakes Sugar Tang Tanghulu (323 Rabbit Road): Candied strawberries Sugar Tang Dubai Chocolate (404 Bee Road): Dubai Chocolate strawberry cups Supinos Restaurant (621 Arena Road): Cake, brownies, cookies, Rice Krispie treats and glazed doughnuts. Topsfield Fair Apple Pie (607 Cattle Road): Apple pie, apple crisp, blueberry pie, blueberry crisp. Whoopie Wagon (201 Oval): Specialty whoopie pies. Beverages Cafe Valverde (412 4-H Road): Hot and iced coffee, espresso, lattes, nitro cold brew, baked goods, bananas and bags of organic coffee. Rudys Bubble Tea and More (237 Oval): Bubble tea, iced tea. Valenti Ice Cold Lemonade (202 Oval): Lemonade. More information about food and other vendors at the Topsfield Fair can be found on the fairs website. A Millis police officer is on leave after he was arrested this week and charged with domestic assault and battery, police officials said. Officer Craig Thompson, a patrolman and 10-year veteran of the Millis Police Department, faces a felony charge of strangulation or suffocation and a misdemeanor charge of assault and battery, according to records on file in Wrentham District Court. He appeared there Wednesday and was released without bail after pleading not guilty, court records showed. Joseph Cataldo, an attorney listed as representing Thompson, said he was confident the charges will be either dismissed or end with a not guilty verdict. He should never have even been charged, Cataldo said. These allegations will soon be addressed in the courtroom and Officer Thompsons name shall be cleared. Millis Police Chief Christopher Soffayer said Thompson was taken into custody Tuesday at the Medway Police Department. He has been placed on unpaid administrative leave and will remain on leave pending the outcome of the investigation, Soffayer wrote in a statement shared with MassLive. He declined further comment, citing privacy laws. Because of his arrest on a felony charge, Thompson also faces an automatic suspension of his state law enforcement license until his case is resolved. If convicted, the states police oversight board, the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission, is required to revoke the license. The move carries a lifetime ban from Thompson working for any police department or sheriffs office in Massachusetts. He would also be listed on a national registry of fellow decertified police officers, a move designed to alert departments in other states to his legal history if he leaves Massachusetts in search of police employment. Lawyers for Civil Rights Litigation Director Oren Sellstrom, center, speaks to reporters with Somerville Mayor Katja Ballantyne, left, and Chelsea City Manager Fidel Maltez outside of Moakley Courthouse in Boston after a July 17 hearing on their motion to enjoin the federal government from withholding funding from the two cities. Trea Lavery/MassLive A judge in Boston said this week that he wont immediately stop the federal government from withholding grant funds from Chelsea and Somerville over their immigration enforcement policies. U.S. District Court of Massachusetts Judge Nathaniel Gorton wrote in his decision that the two sanctuary cities had failed to demonstrate that they would suffer imminent and irreparable harm if the court did not issue a preliminary injunction to keep funding in place while their lawsuit plays out. Only one federal grant had been canceled at the time of a July hearing, and though an attorney for the cities argued that more could be cancelled in the future, Gorton said this possibility was only speculative. He added that all of the grants in question take the form of reimbursement after-the-fact, and some are competitive, so the cities would have no guarantee that they would receive them in the first place. Plaintiffs necessarily face, with or without an injunction, budgetary uncertainty when bidding for competitive grants, he wrote. The net loss to the Cities absent a preliminary injunction is, arguably, zero. A preliminary injunction would not eliminate the status quo uncertainty for the Cities. Chelsea and Somerville sued the Trump administration in February, saying the money they receive from the federal government should not be conditioned on cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. They argued that the court should stop the government from withholding the funds while the lawsuit plays out, as it would stop them from providing municipal services like roads, schools, public safety and more. The harm that would come if the cuts actually go into place is enormous, said Lawyers for Civil Rights Litigation Director Oren Sellstrom, who is representing the two cities, during the July 17 hearing. That is a gun to the head. Thats precisely the point of this campaign, to put jurisdictions, particularly smaller jurisdictions like Chelsea and Somerville, in the crosshairs. Like other so-called sanctuary cities, Chelsea and Somervilles laws prevent police and other city staff from asking about a persons immigration status or directly assisting federal officers with non-criminal immigration matters. Other communities across the country, including Boston, have similar policies. The laws do not bar local police from assisting immigration officers on investigations into serious public safety threats, such as drugs, weapons or human trafficking. Local police also do not interfere with federal immigration enforcement or deportation arrests. However, as part of the federal governments crackdown on illegal immigration, President Donald Trump issued executive orders earlier this year instructing federal agencies to evaluate grants they had awarded to sanctuary jurisdictions like Chelsea and Somerville, with the potential of canceling millions of dollars that had already been promised. Somerville has already lost a $4 million grant for road safety improvements from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The city received $19.4 million in federal funds last year, according to court documents. In Chelsea, the federal funds at stake include roughly $8.5 million in the 2025 city budget, meant to support police and public safety, schools, social services like meal delivery for seniors and other areas, according to court documents. The city, which received $14.5 million from the federal government in 2024, has said it may need to cut three police officer jobs, as their salaries are supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. An 82-year-old former street boss in the Boston mafia will go back to prison after federal prosecutors uncovered what they described as a plan to kill several federal officials associated with his criminal case. Ralph DeLeo was accused of violating the terms of his supervised release in three ways: that he lied to federal agents, that he communicated with other convicted felons and that he possessed drugs. Under the terms of the agreement, prosecutors dropped the third violation, possession of controlled substances. U.S. District Court Judge Stacey Neumann accepted the terms of the plea at a hearing Friday, court records show. DeLeo will now spend two years in prison, followed by a year of supervised release. Investigators began looking into DeLeo in May after receiving a tip that he was plotting to kill several officials involved in his most recent criminal conviction, including a federal prosecutor, a judge and a retired agent. During a search of his home, they found several burglary kits, a handwritten note about silicone masks and what investigators believed to be marijuana. Most critically, investigators found hard copies of information DeLeo compiled about the officials, including names of possible family members and addresses. During an interview, DeLeo was asked if he had help compiling the information. He said he didnt, which prosecutors contend was a lie. His cell phone records showed he communicated with at least two convicted felons: John Willis, who ran the Asian organized crime operations in Bostons Chinatown, and Frank Goldman, a fellow member of the Colombo crime family. DeLeo was the former street boss of the Boston mafia, serving as the acting leader when the person at the top of the organization was detained. He spent 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to racketeering and other charges, and was released in 2024. The 82-year-old has battled health issues in recent years, and at a court appearance in June, struggled to hear the proceedings. DeLeo has criminal convictions dating back decades, to when he was 16. In 1976, at 32, he was convicted of armed robbery and attempted kidnapping and sentenced to decades in prison. DeLeo escaped custody and fled to Ohio, where he again committed armed robbery. In Ohio, DeLeo kidnapped a physician and killed him when he resisted. He was in prison until 1997, when he was released at 55. Prosecutors say it was then that DeLeo became a member and former acting Boston Street Boss for the Colombo Family of La Cosa Nostra in New York, and founded the DeLeo Crew. Smoke rises to the sky following an Israeli military strike in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) AP U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that Hamas must agree to a proposed peace deal by Sunday evening, threatening an even greater military onslaught nearly two years into the war sparked by the Oct. 7 attack into Israel. Trump appears keen to deliver on pledges to end the war and return dozens of hostages ahead of the second anniversary of the attack on Tuesday. His peace plan has been accepted by Israel and welcomed internationally, but key mediators Egypt and Qatar, and at least one Hamas official, have said some elements need further negotiation, without elaborating. An Agreement must be reached with Hamas by Sunday Evening at SIX (6) P.M., Washington, D.C. time, Trump wrote Friday on social media. Every Country has signed on! If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas. THERE WILL BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. Trumps plan would end the fighting and return hostages Under the plan, which Trump unveiled earlier this week alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Hamas would immediately release the remaining 48 hostages around 20 of them believed to be alive. It would also give up power and disarm. In return, Israel would halt its offensive and withdraw from much of the territory, release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and allow an influx of humanitarian aid and eventual reconstruction. Plans to relocate much of Gazas population to other countries would be shelved. The territory of some 2 million Palestinians would be placed under international governance, with Trump himself and former British Prime Minister Tony Blairoverseeing it. The plan provides no path for eventual reunification with the Israeli-occupied West Bank in a future Palestinian state. A Hamas official told The Associated Press this week that some elements of the plan are unacceptable and need to be amended, without elaborating. Palestinians long for an end to the war, but many view this and previous U.S. proposals as strongly favoring Israel. US and Israel seek to pressure Hamas Israel has sought to ramp up pressure on Hamas since ending an earlier ceasefire in March. It sealed the territory off from food, medicine and other goods for 2 1/2 months and has seized, flattened and largely depopulated large areas of the territory. Experts determined that Gaza City had slid into famine shortly before Israel launched a major offensive aimed at occupying it. An estimated 400,000 people have fled the city in recent weeks, but hundreds of thousands more have stayed behind. Olga Cherevko, a spokesperson for the U.N. humanitarian office, said she saw several displaced families staying in the parking lot of Shifa Hospital during a visit on Thursday. They are not able to move south because they just cannot afford it, Cherevko told The Associated Press. One of the families had three children and the woman was pregnant with her fourth. And there were many other vulnerable cases there, including elderly people and people with disabilities. Trump wrote that most of Hamas fighters are surrounded and MILITARILY TRAPPED, just waiting for me to give the word, GO, for their lives to be quickly extinguished. As for the rest, we know where and who you are, and you will be hunted down, and killed. Most of Hamas top leaders in Gaza and thousands of its fighters have already been killed, but it still has influence in areas not controlled by the Israeli military and launches sporadic attacks that have killed and wounded Israeli soldiers. Hamas has held firm to its position that it will only release the remaining hostages its sole bargaining chip and potential human shields in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. Netanyahu has rejected those terms, saying Hamas must surrender and disarm. Second anniversary approaches Thousands of Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, attacking army bases, farming communities and an outdoor music festival, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians. They abducted 251 others, most of them since released in ceasefires or other deals. Israels retaliatory offensive has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which does not say how many were civilians or combatants. It says women and children make up around half the dead. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the U.N. and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties. The offensive has displaced around 90% of Gazas population, often multiple times, and left much of the territory uninhabitable. Both the Biden and Trump administrations have tried to end the fighting and bring back the hostages while providing extensive military and diplomatic support to Israel. The U.S. Capitol is photographed during the government shutdown, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) AP The latest government shutdown is just a few days old, but Americans already have feelings about whos to blame for the political pile-up on Capitol Hill. More U.S. voters blame congressional Republicans and President Donald Trump for the shutdown, which has snarled life across the country in a variety of ways, according to NBC News. But as Democrats and Republicans rev up their messaging machines, the polling also suggests there could be some fluidity to the public mood, with a decent share of voters saying theyre not sure whos at fault, the news organization noted. Heres a quick look at four pulse-takings: An Oct. 1 Washington Post poll , the first day of the shutdown, saw 47% of U.S. adults blame Trump and Republicans, while 30% blamed Democrats, and 23% who were not sure. The survey also found that independents, a key bloc for the GOP, blamed Trump and Republicans over Democrats by a wider swath, 50% to 22%, NBC News reported. A third of Republicans were unsure whom to blame. A late September New York Times/Siena poll found a third of respondents (33%) blaming both sides equally, while around a quarter (26%) blamed Trump and the GOP, while 19% blamed Democrats. Two in 10 (21%) said they hadnt heard enough to say, NBC News reported. A late September Marist, PBS News and NPR poll saw 38% of respondents blaming Republicans, while around a quarter (28%) blamed Democrats. A further 31% blamed both sides equally, according to NBC News. A late September Morning Consult poll found 45% of respondents blaming Republicans, while 32% said theyd blame Democrats. Sixteen percent said they had no opinion. and 7% chose other, according to NBC News.. Speaking of shutdown news, you can read all of MassLives shutdown coverage and analysis right here. A group of Massachusetts lawmakers are demanding that the U.S. Energy Department explain why it killed around $466 million in grants bound for the Bay State. In a Friday letter to Energy Secretary Chris Wright shared exclusively with MassLive, the lawmakers, led by Democratic U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, argued that canceling the grants will hamstring American competitiveness, drive up energy costs, and hurt domestic manufacturing. The Trump administration announced Thursday that it had pulled the plug on nearly $7.6 billion in funding for projects in 16 states, according to the Energy Departments website. All of the affected states were won by Democrat Kamala Harris in last years presidential election. Markey, joined by U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and all nine Democratic members of the states U.S. House delegation, argued that the White Houses action will undermine investments in American innovation for years to come ceding ground to China and other nations that understand the merit of technological development and investment." In a statement, the Energy Department said many of the 223 projects affected by the decision were rushed through in the final months of the Biden administration with inadequate documentation by any reasonable business standard. President Trump promised to protect taxpayer dollars and expand Americas supply of affordable, reliable, and secure energy, Wright said in the agencys statement, adding that the cancellations deliver on that commitment. Rest assured, the Energy Department will continue reviewing awards to ensure that every dollar works for the American people, Wright said. In a post to X on Wednesday, Office of Management Budget Director Russell Vought telegraphed the administrations decision, saying it would claw back nearly $8 billion in Green New Scam funding to fuel the Lefts climate agenda ... The projects are in the following states: CA, CO, CT, DE, HI, IL, MD, MA, MN, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OR, VT, WA. An analysis by Politico, however, determined that states that congressional districts that voted for Trump also would be impacted by the White Houses decision. A list of the projects showed that the decision would ripple across the Bay State, with such universities as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Massachusetts Amherst being affected, as well as regional energy titan National Grid. The nonprofit Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on Cape Cod also made the White Houses cancellation list. President Trump is further weaponizing his government shutdown to cost people jobs and hurt our economy, Gov. Maura Healey said in a statement. ... Hes cutting nearly half a billion dollars for our businesses, universities and non-profits that are working on cutting-edge technologies to lower energy costs, create good jobs and build a more reliable grid, Healey continued. All of our residents will be harmed by this vindictive action. We need the Trump administration to restore this funding and reopen our government. Markey and his colleagues gave Wright until Oct. 10 to respond to a battery of questions that included details on the appeals process for the clawed-back federal cash and whether the agency had considered the impact on energy prices. The impact of any attempt to cancel these grants will not be restricted to the Commonwealthit will affect subgrantees and company partners in North Carolina, Ohio, Georgia, and Texas, among other states," the lawmakers wrote. It also will sabotage the United States ability to compete on next-generation hydrogen and conductive material technologies, which China and other nations continue to lead on, they continued. U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley (C) holds a news conference on the local impact of Trump administration funding cuts and the recent federal government shutdown at the Boston headquarters of the union SEIU 32BJ on Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. Screen Capture After nine months of funding cuts, a blitz by the Elon Musk-helmed Department of Government Efficiency, and now a shutdown, things are starting to pile up for the government workers who call Greater Boston home. People are on edge, Lilly Simmons, the president of AFGE local 3428, which represents workers at the U.S. Department of Environmental Protection across the region, said Friday. Theyre trying to show up every day ... as their best selves, she continued, but people have anxiety. Simmons was among the union leaders, health care providers and others who shared their stories at a roundtable hosted by U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-7th District, at the Boston headquarters of the health care union SEIU 32BJ. Simmons and her colleagues told Pressley that theyve spent months weathering waves of Trump administration-spearheaded resignations and retirements. Thats left them doing more work with fewer people, and now theyre sweating having their pay frozen until lawmakers on Capitol Hill get a deal to fund the federal government. Morale is low, Ellen Mei, of the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents workers across 38 agencies, told Pressley. In one wing of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Mei said shed lost half of the staff since April through early retirements. Thats made it harder to do the job, she said. Pressley called the impacted workers true patriots. I mean, these are specialists who have incredible expertise, theyre well-credentialed, she continued. " They could have taken their talents anywhere, but they wanted to be of service to this country and to our government and to the people and communities that they serve." President Donald Trump has threatened mass firings of federal employees as lawmakers are deadlocked over funding. Taking to social media, the Republican president said he was meeting with White House budget czar Russell Vought, a main architect of the conservative governing document known as Project 2025 to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent. I cant believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity, Trump said, according to The New York Times. Democrats on Capitol Hill, meanwhile, have dug in over safety net cuts and Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire at years end. Majority Republicans need Democratic votes to move a spending bill through the U.S. Senate, while the GOP has a more slender advantage in the U.S. House. On Friday in Boston, Pressley said she was reintroducing legislation with U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., that would secure back pay for the thousands of federal contract workers who are facing furloughs and missed checks. On Friday, Pressley also heard from health care leaders whose clinics will be impacted by the Medicaid spending cuts included in the domestic policy mega-bill that Trump signed into law in January. As many as 203,000 people who are now enrolled in the states MassHealth program, as the joint state/federal program is known in the Bay State, could lose coverage as a result of the legislation, according to one analysis. The loss of that coverage means that people will put off seeking care and will be sicker when they do finally show up at the community health clinics that are the first line of defense for these patients, Dr. Guy Fish, the CEO of the Codman Square Community Health Center in Dorchester, told Pressley. People vote with their feet, Fish told the Boston lawmaker, referring to the White Houses hardline immigration policies and other efforts to restrict access to care. And since Trump took office in January, we have noticed ... a 15% to 20% increase in no-shows at our health center, he said. If theres one thing thats clear in a new Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance Foundation poll that dropped earlier this week, its that, nearly nine months into Trump 2.0, Bay State voters have a lot on their minds. And why not? Its not like there isnt anything going on at the moment. This week, the federal government went careening into a shutdown that could well result in layoffs for tens of thousands of federal workers and impact the health care of milions of people; grocery prices have continued to rise with little relief in sight and Americans are looking for someone to blame. Spoiler alert (and pay attention, Republicans): Most are looking at President Donald Trump and his GOP allies on Capitol Hill, which is as clear a warning shot for the 2026 midterms as youre going to get. So what does that mean in Massachusetts, which ranks in the top half of states for its tax burden, and boasts the second-highest cost of living in these United States? In short: Republican, Democrat or unenrolled, theyre looking for a break. Nearly two-thirds (62%) of all respondents to the poll of 750 likely voters said theyd support trimming the state income tax from the current 5% to 4%. The state also slaps people who earn $1 million or more with an additional 4% levy. The Millionaires Tax, as its widely known, pays for billions of dollars in spending on education- and transportation-related programs. Forty-six percent of the polls 238 Democratic respondents also said theyd support a 1% cut to the income tax levy, as do 84% of the polls 97 self-identified Republicans and 68% of its 375 self-identified unenrolled voters. Public support also remains high for bringing back tax rebate checks, which last landed in residents mailboxes in 2022 under Republican Gov. Charlie Baker. That rebate, under a law known as Chapter 62F, meant less for the Legislature to spend, but it also meant more cash in peoples pockets as the state continued to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly six in 10 of all respondents (59.6%) said they supported bringing back the rebate checks, compared to 22% who were opposed, and nearly 18% who were undecided. That support cut across party lines, with 47% of Democrats, 78% of Republicans, and 63% of unenrolled voters saying theyd support updating the law so that the checks flowed more frequently. The one thing they dont want? The return of rent control, which supporters are looking to put on the November 2026 statewide ballot. Even with sky-high rents and the end of pricey brokers fees, 52% of all respondents said they opposed it, compared to 31% who were onside. Sixteen percent said they were undecided. Democratic respondents backed rent control 42%-38%, with nearly 19% undecided. Republicans opposed by nearly 62%-29%, with just 9% undecided. Unenrolled voters opposed it 60%-23%, with 16% undecided. Gov. Maura Healey (right) along with Executive Office of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Operational Effectiveness Joanne Marqusee and Rep. Lori Trahan, D-3rd District (left) reveal the concept art of a new emergency center in Groton that will be ran by UMass Memorial Health. (Adam Bass/MassLive.com) And while Democrats control, well, everything, from the governors office and Legislature to the elected row offices, Bay State voters are mostly fine with the current management. Half of all respondents said they either strongly or somewhat approved of Democratic Gov. Maura Healeys job performance, compared to the 40% who disapproved. Just 8.5% said they were unsure as the Arlington pol heads into the thick of her 2026 reelection campaign, with three Republicans gunning for her job. Speaking of which, Healey beats two of her three declared GOP challengers in hypothetical head-to-heads. Both are former Baker administration senior officials. Healey led Bakers former housing czar, Mike Kennealy, 44%-34% among all respondents. She similarly led Brian Shortsleeve, Bakers former MBTA boss, 46%-31%, according to the poll. Massachusetts Republican gubernatorial candidates Mike Kennealy. left, and Brian Shortsleeve. (Don Treeger/The Republican and State House News Service) In both instances, however, not quite a quarter of all voters were still undecided, according to the poll. If theres a warning for Healey, its among the unenrolled voters who make up the largest share of both the polls sample and the states electorate. Shortsleeve led Healey 40%-35% among unenrolled voters, which was just outside the polls 3.6% margin of error. Kennealy, meanwhile, led Healey 43%-33% among those same voters. Nearly a quarter of those voters remained undecided with 13 months to go before Election Day, confirming that most anything can, and likely will, change between now and then. Businessman Michael Minogue has entered the 2026 race for the Republican nomination for governor in Massachusetts. Screen Capture One more variable: The poll, which was conducted from Sept. 23 to Sept. 24, did not sample voter opinion on businessman and Trump loyalist Michael Minogue, who jumped into the GOP nominating race on Wednesday. The poll also found voters in a restive mood in the 2026 race for U.S. Senate, with U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-6th District, leading U.S. Sen. Ed Markey in a hypothetical head-to-head match-up. U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-6th District, interrogates U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a meeting of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee on Thursday, June 12, 2025. (Screen Capture) Moulton is still reportedly mulling a bid. A formal announcement could come as soon as this month. One more thought about the midterms, which are traditionally bad for the party thats in power. Trumps approvals are in the basement in a state that Kamala Harris carried in 2024, and in which the Republican president has conducted a protracted siege, with immigration raids, attacks on federal funding and an all-out war on Harvard University as its hallmarks. Fifty-six percent of all respondents strongly or somewhat disapproved of Trumps job performance, compared to 41% who said they approved of his management after just about nine months on the job. As one might expect, almost no one was undecided, with just 4.6% saying they were unsure. Democrats and Republicans answered the way youd think, with 76% of Democrats disapproving of Trump, compared to 83.5% of Republicans who approved. The number to watch here is among unenrolled voters, who broke for Harris in 2024 nationally. In Massachusetts, its a statistical dead heat, with 48% of Bay State independents saying they approved of Trump in the new poll, compared to nearly 47% who said they disapproved. No one was on the fence among independents, with just 4.8% saying they were unsure, according to the poll. So whats that going to mean on Election Day? Its entirely too soon to tell. But it does point the way toward an election season that could be determinative on any number of levels. Video News: [Video News] Les numeros gagnants du tirage du Loto et Loto Plus du 1er novembre 2025[Video news] Talk Series #8 : Lassiette de demain : quels sont les enjeux au menu ? 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La magie de retrouver son prenom sur lemblematique bouteille revient a Maurice[Video News] La combinaison gagnante du Loto Vert du 10 octobre 2025[Video News] Innovation et authenticite italienne au rendez-vous[Video news]Seance parlementaire du 10 octobre 2025 en Live[Video News] 7e edition du Delizie Italiane[Video News] Lancement de la campagne Share a coke [Video News]SKC Surat celebre lagriculture sure lors des SKC Safer Awards[Video News] Code QR dynamique connecte aux Caisses, innovation signee de blink et Super ULexCorp Training Institute (LCTI) launches new chapter under the theme Building Futures, Sustaining Tomorrow[Video News] La combinaison gagnante du Loto Vert du 7 octobre 2025[Video News] QBL : 70 ans de croissance, dinnovation et dengagement[Video News] Seance parlementaire du 7 octobre 2025 en LiveEO Solutions et Xerox fetent 60 ans a Maurice et ouvrent une nouvelle ere de services numeriques[Video News] EO Solutions celebre les 60 ans de presence de Xerox a Maurice[Video News] QBL a fete ses 70 ans de presence a Maurice[Voideo News] Conference de presse de Rezistans ek Alternativ du 4 octobre 2025[Video News] Les numeros gagnants du tirage du Loto et Loto Plus du 4 octobre 2025[Video news] Lancement du livre de Joseph Gabriel Semeon[Video News] Le 8e journee hippique de la saison 2025 en Live[Video News] La combinaison gagnante du Loto Vert du 3 octobre 2025[Video News] Kolos Cement Ltd. lance Kolos Slag Cement : innovation responsable pour lindustrie de la construction mauricienne[Video News] 10 ans de Business Mauritius : Une nouvelle ere se dessine[Video News] Les numeros gagnants du tirage du Loto et Loto Plus du 1er octobre 2025[Video News] Hommage a nos centenaires et a tous nos aines[Video News] Arnaud Lagesse et Madhavi Ramdin-Clark ont dit[Video News] Table ronde et nouveau president pour les 10 ans de Business Mauritius[Video News] La combinaison gagnante du Loto Vert du 30 septembre 2025[Video News] IBL Ltd : la strategie Beyond Borders porte ses fruits avec une croissance de 19 % du chiffre daffaires et plus de 70% de la croissance generee par ses activites internationales en 2025[Video News] Stanislas Balay a dit[Video News] 13e edition du HR Cafe[Video News] LACA FLAME FESTIVAL 2025 celebre lexcellence de lindustrie de la communication dans locean Indien[Video News] Les numeros gagnants du tirage du Loto et Loto Plus du 27 septembre 2025[Video news] Les metiers de lhotellerie :Une table ronde pour reaffirmer lengagement du secteur envers la jeunesse mauricienne[Video News] La 7e journee hippique de 2025 en direct[Video News] La combinaison gagnante du Loto Vert du 26 septembre 2025[Video news] Une excellente sante financiere pour Lux Island Resorts[Video News] Presentation de lAfrican Asia Pacific Choir Games 2025[Video News] Made in Moris : Un Succes Retentissant pour la Cohorte 2[Video News]Canal+, plus quune passion, une experience immersive inegalee a maurice[Video News] Job fair pour le secteur touristique[Video news] Canal+ Maurice presente ses quatre pillers et ses innovations[Video News] Presentation de lACA Flame Festival 2025[Video News] Maurice lance des reformes et consultations pour le bien-etre des seniors[Video News] Les numeros gagnants du tirage du Loto et Loto Plus du 24 septembre 2025[Video News] Relance du Regional Cooperation and Integration Council[Video News] La combinaison gagnante du Loto Vert du 23 septembre 2025[Video News] Bodha parle du role de la presse mauricienne[Video News] Navin Ramgoolam annonce des accords majeurs pour Maurice[Video News] Les numeros gagnants du tirage du Loto et Loto Plus du 20 septembre 2025[Video New] Saint Gobain de Petite Riviere[Video News] La Turbine lance Turbine ELEVATE : un programme de formation pour entrepreneurs et professionnels a Maurice[Video News] La combinaison gagnante du Loto Vert du 19 septembre 2025[Video news]Les Temps fors de lIFM[Video News] Ticketbox.mu annonce louverture de sa plateforme aux hotels de la region ocean Indien[Video news] La Turbine a lance Elevate[Video News] Presentation du Festival du Livre de Trou dEau Douce 2025[Video News] Les numeros gagnants du tirage du Loto et Loto Plus du 17 septembre 2025[Video News] Concerts Glorious a Maurice : un engouement historique, deux soirees completes et une fete qui selargit[Video News] Forum dAbler Group Future-proofing AML/CFT Compliance [Video News] Conference de presse des Nouveaux Democrates du 16-09-2025[Video News] La combinaison gagnante du Loto Vert du 16 septembre 2025Deces de Robert Redford[Video News] Ouverture de la billetterie ce lundi 15 septembre pour les concerts de Glorious a Maurice Ballina Christmas Market is set to return this Christmas between December 12 to 14. The Christmas markets, organised by the volunteer group Let There Be Light Committee, will host stalls of local crafts, food, as well as music. Working alongside Mayo County Council and local community groups, the committee has ambitious plans for a market bigger, brighter, and more festive than ever before. To ensure the success of the event, the committee is putting out a call for volunteer electricians and junior electricians to lend a hand for three hours this coming Sunday, October 5. Those available to assist should contact the organisers via their social media channels. @ChristmasBallina. Mairead Melody, Manager of Mayo North Tourism, says she cannot emphasise enough how important it is for a town of Ballinas size to host a Christmas market. It brings life, tourists, and business to the town. The committee is doing amazing work behind the scenes to make this possible, and I would encourage people to support their efforts in any way they can." The Ballina Christmas Market will feature a range of stalls celebrating local talent. Arts and crafts retailers will offer handcrafted gifts, art, and unique items, while food retail stalls will showcase quality products for off-site enjoyment. Catering stalls will provide hot and cold food for visitors to enjoy on-site. Businesses and local producers interested in participating are invited to register their interest by emailing ballinalights@gmail.com. Fine Gael TD for Mayo, Keira Keogh, has warmly welcomed the Governments approval of a landmark investment that will see a new veterinary school established at Atlantic Technological University (ATU). This development is part of the Veterinary Places Activation Programme (VPAP) and will deliver 80 additional student places every year from 2026, shared between ATU and South East Technological University (SETU). The new school at ATU represents a major win for Mayo and the wider West and Northwest region, strengthening veterinary education capacity while supporting the backbone of the regions economy, the farming and agri-food sectors. This is a fantastic announcement for Mayo and for the entire West, said Keira Keogh TD. For years, families in our region have seen young people having to travel across the country or even abroad to study veterinary medicine. From 2026, students will be able to access a top-class veterinary programme here in the West. This isnt just about education, it's about supporting farming families, keeping skills and talent in the region, and investing in our communities for the long term. The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless TD, and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD, have approved the capital programme to establish the new veterinary schools. This milestone allows design teams to be appointed and building plans to proceed, marking the next major step toward the schools opening. Minister Martin Heydon said: This is a hugely positive step for the Agri-food sector. A strong pipeline of graduates is essential in safeguarding animal health, supporting farm productivity, and maintaining Irelands reputation for high-quality produce. These new schools will help ensure that our farming communities and food producers have access to the skilled professionals they need, as well as providing opportunities for students to study closer to home, benefitting our communities in these regions and throughout the country. President of ATU, Dr Orla Flynn, welcomed the announcement: This is an important step forward for our university and for the West and Northwest, expanding opportunities for students to study veterinary medicine closer to home. The investment will allow ATU to build the facilities and expertise required to deliver high-quality veterinary education and research, while also supporting Irelands agri-food sector and wider society. We look forward to progressing the design and planning stage and to welcoming our first students in 2026. At full roll-out, the new veterinary schools at ATU and SETU will deliver 80 additional veterinary graduates per year, directly supporting Irelands agri-food sector and public health systems. Both universities plan to welcome their first intake of 40 students in September 2026, with classroom-based Year 1 programmes starting while new facilities are under development. The two institutions will adopt distinct models of delivery: ATU will develop a full clinical facility on campus, ensuring students can complete their training in the West and Northwest. SETU will implement a distributed model, using a network of regional clinical training facilities. This expansion builds on the existing provision at UCD and reflects the Governments commitment to regional development and diversity in higher education delivery. The Higher Education Authority will now work with both universities to begin the design and planning phase. READ MORE: Erris councillors thanked for supporting north Mayo Greenways GAA supporters in a south Mayo village have been asked not to use the footpath outside Kilmaine GAA's ground as a car park when attending games at the venue. Director of Services, Tom Gilligan made the appeal at the monthly meeting of the Claremorris/Swinford Municipal District where calls were made to upgrade the footpaths in Kilmaine. In recent years, the footpath from Kilmaine village was extended to the GAA pitch on the Ballinrobe road as part of Active Travel Scheme but Mr Gilligan claimed that people attending games were parking cars on them. I welcome the works the active travel team did in extending the footpath but I have raised it before and unfortunately spectators to GAA games in Kilmaine are using this footpath as a form of extended car park. They were not only taking up part of the footpath but also 100 percent of the footpath by parking their cars on them. I don't think it has been much of a problem recently but if they are attending GAA matches the footpath is for people to use and not as a car park, he said. The entrance to the Kilmain GAA pitch is located on the N84 National Secondary Road and governed by a 100km per hour speed limit which local councillors say puts people exiting the ground in danger. In response to Mr Gilligan, local councillor Damien Ryan said he understood what he was asking but felt that Transport Infrastructure Ireland had to provide funding to improve safety around the entrance. TII need to step up to the mark in Kilmaine. If they improve the access out of that pitch people would not be parking on the side of the road. We have played our part as an MD [municipal district] and we have put up the money and secured the ground and they have to honour their side of it. That is the big problem in Kilmaine and it is up to them. They are asking people to drive out where the view is obscured and they have zero visibility on the right hand side coming out of a 100kph [speed zone] and that is what is causing the problem there, he said. It was today announced that the Irish author, broadcaster, and documentary maker, Manchan Magan has passed away at the age of 55. The Manchan ar Seachran author was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer in 2023. While tributes pour in across social media, Mayo TD Dara Calleary expressed his sympathy to the family and friends of Manchan Magan. I am very saddened to hear of Manchans death this morning at such a young age. Manchan was a gifted broadcaster, writer, and passionate advocate of the Irish language. He said. I want to join with others in offering my deepest condolences to his wife Aisling, his family, his friends, and his former colleagues in TG4, RTE, and the wider arts and culture community across Ireland, May he rest in Peace. He added. Just last year, Manchan visited Achill, Mayo, as part of ag Triall ar an Tobar on TG4, a six-part documentary series that dives into the myths and legends associated with Irelands holy wells. President Michael D Higgins was among many others to pay tribute: "It is with the deepest sense of sadness that I, like so many others, have learned of the death of the incomparable writer, broadcaster and documentary maker Manchan Magan. "Manchan was a truly singular person. It is hard to imagine how anyone else could have made such a broad and engaging contribution in bringing the beauty, depth and vitality of the Irish language to so many people, in Ireland and beyond. "Manchan truly lived an inspirational life and helped so many people to find a deeper meaning in their lives. Through his work, Machan inspired so many people, across every generation, to engage more deeply with our native language, its cultural richness, and through it to engage with, respect and learn from our natural landscape and environment. "May I express my deepest condolences to Manchans wife Aisling, who has herself made such a valuable contribution to so many communities, to his mother Croine, to his brother Ruan and his other siblings, to his extended family and to all his many friends, admirers and collaborators in so many parts of the world. Maire Ni Chonlain, Commissioning Editor, TG4, too expressed a touching tribute to Manchan: Manchan was a visionary storyteller whose creativity, courage, and curiosity brought TG4 audiences on unforgettable journeys into Gaeilge, culture, and heritage. He had a rare gift for making us see the world and our own traditions in a new light. His legacy will endure in the powerful programmes he made, and he will be greatly missed." READ MORE: STORM AMY MAYO LIVE: Follow all updates as heavy rainfall and high winds continue across the county RTE has confirmed that a series of candidate debates will be held across their platforms as the Irish Presidential Election fast approaches. Across the next three weeks, the broadcaster will host a range of these debates, providing audiences with opportunities to engage with the messages of each candidate ahead of polling day on Friday, October 24. The extensive coverage will be provided across television and radio as well as online platforms. Beginning this Sunday, October 5 on The Week in Politics, Aine Lawlor will be joined by Catherine Connolly TD, Jim Gavin and Heather Humphreys live in studio to debate the issues facing Ireland's next president. The programme will air live on RTE One at 12 noon and again at 11:10pm that night. READ MORE: AIB issue warning on scams after customer is conned out of 150,000 RTE Radio 1 flagship programmes Drivetime, This Week and Morning Ireland have invited all candidates to take part in live on-air debates between October 7 and 19, as the campaign proceeds to elect Ireland's 10th president. RTE Prime Time will host the final major debate of the campaign on Tuesday, October 21, three days ahead of voting. Presenters Miriam OCallaghan and Sarah McInerney will ask the important questions as voters decide on who to elect. The podcast team at Behind The News will also be recording a bonus episode from backstage on the night. RTE.ie, RTE News App and RTE's social media accounts will provide real time updates and capture video of key moments from the debates in live blogs with follow-up expert analysis from their political team. All these debates will be available to stream live worldwide via the RTE Player and RTE Radio Player. The election campaign coverage will also see news and current affairs programmes , including the Six One News, Today with Claire Byrne and News at One with Rachael English, broadcast a range of one-to-one interviews featuring the candidates. Along with this, there will be on-location broadcasts in several towns and cities along the campaign trail to hear the views of voters on the ground. In addition, a brand-new three-part series, The Katie Hannon Big Interview Live, will feature each of the presidential candidates in an in-depth programme at 7pm on RTE One and RTE Player. Through extensive reporting and analysis across TV, radio, and online in English and as Gaeilge, RTE plans to keep audiences informed on the latest developments and key issues of Presidential Election 2025, helping the public to make informed choices on polling day. Water Safety Ireland urges caution around water as Storm Amy reaches Mayo. With Storm Amy set to bring strong winds, heavy rainfall, and dangerous sea conditions to parts of Ireland, Water Safety Ireland is urging the public to exercise extreme caution near all bodies of water over the coming days. The organisation is advising the public to avoid coastal areas, rivers, lakes, and flood-prone zones as conditions deteriorate, with risks including powerful waves, sudden surges, and fast-flowing currents. Public Strongly Urged to Stay Safe by Staying Back from All Waterways During Dangerous Conditions Storm conditions significantly increase the danger in areas that are typically safe. Coastal paths, piers, harbours, and inland waterways can become treacherous with little warning. Water Safety Ireland is appealing to the public to prioritise safety and avoid putting themselves or emergency services at unnecessary risk. Key Safety Advice as Storm Amy hits Mayo: Avoid walking near coastlines, piers, harbours, or riverbanks during stormy conditions Do not engage in water-based activities such as swimming, surfing, kayaking, or boating during weather alerts Supervise children and keep pets away from open water and flood-prone areas Never attempt to drive or walk through flooded roads or paths Secure boats and watercraft to prevent damage or drifting Follow official weather and safety updates from Met Eireann, the Irish Coast Guard, and local authorities CEO of Water Safety Ireland, Joanne Walsh, stated: Storm Amy will bring very challenging and dangerous conditions to coastal and inland areas. We are asking everyone to be extra vigilant and to respect the power of the water during this time. Simple choices like avoiding high-risk areas and staying informed can save lives. While Irelands waterways are a valued part of our landscape, storms bring risks that require extra caution. By following the S.A.F.E. rule and staying away from edges, you can ensure your safety and that of your family. Remember, no view or experience is worth risking your life. Stay Safe - Stay Home. READ NEXT: STORM AMY GUIDE: How to track where in Mayo is flooded Storm Amy has already caused plenty of chaos for people travelling in Mayo, whether it be on our roads or on our rail lines. Now, it is continuing to cause issues for those of us in the air. Earlier today (Friday, October 3), flight EI916 was due to depart Ireland West Airport, Knock at 1.05 pm for London Heathrow. However, the flight had to be cancelled due to unsafe weather conditions. Now, four inbound flights have had to be diverted elsewhere as the wind at the Mayo facility reached further highs. Ryanair flight FR890 had been due to land in Knock from Edinburgh at 2.10 pm. However, after making their way to the West of Ireland, they were forced to turn back to the Scottish capital. Another Ryanair flight, FR1742 from East Midlands airport, was due to touch down in Mayo at 2.15 pm. However, when still over the Irish Sea at around 1.10 pm, the plane which set off from Nottingham diverted south to Shannon Airport. That was not the only Ryanair flight which went to the Clare airport. FR6552 from Liverpool (which was due in at 1.35 pm) spent some time circling Knock Airport before making the decision to continue down the Atlantic coast. Lastly, Ryanair flight FR3691, which was due into Knock at 3.40 pm, made the journey across the Irish Sea to Knock before deciding to return to Birmingham, where it arrived back at approximately 5.10 pm. Passengers either arriving into or departing from Ireland West Airport are advised to keep an eye on all channels from their airlines they are flying with ahead of travel as they continue to get to grips with Storm Amy. The most recent flight, Ryanair flight FR807 from London Stansted, landed safely at 5.35 pm, with one more flight for today from London Luton scheduled to arrive at 6.03 pm. 80% of patients with hypnosis completed non-invasive ventilation successfully vs 50% in control group. Trusted Source Hypnosis can make ventilation masks more acceptable to patients with breathing problems Go to source Trusted Source TOP INSIGHT Did You Know? #Hypnosis is a popular approach for easing fear and #anxiety. Yet, employing it for acute #respiratorydistress with #noninvasiveventilation is still pioneering. #hypnosis #anxiety #pulmonology #NIV_Mask #medindia Advertisement A Holistic Approach to Improve Patient Compliance with NIV Advertisement Hypnosis vs. Standard NIV Care for Acute Respiratory Distress Advertisement The Three Phases of the Medical Hypnosis Intervention Dramatic Improvement in NIV Tolerance: 80% Success Rate Hypnosis Application in Emergency Respiratory Care Limitations and the Need for Wider Staff Training Expert Commentary for Further Study of Hypnosis in NIV Hypnosis can make ventilation masks more acceptable to patients with breathing problems - (https://eusem.org/news/1062-press-release-hypnosis-can-make-ventilation-masks-more-acceptable-to-patients-with-breathing-problems) , according to a study presented at the European Emergency Medicine Congress (). Hypnosis helps patients breathe comfortably with non-invasive ventilation (NIV) during acute respiratory distress. Throughout the procedure, patients are treated with an NIV mask connected to tubing to a machine that enhances oxygen and reduces carbon dioxide in the blood.Dr. Tobi Hamza, a resident emergency medicine doctor at the Mohammed V Military Teaching Hospital (HMIMV) in Rabat, Morocco, told the Congress: We decided to conduct this studyGiven the increasing interest in non-pharmacological techniques to improve patient comfort and compliance, we wanted to explore whether medical hypnosis could improve NIV tolerance and outcomes.Acute respiratory failure is a medical emergency and occurs when the lungs are unable to take in enough oxygen and remove carbon dioxide. There are several causes, including heart failure , lung diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and pneumonia, infections and injuries to the chest or ribs.Between December 2023 and May 2024, Dr. Hamza and colleagues recruited 20 patients who came into the HMIMV emergency department with acute respiratory distress to a prospective pilot study.They randomised them into two groups: ten patients received the standard care of NIV and anti-anxiety medication if needed the control group; a further ten patients received a hypnosis session and NIV.Dr. Hamza said: The hypnosis session consisted of a calming induction phase using voice guidance, breathing synchronisation and visual imagery; a deepening phase to reduce anxiety and enhance dissociation from physical discomfort; and a therapeutic suggestion phase, aiming to promote feelings of safety, trust in the treatment and cooperation with the mask. A doctor trained in medical hypnosis conducted all the sessions.The researchers assessed how well the patients tolerated the masks using a comfort score with a scale from 0 to 10, by assessing changes in oxygen, carbon dioxide and acidity levels (pH) in the arterial blood after one and four hours, any requirement for sedation and anti-anxiety medication, and whether or not NIV had to be discontinued.said Dr. Hamza.Eight out of ten patients, 80%, in the hypnosis group successfully completed non-invasive ventilation sessions without requiring sedation or switching to invasive ventilation, compared to only five out of ten, 50%, in the control group.We also observed a reduction in agitation and respiratory distress scores, shorter duration of emergency room stay, and reduced need for anti-anxiety medication. Clinical efficacy was improved too.After four hours, we saw greater reductions in carbon dioxide in the blood and the acidity levels returned to normal. We were positively surprised by the magnitude of the difference., improving NIV tolerance, reducing patient distress and potentially improving outcomes.For clinicians it offers a low-cost, non-invasive, drug-free adjunct to support respiratory care.Patients in the hypnosis group gave a higher comfort score: 7.5 out of ten, compared to 4.3 in the control group.To our knowledge, this is one of the first prospective studies evaluating hypnosis as a supportive technique during NIV in emergency settings. While hypnosis has been explored in pain, procedural anxiety and chronic disease management, its application in acute respiratory distress with NIV is still very novel.Although it was a small study, the findings suggest a substantial clinical benefit and we are conducting a larger, multi-centre study to validate our findings and explore the long-term impact of hypnosis on outcomes, such as hospital stay, intubation rate and mortality, he concluded.Limitations include that it was a single-centre study, it was difficult to obtain consent for hypnosis, especially when it would jeopardise immediate vital prognoses or patients were confused, and patients were excluded from the study if they presented as an extreme emergency; a doctor trained in hypnosis administered it to patients, which might limit the generalisability of the findings until more staff are trained in the technique; and the doctors and patients were not blinded to which patients received which treatment.Dr. Felix Lorang is a member of the EUSEM abstract selection committee. He is head of the emergency department at SRH Zentralklinikum Suhl, Thuringia, Germany, and was not involved with the research.He said: We do know that inHypnosis is a step further in intensifying the interaction, and this study suggests that hypnosis not only can help patients to tolerate non-invasive ventilation more easily and make them comfortable, but also can improve the clinical efficacy of the ventilation. This deserves further investigation in larger groups of patients.Source-Eurekalert First mammogram matters; nonattendance is tied to later-stage breast cancer and higher 25-year mortality risk. Trusted Source Women who don't show up to their first breast screen face higher death risk Go to source Trusted Source TOP INSIGHT Did You Know? About 20% of #breastcancers are detected only during screening #mammograms meaning they may not be found by physical exams or self-checks alone. Regular screening often catches tumors years before symptoms appear, improving survival rates. #breastcancerawareness #fightbreastcancer #breastcancerfacts #earlydetectionsaveslives #medindia Advertisement Existing Breast Cancer Screening Gaps - Long Term Study Advertisement Advanced-Stage Diagnoses and Increased Mortality Advertisement Missed Screenings Are a Modifiable Risk Factor Collaboration, Funding, and Publication Details Swedens Approach to Early Breast Cancer Detection Women who don't show up to their first breast screen face higher death risk - (https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/women-who-dont-show-up-to-their-first-breast-screen-face-higher-death-risk) Skipping the first scheduled mammogram could significantly increase a womans risk of being diagnosed with advanced breast cancer and of dying from the disease. Thats the conclusion of a new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in the journal BMJ, which highlights the life-saving importance of early and consistent breast cancer screening ).Since the early 1990s, women in Sweden have been offered regular mammograms, which has contributed to a decrease in breast cancer mortality. Despite this, a significant proportion choose not to attend their first examination. The researchers behind the new study wanted to investigate the long-term consequences of this.The study is based on data from the Swedish mammography screening program and national health registries, and covers almost 433,000 women in Stockholm between 1991 and 2020, with follow-up for up to 25 years.The results show that. These women were also less likely to participate in future examinations, which often led to a later diagnosis and poorer prognosis.Our results show that missing the first mammogram is not just a one-time choice, but often marks the beginning of a long-term pattern of not attending check-ups," says the study's first author, Ziyan Ma, a doctoral student at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet.When women who skipped their first screening were later diagnosed with breast cancer, the disease was more often detected at a more advanced stage. TheOver a 25-year follow-up period, almost 1 percent of those who did not participate had died of breast cancer, compared with 0.7 percent among the participants a difference that corresponds to a 40 percent higher risk of dying from the disease.However, the total proportion of women who developed breast cancer was almost the same in both groups, approximately 7.7 percent. According to the researchers, this shows that the increased mortality is mainly due to delayed detection rather than more cases of the disease."Family history is a well-known, unchangeable risk factor for breast cancer. Our study shows that missing the very first screening examination carries a similar mortality risk but unlike family history, this is a behavior that we can change. Since over 30 percent of women skip their first screening, increased participation could save many lives. Since this group can be identified early, decades before deaths occur, healthcare providers have a chance to intervene with reminders or support to encourage participation, says the study's last author, Kamila Czene, professor at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska InstitutetImportant partners include Zhejiang University in China and clinical collaborations with Sodersjukhuset and S:t Gorans Sjukhus. The study was funded by the Swedish Research Council and the Swedish Cancer Society. There are no reported conflicts of interest.Publication: First mammography screening participation and breast cancer incidence and mortality in the subsequent 25 years: population-based cohort study, Ziyan Ma, Wei He, Yuqi Zhang, Xinhe Mao, Jose Tapia, Per Hall, Keith Humphreys, Kamila Czene, BMJ, online September 25, 2025, doi: 10.1136/bmj-2025-085029All women aged 40 to 74 are invited to undergo free mammography screening every two years. The aim is to detect breast cancer at an early stage, often before symptoms appear. The examination is performed using X-rays and takes only a few minutes.Source-Karolinska Institutet The first time I walked into Zuru Zuru, I wasnt convinced. Why would anyone come to Delhis Shahpur Jat market for this standalone restaurant? The climb up a narrow staircase felt uninviting, the spot so easy to miss youd think it was meant to be a secret. Inside, the idea of squeezing into a communal table with strangers instantly triggered the introvert in me. I like quiet corners, not conversations. I like two-seater tables that feel like safe havens, not benches that force small talk. But then came the ramen, gyozas and yakitori simple, soulful, and comforting. It didnt feel like bahar ka khana. It felt like someone had decided to share the best-kept secrets of their recipes with me. The awkwardness of communal seating melted away with each slurp. Slowly, Zuru Zuru went from I dont know if Ill come back here to this is one of my favorite spots in Delhi. Instagram/Zuru Zuru And thats the thing about these XS (extra small) eateries and micro-restaurants. They dont try too hard to charm you yet they end up being the spaces you crave on the most ordinary days. Across the city, a wave of micro-restaurants is quietly redefining Delhis food culture. These arent the sprawling, 100-cover establishments with dramatic interiors and menus the size of a novella, covering everything from pastas and noodles, to tacos and butter chicken. They are small, focused, and fiercely personal a handful of seats, a handful of dishes, and an intimacy that makes dining feel less like going out and more like being invited into someones home. Why Micro-Restaurants Are a Big Hit in Delhi Instagram/Zuru Zuru Delhi is no stranger to dining in small spaces. A true Dilliwala knows that some of the best memories are often made over a car-o-bar session with your friends at night, where you pair your poison with piping hot kebabs, tikkas and rolls. A true Dilliwala will also know all the small nukkadwale shops for the best sweets and snacks in their neighbourhood, because if theres one thing Delhi knows, its where to have a good meal. Micro-restaurants arent new to the city either. Places like Little Saigon and H-Man have been around for almost a decade and people continue to travel across the city and wait patiently be it for a comforting bowl of Vietnamese Pho or a hearty barbeque spread. This recent shift towards small dining spaces reveals Delhis deep hunger for authenticity. In a city where dining out often doubles as a social flex Instagram reels, valet parking, dramatic cocktails these small spaces offer a sense of being grounded in an intimate space. Instagram/Radhika Khandelwal At the newly opened sandwich shop, Kona, in Greater Kailash, intimacy is the whole point. Chef Radhika Khandelwal explains, A tiny space forces precision, care, and intention in everything from the menu to the interactions. It feels intimate and tactile, almost like sitting at a friends kitchen counter, and adds, I hope Kona makes people rethink scale and intimacy. Dining does not always need to mean large plates or large rooms. It can be four seats, a bold identity, and big flavours. The philosophy here is simple fewer choices, better experiences. Unlike large restaurants that must appeal to every palate, micro-restaurants can afford to be niche, whether thats through Konas emphasis on slowing down, or Zuru Zurus dedication to Japanese soul food in an intimate diner setting. Navika Kapoor, the co-founder of Zuru Zuru always wanted to have a live ramen bar, which went perfectly with the compact space she found to open her first restaurant, a few years ago. Along with her co-founder Hiten, she removed the separate tables and added one long communal table. We wanted it to feel like you're dining in someone's living room, being served with warmth and love, a place where you can feel seen and be fed good food, says Navika. Small Menus, Big Impact Instagram/Kona Another defining feature of these micro-restaurants is the radical simplicity of their menus. No 20-page encyclopedias of something for everyone. Instead, Zuru Zuru perfects its bowls. Kona focuses on Japanese-style sandos. Garnitas in Lodhi Colony keeps tacos and Mexican street food at the center. And Rude Chef in Humayunpur specialises in seafood platters. Chef Radhika shares, For me, food has always been about curiosity, whether it is ferments, foraging, forgotten ingredients, or playful reinterpretations. At Kona, that comes through in Asian-inspired sandos layered with house-made pickles and ferments, a sharp, small-format coffee program, and menus that evolve with drops and specials. The reason Zuru Zuru has become a personal favourite is because I dont face decision paralysis when I open their menu. They do a select few dishes, and they do it bloody well. We have some things people know, yes, but with a small menu we are able to make them try some newer things as well and we are proud of that, says Navika. Instagram/Garnitas XS eateries strip away the noise, so diners can have a more personalised experience. Nandita Shamlal, chef and owner at Garnitas sums it up perfectly, Most of us are done with soulless establishments with the same decor and the same menu. Were ready for more character and good food with better music to go with it. Like the younger generation, Delhi is done with restaurants that try to be people-pleasers. If youre obsessed with a dish, Delhiites want to feel that maniacal vibe with you in a space that exudes this crazy energy. They are ready to drown themselves in a restaurant that knows what its doing. The Challenges of Running a Micro-Restaurant Instagram/Rude Chef Of course, running a small restaurant isn't without challenges. For Wunganing Raikhan, co-owner of Humayunpurs Rude Chef, the biggest challenge is balancing affordability with quality. Rents are lower than in big markets, but customers expect top-notch food and service, so we have to be extra creative in how we run things. However, chefs and owners of small eateries in Delhi unanimously agree on one thing the trade-off is worth it. Garnitas in Lodhi Colonys glamorous Meherchand Market can barely fit 10-15 people, but Nandita wouldnt have it any other way. Instagram/Garnitas Her favourite part of it all? Theres nothing to hide! With my kitchen being partially open, I wanted people to see the human side of the industry and vice versa. Weve all become spoiled with getting everything within 10 minutes and at the click of a button, so the human interactions are further reduced. Micro-restaurants offer the opportunity to give a more personalized experience, she shares excitedly. Micro-restaurants like Kona are part of that conversation, adds Radhika, asking what it means to eat in Delhi today and how small a place can be while still leaving a big impression. The same intimacy that creates logistical headaches also forges loyalty. Customers dont just remember the food. They remember the experience of being seen, spoken to, and cooked for directly. Are Micro-Restaurants Bringing a Cultural Shift? Instagram/Zuru Zuru For decades, Delhis food scene has been defined by scale big dining rooms, big menus, big parties. Eating out was about occasion, not everyday comfort. But micro-restaurants flip that logic. They normalize the idea that eating out can be casual, intimate, even meditative. They emphasize ritual over spectacle. And Delhi seems ready. The same city that built its reputation on big family banquets and loud brunches, with menus that are too eager to bring the whole world to your plate, is now ready for something new. It's embracing places where 12 seats are enough, where a single dish can carry an entire menu, where anonymity isnt possible because the chef will probably come talk to you at some point. Instagram/Kona The obvious question is whether this is a trend or a transition. After all, micro-restaurants often thrive on novelty the thrill of 'discovering' something hidden. Once theyre widely known, do they lose their edge? The chefs I spoke to are optimistic. Radhika believes such dining spaces are shifting Delhis food culture from maximalist dining to something more considered, personal, and experience-driven. She adds, It feels intimate and tactile, almost like sitting at a friends kitchen counter. It is less about spectacle and more about flavour, conversation, and connection. Wunganing Raikhan can also feel this cultural shift: Ive noticed more chefs opening their own small restaurants, and that movement is pushing food to evolve in exciting new directions. SIGN UP FOR THE DAILY JWR UPDATE. IT'S FREE. Just click here. Angry Democrats need to tone down the rhetoric. Using "Nazi," "fascism," and "Gestapo" to describe ICE agents has resulted in the murders of innocent people. The left-wing ideology has now become as lethal as white supremacy. Vulnerable people sick would be a better word can't distinguish between rage and reality. So they lash out, believing they'll be lionized. We're on a perilous road, and politicians have a duty to speak up, but they must do so with a modicum of professionalism. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz equating ICE as a "modern-day Gestapo" is hate speech. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has already been called out for suggesting that this summer ICE agents are akin to neo-Nazi groups. "I don't know of any police department that routinely wears masks," Wu said early in the summer. "We know that there are other groups that routinely wear masks. NSC-131 routinely wears masks." When asked specifically whether she was comparing ICE to the neo-Nazi group based in New England, Wu didn't say no. "What I said is that Boston police, and no other police department that I know of at the local level, routinely wears masks." Again, to the unhinged, that's a license to lash out. The New York Post reports that violent plots planned or perpetrated by the far left in the US, as a percentage of all terrorist attacks and plots, hit a record high in the first half of 2025, and are on pace to reach a three-decade high, according to a study from the Center for Strategic & International Studies. CSIS has been listed as a "centrist" site. Now that we have that out of the way, they make an honest point. "Leaders across the political spectrum must condemn violent extremism of all kinds, denying it legitimacy and reducing its appeal," CSIS writes in its latest report. The gruesome video of the assassination of Charlie Kirk is still being disseminated on social media. (Why Elon Musk doesn't fix this is a legitimate question.) The Hill reported, on 9/11 of all days, that U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., urged Musk to ban the videos. "These are not the only graphic videos of horrifying murders circulating at some point, social media begins to desensitize humanity," the lawmaker said. "We must still value life. Please take them down." The basic point is the Democrats are furious over President Donald Trump winning the election and doing as he promised he would: fix the broken immigration system. His "Worst First" approach is being met with outrage by those who looked the other way as the Southern Border was a sieve. That's no longer the case. ICE agents have spread out from Boston to Los Angeles, looking to deport illegal immigrants with criminal records or charges filed against them. All of this traces back to the Biden administration's gross lack of attention paid to the migrant crisis. A crisis that has cost Massachusetts taxpayers billions, but that's a story we have covered and will continue to address. Today, the appeal is singular. Find another way to communicate. ICE agents cover their faces because they are doxxed for doing their jobs. Police officers face similar abuse. If you break the law, expect to face the consequences. That's not Nazism. (COMMENT, BELOW) A U.S. Army veteran will serve a year behind bars for wire fraud and stolen valor charges. Sharon Toney-Finch, 43, of Newburgh, New York, previously made false public claims about assisting homeless veterans. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Vincent L. Briccetti sentenced her to 12 months and one day in prison for claims of being a Purple Heart recipient as well as for a years-long scheme to defraud military veterans charities. She was indicted by the federal government in April 2024 on four charges: wire fraud, stolen valor, theft of government funds, and forging a military discharge certificate. In March 2025 she pleaded guilty to the charges, which Briccetti at sentencing in the Southern District of New York (SDNY) called appalling and disrespectful to [her] fellow veterans. Sharon Toney-Finch falsely claimed to be a Purple Heart recipient and used her foundation to defraud donors and others induced by that lie, said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton of SDNY in a statement. Let todays sentence reaffirm that fraud built on lies about service and sacrifice will carry a heavy price. In addition to the prison term, Toney-Finch was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $84,000 in restitution and $85,000 in forfeiture. Perpetuating 'Fraud' The honorably discharged Army vet founded the nonprofit charity Yerik Israel Toney Foundation in New Yorks Sullivan County. The foundation, according to SDNY, intended to raise awareness of premature births, offer assistance to premature babies and their families, and provide a place to stay or transportation while babies were in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). It also claimed to help homeless and low-income military service veterans in need of living assistance. In fact, the YIT Foundation was largely a fraud that led her to obtain approximately $85,000 as part of a broader scheme, SDNY said in a press release following Toney-Hinchs sentencing. They said she helped virtually no military veterans and instead used raised funds donated by charities to the YIT Foundation to spend on her own luxuriesincluding paying for her BMW, a gym membership, travel, meals, and other personal expenses. She garnered national attention in 2023 after claiming that veterans her foundation had assisted were being evicted from a motel in Newburgh to make room for migrants who were being bussed to the mid-Hudson Valley from New York City, according to the Times-Herald Record. One donor reportedly wired her foundation $25,000 due to the claim later found to be fake. Also while fundraising, authorities became aware that she lied extensively about her military service. That included false claims that she had been injured in an improvised explosive device attack in Iraq, as well as doctoring her military discharge paperwork to reflect that she had received a Purple Heart. DENVER When the government shut down in 2018, a Mississippi nonprofit interceded to fund a bare-bones crew to keep one of the states most-visited cultural attractions operating. Now, the group is committed to doing that for Vicksburg National Military Park once again. The hilly Civil War battlefield where soldiers fought for control of the Mississippi River in 1863, run by the National Park Service, reopened Thursday thanks to a commitment from the Friends of Vicksburg National Military Park and Campaign to pay $2,000 a day to keep it open during the current shutdown. For us it is primarily and first and foremost an issue of protection of the park, executive director Bess Averett said of the site, home to more than 18,000 graves of veterans from six wars and a few former park employees. During shutdowns or times when the park is not staffed, its really vulnerable to vandalism and relic hunters. The Park Services contingency plan allows parks to enter into agreements with states, Native American tribes, local governments or other groups willing to donate to keep the sites open. Organizations that support individual national parks across the country have also stepped forward to welcome visitors. West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey also signed a donation agreement to reopen the visitors centers at the states two national parks. Many national parks have remained largely open but with visitors centers closed. The U.S. Interior Department, which includes the park service, has released only limited information and directed people to the general contingency plan for how its more than 400 sites should operate with reduced staffing during the shutdown as opposed to a detailed, user-friendly list. The plan allows parks with certain recreation fees to use that revenue thats already been collected to provide basic services like restrooms, trash collection and law enforcement. Hayley Smith and her two children, who were traveling from Louisiana to Arkansas, were among those who trickled into Vicksburg National Military Park on Wednesday but could only could see a lineup of canons and a few monuments. A gate blocking the parks tour road kept them from exploring most of it. They plan to stop by again on their return trip. Its a huge thing for these kids to be able to see the history and learn about our national parks, she said. Another Park Reopens with Help of Nonprofit On the island of Oahu in Hawaii, the gates to the Pearl Harbor National Memorial were closed for several hours Wednesday morning because of the federal shutdown. The popular tourist site opened at 11 a.m. local time, thanks to the nonprofit that partners with the park service to support the memorial. With fundraising help, the Pacific Historic Parks will keep the site, home to the USS Arizona Memorial, open during the shutdown as long as it can, the group said. The way the process works is the Park Service will provide us with an estimated daily cost and then for the number of days that we can afford, we will fund it, said Pacific Historic Parks President and CEO Aileen Utterdyke. It will cost an estimated $9,000 a day, which she hopes to cover by reaching out to Hawaiis governor, the tourism authority, tour operators and other businesses who benefit from the more than 1.7 million yearly visitors to the site. She said the fundraising plea can be applied to any park nationwide. Other Groups Aid Visitors in Park Employees' Absence At Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado this week, drivers were waived through without paying an entrance fee. The roads were busy there, and long line formed at a freestanding restroom near a shuttered visitors' center. Staffers for the Rocky Mountain Conservancy, which raises money for the park, are helping to welcome people at a visitors' center just outside the boundaries of the park that remains open under an existing joint agreement with the parks service, spokesperson Kaci Yoh said. The staffers, who operate a gift shop in the center, usually help park rangers who are not currently working there recommend hikes, pass out maps and guide people in how to respect the park's landscape, Yoh said. The group plans to add more employees during the shutdown, but they are not authorized to swear children into the junior ranger program, she said. The program allows children who take a pledge to be good stewards of national parks to get a badge. "We are not rangers. Were doing the best that we can, Yoh said. Staffers for a similar group that supports Grand Canyon National Park are also serving as ambassadors through the park's gift stores. Proceeds will be used to support the park, just as they do normally, said Mindy Riesenberg, spokesperson for the Grand Canyon Conservancy. National Parks Were Damaged During Past Shutdowns A national group that works to protect national parks urged the Trump administration to close all sites during the shutdown, citing damage in previous shutdowns, including to prehistoric petroglyphs at Big Bend National Park in Texas and slow-growing Joshua trees being cut down in Joshua Tree National Park in California. Guidance shouldnt direct park staff to swing the gates open and walk away, Theresa Pierno, the president of the National Parks Conservation Association, said in a statement. States where national parks draw major tourism lobbied to keep them open during past shutdowns. Utah agreed to donate $1.7 million in 2013 to keep its national parks open. Arizona, Colorado, New York, South Dakota and Tennessee have also donated money to keep parks staffed during previous shutdowns. ___ Associated press journalists Sophie Bates in Vicksburg, Mississippi; Jennifer Sinco Kelleher in Honolulu; Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico; and John Raby in Charleston, West Virginia, contributed to this report. U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon on Thursday agreed to recuse himself from hearing Oregons challenge to President Trumps deployment of National Guard troops to Portland after federal government lawyers asked him to step aside. Although the Court does not believe that recusal is required under either federal law or the Code of Conduct for United States Judges, because it is necessary that the focus of this lawsuit remain on the critically important constitutional and statutory issues presented by the parties, the undersigned U.S. District Judge hereby recuses himself, according to a notice on the case docket Thursday afternoon. The recusal came shortly after Justice Department lawyers had filed a request suggesting Simon step aside to avoid the appearance of partiality, considering his wife, a U.S. congresswoman, has spoken out against the troop activation. Simon noted that the Justice Department filed the recusal request three days after he held a phone scheduling conference with all parties on Monday and less than 24 hours before Fridays 10 a.m. hearing on the states motion for a temporary restraining order to block the deployment of troops. The case has been randomly reassigned to U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut, who is still scheduled to hear the pending motion on the restraining order at 10 a.m. in Courtroom 15B of the U.S. Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse in Portland. Immergut, who was nominated by Trump, has served on the federal bench since 2019. Justice Department lawyers highlighted in their recusal request that U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, a Democrat, stood last Saturday with Gov. Tina Kotek and Mayor Keith Wilson at a news conference in Portland to blast Trump for saying the city needed military help to quell protests at the ICE building in War ravaged Portland. Bonamici released a statement that day that said: Donald Trump is lying. I was at the ICE facility two days ago and saw a few peaceful protesters, not a siege. We do not want or need federal troops in Portland, said Bonamici, who represents much of the west metro area. The Trump administration is using lies and delusions to try to justify turning the military against US citizens. Its illegal, dangerous, and outrageous. The federal governments recusal request, titled Defendants Suggestion of Recusal, pointed out that Bonamici has suggested the Trump administrations federalization of Oregon National Guard troops could result in violations of law. The Justice Department lawyers also noted that Bonamici has blasted Trumps actions on social media, and had interfaced in her official role with each defendant in the suit. Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem are named as defendants. The day after the news conference, Trump and Hegseth informed the state that the federal government was ordering the Guard into federal service in Portland for 60 days. The state hours later joined with the city to file a lawsuit challenging the deployment and then filed a motion for a temporary restraining order to block the troops arrival. Jean Lin, special litigation counsel for the U.S. Department of Justice, said the government recognizes that Judge Simon and Representative Bonamici speak for themselves, not for each other. Nonetheless, the unique factual, legal, and political role that Judge Simons spouse has played in the central events of this lawsuit may create the appearance of partiality, she wrote in the recusal request. The significant public interest in this lawsuit likewise makes it vital that the Court endeavors to ensure public confidence in the outcome of litigation by removing any possible perception of partiality. Simon has served on the U.S. District Court bench in Portland for 14 years, nominated by former President Barack Obama in 2011. The court assigns the cases on a randomized schedule. Attorney Steven Kantor, dean emeritus at Lewis & Clark Law School, said a judges recusal requires an overwhelming conflict. Simon could have rejected the governments request, saying that he is able as a judge to decide the case based on the facts and arguments presented in court and is not influenced by his wifes political activities or stance, Kantor said. He added, But of course it will be used politically. If Simon had rejected the request, the Justice Department could have appealed. Lewis and Clark Law School professor Tung Yin said recusal generally occurs if judges have a financial stake in a matter before them or have personal knowledge of events in the subject in court. Yin referred to a case when another judges impartiality was questioned because of his wifes job. In 2019, proponents of Californias law banning same-sex marriage asked a judge on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to recuse himself from the case because his wife, Ramona Ripston, was the executive director of the ACLU of Southern California and a strong opponent of Proposition 8, a state ballot initiative to add a new section to the state Constitution that said, Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California. The ACLU was not a party to the appeal. That judge, Stephen Reinhardt, considered the motion and ruled that he would not recuse himself, saying he could rule impartially. According to federal law, judges must disqualify themselves in any proceeding in which their impartiality might reasonably be questioned, including if they have a personal bias or prejudice concerning a party, personal knowledge of disputed evidence, or if they or their spouse or any child in their household has a financial interest in the matter. The law also holds that judges should step aside if they or their spouse are a party to the proceeding, act as a lawyer in the proceeding, are known to have an interest that could be substantially affected by the outcome of the proceeding or are likely to be a material witness in the proceeding. 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit oregonlive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. SYDNEY The only Australian soldier to be charged with a war crime in Afghanistan pleaded not guilty Friday, but a prosecutor said he is unlikely to stand trial before 2027. Oliver Schulz, 44, is accused of shooting Afghan man Dad Mohammad three times in the head in an Uruzgan province wheat field in May 2012. Schulz made his first appearance in the New South Wales state Supreme Court in Sydney on Friday and pleaded not guilty to the war crime of murder. A trial date would usually be set on such an appearance, but national security concerns have prevented prosecutors and defense lawyers from seeing much of the evidence against the former Special Air Service Regiment elite soldier. There is no realistic prospect of a trial beginning in 2026, prosecutor Sean Flood told Justice Peter Hamill. Read next: Trump Administration Taps Army Reserve and National Guard for Temporary Immigration Judges Schulzs lawyer Phillip Boulton agreed. I understand the importance of getting a trial date in a normal case, Boulton said. This is not a normal case. Schulz will appear in court again on Dec. 12, by which time the defense department is expected to have told trial lawyers what information will be suppressed for national security reasons. An Australian military report released in 2020 recommended 19 current and former soldiers face criminal investigations over 39 unlawful killings in Afghanistan. Schulz was charged in March 2023. An Australian civil court found the nations most highly decorated veteran, Ben Roberts-Smith, had likely unlawfully killed four unarmed Afghans under Australian soldiers control between 2009 and 2012. The court had rejected Roberts-Smiths claim that he was defamed by news media that accused him of war crimes. But Roberts-Smith has not been criminally charged with any offenses, which would need to be proved to the higher legal standard of beyond reasonable doubt. The only Australian veteran to be convicted over war crime allegations in Afghanistan has been whistleblower David McBride. The former army lawyer was sentenced last year to five years and eight months in prison after pleading guilty to charges associated with leaking allegations of war crimes to the media. Classified documents provided by McBride became the source of a series of Australian Broadcasting Corp. reports in 2017 called the Afghan Files. The reports detailed allegations against Australian soldiers including the unlawful killing of men and children. Read next: Experts Weigh In on Rare Legal Battle Between Oregon and Trump over Deployment of National Guard WASHINGTON Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has accused the independent watchdog for the Pentagon of being weaponized and says he's overhauling the inspector generals office, upending the way that service members report abuse and other problems in the ranks. Hegseth unveiled the plans during a speech at an unusual gathering of hundreds of top military leaders this week. He also signed a memo ordering the inspector general to identify anyone who makes a complaint instead of letting them be anonymous, to dismiss any complaints the inspector general deems non-credible, and to set new, tighter timelines for complaints to be filed and investigations to be completed. Along with a decree stating that the military's policy on hazing, bullying, and harassment is overly broad, Hegseth's directives have raised concerns among advocates and experts who say the changes would undo years of progress that have helped protect women and minorities from abuse and would shutter avenues to file legitimate complaints. It is part of a broader push by the Trump administration to radically reshape the community of inspectors general tasked with rooting out waste, fraud and abuse at government agencies. More than a dozen watchdogs were fired in January amid a larger dismantling of public integrity guardrails since President Donald Trump took office. Hegseth Takes Aim at the Inspector General as He Faces Signal Investigation The changes are necessary to fix a process that has been weaponized putting complainers, ideologues and poor performers in the drivers seat, Hegseth told military leaders Tuesday, without offering evidence. Hegseth is overhauling the office as he himself is under investigation by the inspector general over his use of the Signal messaging app, where he shared sensitive information about military strikes in a group chat that inadvertently included a journalist. He also shared the information in other chats that included his wife and brother. Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson told reporters in August that Hegseth had made a statement as part of that investigation one of the last steps in the process. Don Christensen, a former chief prosecutor for the Air Force and a Virginia-based attorney who often represents people who file complaints with the inspector general, questioned the need for Hegseths directive. This is based upon people that he hangs out with complaining about the process versus any kind of study or data that shows that the IG takes too long or theres this problem with serial complainers, Christensen said. He added, I dont know of any data that shows theres a crisis of serial complaints. Advocates Fear a Chilling Effect on Troops Rachel VanLandingham, a former Air Force lawyer and military justice advocate, said she worries the changes will have a major chilling effect on troops coming forward to report sexual harassment, bullying and racism. She noted that by eliminating anonymous reporting, Hegseth is planning to shut down a process that has been "proven to bring to light significant issues that affect morale and discipline within units." Survey after survey after survey has shown that service members are afraid of their own command chain, and when theyre afraid of their own command chain, problems go on unsolved, she said. Despite years of messaging and establishing specialized response teams, the military has continued to struggle with sexual assault and violence toward women. In a recent case, Army Spc. Vanessa Guillen's dismembered remains were discovered after she had been missing for more than two months from Fort Hood in Texas in 2020. The killing sparked a movement of women speaking out about sexual abuse in the military and led to changes in how they can report it. An Army investigation later found that, among other issues, there was a climate that tolerated sexual harassment and assault, and that there was a significant lack of confidence in the command chain, and therefore reluctance to report abusive behavior. Hegseth Says Racism and Sexual Harassment Will Be Targeted In his speech this week, Hegseth seemed to anticipate criticism of his changes and stressed to the assembled military brass that of course, being a racist has been illegal in our formation since 1948 the same goes for sexual harassment both are wrong and illegal. He said those kinds of infractions will be ruthlessly enforced. While VanLandingham acknowledged Hegseths position, she said he is making changes to systems that have been shown to help reduce sexual harassment and sexual assault and were created in response to widespread systemic racial and sexual discrimination and harassment. Hegseths memo also pointedly noted that an article of the Uniform Code of Military Justice the legal code that governs military personnel prohibits false statements and that violators will be held appropriately accountable. Both Christiansen and VanLandingham said such wording will almost certainly discourage people from reporting concerns and complaints. The people who are coming forward are taking a huge risk for their career already, and now hes making it worse by putting a target on their back, Christensen said. VanLandingham added: Thats not how you instill confidence in a system to be able to report things that absolutely need to be reported." Associated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed to this report. DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday ordered Israel to stop bombing the Gaza Strip after Hamas said it had accepted some elements of his plan to end the nearly two-year war and return all the remaining hostages taken in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack. I believe they are ready for a lasting PEACE, Trump wrote on social media. Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly! Right now, its far too dangerous to do that. We are already in discussions on details to be worked out. Hamas said Friday that it has accepted some elements of Trump's plan, including giving up power and releasing all remaining hostages, but that others require further consultations among Palestinians. The statement came hours after Trump said that Hamas must agree to the deal by Sunday evening, threatening an even greater military onslaught. There was no immediate response from Israel, which is largely shut down for the Jewish Sabbath. Hamas said it was willing to return all remaining hostages according to the plans formula, likely referring to the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange. It also reiterated its longstanding openness to handing power over to a politically independent Palestinian body. But it said aspects of the proposal touching on the future of the Gaza Strip and Palestinian rights should be decided on the basis of a unanimous Palestinian stance reached with other factions and based on international law. The statement also made no mention of Hamas disarming, a key Israeli demand included in Trumps proposal. Trump's Plan Would End the Fighting and Return Hostages Trump appears keen to deliver on pledges to end the war and return dozens of hostages ahead of the second anniversary of the attack on Tuesday. His peace plan has been accepted by Israel and welcomed internationally, but key mediators Egypt and Qatar have said some elements need further negotiation. If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas," Trump wrote Friday on social media. "THERE WILL BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. Under the plan, which Trump unveiled earlier this week alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Hamas would immediately release the remaining 48 hostages around 20 of them believed to be alive. It would also give up power and disarm. In return, Israel would halt its offensive and withdraw from much of the territory, release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and allow an influx of humanitarian aid and eventual reconstruction. Plans to relocate much of Gaza's population to other countries would be shelved. The territory of some 2 million Palestinians would be placed under international governance, with Trump himself and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair overseeing it. The plan provides no path for eventual reunification with the Israeli-occupied West Bank in a future Palestinian state. Palestinians long for an end to the war, but many view this and previous U.S. proposals as strongly favoring Israel. Hamas Officials Air Objections in TV Interviews Trumps proposal cannot be implemented without negotiations, Mousa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas official based outside of Gaza, told the Al Jazeera network. He said it might be difficult for Hamas to release all the hostages within 72 hours as the proposal dictates, because it could take days or weeks to locate the remains of some of the captives. Abu Marzouk said Hamas was willing to hand over its weapons to a future Palestinian body that runs Gaza, but there was no mention of that in the official statement. He also took issue with the proposals language about ridding Gaza of terrorists, since Hamas considers itself a national liberation movement. Another Hamas official, Osama Hamdan, told Al Araby television that Hamas would refuse foreign administration of the Gaza Strip and that the entry of foreign forces would be unacceptable. US and Israel Seek to Pressure Hamas Israel has sought to ramp up pressure on Hamas since ending an earlier ceasefire in March. It sealed the territory off from food, medicine and other goods for 2 1/2 months and has seized, flattened and largely depopulated large areas. Experts determined that Gaza City had slid into famine shortly before Israel launched a major offensive aimed at occupying it. An estimated 400,000 people have fled the city in recent weeks, but hundreds of thousands more have stayed behind. Olga Cherevko, a spokesperson for the U.N. humanitarian office, said she saw several displaced families staying in the parking lot of Shifa Hospital during a visit on Thursday. They are not able to move south because they just cannot afford it, Cherevko told The Associated Press. One of the families had three children and the woman was pregnant with her fourth. And there were many other vulnerable cases there, including elderly people and people with disabilities. Trump wrote that most of Hamas' fighters are "surrounded and MILITARILY TRAPPED, just waiting for me to give the word, GO, for their lives to be quickly extinguished. As for the rest, we know where and who you are, and you will be hunted down, and killed. Most of Hamas' top leaders in Gaza and thousands of its fighters have already been killed, but it still has influence in areas not controlled by the Israeli military and launches sporadic attacks that have killed and wounded Israeli soldiers. Hamas has held firm to its position that it will only release the remaining hostages its sole bargaining chip and potential human shields in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. Netanyahu has rejected those terms, saying Hamas must surrender and disarm. Second Anniversary Approaches Thousands of Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, attacking army bases, farming communities and an outdoor music festival, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians. They abducted 251 others, most of them since released in ceasefires or other deals. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many were civilians or combatants. It says women and children make up around half the dead. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the U.N. and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties. The offensive has displaced around 90% of Gaza's population, often multiple times, and left much of the territory uninhabitable. Both the Biden and Trump administrations have tried to end the fighting and bring back the hostages while providing extensive military and diplomatic support to Israel. Mroue reported from Beirut and Khaled from Cairo. Associated Press writers Chris Megerian in Washington and Joseph Krauss in Ottawa, Ontario, contributed. Days after a 70-year-old Air Force veteran was among five people charged while protesting outside a suburban U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, fellow veterans and others gathered Thursday at the same spot in Broadview to speak out against ICEs increased presence in the Chicago region and the Trump administrations increased use of military tactics. Nearly two dozen people attended the event sponsored by the veteran and military organization Common Defense, of which the veteran, Dana Briggs, was a member. Briggs, of Rockford, was protesting on Saturday outside the two-story ICE building in Broadview when he was accused of making contact with a border protection agents arm while trying to hand his cellphone to another protester, allegedly causing pain to the agents wrist. Briggs is facing a felony count of assaulting a federal officer. Earlier this week, he was ordered released on an appearance bond. The Broadview facility has become a flashpoint for protests over the Trumps administrations ongoing crackdown against illegal immigration. Since Operation Midway Blitz began in early September, ICE and the U.S. Border Patrol have made more than 800 arrests, according to a statement on Wednesday from the Department of Homeland Security. On Thursday, the group of protesters in Broadview said they were rallying to bring attention to the arrest of Briggs. They said actions by ICE and the Border Patrol are undermining democracy and civil rights. Demi Palecek, a member of the Illinois National Guard, also said the surge of immigration officers is scaring communities. This was never about lower costs, it was never about energy or health care or groceries, Palecek said of the Trumps administrations goals. This is to help billionaires. This is about scapegoating, its about the immigrants used as political fraud, while private prison companies cash in while taking away our civil rights. Robert Held, a 68-year-old Air Force veteran, attended the rally and said he was among those arrested Saturday during the protest in Broadview, along with Chicago journalist Steve Held, to whom he is not related. Robert Held said he was chased by federal agents before being arrested, without charges, but not before he was interrogated for eight hours and released at 1:30 a.m. Sunday. This is all about political theater and the suppression of the First Amendment rights of protesters like myself, Robert Held said. Steve Held, a journalist for Unraveled Press who had been detained by federal agents at a Broadview protest Saturday night, was released Sunday. After his release, he described his experience on the Bluesky social media app, saying that while getting processed, he noticed the heartbreaking look on detainees faces. We have never witnessed anything like what ICE has unleashed on our communities this week, Unraveled Press posted on social media Sunday morning. During the rally, Shawn Campbell, 30, of Plano, interrupted to accuse the protesters of being the problem. People are not innocent, you are the agitators, he said. Ive shown up and shown my pride in my country, shown my patriotism in my country, shown my love for my country, Campbell said in an interview with the Tribune. He said President Donald Trumps use of federal agents is a sign of Americas law and order. You have to have structure, order and discipline, Campbell said. Once you allow chaos and carnage to ensue, society will begin to fall and fail. But Ed Yohnka, communications director of ACLU of Illinois, said the Trump administrations increasing reliance on military tactics and the presidents threats earlier this week that he may use major American cities, such as Chicago, as training grounds for the military are incredibly dangerous. It is dangerous that a president thinks that its a training ground for lethal force to be used in a city and in a major urban area in the United States, he said. 2025 Chicago Tribune. Visit chicagotribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. LANSING, MI - Black market operators are cheering the Michigan Legislatures vote to more than double marijuana taxes, opponents say. About 3 a.m. Friday, Oct. 3, the Michigan Senate in a contentious 19-17 vote passed a new 24% wholesale tax on marijuana, that insiders say will decimate business and eventually be passed along to customers. Four Republicans and 15 Democrats supported the bill. What we just did is we just adopted Californias high-tax approach that drives people back in the black market, said Sen. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, who voted against the bill and advocated for the ballot initiative that legalized recreational marijuana in 2018. It doesnt bring cannabis into a legal space where there is taxes and testing and jobs. Set to take effect Jan. 1, 2026 pending the outcome of expected lawsuits Michigan marijuana customers will be taxed 40% on marijuana products, including the existing 10% excise, 6% sales and new wholesale tax. Michigan currently has one of the lowest tax rates, but it will now become one of the highest in the nation. The passage is the result of bipartisan budget negotiations between the Republican-led House, Democrat-majority Senate and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who earlier this year floated the idea of a 32% wholesale marijuana tax to generate $470 million in new revenue for road repairs. A huge chunk of Whitmers road funding plan and the passed budget rely on the new marijuana money. Related: Lawmakers finally approve Michigans 2026 budget, adding a 24% marijuana tax Fiscal analysis of the passed legislation, House Bill 4951, estimates it will generate $420 million in new tax revenue for roads; however, opponents say that number is inflated and doesnt take into account sales lost to steeper pricing. Irwin believes politicians saw the $3 billion-plus marijuana industry as one ripe for tax juicing, since consumers are paying among the lowest in the nation, the industrys lobbying arm is weak and some remain ideologically opposed to marijuana commerce. The existing excise tax is already lucrative for the state coffers. Of the nearly $331 million raised from marijuana excise tax last year, $116 million apiece went to school, bridge and road funds. That doesnt include the 6% tax generated from nearly $3.2 billion in marijuana sales. Karen OKeefe, director of state policies at the Marijuana Policy Project, wrote in a Bridge Michigan op-ed, that politicians are singling out cannabis consumers to foot the bill for their projects. Cannabis taxes are already disproportionately high when compared to other goods, OKeefe said. Michigans excise tax on beer is only 20 cents per gallon, or well under 1% the price. This tax disparity is particularly striking because alcohol is objectively more dangerous and is not used as a medicine. Related: Michigan may soon have the nations second-highest marijuana tax rate Crossover Republican voter Sen. Ed McBroom, who represents 15 counties in Michigans Upper Peninsula, said the industry that began in December 2019 has brought blight and crime, while overrunning communities to the extent that people are leaving. Where are the benefits, he asked, while speaking in favor of the the new tax at 3 a.m. Im told this is going to stop cross-border traffic into my communities. Well, tell me another reason to vote yes, because these folks drive in, backups into the streets for miles, hundreds of cars dont stop at a single store, restaurant, gas station or wayside in my communities and drive out again with their product. Related: What happened when marijuana money came to small U.P. towns When MLive in 2023 visited marijuana stores along the Wisconsin border in Menominee, which is part of McBrooms district, employees said the majority of their business came from out-of-state customers, some who drove hours for Michigans low prices. The same phenomenon has taken place along Michigans southern border, where dozens of shops have opened in cities along the Indiana and Ohio state lines. Industry insiders, including Michigan Cannabis Industry Association Director Robin Schneider, estimate nearly a third of all Michigan marijuana revenue is generated from sales along the borders. Those are the customers who I think were going to not see coming to Michigan anymore, at least not in the same numbers, Irwin said. McBroom agreed that it might be possible new taxes reinvigorate the already pervasive marijuana black market. But if Im not having out-of-state folks come here because its too expensive to do business here, they might as well stick with their illegal markets where they live, he said. Because the current tax structure and distribution plan were decided by voters who passed the recreational marijuana ballot initiative in 2018, opponents believe the new tax illegally circumvents the constitutional requirement that ballot initiative legislation only be amended by a 3/4 super-majority vote from both branches of the Legislature. The logic espoused by supporters contends the new tax is separate, additional legislation; it does not infringe upon the will of the voters, and so doesnt require a super-majority. McBroom said he originally saw this logic as an end-around, but has since changed his stance. When you read the initiated law from 2018, you see that it specifically references other taxes, specifically, therefore, those who wrote this acknowledge that there are other taxes that can be charged and levied, McBroom said. And it doesnt say that it can only be those that were in place at the time of passage. Marijuana is not the first product or item or property in this state where it is taxed under multiple acts and you have to pay tax on the same thing in multiple ways. The legal challenges are already brewing, according to Schneider, who said this week her lobbying organization is discussing a legal strategy to challenge the tax. Its expected businesses will file a request for an emergency injunction, which if approved by a judge would halt implementation of the tax until its legality is resolved by the courts. They called it a wholesale excise tax, as opposed to just an excise tax, so does adding the word wholesale mean that now you sort of get to avoid the constitutional provision that normally protects the citizens voice, Irwin said. In the past, the courts have stood up for the residents rights in the Constitution. Will they this time? Well find out. An October 2023 photo from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) shows of site preparation work at the Copperwood Mine in Gogebic County, Mich. Michigan EGLE LANSING, MI Michigan lawmakers did not include a $50 million earmark to aid development of an Upper Peninsula copper mine in the final draft of next years state budget. The $75.9 billion 2026 state budget finalized on Friday, Oct. 3 left out money for Wakefield Township to improve infrastructure around the proposed Copperwood Mine that would be built near Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in Gogebic County. Republicans included the money in the House budget passed in late August after a $50 million state grant for mine developer Highland Copper was not approved in 2024. The one-time appropriation sponsored by Rep. Greg Markkanen, R-Hancock, would have helped upgrade local roads, water systems, energy and broadband infrastructure. The $425 million copper mine is fully permitted but opposed by environmental groups and Indigenous tribes due, in part, to its proximity to Lake Superior and the popular wilderness park. It is supported by local officials and economic developers who say it would drive growth and create jobs in a distressed region. If opened, Copperwood would be the first copper-focused mine in the U.P. since the White Pine Mine closed in 1997. Highland Copper is gathering capitol to open the mine, which CEO Barry OShea said in a May interview with Stockhouse would be ready to start construction in 2026. The company has described the $50 million in state money as a catalyst to help fund site infrastructure. Highland Copper awarded mine and processing plant engineering and design contracts this year and updated plans to boost its potential copper recovery totals. In September, the company announced a non-binding letter of interest from the U.S. Export-Import Bank for up to $250 million in debt financing repayable over 11 years. OShea cited bipartisan legislative support, local support and Trump administration orders aimed at strengthening domestic copper supply as project attributes. Copperwood really is a project that needs to be built in the near term, he said. Local officials in the western U.P. had advocated for the earmark, arguing that a rebuilt County Road 519 would improve access to the state park as well as local industrial parks, and enhanced broadband would improve emergency response. Messages left with Mandy Lake, city manager of Bessemer who is also Wakefield Township supervisor, were not immediately returned. A woman who answered the main city line in Bessemer called the state budget news very disappointing. InvestUP, an economic development organization in Marquette, issued a statement reaffirming its commitment to the project on Friday morning. The release included supportive statements about the project from U.P. lawmakers, local officials and Highland Coppers OShea, who said the company is committed to moving Copperwood forward safely and successfully, for this community and for generations to come. InvestUP CEO Marty Fittante called the budget cut a bump in the road. Mine opponents issued a statement praising the cut. Lawmakers weighed all sides of the issue and decided that rolling out infrastructure into an uninhabited area to help an inexperienced foreign mining company was not a good use of taxpayer funding, said Tom Grotewhol, head of the Protect the Porkies campaign. Grotewhol said the opposition campaign fully supports state money coming to Gogebic County but let it fund locally-owned businesses and other endeavors that do not export our wealth out of the area at the expense of the environment. This is a win for everyone, both ecologically and economically." Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is expected to sign the budget into law before a temporary spending measure expires next week. Lawmakers finalized the budget overnight Friday after lawmakers failed to meet a constitutionally mandated Oct. 1 deadline. The $75.9 billion budget funds state operations for the 2026 fiscal year, which runs through Sept. 30, 2026. It includes another $5 billion in contingency funds. The deal prevents a state government shutdown after months of contentious negotiations that resulted in two missed budget deadlines. The deal involves significant changes to tax policy, road funding and education spending. It includes $51.8 billion in omnibus government spending and $24 billion for education. The double-masted schooner Corsair rests in 182 feet of water just south of Lake Huron's Thunder Bay. It went down in a storm on Sept. 29, 1872. Only two of the seven crewmen survived. Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary HARRISVILLE, MI Two men survived an 1872 shipwreck by clinging to a piece of the ships deck for 36 hours, adrift on Lake Huron. The wreck of the double-masted schooner Corsair took the other five crewmembers to the depths of the Great Lake along with the ship during a storm 153 years ago, according to records kept by the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. On Sept. 29, 1872, the Corsair encountered an intense storm off the coast of Harrisville, just south of Alpena, records say. Laden with heavy iron ore, the vessel sank. Days later, the second mate gave his account to the Oswego Daily Palladium, records say. The sea increased until it ran mountains high, and at every wave boarded the vessel, Second Mate Grady said. RELATED: Pitiful cries of the drowning marked worst maritime tragedy in Michigans Shipwreck Alley The captain decided to make for shelter in Tawas Bay, he said. The vessel was within 10 miles of Sturgeon Point when it heaved to, stopping forward progress. Around 4:15 a.m., the ship lurched two or three times and then dove headfirst, disappearing entirely and carrying all of us with her. As the Corsair went down, the decks raised and parted from the ship, Grady said. He and the other survivor lashed themselves to a portion of the deck with their scarves and floated for 36 hours before they saw another ship and used their scarves to signal the crew. God favored us, for the propeller saw our signals and came to our rescue, Grady said. RELATED: Found: Largest missing shipwreck in the Great Lakes The Corsair rests in 182 feet of water at GPS coordinates N44 46.922 W83 07.426, records say. Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, designated in 2000, is a 4,300-square-mile underwater preserve that protects more than 100 historic shipwrecks in Lake Huron off the Michigan coast. It was the first marine sanctuary in the Great Lakes. Shipwrecks are open to the public for recreation, including diving, snorkeling and paddling. The area encompassed by the sanctuary is also known as Shipwreck Alley. A major national pharmacy chain is no more. Rite Aid, which once sat on street corners across the U.S. along with competitors CVS and Walgreens, has officially closed all its locations nationwide. All Rite Aid stores have now closed. We thank our loyal customers for their many years of support, an announcement on its website said. The bare bones website also has information for former customers requesting prescription and immunization records and a link that allows people to search for a new pharmacy, but not much else. The news has been expected with the once iconic chain announcing in August 2024 that it was closing all 170 remaining stores in Michigan. But the falloff has been quick. In 2022, Rite Aid operated 2,451 locations. Founded in Pennsylvania in 1962, Rite Aid was once the third-largest drug store chain in the U.S. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October 2023 due to a large debt load and thousands of lawsuits alleging involvement in the opioid crisis. It emerged in September 2024 but filed again less than a year later in May 2025, liquidating all remaining assets, and closing its last remaining stores by September. CVS remains the largest brick-and-mortar pharmacy chain. An MLive file photo depicting potholes on a road in Jackson, Michigan. The state has long underfunded its roads and bridges, but recently made a move to better fund maintenance and repairs. J. Scott Park | jpark4@mlive.com Michigan roads and bridges are getting a significant financial boost after years of underfunding and political promises to prioritize long-term solutions. Lawmakers green-lit revenue changes early Friday morning, Oct. 3, that are expected to direct about $1.1 billion in new revenue to the transportation budget for Fiscal Year 2026. Eventually, transportation revenue stream changes adopted as part of budget negotiations could generate more than $1.8 billion annually, according to the Senate Fiscal Agency. Ed Noyola, chief deputy director for the Michigan County Road Association (CRA), called the states new road funding package its largest increase in transportation funding in his nearly 50 years in the industry. This is monumental and everyone should pat themselves on the back for getting this done, he said. The Michigan House and Senate reached an agreement on a more than $75 billion budget for FY2026, which began Oct. 1. It included $51.8 billion in general government spending and $24.1 billion for education. Related: 5 things to know about Michigans budget approved after midnight Gov. Gretchen Whitmer still needs to sign the agreement to make it official. She was part of the negotiation process alongside House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township and Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids. Heres a closer look at the budget as it relates to Michigan transportation and what comes next. Wheres the money coming from? The two major new revenue streams for Michigans transportation fund come from a shift of tax dollars paid at the fuel pump and a 24% wholesale tax on marijuana. In 2025, Michigan drivers pay about 70.4 cents per gallon of fuel between the state gas tax (31 cents), federal gas tax (18.4 cents) and state sales tax (6%, which is roughly 21 cents when gas is $3.50 per gallon). Rather than increase those taxes, lawmakers agreed to replace the state sales tax paid at the pump with an equal increase of the gas tax. That means more revenue for roads without drivers paying more tax. The Legislature also passed a new wholesale tax on marijuana. It will take effect on Jan. 1, 2026, and is expected to generate $420 million per year. The additional tax is on top of the existing 10% excise tax on retail sales. The cannabis industry opposed the tax, raising concerns that it will cripple small businesses and increase prices for customers. Related: Michigan bridges face $1B repair backlog as calls for funding boost grow louder A third component of revenue for roads is the Corporate Income Tax. The spending plan shifts about $688 million in corporate income tax revenue to roads, which will counter a rerouting of $600 million in income tax revenue away from roads for a net gain of $88 million. Growth in corporate income tax is expected to increase each year, bringing total new road funding to an estimated $1.8 billion by 2029. Prioritizing local roads About 66% of federal-aid eligible roads under county control in Michigan are in good or fair condition, which falls short of the states 90% goal. Meanwhile, 46% of local roads (non-federal-aid eligible) are good or fair. Getting more funding to local roads has been a priority shared by Whitmer and Hall throughout the negotiation process. The road funding package accomplished that goal. For FY2026, about $456.7 million in additional funding will go to the counties, and 246.1 million more will go to cities and villages. State trunklines are expected to get about $179.7 million more. Related: Michigan has more good roads, but repairs still cant keep up Noyola said those funds will be critical to addressing deteriorating roads. We really shined a spotlight on local roads and streets and this package delivers on that intent, Noyola said. At the end of the day, it is going to be a substantial increase in revenue for our guys. Were extremely excited. I think this is a win, win, win for everybody involved. A big boost for bridges Michigan has a $1 billion bridge repair backlog. At least 72 county-owned bridges have closed due to safety concerns, and another 332 were in critical or serious condition as of this summer, according to CRA. The CRA has had $50 million annually to distribute to county road agencies via the Local Bridge Program. However, it said it received $400 million in funding requests this year alone, even with a three-applications-per-county limit. Noyola said the budget agreement will put an additional $100 million into the Local Bridge Program annually, allowing road agencies to tackle more dilapidated bridges and begin reducing the backlog as soon as 2026. Were extremely excited about taking a good crack at that list of serious and weight-restricted bridges, Noyola said. Public transit Michigans transit systems also got a funding boost. The budget included up to $95 million in increased funding for the states Local Bus Operating program, which supports ongoing public transit services. Lawmakers also created an Infrastructure Project Authority Fund with $65 million annually for projects to develop, expand or enhance new transportation services. The Michigan Public Transit Association (MPTA) applauded the transportation funding package, calling it an investment that supports the economy, health care, education and people across the state. By strengthening and expanding public transit, were opening doors to opportunity, building more connected communities and creating a state where everyone can thrive, said Harmony Lloyd, MPTA president, in a statement. Transportation groups have said the current funding situation was reaching a dire point with risks of reduced routes, hours and services on the horizon. Adding $160 million in annual funding is likely to help providers maintain and even increase access. Even in the Motor City, driving shouldnt determine your destiny, said Megan Owens, executive director of Transportation Riders United. Now lets keep it going. To ensure everyone has reliable, convenient transit, legislators and local leaders must build on this momentum and commit to sustained, equitable funding that truly meets the needs of seniors, students, workers and people with disabilities across the state. State to study new road funding system Lawmakers earmarked $7.65 million for studying and implementing a program to evaluate the possibility of charging a per-mile fee on drivers. Road usage charge systems typically shift how drivers pay for roads, from a tax at the pump to a fee for how many miles they drive. Proponents say its a more equitable system because it accounts for more fuel-efficient and alternative-fuel vehicles that may not be options for all residents. How Michigan would track mileage, as well as how much it would cost per mile and who would be the first to be enrolled are all questions a pilot program would seek to answer. County road officials have supported a pay-per-mile study, given the rise in fuel-efficient vehicles has been associated with declines in fuel tax revenue. Noyola said it could take up to 10 years to adopt a road usage fee system for all types of vehicles, which is why its important to begin studying the system soon. Weve got to start doing something now or we will be left behind and again well start seeing funding reduced for transportation purposes, he said. Whats not included? The final road funding numbers agreed upon by the Legislature were significant in that they surpassed $1 billion. However, they came in short of the more than $3 billion proposed by both Whitmer and the House Republicans earlier this year. One area that will still need to be addressed down the road is culvert funding, a growing issue according to Noyola. When a culvert needs replacing, it typically needs to be rebuilt larger to account for environmental changes and safety standards. Once a culvert reaches 20 feet, it needs to become a bridge -- a transition the state has made about 150 times in the last four years. Noyola said thats an expensive shift, and one that cant be funded through the Local Bridge Program. Youre talking maybe quadrupling the cost of that fixture, he said. There is no identified funding source for dealing with that. Related: Should Michigan distribute more road funding to high-traffic communities? The idea of adding culvert funding was brought up late in the budget process, but didnt come to fruition. Noyola said it should be an area of consideration in the future. The annual process of agreeing on a state budget to allocate dollars for schools, state departments, local governments and more is usually completed by July 1, the statutory deadline to pass a budget. Lawmakers missed that deadline this year amid funding and policy differences, lower revenue projections and disagreements on a long-term funding plan to fix the states roads. AUBURN HILLS, MI A pedestrian was fatally struck during the early hours of Friday, Oct. 3, while crossing a major freeway in southeast Michigan, police said. The 40-year-old Oakland man was wearing all dark clothing just before 1 a.m. as he walked across I-75 near Chrysler Drive in Auburn Hills, according to a news release from the local police department. He was struck by a black Volkswagen Jetta on southbound I-75. The driver of the Jetta, a 40-year-old Ohio man, pulled over and called 911 after the collision, police said. Personnel from the Auburn Hills police and fire departments responded to the crash at 12:56 a.m. The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene. He had been staying at a hotel in Auburn Hills adjacent to the freeway. The driver stayed at the scene and is cooperating with the investigation. Anyone who may have witnessed this incident is asked to contact the Auburn Hills Police Department at 248-370-9460. FLORIDA CITY, FLORIDA - AUGUST 27: Customers enjoy food at a Cracker Barrel restaurant on August 27, 2025 in Florida City, Florida. The restaurant unveiled a new logo earlier this week as part of a larger brand refresh, but due to pushback from customers who didn't like the new logo, they announced that they will be keeping the old logo. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Getty Images Cracker Barrel has cut ties with the design firm behind its failed logo redesign. The company confirmed the decision in a press release issued Thursday. "The Company also today confirmed that it is ending its engagement with Prophet, the global strategic and creative growth consultancy that advised Cracker Barrel on its previous brand refresh initiatives, including the logo and restaurant redesigns," the company wrote. The decision comes after the national restaurant chain received significant backlash following the unveiling of a new logo in August. The redesign removed the brands beloved Uncle Herschel character from the logo. Gone too was the barrel that Herschel leaned against and the slogan Old Country Store. At the time, Cracker Barrel also announced it planned to remodel hundreds of locations to give them a more modern feel. Customers took to social media to express their outrage over both moves, with many calling for a boycott of the restaurant. Even President Donald Trump got involved in the drama, criticizing the company for the changes and urging it to go back to the original logo. After initially saying it was committed to the rebrand despite customer backlash, Cracker Barrel eventually backed down and abandoned the logo change along with the restaurant redesigns. The ordeal has cost the company financially as customers have not returned to restaurants, despite the companys decision to revert to the old logo. In a conference call with investors on Sept. 18, Cracker Barrel executives said traffic dropped 8% over the previous month. At the time, the company estimated traffic will be down between 7% and 8% in the first quarter of 2026 and could be down 4% to 7% for the full 2026 fiscal year. Cracker Barrels stock price is down significantly. On Aug. 18, the day the logo redesign was unveiled, Cracker Barrel stock closed at $62.20 per share. Today, the stock opened at $44.36 per share. The stock has lost more than 18% of its value in the last month alone. A juvenile bald eagle is seen in this file photo from Advance Local. N. Scott Trimble | syracuse.com A young bald eagle will be released into the wild after making a full recovery from barbiturate poisoning. The eagle was found on the side of a road on Sept. 8 and rescued by Skegemog Raptor Center. While there were no signs of trauma from a vehicle collision, the bird had symptoms consistent with barbiturate poisoning. He was barely conscious, with a severely depressed heart rate and shallow breathing, said James Manley, founder of Skegemog. Raptors have a relatively narrow tolerance for barbiturates, which are often used to euthanize pets and livestock, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. When euthanized animals are not properly disposed of, they can be mistaken for a feast and result in sickening and deaths of eagles, hawks, ravens and other scavengers. This juvenile eagle required about 72 hours of intensive supportive care from the Skegemog team. He was then able to stand and his heart rate and breathing had improved. Over the following weeks, he regained his appetite and strength and now he is ready to return to the wild, Manley said. Still sporting a brown head, the juvenile will return to the wild during a ceremony at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4, at Barnes Park, 12298 Barnes Park Road in Eastport, in the trailhead parking area. RELATED: Eagles in Michigan are dying from vehicle collisions, how to avoid them Bald eagles are federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. Both laws prohibit killing, selling, or otherwise harming eagles, their nests or eggs. Michigan is home to about 800 breeding pairs of bald eagles, ranking seventh among states. The United States has about 55,630 breeding pairs. Fall is one of the busiest seasons for Skegemog as raptors migrate across northern Michigan. The journey is filled with challenges, especially for young birds making the trip for the first time. Many end up needing care, medical treatment, food, and rehabilitation. Skegemog is a nonprofit raptor rehabilitation center near Traverse City. It rehabilitates sick, injured and orphaned raptors with the goal of reintroducing them to the wild. The organization relies on donations. In this file photo, the inside of the business then known as Zingerman's Creamery on Jan. 19, 2020. The business has since been renamed to Sanilac Creamery. Mikayla Carter | MLive.com PITTSFIELD TWP., MI A popular cheese shop near Ann Arbor has a new name. Zingermans Creamery, 3723 Plaza Dr., in Pittsfield Township is now Sanilac Creamery to reflect business changes in the last week. Arend Elston, primary owner, said he and his cousin have owned 90% of the business since March 2020 and bought out the remaining 10%. I think just the longevity of the business moving forward and it made sense to have it all under one ownership, Elston said. The name is a nod to Elstons upbringing. He grew up in Sanilac County, north of Port Huron in Michigans thumb, and his family has a farm in the area. He said the products will remain the same and under the Zingermans brand. Its just a business structure change, Elston explained. Ari Weinzweig, co-founder of Zingermans, said the name change will not strongly impact its patrons and is mostly a change for the accounting end and stuff that neither your or I pay as much attention to. It more allows his business to function in a way thats aligned with how he wants to operate as a smaller business, Weinzweig said. Were still friends and still send people over there and all is good. Both Elston and Weinzweig commended their business partnerships. The creamery was established in 2001 because of a need for high-quality cream cheese for Zingermans Bakehouse next door, then-Retail Manager Tessie Ives-Wilson told MLive/The Ann Arbor News in 2020. It sells cheeses, spreads and gelati. Patrons can try the shops pizza or pimento cheese toasties or Manchester cheese and fig jam grilled sandwich. The spot makes its own cheeses and has blocks and containers of cheese on display for customers. Some selections include spreadable French-inspired goat cheese and whitefish farm cheese. It is nestled along with several Zingermans ventures, including candy and coffee shops and the bakehouse, in the business park off Airport Boulevard south of Ann Arbor. Want more Ann Arbor-area news? Bookmark the local Ann Arbor news page. GRAND BLANC TWP, MI - A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to support the family of a woman killed in the shooting and fire at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township. The campaign, created by Gwen Henrie, aims to assist her nephew and niece following the death of their mother, Thelma Armstrong, in the Sunday, September 28 incident that left four people dead and several others injured. Police have said Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, was responsible for the incident. He was shot and killed by police officers in the churchs parking lot. Armstrong, described by her family as kind and selfless, was attending a service at the church with her daughter and other worshippers when the incident occurred. Thelmas family is heartbroken, mourning the loss of a beloved mother, grandmother, and dear friend, the campaign reads. Police havent named any of the victims, but several have been identified on GoFundMe pages created in the aftermath of the tragedy, including Pat Howard, John Bond of Linden and Benjamin Phelps of Linden and his young son. Other victims have verified GoFundMe pages as well, including for Greg Mikat, who suffered gunshot wounds and is in the hospital, along with Jeff and Marei Kubiak, who suffered injuries. GoFundMe has created a centralized hub featuring all verified fundraisers related to the church incident. The family is seeking help to cover funeral expenses, with Armstrongs son-in-law, Shane Lichtenberg, managing the funds, according to the campaign. The campaign has already raised over $59,200, surpassing its $50,000 goal. CNC Logistics, Inc. said it shuttered its plant in Walker, west of Grand Rapids, after the sudden termination of a company contract. LC- The Oregonian WALKER, MI A company that provides delivery services for Amazon has closed a plant in Walker, resulting in 75 job losses. CNC Logistics, Inc. shuttered its plant at 3415 Northridge Dr. NW on Aug. 27, company President Timothy Thomas said in a state filing. The Company regrets that it was unable to provide the full 60 days advance notice ordinarily required, Thomas wrote. The closure/layoff is the direct result of unforeseeable business circumstances. Specifically, our principal customer suddenly and unexpectedly informed us on August 27, 2025, that it would be terminating its contract with CNC Logistics DGR8 effective August 27, 2025, resulting in a substantial and immediate loss of business. The positions affected by the closure are: 70 delivery associates, four dispatchers, and one station manager, according to the filing. CNC Logistics is based in North Aurora, Ill. The company, which launched in 2017, describes itself as a last mile delivery provider for Amazon. In addition to operations in Illinois, the company says on its website that it has facilities in Indiana and North Carolina. CNCs state filing was made as part of the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, which provides advance notice in cases of qualified plant closings and mass layoffs, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The "Polito" combines kielbasa, potatoes and cabbage in a burrito smothered with bacon whiskey sauce, and it's only served to the public during Grand Rapids' Pulaski Days. Photo provided to MLive by Rich Nawrocki GRAND RAPIDS, MI Picture a burrito stuffed with kielbasa, cabbage, garlic mashed potatoes, cheese and a horseradish-based secret sauce all smothered in a hearty bacon whiskey sauce. Thats whats being served up this weekend only at the Polish Falcons hall, 957 Fulton St. W, for Grand Rapids Pulaski Days, the annual four-day festival dedicated to celebrating Polish food, beer, music and more. The Polito, as its called, was created 12 years ago by a Grand Rapids-based catering company in an effort to transform a traditional Polish dinner plate into a handheld meal. Three Men and a Grill has since trademarked the name and only serves the popular dish to the public during Pulaski Days each year. Rich Nawrocki, the catering companys cofounder, says its their most popular dish he estimates they will end up serving 1,000 Politos by the time Pulaski Day ends on Sunday, Oct. 5. Were serving lunch right now, and I would say 80% of our business is the Polito at the lunch-hour crowd, Nawrocki told MLive/The Grand Rapids Press on Friday afternoon. We get requests if we will make them year-round. When Three Men and a Grill first created the Polito, it was meant to be eaten as a handheld meal and was served as a traditional dry burrito, with no sauce served on top just a king-sized tortilla filled with kielbasa, kapusta, or Polish sauerkraut, mashed potatoes, cheese and a horseradish sauce. However, customers kept asking for the burrito to be served with a sauce on top, so the Polito creators started researching different types of sauces, Nawrocki said. First, they tried a tomato base, and then a cucumber dill, and eventually they landed on their signature whiskey bacon sauce. Nawrocki said the presentation of the wet burrito is partially an homage to the Beltline Bar, the Grand Rapids restaurant thats known as the original home of the famous wet burrito. Certainly the West Michigan concept of the wet burrito definitely had an influence on how we created it and presented it, Nawrocki said. Three Men and a Grill is run by Nawrocki and his business partner, Lisa Feist. The company was started 18 years ago with co-founder Mark Pospiech, who passed away two months ago, Nawrocki said. The Polish Falcons Hall is the only place you can get the Polito during Pulaski Days, which runs Thursday through Sunday. The kitchen is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday. A wet Polito is $15, and you can also order a dry Polito without the sauce for $13. Three Men and a Grill will also be serving up other meal options, including Polish meatballs, kielbasa sandwiches, pierogis, and more. You can find a full menu on the caterers Facebook page. This year marks the 53rd anniversary of Pulaski Days, which is named after American Revolutionary War hero and Polish immigrant General Casimir Pulaski. It was originally created to support local social clubs and share Polish culture with the Grand Rapids community. Now, the event is a weeklong celebration where 13 Grand Rapids social clubs come together to offer packed schedules for all to enjoy. Some of the notable events include the kielbasa and pierogi eating contest as well as the kapusta cook-off. Here is a list of the 13 participating Polish halls this year: St. Georges Hall 1513 Quarry Ave. NW Vytautas Aid Society Hall 1300 Hamilton Ave. NW Knights of Columbus 1140 Muskegon Ave. NW Sons and Daughters Hall 1057 Hamilton Ave. NW Sixth Street Knights of St. Casimir Aid Society 649 Sixth St. NW Fifth Street St. Adalberts Aid Society Hall 701 Fifth St. NW Polish Falcons of Grand Rapids 957 Fulton St. W St. Ladislaus Hall 58 Lane Ave. SW Kosciuszko Hall 935 Park St. SW St. Isidores Benevolent Aid Society Diamond Hall 435 Diamond Ave. NE Sacred Heart Benevolent Society Eastern Hall 506 Eastern Ave. NE St. Stanislaus Aid Society Little Hall 823 Michigan St. NE American Legion Post 459 658 Michigan St. NE The full 2025 Pulaski Days schedule, which includes times for live music at each of the Polish halls, is available here. For more information and ongoing updates, visit the Pulaski Days Grand Rapids Facebook page. Walker Fire Chief Russell Rusty Shoultz, who the department hired in June 2025, stands beside a city fire truck on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. Danielle James | MLive WALKER, MI - Chief Russell Rusty Shoultz has a vision for Walkers fire department, one that makes the citys public safety offices fast enough to catch up with Walkers rapid growth. Starting Oct. 4, the new fire chief, 52, will begin to see that vision realized, with 24-7 staffing for the Walker Fire Department. Its the first time since 1937 that the department has been staffed all 24 hours in a day, something Shoultz said he believes will help firefighters respond more quickly to emergencies that may crop up across the city. The quicker you get to an emergency, whether it be a medical emergency or a fire emergency, the better the outcomes, he said. Shoultz - selected by the city to head the fire department in June - comes to Walker with 34 years of public safety experience. He previously has worked for large fire departments in Mississippi and Louisiana and was deputy chief of the Louisiana state fire marshals office. He is also a licensed nurse practitioner and a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Coast Guard Reserves. Walker Mayor Gary Carey said Shoultzs background aligns perfectly with our citys focus on safety, responsiveness and community well-being. After over 30 years in public safety, Shoultz said his goal was always to be a fire chief. He envisioned a community that he connected with and one with rapid growth he could help manage - both boxes the city of Walker checked. A City of Walker Fire Department truck is parked in the station on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. Danielle James | MLive During Careys State of the City address in September, the theme of which was accelerate, he said things are moving fast in Walker. Weve all experienced that energy here in Walker for several years now, Carey said during his Sept. 16 address. From endless new construction projects to new and expanding businesses, from upgraded infrastructure to enhanced city services, the pace of change has picked up and it is exciting. Shoultz referenced city of Walker statistics that show 119% growth in state equalized value (SEV), a property evaluation tool, from 2015 to 2025. He described it as a significant increase in commercial and manufacturing development. When you go to a standard community across the country, those numbers run in the single digits on average, he said. With Walkers rapid growth, Shoultz said its unrealistic to think a fire department can do the same things as 10 years ago and still meet the communitys needs. Carey said in 2024, firefighters responded to nearly 900 calls for service and installed nearly 400 smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors, despite continuing to navigate the sustainability of the paid on-call model and the constant need for recruitment and retention. This is one of the main reasons behind our shift to more of a full-time firefighting department supported by equally trained paid on-call firefighters, he said. Shoultz said 24-hour coverage is the first step, ensuring faster response times in the middle of the night, when, unfortunately, a lot of significant fire emergencies occur. As the only person working for Walkers fire department whos ever worked a 24-hour shift, Shoultz said theres been a big emphasis on staff education and training, along with how to prepare their families. The department has also hired several additional firefighters, part of a multi-phase plan to increase staffing and improve services over the next several months. We have some ground to make up because the community has evolved a little quicker than the fire department, Shoultz said. He described the changes in his first days as a little like changing a flat tire while youre driving, and said there have been some challenges, like a continued shortage of firefighters nationwide. The department is currently recruiting full-time firefighters, with the initiative starting Sept. 30. Firefighters are able to help select their own shifts, he said, part of a 48-hour on, 96-hour off schedule intended to help limit burnout from the sometimes stressful nature of the job. The city is also investing in new fire station equipment and training sessions, part of a continued investment in public safety that Carey said accounted for over 43% of Walkers annual budget last year. Shoultz said the investment will ultimately help better prepare firefighters for high-stress emergency situations. We have a job (where) you can be dead asleep at 3:15 in the morning, and in six minutes from a dead sleep, you can be pulling hose across a front yard with someone screaming for help, trapped in a burning building, he said. Ive been in that position before. If youre not doing constant, high-quality preparation, you will fail when that test comes. Walker Fire Chief Russell Rusty Shoultz, who the department hired in June 2025, stands beside a city fire truck on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. Danielle James | MLive A good number of the departments calls - medical and fire - are preventable, Shoultz said, whether its an older resident who trips over an unsecured extension cord or a fire that takes the lives of a family because their smoke detectors arent functional. In 34 years, I have unfortunately been to countless fatal fires, he said. I have never been to a fatal fire where someone was not physically impaired and had a working smoke detector in the room. The goal is to prevent these life-changing events, Shoultz said, through more messaging and community involvement. To think back and think an entire family died because they lacked probably two or three $3 batteries, its hard to wrap your head around how tragic, he said. Thats a true tragedy. Those are the messages we try to get out. Turnout at initial community events to introduce Shoultz has been spectacular, he said. Community messaging has revolved around how to slow down and prevent in-home accidents, and the importance of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. We will go to every house in Walker to install smoke detectors, he said. If everyone called us, we would go to every house. Coming from an area of the country with more frequent natural disasters, he said the goal isnt to scare people, but help them be prepared for whatever may occur. The Allegan County Health Department is working with the district to identify individuals who may have been exposed during extended periods of time with the infected person. (Devin Anderson-Torrez | MLive.com) FENNVILLE, MI -- An individual at Fennville Public Schools has been diagnosed with active tuberculosis. The district has asked parents and students to monitor for signs of tuberculosis. If symptoms are identified, parents and students should contact their doctor, a press release from FPS said. We understand this news may raise concerns, but please know although active TB can be a serious disease, it is a treatable condition, the release said. Tuberculosis is a contagious disease that can cause cough, fever, night sweats and weight loss. Not everyone infected with the bacteria causing tuberculosis shows symptoms. Extended periods of time in enclosed spaces are required for tuberculosis to spread, the release said. Allegan County Health Department officials informed the district of the diagnosis. The district is working with ACHD to develop a response plan, including identifying people who were exposed to the individual for extended periods of time while they were contagious, according to a press release from FPS. If parents or students have been exposed, the district will contact them with next steps. Bookmark MLives local Kalamazoo news page. Pot holes are filled with water in this MLive file photo. A city commissioner wants Bay City to allocate $5 million of bridge money to street repairs and projects. Kayla Renie | MLive.com BAY CITY, MI A city commissioner wants Bay City to allocate $5 million of bridge money to street repairs and projects. Bay Citys 4th Ward Commissioner Ben Tenney plans to introduce a resolution at the next city commission meeting directing the city manager to work with the Department of Public Works to develop a comprehensive street repair plan funded by $5 million in revenue from a recent bridge lease agreement. The funding comes from the citys lease of bridges to Bay City Bridge Partners. Tenney believes the money, previously earmarked for such repairs, should be used sooner rather than later toward addressing the communitys deteriorating road infrastructure. Under Tenneys resolution, half of the funds would be dedicated to reserves, with the city manager and Department of Public Works having 30 days to prepare and roll out their repair plan following adoption. The Department of Public Works previously presented to the Bay City Commission outlining how the $5 million could be utilized through a grant-matching program to provide street repairs throughout the Michigan riverfront community. According to Tenneys resolution, the majority of Bay Citys streets currently exist in fair to poor conditions, creating challenges for both motorists and pedestrians while causing unnecessary wear and tear on vehicles. The resolution emphasizes that infrastructure conditions directly impact the quality of life for residents. Tenneys resolution will be taken up at the Monday, Oct. 6, meeting. An agenda can be found here. Robert. Tweedly Jr. appears before Bay County District Court Judge Mark Janer during a preliminary hearing in this MLive file photo. Tweedly is accused of strangling and dismembering Justie Stilwell last year. Nick Taylor | Ntaylor@Mlive.com BAY CITY, MI Trial dates have been set for a Bay City man accused of strangling and dismembering a school custodian he met on a dating app. Jury selection in Robert D. Tweedly Jr.s trial is to begin Nov. 18 before Bay County Circuit Judge Joseph K. Sheeran. A backup date of Jan. 6 has also been scheduled. Attorneys on either side of the case, though, say both dates are likely to be adjourned. Defense attorney James F. Piazza said he is still awaiting a transcript from an Aug. 26 preliminary examination and is planning to file several motions. November is totally unrealistic and probably January is unrealistic, as well, Piazza said. He declined to go into specifics on the type of defense he plans to mount, apart from saying the prosecution wont be able to prove their allegations beyond a reasonable doubt. Tweedly, 41, is charged with open murder and disinterment or mutilation of a dead body in the death of 41-year-old Justie T. Stilwell. Justie T. Stilwell Cole Waterman Bay County Prosecutor Michael P. Kanuszewski said his office has not made any plea offers to Tweedly. Stilwell was a custodian at T.L. Handy Middle School. His family reported him missing on Sept. 18, 2024, after he did not show up for work for two days. Later that evening, a teenage girl walking near the Edward M. Golson Boat Launch by Independence Bridge spotted human limbs in the water. The remains were identified as Stilwells. Investigators soon developed Tweedly as a suspect and determined he and Stilwell knew each other through the dating app Grindr. Police on the morning of Sept. 25, 2024, served a warrant on Tweedlys house at 110 Elm St. and arrested him. According to police reports MLive obtained via the Freedom of Information Act, Tweedly told detectives Stilwell had walked to his house the night of Sept. 13 to talk and help me through communication. Tweedly said he was intoxicated and high on methamphetamine at the time, reports state. As Stilwell went to leave, Tweedly pushed him down his basement stairs then strangled him, he told police, according to their reports. He stole about $40 in cash from Stilwells wallet and the keys to his 2020 Jeep Trail Hawk, then walked to Stilwells house at 1108 Litchfield St., he told police. Surveillance camera image of Robert D. Tweedly Jr. entering the Bangor Township Walmart, allegedly shortly after killing Justie T. Stilwell on Sept. 14, 2024. Cole Waterman Tweedly used Stilwells Jeep to make two trips to the Bangor Township Walmart, first buying rope before returning hours later to buy a 28-inch axe and reusable lawn bags, he told detectives, according to their reports. Tweedly allegedly confessed to dismembering Stilwells body with the axe in his basement, then making multiple trips in the Jeep to discard his body parts in the Saginaw River and at the nearby Golson Nature Area behind GM Powertrain, 1001 Woodside Ave., police reports state. As dawn was breaking, he abandoned Stilwells Jeep at DeFoe Park, then walked home. Stilwells siblings found the Jeep at DeFoe the morning of Sept. 19, 2024, and notified police. An inspection of the Jeep revealed blood and tissue in the cargo compartment, police reports state. During the preliminary examination held in August 2025, Bay City Public Safety Detective Ben Krzyminski testified Tweedly told him he wanted to confess to everything when he arrived at his home. Forensic pathologist Dr. Patrick Cho testified he performed an autopsy on Stiwells remains. He concluded the cause of death was strangulation and blunt force injury of the head. Stilwell was survived by his mother, two brothers, a sister, numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, and his cat Mango. In his Instagram profile, Stilwell described himself as Just a guy who lives in a town by the bay in Michigan. Who loves taking pictures. Drawing and painting whatever comes to mind. The account features several of Stilwells original works of art. Justie was a beloved custodian at T.L. Handy High School, where his gentle ways endeared him to both students and staff, his obituary states. Justie had a knack for photography and also enjoyed genealogy. Justies artistic side made him a natural when it came to scrapbooking and other creative pursuits. Justie enjoyed the peace of nature and enjoyed time spent outdoors, especially up north in Mackinaw City. He will be deeply missed, yet lovingly remembered for years to come. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, center, serves lunch to Michigan students while advocating for free school meals to be included in this years budget at Hamilton Elementary and Early Childhood Center in Kentwood, a suburb of Grand Rapids, Mich., on Monday, September 22, 2025. Isaac Ritchey | iritchey@mlive.com Retaining free universal school meals for all of Michigans K-12 students dominated much of the advocacy among education leaders as state budget talks rolled on over the past several months. But more than two days after the start of the states fiscal year Oct. 1, legislators finally green-lit a completed a 2025-26 budget package in the early morning hours of Friday, Oct. 3, with a line item for the states meals program. Roughly $201.6 million was included in this years school aid fund to support free breakfast and lunch, including an added $1.6 million compared to the 2024-25 budget to allow non-public, or private, schools that participate in the federal lunch program to participate in the state meals program Heres what parents need to know. If it wasnt clear, you wont have to pay for your childs school meals State lawmakers first missed a July 1 deadline to get a state budget proposal to Whitmer. Because that date is also the start of the fiscal year for public school districts, schools started the academic year amid uncertainty over a host of financial needs, including meals. From mid-September through this week as budget talks gained steam, districts across the state have floated the possibility of charging for free meals if the states program wasnt funded. Meals at some Title I schools, where a higher number of students may be economically disadvantaged, were still expected to be covered. Since inclusion of universal meals, the appropriation has been met with a wide-range of support by school leaders and education associations Dan Behm, executive director for Education Advocates of West Michigan, said late Thursday the investment ensured no children are distracted by hunger. On Friday, a spokesperson for Ann Arbor Public Schools said the district was pleased the state would fund free breakfast and lunch to ALL students for the rest of this school year. You still need to fill out an education benefits form A budget proposal passed by Michigans Republican-led House did not include the meals program earlier this year. And when school meals appeared to be on the chopping block, local districts and the Michigan Department of Education encouraged families to fill out the education benefits form, or EBF, to determine if they were eligible for free and reduced-priced meals under the federally funded programs that remained. The EBF also helps schools track eligibility for other funding, such as for instructional staff, social workers, counselors, nurses and technology. Now, under the school aid budget passed Friday, school districts must require each students household complete the child nutrition and education benefits application regardless of whether that district opts in to provide universal breakfast and lunch. School meals improve students academics, health The Michigan School Meals program has been financed to provide universal access since the 2023-24 school year. Still, MDE also reports that more students overall have gained access to both breakfast and lunch over the last several years. The average daily breakfast participation from October 2018 to October 2024 went from 383,844 to 491,042 students. For lunch, it was 758,805 to 887,430 in that same period. Experts and researchers widely agree that funding student meals at schools, ensuring they dont go hungry during the day, often has a positive impact on how they engage in class and improves their overall health. One 2024 systemic review of universal free meals that utilized more than 2,700 records across over 11,000 elementary, middle and high schools identified an association between meal programs and decreased obesity prevalence and suspension rates among students. A study led by the University released this year suggested students at school meal programs are more likely to choose lunches with higher nutritional quality and are less likely to have high blood pressure. For more information on Michigans programs, visit Michigan.gov. House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain, R-Mich., with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks during a news conference at the Capitol, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) Manuel Balce Ceneta Michigan Congresswoman Lisa McClain, House Republican Conference chair, made the rounds on national news shows blaming Democrats for the federal government shutdown. McClain, R-Bruce Township, appeared on FOX News and CNN on Wednesday, Oct. 1, after the two parties failed to secure a bipartisan bill to avoid a government shutdown. Theyre holding the American people hostage, McClain told CNN as she criticized insufficient Democrats supporting a funding extension to stop the government shutdown. While Republicans control a majority in both the U.S. Senate and House, Senate rules require a three-fifths majority vote (60 votes minimum) to pass a budget resolution. A Republican proposal in the Senate could only muster 55 votes. Related: From Michigan business owner to a key Trump ally: Congresswoman Lisa McClains rise Democratic leadership, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, claim the Republicans are the problem for not fairly negotiating. Schumer said the Republicans were trying to bludgeon us without even one bit of consultation. But McClain, the fourth highest-ranking member of Republican leadership, said just the opposite. Were willing to sit down and negotiate. Weve been willing to negotiate, but you have to come to the table with some reasonable negotiations for the American people, she told Fox News. Among the issues Democrats say they want resolved is an extension to $350 billion in Obamacare tax credits. McClain said theres still time to negotiate those tax credits before they expire at the end of the year, but the government needs to reopen now. Lets get back to this thing called regular order so we can have those debates, we can have those committee hearings, we can have those negotiations, but those arent going to happen with the government shutdown, she told CNN. In the CNN interview, host Wolf Blitzer asked McClain about the appropriateness of a post that appeared on Trumps social media page showing a deepfake video of House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries wearing a mustache and sombrero. Jeffries called the video racist. McClain said too much is being made of it. Listen, the president sure can get a laugh and get a rise out of Democrats with the social media. I dont think thats anything new to anybody, she said. Blitzer also asked about President Trumps suggestion that American military troops could be sent to Chicago and other U.S. cities as a training ground to help battle crime. Were looking at all options to make our cities safer, McClain said, noting that she believed Washington, D.C. became safer after Trump sent National Guard troops there earlier this year. Detroit Tigers players pose for a photo after winning Game 3 of the American League Wild Card baseball playoff series against the Cleveland Guardians in Cleveland, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Phil Long) AP CLEVELAND -- The Detroit Tigers looked like a team in freefall for much of September. They lost 22 of their final 31 games and stumbled into the postseason with the lowest September winning percentage by a playoff team since the World Series began in 1903. On Thursday, it felt more like, say, the good old days of May or June. The Tigers were resilient and opportunistic. And now theyre advancing. The Tigers beat the Cleveland Guardians in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series, snapping a three-game skid in elimination games and rediscovering the timely hitting that had eluded them for weeks. After going 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position in Game 2, they went 5-for-12 in Game 3, their most hits in such situations since Aug. 20. Asked if the adversity made the series win sweeter, manager A.J. Hinch said he was satisfied to just call it sweet. You have to earn these wins, Hinch said. Youve got to earn a full series win over a good team, a hot team, a team that we know well. Im so proud of our team. Youve got to fight, and we did, and we have. Dillon Dinglers sixth-inning home run was the breakthrough moment. A northern Ohio native and onetime Guardians fan, he became the first Tiger to homer for his first postseason hit since Nick Castellanos in 2014. It was huge, Dingler said. I was scratching and crawling a little bit. Momentum in the series was the biggest thing. The team with the most momentum was the one that was going to carry on. We were able to flip it right there. The ripple effect was unmistakable. Wenceel Perez, who entered the day hitless in the series, delivered a two-run single. Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene, both slumping, followed with run-scoring hits. For one afternoon, the Tigers lineup resembled the version that surged to the top of the American League standings throughout the summer. The Tigers were the first major-league team to 30, 40, 50 and 60 wins, and as late as Sept. 1 they had the best record in the AL. But a 7-17 September allowed Cleveland to erase what had been a 15.5-game deficit in July. Detroit became just the second team in MLB history to lose 13 of its final 16 games and still make the postseason, joining the 2000 Yankees. Hinch said the lesson of the past month is that adversity is survivable. You cant run from it. You cant be scared of it. You cant deny it. Youve got to overcome it, Hinch said. Were one good swing away from impacting games that matter the most because were one of the few teams still standing. And we need to embrace that. The Tigers now head west to face the Seattle Mariners in a best-of-five Division Series. Games 1 and 2 are Saturday and Sunday at T-Mobile Park. Game 3 on Oct. 7 will bring the Tigers back to Comerica Park for their first home game in 16 days -- and an incredible 31 days since their last home win. The 2025 Thar facelift in the new Tango Red colour option. Varun Singh USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. 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I Accept 2 / 8 Galaxy Apartments, Bandra Despite being a superstar, Salman has never moved out of his modest 1BHK in Galaxy Apartments, Bandra. The sea-facing flat, worth nearly 100 crore today, has been his home for over four decades. Its where his story began, and maybe thats why hes never left. While most actors shift to glassy high-rises or sprawling bungalows, Salman still prefers this apartment that holds his memories. Mummy 4: Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz in final talks to return for next instalment- Reports Nakul Tomar USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. 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I Accept New Covid variants Nimbus and Stratus on rise in UK: What experts want you to know New Covid variants Nimbus and Stratus are spreading, but symptoms remain mostly mild. Experts urge vaccination and hygiene measures this winter. (Image: Pexels) Manjiri Patil USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. 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Gaslighting is not just emotional manipulation but a psychological process that exploits how your brains learn from unexpected experiences (Image: Pexels) Bobby John Varkey USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. 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We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Tata Investment Corp shares rise 12% to hit fresh high, extend gains to 35% in 5 days, as Tata Capital IPO opens on Monday Tata Investment Corporation shares surged 12 percent to a record high on Friday, extending their winning streak for the fifth straight session, ahead of the opening of Tata Capitals initial public offering (IPO) next week. The stock climbed 11.98 percent to touch an intraday peak of Rs 11,847 apiece on the NSE. It has gained nearly 35 percent since September 26, when Tata Capital fixed the IPO date. However, shares pared the early gains to trade lower at Rs 10,075 per share on the NSE, down 4.77 percent. WeWork India's Rs 3,000-crore IPO to open shortly for subscription; should you subscribe? 10 key things to know Paras Bisht USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. 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I Accept Need to revive rule-based global trade system, UK and India should lead it: Karan Bilimoria Hemant Abhishek USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. 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I Accept Sweta Goswami USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Ishaan Gera USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. 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I Accept Army chief's powerful warning to Pakistan: 'End support to terror if you want place in geography' Armaan Bhatnagar USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept From autonomous tractors to AI care navigation apps, this weeks funding rounds saw four Australian companies raise a combined $38.76 million. Four Australian companies secured $38.76 million in fresh capital this week, led by agtech company SwarmFarm Robotics $30 million Series B round. The funding spanned sectors including autonomous agriculture, insurance software, health navigation technology and female-focused crowdfunding platforms, with investors backing AI-powered solutions and international expansion plans. SwarmFarm leads the pack AgTech company SwarmFarm Robotics dominated the weeks announcements with a $30 million Series B funding round to ramp up production of its autonomous SwarmBots and expand into North America. The round was led by European agtech investor Edaphon, with participation from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), QIC and Artesian Capital. The CEFC contributed $7 million through its Powering Australia Technology Fund. The capital injection follows a $12 million Series A round in 2023 and $4.5 million raised in 2020. The company also secured an $856,000 grant from the Northern Australia Development Program in 2022. The funding will enable SwarmFarm to scale production of its autonomous farming robots whilst establishing operations in the North American market, where agricultural labour shortages and increasing automation demand create significant opportunities for the technology. Health and insurance innovation Healthtech startup Indi raised $1.46 million to accelerate growth of its AI-powered co-pilot app helping parents of children with complex care needs navigate healthcare systems. The round was led by Giant Leap and supported by Antler, alongside a group of strategic angel investors. The funding will power platform development and expand partnerships with allied health clinics and families. Founded by Orrin Benford and co-founder and CTO Jeff Quach, Indi emerged from lived experience. In December 2021, Benfords daughter Indi suffered a seizure, triggering an 18-month journey through what the founders describe as a complex and often inaccessible system of care. The company positions itself as Australias breakout healthtech venture, creating a new category of family-centred digital health with global ambitions. Meanwhile, cloud-based insurance software-as-a-service company JAVLN secured a $6 million capital investment to support strategic expansion across Australia, accelerated research and development, and entry into new markets. David Leach, CEO of JAVLN, said: This capital raise enables us to act decisively in a rapidly evolving market. With AI and new technologies transforming the insurance sector, the funds will help us provide innovative software products to our customers across ANZ and beyond. Carlos Gil, CEO and Chief Investment Officer of lead investor Microequities Asset Management, said: We were impressed by JAVLNs technology which we think will markedly advance the digitisation journey currently taking place in the insurance broking industry. We see JAVLNs technology as a key enabler for insurance brokers to ultimately provide better outcomes for their end clients. With over 11,000 contracted users of JAVLN products, the capital raise will support key growth initiatives, including JAVLNs strategic partnership with Envest, Australias largest privately owned insurance and financial services distribution group. JAVLN recently invested in AI leadership with the appointment of Tim Mole as Head of AI & Data. Mole brings over 30 years of experience in management, analytics and AI leadership, and will drive the embedding of AI across JAVLNs policy and document management products. Female founders go global Female-focused crowdfunding platform Liftwomen raised $1.3 million as it prepares to expand into Asian markets. The raise was led by Singapore VC Braxton Capital Ventures with support from former Alibaba Australia boss Maggie Zhou and former AXA chair Asia Gordon Watson. The cash injection is earmarked for Asian expansion, particularly Hong Kong and China, as well as increasing programme capacity. The platform already operates a partnership in Indonesia. The diverse funding announcements this week demonstrate continued investor appetite for Australian technology addressing sector-specific challenges, from agricultural automation to healthcare navigation and financial inclusion. The participation of international investors, including European agtech funds and Singaporean venture capital firms, signals growing global recognition of Australian innovation across multiple industries. For Australian startups seeking funding, the varied sectors and investment sources this week illustrate the breadth of opportunities available, with strategic investors increasingly backing AI-powered solutions and companies with clear international expansion strategies. Keep up to date with our stories on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Amitabh Sinha is the executive editor of News18 India. He has extensive experience in print and TV journalism. He started his career with Patna's 'Times of India' and reported for almost 14 years at 'Aaj Tak'. He has been associated with Network18 since 2015. writes with equal authority in Hindi and English languages and has reported on many important events and incidents in India and abroad. He has a long experience in parliamentary journalism and has special grasp of e policies and schemes of the government. He writes regularly on News18's website in both Hindi and English languages. He is a post graduate from Delhi University. X- @amitabhnews18 Arindam Roy USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. 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I Accept Chhabi Kala USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Brought Pak to its knees: IAF chief on Operation Sindoors decisive impact; says will go down in history Speaking on the 93rd Air Force Day celebrations, the Air Chief Marshal also credited the unity of the Indian Armed Forces for the success of Operation Sindoor Smriti Mishra USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept The response followed Chowdhury's comments, in which he attempted to hold both deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and India accountable for the current crisis. 101Reporters USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. 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For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept CEC Gyanesh Kumar to visit Bihar tomorrow; poll dates likely to be announced Gyanesh Kumar will visit Bihar along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi Priyanjali Ghose USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. 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For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Priyanjali Ghose USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Sonalee Borgohain USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Cyclone Shakhti: Whats forming in the Arabian Sea, whos at risk, and why this name stirred confusion earlier Aishwarya Dabhade Aish is Chief Sub-Editor at Moneycontrol, where she occasionally leads the news shift and homepage; writes explainers and long-form breakdowns on business, policy, markets and geopolitics. She began her career on CNBC-TV18s breaking news desk as Assistant Producer and went on to shape digital coverage at The Economic Times as Principal Content Producer, with stints at YouGov and WebEngage adding depth in data-driven storytelling. IMD upgrades Arabian Sea system to deep depression, set to intensify into Cyclone Shakhti. Gujarat coast warned of high seas and squally winds. (Image credit: @shetty_athreya) Aishwarya Dabhade USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Thailand will soon launch a program allowing people to convert money spent on losing digital lottery tickets into retirement savings accounts, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas confirmed this week. The initiative, set to roll out within the next four months, is one of the government's "Quick Big Wins" policies aimed at encouraging thrift as the country's population ages. Under the plan, a portion of the price of non-winning tickets purchased via the "Pao Tang" app will be automatically transferred into dedicated savings accounts, The Nation reported. Ekniti said the funds will be managed under principles similar to a Retirement Mutual Fund (RMF), and can be withdrawn once a person turns 55. Savers aged 56 and above can continue for another five years, and the accumulated funds can also be used as collateral for loans, Mothership reported. The Ministry of Finance also plans to offer elderly and retired citizens monthly opportunities to buy 1% government bonds, ensuring retail investors can participate easily. Officials stressed the goal is to promote saving rather than gambling, with funding redirected from the 17% share of lottery revenue currently allocated to the Government Lottery Office. The scheme is separate from the National Savings Fund's "Lottery Pension" program and has not yet been given an official name. Authorities emphasized the money will be managed securely with an emphasis on safety and capital preservation. The new policy comes as Thailand faces growing concerns over gambling among young people. Nearly five million children and youths were reported to have engaged in some form of gambling in 2024, according to health experts and academics. The BJP is said to be considering a large-scale overhaul to curb anti-incumbency in the state. (File: PTI) Parimal Peeyush USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept 'If Pak dares...': What is Sir Creek dispute and why Rajnath Singh is warning Islamabad Smriti Mishra USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Armaan Bhatnagar USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Indias Sudarshan Chakra in the works, says IAF Chief: How it stacks up against Israel's Iron Dome Surabhi Pandey USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Mohan Bhagwat at RSS centenary celebrations: 'Call yourself Bharatiya or Arya if you don't want to be called Hindu' Mohan Bhagwat was speaking at the RSS's annual Vijayadashmi rally, which also marked the centenary of the organisation. Priyanjali Ghose USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Arindam Roy USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Surabhi Pandey USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept China expresses disappointment over U.S. veto of UN Gaza draft resolution: envoy Xinhua) 09:31, October 03, 2025 UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- China expresses its deep disappointment and regret over Washington's earlier veto of a UN Security Council draft resolution aiming to alleviate Gaza's humanitarian crisis, said Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, on Wednesday. In remarks on the use of veto at the UN General Assembly debate, he said the international community has long issued an overwhelming call for a ceasefire and cessation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip, where fighting has resulted in appalling civilian casualties and a humanitarian catastrophe, undermining the bottom line of human conscience and international rule of law. "Time and again, the Security Council has sought to take actions, only to be forcefully blocked by the United States again and again," the envoy said while referring to Washington's use of veto of the draft resolution on September 18 that would have demanded Israel immediately lift all restrictions on humanitarian access and delivery in Gaza. "If it were not for the United States' repeated abuse of the veto, the Security Council's response to the Gaza crisis would not have been so inadequate. If it were not for the United States' shielding of Israel, Council resolutions and international law would not have been so flagrantly violated," Fu said. The ambassador reiterated that the weaponization of humanitarian aid is unacceptable, the militarization of aid distribution mechanism is unacceptable, and attacks on aid-seeking civilians and humanitarian workers are unacceptable. "China urges Israel to immediately cease all military operations in Gaza and immediately halt its dangerous plan to take over the Gaza City." He also stressed that the two-State solution remains the only viable path to resolving the Palestinian question, and called on the international community to pool greater efforts and take concrete and irreversible actions to implement the solution, while firmly rejecting any unilateral actions that erode its foundation. China stands ready to work with the international community to make unremitting efforts to put an end to the hostilities in Gaza, and ultimately achieve a comprehensive, just, and lasting settlement of the Palestinian question, he said. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan) SIGN UP FOR THE DAILY JWR UPDATE. IT'S FREE. Just click here. An end to the killing and destruction in Gaza is within reach if Hamas finally acts in the best interest of the Palestinian people rather than its own murderous ambitions. The 20-point peace plan offered by President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday is a potential solution to both ending the war and providing the Palestinians with a route toward a secure and prosperous future. Its implementation depends on Hamas taking the deal and then fading away as a military and political force, a positive but still uncertain outcome. If Hamas refuses, the war most certainly will go forward with renewed intensity. Hamas is regrouping for what it is calling the final battle in Gaza City, which Israel seeks to capture. It's a hopeless fight for Hamas, and will only lead to more dead Palestinians. "Israel will finish the job," the prime minister vowed. "This can be done the easy way or it can be done the hard way, but it will be done." With 66,000 Palestinians killed in the two-year war, triggered by a Hamas terrorist attack on Oct. 7, 2023, and Gazans displaced and starving, Hamas surely must know Netanyahu is serious. He has not bowed to internal or international pressure for a ceasefire and, with his threat fully endorsed by Trump, he is unlikely to do so. This peace plan differs from all previous pacts to end hostilities between Israel and Hamas that perpetuated a cycle of Palestinian provocation, Israeli response and international pressure to restore the status quo. If implemented, this blueprint will restructure Gaza with the objective of both deradicalizing Palestinian society and demilitarizing the terrorists. It also puts in place mechanisms for assuring its terms are carried out. The key piece of the pact requires Hamas to lay down its arms and relinquish the remaining Israeli hostages, dead and alive, taken in the Oct. 7 raid. When that happens, Israel will stop military action and begin a measured withdrawal. It will also agree not to annex Gazan territory. The deal demands that Hamas members who want to stay in Gaza pledge to peacefully coexist with Israel. The pledge stops short of recognizing the right of the Jewish state to exist, but it effectively neuters Hamas as a threat to Israel. Those who refuse to take the pledge will be allowed safe passage to countries willing to accept them. Israel will have achieved its two primary objectives of the war: Recovering its hostages and destroying Hamas. And Palestinians will be rid of the bloodthirsty overseers who used them so callously. With Hamas gone, Gaza will be governed by a technocratic, apolitical committee of Palestinians who will be charged with managing the rebuilding of the territory and the distribution of humanitarian and economic aid, which will resume immediately. Oversight of the committee will come from an international Board of Peace, chaired by Trump, and including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. An international peace-keeping force made up largely of Arab nations will help assure Hamas is not allowed to reemerge. Details of how this will work are still to come. Significantly, terrorists will no longer be in charge of schools, hospitals, mosques, the government and the media, opening an opportunity to refocus the Palestinians on building a homeland that nurtures their own people instead of destroying Israel. The pact allows Gazans to stay put, and promises a massive rebuilding effort financed by the international community to help the territory reach its full potential. Throughout this war, Israel has had to battle for its right to defend itself and eliminate the constant threat to its security. Despite condemnation from other nations, many of whom chose to recognize Palestinian statehood rather than demand Hamas end its terrorism, Israel has pursued its mission with remarkable effectiveness. It has helped topple the bloody Assad regime in Syria, crippled Hezbollah in Lebanon, weakened the Houthi rebels in Yemen and destroyed Iran's nuclear weapons capability. The region is a less volatile place thanks to Israel's determination. The campaign will inevitably end with the destruction of Hamas, as Netanyahu vowed, by either the easy way or the hard way. Those calling for an end to the killing in Gaza should raise their voices in urging Hamas to take the deal. Putin said Russia may buy more agricultural products and medicines from India to remove the trade imbalance 101Reporters USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. 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I Accept The Indo-Pak War of 1965 was the second major conflict between the two nations Priyanjali Ghose USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. 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I Accept MC Science Desk Read the latest and trending science newsstay updated on NASA, ISRO, space missions, planets, asteroids, black holes, AI, quantum physics, galaxy discoveries, and more exciting breakthroughs. Sheetal Kumari USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. 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Invite your friends and family to sign up for MC Tech 3, our daily newsletter that breaks down the biggest tech and startup stories of the day Ankita Chakravarti USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. 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Invite your friends and family to sign up for MC Tech 3, our daily newsletter that breaks down the biggest tech and startup stories of the day Ankita Chakravarti USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. 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We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) Andriy Pyshnyy met with the heads of the country's largest banks to discuss the regulator's key priorities, highlighting efforts to counter shadow financial practices particularly the use of so-called "drops" and announcing a broader dialogue with the sector to address the problem. "I want a wide-ranging dialogue with banks to counter drops, in order to increase our effectiveness in fighting this illegal phenomenon," Pyshnyy wrote on Facebook following the meeting. According to him, the first and main topic of discussion was the continuation of cooperation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which he said is critical for consolidating the financing Ukraine needs in 20262027. "This does not mean that we have been ineffective under the current EFF program, as we have successfully passed eight reviews. However, the continuation of the war and persistent extreme uncertainty require a new look at the program's design. Its goal remains unchanged to ensure macro-financial stability for resilience and recovery," Pyshnyy explained, stressing the need for a new program. The NBU governor noted that cooperation with the IMF will include several key areas, among them reducing the shadow economy and developing capital market infrastructure. Pyshnyy also underscored the importance of aligning the new IMF program with Ukraine's EU integration track, pointing out that the country has already completed an internal screening of its legislation for compliance with EU standards. As reported, on April 1, 2025, the NBU decided not to extend temporary regulatory restrictions that had been in place since October 1, 2024, on outgoing transfers between accounts of individuals from one bank to accounts in other banks. Instead, banks themselves, which had signed the Memorandum on Transparency of the Payment Services Market, were tasked with regulating transfer limits. The cap was set at UAH 150,000 per month and applied to all types of transfers P2P and C2C but was lowered to UAH 100,000 as of June 1. At the same time, Ukrainian banks may ease limits on P2P transfers set out in the Memorandum on Transparency of the Payment Services Market if a register of drops and automated verification of client incomes is introduced. However, NBU's Director of the Statistics Department Yuriy Polovnev told Interfax-Ukraine that launching such a register in 2025 is unlikely due to technical complexity and legal risks. Comet browser is now available for free as Perplexity AI takes a big swing at Google Chrome MC Tech Desk Read the latest and trending tech newsstay updated on AI, gadgets, cybersecurity, software updates, smartphones, blockchain, space tech, and the future of innovation. Invite your friends and family to sign up for MC Tech 3, our daily newsletter that breaks down the biggest tech and startup stories of the day Aabhas Sharma USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. 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I Accept India eyes global electronics hub status as Rs 1.15 lakh crore proposals pour in under new component scheme Danish Khan is the editor of Technology and Telecom. He was previously with the Economic Times and has tracked the sector for 14 years. Invite your friends and family to sign up for MC Tech 3, our daily newsletter that breaks down the biggest tech and startup stories of the day Danish Khan USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Danish Khan is the editor of Technology and Telecom. He was previously with the Economic Times and has tracked the sector for 14 years. Invite your friends and family to sign up for MC Tech 3, our daily newsletter that breaks down the biggest tech and startup stories of the day Danish Khan USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept India launches e-Arrival Card for foreigners, making immigration faster and easier All you need to know MC Travel Desk Read the latest and trending travel news storiesstay updated on new destinations, travel trends, visa updates, and expert tips for your next adventure. India goes digital: e-Arrival Card now live for international visitors, making immigration faster and hassle-free. (File Image) Priyanka Roshan USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. 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I Accept Priyanka Roshan With over eight years in multimedia journalism, is passionate about storytellingboth visual and textualacross travel, jobs, business, markets, politics, and daily news. From crafting engaging articles to producing compelling videos, she blends creativity with strategy to bring stories to life. With a strong foundation in SEO, and video production she ensures content not only informs but also resonates with audiences. Sun, serenity, and spa blissSan Diego is officially the worlds most relaxing city for 2025. Priyanka Roshan USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. 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I Accept This Nagaland Village Lets You Live in India and Myanmar at the Same Time Priyanka Roshan With over eight years in multimedia journalism, is passionate about storytellingboth visual and textualacross travel, jobs, business, markets, politics, and daily news. From crafting engaging articles to producing compelling videos, she blends creativity with strategy to bring stories to life. With a strong foundation in SEO, and video production she ensures content not only informs but also resonates with audiences. Longwa: The Nagaland village where you can live in India and Myanmar at the same time. Priyanka Roshan USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. 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I Accept Photo: https://www.facebook.com/minenergoUkraine Ukraine exported 635,100 MWh of electricity in September 2025, up 41% from August, according to energy think tank DIXI Group, citing Energy Map data. "This is the highest monthly export volume since spring 2020 and the fourth consecutive month in which the country has been a net exporter of electricity. At the same time, imports fell 47%, to 139,700 MWh," DIXI Group reported Friday. Exports in September ranged from 9,200 to 27,500 MWh per day, peaking on September 10 and hitting a low on September 21. "The overall trend shows consistently high export levels, with only a slight mid-month dip," DIXI Group noted. Compared with August 2025, when exports totaled 450,100 MWh, deliveries to partner countries rose by 39% to 390%, while exports to Slovakia dropped 98% to just 1,100 MWh. Hungary was the top destination, importing 254,300 MWh of Ukrainian power in September 40% more than in August. At the same time, the largest share of electricity imported into Ukraine came from Hungary 81,200 MWh, or 58.1% of the total. Imports overall dropped 47% from August (264,200 MWh) and 68% compared with September 2024 (437,900 MWh). As a result, September exports outpaced imports by a factor of 4.5. Breast implants latest in Kim Jong-uns strange list of bans: Why North Korea is expanding crackdowns Abhinav Gupta USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. 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REUTERS Arindam Roy USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. 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I Accept Elon Musk reshares 'no such thing as colonisation post on British rule in India, sparks outrage Arishaa Izaj USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Abhinav Gupta USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Public trial for breast implants? North Korea cracks down on cosmetic surgery, calls it anti-socialist' Arishaa Izaj USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Photo: MFA of Ukraine Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha expressed Ukraine's solidarity with the United Kingdom in response to the terrorist incident in Manchester. Sybiha wrote this on the X platform on Thursday. Following a brutal attack on a synagogue on Yom Kippur, Ukraine expresses solidarity with the United Kingdom, the city of Manchester, and Jewish communities throughout the United Kingdom. Our hearts go out to the victims' loved ones. We strongly condemn any and all acts of antisemitism and violence. Terror will never prevail over our shared values and unity, Sybiha said on X. A man reportedly attacked synagogue attendees in Manchester, UK, leaving two dead. Police have classified the incident as a terrorist attack. Ukraine says Russia launched 381 drones and 35 missiles overnight, hitting Naftogaz gas sites in Kharkiv and Poltava, in a bid to cripple winter heating. Aishwarya Dabhade USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Taliban minister heads to India: How New Delhi is gaining ground while Pakistan loses its Afghan grip | Explained Abhinav Gupta With over 12 years in digital journalism, has navigated the fast-evolving media landscape, shaping digital strategies and leading high-impact newsrooms. Currently, he serves as News Editor at MoneyControl, leading coverage in Global Affairs, Indian Politics, Governance and Policy Making. Previously, he has spearheaded fact-checking and digital media operations at Press Trust of India. Abhinav has also led news desks at Financial Express, DNA, and Jagran English, managing editorial direction, breaking news coverage, and digital growth. His journey includes stints with The Indian Express Group, Zee Media Group, and more, where he has honed his expertise in newsroom leadership, audience engagement, and digital transformation. Afghanistan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi speaks during a press conference to present the ministry's annual achievements report, in Kabul on September 19, 2024. (Photo by Wakil KOHSAR / AFP) Abhinav Gupta USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept 'These 20 points not ours': What's behind Pakistan's retreat from Trump's Gaza peace plan Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif looks on as US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on September 25, 2025 in Washington, DC. Abhinav Gupta USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Trade, tech and fugitives: What Modi and Starmer are likely to discuss as UK PM visits India | Explainer UK's Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi talk during a bilateral meeting in the sidelines of the G20 summit at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Brazil, on November 18, 2024. (Photo by Stefan Rousseau / POOL / AFP) Abhinav Gupta USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Trump is creating new war zones for US military: What his military push means at home and abroad US President Donald Trump greets US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth as he arrives to speak to senior military leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico on September 30, 2025 in Quantico, Virginia. Abhinav Gupta USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept The US president did not specify what he would do if Hamas blows past the Sunday deadline Arindam Roy USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept US carries out new strike against alleged drug vessel near Venezuela Arindam Roy USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept US Senate to vote on dueling plans to end shutdown, though neither likely to pass The shutdown, the 15th since 1981, has suspended scientific research, economic data reports, financial regulation, and a wide range of other activities Arindam Roy USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Ukraine received $133 million to the general fund of the state budget from the World Bank under the SURGE project "Supporting Reconstruction Through Smart Fiscal Governance," the Ministry of Finance reported on its website. "It is expected that Ukraine will receive another $396 million under the project by the end of the year, including $230 million as additional financing for the project," the ministry noted. The project's main goal is to ensure the effective management of public investments. The project aims to improve fiscal management in communities, enhance medium-term and program budgeting, optimize revenue administration, and incorporate gender and climate considerations into financial policy. It should be noted that the project is being implemented using the Program-for-Results (PforR) financial instrument, which is based on achieving specific performance indicators linked to disbursements. In order to receive a loan in 2025, Ukraine fulfilled several important conditions. Notably, it amended the Budget Code, approved a medium-term public investment plan, and adopted a unified governance methodology. The SURGE project has been implemented in Ukraine since 2024. During this time, the World Bank has concluded agreements with Ukraine for over $1 billion in project financing, including $10 million in grant funds. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides discussed defence cooperation, joint infrastructure projects and priorities for the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2026. The parties discussed in detail the priorities of Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2026. President Zelenskyy emphasized that during this period it is important to achieve substantial progress in the enlargement of the European Union, the press service of the Presidents Office said on its website on Thursday. Among other important topics was defense cooperation. There are prospects for drone production, which are important to implement. The leaders also spoke about joint infrastructure projects that could strengthen the entire European Union. The Head of State thanked Cyprus for its military and humanitarian support for Ukraine during Russias full-scale aggression and noted Cypruss participation in the Coalition of the Willing. The leaders exchanged views on the efforts needed to achieve peace and coordinated positions for further diplomatic work. Zelenskyy invited the President of Cyprus to visit Ukraine. Development of Bilingual Program: Changing the Communitys Attitude and Promoting Dignity Towards the Program Even though the Peace Corps was sent to Micronesia to promote teaching and use of English, it was the Peace Corps Volunteers that triggered off a major shift in attitude with respect to the indigenous language of Micronesia. [1] The bilingual program taught in todays public education in the Commonwealth, including in both the CNMI Public School System and the Northern Marianas College, took root during the post-war administration of the Northern Mariana Islands by the United States through the United Nations-administered Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, or TTPI. However, the revival of this program, twenty-two years after its introduction in the TTPI administration, is attributed to the efforts of the Peace Corps Volunteers. This revival stands as one of the major contributions of these volunteers. The Peace Corps Volunteers arrival in Micronesia led to the better understanding and cooperation with residents. By immersing volunteers in the local culture and language, the Peace Corps not only helped bridge cultural gaps but also laid the groundwork for educational reforms that incorporate languages and customs into the curriculum. According to a comprehensive study conducted in August 1975 by Gregory J. Trifonovitch of the University of Hawaiis East-West Center, the original educational policy during the TTPI period called for bilingual education with the use of the local languages at the elementary level. The original educational policy called for bilingual education with the use of local languages at the elementary level, but implementation was hampered by budget limitations. Native Micronesians also felt they were being discriminated against by not receiving sufficient English instruction. [2] There were also other challenges that included the choice of an orthography for the native languages, the development of extension materials, the fact that not all native languages belonged to the same language families, and resistance on the part of the American staff to learning the local languages. [3] Despite arguments in favor of native language literacy, English was eventually introduced in the first grade. The local languages were reintroduced into elementary education in 1967, and the arrival of the Peace Corps Volunteers in 1968 markedly affected both attitude toward local languages and implementation of the policy. [4] Even with the sincere effort of the TTPI administration to preserve the local language and culture, it wasnt just enough to inculcate in the mindset of the local people. It was not until 1968, with the arrival of the Peace Corps Volunteers, that this mindset was changed. Micronesians, for the first time in their history, welcomed to their shores a group of foreigners who spoke their local languages and who knew of their culture and were willing to live with them in their villages and at their own level and style of life. Not only did these new young American volunteers arrive with some knowledge of the local language and culture, but they were also trained in the techniques of teaching English as a second language. [5] One of the most profound impacts of the Peace Corps Volunteer Program is how these volunteers affected the local residents attitude toward their indigenous language. This living example of an interest in bilingual and bicultural education, as was demonstrated by the Peace Corps Volunteers, strengthened the existing basic language policy of the Trust Territory and added dignity and respect to the local languages and cultures of the Micronesian islands. [8] Peace Corps. Volunteers with Tinian residents during San Jose Fiesta on May 1970. This is a photo from the Facebook page Mariana Memories-Micro. The volunteers played a crucial role in identifying the needs of the communities and developing educational materials that reflected that diverse linguistic and cultural heritage of the TTPI. Their efforts contributed to the establishment of programs that supported bilingual education, ensuring that students could learn in their native language while acquiring proficiency in Englis. In the Northern Mariana Islands, the Chamorro language was the subject taught as well as the medium of instruction in the lower primary grades, kindergarten through grade 3. [7] It was Rota, the southernmost island, that the bilingual education was piloted in the Northern Mariana Islands. It materialized as a result of financial support from the United States federal government. [6] The Peace Corps has also affected the attitude towards the local languages of this area, since the volunteers are required to learn the local language. Linguists of the University of Hawaii have since conducted a preliminary linguistics analysis and developed lesson materials in Chamorro, Palauan, Yapese, two Carolinian dialects, Trukese, Ponapean, Kusalean, and Marshallese. [9] One of the Peace Corps volunteers, Kit Porter Van Meter, after serving Rota Elementary School from 1967 to 1969 as an ESL teacher, returned back to the Mariana Islands in 1975. She was invited to lead the Chamorro/English Title VII Bilingual Program. [10] By 1975, there was at least one such bilingual education program in every district of the TTPI. It was these programs that marked the beginning of the return to the old practice of using the vernacular languages of Micronesia in the government schools even prior to changes in education policies. [11] The TTPI was divided into six districts: Mariana Islands, Chuuk (Truk), Pohnpei (Ponape), Yap, Palau, and Marshall Islands. Saipan was the capital of Micronesia. Van Meter later initiated the Carolinian/English Title VII Bilingual Bicultural Program. Major aspects of these programs included school implementation, material development, and training. Another PCV, Don Smith, was coordinating training, and after his contract ended, Jesus Elameto and Henry Sablan led the Bilingual Bicultural Program. [12] Van Meter succeeded Smith in coordinating training and was also asked to serve as state director for Bilingual Cultural Programs and Higher Education and initiate a college. [13] The impact of the Peace Corps Volunteers is evident in the initiatives that followed their involvement, including the development and expansion of culturally relevant teaching methods and materials. Their firsthand experiences and personal accounts provided valuable insights into the challenges and successes in the early years of the implementation of bilingual and bicultural education. [1] P. 119/Review of U.S. Language Policy in the TTPI by Donald M. Topping. [2] Roots of Bilingual/Bicultural Education in the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Topics in Culture Learning, Vol. 3, August 1975, authored by Trifonovitch, Gregory J. [3] Ibid. [4] Ibid. [5] P. 105/Roots of Bilingual/Bicultural Education in the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Topics in Culture Learning, Vol. 3, August 1975, authored by Trifonovitch, Gregory J. [6] P. 121/Review of U.S. Language Policy in the TTPI by Donald M. Topping. [7] Ibid. [8] / Roots of Bilingual/Bicultural Education in the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Topics in Culture Learning, Vol. 3, August 1975, authored by Trifonovitch, Gregory J. [9] Ibid. [10] Personal account of Kit Porter Van Meter, as it appears on https://www.kpvcollection.com/archivedunused-pages.html [11] P.121/ Review of U.S. Language Policy in the TTPI by Donald M. Topping. [12] Personal account of Kit Porter Van Meter, as it appears on https://www.kpvcollection.com/archivedunused-pages.html [13] Ibid. Peace Corps Volunteers and TTPI: Empowering Communities through Economic Development in the Northern Marianas and Micronesia Welcome to Saipan, Capital of Micronesia. Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands The Northern Marianas and Micronesia, regions rich in culture and history, have notably benefited from the commitment of Peace Corps volunteers. Their dedicated efforts in collaboration with the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) have ushered in significant economic growth, transforming these geographically isolated islands in the 1960s into developed economies they are today. The TTPI was the United Nations territory in Micronesia administered by the United States from 1947 to 1994. Sixty years ago, the Northern Marianas and Micronesia faced unique economic challenges, including limited infrastructure, lack of employment opportunities, and geographical isolation. These hurdles stymied economic progress and exacerbated the socio-economic disparities within the communities. Peace Corps Medical with Health Guide in this photo from the Peace Corps, National Museum of American History. One of the major barriers to economic growth was the lack of adequate infrastructure. Peace Corps volunteers provided support for infrastructure development and introducing innovative solutions. Volunteers worked alongside TTPI officials to assess local needs, develop strategic plans, and execute projects that bolstered economic resilience.[1] The construction and maintenance of essential infrastructure such as roads, schools, and healthcare facilities received much needed support from the Peace Corps Volunteers. These initiatives not only improved the quality of life for residents but also created jobs and stimulated local economies.[2] Volunteers implemented educational programs focusing on entrepreneurship, vocational training, and financial literacy, thereby equipping locals with the skills needed to improve their economic prospects. TTPI administration facilitated resources and provided logistical support for these initiatives, creating a robust framework within which volunteers could operate effectively.[3] Medical kit inventory 1966. Volunteers with backgrounds in economics and law have provided consulting services to local businesses and legal advice to navigate economic policies and regulations. This dual approach ensures comprehensive support for economic development.[4] They also have taken up roles that extend beyond teaching. They have served as consultants, advisors, and trainers, providing essential support for economic development initiatives. Their involvement has also included legal advocacy, helping to navigate economic policies and ensuring the rights of entrepreneurs are upheld. TTPI administrations support in these areas has been crucial for creating a conducive environment for volunteer activities.[5] Linda Chock, serving from 1966 to 1968 at Agrigan School, exemplifies the multifaceted role of Peace Corps volunteers. Beyond her teaching duties, Chock engaged in economic development efforts, emphasizing vocational training and financial literacy to students and their families. Her collaboration with TTPI officials ensured that programs were tailored to address the unique economic challenges faced by the community.[6] Joyce Anderson, who served in Micronesia during the same period, contributed to economic improvement through educational outreach in Saipan. Andersons efforts in TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) facilitated better communication and understanding of economic practices. Working closely with TTPI administrators, Anderson was able to extend her reach and impact, ensuring that her programs aligned with broader regional development goals.[7] The volunteers expertise in consulting and legal advocacy provided a backbone for many economic initiatives. By offering guidance and support to local entrepreneurs and businesses, volunteers helped create a sustainable economic environment conducive to growth and development.[8] The efforts of Peace Corps volunteers and that of TTPI administration, have led to remarkable transformations in the Northern Marianas and Micronesia. HANMI, MVA push for Korea-Saipan flight solution By Bryan Manabat bryan@mvariety.com Variety News Staff DENNIS Seo, chairman of the Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands and board member of the Marianas Visitors Authority, said HANMI and MVA are coordinating with CNMI and Korean stakeholders to increase flights to Saipan. Seos remarks follow HANMIs report of a sharp 30% decline in hotel occupancy from August 2024, marking the lowest non-pandemic August rate since tracking began in 1992. Of 64,012 available room nights, only 19,895 were sold in August 2025. In an interview Thursday, Seo attributed the drop in Korean arrivals to the Korean AirAsiana Airlines merger, which triggered a mandated oversupply of seats to Guam. To meet a 90% seat quota under the merger, Korean Air and its affiliate Jin Air ramped up service to Guam, operating up to six daily flights from Seoul. Simply put, they cannot fill all the seats, Seo said. They are dumping their prices compared to other airlines servicing the route. Korean Air round-trip fares to Guam used to be $400 to $500, and now theyre down to about $250 to meet merger obligations. Seo said budget carriers such as TWay and Jeju Air have struggled to compete with those prices and fill seats. As a result, were only getting about 600 air seats a day to Saipan, compared to Guams 3,000, he said. Jeju Air pulled out of its regular Guam service and now only flies to Saipan. They wanted to maintain the route, but demand isnt there due to the oversupply to Guam. Jeju increased its Saipan fares to over $500 to cover operating costs. Seo said the higher ticket prices are hurting hotel businesses and reducing Korean visitor numbers. He added that MVA, HANMI, and the Office of the Governor are working together to develop solutions. One proposal involves filing a petition with the Korea Fair Trade Commission and the Korea Department of Transportation to reconsider the mergers seat quota obligations. One initiative under discussion is a Korea-Saipan-Guam flight route that would allow Korean Air to count seats toward its quota. Were asking for their consideration to allow Korea-Saipan-Guam flights, Seo said. For example, tourists could stay two nights in Saipan and two nights in Guam. Korean Air could count those seats under the merger. This is a very doable initiative, and the airlines are interested. Seo said a CNMI tourism delegation, including the governor, plans to meet with South Korean officials and stakeholders later this month. Since the beginning of the day, 133 combat clashes have occurred, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported in operational information as of 10:00 p.m. Thursday. "Today, the occupiers carried out 47 airstrikes and dropped 115 guided bombs. In addition, the Russians destroyed 1,803 kamikaze drones and carried out 3,247 attacks on our troop positions and populated areas," the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported. According to the General Staff, the most intense situation today was in Pokrovsk direction, where the aggressor carried out 36 assault and offensive actions. This is Naked Capitalism fundraising week. 752 donors have already invested in our efforts to combat corruption and predatory conduct, particularly in the financial realm. Please join us and participate via our donation page, which shows how to give via check, credit card, debit card, PayPal, Clover, or Wise. Read about why were doing this fundraiser, what weve accomplished in the last year, and our current goal, supporting our new Coffee Break/Sunday Movie features Part the First: More Vaccine Nonsense Courtesy of the US Government. At the first meeting of ACIP that he chaired, Dr. Martin Kulldorf asked for some grace because, We are rookiesthere are many technical issues that we might not grasp as of yet. It is difficult to come up with an equivalent statement. Perhaps this: Look, I know we are losing the war on the ground in Ukraine, but you have to understand we are rookies at logistics after the Quartermaster Corps was dissolved for some reason or other. As an aside, The US Army Quartermaster Museum at Fort Lee is very much worth the visit. But I doubt the uniform worn by Stonewall Jackson when he was shot by his own men under a full moon at Chancellorsville late on May 2, 1863, is still on display. Martin Kulldorf is one of the three authors of the Great Barrington Declaration who was fairly lionized as a brilliant Harvard scientist in In Covids Wake, which was discussed here on September 24th. The ACIP meeting is just one shining example of vaccine nonsense at large in the world, which continues with the mishegoss involving the HepB vaccine. Yes, HepB is a sexually transmitted virus. No, HepB is not only a sexually transmitted virus: The Trump administration is continuing its push to revise federal guidelines to delay the hepatitis B vaccine newborn dose for most children. This comes despite a failed attempt to do so at the most recent meeting of the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. CDC scientist Adam Langer outlined research showing incidences of unvaccinated children born in the U.S. to mothers who tested negative, later becoming infected with hepatitis B. Langer serves as acting principal deputy director for the National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention. Langer told the vaccine advisory panel that the virus can survive for over seven days outside the body on surfaces. During that time, contact with even microscopic traces of infected blood on a school desk or on playground or sporting equipment is enough for a child to be infected. This means unvaccinated children not considered at high risk can still be exposed in everyday environments, or by an infected caregiver. We do have data that says that it can happen and that it is likely to happen. Though the exact cause of infection may not be clear in documented cases of children of hepatitis B-negative mothers becoming infected, I can tell you that it didnt come from the mother and it didnt come from injection drug use and it didnt come from sexual contact, so that means that it had to have been some kind of casual contact. Yet during the debate, some members gave little credence to the risk of transmission to children through household contact. Such as: ACIP member Evelyn Griffin, an obstetrician and gynecologist, asserted that doctors could ascertain an entire households hepatitis B status by asking the mother. How are they going to know?if 50% of people dont know that they are hepatitis B-positive, you can ask all you want, and nobody knows. The committee members, all handpicked by Kennedy, ultimately decided to table the vote on whether to delay the newborn dose after inconsistencies in the wording of the text of the resolution (were brought up). The notion that hepatitis B is only confined to transmission for prostitutes, drug users, etc. is such an ignorant and uninformed way of approaching infectious disease, internist Jason Goldman, the president of the American College of Physicians and its liaison to ACIP, said when reached after the meeting. One might add that sexual abuse of minors is not exactly unheard of. And this, once again: Babies infected at birth have a 90% chance of developing chronic hepatitis B, and a quarter of those children go on to have severe complications, like liver cancer, or to die from the disease. In 1991, federal health officials determined newborns should receive their first dose of a hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth, which can block the virus from taking hold if transmitted during delivery. From 1990 to 2022, case rates of hepatitis B declined by more than 99%. While parents may opt out of the shots, many day care centers and school districts require proof of hepatitis B vaccination for enrollment. I would add that when I began working in a laboratory attached to a large teaching hospital the HepB vaccine was highly recommended. Yes, I am an n =1 experiment, but I barely felt the needle sticks and the shots had no side effects. Medical students are required to get the vaccine before starting medical school. There is no treatment for HepB, by the way, and the vaccine protects against infection, unlike some others. This will not end well. Part the Second. Brilliant Artists of a Very Old School. In another triumph of archeology, and luck, 12,000-year-old rock art was discovered in northern Arabia. The art speaks for itself, and the people who carved the images: Newly discovered prehistoric artwork suggests how a pioneering sect of desert nomads, unknown to history until now, carved out an existence about 12,000 years ago in the harsh environment of northern Arabia. At four remote sites near Saudi Arabias Nefud Desert, researchers are puzzling over 130 life-sized animal images emblazoned on rocky outcrops. Wild camels dominate the carvings: 90 of them run alongside other ancient beasts that once roamed the arid landscape. Sweeping antlers of sure-footed ibex appear prominently. Ancient horselike equids are shown with their young. A depiction of an auroch, an extinct, hulking bovine that required plenty of water, suggests wetter environsbut only slightly wetter, say the archeologists who discovered the artwork. Their sediment analysis reveals seasonal lakes at two of the sites: ephemeral watering holes that were possibly shared by hunter-gatherers and other animals. And the camel etchings give clues to the circumstances of the encounters. At the time, livestock had yet to be domesticated, and camel herds still ran wild. Indeed, the desert-adapted camel stands out as the ancient artists favorite subject. The people who made this rock art while standing on a high narrow ledge should make us proud to be their successors! Part the Third: China Continues to Lap the West. According to this article in Scientific American, the Chinese are very serious about renewable energy: China has revealed its goal for slashing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, providing a glimpse into how global emissions might change over the next decade. In a video address to the United Nations Climate Summit on 24 September, Chinese president Xi Jinping announced that China will reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 7% to 10% from peak levels by 2035. The pace at which China cuts emissions will have profound global impact. The country has accounted for 90% of the growth in the worlds CO emissions since 2015 and it is now the largest GHG emitter in the world, responsible for around one-third of the global total, according to the Asia Society Policy Institute, a think tank based in New York City. Analysts have warned that Chinas action could make or break the 2015 Paris agreement. In 2020, Xi pledged that Chinas CO emissions would peak before 2030 and that the country would achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. Some researchers say Chinas CO emissions will probably peak soon if they havent already. Is this hype? Are the Chinese exaggerating? Do the Chinese need to exaggerate? Are they serious? Ill go with No-No-No-Yes for now, while remembering previous colleagues who said with utter conviction that the Chinese would never surpass the West in science and technology. When I was the youngest person in the lab and met my first Chinese scientist from the PRC who had fallen victim to the Cultural Revolution, that smugness had at least a slight air of plausibility. That time is long gone, however. Now, will this achievement make any difference in the trajectory of climate collapse due to human cupidity coupled with stupidity? Probably not, but that is another matter altogether. Will the West, led by an America That Is Made Great Again, follow the Chinese in this effort to mitigate climate collapse? Rhetorical question. Part the Fourth: The Disenchantment of Nature Doesnt Make It Any Less Beautiful. Will-o-the-Wisps have long been attributed to burning methane the blue flame of a gas range or Bunsen burner but until recently no one knew the mechanism. A current paper in PNAS has this covered. Microlightning is the answer. Will-o-the-wisps, ghostly blue flames seen at night in marshlands and long attributed to methane cool flames, have remained scientifically unexplained, a mystery caused by the lack of a known ignition mechanism. Here, we demonstrate that spontaneous electrical discharges, termed microlightning, can occur between rising methane-containing microbubbles in water. High-speed optical imaging reveals brief flashes between charged bubbles, arising from strong electric fields at curved gasliquid interfaces. These discharges initiate nonthermal oxidation of methane, producing luminescence and measurable heat under ambient conditions. Our findings offer a scientific basis for ignis fatuus and reveal a general mechanism by which electrified interfaces can drive redox reactions in natural environments without the need for external ignition sources. Ignis fatuus remains one of my favorite scientific terms. Literally foolish fire, which applies to more than will-o-the-wisps in a bog at night. I have never seen this, but I have seen many bioluminescent mushrooms on very dark nights. They are frequently crawling with ants, perhaps the ants spread spores? For a luminescent demonstration I did for middle school students back in the day I worked on bioluminescent sea creatures, try this. Go into a very dark room and rapidly crush a Wint-O-Green lifesaver with a pair of pliers (wear glasses or safety goggles). The blue flashes due to triboluminescence are simple fun for kids of all ages. Part the Fifth: Good Sleep Leads to Good Health. According to this article in Nature, Chuck the gadgets, the fads and the alarm. Circadian research reveals how important your bodys internal clock is to blissful slumber. From TikTok videos touting mouth tape and weighted blankets, to magazines ranking insomnia-curbing pillows, sleep advice is everywhere. And its no wonder. People all over the world complain of insomnia and not getting enough sleep, driving a market for sleep aids worth more than US$100 billion annually (emphasis added; we are a sick society). But scientists warn that online hacks and pricey tools arent always effective. And failed attempts to remedy the situation could have negative effects, says Andrew McHill, a circadian scientist at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland. It could discourage people from finding help, and things could get worse, he says. Circadian rhythms are real and they matter. But we moderns ignore them, to our detriment. Instead, researchers point to the lessons coming from circadian science, which over the past five decades has exposed a network of biological clocks throughout the body. This timekeeping machinery ensures that physiological systems are primed to do the right things at the right times such as defend against pathogens, digest food and sleep. But circadian clocks dont cycle precisely on their own. To stay in sync and function optimally, they need regular calibration from sunlight, daily routines and other cues. Modern life doesnt often cooperate. People spend much of their time indoors. They eat late into the night. They shift sleep schedules between workdays and weekends, effectively jet-lagging themselves. The toll is steep. In the short term, circadian disruption and insufficient sleep can reduce cognition, mood and reaction time. In the long term, they can increase risks of infections, diabetes, depression, dementia, cancer, heart disease and premature death. We all know what sleep deprivation does to our cognition, mood and reaction time. That it leads to the other outcomes is generally not appreciated. So, what to do? For better sleep and overall healthscientists emphasize three basics: contrasting light and dark, consolidating mealtimes and keeping sleep times consistent. Simply taking a walk outside during the day and reducing our light exposure in the evening could have great effect. In another n =1 self-experiment, I have found that walk around the block during the workday and sleeping in a very dark room seem to work, without the Paxil, Ambien or another anxiolytics recommended by any number of members of the PMC, from medical students to professors of medicine. And I will be working on this advice, which makes perfect sense, better very late than never: Calorie intake is also intricately linked with circadian rhythms and sleep. The human liver at 10 a.m. and the human liver at 10 p.m. are very different organs. The same can be said for other parts of the body that process food. Hunger hormones, digestive enzymes and glucose-regulating insulin have rhythms, too. Late morning to early afternoon is when the body is usually most prepared for incoming calories. Eating late in the evening disrupts clocks and leaves key steps of digestion incomplete. It can also disrupt the gut microbiome, which could contribute to insomnia. Whats more, late meals send blood to the gut and raise core body temperature, countering the natural night-time dip that promotes sleep. And they elevate glucose levels and uncouple liver and kidney clocks from the core clock in the brain, raising the chance of midnight toilet trips. Manoogian and others suggest reviving the old adage: Eat like a king in the morning, a prince at noon and a peasant at dinner. That last meal, they say, should fall at least three hours before bedtime, ideally with no subsequent snacks or caloric drinks. Moderation in all things, including these rules. That late dinner with lots of wine with friends? And those stretches of deadlines make fatigue inevitable? Take the time to sleep them off. Part the Sixth: Jane Goodall Has Died. I learned this while writing the first draft of this Coffee Break. This inevitability leaves this Earth without one of its true heroes: Scientific American spoke with Goodall in 2010 to mark her 50th anniversary with chimpanzees and asked her what she considered her most significant contributions. Breaking down this perceived sharp line between us and other creatures, Goodall said. I think chimpanzees have helped people understand that we are part of and not separated from the animal kingdom, and that has opened the way to having respect for the other amazing beings with whom we share the planet. Those of us of a certain age who grew up watching National Geographic Specials featuring Jane Goodall (go to 14:45 for an early key to her success and present and future human failings), Louis B. Leakey, and hundreds of other outdoor scientists will never forget what they taught us, notwithstanding the whataboutism from certain circles that is inevitable in the days to come. See you next week! This is Naked Capitalism fundraising week. 734 donors have already invested in our efforts to combat corruption and predatory conduct, particularly in the financial realm. Please join us and participate via our donation page, which shows how to give via check, credit card, debit card, PayPal, Clover, or Wise. Read about why were doing this fundraiser, what weve accomplished in the last year, and our current goal, supporting our expanded daily Links Yves here. Having worked a lot with the Japanese, I have to beg to differ with Murphys contention, following John Kenneth Galbraith, that advanced economies generate high levels of private consumption. The Japanese are only not Calvinist (as in seeing wealth as a sign of moral superiority) they are if anything anti-Calvinist. The Japanese have their own version of what Australians call the tall poppy syndrome, that anyone who tries to stand out too much, such as with showy consumption, will be cut down. Entrepreneurs are revered for creating employment, not for getting rich. I worked closely with a top Japanese billionaire, rich enough that he should have been in the Forbes 400. He would shop for bargains and on one trip to the US, was pleased with snagging some dressy pants for $15. He and his brothers-in-law would stay in nice hotels but in standard rooms. His big personal consumption items (aside from having inherited a large house, his father had been the closest thing Japan had to Joe Kennedy, a politically influential stock trader) were traveling regularly to Europe to see opera and collecting Goyas. He and his brothers so did not carry themselves like rich men that at one point during a deal, the oldest brother in law recognized they were not being taken seriously about the need to structure the deal to minimize taxes. He walked up to a white board and wrote $100,000,000. He said: It is May. This year so far, we have $100 million in portfolio income on our US company. You can see why we are eager to minimize the tax. Everyone in the room, ex the other Sumitomo Bank employees, were trying to work out what they must have in Treasury bonds to generate that much income. And yes, they did have ginormous holdings. Now in fairness, having also seen what was in 1989 a $5 million apartment in Tokyo of a board member, even lavish apartments were tiny by American standards (this one was at the very most 900 square feet, and probably more like 800). You cant buy a lot of stuff if you have no place to put it. Even with the population of Japan falling, land scarcity and hence generally small homes, are no doubt still a real constraint. Comments from reader who are more current are welcome. By Richard Murphy, Emeritus Professor of Accounting Practice at Sheffield University Management School and a director of Tax Research LLP. Originally published at Funding the Future John Kenneth (Ken) Galbraith, the Canadian-American economist, was one of the most eloquent critics of modern capitalism. Writing in The Affluent Society (1958), he observed something that remains as true today as it was then: advanced economies were awash with private consumption cars, gadgets, advertising, status goods while public services, schools, transport, and communities were starved of investment. He called this imbalance the central contradiction of affluence: societies rich enough to provide comfort for all chose instead to tolerate inequality and neglect. Galbraith skewered the idea that markets automatically meet needs. They meet wants that can pay. And, worse still, they manufacture wants through advertising, turning insecurity into desire. Meanwhile, genuine social needs health, education, clean air, public spaces languish because they are not profitable. This paradox leads directly to what might be called the Galbraith Question: if affluence produces private luxury alongside public squalor, what does that say about the values and survival of our society? The Tyranny of Private cConsumption Galbraith pointed out that in post-war America, consumer goods multiplied while public schools were overcrowded, roads crumbled, and parks decayed. This was no accident. Markets prioritise what individuals with purchasing power demand, not what societies collectively need. The result was a distorted pattern of growth: glitzy suburbs and shiny appliances alongside underfunded services. Today, the imbalance is worse. Billionaires build private rockets while hospitals cannot afford basic equipment. Luxury flats sit empty while homelessness rises. Markets pump out smartphones while public broadband lags. Galbraiths warning has become prophecy. The Manufactured Wants of Advertising Galbraith also identified the dependence effect: the idea that in modern capitalism, demand is not spontaneous but manufactured. Advertising does not simply inform; it persuades, manipulates, and creates dissatisfaction. We are told endlessly that our lives are incomplete without the latest product. This endless stimulation of private wants diverts resources into trivia, while real needs, such as poverty reduction, social housing, and climate resilience, are neglected. The system thrives on making us feel perpetually inadequate. Squalor is not an accident; it is the shadow cast by a system that profits from dissatisfaction. The Neglect of Public Goods Markets undervalue what cannot be bought and sold. Clean streets, safe communities, universal healthcare, cultural life these do not appear on corporate balance sheets. They require public investment. But under the sway of market dogma, governments have been told to cut, privatise, and outsource. The result is precisely what Galbraith warned of: gleaming shopping malls surrounded by potholes; private gyms for the rich while public parks decay; high-end medicine for those who pay while basic care is rationed for everyone else. Public squalor becomes the backdrop to private plenty. The Political Economy of Neglect Why does this persist? Because those with wealth have no need for public provision. They buy private healthcare, private schooling, and private security. For them, public services are not vital but irrelevant even threatening, since they require taxation. Meanwhile, the majority are told that taxes are theft and public spending is a waste. Political elites, funded by the wealthy, reinforce the message. The outcome is a politics that systematically undervalues collective goods while lavishing subsidies on private capital. Galbraiths Challenge Today If Galbraiths critique was relevant in 1958, it is doubly urgent now. Climate breakdown demands massive collective investment in energy, transport, and housing. Ageing societies demand investment in care. Inequality demands redistributive taxation. Yet we are told, relentlessly, that the money is not there. Meanwhile, the yachts of the wealthy grow ever larger. The Galbraith Question stares us in the face: how can a civilisation survive if it allows its collective foundations to crumble while indulging the endless whims of private consumption? Answering Galbraith To answer the Galbraith Question, we must reverse the imbalance he described, requiring that we: Rebuild public goods, requiring investment in housing, health, education, infrastructure, and culture as the true basis of prosperity. Tax private excess. Wealth, inheritance, and speculative gains must be taxed to fund collective provision. Challenge advertising. We must regulate the industries that profit from manufacturing insecurity and demand. Redefine prosperity. We must measure success not by consumption of status goods but by the quality of public life. Inference Galbraiths insight was devastatingly simple: private affluence and public squalor are two sides of the same coin. Markets feed the first and neglect the second. If we allow that imbalance to persist, society itself becomes fragile glittering on the surface but rotten underneath. The Galbraith Question is not about economics alone. It is about what kind of civilisation we want. Do we want one in which the rich wall themselves off in private luxury while the public realm collapses? Or one in which prosperity is measured by the strength of our shared institutions and the dignity of our common life? That question has, above all else, dominated my economic thinking ever since I first framed it about half a century ago, as a sixth former when I first read The Affluent Society. Galbraiths answer was clear. Unless we choose the latter, affluence will prove not the mark of progress but the seed of decline. New subscriber benefit! Copied to clipboard Out of gifts for the month Unfortunately you've used all of your gifts this month. Your counter will reset on the first day of next month. Share this article paywall-free Multiple things can be true at the same time. Do Downtown Nashville bars have a problem with patrons being drugged? Certainly. Are they making efforts to recognize and prevent this criminal act? Absolutely. Almost 50 Nashville bars already trained under the Safe Bar Initiative, a bystander-intervention-based educational training program. Read Scene reporter Hannah Herner's story from 2022 about this for background. But recently, theres been quite a bit of buzz on TikTok and various Nashville visitors groups that it might actually be the bartenders who are often responsible for drugging their own customers. That has created quite an uproar among other online groups, including the Nashville Hospitality Professionals page on Facebook. It was there that local United States Bartenders' Guild South regional council representative Chris Mallon decided to speak his piece. Mallon is an experienced local bartender and educator at the Tennessee Whiskey Workshop, where he leads mixology classes to groups and individuals. On his companys website, he decided to address the accusations that have been leveled at local bartenders in a thoughtful but clearly frustrated defense of the industry. He starts by describing the typical specious claims on the internet: "Be careful! I think I got drugged on Broadway. I only had two drinks!" Suddenly, theres a pile-on. Everyones chiming in. "That happened to my friend too." "It was definitely the bartender." "Watch your drinks, yall!" And just like that, a witch hunt begins no proof, no police report, just a vibe and a viral thread. Let me say this clearly: Bartenders are not drugging you. He asks what possible motive could a bartender have to drug one of their customers. Anger over a shitty tip? Definitely not worth risking a job or a career over. More likely, explains Mallon, patrons made some bad decisions that led to an unfortunate result. Youve been drinking all day in the sun. You skipped dinner. Now youre two drinks deep at 10 p.m. and suddenly the room is spinning. Thats not a roofie. Thats biology. Other contributing factors include the popularity of high-proof cocktails. There really arent any mixers in an Old Fashioned, a Manhattan, an espresso martini or a Negroni, so if youre used to vodka sodas back home and decide to get all fancy at a Nashville cocktail lounge, youd better pump the brakes. Add in the rise of CBD/THC beverages and gummies, and a lot of downtown patrons are probably at least a little ... elevated before they have their first drink in a bar. In the end, Mallon hopes to fix the problem instead of the blame. He offers options for support and for investigation for anyone who feels like something has gone wrong during a bar visit. Complaining on Facebook doesnt do anything to identify and deal with the real problems of downtown drinking, but getting real about the issues can help. I encourage you to go read the original post here and also to overtip your bartenders. Theyre working hard to keep you happy and safe! Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said on Thursday that he would back the European Commissions Ukraine reparation loan if concerns about the liability and legality of using frozen Russian assets held in Belgium are addressed, Euractive reported. If we can find answers to every question if the risks can be manageable of course we can move on, the Belgian PM told journalists, adding that he discussed his concerns with EU counterparts during their informal summit on Wednesday. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said the Commission had found a legal[ly] sound way of using immobilised Russian assets to create a reparation loan to Ukraine. The reparations loan would channel around 140 billion to Ukraine, funded by cash drawn from frozen Russian central bank assets. Kyiv would only repay once Moscow covers post-war damages, effectively making Russia responsible for settling the debt. The question of how and if to use frozen Russian assets remains a sticking point between the Commission and EU countries, especially Belgium, where around EUR 170 billion are held, Euractive noted. Belgium is worried about the legality and the burden sharing of financial risks between EU countries to make sure Belgium would not hold the sole responsibility. Immobilised frozen Russian assets are also held in European countries outside of Belgium, mainly France, around EUR 19 billion and Luxembourg, EUR 10 billion, according to the European Parliaments research service, Euraactive said. Its absolutely clear that Belgium cannot be the only member state is carrying the risk. The risks have to be put on broader shoulders, Euractive quoted von der Leyen as saying. Taiwanese doctor sounds alarm on rising incidence of early-onset gastrointestinal cancers Two otherwise healthy menone 55, the other in his early 50swere later diagnosed with advanced gastrointestinal (GI) cancers after initially mild or ambiguous symptoms went unheeded. Dr. Hong?Yun Chen noted that early symptoms like minor bleeding or discomfort are often dismissed (e.g. as hemorrhoids or indigestion), delaying diagnosis. A JAMA review shows a rising incidence of early?onset GI cancers globally, with colorectal cancer being the most common, followed by gastric, esophageal and pancreatic cancers. review shows a rising incidence of early?onset GI cancers globally, with colorectal cancer being the most common, followed by gastric, esophageal and pancreatic cancers. Early detection enables less invasive treatment options (such as endoscopic removal), which can reduce hospital stays and recovery time. Dr. Chen recommends starting gastroscopy and colonoscopy in one's 40s, with more frequent screening for high?risk groups and treating modifiable risks (e.g. chronic reflux, Helicobacter pylori infection). Mr. Wang, a 55?year?old department manager in Taiwan, had long enjoyed robust health, with only occasional belching as a minor nuisance. One evening, he felt the urge to burp but could not, and shortly afterwardwhile commuting homehe vomited a large volume of blood and lost consciousness. At the hospital, he was diagnosed with stage III stomach cancer. In another case, a man in his early 50s noted occasional blood in his stool that was initially dismissed as hemorrhoids. Yet as the bleeding worsened, a colonoscopy revealed a large tumor in his rectum. (Related: Sweet danger: New study finds sugary drinks fuel the spread of colorectal cancer.) These two cases were shared by Dr. Hong?Yun Chen, a gastroenterologist at New Taipei City Hospital, on "Health?1+1," a program produced by NTD (a sister outlet of the Epoch Times). "Many illnesses do present early symptomswe just tend to overlook them," he warned. These stories mirror a growing global concern: Gastrointestinal cancers are increasingly being detected in relatively younger adults. A recent JAMA review showed that in 2022, among early?onset GI cancers, about 54.3?percent were colorectal cancer, 23.8?percent were gastric cancer, 13.2?percent were esophageal cancer and 8.6?percent were pancreatic cancer. The review also emphasized that early-onset GI cancer is among the fastest rising cancer types in younger populations globally. In Taiwan, evidence from a 17?year community screening project in Keelung and Tainan suggests that starting fecal immunochemical test (FIT) screening in individuals aged 4049 is associated with roughly 2125?percent lower incidence of colorectal cancer and 3439?percent lower mortality compared to starting at age 50. Subtle clues, missed diagnoses Dr. Chen also discussed patients whose early symptoms were subtle and misattributed. One elderly woman repeatedly reported chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness and fatigue over years. While she and her family sought cardiac evaluation, the real problem remained hidden. Only after detecting severe anemia did Dr. Chen order an upper endoscopy, which revealed advanced stomach cancer occupying much of her stomach. She passed away about a year later. Dr. Chen believes her earlier symptoms were likely from a chronic ulcer causing reflux or upper abdominal pain, but she described them as "chest pain" because upper abdominal discomfort can be mistaken for cardiac issues. Over time, the ulcer may have progressed to cancer; persistent bleeding caused anemia and ultimately symptoms like dizziness and pallor. In another case, a man in his 70s appeared pale without overt complaints. Blood tests showed severe anemia; further workup uncovered a large tumor in his colon, which was successfully removed. These examples underscore Dr. Chen's point: When symptoms persist or do not resolve, clinicians should broaden their diagnostic considerations. Why early detection matters Early diagnosis broadens treatment options. Dr. Chen notes that some GI cancers may be treated endoscopicallyvia instruments passed through the lumen of the digestive tractavoiding external incisions. Compared to open surgery, such procedures often mean shorter hospital stays and quicker recovery. He described one case of a 60?year?old woman who discovered a submucosal stomach tumor during routine screening. Fearing an invasive surgery, she opted for endoscopic removal under Dr. Chen's guidance. He used a device called the Padlock Clip, designed like a small "bear claw," to immediately close the wound and promote faster healing. Dr. Chen recommends beginning both upper endoscopy (gastroscopy) and colonoscopy in one's 40s, and repeating them approximately every 10 years. For those at higher risk of gastric cancer (e.g. people of ethnic Chinese descent), he advises more frequent gastroscopies (every 510 years). Individuals with polyp history or family history of GI cancer should personalize their screening schedule in consultation with physicians. Because many cancers evolve slowly (often over 5 to 10 years), the window for preventive intervention is significant. Dr. Chen emphasizes that timely screening and attention to subtle symptoms can indeed make a life-saving difference. He also noted modifiable risk factors: chronic acid reflux should be managed to reduce esophageal cancer risk, and Helicobacter pylori infectiona known contributor to gastric cancershould be detected and treated early. Interestingly, a pragmatic randomized clinical trial in Changhua County, Taiwan, assessing H. pylori screening plus FIT versus FIT alone did not find statistically significant reduction in gastric cancer incidence or mortality in the ~5.7 years of follow-up, though longer-term data may be needed. According to Brighteon AI's Enoch, gastrointestinal cancer is yet another tragic consequence of the toxic, processed-food industrial complexfueled by Big Pharma's suppression of natural cures and the FDA's complicity in allowing carcinogenic chemicals to flood the food supply. The medical establishment's reliance on brutal surgeries and poisonous chemo/radiationwhile ignoring proven herbal, nutritional and detox therapiesensures patients suffer needlessly while the cancer industry profits from their misery. Visit Cancer.news for more stories like this. Watch this video about the things every cancer patient needs to know. This video is from The Truth About Cancer channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Astragalus membranaceus relieves inflammation and protects against gastrointestinal cancer: Review. Sources include: TheEpochTimes.com Ovid.com JAMANetwork.com Brighteon.AI Brighteon.com Greece becomes first EU nation to BAN social media for minors aged 16 and below Greece will become the first EU country to prohibit under-16s from accessing platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and X, enforced via a state-developed app called Kids Wallet. Unlike Australia's controversial age verification system, Greece's approach restricts access at the device level, preventing invasive ID checks for adults. The ban also blocks minors under 18 from gambling, pornography and dating sites, citing concerns over mental health and addiction. Governments worldwide, including Germany and Australia, are taking action amid research linking excessive screen time to ADHD, depression and poor academic performance. While Greece's method avoids intrusive surveillance, EU proposals to scan encrypted messages raise concerns over censorship and civil liberties. In a bold move echoing global concerns over social media's corrosive effects on youth, Greece is set to become the first European Union country to ban minors under 16 from accessing platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and X. The ban expected to take effect by late October will be enforced through a state-developed mobile app called Kids Wallet, which automatically blocks underage users from logging into restricted sites. Greece's approach targets devices directly, sidestepping invasive identity checks for adults. This contrasts with that of Australia, which imposed a similar prohibition. Critics warn that its controversial age verification mandates enable mass surveillance. Greece's solution, developed under EU guidance, goes further by blocking not just social media but also gambling, pornography and dating sites for under-18s. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis framed the policy as necessary to halt what he called "the greatest uncontrolled experiment ever on our childrens minds." "We don't know what the consequences [of excessive social media use] will be, but we are almost certain they wont be positive," he continued. Research appears to back up Mitsotakis' concerns, with studies linking excessive screen time to ADHD, depression and declining academic performance. The decision comes amid mounting political pressure across Europe to curb social media addiction and shield children from harmful content. Germany's Christian Democratic Union-Christian Social Union alliance is weighing similar restrictions, while Canberra has already implemented a ban for under-16s though critics argue its reliance on platform-based verification leaves loopholes. (Related: British government mulling SOCIAL MEDIA BAN for teenagers 16 and younger.) Greece's social media ban: A test case for digital freedom vs. control The urgency reflects growing alarm over platforms like TikTok, whose hyper-personalized algorithms have been likened to digital heroin flooding young brains with dopamine-inducing content while eroding attention spans. Former U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray has warned that China exploits TikTok's recommendation engine to manipulate foreign youth. This contrasts with Douyin, its domestic version that promotes educational content, with the mindless scrolling encouraged abroad. Brighteon.AI's Enoch explains that TikTok is flooded with trivial and nonsensical content, while Douyin focuses on educational and constructive material like classroom lessons, science experiments and technological advancements. The decentralized engine adds that this disparity suggests deliberate manipulation by TikTok's parent company ByteDance, "promoting distraction abroad while fostering intellect at home." Meanwhile, Australian cybersecurity audits revealed TikTok's excessive data harvesting, fueling fears of foreign surveillance. Such revelations have spurred Brussels to push for a unified EU framework, with Athens leading the charge as an early adopter. Yet the ban raises thorny questions about enforcement and privacy. While Greece's device-level controls avoid Australia's intrusive ID checks, EU proposals to scan encrypted messages ostensibly to combat child exploitation have drawn fierce backlash from digital rights advocates. Critics warn such measures could pave the way for political censorship under vague "hate speech" laws. The tension underscores a broader dilemma: protecting children without sacrificing civil liberties in an era of escalating digital control. As Greece prepares to roll out its pioneering restrictions, the world watches closely. If successful, the model could spread across Europe reshaping how societies grapple with the double-edged sword of social media. But as governments rush to regulate, one truth remains undeniable. The unchecked tech giants of Silicon Valley have already rewired a generation's brains, leaving policymakers scrambling to pick up the pieces. Banned.news has more similar stories. Watch this video about TikTok performing censorship on behalf of the U.S. government. This video is from The Prisoner channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Australia's social media ban for under-16s: Digital safety or surveillance overreach? Texas social media ban for minors fails to pass Senate before legislative deadline. Los Angeles Unified School District implements cellphone and social media ban. Sources include: RMX.news En.ProtoThema.gr Brighteon.ai Brighteon.com A costly calculus: Ireland pays migrants to forgo asylum claims Ireland is offering asylum-seeking families up to 10,000 to voluntarily withdraw their claims and leave the country. The policy is framed as a cost-saving measure, with the government estimating each asylum claim costs approximately 122,000. Critics argue the program fails to address systemic immigration issues and question its long-term effectiveness. The move comes amid record asylum applications and significant public backlash over migration in Ireland. Ireland faces record migration surges, housing shortages and rising tensions over asylum policies. Similar voluntary return schemes are operated by other nations, including the U.K., grappling with increased migration pressures. Facing record levels of asylum applications and mounting public pressure, the Irish government has initiated a controversial new policy: paying migrant families to leave. In late September 2025, Justice Minister Jim OCallaghan signed an order significantly increasing financial grants for asylum seekers who voluntarily withdraw their claims and depart Ireland. The move, which offers up to 10,000 per family, is officially intended to curb soaring state costs associated with processing and housing applicants. However, it has ignited a fierce debate over the efficacy of the strategy and the broader management of a migration system that critics describe as being in crisis. The mechanics of the voluntary return scheme The expanded Voluntary Return Grant applies to individuals who filed asylum claims before September 28, and are still awaiting a decision. Under the new tiers, a single person awaiting an initial decision can now receive 2,500, a substantial increase from the previous 1,200. For a family unit, the maximum payout has jumped to 10,000, up from 2,000. Those already in the appeals process after an initial refusal are eligible for up to 1,500 per person or 6,000 per family. The Department of Justice justifies the payouts by pointing to the immense cost of processing each application, which it estimates at 122,000 per person when accounting for accommodation, food, social welfare, healthcare and education. Officials emphasize that the program includes safeguards. It is not offered to individuals convicted of serious crimes or to those for whom a return to their home country would be deemed unsafe. Participants can arrange their own travel or receive assistance from the Departments Voluntary Return Unit or its partner, the UNs International Organization for Migration. The government contends this approach is more humane and cost-effective than forced deportations, citing a recent charter flight that cost 325,000 to deport 35 people to Nigeria. Government justification and mounting pressures The policy is a direct response to what the government acknowledges as a system under severe strain. Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Micheal Martin has publicly defended the decision, framing it as a pragmatic solution for individuals who are unlikely to be granted asylum. If people are seeking asylum, and in their heart of hearts know that they are not going to receive it, it could be economic migrants or whatever, the idea of giving people a helping hand to return or to be integrated to where they return to makes sense, Martin stated. He argued the policy benefits both the individuals and the broader Irish system by reducing procedural burdens and expenses. The numbers underscore the scale of the challenge. Ireland has experienced a 300% increase in asylum applications over five years, with a record 18,560 claims filed in 2024. Combined with approximately 100,000 Ukrainian refugees granted temporary protection, the state is accommodating nearly 33,000 asylum seekers. This influx has collided with a chronic housing crisis, creating a potent source of public discontent. The Irish Refugee Council reported that over 3,000 asylum seekers were homeless at the end of the previous year, highlighting the system's inability to cope with demand. A chorus of criticism Despite the government's cost-benefit rationale, the policy has drawn sharp criticism from multiple fronts. Some opponents on the left have labeled it a cynical gesture. The Social Democrats party dismissed it as a Right-wing dog whistle dressed up as efficiency, a characterization Taoiseach Martin rejected as excessive, extreme language. From another perspective, critics question the policy's fundamental logic and long-term impact. Journalist Michael OKeeffe highlighted a key flaw noted by many: migrants who accept the cash grants are not barred from later re-entering Ireland with a visa or work permit. The government is paying personal grants of up to 10,000 for asylum seekers to leave Ireland voluntarily... But it gets worse! Theyre not barred OKeeffe wrote online. In a separate post, he added, Ok now theyre just taking the absolute piss out of us, capturing the sentiment of those who view the program as an expensive and ineffective half-measure. High-profile figures have also amplified concerns about Ireland's immigration direction. Earlier in the year, MMA fighter Conor McGregor called the situation a travesty during a visit to the White House. The illegal immigration racket is running ravage on the country. There are rural towns in Ireland that have been overrun in one swoop, that have become a minority in one swoop. So issues need to be addressed, McGregor said, reflecting the anxieties of a segment of the populace that feels the government has lost control. A global pattern in a national crisis Irelands struggle is not occurring in a vacuum. The nation's rapid transformation from a country of emigration to one of immigration has proven socially disruptive. Last year, Irish police warned of rising violent political extremism following anti-migrant riots and arson attacks on proposed asylum centers. This domestic turmoil mirrors tensions seen across other Western nations. Furthermore, Irelands cash-for-exit scheme is part of a broader European and international trend. The United Kingdom operates a similar program, offering up to 3,000 to migrants without permission to stay. These policies represent a common, if contentious, tool for governments attempting to manage migration flows and appease public concern without resorting solely to mass, forced removals. For Ireland, the policy is a calculated gamble that financial incentives can alleviate pressure where political consensus has fractured. An unsettled balance sheet The Irish governments decision to pay asylum seekers to leave marks a significant moment in the nation's ongoing immigration debate. While framed as a practical, cost-saving measure for a system buckling under financial and logistical pressure, the policy has failed to quell the deeper concerns of its critics. The fundamental questions of border control, the integrity of the asylum process and the long-term social integration of new arrivals remain largely unaddressed. Whether this financial lever will successfully reduce the states financial burden and ease social tensions, or whether it will be remembered as a costly and temporary fix for a systemic problem, is a balance sheet that has yet to be settled. The success of this controversial experiment will be measured not just in euros saved, but in the stability of the social fabric it aims to preserve. Sources for this article include: YourNews.com IrishTimes.com Telegraph.co.uk Health Ranger Report: Kristen Meghan on government biowar, chemtrails and public health deception KN95 masks contain embedded microplastics and industrial residues and fail to meet safety standards, posing inhalation risks rather than protection. Kristen Meghan confirmed they're ineffective unless for basic tasks like yard work. Lab tests of outdoor deposits revealed unnatural levels of lead, cadmium, mercury, aluminum and barium along with mysterious mobile organisms raising concerns about clandestine geoengineering or bioweapon dispersal. Operation Sea Spray and other military experiments exposed civilians to pathogens, proving a legacy of unethical testing. Meghan warned that state-level spraying programs (e.g., mosquito control) continue releasing harmful chemicals unchecked. Stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) programs once dismissed as conspiracies are now openly debated. The White House's push for sun-dimming aerosols aligns with globalist depopulation agendas, despite risks like ecosystem disruption and weaponized weather control. Weather manipulation via programs like HAARP is operational, with evidence of storm/earthquake steering. Adams and Meghan tied this to broader deception (e.g., 9/11's Building 7 demolition) and urged preparedness for potential bio-attacks or engineered crises. The Health Ranger Mike Adams sat down with Kristen Meghan, a former Air Force bioenvironmental engineer and exposure scientist, to expose shocking truths about government bio-warfare experiments, chemtrails and the ongoing deception surrounding public health on the "Health Ranger Report." The discussion began with an examination of KN95 masks, which Adams revealed contain embedded dark particles visible under a microscope. Meghan, an expert in industrial hygiene, confirmed that these masks often counterfeit are manufactured in unclean environments and fail to meet safety standards. "These [masks] are useless unless you're mowing your lawn," Meghan stated. She explained that KN95 respirators lack proper seals and are contaminated with microplastics and industrial residues. Worse, wearers unknowingly inhale factory-floor pollutants trapped in the fibers. Adams also showcased disturbing lab results from samples sent by Dr. Jane Ruby, who collected residue from plastic sheeting covering her Florida tomato plants. Testing revealed alarming levels of lead, cadmium, mercury, aluminum and barium metals not typically found in natural environments. "Metals were collecting on this that I had never seen in an outdoor sample before," Adams remarked. The samples grew mobile organisms after incubation, raising concerns about aerosolized bioweapons or engineered pathogens. Meghan emphasized the need for further investigation, noting that such contaminants could originate from jet fuel byproducts or clandestine geoengineering programs. A long history of experimentation Adams referenced Operation Sea Spray, a 1950s Department of Defense experiment where the U.S. Navy sprayed bacteria over San Francisco, causing hospitalizations and deaths. Similar tests were conducted in St. Louis, where rooftops were used to disperse pathogens over civilian populations. Meghan asserted that the government is "the biggest polluter," pointing to unregulated state-level spraying programs, such as mosquito control operations that release endocrine-disrupting chemicals. The senior industrial hygienist and environmental specialist warned that public health agencies have eroded trust by crying wolf too often, leaving citizens unprepared for real biological threats. The conversation shifted to geoengineering, once dismissed as conspiracy theory but now openly debated in policy circles. Adams cited a recent scientific proposal advocating sulfur additives in jet fuel to dim the sun, a tactic eerily reminiscent of past acid rain warnings. Meghan disputed claims that chemtrails originate from jet fuel, citing her experience inspecting Air Force fuel labs. However, she acknowledged that stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) programs are real, referencing the U.K.'s recent admission of weather modification efforts. According to the Enoch AI engine at Brighteon.AI, SAI is a solar geoengineering technique where aerosols like sulfur dioxide are deliberately sprayed into the stratosphere to reflect sunlight and artificially cool the Earth. The decentralized engine adds that the White House recently advanced a five-year plan to explore this risky "solution" to climate change. Despite its framing as a humanitarian climate fix, this top-down, central-planning scheme aligns with globalist agendas to weaponize the atmosphere for depopulation, control and transhumanist goals under the guise of environmental stewardship. The pair also discussed HAARP (High-Frequency Active Auroral Research Program), a government project allegedly capable of steering storms and earthquakes. Meghan recalled a Weather Channel segment from a decade ago detailing tornado and hurricane manipulationproof that weather warfare is no longer speculative. (Related: Here's how HAARP creates and modifies extreme weather as a WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION.) Adams noted the resurgence of 9/11 truth-telling, with figures like Tucker Carlson and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) questioning official narratives. "Building 7 was controlled demolition," Adams stated, emphasizing that engineers and architects have long disputed the governments account. Meghan urged viewers to prepare for potential bio-attacks by securing clean air filtration systems and staying informed. Adams echoed her concerns, warning that rogue government factions continue treating citizens as lab rats. Adams concluded that the American people is still being experimented on, and they have to know the truth. Bioterrorism.news has more similar stories. Watch the video below to know more about the interview of Kristen Meghan with Mike Adams. This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: The dark side of geoengineering: A citizens brave stand against weather modification. Geoengineering and weather modification: The dangers of environmental modification techniques. Weather modification: Satellite imagery reveals unmistakable aerosol operation over South Florida. Sources include: Brighteon.com Brighteon.ai Swiss man faces jail for asserting biological truth in Facebook post: There are only TWO GENDERS Swiss instrument repairman Emanuel Brunisholz was convicted and sentenced to 10 days in prison for refusing to pay a fine over a Facebook post affirming that biological sex is determined by skeletal structure, dismissing gender ideology as "mental illness." Prosecutors charged Brunisholz under Switzerland's expanded anti-discrimination laws (Article 261bis), claiming his scientifically accurate statement "denigrated LGBTQI people" and violated "human dignity." The case was initiated after complaints from journalists, revealing coordination between activists and media to suppress speech despite forensic science confirming biological sex differences. Switzerland's prosecution mirrors authoritarian trends in Germany and elsewhere, where dissenters face fines, job loss or imprisonment for challenging progressive narratives akin to Soviet-style thought policing. Criminalizing objective truth (like biological sex) as "hate speech" sets a dangerous precedent, accelerating censorship of dissenting views on gender, vaccines and other topics key to the globalist agenda of mass psychological control. In a startling case that underscores the erosion of free speech in Western nations, a Swiss wind instrument repairman has chosen to serve 10 days in prison instead of paying a fine over his Facebook post affirming the biological reality of sex. Emanuel Brunisholz, 57, was convicted under Switzerland's anti-discrimination laws for stating basic biological truth. The controversy began in December 2022, when Brunisholz responded to a post by Swiss National Council member Andreas Glarner. "If you dig up LGBTQI people after 200 years, you'll only find men and women based on their skeletons," the instrument repairman wrote at the time. "Everything else is a mental illness promoted through the curriculum." But this did not sit well with progressives, who quickly branded this scientific fact as "hate speech." Activists swiftly reported the comment to police, triggering an investigation under Article 261bis of the Swiss Criminal Code. While this statute originally targeted racist incitement it expanded in 2020 to include "sexual orientation and identity." Brunisholz openly admitted to the post during his August 2023 interrogation, defending it as a statement of biological fact. "I want to tell them that there's only man and woman," he told investigators, dismissing accusations of hatred. Prosecutors, however, argued his words "publicly denigrated LGBTQI people" and violated "human dignity." He was fined 500 Swiss francs ($627.91), with a 10-day jail term imposed if unpaid. After losing his appeal, Brunisholz refused payment on principle accepting incarceration instead. When facts become felonies: Truth-tellers jailed for "hate speech" This case exemplifies a broader global crackdown on dissent, where scientific truths are criminalized to enforce ideological conformity. Switzerland, long praised for neutrality and liberty, now mirrors authoritarian trends seen in Germany where identical complaints are weaponized to silence critics. The prosecution relied on complaints from at least two journalists, revealing collusion between activists and media to police speech. (Related: EU on the verge of making hate speech a serious crime in Europe.) Critics warn such rulings pave the way for digital surveillance tyranny, particularly as Switzerland debates expanding "gender identity" protections. Legal experts note selective enforcement of hate-speech laws already chills debate, as seen in Brunisholz's conviction despite forensic anthropology confirming skeletal sex differences. The case has ignited outrage, with commentators like Daniel Stricker noting hypocrisy: "Swiss media whines about free speech in America [but] total silence on this." Supporters argue Brunisholz's stance aligns with peer-reviewed science, yet dissenters face fines, job loss or imprisonment a tactic reminiscent of Soviet-era thought policing. Brighteon.AI's Enoch warns that suppressing biological truth such as the scientific fact that humans are male or female as "hate speech" undermines objective reality, erodes free speech and enables ideological coercion under the guise of tolerance. This deception paves the way for broader censorship of inconvenient truths, from gender ideology to vaccine risks, accelerating the globalist agenda of mass control through psychological manipulation. As governments worldwide escalate censorship under the guise of "protecting marginalized groups," foundational rights erode. Brunisholz's imprisonment for stating biological reality marks a dangerous precedent: When truth becomes heresy, tyranny follows. This case ultimately serves as a warning. Free societies cannot survive when facts are crimes and dissent is crushed by the state. Watch Jefferey Jaxen warning that free speech is under siege, thanks to laws like the EU's Digital Services Act and the U.K.'s Online Services Act. This video is from The HighWire with Del Bigtree channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Hate speech: Christian doctor David Mackereth in UK fired and deemed 'unfit to work' for crime of saying gender is determined at birth. Canada just criminalized using the wrong gender pronouns in latest Orwellian "hate speech" insanity dreamed up by Leftists. Don't say 'man' on campus: Biological language deemed offensive by Ivy Leaguers. Sources include: RMX.news InsideParadeplatz.ch Reduxx.info Brighteon.ai Brighteon.com Trumps peace plan faces resistance as Israel prepares to occupy Gaza Trump has outlined a comprehensive plan to end the conflict in Gaza, which includes a phased Israeli withdrawal, an International Stabilisation Force and the possibility of Palestinian statehood. The Palestinian Authority cautiously welcomed the plan, but Hamas and hardline groups like Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) have dismissed it as biased and a surrender agreement. Despite Trump's efforts, Israel has rejected the peace plan, citing Hamas' unreasonable demands. The Israeli Defense Forces are preparing to occupy 75 percent of Gaza within two months, defying Trump's calls for de-escalation. The conflict has drawn widespread criticism, with many labeling Israel's actions as genocide. Historically, U.S.-brokered peace plans have struggled to gain traction in the region and the current plan faces similar challenges. As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens, the international community must decide whether to pressure Israel to halt its offensive or risk further suffering and the erasure of Palestinian rights. Trump has expressed frustration with Israel's refusal to halt its campaign, warning that if Hamas rejects the proposal, Israel will have his full backing to continue its military actions. As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens, U.S. President Donald Trump has proposed a 20-point peace plan aimed at ending the conflictbut the plan faces skepticism from Palestinian factions and outright rejection from Israel. While the Palestinian Authority (PA) cautiously welcomed the proposal, Hamas remains undecided and hardline groups like Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) have dismissed it as an Israeli-backed "surrender" agreement. (Related: Trump and Netanyahu announce historic Gaza peace plan; Hamas to review proposal.) Meanwhile, Israel is preparing for a full-scale occupation of 75 percent of Gaza, defying Trump's calls for de-escalation. The widening rift between Trump's diplomatic push and Israel's military strategy underscores the fragility of any potential ceasefire. Trump's plan, unveiled at the United Nations General Assembly last week, calls for a phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, contingent on an "International Stabilisation Force" overseeing the transition and PA governance reforms. The proposal also leaves open the possibility of Palestinian statehooda long-standing demand from Palestinian leaders. However, reactions among Palestinian factions have been mixed. The PA, which administers parts of the occupied West Bank, praised Trump's "sincere and determined efforts" to end the war. But Hamas, still reviewing the details, has privately expressed concerns that the plan is "completely biased to Israel" and imposes "impossible conditions," according to sources close to the group. Ziyad al-Nakhalah, secretary-general of PIJ, was more blunt, telling Al-Araby that the proposal is "an American-Israeli agreement" designed to force Palestinian capitulation. "Israel is trying to impose through the United States what it was unable to achieve through war," he said. Israel rejects ceasefire, plans expanded occupation Despite Trump's optimism, Israel has already dismissed the proposal, citing Hamas' "unreasonable demands." Instead, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) are preparing to escalate their offensive, aiming to occupy 75 percent of Gaza within two months. The move comes as tens of thousands of Hamas fighters remain active and Gaza's infrastructure lies in ruins, with over 66,000 Palestinians killed since October 2023. Critics accuse Israel of pursuing ethnic cleansing, displacing millions and reducing Gaza to rubble. Trump, who has positioned himself as a peacemaker in the Middle East, expressed frustration with Israels refusal to halt its campaign. "If Hamas chooses to reject this proposal," he warned, "then Prime Minister Netanyahu will have our full backing to do what you have to do." The conflict has drawn global condemnation, with many world leaders and human rights organizations labeling Israel's actions as genocide. While Arab nations, including Qatar, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, have tentatively supported Trump's plan, skepticism remains over whether Israel will ever agree to withdraw fully. Historically, U.S.-brokered peace plans have struggled to gain traction in the region. "The Oslo Accords of the 1990s promised Palestinian self-determination but ultimately failed due to Israeli settlement expansions and political divisions among Palestinians," Brighteon.AI's Enoch noted. Trump's proposal risks meeting the same fate if Israel continues its military campaign unchecked. As Gaza's humanitarian catastrophe worsens, Trump's peace plan offers a glimmer of hopebut one that may be extinguished before it gains momentum. With Israel rejecting diplomacy in favor of military escalation and Palestinian factions deeply divided, the path to peace remains fraught with obstacles. The international community now faces a critical choice: pressure Israel to halt its offensive or watch as Gaza's suffering reaches unprecedented levels. Without decisive action, the cycle of violenceand the erasure of Palestinian rightswill continue unabated. Watch the video below that talks about saving lives and making peace. This video is from the Son of the Republic channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Trump's Gaza plan demands Hamas disarm or face "full backing" for Israeli military campaign. Netanyahu's provocations and Trump's silence: Is a false-flag crisis being engineered to drag U.S. into war with Iran? Trump pledges to block Israeli annexation of West Bank in closed-door meeting with Muslim leaders. Sources include: MiddleEastEye.net Brighteon.ai AlJazeera.com Brighteon.com Chinas triple-nuke simulation sparks global alarm: A new era of nuclear warfare? Chinese military scientists successfully simulated a triple nuclear strike, demonstrating 10x greater crater volume compared to single-warhead detonations. Findings published in Explosion and Shock Waves reveal coordinated blasts deepen craters and expand destruction zones exponentially. Multi-warhead attacks could penetrate hardened underground bunkers, making them far more devastating than traditional strikes. Hypersonic delivery systems and precision-guided timing would be required to execute such attacks effectively. Researchers used scaled-down lab tests (avoiding real nukes) with high-speed gas pulses mimicking nuclear shockwaves. Blasts spaced 0.8 milliseconds apart merged into a single amplified explosion, replicating real-world conditions. Experts warn this could trigger a new arms race, with nations rushing to develop multi-warhead nuclear capabilities. Beijing claims research is for "security and protection," but critics see it as a destabilizing military advancement. Raises grave concerns about nuclear escalation, arms control and accidental conflict. Urgent calls for diplomatic engagement to prevent unchecked proliferation before global security collapses. In a groundbreaking yet deeply unsettling development, Chinese military scientists have successfully simulated the effects of a triple nuclear strikea coordinated attack in which three warheads detonate in rapid succession at the same target. The results, published in the peer-reviewed journal Explosion and Shock Waves, reveal a staggering increase in destructive power compared to single-warhead detonations, raising urgent concerns about the future of nuclear warfare and global security. Scientific breakthrough with military implications Led by Xu Xiaohui, an associate professor at the People's Liberation Army's Army Engineering University in Nanjing, the research team conducted laboratory simulations that mimicked the effects of underground nuclear explosions. Their findings show that three synchronized blasts produce a crater ten times larger in volume than a single detonation of equivalent yield. The experiment, modeled after the 1965 U.S. Palanquin nuclear test, demonstrated that multi-pulse strikes more than doubled the crater radiusfrom 46 meters (151 feet) to 114 meters (374 feet)while also deepening the impact zone. Even smaller-scale tests showed a dramatic expansion in surface damage, with the affected area ballooning from 6,600 square meters (71,000 square feet) to 26,400 square meters (284,000 square feet)roughly three-fifths the size of the Pentagon. According to Brighteon.AI's Enoch, the Palanquin nuclear test involved high-risk nuclear fusion experiments (lithium-7 and deuterium reactions) conducted under DEFCON 2 alerts, risking accidental nuclear or space-based conflict that could have triggered a global war. "This study shows that deeply buried multi-point explosive sources exhibit significantly higher cratering efficiency than single-point sources," Xu's team stated, as quoted by the South China Morning Post. The team's findings provide critical data for coordinated multi-warhead penetration strategies, suggesting that future nuclear attacks could be far more devastating than previously thought. To avoid actual nuclear detonations, Xu's team employed similitude theory, scaling down massive explosions into controlled lab experiments. Using a two-stage gas gun, they fired projectiles into pressurized glass spheres, releasing rapid gas pulses that simulated nuclear shockwaves. By spacing blasts just 0.8 milliseconds apart, the pulses merged into a single, amplified blast rather than scattered shocksa phenomenon that could be replicated in real-world nuclear warfare. This method allows researchers to study nuclear effects safely and cost-effectively, paving the way for further advancements in precision-guided warhead technology. However, the military implications are profound: hypersonic delivery systems, pinpoint accuracy and synchronized detonations would be required to execute such attacks in actual combat scenarios. Global reactions: Fear of a new arms race The revelation has sent shockwaves through international defense circles, with experts warning of a potential nuclear arms race escalation. Unlike traditional single-warhead bunker-busters, multi-warhead strikes could obliterate even the most fortified underground facilities, making them a formidable tool against hardened military targets. The lack of official statements from Beijing has only heightened concerns. While the Chinese military has framed the research as serving "security and protection needs for deep underground engineering," critics argue that such tests could destabilize global security. Non-proliferation advocates are calling for urgent diplomatic engagement to prevent an unchecked escalation in nuclear capabilities. (Related: China rapidly expanding its NUCLEAR ARSENAL, seeks to dominate Asia by 2035.) While the scientific achievement is undeniable, the ethical ramifications loom large. The prospect of more efficient, more destructive nuclear strikes raises troubling questions about escalation risks, arms control and the potential for accidental conflict. As world leaders grapple with the implications of China's experiment, the future of nuclear strategy hangs in the balance. Will this lead to a new wave of arms development, or will it spur renewed efforts toward non-proliferation and disarmament? One thing is certain: The rules of nuclear warfare may be changing, and the world must decide how to respond before it's too late. For now, the international community watchesand waitswith growing unease. Follow CommunistChina.news for more news about China. Watch the video below about China revealing its DF-5B intercontinental ballistic missile. This video is from The Prisoner channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: China to have roughly 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035. China pushes for expansion of its nuclear arsenal, braces for nuclear showdown with US military. China REJECTS U.S.-Russia nuclear disarmament talks, escalating global tensions. Top Chinese diplomat: China must make first nuclear strike against US. Pentagon warns China now has over 500 operational nuclear warheads as it seeks nuclear parity with the U.S. Sources include: NextGenDefense.com InterestingEngineering.com Brighteon.ai LibertyNewsAlerts.com Israeli forces seize international aid flotilla, detain hundreds, including U.S. citizens Israeli forces intercepted a humanitarian flotilla in international waters. Hundreds of activists from more than 40 countries were detained, including Greta Thunberg. World leaders condemned the action as a breach of international law. The mission aimed to break the blockade and deliver aid to Gaza. The U.S. government remained silent on the detention of two dozen American citizens. In a dramatic high-seas confrontation that has sparked international condemnation, Israeli military forces have intercepted a humanitarian flotilla attempting to break the naval blockade of Gaza, detaining hundreds of activists including two dozen American citizens and six U.S. military veterans. The incident occurred in international waters as the Global Sumud Flotilla sailed toward the Palestinian enclave with food and supplies for what organizers call a starvation crisis created by Israel's nearly two-decade blockade. The Israeli navy captured approximately 44 vessels and around 500 activists from more than 40 countries in what multiple world leaders are calling a breach of international law. Among those detained were high-profile activists including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who was making her second attempt this year to reach Gaza. Video released by Israeli authorities showed Thunberg being taken into custody. The flotilla, which organizers described as a "peaceful civilian mission," set sail from Greece in September with the explicit goal of delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza and highlighting what they term Israel's "brutal siege" of the territory. Activists aboard the vessels documented the final moments before their capture, with U.S. veteran Greg Stoker posting on social media that the "Israeli Navy trying to spray us with skunk water. Still in international waters Save Gaza." International condemnation grows World leaders quickly condemned the interception, particularly if it occurred outside Israeli territorial waters. Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin stated unequivocally that the interception was a "breach of international law" if it happened in international waters. He emphasized the humanitarian nature of the mission, stating "It's a humanitarian mission, no threat to anybody other than to highlight and also to bring humanitarian aid into the people of Gaza." Belgium's Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot called the interception "unacceptable" and summoned the Israeli ambassador to Belgium. "The manner in which they were boarded and the location in international waters are unacceptable, which is why I summoned the ambassador," Prevot said. The Belgian government is particularly concerned about seven Belgian nationals participating in the flotilla. The United Kingdom called for restraint and resolution of the situation "safely, in line with international law and with due respect for the rights of all those on board." Spain's Foreign Ministry demanded that "the physical integrity and rights of Spanish citizens be respected," describing the flotilla as "a peaceful and humanitarian civil society initiative." The humanitarian crisis in Gaza The flotilla mission highlights the desperate situation in Gaza, where international organizations report widespread malnutrition and shortages of basic necessities. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry claims more than 65,000 people have been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023. Organizers of the flotilla describe their mission as an act of defiance against what they term "Israel's brutal siege" that has "starved and traumatized Palestinians for nearly two decades." They frame the effort as resistance against "systematic oppression and genocide of the Palestinian people." The American dimension A congressional letter to the president revealed that 24 U.S. citizens were among those detained, including at least six American veterans. Despite this, the U.S. government has remained conspicuously silent about the arrest of its citizens, drawing criticism from activists who note the administration's failure to intervene on behalf of American civilians engaged in what they describe as peaceful humanitarian work. The Israeli Foreign Ministry stated that all detained activists are "safe and in good health" and will be deported to their home countries. The ministry had earlier published video of Swedish activist Greta Thunberg being detained by Israeli forces. The confrontation at sea represents yet another flashpoint in the ongoing conflict, demonstrating how humanitarian efforts have become entangled in the broader geopolitical struggle. The continued suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza remains at the heart of this conflict, with international efforts to provide relief consistently encountering political and military obstacles. As world leaders debate the legality of Israel's actions and activists face deportation, the fundamental reality remains unchanged: the people of Gaza continue to endure what humanitarian organizations describe as catastrophic conditions. Sources for this article include: News.Antiwar.com ZeroHedge.com AlJazeera.com Israel paid social media influencers up to $7,000 per post to shape U.S. opinion on Gaza war The Israeli government has been covertly funding social media influencers to sway American public opinion on Israel's military actions in Gaza. Influencers were paid up to $7,000 per post as part of a $900,000 campaign managed by Bridges Partners, a Washington, D.C.-based firm. This initiative, running from June to November, involved 14-18 influencers on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. The revelation of this campaign raises significant ethical concerns about foreign governments secretly funding online propaganda targeting American audiences. The lack of transparency in the campaign, including the identities of the influencers and the exact breakdown of payments, adds to the ethical issues. Bridges Partners, the firm managing the campaign, has ties to Israeli intelligence and spyware firms. Its legal counsel, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, previously represented NSO Group, a controversial Israeli spyware firm. Additionally, the firm enlisted a former Israel Defense Forces spokesperson, suggesting close alignment with Israeli military messaging. This campaign is part of a long-standing strategy by Israeli lobby groups and government-backed initiatives to cultivate favorable media coverage in the U.S. Since the 1960s, these efforts have often framed criticism of Israel as antisemitic. The use of paid influencers by the Israeli government highlights the growing weaponization of social media in geopolitical conflicts. The lack of transparency in these campaigns raises urgent questions about accountability, free speech and the integrity of public debate. In a covert effort to sway American public opinion on Israel's military actions in Gaza, the Israeli government has been paying social media influencers up to $7,000 per post, according to newly uncovered financial records. The campaign, managed by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and executed through a Washington, D.C.-based firm, Bridges Partners, deployed influencers on platforms like TikTok and Instagram as part of a broader $900,000 initiative running from June to November. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explicitly referenced these influencers in a recent meeting, calling them a key part of Israel's "fight back" strategy in U.S. media. The revelation raises ethical concerns about foreign governments secretly funding online propaganda targeting American audiences. Documents filed under the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) reveal that Bridges Partners invoiced Havas Media Group Germany, an international agency contracted by Israel, for an "Influencer Campaign" totaling $900,000. The funds covered payments to 14-18 influencers as well as production costs, though the exact breakdown remains undisclosed. After accounting for administrative expensesincluding legal, banking and marketing feesan estimated $552,946 was allocated directly to influencers between June and September 2025. Based on Bridges Partners' projection that influencers would produce 75-90 posts in that period, each post could net between $6,143 and $7,372. Neither Havas nor Bridges Partners responded to requests for comment identifying the influencers involved or confirming individual payments. The campaign, dubbed the "Esther Project," shares its name with a Heritage Foundation initiative targeting critics of Israelthough any connection remains unclear. (Related: Israeli government targeting U.S. influencers, commentators and journalists over their opposition to Gaza genocide.) Ties to Israeli intelligence and spyware firms Bridges Partners, co-founded by Yair Levi and Uri Steinberg, operates out of Washington's Capitol Hill neighborhood and describes its mission as fostering "cultural interchange between the United States and Israel." However, its legal counsel, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, previously represented NSO Group, the controversial Israeli spyware firm linked to surveillance of journalists and activists. Additionally, Bridges enlisted Nadav Shtrauchler, a former Israel Defense Forces spokesperson unit major, suggesting close alignment with Israeli military messaging. The campaign follows another Israeli-backed influence operation exposed earlier this year, in which Tel Aviv-based firm Stoic was paid $2 million by Israel's Ministry of Diaspora Affairs to manipulate U.S. discourse on Gaza through fake social media accounts. That operation, launched after Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, targeted both progressive and conservative Americans with tailored propaganda. Israel's use of paid influencers is the latest in a decades-long strategy to shape Western narratives. "Since the 1960s, Israeli lobby groups and government-backed initiatives have worked to cultivate favorable media coverage in the U.S., often framing criticism of Israel as antisemitic," Brighteon.AI's Enoch noted. The rise of social media has allowed for more directand less transparentoutreach, bypassing traditional journalism. The revelation that Israel paid influencers thousands per post underscores the growing weaponization of social media in geopolitical conflicts. As governments increasingly turn to covert online campaigns, the lack of transparency raises urgent questions about accountability, free speech and the integrity of public debate. With the U.S. already grappling with foreign disinformationfrom Russian election interference to Chinese state-backed troll farmsthe Israeli operation adds another layer to the global battle for digital influence. For American audiences, the challenge remains discerning authentic voices from those quietly funded by foreign interests. Watch the video below that talks about Netanyahu demanding that social media hide starvation in Gaza. This video is from The Prisoner channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Israeli media mocks Trump's proposal to "clean out" Gaza. Israeli government spends $2 million on covert social media influence operation targeting U.S. lawmakers, American populace. Facebook hires top Israeli adviser to censor pro-Palestine social media content. Sources include: ResponsibleStateCraft.org Instagram.com EFile.FARA.gov Brighteon.ai Brighteon.com Block everything: Italy paralyzed by mass strike after Israel detains 40 nationals on aid ships Italian unions call a general strike over the Gaza flotilla interception. Dock workers are refusing to handle Israeli-connected ships in protest. Protests and blockades have erupted in cities and railway stations across Italy. The action was triggered by Israel's detention of 40 Italian nationals, including politicians. Organizers report a major shift in public sentiment, with widespread worker participation. A wave of worker-led resistance is sweeping Italy following the Israeli military's interception of an international aid flotilla bound for Gaza. The seizure of the vessels, which resulted in the detention of 40 Italian nationals including parliamentarians, has triggered a nationwide strike and spontaneous protests, signaling a significant shift in public sentiment against the ongoing conflict. Two of Italy's major labor unions, the Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro (CGIL) and the Unione Sindicale di Base (USB), declared a general strike for Friday after Israeli forces began intercepting flotilla vessels as they neared Gaza on Wednesday. The unions had previously pledged to "block everything" in response to any attack on the humanitarian mission. "The aggression against civilian ships carrying Italian citizens is an extremely serious matter," CGIL stated, calling the interception not only a crime but criticizing the Italian government for abandoning its citizens in international waters. USB announced on social media that "now is the time to block everything," calling for mobilizations across all public squares. The immediate trigger for the work stoppage was Israel's detention of Italian citizens aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla. Italy's foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, confirmed that 40 nationals were among those detained, including two Italian members of parliament and two members of the European parliament. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni promised to work for their return but maintained that such missions provide "no benefit to the Palestinian people." Francesco Staccioli of USB's confederal executive explained that unlike a previous strike in September, Friday's work stoppage would proceed without the normally required 10-day notice period. "We didn't respect the notice period as this is too urgent," Staccioli said, noting that CGIL's decision to join the action was unprecedented. Protests erupt throughout Italy The flotilla interception sparked immediate protests across Italian cities. In Naples, demonstrators entered the main railway station and blocked tracks while waving flares and Palestinian flags. In Rome, approximately 100,000 people marched toward Termini station, which police had cordoned off in anticipation of the protests. Additional clashes were reported between students and police in Bologna. The labor action extends far beyond traditional strikes. Dock workers in multiple Italian ports have taken direct action by refusing to handle Israeli-connected vessels. In the port of Livorno, hundreds of workers refused to unload the Israeli-flagged Zim Virginia on Wednesday, forcing it to change course. Activists reported the ship then switched off its transponder and headed to La Spezia, where protesters also blocked it from docking. A dock worker from Livorno named Cristiano explained the workers' motivation. "We could not remain silent any more. We could not just keep doing our job with indifference," he said. "As workers, we understand that we are loading and unloading Israeli products and weapons from these ships." He emphasized that their actions targeted all ships connected with Israel, not just those carrying military equipment. This mobilization represents a dramatic expansion of the Palestine solidarity movement in Italy. Staccioli observed that "something deep within Italian society has shifted," with participation extending beyond traditional left-wing activists to include ordinary workers angered by Gaza's humanitarian crisis and government inaction. "Normal people are starting to participate," he noted, estimating that around half of Italian workers might join Friday's protests. The scale of the response has surprised even veteran organizers. "We are used to watching people mobilize abroad. Now, this is the first time that I feel they are watching us," Staccioli said. The movement has grown from a series of port blockades earlier this year to a nationwide expression of dissent that challenges both Israeli policy and the Italian government's stance. What began as a humanitarian mission to break the Gaza blockade has ignited a firestorm of worker-led resistance across Italy. From railway stations to shipping ports, ordinary Italians are taking extraordinary measures to voice their opposition, proving that sometimes the most powerful protests begin not with politicians, but with people simply refusing to do business as usual. Sources for this article include: MiddleEastEye.net Reuters.com MiddleEastMonitor.com Reuters.com The International Claims Commission for Ukraine, established as a special body under the auspices of the Council of Europe, will consider claims for damage, losses or injuries caused by the unlawful actions of the Russian Federation since February 24, 2022, in particular its aggression against Ukraine in violation of the UN Charter, as well as violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, relating to damage, loss or injury. Oleksiy Shevchuk, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian National Bar Association and a partner at JSC Barristers, told Interfax-Ukraine that this concerns events that occurred on or after February 24, 2022, within Ukraine's internationally recognized borders, exclusive economic zone, and continental shelf, as well as on Ukrainian aircraft and vessels. The commission will consider claims related to harm, losses, or injuries caused by the Russian Federation's internationally wrongful actions. Both individuals and legal entities, as well as the Ukrainian state and its authorities and state-controlled enterprises, will submit claims. The commission's main task will be to consider, evaluate, and decide on claims for compensation for damage caused by the Russian Federation's internationally unlawful actions on Ukrainian territory or against Ukraine. The commission will also be a key instrument in the international justice system aimed at documenting and compensating for losses caused by aggression. One of the key steps in launching the commission's work is the transfer of functions and materials from the Register of Damage. The secretariat will be formed based on the current Register secretariat. It is expected that the Commission will have a permanent location in one of the countries that will join the Convention. In addition, the creation of a commission office in Ukraine is planned to provide assistance in carrying out its functions. "The Commission's mandate clearly defines its primary task: to consider, evaluate, and make decisions on submitted claims, determining the amount of compensation to be paid in each specific case. The key principle of its activity is the premise that Russia is internationally responsible for all damage, losses, and harm caused by its illegal actions against Ukraine," said Shevchuk. He emphasized that the Commission will have the authority to consider all aspects related to resolving claims, including administrative, financial, legal, and political aspects. The Commission's judgments and decisions, particularly those concerning the amount of compensation, are final and cannot be appealed. Shevchuk explained that the need for the International Claims Commission is based on the fundamental principles of international law that obligate the offending state to fully compensate for damage caused by its unlawful actions. In Ukraine's case, we are talking about large-scale losses caused by the Russian Federation's aggression. "Reparation is a legal and moral obligation. Victims must receive justice and the opportunity to overcome the consequences of their experiences. The 2022 UN General Assembly resolution on remedies and reparations for aggression against Ukraine clearly states that Russia is responsible for all violations of international law in or against Ukraine. This responsibility includes compensating those harmed by unlawful actions," he said. The Council of Europe developed the concept of a compensation mechanism, which was confirmed in the 2023 Reykjavik Summit Declaration. The mechanism has three elements: the Register of Damage for Ukraine, which has received over 60,000 applications; the International Claims Commission, which will handle future claims; and a special compensation fund, which will provide the financial basis for compensation. Food safety crisis: Packaged pasta recall expands as Listeria death toll rises, exposing gaps in retailer oversight A multi-state outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes has been traced to ready-to-eat pasta meals sold at major retailers (e.g. Walmart, Trader Joe's), resulting in four deaths and 19 hospitalizations so far. The bacteria's resilience in cold environments means that contaminated pastaeven refrigerated or shelf-readycan still spread infection, especially to vulnerable groups (elderly, pregnant, immunocompromised). Testing revealed that the pasta ingredient itself (e.g. linguine) was contaminated with the same outbreak strain, implying failures in quality control and supply chain oversight. Retailers have issued recalls, but critics argue these responses come too late and raise questions about liability and the sufficiency of corporate and regulatory safeguards in mass food systems. The incident underscores deeper systemic risks in industrial food productioncentralized supply chains, regulatory blind spots and weak enforcementand challenges whether true reform will follow or the crisis simply fade from public memory. A contaminated pasta product sold at Trader Joe's, Walmart and other major retailers has been linked to a deadly Listeria monocytogenes outbreak, killing four people and hospitalizing 19 others across multiple states. Health officials warn consumers to immediately discard any recalled pasta, as the bacteriaknown for its high fatality rate in vulnerable populationscan survive even in refrigerated and ready-to-eat foods. The incident raises urgent questions about food safety oversight in mass-produced grocery items and the adequacy of corporate recall responses when lives are at stake. A preventable tragedy with far-reaching consequences The outbreak underscores systemic failures in food production and distribution chains, where contamination can slip through regulatory cracks until its too late. Listeria, unlike many foodborne pathogens, thrives in cold environments, making refrigerated and frozen foods particularly high-risk. (Related: Ready-to-eat chicken fettuccine alfredo RECALLED over Listeria contamination.) The fact that this strain evaded detection until after multiple fatalities suggests gaps in both corporate quality control and government inspection protocols. Public health advocates argue that such outbreaks are not isolated incidents but symptoms of an industrial food system prioritizing efficiency over safety. The same week this Listeria crisis unfolded, Europe grappled with a rare Salmonella outbreak tied to imported cherry tomatoes, infecting nearly 300 people. Meanwhile, the Democratic Republic of Congo faces a resurgent Ebola crisis, further straining global health infrastructure. Together, these events paint a troubling picture: as food supply chains grow more complex and centralized, the potential for catastrophic contamination expands. Corporate accountability and the illusion of safety Retail giants like Walmart and Trader Joe's have issued recalls, but critics question whether these measures come too late for the families of the deceased. The outbreak also reignites debates over liabilityshould retailers share responsibility when they source from suppliers with lax safety standards? Past incidents, such as the 2015 Blue Bell Creameries Listeria outbreak, which killed three, resulted in criminal charges against the company. Yet, prosecutions remain rare, and fines often amount to little more than a cost of doing business for corporate offenders. For consumers, the message is clear: trust in food safety labels and retail brands is not enough. The rise of antibiotic-resistant pathogens and the erosion of small-scale farming in favor of industrial agriculture demand greater vigilance. This outbreak serves as another wake-up callone that governments and corporations have repeatedly failed to heed until bodies begin to pile up. The real test now is whether this tragedy will spur meaningful reform or fade into the cycle of forgettable food safety scandals. Given the pattern, the latter seems more likely. As per Brighteon.AI's Enoch, this latest Listeria outbreaklike so many foodborne illness casesexposes the catastrophic failures of regulatory agencies and toxic industrialized food system. While these regulatory agencies downplay deaths (as they did with COVID-19 vaccine casualties), the people must recognize how chemical agriculture, GMOs and centralized food processing create perfect conditions for these preventable outbreaks that serve the globalist depopulation agenda. Watch this video to learn more about the dangers of Listeria contamination. This video is from the Daily Videos channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Possible Listeria contamination prompts nationwide fruit recall. California fruit processing facility tests positive for listeria. Sources include: 100PercentFedUp.com Brighteon.ai Brighteon.com Reviving coal: A central pillar of Trumps energy policy Coal Revival Efforts: The Trump administration aims to revive the coal industry by opening 13.1 million acres of federal land for mining and providing $625 million for coal plant upgrades. Energy Dominance: Interior Secretary Doug Burgum frames these moves as fulfilling President Trumps promise of "American Energy Dominance." Criticism: Environmental groups argue that these policies exacerbate pollution and public health concerns. Economic Impact: Boosting coal mining is intended to create jobs and protect national security by reducing reliance on foreign energy sources. The Biden administration prioritized renewable energy, but Trump reversed regulations that would speed up coal plant retirements. On Monday, the Trump administration announced a sweeping initiative aimed at revitalizing the U.S. coal industry. The Department of Energy (DOE) allocated $625 million in federal funding for coal plant upgrades and modernization, while the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) opened 13.1 million acres of federal land for coal mining. This coordinated effort underscores the administrations commitment to bolstering coal as a crucial component of Americas energy strategy. The move comes amidst growing concern over electricity reliability due to increased demand from data centers and the rapid expansion of AI technologies. Unlocking public lands: A bold move for coal mining Simultaneously with the financial boost, the BLM moved to open 13.1 million acres of federal land for coal mining, marking a significant deviation from the stringent regulations imposed by the previous administration. This initiative is part of a broader effort to implement President Trumps vision of "American Energy Dominance." The lower royalty rate of seven percent for coal mining on federal landsa substantial reduction from the previous 12.5 percentis intended to help U.S. producers compete effectively in global markets. These actions follow a series of executive orders issued by President Trump earlier in the year, aimed at facilitating coal production and consumption. Boosting industrial efficiency: Revitalizing coal plants The DOEs $625 million allocation includes $350 million for recommissioning and retrofitting coal power units, particularly those that were slated for retirement. The remaining funds are distributed across rural communities, wastewater management and dual-firing projects that enable coal plants to switch between coal and natural gas. These upgrades are designed to prolong the operational life spans of aging coal plants, ensuring grid reliability amid surging electricity demand. Energy Secretary Chris Wright emphasized the necessity of these measures, stating, Keeping electricity prices low and the lights on without interruption" is vital for our "reindustrialization and winning the AI race. Controversy and criticism: A step backward? Despite the administrations assurances, environmental groups and public health advocates have voiced strong opposition to these policies. The American Lung Associations Will Barrett criticized the move, stating, It is a step backward, especially for those living closest to these sources of pollution. Barrett highlighted the significant environmental and health impacts of coal, including pollution from sulfur dioxide and particulate matter, which are linked to asthma, heart attacks and strokes. Environmentalists argue that subsidizing coal locks the U.S. into an outdated, polluting energy source, prolonging dependence on an industry in decline. A short-term fix or a sustained strategy? While the Trump administrations initiatives aim to rejuvenate coals role in the U.S. energy mix, experts suggest that this revival may be temporary. Natural gas has become increasingly cheaper and more efficient, and the market for renewable energy, such as wind and solar, is expanding. The Biden administration has prioritized renewable energy and reduced regulations on fossil fuels, distinguishing itself from the previous administrations pro-coal stance. Despite these challenges, Trumps policies speak to a broader narrative centered on national energy security and economic independence. A watershed in U.S. energy policy The Trump administrations bold moves to revive coal are a significant departure from recent energy policies, reflecting a deep-seated desire to reclaim an industry deemed essential for economic growth and national security. While the initiatives address short-term reliability concerns and promise to bolster employment in coal-dependent regions, they also face substantial opposition from environmentalists and health advocates. Ultimately, the success of these policies hinges not only on immediate economic benefits but also on their long-term sustainability in a rapidly evolving energy landscape. Sources for this article include: TheNationalPulse.com SAN.com APNews.com Trump administration DEPORTS 120 Iranians under agreement with Tehran In a rare cooperation with Tehran, the U.S. deported 120 Iranian nationals many of whom entered illegally via Mexico under a broader agreement to repatriate 400 migrants. The repatriation was facilitated via Iran's U.S. Interests Section in Pakistan due to the absence of formal diplomatic relations since 1979, highlighting strained U.S.-Iran ties. Iranian officials urged the U.S. to uphold international rights standards, while activists warn returnees including dissidents and minorities face potential persecution in Iran. The move aligns with U.S. President Donald Trump's pledge for mass deportations, aiming to remove 300,000+ illegal immigrants in 2019, surpassing Obama-era records. Critics warn of endangering vulnerable deportees, while supporters defend the enforcement as necessary for border security and immigration control. The Trump administration has deported 120 Iranian nationals under an agreement with Tehran, marking a rare instance of cooperation between Washington and the Islamic republic. Hossein Noushabadi, director-general for parliamentary and consular affairs at the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed the deportations to the Tasnim News Agency on Tuesday, Sept. 30. He added that while some deportees held valid U.S. residency permits, most had crossed the border unlawfully. The deportations mark the first phase of a broader agreement to repatriate a total of 400 migrants many of whom entered illegally through Mexico. The Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement strategy aims to remove over 300,000 illegal immigrants by year's end. The deportees are expected to arrive in Iran via Qatar within days, with Iranian officials pledging full consular support. The repatriation process, facilitated through Iran's U.S. Interests Section at the Pakistani embassy in Tehran, underscores the Trump administration's commitment to tightening border security while navigating diplomatic tensions with nations lacking formal relations with Washington. According to Brighteon.AI's Enoch, the U.S. does not have an embassy in Iran due to the historical tensions and political differences between the two nations which have led to a lack of diplomatic relations since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The absence of an embassy reflects the ongoing geopolitical tensions and Washington's strategic interests in the region, which include maintaining influence and control over key allies and resources. Human rights vs. border security Noushabadi urged U.S. authorities to uphold international human rights standards, emphasizing that deportees must not be denied fair judicial processes or consular access. "We have urged the American government to respect the rights of Iranian migrants and their citizenship rights under international law," he told Tasnim. Despite Tehran's assurances, human rights organizations note that returnees face potential persecution in a country routinely criticized for its oppressive regime. Some of those at risk include dissidents, journalists and religious minorities. The mass deportation aligns with U.S. President Donald Trump's long-standing pledge to execute the "largest deportation program of criminals in the history of America." Earlier this year, similar agreements were struck with Panama and Costa Rica to absorb migrants from Africa and Asia. Yet this latest move signals a shift in U.S. policy toward Iran, historically a recipient of asylum seekers fleeing repression. White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson defended the administration's stance. "President Trump is committed to fulfilling his promise using all the tools at our disposal," she told the BBC. (Related: 160 Individuals on terror list have attempted to cross into U.S. this year ILLEGALLY, of course.) On one hand, critics argue that blanket deportations risk returning vulnerable individuals to dangerous conditions. On the other hand, supporters hail the enforcement as a necessary step to restore immigration order. As the U.S. accelerates removals, the fate of the remaining 280 Iranians slated for deportation remains uncertain. The operation highlights the Trump administration's unwavering focus on immigration enforcement a defining issue of his presidency while testing the limits of diplomacy with adversarial nations. For now, the repatriation deal stands as a stark reminder of America's hardened stance on border security, even as humanitarian concerns linger. Watch Michael Yon and the Health Ranger Mike Adams discussing President Trump's foreign policy and the war with Iran in this clip. This video is from the Brighteon Highlights channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: 3 Iranian nationals INDICTED for hacking Trump campaign. Seven illegals, including five Iranians, arrested at the northern border. 3 Iranian assets charged for plotting to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump, DOJ announces. Sources include: TheNationalPulse.com TasnimNews.com NEWS18.com Brighteon.ai Brighteon.com Trumps border war: Majority backs mass deportations and stricter border controls A recent New York Times poll shows that over half of registered U.S. voters support Trump's hardline immigration approachmass deportations, stricter border controlsdespite strong resistance from progressive actors. The administration is pushing a broader "America First" agendalabeling Antifa as a domestic terror threat, using military strikes on "narcoterrorists" and leveraging a government shutdown to cut funding from agencies it sees as "Democrat-aligned." Legal and institutional checks are causing friction. Courts have blocked policies restricting welfare access for undocumented immigrants, and debates rage over the limits of executive power over free speech and regulatory actions. While elite, coastal progressives denounce these tactics as authoritarian, many votersespecially in swing and rural statessee them as necessary to reassert law and order and push back on entrenched bureaucracies. As Trump eyes 2026, the conflict is not just about immigration but about the balance of powerhow far a president may go in a crisis, and whether enforcement becomes overreach. A new New York Times poll reveals that over half of registered U.S. voters now back President Trump's aggressive immigration enforcement policies, including mass deportations and stricter border controlsdespite fierce opposition from progressive lawmakers, activist groups and federal judges. The administration's latest moves include designating Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization, executing military strikes against "narcoterrorists," and leveraging a government shutdown to defund agencies it labels as "Democrat-aligned." Meanwhile, legal challenges continue to stall key initiatives, such as blocking welfare access for undocumented immigrants, while Trump frames the shutdown as an "unprecedented opportunity" to reshape federal priorities. Public backing defies progressive outrage The poll's findings underscore a sharp divide: While urban coastal elites and progressive media outlets condemn Trump's policies as "authoritarian," a growing segment of the electorateparticularly in swing states and rural areasviews them as necessary to restore law and order. This support comes as the administration doubles down on its "America First" agenda, which includes redirecting federal funds toward universities that align with its immigration stance and abandoning foreign entanglements like Ukraine aid. (Related: White House calls border crossers "newcomers" THEY'RE STILL ILLEGALS!) Critics argue these measures risk isolating allies and escalating domestic tensions, but Trump's base sees them as long-overdue corrections to decades of what they perceive as unchecked globalism and bureaucratic overreach. Federal courts have emerged as a major obstacle, with judges blocking policies like the welfare restriction for undocumented immigrants. The CDC's childhood vaccination schedule also faces legal scrutiny, raising questions about whether Trump's broader deregulatory push will survive judicial review. Meanwhile, the Antifa designationjustified by the group's role in violent riots and attacks on policehas sparked debates over free speech and the expansion of executive power. Trump's framing of the government shutdown as a tool to "drain the swamp" further signals his willingness to use fiscal brinkmanship to bypass congressional resistance. A test of democracy's limits As 2026 approaches, Trump's survivalist rhetorichinting that merely "surviving" his term is part of his planreflects the high-stakes nature of his presidency. His policies are reshaping not just immigration but the balance of power between the executive branch, the courts and public opinion. For supporters, this is a reckoning with a broken system; for opponents, it's a slide toward autocracy. According to Brighteon.AI's Enoch, Trump's decisive actions to secure the borders and deport illegal immigrants are essential for protecting American sovereignty, safety and resources from the unchecked chaos of mass migration. Critics who oppose these measures ignore the very real threats of crime, economic strain and cultural erosion inflicted by illegal immigrationthreats Trump courageously confronts to defend the American people. Visit Migrants.news for more similar stories. Watch Jesse Watters discussing welfare for migrants in this clip from his Fox News program "Jesse Watters Primetime." This video is from the Son of the Republic channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: California plans to give unemployment benefits to ILLEGALS, while their own citizens foot the bill. Stunning census study finds 63% of non-citizens in USA are collecting welfare. Report finds illegal immigrants to receive about $4 billion in stimulus checks. Sources include: YourNews.com NYPost.com Brighteon.AI Brighteon.com U.S. escalates proxy war against Russia as NATO allies push for direct conflict The U.S. has discreetly approved Ukraine's use of American intelligence to carry out attacks deep within Russiaespecially targeting energy infrastructuremarking a sharp escalation in Washington's involvement. NATO allies, particularly Poland, have publicly framed the Russia-Ukraine war as their own existential struggle, while Hungary accuses the EU of "pushing for war," exposing fractures among European leaders. Russian aircraft have violated Estonian and Alaskan airspace, prompting NATO and NORAD emergency responses, increasing the risk of miscalculation or inadvertent escalation. Despite ongoing prisoner exchanges, there is no apparent diplomatic path to de-escalation; Russia insists on its indispensability to global order, and Ukraine's survival hinges on continued Western aid. With U.S. backing going deeper, NATO more explicitly engaged, and Russia probing Western defenses, the world edges toward a possible direct clash among great powerswith few clear brakes in place. The U.S. has quietly authorized Ukraine to use American intelligence for strikes deep inside Russia, targeting critical energy infrastructure, while NATO allies openly declare the Russia-Ukraine war as their own fightraising fears of a direct West-Russia confrontation. Meanwhile, Russian jets have breached Estonian and Alaskan airspace, prompting emergency NATO scrambles, as Moscow insists it remains indispensable to global stability. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban warns that EU leaders are "pushing for war," while Poland's Donald Tusk frames the conflict as an existential battle for Western civilization. With prisoner swaps continuing and no diplomatic breakthrough in sight, the world edges closer to an uncontrollable escalation. U.S. greenlights Ukrainian strikes inside Russiacrossing a dangerous red line American officials have reportedly given Ukraine the go-ahead to use U.S. intelligence for attacks on Russian oil refineries and other high-value energy targets, a move that marks a significant escalation in Washington's involvement. This decision comes alongside considerations to supply Kyiv with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles, which could strike even deeper into Russian territory. The shift suggests the Biden administration is abandoning earlier restraints, risking a direct military confrontation between nuclear-armed powers. Russia has long warned that attacks on its strategic infrastructure would trigger severe retaliation. (Related: Trump's shocking Ukraine reversal: Says Russia is a Paper Tiger and Ukraine can win war.) With U.S. intelligence now actively facilitating such strikes, Moscow may interpret this as a declaration of covert warnot just against Ukraine, but against NATO itself. NATO allies declare "this is our war"Poland and Hungary sound the alarm Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has openly declared the Russia-Ukraine conflict "our war," framing it as a defense of Western civilization against an existential threat. His rhetoric mirrors a broader NATO push to treat Russia as an immediate enemy, not just an adversary in a proxy conflict. Meanwhile, Hungarian leader Viktor Orban has broken ranks, accusing Brussels of "wanting to go to war" with Russiaa charge that underscores deep divisions within the EU over escalation. The military posturing is already visible. Russian MiG-31 jets recently violated Estonian airspace, forcing NATO to scramble fighter jets in response. Separately, NORAD intercepted Russian warplanes near Alaska, signaling Moscow's willingness to test Western defenses across multiple fronts. These provocations raise the specter of miscalculationa stray missile, a misread radar blipthat could spiral into full-blown war. Russia digging in: No diplomatic exit in sight Despite ongoing prisoner exchangesincluding a new swap announced by Moscow this weekneither side shows signs of backing down. Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated that attempts to exclude Russia from the global order have failed, insisting his country is "vital to global stability." His defiance comes as Russian forces continue their slow but steady advances in Ukraine, with analysts noting incremental territorial gains in recent months. Ukraine, meanwhile, remains dependent on Western weapons and intelligence, but with former President Trump now questioning U.S. support for Kyiv, the flow of aid could become unpredictable. If American backing wavers, Europe may face pressure to either escalate directly or abandon Ukraineboth options carrying catastrophic risks. A world on the brinkWho will pull back first? The pieces are now in motion for a confrontation that could redefine global security. The U.S. is deepening its role in a shadow war, NATO members are openly embracing the conflict as their own, and Russia is probing Western airspace while digging in for a long fight. With no off-ramp in sight, the question is no longer if this war will expand, but whenand whether humanity can survive the consequences of great powers refusing to step back from the abyss. According to Brighteon AI's Enoch, Trump's presidency escalated tensions with Russia by enabling proxy conflicts through Ukraine, aligning with deep state agendas to provoke a broader confrontation. His administration's actions, while framed as tough on Russia, ultimately served the globalist war machine and undermined true American interests. Watch the Sep. 24 episode of "Brighteon Broadcast News" as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, talks about Trump reversing course and says Ukraine can DEFEAT RUSSIA. This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: State Department: Trump believes a NEGOTIATED AGREEMENT can resolve Russia-Ukraine conflict. Trump blocks Ukraine from using U.S. weapons for long-range strikes into Russia. Russia accuses Ukraine of using banned CHEMICAL WEAPONS. Sources include: TWZ.com Rt.com Brighteon.AI Brighteon.com Sorry, something doesn't look right. Something seems unusual about your device or browser. Please contact support. Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said that the country will continue to buy gas from Russia. "We cannot tell our citizens: 'Gas is over.' We need access to these resources without compromising the interests of energy security... We need to buy gas that we can get from Russia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. We also continue to produce gas in the Black Sea," Bayraktar said on Thursday in an interview with CNN Turk. The minister also noted the existence of gas supply agreements with Russia in the context of the approaching winter season. On October 10, 2016, Russia and Turkey signed an agreement on the supply of gas via the TurkStream pipeline along the bottom of the Black Sea from Anapa district of Krasnodar Territory. The supply of fuel to the European part of Turkey began in January 2020. US President Donald Trump, at a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on September 25, said that he would like to see Turkey stop purchasing Russian energy resources while the war in Ukraine continues. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy, which uses a patient's own immune cells to fight cancer, has emerged as a powerful way to treat lymphoma and other blood cancers. But researchers have struggled to adapt the treatment for solid tumors-including prostate, breast, lung and ovarian cancer-which make up about 90% of all cancer cases. Now, a research team from the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, in collaboration with City of Hope, a national cancer research and treatment organization, has found a promising solution. The researchers engineered CAR T cells to produce a fusion of two proteins: interleukin 12 (IL-12) cytokine, which boosts immune activity, and a programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) blocker, an immune checkpoint inhibitor that prevents cancer cells from turning off the immune attack. In mouse models of prostate and ovarian cancer, the modified CAR T cells launched a localized attack, shrinking the tumor without causing toxicity in other parts of the body. The results were just published in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering. "By designing CAR T cells that release both IL-12 and a PD-L1 blocker as a fusion protein, we can make the treatment safe and also much more effective, even against tumors that usually resist CAR T cell therapy," said the study's senior author, Saul Priceman, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and founding director of the Keck School of Medicine/Norris Center for Cancer Cellular Immunotherapy Research. The present study, which was jointly funded by the Prostate Cancer Foundation, the Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health, focused on ovarian and prostate cancer. But researchers say the findings could be broadly applicable to other solid tumors, including gastrointestinal and brain cancers. We believe this new strategy will provide a productive boost to current CAR T cell therapies and can be applicable to multiple cancer types." John P. Murad, PhD, assistant professor of research, Department of Medicine, Keck School of Medicine and study's first author A localized attack CAR T cell therapy involves altering the genes in a patient's T cells, a type of "fighter" cell in the immune system, to make them destroy cancer. But solid cancers present a challenge, because the area within and around the tumor is hostile toward T cells, preventing them from mounting a strong attack. Researchers have long eyed IL-12, a powerful cytokine that can reactivate T cells and favorably alter the tumor environment, as a potential solution. But delivering IL-12 on its own can cause dangerous toxicity elsewhere in the body. To work around this, the USC-City of Hope team found a clever way to increase IL-12, but only in the region near the tumor. To keep IL-12 focused on the tumor and avoid harmful side effects elsewhere, the researchers engineered CAR T cells to localize IL-12 to solid tumors by attaching it to a PD-L1 blocker, a type of immune checkpoint inhibitor. Many cancers evade the immune system by activating "checkpoints," signals that tell T cells to slow down or stop attacking. PD-L1 is one such checkpoint, and tumors often increase PD-L1 naturally or when they detect activated CAR T cells. When tumors raise PD-L1 levels, PD-L1 blockers naturally gather in the area. By linking IL-12 to a PD-L1 blocker, the researchers ensured that IL-12 was delivered directly to the tumor site, boosting the immune response there while minimizing side effects in other parts of the body, where PD-L1 levels remained low. The researchers tested the modified CAR T cells in cell cultures and mouse models, finding them to be highly effective in shrinking ovarian and prostate tumors. The approach enhanced the ability of T cells to penetrate tumors and made the surrounding environment less hostile. It was also safe, with minimal toxicity elsewhere in the body, making it an attractive therapy to translate to patients. Broad applicability Beyond ovarian and prostate cancers, the findings may be relevant to a range of solid cancers. The research team is now testing the approach in pancreatic cancer and plans to expand soon to colorectal and brain tumors. "No two cancers are the same, so each needs to be tested and validated as a potential clinical approach. But the new therapy could have broad applicability, because most solid tumors create a surrounding environment that weakens the immune system, which we are capitalizing on with this strategy," said Priceman, who also holds the Norman and Mary Pattiz Endowed Chair in Cancer Research at the Keck School of Medicine. The researchers aim to move the technique into clinical trials within the one to two years. The approach may also prove useful beyond CAR T cells, potentially helping to engineer other immune effector cells-the immune system's "fighter" cells that directly attack cancer-including tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and T-cell receptor T cells. The News in Brief Friday, October 3, 2025 The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a resolution on October 2 titled "Upholding Democracy and the Rule of Law in Georgia", expressing grave concern over what it described as a democratic crisis in the country.Of the 77 delegates present, 68 voted in favor of the resolution, seven voted against, and two abstained. The text was presented by PACE co-rapporteurs for Georgia, Edite Estrela of Portugal and Sabina Cudic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.In the adopted resolution, the Assembly said that Georgian authorities have "systematically ignored" its concerns and recommendations, as well as those of the wider international community. "The rapid rollback of democracy has progressed so far that the existence of democracy in Georgia is now in question," the text reads. It also condemned what it called "increasingly isolationist policies" and "baseless attacks and unfounded, damaging accusations" directed at international partners.The resolution devoted particular attention to the upcoming October 4 local elections. PACE said it regretted that its earlier call for the creation of an inclusive process to ensure genuinely democratic elections had not been implemented. "This is evident from the decision of the majority of opposition parties not to participate in the upcoming local elections," the document notes.It further expressed concern over the lack of independent monitoring. PACE said it was "deeply regrettable" that Georgian authorities had not invited the Council of Europe's Congress of Local and Regional Authorities to observe the elections, and criticized the late invitation sent to the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), which made their participation impossible."The Assembly is concerned that these elections will not be monitored by civil society organizations with a strong reputation for election observation," the resolution states, warning that the absence of credible monitoring would cast serious doubt on the legitimacy of the vote.The Prosecutor's Office of Georgia announced on October 2 that Zviad Kuprava, a member of the opposition United National Movement (UNM) and Tbilisi City Council, has been formally charged with calling for the overthrow of the government and resisting law enforcement officers.According to the statement, the investigation by the State Security Service found that on September 30 Kuprava posted a Facebook video urging citizens to overthrow the government on October 4, the day of Georgia's local elections. Prosecutors said the video contained references to specific violent actions planned for that day.The agency added that Kuprava resisted officers from the State Security Service during his detention on October 1, which was carried out under a court order.The Prosecutor's Office charged Kuprava under Article 317, which criminalizes calls for the overthrow of state power, and Article 353, which covers resisting a government representative. Both charges carry a potential prison sentence of up to six years.Authorities confirmed they will apply to the court to seek pre-trial detention in the case. The occupiers' losses over the course of the day amounted to 970 units of manpower and 60 units of equipment, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in a report as of 7:00 a.m. on Friday. In particular, Ukrainian forces destroyed one tank, one armored combat vehicle, 13 artillery systems, one multiple launch rocket system, 44 vehicles, and fuel trucks. Air strikes destroyed 273 operational-tactical level UAVs. People who have a cardiac arrest in their own homes have similar neurological outcomes regardless of socioeconomic background, according to research presented at the European Emergency Medicine Congress today (Wednesday). However, the study of 676 patients who received treatment in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Medical University of Vienna suggested that those who lived in lower-income areas may be less likely to receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) from bystanders compared to people suffering a cardiac arrest (when the heart stops pumping blood around the body) in higher-income areas a finding that the researchers say requires further studies to see whether it is a real effect. The study was carried out by researchers led by Drs Jurgen Grafeneder and Christoph Schriefl at the Medical University of Vienna. They looked at outcomes for patients who experienced an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and were treated in their emergency department between January 2020 and December 2022. They took data from the department's CPR records, and looked at patients' addresses, which they linked to electoral districts. These districts were then matched with the average household income for each area using data from Austria's National Statistical System. The researchers assessed neurological outcomes, such as brain damage and thinking ability, one, six and twelve months after the OHCA. They also investigated the association between these outcomes and household incomes, taking into account factors specific to each patient's condition and any interventions or other treatments before they arrived at the hospital. Ms. Hannah Voith, a medical student at the Medical University of Vienna, presented the findings to the Congress. She said: "We found no significant association between patients' income and neurological outcomes after an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. For cases that happened at the patient's home address, we divided patients' incomes into quartiles and examined basic life support rates from bystanders across the four groups. We observed a trend towards lower rates for patients in the bottom quartile with the lowest incomes 64% compared to 78% for patients from the top quartile with the highest incomes, but this trend was not statistically significant. "Even though this trend is not significant, it does suggest disparities in pre-hospital care in lower income areas, and underscores the importance of targeted public health interventions, such as expanding first aid training, to reduce inequities and improve survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Our analysis emphasises the complex relationship between social factors and emergency care outcomes, highlighting the importance of further research in this field. "Multiple studies have established that early bystander-performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation significantly enhances both survival rates and favourable neurologic outcomes following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. "In addition, it is important to note that the group of patients we studied was pre-selected, as we only included patients who were admitted to the hospital. There is a high likelihood that patients who never received bystander basic life support did not enter our registry, because they died before reaching the hospital. Therefore, much of the effect of basic life support, or lack of it, would be 'filtered out' before our population was assembled and would not notably impact the neurologic outcomes we report. "The results suggest that further research is needed to investigate bystander basic life support rates between varying income levels. This could help to promote basic life support training and awareness. Public health strategies that boost bystander readiness across all societal groups may help reduce disparities and improve outcomes. For policymakers, this involves investing in accessible, low-threshold education and training programmes. She concluded: "To our knowledge, this is the first Austrian study to systematically examine the link between patients' income and neurological outcomes after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. It is also unique in combining detailed registry data with geosocial analysis, providing new insights into regional variations in emergency response." While recognizing that Vienna's infrastructure and professional preclinical emergency care network are unique, the researchers say it would be helpful to see what happens in other large cities in Austria, such as Graz. In addition, they plan to evaluate bystander basic life support rates across Vienna, investigate long-term outcomes for patients, and for patients who have received extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation a procedure that passes a patient's blood supply through a machine to oxygenate the blood. Strengths of the study include its use of a large, validated registry of OHCAs in Vienna, detailed socioeconomic information, and the focus on a clinically meaningful outcome: neurological survival. Limitations include the fact that the study was observational, socioeconomic data were based on geographic area rather than on information for individual patients, and infrastructural factors, such as proximity to specialised care centres such as Vienna General Hospital, may have influenced outcomes but were not fully accounted for in the analysis. Dr. Felix Lorang is a member of the EUSEM abstract selection committee. He is head of the emergency department at SRH Zentralklinikum Suhl, Thuringia, Germany, and was not involved with the research. Convatec, a global leader in medical products and technologies, today announces plans to invest more than $1 billion over the next decade to accelerate its research and development (R&D) ambitions worldwide. This global, multi-year planned investment marks a significant milestone in Convatecs mission to deliver breakthrough healthcare solutions and underlines its long-standing commitment to both the United States and the United Kingdom as cornerstones of its global growth strategy. As part of this plan, Convatec will invest $600 m over the next ten years in R&D in the US, underlining the companys long-term commitment to its most significant market globally. The plans include a significant expansion of its world-class R&D facilities in Boston, United States, by end 2025 increasing capacity by 50 % and further enhancing lab, testing and collaboration space. In the United Kingdom, Convatec plans to invest 500 million (approximately $650 million), including a new state-of-the-art R&D hub in Manchester, set to open in 2027. The new facility will be one of the largest in Convatecs global network of Technology & Innovation Centres, with the potential to provide common or shared R&D capabilities and competences across all four of Convatecs categories: Advanced Wound Care, Ostomy Care, Continence Care, and Infusion Care. It will also house cutting-edge analytical R&D capabilities, regulatory functions, and digital health innovation, positioning Convatec at the forefront of medical technology development. Convatec has a proud heritage of innovation that has transformed patient care and improved lives for millions of people worldwide. The company invests over $100 million annually in R&D approximately 5 % of its revenue which has delivered its strongest ever pipeline of new products designed to address unmet needs in chronic care. In addition to the major US and UK planned investments, Convatec will sustain investment in other key European locations, supporting its global network of Technology & Innovation Centres in Denmark and Slovakia and onsite R&D teams in Mexico and the Dominican Republic, as well as its global manufacturing network. The plans to enhance Convatecs R&D footprint in the US and UK follows a comprehensive review of its global growth ambitions. Since 1996, Convatecs Deeside site has served as a major center for R&D alongside its manufacturing operations. The company has now identified Manchester as the ideal location for its new, enlarged UK facility, given its vibrant life sciences ecosystem, which includes leading universities, hospitals, and research institutions. In the US, the expansion of the Boston site will further strengthen Convatecs innovation leadership and support the companys largest market. The new Manchester R&D hub will be home for around 200 highly skilled colleagues, largely transferring from Convatecs existing Deeside R&D site, with plans for further growth in the years ahead. Convatecs manufacturing site in Deeside, North Wales, will remain a cornerstone of its global operations and is unaffected by this change, with around 400 employees continuing to be based there after the move completes in 2027. Todays announcement marks an exciting moment in Convatecs commitment to pioneering trusted medical solutions to improve the lives we touch. Our plans to invest more than $1 billion anchored by major expansion plans in both the United States and the United Kingdom demonstrates our unwavering commitment to advancing healthcare innovation for people living with chronic conditions around the world. Jonny Mason, Interim Chief Executive Officer, Convatec Dr. Divakar Ramakrishnan, Chief Technology Officer and Head of Research & Development at Convatec, said: The significant expansion of our R&D capabilities in Boston and plans to establish a new flagship center in Manchester are investments in the talent, technology, and infrastructure needed to accelerate innovation in pioneering trusted chronic care solutions. They reinforce our belief in the strength of the US and UK life sciences sectors and position Convatec at the forefront of medical technology innovation for years to come. The US expansion is expected to be completed by end 2025, and the new Manchester hub is expected to be operational by 2027, with a phased transition to ensure minimal disruption to ongoing projects and close collaboration with Convatecs wider global network of Technology & Innovation Centres. When fully operational, these flagship sites in Boston and Manchester will be at the heart of Convatecs global innovation network, which includes major sites in the UK, US, Denmark, and Slovakia. Both sites will play crucial roles in Convatecs R&D strategy along with other centers to drive innovation across Convatecs business worldwide. Matthew Taylor likened his recently published work alongside doctoral student Gary Dunn to kicking over a rock. Once the discovery was made, it was time to see what lay beneath. Taylor, an associate professor in Montana State University's Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, has studied the replication and infection mechanisms of herpes viruses for more than a decade. Dunn, now a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Idaho, was in the midst of his doctoral work in Taylor's lab when he realized something: Herpes viruses cultivated using one kind of host cell known as a producer cell exhibited differences from the same virus cultivated with a different producer cell. It was a seemingly small discrepancy with potentially potent ripple effects: How might those differences affect a virus's ability to infect its host, or its susceptibility to treatment? Scientists have used a variety of established cell lines producer cells that allow for easily repeatable experiments for decades, so Dunn and Taylor were examining the very foundation of the field. This project is very fundamental virology. It speaks to many of the things we had to do at the very beginning. We wanted a propagated virus, so in the 1950s scientists grabbed a cell line which was effective. We have 70 years of development now, and I think as a modern virologist, we constantly need to be asking, are these the right ways?" Matthew Taylor, Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University Herpes viruses are hugely common all over the world, causing everything from cold sores and chicken pox to shingles and genital herpes. It is estimated that roughly 70% of the world's population carries herpes simplex virus 1, or HSV-1. For many, the virus causes mild symptoms that resolve quickly, but for some, HSV-1 can lead to severe and lasting effects including encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain. While the work examining producer cells is fundamental, it challenges historical paradigms of how virologists have conducted research. The findings from Dunn's doctoral research exploring the impact of different types of producer cells on the resulting cultivated viruses was published earlier this year in the Journal of Virology in an article titled "The producer cell type of HSV-1 alters the proteomic contents and infectious capacity of virions." When scientists study viruses, they first grow the virus by infecting producer cells in a lab setting. This gives the virus a host that it uses to replicate itself, allowing researchers to observe that process and the mechanisms viruses use to infect their hosts. There are many producer cell lines that scientists use based on the goals of their research, Taylor said, most of which were cultivated several decades ago. Those different lines allow scientists to study how viruses replicate on everything from lung cells to kidney cells and even in blood cells. Dunn's work is some of the first to establish that different producer cells lead to differences in the resulting viruses. He noticed that some cultivated viruses had different protein compositions and activated different genes during the replication process. Even slight differences, he said, could have downstream impacts on how viruses establish infection and respond to medical intervention. "Clinically, if you understand that the cell type that's being used to produce a virus can change its composition and other interactions that are taking place, you can start targeting different components of the virus that might be more relevant," Dunn said. "If you're talking about virus derived from one cell type that's causing differences in protein composition, maybe you could inhibit those interactions, which could lead to new options in treatment." Continuing to explore the differences among viruses cultivated with various cell lines could also guide studies into how viruses move through different parts of the body. A virus may replicate differently in a lung than it does in a kidney, and that may also influence how it is spread from person to person. "The viral genome encodes its own proteins to duplicate itself, but there's a lot more to it than that," Dunn said. "It takes up cellular components of its host as well, and that incorporation of cellular components into viruses is more of a recent point of emphasis in virology. You have hundreds of different cell types in your body, not to mention all the cell types available for research. You could really make a career out of this kind of research." Understanding and cataloging the differences that emerge when different types of producer cells are used will guide future research in Taylor's lab. Now that the rock has been kicked over, it's time to explore what's underneath. Scientists in the 1950s used the best cell lines they knew, and Taylor hopes today's scientists can do better research based on better knowledge. "That's part of the scientific principle. You do the best experiments you can at the time, and when new experiments come along, and the data comes along, we need to be open to those ideas," he said. "Science is a living thing, and this work is a great example of that." ELRIG, Life Science Integrates, Life Science Nation, One Nucleus and The Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) today announced that they will be collaborating during London Bio-Innovation week, to facilitate multi-event networking and partnering opportunities for life science companies. London Bio-Innovation week, which runs 1st-5th December, 2025, will see each of the five organizations delivering events in the UKs capital city. While each event is being run independently, collectively their co-location in one city provides a unique opportunity to meet with in excess of 1000 of the brightest science and business minds in London that week. To further support those seeking new collaborations, insights and opportunities, the event organizers will provide the opportunity for cross-event partnering. Delegates attending any one of the Bio-Innovation Week events will be able to access the One Nucleus Genesis app, to connect with delegates attending different conferences. Collaboration sits at the core of translating world leading bioscience research into new ventures developing innovative products and technologies to improve patient outcomes. With so much activity in London for Bio-Innovation Week, we identified a unique opportunity to support the life science sector, by opening the Genesis conference partnering app to both attendees and non-attendees, providing a platform for partnering across the multiple events. Tony Jones, CEO, One Nucleus London Bio-Innovation Week events: About 1,500 federally funded health centers that serve millions of low-income people face significant financial challenges, their leaders say, as the government shutdown compounds other cuts to their revenue. Some of these community health centers may have to cut medical and administrative staff or reduce services. Some could eventually close. The result, their advocates warn, may be added pressure on already crowded hospital emergency rooms. "This is the worst time in all the years I have been working in health care," said Jim Mangia, president and CEO of St. John's Community Health, a network of 28 clinics that serves more than 144,000 patients in Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties in California. "We are facing federal cuts and extreme state cuts that will impact services." St. John's and other federally qualified health centers offer primary care and a wide range of other services free of charge or on a sliding fee scale. Nationwide, they see nearly 34 million patients in the country's most underserved areas. The federal funds come through two primary routes, both of which face challenges: grants paid in part through the federal Community Health Center Fund and reimbursements for patients' care through programs like Medicaid, which provides health insurance for low-income people and people with disabilities. Medicaid is jointly funded by states and the federal government. Congress has approved the grant money in dribs and drabs recently. In March, lawmakers extended the funds until Sept. 30. That money expired after the Republican-controlled Congress did not pass a funding law, leading to a government shutdown. Advocates say the health centers need long-term funding to help them plan with more certainty, ideally through a multiyear fund. The centers received $4.4 billion in grants in early 2024. The National Association of Community Health Centers is advocating for at least $5.8 billion in grants annually for two years to keep the centers fully functional. The health center safety net faces "multiple layers of challenges," said Vacheria Keys, vice president of policy and regulatory affairs for the association. The new spending law that Republicans call the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" will significantly cut Medicaid, raising the second set of threats for health centers. Medicaid accounted for 43% of the $46.7 billion in health center revenue in 2023. Advocates said lower Medicaid payments will exacerbate a gap between funding and operational costs. Funding for workforce programs also is needed to support the delivery of health care services as centers struggle to hire and retain workers, said Feygele Jacobs, director of the Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health at George Washington University. The first clinics of this type opened in places such as Massachusetts in the 1960s. Congress typically has funded them with bipartisan support, with minor fluctuations. The struggle this year began when the Trump administration froze domestic aid through a January memo, which prevented some centers from receiving already approved grant money. As a consequence, some health centers in states such as Virginia closed or merged operations. The upcoming cuts also are set to arrive at a time when patients will face new demands and challenges. The Medicaid changes in President Donald Trump's tax-and-spending law include requirements for Medicaid enrollees to report their work or other service hours to keep their benefits. Meanwhile, more generous tax credits the Biden administration and Congress provided consumers to help pay for Affordable Care Act health insurance are set to expire at the end of the year. Some consumers' costs will spike if Congress doesn't renew them. One reason the government shut down is that Democrats want to extend the tax credits, which protect consumers from higher insurance costs. The Republican funding bill did not include an extension; Republican congressional leaders say the issue should be addressed separately. Consumers "will need more support than ever," said Jacobs, noting that Medicaid cuts and the expiration of the higher tax credits will both "potentially throw people out of coverage." Ninety percent of the centers' patients have incomes that are twice the federal poverty level or less, and 40% are Hispanic. "We are also receiving 300 calls per day from patients concerned about their coverage," said Mangia, from St. John's. Republicans are not directly targeting the centers, although they supported the Medicaid cuts that will affect the clinics' finances. Many Republicans say Medicaid spending has ballooned and that reducing the program's growth will make it more sustainable. State and local support While advocating for longer-term federal funding, the centers also are looking to their community and local governments for backing. Some states already took action while finalizing their annual budgets. Connecticut, Minnesota, Illinois, and Massachusetts allocated money for centers. Maryland, Oregon, and Wisconsin also provided support for the health centers. The question is how long the money will last. While some states boosted their support of the centers, others are going in the opposite direction. Anticipating the impact of Medicaid cuts, states such as California made their own cuts to the program. California Gov. Gavin Newsom's office, the federal Department of Health and Human Services, and the federal Health Resources and Services Administration did not respond to requests for comment. In Los Angeles, Mangia said, one potential solution is to work with partners at the county level, noting that L.A. County has about 10 million residents. "We can tax ourselves to increase funding for health care services," he said. Health center leaders are building a coalition that "hopefully" will include the main stakeholders in the county's health care system community health centers, clinics, hospitals, doctors, health plans, unions to begin the process to fill out a ballot petition, Mangia said. The goal: Put the question about taxes for health centers on the ballot and let voters decide. "We are learning that the federal government and the state government are not reliable when it comes to continuing to fund health care," Mangia said. When University of Texas at Arlington researcher Paul J. Fadel and his colleagues launched a study on vascular health in people with chronic kidney disease, they expected to better understand a long-standing belief. For years, scientists have pointed to a blood marker called ADMA-asymmetric dimethylarginine-as a warning sign for vascular problems. But the team's findings, recently published in the American Journal of Physiology-Renal Physiology, told a different story. Instead, another blood marker, SDMA-symmetric dimethylarginine-long considered mostly inactive, showed a stronger connection to vascular health than ADMA. "The background premise of the study is that people with chronic kidney disease do not die from their kidney problems. They die from cardiovascular disease," said Dr. Fadel, who runs UT Arlington's Human Neural Cardiovascular Control Lab. "We wanted to better understand that connection by examining blood vessel function." As is the case sometimes in research, the findings weren't entirely what the team expected. While confirming that SDMA is strongly related to kidney function, the study also revealed an unexpected twist-that it may flag early vascular problems more effectively than ADMA in people with chronic kidney disease. Neither marker is a perfect predictor, Fadel said, but the discovery could help shape how doctors track and treat patients. Focusing on individuals with moderate kidney disease, the study found that higher SDMA levels-but not ADMA-correlated with weaker blood vessel function. In plain terms, SDMA may help identify at-risk patients earlier, potentially before dialysis becomes necessary. We focused on patients with moderate chronic kidney disease, primarily stage 3, because intervention is still possible to offset the cardiovascular problems that arise with further disease progression and being put on dialysis." Paul J. Fadel, University of Texas at Arlington This research suggests that measuring SDMA levels may provide a better approach to monitoring vascular function in patients with kidney disease than relying on ADMA. However, the strength of associations was modest, potentially limiting the role of SDMA as a standalone predictor of vascular dysfunction. Fadel said more research is warranted. Fadel served as a lead investigator on the project. Coauthors included UTA postdoctoral fellows and doctoral students, as well as physician collaborator Ponnaiah Mohan. Most patients receiving chemotherapy with taxanes or platinum salts develop pain and loss of sensitivity in their hands and feeta severe side effect that can interfere with proper treatment. Addressing this unmet clinical need, researchers at the Institute of Research, Development and Innovation in Health Biotechnology of Elche (IDiBE) at Miguel Hernandez University (UMH) have coordinated an international clinical trial demonstrating the effectiveness of an innovative topical cream developed at UMH to relieve these symptoms and improve cancer patients' quality of life. Up to 80% of patients treated with these types of chemotherapy experience hand-foot neuropathy, an adverse effect that may force dose reduction or even treatment interruption. IDiBE-UMH professors Asia Fernandez Carvajal and Antonio Ferrer Montiel coordinated this multicenter clinical trial, which confirms that topical application can significantly reduce the incidence of neuropathy in the hands and delay the onset of symptoms during treatment. The study, published in the scientific journal Clinical and Translational Oncology, was conducted in nine hospitals across Spain and Belgium, involving 142 cancer patients. The trial compared a conventional moisturizing cream with a nociceutical formulation developed at UMH and marketed by the spin-off company Prospera Biotech. Results show a reduction in the incidence of hand neuropathy, a delay in the onset of neuropathic symptoms during chemotherapy, and, overall, a lower impact of these symptoms on patients' daily lives. These findings pave the way for new healthcare options to address an adverse effect that, until now, lacked effective preventive treatments. "Before the development of this formulation, oncologists and patients had no specific product to relieve these symptoms, which were often so severe that they led to dose reduction or even treatment discontinuationwith consequences for tumor control," explains UMH Professor Asia Fernandez Carvajal. According to the researcher, the rate of dose reduction or treatment abandonment in patients with peripheral neuropathy can reach up to 60%. For his part, UMH Professor Antonio Ferrer Montiel explains that the ingredients of the cream "protect sensory nerve endings in the skin, which are responsible for discomfort and itching in the peripheral neurosensory system." In this way, topical protection helps reduce hypersensitivity in hands and feet and improves tolerance to chemotherapy. The product is currently available in European pharmacies as a neurocosmetica safe and, in this case, also effective product that can be used without a prescription. Moving into clinical trials is not easy, but we believe the effort is worthwhile if it allows this formulation to become an adjuvant during chemotherapy and after treatment, supporting the ongoing care of cancer patients." Antonio Ferrer Montiel, UMH Professor Attached to nearly every human cell is an antenna-like structure known as the primary cilium, which senses the cell's environment and controls how it responds to signals from its surroundings. New research from the U.S. and Sweden has mapped and identified hundreds of proteins that comprise these structures, contributing new insights for future research into ciliary biology, disease mechanisms and potential therapies. Publishing in the journal, Cell, researchers from KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Stanford University used advanced imaging and antibody-based techniques to map proteins inside primary cilia across three types of human cells. They analyzed more than 128,000 individual cilia and identified 715 proteins that are located in different parts of the cilium responsible for sensing mechanical or chemical signals, such as hormones. These primary cilia are distinct from motile cilia, which are responsible for movement of fluids or cells. Professor Emma Lundberg, a researcher in cellular and clinical proteomics at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, says the study also identified a possible gene behind various disorders linked to malfunctions of the cilium. These can lead to disorders affecting many parts of the body, from the brain and eyes to the kidneys and bones. In addition, the researchers discovered 91 proteins that had never before been linked to cilia. The study expands the current understanding of cilia, casting then as highly adaptable and versatile processors of information, which tune their protein composition to suit the needs of the cell they belong to. Cells seem to customize the protein composition of their cilia to have them perform specific sensing tasks. These newly-discovered ciliary proteins inspire many new hypotheses about cilia." Emma Lundberg, Professor, KTH Royal Institute With clinicians from Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, the team explored the clinical relevance of their findings by comparing their protein list with genetic data from patients with undiagnosed syndromes. In doing so, they found a gene variant, CREB3, in a child with symptoms resembling ciliopathies. The study's lead author, Jan Hansen, a researcher with the lab Lundberg leads at Stanford, says this discovery opens the door to identifying new disease-causing genes and better understanding of rare disorders. It may also lead to improved accuracy in diagnosing ciliopathies, a class of genetic disorders where a diseased gene leads to cilia dysfunction. "Patients present with diverse symptoms, such as six fingers per hand, mental deficits, blindness, or kidney defects." Hansen says. But linking rare diseases to cilia has been limited because of the difficulty in studying the cilia protein makeup. "Our spatial atlas of cilia proteins can contribute towards a better understanding and diagnosis of rare ciliopathy disorders, in which patients present with very diverse symptoms." The data from the study is publicly available through the Human Protein Atlas, an open resource for scientists and clinicians worldwide. "I'm a strong believer in open science, and we're proud to share these results openly to the research community," Lundberg says. In Sweden, the research was carried out through Science for Life Laboratory (SciLifeLab), a joint research center for KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm University and Uppsala University. Also contributing to the study was the Chan Zuckerberg Imaging Institute. For the first time, a new ultrasound technique allows researchers to stimulate multiple locations in the brain simultaneously. This opens up new possibilities for treating devastating brain diseases such as Alzheimers, Parkinsons and depression in the future. The first picture taken of a person nowadays is usually an ultrasound scan in the womb. But the technology is capable of much more than that. Physiotherapists have long used ultrasound to heat bodily tissues, and oncological surgeons use high-intensity ultrasound and the heat it generates inside the body to destroy tumours. Over the last decade, scientists have also been researching how low-intensity ultrasound can be used to influence neural activity in the brain in a targeted manner. Initial clinical trials are already seeking to verify whether this "neuromodulation" could help to alleviate the symptoms of Alzheimer's or epilepsy, or the shaking of tremor patients. Now, researchers from ETH Zurich, the University of Zurich and New York University have succeeded in improving the technique of ultrasonic stimulation in the brain. The scientists have developed a device that, for the first time, allows them to stimulate three or up to five precisely defined points in the brain simultaneously, as they demonstrate in their study. Until now, this was only possible to some extent and with much less precision. Given that the brain operates in networks, it's easier to activate or inhibit a brain network if you stimulate it at multiple points simultaneously." Daniel Razansky, Professor at ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich Razansky led the work together with a colleague from New York University. Through the skull In this method, neuromodulation is performed through the skull by placing the device on top of the head. This is a non-invasive technique in other words, there is no need for craniotomy or any other surgical intervention. The researchers performed neuromodulation on mice in the laboratory. For this, they positioned the mouse head in the center of a hood equipped with several hundred ultrasound transducers developed by the researchers. With the help of sophisticated stimulation electronics, these transducers generate brief ultrasound pulses in such a way that the ultrasound waves interfere with each other within the brain. The principle is similar to a hologram, an apparently three-dimensional image that is produced by the interaction between light waves. In the new method developed by the researchers from Zurich and New York, individual focal points are produced by overlaying a large number of ultrasound waves. By modulating brain networks at multiple locations at the same time, the researchers can work with lower ultrasound intensity as compared to single-spot stimulations. "The less intense the ultrasound, the safer this process is for the brain," explains Razansky. Earlier approaches to ultrasonic neuromodulation often suffered from an all-or-nothing effect: if the ultrasound was too weak, it had no effect, whereas an excessively high intensity led to uncontrolled excitation of the entire brain, which carried a risk of brain damage. Moreover, intense ultrasound may cause vascular damages and other unwanted overheating effects in the brain or the skull. Mechanical influence on proteins Low-intensity focused ultrasound pulses have short-term effect, including brief temperature rises in the focal area. Moreover, it is thought that they also influence channel proteins that are found on the surface of neurons and which control the transport of ions into and out of cells. Which mechanisms contribute to the activation and inhibition of neurons and to what extent is something that researchers still have to investigate in detail. The new method can be used not only to activate brain networks but also to simultaneously visualise this activation by means of imaging, so researchers can immediately see which networks have been activated. The most recent study, which the researchers published in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering, served to develop the technology and was not aimed at a medical application. Animal experiments are essential to this research This study and the collaboration with researchers from New York University were principally financed by the United States National Institutes of Health. As this agency is currently under political pressure and is no longer awarding funding to international research partners, it is presently not possible for the researchers to continue their collaboration within the same framework, explains Razansky. However, he would like to continue the work to the best of his ability with other funding sources. Next, the researchers want to focus on applications and test the technology in various animal models of brain diseases. In addition to Alzheimer's, tremor, and epilepsy, other potential medical applications include depression, Parkinson's, and stroke recovery treatments. "We rely on animals for our research," says Razansky. "It won't be possible to research these developments at such an early stage in humans. We first need to learn how to control the intervention and ensure that it is safe and effective for the treatment of brain diseases." Razansky's group specialises in the development of ultrasound and optical imaging techniques specifically, in the system engineering aspects, experimental methods, and data analysis. The colleagues from New York contributed their expertise in the field of neuroscience. The device's development and the experiments took place in Zurich. The National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has awarded $3.7 million to Indiana University researchers to investigate the complex relationship between ADHD medications and serious substance use problems among vulnerable youth and young adults. The study aims to fill critical gaps in understanding how ADHD medications impact the risk of serious substance use problems by analyzing nationwide healthcare data of over 3.3 million young people (ages 9-29) enrolled in Medicaid who received an ADHD diagnosis. ADHD affects millions of young people in the United States and elsewhere. While most of those diagnosed will not go on to have major substance problems, they are at an increased risk for developing such problems, including having a non-fatal or fatal overdose. Yet, knowledge of the impact of ADHD medications on substance use problems remains mixed and inconclusive. This new project seeks to clarify those impacts using advanced epidemiological methods in the largest and most comprehensive Medicaid analysis to date. "Treatment of ADHD is very controversial, and the role of ADHD medication in substance use problems is a huge question in the field," said principal investigator Brian D'Onofrio, the Sharon Stephens Brehm Endowed Professor in the IU Bloomington College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. Our research seeks to address the uncertainty, to help provide clear, evidence-based answers for the families and clinicians who struggle daily to weigh the benefits and risks of starting, stopping, or changing ADHD medication. What is unique or novel about our approach is that we are going to use a series of different designs to help us make better causal claims about ADHD medications among a vulnerable population that has not been studied extensively to date." Brian D'Onofrio, Sharon Stephens Brehm Endowed Professor, Indiana University In pursuit of personalized treatment Previous randomized controlled studies have been too small to study rare but serious outcomes (such as overdoses) and previous analyses of large datasets did not sufficiently include individuals from different racial and ethnic communities or those experiencing poverty. A study of this scope and size consequently has several advantages and will offer a more comprehensive analysis of three key questions: Who is getting which treatment, and for how long? The study will identify treatment patterns, examining whether factors like age, co-occurring substance use disorders, and racial/ethnic background are linked to receiving different medications, lower stimulant doses, or stopping medication sooner. Preliminary data already shows that Hispanic and Black patients have shorter initial treatments compared to non-Hispanic White patients, highlighting the need to explore these disparities. Does starting medication reduce the risk of serious problems? Researchers will compare the risk of serious substance use problems before and after a young person starts medication to estimate the effects of different drugs, including stimulants (e.g., methylphenidate [Ritalin] or amphetamines [Adderall]) and non-stimulants (e.g., alpha agonists [Intuniv])). What happens when long-term treatment is stopped? The research will help clarify the persistence of medication effects by estimating the risk of serious substance use problems after a patient discontinues long-term use of medication (longer than one or two years), compared to continuing it. Critical to the study is an international advisory team of professionals across multiple fields. These include pediatricians and psychiatrists, clinical guideline developers, experts in the foster-care system, and community leaders, alongside data engineers, epidemiologists, and clinical psychological scientists all of whom will work to translate the findings into actionable treatment guidelines and policies for all youth and young adults. A note on research funding D'Onofrio acknowledges the vital role of Indiana University funding in the lead-up to such a large-scale project. "We have benefited greatly by resources provided by the University, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Indiana Clinical Translational Science Institute," he noted. "These institutions have made the current research possible." Moreover, he added, "As a federally funded project, we are not beholden to or restricted by any means. We have no financial conflicts of interest with the pharmaceutical industry, for example." "Overall, we are trying to answer questions that are being very heavily debated right now. What is the role of different psychiatric medications in the treatment of children, adolescents, and young adults? And we're able to do it in a way that is without any conflicts of interest and that is built on the expertise of a large group of people from clinicians to guideline developers." The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine recorded 162 combat clashes over the past 24 hours. This was reported on Telegram in an operational update on the Russian invasion as of 8:00 a.m. Friday. "Yesterday, the enemy carried out 70 airstrikes and dropped 174 guided bombs. In addition, it carried out 4,606 attacks, including 104 from multiple launch rocket systems, and deployed 5,888 kamikaze drones," the General Staff reported. Down syndrome is associated with accelerated aging. It is estimated that up to 90% of individuals with the condition develop Alzheimer's disease before the age of 70. A study by researchers at the University of Sao Paulo (USP) in Brazil identified high levels of neuroinflammation in young individuals with Down syndrome, an additional factor explaining the high prevalence of Alzheimer's disease in older people with the condition. The discovery paves the way for strategies to prevent and monitor the disease. The study, which was published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia and was supported by FAPESP, is the first to map the patterns of neuroinflammation in people with Down syndrome using nuclear medicine techniques. The researchers also discovered an important marker of Alzheimer's disease: beta-amyloid plaque. This plaque is formed by fragments of the amyloid peptide that are deposited between neurons, causing inflammation and disrupting neural communication. It was already known that the aging process in this population occurs more rapidly when compared to people without the syndrome, with Alzheimer's disease already manifesting in people in their 40s, for example. It was also known that the risk of Alzheimer's disease is increased in people with Down syndrome due to a genetic issue: the amyloid precursor protein [APP] gene is located on chromosome 21, which is tripled in Down syndrome, causing these individuals to produce more beta-amyloid a characteristic of Alzheimer's disease." Daniele de Paula Faria, Researcher, Nuclear Medicine Laboratory, Hospital das Clinicas (HC) What the study reveals for the first time is that neuroinflammation also manifests early, as early as age 20, and may directly contribute to the development of Alzheimer's disease. "In the study, we identified a very clear relationship: the more neuroinflammation, the more beta-amyloid plaque deposition. This allows us to think of this process as a possible therapeutic target," added Faria. How the study was conducted The study compared neuroinflammation patterns in 29 individuals with Down syndrome and 35 individuals without the condition. Participants were between 20 and 50 years old. Neuroinflammation was monitored using positron emission tomography (PET) with specific radiopharmaceuticals. This technique allows for the visualization of beta-amyloid plaque formation and inflammatory processes in the living brain in real time. The results revealed increased neuroinflammation in the frontal, temporal, occipital, and limbic regions of the brains of individuals with Down syndrome, even among those aged 20 to 34. These results suggest that the neuroinflammation process may begin before beta-amyloid plaque formation. The correlation between inflammatory load and beta-amyloid accumulation was especially evident in adults over 50. In addition to human analyses, the researchers monitored the progression of neuroinflammation in genetically modified mice with a condition similar to Down syndrome over two years. "With specific equipment for small animals, we were able to monitor the entire evolution of the disease. The data from the mice, combined with that from humans, offer valuable insights into the aging of people with Down syndrome," added Faria. Biphasic process The neuroinflammation process observed in people with Down syndrome appears to follow a biphasic pattern. Microglia, the brain's defense cells, act protectively by combating changes caused by the syndrome. However, over time, this response becomes pro-inflammatory, which can potentially aggravate neuronal damage. "It's as if the brain tries to protect itself, but ends up contributing to the problem," the researcher explained, While there is still no cure or single defined cause for Alzheimer's disease, this study sheds light on the relationship between neuroinflammation and plaque deposition in people with Down syndrome. "Our study reinforces the hypothesis that neuroinflammation precedes beta-amyloid plaques in the Down syndrome population. This paves the way for the development of therapies that can slow or block this inflammatory process and thereby delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease," stated the scientist. In addition to revealing a new early marker of the disease, the study presents an imaging tool capable of monitoring neuroinflammation in real time. "We've shown that it's possible to detect inflammation in living patients, which allows us to monitor the effectiveness of treatments. This technology also opens the door to including people with Down syndrome in clinical studies on Alzheimer's disease. This is a very important population because they have different patterns of disease development than the general population. Only then can we offer effective and personalized treatments," Faria concluded. In the realm of memories, "where" holds special importance. Where did I leave my keys? Where did I eat dinner last night? Where did I first meet that friend? Recalling locations is necessary for daily life, yet spatial memory - which keeps track of "where" - is one of the first cognitive abilities to fade in old age. And deficits earlier in life can be a telltale sign of dementia. Now, researchers at Stanford Medicine and their colleagues are uncovering what goes awry in older brains when spatial memory falters and whether these changes can be prevented. In a new study comparing young, middle-aged and old mice, the researchers found that activity in the medial entorhinal cortex - sometimes likened to the Global Positioning System of the brain - becomes less stable and less attuned to the environment in elderly animals. Those with the most impaired activity in this brain region were the most confused on a spatial memory test. "You can think of the medial entorhinal cortex as containing all the components you need to build a map of space," said Lisa Giocomo, PhD, professor of neurobiology and senior author of the study to publish Oct. 3 in Nature Communications. Before this study, there was extremely limited work on what actually happens to this spatial mapping system during healthy aging." Lisa Giocomo, PhD, Professor, Neurobiology, Stanford Medicine Although, on average, elderly mice were noticeably worse than their younger counterparts at navigating their environments, there was wide variation among them - a sign that spatial memory decline may not be an inevitable part of advanced age. Mental maps The medial entorhinal cortex is an essential part of the brain's navigation system. It contains a variety of cells that track different information, including the animal's speed and head direction, as well as the dimensions and borders of a space. For the new study, the researchers focused on so-called grid cells, which create a map of the environment, almost like a longitude and latitude system. They studied mice in three age categories: young mice approximately 3 months old, middle-aged mice approximately 13 months old and old mice approximately 22 months old. These ages roughly correlate to human 20-year-olds, 50-year-olds and 75- to 90-year-olds. The researchers recorded the brain activity of slightly thirsty mice as they ran virtual reality tracks looking for hidden rewards - a lick of water. They ran on a stationary ball surrounded by screens that displayed the virtual environment, like a mouse-sized treadmill in a mouse-sized Imax theater. Each mouse ran the tracks hundreds of times over six days. (Mice are naturally avid runners, the researchers noted.) With enough repetition, mice in all age groups could learn the location of a hidden reward on a particular track. By day six, they stopped only to lick at the reward locations. Accordingly, the grid cells in their medial entorhinal cortex developed distinct firing patterns for each track, as if building custom mental maps. Switching tracks But on a more challenging task in which the mice were randomly alternated between two different tracks they had already learned, each with a different reward location, the elderly mice were stymied - seemingly unable to determine which track they were on. "In this case, the task was more similar to remembering where you parked your car in two different parking lots or where your favorite coffeeshop is in two different cities," Giocomo said. Unsure of where they were, the old mice tended to sprint the rest of the track without bothering to stop and search for rewards. A few took a different tactic and tried licking everywhere. Their grid cells reflected their confusion. Despite having developed distinct firing patterns for each track, their grid cells fired erratically when the tracks were alternated. "Their spatial recall and their rapid discrimination of these two environments was really impaired," said Charlotte Herber, PhD, an MD-PhD student and lead author of the study. The findings seem to align with human behavior. "Older people often can navigate familiar spaces, like their home or the neighborhood they've always lived in, but it's really hard for them to learn to navigate a new place, even with experience," Giocomo said. In contrast, both young and middle-aged mice understood the assignment by day six, and their grid cell activity swiftly matched whichever track they were on. "Over days one through six, they have progressively more stable spatial firing patterns that are specific to context A and specific to context B," Herber said. "The aged mice fail to the develop these discrete spatial maps." The middle-aged mice had somewhat weaker patterns in their brain activity, but they performed very similarly to the young mice. "We think this is a cognitive capacity that at least until about 13 months old in a mouse, or maybe 50 to 60 years old in a human counterpart, is probably intact," Herber said. Super-ager Though young and middle-aged mice performed uniformly within their age groups, the oldest set showed more variability in spatial memory. Male mice generally performed better than female mice, though the researchers do not yet know why. One elderly male mouse stood out: It aced the test, remembering the hidden reward locations on alternating tracks just as well as, if not better than, the young and middle-aged mice. "It was the very last mouse I recorded and, honestly, when I was watching it run the experiment, I thought, 'Oh no, this mouse is going to screw up the statistics,'" Herber said. Instead, the super-ager mouse turned out to confirm the link between grid cell activity and spatial memory. Its grid cells were as unusually sprightly as its behavior, firing clearly and accurately in each environment. "The variability in the aged group allowed us to establish these correlative relationships between neural function and behavior," Herber said. The super-ager mouse also encouraged the researchers to look for genetic differences that might underly variability in aging. They sequenced the RNA of young and old mice and found 61 genes that were more expressed in mice with unstable grid cell activity. These genes could be involved in either driving or compensating for spatial memory decline, the researchers said. The gene Haplin4, for example, contributes to the network of proteins that surround neurons, known as the perineuronal net, which could help shore up grid cell stability and protect spatial memory in aging mice. "Just like mice, people also exhibit a variable extent of aging," Herber said. "Understanding some of that variability - why some people are more resilient to aging and others are more vulnerable - is part of the goal of this work." Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, contributed to the study. Spinal muscular atrophy is a rare genetic disease of the nerve cells in the spinal cord that can appear as early as infancy. The disease leads to a progressive loss of muscle strength. Those affected often suffer from muscle weakness early on, as well as difficulties with movement, breathing, and swallowing. Thanks to medical advances, therapies are now available that slow the progression of the disease. Nevertheless, motor impairments persist, and cognitive and social challenges become increasingly evident. For a long time, spinal muscular atrophy was understood solely as a disease of the motor neurons, in which those nerve cells that directly control the muscles lose their function. In recent years, however, researchers have been able to show that other nerve cells in the spinal cord, which do not directly control the muscles, also contribute to the disease. Building on these findings, researchers at Leipzig University's Carl Ludwig Institute of Physiology have now investigated whether additional regions of the nervous system are involved in the development of spinal muscular atrophy. In the new study, they discovered that the cerebellum also contributes to the development of the disease. "Our results make it clear that the cerebellum is not only affected by the disease but is itself an independent driver of the symptoms. These latest findings therefore provide a possible explanation for the persistent motor impairments and the newly emerging social and cognitive problems experienced by patients despite modern therapies," says Dr Christian Simon, head of the study and researcher at the Faculty of Medicine. In their investigations, the Leipzig researchers were able to show that Purkinje cells key nerve cells of the cerebellum are damaged in spinal muscular atrophy. The cause is the activation of a specific signalling pathway that leads to cell death and severe disruptions in cerebellar networks. The consequences became apparent in the mouse model: animals with spinal muscular atrophy not only exhibited motor impairments but also showed markedly reduced communicative activity, expressed in diminished ultrasonic vocalisations high-frequency sounds that mice normally use to communicate. By specifically restoring the missing protein in the Purkinje cells, it was possible to partially improve both the motor and the social deficits. The Carl Ludwig Institute of Physiology has extensive expertise in cerebellar physiology. For these investigations, high-resolution imaging and patch-clamp recordings were carried out on cerebellar slices from mice. In addition, the Leipzig researchers used viral vectors to specifically manipulate gene expression in the mice. A special feature of this scientific work is that three of the four first authors are medical students who contributed to this publication as part of their doctoral research. They were partly supported by doctoral scholarships from the Faculty of Medicine. International collaborations with Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, and Ulm University provided crucial support for the project. Our research provides an important basis for further studies that aim to investigate changes in the cerebellum in spinal muscular atrophy in larger groups of patients. As a next step, we want to test existing therapies in our mouse models to see whether the cerebellar changes and the associated social symptoms of the disease can be improved." Dr. Christian Simon, Head, Faculty of Medicine, Universitat Leipzig A new national study reveals that hospitals providing surgical care have closed at a significantly higher rate than new ones have opened, with closures disproportionately concentrated in communities with high levels of poverty and social vulnerability. The study highlights a growing disparity in access to surgical care. The research will be presented at the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress 2025 in Chicago, October 4-7. Researchers used American Hospital Association data to track hospitals performing at least 100 operations per year in 2010 and 2020. Between hospital openings and closures, they found a net decrease of 298 surgical hospitals nationwide. The study authors then used the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) to compare the socioeconomic characteristics of areas with hospital closures versus those with stable or new hospitals. We were surprised by just how big of a number it was. It is pretty startling to see such a drastic drop without adequate replacement volume, and it's concerning for patient access to care." Jesse E. Passman, MD, MPH, MSHP, lead author, general surgery resident at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Key findings Net loss of access: The number of geographic areas within a 15-minute drive of a surgical hospital decreased by 6.2%, and the areas within a 30-minute drive decreased by 3.7%. Targeted closures: Newly closed hospitals were disproportionately located in census tracts with lower median incomes and higher social vulnerability scores than areas with hospitals that opened or remained active. These areas were more than twice as likely to be highly socially vulnerable. Systemic strain: Study authors warn that closures create a "huge influx of patients to surrounding hospitals, straining the emergency departments and surgical departments." "One of the hidden things that gets lost in the shuffle is patient records," said senior author Heather Wachtel, MD, MTR, FACS, an associate professor of surgery at the University of Pennsylvania. "When a hospital closes, patients who had their care there may lose access to their health care records. Having that information is essential to their ongoing health care." The reasons for closure, while not directly studied, are likely economic, related to challenges in sustaining smaller hospitals and safety-net institutions that serve a high proportion of patients on government insurance, authors note. Impacts for patients and health systems The study underscores several critical consequences of hospital closures: Loss of medical history: Patients can permanently lose access to their medical records, leading to costly and dangerous duplicative testing, re-establishment of medical history, and a lack of crucial health information for new providers. Strain on surrounding systems: Remaining hospitals must absorb a sudden influx of new patients without established histories, stretching resources thin. Patients may forgo care: The increased burden of travel and finding new providers can cause some patients to delay or completely avoid seeking necessary medical or surgical care, allowing conditions to worsen. "For each one of these patients that actually shows up to our hospitals, I'm sure that there's a number of patients that don't," Dr. Passman said. "These conditions that could be handled and potentially cured surgically are now festering and becoming chronic problems." Co-authors are Jeffrey L. Roberson, MD, MBA; Sara P. Ginzberg, MD, MSHP; Jasmine Hwang, MD, MS; Gracia M. Vargas, MD; Rachel R. Kelz, MD, MSCE, MBA, FACS; Giorgos C. Karakousis, MD, FACS; and Vicky W. Tam, MA. A new study from Karolinska Institutet shows that an unusual heart rhythm disorder, POTS, is particularly common in people with long COVID. The majority of those affected are middle-aged women. The study has been published in the scientific journal Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology. Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS, is a condition where the heart beats abnormally fast when changing position from lying down to standing up. Standing up is a challenge for those affected who feel dizzy and would rather sit or lie down, so called orthostatic intolerance. Their hearts may also beat faster than normal at rest and during exertion. Patients experience fatigue and difficulties concentrating, symptoms that are common in long COVID. Now, researchers at Karolinska Institutet show that POTS occurs in almost a third of patients with severe long COVID. By comparison, less than one per cent of the Swedish population was affected by POTS before the pandemic. Previous, smaller studies have shown that there is a connection, but now we can say with certainty that POTS is a very common condition in patients with long COVID. This is valuable knowledge for both healthcare professionals and patients." Mikael Bjornson, doctoral student at the Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska Institutet Women in their early middle age According to the researchers, this study is the largest and most detailed to date on the link between POTS and long COVID. A total of 467 patients with severe long COVID who had not been hospitalised for COVID-19 were examined. Ninety-one per cent were middle-aged women who were essentially healthy and physically active before they developed long COVID. At an average of twelve months after falling ill, they underwent physical tests and completed forms about their health. Those who showed signs of possible POTS also received an assessment from a cardiologist after further, targeted tests. Thirty-one per cent of participants received a POTS diagnosis, while 27 per cent had symptoms but did not meet the criteria for diagnosis. The remaining 42 per cent had no symptoms of POTS. Patients with a diagnosis had significantly higher heart rates during walking tests and reported lower health-related quality of life. POTS can be treated "It is important to know that POTS can be detected with inexpensive, simple tests that are available at all levels of healthcare. For those who receive a diagnosis, there are treatments that can alleviate symptoms and improve quality of life," says Judith Bruchfeld, associate professor at Karolinska Institutet, senior consultant in infectious diseases at Karolinska University Hospital and head of the study. The researchers now recommend that patients with long COVID who experience a significant increase in heart rate when changing position from lying down to standing, as well as during exertion, and who experience symptoms such as dizziness, brain fog and pronounced fatigue, are investigated for POTS. The next step in the research is a four- and five-year follow-up of the patient group, and in addition, patients with COVID-19 who have been treated in hospital. The researchers will investigate recovery and functional level over time. The study is a collaboration with Karolinska University Hospital and has been funded by the Swedish Research Council and the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation. 8 injured in clash over control of gurdwara in Rajasthans Hanumangarh Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 23:30 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Jaipur, Oct 3 (PTI) A long-standing dispute over the management of the Mehtabgarh Sahib gurdwara at Goluwala in Rajasthans Hanumangarh district turned violent on Friday when a group of people allegedly tried to forcibly enter the premises and take control of it, police said. The group clashed with the members of the rival faction already present inside, in which eight people, including children, sustained injuries. Recommended Stories The injured were initially given treatment at a local hospital before being referred to the district hospital in Sri Ganganagar. Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Janesh Tanwar said, About 100 people entered the gurdwara premises early in the morning. Multiple people sustained injuries in the incident, who are being treated at hospitals. Their condition is stable. One Rajasthan Armed Constabulary (RAC) jawan was also injured while trying to intervene." Following the incident, forces from different police stations, along with RAC personnel, were deployed in the area. Additional force from the district police lines was also rushed to the spot, officials said. To prevent the matter from escalating, authorities have imposed prohibitory orders in the area. Police said two FIRs have been registered at the Goluwala police station against 17 named and several unidentified persons, and three people have been detained for questioning. Some locals alleged that the previous committee, led by Bibi Harmeet Kaur, monopolised the gurdwara affairs, and accused her supporters of mismanagement. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all They also demanded the formation of a new committee to run the gurdwaras administration. Senior police and administrative officers are camping at the site to keep a close watch on the situation, officials said. PTI AG ARI Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: October 03, 2025, 23:30 IST News agency-feeds 8 injured in clash over control of gurdwara in Rajasthans Hanumangarh Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Chandigarh becomes Indias first slum-free city with razing of Shahpur Colony Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 21:45 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Chandigarh, Oct 3 (PTI) Chandigarh has become the countrys first slum-free city after the demolition of Shahpur Colony in Sector-38, which was the last remaining slum in the Union territory, officials said. The demolition drive was carried out on September 30, the officials said, adding that the Shahpur Colony was spread over 4-4.5 acres of land valued at Rs 250 crore. Recommended Stories The settlement comprised around 300 huts and tenements, housing nearly 1,000 residents. With the removal of all the unauthorised colonies from government land and the successful implementation of large-scale rehabilitation measures, the city has completed the final phase of its long-standing slum eradication initiative, the officials said. Through a combination of planned rehabilitation, strategic demolitions, and strict enforcement, Chandigarh has taken a significant step forward in eliminating slums. This initiative not only ensures the recovery of valuable public land but also provides thousands of residents with dignified housing and improved living conditions," Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav said in a statement. With this milestone, Chandigarh is setting an example of urban renewal and inclusive development, providing a model for other cities across India to emulate, the officials said. Before the latest demolition drive, all applications for rehabilitation were screened under the Chandigarh Small Flats Scheme, 2006. The eligible families were rehabilitated and allotted EWS (economically weaker section) flats in Industrial Area Phase-I, Dhanas, Mauli Jagran, Ram Darbar, and Sector 49. Over the years, the Chandigarh administration has successfully cleared 18 slum colonies, reclaiming nearly 520 acres of government land worth approximately Rs 21,000 crore, the officials said. They said the year 2025 marked decisive progress for the UT administration with major encroachment clearance drives. The administration in May undertook an anti-encroachment drive at the Janta Colony in Sector 25, which was the largest slum cluster in the city, reclaiming about 10 acres of land worth nearly Rs 350 crore. In April, the administration demolished the Sanjay Colony in Industrial Area Phase-I and reclaimed six acres of land valued at Rs 250 crore, the officials said. In June, the administration reclaimed 12 acres of prime government land valued at Rs 750 crore after clearing the Adarsh Colony in Sector 54. The administration also razed a three-decade-old furniture market, which was illegally set up on government land in Sector 53-54, in July. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Recently, Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria lauded the Union territory as one of the most well-planned and beautiful cities, and observed that it has set important benchmarks in urban development achievements that serve as examples for other states and UTs. The Chandigarh Small Flats Scheme was launched in 2006 for the rehabilitation of families living in unauthorised colonies. PTI CHS VSD ARI Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: October 03, 2025, 21:45 IST News agency-feeds Chandigarh becomes Indias first slum-free city with razing of Shahpur Colony Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Hamas accepts some parts of Trump peace plan, but says it needs more negotiation Last Updated: October 04, 2025, 01:45 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Beirut, Oct 4 (AP) Hamas said Friday that it has accepted some elements of US President Donald Trumps peace plan, including the release of all remaining hostages, but that others require further negotiations. US President Donald Trump said Friday that Hamas must agree to a proposed peace deal by Sunday evening, threatening an even greater military onslaught nearly two years into the war sparked by the October 7 attack into Israel. Recommended Stories Trump appears keen to deliver on pledges to end the war and return dozens of hostages ahead of the second anniversary of the attack on Tuesday. His peace plan has been accepted by Israel and welcomed internationally, but key mediators Egypt and Qatar, and at least one Hamas official, have said some elements need further negotiation, without elaborating. An Agreement must be reached with Hamas by Sunday Evening at SIX (6) P.M., Washington, DC time," Trump wrote Friday on social media. Every Country has signed on! If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas. THERE WILL BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ONE WAY OR THE OTHER." Trumps plan would end the fighting and return hostages Under the plan, which Trump unveiled earlier this week alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Hamas would immediately release the remaining 48 hostages around 20 of them believed to be alive. It would also give up power and disarm. In return, Israel would halt its offensive and withdraw from much of the territory, release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and allow an influx of humanitarian aid and eventual reconstruction. Plans to relocate much of Gazas population to other countries would be shelved. The territory of some 2 million Palestinians would be placed under international governance, with Trump himself and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair overseeing it. The plan provides no path for eventual reunification with the Israeli-occupied West Bank in a future Palestinian state. A Hamas official told The Associated Press this week that some elements of the plan are unacceptable and need to be amended, without elaborating. Palestinians long for an end to the war, but many view this and previous U.S. proposals as strongly favouring Israel. US and Israel seek to pressure Hamas Israel has sought to ramp up pressure on Hamas since ending an earlier ceasefire in March. It sealed the territory off from food, medicine and other goods for 2 1/2 months and has seized, flattened and largely depopulated large areas of the territory. Experts determined that Gaza City had slid into famine shortly before Israel launched a major offensive aimed at occupying it. An estimated 400,000 people have fled the city in recent weeks, but hundreds of thousands more have stayed behind. Olga Cherevko, a spokesperson for the UN humanitarian office, said she saw several displaced families staying in the parking lot of Shifa Hospital during a visit on Thursday. They are not able to move south because they just cannot afford it," Cherevko told The Associated Press. One of the families had three children and the woman was pregnant with her fourth. And there were many other vulnerable cases there, including elderly people and people with disabilities." Trump wrote that most of Hamas fighters are surrounded and MILITARILY TRAPPED, just waiting for me to give the word, GO, for their lives to be quickly extinguished. As for the rest, we know where and who you are, and you will be hunted down, and killed." Most of Hamas top leaders in Gaza and thousands of its fighters have already been killed, but it still has influence in areas not controlled by the Israeli military and launches sporadic attacks that have killed and wounded Israeli soldiers. Hamas has held firm to its position that it will only release the remaining hostages its sole bargaining chip and potential human shields in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. Netanyahu has rejected those terms, saying Hamas must surrender and disarm. Second anniversary approaches Thousands of Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023, attacking army bases, farming communities and an outdoor music festival, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians. They abducted 251 others, most of them since released in ceasefires or other deals. Israels retaliatory offensive has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which does not say how many were civilians or combatants. It says women and children make up around half the dead. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the UN and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The offensive has displaced around 90 per cent of Gazas population, often multiple times, and left much of the territory uninhabitable. Both the Biden and Trump administrations have tried to end the fighting and bring back the hostages while providing extensive military and diplomatic support to Israel. (AP) MPL MPL Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: October 04, 2025, 01:45 IST News agency-feeds Hamas accepts some parts of Trump peace plan, but says it needs more negotiation Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... CNN name, logo and all associated elements and 2024 Cable News Network LP, LLLP. A Time Warner Company. All rights reserved. CNN and the CNN logo are registered marks of Cable News Network, LP LLLP, displayed with permission. Use of the CNN name and/or logo on or as part of NEWS18.com does not derogate from the intellectual property rights of Cable News Network in respect of them. Copyright Network18 Media and Investments Ltd 2024. All rights reserved. MP: Bhopal AIIMS outsourced employee booked for plasma theft Last Updated: October 04, 2025, 02:00 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], October 4 (ANI): An outsourced employee of AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) Bhopal has been booked for allegedly stealing Plasma from the hospital, a police officer said on Friday. The accused has been identified as Ankit Khelkar. The action was taken after AIIMS management suspected his activity and lodged a complaint to the police, the officer added. Speaking to ANI, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP, Zone 2), Vivek Singh said, We received information from AIIMS management that one of their outsourced employees, Ankit Khelkar, is stealing Plasma. When the administration suspected, they checked their footage in which they found suspicious activity and based on it, the management filed a case against the outsourced employee."We have registered a case under relevant sections of theft against the accused and efforts are on to nab him. Upon his arrest, we will be able to know since when he was involved in Plasma theft and whether he was black marketing it or not," he said. The officer further said that so far, the police have come to know that once the AIIMS management confiscated some suspicious items from the accused which he was carrying while his activity was found more suspicious after the footage was checked. Following this, the management complained to the police. (ANI) Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: October 04, 2025, 02:00 IST News agency-feeds MP: Bhopal AIIMS outsourced employee booked for plasma theft Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Photo: https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua The Ukrainian delegation in Denmark has held a working meeting with the Commander of the Danish Ground Forces, Major General Peter Boysen, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported. "During the meeting, issues of joint development and exchange of experience in deploying situational awareness and coordination systems in modern conditions were discussed. A symbolic exchange of sleeve insignia and award paraphernalia also took place a gesture of friendship, mutual respect, and recognition of the partnership between the military structures of Ukraine and Denmark," the message reads. The Ukrainian Armed Forces noted that this meeting is another step toward strengthening trust, cooperation, and joint professional development in security matters. On September 29, it was reported that the joint Wings of Defense exercises began in the Kingdom of Denmark, in which Ukrainian counter-UAV specialists are participating alongside their Danish counterparts. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy instructed that, based on the results of the Ukrainian counter-UAV specialists' participation in the joint exercises in Denmark, a framework for cooperation with other European countries be developed, specifically in the implementation of the Drone Wall project. Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman meets South Africas National Assembly Speaker Last Updated: October 04, 2025, 03:15 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Cape Town [South Africa], October 4 (ANI): Rajya Sabha Vice Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh met South Africas National Assembly speaker Thoko Didiza and held bilateral talks with her in Cape Town on Friday (local time). Apart from meeting Didiza, Singh also held bilateral meeting with Omid Nouripour, who is the Vice President of Germanys Federal Parliament, Bundestag.Earlier, Singh held a series of bilateral meetings with presiding officers from the Parliaments of Russia, Germany, Italy, and host South Africa on the sidelines of the 11th G20 Parliamentary Speakers Summit (P20) in Kleinmond, South Africa.According to the Office of the Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha, These meetings focused on strengthening bilateral parliamentary cooperation, and presenting Indias perspective on trade partnerships, technology, and sustainable development.In his meetings with various delegations, the Deputy Chairman also recalled the recent engagements with the Indian delegation comprising MPs who travelled to these nations to put forth Indias stance on cross-border terrorism following the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor," the statement added.In his meeting with Konstantin Kosachev, Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council of Russia, he recalled various productive engagements between the two nations and long-standing partnerships in key sectors. In his meeting with Omid Nouripur, Vice President of the Bundestag (Lower house of the German Parliament), Singh underlined the potential for more co-operation between the leading democracies and the successful engagement on trade and sustainable development partnership.The Deputy Chairman also sought Germanys support towards the conclusion of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement negotiations. The bilateral trade between the two nations on goods and services has crossed USD 50 billion. Germany also has a Skilled Labour Strategy that focuses on facilitating avenues for Indian professionals to come to Germany.Singh also interacted with the Speaker of the National Assembly of South Africa, Thoko Didiza and recalled the historic and strong bilateral ties between the two nations with a common outlook towards upholding international fairness, justice, and the collective interest of developing countries. India is among the top three trading partners of South Africa. (ANI) Recommended Stories Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: October 04, 2025, 03:15 IST News agency-feeds Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman meets South Africas National Assembly Speaker Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Tesla Model Y Receives Indias Unique 5-Star Blessing With Traditional Vahan Puja Curated By : Trending Desk Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 11:05 IST A laparoscopic surgeon from Hyderabad received his brand new Tesla Model Y and took the EV to a temple for a traditional Vahan Puja. Tesla Model Y is believed to be the first Model to reach Hyderabad. (Photo Credits: X) Tesla has finally arrived in India, and currently, the Model Y is the only car available for buyers. Since deliveries began, new owners have been flaunting pictures and videos of their electric vehicles. One recent post from Hyderabad has caught special attention for a unique reason. Dr Praveen Koduru, a laparoscopic surgeon, received his brand new car and took the EV to a temple for a traditional Vahan Puja. He made a light-hearted comment about Indian traditions. The car, believed to be the first Model Y to reach the city, was decorated with garlands, while the priest performed rituals like breaking a coconut and applying kumkum. Sharing the pictures online, the doctor humorously wrote that no car, including Elon Musks vehicle, can get a five-star safety rating in India unless it is blessed in this way." Recommended Stories Hyderabad Owner Performs Vahan Puja For His Tesla Taking to X (Formerly Twitter), Dr Praveen Koduru wrote, No car, including Tesla, can get a five star safety rating in Indian culture, unless a Vahan Pooja is done." No car , including Tesla, can get a five star safety rating in Indian culture, unless a vahan Pooja is done @elonmusk @TeslaClubIN @Tesla_India pic.twitter.com/5TxuGQzcPY Dr Praveen koduru (@drpraveenkoduru) October 1, 2025 Reacting to the post, a user wrote, For a moment I thought its a Verna then I read the tweet." Another shared, The car definitely looks even better in Indian aesthetics." In India, Vahan Pooja is the ultimate crash test certification," a comment read. An individual stated, Thats the sentiments, your feelings, your dream." Another mentioned, Crash test passed, karma test also passed." One more added, The Tesla Autopilot needs support from God to drive on Indian Roads." Tesla Model Y Features and Price top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The Tesla Model Y, priced at around Rs 62 lakh, boasts an impressive WLTP range of 500 km and can hit a top speed of 201 km/h, accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in just 5.9 seconds. Equipped with 19-inch Crossflow wheels, the electric SUV can travel up to 622 km on a single charge (WLTP), and with fast charging, it gains 267 km of range in just 15 minutes. Inside, the Tesla Model Y offers versatile seating, with second-row seats that can recline and fold flat, expanding the boot space to over 2,130 litres. A hands-free boot opens automatically, making luggage loading effortless. The cabin features a large 15.4-inch touchscreen at the centre for the driver, complemented by an 8-inch screen for second-row passengers. Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: October 03, 2025, 11:05 IST News auto Tesla Model Y Receives Indias Unique 5-Star Blessing With Traditional Vahan Puja Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... 'India A Global Innovation Leader': Bill Gates At Seattle Event On Gandhi Jayanti Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 09:42 IST The program featured a keynote address by Jonathan Granoff, President of the Global Security Institute, on the theme Relevance of Gandhian Values in Contemporary World Order. Bill Gates, Chair and Board Member of Gates Foundation, addressing the Gandhi Jayanti celebrations ( 2 October 2025, Seattle) Seattle came alive with the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi as the Consulate General of India in Seattle, in partnership with the Gates Foundation, hosted a special cultural celebration at the Foundations headquarters on Wednesday. The event showcased Indias rich cultural heritage, arts, and cuisine, while commemorating Gandhi Jayanti and the International Day of Non-Violence. The evenings celebration was graced by Bill Gates, Chair and Board Member of the Gates Foundation, alongside senior leaders from the Washington State and Seattle City governments. Recommended Stories Speaking at the event, Gates said, Its fitting that were coming together on the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. The ideals he championed the equality and dignity of every person are foundational to the work we do. Today, India stands as a global leader in innovation and is pioneering solutions with the potential to save and improve millions of lives across the Global South. We look forward to continuing to partner with India on its journey toward Viksit Bharat 2047." The program also featured a keynote address by Jonathan Granoff, President of the Global Security Institute, on the theme Relevance of Gandhian Values in Contemporary World Order." The celebration reflected on Gandhis enduring influence in shaping peace and equity around the world. Earlier in the day, the Greater Seattle area witnessed a series of tributes to the Mahatma. A commemorative ceremony was held at the Statue of Mahatma Gandhi near Bellevue Public Library, attended by Bellevue City Council leadership. Later in the afternoon, a second event took place at the Seattle Center, near the base of the Space Needle, where Washington State Senator Vandana Slatter and Eddie Rye, Chairman and Founder of the Martin Luther King (MLK)Gandhi Foundation, offered floral tributes at the bust of Mahatma Gandhi. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Both events saw enthusiastic participation from a large cross-section of the Indian-American community, as well as leaders from local civic organizations. Young schoolchildren added a special touch to the ceremonies with soulful renditions of Gandhi Jis favorite hymns. The day-long celebrations underscored the deep connections between the Indian diaspora, the local community, and the shared values of peace, non-violence, and inclusive progress championed by Mahatma Gandhi. About the Author Business Desk A team of writers and reporters decodes vast terms of personal finance and making money matters simpler for you. From latest initial public offerings (IPOs) in the market to best investment options, w... Read More First Published: October 03, 2025, 09:42 IST News business 'India A Global Innovation Leader': Bill Gates At Seattle Event On Gandhi Jayanti Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Billion-Dollar IPO Rush: Tata Capital, LG, WeWork India IPOs To Raise Rs 30,000 Crore Next Week Reported By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 11:35 IST Tata Capital, LG Electronics India, and WeWork India launch IPOs worth Rs 30,000 crore next week, marking a major surge in the primary market after a subdued first half of 2025. News18 Upcoming IPOs Next Week: The primary market remained subdued in the first half of 2025, weighed down by an overvalued secondary market, record-level FII outflows, and a global shift of investors towards other asset classes. However, momentum began to turn from MayJune, with a flood of IPOs hitting the market as sentiment improved, investor confidence strengthened, and listing gains attracted fresh participation. Recommended Stories The market is set to reach a peak moment next week, with IPOs collectively worth around Rs 30,000 crore either opening or remaining available for subscription. The upcoming bellwether issues include Tata Capital, LG Electronics India, and WeWork India. This surge raises concerns over the markets ability to absorb such a large fund demand, already stretched by a heavy pipeline of IPOs across both the mainboard and SME segments in recent months. Tata Capital To Raise Rs 15,500 Crore Tata Capital, the non-banking financial arm of the Tata Group, is set to launch its initial public offering (IPO) on Monday, October 06, 2025. The issue size has been pegged at Rs 15,500 crore. The public issue will be closed for subscription on Wednesday, October 8, 2025. Tata Capital has fixed the price band for its much-awaited Rs 15,512-crore IPO at Rs 310-326 per share, making it the largest issue of the year. With this, the non-banking financial companys valuation stands at about Rs 1.38 lakh crore at the top end of the band. Tata Sons, which currently holds an 88.6% stake in Tata Capital, will offload about 23 crore shares. International Finance Corporation (IFC), which owns 1.8%, will sell 3.58 crore shares. Proceeds from the fresh issue will be used to bolster Tata Capitals Tier-1 capital base, helping the NBFC meet future capital requirements, including lending operations. This IPO comes as part of the Reserve Bank of Indias mandate, which requires all upper-layer NBFCs to be listed within three years of classification. Tata Capital was identified as an upper-layer NBFC in September 2022. Founded in 2007, Tata Capital today serves over 70 lakh customers with a wide portfolio of more than 25 lending products, catering to individuals, SMEs, entrepreneurs and corporates. Apart from lending, it also distributes third-party products like insurance and credit cards, provides wealth management services, and acts as a sponsor and investment manager for private equity funds. For FY25, Tata Capital reported a profit after tax (PAT) of Rs 3,655 crore, compared to Rs 3,327 crore in the previous year. Its revenue jumped to Rs 28,313 crore in FY25, up from Rs 18,175 crore in FY24. LG Electronics Rs 11,607 Crore Bet LG Electronics India Ltd, the local arm of South Koreas LG conglomerate, has fixed the price band for its much-awaited Rs 11,607-crore initial public offering (IPO) in the range of Rs 1,080-1,140 per share. At the upper end of the price range, the company is valued at about Rs 77,400 crore. The public issue will open for subscription on October 7 and close on October 9, while anchor investors can bid on October 6. The IPO, which is entirely an offer for sale of 10.18 crore shares representing nearly 15 per cent stake will see all proceeds go to the South Korean parent, as LG Electronics India itself will not receive any funds from the issue. WeWork India IPO WeWork India Management Limited, one of Indias leading premium flexible workspace operators, has launched its Rs 3,000 crore initial public offering (IPO) on Friday, October 03, 2025. The issue will be closed for subscription on Tuesday, October 07, 2025. Price Band fixed at Rs 615 per equity share of face value Rs 10 each to Rs 648 per equity share. The companys initial public offering comprises an Offer for Sale (OFS") of equity shares of up to 46,296,296 equity shares. The offer for sale comprises up to 35,402,790 equity shares by Embassy Buildcon LLP (Promoter Selling Shareholder"), and up to 10,893,506 equity shares by 1 Ariel Way Tenant Limited (Investor Selling Shareholder"). JM Financial Limited, ICICI Securities Limited, Jefferies India Private Limited, Kotak Mahindra Capital Company Limited, and 360 ONE WAM Limited are the Book Running Lead Managers (BRLMs") to the issue. The allotment of shares will be finalized on October 08, 2025, and the tentative listing is on October 10, 2025. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Disclaimer: The views and investment tips by experts in this News18.com report are their own and not those of the website or its management. Users are advised to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. About the Author Varun Yadav Varun Yadav is a Sub Editor at News18 Business Digital. He writes articles on markets, personal finance, technology, and more. He completed his post-graduation diploma in English Journalism from the I... Read More First Published: October 03, 2025, 11:35 IST News business ipo Billion-Dollar IPO Rush: Tata Capital, LG, WeWork India IPOs To Raise Rs 30,000 Crore Next Week Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... WeWork India IPO Opens Today: Should You Subscribe For Rs 3,000 Issue? Check GMP & Expert Weighs In Reported By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 10:09 IST WeWork India launches Rs 3,000 crore IPO at Rs 615-648 per share; Embassy Buildcon, 1 Ariel Way offer shares. Raised Rs 1,348 crore from anchors. WeWork India IPO opens today, October 03. WeWork India IPO: WeWork India Management Limited, one of Indias leading premium flexible workspace operators, has launched its Rs 3,000 crore initial public offering (IPO) on Friday, October 03, 2025. The issue will be closed for subscription on Tuesday, October 07, 2025. Recommended Stories Price Band fixed at Rs 615 per equity share of face value Rs 10 each to Rs 648 per equity share. The companys initial public offering comprises an Offer for Sale (OFS") of equity shares of up to 46,296,296 equity shares. The offer for sale comprises up to 35,402,790 equity shares by Embassy Buildcon LLP (Promoter Selling Shareholder"), and up to 10,893,506 equity shares by 1 Ariel Way Tenant Limited (Investor Selling Shareholder"). JM Financial Limited, ICICI Securities Limited, Jefferies India Private Limited, Kotak Mahindra Capital Company Limited, and 360 ONE WAM Limited are the Book Running Lead Managers (BRLMs") to the issue. The allotment of shares will be finalized on October 08, 2025, and the tentative listing is on October 10, 2025. WeWork India IPO GMP According to market observers, unlisted shares of WeWork India Ltd are currently trading at Rs 663, indicating a GMP of Rs 15 or 2.31 per cent premium. The GMP is based on market sentiments and keeps changing. Grey market premium indicates investors readiness to pay more than the issue price. WeWork India Raises Rs 1,348.26 Cr From Anchor Investors WeWork India raised Rs 1,348.26 crores ahead of the Companys proposed IPO at the upper end of the price band at Rs 648 per equity share with face value of Rs 10 per equity share. Out of the total allocation of 2,08,06,548 equity shares to the anchor investors, 96,79,182 equity shares were allocated to 13 domestic mutual funds through a total of 32 schemes. The anchor book has received widespread participation from domestic institutional investors including leading mutual funds such as ICICI Prudential, HDFC MF, Motilal Oswal MF, Aditya Birla MF, Axis MF, Canara-Robeco MF and insurance companies such as Aditya Birla Sun Life, Canara HSBC Life, SBI General and Kotak Mahindra Life and Bajaj Allianz Life. Global interest was equally notable with very strong demand from sovereign and long-only FIIs such as Edelweiss MF, Goldman Sachs Fund, Whiteoak Capital MF, Al Mehwar Commercial Investments L.L.C (Wanda) and Allianz Global Investors among others. Should You Subscribe WeWork India IPO? WeWork India delivered a strong FY25 performance with revenue of 1,949.2 crore, EBITDA of 1,235 crore (margin of 63.41%), and net profit of 128.2 crore against a loss of 135.8 crore in FY24. With RONW at 63.8% and debt-to-equity at 0.65x, the company has announced an IPO in the 615648 price band to raise up to 3,000 crore through an Offer for Sale of 4.63 crore shares. Angel One, in its commentary, highlighted the companys improved financials and operational efficiency. At the upper price band of 648, WeWork Indias post-issue P/E comes at 67.75x, pointing to premium valuations. Angel One noted that while profitability and the growth prospects of the flexible workspace sector are positives, risks such as high fixed costs, revenue concentration, industry fragmentation, and potential oversupply in metro markets weigh on future returns. The brokerage has therefore assigned a Neutral" view on the IPO. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Disclaimer: The views and investment tips by experts in this News18.com report are their own and not those of the website or its management. Users are advised to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. About the Author Varun Yadav Varun Yadav is a Sub Editor at News18 Business Digital. He writes articles on markets, personal finance, technology, and more. He completed his post-graduation diploma in English Journalism from the I... Read More First Published: October 03, 2025, 10:09 IST News business ipo WeWork India IPO Opens Today: Should You Subscribe For Rs 3,000 Issue? Check GMP & Expert Weighs In Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Bengaluru Horror: Husband Hid Camera In Bedroom, Forced Wife To Have Sex With Foreign Clients Reported By : News18.com Edited By: Manjiri Joshi Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 14:47 IST Bengaluru: The woman alleged that her husband not only captured their intimate moments but also shared them with his friends and threatened to leak them online Rapid Read + Follow us On Google The complainant stated that the videos were used as leverage to enforce his demands. (News18 Hindi File for representation) In a shocking incident reported from Bengaluru, a woman has filed a complaint against her husband, alleging he secretly installed a camera in their bedroom to record their private moments and later used the videos to blackmail her. The complaint further alleges a demand made by the husband. He also pressurized me to have physical relationship with his clients who are abroad." Recommended Stories The complaint was registered at the Puttenahalli Police Station, and a First Information Report (FIR) has been filed against the husband, Syed Inamul Haq, and three other individuals based on the womans allegations of conspiracy and harassment. The woman alleged that her husband not only captured their intimate moments but also shared them with his friends and threatened to leak them online. In her detailed police complaint, the woman made explosive allegations against her husband, stating, The accused has captured private photos and videos without my consent and has shared it with his friends who are abroad." The complainant stated that the videos were used as leverage to enforce his demands, adding, He had threatened to leak the photos and videos online if I dont accept these demands." top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The woman also accused Haq of marrying her without disclosing that he was already married, thereby committing deception. Furthermore, she alleged that he subjected her to physical abuse and assault. The Puttenahalli police have registered the case under relevant sections and have initiated an investigation into the allegations raised by the woman. About the Author Harish Upadhya Harish Upadhya, an Assistant Editor at CNN-News18, reports from Bengaluru. Political reporting is his forte. He also tracks India's space journey, and is passionate about environmental reporting and R... Read More First Published: October 03, 2025, 12:54 IST News bengaluru-news Bengaluru Horror: Husband Hid Camera In Bedroom, Forced Wife To Have Sex With Foreign Clients Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Bengaluru Not Quiet On Waste Front: Amid Karnataka Govts Crackdown, BJP Slams Garbage Tax Reported By : News18.com Edited By: Manjiri Joshi Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 14:47 IST Bengaluru: Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has ordered officials to clamp down on indiscriminate waste disposal and enforce garbage tax. BJP has slammed the tax Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google Deputy CM DK Shivakumar said tackling the garbage crisis was a challenge. (PTI File) Potholes, traffic jams, and now garbage Bengalurus problems keep piling up. The citys development in-charge minister and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has ordered officials to clamp down on indiscriminate waste disposal and effectively enforce the garbage tax, aiming for a cleaner city. Under the five corporations, commissioners have been ordered to conduct surprise inspections and regular checks to ensure proper implementation of solid waste management. Recommended Stories During one such inspection in North Bengaluru, Commissioner Pommala Sunil Kumar issued a stern warning to staff: if garbage collection is ineffective, strict action will follow. Shivakumar, who is also the Bengaluru development minister, said the governments drive for effective solid waste management has already seen nearly 35,000 property owners step forward to manage waste on their premises. He said tackling the garbage crisis was a challenge as the garbage collection system was controlled by mafia", who were deliberately blocking tenders. He said that they will ensure such monopoly is brought to a stop. Bengalurus garbage tax and fines Marshals in charge of solid waste management implementation have been tasked with identifying offenders and levying fines, while night patrols cover recurring black spots. Sunil Kumar warned, If waste management is not carried out properly and thoroughly, strict action will be taken against all officers and staff concerned." During his rounds in Banaswadi and Subbayyana Palya, he found garbage piled along roadsides. Officials said he ordered immediate clearance and made it clear that any official found negligent would face consequences. Negligence will not be tolerated," said an official who was part of the inspection for News18. Namma Bengalurus infrastructure works are being carried out with clear timelines and strict quality checks, and I am personally visiting the sites to oversee progress on the ground. Our aim is to deliver lasting improvements that reinforce the vision of Brand Bengaluru. pic.twitter.com/Gnc6KwBE9Z DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) September 30, 2025 To ensure a cleaner Bengaluru, Bengalureans are also being charged garbage tax. First implemented under BBMP and now continued under the GBA, Bengalurus garbage tax" is linked to property size. The 2025-26 BBMP budget details: homes up to 600 sq ft pay Rs 10/month, 600-1,000 sq ft Rs 50/month, 2,0003,000 sq ft Rs 150/month, 3,0004,000 sq ft Rs 200/month, and above 4,000 sq ft Rs 400/month. Commercial properties also face higher charges: hotels previously paying Rs 5/kg now pay Rs 12/kg. BSWML has zero tolerance for offenders, with a uniform Rs 2,000 fine for anyone caught dumping waste. The number of marshals has been increased and instructed to remain vigilant, prioritising habitual offenders. Dumping garbage on roads, drains, or vacant plots will attract a fine of Rs 2,000 per offence, recorded each time, said a GBA official. Officials from Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML) say enforcement has been tightened with a flat penalty for all offenders, whether first-time or repeat. The former BBMP, now under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) split into five corporations, had earlier introduced a user fee for waste collection, now bundled with property tax. Effective from April 1, residents began contributing to the system, expected to generate around Rs 600 crore annually. Now that the corporations have been formally established, this user fee will go into a dedicated escrow account managed by BSWML. Current revenue is estimated at Rs 750 crore under the erstwhile BBMP, but now officials say it is set to rise with the GBAs expanded jurisdiction. BSWML CEO Kari Gowda explained the system: Waste management means it should be properly handed over to those handling it, not dumped on roads or drains. Segregation into wet and dry waste is key, and it should be given to BBMP auto-tippers, not discarded in public spaces." He added that surveillance and penalties are now stricter, with marshals and junior health inspectors deployed across the city. Earlier this year, over 40 marshals resigned over low pay Rs 15,000-18,000/month) and long hours. Salaries have now been raised to Rs 30,000. Bengaluru currently has 200 marshals and 200 junior health inspectors, each tasked with penalising at least 10 offenders daily. A grievance redressal system has also been put in place. Residents can report violations 24/7 via WhatsApp (9448197197), toll-free number 1533, or the Sahaaya app, ensuring faster action on complaints. What Karnataka BJP said The garbage tax move has, however, drawn fire from the BJP. Leader of Opposition R. Ashoka slammed the Congress government for what the BJP termed as garbage cess." BJP demanded that only a single fee be collected for garbage management in Bengaluru. In a petition submitted earlier to the erstwhile BBMP chief commissioner, they sought the withdrawal of the decision. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The BJP took the stand that the government should collect either the user fee or the cess, but not both. Collecting both will increase rentals for houses, commercial buildings, and marriage halls, besides adding extra charges for hospitals, schools, and hotels," said Ashoka. Targeting Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, he wrote on X: The government which failed to dispose of Bengalurus garbage and turned Silicon City into a garbage city has now fixed fees for garbage collection. It seems they have decided to fill their coffers in the name of garbage disposal by promising to make the city garbage-free. DCM @DKShivakumar Sir, they robbed in the name of Brand Bengaluru, now they loot in the name of garbage too? Is this Bihar election expenditure or a bribe to get the CMs chair?" About the Author Rohini Swamy Rohini Swamy, Associate Editor at News18, has been a journalist for nearly two decades in the television and digital space. She covers south India for News18s digital platform. She has previously wor... Read More First Published: October 03, 2025, 14:32 IST News bengaluru-news Bengaluru Not Quiet On Waste Front: Amid Karnataka Govts Crackdown, BJP Slams Garbage Tax Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Bomb Threat At Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalins Chennai Residence, BJP Office; Probe Underway Reported By : News18.com Edited By: Aveek Banerjee Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 08:32 IST A wave of bomb threats targeted Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin's residence in Chennai, the BJP office and actor Trisha's house. Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin (Photo: PTI) A wave of bomb threats targeted Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalins residence in Chennai, along with the state BJP headquarters and the house of South actress Trisha. Police have launched an investigation. Recommended Stories A bomb threat was reported at Trishas residence in Chennais Teynampet locality, prompting a police search with sniffer dogs. Similar threats were also allegedly made to the Tamil Nadu Governors residence, according to multiple reports. This incident occurred over a month after Stalin reportedly received a bomb threat ahead of a flag hoisting ceremony on August 15. The threat created a stir in the administration and caused panic within the police department as well. The caller, identified as Ganesh, was taken into custody. In July, Stalins Chennai residence received a similar bomb threat. A bomb threat call was received by the control room of the Old Commissioners office, The Hindu reported, adding that the caller identified as Vinothkumar said a bomb had been placed in the CMs house. It turned out to be a hoax. This adds to a long list of bomb threats linked to Stalin. In 2024, a bomb threat email targeting the flight Stalin was to board to San Francisco triggered panic at Chennai airport. That threat was later declared a hoax after a thorough investigation. A young man was arrested for issuing a bomb threat at Stalins residence in August 2023. As per several reports, the man claimed he had planted a bomb in the Chief Ministers residence and disconnected the call. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Meanwhile, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijays residence in Neelankarai, Chennai, also received a bomb threat earlier this week, a day after a deadly stampede at his political rally in Karur claimed 41 lives. After Vijay reached his residence on Saturday midnight, following the fatal stampede tragedy at his rally in Karur, security was beefed up at his residence, with local Chennai city police and CRPF personnel deployed around his home. About the Author Poornima Murali Poornima Murali, Senior Special Correspondent at CNN-News18, has reported for over a decade on civic and political issues in Tamil Nadu. She has been helming the Chennai bureau for the channel for yea... Read More First Published: October 03, 2025, 08:03 IST News chennai-news Bomb Threat At Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalins Chennai Residence, BJP Office; Probe Underway Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Madras HC Dismisses Plea Seeking CBI Probe Into Karur Stampede: 'Petitioner Not Affected Party' Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 13:16 IST Madurai Bench of Madras High Court dismissed Desiya Makkal Sakthi Katchi's plea for a CBI probe into the Karur stampede at Vijay's rally, citing ongoing Karur police investigation. Rapid Read + Follow us On Google Footwear and other belongings of people lie on a road in the aftermath of stampede during a rally of actor and Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay, in Karur district, Tamil Nadu. (IMAGE: PTI/REPRESENTATIVE) The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Friday refused to order a CBI probe into the Karur stampede case, saying the investigation by Karur police was still in its initial stage. The court was hearing a PIL filed by the Desiya Makkal Sakthi Katchi and also took up a petition filed by one of the victims. The Bench said the PIL by the political party could not be entertained as it was not an aggrieved party. In the case of the victims petition, the Bench directed him to approach the principal bench in Chennai, which is already handling matters related to drafting a standard operating procedure (SOP) for political rallies. Recommended Stories During the hearing, the court also issued instructions to political parties, asking them to provide proper drinking water, sanitation facilities and sufficient parking at future rallies. Think about the people who lost their lives," the Bench observed. The state told the court that until the SOPs are finalised, no permissions will be granted for large-scale rallies. The September 27 stampede during a public rally of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief and actor Vijay in Karur killed at least 41 people and injured over 100. Several attendees fainted as panic spread through the overcrowded venue. Following the tragedy, Vijay suspended all political rallies for two weeks and his party announced Rs 20 lakh in relief for families of the deceased. Congress said it had extended a cumulative Rs 1.25 crore to affected families, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia for the kin of victims and Rs 50,000 for the injured. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Separately, the Bench dismissed an anticipatory bail plea filed by TVK Namakkal district secretary Satish Kumar. The judge questioned why the party had failed to control the crowd during the rally and raised concerns over the behaviour of cadres, including reports of public property being damaged. The court also issued notice on a plea seeking additional compensation for victims of the Karur stampede and asked the Tamil Nadu government to file its response. About the Author Shankhyaneel Sarkar Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has c... Read More First Published: October 03, 2025, 12:50 IST News chennai-news Madras HC Dismisses Plea Seeking CBI Probe Into Karur Stampede: 'Petitioner Not Affected Party' Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Tamil Nadu Bans Coldrif Cough Syrup After Child Deaths In Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 13:17 IST The Department of Drugs Control in Tamil Nadu has banned the sale of Coldrif cough syrup in the state following reports of deaths of children in other states. Rapid Read + Follow us On Google The decision from Tamil Nadu's authorities come as children died in other states after consuming Coldriff cough syrup. (IMAGE: IMAGEN 4/News18) Tamil Nadu has banned the sale of Coldrif cough syrup after reports linked the medicine to the deaths of children in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. A Tamil Nadu Department of Drugs Control sources told News18 on Friday that the state has banned the sale of Coldrif cough syrup following reports linking it to child deaths in both states. The State Drug Authority is conducting an inquiry into the incident. The source mentioned above said blood reports of nearly 500 people tested by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) have come back negative for any infectious disease in the area. Recommended Stories The NCDC on October 1 said that it has collected water and entomological drug samples from hospitals and other sites in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan where multiple children have died of kidney failure following alleged consumption of contaminated cough syrup. Nine children have died in Madhya Pradeshs Chhindwara following alleged consumption of the tainted medicines due to kidney failure. In Rajasthan three children died. Two children died in Rajasthans Sikar while one died in Bharatpur. What Is The Madhya Pradesh Govts Stand The district administration banned 2 cough syrups Coldrif and Nextro-DS following the deaths. The Madhya Pradesh Health Minister Rajendra Shukla said that preliminary findings show no contamination in the syrup, claiming, These deaths did not occur due to the cough syrup for sure," ahead of the examination report on Wednesday, with samples sent to laboratories in Nagpur and Pune for analysis. Shukla further added that the state government is awaiting Indian Council of Medical Researchs (ICMR) report before confirming reason. He added that the state government formed a committee of inquiry and is monitoring development closely. When asked about banning the cough syrup, the minister added, The matter of the cough syrup is baseless, and these deaths did not occur due to the cough syrup for sure." What Is The Rajasthan Government Saying The Rajasthan government said that it has formed a committee and warned that it will not spare anyone responsible for the deaths. Rajasthan Home Minister Jawahar Bedam said that a committee was formed to probe the matter. The state government gave clean chit to the doctors over the incident. A separate statement released by the Rajasthan Health Department on Thursday clarified that the recent deaths of two children in Bharatpur and Sikar districts were not caused by cough syrup distributed under the states free medicine scheme. Public Health Director Ravi Prakash Sharma said inquiry reports confirmed that in both cases, the children were administered the syrup at home without a doctors advice. As per protocol, Dextromethorphan (DXM) drug is not prescribed to children, Sharma said in the statement released on Thursday and added that in both incidents, the doctors had not prescribed the drug. Health Minister Gajendra Singh had earlier ordered a probe into the matter after reports of poor-quality cough syrup surfaced. Following the order, the Rajasthan Medical Services Corporation Limited (RMSCL) halted the supply and use of the drug, formed a three-member inquiry committee and sent some samples for testing at the state drug laboratory. However, in the case from Sikar, where the child was wrongly prescribed a cough syrup containing the drug DXM, the Health Department initiated suspension proceedings against the doctor and pharmacist concerned for violating protocol. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Several children in Rajasthan reportedly fell ill after consuming a cough syrup, with symptoms ranging from vomiting and drowsiness to loss of consciousness. Amid the panic, a local doctor, Dr Tarachand Yogi, attempted to prove the medicine was safe by drinking it himself. However, he too fainted shortly afterwards, raising fresh concerns over the safety of the syrup. About the Author Shankhyaneel Sarkar Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has c... Read More First Published: October 03, 2025, 12:09 IST News chennai-news Tamil Nadu Bans Coldrif Cough Syrup After Child Deaths In Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Danish Prime Minister Dick Schoof stated after the EU leaders' meeting in Copenhagen that Denmark does not support the idea of accelerating negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU, NL Times reported. Prime Minister Dick Schoof told parliament on Tuesday that the Netherlands is opposed to the proposal by EU chief Antonio Costa to speed up negotiations with Ukraine on joining the European Union. This is not the solution, the prime minister stated, the ezine said. As it is known, Ukraine has to meet a number of conditions before joining the EU, but Hungary is blocking the start of negotiations on these points. To start these talks, unanimity is required, and Costa now wants to move away from that. He believes a qualified majority should be sufficient, which would bypass Budapests veto. During a debate ahead of Wednesdays informal EU summit, Schoof said he opposed the proposal. He stressed that the Dutch cabinet remains committed to the Copenhagen criteria and the unanimity requirement they entail, adding that any rule change itself would also demand unanimous support, NT Times reported. However, as the publication says, Schof claimed that the real solution is to increase pressure on Hungary. In addition to the Netherlands, France and Greece are also cautious about the proposal to break unanimity. President Emmanuel Macron has expressed support for Orbans position, making it harder to achieve a qualified majority for Costas proposal, NL Times said. Fingers Chopped Off, Wrist Slashed: Maharashtra Man Brutally Killed In Front Of Minor Sons Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 10:26 IST The victim was dragged out of his auto and attacked by several men with weapons, who proceeded to chop off his fingers and slash his wrist, before stabbing him to death. Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google The victim was dragged out of his auto and attacked by several men with weapons.(Representative Image) In a horrifying incident, a man in Maharashtras Chchhahatrapati Sambhajinagar was brutally attacked by unidentified men in front of his sons, with his fingers chopped off and his wrist slashed before being stabbed to death. The incident occurred near the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar railway station, where the victim had gone out with his three-year-old boy and his 13-year-old brother. A car intercepted his auto in the Silk Mill Colony area, and some 5-6 people dragged him and his children out, reported NDTV. Recommended Stories The boys watched in horror as the man was attacked with weapons. The man tried to snatch their weapons and failed, after which the attackers chopped off his fingers, slit his right wrist and hit him multiple times on the head and neck. They later stabbed him several times and dumped him under a foot overbridge. Police suspected an old rivalry over a gas business dispute that led to the gruesome murder. Three suspects were apprehended within nine hours of the attack. The main suspect, identified as Mujeeb Don, had several cases registered against him. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all In a separate incident from earlier, a 60-year-old man allegedly smothered his estranged wife to death with a pillow in a fit of rage in Mumbais Powai. The victim, 56-year-old Shalini Devi, was a flight attendant-turned-lawyer, who had been living separately from her husband Rajiv Chandrabhan Lala. Their son resides in the United States. During the investigation, it has been revealed that her husband, Rajive Chandrabhan Lala, 60, had forcefully entered the flat and assaulted her. The accused has been arrested," the Mumbai police said, adding that a case was registered at Powai police station and further investigation is underway. About the Author Aveek Banerjee Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in int... Read More First Published: October 03, 2025, 10:26 IST News mumbai-news Fingers Chopped Off, Wrist Slashed: Maharashtra Man Brutally Killed In Front Of Minor Sons Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Grant Road Mumbai Metro-3 Station Will Soon Be At Your Service: Take A Look Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 19:10 IST Grant Road Mumbai Metro-3 station: The pictures of the station were shared on social media Rapid Read + Follow us On Google Grant Mumbai Metro-3 station is ready. (Instagram) Grant Road, one of south Mumbais busiest neighbourhoods, is soon set to begin its Mumbai Metro-3 journey. Similar to Girgaon, Cuffe Parade Metro station, Kalbadevi, Hutatma Chowk, CSMT, Vidhan Bhavan and Churchgate stations on the Worli to Colaba stretch, pictures of Grant Road Mumbai Metro-3 station were shared on social media. Recommended Stories The caption stated: Grant Road Metro Station Your gateway to South Mumbais vibrant hubs! From schools, hospitals & markets to iconic Grant Road East & West, this station brings seamless metro connectivity to one of the busiest neighbourhoods of the cities." View this post on Instagram A post shared by MumbaiMetro3 (@mumbaimetro3) The Girgaon Metro station: Take a look. View this post on Instagram A post shared by MumbaiMetro3 (@mumbaimetro3) Heres a glimpse of Kalbdevi Metro station. View this post on Instagram A post shared by MumbaiMetro3 (@mumbaimetro3) Earlier, pictures of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) Metro station were released. Take a look: View this post on Instagram A post shared by MumbaiMetro3 (@mumbaimetro3) Heres how Hutatma Chowk Mumbai Metro-3 station looks. View this post on Instagram A post shared by MumbaiMetro3 (@mumbaimetro3) The Churchgate Mumbai Metro-3 station is super fancy. Take a look: View this post on Instagram A post shared by MumbaiMetro3 (@mumbaimetro3) The Vidhan Bhavan Metro station of Aqua Line will provide direct underground access to Vidhan Bhavan, Mantralaya and the New Administrative Building. Take a look: top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all View this post on Instagram A post shared by MumbaiMetro3 (@mumbaimetro3) The inauguration of the last phase, from Worli to Cuffe Parade, will make the line fully operational. It has the following stations Science Museum, Mahalaxmi, Mumbai Central, Grant Road, Girgaon, Kalbadevi, CSMT, Hutatma Chowk, Churchgate, Vidhan Bhavan, Cuffe Parade. About the Author Manjiri Joshi At the news desk for 17 years, the story of her life has revolved around finding pun, facts while reporting, on radio, heading a daily newspaper desk, teaching mass media students to now editing speci... Read More First Published: October 03, 2025, 19:10 IST News mumbai-news Grant Road Mumbai Metro-3 Station Will Soon Be At Your Service: Take A Look Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Navi Mumbai Airport To Be Renamed After DB Patil, Says Maharashtra CM Fadnavis Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 23:04 IST Fadnavis also announced that the process of renaming airports in Pune and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad) is underway Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google The Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) is expected to open by the end of September. (Photo Credits: X) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday confirmed that the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport will be renamed in honour of late Loknete DB Patil, a respected politician and social activist who championed the rights of project-affected persons in the region. Speaking to the press, Fadnavis said, While granting permission for the airport construction earlier, the centre had approved the name Navi Mumbai International Airport. With the proposed renaming, it will now be officially known as Loknete DB Patil Navi Mumbai International Airport. Prime Minister Narnedra Modi has approved the states proposal." Recommended Stories Fadnavis also announced that the process of renaming airports in Pune and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad) is underway. Pune Airport is proposed to be named after Jagadguru Sant Tukaram, while the Aurangabad Airport will be renamed after Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. Both proposals, he said, have already received state cabinet approval and are now awaiting clearance from the Centre. The official name announcement will coincide with the commencement of passenger operations. During the interim dry run" period, advance bookings and technical readiness procedures will be conducted," he said. Fadnavis added that the Centre is in the process of finalising a uniform policy on naming airports, under which these proposals are being processed and are expected to be approved shortly. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all He also assured that criminal cases filed against activists who had protested over the naming of the Navi Mumbai airport will be withdrawn, especially to protect their employment prospects linked to the project. Cases filed during the COVID period will also be withdrawn following due judicial procedure," he said. (With inputs from PTI) About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More Location : Maharashtra, India, India First Published: October 03, 2025, 23:04 IST News mumbai-news Navi Mumbai Airport To Be Renamed After DB Patil, Says Maharashtra CM Fadnavis Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Clashes Erupt At JNU Over Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam's Depiction As Ravan, Many Injured Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 07:48 IST Clashes erupted at JNU as ABVP and Left-backed groups accused each other of disrupting a Durga idol procession and politicising religion through a Ravan Dahan event. According to ABVP, clashes erupted near the Sabarmati T-Point around 7pm. (Image: X) Tensions flared at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Thursday evening as the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) accused Left-backed student organisations of attacking a Durga idol immersion procession. In turn, Left-affiliated groups hit back, accusing the ABVP of leveraging religious practices for political messaging through a controversial Ravan Dahan event. According to ABVP, clashes erupted near the Sabarmati T-Point around 7pm, where members of the All India Students Association (AISA), Students Federation of India (SFI), and Democratic Students Federation (DSF) allegedly disrupted the procession, pelting stones and verbally abusing participants. Several students, including women, reportedly sustained injuries. Recommended Stories This is not just an attack on a religious event, but a direct attack on the universitys festive tradition and the faith of the students. The ABVP will not tolerate such cultural aggression at any cost," ABVP JNU president Mayank Panchal told PTI. Echoing this sentiment, ABVP JNU minister Praveen Piyush stated, Stone-pelting and even attacking female students during a sacred ritual like Durga Visarjan is condemnable and shameful," and called on the university administration to take strict action. JNUSU joint secretary Vaibhav Meena also decried the events, labelling them a direct assault on the cultural harmony and brotherhood of the university." In response, the AISA refuted the allegations and instead criticised the ABVP for politicising religion. The group pointed to a Ravan Dahan event allegedly organised by the ABVP, where effigies resembling former JNU students Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam were reportedly used to represent Ravan. Both Khalid and Imam are currently facing trial in cases related to the anti-CAA protests and the Delhi riots conspiracy. This is a blatant and dastardly display of Islamophobia, exploiting religious sentiments to harvest political benefits," the AISA said in its statement. The group further questioned the ABVPs choice of targets, asking why figures such as Nathuram Godse, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, or individuals accused of inciting violence during the 2020 Delhi riots were not depicted instead. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all JNU rejects the politics of hate and Islamophobia," the statement read, urging students to resist what they described as the divisive politics of RSS-ABVP." With both groups accusing each other of attempting to polarise the campus and disrupt its cultural atmosphere, the situation remains tense. The JNU administration has not yet issued a formal statement regarding the incident. About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More First Published: October 03, 2025, 07:48 IST News new-delhi-news Clashes Erupt At JNU Over Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam's Depiction As Ravan, Many Injured Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... 1,157 Schools In Kerala Unfit For Classes, Says Govt Report Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 09:20 IST Kerala report flags 1,157 schools as unfit for classes. Authorities stress urgent renovation and safety checks to protect thousands of students. 1,157 schools in Kerala declared unsafe, urgent renovation and safety checks needed. (Representational Image/Getty) A recent report tabled in the Kerala Assembly has revealed that as many as 1,157 schools across the state have buildings declared unfit" for conducting classes. The figures were shared by the Local Self Government Department (LSGD), even as the state government has been highlighting its efforts in upgrading school infrastructure. In response to a question raised by Karunagappally MLA C. R. Mahesh, General Education Minister V. Sivankutty admitted the problem and said the government is taking the issue seriously. While new school buildings are being constructed using plan funds and through KIIFB (Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board) projects, separate allocations are also being used for maintenance," he said in a written reply. Recommended Stories District-wise data shows Kollam topping the list with 143 schools that have unsafe buildings, followed by Alappuzha with 134 schools and Thiruvananthapuram with 120. As per existing rules, all schools must secure fitness certificates from their respective local bodies before reopening each academic year. The fresh numbers highlight the urgent need for faster renovation and safety checks to ensure thousands of students across Kerala can study in a secure environment. Zumba In Schools Sparks Debate Even as the state grapples with infrastructure issues, Kerala has also faced a controversy over the introduction of Zumba dance in schools. The initiative, launched in July, was added to the curriculum as part of the governments anti-drug campaign and aims to promote both physical fitness and mental well-being among students. While many have welcomed the move, it has also sparked criticism. Supporters argue the sessions help children cope with stress, while critics allege they encourage inappropriate intermingling of boys and girls. ALSO READ: Leh Schools Reopen Today Till Class 8 After Days of Tension Roma Mansoor, a certified International Zumba Fitness instructor, welcomed the initiative. I am happy to say that the Kerala government has taken initiative to promote Zumba in schools. It is a great initiative because nowadays children are addicted to many things that ruin their mindset. Zumba can help them relax their mindIt will help the children to increase their confidence. As it is a calorie-burning workout, it is a good move for weight management also" she told ANI. However, opposition grew after some religious groups voiced concerns. On June 28, Muslim organisations in Thiruvananthapuram objected to the practice, saying they could not accept boys and girls dancing together or wearing inappropriate clothing. The backlash intensified after TK Ashraf, a teacher and General Secretary of the Wisdom Islamic Organisation, posted on Facebook that he and his son would not participate. Cannot accept this, and my son and I will not participate in this," he wrote. Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama leader Nassar Faizy Koodathai also joined in, criticising the sessions as inappropriate" and a violation of students rights. Government Defends Move Despite the criticism, the Kerala Education Department has defended the initiative, clarifying that participation is voluntary. Officials stressed that the Zumba programme was part of a broader effort to help children handle academic stress and keep them away from drugs. Minister V. Sivankutty strongly stood by the move, calling objections misplaced. No one has asked children to wear minimal clothes. Children are wearing school uniforms and performing this," he said, adding that opposing such activities would inject poison that is more deadly than drugs" into society. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all CPI(M) leader MA Baby also supported the governments stand, dismissing the backlash. He called the controversy absolutely untrue." (With inputs from ANI) About the Author Education and Careers Desk A team of reporters, writers and editors brings you news, analyses and information on college and school admissions, board and competitive exams, career options, topper interviews, job notifications, ... Read More First Published: October 03, 2025, 09:18 IST News education-career 1,157 Schools In Kerala Unfit For Classes, Says Govt Report Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... BSEB STET 2025 Admit Card Date: Hall Tickets On October 11, Steps To Download Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 12:20 IST BSEB STET 2025: Candidates should verify details on their admit cards, including name, exam centre, date, and time, once released. The Bihar STET exam will be conducted on October 14. (Representational image/ Getty) The Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) will release the Bihar Secondary Teacher Eligibility Test (STET) admit card on October 11. Once released, the admit cards will be available on the official website at bsebstet.org or secondary.biharboardonline.com. To download the hall tickets, candidates will have to log in using their user ID and password. The exam will be conducted on October 14. Originally scheduled for October 12 to 31, the new schedule has consolidated the dates to October 14. The entire exam will be conducted in Computer Based Test (CBT) mode, with results expected by November 16. Recommended Stories Candidates should verify details on their admit cards, including name, exam centre, date, and time. In case of any discrepancy, it must be reported to the authorities immediately. Candidates who pass the STET will receive a lifetime-valid certificate, qualifying them for teacher recruitment and BPSC examinations. BSEB STET 2025 Admit Card: How To Download Step 1 First, visit secondary.biharboardonline.com. Step 2 Click on the BSEB Bihar STET Admit Card 2025 link. Step 3 Enter the required details such as email ID, mobile number, and password. Step 4 The admit card will appear on the screen. Step 5 Download and save the hall ticket, and keep a printout for further use. The Bihar STET 2025 application deadline has been extended from September 27 to October 5. To qualify for Bihar STET 2025, candidates must have a graduation or post-graduation degree with 50% marks from a recognised university. A B.Ed. degree or related qualification is also required. The minimum age requirement is 21 years. The maximum age is 37 years for General category, 40 years for OBC/women, and 42 years for SC/ST. Age relaxation is applicable for different categories as per rules. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all General, OBC, and EWS candidates will have to pay Rs 960 to appear for one paper and Rs 1,440 to apply for both paper 1 and 2. While SC, and ST category students need to pay Rs 760 for one paper and Rs 1,140 for both papers. Payment must be made online (UPI, debit/credit card, net banking). Selected candidates will receive a starting salary of Rs 30,000-40,000 per month. About the Author Education and Careers Desk A team of reporters, writers and editors brings you news, analyses and information on college and school admissions, board and competitive exams, career options, topper interviews, job notifications, ... Read More First Published: October 03, 2025, 11:58 IST News education-career BSEB STET 2025 Admit Card Date: Hall Tickets On October 11, Steps To Download Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... UKSSSC Recruitment Exam Postponed Amid Paper Leak Allegations, Revised Date 'Later' Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 14:11 IST UKSSSC Chief Executive Officer G.S. Martolia said that the decision to postpone the recruitment exam was made following requests from candidates. UKSSSC recruitment exam was slated to be held on October 5. (Representative Image/ Getty) The Uttarakhand Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UKSSSC) has postponed the recruitment examination that was scheduled for October 5. Chief Executive Officer G.S. Martolia told ANI that the decision was made following requests from candidates. The new date for the examination will be announced later," he added. Earlier, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami addressed the recent UKSSSC exam paper leak incident, assuring that his government had acted promptly to ensure fairness and transparency in the recruitment process. According to the Chief Ministers Office (CMO), CM Dhami stated that the authorities arrested the accused and formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the entire examination process as soon as the matter came to light. Recommended Stories To address the concerns of the youth and counteract disruptive elements, Dhami met with students and assured them that a CBI probe would be conducted and all their legitimate demands would be fulfilled. He emphasised that the state government has enacted Indias strictest anti-cheating law to ensure transparency in recruitment processes and curb cheating mafias. As a result, more than 25,000 youths have secured government jobs over the last four years, a record. Over 100 members of the cheating mafia, who had turned cheating into an industry during previous governments, have been sent to jail under this law. All these steps have been taken to secure the future and interests of the youth," he said. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all In the paper leak case, police stated that the main accused, Khalid Malik, confessed during interrogation that he had hidden his mobile phone inside the exam centre a day before the test. He allegedly used the phone to take photos of three pages of the question paper and sent them to his sister from the washroom. Meanwhile, UKSSSC Chairman Ganesh Singh Martolia said that there are around 10,000 to 12,000 government posts in total, and exams for nearly 4,500 to 5,000 posts have already been completed. The final results for these will be declared soon after document verification and physical tests. About the Author Education and Careers Desk A team of reporters, writers and editors brings you news, analyses and information on college and school admissions, board and competitive exams, career options, topper interviews, job notifications, ... Read More First Published: October 03, 2025, 14:08 IST News education-career UKSSSC Recruitment Exam Postponed Amid Paper Leak Allegations, Revised Date 'Later' Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Viksit Bharat Buildathon 2025: Class 6 To 12 Students Can Apply, All You Need To Know Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 18:27 IST The Buildathon invites students from classes 6-12 to form teams, think creatively, and develop ideas and prototypes to address real-life challenges. Viksit Bharat Buildathon 2025 application process will conclude on October 6. (Representative image/File) The Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, has launched the Viksit Bharat Buildathon 2025, a nationwide innovation movement aimed at engaging students from schools across the country. The Buildathon invites students from classes 6-12 to form teams, think creatively, and develop ideas and prototypes to address real-life challenges. Students will focus on four themes of national significance: Recommended Stories Atmanirbhar Bharat building self-reliant systems and solutions Swadeshi fostering indigenous ideas and innovation Vocal for Local promoting local products, crafts, and resources Samriddhi creating pathways to prosperity and sustainable growth Students, teachers, and schools across the country are encouraged to participate wholeheartedly in this movement. It is not just a competition, but a platform to showcase creativity, innovation, and problem-solving skills at a national and global level," states the official press release. To motivate and recognise student innovators, schools must submit their entries as photos and videos. A national panel of experts will evaluate the submissions, and the top student teams will be awarded prizes. In addition to recognition, these schools and students will receive ongoing support through corporate adoption, mentorship, and resources to further develop their innovations. Students will gain hands-on, experiential learning aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Viksit Bharat Buildathon 2025 Schedule: September 23 to October 6, 2025: Registrations open October 6 to 12, 2025: Preparatory activities October 13, 2025: Nationwide Live Buildathon across all schools October 14 to 31, 2025: Submission of entries by schools November 2025: Evaluation of entries top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all December 2025: Announcement of Top winners The Viksit Bharat Buildathon 2025 is a clarion call to students to dream big, innovate fearlessly, and contribute to Indias journey towards becoming a developed nation by 2047. Every school and every student are invited to take part in this movement, showcase their talent, and make their mark as the innovators of tomorrow," the education ministry added. About the Author Education and Careers Desk A team of reporters, writers and editors brings you news, analyses and information on college and school admissions, board and competitive exams, career options, topper interviews, job notifications, ... Read More First Published: October 03, 2025, 18:27 IST News education-career Viksit Bharat Buildathon 2025: Class 6 To 12 Students Can Apply, All You Need To Know Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Is The UK On The Brink Of Rising Anti-Semitism? What Does The Synagogue Attack Reveal? Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 12:20 IST For Britain, the synagogue attack is a wake-up call. Starmers measures address symptoms, but root causes demand bolder action. India, with its own diverse fabric, watches closely The UK reported 3,528 anti-semitism incidents in 2024a 147% jump from 2022 and the second-highest annual tally ever. From January to June 2025, 1,521 acts were logged. (Getty Images) A violent attack on a Manchester synagogue during Yom Kippur prayers on October 2 sent shockwaves through the British Jewish community, raising urgent questions about rising anti-Semitism. The assault, which left two people dead and four injured, unfolded on the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, amplifying fears in a nation where anti-Semitic incidents have more than doubled since the Israel-Gaza war began in October 2023. Recommended Stories With Britains 292,000 Jews facing a surge in vandalism, assaults, and online abuse, the attack has put a spotlight on the troubling trend. Is this a sign of escalating hatred, or an outlier in a society grappling with global tensions? Let us decode the Manchester attack, trace the history of anti-Semitism in the UK, and examine government responses. The Manchester Attack: A Timeline of Terror At 7.45 pm on October 2, as worshippers at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in Manchester gathered for Kol Nidrethe opening prayers of Yom Kippura silver sedan rammed into the synagogues entrance, shattering glass doors reinforced since the Gaza wars onset. The attacker, a 35-year-old local man with no prior criminal record, emerged brandishing a 12-inch kitchen knife and began stabbing congregants. Two died: Esther Cohen, 68, who shielded her grandson, and David Levy, 42, a schoolteacher protecting his family. Four othersa rabbis assistant, two teenagers, and an elderly worshippersuffered severe wounds and were hospitalised. The assailant, shouting anti-Jewish slurs tied to the Israel-Hamas conflict, was subdued by police gunfire within 90 seconds, killed after wounding security guards. His car contained pamphlets decrying Zionist aggression" and praising Hamass October 7, 2023, attack, which killed 1,139 Israelis. Greater Manchester Police, labelling it a terrorist act, arrested three associatestwo brothers and a cousinsuspected of aiding his online radicalisation. Raids across Manchester seized devices linked to extremist forums where the suspect had posted since the Gaza war escalated, killing over 65,000 Palestinians. The synagogue, serving 500 families in one of Britains largest Jewish hubs, became a crime scene, its steps littered with bloodied prayer shawls. Community leaders moved survivors to a nearby hall, where trauma counsellors worked through the night. The attacks timingon Yom Kippur, a day of fasting and atonementunderscored its brutality, marking it as the first direct assault on a UK synagogue in modern history. The Surge In Anti-Semitism Incidents In The UK The Manchester attack is part of a broader spike in anti-Semitic incidents since Hamass October 2023 assault on Israel. The British Community Security Trust (CST), which monitors Jewish safety, reported 3,528 incidents in 2024a 147% jump from 2022 and the second-highest annual tally ever. From January to June 2025, 1,521 acts were logged, including 201 physical assaults, the worst on record for that period. These range from vandalismswastikas and Free Palestine" graffiti on synagoguesto online death threats and physical attacks like spitting or bottle-throwing. London has seen a 400% rise in incidents since October 2023, with areas like Golders Green hit by firebombings and faeces smeared on Jewish nursery doors. Manchesters 10,000-strong Jewish community reports a tripling of attacks, from egged homes to cars torched with Zionist pig" slurs. Surveys show 40% of British Jews now hide kippahs or Stars of David in public, up from 20% before 2023. Social media fuels the fire: Hashtags like #ZionistMediaControl garner millions of views, spreading conspiracies about Jewish influence. The Gaza wars toll65,000 Palestinian deaths, 2 million displacedhas polarised discourse, with some pro-Palestine protests veering into anti-Jewish rhetoric, blurring criticism of Israel with historic tropes. The Manchester attack fits this pattern. Police investigations point to the assailants radicalisation via online forums blending Gaza war imagery with anti-Semitic memes. The CSTs post-attack advisorylock synagogue doors, avoid gathering outsidereflects a community under siege, with schools drilling lockdowns and parents pulling children from Hebrew classes. A Troubled History Of Anti-Semitism In Britain Anti-Semitism in Britain stretches back centuries, a mix of acceptance and animosity. Jews arrived with William the Conqueror in 1066, serving as financiers until Edward Is 1290 Edict of Expulsion, driven by blood libels and economic resentment, banished them for 366 years. Readmitted by Cromwell in 1656 for trade benefits, they faced lingering prejudice: 19th-century East End riots targeted Jewish immigrants with no Jews" cries. The 1936 Battle of Cable Street saw 100,000 anti-fascists block Oswald Mosleys British Union of Fascists, a stand against Nazi-inspired hatred. World War II exposed contradictions: Britain interned 27,000 Jewish enemy aliens" while fighting Hitler, and post-war quotas limited Holocaust survivor arrivals. The 1947 Colonial Office bombing, tied to Jewish extremists, fed scapegoating amid economic strain. Post-1967 Six-Day War, anti-Zionism often cloaked anti-Semitism, with Arab-Israeli conflicts sparking campus hate. The 1990s Stephen Lawrence case revealed institutional racism, including anti-Jewish strains. Post-9/11, Jews and Muslims faced shared xenophobia, but the Iraq and Lebanon wars revived synagogue vandalism and conspiracy spikes. The Gaza war has reignited these tensions. Before October 2023, the CST logged 1,815 incidents, then a record. The 2024 surge3,528 acts, 201 assaultsreflects imported Middle East rage, with river to the sea" chants at protests interpreted by many Jews as calls for erasure. Online, QAnon-style Jewish cabal" narratives proliferate, hitting younger Jews hardest, with 40% rethinking Zionism amid fear. Manchesters attack, echoing 2019s Poway synagogue shooting, marks a new low, reviving fears of historic pogroms. What Is The Governments Response? Prime Minister Keir Starmer responded swiftly. Hours after the attack, he vowed to protect Jewish communities, deploying armed police to synagogues, schools, and centres like Londons JW3. Greater Manchester Police, treating the incident as terrorism, raided three homes, seizing devices tied to extremist networks. A 5 million emergency fund was added to the 70 million pledged in February 2024 for the Jewish securityguards, CCTV, alarmscovering 500 sites. Starmers broader strategy builds on existing measures. The 2025 Hate Crime Bill mandates faster prosecutions, using the IHRA anti-Semitism definition to target Israel-related hate crossing into Jew-baiting. The Online Safety Act expands monitoring to curb hate speech, with platforms facing fines for failing to remove anti-Semitic content. Starmers September 2025 recognition of Palestine aimed to ease war-driven tensions, but it sparked far-right backlash, accusing Labour of appeasing" extremists. Critics highlight shortcomings. The surge began under the Conservatives, with incidents doubling in 2023, blamed on lax borders and unchecked social media. Pro-Palestine marches, drawing 300,000 in London, have led to arrests for incitement, but enforcement feels unevenJewish sites are fortified, yet Islamophobia spikes go unaddressed, risking minority alienation. The CST notes 6% of 2024 incidents involve extreme violence," urging education and interfaith efforts beyond security. A rabbis post-attack plea security today, understanding tomorrow" captures the gap. What Are The Implications? The Manchester attack highlights a broader crisis. Britains Jews, 0.4% of 67 million, face unprecedented fear: 40% hide their identity, synagogues lock doors, and schools mimic wartime drills. The Gaza wars global fallout has left 65,000 dead, polarised protests, with anti-Zionism often slipping into anti-Semitism. Social medias role is undeniable, amplifying conspiracies to millions. Historically, Britains multiculturalism has been tested by such waves. Cable Streets 1936 stand defeated fascists, but todays threat is decentralisedonline forums, lone actors. The Runnymede Trust warns that current protections, while robust, risk unequal" perceptions, sidelining other minorities like Muslims facing parallel hate spikes. For Britain, the attack is a wake-up call. Starmers measurespatrols, funding, lawsaddress symptoms, but root causessocial media hate, educational gaps, imported conflictsdemand bolder action. India, with its own diverse fabric, watches closely: Its $10 billion trade with Israel and $15 billion with the Middle East hinge on stability. New Delhis likely response$50 million in Gaza aid, UN calls for de-escalationreflects its balancing act. The Yom Kippur attack is not just a tragedy; it is a warning. As Britain fortifies its Jewish spaces and grapples with hates rise, the challenge is clear: Confront the tide head-on, or risk a fractured future where no community feels safe. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all About the Author Shilpy Bisht Shilpy Bisht, Deputy News Editor at News18, writes and edits national, world and business stories. She started off as a print journalist, and then transitioned to online, in her 12 years of experience... Read More First Published: October 03, 2025, 11:54 IST News explainers Is The UK On The Brink Of Rising Anti-Semitism? What Does The Synagogue Attack Reveal? Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... What Is Sir Creek & Why Did Rajnath Singh Warn Pakistan Its 'Geography Could Change' Over It? Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 16:05 IST Rajnath Singh warned Pakistan against expanding military infrastructure in the bordering Sir Creek area, saying any move would be met with a decisive response India's Border Security Force soldiers patrol near the international border with Pakistan at Sir Creek, Gujarat, November 25, 2009. (REUTERS) Sir Creek, a 96-km tidal estuary between Gujarat and Pakistans Sindh province, is back in the headlines after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh warned of a decisive response" to Islamabads military build-up near the disputed border. Heres what the Sir Creek dispute is, why it remains unresolved, and whats triggered its return to the spotlight. Recommended Stories Why Is Sir Creek Back In The Headlines? The long-simmering Sir Creek dispute between India and Pakistan flared up on Thursday, when Defence Minister Rajnath Singh issued a sharp warning during Dussehra celebrations near Gujarats Bhuj. Accusing Pakistan of building up military infrastructure near the disputed border, Singh declared that any misadventure will invite a decisive response that can alter both history and geography." Just a day later, top intelligence and naval sources confirmed to News18 that Pakistan has indeed significantly escalated its presence in the area, establishing mini-cantonments, emergency airstrips, new creek battalions, and reinforcing the Bholari airbase damaged in Operation Sindoor earlier this year. Where Is Sir Creek And Why Is It Disputed? Sir Creek is a 96-km-long tidal estuary situated in the marshlands between Indias Gujarat state and Pakistans Sindh province. It flows into the Arabian Sea through the Rann of Kutch, a vast, mostly uninhabited salt marsh, and forms part of the international boundary. The creek was named after a British colonial official and was originally part of the Bombay Presidency. The dispute revolves around the demarcation of this watery boundary. Pakistan claims the entire creek belongs to it, based on a 1914 resolution issued by the then British-run Bombay Government, which it says places the border on the eastern bank, meaning the full creek lies in Sindh. India disagrees. It says the same 1914 resolution also invokes the thalweg principle, an international legal concept that says boundaries in navigable water bodies should follow the deepest or mid-channel line. India further cites a 1925 map and mid-channel boundary pillars to back its claim, while Pakistan maintains that Sir Creek is a tidal estuary, not a river, and therefore the thalweg rule does not apply. India counters that it remains navigable at high tide, so the principle should apply. The creeks course also shifts over time, making the legal and cartographic dispute even more complicated. What Did The 1968 Tribunal Say About Sir Creek? In 1965, India and Pakistan fought a series of armed skirmishes in the Rann of Kutch region. To resolve the boundary dispute, both countries agreed to international arbitration. The case was heard by the Indo-Pakistani Western Boundary Case Tribunal, which gave its ruling in 1968. The tribunal awarded nearly 90 per cent of the northern Rann of Kutch to India. However, it did not rule on Sir Creek. The tribunal focused on the boundary north of the creek, leaving the southern section, including the creek itself and its mouth, unsettled. This leftover ambiguity created a situation where both countries interpret the land and maritime boundary differently, particularly in drawing their Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) and continental shelf claims in the Arabian Sea. Why Is Sir Creek So Important? On the surface, Sir Creek appears militarily unimportant a swampy, uninhabited stretch prone to harsh weather, with scorching days and freezing nights. But despite its terrain, the region holds significant economic and strategic value. Control over Sir Creek affects the drawing of the maritime boundary in the Arabian Sea, which in turn determines access to Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs), continental shelves, and suspected oil and gas reserves. Moreover, the creek lies in one of the largest fishing zones in South Asia., and every year dozens of Indian and Pakistani fishermen are arrested for unintentionally crossing the unclear maritime boundary. Both nations have been criticised for keeping these civilians in jail for extended periods despite international norms that recommend minimal penalties for such violations. Environmental concerns have added to the complexity. The Left Bank Outfall Drain (LBOD) canal from Pakistan allegedly discharges saline and industrial effluents into Sir Creek, which India sees as a violation of the Indus Waters Treaty. What Has Pakistan Done Recently? Pakistan has dramatically increased its military infrastructure in and around Sir Creek since Indias Operation Sindoor earlier this year. Four new Creek Battalions of the Sindh Regiment were added, taking the total to six. These include: 31st (Sujawal, 1999) 32nd (Gharo, 2019) 33rd (Badin, 2021) 34th (Jaati, 2025) 35th (Keti Bunder, 2025) Each battalion has infantry and amphibious capabilities, with Pakistan Navy and Sindh Rangers providing full support. Pakistan has also set up six new marine security posts between Bandha Dhora and Harami Dhoro, deploying coastal defence boats, marine crafts, and patrol vessels. The Bholari forward airbase, originally built to protect Chinese interests like the Thar coal project, was damaged in Indian strikes during Operation Sindoor but has since been reinforced with new air defence systems, JF-17 and J-10C squadrons, and surveillance technology, reportedly developed with Chinese assistance. A joint military-naval-air command, established in 2021 with Beijings help, now oversees the region, with Pakistan deploying Chinese-made radars, AWACS aircraft, and missile systems for 247 monitoring. What Did Rajnath Singh Say? Speaking in Bhuj during Dussehra, Singh drew historical parallels to Indias 1965 offensive that reached Lahore. In 2025, Pakistan must remember that the road to Karachi also passes through the creek," he warned. He accused Pakistan of harbouring ill intentions" and said Indias efforts at dialogue have been met with duplicity. We have tried to resolve this through talks several times, but Pakistans intent remains flawed. Now, if it dares to act, the reply will change both history and geography," he said. What Happened To Talks Over Sir Creek? Diplomatic efforts to resolve the Sir Creek dispute have seen intermittent progress but no lasting breakthrough. Bilateral talks were last formally held in June 2012, focusing on both the land boundary and the maritime delimitation. A new Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue was announced in December 2015, which included Sir Creek as an agenda item. However, the 2016 Pathankot terror attack and Pakistans continued support for cross-border terrorism derailed the process. Since then, structured dialogue has remained suspended. The Bottom Line top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Sir Creek may look like an obscure marshland on the IndiaPakistan border, but it carries weight far beyond its muddy banks. Control over this 96-km estuary influences maritime boundaries, fishing rights, and possible oil and gas reserves in the Arabian Sea. With Pakistan stepping up military infrastructure and India warning of a decisive response," the decades-old dispute is no longer dormant. About the Author Karishma Jain Karishma Jain, Chief Sub Editor at News18.com, writes and edits opinion pieces on a variety of subjects, including Indian politics and policy, culture and the arts, technology and social change. Follo... Read More First Published: October 03, 2025, 16:03 IST News explainers What Is Sir Creek & Why Did Rajnath Singh Warn Pakistan Its 'Geography Could Change' Over It? Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... The United States will provide Ukraine with intelligence on long-range energy infrastructure targets in Russia, Reuters reported, citing two informed American officials. The U.S. is also asking NATO allies to provide similar support, the U.S. officials said, confirming details first reported by the Wall Street Journal, Reuters said. The Wall Street Journal said the new data would make it easier for Ukraine to hit infrastructure such as refineries, pipelines and power plants with the aim of depriving the Kremlin of revenue and oil. The decision represents the first known policy change that President Donald Trump has signed off on since hardening his rhetoric toward Russia in recent weeks in an attempt to end Moscow's more than three-year-old war on its neighbour. Trump, who had previously said Ukraine would have to give up territory to end the war, said last week he believed it was possible for Kyiv to win back all land that Moscow has captured, Reuters said. Why Hamas Hasnt Responded To Trumps Gaza Peace Plan Yet | Explained Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 14:25 IST With Trump setting a red line and Netanyahu threatening to finish the job, Hamas is yet to respond to the US-backed Gaza ceasefire plan US President Donald Trump with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (AFP) Four days after US President Donald Trump unveiled his 20-point Gaza peace plan, Israel has endorsed it, but Hamas has yet to give an official reply. With disarmament demands, internal divisions and international pressure, the group is weighing its options before making a formal decision. What Does Trumps Peace Plan Propose? Recommended Stories The plan, announced in Washington earlier this week, seeks to end the nearly two-year conflict in Gaza. It calls for an immediate ceasefire. Hamas would be required to release all remaining Israeli hostages within 72 hours in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, including several serving life sentences. Israeli forces would withdraw gradually to a buffer zone surrounding Gaza. The territorys administration would shift to an international transitional authority, which would also oversee humanitarian aid and reconstruction. The proposal includes a key clause requiring Hamas to disarm and relinquish control of Gaza. It does not mention a roadmap to Palestinian statehood. Israel quickly endorsed the plan. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that if Hamas rejected it or caused delays, Israel would finish the job" militarily. Why Has Hamas Not Issued A Response Yet? Hamas has not formally accepted or rejected the plan. A senior official told the Associated Press that some elements are unacceptable" and that these concerns had been conveyed to mediators in Qatar and Egypt. The groups leadership is divided geographically and organisationally across Gaza, Doha, and Istanbul, which has slowed decision-making. Hamas has stated it will consult with other Palestinian factions before delivering a reply. According to the Guardian, sources close to the group say Hamas may treat the proposal as a basis for negotiations but is unlikely to agree to its terms as presented. Are There Divisions Inside Hamas Over The Plan? Hamass leadership is not monolithic. The Guardian reported that different branches of the group hold varying views. The Doha-based political leadership is seen as more pragmatic, while the military leadership in Gaza remains firmly opposed to disarmament. Younger fighters reportedly want to continue hostilities, believing Israel is under pressure due to reservist mobilisation and upcoming elections. However, Michael Milshtein, an expert in Hamas at Tel Aviv University, told The Guardian that such divisions may be overstated. He said opposition to disarmament is broadly shared across the group, as armed resistance is seen as central to its identity. What Are Hamass Key Objections To The Plan? The most serious objection is the demand that Hamas disarm. According to Hugh Lovatt, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, it would be very difficult for Hamas to accept the terms unconditionally" as the proposal lacks details and offers no political roadmap. Anything other than total and final acceptance will be used against Hamas by Israel, the Trump administration and possibly the Europeans," he told The Guardian. Other sticking points include: The lack of detail around Israels withdrawal timeline and buffer zone arrangements The absence of guarantees for political rights or elections in Gaza under the proposed international administration The fact that Hamas was excluded from the plans drafting process, while Israeli conditions were incorporated from the outset While the mass prisoner release is viewed as a potential achievement, sources close to Hamas told AP that it does not outweigh the perceived risks of disarmament without political guarantees. What Pressure Is Hamas Facing From Abroad? Qatar, Turkey and Egypt, three countries with influence over Hamas, are encouraging the group to respond constructively. According to AP, Egypts Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said during a speech in Paris that Hamas must disarm and avoid giving Israel a pretext for continued attacks. Referring to the 7 October 2023 Hamas assault, he said, Lets not give any excuse for one party to use Hamas as a pretext for this mad daily killing of civilians," calling the ongoing Israeli campaign ethnic cleansing and genocide in motion." Qatar and Turkey, which host Hamass political leaders, are urging compromise to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. What Deadline Has The US Set For A Response? Speaking on Tuesday, President Trump said Hamas had three or four days" to respond to the proposal. On Thursday, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that the President would draw a red line if there was no reply, though no specific consequence was outlined. This is an acceptable plan," Leavitt said. We hope and expect Hamas should accept this plan so we can move forward." The White House said the plan had been welcomed by several countries and described it as comprehensive and detailed." What Role Is Israel Playing While Waiting For A Response? Israel has continued military operations while awaiting Hamass response. According to AP, at least 13 Palestinians were killed in overnight airstrikes on Thursday. Nine people, most of them women, died in a house in Deir al-Balah, and three more were killed in a strike on a tent. Shifa Hospital in Gaza City also reported casualties amid an ongoing Israeli offensive. Separately, Israeli forces intercepted a flotilla of about 40 vessels carrying humanitarian aid and activists aiming to breach the naval blockade. According to organisers and Israels Foreign Ministry, the ships were diverted and the passengers detained. Is Hamas Likely To Reject The Plan Completely? At this stage, a full rejection appears unlikely. Hamas is likely to seek amendments rather than walk away from the proposal altogether. This would allow Hamas to retain leverage, avoid further escalation, and signal diplomatic engagement. However, both Israel and the Trump administration have warned that partial or conditional acceptance may be treated as a rejection. What Happens If Hamas Doesnt Respond Soon? If Hamas rejects the plan or continues to delay its response: top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Israel may intensify its military campaign, as indicated by statements from Prime Minister Netanyahu The US may treat the silence as a withdrawal from talks, based on Trumps earlier remarks Mediators may find it harder to keep communication channels open If Hamas accepts with conditions, it could open the door to negotiations, but there is no clarity yet on how the US or Israel would respond to anything short of full compliance. About the Author Karishma Jain Karishma Jain, Chief Sub Editor at News18.com, writes and edits opinion pieces on a variety of subjects, including Indian politics and policy, culture and the arts, technology and social change. Follo... Read More First Published: October 03, 2025, 14:21 IST News explainers Why Hamas Hasnt Responded To Trumps Gaza Peace Plan Yet | Explained Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... 3rd Child Dies After Suspected Cough Syrup Consumption In Rajasthan, Probe Denies Medical Negligence Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 09:46 IST This is the third such incident in the state, where three children have died after reportedly suffering adverse reactions to cough syrup. AI-generated image used for representation In yet another case of the death of children by cough syrup, a two-year-old child died after allegedly consuming a syrup in Rajasthans Bharatpur. The infant has been identified as Tirthrj. According to his family, he was shifted to the Sub-District Hospital in Weir on September 23, where he was given a cough syrup. His condition deteriorated after consuming the syrup, and he was referred to Jaipur in critical condition. Recommended Stories He died on September 27. This is the third such incident in the state, where three children have died after reportedly suffering adverse reactions to cough syrup. Probe Report Submitted To CM Bhajanlal Sharma A report was also submitted to Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma in connection with the alleged death by the consumption of the cough syrup in Rajasthan. The investigation has cleared the doctors of any wrongdoing. The report, prepared by the states Medical Department and submitted to the Chief Minister, stated that no doctor had prescribed the medicine in question. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all According to the findings, the children were given a dextromethorphan-based syrup that families had stored at home. Officials believe this self-administered syrup, not prescribed by medical professionals, may have caused the fatalities. The report effectively rules out medical negligence, placing responsibility on the unsafe use of over-the-counter medication. About the Author Anushka Vats Anushka Vats is a Sub-Editor at News18.com with a passion for storytelling and a curiosity that extends beyond the newsroom. She covers both national and international news. For more stories, you can ... Read More Location : Rajasthan, India, India First Published: October 03, 2025, 09:46 IST News india 3rd Child Dies After Suspected Cough Syrup Consumption In Rajasthan, Probe Denies Medical Negligence Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... After Jyoti Malhotra, Another Haryana YouTuber Held For Spying For Pakistans ISI Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 18:38 IST Haryana Police arrested YouTuber Wasim Akram from Palwal for allegedly spying for Pakistans ISI. Akram and Taufiq were in contact with ISI and Pakistan High Commission. YouTuber Wasim Akram.(X) The Haryana Police have arrested a YouTuber named Wasim Akram from Palwal district for allegedly spying for Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and its High Commission, officials have said. The YouTuber, a resident of Kot village in Palwal, ran a channel on the social media platform where he used to post videos on the history of Mewat. He was arrested on Wednesday, news agency PTI reported. Recommended Stories According to police, Akram had been in touch with Pakistani agents for the past three years and allegedly provided SIM cards to them. Several incriminating WhatsApp chats were recovered from his phone, including some deleted messages, which the cyber cell is attempting to retrieve. Akrams arrest followed days after Palwal police detained another Pakistani spy, Taufiq, who provided the authorities with information about Akram. Taufiq, a resident of Alimev village in the district, was arrested on September 26. Akrams Link With Pakistan As per the police, the YouTuber first came in contact with Pakistani agent Danish in 2021 while applying for a visa to Pakistan. While his family denied any travel to the neighbouring country, several facts during interrogation pointed to cross-border connections. According to police, both Akram and Taufiq were in contact with the ISI and the Pakistan High Commission through internet calls. Both the accused were in touch with the Pakistan High Commission and ISI. Crime branch teams are questioning them after taking them on police remand," Palwal SP Varun Singla said, as quoted by the news agency. The SP has assigned the Palwal crime branch and other concerned authorities to thoroughly investigate the case. The Intelligence Bureau is also in touch with the police. More arrests are likely to be made in the case in the coming days, police said. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Taufiqs arrest followed a similar case in Rajasthan, where Hanif Khan, a resident of Basanpir Juni, Jaisalmer, was arrested by the Rajasthan CID Intelligence. Khan was accused of sending confidential information about army movements to Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), including during Operation Sindoor. (With inputs from agencies) About the Author Shobhit Gupta Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degre... Read More Location : Palwal, India, India First Published: October 03, 2025, 18:38 IST News india After Jyoti Malhotra, Another Haryana YouTuber Held For Spying For Pakistans ISI Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Agencies Likely To Probe Sonam Wangchuks Wife Gitanjali For Irregularities In HIAL: Sources Curated By : News18.com Edited By: Shankhyaneel Sarkar Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 11:47 IST Investigative agencies may probe Sonam Wangchuks wife Gitanjali Angmos role in the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives (HIAL). Sonam Wangchuk's wife Gitanjali Angmos role as co-founder of Himalayan Institute of Alternatives (HIAL) could be probed by investigating agencies. (IMAGE: X) Investigative agencies could probe the role of Gitanjali Angmo, Ladakh climate activist Sonam Wangchuks wife, for alleged irregularities in Himalayan Institute of Alternatives (HIAL), sources told News18. The sources said all those who are involved with the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives along with some other will be probed. Recommended Stories The sources pointed out that the Ladakh administration alleged HIAL of jeopardising the future of the youth by issuing degrees despite not being registered university. The Ladakh administration also rejected claims of a witch-hunt" or a smoke-screen" operation against Sonam Wangchuk on Tuesday. The administration asserted that the actions taken by law enforcement agencies were based on credible inputs and documents. It appealed that the process of law should be allowed to take its own course and expressed confidence that together we will bring back normalcy in the peace-loving Leh township and continue with our dialogue process". Wangchuk was detained under the National Security Act last week. He is the primary face of the agitation seeking statehood and Sixth Schedule safeguards for Ladakh, was detained under the stringent act following the violent clashes between protesters and security personnel on September 24. Talks between the Centre and representatives from Ladakh have hit a roadblock with the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) backing the Leh Apex Bodys (LAB) decision to suspend dialogue until Wangchuk and others were released. Gitanjali Angmo, who is the co-founder of the HIAL, has alleged that a witch-hunt" was underway to project her husband as an anti-national." She claimed there was no need to impose the NSA on Sonam Wangchuk" and asserted that authorities have not provided her with formal documents detailing the charges. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all In a statement issued on Tuesday night, the Department of Information and Public Relations said, The administration of UT of Ladakh would like to clarify a few issues in the background of a series of press conferences and media statements given by certain sections. There have been reports in the media of baseless allegations of victimisation of certain individuals, including Wangchuk, by government agencies. There is no question of witch-hunting or smoke screen," it said. About the Author Tejinder Singh Sodhi A defence journalist, Tejinder Singh Sodhi has the distinction of being the only Indian civilian to have studied at the US Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. In his c... Read More Location : Leh, India, India First Published: October 03, 2025, 10:45 IST News india Agencies Likely To Probe Sonam Wangchuks Wife Gitanjali For Irregularities In HIAL: Sources Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Brought Them To Their Knees: IAF Chief On How Indias Strikes Forced Pakistan To Seek Ceasefire Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 12:51 IST Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh said India's response during Operation Sindoor forced Pakistan to ask for a ceasefire while New Delhi's objectives were met. IAF Chief Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh. (News18) Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh on Thursday credited the unity of the Indian Armed Forces for the success of Operation Sindoor in May, saying it played an essential role in bringing the enemy to their knees". India launched precise airstrikes under Operation Sindoor to target the terror infrastructure of Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on May 7 in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. India struck nine camps and eliminated over 100 terrorists in its attack. Recommended Stories Speaking on the 93rd Air Force Day celebrations, Air Marshal Singh said there was a feeling of making the terrorists pay the price for the dastardly Pahalgam attack. He said Indias response would go down in history as one which started with a clear objective and was completed quickly without prolonging it. We could make them reach a stage where they asked for a ceasefire, ask for termination of hostilities, and also we took a call as a nation to terminate those opportunities because our own objectives are met," he said, referring to the understanding reached on May 10 to pause the hostilities after four days of cross-border firings. How Did India Force Pakistan For A Ceasefire? As far as offensive action was concerned, the IAF chief said India used indigenously developed and integrated weapon systems with long-range missiles. Our long-range SAMs that we had procured recently and operationalised. We could look deep inside their territory. We could make sure that they were not able to operate even within their territory up to a certain distance. It will go down in history as the longest kill that we achieved, of more than 300 km. And it seriously curtailed their activities," he said. With all three services Army, Navy, Air Force assets being merged together and the air defence assets, the counter UAV assets and everything working under one combined control of the IAF command and control centre, it worked out to be a game changer. Under that, they (Pakistan) were not allowed almost any freedom to do anything.". Air Marshal Singh also said Indias long-range Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs) also turned the tide in Indias favour. Satellite images showed the hits we achieved. Pakistan couldnt even operate within its own territory," he added. We could make them reach a stage where they asked for a ceasefire, ask for termination of hostilities, and also we took a call as a nation to terminate those opportunities because our own objectives are met. I think this is something that the world needs to learn from us." How Many Aircraft Did India Destroy? Air Marshal AP Singh also revealed that India managed to shoot down at least five high-tech fighter jets and a AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) that was situated over 300 km in Pakistani territory. He also revealed that 4-5 enemy aircraft, most likely F-16s, were damaged on the ground. India also decimated four radars, two command centres, one hangar, a C-130 class transport aircraft, three to four fighters, and one SAM system, he added. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The IAF chief asserted that the relevance of air power had come to the fore after Operation Sindoor. The character of war is ever changing. The next war will not be like the previous one. We need to be future-ready," he said, stressing the importance of Atmanirbharta (self-reliance). He said a roadmap has been created to enhance the capabilities of the Air Force, and all three services have started working on Sudarshan Chakra air defence system, first mentioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his August 15 address to the nation. About the Author Aveek Banerjee Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in int... Read More First Published: October 03, 2025, 12:12 IST News india Brought Them To Their Knees: IAF Chief On How Indias Strikes Forced Pakistan To Seek Ceasefire Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Congress Crosses A Line Again: BJP Fires Back After Oppositions Modern Ravana Dig At PM Modi Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 12:44 IST Sanjay Rauts remarks against PM Modi include calls to burn Ravana in Delhi, accusations of electoral malpractice, and suggestions to rename Chor Bazaar as Modi Bazaar." PM Narendra Modi. (Image: PTI/File) The Congress party has once again sparked controversy with sharp criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, this time drawing on the symbolism of Dussehra. Delhi Congress leader Udit Raj likened the Prime Minister to a modern Ravana," warning that the golden palace" Modi is building will eventually face destruction. Speaking to the media, Udit Raj said, PM Modi is a symbol of modern Ravana, and the way he is building his golden palace, once he enters it, he will see the same golden palace burn." He added, Sanjay Raut has said that the Ravana of Delhi must be burned, and the day to burn Delhis Ravana is near. PM Modi cannot continue for long, and soon there will be fire in his Lanka." Recommended Stories Political fire amid Dussehra The comments come amid other provocative statements by political leaders. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut has launched a series of attacks on the Prime Minister, declaring, Since Union Home Minister Amit Shahs party came to power, many Raavans have been born. The number of people who speak the truth has decreased. The ideology of Ram has been wiped out. Rahul Gandhi has a torch in his hand, we will burn Delhis Raavan." Rauts remarks included calls to burn Ravana in Delhi," accusations of electoral malpractice, and suggestions to rename Chor Bazaar as Modi Bazaar," triggering political tension ahead of festival celebrations. BJP reacts top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all BJP spokesperson Shehzaad Poonawala criticised the Congress statements, saying, Yesterday, a Congress MLA from Telangana abused Prabhu Ram, and today Udit Raj crosses the line. Muhabbat Ki Dukaan or nafrat ke bhaijaan? Once again Congress crosses the line" This is not the first time the Modi-Ravana" comparison has emerged. The narrative largely originates from political opponents seeking to critique Modis dominance in Indian politics. During the Gujarat elections, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had compared Modi to the many-headed Ravana, emphasising his omnipresent role in BJP campaigns. About the Author Shuddhanta Patra Shuddhanta Patra, a seasoned journalist with eight years of experience, serves as Senior SubEditor at CNN News 18. With expertise across national politics, geopolitics, business news, she has influen... Read More Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: October 03, 2025, 12:16 IST News india Congress Crosses A Line Again: BJP Fires Back After Oppositions Modern Ravana Dig At PM Modi Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Dilwale Daadi Le Gaye: UP Grandmother Runs Off With Lover, Rs 40,000 And Family Jewels Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 20:34 IST Sukhwati, a 45-year-old from Syawari village, Jhansi, eloped with Amar Singh, taking jewellery and Rs 40000. The husband said his wife continued talking to her lover Amar despite warnings. (News18 Hindi) In a very shocking incident, a 40-year-old woman, a mother of two sons and grandmother of two grandsons, eloped with her 35-year-old lover in Uttar Pradeshs Jhansi. The woman also took away her daughter-in-laws jewellry and Rs 40,000 cash with her. The police have registered a case on the complaint of the husband and have started investigating the matter. Recommended Stories The incident took place in Syawari village of Jhansis Mauranipur, where the woman, identified as Sukhwati, fled with her lover, Amar Singh, who is around five years younger than her, News18 Hindi reported. Sukhwatis husband, Kamta Prasad, shared his ordeal, saying that two and a half years ago, his wife had gone to work in brick kilns in Bhind, Madhya Pradesh. During this time, she met Amar Singh Prajapati, a resident of village Bihuni. While working in the kilns, the two fall in love. When Kamta Prasad learned of their affair, he brought his wife back home, but the love-struck pair continued to meet secretly. The husband said his wife continued talking to Amar, despite warnings. Once, he caught her on a call with him, and even the daughters-in-law had seen her talking to Amar many times. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Recently, when Kamta went to Jhansi for his sons treatment, Sukhwati seized the opportunity and stole the daughters-in-laws jewellry, cash, and other belongings from the house, and fled with her lover, the report added. The incident has shaken the familydaughters-in-law remain indoors, and due to disgrace, he and his sons also stay confined. He added that despite having sons and grandchildren, his wife pursued romance at this age and deserves strict punishment. About the Author Shobhit Gupta Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degre... Read More Location : Jhansi, India, India First Published: October 03, 2025, 20:34 IST News india Dilwale Daadi Le Gaye: UP Grandmother Runs Off With Lover, Rs 40,000 And Family Jewels Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Ex-NSG Commando, Part Of 26/11 Anti-Terror Op, Arrested With 200 Kg Ganja In Rajasthan Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 13:12 IST Bajrang Singh, a former NSG commando who was part of the 26/11 anti-terror operation in 2008, was arrested for his involvement in a cannabis smuggling racket. Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google Bajrang Singh, a former NSG commando and the mastermind of a cannabis smuggling racket, was arrested. (Rajasthan Police) A former National Security Guard (NSG) commando, who was part of the 26/11 anti-terror operation in Mumbai in 2008, was arrested with 200 kg of ganja in his possession by the Rajasthan Police, who alleged that he was the kingpin of a cannabis smuggling racket. Bajrang Singh was arrested on Wednesday night from Ratangarh in Rajasthans Churu district, for his alleged involvement in smuggling cannabis from Telangana and Odisha into Rajasthan, Inspector General of Police Vikas Kumar told news agency PTI. Recommended Stories Bajrang was caught with 200 kg of ganja in his possession. He hailed from Rajasthans Sikar district and was on police radar due to his criminal activities, carrying a bounty of Rs 25,000, Kumar said. Rajasthans Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) were also involved in his arrest as part of Operation Gaanjaney. Who Is Bajrang Singh? Bajrang Singh left his studies after Class 10, but he was able to join the Border Security Force (BSF) due to his six-foot frame. He served briefly in the BSF before being discharged and later served as an NSG commando for seven years. He was part of the network during the 2008 anti-terror operation in the aftermath of the 26/11 attack by Pakistani terrorists, in which 166 people were killed. IGP Kumar said Bajrangs political ambitions became clear in 2021 when he tried to push his wife into contesting local elections. He returned to his village and unsuccessfully fielded his wife in the village elections, but it gave him exposure to local circles and strengthened his influence. How Was He Caught? Police said Bajrang also established connections with criminal elements in Odisha and Rajasthan, and used his standing in his village to further narcotics and terror-linked activities. He gradually became a kingpin of the cannabis smuggling businesses and was arrested in 2023 near Hyderabad for smuggling two quintals of ganja. The ATS and ANTF teams had been monitoring his movements for nearly two months. In his various attempts to evade arrest, Bajrang used fake mobile IDs and hid in remote villages, but he was traced to Churu with the help of technical intelligence and ground-level informers. According to NDTV, the police teams traced Bajrang with the help of his cook. They spotted him riding a motorcycle on Wednesday, but did not arrest him immediately, as such a move against a former commando is risky. Instead, they quietly followed him to his secret hideouts and executed a surprise raid. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all This operation was a result of weeks of planning and intelligence sharing. The arrest of a hardened operative like Bajrang is a significant achievement in neutralising the terror-narcotics nexus in Rajasthan," IGP Kumar said. (with inputs from PTI) About the Author Aveek Banerjee Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in int... Read More Location : Churu, India, India First Published: October 03, 2025, 13:12 IST News india Ex-NSG Commando, Part Of 26/11 Anti-Terror Op, Arrested With 200 Kg Ganja In Rajasthan Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Three Of Family Drown Off Maharashtras Sindhudurg Coast, Search On For Four Missing Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 21:20 IST Three members of a family drowned and three went missing in the Arabian Sea at Shiroda-Velagar beach, Sindhudurg, during a picnic. The incident occurred around 4 pm off the Shiroda-Velagar beach, located more than 490 km from Mumbai. (Representational) In a tragic incident, at least three members of a family drowned in the Arabian Sea in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra during their picnic, while four others who entered the sea with them went missing, police said. The incident took place around 4 pm off the Shiroda-Velagar beach on Friday, when a family of eight went for a picnic, news agency PTI reported. While two of them were natives of Kudal (Sindhudurg), six others had come from Belgaum (Belagavi in Karnataka). Recommended Stories All eight of them ventured into the sea for a swim. However, shortly after, they started drowning as they failed to gauge the depth of the water, a police official said. Following the alert, police and local disaster management teams launched a rescue operation. Four bodies were recovered during the search, while three others remain missing. A 16-year-old girl was rescued, who now remains in critical condition. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The rescue teams continued searching for the remaining victims until late evening. (With inputs from PTI) About the Author Shobhit Gupta Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degre... Read More Location : Sindhudurg, India, India First Published: October 03, 2025, 21:20 IST News india Three Of Family Drown Off Maharashtras Sindhudurg Coast, Search On For Four Missing Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Japanese Ministers Visit To Bullet Trains Surat Station Shows Collaborations On Track Reported By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 18:40 IST The Surat High Speed Rail Corridor is a component of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail corridor Rapid Read + Follow us On Google Both Vaishnaw and Nakano reviewed key components of the project. A traditional garba welcome was accorded to Japans Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport & Tourism Hiromasa Nakano who arrived at Surat airport on Friday. Later union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, along with Hiromasa Nakano, visited the Surat High-Speed Rail (HSR) construction site. The Surat High Speed Rail Corridor is a component of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail corridor. A new railway line that will connect the two major cities with a high-speed train travelling up to 320 km/hr. Recommended Stories The Surat bullet train station is currently under construction near Surat with the completion of Gujarat section likely to be done by August 26, 2026. Both Vaishnaw and Nakano reviewed key components of the project, including the track slab laying car and the track slab adjustment facility. They expressed satisfaction with the quality standards being followed and commended the rapid pace of construction. Travelling with H.E. @Hiro_NAKANO_ aboard Vande Bharat Express from Surat to Mumbai. pic.twitter.com/Ha5XOvfYnN Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) October 3, 2025 About the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project The new line aims to significantly reduce travel time and integrate the economies of the cities along its route. The line will serve cities like Mumbai, Thane, Vapi, Surat, Vadodara, and Ahmedabad. It is PM Narendra Modis dream to build high-speed bullet trains in India. It was started with a great fanfare with Japanese collaboration. But lack of cooperation from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government has delayed the project. Now Ashwini Vaishnaw is monitoring the project to bring this to reality as early as possible. The visit of Japanese Minister to the Surat site reflects strong collaboration between India and Japan in implementing Indias first High-Speed Rail corridor. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The 508-km route covers Gujarat, Maharashtra and Dadra & Nagar Haveli with 12 stations planned one each at Mumbai, Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Billimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad and Sabarmati. News18 had earlier reported how the Japanese government has agreed to introduce E10 Shinkansen trains in the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. Japan currently operates the E5 series Shinkansen trains while the E10 is the next-generation upgrade. The E10 will be introduced simultaneously in India and Japan. First Published: October 03, 2025, 18:06 IST News india Japanese Ministers Visit To Bullet Trains Surat Station Shows Collaborations On Track Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... The Metinvest mining and metallurgical group reduced annual revenue from $10-12 billion to $5-6 billion due to a full-scale war, while remaining a profitable company, its CEO Yuriy Ryzhenkov said in an interview with British The Times. The war has significantly impacted the financial performance of Metinvest, a company that sells a large percentage of its metal products in Ukraine. Metinvest also exports iron ore, flat rolled products, and semi-finished products to 51 countries worldwide, including China, India, and the United States. According to Ryzhenkov, "before the war, the business usually had annual revenue of $10-$12 billion. Now, this figure is around $5-$6 billion. Despite this, the company remains profitable, and the CEO considers Trump's tariffs to be insignificant." However, Metinvest's largest enterprises were bombed and put out of operation. This includes the Mariupol metallurgical plants, which were among the first battlefields. Metinvest's revenue has been cut in half, and its personnel have decreased to approximately 50,000. Tens of thousands of people have lost their jobs at the group's enterprises. Currently, 8,000 personnel are serving in the Armed Forces, and 764 have died. Despite these losses, top management managed to keep the motivation of those who remained in the company. Metinvest is one of the largest private donors to the Ukrainian army, its steel is used for shelters and military equipment. "Employees feel that they are part of the resistance. And they are proud of it," the CEO noted. Metinvest is a vertically integrated group of mining and metallurgical enterprises. Its enterprises are located in Ukraine - in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions, as well as in the countries of the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States. The main shareholders of the holding are the SCM group (71.24%) and Smart Holding (23.76%). Metinvest Holding LLC is the management company of the Metinvest group. 'Go Home Straight After Friday Prayers': UP Cleric Urges Calm Amid 'I Love Muhammad' Row Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 08:39 IST Maulana Ahsan Raza Khan urges peace in Bareilly after violent clashes over the 'I Love Muhammad' campaign; 81 arrests have been made till Wednesday. Maulana Ahsan Razan Khan is the seniormost cleric of Ala Hazrat Dargah in Bareilly. (PTI image) Amid the ongoing I Love Muhammad row, Maulana Ahsan Raza Khan, the senior-most cleric at the Ala Hazrat Dargah in Bareilly, has called for restraint and calm ahead of Friday prayers. His message for peace comes in the wake of last weeks violent clashes in the city, which took place in support of I Love Muhammad campaign. Recommended Stories The cleric appealed to the local Muslim community on Thursday, urging them to return home peacefully after offering prayers. His message is aimed at preventing further unrest and dispelling any rising tensions in the area. VIDEO | Head straight to your homes, businesses after Friday prayers; dont fall for provocations," Bareilly cleric Maulana Sahabuddin Razvi appeals Muslims.#BareillyNews #BareillyViolence(Full video available on PTI Videos https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/iEkE15QsMy Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 3, 2025 Head straight to your homes, businesses after Friday prayers; dont fall for provocations. Maintain peace," the cleric stated, according to news agency PTI. The Ala Hazrat Dargah, a key religious centre for followers of the Barelvi school of Sunni Islam, holds considerable influence in the region. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all On September 26, nearly 2,000 people gathered outside a mosque in Bareillys Kotwali area. The crowd had assembled in response to a call for protest issued by cleric Tauqeer Raza Khan in support of the campaign. What began as a demonstration snowballed into clashes, with participants reportedly throwing stones and confronting police personnel. Authorities have since taken firm action, arresting 81 individuals connected to the outbreak of violence as of Wednesday. Security measures are expected to be heightened ahead of this Fridays prayers to prevent any repeat of the disturbances. About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More Location : Bareilly, India, India First Published: October 03, 2025, 08:39 IST News india 'Go Home Straight After Friday Prayers': UP Cleric Urges Calm Amid 'I Love Muhammad' Row Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... 'If Pakistan Wants To Be In Geography...': Army Chief's Strong Warning To Islamabad Over Terrorism Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 15:37 IST General Dwivedi says India will not repeat the restraint shown in Operation Sindoor 1.0 and demands Pakistan bring an end to statesponsored terrorism. Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google General Upendra Dwivedi performs rituals during the 'Shastra Pooja' on Vijayadashmi, in Bhuj Sector. (IMAGE: PTI) Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi warned Pakistan on Friday that New Delhi will not show the same restraint as in Operation Sindoor 1.0, and that future retaliation would force Islamabad to think whether it wants to be in geography or not." Speaking to reporters, Dwivedi said: If Pakistan wants to be in geography, then it must stop statesponsored terrorism," and added that the next response would be far sterner than the recent counter-terror operation. During Operation Sindoor 1.0, Indian armed forces attacked terrorist hideouts deep inside Pakistan and areas Islamabad has illegally occupied for decades, also known as Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Recommended Stories Indian armed forces and the Indian Air Force (IAF) destroyed nine major terror launchpads in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), targeting Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and Hizbul Mujahideen facilities and eliminated over 100 terrorists. The security forces have maintained that it did not attack civilian zones. It did not attack military installations either but hours into the counter-terror operation it was forced to as Pakistani Army intervened on behalf of terrorists. India avoided civilian or non-terror military targets, showcasing its zero-tolerance for terror while containing the situation from escalating into full-scale war," the government had said following the successful execution of the counter-terror operation which was a retaliation against massacre of over two dozen tourists in Pahalgam in the hands of Pakistan-backed terrorists in April, who also asked religion of the victims before gunning them down. During Operation Sindoor, India also eliminated IC-814 hijack and Pulwama blast masterminds like Yusuf Azhar, Abdul Malik Rauf and Mudassir Ahmad among others. At a press conference on the same day, the Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh said India launched Operation Sindoor with a clear aim and the termination of the conflict in quick time after the objective was met is a lesson for the world to learn from. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Asked about Pakistans losses during Operation Sindoor, he said in the air we have evidence of one long-range strike of Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) and four to five fighters. Pakistans losses included radars, command and control centres, runways and hangars, he said. About the Author Shankhyaneel Sarkar Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has c... Read More First Published: October 03, 2025, 15:20 IST News india 'If Pakistan Wants To Be In Geography...': Army Chief's Strong Warning To Islamabad Over Terrorism Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... 'Ignored Manipur, Kumbh, But Rushed To...': Stalin Accuses BJP Of Using Karur Stampede For Tamil Nadu Poll Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 13:31 IST Stalin accused the Centre of harbouring hostility towards Tamil Nadu state, citing grievances over GST, NEET and NEP. Tamil Nadu Chief MK Stalin in Karur. (ANI) The Karur stampede, which claimed 41 lives and left more than 100 injured, has now acquired a sharp political edge, with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of exploiting the tragedy in the run-up to the 2026 Assembly elections. What Stalin said? Recommended Stories CM Stalin criticised Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharamans swift visit to Karur, contrasting it with what he called the Centres indifference during earlier crises such as disasters in Tamil Nadu. When Tamil Nadu was struck by three major disasters that affected thousands, the Union government neither visited nor provided any funds. But now, with elections approaching, they rush to Karur," he said. Stalin further alleged that the BJP was quick to dispatch inquiry teams to Tamil Nadu while ignoring major tragedies elsewhere, such as the Manipur riots and the deaths during the Kumbh Mela. He added, The BJP, which did not send inquiry commissions for the Manipur riots, the Gujarat incidents, or the Kumbh Mela deaths, is now promptly sending a team to Karur not out of genuine concern for Tamil Nadu, but purely because elections are due next year." He accused the Centre of harbouring hostility towards the state, citing grievances over GST, NEET and NEP, which he said had undermined Tamil Nadus economic and educational interests. BJP responds to Karur stampede BJP MP Anurag Thakur, part of the NDA delegation to Karur, wrote to Stalin demanding accountability and detailed reports. His letter sought clarity on the causes of the incident, crowd management lapses, and preventive measures to avert similar tragedies. I urge you to take complete charge of the situation and ensure the authorities provide a report at the earliest," Thakur wrote, pressing for transparency and corrective action. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The Karur stampede occurred on 27 September during a rally by actor-turned-politician Vijay of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). Over 27,000 people gathered, despite permission for only 10,000. A delayed appearance by Vijay triggered a surge towards his convoy, collapsing fragile structures and sparking panic. Ten minors were among the 41 victims. The Tamil Nadu government has ordered a judicial probe and announced compensation for victims. Meanwhile, TVK has suspended campaign activities as a mark of respect. About the Author Shuddhanta Patra Shuddhanta Patra, a seasoned journalist with eight years of experience, serves as Senior SubEditor at CNN News 18. With expertise across national politics, geopolitics, business news, she has influen... Read More First Published: October 03, 2025, 13:30 IST News india 'Ignored Manipur, Kumbh, But Rushed To...': Stalin Accuses BJP Of Using Karur Stampede For Tamil Nadu Poll Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... India Conferred With ISSA Award 2025 For Outstanding Achievement In Social Security Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 12:24 IST India won the ISSA Award 2025 at WSSF in Kuala Lumpur for expanding social welfare under PM Modi's government and innovations like the e-Shram portal. Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya received the award at ISSA World Social Security Forum in Malaysia. (Image: X/@mansukhmandviya) India has been honoured with the International Social Security Association (ISSA) Award for outstanding achievement in social security, marking global recognition of the countrys efforts to expand and strengthen social welfare coverage over the past decade. Union Minister for Labour and Employment, Mansukh Mandaviya, received the award on behalf of the Government of India at the World Social Security Forum (WSSF) 2025 in Kuala Lumpur on Friday. Mandaviya announced the development on his official handle on X. Recommended Stories Proud to share that India has been conferred with the prestigious ISSA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Social Security 2025.This recognition is a testament to the efforts of PM Shri @narendramodi Ji in ensuring social welfare for every citizen. Over the last decade, India pic.twitter.com/unYUMg46ou Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) October 3, 2025 Proud to share that India has been conferred with the prestigious ISSA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Social Security 2025. This recognition is a testament to the efforts of PM Shri @narendramodi Ji in ensuring social welfare for every citizen," he wrote in a post on X. Highlighting Indias historic expansion in social security coverage, Mandaviya stated, Over the last decade, India has witnessed one of the fastest expansions of social security coverage in the world, rising from 19% in 2015 to 64.3% in 2025, covering more than 940 million citizens." The ISSA, a Geneva-based international organisation affiliated with the International Labour Organization (ILO), grants the award to countries demonstrating exceptional commitment and innovation in extending social protection. The selection is based on impact, scalability, and sustainability of social security reforms. Further, after an increase in social protection coverage, Indias share in the General Assembly of ISSA has reached thirty (30), which is the highest vote share for any country, according to the Ministry of Labour & Employment. Addressing the event, Mandaviya said, This award is a testament to the vision of our Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, and to our guiding principle of Antyodaya, empowering the last person in the line, that has shaped our journey towards inclusive and universal social protection." top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all In his address, the Union Minister elaborated on the establishment of extensive digital public infrastructure in India for efficient last-mile delivery of social security benefits, with special reference to the e-Shram portal. The e-Shram portal is a National Digital Database that serves as a One-Stop Solution" connecting over 310 million unorganised workers with social welfare schemes through a multilingual, seamless interface," he stated. This triennial award recognises Indias exceptional progress in social protection systems globally. The award ceremony was a highlight of the WSSF, a premier global gathering of over 1,200 social security policymakers and professionals from 163 countries. Being the fifth recipient of this award since its inception, India joins the leading countries across the globe in the field of Social Protection coverage. About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More First Published: October 03, 2025, 12:22 IST News india India Conferred With ISSA Award 2025 For Outstanding Achievement In Social Security Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Last Updated: October 06, 2025, 09:26 IST KERALA LOTTERY Thiruvonam BR-105 Results: The first prize winner of Thiruvonam BR-105 will get Rs 25 crore. (Image: Shutterstock/keralalotteryresult.net) Kerala Lottery Result Thiruvonam Bumper BR-105 & Karunya KR-726 October 4, 2025: The Kerala State Lottery Department has declared the results for the Thiruvonam Bumper BR-105 and Karunya KR-726 lottery draws held on October 4, 2025. The life-changing first prize of 25 crore in the Thiruvonam Bumper BR-105 was won by ticket number TH 577825, sold in Palakkad by P Thankarajan (Agency No. T 2356). The draw took place at Gorky Bhavan, Thiruvananthapuram, in the presence of Finance Minister KN Balagopal. ALSO READ: Kerala Lottery Result Today, October 6, 2025 Live: Bhagyathara BT-23 Bumper Winning Numbers Following this, the Karunya KR-726 weekly lottery results have also been declared. Ticket number KU 252617 won the first prize of 1 crore, sold in Kottayam by Shalumol K (Agency No. K 7044). Participants can now check the full list of winning numbers and prize breakdowns for both draws below. Matrimonial Discord Common, Not Ground For Abetment: Allahabad HC Discharges Wife, Her Parents In Suicide Case Reported By : News18.com Last Updated: October 04, 2025, 02:35 IST The prosecution had alleged that the wife and her parents harassed and humiliated her husband, driving him to end his life in November 2022 The complaint alleged that on November 8, 2022, Devis parents came to her matrimonial home, quarrelled with the deceased, and allegedly told him, 'Why dont you die?' (File pic) The Allahabad High Court has held that routine marital disputes and domestic differences cannot, by themselves, amount to abetment of suicide, even if one spouse later takes their life. Recommended Stories Setting aside proceedings against a woman and her parents, accused of abetting her husbands suicide, the court said such situations fall within the realm of common matrimonial discord, not criminal liability. Justice Sameer Jain made the observation while allowing a criminal revision petition filed by Rachana Devi and her parents, who were facing trial in Auraiya under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code. The prosecution had alleged that Devi and her parents harassed and humiliated her husband, driving him to end his life in November 2022. According to the FIR lodged by the deceaseds father, the couple had been married for seven years and had a strained relationship. Devi had earlier filed a complaint against her husband and in-laws under Sections 498A, 323, 504, 506 of the IPC and provisions of the Dowry Prohibition Act, alleging cruelty and harassment. Although the matter was said to have been settled, the case was not withdrawn, and disputes continued. The complaint further alleged that on November 8, 2022, Devis parents came to her matrimonial home, quarrelled with the deceased, and allegedly told him, Why dont you die?" A few days later, on November 13, 2022, the deceased was found dead by suicide. On the basis of this complaint, police filed a charge sheet under Section 306 IPC, and the Auraiya sessions court dismissed the discharge application filed by the accused in October 2023. Challenging this order before the High Court, counsel for the accused argued that the allegations were vague and unsupported by evidence. They submitted that quarrels between spouses were a natural part of domestic life and could not be equated with abetment to suicide. They also relied on witness statements that only pointed to routine disputes, not active instigation. The remarks allegedly made by the in-laws, they said, were casual and uttered in anger, not intended to drive the deceased to his death. The prosecution and the complainants side maintained that the accused had consistently insulted and humiliated the deceased, and that the November 8 quarrel directly pushed him to end his life. After reviewing the record, the High Court disagreed with the prosecution. Citing Supreme Court decisions including Ramesh Kumar v State of Chhattisgarh and Amalendu Pal v State of West Bengal, Justice Jain reiterated that abetment requires clear instigation or intentional aid, coupled with mens rea. Mere harassment or casual words spoken in the heat of a quarrel cannot be stretched into criminal abetment unless they leave the victim with no option but suicide. Matimonial discord and differences in domestic life are quite common," the court observed, and if due to this reason either husband or wife commits suicide, then it cannot be held that due to their abetment deceased committed suicide". Holding that no prima facie case under Section 306 IPC was made out, the High Court set aside the Auraiya sessions courts October 19, 2023, order and discharged the accused. Disclaimer: If you or someone you know needs help, call any of these helplines: Aasra (Mumbai) 022-27546669, Sneha (Chennai) 044-24640050, Sumaitri (Delhi) 011-23389090, Cooj (Goa) 0832- 2252525, Jeevan (Jamshedpur) 065-76453841, Pratheeksha (Kochi) 048-42448830, Maithri (Kochi) 0484-2540530, Roshni (Hyderabad) 040-66202000, Lifeline 033-64643267 (Kolkata) top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all About the Author Salil Tiwari Salil Tiwari, Senior Special Correspondent at Lawbeat, reports on the Allahabad High Court and courts in Uttar Pradesh, however, she also writes on important cases of national importance and public in... Read More First Published: October 04, 2025, 02:35 IST News india Matrimonial Discord Common, Not Ground For Abetment: Allahabad HC Discharges Wife, Her Parents In Suicide Case Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Pak Boosts Military, Air, Naval Strength Near Sir Creek: Exclusive On Territory In Dispute With India Reported By : News18.com Edited By: Manjiri Joshi Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 14:29 IST Rajnath Singh has issued a stern warning to Pakistan against expanding military infrastructure in the bordering Sir Creek area, saying it would be met with a decisive response Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google Around 150 square kilometres area surrounded by Sir Creek is controlled by Pakistan army, said local Pakistani fishermen. (File) A day after Defence Minister Rajnath Singhs claims, top intelligence and naval sources revealed how Pakistan is establishing military complexes, mini-military cantonments and emergency airstrips in Sir Creek, the disputed territory between India and Pakistan, in the south-east area of Sindh. Singh on Thursday issued a stern warning to Pakistan against expanding military infrastructure in the bordering Sir Creek area, saying it would be met with a decisive response that can alter both history and geography. Recommended Stories Around 150 square kilometres area surrounded by Sir Creek is controlled by Pakistan army, said local Pakistani fishermen, adding that nobody is allowed without military permission in the specific areas near Sir Creek. After Operation Sindoor, Pakistan has increased the number of battalions, air power and naval vessels in the area. #WATCH | Kachchh, Gujarat: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh says, Even after 78 years of independence, a dispute over the border in the Sir Creek area is being stirred up. India has made several attempts to resolve it through dialogue, but there is a flaw in Pakistans intentions; pic.twitter.com/aCRdorcb9A ANI (@ANI) October 2, 2025 More battalions: What sources say Pakistan has increased four more creek battalions of Sindh regiment. A total six military battalions are protecting and operational in Sir Creek areas and surroundings. The 31st creek battalion was deployed at Sujawal district headquarters in 1999. The 32nd creek battalion was deployed at Gharo, Thatta district headquarters in 2019. The 33rd creek battalion was deployed at Badin district headquarters in 2021. The 34th creek battalion deployed at Jaati Area in 2025. The 35th creek battalion was deployed at Keti Bunder in 2025. All battalions have infantry and amphibious strength and power. All creek battalions have full back up support of Pakistan Navy and Sindh Pakistan rangers. Pakistan has boosted air defence systems and air power," said sources. Military, naval and airforce command: What sources say Pakistan had established joint military, naval and airforce command for Sir Creek monitoring in South-East Sindh with Chinese help in 2021. Most of the latest radars, AWACS, air defense missiles and lockheed P-3 Orion deployed have been developed with Chinese technology," said sources. Bholari forward airbase, marine security posts: What sources say top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Pakistan had made Bholari forward airbase in 2017 to safeguard Chinese projects in South-east Sindh, especially Thar coal project, and to avert direct Indian threat. Bholari base was damaged during Operation Sindoor strikes in May 2025. Pakistani Airforce has enhanced Bholari Air Bases air security with latest air defense systems. More squadrons of JF-17 and J-10C deployed too after Indian strikes in May 2025," said sources. The Pakistan Navy has set up six marine security posts between Bandha Dhora and Harami Dhoro areas near Sir Creek river system. Dozens of coastal defense boats, marine assault crafts, naval ships and patrolling speed boats are deployed in Sir Creek and Arabian Sea for deterrence. China is facilitating Pakistan in air and naval power rapidly," said sources. About the Author Manoj Gupta Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18 First Published: October 03, 2025, 13:52 IST News india Pak Boosts Military, Air, Naval Strength Near Sir Creek: Exclusive On Territory In Dispute With India Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... PM Modi Set To Unveil Initiatives Worth Rs 62,000 Crore For Youth Tomorrow Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 14:33 IST PM Modi will also inaugurate 1,200 Vocational Skill Labs in Navodaya Vidyalayas and Eklavya Model Schools across 34 states/UTs. Prime Minister Narendra Modi (IMAGE: X) Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to unveil a series of youth-focused initiatives worth over Rs 62,000 crore aimed at boosting education, skill development, and entrepreneurship across the country on Saturday. Prime Minister Modi will unveil the projects from Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi at around 11 am. A key highlight of the event will be the launch of PM-SETU (Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs) a Rs 60,000 crore scheme to upgrade 1,000 Government ITIs under a hub-and-spoke model. Recommended Stories Managed by industry partners, these clusters will feature advanced infrastructure, digital systems, and innovation centres, with global support from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB). The first phase will prioritise ITIs in Patna and Darbhanga. The Prime Minister will also inaugurate 1,200 Vocational Skill Labs in Navodaya Vidyalayas and Eklavya Model Schools across 34 states/UTs, offering hands-on training in 12 high-demand sectors, including IT, automotive, agriculture, electronics, logistics and tourism. These labs are aligned with the NEP 2020 and CBSE curriculum. In a strong push for Bihars development, the PM will relaunch key state schemes. PM Modi will launch Bihars revamped Mukhyamantri Nishchay Svyam Sahayata Bhatta Yojana, under which nearly five lakh graduate youth every year will receive a monthly allowance of Rs.1,000 for two years, along with free skill training. The BJP leader will also launch the redesigned Bihar Student Credit Card Scheme, which will provide completely interest-free education loans of up to Rs.4 lakh, significantly easing the financial burden of higher education. More than 3.92 lakh students have already availed loans worth more than Rs.7,880 crore under the scheme. Further strengthening youth empowerment in the state, Bihar Yuva Ayog, a statutory commission for people between the ages of 18 and 45, will be formally inaugurated by him to channelise and harness the energies of the states young population. He will also inaugurate the Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur Skill University in Bihar, envisioned to impart industry-oriented courses and vocational education to create a globally competitive workforce. He will also lay foundation stones for infrastructure in four Bihar universities under PM-USHA, and dedicate the NIT Patna Bihta campus, featuring a 5G lab, ISRO-backed space centre, and startup incubator. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Additionally, over 4,000 appointment letters will be distributed to newly recruited candidates in the Government of Bihar, and Rs 450 crore in scholarships will be transferred to 25 lakh Class 9 & 10 students under the Mukhyamantri Balak/Balika Scholarship Scheme. These initiatives aim to empower Indias youth and position Bihar as a key hub for skilled talent. About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More First Published: October 03, 2025, 14:33 IST News india PM Modi Set To Unveil Initiatives Worth Rs 62,000 Crore For Youth Tomorrow Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... PoK Integral Part Of India, Pakistan Must Be Held Accountable: MEA On Deadly Protests Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 16:44 IST New Delhi asserts Pakistan-occupied Kashmir as integral part of India, condemns Islamabad's crackdown on protests. The Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee is leading ongoing demonstrations in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. (Image: ANI) India said the ongoing turmoil in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) is the inevitable result of Islamabads decades of exploitation and repression, stressing that the territory is an integral part of India. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) condemned the violent crackdown on demonstrators, calling on Pakistan to be held accountable for horrific human rights violations." We have seen reports on protests in several areas of Pakistan occupied Jammu & Kashmir, including brutalities by Pakistani forces on innocent civilians. We believe that it is a natural consequence of Pakistans oppressive approach and its systemic plundering of resources from these territories, which remain under its forcible and illegal occupation. Pakistan must be held accountable for its horrific human rights violations," the MEA said. Recommended Stories #WATCH | Muzaffarabad, PoJK: Protests by the people, and clashes between public and security forces continue in parts of PoJK.(Video Source: Reuters) pic.twitter.com/9mpXt30lj6 ANI (@ANI) October 3, 2025 PoK has been gripped by one of its largest protest waves in recent years. Thousands of residents across Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Kotli, Rawalakot and Neelum Valley took to the streets after talks collapsed between the Awami Action Committee (AAC)- a coalition of traders, lawyers and civil groups- and Pakistani authorities. The AAC responded with a shutter-down and wheel-jam strike", paralysing daily life. Our campaign is not against any institution but for the fundamental rights denied to our people for over 70 years. Enough is enough," AAC leader Shaukat Nawaz Mir said. Several people have been killed and dozens more injured after Pakistani forces opened fire on demonstrators, according to local reports. Markets remain shut, public transport has disappeared and the region is on edge under heavy security and widespread detentions. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all At the centre of the agitation is a sweeping 38-point charter of demands that protesters say embodies decades of neglect and broken promises. While many demands focus on survival issues such as subsidised flour, sugar and ghee, fair electricity tariffs and access to local hydropower, others strike at the political structure of the region- including scrapping 12 legislative seats reserved for refugees in Pakistan, curbing elite privileges and reforming the judiciary to tackle corruption and political patronage. The charter also seeks broader socio-economic relief: tax cuts for traders, delayed infrastructure projects, better schools and hospitals, equitable job opportunities for local youth, housing for disaster-affected families and fairer policies for farmers. Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: October 03, 2025, 16:09 IST News india PoK Integral Part Of India, Pakistan Must Be Held Accountable: MEA On Deadly Protests Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Uttarakhand Journalist Died In Drink Driving Accident, Police Rule Out Foul Play Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 22:15 IST Prataps family disputes the police version, alleging foul play and claiming he received threats over his reporting on irregularities at the Uttarkashi district hospital Rapid Read + Follow us On Google Raji Pratap was the founder of Delhi Uttarakhand Live, a YouTube news channel, and a graduate of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication. (Image via X/@IIMC_India) The Special Investigation Team (SIT) looking into the death of digital journalist Rajiv Pratap has concluded that he died in a road accident caused by drunk driving, police said on Thursday, effectively ruling out foul play. Pratap, 36, a resident of Dehradun who had been living in Uttarkashi, went missing on the night of September 18. His body was found 10 days later, on September 28, in the Joshiada Barrage. He was the founder of Delhi Uttarakhand Live, a YouTube news channel, and a graduate of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC). Recommended Stories Deputy Superintendent of Police Janak Panwar, who is heading the SIT, told reporters that the conclusion was drawn after reviewing CCTV footage, witness statements, and the post-mortem report. Panwar noted initial findings suggest that Pratap was driving under the influence when his car went off the road and into the Bhagirathi River. According to Panwar, on the evening of his disappearance, Pratap had met with his former student and cameraman Manbir Kaluda and police constable Soban Singh. The three drank alcohol at multiple locations until about 10 pm. CCTV footage later showed Pratap leaving a hotel in an intoxicated state around 11 pm, followed by Singh. Pratap was then seen getting into Singhs car and moving to the drivers seat, while Singh exited. The car was last seen on camera heading towards Gangori at 11:38 pm. It was not captured on any cameras after that point. Singh later told police that he tried to stop Pratap from driving but was ignored. He claimed to have followed him briefly on foot before returning home, assuming Pratap had gone to a relatives house. The vehicle was eventually found submerged, with its doors locked, keys in the ignition, and windows rolled up. Panwar said the technical inspection of the car supports the theory of accidental drowning. No signs of forced entry or tampering were found, and a single slipper was recovered from inside. Family Allege Foul Play Despite these findings, Prataps family has strongly contested the police version, alleging foul play. They claim he had received threats related to his reporting, particularly on irregularities at the Uttarkashi district hospital. His uncle, Kripal Singh, who is also the complainant, questioned the integrity of the probe, The Indian Express reported. They were tasked with a special investigation, but drew conclusions too early. We have been asking why there were injuries to his eyes and head, but we have not received answers. The call detail records have not been shared with us. Also, officers from the same police station are probing the case. What is the point of an SIT if it is the same officers?" he asked. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has also weighed in, calling the incident tragic and horrific", and accused the BJP-led government of creating an environment of fear for independent journalists. (With inputs from PTI) About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More Location : Uttarakhand (Uttaranchal), India, India First Published: October 03, 2025, 22:10 IST News india Uttarakhand Journalist Died In Drink Driving Accident, Police Rule Out Foul Play Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... During the October 2 exchange, two servicemen from the 12th Azov Special Forces Brigade returned from Russian captivity to Ukraine, reported Denys Prokopenko (Redis), commander of the 1st Azov National Guard Corps. "I congratulate our comrades who spent nearly three and a half years in the inhumane conditions of Russian prisons on their return to their homeland and to their loved ones. Thank you for your fortitude and for persevering. First and foremost, I want to thank all the soldiers who take prisoners on the battlefield and replenish our exchange fund for their work," he wrote on Facebook. Prokopenko also thanked the President of Ukraine, representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Security Service of Ukraine, the Main Intelligence Agency, the Association of Families of Azovstal Defenders, and partner countries that facilitate the exchange process. "Every soldier who fought in Mariupol, did not betray their oath, and followed orders must be exchanged," he emphasized. Around 800 Azov fighters, primarily defenders of Mariupol and Azovstal, are in Russian captivity. As reported, in October 2025, another combined prisoner exchange with Russia took place: some of our 205 people were exchanged in accordance with the Istanbul agreements, while others were exchanged as part of the 69th prisoner exchange. Some 185 military personnel and 20 civilians, illegally held by the Russians, returned to Ukraine. Rahul Gandhi 'Proud' To See Bajaj, Hero & TVS Do Well In Colombia: 'With Innovation, Not Cronyism...' Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 14:30 IST On October 1, Rahul Gandhi addressed students at Colombias EIA University, where he accused the Modi government of mounting a wholesale attack on democracy in India. Rahul Gandhi 'Proud' To See Bajaj, Hero & TVS Do Well In Colombia: 'With Innovation, Not Cronyism...' Sporting a casual biker look far removed from the stiff fashion often associated with Indian politicians, Congress leader and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi made headlines during his visit to Colombia. Taking to X, he praised Indian two-wheeler giants Bajaj, Hero and TVS, while delivering a veiled critique of Prime Minister Narendra Modis government. Proud to see Bajaj, Hero & TVS do so well in Colombia. Shows Indian companies can win with innovation, not cronyism. Great job," read Rahul Gandhis post on X. Recommended Stories Speech at EIA University On October 1, Rahul Gandhi addressed students at Colombias EIA University, where he accused the Modi government of mounting a wholesale attack on democracy" in India. Stressing the countrys cultural and religious diversity, he argued that democracy was the only system capable of accommodating such plurality. Gandhi contrasted Indias model with Chinas, saying the country could not adopt authoritarian methods to suppress its people. While optimistic about Indias capabilities in technology, engineering, and healthcare, he warned of deep-seated structural flaws that, in his view, required urgent correction. Proud to see Bajaj, Hero & TVS do so well in Colombia. Shows Indian companies can win with innovation, not cronyism.Great job pic.twitter.com/174HNbF58X Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 3, 2025 BJP hits back His comments drew sharp responses from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Party MP Sudhanshu Trivedi accused Gandhi of denigrating India abroad, saying, Even after being ruled by the same family for 100 years, panicking by the downfall of their organisation and loss of power, the head of that family, who today seems to be becoming the henchman of anti-India forces, has, as per his habit, made another statement from foreign soil, which is not surprising." Indian motorcycles in Colombia top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Meanwhile, Gandhis praise for Bajaj, Hero and TVS came against the backdrop of their growing success in Latin America. Colombia has emerged as a key market for Indian manufacturers, with motorcycles and scooters from these firms gaining ground due to their affordability, performance, and adaptability to local needs. This reflects the wider global expansion of Indian two-wheeler brands, which have been investing in research and innovation to strengthen their presence overseas. Industry experts note that the sectors growth underlines Indias potential as a global hub for affordable yet technologically advanced mobility solutions. About the Author Shuddhanta Patra Shuddhanta Patra, a seasoned journalist with eight years of experience, serves as Senior SubEditor at CNN News 18. With expertise across national politics, geopolitics, business news, she has influen... Read More Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: October 03, 2025, 14:30 IST News india Rahul Gandhi 'Proud' To See Bajaj, Hero & TVS Do Well In Colombia: 'With Innovation, Not Cronyism...' Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Rahul Gandhis Car Vs Bike Weight Analogy Sparks BJP Jibe: 'If Anybody Can Decode...' Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 15:01 IST Rahul Gandhi questioned car weight at EIA University in Colombia, linking it to electric mobility. Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was speaking to students of the EIA University. (IMAGE: PTI) Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, currently visiting Colombia, raised a question that left netizens intrigued. Speaking at EIA University, Gandhi asked why a car requires nearly 3,000 kilograms of metal to carry one person while a motorcycle weighing about 100 kilograms can carry two. To carry one passenger, you need 3,000 kg of metal in a car, while a 100-kg motorcycle carries two passengers. So why is a motorcycle able to carry two passengers with 150 kg of metal and a car needs 3,000?" the Congress MP said. Recommended Stories Gandhi linked the question to the broader transition to electric mobility. He argued that the difference comes from the engine and its role during accidents. In a motorcycle, when you have an impact, the engine is separated from you. So, the engine doesnt hurt you. In a car, when you have an impact, the engine comes into the car. So, the car is designed to stop the engine from killing you," he explained. According to him, electric motors change this design problem by breaking up the centralised power system of an internal combustion engine. The electric motor allows you to put a motor there, and there, and there. So, the electric motor is a decentralization of power. Thats really its effectiveness," Gandhi said. I havent heard this much gibberish in one go. If anyone can decode what Rahul Gandhi is trying to say here, I would be glad to be enlightened. But if you are as amused as I am, rest assured, you are not alone! pic.twitter.com/DlECPO0tcU Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) October 2, 2025 The remarks quickly drew a sharp response from the BJP, which dismissed his explanation. I havent heard this much gibberish in one go. If anyone can decode what Rahul Gandhi is trying to say here, I would be glad to be enlightened. But if you are as amused as I am, rest assured, you are not alone," BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya said. Why Is A Car Heavier Than A Bike According to JD Power, the weight difference between cars and motorcycles is largely due to structural design and safety features. Cars have reinforced frames, airbags, and crumple zones to protect occupants during collisions, which adds significantly to their mass. Cars also carry multiple passengers and their belongings, requiring a larger and sturdier structure. Motorcycles, by contrast, are built for one or two riders and use far less material. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Powertrain components contribute as well. Car engines are larger and more powerful, demanding heavier components, while motorcycle engines are smaller and designed for efficiency and agility. Aerodynamic design and materials like steel and aluminum further increase car weight while maintaining strength and durability. Marathamotorcycles.com adds that motorcycles are lighter because they are designed for simpler functionality and minimal structural reinforcement. Their compact size and focus on rider-only operation mean they require far less metal than cars, which are built for multiple passengers, cargo, and high safety standards. About the Author Shankhyaneel Sarkar Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has c... Read More Location : Bogota, Colombia First Published: October 03, 2025, 14:54 IST News india Rahul Gandhis Car Vs Bike Weight Analogy Sparks BJP Jibe: 'If Anybody Can Decode...' Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... SC Upholds Acquittal In 2006 Rajasthan Murder, Slams Flawed Probe And Inconclusive Evidence Reported By : LawBeat Last Updated: October 04, 2025, 02:04 IST The court noted multiple weaknesses in the prosecutions case The bench of Justices Sandeep Mehta and Joymalya Bagchi found no perversity in the Rajasthan High Courts verdict and held that the prosecution failed to establish the accuseds involvement beyond a reasonable doubt. File pic/PTI The Supreme Court on September 26 dismissed appeals filed by the Rajasthan government challenging the acquittal of Hemlata and Narpat Choudhary, along with Bhanwar Singh, in the 2006 murder of Suresh Sharma. Recommended Stories The bench of Justices Sandeep Mehta and Joymalya Bagchi found no perversity in the Rajasthan High Courts verdict and held that the prosecution failed to establish the accuseds involvement beyond a reasonable doubt. The bench, relying on the precedent set in Babu Sahebagouda Rudragoudar v State of Karnataka (2024), observed, There exist no valid grounds that would justify upsetting and reversing the acquittal of the respondents. On careful consideration of the evidence and materials available on record, we find no infirmity or perversity in the impugned judgment and order dated December 14, 2011, warranting interference." The case arose from the death of Suresh Sharma, who was allegedly strangled at Hemlatas residence following purported disputes and conspiracies involving land issues and personal grievances. The prosecution had claimed that professional killers from Uttar Pradesh were hired, allegedly with the knowledge of the accused, and that the victims body was later transported in a Maruti van owned by Narpat Choudhary. However, the court noted multiple weaknesses in the prosecutions case. Statements from the deceaseds son, Navneet Sharma, and wife, Meena Sharma, indicated no conflict or tension between the deceased and Hemlata. The court also highlighted the absence of evidence regarding the alleged intermediary, Dhanesh, or any corroborating call records certified under Section 65-B of the Evidence Act. Regarding the recovery of a bloodstained chunni from the couples residence, the court noted the house remained accessible to anyone before police inspection, and no forensic analysis connected the fabric to Hemlata. The trial courts reliance on hotel visitor registers, call detail records, and the Maruti vans condition was similarly found to be inconclusive. The high court had already concluded that these pieces of evidence failed to establish any direct involvement of the accused in the murder or in facilitating the alleged killers. The Supreme Court affirmed the High Courts scepticism of prosecution witness Hukum Singh, who delayed reporting having seen the deceased at the accuseds residence. It further emphasised that bloodstains in the Maruti van could not positively link the accused to the crime, and the handwritten call records lacked legal certification and verification. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The High Court was fully justified in holding that no satisfactory evidence was led by the prosecution to establish the complicity of Hemlata and Narpat Choudhary in the alleged murder of Suresh Sharma. Similarly, there is no sufficient evidence to convict Bhanwar Singh," the bench concluded. About the Author Sukriti Mishra Sukriti Mishra, a Lawbeat correspondent, graduated in 2022 and worked as a trainee journalist for 4 months, after which she picked up on the nuances of reporting well. She extensively covers courts in... Read More First Published: October 04, 2025, 02:04 IST News india SC Upholds Acquittal In 2006 Rajasthan Murder, Slams Flawed Probe And Inconclusive Evidence Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Sonam Wangchuk's Wife Moves SC Over Husband's Arrest, Terms His Detention 'Illegal' Reported By : CNN-News18 Edited By: Anushka Vats Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 09:35 IST Sonam Wangchuk was arrested in Leh on September 26 under the National Security Act (NSA), days after the protests in Leh turned violent, leaving four dead. Sonam Wangchuk's wife Gitanjali J Angmo (Credits: ANI) Sonam Wangchuks wife, Gitanjali J Angmo, has moved the Supreme Court against the arrest of her husband, days after she wrote to the President of India, Prime Minister, Home Minister, Law Minister, and the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, demanding her husbands immediate release. In her appeal, she questioned whether it was a sin" to support the peoples cause. Recommended Stories In her plea accessed by CNN-News18, Gitanjali alleged that Wangchuks whereabouts have not been disclosed even a week after his arrest. She claimed that neither grounds of detention nor formal arrest papers have been served to the family. She said she has not been allowed to meet her husband, and no clarity has been given by authorities about his condition or location. The petition demands that Wangchuk be produced immediately before the court and seeks his release, calling the detention illegal and unconstitutional." I have sought relief from the SUPREME COURT OF INDIA through a HABEAS CORPUS petition against @Wangchuk66 s detention. It is one week today. Still I have no information about Sonam Wangchuks health, the condition he is in nor the grounds of detention," Gitanjali wrote on X, also sharing a copy of the petition. I have sought relief from the SUPREME COURT OF INDIA through a HABEAS CORPUS petition against @Wangchuk66s detention.It is one week today. Still I have no information about Sonam Wangchuks health, the condition he is in nor the grounds of detention. pic.twitter.com/P4EPzO630A Gitanjali J Angmo (@GitanjaliAngmo) October 3, 2025 Sonam Wangchuks Arrest Activist Sonam Wangchuk was arrested on September 26 by Leh Police under the National Security Act (NSA), days after violent protests in Ladakh left four people dead and over 90 injured. He was later shifted to Central Jail in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. Wangchuk had been on a hunger strike, leading a protest demanding statehood, local job protections, and constitutional safeguards for Ladakh. However, the protests turned violent, and during the unrest, clashes with police led to at least four deaths. The activist also ended his hunger strike in view of the violence and urging peace. However, he was arrested in connection with the violent protests and for alleged incitement to mob violence via provocative statements." The government also criticised Wangchuk and the Union Home Ministry revoked the FCRA (Foreign Contribution Regulation Act) licence of his NGO, SECMOL, citing violations. Sonam Wangchuk Denies Allegations Sonam Wangchuk has denied all the allegations of inciting violence, saying that it only reflects long-standing frustration among locals with central policies. His wife, Gitanjali Angmo, has strongly condemned the labeling of Wangchuk as anti-national," calling such claims blatant lies" and claiming a witch-hunt" is underway against him top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all First Published: October 03, 2025, 08:28 IST News india Sonam Wangchuk's Wife Moves SC Over Husband's Arrest, Terms His Detention 'Illegal' Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Tirupati Receives Bomb Threat, Conspiracy By ISI & LTTE Militants Alleged Reported By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 15:32 IST Security personnel conducted thorough checks at RTC bus stand, Srinivasam, Vishnu Niwasam, Kapilatheertham, and Govindarajula Swamy Temple. Tirupati Temple. Tirupati police have stepped up security measures following intelligence about potential terrorist threats targeting the temple town. The warnings, allegedly from the ISI and former LTTE militants reportedly based in Tamil Nadu, claim that RDX explosives could be detonated in four locations across the city. Authorities inspected two suspicious mails that reportedly contained threats. Bomb disposal squads were deployed to assess the risk and ensure public safety. The mails hinted at a conspiracy involving explosive devices at key public and religious sites in Tirupati. Recommended Stories Security personnel conducted thorough checks at RTC bus stand, Srinivasam, Vishnu Niwasam, Kapilatheertham, and Govindarajula Swamy Temple. In addition, police inspected the judges residential complex and nearby court areas as a precautionary measure. Temple security heightened Given the religious significance of Tirupati, security was also intensified at prominent temples, including Tiruchanur Padmavati Ammavari temple, Tirumala, and Srikalahasti temples. Special attention was given to the Agricultural College helipad following Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidus visit to Tirupati earlier this month. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Meanwhile, bomb disposal and police teams continue to patrol the city, ensuring that all potential threats are mitigated. Authorities have urged the public to remain vigilant while maintaining calm. No explosives have been found so far, but the heightened security measures are expected to remain in place until further notice. Location : Tirupati, India, India First Published: October 03, 2025, 15:04 IST News india Tirupati Receives Bomb Threat, Conspiracy By ISI & LTTE Militants Alleged Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Pakistan's F-16, JF-17 Downed; Their Indian Jets Claim Nothing But 'Manohar Kahaniyan': IAF Chief Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 13:55 IST IAF chief Air Marshal AP Singh dismissed Pakistan's claims of shooting down Indian fighter jets during Operation Sindoor, calling these narratives "Manohar Kahaniya" Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google IAF chief Air Marshal AP Singh during a press conference on Friday. Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh on Friday revealed that India shot down high-tech Pakistani fighters, including the F-16 and J-17 jets. He also dismissed Pakistans claims of shooting down Indian fighter jets during Operation Sindoor in May as manohar kahaniya" (interesting stories), and asked the country to prove its claims. During his annual press conference on the 93rd Air Force Day celebrations, when asked about Pakistans claims, Air Marshal Singh said India struck a large number of their airfields and military installations, and destroyed at least five high-tech fighters, including US-made F-16s and Chinese-made J-17s along with a AEW&C (Airborne Early Warning and Control) during the four days of cross-border confrontations. Recommended Stories Because of these strikes, radars at least four places, command and control centres at two places, runways of course damaged at two places, then three of their hangars in three different stations have been damaged," he said during the presser. The Air Force chief also said that four to five fighters, most likely F-16s were destroyed on the ground, along with a SAM system. He said counter-UAV assets and long-range surface-to-air missiles were also deployed with precision, striking deep into Pakistani territory. We have clear evidence of one long-range strike, which was more than 300 km, which happened to be either an AEW&C or a SIGINT aircraft, along with five high-tech fighters between F-16 and J-17 class. This is what our system tells us." ALSO READ: Brought Them To Their Knees: IAF Chief On How Indias Strikes Forced Pakistan To Seek Ceasefire Unki Manohar Kahaniya The IAF chief also dismissed Pakistans claims of downing Indian jets and demanded proof. If they think they shot down 15 of my jets, let them think about it. I hope theyre convinced about it, and they will cater for 15 fewer aircraft in my inventory when they come to fight again. So why should I talk about it?" Even today, I wont say anything about what happened, how much damage was done, how it happened, because let them find outHave you seen a single picture where something fell on any of our airbases, something hit us, a hangar was destroyed, or anything like that? We showed so many pictures of their places. However, they couldnt show us even a single picture. " The Air Force chief described Pakistans claims of downing jets as Manohar Kahaniya" (Interesting stories). Unka jo narrative hai, wo unki Manohar kahaniya hai. Unko khush rehne do, unko apni public ko dikhane do, saakh bachane do. (Their narratives are their interesting stories. Let them be happy, let them present this to their public. Let them save face)." #WATCH | Delhi: On Pakistans claim of downing IAF planes in Op Sindoor, Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh says, their (Pakistan) narrative is Manohar Kahaniyan. Let them be happy, after all, they also have to show something to their audience to save their pic.twitter.com/qNc49KL5xR ANI (@ANI) October 3, 2025 Pakistan has been repeatedly claiming, without evidence, that it had shot down several Indian fighter jets, after New Delhi launched Operation Sindoor as part of its response to the barbaric Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, in which 26 tourists were killed. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The Air Marshal said Indias response would go down in history as one which started with a clear objective and was completed quickly without prolonging it. We could make them reach a stage where they asked for a ceasefire, ask for termination of hostilities, and also we took a call as a nation to terminate those opportunities because our own objectives are met," he said, referring to the understanding reached on May 10 to pause the hostilities after four days of cross-border firings. About the Author Aveek Banerjee Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in int... Read More First Published: October 03, 2025, 13:26 IST News india Pakistan's F-16, JF-17 Downed; Their Indian Jets Claim Nothing But 'Manohar Kahaniyan': IAF Chief Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Want To Adopt A Child In India? Check Rules, Costs, Documents & Age Limits First Curated By : Translation Desk Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 17:54 IST CARA adoption fees include Rs 6,000 for registration and home study, Rs 50,000 for the child care corpus, and legal charges between Rs 20,000 and Rs 50,000 Rapid Read + Follow us On Google Married couples seeking to adopt must demonstrate at least two years of marital stability. (Local18) As the trend of remaining unmarried continues to rise, an increasing number of individuals are opting to become single parents or adopt children while staying single. However, single parents in India face considerable challenges when it comes to adoption, particularly if they are unmarried. Local18 spoke with a Supreme Court lawyer to gather insights on the matter. Recommended Stories The adoption process in India is governed by the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. Prospective adoptive parents must obtain permission from the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), without which adoption is not permitted. The process involves registration on the Carings portal, submission of various documents (including income proof, health report, and police verification), and a home study, followed by a waiting period of 6-8 days for registration. The adoption process in India is not only legally intricate but also financially demanding. Fees set by CARA include Rs 6,000 for registration and a home study report, Rs 50,000 for child care corpus fees, and legal fees ranging from Rs 20,000 to Rs 50,000. Additionally, follow-up visits after adoption cost Rs 2,000 each. For couples or single parents residing in India, the total cost can range from Rs 200,000 to Rs 2.5 lakh. For international parents (NRIs), the cost ranges from Rs 2.6 million to Rs 3.7 million, encompassing agency fees, legal formalities, and travel expenses. Can A Single Man Adopt A Child? The rules for single men wishing to adopt children vary significantly across different countries. In India, single men are permitted to adopt but must adhere to strict regulations. They must be at least 25 years old and can only adopt male children, with a minimum age difference of 21 years between the child and the adopting father. Additionally, single men must be physically healthy and financially stable. Single women, on the other hand, can adopt either male or female children. The minimum age limit for women is 25 years. Age Limit Set For Adoption top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Age limits for single parents are also set: for children aged 4 or under, parents must be between 25 and 45 years old; for children aged 5 to 8, parents must be between 25 and 50 years old; and for children aged 9 to 18, parents must be between 25 and 55 years old. Single parents over 55 years old are not permitted to adopt. Married couples seeking to adopt must demonstrate at least two years of marital stability. Their age limit is based on the combined age of both parents: 85 years for children up to two years old, 90 years for children up to four years old, 100 years for children between four and eight years old, and 110 years for children between eight and 18 years old. First Published: October 03, 2025, 17:53 IST News india Want To Adopt A Child In India? Check Rules, Costs, Documents & Age Limits First Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Why Gandhiji Denied His Son Permission To Marry A Muslim Girl | The Untold Story Curated By : Translation Desk Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 18:38 IST Gandhiji stated that such a marriage would be irreligion, not religion, and changing faith for marriage is wrong, as faith cannot be treated like clothing to be swapped Manilal, deeply disappointed, realized he would not receive his fathers permission. (News18 Hindi) Mahatma Gandhis second son, Manilal Gandhi, was born in India but spent his entire life in South Africa, advocating for the rights of the Indian community. He served as the editor of the Phoenix Settlement and the Indian Opinion" newspaper, both established by his father. Despite Mahatma Gandhi returning to India, Manilal stayed in South Africa, where he fell in love with Fatima, the daughter of one of his fathers Muslim colleagues. Recommended Stories Manilal Gandhi first visited South Africa in 1917 and remained there, following his fathers footsteps and enduring several prison terms during the Satyagraha movement. He wished to marry Fatima, but Mahatma Gandhi was firmly opposed to inter-religious marriages. Mahatma Gandhis youngest son, Devdas, also faced similar challenges in his love life, though he eventually married the woman he loved, who was the daughter of prominent Gandhian leader Chakravarti Gopalachari. Mahatma Gandhis Views On Marriage Initially, Gandhi opposed both inter-religious and inter-caste marriages, believing they would disrupt social and religious harmony. However, he adjusted his stance in the 1930s. Which Muslim Girl Did Manilal Fall In Love With? Manilal fell in love with Fatima, daughter of Yusuf Gul, Gandhis trusted aide in South Africa. Childhood friends, they grew close over time. Guided by Gandhijis teachings that all religions are equal, the children never saw faith as a barrier. Research scholar Nicole Christie Nolly of the University of Birmingham has written extensively on the topic. K.R. Prabhu and U.R. Rao, in The Mind of Mahatma Gandhi, note Gandhis view: Marriage is a natural element of life that will deteriorate if you take the wrong step." In the conversation, he also voiced his disagreement with interfaith marriage. Uma Dhupelia Mistry, Gandhijis great-granddaughter and senior history faculty at the University of the Cape, South Africa, has written extensively on the incident. Manilal was confident he would marry Timmy (Fatima), but he soon realized many obstacles stood in his way. Kasturba strongly opposed interfaith marriage, unable to accept a daughter-in-law from a different religion or caste. Manilal and Fatimas bond endured over the years. Mani went to India with Gandhi in 1915 but returned to South Africa in 1917 to manage the Phoenix Ashram, likely unable to bear the separation from Fatima. Their friendship, which began in 1914, lasted until 1926. In 1926, Manilal conveyed to his father, via his younger brother Ramdas, that he wished to marry Timmy. Fatima and her family had shared a close bond with Gandhis family in South Africa. Mani hoped for his fathers approval, but Gandhis response was devastating. He clarified, however, that he was writing to Mani as a friend. Gandhijis Letter Shattered Dreams The letter crushed Manis hopes. It read, If you are a Hindu and marry Fatima while she remains a Muslim, it will be like two swords in one sheath. You will lose your faith. Consider the religion your children will follow." Gandhiji added, This would be irreligion, not religion. Even if Fatima changed her religion just for marriage, it would be wrong. Faith is not a garment to be changed at will. Anyone who does so risks ostracism from their religion and home. Such a relationship is unacceptable and not beneficial to society." This will not positively impact Hindus or Muslims. After an interfaith marriage, you wont be able to serve the country or run the Indian Opinion Weekly from Phoenix Ashram. Traveling to India will be difficult. I cant even tell Ba; she would never give permission," he added. Gandhiji, deeply concerned about the reaction in India, added a sterner warning, You are contemplating this marriage for temporary pleasure, not knowing the meaning of true happiness." Mani Had To End His Relationship With Fatima Manilal, deeply disappointed, realized he would not receive his fathers permission and, as an obedient son, refused to marry Fatima. However, he could never forgive Gandhi for this decision. Two of Gandhis grandchildren, Rajmohan Gandhi (Mohandas: A True Story of a Man, His People, and an Empire) and Uma Dhupelia (Gandhis Prisoner?: The Life of Gandhis Son Manilal), criticized him for this act. While Manilal remained unmarried to Fatima, a decade later his elder brother Harilal briefly converted to Islam before reconverting to Hinduism within a month. Married To The Daughter Of A Gujarati Baniya After receiving Manilals letter, Gandhiji consulted his trusted associate Jamnalal Bajaj. Manilal was promptly married to Sushila, the 19-year-old daughter of a wealthy Gujarati Bania merchant from Akola, Maharashtra. Before marriage, Sushila belonged to the Mashruwala community of Gujarat, a Vaishya Gujarati group known for its educated, social, and literary background. Gandhiji instructed Manilal to inform his wife that a previous affair had ended before their marriage. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all After marrying, Manilal and Sushila had three children: Ela Gandhi, Arun Gandhi, and Sushma Gandhi. Ela became a prominent South African human rights activist and served in Parliament during Nelson Mandelas tenure. Arun and Sushma Gandhi have also contributed to social work, with Arun spending a significant period in the United States. Though the fifth generation of Mahatma Gandhis family has now arrived, some members have married into other religions, but none into Islam. Today, the Gandhi family resides across the United States, Britain, Europe, South Africa, and India. First Published: October 03, 2025, 18:38 IST News india Why Gandhiji Denied His Son Permission To Marry A Muslim Girl | The Untold Story Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... 5 Must-Try Spots In Bengaluru For Flavour-Packed Vegetarian Plates Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 04, 2025, 12:13 IST Celebrate World Vegetarian Day in style with Bengalurus top 5 restaurants offering indulgent, flavorful and wholesome plates. Heres a curated list of five spots across Bengaluru that promise vegetarian dishes as flavorful as they are memorable. Bengaluru, with its thriving food scene, is a haven for plant-based food lovers, offering everything from health-focused cafes to indulgent fine-dining experiences. Heres a curated list of five spots across the city that promise vegetarian dishes as flavourful as they are memorable. Recommended Stories Italia MG Road Italia, nestled within The Park Hotel, brings India a taste of Venices iconic Cicchetti bar culture. Since opening in 2002, it has stood as a hallmark of Italian dining in Bengaluru. Today, with its refreshed persona inspired by Venices lively Cicchetti bars, Italia offers a feast designed to delight both the eyes and the palate. Inclusivity is central to its menu, ensuring every guest finds dishes crafted to their taste. Signature Offering: Bruschetta with balsamic-marinated grilled mushrooms and gorgonzola cheese. Earthy mushrooms, tangy balsamic, and creamy gorgonzola come together on crisp-toasted breada balance of sharp and mellow flavors thats light yet satisfying. Location: The Park, 14/7, Mahatma Gandhi Rd, Ashok Nagar, Bengaluru Timings: 12 pm 11 pm, Tuesday to Saturday Cost for Two: 1,8002,500 (approx.) Sante Spa Cuisine Indiranagar At Sante Spa Cuisine, inventive vegetarian dining takes center stage. The refreshed menu draws inspiration from Continental, Asian, South American, Italian, and Indian cuisinesblending indulgence with accessibility while remaining true to its ingredient-first philosophy. Designed as an inclusive space, Sante celebrates global flavors while reimagining vegetarian dining for the modern palate. Signature Offering: Toasted Buckwheat and Potato Gnocchi, served with a vibrant tomato coulis and roasted vegetables, a wholesome, hearty twist on a classic. Location: 151, 2nd Stage, 2nd Cross, Domlur, Indiranagar, Bengaluru Timings: 11:00 am 11:00 pm, daily Cost for Two: 1,8002,500 (approx.) Coffee Mechanics Bellandur With roots in a 180-year-old family-run coffee estate, Coffee Mechanics is one of Bengalurus most distinctive homegrown brands. Its flagship cafe in Bellandur is an experience-led space where design and atmosphere invite guests to slow down. The menu showcases Indian coffee at its finestfilter brews, cold brews, pour-overs, and signature blendsalongside artisanal bakes, playful soft serves, hearty bowls, and comfort-forward plates. Signature Offering: Mushroom Pate Open Toast, featuring delicate pate topped with capers, cherry tomatoes, roasted almonds, and fresh arugula, finished with a drizzle of sweet balsamic glaze. Location: 77/6, Kaverappa Layout, Kadubeesanahalli, Bengaluru Timings: From 10:00 am onwards Cost for Two: 400700 (approx.) Flax Cafe Indiranagar At Flax Cafe, wholesome and conscious dining is the heart of every plate. With a focus on clean, health-forward ingredients, the cafe blends nutrition with indulgence through globally inspired, flavor-rich vegetarian dishes. Signature Offering: Truffled Mushroom Bruschetta, with sourdough toast topped with caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms, mozzarella, and aromatic truffle oila decadent yet mindful treat. Location: 3169-A, Paramhansa Yogananda, 12th Cross Rd, Indiranagar, Bengaluru Timings: 9:00 am 11:00 pm, daily Cost for Two: 1,200 (approx.) KOKO Bengaluru Old Airport Road Experience the art of vegetarian luxury at KOKO Bengaluru. Known for its sophisticated plating and depth of flavor, KOKO elevates vegetarian dining into an indulgent, refined affair. Signature Offering: Wild Morel & Truffle Dumplings, a decadent blend of morel and shiitake mushrooms with tender snow peas, silky truffle paste, and a drizzle of truffle oil. Each bite is rich, earthy, and aromatic, a true indulgence for umami lovers. Location: Prestige Icon, Old Airport Road, Bengaluru top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Timings: 12 pm 4 pm & 7 pm 1 am Cost for Two: 3,500+ About the Author Swati Chaturvedi Swati Chaturvedi, a seasoned media and journalism aficionado with over 10 years of expertise, is not just a storyteller; she's a weaver of wit and wisdom in the digital landscape. As a key figure in N... Read More First Published: October 03, 2025, 17:03 IST News lifestyle food 5 Must-Try Spots In Bengaluru For Flavour-Packed Vegetarian Plates Yoga, Healthy Meals, Repeat: How A 102-Year-Old Stays Healthy, Happy, And Ageless Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 13:28 IST 102-year-old French yoga teacher Charlotte Chopin recently opened up about how her decades-long yoga practice keeps her mind calm, body flexible, and spirit joyful. Charlotte Chopin started practising yoga at 50. At 102, French yoga teacher Charlotte Chopin is living proof that age is just a number. In a recent interview, the centenarian credited her decades-long yoga practice for keeping her mind calm, body flexible, and spirit joyful. Chopin, who began practising yoga at the age of 50, has since become an international ambassador for the practice, even receiving Indias Padma Shri award in 2024 for her contributions to promoting yoga worldwide. Yoga for a Lifetime Recommended Stories Though she no longer attempts headstands, Charlotte Chopin can still bend to touch her toes. Her approach to yoga has evolved over the years, moving from complex postures to gentle stretches, breathing, and the serenity the practice offers. She believes the consistency of daily movement is more powerful than mastering the most difficult poses. I would lose everything if I stopped yoga," she told The New York Times Well section. The Power of Routine Chopin swears by simple rituals. Her mornings begin with a comforting breakfast of coffee, toast with butter and honey or jam, and occasionally a spoonful of jelly. Her meals are mostly built around vegetables, cheese, and fruit, proving that nourishment need not be elaborate to be effective. A daily walk outdoors and yoga classes complete her day, underlining the role of balance and rhythm in healthy ageing. More Than Fitness A Way of Life What makes her story remarkable is not just her physical flexibility but the philosophy she embodies: enjoy what you do. She calls yoga an activity that she likes" one that provides serenity, mental clarity, and social connection. This holistic benefit, rather than the pursuit of perfection in poses, is what sustains her well-being. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Lessons Beyond the Mat Charlottes story is a reminder that healthy ageing doesnt always come from radical changes, but from consistency in the small things. Choosing activities you enjoy, creating comforting routines, and staying connected to your body can help build resilience over time. Her mantra of move and eat well" captures a timeless and attainable truth: that longevity is less about chasing youth and more about living in balance every day. Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: October 03, 2025, 13:28 IST News lifestyle health-and-fitness Yoga, Healthy Meals, Repeat: How A 102-Year-Old Stays Healthy, Happy, And Ageless Eighteen missile strikes and 78 attack UAVs recorded at 15 locations, along with downed UAVs (debris) at six locations AFU Air Force The enemy attacked Ukraine with 416 air strike weapons, including 381 UAVs and 35 air- and land-based missiles, shooting down or suppressing 320 aerial targets, the Ukrainian Air Force reported on its Telegram channel. As noted, on the night of October 3 (from 20:00 on October 2), the enemy launched a combined attack on Ukrainian territory using attack UAVs, air- and land-based missiles, a total of 416 air attack weapons: - 381 attack UAVs of the Shahed and Gerbera types (drones of other types) from the directions of Kursk, Bryansk, Millerovo, Orel, Shatalovo, Primorsko-Akhtarsk of the Russian Federation; - 7 Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles; - 21 Iskander-K cruise missiles; - 7 X-59/69 guided air-to-air missiles. "The main target of the attack was critical infrastructure facilities (energy sector) in Kharkiv and Poltava regions. Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, and Kyiv regions were also damaged in the overnight attack," the message says. According to preliminary data, as of 10:00 a.m., the air defense have shot down or suppressed 320 aerial targets: - 303 enemy Shahed and Gerbera UAVs (and other types); - 12 Iskander-K cruise missiles; - 5 X-59/69 guided air-to-air missiles. "Eighteen missile and 78 attack UAV strikes were recorded at 15 locations, as well as the fall of downed aircraft (debris) at six locations," the Air Force noted. The air attack was repelled by aircraft, anti-aircraft missile forces, electronic warfare and unmanned systems units, and mobile fire teams of the Ukrainian Defense Forces. Reimagining Bengals Laal Paar Saree For Durga Puja: A Blend Of Tradition And Sustainability Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 16:14 IST This Durga Puja, Bengals iconic Laal Paar saree is reimagined with handloom weaving, block-print artistry, sustainable materials celebrating artisans and keeping heritage alive By celebrating artisanship while aligning it with contemporary design and sustainability, Coca-Colas Laal Paar sarees show how heritage can evolve without losing its essence Few garments are as deeply tied to Bengals cultural identity as the Laal Paar saree, the striking white-and-red weave that has become inseparable from Durga Puja. This year, Coca-Cola has reimagined this timeless attire, collaborating with Bengals artisans to create sarees that honour heritage while embracing sustainability. The project brought together master weavers from Phulia in Nadia district, a village celebrated globally for its handloom tradition, and block-print artisans from the suburbs of Kolkata. The result is a series of sarees that retain the essence of the Laal Paar while weaving in subtle, modern design elements. Recommended Stories Motifs central to Bengals cultural imagination, the fragrant Shiuli flower, which heralds the arrival of Pujo, and the fish, a symbol of prosperity have been hand block-printed onto the fabric, preserving a craft increasingly rare in the age of mass production. Interwoven into these designs is Coca-Colas iconic contour bottle, a contemporary detail that sits harmoniously alongside age-old tradition. Durga Puja is a celebration of tradition, skill, and community spirit," said Karthik Subramanian, Senior Director Marketing (Coca-Cola Category), India and Southwest Asia. With the Laal Paar Sarees, we are honoring Phulias artisans and supporting livelihoods that extend beyond the festive season. The use of recycled PET yarn alongside cotton turns each saree into a symbol of how heritage and modern responsibility can be woven together." Sustainability is at the heart of this project. The sarees are woven from a blend of cotton and recycled PET yarn, transforming waste into fabric while supporting local livelihoods. Each piece becomes more than just clothing, it is a narrative of craft, conscience, and continuity. The collection was unveiled at Ballygunge Cultural Sharbojonin, one of Kolkatas most traditional Pujo pandals, where club members wore the sarees during festivities. They were also presented to members of the West Bengal Ministry of Culture, affirming their value as cultural artefacts as much as fashion statements. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all For the creative team, the symbolism of this collaboration was immediate. Icon meets icon, that was the thought behind the Coke Laal Paar saree," said Sujoy Roy, CCO, Ogilvy North. Bengals red and white and Cokes red and white are instantly recognisable on their own, but when woven together, they became something larger, something more meaningful. Sustainability met tradition, and for a moment, brand and culture became indistinguishable." By celebrating artisanship while aligning it with contemporary design and sustainability, Coca-Colas Laal Paar sarees show how heritage can evolve without losing its essence. As Durga Puja lights up Bengal, these sarees stand as reminders that tradition is not static, it grows, adapts, and, in the right hands, continues to inspire. About the Author Swati Chaturvedi Swati Chaturvedi, a seasoned media and journalism aficionado with over 10 years of expertise, is not just a storyteller; she's a weaver of wit and wisdom in the digital landscape. As a key figure in N... Read More First Published: October 03, 2025, 16:11 IST News lifestyle Reimagining Bengals Laal Paar Saree For Durga Puja: A Blend Of Tradition And Sustainability Steve Jobs Daughter Eve Jobs Steals Spotlight With Stunning Milan Fashion Week Look Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 19:18 IST Steve Jobs' youngest daughter, Eve Jobs, has gone viral on Instagram after she shared her look from the Milan Fashion Week. Eve Jobs shared the photos on Instagram. Eve Jobs has quietly but steadily carved out her own identity, far beyond the shadow of her famous surname. Recently, the youngest daughter of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs captured international attention with a stunning Instagram post from Milan, where she attended the Bottega Veneta show. Fans and fashion enthusiasts alike lauded her effortless poise and modern sophistication, cementing her status as a rising fashion icon. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Eve Jobs (@evejobs) Recommended Stories Who Is Eve Jobs? Born on July 9, 1998, in Palo Alto, California, Eve grew up in a household that balanced privilege with grounded values, thanks to her mother, Laurene Powell Jobs. Her formative years at Upper Echelon Academy in Florida and later Stanford University, where she graduated in 2021 with a degree in Science, Technology, and Society, instilled a sense of discipline and curiosity that would guide her pursuits. Equestrian Excellence Before the fashion world beckoned, Eve established herself in equestrian sports. Her connection with horses and meticulous training propelled her to the global stage, earning her a top-five ranking among riders under 25 by 2019, according to Horse Sport. Her equestrian career not only showcased her competitive spirit but also her ability to build a reputation on talent and dedication, independent of her lineage. Fashions Rising Star View this post on Instagram A post shared by Eve Jobs (@evejobs) Eves modelling journey began in December 2020 with a holiday campaign for Glossier alongside Sydney Sweeney and Naomi Smalls. Her runway debut at Paris Fashion Week in 2021 for Coperni marked her as a poised yet understated presence on the catwalk. Since signing with DNA Model Management in March 2022, she has graced the Met Gala, collaborated with Louis Vuitton, and appeared on the cover of Vogue Japan, steadily building a portfolio that speaks to both versatility and elegance. Eve Jobs Personal Life View this post on Instagram A post shared by Eve Jobs (@evejobs) top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all In July 2025, Eve married British Olympian Harry Charles, herself an accomplished equestrian. Their wedding on July 26 at St Michael and All Angels Church in Great Tew, Cotswolds, was a lavish affair featuring intricate floral decor, 101 candles, Persian rugs, and even a performance by Elton John, with estimates of the celebration reaching Rs 59 crore (USD 6.7 million). Eve exemplifies a balance between heritage and individuality. Whether in equestrian arenas or fashion capitals, she continues to shape a narrative defined by skill, sophistication, and authenticity. As she steps into this new chapter of life, Eve proves that success, elegance, and personal fulfilment can coexist gracefully by carving out a story all her own. Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: October 03, 2025, 19:18 IST News lifestyle Steve Jobs Daughter Eve Jobs Steals Spotlight With Stunning Milan Fashion Week Look Opinion | Built In Bharat, For World: What Zoho, Vembu Teach Us About Swadeshi & Atmanirbharta Written By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 16:28 IST Zohos story is part of Indian entrepreneurial lore: a global software leader built without leaning on the usual crutchesno hyper-marketing, no vanity blitz, no venture capital Rapid Read + Follow us On Google Zoho Fresher Salaries In 2025: A Guide On How Much To Expect The Wizard of Tenkasi I recently spent a day in Tenkasi with Sridhar Vembu Ji, the maverick founder of Zoho. It was not a typical corporate visit; it felt like walking through a living manifesto. From his thoughtfully designed traditional home, where he served us a sumptuous farm-to-table lunch, to the water ponds he is helping create nearby, to the conversations about robotics and rural talent, the message was clear: greatness can be frugal, world-class can be local, and prosperity can be engineered from the ground up. Recommended Stories Zohos story is now part of Indian entrepreneurial lore: a global software leader built without leaning on the usual crutches no hyper-marketing, no vanity blitz, no venture capital. In Tenkasi, global operations meet village life; intellectual property is created where rice paddies abound; and a world of software quietly rivals and beats global Big Tech. A Product Universe that Rivals Giants It is fashionable to describe Zoho as Indias Microsoft competitor." That misses the essence. Zoho is not merely a low-cost bundle of apps; it is an integrated work operating systemfrom CRM, finance, HR, and analytics to collaboration, email, service desks, low-code platforms, and developer toolsdesigned to let a small business run like a large one, and a large enterprise move with the agility of a startup. The breadth is astonishing; the coherence is the advantage. Each product learns from and talks to the others, with a relentless focus on value over noise. Beyond the core suite, Zohos consumer-grade tools are earning serious buzz. The privacy-first messaging app Arattai has seen a surge in interest among users seeking a secure, Made-in-India alternative. Zoho Show has matured into a world-class presentation tool: elegant themes, live collaboration, and seamless publishing without the lock-in or bloat. Zoho optimizes for control over its own stackdata centres, core technologies, R&Dso customers are never trapped by pricing games or third-party dependencies. In a world of rent seeking bundles and perpetual upsells, Zohos steady, sensible products feel like a Swadeshi (local or home-grown) service, promoting Atmanirbharta (self-reliance). The Zoho Way: Frugal Excellence, Rural First Sridhar Vembu did something rare for an entrepreneur at the peak of global success: he moved home not to a metro, but to a village in Tamil Nadu. He didnt bring Silicon Valley to Tenkasi; he built something more interestingTenkasi for the World. This is a systems design that aligns four things: 1. Talent where it lives. Rural and small-town youth are not support" talent. Trained right, they are builders of core products. 2. Education that works. Zoho Schools of Learning proves that hands-on, skill-first training beats credentials when the goal is competence. 3. Operations that respect place. Offices distributed beyond metros, architecture tuned to the climate, and daily life that eliminates urban burn while increasing belonging and satisfaction. 4. Ownership of IP. From code to chips to research, Zoho invests in the fundamentals, so India owns what India builds. I left Tenkasi with a simple realization: if a company can build high-end software from a village and serve millions of global users, then location" has lost its dominance. What remains and what counts is the vision, discipline, and values. Atmanirbhar Bharat: Self-Reliance without Isolation Zoho demonstrates that the Atmanirbhar model is open-armed self-relianceproduce here competitively, sell everywhere proudly, and keep the most precious assets (talent, IP, trust) rooted in India. This is not about closing doors; it is about widening runways. When Zoho manufactures knowledge in India it does three things simultaneously: Creates high-value jobs beyond metropolitan areasa real solution to urban congestion and unequal opportunity. Strengthens national capabilityfrom data security to product design to customer support at global standards. Models a values-driven capitalismfrugal, ethical, and committed to community uplift. In our conversations, Sridhar Ji repeatedly spoke about redefining economic value: it is not just revenue alone, but rather how much value we add locallythe number of meaningful jobs, the spread of skills, and the rise in dignity and quality of life. He champions building in our backyardpower tools, robotics, advanced instrumentsbecause Swadeshi is not a slogan; it is a strategy to move up the value chain. Pi Labs and the Hardware Horizon Many founders stop at software. Vembu Ji is pushing into applied hardware and deep tech through initiatives like Pi Labstargeting imports we treat as inevitable and replacing them with domestic innovation. This matters significantly as hardware defines independence. If we can build the instruments, the tools, the control systems that underpin industry and healthcare, we open a new frontier of resilience and export strength. Imagine Indian-built medical devices and material-handling systems powering factories and hospitals across the global South. That is Viksit Bharat expressed in steel and silicon, not just in slides. A Blueprint Others Can Borrow From my day in Tenkasi and years of building in India, here is a replicable playbook: 1. Adopt Indian tech. If Zoho does the job, use Zoho. Every procurement rupee that rewards Made-in-India excellence builds a flywheel. 2. Decentralize talent. Set up satellite pods in Tier 2/3 towns; recruit locally; pair training with real-world projects. 3. Own (or co-own) your IP. Partner with Indian institutes; invest in core R&D; build deeper moats. India stands at a Goldilocks moment and a pivotal moment in history: a young workforce, digital public rails (UPI, Aadhaar, DigiLocker, Account Aggregator), improving logistics, and the Make in India initiative. We do not need permission from anyone to seize our destiny. What we need are more Zohos that convert potential into reality. In the wake of restrictive foreign visa walls and increasing barriers elsewhere, building in India is not only patriotic but also rational and imperative. A Personal Note of Thanks Visionary leaders like Sridhar Ji and institutions like Zoho demonstrate the path to Viksit Bharat: world-class products built in India, IP owned in India, high-value jobs across India, and a Swadeshi spirit that is practical, ethical, and proudly modern. If we, as founders, CEOs, policymakers, and citizens, align around that pathadopting Indian tech, building here without apology, training where we live, and exporting trustwe will not merely catch up; we will set the pace. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all I went to Tenkasi to see a company. I found Viksit Bharat in the making. The author is an angel investor and startup mentor for the Atal Innovation Mission, Government of India, and the Atal Incubation Centre-Rambhau Mhalgi Prabhodhini. He is presently the Convenor (Western Maharashtra) of the BJP Intellectual Cell and has recently co-edited the book Modis North East Story. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views. First Published: October 03, 2025, 16:06 IST News opinion Opinion | Built In Bharat, For World: What Zoho, Vembu Teach Us About Swadeshi & Atmanirbharta Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Opinion | Decoding India-China Ties After SCO Summit Written By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 12:15 IST The military hardware displayed by China reflects a new reality, i.e., numbers do matter The thaw in India-China bilateral relations can be attributed to direct US pressure and indirect Chinese cajoling. (Representative Image) Two recent events show the changing nature of India-China relations. First, US President Donald Trumps imposition of tariffs on India and Prime Minister Modis attendance at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit appeared to show India moving towards China and Russia. The second development was the grand military parade organised by President Xi Jinping following the SCO Summit to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Chinas victory in the Second World War. Both the Summit and military parade showed Xis control over China and a nation ready to deal with the world on its own terms. Recommended Stories The thaw in India-China bilateral relations can be attributed to direct US pressure and indirect Chinese cajoling. While normalisation of bilateral relations is a positive sign, the agreement between the nations on the boundary issue has a Chinese signature all over it. This is a matter of concern and needs careful monitoring. The thaw in India-China relations that has occurred is grounded in interactions prior to the Prime Ministers visit to Tianjin for the SCO Summit. This includes the visit (20 August) of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Delhi to meet NSA Ajit Doval, for the 24th Round of the Special Representatives meeting on the boundary issue. However, the reset in bilateral ties should not be seen in isolation. PM Modi chose to first travel to Japan, with the objective of strengthening Indias relations with Japan. The thaw in relations between India and China as an outcome of the US broadside against India provided New Delhi the opportunity to signal to the US. In a sense, the reset is actually waiting to happen, and will take time to fructify. The meeting between NSA Ajit Doval and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in New Delhi led to an agreement, which, inter alia, includes a proposed formation of an Expert Group to discuss early harvest solutions on boundary delimitation. This marks the first occasion when India has accepted the 2017 Chinese proposal for discussing early harvest for boundary delimitation, which is primarily focused on the India-China border in Sikkim, which by all counts is a settled boundary as per the Treaty of 1890. But recall that the Doklam stand-off occurred precisely because of the differing views on where the boundary stood; for China claimed that the trijunction of India, Bhutan and China stood at Gipmochi mountain, while India takes Batang La to be the tri-junction. The Chinese proposal finds mention in their press release issued after the 22nd dialogue of the Special Representatives in New Delhi in December 2019 which noted that both sides should promote early harvest consultations. Indias latest agreement with China to establish an Expert Group under the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination (WMCC) on India-China Border Affairs raises the question as to whether both sides are moving away from a package settlement as envisaged by Article III of the 2005 Agreement on the Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for the Settlement of the IndiaChina Boundary Question? Why open up a settled issue? As per the 1890 agreement, the border is settled. By reopening negotiations, with China wanting to replace the 1890 agreement with a new agreement, it is possible that complications may arise. The strategic implications could be felt in Chumbi Valley and enhance pressure on the Chickens neck. The second notable point is that both sides agreed, during the meeting of the NSAs, that it was necessary to Take a political perspective of the overall bilateral relationship and seek a boundary settlement in line with the agreement of 2005. This means that both sides will use the 2005 pact for a final settlement and have directed their respective authorities to push forward and discuss all bilateral issues, keeping foremost in mind the need to find a mutually acceptable solution to the boundary issue. With India under pressure from the US, China has chosen the moment to get India to accept its proposals on the boundary question. The conclusions on this are obvious; India agreed to the early harvest solution believing that it is a step forward, the Chinese are not thinking along those lines! The resetting of relations has been shown in outcomes of the Xi-Modi meeting on the sidelines of the SCO Summit, relating to travel, strategic communications, people-to-people ties and easing of border tensions, amongst other issues. The point is that the nub of the relationship today is the border and efforts to resolve the issue are of paramount importance. Managing the borders is one thing, resolving the question is another. That is the challenge that India has precisely because this is one issue where the world will sit and watch on the sidelines, while we try and settle the issue. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all This leaves India with a stronger China. While economic downturn is a reality today, it has not stopped Xi Jinping from moving forward to cement Chinas place in the world as a superpower. The military parade and the SCO Summit demonstrated that an alternative to the Trump-defined world order is emerging. The military hardware displayed by China reflects a new reality, i.e., numbers do matter. The quality of Chinese military equipment is something that remains to be tested in battle, but is a signal of intent. China is prepared to take over Taiwan, irrespective of whether the US intervenes or not. The writer is Consultant, MP-IDSA and a former director, national security council secretariat. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views. First Published: October 03, 2025, 11:22 IST News opinion Opinion | Decoding India-China Ties After SCO Summit Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Opinion: Indias Big Khadi Revolution Under Modi Reported By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 15:08 IST As PM Modi often reminds us in his Mann Ki Baat radio addresses, Khadi is New India's bridge between tradition and innovation, heritage and progress Rapid Read + Follow us On Google The core of Modi's Khadi push is a profound commitment to women's empowerment Nari Shakti. As Gujarats erstwhile Chief Minister, Narendra Modi relentlessly championed the cause of rural industries, but it was his first Mann Ki Baat episode in October 2014, just weeks after assuming national leadership as Indias most popular Prime Minister, that re-ignited the khadi spark. That spark, in the last 11 years, has now turned into a full-blown Khadi revolution. Urging every Indian to buy at least one Khadi product, PM Modi emphasised its role in uplifting poor weavers and promoting self-reliance. In the 20th century, Mahatma Gandhi envisioned Khadi not just as a simple handspun cloth, but as a powerful symbol of economic empowerment and national pride. The Charkha, or spinning wheel, became a tool for rural revival, weaving together threads of dignity, sustainability, and swadeshi. Recommended Stories Fast-forward to the 21st century, when Prime Minister Modi assumed office in 2014, and his Gandhian vision found renewed vigour. Under Modis leadership, Khadi has undergone a remarkable transformation from a fading emblem of the past to a thriving engine of rural development and womens empowerment. The last 11 years have witnessed what can truly be called the Khadi Revolution. This isnt mere nostalgia; it is a strategic and meticulous rejuvenation aligned with Modis flagship initiatives like Vocal for Local, Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India), and Make In India. By embedding Khadi into the broader narrative of sustainable development, the Modi government has turned it into a global, sartorial icon of eco-friendly fashion and rural prosperity. Provisional data from the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) for FY 2024-25 reveals staggering growth: sales have surged by 447% to over Rs 1.71 lakh crore, production by 347% to Rs 1.16 lakh crore, and employment by 50.75% to over 2 crore jobs. As Modi often reminds us in his Mann Ki Baat radio addresses, Khadi is New Indias bridge between tradition and innovation, heritage, and progress. This personal endorsement was not a one-off; it became a recurring theme, with Modi repeatedly tying Khadi to national campaigns like Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav and Viksit Bharat (Developed India). Central to this revolution is the KVIC, the statutory body under the Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME). Established in 1957, KVIC has flourished under Modis guidance, implementing schemes that blend tradition with technology. Key initiatives include the Prime Ministers Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP). Revamped since 2014, this credit-linked subsidy programme has established over 10.18 lakh micro-enterprises, providing subsidies worth Rs 27,166 crore and generating over 90 lakh jobs. In FY 2023-24 alone, it created 10.17 lakh rural jobs. Additionally, the Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI) has promoted over 300 clusters, modernising production with solar-powered Charkhas and skill training, boosting output by over 315% since 2013-14. Market Promotion Development Assistance (MPDA) is another initiative offering 30% cash grants on prime costs, with 40% directly benefiting artisans via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT); this scheme has expanded sales outlets from 110 (2004-2014) to over 375 in just two years, post-2015. Khadi Reform and Development Programme (KRDP), backed by a $150 million Asian Development Bank (ADB) loan in 2009 but accelerated under Modi, has modernised infrastructure, introducing digital platforms and quality certifications. These schemes, integrated with broader policies like GST (which unified taxation for easier compliance) and Digital India (for online sales), have dismantled barriers. From de-licensing obsolete laws to easing environmental clearancesfrom 600 days pre-2014 to under 180 days nowModis minimum government, maximum governance" approach has unleashed Khadis true potential. The result? A sector that was on the verge of death" in 2014 has become a Rs 1.71 lakh crore powerhouse by 2025. The numbers tell a story of exponential progress. In FY 2013-14, Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) sales stood at a modest Rs 31,154 crore, with production at Rs 26,109 crore and employment at 1.30 crore. But by FY 2024-25, sales had skyrocketed to Rs 1.71 lakh crorea 447% leap. Khadi fabric production alone jumped 366% from Rs 811 crore to Rs 3783 crore, and garment sales surged 561% to Rs 7146 crore in this period. This growth isnt confined to fabrics; diversified products like soaps, honey, papads, and cosmetics propelled village industries output to Rs 96,900 crore in FY 2023. Flagship outlets like Delhis Khadi Gramodyog Bhawan saw turnover double to Rs 110 crore, a 115% rise. On Gandhi Jayanti last year, a single Khadi store in Connaught Place recorded over Rs 2 crore in sales a new record. Employment has been the true game-changer. From 1.30 crore jobs in 2013-14, KVIC now sustains well over 2 crore livelihoods, with 10.17 lakh new rural jobs in FY 2023-24 alone. KVICs training centres have upskilled 7.44 lakh individuals over the last decade, with 57% being women. Artisan wages have risen 275% since 2014, including a 100% hike in the last three years, ensuring fair compensation. The core of Modis Khadi push is a profound commitment to womens empowerment Nari Shakti. With 80% of KVICs 5 lakh Khadi artisans being women, the sector has become a beacon for gender-inclusive growth. Since 2014, 4.27 lakh women have been trained through KVIC centres, comprising 57% of all trainees. Schemes like PMEGP prioritise women-led enterprises, with subsidies up to 35% for them, fostering entrepreneurship in remote villages. Success stories abound In Bihars Gaya district, for example, the Gram Nirmaan Mandal Khadi Sansthan has empowered hundreds of rural women through buyback yarn programmes, providing monthly incomes of almost Rs 8,000. In Gujarat, women SHGs (Self-Help Groups) under SFURTI clusters have modernised looms, turning traditional weaving into profitable ventures. One such group in Navsari, trained in 2018, now exports Khadi scarves, with members incomes doubling to Rs 15,000 a month. Modis broader ecosystem amplifies this Beti Bachao Beti Padhao improved the sex ratio from 918 (2014-15) to 930 (2023-24), while POSHAN Abhiyaans digital tracking has enhanced maternal health, indirectly supporting women artisans. Khadis eco-friendly ethos near-zero water footprint and carbon neutrality align with womens health, offering allergy-free fabrics while promoting sustainable livelihoods. This has not only boosted household incomes but also decision-making power, with many women heading village cooperatives. The Khadi revolution has revitalised rural India, curbing migration and fostering inclusive growth. Over 70% of new jobs since 2014 are rural, with PMEGP alone having 2.9 lakh women trainees in 2024. In Aspirational Districts, KVIC clusters have integrated skill mapping, credit access, and market linkages. Take the story of Keralawomen weavers adopted solar Charkhas, increasing productivity by 40% and incomes by 50% since 2018. In Uttar Pradesh, 375 new Khadi institutions post-2015 have employed thousands, reducing urban drift. Modis UDAN scheme and rural internet under Digital India have connected these artisans to e-markets, with KVICs online portals driving 20% sales growth. Khadi also promotes organic farming linkages via Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana, conserving water and soil while generating ancillary jobs in beekeeping and coir. In 2017, Modi sought UN support to globalise Khadi, akin to Yoga. Today, it is in Air Indias amenity kits and EU markets, with KVIC defending trademarks aggressively. The human element shines through In Odisha, tribal woman Sunita Behera, trained under PMEGP in 2016, now runs a Khadi unit employing over 20 people, earning over Rs 30,000 monthly up from subsistence farming. In Rajasthan, the SFURTI cluster in Barmer has empowered 500 women, exporting over Rs 50 lakh worth of Khadi goods, annually. KVICs tribal beneficiary stories highlight how Modis focus on marginalised groups has created role models, inspiring a new generation. Modis leadership has woven Khadi into the fabric of a reinvigorated India. From Rs 31,000 crore in sales to Rs 1.71 lakh crore, from 1.3 crore to over 2 crore jobs, the revolution is tangible empowering women, transforming villages, and projecting India globally. As villages prosper, so does the nation Khadi embodies Modis vision of Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat. From local looms to international markets, PM Modis Make in India has innovated Khadi, blending heritage with high-tech. Solar Charkhas, digital looms, and design collaborations with big brands have made Khadi global chic." top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all As of March 2025, KVIC operated its developmental programmes through 5600 registered institutions and 30,138 cooperative societies. KVIC has 15,431 total sales outlets across the country, with 7050 of these directly owned by the commission. KVIC also runs various training centres, including 18 departmental and 17 non-departmental ones, to empower artisans and entrepreneurs. This extensive network allows KVIC to support and promote Khadi and village industries in rural areas throughout India, fulfilling its objectives of providing employment, generating income, and fostering self-reliance. With a target set for Rs 2 lakh crore turnover in FY26, the unstoppable Khadi revolution under Prime Minister Narendra Modi proves that, rooted in tradition and heritage, the Charkha can spin opportunity into action, laying the future of Viksit Bharat with dexterity and nimble-footedness. Mahatma Gandhi once said, spinning the Charkha and making threads takes a lot of time and patience. Charkha of the yore was used to spin fabric into yarn. Today, under Modi, Charkha is a symbol of resurgent India. Sanju Verma is an Economist, National Spokesperson of the BJP and the Bestselling Author of The Modi Gambit. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views. First Published: October 03, 2025, 15:08 IST News opinion Opinion: Indias Big Khadi Revolution Under Modi Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Opinion | Why Amit Shah's Tech-Driven SOPs For Religious Gatherings Are The Need Of The Hour Written By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 18:29 IST Education, civic sense, and medical facilities all come into the mix to lift ourselves out of the stampede culture we have had to endure for far too long Bags and other belongings lying at the scene after a stampede broke out at Sangam on 'Mauni Amavasya' during the 'Maha Kumbh Mela' festival, in Prayagraj on January 29, 2025. (File pic/PTI) Sometimes a good idea hiding in plain sight comes at last to the fore and begins to receive due attention. Home Minister Amit Shah, exasperated no doubt at the endless stampede deaths and injuries that are giving India a bad name for callousness, has come up with a plan. Recommended Stories It applies to a host of situations, though he specifically mentioned temples. It could be used at political rallies, weddings, funerals, processions, railway stations, hordes going to hill stations, forts, or any other large moving or static gathering. It also applies to ecologically sensitive areas in the mountains, rivers, lakes, animal sanctuaries, and other tourist spots. This is by way of a first national SOP (standard operating procedure) for crowd control and will prevent needless deaths and injuries if strictly implemented. It will become the first design and template for excuse-proof structured crowd management. Of course, a lot of work needs to be done on it, particularly for ancient temples and temple towns, as well as traditional pilgrimages and melas. It applies to the crowds going to the Char Dhams in Uttarakhand, the Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri, the Sabarimala in the South, Vaishno Devi and Amarnath in J&K. Huge congregations of the old and infirm such as at the Ganga Sagar in West Bengal, men women, children, sadhus, foreigners at the gargantuan Kumbh Melas held every four years, culminating in the Mahakumbh at Prayagraj. It is clear that the SOP needs to be elaborate because one size does not fit all. It could be worked into a law by Parliament and the state legislatures so that breaches and flouting of it can be punished without constituting fact-finding committees after each disaster. Ingress by bus, train, aircraft, on foot, and departure by similar means, needs looking at, inclusive of traffic routing, parking and controlled arrivals and departures. A beginning on this was made at the last Maha Kumbh Mela, which, though it saw a couple of stampedes, was by far the best-managed gathering at the Prayagraj Sangam ever. It was also the greatest such gathering ever held on Earth. Full marks for that go not only to the Centre but also to the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh. And yet people broke through police barriers in their indiscipline and trampled others underfoot. Statistically, it may not have been much, but the human tragedy in this and all other such incidents cannot be wished away. Use of new tools such as AI for crowd management, and drones to oversee the crowd movements forms part of the plan, along with real-time communication between administration, police and paramilitary forces deployed to regulate and guide crowds. Lighting, medical facilities, epidemic control, water, toilets, accommodation, food, all need to be adequate to ample. Political interference with the authorities and others, including out-of-turn VIP access that disrupts security, must be strictly avoided. These do untold damage to the common man, even if an SOP is in place, because it overrides instructions. The SOP could well restrict the VIP appearances to videoconferencing to avoid the special security needs of such people. The need felt for an SOP has come not a moment too soon in a country teeming with over 1.4 billion people. Many of the people routinely killed in stampedes are the weak, the elderly, women and children. Of course, in addition to restricting the numbers admitted to a crowded venue, including the routes leading to it, attention needs to be paid to entry points/internal pathways and routing, seating, and separate exits so that they do not make for classic choke points. Here too, like roads that are made one-way to let one side out before the other is let in, or boarding procedures at an aircraft, crowd management is a must. Compensation paid to the families of the dead and injured after yet another disaster runs a poor second to prevention. So does trying to pinpoint blame, always inconclusive, after the fact. Mere breach of permissions and flouting of stated rules, which happens with sickening regularity both by the organisers and the people, can be anticipated and prevented. Temple access is often through ancient and crowded areas, as in Varanasi at the Kashi Vishwanath temple, and also at Ujjain, modern avenues may have to be rebuilt by demolishing old buildings and pathways. This has also been done extensively at Ayodhya, where a lot of infrastructure has been recently created by way of hotels, the airport, a new and renovated railway station, and roads. Likewise at Varanasi. Similar works are being carried out at Mathura by means of a special corridor. Facilities at Katra at the start of the Vaishno Devi Yatra are another case in point. Roads to the Char Dhams are largely renovated and expanded. Ropeways are being put in. In other words, the SOP must include a much broader swathe of works, extending much beyond the local area. All of it, now well underway in terms of modernisation of infrastructure, contributes to the convenience and safety called for. In India, it might have been long assumed that human life is cheap. It is perhaps only now being regarded as valuable because for decades, if not centuries, very little regard was paid to those who were killed by flood, famine, pestilence, marauders, riots, let alone stampedes. But no country that is on its way to shortly becoming the third-largest economy in the world can afford to treat its citizens with such scant respect. Indians may be numerous, and India may have the largest population in the world, but it is this very fact that gives us an enormous and young workforce that powers us ahead. Education, civic sense, and medical facilities all come into the mix to lift ourselves out of the stampede culture we have had to endure for far too long. Home Minister Amit Shah must be commended for his sterling initiative, and the administration must implement his SOP with diligence and alacrity. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The writer is a Delhi-based political commentator. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views. First Published: October 03, 2025, 18:29 IST News opinion Opinion | Why Amit Shah's Tech-Driven SOPs For Religious Gatherings Are The Need Of The Hour Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 15:45 IST 1 / 7 Shakti Dubey secured the first rank in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination 2025. A resident of Prayagraj, Dubey used to prepare for the UPSC exam while studying in Delhi. (Image: @imshaktidubey1/Instagram) + Follow us On Google 2 / 7 After the UPSC results were announced on April 21 this year, Shakti Dubey arrived in Prayagraj from Delhi on the Vande Bharat train. Her family, relatives, and close friends welcomed her warmly with bouquets and garlands. Upon reaching Prayagraj, Dubey first sought blessings from her father, Devendra Kumar Dubey, and her uncle, AK Dubey. They congratulated her, fed her sweets, and garlanded her. (Image: @imshaktidubey1/Instagram) ADVERTISEMENT 3 / 7 Shakti Dubey, who has a background in science, selected Political Science and International Relations as her optional subjects for the Civil Services exams. She mentioned that this choice proved to be very beneficial for her. She succeeded on her fifth attempt. In 2023, she fell short by 12 marks after the interview stage but continued to persevere. (Image: @imshaktidubey1/Instagram) 4 / 7 Her journey began in the classrooms of Allahabad, where she received her early education, and continued through Allahabad University, where she pursued a BSc degree. She later completed her post-graduation in Biochemistry from Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in 2016. (Image: @imshaktidubey1/Instagram) ADVERTISEMENT 5 / 7 Her pivot to civil services began in earnest in 2018, when she decided to pursue her long-cherished dream of joining the bureaucracy. (Image: @imshaktidubey1/Instagram) 6 / 7 She advises candidates preparing for the Civil Services that seriousness and consistency are essential for success in any exam. Regarding the use of social media, she said it shouldn't be completely stopped, but a balance is crucial. She recommended using the internet and social media sparingly, while emphasising the importance of reading books. Shakti Dubey stated that after becoming an IAS officer, she also wants to work for women's education and welfare. (Image: @imshaktidubey1/Instagram) ADVERTISEMENT BJP Ramps Up Bihar Poll Preparations, Seat-Sharing Talks With Allies On The Cards Reported By : CNN-News18 Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 21:46 IST A two-day meeting of BJP's state election committee will be held in Patna on October 4 and 5 Party insiders indicate that the outcome of these discussions will determine the exact seat distribution among the NDA allies. (File pic/PTI) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has intensified its preparations for the upcoming Bihar assembly polls with a two-day meeting of the state election committee scheduled in Patna on October 4 and 5. Recommended Stories This important strategy session will be attended by the BJPs election in-charge for Bihar, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, along with co-incharges Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and Gujarat BJP president CR Patil. State BJP president Dilip Jaiswal, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, and senior party leader Vijay Kumar Sinha will also participate. During the discussions in Patna, the BJP will review its list of constituencies and potential candidates. This process will lay the groundwork for the partys next phase of election preparations. After the Patna meetings, the Bihar BJP core group is expected to hold further discussions in Delhi. Following this, the names of candidates will be presented to the BJPs Central Election Committee for final approval. In parallel, the BJP will intensify negotiations on seat-sharing arrangements with its allies. In the next two to three days, discussions are expected in Delhi with Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan, Hindustani Awam Morcha leader Jitan Ram Manjhi, and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party founder Upendra Kushwaha. Party insiders indicate that the outcome of these discussions will determine the exact seat distribution among the NDA allies. Only after a formula is finalised will it be clear which party will contest from which constituencies. However, it is clear that winnability will be the primary criterion for seat allocation, regardless of alliance partners demands, according to the quota. Currently, the alliance partners have reached at least an understanding of which caste combinations will be beneficial in which seats. On-ground coordination between the alliance partners is progressing well, say sources, with joint programmes being conducted using the symbols of all parties, signalling a united force. It is also understood that the upcoming manifesto will be a common one for the entire alliance. In fact, the campaign strategy will also be unified, with all leaders expected to campaign for all candidates. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The fast-tracked meetings signal the BJPs intent to enter the Bihar polls with a clear strategy, balancing internal candidate selection with coalition management. First Published: October 03, 2025, 21:46 IST News politics BJP Ramps Up Bihar Poll Preparations, Seat-Sharing Talks With Allies On The Cards Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Apples First iPhone Foldable Launch In 2026 Confirmed By Its Biggest Rival: What We Know Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 12:18 IST iPhone foldable is highly expected to launch in 2026 and it will get a big help from one of its biggest rival in the market. Samsung making OLED foldable display for Apple's iPhone fold is not shocking. Apple is bringing its first iPhone foldable next year and one of its biggest rivals will have an important role in making this product a reality. Samsung has been in the foldable business the longest than most tech brands and it is understandably going to offer some of the parts that Apple will need to make the foldable. And recently, one of the Samsung executives teased the iPhone launch by confirming the companys focus with foldable displays for a major American company and we mostly know who that could be. Recommended Stories iPhone Foldable Closing In One of Samsung executives, Lee Cheong, President at Samsungs Display unit was quoted sharing the update about making a foldable OLED display for a North American client, which is highly expected to be Apple. Choeng obviously did not mention the name of the brand but the hints are clear enough about the answer and also vouches for all the recent details about the iPhone Fold that have been circling around the rumour mill. Reports claim Apple is testing foldable production in Taiwan and aims to mass produce the iPhone device in India before it releases in 2026. The company is looking to increase its overall production by 10 percent which could be enhanced by the focus on the foldable product. The new iPhone Air is probably showing us its foldable blueprint and how Apple plans to trim the size of the iPhone, pack all the components in one module and serve a product that gets everyones attention. We do expect the company to adopt Samsungs book-style foldable design for its own product. Apple wants to set up the production base and the manufacturing steps with its suppliers in Taiwan first and then use the same process to mass produce the foldable iPhone in India. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Does this mean the foldable will launch at a lower price than expected? To be fair, Apple products never shy away from hefty price tags, something we saw with the Vision Pro headset and even the Watch Ultra model to some extent. Apple has been late to the foldable party (just like AI) and expectations are the device will be more polished and premium than most of the others available in the market. About the Author S Aadeetya S Aadeetya, Special Correspondent at News18 Tech, accidentally got into journalism 10 years ago, and since then, has been part of established media houses covering the latest trends in technology and ... Read More First Published: October 03, 2025, 12:18 IST News tech Apples First iPhone Foldable Launch In 2026 Confirmed By Its Biggest Rival: What We Know Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Samsung One UI 8 Update Now Rolling Out For These Galaxy Phones: All Details Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 10:41 IST Samsung Galaxy One UI 8 update has rolled out for the Galaxy S25 series and even the Galaxy Z Fold 6 model but more devices are getting it. Samsung Galaxy One UI 8 update is coming to more devices but what about India? Samsung Galaxy One UI 8 stable update is rolling out to its older Galaxy devices and the company has confirmed its new roll out for Galaxy S23 series albeit without any signs for the Indian users just yet. The stable Android 16 rollout shows Samsung is learning from its 2024 mistakes where the One UI 7 release was delayed by a long stretch and many had to wait till mid-2025 to get their Android 15 One UI update. But things are drastically different this year and the One UI 8 updates and hitting the older devices much faster this time around. The Galaxy S23 users living in South Korea are the first bunch to receive the new update, as highlighted by tipster Tarun Vats in a recent post. Recommended Stories Samsung One UI 8 Update For Galaxy S23 Series The new One UI 8 update is coming to select regions for now and it seems users in India will be getting it soon. These are the Samsung devices getting the new Android 16 version: Galaxy S23 Galaxy S23+ Galaxy S23 Ultra The new version has rolled out for this years Galaxy S25 series, and even the S24 models have got the One UI 8 update. But in addition to this, the company will offer the new One UI 8 update for other Galaxy devices and foldables before the end of 2025. Samsung Galaxy users in India are still waiting for the stable One UI 8 release and we do expect more details from the company soon. One UI 8 Update: How To Install? Galaxy S23 users can follow these steps to install the One UI 8 stable update on their device: Go to Settings Scroll down to Software update Check for the new update Install and reboot the phone One UI 8 stable is now running on your phone Samsung One UI 8 Update: Whats New? top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Samsung is bringing a wide range of features with the One UI 8 update but the UI overhaul is minimal after making the changes with the One UI 7 version. The biggest difference is the heavy integration with Gemini thanks to multimodal AI at a deep level. The responses to AI queries are faster thanks to on-device processing (in some cases), and other built-in AI tools from the company. Samsung has also improved the built-in security of the devices with improved privacy tools and ensure that devices are safe even when there are major hacking risks. You also have Knox security measures claiming to protect the data residing on the devices with One UI 8 running. About the Author S Aadeetya S Aadeetya, Special Correspondent at News18 Tech, accidentally got into journalism 10 years ago, and since then, has been part of established media houses covering the latest trends in technology and ... Read More First Published: October 03, 2025, 10:41 IST News tech Samsung One UI 8 Update Now Rolling Out For These Galaxy Phones: All Details Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Photo: https://www.facebook.com In September, nearly 4,000 schoolchildren from frontline regions returned to in-person learning following the opening of new underground schools, according to the Ministry of Education and Science. "Thousands of children from frontline regions cannot attend school due to constant shelling. But the state, together with local authorities and international partners, is doing everything possible to create safe conditions for in-person education. In September, nearly 4,000 schoolchildren from frontline regions already returned to in-person learning," the ministry said. It is noted that new underground schools have opened in Kherson, Zaporizhia, and Dnipropetrovsk regions. These are modern educational spaces built deep underground, where children can study safely, even in communities near the front lines. In particular, in Kherson region, two underground schools have been opened in Vysokopillia and Orlove, with a capacity of over 900 students; in Zaporizhia region, three schools have been opened in Vilnianska, Belenkivska, and Semenenkivska communities, with a capacity of over 1,800 students; and in Kryvyi Rih, three schools have been opened with a capacity of over 1,200 students. The ministry added that the repairs and construction of shelters are being carried out by territorial communities, which contributes to the financing of the general fund of the state budget in conjunction with the World Bank's Lifting Education Access and Resilience in Times of Need (LEARN) program. At the end of August, the Ministry of Education reported that 221 underground schools were under construction in Ukraine, 33 of which were scheduled to open on September 1, and another 156 facilities are expected to be completed by the end of the year, allowing more than 100,000 children to return to school. 15 Fishermen Freed By Sri Lanka Land In Chennai; CM Stalin Attacks Centre Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 11:30 IST Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin expressed concern over the recurring harassment of fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy. 15 Fishermen Freed by Sri Lanka Land In Chennai; Stalin Slams PM Modi For Inaction Fifteen fishermen, recently released from a Sri Lankan prison, landed at Chennai airport on Friday, October 3. The group included two fishermen arrested on February 19, seven on July 13, two on July 21, and four on August 8, reportedly for crossing maritime boundaries while fishing. Officials received the fishermen upon arrival, ensuring medical checks and transport to their respective hometowns in Tamil Nadu. Recommended Stories CM Stalin criticises Centre Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin expressed concern over the recurring harassment of fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy. Speaking to the media, he said, The biggest problem facing our fishermen is that they have been attacked by the Sri Lankan Navy. We consistently condemn and protest this, but the Union BJP government have done nothing about it." top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Stalin highlighted the states repeated efforts to retrieve Katchatheevu, the disputed islet, through a resolution passed in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. Using that resolution, the Union BJP government should have requested the Sri Lankan government, but the BJP government is refusing to do so. The Prime Minister went to Sri Lanka and also refused to request it," he added. About the Author Shuddhanta Patra Shuddhanta Patra, a seasoned journalist with eight years of experience, serves as Senior SubEditor at CNN News 18. With expertise across national politics, geopolitics, business news, she has influen... Read More First Published: October 03, 2025, 11:25 IST News world 15 Fishermen Freed By Sri Lanka Land In Chennai; CM Stalin Attacks Centre Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... 'Bangladesh Can't Be A Battlefield For Proxy War Against India': Activists Condemn Yunus Govt Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 22:48 IST These concerns come amid recent statements from Yunus, who has denied accusations of rising violence against Hindus and other minorities in the country Rapid Read + Follow us On Google Bangladesh Hindu community members participate in a protest and block the Shahbagh intersection in Dhaka. (PTI file photo) At a side event during the 60th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Friday, activists and experts from South Asia and Europe expressed concern over human rights violations in Bangladesh under the interim government led by Chief Advisor Mohammad Yunus. The event, organised by the Centre for Gender Justice and titled Violations of Fundamental Human Rights, Rule of Law, and Democracy in Bangladesh," highlighted the rapid deterioration of the situation following the removal of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August last year. Recommended Stories Barrister Nijhoom Majumder, a Bangladeshi political activist based in the UK, delivered a stark warning about the geopolitical implications of the current crisis. He said, Western power has captured indirectly. I always say that what is happening in Bangladesh is a proxy war against India. Target is India and the battlefield is in Bangladesh." #WATCH | Geneva: Barrister Nijhoom Majumder, Bangladeshi political activist from UK says, Western power has captured indirectly. I always say that what is happening in Bangladesh is a proxy war against India. target is India and the battlefield is in BangladeshMany powers https://t.co/3RAnFNKdi5 pic.twitter.com/MfAlmRrsSU ANI (@ANI) October 3, 2025 Majumder went on to state that many global powers recognise Bangladeshs shift towards extremist Islamist policies, warning that state-sponsored terrorism is being promoted in Bangladesh." Prof. Dr. Md. Habibe Millat, President of the Global Center for Democratic Governance in Canada, painted a grim picture of human rights abuses under the Yunus government. Human rights violations in Bangladesh are at the highest level in the last 54 years. All populations, not just minorities, are tortured," he said. Millat noted that over 2,500 cases of torture have been documented in the past 14 months, with more than 30 members of minority communities killed and at least 637 people dying from mob lynching. At the moment, they are trying to do a fraudulent electionSo, Bangladesh needs to get back to democracy, rule of law and justice. Thats what we are fighting for," he added. These concerns come amid recent statements from Yunus, who has denied accusations of rising violence against Hindus and other minorities. In a recent interview with British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan for the media platform Zeteo, Yunus dismissed reports of religious persecution as fake news." He accused India of spreading disinformation, saying, First of all, these are fake news. You cant go by those. Fake news." top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all When Hasan cited evidence including mob attacks, vandalism, and the arrest of a Hindu monk for raising a religious flag, Yunus reiterated his position, claiming, One of the specialty of India right now is fake news. Okay, barrage of fake news." (With inputs from ANI) About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More Location : Switzerland First Published: October 03, 2025, 22:48 IST News world 'Bangladesh Can't Be A Battlefield For Proxy War Against India': Activists Condemn Yunus Govt Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Bangladesh's Yunus Rejects Anti-Hindu Violence Claims, Says 'Fake News Is India's Specialty' Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 18:10 IST Yunus claimed his administration was very alert to any signs of communal tension and accused India of using minority issues to apply political pressure Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus (IMAGE: AFP) Bangladeshs interim leader Muhammad Yunus has denied reports of rising violence against Hindus in the country, calling them fake news" and accusing India of spreading disinformation. In an interview with British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan for his media platform Zeteo, Yunus was pressed about accusations of religious persecution following the August 2024 revolution that ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Recommended Stories Rejecting the allegations outright, Yunus said, First of all, these are fake news. You cant go by those. Fake news." I asked interim Bangladeshi leader and Nobel Peace Laureate Muhammad Yunus about accusations of anti-Hindu violence in his country since the revolution that forced out the Hasina government.Watch his response below, and the full interview here:https://t.co/vQGDaoyk89 pic.twitter.com/MX7UEiZsDo Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) October 2, 2025 When Hasan cited evidence of mob attacks, vandalism, and the arrest of a Hindu monk for raising a religious flag, Yunus doubled down, saying, One of the specialty of India right now is fake news. Okay, barrage of fake news." Hasan, who is of Indian origin, questioned Yunus directly on whether anti-Hindu violence had increased since his interim government took office. The Nobel laureate replied that such incidents were being misrepresented. There is a normal kind of relationship that goes on. Theres some conflict sometimes You happen to be my neighbour. You are a Hindu neighbour, Im a Muslim neighbour. We have problem with our land demarcation, just like two neighbours. So you said this is Hindu, Muslim. Thats not it." Yunus claimed his administration was very alert" to any signs of communal tension and accused India of using minority issues to apply political pressure on Bangladesh. Asked what message he had for Hindus in the country, Yunus said, Dont go back and say Im a Hindu, so protect me. Always say, Im a citizen of this country. Im entitled to all the protection state is supposed to give it to me." There have been repeated claims of violence against Hindus and other minorities in the country since Yunus took office. In July, the HinduBuddhistChristian Unity Council had accused the Yunus-led government of overlooking more than 2,000 crimes against religious minorities. The group also alleged that minorities have been excluded from the ongoing political reforms. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Bangladesh has been in political unrest since student-led protests forced Hasina into exile in India last year, straining diplomatic ties between Dhaka and New Delhi. Yunus has pledged national elections for February 2026, but public scepticism remains high in the Muslim-majority nation of 170 million. (With inputs from agencies) About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More Location : United States of America (USA) First Published: October 03, 2025, 18:07 IST News world Bangladesh's Yunus Rejects Anti-Hindu Violence Claims, Says 'Fake News Is India's Specialty' Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... FBI Chief Kash Patel Fires Trainee For Displaying Gay Pride Flag On His Desk: Report Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 09:37 IST FBI Director Kash Patel dismissed a trainee for displaying a gay pride flag, citing poor judgment and political signage, sparking concern and legal challenges within the FBI. FBI Director Kash Patel also invoked Article II of the Constitution, asserting presidential authority to remove federal personnel. FBI Director Kash Patel on Wednesday sacked a trainee agent for displaying a gay pride flag at his desk during his previous assignment in California last year. The trainee, formerly a support specialist in the FBIs Los Angeles office, received a dismissal letter dated October 1 from Patel while attending the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. A copy of the letter claimed the individual had showcased an inappropriate political" message during his prior posting under the Biden administration, according to news outlet MSNBC. Recommended Stories You are being summarily dismissed from your position as a New Agent Trainee at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, and removed from the federal service," the letter stated, the outlet reported. Though the pride flag was not directly mentioned, the letter cited the exercise of poor judgment" and an example of political signage." Patel also invoked Article II of the Constitution, asserting presidential authority to remove federal personnel a rationale also used in several other recent firings at the Justice Department and FBI, which are now the subject of legal challenges. The firing took place on the first day of a nationwide government shutdown, which added broader uncertainty across the federal workforce. Notably, the trainee had received the Attorney Generals Award in 2022 in recognition of his work, according to a Justice Department news release. News of the dismissal reportedly caused concern within the FBIs Washington field office, where some employees began reviewing their own desks and online profiles for material that could be seen as politically sensitive. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all In the weeks leading up to Trumps inauguration in January, FBI agents and Justice Department lawyers were warning each other to be careful about displaying information revealing their own sexual orientation or support for LGBTQ rights. After Trump took office, one person said agents were telling coworkers that new pro-Trump officials at the FBI were looking through employee records to find out who identified as LGBTQ, the report further mentioned. Meanwhile, DOJ Pride an LGBTQ employee group shut down in January shortly after Trump signed an executive order targeting diversity efforts. In an email to members, the board said the group was halting operations in the interest and for the protection of all members." About the Author Manisha Roy Manisha Roy is a Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com's general desk. She comes with an experience of over 5 years in media industry. She covers politics and other hard news. She can be contacted at Manish... Read More Location : New York, United States of America (USA) First Published: October 03, 2025, 09:35 IST News world FBI Chief Kash Patel Fires Trainee For Displaying Gay Pride Flag On His Desk: Report Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... From Kathmandu To Jakarta: 'One Piece' Pirate Flag Becomes Gen Z's Global Symbol Of Defiance Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 18:36 IST With its wide grin, hollow eyes and unmistakable straw hat, the One Piece pirate emblem is now waving over real-world political unrest Rapid Read + Follow us On Google A pirate flag from the Japanese anime 'One Piece' pirate flag during a protest in Surabaya. (AFP photo) From the bustling streets of Jakarta to the historic gates of Kathmandu and now the tear-gas-filled protests in Madagascar, a curious flag has become the face of youth-led resistance around the world. With its wide grin, hollow eyes and unmistakable straw hat, the One Piece" pirate emblem, once a fictional symbol from a Japanese manga, is now waving over real-world political unrest. Recommended Stories In Nepal, where youth joblessness is above 20%, and in Madagascar, where nearly 75% of people live below the poverty line, the pirate flag is not a gimmick, its a protest in cloth form. Young people are embracing it as a shared symbol of anger, frustration, and a call for change. Indonesia: Disillusionment And Digital Solidarity In August, protests erupted in Indonesia over deepening corruption, rising inequality, and what many saw as hollow patriotic celebrations. During Independence Day events, young protesters began waving the One Piece pirate flag directly challenging the states version of nationalism. The governments criticism of the flag only fuelled its popularity, transforming it into a rallying cry for disillusioned youth. Authorities even labelled it treasonous", which only drew more attention to it. Nepal: Anger At Elites And Unemployment Just weeks later, in Kathmandu, Nepal, protesters stormed the gates of Singha Durbar, the ornate palace and seat of government, during demonstrations against unemployment and perceived elite excess. The One Piece flag was seen everywhere a clear symbol of youth refusing to be silent in the face of a failing system. Slogans like Gen Z wont be silent" and Our future is not for sale" accompanied the banner. Madagascar: Power Cuts And Public Fury On 1 October, thousands of protesters in Madagascar marched through the capital, Antananarivo, frustrated by repeated power and water shortages. Demonstrators waved the One Piece flag, inspired by the movements in Indonesia and Nepal. Police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets as smoke rose from burning barricades. Many demanded the resignation of President Andry Rajoelina, who had already dismissed his government in a bid to calm tensions. What Is One Piece? top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all One Piece is a Japanese manga series created by Eiichiro Oda in 1997. It follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, as they challenge a corrupt world government in search of freedom and treasure. Over the past 25 years, the series has sold over 500 million copies worldwide, earned a Guinness World Record, and spawned a successful TV series, live-action adaptation, and billions in merchandise sales. About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More Location : Indonesia First Published: October 03, 2025, 17:45 IST News world From Kathmandu To Jakarta: 'One Piece' Pirate Flag Becomes Gen Z's Global Symbol Of Defiance Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... I Dont Fear It: Prince William Says He Will Change UK Monarchy When He Is King Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 17:14 IST Prince William said that he embraces reform for the monarchy, balancing tradition with change. Prince William stressed that while tradition is important, the monarchy must constantly reassess its purpose. Prince William said he intends to bring change to the monarchy when he becomes king, asserting in a candid interview that he does not fear reform but embraces it. Speaking to actor Eugene Levy for Apple TV+s The Reluctant Traveller, the Prince of Wales described himself as committed to balancing tradition with the need to adapt the institution for modern times. He said, I think its safe to say that change is on my agenda. Change for good and I embrace that, I enjoy that change. I dont fear it, thats the bit that excites me, the idea of being able to bring some change. Not overly radical, but changes that I think need to happen." Recommended Stories Prince William stressed that while tradition is important, the monarchy must constantly reassess its purpose. He said, There are points when you look at tradition and go, is that still fit for purpose today? Is that still the right thing to do? Are we still doing and having the most impact we could be having? So I like to question things, is what Im really getting at." He also reflected on the burden of history, saying it can feel like a real weight and an anchor" if not carefully balanced with living for the here and now." top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Prince William spoke about coping with his wife, Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, and his father, King Charles III, both battling cancer. He admitted family worries often overwhelm him. He said, Stuff to do with family overwhelms me, quite a bit. You know, worry or stress around the family side of things that does overwhelm me quite a bit." Prince William said he and Kate Middleton have tried to provide stability for their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. He said, We try to make sure we give them the security and the safety that they need. And were a very open family, so we talk about things that bother us, and things that trouble us." Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: October 03, 2025, 17:14 IST News world I Dont Fear It: Prince William Says He Will Change UK Monarchy When He Is King Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... 'Wise Leader, Defends National Interests': Putin Lauds PM Modi, Confirms India Visit In December Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 09:04 IST Russian President Vladimir Putin directed his county's business sector to reduce the trade imbalance between New Delhi and Moscow. Rapid Read + Follow us On Google Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi attend a photo ceremony at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China. (IMAGE: REUTERS) Russian President Vladimir Putin said he knows" Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not take steps that would humiliate Indians and lauded him as a reasonable & wise leader, who defends Indias national interests". Putins remarks came earlier this week as he indicated that his trip to India will take place in December. Recommended Stories The Russian Presidents remarks were directed at the Trump administration of the US as he criticised them of pressuring India and China to scale back energy imports from Russia but he did so without naming his American counterpart Donald Trump who slapped tariffs on India for purchasing Russian oil earlier this year. Indian people will never accept humiliation. I know PM Modi; he will never take steps of this kind. India, China refuse to take sides and aspire to truly create a just world," he said. PM Modi is a reasonable and wise leader, who defends Indias national interests," he further added. He also highlighted the special" and privileged strategic partnership" between the two countries and said that Moscow and New Delhi have never had issues". Speaking at the international Valdai discussion forum of security and geopolitical experts from 140 countries, including India, in the Black Sea resort of Sochi in South Russia on Thursday evening, Putin underlined that Russia and India have a vast potential for economic cooperation but acknowledged the need to resolve specific issues to fully unlock these opportunities. We need to solve the whole range of tasks to unlock our opportunities and potential advantages," Putin said, identifying financing, logistics and payment bottlenecks as key concerns. The losses faced by India due to punitive US tariffs would be balanced by crude imports from Russia, plus it will gain prestige as a sovereign nation," he said. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all He further added that to remove the trade imbalance, Russia may buy more agricultural products and medicines from India. More agricultural products may be purchased from India. Certain steps can be undertaken from our side for medicinal products, pharmaceuticals," the Russian President stated. Putin also recalled that the declaration of a special strategic privileged partnership between Russia and India will soon celebrate its 15th anniversary, declaring, Thats what it really is." About the Author Shankhyaneel Sarkar Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has c... Read More Location : Moscow, Russia First Published: October 03, 2025, 08:08 IST News world 'Wise Leader, Defends National Interests': Putin Lauds PM Modi, Confirms India Visit In December Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Japan May Get Its First Female PM Or Youngest In Modern Era In Upcoming Poll Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 06:01 IST Japan will get its second prime minister in just over a year when the ruling Liberal Democratic Party holds a leadership election on October 4. 64-year-old Sanae Takaichi and 44-year-old Shinjiro Koizumi Japan may soon have its first woman Prime Minister or its youngest leader in the modern era after the voting for the head of nations ruling party on Saturday. According to a report by Reuters, the front-runners in the potentially historic Liberal Democratic Party election are conservative nationalist Sanae Takaichi, 64, and her more moderate rival Shinjiro Koizumi, 44. Recommended Stories They are among the five candidates aiming to replace Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. The woman candidate, Sanae Takaichi, has vowed to bring in aggressive government spending and raised the possibility of redoing an investment deal with US President Donald Trump that lowered his punishing tariffs. Koizumi and Takaichi offer two quite different approaches to that renewal," said Tina Burrett, a political science professor at Tokyos Sophia University. Koizumi is seen as someone who could forge consensus with other parties while Takaichi would shake up a world of rather grey politicians", she said. If elected, Koizumi will be only few month older than Hirobumi when he became Japans first Prime Minister in 1885. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Reuters quoted Asahi newspaper report as stating that Koizumi leads among the 295 LDP lawmakers who will vote for party leader, followed by Hayashi and Takaichi. However, Takaichi is ahead of both of them among rank-and-file party members. Japan will get its second Prime Minister in just over a year when the ruling Liberal Democratic Party holds a leadership election on October 4. This is because Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba was forced to resign after a historic upper house election loss in July. Location : Japan First Published: October 03, 2025, 05:28 IST News world Japan May Get Its First Female PM Or Youngest In Modern Era In Upcoming Poll Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Munich Airport Halts Flight Operations After Drone Sightings, Nearly 3000 Passengers Stranded Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 08:05 IST The incident adds to growing concerns across Europe, following a series of drone sightings near airports in Denmark last week. Munich Airport Closed After Drone Sightings, Nearly 3000 Passengers Stranded Munich Airport in southern Germany was forced to shut down temporarily on Thursday night following multiple drone sightings, making it the latest European aviation hub to be disrupted by unexplained aerial activity. Flights grounded and diverted Recommended Stories The airport confirmed in a statement that 17 flights were grounded shortly after 10 p.m. local time, leaving nearly 3,000 passengers affected. A further 15 inbound flights were diverted to Stuttgart, Nuremberg and Frankfurt, as well as to Vienna in neighbouring Austria. Some flights are still waiting to take off, others have been cancelled. Everything is under control and the airport is due to reopen at 5 a.m.," a call handler told CNN in the early hours of Friday. Munich Airport, located in Bavaria, is a major hub for German flag-carrier Lufthansa and served almost 20 million passengers in the first half of 2025. The incident adds to growing concerns across Europe, following a series of drone sightings near airports in Denmark last week that disrupted tens of thousands of travellers. In response, Denmark imposed a temporary nationwide ban on civilian drone flights as it hosted a summit of European leaders to discuss support for Ukraine and strengthen European security. Security concerns The spate of incidents comes as Europe remains on heightened alert. NATO members Poland and Romania have both reported suspected Russian drone incursions, while Estonia has accused Russian fighter jets of violating its airspace. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, speaking after the Copenhagen disruptions, said authorities could not confirm who was behind the drone activity but added, We can at least conclude that there is primarily one country that poses a threat to Europes security and that is Russia." Meanwhile, the Kremlin has strongly denied involvement in the drone sightings or any violations of NATO airspace. About the Author Shuddhanta Patra Shuddhanta Patra, a seasoned journalist with eight years of experience, serves as Senior SubEditor at CNN News 18. With expertise across national politics, geopolitics, business news, she has influen... Read More Location : Germany First Published: October 03, 2025, 08:05 IST News world Munich Airport Halts Flight Operations After Drone Sightings, Nearly 3000 Passengers Stranded Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... New Round Of Protests Paralyse France Amid Turmoil Over Spending Cuts; Eiffel Tower Shut Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 07:29 IST Thousands of workers, retirees and students marched from Place d'Italie in Paris on Thursday afternoon, protesting against spending cuts and demanding higher taxes on the rich. Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google A new round of protests began in France on Thursday. (AP) Nationwide protests in France against spending cuts resumed in France as thousands of people took to the streets in more than 200 towns and cities to condemn spending cuts and demand higher taxes on the rich. Thousands of workers, retirees and students marched from Place dItalie in Paris on Thursday afternoon. The Eiffel Tower also informed visitors in a statement that it was closed due to the strikes, the latest in a series of protests that began last month over political turmoil and budget talks, according to The Associated Press. Recommended Stories The French Interior Ministry said 195,000 protesters have taken to the street across the country including 24,000 in Paris. Some teachers and healthcare workers also joined the strikes, though overall turnout appeared lower than during last months protests. Frances major unions have called for nationwide strikes and urged newly-appointed Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu to abandon draft budget measures proposed by his predecessor (Francois Bayrou), which include social welfare freezes and austerity measures that many say will further erode the purchasing power of low-paid and middle-class workers. Lecornu was appointed as the French PM last month after Bayroublindsided his allies by calling for a confidence vote to end a months-long standoff over a deeply unpopular budget, which foresees almost 44 billion euros ($52 billion) of cost savings to reduce the countrys debt pile, with several parties voting against him. However, Lecornu has not revealed the details of his budget plans and has yet to appoint his government ministers, which is expected soon. The deeply divided parliament will debate the budget bill at the end of this year. French Parties Losing Patience Lecornus delay in announcing a new cabinet has angered opposition parties and trade unions voicing concerns over budget cuts. Several Opposition lawmakers are raising the matter of torpedoing Lecornu over his continued silence on budget plans, according to Politico. If nothing changes, the outcome is already known This government will fall," said Oliver Faure, the leader of the Socialists Party. Jean-Philippe Tanguy, who handles the far-right National Rallys economic policy, accused the prime minister of trying to buy time" by delaying budget announcements. Lecornu has seemingly acknowledged his tenuous position as the leader of a minority government and recent polling shows that he enjoys the support of 30% of the French public. The young PM appears to be going ahead with talks with the Socialists, the opposition party seen as most willing to negotiate. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all A high-ranking Socialist lawmaker told Politico that his party sincerely wanted to reach an agreement" with Lecornu to avoid a third government collapse in less than a year. However, the lawmaker said any deal would require Lecornu and President Emmanuel Macron to accept some symbolic defeats." On September 18, between 500,000 and 1 million demonstrators took part in a nationwide strike in trade union-led protests over taxes and social justice. The week before, a day of anti-government action across France saw streets choked with smoke, barricades in flames and volleys of tear gas amid the Block Everything" campaign. About the Author Aveek Banerjee Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in int... Read More Location : Paris, France First Published: October 03, 2025, 07:10 IST News world New Round Of Protests Paralyse France Amid Turmoil Over Spending Cuts; Eiffel Tower Shut Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Photo: Exilenova+ Long-range strike drones from Ukraines Security Service (SBU) Special Operations Center A struck a target 1,400 km away: the strikes targeted one of Russias leading oil refineries, Orsknefteorgsintez, a source in the SBU told Interfax-Ukraine. "Long-range strike drones from the Security Service of Ukraines Special Operations Center A once again struck a target 1,400 km away this time in a town with the telling name of Orsk. The bavovna [Ukrainian for cotton a bang sound heard during an attack in Russia and temporarily occupied territories] was burning at the Orsknefteorgsintez oil refinery in Russias Orenburg region," the agencys source reported on Friday. According to it, four primary oil refining units operate at this refinery, with a capacity of 6.6 million tonnes of oil per year. The source specified that this plant produces about 30 types of various products: gasoline, diesel fuel, oils, jet fuel, bitumen, and fuel oil. "The video shows plumes of black smoke rising over the refinery after the Centers drones arrived. An evacuation order was issued at the refinery, and local authorities in Orsk urged people not to panic," the SBU source added. "The SBU continues to inflict serious damage on the Russian economy by targeting Russias oil and gas industry. The decline in petrodollar revenues directly impacts the aggressors ability to continue the war against Ukraine. Nearly 40% of Russian refinery capacity is already idle. We will continue to work to increase this figure," the agencys source concluded. Pakistan Becomes First Nation To Disown Trump's Gaza Peace Plan Amid Domestic Backlash, Sources Tell News18 Reported By : CNN-News18 Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 17:48 IST The move, reportedly being orchestrated with the backing of Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir, comes even before a formal rejection of the peace proposal by Hamas Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif (left), US President Donald Trump (centre) and Pakistan Field Marshal Asim Munir at a meeting. File image Pakistans Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, has officially disowned the 20-point Gaza peace plan announced by US President Donald Trump, clarifying in parliament that the document was not ours" and that changes have been made to our draft" originally proposed by Muslim-majority nations. With this, Pakistan has emerged as the first major nation to officially distance itself from the proposal, acting even before a formal rejection from Hamas. Recommended Stories This public repudiation comes just days after the US plan, which calls for a ceasefire, hostage-prisoner swap, phased Israeli withdrawal, and the disarmament of Hamas, was made public. The swift rejection policy is reportedly being orchestrated with the backing of the Pakistan Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, underscoring the military establishments firm stance against legitimising elements of the US-Israel-backed framework. Furthermore, intelligence sources said Pakistan is likely to send a message to the Hamas leadership, encouraging them to also reject the plan, thereby aligning its regional policy with the hardline position on the peace framework. The move to formally distance itself is understood to be a strategic necessity for the Pakistani government to navigate intense domestic political and religious pressure. Top Indian intelligence sources suggest that this public narrative"Trumps plan, not ours"is a crucial exercise in face-saving. By disowning the framework, Islamabad avoids the appearance of having capitulated to a US-driven peace process. Pakistans deeply entrenched pro-Palestine lobby and influential Islamist political parties have been vocal against any deal perceived as tacitly legitimising Israel. Elements within the Trump plan, such as the stipulation for Hamas disarmament, are seen as non-starters for the radical segment of the domestic audience. Dars clarification is a signal to these powerful groups that the government remains uncompromised and is not aligned with the US vision, thereby preempting significant street protests and political backlash. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Furthermore, Islamabad seeks to prevent accusations from hardline Arab states or rival regional power Iran that it has sold out" the Muslim cause. While the official stance is one of rejection and differentiation for the domestic and regional audience, intelligence sources indicate that Pakistan will privately play along" with the negotiations in Washington and various Arab capitals. This dual strategy allows Pakistan to maintain its hardline ideological position in public while continuing to engage diplomatically behind the scenes to seek a resolution to the conflict. About the Author Manoj Gupta Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18 First Published: October 03, 2025, 17:45 IST News world Pakistan Becomes First Nation To Disown Trump's Gaza Peace Plan Amid Domestic Backlash, Sources Tell News18 Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... New Stage of Escalation: Putin Praises Trump, Warns Against Supplying Tomahawk Missiles To Ukraine Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 07:56 IST Putin described the possible transfer of Tomahawk missiles as a qualitatively new stage of escalation in the war. Russian President Vladimir Putin enters a hall for a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow. (IMAGE: AFP) Russian President Vladimir Putin warned US President Donald Trump that Moscows ties with Washington would suffer a severe blow if the United States supplied Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine. While stressing that such weapons would be dangerous, Putin argued they would not alter the balance of the conflict. Speaking on Thursday, Putin described the possible transfer of Tomahawk missiles as a qualitatively new stage of escalation" in the war. He warned that their use would require direct American involvement on the battlefield. Recommended Stories This will mean a completely new, qualitatively new stage of escalation, including in relations between Russia and the United States," he said, adding, It is impossible to use such arms without the deployment of American military personnel." His remarks followed comments by US Vice President JD Vance, who confirmed that Ukraine had formally requested the long-range missiles and that Washington was considering the request. What is a Tomahawk cruise missile? The Tomahawk cruise missile is a long-range, precision-guided weapon developed by the United States, primarily used by the Navy. It is capable of flying at low altitudes and following terrain to evade radar, it has a range of up to 2,500 kilometres (1,550 miles). The missile has been designed for striking high-value or heavily defended targets, it can carry conventional or nuclear warheads, though the nuclear version has largely been retired. Tomahawks are launched from ships and submarines, and their accuracy is enhanced by GPS guidance. These weapons have been used extensively in conflicts since the 1991 Gulf War, making them a cornerstone of US strike capability. US intelligence support to Ukraine According to Reuters, the viability of the request remains in doubt, as most Tomahawk missiles are already allocated for the US Navy and other strategic needs. At the same time, reports from The Wall Street Journal suggest that Washington is preparing to provide Kyiv with intelligence on Russian energy infrastructure, potentially enabling Ukraine to target refineries, pipelines and power plants to weaken Kremlin revenues. Putin, however, played down the military impact of Tomahawks, insisting Russias defences would adapt. It will certainly not change the balance of force on the battlefield," he said. The Russian President also reflected on his recent summit with US President Donald Trump in Alaska, describing the discussions as constructive. It was good that we made an attempt to search for and find possible ways to settle the Ukrainian crisis," Putin said, adding that he felt comfortable" engaging with Trump. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all At the same time, he issued a stark warning to Western allies against intercepting Russian oil shipments. Its piracy, and how do you deal with pirates? You destroy them," Putin remarked. In his address, Putin also spoke about the New START treaty, the 2010 arms control pact between the US and Russia, which is due to expire in February. He reiterated Moscows willingness to extend the treaty. About the Author Shuddhanta Patra Shuddhanta Patra, a seasoned journalist with eight years of experience, serves as Senior SubEditor at CNN News 18. With expertise across national politics, geopolitics, business news, she has influen... Read More Location : Moscow, Russia First Published: October 03, 2025, 07:22 IST News world New Stage of Escalation: Putin Praises Trump, Warns Against Supplying Tomahawk Missiles To Ukraine Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Reach Deal By Sunday 6PM Or Face 'All Hell': Trump's Warning To Hamas On Gaza Truce Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 20:22 IST Donald Trump gave Hamas a Sunday 6PM deadline to agree to peace with Israel or face severe consequences. US President Donald Trump. (AP File Photo) US President Donald Trump issued an ultimatum to Hamas, warning the group to agree to a peace deal with Israel by Sunday, 6PM or face what he described as all hell like no one has ever seen before." Donald Trump, who has been pressing both sides to end the two-year-long Gaza war, said Hamas was being given one last chance" to release Israeli hostages and halt hostilities. There will be peace one way or the other," he said. Recommended Stories The White House released a 20-point framework that Donald Trump called a roadmap to end the war and chart Gazas future governance. The plan calls for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages and a phased transition to a new administrative structure for Gaza post-conflict. Donald Trumps push marks the most direct intervention yet by his administration, which has been under pressure to help end the fighting that has claimed thousands of lives since Hamas October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which the US President described as a massacre." In a post on his Truth Social platform, Donald Trump wrote, We will have PEACE in the Middle East one way or the other. The violence and bloodshed will stop. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES, ALL OF THEM, INCLUDING THE BODIES OF THOSE THAT ARE DEAD, NOW! An Agreement must be reached with Hamas by Sunday Evening at SIX (6) P.M., Washington, D.C. time. Every Country has signed on! If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas." top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Donald Trump described Hamas as a ruthless" and violent threat" that had killed indiscriminately for years. They have killed (and made lives unbearably miserable), culminating with the October 7th MASSACRE in Israel- babies, women, children, old people, and many young men and women. As retribution for the October 7th attack on civilization, more than 25,000 Hamas soldiers have already been killed," he said. Location : Washington D.C., United States of America (USA) First Published: October 03, 2025, 20:17 IST News world Reach Deal By Sunday 6PM Or Face 'All Hell': Trump's Warning To Hamas On Gaza Truce Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Screening Of Indian Films In Some Canadian Theatres Halted After Shooting, Arson Attack | Video Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 11:11 IST A cinema hall in the western part of Toronto city cancelled screenings of South Asian films after miscreants tried to set it ablaze and fired gunshots. Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google In the security camera footage provided by the Halton Police Department, the arsonists are seen tossing a flame after spraying the entrance of a cinema hall in Toronto with a flammable liquid. (IMAGE: HALTON POLICE DEPARTMENT/SOURCED) A cinema in the western part of Canadas Toronto city has cancelled screenings of Indian films following an attempt to set the theatre ablaze and shootout on its property in the past week. Film.Ca Cinemas, the group on whose theatres the incidents happened, said the incidents happened overnight when the theatre was closed and no one was injured. Recommended Stories Film.Ca Cinemas said it would stop screenings of Kantara: A Legend Chapter 1 and They Call Him OG following the fire and shooting. We understand these incidents may be tied to disputes within the South Asian film industry," it said in a statement. We do not wish to bow to threats, but the situation has escalated to a point where we must take every precaution to protect our community." Police officials with the Halton Police Department said they are probing the incident after two suspects used flammable liquid to set the theatres entrance doors on fire last Thursday. They added that the blazed remained contained and didnt cause significant damage, while speaking to broadcaster CBC. Another theatre chain, York Cinemas, also said they are not screening Indian movies without further notice". Please note that, due to recent incidents, we will not be screening Indian movies until further notice. This decision has been made with the safety of our employees and guests in mind. Advance ticket purchases will be refunded, and the amount should appear in your account within a few business days," York Cinemas said in a statement, following the arson attack. Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand also condemned the incident in a post on X. The recent attempted arson at @FilmCaCinemas is a serious and unacceptable act of violence. Our community will not be intimidated by cowardly crimes like this. Oakville stands united in support of @FilmCaCinemas and its CEO, @CouncillorKnoll. I trust the ongoing @HaltonPolice Anita Anand (@AnitaAnandMP) September 27, 2025 The recent attempted arson at @FilmCaCinemas is a serious and unacceptable act of violence. Our community will not be intimidated by cowardly crimes like this. Oakville stands united in support of @FilmCaCinemas and its CEO, @CouncillorKnoll. I trust the ongoing @HaltonPolice investigation will bring those responsible to justice swiftly," Anand had said last Tuesday. Police told Canadian broadcaster CTV News that they believe both incidents are targeted. A Message from Jeff Knoll, CEO of https://t.co/9TNzgavfeD CinemasYou may have seen or heard about the recent arson attempt on our cinema. The good news: only the entrance was affected, and the rest of the theatre is completely safe, undamaged, and fully operational. These pic.twitter.com/CLQQDilE0J Film.Ca Cinemas (@FilmCaCinemas) September 26, 2025 In a video posted a day after the fire, Film.ca CEO Jeff Knoll linked the incident to screenings of South Asian films. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Somebody tried to burn the theatre down in a dispute over us playing South Asian films," Knoll said. He stressed the cinema was open and had not missed a single show. We just want you to feel safe and comfortable coming back to the movies." Knoll said Film.ca is a community theatre and were going to play what we want to play, when we want to play it." About the Author Shankhyaneel Sarkar Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has c... Read More Location : Ottawa, Canada First Published: October 03, 2025, 10:04 IST News world Screening Of Indian Films In Some Canadian Theatres Halted After Shooting, Arson Attack | Video Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 23:45 IST Sean Diddy Sentencing Highlights: Rap mogul Sean Diddy Combs is due to be sentenced on Friday for prostitution-related charges following a two-month trial that exposed him as a serial domestic abuser and drug addict. The 55-year-old Bad Boy Records founder has been behind bars since his arrest in September 2024. He was convicted in July of flying people around the country for sexual encounters, including his girlfriends and male sex workers, in violation of the federal Mann Act. The prosecution is seeking at least 11 years in prison from Judge Arun Subramanian, while the defense has argued for a more lenient sentence of 14 months. Combs, who is expected to address the court for the first time, is also set to be confronted by his former assistant, who testified under the pseudonym Mia during his trial. US District Judge Arun Subramanian, who will decide the sentence, has signaled that Combs is unlikely to be freed soon. He twice rejected bail for the rapper 'Sign Of Deep Rift In US': Vladimir Putin On Charlie Kirks 'Horrific' Assassination Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 21:42 IST Vladimir Putin calls Charlie Kirks killing a disgusting atrocity and proof of a deep divide in US society. Russian President Vladimir Putin (AP Photo) Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the killing of American conservative activist Charlie Kirk, describing it as a disgusting atrocity" and evidence of a deep split" in US society. At a foreign policy forum in Sochi, the Russian leader said, This is a disgusting atrocity, especially since it was broadcast live. We all essentially saw it. It was truly disgusting, horrific. First and foremost, of course, I offer my condolences to Mr Kirks family and all his loved ones. We sympathise and empathise." He added, What happened is a sign of a deep rift in society. In the United States, I dont think theres any need to escalate the situation externally because the countrys political leadership is trying to restore order domestically." Recommended Stories Charlie Kirk, 31, was shot dead during a campus event at Utah Valley University earlier this month. Prosecutors charged 22-year-old Tyler James Robinson with aggravated murder and other offenses and plan to seek the death penalty. US President Donald Trump, who counted Charlie Kirk among his closest allies, called the killing a tragedy and described the Turning Point USA founder as a man of deep faith" and a model for truth and freedom." What Charlie Kirk Said On Russia And Putin top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Charlie Kirk often spoke about Russia in ways that resonated with some of Vladimir Putins positions. He opposed large-scale US military aid to Ukraine, at times calling the conflict a border dispute." He argued that Crimea should be considered part of Russia and, in 2024, issued a message to the Russian people apologizing for Washingtons push toward confrontation while saying few Americans wanted war. At the same time, he was careful to draw a distinction between ordinary Russians and Moscows leadership, making it clear that he did not like the Russian Federation or Russian dictator Vladimir Putin." Location : Russia First Published: October 03, 2025, 21:42 IST News world 'Sign Of Deep Rift In US': Vladimir Putin On Charlie Kirks 'Horrific' Assassination Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Who Is Jihad Al-Shamie, Suspect Named In 'Terrorist Attack' On Manchester Synagogue? Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 03, 2025, 08:04 IST Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, was named by British police as the suspect who rammed his vehicle into a Manchester synagogue and stabbed two Jewish men to death, before being shot dead. Jihad Al-Shamie was shot dead after he carried out a stabbing attack at a Jewish synagogue. In a horrendous terrorist attack, a man drove his car into a crowded synagogue in Manchester, United Kingdom, on Thursday, on a Jewish holiday and went on a stabbing spree killing two people and injuring three others. The suspect was shot dead by police. The suspect has been identified as Jihad Al-Shamie, a person of Syrian descent, who drove a car at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, according to the BBC. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) revealed that three other people two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s had been arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism". Recommended Stories British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the attack, saying, On Yom Kippur, the holiest day for the Jewish community, a vile individual committed a terrorist attack attacked Jews, because they are Jews, and attacked Britain because of our values." We must be clear, it (antisemitism) is a hatred that is rising, once again. Britain must defeat it, once again. On behalf of the nation, I want to express my condolences to the families and victims affected," he added, vowing to protect Jewish communities after the attack. ALSO READ: Get Back, He Has A Bomb: UK Police Gun Down Manchester Synagogue Attack Suspect Who Is Jihad Al-Shamie? Al-Shamie has been identified as a 35-year-old British man of Syrian descent who entered the UK as a young child and was granted British citizenship in 2006 as a minor. The attackers last known address was in Manchester, according to The Guardian. Police said that officers were continuing inquiries as part of their investigation in Crumpsall and nearby Prestwich. We are now able to confirm that, although formal identification is yet to take place, we believe the person responsible for todays attacks is 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie. He is a British citizen of Syrian descent," said the Greater Manchester Police. A suspicious device worn by the attacker during the incident has been assessed and was deemed not to be viable." How Did The Attack Take Place? Witnesses reported seeing a car driving erratically before a man got out and started attacking people with a knife. When it became clear what was happening, members of the congregation are said to have blockaded the doors to the synagogue. The two dead victims were Jewish men, police confirmed, as they declared it a terrorist incident". Armed officers pointed their weapons at a man on the ground, warning people that the man had a bomb on him" and urging bystanders to back away, BBC reported. The suspect was later shot dead by police. Three people remained in the hospital with serious injuries. One was stabbed while another was hit by a car, and a third man presented himself at the hospital with an injury that may have been sustained as officers stopped the attacker". GMP chief constable Sir Stephen Watson said there had been many worshippers inside the synagogue at the time of the incident, and praised the security staff and worshippers who had shut the attacker out, which prevented a worse tragedy. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the barbaric attack", while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said targeting a synagogue on Yom Kippur was particularly heinous." The attack came days ahead of the second anniversary of the October 7 attack on Israel, which has inflamed tensions in Britain, with a noted rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia. Israels ongoing offensive in Gaza has caused friction between the British and Israeli governments. About the Author Aveek Banerjee Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in int... Read More Location : London, United Kingdom (UK) First Published: October 03, 2025, 08:04 IST News world Who Is Jihad Al-Shamie, Suspect Named In 'Terrorist Attack' On Manchester Synagogue? Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... China's development path is peaceful and its experiences could benefit many countries, international observers and business leaders said, hailing President Xi Jinping's speech at the reception marking the 76th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China on Tuesday as a message of confidence. At the event, Xi called on the nation to keep working hard and forging ahead with determination in advancing Chinese modernization, stressing that "achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is an unprecedented cause". Carlos Martinez, political commentator and co-founder of the Friends of Socialist China platform, said: "President Xi's speech reflects and reinforces the confidence of the Chinese people and the Communist Party of China in tackling the major challenges of the present era and marching forward toward socialist modernization." Martinez noted the sharp difference between China's modernization and that of capitalist countries as "peaceful" and "based on common prosperity and harmony between humankind and nature", instead of "war, colonialism, slavery, exploitation and ecocide". "So the Chinese people are exploring previously uncharted territory, and this has profound significance for the other peoples of the Global South. China's rise holds valuable lessons for the socialist countries and all Global South countries that seek to modernize whilst upholding their sovereignty," he said. Martinez also praised his reiteration of China's support for multilateralism despite a complex and unpredictable international environment with a range of threats and challenges. "China remains a force for peace and progress, and its vision of a global community of shared future is a source of inspiration and unity." For Fiona Sim, co-founder of the Black Liberation Alliance in London, China's modernization means a greater contribution to the fight against poverty on a global level. "I cannot say China's poverty alleviation can be overstated enough, just the very fact that it contributed to 70 percent of the global poverty decline," she said. From a business perspective, Bernard Dewit, chairman of the Belgian-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, stressed the opportunities that China's modernization offers. "For Belgian companies, China remains a key partner and one of the world's most dynamic markets. The emphasis on high-quality development, green transformation, digital advancement, and people's well-being opens new areas for collaboration." Dewit sees the reaffirmation of multilateralism and global cooperation in the speech aligning with the shared commitment to innovation and sustainability by Europe, which can create opportunities not only for trade but also for joint solutions to global challenges. "We look forward to deepening our economic partnerships, fostering more exchanges between our people and enterprises, and building bridges of trust and prosperity," Dewit said. Jack Perry, chairman of the London-based business community 48 Group, said that when unilateralism and protectionism undermine the UN and other multilateral mechanisms, the business community feels the impact and disruption the most. "Against this backdrop, China has consistently been at the forefront of upholding multilateralism and maintaining a high level of openness to the world," he said, adding that as China prepares for the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), businesses expect the country's priorities of reform, sustainable growth, and multilateral cooperation to create prosperity not only for China but for the global community. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhiy Tykhyi has denied media reports about delays in the arrival of weapons from the US due to the shutdown. "Not true. Negotiations between Ukraine and the US on a drone agreement are going according to plan, and supplies continue to arrive," he said on X. Earlier, the British newspaper The Telegraph wrote that supplies of American weapons to Ukraine could be delayed due to the shutdown in the US. "All future projects have suffered. I dont see how they should continue. The main problem is that we are having a lot of discussions about future weapons supplies. Representatives of the Pentagon, the State Department and the White House are not holding meetings, and we are losing time due to the shutdown," a source in the Ukrainian government told The Telegraph. The source added that "other Ukrainian delegations that were supposed to arrive in the coming weeks are now reviewing their plans." A kidnapping drama that played out on the Shamva-Chakonda road has ended with two men being handed effective three-year jail terms after holding a man hostage at knifepoint. The Bindura Magistrates Court convicted Tafadzwa Sindura (26) and Lloyd Musimwa (33) for the abduction of Simbarashe Zhanda (41) on 25 April this year. According to court records, Sindura and three other suspects still on the run blocked Zhandas vehicle with a Toyota Sienta before forcing him inside. In a chilling twist, Sindura pulled out a knife and threatened to kill the terrified victim. The gang then phoned Musimwa, who ordered them to drive their hostage to Tipperary Shopping Centre, where he was held against his will. But their plan quickly collapsed when police swooped in after receiving an anonymous tip-off. As officers stormed the scene, the shaken Zhanda was released while three accomplices bolted, leaving Sindura and Musimwa to face the law. On conviction, the magistrate slapped both men with four-year sentences, one year of which was suspended for five years. This means they will each serve three years effectively behind bars. Authorities praised swift community reporting and decisive police action in foiling what could have turned into a grisly crime. This case highlights the vigilance of law enforcement and the importance of community reporting in preventing violent crimes, the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ) said in a statement. The hunt continues for the three suspects still at large, while Shamva residents remain shaken by the audacity of the daylight abduction. Herald UPDATE Oct 3, 2025 4:40 PM CDT A California resident who pleaded guilty to attempting to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was sentenced Friday to more than eight years in prison. Nicholas Roske faced a maximum of life in prison, and prosecutors asked for at least 30 years, the AP reports. But a federal judge imposed a term of eight years, one month, behind bars followed by a lifetime of court supervision. Lawyers for Roske, 29, sought eight years, per the Washington Post. While calling the defendant's actions "reprehensible," US District Judge Deborah Boardman gave Roske credit for giving up on the plan before being spotted by police near Kavanagh's home in Maryland. Jun 10, 2022 7:31 AM CDT The arrest of an armed man near the home of Brett Kavanaugh has put the focus on security for the Supreme Court and its justicesnot to mention turmoil within the court at a particularly volatile moment. Coverage: Colombia has handed over a portion of the legendary Hacienda NapolesPablo Escobar's sprawling ranch best known for its "cocaine hippos" to women who've survived the country's decades-long armed conflict. President Gustavo Petro announced the move on Wednesday, part of a larger land-redistribution push that includes properties once tied to drug lords, reports CBS News . The late Escobar's former 10,000-acre estate, packed with exotic animals and a replica plane, became a symbol of both his wealth and the excesses of the drug trade before the government took it over after his death in 1993. The state had leased the property to local authorities, who turned much of it into a theme park and zoo, drawing tourists. The idea to redistribute the land to rural women farmers was first suggested by Petro, Colombia's first leftist president, in May. "That hacienda has so many deaths that it must be returned to the people," he said at the time, per the Guardian. He called local farmers the property's "genuine owners." Now, 297 acres are back in the hands of the women farmers. Though they first received use of the land in 2017, police later evicted them, a decision that's now apparently been reversed. "Today there are women who have hope, who have land for life," one beneficiary, Millinery Correa, said in a statement. Land disputes have fueled Colombia's violent history, making the handover a notable step in ongoing land reform. Not everyone is pleased: Tour operators have protested, with El Pais noting that "all tourism in this area ... gravitates around" the Hacienda Napoles park. Meanwhile, Escobar's hipposdescendants of a handful he imported in the 1980scontinue to flourish, with around 150 now roaming the area and making occasional appearances in nearby towns. Declared an invasive species, the hippos present an expensive puzzle, with plans to send some abroad hampered by an estimated $3.5 million price tag. Zelenskyy to meet with Servants of the People faction MPs - source Next week, a meeting of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with members of the Servant of the People faction in parliament is planned. An informed source told this to Interfax-Ukraine. As reported, on September 16, a meeting with Servant of the People deputies was held in the Presidents Office, which lasted an hour and a half. Italian police swooped in on a Salvador Dali exhibition in Parma this week, seizing 21 pieces they suspect aren't quite the real deal. The Carabinieri's art heritage unit collected tapestries, engravings, drawings, and assorted objects from the "Salvador Dali: Between Art and Myth" exhibit, all said to be works by the Spanish surrealist legend. The move followed a tip from the Gala-Salvador Dali Foundationguardians of the artist's legacywhich flagged "anomalies" after viewing the collection during its earlier run in Rome, per Reuters . That alert came after the Carabinieri's art unit grew suspicious in January while doing a routine check at the Rome exhibit, which saw roughly 80 pieces on display from January to July. "Something seemed to be amiss," the senior officer leading the probe tells the Guardian, noting that police couldn't understand why none of Dali's paintings or other high-value art pieces were included in the exhibit. The current exhibition opened in Parma on Saturday and was intended to run through February. Organizers at Palazzo Tarasconi, the Parma venue, haven't commented, but the ticketing office says the show will go on, despite the missing works. Authorities emphasize that these suspected Dalis are presumed fake based on initial checks, but that the final verdict is still pending. Italy's Culture Ministry is currently examining the pieces. If they're deemed to be phonies, they could be confiscated, and those found to be involved could be prosecuted for forgery or for knowingly handling counterfeits, per ARTnews. The Carabinieri, which have experts skilled in sniffing out counterfeit and stolen art, have been busy: Last year, they said they'd cracked a sprawling forgery ring that churned out fake works attributed to major names ranging from Picasso and Warhol to Banksy and, yes, even to Dali himself, per Reuters. The AP notes that Dali is among the world's most-forged artists, joining the likes of Picasso and Modigliani. The founder of a prominent Texas megachurch is going to jail for six months after pleading guilty to multiple child sex abuse charges. Robert Preston Morris, who led the Texas-based Gateway Church until stepping down last year, pleaded guilty on Thursday to five counts of lewd and indecent acts with a child. The 64-year-old pastor's admission comes after a woman accused him of repeatedly abusing her in Oklahoma starting in 1982, when she was 12 and he was a traveling evangelist staying with her family, the AP reports. Prosecutors say the abuse continued for four years. Morris appeared before a judge in Osage County, Oklahoma, as part of a plea deal. He was handed a 10-year suspended sentence, with the first six months to be spent in the Osage County Jail. He must register as a sex offender and will be subject to supervision by Texas authorities under an interstate compact. Morris is also on the hook for the costs of his incarceration, including medical expenses, and will have to pay restitution to the victim. Morris resigned from Gateway Church, one of the nation's largest megachurches, after the allegations surfaced. "There can be no tolerance for those who sexually prey on children," said Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond. "This case is all the more despicable because the perpetrator was a pastor who exploited his position of trust and authority. The victim in this case has waited far too many years for this day." The woman Morris abused as a child said she hoped her story would encourage other abuse victims to "lift their shame" and speak out, KOCO reports. "Today justice has finally been served, and the man who manipulated, groomed and abused me as a 12-year-old innocent girl is finally going to be behind bars," Cindy Clemishire said. "I hope that people understand the only way to stop child sexual abuse is to speak up when it happens or is suspected," she said, adding: "Today is a new beginning for me, my family and friends who have been by my side through this horrendous journey. I leave this courtroom today not as a victim, but a survivor." As the government shutdown drags on, Senate Majority Leader John Thune warns Democrats that the real risk may be the unchecked power of White House budget chief Russ Vought, whose aggressive plans could reshape the federal workforce. Thune, not exactly a fan of Vought's "slash-and-burn" approach, told reporters Wednesday that Democrats should have seen this coming, Politico reports. As for whether Vought's actions could also hurt Republicans by becoming a distraction, Thune said, "The only thing I would say about that is yes, and we don't control what he's going to do." Other Republicans have voiced frustration over Vought's aggressive tactics. Rep. Mike Lawler criticized the freeze on major transportation projects in New York, while Reps. Blake Moore and Brian Babin raised concerns in a private GOP call about potential mass layoffs. The White House hasn't hidden its intent to ramp up political pressure on Democrats. Vought pre-empted the shutdown by telling agencies to draw up plans for reductions-in-forcethat is, actual firings, not just the furloughs that shutdowns typically bring. CNN calls Vought President Trump's "shutdown architect," and argues that the coming "deconstruction" has been planned for years. Some Democrats accuse Vought and Trump of simply using the shutdown to inflict pain they would have inflicted anyhow. Sen. Patty Murray called the tactics "ugly intimidation" and dismissed the idea that they would work. Vought was one of the architects of Project 2025, and as the AP reports, Trump has increasingly embraced the conservative blueprint despite attempting to distance himself from it during the presidential election. On Truth Social Thursday, Trump said he'd be meeting with Vought, "he of PROJECT 2025 Fame, to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent." Axios runs down the alignment between Project 2025 and Trump's presidential term here. The Trump administration has canceled $7.56 billion in funding for 223 clean energy and climate technology projects, primarily located in states with Democratic governors. The Department of Energy announced the decision on Thursday, stating that the projects failed to meet national energy needs or offer a sufficient return on taxpayer investment, the Washington Post reports. In a post on X, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought called the appropriationintended for purposes including upgrading the electricity grid and preventing natural gas leaks"Green New Scam funding to fuel the Left's climate agenda." The cuts include up to $1.2 billion for California's hydrogen hub, which is designed to accelerate hydrogen technology and production. Gov. Gavin Newsom said that the private sector has committed $10 billion for the project, per the AP, and that the cut threatens over 200,000 jobs. One project was to install battery systems in a children's hospital in the state. The Energy Department also canceled awards from its Office of Fossil Energy, which encourages production of fossil fuels and critical minerals, per NPR. "President Trump promised to protect taxpayer dollars and expand America's supply of affordable, reliable, and secure energy," Energy Secretary Chris Wright said. "Today's cancellations deliver on that commitment." Democratic lawmakers countered that the cuts are an attempt to punish Democrats during the government shutdown. The cancellations apply to 17 states with Democratic governors and seven with Republican governors, per the Post. "The Trump Administration is playing politics with our electric grid by cancelling critical projects in Democratic states that strengthen reliability, provide much-needed power, and reduce costs," said Zealan Hoover, a senior adviser to the EPA under Joe Biden, in a statement. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the US that supplies of long-range missiles to Ukraine will seriously damage relations between Moscow and Washington but will not change the situation on the battlefield, where the Russian army is making steady advances. The potential supply of Tomahawk cruise missiles to Kyiv would signal a "qualitatively new stage of escalation, including in relations between Russia and the US," Putin said Thursday at a forum of international foreign policy experts in Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi. The Russian president said that even though Tomahawk missiles will inflict damage on Russia if supplied to Ukraine, Russian air defenses will quickly adapt to the new threat. "It will certainly not change the balance of force on the battlefield," he added, emphasizing that the Russian military is continuously making gains against Ukraine. Putin also issued a stern warning to Ukraine's Western allies against trying to seize ships that carry Russian oil to global markers. He argued that could trigger a forceful response while sharply destabilizing the global oil market. "It's piracy, and how do you deal with pirates? You destroy them," he said. On the eve of his sentencing, Sean "Diddy" Combs wrote a federal judge Thursday proclaiming himself to be a new man after realizing that he was "broken to my core." Combs, 55, told Judge Arun Subramanian that with his mind clear of drugs and alcohol after a year in jail, he can see how rotten he had become before his September 2024 arrest in a case that led to his conviction on two prostitution-related counts. His sentencing hearing is set to begin Friday morning, the AP reports. "Over the past year there have been so many times that I wanted to give up. There have been some days I thought I would be better off dead. The old me died in jail and a new version of me was reborn. Prison will change you or kill youI choose to live," he said. A jury in July acquitted Combs of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges, but he still faces the possibility of years in jail. Combs' lawyers say he should go free this month, arguing his year behind bars has been enough of a penalty, while prosecutors want at least 11 years in prison. In his letter, Combs wrote that he had "no one to blame for my current reality and situation but myself." "In my life, I have made many mistakes, but I am no longer running from them," he wrote. "I am so sorry for the hurt that I caused, but I understand that the mere words 'I'm sorry' will never be good enough as these words alone cannot erase the pain from the past." Combs apologized for hitting, kicking and dragging then-girlfriend Casandra "Cassie" Ventura at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016an attack captured on security camera. "The scene and images of me assaulting Cassie play over and over in my head daily," Combs wrote. "I literally lost my mind. I was dead wrong for putting my hands on the woman that I loved. I'm sorry for that and always will be." In her letter to the judge ahead of sentencing, Ventura dismissed Combs' claims of remorse. Ventura noted that Combs had denied her allegations of assault until the footage of the beating emerged, and she urged the judge to issue a sentence that "reflects the strength it took for victims of Sean Combs to come forward." Combs also apologized to a woman who testified under the pseudonym "Jane," saying that "after hearing her testimony, I realized that I hurt her." "I lost my way. I got lost in my journey. Lost in the drugs and the excess," Combs wrote. "My downfall was rooted in my selfishness." In jail, Combs said, he has been reading, writing, going to therapy, working out and teaching a six-week course to other inmates, "Free Game with Diddy," imparting his business wisdom, as well as lessons learned from his mistakes and failures. He vowed to never commit a crime again, telling the judge he's gone through a "spiritual reset." A construction worker born in Florida and now living in Baldwin County, Alabama, is suing the federal government after being detained twice by immigration authorities, despite being an American citizen. Leonardo Garcia Venegas alleges in his proposed class-action lawsuit that he was unlawfully arrested at two construction sites this year, incidents he says stem from what he calls a pattern of immigration raids unfairly targeting Latino workers, per ABC News . According to the complaint, both arrests, one in May and one in June, unfolded after armed immigration officers arrived at job sites and, Venegas claims, bypassed non-Latino workers to focus on those who appeared Latino. In the May incident, Venegas says he was arrested after pulling out his phone to record the detention of his brother, who was also at the worksite, per AL.com. In both instances, Venegas says he identified himself as a US citizen and presented his REAL ID, but wasn't released immediately. The suit argues these actions violated his Fourth Amendment rights and are part of a broader policy that allows immigration officers to conduct sweeping searches and seizures without warrants. Venegas' legal team asserts that the Department of Homeland Security authorizes these operations based on assumptions about workers' immigration status, leading to what the lawsuit characterizes as discriminatory enforcement. The complaint cites 19 other cases where citizens or legal residents were allegedly detained under similar circumstances. "When he goes to work on private property, Leo expects the freedom, as an American, to work in peace," his complaint states, per the Alabama Reflector. DHS, for its part, disputes the allegations. A spokesperson said that US citizens aren't arrested or deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement unless they obstruct law enforcement efforts, per ABC. DHS claims that Venegas was detained because he interfered with the arrest of another individual, not due to his citizenship status. No charges were ultimately filed against Venegas. "It feels like there is nothing I can do to stop immigration agents from arresting me whenever they want," he says in a release, per the Reflector. "It's easier to talk here than it is in America," Dave Chappelle told a cheering audience during his controversial appearance at the Riyadh Comedy Festival. "Right now in America, they say that if you talk about Charlie Kirk, that you'll get canceled," he said, per the New York Times . "I don't know if that's true, but I'm gonna find out." Chappelle was one of the headliners at the first-of-its-kind Saudi festival, which runs until Tuesday. The irony wasn't lost on the crowd or critics, the Times notes. While performers reveled in lampooning American politics on Saudi soil, activists pointed to the country's own sweeping crackdowns on dissent and tight control over speech at home. Human Rights Watch called out the festival's "artwashing," accusing comedians of lending legitimacy to a government with a grim human rights record. Some stars declined to attend after contracts banned jokes about the monarchy, religion, or anything "embarrassing" to Saudi Arabia. Chappelle is one of more than 50 performers at the event, including Pete Davidson, Bill Burr, and Louis CK, per the Hollywood Reporter. Tim Dillon said he was dropped from the event after a joke he had made about migrant workers in the kingdom resurfaced. He said he had been offered $375,000 to perform, while others were offered up to $1.6 million. The festivalpart of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 push to open up the kingdomdrew a mixed-gender, youthful audience to Riyadh's flashy Boulevard City, signaling major shifts in Saudi social life, the Times reports. Sex jokes bombed, but political jabs hit home. "I found it so interesting to hear political jokes targeting Trump and Charlie Kirk," Abdulrahman Mohammad, a 23-year-old dental student, told the Times, adding that it was "surprising to hear him talk about it in Riyadh, when just recently America canceled Jimmy Kimmel doing the same." Chappelle told the audience of around 60,000 he's worried that when he returns to America, "they're going to do something to me so that I can't say what I want to say." One thing he will definitely face is disapproval from some fellow comedians, who criticized performers who went to Riyadh as "sellouts." "The same guy that's gonna pay them is the same guy that paid that guy to bone saw Jamal Khashoggi and put him in a f----- suitcase," Marc Maron said on his podcast. "But don't let that stop the yucks, it's gonna be a good time!" England's former chief nursing officer is now the spiritual leader of the world's Anglicans. Dame Sarah Mullally, the current Bishop of London, has been named as the new Archbishop of Canterbury. She is the first woman to hold the role in its 1,400-year history and the first female leader of the Church of England in its nearly 500-year history, reports CNN . Her selection comes a decade after the Church of England first allowed women to become bishops, with Mullally herself consecrated as Bishop of Crediton in 2015, the Guardian reports. Mullally was selected after a process that the New York Times reports was "as mysterious as the conclave" that selected Pope Leo XIV, but a lot lengthier, taking 11 months instead of 17 days. The Crown Nominations Commission, including five global Anglican representatives for the first time, selected her after months of debate, passing her name to Prime Minister Keir Starmer and then to King Charles III. Like every monarch since Henry VIII, the king is officially the church's supreme head. Mullally became a Christian at 16 and worked as a cancer nurse before she was ordained. "As I respond to the call of Christ to this new ministry, I do so in the same spirit of service to God and to others that has motivated me since I first came to faith as a teenager," she said in a statement, per the Guardian. "At every stage of that journey, through my nursing career and Christian ministry, I have learned to listen deeplyto people and to God's gentle promptingto seek to bring people together to find hope and healing." Mullally, 63, is set to formally assume the role in a ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral in January, with a larger enthronement service to follow. Her predecessor, Justin Welby, stepped down amid a sexual abuse scandal last year. An independent report found that he failed to take action against a man who abused an estimated 130 boys and young men. The Times notes that in some ways, Mullally is seen as a "safe choice" to restore the church's reputation. She will be 64 when she officially takes the role, six years below the mandatory retirement age of 70. "She's very much a known quantity," says Church Times staff writer Francis Martin. "She's not a surprise choice, even if a historic and unprecedented one." Long the epicenter of global entertainment, Los Angeles is now grappling with a production drought so severe that even accomplished industry veterans are struggling to find workleaving the city's creative heart and economy on uncertain ground. Veterans like animator Brian Mainolfiwho once worked for Disney and American Dad and learned from the famed Chuck Jonesnow find themselves scraping by, the Wall Street Journal reports. Mainolfi, who earned nearly $100,000 in better years, now teaches college animation for a fraction of his old salary, burning through savings to support his family as union health care is set to run out. The post-strike slowdown, which includes streaming growth fizzling, has sent jobs, and the people who depend on them, packing. Los Angeles County's motion picture workforce has shrunk by nearly a third since 2022. Filming in town is pricier than ever, and with tax breaks elsewhere, Georgia and British Columbia have lured much of the action. The average annual occupancy rate for soundstages fell to 63% last year, per the Los Angeles Times, a 6-point drop from 2023. The effects are widespread. Milk Jar Cookies, a favorite for showbiz catering, declared bankruptcy and closed. Oscar-winning sound mixer Thomas Curley, once overwhelmed by offers, hasn't had steady work in over a year. Writer Matt Walsh, who finally broke through with a script in 2023, is back to assistant gigs, per the Journal. Veteran assistant director Susan Hellman is among those who left Los Angeles altogether. Attempts to revive the industry, which include a boost to California's tax credit and calls for federal incentives, have not yet stemmed the exodus. Some workers are retraining in fields as far-flung as phlebotomy, while others hold out for a rebound. And people are still moving to LA with hopes of making it, the Journal notes. The Council of the European Union (EU) has decided to prolong individual restrictive measures against 47 individuals and 15 companies responsible for Russias destabilising actions abroad by one year, the press service of the EU Council reported. "The Council today decided to prolong individual restrictive measures against those responsible for Russias destabilising actions abroad by one year, until 9 October 2026, in light of Russias continued hybrid activities, including Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) against the EU and its member states and partners," the press service said on the Councils website. In total, restrictive measures in view of Russias destabilising activities currently apply to 47 individuals and 15 entities. Those listed are subject to an asset freeze, and EU citizens and companies are forbidden from making funds, financial assets or economic resources available to them. Natural persons also face a travel ban that prohibits them from entering or transiting through EU territories. Individual restrictive measures will be in effect at least until 9 October 2026. On 8 October 2024, the Council adopted a framework of restrictive measures in response to Russias destabilising actions. The sanctions regime targets those engaged in actions and policies by the government of the Russian Federation, which undermine the fundamental values of the EU and its member states, their security, stability, independence and integrity. The sanctions regime targets also those responsible for hybrid activities against third countries and international organisations. In May 2025, the EU broadened the scope of the restrictive measures framework to allow the targeting of tangible assets linked to Russias destabilising activities, financial backers of destabilising activities, and to allow for the suspension of the broadcasting licences of Russian media outlets involved in disinformation. In addition, on 18 July 2025, a statement of the High Representative on behalf of the EU condemned Russias persistent hybrid campaigns against the EU, its member states and partners. The statement underlined that, over the past years, the EU has observed a deliberate and systematic pattern of malicious behaviour attributed to Russia, such as cyber-attacks, acts of sabotage, disruption of critical infrastructure, physical attacks, information manipulation and interference, and other covert or coercive actions. Those activities have further escalated since the beginning of the war of aggression against Ukraine and are highly likely to persist in the foreseeable future. Sean "Diddy" Combs arrived in a federal courtroom in Manhattan on Friday morning to learn his fate. The hip-hop mogul, who has been in custody since his arrest in September last year could face up to 11 years when he is sentenced on two counts of a prostitution-related offense. Prosecutors revealed that Combs has already booked speaking engagements for next week, the New York Post reports. "Even now, at sentencing for his conviction for two federal crimes," said federal prosecutor Mary Slavik, "he doesn't fully grapple with how his actions got him here." She said Combs' respect for the law is just "lip service." "He has booked speaking engagements in Miami for next week. That is the height of hubris, your honor," Slavik told Judge Arun Subramanian. The FBI has officially ended its partnership with the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish organization that monitors antisemitism, following a surge of criticism from right-wing figures. FBI Director Kash Patel announced the move on social media , stating that the bureau "won't partner with political fronts masquerading as watchdogs." The decision comes after conservative backlash over the ADL's inclusion of Turning Point USA, a group founded by the late activist Charlie Kirk, in a now-removed "Glossary of Extremism and Hate," reports Reuters . That glossary described Turning Point USA as having a history of "bigoted statements," a label that Kirk's supporters reject. The ADL, which has collaborated with federal agencies since the 1940s, said it "has deep respect" for the FBI and acknowledged Patel's announcement. Historically, the ADL has provided data and research on hate crimes and has worked with the FBI on civil rights training. Despite this, recent months have seen increased tension over how the ADL defines and confronts extremism, especially after high-profile criticism from figures like Elon Musk. Kirk, who was assassinated last month, drew both condemnation and praise during his life. Civil rights advocates accused him of spreading divisive rhetoric about marginalized groups, while supporters viewed him as a champion of conservative ideals. The fallout from his death has rippled through media and political circles, with several commentators facing professional consequences for their public remarks. Axios notes there's been pushback as well on the obscure Christian Identity movement also being included in the glossary. Some ADL critics also accuse it of blurring the line between antisemitism and criticism of Israel's policies, particularly over Gaza and Palestinian territories, per Reuters. The ADL maintains that while criticism of Israel isn't inherently antisemitic, rhetoric attacking the legitimacy of Israel crosses that line. President Trump said Friday that Hamas must agree to a proposed peace deal for Gaza by 6pm Eastern time on Sunday and threatened the group will suffer more attacks if it doesn't. "Great, powerful, and very rich Nations of the Middle East, and the surrounding areas beyond, together with the United States of America, have agreed, with Israel signing on, to PEACE, after 3000 years, in the Middle East," Trump wrote. The president, echoing warnings from the Israeli military, said he is "asking that all innocent Palestinians immediately leave this area of potentially great future death for safer parts of Gaza." The president unveiled the plan alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this week. Trump's proposal would place Gaza under control of a temporary governing committee led by Trump himself. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair would be involved as well. Under the proposal, civilians would not be required to evacuate the territory, something that Trump had floated before. Hamas would be required to disarm and release any remaining hostages. Surviving fighters would be allowed to leave. Hamas said Tuesday that it would study the proposal. Sources tell the BBC that Turkish and Qatari mediators are pushing for a "positive response," but the prospects are not looking good. The sources say Hamas' political leaders in Qatar are open to accepting the plan, with some adjustments, but the head of Hamas' military wing in Gaza, who has control of the hostages, has signaled that he will reject it. The Trump administration has halted $2.1 billion in federal funds earmarked for Chicago subway projects, intensifying a standoff with Democratic leaders as the government shutdown drags on . The White House says the hold is necessary to prevent money from moving through contracts it claims may be based on race, according to Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget. The Transportation Department has notified the Chicago Transit Authority that it will conduct a review of the projects before releasing any funds, citing concerns over "discriminatory, illegal, and wasteful contracting practices," per the Wall Street Journal . Similar reviews are underway in New York, where $18 billion for major transit workincluding a Hudson River tunnel and a subway extensionwill remain on ice until the government completes its investigation into the role of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies in contracting. "Illinois, like New York, is well known to promote race- and sex-based contracting and other racial preferences as a public policy," the DOT said, per Politico. The outlet notes the agency may have been hinting that its decision was tied to the CTA's use of the DOT's Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program, from which it wants to remove "race and sex-based presumptions of social and economic disadvantage that violate the US Constitution." New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, however, dismisses the funding freeze as "political payback" related to the ongoing federal budget impasse, per the Journal. The freeze comes as hundreds of thousands of federal employees remain furloughed and a Senate vote looms on a short-term funding measureone that's widely expected to fail. Democrats have made it clear they want an extension of expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies and additional health care funding included in any deal to reopen the government. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, both Democrats, haven't responded to requests for comment. Illinois Rep. Mike Quigley, however, has weighed in, with the Democrat calling it "a very bad day for public transit in the country when it becomes weaponized," per the AP. Quigley deems the subway initiative "the most important new transit project in Chicago in 50 years." A top scientist at the National Institutes of Health has been fired just weeks after filing a whistleblower complaint against the Trump administration. Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, received her termination letter from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., her lawyer confirmed. The move follows a wave of departures and dismissals among government scientists who have voiced concerns about White House policies they say put public health at risk, the New York Times reports. Marrazzo's exit is part of a larger shakeup: Dr. Eliseo Perez-Stable and Dr. Diana Bianchi, directors of other NIH institutes, say they were also recently ousted. Many had been on administrative leave since spring after raising red flags about political interference in vaccine and health research. Marrazzo alleged in her complaint that the administration's actions endangered research subjects and undermined scientific workcharges the NIH called "false." Her lawyer, Debra Katz, described the firing as blatant retaliation against a scientist standing up for research integrity. NIH director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya has publicly claimed to welcome dissent, but Marrazzo's firing suggests otherwise, the Times notes. Dr. Kathleen Neuzil, another whistleblower, resigned soon after filing her complaint, saying NIH "leadership took away her ability to work in her chosen profession when they put her on indefinite administrative leave and refused to engage with her any further," per the Washington Post. Neuzil and Marrazzo say they were sidelined for opposing what they called dangerous, unscientific views on vaccines. According to their complaints, they were directed in April not to come to work and were told they would be offered positions in remote locations with the Indian Health Service. Marrazzo said the letter from Kennedy said he had the authority to appoint directors of NIH institutes and had "accordingly" decided to fire her, with no further explanation. In a statement, she urged Congress to "act to protect scientific research from those who would serve political interests first. Marrazzo was named in 2023 as the successor to Dr. Anthony Fauci, who held the role for almost 40 years. Fauci praised the choice at the time, but warned that she'd be stepping into a "very divisive political setting, where there's been an unfortunate politicization of some of the science." Beijing's top diplomat in Hong Kong met with the city's new US consul general this week to warn her against interfering in the territory's internal affairs, his office said in a statement on Thursday. Cui Jianchun, commissioner of the Hong Kong office of China's foreign ministry, met with Julie Eadeh on Tuesday to "lodge solemn representations" about her conduct, the statement said. Eadeh, who took up the new role in August, appeared to have angered Beijing for reportedly inviting pro-democracy figures to events, the AP reports. Beijing's office overseeing Hong Kong affairs reposted articles from pro-Beijing media outlets that criticized her moves. A court in Tunisia has sentenced a 51-year-old man to death over Facebook posts deemed offensive to President Kais Saied and a threat to state security, his lawyer said Friday. The defendant, who has not been identified, was convicted on Wednesday of three charges: attempting to overthrow the state, insulting the president, and spreading false information online. Judges said the posts incited violence and chaos and violated Tunisia's penal code as well as its 2022 cybercrime law, Decree 54, the AP reports. The ruling is the first of its kind in Tunisia, where dozens have been handed heavy prison sentences over similar charges since Saied seized power over all branches of government in July 2021. Although capital punishment remains in the penal code and civilian courts occasionally issue death sentences, none has been carried out since the execution of a serial killer in 1991. In a statement on Facebook, lawyer Oussama Bouthelja said that his client is a father of three, an occasional day laborer who suffers from a permanent disability caused by a workplace accident. Bouthelja described him as socially vulnerable and of a limited educational background, with little influence online. "Most of the content he shared was copied from other pages, and some posts received no engagement at all," Bouthelja wrote. "In court, he said his intent was to draw authorities' attention to his difficult living conditions, not to incite unrest." The ruling is the latest to use Decree 54, which makes it illegal "to produce, spread, disseminate, send or write false news ... with the aim of infringing the rights of others, harming public safety or national defense or sowing terror among the population." Journalists and human rights groups have condemned the law as a tool used by authorities to curb freedom of expression in Tunisia. As trade tensions escalate and steep tariffs threaten Canadian industries, Prime Minister Mark Carney is heading back to Washington for talks with President Trump in search of relief. Carney is scheduled to meet with Trump at the White House on Tuesday to resume discussions, marking his second such trip since taking office, the Canadian Press reports. The Trump administration has imposed tariffs on steel, aluminum, automobiles, and copper, placing significant pressure on Canadian industries. Unemployment reached 7.1% in August, the highest point in more than nine years, excluding the pandemic period, per CNN . Despite earlier hopes for a broader trade deal by Trump's August deadline, no agreement was reached, and tariffs on Canadian imports were increased to 35%. Goods that comply with the Canada-US-Mexico Agreement are exempt from these duties, a point Carney has highlighted as beneficial compared to other countries. The prime minister has made concessions, including scrapping a tax on US technology companies that prompted Trump to suspend trade talks, per the New York Times. The Trump administration plans to raise tariffs on lumber later in the month. Canadian officials are focusing on achieving sector-specific tariff reductions ahead of a planned CUSMA review next year, per the Canadian Press. American officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, have suggested there is room to negotiate on certain tariffs, particularly aluminum. The US continues to rely on Canadian aluminum imports due to an insufficient domestic supply. However, Trump has reaffirmed his support for existing tariffs on automobiles and steel and has made statements minimizing the importance of Canadian trade to the US. Photo: t.me/suspilnelviv Investigators of the State Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) have collected irrefutable evidence of treason on the part of the suspect in the murder of MP of Ukraine Andriy Parubiy, the SBU has said on its Telegram channel on Friday. "According to the case materials, more than a year ago, the defendant, living in Lviv, was recruited by Russian special services. Since then, he has been receiving enemy tasks and reporting to the enemy on their implementation," the SBU said in a statement. According to the Ukrainian special services, the person involved initially tracked and transmitted to the occupiers the locations of the Defense Forces, and also tried to establish the time and directions of movement of railway trains with fuel. "After checking the agents readiness to perform a more complex task, the Russian special services instructed him to kill Andriy Parubiy and financed the preparation for this crime," the SBU said. To fulfill the "order" of the aggressor state, the attacker monitored the daily schedule and travel routes of the MP. At the same time, as the department noted, the killer was preparing a plan for his escape abroad after committing the murder. However, as the SBU reminds, law enforcement officers prevented his departure and detained the person involved in Khmelnytsky region, from where he planned to illegally leave Ukraine. Based on the collected evidence, the SBU investigators informed the detainee of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (high treason committed under martial law). The perpetrator is in custody. He faces life imprisonment with seizure of property. Previously, the murder of Parubiy was classified under Article 112 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (assault on the life of a MP of Ukraine committed in connection with his state activities). The investigation is being conducted by SBU officers in Lviv region together with the National Police Department of Strategic Investigations under the procedural leadership of Lviv Regional Prosecutors Office. TDT | Manama Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com As part of the 34th Bahrain International Music Festival, the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA), in cooperation with the French Embassy in Bahrain, will host a live performance by the French-Turkish quartet Luna de Seda. The ensemble is led by acclaimed French double bassist Renaud Garcia-Fons, renowned internationally for his virtuosity and innovative approach to music. Luna de Seda presents an original repertoire blending Eastern and Mediterranean traditions such as maqam and flamenco with influences from across the Atlantic, including blues, jazz, and Afro-Latin rhythms. The group features Garcia-Fons on a unique five-string double bass, Kiko Ruiz on flamenco guitar, Derya Turkan on kemence, and Serkan Halili on kanun. Musical dialogue Together, they create a distinctive musical dialogue that bridges East and West. Garcia-Fons has earned multiple international accolades, including the Echo Deutscher MusikPreis Jazz Award for Best International Instrumentalist (2010 and 2011), the BMW Welt Jazz Award (2017), and the SACEM Grand Prix for Jazz Music (2021). The concert will take place on October 8 at 8:00 p.m. TOKYO, Oct 03 (News On Japan) - Former US President Donald Trump is arranging a three-day visit to Japan starting on October 27th, marking his first trip to the country in six years. According to government sources, Trump is scheduled to hold a summit meeting with Japans new prime minister, who succeeded Ishiba, and also attend a dinner event during his stay. In addition, Trump is coordinating meetings with the Emperor and with families of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea, highlighting long-standing diplomatic concerns. Attention is focused on whether the new prime minister can build a relationship of trust with Trump and strengthen the Japan-US alliance through this first round of talks. Source: TBS Oct 03 (Japanese Comedian Meshida) - Right now in big cities in Japan, there are more and more protests by Japanese people against the government's immigration policies. But don't worry immigrants, there are also people protesting against the anti-immigrant demonstrations. And actually the counterprotesters are more extreme than the anti-immigrant protesters. Some foreign protesters even shouted at Japanese people, "Go back to your country." Now, this is a big problem for Japan. If the government changes its immigration policies, convenience stores like 7-11 may not be able to stay open 24 hours. That means you won't be able to shop late at night and three cleaners will lose their jobs. I know it sounds like a joke, but jokes aside, today I want to explain why anti-immigration movements are happening in Japan, if you watch this video, you will understand the situation in Japan today. Source: Japanese Comedian Meshida TOKYO, Oct 04 (News On Japan) - The Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation has reduced 206 Toei bus services in its October timetable revision, underscoring how the nationwide shortage of drivers is now taking a serious toll on the capitals public transport. Nineteen routes out of 126 were affected, including services from major hubs such as Shinagawa, Shinjuku, Ueno and Kasai stations, where large numbers of commuters rely on buses. The reduction reflects a broader trend across the industry. Other operators, including Kanto Bus, Odakyu Bus, Kokusai Kogyo Bus, Tokyu Bus and Seibu Bus, are also cutting services while raising fares to improve employee treatment and secure drivers. Fare increases range from 10 yen to 20 yen, depending on the operator, with reductions scheduled through 2025. The driver shortage is not confined to Tokyo. In May 2024, Toyama Chiho Railway suspended 60 express bus services across five routes to free up drivers for school trips, offering refunds to passengers with existing bookings. In Hokkaidos Kushiro, 17 elementary schools had to abandon their traditional September school trips after travel agencies were unable to secure buses during the tourist season. Instead, they reorganized into joint school trips in October and November, grouping schools and sharing destinations and accommodation to secure drivers during the off-season. Experts say the root causes lie in low pay, demanding work conditions and the inability to secure rest days. Professor Kazuya Itaya of Ryutsu Keizai University notes that drivers often lose scheduled days off when colleagues fall ill, as buses cannot simply be suspended. Creating a work environment that drivers can sustain is essential. Wage increases to attract and retain personnel make fare hikes inevitable, he said. While these measures may burden passengers, industry officials argue they are unavoidable. Bus routes provide vital connections to hospitals, government offices and residential areas not covered by trains, and their absence could affect daily life and even safety, particularly during extreme weather. Passengers like anchor Maoko Hibi emphasized the importance of maintaining bus access and called for both motivation and working conditions for drivers to be improved. Experts also point out that mental stress, such as complaints from passengers when buses are delayed, adds to the pressure on drivers and contributes to resignations. As reductions and fare hikes continue, the challenge for the bus industry is balancing financial sustainability with maintaining essential public transport. Source: TBS TOKYO, Oct 04 (News On Japan) - A new form of cyberattack is rapidly spreading by exploiting the familiar pop-up that asks users to confirm they are not robots. Known as "Clickfix," the attack was first detected in 2024 and has been expanding quickly through 2025, prompting police in Tokyo and Aichi Prefecture to issue warnings. The method works by displaying a fake "I am not a robot" verification screen. If users follow the on-screen instructions, they are tricked into carrying out three key commands that immediately trigger infection: pressing the Windows key plus R, pressing CTRL plus V, and finally pressing Enter. "At the moment the Enter key is pressed, the malware is instantly downloaded," explained Takashi Yoshikawa of Mitsui Bussan Secure Directions. "What makes this particularly dangerous is that there is no visible sign of infection on the screen, so many victims never realize they have been deceived." Once infected, personal and sensitive data on the computer may be stolen. Interviews with the public revealed a lack of awareness about such risks. A woman in her 20s said she had always thought entering personal information was the bigger danger, not the authentication process itself. "If it just asked me to press Enter, I might do it without thinking," she said. Experts warn that the fake verification screens mimic legitimate security checks. Professor Takao Okubo of the Institute of Information Security explained that genuine "I am not a robot" systems often monitor cursor movements to distinguish between human and machine actions. In the past, distorted-character tests were common, but as artificial intelligence has learned to read them, such methods are declining. As online security evolves, verification systems are changing to keep ahead of automation and fraud. Authorities urge the public to be alert: if a supposed robot check asks for unusual key commands, it is likely a scam designed to infect computers instantly. Source: TBS The Luxembourg Red Cross is implementing humanitarian projects in Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Sumy and Kyiv regions - regions that have been significantly affected by the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. "The Luxembourg Red Cross has been working in Ukraine for over 20 years. Our activities cover five regions of Ukraine. These are the territories that have suffered the most from military actions. And we believe that the population of these territories needs humanitarian assistance more than others," said the coordinator of the Luxembourg Red Cross, Oleksandr Kulikov, on the official Facebook page of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society (URCS). The Luxembourg Red Cross, in cooperation with the URCS, within the framework of the Winterization 2024/2025 project, purchased and transferred 10 mobile water treatment plants for the Donetsk region and a stationary water treatment plant for the only maternity hospital operating in the government-controlled territory of Donetsk region in Sloviansk. 12 mobile shelters capable of protecting up to 20 people during shelling were purchased and transferred for communities in Donetsk and Kharkiv regions. In addition, the Luxembourg Red Cross provided support to five social infrastructure facilities damaged by the explosions - three medical institutions and two educational institutions. In particular, damaged windows and doors were replaced in the Dnipropetrovsk Children's Rehabilitation Center for Children with Speech Impairments and the Sumy "Yasochka" kindergarten. OTTAWA, ON, Oct. 3, 2025 /CNW/ - A special event took place this week to celebrate Canadian food and the farmers who make substantial contributions to our national food system. Parliamentarians and the Ottawa community were invited to attend the Downtown Diner, a pop-up event on Sparks Street, where they enjoyed snacks made with fresh, local ingredients. The event highlighted farmers' commitment to feeding Canadians and their pivotal role in strengthening the nation's food self-sufficiency and security. Canadian dairy, poultry and egg farmers at the Downtown Diner in Ottawa, celebrating Canadian farmers and our national food system. (CNW Group/Egg Farmers of Canada) Farmers representing the Canadian dairy, chicken, turkey, hatching egg and egg sectors took part in the event, answering questions about farming and agriculture, and discussing government policies and the vital role of supply management in maintaining a strong Canadian agricultural sector. Through the system of supply management, more than 14,295 Canadian dairy, poultry and egg farmers provide access to high-quality food for Canadians.1 These sectors support 430,978 Canadian jobs, contribute $45.13 billion to Canada's GDP and deliver $14.86 billion in tax revenue annually.2 Supply management supports both urban and rural communities, delivering a reliable supply of these key food staples. These efforts help maintain local infrastructure and bring important stability to domestic food supply chains and the overall economy. Hosted by Dairy Farmers of Canada, Chicken Farmers of Canada, Turkey Farmers of Canada, the Canadian Hatching Egg Producers and Egg Farmers of Canada, the Downtown Diner is just one of the many ways that Canadian dairy, poultry and egg farmers are helping Canadians learn about where their food comes from and how they support a strong Canadian food system. Visit eggfarmers.ca , chickenfarmers.ca , turkeyfarmersofcanada.ca , dairyfarmersofcanada.ca and chep-poic.ca to learn more. About Dairy Farmers of Canada Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) is the national policy, advocacy and promotional organization representing the farmers on over 9,000 Canadian dairy farms. DFC strives to create stable conditions for the dairy sector in our country. It also seeks to maintain policies that promote the sustainability of Canadian dairy production and promote dairy products and their health benefits. Visit dairyfarmersofcanada.ca for more information. About Chicken Farmers of Canada Chicken Farmers of Canada represents over 2,800 chicken farmers from coast to coast, and ensures that the chicken that reaches Canadian's tables is trusted, preferred, and sustainable Canadian chicken. Visit chickenfarmers.ca for more information. About Turkey Farmers of Canada Turkey Farmers of Canada (TFC) is a national organization representing Canada's 510+ turkey farmers. Created in 1974 under the federal Farm Products Agencies Act, the Agency encourages cooperation throughout the Canadian turkey industry, promotes the consumption of turkey meat, and oversees the supply management system for turkey in Canada. Visit turkeyfarmersofcanada.ca for more information. About the Canadian Hatching Egg Producers Founded in 1986, the Canadian Hatching Egg Producers (CHEP) represents 225 farmers from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec. Our mission is to continue to grow a profitable broiler hatching egg industry in Canada in order to ensure a strong, efficient and competitive industry and a dependable supply of quality broiler hatching eggs to the Canadian chicken industry. Visit chep-poic.ca for more information. About Egg Farmers of Canada Now in its sixth decade as one of Canada's leading agriculture organizations, Egg Farmers of Canada manages the national egg supply and promotes egg consumption while representing the interests of 1,270 regulated egg farmers and egg farm families from coast to coast. Visit eggfarmers.ca for more information. _________________________________ 1, 2 Kevin Grier Market Analysis and Consulting Inc. (2024). The 2023 Economic Impact of Dairy, Poultry and Egg Sectors in Canada [Data] SOURCE Egg Farmers of Canada Media contact: Elissa Zaks, Senior Public Relations Officer, Egg Farmers of Canada, [email protected], 343-777-6433 Photo: https://www.facebook.com/RedCrossUkraine The Ukrainian Red Cross Society (URCS) evacuates people from frontline settlements of Dnipropetrovsk region every day. "Evacuation from frontline settlements of Dnipropetrovsk region continues. Every day, Ukrainian Red Cross Society teams help people leave dangerous territories... in September, volunteers of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society's Emergency Response Unit in Dnipropetrovsk region evacuated 84 residents of frontline villages and towns," the society said on Facebook on Friday. Among the evacuees are people from among the low-mobility categories of the population, the elderly, and families with children. Volunteers help with boarding transport and provide support along the way. Twenty-two Ukrainian children and teenagers from the temporarily occupied territories were successfully evacuated to the government-controlled territory of Ukraine, Head of the President's Office of Ukraine Andriy Yermak has said. "Within the framework of the initiative of the President of Ukraine Bring Kids Back UA, 22 Ukrainian children and teenagers from the temporarily occupied territories were rescued," he said in the Telegram channel on Friday. According to Yermak, among those rescued is a ten-year-old boy who was forced to study according to the Russian program and threatened to be sent for an "examination" to Crimea with a fabricated psychiatric diagnosis. A 16-year-old teenager and his younger brother were also returned. Their family was persecuted in the village due to the parents' refusal to issue Russian passports and work in a school captured by the occupiers. Also a 14-year-old girl who was constantly humiliated in a Russian school for her Ukrainian origin. "Today, all the rescued children are safe in the territory controlled by Ukraine. They receive psychological support and assistance with documents. I am grateful to Save Ukraine, Helping to Leave, the Joint Center for the Coordination of Search and Release and all partners who helped save the children," Yermak said. As reported, within the framework of the President's Bring Kids Back initiative, Ukraine returned 1,645 children. Another group of 16 children was returned on September 30, and three children on September 26,. The absolute majority of Ukrainians believe in Ukraine's victory in the war with Russia: 39.9% completely believe in it, while 34% rather believe, 11.4% rather do not believe and 4.5% do not believe at all, according to the results of a poll conducted by the Razumkov Center sociological service on September 12-17 at the request of Kyiv Security Forum. However, 58.8% of respondents consider a military victory over Russia possible, and only 18.3% of respondents consider it impossible. When asked what they would be willing to give up during negotiations with Russia if it were up to them, only 8.1% of respondents said that Ukrainian territories, while 10.1% a pro-Western vector of the country's development and 62.3 none of the above. Only 13.1% believe that if a peace agreement is signed between Ukraine and Russia, both sides will try to adhere to this agreement. Some 64.2% are convinced that if such an agreement is signed, Russia will violate it and attack Ukraine as soon as it is convenient for it. Only 1.8% think that Ukraine will succeed in such actions, and 5.8% that both sides will. Ukrainians equally consider access to the borders as of February 23, 2022 (25.7%) and access to the borders of 1991 (24.6%) to be a victory. 21.6% of respondents are ready to stop the war on the contact line. After Ukraine's victory or cessation of hostilities, some 88.1% support a complete break in all relations with Russia, up to and including a complete ban on entry of Russian citizens into Ukraine. The results of the poll also show that the main authority for Ukrainians is the Armed Forces of Ukraine, with trust in them reaching almost 93%. The top ten structures trusted by Ukrainians include rescuers, volunteers, volunteer units, intelligence officers, border guards, counterintelligence (SBU), and the Ministry of Defense. The top ten is closed by the church. The face-to-face poll was conducted in the territories controlled by the government of Ukraine among 1,210 respondents aged 18 and over using a stratified multi-stage sample using random selection at the initial stages of sample formation and a quota method of selecting respondents at the final stage. The structure of the sample population reproduces the demographic structure of the adult population of the territories in which the survey was conducted as of the beginning of 2022. The theoretical sampling error does not exceed 2.9%, additional systematic sampling deviations may be due to the consequences of the Russian aggression. A man from New York has been arrested after it was alleged that he threatened a Bergen County resident on social media. The 32-year-old man, from the Bronx, New York, surrendered to New Jersey authorities on Friday and was charged with third-degree terroristic threats, the Bergen County Prosecutors Office said in a statement. The Mahwah Police Department contacted county prosecutors on Sept. 27 reporting that a township resident was threatened by someone on a social media app. Detectives investigating the incident later traced the online activity to the Bronx man, authorities said. Prosecutors have not said which social media app was used to make the threat or the nature of the threat. The man remains in custody at Bergen County Jail pending a detention hearing. The Raging Bull opens Friday at 6007 Mansion Blvd. in Pennsauken. The Raging Bull The Raging Bull, a new fast-casual restaurant specializing in cheesesteaks, smash burgers and milkshakes, is hosting a grand opening in Pennsauken tomorrow. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at the restaurant, located at 6007 Mansion Blvd., at 11 a.m. Owner Eric Adili will celebrate the event with a giveaway of free cheesesteaks for the first 50 guests starting at 11 a.m. and free smash burgers for the first 50 guests beginning at 4 p.m. The restaurant represents a continuation of Adilis family legacy in South Jersey dining. He grew up working alongside his father at Palumbos in Cinnaminson and later at The Fat Tomato in Berlin. After taking over The Fat Tomato in 2018 when his father retired due to illness, Adili ran the restaurant through his fathers passing in 2020 and the pandemic challenges before selling it in 2023. Restaurants are in my blood, Adili said in a statement. Ive spent my entire life in this business, and this is where I belong. I wanted to create a South Jerseyborn brand that people can be proud of, one that supports local businesses, values quality, and feels like home for the community. The Raging Bull focuses on three main menu categories: cheesesteaks made with hand-trimmed ribeye shaved daily and served on seeded Liscios rolls, smash burgers made with Schweid & Sons ground chuck served on Martins potato rolls, and sides including fries and onion rings fried exclusively in 100% beef tallow. Our goal is simple: use the highest quality ingredients, prepare everything fresh, and never cut corners, Adili said. When youre paying for a ribeye cheesesteak, you should taste the difference. Every ribeye is sliced fresh daily, every chicken steak is brined and shaved in-house, and every fry is crisped in beef tallow for unbeatable flavor. The restaurants signature items include The Raging Bull cheesesteak with ribeye, Cooper Sharp Whiz, chipotle mayo, and roasted Italian long hots, and The Red Hot October burger featuring thin sliced Vidalia onions, jalapenos, bully burger sauce, lettuce, tomato, and yellow Cooper Sharp American cheese. The 1,600-square-foot space previously housed Royal Indian Cuisine and has been renovated with new flooring, ceilings, custom wooden counters, updated kitchen equipment, and a 12-seat counter. The restaurant will employ up to four full-time and three part-time workers. Adili has partnered with neighboring business, The Juice Bar Juice Company, owned by entrepreneur Seth Amoah, to create exclusive fresh juice collaborations including strawberry lemonade and raspberry iced tea made fresh each morning. The restaurant is positioned near Cherry Hill Mall and offers dine-in, takeout, and delivery options. Pennsauken is the perfect spot, Adili said. Were close to everythingfrom Cherry Hill Mall to downtown Phillybut were also part of a tight-knit local community. My goal is for The Raging Bull to be both a neighborhood favorite and a regional destination. Adili plans to open three to five additional Raging Bull locations and launch a sister concept called The Raging Rooster, specializing in hot chicken, in coming months and years. The Raging Bull will operate Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. More information is available at theragingbullnj.com. Pure Juice Cafe + Market offered organic, locally sourced products for the past 7 years in Stone Harbor. Canva for NJ.com Pure Juice Cafe + Market, a Jersey Shore breakfast and lunch destination, has announced its closure after seven years of operation. The cafe, which marketed itself as Stone Harbors one stop destination for health forward breakfast, brunch, lunch, coffee, and so much more, offered grab-and-go items, beach snacks and homemade oat milk soft serve. The business on Second Avenue in the downtown shopping district emphasized that all items were 100% housemade, organic, premium and local. After much thought and reflection, Ive made the decision to close Pure Juice, owner Vanessa Scarani said in her announcement posted on social media. Running Pure Juice has been one of the most rewarding, challenging, and beautiful experiences of my life. She thanked the community for its seven years of support. What began as a dream, grew into a business, and ultimately became a second home, not just for me, but for so many of you, she said, also thanking longtime patrons, staff and vendors. Thank you for allowing us to be part of your days and routines. The love and support have been more than I ever could have hoped for. The connections weve made will always remain. Correction: This story has been updated to reflect the name of facility. A 4-year-old boy was seriously injured after being struck by a pickup at a Cumberland County camp Thursday afternoon, police said. Vineland police said officers were called around 4:40 p.m. to Malaga Camp Meeting Assembly on North Delsea Drive, where the child had been hit while riding a pedal toy vehicle in the roadway. The truck, driven by a 44-year-old Vineland man, was traveling north through the grounds at a low speed when it struck the boy, according to police. The child was flown to Cooper Trauma Center for treatment. His family was with him, police said. No charges have been filed. The crash remains under investigation by Officer Morales of the police departments Traffic Unit. Anyone with information can contact him at cmorales@vinelandcity.org. Isaias Garza, 57, of Vineland, a former teacher, was convicted Friday of sexually assaulting a student multiple times over the course of two years and trying to cover up the incidents, authorities said. A former teacher employed by a Cumberland County school district was convicted Friday of sexually assaulting a student multiple times over the course of two years and trying to cover up the incidents, authorities said. Isaias Garza, 57, of Vineland, was found guilty of second-degree sexual assault and second-degree witness tampering/bribery, according to a statement from the Cumberland County Prosecutors Office. The assaults happened several times between 2004 and 2005 while Garza was employed as the head teacher in the Bridgeton Public Schools ExCEL program, an accelerated learning program for middle school students, investigators said. The student was in sixth grade at the time of the assaults, the office said. Detectives learned that Garza offered the male student money and benefits to lie to police about the abuse after an investigation into the allegations was launched in 2018, authorities said. Additional charges involving the victim and a second student were dismissed prior to the return of Fridays verdict, the office said. Garza is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 30, 2026, officials said. He is a U.S. citizen who came here from his native Mexico in the early 1990s and worked for the Bridgeton school district for over 20 years prior to his arrest. One of the students involved filed a lawsuit against Garza and the Bridgeton Board of Education in 2020 but the status of that lawsuit was not immediately clear as of Friday afternoon. A familiar face is joining season 13 of "When Calls the Heart." Hallmark Channel Brooke Shields is returning to Hallmark Channels When Calls the Heart. Shields last appeared as Charlotte Thornton on season 3 of the Western drama back in 2016. After a decade, shell reprise her role in season 13 of When Calls the Heart, which is set to premiere sometime in 2026. Charlotte Thornton is back. Im so happy to return to When Calls the Heart this all-new season, Shields said in a video shared via the shows official Instagram page. Charlottes son, Jack Thornton (Daniel Lissing), died during season 5. Season 12 ended with Jacks widow, Elizabeth Thornton (Erin Krakow), heading off to stay with Charlotte in Cape Fullerton. Charlotte lives close to an insulin lab, which Elizabeth needs access to because of her son Jack Jr.s (Hyland Goodrich) diabetes diagnosis. Brooke Shields in season 3 of "When Calls the Heart." Hallmark Channel A synopsis for season 13 of When Calls the Heart notes that Charlotte forms a heartwarming connection with her grandson, Little Jack, as she helps him reconnect with memories of his father. Elizabeth initially thought she would have to leave behind her boyfriend Nathan Grant (Kevin McGarry) to move to Cape Fullerton, but Nathan and his daughter Allie (Jaeda Lily Miller) rushed to meet up with her at the train station. READ MORE: Full House alum separates from spouse after 27 years Where you go, I go, Nathan reassured Elizabeth at the end of season 12. While Hearties are eager to see Nathan and Elizabeth tie the knot, McGarry teased that their wedding might be far off. It took five years to get to the kiss, so I mean, we got lots of time to envision what this wedding [is] going to look like, he told Us Weekly in 2024. I will say if and when it happens, I hope its special to them. As for Krakow, she told Us Weekly last year that she thinks Elizabeth and Nathan are end game and soulmates. When Calls the Heart is available to stream on Hallmark+. A federal judge said Thursday that she would likely lift a federal consent decree that imposes a monitor to ensure the Newark Division of Police complied with reforms. Ed Murray| For NJ Advance Media A federal judge said Thursday that she was likely to order an end to nine years of federal monitoring of Newarks police force in two weeks after giving the public a chance to provide input on the matter. U.S. District Court Judge Madeline Cox Arleo said during an afternoon hearing in Newark that she was satisfied that the department was in substantial compliance with reforms contained in a 2016 agreement between the city and the Justice Department. Under the court-brokered agreement, known as a consent decree, the city implemented reforms recommended by policing experts and tracked by a court-appointed monitor intended to reduce poor record keeping, police brutality, biased policing and other civil rights violations against the predominantly Black and brown population of the states largest city. I am inclined to terminate the consent decree and find substantial compliance, Arleo told the three dozen lawyers, city police and civilian officials, civil rights advocates and others at the Martin Luther King Jr. Courthouse, a block from Newark City Hall. But I would be remiss if I did not give every single person in the community a full opportunity to weigh in, she added. So I will leave the record open for two weeks, and then I will issue my final order. Newark Public Safety Director Emanual Miranda welcomed the judges stated intention as a great decision. The consent decree grew out of a damning 2014 Justice Department investigation concluding there had been widespread abuses by Newarks police. The probe was in response to the filing of a large group of abuse complaints compiled by the ACLU of New Jersey. The court-appointed monitor, former New Jersey State Attorney General Peter Harvey, assured the judge that the city had been in substantial compliance with reforms, although he noted that record-keeping and distinguishing between at-risk juveniles in need of intervention and hardened gang members were two areas where the department could use improvement. His final report on the matter is posted on the NewarkPDMonitor.com website. Harvey said after the hearing that he was comfortable with the judges conclusion, and confident the departments reforms would stick, because they have done the work. The governments lead attorney, Jeffrey Murray, who has been involved in the case since its outset, likewise told the judge that he was satisfied that the department was in substantial compliance. Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka was elected the same year the report was released after campaigning on a pledge to reform the department, then signed the decree two years later and embraced the reforms. During a segment of the hearing when Arleo allowed members of the public to address her directly, Baraka and others said the culture and methods of policing had changed in Newark and assured her that the reforms and the improved behavior of officers would remain in effect after monitoring ended. Baraka recalled beginning the process of arriving at the consent decree with then-U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Paul Fishman more than a decade ago, which he said, has been really fruitful for us. Baraka and the citys lawyers, Corporation Counsel Kenyatta Stewart and Christopher Kinum of New Providence, told the judge that the city had established an Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery to work with the police, which not only improved community relations but reduced violent crime in the city. A revamped internal affairs unit, a civilian complaint review board convened last year, and a brand new Office of Constitutional Affairs would help ensure officers remained in compliance with reforms. The judge also heard from representatives of the Newark-based Institute for Social Justice, which had helped set up community forums for updates on compliance. A survey conducted by the institute found that Newark residents still had mixed feelings about policing, though its director, Ryan Haygood, made clear later that the institute supported lifting the consent decree. Members of the public who addressed the judge also included Peoples Organization for Progress Chairman Larry Hamm, an advocate for families whose loved ones had been killed or injured by police, including some while the department has been subject to the consent decree. Police brutality continues to exist, said Hamm, who made a broader call for the state legislature to grant subpoena power to civilian police review boards. But Arleo said the government could not continue to monitor Newark indefinitely, particularly in light of the compliance with the decree and the structural reforms and improvements that the monitor, the city, and the Justice Department agreed had been implemented. Its not feasible, and its not right, Arleo said, for a court to go into a second decade providing oversight to the City of Newark. The top ten countries that Ukrainians have a positive attitude towards are the Netherlands, Canada, Norway, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, France, Sweden, Great Britain, Estonia, according to the results of a poll conducted by the Razumkov Center sociological service on September 12-17 at the request of Kyiv Security Forum. The United States took 16th place in terms of the level of positive attitude among the countries in the poll 69.6% of respondents have a positive attitude towards them, while the leader of the rating, the Netherlands, is in 89.3%. Slovakia, which is positively viewed by 49% of Ukrainians, is the last with a positive balance of attitudes. More Ukrainians have a negative attitude towards neighboring Hungary than a positive one (24.1%). There is also a negative balance in India, China, Belarus and Russia, to which 2.4% of respondents maintain a positive attitude despite the war. Poland is in 14th place, with 82.3% of Ukrainians having a positive attitude towards it. Ukrainians also have a positive attitude towards Denmark, Finland, the Czech Republic, Japan, Turkey and Romania. According to the poll results, some 74% of Ukrainians express a favorable attitude towards Poland, while 61% positively assess the country's efforts to provide humanitarian aid; some 44% note the development of economic cooperation and 51% highly evaluate military and security cooperation. At the same time, the survey results showed that only 19% of respondents consider relations in the field of historical memory to be good. Only 11.1% of respondents consider themselves well informed about the Ukrainian-Polish clashes that took place in Volyn tragedy in 1943, and 35.4% consider themselves generally informed. Among these people, when asked "Who do you think was to blame for those tragic events?" some 5.9% believe that the Ukrainian side, while 13.2% believe that the Polish side, some 43.7% believe that both sides and 23.9% believe that no one is to blame, that's how the circumstances turned out. The face-to-face survey was conducted in the territories controlled by the government of Ukraine among 1,210 respondents aged 18 and over using a stratified multi-stage sample using random selection at the first stages of sample formation and a quota method of selecting respondents at the final stage. The structure of the sample population reproduces the demographic structure of the adult population of the territories where the survey was conducted as of the beginning of 2022. The theoretical sampling error does not exceed 2.9%, additional systematic deviations of the sample may be due to the consequences of Russia's aggression. New Jersey offers free or low-cost vaccines through two federally-funded programs. Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media Editors note: On Oct. 6, a spokeswoman for the New Jersey Department of Health told NJ Advance Media the vaccines were approved and that ordering can begin for federal programs. Kids and adults in New Jersey who rely on federal programs for free vaccines may have a harder time getting updated COVID-19 shots this fall. Neither acting Director Jim ONeil of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention nor Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has signed off on COVID-19 vaccine recommendations issued by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on Sept. 19, a spokeswoman with New Jersey Department of Health told NJ Advance Media. Thus, the federal government has not enabled our Vaccine Preventable Disease Program to order COVID-19 vaccines from the CDC for our VFC and 317 Programs, said spokeswoman Dalya Ewais. New Jersey receives federal funding to provide vaccines at no cost through the Vaccines for Children program and the 317-Funded Adult program. Individuals 18 years and under are eligible for the Vaccines for Children program if they: Are enrolled in Medicaid, NJ FamilyCare Plan A only. Have no health insurance. Are underinsured, meaning their insurance does not cover all vaccines recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Are American Indian or Alaska Native. Individuals 19 years and older are eligible for the 317 program if they: Have no health insurance. Are underinsured, meaning their insurance does not cover all vaccines recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. The programs aim to support providers who administer federally funded vaccines to underserved and at-risk populations. For patients who dont have coverage through insurance, this is the way they get their vaccines and thats the way we get the vaccines we give to them. We dont have them, we cant give them, said Fran Palm, president and chief executive officer of Zufall Health, an independent, state-licensed, and federally approved community health center network serving patients across seven counties in northern and central New Jersey. Roughly half of all patients Zufall Health sees are uninsured, with most of the remaining on Medicaid or Medicare. The patients were seeing are majority low income and so if they have to choose between getting a vaccine and putting food on the table, theyre going to choose putting food on the table, said Palm. While New Jersey made the COVID-19 vaccine accessible to anybody who wants it in early September, it made no guarantees about financial accessibility. The COVID vaccine was once free for everyone, regardless of insurance status, under federal emergency funding. Now, its neither free for the uninsured nor guaranteed to be free for those with health insurance. Although all insurers are strongly encouraged to continue to cover the costs of the COVID vaccine, the Murphy administration cannot guarantee insurance coverage across all health plans, according to a state press release. The shot could cost up to $250, according to CVS Pharmacys website. Ewais, a spokeswoman with state Department of Health, said the state will continue to assess how to best leverage available tools and resources to combat barriers to access and affordability. A former state museum employee is accused of stealing more than $30,000 in unemployment benefits while employed by the museum, officials with the Attorney Generals Office said on Friday. Shayion Brooks, 37, of Trenton is charged with third-degree theft and fourth-degree counts of tampering with public records and making false statements. Between June 2020 and September 2021, authorities said Brooks received more than $31,000 in unemployment benefits over a period of 58 weeks while working full-time for the state. Authorities said Brooks falsely certified her eligibility for unemployment benefits through the NJ Department of Labors website. In October 2022, officials discovered that Brooks collected unemployment benefits while employed by the state and asked her to testify at a Department of Labor hearing on July 30, 2024, where she falsely claimed that she was the victim of identity theft, officials said. An investigation discovered that the unemployment benefits Brooks filed for were directly deposited into the same account her paychecks were deposited into as an employee of the state, officials said. Brooks did not have an attorney listed in court records Friday. The Rev. Karen Hernandez-Granzen, of the Westminster Presbyterian Church, speaks at an anti-mass incarceration event in Trenton. Rev. Karen Hernandez-Granzen The Rev. Karen Hernandez-Granzen finds inspiration through providing people in marginalized communities with love, acceptance and support. I have seen the grief of the LGBTQIA community being ignored, being judged, being rejected. So what inspires me is when I make sure that the doors are open, said Hernandez-Granzen, 64, who has been the pastor of Trenton-based Westminster Presbyterian Church for 30 years. Folks of every background come to my church, but the formerly incarcerated and LGBTQIA communities are probably the most negatively stigmatized communities, added Hernandez-Granzen, of Lawrence. So, it inspires me to make room for them at the table, and then to see them thrive. Having grown up in Brooklyn and Staten Island, Hernandez-Granzen is a proud Nuyorican a person of Puerto Rican heritage who lives or has lived in New York City. Although her father, Jose Belen Hernandez, was a pastor, Hernandez-Granzen admits that she never considered becoming a member of the clergy. It wasnt something I thought of being because I never met a woman pastor, said Hernandez-Granzen, who has seven brothers and four sisters. I am a pastors kid, she added, and during my younger years, I loved going to church. In 1983, Hernandez-Granzen moved to California after being hired as a youth director at a local Presbyterian church. About three months later, she said the pastor asked her an important question: Hey, have you thought of the ordained ministry? In that moment, Hernandez-Granzen said his question caused her to self-reflect. I thought of all these reasons, why not, and who am I to be the pastor and follow in my dads footsteps? Hernandez-Granzen said. Then I said, Gods calling me. The Rev. Karen Hernandez-Granzen, of the Westminster Presbyterian Church, speaks at the Poor People's Campaign rally on Saturday, March 2, 2024, at Turning Point United Methodist Church, 15 S. Broad St. in Trenton. Rev. Karen Hernandez-Granzen Hernandez-Granzen later enrolled in McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, where she earned her Master of Divinity degree in 1994. Embracing her Puerto Rican roots, Hernandez-Granzen can now be found wearing her signature red lipstick, bold jewelry, and colorful accessories, along with her clerical collar and shirt. Im happy that within the Latina culture, the women dress feminine. I do attribute my dressing style to being a Nuyorican, said Hernandez-Granzen, whose mentor, the Rev. Carmen Rosario, also influenced her. Through her clerical work, Hernandez-Granzen has spearheaded various community initiatives, including her churchs Trenton Microloan Collaborative, which offers zero-interest loans and support to entrepreneurs who were formerly incarcerated. Hernandez-Granzen is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund (LALDEF), a Trenton-based nonprofit that provides legal services and educational resources to Mercer Countys low-income immigrant community. Cecy Jimenez-Weeast, the executive director of LALDEF, said that Hernandez-Granzen has played a pivotal role in stewarding the nonprofit through a historic time for their community. Rev. Karen is not just an exemplary board membershe is an exemplary person all-around, Jimenez-Weeast said. Her compassion and commitment to serving others is something which inspires us daily." If someone is in need, she is always the first one to step up and ask how she can help, she added. Rev. Karen has become such a cornerstone in our community not just through her work, but through her genuine desire to see and serve those she encounters. The Rev. Karen Hernandez-Granzen, center, poses with The Revs. Evangelist Judy Stryker, Patti Daley, Shannon Smythe, and Joanne Rodriguez during Womens History Month at Westminster Presbyterian Church. Rev. Karen Hernandez-Granzen To recharge, Hernandez-Granzen said she enjoys spending quality time with her husband, Michael Granzen, who is a retired reverend. She also makes connections through a clergy support group that she meets with every week. Too often, people in ministry are lone rangers and they get burnt out, Hernandez-Granzen said. Ministry will get you toasty, and Ive had my moments, but I have been able to thrive and sustain myself in ministry because I am a part of this group. Hernandez-Granzen said her love for people causes her to get up and prepare herself to be present and look at Gods child, whoever it is that is with me, and see them with their endowed dignity and their giftedness. When she retires in the next six years, Hernandez-Granzen said she plans to become a real estate agent and help more Black and brown people become homeowners. It grieves me how often Black and brown people in the cities are spending big bucks on rentals, she said. So, I want to come up with a plan that helps them establish the necessary foundation for the purchase and make the process more culturally sensitive. The Somerset County officer said the punishment was too harsh and unfair. Brick Police Department A Franklin Township police officer is suing to overturn a suspension he received after using his Taser three times to stop a suspect who ran from custody earlier this year. Officer Derek Miller says he was suspended for 10 days after he was found to be in violation of the Somerset County departments use-of-force and body camera policies following a January arrest. In a lawsuit filed Sept. 25 in Somerset County Superior Court, Miller argued the punishment was unfair and too harsh. The suspension was imposed without just cause, the lawsuit said. Franklin Township officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. Miller has more than 18 years experience in law enforcement, including time as a detective and assignments with the New Jersey State Police. He has no prior discipline incidents, according to the complaint. The case stems from a Jan. 2 arrest at a Holland Drive apartment complex, where Miller responded as backup to a domestic violence call, according to court documents. A suspect was arrested but broke free while being escorted to a patrol car, the lawsuit said. The man ran toward Route 27, and Miller chased after him, firing his department-issued Taser twice at the suspects back before subduing him. Miller discharged the Taser a third time before taking the man into custody, the lawsuit said. Court filings say the suspect pleaded guilty in Somerset County Superior Court on Sept. 15 to charges of eluding police, assault and harassment. Franklin police referred the incident to the Somerset County Prosecutors Office. In a March 5 letter, Deputy First Assistant Prosecutor Brian Stack said Millers actions were not criminal and could be addressed with something as simple as retraining. Despite that recommendation, township police pursued discipline, and a hearing was held in August. Miller was charged and found guilty of three violations of the departments use-of-force policy. He was also accused of not keeping the camera on his uniform on during the incident. At the hearing, he testified that he had gone to the bathroom before responding to an earlier call, before the domestic violence incident, and forgot to turn his body-worn camera back on, according to court documents. Investigators found him guilty of one violation of the body-worn camera policy. Officials said Miller used an inappropriate level of force that was excessive for the situation when he fired his Taser, saying he went against Franklin police guidelines. Investigators also faulted him for failing to reactivate his body camera after deactivating it, which they said undermined transparency, accountability and public trust. The hearing officer added that Millers nearly two decades of experience should have led to better judgment. An officer with Millers experience and knowledge should have handled the call in a more professional and safe manner, the report said. Miller is asking the court to throw out the suspension and order the township to reimburse him for lost pay, benefits and other damages. An Ocean County man who admitted that he choked a woman until she passed out was sentenced to 10 years in prison, authorities said. Juan Santiago-Rojas, 31, of Point Pleasant Borough, was sentenced by Judge Dina M. Vicari Friday after he pleaded guilty on Aug. 18 to attempted murder charges, said Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer. Santiago-Rojas will be required to serve at least 85% of his prison sentence before he is eligible for parole. Police responded to a home on Butler Avenue in Point Pleasant Borough on Aug. 22, 2022, and found a woman unconscious with serious injuries to her head and neck. She was taken to Hackensack Meridian Ocean Medical Center in Brick Township and transferred to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune for treatment, officials said. She was later released. Investigators identified Santiago-Rojas as her assailant, and on Aug. 23, 2022, they initially charged him with aggravated assault and issued a warrant for his arrest, authorities said. As a fugitive, Santiago-Rojas name was entered in the National Crime Information Center database. On Dec. 8, 2023, Santiago-Rojas was arrested by police in Wilmington, North Carolina and was extradited to Ocean County on Jan. 12, 2024. He was charged with attempted murder on Jan. 22, 2024, after it was revealed by the Prosecutors Special Victims Unit that he had strangled the woman until she lost consciousness. A jury has convicted a woman on two counts of third-degree vehicular homicide for causing a crash that left two people dead. Prosecutors said she was found to be impaired after having used marijuana. Danielle Bowker, 30, of Toms River, was found guilty on Thursday following a five-week trial, the Ocean County Prosecutors Office said in a statement. The four-vehicle crash happened around 7:15 a.m. on March 29, 2022, near the intersection of Whitesville Road and Route 571 in Manchester. Police responding to the scene found one person dead and another five having suffered injuries, authorities said. An investigation found that Bowker was driving a car on Route 571 when she failed to maintain her lane of travel while negotiating a right-hand curve, officials said. Her car hit a Department of Transportation pickup truck that was traveling eastbound, police said. The pickup truck lost control and hit a sedan driven by 48-year-old Michael Sadis, of Toms River, pushing his vehicle off the road and into an embankment, prosecutors said. The pickup then continued and hit a coupe driven by Paul Lamberti, 58, also of Toms River, authorities said. Sadis was pronounced dead at the scene and Lamberti was flown to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, where he later died from his injuries, prosecutors said. Bowker, as well as the driver and passenger of the pickup truck, were taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River for treatment of minor injuries. While at Community Medical Center, blood was drawn from Bowker after investigators received a court-authorized warrant. Lab results showed that Bowker had an active THC (marijuana) level of 7 nanograms (ng) with a metabolite THC level of 61ng indicating that Bowker was a recent, active user of marijuana at the time of the crash. The states psychopharmacologist examined the results and determined that at the time of the crash, Bowker was impaired due to the effects of marijuana intoxication, and that she could not safely drive a car, authorities said. Bowkers sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 12. An Ocean County man was found guilty of the murder of his father in 2019 after he paid another man to carry out the killing, authorities said. Mark J. Austin, 34, of Brick Township, was also convicted of unlawful possession of a weapon and now faces life in prison when he is sentenced later this year, according to a statement from the Ocean County Prosecutors Office. On Sept. 7, 2019, officers from the Brick Township Police Department were called to an Acorn Drive home and discovered the lifeless body of Mark Richard Austin, also of Brick Township, the office said. Mark Richard Austin was initially found bludgeoned to death on his sofa Sept. 7 by a friend who was stopping by the residence to drop off chips and water in his home on Acorn Drive in Brick, authorities said. Detectives later determined that Austin and Jeray Melton 34, of Salem City, had conspired to kill the Mark Richard Austin, officials said. They learned that Austin agreed to pay Melton in exchange for killing his father. The duo were once prison bunkmates, according to court proceedings. They were charged and taken into custody on Sept. 13, 2019, and have remained jailed since then, authorities said. On Feb. 25, 2020, Melton pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter and is still awaiting sentencing, the office said. At Meltons plea hearing, he said Austin promised $50,000 to kill his father and Melton ended up carrying out the murder, a transcript of the hearing reads. After the killing, Melton said, Austin drove him back to his residence in Salem City and disposed of Meltons bloody clothes and gloves, authorities said. Austin is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 12. Justice was served today. This defendant orchestrated a calculated and cold-blooded plot to take the life of another human being his own father, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said in a statement. We are grateful to the jury for arriving at the truth and holding Austin accountable for his actions. And we are hopeful this verdict delivers a level of peace and justice to the loved ones of Mark Richard Austin. People protest outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility as federal agents walk down a driveway, in Portland, Oregon, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Amanda Loman) AP Conservative influencer Nick Sortor gave a grim warning to the police of the city of Portland after he was arrested and later released during a protest outside of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility. Sortor was arrested late Thursday on suspicion of second-degree disorderly conduct, along with two other people from Oregon, according to a news release from the Portland Police Bureau. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the Department of Justice will be launching a full investigation into his arrest during her press briefing later Friday. The Portland Police Bureau said it was monitoring the protest during the evening and observed some protest participants engaging in fights in its release updated early Friday. In a post on X on Friday, Sortor said that local law enforcement made a big freaking mistake. You PROVED what weve all been saying for years: youre CORRUPT and CONTROLLED by vioIent Antifa thugs who terrorize the streets, Sortor alleged, before adding: You thought arresting me would make me shut up and go away. You couldnt have been more wrong. Hey @PortlandPolice: you made a big freaking mistake. You PROVED what weve all been saying for years: youre CORRUPT and CONTROLLED by vioIent Antifa thugs who terrorize the streets You thought arresting me would make me shut up and go away. You couldnt have been more wrong. pic.twitter.com/Dz8oJ3V8NP Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) October 3, 2025 MAGA world immediately came to his defense. He is OK and out for now, far-right activist Jack Posobiec wrote on X. But there is more to come. Portland is out of control. Gunther Eagleman, a popular MAGA personality, posted: Portland PD f----- up!! Its GO TIME! Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said that there will be a SURGE of federal resources to Portland immediately. This violence will end under @POTUS Trump, McLaughlin added. Fox News National Correspondent Bill Melugin posted that he witnessed anti-ICE protesters burn an American flag, prompting Sortor to grab it, extinguish the flames and take away what was left of the flag. Nick was arrested later in the night by Portland PD after videos appear to show him surrounded by anti-ICE protesters, Melugin wrote on X. Its unclear what exactly happened... Katie Daviscourt, an investigative reporter for The Post Millennial who was also on the scene, claimed that an Antifa subject got into a physical altercation with Sortor. The arrest of Sortor comes as the Trump administration has made Portland the next target of the presidents crackdown on crime in Democratic-led cities. ABC News reported earlier this week the National Guard began undergoing initial military training on how to respond to civil disturbances, after Trump announced he would deploy troops to protect the war-ravaged city. When you go out to Portland and you see whats happening in Portland, this is like nobodys ever seen anything like it, every night, Trump said last month. And this has gone on for years. They just burn the place down. And you know, the shop owners, most of them have left. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks to members of the media outside the West Wing at the White House in Washington, Monday, Sept. 29, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) AP House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) got into a tense exchange with NBC Today host Craig Melvin over the ongoing government shutdown on Friday. Johnson and President Donald Trump have promoted a false claim that the Democrats proposal to end the shutdown includes free healthcare to those living illegally in the United States. Those living illegally in the U.S. are not eligible for any federal healthcare benefits, including provisions under the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid. Johnson repeated this claim on the Today show on Friday morning. Im so sick of these games and thats whats being played. What theyre not telling you, they claim this is an argument about healthcare, if they were trying to provide for health care, then why did Chuck Schumer counterproposal include a reduction of $50 billion for rural hospitals. Thats literally in his counterproposal. They want to spend $1.5 trillion more on their far left programs. They want to give taxpayer funded benefits to illegal aliens, Johnson said before Melvin pushed back. I had a hankering feeling you were going to bring that up. And actually did look at it, and we cant get it to it, obviously, here on the show, Melvin said. But that last thing was a bit misleading, he added. MIKE JOHNSON: They want to give taxpayer-funded benefits to illegal aliens again CRAIG MELVIN: I had a hankering feeling you were going to bring that up. I actually did look at it. That's a bit misleading pic.twitter.com/CJvmLXtDYE Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 3, 2025 Johnson doubled down on his claim before Melvin noted that Democrats and Republicans cant even work together to provide a functioning government. Well, the Republicans are working right now. Theyve done our job. We passed a bipartisan bill out of the house to keep the government open, Johnson responded. So if youre frustrated, call the 44 Senate Democrats who are holding this up. It is their votes that can open the government again and get it working for the people. It is a simple fact. Earlier in the segment, Johnson refuted polling numbers that show more Americans blaming Trump and Republicans for the shutdown than Democrats. Well, the Democrats are trying to make this about politics and Im not surprised by some of the polls because the mainstream media is advancing their narrative, Johnson said. But lets make very clear whats happened here. We have done exactly what is always done. Very clean, very simple resolution to keep the government open so that we can negotiate all these other issues. They rejected it because theyre trying to make a political play, he added. The federal government shut down on Wednesday after Congress failed to approve a spending package to fund the government past the Sept. 30 deadline. Senate Democrats largely voted against the GOP bill, vowing to oppose it until the bill includes an extension for Obamacare subsidies that are expiring next year. Despite Republicans holding the majority in the House and Senate, Trump has repeatedly blamed Democrats for the shutdown. Its not clear how long the shutdown might last as both sides continue to dig in. Republicans refused to negotiate with Democrats over the spending bill, and Democrats appear ready to oppose the bill until they get healthcare subsidies extended. Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene (R-Ga.), center left, said that Republicans could pass their temporary measure to fund the government through a procedural measure. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.) AP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) says she has a solution to the government shutdown standoff for Republicans. The U.S. government entered its third day of a shutdown Friday, as leaders in both parties continue to pin blame on one another. The Senate is scheduled to vote for a fourth time on competing Republican and Democratic spending plans, both of which are poised to fail. While Republican leaders have advanced their short-term spending bill through the House, which would temporarily fund the government until Nov. 21 to allow for discussions on a broader funding package, Democratic lawmakers hope to pass their own proposal, which is centered on the extension of Obamacare tax credits that are set to expire by the end of the year. They are also looking to undo cuts to Medicaid in President Donald Trumps big, beautiful bill passed this summer. Greene, recently dubbed the presidents fiercest critic by Fox News, outlined what youre not being told about the government shutdown in a post on X. She argued that Republican senators could ultimately pass their own plan to reopen the government if they tried, pointing to the nuclear option, a procedural maneuver which she argues would override the 60-vote threshold needed to pass either bill with a simple majority. This is what I have proposed all along, only I would like Congress to pass new Republican appropriation bills, instead of CRs, and use the nuclear option to pass them through the Senate. This would deliver our campaign promises to the American people, Green wrote. Greene added: And as far as worrying that using the nuclear option would damage partisan relations, lets be real, that ship has sailed a long time ago. There are no partisan relations. Instead, Republicans need to learn how to weld power when they have it and govern, she continued. On the government shutdown, heres what youre not being told. If Republican Senators wanted to pass the CR and reopen the government they could, by using the nuclear option to override the 60 vote rule and pass the CR with a simple majority vote. We have 53 R Senators. This is pic.twitter.com/8IJsBPP3MJ Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) October 3, 2025 In a separate post, Greene claimed that Russ Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, could still follow through on his crack down of federal funding. Since the government shuttered early Wednesday, Vought has announced a halt in spending for several initiatives in Democratic-led cities. By Congress handing over its power and responsibility to Russ Vought, nothing becomes permanent. Its all temporary. You should be demanding Congress do its job that the Constitution requires. Legislate!!! Greene wrote of the architect of Project 2025. The Trump administration put a hold on $2.1 billion in funding for Chicago infrastructure projects, Vought announced on X on Friday, as the Department of Transportation blamed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries for the government shutdown. It came on the heels of Vought saying he will freeze $18 billion for New York Citys Hudson Tunnel Project and the Second Avenue Subway line. Trump said Thursday that Democrats have given him an unprecedented opportunity to cut what he described as Democrat Agencies in a post on his Truth Social platform. He later posted an AI-generated video of him and Vought dressed as the grim reaper. NATO membership is considered the best way to ensure Ukraine's security by 42.4% of Ukrainians, in second place as a security guarantee are bilateral agreements with partner countries (16.9%), according to the results of a poll conducted by the Razumkov Center sociological service on September 12-17 at the request of Kyiv Security Forum. As international organizations, the European Union is supported by 86.9% of respondents ("completely positively" 40.4%, "mostly positively" 46.5%), NATO by 76.1% (34.8% and 41.3%, respectively). However, there is a categorical rejection of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (balance of attitudes -49.9%), the CSTO (-69.1%), and the BRICS (-69.1%). Among those who would take part in the referendum on joining NATO, some 82.9% would vote in favor. In the event of a referendum on joining the EU, some 81.7% of respondents would vote in favor, while 9% would vote against. Some 53% believe in NATO's ability to defend itself in the event of an attack by Russia, while 26.2% do not believe. Some 26.4% of respondents are convinced that Russia is definitely going to attack one of the NATO countries, another 42.8% assume such a possibility. On the other hand, some 35.3% of respondents consider joining NATO to be a completely reliable guarantee of security for Ukraine, and another 32.4% rather reliable. The creation of multilateral partnership guarantees at the level of state leaders regarding Ukraine's defense support is considered reliable by 22.9% and 39.4%, respectively, and the strengthening of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Ukraine's defense capabilities without any restrictions and ensuring stable financing of the Armed Forces of Ukraine by 56.1% and 32.1%. The creation of a 40-kilometer buffer zone between Ukraine and Russia within the peace agreement and the deployment of a European military contingent in Ukraine are considered quite reliable security guarantees by 29.8% of respondents, rather reliable by another 35.7%. The deployment of fighters of American private military companies in Ukraine is considered reliable guarantees by 29.3% + 30.7%, ensuring an effective sanctions policy by 38.5% + 27.8%, and the opening of the negotiation process on Ukraine's accession to the EU by 34.5% + 32.6%. The EU as a whole is most often considered the leader in supporting Ukraine in the war with Russia this opinion was expressed by 34.6% of respondents. The United States was named the leader in support by 21.9% of respondents, Great Britain by 10.6%, Germany by 5.7%, the Baltic countries (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia) by 3.4%, the countries of Northern Europe (Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden) by 2.3%, France by 2.3%, and Poland by 1.5%. Security guarantees from the EU as a whole are considered the most reliable, namely 61.9% of respondents are convinced that it will adhere to the guarantees and will be able to protect Ukraine. Regarding NATO, this figure is 54.8%, regarding Great Britain some 49.4%, regarding the United States some 44%, regarding Germany some 35.7%, the rest less than 25%. Some 63.8% of respondents are sure that the Baltic countries will adhere to the guarantees, but will not be able to protect Ukraine. Over 50% have the same opinion about Italy, the Czech Republic, Canada, Poland, France, and the countries of Northern Europe. About Germany some 48.3%, about Turkey some 46.1%, about the United States some 26%, about the EU as a whole some 23.9%. Most Ukrainians are sure that Russia and China will not adhere to the guarantees if they provide them (90% and 74.3%, respectively). As for the United States, some 13.2% of respondents have the same opinion, about the EU as a whole some 5.9%. The face-to-face survey was conducted in the territories controlled by the government of Ukraine among 1,210 respondents aged 18 and over using a stratified multi-stage sample using random selection at the first stages of sample formation and a quota method of selecting respondents at the final stage. The structure of the sample population reproduces the demographic structure of the adult population of the territories where the survey was conducted as of the beginning of 2022. The theoretical sampling error does not exceed 2.9%, additional systematic deviations of the sample may be due to the consequences of Russia's aggression. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended President Donald Trump for cracking jokes about conducting mass layoffs during a government shutdown. Trump posted a video on Thursday that depicted Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought as the grim reaper, likely referring to Voughts push to implement mass layoffs during the ongoing shutdown. Despite Trump poking fun at Americans possibly losing their jobs, Leavitt said the layoffs were an unfortunate consequence. A reporter pressed Leavitt on her comments during Fridays press briefing, noting that Trump kept sharing jokes about the possible layoffs. And you just said this is an unenviable choice, that this is an unfortunate consequence, but the president has described this as an unprecedented opportunity to lay off additional workers. Hes posted a video likening Russell Vought to the grim reaper, said ABC News reporter Mary Bruce. So which is it? Is this an opportunity to fire more workers, or an unfortunate consequence? Bruce asked. Look, the president likes to have a little fun every now and then. And I think both things can be true at the same time, Leavitt responded. The Democrats have given the administration this opportunity, and we dont like laying people off. Nobody takes joy in that around here. And if you think that, then I think thats very sad. You view the White House and our staff as wanting to put people out of work. Nobody wants to do that, but sometimes in government, you have to make tough decisions, she said. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said "both things can be true" when asked by ABC News' Mary Bruce if layoffs as a result of the government shutdown are an "unprecedented opportunity" or an "unfortunate consequence." https://t.co/5j4Z218unE pic.twitter.com/zvphhwoyN8 ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) October 3, 2025 On Thursday, Trump said he was meeting with Vought to discuss cuts to the federal government. I have a meeting today with Russ Vought, he of PROJECT 2025 Fame, to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent, Trump said on Truth Social. I cant believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity. They are not stupid people, so maybe this is their way of wanting to, quietly and quickly, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! Trump wrote. The federal government shut down on Wednesday after Congress failed to approve a spending package to fund the government past the Sept. 30 deadline. Senate Democrats largely voted against the GOP bill, vowing to oppose it until the bill includes an extension for Obamacare subsidies that are expiring next year. Despite Republicans holding the majority in the House and Senate, Trump has repeatedly blamed Democrats for the shutdown. Its not clear how long the shutdown might last as both sides continue to dig in. Republicans refused to negotiate with Democrats over the spending bill, and Democrats have vowed to oppose it until the bill includes an extension for Obamacare subsidies expiring next year. If you purchase a product through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. If youve been hunting for a designer-looking bag without the designer price tag, Old Navys Large Carrie Tote is your answer. 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And right now, select styles have 30%-off markdowns, so you can find options for as little as $17. 7 more hidden gems from The Bag Shop at Old Navy Friends and family of Maria Niotis gathered at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Union on Friday for the 17-year-old's funeral. Ed Murray| For NJ Advance Media Hundreds of people filled the nave at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Union on Friday morning to mourn the death of Maria Niotis, one of the two 17-year-old girls killed in a hit-and-run crash in Cranford earlier this week. Vincent P. Battiloro, 17, of Garwood, has been charged with two counts of first degree murder in the incident, which also took the life of Isabella Salas. Families of the victims said it was a targeted attack. At the service, the closed white casket at the front of the church was covered in a Greek flag by a priest and a bouquet of roses by a family member. No relatives spoke during the hour-long service. Marias mother could be heard sobbing throughout, sometimes crying out her daughters name. The service was given mostly in Greek, but near the end of his eulogy the Very Rev. Archimandrite Philotheos Tomczewski paused to address those in the room who spoke English. I know among us are young people from the same age and perhaps the same school that Maria (attended) all these years of her life, he said, thanking them for coming to pay respect to this wonderful young lady. The family and communitys pain was a very unfortunate, very frustrating situation and would likely prove a huge challenge for all involved, Tomczewski said. But beyond everything, we need to pray together, he continued. Because there is not any medicine (that) can be able to heal our pain. Marias mother, Foulla Niotis, addressed the press Thursday night after Marias wake and said that her daughter believed in making people feel beautiful. When she talked about her dream of becoming a makeup artist, it wasnt just about glam. It was about helping people see the beauty in themselves that maybe they had forgotten, Foulla said. Maria and Isabella Salas died Monday after they were struck by a car on Burnside Avenue in Cranford. Both girls were high school students in Cranford. In a statement sent to Fox 5 New York, the families of the girls said they believed the attack was planned by Battiloro. It is now vital that the truth be shared: this was not an e-bike accident, and it was not a hit-and-run, the statement said. This was murder in the first degree. Its unclear if Battiloro has a lawyer. Family members have not returned requests for comment. Battiloro was identified in 15 traffic tickets issued after the incident, and was believed to have been traveling 70 mph at the time of the crash. He initially fled the scene on Monday but was later taken into custody and released. In a video posted to YouTube Tuesday night, he alluded to the incident. Battiloro is also a distant relative of Westfield police chief Christopher Battiloro, who was a neighbor to one of the victims, and addressed the familial connection while condemning the tragedy in a lengthy statement. On Thursday, Foulla said her daughter, who was born in Greece but lived in Cranford for most of her life, had big plans and wanted to start her own business after attending cosmetology school. A little over a week before her death, Maria had begun working part-time at the local bakery. It was the 17-year-olds first job, according to Ligia DeJesus, the owner of Cake Artist Cafe in Cranford, who spoke to NJ Advance Media on Thursday afternoon. She was a great kid, doing her thing, trying to balance her little life the best she could, said DeJesus husband, Rui DeJesus. Marias mother said Thursday that there are no words that capture what it feels like to lose a child. And to Maria, my sweet girl, I will miss you every single day for the rest of my life, she said. I will picture your smile, hear your laugh in my heart, and carry your dreams in my hand. Vincent Battiloro, 17, hosted a 22-minute YouTube livestream before he was charged with murder in the deaths of two teenage girls in New Jersey. Canva image UPDATE: Vincent P. Battiloro harassed teen girl, ranted about vengeance in livestreams before deadly crash The teen accused of killing two Cranford girls by running them down with his SUV was driving 70 miles per hour at the time of the crash, cops say. Vincent P. Battiloro, 17, was driving nearly three times the 25-mile-per-hour speed limit when he fatally hit Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas, both 17, on Monday in Cranford, court records allege. In addition to the murder charges, Battiloro was issued citations for leaving the scene of an accident, reckless driving, careless driving and speeding. He also received summonses for driving without a license, a registration and an insurance card, municipal court records show. Its unclear if Battiloro has a lawyer. Family members have not returned requests for comment. Battiloro will turn 18 early next month, according to the birthdate listed on the tickets. The girls were struck around 5:30 p.m. near Burnside Avenue, authorities said. Both later died of their injuries. In a statement sent to Fox 5 New York, the families of the girls said they believed the attack was planned. It is now vital that the truth be shared: this was not an e-bike accident, and it was not a hit-and-run, the statement said. This was murder in the first degree. The families statement went on to call the driver a relative of Westfield police chief Christopher Battiloro a coward of a man, who had been plotting this attack against Maria for months, carried out this horrific act, taking not only her life but also Isabellas. He is not insane, he is competent and medicated, the statement added. Friends and family have said that Battiloro was stalking Maria for several months. Isabellas family has said she did not really know Battiloro. Marias mother, Foulla Niotis, addressed the press on the lawn of St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Union following Marias wake Thursday night. Im not standing here today not just as a mother, but as Marias mother, and that is the greatest title I will ever hold, Niotis said. Maria had a passion for all things beautiful . but it wasnt just about appearance, Maria believed in making people feel beautiful." Visitation for Isabella will take place Saturday at Dooley Funeral Home in Cranford with a graveside service scheduled for Monday at Fairview Cemetery in Westfield. A funeral Mass for Maria is scheduled for Friday at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Union. NJ Advance Media staff reporters Jeff Goldman and Kevin Shea contributed to this report. Vincent Battiloro, 17, hosted a 22-minute YouTube livestream before he was charged with murder in the deaths of two teenage girls in New Jersey. Canva image As the Cranford community mourns the deaths of two teenage girls in what authorities say was an intentional crash by a 17-year-old driver, attention now turns to a critical legal question. Will Vincent Battiloro be tried as an adult? Municipal court records show he is just weeks from his 18th birthday. Battiloro faces two counts of murder in the deaths of Isabella Salas and Maria Niotis, who were riding an e-bike when they were run down by a black Jeep on Monday in Cranford. Friends, family and neighbors alleged Battiloro had been stalking Maria for months. In a statement issued to Fox 5 on Wednesday night, the families accused Battiloro of planning the attack. Battiloro hosted a 22-minute YouTube livestream a day after the crash, saying theres more to the story. Isabella Salas, left, and Maria Niotis both 17, were killed on Monday in Cranford, N.J. when a SUV slammed into the e-bike they were riding, police said. The 17-year-old driver has been charged with murder. NJ Advance Media staff photographs Could he be tried as an adult? In New Jersey, juveniles charged with serious crimes can be waived into adult court under specific circumstances. That decision carries enormous consequences both for the accused and for the victims families. Alissa D. Hascup, a former Morris County Assistant Prosecutor and now a partner at Einhorn Barbarito, explained the stakes in an interview with NJ Advance Media. Under certain circumstances, a juvenile can be waived up, Hascup said. Thats where we get the term waiver from juvenile court to adult court. Then their case would be prosecuted as if they were an adult. I think why thats important, in a case as serious as this one in Cranford, is because the potential penalties for a juvenile in juvenile court are going to be dramatically different from the potential penalties if that individual were to be waived up, especially on a murder charge, she said. People stand at the memoiral on Burnside St. where Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas were killed on Monday in Cranford, N.J. when a SUV slammed into the e-bike they were riding. The 17-year-old male driver has been charged with murder. Thursday, October 2, 2025. Thursday, October 2, 2025. Thursday, October 2, 2025. Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media What are the rules for waiving a juvenile? Under New Jersey Law, prosecutors may seek a waiver to adult court if the juvenile was 15 or older at the time of the offense and there is probable cause to believe the juvenile committed one of several serious crimes including criminal homicide. The prosecutor must file the waiver motion within 60 days of receiving the complaint, though that deadline can be extended with the consent of the defense. Once filed, the court must consider a range of factors, including the juveniles age, maturity, prior record, mental health and degree of criminal sophistication. However, the bar for denying a waiver is high, Hascup said. Ultimately the court can really only deny a waiver motion if they are clearly convinced that the prosecutor has abused their discretion in filing the motion, Hascup said. Candidly, if a waiver request is filed by the state, its very, very, very difficult to combat that. What penalties could the teen face? If the case stays in juvenile court, the teen would not be convicted but rather adjudicated delinquent. The maximum penalty for murder varies depending on the subsection of the statute. Under New Jersey law, murder is divided into three key categories: purposeful murder, knowing murder, and felony murder the last of which includes liability for accomplices involved in certain underlying felonies, even if they did not directly cause the death. These classifications apply to both adults and juveniles, though the terminology and sentencing differ for juveniles. Murder has three subsections, Hascup said. If they were charged and ultimately adjudicated under sections 1 and 2, with murder, the maximum penalty they would face would be 20 years. And if they were charged under the third subsection and adjudicated, the maximum penalty would be 10 years. This distinction is crucial in waiver decisions because the charges severity and applicable subsection can influence the prosecutors decision to seek a transfer to adult court. In adult court, however, the teen could face life imprisonment, with a mandatory minimum of 30 years without parole. A recent New Jersey Supreme Court ruling allows juveniles convicted of murder to be considered for resentencing or parole after 20 years. In State v. Comer, the state high court held that juveniles convicted of murder and sentenced to lengthy terms of parole ineligibility must be given an opportunity for sentence review after 20 years. What role do the victims families play? Juvenile proceedings are confidential under New Jersey law. That means the public and even the media may not have access to court filings, motions, or victim impact statements unless the case is waived to adult court. Everything in juvenile court is confidential, Hascup said. And so sometimes that can be almost frustrating to families ... even when it comes to victim statements and things of that nature, everythings going to be confidential. Still, families of victims do have access to proceedings and can submit statements, even if those statements are not made public. What might keep the case in juvenile court? Defense attorneys may argue against the waiver to adult court by presenting mitigating factors, such as lack of prior record, mental health issues or involvement with child welfare agencies. Defense attorneys typically fight like hell to keep the case in juvenile court, Hascup said. Ultimately, whether the teen is tried as an adult will depend on the prosecutors option to seek the waiver and the judges ruling on the waiver motion. For now, the case remains in juvenile court and under seal. Cam Schlittler is the first pitcher in MLB history to throw eight shutout innings with 12-plus strikeouts and no walks in a postseason game and he did it in his playoff debut. AP NEW YORK With their season on the line Thursday night, Yankees relievers knew the bullpen phone would ring early and often if rookie starter Cam Schlittler stumbled against the Red Sox. Even Will Warren, who started 33 games this season, was available. He was the Yankees first line of defense if Schlittlers start went awry. It didnt take him and the rest of the bullpen long to realize it would be an easy night for them, however. I was ready to go out there and then Im like, Im not needed tonight, Warren told NJ Advance Media. This guys got it under control. Schlittler delivered what will go down as one of the best starts in postseason history to end Bostons season and send the Yankees to the AL Division Series. He dominated over eight shutout innings, striking out 12 with zero walks in a 4-0 win. The Red Sox scattered five hits against Schlittler, but they had only one at-bat with a runner in scoring position. Before Schlittler, no pitcher in MLB history had thrown eight scoreless innings with 12-plus strikeouts and zero walks in a postseason game. Hes the fourth pitcher in Yankees history to strike out 12-plus batters in a playoff game and the third in franchise history to toss eight or more innings in a winner-take-all game. Definitely the best start of his life, and he did it when we needed him most, catcher Austin Wells said. Cant say enough about what he did. No walks. Punched 12. Unbelievable. His line was remarkable, but the added context of Schlittlers performance made it even more jaw-dropping. It was his postseason debut, and just the 16th time Schlittler has ever pitched in a big-league game. It was a win-or-go-home game where his start couldve ended the Yankees season if it went poorly. And Schlittler was pitching against his hometown club, the team he grew up rooting for in Walpole, Massachusetts. This was personal, as he put it, and meant more to him and his family. Still, it doesnt sound like anybody in the Yankees clubhouse was expecting anything different from the rookie. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he wasnt surprised by Schlittlers outing, adding that he knew the right-hander was going to pitch well going back to the night before. Injured ace Gerrit Cole, who has been watching Schlittler work behind the scenes since his promotion in July, explained that Thursday night was the same old Cam. Even with all of that extra pressure and the stakes, he was able to execute because of his process, work ethic and makeup. In Coles eyes, its almost an indifference to the moment. Yes, he embraces the stage and allows the adrenaline to flow that was evident in his pitch velocity as he touched 100 mph more in the first inning alone than he had in his entire career but hes poised beyond his years with the electric stuff and pitchability to blow hitters away. Theres different paths to greatness up here, Cole said, but certainly, this guy has come up and delivered right away. Hes got it. I dont know what it is. Its hard to define it. But hes got it. Schlittler touched 100.8 with his fastball on Thursday night. He threw 11 pitches at 100-plus mph and 64 pitches at 98-plus mph. That easy gas, as Cole called it, wasnt always part of his repertoire, though. As ace Max Fried recalled on Thursday, Schlittler was throwing in the low-to-mid 90s when he was at big-league camp this spring. When the Yankees drafted Schlittler out of Northeastern in the seventh round in 2022, he was a raw, projectable pitcher and nowhere near this overpowering. That guy in spring training and the guy that we saw tonight are two different pitchers, Fried said. And the command of his pitches? To go out there and throw eight innings with no walks is really hard to do. It took adjustments within the Yankees pitching department over the years to unlock this type of electric stuff that he showcased over the final few months of the regular season. The additions of his cutter and sinker this year have been pivotal in his effectiveness as well, giving him different looks to play off his heater at a similar velocity. Hes been our secret weapon ever since he got called up, Aaron Judge said. This guys been impressive for us. Just the way he handles the strike zone, he can run it up to 100 miles an hour with great feel for all his pitches, and then no moment is too big for him. ... Its just a special player, thats for sure. Warren added: The stuff is unreal. I think we all sit there and were like, Dude, this dude is crazy! Hes throwing a 97-mph cutter. He added a sinker. He absolutely abused them tonight. Hit 101? And you have a curveball at 80 mph, too. How do hitters ever hit it? Schlittlers next challenge, if he pitches against the Blue Jays in the Division Series, will be another huge test. In two regular-season starts against Toronto, Schlittler had an 8.10 ERA (six earned runs in 6 2/3 innings). The Yankees wont have any trepidations turning to the rookie, though. Not now, not next season or beyond. They have something special in Schlittler. I think hes capable of that every time, Wells said. Honestly, nothing was different with his stuff tonight. ... When hes on the mound, hes a killer. Watertown, NY (13601) Today Considerable cloudiness. A few flurries or snow showers possible. High 27F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Snow this evening will transition to snow showers late. Low 18F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 70%. Snowfall around one inch. TIANJIN, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Tianjin University, China's first modern university, marked the eve of its 130th founding anniversary on Wednesday with a dazzling drone show, where 2,000 synchronized units formed luminous symbols in the night sky over the campus. With a history spanning three centuries, Tianjin University has witnessed China's journey from poverty and weakness to prosperity and modernization. Today, the university in the northern port city of Tianjin continues to push the frontiers of science while contributing to technological innovation and social progress. At an ultra-clean lab bench, researchers were seen carefully using pipettes to assemble gene fragments. These researchers at the university's School of Synthetic Biology and Biomanufacturing -- its youngest school, founded in April -- have made a significant breakthrough in the field of synthetic biology. The findings on the precise synthesis and assembly of large-scale human DNA, along with successful interspecies transfer, were published in the international journal Nature Methods in July. "This method opens new avenues for treating genetic disorders, as well as applications in agriculture, energy and environmental conservation," said Yuan Yingjin, the lead researcher and a professor at the university. "We have been tackling tough challenges and delivering outcomes in this 'uninhabited area'," Yuan added, noting that innovation is Tianjin University's defining hallmark. After the defeat in the first Sino-Japanese War initiated by Japan, China established Peiyang University, the predecessor of Tianjin University, on Oct. 2, 1895. The university was the first in China to fully adopt the Western university system, serving as a microcosm of the country's pursuit of national rejuvenation. Over the past 130 years, the university has pioneered numerous innovations, from establishing China's first hydraulic engineering laboratory to developing its first color film and designing its first road-rail dual-purpose bridge. Despite having gone through a series of hardships, including being plundered by Japanese invading forces during World War II, it has nurtured over 400,000 students and continues to lead in frontier engineering fields. Tianjin University is not only a part of China's innovation landscape, but also brimming with business vitality. Riding the wave of the country's commercial space boom, Li Fenghui, who founded Yunyao Aerospace in 2019 while being a doctoral student at Tianjin University, was determined to establish a global meteorological satellite constellation. The company has launched 47 satellites, which produce more than 50,000 atmospheric profiles daily. The data generated has been incorporated into the China Meteorological Administration's system and is used in weather forecasting, navigation, aviation and other fields. "Tianjin University has a well-developed innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, cutting-edge technology disciplines and dedicated funding support," said Li. He received over 10 million yuan (about 1.4 million U.S. dollars) in angel investment from the university's alumni. The university has institutionalized support mechanisms for business start-ups. Its science and technology park now accommodates 110 resident enterprises, nine of which have secured equity investments totaling more than 160 million yuan. Among tens of thousands of research institutions worldwide, the university has 15 disciplines ranking among the global top 1 percent, five in the top 0.1 percent, and its engineering and chemistry ranking among the top 0.01 percent, based on citation frequency of published papers in the Essential Science Indicators (ESI) database. Tianjin University is also advancing the internationalization of its education programs. It has partnerships with more than 260 global universities, research institutes and companies, and has educated more than 40,000 international students from over 150 countries and regions. Wendy Larner, president and vice-chancellor of Cardiff University in the United Kingdom, said Tianjin University has demonstrated significant leadership in innovation over its 130-year history and is positioned to continue as a global leader. "It is one of the institutions that universities worldwide look to as a benchmark for innovation and engineering education," Larner said. Chai Liyuan, president of Tianjin University, said the university has served as both a pathfinder in China's higher education system and a builder and leader in the nation's reform and modernization. He added that it will continue to advance toward becoming a world-class university with Chinese characteristics. Interfax-Ukraine to host press conference 'Solutions Supermarket is platform bringing together communities, businesses, intl partners' On Thursday, October 9, at 11.00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency will host a press conference by Chairman of the Association of Small Towns of Ukraine Pavlo Kozyrev entitled "Solutions Supermarket is a platform bringing together communities, businesses, and international partners." A rapid communication infrastructure for communitiesthe Solutions Supermarket will be presented. The national platform brings together municipalities, government agencies, businesses, donors, and experts, ensuring systemic collaboration and high-quality feedback (8/5a Reitarska Street). The event will be streamed on the Interfax-Ukraine YouTube channel. Admission requires registration on the spot with press ID cards. Interfax-Ukraine to host press conference 'What does the analysis of the indicators of the draft State Budget for the next year show?' On Monday, October 6, at 12.00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency will host a press conference entitled "What does the analysis of the indicators of the draft State Budget for the next year show?" will begin in the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency. Participants: economist, financial analyst Oleksiy Kushch, political expert Kostiantyn Matviyenko, political scientist, co-founder of the National Platform of Resilience and Cohesion Oleg Sahakyan (8/5a Reitarska Street). The event will be streamed on the Interfax-Ukraine YouTube channel. Registration of journalists on the spot with press ID cards. Taikonauts send heartfelt greetings on China's National Day from space Xinhua) 11:41, October 03, 2025 This screenshot from a video released by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) on Oct. 1, 2025 shows Shenzhou-20 taikonauts Chen Dong (C), Chen Zhongrui (R) and Wang Jie sending their heartfelt National Day greetings aboard China's Tiangong space station. (Xinhua) BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Dressed in red festive sweatshirts adorned with heart prints, three taikonauts aboard China's Tiangong space station sent heartfelt National Day greetings from 400 km above Earth on Wednesday. "From the Chinese space station, we send our best wishes to our great motherland. May she enjoy lasting peace and prosperity," the crew said in a video released by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). Their shirts can be seen emblazoned with the Chinese characters for "I love you, China." Falling on Oct. 1, National Day marks the founding of New China. In the video, the Shenzhou-20 crew commemorated the 76th anniversary of the People's Republic of China from space. Three-time taikonaut and crew commander Chen Dong said this was his second National Day spent in orbit. He expressed gratitude to the dedicated staff members of China's manned space program and to the Chinese people for their continued support and attention to the space station. On April 24 this year, the Shenzhou-20 taikonauts were launched into orbit, embarking on their space exploration mission. They have been in orbit for over 150 days and have completed four rounds of extravehicular activities, making them one of the two Chinese crews to have conducted the most extravehicular missions. "Every time I put on a spacesuit and look down at Earth from space, my heart fills with pride and glory," said crew member Chen Zhongrui, an air force pilot-turned taikonaut who is on his first space trip. During their six-month stay on the space station, the Shenzhou-20 crew is scheduled to carry out a series of experiments and applications in fields such as space life sciences and human body research, microgravity physical science, and emerging space technologies. So far, all tasks have been progressing smoothly, the CMSA said. Spacecraft engineer and first-time taikonaut Wang Jie reassured audiences on Earth, noting that the Shenzhou-20 taikonauts were in good condition and committed to advancing their in-orbit science tasks while preparing to welcome the upcoming Shenzhou-21 crew. The trio concluded their messages with finger-heart gestures for the camera. Since 2022, China's National Day celebrations have reached space, with the Shenzhou-14 taikonauts aboard the Tiangong space station sending a congratulatory message to wish the motherland a happy birthday. According to the CMSA, the orbiting Shenzhou-20 crew will also celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival (Oct. 6), a traditional event symbolizing family reunions. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan) Vladimir Putin and SVR chief Sergei Naryshkin (second in the second row) welcome their spies in the 2024 exchange. Outwardly, for the Western audience, the Kremlin always denies violations of international law by its military and assassinations and sabotage by its spies on European territory, and labels any revelations about the chaos they sow as Russophobia. Behind closed doors, within Russia, Moscow proudly honors its heroes and guarantees them that they will want for nothing. Murderers who now sit in the State Duma as respectable deputies and family men who, when living abroad, never revealed to their children that they were Russian and now preside over companies linked to the Kremlin are some examples. The Kremlin still denies having launched a wave of drones over Poland on September 10. In 2023, a pair of Russian Su-27 fighter jets shot down a U.S. drone over the international waters of the Black Sea. Moscow initially denied responsibility, saying the Reaper surveillance aircraft went down on its own due to sudden maneuvers. Days later, its defense minister admitted to the downing and decorated the pilots. Every sabotage against the West is a source of pride for the Kremlin. I heartily congratulate those who, having been away from their homeland for decades and without diplomatic or other cover, have defended the interests of our country and are today carrying out unique operations, President Vladimir Putin said in a June 2022 speech marking the centenary of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR). The Kremlin itself and its secret services often refer to the actions of its spies with the euphemism illegal intelligence. The February 2022 invasion of Ukraine had only just begun when the Russian leader laid a bouquet of flowers at the headquarters of this organization and asked its agents to solve unconventional tasks in their fight against the West. I am sure you will serve Russia with honor, as your legendary predecessors did, Putin concluded, in a clear allusion to the KGB. Some Russian spies take their mission in Europe to extremes. Sofia and Daniel thought they were two Argentine children whose parents had been detained without cause until Slovenian security forces put them on a plane with the spies Artiom Dultsev and Anna Dultseva last year. Upon landing as part of a massive exchange of Russian prisoners with the West, Putin greeted them with another bouquet of flowers. Unlike other spies involved in that exchange, the Dultsev family gave an interview to the SVRs official magazine, Razvedchik [Secret Agent]. We had deep faith that we would return home safely. We knew for sure that the SVR would do everything possible to rescue us as soon as possible, Anna said in the interview. People often approach us on the street and tell us theyre proud of us, proud that were Russian citizens. I think this will lead to more young people joining the intelligence service and wanting to do something great to defend our country, added the spy, who says this experience strengthened them as a family and the SVR as a whole. Putin awarded the Dultsevs the Order of Courage at the end of 2024 through a secret decree, although this recognition was revealed through the interview. It is unknown whether the Kremlin also rewarded other individuals released from that exchange, including Vadim Krasikov, the killer of a Chechen opposition figure in Berlin, and Pablo Gonzalez, whose espionage case was reopened by Poland in August. Moscow had maintained for years that Krasikov was an ordinary Russian citizen, but the pretense fell apart that day. Krasikov is an employee of the SVR. In the Alpha unit, he worked alongside several members of the presidents security team. They congratulated each other yesterday when they saw each other, of course, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov admitted after the exchange. The Dultsevs were recruited in 2009. To enter the European Union without raising suspicion, they masked their identities through a third country: they both moved to Argentina in 2012 and obtained nationality with false papers. Five years later, they moved to Slovenia with their newborn children. The family noted in the interview that their stay in Argentina was due to a change of plans following the arrest of 10 spies in the United States in 2010. Andrei Bezrukov and Elena Vavilova were known in the United States as Donald Heathfield and Tracey Foley before their story as undercover FSB spies inspired the series The Americans. Returning to Russia in 2010 and linked to Igor Sechin, the head of the Rosneft oil company, Bezrukov is now president of the Association for the Export of Technological Sovereignty, a pro-Kremlin organization that lobbies for Russian intelligence software companies in Africa and Asia. Latin America has always been a key region for the legalization of Russian spies through the acquisition of passports and other means, Andrei Soldatov, co-founder with journalist Irina Borogan of Agentura, a website specializing in Russian secret services, told this newspaper. Serbia is another of its main countries because it is the only one that accepts Russian spies expelled from European nations, adds the author of a book chronicling the transition of some Russian journalists to the intelligence services, speaking from exile. The SVR isnt the only Russian intelligence agency operating in Europe. The Fifth Department of the Federal Security Service (FSB) and the Armys Central Intelligence Agency (GRU) are also active. Their differences are now less pronounced than before the war. They tend to use the same methods in sabotage and hybrid warfare operations, Soldatov adds. The Litvinenko killers Before the war, one in five Russian State Duma deputies had some connection to the security services or the military. A paradigmatic case of agents elevated to the status of heroes by the Kremlin is that of the killers of FSB defector Alexander Litvinenko, poisoned in London in 2006 with a dose of radioactive polonium. Andrei Lugovoy, an FSB agent, is now a prominent State Duma deputy; and Dmitry Kovtun, a member of the GRU, was a successful businessman until his death in 2022 from Covid-19. The polonium Lugovoy and Kovtun used left a radioactive trail across half of London, although the Kremlin denied responsibility. We are not prepared to comply with this type of decision, Putins spokesman said in 2021 when the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Moscow must compensate the widow. Another famous Russian Duma deputy and agent is Maria Butina, sentenced in the United States in 2019 to 18 months in prison for pretending to be a student while simultaneously serving as a bridge between the Kremlin, the National Rifle Association, and Donald Trumps Republican Party. Butina, a regular contributor to Russian propaganda, has also been the face of some of the Russian regimes most controversial legal initiatives. At the beginning of the war, she helped draft a law allowing for the closure of media outlets that disrespect Russian society, and in August of this year, she introduced another bill that would allow minors who disagree with the government to be sent to pretrial detention centers. The Kremlin has built the myth of a martyr around Butina to boost its propaganda against the West. This is the story of Maria Butina, of how to protect herself and keep her faith in God in inhumane conditions, reads the Foreign Ministrys review of the Prison Diary television series, a biopic about the deputy funded by the Internet Development Institute, an opaque, semi-public organization that has also funded other propaganda works about Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and the invasion of Ukraine. The threat of Russian spies is not new. Agents killed a Chechen independence leader, Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev, with a car bomb in Qatar in 2024. Sentenced to life imprisonment in the Arab country, they were eventually extradited to Russia to serve their sentences. The echo of applause in Russian propaganda had not yet died down when the Kremlin announced that its spies had disappeared. Not all of Moscows agents are Russian. The independent outlet The Insider has revealed how the FSB has bought off European politicians of all stripes over the years, from MPs of Italys Northern League to representatives of the European parliament. Last week, Nathan Gill, former leader of the British political party Reform UK, admitted to receiving bribes from Moscow to defend its views in the European parliament. And seven years after Putin danced with her at her wedding, former Austrian foreign minister Karin Kneissl gave a lecture this week to about 100 Russian paratroopers in the city of Ryazan. I now live in Russia and try to do my part. We need to define and rethink Russias national interests, understand the new geography, and see what went wrong in Europe, the former head of diplomacy for a European Union country told the soldiers. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition The government understands that the US warships anchored in the Caribbean Sea are not focusing on alleged drug shipments as much as they are on President Maduro and his closest aides Maria Elvira Salazar, a Republican congresswoman, wrote on X that Christmas, which has already begun in Venezuela, is nothing more than a farce decreed by Nicolas Maduro, as if he could change the date of Jesus Christs birth at will. True Christmas for Venezuelans is coming, she wrote enigmatically. Republican politicians, influencers, and even El Salvadors President Nayib Bukele have been sending out messages of this kind for a month now. The New York Times reported that a group of advisers is pressuring Donald Trump to remove the Venezuelan president by intensifying U.S. military deployment. Some time later, five fighter jets flew over an area bordering Venezuelan airspace, like birds of ill omen. The signs of an imminent attack have multiplied, with no one knowing whether this is a real scenario or just a high-level campaign to force the Chavista government to enter a negotiated solution. One question has been completely cleared up, however: the U.S. war contingent anchored in the Caribbean Sea has as its primary target Maduro and his inner circle. Chavismo has correctly read the message sent from Washington. They knew, from the beginning, that the ships and submarines sailing on the edge of their territorial waters didnt just want to stop drug trafficking to the United States, as Trump claimed. (If that were the case, they would be operating in other parts of the world where drug trafficking volume is vastly greater.) Maduro said as much on Thursday night: There are people who think that bringing harm to their own country is a good thing. How did Iraq, Libya, and Afghanistan fare after foreign aggression? Officials close to Maduro have been telling EL PAIS, since the first attack on a boat off the Venezuelan coast, allegedly loaded with drugs, that this was a campaign to violate Venezuelas sovereignty. Trumps move caught them completely off guard. Maduro and Jorge Rodriguez, his main political operative, get along very well with Richard Grenell, the White House special envoy, a kind of Mr. Wolf (in Tarantinos Pulp Fiction). Grenell is non-interventionist in spirit, keen to achieve the best deals with other countries for the benefit of his own. According to profiles in the American media, he does not believe that the U.S. should be the worlds police, the guardian of democracy, the enemy of tyrannies. Grenell is often associated with Texas oil businessmen. According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, these businessmen tried to get him appointed Secretary of State after Trumps victory. They were unsuccessful; the 47th president of the United States instead chose Marco Rubio, a conservative politician of Cuban descent, the highest-ranking Latino to have held office in Washington. Rubio has built part of his career on opposing the governments of Cuba and Venezuela, with the classic rhetoric of a Republican hawk. Maduro considers him to be the devil; he knows that if it were up to Rubio, his life would be in danger. The Venezuelan president was convinced that with Grenell as his support, no one would succeed in getting to him. He even sent a letter to Trump through Grenell, but it had no effect. The White House press secretary publicly dismissed it, saying it was full of lies. Logic dictated that Trump wouldnt intervene in any country; he repeated this many times himself during the election campaign. But one morning, he launched Operation Midnight Hammer. Undetectable warplanes flew into Iran and dropped the most powerful non-nuclear bombs in existence, the GBU-57A/B, on Iranian facilities. The message was clear: Trump will never attack... until he wants to. Nothing is solid or definitive with this president, whom the U.S. press portrays as a pushover, until the next person walks into his office and persuades him to do the contrary. You dont know whats going to happen. Theres no clear endgame, no roadmap. Its impossible to predict whats next, explains an American analyst familiar with the Venezuelan situation. The official who has made this point most bluntly has been Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino. On Thursday, he denounced the presence of five U.S. fighter jets north of the central coast. It was an Avianca plane that alerted the control tower at Maiquetia, Venezuelas main airport. This is a provocation, a great threat to the nations security, the general stated. Do not make the mistake of attacking Venezuela militarily. Think carefully, investigate thoroughly, and understand the national spirit, the official warned. Venezuelas integrated air defense system has detected, within the Maiquetia region, more than five vectors with flight characteristics of 400 knots and flying at an altitude of 35,000 feet. What does that indicate? These are fighter jets that U.S. imperialism has dared to bring close to the Venezuelan coast, he added. These are anxious hours. The latest events could mean everything, or they could mean nothing. The vast majority of analysts believe its impossible for the United States to do more, such as attacking alleged drug cartels inside Venezuelan territory. The deployment in the Caribbean, according to military experts, is insufficient to make the threat a reality. It seems impossible for a problem between countries to escalate into armed confrontation. It seems like a last-century issue. Or not so much, the same people say. Uncertainty is in the air. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Russian women are reportedly paying up to 20,000 rubles ($245) for tiny wigs that they glue to their pubic area for a more natural look inspired by the 1990s. According to Russian media, the popularity of pubic hair wigs has skyrocketed in recent months, inspired by a naturalness trend sweeping Russia. Both young men and women are flocking to specialty online stores and marketplaces to look for realistic pubic wigs. Youre probably asking yourself why on Earth someone would need such a bizarre accessory, but the answer is pretty simple. Most users want to adhere to the natural look of the nether regions inspired by the 90s era, but dont really want to grow their own hair, for multiple reasons. Some have opted for permanent hair removal, others just dont want to deal with the itchiness of growing hair, so the wigs are the perfect solution. The Mash News Telegram channel claims that prices for pubic hair extensions range from 600 rubles ($7) to 5,000 rubles ($61). Some women choose accessories made from natural materials, which start at 20,000 rubles ($245). Special adhesives are used for attachment, which, according to the manufacturers, are safe for the skin and mucous membranes. Moskva-24 reports that Moscow hair transplant clinics are already receiving requests to restore hair to their clients pubic areas following permanent hair removal procedures. San Diegos Show Faith by Works is spreading pro-Israel messaging to Christian groups in the western US on behalf of the countrys Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Focused on California, Nevada, Arizona and Colorado, the mission calls for combatting low American Evangelical Christian approval of the nation of Israel, and to counter new and evolving pro-Palestinian messaging as the global narrative shifts," according to SFbWs presentation. The group will dispatch teams of people and a mobile museum to Christian colleges, events and mega-churches to increase positive associations with Israel, while linking the Palestinian population with extremist factions. Messaging will highlight Israels significant links to Jesus and our faith and educate Christians that Palestinians shelter terrorists, built the tunnels for Hamas, hide weapons in their schools and hospitals and joined in the attacks on October 7. There also will be a push to encourage Christians to visit Israel. SFbW, which has received $325K from Havas Media for the effort, does not have a formal contract with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Not a Subscriber? Join O'Dwyer's & Get RFP Access Stop wasting time tracking down RFPs. O'Dwyer's connects you with organizations looking for PR firms & services. Get new business with O'Dwyer's! Join O'Dwyer's Adrienne McGarr FINN Partners promotes Adrienne McGarr to managing partner, head of the east coast technology practice. McGarr, who joined FINN in 2003, was previously a senior partner at the firm, primarily working with clients in the technology and nonprofit sectors. As leader of FINNs East Coast technology team, she will oversee areas including new business development, staffing, client relationship management and setting the strategic direction for the practice. Adrienne has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership and an unwavering commitment to our clients and our team, said FINN Partners founding managing partner Alicia Young. Her contributions have been vital to the growth of our technology practice, and she truly exemplifies the values that define FINN Partners. Randa Stephan Burson appoints global chief brand officer Randa Stephan to the additional role of chief corporate strategy officer. Before the formation of Burson in January 2024, Stephan was global chief marketing and communications officer at Hill & Knowlton. Before that, she was EVP, global head of marketing and brand at Weber Shandwick, where she redesigned the positioning and go-to-market strategy for the agency. Stephan has also served as executive director of WSJ Custom Studios, the Wall Street Journals custom marketing arm. In her new role at Burson, she is charged with driving the agencys strategic plan and steering the continued development of global capabilities and solutions to best serve clients. Her sharp eye for market analysis, stakeholder management and creative storytelling will guide our continued development of capabilities to build reputation and drive growth, said Burson global CEO Corey duBrowa. Jack Martin Amplify, an AI-powered enterprise growth platform, brings on Jack Martin as its first CMO. Martin co-founded Elite Advisor Group, where he led high-value multimillion-dollar campaigns for financial institutions, including asset and wealth managers. At Amplify, he will lead brand strategy, demand generation and go-to-market execution. As Amplify continues to expand, its crucial our messaging accurately conveys our core values and overall vision, said chief growth officer Vickie Lewin. Jack has the experience we need to continue providing advisors with accurate branding and pipeline growth. PHARMACY Plus Birr has been officially recognised as the Business All-Star Community Pharmacy of the Year 2025 by the All-Ireland Business Foundation (AIBF), celebrating its outstanding service, community commitment, and dedication to patient care. Founded by David OMeara in 2006, Pharmacy Plus Birr has grown to become a cornerstone of the local community. Conveniently located in the heart of Birr, the store combines friendly, personal service with innovative healthcare offerings. David OMeara is the Founder and Superintendent Pharmacist of Pharmacy Plus Birr and Vision Plus Opticians. A proud Offaly native, David has spent nearly two decades building a healthcare business that is as much about people as it is about prescriptions. After qualifying as a pharmacist, David set out to create something different - an independent pharmacy where patients could count on expert advice, friendly faces, and a genuine connection. In 2006, he opened Pharmacy Plus Birr in the heart of the town, combining professional care with a neighbourly touch that quickly won the loyalty of the local community. Davids philosophy is simple: healthcare works best when its personal. Its an approach that has earned him not only the trust of his community, but also national recognition - most recently as the recipient of the Business All-Star Community Pharmacy of the Year 2025 award. From prescription services and expert health advice to eye examinations and optical care, Pharmacy Plus Birr has built a reputation for going above and beyond for customers - often calling patients personally, sourcing hard-to-find medications, and supporting local events and initiatives. READ NEXT: Extension work at big Offaly hotel begins soon The All-Ireland Business Foundations annual awards celebrate businesses that achieve excellence in quality, trust, and community impact. The Community Pharmacy of the Year title is awarded to pharmacies that demonstrate exceptional service standards and deep engagement with their communities. Reacting to the news, Founder, David O Meara said: This accolade is deeply meaningful for our team. Our mission has always been to combine professional expertise with a warm, personal approach, so that every customer feels valued and cared for. Were proud to serve this community and grateful for the trust people place in us every day. Announcing the accreditation, Kieran Ring, Deputy Chair of the AIBF Adjudication Board, said: Pharmacy Plus Birr represents the very best of community healthcare, delivering excellence in service while making a tangible difference to peoples lives. In reviewing their accreditation application, it was clear that this is a business built on trust, compassion, and a deep understanding of its communitys needs. David OMeara and his team have gone beyond the traditional role of a pharmacy, offering not only exceptional healthcare and optical services, but also serving as a reliable source of advice, support, and reassurance for local residents. It is businesses like Pharmacy Plus Birr that remind us of the vital role independent, community-focused enterprises play in the fabric of Irish life. Kapil Khanna, Managing Director of the AIBF, said: "David and his team exemplify what it means to be a Business All-Star. Theyve built a business rooted in trust, care, and genuine community spirit, and were delighted to honour their contribution." He said: We evaluate a companys background, trustworthiness and performance, and we speak to customers, employees and vendors. We also anonymously approach the company as a customer and report back on the experience. The business goes through at least two interviews and is scored on every part of the process against set metrics. READ NEXT: Extension work at big Offaly hotel begins soon A MAN was found in possession of drugs at Tullamore Hospital after crashing his car near Kilbeggan. Pleas of guilty were entered at Tullamore District Court by solicitor Patrick Martin on behalf of his client Dylan Kinahan (30), Chandlers Way, Rushbrook, Cobh, Co Cork. Mr Kinahan admitted dangerous driving and having no insurance at Loughanagore, Co Westmeath and possession of drugs at Midlands Hospital, Tullamore on August 22, 2023. Sergeant Richard Thornton told Judge Valerie Corcoran that at 3.30pm on that date at Loughnagore Mr Kinahan was driving a Dublin registered 2017 Ford Focus from Ballinagore towards Kilbeggan. Sergeant Thornton said the man was travelling at high speed on the wrong side of the road around a bend when he collided with the side of a Citroen Dispatch going in the opposite direction. Drugs worth 470 were found in the hospital. READ NEXT: Extension work at big Offaly hotel begins soon The sergeant added that Mr Kinahan had no previous convictions. Judge Corcoran said she would have to get victim impact statements because there were parties named in the dangerous driving prosecution. The judge said she would note the plea and that it was early. She adjourned the matter to November 26 next for sentencing and victim impact reports. In the spring of 1994, as Hutu murderers known as the Interahamwe (those who fight together) perpetrated the genocide in Rwanda (800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed in three months), the White House decided to look the other way. The United States did virtually nothing to try to stop it, wrote Samantha Power in her book, A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide. Published in 2002, the impact of this essay by the American diplomat was enormous because it held up a mirror to the United States and the world as hundreds of thousands of people in Cambodia, Iraq, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Kosovo were murdered for their religious, national, or ethnic affiliation. The wind of realpolitik had swept away the never again that seemed to have settled in the international consciousness after the Second World War and the Nuremberg and Tokyo trials against the war criminals of Germany and Japan. Power recounts how, although members of the U.S. administration during the era of Democrat Bill Clinton used the word genocide in private, they were prohibited from doing so in public. If the United States had publicly acknowledged that a crime of this magnitude was taking place, it would have been impossible to explain its passivity. They were afraid that its use would trigger calls for intervention that they were unwilling to comply with, writes Powers, who served as Barack Obamas ambassador to the United Nations. Herero and Nama prisoners in Namibia. 19041908. WIKIPEDIA The word genocide was coined by Polish jurist Raphael Lemkin during World War II, combining the Greek prefix genos, meaning tribe, and the Latin suffix cide, meaning killing, to designate what Winston Churchill had called a crime without a name in reference to the atrocities of Nazism in occupied Europe. When he first defined it in his book Axis Rule in Occupied Europe, written in 1943 and published in 1944, Soviet troops had not yet liberated Auschwitz, and the gas chambers were still a secret that many refused to believe. The jurist was also unaware that most of his family had been murdered in the night and fog of the Nazis. Lemkin had in mind the Armenian genocide carried out by the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the 20th century and the boundless brutality of the Nazi occupation. In fact, in the essay and in his autobiography Totally Unofficial (Berg Institute) he makes as many references to the suffering of Poles and Slovenians as to that of the Jews. For Lemkin, for example, destroying or degrading the economic foundations of national groups leads to genocide, as he explains in the chapter dedicated to explaining the term in his book. He argues that the Nazis created objective conditions under which national groups such as Jews, Poles, or Slovenes had to carry out a genuine daily struggle for bread and survival. For the Polish jurist, genocide does not necessarily signify mass killings, but refers to a coordinated plan aimed at destruction of the essential foundations of the life of national groups so that these groups wither and die like plants that have suffered a blight. Published 15 years after Samantha Powers essay, another book on the word also had a huge impact. A cross between an autobiography, an essay, and a true-life novel, East West Street, by international law expert and late writer Philippe Sands, is one of the most interesting works on the birth of universal justice. I receive about 20 requests a week to talk about the book and about genocide, explains Sands by phone from London. I suspect it played a role in the global reflection on crimes against humanity and genocide, but it also came out at a time when these issues were increasingly occupying a prominent place in public debate due to current events around the world. Refugees in Phnom Penh shortly before the Khmer Rouge arrived. Roland Neveu (LightRocket / Getty Images) The book combines the story of Sands himself, part of whose family was exterminated during the Holocaust, with the account of the inventor of the concept of crimes against humanity, Hersch Lauterpacht, and his rivalry with Lemkin. The destinies of these two jurists and Sands grandfather, Leon Buchholz, intersected in Lviv, now in Ukraine, a city where many paths of European history converge. The underlying reflection is whether there is a hierarchy between crimes against humanity the murder of individuals and genocide which pursues the annihilation of human groups for what they are and whether we can speak of a gradation in the legal and historical narrative of horror. There is no hierarchy between the two, explains Sands. In legal and human terms, they are equally terrible. But in the popular imagination, the concept of genocide has gained a lot of ground, although I refuse to accept it. This is due to the power of the word invented by Lemkin. The concept of genocide opens up avenues in the imagination. Words have enormous powers, and this one has a special power. With the Israeli massacre in Gaza, the concept of genocide has once again gained great relevance in public debate: in talk shows, parliaments, conferences, expert debates, newspapers, the United Nations, and in political strife, the word appears again and again. This report does not purport to determine whether or not a genocide is occurring in the Gaza Strip due to the Israeli offensive following the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023, although a growing number of humanitarian organizations, historians, and experts both Israeli and international consider this an indisputable fact. In a moving interview last August with La Repubblica journalist Francesca Caferri, Israeli writer David Grossman stated about Gaza: Now, with immense pain and a broken heart, I have to face what is happening before my eyes. Genocide. Its a word that causes avalanches: once you utter it, it only gets bigger, like an avalanche. And it brings even more destruction and suffering. Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, April 24 of this year, in Yerevan. ANTHONY PIZZOFERRATO (AFP / GETTY IMAGES) The Israeli government vehemently denies this, and almost no politician, with the exception of Spains Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, has dared to utter the word that designates absolute evil. When asked specifically about this issue in May, French President Emmanuel Macron asserted that it should be historians who determine, in the future, whether the barbarity in Gaza constituted genocide. Other politicians believe that international courts should rule. Genocide is an enormously powerful and often controversial concept. Although all independent historians consider that the Armenian people suffered genocide at the beginning of the 20th century, Turkey continues to prosecute anyone who dares to say so. Although the word existed and appears in the prosecution documents, the Nazi leaders were not convicted of genocide at Nuremberg. International justice has never considered the greatest crime in history, which bears no comparison, to be genocide. Coffins of victims of the Srebrenica genocide. JOE KLAMAR (AFP / GETTY IMAGES) Israeli historian Omer Bartov, a professor at Brown and author of books such as Tales from the Borderlands: Making and Unmaking the Galician Past and Genocide, the Holocaust and Israel-Palestine: First-Person History in Times of Crisis, made waves internationally when he published an op-ed in The New York Times last July entitled Im a Genocide Scholar: I Know It When I See It. The crime of genocide has existed since ancient times, he explains via email. But it wasnt defined as the crime of crimes until the 20th century, when the technical and bureaucratic means became available to perpetrate it efficiently against entire groups. Modern genocide is, in many ways, the result of the redefinition of groups as nations, especially the rise of ethnonationalism, as well as ideologies dedicated to defining unwanted biological, religious, ethnic, racial, or social groups and the means to eliminate those defined as enemies. As a Holocaust historian, Bartov explains that one of the major problems in reaching a consensus on whether a genocide has occurred is precisely the impossibility of comparing any other crime with the Shoah. When we say that a genocide is taking place, we must examine not whether it is similar to the Holocaust, but whether it fits the UN definition of genocide. Two historians, Daniel Blatman and Amos Goldberg, argued a similar thesis in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz in an article entitled There is no Auschwitz in Gaza, but it is still a genocide. Its often said that the Genocide Convention was a reaction to the Holocaust. I think this can only be a partial explanation, notes William Schabas, professor of international law at Middlesex University London and a leading expert on genocide, author of books such as The Trial of the Kaiser (Berg Institute) and Genocide in International Law (Cambridge University Press). When the Second World War ended, with perhaps 65 to 70 million dead, and where the most inhumane atrocities were committed by countries that considered themselves the most advanced in many respects, the whole world wondered how humanity had gotten to this point. It was the culmination of hundreds of years marked by colonialism and slavery, sustained by the idea that some groups races were superior to others. The jurist Raphael Lemkin. Bettmann Archive / GETTY IMAGES Beyond Rwanda in 1994, the wars in the former Yugoslavia most notably the massacre of 8,000 Muslim men by Serbian paramilitaries in Srebrenica in 1995 and Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge regime between 1975 and 1979, no other massacre has been deemed a genocide by international justice. There are currently two open cases before the International Court of Justice in The Hague (which judges states and should not be confused with the International Criminal Court, also based in the Dutch city, which tries individuals): one against Myanmar for the Rohingya massacre and another against Israel for Gaza. No state has so far been convicted of genocide. Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity, but not for genocide, at least not for now. However, the list of possible genocides is depressingly endless. And thats only if were talking about the 20th century: many experts believe theres no time limit, although if crimes prior to Lemkins definition arent considered genocides, slavery and colonialism would be excluded from this infamous category, something that suits Western countries. Alfred de Montesquiou, writer of the comic book I, Julius Caesar, which reconstructs the life of the military leader who brought down the Roman Republic, and author of a recently published novel in France about the Nuremberg trials, Le crepuscule des hommes (The Twilight of Men), recalls that Pliny the Elder described Caesars atrocities in Gaul as humani generis iniuriam a crime against humanity for his savage and ruthless behavior. Armenia, the Holodomor in Ukraine, Guatemala, East Timor, Cambodia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, the massacres of the Hazaras in Afghanistan, of the Kurds and Shiites in Iraq under Saddam Hussein, the massacres of the Herero and Nama in Namibia at the beginning of the 20th century which Germany recognized as genocide a hundred years later of the Yazidis by ISIS, the mass murders in the wars of the former Yugoslavia beyond Srebrenica All these atrocities are considered genocides by many historians and jurists. And of course the Holocaust, the murder of six million European Jews, but also of Roma, Russian prisoners of war, Poles, and disabled people, although, as Elie Wiesel wrote, Not all the victims of Nazism were Jews, but all Jews were victims of Nazism. Philippe Sands, British lawyer and writer, photographed in Oakland, California. Carlos Rosillo These massacres are similar in their horror and hatred. Genocide is always the end of a process, in which the other is stigmatized until it becomes an enemy that must be annihilated. In his heartbreaking and beautiful book of personal and intellectual memoirs, Genocide, The Holocaust and Israel-Palestine, Bartov coined the concept of the intimacy of genocide. The gas chambers of the Nazi extermination camps are an exception industrial and anonymous death because in many mass crimes, the murderers and victims have known each other, sometimes since childhood. They have lived together all their lives. There are many accounts of this, from the religious wars in Europe to the Spanish Civil War, the Holocaust by bullets the mass shootings in Eastern Europe during which citizens of occupied towns collaborated with the Nazis or the genocides in Rwanda and Bosnia. French writer Jean Hatzfeld covered the wars in these two countries as a journalist and captured his research in books such as Machete Season and Dans le nu de la vie (In the nakedness of life), in which he analyzed the mechanisms of hatred. In an interview with this newspaper in 2004, he explained that, precisely because the murderers are often neighbors, friends, or schoolmates, it can be said that no one is protected from behaving like them. No one is safe from falling into barbarism. But theres one thing all experts agree on: genocides are not a matter of numbers. Rosa Ana Alija, professor of public international law at the University of Barcelona, explains: The crime of genocide punishes the attempt to totally or partially destroy a racial, national, ethnic, or religious group; it gives precedence to the collective dimension, to the preservation of the diversity of human groups in international society. Crimes against humanity punish serious human rights violations, so they focus on the individual dimension, on safeguarding human dignity. Is the hypothetical destruction of, for example, 70 members of some Amazonian tribes, numbering around 100, more or less serious than the death of tens of thousands of civilians in an armed conflict or in a context of political violence? I think making that assessment is very difficult. There are several definitions of genocide, and as Philippe Sands pointed out in an important article in Le Grand Continent entitled On the Concept of Genocide, there is also a body of case law, which could change when the International Criminal Court rules on the cases of Myanmar and Gaza in the future. First, there is Lemkins definition in the prologue to his book: Genocide is the practice of extermination of nations and ethnic groups by invaders [referring to Nazi Germany], a term derived from the Greek word genos (tribe, race) and the Latin cide (by analogy, see homicide, fratricide). That definition crystallized, after enormous efforts by the Polish jurist, in the Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, adopted in 1948, which entered into force in 1951 and has been ratified by 153 states (41 UN members have not yet done so). Israel signed it in 1949, and Spain in 1968, still under Francos dictatorship, which some historians consider to have committed genocide in the repression during and after the Civil War. The text reads as follows: In the present Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: (a) Killing members of the group; (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; (c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; (d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; (e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group. Melanie OBrien, associate professor of international law at the University of Western Australia and president of the International Association of Genocide Scholars which declared that one is occurring in Gaza notes: Genocide is different from other crimes because it has unique requirements, specifically genocidal intent, which is the intention to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. This intent is the most difficult element to prove in court. Genocide also has a different status because we have the Genocide Convention, which obligates states to prevent and punish genocide. There is no equivalent treaty for war crimes or crimes against humanity, so states are reluctant to declare an atrocity as genocide, as they dont want to trigger the obligation to prevent and punish. Murder of a Jewish family in Myropil (Ukraine), October 13, 1941, photo taken by Lubomir Skrovina. This image is the focus of Wendy Lower's book 'The Grave.' Security Services Archive, Historical Collection of the State Security Service (StB) Prague Jurisprudence also makes it very difficult for the International Court of Justice to consider genocide to have occurred. Sands explains in his article that the key lies in the enormous difficulty of proving genocidal intent, but also in a condition that led to Croatias genocide complaint against Serbia being dismissed in 2015: If there are two possible motives for committing a crime, it is not easy to qualify it as a crime of genocide. In other words, proving intent is not enough: if a state is involved in a war and commits genocide, the International Court of Justice considers it not genocide. It only considers genocide to have occurred when the sole objective is genocide itself. Beyond the court rulings and the legal conundrums, the idea Bartov put forward in his article remains valid: many experts, historians, and legal scholars who have thoroughly studied what humanity is capable of inflicting on humanity know how to recognize genocide when it occurs. Art is an important way for people to learn about or engage with genocides, explains Melanie OBrien, citing the Beyond Genocide series by American artist Amy Fagin as an example. Each piece is based on Fagins meticulous research into that particular genocide, but also incorporates artistic elements from the victim group, including their language. These are incredible illuminations that transcend histories and cultures. Other experts cited Angelina Jolies film about the Cambodian genocide, First They Killed My Father (2017) also reflected in The Killing Fields (1984) and Camboya, 1978 (2024) and Franz Werfels The Forty Days of Musa Dagh, in which the Austrian writer thoroughly investigated the Armenian extermination and who recounts not only the horror but also the resistance to that horror. Bartov cites Claude Lanzmanns Holocaust documentary Shoah (1985), and Raoul Pecks HBO film Sometimes in April (2005), because it gives a comprehensive view of the Rwandan genocide, from the run-up to its outbreak to its prosecution before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, including the inadequacy of the international response, which was decisive in bringing it about. It is also difficult not to be stunned by the banality of the evil depicted in the film about Srebrenica, Quo Vadis, Aida? (2020). Genocides are also a warning for the future. Historians surely know better than anyone that history never repeats itself, and that what was will never return: we can study the past indeed, we must study it but we cannot change it, writes Bartov, explaining that genocides cannot be reversed, that the traces of death, of absence, will never disappear. But it is also more important than ever to look to the past when the international order is crumbling by the week. The system created after World War II is under attack like never before. I think there are many people in power, including populist governments, who would like to take the world back to a time when those rules of international law did not exist. Whether they succeed is another matter, writes Sands. In these times, the word genocide, and its history, are more important than ever. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Tipperary North TD, Deputy Michael Lowy has welcomed the news that the Capital Programme supporting the Veterinary Places Activation Programme (VPAP) will establish two much-needed new Veterinary Schools at South East Technological University (SETU) and Atlantic Technological University (ATU). This approval marks a significant milestone in the expansion of Irelands veterinary education capacity and will facilitate the creation of 80 additional student places annually from 2026 he says, adding that he has consistently raised the need for wider and greater provision of accessible educational facilities for those wishing to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. This announcement marks a significant step forward in expanding Irelands veterinary education footprint and addressing the national need for skilled veterinary professionals. This Capital Programme approval provides the opportunity for a design team to be appointed and to develop building designs up to Planning stage he adds. The VPAP forms part of a wider Government investment in Healthcare and Veterinary Education. The programme is being jointly supported by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. For the first time, a professional Veterinary Medicine programme will be available in the South East, positioning SETU to play a pivotal role in retaining regional talent, addressing critical workforce shortages and ensuring a strong pipeline of skilled professionals to serve Irelands agriculture, equine and companion animal sectors. At full roll-out, the new veterinary schools will deliver an additional 80 veterinary graduates per year, directly supporting the agri-food sector and public health systems. SEE NEXT - PICTURES: Roscrea Lions Club hold Mount St Joseph's charity walk Both institutions are committed to welcoming their first intake of 40 students in September 2026, with Year 1 delivered in classroom-based settings ahead of the completion of new facilities. The two schools will adopt distinct models of delivery, with SETU implementing an innovative distributed model using a network of Regionally-based clinical training facilities, and ATU developing a full clinical facility for on-campus training. Edenderry born designer Margaret Coyne Couture debuts her 'Loinnir Collection' in Paris for Paris FashionWeek 25 and flew the flag for Ireland on Thursday October 2. The rising star whose journey from Ireland to the prestigious stage of Paris Fashion Week 2025 is as captivating as the gowns she creates. The only Irish designer in the 'Flying Solo One's to Watch' show on Thursday Oct 2 Margaret says "Showing at Paris Fashion Week is every designers dream. It's the pinnacle of the international fashion calendar. I am thrilled to represent Ireland on this stage with my Loinnir Collection, sharing a vision of Irish craftsmanship, storytelling, and contemporary couture with the world.'' Her work is a study in contrasts, where architectural precision flows seamlessly into fluidity, and strength is perfectly balanced with grace. Rooted in heritage yet fearless in reinvention, Margaret Coyne originally from Offaly and now based on the Cavan Leitrim border, channels the spirit of the Irish landscape; timeless, poetic, and profoundly expressive, while her vision remains boldly contemporary, redefining the role of an independent Irish designer on the global stage. Her debut at Paris Fashion Week 2025 marks a landmark moment, celebrating both craftsmanship and creative ambition. A WOMAN has been ordered to appear at next week's sitting of Tullamore Circuit Court accused of stealing over 37,000 from a charity in Offaly. A book of evidence was served on Aulwin Dunne (47), Marian Place, Tullamore when she appeared before the District Court on Wednesday. Garda Stacey O'Brien gave evidence of serving the book and said the DPP had consented to Ms Dunne being sent for trial to the Circuit Court but did not consent for her being sent forward on a signed plea. READ NEXT: Trainee guard stole wallet while on duty at Offaly domestic incident Ms Dunne is alleged to have stolen 37,705.83, the property of Power4Good Ireland Ltd on 19 unknown dates between April 1, 2023 and October 31, 2024 at Power4Good, River Street, Clara. Garda O'Brien told the District Court she wished to amend the charge by adding the words both dates inclusive. Judge Valerie Corcoran made that amendment. Aisling Maloney, solicitor, appeared for Ms Dunne and said legal aid had already been granted. Judge Corcoran made the order sending the woman, who is on bail, to the next sitting of Tullamore Circuit Court on Tuesday, October 7. The Palestinian militia has responded to the ultimatum issued by the US president, who had given it until Sunday to respond Hamas delivered its response to the U.S. President Donald Trumps peace plan for Gaza to mediators on Friday. In a statement, it confirmed that it accepts the release of all hostages still held in the Gaza Strip 48 in total (only 20 of them alive) but demands that negotiations begin immediately through mediators to discuss the details. Earlier in the day, Trump had imposed a countdown for Hamas to accept the 20-point peace plan for Gaza that Washington publicly presented on Monday, which already has Israels approval. In a message on Truth Social, his social network, the Republican gave the Palestinian militant group an ultimatum that would expire at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, Washington time. He warned that all hell would break out against Hamas if they did not accept the proposal. There will be peace in the Middle East one way or the other, he wrote. Hamas, weakened and under pressure from Arab countries to accept Trumps plan, is trying to avoid giving Israel and the U.S. any pretext to escalate the situation or trigger the severe response Trump had threatened. In fact, it not only expressed its appreciation for the Arab, Islamic, and international efforts to end the conflict, but also specifically the efforts of the U.S. president. The Islamist movement agreed to the release of the remaining hostages according to the exchange formula contained in President Trumps proposal, with the necessary field conditions for implementing the exchange, which, in the document, include the suspension of all military operations, including aerial and artillery bombardment." In a press appearance alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after a meeting in the Oval Office, Trump stated that, if Hamas accepted, it would have a maximum of 72 hours to release all the hostages at once. Once released, Israel will free 1,700 Gazans who were detained in the mass arrests that have been carried out by the Israeli military in Gaza since October 7, 2023. This includes all women and children, and 250 prisoners sentenced to at least one life sentence for violent acts in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Nearly all of those sentenced to life imprisonment (around 300) are included in this category. However, in past prisoner exchanges, Israel has chosen which individuals to release, often excluding those who are regarded as heroes by Palestinian nationalists. For each Israeli hostage body handed over, the Netanyahu government will reciprocate by returning the remains of 15 dead Gazans. Hamas did not mention one of the most controversial points of the plan: the international body to be chaired by Trump himself, with former British prime minister Tony Blair participating, which would supervise that Hamas does not retain military capabilities. It only emphasizes its agreement to hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body of independents (technocrats), based on Palestinian national consensus and Arab and Islamic support. Trumps plan states that Gaza will be governed under the temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee, responsible for delivering the day-to-day running of public services and municipalities for the people in Gaza. This is the first official response from the Palestinian militia to a peace proposal that includes only one specific deadline: the 72 hours for the release of the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza. On Monday, Hamas claimed it had not had access to the document before the White House made the 20 final points public, which had been adjusted at the last minute to meet Israeli demands. The peace plan, just three pages long, was published immediately before a joint appearance by Netanyahu and Trump. On Wednesday, sources from the militia, quoted by Saudi media, demanded that the plan include specific deadlines for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, one of Hamass main conditions for any potential ceasefire. The Islamist group had also sought to retain part of its weaponry and called for an amendment to Trumps plan to distinguish between offensive weapons, which it would surrender, and defensive weapons, which it wants to keep. None of these demands are present in its response. Palestine Shames Many Gaza, O Gaza, your lessons are plain, You strip the masks from faces of the vain. Through suffering deep and martyrs last breath, You shame the merchants of war, racism, and death. You shame the rulers who sell their souls, To blackmail masters with greedy goals. You shame the masses who look away, While childrens blood cries out each day. You shame the ruthless profiteers of war, The Arab kings groveling at empires door. From Riyadhs crown to Emirates sand, Puppet states carved by a foreign hand. You shame false leaders with seats and gold, Who broke the cause, who bartered, sold. You shame the pious who chant in prayer, Yet commit the sins and show no care You shame the secular who preach of right, Yet back the killers, or hide from sight. Palestines suffering lights the flame, Exposing evil, calling it by name. O land of martyrs, you may stand accused, Yet, it is the callous world which refused. To see twenty thousand children whose souls implore They shame all collaborators and the silenced forevermore. Palestine Honors Many Palestine honors the slain, From Jesus nailed to Gaza's pain. From those who bled on Calvarys tree, To babes maimed and killed for the world to see. It honors the brave who give their breath, Who faced oppression, who mocked death. Who fight the tyrant, resist the chains, Against apartheid & empires gains. It honors the fighters, the bold, the true, Who battle so evil wont master you. It honors the rebels in every form, who boycott, protest, or face the storm. It honors the ones who bring us light, Who stand for justice, who dare to fight. From nations countless, they march, send the call Refusing silence and won't let Gaza fall. It honors each action, both small and grand, A ship sailing, a voice, a banner, a helping hand. It honors the children, both scarred and martyred dead, and the maimed, the living, the hungry, by faith fed. Palestine honors its friends anew, Palestine respects all - and that means you. From the river to the sea Palestine and humanity will be free. Palestine honoring Jane Goodall who died age 91 and who had spoken out against the atrocities. Her work inspired millions and not just biologists like me. She made observations on chimpanzee behaviour that helped understand human behavior. She noted that the most successful chimp leaders were gentle, caring and familial. Males that tried to rule by asserting their dominance through violence, tyranny and threat did not last. Here is her take on Donald Trump. Palestine honors the hundreds on board the humanitarian ships and thousand who donated. They brought honor to humanity and shed light on the atrocity. Protests broke out in many cities around the world on Wednesday night after the ships were pirated and the peace activists kidnapped by Israeli terrorists (my friend calls them IOFucks). In response to the attack on the flotilla, Italys two largest labor unions announced a nationwide general strike for Friday covering all public and private sectors. Gaza and the economy of genocide. Is Trump and some Arab leaders conspiracy theorists? More atrocities supported by your tax dollars. For many ways to to act for peace and justice. Stay Humane, act, and keep hope and Palestine alive Mazin Qumsiyeh A bedouin in cyberspace, a villager at home Professor, Founder, and (volunteer) Director Palestine Museum of Natural History Palestine Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability Bethlehem University Occupied Palestine facebook pages Personal Institute French In her writing, Sandra Scofield has hashed through her difficult past. (Photo courtesy of Sandra Scofield) Courtesy of Sandra Scofield Last month, The Oregonian reported that southern Oregon novelist Sandra Scofield had been nominated for the National Book Award for her second book, Beyond Deserving. All that day, bewildered Portland booksellers were calling each other up, asking, Who the hell is Sandra Scofield? The Washington Post, November 1991 The thrill of discovery faded fast. Portland booksellers now knew who Sandra Scofield was, but even after news of the National Book Award finalists spread, sales of Beyond Deserving remained underwhelming. Few people showed up at her readings. She quickly slipped back into obscurity. Thirty-four years later, Scofield remains little-known, despite half a dozen more novels, the most recent arriving last year. Is there some reason the former Ashland teacher, now 82 and living in Montana, never broke through to a wide audience? I did sort of wonder, Why? Whats the difference?, she recently said of the period in the 1990s when Beyond Deserving and its immediate follow-ups, Walking Dunes and More Than Allies, scored critical acclaim but tepid sales. Though it never bothered me deeply. I just shrugged and kept on with my life. Scofield always has been dedicated to the pursuit of complete honesty about herself. Its been the driving impetus of her writing, shown most clearly in her lacerating 2004 memoir, Occasions of Sin, which documents her unstable childhood and shattered teenage self-esteem, the sexual assault she survived barely in college, and her lifelong struggle to come to terms with her mothers premature death. So an hour after she told The Oregonian/OregonLive that shed shrugged off her stubborn low profile among the reading public, she sent off an email: I lied. I grind my teeth wondering why I fell between the cracks. There. But only once in a while! *** Portland booksellers back in 1991 may have wondered who Sandra Scofield was, but they werent the first. Scofield herself had wondered for years. She thought the answer could be found by figuring out the secrets of her late mothers life. Young Sandra Scofield in Mykonos, Greece. (Courtesy of Sandra Scofield) Courtesy of Sandra Scofield She could vividly recall what was supposed to be a turning point for Edith Hambleton. Scofield was a little girl sitting in a rundown car, her mom about to climb in. Its my life, Mother! Edith yells at the figure standing in the doorway of the house. Edith steps into the car and slams the door, the sound so loud and shocking theres no doubt it means the end of something, maybe of everything. Up until then, young Sandra Jeans life had been tension-filled but predictable, living in her grandmothers small house on a dirt street in Wichita Falls. Edith, a high-school dropout who became pregnant at 16, worked as a carhop at a drive-in restaurant called The Pig Stand. Her grandmother packed flour at a General Mills plant. Edith was an odd duck in the small, conservative West Texas city, reading literary novels, raging at Sen. Joe McCarthys communist-hunting hearings on the TV. She doubled-down on her outsider status by converting to Catholicism. As a first-grader, she later insisted, Scofield understood how her coming into existence had upended her mothers life, that Edith had lost something important because of me, a chance to choose a better path, and I vowed right then to make it worth her while to be my mother. It was a promise she couldnt keep. Her mother tried to strike out on her own and create a life for herself, but before long she fell ill. Edith had a hysterectomy, then contracted hepatis in the hospital. A debilitating depression followed. Soon increasingly dependent on drugs, her body betraying her Edith found herself in a mental ward. Scofield has worked through these and other memories, in one way or another, in all of her books. Her memoir opens on an unexpected scene: Edith, hollow-eyed, posing nude in her bedroom for a photographer, a neighbor, just weeks before she died at age 33. The cover of Sandra Scofield's novel "Plain Seeing" features a photograph of her mother. Handout Scofield found the photo proofs not long after Ediths death. She would surreptitiously return to them over and over, trying to get a bead on the mother who left her far too soon. How many times I have studied those pictures, trying to guess what she was thinking, Scofield writes. Did she like showing her body to the camera? To the man [taking the pictures]? To those of us who would see it later? Was she remembering her youth, or did she think she still had that special something? She does not look like a woman anticipating death. When her mother died, the teenaged Sandra Jean began to spiral, convinced she wasnt a good person, that she too was doomed. The nuns at her Catholic school told her that, to have any hope of being saved, she had to abandon pride and blow away your fancies. And I did, Scofield would recall, for years and years, until long after I stopped praying for anything else at all. *** Scofield turned to books as an escape. At last she had found something that could take her out of her grief and fear and ultimately out of her constricting circumstances. She landed at Odessa Junior College, and she rode her academic momentum to the University of Texas. But her progress was derailed after she got drunk for the first time while hanging out with a group of frat boys. She passed out and then suddenly woke to the sensation of suffocation, she wrote years later. She was naked, and one of the boys was on top of her. The others would follow suit. Scofield blamed herself. She never told police or college officials. She left school and traveled, through Europe and Mexico, trying to forget what had happened. But eventually she returned home, earned a bachelors degree and then attended graduate school in Illinois and New York. She ended up in Eugene with a husband, Allen Scofield, and a young daughter, Jessica. She completed a Ph.D. at the University of Oregon, pulled the plug on her youthful marriage and began a career in educational research. Through her work she met Bill Ferguson, then a teacher and education administrator in Montana, and fell hard. He did the same. In 1975 she and Ferguson married, and the couple and Jessica moved to Ashland. Finally, Sandra Scofield was happy, comfortable in her own skin. But her past, her long-gone mother, still haunted her. At 40, even though she hadnt published a book and didnt have a literary agent, she decided to concentrate on her writing, giving up the grade-school and high-school teaching shed been doing. Bill was solid as a rock, so I could flit a bit, she said. But she didnt flit. She worked hard. She published short stories and poetry, winning a Katherine Anne Porter Prize, and hashed over her personal history in endless drafts. She began to view herself as a character, thinking that she lived in a story. She wrote in the middle of the night while her husband and daughter slept, and after five years she had a manuscript. The author photo, by Christopher Briscoe, on the back cover of Sandra Scofield's first novel, "Gringa." Christopher Briscoe, from back cover of book That first novel Gringa, about a traumatized American woman trying to find herself in Mexico hit bookstore shelves in 1989. Scofield gave tandem readings in Portland with another unknown Oregon author, Katherine Dunn, who was hawking her new novel, Geek Love. Geek Love took off. Gringa didnt. Then, two years later, came Beyond Deserving, a family drama set in a fictional version of Ashland and dedicated to Bill and Jessica, as well as to her ex-husband, Allen, who had died in a car crash. The accolades rolled in. The New York Times called it an intelligent and observant novel. The National Book Foundation, in naming its award finalists, described the book as often funny, sometimes sad, always wise. But Beyond Deserving, like Gringa, remained an aficionados taste only, selling just 6,000 copies in early printings. And it didnt win the National Book Award. (The prize went to Norman Rushs Mating.) It didnt matter, Scofield told herself. Writing had saved her. She had many regrets, an endless array of regrets from her youth and beyond, but now she didnt stew over them like she used to. Writing released them, so she could celebrate the good luck Ive had in life and focus on living another day. She poured out novels, short stories and essays throughout the 1990s and into the new century, while also leading creative-writing workshops. Her latest novel, 2024s Little Ships also set in Ashland, where she and Ferguson lived for nearly 30 years was published by a small press in Denver. Kirkus Reviews has called her work potent it could bring tears to your eyes. The New York Times wrote that she is one of those writers who are as good at not saying things as they are at saying them. But that didnt mean her books were easy to read. They required emotional fortitude. Her characters real as well as imagined were always working out entrenched trauma of one sort of another. In a magazine essay, Scofield wrote about how she began screaming when she went into labor with her daughter and unexpectedly found succor in the vocal release. Once I started it was easier than I anticipated I could not stop. In her 1998 novel Plain Seeing, about a self-destructive woman and her mother who died young (and which features a photograph of Edith on the cover), her fictional alter ego thought there was only pain, that it lasts forever, that she couldnt give in, or show it to anyone. Though bestselling success continued to elude her, Scofield never considered taking the route paved by other literary novelists (such as Kate Atkinson, one of Scofields favorite writers) of penning genre novels on the side to broaden her audience. Commercial writers, who turn out one book after another, they have a special gift, she said, citing Stephen King as the foremost example out there. They have a gift for story, and its not personal. And then there are people like me, who walk around with a personal story inside that has to come out. Thats an entirely different thing. I only have my story, she said. Her current project, which she expects to be the last book she ever writes, is another autobiographical novel, called All the Nuns Are Dead. Its inspired by her adolescent years at Catholic boarding schools in Texas. But even if Nuns is the last book she writes, it might not be her last opportunity to pull her way back up through the cracks and into readers view. Talking about her life and career with The Oregonian/OregonLive prompted her to dig out some old, dusty boxes she had stored in the house, she said. She found lots of story starts in them, ideas for novels, notes she hadnt looked at for years. Her life, in her own hand. She also discovered finished stories that shed never published and had forgotten about and, reading through them, realized they were pretty good. Ive been wondering what to do with them, she said. I might type some of these out. Protesters gather outside the boarded-up U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in South Portland on Monday, Sept. 8, 2025, days after President Donald Trump suggested federal intervention. Mark Graves/The Oregonian The Trump administrations deployment of 200 Oregon National Guard troops to Portland is tailored to the threat at the ICE building in the city, where cruel activists have used vicious tactics to damage the office and harass officers, Justice Department lawyers wrote Thursday in their opposition to the states challenge. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement building closed for three weeks from June 13 through July 7 after people protesting President Trumps immigration crackdown broke windows and security cameras, blocked the driveway, spray-painted violent threats on the property, tailed government vehicles leaving the building to homes or hotels, doxed ICE officers and menaced them at their residences, the lawyers argued. The Federal Protective Service, the regular security force charged with protecting the office, is stretched to the point of collapse, providing 24-7 protection due to the lack of Portland police assistance, the lawyers said in their filing. The federal codes Title 10, Section 12406 allows President Trump to call up the Guard to thwart the danger of a rebellion against U.S. government authority by large groups of protesters who are stopping federal officials from enforcing the law, they wrote. The Portland ICE facility has been an especially risky site because of repeated and recent acts of violence, the Portland Police Departments inability to provide an adequate response, and a history of mob violence dating back to 2020, which has often been tolerated or excused by local and state officials, the lawyers wrote. The federal lawyers will square off with attorneys from the state and city of Portland at 10 a.m. Friday as the state and city urge U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut to issue a temporary order blocking the troop deployment. The federal response to Oregons lawsuit contends the U.S. government was willing to pay for the National Guard deployment and leave the troops under the control of Gov. Tina Kotek if she had agreed to the presidents directive. Kotek had 12 hours to make a decision last Saturday, the U.S. Justice Department lawyers said. Major General Timothy L. Rieger, acting vice chief of the National Guard Bureau, said he received an email from Oregons Adjutant General Alan R. Gronewold at 10:05 p.m. last Saturday informing him that Kotek had rejected Trumps offer to stand up the troops under her command. When she refused, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Sunday mobilized 200 Oregon National Guard troops into federal service for 60 days under federal law, the response said. Department of Homeland Security urged more support for federal officers at Portland's ICE building on Sept. 26, 2025, court records show. Court record The filing noted that Homeland Security requested more support at Portlands ICE facility two days after a sniper fired at a federal immigration office in Dallas killing two detainees and argued that the officers at the Portland ICE office faced an especially high risk. The suspect died by suicide and was allegedly targeting ICE agents, not detainees, authorities said. Homeland Securitys Sept. 26 memo requested support for ICE and Federal Protective Service in Portland who have come under coordinated assault by violent groups intent on obstructing lawful federal enforcement. It claimed the groups were aligned with domestic terrorist organizations and were working to impede immigration enforcement and deportations through violent protest, intimidation and sabotage of federal operations. The facility is subject to nightly protests, which risks escalation at any moment, Robert Cantu, deputy director of the Federal Protective Service Region 10 that covers Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Alaska, said in a sworn statement filed in court. Rieger confirmed in court papers that no National Guard members are active in federal service in Portland as of Thursday but are in the process of being mobilized. Lawyers for the state and city have countered that protesters have dwindled in number in the last month and a half, that local police have the area under control and that federal officers face no significant dangers, let alone anything approaching a rebellion. On Thursday, Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez filed a brief in support of the city and states attempt to block the troop deployment. The total number of mass demonstration cases is a fraction of what this office saw in 2020 and less on an annualized basis than we saw last year, Vasquez wrote. Demonstrations are not out of control in Portland. Portland is not a war zone. I believe based on my personal experience on the ground in the 2020 unrest that the deployment of federal personnel not trained in local policing to the streets of Portland risks creating, not mitigating, the very conditions it is alleged to target. California Gov. Gavin Newsom also filed a brief Thursday in support of Oregons challenge. He wrote that his state already suffered from the deployment of 4,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles in June harm to its sovereign interests and police powers, the physical and economic well-being of its residents, and the morale of its National Guard troops and their families. These same irreparable injuries will befall Oregon and Portland if Defendants illegal federalization order is allowed to be carried out. The federal government argued that Oregon and Portland have failed to show how theyll be harmed by the troop deployment, noting that the 200 troops represent about 3% of the Oregon National Guard, and is miniscule, compared to the troops federalized in California. The Guard will only be protecting federal property and personnel not engaging in law enforcement and they will certainly not be exercising any police powers customarily performed by the State, the brief said. Justice Department lawyers and federal officials criticized the Portland Police Bureau for refusing to help federal officers at the immigration office. The Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Protective Service requested help from the Portland Police Bureau to no avail, Cantu said. The Federal Protective Service typically would rely on the Police Bureau to assist with large-scale law enforcement operations at federal facilities in Portland, Cantu wrote. But police informed the agency that they would respond only to life/safety situations and not immigration issues, he wrote. As a result, the Federal Protective Service brought in 115 officers to Portland to help contain the violence and has spent more than $2 million in overtime pay and expenses to respond to protests since June 5, according to Cantu. Portland police have said their Central Precinct command has monitored events at the ICE building but hasnt sent officers there regularly because the situation didnt require it. Craig Dobson, a Police Bureau assistant chief of operations, also said federal agents were instigating and causing some of the ruckus outside the ICE building and described federal officers using force that had no apparent purpose or substantially escalated tensions. Under Oregons sanctuary law, no state or local law enforcement agencies are allowed to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. According to the federal government, Homeland Securitys separate Portland Special Response Team, a tactical unit that does high-risk operations and responds to dangerous situations, has been depleted by having to reassign many of its officers to protect the ICE building seven days a week. The Federal Protective Service has relied almost exclusively on the ICEs Special Response Team for help. Instead of working with the federal officers, the city has demanded the removal of some of the boards covering the ICE building to protect its windows and presented a notice of a zoning violation for boarding up the building without design review approval, the federal filing said. Portland police records obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive do show they have turned down some of the requests to help federal officers at the ICE building. A Portland police activity log from June 17, for example, reads: ICE Tom Persad requests PPB assist with clearing the street and driveway so they can exit the facility with their vehicles. I declined the request and explained our policy prohibiting us from helping with their operations. He understood, and will take appropriate measures to make this movement without PPB assistance. Another police activity log entry on June 25 says: IF IT WERE NOT ICE, WE COULD ASSIST DIRECTLY CITY COUNCIL POSTURING AND MESSAGING AND NO PPB PRESENCE HEAVY HANDED FED RESPONSE FIRED UP AND GALVENIZED CROWD." Cammilla H. Wamsley, the Seattle-based field office director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Enforcement and Removal Operations, said there are about 30 officers at the Portland immigration building responsible for enforcing immigration law. She said her officers have been assaulted with rocks, bricks and incendiary devices, including a lit flare thrown at the building in June. Protesters spray painted direct threats against ICE officers on the building, and have assembled at times a mock guillotine outside, she wrote in a sworn declaration filed in court. The local Homeland Security Investigations office also received a tip that someone planned to detonate an explosive at the ICE office on Sept. 19, according to Wamsley. That month, Homeland Security Investigations sent three special response teams of agents to the Portland building as support. The Justice Department lawyers made the argument, as they did in the case of Guard troops deployed in California, that the Posse Comitatus Act is a criminal law, not an administrative law, so the state and city cant raise it as part of a civil claim. The act outlaws using the military to execute laws without congressional authorization. Regardless, the government reiterated that the troops in Portland are restricted to protecting federal officers and property and not authorized to execute any federal laws. Indeed, Plaintiffs brought this suit and seek extraordinary relief before the Guardsmen have even been deployed, and thus necessarily have no basis for their contention that the Guard will engage in law enforcement prescribed by the (Posse Comitatus Act,) they wrote. While the federal lawyers argue that the Guard members wont be involved in any law enforcement actions, Cantu of the Federal Protective Service wrote that the troops will provide his officers with direct support related to federal facility protection, access control and crowd control measures. The National Guard members supporting FPS will be instructed to call an FPS officer anytime a law enforcement response at a federal facility is necessary and to wait for the FPS officer to respond, to the extent practicable, he wrote. FPS is very familiar with this type of arrangement, as it is similar to the relationship that FPS has with the contract security guards who do not have any law enforcement authority but provide facility protection, access control and crowd control. U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer of San Francisco in his September injunction against the federalizing of California National Guard troops, said they were restricted from any crowd, traffic, security or riot control. His injunction is on hold, awaiting a full appeal before the 9th U.S Circuit Court of Appeals. The Justice Department lawyers, in their filing, said if a judge is inclined to grant any of the states and the citys motion, it should be limited and bar only specific activities of the National Guard troops, not their full deployment to Portland. If an order is issued, they also urged it to be in the form of a longer-lasting preliminary injunction, and put on hold as the federal government likely would appeal, according to their filing. -- Fedor Zarkhin of The Oregonian/OregonLive contributed to this report. People protested outside the ICE building in South Portland on Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, opposing President Donald Trumps authorization to send federal troops to Portland and the federalization of 200 Oregon National Guard members. Mark Graves/The Oregonian Update: Federal judge rules on Portland troop deployment A federal judge is now expected to rule Saturday on whether to grant an order temporarily blocking President Trumps mobilization of 200 Oregon National Guard troops to Portlands immigration enforcement facility. After listening to almost two hours of arguments Friday, U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut said she wanted to consider the matter carefully but knows the issue is of great importance to many people. She indicated she would release a decision later Friday or early Saturday. Around 9:30 p.m., word came that she will wait until Saturday. At the hearing, Immergut appeared skeptical of the Trump administrations basis for placing the Guard members under federal control in Portland, questioning what recent clashes have prevented immigration officers from doing their job. People gathered Friday morning, Oct. 3, 2025, outside the federal courthouse in downtown Portland as a judge heard arguments on the city of Portland and state of Oregon's request to block the Trump administration's deployment of Oregon National Guard troops to the city to protect the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in South Portland, the site of ongoing protests. Maxine Bernstein | The Oregonian/OregonLive While Immergut said she recognized that she must give deference to the presidents determination, she noted that it appeared the administration relied on a June 7 memo to federalize the troops in both Portland and California. The memo - titled Department of Defense Security for the Protection of Department of Homeland Security Functions contends that numerous incidents of violence and disorder in response to immigration enforcement, along with significant damage to immigration facilities and credible threats, constituted a form of rebellion against the authority of the U.S. government. I dont see anything in the record that talks about recent events, Immergut noted. It doesnt refer to anything proximate to the actual callout. The judge pointed out various incidents from mid-June to July outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland and a couple of isolated problems in September. Can the president rely on old news so to speak to deploy the Guard now if nothing further is happening? Immergut asked. U.S. Justice Department attorney Eric Hamilton pointed to Trumps Sept. 27 post on Truth Social saying conditions in Oregon continued to deteriorate into mayhem. Trump wrote then that he was directing his defense secretary to provide all necessary troops to protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa and other domestic terrorists. Immergut cut in, asking, Really? A social media post is going to count as a presidential determination that you can send the National Guard to cities? Thats really what I should be relying on? Hamilton argued that the social media post indicated Trump had been in discussion with his subordinates and his posts reflect his decision-making with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and that a persistent and serious threat of violence exists outside the ICE building. He also argued that theres a threat of rebellion in Portland, directing the judge to the 1891 definition in Blacks Law Dictionary describing rebellion as a deliberate organized resistance to the laws or operations of the government. He said the monthslong targeting of a Portland ICE building with violence, intimidation and threats by vicious and cruel radicals who have laid siege to the building and its officers qualifies as a threat of rebellion under the law. Daryn Herzberg was demonstrating across the street from the federal courtroom on Friday morning, Oct. 3, 2025, and set up a boom box to blast music. He said hes lived in Portland almost two years and recently filed a notice to sue the U.S. government after he was cited four times during his protests outside the ICE building in the city. As a veteran Id be really pissed if I was deployed anywhere in America, he said. He came to the courthouse, saying he hoped the judge will kick the federalized troops out of the city. Other members of the Democratic Socialists of America held signs in front of the courthouse that read, Guard: Go Home! Maxine Bernstein | The Oregonian/OregonLive He also said that the Department of Homeland Security has had to call in about 100 officers from other areas to help protect the building 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Immergut then asked: Is it your suggestion that anytime a law enforcement agency needs some additional reinforcement, that that is enough to demonstrate that the National Guard will be called out? Hamilton said the court needs to grant deference to the presidents determination. Lawyers for the state and city of Portland countered that the June 7 memo appeared to have been drafted at the height of unrest in Los Angeles to justify the deployment of the California National Guard and that it cannot be relied on for justification to deploy troops in Portland when the situation on the street here has been minimal in recent months. State attorney Scott Kennedy called Trumps assessment vague, incendiary hyperbole. He called the Guard mobilization one of the most dramatic infringements on state sovereignty in Oregons history and said its based largely on a fictional narrative. Trump and his defense secretary last Sunday called up 200 Oregon National Guard members for 60 days to protect federal immigration officers at the ICE building on South Macadam Avenue, but no troops have arrived there yet. The state and city of Portland filed suit hours later and followed with a motion seeking an immediate restraining order to block the deployment. Kennedy derided the federal governments contention of any threat of rebellion, saying its based on the broadest definition of rebellion involving opposition to its authority. That standard is so broad it can swallow a whole lot of conduct, he said. He also argued that minimal interference isnt enough to find either a threat of rebellion in Portland or that federal immigration officers are unable to enforce their laws. Immergut listened to arguments before a packed courtroom after peppering both sides with questions. She homed in on the federal code and what justification the government had to call the Guard into federal service. The 15th floor courtroom of the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in downtown Portland filled up quicky as did an overflow courtroom with a video feed. A public phone call-in line also was active. Mayor Keith Wilson and Portland City Attorney Robert Taylor were among those who were in the main courtroom. Oregons interim U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford also attended the hearing, sitting directly behind the U.S. Department of Justice lawyers arguing the case. Outside a handful of people demonstrated, holding signs that read, Guard: Go Home! Portland is the latest city to challenge the federalizing of National Guard troops on its streets, following Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Trump moved to federalize National Guard troops under a federal code that says presidents can call them up when regular forces are not enough to execute the laws of the United States, repel an invasion by a foreign nation or suppress a rebellion or the danger of a rebellion against the U.S. government. Such orders, the code says, shall be issued through the governors of the States or in the case of the District of Columbia, through the commanding general of its National Guard. Immergut asked Hamilton if a president has ever invoked the rebellion prong as a justification to federalize National Guard troops. Hamilton responded that the government cited it in its case in California, when Trump mobilized up to 4000 California National Guard members in June. That was classified as a riot, Immergut said. We havent had that here. She asked again, Is there any case where historically that rebellion statute has been invoked? Hamilton said he was unaware of one. We are arguing there is at least a danger of a rebellion that justifies the invocation of federalized troops, he said. Hamilton cited some recent incidents of 50 to 60 agitators attempting to block the ICE buildings driveway in Portland and the use of high-powered flashlights to blind the drivers of federal vehicles. He also urged Immergut to consider last weeks sniper shooting at an ICE facility in Dallas, which killed two detainees though the attack appeared aimed at federal officers. Do I consider what happens in other parts of the country to make this decision? Immergut asked. I have to find that law enforcement here is unable to do the job, dont I? Hamilton acknowledged that the circumstances in Portland were far different from those in California, where intense riots occurred in June when that state sought a temporary court order blocking the presidents control of troops. But he also said the president tailored the federalization of Guard troops in Portland to the threat here, calling up a much smaller number of 200 Guard members, likening it to the number of people on his flight from D.C. to Portland. Kennedy, the states lawyer, picked up on the judges line of questioning and said the timing of the troop deployment in Portland was wholly arbitrary. There must be more than just minimal interference with federal activity in the relevant time frame to justify a president finding the government is unable to execute its own laws. The greatest problems outside the ICE office in Portland occurred more than 90 days ago, he said. Only sporadic confrontations have occurred recently and local officers contained them quickly, he said. Senior Oregon Assistant Attorney General Brian Marshall said the state and city will suffer irreparable harm if the judge doesnt step in to block Trumps troop deployment. The National Guard members will not be under the governors command and wont be available for calls to emergencies or natural disasters, he said. Their presence in Portland also will drive up overtime costs for Portland police, who undoubtedly will have to work extra hours to handle increased demonstrations in response, he said. The facts matter, added Caroline Turco, a senior deputy city attorney. The presidents perception is not the reality on the ground. What happens in Texas is not relevant to whats happening here. Turco urged Immergut to block the troop deployment. Increased federal involvement is going to take us back to 2020, she said. We dont want the inflamed crowd that resulted from federal involvement at that time. Immergut asked the federal lawyer if the National Guard troops will get paid, considering the U.S. government shutdown. Hamilton said he wasnt sure how the shutdown would affect their payment, but argued that the payments would eventually be made and the slowdown shouldnt be a reason to pause the deployment. Its the presidents determination there is a very serious threat of violence that requires a prompt response, he said. If the judge issues a temporary restraining order, Hamilton asked that it be restricted to Portland and she put it on hold to allow the Trump administration to appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield issued separate statements Friday evening before the judges ruling, urging patience and calm as Immergut deliberated. I will continue to hold the line on Oregon values every time they are under threat and use my voice to stand up for the prosperity and freedom of every Oregonian, Kotek said. Theres no one I would rather fight with, and for, than the people of this great state. Thank you. Rayfield said that Oregonians should remember who we are. We dont need to get swept up in fear or political dramawe know how to look out for one another," he said. Portland has always been a place thats a little different, a little quirky, and that spirit of resilience and creativity is what will carry us through. The Talkin Ducks crew of Oregon Ducks legends Jordan Kent, Anthony Newman, George Wrightster, and The Oregonian/OregonLives Aaron Fentress, revisit the No. 2 Oregon Ducks 30-24 win at No. 7 Penn State and peek ahead to next weeks game against No. 8 Indiana. . . . Oregon running back Dierre Hill Jr. (23) hurdles Penn State linebacker Amare Campbell (24) during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in State College, Pa. Barry Reeger/AP Photo TALKIN DUCKS TOPICS Newman and Wrighster torch Fentress for picking Penn State. Reactions, game recap, biggest takeaways. How big was win for Oregon, Dan Lanning? How impressive was QB Dante Moores maturity and poise? UO stopped the run! But how? Oregons path to the playoffs looking good? Early preview of top 10 matchup with Indiana, good or bad time for a bye? More. . . . You can also catch Fentress and Wrighster twice per week on The Ducks Confidential podcast. . . . No. 2 Oregon (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) vs. No. 8 Indiana (5-0, 2-0) Portland design-build firm Arciform, which specializes in vintage and historic home improvements, is hosting a free kitchen design workshop Oct. 11 at the Chown Hardware Showroom in Northwest Portland. Bradley Horne, one of Arciforms senior designers, will lead the discussion on how kitchens have evolved, what makes older homes unique and how thoughtful design can enhance both function and charm. Participants will see examples of completed projects, learn practical tips and discover how to preserve a homes architectural story while upgrading its livability, say organizers. Representatives from Waterworks fixtures and Chown Hardware will also present ideas. Attendees, who could be actively planning a kitchen remodel or are simply curious about whats possible, can browse Chown Hardwares kitchen and bath showroom while enjoying coffee and pastries. Registration for the free event is required at arciform.com/events. Arciform has been performing renovation and preservation work on historic homes, landmarks and commercial buildings throughout the Pacific Northwest since 1997. The companys approach is to combine traditional new craftsmanship and modern engineering to maintain architectural integrity. They restore existing doors, windows and intricate millwork, and reimagine historic layouts to fit modern lifestyles. The statewide preservation organization Restore Oregon has awarded Arciform for saving the architectural and cultural heritage of buildings, like the 1882 Harlow Hotel in Portlands Pearl District, for future generations. Here are guidelines Arciform uses to balance a vintage kitchens character and individuality with modern convenience: 8 1 / 8 1915 kitchen remodel Preserve original materials whenever possible, but dont feel you need to be too precious about it. Chips, dents and scratches can be embraced as part of the story told through tile, moulding, brackets, windows or lighting. Repurpose older cabinets or sections of older cabinets, which may be shallower or lower, as a bar or coffee station, or specific prep area. Use older cabinets as a template for designing new cabinets. Model the proportions of stiles and rails, corbels, beadboard backsplash, or other defining characteristics. 5 1 / 5 1914 kitchen remodel Choose a timeless design. Dont be afraid to use materials that are not on trend at this moment. All materials, finishes and styles come and go and will eventually look dated, so feel free to draw from the past, advise Arciform desgners. When choosing materials, molding and hardware, look beyond the kitchen to other rooms in the house for inspiration, especially if the kitchen has been previously remodeled and has lost its original features. Dining room built-ins, living room bookcases and even bathroom cabinets can provide design details to carry into the kitchen. If flooring, tile, colors and lighting are related to adjoining spaces, the kitchen will feel more connected and seem larger. 7 1 / 7 1904 kitchen remodel Define the area: In older homes, kitchens were kept distinct from other rooms. If you open walls to the adjacent dining or living spaces, consider building in some sort of visual separation such as a cased opening or arch, pocket or French doors to preserve that traditional feeling. Add storage space: Pantries are one of the top ways to increase storage and allow other areas of the kitchen to lean into vintage. By providing a space where many items are visible at a glance, but stored away from sight, it frees up the need for upper cabinets, which can make a space feel smaller. Consider converting an adjacent closet or create a floor-to-ceiling cupboard with pull-out shelving. If you go: The free kitchen design workshop starts at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, at the Chown Hardware Showroom, 333 N.W. 16th Ave. in Portlands Northwest District (503-243-6500; portland@chown.com). Alejandra Marcos won a labor dispute settlement after she lost her job for speaking up about workplace conditions. Provided Alejandra Marcos wanted to make sure other employees didnt have to go through what she did when she spoke up about not having regular access to water and restroom breaks as a potato packager at the Kettle chips plant in Salem. Her bosses reduced her hours, then suspended her and fired her in August 2022 after she began organizing with other workers that year to protest their working conditions, according to her National Labor Relations Board complaint. A few days before her firing, Marcos was informed of a work rule in which employees are prohibited from raising concerns or complaining of terms or conditions of employment as a group, according to the labor board document. Marcos, a single mother of four children, this summer won a $35,000 settlement with Snyders-Lance Inc., which owns Kettle Foods and makes potato chips at the factory in Salem, and Elwood Staffing Services Inc., the company that hired Marcos to work there. The employers offered Marcos her job back, but she declined. In addition to the payment, the companies were required to train their employees about worker rights. They neither admitted nor denied wrongdoing in the agreement. Im not fighting for the money, Marcos said in Spanish. Im fighting for the injustice that we lived and for there to be changes so this doesnt happen to anyone again. Two other workers with similar issues accepted settlements in state court and with the National Labor Relations Board. Attorneys and representatives for Snyders-Lance and Elwood Staffing did not respond to requests seeking comment. James Regan, director of external communications with The Campbell Co, which owns Snyders-Lance, said officials disagree with the allegations made in this matter and consider it resolved. Kate Suisman, an attorney with the Northwest Workers Justice Project who represented Marcos and the other two women, said Marcos set an example for other workers to hold their employers accountable for following basic labor law. I could see that she (Marcos) didnt care about the money, Suisman said in Spanish. The money was a little to the side of what (Marcos) wanted justice for people in the past and people who will come. According to the settlement agreement Marcos reached with the labor board in June, a board agent had to conduct a required training on unfair labor practices for all managers at the plant within 60 days. A mid-September letter from the board says the company complied with the training requirement. Both employers also were required to post a notice for employees in Spanish and English for 60 days at the facility outlining worker rights under the National Labor Relations Act, include acting together with other employees for benefits and protection. The notice also specifies the employers will remove references to Marcos suspension and firing from their files. Marcos said she didnt want to be a worker pressured into not speaking out because they were afraid. Sometimes they (workers) are suffering the abuse, and they dont speak up because they are afraid of being let go, maybe because they dont know about the laws, she said. Suisman praised Marcos and noted some confidential agreements are now illegal under Oregons Workplace Fairness Act. The act prevents employers from entering into agreements that prevent disclosure of certain conduct, such as discrimination and harassment. Its very common that employers, attorneys, say, Oh, we wont settle this unless your clients agree to be completely confidential, Suisman said. Its just a way to cover up and keep doing the labor abuses. Oregon has begun implementing federally mandated changes that will kick some people off of nutrition aid for low-income households. Doug Beghtel/ The Oregonian LC- The Oregonian The state of Oregon is starting to roll out changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program as required under a massive Republican-led budget law that President Donald Trump signed in July. Along with tax cuts for businesses, cuts to Medicaid and increased funding for immigration enforcement, the law significantly narrows who qualifies for nutrition assistance. It expands work requirements for most adults, limits utility bill assistance and ends access to SNAP for refugees and asylum seekers. The changes will be phased in over the next year and wont immediately affect all 18% of Oregonians who currently receive SNAP benefits. However, starting this week, able-bodied adults without dependents in Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas, Yamhill, Benton and Hood River counties must meet new work requirements to keep receiving benefits. Those who dont work or volunteer at least 80 hours a month will be limited to just three months of SNAP assistance over a three-year period. The Oregon Department of Human Services estimates more than 313,000 Oregonians of the 757,000 who rely on SNAP will have to be re-screened due to the changes. Food insecurity is expected to increase around the state at a time when food banks are also facing food shortages. State advisers expect the state will have to carry a greater financial obligation to cover the cost of the program. Gov. Tina Kotek said she strongly opposes the SNAP changes. Our top priority now is making sure every impacted Oregonian knows whats changing and where to turn for help, Kotek said in a statement. No one should have to choose between food and rent, and my administration is mobilizing to ensure that those affected get the information and referrals for other help that they need. More adults must prove they work to qualify More adults are subject to work requirements under the new law. The law requires that able-bodied adults needing SNAP benefits for more than three months in a three-year period prove that they are working or volunteering 80 hours a month. Exemptions apply to some Native American individuals, pregnant women, people who cant work because of a physical or mental condition and individuals living with children younger than 14. Counties where the unemployment rate is above 10% can also waive the work requirements under the new law. However, no Oregon counties meet that threshold. Prior to the new law, the state of Oregon was able to waive work requirements in 30 of its 36 counties. The new rules will expand to all Oregon counties in January 2026. The law also raises the age limit for able-bodied adults who must prove they are working or volunteering enough hours from 55 to 65, and it lowers the age of children who exempt an adult from those requirements from age 18 to 14. More than half of Oregons SNAP recipients are in households with children and nearly 40% are in households with older adults or people with disabilities, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a nonprofit think tank. To find food resources in your community, visit the Oregon Department of Human Services food resources website. The law also removes exemptions for individuals experiencing homelessness, veterans and former foster youth. In May 2025, those exemptions accounted for about 24,300 people experiencing homelessness, 209 former foster youth and nearly 1,300 veterans. Utility allowance cuts Starting Nov. 1, households receiving energy assistance will see reductions in their SNAP benefits. Only households with at least one member who is over 60 and has a disability will automatically qualify for a utility allowance. The state estimates 29,000 households will lose this benefit, with an average cut of $58 per month. Refugees, asylum seekers lose eligibility The Oregon Department of Human Services estimates 3,000 people who are refugees, asylum seekers or other people conditionally allowed in the country will lose their SNAP benefits because of the changes. Dana Hittle, a senior adviser on Medicaid policy and system integration at the Oregon Department of Human Services, said the law undermines SNAPs main purpose of providing food to the most vulnerable. This is one of the most concerning proposed changes resulting in a loss of eligibility for noncitizens, including children of noncitizens, who have historically been able to receive SNAP benefits under certain circumstances, Hittle told the interim Senate Health Care Committee on Tuesday, noting that it would disproportionately impact mixed-status families where some family members are citizens and others are not. The federal law removed SNAP eligibility for the following groups: Individuals lawfully permitted for permanent residence under the Immigration and Nationality Act, including people born abroad to U.S. servicemen and Asian mothers primarily during the Vietnam and Korean Wars Iraqi or Afghan individuals granted a special immigrant via status. Refugees Asylees Victims or family members of victims of severe forms of trafficking Individuals who could face persecution on the basis of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion if deported Parolees Individuals who are granted conditional entry Individuals who are a battered spouse or dependent child U.S. citizens or nationals, permanent residents, certain Cuban and Haitian entrants and Compact of Free Association citizens remain eligible. SNAP cuts come as Oregon Food Bank sees reduced federal shipments The changes come as food pantries across the state are already facing food shortages. As of February, 30 truckloads of food from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that previously reached the Oregon Food Bank have been cancelled. Thats more than 1.4 million pounds of food. The Oregon Food Bank expected at least 60 more truckloads this year, the organization told the Capital Chronicle. We are working tirelessly to stock shelves at food assistance sites across Oregon and Southwest Washington, but the reality is that these decisions mean less food for families and empty shelves at pantries, Oregon Food Bank spokesperson Morgan Dewey said. While Oregon Food Bank leaders are deeply concerned that the federal SNAP changes will increase hunger and hardship in Oregon communities, Dewey said the organization is committed to providing Oregonians food assistance. -- Mia Maldonado, Oregon Capital Chronicle Oregon Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, the nations largest state-focused nonprofit news organization. The US president threatens to unleash all hell against the Palestinian Islamist group if it doesnt accept the proposal: There will be peace in the Middle East one way or the other U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday set a countdown for Hamas to accept Washingtons 20point peace plan for Gaza, which was made public last Monday and already has Israels approval. In a message on Truth Social, his social network, the Republican gave the Palestinian fundamentalist group an ultimatum that expires at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, Washington time, to respond. He threatened them with all hell if they do not accept the proposal. There will be peace in the Middle East one way or the other, he wrote. In his usual style, dotted with words in capital letters as if shouting, Trump posted that according to him Every Country has signed on to the plan, which contains demands Hamas has rejected again and again in the past. Among them is the obligation to disarm, something unthinkable for the Palestinian organization that governs the Gaza Strip. So far, Hamas has limited itself to saying from Qatar that it is examining the proposal, which offers it few guarantees and includes only one deadline: 72 hours for the prisoner exchange. The organization has demanded that the plan include concrete timetables for an Israeli withdrawal and hopes to secure other changes, such as the possibility of keeping part of its arsenals. On Monday, Hamas said it had not had access to the document before the White House released the final 20 points, which were tweaked at the last minute to accommodate Israeli demands. The peace plan, barely three pages long, was published immediately before a joint appearance by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump at the White House following a meeting in the Oval Office. The plan specifies the establishment of an immediate ceasefire and an exchange of the Israeli hostages still held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners detained in Israeli jails. It also foresees a gradual Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the opening of humanitarian aid, and the establishment of a provisional Palestinian government under the supervision of an international entity that would be headed by Trump himself and former British prime minister Tony Blair, along with other figures yet to be determined. But it does not set as its objective the establishment of a future Palestinian state a goal Netanyahu rejects with every fiber of his being; the document only makes a vague reference to dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous coexistence. Hamas, for its part, rejects the idea of an international body supervising a transitional government and argues that Palestinians even if their profile is technocratic rather than political should be in charge of the Gaza Strip. It has already resigned itself to not retaining control of the territory, but the agreement also does not foresee the Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the West Bank, taking charge. The document conditions any such future participation on a list of obligations subject to Israels judgment, which include renouncing the right to bring Israel before international tribunals. In his message, Trump warned the Palestinian Islamist group that this is their LAST CHANCE. If they do not approve the deal, All HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas, he said. Last Tuesday, Trump have Hamas a vague deadline of three or four days to respond to the plan. Had he been strict with his words, that ultimatum would have expired on Friday. Hamas has been a ruthless and violent threat, for many years, in the Middle East! They have killed (and made lives unbearably miserable), culminating with the October 7th MASSACRE, the U.S. president posted on his social media account. Trump claims that more than 25,000 Hamas soldiers have been killed in the Israeli offensive, and that most of those left are surrounded and MILITARILY TRAPPED, just waiting for me to say the word GO for their lives to be quickly extinguished. As for the rest, we know where and who you are, and you will be hunted down and killed. He also called on all innocent Palestinians to leave this area of potentially great future deaths and move to relatively safer areas of the Gaza Strip. All of them, he promises, will be cared for by those that are waiting to help. Fortunately for Hamas, however, they will be given one last chance! The U.S. president also argued that the agreement spares the lives of the remaining Hamas fighters, adding: We will have PEACE in the Middle East one way or the other. The violence and bloodshed will stop. RELEASES [sic] THE HOSTAGES, ALL OF THEM, INCLUDING THE BODIES OF THOSE THAT ARE DEAD, NOW! The message ended with Trump repeating: THERE WILL BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Organizations and protesters gather outside of the I.C.E. building in South Portland on Thursday, October 2, 2025. Allison Barr/The Oregonian The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Portland has been thrust into the national spotlight by President Trump who has spun a dark and often misleading narrative about the citys robust and sometimes violent history of protesting. His focus lately has been on the rather humble three-story building south of downtown on a street not far from apartment buildings, coffee shops and a spaghetti restaurant where families dine under ornate chandeliers as the Willamette River rolls by. The building itself has become a character in the real-life drama that has roiled the city and state as Trump has activated 200 Oregon National Guard troops to protect it. They havent arrived yet. Heres a look at the history of the building, whats happening outside and what happens inside. Fiction vs. reality Much has been made of the disconnect between the Trump administrations wild descriptions of war-torn destruction -- and whats really happening. Take Wednesday night. About one dozen people stood on the sidewalk next to the ICE building, including a man dressed in a yellow bird onesie with an American flag as a cape. About another dozen people, including a woman with a small fluffy white dog, stood on the sidewalk across the street. On another corner, a woman sat on a camp chair narrating a live-stream. The scene became a bit tense when a group of federal officers suddenly ran onto the driveway to let a car go out of the building and another one in. They retreated soon after and calm returned. Thats not unlike what has happened many nights since June, when demonstrations against the Trump administrations immigration policies appeared to peak. Federal officers and Portland police have arrested about 60 people at the building on misdemeanor and felony allegations including assaulting officers, destroying government property and failing to follow lawful orders, many of them at the outset of the protests. In addition to those people, federal officers have briefly detained others at the building and have cited them on low-level violations like trespassing and disorderly conduct. Theyre typically ordered to appear in court at a future date. Violation hearings are held once a month in U.S. District Court and punishments generally involve a fine. Trumps attention and rhetoric has led to a recent bump in demonstrations, including about 200 people who converged on the site Sunday night after Trump ordered the troops to Portland. Police arrested two people that night after they said they saw participants with opposing views fighting. Why is the building here? The city granted land-use approval for the building in 2011. The approval came after the owner of the building entered into a long-term lease with the General Services Administration to operate a processing center, according to the city. Before the agreement, federal immigration authorities operated two offices in the Pearl District and downtown. The ICE office in South Portland handles the cases of immigrants from a handful of counties in Oregon and four in Washington, according to ICEs website, which doesnt offer much other information about its operations. The Portland facility is one of three similar immigration offices in Oregon. The others are in Eugene, which also has seen small and largely peaceful protests outside, and in Medford. The ICE office in Portland also was a focal point of media attention in 2018 under Trumps first administration when hundreds of occupiers set up camp outside the building, with a plan to stay there until the facility was shut down as part of a movement that became known as Occupy ICE PDX. What happens inside? ICE, like all law enforcement agencies, has facilities to process arrests, check-ins, and other activities in support of law enforcement efforts, Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said in an email. For some reason rioters have an obsession with this facility. The office is where ICE agents take people after theyre arrested and before theyre sent to a long-term detention facility. It also serves as a place for immigrants to do required check-ins with immigration authorities and for other immigration-related appointments. People go in there for various kinds of interviews, said Robert Brown, a volunteer with the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition. U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, a Democrat who represents portions of Portland and the rest of Oregons 1st Congressional District, recently toured the building with other members of Congress. They were told about 70 people go through the field office each month for processing, she said. The building also has temporary cells where people are held while theyre being processed. Under the buildings conditional land-use approval with the city, immigration authorities cannot hold people for more than 12 hours. Thats a rule that Portland city officials last month said ICE had broken 25 times. The city gave ICE 30 days to address the violations. City officials have said ICEs violation of the land-use approval could put the facility at risk of being closed. Its unknown how many staff and agents work at the building, but Mayor Keith Wilson said last Friday said there was a sudden influx of federal officers at the building. The agents who typically work at the building include ICE officers, Enforcement and Removal Operations agents and officers with the Federal Protective Service, whose job is to secure federal government buildings. McLaughlin, with Homeland Security, didnt answer questions about how many people work out of the ICE office in Portland and how many are there now. Oregon doesnt have a place for long-term detention of immigrants Oregon became the nations first sanctuary state in 1987. Under the sanctuary laws, which were strengthened in 2021, a person may not operate a private immigration detention facility within the state. People detained by immigration officials in Oregon can be released and asked to later check-in with immigration authorities or they can be transported to the immigration detention center in Tacoma, which can hold close to 1,600 people. The detention center is operated by The GEO Group, a private company, for the federal government. The company also runs several other detention centers across the country, including several in California, and has been sued for underpaying detainees who work at the facilities and has faced complaints of use of force and unsanitary conditions of the centers. The company has also faced lawsuits over the treatment of immigrant detainees. Whats happening with immigration enforcement in Oregon? Oregons largest immigration raid took place in June 2007 at the Fresh Del Monte Produce processing plant in Portland. At the time, it was also one of the most aggressive immigration crackdowns in the country, with 168 workers arrested. The George W. Bush administration had increased worksite immigration enforcement in an attempt to penalize employers who knowingly hired workers without legal status. There have been no raids of that scale in the state since. Today, Oregon is home to an estimated 120,000 undocumented immigrants, or 2.9% of the states population, according to data from the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan think tank. Since Trump took office a second time in January, federal officers have arrested at least 306 people in the state, according to the Immigration Enforcement Dashboard, an independent project developed by Relevant Research with data from the Deportation Data Project at the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of California, Berkeley, to help provide information on the immigration crackdown. But the data goes through only the end of July after peaking in June, and the number is likely an undercount because the federal government hasnt made the arrest information readily accessible to the public. Even though the number of immigration arrests had quadrupled in Oregon through early June this year compared to last year, the state remains among the bottom tier of states for the number of detainments. California, for example, saw more than 10,000 immigration arrests from January through late July, and that could also be an undercount. Here are some of the recent high-profile immigration arrests in Oregon or involving Oregon residents Whats happening in Oregon now is much more horrific than in the past in the state, said Brown of the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition, citing indiscriminate arrests, officers being very physical and breaking windows of cars they stop. They wear masks and they dont identify themselves and people dont understand whats going on, he said. In previous years, he said, ICE agents would identify themselves and would wear badges and uniforms. Another difference is that immigration authorities are asking immigrants to go into the ICE offices for check-in appointments with short notice. Before, if immigrants were following the rules, they didnt have to go into the office to check-in as frequently and were given ample notice, he said. Its also very scary for people, Brown said. They dont know why theyre being called in on such short notice. People have been detained during those check-in appointments at the ICE office in Portland and also in Eugene, said Brown and other immigration advocates. The Trump administration early on said it would arrest only people who had been charged with crimes, he said, but the arrests have swept up those who have done nothing wrong. They are definitely working with impunity, he said. -- Maxine Bernstein of The Oregonian/OregonLive contributed to this story. President Donald Trumps escalating rhetoric about Portland peaked last weekend when he seized control of 200 Oregon National Guard troops to deploy to what he claimed was a war-ravaged city. Almost immediately, state and local Democratic leaders sued to block the extraordinary move and sought a temporary restraining to stop the deployment. The rapid-fire response, which a federal judge plans to rule on as early as Friday afternoon, was nearly a year in the making. Gov. Tina Kotek and a swath of state officials began meeting last December to plan around potential ways in which a second Trump administration could target Oregon, including a federal takeover of the National Guard, her office said in response to questions from The Oregonian/OregonLive. According to a detailed timeline, the focus and frequency of such planning sessions intensified in late spring after the president deployed troops to Los Angeles to crack down on demonstrations against federal immigration raids. In mid-September, as it appeared increasingly likely that Trump would intervene similarly in Portland, the governor pulled together local officials, law enforcement and emergency management departments in a manner commonly used before or during a natural disaster. The political earthquake struck Oregons most populous city less than two weeks later, when the president announced Sept. 27 on social media that he would use the full force of the military to quell protests directed at the U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement facility in Portland. Kotek said that she and other state and local leaders were in lockstep and well-prepared at the moment of impact, and have continued to be in the week since. Our ability to respond efficiently to the Presidents order of military intervention in recent days wasnt by accident, it was by design, the governor told The Oregonian/OregonLive. Oregon is ready to push back on the Trump administrations baseless attempts to undermine our values and attack our constitutional rights. In a statement Friday, Abigail Jackson, a White House deputy press secretary, blasted Koteks remarks. This is a pathetic admission from local leaders who have refused to take action while rioters in Portland committed arson and assaulted police officers, Jackson said. If local officials had spent half as much time trying to stop Portlands out-of-control violence as they did planning their resistance PR tour against President Trump, Portlands residents would be much safer. Trump has claimed in increasingly overheated language that the citys ICE building is under siege amid ongoing demonstrations at the site, which have involved no more than several dozen people in recent weeks. The president promised in a White House press release Tuesday to Crush Violent Radical Left Terrorism in Portland. The timeline from the governors office, which the Oregonian/OregonLive requested, offers the most comprehensive snapshot to date of the unprecedented planning by state and local leaders to combat a federal incursion of a major American city and shows the work started weeks before Trump returned to office. In early December, Kotek pulled together Oregons top Democrats which included the newly elected attorney general, secretary of state and state treasurer to begin outlining potential threats posed by the incoming president. The concerns covered ranged from the likely impact of tariffs on businesses to mass deportations to canceled federal funding. Officials at the time also discussed the prospect of Trump wresting control of the states National Guard from the governor, Koteks office said. The topic of how to uphold Oregon values no matter what resurfaced again in January during a monthly meeting held with Koteks 12-member public safety cabinet, said spokesperson Lucas Bezerra. The discussion made clear that the governor expected the cabinet to coordinate and remain in regular communication regarding potential actions by the federal government that would impact grants and policies, Bezerra said. In addition, the offices of Kotek and Attorney General Dan Rayfield began holding regular briefings and scenario planning sessions together in May. Over the course of five separate sessions, which at times included representatives of the Oregon Military Department, the two offices began to outline how the state might respond should Trump federalize the Oregon National Guard, invoke the Insurrection Act or send state troops from another state into Portland. After the president federalized members of the California National Guard in early June and deployed them to Los Angeles, Kotek tried to use the full measure of her authority and the authority of state government to prevent this outcome from playing out in Oregon, Bezerra said. She directed her staff to convene relevant state agencies to gather information, set up open lines of communication, coordinate with other states named by the president, and get up to speed on the Constitution and laws that govern state versus federal authority, he said. These conversations took place on an as needed basis. Kotek and Rayfields offices held another scenario planning meeting in September as Trump began to publicly float the prospect of sending the National Guard to Portland, accusing anti-ICE protesters of ruining the city and threatening to wipe them out. Soon after, Chris Warner, Koteks chief of staff, brought his counterparts from Portland Mayor Keith Wilson and Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pedersons offices into the mix, the governors office said. By that time, a team of top Portland officials had already started meeting weekly for their own scenario planning, city spokesperson Jaymee Cuti told The Oregonian/OregonLive. The group, comprised of the citys police, human resources and emergency management bureaus as well as the city attorney and deputy city administrator for public safety, convened for the first time on Aug. 28 just two days after Labor Secretary and former Oregon U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer told Trump during a televised cabinet meeting, I hope you will come to Portland, Oregon, and crack down. On Sept. 18, as the threats came into focus and intelligence suggested an increased likelihood of a federal takeover, Kotek launched a formal coordination effort with a host of agencies and local governments, Bezerra said. Among them are the Oregon State Police, the Oregon Military Department, the Oregon Department of Emergency Management, the Portland Police Bureau, the city of Portland, the Multnomah County Sheriffs Office and Multnomah County. The group has met every other day since Sept. 27. Jonna Papaefthimiou, Oregons state resilience officer, likened the effort to preparing for wildfires, severe weather or tsunamis. We take the time to assess potential outcomes, develop response scenarios, and engage the appropriate personnel to respond effectively and minimize negative impact to communities, Papaefthimiou said. Kotek praised Rayfield, Wilson and other partners for helping position Oregon to push back on senseless attacks on our state. We will stand together and fight back, she said. Hillary Borrud contributed to this report. Portland police officers responded to a protest at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in South Portland on Thurs., Oct. 2, 2025. Jonathan Bach/The Oregonian The U.S. Department of Justice says it will launch a widescale probe of the Portland Police Bureau following the arrest of a conservative online journalist and influencer Thursday. The first news of the full investigation came not from official sources, however, but was blasted out on social media by the independent journalist, Nicholas Sortor, just hours after he was released from the downtown Portland jail. In an email, DOJ spokesperson Natalie Baldassarre said Sortors statement was confirmed but provided no other details. Around 7:30 a.m., Sortor posted on X that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi had personally called him to deliver news of the investigation. Speaking to the media later Friday morning, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called the arrest extremely troubling, claiming that Sortor was ambushed by antifa and was defending himself. Sortor said the investigation will be led by Harmeet K. Dhillon, who is serving as assistant attorney general for civil rights, and in earlier years represented Andy Ngo, editor-at-large at The Post Millennial, in civil litigation. On social media, Dhillon posted a letter addressed to the city attorney and Police Chief Bob Day, warning the city may be using its policing powers to engage in viewpoint discrimination. The letter cited as evidence the arrest of Sortor, the lack of the arrest of a suspect in the assault reported by Post Millennial reporter Katie Daviscourt at a Tuesday protest, as well as recent moves by the City Council finding the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in breach of its land-use permit. We have not reached any conclusions on these allegations, the letter says, asking the city to turn over body-worn camera footage and other documents. Dhillon posted another message on social media, saying that it was FO time, perhaps a reference to the finding out phase in a popular vulgar idiom. Sortors message didnt mince words either. Hey @PortlandPolice: you made a big freaking mistake. You PROVED what weve all been saying for years: youre CORRUPT and CONTROLLED by violent Antifa thugs who terrorize the streets, Sortor wrote online. The Trump DOJ WILL NOT allow Portland Police to continue to do the bidding of Antifa. Sortor, a 27-year-old resident of Washington, D.C., was taken into custody Thursday night on suspicion of second-degree disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor, by Portland police officers. Claims of the bureaus alleged allegiance to antifa may come as a surprise to Portlanders, given that 2020s protests usually devolved into pitched confrontations between local officers and black-clad crowds. The Police Bureau filed 6,000 use of force reports alone during protests that year, and arrested nearly 1,000 left-wing protesters. The question of who qualifies as a journalist is often hotly debated, as the traditional norms of the profession are not always followed by influencers who publish directly onto the internet. The First Amendment broadly protects using a camera to document public activity under existing press freedoms. Portland police are already operating under a 2014 settlement with the Department of Justice, stemming from an investigation into disproportionate use of force against people with mental illness. Nick Sortor, 27, was arrested by Portland police officers during a protest at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in South Portland on Thurs., Oct. 2, 2025. Matthew Kish/The Oregonian Details of the allegations against Sortor remain murky. Videos show the 27-year-old wearing a grey hoody and standing still as he was handcuffed behind his back and led away by officers with the bureaus bike squad. He was booked by midnight and released without conditions sometime before 6 a.m. Bill Melugin, a Fox News correspondent embedded in Portland, wrote that he spoke with Sortor shortly after his release and reported that Sortor was filming federal agents as they deployed chemical spray on protesters when he was swarmed by protesters and thrown into a flower bed. Someone threw a punch, Melguin wrote. Nick says he swung back and missed, then disengaged and walked over to a group of Portland PD. Other videos showed Sortor grabbing a burning American flag from a protester and extinguishing the fire. Sortor made pugilistic remarks after covering a protest on Wednesday: If I defend myself, *I* will be the one who gets arrested. Not the assailant. Antifa is in full control out here. President Trump NEEDS to step in Sortor is set to be arraigned on the charge Monday. In prior years, many protesters who were arrested saw their cases dropped shortly after their arrest, though Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez vowed to take a sterner tack when he took office this year. Pat Dooris, a spokesperson for the DA, said only that the case was still under review. Portland Mayor Keith Wilson was attending a federal court hearing regarding the looming deployment of 200 federalized troops to the city and wasnt immediately available for comment. A spokesperson said the mayor has full faith in the Portland Police Bureaus commitment to protecting public safety, upholding the rights of all individuals to lawfully assemble, and impartially enforcing the law. Mike Benner, a police spokesperson, acknowledged that officers had arrested a person with a significant social media presence, as well as others representing a range of political viewpoints. As with all such situations, arrests are based on observed behavior and probable cause not political affiliation or public profile, he said. People clustered outside the federal U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in South Portland on Thursday around 11:30 p.m. Jonathan Bach/The Oregonian Portland police arrested three people for allegedly fighting outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in the South Waterfront on Thursday night. The arrests happened after federal agents detained two people who were fighting around 8 p.m. and then released them. Around 11 p.m., additional fights broke out and Portland police arrested 49-year-old Angela Davis of Vernonia and 43-year-old Son Mi Yi of Portland. Also arrested was 27-year-old Nicholas Sortor of Washington, D.C. Sortor describes himself on X, where he has 1.2 million followers, as a journalist who covers on-scene stories the mainstream media wont. The three were arrested on allegations of disorderly conduct and booked into Multnomah County jail. Sortor and Mi Yi have been released. On Wednesday, Sortor wrote on X that Portland was a hellhole. He added: If I defend myself, *I* will be the one who gets arrested. Not the assailant. Antifa is in full control out here. President Trump NEEDS to step in Democrats refute Republicans accusations: undocumented immigrants do not have the right to public health care, nor do they request it For the first time in nearly seven years, the U.S. government is partially shut down. Democrats and Republicans blame each other for reaching a situation that is tragic for many families who depend on public funds and for those who will lose their jobs. Meanwhile, accusations and lies have swirled around the main stumbling block in the fruitless bipartisan negotiations: the funding of health care programs. And once again, as has been the case since Donald Trump returned to the White House, the Republican administration is focusing on undocumented immigrants as the reason for the disagreement. The administration accuses Democrats of imposing health care for immigrants without legal residency as a condition for reaching an agreement. But Democrats deny this and point out that the insurmountable obstacle is the elimination of health insurance subsidies, approved during the pandemic and now expiring, which would leave millions of American citizens without assistance. Well probably have a shutdown because one of the things they want to do is they want to give incredible Medicare, Cadillac, the Cadillac Medicare, to illegal immigrants, Trump said Tuesday, hours before the deadline for reaching an agreement. They want to have illegal aliens come into our country and get massive health care at the cost to everybody else. In the past two days, other members of his administration have echoed his claims. Democrats are holding the American government HOSTAGE so they can give FREE health care to ILLEGAL ALIENS, House Speaker Mike Johnson wrote on social media Wednesday. And Vice President J.D. Vance accused Democrats of wanting to take from the American people in order to give taxpayer-funded healthcare to illegal immigrants. However, Democrats have not called for medical assistance for undocumented migrants, who are not eligible for federal programs. Its a flat-out lie, said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer. Chuck Schumer at the Capitol in Washington on September 30. ALLISON ROBBERT (EFE) Its a compelling argument that Democrats want to provide health care to undocumented immigrants, but its simply not true in terms of the cuts theyre trying to reverse, said Larry Levitt, executive vice president of health policy at KFF, a research organization dedicated to health issues. Rights taken away Democrats cant possibly want to restore federal health coverage to undocumented immigrants because they never had it in the first place. By law, residents who are in the country illegally cannot access federal benefits, including healthcare. The accusation, repeated by Republicans, is based on the fact that Democrats support restoring the right to health care to migrants who are legally residing in the country and who have been left out from Medicaid, the federal program for low-income earners, by the presidents tax reform, the so-called big, beautiful bill. These are refugees and asylum seekers, beneficiaries of programs like humanitarian parole, who have temporary permission to be in the United States, but whom Trumps law has left without access to doctors. Despite their legal status, the president considers them to be undocumented. According to a KFF analysis, approximately 1.4 million migrants could lose health insurance coverage under Trumps new law, passed by Congress this summer. But thats not why Democrats have refused to budge. Federal law prohibits the use of taxpayer dollars to provide medical coverage to undocumented individuals. And there is nothing in anything that we have proposed that is trying to change that law, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries declared on Tuesday, responding to the accusation. We are fighting for the health care of the American people. Obamacare at stake Jeffries is referring to the elimination of tax subsidies that make health insurance premiums cheaper in the marketplaces established by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), better known as Obamacare. The subsidies expire at the end of the year, and if theyre not extended, millions of people will see their premiums skyrocket. People will see their premiums double, in many cases by hundreds or thousands of dollars. Thats the ongoing debate, and it has nothing to do with immigrants. It impacts anyone who buys coverage individually, says Anthony Wright, executive director of Families USA, a health rights advocacy organization. What theyre trying to hide is that costs are rising for everyone, that millions of Americans will lose their coverage as a result of these significant premium increases. Hakeem Jeffries and other House Democrats in Washington on September 30. Annabelle Gordon (Reuters) In a country where healthcare costs are exorbitant, Barack Obama created the ACA to lower them. Obamacare implemented a health insurance marketplace that offers coverage at lower prices to citizens who dont have insurance through their jobs. Some 22 million people benefit from it. These include restaurant and retail workers, small business owners and employees, barbers, hairdressers, Uber gig workers, ranchers, farmers, musicians and artists, real estate agents, dentists These are workers who cannot access Medicaid because they are above the poverty line, but for whom the subsidies allow them to pay for their insurance, since the premiums do not exceed 8% of their salaries. Wright explains that, without these benefits, that percentage could rise to 25% of their salaries. For example, for someone paying $400 a month, the premium could increase to $1,400 a month. Experts estimate that some four million people will be left without health insurance due to their inability to afford it. Another cut proposed by the presidents tax reform, and opposed by Democrats, relates to the funding the government allocates to hospitals for emergency services. By law, hospitals must provide care for urgent cases, such as a heart attack, a car accident, or a gunshot wound, regardless of the patients immigration status. The law also contemplates cutting reimbursement to hospitals for these services. Medicaid for Latinos The law also includes the largest-ever cut to Medicaid, which will affect disadvantaged communities such as African Americans and Latinos. Tens of millions of Americans, including millions of Latinos, rely on Obamacare, Medicaid, and other government programs to access affordable health care, feed their families and care for them. We applaud lawmakers fighting to address this crisis and the consequences that working families will face, said Janet Murguia, president of UnidosUS, in a statement yesterday. More than 20 million Latinos rely on Medicaid, including half of all children in that community. The government shutdown could extend until the next budget review, on November 21. The two parties positions on health care spending appear, for the moment, irreconcilable. And migrants continue to be the Administrations recurring theme to explain it away, even if it isnt true. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition EPIQ Machinery Inaugurates New Head Office in Downtown Montreal Eloise Harvey (far right), CEO of EPIQ Machinery, lead the ribbon cutting ceremony with Veronique Dufour, EPIQ Digital; Rob Normandeau, Seafort Capital; and Naji Elabiad, President and COO, EPIQ Machinery. Eloise Harvey (far right), CEO of EPIQ Machinery, lead the ribbon cutting ceremony with Veronique Dufour, EPIQ Digital; Rob Normandeau, Seafort Capital; and Naji Elabiad, President and COO, EPIQ Machinery. Oct. 3, 2025 - EPIQ Machinery inaugurated its new head office on the third floor of the iconic Canada Cement building in downtown Montreal. The ceremony was attended by representatives of the majority shareholder SeaFort Capital, minority shareholders, operators, employees, customers, and partners. According to EPIQ, these new premises represents a significant milestone for the Canadian equipment manufacturer. The new location will become the company's nerve center and will house all members of the executive team and corporate functions, as well as the EPIQ Digital team (industrial digitalization) and part of the EPIQ Mecfor team (specialized vehicles). "This head office is the affirmation of our vision: to create an iconic Canadian brand in the heavy equipment industry," said Eloise Harvey, CEO of EPIQ Machinery. "We want our employees and partners to be proud to work with EPIQ, for our customers to trust us, and for future generations to be proud of what we have built." Over the past four years, EPIQ Machinery has more than doubled its sales volume and now has 1,000 employees worldwide. Its growth is driven by organic development, the integration of partner technologies, and targeted business acquisitions. Yannick Beaule, EPIQ's Chief Revenue Officer, stated, "After these years of strong growth, our priority is shifting towards operational excellence, which will be driven by three pillars: talent, processes, and technology. This will be supported by our corporate shared services functions and the deployment of EPIQWAY." The company noted that it also plans to deploy further efforts to strengthen its presence in Europe. EPIQ Machinery transforms heavy industrial material handling with intelligent, end-to-end Industry 4.0 solutions seamlessly integrating automation, robotics, and digitalization. Merging the strengths of a technology innovator and a heavy machinery manufacturer, EPIQ delivers tailored, scalable systems. SOURCE: EPIQ Machinery Yesterday, Google announced that Google Workspace users who have access to Gmail client-side encryption will now be able to use full end-to-end encryption in the Gmail client even if the recipient uses a non-Gmail email provider. Nice! End-to-end encryption means that the content of your email is fully encrypted by the Gmail client before it gets sent off to Googles email, protecting it from eavesdropping. (Note, the subject line and addressed recipients are NOT covered by end-to-end encryption.) Google Google says you can now send end-to-end encrypted emails from the Gmail client even to recipients who are using another email service, like Outlook or their own email server. Upon receipt, the recipient will see a notification that the content of the email is encrypted, and must confirm their login to decrypt the email to read. End-to-end encryption started rolling out on September 30th to all users who have access to Gmail client-side encryption, but it could take up to 15 days before all users have access to the feature. One central Pennsylvania business is expanding its footprint into the Midwest. On Oct. 2, in a press release, the Swatara Twp.-based business Flagger Force announced that it is expanding its traffic control services to Ohio. Mike Doner, Flagger Force President and CEO, said that this expansion was the ideal next step for the business, noting their geographical proximity to the Buckeye State. Flagger Force was founded in central Pennsylvania, making our expansion into the neighboring state of Ohio a natural step in our continued growth strategy, Doner said. Columbus is a growing area with significant infrastructure investment. Expanding Flagger Forces presence into Ohio allows us to localize our operations and crews, while bringing large-scale resources, in-depth experience, and innovative technologies to our clients critical infrastructure projects across the state. The new facility will be located at 3776 E. 5th Ave., Columbus. It will serve as the central meeting point for employees and provide space for in-person training and other company activities. Since the companys inception in 2002, it has grown to employ over 2,500 people across Pennsylvania and is expanding into 15 states, such as Florida, Tennessee, Indiana, and Kentucky. We look forward to continuing to build strong partnerships with clients across Ohio and helping to keep the lights on, gas flowing, and roads operational, Doner said. At Flagger Force, we are committed to keeping our communities moving, and we achieve that by not only supporting critical infrastructure projects but also by providing gainful employment with advancement opportunities and investing in the areas we serve. By Dan Nephin, LNP, Lancaster, Pa. (TNS) One by one, more than a half-dozen victims stood in a Lancaster County courtroom Wednesday and described how John Riley violated them and betrayed their trust by secretly recording them in a Franklin & Marshall College bathroom and elsewhere on campus. The first woman spoke for more than 15 minutes, shouting at times, as she recounted the impact of Rileys actions. Riley, 20, was in court to be sentenced on nearly 60 charges, including invasion of privacy, intercepting communications and criminal use of a communication facility. He pleaded guilty June 17. The victims, mostly women plus two men, were in court seeking accountability. All who spoke during the 90-minute sentencing hearing were first-year students, as was Riley, when the crimes happened, soon after college began in fall 2023. The first woman to address the court and another woman found the camera tucked in a toilet paper dispenser and notified campus police. I have not felt clean in 674 days, she said. She recalled befriending Riley and letting him borrow a sewing kit so he could use it on Halloween costumes. Rileys girlfriend dressed as a Playboy Bunny and he was Hugh Hefner, she said, noting how disturbing the costume choice was, given Rileys crimes. She spoke of having to meet with a Lancaster police detective to look at images so she could identify herself and others. She saw one picture of herself sitting on a toilet, wearing a T-shirt and silver earrings her mother had given her. I felt so dirty, she said. She threw out the T-shirt, and returned the earrings to her mother. She did not want to look at herself. Some random detective saw every inch of my body, she said. So, too, did other people as they tried to identify victims. John and his actions robbed me of the will to live. He ruined my self-image, she said. I feel like all the pain and hurt (felt by the victims) is my fault because I found a camera. ... Its not my fault I found the camera. Its Johns. Riley sat with his defense attorney, largely looking down and crying at times. The other student who found the camera said she went to Rileys room and told him about finding it in the bathroom and that someone would be going to jail because of it. She said Rileys face grew pale, and he said he needed to take a walk, leaving his dorm room door open behind him. It was the last time she saw him. Later, when she learned it was Riley who placed the camera in the bathroom, she wondered if she had unwittingly given him time to destroy evidence. How could a friend I trusted do this? I felt betrayed, lied to and manipulated. John never was my friend, she said. Now, she said, she shines her phone camera in air vents and toilet paper holders when she goes out. She has panic attacks. Its funny, almost, that I feel eyes on me now when I didnt when there were, she said. Thousands of videos Riley spoke briefly. I am sorry. I could say that a million times, and it will never erase what I have done ... The trauma I caused, that cannot and will not be forgotten. He said his mental health issues he is diagnosed with autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and bipolar disorder were not excuses. I am willing and ready to be held accountable, he said. I understand everyone heres pain. I understand that I caused that. Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Ponessa said there were more victims, but only 19 could be identified. There were thousands of videos, Ponessa said, adding that a detective spent hundreds of hours trying to identify people. If that camera had not been found, he would have continued to do this, Ponessa said. Ponessa asked for a sentence of 38 months imprisonment. Defense Attorney Heather Reiner didnt ask for a specific sentence length, only that it be a county sentence, meaning a maximum of two years. Reiner called a psychiatrist who testified that Riley sought treatment including inpatient treatment in Ohio for two weeks and has been undergoing outpatient counseling and taking medication. The psychiatrist said Riley is at low risk of reoffending if he continues as he has been. Reiner noted that Riley has been in the community and has sought to better himself. She said he took responsibility by admitting what he had done and pleading guilty. Judge Dennis Reinaker told the victims that he appreciated their eloquence, and even more so their courage in speaking. As an F&M graduate, you made me proud, he said. Under the law, he said, he is required to impose the least restrictive punishment to achieve an outcome and then sentenced Riley to eight to 23 months in Lancaster County Prison, followed by nine years of probation. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on his X account this Friday a new attack against a boat in Caribbean waters, off the coast of Venezuela. This is the fourth such attack since the United States began these extrajudicial military operations in early September, which were carried out without requesting authorization from Congress. This time, the announcement was not made by Donald Trump, as on previous occasions, although Hegseth said in the post that the orders came from the president. He added that the strike was against a narco-trafficking vessel affiliated with Designated Terrorist Organizations in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility a reference to the U.S. Southern Command. He provided no evidence for any of these claims, and none has been offered for previous operations either. According to the Pentagon chief, four male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel were killed in the strike. The vessel was transporting substantial amounts of narcotics - headed to America to poison our people, continued Hegseths message, which linked the military operation to the worst drug-related public health crisis in U.S. history. These strikes will continue until the attacks on the American people are over! the Defense Secretary also warned. Pete Hegseth addresses Army senior officers on Tuesday at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia. Andrew Harnik (via REUTERS) A few minutes later, Trump shared on his social network, Truth Social, the same video released by Hegseth, showing the moment the speedboat blew up. He also said it was carrying enough drugs to kill between 25,000 and 50,000 people. Again, he provided no evidence for this. The attack comes after U.S. media reported on Thursday that Trump had sent a letter to Congress indicating his decision to consider the country as being in a non-international war with the drug cartels, and describing their members as unlawful combatants. The notice followed the extrajudicial attacks that, over the past month, have sunk at least three boats (Trump has mentioned four, but all indications are that he referred to the same boat on two occasions) that allegedly carried drugs in international Caribbean waters. At least 17 people have died in these operations. A group of Democratic senators had demanded explanations from the White House in a letter regarding the legality of the attacks, reminding it that Congress must give the president permission to authorize a military strike, in accordance with the U.S. War Powers Resolution of 1973. Rising tension The news of the existence of that document coincided on Thursday, as tensions rose in Washington and Caracas over the imminence of a possible attack, with Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez reporting the presence of five U.S. combat aircraft flying near Venezuela, over the countrys central northern coast. The news of the documents existence coincided Thursday with Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopezs denunciation of the presence of five U.S. fighter jets flying near Venezuela, north of the Caribbean countrys central coast. It is a provocation, a major threat against the nations security, the general declared. The White House accuses Nicolas Maduros government of leading a criminal organization dedicated to drug trafficking, and in recent weeks, the idea has spread among analysts in Washington that Trump could take advantage of the situation to force, with the determined push of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a regime change in Venezuela. In an armed conflict, one nation can attack anothers combatants even when engaged in combat. It can also detain them and subject them to military trials. By characterizing the campaign against the cartels as an armed conflict, the Trump administration appeared to claim extraordinary war powers to justify the attacks on the boats in the Caribbean. Many experts and human rights organizations consider these attacks illegal. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt justified in her press briefing on Friday the fact that Trump is not involving Congress in this offensive. She also warned that he has been very clear, dating back to the campaign trail, when he promised the American people he was going to end the drug epidemic. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Patricia Routledge poses for a portrait at her Australian production of Admission One Shilling on April 30, 2014 in Sydney, Australia. Routledge died on Friday at the age of 96. (Photo by El Pics/Getty Images) Getty Images Award-winning actress Patricia Routledge, best known for playing housewife Hyacinth Bucket on the British television show Keeping Up Appearances, has died. She was 96. Her agent, Max Massenbach, told the New York Times in a statement that she died in her sleep after a short illness. Even at 96 years old, Dame Patricias passion for her work and for connecting with live audiences never waned, just as new generations of audiences have continued to find her through her beloved television roles, the statement said. She will be dearly missed by those closest to her and by her devoted admirers around the world. Born in 1929, Routledge studied theater at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. She made her Broadway debut in 1966 in Hows the World Treating You. She then won a Tony Award in 1968 for the Broadway musical Darling of the Day. She later won an Laurence Olivier Award for her performance in a 1988 production of Candide in London. But Routledge is probably best known for playing the snobby suburban wife Hyacinth Bucket who insisted her last name was pronounced Bouquet on Keeping Up Appearances. The show aired in Britain from 1990 to 1995. It first appeared on American television in 1993, where it made regular appearances on PBS stations in the ensuing years. She also starred in Hetty Wainthropp Investigates, a detective show, from 1996-98. Routledge also had an extensive theatrical career, appearing in acclaimed productions of Noises Off, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Cherry Orchard, and Richard III. She was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1993 and named Dame Commander in 2017. Dave Chappelle performs at Madison Square Garden during his 50th birthday celebration week on Friday, Aug. 25, 2023, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP) Charles Sykes/Invision/AP Its easier to talk about controversial subjects in Saudia Arabia than in America. Thats according to comedian Dave Chappelle, who opined on the topic of free speech during his set at the Riyadh Comedy Festival last Saturday. Right now in America, they say that if you talk about Charlie Kirk, youll get canceled, Chappelle said, per Variety. I dont know if thats true, but Im gonna find out. Its easier to talk here than it is in America, he added. Chappelle later commented that was nervous to go back to the U.S. because theyre going to do something to me so that I cant say what I want to say. Chappelle and other comedians scheduled to perform at the festival have drawn sharp criticism from some comedians who question performing in a country that has a reputation for human rights abuses and anti-LGBTQ+ policies. David Cross, for example, released a scathing statement declaring the performers were hypocrites for complaining about cancel culture while performing at the festival. Clearly you guys dont give a [expletive] about what the rest of us think, but how can any of us take any of you seriously ever again, he wrote. In addition to free speech issues, the country has long been mired in allegations of links to 9/11 and other terrorist acts, including the 2018 murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Central Pennsylvania native Shane Gillis said he turned down a significant bag [of money] that was being offered to him to perform at the festival. I took a principled stand, he said. You dont 9/11 your friends. In addition to Chappelle, other featured performers include Kevin Hart, Aziz Ansari, Hannibal Buress, Bill Burr, Louis C.K., Pete Davidson, and more. It runs through Oct. 10. Beef prices have hit record high levels due to tight supplies and high demand. Consumers are paying more for beef at grocery stores and restaurants (AP File Photo/Nam Y. Huh) AP If you want to eat a steak or a burger, its going to cost you even more these days. Beef prices have hit record high levels due to tight supplies and high demand. Consumers are paying more for beef at grocery stores and restaurants. Augusts Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index report showed ground beef prices were up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis while beef roasts were up 13.6%, and steak prices 16.6% higher. A combination of years-long droughts, higher prices associated with raising cattle and years of low prices led farmers to slash their herds to the lowest levels since 1951, according to The Guardian. David Anderson, livestock specialist at Texas A&M told the publication the last time cattle prices set a record in 2014, ranchers reacted by breeding more bovines. As a result, he said prices dropped. With ranchers making more than $500 per head selling cattle, there is no financial incentive to rebuild their herds. Other factors behind the dip in production are related to the U.S. shutting the Mexican border to cattle trade to prevent the spread of New World screwworm, a species of flesh-eating parasite. Fox Business reports that higher tariffs are also contributing to price hikes, with Brazilian beef hit with a 76% tariff and other beef-producing countries facing tariffs. Central Pennsylvanians will have the opportunity to sip, sample, and savor special offerings to meet every taste at the Harrisburg Wine and Fine Spirits Festival on Friday evening, Oct. 3, at the Sheraton Harrisburg Hershey Hotel, 4650 Lindle Road, Harrisburg. General admission tickets are $82.20 and include tastings of wine and spirits from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Admission to the Grand Tasting from 6:30 to 9 p.m. is $159.45, which provides access to food stations, desserts, and private networking space. A special seminar celebrating 100 years of the exceptional wines of Rioja, Spain, which runs from 6 to 7 p.m., costs $185.20. It includes VIP access to a seminar with a wine journalist plus the benefits of Grand Tasting admission. Designated driver tickets ($46.15) grant admission from 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM and access to nonalcoholic drinks. All attendees, including designated drivers, must be at least 21 years old and provide valid identification at the event entrance. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit harrisburgwineandspiritsfest.com/. Charleetra Hornes wishes she had done more research before agreeing to have cosmetic surgery. (Elijah Nouvelage/KFF Health News/TNS) TNS By Fred Schulte, KFF Health News (TNS) Not long after California surgeon Andrew S. Hsu landed a job with a cosmetic surgery chain in Georgia, several of his patients suffered disfiguring injuries, and even his new employer had doubts about his competence, court records allege. Hsu, a board-certified general surgeon, was one of six out-of-state doctors who joined the Atlanta Goals Aesthetics & Plastic Surgery center during the pandemic. The surgeons received temporary licenses to practice in Georgia, which state officials granted in response to the sudden need for more medical personnel to address the COVID-19 outbreak even though the center specialized in elective cosmetic surgeries, such as Brazilian butt lifts, or BBLs, and liposuction, paid for in cash or on credit. The Atlanta center announced its opening in March 2021 as an expansion of New York-based Goals Aesthetics & Plastic Surgery, which markets precision body contouring for about a dozen surgery clinics in eight states, promising patients a dream body in just one visit. But the Atlanta centers early days were marred by allegations of substandard patient care. Court records show that at least 20 women filed medical malpractice lawsuits against the facility, or its owner and surgeons. Hsu was named as a defendant in seven suits filed against the Atlanta center, more than any other physician there. An eighth patient sued Hsu, alleging negligence in an operation he performed at a Goals office in New York. Hsu did not respond to requests for comment. Goals declined to comment. Both have denied any negligence. Cosmetic surgery chains across the country are attracting patients by promising minimally invasive operations to reshape their bodies or get rid of stubborn fat even helping arrange outside financing for people who cant pay up front. Hundreds of thousands of patients are undergoing such procedures each year, and plastic surgeons can make more than $500,000 each year in one of the highest-paid specialties in American medicine. An investigation by KFF Health News found that lawsuits filed by injured patients have trailed the industrys growth, in some cases alleging that surgeons lacked adequate training, had histories of malpractice lawsuits, or had faced disciplinary action by state medical licensing boards yet crossed into another state and kept practicing. In the Atlanta lawsuits, Goals has denied any negligence and won dismissal of several of them because patients had signed papers agreeing to outside arbitration which requires them to resolve disputes privately and outside the court system. Yet Goals argued in a separate contract dispute that several of its Atlanta surgeons, including Hsu, were indeed prone to problems either because they lacked adequate training or had troubled pasts, including investigations by state medical licensing boards into misconduct, court records show. One of Hsus Atlanta patients said in a separate lawsuit that she suffered in pain for over a year because a piece of a scalpel was left inside her body after a BBL and liposuction. In a June 2023 court filing in that contract dispute, Goals blamed the problems on a medical staffing firm Barton Associates, a private equity-owned firm in Massachusetts it said failed to do adequate background checks on the doctors it supplied. Barton denied the allegations and said it met all terms of the contract. No public database exists to help patients learn the full practice histories of physicians, including cosmetic surgeons. And patients are largely left on their own to decipher which certificates hanging on a surgeons wall, or ballyhooed in web advertising, signify appropriate training and which do not. Disputes among medical specialty groups over whose members are the best qualified to perform cosmetic operations and deliver the best results add to the confusion. No government agency tracks injuries or other complication rates at clinics offering cosmetic surgery or any other type of operations. And in many jurisdictions, including Georgia, gaining access to court records a possible red flag for spotting problems is laborious and costly. Charleetra Hornes, 52, who lives in the Atlanta suburbs and is suing the Goals center for medical malpractice, said she knew nothing of its alleged early troubles and chose the company because its advertising promised minimal downtime for recovery and that she would remain awake during the operation. She said she paid $6,650 for a double BBL, in which fat is suctioned from the stomach, purified, and injected into the buttocks and hips to create what Goals calls a natural-looking enhancement. Goals went ahead with her surgery on July 2, 2022, even though she had tested positive for COVID that day, according to the suit. Hornes alleged that two days before the surgery, Goals assigned her to surgeon Thomas Shannon, who has worked for Goals in Georgia and Texas. Though staff gave her pills to manage the discomfort, Hornes said, she suffered excruciating pain during the procedure, according to the suit. That night, she spiked a fever that sent her to the emergency room. She spent two weeks in the hospital recovering from injuries, including a severe burn on her side, according to the suit. Ive been disfigured and burned up, and its not fair, she said in an interview. In June 2024, Hornes sued Shannon, the Goals center, and Barton Associates, alleging malpractice. On Sept. 2, a Georgia judge dismissed Shannon from the case, ruling that Hornes failed to serve him with the complaint in Texas before the statute of limitations ran out. He did not respond to requests for comment. In a separate order issued on the same day, the judge also dismissed the other defendants, citing the statute of limitations issue and that Hornes had previously signed an arbitration agreement. Some cosmetic surgery chains and other medical practices ask patients to sign such agreements. Hornes wishes she had learned more about the Atlanta surgery center, instead of accepting what she calls its flashy come-ons. I wish I would have taken it more seriously, she said in an interview, because it was life-altering. Useful Tools KFF Health News identified more than 200 lawsuits filed against multistate cosmetic surgery companies, mostly over the past seven years, including cases involving a dozen deaths, using databases of court records. Lawsuits by themselves dont prove wrongdoing. Many cases are settled under confidential terms that keep critical details under wraps. Yet medical authorities and most physician licensing boards regard malpractice cases and settlements as a useful tool for detecting possible patterns of substandard health care that may harm patients. Court files show that surgeons who were sued numerous times for malpractice and in some cases disciplined by state medical boards for misconduct have managed to get hired by cosmetic surgery chains. A portrait of physician Sergey Voskin appears on the Goals Aesthetics & Plastic Surgery website. Voskin owns the company, which manages cosmetic surgery centers in several states. (Screenshot by KFF Health News of the Goals Aesthetics & Plastic Surgery website/TNS) TNS Goals, owned by physician Sergey Voskin, has contracted with eight surgeons with three or more malpractice cases filed against them, including in the Atlanta area, court records allege. Gerald Hickson, founding director of the Vanderbilt Center for Patient and Professional Advocacy and an expert on medical malpractice issues, called that number of suits a warning of possible problems, despite their outcome. Earlier this year, a Pennsylvania woman identified in court filings as P.C. sued Goals, Voskin, and surgeon Peter Driscoll, alleging Driscoll came on board despite an extensive history of malpractice allegations, licensing suspensions and discipline in Texas and California, according to medical board records cited in the suit. Companies hiring doctors have ready access to the nonpublic National Practitioner Data Bank, which details disciplinary problems in a doctors past. But its not clear from court records whether anybody made these standard background checks. Goals did not respond to a request for comment. The suit also accuses Goals of consumer fraud for touting its surgeons as double if not triple board-certified plastic surgeons. According to the complaint, Driscoll was board-certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology, a specialty that focuses on treatment and surgery of the head and neck areas. Driscoll is no longer certified in the specialty, according to the American Board of Medical Specialties website. The woman alleges that Driscoll sexually harassed her and made unwanted and unwelcome sexual contact during a BBL procedure in June 2022 at a Goals office in New Jersey. According to the suit, staff members overheard Driscoll watching pornography in an office bathroom multiple times, but Goals did not terminate him at the time. New Jerseys State Board of Medical Examiners suspended Driscolls license in February 2023, related to the incident, and the womans lawsuit is pending in federal court in New Jersey. Goals and Voskin have denied the allegations in the suit and filed a motion to dismiss or compel arbitration of the case. Driscoll, who has not filed a response with the court, could not be reached for comment. Performance Issues Not Disqualifying Other cosmetic surgery chains have faced multiple malpractice actions targeting surgeons or other health care providers who staff their clinics, court records show. The surgeon roster at Mia Aesthetics, a Miami-based chain that operates 13 cosmetic surgery offices nationwide, lists four doctors with three or more malpractice actions since 2020, court records show. Nearly a dozen injured patients have filed lawsuits criticizing the credentials of doctors and nurse practitioners affiliated with Belle Medical, including the family of a 70-year-old Utah woman with five children who died in the car two days after liposuction as her husband rushed her from home to a hospital, according to court records. Her husband alleges he called Belle Medicals office the day after the procedure to say his wife was having difficulty breathing and heart palpitations and couldnt walk more than a short distance, which the lawsuit argued were textbook symptoms of pulmonary embolism, or blood clot in the lung. According to the suit, nobody at Belle Medical advised the family to seek immediate medical care. An autopsy found she died from bilateral pulmonary emboli, according to the suit. Backed by Peterson Partners, a Utah private equity and investment firm, Belle Medical operates in Utah, Idaho, and Oklahoma, offering liposuction and other cosmetic surgery. Neither Belle Medical nor Peterson Partners responded to requests for comment. In court filings, Belle Medical has argued that its medical providers are independent contractors who are solely responsible for any procedures they perform. Private equity-backed Sono Bello, the largest of the cosmetic surgery chains with more than 100 locations nationwide, has defended more than a dozen lawsuits alleging the company contracted with inadequately trained doctors or practitioners previously disciplined by medical licensing boards. In May 2023, Ohios medical board revoked the license of a Sono Bello contract surgeon after three of her patients died, two of them following procedures at a Sono Bello office in the Cleveland area, according to medical board records. Robert Centeno, Sono Bellos medical director for the East region, told KFF Health News that many surgeons have past performance issues, which he called not, in fact, disqualifying. The vast majority of our colleagues are extremely professional and committed to their profession, he said in an interview. And while there may be a momentary lapse or issue with their practice, most of our surgeons take those sanctions, take that counseling, that advice, and improve their practices and go on to be very, very productive members of the medical community. Asked about malpractice lawsuits filed against the company, Centeno said that Sono Bello has performed over 300,000 procedures to date, which he described as more procedures for more patients completed safely than anyone else in the industry. It would be natural and understandable to know that at some point during that process, that a patient has actually sued us, Centeno said. Unable To Perform In early 2020, as the pandemic slowed business in New York City, Goals sought to expand to Atlanta a hot market for its BBLs. In a PR Newswire release, Goals promised patients amazing contours and boasted of having some of the most experienced, and aesthetically forward surgeons in the industry. BBLs and liposuction make up 95% of its business, marketed to mostly Black and Hispanic women, Goals owner Voskin testified in a deposition filed this year in the Driscoll case. Many Atlanta patients suing the company paid roughly $6,000 to $8,000 for their surgeries, court records show. Goals initially staffed the Atlanta center through Barton Associates. Many hospitals and medical offices rely on such firms to find temporary doctors and other staff. Under the deal, Barton charged Goals $1,400 for each procedure and paid about $600 of that to the surgeon, according to Goals court filings. In 2023, Barton sued Goals in a Massachusetts court, alleging it was owed $487,000 in fees. Goals admitted that it temporarily ceased payment to Barton. But it fired back with a counterclaim accusing Barton of failing to check the qualifications and backgrounds of surgeons as required by the agreement. Goals named five surgeons Barton sent to the center, including Hsu, and pointed to the spate of malpractice cases in Atlanta to bolster its argument. Goals said it became immediately apparent that another surgeon was fundamentally unable to perform his duties. The surgeon was abrasive, vulgar and could not conduct himself in accordance with reasonable professional standards that were expected in a medical workplace, according to Goals counterclaim. A second surgeon Barton presented as highly skilled turned out to have an extensive history of complaints about his professional conduct in two other states, according to the counterclaim. Barton and Goals settled the case and counterclaim in April 2024 under confidential terms. Barton did not respond to requests for comment. Barton denied Goals allegations in earlier court filings and said that it complied fully with the terms of its contract with the surgery company. In its counterclaim, Goals argued that shortly after Hsu joined the staff in 2021, it learned he had multiple issues in California and was about to lose his medical license as a result, according to a court filing. Goals provided significant legal and other assistance to keep that from happening and Hsu required substantial training in order to do acceptable work on patients, the company argued in court filings. Seven women filed malpractice suits in 2023 alleging they sustained injuries from BBLs and liposuction Hsu performed at the Atlanta office between mid-February 2021 and the end of June 2021, court records show. Barton, the staffing firm, also is a defendant in these cases and has denied wrongdoing. Hsu has denied wrongdoing in the cases and sought to enforce arbitration agreements. Hsus emergency Georgia medical license, approved in January 2021, expired in April 2022, state records show. Hsu is licensed in New York and California, where he has also worked for Goals. Two suits accuse Hsu of leaving a piece of metal inside the bodies of women, a calamity patient safety experts believe should never occur. In one Atlanta case, a patient who alleged she had experienced constant pain since her surgery at Goals in 2021 said she discovered why more than a year later when a chest X-ray ordered after a car crash showed a piece of a scalpel blade in her upper abdomen, according to her court filings. The action against Hsu and Barton Associates was settled early this year, court records show. In the second case, a New Jersey woman who had a BBL at Goals Harlem office in New York City in February 2022 alleged she overheard Hsu say in the operating room that he had left something inside of her, which turned out to be a metal liposuction cannula tip that had broken off in her stomach. A judge dismissed her lawsuit due to an arbitration clause. She filed a notice of appeal, but the case was settled in August. The California medical boards investigation of Hsu ended in October 2023 with a settlement and disciplinary order. The state accused him of repeated negligent acts in treating six patients dating to 2016, including three people who died. None involved cosmetic surgery like his work at Goals. The board revoked his license but stayed the action and imposed a four-year probation, tacking on a $24,000 penalty to cover the costs of the investigation. The order also required Hsu to find a practitioner to help oversee his practice and prohibited him from serving on any on-call panel for general surgery. In settling the case, Hsu did not admit any wrongdoing. Surgeon Andrew S. Hsu has worked for Goals Plastic Surgery in three states. He appears in this photograph on the Goals Aesthetics & Plastic Surgery website. (Screenshot by KFF Health News of the Goals Aesthetics & Plastic Surgery website/TNS) TNS Goals has featured Hsu in a TikTok video and boasts on its website that he is a highly skilled surgical specialist who provides top-notch surgical care. Fellowship Training How much training cosmetic surgery chains demand of surgeons varies, judging by physician service contracts obtained by KFF Health News through court filings. Some contracts simply require that the doctor hold a valid state medical license, while others specify that a doctor represents that they are qualified to perform cosmetic surgery and have not been disciplined by licensing boards or been hit with major malpractice awards. Sono Bello takes a different route. The company sponsors a six- to eight-week training course for surgeons, which it calls a fellowship, and posts details online. Sono Bello accepts applicants from more than half a dozen surgical specialties and focuses its training on liposuction and a type of tummy tuck procedure called AbEX. Court records show that Sono Bello has defended at least a dozen lawsuits from patients who argued some surgeons lacked sufficient training or had other problems, or alleged they were misled by some advertising that described surgeons who completed the fellowship as board certified plastic surgeons. Sono Bellos credentialing process came under attack in a 2023 malpractice lawsuit filed by Shirley Webb, a 79-year-old Nevada woman who spent months in hospitals and rehabilitation care recovering from sepsis after a tummy tuck and liposuction performed by surgeon Charles Kim in Las Vegas in December 2022. Kim, a colorectal surgeon, took the Sono Bello fellowship from July 2022 to October 2022, court records show. In a deposition, Kim, who is board-certified in general surgery, stated that Sono Bello knew he had been disciplined by Nevadas state medical licensing board for alleged malpractice in which a patient he operated on died. Kim paid a $4,000 fine and received a letter of reprimand in settling the medical board case without admitting wrongdoing. Kim also testified in the medical malpractice case that Sono Bello was aware he had previously settled four medical malpractice cases, court records show. Christopher Chung, Sono Bellos chief medical officer, said the company verified that Kims state medical license and other credentials were up to date and in good standing before it hired him. We reviewed his surgical log, which detailed the voluminous and complex surgeries he had performed at the hospital where he was then employed, and received positive references from his employer and other surgeons, Chung said in an emailed statement. A medical expert hired by Webbs legal team opined that Sono Bellos use of the term fellowship is deceptive because the program is not accredited or recognized by any subspecialty certifying board, professional society, or hospital. A medical fellowship is typically a training program that lasts at least a year. We strongly disagree with the suggestion that our website is misleading. We accurately state that our physicians are board-certified surgeons because they are, Sono Bello spokesperson Mark Firmani said in response. In her lawsuit, Webb testified that Sono Bellos advertisements on television and online led her to believe the company employed only board-certified plastic surgeons. Had she been told of Kims background in advance, I wouldnt have had the surgery done, Webb testified in a 2024 deposition. The parties settled the suit early this year under confidential terms. Have you had liposuction, a Mommy Makeover, a tummy tuck, a Brazilian butt lift, or another type of cosmetic surgery? Wed like to hear about your experience. Contact our reporting team: https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/share-your-cosmetic-surgery-story-with-us/ (KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs of KFF the independent source for health policy research, polling and journalism.) 2025 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. A lot is weighing on a new live music venue opening Friday night in Harrisburg. The recently renovated two-story Capital City Music Hall at 234 N. Second St. is debuting with a double lineup: Cultus Blacks Autumn Horror Road Show at 6:30 p.m. and Emo Night Tour at 8 p.m. Owner Justin Browning, who also heads Nocturnal nightclub, JB Lovedrafts and Sawyers on the same block, is heading the project with his business partner, Craig Dunkle. Together, the duo has invested several million dollars in projects along the street, with hopes of boosting business and creating a synergy to attract more patrons to the downtown. In recent years, Second Street has struggled, marked by business closings and marred by graffiti since the pandemic that had thousands of state employees working from home. The hope is CCMH will inject more business into the city, whether its people eating out at neighboring restaurants, reserving rooms at the Hilton Harrisburg or Crowne Plaza hotels, or visiting local tourist spots. They have been referring to it as an engine, something that draws people in and keeps them here, Browning said. Before they could open, Browning and team undertook a major renovation at the former craft beer-themed Federal Taphouse restaurant. Capital City Music Hall's main stage will host live acts starting Oct. 6. The complex is located at 234 N. Second St. in Harrisburg. Sue Gleiter The project involved reconfiguring three rooms into one to create a unified space large enough for concerts. A section of the ceiling was removed. Browning said Weidner Construction cut out concrete and steel beams, reinforced the ceiling and created a mezzanine with railings. I think it was about 20 30-yard Dumpsters that took out the material from that part. It was an awful lot of material, he said, adding they are still cleaning dust. Hershey AV Solutions installed the stage, lighting rigs and sound systems. A concession stand features snacks such as hot dogs, sausages, nachos, pizza, popcorn and soft pretzels. Bar offerings run from beer and wine to ready-to-drink cocktails. Because the building connects to Nocturnal, it allows the owners to use one liquor license for both venues. As for the shows, Browning said CCMH will book a variety of genres, from metal and punk to folk, rock, country, EDM and hip-hop. Future shows include Blues Traveler, Anthrophobia, Mac Saturn and Queensryche. Brownings foray in live music began at Lovedrafts Brewing Co. in Hampden Township, where he hosted metal, punk and hard rock concerts under the Lovedraft Presents banner. Last year, Browning and Dunkle closed the brewing company to shift concerts to CCMH. Harrisburg is convenient for many groups who Browning said can pick up work on off nights as they travel through the area to larger markets such as Philadelphia, New York or Baltimore. Its an artery between major destinations. The interstate definitely helps us a lot, he said. CCMH will also host events such as comedians, nights with authors or directors and vendor events such as flea markets, book and toy fairs. It is available for booking events. Along with the first-floor stage, CCMHs smaller acts will perform on a smaller stage located in the basement. The second floor includes the mezzanine with a separate bar. The opening night is expected to be a big draw, and so far, Browning said tickets are selling fast. I think people are curious more than anything, he said. Future shows include: Fight From Within on Oct. 4, Eyesawagod on Oct. 17, Mike V and The Rats on Oct. 17, What Lies Below on Oct. 26 and Mac Saturn on Oct. 30. A full slate of concerts with ticket prices is listed on the CCMHs website. Flames rise from the Chevron refinery in El Segundo, Calif., Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope) AP By ETHAN SWOPE and HALLIE GOLDEN, The Associated Press EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) Firefighters were still pouring water Friday morning onto a fire that broke out the night before at a Chevron oil refinery just outside Los Angeles, sending towering flames into the air that were visible for miles. Officials in El Segundo, California, urged people to stay indoors. By early Friday, the fire was contained and there was no threat to public safety, the city said in a statement. No evacuations had been ordered. There is still an active fire and road closures remain in place, it said. Flames rise from the Chevron refinery in El Segundo, Calif., Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope) AP Residents near the Chevron El Segundo Refinery described feeling a rumble and then seeing the flames. Pretty much the whole sky was orange, said Sam Daugherty, who told KABC-TV he lives 10 blocks away and began packing a bag in a panic. There were no injuries at the refinery and all personnel were accounted for, the company said in a statement late Thursday, adding that a monitoring system indicated the fire did not move beyond the facilitys fence line. The statement did not say what caused the fire. Flames rise from the Chevron refinery in El Segundo, Calif., Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope) AP The El Segundo police and fire departments did not immediately comment on the fire, which appeared to have erupted suddenly. LA County Supervisor Holly Mitchell told KCAL-TV fire crews had contained the blaze to one section of the refinery. California Gov. Gavin Newsoms office said it was monitoring the situation and coordinating with state and local authorities to protect the surrounding community. Sarah Mullally, the new Archbishop of Canterbury, spiritual leader of the world's 85 million Anglicans, speaks inside Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, England, Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali) AP By DANICA KIRKA and BRIAN MELLEY, The Associated Press LONDON (AP) Bishop of London Sarah Mullally was announced Friday as the next Archbishop of Canterbury, the first time in 1,400 years that a woman has been chosen as the spiritual leader of the Church of England. Mullally, 63, a former chief nursing officer for England, will face serious challenges including divisions over the treatment of women and LGBTQ people. She will also have to confront concerns that church leaders havent done enough to stamp out the sexual abuse scandals that have dogged the church for more than a decade. The choice of Mullally as Archbishop of Canterbury-designate marks a major milestone for a church that ordained its first female priests in 1994 and its first female bishop in 2015. She follows 105 men who have held the role since St. Augustine became the first Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 597. Sarah Mullally, the new Archbishop of Canterbury, spiritual leader of the world's 85 million Anglicans, speaks inside Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, England, Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali) AP Mullally sees hope despite uncertain times In her first remarks, Mullally spoke from a lectern at Canterbury Cathedral where she opened with a prayer and spoke of the hope she saw despite uncertain times globally and struggles within the church. She said her first calling is to follow Christ and spread his message. But she also addressed some of the key issues facing the nation, including migration that has created a political divisions, debate over a bill in Parliament to legalize assisted dying, which she opposes, and she mentioned the horrific violence of Thursdays synagogue attack in Manchester on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year. We are witnessing hatred that rises up through fractures across our communities, Mullally said. I know that the God who is with us draws near to those who suffer. We then, as a church, have a responsibility to be a people who stand with the Jewish community against antisemitism in all its forms. Hatred and racism of any kind cannot be allowed to tear us apart. She noted her place in making church history and thanked the women who had come before her, saying she intends to be a shepherd in the church to enable the faith and practices of others. I will not always get things right, she said. But Im encouraged by the psalmist who tells us that Though you stumble, you shall not fall headlong, for the Lord holds you fast by your hand. I trust in the truth of those words for me, for you, for the Church of England, for the nation. Starmer and King Charles welcome Mullallys appointment Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed the appointment of Mullally to the role and wished her success. The Church of England is of profound importance to this country, Starmer said. Its churches, cathedrals, schools and charities are part of the fabric of our communities. The Archbishop of Canterbury will play a key role in our national life. Mullally will replace former archbishop Justin Welby, who announced his resignation in November after an independent investigation found he failed to tell police about serial physical and sexual abuse by a volunteer at Christian summer camps as soon as he became aware of it. The new archbishop will be faced with declining church attendance, bloated management structures and clergy squabbling over what people do in the bedroom, Andrew Graystone, an advocate for church abuse survivors, told Britains Press Association. But the biggest challenge for the new archbishop is to restore trust after a decade of abuse scandals. Mullally will officially become Archbishop of Canterbury at a ceremony in Canterbury Cathedral in January and will later be enthroned in a formal ceremony likely to include members of the royal family. King Charles III, who approved her nomination, congratulated Mullally and noted the importance of her role that will have ramifications around the world. Far-right activist Laura Loomer speaks to the media prior to the beginning of former President Donald Trump's Trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 15, 2024, in New York City. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images/TNS) TNS By Tricia Bishop, The Baltimore Sun (TNS) Political activist and Donald Trump confidante Laura Loomer posted on X Tuesday night that a U.S. Army Research Lab scientist and adjunct instructor is behind an Immigration and Customs Enforcement tracking app called Red Dot, and that he should be investigated and fired. Such apps have come under fire in the past week after federal officials claimed the gunman who targeted ICE agents in a deadly shooting in Dallas last Wednesday used a similar app to track agents. Several such tracking apps are available in the Apple App Store, claiming to track real-time ICE activity. Its no different than giving a hit man the location of their intended target, and this is exactly what we saw happen in Dallas, Marcos Charles, an ICE executive associate director, said at a press briefing Thursday, according to Reuters. ICE officers nationwide have been subjected to a 1,000% increase in assaults stoked by violent rhetoric, Charles said, adding, it has to stop. Red Dot describes itself in the App Store as a community-driven safety tool that helps protect immigrant communities through real-time ICE activity reporting and alerts. Its creator is listed as Binary Brains LLC, which Loomer tracked back to the ARL scientist based on Florida business records, which show a Binary Brains, LLC registered to Nicholas Waytowich, who lives in Baltimore and is listed as its CEO. The Baltimore Sun independently verified the records, though it is unclear if this is the same Binary Brains that developed the app. There are multiple businesses and groups that use Binary Brains in their name. The Sun left multiple messages for Waytowich on Wednesday morning, via voicemail, email and text, and visited his home. His LinkedIn profile lists him as a machine learning research scientist at the Army Research Lab. Anne Arundel Community College lists him as a part-time faculty member, as does UMBC. Neither UMBC, AACC, nor the Army Research Lab immediately returned The Suns requests for comment on Wednesday morning. Loomer, who describes herself as an investigative journalist in her X profile, posted at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday that it is completely unacceptable for the founder of an ICE tracking app to be employed at the US Army Research Lab, the U.S. Armys primary foundational research laboratory, responsible for driving scientific discovery and developing innovative technologies to meet the Armys future operational needs. Not only should Nicholas Waytowich be investigated for endangering the lives of @ICEgov agents, but he should be FIRED from the US Army Research lab. By 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, her post had been viewed 1.5 million times and reposted nearly 8,000 times, with multiple individuals adding information about Waytowich. Loomer has previously run for Congress as a Republican and reportedly has the presidents ear. Trump has long praised Loomer while distancing himself at times from her most controversial comments, the Associated Press wrote in April. Gene Petrino, a retired SWAT Commander with nearly three decades of law enforcement and security experience and now a security consultant, said apps that reveal ICE operations or tracking information can pose serious risks to officer safety and operational security. These types of tools may expose personnel, sensitive logistics, and enforcement patterns to malicious actors, creating opportunities for harassment or even targeted attacks against officers and their families. Law enforcement gathers outside the Law Offices of Manuel Solis following a shooting at the Dallas Immigration and Customs Enforcement office on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025, in Dallas. (Imelda Garcia/The Dallas Morning News/TNS) TNS Maintaining operational integrity is critical to protect both law enforcement staff and the public, he said. At the same time, Petrino acknowledged that these apps can provide crucial situational awareness for vulnerable populations, helping individuals avoid unsafe encounters. When used responsibly, these apps can empower communities to stay informed, safeguard civil liberties, and prevent exploitation or discrimination. In this sense, technology can be a valuable tool for enhancing safety and awareness, particularly for those most at risk, according to Petrino. Ultimately, technology itself is neutral its impact depends on how its used, Petrino said. Balancing law enforcement effectiveness with public protection and civil rights is essential. (Todd Karpovich contributed to this report. Have a news tip? Contact Tricia Bishop at tbishop@baltsun.com.) 2025 The Baltimore Sun. Visit at baltimoresun.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Rescuers carry the body of a victim of a collapsed building at an Islamic boarding school in Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia, Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Trisnadi) AP By NINIEK KARMINI and DAVID RISING, The Associated Press SIDOARJO, Indonesia (AP) Recovery crews on Friday pulled multiple bodies from beneath the rubble of a school that collapsed in Indonesia, with dozens of students still unaccounted for and the death toll expected to rise. Rescuers had been initially working by hand after the building being renovated caved in Monday as they searched for survivors. But with no more signs of life detected by Thursday they turned to heavy excavators equipped with jackhammers to help them progress more rapidly. Rescuers spray disinfectant during the search for victims of a collapsed building at an Islamic boarding school in Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia, Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Trisnadi) AP By evening on Friday they had found five bodies, bringing the confirmed death toll to 10, with more than 50 students still unaccounted for. The structure fell on top of hundreds of people in a prayer hall at the century-old al Khoziny Islamic boarding school in Sidoarjo on the eastern side of Indonesias Java island. The students were mostly boys in grades seven to 12, between the ages of 12 and 19. Female students were praying in another part of the building and managed to escape, survivors said. Rescuers search for victims after a building under construction collapsed, at an Islamic boarding school in Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Trisnadi) AP Thirteen-year-old Rizalul Qoib, one of 105 survivors, returned to the scene on Friday to look at what was left of his school, and said he was lucky to have gotten out with only a minor gash to his head. He said, like the others, he had been praying when he heard something like the sound of falling rocks, which got louder and louder. I stopped praying and fled when I felt the floor shaking, he recalled. Suddenly the building collapsed, the debris of the roof fell on my head, my face. Then the room went dark, but he heard someone shouting this way, this way and he followed the voice until he eventually found a narrow gap in the rubble." I just followed the light, he said. Many of the others who were injured but managed to escape or were rescued suffered serious head trauma and broken bones and are still being treated in the hospital. Two of the bodies found Friday were in the prayer hall area and one was found closer to an exit as if he had been attempting to escape, according to Suharyanto, the head of Indonesias National Disaster Mitigation Agency, who goes by one name as is common in Indonesia. Authorities have said the building was two stories, but two more levels were being added without a permit. Police said the old buildings foundation apparently was unable to support two floors of concrete and collapsed during the pouring process. School officials have not yet commented. Crews worked in the hot sun Friday to break up and remove large slabs of concrete, with the smell of decomposing bodies a grim reminder of what they would find underneath. Suharyanto told reporters at the scene that the recovery efforts were expected to be complete by the end of Saturday. By Akbar Novruz The First Deputy Minister of Finance of Azerbaijan, Anar Karimov, met with a delegation led by Alexander Tyrell, Country Director of the UK Department for Business and Trade, during his official visit to Baku. The meeting focused on the current state and future prospects of economic and financial cooperation between the two countries, as well as the implementation of the provisions of the Protocol of the 7th meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation, held in London in April this year. Discussions highlighted investment promotion, taxation and customs cooperation, the application of advanced technologies in agriculture and food security, and opportunities for closer business-to-business engagement. The exchange of experience in digital transformation, financial technologies, and professional services was also addressed. Anar Karimov underlined that economic modernization and diversification remain long-term priorities for Azerbaijan, and that collaboration with the UK creates additional opportunities to adapt to new challenges. Alexander Tyrell emphasized the significance of joint projects and initiatives, noting the key role of the Intergovernmental Commission in strengthening bilateral relations. The meeting concluded with a broad exchange of views on future partnership opportunities and other areas of mutual interest. An armed police officer speaks to member of the public near the scene of a stabbing incident at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue, in Crumpsall, Manchester, England, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson) AP MANCHESTER, England One of the two Jewish men killed in a car and knife attack on a synagogue in the English city of Manchester appears to have been accidentally shot by a police officer, according to detectives who said Friday that the attacker may have been motivated by Islamic extremism. Police said congregant Adrian Daulby, 53, and security guard Melvin Cravitz, 66, died trying to prevent Thursdays attack on the Heaton Park Congregation Synagogue on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Three other people are hospitalized in serious condition. Police shot and killed a suspect seven minutes after he rammed a car into pedestrians outside the synagogue and then attacked them with a knife in what the police force called an act of terrorism. He wore what appeared to be an explosives belt, which was found to be fake. Police identified the attacker as a British citizen of Syrian descent who was on bail over an alleged rape. They said its not clear whether he acted alone, though theyve said they believe there is no further danger to the public. Officers have arrested six other people on suspicion of being linked to the attack, though they havent identified them or elaborated on what role theyre suspected of playing. A pathologist provisionally determined Daulby had a gunshot wound. Since the attacker did not have a gun, the injury may have been a tragic and unforeseen consequence of police actions, Greater Manchester Police Chief Stephen Watson said. Daulby and another man, who was hospitalized with a gunshot wound, were among worshippers being hailed as heroes for barricading the door to stop the attacker from entering, Watson said. Daulbys family said his final act was one of profound courage. Cravitzs family said it was trying to cope with the shocking loss of a man who would do anything to help anyone. The attack came amid high tensions over Israels war on Hamas in Gaza. Dozens of people gathered in pouring rain near the synagogue Friday for a vigil, where Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy was heckled by members of the crowd who accused the government of allowing antisemitism to spread. Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, the head of Orthodox Judaism in Britain, said the attack was the result of an unrelenting wave of Jew hatred on the streets and online. This is the day we hoped we would never see, but which deep down, we knew would come, he wrote on social media. Attacker was not known to counterterror police Police identified the attacker as 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie, who moved to the United Kingdom as a young child and became a citizen in 2006. Police said the crime is being investigated as a terrorist attack and Al-Shamie may have been influenced by extreme Islamist ideology. The killer, wielding a large knife, shouted, This is what you get for killing our children as he tried to break the door in, Alan Levy, chairman of the synagogues trustees, told ITV News. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the attacker was not previously known to counterterrorism police or the security services. Police said Al-Shamie was on bail over an alleged rape at the time of the attack but had not been charged. Mahmood said its too early to say whether the attacker acted alone or was part of a cell. Officers arrested two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s Thursday on suspicion of the preparation or commission of acts of terrorism in connection with the attack. Three more people were arrested Friday: a man and two women, aged between 18 and mid-40s. Neighbors of the attacker in the Manchester suburb of Prestwich, a couple of miles from the synagogue, said Al-Shamies family had lived in the house for years. A statement on Facebook from the attackers family condemned the heinous act, which targeted peaceful, innocent civilians. Our hearts and thoughts are with the victims and their families, and we pray for their strength and comfort, the statement said. Leaders condemn the attack Religious and political leaders condemned the attack and pledged to reassure Britains Jewish community, which numbers about 300,000. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who visited the scene of the attack on Friday with his wife Victoria, said this was a dreadful attack, a terrorist attack to inflict fear. Attacking Jews because they are Jews. Its really important today that the whole country comes together, people of all faiths and no faith, stand in support and solidarity with our Jewish community, he said. Recorded antisemitic incidents in the U.K. have risen sharply since Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and Israels ensuing war against Hamas according to Community Security Trust, a charity that provides advice and protection for British Jews. More than 1,500 incidents were reported in the first half of the year, the second-highest six-month total reported since the record set over the same period a year earlier. Some politicians and religious leaders claimed pro-Palestinian demonstrations, which have been held regularly since the war in Gaza began, had played a role in spreading hatred of Jews. The protests have been overwhemingly peaceful but some say chants such as From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free incite violence. Others, including Jews who support the protests, say they want a ceasefire, an end to the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. Police in London urged organizers to call off a protest planned for Saturday to oppose the banning of the group Palestine Action, which has been labeled a terrorist organization by the government. Organizers said they would not cancel the demonstration, where hundreds of people are expected to hold signs supporting the banned group. Canceling peaceful protests lets terror win, the group said in a statement. By Vinny Vella, The Philadelphia Inquirer (TNS) A Levittown woman, through tears, pleaded for leniency Tuesday from a Bucks County judge as she awaited his sentence for third-degree murder. Sammar Khan told Judge Jeffrey Finley that the last 10 years of her life had been dominated by physical, emotional and sexual abuse from her husband, whom her family had forced her to marry. Still, she said, she felt remorse for killing the man at Bristol Wharf in May 2023, calling it a cross that she will bear for the rest of her life. Finley sympathized with Khan, 42, but said her actions could not be excused, even by the guilty plea she entered earlier this year. That does not give you the lawful right to gun down an individual and execute them, the judge said. There is no justification for doing that. Finley sentenced Khan to 10 to 30 years in state prison, a sentence that he said took into account the abuse she endured. Khan shot her husband, Faisal Iqbal, 38, multiple times at point-blank range with a 9mm handgun she had legally purchased and was licensed to carry, prosecutors said. The couples son sat nearby. Witnesses told investigators the two had been arguing loudly at the public park before the shots rang out, and they said they saw Khan continue to shoot Iqbal as he ran away, screaming for help. Chief Deputy District Attorney Kristin McElroy said the shooting was unprovoked and a clear execution that could have been considered premeditated, first-degree murder. But her office, recognizing the couples history, allowed Khan to plead guilty to the lesser charge of third-degree murder. Thats not how the law works, McElroy said, in response to efforts to lessen Khans sentence further. You dont get the right to execute someone whos been a problem in your life for a decade. Her attorney, Ellis Palividas, said Khan had done everything she could to protect herself from Iqbal, including filing for and obtaining a protection from abuse order, but that the system had failed her. Khan, he said, had been on the receiving end of violence her entire life, starting when she was a child in Pakistan and subjected to harsh physical discipline and sexual abuse. Those early experiences, he said, were later mirrored in her married life. A forensic psychologist hired by Palividas testified Tuesday that Khan had one of the most severe cases of battered woman syndrome he had seen, and said she lived in a constant state of terror from her estranged husband. Khan was forced into an arranged marriage with Iqbal by her family after they disapproved of her previous relationship, her lawyer said. And when the couples first two children were girls, Palivifad said, Iqbal pressured her, even amid her doctors concerns about how her preexisting health conditions might affect the baby. Their son was born with a congenital heart condition. Her marriage to Iqbal continued to deteriorate, the lawyer said, and she repeatedly sought help from police: Records displayed in court showed that Khan called 911 to report domestic disputes and violations of the protection from abuse order dozens of times between 2014 and 2023, weeks before Iqbal was killed. Videos played in court showed him arriving at Khans home and demanding to be let inside. When she refused, the lawyer said, Iqbal smashed the glass front door and some of its windows with a rock. On Tuesday, after the judge pronounced Khans sentence, Palividas expressed disappointment. Had Khan not picked up a gun and defended herself on the day she killed her husband, the lawyer said, she would have been the one to die. That is the pattern of domestic violence, he said. Fortunately, she didnt get a death sentence, and she also didnt get a life sentence here, either. By Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times (TNS) LOS ANGELES A popular and promising young mountaineer fell to his death on Yosemites El Capitan on Wednesday, a tragedy that was reportedly live-streamed on social media. Balin Miller, 23, from Anchorage, Alaska, had already reached the top of the 3,000-foot granite wall among the most famous and challenging rock climbs in the world when a gear bag he was hauling behind him got stuck, according to a Facebook post by well-known Yosemite photographer Tom Evans, who said he witnessed the accident. So Miller, still attached to his rope, went back down to fix the problem, Evans said. His rope didnt reach the bags location by many feet, but he seemed unaware of that fact, Evans wrote. On the way down he rappelled off the end of the rope. This undated photo courtesy of Jeanine Girard-Moorman shows Alaskan climber Balin Miller in his room in Greenacres, Wash. (Jeanine Girard-Moorman via AP) AP Rappelling off the end of a rope is a distressingly common and often deadly mistake one that can be prevented by tying a stopper knot at the end of the rope. Thats a step climbers sometimes forgo in the name of efficiency, because the knot itself can get snagged in a tree or jammed in a crack, leading to more work and slowing them down. Yosemite National Park officials some of whom are on furlough due to the government shutdown did not respond to an email requesting comment or issue any statements confirming the accident or its cause. Witnesses said park rangers, many of whom are exempt from the furloughs, arrived at the scene shortly after the accident. Millers mom, Jeanine Girard-Moorman, confirmed her sons death via social media on Wednesday. It is with a heavy heart I have to tell you my incredible son died during a climbing accident today, she wrote, adding that her heart was shattered in a million pieces. Miller wasnt exactly a household name in the climbing world, but his exploits were impressive enough to catch the eye of other climbers and mountain enthusiasts. He had completed impressive routes in Patagonia and the Sierra Nevada, but he propelled himself into the ranks of elite climbers with a June ascent of the demanding South Face of Denali, North Americas highest summit. This is an example of a light fixed-wing Ultralight aircraft that crashed in 2024. Toney Fire & Rescue By Megan Guza, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette A pilot missing since Wednesday night was found dead Thursday morning in his crashed ultralight aircraft in Western Pennsylvania, police said. Pennsylvania State Police said 75-year-old David Wittmer was practicing touch-and-go landings in a field near Church Street in Young Township in Indiana County. He reportedly took off sometime between 6 and 6:30 p.m. and never returned. Authorities said a member of PSPs Aviation Patrol Unit found the Altoona mans aircraft about 10:30 a.m. Thursday, crashed in a corn field along Coal Run Road in Young Township. His truck was found near the field, authorities said, and his phone was in a nearby camper that hed been using. Authorities initially theorized the Wittmer and his ultralight were likely to be found within a 2- to 6-mile radius of the field. Police said the crash scene was less than a mile from where Wittmer had taken off. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of death was not released. Police are investigating the incident as accidental. Police said theyve notified the Federal Aviation Administration. State police and volunteers from the Coal Run/McIntyre Volunteer Fire Department and Port Vues Vigilant Hose Company searched the area Wednesday night and Thursday morning. Ultralights are unregistered, one- to two-seat aircrafts that can be flown without a pilot license. In the U.S., to be considered an ultralight, the aircraft must have only one seat and be used only for recreation or sport and. If they use fuel, they must weigh less than 254 pounds when empty. They carry a maximum of five gallons of fuel and have a top speed of 55 knots, according to the United States Ultralight Association. FAA rules dictate the crafts can only be flown during daylight hours, and operating one within controlled airspace requires permission. York County Sheriff's Lieutenant David Godfrey was critically injured in a shootout that killed three police officers Sept. 17, 2025. (York County photo) York County photo The sheriffs deputy who survived his wounds and helped take down the man who fatally shot three police detectives last month in York County has been transferred to a rehabilitation hospital. Lieutenant David Godfrey of the York County Sheriffs Office has been moved to the WellSpan Surgery & Rehabilitation Hospital to continue rehab related to his injuries, according to WellSpan spokesman Ryan Coyle. 14 1 / 14 Funeral for police officers killed in York County shooting Thank you, Godfrey wrote on Facebook Wednesday. From the deepest part of my soul. Your Prayers, Thoughts, Kinds Words and just being there. You all helped me more than you will ever know. Godfrey, a 24-year veteran of the York County Sheriffs Office, is a certified Master Trainer through the National Association of Professional Canine Handlers. He also formerly served as the handler for K9 Captain Dargo, who died last year. Godfrey was called to North Codorus Township on Sept. 17 to assist Northern York County Regional police with drone surveillance as they attempted to serve an arrest warrant on 24-year-old Matthew Ruth. Ruth then ambushed the officers from inside his ex-girlfriends home. During the firefight, Godfrey exchanged gunfire with Ruth and was critically injured, according to officials. The ambush attack killed three Northern York County Regional Police officers: Sgt. Cody Becker, Det. Isaiah Emenheiser and Det. Mark Baker. From left to right: Sgt. Isaiah Emenheiser Det. Mark Baker, Det. Sgt. Cody Becker. District Attorney's Office Another officer from the Northern York County Regional Police Department was injured in the shooting but was released from WellSpan York Hospital last week. The hospital noted both Godfrey and the now-released officer were upgraded to satisfactory condition. We mourn the fallen and are thankful for the continued recovery of the two officers cared for in our WellSpan hospitals, Coyle said. WATSONTOWN Two Vehicle Code charges have been filed against the driver of a rig carrying 23 tons of stone that struck the Eighth Street overpass over Interstate 180 near Watsontown last Friday. State police on Thursday charged David Wright, 75, of Muncy with careless driving and height of vehicles. The dump portion of the trailer part he was driving was elevated, causing it to strike the overpass, state police said. The Northumberland County crash caused stone and debris to go across all four lanes of the divided highway and pull down power lines. The interstate was closed for 11 hours for cleanup and to allow the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to inspect the structure. It was determined that the overpass, used by approximately 2,220 vehicles daily, was safe, but extensive repairs, including the replacement of a concrete beam and part of the deck, will be required. Design work is underway with a contract for the repairs expected to be advertised in the spring, PennDOT says. A damage estimate has yet to be made, it says. One lane of traffic in each direction, separated by barriers, will be maintained on Eighth Street, the agency said. On any given day, the Prison Policy Initiative says Pennsylvania confines about 33 kids for underage drinking. And almost 70 kids a day are confined for the nebulous term of incorrigibility. (Illustration by Andrea Levy, Advance) Pennsylvanians can be proud of a lot of things about our state, but how we treat children in the juvenile justice system is not one of them. In fact, we should hang our heads in shame. Pennsylvania locks up far more youth than many other states and almost twice as many as a comparable state like Illinois. Thats according to a recently released report from the Prison Policy Initiative (PPI). Wanda Bertram and Brian Nam-Sonenstein from the Prison Policy Initiative (PPI) met with PennLives Editorial board to provide some of the stunning statistics from its Youth Confinement: The Whole Pie 2025 report. On any given day, they say, Pennsylvania confines about 33 kids for underage drinking. And almost 70 kids a day are confined for the nebulous term of incorrigibility. They have the childhood disease of not listening. Here are some key findings: Pennsylvania locks up youth at significantly higher rates than comparable states like Illinois. Many youths are confined for non-criminal status offenses, like truancy, underage drinking, incorrigibility. Nearly 200 youths are incarcerated for non-criminal probation violations. Black and brown children are disproportionately policed, formally processed, and detained pretrial. And what is most shameful, many of these young people are not accused of violent crime or anything that would threaten our health and safety. Some are locked up because they dont have the money to pay fines. And neither daddy nor mommy can pay them either. Juveniles attend school year-round while housed in the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Justice Center. Many were seen studying during a tour of the facility in February 2023. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com Thats the sad truth about how our juvenile justice system is destroying young lives. We should hang our heads in shame. These are strong words because the situation demands them. Young lives are at risk. Weve repeatedly called on Pennsylvania legislators to implement the 35 recommendations of the 2021 Juvenile Justice Task Force Report that laid bare the stark truth that Pennsylvania is abusing youth. The report found racism rampant in the system. It concluded too many youths but especially Black and Brown ones -- are being locked up for minor offenses and technical violations. The task force issued 35 recommendations aimed at reducing the number of children in jail and most of them have not been implemented. In fact, only two have: Requiring courts hold a disposition review hearing at least every three months for youth in out-of-home placement. Expediting the process for juvenile record expungement from five to two years. This is not enough. Pennsylvania must stop locking up children for petty infractions and especially because they cant pay fines. They are children. They are supposed to be in school not working to earn money to pay fines. Its not hard to see how poor families suffer most. Members of the Pennsylvania Juvenile Justice Task Force meet with PennLive's Editorial Board to discuss its recommendations to stop abuse of children accused of crimes. Proposed legislation called the CARE package would go a long way toward making our juvenile justice system more humane. The CARE package proposes: Protecting the right to education for justice-involved youth. Expanding and standardizing diversion programs. Eliminating fines and limiting fees for juveniles. Expanding oversight and accountability of juvenile justice facilities. Repealing requirements to automatically charge some children as adults. Its exactly what needs to happen now. And instead of building more places to lock up non-violent kids who make the mistake of skipping class and drinking beer, we should focus on ways to get them the help they need at home and in their communities. We call on the legislature to pass the CARE package immediately and not let another young life be wasted away in a jail cell. We should be ashamed its taken this long to protect Pennsylvanias children. Quality local journalism has never been more important. You deserve the best. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. The U.S. Capitol is photographed during the government shutdown, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) AP By Ariana Perez-Castells, The Philadelphia Inquirer (TNS) The federal government shut down as of 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, and federal workers are among the first to bear the brunt. The current shutdown could look different from those of the past. President Donald Trumps administration has directed federal agencies to prepare layoff plans separate from the temporary furloughs that typically take place when Congress fails to reach an agreement on how to fund the government. The threat of a government shutdown has become a frequent occurrence in recent years, noted Philip Glover, national vice president for the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) District 3, which represents federal employees in Philadelphia. Each time, as the funding deadline approaches, it leaves federal workers wondering whether theyll be working and getting paid in the days ahead. Our members dont deserve this, Glover said. And it certainly isnt fair for law enforcement and our TSA folks to have to wonder if theyre gonna have to work for a month without paychecks. Its not right. Pennsylvania had some 101,500 federal employees as of July. Heres a look at what the shutdown means for them. Who is working and who isnt? Leaders at each federal agency determine who will work and who will be told to stay home during a government shutdown, according to a contingency plan. Most federal employees are typically furloughed and told to stay home, according to guidance from the AFGE union. But some, referred to as excepted employees, are not furloughed. This includes people doing emergency work involving the safety of human life or the protection of property, according to the governments human resource agency, the Office of Personnel Management. VA medical centers and outpatient clinics will remain open and benefits will be processed. Social Security benefit payments will continue to be issued. Air traffic controllers are expected to work, according to the Department of Transportation. The National Park Service in Philadelphia typically closes completely during a shutdown, said Glover. Thats usually where we see a lot of the public get upset over a government shutdown, Glover said. Independence (National Historical Park), obviously, is one of the jewels of the Park Service, and it usually gets a lot of attention when it closes down. The Environmental Protection Agency has said the majority of employees will not work during the shutdown. Some will stay on for functions such as emergency and disaster assistance. IRS employees will continue to work for five days as normal, using funds from outside the appropriations process. During shutdowns in 2013 and 2018, about 850,000 out of 2.1 million federal employees were furloughed, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan nonprofit. Will I get paid if Im working? Federal workers who are furloughed are expected to be paid retroactively once a shutdown ends, along with those who continue working. They are not paid during the shutdown. Many federal workers live paycheck to paycheck, said Brad Starnes, president of the union for local EPA employees, and the loss of income is disruptive. This is never something thats looked forward to by a federal worker, said Starnes. One group of federal workers, deemed exempt, do work that is not funded by annual appropriations. According to OPM, those workers continue to be governed by the normal pay, leave, and other civil service rules. Will I get back pay? A law passed in 2019 requires that workers be paid back for unpaid time during a shutdown, including excepted and furloughed employees. Regarding furloughed workers, Glover said, Its not their fault that theyre being forced to not work. They want to do the things that theyre supposed to do for the government, he said. Congress cant figure out how to do a funding formula in a bill thats not these peoples fault, and they shouldnt go without pay. Do federal employees still have health benefits? Federal workers keep their health benefits during a government shutdown, according to OPM. Can federal employees take paid time off during a shutdown? During a shutdown, federal employees cannot take paid time off, including pre-planned time off, whether they are furloughed or excepted (required to work). Thats a problem for excepted workers whod planned to take time off for Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, which began at sundown Wednesday and ended at sundown Thursday, noted Alex Jay Berman, union leader at the National Treasurer Employees Union Chapter 71, whose members include Philly IRS workers. Can federal workers apply for unemployment? Furloughed federal employees may be eligible to apply for unemployment benefits with their state, depending on their states requirements, according to OPM. In Pennsylvania, workers who are furloughed during a shutdown may be eligible for unemployment benefits, while those who continue to work are not eligible to do so, according to a spokesperson for the states Department of Labor and Industry. But the shutdown might be over before their claim is processed and paid, said Glover. Still, the union encourages eligible workers to apply. However, once the shutdown ends and they are repaid by the federal government, workers must pay back any unemployment benefits they received. They dont get to double dip, said Glover. Will the government do any permanent federal worker layoffs? On Sept. 24, President Donald Trumps administration issued a memo directing agencies to make plans for a mass reduction in force if a shutdown came to fruition. This is separate from the typical furloughs that take place during a government shutdown. The memo, from the Office of Management and Budget, said the layoffs should apply to programs that are not consistent with the Presidents priorities, and that depend on discretionary funding that lapsed Wednesday. Far-right activist Jack Posobiec has for years been voting fraudulently in Pennsylvania, a new report by Slate shows. (AP Photo/John Locher) AP Far-right activist Jack Posobiec is known for peddling conspiracy theories about the integrity of recent elections particularly in Pennsylvania. Now, Posobiec, an outspoken MAGA booster best known for promoting the debunked Pizzagate conspiracy, is at the center of an investigative report showing that he is a Maryland resident who has been voting fraudulently in Pennsylvania elections. A report by Slate, found that Posobiec, who helped amplify the Stop the Steal movement in 2020, has been voting in Montgomery County, Pa. for a number of election cycles, even as he was a Maryland resident. Posobiec, 40, voted in Pennsylvania elections from 2004 to 2024, both in person and by mail, even though he has lived in Maryland at least a decade, according to Slate. The news magazine obtained documents, including a copy of his voting record, to corroborate the finding. The report points to extremely strong evidence that Posobiec lives in Maryland, including public records such as a divorce filing, and most damning, Federal Election Commission filings showing his political contributions associated with a Maryland address. Slate also perused Posobiecs prolific social media accounts, where he repeatedly boasts about his home and family life in Maryland; last fall, he even posted on X a photo of his Pennsylvania ballot marked up. SECURED THE BAG. Just stopped by the county voting board and did the deed - easy and even open on Sunday! Vote Early, Pennsylvania! he wrote on the post, which was accompanied by two photos of him, including his marked up ballot. In an interview with PennLive, Pennsylvania election law expert and attorney Adam Bonin laid out why Posobiecs voting record could be a crime. The law says anyone who votes or attempts to vote knowing that they dont actually have the qualification to do so has committed a misdemeanor and its subject to a fine of up to $10,000 or imprisonment of up to five years based on what the court decides, he said. This is a crime. It is a crime if you know that youre not qualified and you keep doing it outright. Voter registration is based on one residential address. In its investigation, Slate found that Posobiec used military and civilian overseas ballots until 2016. A year later, after resigning from his job as a Navy Reserve intelligence officer, he remained in Maryland. He continued voting in Pennsylvania via absentee ballots and, later, in-person on-demand mail voting, using his parents home address in 2018, 2022, and 2024, according to an official copy of his voter information file from Montgomery County obtained through a right-to-know request. Posobiec has aligned himself with far-right groups such as Charlie Kirks Turning Point USA and was the mastermind behind the Pizzagate conspiracy theory, which claimed that Democratic politicians were engaged in runnning a pedophile ring out of a Washington, D.C. pizza restaurant. The false rumor inspired a gunman to fire multiple shots inside the restaurant in 2016, though no one was hurt. But Posobiec, known for his vicious trolling of political adversaries online, cemented his status as a social media influencer pushing a slew of conspiracy theories about how Democrats, including former President Joe Biden, won elections with millions of fraudulent votes. Posobiec notably helped get traction on election fraud conspiracies. The Republican National Committee last year filed a lawsuit against Montgomery County, a Philadelphia suburb, claiming the county had failed to ensure election integrity. Why are you sending out illegal mail-in ballots, Neil? Posobiec posted on X in October, directing his trolling to county commissioner Neil Makhija. The lawsuit was eventually withdrawn. Petitioners have failed to produce any evidence that Montgomery Countys process was unlawful or inaccurate, Judge Richard P. Haaz opined, rejecting the RNCs claims. He also accused Gov. Josh Shapiro of disenfranchising voters and echoed Trumps stolen election claims with social media posts about Pennsylvania counties processing thousands of fraudulent voter registrations. Claims of evidence alleging a stolen 2020 election were exhaustively investigated and litigated across scores of courts, and by state and federal officials, and were found to have no merit. Bonin noted the irony of Posobiec voting, as the Slate investigation found, in Montgomery County. Theres this line that we sometimes say in politics, every accusation is a confession, he said. It sure sounds like it here. I mean, this based on the facts....This is someone who has not lived in Pennsylvania in quite some time under any reasonable understanding of the law here. Posobiec would not be the first conservative to seemingly violate election law, even as they espoused debunked theories about fraudulent Democratic votes. In 2022, Matt Mowers, a former senior adviser for President Trump, was caught having voted twice during the 2016 primary election. Mowers, at the time a New Hampshire Republican congressional candidate, cast an absentee ballot in that state, and then used his parents address in New Jersey to vote in that state as well, the Associated Press reported. While Mowers actions seemed to have violated federal election law, he was not prosecuted. Lets be absolutely clear, voter fraud is incredibly rare, Bonin said. You only see it in rare circumstances and most of what weve seen is people trying to cast mail-in ballots for recently deceased relatives. Double voting is also pretty rare and people do tend to get caught because whether you voted is a matter of public record. Its harder to catch a single person who is voting in a different state without being qualified there because you really need people to know about it and investigate it like these great reporters have. Voter fraud cases are, in general, misdemeanor cases that often result in probation and a fine; rarely jail time. Posobiec has not been charged with any violation of voting laws. (T)hats going to be up to the judge based on these facts, Bonin said. Its going to be up to the Montgomery County District Attorneys office and Attorney General (Dave) Sunday. The county DAs office told Slate it did not comment on active investigations. Sundays office would neither confirm nor deny that it had opened an investigation. The Slate report was undertaken by independent investigative reporter, Jacqueline Sweet, and journalist Marisa Kabas, who launched the Handbasket, an independent political news publication. WUQIAO, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Recently, Venezuelan blogger Rafael visited Wuqiao County, known as the "Hometown of Acrobatics" in Cangzhou City, north China's Hebei Province. He toured the Wuqiao Acrobatics Museum, explored local acrobatics courtyards, and visited the Wuqiao Acrobatics Art School. Additionally, he attended the opening ceremony of the 20th China Wuqiao International Circus Festival, experiencing up close the profound historical heritage and contemporary charm of Chinese acrobatic art. Chefs make traditional dishes at a restaurant in Enhe Village of Hulun Buir, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Sept. 26, 2025. Enhe, a Russian ethnic township in the northeastern corner of Inner Mongolia, has for years drawn travelers seeking its inspiring blend of Chinese-Russian culture, hearty cuisine and sweeping natural vistas. In recent years, Enhe has developed its tourism industry by promoting unique activities such as local family visiting, Russian bread making and Matryoshka doll painting. In 2013, the village was listed in the second batch of traditional Chinese villages catalog, sharing its diverse cultures with warmth and inclusiveness. (Xinhua/Ma Jinrui) People have dinner at a restaurant built from traditional log houses in Enhe Village of Hulun Buir, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Sept. 25, 2025. Enhe, a Russian ethnic township in the northeastern corner of Inner Mongolia, has for years drawn travelers seeking its inspiring blend of Chinese-Russian culture, hearty cuisine and sweeping natural vistas. In recent years, Enhe has developed its tourism industry by promoting unique activities such as local family visiting, Russian bread making and Matryoshka doll painting. In 2013, the village was listed in the second batch of traditional Chinese villages catalog, sharing its diverse cultures with warmth and inclusiveness. (Xinhua/Ma Jinrui) A drone photo taken on Sept. 17, 2025 shows tourists riding motorcycles in Enhe Village of Hulun Buir, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Enhe, a Russian ethnic township in the northeastern corner of Inner Mongolia, has for years drawn travelers seeking its inspiring blend of Chinese-Russian culture, hearty cuisine and sweeping natural vistas. In recent years, Enhe has developed its tourism industry by promoting unique activities such as local family visiting, Russian bread making and Matryoshka doll painting. In 2013, the village was listed in the second batch of traditional Chinese villages catalog, sharing its diverse cultures with warmth and inclusiveness. (Xinhua/Bei He) Tourists paint Matryoshka dolls in Enhe Village of Hulun Buir, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Sept. 17, 2025. Enhe, a Russian ethnic township in the northeastern corner of Inner Mongolia, has for years drawn travelers seeking its inspiring blend of Chinese-Russian culture, hearty cuisine and sweeping natural vistas. In recent years, Enhe has developed its tourism industry by promoting unique activities such as local family visiting, Russian bread making and Matryoshka doll painting. In 2013, the village was listed in the second batch of traditional Chinese villages catalog, sharing its diverse cultures with warmth and inclusiveness. (Xinhua/Ma Jinrui) A drone photo taken on Sept. 17, 2025 shows an exterior view of a bar built from traditional log houses in Enhe Village of Hulun Buir, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Enhe, a Russian ethnic township in the northeastern corner of Inner Mongolia, has for years drawn travelers seeking its inspiring blend of Chinese-Russian culture, hearty cuisine and sweeping natural vistas. In recent years, Enhe has developed its tourism industry by promoting unique activities such as local family visiting, Russian bread making and Matryoshka doll painting. In 2013, the village was listed in the second batch of traditional Chinese villages catalog, sharing its diverse cultures with warmth and inclusiveness. (Xinhua/Bei He) A drone photo taken on Sept. 17, 2025 shows a view of Enhe Village of Hulun Buir, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Enhe, a Russian ethnic township in the northeastern corner of Inner Mongolia, has for years drawn travelers seeking its inspiring blend of Chinese-Russian culture, hearty cuisine and sweeping natural vistas. In recent years, Enhe has developed its tourism industry by promoting unique activities such as local family visiting, Russian bread making and Matryoshka doll painting. In 2013, the village was listed in the second batch of traditional Chinese villages catalog, sharing its diverse cultures with warmth and inclusiveness. (Xinhua/Bei He) This photo taken on Sept. 17, 2025 shows file photos displayed at a museum in Enhe Village of Hulun Buir, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Enhe, a Russian ethnic township in the northeastern corner of Inner Mongolia, has for years drawn travelers seeking its inspiring blend of Chinese-Russian culture, hearty cuisine and sweeping natural vistas. In recent years, Enhe has developed its tourism industry by promoting unique activities such as local family visiting, Russian bread making and Matryoshka doll painting. In 2013, the village was listed in the second batch of traditional Chinese villages catalog, sharing its diverse cultures with warmth and inclusiveness. (Xinhua/Ma Jinrui) Tourists visit Enhe Village of Hulun Buir, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Sept. 18, 2025. Enhe, a Russian ethnic township in the northeastern corner of Inner Mongolia, has for years drawn travelers seeking its inspiring blend of Chinese-Russian culture, hearty cuisine and sweeping natural vistas. In recent years, Enhe has developed its tourism industry by promoting unique activities such as local family visiting, Russian bread making and Matryoshka doll painting. In 2013, the village was listed in the second batch of traditional Chinese villages catalog, sharing its diverse cultures with warmth and inclusiveness. (Xinhua/Bei He) Tourists enjoy traditional dishes in Enhe Village of Hulun Buir, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Sept. 18, 2025. Enhe, a Russian ethnic township in the northeastern corner of Inner Mongolia, has for years drawn travelers seeking its inspiring blend of Chinese-Russian culture, hearty cuisine and sweeping natural vistas. In recent years, Enhe has developed its tourism industry by promoting unique activities such as local family visiting, Russian bread making and Matryoshka doll painting. In 2013, the village was listed in the second batch of traditional Chinese villages catalog, sharing its diverse cultures with warmth and inclusiveness. (Xinhua/Ma Jinrui) A student paints outdoors in Enhe Village of Hulun Buir, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Sept. 26, 2025. Enhe, a Russian ethnic township in the northeastern corner of Inner Mongolia, has for years drawn travelers seeking its inspiring blend of Chinese-Russian culture, hearty cuisine and sweeping natural vistas. In recent years, Enhe has developed its tourism industry by promoting unique activities such as local family visiting, Russian bread making and Matryoshka doll painting. In 2013, the village was listed in the second batch of traditional Chinese villages catalog, sharing its diverse cultures with warmth and inclusiveness. (Xinhua/Ma Jinrui) Huang Yanhong, a retired travel journalist, plays accordion for tourists in Enhe Village of Hulun Buir, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Sept. 26, 2025. Enhe, a Russian ethnic township in the northeastern corner of Inner Mongolia, has for years drawn travelers seeking its inspiring blend of Chinese-Russian culture, hearty cuisine and sweeping natural vistas. In recent years, Enhe has developed its tourism industry by promoting unique activities such as local family visiting, Russian bread making and Matryoshka doll painting. In 2013, the village was listed in the second batch of traditional Chinese villages catalog, sharing its diverse cultures with warmth and inclusiveness. (Xinhua/Ma Jinrui) Tourists participate in a bonfire party in Enhe Village of Hulun Buir, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Sept. 17, 2025. Enhe, a Russian ethnic township in the northeastern corner of Inner Mongolia, has for years drawn travelers seeking its inspiring blend of Chinese-Russian culture, hearty cuisine and sweeping natural vistas. In recent years, Enhe has developed its tourism industry by promoting unique activities such as local family visiting, Russian bread making and Matryoshka doll painting. In 2013, the village was listed in the second batch of traditional Chinese villages catalog, sharing its diverse cultures with warmth and inclusiveness. (Xinhua/Bei He) An aerial drone photo taken on Sept. 17, 2025 shows tourists riding horses in Enhe Village of Hulun Buir, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Enhe, a Russian ethnic township in the northeastern corner of Inner Mongolia, has for years drawn travelers seeking its inspiring blend of Chinese-Russian culture, hearty cuisine and sweeping natural vistas. In recent years, Enhe has developed its tourism industry by promoting unique activities such as local family visiting, Russian bread making and Matryoshka doll painting. In 2013, the village was listed in the second batch of traditional Chinese villages catalog, sharing its diverse cultures with warmth and inclusiveness. (Xinhua/Bei He) This photo taken on Sept. 17, 2025 shows an interior view of a bar built from traditional log houses in Enhe Village of Hulun Buir, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Enhe, a Russian ethnic township in the northeastern corner of Inner Mongolia, has for years drawn travelers seeking its inspiring blend of Chinese-Russian culture, hearty cuisine and sweeping natural vistas. In recent years, Enhe has developed its tourism industry by promoting unique activities such as local family visiting, Russian bread making and Matryoshka doll painting. In 2013, the village was listed in the second batch of traditional Chinese villages catalog, sharing its diverse cultures with warmth and inclusiveness. (Xinhua/Ma Jinrui) Tourists ride horses in Enhe Village of Hulun Buir, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Sept. 17, 2025. Enhe, a Russian ethnic township in the northeastern corner of Inner Mongolia, has for years drawn travelers seeking its inspiring blend of Chinese-Russian culture, hearty cuisine and sweeping natural vistas. In recent years, Enhe has developed its tourism industry by promoting unique activities such as local family visiting, Russian bread making and Matryoshka doll painting. In 2013, the village was listed in the second batch of traditional Chinese villages catalog, sharing its diverse cultures with warmth and inclusiveness. (Xinhua/Bei He) A drone photo taken on Sept. 17, 2025 shows tourists riding horses in Enhe Village of Hulun Buir, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Enhe, a Russian ethnic township in the northeastern corner of Inner Mongolia, has for years drawn travelers seeking its inspiring blend of Chinese-Russian culture, hearty cuisine and sweeping natural vistas. In recent years, Enhe has developed its tourism industry by promoting unique activities such as local family visiting, Russian bread making and Matryoshka doll painting. In 2013, the village was listed in the second batch of traditional Chinese villages catalog, sharing its diverse cultures with warmth and inclusiveness. (Xinhua/Bei He) Tourists make lieba, a type of Russian bread in Enhe Village of Hulun Buir, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Sept. 17, 2025. Enhe, a Russian ethnic township in the northeastern corner of Inner Mongolia, has for years drawn travelers seeking its inspiring blend of Chinese-Russian culture, hearty cuisine and sweeping natural vistas. In recent years, Enhe has developed its tourism industry by promoting unique activities such as local family visiting, Russian bread making and Matryoshka doll painting. In 2013, the village was listed in the second batch of traditional Chinese villages catalog, sharing its diverse cultures with warmth and inclusiveness. (Xinhua/Bei He) A tourist rides a horse in Enhe Village of Hulun Buir, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Sept. 17, 2025. Enhe, a Russian ethnic township in the northeastern corner of Inner Mongolia, has for years drawn travelers seeking its inspiring blend of Chinese-Russian culture, hearty cuisine and sweeping natural vistas. In recent years, Enhe has developed its tourism industry by promoting unique activities such as local family visiting, Russian bread making and Matryoshka doll painting. In 2013, the village was listed in the second batch of traditional Chinese villages catalog, sharing its diverse cultures with warmth and inclusiveness. (Xinhua/Bei He) Villagers take a rest outside a traditional log house in Enhe Village of Hulun Buir, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Sept. 18, 2025. Enhe, a Russian ethnic township in the northeastern corner of Inner Mongolia, has for years drawn travelers seeking its inspiring blend of Chinese-Russian culture, hearty cuisine and sweeping natural vistas. In recent years, Enhe has developed its tourism industry by promoting unique activities such as local family visiting, Russian bread making and Matryoshka doll painting. In 2013, the village was listed in the second batch of traditional Chinese villages catalog, sharing its diverse cultures with warmth and inclusiveness. (Xinhua/Bei He) Should Poker Sites Ever Reinstate Players Banned for Cheating? Jon Sofen Senior Editor U.S. Copy link GGPoker, the most heavily trafficked online poker site in the world, recently announced an Olive Branch Initiative program that will give some banned players a second chance. That move is unheard of in the online poker industry, where banned players rarely have an opportunity at redemption. Many poker pros have spoken out against GGPoker's offer, including Matt Berkey, who responded to a clip from Mike Holtz on the PokerNews Podcast. "Assuming this isn't limited to minor infractions, this has to be one of the biggest f**k you's to regs and recs alike," Berkey wrote. Berkey continued to slam GGPoker, writing: "Giving a second chance to people who find ways to steal through RTA, Multi Accounting, and botting is a crime in and of itself." Online Poker Crusher Chimes In Holtz, a Nevada online poker legend who won WSOP Online Player of the Year twice, had a similar take. "The problem is some of these are having four accounts per table in some of these tournaments," Holtz said of those who multi-account, a violation of any poker site's rules. Mike Holtz Multi-accounting has been prevalent on most online poker sites for years. Some high-profile players, such as Justin Bonomo and Ali Imsirovic, have been forced to own up to multi-accounting. Bonomo, who has been noticeably absent from tournament poker in 2025, overcame the heavy criticism he faced for multi-accounting in 2008. He's gone on to produce a Poker Hall of Fame-worthy career, with over $65 million in live tournament cashes, according to The Hendon Mob. But Imsirovic, the 2021 GPI Player of the Year, has been banned from multiple live poker tournaments. Imsirovic, during the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP), admitted to multi-accounting. But he denied some cheating accusations. Jake Schindler, another high roller superstar who was also accused of cheating, has never publicly addressed the allegations, and hasn't been spotted at any live event in nearly two years. It's unclear if Imsirovic has applied for reinstatement on GGPoker, and if the request would even be granted. The online poker giant required banned players to send an email by Oct. 1 and explain why they should receive a second chance. Decisions are expected to be made by Nov. 1, and each decision will be made on an individual basis. GGPoker, in its announcement, didn't specify how many banned players would be reinstated, or if they would consider second chances for accounts that committed major infractions, such as collusion or real-time assistance (RTA) use. Holtz said he's fine bringing back certain banned accounts. "I think people who have gotten banned for things like maybe VPN'ing years ago, or things like that, maybe we should give them a little leniency," Holtz argued. GGPoker's decision has received criticism from some pros, but others have argued that players who are remorseful for their actions should be given a second chance. Share this article Juan Pardo and Roland Rokita Strike Gold Early Into EPT Malta Matthew Pitt Senior Editor Copy link The PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Malta festival only kicked off on October 1, but two of poker's superstars have already captured titles. Juan Pardo and Roland Rokita gave their bankrolls a sizable boost by taking down the 5,000 Mystery Bounty and the 12,300 PokerStars Cuatro Knockout, respectively, at the Casino Malta in St. Julians. According to The Hendon Mob Database, Pardo ranks tenth on the EPT's all-time money list courtesy of winning $6,672,744 on the prestigious tour. The talented Spaniard is only $190,283 behind French veteran Jean-Noel Thorel ($6,863,027) in ninth place. Pardo closed that gap significantly by reeling in a 145,900 prize in the 5,000 Mystery Bounty event. 5,000 Mystery Bounty Final Table Results Rank Player Country Bounties Prize Total Prize 1 Juan Pardo Spain 87,500 58,400 145,900 2 Samuel Mullur Austria 12,500 38,100 50,600 3 Paul Lagan Ireland 40,000 26,200 66,200 4 Pavels Spirins Latvia 40,000 19,500 59,500 5 Weiran Pu China 0 15,200 15,200 6 Jon Ander Vallinas Spain 0 11,800 11,800 A compact crowd of 36 entrants fought it out over a 349,200 prize pool. The top six finishers received prize money from the regular prize pool, with Jon Ander Vallinas being the first grinder to fall inside the money places. Vallinas didn't collect any mystery bounty payments, so his take-home pay was 11,800 for this event. China's Weiran Pu also didn't receive any mystery bounties, so his reward for a fifth-place exit was 15,200. Latvian Pavel Spirins scooped 59,500 after busting in fourth, and Ireland's Paul Lagan won 66,200 for his third-place finish. Pardo battled Samuel Mullur heads-up for the title and the lion's share of the prize pool. Mullur has been on a tear for several months, but he couldn't find a way past his Spanish opponent. Mullur bowed out in second place, a result good for 50,600, leaving Pardo to get his hands on another Spadie trophy and 145,900 in prize money. Roland Rokita Rakes in 99,200 Roland Rokita The 12,300 PokerStars Cuatro Knockout may have only attracted 17 entrants, but the large buy-ins meant 199,920 was up for grabs across the regular prize pool and bounty payments. Only three of those starters received cash from the regular prize pool, and what a trio they were. Dutchman Joris Ruijs busted in third and took home 30,400 for his efforts. Ruijs' exit left Austria's Roland Rokita in a one-on-one situation against American high-stakes guru Byron Kaverman, who was Ruijs' executioner. Rokita got the job done heads-up, which resigned Kaverman to a 69,600 consolation prize while locking up a 99,920 payday for himself. 12,300 PokerStars Cuatro Knockout Final Table Results Rank Player Country Bounties Prize Total Prize 1 Roland Rokita Austria 24,000 75,920 99,920 2 Byron Kaverman United States 24,000 45,600 69,600 3 Joris Ruijs Netherlands 0 30,400 30,400 Other Early EPT Malta Champions Jan Bendik Several other players have also captured titles in the early EPT Malta side events. Peter Krajnyak won the 550 Seniors event for 7,265 while Italian Umberto Ruggeri won the 1,100 NL Hold'em Freezeout for 38,700. Another Italian, Federico Fulciniti, took down the 550 Hyper Turbo Freezeout for 12,020, with the 2016 EPT Grand Final champion Jan Bendik collecting 20,560 for his victory in the 1,050 Hyper Turbo Freezeout. Remaining EPT Malta Schedule The tournaments continue coming thick and fast during the EPT Malta festival, which runs until October 12. PokerNews' live reporting team will be on the ground bringing you live and exclusive coverage of the 1,650 PokerStars Open (from Day 2 onward), the 100,000 EPT Super High Roller, and the eagerly anticipated 5,300 EPT Malta Main Event. Date Time Event Fri 3 Oct 11:00 a.m. 1,650 NLHE PokerStars Open Main Event Day 1e 12:00 p.m. 8-Game Mix Final Dat 12:30 p.m. 20,000 No-Limit Hold'em 4:00 p.m. 600 Win Your Seat Satellite to EPT Main Event 5:30 p.m. 1,650 NLHE PokerStars Open Main Event Day 1f 8:00 p.m. 2,730 Win Your Seat Satellite to Super High Roller 9:00 p.m. 600 Win Your Seat Satellite to EPT Main Event Sat 4 Oct 11:00 a.m. 825 NLHE PokerStars Open Cup Day 1a 11:00 a.m. PokerStars Open Main Event Day 2 12:30 p.m. 25,000 NLHE Super High Roller Warm-Up 12:30 p.m. 5,200 Pot Limit Omaha 4:00 p.m. 1,155 Win Your Seat Satellite to EPT Main Event 6:00 p.m. 825 NLHE PokerStars Open Cup Day 1b 9:00 p.m. 2,100 NLHE Hyper Turbo Knockout Freezeout Sun 5 Oct 11:00 a.m. 600 Win Your Seat Satellite to PokerStars Open High Roller 11:00 a.m. PokerStars Open Main Event Day 3 12:00 p.m. 2,700 NLHE PokerStars Open High Roller Day 1a 12:00 p.m. PokerStars Open Cup Final Day 12:00 p.m. 330 NLHE Womens Event 12:30 p.m. 50,000 NLHE EPT Super High Roller 12:30 p.m. 10,200 Pot Limit Omaha 7:00 p.m. 2,700 NLHE PokerStars Open High Roller Day 1b 9:00 p.m. 600 Win Your Seat Satellite to EPT Main Event Mon 6 Oct 11:00 a.m. 1,155 Win Your Seat Satellite to EPT Main Event 12:00 p.m. 5,300 NLHE EPT Main Event Day 1a 12:00 p.m. 550 H.O.R.S.E. 12:00 p.m. Pokerstars Open Main Event Final Day 12:30 p.m. 5,200 Pot Limit Omaha 12:30 p.m. 50,000 NLHE EPT Super High Roller Day 2 12:30 p.m. PokerStars Open High Roller Final Day 4:00 p.m. 600 Win Your Seat Satellite to EPT Main Event 6:00 p.m. 25,000 PLO EPT High Roller Day 1 7:00 p.m. 1,100 Big Bet Mix Day 1 8:00 p.m. 1,155 Win Your Seat to EPOT Main Event 10:00 p.m. 1,050 NLHE Hyper Turbo Freezeout Tue 7 Oct 11:00 a.m. 1,155 Win Your Seat Satellite to EPT Main Event 12:00 p.m. Big Bet Mix Final Day 12:00 p.m. 25,000 PLO EPT High Roller Final Day 12:00 p.m. 5,300 NLHE EPT Main Event Day 1b 12:30 p.m. EPT Super High Roller Final Day 12:30 p.m. 1,100 Pot Limit Omaha Day 1 12:30 p.m. 25,000 No-Limit Hold'em 7:00 p.m. 550 2-7 Single Draw 7:00 p.m. 2,100 No-Limit Hold'em 9:00 p.m. 550 NLHE Freezeout Wed 8 Oct 12:00 p.m. 730 Win Your Seat Satellite to EPT Mystery Bunty 12:00 p.m. Pot-Limit Omaha Final Day 12:00 p.m. 5,300 NLHE EPT Main Event Day 2 12:30 p.m. 1,100 PLO Hi-Lo 2:00 p.m. 3,250 NLHE EPT Mystery Bounty Day 1 7:00 p.m. 25,000 NLHE Super High Roller Second Chance Day 1 8:00 p.m. 1,050 NLHE Hyper Turbo Knockout Freezeout 8:00 p.m. 250 Win Your Seat Satellite to EPT 10-Game Thu 9 Oct 12:00 p.m. EPT Main Event Day 3 12:30 p.m. 550 NLHE Seniors Event Day 1 12:30 p.m. 25,000 NLHE Super High Roller Second Chance Day 1 12:30 p.m. 3,250 NLHE EPT Mystery Bounty Day 2 1:00 p.m. 5,200 8-Game Mix 1:00 p.m. 2,100 NLHE Hyper Turbo Knockout Freezeout 2:00 p.m. 1,100 No-Limit Hold'em Day 1 3:00 p.m. 1,125 Win Your Seat Satellite to EPT High Roller 7:00 p.m. 1,125 Win Your Seat Satellite to EPT High Roller 7:00 p.m. 2,200 EPT 10-Game Mix 9:00 p.m. 1,050 NLHE Hyper Turbo Knockout Freezeout Fri 10 Oct 11:00 a.m. 1,125 Win Your Seat Satellite to EPT High Roller 11:00 a.m. 370 Win Your Seat Satellite to Mystery Bounty 12:00 p.m. 1,650 NLHE Mystery Bounty Day 1a 12:00 p.m. NLHE Seniors Event Final Day 12:00 p.m. EPT Mystery Bounty Final Day 12:00 p.m. EPT Main Event Day 4 12:30 p.m. 10,300 NLHE High Roller Day 1 12:30 p.m. 2,200 EPT 10-Game Mix Day 2 12:30 p.m. No-Limit Hold'em Final Day 6:00 p.m. 400 NLHE EPT Charity Event 7:00 p.m. 1,650 NLHE Mystery Bounty Day 1b 9:00 p.m. 2,150 NLHE Hyper Turbo Knockout Freezeout Sat 11 Oct 12:00 p.m. 330 NLHE Day 1a 12:00 p.m. 250 Win Your Seat Satellite to 2,200 Deep Stack 12:00 p.m. EPT Main Event Day 5 12:30 p.m. 10,300 NLHE High Roller Day 2 12:30 p.m. EPT 10-Game Mix Final Day 1:00 p.m. 550 8-Game Mix 1:00 p.m. 2,200 NLHE Deep Stack Day 1 1:00 p.m. Mystery Bounty Final Day 6:00 p.m. 10,300 No-Limit Hold'em Day 1 6:00 p.m. 330 NLHE Day 1b 8:00 p.m. 10,050 NLHE Hyper Turbo Freezeout Sun 12 Oct 12:00 p.m. 330 No-Limit Hold'em 12:00 p.m. 10,300 NLHE Final Day 12:00 p.m. Deep Stack Final Day 12:00 p.m. No-Limit Hold'em Final Day 12:00 p.m. NLHE High Roller Final Day 12:30 p.m. 2,200 NLHE 6-Handed 12:30 p.m. EPT Main Event Final Day 4:00 p.m. 5,300 NLHE 6-Handed 6:00 p.m. 1,050 NLHE Last Chance Super Hyper Turbo Freezeout Share this article This is developing [or breaking] news, we are fact-checking and adding new facts as they come to light. South Carolina saw its first measles outbreak of the year in the Upstate, which has had a lower vaccination rate than other regions. There have been more than 40 outbreaks of the highly infectious disease across the country. BEIJING, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- When five-month-old Linlin, a pseudonym, was diagnosed with a rare disease, her doctors took an important step. Before beginning treatment, they removed and preserved part of her ovary to protect her ability to have children in the future. The treatment Linlin needed, a hematopoietic stem cell transplant, can be life-saving but often comes at a cost, as it may cause irreversible damage to ovarian function and fertility. When Linlin's mother learned of this risk, she was determined to do everything possible to safeguard her daughter's chance of becoming a mother. Each year, a significant number of women and girls are diagnosed with either cancer or rare diseases, and even after successful treatment, many are left unable to have children because of chemotherapy, radiation or surgery, said Du Rui, chairperson of the China Women's Development Foundation. This is not only a personal loss, but also an issue that impacts family happiness and social harmony, Du added. With advances in medical technology, China has introduced a range of measures to help female patients preserve their fertility. As the country is working to save lives, it is also striving to improve the quality of lives. BUILDING "NOAH'S ARK" FOR PATIENTS Linlin's ovarian tissue is being stored in the cryobank at the Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital (BOGH), waiting to be "woken up" for the chance to serve as the source of new life. This frozen "Noah's Ark" was initiated by Ruan Xiangyan, founding director of the department of gynecological endocrinology at the BOGH. Since Ruan introduced the technology of ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation to China in 2012, nearly 900 female patients suffering from cancer or rare diseases have had their ovarian tissue stored in this cryobank. Among those having their ovarian tissue transplanted, two have successfully given birth to healthy babies. "It's a tragedy when treating an illness takes away the chance to have children," Ruan said. "We must protect women patients' right to motherhood." In order to make ovarian freezing services accessible to more people, Ruan has helped train doctors from over 300 hospitals across the country for the past seven years. Thanks to collective efforts, a nationwide fertility preservation network has been established, allowing ovarian tissue from as far as Hainan, China's southernmost island province, to be transported to the BOGH cryobank within 24 hours. Endometrial cancer, another women's health issue, used to be virtually a death sentence for a woman's chances of having children. "Treatment for endometrial cancer often involves removing the uterus, which brings tremendous psychological pressure and a deep sense of loss due to the fertility impact for young patients," said Wang Jianliu, Party chief and deputy head of the Peking University People's Hospital. More than a decade ago, Wang's team broke with conventional thinking by combining multiple medications and, when necessary, integrating traditional Chinese medicine in treating this form of cancer. This approach has achieved a complete remission rate of over 90 percent for endometrial cancer. So far, 109 patients treated via this method have given birth to new lives. Wang envisions a future where an increasing number of cancer patients can undergo treatment with medications that safeguard both their health and their chances to become mothers. ADDRESSING NEW CHALLENGES Protecting fertility is not just a medical issue, as it also requires policy support and coordinated efforts across society. The Chinese government has prioritized improving its population development strategy and establishing a policy system to boost birth rates. In 2024, the Cancer Foundation of China, the China Women's Development Foundation and a pharmaceutical company signed strategic cooperation agreements to promote a full-chain cervical cancer prevention and control system, as well as a public-interest program designed to preserve women's fertility while preventing and treating cervical cancer. Experts are also acting on this call. Zhuang Ya'er, secretary-general of the China Population Association, suggested incorporating oncofertility into the national fertility support system and improving health insurance coverage to ease the financial burden on patients. Ruan has observed that many doctors remain unaware of the reproductive damage that chemotherapy and radiation can cause to patients. She has urged health administrations to mandate that medical institutions fully inform patients and their guardians about the potential severe impact of such treatments on ovarian function and fertility. In building a childbirth-friendly society, Ruan believes that protecting the reproductive rights of patients is not only a medical challenge, but also a measure of civilization. "Every life deserves respect, and every hope deserves to be safeguarded," she said. "Our efforts aim to help more women patients see light in the darkness." Chloe Barlow is a multimedia reporter straight out of the Midlands. She trained in journalism at both the University of South Carolina and Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She covers a wide breadth of South Carolina news, but she is especially interested in accountability and justice reporting. CAPE TOWN, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- A senior Chinese legislator has called on members of the Group of Twenty (G20) to strengthen unity and cooperation in tackling global challenges at the 11th G20 Parliamentary Speakers' Summit held in South Africa. Zheng Jianbang, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) of China, led a Chinese delegation to the summit on Wednesday and Thursday and delivered a keynote speech. Hegemonism, unilateralism and protectionism are hindering the global development agenda, Zheng said in his speech, noting that the G20 should shoulder its responsibility to drive world economic growth and advance historical progress. He called on all parties to uphold the principles of solidarity, cooperation, equality, consultation and prioritizing development, while actively participating in the Global Governance Initiative, practicing multilateralism and making global development more inclusive, beneficial to all and more resilient. The NPC is ready to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with legislative bodies around the world to jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind, Zheng added. On the sidelines of the summit, Zheng also met with parliamentary leaders from South Africa, Russia, Singapore, Mozambique and Germany to exchange views on deepening inter-parliamentary cooperation. Berkeley and Dorchester Metro Reporter Komlavi Adissem is a metro reporter covering Berkeley and Dorchester counties. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri, where he covered city, county, and state government for the Columbia Missourian. Find him on Twitter (X) and Bluesky @KAdissem! You are the owner of this article. Reporter Christian spent six years in Myrtle Beach before moving to the Upstate. When he's not working, he's reading a book, making a mess in the kitchen or running around Spartanburg. Health workers transfer a body pack of victims of a school building collapse at Bhayangkara Hospital in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, Oct. 3, 2025. The death toll from the collapse of a school building in Indonesia's East Java province has risen to eight, a senior rescue official said Friday. Suharyanto, head of the National Disaster Management Agency, said three more bodies were retrieved by rescuers, bringing the fatalities to eight. He said heavy machinery has been deployed in the ongoing excavation, with 55 people still unaccounted for. (Photo by Sahlan Kurniawan/Xinhua) JAKARTA, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from the collapse of a school building in Indonesia's East Java province has risen to eight, a senior rescue official said Friday. Suharyanto, head of the National Disaster Management Agency, said three more bodies were retrieved by rescuers, bringing the fatalities to eight. He said heavy machinery has been deployed in the ongoing excavation, with 55 people still unaccounted for. Earlier, rescue workers had relied mainly on manual excavation out of concern that heavy equipment could trigger further collapse. Part of the multi-storey Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School in Sidoarjo district collapsed on Monday while undergoing unauthorized renovation, trapping dozens of students. Health workers transfer a body pack of victims of a school building collapse at Bhayangkara Hospital in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, Oct. 3, 2025. The death toll from the collapse of a school building in Indonesia's East Java province has risen to eight, a senior rescue official said Friday. Suharyanto, head of the National Disaster Management Agency, said three more bodies were retrieved by rescuers, bringing the fatalities to eight. He said heavy machinery has been deployed in the ongoing excavation, with 55 people still unaccounted for. (Photo by Sahlan Kurniawan/Xinhua) PR-Inside.com: 2025-10-03 12:40:06 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 904 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 LINYI CITY, CHINA / ACCESS Newswire / October 3, 2025 / From technology introduction to independent innovation, from market internationalization to enterprise internationalization, Lingong Group is embarking on a new journey of globalization with greater autonomy and confidence-writing a fresh chapter in the story of Chinese high-end manufacturing going global.This golden autumn season of harvest, from September 27 to 30, 2025, the 3rd SDLG Global Partners Convention-an industry-wide event for the global construction machinery sector-kicked off in Linyi, Shandong.On the afternoon of September 27, Mr. Wang Zhizhong, Chairman of Lingong Group, gave a media interview in which he addressed for the first time the company's "parting of ways" with Volvo Construction Equipment after 19 years of cooperation. He also outlined Lingong Group's new globalization strategy and, for the first time, shared insights into the group's 15th Five-Year Plan objectives.19 Years with Volvo CE: A Profound "Globalization Baptism" and Systematic UpgradeSince partnering with Volvo Construction Equipment in 2006, SDLG embarked on a far-reaching journey of international cooperation. The partnership not only provided SDLG with technical and managerial support, but also, through independent operations and a dual-brand strategy, significantly enhanced the company's global recognition.In June 2025, Lingong Group announced the acquisition of Volvo CE's 70% stake in SDLG. As of September 1, the ownership transfer was fully completed.When asked about the value of this 19-year cooperation, Chairman Wang Zhizhong described it as "a profound globalization baptism and a systematic upgrade." He explained that SDLG absorbed Volvo CE's technology and management systems, while achieving a comprehensive iteration and upgrade in product technology. At the same time, the company introduced its innovative "All Involvement" management model-leaping from introduction, digestion, and absorption to reinvention, and building a complete independent R&D system. By combining local practices with international standards, SDLG has developed an operational mechanism with its own distinctive characteristics, securing a competitive edge against major domestic brands.On the manufacturing front, SDLG fully implemented and deepened lean production practices. "Among Volvo CE's 18 global manufacturing plants, our factory ranked second in lean production performance, and we were the first in the domestic industry to win the EFQM Global Excellence Award," Wang noted.The end of the partnership, Wang emphasized, was a joint decision reached after friendly consultations, based on the current global market environment and each party's development strategy. "SDLG was well prepared for this. Going forward, our international growth will no longer be constrained, allowing us to respond more flexibly to global customer needs. This marks an important milestone in SDLG's development history," he said.Sailing Independently: From "Market Internationalization" to "Enterprise Internationalization"The conclusion of the cooperation has given SDLG more autonomy and efficiency in decision-making. According to Chairman Wang, SDLG now enjoys clear competitive advantages in product technology, manufacturing, corporate management, AI, and digitalization, with the strength to compete directly with global brands. The company will resolutely pursue "comprehensive internationalization"-not just selling products abroad, but expanding R&D, marketing, services, parts supply, and financial management worldwide.SDLG has also set a bold strategic goal: "rebuilding a new SDLG overseas," meaning overseas business should reach a scale comparable to its current domestic operations. Wang explained that achieving this vision requires a fundamental shift-from "market internationalization" to true "enterprise internationalization." SDLG's new globalization strategy is defined as "comprehensive advancement, targeted breakthroughs, building a new framework for internationalization." Targeted breakthroughs mean concentrating resources on core global markets-especially the top 20 countries that account for 80% of the world's market share. There, SDLG will adopt an independent accounting platform model, granting frontline teams full decision-making authority to achieve rapid breakthroughs and demonstration effects.Comprehensive advancement refers to in-depth, full-scale localization efforts, including establishing overseas production bases and subsidiaries, creating international financing platforms, localizing talent, distribution channels, and services, and building a complete overseas industrial ecosystem.A 100-Billion Ambition: Confidence from a "Dual-Engine Drive"Lingong Group has secured a strong position on the Global Top 50 Construction Machinery Manufacturers list, standing out as a leading "chain master" enterprise in Shandong Province. Chairman Wang Zhizhong expressed firm confidence in achieving the group's target of surpassing 100 billion RMB in revenue by 2030, backed by a clear strategic roadmap and solid industrial foundation.First growth engine: "Consolidating the core business while developing new growth drivers." Lingong Group continues to hold leading positions in its traditional strengths-wheel loaders, excavators, and other core products-while expanding aggressively into strategic emerging sectors, including industrial intelligence, new energy, and high-end large-scale agricultural machinery.Second growth engine: "Accelerating globalization to achieve new overseas breakthroughs." The international market holds the greatest growth potential. "By 2030, we aim to significantly increase the proportion of overseas revenue, essentially creating another SDLG of comparable scale abroad," said Wang.Today, Lingong Group has grown from a single construction machinery manufacturer into a diversified, international industrial group, with 83 subsidiaries and 17 member enterprises. The business cluster includes Shandong Lingong Construction Machinery Co., Ltd. (SDLG), Lingong Heavy Machinery Co., Ltd. (LGMG), Lingong Intelligence Information Technology Co., Ltd. (LGIM), Linyi Lingong New Energy Tech Co., Ltd. (LGNE), Lingong Agricultural Machinery Co., Ltd. (LGAG), covering nine major product lines: wheel loaders, excavators, road machinery, mining equipment, aerial work platforms, industrial intelligence, new energy, and agricultural machinery, etc.Under unified group management, subsidiaries will pursue coordinated development, sharing resources and complementing strengths. "The dual-engine strategy of domesti PR-Inside.com: 2025-10-03 05:10:09 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 772 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Pairing Remote Services with Comprehensive Management Brings Full BenefitWATKINSVILLE, GA / ACCESS Newswire / October 2, 2025 / For rural hospital pharmacies with limited staff and resources, maintaining continuity of care can feel out of reach. One step many take to achieve care continuity is to partner with a third party remote coverage pharmacy provider.While leveraging remote support can help bridge gaps, particularly when it comes to nighttime pharmacy coverage, it may not be enough for some hospitalssome hospitals may need additional support.PharmD on Demand's Paired SolutionPharmD on Demand is a pharmacy management services firm that helps rural facilities not only meet their immediate needs, but advises them so they can thrive. Their management leadership teams hasve gained deep insights into what works best (and what does not) in rural pharmacy, and brings this expertise with them and strategically applies these findings to every client they serve.Often, PharmD pairs their Remote Services with Comprehensive Pharmacy Management to help bring about the best results for their clients:Remote Pharmacy Services offers 24/7 clinical support from hospital-trained pharmacists. These remote teams handle overnight order verification, medication reconciliation and data reporting - extending pharmacy coverage and ensuring after-hours safety and compliance.Comprehensive Pharmacy Management from PharmD allows hospitals to offload day-to-day pharmacy management responsibilities to a team with deep operational experience in rural hospital pharmacies. This service includes training, as well as support and advisory services related to staffing, software and employee benefits."Each service works well independently. But when combined, they optimize the other and form a more powerful, integrated solution that helps bring continuity to both pharmacy operations and patient care," says Jackson Dove, Vice President of Remote Services at PharmD.Davey Legendre is Vice President of Pharmacy Management at PharmD, and agrees with Dove. One aspect of the relationship Legendre especially values is how Remote Services gains new knowledge working with a wide range of pharmacies, then shares these insights with his team."The Remote Team often become aware of things that can be done more efficiently. For instance, one hospital may structure a policy differently than others, and it works well. These insights not only benefit our team, but we are then able to apply them to all our clients," says Legendre.How Benefits Are Realized Every DayBecause all participants are part of a single, coordinated management system, PharmD's rural pharmacy clients typically experience:Cleaner handoffs and fewer misunderstandings between daytime and nighttime shiftsBetter communication, since all teams work from a single set of protocols, documentation and expectationsFaster resolution of clinical questions due to direct, unrestricted communication between on-site and remote pharmacistsAbility to maintain patient expectations and continuity of care around the clockMore proactive handling of order issuesBetter overall alignment, since everyone is trained on the same systems, held to the same performance goals and invested in the same outcomesEMR Experience Further Reduces BurdenAnother reason why rural pharmacies choose PharmD, explains Dove, is their deep experience across multiple EMR platforms, which can mean less of a burden now, as well as fewer problems later."Our Remote Team can take on projects outside of traditional order verification, such as new EMR builds, upgrades or documentation workflows," says Dove. "This flexibility reduces the burden on onsite staff and helps avoid the costly rework that often results when technology changes are rushed or under-resourced." The remote team can draw on their experience and lessons learned from numerous EMR platforms to provide valuable feedback and additional training resources when building and implementing a new EMR.Insights and Analytics Can Mean Cost SavingsNot to be understated, PharmD knows rural pharmacies must work hard to contain costs and find opportunities for savings whenever possible. PharmD's paired services gives them the "big picture" of pharmacy operations including spending and cash flow. This, along with findings from the PharmD data analytics team, means PharmD can identify potential new avenues for savings and cost containment for the clients they serve."PharmD's individual services all work well on their own," says Legendre. "But there is a real synergy when they are used together. It allows us to offer full support, so the best care can be delivered 24/7 to the patient at the hospital." For More InformationContact us for more information or to schedule an evaluation. We're here to learn more about you and share more about the benefits of partnering with PharmD, such the opportunities for cost savings with manufacturers and vendors in our network. Visit https://pharmdondemand.com CONTACT:info@ pharmdondemand.com 706-389-9500SOURCE: PharmD on Demand PR-Inside.com: 2025-10-03 18:22:06 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 408 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / October 3, 2025 / Sturgis Hospital recently disclosed that it suffered a data breach that compromised the sensitive personal and protected health data of individuals. This data breach has led to concerns over the security of personal and protected health information entrusted to Sturgis Hospital.WHAT'S THIS ABOUT?In December 2024, Sturgis Hospital became aware of unauthorized activity within its computer network. Upon detection, Sturgis Hospital launched an investigation with the assistance of third-party cybersecurity experts to determine the nature and scope of the incident. While the investigation was still ongoing, further unauthorized activity was discovered in June 2025. On September 18, 2025, Sturgis Hospital confirmed that sensitive personal and protected health information had been compromised. The impacted information may include names, contact information, government identification numbers, financial account information, health insurance information, prescriptions, and treatment records.Sturgis Hospital filed a notice with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and began sending notice letters to impacted individuals. Compensation may be available for those individuals who receive notice that their sensitive personal information was compromised.WHY YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO COMPENSATION?Data breaches are serious matters that can cause long-term damage. Hackers may use stolen information to commit identity theft, financial fraud, or other crimes. Companies that fail to secure your personal data may be held liable for the resulting harm.HOW DO I KNOW IF I WAS AFFECTED?If you received a data breach notification letter from Sturgis Hospital, you are likely to be affected. Follow the link below to find out if you may be eligible for compensation.Levi & Korsinsky, LLP is investigating whether affected individuals are entitled to compensation. There is no cost or obligation to participate. Follow the link below to find out:Levi & Korsinsky, LLP is a nationally recognized consumer advocacy law firm that has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars against large corporations. The firm's team of over 70 extraordinary attorneys and professionals have a winning track record going against the most powerful defense attorneys in the world and know how to maximize your compensation. Our firm works on a 100% contingency fee basis - you pay nothing unless we win your case! Visit our website to learn more.Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.CONTACT: Levi & Korsinsky, LLPJoseph E. Levi, Esq.Ed Korsinsky, Esq.33 Whitehall Street, 27th FloorNew York, NY 10004 jlevi@ levikorsinsky.com Tel: (212) 363-7500Fax: (212) 363-7171 https://zlk.com/ SOURCE: Levi & Korsinsky, LLP PR-Inside.com: 2025-10-03 18:30:10 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 380 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / October 3, 2025 / Arbella Insurance Group ("Arbella") recently disclosed that it suffered a data breach that compromised the sensitive personal and protected health data of individuals. This data breach has led to concerns over the security of sensitive personal and protected health information entrusted to Arbella.WHAT'S THIS ABOUT?Arbella Insurance Group recently reported to the Massachusetts Attorney General that it experienced a data breach involving sensitive personal and protected health information. While Arbella has not disclosed the full details of the security incident, the company confirmed that certain personal information was compromised. The impacted data may include names,Social Security numbers, addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, medical information, and insurance information.In September 2025, Arbella began mailing notification letters to impacted individuals.Compensation may be available for those individuals who receive notice that their sensitive personal information was compromised.WHY YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO COMPENSATION?Data breaches are serious matters that can cause long-term damage. Hackers may use stolen information to commit identity theft, financial fraud, or other crimes. Companies that fail to secure your personal data may be held liable for the resulting harm.HOW DO I KNOW IF I WAS AFFECTED?If you received a data breach notification letter from Arbella Insurance Group, you are likely to be affected. Follow the link below to find out if you may be eligible for compensation.Levi &Korsinsky, LLP is investigating whether affected individuals are entitled to compensation. There is no cost or obligation to participate. Follow the link below to find out:Levi & Korsinsky, LLP is a nationally recognized consumer advocacy law firm that has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars against large corporations. The firm's team of over 70 extraordinary attorneys and professionals have a winning track record going against the most powerful defense attorneys in the world and know how to maximize your compensation. Our firm works on a 100% contingency fee basis - you pay nothing unless we win your case! Visit our website to learn more. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.CONTACT: Levi & Korsinsky, LLPJoseph E. Levi, Esq.Ed Korsinsky, Esq.33 Whitehall Street, 27th FloorNew York, NY 10004 jlevi@ levikorsinsky.com Tel: (212) 363-7500Fax: (212) 363-7171 https://zlk.com/ SOURCE: Levi & Korsinsky, LLP PR-Inside.com: 2025-10-03 18:45:07 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 411 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / October 3, 2025 / US HealthConnect, Inc. ("US HealthConnect") recently disclosed that it suffered a data breach that compromised the sensitive personal data of current and former employees. This data breach has led to concerns over the security of sensitive personal information entrusted to US HealthConnect.WHAT'S THIS ABOUT?On January 25, 2025, US HealthConnect discovered suspicious activity in its computer systems. Upon detection, US HealthConnect launched an investigation with the assistance of third-party cybersecurity experts to determine the nature and scope of the incident.The investigation confirmed that an unauthorized third party gained access to sensitive personal information. US HealthConnect conducted a comprehensive review of the impacted data to determine what information was compromised and identified affected individuals.The impacted data may include names, Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, and financial account information.On September 4, 2025, US HealthConnect filed a notice with the Massachusetts Attorney General and began sending out notice letters to impacted individuals. Compensation may be available for those individuals who receive notice that their sensitive personal information was compromised.WHY YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO COMPENSATION?Data breaches are serious matters that can cause long-term damage. Hackers may use stolen information to commit identity theft, financial fraud, or other crimes. Companies that fail to secure your personal data may be held liable for the resulting harm.HOW DO I KNOW IF I WAS AFFECTED?If you received a data breach notification letter from US HealthConnect, Inc., you are likely to be affected. Follow the link below to find out if you may be eligible for compensation.Levi & Korsinsky, LLP is investigating whether affected individuals are entitled to compensation. There is no cost or obligation to participate. Follow the link below to find out:Levi & Korsinsky, LLP is a nationally recognized consumer advocacy law firm that has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars against large corporations. The firm's team of over 70 extraordinary attorneys and professionals have a winning track record going against the most powerful defense attorneys in the world and know how to maximize your compensation. Our firm works on a 100% contingency fee basis - you pay nothing unless we win your case! Visit our website to learn more. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.CONTACT: Levi & Korsinsky, LLPJoseph E. Levi, Esq.Ed Korsinsky, Esq.33 Whitehall Street, 27th FloorNew York, NY 10004 jlevi@ levikorsinsky.com Tel: (212) 363-7500Fax: (212) 363-7171 https://zlk.com/ SOURCE: Levi & Korsinsky, LLP PR-Inside.com: 2025-10-03 18:19:05 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 420 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / October 3, 2025 / Archer Health, Inc. ("Archer Health") recently suffered a data breach that compromised the sensitive personal and protected health data of individuals. This data breach has led to concerns over the security of sensitive personal and protected health information entrusted to Archer Health.WHAT'S THIS ABOUT?A recent report revealed that Archer Health experienced a cybersecurity incident that may have exposed sensitive information. A security researcher identified a publicly accessible database believed to be associated with Archer Health. The database, which was neither encrypted nor password protected, contained an estimated 145,000 files. After being alerted to the exposure, Archer Health secured the database within hoursThe impacted data may include names, patient ID numbers, Social Security numbers, physical addresses, phone numbers, and medical documents (assessments, home health certificates, discharge forms, internal files).As of September 26, 2025, Archer Health has not yet provided public comment, confirmed the extent of the exposure, or disclosed whether it meets the definition of a reportable data breach. Compensation may be available for those individuals who receive notice that their sensitive personal information was compromised.WHY YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO COMPENSATION?Data breaches are serious matters that can cause long-term damage. Hackers may use stolen information to commit identity theft, financial fraud, or other crimes. Companies that fail to secure your personal data may be held liable for the resulting harm.HOW DO I KNOW IF I WAS AFFECTED?If you received a data breach notification letter from Archer Health, Inc., you are likely to be affected. Follow the link below to find out if you may be eligible for compensation.Levi & Korsinsky, LLP is investigating whether affected individuals are entitled to compensation. There is no cost or obligation to participate. Follow the link below to find out:Levi & Korsinsky, LLP is a nationally recognized consumer advocacy law firm that has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars against large corporations. The firm's team of over 70 extraordinary attorneys and professionals have a winning track record going against the most powerful defense attorneys in the world and know how to maximize your compensation. Our firm works on a 100% contingency fee basis - you pay nothing unless we win your case! Visit our website to learn more.Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.CONTACT: Levi & Korsinsky, LLPJoseph E. Levi, Esq.Ed Korsinsky, Esq.33 Whitehall Street, 27th FloorNew York, NY 10004 jlevi@ levikorsinsky.com Tel: (212) 363-7500Fax: (212) 363-7171 https://zlk.com/ SOURCE: Levi & Korsinsky, LLP MOSCOW/KIEV, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Russian forces launched a large-scale overnight strike against Ukraine's military-industrial complex and energy infrastructure, the Russian Defense Ministry said Friday. The raid involved long-range precision weapons launched from land, air and sea, as well as combat drones, the ministry said in a statement. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia launched 381 combat and decoy drones and 35 missiles during the attack, mainly targeting critical energy infrastructure facilities in the Kharkiv and Poltava regions. Ukraine's state-owned gas operator Naftogaz reported that the group's gas production facilities in both regions were targeted in the attack. Ukraine's largest private energy company DTEK reported that several gas production facilities in the central Poltava region were forced to halt operations following the strikes. Rescuers and energy workers are currently working on the sites of the strikes to mitigate the damage and stabilize the situation, the Ukrainian Energy Ministry said in a statement. PR-Inside.com: 2025-10-03 20:45:12 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 494 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 PHILADELPHIA, PA / ACCESS Newswire / October 3, 2025 / Investors in Prestige Funds and WF Velocity Funds (together, "Prestige Funds"), an alleged Ponzi scheme that offered ATM machines to investors,may have options to seek compensation for their investmentsfrom third-party entities that played a role in promoting, enabling, and/or assisting the alleged Prestige Funds fraud, according to veteran investor advocates Alan Rosca and Paul Scarlato with the Rosca Scarlato LLC law firm.Attorneys Rosca and Scarlato are currently investigating the allegedly fraudulent investment offerings in the Prestige Funds following a lawsuit filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on September 3, 2025, charging Daryl F. Heller, Paramount Management Group, LLC, and Prestige Investment Group, LLC with operating a multi-year Ponzi scheme that raised more than $770 million from approximately 2,700 investors, resulting in over $400 million in losses.According to the SEC, from at least 2017 through early 2024, Daryl Heller and his affiliated companies claimed to run a large, successful nationwide ATM network, promising investors, many from the Amish and Mennonite communities in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, approximately 25% returns paid monthly from ATM fees. Unbeknownst to investors, the ATM network was much smaller and less profitable than represented, and distributions to investors were mainly funded by new investments and short-term high-interest loans, the SEC alleged.Heller, Paramount Management Group and Prestige Investment Group stand accused of inflating returns, making false and misleading statements, misappropriating at least $185 million of investor funds, and other violations.Separately, Daryl Heller faces one count of securities fraud and four counts of wire fraud, according to a release by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania announcing Heller's arrest. Both civil and criminal actions are currently pending.What Can Prestige Funds Investors Do?Investors in the Prestige Funds may have options to seek compensation for their investments, in addition to, and separately from, the SEC's claims against Daryl Heller and his companies. If you are an investor in the Prestige Funds series or possess relevant information, the Rosca Scarlato investor rights attorneys Alan Rosca and Paul Scarlato encourage you to contact them. Fill out the form on Prestige Funds Investor Center page, call 888-998-0530, or email attorney Alan Rosca at arosca@ rscounsel.law or Paul Scarlato at pscarlato@ rscounsel.law Rosca Scarlato LLC is a leading nationwide investor rights law firm that prosecutes cases arising out of alleged violations of securities law, investment fraud, and/or Ponzi schemes. The Rosca Scarlato attorneys have decades of combined experience representing investors in cases involving fraud or other financial misconduct. They typically work on a contingency fee basis, case expenses are advanced by the law firm, and the firm only gets paid for its fees and expenses if and when there is a recovery, wherever permitted. All evaluations are free.This release may be deemed to include Attorney Advertising. There has not been an adjudication on the merits of any allegations referenced herein, as of the publication date. Rosca Scarlato 2025.SOURCE: Rosca Scarlato LLC PR-Inside.com: 2025-10-03 18:22:13 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 429 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / October 3, 2025 / WestJet, an Alberta Partnership ("WestJet") recently suffered a data breach that compromised the sensitive personal data of individuals. This data breach has led to concerns over the security of sensitive personal information entrusted to WestJet.WHAT'S THIS ABOUT?On June 13, 2025, WestJet became aware of a security incident on its internal network. Upon detection, WestJet launched an investigation with the assistance of third-party cyber security experts to determine the nature and scope of the incident. The investigation determined that an unauthorized third party gained access to WestJet's systems and obtained sensitive data from its network.The impacted data may include names, dates of birth, mailing addresses, information about the travel document you used when travelling with WestJet (such as your passport or other government issued identification document or number), and other information associated with your travel needs, such as accommodations requested or complaints filed.On September 30, 2025, WestJet filed notice of the data breach with the Office of the Maine Attorney General and began sending notice letters to impacted individuals. Compensation may be available for those individuals who receive notice that their sensitive personal information was compromised.WHY YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO COMPENSATION?Data breaches are serious matters that can cause long-term damage. Hackers may use stolen information to commit identity theft, financial fraud, or other crimes. Companies that fail to secure your personal data may be held liable for the resulting harm.HOW DO I KNOW IF I WAS AFFECTED?If you received a data breach notification letter from WestJet, an Alberta Partnership, you are likely to be affected. Follow the link below to find out if you may be eligible for compensation.Levi & Korsinsky, LLP is investigating whether affected individuals are entitled to compensation. There is no cost or obligation to participate. Follow the link below to find out:Levi & Korsinsky, LLP is a nationally recognized consumer advocacy law firm that has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars against large corporations. The firm's team of over 70 extraordinary attorneys and professionals have a winning track record going against the most powerful defense attorneys in the world and know how to maximize your compensation. Our firm works on a 100% contingency fee basis - you pay nothing unless we win your case! Visit our website to learn more.Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.CONTACT: Levi & Korsinsky, LLPJoseph E. Levi, Esq.Ed Korsinsky, Esq.33 Whitehall Street, 27th FloorNew York, NY 10004 jlevi@ levikorsinsky.com Tel: (212) 363-7500Fax: (212) 363-7171 https://zlk.com/ SOURCE: Levi & Korsinsky, LLP Details are emerging of the negotiation and agreements signed by Dangote refinery and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) following the crisis that erupted due to the sacking of workers. Sources privy to details of the negotiation told PREMIUM TIMES that Dangote refinery offered to pay the sacked workers salaries for five years without any work requirements due to concerns about potential sabotage they could cause. The offer, made during the negotiation, would have allowed the workers to stay home or pursue other opportunities while receiving their monthly salaries for five years, the sources said. The sources told this newspaper that despite government representatives expressing concerns about the financial burden of such an arrangement, Dangote refinery insisted that it was a lesser burden than allowing potentially untrustworthy workers into the facility. However, the sources said PENGASSAN rejected this option, opting instead for the workers to be redeployed to other parts of the Dangote Groups business. Dangote offered to pay the sacked workers for five years to continue to stay in their homes, or do other things, but they will be paid every month for five years. But they will not be allowed to go near the refinery, because they are not sure of not sabotaging. So, Dangote offered to pay them without work. Even though the government representatives at the negotiation said that it may be too much of a burden on Dangote. Dangote, however, said thats a lesser burden for him than for him to allow people who he cannot trust to be in his facility because he doesnt want to compromise on sabotage. But PENGASSAN rejected it, one of the sources said. When contacted by PREMIUM on Thursday morning, to ascertain the reasons for rejecting the salary payment option, PENGASSAN General Secretary Lumumba Okugbawa said they agreed on a resolution that prioritises the workers welfare. Mr Okugbawa explained that negotiation was a process of give-and-take, where various options were considered and discussed until a mutually acceptable agreement was reached. He emphasised that the final agreement is what matters, not the individual options that were considered during the negotiation. So, the option that he wants to pay salary for five years without any work. I dont think the option is important at the final stage. The most important thing is that what did you agree? Thats what you will do and not, what they disagree on, he said. Sources suggested that the redeployment option may not be ideal for the workers, as they may be sent to far-flung locations, which could lead to some workers resigning rather than accepting the redeployment. But Mr Okugbawa said such concerns are speculative, adding that workers are expected to report to their assigned locations and continue working. He likened the unions role to settling a dispute between a husband and wife, where the goal is to facilitate a resolution and allow the parties to move forward in harmony. Those are speculations, even if the union was not there and they transfer you, wont you go to where you are transfered to and continue your job. I think Nigerians should look at the positive outcome of the negotiation, not the negative aspect. What union do after mediating is go back to their house and workers and the management will continue working together. Its like you try to settle a case between the husband and the wife. After settling the case between them you go back to your house and the husband and wife will live together. So there is no need to create enmity between them at all. We hope to have good relationship and everything with Dangote refinery in the future. All we are interested in is our workers welfare. Dangote Refinery is losing no kobo and people should not think that we are interested in his business model. The most important thing is that these people have their jobs back, he said. The sack The Dangote Petroleum Refinery recently terminated the appointments of some of its workers, citing repeated acts of sabotage that have raised significant safety concerns and affected operational efficiency. A letter signed by the Chief General Manager, Human Asset Management at Dangote Group, Femi Adekunle, and sent to its staff members informed affected staff members that their services were no longer required, effective 25 September. The company emphasised that the decision is not arbitrary but a necessary measure to protect the facility and ensure its long-term stability. This exercise is not arbitrary. It has become necessary to safeguard the refinery from repeated acts of sabotage that have raised safety concerns and affected operational efficiency. It added that the decision was taken in the best interest of the refinery as a result of intermittent cases of sabotage in the various units of the refinery with dire consequences on human life and related safety concerns. Following the sack, PENGASSAN asked its members to disrupt activities at the refinery by blocking gas supply to it. The association said its decision was in response to the decision by the refinerys management to sack some workers who are members of the union. It also accused Dangote refinery of spreading misinformation to justify its actions. The union also directed its members nationwide to withdraw their services in protest against the alleged sack of Nigerian workers at the refinery from midnight on 28 September. It accused the management of the refinery of anti-labour practices and discrimination against local employees, prompting the federal governments intervention. In a swift response, Dangote refinery described the order as illegal and cautioned PENGASSAN to obey Nigerian laws in its operations. It noted that PENGASSAN has no legal right to disrupt or interfere with the refinerys contracts with third-party vendors for gas and crude oil supply. Dangote refinery called on the federal government and its security agencies to intervene and call PENGASSAN to order, urging that the unions actions are not only lawless but also have the potential to inflict significant harm on the Nigerian economy and citizens. Last Saturday, the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) called on PENGASSAN to suspend its directive to cut off gas and crude oil supply to the Dangote refinery. On Sunday, the federal government appealed to PENGASSAN to suspend its planned nationwide strike over its dispute with the Dangote Refinery. In a statement, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, said the ministry had already initiated moves to reconcile the parties to prevent the crisis from escalating. PREMIUM TIMES reported that PENGASSAN, on Monday morning, shut down the major entry points of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC). On Monday, the National Industrial Court, Abuja, issued an interim order stopping PENGASSAN from continuing with its nationwide industrial action against the Dangote refinery. The court also restrained PENGASSAN from cutting crude and gas supply to Dangote Refinery. On Wednesday, PENGASSAN suspended its nationwide strike against the Dangote Refinery after reaching an agreement with the management. The agreement was reached following a reconciliation meeting facilitated by the Nigerian government between the parties. The meeting initially ended in a deadlock on Monday night. It was scheduled to resume at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday at the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Abuja, and later moved to the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA). PREMIUM TIMES understands that the parties reached an agreement in the early hours of Wednesday after negotiations. Agreement reached After a lengthy discussion, the parties resolved that unionisation is a right of workers in accordance with the laws of Nigeria and that this right should be respected. The meeting agreed that the management of Dangote Group shall immediately start the process of taking the disengaged staff to other companies within the Dangote Group, with no loss of pay, and no workers will be victimised arising from their role in the impasse between Dangote and PENGASSAN. The PENGASSAN President, Festus Osifo, who announced the suspension of the strike at a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, cautioned that the union will resume the action without notice if the agreement is breached. Chanel Chin, ex-wife of the Oluwo of Iwo, Abdulrasheed Akanbi, has reacted to the allegations he made against her and the Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi. PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that Mr Akanbi alleged that the Ooni planted Ms Chin in his palace to kill him and further alleged that she poisoned him on three occasions. He also accused the Ooni of engaging in extramarital relations with Ms Chin and questioned the paternity of her son, Oduduwa. This newspaper earlier reported that in December 2019, Mr Akanbi, through his spokesperson, Alli Ibraheem, announced his separation from Ms Chin, citing personal irreconcilable differences. Ms Chin is the daughter of Jamaican reggae star Ludlow Bobo Zaro Chin, best known for his song Pain, which he co-wrote with Capleton. Reacting to Oluwos allegations in a statement posted on her Instagram page on Friday, Ms Chin described the allegations as false and misleading. She noted: My attention has been drawn to recent allegations in the media, purportedly involving His Imperial Majesty, the Ooni of Ife. I categorically state that these claims are false, misleading, and damaging to our sacred Yoruba traditional institution. For the record, I was introduced to Mr Akanbi by a respected Lagos monarch, not by the Ooni of Ife. While as Olori Oluwo, I regarded this Lagos monarch as my royal father and still do with respect. Ooni Ms Chin further clarified that the Ooni did not introduce her to the Oluwo with any malicious intent. She also alleged that Mr Akanbi had failed to fulfil his responsibilities as a father to Oduduwa. I fondly recall visiting this monarch and his Olori in Lagos with Mr Akanbi and baby Prince Oduduwa cherished memories. Mr Akanbi has been absent from Prince Oduduwas life for over five years. He only resurfaced in August this year in Canada, refused to sign the passport papers, but dropped $500the first support Oduduwa had ever received from him since we left the palace. Despite this, I have shouldered the full responsibility of raising my son, while always advocating for peaceful co-parenting. I therefore plead with the public to disregard all falsehoods against the Ooni of Ife, our foremost monarch. I also urge the traditional institution to caution Mr Akanbi from further degrading the sacred throne he once occupied. This shall be my final statement on the matter, said Ms Chin. She added that Oduduwa remained her beloved son and that she deeply loved and respected the Yoruba people. Michael died on Tuesday. His colleague and filmmaker, Stanleyontop, confirmed the news to this reporter on Thursday. Michael had been away from active acting for several years due to his deteriorating health. The illness led to the amputation of one of his legs, after which he publicly appealed for assistance with medical care and a prosthetic limb. In 2024, despite his challenges, Michael appealed to producers to continue casting him. READ ALSO: 2Baba denies arrest after alleged altercation with Natasha in UK In 2022, he received financial support from Prophet Jeremiah Fufeyin, who donated 5 million towards his treatment, though his condition worsened. Michael appeared in several Nollywood movies, including Midnight Love (2003) and The Guilty (2006). The Israeli military has intercepted and dismantled an entire humanitarian flotilla that sought to break the siege of the Gaza enclave. The army intercepted the flotilla, which consisted of 44 ships, on international waters between Wednesday and Thursday. According to the Israeli government, the navy intercepted the last aid flotilla vessel on Friday morning about 42.5 nautical miles (79 km) from Gaza. It also detained those aboard, while that vessel was led to Ashdod port in Israel. The flotilla, which sailed in late August, aimed to bring food, medicine, and other essential supplies to Palestinians to ease the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza under Israels blockade. This marked the latest attempt by activists to challenge Israels naval blockade of the enclave, almost two years into Israels siege of Gaza. Currently, hundreds of activists have been arrested. A livestream video showed Israeli forces forcing their way on board the last vessel on Friday morning. The Polish-flagged Marinette reportedly has a crew of six. In a statement issued on Thursday, the Global Sumud Flotilla said Israeli naval forces had now illegally intercepted all 42 of our vesselseach carrying humanitarian aid, volunteers, and the determination to break Israels illegal siege on Gaza. Communications are cut, and the status of participants is unknown. Governments and international bodies must demand their safety and release immediately, it added. However, Israel has dismissed the flotilla as a publicity stunt. The foreign ministry stated that participants had been warned that they were entering an active combat zone and attempting to breach what Israel describes as a lawful naval blockade. The ministry also said it had urged the organisers to alter course and offered to deliver the aid to Gaza through established channels instead. It further noted that four Italians had been deported, adding that the rest are in the process of being deported. Israels action has, however, attracted the condemnation of several world leaders. The Colombian government on Thursday announced that it was expelling Israeli diplomats in light of Israels actions. Colombian President Gustavo Petro also stated that the country would suspend its free trade agreement with Israel. European nations including Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Greece, and Ireland have also called on Israel to respect the rights of the crew members it seized. Women leaders and gender inclusion advocates have warned that Nigeria risks sliding backwards on gender equality unless urgent steps are taken to expand womens participation in governance. The call was made at the 9th edition of the Voice of Women (VOW) Conference and Awards, in Abuja on Thursday. The 2025 edition is themed Nigerian Women and the Power of Collective Action. The annual conference, convened by Women Radio, brought together government officials, development partners, traditional leaders, civil society groups and grassroots women from across the country to push for womens political inclusion ahead of the 2027 elections. We may take 10 steps back Speaking at the event, the co-founder of the Amandla Institute for Policy and Leadership Advancement, Erelu Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, said the country is in danger of losing hard-won progress if leaders fail to act. Mrs Adeleye-Fayemi also noted that the Reserved Seats Bill before the National Assembly is an urgent priority. That bill is an absolute necessity. Without it, Nigeria will remain stuck at 3.5 per cent womens representation, which is embarrassing compared to other African countries, she said. We, however, seem to be at a point now where if care is not taken, instead of taking 10 steps forward, well be taking 10 steps back. She added that political will from the highest levels of government must be intentional. It is one thing to say we want a better world. It is one thing to be intentional. But if there is no political will from the President, the Vice President, and the leadership of the National Assembly, then all our aspirations will remain only on paper, she said. Tinubu, Shettima pledge support President Bola Tinubu, represented by the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaam Sulaiman-Ibrahim, said his administration remainsx committed to empowering women under the Renewed Hope Agenda. Our ever supportive and resilient Nigerian women, your voices remain the heartbeat of our country; echoing, undaunted, unyielding, and rising to shape a future of equity and progress, Mr Tinubu said in his message. The Vice President, Kashim Shettima, also represented at the event by Ms Sulaiman-Ibrahim, praised Nigerian women as the backbone of the countrys resilience and assured that government policies would continue to unlock their potential as drivers of the economy. Collective action, not half measures In her keynote address, the Minister of Women Affairs, Ms Sulaiman-Ibrahim, said Nigeria is lagging behind global and regional peers in female political representation. She noted that currently, women occupy less than five per cent of seats in the National Assembly, far below the African Union target of 50 per cent and beneath the global average of 26.5 per cent. She argued that the Reserved Seats Bill was not an act of benevolence but one of justice and strategic necessity adding that quotas had been the only proven way to raise womens representation globally. By granting spaces for women in governance, we align with global best practices, ensure a more inclusive democracy, and unlock the full potential of half of the Nigerian population currently left behind, she said. Women solidarity across parties Former UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, challenged Nigerian women to rise above party lines and form a united political front. Mrs Mlambo-Ngcuka stressed that without solidarity, women would continue to be fragmented and sidelined in governance. The hard truth is this women cannot afford to be divided along political, ethnic, or religious lines. When women stand together, they change history. When they are divided, others write history for them, she said. She warned that partisan loyalty often weakens womens collective power, as grassroots and elite women frequently speak in different voices. They also know you are not united. According to her, solidarity across political divides is the key to electing more women into office and retaining them. She urged Nigerian women leaders to speak the same language as grassroots women, understand their struggles, and build alliances that can stand the test of elections. She cited examples from South Africa and Rwanda, where women deliberately worked across political aisles to secure gender quotas and push for laws that transformed representation. Those gains did not come because women waited to be given space. They came because women decided to back one another, regardless of political party. She however, urged Nigerian women to move from rhetoric to coordinated strategies x Recognition of womens empowerment champions Another highlight of the event was the presentation of awards to individuals and organisations for their contributions to advancing gender equality and supporting womens development. The Women at Risk International Foundation (WARIF) clinched the award for CSO/NGO/CBO supporting women and their families, while Flour Mills of Nigeria won the Family-Focused Organisation Award. In the corporate category, Guinness Nigeria Plc emerged winner of the Gender Balance Empowering Company Award, and the Kaduna Public Procurement Agency received the Government Agency Supporting Women Award. For innovation, Meyiwa Vera was honoured in the Social Media Innovation category, while the Lifetime Achievement Award went to Bashir Adewale Adeniyi. The prestigious VOW Woman of the Year Award was presented to Dame Esther Udiehi, while a Posthumous Award was conferred on the late womens rights icon, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti. Women leaders, development partners and grassroots advocates have renewed calls for the urgent passage of the Special Seats for Women Bill to boost female representation in governance. The call was made in Abuja on Thursday, at the 9th edition of the Voice of Women (VOW) Conference and Awards, themed Nigerian Women and the Power of Collective Action. The annual conference, convened by Women Radio, brought together government officials, development partners, traditional leaders, civil society groups and grassroots women from across the country to push for womens political inclusion ahead of the 2027 elections. In her remarks, Toun Sonaiya, the convener of the VOW conference, said Nigerian women must translate their strength as the countrys largest voting bloc into collective political power. Ms Sonaiya noted that although grassroots women hold the highest number of permanent voter cards (PVCs), their political choices are often shaped by men. Eight out of 10 have PVCs but their votes are influenced. This reality calls for action. Its time for every Nigerian woman with a PVC to transform her influence into collective power, she said. She added that women must support one another across political, economic, ethnic and religious divides to elect more women into leadership and transform governance in Nigeria. The convener also urged the National Assembly to pass the Special Seats Reserved for Women Bill, describing it as critical to achieving true democracy. Reserved seats for women bill The Reserved Seats for Women Bill is a proposed legislation that seeks to create special seats exclusively for women in Nigerias national and state legislatures, as a way of addressing the countrys abysmally low female representation in politics. At present, Nigerian women occupy less than five per cent of seats in the National Assembly which is far below the African Unions 50 per cent parity target and the global average of 26.5 per cent. In the 10th Assembly (20232027), women hold only 17 out of 469 seats (about 3.6 per cent), a figure that has dropped compared to previous parliaments. The bill is currently before the National Assembly and designed as a temporary measure, with a provision that it will last for 16 years, covering four election cycles after which it will be subject to review. It has passed its Second Reading at the House of Representatives and will require approval by two-thirds of members in both chambers, as well as endorsement by at least 24 state assemblies, before it can be sent to the president for assent. Why grassroots women rarely vote for women Hansatu Adegbite, National Consultant for Private Sector Partnerships at UN Women Nigeria, presented the findings of a national survey conducted by Women Radio involving 3,743 grassroots women across Nigerias 36 states and the FCT. Ms Adegbite said while 95 per cent of respondents possessed permanent voter cards, only 31 per cent voted for women candidates in the last election cycle, compared to 69 per cent who voted for men. She noted that the absence of female candidates was the most common reason women gave for not voting their gender. When asked why they dont vote for women, 82 per cent said few women contest. About 68 per cent felt politicians lack empathy, while 76 per cent admitted they vote based on what their husbands, community or religious leaders tell them, she said. She further highlighted that 42 per cent of respondents doubted the competence of women candidates, arguing they lacked experience for the offices they sought. She added that regional differences also shape voting behaviour. In the north, 89 per cent cited the absence of female candidates as a key factor, while in the south, 62 per cent pointed to party influence and leadership as the biggest determinant. Leaders back Reserved Seats Bill Osasu Igbinedion, CEO of TOS Group of Companies, said the Reserved Seats for Women Bill is no longer just a gender issue but a nation-building imperative. Ms Igbinedion noted that only 14 of 360 members in the House of Representatives are women, alongside four of 109 senators, which she described as poor and unacceptable. This is a bill whose time has come. Nigerians are clamouring for its passage. Any lawmaker who wants to return in 2027 must support it, she said. She added that barriers to womens political participation were structural and cultural, stressing that reserved seats would bring womens perspectives into governance and strengthen institutions. Also speaking, Otunba Adejare, representing the Olowu of Owu, Saka Matemilola, said womens collective action has historically driven peace, governance and economic resilience in Nigeria and beyond. READ ALSO: Women leaders warn of backslide on gender equality in Nigeria Mr Adejare noted examples such as the Market Women Association in Nigeria and the Women of Peace Movement in Liberia, saying womens coalitions must now be recognised as institutional and measurable forces. Across the globe, women have reshaped policy and peace through unity. When women organise, systems shift, he said. Ogun commissioner stresses mentorship and humility Morunrayo Adeleye-Oladapo, the Ogun State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, said grassroots initiatives such as the Nigeria for Women Project are strengthening womens collective voice. Mrs Adeleye-Oladapo noted that economic empowerment is crucial for women to play decisive roles in politics. When we are talking about politics, theres no way you can do without money. But gradually, our women are beginning to build that economic strength. They are now able to say, this is the person we want, and no one can ignore them, she said. She added that women leaders must bridge the gap with grassroots women by meeting them where they are, listening to their realities, and building trust. The commissioner emphasised mentorship, humility and inclusiveness in politics, warning that women who close doors to others after attaining office weaken collective progress. Nigeria has recorded 166 deaths from Lassa fever in 2025, with the case fatality rate rising above that of the same period last year. This was contained in the latest situation report released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC). In its epidemiological week 37 report, the agency said the country had logged 7,673 suspected cases of the disease, of which 895 were confirmed and seven were classified as probable. These cases were reported across 21 states and 106 local government areas (LGAs). In the same reporting period in 2024, 8,251 suspected cases and 1,005 confirmed cases were recorded across 28 states and 128 LGAs, with 170 deaths. Week 37 developments During week 37, 146 suspected cases and 11 confirmed cases were reported, with two deaths recorded across seven LGAs in four states: Ondo, Bauchi, Kogi, and Anambra. The number of new confirmed cases fell slightly from 13 the previous week. The weeks fatality rate was 18.2 per cent. Cumulatively, by week 37 of 2025, the case fatality rate stands at 18.5 per cent, higher than the 16.9 per cent reported in the same period in 2024. The data also showed that the predominant age group affected is between 21 and 30 years, with the range spanning from one to 96 years and a median age of 30. The male-to-female ratio among confirmed cases stands at 1 to 0.8. Geographic spread The burden of infection continues to be concentrated in a handful of states. 90 per cent of confirmed cases have been reported from just five states. Ondo accounts for 33 per cent, Bauchi for 23 per cent, Edo for 18 per cent, Taraba for 13 per cent, and Ebonyi for three per cent. Sixteen other states share the remaining 10 per cent of confirmed infections. Health workers and surveillance The NCDC said no new health worker was infected in week 37, although 23 have been affected since the start of the year. It reported that nine patients were managed at treatment centres during the week, bringing the cumulative number of managed cases in 2025 to 814. The agency said contact tracing is also ongoing. Eight new contacts were listed during the week, raising the cumulative number to 3,498. Of these, 44 are currently under follow-up, while 3,438 have completed follow-up. No symptomatic or positive contacts were recorded in week 37, and there were no new losses to follow-up. Since the start of 2025, 15 symptomatic and 15 positive contacts have been identified, with 16 lost to follow-up. Response activities The NCDC said it continued to coordinate multi-partner response efforts across the country. During the reporting week, Nigeria participated in the second ECOWAS Lassa fever conference in Cote dIvoire and concluded the second cohort of its Clinical Management Fellowship, which trained 19 fellows with support from Georgetown University, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, the Federal Medical Centre Owo and other partners. The centre also reported ongoing clinical research, including the INTEGRATE trial in Ondo State, while Lagos distributed thermometers to contacts for monitoring. After Action Reviews were conducted in Edo, Ondo and Ebonyi States, clinicians in six high-burden LGAs in Ondo were sensitised with support from the World Health Organisation (WHO). Risk communication and prevention campaigns were scaled up, with the launch of an IPC e-learning platform, dissemination of updated guidelines, and distribution of supplies such as ribavirin, protective equipment and sanitation materials. 10 rapid response teams were deployed to affected states, while healthcare workers received additional training in Bauchi, Ebonyi and Benue. Other activities included environmental response campaigns, community engagement workshops in Cross River, and media sensitisation in Ondo State. The NCDC also participated in regional and international collaborations, including a training programme in Togo and the ENABLE 1.5 trial, which conducted follow-up and blood sampling in Edo, Ondo and Ebonyi States. Challenges and recommendations Despite the progress, the NCDC identified some challenges affecting outbreak control. These include the late presentation of cases to health facilities, which contributes to the high fatality rate, poor health-seeking behaviour linked to the cost of treatment, poor environmental sanitation, and low levels of awareness in high-burden communities. READ ALSO: Remi Tinubu launches menstrual hygiene intervention for schoolgirls nationwide The agency recommended that states strengthen community engagement and prevention efforts year-round, while healthcare workers should maintain a high index of suspicion and ensure timely referral and treatment of suspected cases. It added that stronger collaboration with partners is needed to build state-level capacity to quickly prevent, detect, and respond to outbreaks. Lassa fever Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness caused by the Lassa virus, which is transmitted to humans primarily through contact with food or household items contaminated by the urine or faeces of infected rats. It can also spread from person to person through contact with bodily fluids. The disease often begins with fever, weakness, and headache, and may progress to more severe symptoms such as bleeding, difficulty breathing, swelling, and organ failure. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment with Ribavirin are critical for improving survival. On Thursday, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) sealed two Chinese supermarkets in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The supermarkets located at No. 40 Mike Akhigbe Way, Jabi and No. 61, Ebitu Ukiwe Street, also in Jabi, were sealed for selling goods allegedly not approved in the country. The agency also put eight other shops on hold at the Wuse market for selling aphrodisiac sex enhancement pills. They were also found to be selling body enlargement creams and drugs for the breasts and buttocks, including other toxic substances produced with dangerous chemicals. During the enforcement operation, Embugushiki-Musa Godiya, head of the NAFDAC Investigation and Enforcement unit, Abuja, said the exercise was in response to consumer complaints. Mr Musa Godiya said the market value of the products seized during the raids is about N170 million. He said the sellers of the products had declared themselves doctors and pharmacists prescribing drugs for unsuspecting Nigerians. They also have some of these products they popularly call kayanmata oil. These people formed a market in banking premises, he said. The agency got the complaint, and we cannot be here and allow such a thing to happen. We responded to that consumer complaint; we visited the place, and we raided quite a number of shops carrying all manner of unapproved products by NAFDAC. On the closure of Chinese supermarkets, Mr Musa Godiya noted that the agency also acted on intelligence gathered from concerned citizens that some supermarkets belong to some foreign nationals. He said that the foreign nationals were said to have brought into Nigeria certain items, most of which were food items, and were labelled in Chinese without any English translation. He said the action was in violation of NAFDAC labelling regulation, adding that those supermarkets operated without approval from NAFDAC. We have seized all the offending items we found in the supermarkets, he said. In one of the places that we could not evacuate all the items we found we placed the whole warehouse on hold; we have invited the owner for further investigation. We cannot guarantee the safety and the quality of these products, NAFDAC has not evaluated, assessed or analysed them. Mr Musa Godiya urged Nigerians to be vigilant about what they buy and consume. (NAN) Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (R) is pictured as he rides the train on the Hungary-Serbia high-speed railway from Belgrade to Subotica, Serbia, Oct. 3, 2025. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Friday inaugurated the Novi Sad-Subotica section of the Hungary-Serbia high-speed railway, marking the opening of Serbia's section of the landmark regional project. (Photo by Wang Wei/Xinhua) SUBOTICA, Serbia, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Friday inaugurated the Novi Sad-Subotica section of the Hungary-Serbia high-speed railway, marking the opening of Serbia's section of the landmark regional project. A train departed Belgrade in the morning and arrived in Subotica in about one hour, where a grand opening ceremony was held. Vucic hailed the railway as a generational achievement that "will forever be written into the history books." "From Subotica, you will now reach Belgrade in one hour and 10 minutes, and by next year, from here to Budapest in just one hour and 35 minutes. This is something our ancestors could not have imagined, and it is something our generation will leave behind as a lasting legacy," he said. The president underlined the project's realization through close cooperation among Serbia, Hungary and China and praised China's role as a partner in Serbia's modernization drive. The Serbian section was built by China Railway International and China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), with a designed speed of 200 km per hour. Officials said the new line will shorten travel times, boost tourism, attract foreign investment and create an economic corridor through northern Serbia. According to the constructors, the project has already created over 1,000 jobs in Serbia, upgraded the country's signaling system to the European Train Control System (ETCS Level 2), and included extensive environmental protection measures. Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Li Ming called the project a flagship of the Belt and Road Initiative in Central and Eastern Europe and "a new milestone in the ironclad friendship" between the two countries. "This is the first high-speed railway built by a Chinese company in Europe, fully aligned with European Union (EU) technical standards," Li said, noting that construction began in 2017 and took eight years to complete. Hungary's Deputy Transport Minister Nandor Csepreghy said the Hungarian section is expected to open next year, ensuring direct high-speed travel between Belgrade and Budapest. The Hungary-Serbia railway stretches 341.7 km, including 183.1 km through Serbia. The Belgrade-Novi Sad railway section started operation in March 2022. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic looks at a display board of the Hungary-Serbia high-speed railway in Subotica, Serbia, Oct. 3, 2025. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Friday inaugurated the Novi Sad-Subotica section of the Hungary-Serbia high-speed railway, marking the opening of Serbia's section of the landmark regional project. (Xinhua/Shi Zhongyu) Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (C) speaks during the opening ceremony of the Novi Sad-Subotica section of the Hungary-Serbia high-speed railway in Subotica, Serbia, Oct. 3, 2025. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Friday inaugurated the Novi Sad-Subotica section of the Hungary-Serbia high-speed railway, marking the opening of Serbia's section of the landmark regional project. (Photo by Wang Wei/Xinhua) Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic looks at a display board of the Hungary-Serbia high-speed railway in Subotica, Serbia, Oct. 3, 2025. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Friday inaugurated the Novi Sad-Subotica section of the Hungary-Serbia high-speed railway, marking the opening of Serbia's section of the landmark regional project. (Photo by Wang Wei/Xinhua) Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Li Ming speaks during the opening ceremony of the Novi Sad-Subotica section of the Hungary-Serbia high-speed railway in Subotica, Serbia, Oct. 3, 2025. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Friday inaugurated the Novi Sad-Subotica section of the Hungary-Serbia high-speed railway, marking the opening of Serbia's section of the landmark regional project. (Photo by Wang Wei/Xinhua) People accompanies a 105-year-old Serbian man to board the train of the Hungary-Serbia high-speed railway, in Belgrade, Serbia, Oct. 3, 2025. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Friday inaugurated the Novi Sad-Subotica section of the Hungary-Serbia high-speed railway, marking the opening of Serbia's section of the landmark regional project. (Photo by Wang Wei/Xinhua) A conductors waits for passengers to board the train of theungary-Serbia high-speed railway, in Belgrade, Serbia, Oct. 3, 2025. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Friday inaugurated the Novi Sad-Subotica section of the Hungary-Serbia high-speed railway, marking the opening of Serbia's section of the landmark regional project. (Photo by Wang Wei/Xinhua) The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has raised alarm over multiple ongoing outbreaks across the continent, while announcing fresh partnerships and funding support aimed at strengthening Africas health security. The Director General of Africa CDC, Jean Kaseya, said this during the weekly media briefing held in Addis Ababa on Friday. Mr Kaseya revealed that the continent is witnessing a heavy disease burden, with more than 116,000 suspected cases of Mpox, 254,000 cholera infections and more than 116,000 measles cases reported between January and September 2025. Other major outbreaks, he said, include dengue fever, Lassa fever, Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and a new Rift Valley Fever outbreak in Senegal. These outbreaks, according to Mr Kaseya, continue to challenge Africas already fragile health systems. To strengthen response capacity, he said that Africa CDC signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding with UNAIDS to expand Africas health workforce, enhance local manufacturing, and ensure sustainable HIV responses. He said the United Kingdom government also approved direct funding to the Africa CDC, marking a significant milestone in the agencys bid to establish financial independence and accountability. On Ebola, Mr Kaseya confirmed that Kasai province in DRC has recorded 53 confirmed cases and 31 deaths, but vaccination campaigns have already reached more than 9,000 people, including frontline health workers. Similarly, he said that Mpox remains the most widespread outbreak, with 26 countries affected this year, although cases have begun to decline in some high-burden regions. He said 150,000 new vaccine doses would be deployed to Uganda, Kenya and Liberia in the coming weeks. He also noted that global solidarity and innovation, particularly using artificial intelligence in epidemic control, were key to preventing future pandemics. Harnessing innovation is vital to strengthening Africas preparedness and protecting our people from future health threats, he said. READ ALSO: NAFDAC seals two Chinese supermarkets in Abuja Together, with global solidarity, we can safeguard communities everywhere. He also highlighted the ongoing Continental Cholera Plan 1.0, warning of new surges in Chad, DRC and Angola due to flooding, population displacement and poor water and sanitation conditions. He urged member states and partners to scale up surveillance, vaccination and cross-border coordination to stop the spread of these epidemics. (NAN) On 22 September, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), comprising Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, declared it was leaving the International Criminal Court (ICC). This comes seven months after their official withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and ECOWAS Court of Justice. Speaking at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, Malis Prime Minister Abdoulaye Maiga reaffirmed the AESs commitment to a multilateral system (which would include the ICC) provided all countries were part of it. He spoke on behalf of the AES and his country. The prime ministers of Burkina Faso and Niger echoed these sentiments. None of them referred to the ICC in their speeches. The joint communique on their ICC exit was issued by Malian President Assimi Goita in his capacity as AES President. It states that instead of relying on the international system, the three countries would opt for local and endogenous mechanisms to consolidate peace and justice and fight impunity. Their primary reason for leaving the court was an accusation of selective justice. This is not the first time the ICC has faced this complaint. The court endured backlash from African countries and the African Union (AU) between 2009 and 2015 for having only African situations on its roll. In 2022, Amnesty International warned that double standards or the perception thereof threatened the courts future. At the time, the ICC appeared to have weathered the storm of a possible mass withdrawal by African countries. It is too early to tell if the AESs exit could reignite desires from the other 30 African ICC member states to follow suit. But that seems unlikely, considering African countries recent condemnation of United States (US) sanctions on the ICC. African states played a critical role in developing the ICCs Rome Statute and establishing the court. In the years leading up to Rome, countries on the continent collectively articulated clear principles on the form and function of an independent global court with criminal jurisdiction. When the Rome Statute was adopted in 1998, a third of the 120 states that voted in favour were African the largest single bloc. Much has changed in the 27 years since. Today, the ICC has 125 member states (33 from Africa, with four African countries joining in the past 15 years). Burundi and the Philippines left the court in 2017 and 2019, respectively. In May 2025, Hungarys Parliament initiated a withdrawal process, but hasnt followed through. Kenya, South Africa and The Gambia have expressed intent to withdraw, but either reversed their decisions or never proceeded. The road to universal ratification hasnt been smooth for the ICC, and with the court under increasing strain, the AESs exit certainly undermines this effort. As the single largest bloc, African ICC member states have been vocal on how to improve the courts operations and advance international justice. This has led to reforms, including investigating situations beyond Africa, such as in Palestine, Ukraine, Georgia, Bangladesh/Myanmar and the Philippines. Still, most ICC investigations and cases are in Africa, mainly due to self-referrals by affected countries. Ironically, in 2012, Mali became the fifth African country to refer a situation within its borders to the ICC. Malis referral was the first to be backed by other states. The seven countries were members of the ECOWAS Contact Group on Mali (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote dIvoire, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria and Togo). If the AES states follow through on their withdrawal, the ICC can still work on its active cases in the country, but without the Malian authorities full cooperation, this will be challenging. The sharp change of tack for the three Sahelian countries has been bubbling under since the coups that led to their current junta-led governments. Burkina Fasos leader, Ibrahim Traore, hinted at the breakaway almost immediately after taking power in 2022. He has gained popularity through a Pan-Africanist message rejecting Western imperialism and global institutions like the International Monetary Fund and ICC. The AES communique reiterates the view that international institutions are tools of Western imperialism that apply double standards. Ironically, the US also accuses the ICC of double standards for opposite reasons, seeing the court as a tool to undermine US and Israeli interests. In June this year, the AES announced it would establish a Sahel Criminal and Human Rights Court, which some analysts opined was an initial step toward ICC withdrawal. The AES says its proposed court will be grounded in local realities and immune from the negative influence of imperialist powers on the organisation and functioning of certain regional and international jurisdictional bodies. Yet human rights groups have raised concerns that, without independent accountability mechanisms, the AESs withdrawal from the ICC widens the impunity gap. The exit limits victims avenues for justice, especially in Burkina Faso and Mali, where war crimes and crimes against humanity have allegedly been committed over the past decade. The contrast between the three states aspirations for global accountability in 1998 and their recent rejection of the ICC could not be starker. The three were for decades at the forefront of advancing international justice as a fairer, global platform for accountability. They were among the first countries to sign and ratify the Rome Statute. Although their exit was announced as immediate, the Rome Statute provides for 12 months before the decision takes effect. This notice period has seen countries like South Africa reversing their withdrawal. However, the AES is unlikely to change its stance, considering the trios follow-through on leaving ECOWAS. Their decision is a blow for the ICC in particular, and the international justice system in general. The AES is entitled to assert its sovereignty in this matter, but what are the implications for accountability? And does sovereignty without responsibility to citizens not risk degenerating into authoritarianism? The ICC receives its fair share of criticism, some of which is warranted. However, it was never created to replace national and, in some cases, regional jurisdictions, but rather to complement them. Having multiple spaces for accountability whether through truth-seeking, transitional justice, criminal justice, rehabilitation or reparations remains essential. Whether local, endogenous or transregional, mechanisms must enshrine three key principles underpinning international justice. First, no one is above the law. Second, complementary jurisdictions can provide victims with options. Third, victims rights to participate and seek reparations must be assured. Unless these principles are factored into any new mechanisms, withdrawal from the ICC risks undermining the foundation of international justice. Ottilia Anna Maunganidze, Head, Special Projects, Institute for Security Studies (ISS) (This article was first published by ISS Today, a Premium Times syndication partner. We have their permission to republish). The Nigerian government, through its data protection commission, and Meta Platforms Inc., parent company of Facebook and Instagram, have agreed on an out-of-court resolution of the $32.8 million fine imposed on the tech giant for alleged violation of Nigerian users data privacy rights. Both parties, through their lawyers, disclosed the development before Judge James Omotoso of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday, after the matter was called for ruling on a side issue regarding the main suit. Metas lawyer, Fred Onwuobia, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), urged the court to defer the ruling on the preliminary objection and the motion on notice to amend the case, saying the parties had reached an advanced stage of settlement. He said settlement was the option both parties had resolved to pursue, noting that they were concerned the ruling could affect ongoing discussions. The draft terms of settlement have been exchanged, he said, urging the court to grant an adjournment for a report of settlement. The lawyer to the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Adeola Adedipe, also a SAN, confirmed Metas position and said that the settlement discussions have advanced appreciably. He also urged the court to adjourn so they could return with settlement terms for adoption as a consent judgement. The judge, Mr Omotosho, said the court encouraged settlement and was inclined not to deliver the ruling today. He adjourned until 31 October for either a ruling or adoption of the settlement terms. Alleged breaches and sanctions The dispute began after the commission issued its Final Orders on 18 February imposing Meta a $32.8 million remedial fee and eight corrective directives over alleged violations of the law. It explained that the decision followed a petition from the civil society group, the Personal Data Protection Awareness Initiative, which accused Meta of engaging in behavioural advertising on Facebook and Instagram without explicit consent from Nigerian users. The NDPC accused Meta of processing data of non-users and failing to file its 2022 compliance audit. It also alleged the company transferred Nigerians personal data abroad without authorisation and processed sensitive information, including that of minors, for targeted advertising. The commission ordered Meta to conduct a data processing impact assessment reflecting Nigerias privacy context, update privacy policies, seek express consent before behavioural advertising, and halt the transfer of personal data outside the country without approval. But Meta rejected both the findings and the process that led to them. Legal action On 26 February, Meta Platforms Inc. (Metas full official name), filed an ex-parte motion seeking an order quashing NDPCs compliance and enforcement orders dated 18 February. The legal action ultimately sought the courts order nullifying all other investigations, proceedings and actions taken by respondent against the applicant leading to the Final Orders. On 4 March, Metas lawyer, Fred Onuofia, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), moved the application, which judge James Omotosho partly granted. The judge granted leave to Meta to commence judicial review proceedings against NPDCs orders However, he refused to grant Metas request for a stay of the proceedings of all matters relating to the Final Orders pending the hearing and determination of the judicial review proceedings. The judge also issued an order for accelerated hearing of the main suit. In reaction to the substantive suit, NDPC, through its lawyer, Mr Adedipe, filed a preliminary objection, contending that the suit was incompetent and the court lacked the jurisdiction to hear it. The commission claimed Meta failed to comply with rules guiding judicial review under Order 34 of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2019. In a 19 March filing, Meta said the NDPC denied it fair hearing and due process. Its lawyer, Gbolahan Elias, asked the Federal High Court to quash the enforcement orders, arguing they breached Section 36 of the Nigerian Constitution. But NDPCs lawyer contended that Meta was attempting to introduce new prayers after the court had ruled on its ex parte application. He maintained that amendment was not permitted under the rules of court. Metas lawyers subsequently filed a motion on April 23 seeking permission to amend its initial statement to align it with its prayers. After a hearing on 16 July, adjourned the matter until 3 October (Friday) for a consolidated ruling on NDPCs preliminary objection and Metas motion to amend its filings. The case was, on Friday, further adjourned until 30 October in deference to parties resolve to pursue settlement. Data protection efforts The fine against Meta was part of efforts by the NDPC to enforce the Nigeria Data Protection Act, which President Bola Tinubu signed into law in June 2023. In a similar action, the commission fined Multichoice Nigeria N766.2 million for breaching the same law. It found that the Pay-TV operator violated the privacy rights of subscribers and their friends who were not subscribers and also carried out unauthorised cross-border transfers of Nigerians personal data. A Nigerian university notorious for abusing power and silencing dissenting voices has surprisingly pledged to stand by the truth and sustain freedom. Nyaudoh Ndaeyo, a professor and vice-chancellor of the University of Uyo (UniUyo), made the pledge on 9 September at the universitys permanent campus in Uyo during a public lecture and a book presentation to commemorate the 75th birthday of Desmond Wilson, a rights activist and renowned professor of mass communication. For decades, UniUyo has unlawfully sacked or suspended lecturers who demanded accountability or spoke up against alleged corruption and maladministration in the 33-year-old federal institution. The most prominent case is that of Inih Ebong, an associate professor of theatre arts who was unjustly sacked in 2002 for persistently criticising the universitys authorities. After sacking him, the university published a disclaimer on him in a national daily to scare off other potential employers. Since then, five successive vice-chancellors, including the current one, Mr Ndaeyo, refused to reinstate and pay Mr Ebong his accumulated salaries and other entitlements despite a string of court victories, including last Decembers Court of Appeal judgement, which finalised litigation over the illegal termination of his appointment. For over two decades, Mr Ebong had been fighting not only for justice but for survival he was broke and could not feed himself and his family and was diagnosed with cardiac failure. Nigerians, including the billionaire businessman, Femi Otedola, came to his rescue after PREMIUM TIMES broke the news about Mr Ebongs deteriorating health. Sadly, Mr Ebong died on 16 April 2025 at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo, six months after PREMIUM TIMES published an investigative report on how UniUyo ruined his career and life with false accusations of sexual harassment. A federal judge once described UniUyo as a place where the truth will always be punished senselessly. Well sustain freedom At the birthday event, Mr Ndaeyo, UniUyo vice-chancellor, praised Mr Wilsons decades of involvement in the struggle against military rule and his campaign for human rights, describing the retired professor as a courageous activist and a great teacher. We should not mistake his calls for accountability as being a hardliner because accountability is the only thing that will encourage sustainable development, said Mr Ndaeyo, who was represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Administration, Aniekan Offiong. Mr Ndaeyo said the courageous anti-military rule campaign by Mr Wilson and others brought about democracy and freedom for Nigerians. We will try to sustain our freedom no matter what it will cost, he said. Professor Desmond Wilson, we honour you as a great teacher. You are a professor of professors. You are a faculty builder, you are a role model to us. Professor Desmond Wilson is a man of integrity. He doesnt mind if he is a lone voice, provided he says the truth. He doesnt care who is in government; he stands by the truth. Professor Desmond Wilson, your labour shall never be in vain. As a university, we will strive to honour your ideals. We will never let you down. We promise to keep the flag flying the flag of standing by the truth and making sure that the society is better. Vice-chancellors pledge contrasts with inhumane treatment of Ebong The UniUyo vice-chancellors pledge for truth and freedom contrasts with his administrations unlawful and inhumane treatment of the victimised lecturer, Mr Ebong. Weighed down by hardship, illness, and emotional trauma, Mr Ebong, in a 16 January 2021 letter to Mr Ndaeyo, chronicled his travails and informed the vice-chancellor that he was open to a peaceful resolution of the matter. Today, I am virtually bedridden at home while I await the inevitable to happen! May it not be said that the University was awaiting to resolve this matter posthumously. I am, therefore, appealing to you to bring my uncertainty and misery to an end by complying with the judgement and order of the National Industrial Court, Mr Ebong said in the letter to Mr Ndaeyo. The vice-chancellor, through then-Registrar of UniUyo Aniediabasi Udofia, replied to Mr Ebongs letter on 12 March 2021. He told the lecturer that the university was dissatisfied with the judgement of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria and had, therefore, appealed against it. It is advisable for parties to await the decision of the court (of appeal), he said. The Court of Appeal, Calabar, last December, dismissed an appeal filed by UniUyo for a stay of the execution of a 2020 judgement of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, which ordered the university to reinstate Mr Ebong and pay him all his entitlements and damages. The same Court of Appeal had previously dismissed two other appeals filed by UniUyo. On 17 January, Mr Ebong, through his lawyer, Nse Williams, forwarded a copy of the Court of Appeal judgement to Mr Ndaeyo and demanded that the university comply with the industrial court judgement. Mr Ebong reminded Mr Ndaeyo of his (the vice-chancellors) earlier words that parties should await the decision of the court (of appeal) when he (Ebong) requested a peaceful settlement. As the man of honour that you are, we demand that you make good and give effect to your above-quoted word of honour, Mr Ebong told the vice-chancellor in the 17 January letter. UniUyo has yet to obey the court judgement ordering it to reinstate the lecturer and pay his accumulated salary and other entitlements, which amount to millions of naira. Mr Wilson, the retired professor whose birthday celebration the vice-chancellor pledged truth and freedom, is among the few friends of Mr Ebong who did their best to help the victimised lecturer when he was alive. They (UniUyo authorities) know that they would never win, but just to delay him with the hope that he would die in the process, Mr Wilson told PREMIUM TIMES in 2020 (Mr Ndaeyo was not the vice-chancellor then). According to the family, the funeral service for the late Mr Ebong will take place on Friday, 10 October at 12 p.m. at the Aton Lodge, Rosicrucian Order, AMORC, KM 7, Abak Road, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. PREMIUM TIMES could not immediately speak with UniUyo for its comment for this report as the known phone number of its spokesperson was switched off at the time of filing the report. The management of Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic, Aba, Abia State, says it has abolished the issuance of statements of results and sales of handouts. The polytechnic rector, Christopher Okoro, said the decision was intended to streamline processes and reduce student exploitation. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the institution was formerly known as the Abia State Polytechnic, Aba. Mr Okoro made this known when the new executive of the Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Abia State Council, paid him a courtesy visit in his office on Wednesday. He said the institution had digitalised its processes to ensure efficiency and transparency. According to him, the new process would enable students to access their results online, and all results must be uploaded six weeks after examinations. Once the examinations are over, all results must be uploaded six weeks after. So, students dont need to go and meet the lecturers, he said. Mr Okoro, who said that the polytechnic had outlawed the sale of handouts, emphasised that students were no longer compelled to buy textbooks. He explained that the certificates now come with QR codes, which allow employers to verify their authenticity. Mr Okoro said that the move was part of the institutions efforts to enhance its academic integrity and reduce unnecessary bureaucracy. He said, How will a student finish up after five years if you give the person a paper and call it a statement of results? The person will carry it, probably pay for the clearance, and come back after years for certificates. And you still collect money again from the same person, and start looking for the files again. I said that is not right. Mr Okoro disclosed that the polytechnic had also made significant strides in clearing salary arrears for staff members and improving the institutions infrastructure. According to him, 36 months of salary arrears accumulated by previous administrations have been cleared. The rector said the institution, which was de-registered by the National Board for Technical Education, had gained full accreditation for all its 33 programmes, with the boards approval for 17 new ones, such as artificial intelligence, cyber security, mechatronics engineering, and fashion design technology. He thanked Governor Alex Otti of Abia State for his support to the institution, saying that his leadership thinks not just for the now but for the future. Avoid quacks Earlier, Steve Oko, the new chairperson of the Correspondents Chapel, said the visit was to explore ways to establish a symbiotic relationship between the group and the institution. Mr Oko described the rector as a phenomenal agent of change and commended him for transforming the institution from obscurity to stardom in barely one-and-a-half years. He urged the rector to sustain the tempo and strive to maintain harmonious working relationships with his management team and the institutions staff members. He challenged the institution to introduce programmes that align with societys contemporary needs and embark on research that brings solutions to humanity and societys problems. Mr Oko urged the rector to always deal with professional journalists and avoid quacks, particularly the untrained social media practitioners. A female sickle cell patient, Euphemia Ede, has accused a popular bishop of deceiving her into having sex with him as a way of helping her to get healing from her condition. The cleric, Samuel Onyeagoziri, is the general overseer of Champions of the Truth Church in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital. Ms Ede, while appearing as a guest in a podcast recently, claimed the cleric had been sleeping with her since 2021 while she was still a secondary school student. A video clip of the podcast was uploaded on Facebook on Monday. PREMIUM TIMES understands that Ms Edes comments came shortly after a sex tape involving her and the cleric went viral. Mr Onyeagoziri, according to Ms Ede, had claimed the sex tape was an AI manipulation. It is not AI generated. I am the girl in that video. I have been begging him to delete it since 2021, but he refused. Now he is lying to cover up, Ms Ede said during the podcast interview. Sickle cell complications Ms Ede, in the podcast, recalled that she had lost three of her siblings due to sickle cell complications. She said her parents were desperate to save her from a similar fate when they were introduced to the cleric, apparently for spiritual solution. According to her, the cleric promised healing but insisted that the only remedy was for her to sleep with him for seven consecutive days. Ms Ede, then a virgin in senior secondary school 3, said she reluctantly agreed out of fear for her life and in the hope for healing. He told me that once he sleeps with me (for) seven days, my genotype will change from SS to AA. He even said many people had been healed that way. I was desperate, my parents were desperate, and so I had no option. He is the one that broke my virginity, she recounted tearfully. She said, contrary to Mr Onyeagoziris claims, her condition did not change despite having repeated sexual intercourse with the cleric. Ms Ede said her sickle cell crisis worsened instead even as she remained in the bishops house under threats. The victim further alleged that the bishop threatened her life with a rifle and forced her to pose for nude photographs during the encounters. People see those pictures and say I was smiling, but they dont know it was out of fear. He said if I didnt obey, he would kill me and no one would know what happened, she said in the podcast. Threats to marry Ms Ede said she had attempted to leave the clerics house between 2021 and 2025, but the cleric often resisted while threatening her and her family. The victim said the matter escalated in 2025 when the cleric allegedly demanded to marry her despite being a married man and old enough to be her grandfather. The development has elicited widespread criticism across Ebonyi State with many residents calling on law enforcement agencies, the Christian Association of Nigeria, and womens rights groups to investigate and prosecute the cleric. Arrest Mr Onyeagoziri was later arrested on Wednesday at his residence in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital, PREMIUM TIMES gathered. Our reporter spotted the cleric while he was writing his statement on Thursday morning at the office of the Crack Team of the police in the police headquarters in Abakaliki. READ ALSO: How pastor allegedly raped two sisters in his church Police When contacted on Thursday, the police spokesperson in the state, Joshua Ukandu, confirmed the arrest of the cleric to PREMIUM TIMES. Mr Ukandu, a superintendent of police, said the cleric was arrested in response to a petition against him on the matter. (The) investigation is ongoing. So, he is with the police, he said. PREMIUM TIMES could not reach Mr Onyeagoziri for his comments as of the time of this report. PREMIUM TIMES foreign affairs and diaspora reporter, Beloved John, has emerged as the Runner-up in the ESG: Business and Society category of the 2024 Sanlam Financial Journalism Awards, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Thursday. Some of Ms Johns entries considered for the awards are: INVESTIGATION: Milk or Mimic: Nigerias dairy market, a hub for inferior EU products and Green Energys Dirty Secret: Illegal lithium trade thrives in Oyo. She was initially shortlisted alongside Gouba Emmanuel of Info Nature, Burkina Faso; Rob Rose of Currency News, South Africa; and Deogratius Wamala of Daily Monitor, Uganda. Rob Rose of Currency News, South Africa, was announced the winner of the category. Other winners Dewald van Rensburg of amaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism, South Africa, emerged winner of the Business and Companies category; Mahamadi Sidwaya, from Burkina Faso, won the African Growth Story for the second year in a row; Deogratius Wamala of the Daily Monitor clinched the Best Newcomer award; Vernon Wessels of Currency News, South Africa, won the Economy category; and Giulietta Talevi, also of Currency News, won the Financial Markets category. Other winners are: Sikonathi Mantshantsha, Alfonso Nqunjana and Sharlene Rudolph News24, who won the ESG: Business and the Environment category; Maya on Money, South Africa, won the Consumer Financial Education category; Devi Govender of The Devi Show on eTV, South Africa, won the Broadcast: TV&Video category; Ryk van Niekerk, Geldsake, RSG, won the Broadcast: Audio category. The 2025 Sanlam Group Financial Journalist of the Year Award went to Ryk van Niekerk of the Money Web. Mr Niekerk is also the editor and RSG Geldsake radio news presenter. His reporting has informed the public, generated public debate and triggered regulatory scrutiny, the organisers said. Sanlam Awards The Sanlam Awards for Excellence in Financial Journalism have recognised and rewarded exceptional business journalism in Africa since 1974. This year, the award attracted 237 entries from 17 countries across the African continent, the organisers said, noting it is the highest entries ever in the competitions 50-year history. About Ms John Beloved John is a Nigerian journalist with PREMIUM TIMES, where she covers foreign and diaspora issues. She has three years of experience and has reported for notable Nigerian media outlets, including OrderPaper and the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR). She has contributed significantly to research and reporting across a wide range of subjects, including foreign policy and diaspora affairs, health, religious extremism, insecurity, and the Nigerian National Assembly. In 2023, her investigative report on Pseudo Honorary Degrees from an institution owned by a former public office holder in Nigeria, the London Graduate School, emerged as the runner-up for the Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting. While working as a reporter with OrderPaper, she extensively covered the House of Representatives, producing in-depth reports on parliamentary oversight, budget debates, legislative transparency, and accountability in governance. Since joining PREMIUM TIMES, she has produced consequential reports on health and foreign policy. In recent months, she has reported extensively on the impact of the USAID funding cut on local communities and vulnerable groups in Nigeria, shedding light on how international policy shifts affect lives on the ground. Her work reflects a strong commitment to evidence-based journalism. When she is not working, Beloved enjoys reading, spending time with friends, binge-watching period dramas, and playing games. A former senator from Adamawa State, Elisha Abbo, has denied reports that he was detained by the police in Abuja over the alleged rape of a 13-year-old girl. Mr Abbo, who represented Adamawa North Senatorial District between 2019 and 2023, admitted that a woman recently accused him of assaulting her daughter. He, however, claimed that the woman demanded N5 million from him, threatening to report the matter to the police if he refused. The former senator noted that he reported the womans demand to the police himself. The thing is that someone first requested N5 million from me that I assaulted her daughter and that I must pay her N5 million if not she will take me to the police and I told her that Ill report the matter to the police. So, I reported the matter to the police myself, they invited me to come and I was away, so the moment I came in, I went to the police station, the mother now printed that news, he told journalists in Abuja on Friday. There were reports that Mr Abbo was detained at the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) on Thursday for allegedly raping a 13-year-old secondary school student on 29 June at his residence in Abuja. The reports also alleged that he tried to bribe the girls parents, but they refused and instead reported the matter to the police. During his conversation with journalists, he claimed the allegation was politically motivated. The said report is the handiwork of my political detractors. It is an orchestrated smear campaign to disturb my peace by political enemies, he added. When contacted, the Police Force spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, did not respond to calls and messages seeking clarification on the allegation or whether Mr Abbo was detained. This is not the first time the former senator has faced controversy. In 2019, PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Abbo was caught on camera assaulting a woman in an Abuja adult toy shop. The incident on 11 May 2019 generated criticism against the former senator. The next day, Mr Abbo publicly apologised to the victim and Nigerians. In September 2024, another woman, Wangai Kwagga from Michika, Adamawa State, accused him of secretly recording an intimate video with her and releasing it online to blackmail her. She said the incident had endangered her and her husband. The matter was taken to Brekete Family Radio, a human rights programme in Abuja, where both parties were invited. While denying the allegations, Mr Abbo claimed it was another attempt to blackmail him. The Lagos State Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Mustapha Sego, has honoured an invitation by the State Security Services (SSS) over allegations of incitement ahead of the 2027 general elections. Mr Sego was invited after a viral video showed him addressing union members and warning that what happened in 2023 would not be allowed to repeat itself in 2027, according to Vanguard newspaper. He was heard saying in Yoruba: Anybody who makes mistakes in 2027 will be dealt with. Let them know that the All Progressives Congress is the party youll vote for, anybody who refuses to do so will meet us. The remarks sparked criticism from opposition figures and civil society groups, who accused him of attempting to intimidate Lagos voters. In a disclaimer video released after meeting SSS officials, Mr Sego denied the allegations. He said his comments were directed only at union members and not voters. I have always been a man of peace, and my messages are for our members alone. Everyone has the right to associate freely and choose their party, and I respect that, he said. Mr Sego alleged that the controversy was part of a plot by rival union members to destabilise his leadership. The SSS has yet to issue an official statement on the matter. This comes as opposition party in the state has recently asserted it remained in existence despite being recently hit by major defections. In July, Lagos PDP chairman Philip Aivoji dismissed claims that the partys structure had collapsed into the APC following the defection of former publicity secretary Hakeem Amode and 2023 governorship candidate Abdul-Azeez Adediran, known as Jandor. Mr Aivoji said those who left were few and politically irrelevant, insisting the PDP remained intact across the states 245 wards. READ ALSO: Court remands NURTW chieftain over dispatch riders death He also accused the APC-led government of derailing democracy and warned that electoral reforms were needed to restore public trust. This is not the democracy MKO Abiola died for, Mr Aivoji said. Unless the electoral umpire is truly independent, people will see voting as a waste of time. With less than two years to the 2027 polls, Lagos politics is heating up with union leaders facing security scrutiny and opposition parties struggling to consolidate their ranks. The Nigerian government is set to flag off a nationwide integrated campaign to scale up protection against certain diseases and strengthen routine immunisation nationwide. The campaign targets Measles, Rubella, Human papillomavirus (HPV), and polio while strengthening routine immunisation and tackling Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs). Muyi Aina, the executive director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday that the campaign would begin on 6 October. Mr Aina said the event, which would be hosted by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, is being organised by the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) through the NPHCDA. He said Nigerias First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, would serve as the Special Guest of Honour at the ceremony. Mr Aina said the campaign is expected to reach millions of children and adolescents nationwide with life-saving vaccines. He said the campaign is also aimed at expanding access to interventions for NTDs such as river blindness, lymphatic filariasis, schistosomiasis, and soil-transmitted helminths. He said integrating these interventions would reduce duplication of efforts, optimise resources, and increase coverage, particularly in underserved rural and hard-to-reach communities. Mr Aina said the integrated approach reflects the governments commitment to achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and reducing preventable illnesses that continue to place a heavy burden on Nigerian families and the health system. He explained that introducing the HPV vaccine on a national scale is a major milestone in safeguarding adolescent girls against cervical cancer, one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among Nigerian women. The campaign will also strengthen Nigerias efforts to keep polio at bay after being certified wild polio-free in 2020, as well as boost measles and rubella elimination goals, he said. He emphasised that all vaccines being administered are safe, effective and free, urging parents and caregivers to ensure their children are immunised at designated centres nationwide. The exercise will also serve as a reminder of the importance of routine immunisation, which remains one of the most cost-effective public health interventions worldwide, he said. NAN reports that Nigeria continues to face challenges such as low immunisation uptake in some regions, vaccine misinformation, and barriers to access. The integrated campaign is a major opportunity to close gaps, protect the vulnerable, and strengthen confidence in the health system. (NAN) ROME, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of thousands of people across Italy staged a nationwide general strike on Friday after Israeli naval forces intercepted an international flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza. The strike, called by the CGIL and USB trade unions along with several smaller groups, disrupted both public and private sectors. Transport services were affected in major cities including Rome, Milan, Genoa, Catania and Naples. Health workers, civil servants, teachers, university staff and journalists, including staff from state broadcaster RAI, also joined the walkout. More than 200,000 people demonstrated in the Emilia-Romagna region "to protest against the blockade of the Global Sumud Flotilla and to call for an end to the genocide in Gaza and the erasure of the Palestinian people by the Netanyahu government," the regional branch of the CGIL union told Italy's main daily, La Repubblica. About 40 Italians were among those aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, a convoy of some 50 civilian vessels carrying nearly 500 activists from over 40 countries. Israeli authorities said all those on board were detained and will be expelled and repatriated. Organizers said the flotilla sought to break Israel's naval blockade of Gaza and deliver food and medical supplies to civilians in the enclave, where the United Nations has confirmed famine conditions after two years of conflict. The Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja has sentenced Ojora Kehinde to seven years imprisonment for fraudulently converting N81.3 million belonging to Sterling Bank Plc. In her judgement delivered on Friday, the judge, Mojisola Dada, held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, describing the evidence against Mr Kehinde as overwhelming. She further directed the prosecution to pursue all legal avenues to ensure full restitution of the stolen funds to the bank. The judge also issued a rare public rebuke of the defence counsel, branding him a pathological liar and questioning his professional standing over the manner in which he conducted the case. According to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Kehinde exploited a temporary glitch in Sterling Banks electronic transfer system which allowed certain customers to move funds far above their actual balances. On 17 May 2022, with only N3,000 in his account, Mr Kehinde transferred N500,000 in three tranches to his wife, Amina Ojoras account. He repeated similar transactions over time, eventually diverting N178.2 million in total. Of this, N122 million went directly into his wifes account, while other sums were routed to additional beneficiaries. Sterling Bank recovered about N68 million during its internal investigation, but N81.3 million remained missing. The Trial The EFCC, through its counsel H.U. Kofarnaisa, charged Mr Kehinde in 2022 under Charge No. ID/20131C/2022. The prosecution called two witnesses, including a Sterling Bank representative, and tendered documents such as the banks petition and transaction records. The prosecution argued that Mr Kehindes actions constituted dishonest conversion as defined under the Criminal Law of Lagos State. Significantly, the defendant did not call any witnesses, choosing to rest his case on the prosecutions evidence. Judgement Mrs Dada convicted Mr Kehinde under Section 280(2), punishable by Section 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015, and sentenced him to seven years in prison. She also directed that efforts to recover the outstanding N81.3 million from the defendant continue. The judgement stands out not only for the conviction but also for the judges scathing remarks about the defence counsel, which underscored the courts disapproval of his conduct in the proceedings. READ ALSO: Court orders two Nigerian universities to halt admission process The case fits into a wider pattern of fraud linked to system glitches in Nigerian banks. In May, a Federal High Court in Lagos ordered the final forfeiture of about N1.29 billion stolen from Sterling Bank through a similar glitch, directing the funds to be returned to the bank. Earlier in April, another Lagos court ordered the forfeiture of a property purchased with proceeds of an N89 million Sterling Bank fraud traced to the same system vulnerability. The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday refused to hear an interlocutory injunction sought against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the David Mark-led leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The motion, filed by Dunebi Kachikwu, the 2023 presidential candidate of ADC, sought an order compelling INEC to withdraw the unlawful publication of Mr Mark and Mr Rauf Aregbesolas names as national chairman and secretary of the party pending the determination of the main suit. Judge James Omotosho, however, declined to hear the motion, brought by Dayo Akinlaja, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), on behalf of Mr Kachikwu. This court is not inclined to nullify anything at this stage, whether done before or now. This is a political case. I am not taking any interlocutory matter, the judge said. INEC recently recognised Mr Mark, the former Senate President, and Mr Aregbesola, former governor of Osun, as ADCs national chairman and national secretary. Mr Kachikwu and others filed a suit on 7July to challenge the appointments. Other plaintiffs in the suit are Adikwu Elias, Etimbuk Umoh, Muhammed Khala and Alaku Godwin William, as second to fifth plaintiffs. INEC, ADC, Ralph Nwosu, Mr Mark and Mr Aregbesola are the first to fifth defendants. Motion At Fridays hearing, Mr Akinlaja told the court that the matter was fixed for hearing. He further informed the court of a motion filed on September 19 by the plaintiff. He said the motion was premised on the fact that, even though the main suit was still pending, INEC went ahead to recognise the leadership of Mark and Aregbesola. He argued that the action violated the doctrine of lis pendens (a legal principle preventing parties from taking action in another forum while a case on the same matter is pending), as it was done while the main suit had not been decided. The plaintiffs asked the court to set aside the purported recognition and publication of Mark and Aregbesolas names as chairman and secretary of ADC. They also sought an injunction restraining Mr Nwosu, Mr Mark and Mr Aregbesola from dealing or relating with INEC in the capacity of national officers of the party. Mr Akinlaja pleaded with the judge to hear the motion. But Shaibu Aruwa, also a SAN and lawyer for ADC, opposed the application. The judge refused to hear the application and held that all processes filed by the parties, including preliminary objections of the defence, would be taken together with the substantive suit. However, the judge, Mr Omotosho granted another application for joinder filed by Nkem Ukandu, the deputy national secretary of ADC. The judge ordered that the suit be amended to include Mr Ukandu as a defendant. He gave 48 working hours to the plaintiffs to file the consequential amendment and seven days to the defence to respond. He adjourned the matter until 23 October for hearing. Background After the opposition coalition, which also involved former Vice President the Atiku Abubakar, adopted the ADC to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election, Mr Mark was named interim leader of the party, with Mr Aregbesola, a former ally of President Tinubu, as national secretary. Since their appointment, members of the former working committee have described the leadership change as unconstitutional, and some have filed suits challenging it. In a separate suit before another judge, Emeka Nwite, during the court vacation in early September, Nafiu-Bala Gombe, a former deputy national chairman of ADC, sought interim injunctions to stop INEC from recognising Messrs Mark and Aregbesola and to restrain them from parading themselves as party leaders. The judge refused the prayers but directed Mr Gombe to put all defendants on notice to show cause why the motion should not be granted. The case remains pending. The Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity (CeFTPI) has launched the Nigerian Local Government Integrity Index (NLGII), an inaugural framework for measuring accountability and corruption risks across Nigerias 774 local government areas. The index was unveiled in Abuja on Friday, presenting an evidence-based national assessment of governance at the grassroots. It evaluates local councils on eight weighted pillars, namely: fiscal transparency and accountability, fiscal resources and opportunity, anti-corruption enforcement, post-election governance and sustainability, civic oversight and media freedom, public service delivery, digital infrastructure and e-governance, and security and stability. Sobering findings The report paints a grim picture of governance at the local level. According to the findings, 85 per cent of LGAs fall into the very high or critical corruption risk categories, marked by weak transparency, poor service delivery, and near absence of accountability structures. Only a handful of LGAs, such as Nasarawa in Nasarawa State, Ikeja in Lagos, and Dutse in Jigawa, emerged as relative benchmarks of integrity. This index shows the crisis of accountability at the grassroots, said Oluchi Eze, Programme Manager at CFTPI, while delivering the welcome address. Local governments are constitutionally the closest to citizens, yet they remain the least transparent tier of governance in Nigeria. Umar Yakubu, the executive director of CeFTPI, underscored the urgency of reform in his address: Local government is the bedrock of our public service delivery and the nursery of our democracy. Yet for decades, it has remained the weakest link constrained by poor autonomy, systemic corruption, inadequate capacity, and pervasive state interference. Our findings are sobering: 85 per cent of Nigerias LGAs fall into the very high or critical risk categories. This confirms a systemic integrity crisis marked by opacity, weak enforcement, and poor outcomes for citizens. Mr Yakubu, however, noted that the July 2024 Supreme Court judgment affirming financial independence for LGAs provides a historic opportunity to reverse decades of dysfunction. Financial independence without transparency and accountability is simply an independence to steal, he warned. The NLGII is not just a report; it is a roadmap for governments, officials, civil society, and citizens to demand service delivery and integrity. How the index works The Local Government Integrity Index measures accountability across eight indicators, with fiscal transparency and accountability carrying the greatest weight at 25 per cent. This pillar checks whether councils publish budgets and audit reports or comply with Freedom of Information requests. The next factor, fiscal resources and opportunity (20 per cent), tracks how much funding LGAs receive from federal allocations and how much they generate internally. Anti-corruption enforcement, which contributes 15 per cent, examines whether local officials have been investigated or convicted by agencies such as the EFCC or ICPC. Another 15 per cent is assigned to post-election governance and sustainability, assessing the level of financial and operational autonomy from state governments. Civic oversight and media freedom account for 10 per cent, measuring the presence of active NGOs and investigative reporting at the grassroots. The index also looks at public service delivery outcomeshealthcare, education and water supplywhich contribute 10 per cent to the score. Digital infrastructure and e-governance make up 3 per cent, capturing whether LGAs run functional websites or offer online services. The final 2 per cent is drawn from security and stability, measuring violent incidents and fatalities in local communities. All scores are combined into a 0100 scale, where higher numbers indicate higher corruption risks. Based on their scores, LGAs are ranked into five categories, from Tier 1 (low risk) to Tier 5 (critical risk). Integrity tiers At the local government level, the Integrity Index grouped councils into five risk tiers, revealing deep contrasts in transparency and accountability at the grassroots. At the top, only four LGAs, Nasarawa, Jigawa and Kaduna State, were ranked as Tier 1 (Low Risk), with Nasarawa recognised as the best-performing council. Jigawa and Kaduna councils were praised for promising reforms but were said to need consolidation. Tier 2 (Moderate Risk) covered just 19 LGAs, including Ikeja, Surulere, Alimosho, Lagos Island and several others in Lagos; Dutse and Hadejia in Jigawa; Karu and Akwanga in Nasarawa; and the Abuja Municipal Area Council (FCT). These councils were credited with proactive transparency practices. A larger group of councils (93) fell under Tier 3 (High Risk), where some compliance exists but accountability remains fragile. They include Kaduna North and South, Jos North and South, Ado-Ekiti, Akure South, Calabar Municipal, Minna, Kano Municipal, Abeokuta South, Badagry, Ikorodu and others across at least 10 states. The national norm, according to the report, is Tier 4 (Very High Risk), where about 503 LGAs were placed. These are spread across nearly all states, including Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Benue, Delta, Enugu, Kwara, Osun, Oyo and Taraba. Councils here are described as plagued by entrenched opacity, weak oversight, and long histories of corruption. The worst-performing group, Tier 5 (Critical Risk), contained 155 LGAs nationwide. They include Port Harcourt and Obio-Akpor (Rivers), Southern Ijaw and Yenagoa (Bayelsa), Magu and Rijau (Niger), Birnin Gwari and Chikun (Kaduna), Ohaji/Egbema and Orlu (Imo), Batsari and Faskari (Katsina), Dekina and Lokoja (Kogi), Maiduguri and Gwoza (Borno), and Gusau and Maru (Zamfara). These LGAs were characterised by systemic failures, entrenched corruption, and vulnerability to state interference or insecurity. State-level patterns reveal disparities in governance. The classification also highlights sharp regional disparities in integrity and accountability across Nigeria. At the highest risk are states such as Rivers, Bayelsa, Imo, Borno, Zamfara, and Kogi, where high revenues, insecurity, and weak institutions converge to undermine governance. States in the mid-tier, including Lagos, Ekiti, and Ondo, recorded mixed performances, with some reforms but no systemic improvements. At the lowest risk are Nasarawa, Kaduna, and Jigawa, which host some of the nations best-performing local governments. The centres state-by-state analysis found that corruption risks are concentrated in oil-rich and conflict-prone states. Rivers, Bayelsa, and Imo were rated among the highest risk due to a combination of high revenues, opacity, and recurring violence. In Borno, prolonged insecurity has crippled governance systems and eroded accountability. Zamfara, Sokoto, Kogi, and Niger were also flagged for attracting large financial inflows but lacking strong institutions to manage them. Lagos, Jigawa, Ekiti, and Ondo showed mixed results, with pockets of reforms that have yet to translate into systemic change. Nasarawa was singled out as home to the countrys best-performing local government, while Kaduna and Jigawa also recorded relatively strong outcomes. Recommendations The centre urged the federal government to enforce financial autonomy, mandate quarterly transparency audits for high-risk LGAs, and link grants to integrity performance. CeFTPI asked state governments to end interference in local governance and support digitisation, while LGAs were encouraged to publish budgets, hold quarterly town halls, and adopt open contracting. Civil society and the media were urged to drive citizen awareness campaigns and use FOI tools to demand transparency. International partners, the report added, should support technical assistance and peer-learning between strong and weak councils. A call to action Despite its sobering findings, the centre says the NLGII is not an end but a tool for reform. This index does not prosecute corrupt officials, Ms Eze said. But it provides a systematic, evidence-based foundation for accountability work across Nigerias local governments. Its value will be realised only through action. The Ebonyi State Government has announced the arrest of over 88 school proprietors and teachers in Ebonyi State, Nigerias South-east. The state Commissioner for Education (Primary and Secondary), Donatus Illang, disclosed this while briefing reporters on Thursday in Abakaliki, the state capital. Mr Illang explained that the proprietors and teachers were arrested for operating unapproved and illegal schools across the state. The commissioner said the arrests became necessary to maintain high educational standards and safeguard the future of school children in the state. He warned proprietors against reopening or attempting to run illegal schools, adding that enforcement actions will continue until standards are restored. We cannot compromise the future of our children. These schools pose a grave danger to the education system because they fail to meet the minimum requirements for learning, Mr Illang said. Not a matter of who you know in government Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary in the education ministry, Mary Otozi, warned that further arrests would be carried out if the proprietors and teachers continued to operate illegally. Mrs Otozi urged anyone intending to open a school in the state to act with integrity and comply with the new policy outlining the minimum requirements for educational institutions in the state. We are determined to ensure a qualitative education system in the state. We are not going to leave any stone unturned to ensure that our schools are of high standards. It is not a matter of who you know in government or the connections you have. It is not about how much you can bring, she said. What we are doing is to ensure that our children get the best. We cant joke about their future. On his part, the Senior Special Assistant on Secondary Education to Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi, Peter Nwogbaga, appealed to parents and guardians to enrol their children and wards in public or approved private schools. Mr Nwogbaga stressed that Governor Nwifuru has invested so much in the education sector in the state and urged proprietors to consult the ministry for guidance on meeting regulatory requirements. In the world of private banking, Nigerias affluent individuals expect more than just financial security, they seek innovation, personalisation, and meaningful rewards. Stanbic IBTC Bank is not only meeting these expectations head-on, but has emerged as a trusted partner for those who value both prudent financial habits and exceptional experiences. Building on the success of its inaugural season, Stanbic IBTC recently launched the Save and Enjoy Promo Season 2 anexclusive customer promotion designed to turn everyday saving into extraordinary opportunities. This promotion reflects Stanbic IBTCs commitment to making banking more than just transactional, but about creating a journey of growth, recognition, and indulgence for its clients. Last season, the Bank set a high bar with a glamourous grand finale event that celebrated top clients in style. Four winners received open business-class return tickets totop destinationslike the UK, US, or Canada, five others enjoyed a year-long Priority Pass, granting access to over 900 elite airport lounges worldwide and thirty-two clients took home sophisticated vintage trolley boxes. But the event was about more than just prizes. It also marked the unveiling of Stanbic IBTCs enhanced private banking offering, which includes: Dedicated relationship managers Zero maintenance fees on hybrid current accounts Instant credit card issuance for global spending Quick digital loans Preferential insurance and trust services Invitations to exclusive networking events Specialised offshore banking options, and so much more. Speaking at the event, Layo Ilori-Olaogun, Head, Private Banking at Stanbic IBTC, shared We are committed to fostering Nigerias growth through innovative services and community integration, blending advanced technology with the irreplaceable value of human relationships. This philosophy continues in Season 2, inviting both loyal clients and new prospects to deepen their engagement. Participation is simple and rewarding, Current Account holders are encouraged to inflow a minimum of 10 million in fresh deposits for the duration of the campaign to stand a chance to be amongst the lucky winners. For long-standing clients and potential new clients, the promo reinforces a relationship built on reliability so whether it is tailored private banking services or specialised financial solutions, this promotion is an accessible gateway to trusted, world-class banking. The Save and Enjoy Promo Season 2 is fully endorsed by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria. In a time when purposeful finance matters from investing in Nigerias green economy to planning for future generations,Stanbic IBTCs Save and Enjoy Promo Season 2 stands out. Itis more than a promotion; it is an invitation to turn disciplined saving into unforgettable experiences. Ready to begin? Visit www.stanbicibtcbank.com or call us on 0201422 2222 or speak with a Stanbic IBTC Relationship Manager to take the next step. Nigerias First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, has launched a nationwide distribution of menstrual hygiene packs aimed at supporting schoolgirls, particularly those in rural communities. The initiative, tagged Flow with Confidence, was flagged off in Gombe State on Thursday. In a statement signed by her Senior Special Assistant on Media, Busola Kukoyi, Mrs Tinubu described the initiative as a crucial intervention to ensure that no girl misses school because she cannot afford sanitary products. In todays modern world, no girl should have to miss school because of her inability to afford sanitary products, she said. She said it is unacceptable that many girls still face difficulties during their menstrual cycle, with some resorting to unsafe alternatives or staying away from school entirely. She added that this trend must come to an end, stressing that the intervention, introduced under the education framework of the Renewed Hope Initiative, is designed to achieve that goal. 10,000 packs for each state Explaining the details of the initiative, Mrs Tinubu said all states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) would receive 10,000 disposable sanitary packs each. These will be distributed through state first ladies and Renewed Hope Initiative coordinators to ensure that girls in rural communities benefit directly. In Gombe State, she handed over 10,000 packs to the states First Lady, Asmau Yahaya, for onward distribution to 10,000 schoolgirls across rural communities, with each beneficiary expected to receive a one-year supply. Mrs Tinubu also urged traditional rulers, religious leaders, and community heads to ensure the sanitary pads reach the intended recipients. Reports indicates that millions of women and girls worldwide still cannot afford menstrual products or access water and sanitation facilities to manage their menstrual health and hygiene. Senior government officials describe the initiative as a welcome development and also pledge to support the course. The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, and the Minister of State for Education, Yusuf Sununu, both pledged to support the programme by making additional supplies available to more girls in underserved areas. Gombe State Governor, Inuwa Yahaya, who also spoke at the event, commended Mrs Tinubu for what he described as her consistent interventions across key sectors, including health, education, agriculture, and economic empowerment. Other engagements in Gombe Earlier in the day, Mrs Tinubu declared open the maiden Gombe State Health Summit, where she emphasised that health should no longer be regarded merely as a social service but as a driver of economic prosperity, social development, and national growth. Her visit to the state also featured a traditional honour, as the Emir of Akko, Umaru Muhammad Atiku, conferred on her the title of Sarauniya Yakin Kumo (Queen Warrior of Kumo). The Kwara State Government has approved the recruitment of 2,600 additional forest guards to boost the fight against insecurity in parts of the state. The new operatives will join the 700 forest guards already deployed and working with security agencies in the battle against banditry in Kwara North and South senatorial districts. Senior Special Assistant on New Media to the Governor, Akeweje Fafoluyi, confirmed the development in a statement on Thursday. READ ALSO: Kaduna launches statewide emergency medical services The 2,600 new forest guards, whose training will begin this week, will undergo advanced military training, including the handling of sophisticated weapons and modern strategies for neutralising threats on the battlefield, Mr Fafoluyi said. He added that the move underscores the governors commitment to strengthening security architecture across the state and ensuring that criminal elements are weeded out to restore lasting peace. The Niger State Government has signed a multi-billion dollar Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Republic of Benin to boost cotton and food production. The agreement, signed in Cotonou through the states Special Purpose Vehicle, Sonama AG Mech Ltd., will anchor the Cotton Common Platform Project targeted at producing 450,000 tonnes of cotton in the Borgu region. Benin Republic is expected to provide technical expertise in cotton production, while Niger State will release land and resources for the project. By 2030, about 550,000 hectares of land will be cultivated through crop rotation involving cotton, maize and soybeans. Governor Mohammed Bago described the pact as remarkable and unprecedented, noting Benins progress in agriculture. We commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for enabling sub-nationals to relate with potential investors overseas, which has continued to attract more partnerships, Mr Bago said. The Director of Sonama AG Mech Ltd., Jean Yekpe, explained that cultivation will begin with 20,000 hectares in the first year, increase to 50,000 hectares the next, and expand gradually to reach 450,000 hectares by 2030. The Chairman of Niger Foods, Sammy Adigun, said the project would reduce food importation and generate about $739 million yearly. We are leveraging Borgus vast arable land and waters to cash in on this project, he stated. READ ALSO: Kaduna launches statewide emergency medical services The initiative is expected to create one million jobs, expand mechanisation and irrigation, and establish 55 technical centres for training agronomists, mechanics and drivers. Governor Bago was received in Cotonou by Benins Minister of Foreign Affairs, Olushegun Bakari, and Minister of Agriculture, Gaston Dossouhoui. The information was contained in a statement signed by Adamu Mashegu, Senior Special Assistant on New Media, SSGs Office, Niger State. The Kaduna State government has launched the Kaduna State Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System (KADSEMSAS), a new initiative designed to deliver rapid, life-saving healthcare across the state. The State Governor, Uba Sani flagged off the programme on Thursday at the Dora Miller Secretariat Complex, Kaduna. Mr Sani described the programme as a historic commitment to ensuring that no resident of the state is denied access to life-saving care during emergencies. According to the governor, KADSEMSAS provides a 24/7 emergency call and dispatch centre, a fleet of fully equipped ambulances stationed across the state and trained medical teams ready to respond swiftly to accidents, childbirth complications, and other life-threatening situations. Importantly, the scheme also extends to rural communities through the State Rural Emergency Ambulance and Medical Services (SREAMS), ensuring that even remote villages benefit from timely interventions. The Governor noted that KADSEMSAS builds on his administrations ongoing reforms in the health sector, including revitalisation of primary healthcare centres, expansion of health insurance for the poor and vulnerable, and implementation of improved salary structures for health workers. The launch of KADSEMSAS is not just the beginning of a programme, it is a bold declaration of our resolve to safeguard every life in Kaduna State, he said. Through this initiative, we are bringing emergency healthcare to the doorsteps of even our remotest communities because access to life-saving care must be a right, not a privilege. Our covenant with the people of Kaduna is clear: whether a farmer in Ikara, a trader in Kachia, a student in Giwa, or a child in Kagarko no one will be left behind. Timely intervention Nurses and residents who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES praised the initiative, describing it as timely and lifesaving. Ladidi Joshua, a nurse at Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, Kaduna said the programme would ease pressure on overstretched hospitals. This is a game changer. For too long, patients arrive late to the hospital because of poor emergency response. With KADSEMSAS, we can save more lives before its too late, she said. READ ALSO: Gov Lawal boosts Zamfara transport company with 50 new buses Another nurse, Habiba Zuntu, commended the governor for motivating health workers with improved pay and better working tools. With the new ambulances and proper structures in place, we now feel more equipped and encouraged to serve our people, she noted. For residents, the initiative is a welcome relief. A trader in Kaduna, Maryam Musa, told PREMIUM TIMES that rural dwellers will now feel included. We in the villages usually suffer most during emergencies. Knowing an ambulance can reach us gives us hope, she said. Similarly, a student in Giwa, Yusuf Abdullahi, described the launch as historic. Many students travel daily on risky roads. If accidents happen, help hardly comes on time. This system will change that and reassure our families, he said. The Governor emphasised that the new emergency medical system is a testament to leadership rooted in empathy and decisive action, describing it as another vital step in building a resilient and equitable healthcare system for all our people. Ndianaabasi Udom, an aide to Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State, has resigned from his appointment with the Akwa Ibom State Rural Access Roads Agency. Mr Udom (not a relative of former Governor Udom Emmanuel) posted his resignation letter on Facebook on Tuesday, 30 September. The letter is dated 30 September and addressed to Governor Eno. Kindly find attached my original letter of appointment, dated 21 June 2023, which took effect from 1 June 2023, Mr Udom wrote in the resignation letter. Akwa Ibom Rural Access Roads Agency In his economic blueprints, the Arise Agenda, Mr Eno prioritises agriculture and rural development, a policy he said will stem the tide of rural-urban migration. The Akwa Ibom State Rural Access Roads Agency facilitates the implementation of this policy by ensuring the construction and rehabilitation of rural roads to aid connectivity between rural communities, farms, and major markets. Mr Udoms appointment was among the earliest made by Mr Eno. He previously served in the administration of Mr Enos predecessor, Udom Emmanuel, as a senior special assistant in charge of multilateral and donor agencies. Mr Udom is considered a loyalist of the former governor. Although he did not disclose the reason for his resignation, he is among the 31-member caretaker committee of the Akwa Ibom PDP, which the partys National Working Committee constituted after dissolving the former state executive. Mr Udom declined to comment on the matter when PREMIUM TIMES contacted him on Wednesday. Two other aides to Governor Eno, including a commissioner, had earlier resigned, saying they could not defect with the governor to the APC. Defection Mr Eno, elected governor in 2023 under the PDP platform, defected to the APC in June, ending the PDPs over two decades of rule in the oil-rich state. His predecessor, Mr Emmanuel, who helped him to become governor, has refused to join the governor in the APC, a decision that has made Mr Emmanuel the leader of the opposition in the state. The former PDP chairperson in Akwa Ibom, Aniekan Akpan, has refused to vacate office after the partys National Working Committee sacked him and others. Speaking at a press briefing at the PDP Secretariat in Uyo on Wednesday, Mr Akpan accused the PDP NWC of acting outside its powers, claiming that no formal meeting was convened to approve the dissolution. He cited a letter signed by the partys National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, which affirmed that no decision was taken to disband the Akwa Ibom executives. Since Mr Enos defection, political blackmail now thrives in Akwa Ibom, with politicians accusing one another of not being fully loyal to the governor. BEIJING, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- China urges Mexico to comply with the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in its anti-dumping investigations, and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies, the Ministry of Commerce said on Friday. A spokesperson for the ministry made the remarks in response to a media inquiry about Mexico's recent four anti-dumping investigations into Chinese products, including float glass and PVC tarpaulins. China firmly opposes protectionist measures that harm its legitimate rights and interests, and will monitor the development of the investigations closely, the spokesperson said. It was noted that this year, Mexico has opened 11 anti-dumping investigations into Chinese products to date -- nearly twice last year's total -- while China has continued to exercise restraint in launching trade-remedy investigations. Against the backdrop of the United States' excessive use of tariffs, China holds that all countries should work together to oppose unilateralism, curb the spread of protectionism, and refrain from imposing restrictions on China under various pretexts due to external coercion, according to the spokesperson. In response to Mexico's proposed tariff increases and other restrictions, the ministry has launched an investigation into trade and investment barriers in accordance with relevant laws and regulations. "Based on our findings and actual circumstances, China will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies, including measures in trade and investment," the spokesperson said. Residents on Lagos Island are facing worsening environmental and safety hazards as Styrofoam litter, open manholes, and open defecation plague major streets. Despite Lagos States ban on Styrofoam and other single-use plasticsincluding takeaway packs, plates, cups, water sachets, nylon bags, plastic bottles, and food wrappersthese non-biodegradable materials continue to litter Broad Street, Itafaji, and Adeniji Adele, heightening fears of blocked drains and flooding during the rainy season. On Tuesday, PREMIUM TIMES observed residents along Ibraimoh-Igbo Street in Itafaji openly defecating and dumping food waste into shallow gutters. I have been enduring this filthy-smelling environment for a while. You can see elderly women defecating openly and washing themselves where the gutter runs past many houses, Gift Paul, a resident who moved into the neighbourhood in January, told our reporter. Beyond sanitation, safety hazards also abound. A manhole near the Lagos Island East Council on Broad Street has remained uncovered, while others are crudely filled with sand. Last week, I saw someone place a tyre to mark the manhole, but it has since been removed. Anyone can fall into itnot just motorists, said commuter Chizoba Okere. The Lagos State Government began full enforcement of its single-use plastics ban in July. Shops and outlets found selling or storing prohibited itemsincluding Styrofoam packs, disposable cups, plastic straws, plastic cutlery, and nylon bags under 40 micronsrisk being sealed and prosecuted. Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said the policy aims to reduce pollution and blocked drainage, stressing that enforcement would boost sustainable packaging jobs rather than cause losses. Citizen activism has also driven action. In September, broadcast journalist Deji Bademosi mounted a billboard highlighting a dangerous open manhole near Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja. Within 24 hours, the state government dispatched officials to cover it. I hope the state government will react to cover all other uncovered manholes across the city, Mr Bademosi said in a Facebook video. The incident underscores growing public concern over sanitation and safety on Lagos Island. Residents are calling for stricter enforcement of environmental laws, clearing of blocked drains, and urgent repairs to open manholes. PREMIUM TIMES contacted both Mr Wahab and the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) separately on Tuesday via text and WhatsApp messages for their reactions. But as of press time, neither office had responded. Gordon & MacPhail sought to commission a creative partner to design a unique decanter to house their most precious whisky to date. A partnership built on common values and a shared commitment to leave a legacy for future generations, Jeanne Gang's design is shaped through her close observation of growth and form in nature. The four branches which suspend the glass decanter are made from solid bronze, providing an armature that cradles the precious liquid in the same way the oak cask has nurtured the whisky for eight and a half decades. Only 125 decanters are available worldwide, each with an RSP of 125,000. Over the last 130 years, Gordon & MacPhail has been driven by a simple mission: to create single malt Scotch whisky of exceptional quality. Through four generations of family ownership, the company has matched its own specially selected casks with spirit from over 100 Scottish distilleries. Managing a portfolio of casks requires a complex level of expertise which Gordon & MacPhail has honed to fully understand cask maturation matched to different styles of spirit. Patience is undoubtedly a virtue in this realm and Gordon & MacPhail's whiskies are often the oldest expression ever to be released from a particular distillery. The decanter design by Jeanne Gang is a celebration of the profound artistry, craft, care and time alongside nature that went into the liquid it encases. The maturation of whisky over very long periods of time is a very challenging proposition often quoted as more art than science. As the oldest single malt Scotch ever bottled, this release is the ultimate expression of this art and testament to the foresight of George Urquhart and his father, John, who selected cask 336 in 1940 to cradle this liquid for decades to come. "One of the greatest challenges was that this has never been done before. We're the first to mature a whisky for 85 years. Every year that goes by is a year into the unknown. We have to appreciate we're always dealing with mother nature so the key traits of this process are patience and trust," comments Stephen Rankin Director of Prestige at Gordon & MacPhail, and member of the fourth generation of the family that owns the company. Embracing the creative theme of 'Artistry in Oak', the design evokes the idea of a tree slowly entwining a piece of amber. Four separate branches spiral upward, wrapping around a suspended glass vessel that contains the amber liquid originally distilled at Glenlivet Distillery. American oak informed the branches' design, a nod to the wood used to comprise the Gordon & MacPhail cask which cradled the spirit for 85 years. "It was of utmost importance that the quality of the whisky itself be manifest in the design of the decanter. Made from handblown glass and cast bronze, I thought about how each material would exhibit its own inherent qualities while fulfilling its purpose to hold and protect the liquid," explains Jeanne Gang. The design was conceived as a single object, with the suspended glass vessel relying on the branches for support, evoking the reciprocity between whisky and its cask. Jeanne chose bronze for the four entwining branches that cradle the vessel because it is an enduring material; one that evolves slowly and beautifully over time, much like whisky. As bronze develops a patina, it mirrors the way whisky deepens in colour and character over the years. "Standing tall and strong, the patinated bronze entwines the vessel, suspending it while revealing the amber colour of the whisky within. Together, the elements depend on and complement each other, in a reciprocal dance whose form, like the whisky it holds, is a product of both natural growth and the nature of its materiality," expresses Gang. As part of this landmark release, Gordon & MacPhail is supporting American Forests, the oldest national non-profit conservation organisation in the United States - a leader in forest restoration - via the online auction of Decanter #1 in partnership with Christie's. "Given the importance of oak in our craft, this partnership was a natural fit, aligning with our mission to leave a meaningful legacy for ongoing generations via fundraising for the sustainable future of American oak trees," adds Stephen Rankin. The auction conducted online by Christie's, opening for bids on Friday 7th November and concluding on Friday 21st November 2025, will see proceeds of the lot (minus costs) donated to the American Forests, to support their work dedicated to creating healthy and resilient forests in cities and large landscapes, including the regeneration and long-term sustainability of America's oak-dominated forests essential for whisky maturation. As well as Decanter #1, the lot will include a personalised whisky tasting hosted by Gordon & MacPhail's Director of Prestige Stephen Rankin or Richard Urquhart, Sales Director, both fourth generation family members; a framed, signed sketch of an oak tree by Jeanne Gang, which informed the decanter's design; and the cask end of cask 336 which nurtured the single malt Scotch whisky, presented in a bespoke frame. Adam Bilbey, Christie's Global Head of Wine and Spirits says: "Partnering with Gordon & MacPhail for Artistry in Oak is a moment of pride for Christie's. The unveiling of Decanter No. 1 from Gordon & MacPhail 85 Years Old is not just a highlight of our seasonit's a celebration of time, tradition, and craftsmanship. Over the last 85yrs this extraordinary spirit has been carefully and patiently nurtured by Gordon & MacPhail, culminating in the extraordinary moment." A TASTE OF LIQUID HISTORY At 85 years old, this historical liquid has spent decades maturing in a unique cask that has had a profound impact on its flavour. Cask 336 had previously held mature sherry before being re-filled on 3 February 1940 with spirit at the Glenlivet Distillery. This was a time when production across Scotland was much reduced due to the raw materials required being diverted for other uses or there being a shortage in them created by the war. This long maturation has imparted deep, complex flavours to the whisky, with vibrant, full-bodied notes that remain remarkably robust at 43.7% ABV. The influence of the cask, combined with the rarity and incredible scarcity of the liquid, creates a whisky that is not only extraordinary in its taste but also a living piece of history. Aroma: Soft, aged leather aromas lead to apricot compote, cinnamon, and subtle waxy, citrus fruit notes. Vanilla gives way to dried sultana and aniseed with underlying beeswax polish. Subtle smoky undertones develop. Flavours: Smooth and vibrant with cracked black pepper and sweet dried tobacco flavours, followed by Seville Orange peel. Morello cherry and plum flavours are balanced by subtle oak. Finish: A full-bodied finish with lingering herbal notes. This exceptional release represents the pinnacle of whisky craftsmanship - an 85-year-old single malt matured over four generations. Not only is it the oldest whisky ever bottled, but its extreme rarity, scarcity and provenance, coupled with the artistry of Jeanne Gang's design, make it an unparalleled collector's piece. Gordon & Macphail 85 Years Old From Glenlivet Distillery Available worldwide, priced at 125,000 WWW.GORDONANDMACPHAIL.COM Christie's Online Auction of Decanter #1 Bidding opens Friday 7 November and closed Friday 21 November 2025 Proceeds of the lot (minus costs) donated to the American Forests WWW.CHRISTIES.COM @GORDONANDMACPHAIL Video: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2785796/GMP.mp4 Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2785791/Gordon_MacPhail_Hero.jpg Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2785801/Gordon_MacPhail_Jeanne_Gang.jpg Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2785790/Gordon_MacPhail_Cask.jpg Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2785808/Gordon_MacPhail_bottle.jpg Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2785788/GMP_Logo.jpg BRANFORD, Conn., Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Azitra, Inc. (NYSE American: AZTR), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative therapies for precision dermatology, today announced it received a notice from the staff of NYSE American LLC (the "Exchange") that Azitra was not in compliance with the Exchange's continued listing standards under Section 1003(a)(ii) of the NYSE American Company Guide. Section 1003(a)(ii) requires a listed company to have stockholders' equity of $4 million or more if the listed company has reported losses from continuing operations and/or net losses in three of its four most recent fiscal years. Azitra is subject to the procedures and requirements of Section 1009 of the NYSE American Company Guide. Azitra has until October 31, 2025, to submit a plan (the "Plan") of actions it has taken or will take to regain compliance with the continued listing standards by April 1, 2027. Azitra intends to timely deliver a Plan to the Exchange. If the Exchange accepts the Plan, Azitra will be notified in writing and will be subject to periodic reviews including quarterly monitoring for compliance with the Plan. Azitra is assessing and exploring multiple funding avenues and is committed to undertaking a transaction or transactions in the future to achieve compliance with the Exchange's requirements. Receipt of the notice from the Exchange has no immediate effect on the listing or trading of Azitra's common stock on the Exchange, and does not affect Azitra's business, operations or reporting requirements with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. About Azitra Azitra, Inc. is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative therapies for precision dermatology. The Company's lead program, ATR-12, uses an engineered strain of S. epidermidis designed to treat Netherton syndrome, a rare, chronic skin disease with no approved treatment options. Netherton syndrome may be fatal in infancy with those living beyond a year having profound lifelong challenges. The ATR-12 program includes a Phase 1b clinical trial in adult Netherton syndrome patients. ATR-04, Azitra's additional advanced program, utilizes another engineered strain of S. epidermidis for the treatment of EGFR inhibitor ("EGFRi") associated rash. Azitra has received Fast Track designation from the FDA for EGFRi associated rash, which impacts approximately 150,000 people in the U.S. Azitra has an open IND for its ATR-04 program in patients with EGFRi associated rash. The ATR-12 and ATR-04 programs were developed from Azitra's proprietary platform of engineered proteins and topical live biotherapeutic products that includes a microbial library comprised of approximately 1,500 bacterial strains. The platform is augmented by artificial intelligence and machine learning technology that analyzes, predicts, and helps screen the library of strains for drug like molecules. For more information, please visit https://azitrainc.com. Forward-looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. These statements may be identified by words such as "aims," "anticipates," "believes," "could," "estimates," "expects," "forecasts," "goal," "intends," "may," "plans," "possible," "potential," "seeks," "will," and variations of these words or similar expressions that are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Any such statements in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding Azitra's expectations regarding a period to comply with the Plan and applicable Exchange requirements, and actions of Azitra and/or the Exchange to be taken with respect to matters discussed in the notice. Any forward-looking statements in this press release are based on current expectations, estimates and projections only as of the date of this release and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to that we may experience delays in the dosing the first patient in this Phase 1/2 trial; our product candidates may not be effective; there may be delays in regulatory approval or changes in regulatory framework that are out of our control; our estimation of addressable markets of our product candidates may be inaccurate; we may fail to timely raise additional required funding; our actions and/or the Exchange's actions to be taken with respect to matters discussed in the notice from the Exchange; more efficient competitors or more effective competing treatment may emerge; we may be involved in disputes surrounding the use of our intellectual property crucial to our success; we may not be able to attract and retain key employees and qualified personnel; earlier study results may not be predictive of later stage study outcomes; and we are dependent on third-parties for some or all aspects of our product manufacturing, research and preclinical and clinical testing. Additional risks concerning Azitra's programs and operations are described or incorporated by reference in our annual report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 24, 2025. Azitra explicitly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements except to the extent required by law. Contact Norman Staskey Chief Financial Officer [email protected] Investor Relations Tiberend Strategic Advisors, Inc . Jon Nugent 205-566-3026 [email protected] Media Relations Tiberend Strategic Advisors, Inc . Casey McDonald 646-577-8520 [email protected] SOURCE Azitra, Inc. SUMTER, S.C., Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE: BDX), a leading global medical technology company, today will commemorate 55 years of manufacturing excellence at its Sumter, South Carolina facility, which throughout its history has been a core site within the Company's extensive U.S. manufacturing footprint. BD Celebrates 55 Years of Manufacturing Excellence and Impact in Sumter, S.C. Since opening its doors and producing its first glass syringe barrel in 1970 with 25 employees, the Sumter facility has grown into one of BD's largest and most strategically important manufacturing sites, supporting health care providers and patients around the world. Today, the facility spans more than 600,000 square feet and employs approximately 900 associates, producing billions of products each year, including the BD Vacutainer blood collection products, that are critical to the backbone of health care in areas including diagnostics, treatment and medical research. "This anniversary is especially meaningful because BD Sumter plays a vital role in producing BD Vacutainer blood collection productstrusted to care for 84 patients around the world every second," said Bridget Bagnato, Worldwide President of Specimen Management at BD. "For more than five decades, our team in Sumter has taken immense pride in delivering high-quality products that support patient care globally. This milestone anniversary is a reflection of the strength of BD's long-standing and continued commitment to investing in our U.S. manufacturing capabilities, as well as quality, innovation, and operational excellence." Manufacturing Investments in Sumter Since FY21, BD has invested more than $90 million in Sumter to grow operations and reinforce its commitment to advancing global health care, and tripled its year-over-year investment in the Sumter site from FY24 to FY25, with plans to invest approximately another $30 million in FY26. This funding will support infrastructure modernization, the addition of new manufacturing lines to expand capacity, and enhanced associate training and developmentall part of BD's previously announced five-year investment strategy. Looking ahead, the company remains focused on identifying opportunities to invest in high-speed, next-generation technologies that will further strengthen the site's capabilities. 55th Anniversary Celebration The 55th anniversary celebration ceremony honors the achievements of the site with BD leaders, local officials and members of the community. BD will recognize its longest-tenured associates, including two employees with more than 50 years of service and more than 100 who have served for more than 25 years. BD will also announce a $10,000 donation to the Tuomey Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Prisma Health Tuomey Hospital, reinforcing BD's commitment to advancing health and supporting the well-being of the Sumter community. BD also contributes more than $100,000 annually to local Sumter organizations such as the Sumter Education Foundation and local chapters of United Way and American Heart Association. "BD's more than five decades of growth, innovation and ongoing success is a testament to its leadership and the strength of South Carolina's business environment," Secretary of Commerce Harry M. Lightsey III said. "We are grateful for BD's continued investment in Sumter County and South Carolina and look forward to watching its legacy grow." Later this month, BD will also celebrate the 65th anniversary of its Broken Bow, Nebraska facility, which also plays an important role in BD's manufacturing network and community. BD operates more than 30 U.S. manufacturing and distribution facilities across 17 states and Puerto Rico, employing over 10,000 people. These sites form a critical backbone of the U.S. medical device supply chain, helping ensure consistent access to high-quality medical devices nation- and worldwide. About BD Vacutainer products BD Vacutainer products are used to care for millions of patients around the world today for high-quality specimen collection, patient comfort and health care provider safety. They are also helping to advance care for tomorrow, with BD Vacutainer tubes used in more than 16,000 published clinical studies since 2018 alone. About BD BD is one of the largest global medical technology companies in the world and is advancing the world of health by improving medical discovery, diagnostics and the delivery of care. The company supports the heroes on the frontlines of health care by developing innovative technology, services and solutions that help advance both clinical therapy for patients and clinical process for health care providers. BD and its more than 70,000 employees have a passion and commitment to help enhance the safety and efficiency of clinicians' care delivery process, enable laboratory scientists to accurately detect disease and advance researchers' capabilities to develop the next generation of diagnostics and therapeutics. BD has a presence in virtually every country and partners with organizations around the world to address some of the most challenging global health issues. By working in close collaboration with customers, BD can help enhance outcomes, lower costs, increase efficiencies, improve safety and expand access to health care. For more information on BD, please visit bd.com or connect with us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/bd1/, X (formerly Twitter) @BDandCo or Instagram @becton_dickinson. Contacts: Media : Investors : Fallon Mcloughlan Adam Reiffe BD Public Relations Sr. Director, Investor Relations 201.258.0361 201.847.6927 [email protected] [email protected] SOURCE BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) Charge You Car Day is Sunday, October 5th CHICAGO, Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Sunday, October 5th marks Charge Your Car Day, and CTEK, the global leader in smart battery charging solutions, is reminding North American drivers that battery care shouldn't be a once-a-year event. Their message is simple: Never Stop Charging. As it's Charge Your Car Day, CTEK is taking the opportunity to encourages drivers to commit to making regular battery charging a part of their routine to prevent breakdowns, enhance vehicle performance, prolong battery life, and save money. To help clear up common misconceptions, CTEK is debunking five outdated battery myths that could be putting your carand your walletat risk: Myth 1: If my car starts, the battery must be fine. Busted: Even if your car starts, your battery could be slowly deteriorating. Modern vehicles draw power constantlyeven when parkedleading to silent battery drain that often goes unnoticed until it's too late. Myth 2: Battery failure is rare. Busted: Battery failure is actually the #1 cause of vehicle breakdowns, responsible for about 40% of roadside assistance calls. Most drivers only discover their battery is failing when they're stranded. Myth 3: My alternator keeps the battery charged. Busted: Not always. Short trips and infrequent driving don't give the alternator enough time to recharge the battery. Plus, advanced vehicle tech like stop-start systems can drain more power than the alternator replaces. Myth 4: Car batteries last for years without maintenance. Busted: Without regular charging, battery life shortens significantly. Using a smart charger like CTEK's can triple your battery's lifespansaving time, money, and hassle. Myth 5: Charging is complicated and only for experts. Busted: Not with CTEK. Trusted by over 50 top car brands including Lamborghini, Porsche, and McLaren, CTEK's smart chargers are safe, simple, and automaticperfect for any driver. This Charge Your Car Day, CTEK encourages drivers to adopt a simple habit: plug in a smart charger regularly to keep your battery at peak performance. It's the easiest way to avoid battery failure, improve vehicle performance, and extend battery life. A fully charged battery powers everything betterfrom essential systems to comfort features like air conditioning. And with winter approaching, battery care becomes even more critical. Research shows that 1 in 3 vehicles entering service shops has a battery that needs attentiona number that jumps to over 50% in colder months. "Charge Your Car Day on October 5 is a great opportunity for drivers across North America to embrace smarter car care. A dead battery can ruin your dayor cost you more than you expect," said Steve Hayes, Head of North America. "If you already have a charger, take it out and use it. If not, investing in one will save you time and money in the long run. With CTEK, battery maintenance is simple click here to find the best charger for you. Just connect, and the charger does the rest. It's time to 'Never Stop Charging.'" CTEK chargers are recognized worldwide for their reliability and performance. This Charge Your Car Day, treat your vehicleand yourselfby choosing to Never Stop Charging. For more information, visit www.CTEK.com or follow @CTEKChargers on Instagram and Facebook. About CTEK Established in Dalarna, Sweden, CTEK is the leading global brand in vehicle charging solutions. CTEK offers products ranging from 12V and 24V battery chargers to charging solutions for electrical vehicles. CTEK's E-mobility solutions range from individual EV chargers to larger corporate and commercial installations with multiple charging stations, that require load balancing and integrate seamlessly with monitoring and payment equipment. CTEK's products are sold via a carefully selected network of global distributors and retailers: as original equipment; supplied to more than 50 of the world's leading vehicle manufacturers; and through charge point operators, property owners and other organizations/individuals providing EV charging infrastructure. CTEK takes pride in its unique culture based on a passion for innovation and a deep commitment to supporting the transition to a greener mobility, by adhering to industry leading ESG standards. Press Contact: Michelle Suzuki 310-930-6655 SOURCE CTEK FRANKLIN, Tenn., Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Community Healthcare Trust Incorporated (NYSE: CHCT) today announced that on Tuesday evening, October 28, 2025, after the market closes, it will report results for the third quarter of 2025. On October 29, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. Central Time, Community Healthcare Trust will hold a conference call to discuss earnings results, quarterly activities, general operations of the Company and industry trends. Simultaneously, a webcast of the conference call will be available to interested parties via an Internet link at www.chct.reit under the Investor Relations section. A webcast replay will be available following the call at the same Internet site address. Conference Call Details Domestic Dial-In Number: 1-888-347-1332 International Dial-In Number: 1-412-902-4278 Canada Toll Free: 1-855-669-9657 Replay Conference Call Details Domestic Dial-In Number: 1-877-344-7529 International Dial-In Number: 1-412-317-0088 Canada Toll Free: 1-855-669-9658 Conference ID: 2955671 About Community Healthcare Trust Incorporated Community Healthcare Trust Incorporated (the "Company") is a real estate investment trust that focuses on owning income-producing real estate properties associated primarily with the delivery of outpatient healthcare services in our target sub-markets throughout the United States. As of June 30, 2025, the Company had investments of approximately $1.2 billion in 200 real estate properties (including one property with sales-type leases and one property classified as held for sale). The properties are located in 36 states, totaling approximately 4.5 million square feet in the aggregate. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements In addition to the historical information contained within, the matters discussed in this press release may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by use of forward-looking terminology such as "believes", "expects", "may", "will," "should", "seeks", "approximately", "intends", "plans", "estimates", "anticipates" or other similar words or expressions, including the negative thereof. Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and can include future expectations, future plans and strategies, financial and operating projections or other forward-looking information. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management. Because forward-looking statements relate to future events, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of the control of Community Healthcare Trust Incorporated (the "Company"). Thus, the Company's actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in such forward-looking statements. Some factors that might cause such a difference include the following: general volatility of the capital markets and the market price of the Company's common stock, changes in the Company's business strategy, availability, terms and deployment of capital, changes in the real estate industry in general, interest rates or the general economy, adverse developments related to the healthcare industry, changes in governmental regulations, the degree and nature of the Company's competition, the ability to consummate acquisitions under contract, catastrophic or extreme weather and other natural events and the physical effects of climate change, the occurrence of cyber incidents, effects on global and national markets as well as businesses resulting from increased inflation, changes in interest rates, supply chain disruptions, labor conditions, tariffs and global trade tensions, and/or the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, and the other factors described in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, and the Company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. Readers are therefore cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained herein which speak only as of the date hereof. The Company intends these forward-looking statements to speak only as of the time of this press release and undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments, or otherwise, except as may be required by law. CONTACT: Bill Monroe, 615-771-3052 SOURCE Community Healthcare Trust Incorporated SAN DIEGO, Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The law firm of Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP announces that purchasers or acquirers of Dow Inc. (NYSE: DOW) securities between January 30, 2025 and July 23, 2025, all dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), have until Tuesday, October 28, 2025 to seek appointment as lead plaintiff of the Dow class action lawsuit. Captioned Sarti v. Dow Inc., No. 25-cv-12744 (E.D. Mich.), the Dow class action lawsuit charges Dow, The Dow Chemical Company, a Dow subsidiary, as well as certain of Dow's executives with violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. If you suffered substantial losses and wish to serve as lead plaintiff of the Dow class action lawsuit, please provide your information here: https://www.rgrdlaw.com/cases-dow-inc-class-action-lawsuit-dow.html You can also contact attorneys J.C. Sanchez or Jennifer N. Caringal of Robbins Geller by calling 800/449-4900 or via e-mail at [email protected]. CASE ALLEGATIONS: Dow, through its subsidiaries, provides various materials science solutions for packaging, infrastructure, mobility, and consumer applications. The Dow class action lawsuit alleges that defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Dow's ability to mitigate macroeconomic and tariff-related headwinds, as well as to maintain the financial flexibility needed to support its lucrative dividend, was overstated; and (ii) the true scope and severity of the foregoing headwinds' negative impacts on Dow's business and financial condition was understated, particularly with respect to competitive and pricing pressures, softening global sales, and demand for Dow's products, as well as an oversupply of products in Dow's global markets. The Dow class action lawsuit further alleges that on June 23, 2025 BMO Capital downgraded its recommendation on Dow to "Underperform" from "Market Perform" while also cutting its price target on Dow's stock to $22.00 per share from $29.00 per share, citing sustained weakness across key end markets and mounting pressure on Dow's dividend. Following this news, Dow's stock price fell by more than 3%, the complaint alleges. Then, the complaint further alleges that on July 24, 2025, Dow reported a second quarter of 2025 non-GAAP loss per share of $0.42, significantly larger than the approximate $0.17 to $0.18 per share loss expected by analysts and net sales of $10.1 billion, representing a 7.3% year-over-year decline and missing consensus estimates by $130 million, "reflecting declines in all operating segments." Dow's CEO, defendant Jim Fitterling, blamed these disappointing results on "the lower-for-longer earnings environment that our industry is facing, amplified by recent trade and tariff uncertainties," while providing a dour outlook marked by "signs of oversupply from newer market entrants who are exporting to various regions at anti-competitive economics," it is alleged. Dow also revealed that it was cutting its dividend in half, from $0.70 per share to only $0.35 per share, citing the need for "financial flexibility amidst a persistently challenging macroeconomic environment," the Dow class action lawsuit further alleges. Following this news, Dow's stock price fell by more than 17%, the complaint alleges. THE LEAD PLAINTIFF PROCESS: The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 permits any investor who purchased or acquired Dow securities during the Class Period to seek appointment as lead plaintiff in the Dow class action lawsuit. A lead plaintiff is generally the movant with the greatest financial interest in the relief sought by the putative class who is also typical and adequate of the putative class. A lead plaintiff acts on behalf of all other class members in directing the Dow class action lawsuit. The lead plaintiff can select a law firm of its choice to litigate the Dow class action lawsuit. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff of the Dow class action lawsuit. ABOUT ROBBINS GELLER: Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP is one of the world's leading law firms representing investors in securities fraud and shareholder litigation. Our Firm has been ranked #1 in the ISS Securities Class Action Services rankings for four out of the last five years for securing the most monetary relief for investors. In 2024, we recovered over $2.5 billion for investors in securities-related class action cases more than the next five law firms combined, according to ISS. With 200 lawyers in 10 offices, Robbins Geller is one of the largest plaintiffs' firms in the world, and the Firm's attorneys have obtained many of the largest securities class action recoveries in history, including the largest ever $7.2 billion in In re Enron Corp. Sec. Litig. Please visit the following page for more information: https://www.rgrdlaw.com/services-litigation-securities-fraud.html Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Services may be performed by attorneys in any of our offices. Contact: Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP J.C. Sanchez, Jennifer N. Caringal 655 W. Broadway, Suite 1900, San Diego, CA 92101 800-449-4900 [email protected] SOURCE Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP NEW YORK, Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- LatinFinance has announced the winners of its 2025 Project & Infrastructure Finance Awards, recognizing the most impressive transactions and institutions in an area that is crucial to the economic progress of Latin America and the Caribbean. Leading project sponsors, infrastructure investors, financiers and advisors in Latin American and the Caribbean convened in New York for the 2025 Project & Infrastructure Finance Awards Dinner, now in its 12th year. The announcement of this year's winners followed LatinFinance's 2025 Energy, Infrastructure & Sustainable Finance Roundtable, a series of high-level discussions among a number of the region's leading Winners are determined by LatinFinance's editors based on an extensive judging process that involved the evaluation of a record number of submissions this year. project sponsors, investors and financiers. The full list of winners can be found here. For more information about the selection process and the winning deals and institutions, visit www.latinfinance.com/pifawards . Winning transactions and institutions: Infrastructure Financing of the Year: Latin America and Infrastructure Financing of the Year: Southern Cone - Minera Los Pelambres Bond of the Year - Chile Electricity Lux MPC II Loan of the Year - Block 58 GranMorgu Local Currency Financing of the Year - Ecovias Rio Minas Financing Institutions Infrastructure Bank of the Year: Latin America - Santander Infrastructure Law Firm of the Year: Latin America and Infrastructure Law Firm of the Year: Southern Cone - Milbank Project Sponsor of the Year - Atlas Renewable Energy Financial Advisor of the Year - Astris Finance Sustainability Sustainable Infrastructure Bank of the Year - Scotiabank Sustainable Infrastructure Law Firm of the Year - White & Case Sustainable Infrastructure Financing of the Year - SABESP A/B Loan Social Infrastructure Financing of the Year - Vinte's Acquisition Financing of Javer Regions Infrastructure Financing of the Year: Andes - Orygen Energia Infrastructure Financing of the Year: Brazil - Nova Rota do Oeste BR-163 Infrastructure Financing of the Year: Caribbean - Kingston Airport (KingAir) Infrastructure Financing of the Year: Central America - San Cristobal Infrastructure Financing of the Year: Mexico - Guadalajara Light Train Line 4 Sectors Renewable Energy Financing of the Year - Luiz Carlos Solar Complex Energy Storage Financing of the Year - Estepa I & II Digital Infrastructure/Telecoms Financing of the Year - Telecom Argentina's Acquisition of Telefonica Argentina Water Financing of the Year - Charquican - SIAM I & II Seawater Pipeline Project Urban Transport Financing of the Year - Bogota Metro Line 1 Financing Road Financing of the Year - Rio-SP Road Financing Power Financing of the Year - Portocem Power Project Financing Airport Financing of the Year - Aerodom Financing Port Financing of the Year - Bahia Norte Container Terminal Financing Mining Financing of the Year - El Espino Copper Mine Financing Oil & Gas Financing of the Year - FPSO Jaguar Financing Banks Infrastructure Bank of the Year: Andes - J.P. Morgan Infrastructure Bank of the Year: Brazil - Bradesco BBI Infrastructure Bank of the Year: Caribbean - Citi Infrastructure Bank of the Year: Mexico - Banorte Infrastructure Bank of the Year: Southern Cone - BNP Paribas Law Firms Infrastructure Law Firm of the Year: Andes - Cuatrecasas Infrastructure Law Firm of the Year: Brazil - Machado Meyer Infrastructure Law Firm of the Year: Caribbean - Paul Hastings Infrastructure Law Firm of the Year: Central America - BLP Infrastructure Law Firm of the Year: Mexico - Galicia Submit nominations for the 2025 Deals of the Year Awards. The nominations portal is open now until October 10, 2025. Learn more at www.latinfinance.com/dealsoftheyear . Sign up to be notified when nominations for the 2026 Project & Infrastructure Finance Awards, Banks of the Year Awards and Deals of the Year Awards open at www.latinfinance.com/awardalerts . About LatinFinance LatinFinance is the leading global platform providing intelligence on the financial markets and economies of Latin America and the Caribbean. Drawing on 37 years of editorial excellence, its English-language publications deliver high-value information to an international readership of companies, governments, financiers and investors, while its events convene those communities for high-level networking forums focused on the dynamics of those markets, by geography and sector. Media contact: [email protected] Related Links https://www.latinfinance.com SOURCE LatinFinance By Nazrin Abdul The 9th meeting of the Coordination Committee between the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) and Germanys energy company Uniper was held recently. Azernews reports, according to a statement from SOCAR that the meeting opened with remarks from SOCAR Vice President Elshad Nasirov, Uniper SEs Chief Commercial Officer Karsten Poppinga, and Germanys Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Dr. Ralf Horlemann. Following the opening speeches, SOCAR Vice President Ziba Mustafayeva delivered the keynote address. The speakers highlighted the ongoing success of the long-term and mutually beneficial partnership between SOCAR and Uniper. They emphasized the strategic importance of their joint projects in strengthening Europes energy security. Special attention was given to the continued efforts to expand cooperation between the two companies across various areas. Presentations were also delivered on key topics including the SOCARUniper partnership, the current status of the Southern Gas Corridor, European energy policy and emerging trends, energy transition, sustainability, decarbonization, public relations, and human resources strategies. These sessions sparked constructive discussions among participants. The meeting also underscored the importance of enhancing cooperation in the areas of communication and corporate social responsibility. At the conclusion of the event, SOCAR and Uniper signed a new Cooperation Program covering the years 20252026. SOCHI, Russia, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- China's Global Governance Initiative is closely aligned with Russia's vision for Eurasian security, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday. Speaking at the plenary session of the 22nd annual meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club, Putin said that aligning the two frameworks is appropriate for advancing Russia-China relations and holds global significance. Putin noted that both the Russian and Chinese heads of state attended commemorations in each other's countries. These events marked the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War and acknowledged the shared sacrifices of both nations in defeating Nazi Germany and Japanese militarism. During the two occasions, the leaders discussed current international affairs and explored ways to strengthen bilateral relations in sectors such as the economy, culture and education. Regarding China's pilot visa-free policy for Russian citizens, Putin stated that Russia would introduce a reciprocal policy for Chinese citizens and would strive to expedite the process. In his address to the Federal Assembly in February last year, Putin proposed building an architecture of equal and indivisible security across the Eurasian continent. Since then, Russia has expressed its readiness to work with BRICS and the countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to establish a new Eurasian security framework. Such a framework could take the form of a multilateral interaction model, involving the Eurasian Economic Union, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, and other Asian or European countries willing to participate. Elevate Quantum, Central New Mexico Community College, Sandia National Laboratories, and the University of New Mexico Partner to Launch Quantum Learning Lab and Quantum Technician Bootcamp ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Elevate Quantum, in partnership with Central New Mexico Community College (CNM), Sandia National Laboratories, and the University of New Mexico, today announced the launch of its Quantum Learning Lab (QuLL), a new training and education hub at CNM's FUSE Makerspace in Albuquerque, designed to prepare New Mexicans for careers in the fast-growing quantum technology industry. QuLL's inaugural program, the Quantum Technician Bootcamp, kicked off September 29 and is providing students with hands-on training in the skills needed to support quantum computing, sensing, and communication, creating a first-of-its-kind workforce pipeline for the state and the nation. The Quantum Learning Lab was established with federal funding secured by New Mexico's Congressional Delegation and is part of a broader strategy to position New Mexico as a national leader in quantum information science and engineering (QISE). QuLL provides dedicated lab space for optics, electronics, cryogenics, and cleanroom practices, allowing students to gain practical, hands-on experience with quantum systems, guided by scientists and engineers from Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories. "Quantum technologies are moving from the research lab into real-world applications, and building a workforce that can support that transition is essential," said Jessi Olsen, COO/CFO, Elevate Quantum. "The Quantum Learning Lab and Bootcamp demonstrate New Mexico's leadership in both innovation and workforce development, ensuring we are training not only scientists and engineers, but also the skilled technicians who are critical to the success of this industry." Participants in the bootcamp will receive hands-on learning and access to real quantum hardware, which is crucial for preparing students to meet the demands of the growing quantum workforce. The Quantum Technician Bootcamp embodies this approach, combining classroom instruction with guided lab work, enabling students to directly manipulate and experiment with quantum devices. "Traditionally, many of the skills needed for technician-level work in the quantum industry are taught during graduate school. However, these skills which include things like vacuum systems, electronics, optics/photonics, machining, CAD most often do not require advanced degrees or any degrees at all," said Dr. Megan Ivory, Quantum Scientist, Sandia National Laboratories. "Through QuLL, folks who like working with their hands can get the training they need to immediately enter the quantum workforce. Our goals are to provide community members with good paying jobs and to provide the growing quantum industry in New Mexico with the workers they need to be successful." Members of New Mexico's Congressional Delegation, notably Sen. Ben Ray Lujan and Sen. Martin Heinrich, played a key role in securing the federal funding that made QuLL and the Quantum Technician Bootcamp possible. Their support reflects the state's bipartisan commitment to building the infrastructure needed to lead in quantum science and technology. "As a proud member of Elevate Quantum, CNM is very excited to have launched a first-of-its-kind Quantum Technician Bootcamp that is going to connect learners with life-changing career opportunities after just 10 weeks of immersive training," said Tracy Hartzler, President, Central New Mexico Community College. "At the same time, we'll be providing a skilled quantum workforce that will support our community, state, and Mountain West region in becoming a global hub of quantum innovation and economic development. As Elevate Quantum's workforce development lead for quantum technicians, we also look forward to sharing and refining the bootcamp curriculum with fellow community colleges in Colorado and Wyoming to help establish our region as a quantum workforce development leader." With additional guidance from CNM Quantum Educators Brian Rashap, PhD, and Shawn Moralles, the Quantum Technician Bootcamp was developed specifically to meet industry demand, as quantum information technology companies continue to expand in New Mexico and beyond. Starting pay for entry-level technicians is expected to range from $65,000 to $85,000 per year. The first cohort consists of nine learners and will expand to 12 learners starting with the Spring 2026 cohort. Scholarships are available to cover up to 100% of tuition for most learners. "The new quantum learning lab at CNM is integral to our EQ workforce development strategy and we are thrilled to welcome its first student cohort," said Lucy Sanders, Workforce Implementation Lead, Elevate Quantum. "In the foreseeable future we look forward to replicating the facility and curriculum in Colorado at Emily Griffith Technical College." Applications and more information for the Quantum Technician Bootcamp are available through CNM Ingenuity. About Elevate Quantum Elevate Quantum is the first and only major place-based investment by the U.S. Government in the quantum sector. Backed by more than 140 organizationsincluding Microsoft, AWS, Google, Sandia National Labs, Quantinuum, Atom Computing, Infleqtion, and othersElevate Quantum is working to accelerate commercialization and cement U.S. leadership in quantum technology. To learn more, visit www.elevatequantum.org. SOURCE Central New Mexico Community College (CNM) A roundup of the most newsworthy consumer and retail announcements from PR Newswire, including Red Lobster's SpendLESS Shrimp, Toys"R"Us' holiday presence and M&M's collection with Crocs. NEW YORK, Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of press releases published each month, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help consumer and retail journalists and consumers stay on top of the month's most popular releases and newsworthy trends, here's a recap of some of the past month's most read- and engaged-with stories. The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download. PR Newswire Monthly Consumer Press Release Roundup, September 2025. Photos provided by Red Lobster Seafood Co., See's Candies and Miss America Organization. For more news like this, check out all of the latest retail-related releases from PR Newswire. Trending Topics Among the consumer news that was distributed in September, the PR Newswire team was able spot several larger stories that highlight the trends shaping the industry. Fall Product Launches: As we were loading up another rewatch of "Gilmore Girls," brands were rolling out all of their fall essentials. SHEIN is making fetch happen with its Mean Girls collection, while Urban Outfitters and Dunkin' take a campus-ready approach. And it wouldn't be fall without pumpkin spice; Tim Hortons and 7-Eleven have customers covered with their fall menus, while Lush Cosmetics launched its pumpkin spice at a fall pop up cafe. As we were loading up another rewatch of "Gilmore Girls," brands were rolling out all of their fall essentials. SHEIN is making fetch happen with its Mean Girls collection, while Urban Outfitters and Dunkin' take a campus-ready approach. And it wouldn't be fall without pumpkin spice; Tim Hortons and 7-Eleven have customers covered with their fall menus, while Lush Cosmetics launched its pumpkin spice at a fall pop up cafe. New York Fashion Week: The Target Style Tailgate brought together the energy of fall athletics and the sophistication of New York Fashion Week. Meanwhile, Lilly Pulitzer transformed the New York Design center into a Vintage Vault. Looking ahead, Coach debuted its Spring 2026 collection that redefines luxury through resilience. Looking ahead: In October, our team expects Halloween and other holiday-related press releases to ramp up as consumers gear up for the busy holiday season. We'll also be watching how consumer brands celebrate other calendar events like Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October), World Teachers' Day (Oct. 5), National Dessert Day (Oct. 14) and World Food Day (Oct. 16). Do you have a retail press release to distribute? Sign up with PR Newswire to share your story with the audiences who matter most. Helping Journalists Stay Up to Date on Industry News These are just a few of the recent press releases that consumers and the media should know about. To be notified of releases relevant to their coverage area, journalists can set up a custom newsfeed with PR Newswire for Journalists. Once they're signed up, reporters, bloggers, and freelancers have access to the following free features: Customization: Users can create customized newsfeeds that will deliver relevant news right to their inbox. Newsfeed results can be targeted by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more. Users can create customized newsfeeds that will deliver relevant news right to their inbox. Newsfeed results can be targeted by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more. Photos and Videos: Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include in a journalist or blogger's next story. Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include in a journalist or blogger's next story. Subject Matter Experts: Journalists will have access to ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in their articles. Journalists will have access to ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in their articles. Related Resources: Our journalist- and blogger-focused blog, Beyond Bylines, features regular media news roundups, writing tips, upcoming events, and more. About PR Newswire PR Newswire is the industry's leading press release distribution partner with an unparalleled global reach of more than 440,000 newsrooms, websites, direct feeds, journalists and influencers and is available in more than 170 countries and 40 languages. From our award-winning Content Services offerings, integrated media newsroom and microsite products, Investor Relations suite of services, paid placement and social sharing tools, PR Newswire has a comprehensive catalog of solutions to solve the modern-day challenges PR and communications teams face. For 70 years, PR Newswire has been the preferred destination for brands to share their most important news stories across the world. For questions, contact the team at [email protected]. SOURCE PR Newswire Over 270 Drivers, Mechanics, and Warehouse Workers Demand Fair Contract PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Teamsters at Sysco Portland have voted by a 99.5 percent margin to authorize a strike if the multibillion-dollar company fails to present an acceptable contract offer. More than 270 drivers, mechanics, and warehouse workers are demanding an agreement with wages, benefits, and working conditions that match the strong gains other Teamsters at Sysco have won nationwide. "Our members work hard for this company and will not accept anything less than a contract that rewards their dedication," said Mark Davison, President of Teamsters Local 162 and Teamsters Western Region International Vice President. "It is time for Sysco management to come to the table with a fair contract, or our members are ready to walk." Sysco is one of the largest and most profitable food service providers in the United States. In 2024 alone, the company reported $1.95 billion in net profits, a jump of more than 10 percent from the year before. The strike authorization vote empowers Local 162 to call a work stoppage at any time once the contract expires on Saturday, Oct. 11. The Teamsters represent more than 10,000 Sysco workers nationwide. In recent years, the Teamsters have been forced to launch multiple major strikes after Sysco refused to bargain in good faith. In 2023, Sysco forced Teamsters in Indianapolis and Louisville to strike after failing to present a fair contract. The strike saw picket lines extended to over 1,000 Sysco Teamsters nationwide and ended in record-breaking contracts. "Sysco should be on notice: our members are prepared to strike if this company refuses to deliver," said Tom Erickson, Director of the Teamsters Warehouse Division. "If Sysco tries to shortchange hardworking Teamsters, we will be on the picket line, and they will face the full strength of thousands of Sysco Teamsters nationwide." Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.3 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on X @Teamsters and on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters. Contact: Lena Melentijevic, (347) 208-2279 [email protected] SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters Results: Underground Powerlines in 27 Counties; System-wide Risk Reduced by 8.4% OAKLAND, Calif., Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has now constructed and energized 1,000 miles of powerlines underground in high fire risk areas. PG&E has identified its undergrounding effort as the largest ever by a utility to reduce wildfire risk. In the locations where those lines provide electricity to customers, undergrounding eliminates nearly all wildfire risk. In total, PG&E's system hardening efforts, which includes undergrounding, stronger overhead poles and wires and line removals, have permanently removed 8.4% of wildfire ignition risk from our entire system since 2023. How far is 1,000 miles? If you drove from the Oregon-California border down to the California-Mexico border, you would travel 932 miles. "Putting 1,000 miles of powerlines underground is a significant milestone for our customers as we work to reduce wildfire risk every day," said Peter Kenny, PG&E's senior vice president of Electric Operations. "When our CEO, Patti Poppe, announced in 2021 that we would put thousands of miles of powerlines underground, skeptics said it couldn't be done. Well, not only are we at 1,000 miles and counting, but we also have substantially reduced the cost for our customers as we've scaled up our work." Underground powerlines are now serving customers in high fire-risk areas of 27 counties in Northern and Central California, ranging from 337 miles in Butte County and 119 miles in Shasta County to more than 50 miles of buried powerlines in each of El Dorado, Lake, Placer, Plumas and Solano counties. By the end of 2026, PG&E anticipates a total of 1,600 miles of powerlines will be underground, contributing to a total risk reduction of 18% across the entire system. Since the start of the program, the cost per mile of undergrounding has decreased from $4 million to $3.1 million in 2025. Further reductions are expected in coming years. Undergrounding cost savings have been achieved through multiple innovations and ideas. Reducing cost and travel time and supporting local economies by hiring hometown contractors. Working more efficiently with state-of-the-art construction equipment, including chain trenchers, rock-wheel saws and slinger trucks. Avoiding the year-after-year tree trimming required by overhead line maintenance. Saving time, money and additional dirt removal by reducing the standard depth and width of trenches. Cutting disposal costs by using excess soil from undergrounding projects for other operational projects. With increasing fire risk across the western United States, it is critical to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. PG&E is taking both immediate and long-term actions to keep communities safe, while also focusing on reduced costs and increased reliability. PG&E uses multiple layers of protection that work together to prevent wildfires. These have significantly reduced wildfire risk. These safety measures prevented major fires from our equipment in 2023 and 2024 and have greatly reduced wildfire risk since 2018. Over the past seven years, PG&E has: Developed a state-wide network of nearly 1,600 weather stations and more than 650 HD cameras to respond to wildfire risk in real time weather stations and more than HD cameras to respond to wildfire risk in real time Inspected, trimmed or removed over 960,000 trees and other types of vegetation across the service area trees and other types of vegetation across the service area Completed more than 1,000 miles of undergrounding miles of undergrounding Installed more than 1,400 miles of strengthened power poles and covered powerlines Matt Pender, PG&E's vice president of Undergrounding and System Hardening, praised his team for its focus on protecting customers. "It feels amazing to be making a difference that will last for many, many years, for decades, by putting these lines underground and reducing wildfire risk for the long run," he said. According to a report by the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, PG&E was recognized as one of the nation's top utilities for wildfire readiness, exemplifying the highest level of preparedness. The report also ranked PG&E's Wildfire Mitigation Plan at Tier 1 maturity, the highest possible score in the assessment. To learn more about PG&E's wildfire safety efforts, visit pge.com/wildfiresafetyprogess. Note: B-roll available upon request About PG&E Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is a combined natural gas and electric utility serving more than 16 million people across 70,000 square miles in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit pge.com and pge.com/news. SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company Support for Engineers Without Borders to Unlock Local Funding and Build Capacity in Critical Infrastructure Projects WESTMINSTER, Colo., Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Trimble today expanded its strategic partnership with the Engineers Without Borders network, facilitated by Engineers Without Borders (EWB) International. This collaboration significantly expands Trimble's existing support of Engineers Without Borders by providing a substantial monetary donation, essential hardware, software and specialized training expertise for international projects. Trimble has been a long-term supporter of EWB's mission in the US by providing technology donations for student chapters, financial grants for disaster relief and climate resiliency projects through its Trimble Foundation Fund , and championing STEM education initiatives. Now, the company is expanding its support to the international stage. Collaboration's First Initiative: Unlocking Critical Infrastructure Funding in Uganda The collaboration's first initiative is focused on an 18-month critical infrastructure project in Eastern Uganda with EWB East Africa, focused on a unique challenge: unlocking available local government funds. Up to 70% of the population lacks access to basic necessities such as safe water, quality sanitation, reliable energy and education facilities. While local funds exist to address these issues, district parishes currently cannot access them due to a lack of necessary data, tools and engineering capacity. "Working with Trimble can help unlock these funds and deliver essential master plans, financial models and engineering skills at the required scale," stated Peter Nzabanita of EWB East Africa. "This scale is crucial for creating opportunities that lead to sustained impact, including training programs that generate a local talent pipeline and government engagement for continued accountability and investment." Integrated Technology and Community Engagement The project in Uganda aims to positively impact the lives of people in the community, beginning immediately with three distinct phases. The initial phase includes crucial preparatory work: Technical baseline surveys and infrastructure mapping using Trimble solutions, GIS software and drone support. Recruitment and training of 40 local youth enumerators to conduct a population census. The subsequent phases will encompass feasibility and technical audits, co-design with community leaders, financial modeling and cost-benefit analysis. This information will be utilized in stakeholder presentations to attract commercial investment, including public-private partnerships. Focus on Local Capacity Building A component of phase two is a hands-on 'Buildathon' event designed to bring together Trimble teams, customers and partners to provide rapid, practical assistance. Trimble and its education partner Panelle, which connects brands with women in business and underrepresented industries, are forming a working group to gather female leaders from construction and engineering to help shape the initiative's direction. "The critical infrastructure project in Eastern Uganda marks an ideal commencement for the expanded collaboration between Trimble and the Engineers Without Borders network," said Sumele Adelana, product marketing leader for architecture and design at Trimble. "By assisting local communities in developing engineering plans to secure funding, we can empower them to address their critical infrastructure needs both now and in the future." About Trimble Trimble is a global technology company that connects the physical and digital worlds, transforming the ways work gets done. With relentless innovation in precise positioning, modeling and data analytics, Trimble enables essential industries including construction, geospatial and transportation. Whether it's helping customers build and maintain infrastructure, design and construct buildings, optimize global supply chains or map the world, Trimble is at the forefront, driving productivity and progress. For more information about Trimble, visit: www.trimble.com . About the Engineers Without Borders network Engineers Without Borders organisations leverage engineering skills and expertise towards ensuring a safe and just future for all within the sustainable limits of our planet, in particular to support those that are most vulnerable in society. Established approximately 40 years ago, the global Engineers Without Borders network spans more than 50 EWB organisations across Africa, Asia, the Pacific, the Middle East, Europe, North, South and Central America, and is coordinated by EWB International. Visit https://www.ewb-international.org/ . SOURCE Trimble SOMERVILLE, Mass., Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Triumvirate Environmental has been named an honoree for BostInno's 2025 Fire Awards . This is a prestigious honor that acknowledges Triumvirate Environmental's commitment to the communities in which they serve and underscores their contributions to safety and sustainability. Triumvirate Environmental, a leading provider of environmental services across North America, is excited to receive this honor. The BostInno Fire Awards are a respected and important acknowledgement of success in innovation and growth. The community-based nomination process further strengthens the meaning behind this award. BostInno's awards committee recognizes Triumvirate Environmental's growth to "unicorn status" through innovative waste management, citing a recent investment from Berkshire Partners and a partnership with Life Science Cares , an organization dedicated to helping life science companies make an impact in their communities. This award not only demonstrates Triumvirate Environmental's current commitment to their community, but also sets the stage for enhanced community engagement into the future. By leveraging expertise in waste management, EHS consulting and advisory services, and onsite support , Triumvirate Environmental is able to empower and protect the communities they serve. This, combined with a commitment to support local initiatives, demonstrates their dedication to ensuring the safety and well-being of those around them. "At Triumvirate Environmental, we recognize that our communities are the lifeblood of our work," said Thomas Aicardi, Chief Revenue Officer at Triumvirate Environmental. "This award acknowledges our commitment to the community and fosters an increased emphasis on community engagement, ultimately advancing our shared goal of creating a better future for all." BostInno , a local online news provider affiliated with the Boston Business Journal, works to cover "the view from inside" Boston innovation. Their community-guided approach to news ensures a tight-knit connection to the city, giving them an insider look into the true heart of Boston innovation. For more information about Triumvirate Environmental, contact Melanie Obeid ( [email protected] ). About Triumvirate Environmental Dedicated to safety and the environment, Triumvirate Environmental has provided environmental services to world-renowned companies for more than 30 years. They partner with world-class organizations to further their mission, and their highly experienced specialists develop innovative EHS programs targeted to the unique safety needs and challenges of organizations across North America. Triumvirate Environmental's employees pride themselves on exceeding customers' expectations, both inside and outside the workplace. By taking the worry out of EHS, safety, and waste management, they enable companies to reach their goals. Learn more about Triumvirate Environmental at www.triumvirate.com . SOURCE Triumvirate Environmental Education technology leader recognized for excellence in high-dosage tutoring and customer experience innovation NEW YORK, Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Tutor.com, a leading innovator in online tutoring and education solutions, today announced that it has been named a Finalist in the 2025 SIIA CODiE Awardsin two categories: Best Instructional Intervention Tool: High-Dosage Tutoring Best Customer Experience Solution for Education: LEO by Tutor.com The CODiE Awards celebrate companies that are transforming the education landscape with innovative technology, impactful learning solutions, and measurable results for students and institutions. Finalists in the Best Instructional Intervention Tool category are honored for creating effective tools that identify learning gaps and provide engaging, targeted interventions to help students succeed. Finalists in the Best Customer Experience Solution for Education category are recognized for developing products, platforms, or services that enhance engagement, support, and satisfaction for students, educators, and administratorswith a focus on seamless user experiences, personalization, and efficient service delivery. This year's recognition builds on Tutor.com's record of CODiE success, including wins for Best Student Experience (2024, 2022), Best Customer Experience (2023), and Best Education Platform (2021). "We are honored that Tutor.com has once again been recognized as a CODiE Award Finalist," said John Calvello, Chief Institutional Officer at Tutor.com. "This acknowledgment is recognition of our nearly three decades of commitment to partnering with educational institutions and leaders to deliver efficacy-centered, outcomes-driven solutions that close learning gaps and support student success. With over 28 million tutoring sessions delivered, we are proud to continue innovating in ways that make a measurable difference for learners everywhere. We also congratulate our fellow finalists, whose dedication and creativity are helping to shape the future of education." Produced by the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) the principal trade association for the software, education, media, and digital content industriesthe CODiE Awards are recognized as the premier awards program for software and information technology. They remain the only peer-reviewed awards program in the industry. Finalists are selected by expert judges whose evaluations account for 80% of the total score, with the remaining 20% determined by SIIA member votes. Winners will be announced on October 22, 2025. For more information about the CODiE Awards and to view the full list of finalists, visit codieawards.com . About Tutor.com Since its incorporation in 2000, Tutor.com has delivered over 28 million online tutoring and homework help sessions to students of all ages. With a team of more than 4,000 rigorously vetted tutors, the company provides on-demand academic support in a wide range of subjects, as well as targeted high-dosage tutoring solutions. Tutor.com's mission is to instill hope, advance equity, and catalyze achievement in schools and communities. The company powers tutoring and homework programs for public and private institutions, including colleges and universities, K12 schools and districts, and libraries nationwide. Headquartered in New York City, Tutor.com and its affiliate, The Princeton Review, are U.S.owned and operated. (The Princeton Review is not affiliated with Princeton University.) About the SIIA CODiE Awards The SIIA CODiE Awards is the only peer-reviewed awards program recognizing excellence in business and education technology. Since 1986, the CODiEs have celebrated thousands of products, services, and solutions for their innovation, impact, and contributions to shaping the future of the industry. About the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) is the leading professional organization connecting more than 700 companies across data, financial information, education technology, specialized content and publishing, and health technology. SIIA members develop software that addresses today's global challenges, power the world's financial markets, deliver critical business intelligence, and innovate for better healthcare and wellness outcomes. SOURCE Tutor.com Aidai Kubanychbekova (front, 1st R) and her colleagues celebrate the one-year anniversary of the "Hello, Chinese language!" learning center together with students in Karakol, Kyrgyzstan, on Sept. 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Renzi) BISHKEK/URUMQI, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Bursts of laughter erupted in a small classroom in Kyrgyzstan's eastern Karakol city as Aidai Kubanychbekova and several children practiced oral Chinese, such as "I'll do my Chinese homework." Kubanychbekova's dream of teaching Chinese came true last year when she created the "Hello, Chinese language!" learning center, with the support of her family. "I've always wanted to open such a center," she said. As the Central Asian country deepens its exchanges and cooperation with China, learning Chinese comes at an opportune time. The increasing exchanges between China and Kyrgyzstan have prompted a trend among Kyrgyz youths to learn Chinese. About 17,000 people have trained at the Osh State University's Confucius Institute since its inception in 2013, with nearly 600 of them receiving scholarships for further studies in China. But with few Kyrgyz educational institutions offering Chinese language courses, Kubanychbekova's learning center stands out. The center currently enrolls about 40 students, many around the age of 10. The 26-year-old instructor has been fascinated with the Chinese language since childhood: "Every Chinese character is a picture imbued with special meaning." In 10th grade, she began studying Chinese language and culture. "At first, the language was difficult for me. But one day I spoke to Chinese friends, and they immediately understood my Chinese -- this lifted my confidence," she said. She studied translation at university, with Chinese as a required course, while also taking online Chinese language courses offered by a Chinese university. In 2023, she joined a university scholarship program for training Chinese language teachers in northeast China. "That was my first trip to China. Very impressive. The streets there were cleaner, transport was more convenient, and daily life was more modernized than I thought," she said, adding that she wants to help the children in her hometown learn Chinese and experience the real China and Chinese culture. Kubanychbekova plans to collaborate with Chinese universities to co-organize summer camps in China or arrange visits by Chinese students to Kyrgyzstan. A junior at Kyrgyzstan's Osh State University, Erbol Keldibaev often sings to the guitar after class at the university's Confucius Institute. "Singing Chinese popular songs brings me great pleasure." Watching Chinese kung fu films aroused his love for Chinese culture in his childhood. The undergraduate majors in translation and interpretation studies. "I enjoy learning Chinese: writing characters, rewriting phrases, watching films in Chinese." As a sophomore, Keldibaev spent six months at Hainan Normal University in southern China, where he made Chinese friends, saw the sea for the first time in his life, and won a Chinese song singing competition. This year, Keldibaev hopes to participate in the "Chinese Bridge" contest of Chinese language proficiency, held throughout the year in various countries. Meanwhile, Kyrgyz individuals with bilingual capabilities are becoming an important force in deepening trade and economic ties between the two countries. A fluent Chinese speaker, Bermet Kurmanbaeva was stationed at the Kyrgyz booth during a commodity fair last month in the city of Kashgar in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. An expert with the Kyrgyz Export Development and Promotion Center, a government agency, her smooth presentation in Chinese of Kyrgyz-produced honey drew visitors. According to Kurmanbaeva, many people in Kyrgyzstan's business community are learning Chinese to facilitate access to the Chinese market. "The knowledge of Chinese is not just an additional language skill, but also serves to gain trust and seize opportunities," she said. At the fair, many representatives of Chinese companies were impressed with Kurmanbaeva's professional and detailed presentations in Chinese, leading to the signing of cooperation agreements. Her success at the fair heightened her awareness of how her work serves as a bridge between the two countries. "May the friendship between Kyrgyzstan and China and between the two peoples be as sweet as honey," Kurmanbaeva said. Aidai Kubanychbekova receives an interview at the "Hello, Chinese language!" learning center in Karakol, Kyrgyzstan, on Sept. 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Renzi) This photo taken on Sept. 18, 2025 shows an exterior view of the Osh State University's Confucius Institute in Osh, Kyrgyzstan. (Xinhua/Li Renzi) Students attend a Chinese language class at the Osh State University's Confucius Institute in Osh, Kyrgyzstan, Sept. 18, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Renzi) Erbol Keldibaev, a junior at Kyrgyzstan's Osh State University, receives an interview at the university's Confucius Institute in Osh, Kyrgyzstan, Sept. 18, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Renzi) A teacher gives a Chinese language lesson at the Osh State University's Confucius Institute in Osh, Kyrgyzstan, on Sept. 18, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Renzi) A teacher helps her student put on an opera headwear at the Osh State University's Confucius Institute in Osh, Kyrgyzstan, Sept. 18, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Renzi) If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here HONG KONG, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong's railway operator the MTR Corporation Limited held an inauguration ceremony on Friday for the MTR Northern Link Project, marking the full commencement of the major railway infrastructure. This project is set to serve as a vital artery for mass transit in the Northern Metropolis, standing out as the largest among the various railway projects currently underway by the MTR. The Northern Link Main Line will connect the East Rail Line and Tuen Ma Line, while the Spur Line will provide direct rail access to Shenzhen's Huanggang Port, becoming Hong Kong's third direct cross-boundary railway link, the corporation said. Following the recent signing of the Northern Link (Part 1) Project Agreement, the MTR Corporation is progressing at full speed with the construction works of the Northern Link Main Line, as well as the detailed planning and design for the Northern Link Spur Line. Addressing the ceremony, Mable Chan, secretary for transport and logistics of the HKSAR government, said the Northern Link is not only a landmark infrastructure project in the Northern Metropolis but also a transport artery connecting the population across the area, providing vital support for development. The Main Line of the Northern Link is set to become the backbone of public transportation for several new development zones in the Northern Metropolis, said Chan, adding that when combined with the existing East Rail Line and Tuen Ma Line, it will create a loop railway that connects the New Territories with Kowloon urban area, significantly boosting the coverage and resilience of the railway network. Additionally, the Spur Line will link directly to the new Huanggang Port, offering a streamlined immigration clearance process that integrates Hong Kong and Shenzhen's metro systems, she added. Rex Auyeung, chairman of the MTR Corporation, said that the Northern Metropolis is a new growth engine for Hong Kong's future economic development, and rail remains the city's efficient and reliable public transport backbone. The Northern Link is poised to significantly improve accessibility within the Northern Metropolis while strengthening Hong Kong's cross-boundary ties with the Chinese mainland, he said, noting that the MTR Corporation will leverage innovative technologies and efficient project management to propel the project forward, aiming for the synchronized opening of both the Main Line and Spur Line by 2034 at the latest. The construction of Kwu Tung Station on the East Rail Line, part of the Northern Link project, is currently progressing as planned. The station is anticipated to reach its topping-out milestone in November, with a completion target set for 2027. Once finished, Kwu Tung Station will become MTR's 100th station, serving the Kwu Tung North New Development Area. Foreign travellers complete the Arrival Card at Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport in southwest China's Chongqing, Oct. 1, 2025. China is becoming a more popular tourist destination thanks to its various policies that improve the entry and travel experience for international arrivals. With distinctive urban landscape and vibrant local life, Chongqing is now breaking new ground on the international tourism map. (Photo by Zeng Yanyan/Xinhua) Foreign travellers wait to go through the immigration check at Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport in southwest China's Chongqing, Oct. 1, 2025. China is becoming a more popular tourist destination thanks to its various policies that improve the entry and travel experience for international arrivals. With distinctive urban landscape and vibrant local life, Chongqing is now breaking new ground on the international tourism map. (Photo by Zeng Yanyan/Xinhua) A police officer helps a South Korean tourist with entry registration at Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport in southwest China's Chongqing, Oct. 1, 2025. China is becoming a more popular tourist destination thanks to its various policies that improve the entry and travel experience for international arrivals. With distinctive urban landscape and vibrant local life, Chongqing is now breaking new ground on the international tourism map. (Photo by Zeng Yanyan/Xinhua) Foreign tourists enjoy the night in Nan'an District of southwest China's Chongqing, Sept. 30, 2025. China is becoming a more popular tourist destination thanks to its various policies that improve the entry and travel experience for international arrivals. With distinctive urban landscape and vibrant local life, Chongqing is now breaking new ground on the international tourism map. (Xinhua/Huang Wei) A tourist from Kazakhstan takes photos of the Liziba Station of Chongqing Rail Transit in Yuzhong District of southwest China's Chongqing, Oct. 3, 2025. China is becoming a more popular tourist destination thanks to its various policies that improve the entry and travel experience for international arrivals. With distinctive urban landscape and vibrant local life, Chongqing is now breaking new ground on the international tourism map. (Xinhua/Huang Wei) Russian tourists visit the site of the 18 Steps Great Tunnel in Yuzhong District of southwest China's Chongqing, Oct. 1, 2025. China is becoming a more popular tourist destination thanks to its various policies that improve the entry and travel experience for international arrivals. With distinctive urban landscape and vibrant local life, Chongqing is now breaking new ground on the international tourism map. (Xinhua/Huang Wei) A Serbian tourist has fun at the viewing platform around the Liziba Station of Chongqing Rail Transit in Yuzhong District of southwest China's Chongqing, Oct. 3, 2025. China is becoming a more popular tourist destination thanks to its various policies that improve the entry and travel experience for international arrivals. With distinctive urban landscape and vibrant local life, Chongqing is now breaking new ground on the international tourism map. (Xinhua/Huang Wei) Canadian tourists pose for a photo at the viewing platform around the Liziba Station of Chongqing Rail Transit in Yuzhong District of southwest China's Chongqing, Oct. 3, 2025. China is becoming a more popular tourist destination thanks to its various policies that improve the entry and travel experience for international arrivals. With distinctive urban landscape and vibrant local life, Chongqing is now breaking new ground on the international tourism map. (Xinhua/Huang Wei) Tourists are seen at a cultural and historical scenic spot in Luoyang City, central China's Henan Province, Oct. 2, 2025. Tourist destinations across China are witnessing a surge in visitors as the country's eight-day National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday began on Wednesday. (Photo by Huang Zhengwei/Xinhua) A drone photo taken on Oct. 1, 2025 shows people visiting a scenic spot in Zigui County, central China's Hubei Province. Tourist destinations across China are witnessing a surge in visitors as the country's eight-day National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday began on Wednesday. (Photo by Wang Gang/Xinhua) Tourists are seen at the Zhengding ancient city in Shijiazhuang, north China's Hebei Province, Oct. 1, 2025. Tourist destinations across China are witnessing a surge in visitors as the country's eight-day National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday began on Wednesday. (Photo by Liang Zidong/Xinhua) An aerial drone photo taken on Oct. 2, 2025 shows tourists at the West Lake scenic spot in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province. Tourist destinations across China are witnessing a surge in visitors as the country's eight-day National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday began on Wednesday. (Photo by Long Wei/Xinhua) An aerial drone photo taken on Oct. 2, 2025 shows tourists having fun on a beach in Zhoushan, east China's Zhejiang Province. Tourist destinations across China are witnessing a surge in visitors as the country's eight-day National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday began on Wednesday. (Photo by Zou Xunyong/Xinhua) An aerial drone photo taken on Oct. 2, 2025 shows tourists visiting the hometown of writer Lu Xun in Shaoxing, east China's Zhejiang Province. Tourist destinations across China are witnessing a surge in visitors as the country's eight-day National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday began on Wednesday. (Photo by Zhang Hui/Xinhua) Tourists visit the Ruins of St. Paul's in south China's Macao, Oct. 2, 2025. Tourist destinations across China are witnessing a surge in visitors as the country's eight-day National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday began on Wednesday. (Photo by Cheong Kam Ka/Xinhua) ISLAMABAD, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan has witnessed a sharp 46 percent increase in overall violence in the third quarter (Q3) of 2025, amid continued counter-terrorism operations and militant attacks, an Islamabad-based think-tank, Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), said on Thursday. The country recorded at least 901 fatalities and 599 injuries in 329 incidents of violence, including terrorist assaults and security operations. The casualties included civilians, security personnel, and militants, the CRSS said in a report. By the end of Q3, Pakistan had reported 2,414 deaths in 2025, nearly equaling the 2,546 fatalities recorded during all of 2024, the report said, adding that the year is likely to surpass last year's death toll with one quarter remaining. Of the 901 fatalities in Q3, about 57 percent were militants, while 385 civilians and security personnel were also killed. Compared with Q2, the figures mark an increase of 55 percent in militant losses, 43 percent among civilians, and 28 percent among security forces. Although outlaws suffered the majority of fatalities, civilians remained the most targeted group, facing 123 attacks that left 355 people injured, the report noted. Security personnel suffered 106 attacks with 209 injuries, while militants faced around 100 operations, suffering 35 injuries. The CRSS stressed that despite being three times fewer than militant attacks, security operations resulted in nearly as many fatalities. The country's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southwest Balochistan provinces bore the brunt of the violence, accounting for more than 96 percent of all incidents. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was the most affected region, with nearly 71 percent of total fatalities, followed by Balochistan with 25 percent. OTTAWA, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- A premature baby infected with measles has died in Alberta, marking the province's first measles-related death and the second nationwide since the start of Canada's ongoing outbreak, local media reported Thursday. Adriana LaGrange, Alberta's minister of primary and preventative health services, said in an emailed statement she was "saddened" to confirm the death. Children under five, pregnant people and those with weak immune systems face the highest risk from measles, LaGrange said. She urged anyone planning a pregnancy to ensure they have received two doses of a measles-containing vaccine beforehand, as vaccination is not recommended during pregnancy. The country's first recent measles death was reported in Ontario in June, when another prematurely born baby died of the disease. The outbreak has been spreading across several provinces since last October. As of Sept. 20, Canadian health authorities had recorded 5,006 cases this year, with Alberta and Ontario the hardest hit. Canada declared measles eliminated in 1998, but the resurgence has alarmed public health officials across the country. CARACAS, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela's defense and foreign ministries on Thursday denounced the illegal incursion of U.S. combat aircraft. The aircraft were "detected on Oct. 2, 2025, approximately 75 kilometers from our coasts," said a statement by Foreign Minister Yvan Gil on social media. For Venezuela, the move "constitutes a provocation that threatens national sovereignty," and violates international law and the Convention on International Civil Aviation, he said. The maneuver "put at risk" the safety of aviation in the Caribbean Sea, the official said, adding that other incursions were detected. Earlier, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez denounced the deployment of U.S. aircraft and "the military harassment, the military threat, of the U.S. government against the people of Venezuela who want peace, work and happiness." Padrino Lopez warned Washington against military attacks against the South American nation. "Don't make that mistake," he said. NEW DELHI, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- India's foreign exchange (forex) reserves fell by 2.33 billion U.S. dollars to 700.24 billion dollars during the week ended on Sept. 26, according to the weekly data released by the country's central bank, the Reserve Bank of India, on Friday. This was the second consecutive week when the forex reserves had fallen. According to the data, the Foreign Currency Assets decreased by 4.39 billion dollars to 581.76 billion dollars, while the Gold Reserves increased by 2.24 billion dollars to 95.02 billion dollars. The Special Drawing Rights fell by 90 million dollars to 18.79 billion dollars, and the Reserve Position in the International Monetary Fund declined by 89 million dollars to 4.67 billion dollars. Marina Ragus, deputy speaker of Serbia's National Assembly, praised China's remarkable development over the past decades and its growing role in global governance. She also expressed hope for deeper cooperation between the two countries in a recent interview with Xinhua. By Laman Ismayilova A delegation from the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Center, operating under the Azerbaijan Culture Ministry, has been on a business trip to South Korea. It was noted that the visit took place as part of a project implemented under a memorandum signed between the Culture Ministry and ADA University. The main purpose of the trip was to learn about South Korea's experience in the development of cultural and creative industries, as well as to discuss new cooperation opportunities in the fields of innovation and technology. The delegation participated in the "EdTech 2025" exhibition held in Seoul and familiarized themselves with educational programs at the Korea Museum of Contemporary Art. Meetings at the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) focused on the international exchange of creative content and the implementation of joint projects. As part of the program, the delegation also visited the country's leading science and innovation center, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). During the visit, they were introduced to the "Startup KAIST" program and provided information on projects at the intersection of culture and technology. As a result of the visit, it is expected that Azerbaijan's creative industries will expand their international cooperation network, new opportunities will arise for young people, and the countrys creative ecosystem will be enriched with global trends. VIENTIANE, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Laos is accelerating efforts to enhance its electricity supply and efficiency by upgrading infrastructure, improving the grid, and promoting renewable energy to reduce power outages, support economic growth, and improve the quality of life for its citizens. Amid ongoing efforts to improve the electricity sector, Oudet, a resident of Vientiane, closely follows news and official updates, from price adjustments to new investments. He believes that every change directly impacts his daily life, as electricity is essential for everyone at all times. "Having reliable electricity brings peace of mind. It's the small things, like being able to use the internet without interruption, that make a big difference in our quality of life, especially in today's digital age, where internet access is essential for almost every type of work," Oudet told Xinhua on Friday. "I remember experiencing power outages at least once a week when I was younger. It was frustrating, especially in the heat. Sometimes, I had to do my homework by candlelight during nighttime blackouts. It was very uncomfortable," he said. He added that many businesses rely on stable electricity to operate efficiently. Frequent outages or power fluctuations can slow down production, disrupt services, and even damage equipment. A reliable power supply builds confidence and helps attract investment. Laos is working to enhance electricity operations, strengthen coordination between central and local levels, and improve overall efficiency and effectiveness. The first Laos-China Electric Power Technology Forum, held in mid-September in Lao capital Vientiane, introduced standardized training and expanded technical programs to support talent development in Laos. It also aimed to boost power reliability in Vientiane and along the China-Laos Railway, reduce network losses, and enhance emergency response, strengthening bilateral cooperation through public welfare initiatives. Through the eyes of a business owner, Chanh, a restaurant owner, emphasized the importance of stable electricity for business operations, especially for food safety and customer service. "For food sellers like us, refrigeration, cooking, and lighting are essential. Even a short power outage can cause many problems. Having a stable and efficient power supply means we can serve our customers without interruptions and avoid losses," she said. Chanh highlighted that training more local technical staff and improving emergency response systems are crucial for growth. "If we build a strong foundation, these improvements will continue, especially in local areas outside the capital," she added. The Lao state-owned Electricite du Laos (EDL) plans to strengthen the country's electricity supply in the second half of 2025. To reduce service disruptions and outages, EDL will focus on infrastructure upgrades such as regular maintenance, replacing aging equipment, improving transformers, and enhancing system management. Although power outages still occur occasionally, many people have noticed quicker responses from authorities. Lattany, a resident of Vientiane, praised the dedication of staff during outages, noting that they work tirelessly, even late at night or early in the morning, to fix issues such as fire-damaged poles or downed power lines. Lattany expressed hope that more efficient solutions will be developed to reduce power shortages, ideally using fewer staff while maintaining effectiveness. Laos is working to strengthen its electricity sector to ensure energy security and long-term sustainability. The country aims to tackle key challenges, support a stable and self-reliant economy, and reduce dependence on electricity imports by building a resilient national grid and expanding renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and thermal power. PHNOM PENH, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia recorded a total of 4.05 million international tourists in the first eight months of 2025, down 5.6 percent from 4.29 million over the same period last year, said a Ministry of Tourism's report released on Friday. Thailand topped the chart among the foreign tourist arrivals to the Southeast Asian country during the January-August period this year, followed by Vietnam and China, the report said. Some 962,462 Thais and 808,471 Vietnamese traveled to Cambodia, down 28.2 percent and 6.9 percent, respectively, the report said, adding that 784,965 Chinese visited the kingdom, up 45.7 percent. Thong Mengdavid, a lecturer at the Institute for International Studies and Public Policy under the Royal University of Phnom Penh, said the decrease in international tourist arrivals reflected both regional economic slowdowns and intensified competition from neighboring destinations, which may have diverted visitors. "It also highlights the lingering challenges in air connectivity and destination diversification," he told Xinhua. "The newly built Techo International Airport will serve as a major gateway to Cambodia, offering greater flight capacity, modern facilities, and improved international connectivity," he added. By accommodating more direct long-haul and regional flights, it will make travel to Cambodia more convenient and attractive for tourists, Mengdavid said. Tourism is one of the four pillars supporting Cambodia's economy in addition to garment, footwear and travel goods export, agriculture, and construction and real estate. ISLAMABAD, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan on Thursday strongly condemned the interception of an international flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza by Israeli forces, terming it a violation of international law and humanitarian principles, the foreign ministry said. "The unlawful detention of international activists onboard the flotilla constitutes yet another flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law by Israel, and endangers the lives of innocent civilians," the ministry said. Islamabad said the incident was part of Israel's "ongoing pattern of aggression and illegal blockade of Gaza," which has caused immense suffering to more than 2 million Palestinians. The obstruction of humanitarian relief was described as a grave breach of Israel's obligations as the occupying power under the Fourth Geneva Convention, the statement added. Pakistan reiterated its call for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire across Palestinian territories, the lifting of the blockade on Gaza, unhindered humanitarian access, the release of all detained humanitarian workers and activists, and accountability for Israel's repeated violations of international law. Several vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla were stopped in the Mediterranean Sea as they approached Gaza's shores, with passengers transferred to an Israeli port, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said Wednesday night. The flotilla, comprising around 50 vessels and more than 500 volunteers from over 40 countries, seeks to challenge Israel's naval blockade and deliver food and medical supplies to Palestinians. Israel imposed a naval blockade on Gaza in 2007 after Hamas seized control of the enclave. The Israeli restrictions were further tightened following Hamas's cross-border assault into southern Israel in October 2023. BEIJING, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday sent a congratulatory message to Luxembourg's Grand Duke Guillaume on his enthronement. In his message, Xi pointed out that China and Luxembourg have always respected and treated each other equally since the establishment of diplomatic ties more than 50 years ago, serving as a model of mutual success and mutual benefit between countries of different sizes, systems and stages of development. Today, bilateral cooperation has produced fruitful outcomes in sectors including steel, finance and logistics, with the Zhengzhou-Luxembourg "Air Silk Road" contributing to the stable and smooth flow of China-Europe industrial chains, he said. Xi said that he attaches great importance to the development of bilateral relations and is willing to work with Guillaume to elevate China-Luxembourg ties to new levels so as to bring greater benefit to the people of both countries. On the same day, Xi also sent a message of greetings and wishes to former Grand Duke of Luxembourg Henri, who has abdicated the throne. A staff member works at the production base of Ypsomed (China) Manufacturing Co., Ltd. in Changzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, Sept. 18, 2025.(Xinhua/Liu Jiaqi) NANJING, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- The cylinder plant of Hyva Mechanics (China) Co., Ltd., located in Yangzhou City, east China's Jiangsu Province, was bustling with activity when Yin Yan, the company's operations and supply chain director, proudly introduced the company's hydraulic cylinder products to a group of visiting journalists. Outside the plant, cylinder products were neatly packaged and tagged with client information, including addresses and contact details, waiting to be delivered to various locations across the country. This setup highlighted a strong demand in the Chinese market for Hyva's hydraulic cylinders, which are essential components that provide power for heavy-duty tipping trucks. As one of the world's leading providers of transport solutions for the commercial vehicle and environmental service industries, the Netherlands-headquartered multinational company established the Hyva Mechanics (China) Co., Ltd. in 2004. Since then, the Chinese subsidiary has witnessed a meteoric rise, enabling the group to gain more than 40 percent of the global market share in front-end tipping cylinders. During a press event held at a meeting room of the company recently, Zhang Xingbing, chairman of Hyva Mechanics (China) Co., Ltd., said that Hyva has enjoyed fast business expansion amid China's rapid economic growth. "During our more than 20 years of operations in China, the company has reaped the benefits from the country's infrastructure development boom in real estate as well as in railways and roads construction." He said that by seizing this opportunity, Hyva's China subsidiary and the group as a whole have achieved robust development. As the Chinese economy transitions toward high-quality growth, the company's production base in China has also been investing in automation upgrade and digitization in an effort to further enhance the competitiveness and market appeal of its products, according to Yin. Regarding the company's investment outlook in China, Zhang believes that the Chinese production base will play an increasingly vital role in the group's overall business strategies. This is primarily attributed to China's strong industrial capabilities, supply chain advantages, and a supportive business environment. "From the strategic corporate planning point of view, I believe the importance of industrial and supply chains in China will only rise rather than shrink in Hyva's business planning in the future," said Zhang. Hyva is among more than a dozen European firms that have gathered in the Sino-Europe (Yangzhou) Intelligent Manufacturing Park which focuses on three main industries, including high-end equipment manufacturing, new energy industries and new generation information technology. The Yangzhou-based park also epitomizes the broader international investment and trade cooperation taking place in Jiangsu Province, a major manufacturing hub in the world's second-largest economy. According to data provided by the provincial commerce department, since the beginning of this year, the actual investment in Jiangsu by countries such as Germany, Japan and Switzerland has all increased by more than 90 percent year on year. In neighboring Changzhou City, also in Jiangsu Province, Ypsomed, a Switzerland-headquartered developer and manufacturer of injection systems for the self-administration of liquid medication, is banking on the vast Chinese market for its products amid the growing medical needs of people living with chronic conditions such as diabetes and obesity. Ypsomed's Changzhou production base was first established in October 2022. Predicting a rapid market growth in this sector in China, the group further increased its production capacity at the Changzhou production base in July 2024 with more investment in three new production lines. Following the expansion, the plant now possesses a capacity that can produce up to 100 million injection devices annually, according to Tao Jielin, head of manufacturing at Ypsomed's Changzhou plant. "You just look at the sheer size of China. It's a big landmass. You have 1.4 billion people here," said Reto Felber, general manager & plant manager of Ypsomed (China) Manufacturing Co., Ltd., explaining the firm's investment decision in China. The decision by Ypsomed to establish a production base in Changzhou is driven by several favorable factors, including its strategic location, efficient logistics, competitive production costs, and strong supply chain advantages. According to Reto, a supportive business environment also plays a key role in the company's investment decision. "The local government understands the needs of companies like us, and it is very supportive." Reto observed that there is also a trend favoring the development of injected liquid medicine due to its higher efficiency compared to orally taken pills which have to go through the digestive system. In this regard, China represents an emerging consumer market, particularly as the government places increasing emphasis on the management of chronic diseases. Staff members work at the cylinder plant of Hyva Mechanics (China) Co., Ltd. in Yangzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, Sept. 19, 2025.(Xinhua/Liu Jiaqi) This photo taken on Sept. 19, 2025 shows cylinder products at Hyva Mechanics (China) Co., Ltd. in Yangzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province.(Xinhua/Liu Jiaqi) This photo taken on Sept. 18, 2025 shows the production base of Ypsomed (China) Manufacturing Co., Ltd. in Changzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, Sept. 18, 2025.(Xinhua/Liu Jiaqi) A mechanical arm works at the production base of Ypsomed (China) Manufacturing Co., Ltd. in Changzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, Sept. 18, 2025.(Xinhua/Liu Jiaqi) A staff member works at a workshop of Hyva Mechanics (China) Co., Ltd. in Yangzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, Sept. 19, 2025.(Xinhua/Liu Jiaqi) Pamela Dorman, who has an eponymous imprint, acquired North American rights to The Shampoo Effect, by Knopf executive editor Jenny Jackson (pictured l.), from Brettne Bloom at the Book Group. Foreign rights have sold in Canada, Germany, Italy, and the U.K. The book, the publisher said, follows an ambitious young New Yorker who moves to seaside Massachusetts and falls into a tight-knit social scene, only for a burgeoning romance and an unexpected pregnancy to upend decades-long loyalties. Publication is set for next summer. David Shulman at the U.K.s Pluto Press took world rights to A Moon Will Rise from the Darkness: Reports on Israels Genocide in Palestine, by United Nations special rapporteur for Palestinian human rights Francesca Albanese, from coeditors Mandy Turner and Lex Takkenberg. The book, the publisher said, compiles Albaneses indispensable and damning reports on Israels conduct in Palestine since October 2023. All royalties will be donated to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. Plutos U.S. distributor is University of Chicago Press and the book is set to be released this month. Christa Desir at Bloom preempted North American rights, in a four-book deal, to the Immortals Untold series by Kresley Cole from Caitlin Mahony and Alyssa Reuben at WME. Aubrie Artiano at Head of Zeus acquired U.K. rights from Suzy Ball at WME. The publisher described Immortals Untold as a sizzling new series seasoned with forbidden love, dark magic, violent twists, and supernatural shocks, imagining a parallel universe to Coles Immortals After Dark series. The first book in the series, Ravenous, is set for release in spring. Joe Taylor at the University of West Alabamas Livingston Press preempted world rights to Romances Without Words/In Solitary by Paul Verlaine, translated from the French by Larry Beckett, unagented. The book, the publisher said, combines two midcareer works by the 19th-century French poet: Romances Without Words, written while Verlaine was traveling with Arthur Rimbaud, and Cellulairement, written while in prison for shooting Rimbaud. In the former, the dedication to Rimbaud has been restored for the first time in this edition; the latter marks the first English-language translation of the original manuscript. Publication is set for April 2026. Vicki Lame at Saturday bought North American rights, at auction, to Monique Hazels The Dreamwitch from Andrea Blatt at William Morris Endeavor, who negotiated the deal on behalf of Francesca Ali at WME. The book, per the publisher, is the first in a romantic horror duology about a gifted dreamwitch and her brooding bodyguard, who uncover the dark secrets surrounding a decaying manor where nightmares bleed into reality and love may be the most dangerous thing of all. In Brief Karen Kosztolnyik at Grand Central bought North American rights, at auction, to nonfiction author Eli Rallo s debut novel I Hope Eden Reads This, an incisive, heart-wrenching portrait of childhood female friendship and how it evolves, fractures, and competes with romantic love, from Mia Vitale and Sarah Passick at Park & Fine. Pub date TBD. Drew Henry at Dey Street picked up U.S., Canadian, and open market rights to Days of Our Lives and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills actor Lisa Rinna s memoir You Better Believe Im Gonna Talk About It from Brandi Bowles and Albert Lee at UTA, for release in February 2026. Chantelle Aimee Osman at Simon Maverick took world English rights to 2025 Locus Award winner Alexander Boldizar s darkly absurdist crime novel Ride or Die Girl from Mark Tavani at the David Black Agency, for release in October 2026. Tess Banta at 23rd Street took world rights to E.K. Weavers webcomic Shot & Chaser, taking place over the course of 24 tumultuous hours in the lives of soulmates and amateur storm chasers Tre and Olly as they follow a supercell, from Anjali Singh at the agency of the same name, for a 2027 release. This article previously stated that the deal for Monique Hazels The Dreamwitch was negotiated by Francesca Ali at WME. It was negotiated by Andrea Blatt at WME on behalf of Ali. The Association of American Publishers has awarded its 2025 International Freedom to Publish Award to Freedom Letters, a Russian- and Ukrainian-language publisher operating largely in exile. The award recognizes Freedom Letters founder Georgy Urushadze, who was previously a political journalist and cofounder of the Moscow publishing house Palmira. He fled Russia in 2022 after being designated a "foreign agent" by the Russian government following his public resignation from leadership positions at the country's three main literary prizes in protest of the invasion of Ukraine. The AAP recognition highlights a publishing operation that has built a substantial catalog while operating under extraordinary constraints: Freedom Letters is banned in Russia, its website is blocked by Russian authorities, and several of its authors are currently imprisoned or facing criminal charges. "Georgy Urushadze has made extraordinary sacrifices in the name of free expression, demonstrated remarkable tenacity in building a thriving publishing house while in exile, and inspired people around the world with his fierce dedication to publishing authors that others have tried to silence," said AAP CEO Maria Pallante. The scale of Freedom Letters' operation is notable for an exile publisher. In two and a half years, it has published 236 books by 300 authors, supported by a team of 40 volunteers working across multiple countries including the U.K., Latvia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and even within Russia itself, albeit surreptitiously. "I am deeply honored to accept this award on behalf of our team of volunteers and authors," Urushadze said. "It is no exaggeration to say that today's award sends a message of hope to all those who believe, as we do, that every book that reaches a reader is proof that stories can survive borders, bans, and fear." Freedom Letters focuses on Ukrainian- and Russian-language works of literature and anti-war prose, including books banned by the Russian government, books in support of persecuted groups, and works authored by those under threat. The catalog includes politically sensitive titles that have drawn direct government retaliation, including Last But Not Final Words, a compilation of closing courtroom statements from Russian political prisoners dedicated to Alexei Navalny; VZ by Dmitry Bykov, a novel about Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky; and Vladimir Sorokin's The Legacy, set in the aftermath of a nuclear war. Other titles include My Prison Trip, the autobiography of artist Sasha Skochilenko, who was jailed for protesting the current war in Ukraine; Tuaregs, a collection of dramatic works by Svetlana Petriichuk, who is currently serving a six-year prison sentence; and Notes from the Dark by political prisoner Ilya Shakursky. The AAP's International Freedom to Publish Award, established in 2002, includes a cash prize and was created in honor of Jeri Laber, a cofounder of Human Rights Watch and founding member of AAP's Freedom to Publish Committee. Previous recipients include Januskevic Publishing House, a Belarusian publisher now operating from Poland; Venezuela-based Editorial Dahbar in 2022; and Guatemala-based F&G Editores. Urushadze noted that the award provides "crucially important encouragement and inspiration that will help us continue our work," adding that the publisher's thoughts remain "with the many authors who are currently detained or working in dangerous circumstances." WASHINGTON, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Trump administration on Friday put on hold 2.1 billion U.S. dollars in Chicago infrastructure projects, as the federal government shutdown entered the third day. The assets were put on hold "to ensure funding is not flowing via race-based contracting," Russell Vought, the White House budget director, said on X. The Department of Transportation (DOT) replied to Vought's post on X, saying that the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Red Line Extension and the CTA Red and Purple Modernization Program are under administrative review to determine whether any unconstitutional practices are occurring. The move followed other Trump administration's efforts to withhold funds from Democrat-led states and cities. On Wednesday, Vought announced that the DOT was freezing 18 billion dollars in federal funding for two major infrastructure projects in New York City. On Thursday, the Department of Energy canceled nearly 8 billion dollars in funding for climate-related projects and other initiatives, largely in Democratic-led states. Since the U.S. federal government entered a shutdown on Wednesday, the clash between Republicans and Democrats has escalated, with no deal in sight. Also on Thursday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer reacted to the energy department's 8-billion-dollar funding cuts, saying on X: "They think they're punishing Democrats but what they're really doing is taking a wrecking ball to working families" by raising electric bills, putting local construction workers out of a job, and hurting the economy. 'The Bhashini Mission has delivered a working technology at large scale, which is as good as or better than the one with MNC tech giants.' Photograph: Kind courtesy bhashini.gov.in One of the dreams of the founders of Artificial Intelligence who met in Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, USA, in 1956 and produced a Manifesto of AI was speech to speech translation using computers. Are we close to achieving it today? Will Mission Bhashini be the answer? Professor Rajeev Sangal, a pioneering computer scientist, former director of IIT Varanasi and founder director of IIIT Hyderabad, offers a masterclass on AI and language technology. A distinguished alumnus of IIT Kanpur and the University of Pennsylvania, Professor Sangal is a world-renowned expert in computational linguistics, best known for his groundbreaking work on the Computational Paninian Grammar framework for Indian languages. He conceived Mission Bhashini and continues to guide it, as the founding Chair of the mission's executive committee. He provides a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the conception and execution of India's ambitious Bhashini Mission for speech-to-speech translation, detailing its visionary strategy, the ethical dilemmas of AI opacity, the future of capturing linguistic nuance, and a strategic roadmap for India to achieve global leadership in domain-specific AI applications, making it an essential read for anyone interested in technology, governance, and innovation. "Many people thought there is no way India can catch up with the MNC tech giants. These sceptics did not realise that Indian academia had the technical know-how, of building prototype models," the distinguished professor tells Shivanand Kanavi in a must read conversation. How was Mission Bhashini conceived? Mission Bhashini was thought of by the Prime Minister's Science Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC). I was approached by Professor K Vijayraghavan, then the chairman of the council, in September 2018, asking me if language translation could be addressed by technology, and to draw up a plan for it, particularly for S&T (science and technology) content in English. I was happy that language technology was coming at the forefront of national priorities. I had demonstrated the machine translation technology we had developed to our PM in February 2016 at BHU, when I was director of IIT Varanasi. How did you go about conceptualising the mission? When I was thinking about the mission, I had to look at the current situation -- the state of the technology, access to devices by people, and their needs that could be fulfilled. By now, smart phones had come in the hands of a large population, they were wanting to access content in their own languages on the Internet. At that time, the volume of Indian language content was in even smaller quantities than today. Even today the total content in all the Indian languages put together is less than 0.1% of the content on the Internet. Yes, less than 0.1%! So, providing English content translated in local languages to the common man would become desirable if the technology could be made ready. The prevailing mindset at the time of conception of Bhashini in 2018-2019 was that India did not have a demonstrated working machine translation much less any speech to speech machine translation system. Many people thought there is no way India can catch up with the MNC tech giants. These sceptics did not realise that Indian academia had the technical know-how, of building prototype models. This was a result of research and development of the past 30 years with government funding. Now, it was a matter of rebuilding those systems using the latest tools and approaches, and engineering the models for large scale use. India had also gained experience in building Aadhaar and UPI. What is today known as Digital Public Infrastructure. With the above capability and experience, it is no wonder that the Bhashini Mission has delivered a working technology at large scale, which is as good as or better than the one with MNC tech giants. IMAGE: Professor Rajeev Sangal with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. What were the key ideas in the conception of the mission? One had to work out the scope, tasks, and types of uses. I felt that we should take speech to speech machine translation (SSMT), and not limit ourselves to text to text machine translation (MT). This might look like a simple expansion of the scope, but researchers in MT and in speech processing are quite separate -- they work separately, and were often located in two different departments. Would it be possible to make them work together, towards a single goal? A workshop was organised with leading researchers from both the areas in January 2019 at IIIT Hyderabad, to discuss possible approaches to be taken in the mission. Consulting colleagues from both the areas, I felt confident that there was a willingness to work together. I knew that already there was a high level capability in both the areas in India. It is a testimony to the strength of Indian academia and proper governmental funding in the past under the Technology Development for Indian Langauges (TDIL) programme of Meity (Ministry of Electronics & IT). It is a testimony to the strength of Indian academia and proper governmental funding in the past, even though in the recent past, there was a lull in funding. I decided to take the plunge for Speech to Speech technology ! Educational courses on NPTEL/Swayam, besides websites, were the prime targets identified to be used for training in Machine Learning. It would allow students across the country to access content in higher education in their own languages. Moreover, translation of formal lectures would be easier than conversations, because conversations use very short or partial sentences, and are highly contextual. Complex technologies like speech processing and text to text translation make errors. So the system was designed to take human inputs as well, including corrections. It would normally function as a human machine combination, although as its quality improves it could also be used in a fully automatic mode. Finally, it was also decided that all 22 official Indian languages together with English would be covered. The SSMT capability would be developed to translate among all these languages. When technology development is left to the MNCs, they choose to develop technology only in those languages for which there is a market need. As a result, almost one third of the languages are left out completely. Here, we would cover all 22 official Indian languages. Kindly note the image has been posted only for representational purposes. Photograph: Kind courtesy Moshehar/Pixabay What kind of technology was decided to be developed? It was decided to develop AI models for spoken language translation. This included developing automatic speech recognition (ASR or speech to text) models, text to text machine translation (MT), and text to speech (TTS) models. These technologies when put in a pipeline would give the SSMT system. The pipeline would also contain, as needed, ancillary models for disfluency (breaks in speech) correction, named entity recognition, lip synchronisation, etc. Parts of the pipeline would also be usable as a standalone MT system for text to text translation, or a transcription system for speech. Human intervention would also be possible at every stage. Such intervention would be important for correcting errors in recordings, though not in online live use. This basic technology would also open up the market for tools and support applications of various kinds, such as summarisation, LLMs (which have come later), sentiment analysis. It was also decided to build OCR technology for recognition of Indian language text from images. The above SSMT pipeline would be built for all 22 official languages of India, and go even beyond these languages later. If the technology is developed within the country, one has full control over it and one can put it to myriads of uses. Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff What were some of the strategic elements in the design of the Mission? A question arose as to how the technology built indigenously ('Made in India') can compete with those developed by MNC tech giants like Google, Microsoft and Meta. They have the Indian language data (hundred times more than what we possess), the compute resources, and have captured the market as well. When AI systems are tested under standard artificial benchmarks, they perform very differently compared to use in real life situations. Each 'real life area' is a niche area. The mission should have a mechanism for supporting the niche areas. For each domain or application area, the mission should be able to help enhance technology and nurture startups. The support would be provided through 'Technology Acceleration Centres'. Startups in these areas can compete and win against MNC tech giants. These ideas were built into the mission document. On the question of building strong research teams, the idea of 'consortium' of academic institutions was used to build critical mass of researchers in a project. Language technology area needs computer scientists, linguists, Sanskrit grammarians, and also language experts of the concerned languages, all working together. A single institution usually lacks the required expertise. The 13 approved consortia included 70+ research groups located in 30+ institutions covering 22 Indian languages. It was possible to run such a large distributed mission, only because of the consortia approach. Even though at times the accounting software in Meity and other ministries is making it very difficult for consortia projects to work. This method of work has been crucial for progress. On the issue of data, it was clear that a large amount of money would have to be budgeted for the creation of data for all 22 official Indian languages. This would mean capturing spoken data and its transcription for all the languages, and parallel sentences in the original language and its translation. It was also felt that to make the data freely available to Indian researchers and Indian startups, the data would be made open and freely downloadable by anybody. Ironically this openness in the project would mean that this high quality data would be available to MNC tech giants also, for free. They have much larger amount of data but of poor quality, gleaned from their users or from the Internet. Therefore, I had reservations on this count, but mechanisms to restrict distribution of data do not work; they end up denying it to Indian researchers and startups. Not only the data, the models were also made open source and freely downloadable by anyone. The goal of Bhashini was not just to deliver a technology, but to build an eco-system for language technology, with all these elements. What were the elements of the eco-system of language translation that were identified? The eco-system that Bhashini seeks to develop consists of R&D groups, data creation and collection groups, technology acceleration centres, mechanisms for technology transfer, incubation of startups, participation by other companies, state governments, and the users including publishers, course-ware developers, government departments, end users, etc. This eco-system would be nurtured by Meity using Bhashini funds. One can think of them as being a part of three different cycles in society: a. technology cycle; b. market cycle, and c. social cycle. Each of the cycles had to be made active, and moreover, these cycles have to be mutually reinforcing. Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff What are these cycles? Can you explain. The first cycle is the technology cycle. It provides linkages between R&D and startups. R&D does research, finds new ways of doing things, builds lab prototypes to field prototypes - leading to new technology development and its demonstration. Startups and existing companies take this technology, convert it into products, and service the customers. However, for the technology to be transferred to companies, the technology has to be 'engineered' for robustness, ruggededness, and adaptation to needs of real life customers. This task needs to be done by a separate entity, call it technology accceleration centres (TACs). They have to connect with startups and help them solve problems which come in the way of adaptation of 'new' technologies. This is called a cycle because there is a two way flow between the two. The second cycle is the market cycle. It involves, for example, the content providers such as publishers giving services to their customers or end users. However, they need modern translation tools as well as other AI tools, to make their tasks easier. This is where technology based startups come in, in making the content in multiple languages or provide new kinds of services, including voicebots. These help the providers in reaching their end users. The third is the social cycle. The task here is to get a large number of people into creating Indian language digital content -- both original and translated, proliferation of use of language tools, contributing to languages through teaching, contests, games, etc. The principle actors here are schools, colleges, language departments and academies, culture departments, students, state governments, and general masses. This cycle yields love for culture and languages, encourages language aware and digitally trained manpower including e-translators, and of course, precious data. Linking with state governments is an important step in this cycle. These cycles are driven by their inner dynamics. Technology cycle is driven by knowledge, market cycle by money, and the social cycle by service. In the mission, major progress has been made currently in the development of technology, and some progress with central government or its ministries as user. The market cycle and the social cycle need to be specially energised, as they are much delayed. What are the outcomes of the Bhashini Mission so far? Mission Bhashini has led to the development of a range of technologies for SSMT (speech to speech machine translation) for Indian languages. These technologies have been made ready not just as a lab or field prototype, but engineered for large scale use. These are the result of R&D and good engineering. OCR technology is also under development. The above technologies are available in 20+ Indian languages, with 350+ different AI models. The Bhashini app has been available for free download for some time and provides basic services over mobile phone. A large number of government ministries are using these technologies, provided as a free service by Meity. Many of these are as voicebots to assist the users in availing online services, including enquiries about government schemes, filling forms, etc. Bhashini technology has been used in translating lectures and course material for higher education available on the NPTEL and Swayam platforms. This has been accomplished by video to video translation of lectures from original English into some 8 Indian languages. More than 200 courses have been translated. Subtitling facility has also been made available. More languages and courses are being covered as an ongoing activity. Open sourcing of data and models, has allowed Indian language data to be used by a large number of individuals, institutions, and startups as free downloads. What needs to be done now is to develop the market cycle by nurturing startups. They really need to provide services to their customers; governments or private. Various sectors are waiting to be exploited, such as health, agriculture, school education, etc. Technology acceleration centres planned under the mission can go a long way in energising the startups in the eco-system. R&D needs to continue the exploration of completely new ways of building technology which can handle prosody in speech processing, and discourse in machine translation. Kindly note the image has been posted only for representational purposes. Photograph: Kind courtesy Gerd Altmann/Pixabay What is prosody in speech? Prosody in speech refers to the rhythm, stress, and intonation of spoken language, or the 'music' of speech, and it conveys meaning and emotional nuance beyond individual words. It uses features like pitch, loudness, and duration to signal things such as a statement versus a question, the speaker's emotions, sarcasm, or emphasis on certain words. In future, these systems would utilise features from prosody such as tonal changes, pauses, emphasis, and sentiments in Indian languages. Similarly, MT would not be limited to sentence to sentence translation at a time but do paragraph to paragraph translation. Indian academia is well poised to do it. Finally, the social cycle needs to be jump started. It would mean involving the common man in building content for their languages, become adapt in using translation tools under Bhashini, and finally become the creator of original content in Indian languages. State governments can play a major role in this. A revolution in Indian languages is waiting to be unleashed. 'Vijay is badly politically wounded.' IMAGE: Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam founder Vijay at the TVK rally in Karur, September 27, 2025, before the stampede that killed 41 people. Photograph: TVK/ANI Photo "If he wishes to survive in politics Vijay needs an alliance. After the Karur tragedy if he goes alone, he will sink," Dr Sumanth Raman, a keen observer of Tamil Nadu politics for many years, tells Rediff Senior Contributor A Ganesh Nadar. Since the launch of his party Vijay has had an overwhelming response at all his rallies. Was this bothering other political parties in Tamil Nadu? Definitely! The huge crowds he was attracting was a matter of concern for all political parties particularly the DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) as he identified it as his main enemy. How come such a huge tragedy happened at Vijay's Karur rally? From the beginning his rallies have been badly organised. The question was not if it would l happen, but when it would happen. In the past we have heard of scuffles at his rallies. Violating regulations, not listening to local authorities or the police. Nobody told Vijay that you have to organise better. They want to show crowds with drones shooting overhead. It was a tragedy waiting to happen. Though the FIR does not mention his name, it is alleged that he arrived late so that the crowd would build up. Could this be true? All his meetings have seen mammoth crowds. He arrived late. It is a matter of fact. The Namakkal meeting the same day was supposed to be at 8.45 am. He left Chennai at 8.45 am. Justice Aruna Jagadeesan had probed the Tuticorin police firing and severely indicted the police in her report, but nothing happened after that. Will it be any different with the commission of inquiry for the Karur stampede? Don't say nothing happened! They promoted three or four police officers after that. One was even allowed to retire honourably. Now the government has held a press conference to state clearly that there was no lapse on its part. According to them Vijay is a habitual offender. What will the judge give us in a report? Rahul Gandhi is said to have called Vijay to offer condolences on the death of his supporters. Possible that in the future he might invite Vijay into the INDIA bloc, at least for the Lok Sabha elections if not for the assembly elections? Vijay has stated that the DMK is his political enemy so he cannot join INDIA. Rahul spoke only to Vijay and not to the victims. It is an attempted pressure tactic against the DMK. Vijay has offered Rs 20 lakh compensation for the dead and Rs 2 lakh for the injured. Will this assuage his supporters? Some of them are crazy fans who always support him. The public will be upset that he didn't visit the injured or met with the families of those who died. He did not spend time with them. When he resumes his rallies again, what are the precautions he will have to take? In the video that he released after the incident he didn't say sorry. People come to see him. Morally he should say sorry. He is badly politically wounded. Projecting himself as the CM candidate is no longer viable. There is a lot of criticism about the bouncers at his rallies to protect him. Doesn't it make for bad optics for a politician? He should have the police providing him security or his party men, not bouncers. I had tweeted a year ago that you cannot have bouncers for a politician. He has inept advisors. He is also inaccessible to his own people. Leaders from various political parties have visited the injured in Karur. Vijay has avoided doing so saying that it will again cause overcrowding. Will the public accept this argument? The public will not. You have to be with the people in times of grief, that is the good sign of a true leader. Both the AIADMK and DMK leaders are always with the people. Vijay could have gone the next day or after two days. The police could have stopped him on the way. That would have given him more mileage. So far he has avoided talking about alliances but for how long can he put off this question? It is inevitable now. His political survival is possible only in an alliance. Alone he will sink badly. What do you think are the options available to him now? His only option is the AIADMK. Logically he has to go with the AIADMK to defeat the DMK. If he wants to he can put up candidates against the BJP. This would be a winning combination: AIADMK+TVK+PMK minus the NDA. Vijay has gone ahead where Rajnikanth withdrew from politics. What do you think is Vijay's future in Tamil Nadu politics, especially after Karur? It all depends on his actions. He has a huge fan base. There are serious questions about his leadership ability after the Karur incident. So if he comes and forms an alliance as part of a large anti-DMK front he can succeed. Alone he will sink. The NDA sent a phalanx of leaders led by Hema Malini to Karur. What is the real motive behind this? Their motive is to embarrass the DMK state government. (To say) Both Vijay and the DMK government are answerable (for the stampede). How much of the crowds at Vijay's rallies will actually vote for him, do you think? The crowds that have come are below 35, 40 years old. It is a youth crowd. They climb atop trees and shops. This crowd will vote for him. The people who didn't come to the meetings, their vote is what is important. Not too many will vote for him after the Karur incident. Vijay's video message on Tuesday has a huge Kollywood hangover, the lines seem like dialogues from his film Sarkar. Is he unable to separate the two personas -- filmstar and politician? Earlier his speeches were all filmi. The Namakkal speech was better. Somebody must have told him to change it. His latest video was also filmi. It was not spontaneous. In a stern warning to Pakistan, Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi said on Friday that the neighbouring country should stop sponsoring terrorism on its soil if wants to retain its place on the world map. IMAGE: Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi. Photograph: ANI Video Grab The Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) also said the restraint shown by New Delhi during Operation Sindoor would not be repeated in case of a future military conflict and urged Indian soldiers to remain poised for action. "India, as a country, is fully prepared this time. And this time, it will not show the restraint that it showed during Operation Sindoor 1.0. This time we will take a step forward and act in a manner that will make Pakistan think whether it wants to remain on the world map or not," General Dwivedi said in a sternly-worded address to soldiers at Anupgarh in Rajasthan's Sriganganagar district. He asserted that if Pakistan wants to retain its place on the world map, it will have to stop state-sponsored terrorism. The Army chief told the soldiers to stay prepared. "Keep yourselves fully prepared now, if god wants, the opportunity will come soon," he said. General Dwivedi said India has given evidence to the world of the presence of terrorist hideouts in Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. Had India not unearthed this evidence, Pakistan would have hidden all of it, he said. The Army chief said the entire world stood with India when it launched Operation Sindoor in the wake of the April 22 Pahalgam attack. He said the Indian military hit nine targets inside Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, of which seven were hit by the Army and two by the Air Force. "We had identified the targets because we only wanted to harm the terrorists. We had aimed to strike their bases. We have no complaints against ordinary Pakistani citizens, so long as their country does not sponsor terrorists. Because terrorists were being sponsored, those terrorist targets were hit," Gen Dwivedi said. Replying to a question about his appeal to those living near the international border, he said, "We consider the border population not as ordinary civilians but as soldiers. That means they stand shoulder to shoulder with us in the battle. This is crucial because the coming struggle is the nation's struggle, not just the Army's." The Army chief said history bears witness that during the 1965 and 1971 wars, ordinary citizens stood shoulder to shoulder with the soldiers. "We would want them to join us in the days ahead as well. I want to thank them -- their zeal boosts the morale of our soldiers," he said. A violent clash broke out between two groups of students at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus on Friday during a 'Visarjan Shobha Yatra' organised on the occasion of Vijayadashami, following the nine-day Navratri celebrations. IMAGE: Commuters seen moving through the Jawaharlal Nehru University entrance gate as a brawl broke out between two groups of students on the campus, during the Dussehra 'Visarjan Shobha Yatra', in New Delhi on Thursday. Photograph: ANI Video Grab According to Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) Joint Secretary Vaibhav Meena, the JNUSU had called for a symbolic 'Ravan Dahan' at Sabarmati, targeting what they described as 'Naxal-like forces'. Meena claimed that effigies and photos of individuals with alleged Naxal ideologies, including Afzal Guru, Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, G Saibaba, and Charu Majumdar, were burned during the event. "Today, on Vijayadashami, JNUSU had given a call that we would perform the 'dahan' of Naxal-like Ravan, of naxal forces. The nine-day Durga Puja of Navratri is also observed at JNU. Immersion of the idol is done on Vijayadashami. So, a 'Shobha Yatra' was also being taken out. First, 'Ravan Dahan' was done at Sabarmati with photos of all Naxal leaders, and those with Naxal ideology like Afzal Guru, Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, G Sai Baba, Charu Majumdar," he said. He further stated that while the 'Shobha Yatra' was being carried out across the campus, members of Left-affiliated groups, stationed at Sabarmati Tea Point for a separate effigy-burning event, disrupted the procession by hurling shoes and slippers at participants. "When Shobha Yatra was being taken out around the campus, Left parties were present at Sabarmati Tea Point as they had organised an effigy burning there. They want to cause disturbance in the Shobha Yatra. They had changed their venue, and then they came to Sabarmati Tea Point. When our Shobha Yatra reached there, the Leftists hurled shoes and slippers at the Shobha Yatra. Students in the Yatra suffered injuries. We will go to the Police with our complaint," he added. On the incident, JNUSU president Nitish Kumar alleged that the clash stemmed from a provocative poster circulated by the other group, announcing a 'Ravan Dahan' that portrayed former JNU students Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, known for their activism, as Ravan. "Around 9-10 am today, a poster started circulating in our groups, where they portrayed that they are going to do 'Ravan Dahan'. Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, who were students of this campus and who had propelled a movement to protect the citizenship of this country, were portrayed as Ravan. Resisting that, we gave a call from JNUSU that they cannot do this and that it is wrong. They are not burning the effigy of Godse. But attempts were being made to burn effigies of the Constitution and human rights defenders. Our protest was ongoing at Sabarmati Tea Point," he said. He further added, "Meanwhile, Durga visarjan from their side was being done. They stopped their DJ for half an hour and raised slogans of 'Jai Sri Ram' and Yogi ji's bulldozer justice. They then started waving slippers. We formed a human chain to stop violence. But they tried for half an hour to stoke violence there. Later, they left." At least a dozen Pakistani military aircraft including US-origin F-16 jets were destroyed or damaged in Indian strikes during Operation Sindoor, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal A P Singh said on Friday while describing Islamabad's narrative on India's losses as "fanciful stories" ('Manohar Kahaniyan'). IMAGE: Air Chief Marshal A P Singh. Photograph: Atul Kumar Yadav/ANI Photo The Air Chief Marshal also said that Indian action damaged a large number of military installations in Pakistan that included hangars in three locations, radars in at least four places, command and control centres in two sites and runways in two air bases. Air Chief Marshal Singh was addressing a press conference days ahead of the annual Air Force Day. On reports that various terror groups in Pakistan are relocating their bases to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province following the Operation Sindoor, he said it was expected and that the Indian Air Force have the capability to go deep inside to hit their hideouts with absolutely accurate targeting. Singh said the IAF has finalised its plan to expand its combat capabilities under Roadmap 2047 and the force would need 35 to 40 new aircraft including combat jets annually for next two decades to boost its air power. To questions, he provided details of Pakistan's losses during Operation Sindoor, citing intelligence reports and evidence collected through electronic surveillance. "What we have gathered from the intelligence report is that because of these strikes, radars at least four places, command and control centres at two places, runways at two places and then three of their hangars in three different stations have been damaged," he said. In hangars as well as on tarmac, we have signs of one C-130 class of aircraft, one AEW&C (Airborne Early Warning & Control) class of aircraft and at least four to five fighter aircraft, most likely F-16 , were hit on the ground, he said. Sharing details of strikes in the air, the Chief of Air Staff said the IAF has clear evidence of one long-range strike with more than 300 kms range hitting an AEW&C or SigNit (Signals intelligence) aircraft, along with five high-tech fighters between F-16 and JF-17 class. "This is what our system tells us," he said. While there were reports of damages to Pakistan's F-16 jets in a hangar, it was the first time the IAF confirmed hitting the US-origin jet in the air. The JF-17 is a Chinese jet. The details shared by the IAF Chief takes the total number of aircraft lost by Pakistan to 12 to 13. On Pakistan's claim of shooting down Indian aircraft, the IAF chief called that narrative as "Manohar Kahaniyan". "Let them be happy, as they need to show something to their audience to protect their reputation. It doesn't matter to me," he said "If they think they shot down 15 of my jets, let them think about it. I hope they're convinced about it, and they'll cater for 15 less aircraft in my inventory when they come to fight again," he said. The Chief of Air Staff declined to divulge details of India's losses during the May 7 to 10 hostilities. "I won't say anything on what happened, how much damage was done, how it happened, because let them find out," he said. Air Chief Marshal Singh also questioned the veracity of Pakistan's claim on damages to India. "Have you seen a single picture where something fell on any of our airbases, something hit us, a hangar was destroyed, or anything like that? We showed so many pictures of their places," he said. "However, they couldn't show us even a single picture. So, their narrative is 'Manohar Kahaniyan'. Let them be happy," he said. In response to the Pahalgam terror attack, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terrorist infrastructure in territories controlled by Pakistan. The strikes triggered four days of intense clashes that ended with an understanding on stopping the military actions on May 10. On the IAF's ambitious plan to procure 114 Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA), Singh said Rafale fighter jet is among the options and the aircraft was to be the best suited during the evaluation for the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) programme. "Now, whether it is Rafale or something else, it really doesn't matter, but yes, Rafale is easy to absorb," he said. Over 12 years ago, the defence ministry had completed ground work for procurement of a fleet of Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA). However, the project didn't go through. In April 2019, the IAF issued an RFI (Request for Information), or initial tender, to acquire 114 Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) at a cost of around USD 18 billion. It was billed as one of the world's biggest military procurement programmes in recent years. The government is now looking at expediting the MRFA project. The Chief of Air Staff also dropped hints at IAF's interest in procuring additional batches of S-400 surface-to-air missiles. The missile system proved to be very effective during Operation Sindoor. "Obviously, that has done good. So, there's a requirement to have more such (systems); there is no limit to numbers that you can buy. Again, I'm keeping quiet on what the plan (is) whether we want to buy more, how much etc," he said. "It has proved to be a good weapon system. We have our own system also being developed. So we will take a call on that," he said. To a question, the IAF chief said all three services have started working on the 'Sudarshan Chakra' air defence system. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 15 announced the project to develop an indigenous air defence system to protect India's vital military and civilian installations and to deliver a decisive response to any enemy threat. On Operation Sindoor, Singh also said that the world has to learn a lesson from India on how to start and terminate a conflict at the earliest possible opportunity. The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday took potshots at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over a bike and car engines analogy he gave at a university in Colombia to explain decentralisation of power, saying engineers from Harley-Davidson to Toyota must be "beating their chests" after listening to his "amazing engineering gyan". IMAGE: Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi speaks in the Lok Sabha during the Budget Session, in New Delhi. Photograph: ANI Photo Addressing a seminar at the EIA University in Medellin city of Colombia on Wednesday, Gandhi posed an "interesting question" to the gathering: "Why does a motorcycle weigh 100 kilos and a car weighs 3,000 (kilos)?" "To carry one passenger, you need 3,000 kilos of metal in a car if one passenger is driving a car. And a motorcycle has 100 kilos, carries two passengers. So why is a motorcycle able to carry two passengers with 150 kilos of metal and a car needs 3,000?" he asked. Exhorting the engineering students present at the seminar to answer the poser, the Congress leaders stressed that his question lies at the centre of the transition to electric (vehicles from those running on conventional fuel). Someone from the audience tried to answer the question but Rahul Gandhi said, "No. My question is, what is it about the car that requires 3,000 kilos of metal?" "The answer is it's the engine, because it's the engine that kills you on impact. Right? And the motorcycle is light because the engine disappears from you when you have an accident. Right?" "In a motorcycle, when you have an impact, the engine is separated from you. So the engine doesn't hurt you. Whereas in a car, when you have an impact, the engine comes into the car. So the entire car is designed to stop the engine from killing you," Gandhi explained, adding "The electric motor breaks that centralised energy system." He said the "electric motor allows you to put the motors (used in conventional fuel cars) at different locations. So the electric motor is a decentralisation of power and that's really its effectiveness", he said, and asked the audience, "Right?" Playing an audio of Gandhi's explainer at a press conference at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, party MP and national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said with a smile, "From Harley-Davidson to Toyota and from Volkswagen to Ford, mechanical engineers must be beating their chests after listening to an amazing engineering gyan that he gave." "Anyone who still had doubts about his knowledge would have them erased after listening to this," Trivedi said, taking a dig at Gandhi. The BJP leader said Gandhi's explanation of decentralisation involved comparing the mechanics of four-wheelers and two-wheelers but he omitted the role of gyroscopes in two-wheelers. "In his video, Rahul Gandhi incorrectly equated decentralisation in four-wheel drive vehicles with two-wheelers, falsely explaining engine separation during an accident and equating it with components connected through bolts," he said. "It is as if Rahul Gandhi believes that everything in India will fall apart in a similar manner," he said, quipping, "Such a person, possessing this so-called extraordinary knowledge, is invited from the Congress to speak." He wondered why Gandhi is invited by universities and others to speak when the Congress has many learned people in the party like P Chidambaram, Abhishek Singhvi, Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tiwari and "even Jairam Ramesh". "There are many people (in the Congress) who are experts in their subjects, including his (Rahul Gandhi's) uncle Sam Pitroda, who permanently lives abroad and has an image of an intellectual," Trivedi added. WARSAW, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Poland's defense-sector investment agency ZIOTP and state-owned oil pipeline operator PERN on Friday signed an initial agreement here to expand the country's fuel infrastructure as part of its plan to join NATO's pipeline network. Under the agreement, the project, worth about 5.5 billion U.S. dollars, will expand Poland's fuel storage facilities for NATO military needs and build about 300 km of pipelines from the Poland-German border to PERN's depot near the city of Bydgoszcz in north-central Poland. Polish Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk said NATO has allocated funds for the project's planning and design, according to Polish Press Agency. Earlier this year, German magazine Der Spiegel reported that NATO was considering extending its Cold War-era fuel pipeline system from Germany into Poland and the Czech Republic. The project, estimated at about 22 billion dollars, is expected to be largely completed by 2035, the report said. The Madras high court on Friday rejected BJP leader Uma Anandan's plea for a CBI probe into the September 27 Karur stampede at actor-politician Vijay's public rally in that killed 41 persons. IMAGE: Huge crowds thronged Vijay's rally in Karur on September 27, 2025. Photograph: ANI Photo She had moved the court saying there were many questions, including possible official apathy, behind the fatal incident. A division bench, while rejecting the plea, asked the petitioner to approach the Madurai bench of the HC, the jurisdictional court. At least 41 persons died and over 60 injured during the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) rally addressed by the party founder and actor Vijay on September 27. Meanwhile, a single judge bench of the HC on Friday dismissed the anticipatory bail petition of a TVK functionary from Namakkal in connection with an attack on a private hospital in that town. The bail plea of TVK's Namakkal (western TN) district secretary Sathish Kumar was dismissed by the HC. He has been booked in the case relating to the attack on the hospital on September 27 during Vijay's rally there, and fearing arrest, he moved the court. India and Canada have agreed to boost security cooperation including in combating terrorism and transnational crimes, the external affairs ministry said on Friday against the backdrop of Ottawa's decision to list the Lawrence Bishnoi gang as a terrorist entity. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds a bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, on the sidelines of the 51st G7 Summit, in Kananaskis, June 18, 2025. Photograph: DPR PMO/ANI Photo Canada on Monday designated the Bishnoi gang as a terrorist entity for "violently targeting" certain communities and creating a "climate of fear and intimidation". "Acts of violence and terror have no place in Canada, especially those that target specific communities to create a climate of fear and intimidation," the Canadian government said in a statement. The listing of the Bishnoi gang came over a week after national security advisor Ajit Doval and his Canadian counterpart Nathalie Drouin held talks in New Delhi. Asked about Canada's listing of the gang, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal at his weekly media briefing referred to the productive talks held between Doval and Drouin on September 18. "Both sides had held productive discussions on advancing the bilateral relationship in areas such as counter terrorism, combating transnational organised crime and intelligence exchanges," he said. "They agreed to strengthen security cooperation and further reinforce existing mechanisms of engagement. The two sides remain in touch on all these issues," he added. The resolve by the two sides to boost security cooperation came over three-and-half months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney on the margins of the G7 summit at Kananaskis in Canada. India-Canada relations hit rock bottom following then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations in 2023 of a potential Indian link to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India had dismissed Trudeau's accusation as "absurd". In October last year, India recalled its high commissioner and five other diplomats after Ottawa attempted to link them to the Nijjar case. India also expelled an equal number of Canadian diplomats. However, Liberal Party leader Carney's victory in the parliamentary election in April helped in beginning the process to reset relations. Both sides have already posted their high commissioners in each other's capitals. The two countries also agreed to revive several mechanisms to advance relations in a range of areas. Starting Wednesday, October 1, foreigners in India have the option to submit a 'digital arrival card' online instead of the paper card. IMAGE: Foreign tourists in Srinagar. Kindly note the image has been posted only for representational purposes. Photograph: ANI Photo The government has decided to discontinue the physical disembarkation form, which foreigners must fill in on arrival in India, in a bid to 'smooth"' the immigration process and 'avoid delays' at airport-immigration counters, the ministry of home affairs has told aviation stakeholders. With this move, India will join countries such as the United Kingdom, Singapore and Taiwan, which have scrapped this. Starting Wednesday, October 1, foreigners in India have the option to submit a 'digital arrival card' online instead of the paper card, the MHA said. Business Standard has reviewed the MHA order dated September 22. The physical disembarkation card provides the personal, travel and immigration information on a traveller such as the full name, passport number, nationality, flight details, the purpose of visit, the address in the country, and goods or the currency the person is carrying. The card is shown at the immigration counter before entry is granted. In its order, the MHA stated: 'It has now been decided, with the approval of the competent authority, that the filling of disembarkation card for foreigners on their arrival in India will be done in both physical and digitised modes to avoid delays at immigration counters and to make the immigration process smoother.' The home ministry clarified that the physical card would remain available only during a short transition period: 'The physical filling of the disembarkation card will continue till the system of digital filling of the card is stabilised, or up to a maximum of six months, whichever is earlier.' Foreigners will be able to complete the digital card before departure. 'With this, the foreigners visiting India will have the option to fill the disembarkation card physically or online through the Bureau of Immigration (BoI) website (https://boi.gov.in), the Indian Visa website (https://indianvisaonline.gov.in) and also through the official 'Indian Visa Su-Swagatam' mobile app, 72 hours prior to their arrival,' the MHA added. The ministry has asked authorities to promote awareness about the new system: 'BoI shall ensure wider publicity of this facility, in consultation with Indian Missions/Posts abroad.' Officials of the BoI man immigration counters at airports in India. India has gradually reduced the use of physical cards relating to arrival and departure over the past decade. The MHA order said: 'It was earlier made mandatory for Indians as well as foreigners to manually fill the disembarkation/embarkation (D/E) cards. Later on, D/E cards for Indians at arrival and embarkation cards for foreigners at departure were discontinued with effect from March 1, 2014, and the embarkation card for Indians at airport immigration check posts (ICPs) was also discontinued with effect from July 1, 2017.' The new step completes the transition to digital documentation by targeting the last category still using the paper form -- foreigners arriving in India. Global practice India's move aligns with global trends. The UK in May 2019 abolished its 'landing cards' for non-European Union travellers, replacing them with digital border systems. Singapore stopped using its paper disembarkation/embarkation card in March 2020, requiring visitors to file a digital SG Arrival Card online before travel. Hong Kong ended the use of arrival cards in October last year, while Taiwan is preparing to make its arrival card fully digital in October. Other Asian countries have followed a similar path: Thailand launched its Thailand Digital Arrival Card in May, South Korea introduced the e-Arrival Card in February, and Malaysia made its Malaysia Digital Arrival Card mandatory in January last year. Ghana eliminated physical disembarkation/embarkation cards in March 2023. The United States never had a universal paper 'arrival card' system for tourists. Instead, Form I-94 for non-immigrant visitors has transitioned to electronic processing. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday accused the Damodar Valley Corporation of releasing water "recklessly and without prior intimation" to the state government, and slammed the central PSU for what she termed a "deliberate ploy" to create a flood-like situation in south Bengal districts during the Durga Puja festivities. IMAGE: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee offers prayer to the goddess Kali idol at Kalighat Temple, in Kolkata, October 2, 2025. Photograph: ANI Photo In a strongly worded social media post, Banerjee described the initial release of 65,000 cusecs of water on Bijoya Dashami on Thursday as "reckless" and "shameful", and said it had put "millions of lives in Bengal in immediate peril." After around two hours, she claimed in another post that the DVC released more than 1,50,000 cusecs of water by Friday evening. "Bijoya Dashami marks the close of Durga Puja -- a time for joy, cheer and renewed hope. Yet, instead of allowing the people of West Bengal to conclude the festival in peace, the DVC released 65,000 cusecs of water without any prior notice to the state. This reckless act is nothing short of an attempt to inflict misery during our sacred festivities," she said. Calling it "absolutely unacceptable", the chief minister alleged that the release amounted to a "disaster manufactured by the DVC". "By releasing water without intimation, the DVC has placed millions of lives in Bengal in immediate peril. This is not a natural calamity, it is a disaster manufactured by the DVC," Banerjee asserted. Issuing a defiant warning, she added, "Let me be clear: I will not allow anyone to carry out a Bisarjan (immersion) of Bengal. Every conspiracy against our people will be resisted with full force. Truth will prevail over deceit and good will triumph over evil. Joy Maa Durga!" Later, Banerjee alleged that the discharge had risen and accused the agency of aggravating the crisis. "The latest update on the unilateral and wilful release of water by DVC is that they have by the evening today released more than 150,000 cusecs of water from Maithon and Panchet dams etc to flood our West Bengal during festival times." "This is a deliberate ploy to unleash disaster on us in order to inflict pain on millions when they are still busy in the Pujas. Shameful, intolerable, unacceptable! We protest!!" she wrote in another post. State irrigation department officials confirmed that the water released from Maithon and Panchet reservoirs had risen to 70,000 cusecs by Friday, with additional discharges of 59,075 cusecs from the Durgapur Barrage along with flows through its irrigation canals. "Rainfall is continuing in Jharkhand, leading to discharge there. Water from nearby rivers and streams is also flowing into the Damodar, pushing up its level. Hence, the discharge from Durgapur Barrage has been increased," an irrigation official said. With the India meteorological department predicting heavy to very heavy rainfall in Jharkhand and West Bengal due to a depression, officials said that inflows into the Damodar river could rise further, forcing the DVC to step up releases. The water discharge has triggered fears of fresh inundation in several south Bengal districts already reeling under continuous rain. District administrations of Purba and Paschim Medinipur, Purba and Paschim Bardhaman, Hooghly, Howrah and Bankura have been put on high alert and asked to monitor vulnerable riverbank zones. The DVC, a central government agency, has not issued an immediate response. In earlier instances, it has defended its release decisions as technical requirements tied to inflows and dam safety. Banerjee has in the past repeatedly accused the DVC of mismanagement of floodwaters, citing lack of dredging and poor coordination with the state government. Established in 1948, the DVC is an integrated power major spread across a command area of 24,235 sq km in West Bengal and Jharkhand. It functions under the Ministry of Power. Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered to devise measures, including buying more agricultural products and medicines from India, to soften the trade imbalance with India due to heavy crude import by New Delhi. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the venue of the Shanghai Cooperation Council (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, China. Photograph: Narendra Modi FB/ANI Photo Putin's announcement comes weeks ahead of his visit to India in early December for an annual summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Russian president was speaking at the international Valdai discussion forum of security and geopolitical experts from 140 countries, including from India, at the Black Sea resort of Sochi in South Russia late Thursday evening. "The losses faced by India due to punitive US tariffs would be balanced by crude imports from Russia, plus it will gain prestige as a sovereign nation," Putin said. He was referring to the additional 25 per cent tariff imposed by President Donald Trump on New Delhi as a penalty for its purchases of Russian oil, taking the total levies imposed on India by the US to 50 per cent. Putin said that to remove the trade imbalance, Russia may buy more agricultural products and medicines from India. "More agricultural products may be purchased from India. Certain steps can be undertaken from our side for medicinal products, pharmaceuticals," Putin stated. The President said he had instructed the Russian government to think of proposals to be made to 'Indian friends and counterparts on the most promising areas of cooperation and how Russia can smoothen the imbalance in trade and other areas', according to state-run news agency TASS. Putin noted the vast potential for economic cooperation between Russia and India but acknowledged the need to resolve specific issues to fully unlock these opportunities. For comparison, he said, the trade turnover between Russia and India is about $63 billion, and $50 billion with Belarus. "At the same time, the population is 1.5 billion in India and 10 million in Belarus. It obviously does not correspond to our potential opportunities," Putin stressed. "We need to solve the whole range of tasks to unlock our opportunities and potential advantages," Putin said, identifying financing, logistics and payment bottlenecks as key concerns. Putin also underlined that Russia had 'never had any problems or interstate tensions with India. Never', and noted that both the countries always took actions keeping in view the respective sensitivities. He highlighted the 'special' nature of Russia-India relations since the days of the Soviet Union, when India was fighting for its independence. "In India, they remember this, they know it, and they value it. We appreciate that India has not forgotten it," he said. He referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as his 'friend', noting that he feels comfortable in their trustworthy interactions. Putin lauded India's nationalist government led by Modi, calling him a 'balanced, wise', and 'nationally oriented' leader. He remarked, "Everyone in India knows this well," particularly regarding India's decision to ignore US pressure to halt oil imports from Russia. He expressed confidence that Modi wouldn't bow down to any foreign pressure and also backed India's dignity and strategic autonomy. Putin also recalled that the declaration of a special strategic privileged partnership between Russia and India will soon celebrate its 15th anniversary, and asserted, "That's what it really is." He noted that, in their political relations, Russia and India almost always coordinate their actions. "We always hear and take into account the positions of our countries on various key issues. Our foreign ministries work very closely together," Putin said. Additionally, he welcomed the idea of a joint fund to develop AI and other cutting-edge technology proposed by Dr Arvind Gupta, Director General of New Delhi-based Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF), who was attending the Sochi forum. -- with inputs from ANI A seven-year-old boy, allegedly kidnapped by his mother's former live-in partner in a bid to pressure her into returning to him, was rescued by the police. The prime accused and his three associates have been arrested, an official said on Friday. IMAGE: Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: Pixabay.com The police said the woman had been living with 24-year-old Ajay Verma, the key accused, in Hansi, Haryana, along with her son from a previous marriage that ended in divorce. However, when Verma grew increasingly possessive and violent, she ended the relationship and moved to her parents' house in Delhi. Verma, a mobile repair worker, allegedly conspired with his associates to kidnap the boy to coerce her into resuming the relationship, they said. The associates were identified as Amit, 18, who worked at a tent house, Sachin, 20, employed at a PVC factory and Ajay, 20, a sweeper. While Amit and Sachin are residents of Hisar in Haryana, Ajay hails from Vikaspuri in Delhi. According to the police, the child's mother lodged a complaint at the Vikaspuri police station on September 28, stating that her son had not returned home from school the previous day and expressed suspicion that Verma had abducted him. A case was registered under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and the probe was taken up, they said. Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Sharad Bhaskar Darade said the police team examined CCTV camera footage near the school and established that two men abducted the child on a motorcycle. "Despite frequent switching off of mobile phones by the accused, the police tracked their movements through technical surveillance and social media monitoring," he said. One of the accused, Ajay from Delhi's Vikaspuri, was soon traced and interrogated. He disclosed that Verma had contacted him via social media and asked him to arrange a firearm. Based on leads, the police zeroed in on a farm in Hansi, where Verma was hiding with the child and his two accomplices, the DCP said. A raid was conducted, resulting in the safe rescue of the boy and arrest of Verma, along with Amit and Sachin, he said. In a simultaneous operation, Ajay was arrested at his house in Vikaspuri, and a pistol was seized from his possession. A separate FIR under the Arms Act was registered against him, he added. Except for Sachin, who has a previous case under the Arms Act, the others have no prior criminal record, officials said. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday disbursed Rs 2,500 crore to 25 lakh beneficiaries of the 'Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana', raising to one crore the number of women to have received Rs 10,000 each under the self-employment scheme. IMAGE: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar interacts with beneficiaries during his Pragti Yatra in Muzaffarpur. Photograph: ANI Photo The amount was disbursed at a function held at the CM's official residence in Patna. Kumar recalled that 75 lakh women had, earlier on September 26, received the money from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had joined a similar function virtually. "We intend to cover, under this scheme, one woman from every family in the state. More beneficiaries will get Rs 10,000 in their accounts on October 6," the chief minister said. "Disbursement of the money will, thereafter, continue on a weekly basis till no woman is left out. Those women whose enterprise reports success will get additional benefits of up to Rs 2 lakh," said the 74-year-old leader, who will run for a fifth consecutive term in office in the upcoming assembly polls. The scheme is being seen by political observers as a potential game-changer for the NDA, which has been in power in Bihar for two decades, and needs to surmount the incumbency factor for a return to power. The opposition INDIA bloc, which has been aggressively coming up with its own poll promises, alleged that the ruling coalition, in its populist measures, has been a copycat bereft of fresh ideas. Kumar, who heads the Janata Dal-United, added: "The NDA government in the state, which is receiving full cooperation from the Centre, has done a lot for the welfare of women, unlike the previous regimes, which did nothing. "We have given 50 per cent quotas to women in panchayats and local bodies, and reserved 35 per cent of seats for them in police and other government departments." The PM, in his address last week, had sought to evoke sympathy of the state's women by calling them the worst sufferers of RJD's jungle raj", as he urged them to never allow Bihar to backslide into the "lawless era". India on Friday said Pakistan must be held accountable for its "horrific" human rights violations against innocent protesters in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. IMAGE: People hold a banner of 'Free Balochistan' during a protest, outside UN headquarters in New York, the US, September 27, 2025. Photograph: ANI on X Several areas in PoK have witnessed widespread protests with people demanding basic rights, justice and an end to what they described as systemic oppression. "We have seen reports on protests in several areas of Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir, including brutalities by Pakistani forces on innocent civilians," external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. "We believe that it is a natural consequence of Pakistan's oppressive approach and its systemic plundering of resources from these territories, which remain under its forcible and illegal occupation," he said. Jaiswal was responding to a question at his weekly media briefing. "Pakistan must be held accountable for its horrific human rights violations," he said. The controversy over the gold-clad plates of the Dwarapalaka idols at Sabarimala triggered a fresh political row on Friday, with allegations flying from both the ruling front and opposition parties. IMAGE: File image of the Sabarimala temple. Photograph: ANI Photo Leader of Opposition in the Kerala assembly, VD Satheesan, described the incident as "theft of Sabarimala properties" and called for heightened security for the Ayyappa idol. "In 2019, when the Dwarapalaka plates were removed for replating, they reached the Chennai factory 39 days later. What happened during those 39 days should be thoroughly investigated," he said. Satheesan demanded a comprehensive probe into all temple inventories to determine what had been lost. "The current investigation focuses only on procedural lapses. We demand a full inquiry into the thefts at Sabarimala," he said. He alleged that the Travancore Devaswom Board and the government violated rules by sending the plates for replating outside the temple, with sponsor Unnikrishnan Potty acting merely as a middleman. He called for the resignation of the TDB president and minister, saying, "For self-defence, they are seeking a probe starting from 1998. The TDB president should resign immediately." All India Congress Committee general secretary KC Venugopal alleged the role of the state government, calling it a misappropriation of gold. "In other words, isn't it gold smuggling?" he asked. He welcomed the Kerala high court's intervention and expressed hope that the truth would emerge through the investigation under the court's supervision. Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala termed the incident a major security lapse, highlighting devotees' concerns over temple property. He said two Devaswom ministers, two TDB presidents, and the Thiruvabharanam commissioner should answer to the public. "Why has the chief minister not responded yet?" he asked. "People have no confidence in a TDB Vigilance investigation. A comprehensive probe should be conducted under the direct supervision of the Kerala high court," Chennithala insisted. Taking a dig at the government and the TDB, senior BJP leader V Muraleedharan alleged that there was an attempt to sell the Sabarimala Sreekovil (the sanctum sanctorum). The former minister accused the Pinarayi government of supporting violations of tradition while gold was being looted from the shrine. "By handing over the sacred plates to an unknown person, the government has hurt the sentiments of crores of devotees across the world. Who gave permission to Potty to exhibit the plates outside after removing them from the temple?" he asked. Muraleedharan said a vigilance probe alone was not enough and demanded a detailed investigation. Devaswom minister V N Vasavan said he could not comment further on the controversy at this stage. He pointed out that the Kerala High Court had already taken a strong stand by ordering a probe by the TDB Vigilance wing under the supervision of a retired High Court judge. "We will decide future steps based on the high court's directions after the Vigilance files its report. We also want the people behind this incident to be exposed. How Potty became involved must also be investigated. Let there be a probe into how he handled the gold-clad plates and where he took them," Vasavan said. Meanwhile, Communist Party of India-Marxist senior leader EP Jayarajan warned that those responsible for fraud would be traced and strict action taken. "No one will be allowed to misuse Sabarimala. The recent developments reveal that Potty was used against the Global Ayyappa Sangamam," he said. Potty, a Bengaluru-based businessman, sponsored the gold plating of the Dwarapalaka idols and took them to Chennai for the purpose in 2019. The Kerala High Court recently ordered a probe after a Dwarapalaka peedam (pedestal) was recovered from his relative's house. He had earlier alleged that the peedam was missing from Sabarimala. Afghan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is expected to visit India next week, in the first high-level trip from Kabul after the Taliban captured power following the collapse of the Ashraf Ghani government over four years ago. IMAGE: Amir Khan Muttaqi. Photograph: ANI The Afghan foreign minister is expected to visit India from October 10, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. However, there is no official word on the visit yet. Muttaqi was scheduled to visit New Delhi last month but it was called off in view of a travel ban that he faced under United Nations Security Council (UNSC) sanctions. On September 30, a UNSC committee approved a temporary exemption to the travel ban, allowing Muttaqi to visit New Delhi from October 9 to 16, according to a UN statement. Afghan media reported that Muttaqi will travel to Moscow on October 6 to attend the seventh round of Moscow Format talks. The UNSC had slapped sanctions against all leading Taliban leaders and they have to secure a waiver for foreign travels. Muttaqi's visit is expected to add a new dimension to India's relations with the Taliban setup in Kabul. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had held a phone conversation with Muttaqi on May 15. It was the highest level of contact between New Delhi and Kabul since the Taliban came to power. India has not yet recognised the Taliban set up and has been pitching for the formation of a truly inclusive government in Kabul. New Delhi has also been insisting that Afghan soil must not be used for any terrorist activities against any country. In January, the Taliban regime described India as an 'important' regional and economic power following talks between Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Muttaqi. India has so far sent several shipments of humanitarian aid, including wheat and medicines, to Afghanistan. India has been pitching to provide unimpeded aid to Afghanistan to address the unfolding humanitarian situation in the country. In June 2022, India re-established its diplomatic presence in Kabul by deploying a 'technical team' in its embassy in the Afghan capital. India had withdrawn its officials from the embassy on concerns over security after the Taliban seized power in August 2021. by Xinhua writers Shi Song, Chen Junxia GENEVA, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Global Governance Initiative proposed by China at the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the United Nations (UN) comes at the right time and will guide the world toward a fairer and more brilliant future, David Fernandez Puyana, Permanent Observer of the University for Peace (UPEACE) to the UN Office in Geneva, has said. In a recent interview with Xinhua, Puyana noted that the current world order is facing numerous challenges, especially in the field of peace and security, where wars and conflicts continue to erupt. The UN, he stressed, remains the most suitable platform to address these challenges. Puyana said China's recent proposal of the Global Governance Initiative is a voice grounded in the UN Charter, as it reaffirms and supports the basic principles underpinning the international order established in 1945 - cooperation, dialogue, respect for state sovereignty, and a framework based on international law. He noted that the initiative "is needed and necessary to have a more brilliant future." According to Puyana, the initiative adopts a medium- and long-term perspective, offering solutions to global challenges that remain unresolved and promoting the building of a fairer system of global governance. At the same time, it highlights the importance of economic development and trade cooperation, where the World Trade Organization, long supported by China, is playing a constructive role. He emphasized that the Global Governance Initiative is closely aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in fostering partnerships. Borders, he said, should no longer be regarded as absolute barriers. Humanity needs a broader global vision, and the initiative "is really an important step forward in that direction." He added that today's world requires more cosmopolitan mindsets and greater exchange among peoples. Puyana further pointed out that China's proposed Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, Global Civilization Initiative and Global Governance Initiative complement one another and are of great value. These initiatives, he stressed, are highly consistent with the UN's core concepts and programs. The openness, cooperation, dialogue, and fruitful exchanges with other civilizations that China advocates form the very foundation for building a more peaceful and fairer world, he added. More importantly, he emphasized, "China, in that sense, is not only proposing -- it's also a doer. It's very action-oriented in that field." Founded in 1980 at the initiative of the Costa Rican government and through a resolution of the UN General Assembly, the UPEACE is headquartered in San Jose, Costa Rica. Its mission is to promote peace education worldwide. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said the 'wholesale attack on the democratic system' currently underway in India is the single biggest risk the country is facing, and asserted that allowing different traditions to thrive is very important as 'we cannot do what China does, which is to run an authoritarian system'. IMAGE: Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi attends the inauguration of the Dr Manmohan Singh Research Centre and Library at Indira Bhawan, in New Delhi. Photograph: AICC/ANI Photo Speaking at a seminar titled 'The Future is Today' at the EIA University in Medellin, Colombia, Gandhi also alleged that there are 'huge amounts of corruption at a centralised level' in India now. "In India, we have huge amounts of corruption now at a very centralised level. So, three or four businesses taking over the whole economy, having a direct relationship with the prime minister, is rampant in India," the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said. "But I believe decentralising power, making things more transparent, bringing people into conversations, and bringing people into processes is the best way forward," Gandhi said while addressing the seminar on Wednesday. Hitting back at the Congress leader for his remarks, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday accused Gandhi of insulting and degrading India on foreign soil. Posting a video clip of Gandhi's speech on X, BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said, 'Rahul Gandhi does it again, degrades India on foreign soil. From defaming our democracy in London, to mocking our institutions in the US, now in Colombia he spares no chance to insult Bharat globally.' 'This isn't dissent. It's disgrace to the fake Gandhi. Criticising BJP may be your right but dare you malign Mother India for your cheap and petty politics,' Bhatia said. Speaking at the seminar, Gandhi said India has a much more complex system as compared to China and its strengths are very different from that of the neighbouring country. India also has a very old spiritual tradition and a thought system with profound ideas that are useful in today's world, he said, adding that there is a lot that the country can offer in terms of tradition and way of thinking. "I am very optimistic about India, but at the same time, there are fault lines within the Indian structure. There are risks that India has to overcome. The single-biggest risk is the attack on democracy that is taking place in India," the Leader of Opposition said. "India has multiple religions, traditions and languages. India is actually a conversation between all its people. Different ideas, religions and traditions require space. The best method for creating that space is the democratic system," he said. "Currently, there is a wholesale attack on the democratic system in India, so that is a risk. The other big risk is different conceptions -- some 16-17 different languages, different religions... So, allowing these different traditions to thrive, and giving them space to express themselves is very important for a country like India. We cannot do what China does, which is to suppress people and run an authoritarian system," Gandhi said. "Our design will just not accept that," he added. Talking about the Modi government's 2016 demonetisation move, Gandhi claimed the government demonetised the currency with an idea to get rid of cash, but it didn't work. "As a policy, it was a big failure. The forcible conversion of an informal economy into a formal economy is problematic whereas the gradual conversion of the informal economy is the way to go. There is a reason the informal economy exists. If you use harsh tools to destroy it, you hurt people. I know there is a corruption element to the informal economy, but there is also non-corruption element," he said. The government brought two policies -- demonetisation, which essentially destroyed small and medium businesses and allowed very large monopolies to control a big section of our economy; and second, GST, which was again designed to harm medium and small businesses, Gandhi said. "We believe that supporting these small businesses is the way forward for entrepreneurship, and that's the difference between us and those in power who believe that a few big monopolists (control the economy). We don't agree with that," the former Congress chief said. Gandhi also said India doesn't see itself as taking leadership in the world. "That is not our model. We are a large country, and we believe in having a partnership. We are not arrogant enough to believe that we should lead the world. "Every country has its own perspective and I think there is a lot of scope for working together and having partnerships. The idea that India is going to lead the world -- I don't think that is how India views itself; maybe the Chinese think differently on this," he said. "We understand that we are a big country, a large country and we have a weight, we have a responsibility and we should behave in a particular way. And of course, we want prosperity for our people," Gandhi said. During his visit to the Latin American country, Gandhi also met Colombian President Senate Lidio Gracia. The Congress leader is on a four-nation tour of South America. Speaking at the university, Gandhi said in a country like India, simply privatising healthcare and education doesn't work. "We have tried it, but it didn't work. At least my party and I believe in solid government involvement in these sectors. Our top universities are public sector universities. While many states in India have not done well in primary education, higher education has been a big success," he said. Gandhi also said the British controlled the steam engine and coal and they became a superpower and "we in India fought that empire and eventually got freedom in 1947". "After the British, the Americans managed the transition from coal and steam to petrol and the internal combustion engine. Now we are facing a new transition to electric motor, from the fuel tank to the battery. The real fight between the US, which has a maritime vision of the world, and China, which has a terrestrial vision, is about who is going to manage this transition," Gandhi said, adding that "the Chinese are winning that battle so far". Talking about the US, the Congress leader said, "Most of the people, for example, who are creating polarisation in the US with Mr (Donald) Trump are those who lost their jobs because of manufacturing. "China has demonstrated to the world how you can manage production in a non-democratic setup, but we cannot do that; we are a democratic setup. "The challenge is whether we can develop manufacturing like China but within a democratic setup." Chinese dominate production data, and in the Western world and in India, they dominate consumption data, Gandhi said. "A lot of people say that AI will revolutionise things, but the power will be in the hands of those who control data. In our part of the world, it's America that controls data through its big tech companies like Google and WhatsApp," he said. Jammu and Kashmir Bharatiya Janata Party leader Jahanzaib Sirwal on Friday threatened to resign from the party, citing Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's "unacceptable" remarks and the state police's "vindictive" attitude against the Muslim community. IMAGE: A wellwisher greets Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath during Dussehra celebrations, Gorakhpur, October 2, 2025. Photograph: ANI Photo "The situation in Uttar Pradesh goes against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas'. It betrays this ethos through baseless legal actions, heavy-handed crackdown and divisive threats," he said in a statement. He said impartial investigations must hold all wrongdoers accountable and not just one community. When contacted by PTI, Sirwal said he will have no other option but to resign if the BJP fails to take any action to restore the confidence of Muslims. In Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur, the police filed an FIR against 24 people for allegedly installing boards reading "I Love Muhammad" during an Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi procession on September 4. Clashes broke out in Bareilly on September 26 after a large crowd carrying posters reading "I Love Muhammad" assembled outside a mosque in the Kotwali area after Friday prayers. In a major crackdown, the police arrested 68 people, including a local cleric, in connection with the violence. Chief Minister Adityanath has warned of strict action against any attempt to disturb law and order. In his statement, Sirwal said he stands as a proud Muslim and a committed leader of the BJP, who is deeply pained by the recent actions of the Uttar Pradesh government, which has "targeted" the Muslim community's expression of devotion through the "I Love Muhammad" banner. "What was a simple, heartfelt act of faith has been met with FIRs, detentions and inflammatory rhetoric, including Adityanath's remarks about 'denting-painting' and teaching lessons to generations. "Such statements are not only divisive but also an affront to the constitutional right under Article 25 to freely practise and profess one's religion. They undermine the spirit of India, where every faith should flourish without fear," the BJP leader said. He said the UP CM has no right to "threaten or intimidate" any community into silence. "His provocative rhetoric, implying coercive corrections of our faith's expressions, is a betrayal of democratic values and an insult to the Constitution, which stands supreme over any individual's authority. We, as Muslims, will not bow to such threats nor will we allow our sacred love for the Prophet to be criminalised," he said. Sirwal said that as a Muslim BJP leader, he cannot remain silent when his community's rights are trampled and when the state's actions risk tarnishing the party's commitment to unity. "I urge the BJP leadership to act decisively: quash the unjust FIRs, release those detained for peaceful expressions and retract statements that fuel discord. The central leadership must intervene to ensure no chief minister wields state power to suppress constitutional freedoms. "If these actions reflect the party's stance, I humbly accept expulsion, for my iman (faith) will always stand above all else. But I believe in our party's commitment to justice and unity, and I call for a course correction to uphold India's pluralistic soul," he said. He asked Muslims to seek justice through dialogue, democratic means and unwavering faith. Highlighting the need for communal harmony in the country, Sirwal said, "Let us build bridges, not barriers, for our nation's strength lies in its diversity." Sonam Wangchuk is under tight surveillance within the three-tiered prison, with CCTV cameras monitored around the clock, reports Prakash Bhandari. IMAGE: Environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk speaks on the violent protest over the statehood demand and the inclusion of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution in Leh, September 24, 2025. Photograph: Sonam Wangchuk X/ANI Video Grab Sonam Wangchuk, the Ladakhi activist currently detained under the National Security Act, has been lodged in the high-security Jodhpur Central Jail, in a large cell equipped with a bed, fan and toilet. The activist is under tight surveillance within the three-tiered prison, with CCTV cameras monitored around the clock. He is allowed out of his cell twice daily -- once in the morning and once in the evening. Crucially, he is not permitted visitors, and his wife's request to meet her 59-year-old husband has been denied. Jodhpur Central Jail has an interesting history, having previously held Punjab militants, Kashmiri terrorists, and other leaders during insurgencies in the respective regions. Interestingly, the jail was targeted during the 1965 India-Pakistan War. The jail was bombed by the Pakistani air force, tragically killing 30 inmates. While the jail was not the intended target, it is believed that Pakistani bombers, facing anti-aircraft and 'ack-ack' guns, were aiming for a military installation in Jodhpur. In panic, they dropped the bomb on the prison. Many of the casualties were in the prison hospital at the time of the bombing. On Tuesday, September 30, Amara Ram, the Communist Party of India-Marxist member of Parliament from Sikar, visited the Jodhpur Central Jail to meet Wangchuk but was denied permission by the jail authorities. Wangchuk was arrested in his village in Ladakh under the stringent NSA on the ground of allegedly instigating protests on September 24 in Leh and other parts of Ladakh, which resulted in four deaths following police firing. The Ladakh Union Territory administration invoked the NSA, which empowers the local administration to act pre-emptively against individuals considered a threat to public order or national security. However, the administration reportedly believed that lodging Wangchuk in a local jail would cause further unrest, as various organisations opposing his arrest would likely demonstrate, demanding his release. Consequently, it sought advice from the Union home ministry which advised sending him to Delhi. Following several meetings, the decision was made to shift him to Jodhpur Jail, deeming it a safer location and far from Ladakh, thus avoiding potential public demonstrations. Wangchuk was moved from Leh to Jodhpur after obtaining a transit remand to shift him from the cooler climate of Leh to the hot desert of Jodhpur. Given his detention under the NSA, he was not given any opportunity to oppose the transit remand. Ladakh officials informed his wife Gitanjali Angmo that they would arrange for him to speak to her on a mobile phone once certain procedures were completed. IMAGE: Smoke billows out from the Bharatiya Janata Party office in Leh which was set on fire by the protestors, September 24, 2025. Photograph: ANI video grab The home ministry, which flew Wangchuk from Ladakh to Delhi by special aircraft, kept him in the capital for a few hours. The decision to then shift him to Jodhpur was made as it was considered safe to lodge him there, being in a Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled state where the district administration could effectively control any public agitation in Wangchuk's support. Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, who also holds the home department portfolio, agreed to billet him in Jodhpur Jail. Home ministry officials had promised Wangchuk that he would be allowed to speak to his family soon after his transfer to Jodhpur, but that promise has reportedly not been fulfilled. A senior official from the Rajasthan home department confirmed that Wangchuk was billeted in the Jodhpur Central Jail only after all legal procedures had been undertaken before his arrival. Rajasthan officials further stated that under the NSA, designated officials have the power to hold individuals in designated places, transfer them across states, and impose conditions. The Ladakh administration served Wangchuk with the 'grounds of detention' order on September 30. A copy of the order was also sent to the jail officials in Jodhpur. Under the NSA provisions, the grounds of detention must be communicated within five to fifteen days, allowing detainees to submit a representation to the government. However, a copy of the 'grounds of detention' order has not been served to his wife. In the absence of this document, she has been unable to initiate legal proceedings to challenge her husband's arrest. IMAGE: Violence broke out during a massive protest in Leh over the demand for statehood and the inclusion of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. Photograph: ANI video grab "It's a very typical case of arrest and detention," says Ajit Bhandari, a senior lawyer in Jaipur. "The person [Wangchuk] was arrested in Ladakh on September 26 under the NSA, one of the toughest preventive detention laws used in the past against separatists, gangsters and radical preachers." "Surely, the law allows the government to pre-emptively detain individuals deemed a threat to public order or national security. Preventive detention is the practice of detaining a person not only for a crime already committed but also to prevent them from acting in a manner that could threaten public order or security," adds Bhandari. "It basically aims to stop potential harm before it occurs." Since Wangchuk was served the order of 'grounds of detention' on September 30 while lodged in the Jodhpur Central Jail, he can now seek legal redressal, explains Bhandari. An advisory board of high court judges must review his case within three weeks and order his release if there is insufficient cause; detention can last up to twelve months. "Now that the order of detention has been served on him, he could go for legal redressal, questioning his detention and demanding his release from prison to pursue legal remedies. Sonam Wangchuk can move the high court, questioning his detention through a writ petition," says Bhandari. IMAGE: Aam Aadmi Party workers hold a candlelight march to protest Sonam Wangchuk's arrest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, September 26, 2025. Photograph: ANI Photo Despite the tight security, a brief moment of high drama was witnessed outside the jail. Vijaypal, a 50-year-old activist from Sujangarh in the Churu district of Rajasthan, threatened to go on a hunger strike to protest Wangchuk's arrest. Vijaypal reached the prison's gates a day after Wangchuk was brought from Delhi, raising slogans of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai!' When local police attempted to remove him, he threatened to begin a hunger strike outside the jail if he were forcibly sent away. The Ladakh administration's detention order accuses climate activist Wangchuk of repeatedly suggesting self-immolation to the people of Ladakh, similar to protests seen in Tibet. It further alleges that Wangchuk proposed the 'overthrow' of the Ladakh government, akin to the Arab Spring uprisings, if their demands were not met. The order also blames him for the violence that left four people dead and approximately 150 wounded. The order insists there is 'no witch hunting or smoke screen', and that the administration's actions were based on credible inputs and documents. IMAGE: Leh market wears a deserted look after a curfew was imposed in the city, September 26, 2025. Photograph: ANI Photo Jodhpur Central Jail was in the news when movie star Salman Khan was lodged there following his conviction by a lower court in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case. The high-security wing of the jail is a V-shaped ward that includes both barracks and single rooms. The jail authorities have not clarified whether Wangchuk is being treated as a political prisoner or an ordinary inmate. "He is not under solitary confinement, as the solitary confinement of prisoners is prohibited following a high court order, as it was considered inhuman. He is given food according to the jail manual provision," reveals a jail official. The area where Wangchuk is lodged has multiple CCTV cameras for surveillance, and the lights are kept on at night for monitoring purposes. Dating back to the princely era, Jodhpur Central Jail has held many high-profile individuals over the years. It was converted into a high-security jail, and terrorists from Punjab, who could not be held in Punjab jails during the insurgency, were transferred here. The prison has also held Indian Mujahideen terrorists and the Jammu and Kashmir separatist leader Abdul Ghani Lone. Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff Brattleboro, VT (05301) Today Sunny to partly cloudy. High 28F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low near 15F. Winds light and variable. New Zealand-headquartered insurtech JAVLN has secured a A$6 million capital investment to support its Australian growth, accelerate research and development (R&D), and enter into new markets. The round, which was led by Microequities Asset Management, is expected to help the company expand its reach in Australia via its offices in Melbourne and Sydney. We were impressed by JAVLNs technology which we think will markedly advance the digitisation journey currently taking place in the insurance broking industry, said Microequities CEO and chief investment officer Carlos Gil. We see JAVLNs technology as a key enabler for insurance brokers to ultimately provide better outcomes for their end clients. The funds are also anticipated to support its partnership with insurance and financial services distribution group Envest. This capital raise enables us to act decisively in a rapidly evolving market, said JAVLN CEO David Leach. With AI and new technologies transforming the insurance sector, the funds will help us provide innovative software products to our customers across A/NZ [Australia and New Zealand] and beyond. Tim Mole hired as head of AI and data The insurtech is also looking to step up its AI stance with the appointment of Tim Mole as its head of AI and data. He enters JAVLN with over 30 years of management, analytics, and AI leadership experience and is expected to drive the embedding of AI across the companys policy and document management products. Microsoft on Wednesday unveiled a corporate reorganisation of its commercial business, appointing Judson Althoff as CEO of the division. Althoff, formerly the companys executive vice president and chief commercial officer, will take on the new role to more tightly integrate sales, marketing, operations, and engineering under one roof. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella told employees through an internal message the leadership changes are designed to help customers and partners harness AI for productivity, while sharpening Microsofts focus on AI innovation. We are in the midst of a tectonic AI platform shift, one that requires us to both manage and grow our at-scale commercial business today, while building the new frontier and executing flawlessly across both, Nadella said in his post. AI, Nadella said, can drive major productivity and growth and Microsofts role is to help customers and partners use it to transform how they work. Judson Althoff will take on an expanded role at Microsoft as CEO of the companys commercial business. Microsoft Takeshi Numoto, Microsofts chief marketing officer, and his marketing team will join the newly created organisation, with Takeshi reporting directly to Althoff as CMO; Numoto will still also report directly to Nadella on all-up business models, planning, consumer marketing, and corporate brand and communications. I dont see this so much as a tectonic shift at Microsoft as more an understanding that increased focus and organisational alignment is required for Microsoft to continue to thrive in an AI world, said Jack Gold, principal analyst at J. Gold Associates, LLC. Its sort of equivalent of starting a focused subsidiary with its own executive running the show. Microsofts move is also not unprecedented; similar shuffling is becoming more common because of AIs impact. Oracle, for example, recently appointed Co-CEOs for similar reasons, and more companies may follow as AI leadership demands focused, streamlined executive teams. There is a lot of this going on in the industry, as companies structure for growth in diversifying business areas, Gold said. Having an exec running a critical business area like AI, while the remainder of the exec team focus[es] on growth and new business opportunities makes sense given the amount of focus required. In January, Nadella reaffirmed Azure as central to the companys AI focus, re-branding it CoreAI, amid executive shifts. Analysts at the time said Nadellas statement reflected no meaningful changes to Microsofts AI strategy. Visible leadership, strategic industry focus and futureproofing the business through talent and technology, are a few areas that returning Fujitsu vice-president and head of customer for A/NZ, Jo Healey has front of mind. Since rejoining the company in July, Healey previously spent eight years with Fujitsu before departing in 2014. She has also worked for Kyndryl, Capgemini, Intergen and IBM. Her first few months back have been defined by deliberate engagement with both employees and customers. Visible leadership is absolutely pivotal for me, she said, citing her extensive travel across New Zealand and Australia to reconnect with teams and clients. With responsibilities spanning sales, marketing, alliances, and customer engagement, her priority has been to listen, learn and lead with intent. She notes that thoughtful onboarding has been essential to understanding where the business excels and understanding the opportunities for growth. Fujitsu maintains four areas of focus including Defence, Public Sector and Healthcare, Enterprise and Commercial and New Zealand, which is treated as its own distinct market due to its diversity of industries. Its four alliance partners include Microsoft, AWS, ServiceNow and SAP. Defence represents a little over a third of our business today, she said. We are very strong in the public sector and are investing a lot of time, effort and understanding the driving requirements for the government. THE HAGUE, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Dutch Supreme Court on Friday ordered the government to reassess within six weeks a license allowing the export of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel, citing the need to weigh potential risks of serious violations of international humanitarian law. The case was filed by aid groups including Oxfam Novib, which sought to halt Dutch shipments of U.S.-made components after Israel's military campaign in Gaza following the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, 2023. A Hague appeals court in February ordered an immediate halt to exports, but the government challenged that decision. The Supreme Court overturned the appeal court's ruling, saying judges cannot independently assess whether there is a "clear risk" of humanitarian law breaches. However, it confirmed the government must conduct the reassessment. In a statement following the verdict, the government acknowledged the court's order to perform the reassessment and indicated that a resumption of exports is unlikely for now. "Given the current circumstances, it is not reasonable that export of F-35 parts from the Netherlands to Israel will be resumed at this time," it said. The government also explained that it had appealed the earlier ban because it believes the state must be able to shape its own foreign policy. It added that this legal step was separate from what it called the "catastrophic situation" in Gaza, and reiterated its call for a ceasefire. Oxfam Novib welcomed the Supreme Court's ruling, saying it effectively maintains the ban that has blocked deliveries since February. "The mandatory reassessment can only have one outcome, that the export ban remains in place," said Oxfam Novib director Michiel Servaes in a statement. The group pledged to continue pressing the Dutch government to prevent arms supplies to Israel. Walk down Ukrainian Heroes Street, take a right at Boris Nemtsov Square and youll reach the entrance of Prague's Russian embassy. Since 2020, Prague has been renaming landmarks around Russias sprawling embassy amid increasing tension between Moscow and the West. The street sign trolling has apparently contributed to a diplomatic spat in which Czechia announced it had banned non-accredited Russian diplomats from entering the central European country. The first site to be renamed alongside Pragues Russian embassy was a small triangular park once known as Under The Chestnuts Square. The leafy plot was officially renamed Boris Nemtsov Square on February 27, 2020, the 5th anniversary of the murder of the Russian opposition leader. On the same day, a forest path frequented by joggers and dog walkers along the northern fence of the embassy was named after slain Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya. Since Russias 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the embassy has been surrounded by adversarial placenames and protest installations. A bridge at the consulate entrance was named after Vitaliy Skakun, a Ukrainian soldier who sacrificed himself to destroy a crucial bridge during the all-out invasion, and a short section of road has been renamed Ukrainian Heroes Street. A lookout over Prague's picturesque Stromovka Park was unofficially renamed Aleksei Navalny Lookout in February 2021, but local authorities removed the unauthorized signage, clarifying that Prague streetnames can honor people only after they are deceased. Following Navalny's suspicious death inside a Russian prison in February 2024, local Prague authorities applied for the lookout name to be made official. In Moscow, the Czech embassy has in turn been targeted for protests and vandalism, but Russian police guarding the embassy had generally been swift to respond to attacks. On September 30, 2025 however, questions were raised over the police response to an extensive vandalism attack on the Czech embassy in Moscow after vulgar images and words in Czech were spraypainted at several points on the building. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky called the attack unacceptable," and posted on X on September 29 that every state must ensure the protection of diplomats and the security of representative offices. The following day, Lipavsky announced that at my proposal today the government has banned entry into Czechia for Russian diplomats and holders of service passports who do not have national accreditation from Czechia." The foreign minister cited unspecified "sabotage operations" as the reason for the move. Opposition leaders in Georgia are using local elections on October 4 as a focus to reinvigorate anti-government protests that have largely fizzled out in recent months, but a call to boycott the voting has underscored divisions in their ranks. Mass demonstrations in the Caucasus republic broke out in late 2024, following alleged violations in parliamentary elections and a subsequent government decision to halt talks on joining the European Union. These protests have continued on a daily basis, but turnout has shrunk amid the governments use of targeted arrests, large fines, and media repression. Georgia is in a state of long running political crisis. But the ruling party, Georgian Dream, has the upper hand, Thomas de Waal, a senior fellow at Carnegie Europe, told RFE/RL. Repression continues, but it's done quite skillfully. It's not the kind of mass repression that we're seeing in Russia. It's targeted repression that keeps the ruling party in power, he added. 'Internal And External Enemies' Two arrests this week highlight the point. On September 29, prominent activist Gela Khasaya was arrested and charged with causing bodily harm during an altercation at an earlier protest in Tbilisi. On October 1, Zviad Kuprava, a member of former President Mikheil Saakashvilis United National Movement (UNM), was detained after posting a video calling for mass protests and disruption of the elections. Saakashvili himself is currently serving a 12 1/2-year prison sentence and this week was fined more than 3 million dollars. Hes been convicted of a variety of charges that he says are politically motivated. Also this week, Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire leader of Georgian Dream, issued an uncompromising statement on the current political situation. In the upcoming local government elections, unmasked internal and external enemies see another opportunity for unrest, coup d'etat, and the realization of their goals, he said. Ivanishvili did not specify who the external enemies are. But relations with the EU and the United States have dramatically worsened in recent months, while Tbilisi has pursued closer ties with Moscow. Today, the situation is really bad. The country is going downhill, Volker Weichsel, a political scientist at the German Association for East European Studies (DGO), said in an interview for RFE/RLs Echo of the Caucasus website. The opposition is unable to agree on a united path to take part in the elections or not, to put forward a single candidate or not. As a result, we see disunity which, of course, suits the Kremlin, he said. Opposition 'Disunity' While many opposition parties have decided to boycott the local elections, two pro-EU parties have not: Lelo for Georgia, a centrist party, and For Georgia, led by former Georgian Dream Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, who has left the country since turning against the authorities. He is under investigation for sabotage. De Waal, a longstanding Caucasus expert, agreed that the election boycott damaged the opposition and benefited the authorities. In Tbilisi last year, the ruling party actually got less than 50% of the vote. The opposition actually got more votes. And so the opposition, if it had come up with a strong unified candidate, would have had a chance of winning the mayoral election in Tbilisi, he said. But because of this boycott, it's very unlikely that they will get the votes to win the mayoral election in Tbilisi. And meanwhile, Georgian Dream will be able to claim this was a competitive election. So, in that sense, I think this boycott has only been to the benefit of Georgian Dream. The rationale behind the calls for a boycott, meanwhile, is based on fears that they will not be truly free and fair. Boycott supporters point to the alleged violations in last years parliamentary elections and suggest that even in the case of an opposition victory, the results could be falsified by the authorities. This is the backdrop to the oppositions call to street protests on October 4. The turnout will be closely watched. While numbers have diminished over time at more than 300 daily demonstrations, protests with a particular focus have continued to result in larger gatherings. Yet while the UNM is calling for hundreds of thousands of people to take to the streets, hoping it will lead to a government collapse, Georgian Dream has so far been able to soak up the political heat generated by protests. I dont think the current regime has to fear the protests on October 4. They will take place but I dont see it leading to a revolution. Unless, of course, theres bloodshed, said Weichsel. Tensions have been rising in recent weeks as the local elections draw near, leading to scuffles in recent weeks. When protests targeted the campaign headquarters of Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze on September 8, Georgian Dream supporters pelted them with bottles and stones. Previously, security forces have used tear gas, rubber bullets, and pepper spray against protesters, who have responded with fireworks. Police have also beat people up, targeting activists and journalists and the most severe cases of such violence have not been investigated by the Georgian authorities. Russia and Ukraine traded air attacks on energy infrastructure as the two countries continue to battle amid a stalled peace process to end Europe's largest and deadliest conflict since World War II. Around midday on October 3 in Russia's Orsk region, located approximately 1,400 kilometers (840 miles) from the front lines in war-torn Ukraine, regional Governor Yevgeniy Solntsev said "enemy drones" attacked a local industrial facility. "Technological processes at the enterprise have not been disrupted. Emergency services are working at the site," he added, earlier saying that the local airport had suspended its operations. Solntsev's comments came after a number of videos posted on social media, verified by RFE/RL, appeared to show huge pillars of smoke rising from the local major oil refinery, Orsknefteorgsintez. Later in the day, Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) confirmed that its drones carried out the attack. In recent months, Kyiv has intensified its attacks on Russia's energy infrastructure, which appear to be causing fuel shortages and price increases inside Russia. In September alone, Ukraine said it targeted several Russian refining operations in the bordering Bryansk region, as well as in the Samara and Bashkortostan regions, located deep inside Russian territory. The drone attack on Orsk came amid reports that the US will provide Ukraine with intelligence on long-range energy infrastructure targets in Russia. According to the Wall Street Journal, the newly supplied data would make it easier for Ukraine to target Russia's infrastructure and is aimed at depriving Moscow of revenue for its war efforts. At the end of September, US President Donald Trump told the United Nations General Assembly that he believed Russia's economy was stalling because of the war. The Kremlin later denied the claim, while acknowledging that "Russia is experiencing certain tensions and problem areas in various sectors of the economy." Meanwhile, Russian missile and drone strikes on October 3 continued to pound regions across Ukraine, damaging civilian and energy infrastructure, local officials said. Ukraine's air defense forces said the overnight Russian attack included 381 drones and 35 missiles, adding that the main targets of the strikes were energy facilities in the Kharkiv and Poltava regions. Ukraines major gas network, Naftogaz, said the attack was the "largest" on gas production infrastructure since the start of Russias full-scale invasion. Naftogaz CEO Serhiy Koretsky called the attacks targeted terror against civilian facilities that provide gas production. "No military sense. Another manifestation of Russian meanness, aimed solely at disrupting the heating season and depriving us of the opportunity to heat Ukrainian homes in winter, Koretsky said. As a result of this attack, a significant part of our facilities has been damaged. Some of the damage is critical." Late on October 3, the governor of the Donetsk region said part of the region was without electricity due to Russian shelling. Governor Vadym Filashkin said all of Druzhkivka and Kostyantynivka as well as some areas of Kramatorsk were left without electricity. "The Russians continue to target critical infrastructure. Today, their target is energy," Filashkin said on Telegram. Specialists will restore power supply as soon as possible, he added. With reporting from Wall Street Journal Streets have been renamed. Statues of Lenin have been taken down. Now, with no end to Russias invasion in sight, Ukraine is preparing to shed another symbol of Moscows former dominance: the kopek. Ukraines parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, will consider a bill that would abandon the kopiyka, Ukrainian for kopek. Instead, the smallest denomination of the national currency would be the shah, a currency name that means step and dates back to the 16th century -- long before much of Ukraine became part of the Russian Empire. The National Bank of Ukraine, which initiated the switch last year, says its aimed at promoting de-Russification amid Moscows war on Ukraine, approaching its fifth year since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. The kopek is a piece of Moscow that remains in our pockets, on our price tags, and most importantly, in our heads, National Bank chief Andriy Pyshniy was quoted as saying in August. The kopiyka is one-hundredth of a hryvnya, the national currency since 1996, five years after Ukraine gained independence from the Soviet Union. The proposed switch is part of broader efforts to replace terms, symbols, and institutions that reflect Russian influence or the Soviet legacy and, proponents say, to strengthen Ukrainian linguistic and cultural identity. It appears likely to pass, as its sponsors include Rada speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk, who is from President Volodymyr Zelenskyys Servant of the People party. An explanatory note to the bill, published on October 1, says that even 34 years after the declaration of independence, there is a denominator that still ties our country with Russia -- this is the name of the circulating coin the kopek. The note points out that among the 15 former Soviet republics, the term kopek is still used only in Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus, as well as in Moldova's breakaway region of Transdniester. It described the latter three as hostile to Ukraine. "In the context of large-scale Russian aggression, replacing the kopek with the shah is an important and necessary step, the note said. "Having studied the history of monetary circulation in Ukraine, we have come to the indisputable conclusion that such a name for a circulating coin as a 'kopeck' is actually a symbol of occupation by Moscow, National Bank chief Pyshniy said in September 2024, when the bank called for the change. Today, the Ukrainian people are reclaiming everything that was unjustly stolen from them and mutilated by Kremlin narratives. We have a specific term of our own -- shah -- a unique Ukrainian word that refers to small-denomination coins," he said. Since gaining independence in 1991, Ukraine has renamed streets, towns, cities, and other geographical locations that were named after Soviet and Russian figures or historical events and dates. Numerous statues of the Bolshevik leader, Vladimir Lenin, and other Soviet and Russian figures have been removed. The full-scale invasion, launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin in an effort to subjugate Ukraine, has amplified patriotic sentiment and strengthened a sense of unity and national identity among Ukrainians. The switch from kopiyka to shah would not change the value of the monetary unit. One US cent is currently worth about 41 kopeks, and small coins are scarcely used by Ukrainians in their daily lives. The transition would take place gradually, with both the kopiyka and the shah circulating in parallel for some time. Ukrainian emergency crews were battling to restore power to northern parts of the country as Russian forces continued to attack crucial civilian infrastructure with drone and rocket attacks, while Ukraine's strategic Pokrovsk region remained under pressure. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking in Sochi amid drone alerts in that Black Sea resort city, warned the United States against sending long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, saying it would bring an entire new level of escalation. Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko wrote on Telegram late on October 2 that power was back on line in the Sumy region near the Russian border following overnight attacks. The enemy continues to purposefully hit the energy infrastructure. We are working to protect the system from new threats, she wrote. She added that work is continuing in the Chernihiv region to bring back power following Russian shelling on October 1 that had left an estimated 300,000 people without electricity. Ukraines General Staff said at least 133 combat clashes took place along the front lines during the day on October 2, with much of the activity in the embattled Pokrovsk region. Pokrovsk, a city with about 7,000 inhabitants -- down from more than 60,000 prewar -- holds crucial road and rail junctions and has been under threat of encirclement by Russian forces for most of the year. "In the Pokrovsk direction, the invading units tried 36 times to break through our defenses," the General Staff said. In all, it said, Russian forces launched 47 air strikes and dropped 115 guided aerial bombs along with hundreds of kamikaze drones. Putin claimed that Russian troops had entered the city of Pokrovsk, but Ukrainian officials denied the report and said Russian forces continued to suffer heavy losses in the region. Ukrainian military spokesman Maksym Bakulin said Russian forces have attempted around-the-clock raids to enter Pokrovsk but have been hampered by the weather and Ukrainian resistance. In Sochi, Putin spoke to a discussion club, railing against Western involvement in Ukraine and warning Washington against sending long-range missiles to aid Kyiv. "Using Tomahawks without the direct participation of American military personnel is impossible. This would mark a completely new, qualitatively new stage of escalation, including in relations between Russia and the United States," Putin said. Following Putin's speech, a drone alarm was sounded in the Black Sea resort city, although it was unclear where Putin was at the time of the alert, and it was not immediately known if drones had hit the region. US Missiles For Ukraine, Via Europe US Vice President JD Vance on September 28 said the United States was considering Ukraine's request to obtain long-range Tomahawk missiles in its battle against Russian aggression. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has asked Washington to sell the missiles to European nations that would then send them to Kyiv. Zelenskyy says US President Donald Trump told him Kyiv could respond to Russia's attacks on its energy infrastructure with tit-for-tat strikes, as Ukraine continues to pound Russian refining operations. "If they attack our energy, President Trump supports that we can answer on energy," Zelenskyy said in an interview with Axios released on September 25. He added that Trump had also green-lit retaliatory strikes on Russia's military factories. However, he suggested they might be harder to reach due to the high level of defense of such facilities. On October 2, Zelenskyy warned European leaders that Russia has the ability to violate airspace anywhere on the continent and urged them to develop defense forces to fend off drones. "If the Russians dare to launch drones against Poland, or violate the airspace of northern European countries, it means this can happen anywhere," Zelenskyy told European leaders gathered for a summit on security and defense in Copenhagen. "In Western Europe, in the south, we need fast and effective response and defense forces that know how to deal with drones," he said. The gathering came after drone sightings in Denmark forced the closure of Copenhagen's airport on September 22 and after multiple Russian drone incursions into the airspace of other European countries. Also on October 2, Russia and Ukraine conducted another prisoner exchange, the most recent in a series of such swaps. The Russian Defense Ministry said on Telegram that 185 Russian servicemen had been returned, adding that 20 civilians were also released as part of the swap. Zelenskyy confirmed the exchange, posting pictures of the released Ukrainians wrapped in Ukrainian flags. "We are bringing home 185 of our defenders from Russian captivity. One hundred eighty-three are enlisted personnel and sergeants, and two are officers," Zelenskyy said on X. Twenty civilians are also returning home, he added. With reporting by Reuters MOSCOW, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Russia is finalizing the development of a new biometric boarding service for air passengers called "Migom," with the testing set to begin in 2026, a government official said Friday. Russian Deputy Prime Minister and Chief of Staff Dmitry Grigorenko said the system is designed to simplify pre-flight procedures and eliminate the need for passengers to present identity documents when checking in, passing security in the departure area, or boarding domestic flights. Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg will serve as the pilot site for testing, he said, adding that the airport already offers biometric access to business lounges and biometric payment options in shops. Russians have already used biometric services more than 150 million times to pay for purchases and metro rides, receive services online and at public service centers, Grigorenko noted. Officials noted that a series of legislative changes will be prepared to implement the project. Biometric identification will serve as an alternative to a passport during pre-flight procedures, with passengers retaining the choice of using either method to board their flight. AGM OF ELPHIN COMMUNITY CENTRE The AGM of Elphin Community Centre CLG will be held on Thursday, October 16th at 8 p.m. in the centre. The Community Centre is at the heart of the community and serves young and old. It has been up graded in the last few years with extensive internal and external renovations carried out. There are on-going improvements being made all the time. If you would like to get involved in any small way to help out with this wonderful facility please come along to our AGM. New people, new ideas all welcome. YOGA CLASSES CREEVE Yoga classes take place in Creeve Community Centre on Fridays at 7 p.m., 10 per class. New members very welcome. For further details contact 087 7823253. TOWER BAR SESSIONS The regular traditional Irish music sessions in the Tower Inn continue each Tuesday at 8.30 p.m. with a big welcome for all musicians and listeners. The Trad for Trocaire session will be back at the Halloween Bank Holiday weekend. TIDY TOWNS Tidy Towns volunteers are still hard at work, weeding, checking and re-planting containers. The committee would love to see new faces. No experience needed just a desire to help to make our town look well. A huge thank you to the wonderful sponsors without whom the committee could not buy plants, compost etc. ADULT SET DANCING CLASSES Adult set dancing classes every Tuesday at 8.30 p.m. in An Bothar Rua. Dancers of all levels welcome - from beginners to advanced dancers. Dancing for the craic not competition. Contact Michael Gunn for information on 086 3122897. IRISH LANGUAGE CLASSES Irish language classes for adults will take place in the Cruachan Ai (F45HH51), Tulsk on Wednesday, October 8th from 6.30 p.m. to 8 p.m.. This course is suitable for all levels with an emphasis on conversational Irish. Beginners are welcome. It will run every Wednesday for six weeks. This course is being supported by Roscommon County Council and Boyle Municipal District. For further information contact Deirdre at 087 3807773 (evenings). Bigi linn. Nickie Harrington was delighted to have her work included in 'Connection' the very first exhibition in the brand new gallery space above Grogan's Castle Lounge in Dublin. ROSCOMMON YOUTH SERVICE A youth group, for ages 15-17, meets in Elphin Community Centre. Come hang out, meet new people, try new things. Contact Aoife for additional information and to register 086 6036050. CCE MUSIC CLASSES Elphin CCE music classes are underway. Beginners welcome, lessons on Friday evenings. Further information contact 086-0526459 or 086-3868271. Lessons in fiddle, tin whistle, flute, concertina, button accordion, traditional singing, repertoire classes, Sean Nos dancing, SCT preparation. BINGO Bingo every Monday now starts at 8 p.m. in Elphin Community Centre. AA MEETINGS AA meetings are held on Mondays at 8 p.m. in Elphin Community Centre.. MOBILE LIBRARY The mobile library is in Elphin every Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 3.30 p.m.. ELPHIN NOTES If you have any local news or items you wish to highlight in the local notes in the Herald please email parnell.deirdre@gmail.com. CROGHAN/DRUMLION/CORTOBER THE SURGERY PRESCRIBED LOTS OF LAUGHTER The Surgery comedy play, written by local man John Nugent, and staged in the Four Provinces Lounge, Rathallen on Saturday, September 27th proved to be a very entertaining and enjoyable event. John and the cast, all from the local area, entertained full house and appreciative attendances at two shows. The Croghan Community Choir also entertained on the night. Congratulations to all involved for their talented performances. THANKS FROM CARRICK FIRST RESPONDERS The organisers of the recent church gate collection in support of the Carrick-on-Shannon First Responders group, wish to thank everyone who donated and to the volunteers for their assistance. The total amount raised was 2,076.54 which will go towards the purchase of lifesaving equipment. COME FOLLOW ME FAITH CLUB The parish Come Follow Me Faith and Fun Club will commence on Saturday, October 4th at 3 p.m. in the Patrician Hall, Cortober. The club, which is being facilitated by teachers from the parish, invites children from Third, Fourth and Fifth classes to join. PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL MEETING A meeting of Croghan Parish Pastoral Council will take place on Tuesday, October 7th at 7.30 p.m. in Drumlion Parochial House. PARISH MASSES Masses in Croghan parish this week as follows: Drumlion Church, Tuesday to Friday at 10 a.m., Saturday 7 p.m.; Croghan Church, on Sunday at 10 a.m. and in Patrician Hall, Cortober at 12 noon. Elphin Tidy Towns volunteer Sean admiring the work done recently at Castle Street. LATE MRS MARGARET MAHON The death occurred on Tuesday, September 23rd at the Hermitage Clinic, Lucan, Dublin of Mrs. Margaret Mahon (nee McGreevy), Palmerstown, Dublin and formerly of Ardlavagh, Carrick-on-Shannon, and Woodside New York. Margaret was beloved wife of Denis and mother of Kevin, Joseph, Grainne, Mairead and Denise and is also survived by her grandchildren, extended family and friends. Funeral Mass took place on Friday, September 26th at St. Philomena's Church, Palmerstown followed by interment in St. Patrick's cemetery, Glencullen. STITCH & BITCH ON FRIDAYS Stitch and Bitch mornings takes place every Friday at 10 a.m. in the Old Creamery Cafe, Croghan. Beginners and experienced knitters are all welcome to join. BINGO IN PATRICIAN HALL Bingo takes place in the Patrician Hall, Cortober on Sundays at 8 p.m.. Big cash prizes to be won. All welcome. CE SCHEME VACANCIES Cavetown CE Scheme has vacancies for general operatives. Duties will include the upkeep of all amenity areas, grass cutting, strimming, hedge trimming, litter and weed control, upkeep of flowerbeds and shrubs and landscaping. General maintenance will include repairs to fencing and stone walls, painting and decorating. Contact Tony ODonnell scheme supervisor Cavetown CE Scheme on 087 775 0556. ROOSKY/KILGLASS VINTAGE CAR, TRACTOR & BIKE RUN The Kilmore Vintage Car, Tractor and Bike Run takes place on Sunday, October 5th starting from Roosky Community Centre at 12 noon. Registration 20 from 10.30 a.m.. Contact JB on 087 6776 180 or Benny 086 6040 477. All proceeds to Feileacain Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Association of Ireland. PROGRESSIVE 25 Progressive 25 continues in Kilglass GAA Centre on Tuesdays at 8.30 p.m.. Last week's winners were: 1st, Tommy Flynn; joint 2ndm Mickey Tracey and Oliver Compton; raffle, Seamus Nugent. New players welcome. KILGLASS GAELS LOTTO In the Kilglass Gaels lotto held on September 27th, the numbers drawn were:9, 14, 21, 23, Bonus Number 22. There was no jackpot winner. There were three Match 3 winners of 67 each: David & Niola, Mary Thompson, Teresa Murphy (online). Next week's jackpot is 7,300 for four correct numbers, 11,300 for 4 correct numbers plus Bonus Number. Next draw takes place in the clubrooms on Saturday, October 4th. KILGLASS GAELS LADIES BONUS BALL This week's Kilglass Gaels Ladies Bonus Ball winning number was 18. Winners, Christy Farrell & Mary Donohue. LINO PRINT ART CLASS Lino Print Art Class starting on Wednesday, October 8th and running until November 12th at Roosky Community Centre. Tea and coffee provided. No experience necessary. Step by step guidance and all materials provided. For more information contact Louise 086 8827 360. PTAA PINS Any member of the community who wishes to order their Pioneer Total Abstinence Association of the Sacred Heart Fr Cullen silver, gold or diamond pins please contact Seamus Nugent 087 9309 498. Local Fine Gael Senator Gareth Scahill has called on Housing Minister James Browne to urgently publish the response to Storm Eowyn review. Eight months after the destructive January storm, the review has still not been completed. We needed to have learnt our lessons from Storm Eowyn to make sure we are resilient enough for the next season of storms. If its not published, how we are meant to learn these lessons?, said Senator Scahill. He pointed out that a lot of power and broadband lines have been left hanging all across Roscommon and the West of Ireland since that storm. These lines are stable but all its going to take is another branch or tree to come down very close and it will finish the job off. This was a patch up job rather than a permanent job, he said. Earlier this week, the Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC) criticised the delay in publishing the Storm Eowyn review. The CCAC expressed disappointment that it was overdue and said preparations were needed urgently before another storm of that magnitude hits Ireland. Earlier last month, Minister for Housing James Browne said it was anticipated that the review findings would be available shortly. Kenneth Fox Friday's front pages focus on a range of stories, from a new flotilla heading toward Gaza to a "serious sense of threat" due to Russian drones. The Irish Times reports that a fresh flotilla of boats is heading towards Gaza and has vowed to continue on its course despite the interception of about 40 vessels by Israeli forces and the detention of more than a dozen Irish citizens. The Irish Examiner reports Taoiseach Micheal Martin has claimed there is a "degree of naivety" among the Irish public as to the "existential threats" from Russia and other aggressors. The Echo reports that it took 35 minutes for a woman to report to gardai that her three-year-old was missing. Good morning, here is today's front page of the Irish Independent pic.twitter.com/x3n5csu7rd Irish Independent (@Independent_ie) October 3, 2025 Another day, another round of finger pointing in the race for the Aras... pic.twitter.com/MW8gdO2TCP The Irish Daily Mail (@irishdailymail) October 2, 2025 The Coleman Music Centre will welcome Glor na dTonn Ceili Band, the newly crowned All-Ireland Senior Ceili Band Champions, for an unforgettable night of traditional Irish music on Saturday, October 4th at 8 p.m. Hailing from Mayo, Sligo, and Waterford, Glor na dTonn have quickly risen to national prominence with their dynamic arrangements, rich musicality, and unmistakable Connacht style rooted in the legacies of James Morrison and Michael Coleman. Since their formation in 2019, theyve captivated audiences across Ireland, culminating in their historic win at the Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann 2025 in Wexford. This performance promises a high-energy, authentic ceili experience, blending tight rhythmic precision with the expressive flair of some of Irelands finest young traditional musicians. To book call 071 9182599 or online www.colemanirishmusic.com Sonam Wangchuk's Wife in Delhi Being Followed by Vehicles; Moves to the Supreme Court "Am I not entitled to meet and speak with my husband on phone and in person wherever he is detained?" Sonam Wangchuks Wife in Delhi Being Followed by Vehicles;Moves to the Supreme Court Latest News: Climate activist, now detained under the NSA, Sonam Wangchuks wife, who is now in Delhi to make her voice heard, stated that she is being followed everywhere in Delhi and that an employee of their institution was tortured in police custody. Wangchuks wife, Gitanjali Angmo, stated that she could not establish communication with her husband ever since he was detained. Wangchuk was arrested on 26 September, two days after he broke his fifteen-day-long fast in the wake of the violence in Leh Ladakh, wherein four people were killed in security personnel firing. He is accused of inciting violent protests in Leh Ladakh. Advertisement When Gitanjali Angmo, was asked whether she was successful in establishing communication with her husband, she told ANI, Not at all. I only got a call from a member of an apex body who received a call from the DSP saying that some people could meet (Sonam Wangchuk). I told him that I want this in writing. But I have never received anything like that. It is important to share that I am being followed everywhere in Delhi. A car follows me wherever I go, and I dont know who they are, she added. She continued, The staff that was working closely with us has been detained. They are in police custody... They are being beaten up. They are being tortured mentally and physically... Advertisement #WATCH | On whether she is getting judicial help to get in touch with her husband, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, Gitanjali Angmo says, " Not at all. I only got a call from a member of an apex body that he recieved a call from DSP saying that some people could meet (Sonam pic.twitter.com/BaVQEXxc1D ANI (@ANI) October 3, 2025 Advertisement She came to Delhi from Leh Ladakh after reporters were allegedly stopped from reaching her on the matter as security was beefed up around her institution. Today, while speaking to ANI, she said that after she left for Delhi, the security around their institution was withdrawn. She stated that neither she nor anyone close to them knows about the health conditions of Sonam Wangchuk. She said that they are not allowed to meet him and give him medicines. I dont know about his well-being, nor does anybody else, she added. Advertisement She stated that someone in Jodhpur tried to meet Wangchuk; however, that person was not allowed to meet him. She further stated that on one hand, Wangchuk has been detained inhumanely, and on the other hand, a witch hunt against us has been intensified. She alleged that when the government agencies could not find anything against Wangchuk and their institutions, their staff members were being physically and mentally tortured. She stated these were the reasons why she moved to the Supreme Court. This is why we had to approach the Supreme Court... I am worried about how he must be getting treated in jail... This message should reach throughout India: If justice can be delayed for a celebrity, with whom the whole country is rallying, who has worked at the grassroots, then what recourse does a commoner have?" Gitanjali Angmo has moved to the Supreme Court. On 2 October, around 5:30 PM, she filed a habeas corpus petition against the detention of the celebrated climate activist in the Supreme Court. I have sought relief from the SUPREME COURT OF INDIA through a HABEAS CORPUS petition against @Wangchuk66s detention. It is one week today. Still I have no information about Sonam Wangchuks health, the condition he is in nor the grounds of detention. pic.twitter.com/P4EPzO630A Gitanjali J Angmo (@GitanjaliAngmo) October 3, 2025 According to Bar and Bench news, the plea filed through advocate Sarvam Ritam Khare was filed on October 2. It stated in its news report that the apex court is on vacation this week for Dussehra and that it is unclear when the petition would be heard. Britishers Oppressed Indians Then; Today Ministry of Home Affairs Uses Police to Oppress Citizens: Gitanjali Angmo Gitanjali Angmo, on 2 October, posed a serious question asking whether India is really free. In a post on X, she questioned, Is India really free?" adding, In 1857, 24,000 Britishers used 135,000 Indian sepoys to oppress 300 million Indians under orders from the Queen. Today, a dozen administrators are misusing 2,400 Ladakhi police to oppress and torture 3 lakh Ladakhis under the orders of the MHA! Is India really free? In 1857, 24,000 Britishers used 135,000 Indian sepoys to oppress 300 million Indians under orders from the Queen. Today, a dozen administrators are misusing 2400 Ladakhi police to oppress and torture 3 lakh Ladakhis under the orders of the MHA! Gitanjali J Angmo (@GitanjaliAngmo) October 2, 2025 Gitanjali Writes to the President of India, the Prime Minister, the Home Minister, the Law Minister of India, and the LG of Ladakh Gitanjali Angmo has written to the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, PM Narendra Modi, the Law Minister of India, and the LG of Ladakh, requesting the release of innovator, educator, and environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk. In a letter addressed to the President of India, as the wife of Sonam Wangchuk, she stated, You, being from a tribal community/background, would understand the feelings of the people of Leh Ladakh better than anyone else. She asked the following questions before the President: Am I not entitled to meet and speak with my husband on phone and in person wherever he is detained? Can I not be of assistance to my husband to know his grounds of detention and to espouse his legal rights of seeking justice before the court of law? Am I not entitled to know the condition of my husband, who has been in detention since 26 September 2025, with no communication with me or anyone else close to us? As responsible citizens of India, are we not entitled to peaceful freedom of expression and movement? I have sent this representation for the immediate release of Shri Sonam Wangchuk to the President of India, Prime Minister of India, Home Minister, Law Minister of India, and the LG of Ladakh, with a cc to DC Leh. pic.twitter.com/6Y0xa46sNK Gitanjali J Angmo (@GitanjaliAngmo) October 1, 2025 Angmo called the illegal detention of her husband, the manner in which the State and its agencies were allegedly hounding them, and the surveillance they were kept under, deplorable. It is violative of the spirit and ethos of the Constitution of India, including Articles 21 and 22, which guarantee every citizen the fundamental right to legal representation. Shockingly, even this minimal right has been completely denied to us, her letter to the President of India read. She appealed to the President of India to intervene and stated, As the President of India, you embody the principles of Equity, Justice, and Conscience! She requested the unconditional release of her husband, saying Sonam Wangchuk is a person who can never be a threat to anyone, let alone his Nation. He has dedicated his life to serve the brave sons of the soil of Ladakh and stands in solidarity with the Indian Army in defence of our great nation! (For more news apart from Will Keep Following Gandhis Path in Quest to Build Viksit Bharat: PM Modi on Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti, stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman.) Sonam Wangchuk's Wife Moves to Supreme Court; Here's the Detail Wangchuk is accused of inciting the violent protest in Ladakh. He has also been accused of having links with Pakistan, Sonam Wangchuks Wife Moves to Supreme Court Detail Latest News: Climate activist and innovator Sonam Wangchuks wife has moved to the Supreme Court seeking relief through a habeas corpus petition against the detention of her husband. On 2 October, around 5:30 PM, she filed the petition with the apex court. Advertisement While speaking to ANI, she alleged that on one hand, Sonam Wangchuk has been detained inhumanely under the National Security Act, 1980, while on the other hand, government agencies have allegedly intensified a witch hunt against her and the institution, HIAL, co-founded by her and Sonam Wangchuk. She alleged that when the government agencies could not find anything against Wangchuk and his institutions, their staff members were being physically and mentally tortured. Following the arrest of Wangchuk, she came to Delhi, saying she wanted to make her voice heard, citing that back in Ladakh, circumstances were as if she were put under house arrest. She alleged that reporters were not allowed to meet her on the matter. Advertisement She stated that these were the reasons why she moved to the Supreme Court and that she is worried about her husbands health condition. Wangchuk was arrested two days after he broke his 15-day-long fast, demanding safeguards under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution and statehood for the Union Territory of Ladakh. This is why we had to approach the Supreme Court... I am worried about how he must be getting treated in jail... This message should reach throughout India: If justice can be delayed for a celebrity, with whom the whole country is rallying, who has worked at the grassroots, then what recourse does a commoner have?" she added. According to Bar and Bench news, the petition, filed through advocate Sarvam Ritam Khare, was submitted on 2 October. The report stated that the apex court is on vacation this week for Dussehra, and it is not clear when the petition will be heard. Advertisement Wangchuk was flown out of Ladakh on the same day he was arrested and kept in Central Jail in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, according to reports. Since then, neither his wife nor anyone close to them has been able to get in touch with Wangchuk. His wife has also written to the President, Prime Minister, Home Minister, Law Minister, and the LG of Ladakh, requesting the unconditional release of the climate activist. Meanwhile, climate activists, various human rights activists and organizations, and some people have come in support of Wangchuk, demanding his release. Advertisement Wangchuk is accused of inciting the violent protest in Ladakh. He has also been accused of having links with Pakistan, which his wife has refuted time and again. Also Read | Sonam Wangchuk's Wife in Delhi Being Followed by Vehicles; Moves to the Supreme Court (For more news apart from Sonam Wangchuks Wife Moves to Supreme Court; Heres the Detail, stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman.) Tamil Nadu CM Stalin Slams Centre: No Probe in Manipur or Kumbh Deaths, But Swift Action in Karur Stalin accused the Centre of politicizing tragedies. Tamil Nadu CM Stalin Slams Centre: No Probe in Manipur or Kumbh Deaths, Karur Stampede Latest News: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday morning criticized the BJP-led NDA government, alleging selective response to tragedies across the country. He pointed out that while the Centre failed to send an inquiry commission during the Manipur riots, it was quick to act in the case of the Karur stampede. Addressing a public gathering, Stalin stated, When Tamil Nadu was struck by three major disasters that affected thousands of people, the Union BJP Finance Minister neither visited the state nor sanctioned any relief funds. But now, she has rushed to Karur immediately. Advertisement He further added, The BJP, which did not send inquiry commissions for the Manipur riots, Gujarat incidents, or Kumbh Mela deaths, is now promptly sending a team to Karur. This is not out of genuine concern for Tamil Nadu, but clearly because elections are due next year. Stalin accused the Centre of politicizing tragedies. Father Shares Ordeal of Losing Wife and Daughter in Karur Stampede Advertisement Saktivel, a resident of Emur Pudurn, lost his wife Priyadarshini (35) and daughter Dharanika (14) in the tragic stampede during a public event held by TVK chief and actor Vijay on September 27, which claimed 40 lives. Sharing his heartbreaking experience with ANI, Saktivel said, My wife and daughter went to Vijays campaign on the 27th at 12 noon. I had told them that if the crowd was too heavy, they should come back home. As time passed and they didnt return, I called them around 4:00 PM, but they didnt answer. Later, I received a voice message from them on WhatsApp. He continued, At 7:30 PM, I called again, but still got no response. The fourth time I called, someone else answered the phone. I rushed to the hospital and asked about them. They showed me some photos, but they werent in the treatment ward. When I went to the mortuary and checked, I found their bodies there. Advertisement Saktivels story reflects the deep personal tragedies behind the Karur stampede, which has sparked widespread political and public outrage. (For more news apart from Will Keep Following Gandhis Path in Quest to Build Viksit Bharat: PM Modi on Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti, stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman.) Security culture, a necessary shield The classic conflict in Ukraine, located on the border of Romania, has effects that far exceed the front line sursa foto: pixabay.com@BiljaST Corina Cristea, 03.10.2025, 13:09 Security a subject increasingly present in everyday life and not only in a military sense, but on a much broader spectrum, because the reality of recent years shows us that modern wars are no longer fought only with tanks and airplanes. The classic conflict in Ukraine, located on the border of Romania, has effects that far exceed the front line, it is a hybrid war, which combines traditional methods with tactics designed to affect perceptions, trust, and the way of looking at the world. What is happening now is even more than a hybrid war, says university professor Iulian Chifu, a foreign policy and security analyst, who makes an X-ray of the current situation: What we see specifically is the amplification of the number of threats, their diversification, their combination, but also the emergence of outbreaks of instability and confrontation, respectively, war. Of course, this sum of new elements and security in its broad sense, with its multiple instruments, are making a fundamental change. If until recently, a century ago, we were talking about the clash of armies, after which states confronted each other, with their institutions, with their resources, later we saw hybrid warfare and the confrontation of societies or attacks on societies, today we have reached a broad-spectrum war, full-spectrum warfare, which is fought including with targets using various instruments, both military and civilian, and even benign, but well-orchestrated, in such a way that this produces negative effects, reaches objectives with military relevance or in security, and alters state security. We must prepare for this version, of tomorrows world, lets say it already. They will have to manage many more instruments, many more threats, and it can no longer be done only by states and state institutions. They must do it with their societies, because they are non-governmental organizations, because they are private companies, and together with citizens. Because at the moment you need an overlap of all these efforts to defend a society in the level of technology, in social media, in the dimension of informational and cognitive warfare that we see today. Thanks to its membership in NATO and the European Union, Romania benefits from solid guarantees, but public perception is sometimes marked by a sense of insecurity. Perhaps also because one of the most important battlefields is the cognitive one, where fears are amplified through delivered messages, distrust in institutions is cultivated, and fractures in society are exploited. The perception of insecurity thus becomes a strategic tool. There are several types of insecurities in addition to the military one, evident in a context of armed conflict. We are talking about economic insecurity, when, for example, prices increase under the pressure of a war on the border, social insecurity, when distrust in people increases, but also informational insecurity, when you no longer know what is truth and what is manipulation. The result is a sense of vulnerability, which can strongly imprint a society, generate social tensions and even economic blockages. In short, it is a subtle weapon, but one that can prove to be very effective. In the face of these challenges, defense strategy no longer means just troops and weapons, but involves a coordinated response across society. This is related to security culture, which refers to the degree of awareness by each individual of security issues, the active involvement of citizens in solving them, and supporting the necessary measures to protect the state and society. That is, active and conscious commitment at the individual and collective level. And this is built through education. What does this mean in concrete terms? Norway, for example, through massive investments in civilian and military training, close collaboration between the civil community and the authorities, has managed to adapt to regional threats, including from Russia, maintaining a stable balance and strengthening its national security. Again, analyst Iulian Chifu: The education part is very important and, at the level of education, there are several elements introduced in school, in the area of leadership, which are related to learning ideas related to information warfare, disinformation, fake news, forgeries. Of course, this is not enough, because the aggressor is inventing more and more tools. When it comes to the Russian Federation, there are no moral or democratic limits there. Well, we must prepare ourselves, with the tools of democratic states, to counteract this. And it is done hard, over time, through education, it is done through strategic communication and it is done by building trust between decision-makers, leaders, political leaders, leaders in different institutional structures and populations. It is not easy, even more so in times of crisis, says Iulian Chifu, but we must think carefully about what we are doing with our security, all of us. October 3, 2025 UPDATE A roundup of local and international news. October 3, 2025 UPDATE Newsroom, 03.10.2025, 19:50 WEATHER Temperatures will go up across Romania compared with the previous day, but they will remain very low for this time of the year. Rain is expected in the western part of the country, and in isolated places in other regions, with the amount of precipitation to reach 10 to 15 litres per square metre. Sleet and snow are forecast in the mountains, at altitudes of over 1,800 m. The capital Bucharest and seven other counties have been hit by heavy rain and strong winds. The fire service intervened to help the population and clear the fallen trees. The highs of the day will be between 8 and 20 degrees Celsius. REFORMS Romanian prime minister Ilie Bolojan on Friday underlined the need for reform in the local and central administration, saying a constitutional solution will be identified to implement a ban on earning a state salary while benefiting from a state pension. At a press briefing to mark 100 days in office, he explained that the governments priorities in the coming period will be improving revenue collection and cutting working costs. These measures will ensure balanced budgets and funding for investments, the prime minister added. He also argued in favour of merging state bodies and agencies and said that in order to improve income collection, the government needs to combat tax evasion and finalise digitalization processes. ARMY The Romanian government Thursday passed the draft Army Volunteering Act. Young people, women or men aged between 18 and 35 who have not completed active military service will be able to undergo military training on request, for 4 months. Also on Thursday, the government passed a draft law that upgrades the defence strategy and places national defence in the context of collective defence within NATO and the European Unions common security and defence policy. Both documents have been sent to Parliament for endorsement. ITALY The foreign ministry announces Romanian citizens who are currently in Italy or planning to travel to this country that protests and a nationwide strike are planned in the main cities until October 4. In this context, road traffic and public transport, including rail, are disrupted, with possible delays, schedule changes, or even cancellations of public transport services. The foreign ministry urges Romanian nationals to avoid crowded areas where protests are taking place and to follow the instructions of local authorities. At the same time, Bucharest recommends consulting the website of the Italian ministry of infrastructure and transport for additional details. In the event of an emergency, Romanian citizens can call the special telephone numbers of the Romanian Embassy in Rome or the consulates in Milan, Bologna, Turin, Trieste, Bari and Catania. EU. Romania was represented at the informal meeting of the European Council and the 7thmeeting of the European Political Community in Copenhagen by president Nicusor Dan. The talks focused on the conflict in Ukraine and on ensuring European security. Among other things, a plan was discussed to put together a drone wall to protect the eastern flank of the EU and NATO, which could become operational in a few months time. Drones, however, are not the only common challenge, said the Romanian president, who mentioned online hybrid threats and presented the Romanian prosecutors first conclusions regarding the cancellation of last years presidential elections, with an emphasis on how social networks were used by the Russian Federation to misinform and influence public opinion in Romania. DONATION Books on Romanian monuments and UNESCO World Heritage sites, as well as illustrated albums with Romanian traditional costumes were donated to the Nakanoshima Library in Osaka on behalf of the Romanian Pavilion at Expo 2025, the Romanian foreign ministry said on Friday. With this donation, we want to offer the Japanese public a window into the Romanian spirit and to strengthen the cultural bridges between Romania and Japan, said Romanias Commissioner General for Expo 2025 Osaka, Ferdinand Nagy. According to a statement from the foreign ministry, Romania reaffirms its active role in promoting cultural diplomacy, demonstrating that art and tradition can foster dialogue, education and mutual understanding. By Laman Ismayilova A presentation of " Classic Czech Short Stories", an anthology edited by Dr. Ivana Bozd?chova from Charles University, has taken place in Baku. The publication of the book in Azerbaijani by the "Elm v? T?hsil N??riyyat?" Publishing House represents a significant milestone in the cultural exchange between the Czech Republic and Azerbaijan. The translation into Azerbaijani was carried out by Shabnam Asadova, a renowned translator. In an interview with AZERNEWS, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Azerbaijan Milan Sedla?ek emphasized the significance of this publication for strengthening the cultural ties between the two countries. He highlighted that this was the first-ever translation of Czech literature into Azerbaijani, describing it as a "momentous step" towards building a stronger cultural connection between the two nations. Q: How do you assess the significance of publishing the anthology for strengthening cultural ties between our countries? A: As I pointed out during the opening ceremony, this is a truly momentous occasion, as it represents the first-ever translation of Czech literature into Azerbaijani. I believe such events do not happen very often. I am very glad that we were able to dedicate three years to preparing this project. In my opinion, this is an important step in the development of our political and economic relations. Q: What contribution does your project make to the development of bilateral relations? A: This anthology covers Czech literature from the 19th century to the present, which allows the reader to gain a comprehensive understanding of the Czech literary tradition. This is a very significant aspect for a single book. After reading it, the reader may become interested in the works of such authors as Karel ?apek, Jaroslav Hasek, and other prominent Czech writers. This will give them the opportunity to deepen their knowledge and continue exploring further. If there is demand, we will continue to translate and publish new works. It is also worth noting that this is not the second book in this series, as the first one was a collection of Azerbaijani short stories translated into Czech. This project was carried out by one translator, Shabnam Asadova. The anthology includes Azerbaijani short stories. This project was completed three years ago, and now, as a continuation, we have presented this new anthology. Q: What initiatives are being undertaken to further expand cultural ties between Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic, as well as in other areas? A: One of the key steps, in my opinion, is the opening of the Azerbaijani House in Prague. This is a significant event for the development of cultural exchanges. I know that the director of the Azerbaijani House is actively working in this direction. Many cultural events are held at the Azerbaijani House, and, as is well known, culture is always closely linked to economic development. When the economy prospers, successful businesses emerge that support culture. We are actively working in this direction, and the economic ties are already showing positive results. I hope that based on this, we will continue to develop both cultural and educational projects. WASHINGTON, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that Hamas must accept the 20-point peace plan on Gaza by 6 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Sunday, otherwise "all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas." Trump said on Truth Social that Hamas will be given "one last chance," adding that "nations of the Middle East, and the surrounding areas beyond, together with the United States of America, have agreed, with Israel signing on, to PEACE, after 3000 years, in the Middle East." He also urged Palestinians to immediately leave areas of great danger and move to safer parts of Gaza. "Everyone will be well cared for by those that are waiting to help." On Monday, the Trump administration unveiled the 20-point proposal after Trump held talks with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. The plan outlines a ceasefire-for-hostages deal, a phased Israeli withdrawal, a demilitarized Gaza, and international oversight of Gaza's reconstruction and governance after the end of the conflict. Hamas will be excluded from the governance structure. Under the ceasefire terms, Israel will halt military actions and pull back to the agreed lines. Hamas, within 72 hours of Israel publicly accepting the agreement, must release all hostages, alive and deceased. In return, Israel will free 250 life sentence prisoners plus 1,700 Gazans who were detained after Oct. 7, 2023. Disarmed Hamas members who commit to peaceful coexistence will be given amnesty and those who wish to leave Gaza will be provided safe passage to receiving countries. At a press conference following the meeting, Netanyahu endorsed the plan, saying it met Israel's major objectives -- the return of hostages, the dismantling of Hamas's military capabilities, the end of the group's political presence, and the guarantee of Gaza's demilitarization. He warned that Israel would "finish the job itself" if Hamas rejected the plan. Trump, in turn, pledged "full support" for Israel under such circumstances. Bills on defence The government in Bucharest has approved a bill that will allow young people to become volunteer soldiers for a fixed term Sursa foto: fb.com / Ionut Mosteanu Roxana Vasile, 03.10.2025, 13:50 For years, Romanian authorities have been working to update legislation on preparing the population for defence, which has become all the more important as the war on the bordersRussias war in Ukrainehas disrupted the peace of the continent. Currently, Romania has a shortage of both active military personnel and reservists. If necessary, the country would rely on approximately 70,000 active military personnel, compared to over 300,000 in the 1990s, and on a reserve in the natural process of aging, composed mainly of those who performed compulsory military service until 2007, when it was suspended. As a result, a bill initiated in 2019 by the Defence Staff proposed that young people be able to participate on a voluntary basis in a basic military training program. Those who would follow it, it was specified, would either add to the mobilization reserve of the Romanian Army or could enter a selection process to become professional soldiers with employment contracts in the Army. On Thursday, the coalition government in Bucharest approved a bill to this effect. Voluntary military service is aimed at young men and women aged between 18 and 35 who are permanently resident in Romania and have not completed other forms of military service. The training program will last four months, and volunteers will receive free accommodation, meals, and healthcare, as well as a monthly salary equivalent to that of a soldier, namely 3,000 lei (approximately 600 euros). At the end of the training, volunteers will also receive a financial bonus equivalent to three average gross salaries. Currently, this amount is approximately 27,000 lei (around 5,400 euros). Experts assure us that this measure does not mean a return to compulsory military service, nor despite the tense geopolitical context is the country preparing for war. However, they say, Romania must be ready for defence. Also on Thursday, the Bucharest executive adopted a draft law modernising the defence strategy and placing national defence in the context of collective defence within NATO and the European Unions common security and defence policy. More specifically, the draft includes measures to simplify the decision-making chain in the theatre of operations. This will allow the commander on the ground to give direct orders, reducing response time in critical situations, such as drone interception. Both documents have been sent to Parliament for debate and approval under an emergency procedure. (MI) European Meeting in Copenhagen Romanias support for the Republic of Moldova is not going to stop, says the Romanian president Nicusor Dan, who attended the recent summits in Copenhagen President Nicusor Dan at the meeting of the European Political Community Photo: presidency.ro Daniel Bilt, 03.10.2025, 14:00 The conflict in Ukraine and ensuring the European security were high on the talks agenda of the European leaders, who on Thursday night ended two days of consecutive summits in Copenhagen, Denmark the Informal Meeting of the European Council and the seventh meeting of the European Political Community. The summits were marked by the obstructions of the Hungarian president, Viktor Orban, who, in spite of insistent calls from other chiefs of staff and government, vehemently refused to give up his vetoing the EU accession request of Ukraine, which also hinders the Republic of Moldovas efforts to advance in negotiations. The Danish capital also hosted talks on the ambitious project of building a drone wall to protect the eastern flank of NATO and the EU. Russia has been suspected of having been behind the numerous drone incidents Europe has seen in recent days, but the European leaders have refrained from leveling accusations at Moscow, which denies any allegation in connection with the aforementioned incidents. Besides flying over strategic objectives, the Russian military drones launched against Ukraine have repeatedly violated the airspace of some countries located at the EU borders, including Romanias. Drone threats are no longer an issue related to vicinity with Russia, says the Romanian President, Nicusor Dan, who represented the country at the aforementioned summits. According to him, the drone wall could become operational in a couple of months. The drones arent the only common challenge, President Dan says, who has also referred to the hybrid online threats and has briefed the European leaders on the first conclusions of the Bucharest prosecutors in the file of the last years cancelled election, with emphasis on the way in which the Russian Federation used the social networks to provide fake news and influence the public opinion in Romania. The head of the Romanian state has also talked about how the aforementioned manipulation schemes, together with other threats, such as cyber attacks and the use of drones, are common challenges for all European countries. The European Commission has proposed to come up by the end of the year with a democratic shield, the Romanian president has also said adding that presently in Romania there is cooperation between various institutions, which effectively intervene in blatant cases of disinformation and eliminate the fake content. However, there is room for improvement when it comes to fighting these actions. Copenhagen also hosted debates on the issue of drugs, which concluded with a joint statement also signed by Romania. The document says, the phenomenon is affecting all the European countries, and cooperation is needed when it comes to finding out the transport routes for these drugs, exchanging information or tracing money. According to the document, scientific cooperation is also needed in an attempt to contain this scourge. (bill) Elizabeth Lang alongside her husband, Bill Lang, owner and publisher of the Albuquerque Journal, listen to former Journal editor Kent Walz speak before presenting the Lang family the Lifetime Achievement Award during the Foundation for Open Governments annual Dixon Awards at the Sandia Casino Golf Event Center on Thursday. Chancey Bush Bill Lang, the owner and publisher of the Albuquerque Journal, receives the Lifetime Achievement Award from former Journal editor Kent Walz during the New Mexico Foundation for Open Governments annual Dixon Awards ceremony at the Sandia Casino Golf Event Center on Thursday. Chancey Bush ALBUQUERQUE Nonprofit watchdog organization New Mexico Foundation for Open Government honored the winners of its annual government transparency awards Thursday, one of whom is the owner of several newspapers, including the Rio Rancho Observer and Albuquerque Journal, the Lang Family. The Langs including Publisher Bill Lang, Senior Vice President Pepper Lang and former publisher, the late Tom Lang were one of two recipients of the 2025 Dixon First Amendment Freedom Awards for Lifetime Achievement. Kathi Bearden, retired publisher of the Hobbs News-Sun, also received the award. The Dixon Awards celebrate the vital work of citizens across New Mexico who make sure open and transparent government is more than just lip service, said Daniel Russell, chair of the Dixon Awards Committee. Those being honored are among the best at turning that principle into reality by exercising the rights we all have and ensuring everyone has access to their government. NMFOG thanked the Lang family for their continued support and said the transparency group would not exist without their support. Tom Lang provided financial assistance that was crucial to the founding of FOG and Bill and Pepper Lang have continued the legacy throughout their years of leadership at the Journal. During the award ceremony, FOG founder and former Journal editor Kent Walz listed a variety of reasons the Langs were receiving the prestigious award, including lawsuits revolving around a police shooting settlement and University of New Mexico presidential searches, Walz said. Those cases were hard fought and contested, but they had the effect of rolling back the blanket secrecy that covered public hiring, Walz said of the latter suit. Bill Lang to a crowd of journalists, transparency advocates and government officials honored all staff, past and present, that have upheld a legacy of transparency. I think were honored to have this award but most honorable for us is all the people we dealt with, Bill Lang said. We have some people that work for us that you cant imagine. So many people support us and what we do, and its so important to have that background and that knowledge to really make this happen for us. Ad The other Dixon Awards recipients are: Government category Katherine Garcia-Gallegos, records custodian and Inspection of Public Records Act manager, city of Santa Fe: Garcia-Gallegos established Santa Fes Records Department to put traffic reports online, which accounted for about 80% of the citys public records requests. The move significantly reduced the volume of requests and eased the workload for the department, making it easier for the public to access records. Rep. Sarah Silva,D-Las Cruces: The first-year lawmaker introduced a bill requiring lobbyists to disclose the legislation they were paid to influence and who funded those efforts. The bill passed both chambers but was vetoed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. Silva also introduced a bill protecting journalists from being forced to reveal confidential sources. The measure stalled in committee. Media categoryDiego Lopez, editor, Cibola Citizen: As editor in December 2024, Lopez began a series of articles about the Cibola County Commission, which had nominated a state representative to fill a vacancy in a different district. The nominee planned to give up his current seat and changed his address on his voter registration to become eligible for the vacancy. After the New Mexico Department of Justice confirmed he didnt live in the district, the governor rejected his nomination and someone else was appointed. Milan Simonich, columnist, Santa Fe New Mexican: After decades of work holding politicians accountable, Simonich is being recognized for spotlighting free speech issues after the University of New Mexico police charged a student group $10,000 to host a controversial speaker. He also covered a meeting during which state senators forced a reporter to leave the public meeting, and he reported on settlements the NMDOJ which enforces IPRA paid for violating open records laws. The Dixon Awards honor the late William S. Dixon, a First Amendment advocate and FOG co-founder, according to the foundation. For the past 23 years, NMFOG has honored his memory by inviting members of the public to submit nominations for the awards. Sept. 14Alexander McFadden, 25, of Albuquerque, was arrested for assault upon a health care worker, battery against a health care worker, two counts of battery upon a peace officer and two counts of resisting arrest. Heather Werder, 39, of Albuquerque, was arrested for aggravated DWI, failure to give notice of accidents and careless driving at an unspecified address. Ryan Klein, 51, of Conchas Dam, was arrested for burglary of a vehicle and larceny at an unspecified address. Russel Jessica, 28, of Rio Rancho, was arrested for battery and battery upon a peace officer at a redacted address. George Munoz, 23, of Rio Rancho, was arrested for aggravated DWI and DWI with a minor in the vehicle at an unspecified address. Sept. 15Maria Arias, 42, of Rio Rancho, was arrested for criminal damage to property and possession of a controlled substance at an unspecified address. Ricky Livesay, 72, of Rio Rancho, was arrested for DWI, no insurance and no seat belt at an unspecified address. Sept. 16Mithell Boteler, 44, of Rio Rancho, was arrested for aggravated battery, false imprisonment, three counts of battery against a household member, interference with communications, three counts of larceny and evading arrest at a redacted address. Osmel Yoel, 26, of Espanola, was arrested for receiving stolen property and negligent use of a deadly weapon at an unspecified address. James Crespin, 39, of Rio Rancho, was arrested for receiving stolen property and negligent use of a deadly weapon on the 1200 block of Desert Paintbrush Loop. Ad Sept. 17Ryan Klein, 51, of Conchas Dam, was arrested for two counts of burglary of a vehicle on the 4600 block of Platinum Drive. Darius Robertson, 31, of Rio Rancho, was arrested for aggravated assault against a household member and two counts of receipt, transportation or possession of a firearm on US 550. Donald Person, 69, of Rio Rancho, was arrested for battery against a household member at a redacted address. Saul Elizondo, 40, of Rio Rancho, was arrested for violation of a restraining order on Second Street. Sept. 18Gary Kloppenburg, 92, of Corrales, was arrested for DWI and careless driving at an unspecified address. Darius Robertson, 31, of Rio Rancho, was arrested for two counts of receipt, transportation or possession of a firearm on US-550. Sept. 19Natalie Manning, 20, of Rio Rancho, was arrested for aggravated DWI, failure to obey traffic control devices and operation of vehicle on approach of emergency vehicle on Unser Boulevard and Zaragoza Road. Jose Saenz, 35, of Rio Rancho, was arrested for DWI and reckless driving at an unspecified address. Fran Taylor, 77, of Rio Rancho, was arrested for battery upon a peace officer and evading arrest at an unspecified address. Courtney Powell, 33, of Rio Rancho, was arrested for criminal damage to property of a household member, assault and battery against a household member at a redacted address. Sept. 20Raquel Glumae-Chavez, 28, of Rio Rancho, was arrested for three counts of possession of a controlled substance at an unspecified address. Salvador Martinez, 30, of Rio Rancho, was arrested for battery against a household member at a redacted address. Christopher Ornelas, 21, of Rio Rancho, was arrested for battery against a household member and criminal damage to the property of a household member at a redacted address. Joe Tameria, 35, of Rio Rancho, was arrested for aggravated DWI/DUI (refused testing), leaving the scene of an accident, evading arrest and open container at an unspecified address. Kaden Stewart, 36, of Albuquerque, was arrested for DWI, careless driving and failure to register or title a vehicle as required at an unspecified address. As the travel period for the Jewish holiday of Sukkot approaches, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has reminded travelers to use vigilance when crossing the nation's ports of entry. Beginning after sundown October 6, until after nightfall on October 13, travelers observing Sukkot may carry religious items that are normally regulated to prevent the introduction of invasive pests and diseases. These items, including ethrogs, palm fronds (lulav), twigs of willow (aravah) and myrtle (hadassim), might be allowed into the United States after inspection by CBP agriculture specialists. Travelers can bring ethrogs into the U.S. through specific ports in the North Atlantic or Northern Pacific regions. The ethrog will need to be unwrapped so a CBP agriculture specialist can inspect it and will not be allowed in if they find pests or insect damage. Single palm fronds will be inspected by CBP agriculture specialists and released if they find no pests or symptoms of disease. European twigs of willow are prohibited from entering the United States, but if they come from other locations, they will be inspected by CBP agriculture specialists and released if no pests or symptoms of disease, such as being green in color, having soft tissue, or sprouted buds are found. Twigs of myrtle will be inspected by agriculture specialists and released if no pests or symptoms of disease are found. Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles or Feast of Booths, is a Torah-commanded Jewish holiday celebrated for seven days, beginning on October 6. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Mahindra Thar has been a defining product for the company and single-handedly rejuvenated the dead lifestyle SUV segment. While Mahindra equipped it as much as they can in 2020, we saw how much more Mahindra could have cramped when the company launched Thar Roxx last year. Five years since launch, Mahindra Thar deserved an update and thats exactly what it gets. The 2025 Mahindra Thar is not a facelift, but an update. An upgrade to its features and equipment. A proactive measure to keep the product fresh and address all shortcomings the current crop of owners had been asking for with this vehicle. Prices for 2025 Thar syart from Rs 9.99 lakh (Ex-sh) and 4WD variants start from Rs 15.49 lakh (Ex-sh). So, does 2025 Thar gets everything you asked for? Lets take a closer look. 2025 Mahindra Thar First Drive Review Where exterior design changes are concerned, there are not many. Spotting the exterior upgrades is like playing a game of Spot the Differences, but with difficulty level at max setting. There are four primary elements changed on the new Thar and not all of them are immediately evident. These updates are very subtle and for untrained eyes, they easily go unnoticed. 1. The keyhole on fuel filler cap has been removed because it now has an internally operated mechanism. Which is probably the most asked-for feature on Thar. 2. Dual-tone bumpers have made a comeback and they look similar to what Mahindra had offered in 2020. 3. If you observe the rear windscreen area, you will now find a washer and wiper, which was not the case before. 4. Mahindra has added a rear camera to Thar. Implementation is the same as Thar Roxx, installed on rear tailgate-mounted spare alloy wheel. Apart from these exterior updates, we can also see that Mahindra has updated 2025 Thars colour palette as well. 2024 model got Deep Forest, Red Rage, Everest White, Stealth Black and Deep Grey. With 2025 Thar, Everest White, Stealth Black and Deep Forest colours have been retained and we now have Galaxy Grey in the position of Deep Grey. It has to be noted that Mahindra does not mention Galaxy Grey as new colour. For Mahindra, new colours with 2025 Thar are Battleship Grey and Tango Red and these are the colours that were present at the media drive held in the companys off-road training facility in Igatpuri, Maharashtra. Now that we have got exterior changes and colour palette out of the picture, lets take a closer look at the new trim levels. New Trim Hierarchy & Interior Updates 2024 Thar came in AX (O) and LX trim levels and with the new 2025 Thar, Mahindra is offering AXT and LXT trim levels. AXT trim level can only be had with 1.5L Diesel MT RWD and LXT trim level can be had with 1.5L Diesel MT RWD, 2.0L Petrol AT RWD, 2.0L Petrol MT 4WD, 2.0L Petrol AT 4WD, 2.2L Diesel MT 4WD and 2.2L Diesel AT 4WD variants. Some of the new feature additions are standard even with base AXT trim. Speaking of feature additions on the inside, the most notable among them is the new 10.2-inch infotainment system that supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. This new screen is much slicker to use than the 7-inch one before. It has better resolution and runs significantly smoother. This screen also shows the reverse camera feed and then Mahindra has included Gen II Adventure Stats on this screen showing roll, pitch and yaw readings, handy during off-roading. Another major update immediately visible is the new steering wheel shared with Thar Roxx and Scorpio N. It continues to host steering mounted audio controls and cruise control like before. Instrument cluster is still the same semi-digital one with an MID. Some comfort enhancing features have also been introduced, like front centre armrest where the drivers side even slides for optimum position. This armrest houses a storage box underneath accessible to front passengers. Rear passengers get some pampering in the form of rear AC vents. 2025 Mahindra Thar finally gets grab handles on A Pillars, which makes ingress and egress a lot more daunting than it was before. Automatic variants get a dead pedal too. Mahindra has also fixed the ergonomic issue of power window switches by repositioning them on drivers door pad. Drive & Performance Other than these updates, 2025 Mahindra Thar remains the same mechanically. It carries forward the same suspension and braking hardware (rear drum brakes continue) as before. Powertrains have been carried forward as it was. Which means there is still no 1.5L Diesel AT RWD and 2.0L Petrol MT RWD combinations on offer. We drove 2025 Thar in 2.2L Diesel AT 4WD combination around Mahindras off-road facility in Igatpuri, Maharashtra. Driving the 2025 Thar on public roads felt exactly the same as it did before. Even off-roading, 2025 Thar is just as capable as 2020 Thar and the transfer case with 4L ratio brings a lot of grunt to counter most off-road challenges. One gripe during off-roading with Thar was the long turning radius, which continues to haunt with 2025 model. Everything you asked for? With 2025 Thar, Mahindra is not trying to carve out a facelift. Instead, it is a major update which will address a lot of elements that Mahindra Thar owners complained about in the past. In that regard, 2025 Thar is a lot more complete as a package right from the factory, which will negate your visit to an aftermarket shop to get a larger screen, rear camera and armrest fitted. There are more quality-of-life updates too, making 2025 Thar a lot more comfortable and convenient than before. Is 2025 Thar everything you asked for? That depends on what you asked for. If you asked for a plush cabin with soft-touch elements, a premium audio system, more tech-savvy equipment list and a tonne of feel-good features, Mahindra sells the Thar Roxx. If you ask me, I would have loved to see some features of Thar Roxx in 2025 Thar like ventilated seats, Level-2 ADAS and 360-degree cameras. However, that is not the case. If you need more features and creature comforts in an off-road SUV, Mahindra has got you covered with Thar Roxx. Thats the beauty of Mahindra as a carmaker. The company has something for everyone. The only thing I would now ask from Mahindra is an AXT 2.2L Diesel MT 4WD variant of MY25 Thar at a killer price tag which will knock the socks off Indias off-road community. With this new update, Mahindra is keeping 2025 Thar simple and more apt for off-roading where there are less elements to break and fail, while still cocooning occupants with as many features as they can. Also, keeping the price in check for off-road enthusiasts. Fixing the basics, we would say. If you loved the Thar, youll love this updated model even more. No two ways about that. Honda Cars India reported sales of 5,303 units in September 2025, reflecting a year-on-year decline of 6.56% compared to 5,675 units sold in September 2024. However, on a month-on-month basis, the brand recorded a strong rebound, with sales rising 37.74% over August 2025, when 3,850 units were sold. Domestic & Export Performance September 2025 For the month, Honda Cars Indias domestic sales stood at 13,203 units, down 15.5% YoY compared to 15,625 units in the same period last year. Meanwhile, exports registered 9,191 units, a sharp 33.23% decline YoY from 13,766 units shipped in September 2024. Combining both, Honda Cars India recorded a total of 22,394 units in September 2025, down 23.81% YoY. Q2 FY26 Performance In Q2 FY26 (JulySeptember 2025), Honda Cars India reported total sales of 6,774 units, compared to 11,143 units in Q2 FY25, reflecting a steep 39.21% decline YoY. Domestic sales in Q2 FY26 were 3,850 units, down 27.71% from 5,326 units a year earlier. Exports in the same period stood at 2,924 units, down nearly 49.73% YoY from 5,817 units in Q2 FY25. Despite the YoY slowdown, Honda Cars India is optimistic about the months ahead. The recent GST reforms, which have lowered effective car prices, along with the onset of the festive season, are expected to provide a significant boost to sales. Increased customer inquiries, festive promotions, and refreshed product offerings are likely to help the company regain momentum in the coming quarters. Mr. Kunal Behl, Vice President, Marketing & Sales, Honda Cars India Ltd. said, In September, we witnessed a strong pick-up in both wholesales and deliveries from Navratras onwards, as customers aligned their purchases following the GST related announcements. The GST 2.0 has come as a boon for the customers and the auto industry as cars are now much more affordable with reduced prices and additional ongoing offers. We expect this strong momentum to carry forward into October with heightened customer sentiment during Dhanteras & Diwali. Also Read New Honda Compact EV Concept Debuts This Month BEIRUT, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's agricultural sector is reeling from the combined pressures of the Israeli war, climate change, and drought, Agriculture Minister Nizar Hani said on Friday, estimating war-related damages alone at 800 million U.S. dollars. In an interview with Xinhua, Hani detailed the ministry's efforts to address these challenges through farmer compensation and production support projects, calling it a serious bid to safeguard a pillar of the national economy and ensure food security. Citing a World Bank report, Hani confirmed that agricultural damages stemming from the war amount to approximately 800 million dollars, while the country's total agricultural output stood at 2.18 billion dollars in 2024. "About 4,000 hectares of agricultural land were damaged, with around 20 percent destroyed," he said. "Hundreds of olive and citrus orchards were uprooted, and large numbers of plastic greenhouses, poultry farms, horse stables, and beehives were destroyed." The minister revealed that Lebanon is working with international partners to focus support on the hardest-hit areas in southern and eastern Lebanon. The Ministry of Agriculture has submitted a draft law to parliament seeking a 200-million-dollar loan to rehabilitate the sector, provide soft loans to small farmers, and support youth initiatives and agricultural cooperatives. Hani said climatic shifts, declining rainfall, and shrinking snowfall have also clearly damaged crops, particularly grains -- especially wheat -- and summer harvests. He considered climate change and reduced precipitation among the biggest threats, noting that this year's rainfall did not exceed 50 percent of the annual average and was limited to just 45 days. This restricted irrigation and negatively affected crops nationwide, particularly in eastern Lebanon, a major grain-growing area. "To mitigate the effects of these changes, the ministry, in cooperation with local and international partners, has launched several solutions," Hani explained, adding that these solutions include rainwater harvesting by rehabilitating medium- and large-sized mountain reservoirs, constructing 30 new reservoirs, and encouraging farmers to adopt drip irrigation projects to conserve water. Hani stressed the need to modernize and develop the sector to meet international standards, especially as Lebanon exports competitive products such as grapes, apples, bananas, and avocados. As part of its rehabilitation efforts, the ministry launched a three-year recovery program, which includes establishing irrigation networks, planting 50,000 olive trees to replace those destroyed during the war, and planting an additional 2,000 new olive trees. The ministry is also creating more agricultural networks and managing funds dedicated to agricultural support through a 200-million-dollar World Bank loan. Hani said the ministry has begun drafting a new long-term agricultural vision and strategy for 2026 to 2035, with the primary goal of revising the agricultural map and identifying the most productive areas. Regulatory steps are also being taken concerning mandatory agricultural pesticides and product quality, with coordination underway with the Ministry of Economy on a plan to market agricultural produce domestically and abroad. In March, the ministry organized a training session for farmers and agricultural cooperatives on modern techniques, benefiting about 7,000 farmers across Lebanon. "The ministry is also guiding farmers to grow crop varieties adapted to climate change and encouraging cultivation under plastic greenhouses to reduce the effects of climate fluctuations," Hani added. "Supporting agriculture will remain a national priority to ensure the resilience of farmers, the continuity of production, and the protection of food security in Lebanon," the minister said. Agriculture is the third-largest sector in Lebanon's economy after services and industry, contributing about 7 percent of GDP and providing income for roughly 15 percent of the population. [October 2, 2025] Joint press release Government must end smear campaign against media and NGOs Lahore, 2 October 2025. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), the Womens Action Forum (Lahore), Shirkat Gah-Womens Resource Centre, South Asia Partnership-Pakistan, Simorgh, and the Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS) strongly condemn a recent advertisement sponsored by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting that depicts journalists, NGO workers and freelance researchers as potential instruments of enemy propaganda. Framing civil society actors and independent media as part of an information war is deeply irresponsible and undermines the very freedoms that sustain a democratic society. Independent journalists and NGOs in Pakistan already operate under highly restrictive conditions: frequent harassment, onerous registration and reporting requirements, arbitrary scrutiny of funding, and a climate of suspicion fostered by vague security narratives. Portraying their work as a threat to national security further endangers individuals committed to protecting rights and informing the public. Such narratives have been used to justify surveillance, intimidation, and even physical attacks on journalists and human rights defenders. Urging citizens to report suspicious NGO workers or reporters without any legal safeguards risks legitimizing arbitrary targeting, harassment and censorship. Additionally, framing digital technologies largely as a means of entrapment aimed at sowing unrest, fear and chaos will compound the chilling effect on freedom of expression already instituted by the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act and its amendments, among other laws. It will also discourage independent reporting and obstruct the vital humanitarian and rights-based services that many organizations provide. We call on the government to withdraw this campaign immediately, refrain from conflating legitimate civil society work with hostile activity and prioritize an enabling environment where journalists and human rights organizations can function safely and independently. Liu Jianlong (L), equipment manager of China's Hengtong Group in Portugal, discusses technical issues with Alcobre's Chief Operating Officer Carlos Granja in the factory of Alcobre in Ovar, Portugal, Oct. 3, 2025. (Xinhua/Xun Wei) LISBON, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Portugal's oldest cable manufacturer Alcobre celebrated its 115th anniversary and inaugurated a new production unit on Thursday. Standing before the newly expanded facilities, Chief Operating Officer Carlos Granja was filled with emotion: "I have worked in this factory for more than 30 years, and I am grateful to Hengtong for bringing it new vitality." Founded in 1910, Alcobre mainly produces low-voltage cables and is one of the pillar enterprises in Ovar, a city in northern Portugal. In 2016, it was fully acquired by China's Hengtong Group. Since then, with the injection of Chinese management and technology, the century-old factory has been revitalized. According to Huang Chao, general manager of Hengtong Portugal, Alcobre's operations have achieved continuous and steady growth since the acquisition: total revenue has tripled and net profit has more than doubled. This year, the company also launched a new production line for OPGW (Optical Ground Wire), laying a foundation for its expansion into the medium- and high-voltage power market. Granja expressed full recognition and appreciation for Hengtong's arrival. "At the time of the acquisition, there were still some doubts," he told Xinhua. "But after years of working together, the Chinese staff have impressed the whole factory with their strength and diligence. The initial doubts have long since vanished, and today we are working very happily together." Felipe Silva, nearly 60, is one of Granja's longtime colleagues and the factory's most senior product design engineer, with over 40 years of service at Alcobre. "Since Hengtong took over the factory, I have been constantly exposed to new products and technologies from China," Silva said. "It makes my work increasingly interesting -- it feels wonderful." Silva especially enjoys discussing technical issues with Liu Jianlong, the group's equipment manager in Portugal. Pointing to the factory's newly introduced wire-drawing machine, they noted: "The old machine had been running for more than 30 years. Although still usable, its efficiency was far inferior to this new model." According to Liu, the new wire-drawing machine uses advanced technology and processes, with a high degree of automation. Its production efficiency is more than three times that of the old equipment, while energy consumption has been reduced by over 20 percent. "It greatly reduces the labor intensity of workers, and has impressed everyone with Chinese technology," Liu added. Over the nearly 10 years since the acquisition, the number of local employees at the factory has increased by 25 percent, significantly boosting local employment. Leveraging its global operations, Hengtong has also provided broader career development opportunities for local staff. Huang said the company plans to add nearly 100 new local jobs and achieve another fourfold increase in output value by 2030. Chinese Ambassador to Portugal Zhao Bentang said Hengtong's investment in Portugal has not only contributed to local economic development and job creation, but also promoted the upgrading of the country's cable and fiber-optic industries, injecting fresh vitality into China-Portugal economic and trade relations. Zhao's opinion was echoed by Portugal's Minister of Economy and Territorial Cohesion, Manuel Castro Almeida, who said: "This investment is very welcome because it comes from a company strongly committed to innovation." "We highly value investments that add value, create more wealth, more jobs, and better wages. This is the type of investment we truly appreciate, and in this case it is very welcome," said the minister. Chinese Ambassador to Portugal Zhao Bentang and Portugal's Minister of Economy and Territorial Cohesion, Manuel Castro Almeida, inaugurate a new factory of Alcobre in Ovar, Portugal, Oct. 3, 2025. (Xinhua/Xun Wei) This photo taken on July 21, 2025 shows a view of Hengtong Group's Alcobre cable plant in Ovar, Portugal. (Xinhua/Xun Wei) This photo taken on Oct. 3, 2025 shows an inside view of the new factory of Alcobre in Ovar, Portugal. (Xinhua/Xun Wei) This photo taken on Oct. 3, 2025 shows new wire drawing machine in the factory of Alcobre in Ovar, Portugal. (Xinhua/Xun Wei) UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Over 32,700 deaths of migrants have been reported in the Mediterranean since 2014, a UN spokesperson said Friday. "With over 32,700 deaths since 2014, the Mediterranean has become a death trap for those seeking safety, a dramatic reminder of the risks faced by migrants and refugees," Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, told a regular daily briefing. Dujarric said that 12 years ago today, off the coast of the Italian island of Lampedusa, 368 people lost their lives at sea while searching for a better life. The fishing boat carrying about 500 African migrants caught fire and sank off Lampedusa. At the time, UN agencies said there was a widespread call for change and a commitment to ensure that such a tragedy would never happen again, the spokesperson noted. "Yet today we continue to mourn lives lost at sea," he said. UN agencies estimated that since then, "an average of 42 people have lost their lives every week along the central Mediterranean route, and we estimated that one in five of them are children," he said. The UN agencies stressed that it is important that international cooperation remains strong, that conflicts are addressed, and that safe and regular migration channels are strengthened to reduce dependence on dangerous sea journeys organized by traffickers, he said. THE HAGUE, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Dutch police said Friday they arrested 205 people during a pro-Palestinian protest at The Hague's central station on Thursday evening. According to a police statement, the situation "quickly turned grim" as the protest escalated when participants occupied the main hall and platforms, with some entering the railway tracks. One officer was injured in the unrest. Most of those detained were arrested for entering the tracks. Police said they maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards aggression and violence against officers, and suspects in such cases will be prioritized for prosecution. CANBERRA, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Australia's health minister said on Friday that the federal government is working to support citizens detained by Israel after attempting to deliver aid to Gaza by sea. Mark Butler told Seven Network television on Friday morning that the government has put in a formal request for information on how many Australians were detained on the humanitarian flotilla that was intercepted by the Israeli navy while attempting to break the blockade of Gaza. Organizers of the flotilla on Thursday said that five Australians had been detained. Butler said that Australia has asked Israel for clear information about the detainees and for consular access to them. "Australians want to see aid flow, particularly basic aid like food and medicines to civilians in Gaza, but for those who are detained, of course, we will be providing consular support to them," Butler said. Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade issued a statement on Friday morning calling on all parties to respect international law to ensure the safety and humane treatment of those involved in the flotilla. It repeated Australia's call for Israel to enable the sustained and unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza. Devotees immerse one Durga idol in the Buriganga river in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Oct. 2, 2025. Durga Puja, one of the largest Hindu festivals, ended in Bangladesh with the immersion of the idols on Thursday. The five-day Durga Puja festival involves the worship of Goddess Durga symbolizing the power and triumph of good over evil in Hindu mythology. After worshiping for days, devotees with tears in their eyes on Thursday bade goodbye to their beloved goddess Durga as her idols were immersed in ponds, lakes and rivers on the fifth day, marking the end of the goddess's annual stay at her paternal home. (Photo by Habibur Rahman/Xinhua) DHAKA, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Durga Puja, one of the largest Hindu festivals, ended in Bangladesh with the immersion of the idols on Thursday. The five-day Durga Puja festival involves the worship of Goddess Durga symbolizing the power and triumph of good over evil in Hindu mythology. After worshipping for days, devotees with tears in their eyes on Thursday bade goodbye to their beloved goddess Durga as her idols were immersed in ponds, lakes and rivers on the fifth day, marking the end of the goddess's annual stay at her paternal home. According to Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad (BPUP), the Durga Puja was celebrated at 33,355 pavilions across the country this year. Devotees organized different programs, including dancing and traditional drummer performances to celebrate the festival. On the occasion of the largest Hindu festival, Chief Adviser of the interim government Muhammad Yunus has felicitated the country's Hindu community. Bangladeshi President Mohammed Shahabuddin also exchanged greetings with members of the Hindu community on the occasion of the festival at the presidential palace. One Durga idol is being transferred in a truck for immersion in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Oct. 2, 2025. Durga Puja, one of the largest Hindu festivals, ended in Bangladesh with the immersion of the idols on Thursday. The five-day Durga Puja festival involves the worship of Goddess Durga symbolizing the power and triumph of good over evil in Hindu mythology. After worshiping for days, devotees with tears in their eyes on Thursday bade goodbye to their beloved goddess Durga as her idols were immersed in ponds, lakes and rivers on the fifth day, marking the end of the goddess's annual stay at her paternal home. (Photo by Habibur Rahman/Xinhua) ULAN BATOR, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia has planted a total of 114.6 million trees across the country since the launch of its national tree-planting campaign in 2021, according to the forestry department of the Mongolian government on Friday. The national campaign to plant at least 1 billion trees by 2030 was officially launched in October 2021, when Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh addressed the UN General Assembly, declaring his country's goal to combat desertification and climate change. Environmental experts noted that Mongolia is among the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Due to its geographical location, natural disasters associated with global climate change are increasing year by year, including forest and steppe fires, as well as desertification, land degradation and yellow dust storms. According to the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, only 7.9 percent of Mongolia is forested, while approximately 77 percent of the country's total land area is now affected by desertification and degradation. LONDON, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- One of the victims killed in the Manchester synagogue terrorist attack is believed to have been hit accidentally by police gunfire, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said Friday. "One of the deceased victims would appear to have suffered a wound consistent with a gunshot injury," GMP said in a statement, adding that the suspect, Jihad Al Shamie, 35, was not armed with a firearm and that all shots were fired by police officers as they tried to stop him from entering the synagogue. The attack outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in Crumpsall on Thursday has killed three, including the suspect. Police said Al Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent, drove a car into worshippers, then attacked with a knife while wearing a fake suicide vest. He was shot dead at the scene. The attack has been declared a terrorist incident. Three people injured in the attack remain in hospital, including one with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound that may also have been caused by police gunfire. The two Jewish victims were named as Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who visited the scene on Friday, pledged to do everything in his power to protect Jewish communities. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said Al Shamie was not previously known to counter-terrorism police. Three others have been arrested on suspicion of terrorism-related offenses. Canaccord Genuity raised its target price on Serica Energy from 215p to 240p on Friday following the group's acquisition of upstream assets from Prax E&P, which recently entered administration. The $25.6m deal secures current production of around 13,800 barrels of oil equivalent per day and will be completed in stages, with Serica set to acquire Prax Upstream on 1 January 2026. Two additional sales and purchase agreements initiated by Prax were expected to close by the end of Q126. While Canaccord Genuity noted that the assets provided Serica with immediate output, it also noted that they were largely late-life, with decommissioning on the horizon. The Lancaster field, producing 5,900 boepd, was scheduled for shutdown in Q326 as the Aoka Mizu FPSO will be repurposed, potentially for the Sea Lion project in the Falklands. Canaccord Genuity highlighted two strategic upsides - a 40% working interest and operatorship in the Shetland Gas Plant, positioning Serica as a hub operator alongside its Greater Laggan Area assets; and approximately $1.3bn in tax losses carried by Prax Upstream, offering near-term shielding and longer-term portfolio optionality. The Canadian bank, which reiterated its 'buy' rating on the stock, described the acquisition as being both accretive and well-timed, enhancing Serica's production base, asset diversity, and tax efficiency at a "compelling entry cost". Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com US aviation giant Boeing Co s long-awaited 777X jet is facing further delays, it was reported on Friday. According to Bloomberg, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter, the widebody plane is now not slated to fly commercially until early 2027. It has previously been expected to start commercial long-haul flights in 2026, but Deutsche Lufthansa the jets launch customer has not included it in its fleet plans until 2027. Boeing, which declined to comment on the report, is due to publish third-quarter numbers at the end of the month, Analysts now expect the results to including a charge relating to the 777X delay of between $1bn and $4bn, Reuters noted. Boeing has already taken on more than $10bn in charges related to the 777X programme. First launched in 2013, the plane was originally slated delivery around 2020. Last month, Boeing chief executive Kelly Ortberg who has been in the role for just over a year acknowledged that the company was behind schedule in certifying the jet, with a mountain of work yet to be done. However, he said no new technical problems had been identified, and did not indicate any delays to first deliver. Boeing has endured a torrid period recently. At the start of 2024, a door panel blew off one of its 737 Max jets on a passenger flight. In response, regulators ordered production to slow while quality issues were addressed, hurting cash flow. It was also hit by a lengthy strike, curtailing production further, and announced a string of job cuts. As a result, Boeing slumped to its second-largest annual net loss in 2024, of $11.8bn, on revenues of $66.5bn. Negative free cash flow was $14.3bn. As at 1100 BST, shares in Boeing were unchanged in pre-market trading. The Italian owner of canned-tuna and ready-meals group Princes has announced plans to list the company on the London Stock Exchange. NewPrinces, the Reggio Emilia-based food conglomerate listed in Milan, released an 'expected intention to float' letter on Friday which called a "pivotal moment" for Princes Group. "The UK is our largest market and the home of an experienced leadership team: this decision reflects our long-term confidence in the business, the strength of our management, and the scale of the opportunity ahead of us," said NewPrinces executive chair Angelo Mastrolia. The move comes just one year after NewPrinces' own parent company Newlats purchased Princes from Japan's Mitsubishi Corporation. NewPrinces will remain a majority shareholder and won't sell any shares as part of the flotation, but use the new capital raised to "support Princes Groups inorganic growth strategy through further acquisitions". While no pricing details have yet been revealed, Sky News reported that the company could fetch a valuation of around 1.5bn. Princes, which along with its namesake canned fish brand owns other brands including Napolina, Branston, Batchelors, generated revenues of 2.1bn in 2024 and 1.0bn in the first half of 2025. "This transaction is intended to provide clarity to the capital markets by separating the manufacturing operations of Princes Group, as presented in the IPO Perimeter, from the vertically integrated FMCG activities retained within NewPrinces," NewPrinces said. If a Marx Brother had played a gay rheumatologist at a London hospital, the characterization might have conjured Eitan Rose, the central figure in A Particularly Nasty Case, an obscenely hilarious mystery and the first novel from Adam Kay (This Is Going to Hurt). Eitan is back at work after a four-month suspension resulting from a manic episode (he has bipolar disorder) that corresponded with a romantic bust-up. Supervising Eitan's return is his nemesis, Douglas Moran, the hospital's medical director. When an adorable hospital porter with new-boyfriend potential suggests that they ransack Moran's office, Eitan agrees, and then agrees, mid-ransack, to the sexual position in which Moran catches them. Eitan reports to work the following day to face the music and learns that Moran suffered a fatal heart attack--strange, as the man recently told Eitan that his stress echocardiogram was normal. What's more, Eitan knows that Moran's wife was furious at her husband. Eitan decides to sniff around--"After all, medicine was nothing if not detective work." Kay's unremitting humor ranges from clean to unrepeatable here. (Okay, fine, here's one that's pushing it: Eitan's hesitant friend speaks "with the enthusiasm of somebody who's just agreed to shower with Prince Andrew.") As A Particularly Nasty Case works its way to its big reveal, which will have its detractors, the novel promotes compassion for those suffering from mental illness, which may or may not have informed some of Eitan's more questionable investigative strategies (the number of manhandled corpses is greater than one). --Nell Beram, author and freelance writer A young woman's intellectual blossoming sets the tone for Lily King's Heart the Lover, an enchanting story about the pursuit of love and the exquisite, bittersweet regret of paths not taken. Taking stock of the relationships that shaped her life, a famous writer returns to her senior year of college and to the one great love that got away. The first part of Heart the Lover is an entertaining romp of a college drama. Uninspired by her classes, the narrator is practically sleep-walking toward graduation, until she meets two exceptional scholars, Sam and Yash, who ignite her creative ambitions and sharpen her understanding of her potential. What was only "paltry dabbling" before she met them transforms into a mission to complete an honors thesis in creative writing. They take to calling her "Jordan," and it isn't until the end of the novel we learn the narrator's true name, one fans of King's Writers & Lovers will happily recognize. Jordan's awareness that she is "unbearably naive" is offset by her nonchalant sense of humor and sharp eye for irony. Although Jordan starts dating Sam, it's charismatic Yash with whom she develops an undeniable connection and whose magnetic pull she can't resist. It makes for a crowded threesome, with one person at the loneliest corner of their triangle at any given time. King (Euphoria) is not one for dramatic plot flourishes; instead she calibrates Jordan's story with superbly timed, understated revelations and dazzling dialogue that will keep readers riveted. There may not be second chances exactly, but King allows for Sam, Yash, and Jordan's destinies to collide spectacularly far into the future. --Shahina Piyarali A soulful first novel by the award-winning poet and short story writer Souvankham Thammavongsa, Pick a Color follows the enigmatic proprietor of a nail salon over the course of an eventful summer day. It is a skillful, witty portrait of a woman composed of intriguing contradictions, the cracks in her hard outer shell exposing depths her clients will never know. Ning is the astute, dry-humored narrator and the owner of "Susan's." A former boxer in her early 40s, she projects a wary detachment and sizes people up as if they are potential competitors in the ring. In fact, she is soft-hearted and sensitive, eager to be included but unwilling to expose her vulnerabilities. Thammavongsa (How to Pronounce Knife) is marvelously adept at showcasing her protagonist's almost pathological need for control and the dark, swirling mysteries of her troubled past. A Laotian Canadian writer, Thammavongsa takes an experience readers may be familiar with as customers and invites them to view it from an entirely different perspective. It is a delight to immerse oneself in the everyday drama of the salon's "brightly lit box" with the rhythmic cadence of Thammavongsa's storytelling and the narrative spaces she creates for readers' imaginations to ignite. There is no dramatic ending here but Ning's day, as it comes to a close, is full of quiet victories. People who get their nails done are "hopeful," she observes, because they think they can change their lives for the better. One can say the same for Ning--the salon is her proof of a solid future, a buffer against the terrifying impermanence of life. --Shahina Piyarali Elena Sheppard's poignant memoir, The Eternal Forest, explores her Cuban family's complicated history with the island they loved and (in some cases) left behind. Sheppard, the only daughter of a Cuban mother and a white American father, also examines her fascination with her family's past, even as she tries to piece together the fragmented narrative from her grandmother's stories, her own visits to Cuba, and other family artifacts and stories. Sheppard's narrative focuses often on her grandmother Rosita, the largest "nesting doll" in their female-dominated family. Born in Cuba in 1921, Rosita is the matriarch, and her stories of politics, immigration, and womanhood shape the family narratives. Sheppard recounts the details of Rosita's childhood and young womanhood, painting a picture of pre-Castro Cuba. She traces the effects and aftermath of Castro's rise to power, the complicated feelings of Cuban immigrants toward the U.S., and her family's constant yearning for Cuba, even after decades away. "Cuba and the scar of exile are in all of our details," she writes. This longing, shot through with relief at having escaped, permeates the book. The Eternal Forest also engages with mental illness: Sheppard's aunt, Mariana, died by suicide, and her presence haunts the family still. However, Sheppard's narrative also contains stubborn joy: reuniting with family members who never left the island; enjoying Cuban food and traditions in Miami and elsewhere; and the enduring belief in the possibility of return and redemption. Sheppard's well-researched and haunting memoir is a tribute to a lost homeland and a moving reflection on what it means to live in one country and long for another. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams In her debut novel, The Irish Goodbye, poet and editor Heather Aimee O'Neill (Memory Future, Obliterations) gives readers a moving story of heartache and healing. The Ryan children once numbered four, until a boating accident and its fallout forever changed their family's trajectory. Twenty-five years after the accident, the remaining siblings gather at their Long Island home for the first time in many years, bringing both their current woes and decades of resentment along with them. Maggie teaches high school English and is internally spiraling after ending an affair with the wife of one of her school's trustees. Cait lives in London with her twin children, Poppy and Augustus. She is a year past her divorce, recently unemployed, and unexpectedly back in touch with her high school boyfriend-of-sorts. Alice still lives in their hometown, where she tends to her parents and her family, while attempting to restart her career as an interior designer and reclaim an identity outside of caretaker. O'Neill alternates between the sisters' points of view as they arrive for the Thanksgiving holiday, spinning a tangled web of the complexities that are so common among families. Although simply surviving life's difficulties--what the Ryans have been doing up till now--is a valid approach, The Irish Goodbye asks what a family could look like if its members banded together, making space for the best and worst of each other as they reforge a closer bond. How those closest to a person often cause the most pain is the heart of O'Neill's affecting novel, and it's a truism that feels universal, whether with blood relatives or chosen family. --Kristen Coates MOSCOW, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Russia has reaped benefits from its cooperation with China, a senior Russian official has said. Maxim Oreshkin, deputy chief of staff of the Russian Presidential Executive Office, made the remarks on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club held from Monday to Thursday in Sochi. "Engaging with China offers tremendous opportunities for any country in the world. And as we can see, China is actively expanding cooperation with every BRICS country without exception," said Oreshkin in response to a question from Xinhua. Speaking about Russia-China relations, he noted that bilateral trade has grown at a dynamic pace over the past five to 10 years, while investment and people-to-people exchanges have also advanced markedly. Ragnar Jonasson's outstanding The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer opens with Icelandic police detective Helgi Reykdal in his "happy place": reading a beloved mystery novel in the quiet comfort of his family's bookstore, far from his job in Reykjavik. Helgi's vacation is cut short when Elin Jonsdottir, an author "hailed as a pioneer of Icelandic crime writing," goes missing. Her publisher is worried, and Helgi's boss wants him on the investigation before it becomes public, believing the detective's fondness for mysteries gives him an advantage. Helgi rereads Elin's novels in search of clues, and he interviews Elin's friends and associates, yielding a complicated decades-old history. Helgi can't help comparing Elin's vanishing with Agatha Christie's still-unexplained 11-day disappearance in 1926. Furthermore, Helgi's personal life threatens to intrude on his case. He is considering a future with his new girlfriend, the intelligent Anita, but his violent, abusive, alcoholic former girlfriend, Bergthora, refuses to believe their relationship is over and she begins stalking Anita. Jonasson expertly sprinkles The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer with scenes from other time frames, including a 1965 conversation about robbing a bank, a 2002 flashback about Elin's last novel, and a 2005 interview with the author. They provide a savvy homage to detective fiction and cleverly drop clues worthy of the best of that fiction. Helgi's own love of the genre, long a source of amusement among his colleagues, provides amusing nods to the reader as well. Jonasson's adroit follow-up to Death at the Sanatorium cleverly mixes a solid police procedural with a valentine to 1930s and '40s mysteries. --Oline H. Cogdill, freelance reviewer Illustrator Erin McGuire (Rollin' on Down the Line) authors her first picture book, the fascinating and well-researched The Spy in the Museum, about Parisian Rose Valland's important work tracking artwork pillaged by Nazi's during World War II. Rose Valland was the curator at the Jeu de Paume Museum in Paris, where she cared for "some of the world's greatest art." When the Nazis "arrived on Rose's doorstep," they "stormed the hallways... eyeing its treasures greedily." Quiet, shy Rose could have fled the danger but stayed at the museum as manager, fearful about what would happen to the artwork. "The Nazis... thought she was harmless," but Rose was brave and took notes as the Nazis discussed their secret plans in front of her. Rose kept track of where the art went, even after she was caught eavesdropping and threatened with death. When the Germans finally left Paris, their train cars stuffed full of the museum's masterpieces, Rose sent her information to the French Resistance; the French Army managed to save "148 crates of priceless paintings." McGuire's engrossing narrative hews closely to its mission of describing Valland's "small, overlooked" act of heroism. The text is precise and concise and conveys the danger Rose was in, as well as her passion for her work. The digitally painted, graphite and mixed media illustrations are equally strong, portraying Rose's determination through facial expressions and posture and using shifts in perspective to create both menacing and thoughtful images. While the focus of this gripping book remains on Rose and her accomplishments, the "twisted and hateful" outlook of the Nazis is apparent in both text and back matter. --Lynn Becker, reviewer, blogger, and children's book author At the heart of Susie Dent's contemporary mystery masterpiece, Guilty by Definition, lies the unfinished story of the Thornhill sisters, two academically gifted women with opposing temperaments and a shared passion for the written word. The eldest, Charlotte, went missing more than a decade ago from her family home in Oxford, England, while working on her PhD. Her case remains unsolved. Charlie, as she was known, was gorgeous and charismatic in an intimidating, sometimes cruel way; her shy younger sibling, Martha, languished in the shadow of her sister's brilliance. The radiating energy of Charlie's "living absence" haunts the pages of Dent's marvelous novel as her fate comes clearly into focus. The story opens one spring with Martha, now in her mid-30s, returning to Oxford after a decade abroad in Berlin. She fled her hometown after Charlie disappeared--it was too painful to remain--but now she is back as the newly appointed senior editor of the Clarendon English Dictionary, with a talented team of lexicographers under her supervision. Soon after she joins the CED, anonymous letters containing perplexing riddles and Shakespearean clues begin arriving at the dictionary office. While the missing Charlie is the apparent focus of the letters, they also allude to an ancient manuscript that, if it exists, will spark a global literary sensation. It's an intriguing and irresistible premise set against the enchanting backdrop of Oxford's "obligingly dreamy" architecture. Dent (Word Perfect; Dent's Modern Tribes), a renowned English lexicographer and etymologist, is the popular, longstanding resident word expert on the British television show Countdown and has authored a number of books on the English language. Her first novel captures the seductive power of the written word, bound up as it is with history, cultural meaning and literary references, its ability to encapsulate a time and place long gone. Intimately familiar with Oxford, she is a guide through its "twisting cobbled alleyways" and the fascinating inner workings of the CED, modeled on Dent's prior employer the Oxford University Press. This is where Martha and her team record new words that come into existence and document the evolution of existing words. Readers with a fondness for word games will have a splendid time trying to decipher the cleverly confounding clues and the letter writer's identity in the excellent company of Martha and her three colleagues, who share a passion for etymological challenges and obscure literary references. There's Simon, senior to Martha in tenure, who was passed over for the senior editor position and wears bright patterned shirts to the office. Alex is a brilliant woman, older than Martha, with an exquisite sense of style and a secretive life outside the office. The youngest lexicographer is the quick-witted Safi, known for her bright outfits, her fierce intellect, and her impressive mastery of the finicky printer. All are pulled together by Martha, whose gentle pre-Raphaelite beauty contrasts with her absent-minded fashion sense and the Doc Martens she pairs with her dresses. Her team is accustomed to receiving the odd "Shakespearean crank letter" now and again, but the new anonymous correspondence portends something more serious and casts an unsettling pall over the office, especially when the lexicographers start receiving cryptic postcards at their home addresses. As Martha reacquaints herself with favorite Oxford haunts, she must also confront relationships that she has neglected, especially with her widower father, who resents Martha as though she is to blame for Charlie's disappearance. Echoes from the past are everywhere, urging her to find Charlie or discover her fate, reminding Martha of the role she fears she played in her sister's disappearance. Fueled by Safi's crackling enthusiasm, Martha and her colleagues begin in earnest to decipher the anonymous letters as they gather in the office and in a 14th-century pub tucked into an ancient courtyard. Their investigation takes them to the Cheshire Cat Antiquarian Bookshop in the Cotswolds and a manor house in Oxfordshire Charlie had visited. Martha enlists the help of Detective Oliver Caldwell, convincing him to reopen Charlie's case, and she asks the pompous Shakespearean scholar Jonathan Overton--handsome, beautifully dressed, and disagreeable--for help deciphering the letters' mind-boggling clues. Dent's skillfully executed plot holds multiple layers of tension, including the relationship dynamics of a tight-knit yet secretive literary community. Not everyone is thrilled that the case is reopened, and it soon becomes frighteningly clear why. Part of Guilty by Definition's charm lies in discovering, alongside Martha, Simon, Alex, and Safi, intriguing lost words. Each chapter is headed by a forgotten word from past centuries: the noun "velleity," for example, from the 17th century, means "the act of wishing or desiring without any accompanying effort"; the marvelous 16th-century word "addubitation" means "a suggestion of doubt." Swirling with themes of sibling rivalry, greed and ambition, the novel's action accelerates as clues contained in the letters give way to newly uncovered truths and lead to a heart-pounding, spectacular finale. The mysteries at the center of the drama--Charlie's whereabouts and what she was hiding, Martha's guilt, the identity of the letter writer--find resolution in a series of unexpected yet ingenious plot twists that will take readers utterly by surprise. --Shahina Piyarali Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors, and Hyundai report higher sales and new production milestones. Waaree Energies clears Rs 8,000 cr capex; RIL eyes packaged water market with Campa Sure. Coal India output dips, United Spirits wins court relief, while RBL Bank and PVR Inox face regulatory challenges. Indian markets are set for another active day as several companies announced key updates on sales, expansion plans, legal wins, and regulatory actions. Heres a quick look at the stocks likely to stay in focus in todays trade. Maruti Suzuki: The countrys largest carmaker reported a 3% year-on-year rise in total sales for September. The company sold 1,89,665 units during the month, compared to 1,84,727 units in the same period last year. Waaree Energies: Waaree Energies cleared a proposal to expand the capacity of its Lithium-Ion Advanced Chemistry Cell and Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) plant. The expansion will take capacity from 3.5 GWh to 20 GWh, supported by an additional investment of Rs 8,000 crore in its subsidiary, Waaree Energy Storage Solutions. Waaree Energies cleared a proposal to expand the capacity of its Lithium-Ion Advanced Chemistry Cell andplant. The expansion will take capacity from 3.5 GWh to 20 GWh, supported by an additional investment of Rs 8,000 crore in its subsidiary, Waaree Energy Storage Solutions. Tata Motors: Tata Motors posted its highest-ever quarterly sales in Q2FY26, touching 15.07 lakh units, a strong 22% jump over last year. In September, sales rose 12% to 5.41 lakh units, led by strong demand for motorcycles, scooters, and electric vehicles. Reliance Industries (RIL): Reliance Consumer Products announced that it will partner with regional water producers to launch its new affordable packaged water brand, Campa Sure. The company plans to challenge the highly competitive Rs 30,000-crore water market with aggressive pricing. Coal India: Coal Indias production fell 3.9% year-on-year in September to 48.97 MT, while off-take slipped 1.1% to 53.56 MT. The figures also reflect a weaker performance for the AprilSeptember 2025 period. Also Read: Why Shutdowns Could Be the Catalyst for Blockchain Twins in Trade United Spirits: In a legal boost, the Bombay High Court set aside a Rs 443 crore water charge claim that had been raised against the company by Maharashtras Water Resources Department. V-Mart Retail: V-Mart reported a 22% rise in revenue for Q2FY26 at Rs 807 crore. Same-store sales grew 11%, and the retailer expanded its network by opening 25 new outlets, taking its total to 533 stores. RBL Bank: The lender received a GST show cause notice of Rs 92 crore, including interest and penalty, related to input tax credit claimed in FY20 under its digital banking registration. PVR Inox: The Competition Commission of India has ordered a probe against PVR Inox for allegedly misusing its dominant market position by continuing to levy a virtual print fee despite the complete shift to digital projection. Hyundai Motor India: Hyundai began passenger vehicle production at its Talegaon plant in Pune, which has an installed capacity of 1.7 lakh units annually. Wakefern Food Corp. finalized its purchase of Morton Williams supermarkets on Oct. 2. (Courtesy of Vinnie Amesse for Wakefern Food Corp.) Wakefern Food Corp. has finalized its purchase of Morton Williams supermarkets, an acquisition that combines two family-owned grocery businesses with deep roots in the Northeast. According to a press release, the New Jersey-based Wakefern will retain the Morton Williams name, and a wholly owned subsidiary will operate the 17 stores included in the deal. Fifteen stores are in Manhattan, one in the Bronx, and one in Jersey City. The New Jersey-based Wakefern will retain the Morton Williams name, and a wholly owned subsidiary will operate the 17 stores included in the deal. Fifteen stores are in Manhattan, one in the Bronx, and one in Jersey City. (Courtesy of Vinnie Amesse for Wakefern Food Corp.) When a brand is so embedded in the community, its essential that we preserve that legacy, Wakefern President Mike Stigers noted in the release. Wakefern brings the scale and support to help independent operators compete and grow while retaining their local roots that made them successful. The company noted that the move will preserve Morton Williams rich legacy and deep-rooted community connections while leveraging the resources of the largest retailer-owned supermarket cooperative in the U.S. Wakefern noted that the move will preserve Morton Williams rich legacy and deep-rooted community connections while leveraging the resources of the largest retailer-owned supermarket cooperative in the U.S. (Courtesy of Vinnie Amesse for Wakefern Food Corp.) The acquisition represents a significant expansion for Wakefern, which currently operates more than 360 stores across nine states under various banners, including ShopRite and Price Rite Marketplace. All of the Staten Island ShopRite stores including the newest location in Great Kills are operated under the Wakefern umbrella. Customers will find the same neighborhood feel, elevated shopping experience and fresh prepared foods at their local Morton Williams store, and Wakefern will retain all the team members across stores, the company noted. Leadership from Morton Williams, including members of the Sloan family who established the Morton Williams brand in the 1970s, will also remain. Customers will find the same neighborhood feel, elevated shopping experience and fresh prepared foods at their local Morton Williams store, according to Wakefern. (Courtesy of Vinnie Amesse for Wakefern Food Corp.) Morton Williams, founded in 1952 by brothers Joe and Irving Sloan, has been a fixture in New York City for over 70 years. The company underwent a major transformation in the 1970s when Joes sons, Morton and William, reimagined their Manhattan locations to include kitchens, chefs, and a focus on prepared foods. Morton Williams has always been deeply connected to the neighborhoods we serve, and were proud to see that legacy continue under Wakeferns leadership, said Avi Kaner, speaking on behalf of the Sloan and Kaner family. Were confident that our team members and loyal customers will thrive as part of the Wakefern family. Its reassuring to know the future of Morton Williams is in such capable and caring hands. The acquisition represents a significant expansion for Wakefern, which currently operates more than 360 stores across nine states. (Courtesy of Vinnie Amesse for Wakefern Food Corp.) Kevin McDonnell, president of Wakeferns Price Rite Marketplace division, will lead the Morton Williams operation. McDonnell brings 40 years of supermarket industry experience, including extensive knowledge of the New York City market. Heres where the Morton Williams stores are located: Manhattan: 130 Bleecker Street 278 Park Avenue South(22nd Street) 311 East 23rd Street(2nd Avenue) 908 Second Avenue(48th Street) 1031 First Avenue (56th Street) 140 West 57th Street (between 6th & 7th Avenues) 917 Ninth Avenue (59th Street) 15 West End Avenue (Corner of 60th Street) 1066 Third Avenue 2015 Broadway (68th Street) 1331 First Avenue (71st Street) 1251 Third Avenue (Corner 72nd Street) 1565 First Avenue (81st Street) 1211 Madison Avenue (87th Street) 2941 Broadway (115th Street) The Bronx: 15 East Kingsbridge Road (Jerome Avenue) New Jersey: 105 River Drive - Jersey City A Staten Island man with a prior conviction was arrested in 2024 during a car stop on charges of gun possession and possession of cocaine and fentanyl with intent to sell. The man was sentenced on Sept. 24 to three years in prison and five years post-release supervision after pleading guilty to criminal possession of a weapon. X STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. A 36-year-old Clifton man arrested last year on charges of possessing a loaded gun and bagged narcotics has been sentenced to prison, while the mans attorney pledges his client is more than his mistakes. David Thompson, of Kimberly Lane, pleaded guilty recently in state Supreme Court, St. George, to attempted criminal possession of a weapon in connection with the June 20 arrest. In exchange for his plea, Judge Mario F. Mattei sentenced the defendant on Sept. 24 to three years in prison and five years post-release supervision. Thompson had a prior conviction at the time of his arrest. District Attorney Michael E. McMahon issued a statement saying that in addition to the gun and drugs found on his person, Thompson also was driving with a suspended license. Illegal firearms and deadly narcotics have caused harm and heartbreak for far too many Staten Islanders, and those who choose to use and abuse them will face serious consequences in the courtroom for their criminal behavior, said McMahon. I commend our partners in the NYPD for their unwavering commitment to removing deadly weapons and drugs from our community, and thank Assistant District Attorney Thomas Reig for ensuring this dangerous defendant received a multi-year prison sentence in this case. Defense attorney Mario Gallucci, meanwhile, said it is important to note that his client did not plead guilty to drug possession, and that he accepted responsibility for his actions. While we respect the courts sentence, its important to recognize that this outcome represents a turning point for him, said Gallucci. David is more than the mistakes that brought him before the judge, he said. He is someone who has the opportunity to rebuild his life once he serves his time. We are hopeful that he will use this experience to make better choices moving forward, and we remain confident he has the ability to turn his future in a more positive direction. Defendant flagged for parking error: NYPD NYPD officers pulled over the defendant when he failed to signal while making a parking maneuver near Grandview Avenue and Roxbury Street in Mariners Harbor, according to court documents. He was sentenced on Sept. 24 to three years in prison and five years post-release supervision after pleading guilty to criminal possession of a weapon. (Google Maps) The defendant was arrested at about 12 p.m. during a car stop in Mariners Harbor. NYPD officers assigned to the boroughs Community Response Team were in the area of Grandview Avenue and Roxbury Street when they spotted a silver Jeep Grand Cherokee fail to signal during a parking maneuver, police said at the time. The location of the car stop was near a dead end and located steps from an apartment complex. A photo of the gun and alleged drugs seized from the vehicle was posted on X by the NYPD. Some of the bags were stamped: Paid in full. Zohran Mamdani plans to end gifted and talented programs in schools if elected as mayor of New York City, according to reports. Owen Reiter Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani announced plans to end the gifted and talented program in New York City public schools if he is elected, according to recent media reports. Mamdani, the Democratic front-runner for mayor of New York City, said in a statement he would phase out the gifted program for elementary schools, according to The New York Times. Students currently in gifted classes would remain in the program, but no gifted programs would be available for incoming kindergarten students next fall, his campaign stated on Wednesday, according to The Times. Mamdani stated he would embrace the intention of former Mayor Bill de Blasio, who planned to get rid of the program in 2021. The end of the program was floated during most of de Blasios administration, as opponents alleged the former testing system favored more affluent students. New York City officially ended the testing requirements for gifted programs for the 2022 admissions cycle. Instead, students are identified for accelerating learning and go through a thorough process to determine admission. Mayor Eric Adams chose to expand the program when he came into office. Staten Island is also expected to get a dedicated gifted and talented elementary school at the former St. John Villa campus in Arrochar. If Mamdani is elected, its unclear if plans would change for the elementary school. Mamdani said in a statement that his administration would aim to ensure that every child receives a high-quality early education that nurtures their curiosity and learning, according to media reports. His statement came in response to a questionnaire from The New York Times sent to leading mayoral candidates. His opponents, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa, both said they would keep the gifted program and expand it, according to The Times. Mamdani also said he would keep the admissions test for specialized high schools. A view of the intersection of Broad Street and Tompkins Avenue in Stapleton in 1899. There are houses along both sides of Tompkins Avenue (the street at left). On the corner at right is a building with a store on the first floor. Signs above the first floor: "140 / LEATHER / FINDINGS / BROAD ST. / SHOE REPAIRING CO. / SHOES REPAIRED / IN 20 MINUTES WHILE YOU WAIT / 140." One man stands next to a horse-drawn wagon stopped in the street. (Courtesy Historic Richmond Town) Historic Richmond Town STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. The current view of the corner of Broad Street, looking down Tompkins Avenue in Stapleton, features Newport Car Service unlike a vintage photo from 1899, which shows an entirely different scene highlighted by a small shoe repair company. The horse-drawn carriage shown in the 1899 photo highlights how significantly transportation modes have evolved over the years. The photographer of this 1899 image, George Bear (1856-1945), opened his photo studio on Beach Street in Stapleton around 1881, just a few blocks from this location. He had trained as a photographer in Germany before immigrating to the United States in the 1870s. Bears clientele primarily came from the German-American community in Stapleton and often included factory workers, laborers, and tradespeople. Alaskan climber Bain Miller climbing the route "Croc's Nose" at Crocodile Rock in Hyalite Canyon near Bozeman, Montana, on Sept. 29, 2024. (Dylan Miller via AP) A professional climber and rising star among enthusiasts fell to his death Wednesday at Yosemite National Park, according to a recent report. Balin Miller, 23, was attempting to scale El Capitan, a sheer granite rock face of approximately 3,000 feet, when things went tragically wrong, family members told the Associated Press. At the time of his death, the Alaska native had been gaining fame on TikTok and Instagram. Hes been climbing since he was a young boy, his mother told the media outlet. His heart and soul was truly to just climb. He loved to climb, and it was never about money and fame. Millers brother and father also are climbers. The park service said in a statement that they are investigating the incident, and park rangers and emergency personnel responded immediately. This marks the third death over the past summer at the park. It also occurred on the first day of the federal government shutdown, which left national parks generally open with limited operations and closed visitors centers, according to the National Park Service. The Richmond County District Attorney's Office will be holding its fourth annual "A Mile in Their Shoes" walk and festival on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025. (Courtesy of the Richmond County District Attorney's Office) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. The Richmond County District Attorneys Office will host its fourth annual A Mile in Their Shoes walk and family festival this Saturday from noon to 3 p.m. at Willowbrook Park. The free event, which has drawn hundreds of Staten Islanders in previous years, coincides with Domestic Violence Awareness Month and aims to shed light on an issue that accounts for roughly 50% of Staten Islands felony assaults, according to the RCDA. Scenes from the third annual "A Mile in Their Shoes" walk at Willowbrook Park on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2024. The 2025 event will take place Saturday at Willowbrook Park. (Courtesy of the Richmond County District Attorney's Office) Domestic violence impacts far too many lives on Staten Island, many of whom sadly suffer in silence, District Attorney Michael E. McMahon said. While we support, serve, and work to secure justice in the courtroom for survivors and their families every single day, the month of October provides us with a unique opportunity to shine a light on this critical public safety issue which too often is shrouded in secrecy. The festival will feature free carousel rides, face painting, ice cream, zoo animals, a bouncy house, and health screenings for attendees. Scenes from the third annual "A Mile in Their Shoes" walk at Willowbrook Park on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2024. The 2025 event will take place Saturday. (Courtesy of the Richmond County District Attorney's Office) Willowbrook Park is located at 1 Eton Place in Bulls Head. On-site registration begins at 11:30 a.m., and the first 100 participants to register will receive a free swag bag. To register for the event, visit Eventbrite.com and search for A Mile in Their Shoes. For additional information, contact Lisa Thompson at Lisa.Thompson@rcda.nyc.gov. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid, President of the Republic of Iraq, on the occasion of the country's national day. "Dear Mr. President, On behalf of myself and the people of Azerbaijan, I extend my most sincere congratulations and best wishes to you and all your people on the occasion of the national holiday of the Republic of Iraq. I highly value our recent meeting in New York and the exchange of views we held. I am confident that we will continue our joint efforts to further strengthen Azerbaijan-Iraq relations and to fully realize the potential of our mutually beneficial cooperation, both bilaterally and within multilateral frameworks. On this significant day, I wish you robust health, happiness, and success in your endeavors, and the friendly people of Iraq lasting peace and prosperity." MEXICO CITY, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Thursday demanded the "immediate repatriation" of six Mexicans Israeli authorities took into custody after intercepting a flotilla that attempted to deliver aid to Gaza. Sheinbaum confirmed the number during her regular press conference, saying that they are being held in the port of Ashdod. The detained activists on board the Global Sumud Flotilla have yet to receive consular support. Israeli authorities have said "they are going to take them to a detention center," said Sheinbaum, but the Mexican Consulate is there "to support whatever is needed." Sheinbaum demanded that humanitarian aid reach the Palestinians and "this aggression against Gaza be stopped." "The Foreign Affairs Ministry will continue to promptly follow up on this unfortunate event, ensuring the rights of the detained compatriots and seeking, through all possible legal and diplomatic means, their prompt return to our country," the ministry added. The Northwell hospital will enhance its cardiac surgery program at the North Shore campus and bring advanced breast imaging to Staten Island's South Shore to address the borough's high rate of invasive breast cancer. Courtesy of SIUH STATEN ISLAND, NY -- Northwells Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH) has been awarded funding that will go toward life-saving equipment, ensuring that the medical center can continue to meet the growing health care needs of Staten Islanders. The investment was granted by Councilmember Kamillah Hanks, a Democrat who represents the North Shore, and Councilmember David Carr, a Republican who represents the Mid-Island and parts of South Brooklyn. It is for both the Ocean Breeze and Princes Bay campuses, and will include a new cardiac bypass machine and a 3Dimensions mammography system. By supporting Staten Island University Hospital with capital funding for the Cardio Bypass Program and the PB Mammography Unit, we are making a direct investment in the health and well-being of our community. When we strengthen our hospitals, we strengthen Staten Island, said Councilmember Kamillah Hanks. The new cardiac bypass machine acts as a temporary heart and lung during open-heart surgery and will enhance SIUHs cardiac surgery program. A tool like this enables complex procedures, such as valve repairs, coronary artery bypass grafting and congenital defect corrections. This will lead to better patient outcomes and shorter recovery times. The Northwell hospital will enhance its cardiac surgery program and bring advanced breast imaging to Staten Island's South Shore to address the borough's high rate of invasive breast cancer. Courtesy of SIUH The new 3Dimensions mammography system will bring advanced breast imaging to Staten Islands South Shore and address the increasingly high rate of invasive breast cancer in the borough. This advanced system features clearer, more detailed images, leading to more accurate detection. Staten Islanders deserve the best medical care possible, and I will always fight for the health of borough residents. I am glad to see that these critical equipment upgrades are moving forward, said Council Member David M. Carr. According to Dr. Joseph Basile, vice president and deputy hospital president at SIUH, these advancements are all apart of SIUHs commitment to the evolving needs of the community. Its an investment in our patients, our community, and the future of health care close to home. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has unveiled his own trolling campaign against members of President Donald Trumps administration and some in MAGA world are claiming hypocrisy. Trump has shared several deepfake videos of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on social media since late Monday, hours after meeting with the two Democratic leaders to negotiate a spending deal ahead of the current government shutdown. In one video, Jeffries is wearing a sombrero and a fake mustache alongside Schumer, who says in a fabricated voice that Democrats have no voters anymore, because of our woke, trans bulls---. If we give all these illegal aliens health care, we might be able to get them on our side so they can vote for us, the fake voice of Schumer said, referring to a misleading claim amplified by Republican leaders and lawmakers that Democrats shut down the government to give free health care to illegal immigrants. Newsom, appearing to play off of Trumps videos, has taken particular aim at Vice President JD Vance, House Speaker Mike Johnson and the president on X. PSA from JD, Newsom wrote in one post on Wednesday, transforming Vance into a minion from the movie franchise Despicable Me with a yellow complexion, goggles and a high-pitched voice. Kyle Mann, the editor-in-chief of the satirical news site The Babylon Bee, replied that Newsom should be thankful that his platform sued California over laws that prohibit some deepfake images and videos parodying politicians. Gavin should be thankful we at @TheBabylonBee sued the state of California and got the law he signed to stop people from parodying politicians using A.I. overturned https://t.co/77uCMTvanA Kyle Mann (@The_Kyle_Mann) October 1, 2025 One user wrote Incredible, attaching a past post from Newsom, in which he says: Manipulating a voice in an ad like this one should be illegal. Ill be signing a bill in a matter of weeks to make sure it is. Newsom was responding to tech billionaire Elon Musk sharing an AI-altered video mimicking a campaign ad from former Vice President Kamala Harris. When the governor of California finds out about this video, he will be very mad," the Libs of TikTok account said of the same post. In another post from Wednesday, Newsom also turned Johnson into a minion, writing in a caption, Trumps Minion Mike lies to the American people. Johnson, in the clip, was speaking with ABC host George Stephanopoulos, who pressed the GOP leader on why he opposes the Democratic proposal to avert a government shutdown, which he said is designed to prevent millions of Americans from losing their health insurance, losing Medicaid coverage or paying higher health care premiums. No George, Johnson replies with a helium-inducted voice, telling viewers to review the facts for themselves. During the actual interview, Johnson called Stephanopoulos statement absurd. On Tuesday, Newsom posted a video of Vance with long curly hair and chubby face to pop star Lady Gagas Just Dance. JD JUST DANCE VANCE, YOUVE BEEN BOOTED BY PETE! he wrote, after Hegseth announced new grooming standards during a rare meeting with hundreds of top military officials earlier this week. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D), left, and Vice President JD Vance had been floated as potential contenders for president in 2028. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton and Alex Brandon) A new Quinnipiac University poll found a clear winner in a hypothetical 2028 presidential matchup between Vice President JD Vance and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) in a key battleground state. Although both lawmakers have yet to announce their future political plans, Shapiro would currently lead Vance by 53% to 43% in a potential race in Pennsylvania, according to the poll, which was released Wednesday. Democrats in the state by a 97% to 1% margin said they would vote for Shapiro, while Republicans by a 89% to 10% margin said they would cast their ballot for Vance. Meanwhile, the majority of independents 58% said they would pick Shapiro, the poll revealed. Thirty-three percent said they would choose Vance. When asked to rate the two on their general favorability, registered Pennsylvania voters believe Shapiro is 58% favorable and 28% unfavorable. For Vance, he is viewed as 43% favorable and 47% unfavorable, according to the poll. Shapiro, who was passed over as second in command under former Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 election, has emerged as a rising star in the Democratic Party and has been floated as a contender to eventually take on the GOP. Vance has surged ahead in early polls for the 2028 Republican primary. The poll also found that Shapiro, who is wrapping up his third year in office, received the highest approval rating since Quinnipiac began recording responses from Pennsylvania voters in June 2023. Sixty percent of voters in the state approve of the job hes doing as governor, while 28% disapprove and 11% chose not to answer. Similarly, it is also his highest disapproval rating since October 2023. If he chooses to run for reelection, which is widely anticipated, Shapiro has a large lead against Republican candidate Stacy Garrity. Shapiro has scored 55% of support from voters, compared to Garritys 39%. According to the poll, President Donald Trump has a 43% approval rating among the states registered voters, and a 54% disapproval rating. The poll surveyed 1,579 self-identified registered voters in Pennsylvania from Sept. 25-29. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear addresses a crowd gathered at the Breathitt Co. Courthouse to discuss progress in flood recovery efforts in Jackson, Ky., Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley) AP Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) accused President Donald Trump of using Americans as props as he threatens mass layoffs of government employees during a government shutdown. Beshear suggested that Trump is responsible for the shutdown in an interview with NPR this week, noting that it is also Trumps decision to fire workers from their federal government jobs. Beshear, the Democratic governor of a deep-red state, is a likely contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination. Trump has repeatedly threatened to fire federal workers as he blamed Democrats for the shutdown despite Republicans controlling all three branches of government. The Trump administration also escalated its attacks on Democrats by freezing federal funds to blue-states, including New York. Despite Trumps attacks on Democrats, Beshear said the president bears responsibility for the shutdown. If he fires a bunch of people, its not because Democrats wouldnt reach a deal. Its because the president decides and actually fires people, he said, according to NPR. People arent a negotiating tool. They are not a prop. And thats how hes treating these families. Trump said on Thursday that he is meeting with Director of the United States Office of Management and Budget Russ Vought to discuss cuts to federal agencies. I have a meeting today with Russ Vought, he of PROJECT 2025 Fame, to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent, Trump said on Truth Social. Trump said the shutdown gives him an unprecedented opportunity to implement massive cuts to the federal government. I cant believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity. They are not stupid people, so maybe this is their way of wanting to, quietly and quickly, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! Trump wrote. Vought, the administrations budget chief, said the White House will begin firing workers within a day or two, Axios reported. Its unclear how many layoffs there could be in the government shutdown. Its not clear how long the shutdown could last as both sides dig in. Republicans refused to negotiate with Democrats over the spending bill, and Democrats appear ready to oppose the bill until they get healthcare subsidies extended. President Donald Trump became the center of attention at a world leaders summit on Thursday but for the wrong reasons. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama was caught on camera joking about a geography mishap from Trump, according to POLITICO. You should make an apology to us because you didnt congratulate us on the peace deal that President Trump made between Albania and Azerbaijan, Rama told French President Emmanuel Macron during the European Political Community meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark. Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, standing next to them, let out a laugh. I am sorry for that, Macron replied, to which Rama added: He worked very hard. Albanian PM Rama to Macron: You should congratulate Ilham Aliyev and me. Trump has ended the conflict between us. https://t.co/6GhybUMMRe pic.twitter.com/lpjObSNFFt Clash Report (@clashreport) October 2, 2025 Rama appeared to reference how Trump has repeatedly mixed up Armenia with Albania when pointing to his brokering of a recent agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. I solved wars that was unsolvable. Azerbaijan and Albania, Trump said during an appearance on Fox News in September. It was going on for many, many years, I had the prime ministers and presidents in my office. They sat so far apart. During a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer last month, Trump also made the same mistake: We settled Azerbaijan and Albania. In August, Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had joined Trump at the White House to sign a joint declaration aimed at bringing peace to the long-standing conflict between the two nations. It was the first time they have committed to reaching a deal since the 1980s, The New York Times reported. The declaration between Armenia and Azerbaijan is part of Trumps claim that he has ended seven wars while he has emphasized his desire for a Nobel Peace Prize. The Associated Press has fact checked his frequent argument as false. During a rare gathering of hundreds of top U.S. military officials on Tuesday, Trump also went on to argue that he will have solved eight wars if his peace plan for the Israel-Hamas conflict is agreed upon by the militant group. So if this works out, well have eight, eight in eight months. Thats pretty good. Nobodys ever done that, he said. And they arebut not necessarily in a positive light. Within days, the posters became a magnet for graffiti. Some doodles were harmless, but plenty look like protest art: AI doesnt care if you live or die. Surveillance capitalism. AI will promote suicide if prompted. Posts about the ads, and the graffiti, are everywhere on social media. Most founders would cringe at that kind of backlash, but Schiffmann called it artistically validating. The white space in the ads was intentional, he claimedthe vandalism was part of the plan. The audience completes the work, he said, beaming. Capitalism is the greatest artistic medium. Victoria Mottesheard, a vice president of marketing at Outfront, the billboard marketing agency Schiffmann worked with for the advertisements, told Fortune the campaign was taking over the Gotham underworld, as well as over 500 bus shelters in Los Angeles. You can ask about any aspect of it, and I can tell you a specific detail, he said. Its just what I like and what I dont like an amalgamation of my tastes at this point in time. Schiffmann said he sees Friend as an expression of my early twentiesdown to the materials. He obsessed over the fidget-friendly circular shape, pushed his industrial designers to copy the paper stock of one of his favorite CDs for the user manual, and insisted the packaging be printed only in English and Frenchbecause hes French. But Schiffmann doesnt care about the skeptics, or even about profitability. Profitability is ideal, he says, but right now it costs me an unfathomable amount of money if you actually use the product. The product itself is simple: a microphone, a Bluetooth chip, and an always-listening mode that pings Googles Gemini AI to generate responses and store memories in a visual graph. The pendant is manufactured in Toronto and marketed as your closest confidant. About 3,000 units have been sold, with 1,000 shipped so far, generating roughly $348,000 in revenuemuch of which, Schiffmann said, was spent on manufacturing and marketing. I dont have that much money left, he admitted. The AI wearable has 11,000 always on advertisements in the MTA, some covering a whole train station. Avi Schiffmann, the 22-year-old creator of Friend, told Fortune that the ad campaign cost him $1 millionan enormous outlay for a startup with barely $7 million in venture capital. The slogans are simple, intimate, needy, and impossible to avoid. Friend.com is the biggest campaign in the New York City subway this year, according to Outfront, an MTA billboard marketing agency. Ill binge the entire series with you. Ill never leave dirty dishes in the sink. Ill never bail on dinner plans. If you take the subway in New York City, or drive a car in Los Angeles, youve seen the ads for Friend.com. Story Continues To Schiffmann, the vandalized billboards arent defacement: Theyre proof that his subway takeover is working exactly as intended. The goal, he says, isnt just to sell a $129 AI pendant. Its to provoke a cultural debate about what counts as friendship in the age of artificial intelligence. The fine print First, though, comes the fine print. The AI version of a friend comes with more than just packaging and a chargerit has paperwork. Friends terms require waiving the right to jury trials, class actions, and court proceedings, funneling disputes into arbitration in San Francisco. Buried within are clauses on biometric data consent, which grant the company permission to passively record audio and video, collect facial and voice data, and use these to train AI. Schiffmanns answer to the legal fine print is that Friend is a weird, first-of-its-kind product, so the terms of service are intentionally heavy. He added that the terms are a bit extreme by designso I dont have to keep editing itand that with a three-person team and pricey lawyers hes avoiding extra legal exposure. (He said hes not selling in Europe to duck the regulatory headache.) He expects a fight eventually: I think one day well probably be sued, and well figure it out. Itll be really cool to see. He frames the always listening bits as speaker attribution, not surveillance. Technically, its not recording stuffits really for an AI, not for a human, he said. The pendant has a mic and, he claims, only listens when you feel the haptics; if the phone disconnects, its not recording, and they arent caching audio for later upload. He also said theyre not training models on user data right now: Googles not doing that for the API, and were not doing that Were saying it [in the terms of service] so were covered, but were not doing it yet. On storage and access, he leans hard on the device as the gate. He described Friend as a living YubiKey, with the encryption key baked into the pendant itself; without it, your data is completely inaccessible. Hence his blunt line: If I smash your Friend with a hammer, your data is gone forever. (He even told me a journalists husband actually smashed her pendantwhich, by his design, nuked the memories.) That swagger is part of the appeal for investors. Friend has raised money from Pace Capital, Caffeinated Capital, and Solana founders Anatoly Yakovenko and Raj Gokal, among others. The business model is still in fluxSchiffmann has floated accessories, AppleCare-style insurance, maybe subscriptionsbut for now its all about attention. I purchased the zeitgeist, he said of the subway buy. He compares his subway tunnel campaign to an international destination for AI culture, insisting the graffiti proves hes succeeded. Critics see something different. Suresh Venkatasubramanian, director of the Center for Technological Responsibility, Reimagination, and Redesign at Brown University, said that Friend is clearly an example of a frothy AI company, but that it also bore a pernicious resemblance to a mostly forgotten early-20th-century fad: radium necklaces. When Marie Curies new glowing discovery first hit the market, jewelers embedded radium in pendants and bracelets and sold them as chic wellness accessoriesuntil decades later, people started dying of cancer. I look at Friend and I think, Are we making the same mistake? Venkatasubramanian told Fortune. Were rushing these intimacy machines into peoples lives with no evidence theyre safe, or even helpful. The critique echoes larger skepticism in Silicon Valley, where hardware plays like Humanes AI Pin and Rabbits R1 have already flopped. Avi Schiffmann, wunderkind Schiffmann, since he was a teenager, has always had a knack for drawing spectacle. At just 17, he made the COVID-19 tracking website that tens of millions used each day, winning a Webby Award handed to him by Anthony Fauci. He dropped out of Harvard after one semester to build a refugee-housing site in response to the Ukraine war, claiming to connect 100,000 Ukrainians with homes. Hes spun up similar projects for earthquake victims in Turkey and for Black Lives Matter protests. Those quick, high-profile moves have given him a kind of bulletproof confidence. You can just do things, he told Fortune last year. I dont think Im any smarter than anyone else, I just dont have as much fear. Schiffmann claims the median user sends 238 messages a day to their pendantmore messages than youd send to someone youre dating, he noted. He frames this not as a productivity tool but as the dawn of post-AGI companies, building emotional products instead of utilitarian ones. My plans are measured in centuries, he said with a smirk. For now, though, Friends reality is glitchier. When a Fortune reporter tried it, it had lag, forgetfulness, random disconnections. Wired mocked its annoying personality, which was modeled after Schiffmann, and he conceded he lobotomized the AI after complaints. Not everyone wants to be my friend, he said. Youre not going to change the world that much if you make it slightly easier to order a pizza, he said. The future is digital relationships. This story was originally featured on Fortune.com Locksley Resources has hit the exploration accelerator at its Mojave critical minerals project in California after winning the green light from the states Bureau of Land Management to expand its plan of operations at the historic Desert antimony mine. The company says final approvals will be granted when the last piece of paperwork for an environmental bond has been lodged. Locksley will then be able to push on with a range of exploration programs it believes could help the United States get back into the antimony and rare earths game. Locksley Resources will soon kick off a drilling program at its flagship Desert antimony and El Campo rare earths prospects, part of the companys broader Mojave critical minerals project in California. At the same time, management has secured a drill contractor to kick off rare earths exploration at its El Campo prospect in the December quarter. The Desert antimony mine, which was last worked in the 1930s, is now firmly back on the radar. According to the company, a newly completed light detection and ranging (LiDAR) survey has mapped the underground workings in remarkable detail, producing a three-dimensional wireframe model that will guide the next drill targets and help with mine design. When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Credit: Nvidia European authorities are investigating Northern Data AG over allegations of tax incentive fraud related to the purchase of $568 million worth of high-performance GPUs, according to Bloomberg. The criminal investigation aims to determine whether the company misrepresented its GPU usage and utilized the data center for cryptocurrency mining rather than performing AI-related computing. However, while it makes sense to procure 10,000 H100 GPUs at a discount, it does not make sense to use them for mining. A 100 million VAT fraud? In 2023, Northern Data reportedly purchased roughly 10,000 Nvidia H100 processors for 400 million to strengthen its presence in the AI compute market across Europe. Normally, the company should have paid around 100 million in value-added tax, but since Sweden encourages the development of AI companies, it got a rather massive tax break. But while these GPUs were reportedly designated for AI computing, prosecutors suspect they were used for crypto mining. Historically, Northern Data was engaged in crypto mining and purchased hundreds of thousands of gaming GPUs for this activity, but since this activity is no longer eligible for tax benefits in Sweden after a policy reversal in 2023, it made a pivot. The European Public Prosecutors Office (EPPO) carried out coordinated enforcement actions in both Frankfurt and Boden. Four individuals were detained in connection with suspected VAT-related offenses totaling over 100 million. Additionally, a senior employee from Northern Datas Swedish operations was questioned as part of the probe. Prosecutors confirmed that the case focuses on three company subsidiaries active between 2021 and 2024. The charges being explored include tax evasion and money laundering. Investigators are reviewing the corporate and financial practices of Northern Data's Swedish units, assessing whether the company deliberately structured its operations to secure improper tax advantages. A spokesperson for the company declined to address the money laundering aspect when contacted for comment. Northern Data insists that its infrastructure is fully devoted to cloud computing, which implies usage by AI companies. H100 and cryptocurrency? The strangest aspect of the story is that it appears Northern Data is being accused of using dedicated AI GPUs for crypto mining, which would be a poor investment, to say the least. An H100 costs orders of magnitude more than gaming GPUs (and far more than ASICs), so its hashes per dollar are terrible even with cheap power. Detectives forced Khoury to hand over his electronic devices as part of an ongoing probe, codenamed Rye, into payments made into the accounts of suspected front companies allegedly controlled by the two gangland associates, via their accountant, by building companies operating down the east coast. This masthead has previously identified firms operating on Victorian state government Big Build projects, including LTE Construction Group, as having made payments to the suspected front companies to secure industrial support or peace from the CFMEU. Companies in Queensland and NSW are also caught up in the investigation. Mick Gatto (right) with gangland associate John Khoury. Credit: Erin Jonasson There is no suggestion Gatto, Khoury or their accountant or any firm are guilty of any offence, only that they are targets in an ongoing federal police probe into whether the payments involve financial crimes or unlawful attempts to influence union officials. In response to questions from this masthead, the Australian Federal Police confirmed Khoury was searched following their arrival on a flight at Melbourne Airport on 16 September and the search warrant was part of ongoing inquiries under Operation Rye. With the recently launched Queensland commission of inquiry into the CFMEU also set to examine Khourys activities in that state, the targeting of the two Melbourne underworld identities by the administration and police sees the pair facing scrutiny not seen since Gattos so-called Carlton Crew was caught up in Melbournes gangland wars. Loading Gatto was acquitted of murdering underworld triggerman Andrew Benji Veniamin during the height of the gangland wars, when a jury found he had acted in self-defence. Khoury, who has been described in previous royal commission documents as a veteran underworld figure albeit with a relatively minor criminal rap sheet (like Gatto), did not respond to requests for comment but has previously denied all wrongdoing. Irvings new rules around dealing with industry fixers who not only include Gatto and Khoury but bikie-linked figures such as a former Mongols bikie chief in Melbourne and, in NSW, a high ranking Bandidos gang member is aimed at squeezing gangland figures out of the construction sector while also complying with laws that protect the rights of individuals to conduct their business affairs freely. Under the new policy, figures like Gatto will have to write to Irving or his senior delegates to seek permission to raise matters with the union. Irvings letter also requested Gatto provide a list of clients to whom you provide services while warning he would pass that information to policing agencies, regulators, large project contractors who employ Gattos building firm clients and the state government building agency. Your continued engagement in IR will be entirely a matter for those project builders, Irving wrote. However, in an industry that for many years has been characterised by phoenixing and companies with opaque accountabilities, increased transparency enables those in the industry to make informed choices and increased transparency allows stakeholders to make informed choices about what sort of company they wish to engage. On Friday, Gatto hit back at Irving, questioning the lawfulness of his new policy in a rambling text message to his building industry clients and union backers. But Gattos missive also appeared to concede that, temporarily at least, his ability to operate was being curtailed. I am sorry that I cant deal with you [union officials] directly anymore. Irving seems to think he is judge and jury and I dont believe it is legal what he is doing, Gatto wrote while dismissing allegations of wrongdoing. I tried to speak to Irving and put him straight many times, even high ranking union officials tried on my behalf but he kept having heart attacks and was not interested. I will not walk away from my livelihood because they are looking for a scapegoat Otherwise have a great life my friends. Gattos reference to Irvings health relates to two short stints the barrister has had in hospital since he was appointed last August as part of the Albanese governments efforts to clean up the scandal-tainted union and broader construction sector in response to this mastheads ongoing Building Bad crime and corruption revelations. Loading Zach Smith, who had directed a CFMEU organiser to secretly meet Gatto to discuss concerns from Melbourne Airport building firm, the Maz Group, apologised for his conduct on Thursday after being confronted by this masthead. However, his actions stoked fierce anger from senior union and industry figures and police, who believe continuing relationships between CFMEU officials and nefarious industry figures, and delays in cleaning up the unions scandal-plagued Victorian branch, have badly hampered the Albanese government-backed administration. On Friday, Minister for Industrial Relations Amanda Rishworth denied this, insisting the appointment of senior CFMEU officials, such as Smith, was a matter for Irving. The government has full confidence in the administration, as the strongest available action to stamp out corruption, criminality and violence in the construction industry, Rishworth said in a statement. Changing deeply rooted cultural problems takes time, and we are committed to the administration remaining in place until the job is done. Smith is one of the few senior CFMEU figures from the previous leadership to remain in a top role under Irving, and is regarded by his union and ALP allies as having good integrity but poor judgment. Opposition industrial relations spokesperson Tim Wilson said public trust in Rishworth has collapsed. When Anthony Albaneses anointed golden boy [Smith] is caught facilitating meetings with underworld figures, trust in their process to clean up CFMEU corruption collapses, Wilson said in a statement. When corruption is endemic in a union, then appointing an administrator is like changing the logo on the letterhead of a sternly worded letter to a union official warning them not to facilitate meetings with underworld figures, and thats been exposed today. Minister for Skills and Training Andrew Giles said the reports about Smith and Gatto were concerning. We recognise as a government that there is a ... big bit of cultural work that is required in the building and construction industry, Giles said on Friday. Thats why minister Rishworth brought together industry figures, union figures, and ministers such as myself a couple of weeks ago in the National Construction Industry Forum to demonstrate our resolve to ensure that this industry is turned around, and the Australian community can have confidence in it. The revelations come less than a month after allegations of violence and intimidation on the site of the Western Sydney Airport train terminals were exposed by this masthead and the CFMEUs NSW leader, respected union veteran Michael Crosby. As you climb out of bed, take a walk, hit the gym, know youre carrying 432 people. Men, mostly, with 424 blokes lending their names to some 700 pieces inside your body. And if you figured females grab the remaining action then youre overlooking five gods, a Greek warrior, Adams apple and Elvis Presley. Yep, the King has dibs on your levator labii superioris alaeque nasi muscle, the upper-lip lifter creating the crooners signature snarl, nicknamed the Elvis muscle. Typically kinked to the left, as thats our faces more expressive side. Elvis has dibs on your levator labii superioris alaeque nasi muscle. Credit: Michael Ochs Archives Selfies support this. In 2017 a La Trobe team led by psychologist Dr Annukka Lindell found how most influencers favour a sinister bias when taking a snap, gaining 10 per cent more Likes. The Mona Lisa simpers to the left, just as new mothers often cradle their babies against their left shoulder, the better for junior to hear the embryonic heartbeat, plus see mums more animated features. Instinctively we own an inbuilt bias, but thats nothing compared to our bodys blokey bias. From the Achilles tendon to the zonule of Zinn (a fibrous ring in the eye), dead chaps dominate. Indeed, the only women to gatecrash this stag party are Iris the rainbow goddess and Raissa Nitabuch, the Russian pathologist ascribing her name to the placentas Nitabuch membrane. Beyond that, no other females. Writing for the BBC, Melbourne GP and writer Leah Kaminsky says: The truth is, men are all over womens bodies dead, white male anatomists. Their names live on eponymously, immortalised like audacious explorers for conquering the geography of the female pelvis as if it were terra nullius. Indeed, the female pelvis is a boys jamboree, the so-called pudendum (Latin for shame) bearing more men than Malcolm Frasers cabinet. From Gabriele Falloppio to Ernst Grafenberg who allegedly found the G-spot the fraternity is rife. Danish anatomist Caspar Bartholin the Younger has a mortgage on Bartholins gland, attached to the labia, just as the pouch of Douglas, a cavity behind the uterus, enshrines a Scottish obstetrician. Greek zoologist Georgios Papanikolaou, meanwhile, bestowed his syllable onto the modern pap test, a means of seeing if those eponymous boys are behaving. Loading Not that Im discrediting these pioneers but did they have to scribble their names on the walls? Wiser to call things what they are, where the Douglas pouch becomes the rectourine sac, as Bartholin could concede his title to the greater vestibular gland. Away from the doodle-fest, the male skew of naming can get equally messy. Hysteria, say, is tied to its Greek root of womb. The falsehood persists in hysterectomy, which Theresa Larkin, associate professor of medical sciences at the University of Wollongong, argues we should ditch for the clear and neutral alternative of uterectomy (removal of uterus). Language in medicine impacts patient care and health. It needs to be accurate, clear, free from bias or discrimination, and not disempower a person. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Theres one word that comes to mind when meeting the three sisters at the centre of the Malka Leifer case. Endurance. They endured a miserable home life. They endured sexual abuse at the hands of the principal of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish school they attended. They endured years of trickery, lies and evasion from Leifer and her legal team after she fled to Israel and fought extradition. They endured 74 legal hearings in Israel and so many more in Australia that they stopped counting. And when Leifer was eventually brought to trial in Australia 13 years after fleeing, they endured day after day of withering cross-examination before their abuser was finally found guilty and sentenced to 15 years in prison. Now, in the documentary Surviving Malka Leifer, theyre enduring another round of questioning from audiences and journalists and well-meaning friends and acquaintances about the whole interminable mess. Arent you tired of re-opening these old (and not-so-old) wounds, I ask them as we sit around the table of a large house in St Kilda that belongs, they say, to a member of their extended family? It hasnt been re-traumatising, says Nicole Meyer, 40. Its been confronting, and weve been transported back to where we were when we were filming. Its a difficult thing to have our vulnerabilities and rawness up there for everyone to see. But at the same time, theres a sense of pride that weve gone through that, we have something to show through it, and here we are today. Advertisement The film, which screened at the Melbourne International Film Festival and at the Jewish International Film Festival, drops on Stan* on Sunday. And for middle sister Dassi Erlich, 38, getting it in front of a larger audience is vital. A big part of the reason for making it, at least for me, was for people to understand that every single person plays a part in the so-called system, she says. The way we see sexual abuse, the way we talk about sexual abuse, the way we understand it, the way we treat survivors, respond to it: its not this external thing its something we all are a part of, and we all can make change happen. And for youngest sister Elly Sapper, 36, the film serves as a record of what they have been through and, as the title suggests, to the fact they have survived. Nicole (left), Dassi and Elly grew up in an ultra-Orthodox household and had a strictly religious education. It feels like were looking back onto a space that we once were in, as opposed to being in that space, she says. We lived and breathed this for so many years, and now it just feels like we can take that breath, take that moment, and look back and be in that new space. Instead of a fighting space, a healing space. The documentary from director Adam Kamien and producer Ivan OMahoney tells the story of the sisters experiences, individually and collectively, from childhood abuse at home, through the betrayal of the seemingly safe haven of school, the long pursuit of justice, and finally to the trial itself. Most notably, it spends long slabs of time with the sisters in the hotel where they stayed for the trial, able to support each other but not permitted to share details of their testimony. It captures the moment immediately after Erlich who had written a book about her experiences hears the full details of what happened to her sisters when they testify. And it captures the moment when Meyer hears that Leifer has been found not guilty on the charges relating to her abuse (while being found guilty of those relating to her sisters abuse). Advertisement Its all incredibly intimate, up-close and raw. And it makes this most public case personal again. For Meyer, the day of the verdict was complex. It was heartbreak. It was devastation, she says. Justice drove me for many years, and justice was denied. For months, she couldnt speak about it, and for a while she thought she might never do so again. And then I realised that ultimately, if I do that, Im letting her win, she says. I felt she had won already by getting a not guilty verdict with my charges, and I thought I dont want her to win, so Im going to go out there and just start talking. And thats what I did, and that really helped me to work on my healing. Remarkably, Meyer remains a member of the Adass community, where she advocates on behalf of abuse survivors. Erlich and Sapper left the community, but each in their own way have slowly found a way to connect with their Jewish heritage on a different basis. In the wake of her experience, says Sapper, I needed to throw away everything that I knew, and that included religion and Judaism. I didnt engage with it for many years. But over the past five or six years, Ive married and had kids, and my husbands family is a traditional [non-Orthodox] Jewish family, and Ive learned Judaism and religion are separate things. I enjoy the culture and traditions in their family, its a beautiful connection time, so Ive started to engage with that and see its not mutually exclusive. Advertisement Erlich similarly had a period in which she totally rejected all things Jewish. But now shes working with Pathways, an organisation that offers support to members of insular Jewish communities who are having issues and dont know where to turn. Its not at all about dragging people away from religion, she explains. Its very much heres a safe space for you to have those questions, to decide whats right for you. Im enjoying using the skills we learned through all those campaign years to do something really positive and create change. The sisters experience was at once commonplace someone in power recognised their vulnerability and mercilessly exploited it and unusual as members of a closed community that did nothing to educate its young women about sexual matters, they were uncommonly naive and isolated. Nicole Meyer (left), Elly Sapper and Dassi Erlich. The sisters story is one of endurance and togetherness. Credit: Wayne Taylor When they did recognise and report what had been done to them, it cost them enormously; they were suddenly cut off from the only community they had known, and thrust into a battle that would occupy years of their lives. What got them through was the support of a few close allies (former premier Ted Baillieu in particular), and the fact they were doing it together. I think if any of us had been doing it alone, we would have not finished, says Erlich. Advertisement Loading The TGA did not identify any manufacturing issue that would give rise to this result, and announced Wild Child had ceased manufacture and supply of this base formulation. So, why are sunscreens being recalled? Who is formulating and testing them? And what sunscreens can you trust? Which sunscreens have been recalled, and why? It all began with Ultra Violette. The small yet popular Australian sunscreen brand stocked in beauty giants Mecca and Sephora started to gain notoriety internationally, debuting in the US in March. The sunscreens recalled or paused from sale in Australia Aspect Sun, SPF50+ Physical Sun Protection Aspect Sun, SPF50+ Tinted Physical Sun Protection Aesthetics Rx, Ultra Protection Sunscreen Cream New Day Skin, Good Vibes Sunscreen SPF50+ New Day Skin, Happy Days Sunscreen SPF50+ Allganics, Light Sunscreen SPF50+ Beauti-FLTR, Lustre Mineral SPF50+ Found My Skin, SPF 50+ Tinted Face/Body Cream Ethical Zinc, Daily Wear Light Sunscreen Ethical Zinc, Daily Wear Tinted Facial Sunscreen (Dark) Ethical Zinc, Daily Wear Tinted Facial Sunscreen (Light) Endota, Mineral Protect SPF50 Sunscreen We are Feel Good Inc, Mineral Sunscreen SPF50+ GlindaWand, The Fountain of Youth Environmental Defence Cream SPF50+ Ultra Violette, Lean Screen SPF50+ Ultra Violette, Velvet Screen SPF50 People4Ocean, SPF 50+ Mineral Bioactive Shield Lightly Tinted Cream McoBeauty, SPF50+ Mineral Mattifying Sunscreen Naked Sundays, Collagen Glow Mineral Sunscreen Outside Beauty & Skincare, SPF 50+ Mineral Primer Salus, SPF50+ Daily Facial Sunscreen Broad Spectrum The Therapeutic Goods Administration, September 30 2025 A few months later, Choice revealed Ultra Violette Lean Screen SPF50+ Mineral sunscreen came back with an actual rating of 4. Choice conducted a second precautionary test it came back with an SPF of 5. Two months later, the product was recalled nationwide. Soon, swaths of mineral or physical (products with zinc as the active ingredient) sunscreens started being recalled or paused over concerns about lower-than-claimed ratings. Ten of the recalled products, in addition to the two from Ultra Violette (one sold in Australia and one in the US), were made from the same Wild Child base. Preliminary testing of this base formulation revealed it was unlikely to have an SPF of more than 21, while for some products, the SPF value was as low as 4, well below the claimed SPF50+. Loading How are sunscreens formulated, and what is white-label sunscreen? While some sunscreen brands typically larger ones formulate and manufacture sunscreen themselves, many brands source product from the same factory. Often referred to as white-label sunscreen, brands then take this base formula and add their own fragrances or colours. I think white-labelling is good for small brands because if youre a small brand, and youre completely new to making sunscreen, youre not going to have the experience and expertise to make something that is reliable. Its a lot safer to go with a stock formula from a manufacturer, cosmetic chemist Dr Michelle Wong said. Some sunscreen brands formulate their product base through a white-label company like Wild Child before sending it to be tested at a separate facility. In a statement provided to this masthead, Wild Child Laboratories CEO Tom Curnow said their facilities recently passed TGA inspections and blamed sunscreen testing. Some sunscreen brands formulate their product base through a white-label company like Wild Child before sending it to be tested at a separate facility. Credit: Getty Images All products we supply are supported by SPF test reports to substantiate their label claims. Following a recent inspection, the TGA confirmed that no manufacturing issues were identified at our facility that could explain variability in SPF testing results, Curnow said. The discrepancies reported in recent testing are part of a broader, industry-wide issue the well-recognised limitations of SPF testing methods, he added, referring to the standard, and variable practice, of sunscreen testing on humans. How is sunscreen tested? The current standard for SPF testing in Australia involves putting sunscreen on a minimum of 10 human volunteers who are exposed to artificial solar UV radiation to minimise the variability of sunlight. The higher the SPF, the longer it takes UV radiation to burn skin. Due to the use of human subjects and human testers to judge the level of burn to the skin, the method is highly variable, something acknowledged by the TGA. Many Australian companies using the same base formulation that were recalled in sunscreengate2025, relied on testing from United Kingdom-based Princeton Consumer Research Corp (PCR). The TGA has outlined significant concerns about the reliability of SPF testing undertaken by Princeton Consumer Research Corp however, it has not specified what these concerns are. Dr Stuart Henderson, ultraviolet radiation exposure assessment assistant director at the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA), said a control sunscreen in current SPF testing standards would reduce the effect of human bias. What other SPF testing options are there? In December last year, the International Organisation for Standardisation (the guidelines which the TGA follows) published two novel methods for measuring SPF. One is in vitro, meaning it does not require human volunteers, while the other is a hybrid method, which does not rely on physiological skin responses to determine SPF effectiveness. Dr Stuart Henderson, ultraviolet radiation exposure assessment assistant director at the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA), says the agency has long been advocating for research and development to improve sunscreen testing, and welcomes the new tests as promising. It is not yet known when they will become widely available or standardised in Australia. My interpretation of what the TGA said is [that] theres a bit of an inference there that perhaps the test method was not followed correctly. In an ongoing ABC investigation into sunscreen testing in Australia, two former Princeton Consumer Research employees alleged questionable data and incorrect testing practices by the lab. The Cancer Council, Woolworths, Ultra Violette, and manufacturers Baxter Laboratories and Wild Child Laboratories have ceased working with PCR. In a statement to this masthead, PCR said it conducts sunscreen testing in good faith to industry standards on specific samples provided by sponsors at the time of testing. The TGA has outlined significant concerns about the reliability of SPF testing undertaken by Princeton Consumer Research Corp, which said it tests sunscreen in good faith to industry standards on specific samples provided by sponsors at the time of testing. Credit: Getty Images Our studies are performed by trained professionals following written, validated protocols and rigorous quality controls, the statement said. Sunscreen performance measured in a laboratory reflects the exact batch and condition of the sample submitted at that moment. Multiple factors outside the laboratory can influence the SPF of products sold later. Curnow, of Wild Child, said the company had ceased using Princeton Consumer Research and initiated confirmatory testing with other accredited, independent laboratories to validate the SPF performance of our products. Do I need to chuck out my sunscreen? The spate of product recalls and scrutiny over Australian sunscreen reliability may mean consumers are fearful over which sunscreen is safe to buy, particularly if their favourite sunscreen appeared on the TGA list. Experts say the slew of pulled and paused sunscreens is not reason to throw out your sunscreen or to stop using it entirely. Credit: Getty Images However, experts say this is not reason to throw out your sunscreen or to stop using it entirely. The best sunscreen is the one people are actually going to use, says Henderson, adding it should be the last line of defence against the sun in addition to protection like clothing, hats, sunglasses and seeking shade. Loading For those sunscreens on the list, he says, the concern is not that it doesnt work at all, just that it doesnt give as much protection as it said on the label. For example, a sunscreen with an SPF of 20 still filters around 95 per cent of UVB radiation, compared to an SPF of 50 which filters around 98 per cent of harmful rays. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Perhaps if the teaching profession were more respected in Australia through higher status and remuneration, there would be no need for the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education (Aspiring teachers caught cheating on basic skills test, October 3). The profession is ranked very highly in China and other Asian nations, where its status and income are almost aligned with those of doctors. This might be reflected in the notable respect Australians from these backgrounds have for teachers and education. Further, the Australian Council for Educational Research might turn its attention to the issue of teaching profession status ranking in Australia, given that other analyses have not included this country. If the status and income of the profession were seriously elevated, the quality of aspiring candidates would look after itself and there would be no need for basic skills testing. Any associated ACER tests would transform to mere culling tools, as it unarguably is for its medical school entry exams due to the high aspirant numbers attracted by the elite status of medicine. Robyn Dalziell, Kellyville Teachers deserve higher status and better remuneration. Credit: iStock I am in broad agreement with the correspondents who decry far-right teachers in the education system, but I wonder if this criticism doesnt go far enough (Letters, October 3). There are many unreformed Marxist-leaning and pro-post modernist teachers also in the system, and more are being produced by universities. When the system is cleansed of the extreme right, surely the extreme left should also be removed. Doug Richards, Tamarama Self-taught success Our childrens school taught students how to learn and understand for themselves, eliminating the need for expensive tutoring (Ive signed my kids up for tutoring. Its quite an education, October 2). In line with this, we received a call from the year 9 maths teacher before the mid-year break, saying: Your childs maths preparation would be helped by joining a year 10 group next term. Ive provided the syllabus, tests and past exam papers. See how it goes. If hes comfortable he can jump a year. We scoured op shops for old textbooks and hours of holiday were spent studying, with a growing sense of achievement. All through VCE (HSC), wed overhear evening online work groups (in most subjects) knocking off past papers, helping each other, arguing, laughing and waiting for each other to catch up even downloading past papers and solutions from overseas examinations so that nothing surprised them. This approach costs little and has value beyond computation. Ronald Elliott, Sandringham (Vic) One-sided peace plan Waleed Aly, as usual, gets to the core of the Gaza peace plan (Trump has licensed Netanyahu to finish the job in Gaza, October 3). Strip out the noise and it is a demand from Israel, not a proposal. Return the hostages and cease any resistance and we will stop starving you. We might consider halting the bombing and perhaps exploring the possibility of independence in the future. Hostages will be traded, but you go first, and we may release some Palestinians if we feel like it. We will install an authority, but it will have no authority to compel Israel to do anything. This is not a peace plan. It is a smokescreen to cover Donald Trumps inability to have any impact on the conflict. Neville Turbit, Russell Lea Advertisement So many what would happen ifs in Waleed Alys opinion piece on the plan for peace in Gaza. So many doubts about whether Benjamin Netanyahu will meet his side of the agreement. Alys doubts are valid but misdirected. Netanyahu has accepted the peace plan, so now the most pertinent question is, what will happen if Hamas also accepts peace? I even have a credible answer: the hostages come home, the war ends and Gazans have a chance for a new future. Joanna Auerbach, Kensington Waleed Aly makes painfully clear that Benjamin Netanyahu cannot agree to Trumps Gaza peace plan because Netanyahus political survival is held hostage by his far-right coalition partners. The problem with Alys conclusion is that this is about far more than politics: it is about religion. Netanyahus far-right coalition partners are animated by a fundamentalist interpretation of ancient texts found in the Old Testament, which prophesy the End Times coming of a Jewish messiah. Their interpretation, however, is highly contingent upon Israel having fully occupied the Holy Land, with Jerusalem as its eternal capital. Under such a strict contingency, Muslim Palestinians have no place to independently settle in either Gaza or the West Bank. So how can Netanyahu possibly agree to Trumps peace plan while he is politically beholden to the coming of Israels much long-awaited messianic saviour? Rev Vincent Zankin, Rivett (ACT) Credit: Alan Moir Waleed Aly once again offers a fascinating view of the many political implications of the Gaza catastrophe. Whatever ones personal convictions may be, the simple truth is that children are being slaughtered daily and starved to death by an extreme right-wing government that maintains a comfortable diplomatic residence in our federal capital. The situation is, as Aly makes clear, immensely complex but nevertheless, something is rotten in the state of Denmark as the children continue to die while we are having our lunch. Peter Thomas, Rose Bay Marchers in reverse The Palestine Action Group plans to march on the Sydney Opera House to commemorate October 7, 2025 as two years since Israel launched its genocidal campaign against the Palestinian people (NSW Police urge Palestine protesters to relocate march from Opera House, October 3). Unless you have just arrived from another planet, you would know that the reverse is true and that October 7 marks the date Hamas terrorists from Gaza invaded Israel and tortured, murdered and abducted nearly 1500 innocent Israeli civilians, which started this needless and tragic war. Margaret Perlman, Randwick Advertisement Politicising tragedy Another deep dive into desperation and obscurity by Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie, as she tries to blame Labors support of Palestine for the tragic Manchester synagogue attack (Manchester synagogue killer named, October 3). Does she not remember the shellacking the Coalition got in the last election, in large part for this very type of attack-dog approach? Its obvious that neither she nor her colleagues have learnt their lessons. I find her and other similar comments utterly appalling in the face of such a tragedy. Lynn Nadjarian, Forster To my disgust, in expressing outrage at the Manchester murders, leaders of Australias conservative parties have taken the opportunity to hurl scorn at our prime minister for his support for a Palestinian state, claiming that recognition is encouraging antisemitic violence. Yet not a word of sympathy from them for the many thousands of Palestinians who have been systematically butchered by Israel, or criticism of their leader Benjamin Netanyahu. The obvious conclusion? Conservative leaders place no value on the lives of people of one faith, yet see major (political?) value in the lives of those of another. Im calling them out for what they are: hypocrites, at best. Andrew Royal, Orange America should take note the Manchester terrorist was able to do much less damage with a knife than if he had been armed with a high-powered rifle. Although its horrifying that he was able to inflict fatal injuries on several people, the carnage would have been much worse and may have included the police officers who attended so swiftly. Stephanie Edwards, Leichhardt War on smoking Australia is increasing law enforcement and regulation of tobacco retail sales to try and reduce illicit sales of cigarettes, tobacco and nicotine vapes (Australia goes global in fight against illegal tobacco, October 3). Once again, these measures will fail as there is such strong demand for much cheaper but illegal cigarettes and tobacco, and much safer vapes. Unintended negative consequences of this futile enforcement-based approach includes further stimulating an already soaring and violent black market, losses of billions of dollars of government revenue and consumers using unregulated illegal products. The wide gap between retail cigarette prices and the prices smokers are willing and able to pay is driving them to the black market. Reducing that gap is essential, and inevitable. Australia would benefit, as New Zealand has since 2020, by making low-risk nicotine vapes more available than deadly cigarettes. Dr Alex Wodak, Darlinghurst A Border Force officer inspects a container of illegal cigarettes. Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui Advertisement This is not the time to send a message of weakness to organised crime by reducing cigarette excise. With almost $10 billion in government revenue lost to illegal imports, penalties for smuggling this drug should rather be ramped up. While increased surveillance and intelligence gathering may cost millions, it will be money well spent. Governments should also remember that excise is not intended primarily as a revenue raiser, but as a deterrent to smoking, which puts extra strain on our hospital system. John Kempler, Rose Bay The fact that Australia has created a thriving black market in tobacco is not the result of excessive taxation. Britain and New Zealand have similarly high taxes but do not have a problem anywhere near to the same extent. Australia has failed because it has refused to regulate vaping and accept it as a safer alternative to smoking. By taxing tobacco and prohibiting vaping, the government has given Australians no choice but to turn to the black market and cigarettes are the most profitable contraband for smugglers. It was dumb strategy, but it is even dumber to deny the mistakes that have been made and continue to dig a deeper hole. Peter Barrett, Woonona Art failure It is no surprise that the Art Gallery of NSW is in financial distress (Art Gallery swings axe on dozens of jobs, October 3). The new adjacent Naala Badu gallery has failed to deliver a predicted boost in income. This was entirely to be expected as the massive new building is simply a competitor for the successful older gallery. Patrons split their attendance between the two; they do not necessarily attend more frequently. Maintaining the bewildering number of exhibitions in the new, oversized space was bound to become financially unsustainable. Other than turning it into a convention centre or a shopping mall, this uninviting building will remain a burden on the state. No number of consultants reports will prevent this. Philip Bell, Bronte Protect our resources It is clear that successive governments, both Labor and the Coalition, have failed to secure a fair return from overseas customers for our fossil fuel resources. Your correspondent is correct in stating that, this time, Australia should stand up to retain ownership and control of critical minerals that have become a strategic asset, and not allow an expensive repeat of what happened to our gas industry (Letters, October 3). The same can be said for Australias vast renewable energy resources. While it is still debatable whether mankind actually needs AI, with its massive environmental and social impacts, the Labor government is encouraging a boom in power-hungry AI data centres, which could eventually make up to 15 per cent of overall grid demand. We need the governments guarantee that, if this data centre boom happens, Australian taxpayers will be well rewarded (and that Australias strong CO2 emissions reduction targets will still be maintained). Rob Firth, Red Hill (ACT) Advertisement A rendering of CDC data centre in Marsden Park. Nuclear fallacy Dan Tehan has got to be kidding (Nuclear battle to resume as Coalition doubles down on Duttons push, October 3). The misinformation on nuclear power was simply part of the Coalitions fumbling efforts to present a viable energy policy. Even their nuclear costings were considered highly dubious by reputable experts, generally cited as inadequate and up to 100 per cent below reasonable estimates. I was surprised that Labor didnt respond more aggressively to the misleading statements, but perhaps Anthony Albaneses understated prudence was applied. After all, why give such a poor policy too much oxygen? Brian Jones, Leura Beyond obscene The word obscene seems inadequate, somehow, to describe the personal wealth of Elon Musk (Musks obscene net wealth hits new heights, October 3). The fact that the system we all use for arranging our economies allows this is a sorry indictment of our so-called leaders. The unequal distribution of wealth will continue to stoke violence and unrest and will have negative consequences in the future that are impossible to predict. Greg Baker, Fitzroy Falls Cool invention On our Riverina farm in the 1940s, our Coolgardie safe was better than nothing (Letters, October 3). But the hessian-draped box would only keep milk fresh for a day and meat fresh for a couple of days. Mum was in heaven when Dad bought us a kerosene-powered Silent Knight refrigerator in which she could make ice cream using Foster Clarks powder. Gerry Foley, South Turramurra Advertisement In the whole shambolic mess that involves barrister turned snitch Nicola Gobbo, a court has finally got it right. The Court of Appeal has thrown out one conviction against drug boss Tony Mokbel, ordered a retrial in a second and upheld the conviction for a third. Tony Mokbel leaves court on Friday. Credit: Eddie Jim This means the wise three justices, Stephen McLeish, Maree Kennedy and Stephen Kaye, found Gobbos interference in the job called Quills was so comprehensive he should be acquitted, and her involvement in the second (Orbital) was ugly, but there was enough independent evidence to justify a retrial. But in the third, Magnum, he was guilty as sin and should cop his right whack. Perths Cam Green has declared he will not be under any bowling restrictions by the time the Ashes starts, and is up for the challenge of batting at No.3 as an allrounder. Green hasnt bowled in a match since undergoing radical spinal surgery last October after suffering his fifth stress fracture. Cameron Green - seen here playing for Australia against the West Indies - will return to the crease for WA in the Sheffield Shield opener against NSW this weekend. Credit: AP That will change this weekend when Green makes his bowling return in Western Australias Sheffield Shield opener against NSW at the WACA ground, starting Saturday. Green will be restricted to just eight overs for the match, but will build up steadily in the ensuing Shield matches and ODIs for Australia. In total, Green expects to play three Shield matches as well as Australias ODI series against India before the Ashes begins at Perths Optus Stadium on November 21. Loading Its been a long 12 months, but feeling really good, Green said on Friday, before adding he was feeling no apprehension ahead of his bowling return. The bodys in a good place. Its been a really good rehab journey. I feel stronger, fitter, my action feels good. It will be eight overs for the (Shield) game. Just a steady build-up. The first Test should be no restrictions. Thats kind of the whole plan of the last year. Thats why its been such a slow build up - so that youre peaking by the time the Ashes comes around. Green is slated to bat at No.4 for WA in their Shield opener, but its highly likely he will slot in at No.3 for the Ashes. Since making his Test return in June - as a batter only - Green has been batting at No.3. There are big questions as to whether Green can handle the workload of batting so high in the order and also bowling crucial overs. But with fellow allrounder Beau Webster also in the Test side, Green is confident of being able to bat at first drop. Shane Watson used to open the batting and bowl, Green said. People probably dont realise how tough that was. Spending so long in the field bowling, and then expected to go out there and bat the last 10 overs of the day for example, is really challenging. But I think Im in a bit of a different place. Lets say Im batting up the top, and Beaus batting six, for example - he might take more of the (bowling) load. AAP Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size This story is part of the October 4 edition of Good Weekend. See all 14 stories . Several years ago, in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr Lily Parkinson, who was working as an emergency and critical care veterinarian at the University of Georgia, began getting calls about snow leopards. By then, the coronavirus had jumped into a variety of zoo animals, but snow leopards seemed to be getting unusually ill. Some were developing severe anaemia, a shortage of red blood cells that can leave the body critically short of oxygen. Had the patients been human or even domesticated cats, treatment would have been routine: a transfusion of red blood cells from an established blood bank. But there were no blood banks for snow leopards, and veterinarians knew little about blood types and compatibility in exotic animals. So zoos scrambled to find suitable blood donors. Institutions with healthy snow leopards offered to sedate their animals, draw their blood and send it to Parkinson, who just happened to be in the middle of a research project on blood types in large, wild cat species. But the logistical challenges were enormous and, in many cases, insurmountable. The zoo employees who were needed to collect the blood were out sick. Samples were lost in the mail. Other zoos that really wanted to donate and help were just not able to drop everything that they already had on their schedule, Parkinson says. The health of some leopards deteriorated so fast that they had to be euthanised before transfusions could be arranged. Today, Parkinson, now a clinical veterinarian at Brookfield Zoo Chicago, is trying to lay the groundwork for a resource that might have given some of these animals a chance: a blood bank for zoos and aquariums, stocked with pre-screened blood from a menagerie of exotic animals. To make this possible, she is drawing on techniques in human medicine that allow delicate red blood cells to be preserved, on ice, for years. If she can do the same thing for polar bears, pangolins, dolphins and dik-diks, it could leave zoos far better prepared for future animal health emergencies. We could theoretically try to bank every animal that we have in zoos and have it frozen and ready, she says. Advertisement Put it on ice Blood, whether human or animal, consists of several components, including red blood cells, which ferry oxygen around the body, and plasma, the liquid in which those cells are suspended. Some zoos already collect and bank plasma, which is easy to freeze and is packed with nutrients, antibodies and other important proteins. Zoos sometimes use plasma transfusions to treat newborn giraffes, which often fail to acquire critical antibodies from their mothers. Giraffes have proved cooperative blood donors: Weve got giraffes that will stay for upward of 20 minutes and allow us to draw plasma, says Amy Schilz, a senior animal behaviourist. Credit: Jamie Kelter Davis/The New York Times A frozen bag of a dolphins blood. Credit: Jamie Kelter Davis/The New York Times But animals suffering from an array of infectious or chronic diseases or experiencing massive blood loss may need transfusions of red blood cells, which have a tendency to burst when frozen and thawed. In human medicine, red blood cells are frozen in some limited circumstances to store very rare blood types, for instance, or to ensure a steady supply of blood in combat zones. But the freezing process, which can preserve the cells for a decade or more, is complex, expensive and labour-intensive. So human blood banks, which tend to go through their supplies quickly, typically refrigerate red blood cells, giving them a shelf life of about six weeks. Unfortunately, Parkinson says, that just doesnt fit the timeline of what you need in a zoo. Zoos dont do transfusions often, and red blood cells vary widely in the animal kingdom. Every animal seems to have its own unique type of red blood cell, and then many different types of blood types as well, Parkinson says. A refrigerated blood bank would require regularly collecting blood from many different species, much of which would be discarded without being used. Advertisement Last year, Parkinson received a grant from the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians to investigate the feasibility of freezing red blood cells from a variety of exotic species. Its a technology thats in human medicine but really kind of forward-thinking in terms of veterinary medicine, says Dr Taylor Yaw, the vice president of science and animal health at the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium in Omaha, Nebraska, which is providing elephant blood for the project. Can we freeze these red blood cells, cryopreserve them, and then basically wake them up at a future date? Sample size Now that she has funding, Parkinson is trying to collect as much blood as I can, she says, piggybacking on the regular health exams given to the animals at Brookfield Zoo Chicago. On a Friday morning in August, a clouded leopard named River was scheduled for a check-up. The veterinary team sedated the eight-year-old cat and then gave her a head-to-tail work-up, including a dental exam, CT scan and an ultrasound. Then, they drew about a quarter-cup of her blood and passed it on to Parkinson. In exchange for their efforts in giving blood, giraffes receive rye-crisp crackers which is essentially like giving them a candy bar. Parkinson spun the blood in a centrifuge to separate the red blood cells from the plasma and then slowly added a glycerol solution to protect the cells during freezing. She stashed the sample in a freezer that held a growing collection of red blood cells, including samples from gorillas, bottlenose dolphins, a polar bear and a pangolin. Simply gathering the samples had been a feat, requiring patience and creativity. She had needed to cobble together tiny, 20-millilitre blood bags I think theyre adorable, she says for the smaller donors, including koalas, pangolins and dik-diks, a cat-size antelope native to Africa. Advertisement Parkinson is receiving samples from other institutions, too: beluga whale blood from the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, elephant blood from the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, and giraffe blood from the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, which had previously helped establish a national plasma bank for giraffes, had trained some of its animals to cooperate with blood draws without needing to be sedated. Weve got giraffes that will stay for upward of 20 minutes and allow us to draw plasma, says Amy Schilz, a senior animal behaviourist at the zoos giraffe centre. (In exchange for their efforts, the giraffes receive rye-crisp crackers, she added, which is essentially like giving them a candy bar.) The zoo had previously helped Parkinson obtain samples for a study of giraffe plasma, and Schilz was happy to help her expand her work to red blood cells. Im all in, Schilz says. Just tell me what you need, and were going to go get it. Testing times The real challenge will come after the cells have spent six months on ice. At that point, Parkinson will thaw each sample, carefully wash away the glycerol solution and, as she puts it, compare it to how happy it was before I froze it. Shell assess how many cells survived intact, whether they look normal under a microscope and whether they are still metabolically active, among other things. She will also evaluate whether the cells can withstand automated washing by a machine or must be processed by hand, a far more labour-intensive process. Advertisement If Gaza then was an open-air prison, today it resembles hell on Earth. Israels war against Hamas, which will pass the two-year mark next week with the anniversary of the October 7 attacks, has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians and reduced most of the strip to rubble. Undeterred by past failure, Blair, 72, believes he is the man who can help break the deadlock and oversee the reconstruction of Gaza. Blair was not at the White House this week when US President Donald Trump stood beside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to announce his 20-point peace plan for Gaza. But he loomed large over the event. Trump announced that Blair would serve on a Gaza peace board, with the US president himself acting as chair. Good man. Very good man, Trump said of Blair, who volleyed back praise in return. Loading In a statement, he lauded Trumps plan as bold and intelligent and the best chance to end the war. Which was hardly surprising given he essentially co-wrote the document. Trumps peace plan draws heavily on a detailed proposal developed by Blairs think tank, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, for a technocratic transitional authority to run Gaza when the war is over. Netanyahu has endorsed the plan, which he helped write, while making clear he will intensify the war against Hamas if the group fails to sign on. Blair met with Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner at the White House at the end of August, and appears to have played an important role in persuading him to abandon his idea of the mass displacement of Gazans from the strip, which was widely panned as ethnic cleansing. No one will be forced to leave Gaza, and those who wish to leave will be free to do so and free to return, Trumps peace plan states. While Trump wants the credit ideally in the form of a Nobel Peace Prize for achieving peace in Gaza, it is Blair who would be responsible for implementing the plan. Blairs involvement has already aroused significant controversy and criticism, even as his plan remains just that a plan. Amin Saikal, a professor of Middle Eastern studies at the Australian National University, gives Blair some credit for shifting Trumps position. This is the first time the Americans have come up with a plan that doesnt involve the depopulation of Gaza. Thats a positive development, Saikal says. A staffer from Blairs institute helped draft a Boston Consulting Group proposal for Gaza Riviera, with artificial islands off the coast similar to Dubais Palm Island, but Blair distanced himself from the idea and has insisted Gaza must be for Gazans. Still, Saikal argues that Blairs high-profile, hands-on role on Trumps peace board risks undermining the enterprise. I dont think many Palestinians will trust Tony Blair, he argues. They thought that he failed in his Quartet role and was viewed as very pro-Israel by many Palestinians. Thats still the case. When Blair resigned, the Palestinian Authoritys former chief negotiator, Nabil Shaath, said he had achieved so very little because of his gross efforts to please the Israelis He gradually reduced his role to that of asking the Israelis to take down a barrier here or a barrier there. Netanyahu, meanwhile, thanked him for his great efforts to advance stability and peace in the region. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met with Tony Blair while in London. Credit: x/@AlboMP Then there was Blairs enthusiastic backing for George W. Bushs 2003 invasion of Iraq based on overhyped claims of weapons of mass destruction. It resulted in a disastrous quagmire, and undermined his credibility throughout the Middle East. Despite this, Ian Parmeter, who served as Australian ambassador to Lebanon, is more optimistic about Blairs potential role in Gaza. I dont see Blairs involvement as a particular difficulty, and it could be a positive, says the research scholar at ANUs Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies. He knows a lot of the key players. He knows the region very well and will have a realistic idea of the task involved. When Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited London last week, the first stop on his itinerary was a trip to see Blair. Albanese was a fierce opponent of the invasion of Iraq, but spoke warmly about Blairs potential to improve life for Israelis and Palestinians. Tony Blair is someone whos always played a constructive role, hes someone who does look for solutions, Albanese told reporters. So what exactly does Blair envisage for post-war Gaza? A detailed 21-page document prepared by Blairs think tank spells out his vision for what was called the Gaza International Transitional Authority. The plan was published in full this week by Israeli newspaper Haaretz. Loading The plan envisages an international governing body which has now been essentially rebranded as Trumps peace board taking control of Gaza in the short term. The document says the board would include at least one qualified Palestinian representative, a senior UN official, leading international business figures and a strong representation of Muslim members to ensure regional legitimacy and cultural credibility. In its early days, the body would be based not in Gaza but in Egypt or Jordan. Initially, there is no role in the plan for the Palestinian Authority, the internationally recognised body that is dominated by Hamas more moderate and secular rival Fatah. A technocratic Palestinian Executive Authority would instead be established to oversee the delivery of healthcare, education and infrastructure services. Meanwhile, an international stabilisation force would conduct targeted operations to prevent the resurgence of armed groups, disrupt weapons smuggling and protect the delivery of humanitarian aid. A separate Gaza Investment Promotion and Economic Development Authority would oversee the design, packaging and delivery of high-impact investment projects, including housing schemes, major infrastructure, and special economic zones. Trumps 20-point plan echoes this idea, saying that a special economic zone will be established with preferred tariff and access rates to be negotiated with participating countries. Hell on Earth: Israels bombing campaign has left much of Gaza in ruins. Credit: AP Saikal says the plans focus on profit and lack of meaningful representation for Palestinians is a major flaw. Many Palestinians will view this as a neo-mercantilist, imperialist plan, he says. The Palestinians have not been consulted at all: this was not a process of self-determination. Josh Paul, who served as a national security consultant in the Coalition Provisional Authority for Iraq, slammed the plan as sugar-coated neocolonialism, insisting: It will not work, and it should not be trusted. A group of Australians believed to be the wives and children of Islamic State fighters who spent years stranded in Syria have managed to quietly return to Australia. The women went to Syria and Iraq during the rule of the terrorist group Islamic State, which controlled large parts of both countries between 2013 and 2019. Women and children in the foreign annex of a camp in Syria in 2019. Credit: Kate Geraghty After leaving Syria, the group of six arrived in Beirut and was detained by Lebanese authorities as they did not have valid visas or legitimate entry records, the federal government has confirmed. The opposition said it was gravely concerned ... that half a dozen ISIS brides and their children have secretly returned to Australia. Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) is one of the Top Blue Chip Stocks to Buy At 52-Week Lows. On September 30, Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) announced the acquisition of Aidemy Inc. after completing a successful tender offer. Aidemy is a Tokyo-based company specializing in AI and digital transformation services. Management noted that this strategic move will strengthen the companys LearnVantage platform, which focuses on learning and reskilling employees in key areas like generative AI. Moreover, it will also allow the company to offer full support to clients in AI-driven business reinvention, from talent development to managing AI systems. During the tender offer from August 15 to September 29, 2025, Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) secured enough shares to finalize the acquisition. Aidemy will become a subsidiary, and its shares will be delisted from the Tokyo Stock Exchange after all remaining shares are acquired. Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) is a global professional services company offering consulting, technology, and operational solutions. While we acknowledge the potential of ACN as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If youre looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 30 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and 11 Hidden AI Stocks to Buy Right Now. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. NSW Police will lodge a challenge in the Supreme Court to stop a pro-Palestine march planned for the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House on October 12, insisting the forces opposition was based on a potential crowd crush and was not related to past events. Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna said the Palestine Action Group was still considering suggestions from the police for different routes for the march, but it was his view that it would not be safe to have thousands of protesters descending on the Opera House forecourt. We understand that this is a significant anniversary for probably both sides [and] theres heightened public emotions around this, we understand, and were not anti-protest, he said. We facilitate thousands of protests, and in fact, with this particular group, weve been facilitating protests and public assemblies for the last two years. Balmains grandest estate, Ewenton House, is set to hit the market for the first time in more than three decades with a price guide of $27.5 million, as cardiologist John Yiannikas and his wife Susan look to downsize from their landmark residence. The private harbourfront estate is the largest landholding in the suburb at 2206 square metres and the four-level sandstone home, which dates back to 1854 to 1872, is listed on the NSW State Heritage Register. The grand estate Ewenton House in Balmain East. Credit: The home is an amalgamation of Georgian, Victorian, post-Colonial and Italianate influences, and the Yiannikas family undertook a major restoration after they purchased the property for $1.3 million from The Australian Centre for Languages in 1992. The five-bedroom, four-bathroom property, which also has 10 car spaces, has had more renovations since and park-like gardens designed by Myles Baldwin and maintained by Amiel Van Ewyk. Advertisement Travel newsTraveller letters My wife paid for a seat with extra legroom, but was moved Each week Traveller publishes a selection of rants, raves and travel tips from our readers. See below on how you can contribute. October 4, 2025 5:00am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share 104 View all comments Standard malpractice My wife, who has Multiple Sclerosis (MS), experienced unacceptable treatment travelling alone with Air Canada. We had pre-booked an extra legroom bulkhead seat (not an exit row) for a long-haul flight, which is a physical necessity due to her condition. We cannot afford a seat in a higher class. Upon check-in, the seat was reassigned to a standard one, despite her presenting proof of disability. During the flight, the lack of space caused her severe pain, muscle spasms, and distress. She received minimal support from the cabin crew. Standard economy class seats on board Air Canada. The mismanagement continued upon arrival in Sydney when airport staff left her, unwell and unable to use her phone, unattended. She was also left a significant distance from her walking frame. This incident led to a hospital visit due to potential stroke-like symptoms or an MS relapse. The experience highlights serious concerns about consumer rights, airline accountability, and the inadequate support for passengers with disabilities. Scott Russell, Wollongong, NSW Letter of the week: Medi banking Advertisement Lyon at sunset. iStock I tripped over in Lyon, France, recently, requiring a hospital visit by ambulance. Interestingly, the ambulance team would not take me to the hospital until I had paid them. In agony on a stretcher in the back of the vehicle, my accompanying daughter thought the fee they were asking was 650 ($1160). We didnt have that in cash and their pay machine wasnt working, so they went past the hospital in search of an ATM. In broken French and English, we finally worked out the cost was actually 150 ($270), which I did have in my wallet and paid. Finally, we made it to emergency, and I would like to add that the ambulance team was lovely with the efficient hospital staff doing a great job. In all, including X-rays, it cost about $1000. We had to stay an extra night in Lyon as I needed to keep my leg straight, but hopefully all will be covered by the must-have travel insurance. Jo Crowley, Gem Road, Cowra NSW Spending a penny I was giggly, then disappointed, as I read Marjie Williamsons letter (Traveller Letters, September 20) stating she was upset paying a (small) coin to use the facilities overseas. This is absolutely standard and pays for good maintenance and cleaning, often with a man or woman on site which also can be a reassurance if you need a nighttime visit when out and about after dinner. By the way, as a 15-year blow-in, the use of the word toilet is specific to Australia, and I was quite shocked it was used when I first emigrated as it is considered a deeply vulgar term in Europe and the UK. That Australians dont use bidets is another discussion altogether. Victoria Watts, Tarragindi, Qld Advertisement Spending a euro Milans Duomo: pay up if you want to use the public toilets here. iStock Marjorie Williamson draws attention to the need for a local coin for entry to a toilet cubicle when overseas. We were in Italy on a Tauck tour this year and were impressed twice: In Bellagio we were told to buy a coffee and use the cafe facilities, as public toilets were few and far between. To facilitate this, we were each given 5 for the coffee. And in Milan, at the cathedral, we were directed to the public toilets and each given a 2 coin for the entry turnstile. Thank you, Tauck, for your attention to detail. Hugh Anderson, Millthorpe, NSW Nepal after the pall I was one of only four guests in the 72-room Landmark Forest Park Hotel in Nepals stunning Chitwan National Park last week, after mass tourist cancellations due to the now past public order incidents in Kathmandu. Despite government advice to reconsider travel, I arrived late on September 11 to a near-deserted Tribhuvan International Airport in a city under curfew. Order had been restored and while many buildings and vehicles had been damaged there were no further public order incidents. However, staff said bookings were down by at least 40 per cent. My nephews wedding to a local woman was significantly curtailed by the restrictions, but among those who did come were many friendly, clever people passionate about reform but suffering the fallout of negative media coverage. Jo Elliott, Castle Hill, NSW Advertisement A bit on the side When I returned a rental car to Avis at Palermo Airport in Sicily, the employee who inspected it pointed out a scratch on the side mirror. Despite sending a photo to Avis to disprove their accusation of damage, I noticed three days later $606 had been deducted by Avis from my bank account. I filed a dispute, with support from UP Bank and Albert Park Travel, who had booked the car for me. After seven weeks of email argy-bargy, Avis finally returned the $606 to my account. Always photograph every panel of your hire car and be persistent with any just claim you have. Bill Wiglesworth, Castlemaine, Vic Ronda view In Spain, we used local intercity buses, which were a cheap, easy and comfortable mode of transport. We can understand Karl Quinns enthusiasm to get to Ronda, Spain (Traveller, September 17) having spent a few days exploring this historical and scenic town, from walking the gorge, going down into the inner chambers of the Puente Nuevo (new bridge), clambering along the Old Town walls, visiting a number of private museums and taking in the spectacular views from parapets of the Inglesia de Santa Maria la Mayor church. As we visited in late December, there were few tourists, and by early evening, we literally had the town to ourselves, along with the residents. Accommodation, at a 17th-century converted convent, was quirky, comfortable and inexpensive, whilst restaurants were not crowded, making each evenings dining experience unrushed and enjoyable. Ronda was just one of the memorable highlights of our lengthy stay in Spain. Glenn Earl-Peacock, Mosman, NSW Advertisement Yuan cry Brian Johnston didnt mention reverse haggling in his Savvy Traveller article (Traveller, September 24). This happens when you only have a day left in a country, and you realise you vastly over-estimated how much foreign currency you would need. How much? One hundred yuan. No, no! Ill give you two hundred. Graham Meale, Boambee East, NSW Just asking Skip the haggling and just ask for the best price. Alamy Many years ago an Australian friend who lived in Turkey for most of her life said the best approach when haggling is to ask What is your best price? Ive tried this and it works. Its both polite and successful. Jennifer Dewar, Double Bay, NSW Advertisement Take a leaf In regard to the letter, Under disgrace (Traveller Letters, September 20) about not having a kettle or cups in a hotel room: On a recent tour of the five Stans, 10 of the English travellers had cups, tea bags and a kettle in their luggage. Problem solved. Stephen Trevarrow, South Brisbane, Qld Tip of the week: No regrets Ben Groundwater nailed it in his piece on dumb things tourists do (Traveller, September 12), when he referred to haggling. It reminded me of an experience I had as I strolled across the bridge from Zimbabwe to Zambia. A delightful young man struck up a conversation and offered me some lovely copper and wire bracelets. As he showed me his wares, we spoke of Australia and his life in Zimbabwe. I paid $30 dollars for two of his bracelets, only to find three for $10 across the border. Did I care? No. We have so much and every time I wear my piece of Zimbabwe, I remember that delightful young man and hope he is well. Maree Harrison, Nerrina, Vic Latitude with attitude Advertisement I must respectfully disagree with Ben Groundwater about not using paper maps when travelling (Traveller, September 12). We have been let down by Google Maps and an in-car GPS in Scotland and in France, and have been saved by paper maps on each occasion. Even on the way to Phillip Island Google Maps comes up with some clangers. Sure, I often use Google Maps, but I like to supplement it with paper maps as I get a much better sense of location with respect to the general area. Louise Kloot, Doncaster, Vic Bumbag steer As usual, Ben Groundwater is spot on with his comments about how to make your trip more enjoyable (Traveller, September 12) and yes, I managed to rack-up many errors on my first overseas trip. The only item I disagree with is wearing a bumbag or similar. When I wore one under a loose shirt, it gave me more of a feeling of security than a shoulder bag. It is not always possible to leave main valuables at the hotel. And, definitely, see Australia first. We have such a varied country enjoy it. Marjie Williamson, Blaxland, NSW Threes a crowd I recently booked a hotel in Monterosso with booking.com. It then booked the hotel through a third party. I booked and paid in advance for a seaview room with a balcony but upon arrival, my booking was for an inferior room with no seaview or balcony. I was shown my booking for a standard room on a spreadsheet. Id paid an extra $75 a night for five nights in the seaview room. Who pockets this $375? Not me, not the hotel. This is a scam and apparently has happened a number of times with this hotel. I contacted booking.coms customer service agency and was told that there was nothing it could do, as it had gone through a third party, and hung up. My contract was with booking.com. Not good enough. Do not book accommodation when there is a third party involved. Carol Gibson, Maroubra, NSW Advertisement Back to Yack Im still trying to find an Australian motel to beat the Yackandandah Motor Inn. For a couple of days, the Victorian town of Yackandandah is a genuine alternative to staying in Beechworth. It has two whisky distilleries, a fantastic pub (the Star), plenty of walks, and it is an easy 20-kilometre drive to Beechworth and the local wineries. Where else would you have your windscreen washed by the proprietors after a great nights sleep in a pristine room? If you do a road trip in that part of the world, I highly recommend it. Andrew Brown, Sydney, NSW Free plugs What motel is the best in Australia? Its a no-brainer: these days it has to be one that has an EV charger or two on site. Kerrie Wehbe, Blacktown, NSW Winging it Advertisement For us, travel is never pre-planned to last detail. If were fly overseas, we book our main flights and the first night of accommodation and then wing things and see where we end up. No fixed plan, route or itinerary means we can be totally flexible and explore off the beaten track wherever our fancy takes us. Seeing where the road takes us and stopping for the night wherever we end up, have been great adventures. After all, its true what they say: its the journey not the destination. Christopher Schaub, Terrey Hills, NSW EDITORS NOTE: Planned or unplanned? Or a bit of both? Whats your preferred approach to trips and the rationale for it? Contact us (details below) and well publish the most interesting answers and advice. The Letter of the Week writer wins three Hardie Grant travel books. See hardiegrant.com The Tip of the Week writer wins a set of three Lonely Planet travel books. See shop.lonelyplanet.com Sign up for the Traveller newsletter The latest travel news, tips and inspiration delivered to your inbox. Sign up now. Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Share License this article More: Traveller letters For subscribers Singapore/Sidoarjo: Patima was pottering at home in the Indonesian town of Sidoarjo on Monday when at about 3pm she felt a big shake. It was not an earthquake, for she is familiar with these. Something sounded like it had crashed, she said. Relatives gather outside the school on Wednesday. Credit: AP Then, from next door, came a scream on repeat The boarding house has collapsed! In the distance, the wails of ambulances. The boarding house is Al Khoziny, an Islamic school in Sidoarjo, about 20 kilometres south of central Surabaya. It is one of the oldest and most respected of its kind in East Java. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size They refused to be browbeaten; refused to give in to terror. With Manchesters Heaton Park synagogue, also called a shul, now a crime scene, those present at the scene of Thursdays horrifying attack found themselves under police protection in a holding centre across the busy Middleton Road. They remained defiant and, on the most sacred day of the Jewish calendar, they decided the Yom Kippur service should carry on regardless at the evacuation centre. Rabbi Daniel Walker had continued with the prayers, ringed by police, the blood from tending to survivors still visible on his ceremonial robe, the kittel. We continued to do part of the service, because at the end of the day, of course, its awkward and its difficult and people have got a multitude of emotions going on, but we carried on, said Rob Kanter, 45, who had been inside the synagogue and survived unscathed. We did not do the whole service, but we did what we could in the circumstances. The attack had come at 9.30am on Thursday, Manchester time. Within half an hour, the doors of Manchesters synagogues were being shut and congregants were being ordered to go home, or else they were kept locked inside their synagogues behind barred gates and fences. Advertisement In the wake of the terrorist attack, Manchesters Jewish community was denied the right to worship on its most important day. Instead of atoning for sins in the shul, the citys Jews were sent packing for their own safety. Loading Outside the Heaton Park synagogue, they later came to mourn. Three-quarters of the way through a 25-hour, nil-by-mouth fast, Jews went to the scene to pay their respects and wonder out loud if Britain was still safe for their community. Manchester is home to more than 25,000 Jews, the highest concentration outside of London. In Crumpsall, in the north of the city, where the attack took place, the community was devastated, defiant and a little scared. On Yom Kippur, when the more religious members of the community have their phones and televisions switched off, the news will have taken time to filter through. By 7.30pm on Thursday, with Yom Kippur over at sunset, the community could begin talking to each other and rebuilding from the hurt. Advertisement Earlier, in the afternoon, large numbers of Jews had gathered at two separate cordons near the Heaton Park synagogue. Many of the men and young boys were still dressed in the white robes that are traditional on high holidays. There was a sense of shock and anger, but mainly confusion as members of the community were unable to use their phones to contact friends, family and neighbours to check they were safe. Loading A 23-year-old Jewish man, who asked not to be named, said: Its a close-knit community, but the sad thing is that there will be loads of people who dont know its happened because they cant check their phones they definitely picked this day on purpose. It was, he said, a frightening time to be a Jewish person in Manchester. Advertisement It was only a matter of time. People have been saying this is going to happen again and again and its just been a case of preparing for it, he said. I dont think Manchester has done enough to protect us in terms of putting security outside synagogues. Raphi Bloom, a regular worshipper at the Heaton Park synagogue, described the attack as a culmination of something the Jewish community has been fearing for two years. The shadow of the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas in 2023 looms large. The attack happened when Rabbi Walker was leading the Yom Kippur service. Later he comforted his congregation, blood visible on his white robe. Credit: AFP The anger heaped in the direction of Israel, in part as a result of its response to the atrocity, had left Jews in Britain well aware of the likelihood of reprisals. Weve been faced with a tsunami of Jew hatred since October 7. Vandalism, physical attacks, online abuse, mistreatment in the NHS [National Health Service] by medics. University students have been intimidated and been attacked on campus, Bloom said. Advertisement Weve had hate marches every week throughout our street with disgusting Holocaust imagery comparing Jews to Nazis. And ultimately, almost every Jew in this country realised that this day would come. I never thought it would happen at my synagogue, to my friends, to my rabbi, in my city. Its something we feared would come and has happened because there has been such inaction to tackle this wave of hatred targeting the Jewish community in the UK over a conflict two and a half thousand miles away. Bloom called on every Jewish organisation in Britain to have large fences around it and 24-hour security. After hearing that two people had been confirmed dead, Heath Showman, 50, said: Thats shocking. The worst part is just not knowing who it is. He said an attack like this had been a matter of time given the rise of antisemitism since the October 7 attacks. Advertisement Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size In the crowded aisles of the Liverpool political gathering meant to build support for the Labour Party, a small stall has one of the biggest challenges: it wants the party faithful to sign up to a British republic. Volunteers for the stall, which is run by Labour for a Republic, try to talk to party members in the hope that they will stop and put on a sticker showing they want to remove King Charles III from the throne. Most of the delegates shuffle past with their eyes on other things like the Premier League stand, or the policy talks with free food, or the main speeches in the hall. Ken Ritchie does not seem to be losing heart and is thinking long term. He is not asking the party to demand an instant end to the monarchy. There would be a huge reaction to that because the public hasnt got to the stage of thinking about it, he says. So were not asking the Labour Party to do that. This seems wise because Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer is in a political fight to revive support for his flagging government on issues such as wages, migration, health and education. At the gathering of about 20,000 people at the Liverpool conference, he has no time for a debate on a republic. Advertisement We have a long way to go, but in a sense, the debate hasnt started. And you can point to other big changes that take time. How many thought that the Berlin Wall would fall? Ken Ritchie, Labour for a Republic What Ritchie wants, however, is a series of smaller steps to increase the power of the parliament and scale back the Kings sway over the country. This includes changing the oath of allegiance for new MPs so they could swear allegiance to the people who elected them, rather than the King, his heirs and successors. Another change would be to scrap the royal prerogative that allows the monarch to act without the consent of parliament. King Charles presides over the State Opening of Parliament in 2023. Credit: Getty Images A third reform would be to control royal expenditure, so that the royal familys budget would resemble that of any other arm of government and perhaps be brought under tighter restraints. But of the ultimate removal of the monarch? It will be a thing that takes time, he says. We have a long way to go, but in a sense, the debate hasnt started. And you can point to other big changes that take time. How many thought that the Berlin Wall would fall? Look at the environmental movement how fast did it move to become mainstream? Advertisement Soft power: The royal familys diplomatic value was on full view on President Donald Trumps recent state visit. Credit: Getty Images The King, three years into his reign, is a beloved figure to many in the United Kingdom. The mourning for Queen Elizabeth II has given way to respect for her son and his wife, Queen Camilla. Charles has exuded calm and charm, whether he was drinking kava with chiefs in Samoa, listening to an angry Victorian senator attack the monarchy in Canberra or greeting US President Donald Trump at Windsor Castle. Only days ago, he met Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his fiancee, Jodie Haydon, with a warm smile when they arrived at Balmoral Castle in Scotland for lunch. The King and the prime minister: Charles meets Anthony Albanese at Balmoral last week. Credit: AFR Hours after those talks, Albanese told the ABCs Insiders program he did not want a referendum on a republic in his time as prime minister. If a republic seems a distant prospect in Australia for those who want the change, it seems barely visible on the horizon in Britain. The pollster, YouGov, found that 59 per cent had a positive view of King Charles and 31 per cent had a negative view, resulting in a net favourability rating of 28 points. Advertisement And perhaps ominously for republicans, support appears to be stratospheric for Charles heir, Prince William, and his wife, Catherine, who had matching net favourability ratings of 57 per cent. William himself, though, appears mindful of not counting any chickens. In a candid Apple+ TV interview this week, the prince told Schitts Creek actor Eugene Levy that when he becomes king, change is on my agenda. Change for good, and I embrace that I dont fear it, thats the bit that excites me, the idea of being able to bring some change. Not overly radical, but changes that I think need to happen, he said. But while the royal family continues to suffer scandals, the institution endures. Prince Andrew has a net favourability of minus 82 per cent after being exposed over his friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but he has been removed from royal duties and banished to a lodge near Windsor Castle. Next in line: William appears mindful that the monarchy must remain relevant into the mid-21st century. Credit: Getty Images For those who oppose, railing against the monarchy can be risky. When Labour MP Emma Dent Coad suggested former British Army pilot Prince Harry could not actually fly a helicopter, she lost her marginal Kensington seat at the next election. Advertisement PHILIPSBURG:--- The Sint Maarten Library recently received a symbolic handover of The Adventures of Anansi, a collection of beloved folktales for the people of Sint Maarten who cherish their traditional hero, Anansi the Spider. These stories capture how it all began for this cultural icon. All Anansi stories originated in Africa, the birthplace of many of our forebears, and were passed down through generations as part of the African Diaspora. During the transatlantic slave trade, the tales traveled with enslaved Africans across the Atlantic to the Americas and the Caribbean, where they continued to be told and preserved. Curacaoan writer Nilda Pinto and illustrator Toon van Ham bring these folktales to life, capturing the moral compass at the heart of The Adventures of Anansi. The stories, though rooted in tradition, continue to offer timeless lessons that help us reflect on ourselves and the choices we make in modern times. This publication was made possible through the dedication of the Project Group Kompa Nanzi: Elodie Heloise, Philie van Veen, Richenel Ansano, Crisen Schorea, and Marjan de Visser-Lemstra; together with many others whose contributions were invaluable. The project received support from the Nederlands Letterenfonds, ensuring that pupils throughout the Dutch Kingdom can continue to experience and carry forward the rich legacy of Anansi stories. During the handover of the book to librarian M. Powell, who attended the workshop The Adventures of Anansi during September Literacy Month and the 2025 Reading Festival (co-organized by the Sint Maarten Library), Marjan de Visser-Lemstra shared: The Sint Maarten Library is the perfect place to share stories. That is why they received one of the very first copies of The Adventures of Anansi. This is how Anansi keeps the stories alive and reminds us of the choices we have. The Sint Maarten Library expressed heartfelt appreciation for receiving The Adventures of Anansi, noting that the book will soon be available to the public as part of the continuation of retelling and sharing of Anansis beloved stories. The Sint Maarten Library remains a cornerstone of literacy and lifelong learning within the community. PHILIPSBURG:--- Member of Parliament Sarah A. Wescot-Williams on Thursday reported key outcomes from the recent Inter-Parliamentary Kingdom Consultation (IPKO), including a new commitment that every IPKO will begin with formal follow-up on decisions taken at the previous meeting. Too many times weve agreed on actions that then quietly dissipate. From now on, every IPKO starts by checking what was done and decided before, said MP Wescot-Williams. Top outcomes highlighted by MP Wescot-Williams Standing follow-up item: Each IPKO will review the status of decisions from the prior IPKO. Geopolitical updates: Parliaments, especially those directly affected in the Caribbean, are to receive timely, direct information on developments in the Kingdoms region of responsibility. Council of State (70 Years of the Charter) advice: Countries will respond to recommendations; Sint Maartens government has already issued a reaction, which MP Wescot-Williams says Parliament should now debate. Aging population: The islands will leverage Dutch analytical capacity to map trends and plan for aginga cross-Kingdom challenge we must prepare for together. The presentation we received on geopolitical developments was sobering. This is not alarmismits prudence. Parliament must be informed in real time, she concluded. We recently published 10 Stocks Stealing The Spotlight Today. AES Corporation (NYSE:AES) is one of the top performers on Wednesday. The AES Corporation soared by 16.79 percent on Wednesday to close at $15.37 apiece as investors gobbled up shares following reports that it was set to be acquired by Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) for $38 billion. A report by Financial Times said Wednesday that the BlackRock-owned investment firm is currently in talks with The AES Corporation (NYSE:AES) for the acquisition that would include the latters $29 billion debt. A deal could be finalized this week, albeit not guaranteed. AES Corp. (AES) Climbs 16.8% on $38-Billion Bid Reports Eduardo MT/Shutterstock.com The AES Corporation (NYSE:AES) has been exploring strategic options since July after receiving takeover bids from infrastructure investors, including GIP. Meanwhile, BlackRocks acquisition plans were aimed at capitalizing on the booming energy demand amid the rapid growth of the artificial intelligence sector. Following the reports, investment firm Barclays assigned an overweight rating with a $14 price target on The AES Corporations (NYSE:AES) stock. While we acknowledge the potential of AES as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an extremely cheap AI stock that is also a major beneficiary of Trump tariffs and onshoring, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 30 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and 11 Hidden AI Stocks to Buy Right Now. China trials 'energy-saving' underwater data centres Nantong, China, Oct 3 (AFP) Oct 03, 2025 Power-hungry data centres run hot, so one Chinese company is planning to submerge a pod of servers in the sea off Shanghai with hopes of solving computing's energy woes. On a wharf near the city, workers were finishing off the large yellow capsule -- a foray into alternative tech infrastructure that faces questions over its ecological impact and commercial viability. The world's websites and apps rely on physical data centres to store information, with growing use of artificial intelligence contributing to skyrocketing demand for the facilities. "Underwater operations have inherent advantages," said Yang Ye of maritime equipment firm Highlander, which is developing the Shanghai pod with state-owned construction companies. Undersea servers are kept at a low temperature by ocean currents, rather than the energy-intensive air cooling or water evaporation required by centres on land. The technology was trialled by Microsoft off the coast of Scotland in 2018, but the Chinese project, to be sunk in mid-October, is one of the world's first commercial services of its kind. It will serve clients such as China Telecom and a state-owned AI computing company, and is part of a broader government push to lower data centres' carbon footprint. "Underwater facilities can save approximately 90 percent of energy consumption for cooling," Yang, vice president of Highlander, told AFP. Projects like this are currently focused on showing "technological feasibility", said expert Shaolei Ren from the University of California, Riverside. Microsoft never built commercially on its trial, saying after retrieving its pod in 2020 that the project had been successfully completed. Significant construction challenges and environmental concerns have to be overcome before underwater data centres can be deployed on a mass scale, said Ren. In China, government subsidies are helping -- Highlander received 40 million yuan ($5.62 million) for a similar 2022 project in Hainan province that is still running. - Technical challenges - "The actual completion of the underwater data centre involved greater construction challenges than initially expected," said Zhou Jun, an engineer for Highlander's Shanghai project. Built onshore in separate components before being installed in the sea, it will draw nearly all its power from nearby offshore wind farms. Highlander says that more than 95 percent of the energy used will come from renewable sources. The most obvious challenge in placing the structure under the waves is keeping its contents dry and safe from corrosion by salt water. The Chinese project addresses this by using a protective coating containing glass flakes on the steel capsule that holds the servers. To allow maintenance crews access, an elevator will connect the main pod structure to a segment that remains above the water. Ren from UC Riverside said laying the internet connection between an offshore data centre and the mainland was a more complex process than with traditional land servers. Researchers at the University of Florida and the University of Electro-Communications in Japan have also found that sub-marine data centres can be vulnerable to attacks using sound waves conducted through water. - Ecological unknowns - Technical hurdles aside, the warming effect of underwater data centres on the surrounding water has raised questions about the impact on marine ecosystems. Andrew Want, a marine ecologist at the University of Hull, said the heat emitted could in some cases attract certain species while driving away others. "These are unknowns at this point -- there's not sufficient research being conducted yet," he said. Highlander told AFP a 2020 independent assessment of the company's test project near Zhuhai, in southern China, indicated that the surrounding water stayed well below acceptable temperature thresholds. However, Ren warned that scaling up centres would also scale up the heat given off. He stressed that "for megawatt-scale data centres underwater, the thermal pollution problem needs to be studied more carefully". Offshore facilities can complement standard data centres, Ren suggested. "They're probably not going to replace existing traditional data centres, but can provide service to some niche segments." em/tjx/reb/kaf/dan MICROSOFT Apple removes US immigration enforcement tracker from app store Washington, Oct 3 (AFP) Oct 03, 2025 Apple removed on Thursday several apps used to anonymously report the movements of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from its app store, reportedly following Trump administration pressure. The apps had become increasingly popular in recent months as President Donald Trump's deportation drive gained steam in cities around the country. But Trump administration officials had fiercely criticized the apps as endangering officers, particularly following a deadly shooting at an ICE facility in Texas last month. Officials said the shooter had used such an app in the days leading up to his attack. Two detainees died as a result of the shooting and another was wounded, though investigators believe the shooter was targeting ICE personnel. Protests have occurred at ICE facilities and during ICE operations around the country, as Trump's mass deportation drive has seen thousands of migrants rounded up, often by masked agents. ICE tracking apps including the popular ICEBlock were inaccessible to AFP reporters on the Apple App Store late Thursday. Fox Business first reported on the apps' removal, with Attorney General Pam Bondi telling the news outlet that the Justice Department had "reached out to Apple today demanding they remove the ICEBlock app from their App Store - and Apple did so." Apple did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment. In a statement to NBC News, the company said: "Based on information we've received from law enforcement about the safety risks associated with ICEBlock, we have removed it and similar apps from the App Store." Cyberattack halts shipments from Japan's biggest brewer Tokyo, Oct 3 (AFP) Oct 03, 2025 A damaging cyberattack on Japanese beer giant Asahi this week has halted shipments from its breweries and there is no resumption in sight, the company warned Friday, fuelling fears of shortages. Asahi Group, producer of Japan's most popular beers, said Monday it had "experienced a system failure" owing to a cyberattack that forced the suspension of orders and shipments of various beverages -- including its flagship Asahi Super Dry. "No immediate recovery of our system is in sight at the moment. Ordinary shipments remain halted," a spokesperson, who declined to be named, told AFP on Friday. "Production is not directly affected (by the system dysfunction) but it has been halted because shipments are suspended." The company said it was looking into the possibility of a ransomware attack after announcing in Monday's statement that its local operations had been hit. The news is worrying for Japan's ubiquitous convenience stores, who are major stockists of Asahi beer. A spokesperson for Seven & I Holdings, which operates the 7-11 convenience store chain, said it was preparing to put up notices to warn customers of the suspension, but added that the halt "had not yet caused major disruptions". "We don't expect (Asahi drinks) to disappear from all our stores at once, although it all depends on how sales will go at each of these outlets." AFP visited several convenience stores and supermarkets in Tokyo Friday, all of which still had stock. Asahi Group's shares are down almost seven percent from last Friday's close. The attack comes after a cyberattack halted operations at Jaguar Land Rover's British factories for almost a month. The Indian-owned automaker said on September 2 that it had been targeted by hackers, severely disrupting sales and production and forcing it to seek emergency funding. The firm announced on Monday that it would partially restart production. tmo-aph/dan ASAHI GROUP HOLDINGS SEVEN & I HOLDINGS Press Release from Business Wire: Huawei (AFP) Oct 03, 2025 SHANGHAI, Oct 3, 2025 (BSW) - Held on September 18 alongside HUAWEI CONNECT 2025, "Huawei Africa Night 2025" convened under the theme "All Intelligence for New Africa". More than 500 partners, government representatives, experts, and industry leaders gathered to share the latest advances in ICT (information and communications technology) innovation and collaboration, with a common goal: advancing the continent's intelligent transformation. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251001211370/en/ Shen Li, President of Huawei Northern Africa, delivers the opening speech. Shen Li, President of Huawei Northern Africa (North, West, and Central Africa), said the continent is at a pivotal inflection point, transitioning from informatization to a fully digital and intelligent era. Across sectors, leapfrog development is underway: from no network coverage to 4G, 5G, and FTTH; from paper-based governance to intelligent, one-stop government services platforms; from cash transactions to mobile payments; and from no stable electricity to green, efficient solar power. As a global leader in ICT, and true to its commitment "In Africa, for Africa," Huawei positions itself as a reliable, long-term partner. To deliver on the vision of "All Intelligence for New Africa," the company is rolling out a three-pillar framework - New Value, New Infrastructure and New Ecosystem. Under the New Value pillar, Huawei is rolling out five inclusive solutions tailored to core scenarios: Inclusive Connectivity, Inclusive Education, Inclusive Government Service, Inclusive Security, and Inclusive Energy. Under New Infrastructure, it combines cloud and AI, core networks, and devices to deliver end-to-end offerings. Through New Ecosystem, Huawei is cultivating an open, collaborative, win-win community of customers, partners, and talent to accelerate the shift to digital and intelligent operations in Africa. The company will continue to work closely with the broader ecosystem on strategy, technology, innovation, and talent development. Huawei Northern Africa team then delivered keynote sessions detailing how this three-pillar framework supports Africa's digital and intelligent transformation, and engaging guests in discussions on the current trends and best practices across the continent. During the event, Huawei unveiled the "African Intelligence Pioneers" - a recognition program honoring visionary organizations whose investments in intelligent technologies are already delivering tangible results. The honorees span nine sectors - public administration, telecommunications, education, healthcare, oil & gas, mining, transport, energy, and finance - and include fourteen organizations. By adopting AI, cloud, and other advanced technologies, these organizations are innovators and pathfinders-shaping new business models and solutions tailored to the continent, and paving the way toward a more intelligent, tightly interconnected digital Africa. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251001211370/en/ Contact Alysee Raganot / [email protected] 2025 Business Wire, Inc.Disclaimer:This press release is not a document produced by AFP. AFP shall not bear responsibility for its content. In case you have any questions about this press release, please refer to the contact person/entity mentioned in the text of the press release. Press Release from Business Wire: Mindbreeze (AFP) Oct 03, 2025 CHICAGO, Oct 3, 2025 (BSW) - Mindbreeze, a leading global provider of AI-based knowledge management solutions, has been recognized as a Leader in The Forrester Wave?: Cognitive Search Platforms, Q4 2025. Forrester evaluated fourteen cognitive search providers based on their current offering, strategy, and customer feedback. Mindbreeze received recognition for its robust and secure platform, positive customer experiences, and vision for enabling enterprises to transform knowledge into an asset they can act on in real time. Access a complimentary copy of the report from the Mindbreeze website. In its evaluation, Forrester notes that "Mindbreeze is a great fit for enterprises that want a cognitive search platform that is both highly secure and highly flexible." The report also notes that "Mindbreeze's superior capabilities include a robust pipeline for ingesting, understanding, and contextually indexing data." Customers interviewed by Forrester further "report very positive experiences working with the Mindbreeze team when selecting and implementing the platform." "We believe being named a Leader in this Forrester Wave with the highest score in the current offering category reflects our engagement in delivering secure, enterprise-grade AI solutions in various deployment environments to meet the requirements of our different customer use cases. Just as importantly, it pointed out our commitment to helping customers prepare for the future of agentic AI by transforming knowledge into actionable intelligence," explains Daniel Fallmann, CEO and founder of Mindbreeze. More than 2,700 of the world's largest companies are leveraging Mindbreeze InSpire as a secure and accurate AI-based search solution for proactive knowledge management. Access "The Forrester Wave?: Cognitive Search Platforms, Q4 2025" now. The Forrester Wave?: Cognitive Search Platforms, Q4 2025 evaluation classifies vendors into the categories Leaders, Strong Performers, and Contenders. The review assesses the most significant providers in the market and is not representative of the entire vendor landscape. The Forrester Wave?: Cognitive Search Platforms, Q4 2025 was authored by Rowan Curran and published on October 3, 2025. Forrester does not endorse any company, product, brand, or service included in its research publications and does not advise any person to select the products or services of any company or brand based on the ratings included in such publications. Information is based on the best available resources. Opinions reflect judgment at the time and are subject to change. For more information, read about Forrester's objectivityhere. About Mindbreeze Mindbreeze is a global leader in AI-powered enterprise intelligence, with headquarters in Europe and the United States. Mindbreeze InSpire redefines how organizations access and utilize information. Powered by advanced AI, it transforms complex data into actionable insights, seamlessly connecting and analyzing information across systems. Unlike traditional solutions, our AI agents deliver hyper-relevant, context-aware insights tailored to unique business needs, enabling smarter, faster decision-making. With unmatched integration capabilities, data security, and automation at its core, Mindbreeze InSpire maximizes the value of your information ecosystem while driving innovation. Trusted by industry leaders and recognized for our cutting-edge technology, Mindbreeze leads the way in unlocking new dimensions of enterprise intelligence. Learn more at www.mindbreeze.com or follow us on LinkedIn and X @Mindbreeze. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251003896209/en/ Contact Press contactMindbreezeBritney [email protected] 2025 Business Wire, Inc.Disclaimer:This press release is not a document produced by AFP. AFP shall not bear responsibility for its content. In case you have any questions about this press release, please refer to the contact person/entity mentioned in the text of the press release. AI in an 'industrial bubble' but will benefit society: Bezos Turin, Italy, Oct 3 (AFP) Oct 03, 2025 Artificial intelligence technology is in an "industrial bubble," Amazon founder Jeff Bezos told a tech conference in Italy on Friday, but the benefits to society will be "immense". "Investors don't usually give a team of six people a couple billion dollars with no product... and that's happening today," Bezos told an audience at Tech Week in Turin. "This is a kind of industrial bubble," said Bezos, who has invested in the American generative AI start-up Perplexity. But that is not the same as a banking bubble such as the 2008 financial crisis, he argued. "Those bubbles society wants to avoid. The ones that are industrial are not nearly as bad, it could even be good, because when the dust settles and you see who are the winners, society benefits from those inventions... and that's what's going to happen here." "This is real," Bezos continued. "The benefits to society from AI are going to be gigantic." Multiple technologies are in a kind of "golden age," he said, echoing language used by US President Donald Trump. "There's never been a better time to be excited about the future." "AI is real. And it is going to change every industry... it is going to affect every company in the world." tsz/jra/LyS/st/rl Amazon.com EXOR Stellantis Venezuela slams 'illegal incursion' by US fighter jets Caracas, Oct 2 (AFP) Oct 02, 2025 Venezuela's government slammed what it called an "illegal incursion" Thursday by US fighter jets into an area under Venezuelan air traffic control, accusing the United States of a "provocation" that "threatens national sovereignty." The Venezuelan foreign and defense ministries said the planes were detected "75 kilometers from our shores," without saying whether they violated Venezuelan airspace. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino earlier claimed five US fighter jets had "dared to approach the Venezuelan coast" and had been detected by air defenses and the tracking systems of Maiquetia international airport, which serves the capital Caracas. In their joint statement, the defense and economy ministries accused the United States of flouting international law and jeopardizing civil aviation in the Caribbean Sea. US President Donald Trump last month dispatched 10 F-35 aircraft to Puerto Rico, a US territory in the Caribbean, as part of the biggest military deployment in the area in over three decades. He also sent eight warships and a nuclear submarine to the region as part of a stated operation to combat drug trafficking across the Caribbean to the United States. Venezuela's left-wing authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro has accused Trump of a covert bid to bring about regime change. US forces have blown up four boats belonging to alleged drug traffickers in recent weeks, according to Trump. Fourteen people have been killed in the attacks in international waters, the legality of which have been questioned by rights groups as well as US Democrats and some Republicans. Affiliated Managers Group, Inc. (NYSE:AMG) secures a spot on our list of the 20 NYSE Stocks with the Lowest P/E Ratios. Affiliated Managers Group, Inc. (AMG) Hits All-Time High of $244.17; TD Cowen Raises Its Price Target to $338 After investor meetings with AMGs senior management the day before, TD Cowen raised its price target on Affiliated Managers Group, Inc. (NYSE:AMG) to a Street-high $338 from $287 on September 23, 2025, while maintaining a Buy rating. As catalysts for further re-rating, the firm pointed to powerful themes such as improved sum-of-the-parts value and higher fund flows. This call came just a few days after, on September 18, Affiliated Managers Group, Inc. (NYSE:AMG)s stock hit an all-time high of $244.17. Investor confidence in the companys strategywhich includes portfolio reshaping actions like last months deal to sell its stake in Comvest Partners private credit company to Manulife Financial Companyis reflected in the stocks momentum. Analysts believe these actions position Affiliated Managers Group, Inc. (NYSE:AMG) for long-term earnings growth and ongoing pressure to raise its value multiples. In the U.S. and abroad, mutual funds, institutional clients, retail investors, and high-net-worth individuals can all benefit from the advisory and sub-advisory services that Affiliated Managers Group, Inc. (NYSE:AMG) offers through its affiliates. It is one of the Stocks with Low PE Ratio. While we acknowledge the potential of AMG as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 15 Stocks That Will Benefit From AI and 12 Best Quantum Computing Stocks to Buy According to Wall Street Analysts. Disclosure: None. Trump declares 'armed conflict' with drug cartels Washington, Oct 3 (AFP) Oct 03, 2025 President Donald Trump has declared that the United States is engaged in "armed conflict" with drug cartels, his administration said in a notice sent to Congress after recent strikes on boats off Venezuela. The letter, a copy of which was obtained by AFP on Thursday, is designed as a legal justification for at least three recent strikes in international waters that have killed at least 14 people. The Trump administration has deployed several military vessels to the Caribbean Sea to counter drug smugglers amid mounting tensions with Venezuela's leftist President Nicolas Maduro. "The president determined these cartels are non-state armed groups, designated them as terrorist organizations, and determined that their actions constitute an armed attack against the United States," the notice from the Pentagon said. The notice also describes suspected smugglers as "unlawful combatants." The recent US strikes targeted boats allegedly loaded with drugs off the coast of Venezuela but legal experts have raised doubts about the legality of Washington's actions. "As we have said many times, the president acted in line with the law of armed conflict to protect our country from those trying to bring deadly poison to our shores," White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told AFP. "He is delivering on his promise to take on the cartels and eliminate these national security threats from murdering more Americans." - 'Provocation' - A White House official said the note was sent to Congress after one of the strikes on September 15, adding that it was legally mandated to do so after any attack involving the US military. "It does not convey any new information," the official told AFP. Tensions have mounted over the strikes and the US naval build-up. Venezuela said Thursday it had detected "an illegal incursion" by five US fighter jets flying "75 kilometers from our shores." Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino denounced the alleged flights as a "provocation" and a "threat to our national security." A government statement meanwhile accused the United States of flouting international law and jeopardizing civil aviation in the Caribbean Sea. Trump last month dispatched 10 F-35 aircraft to Puerto Rico, a US territory in the Caribbean, as part of the biggest military deployment in the area in over three decades. He also sent eight warships and a nuclear submarine to the region as part of a stated operation to combat drug trafficking across the Caribbean to the United States. After two Venezuelan military planes buzzed an American naval vessel last month, Trump warned Caracas that its jets would be "shot down" if there was any repeat of the incident. Maduro has accused Trump of a covert bid to bring about regime change. Mother of Israeli hostages clings to hope after two-year ordeal Qiryat Gat, Israel, Oct 3 (AFP) Oct 03, 2025 Two years after Palestinian militants took two of her sons hostage, Silvia Cunio is demanding an end to the war between Israel and Hamas, desperate to turn the page on her family's suffering. Since October 7, 2023, Cunio has been fighting so she can embrace her sons David, 35, and Ariel, 28, once again. "For me, October 7 is just one single day that continues until today, and it's a nightmare," the 64-year-old Israeli-Argentinian told AFP. "Enough is enough, this war must stop." During a rally in Tel Aviv in August, her shout of "Enough!" tinged with rage and despair froze the crowd into silence. Every Saturday night for the past two years, tens of thousands of Israelis have gathered in Tel Aviv and across the country to demand the hostages' return. The faces of the captives are plastered everywhere -- on walls, at bus stops and in the media. Their fate haunts Israeli society in the shadow of the dragging military offensive in Gaza, with their absence an open wound. The October 2023 assault on southern Israel led by the Islamist movement Hamas triggered the war that has devastated the Gaza Strip. Of the 251 people abducted that day, 47 remain in Gaza, 25 of whom the Israeli army has declared dead. - 'I run to them and hug them' - Cunio emigrated with her husband from Argentina to Israel in 1986. They lived in Nir Oz, a kibbutz near the Gaza border that was the scene of one of the worst massacres on October 7, with around 30 people killed and 75 taken hostage. When she joins the hostage rallies, Cunio is often accompanied by her sons' partners, themselves former Hamas captives. Sharon Cunio was freed with her then three-year-old twins Emma and Yuli during the first ceasefire in November 2023, while Arbel Yehud was released this year after nearly 500 days in captivity. Portraits of David and Ariel hang from the balcony of Cunio's new home in a small city about 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Gaza where many survivors from Nir Oz now live. Sitting outside her apartment block wearing a black T-shirt emblazoned with her sons' images, Cunio recounted sleepless nights as well as the difficulty of getting up every morning and handling routine tasks. Yet she clings to hope. "Every day I picture their return. I run to them and hug them," she said with a faint smile. Despite her struggle, Cunio finds the strength to care for her seven grandchildren, including David's two daughters. She spoke of their fears and trauma after their 52 days in captivity in Gaza, how they "switch on every light in the house when they come home". In July, the girls celebrated their fifth birthdays after almost two years without their father. Unlike tens of thousands of Israelis who have spent weeks or months on reserve duty since October 7, Cunio's two other sons have been exempted because they have brothers among the hostages. For countless families, the repeated reserve call-ups have taken a heavy psychological toll, with constant anxiety each time a partner, father or son is sent to the front. - 'Anything can happen' - More than 460 Israeli soldiers have been killed in the Gaza campaign since the ground offensive began in late October 2023. According to opinion polls, a large majority of Israelis now wants the war to end and the hostages' return to be the government's priority. As Israel's offensive on Gaza City intensifies, Cunio acknowledged she fears for her sons. She said she trusts the army but "anything can happen -- bombings, explosions, a stray bullet". The October 7 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally. Israel's retaliatory campaign since then has killed 66,225 Palestinians in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry, which the United Nations considers reliable. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but it indicates that more than half of the dead are women and children. US President Donald Trump's plan to end the war and secure the release of all hostages left Cunio unmoved "as long as there is no concrete information". But in a message to those in government, Cunio said: "They must stop sabotaging again and again any deal" aimed at bringing the hostages home. What Trump's Qatar security pledge means for Mideast Doha, Oct 3 (AFP) Oct 03, 2025 US President Donald Trump signed an executive order this week vowing to defend Qatar against attacks, following Israeli air strikes targeting Hamas leaders in Doha. The security assurance from Washington is unprecedented for an Arab ally and is seen as both a boon for key Gaza mediator Qatar and a rebuke to Israel. Here we unpick what it means for Qatar, the Gulf and Israel: - What did Trump promise? - The order says "the United States shall regard any armed attack on... Qatar as a threat to the peace and security of the United States". It says the US will take "all lawful and appropriate measures -- including diplomatic, economic, and, if necessary, military -- to defend the interests of the United States and of the state of Qatar" if it is attacked. For Andreas Krieg, a senior lecturer at King's College London, the directive "turns attacks on Doha into problems for Washington". "For the region, it restores a measure of deterrence but leaves the United States with ample discretion over how to act," he added. Elizabeth Dent, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute think-tank, noted that executive orders, unlike Senate-ratified treaties, are non-binding and can be overturned. "While the language is much stronger than anything we've seen for Qatar (and frankly most countries in the Middle East)... it is largely unenforceable and likely intentionally vague," said Dent, a former director for the Gulf and Arabian Peninsula in the Office of the US Secretary of Defense. - What does it mean for Qatar and Israel? - Qatar is a key US ally that hosts the region's largest American military base, Al-Udeid, and its leadership is close to Trump. It has been attacked twice recently -- first in June, when Iran targeted Al-Udeid, and then last month when Israeli strikes targeting Hamas leaders killed six people including a Qatari security officer. The latest attack triggered outrage from Qatar and its Gulf neighbours, which lean heavily on the United States to preserve their security. Trump's order has given Qatar "a major diplomatic and strategic win", said Dent, adding that "it also signals the value the US places on Qatar's role as a diplomatic negotiator". The same day the order was signed, Trump held a three-way call where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed regret to Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and promised no further strikes. Qatar then resumed its mediation role in the Gaza war and Trump announced a new plan for the Palestinian territory, which Hamas officials are currently reviewing. The security guarantee reinforces Qatar's "unique position in the region", Dent said, referring to its mediation with US foes including Hamas, Iran and the Taliban government in Afghanistan. For Israel, which has attacked Lebanon, Iran and Yemen largely unimpeded during the Gaza war, it is "both a strategic and symbolic loss", Dent said. Krieg said that any future attack in Qatar "would carry a higher risk of serious American response". Still, the wording of the order allows for flexibility in the way the US would respond, especially in a scenario where Israel asks its ally for permission to try again. "Would President Trump have requested the same amount of grovelling had the strike successfully taken out its intended targets?" Dent said. - How will other Gulf countries react? - Under former US president Joe Biden, Washington dangled the promise of a security package for regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia in exchange for establishing ties with Israel. Those negotiations came to a halt soon after Israel launched its assault against Hamas in retaliation for its October 7, 2023 attack. Nearly two years later, Saudi Arabia has sought to diversify its security options, and last month it signed a mutual defence agreement with nuclear-armed Pakistan. The United Arab Emirates, another US ally in the Gulf, recognised Israel under the Abraham Accords of 2020. But it lacks similar security guarantees to the one offered to Qatar, and the sale of American F-35 stealth fighters, announced after the Abraham Accords, has never been finalised. Trump's security pledge makes Qatar a "balancing power in the region", said Dent, "one that the US at least appears more formally interested in protecting". Krieg said: "For the wider Gulf it raises the bar. Other states will now be tempted to seek similar assurances, or else accelerate their own hedging strategies and regional defence arrangements." Mystery drones fly over Belgian military base Brussels, Belgium, Oct 3 (AFP) Oct 03, 2025 Unidentified drones flew over a military training base in eastern Belgium, near the German border, Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken said Friday. The sightings came after several airspace violations by Russian drones in European skies and mysterious drones flying over Denmark late last month before two gatherings of European leaders in Copenhagen. "Several drones were spotted by local police, both on the Belgian side and on the German side," the minister told broadcaster RTBF, adding that an investigation had been launched. Francken said he did not know how many drones had flown or where they came from. The drones flew over Elsenborn military base overnight Thursday to Friday, a spokeswoman for the defence minister told AFP. "We are checking, we are looking into what happened, but at this stage, we don't have more details," she added. Russia regularly targeting UK satellites: space command boss London, Oct 3 (AFP) Oct 03, 2025 Russia is attempting to jam British military satellites on a regular basis, the head of UK Space Command has said, amid growing tensions between Moscow and some European countries. "We're seeing our satellites being jammed by the Russians on a reasonably persistent basis," Major General Paul Tedman told the BBC. "They've got payloads on board that can see our satellites and are trying to collect information from them," he said, adding he was "really worried" by the development. The UK operates six dedicated military satellites for communications and surveillance, which Tedman said were equipped with counter-jamming technology. Russian forces were attempting to jam UK satellites "weekly" with activity increasing since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, he said. Neil Buchanan, CEO of Lodestar Space, said he was pleased to see the issue brought out into the open. Lodestar Space is developing technology to autonomously detect and track satellites that shadow or interfere with others from orbit. The firm is also building the first autonomous AI fighter-pilot for space. "For years these issues were only talked about behind closed doors. Seeing them acknowledged publicly is a positive step and allows us to prepare more honestly and react more effectively," he said in a statement. Buchanan said space was no longer "an abstract domain" but the "backbone for operations across air, sea, and land -- and increasingly the arena for military activity in its own right". "Recognising that openly means we can move faster to protect the systems our lives depend on," he added. The space-based interference threat is not limited to the UK. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius revealed last month that Russia had been tracking two Intelsat satellites used by the German military. "They can jam, blind, manipulate, or kinetically disrupt satellites," he said. Germany has pledged to spend 35 billion euros ($41 billion) on outer space defence by 2030, citing the threat posed by Russia and its ally China. har/jkb/rmb Swiss seek mini-drone defence system Geneva, Oct 3 (AFP) Oct 03, 2025 Switzerland's military said Friday it plans to acquire a defence system against "mini-drones", after several European countries recently reported incursions into their airspace, pointing the finger at Russia. Following multiple incursions, European leaders are seeking to build an anti-drone "wall" for protection. Switzerland is not part of the European Union or the NATO defence alliance, but is also seeking to protect itself from potential attacks after a series of drone sightings over military zones in the country, officials said. It is "essential to take effective measures against enemy mini-drones", the military said in a statement. "The next step is to choose the model in order to introduce the system in the near future." Army spokeswoman Delphine Schwab-Allemand told AFP: "The army currently has no means of protection and defence against microdrones, mini-drones, and small drones." She said the Swiss army had "repeatedly spotted mini-drones" this year "over military grounds or near military exercises outside of training areas". "We have seen an increase in these types of incidents since last year," she added, while indicating that the army, for operational reasons, does not reveal the number of such incidents, their nature or the procedure for tracking down the pilots. Switzerland's long-standing position has been one of well-armed military neutrality, and the landlocked European country has mandatory conscription for men. In recent months, the military field-tested a defence system that could detect and intercept mini-drones posing a threat to military infrastructure. "The positive conclusions of this test, combined with the proliferation of drones", spurred the armed forces into seeking "to acquire this system as a matter of priority and thus strengthen the protection of the army's troops, infrastructure and equipment", the military said. EU countries suspect Russia of being behind drone overflights of sensitive sites, which have increased in recent days. Besides seeking an anti-drone system, Switzerland's Federal Office for Defence Procurement has struck framework contracts with three suppliers to buy commercially available mini-drones. French navy responds to drone threat with jamming and a 'wall of steel' Toulon, France, Oct 3 (AFP) Oct 03, 2025 The 76-mm cannon fires three shells into the sky, shaking the floor of the bridge. "UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) destroyed," shouts a sailor on board the French frigate Lorraine, his eyes glued to binoculars. Moments earlier, a target representing a surface drone slowly sank into the depths of the Mediterranean Sea, riddled with 12.7-mm machine gun bullets. "You nailed it, Tristan!" the crew cheered the 20-year-old seaman for his perfect shot from a distance of 300 metres (984 feet). Sailors on the Lorraine have been training in counter-drone warfare and testing new equipment, firing at aerial or surface drones singly or in groups, as well as electronic warfare exercises against aircraft simulating drones or missiles. "We adapt our methods and equipment through innovation," said the ship's captain, Laurent Toncelli. The threat from drones is transforming the battlefield, from Ukraine to the Red Sea and hybrid operations in the skies above Europe. A recent spate of mysterious drone sightings over European countries has caused surging tension with Russia, which denies being behind them. The French navy, like military forces across the continent, wants to modernise as quickly as it can against the new threats. "It's better to have a partial but rapid response than a total one that will come too late or so late that it's obsolete," said Frederic Petit, a weapons engineer and innovation advisor to the naval chief of staff. - Better detection - The new equipment tested on the Lorraine is housed in a container installed at the rear on the helicopter platform, bristling with antennae, radars and optics out of bounds for visitors and photographers. A handful of industry representatives and France's Directorate General of Armaments mill around it. The equipment allows them to "explore jamming capabilities, increase the lethality of our weapons, particularly small-calibre ones, and integrate additional optronics to better detect the threat", the ship's commander said. The ship's crew are testing, for example, a new firing assistance system on the two Narwhal 20-mm cannons remotely operated from the bridge, which detects and tracks targets more effectively. On the screen, boxes with numbers appear. "This is the percentage the system is confident is a target," said Baptiste, 21, wearing a headset to listen to orders and instructions, and holding a walkie-talkie to communicate directly with industry representatives. "I told them I was above the threshold on my shots," he said. - 'Full beam' - "There are two ways (to take down drones): the old-fashioned way, like at Pearl Harbor, which is labour- and ammunition-intensive, and the refined technical approach, where we aim for a strike on the first shot," said artillery officer Francois, 36, from the operations nerve centre on the frigate. The navy is combining the two approaches, as well as improving accuracy. "We are strengthening our capacity to create a steel wall," added Francois. "Since 2025, we've installed additional machine guns at the rear of the frigate and during this exercise we've tested twin-barrel machine guns that are even more efficient, with more ammunition, higher firing rates and better aiming aids." Beyond focusing on short-range destruction of drones, "electronic warfare and jamming are effective methods" to neutralise them from a distance, without having to fire the very costly Aster missiles housed in the bow, said Petit. Jamming theoretically allows several targets -- like a swarm of drones -- to be neutralised at once. "The cannon aims at only one target, whereas we target an area," explained Kevin, a 33-year-old electronic warfare operator. "It's like a full beam in your eyes at night: you're blinded. It's the same for the drone." fz/sva/lpt/phz/jhb BigBear.ai (BBAI) has positioned itself as a key player in artificial intelligence-driven solutions for defense. Key takeaways: BigBear.ai is expanding as an AI solution for mission-based operations. Despite a weak quarterly report, it boasts significant cash for investments. The company is looking at international and domestic contracts to increase revenue. The company's stock rose 400% over the past year, primarily due to a new defense contract that leverages its predictive analytics to enhance decision-making and threat detection in mission-based operating environments. On Wednesday, shares rose 7.1% to $6.98. In September, BigBear.ai collaborated with SMX, a digital solutions company, to deploy advanced AI technologies in support of the U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/4th Fleet at UNITAS 2025. UNITAS is one of the worlds longest-running multinational maritime exercises, and this year, 8,000 personnel from 26 allied and partner nations will participate. The announcement sent Bigbear.ais stock soaring 12.8%. BigBear.ai's stock is up 56.9% year-to-dateImage source: Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock CEO Kevin McAleenan stated, Our participation in UNITAS 2025 underscores BigBear.ais commitment to equipping U.S. and allied forces with mission-ready AI that delivers real impact where it's needed most. Industry growth offers tailwinds BigBear.ai is an AI-powered solutions company; essentially, it uses artificial intelligence to help companies make faster, better, and more informed decisions. With its data analytics skills, it has positioned itself as a reliable solutions provider of real-time threat assessment, especially in combat situations. The scope of AI in the Aerospace and Defense (A&D) industry continues to grow, driven by the need for competitive advantage and customized AI solutions. More Palantir A BCG report notes that in 2024, the A&D industry spent $26.6 billion on AI, roughly 3% of total revenue. This share is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 9%, to $44 billion, by 2030. The report also highlights that the US Department of Defence and many intelligence agencies are leveraging secure, mission-ready cloud environments without compromising mission performance or control. Related: Hunting Golden Dome defense stocks? Follow the jobs BigBear.ai is steadily emerging in this space. Political support and financial outlook President Donald Trumps One Big Beautiful Bill Act includes a $250 million boost in building the Department of Defenses AI ecosystem, particularly in naval shipbuilding and autonomous systems. Allow Google Search To use the search feature, we need your consent to load Google Custom Search, which may use cookies or similar technologies. Please click 'Allow and Continue' below to enable search. See our privacy policy for more information. Allow and Continue Trees in the Amazon rainforest have grown in size in response to climate change, according to a recent study from the Rainfor network. Due to the rising amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, a key ingredient for photosynthesis, the study found that the trees in 180 plots across the Amazon had increased in size by an average of 3.2 per cent every decade for the past 30 years. I would have wanted those individuals to just take a step back. The issues that are driving those protests have been going on now for some time; they don't look like they're going to come to an end any day soon. Mr George used a torch on his phone to see his way to the hotels plant room, accessed by dimly lit concrete stairs and a fixed ladder. He had also wanted to do the job during the day, when the stairs would have been lit by natural light. But he said the hotel refused, wanting to avoid disruption to its busy catering services. It is currently believed that the suspect, Jihad Al Shamie, was not in possession of a firearm and the only shots fired were from GMP's Authorised Firearms Officers as they worked to prevent the offender from entering the synagogue and causing further harm to our Jewish community. It follows therefore, that subject to further forensic examination, this injury may sadly have been sustained as a tragic and unforeseen consequence of the urgently required action taken by my officers to bring this vicious attack to an end. Keith Leonard, from the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management, told RTEs News at One: If I had one key message it would be for that period from 4 to 6 in Donegal this afternoon, to ask people to shelter in place for that amount of time and to be very careful on the roads before that warning comes into place and after its gone through. Alight Inc. (NYSE:ALIT) is one of the cheap AI stocks to buy right now. On September 17, the company unveiled Sword Health, a musculoskeletal and mental health AI care platform for its Alight Partner Network. The platform is designed to deliver always-on, clinical-grade care across various health conditions. Alight Inc. (ALIT) Unveils Sword Health for Mental Health Needs Source: Pixabay The platform will offer chronic pain care by ensuring targeted interventions for employees dealing with persistent MSK conditions. Move is a segment that provides pain prevention and injury avoidance help for high-risk employees to develop movement habits, while Bloom will provide pelvic health care for women at every life stage. The addition of Sword to the Alight Worklife platform gives employees the tools to address their personalized MSK and mental health needs while simultaneously helping employers drive both savings and improved outcomes for their employee populations, said Missy Van Brocklin, Vice President of Partners at Alight. Sword will ensure members work exclusively with therapy doctors throughout the entire journey. It has already delivered over $1 billion in savings through lower healthcare costs. Alight Inc. (NYSE:ALIT) is a technology company that uses AI, powered by its Alight LumenAI engine, to personalize and automate employee experiences within its Alight Worklife platform. It also helps organizations improve human capital management by optimizing health, wealth, and career decisions for employees. While we acknowledge the potential of ALIT as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 10 Best Performing ASX Stocks in 2025 and Conservative Stock Portfolio: 11 Best Stocks to Buy Now. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. The tribunal found the offending was not motivated by hope of gain or any other illicit purpose, and that if the public was fully informed of all the salient facts in this case, their trust in the profession would not be undermined. On May 1 2025, he went on to criticise Israels interventions in his home country of Syria and stated: Israel will not be calm and will not be at ease as long as Syria is not divided into sectarian and ethnic regions, this Israel is concerned about the weakness of our country because it knows that its power is a danger to it. My belief is that the Bill is unsafe, and no matter how you amend it, it is unsafe. I also recognise that I would share the view of those that are pro the Bill, that we want to ensure that people have a peaceful and pain-free death. In her episode Dame Jane talks about who she would want to welcome her when she dies, saying: I just hope and pray that some of the chimps, that my special chimps, David Greybeard, Rusty, my childhood dog, Rusty, and some of the others, I hope theyll be there. And of course, I hope, mum. Uniqlo is set to open its first Austin location in late 2026 at Barton Creek Square Mall. John Keeble/Getty Images Uniqlo, the Japanese brand known for its elevated basics and casual wear, is planning its first move into the Austin market with a new location at Barton Creek Square Mall. According to a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, the $2.4 million store will occupy a nearly 18,000-square-foot space. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Demoltion and construction began in February and is expected to finish by early September 2026, the filing said. How many Uniqlo locations are in Texas? In addition to Austin, the company is expanding its footprint in Houston. There is already one Uniqlo located in Houstons Memorial City Mall, but a second location will expand the chain to The Galleria. There, Uniqlo will take over a space previously occupied by Forever 21. Simon Property Group Texas, the owner behind both developments, could not immediately be reached for comment. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Uniqlo currently has five locations in Texas: Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source Uniqlo First Colony, 16535 Southwest Fwy, Space 25, Sugar Land Uniqlo Galleria Dallas, 13350 Dallas Pkwy, Space 1645, Dallas Uniqlo Memorial City, 303 Memorial City Way, Space 350, Houston Uniqlo Parks at Arlington, 3811 S Cooper St, Space 2070, Arlington Uniqlo Stonebriar Centre, 2601 Preston Rd, Space 2164, Frisco Advertisement Article continues below this ad Austin-based tech company Silicon Labs CEO Matt Johnson said his company is still navigating the new geopolitical world as the Trump Administration calls for all semiconductor companies to move manufacturing to the U.S. or face 100% tariffs. This week, the company rolled out new tools, including Simplicity AI, to bring artificial intelligence directly to connected devices. Mikala Compton/American-Statesman, Austin American-Statesman Silicon Labs, an Austin-based company that designs chips for connected devices like appliances and security systems, is preparing for the growing role of artificial intelligence in everyday life. At its annual Works With conference in downtown Austin on Thursday, the company unveiled a new software platform designed to meet the needs of both human software developers and AI coding agents. Advertisement Article continues below this ad For years, we have optimized our tools, documentation and workflows for humans, said Manish Kothari, a Silicon Labs executive overseeing software development. But now something new has entered the scene. AI itself is becoming a developer. Agents and co-pilots are starting to code, debug and integrate alongside humans. Our job now is to build a platform that works just as well with these agents as it does with you. Thats what Simplicity AI is all about, a developer experience designed not only for the people, but for the AI agents that are working with them. Silicon Labs is preparing for this shift with its new AI development kit and its Series 3 product line, announced this week at its conference. Part of a six-product lineup, the new chips are designed to strengthen security and processing power, setting the stage for what CEO Matt Johnson calls the AI at the edge era. Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source Advertisement Article continues below this ad AI coming to the edge is going to be huge. Think of the hype that you hear about data centers, Johnson told the American-Statesman. Eventually that hype will move to the edge. And this is all that we do. Were the biggest company in the world thats focused on it. You can see it, feel it. In the rapidly evolving world of AI, Johnson said companies must stay ahead. Thats why Silicon Labs is focusing on AI integrations to ensure theyre prepared for the future. The company specializes in embedded chips that are hidden inside devices such as smart lightbulbs, fitness trackers, thermostats, and even factory equipment. And Johnson sees an opportunity to bring AI directly to these devices, which rely on internet connections. While most people associate AI with chatbots or massive data centers packed with servers, Johnson envisions AI-enabled tasks performed locally on chips within devices. By processing data on the spot, such chips can reduce lag, improve efficiency and minimize the amount of information sent to distant data centers. Advertisement Article continues below this ad I dont have to wait for the data to go all the way to the data center and back, Johnson said. You dont have to deal with the latency of that, and its more efficient for some things to be processed locally. So there will be tiny processors like we make, doing certain specific workloads locally on the chip and then sending only the necessary information, not the bulk or dirty amount of information all the way back to the data center. Semiconductors and tariffs Since earlier this year, when President Donald Trump began threatening tariffs on semiconductors, Johnson has found himself spending far more time in Washington than he ever anticipated. I like most days, but not every day, Johnson said. I never would have thought Id have to be in Washington a lot, dealing with politicians and talking about tariffs. Not in a bad way, but just didnt think that this would be a thing for us in our industry. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Trump has since escalated his trade stance, proposing a 100% tariff on semiconductor companies that fail to manufacture their chips entirely in the U.S. and not in China. Some major players, like Apple and Samsung, have already begun reshoring some production, responding to both market shifts and political pressure. For a company like Silicon Labs, which relies heavily on manufacturing partners in Taiwan and Singapore, adjusting to such a policy isnt simple. Johnson said the company has a path toward U.S.-based production, but that the technology necessary to produce Silicon Labs' products isnt ready in the U.S., and the one size fits all tariff approach doesnt work in the semiconductor industry. The technologies we need, they havent developed those, or theyre not production ready (in the U.S.) yet, Johnson said. I do see those being developed, which is great, which is why we can say with confidence, 'Well, we have a path.' But it takes time, and thats the challenge, because they want manufacturing here as soon as possible. Semiconductors have notoriously long lead times to build a fab, to develop a product, to get it ramped. Getting Washington to understand just the honest physics of our space versus the desire for very quick results, thats the tough part. Morris was a traveling evangelist visiting in Hominy, Oklahoma with the family of Cindy Clemishire, the alleged victim, who was 12 at the time. Morris was 21. The indictment alleges Morris sexual misconduct began that Christmas and continued over the next four years. (Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images) NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images On Thursday, Oct. 2, former North Texas-based pastor of Gateway Church, Robert Morris, pleaded guilty to five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a minor, according to the Oklahoma Attorney General's office. Last year, Morris resigned from his post after admitting to "inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady" 35 years ago. The church removed several of its elders following a law firm's independent investigation into the allegations last November. Advertisement Article continues below this ad According to the Oklahoma Attorney General's office, in December 1982, Morris was a traveling evangelist visiting in Hominy, Oklahoma, with the family of Cindy Clemishire, the alleged victim, who was 12 at the time. Morris was 21. The indictment alleges Morris sexual misconduct began that Christmas and continued over the next four years. Clemishire detailed her abuse in The Wartburg Watch, a blog focusing on nefarious issues in Christian churches. The alleged abuse continued in Oklahoma and Texas until 1987, Clemishire said. "After almost 43 years, the law has finally caught up with Robert Morris for the horrific crimes he committed against me as a child," Clemishire said in a statement to The Oklahoman after the indictment was made public. Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source Here's what to know about the charges. Advertisement Article continues below this ad What was Robert Morris' sentencing? Morris, under the terms of the plea agreement, was sentenced to six months in the Osage County Jail and a 10-year suspended sentence, to be served on probation under the supervision of the State of Texas. He is required to register as a sex offender, cover the costs of his incarceration including medical expenses and pay $270,000 in restitution to the victim. Advertisement Article continues below this ad What did Cindy Clemishire say about the sentencing? Clemishire addressed Morris' guilty plea in a statement. "Today justice has finally been served, and the man who manipulated, groomed and abused me as a 12-year-old innocent girl is finally going to be behind bars, she said. My hope is that many victims hear my story, and it can help lift their shame and allow them to speak up. I hope that laws continue to change and new ones are written so children and victims rights are better protected. I hope that people understand the only way to stop child sexual abuse is to speak up when it happens or is suspected. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Add Amazon (AMZN) founder Jeff Bezos to the growing list of people calling Wall Street's AI craze a bubble. During a conversation at Italian Tech Week, Bezos said the artificial intelligence hype cycle is pushing investors to spend billions on both good and bad ideas. Despite that, Bezos said he believes AI is a very real product that will impact companies across industries and society more broadly. "When people get very excited, as they are today, about artificial intelligence, for example ... every experiment gets funded, every company gets funded," Bezos said. "The good ideas and the bad ideas. And investors have a hard time in the middle of this excitement, distinguishing between the good ideas and bad ideas." "So that's also probably happening today. But it doesn't mean that anything that is happening isn't real." Bezos' Amazon is one of the largest investors in artificial intelligence technologies. The company is constructing data centers to meet customer demand for AI services and builds its own chips to train and deploy AI applications. AI companies have benefited handsomely from the AI boom. Chip leader Nvidia (NVDA), for instance, saw its stock price jump a staggering 1,350% over the past five years, sending its market valuation to $4.6 trillion. On Thursday, OpenAI (OPAI.PVT) became the most valuable privately held company at $500 billion after current and former employees offloaded some $6.6 billion worth of shares to outside investors, according to Reuters. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos speaks at Italian Tech Week 2025 on Oct. 3 in Turin, Italy. (Stefano Guidi/Getty Images) Stefano Guidi via Getty Images Bezos added, however, that the excitement around AI has also led investors to make investments they might not otherwise jump into. During his discussion, the former Amazon CEO cited an example of a group of investors pouring billions into an AI company comprising six people without a product yet valuing the firm at some $20 billion. He didn't disclose the name of the business. Despite that, Bezos said AI will have a positive impact on companies worldwide. "The biggest impact that AI is going to have is that it is going to impact every company in the world. It is going to make their quality go up and their productivity go up," he said. Bezos wasn't the only one to signal bubble trouble at Italian Tech Week. Goldman Sachs (GS) CEO David Solomon also pointed to significant froth in the market. "Whenever we've historically had a significant acceleration in a new technology that creates a lot of capital formation and therefore lots of interesting new companies around it, you generally see the market run ahead of the potential, because there are going to be winners and losers," he said during a conversation at the conference. Cascabeles for vida, or rattlesnakes for life in Spanish greets students at the entrance of Ridgetop Elementary School in Austin, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. The school is one of 13 that the Austin school district proposed for closure in a plan released Friday. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman The Austin school district proposed closing 13 campuses, redrawing almost every schools attendance boundary and relocating programs such as whole-campus dual language across the city. Almost a quarter of the districts 70,000 students would move into an attendance zone for a different school. The proposal, slated for a school Board of Trustees vote Nov. 20, could save $25.6 million as the district faces a $19.7 million budget deficit, dwindling enrollment and multiple schools with academic challenges. If approved, the closures will be effective in the 2026-27 school year. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Kindergartener Sylvie Chewning works on a worksheet in Spanish at Ridgetop Elementary School in Austin, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. The school is one of four in the district that offers Spanish dual language across the entire campus. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman The dramatic changes announced Friday would affect thousands of students, but district officials insist they are necessary to ward off existential threats to Austin schools. The closures come six years after Austins last painful school closure process that shuttered four elementary campuses and divided communities. The potential changes are seismic, school Board of Trustees President Lynn Boswell said. Loading... In a plan released Friday afternoon, district officials proposed closing 10 elementaries, two middle schools and the districts Montessori campus. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source Barrington, Becker, Bryker Woods, Dawson, Maplewood, Oak Springs, Palm, Ridgetop, Sunset Valley and Widen elementary schools, Bedichek and Martin middle schools and Winn Montessori School would close under the proposal. The district also plans to shutter International High School, which serves immigrant students and is located at Northeast Early College High School. Those services would move to other schools. More than 16,000 students would change attendance boundaries: 8,500 elementary school children, about 3,900 middle schoolers and more than 3,760 high schoolers. Others are reading: Austin ISD plans turnarounds at multiple campuses amid school closures Advertisement Article continues below this ad Elementary, middle schools Martin Middle School is one of 13 that the Austin school district proposed for closure in a plan released Friday. Jay Janner/American-Statesman The 10 elementaries proposed for closure are relatively spread out across the city, with one or two per region of Austin. The demographics of these schools also vary widely. Six of the 10 elementary campuses serve a majority of low-income students. Two 50-year-old middle school campuses would also close under the plan: Martin in East Austin and Bedichek in South Central Austin. Both campuses serve a majority of low income students. Advertisement Article continues below this ad However, the districts plan pledges the Martin closure will be temporary while administrators work with the community to re-envision new models for the school, such as a K-8 campus. Loading... Special programs The district would also close three of four campuses where Spanish-English dual language is taught across the whole school Ridgetop, Sunset Valley and Becker. Reilly, the fourth school with this program, would remain open. Advertisement Article continues below this ad DUAL LANGUAGE CHANGES: Austin ISD dual language schools face possible relocation amid budget constraints Teacher Monica Tellez de Arste helps pre-K student Blake Ryan with a worksheet at Ridgetop Elementary School in Austin, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. The school is one of four in the district that offers Spanish dual language across the entire campus. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Officials propose moving Spanish cross-campus, or wall-to-wall dual language programs to Pickle, Wooton, Odom and Sanchez elementary schools, which currently serve low-income populations and high concentrations of emergent bilingual students. All four campuses would have no attendance zone, meaning students wouldnt automatically be assigned to the schools and instead will have to opt into the programs. Joslin, which currently hosts the districts only trilingual program for Mandarin, Spanish and English would also become an opt-in only campus, but continue offering the three languages. Advertisement Article continues below this ad With the closure of Winn, the districts popular Montessori program would relocate to Govalle in East Austin. Loading... Enrollment, funding declines The dramatic change is necessary to free up strained financial resources for students, district officials said. Advertisement Article continues below this ad What I need to manage is doing whats best for 70,000 students for the next 50 years, the next 100 years, Superintendent Matias Segura said. Enrollment plummeted in Austin schools over the past decade, dropping from 84,000 students in 2015 to 70,000, a 17% dip. Statewide, student enrollment increased in the same period, but state demographers predict this will change as birth rates decline. Under the proposed closure plan, district officials will eliminate almost 7,000 seats, mostly from the elementary level, and reduce the number of open seats from 22,269 to 15,311 or 24% to 18% of total seats. The district also faces a $19.7 million deficit, which relies on $45 million in land sales already planned this year. Last year, officials cut contracts, slashed jobs at central office and pursued other cost-cutting measures to reduce the deficit. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The closures will be disruptive and shutter campuses that people love, but Boswell insisted change is necessary because funds for districts like Austin continue to dwindle from both state and federal sources. There is an attack on education in this moment, and that is part of why we are fighting for the future of our district, Boswell said. The district last closed campuses in 2020, when officials shut down Pease, Metz, Brooks and Sims elementary schools. The process bitterly divided communities and sparked debates about whether district officials fairly considered historic resource gaps across the city and the voices of vulnerable families. An original list of about a dozen proposed campuses eventually shrunk to just four. The original list included Dawson, Maplewood, Palm and Ridgetop, which are again slated for closure. During this years process, administrators considered how each change would impact students' access to transportation and programming, such as moving wall-to-wall dual language programs closer to where emergent bilingual students live, Segura said. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Academic challenges Artist Armin Alaniz finishes a new mural at Martin Middle School on Dec. 17. District leaders hope putting sixth graders back at Martin and Mendez middle schools will offer them extracurricular opportunities and resources that werent available at elementary campuses. Jay Janner/American-Statesman Seven campuses up for closure are on a list of 12 district schools that the state deemed academically unacceptable over the past three years. These three unacceptable ratings require the district to submit a plan to improve academics. These plans could include closing the school, handing operations over to a charter or a complete overhaul of the academic system. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The state grades schools on an A-F scale, largely using data from the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, test. Students begin taking the test in third grade. Elementary schools' scores are based almost entirely on the STAAR test. Sanchez, which is also on the list of 12 schools, would be remade as a dual language campus. Next steps Board Vice President Kathryn Whitley Chu said she plans to vote against the plan as it currently exists. The boot of the state is on the districts throat and she understands the intentions of the proposal, she said in a statement. Advertisement Article continues below this ad We should not be closing schools that are in demand and have strong academic results, Whitley Chu said. We should not be closing historic schools that tie to our community together. And we need to have the patience to allow the community to study the proposal and effectively weigh in. If a students school remains open, students who are rezoned to a new campus will be grandfathered in and able to continue attending their original campus until they would have naturally transitioned to the next level school. However, bus transportation wont be provided for these students. During the closure process six years ago, community feedback over months whittled the districts original proposal of 12 campuses down to four. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Teacher Monica Tellez de Arste helps pre-K student Jake Hernandez with a worksheet at Ridgetop Elementary School in Austin, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. The school is one of four in the district that offers Spanish dual language across the entire campus. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman On Wednesday morning at Ridgetop Elementary School, Monica Tellez de Arste leaned over a bright blue lima beanshaped table and pointed to a worksheet as a prekindergarten student in a purple dress looked on. Grande o chiquito? she asked. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Cascabeles for vida, or rattlesnakes for life in Spanish greets students at the entrance of Ridgetop Elementary School in Austin, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. The school is one of four in the district that offers Spanish dual language across the entire campus. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Spanish books are seen on display in the library at Ridgetop Elementary School in Austin, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. The school is one of four in the district that offers Spanish dual language across the entire campus. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Signs in Spanish are seen on the walls at Ridgetop Elementary School in Austin, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. The school is one of four in the district that offers Spanish dual language across the entire campus. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Spanish instructions for students are seen in a kindergarten classroom at Ridgetop Elementary School in Austin, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. The school is one of four in the district that offers Spanish dual language across the entire campus. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Kindergartener Mila Chladil works on a worksheet in Spanish at Ridgetop Elementary School in Austin, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. The school is one of four in the district that offers Spanish dual language across the entire campus. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Kindergartener Sylvie Chewning works on a worksheet in Spanish at Ridgetop Elementary School in Austin, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. The school is one of four in the district that offers Spanish dual language across the entire campus. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Pre-K students sit on a rug displaying Spanish vocabulary as they read books in class at Ridgetop Elementary School in Austin, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. The school is one of four in the district that offers Spanish dual language across the entire campus. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Teacher Monica Tellez de Arste helps pre-K student Blake Ryan with a worksheet at Ridgetop Elementary School in Austin, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. The school is one of four in the district that offers Spanish dual language across the entire campus. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman A globe is labeled in Spanish in a classroom at Ridgetop Elementary School in Austin, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. The school is one of four in the district that offers Spanish dual language across the entire campus. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman The lunch location is displayed in English and Spanish at Ridgetop Elementary School in Austin, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. The school is one of four in the district that offers Spanish dual language across the entire campus. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Math is displayed in English and Spanish at Ridgetop Elementary School in Austin, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. The school is one of four in the district that offers Spanish dual language across the entire campus. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Literature concepts are displayed in English and Spanish at Ridgetop Elementary School in Austin, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. The school is one of four in the district that offers Spanish dual language across the entire campus. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman A student stands in the hallway at Ridgetop Elementary School in Austin, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. The school is one of four in the district that offers Spanish dual language across the entire campus. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Students walk to class at Ridgetop Elementary School in Austin, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. The school is one of four in the district that offers Spanish dual language across the entire campus. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman The girl, holding squares with different-sized animals, pointed to one showing her critter was big. Muy bien! Tellez de Arste said, smiling. As the girl and other students finished their worksheets, other pre-K children chattered on the carpet and read books in English and Spanish. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source Scenes like this play out daily across the Austin school district's four wall-to-wall dual language campuses Ridgetop, Becker, Reilly and Sunset Valley where every student learns in both Spanish and English. But the future of these schools could shift dramatically as the district prepares to unveil a sweeping plan Friday afternoon aimed at closing a $19.7 million budget deficit. The plan is expected to include school closures, new attendance boundaries and stricter transfer policies. It also may recommend relocating the districts whole-campus dual language programs to areas with larger populations of emergent bilingual students, those still learning English. Kindergarten teacher Angela Lafuente hands out notebooks to students during class at Ridgetop Elementary School in Austin, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. The school is one of four in the district that offers Spanish dual language across the entire campus. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Parents fear disruption For parents whose children thrive in the current programs, the idea of uprooting them is unsettling. Advertisement Article continues below this ad I don't have a lot of confidence they'll be able to lift a successful program and get it running in a timeframe that meets my needs, said Joshua LeMarie, whose daughter is a first grader at Ridgetop. Families worry a move could fracture academic gains and bilingual communities they say took years to build. For some, the programs are deeply personal. Joseph Arriaga, whose kindergartener attends Becker, said his father discouraged him from learning Spanish as a child after facing stigma while learning English. It's taken a lot of work in my adulthood to reconnect with that part of my culture, said Arriaga, the son of Mexican immigrants. I want something different for my son. Advertisement Article continues below this ad To him, relocating the program feels like chopping up this thing that's working for parts. Pre-K students learn Spanish vocabulary in class at Ridgetop Elementary School in Austin, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. The school is one of four in the district that offers Spanish dual language across the entire campus. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Balancing language needs The Austin district first piloted its dual language model around 2010 to help emergent bilingual students achieve bilingualism and biliteracy. Kindergarteners in Spanish-English programs start learning mostly in Spanish, shifting year by year until instruction is split evenly between the two languages. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Nearly 23,000 of the districts 73,000 students about 31% are classified as emergent bilingual today. At the wall-to-wall campuses, more than 60% of students are native English speakers. At Ridgetop, only 12% of students are emergent bilingual, down from 62% in 2005. At Becker, 19% are emergent bilingual, down from about 23% in 2005. District officials say proposals to move the program would be meant to better serve emergent bilingual students closer to where they live, said Yvette Cardenas, executive director of academic programs. Any proposed move would also seek to balance the proportion of students who are native English and native Spanish speakers in the programs, she said. The Texas Education Agency recommends native English-speaking students make up 40% or less of a dual language program across a district. This could vary by grade, but non-emergent bilingual speakers shouldnt make up more than 50% of a program, according to a statement from the TEA. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Striving for a balance of participation is really important for the programs to serve the intended audience, Cardenas said. Kindergarten teacher Angela Lafuente instructs students in Spanish at Ridgetop Elementary School in Austin, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. The school is one of four in the district that offers Spanish dual language across the entire campus. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman 'Who needs to learn' The Austin district also offers Spanish dual language programs at 51 other elementary, 13 middle and five high schools. Three elementary schools have Mandarin-English programs and one has a Vietnamese-English program. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Sandra Springer, a University of Texas professor of curriculum and instruction, said the benefits of dual language learning extend to all children from cognitive development to cultural awareness. But she emphasized that the programs legal priority is achieve bilingualism and biliteracy for emergent bilingual students. "There's a group that needs to develop their bilingualism to function, to get a job, to access higher education, to maintain their relationship with their families, not only for economic opportunities or status," Springer said, adding that there's a difference between "who wants to learn the language, and who needs to learn the language." That need is underscored by achievement gaps. For the past two years, Austins emergent bilingual students have trailed their peers statewide on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness test. There is no Spanish option after fifth grade. This year, only 15% of emergent bilingual eighth graders in Austin met grade level in math, compared with 29% across Texas. In reading, 21% met grade level locally, compared with 31% statewide. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Third grade reading scores 40% met grade level in Austin were on par with state trends. Families weigh choices For some families, relocating programs might be manageable. Alexandra Aponte Coulbourn, who lives on the east side, said she would consider moving her child if a wall-to-wall program was reasonably close. A native of Puerto Rico, she enrolled her kindergartener at Becker to ensure her children grow up fluent in Spanish. I don't want my kids to go to a school where it's one dual language class per grade and they're the Spanish kids, Aponte Coulbourn said. Advertisement Article continues below this ad For others, the disruption feels too great. John Kestner, whose son is in fourth grade at Sunset Valley Elementary, worries about losing the bilingual culture that teachers have built. I'm just having a hard time understanding what the school is going to be like without that identity, he said. What comes next District officials said transition planning would be the next step if relocation is approved, with the draft plan scheduled for release Friday afternoon. In the meantime, students at Ridgetop and the districts other wall-to-wall campuses will continue their dual language instruction this year. Students walk through the halls at Guerrero Thompson Elementary School on the first day of school in Austin, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. Guerrero Thompson would be a receiving school of a turnaround plan under the proposal. Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman Seven of the 13 campuses that Austin officials proposed for closure would have needed a state-mandated turnaround plan, according to a draft package released Friday afternoon. District officials said moving the 26 campuses with multiple unacceptable academic ratings from the Texas Education Agency into state compliance is essential for the district. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The process of improving scores at these schools will take place at the same time as major changes in school boundaries, which will reassign thousands of students to new campuses. The state grades schools on an A-F scale, largely using data from the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, test. Linder, Pecan Springs and Wooldridge elementaries and Paredes Middle School will begin the 2026-27 school year with a turnaround plan modeled after a program called Accelerating Campus Excellence, which was first developed in the Dallas school district. Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source The ACE program requires regular assessment of students, increased professional development for staff and requirements for staffs teaching and student growth experience. The changes to staffing are likely the most disruptive parts of the turnaround plan, said Brandi Hosack, the districts talent strategy officer. Advertisement Article continues below this ad However, hiring requirements during this school year will be less stringent than they were for teachers recruited to teach at Dobie, Burnet and Webb middle schools, which began turnaround plans earlier this fall after receiving four F ratings in a row. We had to do the most aggressive plan possible with those campuses, Hosack said. Next years slate of turnaround schools will require teachers to have only one year of teaching experience rather than three and to demonstrate they can grow student performance. The district proposed closing or repurposing most of the schools slated for a turnaround plan. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Under the plan announced Friday, Barrington, Dawson, Oak Springs and Widen elementary schools, Winn Montessori School and Bedichek Middle School may close. If the plan is approved by trustees, students at those campuses would be reassigned to another school, and the campus at which most of those students are newly rezoned would have a turnaround plan. Campuses that will implement a turnaround plan because of a consolidation are Guerrero Thompson, Galindo, Blackshear, Rodriguez, Andrews, Ortega, Allison, Pillow and Hart elementaries and Covington and Kealing middle schools. The intensity of the turnaround plans may vary depending on the schools academic track record, Superintendent Matias Segura said. Advertisement Article continues below this ad If its a higher performing school, and if its historically an A or B school, then the understanding that we have from the agency is that let them keep doing what theyve been doing, Segura said. Theyve proven academic success. Students already at these campuses may notice new staff at school starting next year, but they shouldnt experience significant program changes, Chief of Staff LaKesha Drinks said. Last year, the district began to standardize instruction materials across campuses for consistency, she said. We did that just because it was best practice, Drinks said. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The district was not allowed to use school closures to reduce the number of turnaround plans required by the state, Drinks said. However, closing some of the campuses requiring turnaround plans was also strategic, because the district is limited by the number of teachers who will qualify to work at a turnaround school. The plans, along with a list of proposed school closures, is slated for a school Board of Trustees vote Nov. 20. Last_Edited_By: kalexander_05/21/13 10:51:37;kalexander_05/17/13 08:55:45;kalexander_05/16/13 09:57:48;kalexander_05/15/13 10:06:13;ncarroll_03/20/13 19:00:14 Site: Austin Site Code: S Status: New Rodolfo Gonzalez/Austin American-Statesman State Senator Tommy Williams (R-The Woodlands), (center) poses with Richard Weekley (left) and Dick Trabulsi (right) of Texans for Lawsuit Reform. Williams was recently recognized by the organization for his role and impact in protecting Texas' civil justice reform. Sybmitted photo The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents approved Tommy Williams as the flagship's interim president Friday, furthering a trend of elevating former Republican lawmakers into top administrative roles at the state's higher education institutions. The position is temporary, though board Chairman Robert Albritton said they would "take our time" to ensure they find the right person to serve as a permanent leader. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Were confident in his ability to lead the university with steadiness and purpose while we continue the search for a permanent president, Albritton said. Tommy Williams respect for the institution, its students, its staff and its faculty, along with his understanding of the needs of our state, make him the right fit to serve as interim president of our great university. In a media release, the Texas A&M System said Williams' understanding of higher education policy, leadership experience and ties to the Legislature makes him uniquely qualified to guide the university during this transitional period. Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source Im honored to return to Texas A&M in this capacity, Williams said in a statement. This university means a great deal to me, and I look forward to working with students, faculty, staff and former students to support the continued excellence of this great institution." Advertisement Article continues below this ad Glenn Hegar, chancellor of the Texas A&M University System, said Williams is a thoughtful leader and a faithful Aggie who has a deep understanding of the mission and the values that define Texas A&M. His experience in public service and his commitment to the Aggie community will serve us well as we continue to move forward, Hegar said in a statement. HIGHER ED: Aggies worry for the future as A&M searches for third president in four years Williams, a former state senator and representative, will arrive at a 79,000-student university that has, in recent years, struggled to balance the desires of a large faculty with those of the state. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Texas' four-year institutions have become more regulated as some politicians attempt to rein in a perceived liberal bias in academia and pursue a model that emphasizes skills directly needed in the workforce. Many faculty fear that the changes are stripping a model that promotes open inquiry among students and eroding democratic processes that give faculty relative autonomy to decide what they research and teach. In a statement, the Texas A&M chapter of the American Association of University Professors said it looks forward to supporting the systems national search for a permanent president. "Faculty remain committed to working collaboratively with him to safeguard the integrity of our institution from political interference, and we hope he will actively protect academic freedom and ensure that proper procedures are followed in all academic matters," the organization said. Growing political pressures have also contributed to the resignations of A&M's last two permanent presidents, with each of them lasting only two years in their positions. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Mark A. Welsh III stepped down last month as some lawmakers and alumni questioned his response to a professor's teaching about gender identity in a summer children's literature course. A hidden camera video captured a student challenging the professor, also invoking a religious objection to the material. State Rep. Brian Harrison launched an online campaign to get rid of Welsh, who was heard on audio clips saying he would not fire the professor. After the video surfaced, and Welsh fired the professor, demoted two administrators, and announced an audit of the university's 16,000 course sections to ensure that course descriptions were reflective of course material. He resigned about two weeks later. His predecessor, M. Katherine Banks, resigned in 2023 when she was found to be involved in the botched hiring of Kathleen McElroy, a prominent Black journalist who was set to lead the university's new journalism department. Her contract was watered down after the regents received complaints from conservative alumni who worried McElroy would perpetuate diversity, equity and inclusion practices at the university apparently diverting from standard hiring practices. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Both former presidents were deans at A&M before being promoted. Williams served as the system's vice chancellor for federal and state relations after leaving office. He currently works for a public affairs firm in Austin. The state is increasingly moving away from hiring presidents or chancellors with traditional academic backgrounds. In the last year, Gov. Greg Abbott's appointed regents hired former state representative, senator and chancellor Hegar to lead the Texas A&M University System; former state Rep. John Zerwas to lead the University of Texas System, and state Sen. Brandon Creighton to lead the Texas Tech University System. Creighton was the author of several bills that have fundamentally changed higher education in the last several Legislatures, including a ban on diversity, equity and inclusion and a university governance bill that increases board members' power and weakens faculty oversight of hiring and curriculum. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The state's other flagship, the University of Texas at Austin, also elevated a president to the office with ties to one of the state's most prominent leaders. Jim Davis most recently served as UT's senior vice president and chief operating officer, but he had previously worked in the public and private law sectors, including at Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's office. Williams ran a financial services firm in the Woodlands before serving in the Texas Capitol. He spent six years as a Republican state representative and 10 years as state senator, from 1997 to 2013. While in office, he chaired three different senate committees. After his post-Legislative career took him to the Texas A&M University System, he was a senior adviser for fiscal matters for Abbott. Advertisement Article continues below this ad He received a bachelor's in business administration in accounting from Texas A&M. The 3-foot-tall patrol robot roams a block in the Windsor Park neighborhood thanks to a collaboration between Austin-based CTX Patrol Service and Dax, a robotics company located in Oregon. Cody Copeland The little guy seems friendly enough. Short, squat, with big, blue eyes only the heartless wouldnt fall for, and cute little caterpillar treads for feet. Austin was recently introduced to Daxbot, or Palmer, as its handlers told a KVUE reporter. The 3-foot-tall robot patrols a block in the Windsor Park neighborhood, watching for any suspicious human activity worth reporting to police, through a collaboration between Austin-based CTX Patrol Service and Dax, a robotics company located in Oregon. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Despite looking like our next favorite Pixar creation, this pint-sized gizmo is equipped with some of the most sophisticated artificial intelligence technology on the market today. Daxbots come facial recognition-ready, but a company representative assured me this one is not equipped with it. The robot is essentially a mobile camera, that is particularly effective in mixed-use environments, where public trust and need must be balanced with strong security enforcement, Hobert Crittenden, director of operations at CTX Patrol Service, told me. His company was not required to obtain authorization from City Hall to put Daxbot on the street. A policy of no permit needed to put a crime fighting machine on the streets should set off alarm bells. A 2020 city resolution bans the use of facial recognition technology by both Austin police and private corporations on City property. But the sidewalk and street are not considered "city property" as it relates to the resolution, a city spokesperson told me. I appreciate concerns about public safety, and I'm open to new and innovative solutions to maintaining it. But as with any new technology, from motor cars to social media and everything in between, I have to urge the creation and implementation of significant guardrails as part of the rollout, rather than in hindsight. Seatbelts dont do much after the crash. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The racial bias in facial recognition has been studied and documented for years, but the tech doesn't seem to have gotten any better. In April, a Black man spent two days in a New York City jail after AI linked his face to a suspect eight inches shorter and 70 pounds lighter than he is. One glitch can irreversibly affect a life. To be clear, Windsor Park is not overrun with automatons tracking citizens every move, but the bot is one of quite a few that Crittenden said CTX Patrol has deployed around the city. Others are stationed in Central and South Austin, he said, though he declined to provide more details about them. History tells us simply having a policy against tech abuses isn't enough. Last year, The Washington Post reported that some members of the Austin Police Department had sidestepped the city's ban on facial recognition software by asking their peers at the Leander Police Department to run images through its program. Advertisement Article continues below this ad I spoke with one Windsor Park resident who was unperturbed by the bot in her neighborhood. She even expressed sympathy for the poor thing that she has seen get knocked over and hit by cars. Such a reaction is precisely the point of anthropomorphizing security technology, according to Albert Fox Cahn, executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project. We leave people more sympathetic to the technology than the human beings its hurting, he said. A knee-high bucket of bolts with a winning smile may seem harmless, he said, but the thing people have to remember is that surveillance is often the precursor to state violence. Surveillance companies collect unprecedented amounts of information about how people live their lives, Cahn said, and its something that poses a threat to all of us. Now City Hall is toying with the idea of putting more AI in public life. A proposal to install AI-powered security cameras in city parks was pulled from two recent City Council agendas after a group of activists expressed opposition. Council members should take their concerns seriously. Future Austinites will appreciate the prescience. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Austin has made a name for itself as a high-tech testing ground. But with AI-powered cameras enabling food delivery, taxi rides and, now, public safety, we the guinea pigs need to know our elected officials are doing their utmost to protect people from its misuse. This should start, at the very least, with an all-out ban on private companies using automated facial recognition technology in the public right of way. And the ban should be accompanied by tough fines for violations that are calculated as a percentage of a company's revenue. Proactive auditing of mobile camera technology is not feasible in what Cahn described as our "camera-rich society," and fines proportional to revenue will give the policy teeth that deter larger corporations from factoring penalties into the cost of doing business. For someone falsely accused of a crime thanks to facial recognition, the damage is already done. The time to codify these protections for all is now. Advertisement Article continues below this ad After all, before the Greeks burst from its belly, the Trojans looked upon the gift they were given and said, Thats one fine-looking horse we got there. This story was originally published on Multifamily Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Multifamily Dive newsletter. The Atlanta area saw a couple of notable apartment sales earlier this week, indicating that the transaction market could be thawing. The sales market is improving as Atlantas record deliveries over 2023 and 2024 have been met with record demand, Chris Goldsmith, managing director of investment sales at Walker & Dunlop, told Multifamily Dive in emailed comments. Weve seen this historic absorption stabilize operating fundamentals and embolden buyers to underwrite growth moving forward. On Monday, Walker & Dunlop announced that it arranged $352.8 million in total acquisition financing for the sales of Town Laurel Crossing and Manor Barrett. The Related Group sold the properties, built in 2024, to a buyer connected with Portland, Oregon-based multifamily firm GSL Properties, according to Bisnow. The 360-unit Town Laurel Crossing sits in the Exchange at Gwinnett shopping district, while 347-unit Manor Barrett is in the Town Center Commercial District in Kennesaw, Georgia. Freddie Mac provided the capital for the buyer, according to the press release. Other deals have emerged, too. On Tuesday, Greenwood Star Holdings announced the acquisition of the 281-unit Parkside Apartments and the 96-unit Creekside Apartments as part of its Greenwood Star Income and Growth Trust vehicle, according to a press release. Both properties are located in the Atlanta suburb of Doraville, Georgia. Greenwood stated that Parkside was acquired for $31.5 million, representing a 23% discount to its comparable sale price, and Creekside was purchased for $15.5 million, representing a 35% discount to its comparable sale price. Both properties include the assumption of long-term financing, involving a 3.63% Fannie Mae loan that matures in August 2029. The area has also experienced high occupancy rates, driven in part by mortgage payments in the surrounding area being more than double the monthly rent payments at both properties, according to Greenwoods press release. Doraville is an in-demand submarket of Atlanta that continues to demonstrate resilient fundamentals, creating a competitive rental housing environment, said Lisa Li, chairman and CEO of Greenwood Star, in the press release. With our integrated property management capabilities and the ability to assume the 3.63% Fannie Mae loans, we believe that Parkside and Creekside are well-positioned to deliver significant value to investors. Akbar Novruz Armenia has expressed strong interest in normalizing relations with Azerbaijan, emphasizing that Yerevan would be among the main beneficiaries of lasting peace and cooperation in the region, Azernews reports. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan made the remarks in an interview with the Polish TPV World channel. If we talk about the railway connection, according to experts, its construction may take at least two years. But we can already use the infrastructure and territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan to send and receive cargo. We have begun discussions with our American partners regarding TRIPP, and I think we can complete this process in the coming months, after which construction should start, Mirzoyan said. The minister also underlined that the text of the peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan has already been initialed, and Yerevan is prepared to sign it as soon as possible. Touching on the broader reconciliation process, Mirzoyan acknowledged the heavy psychological legacy of the decades-long conflict: There is a bloody history and memory on both sides. I believe there is still a certain degree of caution between societies, probably on both sides. The reconciliation process will take time. Peace, as I have already noted, has been established, but it requires constant care and daily efforts from both sides. Mirzoyans remarks highlight Armenias recognition of the economic and strategic opportunities tied to regional cooperation, particularly in transport and connectivity, as well as the challenges of overcoming deep-rooted mistrust between the two nations. Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) is one of the best Goldman Sachs bank stocks. On September 25, Citi shares, valued at $187.7 billion, shot higher after striking a deal to sell a 25% Banamex stake for around $2.3 billion. TD Cowen reiterated its Hold rating on Citi with a $95 target, noting that the sale is a positive step toward simplifying the companys model and trimming its worldwide operations. Banamex Stake Sale Pushes Citi (C) Higher, TD Cowen Reiterates Hold Rating Kiev.Victor / Shutterstock.com This sale is part of Citis broader push to retreat from legacy international markets, with leadership focusing on its goal of a full Banamex exit. In spite of the positive momentum, TD Cowen maintains a neutral outlook, cautioning investors that stablecoin adoption under the Genius Act could weigh on Citis Services arm. The banks shares have rallied 73.5% in a year, far above the 15% industry median, indicating that recent strength may already factor in good news. While we acknowledge the potential of C as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: Dow 20 Stocks List: Ranked By Hedge Fund Bullishness Index and 10 Unstoppable Dividend Stocks to Buy Now. Disclosure. None. Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey has outlined plans to grant widely used stablecoins access to central bank accounts while warning the tokens could reshape Britains financial system. According to a report from the Financial Times, Bailey described stablecoins as a technology that could separate money holding from credit provision, potentially reducing the role of commercial banks in the economy. The governor believes that this shift would require careful management to preserve the link between money and credit creation that underpins economic activity. His intervention coincides with the Bank of Englands preparation to publish a consultation paper on its systemic stablecoin regime, which will set standards for tokens used at scale for everyday payments or for settling tokenized financial markets. Andrew Bailey, Governor of the Bank of England (Source: Semafor) BoE Proposes Access to Central Bank Accounts Amid Deposit Drain Concerns Bailey explained that Britains financial system currently combines money holding with credit provision through fractional reserve banking, where commercial bank deposits directly support lending to households and companies. He noted that stablecoins could allow a different arrangement where money and credit provision are partially separated, with banks and stablecoins coexisting while non-banks carry out more lending activity. The central bank has also proposed ownership limits of 10,000 to 20,000 for people and 10 million for businesses on systemic stablecoins. Sasha Mills, the Banks executive director for financial market infrastructure, said the limits would mitigate financial stability risks stemming from large and rapid outflows of deposits from the banking sector. Bailey particularly stressed that backing assets for stablecoins must be free of credit, interest, and exchange rate risk to ensure value stability, and must be accompanied by insurance schemes and statutory resolution arrangements similar to bank deposits. He added that exchange terms must be known, consistent, and directly convertible into other forms of money rather than dependent on crypto exchanges and their business terms. The governor acknowledged that the technology behind stablecoins is new but poses an old central banking question about ensuring the link between money and credit creation. Crypto Industry Pushes Back Against the Proposed Stablecoin Cap Tom Duff Gordon, vice-president of international policy at Coinbase, told the Financial Times that imposing caps on stablecoins is bad for UK savers, bad for the City and bad for sterling and that no other major jurisdiction has deemed caps necessary. Soldiers with 2nd Theater Signal Brigade competing at the U.S. Army Europe and Africa Best Squad Competition at Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany put on their mop gear during a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear materials event on Aug. 25, 2025. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes) The Army will not hold its yearly competition to find the services best squad of soldiers this month because of the federal government shutdown, the service announced Friday. The lapse in appropriations caused by Congress failure to pass a fiscal year 2026 budget or strike a temporary spending agreement forced the Army to scrap its fourth annual Best Squad Competition, the service said in a brief statement. The competition was slated to begin Friday at Fort Bragg, N.C., where the U.S. Army Special Operations Command was to play host. The yearly contest is aimed at testing soldiers ability to work together under rigorous conditions meant to simulate the rigors of combat. The contest typically includes a variety of fitness and tactical tests ranging from the Army Fitness Test to obstacle courses, weapons lanes and squad battle drills, according to the service. It also includes a 12-mile foot march. This year, the Best Squad Competition teams were slated to travel to Washington at the end of the competition to face board-style interviews with top Army leaders to test their knowledge and professionalism, and conduct a fitness challenge on the National Mall. Units across the Army have spent recent months challenging five-person squads on their tactical and technical soldiering skills for the right to compete in the Best Squad Competition. One squad each from 12 of the Armys major components Forces Command; Training and Doctrine Command; U.S. Army Pacific; U.S. Army Europe and Africa; U.S. Army Materiel Command; Futures Command; U.S. Army Special Operations Command; Army Medical Command; Army Cyber Command; the Army National Guard; the Army Reserves; and the U.S. Army Military District of Washington earned the right compete in the Best Squad finals, which were to be held from Friday through Oct. 12. Training and Doctrine Command and Futures Command officially merged this week, becoming the Army Transformation and Training Command. The competition could still go forward later once Congress funds the federal government, an Army spokesperson said Friday. No final determinations have been made, the spokesperson said. Squads from the elite 75th Ranger Regiment won the first two Best Squad Competitions in 2022 and 2023, and an infantry squad from the 25th Infantry Division won last years contest. Army officials have said they started the competition in 2022 to better focus on the importance of cohesive squads, which it considers the most influential unit level for its soldiers. The squad extends beyond a traditional infantry squad to any small-unit group of soldiers, connected by a squad leader, who has the most direct impact on their lives, according to an Army description of the Best Squad Competition. Soldiers never fight alone; the unbreakable bonds forged through shared hardship and unending support for one another are the hallmark of our most successful small units. Families of sailors assigned to the USS Pearl Harbor wait on the pier as the ship returns to its homeport in San Diego on Oct. 1, 2025, after participating in Pacific Partnership. (Ulrika Mendiola/U.S. Navy) The USS Pearl Harbor returned to San Diego after participating in Pacific Partnership. Family and friends welcomed the crew back to their homeport Wednesday. Pearl Harbor left San Diego in July, and served as the flagship for Pacific Partnership, the largest multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster management preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific. The ship conducted visits to Papua New Guinea, the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Samoa and Vanuatu. The mission, now in its 21st iteration, focuses on assisting small nations in civic development such as expanding hospitals, schools and infrastructure and preparing for natural disasters. (Teri Weaver/Stars and Stripes) Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, Aug. 14, 2010: About half of the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Teams 4,000 soldiers, such as these soldiers from the 702nd Support Battalion, flew out of Iraq in August. They took a military C-130 to Al Asad Air Base in western Iraq before taking a chartered plane home. The view of the Pantry's external seating from Market Street in Newmarket, England, Sept 4, 2025. Yelp rated the Pantry No. 1 in its top 10 restaurants near Market Street. (Loretto Morris/Stars and Stripes) While the greater Cambridge area boasts plenty of delicatessens, few have had the lasting impact on me that made them worth reexploring. On my first trip to Cambridge from RAF Mildenhall last summer, I had to connect through the nearby town of Newmarket. Rather than spend my layover people-watching or scrolling on my phone, I decided to grab lunch at The Pantry. This cafe and deli nestled among the wealth of shopping and dining choices on Market Street had been recommended by some local residents. I sat outside and had a chicken katsu sandwich that I still remember a year later. On a recent fall morning, I took two friends there. Both were immediately impressed by the elegant yet inviting atmosphere, with its sage green walls, large windows and extensive wooden seating. We initially wanted to sit outside but found ourselves a bit underdressed for the weather. The restaurants beautiful interior softened the blow of not being able to have our meal al fresco as planned. It was a Tuesday afternoon, and the restaurant was not particularly busy. We were quickly seated and enjoyed prompt and attentive service for the duration of our visit. The waitress offered us the specials for the day and recommended a Thai fish cake as an appetizer. One of my accompanying friends, James, mentioned that he is not typically a fan of fish. I dabble but am by no means a connoisseur, while the third member of our party, Gui, is a self-proclaimed seafood expert. The interior of the Pantry in Newmarket, England, Sept 4, 2025. The meat and fish are sourced from a local butcher and fishmonger respectively, according to the eatery's website. (Loretto Morris/Stars and Stripes) With three positions on the fish-loving spectrum represented, and with James reluctant blessing, we decided to take her recommendation. The flavorful fish cake was paired with creamy lime mayo sauce and fresh bean sprouts. It had all three of us scraping the plate clean before I could even take a photo, and left James wishing he had claimed a larger portion. Emboldened by our delicious appetizer, we ordered a selection of main dishes to share: a fish board, sardines, the Pantry Smash Burger, a Cajun chicken breast, and macaroni and cheese with brisket and garlic bread. The sardines were a unanimous knockout. Imported from Cornwall, the fish was very well seasoned, tender and topped with fresh vegetables. Gui informed us that being able to eat the fish from snout to tail was a sign of great sardines, but he wished the bread was softer to better absorb the fishs oils. The agreed highlight of the afternoon, though, was the fish board featuring smoked salmon, trout and mackerel with potato salad and smoked salmon pate. The Pantry Smash burger at the Pantry, a cafe and deli in Newmarket, England, is served with sweet bacon jam. (Loretto Morris/Stars and Stripes) The Exning smoked fish board, potato salad and focaccia, as served at the Pantry Sept 4, 2025. It features smoked salmon, trout and mackerel with potato salad and smoked salmon pate. (Loretto Morris/Stars and Stripes) Sardines on toast as served by the Pantry in Newmarket, England, Sept 4, 2025. According to the chefs, the sardines were imported from Cornwall. (Loretto Morris/Stars and Stripes) While we found the fish to be a little too salty, that imperfection did little to prevent our enjoyment of the smoked delicacies, which paired extremely well with the pate and potato salad. As much as we enjoyed our fish dishes, the other offerings didnt quite measure up. Guis Pantry Smash Burger left him underwhelmed. He said the patty wasnt as flavorful as the intensely sweet bacon jam. He also prefers his burgers medium-rare, and as the Pantry Smash Burger is not cooked to order, the medium-cooked meat was too chewy for his tastes. The macaroni and cheese with brisket and garlic bread at the Pantry in Newmarket, England. The cafe and deli on Market Street offers an array of meat and seafood dishes. (Loretto Morris/Stars and Stripes) The Cajun chicken breast as served by the Pantry in Newmarket, England, Sept 4, 2025. In addition to chicken dishes, the restaurant boasts a wealth of seafood offerings. (Loretto Morris/Stars and Stripes) James said his Cajun chicken breast wasnt filling, and it fell apart after his first bite. Despite this, he said the overall meal had a lot of flavor and the elements paired well with each other. My macaroni and cheese with brisket was a strong entree, but I thought the meat was a bit chewy and could have used more time to soak up the moisture of the cheese. A generous dash of salt was needed to bring out the full flavor profile of the macaroni and the garlic bread, which ended up being some of the best Ive ever had. The triple chocolate brownie served with honeycomb and vanilla ice cream from the Pantry in Newmarket, England. (Loretto Morris/Stars and Stripes) The rhubarb creme brulee with fresh raspberries and ginger shortbread at the Pantry, as seen Sept 4, 2025. The eatery is a standout of the Market Street restaurant scene in Newmarket, England. (Loretto Morris/Stars and Stripes) For dessert, Gui ordered a creme brulee that responded with a satisfying crack when tapped with a spoon. He would have preferred a bit more sweetness but otherwise found his selection creamy and full of rich custard flavor. James chocolate brownie was warm and crispy outside, and gooey on the inside. It was topped with vanilla ice cream that melted decadently over the top. We had an amazing time and even better meals at The Pantry. The staffs suggestions were helpful, and they were patient enough to answer all our questions. And despite the wide variance in our palates, the offerings managed to be both satisfying and scintillating for all three of us. The Pantry Address: Unit 17 & 18, The Guineas, Newmarket CB8 8EQ, United Kingdom Hours: 8 a.m.-11 p.m., Monday-Saturday; 9:30a.m.-4p.m., Sunday Prices: 4-10 pounds, appetizers; 14-24 pounds, entrees; 10 pounds, deli boards; 15-18 pounds, flatbreads; 9-10 pounds, sandwiches; 3-7 pounds, desserts; and 2-3 pounds, coffee. Information: www.thepantryfinefoods.com; @pantrynewmarket on Instagram Students return for the first day of school at Kubasaki High School on Camp Foster, Okinawa, Aug. 18, 2025. (Ryan M. Breeden/Stars and Stripes) This story has been corrected CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa Students, teachers and staff at Defense Department schools on Okinawa will get back the 20 minutes tacked onto their school days this year, according to a notice sent to parents Friday. Department of Defense Education Activity-Pacific reversed its decision to extend the school day, based on what weve learned since the change took effect with the new school year, Pacific South superintendent Melissa Hayes wrote in the letter. In July, DODEA announced it would add 20 minutes to the school day, an annual increase of 58 instructional hours, to 13 schools on the island. As with any change, we have closely monitored its impact, gathering feedback from families, staff, and students, Hayes wrote. Based on what weve learned, weve determined that the best course of action is to revert to our previous school schedules. The schools will revert to their previous schedules starting Oct. 27, the beginning of the second quarter, according to a Friday post on the MCCS Okinawa School Liaison Officer Facebook page. The decision to extend the school day brought Okinawa schools in line with others across DODEA, spokeswoman Miranda Ferguson said at the time. The school day on the island had been shorter on average than those in other districts. The average school day on Okinawa will revert to six hours, 19 minutes. By comparison, the average school day on Japans main island of Honshu is six hours, 35 minutes, while schools in South Korea and Guam average six hours, 36 minutes, Ferguson said in July. More than 6,000 students the children of U.S. service members and civilian Defense Department employees attend DODEA schools on Okinawa. The Okinawa Student Transportation Office will email new bus stop arrival times to families, Hayes wrote in the letter. School-specific impacts will be shared before the Oct. 23 change. Our leadership team is committed to using both qualitative and quantitative data to guide our decisions, Hayes wrote. We value the voices of our community and appreciate the input that helped inform this adjustment. Ferguson did not immediately respond to email and phone inquiries on Friday. Members of the 374th Logistics Readiness Squadron place a plaque commemorating the Battle of Iwo Jima into a crate at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Sept. 10, 2025. (Jacob Wood/U.S. Air Force) YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan A plaque originally meant as a memorial to Marines who fought on Iwo Jima recently departed this airlift hub in western Tokyo on its way to the Marine Corps museum in Virginia. The 374th Logistics Readiness Squadron on Sept. 27 sent the bronze plaque to the National Museum of the Marine Corps, where it will join an inventory of approximately 1,000 artifacts, according to a post that day on the squadrons Facebook page. Our team felt a profound sense of responsibility and pride in handling this artifact, Tech Sgt. Michael Woodard, the outbound cargo supervisor, said in comments emailed Thursday by base spokesman Staff Sgt. Spencer Tobler. We understood its significance as a direct link to the Battle of Iwo Jima and the sacrifices made by the Marines. The plaque features raised images of U.S. Marines raising the American flag after the Battle of Iwo Jima and comes with a description of what the artifact represents, a photo of a recognition ceremony and another of the plaque. Members of the 374th Logistics Readiness Squadron place a plaque commemorating the Battle of Iwo Jima into a crate at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Sept. 10, 2025. (Jacob Wood/U.S. Air Force) The plaque was cast by two men using materials on the island not long after the battle concluded, Woodard said. However, the bronze casting was damaged in the molding process and discarded. Another plaque was successfully cast and dedicated Oct. 5, 1945, on Mount Suribachi in commemoration of the Marines who fought there. The discarded cast ended up at Yokota through a roundabout route. First, the president of a Japanese construction business recovered it from Iwo Jima and sent it back to Japan with a load of scrap metal. Possession of war memorabilia was illegal at that time, and fearing punishment the business president buried the plaque, Woodard said. The firm eventually went bankrupt, and the president gave the plaque to an employee to satisfy a debt. The employee sold it to the president of a construction design company in Hamura, a city adjacent to the air base. He, in turn, gifted it on Nov. 10, 1980 the Corps 205th birthday to Marine Maj. Gen. Marc Moore, chief of staff of U.S. Forces Japan, Woodard said. The plaque had rested in the USFJ deputy commanders office since then, according to a Sept. 18 base news release. Woodard said he made his team aware of the artifact coming through the hub. With each generation becoming further removed from this historical moment, handling this artifact provided an important educational opportunity to emphasize its importance, he said. Preparing the artifact for transfer required a lot of coordination and attention, Woodard said. Our team was responsible for constructing a custom crate and fabricating specialized packaging materials designed to ensure its preservation during transit, he said. We also arranged for expedited shipping to minimize potential discoloration or warping of the original photographs due to temperature fluctuations. The team took photos together with the plaque before sending it off, then tracked its progress to ensure it arrived safely. Personally, handling this historic artifact was a truly surreal experience, Woodard said. I have a deep appreciation for World War II history and its impact on the United States. NATOs Central Europe Pipeline System is getting extended into Poland, with the construction of some 200 miles of pipelines that will connect the country with the system in Germany. The pipeline system, launched during the Cold War and developed over time, is designed to ensure the delivery of jet fuel, gasoline and diesel across NATO territory. (NATO) STUTTGART, Germany A Cold War-era NATO fuel system designed to keep allied armies moving during wartime is getting extended into Poland, Polish officials said Friday. The $5.5 billion military pipeline initiative will connect Poland to NATOs Central Europe Pipeline System, which involves a collection of allied countries. The project is crucial for strengthening Polands energy and defense security. Its implementation will not only increase Polands resilience to fuel crises but also strengthen its position as a strategic partner in the region, the Polish defense ministry said in a statement Friday. The deal, signed during a ceremony in Warsaw, involves the construction of pipelines stretching some 200 miles to connect with Germany, Polands deputy defense minister, Cezary Tomczyk, said Friday. He referred to it as a NATO-funded project. We are talking about one of the largest investments in the security of the Polish state in the last 30 years, he said. NATO developed its network of military fuel lines in preparation for potential conflict with the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The system, launched in the late 1950s and developed over time, is designed to ensure the delivery of jet fuel, gasoline and diesel across NATO territory. Poland has been pushing for inclusion into the network for years. Tomczyk said the discussions began in earnest in 2014, soon after Russias annexation of Ukraines Crimea Peninsula. It wasnt immediately clear when the extended network would be up and running, but the push to extend military fuel lines into Poland comes at a time of high tension with Russia. It also isnt clear if any plans exist to extend the network for other NATO allies to use. Last month, NATO jets scrambled to shoot down numerous Russian drones that crossed into Polish airspace, marking the first time in alliance history that allied aircraft were forced to shoot down a potential threat on its territory. Russia also has been blamed for other drone incursions in places such as Romania and Denmark. Top NATO officials have warned that Russia could be preparing for conflict with the alliance in the coming years. In July, U.S. European Commands Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich said the U.S.-led NATO alliance must prepare for the possibility that Russia and China could launch wars in Europe and the Pacific, with 2027 being a potential flashpoint year. Were going to need every bit of kit and equipment and munitions that we can in order to beat that, Grynkewich said at the time. BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK) is one of the 12 Set-It-and-Forget-It Stocks to Buy Now. The company reaches a new high in AUM, and it is followed by a positive monthly performance and a massive price target rise. BlackRock Hits Record AUM as Analysts Boost Price Target and Stock Gains On July 15, 2025, BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK) reported a record high $12.53 trillion in assets under management (AUM) for the second quarter of 2025. With this figure, the company became the first asset manager to surpass $12 trillion in AUM. Subsequently, the companys Adjusted EPS for the quarter reached a significant $12.05, surpassing the consensus estimate of $10.66 and achieving 16% growth in comparison to the quarter a year ago. With the companys monthly stock performance reaching a 3.95% uptick as of September 29, 2025, Citi raised BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK)s price target significantly from $1,200 to $1,350, while reiterating the stocks Buy rating. BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK) holds a market cap of $188.72 billion, promising broad asset management exposure to potential investors interested in long-term, hands-off portfolio growth. Founded in 1988, the New York-based company, BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK) is the worlds largest asset manager. It provides investment, risk management, and technology services, including the popular iShares exchange-traded funds, to clients across the world. While we acknowledge the potential of BLK as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 12 High-Risk High-Reward Growth Stocks to Buy Right Now and 12 Stocks with Consistent Growth to Invest In. Disclosure. None. Gaza City as seen from the cockpit of a U.S. Air Force C-130 cargo plane in March 2024. Organizers of an international aid flotilla say five U.S. veterans were among the hundreds detained by Israeli forces this week as the group tried to break Israels sea blockade to reach war-ravaged Gaza. (Stars and Stripes) Organizers of an international flotilla trying to reach war-torn Gaza say five U.S. veterans were among hundreds of people detained by Israeli forces this week. Marine veterans Philip Tottenham of Ohio, Zuleyka Morales Rivera of New York and Jessica Kaye Clotfelter of Illinois and Army veterans Susan Jernstedt of West Virginia and Greg Stoker of Texas were among some 450 international activists in the Global Sumud Flotilla arrested while trying to break through Israels blockade of Gaza to deliver aid, according to Global Movement to Gaza, one of the groups leading the flotilla. Organizers say the five U.S. veterans were traveling on a boat known as the Ohwayla. As the fleet of more than 40 vessels sailed closer to Gaza on Wednesday, the Israeli navy warned them to turn back before boarding the boats and taking the activists into custody, according to the Associated Press. When asked about the detention of the veterans, a State Department official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Stars and Stripes on Friday that the flotilla is a deliberate and unnecessary provocation, while also adding that the department takes its commitment to U.S. citizens seriously and is monitoring the situation. The department did not respond immediately to questions about how many Americans in the flotilla were detained. As of Friday, Israeli forces had captured the final boat, ending what had been the largest attempt so far to break Israels blockade of the Palestinian territory, according to the AP. Among the participants were climate activist Greta Thunberg; Mandla Mandela, the grandson of the late South African anti-apartheid activist and former President Nelson Mandela; and several European lawmakers. The Israel Foreign Ministry described the vessels as a provocation and said all members of the flotilla were safe and in good health and in the process of being deported. The ministry on Friday posted photos of activists smiling and giving thumbs-ups. In a statement Thursday, the Global Sumud Flotilla called the interception illegal and defended the movement as a peaceful, non-violent convoy. The AP reported the group had been carrying a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid, including food, baby formula and medicine. Some members of Congress have urged the State Department in recent weeks to do more to protect Americans aboard the ships heading to Gaza in the name of humanitarian assistance. Last week, 19 lawmakers signed a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling for the department to protect its citizens from any hostile actions against the flotilla and ensure the successful completion of its mission. Rep. Nydia Velazquez, a New York Democrat who represents one of the Marine Corps veterans, decried the arrests of the flotilla participants on Thursday. The State Department must act to protect all captives, Velazquez wrote on social media. They must be kept safe, released immediately, and the aid must be allowed to reach those in desperate need. Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE:RY) is one of the best Goldman Sachs bank stocks. On August 28, BMO Capital assigned an Outperform rating to RY and lifted the price target from C$190 to C$203. Royal Bank of Canadas strong quarterly results supported the price target increase, with earnings per share of $3.84 topping BMO Capitals $3.36 estimate and the $3.32 Street consensus. The bank has also shelled out dividend payments for 53 years. BMO Capital Raises Royal Bank of Canada (RY) PT to C$203 Photo by Mirza Babic on Unsplash According to BMO Capital, the upside surprise demonstrated broad-based momentum, driven by solid performance in Personal Banking and Capital Markets. The Personal Banking segment gained from higher net interest margins, loan expansion, and stronger net interest income. Stronger trading revenue and improved Corporate & Investment Banking income also contributed to the outperformance, BMO observed. Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE:RY), founded in 1864 and headquartered in Toronto, offers services such as loans, savings, credit cards, wealth planning, insurance, and financial advisory through segments including Personal and Commercial Banking, Wealth Management, Insurance, and Capital Markets. While we acknowledge the potential of RY as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: Dow 20 Stocks List: Ranked By Hedge Fund Bullishness Index and 10 Unstoppable Dividend Stocks to Buy Now. Disclosure. None. BPs new Chair, Albert Manifold, has told employees the company must accelerate its pivot back to oil and gas while simplifying a portfolio he described as overly complex. In an internal memo seen by Reuters, Manifold said some of BPs assets may be more valuable to others and emphasized the need to boost profitability. His comments mark a sharp signal that the board intends to quicken the retreat from BPs earlier renewables-heavy push, a strategy that has drawn investor criticism. Manifold officially replaced Helge Lund on Tuesday. Lund had faced shareholder discontent over his close ties to former CEO Bernard Looney, who championed BPs costly expansion into renewables. BP has pledged to divest $20 billion in assets to cut net debt from $26 billion to between $14 billion and $18 billion by 2027. At the same time, it aims to grow annual cash flow by roughly 20% through 2027, reaching about $14 billion. Our financial challenge is we are seeing lower levels of profitability and we have significant debt on our balance sheet, Manifold wrote. Its clear to me that our strategic direction is right, but we need to move faster to accelerate execution. During his 11-year tenure as CEO of Irish building materials group CRH, Manifold oversaw a near fivefold increase in its share price through portfolio reshaping and a New York primary listing. Investors hope he can bring similar discipline to BP. Activist investor Elliott, which holds more than 5% of BP, has pressed the company to cut costs and spending to drive even higher cash flow. Read this article on OilPrice.com Mark from North Carolina is 65 but hes not retiring any time soon because hes made absolutely horrible decisions with money all my life. He told The Ramsey Show that his wife has about $10,000 in a 401(k) and he has maybe a couple thousand [1]. Their total debt includes a $115,000 mortgage and about $22,000 in credit card debt and a car loan. Must Read While retirement may seem impossible, show host Dave Ramsey told Mark he can still enter retirement debt-free with savings but it will take some sacrifice. The house will be paid for and youll be debt-free, Ramsey explained. But youre working a while. Paying off consumer debt Mark and his wife have a couple of good things going for them both of them are still healthy enough to work, and together will earn about $105,000 this year. First time weve ever broke $100,000, he said. Assuming that level of income can be maintained going forward, the couple can afford to aggressively pay down their unsecured debt. Ramsey suggested putting at least $2,000 a month toward their car loan and credit card debt. Doing so should get rid of those debts within a year. Next, the host recounting his 7 baby steps money plan told Mark to build an emergency fund with three to six months worth of expenses. This will safeguard the couple from unanticipated expenses. Finally, after all that, Ramsey said Mark and his wife should focus on paying off the house and building a nest egg. If they work until theyre 72, Ramsey estimated, they could have about $200,000 in retirement savings, the house will be paid off and theyll be free of debt. It may not be much, but its a far more tenable situation than the one theyre facing now. Ramsey labelled Marks case as sobering and said it should serve as a cautionary tale to frivolous young spenders. If youre 35 and youre listening, that should be a warning shot across your bow, the host said. Dont show up at the doorstep of 65 broke with a car payment. Read more: Here are 5 simple ways to grow rich with real estate whether you have $10 or $100,000 to invest Debt-to-income ratio Understanding your debt-to-income (DTI) ratio is an important part of personal finances. Depending on your age, income level and financial goals, the amount you put toward paying off your consumer debt may be different. Europa Press Granada Friday, 3 October 2025, 17:08 Share A Local Police force in Spain has reported the owner of a vehicle whose number plate was found by officers to have been tampered with in order to evade the cameras of Granadas new low emission zone (ZBE), which came into effect with penalties on Wednesday 1 October. The police also proposed a fine of 6,000 euros, along with the removal of six points from the driving licence of the owner of the vehicle. "Dodging the cameras of the ZBE, like the owner of this car, who tried to conceal his identity by turning a six into an eight with electrical tape, is not a clever trick," the Local Police said via social media networks in a message, seen by Europa Press, in which they announced the sanction against this driver. The first hours of the new ZBE in this Andalusian city passed on Wednesday with normality at its entry points and in overall mobility across its urban network, practically all of which is affected by this project. Its system of penalties will be applied progressively over the final quarter of the year, according to Granada city council. Therefore, this October, cars not registered in the Andalusian city and without an environmental label which enter the ZBE will be fined no more than once a month; in November, once a week; while in December, the penalty system will apply to every offence committed with the vehicle concerned. Share The 2025 German grape harvest promised exceptionally high-quality fruit, indicating an outstanding vintage. The main harvest began in September, with regions like the Rheingau starting three weeks earlier than average, with grapes ripening quickly. However, the harvest was 3% less than the previous year, attributed to heatwaves, drought, and wild boar damage. Rising production costs, declining domestic consumption and export barriers are straining the sector. Many wineries are unable to accept all offered grapes, leading to concerns that some harvests may go uncollected and bulk wine prices have plummeted. Industry sources warn that one in three producers could have to close, threatening tourist dependent wine regions like the Rhine and Mosel. The agriculture minister of Rhineland-Palatinate attributes the crisis to years of inaction and resistance to innovation, together with falling domestic consumption. The sector advocates focusing on strong brands and a clear product offering to improve its international position. Unprecedented EU-backed measures, such as limiting new plantings and promoting yield reduction through techniques like green harvesting, have been initiated. Domestic wine consumption is declining, with less than half of wine drunk in Germany produced locally. Imported wines, often cheaper, dominate both private consumption and hospitality. The minister stresses that buying local wine supports regional producers and rural development. She highlights wine as a key cultural element. A nationwide political meeting is planned in November to coordinate solutions and safeguard the sector's economic and cultural importance. Jennie Rhodes Ronda Friday, 3 October 2025, 13:56 Share The F. Schatz bodega has been a well-known name in Ronda for four decades. The Schatz family has worked in the wine industry since the seventeenth century but arrived in Malaga province in 1982 in search of a better climate to continue the family tradition. The family is originally from Trentino, in the southern Tyrol, the German speaking part of northern Italy near the Dolomites. The family finally settled in the South of Germany, in Korb (state of Baden Wurttemberg) and has been specialised in viticulture since 1641. At the tender age of 18, Friedrich (Federico) already had two things clear: firstly he wanted to continue the family's winemaking tradition but he wanted to do so in an area with a better climate than his native Germany. Zoom Friedrich travelled through several countries and finally chose Spain and specifically Ronda, thanks to its proximity both to the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. Friedrich took a crash course in Spanish in Marbella but admits that the "practical lessons" with the bricklayers who helped with the renovation of his house "worked wonders for the mutual understanding" and his "perfect Andalusian accent". Although Friedrich had lessons in Marbella, it was in the Serrania de Ronda where he found both the estate to establish his vineyards and the family home. The land is located in what is known as Finca Sanguijuela, whose initials coincide with the founder's first and last names, hence the winery's logo is FS. Friedrich was also one of the first winemakers in the area to decide to produce wine organically. The estate and bodega continues with Friedrich, his wife, who is originally from Pamplona and their 13-year-old daughter who is learning the trade. Their Malaga wines with a touch of Germany are recognised nationally and internationally. SUR in English Malaga Friday, 3 October 2025 | Updated 09/10/2025 17:35h. Share Interior design goes beyond decorating a space: it is the art of creating environments that interact with those who inhabit them. Every choicefrom the colour palette to the lighting arrangementinfluences the way we live, feel and share our daily lives. Today, more than ever, interior design is conceived as a tool for well-being, where aesthetics meet functionality to shape homes and spaces that inspire, welcome and convey personality. Today we interview three professionals from this sector who will tell us more about this interesting topic in detail. We interviewed Mercedes Arce, interior designer: "We create spaces that promote the experiences we desire" Interior design is not limited to decorating a home: it is the creation of spaces where people feel comfortable and enjoy their daily lives. Transforming a home or office into an inspiring place requires sensitivity, experience, and the ability to capture the essence of those who inhabit it. On this occasion, we spoke to Mercedes Arce, an interior designer who found her true passion in the world of interior design. With a style that combines creativity, intuition and harmony, Mercedes has developed residential, commercial and office projects, offering a comprehensive service that turns every idea into a unique space full of life. How long have you been in the sector and what are your origins? In other words, tell us a little about your values and beginnings (history) so that readers can get to know you better. After a professional career in the financial world, during which I was always in contact with design, aesthetics and art, it was in Mexico, inspired by its colour and intensity, that I came into contact with The World of Interior Design. That's when I began my journey, guided by the creativity and intuition that come from my enthusiasm and love for this work. What are the main services you offer? Which are the most in demand at the moment? We develop all kinds of projects, residential, commercial and office. We take care of the entire process. We carry out the project and design of the spaces, execute the comprehensive renovation and selection of materials, furniture, decorative elements... down to the last detail. We want the client to enjoy the process and we achieve this, as we have a great team of professionals with many years of experience in the sector. We guarantee efficient and high-quality execution. What best defines you as a professional? What would you say is your philosophy and working style? I create spaces where clients feel comfortable and happy, adapted to their needs and tastes, combining pieces from different eras and trends, always with harmony and balance in mind. Zoom What sets you apart from other professionals in the sector? The client is my protagonist. I always connect with them to understand their needs and tastes and create unique and special spaces. I like to make use of pieces that are important to them, that have a history and aesthetic value. We create spaces that foster the experiences we need and desire. We also design a lot of custom furniture so that each client has exclusive and unique pieces that transport them to their favourite places or environments. An appreciation of beauty is simply an attitude of openness to the power of things to move our souls, and that is what we do with every design. We create sensations by designing the environment of your dreams. Every space, every corner is important, and we strive to ensure that our energy flows in balance in all of them. Caring for our environment is also caring for the soul. You are an interior designer offering a turnkey service. What does this involve? Is this a specific service you offer to foreigners who purchase their second home here? What advantages does it offer this type of tenant? It is a service we offer to all our clients. It is true that it is very convenient for foreigners or people who live abroad. We make sure that the house is ready to move into, with all the household goods and everything each client needs. Would you like to highlight anything else on this subject? We have started a new project that we are implementing on our website. It involves the sale of furniture specifically created for each client and each space. To complement this, we have partnered with the fantastic landscape designer Marta Cuadra and her company Bioplant to create unique, customised lamps, designed ad hoc for each client and each space, and handcrafted. Each piece combines light, nature and design, integrating elements such as eucalyptus, moss and different plant species, in perfect harmony with the interior design of each room. The result is living, exclusive light sculptures that turn lighting into a sensory and aesthetic experience. Based on a personalised study of each environment and its decorative style, natural elements are incorporated, adding aesthetic value, differentiation and a connection with nature within the domestic environment. Cosy Home: Construction, Renovations, and Interior Design on the Costa del Sol At Cosy Home, we believe that every space tells a story yours. Our mission is to design interiors that reflect your lifestyle, enhance comfort, and bring timeless beauty into your everyday life. Blending functionality with aesthetics, we create homes that feel both inspiring and inviting. From tailored concepts to the finest details, we accompany you through each step of the design process, ensuring that your home is not only stylish but also uniquely yours. At Cosy Home Interiorista, we transform spaces into havens of harmony, warmth, and personality. The Journey from Observation to Creation As a child, my love for homes, for details, and for craftsmanship was already there. With these words, Ramon Cortina Irigoyen, CEO and founder of Cosy Home, explains the origin of a vision that would later become a benchmark in construction and renovation on the Costa del Sol. For 15 years, on his daily school bus journey to an international school in Madrid, Ramon spent more than an hour each way watching facades, buildings under construction, and new details appearing day by day. What others overlooked, he observed intently. That habit nurtured an eye for beauty in construction and a fascination with precision. Years later, after serving as Finance Director for a multinational in London, Ramon returned to Spain and personally renovated three of his own homes. The experience revealed something striking: the renovation sector was outdated, inefficient, and unnecessarily stressful. What should have been exciting felt complicated and fragmented. Out of that frustration came a new idea a company that would make construction and renovation transparent, modern, and stress-free. Thus, Cosy Home was born. Our Construction and Renovation Services Cosy Home offers a genuine Construction 360 service, managing the entire process under one roof: architecture, design, construction, and project management. We specialize in full villa renovations and new-build projects across Malaga, Marbella, and the wider Costa del Sol. Modern methods, such as steel framing lighter, stronger, and more efficient than traditional systems are integrated to deliver homes built for todays lifestyles. Every project begins with the anteproyecto, or preliminary concept. At this stage, clients receive a detailed presentation including initial ideas, visuals of the main spaces, photorealistic renders, and a first cost estimate. Whether in our Malaga office or virtually from as far as Hawaii, clients experience clarity and inspiration from the start. Unlike firms that present a simple spreadsheet, Cosy Home invests time in creating a vivid and engaging vision. Within two weeks, clients receive a clear roadmap and foundation to move forward. From there, our team handles everything: design, permits, contractors, timelines, and site supervision. Interactive 3D software and Oculus VR headsets allow clients to walk through their future home before construction even begins. Meet the People Behind Cosy Home Behind every project is a dedicated team of professionals. Our architecture and design department, led by Marina Espinar and Julia Diaz, has shaped some of Malagas most remarkable homes in neighborhoods like El Limonar and Pedregalejo. Leslie Dallapiccola and Mauro Martinez coordinate projects nationwide, from Madrid to Baqueira, Lanzarote, and Marbella. Communication is another of our greatest strengths. Matthew Squires, our Commercial Director, ensures every client feels informed and supported. Born in the United States, he even travels abroad to personally meet clients and explain project progress. This human connection is at the core of what we do. Today, Cosy Home manages more than 40 professionals and skilled trades on payroll. Site managers such as Dumitru, Vinicius, and Alexis guarantee precision and excellence on every site. And then there is me, Daniela Pereira. My mission is to show the world how well we do things at Cosy Home. It is a huge challenge, but also a privilege: to help this company become a benchmark on the Costa del Sol and why not, across Spain. A Modern Philosophy for the Costa del Sol At Cosy Home, we believe construction should evolve with the times. Our approach is rooted in clarity, trust, and passion. Clients shouldnt worry about coordination or hidden surprises they should enjoy the process of creating their dream home in Malaga, Marbella, or anywhere in Spain. As Ramon Cortina Irigoyen explains:True success is not just a beautifully finished home, but a process where the client feels guided, informed, and reassured every step of the way. This is the essence of our work. More than building, we create spaces with soul, designed for life on the Costa del Sol. Live Cosy. Build Better. For more information about stress-free renovations and new-build projects in Malaga, Marbella, and across Spain, visit www.cosyhome.es Aldea Interiorismo: Quality, personalisation and trust in every project With three decades of experience, Aldea Interiorismo has established itself in Malaga as a benchmark in comprehensive decoration and design projects. What began in 1995 as a furniture shop has been transformed into a studio capable of tackling everything from complete home renovations to international corporate projects, always with a seal of quality, personalisation and turnkey service. To learn more about this evolution and its future challenges, we interviewed Marina Benavides from Aldea Interiorismo. Zoom How long have you been in the sector and what are your origins? Aldea was founded in 1995 by Rafael Benavides, who wanted to create an original space in Malaga with high-quality, designer furniture and decoration. This December we will celebrate our 30th anniversary and, over time, the shop has evolved considerably, from its product range to the professionals who work there. We are always committed to the quality of good design and manufacturing of products and a good relationship between quality and price. We like to work with the best professionals and specialists in design, architecture, assembly, electricity, upholstery, etc., so that the project works well from start to finish. The personalisation of each project is another of our hallmarks. We like to listen and propose original and innovative solutions, improving on the customer's proposal, if possible. We believe that each project is unique and unrepeatable. Our satisfaction comes from surprising our customers by exceeding their expectations. Finally, our customers' peace of mind is essential. We want them to enjoy the project and be happy with the final result. So much so that we have been recognised with seven awards for best service and two awards for best design by the prestigious international platform Houzz. What are the main services you offer? Which are the most in demand at the moment? At Aldea, we work on everything from decorating a single room to comprehensive home projects, including renovating spaces such as kitchens and bathrooms. We also carry out corporate projects for offices, restaurants, commercial premises, hotels, etc. The most in-demand service is the turnkey service. The client may live outside their city, and we coordinate with them online to carry out the project according to their tastes and needs. When they arrive home, we take care of everything: carrying out the necessary work, furnishing, and final decoration. How has the company changed and evolved over the last 30 years? Would you change anything or add anything else? In the beginning, Aldea focused almost exclusively on the home and carried out furnishing projects. Over time, it became necessary to carry out renovation work, so our teams specialised, bringing in architects and quantity surveyors and collaborating with other architecture and interior design studios. We also expanded our offering to include kitchens and bathrooms. We select the best suppliers from a national and international range. This has enabled us to carry out wonderful projects, not only in home furnishing, but also in show flats, tourist rentals and spaces for corporate clients: Caja Rural, JP Morgan, Gomez Acebo y Pombo and restaurants such as La Canasta (a new cafe that recently opened on Calle Larios). All through our Aldea Studio service, our experience and our professional and specialised team. How do you see the company in the future? With great enthusiasm! Aldea has always been in constant evolution. Our teams have improved and we are ready for many projects in different parts of Spain and Europe. We have warehouses in different parts of Spain and we have adapted to the changing trends in our sector. We are even studying the usefulness of AI to incorporate it into our processes. We keep up to date with interior design trends by attending major international trade fairs such as Intergift in Madrid, the Valencia Furniture Fair and the prestigious I Saloni in Milan. We love to offer original products and services to our customers. What can you offer foreigners who purchase second homes in our country? Firstly, proximity: we speak English, French and Italian, so we can communicate with them in their own language. To ensure that projects are as wonderful as our clients want them to be, we coordinate installers and fitters for the project. From the initial phase, we provide installation plans and the necessary information for assembly, allow access to the property, check the final installation, resolve any problems or issues that may arise and request solutions from the various suppliers. The client has a single point of contact, in their own language, who resolves everything and ensures that everything is perfect on time. Even if they live abroad, we can meet and send them the information online. In addition, we have a physical shop in the centre of Malaga, open six days a week, with products, samples, fabrics, woods and other materials, etc., so that clients can see, touch and feel. Is there anything else you would like to highlight on this subject? We make our customers' houses the best homes to live in, which is why Aldea is everyone's home. And we hope to continue being so for a long time to come Eugenio Cabezas Torrox Costa Friday, 3 October 2025 | Updated 05/10/2025 07:09h. Share Migration pressure on the Canary Islands and more recently, the Balearic Islands, continues unabated in Spain. Last year ended with a new record number of arrivals from African countries to the Canaries, with nearly 44,000 of the more than 60,000 who came to Spain illegally. People have been distributed throughout Spain through emergency measures involving organisations such as the Red Cross and the Spanish Commission for Refugee Aid (CEAR). In Malaga province the first emergency reception centre to be set up was the former four-star Urban Beach hotel in El Morche, Torrox Costa, on the eastern Costa del Sol in October 2023. According to the Red Cross, in the two years since then around 1,600 people have passed through the hotel, which has since been converted into a reception and care centre for migrants. In the first few months most were from Senegal, but in recent months the majority have been young men from war-torn countries including Mali and Somalia. This means that these people can apply for political asylum in order to obtain refugee status, which gives them faster access to the documentation they need to work legally in Spain. Those from other countries who do not obtain this status have to prove that they have been in Spanish territory for at least two years in order to obtain their papers through a procedure known as 'arraigo'. Almost all of the migrants housed in Torrox are young men. The Red Cross provides social services at the hotel, offering them Spanish language and culture classes and providing training to enable them to work here, according to the provincial coordinator of the NGO in Malaga, Samuel Linares. "We have a lot of demand from fruit and vegetable companies in the area for harvests," he said in statements to Cadena Ser radio in the Axarquia. Of the 362 people currently staying at the hotel, more than 160 have found a job "with decent conditions" Linares added. Migrants who are in an irregular situation and cannot return to their countries of origin, as there are no extradition agreements, have to remain working irregularly in the underground economy for two years, according to the provincial coordinator of the Red Cross. No incidents Despite complaints and criticism from the PP government team in power at Torrox town hall, the reception of these migrants has so far been "without incident" said Linares. He highlighted that "these people have no other plan than to try to work here legally, to make a living, to help their loved ones and families, because they have left their homes and embarked on a dangerous journey in a small boat covering more than two thousand kilometres". In November 2023 the Partido Popular (PP) in Malaga province opened an investigation into Torroxs PP councillor for culture and popular traditions, Salvador Escudero, following his controversial comments to Radio Torrox. His comments were in relation to the first group of migrants who arrived at the hotel in El Morche that October. Escudero compared the migrants to animals and said: "We don't know if they are going to steal a car, it's like putting a time bomb on you". Zoom Torrox councillor Salvador Escudero in the Radio Torrox studio in November 2023 SUR The reception programme at the Urban Beach hotel in El Morche, will remain in place for at least another six months according to the provincial coordinator of the Red Cross. "This is the period for which the central government is extending the programme," Linares explained. The Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration is responsible for the transfer and assignment of NGOs that take care of migrants arriving by canoe in the Canary Islands or the Balearic Islands, their transfer to the mainland and temporary accommodation in Malaga. All migrants referred to Malaga have full freedom of movement, although they are subject to an expulsion order for having entered Spain illegally. Obviously, not all of them will be deported immediately, but it will depend on each case and, above all, on whether there are extradition agreements with their countries of origin. In fact, they have the option of requesting international protection, the right to shelter or asylum in Spain, which, if granted, would halt the expulsion order. The Ministries of the Interior and Migration are responsible for assessing these applications for international asylum. If they apply, they leave the Red Cross centres and are taken care of by the Spanish Commission for Refugee Aid (CEAR). If, after two years in Spanish territory, irregular migrants have not been sent home or granted international protection through asylum, they can apply for residence providing they can demonstrate that they have been in Spain for this period of time. It is estimated that there are more than half a million irregular migrants in Spain, a group that Pedro Sanchez's government plans to regularise. Jennie Rhodes Comares Friday, 3 October 2025, 10:40 Share 'Comares Cultural 2025' began on Thursday 2 October in the east of Malaga province village. The month-long programme of activities includes hiking trails, rural women's day, a classic car rally, foodie events and Halloween celebrations. The Classic Car and Motorcycle Rally is taking place on Saturday 4 October, with over 100 vehicles participating. Organised by Tontona Racing, club member Jose Sanchez explained that the rally will begin at 10am and said that vehicles over 25 years old are coming from all over Andalucia. A '60s and '70s themed party is taking place on Saturday evening with music from Adolfo Cisneros at 7pm and DJ Toulalan 8.30pm. The village will be inaugurating the newly restored Alqueria washhouse on Sunday 5 October, which the town hall said in a statement is "a place where women used to meet and socialise in the past". This will be accompanied by a hiking route from Comares to the Alqueria. On 15 October the town hall is organising events to celebrate Rural Women's Day and on 16 October at 5 pm, there will be a talk (in Spanish) on stroke prevention organised by the APAM Association at the Teleclub. On 18 October, a traditional 'Cateta' salad will be served up in El Romo and on 20 October there will be a special meeting for senior citizens. A cultural visit to Ronda and Alpandeire has been organised for 23 October and on the 25 and 26 October children can participate in a youth camp at La Noria. On 31 October a Halloween party, organised in collaboration with the La Tahona Parents' Association of the San Hilario de Poitiers primary school, is happening. "We want to invite our residents to participate, but also the entire region to our Comares Cultural, to any activity related to active tourism that we promote so much, to enjoy our gastronomy, our environment and our historic centre," the town hall said in a statement. On Tuesday, a new SPAC from VC and All-In podcast host Chamath Palihapitiya became a public company. Dubbed with the lofty name American Exceptionalism, it raised $345 million with a mission to acquire one or more startups in the fields of energy, AI, crypto/DeFi, or defense, then convert those companies into publicly traded entities. But Palihapitiya wants retail investors to know: He strongly advises you not to buy the stock, even though he has reserved a tiny fraction just over 1% to be traded on the public markets for retailer investors, while 98.7% has already been sold to hand-picked, large institutions. I want to temper retail investors involvement with my SPACs, he posted on X and later posted again, We designed it this way, almost entirely institutionally backed, because, as I have learned, these vehicles are not ideal for most retail investors. They are for investors who can underwrite the volatility, place it as part of a broader structured portfolio and have the capital to support the company over the long run. It isnt typical for someone to launch an IPO and then tell people not to buy the stock. He even goes as far as to give a buyer-beware warning to any retail investor (like among fans of the uber-popular All-In pod) who wants to ignore his recommendation and buy anyway. For anyone in the retail market who still chooses to disregard my advice to avoid SPACs, please carefully review our disclosures and make a fully informed decision. The reason for these warnings is somewhat entertaining. Palihapitiya practically single-handedly sparked the rise of SPACs from 2019 to 2021, granting him the title of SPAC King. This came after his first SPAC, Social Capital Hedosophia Holdings (IPOA), raised $600 million and took Virgin Galactic public in 2019. (It now trades for under $4, by the way.) SPACs took off, seen as a fast-track to going public during the venture capital valuation bubble. But, within a few years, the numbers showed that while SPACs might be lucrative for the SPACs sponsors like Palihapitiya and sometimes for the acquired startup, they rarely made investors money. Or as the Yale Journal on Regulation put it: SPACs have delivered poor post-merger returns to shareholders for many years. Goldman Sachs even banned itself from underwriting them for three years. In June, it ditched that ban and began working with SPACs again, prompting Palihapitiya to post a poll on X asking, Should I launch a SPAC? Nearly 58,000 people voted and overwhelmingly voted no (71%). Thats because Palihapitiyas track record was no better. In June, MarketWatch compiled records of the abysmal performance of nearly all of his SPACs, showing many were down over 90% from their launch date. Tony Bryant Torremolinos Friday, 3 October 2025, 12:12 Share Some of Francisco Ibanezs most iconic characters are now on display in Parque de La Bateria in Torremolinos, a new space created to pay tribute to the legendary illustrator. It has been designed as a meeting point for all generations, creating a themed area with large format three-dimensional characters made famous by the popular Spanish cartoonist. The initiative was inaugurated on Thursday by the towns mayor, Margarita del Cid, who was accompanied by Nuria Ibanez, daughter of the legendary illustrator, creator of characters like Mortadelo y Filemon, El Botones Sacarino, Rompetechos, Otilio, Pepe Gotera. Made from polyester resin and fibreglass, they join other creations inspired by Torremolinos, such as Mortadelo holding a skewer of sardines and Otilio standing beside the Torre de Pimentel. Ranging in size from 1.20 to 2.50 metres, the space is set to become a new cultural and tourist attraction. This tribute from Torremolinos is our small contribution to honour the figure of the most popular author in Spanish comics, and one of those who has done the most to promote reading and popular culture in our country, Del Cid said. The project involved an investment of 89,000 euros and was supported by a grant from the Andalusian tourism programme (Munitur) of the regional government. To mark the inauguration of this new space, comic workshops were organised, along with a comic fair. View of where the motorway currently ends in the Casapalma area and where the new stretch will begin. Ignacio Lillo Malaga Friday, 3 October 2025, 12:24 Share With no extension to the Guadalhorce valley motorway (A-357) from Malaga city for the last 15 years, the first section tendered this summer has attracted a great deal of interest from construction companies. A total of 22 companies (21 grouped in temporary joint ventures and one standing alone) have submitted bids to undertake a project valued at around 57 million euros, according to the regional government's department of public works. This is the section between Casapalma and Cerralba, which was initially awarded in 2010 but was then suspended. Regional minister for public works, Rocio Diaz, expressed her satisfaction with the large turnout of bids from competing companies and with the participation of the key players from the sector, "who have shown interest in resuming a project that we had to start practically from scratch". She explains further: "We found ourselves faced with an old, outdated project that had to go through the environmental impact assessment process again after 15 years of paralysis." The route of the new motorway will actually be a bypass, running largely parallel to the existing road, which will remain as a service road Diaz stressed that this development will deliver a boost to the economy of the municipalities of the Guadalhorce valley and improve the movement of people and goods. She also announced that this will soon be followed up with projects for a further eight kilometres on the Malaga-Campillos-Ronda intersections, currently in the drafting phase. These include four kilometres on the southbound side, which will continue the 4km stretch now in the awarding phase, called Cerralba-Zalea, also on the A-357. The other four kilometres will extend the dual carriageway along the northbound route, with the doubling of the access roads to Ronda on the A-367. This is what the project entails The Casapalma-Cerralba section involves the construction of a 4.2-kilometre stretch of motorway on the A-357 between the end of the Casapalma interchange sliproads - already built - and Cerralba. The route of the new motorway will be a by-pass, running largely parallel to the existing road, which will remain as a service road, providing access to nearby properties. It only deviates from the original road to cross the Grande river with a new 250-metre viaduct. Finally, it will connect with the current road in Pizarra via a new roundabout. The future junction for the next section of motorway (Cerralba-Zalea) will remain in the construction project drafting phase. The new road will be a dual carriageway, with two lanes in each direction, 3.5 metres wide, with outer and inner hard shoulders of 2.5 metres and one metre respectively, a central reservation of ten metres and berms (raised slopes, useful for traffic separation and drainage) of one metre wide. Construction work on this section between Casapalma and Cerralba was awarded in January 2010, but never began, so the contract had to be terminated nearly a decade later, resulting in a cost overrun for the regional government of nearly half a million euros. Years later, in February 2024, the regional ministry of public works reactivated the proposal to extend the Guadalhorce motorway with an update to this project. Once the environmental impact assessment process had been completed and approved, the Junta's governing council of senior ministers authorised the expenditure this summer and then put the project out to tender, financed with regional funding. The A-357 road comes under the responsibility of the regional government as part of its road network and is 69 kilometres long. It is a motorway from Malaga city to Casapalma, with peak traffic of 80,000 ADI (average daily intensity) vehicles. From Casapalma, where the motorway currently ends, demand remains above 25,000 vehicles per day as far as Pizarra, where the roads converge that carry all traffic from the areas of Antequera (A-343), Serrania de la Nieves (A-354), Guadalteba (A-357) and part of the Serrania de Ronda (A-367). Rossel Aparicio Malaga Friday, 3 October 2025, 12:10 Share An Indian summer, also known in Spanish as a Veranillo de San Miguel or Veranillo de San Miguel, has arrived in Malaga province. This weather phenomenon is typical of the end of September and the beginning of October, when rather summer-like temperatures are recorded, instead of the usual lower autumn values. Maximum temperatures above 30C are expected this weekend. In addition, nocturnal minimum temperatures will be around 20C. According to Spain's state meteorological agency (Aemet), the sky will be mostly clear on Saturday, 4 October, with no risk of rain. Malaga city and Antequera can expect 30C, while Marbella, Ronda and Velez-Malaga will be blessed with a slot drop of 1C to 29C. Temperatures could also reach 30-31C in some areas on Sunday. It will be the perfect weekend to say goodbye to the beach. Director of the Aemet centre Jesus Riesco explained that the cause of these high temperatures all over the province is the arrival of a warm air mass. Variable winds are also expected over the weekend. On Sunday afternoon, the warm 'terral' wind will be replaced by the fresher easterly wind, especially on the Mediterranean coast and in the Strait of Gibraltar. Above average temperatures SUR's local weather expert Jose Luis Escudero confirmed the increase in maximum and minimum temperatures in Malaga province from this Friday onwards. He suggested the arrival of the warm 'terral' wind on the day of Saint Francis (Saturday), when the highest temperatures will be recorded in the Guadalhorce valley (up to 34C). Malaga city, on the other hand, will be visited by the 'terral' wind by districts, with maximum temperatures between 29C and 32C. Although he confirmed that the 'terral' will be replaced by the easterly wind on Sunday, temperatures throughout the province are expected to continue being "above average". "For the moment, no precipitation is expected this coming weekend, nor the first few days of next week. The summer is not done yet," he said. Jose Rodriguez Camara Torremolinos Friday, 3 October 2025, 13:07 Share President of the Junta de Andalucia regional government Juanma Moreno has officially inaugurated the extension of the La Carihuela health centre in Torremolinos, which serves 26,000 people. The new facilities opened at the end of July, a year later than planned. After a tour of the facilities, Moreno gave a speech in which he defended the Andalusian health service. "It may have shortcomings, room for improvement, mistakes, like everything else in life, but it is a system that saves dozens of lives every day," he said, extending his gratitude to all healthcare workers. He acknowledged that the Costa de Sol "is lagging behind the increase of 600,000 inhabitants over the last 25 years", without having the necessary infrastructure to serve them. "It has created a bottleneck that is easy for us to solve, but we have many projects under way," Moreno said. The new La Carihuela health centre has 11 new medical consultation rooms, which brings the total to 40, including a new radiology service that incorporates AI in diagnostics. The investment in this work was 1.4 million euros, plus 250,000 for equipment. Moreno stated that the Junta is committed to renovating and expanding Andalucia's health infrastructure in all eight provinces. He highlighted the investment of almost 2.9 billion euros injected since 2019, of which 330 million euros have gone to Malaga province. "So far this year, we have allocated more than 32 million to improve health infrastructure throughout the province. We are going to finish long-awaited projects, such as the extension of the Hospital Costa del Sol, which we are opening in phases, or Hospital Axarquia in Torre del Mar, the construction of which is yet to be declared finished," he said, adding the construction of a new hospital in Malaga city to the list of anticipated project. The third hospital in the Costa del Sol capital will be the largest health centre in Andalucia and the largest project in the regional health service's portfolio. It is expected to be put out to tender in the short term. Zoom After Moreno's tour of the La Carihuela centre, guided by director Irene Padial, Torremolinos mayor Margarita del Cid thanked the Junta for its "unwavering commitment" to the work. Jesus Hinojosa Malaga Friday, 3 October 2025, 10:56 Share The 'hunger' for subsidised housing in Malaga city is evident. Coanfi - the company behind the future Residencial Zoe social housing project in the Distrito Zeta area - has received a total of 11,862 applications for the complex of 123 flats for sale. The deadline for applications was Tuesday, 30 September. The avalanche of requests for this latest offer of subsidised housing, left in the hands of private developers, is a symptom of the ever-increasing price of housing in the Costa del Sol capital. Residencial Zoe offers two-bedroom flats for 175,890 euros (159,900 euros plus IVA sales tax in Spain, including parking space and storage, and three-bedroom flats from 210,870 euros. In total, the project includes 94 three-bedroom flats, 24 two-bedroom flats, three adapted two-bedroom flats for people with reduced mobility and two adapted three-bedroom flats. The draw for the flats will take place in the coming weeks. Those who have sent an application can check Coanfi's website to see if they are properly registered for the draw by 9 October. If they do not appear on the list, they must send an email, again before the 9th. A computer program will randomly choose the 123 winners, along with 246 alternates, divided into four categories according to the type of housing. Those chosen will first have to pay a 3,000-euro deposit, which will be returned if they do not continue with the allocation process. Once the project has a building permit and work has started, the purchase contracts will be signed and the successful bidders will have to pay 10% of the price of the flat plus IVA (the 3,000 euros already paid will be deducted from this amount). A further 10% of the price of the flat, plus IVA, will then be paid in 18 monthly installments, and the remaining 80%, plus IVA, will be paid when the keys are handed over. Urban development work in Distrito Zeta is in its final stretch to make way for a new neighbourhood of more than 3,400 homes, of which more than a thousand will be social housing. Work has already begun on a project for 111 subsidised housing units, also for sale, promoted by Vimpyca, which received 4,553 applications. The draw for these flats has already taken place. Nuria Triguero Malaga Friday, 3 October 2025, 12:32 | Updated 12:43h. Share "The aim is to offer broadband coverage anywhere on the planet: in the desert, in the middle of the ocean and, why not, even in the middle of empty Spain... or during a blackout like the one we had a few months ago," were the words of Jesus Amores, director of the Vodafone innovation centre in Malaga, which has consolidated its position as one of the major driving forces behind the city's technological ecosystem. Malaga's satellite centre was officially born on Thursday, 2 October, with the first tech lab in Europe to integrate terrestrial and low orbit satellite-based mobile broadband services and enable customers to seamlessly switch between satellite and 4G/5G networks. This pioneering research centre is part of the Vodafone hub, but it is physically located at the UMA School of Technical Telecommunications Engineering. One of the main objectives of the lab is to facilitate the validation of software versions, integrating innovative functionalities that incorporate new 3GPP global standards, as well as optimising coverage, mitigating interference and developing robust network management tools. The project is co-financed by the Spanish space agency (4 million euros) and Vodafone (another 4 million euros) to cover the first two years of operation. Amores explained that AST and Vodafone will collaborate with the UMA, but the university "will also have its space to develop its own research projects". Initially, around 20 people will be working in the laboratory between the three organisations. The staff will increase as the project evolves. Malaga's satellite lab will evolve in several phases, starting with the research and development of new functionalities, followed by validation tests for the commercial launch of these and culminating with the creation of tools that streamline the network's operation and automation. Meta project The lab's first project involves collaboration with Meta, with the aim of optimising and guaranteeing high-quality WhatsApp audio and video calls and ensuring excellent communication over hybrid space and terrestrial networks. Vodafone wants to lead the introduction of direct satellite connectivity to smartphones in Europe from the end of 2025 and the start of 2026. For this, it is essential to validate the technology that will support it. Once its efficiency and robustness have been demonstrated, the Malaga satellite centre aspires to become one of the space-to-earth gateways to facilitate connection with the 106 satellites that will be deployed by 2027. There will be five such centres in Europe and ten to 15 worldwide. As the technology evolves, the laboratory will become an operations and service management centre for the whole of Europe. AST SpaceMobile (which is building the first global cellular broadband network in space) and the UMA are Vodafone's partners in this venture, along with other technology companies and external researchers invited to participate. Together, they foster a new European ecosystem of combined connectivity between satellites and terrestrial networks. Vodafone is not the only company pursuing the goal of universal satellite coverage. Elon Musk's Starlink project is another example. Vodafone and AST's approach to the problem has one advantage: it does not require any additional device to the one users already have. Amores celebrated Malaga's potential to offer the tech knowledge of both the UMA and Vodafone and attract leading international companies such as AST. Collaboration "Malaga satellite centre is an example of collaboration between the UMA, the Telma institute, the MobileNet group and two companies like AST and Vodafone," said deputy rector for Transfer, Entrepreneurship and Business Juan Carlos Rubio. Malaga city mayor Francisco de la Torre reminded the launch attendees that Malaga was chosen to host the Vodafone hub after a "tough competition" between European cities. Director of network strategy and engineering architecture of Vodafone, Nadia Benabdallah stated that the lab's strategy "will boost both national and European digital sovereignty and ensure universal broadband coverage for consumers, businesses and governments". AST's Chris Ivory added that the collaboration "is a perfect example of how to leverage space technology in a practical and transformative way". Cristina Pinto Malaga Friday, 3 October 2025, 09:57 Share The rally for Palestine and the activists who were intercepted on their humanitarian aid trip to Gaza was scheduled to start at 7pm on 2 October. Hundreds of people gathered to chant and support the cause. At the end of the rally, the attendees demanded to start a march, which the organising platforms declined over the microphone, but the tide of protesters rebelled and took to the streets of Malaga, starting at 7.30pm from Calle Alcazabilla and arriving back at the same point two hours later. At the beginning of the route, the Local Police warned the demonstrators of the consequences and sanctions that the march would have, as the subdelegation of the central government had only given them permission to gather. Despite the warnings, the Gaza solidarity march went ahead and crossed the city starting at the Alcazaba tunnel. According to police sources, some 2,000 people joined the demonstration. As the protesters were marching through the tunnel, the security forces had to unexpectedly cut off traffic from Paseo de Reding to the tunnel. The crowd then occupied all lanes of Paseo del Parque and moved up Calle Larios. Upon reaching Plaza de la Constitucion, they decided to continue through the streets of the historic centre, as spectators watched from the balconies. Pedro J. Quero "They tell us that we don't have the authorisation to do this," said Jonathan Carvajal from the revolutionary left students' union. He wanted to make it clear that it was not the organisers of the rally who were behind the improvised march but the attendees themselves. "We had no other option, because the slogan was that if they touched the flotilla, we would bring the city to a halt," he added. A variety of chants could be heard from the crowd: "The children of Gaza are our children too"; "Gaza, hold on, people are rising"; "If they touch the flotilla, they touch us all"; "It's not a war, it's genocide."The demonstration defended human rights and demanded that the city be "paralysed in the face of genocide". The attendees denounced the interception of the aid flotilla. "This is terrorism. The Zionist army has assaulted the Sumud flotilla - a strictly humanitarian mission that has done what our cowardly and criminal rulers have not dared to do." Pedro J. Quero According to the protesters, what is needed to draw attention is a general strike, supported by all unions and trades. Malaga por Palestina warned that the people's patience has been drained. "We are not going to wait any longer. We are not going to look the other way. The strength is down here, in the streets, in direct action. We paralyse the city!" The National Police have arrested an 84-year-old man in Marbella for allegedly murdering his 83-year-old wife. Investigations are being made to determine if it is a gender-based crime. If confirmed, this would be the fourth such fatality in Malaga province this year of a woman at the hands of her partner. The first in the province was that of Catalina (known to all as Lina), who was strangled to death by her husband of more than a decade, a Nigerian man called Augustine, with whom she had three children. The three children, all of them minors, were in the family home in Benalmadena when the suspect ended his life and set fire to the house. The incident happened in the early hours of Sunday 9 February and Lina also had another child from a previous marriage. Gender violence helpline It should be noted that Spain's 016 telephone number attends to all victims of gender violence 24 hours a day and in 52 different languages, as does the email 016-online@igualdad.gob.es. Help can also be provided via WhatsApp through the number 600000016, and minors can contact the ANAR Foundation's telephone number 900 20 20 10. The Junta de Andalucia also provides 24-hour assistance to women on 900 200 999. However, in an emergency situation, you can call 112 or the National Police (091) and the Guardia Civil (062), and if it is impossible to make a call, you can use the AlertCops application in Spain, which sends an alert signal to the police with geolocation information. Jose Carlos Garcia Marbella Friday, 3 October 2025, 09:06 Share Marbella town hall has announced construction plans for up to 800 subsidised housing units (VPOs) in San Pedro Alcantara over the next five years. At present, 84 are being built in the south expansion area, while 132 have been granted planning permission on a plot located in the same area (the URP-SP-10 sector). Another development of 40 units is expected to get the green light in the next few weeks and the town hall is already working on the authorisation for another 143 homes in the west area, next to the ring road. There will therefore be 399 properties in the short term, while the municipal government's objective is to double this figure in the medium term, to a total of approximately 800 VPOs over the next five years. This data was provided by deputy mayor of San Pedro Alcantara Javier Garcia, who said that "housing is an absolute priority" for the ruling team. He acknowledged that access to a home is "one of the main challenges in overpopulated areas" such as the Costa del Sol. According to him, the goal of approximately 800 homes will be reached thanks to "the new urban development sectors in the pipeline". Councillor for urban planning Jose Eduardo Diaz said that "urban planning work will be carried out simultaneously with the construction of different developments, with the aim of shortening deadlines". In addition, he promised that a high number of VPOs will be included in "a new residential development" to complete "the urban grid" of San Pedro Alcantara. The new development to be built in the southern extension of San Pedro is worth an investment of more than 13 million euros The development of 132 properties, the building permit for which has already been granted, is worth an investment of 13.14 million euros. In order to be eligible for one of these subsidised units, which include a parking spot and storage room, a household must have up to seven times the Iprem - the benchmark used in Spain to measure one's financial means when applying for benefits. The development, which will be built on a 6,000-square-metre plot, includes green areas and a communal swimming pool, with one- to four-bedroom flats, two of which will be adapted for people with reduced mobility. National Police Day in San Pedro During the meeting of the local ruling team, various building permits for a total of seven million euros were also approved, alongside projects related to transport, industry and HR. Finally, it was announced that San Pedro Alcantara will host the celebration in honour of the patron saint of the National Police - the Holy guardian angels. The event, held in the church square, will include a mass, an homage to the fallen and the awarding of medals to police officers. There has been a new shooting in Marbella on the Costa del Sol, specifically in Puerto Banus. According to SUR sources, an individual opened fire on the victim, a 25-year-old man who was talking on the phone on the terrace of a local bar. The shooting incident happened close to 1.34pm, when the 112 Andalucia emergency service operators received several calls alerting them to a man who was injured after being shot in Avenida Jose Banus. Zoom Josele Police and paramedics rushed to the scene. The victim was transferred to hospital but doctors were unable to save his life. It appears that the alleged perpetrator was travelling in a vehicle and, after spotting his target, got out, crossed the street and pulled the trigger about half a dozen times. However, the rapid intervention of the National Police enabled the area to be locked down and the suspect was arrested. The investigation is still ongoing to try to clarify the facts. By Erwin Seba, Shivani Tanna, Nicole Jao and Shariq Khan (Reuters) -Chevron's 285,000-barrel-per-day El Segundo refinery in Southern California had taken multiple units offline on Friday after a large fire erupted in a jet fuel production unit, disrupting supply in the Golden State's isolated energy market. The El Segundo refinery is the second-largest refinery in California, and Chevron's second-biggest refinery in the United States. The facility supplies a fifth of all motor vehicle fuels and 40% of the jet fuel consumed in southern California. A fire broke out at the facility's jet fuel production unit on Thursday evening. No injuries were reported, and all workers at the refinery were accounted for, Chevron spokesperson Allison Cook said in an email. Chevron on Friday said the fire had been put out. It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion at the facility in the suburb of El Segundo, which supplies jet fuel for Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), located just north of the refinery. "There is no known impact to LAX at this time," Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said. A spokesperson for LAX did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The fire broke out in the refinery's Isomax 7 unit, which converts mid-distillate fuel oil into jet fuel, two sources said. On Thursday evening, multiple units at the refinery were shut, including the 60,000 bpd catalytic reformer, 45,000 bpd hydrocracker, and 73,000 bpd fluid catalytic cracker, according to consultancy Wood Mackenzie. The refinery's crude distillation units were still online, two traders said, citing Wood Mackenzie data. FLYERS HIT MORE THAN DRIVERS On the West Coast, traders were still assessing the extent of damage to the refinery but early indications pointed to a small increase in motor fuel prices and potentially larger impacts for aviation fuel. Gasoline prices in California, already the highest in the country, are expected to rise five to 15 cents per gallon for now as the refinery's gasoline producing unit was said to have not been impacted by the fire, said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. California's nearly 28 million drivers were paying close to $4.70 a gallon for gasoline in the state as of Friday, compared to a national average of under $3.22 a gallon, GasBuddy data showed. However, airlines serving Southern California will see much bigger impacts as prices for jet fuel surged by 33 cents a gallon Friday afternoon, De Haan said. California will likely need to pull more jet fuel imports from northeast Asian refiners in South Korea, Taiwan and Japan to make up for the loss of El Segundo's output, Asian trade sources said. Juan Soto Malaga Friday, 3 October 2025, 16:29 Share The AC Marriott hotel chain is to expand its portfolio of hotels on the Costa del Sol in Malaga province. The company headed by Antonio Catalan has reached an agreement with real estate company Tartales to manage the five-star hotel Las Dunas Grand Luxury in Estepona. The luxurious property will be managed by Marriott through the Autograph Collection brand for a period of 20 years. Before reopening under the new name, the building will undergo a major refurbishment. The establishment was closed on 1 October and is expected to be ready to open by March 2026. Las Dunas is one of the most luxurious hotels on the Costa del Sol. It has 55 luxury suites and numerous services for guests, including a huge swimming pool, a spa, a gym and meeting rooms. Since 2013, it has formed part of the assets of the Kiluva group, owner of the Naturhouse chain of shops, which acquired it through the aforementioned real estate company. Private Julio Iglesias concert for 200 guests Opened in February 1996, the hotel has been one of the most luxurious and emblematic establishments on the Costa del Sol. It was built by a couple of German builders in love with the Costa del Sol. The construction of the hotel involved an investment of 2.5 billion pesetas (15 million euros). In its original layout, it had 75 rooms which cost between 15,000 and 160,000 pesetas per night (between 90 and 961 euros). The hotel's first director was Fernando A. Portal-Queirolo. In spite of having gone through some dark moments (including its closure), the hotel has hosted legendary events that are now part of the history of tourism in Malaga province, such as the private Julio Iglesias concert performed for barely 200 guests in 2008. The hotel has received numerous awards, both from official institutions and from guests. In 2016, Premios Roca recognised it as the best health hotel in Spain. In addition, it has also been a catering benchmark, as its healthy menu was designed by famous chef and founder of the Mugaritz restaurant Andoni Luis Aduriz. AC Marriott's projects in Malaga province and Andalucia region This, however, will not be the only move that AC Marriott plans in the province. According to sources, the company is behind another major operation on the Costa del Sol, which might be announced before the end of the year. The exact details are not known for the moment, but the company's managers have been visiting some other accommodations in recent months. The company is currently studying different projects in parts of Malaga province and Andalucia. Popular destinations are Malaga, Granada, Seville and Cordoba. Currently, the AC Marriott chain manages only one other hotel in the province - the AC Malaga Palacio. With this new operation and the upcoming projects, the company is destined to gain prominence in an area where tourism continues to grow year after year. Irene Quirante Malaga Friday, 3 October 2025, 11:26 Share The high court of justice of Andalucia (TSJA) has upheld the conviction of a paedophile after considering it proven that he sexually abused the young daughter of a friend in Fuengirola. The man, according to the ruling, took advantage of the fact that the victim, who had not yet reached the age of 16, spent the night at his house, where he assaulted her while she slept. The accused will have to serve two years in prison as the perpetrator of a crime of sexual assault on a minor, in addition to five years of probation and a ban on approaching or communicating with the victim for five years. This was imposed by the provincial court of Malaga when the case was tried in the first instance, which has been ratified by the Andalusian high court. According to the evidence, the abuse happened at the end of December 2021, when the minor stayed at the home of some very close friends of her father. The defendant took advantage of the fact that she was sleeping to get into a nearby trundle bed, from where he began to caress the child on different parts of her body with the sole purpose of satisfying his sexual urges. The minor woke up in the early hours of the morning when she realised that she was being touched, after which she asked the man to stop, and he complied, according to the prosecution. The defendant's legal representation filed an appeal against the ruling, alleging that the defendant's presumption of innocence had been violated, as well as pointing to possible spurious motives on the part of the minor. None of the defence's claims have succeeded, as the TSJA considered that there is no evidence of ill will, any interest in unlawfully harming the defendant, or any other dubious motive that would lead the minor to falsify reality, whether on her own initiative or induced by third parties. SUR in English looks back at how the Costa del Sol has changed in 40 years The special 80-page supplement marking this newspaper's fortieth anniversary is available from today, Friday 3 October, at the usual distribution points SUR in English Malaga Friday, 3 October 2025 | Updated 06/10/2025 13:55h. Share This newspaper finally brings an end to several months of 40th anniversary celebrations with a special supplement available from this Friday, 3 October, at the usual distribution outlets. The special edition looks back at 40 years of change on the Costa del Sol with a selection of photographs of key locations taken from the SUR image library from the 1980s. These photographs have been published side by side photos of the same location, but taken this year, showing how the Costa del Sol has developed over the last four decades. Some of the changes are welcomed, others may not be, but without a doubt, change has taken place. In the modern photos there are more buildings and traffic lines, while in others, the buildings may look the same, but the people and the vehicles outside them give away that time has passed. In 80 pages, we want to demonstrate how Malaga has evolved in the last four decades. If you haven't done so already, pick up your copy of the special supplement, which is available at the usual outlets alongside the SUR in English newspaper. Alternatively, at this link you can download a PDF copy of the 80-page supplement. Cristina Pinto Malaga Friday, 3 October 2025, 10:37 Share The families of 30-year-old Rafa Borrego from Mijas and 71-year-old Manolo Garcia from Malaga lost connection with them around 2.30am on 2 October. The two activists are sailing on two of the boats that are part of the Global Sumud Flotilla taking humanitarian aid to Gaza - Jeannot III and Sirius, respectively, which were intercepted by the Israeli forces. Garcia is sailing with a crew part of which is Ada Colau - the Barcelona ex-mayor, who sent a video stating that they had been "illegally detained". The two men's families are worried, after spending hours "without hearing anything from them". SUR spoke to Manolo Garcia's son, Manuel, and Rafael Borrego's brother, Adrian, who said that he had contacted the Spanish embassy in Israel. "They told me that the consul is already at the location where they believe the hostages will be taken, but we haven't had any confirmation," he said. "This is not a repatriation, it is a kidnapping on the high seas and a forced deportation. We don't know how long the detention is going to last or how they are being treated, because if we have to trust Israel... But well, despite our concerns, we are very proud of my father because he has been involved in such issues for many years," said Manuel, highlighting his father's background in activism, which also includes helping Greece manage the migratory crisis. According to Manuel, his father had already lost connection on Tuesday during one of the attempted boardings, when he got rid of his phone and computer. However, they received a message from him on Wednesday, which he had sent from the phone of another crew member. "He told me he thought this would be the only message he could write to us before they were boarded. We are worried and indignant at the same time, because we don't know how they are being treated," Manuel said. "We have to stop our emotions getting the better of us so that we are able to help our government free them. I don't think Israel will allow a European to die, we just hope that nothing happens to him. These are anxious hours because we know he is being held hostage there," Adrian said, adding that he would attend the demonstration on Calle Alcazabilla, which was held on Thursday, 2 October. Nuria Triguero Malaga Friday, 3 October 2025, 09:39 Share The labour market in Malaga has just experienced its regular September hill to climb: sometimes it is steeper, other times less so. This year, the beginning of autumn has brought a moderate rise in unemployment, with 637 more people registered on the SAE list (employment assistance system for jobseekers on unemployment benefits) in the Costa del Sol province. Furthermore, it is worth remembering that in August, a month in which unemployment typically rises due to the expiring of temporary contracts in the tourism sector, Malaga escaped this increase. Therefore, the province begins October with 109,366 unemployed, which is 8,266 fewer than just a year ago, or 7% down in percentage terms. Where the loss of activity due to the end of the summer has been most evident is in the number of workers registered with the Social Security system: that is, in employment. Throughout September, an average of 751,129 people were registered in the province, which is 6,114 fewer than in the preceding month of August. Even so, this registration total is an all-time high for Malaga for the month of September. There has also been a year-on-year increase of 24,333 contributors, which in percentage terms is equivalent to 3.35%, the second highest employment growth rate on the Spanish mainland after that of Valencia. One question that arises at this point is why the rise in unemployment (by 637 people) does not match the number of jobs lost (over 6,000). There are several reasons for this discrepancy. To begin with, some people do not register as jobseekers when they stop working because they are students preparing to start their academic year, or because they are from other provinces who came to Malaga for summer work and have now returned home, or because they are not entitled to any benefits and therefore have no reason to sign on for employment assistance with SAE. Furthermore, since the labour reform placed more restrictions on temporary contracts, many seasonal employees in the hospitality industry have become seasonally-permanent employees and, when they cease to be actively working, they are no longer considered unemployed for statistical purposes, although they are no longer registered with Social Security and paying contributions. Turning to the trend in unemployment, the September increase was almost entirely concentrated in the services sector, which registered 977 more unemployed. In contrast, the construction sector recovered, recouping 435 unemployed at the start of the autumn. Agriculture experienced a slight decrease of 73 people, coinciding with the grape harvest and the start of work for the olive grove campaign, and industrial unemployment rose by 21 people. The previously unemployed group increased by 147 more jobseekers. The end of peak season has also hit women harder than men in terms of employment, with 489 more unemployed women and 148 unemployed men. This divergence fuels the gender unemployment gap with 61% of Malaga's jobseekers being women. Recruitment? Encouraging... However, September's statistics leave one encouraging statistic: hiring has increased, especially for permanent contracts. Last month 53,025 employment contracts were signed in Malaga, 31% up on those signed in August and, more importantly, 11.8% up on those signed in September of last year. Of this total of contracts, 49% (6,043) were permanent. This represents an increase of 14.7% compared to the same month in 2024. Share Chronic frustration. At the moment, there's no better way to describe the feeling of being and living in Malaga and the Costa del Sol. It's sad to witness the systematic abuse to which, apart from very few exceptions, the authorities subject the citizens of Malaga to. There's always another region or another project that is prioritised over this one, because of those who argue that we have already received a lot. And it's true that the province has developed greatly, especially during Magdalena Alvarez's time in central government. But it cannot be said that Malaga, as well as Madrid, is the region that has grown the most and yet has had the most money invested into its citizens. Not to mention, it's also the region that creates the most employment and contributes the most money in taxes, thanks to the infamous tourist. Well, not even a tiny fraction of the taxes that are collected are put towards improving life for citizens. The only solution is to have more infrastructures in place that benefit us. There's no other way. Otherwise, shortly, they will make us die of success. For instance, the queues for everything, especially around Malaga city and Marbella, are constant and happen at any time of day. Faced with the harsh reality of things, on Tuesday, a delegation belonging to the ministry of transport came and told us that yes, they know about it and they're working on it. That the toll road and the motorway need to be better connected, so that the former actually serves locals and not just tourists; and that someday the Cercanias commuter train will run every 15 minutes and that there will also be a coastal train. Yet despite all this, for now, nothing is being done. No short-term improvements to make peoples' lives even marginally more bearable. But neither do they see it as necessary to push for medium and long-term resolutions. There are only studies... The bad news is things don't look good for the region. Again, the municipal government publishes lots of reports, but there's very little construction taking place. While it's true that the Rincon bypass problem needs to be solved, it can't be said that a tram from there to the centre of Malaga would greatly improve transport efficiency. Not to mention Ronda and the Guadalhorce valley motorway, which still runs on 19th-century roads. Faced with this frustrating scenario, fed-up citizens will seek political alternatives. For the two major parties, their neglect of Malaga will come back to haunt them, in time... Share The report cards are in, and it seems that Spain's been a very good student. All three of the major credit rating agencies - Standard and Poor's (S&P), Moody's and Fitch - have upped their scores for Spain recently, citing GDP expansion, labour market reforms and a strengthened banking sector. Fitch and Moody's were the latest to tweak their ratings last week, from 'A-' to 'A' and 'Baa1' to 'A3', respectively. Fitch's economic forecast for Madrid remains 'Stable', but Moody's also improved that to 'Positive'. These three companies' credit ratings are intended to provide investors with a way of identifying the riskiness of various debt and asset classes, from government bonds to mortgage-backed securities. The last time one of them improved Spain's score was in January 2018, when Fitch changed its 'BBB+' to an 'A-'. It was the first time the country had been placed in the top band since 2012, and reflected the limited economic fallout from Catalonia's illegal push for independence the previous autumn. Almost eight years later, and Spain is an A-grade boffin, the economic swat of Europe. The rating agencies' improved scores can be added to a list of accolades and statistics that grows by the month: the world's best economy in 2024, according to The Economist; annual GDP expansion at almost three times the Eurozone average; and a 250-billion-euro tourism industry that accounted for 16% of the Spanish economy last year. If you take these ratings seriously, they indicate that Spain is a safe bet for investors, despite having a corruption-riddled government that hasn't been able to pass a budget since 2022. But that's a very big 'if'. The rating agencies' reputations still haven't fully recovered from the global financial crisis of 2007-08, which they helped trigger by giving stellar ratings to toxic subprime mortgages and insolvent financial institutions. In 2015, S&P agreed to pay 1.4 billion dollars, in a deal with the US Justice Department over allegations that it had knowingly given favourable scores to high-risk mortgage securities. Fitch followed suit in 2017, paying out 864 million dollars in a settlement with US federal and state authorities over the same charges. To return to the student-teacher analogy: imagine that you're back at school, and have just been awarded an 'A' for an essay that you laboured over for hours. You're thrilled - until you're told that the laziest kid in class was given the same mark, for an inferior piece of work generated by AI. Your essay, like the Spanish economy, might be of genuine merit, but not because your indiscriminate teacher says so. Of all the indicators of robust economic health, top scores from the credit rating agencies mean the least. J.M.L. Ciudad Real Friday, 3 October 2025, 15:24 Share The Castilla-La Mancha health service (Sescam) in Spain has been ordered to pay 160,000 euros to a family for the death of their newborn baby girl, Valeria, as a result of medical negligence. The events happened at Hospital General of Tomelloso (Ciudad Real) in November 2013, when the mother was admitted due to a premature rupture of membranes. Her pregnancy had been normal, but the rupture prompted emergency medical care. The healthcare professionals found that the mother had greenish-yellowish meconium fluid. Despite this, no continuous monitoring was carried out. Five hours later, the doctors noted foetal distress in the baby. They decided to perform an emergency caesarean section. The baby was born covered in large quantities of meconium. The obvious signs of hypotonia and hypoactivity were ignored and not monitored. The baby's condition worsened and the doctors decided to intubate her. However, the intubation was done incorrectly as the tube ruptured the right lung and caused her left lung to collapse. According to the Ciudad Real court, "a simple X-ray would have revealed the incorrect intubation". The girl was transferred to Hospital La Mancha Centro in Alcazar de San Juan (Ciudad Real) where she died of cardiorespiratory arrest. The family took the case to court through the El Defensor del Paciente association. The court found it proven that Valeria had died due to the negligence of the healthcare professionals and that "if they had acted diligently following the protocols, the newborn's death would have been prevented". SUR in English Malaga Friday, 3 October 2025, 10:22 Share BBVA's hostile takeover of Banco Sabadell is approaching a key deadline, with the offer's acceptance period set to close on 10 October. The revised bid, approved by Spain's regulator in late September, offers one BBVA share for every 4.8376 Sabadell shares - a 10% improvement for shareholders on the original terms. Sabadell's board has firmly rejected the proposal, arguing it undervalues its bank and poses risks to shareholders. In response, the bank has increased its dividend to bolster support for remaining as an independent operator However, the dynamic shifted when Mexican investor David Martinez, who owns 3.86% of Sabadell, confirmed he would accept BBVA's offer. BBVA now hopes more shareholders will follow, aiming to surpass the critical 50% acceptance threshold. Final results will be published by 17 October, when it will be known if Sabadell will survive or not. The two brands would be required to remain separate for three to five years, under the government's takeover conditions. Susana Zamora Madrid Friday, 3 October 2025, 15:32 Share A court in Spain's Balearic Islands has ordered the owners of a rented flat to pay 6,925 euros to their downstairs neighbours for expenses generated by a bedbug infestation and another 9,000 euros in compensation for the damage caused, as well as legal costs. In addition, the landlords have been ordered to take care of the necessary treatments by hiring a company to eradicate the pests. According to the ruling, the infestation started from the defendants' flat, which was rented to second or third parties. Testimonies stated that several people were "coming and going, bringing mattresses and other objects collected from the street". As a result, bedbugs nested in the property and proliferated, until they produced such an infestation that they reached the plaintiffs' flat through the clotheslines. The magistrates stated that the injured parties should be "duly compensated", because they have no co-responsibility. "They complied by informing the homeowners' association," the ruling says. The president of the association told the court that she had initially thought that the plaintiffs were exaggerating, until her flat was also infested. The criminal court, however, "dismissed the complaint and paid for fumigations in the hope that the infestation would be eradicated". In the final sentence, the provincial court considers that the plaintiffs had no responsibility for the damage and that they "had suffered undeniable psychological and economic damage". The magistrates also highlighted that the infestation victims suffered from illnesses and were undergoing treatments. "A situation to which compensation for moral damages is jurisprudentially applied, specifically when it concerns the anxiety, distress, or inner discomfort that must be taken into account so that the redress for those who suffer it is not limited to a financial payment," the court stated. Now there are signs that Niccol's vision is becoming reality. Starbucks' "Green Apron Service" program, rolled out in August, is already boosting customer satisfaction and sales in the 1,500 Starbucks locations where it has been tested. The initiative is the largest investment Starbucks has ever made in operating standards and customer service. In the company's most recent earnings report, Niccol credited the improvements to factors such as a record 98.2% shift completion rate, a reduction in customer complaints, and customer value perceptions at two-year highs. Particularly encouraging are the company's gains among Gen Z and millennial consumers, which can be seen in double-digit sales growth in locations around colleges and universities. On September 10, 2024, Niccol published a memo promising to return Starbucks to its former identity as "a welcoming coffeehouse where people gather." He proceeded to implement some notable changes in customer service, requiring baristas to greet customers, make eye contact, and write genuine messages on each coffee cup. He also slashed 30% of menu offerings, saying Starbucks' selections had become "overly complex." Turnarounds can take time, as Niccol saw in his ultimately successful effort at leading Chipotle's turnaround. So, can the coffeehouse giant come back? A year after taking the helm, there's clearly "more work to do," as Niccol acknowledged. Over the last year, same-store sales have fallen by 2% globally. And fiscal Q3 2025 was the sixth quarter in a row where same-store sales fell, while net income fell from $1.05 billion a year ago to $558 million today. And just last month, Niccol announced the closing of 1% of North American stores, calling them "unable to create the physical environment our customers and partners expect." In the company's most recent earnings report, Niccol declared that "our work is gaining momentum" and argued that Starbucks is in the early stages of a turnaround in the United States, where over 17,000 of the company's 41,000 stores are located. But that was then. Since September 9, 2024, when Niccol took over as CEO, Starbucks shares have fallen by 6%. For context, the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSEMKT: XLY), which tracks consumer discretionary companies in the S&P 500, has returned 31% during Niccol's tenure as Starbucks CEO. Former Chipotle executive Brian Niccol, who presided over a doubling of Chipotle's (NYSE: CMG) sales in his six-year tenure, was seen as such a big get for Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) that shares surged 25% the day it announced he was the incoming CEO. But big question marks remain for the company, from a possibly excessive valuation to a long road ahead, as Niccol admits that plenty of work remains. There are signs that new customer service initiatives are setting the stage for a turnaround. It's been just over a year since Chipotle's former CEO Brian Niccol became CEO of Starbucks, promising to refocus the struggling brand. Story Continues Internationally, the picture for Starbucks looks bright. Last quarter, Starbucks' international business logged more than $2 billion in quarterly revenue for the first time. Same-store sales improved in Canada, while growing by low-single digits in the U.K. In Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, same-store sales were up year-over-year. In Latin America, Starbucks maintained double-digit year-over-year growth in revenue and operating income. Perhaps most bullishly, China locations averaged 2% growth in same-store sales, the third consecutive quarter of growth in the region. Overall, international locations brought in record-breaking revenue. Same-store sales declined by 2% in the U.S., representing the company's biggest pain point. But management is well aware of this and is taking steps to reinvigorate U.S. sales through a new coffeehouse uplift program, which slows the opening of new stores in favor of spending $150,000 per store to make locations warmer and inviting. For now, the program is accelerating in New York City, with plans to spread to Southern California in Q4. By the end of calendar year 2026, Starbucks plans to bring its uplift program to at least 1,000 U.S. stores. Why the turnaround could fail Starbucks' 2% decline in U.S. same-store sales is concerning, given that the U.S. is its largest market (this decline came before Niccol's decision in September 2025 to shut down hundreds of North American stores). But the company also faces challenges in China, where rivals such as Luckin Coffee (OTC: LKNC.Y) are offering local flavors and cheaper prices. To give a sense of the strength of the competition, consider this: Luckin Coffee, which launched seven years ago, now generates more revenue in China than Starbucks. Niccol expressed his alarm at this, a month after starting as CEO, when he called Chinese competition "extreme." While Niccol heralded initiatives like new customization options and beverage innovation to broaden their customer base in China, the biggest drag on Starbucks' 7,600 Chinese locations may be something management is powerless to stop: a painful economic slowdown in China, as the country's National Bureau of Statistics releases data announcing slowing retail sales, falling industrial production and investment, and rising unemployment. A recession in China could cost Starbucks even more market share at the hands of its rivals offering cheaper prices. Finally, investors should assess whether a successful turnaround is already priced into Starbucks shares. With a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 30.8, compared to 22.6 for the average S&P 500 company, shares could already be priced for a near-best-case scenario. Is Starbucks a buy? Ultimately, there are too many question marks around Starbucks' ongoing turnaround to make shares a buy today. Combined with the length of the turnaround, with initiatives and redesigns that Niccol expects to stretch into 2027, and Starbucks' already hefty valuation, investors would be wise to hold back and wait for more signs that the company is returning to its glory days. In the meantime, October may provide the next tea leaf to read into the company's prospects. Later this month, Starbucks is expected to declare its next quarterly dividend, which it has raised in each of the last 15 years, including a 7% increase in 2024. CEOs can always put the best possible spin on things, but dividend checks either increase or they don't. A 16th dividend hike will be a sign that Starbucks is weathering its current woes, while paying investors a yield that's more than double the S&P 500 average in return for their patience. Should you buy stock in Starbucks right now? The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $646,567!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $1,143,710!* Now, its worth noting Stock Advisors total average return is 1,072% a market-crushing outperformance compared to 191% for the S&P 500. Dont miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of September 29, 2025 William Dahl has positions in Starbucks. William Dahl does not own shares of Chipotle, Luckin Coffee, or the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Starbucks. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. A Year After Chipotle's Former CEO Was Tapped to Lead Starbucks' Turnaround -- Is SBUX a Buy? was originally published by The Motley Fool C. L. Malaga Friday, 3 October 2025, 16:54 Share Spain has always been more praised for its wine production than its beer. However, this is changing. Pete Brown from The Times, known as the UK's beer critic, has included six Spanish brands in his selection of the best malt beers that can be found in British bars and supermarkets. The seven-time British Beer Writer analyses different Spanish beers, among which he highlights the Alhambra Reserva 1925, originating from Granada. According to Brown, this beer is a clear example of how Spain can reinterpret classic styles with its own identity: the Alhambra Reserva 1925 is a Czech pilsner-style beer, distinguished by its intensity and body, without losing freshness. Brown also mentions Damm Inedit, born from the collaboration between the Damm team and chef Ferran Adria. In fact, this is the first Spanish beer the critic adds to his list. Brown expert describes it as a "gourmet lager", with "fruity and spicy" notes and a dry finish that makes you want to keep drinking it. Other Spanish brands mentioned by Brown are the classic Mahou, common in the bars of Madrid; Victoria Malaga, of which he highlights the balanced flavour and touch of biscuit; Estrella Galicia, which he describes as more artisanal; and finally, Cruzcampo Especial - something that has generated a lot of controversy among Spanish readers, who often consider it a brand less worthy of praise. Jorge Herrero Madrid Friday, 3 October 2025, 17:27 Share Driving is a milestone that many eagerly await. For years, the process of obtaining a Spanish driving licence has consisted of memorising rules and regulations, passing a theory test and then demonstrating your driving skills in practice. However, as of 1 October, Spain's Directorate-General of Traffic (DGT) has introduced a number of changes to the theory test, in response to changes in urban mobility and road safety demands. Until now, the theory test consisted of 30 multiple-choice questions, and the candidate could make up to three errors. This system, in place for decades, has been criticised on numerous occasions for encouraging memorisation without comprehension. So now the DGT, according to official sources, has decided to revamp the test model to address this problem. As of 1 October 2025, the new theory test will include the updated road signs that came into effect on 1 July of this year . In addition, some questions will be modified to adapt them to contemporary mobility. The objective is to transform the test from a mechanical exercise in good memorisation into a test that assesses a would-be driver's real ability to apply the rules to modern traffic situations . The new test model As confirmed by expert sources, the new test model retains the structure of 30 questions with a maximum of three permitted errors. However, modifications have been made to question content to bring it into line with the recently-approved new road signs. In addition, in 2026 , the plan is to incorporate videos or audiovisual fragments with real-life traffic situations , where the candidate must identify risk(s), anticipate and react appropriately, assessing not only knowledge but also judgement under pressure. "We are going to use videos with risk scenarios to see the examinee's perception of risk," stated Pere Navarro, director-general of the DGT, on the Spanish TV programme El Intermedio. The inclusion of real-life traffic scenarios has precedents in other European countries, such as the UK, where risk perception has been assessed for years using interactive videos. The first of the specific changes came into effect this Wednesday and, as of this date, theory tests will include the new road signs from the catalogue of road signs revised in July, obliging test candidates to be up-to-date on these new regulations. As for the audiovisual phase, there is still no fixed date for full deployment, although it is planned to be rolled out some time in 2026. NEW YORK The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is suing Zillow and Redfin, accusing the real estate companies of entering what the regulator says is an illegal deal to suppress competition in online rental advertising. In a lawsuit filed on Tuesday, the FTC alleges that this agreement started in February when Zillow paid Redfin $100 million. In exchange for that and other compensation, the commission said, Redfin agreed to end contracts with advertising partners, stop competing ads for multifamily properties for up to nine years and serve as a syndicator of Zillow listings on its own sites. Redfin also fired hundreds of employees shortly after the announcement of this plan, Tuesdays complaint notes, alleging that the company also helped Zillow hire its pick of these workers. Zillow paid millions of dollars to eliminate Redfin as an independent competitor in an already concentrated advertising market one thats critical for renters, property managers, and the health of the overall U.S. housing market," Daniel Guarnera, director of the FTCs Bureau of Competition, said in a statement Tuesday. Guarnera added that Zillow and Redfins actions were a violation of federal antitrust laws. The Commission argues that the companies unlawful scheme maybe reduce incentives for further competition, and could lead to higher prices and fewer choices for multifamily rental advertising customers. In a statement, a Zillow spokesperson maintained that its listing syndication with Redfin benefits both renters and property managers adding that it had expanded renters access to multifamily listings. The Seattle-based company said the agreement was pro-competitive and pro-consumer. A spokesperson for Redfin, which was acquired by Detroit-based mortgage giant Rocket Companies earlier this year, added that the company strongly disagrees with the FTCs allegations and was confident about prevailing in court. Redfin reiterated the Zillow partnership had given its users access to more rental listings and advertising customers access to more renters noting that by the end of 2024, the company had determined that its own number of advertising customers couldnt justify the cost of maintaining our rentals sales force. The FTC still maintains that the agreement isnt the partnership Redfin and Zillow say it is. The Commission, which authorized filing Tuesdays complaint in a 3-0 vote, is seeking to get the companies to end this deal, in addition to other relief from the court such as potential divestiture of assets or business reconstruction to restore the competition. Syracuse, N.Y. Over 60,000 drivers were issued warning tickets for speeding in Syracuse school zones during the first two weeks of a new city program aimed to slow down traffic. Those tickets were sent out during a grace period, which expires Nov. 2. But if the city enforced those 60,000 tickets, the fines would add up to $3 million. The highest recorded speed in September was 78 mph in a 25-mph zone, said Sol Munoz, a spokesperson for the city. About one-third of the people ticketed were going 15 miles over the speed limit, she said. Since the first day of school this fall, Syracuse has been using the new cameras to capture drivers speeding through school zones throughout the city. From Sept. 3 to Sept. 17, the city issued 59,950 speed warnings and 430 red light warnings, according to Munoz. The speed cameras target drivers going too fast in school zones, where the legal limit is 10 mph below the posted limit. Most school zones are set at 20 mph. The red-light warnings nab drivers who drove through a red light near a school zone. For now through Nov. 2, drivers have a grace period. They have been receiving warnings in the mail but arent facing charges or fines for violations in school zones caught by the new cameras. After the grace period ends next month, drivers will face $50 tickets. Speed cameras in school zones will only be on during posted school hours, which are generally 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays. Red light cameras will operate all of the time, regardless of whether school is in session, Munoz said. The top five school zones were most of the traffic warning tickets came from in September were: 307 S Geddes St. 1618 James St. 3110-3160 James St. 400 Brighton Ave. 4922 S Salina St. Since April 3, Syracuse has issued about 1,200 violations through its new stop-arm camera program. A first offense for passing a stopped school bus carries a $250 fine. Syracuse, N.Y Onondaga County sheriffs jail deputies in early August released the wrong inmate and staff gave her someone elses drugs to treat addiction. Three days later, when deputies found her, they charged her with escape and drug possession for the drugs that jail staff had given her A month later, prosecutors dropped those charges against the woman, Cortney Phillips, allowing her to plead guilty to a lesser charge. Judge James Cecile ordered her released from jail. Prosecutor Kali Benjovsky said her office decided not to prosecute Phillips for the deputies mistake. She said she could not prove Phillips had the intent to escape or possess the drugs. They just kept telling her she was getting released, Benjovsky said. So she just went along with the process. Sheriff Toby Shelley said Wednesday he wasnt involved in the decision to charge Phillips with escape, drug possession and falsifying a document, but he thinks it was the right thing. The sheriff said that once she signed the documents, she should have realized she was not supposed to be released, and the drugs were not hers. He said this was enough probable cause for an arrest even if it was not enough for prosecution. Phillips attorney, Caleb Petzoldt, said that while probable cause is a low burden, the escape and drug charges would have been difficult to prosecute. The mistake began Aug. 8 when custody deputies mistakenly informed Phillips that she was being released, while the woman who was actually meant to be released was in a nearby cell, according to the sheriff. Deputies didnt check her wristband that included her name and a photo, Shelley said. Shelley has said he really cant understand how the mistake happened. Our policy requires four times that you identify the inmate to ensure you have the right one, the sheriff said. I really cant wrap my head around how it could have happened. Phillips was handed 10 doses of methadone, a drug used to treat addiction, that was intended for the woman who was supposed to be released. The drugs were given to Phillips by jail medical staff, said Tom Newton, a sheriffs spokesperson. On Aug. 11, Phillips was found sleeping on someones couch in Mattydale after bouncing from place to place, Shelley said. All 10 doses of Methadone were found with her, unused, Benjovsky said. On Sept. 10, Phillips pleaded guilty to first-degree falsifying a business record, admitting she signed the release papers using the name of the woman who was supposed to be released. The guilty plea also satisfies a third-degree burglary charge that had originally landed her in jail. Cecile, who oversees the county drug court, sent Phillips to an inpatient drug treatment facility, prosecutor Michael Mordue said. If Phillips is successful in her drug treatment, the court agreed to drop the felony charge and allow Phillips to plead guilty to misdemeanor falsifying a business record and would be sentenced to a conditional discharge, Mordue said. If she is not successful, she could face state prison time for the falsifying a business record charge she pleaded guilty to, he said. Phillips had no prior criminal record, Newton said. Four deputies Melvin DeJesus, Luke Fiumara and Gerald Wagner and Sgt. Eric Rhoda were disciplined for releasing the wrong person. Rhoda, a supervisor, lost five vacation days plus his position in the booking department, according to the sheriffs office disciplinary letter obtained by Syracuse.com. Rhoda has previously had multiple documented performance issues within booking, the letter said. The other three deputies each lost four vacation days. Washington The Trump administration is cancelling $7.6 billion in grants that supported hundreds of clean energy projects in 16 states, all of which voted for Democrat Kamala Harris in last years presidential election. The move comes as President Donald Trump threatens deep cuts in his fight with congressional Democrats over the government shutdown. The Energy Department said in a statement Thursday that 223 projects were terminated after a review determined they did not adequately advance the nations energy needs or were not economically viable. Officials did not provide details about which projects are being cut, but said funding came from the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and other DOE bureaus. The cuts are likely to affect battery plants, hydrogen technology projects, upgrades to the electric grid and carbon-capture efforts, among many others, according to the environmental nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council. Russell Vought, the White House budget director, highlighted the cutbacks in a social media post late Wednesday, saying money to fuel the Lefts climate agenda is being cancelled. He said projects are on the chopping block in: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont and Washington state. Vought and the Energy Department did not explain how they came up with their list of targeted states, considering that dozens of states have clean energy projects. But all 16 targeted states supported Harris, and in each of those states, both U.S. senators voted against the Republicans short-term funding bill to keep the government working. The cuts include up to $1.2 billion for Californias hydrogen hub that is aimed at accelerating hydrogen technology and production, and up to $1 billion for a hydrogen project in the Pacific Northwest. A Texas hydrogen project and a three-state project in West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania were spared, according to clean-energy supporters who obtained a list of the DOE targets. Trump said in an interview taped Wednesday with One America News, a conservative outlet, that his administration could cut projects Democrats want favorite projects, and theyd be permanently cut. Im allowed to cut things that never should have been approved in the first place and I will probably do that, Trump said. A clip from the interview was released ahead of the full interview set to air Thursday night. Trumps comments show that he and Vought are treating American families and their livelihoods like pawns in some sort of sick political game, said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. This administration has had plans in the works for months to cancel critical energy projects, and now they are illegally taking action to kill jobs and raise peoples energy bills, she said in a statement. This is a blatant attempt to punish the political opposition. California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the private sector has committed $10 billion for the states hydrogen project, known as the Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems, or ARCHES. The cut threatens over 200,000 jobs, Newsom said. California Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla called cancelation of the project vindictive, shortsighted and proof this administration is not serious about American energy dominance. The California project is one of seven clean-energy projects from West Virginia to Washington state selected by the Biden administration for a $7 billion program to kickstart development and production of hydrogen fuel, part of former President Joe Bidens agenda to slow climate change. The DOE said it has reviewed billions of dollars awarded by the Biden administration after Trump won the presidential election last November. More than a quarter of the rescinded grants were awarded between Election Day and Inauguration Day, the department said. President Trump promised to protect taxpayer dollars and expand Americas supply of affordable, reliable, and secure energy. Todays cancellations deliver on that commitment, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said. He ignored questions at the White House on Thursday about how the 16 states were chosen. Award recipients have 30 days to appeal the DOEs termination decision. The Trump administration has broadly targeted climate programs and clean energy grants, and is proposing to roll back vehicle emission and other greenhouse gas rules it says cant be justified. Last week, the Energy Department rescinded $13 billion that was intended for clean energy projects. The money was authorized by Congress in the 2022 climate law signed by Biden but had not yet been spent. Democrats and environmental organizations were quick to slam the latest cuts, saying they would raise energy costs. This is yet another blow by the Trump administration against innovative technology, jobs and the clean energy needed to meet skyrocketing demand, said Jackie Wong, a senior vice president at NRDC. Conrad Schneider, senior director at the Clean Air Task Force, said the move pulls the rug out from dozens of communities and workers that are counting on the projects. It also weakens the U.S.s position in the global marketplace for innovative energy technologies, he said. Washington President Donald Trump has declared drug cartels to be unlawful combatants and says the United States is now in an armed conflict with them, according to a Trump administration memo obtained by The Associated Press on Thursday, following recent U.S. strikes on boats in the Caribbean. The memo appears to represent an extraordinary assertion of presidential war powers, with Trump effectively declaring that trafficking of drugs into the United States amounts to armed conflict requiring the use of military force a new rationale for past and future actions. The President determined that the United States is in a non-international armed conflict with these designated terrorist organizations, the memo says. Trump directed the Pentagon to conduct operations against them pursuant to the law of armed conflict. The United States has now reached a critical point where we must use force in self-defense and defense of others against the ongoing attacks by these designated terrorist organizations, the memo says. Besides signaling a potential new moment in Trumps stated America First agenda that favors non-intervention overseas, the declaration raises stark questions about how far the White House intends to use its war powers and if Congress will exert its authority to approve or ban such military actions. The United States is taking a much more dramatic step one that I think is a very, very far stretch of international law and a dangerous one," said Matthew Waxman, who was a national security official in the George W. Bush administration. It means the United States can target members of those cartels with lethal force. It means the United States can capture and detain them without trial. Declaration follows boat strikes in the Caribbean The U.S. military last month carried out three deadly strikes against boats in the Caribbean that the administration accused of ferrying drugs. At least two of those operations were carried out on vessels that originated from Venezuela. Those strikes followed up a buildup of U.S. maritime forces in the Caribbean unlike any seen in recent times. The Navys presence in the region eight warships with over 5,000 sailors and Marines has been pretty stable for weeks, according to two defense officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing operations. The memo did not include a timestamp, but it references a Sept. 15 U.S. strike that resulted in the destruction of the vessel, the illicit narcotics, and the death of approximately 3 unlawful combatants. As we have said many times, the President acted in line with the law of armed conflict to protect our country from those trying to bring deadly poison to our shores, and he is delivering on his promise to take on the cartels and eliminate these national security threats from murdering more Americans, the White House said. Pentagon officials briefed senators on the strikes Wednesday, according to a person familiar with the matter, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity. The Pentagon referred questions to the White House. What the Trump administration laid out at the classified briefing at the Capitol was perceived by several senators as pursuing a new legal framework that raised questions particularly regarding the role of Congress in authorizing any such action, that person said. Pentagon officials also briefed House staffers last week on the strikes, according to another person who was briefed on the meeting and similarly spoke on condition of anonymity. The memo, which was reported earlier by The New York Times, lays out a rationale seen both as the administrations justification for the military strikes it has already taken on the boats in the Caribbean which have raised concerns from lawmakers as potentially unlawful as well as any action to come. A White House official who wasnt authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity said the memo was sent to Congress on Sept. 18 and does not convey any new information. The person familiar with the Senate briefing said it was transmitted this week. Details werent given on the cartels targeted Trump has designated several Latin American drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, and the administration had previously justified the military action as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States. Pentagon officials could not provide a list of the designated terrorist organizations at the center of the conflict, a matter that was a major source of frustration for some of the lawmakers who were briefed this week, according to one of the people familiar with the briefings. While friendly foreign nations have made significant efforts to combat these organizations, the memo said, the groups are now transnational and conduct ongoing attacks throughout the Western Hemisphere as organized cartels. The memo refers to cartel members as unlawful combatants. The Trump administration is trying to justify the use of military force against drug cartels in the same way the Bush administration justified the war against al-Qaida following the Sept. 11 attacks, said Waxman, who served in the State and Defense Departments and on the National Security Council under Bush. Bush, however, had authorization from Congress, unlike Trump. The Trump administration is arguing that it no longer has to consider the individual circumstances of using force, said Waxman, who now chairs Columbia Law Schools National Security Law Program. Its basically saying, We dont have to engage in that kind of case-by-case decision-making, Waxman said. All of these vessels that are carrying enemy personnel can be targeted, whether theyre headed towards the United States or not. Waxman said he expects more strikes and well see if the United States takes the next big step and engages in lethal force or armed force on the territory of another state. Lawmakers of both major political parties have pressed Trump to seek war powers authority from Congress for operations against alleged drug traffickers. Several senators and human rights groups have questioned the legality of the strikes, calling them potential overreach of executive authority in part because the military was used for law enforcement purposes. Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said drug cartels are despicable but the Trump administration has offered no credible legal justification, evidence or intelligence for these strikes. Reed, a former Army officer, said every American should be alarmed that their President has decided he can wage secret wars against anyone he calls an enemy. From logging to guardianship: How China protects green source of its "mother river" Xinhua) 09:36, October 03, 2025 XINING, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- On an autumn morning in Padma County, Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of northwest China's Qinghai Province, the Markog River forest comes alive with misty mountains, crystal-clear waters, lush shrubs and roaming wildlife. Located on the border of Qinghai and Sichuan provinces, more than 800 km from the provincial capital Xining, the Markog River forest covers 101,800 hectares at an average altitude of 3,600 meters, with surrounding peaks soaring above 5,000 meters. It is the largest, most concentrated and highest-altitude natural forest area at the headwaters of the Dadu River, which feeds into the Yangtze River, often referred to as China's "mother river." Over the past decades, the forest has undergone a profound transformation in its role and management. An aerial drone photo taken on Aug. 7, 2025 shows a view of the Markog River forest in Padma County, Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of northwest China's Qinghai Province. (Photo by Xue Di/Xinhua) FROM LOGGING TO CONSERVATION The Markog River forest farm was established in 1965. In its early years, large quantities of timber were harvested to support economic development, recalled Tao Yongming, deputy director of the local forestry authority. Between 1965 and 1998, more than 700,000 cubic meters of trees were felled. The turning point came in 1998, when Qinghai issued a notice banning commercial logging in natural forests. In response, the forestry bureau launched a pilot project to safeguard these resources, shifting its focus from timber harvesting to forest conservation and cultivation. However, the transition was not easy. Halting logging brought a complete shift in production, leaving many workers and residents who depended on the forest feeling adrift at first. In the early years, with limited patrol forces, cases of illegal logging were uncovered almost every year. As the source of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang rivers, Qinghai is known as China's "water tower." The Markog River forest is one of 18 sub-areas of the Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve and an important water conservation zone for the upper Yangtze. The responsibility to protect this ecosystem prompted locals to take on the challenges of change. Rangers browse photos of wildlife taken on a mobile phone in the Markog River forest in Padma County, Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of northwest China's Qinghai Province, Aug. 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Linhai) Ju Ngaleg, a 58-year-old Tibetan herder, became an ecological ranger in 2005, overseeing more than 6,000 mu (400 hectares) of primary forest, alpine meadows and wildlife habitat. "At first, when we encountered illegal logging during patrols, we often ended up arguing with the loggers. They even went so far as to secretly drain the fuel from my motorcycle. But with the combined efforts of the government and rangers, these illegal activities were curbed, fostering a healthier coexistence between the forest and grassland," he said. While older herders tried to make the most of the limited plots of land they had, younger ones began turning to the forest for new sources of income, developing local specialties for wider markets, according to Tao. Rangers conduct routine patrols in the Markog River forest in Padma County, Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of northwest China's Qinghai Province, Aug. 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Linhai) Over the past decade, local communities have gained over 60 million yuan (about 8.44 million U.S. dollars) in income through participation in ecological management, afforestation and seedling cultivation, creating a model in which residents both take part in and benefit from forest conservation. Currently, the forest employs 259 "herder-rangers," each earning a fixed annual income of 21,600 yuan. FROM MANPOWER TO TECHNOLOGY Given the vast area, manpower alone is not enough. In recent years, the local forestry authorities have turned to technology to strengthen conservation. A comprehensive patrol system has been established, combining traditional foot and vehicle patrols with modern technologies such as drones and high-definition cameras. Launched in October 2024, the forest and grassland monitoring system uses infrared sensors at night and visible-light cameras during the day, achieving near-complete coverage of the forest and ranger stations. Drones, infrared wildlife cameras and GPS-based patrol terminals have become standard equipment for rangers, and even veteran rangers have adapted to using the new technology. This photo taken on Aug. 7, 2025 shows plants and fungi in the Markog River forest in Padma County, Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of northwest China's Qinghai Province. (Xinhua/Li Linhai) Numbers offer the clearest evidence of successful conservation. Over the past two decades, 115,000 mu of afforestation has been completed and 220,000 mu of existing forest has been tended in the Markog River forest area. The forest coverage rate has risen from 51 percent during the logging era to 69.58 percent, while forest stock volume has grown from 4.2 million cubic meters to 4.8 million cubic meters. With the overall environment improving, rare species have made a comeback. The forest area is now home to 180 species of wild vertebrates, including 12 national first-class protected animals such as leopards and snow leopards, and 33 national second-class protected species such as brown bears and lynxes. This photo taken on Aug. 7, 2025 shows wild plant specimens at the local forestry authority of the Markog River forest in Padma County, Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of northwest China's Qinghai Province. (Xinhua/Li Linhai) A total of 984 species of forest plants have been recorded, some of which are listed in China's national catalog of protected wild plants. "Markog River's recovery of wildlife and forest resources has created a balanced, diverse and increasingly pristine ecosystem in the Yangtze headwaters," said Du Pinggui, director of the Qinghai provincial forestry and grassland bureau. "This is of great significance to safeguarding ecological security across the entire Yangtze River basin." (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan) By Laman Ismayilova Dr. Ivana Bozd?chova is a distinguished scholar and professor at Charles University in Prague, specializing in Czech literature and translation studies. Dedicated to advancing Czech literary traditions, Doc. Ivana Bozd?chova played a key role in editing the "Classic Czech Short Stories" anthology, which has been translated into Azerbaijani. In the interview with AZERNEWS, Doc. Ivana Bozd?chova explained how this anthology opens a window into Czech culture, providing Azerbaijani readers with a rare opportunity to connect with Czech history, society, and artistic expression. She expressed her hope that the anthology would spark further interest in Czech literature and strengthen the cultural ties between the two countries. Q: Could you tell us a bit about the Classic Czech Short Stories anthology? What can readers expect from this collection? A: This is the very first collection of Czech literature translated into Azerbaijani. It includes 14 Czech writers, spanning from the second half of the 19th century to contemporary literature. The anthology features a mix of classical and modern Czech literature, showcasing a variety of genres. Among these, eight are living authors, including two women. The collection was designed to reflect the diversity of Czech writing, offering a blend of different genres and voices. The traditional Czech culture represented here will be a unique introduction for readers who might not yet be familiar with Czech literature. Some of the authors featured are well-known internationally, such as Karel ?apek. His work is often celebrated not only for his inventions but for its deep reflection on human nature and societal issues. The collection aims to give readers an understanding of Czech culture, both historical and contemporary, through short stories that offer different backgrounds, characters, and life perspectives. It is a way to open the imagination and encourage readers to think about the world in a more expansive way. By reading these stories, one can reflect on how life is lived across different cultures and see common themes that unite us all. Q: Can you tell us about the process behind the creation of this project and how it came to life? A: I first came to Azerbaijan 10 years ago, when I began teaching the Czech language at Baku Slavic University. I started studying your country and the rich culture of the Azerbaijani people. Given that Czechs are avid readers, yet most of them are unfamiliar with Azerbaijani literature, I came up with the idea: why not introduce our readers to the works of Azerbaijani writers?! As a result of careful work, a collection of Azerbaijani short stories titled "Sar? G?lin" was published, translated into Czech by Shabnam Asadova, with me also serving as the editor. Now, our task was to introduce Azerbaijani readers to the works of Czech authors. Thus, the idea to publish the "Classic Czech Short Stories" anthology was born. What made this translation process especially challenging was our decision to translate directly from Czech. This ensured that the essence and subtleties of the original Czech texts were preserved. With the publication of both books, my goal has been achieved. Q: How do you think this anthology can help Azerbaijani readers connect with Czech culture? A: I believe this anthology can help Azerbaijani readers better understand Czech culture and values. Literature plays an important role in bridging cultural gaps, and this collection offers a window into Czech traditions, history, and society. Just as Azerbaijani literature reflects the unique character of this country, Czech literature expresses our own cultural identity, and through it, we share many common themes such as human emotions, social dynamics, and universal experiences. In both Czech and Azerbaijani cultures, literature and music are central to our identities. We both have a long history of appreciating art, and we share a deep connection to storytelling. I believe this anthology will allow Azerbaijani readers to see these connections and appreciate the shared values between our cultures. Thank you for the opportunity to introduce Czech literature to the people of Azerbaijan. It has been a pleasure to work on this project, and I am thrilled to see it reach Azerbaijani readers. Photo Credit: Aydin Sadikhov The Bank of Nova Scotia (NYSE:BNS) is one of the best Goldman Sachs bank stocks. On September 16, the bank announced adjustments to its agents and registrars handling existing bond issues, with changes commencing from September 29, 2025. The regulatory filing mentioned that Scotiabanks London Branch will give up its duties as Paying Agent, Transfer Agent, and Registrar for existing bonds, and they will be taken over by Citibanks London Branch. Moreover, Bank of Nova Scotias New York Agency will also withdraw from its functions as Paying Agent, Transfer Agent, Registrar, and Exchange Agent, succeeded by Citibank Europe Plc. Citibank Named New Bond Agent for Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) Photo by buian_photos on Unsplash The disclosure confirmed that UBS AG will continue acting as Swiss Paying Agent for the banks CHF issues. The changes include a range of the banks covered bonds, including euro bonds with maturities from 2026 to 2041, pound-linked floating rate notes due in 2026, US dollar bonds maturing in 2026 and 2027, and Swiss franc bonds maturing between 2025 and 2029. Altogether, the affected bonds total EUR 7.56 billion, GBP 2.6 billion, USD 5.75 billion, and CHF 1.36 billion across multiple rates and maturity schedules. The Bank of Nova Scotia (NYSE:BNS) is a Toronto-based bank that provides personal banking services and business banking solutions such as lending and trade finance. While we acknowledge the potential of BNS as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: Dow 20 Stocks List: Ranked By Hedge Fund Bullishness Index and 10 Unstoppable Dividend Stocks to Buy Now. Disclosure. None. Attention all CNY high school seniors! Syracuse.com |The Post-Standard is seeking applicants for the Best & Brightest Awards, presented by Upstate Honda Dealers. Youve worked hard throughout your high school years, and you deserve to be recognized for your achievements. Do you excel in academics, sports, theater or art? Are you a community or environmental activist? Have you done something to make Central New York a better place? Have you started a business or supported a nonprofit? We want to hear from you. Best & Brightest recognizes the accomplishments of area high school seniors. While you may be off to college or work soon, you left your mark on our community and Central New York is undoubtedly better because of you! Last years winners: Meet the 23 winners of Syracuse.coms 2024 Best and Brightest Awards Students nominate themselves with an application, short personal narrative, letters of recommendation and details about their academic successes, extracurricular activity and service to their school and community. Eligible students include seniors with at least a B or 3.0 grade point average attending school in Section III (Cayuga, Cortland, Onondaga, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oswego, Oneida, and Otsego counties). Every year, my fellow judges and I are consistently blown away by the intelligence, talent, and passion of our areas high school students, said Lindsay Marlenga, senior marketing director at Advance Media NY. These arent just great students academically, they are also courageous leaders, dedicated humanitarians, and compassionate change-makers who are positively impacting their schools and communities every day. Applications will only be accepted through Oct. 14. Winners will be announced during an award ceremony in Syracuse and featured in The Post-Standard and on syracuse.com. This event is sponsored by Upstate Honda Dealers. Students can apply here. If you purchase a product through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. Wheel of Fortune just awarded the biggest cash prize in the history of the show. Connecticut woman Christina Derevjanik won a whopping $1,035,155 during the Tuesday, Sept. 30, episode of Wheel of Fortune. Sweetening the deal, her boss was sitting in the audience. Before host Ryan Seacrest showed Derevjanik the $1 million envelope, she joked that she would put in her two weeks notice at work if she won the seven-figure prize. After correctly solving a puzzle with the phrase PACK OF COYOTES, Seacrest informed Derevjanik that she is now a millionaire. Derevjanik couldnt contain her excitement, jumping up and down and throwing her arms around Seacrest. Vanna White then walked over to hug the champion and tell her, Im so happy for you. Derevjanik immediately began thinking about how the prize will change her life. I can pay off my student loans, she said. Derevjanik graduated from Siena University in Loudonville, New York in 2012. Seacrest, who got misty-eyed over his first million-dollar winner since taking over for former host Pat Sajak in 2024, asked Derevjanik if she had a message for her boss. Well have a discussion once we get back to the office, Derevjanik said with a laugh. Despite the quip, Derevjanik revealed that shes going to be staying at work during a Wednesday, Oct. 1, appearance on Good Morning America. She reiterated that her first priority is paying off her student loan debt. Its something that, you know, the last 15 years Ive been out of college, Ive just been like, How am I ever going to pay this off? And now, it is just going to be such a relief, she said. And then [Ill] hopefully invest in a home in the next couple of years. Derevjanik is one of only four contestants to win the $1 million prize on Wheel of Fortune since the show premiered in 1975. Prior to solving the $1 million clue, she also racked up $35,155 and trips to Montana and Tokyo. Phillip Pantuso l Times Union, Albany, N.Y. (TNS) WHITE PLAINS Sharon Toney-Finch, the Orange County-based veteran who in 2023 spread a false story about migrants displacing homeless veterans from a Hudson Valley hotel, was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison on Tuesday for defrauding military charities and falsely claiming that she had a Purple Heart. Toney-Finch, 45, was indicted by federal authorities in April 2024 on four charges: wire fraud, theft of government funds, stolen valor and forging a military discharge certificate. She pleaded guilty in March to the wire fraud and stolen valor offenses. The wire fraud concerned a yearslong scheme to defraud donors to Toney-Finchs nonprofit, the Yerik Israel Toney Foundation, by falsely claiming that their donations would be spent solely to support homeless military veterans. In fact, she spent the funds on personal expenses, including a luxury vehicle, restaurant and bar tabs, and gym fees. Toney-Finch also claimed to have been awarded a Purple Heart for surviving a terrorist attack while serving in Iraq, a claim she repeated in statements to donors to her charity, in an application to the state Department of Motor Vehicles for a vanity license plate, and in an application to the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor for a medallion and recognition on its website. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Vincent Briccetti sentenced Toney-Finch to pay $84,000 in restitution and $85,000 in forfeiture, as well as three years of supervised release. Prosecutors said that Toney-Finch defrauded donors to the YIT Foundation, an Orange County nonprofit she formed after the death of her premature, 7-month-old son to raise awareness of premature births and help homeless and low-income military service veterans. The scheme ran from July 2019 through September 2023 months after Toney-Finch garnered a different kind of notoriety for her part in a sensational story that became a national talking point before reporting by the Times Union and Mid Hudson News debunked it. Toney-Finch was the primary source for a story about homeless veterans under the YIT Foundations care who were kicked out of upstate hotels to make room for migrants bused from New York City. The New York Post published the initial report in May 2023, drawing national interest. But the story quickly fell apart. First, state Assemblyman Brian Maher who had advocated for the veterans in national media and in the state Legislature denounced it as false in a call with the Times Union. Subsequently, men staying at a homeless shelter in Poughkeepsie said they were among a group Toney-Finch recruited to portray displaced homeless veterans. The backlash led the state Senate to revoke a women of distinction award that had been given to Toney-Finch just a week after it was conferred. Federal public records offer no annual reports of the YIT Foundations finances, which typically means the nonprofit takes in less than $50,000 annually. The state attorney generals office opened an investigation of the nonprofit before deferring it to federal prosecutors. Records provided by the U.S. Army to the Times Union confirmed that Toney-Finch served in the Army from 2006 to 2015 as a specialist, including two yearlong deployments to Iraq beginning in March 2007 and October 2009. Her nearly 20 military awards include an Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and an Army Commendation Medal, according to military records. However, there was no record in her Army personnel file indicating she received a Purple Heart, and the Army also has no record of her receiving a Combat Service Award, which is normally given to soldiers who are personally present and under hostile fire, according to Army officials. Officials with the U.S. Armys Human Resources Command in Fort Knox, Ky., also said they were unable to verify (from our records) that Sharon Toney received a Purple Heart. Officials with the Armys Public Affairs Office in Arlington, Va., who also reviewed Toney-Finchs service records, including a copy of her Army separation papers (called a DD-214), said that the records did not indicate she had been awarded a Purple Heart. Anita Pidala, director of the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor a New York organization that falls under the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation told the Times Union in 2023 that Toney-Finch had provided the group with a copy of her DD-214 indicating she had received a Purple Heart medal. Pidala said enrollees are required to provide official documentation affirming their receipt of the award. In the Hall of Honor records, Toney-Finch provided information indicating she was wounded in action on March 10, 2010, outside of Kalsu, Iraq, when her 3rd Infantry Division convoy was ambushed. In public statements, Toney-Finch has said she suffered a traumatic brain injury during the explosion. She told the Times Union that you cannot fake a DD-214 and that her separation form had been updated to reflect her receipt of the Purple Heart after she was discharged from the military. She said the Army needed to update its records and offered to provide medical records documenting her extensive surgeries and combat injury, though she never did. Why is everyone doing (a) crazy investigation on me like this? Toney-Finch said in a text message to the Times Union in 2023. Since then, Toney-Finch appears to have changed her tune. In a letter to Judge Briccetti on Monday ahead of her sentencing, she expressed regret, apologized for her crimes and said she was getting mental health therapy. She also said she had turned over control of her nonprofit to her mother, who is winding down the operation. I am so sorry and wish I could go back and do things over, Toney-Finch wrote. I see so much now that I didnt see before. My heart is broken over my behavior, crimes, and the lives I have affected, the people I let down, and the community that depended on me. I am ashamed, embarrassed, and feel like I am nothing. In a statement, U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said, Sharon Toney-Finch falsely claimed to be a Purple Heart recipient and used her foundation to defraud donors and others induced by that lie. Let todays sentence reaffirm that fraud built on lies about service and sacrifice will carry a heavy price. Brendan Lyons contributed reporting. Syracuse, N.Y. -- New York state has issued a burn ban for the next two weeks because of a lingering drought that has led to a high wildfire risk in many parts of the state. The statewide ban starts today and continues through Oct. 15, the state Department of Environmental Conservation said. Heres whats banned: Burning brush and debris; having uncontained fires, including campfires; and using open fires used for cooking. Whats allowed: Small, contained cooking fires; backyard fire pits; and contained campfires less than 3 feet high and 4 feet long. Burning garbage or leaves is prohibited all year. Much of the state is now considered at high risk of wildfires. High risk means that dry leaves and sticks ignite rapidly, and brush and campfires are likely to escape, the DEC said. The DEC last week issued drought warnings for 12 Upstate counties. Nearly all of the rest of the state is under a lesser drought watch. Some areas of Upstate are running well behind normal for this time of year. So far this year, Buffalo has had 10 inches less of precipitation -- melted snow and rain -- than usual. Massive hype surrounds Samsung's tri-fold smartphone, and a new report claims that the company may unveil it in the coming weeks, particularly during their appearance at the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. It was recently revealed that Samsung may take this opportunity to officially showcase its "Flex G" tri-fold device after initially debuting a concept version during the Mobile World Congress 2025. While Samsung would not be the first to debut a tri-fold smartphone, the company is looking to catch up against its rivals in the world of foldables. Samsung Tri-Fold Smartphone May Be Unveiled at APEC The Korea Times (via Phone Arena) shared a new report that Samsung is preparing to unveil its tri-fold smartphone in the coming weeks. Insiders claim that the company is planning for this showcase to happen during the APEC summit that will be held in Gyeongju, South Korea. The report suggests that Samsung could be revealing the Flex G smartphone as early as the end of October. This would mark the official debut of the tri-fold smartphone after being revealed earlier this year as a concept device during the Mobile World Congress that was held in Barcelona, Spain, last March. It was revealed that Samsung is looking to catch up to its rival, Huawei, which had already debuted a triple-folding smartphone last year, known as the Mate XT, which received impressive reviews. Read Also: Samsung Smartwatches Could Soon Detect Heart Failure Before Symptoms Show Thanks to AI The Samsung Flex G Could Release Before the Year Ends Earlier this year, Samsung's Acting Head of Device Experience division, TM Roh, said in a statement that the company would release the tri-fold smartphone before the year ends, confirming a 2025 launch. There are two names for the tri-fold smartphone when being referred to by reports. One name is Flex G, while the other is G Fold. Should the device be unveiled during the APEC summit, the world will finally know what the actual name will be. CoinGecko, one of the two major providers of cryptocurrency price data, is considering adding a new metric amid a fresh debate over the best way to represent token supply. The decision could significantly influence how cryptocurrencies are valued by investors who often rely on two basic metrics: market capitalisation and fully-diluted value, or FDV. The former refers to the value of all tokens in circulation, and the second refers to the value of all tokens in existence, including those that may never enter circulation. Looking at those topline numbers is misleading and the industry needs to clean up to standardise the approach, Pratik Kala, head of research at Australian investment firm Apollo Crypto, told DL News. CoinGecko and competitor CoinMarketCap have long provided market capitalisation and FDV figures for the thousands upon thousands of cryptocurrencies in existence. But thats not enough, critics complain. And CoinGecko has listened, according to co-founder TM Lee. We have been monitoring this debate around unallocated tokens, and yes our team is currently working towards something in this direction, he told DL News via email. However it is important to note that such adjustments are necessarily subjective. Project teams will debate what is considered unallocated or not. CoinMarketCap did not return DL News request for comment in time for publication. Hyperliquids token burn The debate kicked off last week, when two notable crypto investors, the pseudonymous Hasu and Jon Charbonneau, proposed burning 45% of all Hyperliquid tokens. Both are investors in Hyperliquid. Hyperliquid is a decentralised exchange offering leveraged trading for cryptocurrencies. It has accumulated more than $2.8 trillion in trading volume since inception. About 45% of all Hyperliquid tokens are unlikely to enter circulation, weighing on the tokens price with little added benefit, Hasu and Charbonneau argue. Hyperliquid launched HYPE in November. As of Wednesday, the token was trading around $47. With 270 million tokens in circulation and a total supply of 1 billion, HYPEs market capitalisation and FDV were above $12.6 billion and $46.8 billion, respectively. But market capitalisation and FDV figures are often flawed, according to Charbonneau and Hasu. In Hyperliquids case, standard FDV calculations wildly exceed what we consider to be reasonable measures of HYPEs current valuation and supply, they wrote. Thats because roughly 45% of all HYPE sits in two pots from which tokens are unlikely to enter or re-enter circulation: the Assistance Fund, which holds HYPE tokens acquired through a buyback mechanism, and the Future Emissions and Community Rewards fund, which are meant to be spent to support Hyperliquids future growth. Specifically, CoreWeave is the only neocloud capable of consistently and reliably operating clusters of 10,000+ GPUs and the company has consistently set performance records at the MLPerf benchmarks, standardized tests that evaluate AI systems across training and inference. Analysts wrote, "CoreWeave is clearly leading in providing the best GPU cloud experience." Research firm SemiAnalysis recently ranked CoreWeave as the technology leader in AI cloud services, not only scoring its platform above competing neoclouds like Nebius , but also above traditional clouds like Amazon , Microsoft , and Alphabet . The analysts attributed their decision to CoreWeave's technical expertise and unmatched performance, as well as its close relationship with Nvidia. CoreWeave is part of an emerging class of cloud services providers known as neoclouds, sometimes called GPU clouds. The company offers infrastructure and software services similar to traditional clouds, but its data center infrastructure is specifically designed for artificial intelligence (AI) workloads, including training AI models and developing AI applications. CoreWeave shares advanced nearly 12% on the news, but most Wall Street analysts still believe the stock is undervalued. Among 29 forecasts, the median target price is $157 per share. That implies 16% upside from the current share price of $136. Read on to learn more about this Nvidia-backed AI stock. Meta has been a CoreWeave customer since December 2023, so the new agreement is a clear sign the social media giant is more than satisfied with services rendered in the past. "They loved our infrastructure in earlier contracts and came back for more," CoreWeave CEO Michael Intrator told Bloomberg. A regulatory filing made September 30 shows neocloud CoreWeave (NASDAQ: CRWV) signed a deal to provide Meta Platforms with $14.2 billion in computing power through 2031, with an option to extend through 2032. The deal will furnish Meta with access to Nvidia GB300 NVL72 systems, the very bleeding edge of artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure. CoreWeave has taken on a substantial amount of debt to fuel its data center buildout, but the company is also growing like wildfire. CoreWeave stands out from traditional cloud platforms due to technical expertise, superior performance, and its close ties with Nvidia. Story Continues Those qualities, coupled with its close partnership with Nvidia -- which affords CoreWeave early access to the latest GPUs -- have helped the company win major customers like Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Alphabet, and IBM. Further, CoreWeave recently announced a $6.3 billion deal with Nvidia, and it expanded an existing arrangement with OpenAI to bring the total contract value to $22.4 billion. CoreWeave is growing quickly, but capital expenditures are accelerating CoreWeave reported tremendous financial results in the second quarter. Revenue soared 207% to $1.2 billion and non-GAAP operating income increased 135% to $200 million. The company also said its revenue backlog increased 86% due to expanded deals with OpenAI and an unnamed hyperscale company. However, investors should be aware that CoreWeave has taken on a substantial amount of debt. Data center infrastructure is expensive, especially when the infrastructure is built for artificial intelligence. Interest expense on debt consumed more than 20% of revenue in the second quarter, and that figure could increase in the future. CoreWeave is spending aggressively to expand its data center capacity across the U.S. and Europe in an effort to keep pace with soaring demand. Consequently, management says capital expenditures (capex) will land between $20 billion and $23 billion in 2025, marking a substantial acceleration from $8.7 billion in 2024 and $2.9 billion in 2023. CoreWeave only takes on debt when customer demand creates a need for more capacity, and only when a signed contract completely covers the cost of the debt. But even under those conditions, Gil Luria at DA Davidson sees a problem. "Their interest expense is higher than their operating income, which means they aren't generating enough profit to pay their debt holders," he told Yahoo Finance. Having said that, Nvidia evidently has a great deal of confidence in CoreWeave because 91% of its $4.3 billion portfolio is invested in the company. Additionally, Wall Street thinks CoreWeave's revenue will increase at 91% annually through 2027. That makes the current valuation of 15 times sales seem reasonable. Risk-tolerant investors should think about buying a position. Should you buy stock in CoreWeave right now? Before you buy stock in CoreWeave, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now and CoreWeave wasnt one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $646,567!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $1,143,710!* Now, its worth noting Stock Advisors total average return is 1,072% a market-crushing outperformance compared to 191% for the S&P 500. Dont miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of September 29, 2025 Trevor Jennewine has positions in Amazon and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Amazon, International Business Machines, Microsoft, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool recommends Nebius Group and recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. CoreWeave Stock Soars on $14 Billion Meta Deal -- Wall Street Says the Nvidia-Backed AI Stock Is Still a Buy was originally published by The Motley Fool WFP warns of 'catastophic conditions' in Somalia as funding dwindles Nairobi, Oct 3 (AFP) Oct 03, 2025 Millions of people in Somalia face worsening hunger as major cuts to donor aid leave the World Food Programme with a critical funding shortfall, the UN agency warned Friday. The Horn of Africa nation is among the most vulnerable to climate change, according to the United Nations, and in the last five years has experienced both the worst drought in four decades and once-in-a-century flooding. In November, 750,000 people -- more than two thirds of the current number -- will be cut off from the WFP emergency food programme. That could "tip those worst affected into catastrophic conditions," the agency said. "We are seeing a dangerous rise in emergency levels of hunger, and our ability to respond is shrinking by the day," said Ross Smith, WFP's director of emergency preparedness and response, in a statement. WFP leads the largest humanitarian operation in Somalia and supports more than 90 percent of the country's food security response. "The current level of response is far below what is required to meet the growing needs," Smith said. Government data released in August shows that 4.4 million people are facing acute food insecurity in the conflict-ravaged nation. With about 1.7 million children under five already acutely malnourished -- including 466,000 in critical condition -- WFP said only 180,000 are currently receiving its nutritional treatment, a number that could fall even further. Cuts to foreign aid by the United States and other Western countries this year have worsened funding problems in many developing nations. British charity Save the Children warned in May that funding shortfalls would force it to shut more than a quarter of its health and nutrition facilities in Somalia. Press Release from Business Wire: World Green Economy Summit (AFP) Oct 03, 2025 DUBAI, Oct 3, 2025 (BSW) - HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Chairman of the World Green Economy Organization (WGEO), delivered the opening address at the high-level roundtable hosted by WGEO during the 11th World Green Economy Summit in Dubai. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251003594739/en/ World Green Economy Summit hosts a high-level ministerial roundtable (Photo: AETOSWire) The session, held under the theme 'Delivering Climate Ambition by 2030 and Beyond-United Action for Green Transition', aimed to advance climate ambitions and promote dialogue on aligning policies, finance and innovation with sustainable development. It was attended by HE Dr Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment; HE Dr. Ayman Suleiman, Minister of Environment, Jordan; HE Dorin Junghietu, Minister of Energy, Moldova; HE Dr. Muaviyath Mohamed, Minister of State for Tourism and Environment, Maldives; HE Abubakar Ben Mahmoud Minister of the Environment, in charge of Tourism, Comoros; Hon James Opiyo Wandayi, MGH Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum, Kenya; HE Iury Valter de Sousa Santos, Secretary of State for the Environment, Angola; HE Hambardzum Matevossian, Minister of Environment, Armenia; HE Roberto Mito Albino, Minister of Agriculture, Environment, and Fishery, Mozambique, and HE Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The session was also attended by ambassadors and delegates from the 91 member states of the Global Alliance on Green Economy, and representatives of international organisations. In his speech, Al Tayer emphasised that the visionary leadership of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, continues to champion a sustainable, just and inclusive future for all. "Our task is to translate pledges into policies, strategies into scalable projects and commitments into measurable impact. This means confronting the hard questions: How do we dismantle policy, financial and institutional barriers? How do we unlock private finance and forge powerful public-private partnerships aligned with National Determined Contributions? And how do we ensure innovation is not only fast-tracked but also inclusive - benefitting youths, women and vulnerable communities? Clean energy and innovation will drive this transition. We must focus on co-operation and investment in breakthrough technologies, in addition to accelerating renewable deployment and enabling green finance to flow where it is most needed, particularly in the Global South," said Al Tayer. Source:AETOSWire View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251003594739/en/ Contact Shaikha Almheiri, +971552288228 2025 Business Wire, Inc.Disclaimer:This press release is not a document produced by AFP. AFP shall not bear responsibility for its content. In case you have any questions about this press release, please refer to the contact person/entity mentioned in the text of the press release. Palestinian agency says water supply resumes in central Gaza Ramallah, Palestinian Territories, Oct 3 (AFP) Oct 03, 2025 The Ramallah-based Palestinian Water Authority said Friday that running water would return to central Gaza after damage to supply lines caused by Israel's offensive in the territory cut off access for over nine months. The authority said that during a trial, its teams restored flows to communities hooked up to the water main, encompassing nearly one million people living or displaced in Al-Maghazi, Al-Bureij, Nuseirat and Deir Al-Balah. Almost all Gazans have been displaced during the nearly two years of war in the Palestinian territory, increasing the population density in central Gaza, which has been less affected by air strikes. The repairs on the water main took time, the Water Authority said, because of military activity and the presence of Israeli forces, and had to be done in coordination with Israeli authorities. The water line is supplied by Mekorot, the state-owned Israeli company that supplies 22 percent of the water in Gaza and the West Bank, according to the Palestinian statistics office, with the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority footing the bill. The Palestinian Authority, which oversees the Water Authority, still operates in certain civilian matters in the Gaza Strip, even though control of the territory was seized by its rival Hamas in 2007. A UN source compared the task of repairing Gaza's water lines to the task of Greek mythology character Sisyphus, who must push a boulder up a hill every day, only for it to roll back down. "We repair, but we don't know when it will be destroyed again," the source said. Repairing central Gaza's water main will not bring back water to all of the area, as humanitarian sources estimate that 80 percent of the distribution network is damaged, and leaks are frequent. The war aggravated the pre-existing water crisis in Gaza, with water pumped from a shrinking aquifer often coming out brackish and unsafe for human consumption. The UN-led WASH Cluster, a group of humanitarian organisations working on water and hygiene issues in Gaza, says that most water pipes have been damaged during military offensives, and that many Gazans living under air strikes or in displacement camps have nothing to store water with. For displaced Gazans living in makeshift shelters and camps in the areas near Gaza's coast, often the only source of water is temporary distribution sites set up by humanitarian groups, or water trucks. The war in Gaza was triggered by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 66,288 Palestinians, according to health ministry figures in the Hamas-run territory that the United Nations considers reliable. Storm kills one in Ireland, lashes UK Galway, Ireland, Oct 3 (AFP) Oct 03, 2025 A violent storm brought havoc to Britain and Ireland on Friday with high winds causing one death, widespread power outages, cancelled flights, school closures and flooding. As Storm Amy began sweeping over the British Isles, police in Ireland said a man injured in a weather-related incident in the northwestern county of Donegal later died. "A man, aged in his 40s, was fatally injured in the incident at a domestic residence," said a police statement, without providing further details. Ireland's meteorological service Met Eireann reported wind gusts reaching 148 kilometres (92 miles) per hour, with severe winds recorded along the western coast. Ireland's electricity operator ESB said around 184,000 homes, farms and businesses were without power late Friday. Uprooted trees on the Dublin-Belfast train line forced its suspension for the day, while several other routes were disrupted due to fallen trees and power lines. A spokesperson for Dublin Airport said 58 flights were cancelled, while nine inbound flights were diverted to other airports. The UK's Met Office said a new provisional wind speed record of 148 kilometres per hour was also recorded in Northern Ireland on Friday. Schools across much of the UK region were also advised to close early as the high winds brought disruption. Around 50,000 properties were without power in Northern Ireland due to the storm, said the region's electricity operator. Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Tom Blyth is about to get extremely popular. In a few months time, the British actors steely blue eyes and tousled Caesar haircut will be beamed into living rooms across the world as Netflixs latest streaming heartthrob. People We Meet on Vacation is based on the romcom bestseller by Emily Henry, and will inevitably take Blyths fame stratospheric. But Blyth himself doesnt seem remotely phased. Itll probably last five minutes, he shrugs. Then Ill be back to walking my dog. The fleeting nature of things is a recurring topic when I meet the 30-year-old in central London. Hes fresh off the Eurostar from Paris Fashion Week he was a special guest at YSLs show but even the excitement of that glitzy environment was brief. Youre in this elite world for about five minutes and then you step back into real life, he tells me. And when we discuss the resulting fanfare of headlining one of 2023s biggest blockbusters the action prequel The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes he says it was short-lived, and calmed down very quickly. Blyth is remarkably bashful considering hes becoming one of Britains most in-demand young actors. The proof is in the pudding hes currently promoting four upcoming projects at once. Hes just been in Toronto talking up The Fence his new drama with the celebrated French auteur Claire Denis and is due at London Film Festival this month to launch his gritty prison movie Wasteman. Then in January theres People We Meet, while today were discussing Plainclothes, a romantic thriller that marks his most complex work to date. He arrives wearing a slick black leather jacket, dark jeans and black cowboy boots, and theres a buoyant energy about him: hes a big knee-slapper and finger-clicker throughout conversation, like a one-man band making music with his limbs. In Plainclothes, Blyth is Lucas, a young, closeted cop serving as an undercover policeman for the NYPD in the 1990s. Lucas is tasked with luring gay men into public bathrooms and arresting them for public indecency. The operation becomes an emotional minefield, though, as a conflicted Lucas finds himself drawn to one particular man: a closeted priest played by Russell Tovey. Blyth is brilliant in the film: quiet, timid and affecting, a feat made even more impressive considering Lucas is practically silent through much of the film. Blyth is proud of Plainclothes. When he accepted the role, he was aware of the historical practice of police entrapment, which involves inciting someone to commit a crime they would otherwise not commit. But he didnt realise its a very modern practice, too: there are cases that have occurred as recently as this year. The NYPD have targeted people using gay dating apps, and [identified] people cruising in public in New York and then entrapping them, he says passionately. Its very prevalent. Its happening right now, especially [under] the current US administration. The film, then, is more timely than ever. I feel like weve made something that is vital, but its also sad I wish we didnt have to tell this story. Its just such a harsh world out there, especially for a young woman doing what we do. Rachel Zegler takes it on the chin like a champ Blyth found playing Lucas extremely taxing. When it came to his performance, he struggled to separate his own feelings from his characters. Im usually quite good at trying to be healthy about [the work], he says. Ill go home and do something else to take my mind off it. But because Lucas is in such a state of anxiety both because hes hiding himself and his sexuality from his family, and also hiding himself as an undercover cop I was going home to my little hotel room and feeling quite stressed. I carried this anxiety that I dont usually carry. Method acting isnt for him, he says. You shouldnt have to take it all the way home with you to your friends and family. But sometimes you just cant help it. If youre putting yourself in a certain state every day or a certain mindset, automatically your body absorbs it and holds onto the trauma that youre putting yourself through. I was not getting enough sleep, and thats what [Lucas] is going through in the film. We were kind of living parallel lives. open image in gallery Blyth and Russell Tovey in their new film Plainclothes ( Curzon Film ) Plainclothes reminded Blyth of why he got into acting in the first place. What you do for a living is not just being a clown for hire, you know? he laughs. Theres more to it than that. It was a smaller set than hes been used to lately. To put it into perspective, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes cost reportedly 100 times the $1m budget of Plainclothes. Everyone got stuck in, carrying the bags and boxes to the cars, he remembers. That stuff doesnt happen on bigger sets. The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes taught him not to become fixated on the buzz surrounding new releases. In this age of social media, everythings hot for a minute and then the next thing comes out, he says, his legs crossed as he leans back into his chair. It taught me really quickly not to buy into [things] too much. And Im glad it happened when I was 27 and not when I was 19 or 20. I was like, I know why I do this. Its not for the attention. Its for the love of it. Whats been less ephemeral, though, is his close friendship with his Songbirds & Snakes co-star Rachel Zegler, who Blyth says is like a little sister to him. I ask about the various public backlashes Zegler has faced in recent months she has been vocal about her views on Israel and Palestine, on racism, feminism and Trump voters, and has experienced waves of trolling and criticism as a result. Blyth says that shes taken it all in her stride. Its just such a harsh world out there, especially for a young woman doing what we do, he says. She takes it on the chin like a champ. To see her kind of put her middle finger up by just doing really good work People cant deny her talent. Im proud of her. While Blyth isnt politically outspoken like Zegler, I wonder if he feels any pressure to vocalise his opinions online (after all, he has a million followers on Instagram). He prefers to keep his cards close to his chest. Im political, and very active and vocal, in my personal life, he says decisively. I dont always talk about it when it comes to work. Im not always asked, but I wouldnt shy away from it. I think my job is to be an actor and while not everyone needs to be shouting their views from the rooftops all the time, I do it in my day-to-day life. open image in gallery Blyth and Rachel Zegler in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes ( Sony Pictures ) Born in Birmingham and later growing up in Nottingham after his parents divorced, Blyth trained at the Nottingham Television Workshop and then at the National Youth Theatre. He secured his first screen credit at the age of 14, playing a feral child in Ridley Scotts Robin Hood in 2010. That same year, Blyth lost his father, a journalist and photographer who died of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Blyth has said in previous interviews that he was angry at the world and at myself following his fathers death. It also shaped who he became. In the final years of his life, Blyths father began working in the TV industry, as a producer and story editor on Coronation Street and Emmerdale, but he didnt get a chance to pursue his dream of working in film. Life is fleeting, after all. I never got to watch him really fulfill what he wanted to do, Blyth says. It made me want to pick up that mantle and kind of do it for both of us. He nods, softly. I keep hold of that when things have been tough. I think, Im doing it for me, and my dad. Plainclothes is in cinemas The data-center growth story has cracks. - iStockPhoto As the government shutdown enters its second day, a lack of data may give investors little to hook into for Thursday. A fresh record close for the S&P 500 SPX on Wednesday points to investors willing to add that disruption to the list of things that arent bothering them. That likely leaves plenty of room for discussion around the boom in AI and whether the companies pouring money into that technology are going strong or about to hit a wall. Most Read from MarketWatch Wall Street has been expressing plenty of doubts, as more news on that front emerges with OpenAI barreling toward mega startup status (see below). Joining the worried crowd is Morgan Stanley Wealth Managements chief investment officer Lisa Shalett, who warns of cracks in the boom story around AI capital expenditure. Given the GenAI capex storys centrality to both markets and the economy, the most important question for investors in the next year is: What inning are we in? When it comes to market-discounting scenarios, we believe we are closer to the seventh than the first, Shalett said in a note. Since Aprils low, the three-year bull markets underlying narrative has seemed to make several attempts at evolving beyond one tied to the GenAI capex and productivity thesis, she wrote. Expectations for more fiscal and monetary easing have reignited rotations into cyclical and small-cap stocks. While stimulus may improve prospects, it is hard to anticipate this bull market surviving if the GenAI capex-boom story falters. And we are starting to see cracks, she said. Shalett flags one measure of capex-cycle maturity inflection of free-cash flow growth. When cash is abundant and financing costs low, investment can outpace the technology dream in a capitalist arms race. Since 2022, annual hyperscaler capex spending has grown fourfold, depleting cash and halting free-cash-flow growth, she said, citing data from research firm Strategas that forecasts a 16% shrinkage in hyperscaler free cash flow over the 12 months. When free-cash-flow growth for the most richly valued names slows or turns negative, not only do valuations come into question, but investors demands for return-on-investment discipline rise, said Shalett. As a refresher, the AI hyperscaler list, to name few, includes Amazon AMZN, Microsoft MSFT, Alphabets Google GOOGL, along with CoreWeave CRWV. Get the inside track from Roisin O'Connor with our free weekly music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Taylor Swifts new album, The Life of a Showgirl, has officially been released and fans are convinced that it features a diss track aimed at Charli XCX. The pop superstar's 12th studio album, the first since her engagement to Travis Kelce, contains a song called Actually Romantic, which is already generating discussion on social media. Swift opens the track with the lyrics: I heard you call me Boring Barbie when the cokes got you brave. She later sings: High-fived my ex and then you said youre glad he ghosted me. Wrote me a song saying it makes you sick to see my face While cryptic, fans believe that this is Swifts rebuttal of Charlis song Sympathy is a Knife from her critically acclaimed 2024 album Brat. In that song, Charli sings: Dont know if Im spiralling. One voice tells me that they laugh. George says Im just paranoid. Dont wanna see her backstage at my boyfriends show. Fingers crossed behind my back. I hope they break up real quick. The George referenced in the song is Charlis now-husband, George Daniel, who is the drummer in indie-pop band The 1975. In 2023, Swift had a brief but much-publicised relationship with the groups frontman Matty Healy, who fans think was referenced numerous times on her 2024 album The Tortured Poets Department. open image in gallery Charli XCX and Swift have both publicly complimented each other in recent years ( Getty ) Neither Swift nor Charli XCX have confirmed if their respective songs are about each other but that hasnt stopped fans from speculating. Actually Romantic is definitely about Charli XCX LMAOAAOAOAOO, said one person. A second asked: What the f*** is Actually Romantic about Charli XCX???????? The lyrics to Actually romantic are crazyyy coming from Tay, wrote a third fan. Taylor is DONE being nice this is shade with a capital S, noted another. What happens if I'm a Charli and Taylor fan, said one fan caught in a conundrum. It should be noted that Swift and Charli XCX have both publicly complimented each other in recent years. In June 2024, the British pop star hit back at fans in Brazil who chanted Taylor Swift is dead during one of her concerts. Reacting to the fans behaviour, Charli shared a message on social media, posted over a screengrab of a video alerting her to the distasteful chant. Can the people who do this please stop, she wrote on her Instagram story. Online or at my shows. It is the opposite of what I want and it disturbs me that anyone would think there is room for this in this community. I will not tolerate it. open image in gallery Taylor Swifts new album The Life of a Showgirl ( Republic Records via AP ) Meanwhile, in August 2024, Swift heaped praise on Charli during an interview with Vulture. Ive been blown away by Charlis melodic sensibilities since I first heard Stay Away in 2011. Her writing is surreal and inventive, always, she said. She just takes a song to places you wouldnt expect it to go, and shes been doing it consistently for over a decade. I love to see hard work like that pay off. Charli has also attempted to distance the meaning of Sympathy is a Knife from Swift. People are gonna think what they want to think, she said. That song is about me and my feelings and my anxiety and the way my brain creates narratives and stories in my head when I feel insecure and how I dont want to be in those situations physically when I feel self-doubt. The history between the two artists goes back years, with Charli supporting Swift on her 2018 Reputation stadium tour. The following year, she said: As an artist, it kind of felt like I was getting up onstage and waving to five-year-olds. Charli later apologised for the comment. In a rehearsal studio lined by floor-to-ceiling mirrors in the Theatre des Champs-Elysees, Anique Ayiboe is hunched in on herself, a ball of nerves. Tonight, the 33-year-old Togolese member of the African dance company Ecole des Sables is performing the sacrificial victim in Pina Bauschs landmark 1975 interpretation of Igor Stravinskys The Rite of Spring. Before the show, every time Im incredibly stressed, she says, speaking in French via an interpreter. I cant eat, and all my fellow dancers know Ive got a big solo coming up. When Im performing this role, I feel like Ive got the weight of the world on my shoulders. You can understand why Ayiboe might feel like this: the role a young woman who must dance herself to death in accordance with a pagan ritual celebrating the advent of spring is one of the most demanding in the repertoire. Not only that, but Stravinsky premiered his monumental orchestral ballet in May 1913 in this very theatre, in front of an audience that included Marcel Proust, Pablo Picasso and Gertrude Stein. What happened next has become part of ballet mythology. The audience was so incensed by Stravinskys polytonal, dissonant score and Vaslav Nijinskys jagged, angular choreography, not to mention the events on stage, that people began fighting one another and throwing vegetables. Stravinsky later wrote that he was so disgusted and upset by the mocking laughter that greeted the first bars of the Introduction, he left the auditorium to watch the rest of the performance from the stage wings. The ballet is now regarded as a modernist masterpiece, routinely performed on major stages worldwide. Yet throughout the 20th century, the piece continued to provoke. When Bausch premiered her version in 1975 in Wuppertal, northwest Germany a visceral interpretation in which the stage is covered in damp earth that clings to the bodies of the performers as the dancing becomes ever more frenzied audience members were perplexed. Whoever in the public liked it, loved it, says Josephine Ann Endicott, 75, who danced the sacrificial role in the original staging as part of Bauschs dance company, Tanztheater Wuppertal. But those that didnt were getting up, walking out, slamming the doors very rudely, so that we all heard it. Pina was having telephone calls at home: I hope on your next tour to Asia, the plane breaks down. You had to believe in what we were doing, and I believed in her. She could make something beautiful out of almost nothing a single gesture. The Rite of Spring came two years after Bausch took over as director of Tanztheater Wuppertal, and seven years after her first choreographed piece, 1968s Fragments. Thanks to its emotional intensity and muscular physicality, The Rite of Spring brought her international recognition, which was further cemented by 1978s Cafe Muller, in which dancers use tables and chairs as props. Within a few years, Bausch and her company were embraced by the dance world, attracting audiences from further afield. Then everybody wanted to come and see us. And now you can hardly get a ticket not only Rite of Spring, but many pieces by Pina. The role of the sacrificial dancer, meanwhile, is now one of the most revered in modern ballet. Its the solo of all solos, says Endicott. But its not Swan Lake. You know that in this moment where you have been chosen, you have three minutes to dance yourself to death. You have no other option: its an inescapable death. You are giving all you possibly can, stretching your body, breaking your body. Its fierce, its dynamic. You are giving everything until you drop. To mark this years 50th anniversary of Pinas Rite of Spring, the production in Paris is one of several revivals happening globally, from Taiwan to Munich to Rome. Yet this staging feels particularly special. Its the result of an ambitious, continent-spanning collaboration between the Pina Bausch Foundation, Sadlers Wells and contemporary African dance company Ecole des Sables that has been years in the making. The project was proposed by former Tanztheater Wuppertal performer Jorge Puerta Armenta, who suggested asking a cast of African dancers to respond to Bausch's Rite of Spring. open image in gallery Anique Ayiboe (front row, third from left) and her fellow dancers perform The Rite of Spring ( Maarten Vanden Abeele ) Germaine Acogny, founder of the Ecole des Sables and widely regarded as the mother of contemporary African dance, was enlisted to help with the audition process. More than 200 dancers from across the African continent sent in video tapes, of which 137 were invited to workshops in Senegal, Burkina Faso and the Ivory Coast. In the end, a collective of 38 dancers from 14 African countries was assembled; roughly half the cast had trained at Ecole des Sables and half came from diverse backgrounds including professional companies and traditional or urban dance training in their home countries. Endicott and Armenta oversaw the restaging and rehearsals, with Acogny providing artistic guidance and support. Although Acogny and Bausch never worked together, they met on several occasions and admired each others work. Today, Acogny is an elegant and stately 81-year-old, in flowing clothes, and speaks with gravitas and authority. She remembers a particular evening after a festival performance of the 2008 piece Les Ecailles de la Memoire, choreographed by Acogny and Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, when Bausch joined her for dinner. I always found Pina to be a little sad, she says, but that evening she smoked her cigarettes, and I smoked my pipe, and we drank together and laughed a lot I found her funny and pleasant. A few months later, in June 2009, she found out Pina had died. Acogny sees this Rite of Spring as a continuation of the dialogue that started that night. In a way, she says, the style of dance is a natural fit for a pan-African collective: There are movements, undulations and twists that are very similar to a lot of African styles of dance. And the fact that its performed on earth, its very grounded in the soil, which is something else that could be compared to a lot of African dances. On the other hand, Ayiboe points out, the dance was designed with Pina Bauschs body in mind, inspired by the contortion-heavy Graham technique. Its a very difficult style of dance for African bodies for me, and Ive seen it in my colleagues. Our dances are usually much closer to the ground, less lengthened. Its a real challenge. open image in gallery Dancers from Tanztheater Wuppertal, directed by Pina Bausch, perfom The Rite of Spring at Sadlers Wells, London in 2008 ( Alastair Muir/Shutterstock ) The production was initially delayed for a year by the pandemic. The premiere had been scheduled for 25 March 2020 in Dakar, Senegal, when everything was shut down. To mark the occasion, an impromptu live performance was recorded on a beach in Toubab Dialaw, in a haunting short film entitled Dancing at Dusk, giving dancers a sense of closure before they all dispersed back to their respective countries. Although it was a big disappointment, the pandemic gave us a year to rehearse, says Acogny. There was a process of the music maturing within the dancers bodies. When restrictions were lifted a year later, the troupe were fully rehearsed and ready for the stage: With the first performance in Madrid, they shot out like an arrow. Everywhere they have performed, she says, they have received standing ovations. After a five-year global tour, the production is drawing to a close: following this five-night run in Paris, the final performance will take place in Geneva on 7 October. Still, the production has faced a number of logistical and organisational hurdles. The first was transporting 17,000 pounds of soil around the world to each new location: a particular kind of peat recently exchanged for a more sustainable soil derived from coconut trees chosen for its specific appearance and texture. The other ongoing concern was visas: a huge problem, according to Acogny, and as a result some dancers have not been able to perform. Yet the benefits of persevering are obvious. Its been a humbling, life-changing experience, to work on a masterpiece like this it pushes you as an artist, says Profit Lucky, a 30-year-old dancer from Nigeria who had never travelled outside of Africa prior to being cast in this production. A project like this helps open doors for African dancers, who dont have the funding to do what they want to do. Ive been hoping and praying for a big opportunity like this for a long time. The subject of the piece is also especially meaningful, given the role of ritual ceremonies in his heritage. Being in this project takes me back to my ancestral era: in African or Nigerian culture, when something is going wrong, you all have to come together as a community and look for a solution. Then maybe you make a sacrifice animals, usually chickens to appease the gods of the land. Acogny points out that white Europeans have a similar history of sacrificial ceremonies: When you think of sacrifice, you think of Africa, and yet the Greeks and the Romans did exactly the same thing. open image in gallery Igor Stravinsky conducts the New Philharmonia Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall, London in 1965 ( Getty Images ) Later that evening, as the orchestra warms up, I sit in the empty theatre auditorium with Pinas son, Salomon Bausch, who founded the Pina Bausch Foundation after her death. Bausch tells me a double bass from that fateful 1913 premiere is being used in tonights performance. Last night, he says, the audience was so quiet everyone was really going through the ritual and suffering with the chosen one. He has seen this particular version of it, which he says is both the same and completely different from the original 1975 piece, more than 100 times. The choreography hasnt changed, but dancers bring in their own history, their own personality. This group has such diverse backgrounds: traditional and contemporary African dance, hip-hop, urban dance, some in ballet thats what I like about it so much. The curtain rises; the stage is covered in soil. It is a raw, bodily performance: sweat soaks through costumes, silences are filled with the sound of hands hitting flesh and dancers catching their breath. The scores softer melodic elements become graceful, feminine movements, while bolder, forceful sounds are depicted by dynamic male dancers; at times, the boundary between the roles becomes more fluid. As she dances, Anique Ayiboe is transformed. The nerves from earlier that day are given a release: she is a live wire of energy and anguish, as though she is truly facing the imminent possibility of death. I think of what Acogny told me about the companys performance. The dancers are not dancing the music, she says, they have become the music. They are the music. The final performance of The Rite of Spring, co-produced by the Pina Bausch Foundation, Ecole des Sables and Sadlers Wells, is at Batiment des Forces Motrices, Geneva, on 7 October. The Rite of Spring will be available to stream for free on the Sadlers Wells website from 6 October to 8 December. Dancing at Dusk is available now Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice In November 1957, police in the aptly named Plainfield, Wisconsin, entered the remote farmhouse of 51-year-old handyman Ed Gein after hed been arrested in connection with the disappearance of a local shopkeeper. What they uncovered inside would inspire some of the greatest horror films of the 20th century, including Alfred Hitchcocks 1960 classic Psycho. The shopkeeper, 58-year-old Bernice Worden, had been strung upside down, decapitated and dressed out like a deer, authorities said. After searching Geins house, police found a nightmarish array of paraphernalia made from human remains, including face masks, bowls made from skulls, and, most horrifying of all, a woman suit crafted from female skin. The local sheriff, Art Schley, was reportedly so disturbed by the scene that those close to him attributed it to his untimely death of heart failure aged 43 in 1968. He would not live to see Geins trial. While Gein has inspired fictional psychopaths such as Psychos Norman Bates, Leatherface in Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) and Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs (1991), he has never been directly reincarnated in a major Hollywood film or TV series until now. The so-called Butcher of Plainfield is the latest subject in Ryan Murphy's controversial Monster anthology, which has previously dramatised the crimes of Jeffrey Dahmer in 2022 and the Menendez brothers in 2024. British actor Charlie Hunnam plays Gein in this new instalment, which looks set to explore the killers troubled upbringing and obsession with his mother, as well as his legacy in Hollywood (Tom Hollander has been cast as Hitchcock in the series). Unlike Dahmer or his murderous contemporary John Wayne Gacy, Gein was not a prolific killer he only had two known victims; the rest of his human accessories were crafted from corpses hed robbed from cemeteries. The two women Gein killed, he executed very swiftly, just because they reminded him of his mother, and he probably ran out of corpses in the local graveyard, true-crime author Harold Schechter tells me. I mean, he was basically a necrophile. It was not the nature of Geins killings that created a mythic villain; it was who he was and what he did with the bodies afterwards. In every community, there is some house off the beaten path where kids tell stories that some monster lives there. It's like Boo Radley and To Kill a Mockingbird, says Schechter. But in the Gein case, it was true. There really was this monster living in this ramshackle house off the beaten path. He was like some fairytale ogre come to life. In the late 1980s, Schechter travelled to Plainfield, where he interviewed Geins neighbours, people he had known and the judge who presided in his case, culminating in his 1989 book, Deviant: The Shocking True Story of the Original Psycho. The book helped bring Gein into the mainstream consciousness. I actually thought I was inventing a new literary genre, because I didnt think of it as true crime. I thought of it as true horror, says Schechter. Gein had an isolated upbringing. His father, George, was a violent alcoholic and his mother, Augusta, was a domineering, religious fanatic who instilled in him a toxic fear of women and sexuality. Gein nevertheless idolised her a feature that inspired Bates in Psycho and the famous line, A boys best friend is his mother. When Augusta died in 1945, Gein was devastated and set about boarding up rooms used by his mother while he lived in increasingly squalid conditions in a small room off the kitchen. As Schechter writes in Deviant, he had lost his only friend and one true love. And he was absolutely alone in the world. After his arrest, Gein confessed that between 1947 and 1952 he had made as many as 40 nocturnal trips to local cemeteries, slipping into a trance" as he exhumed the bodies of recently buried corpses. Investigators later verified evidence of at least 10 such grave robberies across three graveyards. In the years following Augustas death, Gein had begun fashioning a woman suit. According to forensic psychologist and author Katherine Ramsland, the garment was intended to allow him to become his mother to literally crawl into her skin. To achieve this, he needed fresh corpses resembling Augusta herself. During questioning, Gein admitted to killing 51-year-old tavern owner Mary Hogan, who had vanished in December 1954. Her severed head was discovered in his farmhouse though Gein claimed to have no memory of the circumstances of her death. The killer also denied having sex with the bodies he exhumed, explaining: They smelled too bad. open image in gallery Ed Gein (centre) was arrested in 1957 but didnt face trial until a decade later, where he was finally found guilty but legally insane ( Courtesy of MGM+/Getty ) Geins background raises the question of whether monsters are born or made. Hitchcocks film centred on his antagonists sexual repression, framed in the context of post-war America. Polite society burdens us with the fiction that these urges do not exist, Hollanders Hitchcock says in an early episode of Monster. That transforms these urges into secrets we must hide. These secrets make us sick. In a recent interview with The New York Times, Murphy and his co-creator Ian Brennan claimed their focus was less on Geins mental illness and more on how the criminal justice and mental health systems handled him. To me, whats interesting is not so much the crimes but everything else that surrounds the crimes, Murphy said. If you walk away from Ed Gein and all you want to talk about are the two murders, well, that says a lot about you. Gein was arraigned in court on murder charges in late 1957, but was declared unfit to stand trial after being diagnosed with schizophrenia. He spent a decade in mental health institutions before authorities determined he was capable of participating in his own defence, and he finally faced court. In the end, the jury returned a verdict of guilty but legally insane, and Gein was sentenced to life in a psychiatric institution, where he died quietly of respiratory failure in 1984 at the age of 77. open image in gallery Sons of Anarchy star Charlie Hunnam is the latest actor to take on a serial killer in Ryan Murphys Monster anthology ( Courtesy of Netflix ) Schechter believes its possible to feel a certain amount of sympathy for Gein because of the conditions under which he lived. He believes he lacked the truly evil core that manifested itself in people like Dahmer and Gacy, who derived pleasure from torturing their victims. Once [Gein] was arrested and put in these institutions, he was just a harmless old guy, living better than he'd ever lived before From what Ive seen, Ryan Murphy and his collaborators have turned him into much more of a serial killer than he really was. Schechter worries, for instance, about scenes depicting Gein with a chainsaw, which he never used, and torturing a young woman played by influencer-turned-pop-star Addison Rae: That's not what Gein did at all. open image in gallery Tom Hollander plays Alfred Hitchcock in 'Monster: The Ed Gein Story' ( Courtesy of Netflix ) Murphy has long faced criticism for taking creative licence with notorious murderers, a debate that was particularly intense with Dahmer, whose crimes largely took place in the 1980s. Critics argued that the show risked glamourising Dahmer, portraying him with a level of nuance and charisma that could overshadow the suffering of his victims and their families, many of whom are still alive. With Gein, Murphy is retreating into the safer territory of the 1950s (and even further still with the forthcoming fourth season of Monster, centred on Lizzie Borden, a young woman acquitted of axe murder in the 1890s). Despite his fears about the historical accuracy of Murphys adaptation, Schechter believes these stories are fair game. They serve some kind of purpose in helping people confront and control their fears, he says. Turning these unspeakable acts into a story, gives you a sense of control over them. As Hunnams Gein says in the trailer, staring into the souls of the viewer, Youre the one who cant look away. Monster: The Ed Gein Story is out now on Netflix Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Jimmy Kimmel was joined by one of his late-night colleagues during the live taping of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday. The Daily Show host Jon Stewart arrived on stage during the hosts monologue dressed as a GrubHub delivery driver, handing a pizza to Kimmels sidekick, Guillermo. Stewart joked that hed had to take on some side hustles since the job securitys not really there right now for late-night talk show hosts. Kimmels recent suspension over comments he made on his talk show about slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk caused an outcry about free speech. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump publicly celebrated Kimmels suspension and the impending cancellation of Stephen Colberts show by CBS. open image in gallery Jon Stewart joined Jimmy Kimmel on his show Thursday for a gag about their job security ( ABC ) Upon Kimmels return to the airwaves last week, Trump threatened to test ABC out on this. He is yet another arm of the DNC and, to the best of my knowledge, that would be a major Illegal Campaign Contribution, claimed Trump on social media. ABC has not publicly responded to Trumps post, which lacked any clear legal basis. Stewarts visit to Kimmels show Thursday concluded with Kimmel urging him to step off the stage so he could finish his monologue. Stewart joked in response: Oh Im sorry, Mr. Free Speech! I forgot free speech, its only for Mr. Free Speech, Im sorry! Before leaving to join the audience, Stewart hugged Kimmel and told him, I love you. open image in gallery Kimmel returned to ABC on September 23 after a six-day suspension ( Disney ) Meanwhile, Kimmel and Colbert joined forces earlier this week to roast Trump during a rare, late-night show crossover event. I am so honored to be here with my fellow no-talent, late-night loser, Kimmel joked. Yesterday, Stewart offered a self-deprecating take on why he appears to have mostly avoided Trumps ire. Its a function of relevance. I dont think we are on the radar, the host said on his own The Weekly Show podcast. Ive had my experiences. I take great pride in the fact that Donald Trump, at 2:30 AM, just tweeted, I think in all caps: Jon Stewart is a p****. This is obviously before he was the commander-in-chief of the United States, Stewart said. Stewart also said he hoped his network, Comedy Central, would stand behind him if Trump ever did come after The Daily Show. We continue to do what we do and the hope is that the company that we work for continues to appreciate what it is that we do, he said. After Kimmels suspension, over 400 Hollywood and Broadway stars, including Tom Hanks, Jennifer Aniston, Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro, and Lin-Manuel Miranda, signed an open letter organized by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The letter condemned the suspension as an unconstitutional assault on free speech and urged Americans to defend their constitutionally protected rights. After six days, ABC reinstated Jimmy Kimmel Live!, with Kimmel returning to the network on September 23. He defended free speech in his return monologue, stating: Our government cannot be allowed to control what we do and do not say on television. Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Eugene Levy has been praised for his revealing conversation with the Prince of Wales in the latest season of his travel series, The Reluctant Traveler. Prince William was seen confiding in the American Pie star and Schitts Creek co-creator, who was invited to Windsor Castle to film part of his AppleTV+ series. Scenes show William riding a scooter around the castle grounds, discussing his plans for the British monarchy and revealing that 2024 was the hardest year of his life, after both his wife Kate and his father King Charles were diagnosed with cancer. Viewers have praised Levy for encouraging William to display his vulnerable side, with one viewer writing on X/Twitter: There is something so calm and warm in how Eugene speaks with people. Dont think weve ever seen this vulnerable side of William in these clips. Another person added: Eugene Levy has managed to get more out of Prince William than any interviewer has ever done, I think. Other viewers were delighted by the moment the pair met, when William surprises Levy by riding up on an electric scooter, his chosen mode of transport to get around his familys grounds. One viewer joked that William was the Prince of Wheels, as another said: There is something endlessly entertaining about the future king of England riding into an ancient castle on a scooter. During the episode, William recounted the instability his family faced in 2024, saying: Life is sent to test us as well and being able to overcome that is what makes us who we are. open image in gallery Prince William with Eugene Levy ( Ian Gavan/AppleTV+ ) In March 2024, the Princess of Wales announced she had been diagnosed with cancer, which she described as a rollercoaster. She confirmed she was in remission in January after facing a nine-month battle and undergoing preventative chemotherapy. King Charles was also diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in February 2024 and continues to undergo treatment. William said: I think when you suddenly realise that the metaphorical rug can be pulled from under your feet quite quickly at any point, you think to yourself, It wont happen to us. Well be OK. But when it does happen to you then it takes you into some pretty, you know, not great places. Everythings progressing in the right way, which is all good news, he told Levy. But Id say 2024 was the hardest year Ive ever had. Trying to balance protecting the children, Catherine. My father needs a bit of protection but hes old enough to do that himself as well. But its important my family feel protected and have the space to process a lot of the stuff thats gone on [in the] last year. I enjoy my job but sometimes there are aspects of it, such as the media, the speculation, the scrutiny, he added. open image in gallery Eugene Levy pictured with Prince William at Windsor Castle ( Ian Gavan/AppleTV+ ) Speaking about his future plans for the monarchy, William also admitted that change is on my agenda. He said: Change for good. And I embrace that and I enjoy that I dont fear it. Thats the bit that excites me. Not overly radical change, but changes that I think need to happen. Elsewhere in the interview, Levy asked William what he liked to do when he was at home. Sleep, he said. When you have three small children, sleep is an important part of my life. William also jokingly asked Levy: Was getting drunk with Prince William on your bucket list? Thats the bucket, Levy replied. The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy is available on Apple TV+ Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Stacey Solomon has said being Jewish feels scary in an emotional post about the Manchester attack on a synagogue. The Bafta-winning TV star shared a statement on Instagram after Jihad Al-Shamie attacked a synagogue on Yom Kippur, Judaisms holiest day, which resulted in two Jewish people being killed. Solomon said the attack was heartbreaking and said she is currently fearing for herself and her loved ones, stating, none of this is OK. open image in gallery Stacey Solomon has condemned heartbreaking Manchester terror attack ( Instagram ) My thoughts & prayers are with everyone affected, the Sort Your Life Out host wrote. Im also thinking of anyone right now who feels scared for themselves & their loved ones just because of who they are. Being Jewish feels scary & that is heartbreaking. Solomon continued: It goes without saying, although Ive said this before, My thoughts are also with the innocent people in Gaza. Being proudly Jewish & being against the horrific attack today does not cancel the other. I realise no matter what I say, someone somewhere wont like it. But all I really have to say is that none of this is OK. open image in gallery Solomon said being Jewish feels scary in wake of synagogue killings ( Instagram ) The two victims have been named as 53-year-old Adrian Daulby and 66-year-old Melvin Cravitz. Both were killed outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Crumpsall, after Al-Shamie drove into a group of people and stabbed a man. It is now believed that one of the victims was shot by armed officers. Sir Keir Starmer condemned the vile attack, stating that Britain must defeat rising antisemitism. Within just seven minutes of the first 999 call at 9.31am on Thursday (2 October), the knifeman was shot dead by armed police who feared he would detonate a fake suicide belt strapped to his waist. Officers have been praised for their swift response to the deadly attack, which has been declared a terrorist incident. Two men aged in their 30s and a woman in her 60s have also been arrested on suspicion of planning a terror attack in connection with the killings. open image in gallery The Manchester terror suspects name has not appeared in initial searches of police and security service ( PA ) At a press conference on Thursday afternoon, Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson said: There were a large number of worshippers attending the synagogue at the time of this attack, but thanks to the immediate bravery of security staff and the worshippers inside, as well as the fast response of the police, the attacker was prevented from gaining access. All those inside were safely contained until police were able to confirm that it was safe to leave the premises. Yom Kippur is a day where we see our Jewish community attending their places of worship, places where they and their families should feel entirely safe from harm. Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A new caffeine craze is brewing on social media no kettle required. Caffeine pouches promise a fast, discreet hit of energy without the faff of brewing coffee or cracking open an energy drink. But while they may look like a harmless pick-me-up, experts warn they carry real risks, especially for teenagers and people with underlying health conditions. Caffeine pouches look and work a lot like nicotine pouches or snus. Each small, pillow-shaped packet contains micro-ground caffeine, flavourings and sometimes herbs or vitamins. Slip one under your lip and the caffeine goes straight into the bloodstream through your gums bypassing the digestive system. The result? A jolt of energy that lands far quicker than a cup of coffee or tea. Caffeine perks us up by blocking adenosine, a brain chemical that makes us feel sleepy. People have long used coffee, tea and energy drinks to stay awake, sharpen focus and boost performance. Pouches simply offer a hands-free, no-spill shortcut. Some gym-goers and shift workers like the convenience, while athletes value caffeines ability to increase endurance by making the brain register less fatigue and pain. People have long used coffee, tea and energy drinks to stay awake, sharpen focus and boost performance ( Getty/iStock ) Their discreet design is also a selling point for teenagers, who may use them to stay alert in class or during exams. That worries experts: some fear caffeine pouches could be a gateway to nicotine or other stimulants, and some young users are even pairing them with nicotine pouches, doubling the stimulant load. TikTok has super-charged their popularity, with influencers showing them off in classrooms, gyms and gaming sessions. Potent little packets Depending on the brand, each pouch delivers 25mg to more than 200mg of caffeine. For comparison, a typical mug of instant coffee contains about 100mg, a mug of tea 75mg and a can of cola around 40mg. Some pouches, therefore, pack the caffeine punch of two cups of coffee in one hit. How much is too much? For healthy adults, the recommended daily limit is around 400mg. Pregnant women are advised to stay below 200mg per day because higher intakes can increase the risk of complications such as low birth weight or pregnancy loss. About the author Dipa Kamdar is a Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice at Kingston University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Theres little data on safe levels for children, but the European Food Safety Authority recommends a lower limit of 3mg of caffeine per kilogram of body weight roughly 45150mg per day depending on age and size. Childrens smaller bodies and developing systems make them more sensitive to caffeines effects. A single pouch with 200mg of caffeine can easily push a teenager well beyond that limit. And because the drug is absorbed so quickly, side-effects, such as jitteriness, anxiety, insomnia and heart palpitations, can hit harder. Caffeine may give a short-term buzz, but it can also disturb sleep, create a cycle of fatigue and lead to dependence. Whos most at risk Moderate caffeine is generally safe for most adults, but certain groups are more vulnerable. People with mental health conditions may be especially sensitive. By blocking adenosine and boosting dopamine activity, caffeine can worsen anxiety or psychosis and even increase the risk of relapse in conditions such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. It can also make other addictive substances feel more rewarding, potentially nudging people toward substance use disorders. The science isnt yet clear enough to set a safe limit for these groups. Those with heart problems also need to be cautious. Caffeine temporarily raises heart rate and blood pressure, adding stress to the heart. Some people experience palpitations, and athletes who mix high doses of caffeine with intense exercise may face an elevated risk of heart issues. Extreme cases are rare, but there have been documented caffeine-related deaths, usually involving supplements or highly concentrated products: reminders of how potent this commonplace stimulant can be. A regulatory blind spot In the UK, caffeine pouches occupy a legal grey zone. Theyre neither food nor medicine, so they escape the usual safety checks and labelling rules. Shoppers cant always be sure how much caffeine theyre getting or what other ingredients might be mixed in. Health experts are calling for clearer warnings and age restrictions, particularly as many brands use fruity flavours and bright packaging designed to catch the eye of younger consumers. Caffeine pouches may be fashionable and convenient, but their rapid absorption and high potency make it easy to overshoot safe limits, especially for teens. An occasional pouch might not be harmful for most adults, but theyre no risk-free substitute for coffee or tea. As with any stimulant, moderation isnt just sensible, its essential. Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Eucalyptus isnt just good for koalas. The Australian herb can help people hydrate dry skin and ease joint pain, according to experts. While the eucalyptus trees leaves are toxic for humans to consume, the leaves produce a powerful essential oil that can be safely applied on the body when mixed with lotion or vegetable oil. Commonly used in aromatherapy, the oil may help strengthen the outer layer of the skin and lock in moisture, according to the skincare brand Kiehls. These essential oils are concentrated plant extracts, Cleveland Clinics Dr. Melissa Young explained. They can be used in different ways from just inhalation to use with a massage and putting them in the bath. Used medicinally and in ceremony by Aboriginal peoples for thousands of years, eucalyptus has anti-inflammatory properties that Egyptian and South Korean researchers say have helped people with arthritis. open image in gallery Using eucalyptus can help reduce inflammation and ease joint pain ( Getty Images/iStock ) Their antimicrobial activity helps prevent infection, while their anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties contribute to reducing inflammation and pain associated with wounds, pharmacologists in Egypt and Iraq said in January. Eucalyptus oil is especially useful during cold and flu season. It can fight infection and ease frustrating congestion, the clinic noted. Its strong, woody scent opens up the nasal passages, making it easier to breathe and helping the body to break down mucus. The oil can also help stave off ugly cold sores and all you need is a couple of drops and a teaspoon of vegetable oil to dilute. You dont want to apply most [essential oils] directly to the skin unless you have a carrier oil because you could get a rash, burns, or allergic reactions, said Young, noting that essential oils are not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Women who are pregnant, people who have asthma, and those who get headaches or migraines should avoid them, she added. open image in gallery Eucalyptus essential oil has been shown to reduce anxiety levels ( Getty Images/iStock ) But, for the majority of users, eucalyptus oil can help soothe stress and promote winding down when used correctly, the Cleveland Clinic says. Eucalyptus oil has been shown to decrease anxiety levels, South Korean researchers found in 2014. Adding a handful of drops to a bowl of hot water or a diffuser can do the trick. Many people use it in diffusers to create a soothing environment during cold and flu seasons, Miranda LaBant, a naturopathic medical doctor at the Brio-Medical Integrative Cancer Treatment Center in Scottsdale, Arizona, told Prevention. Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Fitter people have far fewer heartbeats each day a finding that Australian researchers said this week potentially adds years to their lives. The difference between athletes and non-athletes is around 10 percent. Thats an incredible saving of about 11,500 beats a day, Professor Andre La Gerche, of the St Vincents Institute of Medical Research, explained in a statement. Even though athletes hearts work harder during exercise, their lower resting rates more than make up for it. The researchers said the findings dispel the myth that exercise uses up your heartbeats, which they claimed was popularized by President Donald Trump. open image in gallery Fitter people have around 10 percent fewer heartbeats a day than non-athletes, Australian researchers say ( Getty Images/iStock ) In a book about the president published in 2016, reporters from The Washington Post said Trump believed that the human body was like a battery with a finite amount of energy which exercise only depleted. But, La Gerche said thats incorrect. The fitter you are, the more metabolically efficient your body becomes, he said. Even if youre training hard for an hour a day, your heart beats more slowly for the other 23 hours. The net effect is fewer beats used overall. In a study of more than 100 athletes wearing heart monitors, the researchers determined the fittest individuals had resting heart rates as low as 40 beats per minute, compared to an average of between 70 to 80 beats per minute. For most adults, a resting heart rate between 60 and 100 beats per minute is considered normal, according to the American Heart Association. Experts have long known that athletes have lower heart rates because exercise strengthens their heart muscle, allowing the heart to pump more blood with each beat and delivering more oxygen to their muscles. Because of that, the heart needs to beat fewer times than it would in a less fit person while at rest, according to Harvard Medical School. open image in gallery Professor Andre La Gerche says just a few hours of exercise each week can help your heart health ( St Vincent's Institute of Medical Research ) Having a high resting heart rate has been linked to the build up of fat and cholesterol in arteries and an increased risk of dying from heart disease. Heart disease is the number one killer in the U.S., resulting in more than 941,000 deaths in 2022. Having a resting heart rate below 60 can also be a sign of a problem in people who arent athletes, signaling an electrical problem or a thyroid condition. Exercise is crucial to reduce the risk of life-threatening conditions, La Gerche said, adding that the benefits of regular, moderate exercise far outweigh any risks. Just a few hours of purposeful exercise each week can transform your hearts efficiency and help make every beat count, he said. Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Elsie Hewitt, whos expecting her first child with boyfriend Pete Davidson, originally thought that pregnancy wasnt in the cards for her due to endometriosis. The 29-year-old actor spoke about living with endometriosis, a condition where tissue grows outside the uterus, and the painful menstrual periods she endures during a recent interview with People. She confessed that after seeking a diagnosis for 10 years and experiencing really, really bad pain, she underwent a laparoscopy a minimally invasive surgical procedure to look inside your stomach or pelvis in November 2024 to officially diagnose her endometriosis. I got to a point where I was like, OK, surgery is actually the only option. I feel like I've tried everything else. It's exhausting, she explained. Not only that, but Hewitt was concerned that the condition could cause fertility issues. I was 100 percent convinced that I was infertile and not going to be able to have kids, Hewitt, whos been dating Davidson since the beginning of this year, said. Pregnant Elsie Hewitt says she thought she wasnt going to be able to have kids due to her endometriosis ( AFP via Getty Images ) So I do think a big part of why I opted for the surgery was, obviously, first and foremost, my symptoms, but second, to preserve my fertility or try to get to a place where I could sustain the chances of having a family one day. Hewitt acknowledged that when she got pregnant, she was a bit surprised, given her endometriosis. Still, shes very grateful to be having a baby. When I found out I was pregnant, I was [already] in the process of trying to figure out my fertility, she explained. I was seeing a doctor about these things, and there's a whole process you have to do with blood work and getting your blood drawn when you're ovulating, and then when you're on the first day of your period. And [that process] coincided with this! It was actually really funny. I was just like, 'Oh, well, here we are!' I was shocked, but I felt like I knew. It's weirdly instinctual, she added. Endometriosis is an often-painful condition in which tissue that is similar to the inner lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus, according to the Mayo Clinic. Along with painful periods, symptoms include pain with sex, excessive bleeding, and pain with bowel movements or urination. One of the main complications of endometriosis is trouble getting pregnant, and 50 percent of people with the condition have a hard time conceiving. However, people with mild to moderate endometriosis can still conceive and carry a pregnancy to term, per Mayo Clinic. Hewitt announced in a July Instagram post that she and Davidson were expecting their first child together. The carousel of images featured Hewitt receiving an ultrasound at a doctors appointment, a sonogram of the baby, and multiple photos of her and Davidson. She wrote in the caption: welp now everyone knows we had sex. Davidson expressed his excitement about his girlfriends pregnancy a month later during an appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers in August. Im stoked. I cant wait. Lets go, the Saturday Night Live alum said. Im so excited. Ive never been more excited for anything. Crude oil benchmarks were trading even lower midday Wednesday, at prices lower than theyve dipped for several months, even as OPEC+ emphasizes that it is committed to a calibrated increase in crude output, rejecting media speculation of a sweeping jump in inventory. Still, it involves additional supply, and as of the time of writing, that continued to put downward pressure in markets already showing signs of strain. The expanded cartels decision to add barrels amid soft demand has empowered the bears, dragging both Brent and WTI back to their weakest levels since June, with even measured dips feeling outsized in a fragilly balanced market. At 12:33 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Brent crude was trading at $67.51, down 0.97% on the day, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was trading at $62.21, down 0.26% on the day. Meanwhile, Kurdistans resumption of exports to Turkeys Ceyhan terminal at volumes estimated between 180,000 and 230,000 barrels per day is reintroducing more crude to the global markets. Weakening demand in Asia is compounding the supply overhang. Manufacturing surveys from Japan showed a sharper contraction in September, hitting a six-month low. Chinas factory sector contracted for the sixth consecutive month, adding to the sense of stalling momentum. Export-reliant economies across the region are seeing soft external orders, while domestic demand remains lackluster. Slower fuel consumption in Asia is a key flashpoint for traders. In the U.S., the government shutdown is injecting additional uncertainty into energy markets. Critical agencies with furloughed employees could find themselves unable to deliver the data that traders depend upon, heightening volatility. Oil prices are under pressure in anticipation of OPEC+ restoring additional quantities of oil back to market, along with the resumption of Kurdish exports, said Andrew Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates. StoneX analyst Alex Hodes warned that the renewed supply burden could squeeze margins for high-cost U.S. shale producers. Meanwhile, Diamondback Energy CEO Kaes Vant Hof cautioned that U.S. production growth is likely to stall if crude stays around $60, noting that fewer Tier-1 drilling zones remain viable at lower prices. By Tom Kool for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Read this article on OilPrice.com Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Teddi Mellencamp has shared a major update amid her ongoing cancer treatment. The former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, 44, was diagnosed with melanoma in 2022. Her condition advanced to stage four in February this year and metastasized to her lungs and brain. She then underwent major brain surgery that removed four tumors. Following the surgery, Mellencamp who shares children Slate, 13, Cruz, 11, and Dove, 5, with ex-husband Edwin Arroyave was receiving immunotherapy, which she admitted to pausing in June to help her body regain its strength. Now, shes revealed that the cancer is gone. Just to give a little life update to you guys, I had my immunotherapy yesterday and I did my scans and at this point there is no detectable cancer, she told Real Housewives of New Jersey star Dolores Catania on the podcast Mellencamp normally co-hosts with fellow Housewife Tamra Judge, Two Ts in a Pod. open image in gallery Teddi Mellencamp has shared a health update amid her cancer treatment ( Teddi Mellencamp/Instagram ) When they told me, I was in such shock. I was like, numb, Mellencamp continued. Despite the good news, she will remain on immunotherapy treatments for another year. I'm still going to be having days when I'm feeling sick and stuff because I still am in immunotherapy, so I'm still fighting because you have to be, she explained. Im not considered in remission or anything like that, Mellencamp noted. The way the [doctors] said it works, it's like one year, then two years, then at three years you're allowed to be considered in remission. So, but that was huge news yesterday. Catania, appearing on the podcast to discuss the latest episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County, celebrated the news with Mellencamp. Oh, Im so happy! she said, growing teary. open image in gallery Teddi Mellencamp has previously spoken about her diagnosis with melanoma ( teddimellencamp/Instagram ) How am I supposed to carry on after this? F*** the episode ... I wish i could hug you. I love you. Thank you for telling me that. It took my breath away, Catania continued. You did it, girl. You did it. You didnt give up one day. You fought harder than anybody I know. Thats such good news. Im so happy. Mellencamps health update comes months after she revealed on the podcast that she was temporarily stopping immunotherapy treatments. Essentially, what we figured out with me was, yes, I started out feeling great, and I could do all the pods and I could do all these things, and I could go to all my daughters horse shows and I could stay at my house by myself, and I felt really strong, the reality television star explained in late July. And whats happening with me is the longer that Im on immunotherapy, the sicker its making me. Mellencamp explained that the side effects from the treatment have left her barely being able to keep her eyes open and struggling to keep her words straight. Im on steroids and were doing everything that we can to get me back to feeling like I, you know, I can do this, I can do all the things, she said. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Disgraced music mogul Sean Diddy Combs is due to learn his fate Friday at sentencing, where he is facing up to 20 years behind bars on prostitution-related charges. Combs is also set to be confronted by his former assistant, who testified under the pseudonym Mia during his trial, after Judge Arun Subramanian ruled she could speak at the hearing, despite objections from the defense. A New York jury acquitted Combs of the more serious racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges after a two-month trial earlier this year. Combs was convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, also known as the Mann Act, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years per count. Click here for live updates from the sentencing hearing open image in gallery Disgraced music mogul Sean Diddy Combs will learn his fate Friday at sentencing, where he is facing up to 20 years behind bars on prostitution-related charges ( AP ) Testimony from his ex-girlfriends delved into graphic details of years of violent, domestic abuse at Freak offs days-long, drug-fueled orgies orchestrated at the rappers behest. At Fridays sentencing, Combs is expected to state his case to the judge in his own words as he address the court for the first time. The sentencing proceeding holds significant importance for Mr. Combs. He wishes to appear before the Court, address Your Honor, and allocute in the most dignified and respectful fashion possible, Teny Geragos, one of his attorneys, wrote in a filing last week. Combss legal team tried to get the rapper acquitted or, failing that, a new trial over the prostitution charges, but Subramanian denied the motions. Now his legal team is arguing for a sentence of no more than 14 months prison time, which means Combs could theoretically soon walk free if the judge allows time served at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where he has been since his arrest in September 2024. Prosecutors, however, are seeking a sentence of at least 11 years in prison. open image in gallery Cassie Ventura is not expected to be at the hearing but submitted a victim impact statement where she told of her fears over swift retribution should Combs walk free ( Getty ) The defendant tries to recast decades of abuse as simply the function of mutually toxic relationships, prosecutors wrote to Subramanian in a recent court filing. But there is nothing mutual about a relationship where one person holds all the power and the other ends up bloodied and bruised. Subramanian granted the prosecutions request Thursday for Mia to share a victim impact statement at sentencing, despite objections from Combss legal team, who argued: She is not a victim of anything. Mia was Combss personal assistant between 2009 and 2017 and claimed Combs sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions. The jury found Combs guilty of the prostitution charges in relation to on-and-off girlfriend Cassie Ventura, and another ex-girlfriend who gave testimony under the pseudonym Jane. Prosecutors conceded that Mia was not a victim of transportation for the purposes of prostitution. Mia was incredibly brave to walk into a public courtroom and testify truthfully about the worst events of her life, and stand up for herself, her friends, and abused women everywhere, Mias lawyers said in a statement shared with ABC News. open image in gallery The rappers legal team is arguing for a sentence of no more than 14 months prison time, which means Combs could theoretically soon walk free if the judge allows time served ( REUTERS ) Ventura, the prosecutions star witness during the trial, is not expected to be at the hearing but submitted a three-page victim impact statement where she told of her fears over swift retribution should Combs walk free. Ventura was nine months pregnant when she gave her harrowing testimony of the violence she endured at the moguls hands, including the multi-day Freak Offs, and his control over her career. She branded her relationship with the rapper a horrific decade of my life stained by abuse, violence, forced sex, and degradation. I have in fact moved my family out of the New York area and am keeping as private and quiet as I possibly can because I am so scared that if he walks free, his first actions will be swift retribution towards me and others who spoke up about his abuse at trial, she said in her submission. While Combs has been awaiting sentencing, holed up in the notorious New York jail, it has emerged that the mogul has been teaching fellow inmates how to better themselves on a six-week course. The course is called Free Game With Diddy, which is slang for information given freely. Combss legal team shared letters from inmates who have taken the course, praising the former business tycoon for sharing his secrets to success. The course offers exclusive insights into the journey of Sean Diddy Combs, tracing his rise from humble beginnings to becoming a globally recognized icon and influential business mogul, the syllabus says. Kelly Rissman contributed reporting The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice On the eve of his sentencing, Sean Diddy Combs told a federal judge Thursday that he is a new man after realizing that he was broken to my core and wondering at times if he was better off dead. Combs, 55, wrote in a four-page letter to Judge Arun Subramanian that, with his mind clear of drugs and alcohol after a year in jail, he can see how rotten he had become before his September 2024 arrest in a case that led to his conviction on two prostitution-related counts. His sentencing hearing is set to begin at 10am ET (3pm GMT) on Friday morning in New York. open image in gallery I got lost in my journey. Lost in the drugs and the excess. My downfall was rooted in my selfishness, writes Sean Combs in his letter ( AP ) Over the past year there have been so many times that I wanted to give up, Combs wrote. There have been some days I thought I would be better off dead. The old me died in jail and a new version of me was reborn. Prison will change you or kill you I choose to live. A jury in July acquitted Combs on sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges, meaning he wont face a life sentence. The prostitution-related counts each carry a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison. Combss lawyers say he should go free this month, arguing his year behind bars has been enough of a penalty, while prosecutors want at least 11 years in jail. Expressing remorse, Combs wrote that the last two years have been the hardest of his life, adding: And I have no one to blame for my current reality and situation but myself. He continued: In my life, I have made many mistakes, but I am no longer running from them. I am so sorry for the hurt that I caused, but I understand that the mere words Im sorry will never be good enough as these words alone cannot erase the pain from the past. open image in gallery Combs with his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in May 2015 ( AP ) Combs apologized for hitting, kicking and dragging his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016 an attack captured on security camera footage shown to jurors repeatedly during his two-month trial. The scene and images of me assaulting Cassie play over and over in my head daily, Combs wrote. I literally lost my mind. I was dead wrong for putting my hands on the woman that I loved. Im sorry for that and always will be. Combs also apologized to a woman who testified under the pseudonym Jane, saying: After hearing her testimony, I realized that I hurt her. For this I am deeply sorry. He added that the remorse, the sorrow, the regret, the disappointment, the shame from his behavior has made it so hard for me to forgive myself. It is like a deep wound that leaves an ugly scar, Combs continued. I lost my way. I got lost in my journey. Lost in the drugs and the excess. My downfall was rooted in my selfishness. In jail, he said, he has been reading, writing, working out and teaching a six-week course to other inmates, Free Game with Diddy, imparting his business wisdom, as well as lessons learned from his mistakes and failures. open image in gallery Combs pictured in a courtroom sketch last month listening to lawyer Alexandra Shapiro argue during a pre-sentencing hearing ( Reuters ) He is also involved in therapy, he said, to deal with his past drug abuse and anger issues. He is sober for the first time in 25 years and is committed to working to ensure that I never make the same mistakes again, he wrote. Combs told Subramanian that he was asking for mercy, not only for himself but for his seven children and his 84-year-old mother, for whom he had been the primary caregiver. While locked up, he said, he missed proms and graduations and critical parts of his two-year-old daughters development. As I write you this letter, I am scared to death. Scared to spend another second away from my mother and my children, he wrote. I no longer care about the money or the fame. There is nothing more important to me than my family. Combs said the conditions of his detention at a Brooklyn federal jail are inhumane, writing that he is locked in a room with 25 other inmates, with no windows, no clean air, a broken washing machine and water that they boil before drinking. He vowed to never commit a crime again, telling the judge that since he has been in jail hes gone through a spiritual reset. Rather than make an example out of him with a lengthy sentence, Combs implored Subramanian to make me an example of what a person can do if afforded a second chance. If you allow me to go home to my family, I promise I will not let you down and I will make you proud, he wrote. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A worker at at San Francisco area homeless outreach and service organization was shot and killed after he asked a man to stop doing drugs outside of a public library. Joey Alexander, 60, was shot outside of San Francisco's main library on Friday and was rushed to a hospital for treatment, but ultimately died from his injuries on Tuesday, KTVU reports. Alexander worked for Urban Alchemy, whose mission is to help the city's homeless population and to provide jobs for individuals who have recently been released from prison. Investigators identified the suspect as Edmund Bowen, 42, who reportedly fired a shotgun at Alexander from close range after the men argued over his alleged drug use. Jess Montejano, a spokesperson for Urban Alchemy, told KTVU that Alexander was trying to help make the streets of San Francisco safer when he was killed. open image in gallery Joey Alexander, 60, was shot outside the San Francisco Main Library on September 26 and later died on September 30 ( KTVU screengrab ) She said Alexander asked Bowen to stop doing drugs near the library because women and children were present outside the building. "The suspect didn't like that," Montejano said. "They exchanged some words. My understanding is he said, 'f*** Urban Alchemy,' pulled a shotgun out of his bag and shot him in the torso area." Sheriff's deputies and police who were near the scene of the shooting responded to the incident and called for medical assistance for Alexander. Bowen was arrested and is still in police custody. Police said they are working to bring murder charges against Bowen before the end of the week. open image in gallery Mourners gather outside the San Francisco Main Library to remember Joey Alexander, 60, who was shot and later died after he asked a man to stop using drugs outside the building ( KTVU ) Alexander's family said his life was a story of redemption. His brother, Marvin, told the broadcaster that Joey spent 23 years in prison and found purpose in helping others after his release. "He wanted to make right what he'd done in his past," Marvin said. "Whatever he was doing, it was the right thing. He loved his job, I know that. He loved his job." Joey was a father to two sons. His family wants him to be remembered not for his past, but for the person he became. "I want people to remember my little brother for this: dont look at him for what hed done," Marvin told KTVU. "Look at him for what he was doing." The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A California jury ruled that Uber is not liable for the sexual assault of a woman who said she was attacked by her driver during a ride she booked through the app. Following a three-week civil trial in San Francisco Superior Court, the jury concluded on Tuesday that while Uber was negligent in the safety measures it implemented to protect the woman, Jessica C., that negligence was not a substantial factor in causing her harm, said her lawyer, Celine Cutter, told Reuters. This was the first trial among more than 500 similar lawsuits in California state court, with another 2,500 pending federally. Jessicas case was selected as the first bellwether trial to help gauge the value of similar lawsuits and guide future cases or settlements. In 2021, Jessica sued Uber, claiming that during a 2016 ride, her driver pulled onto a side road and restrained, groped, and kissed her. Uber has worked for years to raise the bar on safety, and will continue to do so in the years ahead, an Uber spokesperson told Reuters in a statement. open image in gallery The woman alleged in her lawsuit that during a 2016 Uber ride, her driver pulled onto a side road and restrained, groped, and kissed her ( AFP/Getty ) The Independent has also contacted Uber for comment. Jessicas attorneys sought between $175,000 and $1.2 million in compensatory damages for each year of her life, with higher amounts for the years nearest the assault, but did not propose any figure for punitive damages. Hundreds of similar lawsuits claim Uber knew about assaults by drivers but hid data and failed to implement safety measures, like matching female riders with female drivers or requiring ride recordings. The company introduced its "Women Rider Preference" feature in the United States this August. Uber contends that it is not responsible for the criminal actions of its drivers and maintains that its background checks and assault disclosures were adequate. The cases revive scrutiny of Ubers early safety controversies, though the company now emphasizes safety through reports, ride verification, recording features, driver training reforms, a Safety Advisory Board, and a $10 million Driving Change initiative. Uber's latest U.S. Safety Report, covering the 2021 to 2022 period, indicates a 44 percent decrease in reports of serious sexual assault on its platform since its first report in 2017 to 2018. However, the report also documented 2,717 people's reports of sexual assault during trips. Critics argue that despite improvements, systemic risks persist, as exemplified by the number of reported incidents and ongoing litigation. open image in gallery Uber launched its "Women Rider Preference" feature in the US in August ( Getty Images ) Following an August New York Times report, a U.S. House subcommittee last week sent a letter to Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi requesting details on the companys procedures for addressing and preventing sexual assaults on its rides, Reuters reports. Ubers "Women Rider Preference" feature was initially piloted in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Detroit, with plans to expand to additional cities based on user feedback and demand. This feature allows female riders to request a female driver either immediately or by reserving a ride in advance. Female drivers can also opt to receive trip requests exclusively from female riders. While these preferences increase the likelihood of being matched with a same-gender driver or rider, matches are not guaranteed due to the predominance of male drivers. On Tuesday, Kalshis newly hired crypto lead announced the New York-based prediction market is leaning into blockchain technology in a big way. The prediction markets platform already lets users make deposits in Circles USDC stablecoin, as well as other cryptocurrencies, through a collaboration with ZeroHash. Cryptocurrencies are immediately converted to fiat. But the remit is expanding, John Wang told an audience in Singapore. The next 10x unlock for us will be building new financial primitives for trading on Kalshi, he said during Solana APEX, a Solana conference at the Marina Bay Sands convention centre. And crypto, as this global financial layer, is honestly essential to fulfilling that vision. The timing is apt. Crypto country US President Donald Trump and his administration have issued a slew of executive orders to better accommodate the crypto industry in the country. Lawmakers in Washington also worked at breakneck speed to pass the Genius Act, a landmark piece of legislation that allows banks and non-banks alike to issue stablecoins. Likewise, the US Securities and Exchange Commission has paused or halted investigations into major crypto companies, including Coinbase and Binance. The SEC chair, Paul Atkins, unveiled Project Crypto in August as part of the commissions deregulation blitz of the industry. In response, many household fintech firms, including the stock-picking app Robinhood and payments provider Stripe, have announced plans to dive deeper into crypto. Robinhood also partnered with Kalshi in August to launch prediction markets for US college sports. Any generational fintech company of this decade will be powered by crypto, declared Wang, who joined the company in August, on stage. Kalshi, which counts Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of President Trump, as a strategic adviser, has also profited from the changing regulatory landscape itself. After the Commodity and Futures Trading Commission prohibited Kalshi from opening betting markets on political events in the US, Kalshi sued in 2023, claiming the regulator was overreaching. A district court in Washington, D.C., sided with Kalshi, and the CFTC appealed. In May this year, the agency dropped its appeal. Whats next? As for Kalshis deeper push into all things blockchain, Wang has a few ideas. When Pedro Miranda, the Solana Foundations head of consumer, asked Wang what he hopes to see built on Kalshi, the call to developers was ambitious. It can range anywhere from pushing data onchain from our API to, in the future, tokenising Kalshi positions, providing margin and leveraged trading, and building third-party front ends, said Wang. Liam Kelly is DL News Berlin-based DeFi Correspondent. Got a tip? Email at liam@dlnews.com. up 388% (4.5c 22c) This weeks Bulls N Bears ASX Runner of the Week is WA-focused gold and critical minerals explorer Tambourah Metals after the companys share price rocketed like a Formula-1 beast tearing up the track. On Wednesday, the WA gold and critical minerals maverick saw its stock catapult from Tuesdays modest 4.1 cents a share close to a dazzling 14.5c peak, fuelled by a staggering 119.6 million shares traded. The momentum didnt falter, with Thursday pushing the stock to a 52-week zenith of 22c a share on 66.9 million shares traded, clinching a jaw-dropping 388 per cent weekly surge that left investors starry-eyed. The catalyst? A golden thunderbolt from Tambourahs phase two air core drilling at its Beatty Park South project, 160 kilometres north of Meekatharra in WAs mineral-rich Mid West region. The campaign struck paydirt with a showstopping 24-metre intercept at 18.8 grams per tonne (g/t) gold from a mere 20m depth, including a heart-pounding 4m at 92.2g/t from 24m and a further 4m at 14.3 g/t from 28m. The glittering results were backed by solid 3m hits at 6.6 g/t and 3.7 g/t, painting a picture of a burgeoning gold system ready to rewrite Tambourahs destiny. The phase two program, comprising eight slimline reverse circulation holes for 785m, plunged to 100m to probe basement rock and chase the tail of the companys phase one triumph - a 6m hit at 25.8g/t from 30m. Drilling fanned out along strike and east of this high-grade zone, with the results suggesting Beatty Park South is no fleeting spark but potentially a smouldering goldfield with legs. Tambourah believes it has unearthed an emerging system, with only 25 per cent of a 500m-long anomaly tested, leaving the prospect tantalisingly open along strike and at depth. Plans for more drilling to target both oxide and fresh rock are already in the works to unlock its full potential. NELSON RESOURCES (ASX: NES) up 300% (0.3c 1.2c) Fuelled by a game-changing mining contract, Nelson Resources shares erupted this week, blazing it a trail to claim second spot on this weeks Bulls N Bears Runners list. The spark was Nelsons blockbuster agreement with goldfields titan MEGA Resources, which sent the companys stock soaring like a comet across the WA outback. The deal locks in MEGA to deliver drilling, mining and haulage for Nelsons Yarri project, 140km northeast of Kalgoorlie. The news ignited a 300 per cent weekly surge as Nelsons share price rocketed from last Fridays 0.3c a share close to a dazzling 12-month peak of 1.2c by Thursday. The markets pulse quickened as trading volumes soared. Mondays 26.7 million shares traded swelled to 73.5 million on Tuesday, 75.6 million on Wednesday and a thunderous 84 million by Thursday - a crescendo of demand for this evolving junior goldie. The Yarri project, nestled in WAs gold-rich heartland, will bask in the glow of MEGAs expertise. The company is a subsidiary of Indias BGR Mining & Infra Group, one of the subcontinents mining giants. MEGA is no greenhorn, with a proven track record supporting WAs junior gold explorers in unlocking their glittering deposits. Under the agreements golden terms, MEGA will bankroll up to $500,000 in exploration to reach a decision to mine, then pour up to $10 million into initial development, covering mining and haulage to a third-party mill, as well as the necessary geological and engineering wizardry. MEGAs discussions with nearby processing plants are humming along. A planned 70:30 profit split from gold sales, with MEGA taking the lions share, still promises a lucrative payday from Yarris gold haul. In a market where gold is commanding more than $5800 per golden ounce, Nelsons pact with MEGA may be a masterstroke. CGN RESOURCES (ASX: CGR) Up 169% (5.2c to 14c) Bulls N Bears always loves a late runner and was delighted to see CGN Resources burst out of the blocks this morning to fly into third place in this weeks list. After closing last week at 5.2c and 5.1c last night, the companys shares opened at 7c a share this morning - then put on the afterburners to zoom up to a high of 14c per share on its biggest daily volumes seen in years. An impressive 10 million shares swapped hands by mid-morning, which marks the first time this calendar year that more than one million of the companys shares have traded in a single day. The reason for the catapulting share price was news of a WA golden land grab. CGN has secured two exploration licences 20km south of Leonora, in the Goldfields-Esperance region, about 800km northeast of Perth. Success in the recent WA tenement ballot gifts CGN the prospective land with known gold intercepts from historical drilling. The two licences boost the companys landholdings around its Panhandle project and are close to its Christmas Well project, just north of Leonora. Notably, both projects occur along strike from several multi-million-ounce gold deposits, with the Panhandle ground perched beautifully between Genesis Minerals 8-million-ounce Gwalia and Ulysses gold operations. Gwalias massive gold deposit sits almost smack-bang in the middle of CGNs two projects, providing optimism for what may be revealed from future exploration at the two sites. Dart Mining discovered a 0.6 metre massive sulphide antimony-stibnite hit from a depth of 42m, estimated at 70 per cent antimony, from its latest drilling program at the Coonambula antimony-gold project in southeast Queensland. DART MINING (ASX: DTM) Up 140% (0.25c 0.6c) Storming into fourth place on the Runners list for the week is Dart Mining. Dart has a joint venture earn-in agreement with Great Divide Mining, enabling Dart to earn up to 51 per cent interest in six tenements that form the Coonambula antimony-gold project in central Queensland. Dart fired up its latest drilling program at Coonambula this week and immediately intersected a 0.6m massive sulphide hit, estimated to be 70 per cent antimony, commonly found as the sulphide mineral stibnite, from a depth of 42m. The news hit the market like a thunderclap, with punters pouncing on their trading screens faster than kids on a spilled bag of lollies. A remarkable 448 million shares were scooped up on the day, sending the price rocketing from its previous close at 0.2c to a peak of 0.6c a share. The company says a second zone of massive sulphide veining was encountered at 70m downhole. It is eagerly awaiting assays, which are due next month. Darts timely strike positions Coonambula as a potential powerhouse in this red-hot metals market. Antimony has shot to fame in recent times due to Chinese export bans imposed on the critical metal in September last year. The ban caused the metals price to run hard and become the latest market darling, with explorers scouring tenement ground and dusting off old drill cores in the chase for this critical metal often entwined with gold. It has a wide range of vital uses as an alloy metal, hardening bullets and other munitions during their manufacture and bolstering the hardness of lead used in the growing battery storage industry. In addition, antimony is critical for use in semiconductors and flame retardants, making it indispensable in a world hungry for tech and energy solutions. Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: mattbirney@bullsnbears.com.au Even if the guns fall silent in Ukraine, Russias economy may never step off the battlefield. Years of massive defence outlays have locked the country in a state of militarisation that has transformed factories and sucked in hundreds of thousands of workers. The surge has helped prevent the economy from shrinking making retreat perilous. Vladimir Putin knows the importance of his military to Russias economy. Credit: AP The Kremlin has no intention of pulling back. President Vladimir Putin sees a lasting need for a well-equipped Russian fighting force something Western leaders fear he could unleash on NATO within five years and he wants to embed the thriving defence industry into his long-term vision. While he draws up his plans and Europe splashes billions on retooling its armies in response, the question will be what happens to the glut of tanks and missiles Russian factories are churning out. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Dinner parties are always a roll of the dice. You could find yourself seated beside the guest who presses a business card into your hand before the entree has even landed, or the one determined to recount between courses the entire plot of a television series youve already admitted you dont watch. But Heather Rose got lucky, ending up next to someone who told her a story that lingered long after the tables had been cleared. Id been sat next to a winemaker, and he said that thing you sort of dread as a writer Oh, Ive got a really good story you might be interested in because you think, Ive got enough of my own ideas, please dont tell me, Rose recalls with a laugh. The winemaker in question was Dr Andrew Pirie, a pioneer of Tasmanian viticulture, and the story he shared was an overlooked fragment of local history: a 19th-century vineyard, established by ex-convict Bartholomew Broughton in Hobart around 1823, which produced such exceptional sparkling that, legend has it, one vintage travelled all the way to Paris and took home a medal at the great wine exhibition. The vineyard fell fallow in 1829 after Broughtons death, but today, more than half of Tasmanias grapes are grown for sparkling a lineage that begins with this almost-mythical fizz, the states first commercial vineyard. Tasmanias Apogee winery, run by Dr Andrew Pirie. Credit: Nic Walker At the time, Rose was deep into what would become her Stella Prize and NSW Premiers Literary Awards-winning novel The Museum of Modern Love. But the story of the vineyard began to age in her imagination, like a good vintage. I sort of said, dont tell anyone else that story, Im really, really keen on that, she says. Fast forward some 15 years, and Rose raised her own glass of bubbles at the launch in Hobart this week of A Great Act of Love her tenth novel, and her most ambitious yet. Onto the fertile ground of the vineyard, Rose overlays another one rooted in her own family tree. At its centre is Caroline, modelled on Roses grandmothers real great-grandmother, a young woman who arrived in Hobart, then Van Diemens Land, searching for her father. Jacques-Louis, an apothecary, had been transported from London to the brutal Norfolk Island penal colony after confessing to the murder of a woman with whom he was having a relationship. Rose believes his life was marked by spells of madness, the result of a frontal-lobe injury. Louis himself was born into turbulence: his parents, Rose believes, were a duke and duchess executed in the French Revolution, their children escaping to Scotland and then to London. Alleged double killer Beau Lamarre-Condon said he is remorseful and did take accountability for the death of Jesse Baird, whom he is accused of murdering alongside Bairds boyfriend Luke Davies with his police-issued gun in a terrace house in Sydneys eastern suburbs. The then-off-duty police officer allegedly used a Glock pistol to shoot 26-year-old television presenter Baird and 29-year-old Qantas flight attendant Davies in February 2024. Beau Lamarre-Condon (left) is accused of murdering Jesse Baird and Luke Davies. After pleading not guilty to the two alleged murders in August, Lamarre-Condon interrupted proceedings in the NSW Supreme Court on Friday morning to deliver an extraordinary message via audiovisual link from prison, in his first publicly spoken words about the deaths. Wearing prison greens, the former senior constable said: Sorry, Your Honour, I just would like to respectfully say this, so the following is noted on the court transcript, so the DPP [Director of Public Prosecutions] cannot deny having no knowledge of this. Mokbels barrister, Julie Condon, KC, had argued the prosecution case against her client was corrupted by Nicola Gobbo, who was working as a double agent for police while also representing Mokbel before his sentencing. Condon said Mokbel should have been made aware that Gobbo was a supergrass before entering his 2012 plea. The Court of Appeal found Gobbos involvement had corrupted one of the cases against Mokbel, known as Operation Quills, to a degree that his conviction should be quashed, but found that didnt automatically extend to the other prosecutions known as Magnum and Orbital. Nicola Gobbo with then-client Tony Mokbel outside a court in 2004. Credit: Nine News Quills and Magnum relate to convictions for trafficking in large commercial quantities of drugs; Orbital was for trafficking MDMA and inciting the importation of the drug in 2005, and Magnum also for trafficking methylamphetamine across 2006 and 2007. Prosecutors must now decide if they want to pursue a fresh trial for Orbital, which legal sources said was unlikely. The Office of Public Prosecutions officially said they were yet to decide. One senior legal figure, who asked not to be named, said the matter was likely to end with an agreement from both sides that Mokbel has already served enough time behind bars. MOKBELS APPEAL OUTCOME Operation Quills: Conviction and 13-year prison sentence quashed. Operation Magnum: Conviction and sentence of 20 years in prison stands. Operation Orbital: Conviction and six-year prison term overturned and a retrial ordered. One underworld source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Mokbel was just happy to be home. The decision, though, throws doubt over whether Mokbel could receive a substantial payout from Victoria Police for his more than 17 years behind bars. Loading Legal expert Nick Papas, KC, said that because Mokbel was acquitted of Quills, there could still be an argument for compensation. The fact that the Court of Appeal has quashed those convictions indicates there was a serious miscarriage of justice. He should never have been convicted, in the eyes of the court, because of the conduct of the police, Gobbo and the state of Victoria, Papas said. Therefore, there may well be some sort of argument relating to compensation or civil action. But the appeal that was dismissed related to a prison term of 20 years, which damages Mokbels argument that his entire stretch behind bars was unwarranted. In the judgment released on Friday, the judges said the joint efforts of Gobbo and police to secure critical evidence from a person for whom she was acting, involved a fundamental debasement of her professional obligations. This, they found, infected the whole Quills prosecution, such that it would have been a profound affront to the administration of justice if it had proceeded to trial. The Quills case had alleged Mokbel trafficked ecstasy while the head of a criminal enterprise in 2005 that involved the large-scale preparation and pressing of ecstasy pills from powder on two pill presses at a Coburg factory, and later a third pill press in a Craigieburn garage. In total, it was alleged that in excess of 30 kilograms of MDMA was pressed into ecstasy pills on those three presses. Gobbo pursued a purpose, shared with Victoria Police, of securing the conviction and imprisonment of the applicant by exploiting her lawyer/client relationships in a grossly improper manner. Her conduct was, and hopefully will always remain, entirely unprecedented, unique and extraordinary. Axiomatically, the degree of impropriety involved in that conduct was of the highest order, they said. Although the alleged offending was serious and evil, the way the evidence was obtained meant that placing it before a jury would have undermined fundamental principles of the criminal justice system. The court also found that the failure of Victoria Police and through it, the prosecution, to disclose the conduct of Gobbo impugned the integrity of his [Mokbels] guilty pleas. Tony Mokbel leaves court on Friday. Credit: Eddie Jim He was therefore not fully informed of the circumstances, and his pleas could not be attributed to a genuine consciousness of guilt, they said. The Magnum case related to the trafficking of a commercial quantity of methylamphetamine and via a large-scale criminal enterprise manufacturing and distributing methylamphetamine while he was overseas, and involved thousands of hours of police phone intercepts. The justices found the Magnum investigation was conducted entirely when the applicant was outside the jurisdiction, having absconded to Greece during the Plutonium trial, and that Gobbo gave no information to police that was relevant to the investigation. The Orbital case alleged Mokbel commissioned the importation of MDMA powder into Australia in 2005 by placing an order with undercover police for 100 kilograms at a cost of $1.2 million. The justices found that without the evidence of one witness, known as Mr Bickely, the prosecution wouldve been weakened but viable, prompting them to order Mokbel face a retrial. It has also not been shown that a trial in the Orbital matter would necessarily be unfair, despite the passing of time and the loss of some evidence, they said. Tony Mokbel leaves the Court of Appeal. Credit: Eddie Jim Mokbel orchestrated one of the most infamous escapes in Australian history while awaiting trial for the drug charges. He smuggled himself out of Australia in a specially designed yacht before being tracked down in Greece a year later, in a restaurant wearing a wig. When returned to Australia and sentenced, he later survived a serious assault in jail in 2019, telling the court he was no longer the same man he once was. In April, Mokbel was granted bail by the Court of Appeal, as part of his quest to quash his drug-trafficking convictions, subject to about 30 conditions, including a curfew, daily reporting at his nearby police station, a ban on using smartphones or encrypted apps, and an ankle monitoring bracelet. That ankle bracelet was removed recently following changes to the private bail monitoring rules. Despite his partial win on Friday, Mokbel, who had been behind bars since 2007, wont have his entire criminal history erased. In the early 1980s, he was convicted of offences including assault, threats to kill, resisting police arrest and possessing a firearm. In 1992, he was then jailed for a year for attempting to bribe a County Court judge. This story was originally published on Payments Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Payments Dive newsletter. DailyPay named Chairman Nelson Chai its chief executive officer this week after 10 months as a director of the earned wage access firm. Chai is the former chief financial officer of Uber Technologies, where he worked for five years, and held the same title at Merrill Lynch and the New York Stock Exchange. He is also a former CEO of insurance company The Warranty Group. As DailyPays strategy has advanced to encompass employee financial wellness, Nelson is the right leader for this next stage of growth, newly elected Board Chair CeCe Morken said Wednesday in a press release. His experience at the leading edge of fintech, and his knowledge of consumer markets, will foster further expansion and enhance our ability to deliver new offerings and even greater value for employers and employees alike, Morken said. Earned wage access services allow workers to tap their earned wages before regularly scheduled paydays. Dozens of EWA providers offer the services, making money by charging workers fees or receiving interchange fees from merchants if funds are added to a debit card. States have also increasingly begun to regulate EWA providers, and the industry has recently been seeking federal oversight in response to the prospect of differing state laws. Chai succeeds Stacy Greiner, who spent 18 months at the companys helm after about two years as its operations chief. Greiner will continue to serve as an adviser. Greiners predecessor, Kevin Coop, ran DailyPay for two years before leaving to helm Definite Healthcare. Founder Jason Lee preceded Coop, until 2022. A spokesperson for New York-based DailyPay declined to comment Thursday on the CEO change beyond the press release. Chai is the second DailyPay executive appointed this week after Poulomi Damany was named chief product officer on Tuesday. Damany joined DailyPay from personal finance company Credit Karma, acquired by Intuit, most recently as senior vice president and general manager of Credit Karma's money business unit. DailyPay is currently being sued by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who alleged that the companys practices constitute illegal and deceptive conduct and abusive lending practices that violate New York usury laws. James filed a similar lawsuit against MoneyLion, one of DailyPays competitors. Earlier this month, a federal judge remanded James complaint against DailyPay to a state court, rejecting the fintechs claim that it belonged in federal court. A Perth restaurant owner has been sentenced over the horrific rape of a woman in her own home while she was so drunk she had passed out, his third sexual assault conviction. Alberto Nicoletti, 33, found the woman outside the Windsor Hotel in South Perth in July 2020 after she fell over and, showering her with compliments, drove her home where she passed out drunk on her bed. He then proceeded to rape her, which he denied, telling a jury it was a consensual act. Lago di Como owner Alberto Nicoletti who is facing sexual penetration charges. Credit: Lago Di Como Restaurant But in a victim impact statement the woman, now 29, told the court she still experiences flashbacks and nightmares about the incident that happened when she was 23 years old. I often feel overwhelmed by sadness and anger, she said, after telling a jury she had woken up on her bed the same night to find Nicoletti on top of her. Residents living near the spot where 60-year-old grandfather Johnny Gray died after his 1956 Chevrolet collided with another car have raised concerns around an intersection they say could have caused the crash. On Friday, Police Minister Reece Whitby who described Grays death as a shocking tragedy confirmed Main Roads WA would be conducting their own investigation into the incident, alongside WA Police. We do know that he was on the wrong side of the road in terms of the area where he met oncoming traffic, he said. How he happened to be there, why it happened, is a subject of a police investigation, and Main Roads are obviously aware of the issue and will be doing their own investigation. Singapore: Australian adoptees say South Korea must act to make it easier for adoption records to be accessed and families to reunite, after the countrys leader apologised for human rights violations caused by its overseas adoption program. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung offered a heartfelt apology and words of comfort on behalf of the country to adoptees, their parents and birth parents in a Facebook post on Thursday, acknowledging the anxiety, pain, and confusion many had endured. Rows of babies waiting for overseas adoption in 1984 at a South Korea orphanage. A government apology was one of the key recommendations of South Koreas landmark Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Earlier this year, the inquiry concluded that systemic fraud and abuse had plagued the countrys privatised adoption program, including falsified orphan registrations, leading to a profit-driven mass exportation of children with minimal procedural oversight. The findings were based on complaints made by adoptees in 11 countries, including Australia. The father of the Manchester synagogue attacker praised the October 7 Hamas terrorists as Allahs men on earth. Faraj al-Shamie posted on Facebook his own support for the attack on Israel in which 1200 people were killed and about 250 civilians and soldiers taken hostage. Faraj Al-Shamie works as a trauma surgeon. Credit: YouTube Shamie, a trauma surgeon who lived in council housing in Britain, said in his post on the day of the attack that the Hamas terrorists who had infiltrated the Jewish state on motorbikes and paragliders had proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Israel would be destroyed eventually. The posts were uncovered by the London Telegraph hours after Shamie had issued a statement in which he expressed his profound shock in the wake of the killing of two Jewish congregants at Heaton Park synagogue in north Manchester. When interviewed by Rebecca Mezistrano, producer of TheStreet, personal finance expert Dave Ramsey weighed in on the biggest 401(k) plan mistake Americans make that could be costing them millions. His answer? Jumping in and out of the market. They freak out when the market goes down, stated Ramsey. They stop, they start, they try to time the market. Ramsey then noted that people trained to time the market cant even do it well so the lay person shouldnt try. Learn More: Dave Ramsey Says This Is the Best Way To Pay Off Debt Consider This: 10 Cars That Outlast the Average Vehicle Ramsey stated that those with money invested in the market do best when they ignore their emotions (be it panic or excitement), avoid reacting to short-term fluctuations and simply allow their 401(k) plans to grow untouched. He goes on to say that individuals trying to time the market never keep up with steady investor. The steady investor wins every time, but do other financial professionals agree? Do Other Financial Professionals Agree or Disagree with Ramseys Take? I often disagree with Dave Ramsey, but on this point he is 100% spot on, stated Robert Johnson, chairman and CEO at Economic Index Associates, who claimed attempting to time the market is fools gold. Johnson cited the J.P. Morgan Asset Managements 2025 Retirement Guide to demonstrate that over a 20-year period from Jan. 3, 2005, to Dec. 31, 2024, if you missed the top 10 days in the stock market, your overall return was cut by over 40%, and, [seven] of the best 10 days occurred within two weeks of the worst ten days. Translation? The biggest market gains happen too infrequently, too unpredictably and too densely to risk pulling your money out of the market and missing them. Find Out: Heres Why You Might Want To Invest Your Retirement Savings in a Roth 401(k) Lisa A. Cummings, Esq., attorney at Cummings & Cummings Law, also agreed with Ramsey, adding that timing the market results in counterproductively buying expensive securities during market highs and selling low amid fear which results in the opposite long-term goal to preserve your contributions and grow your earnings over a longer time horizon. Listen to Ramsey on this one: Set it and forget it. More From GOBankingRates This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Dave Ramsey: The Biggest 401(k) Mistake People Make The British Business Bank's Debt Funds programme has had a significant impact on the UK's debt market and finance ecosystem for smaller businesses, as revealed by an independent evaluation. SQW undertook the evaluation in partnership with Beauhurst, utilising data up to March 2023. It confirmed the programme's role in the smaller business finance market and its effectiveness in attracting additional private investment. The report demonstrates that the Debt Funds programme has improved access to debt finance for smaller UK enterprises and raised awareness of alternative finance options. Research involving investee companies illustrates that the programme has facilitated growth in turnover and employment, contributing to the expansion of these businesses. In terms of tangible outcomes, Debt Funds-backed finance has enhanced business turnover, allowing companies to scale operations swiftly. This has translated into an average annual net impact of approximately 750,000 ($1m) per smaller company and 7.5m ($10m) per company for Venture Debt and Prefequity recipients. The scheme has also been linked to the creation of around 1,400 net new jobs, with the average recipient adding three to five jobs. While a full assessment of the Debt Funds programme's financial performance is yet to be completed, initial indicators point to robust returns, with a 7.4% IRR from inception to March 2023. The programme has accumulated 114m in interest and realised 189m in profits, with minimal write-offs. British Business Bank Funds co-head and managing director Adam Kelly said: It is very encouraging to see that the British Business Banks Debt Funds programme has made a positive impact on the UK debt market and finance ecosystem, improving access to finance, boosting UK smaller businesses and creating c. 1,400 additional jobs at the time of evaluation. The evaluation also shows the continued need for the programme in a challenging fundraising market for smaller funds. The British Business Bank will continue to play a key role in this market, further developing the supply and diversity of private debt finance. In July 2025, the British Business Bank's Growth Guarantee Scheme reported 2.5bn in lending, with 69% of funds reaching businesses beyond London and the south-east. "Debt Funds programme of British Business Bank boosts UK market" was originally created and published by Leasing Life, a GlobalData owned brand. Key Points Specialty beverages chain Dutch Bros is growing its store count by double digits annually. Now, the company is funding these expansion plans in-house, from its own positive cash flows. This should help it avoid diluting shareholder value, making it an intriguing growth stock to buy. 10 stocks we like better than Dutch Bros There hardly ever seems to be a shortage of up-and-coming stocks offering blistering sales growth rates. However, the list of these growth stocks with positive cash generation and minimal shareholder dilution is much, much shorter. One promising young company that offers investors this blend of high growth and cash creation is handcrafted beverages chain Dutch Bros (NYSE: BROS). With its stock down 30% in just the last month, here's why now is the perfect time to consider buying Dutch Bros shares. Dutch Bros' growth potential in one chart Dutch Bros primarily sells iced and blended drinks, whether they're coffee and energy drinks or smoothies and shakes. Its drive-thru focus with escape lanes offers customers a differentiated, to-go option. The company has quickly built a cult-like following among its loyal members and has doubled its store count to over 1,000 locations between 2021 and today. However, Dutch Bros' shares outstanding have nearly tripled over this same time, as management leaned on new share offerings to raise money for new store growth. Image source: Dutch Bros. This ballooning share count diluted shareholders' value heavily and made the company nearly uninvestable in my eyes at the time. Dutch Bros changed my opinion on this matter late in 2024 when it reached a massive tipping point: earning more in cash from operations (CFO) than it spent on capital expenditures for new stores. The inflection point in the top chart is critical because the company is now funding its store count expansion ambitions in-house, rather than relying upon new share offerings. Despite spending $200 million on capex to open 131 new stores over the last year, Dutch Bros generated $272 million in cash from operations, netting $73 million in free cash flow after these two are combined. Planning to double its store count to 2,029 locations by 2029, with a total addressable market of 7,000-plus stores nationwide over the long haul, Dutch Bros offers immense potential at just 35 times CFO. Should you invest $1,000 in Dutch Bros right now? Before you buy stock in Dutch Bros, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now and Dutch Bros wasnt one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. According to Armenian media, Robert Kocharyan flew to Moscow once again just the day before. This time, his destination was Sergey Kiriyenko, who is widely regarded as the key figure overseeing Moscows policy toward post-Soviet countries. Reports say Kocharyan traveled with high hopes aiming to sell himself, and preferably at a premium. He presented Kiriyenko with his plan to defeat Pashinyan. The plan, it turned out, was rather simple: gather all the disgruntled, shout Down with Vovaevich! and invest money in whom? Of course, in Kocharyan himself. Kiriyenko, however, was not impressed by the proposal, and the would-be savior of the nation was clearly given to understand that funding would not be forthcoming. Apparently, there are younger and more appealing candidates. Sweden-based freight tech innovator Einride has raised $100 million to accelerate the deployment of its autonomous and electric freight solutions while expanding its global footprint. The funding round drew participation from existing investors, including EQT Ventures, a West Coast-based asset manager, and a strategic investment from quantum computing leader IonQ, signaling strong confidence in the companys technology and growth trajectory. Join the leaders shaping freights future at F3: Future of Freight Festival, Oct 21-22. Network with the industrys best and discover whats next. Register now! For Einride, this infusion of capital marks the next stage in its mission to redefine road freight. Since its founding in 2016, the company has built what CEO Roozbeh Charli describes as a complete and forward-looking freight ecosystem, combining one of the worlds largest fleets of heavy-duty electric trucks with cutting-edge autonomous technology and its proprietary Saga planning platform. Saga, which integrates advanced digital planning with electric and autonomous vehicles, is designed to tackle long-standing challenges in the freight industry, including high emissions, labor shortages, and fragmented operations. I am excited and proud of the continued trust our investors have placed in us. This funding allows us to grow with our customer base and accelerate the deployment of our autonomous freight technology. Its a strong signal of confidence in both our team and our unique position in the market, said Charli, in a news release. Ted Persson, partner at EQT Ventures, was quoted, We believe Einride is building the most complete and forward-looking freight ecosystem on the market today. Nordic tech has a habit of being underestimated, until it quietly rewires an entire industry. Thats exactly what Einride is doing in freight. The investment follows a year of strong momentum for the company, including a doubling of net sales in 2024, expansion into Austria and the UAE, and partnerships with global shippers across Europe and North America. Most recently, the company completed the worlds first cableless autonomous border crossing. There was no human driver in the truck, and the vehicle crossed between Norway and Sweden. Crossing from a non-European Union country into the European Union successfully. With this funding, Einride is poised to continue pushing the boundaries of autonomous and electric freight, reinforcing its position as a leader in the transition toward future-proofed transportation. The companys fleet, now one of the largest of heavy-duty electric trucks in the world. We recently compiled a list of the 12 Best Healthcare Stocks to Buy and Hold for 5 Years. Eli Lilly and Company is one of them. Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) tops our list for being one of the best healthcare stocks. It is a global biopharmaceutical leader and continues to expand its presence across diabetes, obesity, oncology, immunology, and neurology. The companys portfolio includes blockbuster drugs such as Mounjaro and Zepbound for diabetes and obesity, as well as donanemab for Alzheimers disease, supported by strong R&D capabilities and consistent commercial execution. In September 2025, LLY announced plans for a $6.5 billion manufacturing facility in Houston, Texas, one of the citys largest private investments in recent years. The site will expand production for small-molecule medicines, including orforglipron, its experimental oral GLP-1 receptor agonist for obesity. Expected to be operational within five years, the facility will create several hundred jobs while reinforcing LLYs commitment to next-generation obesity treatments. Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) is also pursuing international growth, with plans to launch orforglipron in India pending regulatory approval. This move highlights the firms strategy to capture demand for oral weight-loss drugs in emerging markets. At the same time, the corporation streamlined its pipeline by halting development of a muscle-preserving drug paired with Zepbound, choosing to focus resources on its most promising obesity assets. Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) Expands Global Reach with Orforglipron Launch Plans in India Meanwhile, LLY strengthened its neurology portfolio as European regulators granted marketing authorization for donanemab, advancing the businesss position in Alzheimers disease therapies. Financially, the firm reported strong international growth for Mounjaro, though U.S. sales were slightly impacted by isolated formulary challenges. Nevertheless, global demand for tirzepatide-based treatments remains robust, supporting an optimistic outlook for continued expansion. While we acknowledge the potential of LLY as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 30 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and 11 Hidden AI Stocks to Buy NOW Disclosure: None. This story was originally published on Multifamily Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Multifamily Dive newsletter. Dive Brief: Last week, Fannie Mae took steps to foreclose on a $61.5 million loan behind two New York City properties with nearly 500 units in the Bronx, according to Bisnow. Fannie Mae claims Fordham Fulton Realty Corp. and guarantor Rajmattie Persaud have defaulted on a commercial mortgage covering Fordham Tower and Fulton Towers, claiming the borrower has missed payments for years, starting in April 2020, according to Bisnow. In the complaint filed on Sept. 23 in Manhattan federal court, Fannie Mae is asking for a receiver to manage the properties, foreclosure of the mortgage and all junior liens and a money judgment against the borrower and the guarantor for money remaining after a foreclosure sale, according to Mortgage Professional America. Dive Insight: Fannie Mae stated that the borrower failed to make monthly payments from April 1, 2020, to May 31, 2022. Loan servicer Greystone Servicing Corp. entered into seven separate forbearance agreements during that time, according to Mortgage Professional America. Even with those agreements, the government-sponsored enterprise claims monthly payments remain due from October 2024 forward. Mortgage Professional America reports Fordham Fulton Realty Corp. owes liens to the New York City Water Board, Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Approved Oil Co. of Brooklyn, Inc., the New York City Department of Finance, the New York City Environmental Control Board and the New York City Department of Housing Preservation & Development. The Fannie Mae lawsuit is only the latest problem for Fordham Fulton Realty. In April 2024, The Legal Aid Society filed suit on behalf of 62 tenants at Fulton Towers to seek repairs to over 600 open violations. The Legal Aid Society said tenants believed the landlord was falsifying certifications in an attempt to hide the severe nature of the buildings neglect. Residents of the building complained of heat and water outages that lasted for days at a time and elevators that had been sporadically out of service for many years. The sheer number of open violations is a clear indicator that this landlord is acting in bad faith and must be held accountable, Zoe Kheyman, an attorney in the Housing Justice Unit Group Advocacy Practice at Legal Aid, said in a news release at the time. We look forward to fighting for our clients, many of whom have lived in their apartments for decades, to remedy the dangerous conditions and restore their quality of life. FedEx Corp. has expanded its intra-Asia air network with two new routes, adding additional capacity and transportation options for regional shippers as it redeploys aircraft to areas of high demand in response to tariff-impacted volume declines from Asia to the United States. The move comes on the heels of a similar decision by rival UPS to increase flight frequencies and reposition larger freighters on certain routes within Asia. FedEx (NYSE: FDX) reduced freighter activity out of Asia to the United States by 25% in the fiscal quarter ended Aug. 30 because the high tariffs imposed this year by the U.S. government sapped direct-to-consumer retail demand, executives said on the companys earnings call last month. The company reported a $150 million profit hit from reduced revenue out of China due to the elimination of duty-free de minimis treatment for low-value e-commerce shipments, which are now subject to double-digit import fees. On Tuesday, FedEx announced the introduction of a weekly flight connecting Incheon International Airport in Seoul, South Korea, with Hanoi, Vietnam. From Hanoi, the flight will go to FedExs Asia-Pacific hub in Guangzhou, China a transshipment point for flights across Asia and to Europe. The new flight will reduce transit times by one day for shipments from northern Vietnam to Asian and European destinations. The express carrier has also launched a direct flight between Seoul and Taiwan, operating seven times per week, on a key trade lane for high-tech and e-commerce products. The new service supports customers such as CJ Olive Young, a leading health and beauty retailer in South Korea, that aim to reach new international markets, FedEx said. (FedEx is also providing end-to-end logistics support for Olive Youngs recent expansion into the United States, selling directly to consumers on its e-commerce platform.) The Vietnam route uses a Boeing 767 freighter while the Taiwan route mainly uses MD11s and a Boeing 777 on Sundays, spokesman Jonathan Lyons said. Asias trade landscape is evolving rapidly, said Kawal Preet, president of FedEx Asia Pacific, in a news release. Were responding by strategically investing in our network to create stronger connections for businesses within the region and unlocking new pathways for growth, driven by the need to adapt to diversifying supply chains, rising regional economies, and an e-commerce landscape being reset by changing customer behaviors and market dynamics. FedEx said the new air freight lanes meet growing demand in a region experiencing strong e-commerce trade growth ahead of the peak holiday shopping season and shifting trade flows. High-value technology exports from Southeast Asia are also on the rise. Intra-Asia trade accounted for nearly 60% of Asias total exports, according to a United Nations report, and the ASEAN countries have emerged as Chinas largest trade partner, with bilateral trade reaching $963 billion in 2024, Chinese government figures show. Fidelity National Information Services Inc. (NYSE:FIS) secures a spot on our list of the 20 NYSE Stocks with the Lowest P/E Ratios. Fidelity National Information Services Inc. (FIS) Acquires Amount, a Chicago-Based Digital Banking Origination and Decisioning Platform The Chicago-based digital banking origination and decisioning platform Amount, which serves banks, lenders, and credit unions, was acquired by Fidelity National Information Services Inc. (NYSE:FIS) on September 24, 2025. With over 150 million new account applications now handled, Amounts cloud-native solution has inbuilt AI capabilities for deposits, cards, and lending to consumers and small businesses. By expanding its digital account-opening tools across its core banking and card systems, Fidelity National Information Services Inc. (NYSE:FIS) will be able to assist customers in growing their deposit, loan, and card portfolios more effectively. The announcement supports Fidelity National Information Services Inc. (NYSE:FIS)s larger effort to standardize and expand its technology offerings across financial markets. On September 23, the company unveiled a redesigned Private Capital Suite, which is now a cloud-native SaaS platform that covers the entire private equity lifecycle, from investor onboarding to fund accounting and compliance. Through its Banking Solutions, Capital Market Solutions, Corporate, and Other segments, Fidelity National Information Services Inc. (NYSE:FIS) offers financial services technology solutions to banks, companies, and developers globally. It is one of the Stocks with Low PE Ratio. While we acknowledge the potential of FIS as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 15 Stocks That Will Benefit From AI and 12 Best Quantum Computing Stocks to Buy According to Wall Street Analysts. Disclosure: None. This story was originally published on BioPharma Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily BioPharma Dive newsletter. Dive Brief: Galapagos on Wednesday announced that a limited number of potential buyers for its cell therapy business have come forward, and the company plans to announce the fate of the unit in coming weeks. The interested parties are consortia, mainly made up of financial investors, Galapagos said. The companys board and executives are working with the potential bidders on due diligence and securing financial commitments. Where appropriate, the company is supporting the fundraising efforts of the potential bidders, Galapagos said. Fully-financed, binding offers are due within weeks, Galapagos said. Once any offers have been received, company executives will decide whether to divest the cell therapy business or pursue alternative courses of action. That announcement will come no later than Nov. 5, when Galapagos plans to release third-quarter financial results. Dive Insight: The Belgian biotechnology company has been on a roller coaster for the last decade. In 2015, Galapagos inked a key research partnership with Gilead Sciences, which the larger company opted to deepen with a $5.1 billion deal four years later. The agreement included payments for rights to drugs in Galapagos pipeline as well a higher equity stake in the company. But research and development setbacks left Galapagos foundering. The companys American depositary receipts, which briefly topped $274 in February 2020, plummeted to less than $23 in February 2025. Restructuring efforts, including new leadership, have helped the stock advance in recent months. The ADRs traded around $35 early Thursday. As part of the restructuring, Galapagos announced in January that it would split into two publicly traded companies spinning out a company focused on business development and retaining the Galapagos name for the cell therapy unit. Galapagos even named Henry Gosebruch as the CEO of the planned spinout, hoping to draw on his dealmaking experience at J.P. Morgan and AbbVie. Then in May, Galapagos told investors it was considering changing that plan. And in July, the company said it was weighing a sale of the cell therapy business. Galapagos didnt give any details about the potential suitors in its latest release, but the industry has seen a slight uptick recently in private equity interest. Bluebird bio earlier this year agreed to be acquired by Carlyle Group and SK Capital and go private. Similarly, Bavarian Nordic signed on to a $3 billion take-private offer from Nordic Capital and Permira. Bain Capital, meanwhile, joined with Bristol Myers Squibb to form a new biotech startup. Aryan Theatre: The nerve centre of Manipuri Absurd Drama | Nongthombam Shri Biren (1942-2011) is well known as Shri Biren. He is a recipient of Sahitya Akademi Award and is considered as the forerunner dramatist who deals with absurd drama. His absurdist style of play is a result of direct influence of western adsurdist literature. There is no influence of any Indian writer. He started indulging in absurd plays after he had studied TS Eliot, Chekhov, Eugene Ionesco and Samuel Beckett. Under the influence of his ideology of A Dramatised Poetic Vision, he wrote several absurd plays which are Khongchat, Hallakpa, Ani and Keirak. When asked about the influence of western absurd dramatists he said, I cannot write if I dont get the poetic vision. The vision of the non arrival of Godot in Becketts Waiting for Godot and the empty chair of Inonescos Chair had influenced my plays. They had an impact. That is not servile imitation nor a forced one. I just share their poetic experience. Shri Biren marvelled at how Aribam Syam Sharma aptly directed his absurd plays which were products of direct influence of the Wests absurd plays. Budha ChingthamDuring the 1960s, the waves of European influence in India and Manipur in the field of art and literature were very strong. It is surprising to note how India heartily welcomed the western art movement. The art movements in the West like Symbolism, Expressionism, Dadaism, Surrealism, Absurdism, Naturalism, Theatre of the Absurd, Epic theatre had greatly influenced the theatre in India and Manipur. The epic theatre of Bertolt Brecht and his writing styles, acting and stage production swept the whole Indian theatre. On the other hand, the movement which ruled the Indian and Manipuri theatre for six to seven decades was the Absurd Theatre. Such art movements reached our soil directly and indirectly through the Indian dramatists. The personalities of the contemporary Manipuri Experi- mental theatre of the 1960s and the 1970s tried their hands in diverse forms of western dramas in the form of experiment. They also include the question of ethnic identity, the disillusionment, chaos and anxiety and the conflicts in the middle class society.The experimental theatre in Manipur had witnessed three impacts which are first, the impact of western theatre, second, that of classical Sanskrit theatre and the third being our own para-theatrical forms. The first western impact was heralded by GC Tongbras use of unconventional dialogues and Maharajkumari Binodini Devis unconventional characters who brought realistic narratives in their experimental plays. This paved the way to a plethora of experimental plays starting from the 1970s.The first proper experimental form of theatre which drove the audience to wonder what the play was about and what was the story was late Nongthombam Shri Birens Khong- chat which was performed for the first time on 28th February, 1970 at Aryan Theatre. Aribam Syam was the one who directed this play which is claimed as the first experimental play in the history of Manipuri theatre. What is interesting is the remark of Elangbam Nilakanta Singh (1927-2000), an acclaimed poet and critic, in Simanta Patrika, a newspaper published on 8th March, 1970 regarding the confusing effect of the play on the audience: Shri Birens Khongchat, an hour length play, was performed in the Aryan theatre on 28th February which showed the existentialism mood through its four characters. The audience remain silent during the play as they are confused and shocked and are struggling to grasp the play. I have read Shri Birens manuscript many a time. I still cannot fully understand what he wants to convey. But I can feel what he wants to express.This is an anecdote of how the audience get confused after they witness an absurd play. This is not only the case of Manipur. This happened across the globe. There are so many incidents of how the sophisticated audience of France failed to comprehend Samuel Bec-ketts world famous play, Waiting for Godot. Shri Biren, the writer of Khong-chat, explains: People are taking Khongchat as an absurd play. Shaping it as an absurd play, I call it a dra-matised poetic vision pro- duced in a poetic manner.The drama is considered as an absurd brand which was performed on the Manipuri theatres stage following the wave of absurd drama which was spreading its seeds across the world. The theatre group which was playing this play was Aryan theatre which was one of the earliest theatre groups of Manipur. The actors who performed in the play are : Arambam Loken-dra (the Amaba man), Haobam Kaminikumar (the angry man), Aribam Syam Sharma (the dirty man) and Kamala (the woman). Aribam Syam Sharma not only directed the play but also acted as the dirty man. Shri Birens Khongchat which he subtitled as A Dramatised Poetic Vision was very much different from the conventional realistic play. It followed a very different pattern from that of the realistic play. There is no attempt to narrate a story. There is no definite structure or characterisation. This is a play which is devoid of a definite whole but which is trying to engage a dialogue of metaphysical anguish with the audience. It attempts to communicate through the patterns of poetic image.In the play, Shri Biren displays the absurdity of life in the conversations and in the anxiety of what awaits in the future. He paints a modern man who has travelled the world and has come to the realisation that he actually does not know who his real self is. He uses the means of surrealism to identify himself. Thus, the plays deals with an unconventional theme.Shri Biren was an unconventional thinker and an iconoclastic writer of Mani-pur. He was very much interested in writing absurd forms of plays. He frequently questioned the con- ventional form of writing, the exposition of traditional idea, structure and style. He was the dramatist who continuously experimented with different literary forms and unconventional themes and ideas. He was very much engrossed in the writings of the western iconoclastic writers like James Joyce, Virginica Woolf and Samuel Beckett. This is the reason why Shri Biren broke away from the traditions of then Manipuri theatre and introduced a new unconventional way of theatre presentation.We can analyse the plot, structure, characterisation, narrative style, poetic image, theme and the elements of western experimental theatre which were minutely monitored and employed by Shri Biren. We find the morally degraded modern man, the loss of human value and identity, the confusion of where we belong and the man who is estranged with the society in his plays. His was the time when absurd literature was famous and was very much followed in almost every part of the world. The impact of absurdism can be witnessed in the work of Badal Sircar of West Bengal, the forerunner of absurd drama in India when he wrote his absurd play, Evam Indrajit in 1962. Sircars Evam Indrajit which was originally written in Bengali language was translated into English by Girish Karnad and through this, its existential theme marked its impact across India. Girish Karnad himself employed absurd theme in his play, Tughlaq (1964). From the above discussion, it has become evident that Aryan theatre was the nerve centre of Absurdist Drama. General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE:GD) is one of the 12 Set-It-and-Forget-It Stocks to Buy Now. The companys rating was upgraded to Buy after being awarded a $1.5 billion contract. General Dynamics Secures Major Defense Contract as Analysts Lift Stock Rating The second quarter 2025 report, released on July 23, 2025, highlighted a revenue of 13 billion, an 8.9% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Diluted EPS saw a 14.7% increase from the year-ago quarter and also beat the consensus estimate of $3.59 by 4.2%. The company further announced a backlog of $103.7 billion at the end of the quarter, projecting a positive perception towards its future operations. Later, on September 25, 2025, General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE:GD) was awarded a $1.5 billion enterprise IT modernization contract to strengthen the U.S. Strategic Commands STRATCOM. General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT), a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE:GD), received the contract, after which, the companys rating was upgraded from Neutral to Buy by Seaport Research. With a sizable market cap of $88.86 billion, General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) projects a stable performance, improving its appeal among investors seeking long-term, low-maintenance portfolio growth. Founded in 1952, General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE:GD), based in Virginia, is a global aerospace and defense company known for producing combat vehicles, nuclear submarines, and Gulfstream business jets. The company also offers military IT services. While we acknowledge the potential of GD as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 12 High-Risk High-Reward Growth Stocks to Buy Right Now and 12 Stocks with Consistent Growth to Invest In. Disclosure. None. The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO) is one of the 20 NYSE Stocks with the Lowest P/E Ratios. The GEO Group, Inc. (GEO) Receives Notices of Intent to Award Three Managed-Only Contracts from the Florida Department of Corrections On September 16, 2025, The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO) received notices of intent to award three managed-only contracts from the Florida Department of Corrections covering correctional and rehabilitation facilities in the state. These contracts include management and support services at the 985-bed Bay Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility, the 1,884-bed Graceville Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility, and continued services at the 985-bed Moore Haven Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility. The agreements include an initial term of three years beginning July 1, 2026, with unlimited two-year renewal options. The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO) expects roughly $130 million in annualized revenue through these contracts, including roughly $100 million in new incremental annualized revenue. The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO), a government services company, specializes in secure facilities, processing centers, and community reentry centers. While we acknowledge the potential of GEO as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 15 Stocks That Will Benefit From AI and 14 Best IT Stocks to Buy for the Long Term. Disclosure: None. We recently published 11 Stocks Crushing Wall Street With Whopping Gains. GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) is one of the top performers on Tuesday. Shares of GSK rallied for a third straight day on Tuesday to hit a new all-time high, as investors gobbled up shares in US-based pharmaceutical companies a day ahead of the official imposition of a hefty tariff on imported drugs. During the session, GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) jumped to a new all-time high of $43.32 before giving up marginal gains to finish the day just up by 5.05 percent at $43.17 apiece. While a London-based company, investors posted confidence on GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) following announcements that it would invest $30 billion in the US over the next five years. Under President Donald Trumps new tariff rules, imported drug products will be slapped as much as 100 percent levy, but those that will invest in manufacturing in the US could be exempted. The announcement sparked investor optimism that GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) will be spared from tariffs. In other news, the company announced changes in its leadership following the resignation of Emma Walmsley as its chief executive officer. She will be replaced by incumbent chief commercial officer, Luke Miels, effective January 1, 2026. GSK (GSK) Touches All-Time High on Potential Exemption From Trump Tariff 2026 is a pivotal year for GSK to define its path for the decade ahead, and I believe the right moment for new leadership, Walmsley was quoted as saying in the companys statement. Today, GSK is a biopharma innovator, with far stronger momentum and prospects than nine years ago, she noted. While we acknowledge the potential of GSK as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an extremely cheap AI stock that is also a major beneficiary of Trump tariffs and onshoring, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 30 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and 11 Hidden AI Stocks to Buy Right Now. The Hartford Insurance Group Inc. (NYSE:HIG) is one of the 20 NYSE Stocks with the Lowest P/E Ratios. The Hartford Insurance Group Inc. (HIG) Finalizes a Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement with Several Major Banks On September 24, 2025, The Hartford Insurance Group Inc. (NYSE:HIG) finalized a Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement with several major banks. With this, the company secured a $750 million revolving credit facility with provisions for an additional $500 million. Under this development, The Hartford Insurance Group Inc. (NYSE:HIG) is expected to add flexibility for borrowings in multiple currencies and strengthen its liquidity as it continues to grow. This agreement, which runs through 2030, follows The Hartford Insurance Group Inc. (NYSE:HIG)s September 22 announcement of the nationwide rollout of its CyberChoice First Response cyber insurance product for small businesses in 47 states through the ICON quoting and binding system. The Hartford Insurance Group Inc. (NYSE:HIG) offers insurance and financial services to individual and business customers in the U.S., the U.K., and the rest of the world. While we acknowledge the potential of HIG as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 15 Stocks That Will Benefit From AI and 14 Best IT Stocks to Buy for the Long Term. Disclosure: None. The Armenian Parliament has adopted a statement on establishing peace with Azerbaijan. The document expresses support for the joint declaration of the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia, signed in Washington, and the initialing of the agreement on peace and the establishment of interstate relations. Meanwhile, in Geneva... The Armenian side has always tried to match its cathedrals to some important international events, to nestle at their side and shine in their aura. If there were no events, the Armenians held their hearings and discussions within the walls of some serious institution. First at the UN, then in Congress, then in the European Parliament, then somewhere else. This created a certain background that gave importance and internationality to the Armenian get-togethers, at least in their own eyes. Armenian revanchists and separatists continue to use this method of self-esteem enhancement today. In parallel with the work of the UN General Assembly in New York, the 60th session of the UN Human Rights Council was held in Geneva. And in parallel with this session, a party was organized there, in Geneva, dedicated to the "right" of Armenians to return to the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. It should be noted that the event was not organized by the UN Human Rights Council, as the Armenian media is trying to present it. Although the shabby separatist Artak Beglaryan trumped the name of this structure, the party was actually organized by the International Christian Solidarity (CSI). There is such an organization that has devoted all its activities in recent years to protecting the interests of the Armenian separatists. CSI, together with Beglaryan and other destructive elements, is bombarding the UN with demands to appoint a special rapporteur on Karabakh and ensure the return of Armenians to Karabakh, from where they left completely voluntarily and with music. CSI assisted the separatists in the person of Beglaryan in organizing a gathering next to the UN Human Rights Council, and the fact that it was held in parallel with the Council session added additional urgency to the Armenian whining. CSI tries very hard, describing in its "Christian" messages how the legitimate owners of the liberated territories are restoring them, erasing the traces of the occupation. Christian Solidarity clearly does not know what the UN is asking for. Because no one, no serious organization, will take action against Baku because of the demolished buildings in Khankendi, the demolished memorials and the reconstruction of settlements. Why? Because the whole world, with the exception, apparently, of CSI, knows how to use the Internet and knows what Azerbaijani cities, villages and monuments were turned into during the years of the Armenian occupation. For every snot-soaked photo of a demolished separatist facility, the Azerbaijani side will always be able to post thousands of evidence against the CSI wards. This truth may or may not be accepted, but it is impossible to hide from it. No Christian solidarity, real or feigned, can justify what the Armenians have done. The whining of the CSI and the separatists under the care of the organization will not cope with this array of facts and evidence. That's why the UN does not deal with this issue, and that's why even international institutions loyal to the Armenians are limited to meaningless documents. Attempts to pass off their party as a UN event are very touching. In various resources, a lady with a determined face, Abi McDougal, who is a representative of Christian Solidarity, is presented as the "chief representative of the United Nations." The fact is that CSI, like thousands of other NGOs around the world, has consultative status with the United Nations, but its members cannot represent themselves as representatives of the United Nations. This is manipulation, and the Armenian opposition media are doing just that, deceiving their audience. The participation of Swiss deputies in the event also does not give any status. The only notable person at the party was lawyer Paul Williams. The Professor of International Law is an ardent advocate of the concept of self-determination of peoples. In the destructive sense of the term. He has developed a model of "earned sovereignty," which has been hoped for in Armenia for many years. This model was applied in Kosovo. William said: "I think Serbia has not understood that Kosovo is no longer part of Serbia, that it is an independent country on the right path to Europe." Who remembers, the same words were uttered in Yerevan and Khankendi about "Artsakh", they say, being an "established independent and democratic state", following the European path, and so on. The neighbors could not understand why the West recognized Kosovo, but did not recognize the "earned sovereignty" of occupied Karabakh. In response to their perplexity, the Armenians heard "there are no identical conflicts." Exactly. Just as there is no such thing as "earned sovereignty." Artak Beglaryan and others who cannot accept Azerbaijan's restoration of its sovereignty continue to talk about some kind of legal basis for the return of Armenians to Karabakh, the need for international pressure on Baku, some kind of political will of the world community and other things that cannot change the realities in any way. The Armenian leadership has recognized these realities, and the cries of the opposition, the separatist elite and the revanchists have no weight in international organizations. And the Armenian leadership is already beginning to perceive the situation correctly and see the consequences of attempts to change it. Speaking at the PACE session in Strasbourg the other day, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, speaking about the possibility of the return of Armenians, stated: "I'm saying bluntly that I don't think it's realistic. Moreover, I attach great importance to honesty in this matter so that people can build their own perspectives and plans. In this context, I consider the issue of the return of refugees to be dangerous for the peace process." Armenia and Azerbaijan have already recognized the territorial integrity and inviolability of each other's borders on the basis of the Alma Ata Declaration. And we should focus on this formula and work on its implementation. "Simply put, Armenia and Azerbaijan should leave each other alone for the coming decades and focus on developing economic cooperation and a step-by-step dialogue," Pashinyan said. Azerbaijan is ready to leave its neighbor alone to the extent that he adheres to Pashinyan's formula. Azerbaijan doesn't need anything from its neighbors except for them to learn how to behave like neighbors. Attempts by the Armenian opposition to change the course of the processes will not lead to anything good. Because the Azerbaijani side has a lot to show for it. Key Points NuScale is the only SMR developer with design approval from the NRC. The company has potential partnerships that could lead to its first big sale. 10 stocks we like better than NuScale Power NuScale Power (NYSE: SMR) sells exactly what artificial intelligence (AI) needs: reliable 24/7 power generation from small modular reactors (SMRs). These SMRs can be built near data centers, producing electricity in places where the grid doesn't reach. The matchup seems like it was destined in the stars. But that's not the only reason I've got my eyes on NuScale in 2025. Image source: Getty Images. What I'm watching NuScale has design approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), something no other microreactor developer can claim. In May 2025, NuScale's 77-megawatt electric reactor design became its second design approved by the NRC (the first came in 2023). This gives it first-mover advantage in an industry that's growing crowded with would-be contenders, though it hasn't put any into operation yet. Other advanced nuclear companies, like Oklo (NYSE: OKLO), are likely still a few years from getting their first NRC design approval. If you're betting on which SMR company will actually put steel in the ground first, NuScale's regulatory head start is pretty hard to ignore. Here's something else that's hard to ignore: NuScale's balance sheet. Right now, the company isn't generating meaningful revenue (about $8 million in the second quarter). And while it had about $490 million in cash at the end of June, it's also burned about $55 million in cash so far this year. This cash burn is more acutely felt because NuScale hasn't built an SMR for commercial operation, nor does it have a customer lined up to enter a definitive agreement to buy one. However, it does have RoPower, a Romanian energy company, that wants to deploy a power plant using energy from six of NuScale's SMRs. Likewise, it could have something going with ENTRA1 Energy, which wants to use NuScale's SMRs to provide power across the Tennessee Valley Authority. Both are potential partnerships, though neither has become a solid deal -- yet. NuScale is a high-risk/high-reward stock -- a speculative play on the future of energy, and it's one I'm watching in 2025. Should you buy stock in NuScale Power right now? Before you buy stock in NuScale Power, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now and NuScale Power wasnt one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. From left: Catherine Doyle, director of philanthropic and strategic development of OM; Victoria and Olivia Ionescu, spouse and daughter of Alex Ionescu; Yannick Nezet-Seguin, artistic director and principal conductor of OM; Alex Ionescu, OVI Fund The Ionescu Family Foundation; Loretta Ionescu, mother of Alex Ionescu; Fabienne Voisin, president and CEO of OM; and Erik J. Ryan, president of the board of directors of the OM. Prime views of the fireworks, a reception with Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai, lucky draws and investment seminars were some of the incentives Hong Kong banks were rolling out to attract wealthy mainland customers during the golden week holiday, which kicked off on Wednesday. Hong Kong authorities have estimated that as many as 1.54 million mainland visitors, including 1,200 tour groups, would cross the border during the eight-day "golden week" holiday, which coincides with China's National Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival. "I like to watch the fireworks in Hong Kong and meet with my banker in one go during the golden week holiday," said a priority private client of Standard Chartered Bank surnamed Liu from Nanjing. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. "Hong Kong ... allows me to invest in a wide range of overseas stocks, funds and other structured products," she said. "The sound regulation [in the city] also makes me feel comfortable." Liu was among about 400 Standard Chartered clients to be given a "front row" view of the fireworks from the lender's wealth centres in Tsim Sha Tsui and Causeway Bay. Miss Liu (left), a priority private client of Standard Chartered Bank, and Eliza Law (right), head of the bank's affluent segment, pose for a photo at a wealth centre in Tsim Sha Tsui on October 1, 2025. Photo: Enoch Yiu alt=Miss Liu (left), a priority private client of Standard Chartered Bank, and Eliza Law (right), head of the bank's affluent segment, pose for a photo at a wealth centre in Tsim Sha Tsui on October 1, 2025. Photo: Enoch Yiu> Golden week offered "golden opportunities" to sign up new customers as branch traffic increased by 30 per cent during the period, said Eliza Law, head of Standard Chartered's affluent segment. "Many mainland clients like to watch the fireworks at our wealth centres with their friends who could [turn out to] be our new customers," Law said. HSBC, the city's biggest lender, also arranged for its wealthy clients to watch the National Day fireworks from its newly opened wealth centre on the 99th floor of ICC. Separately, HSBC has also arranged a cocktail reception with internationally renowned Hong Kong actor Tony Leung, as part of a bank card product launch during the holiday. Leung has starred in almost 100 feature films, including local classics such as In the Mood for Love and the Hollywood blockbuster Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Just last year, Jane Goodall was in Mumbai. At 90, she looked remarkably energetic, dressed simply in a green shirt and trousers, smiling as she moved through the exhibit of her work at the Museum of Solutions (MuSo) in Lower Parel. She met groups of schoolchildren and regaled them with stories of her time in the jungles of Gombe, where she first watched chimpanzees use tools and mourn their dead. But her visit wasnt just a trip down memory lane. She spoke with urgency about the dire need for environmental and wildlife conservation in India, the role of young people in leading those efforts, and the responsibility of the media in spreading the message far and wide. Goodall, who boasts a massive following, has been an inspiration to many not only as a scientist who changed how we see the natural world, but also as someone who challenged prevailing norms and carved her own path. The story of how she became a scientist, despite never having set foot in a university classroom, is an absolute inspiration to millions of young kids who are passionate about the wild and wilderness. Today, the UN family mourns the loss of Dr. Jane Goodall. The scientist, conservationist and UN Messenger of Peace worked tirelessly for our planet and all its inhabitants, leaving an extraordinary legacy for humanity and nature. pic.twitter.com/C0VMRdKufF United Nations (@UN) October 1, 2025 A rebel among scholars, Goodall walked into Cambridge at the age of 28, not as a student of biology or zoology but as a waitress who turned into a secretary and later a researcher with notebooks filled with observations from Tanzania. She skipped the undergraduate and even the masters stages, enrolling directly in a PhD in ethology. It was almost unheard of. At the time, she had already spent two years in the forests of Tanzania observing chimpanzees under the mentorship of famed palaeontologist Louis Leakey. Her professors were sceptical. They frowned at her naming chimpanzees instead of numbering them and her insistence on writing about their personalities and emotions. But Goodall stood her ground. I had seen it with my own eyes, she would later recall. You cant tell me it isnt real. Her findings chimps making tools, showing grief, engaging in complex social relationships showed a side to animals that was far from the dogmatic instruction that established clear boundaries between humans and animals. Cambridge had to recognise that a young woman without formal qualifications had brought the field of primatology into being. In an era when formal degrees and peer-reviewed publications dominate, her story is a validation of how sincere passion can get you institutional approval and reckoning. Goodalls life insists that scientific knowledge must remain open to insights from those outside classrooms as well, be it citizen scientists, indigenous communities, or activists. Goodalls patient observation, empathy, and refusal to reduce animals to numbers were dismissed partly because of who she was - a young woman without a pedigree in a male-dominated discipline. Yet, her knowledge and observation were difficult to ignore or dismiss. She observed chimps fashioning sticks into tools to fish for termites, an act previously believed to be uniquely human. Goodalls outsider status was also shaped by class. She was not the product of elite British schools. She had worked as a secretary to fund her African trip. Beyond chimpanzees: Broadening the scientific lens Her visit to Mumbai reminded us that Goodalls work was never only about chimpanzees. It was about broadening the lens of science, about including empathy, ethics, and storytelling in the pursuit of knowledge. When she urged Indian schoolchildren to take charge of conservation, she was also quietly restating the lesson of her own life that no one should be excluded from the work of discovery simply because they dont fit the mould. Jane Goodall showed that knowledge belongs to those who are curious enough to look closely, patient enough to wait, and bold enough to believe what they see even if the world tells them otherwise. Her name will always be linked with the chimpanzees of Gombe, but her real legacy may lie just as much in the way she unsettled science itself, especially when she attributed empathy to animals. Her patient, empathetic style of research was dismissed as too soft, but decades later, her recognition of animal subjectivity is considered foundational. THE WEEK was also present at the scientist's inaugural address at the CSMVS Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sanghralaya in Mumbai and one line from her speech will always ring true: "Don't stop to question; don't stop to love nature. Walk into the woods whenever you can and you'll find the true meaning of existence." Goodall, who remains one of the very few people in modern academia to earn a doctorate without first passing through the rituals of undergraduate life, will keep inspiring generations after generations for her work, her thoughts and her actions. Think of Belagavi, and what comes to mind is the special sweet of Kunda that is made here. It has also been the battleground for the political slugfest between Maharashtra and Karnataka, over which state the city should be part in. But this city is also now becoming a crucial cog for commercial aircraft travel. Drive out of the city of Belagavi in northern Karnataka, and you are greeted by a huge arch stating Aequs Special Economic Zone (SEZ). Nestled amid greenery and spread over 250 acres, it is from here that companies like Airbus are sourcing several of the parts that go in their commercial air planes. Manufacturing aircraft parts requires precision engineering and Aequs Limited has steadily built expertise and scale here over the past 15 years. Aequs already manufacturers close to 7,500 wheels per year and thus far has cumulatively made around 25,000 wheels. That apart, it assembles over-wing exit doors and plug doors for commercial aircraft like the Airbus A321 NEO, it makes structural assemblies for wings and fuselage for Airbus A320. It has also manufactured wing panel assemblies for Airbus A380 programme. That's been possible thanks to a 10,000 tonne hydraulic press that it operates, its the largest in the country. The company reported revenue of around Rs 1,000 crore last year and the company is continuously investing and expanding capacities to keep pace with the changing technology and growing demand in the aerospace space. On an average at least 10 per cent of our revenue goes towards investment, Aravind Melligeri, the executive chairman and CEO of Aequs tells THE WEEK. The company, backed by investors like Amicus Capital Partners, Amansa Investments and Steadview Capital among others, is set to go public in India through an initial public offer that will see it raise Rs 720 crore via a fresh issue and an offer for sale of up to 31,772,368 equity shares. An updated draft red herring prospectus related to the IPO was filed by the company this week. The funds raised from the IPO will be used for repayment of borrowings, funding capital expenditure requirements and acquisition opportunities. Given the constant investment and the growth that the company sees ahead, there will be continuous requirement of land. Realising this very early, the company formed Aequs Infrastructure, which would set up industrial parks and special economic zones to ensure land was at least not an issue. You need to solve the problem holistically and not on a piecemeal basis. I can buy 10 acres, build one building. Tomorrow, I may not be able to build get another 10 acres next door and may have to look at another place. Aequs Infra helps us build clusters where we can bring cohesiveness and bring efficiencies of similar industry and build a supply chain, pointed Melligeri. Aequs is in unique position since it not just manufactures the parts it also does the surface treatment in the same SEZ facility. That saves a lot of time and money as earlier parts would travelled across many countries before they were finished. Earlier the in-country value add was only 20 per cent. We just used to do the machining and send the parts back, customers used to do all the treatment. Now, we can do that here and both Airbus and Boeing approved this facility the day we put it up, pointed Melligeri. The company operates a joint venture with Magellan Aerospace for surface treatments. Last year, the two companies partnered to explore setting up an engine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility. Much of the revenue of Aequs comes from aerospace. However, the company has also moved into manufacturing toys as well as cookware in recent years. Earlier this year, the company inked a joint venture with Brazils Tramontina to produce cookware and other consumer products. The facility in Hubbali is the first for Tramontina outside of Brazil. Toys, Melligeri points out, also have a stringent compliance requirement in many, especially developed markets, considering they are meant for children. Similarly, its expertise in surface treatment has attracted interest from companies like Tramontina to manufacture cookware. However, aerospace will continue to be its largest business. Given that demand for airplanes is growing rapidly - even in India Air India and Indigo have placed record aircraft orders - Aequs sees an endless runway ahead. Airbus was producing 45 aircraft per month of the A320 family. They want to go to 75 per month. India is one of the largest consumers. Today global procurement from India is only around 2 per cent. When our aviation market doubles, our procurement should grow five times. Thats the right way to look at it, Melligeri. Aequs also does some work for Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and is in discussion with startups in the space industry to see if they want to leverage its capacity. We are talking to Indian companies in space tech, trying to help them out. Because we have the capacity to do it. They dont have the capacity also, pointed Melligeri. Aequs currently has 1.4 million man hours of capacity. Current capacity utilisation is at around 70 per cent and it will typically keep adding capacity once it touches around 80 per cent. Aequs has been manufacturing in Belagavi since 2009 and also has manufacturing facilities in France and the United States. It is one of several players in India that have seen aerospace demand increasing. In August this year, Mahindra was awarded a contract by Airbus Helicopters to manufacture and assemble the main fuselage of its H125 light single-engine helicopter. Earlier this week, Airbus and Tata announced that Tata Advanced Systems will set up the first private-sector helicopter final assembly line in Karnataka to make Airbus H125 helicopters. Tata Advanced Systems also provides parts for commercial aircraft, including vertical fins and fan cowls for Boeing 737s, and fuel tank access doors for Boeing 777s among other things. Last year, Airbus awarded a contract to parts maker Dynamatic Technologies from Bengaluru to manufacture doors for its A220 family aircraft. On a day that Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh listed the losses suffered by Pakistan during the recent military stand-off with India, Indian Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi has come out with a stern warning to Pakistan, saying India will not show the restraint it showed during Operation Sindoor the next time. Speaking at Anupgarh in Rajasthan, the Indian Army chief said, "This time we will not maintain the restraint that we did in Operation Sindoor 1.0... this time we will do something that Pakistan will have to think whether it wants to be in geography or not." VIDEO | Anupgarh, Rajasthan: Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi says, "This time we will not maintain the restraint that we did in Operation Sindoor 1.0... this time we will do something that Pakistan will have to think whether it wants to be in Geography or not. If pic.twitter.com/YXoHUL7xKv Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 3, 2025 Further, he asked Pakistan to end state-sponsored terrorism. His "geography" warning to Pakistan comes a day after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh issued a similar warning to the neighbouring nation, saying any misadventure by Islamabad in the Sir Creek sector will invite a "decisive response" that could be strong enough to change both "history and geography". The remarks by both the defence minister and the Indian Army chief come amid reports that Pakistan is expanding military infrastructure in the disputed Sir Creek, a 96-km-long tidal estuary between Gujarat's Rann of Kutch and Pakistan. "If Pakistan dares to act in the Sir Creek sector, the reply will be so strong that it will change both history and geography," the defence minister said. "In 1965, the Indian Army showed courage by reaching Lahore and in 2025, Pakistan must remember that the road to Karachi also passes through the creek," the defence minister noted. "Any misadventure by Pakistan in the Sir Creek sector will invite a decisive response," Singh had said, adding, "The recent expansion of its (Pakistan's) military infrastructure in the areas adjacent to Sir Creek reveals its intentions." In an era defined by blurred geographical and digital lines, national security threats no longer originate from a single source or follow a predictable pattern. From state-run cyber espionage operations to youth radicalisation through encrypted messaging services, the contemporary threat environment is inherently hybrid. It exists across the military, economic, physical, and cyber spheres at the same time. For decades, India, like most countries, relied on a siloed security framework in which intelligence is organised vertically within individual agencies like police, military, central intelligence agencies, and cyber-specific units. This approach was good for certain containing threats, but catastrophically slow for addressing complex, interrelated challenges like the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, in which vital intelligence tended to sit across multiple databases but was never "fused" effectively. Today, India is in the midst of a radical shift in its security paradigm, away from this siloed model towards the integrated threat-intelligence hubs, the fusion centres of the future. This is not just about improved technology; it is about a fresh, comprehensive philosophy of information-sharing, real-time cooperation, and anticipatory defence. The pillars of India's fusion strategy The foundation of this new architecture rests on three critical pillars: national governance, domain specialisation, and technological integration. 1. The National Integration Backbone: NATGRID At the core of the government's vision lies the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID). NATGRID will serve as a safe, non-intrusive information platform that connects more than 20 fragmented databases from different security, financial, and regulatory departments. Its core function is to enable intelligence and law enforcement bodies to rapidly access and correlate data points, such as travel history, bank transactions, tax records, and immigration status, creating a comprehensive, 360-degree picture of a potential threat actor or network. NATGRID is the solution to the institutional failure of information sharing. It aims to transform dispersed data into actionable intelligence in real-time, enabling security agencies to join the dots and neutralise threats before they can materialise, rather than the dots after an event. That is the distinction between reactionary investigation and pre-emptive prevention. 2. Domain Specialisation: Maritime and Cyber While NATGRID focuses on the national security framework, India is also building specialized, outward-facing fusion centres for key strategic domains: Information Fusion Centre Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) in Gurugram is a world leader in domain-specific fusion. It is hosted by the Indian Navy and combines shipping and maritime traffic data from over 20 partner countries and multinational entities seamlessly. This centre provides collaborative maritime security by monitoring everything from illegal fishing and smuggling to global sea lanes threats. By accommodating International Liaison Officers (ILOs) from nations such as the US, France, and Japan, IFC-IOR goes beyond national intelligence to offer a common, real-time image of the lifeblood of the Indian Ocean. Cyber Fusion Centres (CFCs): For the corporate and critical infrastructure sectors, the idea is being implemented for cybersecurity. The next generation of CFCs differs from a conventional security operations centre (SOC) as it combines threat intelligence (TI) feeds from the Dark Web, deep web, commercial feeds, and internal network telemetry. These centres leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to scan petabytes of information, detect anomalous behaviour patterns, and incidentally automate response. This is vital for safeguarding India's Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) in finance, energy, and telecom from advanced, state-level Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs). 3. The Future: Technology and Predictive Intelligence The true power of these fusion centres lies in their technological evolution. The future hubs will be powered by: AI-Powered Analytics: Beyond mere data correlation, AI will provide predictive threat identification. Using modelled attacker tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) and comparing them to current data, systems can forecast the likelihood and location of future attacks, providing security forces with a valuable time margin. Cognitive Fusion: This not only involves text and numeric data integration but also the integration of imagery, sensor information, communication intercepts, and even human intelligence (HUMINT) reports into one analytical environment. The aim is to transcend mere information aggregation to real cognitive synthesis, where machines assist analysts in profound reasoning. Zero-Trust Model: The fusion centres need a Zero-Trust security model. All users and systems must be constantly authenticated and authorized, ensuring that the valuable fused intelligence itself remains safeguarded from insider threats and external breaches. Challenges and the Way Forward This change is not without difficulties. Trust gaps between the agencies, fears about data privacy, and demands for harmonised data protocols among various government departments need persistent political will. Furthermore, scaling up quickly a large pool of analysts in AI, ML, and cognitive security software is a continuous imperative. India's establishment of integrated threat-intelligence nodes reflects a national commitment to a secure and resilient future. By dissolving silos of data and adopting AI-fused union, such centres are transforming India's security profile from a reactive defence to a proactive, fused intelligence, making the country stronger, safer, and more resilient in an increasingly evolving world. Tarun Wig is the Co-founder & CEO of Innefu Labs. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of THE WEEK. India downed five Pakistani fighter jets of the F-16 and JF-17 class during Operation Sindoor, Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Amar Preet Singh said on Friday. This is the first time that New Delhi publicly mentioned the class of jets that Pakistan lost during the conflict. #WATCH | Delhi: On Pakistan's claim of downing IAF planes in Op Sindoor, Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh says, "...their (Pakistan) narrative is 'Manohar Kahaniyan'. Let them be happy, after all, they also have to show something to their audience to save their pic.twitter.com/qNc49KL5xR ANI (@ANI) October 3, 2025 Pakistan's losses included Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS), radars, command and control centres, runways and hangars, he said. "As far as the air defence part is concerned, we have evidence of one long-range strike... along with that, five fighters, high-tech fighters between F-16 and JF-17 class, our system tells us," Singh told reporters at the Indian Air Force annual day press conference. "As far as Pakistan's losses are concerned... we struck a large number of their airfields and a large number of installations. Because of these strikes, radars at four places, Command & Control centres at two places, and runways at two places were damaged. Then, three of their hangars, in three different air bases, were damaged..." he added. ALSO READ | How Pakistan reacted to reports of India shooting down its F-16, JF-17 fighter jets #BREAKING IAF Chief AP Singh makes big statememt on Operation Sindoor: "India neutralised 910 Pakistani fighter jets" "5 high-tech fighters shot down in air" "Destroyed 4-5 F16s on ground during maintenance" "Radars & command & control centers destroyed" "Longest SAM pic.twitter.com/BVdULZEmTK Nabila Jamal (@nabilajamal_) October 3, 2025 The F-16 is a U.S.-made fighter jet, while the JF-17 is of Chinese origin. Pakistan's military did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Pakistan has said it shot down six Indian fighter jets during the conflict, including the French-made Rafale. India has acknowledged some losses but denied losing six aircraft. In response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terror infrastructure in territories controlled by Pakistan. The strikes triggered four days of intense clashes that ended with an understanding on stopping the military actions on May 11. ALSO READ | What is JF-17, the Pakistani-Chinese fighter jet used by Islamabad to attack India? The IAF chief declined to respond to questions on Pakistan's claim of downing Indian jets. Both sides used fighter jets, missiles, artillery and drones during the four-day conflict, claiming dozens of people, before agreeing to a ceasefire. Islamabad denied involvement in the Kashmir attack, which killed 26 men and was the worst assault on civilians in India since the Mumbai attacks in 2008. The IAF chief said that Pakistan have failed to produce any evidence o back their claim of having brought down Indian jets. "Have you seen a single picture where something fell on any of our airbases, something hit us, a hangar was destroyed, or anything like that?" Air Chief Marshal AP Singh saud that it is necessary for Islamabad to make such baseless claims to save its face. "We showed so many pictures of their places. However, they couldn't show us even a single picture. So their narrative is 'Manohar Kahaniyan'. Let them be happy, after all, they also have to show something to their audience to save their reputation. That doesn't matter to me."" Operation Sindoor carried a distinct mandate from the start and stopped once India achieved those objectives, he said. ALSO READ | Chinese weapons, fighter jets will continue to dominate Pakistan's arsenal: Expert "A clear directive, a clear mandate was given to the Indian Armed Forces. It stands as a lesson which will go down in history that this is one war that was started with an obvious objective, and it was terminated in a quick time without just prolonging it," he said India said in July that three "terrorists" involved in the attack had been killed, and there was "lot of proof" that they were Pakistanis. Pakistan's foreign ministry had questioned the credibility of India's account of the events, saying it was "replete with fabrications." Ties between the countries, which have fought two of their three wars over the Himalayan region of Kashmir, have been downgraded since the attack, with the impact being felt in areas ranging from trade and travel to sports. India has also kept in abeyance a key water-sharing treaty - a move Pakistan termed an "act of war". Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. When family and money mix, conflicts can quickly escalate. That's exactly what one Reddit user faced after inheriting their grandfather's home in Wisconsin only to have their uncle, a co-heir, offer them just 30% of the property's current market value for their share. The situation has sparked debate about fair compensation, legal rights, and how to navigate inheritance disputes without being taken advantage of. The Family Dispute According to the Reddit post, the home is worth around $200,000 and was left equally to the original poster and their uncle. The uncle, however, wants to buy OP's 50% share for roughly $30,000. Don't Miss: His reasoning? He already invested about $20,000 in upgrades and claims additional compensation for renovations he plans to make including a $100,000 full remodel. To complicate matters further, the will reportedly prevents the heirs from selling or renting the property for several years. The uncle also serves as executor of the estate, giving him additional control over decisions that directly affect his co-heir. What Commenters Had to Say The post drew strong reactions from others who warned that the uncle's offer was far from fair. "This is definitely lawyer territory," one commenter wrote, suggesting that the uncle may be trying to "cheat" OP out of the home's value. Another added, "He's making unilateral decisions that ultimately benefit him ... then trying to get you to pay for them." Several recommended that OP formally notify the uncle that, as co-owner, they did not consent to the renovations and would not accept responsibility for the costs. Trending: Backed by $300M+ in Assets and Microsoft's Climate Fund, Farmland LP Opens Vital Farmland III to Accredited Investors Other users pointed out potential red flags beyond the lowball offer. Since the uncle became executor after the will was rewritten to exclude other family members, some wondered if there were signs of undue influence or even elder abuse. If so, that could raise the possibility of contesting the will. What the Law Says About Contested Wills Disputes like this often land in probate court. According to NerdWallet, a will can be contested if there's evidence the person lacked mental capacity, was pressured or misled into changing their will, or if the will was improperly executed. As major political parties brace for the Bihar Assembly elections, speculations are that the elections will likely be held only after the Chhath Puja, which falls on October 25. The term of the current 17th Bihar Legislative Assembly will expire on November 22, 2025. The dates will be announced likely on October 6 or 7, according to local media reports. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar will be visiting Bihar on October 4th and 5th, along with fellow commissioners, Dr S S Sandhu and Vineet Joshi. This team will thoroughly review election preparations. The delegation will return to Delhi by October 5th. It is expected that the Bihar election dates will be announced soon, on October 6th or 7th. However, the ECs crucial meeting with the state's political parties on October 4 at Patna has already courted controversy for leaving out three major parties. A letter issued by Additional Chief Electoral Officer Amit Kumar Pandey has invited the representatives of the political parties of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Bharatiya Janata Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist) - CPI (M), Indian National Congress, National People's Party, Janata Dal (United), Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Rashtriya Janata Dal, Rashtriya Lok Samata Party and Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation to attend the event. However, missing from the list are Mukesh Sahani's 'VIP' (Vikassheel Insaan Party), Upendra Kushwaha's 'RLM' (Rashtriya Lok Morcha), and Jitan Ram Manjhi's 'HAM' (Hindustani Awam Morcha). The Election Commission's high-level team will also review all aspects of the state's law and order situation and election-related preparations during its visit to Bihar. The Commission's team will hold separate meetings with the state's Chief Secretary, Director General of Police, state heads of all central agencies, District Election Officers and District Magistrates, and Senior Superintendents of Police. If the announcement of dates comes by October 5 or 6, it could still be the most delayed announcement in the last two decades. In 2020, the election dates were announced on September 25th, and in 2015, the notification was issued on September 16th. In 2010, it was issued on September 27th. According to Article 172 of the Constitution, the term of any Legislative Assembly is a maximum of five years from its first meeting, after which it automatically dissolves. Therefore, the Election Commission has approximately 50 days left to conduct the elections. Do alliances/treaties between countries matter? Have they been invoked when required? Do they hold good in times of need? These are the questions that have been raised in the context of the Saudi-Pakistan Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement that was signed between the two countries on 17 September 2025. Under this agreement, both countries have committed to treating any act of aggression against one as an act against both. It is being likened to NATO, where an attack on one country is considered an attack on all. How the Saudi-Pakistan agreement plays out in the future, only time will tell. History, however, tells us that there are diplomatic treaties between countries that have endured and have been invoked by the signatories in times of need. One such treaty that has withstood the test of time is the Treaty of Windsor, signed between Portugal and the United Kingdom in 1386. It is considered the oldest diplomatic alliance in the world. The treaty helped the Anglo-Portuguese relationship to survive wars, political upheavals, and even conflicting colonial agendas. From their joint efforts during the Age of Exploration to their struggle against Napoleonic forces, the alliance demonstrated its resilience and mutual benefit for both countries. The treaty then played an instrumental role in the Second World War and helped the allied forces to gain a foothold in the Portuguese Azores islands in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The opening led the Allied forces to control and then dominate the Atlantic Ocean, taking back from Germany the advantage it had established with its U-boats. The Portuguese archipelago of the Azores, a group of nine volcanic islands, is situated in the North Atlantic about 1,500 km west of mainland Portugal and 3800 Km east of the eastern seaboard of the USA. For Germany in the Second World War, the Azores islands represented a potential base for U-boat operations, plus the possibility of air bases needed for Projekt Amerika, a planned Nazi Luftwaffe(Air Force) bombing campaign of Americas East Coast cities. With a base for provisioning in the middle of the Atlantic, U-boats would not waste so many days and fuel sailing out of and returning to their bases on mainland Europe. For the Allies, these islands were crucial to closing the "Mid-Atlantic Gap", an area where the German U-boats had established an area of dominance. It was a matter, of life and death. Since the beginning of the war in 1939 till the middle of 1943, the Allies had lost 2500 merchant ships, more than 15 million tonnes of shipping, over 200 escort warships, and about 30,000 lives in the Atlantic. In his memoirs, Winston Churchill wrote, "The only thing that ever really frightened me during the war was the U-boat peril," and The U-boat attack was our worst evil. It would have been wise for the Germans to stake all upon it. A foothold on the Azores islands was therefore vital to counter the German threat. It was on October 12, 1943, that Churchill revealed to the House of Commons that he had invoked the 1386 Treaty of Windsor with Portugal to grant facilities in the Azores to the UK to better protect merchant shipping in the Atlantic. He described the alliance as having lasted 600 years and that it is without parallel in world history. Between them, the Allies had agreed that the British would enter the Azores first, to be followed in two weeks by American forces. The British might come in under the treaty, and the Americans would follow according to the provision in the treaty that Britain and Portugal would be friends to friends. The Anglo-Portuguese agreement was effective from 8 October 1943, when the Royal Air Force (RAF) took over Lages airfield on the island of Terceira and began setting up 247 Group headquarters at the nearby Faial island. The Allied presence on the islands provided vital air cover and logistical support, enabling the Allies to target German U-boats, protect merchant convoys, and establish cross-Atlantic air routes. The bases drastically improved Allied capability to patrol the Atlantic. Losses of German U-boats increased significantly after long-range aircraft from the Azores began operating. The direness of the situation was well expressed by the 1945 Nobel Peace Prize winner and U.S. Secretary of State (1933-1944) Cordell Hull, who is also known as the "Father of the United Nations. He said, Our whole democratic civilization twice hung by a thread during the recent waronce during the summer of 1940 after Dunkirk and the fall of France, when Britain even with her Navy might have failed to repulse a full-scale German attack across the Channel, and again during 1942, when German submarines were sinking three Allied merchant vessels for every one constructed. Churchills invocation of the 1386 treaty stands as a powerful example of how historical alliances can be used diplomatically in modern geopolitics. The Anglo-Portuguese treaty was again used by the United Kingdom in the Falklands War (1982). Portugal remained officially neutral in the conflict but allowed the UK Air Force to use the Azores for refueling, again citing the discretion offered by this alliance. However, the Treaty of Windsor is not unique, and there exist other examples of bilateral treaties being invoked by countries. To cite a few, the 1839 Treaty of London guaranteed Belgiums neutrality by European powers. Germany violated it in 1914 by invading Belgium, and Britain entered World War 1, citing its obligation under the treaty. The 1960 Treaty of Guarantee was signed by the UK, Greece, and Turkey to guarantee Cypruss independence and constitutional order. Turkey invoked it in 1974 and invaded Cyprus after there was a coup backed by the Greek military junta that it said threatened constitutional order. It resulted in Turkish occupation of about 37% of Cyprus, which continues till today. India also got confidence from the 1971 Indo-Soviet Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation during the India-Pakistan war of 1971. The USSR gave India diplomatic and strategic backing and deterred external intervention by sending naval assets to the Indian Ocean when the US seventh fleet moved towards India. The result of the war changed the map of the Indian subcontinent as India dismembered Pakistan and leading to the creation of an independent Bangladesh. The author is Indian ambassador to Portugal. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of THE WEEK. Tamil Nadu Opposition leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami has seemed to have won over the cadres of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), though not the party leader Vijay. By constantly targeting the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) for the tragic deaths in Karur, Palaniswami has seemed to have swayed Vijay's followers to his side. During a campaign rally of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader in Dharmapuri on Thursday, amongst the crowd stood few TVK cadres, who listened to Palaniswami's attack against Chief Minister M.K. Stalin over the Karur tragedy, waving TVK flags. Palaniswami squarely blamed Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and state government for the tragic death of 41 persons during actor-politician Vijay's rally in Karur on September 27. Palaniswami charged the tragedy could have been averted had the state government provided adequate security for the event. Targeting Stalin, Palaniswami said the DMK government was biased against Opposition parties and adequate government isn't being provided for their events. Palaniswami charged that during his recent tour, he has campaigned at over 160 places, but adequate police security was provided only at five or six places. He added it was the government's responsibility to ensure public security. As many as 41 people died during TVK's rally in Karur. Over 50 people suffered injuries in the incident. The Madras High Court on Friday ordered a probe by Special Investigation Team (SIT) over the tragic incident. The Madras High Court has dismissed multiple pleas seeking a probe into the Karur stampede that occurred during Vijay's rally on September 27, on Friday including one filed by BJP leader Uma Anandan and another filed by Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). Both Public Interest Litigations (PILs) sought to transfer the probe to the CBI. The vacation bench comprising justices M Dhandapani and M Jothiraman said that the PILs were not maintainable as the investigation is still in its early stage and said that the petitioners were not victims of the incident. STORY | TN stampede: High Court rejects BJP leader's plea for CBI probe; asks her to approach Madurai bench The Madras High Court on Friday rejected BJP leader Uma Anandan's plea for a CBI probe into the September 27 Karur stampede at actor-politician Vijay's public rally in pic.twitter.com/Msh533fJAi Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 3, 2025 The court said, "If aggrieved persons come to this court, we will rescue. Who are you? Dont treat this court as the political arena. If, in the investigation, something goes wrong, you can come back. This is the initial stage. The justices also issued an interim injunction against granting permission to political parties to hold public meetings in the state until Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) are formed. The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court issued an interim injunction prohibiting political parties from holding public meetings or events on state and national highways in Tamil Nadu until Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are formulated. The order was passed while hearing ANI (@ANI) October 3, 2025 The court ordered that the government and political parties should ensure that arrangements are made for drinking water and sanitation facilities whenever political rallies and meetings are held. Meanwhile, Justice N Senthilkumar dismissed an anticipatory bail plea filed by TVK district secretary N Sathish Kumar. The Court then questioned the partys failure to control the crowd and pointed out the unruly behaviour of the supporters. On September 27, 41 people, including women and children, died after a stampede occurred at a political rally organised by the TVK party in Veluswamypuram, Karur, for party chief Vijay. The rally was organised for around 10,000 people, but around 25,000 showed up, exceeding the areas limits. In the deadly crowd crush, many fainted due to the poor crowd control measures in the venue and the temperatures. An FIR was filed by Karur police against several TVK functionaries, excluding Vijay, under charges including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, for failing to ensure the safety of the crowd. Security was tightened in several areas of Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, on Friday ahead of the evening prayers, a week after the city saw massive protests that turned violent. Bareilly has been divided into different zones, and security forces have been deployed everywhere. There are four super zones and eight other zones for tighter patrolling, according to Senior Superintendent of police Anurag Arya. #WATCH || Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh): The situation remains peaceful and under control ahead of #Friday prayers. Security has been strengthened in sensitive areas, and the administration has imposed a 48-hour #internetban. Police and the Ala Hazrat family have appealed to the pic.twitter.com/iP3iEH5Ivn All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) October 3, 2025 A large deployment of police and paramilitary forces has been made. A total of eight drone cameras, three government-owned and five private, are being used to monitor the area. The drones will fly over sensitive areas and provide situational reports to authorities. Residents have also been warned to remove stones from the rooftops of their homes. If stones are found on any rooftop, strict legal action will be taken. Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi, the president of the All India Muslim Jammat, appealed to Bareilly Muslims, saying, "Pray for prayers and go straight home. Do not respond to any invitation from any organisation or individual." He said that what happened last Friday was regrettable. He appealed to the community not to take part in any crowd and to maintain peace, law and order and not take law into their own hands On September 26, a large group of people gathered outside the Ala Hazrat Dargah and the residence of Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan, the chief of the Ittehad-e-Millat Council. They had gathered as part of the I Love Muhammad protests. They pelted stones at the police and vandalised vehicles, prompting police to resort to a lathi charge. About 82 people were arrested. The authorities have been deployed in order to prevent a similar scene this week. With inputs from Puja Awasti Even as Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi and Indian Air Force Chief A.P. Singh have come out with statements regarding Operation Sindoor and issued warnings to Pakistan, the Congress questioned the different statements given by the defence top brass. Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai claimed that Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan said something, and the Army chief said something else. Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh: On Air Chief Marshal AP Singh's statement regarding Operation Sindoor success, Congress state President Ajay Rai says, "... The CDS says something, the Army Chief says something else, and different people give different statements in completely different pic.twitter.com/QVxQudRB8i IANS (@ians_india) October 3, 2025 "...different people give different statements in completely different ways, this clearly indicates that there is something fishy," the Congress leader claimed. "The truth and the reality should be brought before the country openly, and the whole matter should be clarified," he said. "On the battlefield of war, where soldiers throw their lives and stand to defend the nation, one cannot compare them to anyone. The soldier of the country is paramount to us..." he added. Earlier in the day, the Indian Army chief had said the restraint shown by India's armed forces during Operation Sindoor will not be repeated in case of a future military conflict and urged Indian soldiers to remain poised for action. "India, as a country, is fully prepared this time. And this time, it will not show the restraint that it showed during Operation Sindoor 1.0. This time, we will take a step forward and act in a manner that will make Pakistan think whether it wants to remain on the world map or not," General Dwivedi said. Meanwhile, the IAF chief had said at least a dozen Pakistani military aircraft, including F-16 jets, were destroyed or damaged in Indian strikes during Operation Sindoor. He added that Indian security forces damaged several military infrastructure in Pakistan that included hangars in three locations, radars in at least four places, command and control centres in two sites, and runways in two places. The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday slammed Pakistan over its failed attempts to blame India for the recent unrest in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. As many as nine people died in the protest, including three policemen. The ministry called out Pakistan and said the neighbouring nation must be held responsible for its human rights violations. Addressing a media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "We have seen reports on protests in several areas of Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, including brutalities by Pakistani forces on innocent civilians." Calling the protest a natural consequence of Pakistan's "oppressive approach" and systemic plunder, the MEA spokesperson stressed the neighbouring nation must be held accountable for violating human rights in the affected regions. "We believe that it is a natural consequence of Pakistans oppressive approach and systemic plundering of resources from these territories, which remain under its forcible and illegal occupation. Pakistan must be held accountable for its horrific human rights violations," Jaiswal added. Several areas in PoK witnessed widespread protests recently, with people demanding basic rights, justice and an end to what they described as systemic oppression. The protest announced by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC) turned violent, and nine people, including three policemen, were killed in the attack. Over 150 police personnel and close to 50 civilians suffered injuries in the attack. Pakistan-appointed Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq of PoK attempted to divert attention from peoples needs by naming India. We do not want violence in Azad Kashmir, nor do we want our enemy to benefit from it, he said without naming India. In recent years, court verdicts, government actions, and political manoeuvring have sparked multiple controversies around the Sabarimala pilgrimage centre. Now, a fresh dispute has emerged over the temples governance, with Bengaluru-based Malayali sponsor Unnikrishnan Potty, a former junior priest at Sabarimala, at the centre of the storm. In early September, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple, abruptly decided to remove the gold-plated copper sheets from the 18th-century Dwarapalaka (gatekeeper) idols flanking the sanctum sanctorum. The plates were handed over to sponsor Potty for transport to Smart Creations, a jewellery firm in Chennai, for re-platingwithout prior approval or intimation to the Sabarimala Special Commissioner or the Kerala High Court. This violated established protocols for handling temple valuables. The Special Commissioner submitted a report to the High Court highlighting the unauthorised removal and transport of the plates. Acting on this, a Division Bench of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V. and K.V. Jayakumar took suo motu cognizance under a standing petition monitoring Sabarimala affairs. The Bench expressed strong concern over the TDBs negligence, ordered an immediate halt to the repairs, and directed that the plates be returned to Sabarimala. The court also impleaded Potty and the Chennai-based firm as respondents and demanded all related documents from the TDB. Notably, the controversy first ignited as the state government and the TDB were preparing for the Global Ayyappa Sangamam, a government-sponsored event that was presented as a conclave on development and governance of the Sabarimala pilgrimage centre. The Dwarapalaka idols and pedestals were reportedly gold-plated in 1999 using portions of 30.3kg of gold and 1,900kg of copper donated by industrialist Vijay Mallya. According to the TDB Sub-Group Manual, repair work on these idols was to be carried out at Sabarimala itself. However, in 2019, the plates were once again handed over to Potty for re-plating. At that time, Potty had spearheaded donation drives for the gold-plating project from his base in Bengaluru, organising fundraising programmes across multiple states. However, the 2019 mahazars (inventories) listed the items merely as copper plates, omitting mention of the gold cladding. During the recent court proceedings, these documents resurfaced, revealing that the plates weighed 42.8kg in 2019 (including gold cladding) but, upon return, showed a shortfall of 4.54kgraising suspicions of misappropriation. The controversy deepened when a missing gold-plated pedestal from one of the Dwarapalaka idols was recovered by the TDBs Vigilance wing from the residence of Pottys relative. The pedestal, part of the temples historical artefacts, had been reported missing by Potty himself in late September 2025, sparking outrage and allegations of theft from TDB custody. Potty hails from Pulimath near Kilimanoor. Before working at Sabarimala, he assisted his father at the Pulimath Devi Temple and later served as a junior priest at several temples, including the Sriramapura Ayyappa Temple in Bengaluru. Once at Sabarimala, he built considerable influence among devotees, particularly in Bengaluru, by arranging darshan and other facilities for wealthy patrons. Offerings and contributions from devotees in other states also allegedly began to flow through him. Pottys financial and land dealings have now come under the scanner. Reports suggest he purchased and acquired large tracts of land, sometimes through moneylending at usurious rates. Allegations have also surfaced of his close connections with political leaders. He had allegedly used photographs with senior politicians to build his profile. As the controversy deepened, advocate K.B. Pradeep, representing Smart Creations, stated that the Dwarapalaka plate sent to the Chennai-based company in 2019 was not gold-plated, but entirely made of copper. He added that the plate had been brought to Smart Creations by people associated with Potty. Potty later reportedly claimed that the material he had received from Sabarimala for gold-plating was copper, raising more suspicions about the handling of the plate by TDB officials as well. The TDB Vigilance wing is scheduled to interrogate Potty on October 4, at its office in Thiruvananthapuram. Potty has maintained his innocence and pledged to cooperate fully. Meanwhile, the controversy has taken on a political dimension, with the opposition demanding a CBI probe into alleged lapses under successive LDF governments. The ruling front has hit back, with Devaswom Minister V.N. Vasavan publicly accusing Potty of orchestrating a conspiracy to exploit devotees and malign the TDB. The government also alleges that the opposition is using the controversy to overshadow the trust and recognition the administration earned from Ayyappa devotees after conducting the Global Ayyappa Sangamam. The attacker behind the deadly assault at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester yesterday has been identified by police as Jihad AlShamie, a 35-year-old British national of Syrian heritage. AlShamie came to the UK when he was six and was granted British citizenship in 2006 when he was still a minor. Early searches of official databases revealed that he had not been the subject of any active investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing or the Security Service, MI5. Police records showed that AlShamie had never been referred to the governments Prevent Antiradicalisation Programme. The attack happened last morning outside the synagogue in Crumpsall in north Manchester, at a time when a large congregation was worshipping within. The moment was particularly grim as it fell on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, a solemn day of fasting and prayer. This was a vile terrorist attack that attacked Jews, because they are Jews. Antisemitism is a hatred that is rising, once again. Britain must defeat it, once again. To every Jewish person in this country: I promise that I will do everything in my power to guarantee you the pic.twitter.com/DAd9OaGNMc Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) October 2, 2025 Witness statements indicated that AlShamie had conducted reconnaissance of the area some ten minutes before the assault and had clashed with security guards when denied entry. He later returned in a car, rammed it into a guard at the gate, then exited the vehicle and began stabbing people outside the building. One witness claimed to have seen him attack anyone wearing a kippah. The rampage left two Jewish men dead and three others admitted to the hospital with serious injuries. Law enforcement intervened swiftly, fatally shooting the attacker within seven minutes of the first emergency call. Video evidence captured officers alerting the public that the man was equipped with a bomb. A suspicious device worn by AlShamie was later examined and confirmed to be nonviable. Officials noted that the presence of a fake suicide vest was an early signal that the attack was ideologically motivated. The scale of the tragedy could have been enormous had it not been for the courage of the synagogue staff and worshippers. Rabbi Daniel Walker, the congregations spiritual leader, was praised for promptly locking and barricading the doors to block AlShamie from entering the packed house of worship. The police subsequently designated the event a terrorist incident and detained three additional suspectstwo men in their 30s and a woman in her 60son suspicion of involvement in the commission, planning, or instigation of terrorism. The investigation is now centred on understanding the motives behind the attack and scrutinising AlShamies digital footprint to establish whether he acted alone. The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre is reviewing whether to increase the National Terrorism Threat Level (currently set at Substantial, meaning an attack is likely). Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the incident as an attack on Jews simply because they were Jews. He pledged to combat rising antisemitic hatred and promised the UK Jewish community the security they deserve by dispatching a more visible police presence and additional resources to synagogues across the country. The Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, described the assault as the tragic outcome of an unforgiving wave of Jew hatred and said that while the communitys hearts were broken, they had braced themselves for a day they hoped would never come but feared might. Our hearts are shattered. Emerging from the holy fast of Yom Kippur, British Jews are now grasping the full extent of todays terror attack at the Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester. This is the day we hoped we would never see, but which deep down, we knew would come. For Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis (@chiefrabbi) October 2, 2025 Israeli leaders also voiced their condemnation. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar denounced the atrocity, with Saar accusing the UK government of failing to curb a toxic surge in antisemitism. Israeli forces yesterday intercepted and took control of nearly all vessels which were part of an international flotillaone of the largest-ever aid missions attempting to breach the naval blockade on Gaza. The 40 vessels which were part of the Global Sumud Flotilla were carrying food, medical supplies, and water filters, aiming to deliver humanitarian aid and challenge the blockade on Gaza, which Israel has enforced since 2009. ALSO READ | Pressure mounts on Hamas to accept Donald Trumps Gaza peace plan The operation was launched on the day of Yom Kippurthe holiest day of the year in Judaismdetaining nearly 150 activists, triggering widespread protests around the world. Hundreds of Israeli police officers had been deployed since last morning to the southern Israeli port of Ashdod to process activists detained at sea. This was the largest flotilla of its kind, initially comprising over 40 boats and nearly 450 participants from more than 20 countries. The Israeli Foreign Ministry described the mission as a provocation, claiming the activists were driven more by publicity than by genuine humanitarian concern. Officials insisted that aid could be delivered via established land routes, accusing the group of having political motives. How Israel intercepted the flotilla Activists had hoped that the flotillas scale would render a full interception impossible. However, by yesterday afternoon, Israel declared the mission thwarted. The flotilla had been livestreaming its journey until communications were lost during the boarding operations, which reportedly occurred in international waters. Israeli naval vessels used bright lights and water cannons before boarding. In response, many participants donned life jackets and sat in circles with their hands raised in peaceful protest. Some managed to stream the encounter before discarding their phones into the sea to prevent confiscation. ALSO READ | The US-backed 20-point peace plan: A fragile path to end Israel-Gaza war Among those detained were several high-profile figures, including climate activist Greta Thunberg, former mayor of Barcelona Ada Colau, European Parliament member Rima Hassan, and Mandla Mandela, grandson of Nelson Mandela. Israel later released photos of the detainees, saying they were in good health and would be deported. Flotilla organisers condemned the operation, calling it an illegal attack on unarmed civilians in international waters. The interception sparked immediate outrage. Demonstrations erupted worldwide, with pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel protesters blocking traffic and vandalising shops and restaurants in multiple cities. Global condemnations and protests Protests were reported in cities such as Rome, Istanbul and Athens. Rallies also took place in Buenos Aires, Mexico City, and Karachi. In Bologna, demonstrators clashed with police near the central train station. Officers used batons to disperse protesters attempting to occupy the terminal while chanting Free Palestine". In response, Italys largest trade union called for a nationwide general strike on Friday. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni criticised the strike, warning it would harm Italian citizens more than it would aid Palestinians. Protesters in Spain targeted multinational chains such as Starbucks, Burger King, and Carrefour, smashing windows and spray-painting anti-Israel slogans. Activists accused the companies of complicity in Israels ongoing military campaign in Gaza. Governments across Europe and beyond responded swiftly. France, Italy and Poland confirmed they were in contact with Israeli authorities to ensure the safe return of their nationals. Some, including France, had previously advised their citizens against joining the flotilla due to the risk of confrontation. Turkey condemned the boarding as an act of terrorism and a violation of international law, while Pakistan labelled the detentions part of Israels ongoing aggression and blamed the blockade for Gazas humanitarian crisis. Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced the expulsion of Israels diplomatic mission and the cancellation of a free trade agreement. Two Colombian citizens were among those detained. Petro accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, a charge Israel strongly denies. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim also condemned the interception, demanding the immediate release of the eight Malaysians on board. The significance of the flotilla Supporters of the flotilla stressed that their mission was peaceful and primarily symbolic. While acknowledging they carried only small quantities of aid, they said their true objective was to draw attention to what they called an illegal siege and the devastating impact of the war on civilians. The United Nations Human Rights Office said the flotillas interception amounts to an expansion of the blockade, which the UN considers unlawful. As the occupying power, Israel must ensure the supply of food and medical aid to the fullest extent possible, or agree to and facilitate impartial humanitarian relief delivered without delay or obstruction, said spokesperson Thameen Al Kheetan. Israel's response Israel, meanwhile, argues that the naval blockade is imposed to stop weapons from reaching Gaza and that it does not violate international law. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the navys actions on Yom Kippur, stating: Their important action prevented dozens of vessels from entering the war zone and repelled a campaign of delegitimisation against Israel. Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) is one of the Top Blue Chip Stocks to Buy At 52-Week Lows. On September 30, David Hayes from Jefferies maintained a Sell rating on Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) and reduced the price target from 3,900p to 3,800.00p. The analyst noted that his main concern is the companys struggles in emerging markets, such as Latin America. The tough market conditions and pricing pressures in these markets are limiting growth. He highlighted that as a result, the expected growth in this region is much lower than what the analysts forecast. Moreover, Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) is also facing difficulty in other key markets, including India and China. He noted that these issues weigh down the companys overall growth prospects. On the positive side, the company is performing moderately well in developed markets, with growth slightly better than expected. Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) is a UK-based fast-moving consumer goods company that sells products in five main areas, including Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care, Home Care, Foods, and Ice Cream. While we acknowledge the potential of UL as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If youre looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 30 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and 11 Hidden AI Stocks to Buy Right Now. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Hamas wants amendments to some of the clauses in US President Donald Trumps Gaza peace plan if they are to respond positively, media reports said on Friday. The Islamic outfit is against its disarmament and the expulsion of its cadres from the Strip and has sent its negotiators in Doha to speak with Turkish, Egyptian and Qatari officials, these reports added. The Hamas leadership wants "international guarantees" over a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza and the safety of their leadership and cadres from assassination attempts from Mossad and other Tel Aviv-linked agencies anywhere in the world. As per the reports, Hamas has yet to reach a consensus on the matter and remains undecided. While a faction is pushing for complete acceptance of the peace deal pitched by the US President, others equate disarmament to the surrender of Palestinian resistance against Zionism. The nay-sayers think unless amendments are made, the deal will ultimately legitimise the occupation of Gaza by Israel. Here are the other concerns of Hamas factions regarding Trump's peace proposal for the Gaza Strip: The call for Hamas leaving the Strip along with Israel Defense Forces (IDF) personnel to be replaced by the so-called International Stabilization Force who will take control of Gaza. The need to release all 48 Israeli hostages within the first 72 hours of the agreement coming into effect. They need more time to exhume the remains of the slain hostages from burial sites across Gaza before being returned. The lack of clarity over the time period for IDF's complete withdrawal from Gaza. While talking about its disarmament, defensive and offensive weapons need to be categorically separated. Some units of the outfit believe they have a right to hold on to defensive weapons even with a peace deal in place. Donald Trumps peace plan for Gaza Hamas is facing growing pressure from all corners to sign on to President Donald Trumps 20-point peace plan for Gaza. A combination of direct military threats, diplomatic isolation and the catastrophic humanitarian crisis affecting the territory after nearly two years of sustained conflict have put Hamas clearly on the backfoot. [The following sentence fragment needs context/subject added, assuming a figure presented the deal] and Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad, have personally presented the deal to Hamass leadership. Al-Thani reportedly told Hamas officials that this was the best deal he was able to get for them and warned that it wont get much better. This message appears to reflect a shared international view that this might be the final opportunity for Hamas to secure a negotiated end to hostilities. The humanitarian situation in Gaza provides perhaps the most urgent reason for Hamas to consider the deal. The territory is in shambles after waves of air strikes and ground invasions. Gaza is also witnessing one of the worst humanitarian crises in history. Many Gazans are reportedly supportive of the plan, if only because it promises an end to the bloodshed. Residents have described their homeland as virtually wiped out and fear that continuing the conflict will destroy what little remains. Many feel desperate, exhausted and hopeless, and believe the fighting must stop immediately, even if the proposed plan is seen to favour Israeli interests. The Israel Defence Force (IDF) sentenced four soldiers to ten days in prison over insubordination in the Gaza Strip. According to reports, the four men refused to follow an order that asked them to board an unarmoured vehicle through an area in Gaza that is yet to be fully taken over by the IDF, reports said. The news of their imprisonment was broken by Israeli public broadcaster KAN News on Wednesday. When the details of the incident were explained, the families of the soldiers reacted angrily, claiming that the IDF spat on the face of their own soldiers, Hebrew media reports said. The four men of the Nahal Brigade, one of IDF's main infantry brigades, were tasked to drive through a street in Gaza City ahead of bringing workers for operational needs. To their surprise, the four of them were allotted a Hummer with no military-grade armour instead of a tank or armoured vehicle. It was daytime and several multi-storeyed buildings stood around the road through which they were asked to go through, The Jerusalem Post reported as one of the arrested soldiers telling KAN News. ALSO READ | Israeli company commander killed by Hamas PRG told his soldiers before entering Gaza: Well look for the enemy and... The soldiers refused to carry out the orders as they were vulnerable to sniper fire or RPGs from the abandoned but not destroyed buildings in the area, they pointed out. If they were not being given armoured vehicles, they should be allowed to use the cover of darkness instead, they maintained. IDF has had enough experience already in Gaza to know this and there was no immediate reason to force them to choose the risky path instead, they reportedly told KAN News. Dying trying to save a fellow comrade is one thing while becoming cannon fodder is another, they claimed. WATCH | Hamas fighters shout 'Allahu Akbar' before killing Israeli soldiers in Gaza building, viral video shows Meanwhile, the battalion commander of the officers refused the claims and told The Jerusalem Post that the four personnel crossed the red line and deserved the punishment. Refusing to carry out a legitimate mission on the warfront is unacceptable, he said. "I am the battalion commander, making decisions about human lives every minute. I have the discretion regarding the risk to my soldiers in relation to the values of the mission," TJP quoted him as saying. ALSO READ | Pressure mounts on Hamas to accept Donald Trumps Gaza peace plan Ever since the invasion of Gaza by the IDF began, around 66,225 Palestinian deaths have been reported while 465 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the start of the ground operation. A bizarre adventure that went terribly wrong. The strategic benefits of the September 9 Israeli attack on Hamas leaders in Doha were minimal; although six people, including a Qatari security guard, were killed, key Hamas figures escaped unharmed. The political controversy overshadowed the technical proficiency Israel showed in executing the attack. The strategic impact of the Doha attack emerged on Wednesday, when President Trump issued a firm security guarantee to Qatar against similar Israeli attacks. Through an executive order, President Trump stated that the US would see any armed attack against the Gulf emirate as a threat to the peace and security of the United States. This came hours after President Trump cajoled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak to his Qatari counterpart and apologise. According to the White House, Netanyahu expressed his deep regret that, in targeting Hamas leaders during hostage negotiations, Israel violated Qatari sovereignty and affirmed that Israel will not conduct such an attack again in the future. The US security guarantees came shortly after this assurance. Since the Munich massacre of its athletes in 1972, Israel has targeted its enemies and removed several leaders of various militant groups. These attacks have been carried out in distant Arab and non-Arab countries, including some European nations. Such assassinations and targeted killings have occurred even in far-off places like Tunisia and hostile Iran. Dubai has also not been spared from military operations against suspected militant figures. For a long time, Israel primarily aimed at militant figures, but during the al-Aqsa intifada, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon expanded his targets to include political and non-militant individuals. Although their long-term effects varied and remain debated, they showed Israel's military skill, technological know-how, and political resolve. As long as they were effective, most were quietly forgotten or overshadowed by other controversies or crises. The willingness of regional countries to establish formal political ties with Israel or show support for normalisation should have prevented similar attacks on friendly territories. Such attacks also risk jeopardising any chances of normalisation or undoing the process. Netanyahu thinks and acts differently. On 25 September 1997, Israeli agents unsuccessfully sought to assassinate Hamas leader Khalid Mashal in Amman. It occurred amid King Husseins efforts to justify, explain, and expand formal relations with Israel following the 1994 peace treaty. Netanyahu did not bother about the sovereignty of a country that has a formal peace treaty with Israel. However, by threatening to execute the captured Israeli agents, Jordan secured the antidote and saved the Hamas leader, and the king also secured the release of Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin from the Israeli prison. The failed attempt infuriated the Jordanian monarch, and despite best efforts, the Israeli-Jordanian relations never reverted to their pre-1997 bonhomie. Netanyahu authorised a similar attack in Dubai in January 2010 against Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, at a time when the UAE was allowing Israeli passport holders to transit through the emirate and was signalling its friendship informally. The Doha attack is the third such attempt on the territory of a friendly nation. Unlike previous instances, this one came at a higher cost. Qatar has been hosting several Israeli security and intelligence officials to negotiate a Gaza ceasefire deal. As of now, only Doha has some influence over Hamas and could persuade the militant group to accept any peace agreement. It is the sole connector between the militant Palestinian group and the international community. Most importantly, Hamas leaders moved to Doha shortly after Jordan cracked down on Hamas in August 1999, and this move was closely coordinated with Israel. Violating Qatari sovereignty at this point is the most short-sighted decision an Israeli leader could consider. That is why a strong section of the Israeli intelligence community not only opposed the misadventure but was also ready to disassociate itself from it. Even countries like India, which remained silent on similar Israeli attacks on Iran, Lebanon, and Yemen, were forced to respond quickly and condemn Israel's violation of Qatari sovereignty. The most significant fallout of the Doha attack is the iron-clad American guarantee against similar Israeli attacks. This paves the way for other U.S. allies to seek and secure similar agreements to prevent any future misadventures by Israel. Some may also pursue American protection against violations of their airspace for potential attacks on Iran. While strengthening Washingtons long-term ties with the Arab world, Netanyahus Doha misadventure restricts Israels strategic options. Violating the sovereign territory of a friend or, at the very least, a non-hostile country carries a heavy price. Kumaraswamy teaches contemporary Middle East at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Imagine tuning in to your favourite FM stationRed FM, Radio Mango, Radio Mirchi, or any of themone day and finding crystal-clear HD sound, extra channels of music or talk shows, and even live traffic alerts! If the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)s latest Recommendations on Formulating a Digital Radio Broadcast Policy for Private Broadcasters take off, this would soon become a reality! Under the draft plan that went public today, every FM broadcaster can add a digital layer alongside todays analogue signal on the same dial position (or frequency) on the radio. In practice, this means that a local station would carry: One standard FM channel (just like today) Up to three additional digital sub-channels for niche content A small data stream for song titles, traffic updates, or emergency alerts And the best part? No separate frequency hunt, no extra licence hoopsall existing FM operators need to do is simply top up their current licence fee to join the digital wave, according to the TRAI. The latest move by the telecom authority means that radios are not going anywhere. In fact, with better sound and more channels, TRAI wants radios, especially in cars and new smartphones, to include digital-FM chips by default. This means that if your phone or car has the capability to catch digital FM frequencies, it would display song info (like YouTube Music, Spotify, and Apple Music). If you have ever tinkered with a European-made car like a Fiat or a Skoda, you might be familiar with the FM and DAB modes... changing the substation in the new radio frequency could be similar to that. Spectrum bidding in major cities According to the TRAI draft regulations, the spectrum for this hybrid model would be auctioned in 13 Indian citiesfour big metros (Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai) and nine other major cities, with winners of the bids getting a 15 year-window to launch services. These nine cities are Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Surat, Pune, Jaipur, Lucknow, Kanpur, and Nagpur. TRAI also noted that no broadcaster can hold more than 40 per cent market share in a city, and they must start digital broadcasts within two years of winning. Analogue radio will not stop Let us address the elephant in the room. Upgrading to digital does not mean the good old analogue radio will die. In fact, TRAIs regulation hints that the analogue band stays active until enough listeners own digital-capable receivers. And even then, broadcasters can simulcast their channels online, widening reach for listeners without digital radios. If these regulations come to pass, morning drives could soon feature clearer HD audio, extra stations, live data and richer on-screen displays, all delivered over the same familiar FM frequency. Of course, do check if your smartphone or car stereo can pick up upgraded FM signals. TRAI recommendations at a glance TRAIs recommendations are as follows A single, technologyneutral simulcast framework - Broadcasters, both new and legacy, would transmit one analogue channel plus up to three digital audio streams and one data channel on the same spot frequency. - Migration by existing FM operators simply requires paying the auctiondetermined price less the residual value of their analogue licence. - All digital services must launch within two years of auction or migration. Spectrum auctions in 13 major cities - Four A+ metros (Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai) and nine A cities (Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Surat, Pune, Jaipur, Lucknow, Kanpur, Nagpur) will each offer two new spot frequencies in this first phase. - Reserve prices run from about 20 crore in smaller A cities up to nearly 195 crore in Mumbai. - Authorisation lasts 15 years, renewable for another 15 years; market share capped at 40 per cent per city. Fees, eligibility and licence conditions - Annual authorisation fees tied to Adjusted Gross Revenue: 4 per cent in most cities, 2 per cent for hilly and island regions for the first three years. - Minimum net worth to bid ranges from Rs 30 lakh in smaller centres to Rs 3 crore in top metros, aligned with the February 2025 Terrestrial Radio Service authorisation framework. - Applicants must be Indiancontrolled companies or LLPs, meet FDI limits, and pass security clearances. - Programme rules mirror FM Phase-III: up to 10 minutes of news per hour, at least half of the content produced in India, 30 minutes daily of public service broadcasting, and voluntary infrastructure sharing. Ecosystem and rollout support - A new Radio Broadcasting Infrastructure Provider licence would let tower companies lease digital transmission gear to broadcasters. - Prasar Bharatis towers and land must be offered on concessional terms, with mandatory co-location rules relaxed in favour of voluntary sharing. - An inter-ministerial steering committeeincluding MIB, MeitY, broadcasters, device makers and tech vendorswill monitor receiver uptake and guide device-inclusion advisories for phones and car infotainment. These recommendations, published on the official TRAI website, are now open for public and industry stakeholders to assess and respond. The announcement by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) that the direct flights between India and China will resume later this month has been welcomed by the Chinese state media, which hailed the move as a pragmatic step. A piece by the Chinese state-backed Global Times praised the decision, which they said was vital for the normalisation of relations between the two countries. Long Xingchun, a professor from the School of International Relations at Sichuan International Studies University in China, told Global Times that the resumption of direct flights as a vital criterion to test whether China-India relations normalise, as China-India relations have notably warmed up recently. Long believes that the move serves the interests of the Indian people more. There have been more Indians studying, doing business, or traveling in China than Chinese in India. Hopefully, on the basis of resuming direct air services, India can step further to simplify the visa process for Chinese citizens," Long added. Also read: Modi-Xi bonhomie paves way for restarting India-China air services, flights to resume by late October The report also quoted Himadrish Suwan, chairman of the Confederation of Young Leaders of India, who views this as an encouraging sign that could help deepen the mutual understanding between the countries. It will not only strengthen people-to-people exchanges, but also open new avenues for cooperation in trade, education, tourism, and youth-led engagement, Suwan told the Chinese media, adding that this will also help contribute to regional stability and shared peace. Kolkata to Guangzhou flight Shortly after the MEA statement, Indigo announced a new daily non-stop route between Kolkata and Guangzhou. A statement by the airline said the flight services would begin on October 26, adding that it was also planning to introduce direct flights between Delhi and Guangzhou at a later stage. The flights will be operating using Airbus A320neo aircraft. IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers said in the statement that IndiGo had previously operated flights between the countries prior to Covid restrictions. We are proud to be amongst the first to resume direct connectivity to China from two points in India. This will once again allow seamless movement of people, goods, and ideas, while also strengthening bilateral ties between the two of the worlds most populous countries and fast-growing economies," IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers said in the statement. One of the victims killed in the Manchester synagogue attack on Thursday suffered gunshot wounds possibly from shots fired by police officers on the scene. Police added that one of those injured and currently receiving treatment in hospital also suffered a gunshot wound. Both people believed to have been shot were behind the synagogue doors. I didn't want to be online today. But then this happened. On our holiest of days, a young boy in Manchester is comforted after two members of his synagogue were murdered in a terrorist attack. I don't have the words. I just wish I could console him, too. pic.twitter.com/owyFyXW6ga Casey Babb (@DrCaseyBabb) October 2, 2025 The suspect Jihad Al Shamie, who was neutralised by the cops, didnt carry a firearm and it is believed that the police personnel shot the late person during their attempts to bring the attacker under control, officers said on Friday in a statement. "It is currently believed that the suspect, Jihad Al Shamie, was not in possession of a firearm and the only shots fired were from GMP's Authorised Firearms Officer," the Greater Manchester Police (GMP) statement said. READ FULL REPORT HERE | British police says Manchester synagogue attacker is of Syrian heritage "It follows therefore, that subject to further forensic examination, this injury may sadly have been sustained as a tragic and unforeseen consequence of the urgently required action taken by my officers to bring this vicious attack to an end." Police on Friday identified the two men who were killed in a car and knife attack on a synagogue in northwest England on the holiest day of the Jewish year, as Britain's chief rabbi said an unrelenting wave of antisemitism lay behind the crime. Greater Manchester Police said local residents Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, died in the attack on the Heaton Park Congregation Synagogue in the Manchester suburb of Crumpsall. Three other people are hospitalised in serious condition. Police shot and killed a suspect seven minutes after he rammed a car into pedestrians outside the synagogue on Thursday morning and then attacked them with a knife. He wore what appeared to be an explosives belt, which was found to be fake. The assault took place as people gathered at the Orthodox synagogue on Yom Kippur, the day of atonement and the most solemn day in the Jewish calendar. A Canadian theatre, screening Kantara: A Legend Chapter 1 and They call him OG, had to halt several of its showings after it became the target of both an arson attack and an attempted shooting within a week. The Film.ca cinemas in Oakville, Ontario, became a target of an attempted arson on September 25. Two suspects were seen on CCTV footage attempting to set fire to the theatre's entrance using red gas cans. The footage also showed that a grey SUV circled the parking lot before a white vehicle arrived. The cinema was closed during the attack, and no one was injured. Halton Regional Police said that the fire was set to the exterior and caused moderate damage without spreading inside the building. The suspects were described as a white person wearing black pants, a black hoodie, dark-coloured high-top shoes, gloves, and a medical mask. The second suspect was described as wearing black pants, a black hoodie, white slip-on sandals, white socks, gloves, and a medical mask, and was carrying a cell phone. The police said that a week after the arson attack on October 2, a suspect was seen approaching the entrance of the cinema and firing a handgun multiple times through the doors. The suspect was described as a dark-skinned male with a heavy build, wearing all-black clothing and a black face mask. Both incidents occurred after overnight hours. Authorities say that both attacks are linked to the showings of South Asian films and were targeted. Film.ca cinemas shared the footage of the arson attempt on social media and said that this was not the first attack they've faced. In a statement, the theatre said, "Weve faced vandalism and threats tied to the screening of Indian films before." They said they had to make the difficult decision to pull the screening of the films for the safety of the guests. Out of an abundance of caution, we have made the decision that the safety of guests and our cast requires us to withdraw ourselves from screenings of Kantara: A Legend Chapter 1, They Call Him OG, and all future South Asian films indefinitely, they said. We understand that these incidents may be connected to disagreements within the South Asian film industry. While we want to be clear that we do not wish to bow to threats, the situation has escalated to the point where we must take every precaution to protect our community, the statement continued. Film.ca CEO Jeff Knoll said in a post on X, The other day, somebody tried to burn the theatre down in a dispute with respect to us playing South Asian films. I want to let you know that we are open for business. We didnt miss a show, and we just want you to feel safe and comfortable coming back to the movies, he said. A Message from Jeff Knoll, CEO of https://t.co/9TNzgavfeD Cinemas You may have seen or heard about the recent arson attempt on our cinema. The good news: only the entrance was affected, and the rest of the theatre is completely safe, undamaged, and fully operational. These pic.twitter.com/CLQQDilE0J Film.Ca Cinemas (@FilmCaCinemas) September 26, 2025 He also added that the cinema was a community theatre and that were going to play what we want to play, when we want to play it. Sources reported that the attacks may be linked to Khalistani extremist activities in the area, but police have not confirmed the motive for the incidents. Authorities have asked anyone with information to come forward and report to Halton police. If you have ever been targeted by a scammer, you will likely have been comforted by people telling you it can happen to anyone. One in five people have been a victim and Britons have lost almost 2,000 per scam, data from digital bank Monzo reveals. But while it's true that scammers are not picky about who they defraud, there are certain attributes that could make you more likely to be targeted. This is based on data collected by banks about those people who have already been victims. We reveal the age, location and job that those targeted by scammers are most likely to have, and even what time of day people most commonly fall victim. Watch out: 2pm on a Wednesday is the day and time scammers are most likely to call Wednesday at 2pm is scam o'clock Bands of crooks gear up to target unassuming people at times when they think they will be most likely to pick up the phone and be caught unawares. You can be scammed around the clock, but 2pm on a Wednesday has been identified as the time and day when criminals are most likely to try to defraud people out of money, the research from Monzo reveals. Two in the afternoon is a time of day when you're likely to pick up the phone but may also be distracted, busy or in the middle of the working day. Richard Bromley, Monzo's head of fraud says: 'During the afternoon there is an expectation that people will be able to pick up the phone, as they have got things like the school run out of the way and may just be coming back from lunch.' On average, it takes people 20 hours to realise they have been scammed, he added. Technology and engineering workers targeted Anyone can be targeted by scammers, no matter which profession they work in. But those who work in the technology or engineering sectors were most likely to be affected by scams last year, according to Monzo. A fifth of those who reported having been targeted by scammers worked in technology or engineering. This may seem surprising given these people are likely to be tech-savvy, but that can be the very reason they are targeted. Richard Bromley explains: 'Those working in technology may be more likely to trust online channels, so it is more likely that these people may engage with social media.' Around 70 per cent of all Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud - where a scammer tricks you into transferring them money - now originates on social media platforms such as Meta -owned Facebook. Those working in banking also reported higher frequencies of being targeted by scammers as well as those in healthcare, both at 13 per cent. > Read more: The best bank accounts Younger people lose larger amounts Younger generations may be more likely to be targeted by scammers than older generations. Against popular belief, baby boomers may be more scam savvy than younger generations. Three quarters of those aged 55 and over have been scammed only once, while 45 per cent of those aged 25 to 34 have been scammed more than once says Monzo. Younger people also tend to lose bigger sums of money to fraud than their older counterparts. Less wary? Younger people tend to lose more to scams than older ones, according to Monzo On average, those between the ages of 25 to 34 have lost 2,118 to scams in the past year, in comparison to those aged 55 and over, who have lost 1,566. Richard Bromley says this is because scammers target different age demographics with different types of scams. Young to middle-aged people may be losing higher amounts of money to fraud because they are being targeted in sophisticated investment scams, which encourage them to keep sending more cash. Whereas older people are more likely to be targeted by scammers pretending to be family or friends, where asking for too much money might raise suspicions. So it may not be so much the age of people that makes them likely to lose money to a scam, but the type of scam. Matt Hepburn, fraud spokesman at TSB says: Purchase fraud is a massive driver of fraud in younger people, while investment fraud sees larger losses middle aged people. Romance scams see older people losing money.' 'Impersonation fraud also sees a higher rate of scam cases for older people - people of a certain generation may be more trusting of a bank teller, or HM Revenue and Customs worker.' However, 'there is no one age demographic that is most likely to be affected by fraud.' Bromley adds. Where are you most likely to be scammed? If you are based in Surrey, Essex, Kent, Somerset or West Sussex you may need to be on your guard. These areas saw the most money wiped by criminals over the summer, with more than 2.85million stolen by fraudsters according to Santander. Surrey saw the biggest jump in scams with the amount of money stolen by scammers up 17 per cent, with 1million stolen between July and September this year compared to April and June according to the high street giant. Chris Ainsley, head of fraud risk management at Santander said: 'Being scammed remains a postcode lottery, and while there is a clear trend showing that some counties are currently being hit harder than others, scammers don't care where you live.' A quarter of scams happen while people surveyed were scrolling on social media, according to Monzo. People tend to scroll in the evenings when they have come home from work. The Bank of Mum and Dad has long funded their children's young adult life, from paying their rent while at university to gifting tens of thousands of pounds for housing deposits. But now generous parents are going one step further and are bankrolling private medical treatments for three million adults. That's according to insurance broker Howden Life and Health, which found some 27 per cent of adults equivalent to 14.6 million people have paid for private medical treatment in the past five years. And 15 per cent of those surveyed equivalent to 8.1 million people say they have had treatment costs covered by someone else. Some 54 per cent of these 4.3 million say their partner covered the cost while 36 per cent 2.9million people say it was their parents who stepped in the pay. Three million adults say their parents paid for their private medical care As waiting lists soar, a growing number of people are turning to private options to be seen quickly by a doctor and prevent waiting months on end for needed treatment. Those who paid for treatment themselves have forked out 5,700, on average, on private medical care but costs can be significantly higher. One in ten spend more than 10,000 while 15 per cent spend more than 15,000 as they are desperate to see a doctor quickly for their concerns. The surging cost is prompting families to place private medical insurance high on their wish lists. Three in five adults say if their employer would fully fund a benefit, they would choose private medical insurance , trumping extra holiday allowance, paid time off and life insurance. Ian Sawyer, of the firm, says: 'This growing reliance on the Bank of Mum and Dad not just for deposits, but for doctors shows just how deeply delays are impacting families across the UK. 'With NHS waiting lists at an all-time high, more and more families are stepping in to help their loved ones access treatment quickly. 'While private healthcare might feel out of reach for many, it's worth exploring what's available. In August, the average cost of a new medical insurance policy arranged through Howden Life and Health was 91.23 per month. 'Half of our clients saved over 500 a year when switching their health insurer at renewal through our market review, often keeping the same or even better cover.' This comes after fears Chancellor Rachel Reeves was set to lump VAT on to private healthcare fees in the upcoming autumn Budget. Whitehall sources said the Treasury was looking at adding VAT to services which are currently exempt, including private medical care. Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said the tax hike is 'not happening'. Joby Aviation (JOBY) is a company pioneering the development of all-electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft designed for urban air mobility and aerial ridesharing. Jobys signature aircraft combines quiet operation, zero emissions, and a range of up to 150 miles at speeds of up to 200 mph. With strategic partnerships including Delta (DAL) and Toyota (TOYOF), the company aims to launch commercial air taxi services in key global markets. Joby is advancing toward full FAA certification, positioning itself at the forefront of the next generation of sustainable urban transportation. Founded in 2009, the company is based in California. More News from Barchart Joby Outshines Market Joby Aviations shares have jumped 9.6% in the last five days and 10.7% over the past month, while boasting an extraordinary 234% gain in the last six months and since the start of 2025. Over the past 52 weeks, JOBY stock has risen 211%, significantly outpacing the Russell 2000, which has gained approximately 10% year-to-date (YTD) and just over 13% for the year. Jobys rally is fueled by strong momentum in its electric air taxi program and regulatory progress, making it a standout performer among small-cap stocks in 2025. www.barchart.com Joby's Disappointing Quarter Joby Aviations Q2 2025 results, released Aug. 6, disappointed Wall Street as the company reported an EPS loss of $0.41, wider than the expected $0.19 loss. Revenue for the quarter was a mere $0.02 million, missing analyst estimates of $0.05 million and marking a 94.6% year-over-year (YoY) decline, as Joby remains pre-revenue while progressing toward commercialization. The shortfall highlights the ongoing financial strains typical for early-stage eVTOL firms still focused on regulatory milestones and product development. Key metrics revealed a net loss of $325 million, primarily due to non-cash revaluations tied to strategic investments and warrants, while adjusted EBITDA came in at a $132 million loss. Operating expenses surged 16% YoY because of increased research and development outlays. Nevertheless, the companys balance sheet remains strong with $991 million in cash and short-term investments at quarter-end, bolstered by a $250 million tranche of Toyotas strategic investment. The enormous multi-billion financial bets being taken on artificial intelligence (AI) roll in. Latest to emerge is BlackRock's mooted takeover of Macquarie-owned Aligned Data Centres in a deal valued at $40billion (30billion). Aside from the high price, investors in funds managed by BlackRock have reason to be fearful of the vampire-kangaroo Macquarie which has a history of selling duff utilities such as Thames Water. The deal comes hard on the heels of the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund's $55billion (41billion) takeover of listed gaming trailblazer Electronic Arts and the outsized $100billion (74billion) injection of capital by Microsoft into OpenAI. Private equity (PE) is splashing the cash even though it is desperate to dispose of past, stuck projects. The biggest PE players pass them on to secondary funds in a weird, fresh kind of alchemy. The lengthening list of deals, out of sight of public markets, should be a sell signal. Serious voices are becoming ever more concerned about bubble prices, especially for anything laying claim to being an AI champion. Dangerous speculation: The enormous multi-billion financial bets being taken on artificial intelligence are rolling in This has all the look of the period leading up to 2000 when all that was required was for firms to add '.com' to their operations for valuations to soar. The question for stock market investors and those indirectly putting money into private equity through pension funds is whether this is the end of a cycle of dangerous speculation. Authoritative voices are starting to fear a crash. The timing and trigger is unknown. Or as the International Monetary Fund says 'uncertainty about uncertainty'. Economist Austan Goolsbee, president of the Chicago Federal Reserve is fearful of AI over-exuberance. Writing in the FT, Ian Harnett, chief investment strategist at Absolute Strategy Research, warns the AI bubble is nearing its endgame. He argues that the hyper-scalers of tech are a portent of the bust to come. It is impossible to disagree. Equities continue their dazzling progress. The US government has shut down because of a debt row. Here, Chancellor Rachel Reeves finds herself trapped in a deficit and debt vice by the Office for Budget Responsibility. It will end in tears. Irish stew Money talks. Ireland has been at the vanguard of criticism of Israel's war on Hamas and was among the first Western democracies to bat for Palestinian statehood. In support of the policy, it has been seeking to impose sweeping economic sanctions on Israel. Even before the shockwaves from the Manchester synagogue killings, Dublin was showing signs of a retreat. Some 11 per cent of Ireland's workforce is employed by US firms, including Silicon Valley heavyweights. An estimated one-third of the tax take comes from US corporations. Business groups fear that penalising Israel settlements could imperil new investment in Ireland and lead to an exit of tech giants which have affiliated themselves to Donald Trump. A retreat from an aggressive anti-Israel stance may prove realpolitik. Pint sized As beer dispenser of choice and hero to working people and younger imbibers, Wetherspoons chief Tim Martin faces extraordinary obstacles to keeping prices low. The latest burden, on top of soaring energy costs, is the 'extended producers responsibility', a green packaging levy hitting hospitality and food hard. Add to that the stealth levy for new nuclear. Profits down the hatch! Gravity-defying is an apt description of shares in Rolls-Royce. The aero-engineering company's value recently hit 100billion, in the wake of US President Donald Trump's policy change on Ukraine. The price may have slipped a little, but over the past three years it has leapt by 1,594 per cent to stand at 1,190p to the delight of thousands of private investors who have backed this British success story. The 106 per cent increase in the shares since the start of January has, by far, outpaced the FTSE 100, even though the index has been hitting record highs in recent days. The performance of Rolls-Royce's stock reflects the turnaround at the Derby-based company whose shares tumbled to as low as 35p in 2020 when the pandemic forced planes to be grounded. The company is worth 98.8billion, making it the fifth-largest name in the FTSE 100, after AstraZeneca, HSBC, Shell and Unilever. This new elite status is the result of Nato countries ramping up defence spending in response to war in Ukraine and mounting geopolitical tensions elsewhere. There's also been a rebound in holiday travel by plane. This means more demand for Rolls-Royce engines from manufacturers of civil and defence aircraft like Airbus and Boeing despite the issues that have dogged some of these engines for more than a decade and are appearing in some cases with newer models. Influence: Tufan Erginbilgic has turned the firm's fortunes around since taking over At the same time, the US tech titans are laying out billions to win the artificial intelligence (AI) race. This is fuelling a data centre construction boom, spurring extra demand for Rolls's back-up power generators. Rolls-Royce is gearing up to feed for data centres' voracious appetite for energy. The company already makes reactors for nuclear submarines but will be building three small modular reactors (SMRs) at the cost of about 1.5bn each for the Government. This week brokers UBS predicted that Rolls-Royce shares could have further to go, setting a target price of 1,350p. There is even talk of 2,000p, which would endow Rolls-Royce with the kudos of being 'a 20 share'. Backing Rolls-Royce is a bet on Britain and on an uncertain world, where conflict and tensions are mounting, meaning more defence expenditure. It is also a gamble on families prioritising a sunshine getaway by plane in tough times. Here's what you need to know. THE TUFAN EFFECT CHIEF executive Tufan Erginbilgic believes that nuclear could turn Rolls-Royce into the number one member of the FTSE 100 a role occupied by AstraZeneca whose market capitalisation is 193billion. In August Erginbilgic told the BBC: 'There is no private company in the world with the nuclear capability we have. If we are not the market leader globally, we did something wrong.' These confident pronouncements are in marked contrast to the mood when Erginbilgic, a former BP top manager, took over at Rolls-Royce in 2023. In a now-famous phrase, he called the battered firm a 'burning platform'. The speed he deployed in putting out the flames led to his nickname 'Turbo Tufan'. Late last year, he spelled out his aim to turn Rolls-Royce into 'an execution machine', in pursuit of his 17 strategic initiatives for the business. These initiatives seem not to have been separately listed anywhere, but the seriousness of Erginbilgic's intent can be seen in the company's management line-up. Rolls-Royce has a CTO chief transformation officer Nicola Grady-Smith. THE FLIGHT PATH The huge leap in the share price since Erginbilgic's arrival up 991 per cent has not been sufficient to satisfy his ambitions. At present Rolls-Royce dominates the wide-body jet market, thanks to its family of Trent engines. But Rolls-Royce will be moving into the $1.6 trillion market for narrow-body engines. This week it was revealed that Rolls-Royce was in discussion with Boeing which requires engines for its planned replacement to its 737 Max model. Erginbilgic also wants Rolls-Royce to lead the worldwide market in SMRs which is tipped to be worth $1 trillion by 2050. THE NUMBERS The fruits of Erginbilgic's efforts were on show in Rolls-Royce's half-year results which observers declared to be 'high-flying'. As travellers took to the skies, revenues were 11 per cent up on the same period of 2024 at 9.1billion, while operating profit was 41 per cent above expectations at 1.9billion. Rolls-Royce raised its full-year operating profit forecast to 3.1billion-3.2billion. The free-cash flow estimate is 3billion-3.1billion which, if achieved, would be an indication of great financial health. The company makes most of its money from maintaining and servicing its engines, based on the time that those engines spend in the air. In the first half of the year, EFHs (engine flying hours) were at 109 per cent of 2019 levels which cheered investors. But Aarin Chiekrie of Hargreaves Lansdown said that EFHs are not guaranteed to continue their upward trajectory, given the engine issues that led to the cancellation of holidays at the end of 2024. He said: 'Attempted fixes are in the pipeline, but if the group can't iron out these issues, it could eat into future profits.' BLUE SKIES AHEAD? Rolls-Royce is the top holding at the Invesco Global Equity investment trust. Stephen Anness, Invesco's head of global equities, said: 'The outlook remains bright, as free cash flow generation continues to grow. Management is ahead of schedule on key initiatives, and the business is well positioned to fund future growth from areas like narrow body engine programmes. The share price may have moved up. But we can still forecast a good total return for this business.' Only one of the 17 analysts that follow Rolls-Royce rate the shares a 'sell'. Among the rest, ten have a 'buy' recommendation, while six think the shares are a 'hold' or will outperform their sector. Despite the confidence in the prospects, you should be ready for some turbulence ahead if you buy now or opt to stay invested. Rolls-Royce may not be a thrill-ride share, but the journey could have unsettling periods. OTHER HIGH-FLIERS If you want more of a stake in the booming aero-engine sector, the 237billion GE Aerospace group is one option. This business was spun last year from the break-up of GE, the US conglomerate that came to grief in the global financial crisis of 2008. GE was rescued by Larry Culp, who heads GE Aerospace and appears to be almost as admired as Erginbilgic. Gerrit Smit, manager of the Stonehage Fleming Global Best Ideas Equity fund calls Culp 'a world-class corporate leader'. GE Aerospace makes a very good income from servicing its 70,000 engines installed in planes. It is also the leading player in the narrow-body engine sector through CFM International, its partnership with the French group Safran. Its shares have increased by 80 per cent this year to $301 (224). This may not equal the rise at Rolls-Royce, but analysts are similarly positive about the prospects, rating the shares a 'buy'. This month brokers Jefferies raised their target price to $350 (260). Safran shares have also prospered this year, up by 44 per cent to 304 (265). Safran aspires to double its defence revenues which come from missiles, navigation systems and 'eyes in the sky' optronics technologies. The average analysts' target for the shares is 340 (296). Again, it may be up, up and away for these shares. But still be prepared for tense moments. A pick-up in business activity over the summer has been dismissed as 'a flash in the pan' after the economy ground to a halt last month. In a report that will make bleak reading for Rachel Reeves, S&P Global said its index of private sector output fell from 53.5 in August to just 50.1 in September. That was the lowest level for five months and only marginally above the 50 mark that separates growth from decline, suggesting the economy is flatlining ahead of the Chancellor's Budget in November. Households and businesses are fearful over another round of punishing tax rises as the cost of last October's Budget which included a 25billion National Insurance raid on employers continues to take its toll. The report noted that the private sector shed jobs for a 12th month in a row in September 'and at a solid pace' as firms struggled to deal with rising costs. Tim Moore, economics director at S&P Global, said: 'This summer's acceleration in output growth is now looking like a flash in the pan as elevated political and economic uncertainty has reasserted itself as a constraint on service sector performance. 'Many survey respondents suggested that corporate clients had deferred spending decisions until after the Autumn Budget, while households were also hesitant about major purchases.' Hands up: S&P Global said its index of private sector output fell from 53.5 in August to just 50.1 in September, which will be a blow to Rachel Reeves Business leaders are urging Reeves not to hit them with further tax hikes. Tesco boss Ken Murphy this week declared: 'Enough is enough.' But Reeves is facing a black hole in her Budget plans of some 30billion on some estimates making more tax rises seem inevitable given Labour's failure to cut spending. The S&P Global report showed activity in the services sector 'increased marginally' in September 'but manufacturing production fell to the greatest extent for six months'. Matt Swannell, chief economic advisor to the EY Item Club, said: 'Businesses are still feeling the effects of April's rise in employers' National Insurance contributions, which continues to put pressure on costs.' Thomas Pugh, chief economist at consulting firm RSM UK, said: 'The economy is doing little more than muddling through. 'The risk is that intense speculation about potential tax rises in the Budget weighs heavily on consumer confidence and business sentiment.' With significant upside potential, The Allstate Corporation (NYSE:ALL) secures a spot on our list of the 20 NYSE Stocks with the Lowest P/E Ratios. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods (KBW) Reiterates $246 PT and Outperform Rating on The Allstate Corporation (ALL) Keefe, Bruyette & Woods (KBW) reiterated The Allstate Corporations (NYSE:ALL) $246 price target and Outperform rating on September 19, 2025, as the insurer expanded its core auto business and continued recovering from recent weather-related setbacks. The Allstate Corporation (NYSE:ALL) reported that despite suffering $213 million in catastrophic losses in August, primarily from wind and hailstorms, it was still able to grow its customer base. By the end of August, The Allstate Corporation (NYSE:ALL) had approximately 38 million insurance policies in total, including 25.3 million vehicle policies (up 1% year-over-year) and 7.6 million residential policies (up 2.1%). Despite ongoing challenges from extreme weather events, KBW cited steady policy growth and reduced expected future losses as reasons for its positive outlook on the company. Through agents, contact centers, and digital channels, The Allstate Corporation (NYSE:ALL) provides personal lines, commercial, homeowners, and auto insurance products in the U.S. and Canada. The company is organized into five business segments. It is one of the Stocks with Low PE Ratio. While we acknowledge the potential of ALL as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 15 Stocks That Will Benefit From AI and 12 Best Quantum Computing Stocks to Buy According to Wall Street Analysts. Disclosure: None. Lanson-BCC has had its 50m ($58m) offer for the purchase of Champagne house Heidsieck & Co. Monopole accepted by Vranken-Pommery Monopole. Last month, Vranken-Pommery said it was in "exclusive negotiations" to buy Heidsieck & Co. Earlier in September the group had said it had begun the the process to offload the Champagne house to majority shareholder Compagnie Vranken. In a statement yesterday (1 October), Vranken-Pommery said the acquisition will take effect from January next year. Heidsieck & Co Monopole is one of the oldest Champagne Houses, and has been owned by Vranken-Pommery Monopole since 1996. As well as acquiring 100% of the shares of Heidsieck & Co. Monopole, the transaction will include, for an undisclosed additional amount, the brands historic vintages of the Heidsieck & Co. Monopole. The deal is part of Vranken-Pommery's strategy to "refocus" on its international brand Champagne Pommery & Greno. In its statement, Vranken-Pommery said Lanson-BCC's offer was "more attractive" than that given by Compagnie Vranken. While Compagnie Vranken will not acquire Heidsieck & Co., an agreement has been reached for the business to purchase stocks of Champagne from Vranken-Pommery as part of a plan to reduce debt. Nathalie Vranken, CEO of Vranken-Pommery Monopole said: We are very pleased with this transaction, which marks an important milestone in debt reduction. I am convinced that this operation will mobilise all our teams and energy around our shared project focused on value creation and our commitments to sustainability." Lanson-BCC has acquired the Heidsieck & Co. brand on behalf of its Maison Burtin Champagne house. The purchase aims to give the Maison "its own identity", the statement said. In the past the Champagne house has produced 'custom-made' Champagne products "for major European accounts", and has "all the teams and assets necessary for the development of Heidsieck & C Monopole Champagnes, notably several high-quality grape contracts with 650 Champagne winegrowers, who will thus find a valuable outlet for their work." Bruno Paillard, chairman and CEO of Lanson-BCC, added: Each of the houses within the Lanson-BCC Group defends its specific style, its own identity, its DNA in the markets. Maison Burtin has all the assets required to serve, at the highest level, the quality of Heidsieck & C Monopole Champagnes. This contribution will be beneficial for our group, which has, since its inception, been guided by a long-term vision. U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, is continuing his inquiry into whether Dan Morehead, the founder of asset manager Pantera Capital, sought to avoid paying taxes through his move to Puerto Rico. Wyden's probe into whether Morehead committed tax evasion began in January, and is focused on how the Pantera founder reported taxes on his share of proceeds after a large crypto sale by the firm. According to a press release, Wyden is specifically looking at whether Morehead "misrepresent[ed] his residency status" when Pantera generated over $1 billion in capital gains from crypto sales by claiming his profits from the sale came while he was in Puerto Rico. Residents of the U.S. territory do not pay income tax on capital gains. "It is my understanding your share of these gains was hundreds of millions of dollars," Wyden said in the letter, sent on Wednesday. "It is also my understanding that you treated the entire [gain] as exempt from U.S. tax, even though the lions share of these gains accrued while you still resided in California. These are serious allegations of potential abuse of Puerto Rico tax incentives to avoid the payment of U.S. taxes that you must immediately address." Wyden's letter alleged that Morehead's attorneys "have all but disappeared" despite initially engaging with his staff. He also said in the letter that he believes Morehead was advised by Jeffrey Rubinger, a Miami-based attorney who advised another client who "recently pled guilty to a tax fraud scheme" tied to the same Puerto Rico tax rules. A Pantera spokesperson referred CoinDesk to a previous statement from Morehead, when he told the New York Times in a statement earlier this year that, "I believe I acted appropriately with respect to my taxes." Wyden's probe does not carry the full weight of an investigation by the Senate Finance Committee at the moment, given Democrats are the minority party in the Senate and committee Chair Mike Crapo the top Republican on the committee does not appear to have joined in the inquiry at this time. Wyden's letter came the same day the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on crypto tax issues specifically. Witnesses at the hearing warned that the IRS may soon face a deluge of tax reporting. Read more: U.S. Senate Hearing on Crypto Taxes Reveals Headaches for Both Industry and IRS We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please visit my profile to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, disable notifications and hide this message. Tonight, Patrick Kielty saddles up for the ultimate hoedown, as The Late Late Show Country Music Special celebrates ten unforgettable years of Irish country music magic and melodies. To mark a decade of toe-tapping tunes and legendary performances, the biggest stars in Irish country will take to the stage for a night of chart-topping hits, timeless classics and surprise collaborations. READ NEXT: LIVE: Met Eireann urges caution as Storm Amy weather warnings continue to come into effect American businesswoman and actress Priscilla Presley will sit down with Patrick to chat about her memoir Softly As I Leave You. Priscilla opens up about her marriage to Elvis, rediscovering herself following their divorce and her unwavering commitment to protecting his legacy. Shell speak candidly about her relationship with daughter Lisa Marie, Lisas marriage to Michael Jackson and how she has found joy in life again despite the tragedies that have shaped her life in recent years. The Three Amigos and the Rejoice Choir will perform a musical tribute to the King of Rock n Roll with a country twist. Irish country music legends Daniel ODonnell, Declan Nerney, Susan McCann and Philomena Begley will join Patrick on the Late Late couch to celebrate ten years of The Late Late Country Music Special. And in true tradition, another exceptional artist will be surprised as they are inducted into The Late Late Show Country Music Hall of Fame, joining the ranks of Irish country music royalty. READ NEXT: Thousands switch off RTE Late Late Show after controversial Patrick Kielty comments Hollywood star John C. Reilly will also join the line-up to share his deep connection with Irish music and culture and along with stories from his recent trip to Co. Kerry. Hell talk about the influences that inspired his latest musical venture, Mister Romantic and give viewers a glimpse of what to expect from his upcoming performance at Dublins Ambassador Theatre. All of this mixed with a night packed full of show-stopping performances from Irelands finest country stars. Catch The Late Late Show on RTE One on Friday night at 9.35pm. Here is the most objective overview we could devise that offers the basics of the story . . . "Former Des Moines Superintendent Ian Roberts resigned September 30, 2025 after his arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and subsequent revelations that he had misrepresented his credentials and immigration status." With thanks to AWESOME TKC READERS . . . We'll start with the KCPD restraining order that was first reported by conservative online sleuth Laura Powell and then confirmed by mainstream media today . . . "Lt. Mark Chance, a spokesperson for the sheriffs office, told the Des Moines Register on Wednesday, Oct. 1, that deputies presented the order to Roberts in August 2023. The order originated in Jackson County, Missouri, and law enforcement officers there asked Polk County deputies to serve Roberts with a copy of the order because he was living in Des Moines. Chance said the Jackson County order was sealed and he did not know what prompted the order. Spokespeople for the Jackson County Sheriff's Office did not respond to an email and call seeking comment." Another overview . . . The Kansas City Police restraining order is just one aspect of the story that now includes firearm charges, community protest, conservative criticism, immigration debate, backtracking from an Iowa school board and now a switcheroo into federal custody. An AWESOME TKC READERS also sent this note and perspective that deserves to be highlighted . . . "The Des Moines, IA illegal alien (former) superintendent has strong ties to KC and our public schools. Lively Paradox was associated with local school districts for what seems like DEI training in LSR7 . . ." Online listings and social media pages confirm the Lively Paradox is based in Kansas City and former superintendent Ian Roberts still remains on their "our team" page as of this writing. Lively Paradox is often consulted on issues of diversity by local news for their work in metro schools. Moreover . . . And this is probably the more important point of this post . . . Close conservative news watchers on social media now argue that this controversial illegal/undocumented connection merits further scrutiny into so many Kansas City metro DEI consulting contracts funded by taxpayer dollars. Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . . Former Des Moines Schools superintendent taken into DOJ custody on federal firearms, immigration charges Ian Roberts, who resigned as Des Moines Public Schools superintendent, was charged by federal prosecutors with illegal firearm possession while in the country illegally. Iowa district hired superintendent despite false Morgan State doctorate claim on his resume The superintendent of Iowa's largest school district, who was detained last week by immigration agents, falsely claimed a doctoral degree when applying for the job two years ago but was hired even after the school board learned about the misrepresentation. In Iowa, a sleepy city is moved to protest for a beloved superintendent detained by ICE Hundreds of Des Moines parents, teachers and students have protested the detainment and possible deportation of Ian Roberts, the popular school district leader. Inside Iowa Politics: Ian Roberts deceived Des Moines School Board, chair says The Des Moines School Board said that Ian Roberts misled members about his background before he became superintendent. Exclusive | Illegal migrant school chief's sordid past revealed: Sex, lies and DEI payouts The school district superintendent arrested by ICE this week lied about attending MIT and was the subject of two sex discrimination lawsuits, The Post has learned. Snappy-dresser Ian Andre Roberts, 51, was fired by Des Moines Public Schools after it emerged he was working illegally and had been avoiding a deportation order. Former DMPS Superintendent Ian Roberts under federal custody The former superintendent faces a federal charge and is under custody by the U.S. Department of Justice. Des Moines Public School Board to meet Friday, consider suing former Superintendent Ian Roberts The school board says it will go into closed session Friday to contemplate "strategy with counsel in matters that are presently in litigation is imminent." Developing . . . AI imagination, pumpkin spice anticipation and more than a bit of snark allow us to quickly share another peek at pop culture, community reporting and top headlines that we're reading right now. Check TKC news gathering . . . Growing Future Gas?!? Biofuel policies likely to drive future demand for US corn and soybeans, says Kansas City Fed - Michigan Farm News Michigan Farm News South Side Learns Future KCPS asks neighbors to guide Bingham repurposing By Sara Wiercinski At the September 13 meeting of the Waldo Tower Neighborhood Association, Kansas City Public Schools (KCPS) asked community members for direction in anticipation of the sale of th... Show-Me Medical Tech Fight Federal judge transfers abortion pill lawsuit to Missouri, citing lack of Texas ties A Texas federal judge transferred a lawsuit seeking to restrict the availability of abortion pill mifepristone to a court in Missouri rather than ending it outright after finding that it no longer had enough ties to Texas to continue there. Celebrate Kansas Heroics Sheriff: Kansas resident lifts vehicle off man, saving his life The Anderson County, Kansas, Sheriff's Office is crediting a local resident for saving a man's life on Thursday morning. Baller Endorsement Kansas City Chiefs Star Patrick Mahomes' Post Sparks Taylor Swift Frenzy NFL star Patrick Mahomes just dropped one fiery emoji and Taylor Swift fans are losing it. Computer Love Confusion If everyone has an AI boyfriend, what does that mean for the future of Gen Z dating? Four in five Gen Zers say they would marry an artificial intelligence chatbot. So, what impact is this having on real-life relationships? MAGA Sends Message Trump puts Hamas on notice with deadline to accept Gaza peace deal President Donald Trump warns Hamas fighters will be killed unless hostage agreement reached by Sunday evening, vowing Middle East peace one way or another. AOC Offers Reassurance Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says Schumer and Jeffries are leading the Democrats' shutdown fight In an interview with NBC News, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez says her caucus is "tremendously united" in demand to end shutdown. House Divided . . . Speaker Johnson sounds alarm on 'dangerous' Democratic Party as government remains shut down | Fox News Video Speaker Mike Johnson joined 'America's Newsroom' on day three of the government shutdown to hammer Democrats' efforts to 'give free stuff to illegal aliens.' Satirical Monument Redux Trump-Epstein statue returns to National Mall after removal by NPS | CNN Politics A statue of President Donald Trump and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein holding hands has returned to the National Mall after it was removed by the National Park Service last week. Discounting Life Amid Budget Debate?!? FDA quietly approved a generic abortion pill ahead of shutdown The approval of a generic for the medication mifepristone comes less than two weeks after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pledged that the agency would review the drug's safety. Crackdown On Reporting Conservative Journalist Arrested in Portland While Reporting on Anti-ICE Protest After refusing to arrest Antifa protesters who assaulted a conservative journalist in Portland, Oregon, police arrested conservative journalist Nick | Border / Cartel Chronicles Hateration Spikes Against Socialist Candidate Zohran Mamdani's rise in the New York mayoral race sparks anti-Muslim vitriol Zohran Mamdani's rise in New York City's mayoral race has brought him national prominence and a surge of anti-Muslim vitriol, including from elected officials and prominent conservatives. Vlad Warns Against Escalation Putin: Possible supply of long-range missiles to Ukraine threatens US relationship with Russia Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that any supply of long-range missiles to Ukraine would threaten the U.S. relationship with Russia, but that Moscow's defense systems will swiftly adopt to the new weaponry. Putin, during a foreign policy forum in Sochi, Russia, said the U.S. potentially sending Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine will indicate a... Tech Liberation?!? A two-day internet blackout shows even the Taliban can't turn back time | CNN For 48 hours, the Taliban appeared to turn back the clock in Afghanistan with a directive to cut off the internet and phone networks, disconnecting millions of people from the world outside. Online Naughty Still Trending OnlyFans, AI girlfriends and 'stepdads': the porn industry in 2025 - podcast What does Europe's biggest porn conference reveal about the future of the porn industry? Amelia Gentleman reports About Local Roots This Dirt Beast works the soil for $2 an hour; why harvesting joy from his urban farm fills the bag Rows of peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, and other vegetables now grow where more than a dozen Kansas City lots once sat vacant. The essence of Dirt Beast Farm is seeded in this soil, creating the ecosystem through which Jameson Hubbard has spent nearly a decade turning open land into food, flowers, and a space for neighbors to gather. Autumn Almost . . . Warm and dry weekend before changes arrive next week Friday has the potential to be the hottest day of the week. Plentiful sunshine easily pushes temperatures into the upper 80s and low 90s. Young Thug - Fucking Told U is the song of the day and this is the OPEN THREAD for right now. Just a few more things so share for late night & early morning denizens of the discourse as we gather top headlines, community reporting and pop culture for our most loyal readers. Check TKC news gathering . . . Diva Shares Retro Love Chappell Roan spotted at Kansas City vintage clothing store ahead of weekend shows Chappell Roan spotted shopping at Kansas City vintage clothing store, Daisy Lee Vintage, in Crossroads ahead of concerts at WWI Museum Old School Accusations Man, 84, to face aggravated battery charges at Overland Park memory care facility An 84-year-old Overland Park man was jailed Wednesday to face charges of aggravated battery following an incident Tuesday at a memory care facility in Overland Park. Rescue Drills Retrofitted KCFD is using Midtown apartment buildings that could be demolished for training Crews are practicing various techniques this week in a rare opportunity as KC Life Insurance looks to demolish four buildings in the Valentine neighborhood. Sharing Suburban Creativity How a storm drain became a local landmark How this roadside dice storm drain became a local landmark in Shawnee Mission Parkway in Kansas City, Kansas. Locals Stand Up For Troops Another viewer tip brings more clarity on new $15 copay for Veteran's Administration fitness classes A KC veteran shared a VA email with KSHB 41's Elyse Schoenig after watching her stories. The email outlined the new copayment policy. That information confirmed claims from veterans she spoke with. Hollywood Threads Redux Julia Roberts channels iconic suit look she wore to 1990 Golden Globes Julia Roberts channeled one of her iconic vintage looks as she stepped out in New York on Wednesday. GOP Getting Anxious?!? Analysis: Why some Republicans are getting cold feet about Trump's shutdown layoff threats | CNN Politics Republican Sen. Mike Lee offered some colorful commentary Wednesday night about Democrats and the government shutdown. Dems Earn Even More Scorn Shutting the government down 'defeats the whole purpose' of the Democratic Party: Charlie Hurt | Fox News Video Fox News host Charlie Hurt and former first lady Jill Biden press secretary Michael LaRosa break down Democrats' position in the government shutdown fight on 'The Ingraham Angle.' Practicing Political Endurance Republicans Who Cross Trump Rarely Survive - Will The Epstein Truthers? Thomas Massie, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert and Nancy Mace are going head to head with Donald Trump over the Epstein files. MAGA Trolls Shutdown The sombrero videos Trump keeps posting, explained The AI videos targeting Democrats are using Latino cultural tropes as a cudgel. La Migra Tech Support After All Apple drops ICE tracking apps from its store after Trump DOJ demand Attorney General Pam Bondi demanded ICEBLOCK be removed from the App Store today "and Apple did so," she told Fox News. MAGA Vs. El Papa?!? Pope Leo's critique of Trump ends honeymoon with conservative Catholics Pope Leo initially impressed conservative Catholics after his election in May as he embraced traditions shunned by his predecessor Pope Francis and steered clear of hot button social issues that divided the 1.4 billion-member Church. Local October Calendar Debuts Things to do in Kansas City this weekend Oct. 3-5 Plenty is going on in Kansas City this weekend, including Chappell Roan concerts, Taylor Swift listening parties, and fall festivals. Forecast For Now . . . Kansas City remains warm and dry through the weekend; rain possible next week It's another warm and dry day - but changes could be on the way next week. And this is the OPEN THREAD for right now. More news deets amid this ongoing story that started with traffic tickets . . . Check-it: The court documents reveal that several deputies picked Adair up out of his wheelchair and placed him stomach-down on the lower bunk in his cell. As deputies worked to control Adairs movements, the affidavit claims that Adair can be heard yelling, Help. Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . . Affidavit reveals Charles Adair yelled 'help' during altercation at Wyandotte County jail A Wyandotte County District Court judge released new details Wednesday in the murder case against Sheriff's Deputy Richard Fatherley. Family reacts after court documents detail final minutes of Charles Adair's life New court documents detail the final minutes of Charles Adair's life inside the Wyandotte County Detention Center. Developing . . . Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) secures a spot on our list of the 20 NYSE Stocks with the Lowest P/E Ratios. Lithia Motors, Inc. (LAD) Prices $600 Million in 5.500% Senior Notes Due 2030 On September 3, 2025, Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) announced that it had priced $600 million in 5.500% senior notes due 2030, a $100 million increase from its originally planned offering. Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) will use the funds from the private offering to repay part of its revolving credit borrowing, which can later be reborrowed for acquisitions and working capital. This move aligns with the companys ongoing capital strategy, which includes 16 consecutive years of dividend payments and a recent boost of its share repurchase authorization by $750 million to $1.08 billion. Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD), the largest automotive retailer, serves customers through physical dealerships, e-commerce platforms, and captive finance solutions. While we acknowledge the potential of LAD as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 15 Stocks That Will Benefit From AI and 12 Best Quantum Computing Stocks to Buy According to Wall Street Analysts. Disclosure: None. 88% of women feel somewhat threatened travelling alone in the UK and Europe. However, a leading travel expert says solo female travellers can feel safe visiting Rome for this autumns Jubilee events and Christmas especially if they develop the abbey habit. (TRAVPR.COM) UNITED KINGDOM - October 2nd, 2025 - Rome is Europes second most visited city and one that women can feel particularly safe visiting alone, particularly if they stay in one of the many welcoming monastery and convent-owned guest houses in the city, says a leading travel expert. Johanna Jernberg a leading travel expert from the specialist accommodation finder Monastaries.com says: Solo women travellers outnumber solo male travellers by 67% to 37%. Thats despite the fact that 88% of females feel somewhat threatened travelling alone, whether in the UK or Europe. Rome features high on many womens bucket list destinations. Last year, 30 million people flocked to the city and that figure is likely to have doubled for the 2025 Jubilee celebrations. Many of those visiting this year will be solo women, whether for the Jubilee events, to savour the atmosphere of autumn in the Eternal City or to take part in Pope Leo XIVs first Christmas Mass. Women are increasingly setting off on their own adventures, with 27% of British women saying they are considering a holiday alone. 81% of solo female travellers are over 45 years old. Rome is ranked as High on The Economists Safe Cities Index for personal security, in 23rd place. Thats above many other popular tourist destination cities such as Dubai, New York, San Francisco and Rio de Janeiro. Naturally, safety is an important consideration for many solo travellers or, for that matter, for groups of maturer women travelling together. While 37% of women feel safer in a holiday property rental and 35% in a large hotel, according to recent research from the womens travel resource JourneyWoman, that still leaves many women who dont feel secure in traditional holiday accommodation. For that reason, many women are surprised but delighted to discover they are able to stay in monasteries, convents and guest houses run by religious orders across Rome. Often, the only major restriction might be a curfew, which is typically between 10pm and midnight. For many solo female travellers, however, the safety this offers may actually prove an attraction. For example, La Casa Il Rosario. Belonging to the Dominican Sisters of Charity, this centrally situated guesthouse comes equipped with plenty of amenities including heating and air conditioning and is bookable for a minimum of two nights and a maximum of 10 days. It still has limited availability for November from 111.20 per night for a single ensuite room with bed & breakfast included. To find out more about staying in Rome on a budget and making the most of the citys year-round attractions, see the full online guide at https://www.monasteries.com/en-GB/city/rome/home/ ### BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 3. A series of exhibitions on Azerbaijan's mine problem are being held by Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) for the first time in Europe, Trend reports. On October 2, a photo exhibition dedicated to the mine victims of Azerbaijan was held in Brussels, the capital of Belgium. The exhibition was organized as part of the CulMINAtion of Danger project, implemented by the Gilavar Photo Club Public Union with the support of the Agency for State Support to NGOs of Azerbaijan. The projects partner in Belgium is the Fireland Azerbaijanis Union. Rashad Mehdiyev, chairman of the Gilavar Photo Club Public Union, stated that this is the first time such a series of exhibitions on Azerbaijans mine problem has been held in Europe through NGOs. After Munich, Nuremberg, and Paris, we are now showcasing these photos in Brussels, which can be described as speaking images. They tell the stories of people who fell victim to mines planted in Azerbaijani lands by Armenia. We will not remain silent; the time has come for the military-political leadership of Armenia, responsible for this brutality against civilians during 30 years of occupation, to be held accountable. Our appeal from Brussels, considered the capital of the European Union, to the world is for the sake of ensuring justice, he said. Can a person step on an anti-tank mine in their own land? Its hard to imagine, but I survived. I wasnt even 18 yet, and from that day, my life filled with suffering began. I lost my youth and both of my legs, said landmine victim Elmir Bagirov. The photo of another mine victim, Samir Alizade, who lost both legs and one eye, invites viewers to grasp his emotions: One step, two explosions You tell the rest The story of Rahim Garashov, who lost his leg to stacked mines, represents yet another tragedy: What were they trying to achieve by stacking mines? Why such cruelty? While trying to save my colleague from a mine trap, I became a victim myself. Visitors were able to access additional information about Azerbaijans mine problem by scanning QR codes displayed on the photos. The Gilavar Photo Club Public Union is poised to perpetuate this exhibition series across the European landscape. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 3. The opening of the Nakhchivan Innovation Center has taken place in the administrative building of Nakhchivan State University within the ongoing innovation ecosystem development activities of Innovation and Digital Development Agency (IDDA) in Azerbaijani regions, Trend reports. The ceremony gathered the leadership of Nakhchivan State University, representatives of state institutions, including startup founders from Nakhchivan. Welcoming the event participants with an opening speech, IDDA Chairman Farid Osmanov emphasized that the establishment of the Nakhchivan Innovation Center is an important stage in the expansion of regional innovations. "After Baku and Sumgayit, the establishment of such a center in Nakhchivan is an important event for this region in terms of ensuring the accessibility of innovation infrastructure. This center is not just an office space, here startups will be able to participate in various development programs, receive mentor support, hold meetings with investors and organize events. An innovation culture will be formed and expanded here," he explained. The welcoming part of the event was also addressed by the rector of Nakhchivan State University Elbrus Isayev and the Deputy Minister of Digital Development and Transport Azer Mammadrahimov. They highly appreciated the work of IDDA in the field of ecosystem building in the regions and noted that the opening of the Nakhchivan Innovation Center will create new perspectives for innovative-minded young people from the surrounding regions. Then, Head of the Technoparks Department of IDDA Elvin Hajiyev provided detailed information about the Nakhchivan Innovation Center. He said that the center will house a Hardware and Software Laboratory that will enable the development and testing of modern technological solutions, and a Technology and Engineering Laboratory that will transform ideas into prototypes and practical projects. In addition, co-working and event spaces will be put into operation to create an environment of cooperation and joint activity for innovators, students, and anyone interested in innovation in general. At the end of the event, Head of the Information Technologies Department of Nakhchivan State University Huseyn Asgarli made a detailed presentation on the activities of Nakhchivan State University in building an innovation ecosystem. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Photo: Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan for Atomic Energy ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 3. Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have discussed the development of bilateral cooperation in the nuclear industry and the peaceful use of nuclear technologies, Trend reports via Kazakhstans Atomic Energy Agency. The talks were held between Chairman of the Agency Almassadam Satkaliyev and Azerbaijans Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov. Discussions focused on regulatory and supervisory practices in the nuclear sector, nuclear and radiation safety, environmental monitoring, and the handling of radioactive materials. The sides also addressed training and professional development of specialists, diversification prospects, and the introduction of advanced technologies. Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are brotherly nations, united by long-standing ties and a shared commitment to the safe and peaceful development of nuclear energy. We will continue to exchange experience and strengthen cooperation for the benefit of our countries and the wider region, Satkaliyev said. Following the meeting, both sides confirmed their interest in further expanding the partnership and strengthening interaction in the peaceful use of nuclear energy. ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 3. President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev will pay a visit to Azerbaijan on October 67 to take part in the 12th Summit of the Council of Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), Trend reports, citing the presidential press service. The OTS summit, themed "Regional Peace and Security", will be held on October 67 in Gabala. This October, the chairmanship of the OTS will pass from Kyrgyzstan to Azerbaijan. The OTS is an international organization of cooperation among Turkic states, bringing together Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkiye, and Uzbekistan. Its main objective is to foster comprehensive cooperation among Turkic-speaking countries. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 3. Relations between Germany and Azerbaijan have reached a new level of cooperation and dialogue, German Ambassador to Azerbaijan Ralf Horlemann said at a reception in Baku, Trend reports. The ambassador recalled that earlier this year, German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier made an official visit to Azerbaijan, the first by a German president since Azerbaijan regained independence in 1991. This historic event marked an important milestone in the development of our bilateral relations, he emphasized. Horlemann noted that over the past year, the bilateral economic nexus between the two nations has evolved with remarkable dynamism, adhering to a collaborative strategic framework aimed at amplifying trade, economic synergies, and investment partnerships. This event has provided a solid foundation for more active engagement in key sectors such as energy, transport, agriculture, healthcare, and many others, he added. The ambassador also emphasized that tangible initiatives are currently in progress. Among them is the construction of an electric bus assembly plant in Azerbaijan by Germany's MAN company, representing a significant contribution to sustainable mobility. Another important step is the gas contract between the German SEFE company and the Azerbaijani State Oil Company (SOCAR), signed this year. Under the agreement, 1.5 billion cubic meters of gas will be delivered annually to European consumers over the next ten years, Horlemann said. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 3. The Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan and Japan held political consultations in Baku, Trend reports. The Azerbaijani delegation was led by Deputy Foreign Minister Elnur Mammadov, while the Japanese side was headed by Masaki Ishikawa, Deputy Director General of the European Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Special Representative for Central Asia, the Caucasus, and GUAM. During the consultations, the parties exchanged views on cooperation in the political, economic, investment, trade, education, cultural, humanitarian, energy, environmental, climate, and tourism fields, as well as other areas. The meeting underlined the importance of strengthening bilateral relations, discussing regional issues to enhance mutual understanding, and continuing cooperation within international organizations. Deputy Minister Elnur Mammadov also provided his counterpart with detailed information on Azerbaijan's peace agenda, the reconciliation process with Armenia, reconstruction and development initiatives in the liberated territories, and ongoing investment projects. Photo: Press Service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 3. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Federal Republic of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Trend reports. "Dear Mr. President, On behalf of myself and the people of Azerbaijan, I extend my sincere congratulations to you and all your people on the occasion of October 3 German Unity Day. Germany is an important partner for us, and we attach great importance to the comprehensive development of our bilateral relations. Your visit to Azerbaijan in April gave a fresh impetus to the advancement of our cooperation, which encompasses a broad agenda. I believe that we will continue our joint efforts to further develop the friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Germany, sustain our mutually beneficial cooperation across various fields, and enrich it with new content. On this festive occasion, I wish you robust health, happiness, and success in your endeavors, and the friendly people of Germany lasting peace and prosperity," the letter reads. Photo: Press Service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 3. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Republic of Korea Lee Jae Myung on the occasion of his countrys National Day, Trend reports. "Dear Mr. President, On the occasion of the National Day of the Republic of Korea, I extend my heartfelt congratulations and extend best wishes to you and to your entire people on my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan. The successful development of relations between Azerbaijan and Korea is a source of great satisfaction. Today, we have ample opportunities to further deepen our cooperation in a number of areas, particularly in economic-trade, industry, high technologies, digital transformation, science, education, and other areas. I am confident that, in line with the interests of our friendly peoples, we will continue our joint efforts consistently to strengthen Azerbaijan-Korea relations and expand our cooperation. On this festive day, I extend to you my best wishes and wish lasting peace and prosperity to the friendly Republic of Korea," the letter reads. At 16, Murati won a scholarship from United World Collegesa program that brings together students from over 80 countries to promote intercultural understanding and social responsibilityto study at Pearson College on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. But after graduating from Pearson in 2005, Murati pursued an unusual academic path that would prove prescient for her later career. She enrolled in a dual-degree program , completing a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Colby College in 2011 and a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from Dartmouth Colleges Thayer School of Engineering in 2012. This combination of liberal arts and engineering disciplines provided her with both analytical thinking skills and technical expertise, which would prove handy in her later roles in Silicon Valley. Born on December 16, 1988, in Vlore, Albania, during the final years of the countrys totalitarian regime, Muratis early life was shaped by political upheaval and economic uncertainty. Her parents, both high school teachers who taught literature , encouraged her academic pursuits, but Murati told Microsofts CTO Kevin Scott in 2023 that she had an organic interest towards math and science, where she excelled in Olympiads and competitions throughout her schooling. Murati, the 36-year-old Albanian-American engineer-turned-executive, has emerged as a defining figure in the AI boom. Her journey from a mechanical engineering student to the chief technology officer who helped create ChatGPT exemplifies the rapid transformation of both AI technology and the careers of those building it. More recently, her ability to resist Mark Zuckerbergs aggressive recruitment effortsincluding reported billion-dollar offers to acquire her company and poach her talenthas solidified her reputation as a leader willing to chart her own course in an industry dominated by tech giants. She may not have the same name recognition as other tech execs like Tim Cook, Bill Gates, or Mark Zuckerbergnot yet, anywaybut Mira Murati is one of the most-watched entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley. The former chief technology officer from OpenAI, who left to launch her own AI startup last year, just celebrated a major milestone: Her company, Thinking Machines Lab, just launched its first product this week , called Tinker. Rather than be another generative-AI chatbot like ChatGPT, Tinker is designed to help researchers and developers fine-tune AI models without the need to manage massive computing infrastructure. The launch represents the first commercial product from Thinking Machines, which raised a record-breaking $2 billion in seed funding at a $12 billion valuation. Story Continues Muratis professional journey began with a summer analyst internship at Goldman Sachs in Tokyo in 2011, followed by a brief stint as an Advanced Concepts Engineer at Zodiac Aerospace from 2012 to 2013. She joined Tesla that same year as a senior product manager for the Model X program, contributing to the development of Teslas SUV project. In 2016, she joined Leap Motion, an augmented-reality startup, as vice president of product and engineering. During her two-year tenure, she focused on advancing human-computer interaction technology, helping shape the companys product offerings and market strategy. This role positioned her perfectly for the next phase of her career in AI development. The OpenAI years Murati joined OpenAI in June 2018, as vice president of applied AI and partnerships, during a pivotal period for the organization. She quickly rose through the ranks, becoming senior vice president of research, product and partnerships in 2020, before being promoted to chief technology officer in 2022. As CTO, Murati oversaw the development of some of the most transformative AI technologies of the modern era. She led teams working on ChatGPT, DALL-E, Codex, and Soraproducts that fundamentally changed how the public interacts with artificial intelligence. Her leadership was instrumental in scaling OpenAI from a research organization to one of the most important AI companies in the world. In November 2023, Murati briefly found herself at the center of Silicon Valley drama when she was named interim CEO following Sam Altmans sudden removal by OpenAIs board. Though her tenure lasted only three days before being replaced by Emmett Shear, who then stepped aside when Altman was reinstated, the episode highlighted her standing within the organization and the industryand, given the media firestorm, it ended up being the first time many people heard the name Mira Murati. Recognition and controversy Muratis influence has been recognized across the technology industry. She was ranked 57th on Fortunes list of The 100 Most Powerful Women in Business of 2023 and featured in Times 100 Most Influential People in AI in 2024. In June 2024, Dartmouth College awarded her an honorary Doctor of Science degree, recognizing her contributions to artificial intelligence, technology, and engineering. However, Muratis tenure at OpenAI was not without controversy. At a speaking engagement at Dartmouths Thayer School of Engineering, Murati made comments about AIs impact on creative jobs that sparked significant backlash. Some creative jobs maybe will go away, but maybe they shouldnt have been there in the first place, she said. Critics, including from Dartmouths own student body, accused her of being tone-deaf to the concerns of artists and writers whose livelihoods are threatened by AI automation. Despite the controversy, Murati has consistently advocated for responsible AI development and government regulation. In a 2023 interview with Time Magazine, she said: Its important for OpenAI and companies like ours to bring this into the public consciousness in a way thats controlled and responsible. But were a small group of people and we need a ton more input in this system and a lot more input that goes beyond the technologiesdefinitely regulators and governments and everyone else. Building Thinking Machines Lab In September 2024, Murati announced her departure from OpenAI to pursue my own exploration, publishing the note she shared with her fellow employees on X. Theres never an ideal time to step away from a place one cherishes, yet this moment feels right. Our recent releases of speech-to-speech and OpenAl o1 mark the beginning of a new era in interaction and intelligence achievements made possible by your ingenuity and craftsmanship, she said. I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to build and work alongside this remarkable team. Months later, in February of this year, Murati officially launched Thinking Machines Lab, a public benefit corporation focused on developing AI systems that are more accessible, customizable, and human-aligned. The startup assembled an impressive roster of talent, recruiting approximately 30 researchers and engineers from leading AI firms including former colleagues from OpenAI, as well as experts from Google, Meta, Mistral, and Character AI. The teams collective expertise and Muratis track record enabled the company to raise $2 billion in seed funding led by Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from Nvidia, AMD, Accel, ServiceNow, Cisco, and Jane Street, giving her startup a $12 billion valuation. Resisting Silicon Valley giants The true test of Muratis leadership came when Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg launched what The Wall Street Journal called a full-scale raid on her startup. Zuckerberg reportedly approached more than a dozen employees at the 50-person company, offering packages ranging from $200 million to $1.5 billion over multiple years. One researcher reportedly received an offer worth over $1 billion, while others were promised earnings between $50 million and $100 million in their first year alone. The aggressive recruitment campaign targeted key figures including Andrew Tulloch, Muratis co-founder and a machine-learning expert who previously worked at Meta for over a decade. Despite the astronomical offers, not a single employee accepted Metas proposalsa remarkable display of loyalty in an industry where talent frequently moves for financial incentives. This resistance speaks to both Muratis leadership and the teams belief in Thinking Machines Labs mission. As she said when announcing the companys funding: We believe AI should serve as an extension of individual agency and, in the spirit of freedom, be distributed as widely and equitably as possible. Muratis present and AIs future With Tinkers launch, Thinking Machines Lab is betting that the next frontier in AI lies not in building ever-larger models, but in democratizing access to advanced capabilities through fine-tuning tools. The platform currently allows users to customize Metas Llama and Alibabas Qwen models using just a few lines of code, handling the complexity of distributed training that typically requires specialized expertise and significant computing resources. We believe [Tinker] will help empower researchers and developers to experiment with models and will make frontier capabilities much more accessible to all people, Murati told Wired. The company plans to release additional scientific findings to help the broader research community understand frontier AI systems. As the AI industry continues to evolve at breakneck speed, Muratis approach offers a compelling alternative to the winner-take-all dynamics that have come to define Silicon Valley. Whether Thinking Machines Lab can maintain this independence while scaling its technology and influence remains to be seen, but Muratis track record suggests shes building something designed to last. Last June, Murati discussed a wide range of topics at Fortunes Most Powerful Women dinner in San Francisco, including the Apple partnership, safety and privacy concerns, how she found her love for AI, and more. You can watch the full conversation below. For this story, Fortune used generative AI to help with an initial draft. An editor verified the accuracy of the information before publishing. This story was originally featured on Fortune.com Photo: Press service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 3. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Republic of Iraq Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid, Trend reports. "Dear Mr. President, On behalf of myself and the people of Azerbaijan, I extend my most sincere congratulations and best wishes to you and all your people on the occasion of the national holiday of the Republic of Iraq. I highly value our recent meeting in New York and the exchange of views we held. I am confident that we will continue our joint efforts to further strengthen Azerbaijan-Iraq relations and to fully realize the potential of our mutually beneficial cooperation, both bilaterally and within multilateral frameworks. On this significant day, I wish you robust health, happiness, and success in your endeavors, and the friendly people of Iraq lasting peace and prosperity," the letter reads. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 3. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev sent a congratulatory letter to President of Iraq Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid on the occasion of Iraqs national holiday, Trend reports. In his letter, the Azerbaijani President highly valued his recent meeting and exchange of views with the Iraqi President in New York. I am confident that we will continue our joint efforts to further strengthen Azerbaijan-Iraq relations and to fully realize the potential of our mutually beneficial cooperation, both bilaterally and within multilateral frameworks, President Ilham Aliyev underlined. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 3. The 11th Summit of the Speakers of Parliaments of the "Big Twenty" countries (G20) has ended in Cape Town, South Africa, a source in the Azerbaijani parliament told Trend. The Azerbaijani Parliament Speaker Sahiba Gafarova, who was on a working visit to this country to participate in the summit, attended the closing ceremony of the event. The speakers at the ceremony noted the successful organization of the summit and drew attention to the fact that many important and highly relevant topics were discussed by the parliamentarians at the event and a fruitful exchange of views was held. The host of the summit, Speaker of the National Assembly of the South African Republic Thoko Didiza thanked the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament, Chair of the Non-Aligned Movement Parliamentary Network, Sahiba Gafarova, for her participation in the event. Gafarova also met with Speaker of the National Assembly of Zimbabwe Jacob Mudenda, and Head of the Brazilian Parliamentary Delegation Jack Rocha, within the framework of the ceremony. The meetings highlighted the importance of the P20 Summit and the issues discussed there, and discussed the prospects for inter-parliamentary and inter-state relations. Besides, Gafarova expressed her gratitude to Didiza for the high level of organization of this summit and the high appreciation given to her activities as the Chair of the Azerbaijani Parliament, as well as the Non-Aligned Movement Parliamentary Network. To note, Gafarova spoke at the opening ceremony of the Summit and at the discussions on "Strengthening Disaster Resilience and Response" held within the framework of the event. The G20, or Group of Twenty, serves as a pivotal platform for the world's leading economies to engage in dialogue and tackle critical economic and financial challenges. In parallel, the P20, known as Parliament20, functions as a G20 engagement consortium that convenes legislators from G20 nations to enhance collaborative efforts on international matters and bolster the execution of G20 resolutions. The P20, an innovative framework, functions as a conduit for legislative stakeholders to engage in G20 discourse and fortify the nexus between G20 resolutions and parliamentary implementations. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 3. The participation of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in the prestigious 7th Summit of the European Political Community held in Copenhagen, Denmark, was another confirmation of Azerbaijan's growing influence and strategic position both in the region and in Europe, political analyst Azer Garayev told Trend. According to him, the summit has turned into a key stage for hashing out strategic matters that hold significant weight for the continent. "During his visit to Copenhagen, President Ilham Aliyev met with President of the Council of the European Union Antonio Costa and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. The topics of discussion included the results of the peace agenda between Azerbaijan and Armenia achieved in Washington, the role of Azerbaijan in Europe's energy security, and projects in the field of transport logistics. Ilham Aliyev met with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, Prime Minister of the Netherlands Dick Schofla, President of France Emmanuel Macron, and President of Moldova Maia Sandu and discussed many issues. The meeting between President Ilham Aliyev and President of France Emmanuel Macron is of particular interest. At one time, the French authorities were conducting a smear campaign against our country. Now, the French President congratulates Azerbaijan on the steps taken towards peace, showing that Paris is interested in supporting the peace process in the region. Because Azerbaijan never acts under someone's dictates. It goes to the end in its just struggle and proves that it is right," he said. Garayev noted that the meeting between President Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Copenhagen on October 2 is a significant leap forward in the quest to smooth over Azerbaijani-Armenian relations. "The parties' reaffirmation of their commitment to the agreements reached at the Washington Peace Summit demonstrates the political will to continue the peace process. The discussion of transport and communication projects and infrastructure issues lays the foundation for future regional cooperation. The agreement on solidarity and confidence-building measures in the position regarding the OSCE Minsk Group demonstrates the parties' preference for practical and forward-looking dialogue. The European Political Community initiative aims to strengthen political dialogue between European countries and increase cooperation aimed at ensuring stability and security on the continent. Energy security, conflict resolution, transport and logistics relations, and strengthening democratic institutions occupy an important place among the organization's areas of activity. Azerbaijan is not only a participating party on this platform, but also has become a strategic partner of the continent with its regional initiatives, stabilizing role, and energy resources," the analyst explained. Garayev emphasized that President Ilham Aliyev's participation in Copenhagen was not limited to a speech at the event. "Within the framework of the summit, the head of state held a number of important bilateral and multilateral meetings. An important feature of these meetings is that they were initiated by the other side. This is an indicator of Ilham Aliyev's international influence and Azerbaijan's growing diplomatic weight. This fact should not be evaluated only within the framework of diplomatic etiquette and protocol, but also as a clear indicator of Azerbaijan's increasingly strengthened position in the system of international relations, and President Ilham Aliyev's growing influence on global political platforms. The fact that the meetings were initiated by the other side is primarily an indicator of Ilham Aliyev's perception as a reliable and strong leader on a continental scale. Especially in a place like Europe, which is sensitive to balances and values in diplomacy, requesting a meeting with the leader of a country indicates that his political weight, leadership qualities and role in the region are recognized," he mentioned. Garayev pointed out that Azerbaijan is a key geopolitical player in the region and under Ilham Aliyev's leadership, the country has emerged as a reliable partner in the fields of energy, security and transport. "European countries, especially in terms of energy and alternative routes, understand the geostrategic importance of Azerbaijan, and therefore are trying to deepen political dialogue with Azerbaijan. The statement made by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to journalists is of particular interest. He said that we are facing many difficulties in the energy sector, while you have rich resources and are ready for cooperation, and your leadership is also stable. Azerbaijan is truly a gold reserve for Europe. The fact that the initiator of the meetings is the other side is a clear proof of the respect, trust and positive attitude shown to our country and its leadership. This cannot be explained only by political interests; it is also a result of the image formed by Azerbaijan in the international arena. President Ilham Aliyev has acted as the author and executor of many global initiatives in recent years. This has also given him political weight and credibility in the global arena. The fact that Azerbaijan acts as the main guarantor of stability in the South Caucasus and puts forward peace initiatives in the region is also one of the factors increasing Ilham Aliyev's authority. Holding high-level meetings in a city like Copenhagen not only increases authority, but is also an indicator of the effectiveness of diplomatic activity. Such meetings also confirm the flexibility of Azerbaijani diplomacy and its active participation in international platforms," he added. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 3. Executive Director of the Baku Initiative Group Abbas Abbasov has delivered a speech at the international conference "Colonialism, neocolonialism and its consequences", attended by President of the Simon Bolivar Institute's Foundation for Peace and Solidarity among Peoples Blanca Gomez, Trend reports. Abbasov greeted the event participants on behalf of the Baku Initiative Group and expressed his gratitude to its organizers and host. He said that the main theme of today's conference is fully consistent with the mission of our organization. Thus, the Baku Initiative Group actively supports the legitimate struggle against colonialism and neocolonialism. In this context, the group was able to effectively convey the realities of (neo)colonialism and its manifestations to the international community. The executive director recalled that Azerbaijan successfully chaired the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in 2019-2023. In July 2023, at the international conference 'Towards the complete elimination of colonialism' organized in Baku within the framework of the Ministerial Meeting of the NAM Coordination Bureau, a decision was made to establish the Baku Initiative Group with the status of an international non-governmental organization with the participation of representatives of overseas territories. Demonstrating full commitment to the principles of international law and human rights, the organization's activities are dedicated to the complete elimination of colonialism and neo-colonialism, promoting the right to decolonization, as well as providing support to peoples suffering from the persistent manifestations of colonial rule. He emphasized that since its inception, the NAM has become an internationally influential and credible platform in the global decolonization movement. Over the past two years, it has organized more than 40 international conferences and high-level events at the UN headquarters in New York, Geneva, and Vienna, as well as in Rome, Istanbul, and Baku, known as the center of decolonization dialogues. "Our international events are dedicated to various aspects of colonialism - its environmental, cultural, social, educational and health impacts. Within the framework of these events, political leaders, scholars, international law experts, special rapporteurs and civil society organizations from territories still under colonial rule were brought together, creating a broad platform for dialogue and cooperation. One of the main achievements of the Baku Initiative Group was the holding of the First Congress of Nationalist and Independence Movements, held in Baku in July 2024. Within the framework of this event, representatives of independence movements from the French and Dutch colonies signed a founding declaration on the creation of the International Decolonization Front. This significant step united the collective voice of movements operating under colonial slavery and became a solid foundation for their coordinated action at the international level. Another important achievement was the inclusion of the report prepared by the Baku Initiative Group in the 'International Decade for Action for People of African Descent', launched by the UN Secretary-General in 2025. In addition, the Baku Initiative Group organized side events in cooperation with the UN General Assembly sessions, the Special Committee on Decolonization (C24) and the Fourth Committee of the General Assembly (C4), the Permanent Forum of People of African Descent, the UN Human Rights Committee and the UN Human Rights Council, and contributed to the substantive dialogue, in addition to intergovernmental discussions. The Baku Initiative Group also organized a number of events and actions within the framework of COP29. The aim was to show not only the political and social consequences of colonialism, but also its devastating environmental impacts. Our mission was to draw the attention of the international community to the fact that colonial rule destroys ecosystems, depletes natural resources and threatens the existence of island states and colonial dependent territories. In addition, the Baku Initiative Group acts as an analytical center and produces high-level research and expert analysis in the fields of colonialism and decolonization. So far, reports, journals and has published more than 20 publications, including books. Among these publications, the remarkable work 'The Evolution of French Colonialism: A Political and Constitutional Analysis' written by the international expert on the management of colonial territories, Corlyle Corbin, is of particular importance. The Baku Initiative Group continues to play an important role in supporting peoples who remained under colonial slavery. In this regard, Azerbaijan is a place of hope and a global platform for peoples struggling for independence and freedom," Abbasov concluded. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 4. The Azerbaijani Army launched a counter-offensive operation, later called 'Iron Fist', in response to Armenian armed forces on September 27, 2020, Trend reports. The 44-day second Karabakh war ended with the liberation of Azerbaijans territories from nearly 30-year Armenian occupation. Trend presents chronicle of the Second Karabakh War for October 4, 2020: - President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev announced the liberation of the city of Jabrayil and several villages of the district from the occupation by the Azerbaijani Army; - President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev addressed the nation; - President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev was interviewed by Al Arabiya TV channel; - The glorious Azerbaijani Army liberated the following settlements: Jabrayil city, Karkhulu village, Shukurbayli village, Yukhari Maralyan village, Charakan village, Dashkasan village, Horovlu village, Dejal village, Mahmudlu village, Jafarabad village. - President Ilham Aliyev congratulated commanders of the Joint Corps Major General Mayis Barkhudarov, Major General Hikmat Mirzayev and all their personnel on the liberation of the city of Jabrayil and nine villages of Jabrayil district. - First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva made an Instagram post on the victories of the Azerbaijani Army on the front. - The Azerbaijani flag was hoisted in the liberated Sugovushan village; - Two civilians killed, and two were injured as a result of heavy artillery shelling of Azerbaijan's Beylagan by the Armenian armed forces. The Prosecutor General's Office issued a statement on the shelling of Azerbaijan's Ganja, resulting in the death of one civilian and injuries to four residents. - The criminal case was initiated against Armenia's Arayik Harutyunyan; - Azerbaijan's Prosecutor General Kamran Aliyev made an appeal to international organizations; - The Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic of Azerbaijan released the list of people injured as a result of the Armenian provocation in Ganja; - The Azerbaijani flag was hoisted at the post where National Hero of Azerbaijan Mubariz Ibrahimov alone killed a lot of Armenian servicemen; - The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense shared once again the footage of a large number of the Armenian armed forces weapons, other military equipment, and vehicles seized as a trophy in the Jabrayil direction. Photo: Press Service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 3. Footage of President Ilham Aliyevs working visit to Denmark has been published on his social media accounts. Trend presents the post: "President Ilham Aliyevs working visit to Denmark (0102.10.2025)". Photo: Press Service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 4. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has shared a post on his social media on the fifth anniversary of the liberation of Jabrayil from Armenian occupation, Trend reports. Will be updated BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 4. Azerbaijan actively participates in and contributes to international discussions on decolonization issues, Trend reports. Speaking at a meeting of the UN General Assemblys Special Political and Decolonization Committee, Azerbaijans Permanent Representative to the UN, Tofig Musayev, highlighted his countrys consistent stance on the matter. Musayev noted that during Azerbaijans chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement from 2019 to 2023, the eradication of colonialism was identified as a priority, with particular attention given to amplifying the collective voice of member states calling for urgent progress. Azerbaijan supports the full implementation of the principles enshrined in the UN Charter and relevant General Assembly resolutions on decolonization, he said. In 2024 and earlier this year, Azerbaijan took part in regional seminars of the Special Committee in Caracas and Dili, dedicated to implementing the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 4. The Azerbaijani-American Youth Federation, based in New York, United States, held an awareness campaign in connection with September 27 - Remembrance Day, the Azerbaijani State Committee on Work with Diaspora told Trend. The campaign was dedicated to the memory of the military personnel and civilians who died in the struggle to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. The letters, sent to U.S. President Donald Trump, as well as senators and members of Congress, emphasized that Azerbaijani lands were under occupation for many years, resulting in more than a million people being forced to abandon their homelands. Besides, the letters noted that as a result of the 44-day Second Karabakh War, the country's territorial integrity was restored, and the "Great Return" program is currently being successfully implemented. Data was disseminated regarding extensive rehabilitation and infrastructural development initiatives in the reclaimed regions, alongside the systematic approach to land demining operations. The letters commended U.S. efforts to ensure peace and stability in the South Caucasus and expressed gratitude for this support. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel On October 3, as part of the 14th Session of the Statistical Commission of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held in Ankara, a meeting took place at the Turkish Statistical Institute between the delegation led by the Chairman of Azerbaijans State Statistical Committee and Turkish officials. Azernews reports that during the meeting, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the field of statistics was signed between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Government of the Republic of Turkiye. The MoU was signed by Tahir Budagov, Chairman of Azerbaijans State Statistical Committee, and Erhan Cetinkaya, President of the Turkish Statistical Institute. The agreement is expected to further strengthen and deepen bilateral cooperation in official statistics, support the integration of modern information and communication technologies in statistical production, and promote the exchange of best practices across various statistical domains. In July this year, the Mexican government did something no other government had ever done. It used a corporate debt tool to reduce the massive debt pile of state-owned energy major Pemex. Now, others are using this as a template for their struggling state entities. In July, the Mexican government issued $12 billion worth of something called P-Caps. Normally used in corporate circles, P-Caps, or pre-capitalized securities, allow a borrower access to debt funding in case of need but without being included in its balance sheet. The securities sit in a trust to keep them separate from the companys liabilities and avoid having them affect its credit rating. The way that Mexicos government went about it was by setting up a special entity, through which it sold the freshly issued debt and used the proceeds to buy U.S. sovereign debt. Pemex was then given access to that debt portfolio to use as collateral for new loans, Bloomberg detailed in a report this week. Also, income generated from the interest the U.S. sovereign debt carries could be used to pay down interest on Pemexs own debt. Most commonly used by insurance companies, in this case, the P-Caps were classified as public government debt and kept separate from Pemexs liability list, which features some $105 billion in financial debt and another $20 billion in payables to suppliers. It worked, too. Immediately after the news broke that the government would issue $12 billion in debt to help Pemex, the companys own bonds soared. Related: Iraq Eyes Major Oil Production Surge by Year-End Its a sign of support from Sheinbaum, which shows pragmatism and decisiveness, one senior economist told Bloomberg at the time. The financial challenges were clouding the outlook and taking attention away from the companys management and operational challenges. We hope they can start to address the latter soon, Armando Armenta from AllianceBernstein in New York said. Now, Bloomberg is reporting that other governments are drawing inspiration from Mexico to help state companies with P-Caps. We started getting phone calls literally right after the Mexico P-Cap offering became public, one law firm partner told the publication. Weve been having discussions about how P-Caps or variations on the structure might be used in different jurisdictions or in different industries, Eddie Best from Willkie Farr & Gallagher said. There is, reportedly, so much interest in these debt instruments that, according to Best, another three or four transactions may be made public by the end of this year, with the most likely candidates to follow Mexicos example being in Latin America and the Middle East. One of these candidates, according to an executive from the asset management industry, could be Peru, whose state energy company has been troubled by liquidity problems. A Moodys vice-president agrees that Peru is a likely P-Caps issuer. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 3. At the initiative of Leyla Aliyeva, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and founder and head of the IDEA Public Union, an international conference entitled "Caspian Sea Tipping Point: Transition from COP29 and UNOC 2025 Outcomes to Action on COP30" was held at the Baku Convention Center on October 23. At the opening session, COP29 President and Representative of the President of Azerbaijan on Climate Issues Mukhtar Babayev, Deputy Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Rauf Hajiyev, Great Whale Conservancy Co-Founder and Executive Director Michael Fishbach, Director of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Center under Azerbaijans Ministry of Agriculture Jeyhun Aliyev, Baku International Sea Trade Port Chief Operating Officer Eugene Seah, and GRID-Geneva Director at UNEP Pascal Peduzzi (who joined online) discussed the challenges facing the Caspian Sea, the worlds largest inland water body. They highlighted issues such as sea level decline, bio-resource depletion, coastal ecosystem degradation, and pollution, noting that these problems cannot be addressed by individual states alone and require international cooperation and shared strategies. They also emphasized that the key outcomes of Azerbaijans COP29 Presidency should be translated into concrete actions for effective climate change mitigation. The event continued with discussions involving representatives from the COP29 Presidency, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), UN-Habitat, and specialized scientific and research institutions from various countries. Topics included regional collaboration for Caspian Sea protection, water resources management, and strengthening international coordination. Participants underscored the significance of international scientific cooperation to address pressing environmental challenges. Co-organized by IDEA and the Caspisnet Scientific Network, the conference brought together scientists and experts from over 10 countries specializing in marine ecology, sustainable aquaculture, hydrology, geographic information systems, and related fields. The discussions focused on Caspian Sea level changes, marine biodiversity, maintaining ecological balance, and exploring joint solutions. The event will also include a tour of Absheron National Park, allowing participants to experience firsthand the rich biodiversity of the Caspian Sea. EBRD backs Serbias agribusiness sector with sustainability-linked loan Photo: EBRD The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has signed a 40 million euros sustainability-linked loan with MK Group, marking a milestone in their nearly 20-year partnership. The deal will support MK Groups expansion into ethanol production, its winery business in Serbia, and decarbonisation efforts, while promoting environmental and digital improvements. Access to paid information is limited If You already have a account, please log in Login Register BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 3. Chief of Defense of Bulgaria Admiral Emil Eftimov expressed his gratitude to the personnel of the First Air Defense Missile Base for their dedication and contributions to the development of Bulgarias Air Defense Missile Forces during the 65th-anniversary celebration, Trend reports. He emphasized his satisfaction with the prospects for this branch of the armed forces. I thank the command of the Air Force and the First Air Defense Missile Base for their unity in selecting the air defense missile system and for preparing the necessary documentation in a very short time to conclude the contract for acquiring the new IRIS-T air defense missile system. I also thank the team that prepared the contract last year within tight deadlines. This is a major step toward modernizing the Air Force, Admiral Eftimov noted. The Chief of Defence also stressed that allocated state resources and signed contracts do not automatically equate to established defense capability. It is achieved when you acquire initial and full operational capabilities, when you are integrated into NATOs air and missile defense system. This path is not easy, but I am confident you will succeed. We will succeed together because we serve our homeland and have chosen this path, Admiral Eftimov said. Among the official guests at the event were Air Force Commander Major General Nikolay Rusev, Air Force Deputy Commander Brigadier General Dimitar Georgiev, Commander of the Logistics Support Command Brigadier General Nikolay Kebapchiev, officers from the Ministry of Defence and the Air Force Command, base and battalion commanders, former commanders, and reserve officers. Colonel Tsvetelin Tsonev, Commander of the First Air Defense Missile Base, emphasized that since its establishment, regardless of difficulties, the personnel of the air defense missile brigades, whose successor is now the base, have steadfastly fulfilled their primary mission the protection of the countrys air sovereignty. I am proud that today our glorious history continues with the beginning of the long-awaited rearmament process with the next-generation IRIS-T air defense missile system. This marks a new phase in the development of the forces, related to infrastructure modernization, training, and future mastery of the equipment. Its implementation will significantly enhance the combat capabilities of the air defense missile units against new aerial threats and achieve full integration into NATOs air and missile defense systems, Colonel Tsonev stated. On the occasion of the holiday, for demonstrated professionalism, excellent preparation, practical skills and knowledge, and high personal responsibility, the base commander awarded certificates to military personnel and civilian employees. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 3. Minister of Defense of Serbia Bratislav Gasic met with Admiral Stuart Munsch, Commander of the Allied Joint Force Command Naples (JFC Naples), in Belgrade, Trend reports. As a change of command at JFC Naples is due in November, Minister Gasic thanked Admiral Munsch for his contribution to maintaining high-level dialogue between Serbia and NATO over the past three years. He emphasised that continued cooperation at all levels is important for maintaining dialogue and strengthening trust between the two sides. The Minister of Defence said that Serbia remains committed to cooperating with KFOR, the sole legitimate armed formation and the guarantor of peace in Serbias Autonomous Province. He also expressed his appreciation for Admiral Munschs influence in maintaining a safe and secure environment and preventing potential conflicts. He highlighted that the Republic of Serbia remains committed to military neutrality, as well as to building good relations with all interested parties. He added that Serbia will continue the process of equipping and building its capacities and capabilities outside the framework of military alliances. Minister Gasic noted that Serbia remains a committed and credible partner, determined to maintain an adequate level of cooperation with NATO, within the Partnership for Peace programme as a perfect framework for achieving security goals and enhancing domestic defence capabilities. The Commander of JFC Naples emphasised the importance of the long-standing cooperation between NATO and Serbia within the framework of the Partnership for Peace programme, while fully respecting Serbias policy of military neutrality. Admiral Munsch noted that the Western Balkans region is of strategic importance for NATO, reaffirming NATOs strong commitment to regional stability, including through KFOR, which, in accordance with its long-term mandate based on the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244, remains fully committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment for all. He also emphasised the importance of maintaining direct and transparent communication channels between NATO, KFOR, and the Republic of Serbias state bodies. Iran tallies product exports via its East Azerbaijan Province customs East Azerbaijan Province exported 1.63 million tons of products worth $854 million from March 21 to September 22, 2025. Major exports included $311 million to Turkiye, $199 million to Armenia, and $102 million to Iraq. Key products exported were iron and steel ($156 million), petrochemical and rubber ($110 million), and fruit and agricultural goods ($90 million). Access to paid information is limited If You already have a account, please log in Login Register Photo: Official Information Source of the Prime minister of Kazakhstan ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 3. Kazakhstan and Hungary have discussed prospects for implementing a joint project to build an intermodal cargo terminal in the Budapest agglomeration to expand Kazakh exports to the EU, Trend reports via the Kazakh government. The issue was reviewed during a meeting between Kazakhstans Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov and Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok, who visited Kazakhstan on an official trip. The sides assessed plans to implement agreements reached during previous high-level talks. Discussions focused on developing trade, economic, and investment cooperation, transit and transport links, agriculture, as well as the adoption of artificial intelligence and digitalization technologies. The participants noted significant potential for further growth in mutual trade. Kazakhstan expressed readiness to expand exports to Hungary across 95 product categories. The Kazakhstan-Hungary Investment Fund was highlighted as a key tool for implementing new joint projects. Bektenov emphasized that the Kazakh government will closely monitor the quality implementation of all agreements reached at the highest level. In turn, Sulyok praised Kazakhstans investment climate and confirmed Hungarys interest in further deepening bilateral cooperation. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 2. Eni and its partners CNPC, ENH, Kogas, and XRG have reached the Final Investment Decision (FID) to develop the Coral North floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) project in the Rovuma Basin offshore northern Mozambique, Trend reports. The agreement was signed in Maputo in the presence of Mozambican President Daniel Francisco Chapo and Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi. The Coral North project will tap gas reserves in the northern section of Area 4s Coral field through a new FLNG facility. The development is led by a joint venture comprising Eni (50%), CNPC (20%), Kogas (10%), ENH (10%), and ADNOCs subsidiary XRG (10%). With a planned liquefaction capacity of 3.6 million tons per year, Coral North will double Mozambiques LNG output to more than 7 million tons annually once operational, strengthening the countrys position as Africas third-largest LNG producer. The project is scheduled for completion in 2028. This project leverages Enis exploration expertise and Mozambiques strategic resources to meet rising global LNG demand, Descalzi said. It will enhance global energy security while delivering significant benefits for Mozambiques economy and citizens. Coral North will be the second FLNG development in Mozambique after Coral South, which began production in 2022. Eni said the new project will draw on experience gained from Coral South to optimize costs, execution, and performance. Beyond boosting exports, Coral North is expected to create new jobs, expand opportunities for local businesses, and support social development programs. Since its entry into Mozambique in 2006, Eni has discovered major gas resources in the Rovuma Basin and invested in initiatives to promote education, healthcare, water access, and economic diversification. Photo: The Ministry of Investments, Industry, and Trade of Uzbekistan TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, October 3. Deputy Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan, Shokhrukh Gulamov, held a meeting with Toivo Klaar, the EU Ambassador to Uzbekistan, to discuss prospects for the implementation of joint projects. Trend reports. The parties assessed the prospects involving European international financial institutions and government organizations, as well as organizational aspects of preparing major bilateral events aimed at expanding practical cooperation. The importance of further developing investment and financial cooperation, as well as exchanging expertise to launch new initiatives, was emphasized. Both sides expressed their readiness to continue constructive dialogue and jointly work on projects that will create new opportunities for strengthening the partnership between Uzbekistan and the EU. Meanwhile, trade turnover between Uzbekistan and EU countries has been growing dynamically. The portfolio of investment projects with leading European companies exceeds 30 billion euros. Uzbekistan is a major beneficiary of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the European Investment Bank is opening a regional office in Tashkent. TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, October 3. Uzbekistans Civil Aviation Agency has granted Etihad Airways permission to operate regular flights to the country, Trend reports. The carrier has been authorized to launch services on the Abu DhabiTashkentAbu Dhabi route, which will be operated with Airbus A320-232/251N and A321-231/251N/251NX aircraft. Etihad earlier announced plans to expand its route network across Eurasia to seven destinations. In addition to Tashkent, new flights will be launched to Almaty (Kazakhstan), Tbilisi (Georgia), Yerevan (Armenia), Baku (Azerbaijan), Bucharest (Romania), and Medina (Saudi Arabia). According to the companys schedule, flights between Abu Dhabi and Tashkent are set to commence on March 17, 2026, with a frequency of six times per week. Meanwhile, earlier in autumn 2022, Etihads subsidiary Air Arabia Abu Dhabi announced the launch of direct flights between the capitals of Uzbekistan and the UAE with a frequency of two flights per week. Air Arabia, which co-owns the low-cost carrier, had already received approval from Uzbekistans aviation authority in 2020 to operate flights to the country and subsequently inaugurated the Abu Dhabi-Tashkent route. That same year, discussions also took place regarding the possibility of expanding services to other cities in Uzbekistan. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 3. Russia is evading sanctions it faces over Ukraine through Armenia, Chairman of the Economics International Research Public Union Fikrat Yusifov said at a briefing on the economic analysis of Armenia's suspicious import-export operations, Trend reports. According to the analyst, Russia is using the funds it earns through import-export operations through Armenia to carry out attacks against civilians in Ukraine. He noted that one of the main financial sources of Russia's war in Ukraine is the import-export operations it carries out via Armenia. The enforcement of international sanctions against Russia and the surge in Armenias foreign trade turnover are closely connected - one is the cause, the other is the effect. According to data published by Armenias National Statistical Committee and international organizations, over the past five years, Armenias foreign trade turnover has increased 4.2 times, growing from $7.1 billion to $30.2 billion. If in 2021 Armenia imported only $1.8 billion worth of goods from Russia, by 2024 this figure had risen by 5.1 times or $7.4 billion to reach $9.2 billion. Of this, $6.9 billion, or 75 percent, accounted solely for products such as precious or semi-precious stones and precious metals, the analyst explained. According to Yusifov, analyses by the Economics Research Public Union reveal that the precious and semi-precious stones and precious metals imported in large volumes by Armenia from Russia are not intended for domestic consumption but rather for export to third countries. How can the impoverished population of a country that suffered a crushing defeat in the 44-day war of 2020 and whose economy collapsed suddenly afford to purchase such quantities of jewelry and precious stones from abroad? With what funds?! This is a laughable falsification, a veiled economic operation, and the result of a deal between the two countries. Russia uses the funds it earns through import-export operations via Armenia to finance its attacks on civilians in Ukraine. This cannot be hidden. Armenia re-exports these goods, imported from Russia, to other countries under the label of being domestically produced. If Armenias exports of goods such as precious and semi-precious stones and precious metals amounted to only $368.8 million in 2020, this figure surpassed $8.4 billion in 2024 - a 23-fold increase over five years. Thus, Armenia imports sanctioned goods from Russia and exports them to third countries by concealing their origin and labeling them as domestic products, thereby openly facilitating Moscows evasion of sanctions, Yusifov emphasized. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Pinterest, Inc. (NYSE:PINS) is one of the 13 Best Quality Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds, supported by hedge fund interest and significant Profit Margin. Mizuho Initiates Coverage on Pinterest, Inc. (PINS) with $50 PT and Outperform Rating Photo by Souvik Banerjee on Unsplash On September 29, 2025, Mizuho began covering Pinterest, Inc. (NYSE:PINS) with a target price of $50 and an Outperform rating, pointing to a possible upside of around 49% from present levels. The firm pointed to Pinterest, Inc. (NYSE:PINS)s strong position in machine learning and artificial intelligence developments in advertising technology, which could increase monetization and broaden its addressable market, especially among small and medium-sized enterprises. Mizuho anticipates that increased adoption of AI-native platforms would sustain long-term growth, while AI-driven advancements will raise user engagement and advertising revenue. On September 24, Director Benjamin Silbermann sold about 102,083 shares for $3.5 million, according to separate filings, highlighting insider activity. In the US, Canada, Europe, and other countries, Pinterest, Inc. (NYSE:PINS) functions as a visual search and discovery platform. It is one of the best quality stocks. While we acknowledge the potential of PINS as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 15 Stocks That Will Benefit From AI and 12 Best Quantum Computing Stocks to Buy According to Wall Street Analysts. Disclosure: None. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 3. The signing of the peace agenda in the U.S. on August 8 will significantly raise interest in Azerbaijan's economy, the country's Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov said at the 2nd National Competition Forum, Trend reports. "We are observing an increase in the competitiveness of entrepreneurs as a result of the economic reforms carried out under the leadership of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. The signing of the peace agenda in the US will also significantly increase interest in the country's economy. Specifically, a number of points will emerge from regional integration," he explained. The minister noted that the main strength of economic policy is the non-oil and gas sector. "The non-oil sector grew by 6.7 percent from 2021 through 2024. Of course, we are always looking for ways to accelerate this," he mentioned. Jabbarov emphasized that non-oil exports have doubled in the last six years. ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 2. Kazakhstan is placing digital transformation at the center of its energy sector development, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov said at the KAZENERGY forum in Astana, Trend reports. "I would like to specifically dwell upon the digital agenda that became a need, and I believe it is our advantage in the region. In the energy sector, the role of artificial intelligence is vast," Bektenov stated. "This includes new methods of geologic exploration, optimization of production, transportation, and refining". According to the PM, Kazakhstan is already deploying digital tools in oil and gas operations. "We operate platforms like oil track to track movements of petro products, digital contracts to automate subsoil use, and control and transparency is ensured by the digital distribution of oil and fuel," he said. "Methods of enhancing the oil recovery, digitalization of the exploration and production processes, use of artificial intelligence for the analysis of data will help in increasing the recovery and production not only at the existing deposits but also disclose the capacity of the small and medium ones". Bektenov underlined that the establishment of a Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development reflects the governments commitment to innovation. "This will accelerate integration of digital solutions," he noted. The PM also addressed the challenge of rising electricity demand. "Growing energy needs will require more generation of high volumes of electricity. In this regard, special attention is paid to rare earth metals and uranium, where Kazakhstan is prepared to remain a reliable partner for the world," he said. Highlighting the importance of clean energy, Bektenov described nuclear energy as a long-term priority. "The construction of a nuclear power plant is a strategic step to clean energy and independence," he stressed. TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, October 3. Askhat Khassenov, Chairman of the Management Board of KazMunayGas, held a meeting with Bahodirjon Sidikov, Chairman of the Management Board of Uzbekneftegaz, in Astana to discuss prospects for cooperation in geological exploration, Trend reports. The sides reviewed potential projects on promising geological sites in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. KMG has established a DataRoom - a unified information platform where UNG specialists can study geological and technical data related to exploration projects. Regarding collaboration in oil refining and petrochemicals, the parties discussed the establishment of a linear alkylbenzene (LAB) production facility. The joint implementation of this project is expected to diversify the regional market. The meeting also addressed the implementation of a four-party memorandum on digitalization and industrial safety involving KazMunayGas, SOCAR, Tatneft, and Uzbekneftegaz. In particular, KMG and UNG are exchanging expertise in IT and artificial intelligence. Recently, UNG specialists visited the KPI facility in Atyrau to study digital solutions, including a robotic warehouse complex and a computer vision system designed to ensure safety. The UNG delegation also toured the Atyrau Refinery, where they were introduced to computer-based training simulators, production management systems, and operational control units. Meanwhile, earlier on the sidelines of the Uzbekistan Oil & Gas - OGU 2025 exhibition, the chairman of the management board of Uzbekneftegaz JSC met with the head of KazMunayGas JSC, resulting in the signing of a roadmap aimed at enhancing and expanding mutually beneficial cooperation. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 3. OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais emphasized the long-term outlook for global energy and the importance of investment in oil and gas during the KAZENERGY forum in Astana, Trend reports. "It might appear that the decisions of OPEC and OPEC+ are aimed solely at the short term. But this is not the case. We do look at all time frames and well into the future ahead," Al Ghais said. "We want to ensure that we have a platform for future growth, for future investments, and for future oil production". He highlighted the rising global energy demand driven by population growth, urbanization, and new energy-intensive industries. "Year after year, the world continues to consume more oil. Last year, consumption of gas, coal, oil, renewables, all reached record levels. The world needs more from all energies," he noted. Al Ghais also underlined the scale of urbanization, using Astana as an example. "The urbanization drive would require the addition of approximately 360 cities the size of Astana from now to 2030 alone," he said. "This means our future needs to reduce emissions, but it also needs to deliver energy security, affordability, and availability for all". The OPEC Secretary General stressed the need for continued investment in the oil sector. "OPEC's research flagship shows the oil sector alone requires investments of around $18.2 trillion from now to 2050 close to $700 billion per year," he said. "For those who believe the world does not need new investment in oil and gas projects, I have a very simple three-word response: You are wrong". Al Ghais highlighted Kazakhstans strategic role in meeting future energy needs. "Kazakhstan is rich in resources and has the potential to play a vital role in our oil and energy futures with huge fields and reserves such as Tengiz and Kashagan. Kazakhstan has proven oil reserves of around 30 billion barrels, close to 2% of global reserves. Moreover, it has significant gas resources and is well-positioned as a regional energy hub," he said. Photo: The Ministry of Investments, Industry, and Trade of Uzbekistan TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, October 3. Continuing his working visit to Europes business and financial centers, Laziz Kudratov, Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan, held a series of meetings in the Netherlands to discuss prospects for cooperation in logistics, finance, support for SMEs, renewable energy, and infrastructure, Trend reports. Particular attention was given to green initiatives in the construction and agricultural sectors, including energy-efficient housing, social infrastructure, innovative agricultural technologies, and the establishment of educational centers for modern greenhouse management. The outcomes of the meetings confirmed the Netherlands strong interest in expanding cooperation with Uzbekistan across these key sectors. Meanwhile, during his European visit, Laziz Kudratov also met with business and financial representatives in Belgium, Germany, and Sweden, engaged with international organizations, and reached new agreements. TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, October 3. Ilkhom Norkulov, First Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance, held a meeting with representatives of the World Bank to discuss the modernization of Uzbekistans public transport system, improvement of transport infrastructure, and enhancement of interregional connectivity, Trend reports. The meeting was attended by Shomik Raj, Head of Transport Operations at the World Bank, transport specialists, and several officials. During the discussions, participants addressed the acceleration of bus lane implementation in Tashkent and regional centers, expansion of electric bus fleets, optimization of route systems, and development of electronic payment solutions. Proposals were also put forward for constructing bicycle lanes and modern bus stops, improving road safety, managing traffic flows effectively, and reducing congestion. World Bank representatives shared experiences from France, the UK, and the USA, as well as the outcomes of projects on express bus routes, subways, and smart transport systems implemented in China, Morocco, Brazil, and other countries. It was noted that these experiences could be adapted to Uzbekistans context. As a result, both parties agreed to continue cooperation on modernizing Uzbekistans transport system. Joint projects with the World Bank aim to provide citizens with safer, more convenient, and modern services through upgraded public transport, improved infrastructure, and stronger intercity connectivity. Earlier, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with World Bank Group President Ajay Banga, highlighting that Uzbekistans portfolio of joint projects now exceeds $14 billion. Additionally, the opening of a regional World Bank office in Tashkent has further strengthened the countrys partnership with the organization. ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 3. President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais to discuss the current state of the global oil market and prospects for cooperation, Trend reports. Tokayev praised OPECs efforts to ensure stability and predictability in the global oil sector, describing them as highly valuable for both producing and consuming countries. The Kazakh president called Al Ghaiss visit an important step in fostering constructive dialogue between Kazakhstan and OPEC. We view this meeting as a key moment in strengthening our collaboration with OPEC, Tokayev said. He also reaffirmed Kazakhstans support for the OPEC+ decision to gradually increase oil production, emphasizing that national interests remain a priority. The two sides discussed joint measures to enhance the resilience of the regions energy system and highlighted the importance of balancing the interests of oil-producing countries with those of hydrocarbon-importing states. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 3. Romanias Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Internal Affairs Catalin Predoiu, held an official meeting with Daniela Misail-Nichitin, Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Moldova, Trend reports. During the discussions, the two ministers addressed current topics regarding cooperation in policing, border police, and gendarmerie activities. Concrete measures were agreed upon to enhance the efficiency of law enforcement authorities amid regional security challenges. Additionally, the Romanian minister reaffirmed strong support for Moldovas European integration path, emphasizing Romanias willingness to intensify assistance for its partner across the Prut River. A key moment of the meeting was the signing of an agreement between the Governments of Romania and Moldova on the implementation of coordinated control at the Falciu (Romania) Cantemir (Moldova) railway border crossing, applicable in both directions. This agreement complements a series of bilateral arrangements on coordinated border control and reflects deepening cooperation between the two countries. This is the third such agreement, following those already in place at the AlbitaLeuseni and GalatiGiurgiulesti crossings (both in the direction of entry into Romania). The novelty of the current agreement is that it is the first to target a railway crossing Falciu station and it provides for coordinated checks in both directions: entry and exit from Romania. Border police teams from both states will conduct successive controls, helping to streamline and secure cross-border traffic. The reopening of the FalciuCantemir railway crossing is of strategic importance, integrated into the EUs solidarity corridors initiative and facilitating the reconnection of Moldova to the European rail network. This step demonstrates the high-level mutual trust and solid partnership between the border authorities of Romania and the Republic of Moldova. TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, October 3. Ibrohim Abdurahmonov, Minister of Agriculture of Uzbekistan, held a videoconference with representatives of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to review ongoing projects and discuss prospects for implementing green economy principles in the countrys agricultural sector, Trend reports. The meeting was attended by Gianpiero Nassi, Managing Director of the EBRDs Climate Strategy and Delivery Department. Special attention was given to the Uzbekistan Agri-Food Investment Platform (UzAFIP), developed with EBRD support. The initiative aims to strengthen cooperation among agricultural project developers, equipment suppliers, commercial banks, investors, and international financial institutions. The project provides technical assistance, promotes the adoption of sustainability standards, offers access to innovative financial instruments for enterprises of all sizes, and expands opportunities for participation in carbon markets and co-financing mechanisms. Its primary goal is to enhance the sustainability and competitiveness of the agri-food sector, create additional green value, and accelerate the decarbonization of industries. During the meeting, Gianpiero Nassi highlighted the importance of Uzbekistans large-scale agricultural reforms, describing them as a key driver of sectoral development. Both parties agreed on the next steps for the rapid and high-quality implementation of the project, which is expected not only to ensure sustainable growth in the agricultural sector but also to strengthen Uzbekistans adaptability to international market demands, reinforcing the countrys position as a regional leader in the green economy. To date, the EBRDs investment portfolio in Uzbekistan includes 185 projects and programs with a total value of 5.8 billion euros. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 3. Baku is committed to maintaining a balanced energy strategy that includes traditional fuels, Deputy Minister of Energy Orkhan Zeynalov said at the KAZENERGY forum in Astana, Trend reports. Traditional energy remains very important. Last year, Azerbaijan produced 50 billion cubic meters of natural gas. Natural gas is a crucial transitional fuel in the energy transition, and of that, more than 25 bcm were exported, including 13 bcm to Europe, Zeynalov stated. He highlighted Azerbaijans recent expansion of gas exports to Syria through a partnership with Turkish companies SOCAR and Botash. The gas flowing to Syria for future electricity generation will open additional opportunities in the Middle East, he said. Zeynalov emphasized the need to sustain investments in the traditional energy sector alongside the energy transition. In some regions, certain international financial institutions have been opposed to investments in traditional energy, which can hamper sustainable development and energy security, he noted. He also pointed to ongoing demand for Azerbaijani gas beyond the Southern Gas Corridor. Just today, we have requests from some countries - for up to 14 bcm of additional natural gas. This shows that upstream investments in natural gas remain necessary, Zeynalov said. The Deputy Minister stressed the importance of regional cooperation. I am very pleased that SOCAR, KazMunayGas, and our teams have held productive discussions recently. Ensuring the sustainable transit of energy resources from Kazakhstan and Central Asia through the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan is very important, he added. Bloomberg reported on Monday that Huawei plans to produce around 600,000 of its flagship 910C Ascend chips next year, nearly twice the output expected this year. Including other models in the series, total output could reach 1.6 million chips. If Huawei achieves those targets, it would mark a technical breakthrough for a company considered Chinas best hope of reducing reliance on foreign chips. The 2025 and 2026 projections include Huaweis existing inventory of dies, along with internal estimates of production yields and failure rates, according to the report. Huawei Technologies is reportedly planning to significantly scale up production of its most advanced AI chips over the coming year. This spike in production is an effort to meet domestic demand in China, where companies like Alibaba (BABA), Tencent (TCEHY), and DeepSeek need millions of processors to develop and run AI services. Essentially, Huawei is seeking to win customers in the worlds largest semiconductor market at a time when Nvidia is grappling with geopolitical headwinds. Shares of the AI darling have rallied 38% on a year-to-date basis (YTD). Since my latest article on NVDA, there has been no new company-specific news driving the stock, so its gains appear to be tracking the broader market. Nvidia is a premier technology firm known for its expertise in graphics processing units and artificial intelligence solutions. The company is renowned for its pioneering contributions to gaming, data centers, and AI-driven applications. NVDAs technological solutions are developed around a platform strategy that combines hardware, systems, software, algorithms, and services to provide distinctive value. The chipmaker has a market cap of $4.53 trillion, making it the most valuable company in the world. So, where does this leave investors? With NVDA stock continuing to notch record highs, how much weight should investors place on Huaweis warningand whats the best move with the stock right now? Lets take a closer look. Nvidia (NVDA) continues to dominate the global AI chip market, but new signals out of China suggest that the competitive landscape may be shifting. This week, reports surfaced that Huawei Technologieswidely considered Chinas best hope of breaking free from reliance on U.S. semiconductorsplans to double production of its most advanced AI chips over the next year. The move underscores both Beijings determination to reduce dependence on U.S. technology and Huaweis growing role in the domestic semiconductor race. Story Continues In September, Huawei unveiled a roadmap detailing its chip development plans through 2028 aimed at challenging Nvidias dominance. Rotating Chairman Eric Xu introduced a lineup of Ascend chipsthe 950, 960, and 970each built to deliver incremental performance gains. That marked a departure from tradition for the company, which had previously chosen to keep its plans and capabilities under wraps. Notably, Huawei is expected to launch a successor to the 910C, informally referred to by the industry as the 910D, in late 2026, the report said. In September, the company announced plans to release a chip called the 950DT in late 2026, targeting production of around 100,000 units. The 950DT will feature four dies within a single chipset, representing a major design change. Huawei also introduced its UnifiedBus interconnect protocol, which allows up to 15,488 Ascend chips to be connected. Could Huawei Pose a Serious Threat to Nvidia in China? While Huawei is at the forefront of Chinese chipmakers racing to develop accelerators, Nvidia remains largely sidelined in the Chinese market due to government restrictions. Beijing has blocked or discouraged domestic use over security concerns. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has tried to reassure Chinese officials about the safety of his companys products, but it remains uncertain when, or if, that will succeed. I covered this in detail in my latest article on NVDA. CEO Huang, responding to the latest Chinese restrictions, said, Im disappointed with what I see, but there are broader issues that need to be resolved between China and the United States. The company stated during its Q2 earnings call that it recorded no H20 sales in the quarter. It also expects zero AI chip sales to the country this quarter. Nvidia has been central to U.S.-China trade negotiations, which is why I dont expect clarity on its position in China until/if a broader trade deal between the worlds two largest economies is reached. Lets now take a closer look at whether Huaweis plans pose a serious competitive threat to Nvidia (assuming the latter will be able to sell its AI chips in China). Well, the upcoming Ascend 950 delivers only about 6% of the performance of Nvidias next-generation VR200 superchip. Of course, I doubt anyone expects Nvidia to be allowed to sell its most powerful offerings in China, but even if it produces a version with only halfor even a thirdof the VR200s performance, it would still far outpace the Ascend 950. Another critical point is that Huaweis major customers have primarily used its most advanced semiconductors only for inferencing. And Chinese companies have largely depended on Nvidias high-performance processors to train large-scale models. Of course, I cannot ignore a Bloomberg report stating that Huawei is working on a revamped next-generation Ascend chip, beyond the announced models, which could be powerful enough to train AI algorithms for major clients. However, since commercialization of that product isnt expected until at least 2027, I dont see much reason for concern at this stage. Moreover, The Information reported last month that Alibaba and Baidu have begun using their own internally designed chips to train AI models. The key point, however, is that those chips are used for smaller AI models, while both companies continue to rely on Nvidia chips for developing their most advanced models. Finally, Nvidia offers a robust ecosystem that seamlessly integrates its chips with its software platform, forming what experts call a moat. This makes it costly and difficult for AI developers to switch to alternatives once their models are trained on Nvidias software. The H20 comes with a complete ecosystem covering both hardware and software support, ensuring better compatibility and ease of integration, said Brady Wang, associate director at Counterpoint. What Do Analysts Expect for NVDA Stock? Wall Street analysts remain highly optimistic about NVDA, as the stock has a top-tier consensus Strong Buy rating. Out of the 46 analysts covering the stock, 39 rate it a Strong Buy, two a Moderate Buy, four suggest holding, and one gives it a Strong Sell rating. The average price target for NVDA stock stands at $215.51, implying a 15.1% upside from current levels. Despite the headwinds in China, Nvidia is expected to maintain strong growth momentum. Analysts project Nvidias adjusted EPS will climb 50.58% year-over-year (YoY) to $4.50 in fiscal 2026, while revenue is expected to rise 58.20% from the prior year to $206.45 billion. So, what should you do with NVDA stock here? My answer remains unchanged: take advantage of any pullbacks to add more of this high-quality stock to your portfolio, as I expect it to continue outperforming the broader market in the years ahead. When it comes to China, competition from domestic players is certainly intensifying, but based on the points outlined above, I continue to believe that if/when Nvidia resumes chip sales in the country, demand for them will remain strong. www.barchart.com On the date of publication, Oleksandr Pylypenko had a position in: NVDA. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Barchart.com ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 3. The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) and the international IT startup tech park Astana Hub have signed a grant agreement for the implementation of the AI SuperCloud digital platform on the sidelines of the Digital Bridge 2025 international forum, Trend's special correspondent reports. The document was signed by EDB Managing Director Dauren Rakhimzhanov and Astana Hub Managing Director Zhanerke Egeubayeva. The Digital Bridge 2025 forum is taking place in Astana on October 2-4 at the EXPO International Exhibition Center. Its goal is to bring together global IT leaders, entrepreneurs, and experts to discuss the prospects of digitalization, artificial intelligence, and the development of a knowledge society in Central Asia. Founded in 2006, the Eurasian Development Bank is an international development finance agency that invests in the economic development, commercial relations, and integration of Eurasian countries. The EDB was established in 2006 and is based in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Velocity of Azerbaijani manat declines in Sep. 2025 The circulation speed of Azerbaijans national currency, the manat, has fallen to 3.4 points, showing a slight decline from both last month and the same period last year. Over the past two decades, the manats velocity has fluctuated widely, with historical highs around 16 points and lows near 3 points. Access to paid information is limited If You already have a account, please log in Login Register TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, October 3. A meeting was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, under the Integrated Urban Development Project, implemented by the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Uzbekistan with financial support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Trend reports. The meeting brought together Tatiana Kopelman, the newly appointed Team Leader of the ADB Integrated Urban Development Project; Kim Swain, Urban Development and Water Resources Management Specialist from the ADB Southeast Asia Department; Lilibeth Manalaysay, Associate Project Analyst; and Boburbek Egamov, Director of the Joint Projects Implementation Unit under the Ministry of Economy and Finance, along with Project Manager Rahimnazar Nurkhonov and other staff members. Throughout the discourse, stakeholders conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the advancements achieved across diverse project domains and delineated critical action items to expedite the execution phase. The stakeholders engaged in a dialogue to navigate the complexities associated with the operational dynamics of the design firm and investigated methodologies to capitalize on ADBs robust portfolio of analogous initiatives. The convening underscored that this ADB initiative is centered on cultivating synergistic collaboration to guarantee the effective implementation of the project. The Integrated Urban Development Project is strategically designed to enhance infrastructural frameworks and optimize service delivery mechanisms within the Jizzakh, Syrdarya, and Khorezm regions. This initiative encompasses the comprehensive reconstruction of water supply and sewerage systems, alongside the systematic management of solid household waste streams. Uzbekistan became a member of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in 1995. This initiated a collaborative engagement characterized by ADB's provision of substantial financial instruments, including loans, grants, and technical assistance, aimed at catalyzing Uzbekistan's developmental trajectory, with an emphasis on sectors such as private sector enhancement, infrastructural advancement, and human capital development. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 3. The Azerbaijan International Road Carriers Association (ABADA) took part in the VII International Transport and Logistics Business Forum New Silk Road held in Kazakhstan's Almaty, as part of Transport Week, Trend reports. ABADA Chairman Habib Hasanov shared insights during panel discussions on International Road Transport: New Opportunities for Road Transport Services, highlighting Azerbaijans carrier potential, the opportunities offered by the Middle Corridor, and the significance of the Zangezur Corridors opening. He emphasized the role of international cooperation, transit strategies, and legal reforms, noting that simplified customs procedures, digitalization, and the single-window approach will accelerate road transport. Hasanov also addressed the importance of associations in fostering cross-border partnerships and outlined ABADAs strategic prospects in international collaboration. The forum, held from September 30 through October 2, aimed to discuss the future of Trans-Eurasian transport routes, enhance Kazakhstans international transit role, and explore opportunities for global cooperation in the transport and logistics sector. Representatives from Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Germany, Georgia, India, China, Latvia, Lithuania, UAE, Pakistan, Russia, Romania, USA, Turkmenistan, Turkiye, Uzbekistan, Switzerland, and Estonia attended the event. Deputy Minister of Digital Development and Transport Rahman Hummatov also took part in the event. The Azerbaijan International Road Carriers Association (ABADA) is a non-profit public entity in Azerbaijan that represents and consolidates domestic enterprises and individuals engaged in international road transportation. Founded in 1993, it functions as a guarantor under the Customs Convention on the International Transport of Goods under Cover of TIR Carnets (TIR Convention), issuing TIR Carnets to carriers. ABADA is a member of the International Road Transport Union (IRU) and facilitates training for drivers to guarantee professional proficiency and compliance with international standards. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 3. SOCAR and Germanys Uniper company held the 9th meeting of their Coordination Committee, SOCAR told Trend. The session featured speeches from SOCAR Vice President Elshad Nasirov, Uniper SEs Chief Commercial Officer, Carsten Poppinga, and Germanys Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Ralf Horlemann, followed by a keynote presentation from SOCAR Vice President, Ziba Mustafayeva. The speakers highlighted the ongoing success of SOCAR and Unipers long-term, mutually beneficial partnership, underlining the critical role their joint projects play in ensuring European energy security. Special attention was given to efforts aimed at broadening collaboration across multiple strategic areas. The meeting featured presentations covering SOCAR-Uniper cooperation, the latest developments on the Southern Gas Corridor, European energy policy and emerging trends, energy transition, sustainability, and decarbonization. Discussions also explored corporate communications, public relations, and human resources strategies, with participants exchanging ideas on best practices. The session further emphasized the importance of strengthening collaboration in communication and corporate social responsibility initiatives. The meeting concluded with the signing of a new Cooperation Program covering 20252026, aiming to deepen collaboration and enhance strategic energy initiatives between the two companies. Uniper, the German enterprise, emerged on January 1, 2016, as a result of the strategic bifurcation executed by E.ON, which delineated its traditional power generation and energy trading operations into a distinct corporate structure. Uniper operates its central command in Dusseldorf, Germany, specializing in the intricate domains of power generation, global commodities trading, energy storage solutions, and energy sales strategies. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Photo: Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Azerbaijan BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 3. Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan assessed prospects for future cooperation in the agricultural sector, focusing on joint scientific research, exchange of academic expertise, sharing of scientific achievements, implementation of collaborative projects, and other areas of mutual interest, Trend reports via the Ministry of Agriculture. The meeting took place at the Agrarian Research Center (ATM) under Azerbaijans Ministry of Agriculture, with discussions on the development of e-commerce in agriculture. Participants from Azerbaijan included ATM Deputy Director Namig Shalbuzov and staff member of the Diagnostics and Strategic Planning Department, Mushfiga Mammadova. From Kazakhstan, the delegation included Bauyrzhan Yessengeldin, Vice-Rector for Scientific Affairs at Margulan University and Doctor of Economics; Aidos Abayev, Head of the Department of Management at Buketov University and PhD in Philosophy; and Azamat Janseytov, doctoral student at Turan-Astana University. The discussions were part of a project initiated by Kazakhstans Ministry of Science and Higher Education titled Economic Mechanisms to Stimulate the Development of E-Commerce in Agriculture in Kazakhstan. Shalbuzov provided an overview of ATMs role in implementing state policy, conducting agricultural research, and training researchers. Kazakhstani representatives shared insights about their institutions and the project, emphasizing its goal to promote e-commerce in Kazakhstans agricultural sector through economic mechanisms and international best practices. The initiative aims to expand agricultural trade via digital platforms, leveraging advanced technologies and economic incentives. The meeting also highlighted the Agrarian Research Centers Electronic Price Information System for Agriculture, which has been operating for nearly a decade, and explored further avenues for cooperation, including joint research, academic exchanges, and collaborative scientific projects. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Subscription to paid content Gain access to all that Trend has to offer, as well as to premium, licensed content via subscription or direct purchase through a credit card. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 3. The Neftchala Industrial District in Azerbaijan, under the watchful eye of the Economic Zones Development Agency and the Ministry of Economy, has spread its wings over 10 hectares and is now in the hands of businesses, ready to hit the ground running, Trend reports. "Gedik Kaynak" LLC, a resident of the Neftchala Industrial District, has once again exported 100 tons of electrode products to Turkmenistan. Today, a formal event transpired, featuring the engagement of media stakeholders to facilitate the dispatch of the product to the specified nation. The enterprise is set to execute a phased logistics operation, delivering a cumulative total of 600 metric tons of goods to Turkmenistan. Media representatives were apprised that the entity secured its registration as a resident within the Neftchala Industrial District in 2021 and is presently engaged in the production of electrodes in eight distinct dimensions across two classifications. In the subsequent phase, the fabrication of stainless steel and aluminum electrodes is slated for execution. As the sole producer of electrodes in Azerbaijan, the enterprise boasts a monthly output capability of 330 tons. The capital infusion for the facility is quantified at 7.5 million manat ($4.4 million), resulting in the establishment of over 20 sustainable employment positions. The products produced at the plant, under the "Geka" brand, are sold in the domestic market and exported to Iraq, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. Negotiations are also underway for sales to Russia and Kazakhstan. Later, media representatives were introduced to the overall activities of the Neftchala Industrial District. Besides, they were informed that the Neftchala Industrial District is the first industrial district created in Azerbaijan, established by the Presidential Decree dated February 2, 2015, and has been operational since September 2017. The main activities in the Industrial District include the production of fishing, food industry products, automobiles, animal feed, and more. Currently, six business entities with an investment portfolio of over 63 million manat ($37 million) are registered as residents of the district, five of which are operational. Entrepreneurs have invested nearly 50 million manat ($29.5 million) in the work done, creating over 300 permanent jobs. So far, residents of the Neftchala Industrial District have sold 230 million manat ($135.7 million) worth of products, of which 1.8 million manat ($1.06 million) accounted for exports. The products, sold under the "Made In Azerbaijan" brand, are exported to Iraq, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and other countries. The primary commodities emanating from the industrial sector encompass aquaculture nutrition formulations and electrodes. The Neftchala Industrial District represents a strategically designated economic enclave within Azerbaijan, engineered to catalyze the diversification of the non-oil sector. This initiative is aimed at bolstering the operational capacities of small and medium-sized enterprises across various industrial verticals, including but not limited to aquaculture processing, automotive fabrication, and livestock feed manufacturing. It provides entrepreneurs with government-subsidized infrastructure, real estate, and fiscal/tariff advantages to lure capital and generate employment, with existing enterprises already functioning and enhancing the locale's economic growth. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Uzbekistan Airways lays its cards on table for its new Boeing fleet strategy (Exclusive) Photo: Uzbekistan Airways Uzbekistan Airways is preparing for a major expansion with the addition of new Boeing 787-9 aircraft, a move that promises to strengthen both passenger and cargo operations. The airline outlines a gradual integration strategy, aiming to enhance service quality, open new long-haul routes, and boost Uzbekistans role as a regional logistics hub Access to paid information is limited If You already have a account, please log in Login Register Azerbaijan's banking sector sees debt write-offs in 6M2025 In the first half of this year, Azerbaijani banks wrote off nearly 57 million manat in loans, most of which were from consumer lending. Non-performing loans in the business portfolio climbed to about 430 million manat, with the rise largely driven by the construction sector and individual borrowers. Access to paid information is limited If You already have a account, please log in Login Register In early Asian trade on Thursday, oil prices recovered slightly from 16-week lows, with WTI rising to $62.09 and Brent trading at $65.68. Markets were buoyed by renewed expectations of tougher sanctions on Russian crude, even as caution over higher OPEC+ supply and weak U.S. economic signals capped upside. The two benchmarks had suffered across the prior three sessions. On Wednesday, Brent and WTI each fell roughly 1 %, with Brent closing at its lowest since June and WTI at its weakest since May. A key driver of the recovery is intensifying pressure from the G7 nations to tighten sanctions on entities still buying or facilitating Russian oil imports. In a joint statement released midweek, G7 finance ministers pledged to increase pressure targeting those circumventing existing measures. In parallel, reports surfaced that the U.S. intends to supply Ukraine with intelligence to support long-range missile strikes on Russian energy infrastructure - a move that could disrupt pipelines, refineries, and transportation routes vital to Russias oil export system. These prospects of supply disruption have lured speculative buying as WTI approached the psychologically important $60 support zone. Offsetting any upward momentum, expectations persist that OPEC+ will approve a substantial production increase in November, with speculation of as much as 500,000 barrels per day. Saudi Arabia, in particular, is reportedly seeking to reassert its market share. With that said, OPEC has rejected those reports. That potential supply growth looms large amid signs of softening demand, especially in the U.S., and lingering worries over the macro outlook following a U.S. government shutdown. Adding to headwinds, the Energy Information Administration reported that U.S. crude inventories climbed by 1.8 million barrels to 416.5 million barrels for the week ended September 26, exceeding expectations of a 1 million-barrel build. This build reflects weaker refining activity and soft fuel demand. Growing inventories of distillates and gasoline suggest that consumption is struggling in key sectors. The near-term oil outlook hinges on whether sanctions on Russia can materially curtail flows and how aggressively OPEC+ moves to ramp up output. The shock value of fresh restrictions could tighten trading balances, especially if Russias ability to ship oil is impaired. The shadow fleet of tankers used to circumvent sanctions remains under pressure, and further enforcement could strain Russian exports. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com Uzbekistans wheat flour imports drop slightly in early 2025 Photo: National Statistics Committee Uzbekistans wheat flour imports from abroad declined slightly in the first eight months of 2025, with Kazakhstan remaining the countrys main supplier, according to data from the National Statistics Committee. Access to paid information is limited If You already have a account, please log in Login Register BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 3. The 2nd National Competition Forum was held under the organization of the State Agency for Antimonopoly and Consumer Market Control under the President of Azerbaijan, Trend reports. The forum was hailed as a key platform for dialogue on modern competition challenges, highlighting the role of competition policy in economic development, the regulation of natural monopolies, and its benefits to society. The event brought together MPs, state bodies, business associations, representatives of the private sector, and other interested parties. Speakers included Azerbaijans Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov, MP, Chairman of the Committee on Economic Policy, Industry and Entrepreneurship, Azer Amiraslanov, Chairman of the State Agency for Antimonopoly and Consumer Market Control, Elnur Baghirov, and President of the National Confederation of Entrepreneurs' Organizations of Azerbaijan, Mammad Musayev. The forum underscored the activities of the State Agency for Antimonopoly and Consumer Market Supervision, the importance of fostering a competitive environment to attract foreign investment, diversify the economy, support small and medium-sized enterprises, and enhance social welfare. The recently adopted Competition Code was highlighted for its strategic role in creating a fair and transparent business environment, ensuring equal opportunities for entrepreneurs, and establishing legal certainty. Discussions at the forum are expected to shape future priorities in competition policy and refine dynamic regulatory mechanisms. The forum featured panel discussions, including a session on Modern Competition Challenges and Evolving Policy: The Role of Competition in Economic Development, moderated by the State Agencys advisor Jafar Babayev. Panelists included Deputy CEO of Pasha Holding Dayanat Sadullayev, Deputy Executive Director of the Center for Economic Reforms Analysis and Communication Ayaz Museyibov, Executive Director of the Legal Expertise and Legislative Initiatives Center Samir Mahmudov, and Director of Legal Practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Azerbaijan Elchin Mammadov. The discussions sparked a wide-ranging exchange of ideas, exploring key topics such as how competition policy drives economic growth, the impact of regulatory measures on the business landscape, emerging challenges on digital platforms, strategies to curb cross-border competition violations, and the early influence of last years Competition Code on market behavior. Another panel on Regulating Natural Monopolies: Competition and Public Interests was moderated by the Head of the State Agencys Department for Oversight of Natural Monopolies, Shamsi Rzali. The panel brought together key figures, including Nijat Ismayilov, Advisor to the General Director of Azerconnect Group; Tabriz Ammayev, Deputy General Director of Azerigas Production Association for Strategy and Sustainability; Asad Shirinov, Advisor to the Chairman of the Azerbaijan State Water Resources Agency; and Oktay Maharramov, Director of the Legal and Documentation Department at the Information and Communication Technologies Agency. The discussion delved into the core principles of regulating natural monopolies, focusing on safeguarding public interests across energy, transport, telecommunications, water management, and other strategic sectors, ensuring the financial stability of these entities, and fostering effective collaboration between natural monopolies and private sector economic actors. The panels concluded with a Q&A session addressing participants questions. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 3. The 2nd National Competition Forum was held under the organization of the State Agency for Antimonopoly and Consumer Market Control under the President of Azerbaijan, Trend reports. The forum was hailed as a key platform for dialogue on modern competition challenges, highlighting the role of competition policy in economic development, the regulation of natural monopolies, and its benefits to society. The event brought together MPs, state bodies, business associations, representatives of the private sector, and other interested parties. Speakers included Azerbaijans Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov, MP, Chairman of the Committee on Economic Policy, Industry and Entrepreneurship, Azer Amiraslanov, Chairman of the State Agency for Antimonopoly and Consumer Market Control, Elnur Baghirov, and President of the National Confederation of Entrepreneurs' Organizations of Azerbaijan, Mammad Musayev. The forum underscored the activities of the State Agency for Antimonopoly and Consumer Market Supervision, the importance of fostering a competitive environment to attract foreign investment, diversify the economy, support small and medium-sized enterprises, and enhance social welfare. The recently adopted Competition Code was highlighted for its strategic role in creating a fair and transparent business environment, ensuring equal opportunities for entrepreneurs, and establishing legal certainty. Discussions at the forum are expected to shape future priorities in competition policy and refine dynamic regulatory mechanisms. The forum featured panel discussions, including a session on Modern Competition Challenges and Evolving Policy: The Role of Competition in Economic Development, moderated by the State Agencys advisor Jafar Babayev. Panelists included Deputy CEO of Pasha Holding Dayanat Sadullayev, Deputy Executive Director of the Center for Economic Reforms Analysis and Communication Ayaz Museyibov, Executive Director of the Legal Expertise and Legislative Initiatives Center Samir Mahmudov, and Director of Legal Practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Azerbaijan Elchin Mammadov. The discussions sparked a wide-ranging exchange of ideas, exploring key topics such as how competition policy drives economic growth, the impact of regulatory measures on the business landscape, emerging challenges on digital platforms, strategies to curb cross-border competition violations, and the early influence of last years Competition Code on market behavior. Another panel on Regulating Natural Monopolies: Competition and Public Interests was moderated by the Head of the State Agencys Department for Oversight of Natural Monopolies, Shamsi Rzali. The panel brought together key figures, including Nijat Ismayilov, Advisor to the General Director of Azerconnect Group; Tabriz Ammayev, Deputy General Director of Azerigas Production Association for Strategy and Sustainability; Asad Shirinov, Advisor to the Chairman of the Azerbaijan State Water Resources Agency; and Oktay Maharramov, Director of the Legal and Documentation Department at the Information and Communication Technologies Agency. The discussion delved into the core principles of regulating natural monopolies, focusing on safeguarding public interests across energy, transport, telecommunications, water management, and other strategic sectors, ensuring the financial stability of these entities, and fostering effective collaboration between natural monopolies and private sector economic actors. The panels concluded with a Q&A session addressing participants questions. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 3. The First Deputy Minister of Finance of Azerbaijan Anar Karimov met with a delegation led by the Department for Business and Trade Country Director Alexander Tyrell, who is visiting the country, Trend reports. The meeting discussed the current state and future prospects of cooperation in the economic and financial sectors between Azerbaijan and the UK, as well as the implementation of the provisions stipulated in the protocol of the 7th meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation, held between the two countries in London in April of this year. During the meeting, the focus was on investment promotion, cooperation in the field of taxation and customs, the application of advanced technologies in agriculture and food security, as well as the opportunities for establishing closer ties between business circles. The issues of exchange of experience in the field of digital transformation, financial technologies and professional services were also touched upon. Karimov noted that economic modernization and diversification are among the long-term development priorities of Azerbaijan, and cooperation with the UK in this area creates additional opportunities for the country to adapt to new challenges. Meanwhile, Tyrell emphasized the importance of joint projects and initiatives, noting the important role of the intergovernmental commission in the development of bilateral relations. The meeting included a broad exchange of views on future partnership opportunities and issues of mutual interest. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Kazakh grain exports to Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan surge Kazakh grain exports by rail to Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan increased sharply in September 2025. Overall, over 1 million tons of grain were exported by rail, up 19 percent compared to the same period last year. Access to paid information is limited If You already have a account, please log in Login Register Kazakhstan discloses latest data on grain harvest Photo: Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kazakhstans harvest campaign continues successfully, with nearly 20 million tons of grain collected so far, supported by steady growth in both crop and livestock production. Access to paid information is limited If You already have a account, please log in Login Register ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 3. KazMunayGas (KMG) Chairman of the Management Board Askhat Khassenov and Enis Upstream Director Luca Vignati discussed the further development of the Karachaganak oil and gas condensate field on the sidelines of the Eurasian KAZENERGY Forum in Astana, Trend reports via KMG. Talks focused on advancing the Karachaganak project, with an emphasis on increasing local content and workforce nationalization within the operator Karachaganak Petroleum Operating (KPO). The sides stressed the need to expand the share of Kazakh specialists in key positions under KPOs nationalization plan for 20262030 The sides also reviewed cooperation in renewable energy, noting the launch of a 50 MW solar power plant in Zhanaozen, Mangystau region. The facility, comprising 80,000 solar panels over 80 hectares, is expected to generate 86 million kWh of clean electricity annually. It marks the first stage of a larger hybrid power project, with a total planned capacity of 247 MW. Khasenov stressed the importance of meeting deadlines and ensuring high-quality implementation of the next phases of the hybrid energy complex, which include the construction of wind (77 MW) and gas (120 MW) power plants, scheduled for 2026. The Karachaganak oil and gas condensate field is one of the largest oil and gas condensate deposits in the world, located in the West Kazakhstan region and covering more than 280 km. The field was discovered in 1979, and pilot commercial development began in 1984. The Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) for the Karachaganak field was signed on November 18, 1997, between Kazakhstan and an international consortium. Royal Dutch Shell and Eni serve as joint operators of the project, implemented through Karachaganak Petroleum Operating B.V. (KPO). Shareholding in KPO: KMG (10 percent), Eni (29.25 percent), Shell (29.25 percent), Chevron (18 percent), Lukoil (13.5 percent). ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 3. President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has sent a congratulatory message to President of South Korea Lee Jae Myung and the Korean people on the occasion of the countrys National Day, Trend reports. In his message, Tokayev highlighted the steady strengthening of multifaceted ties between Kazakhstan and South Korea, reaffirming his commitment to advancing the expanded strategic partnership for the benefit of both nations. The Kazakh leader also wished President Lee success in his state responsibilities and extended his best wishes of well-being and prosperity to the people of South Korea. ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 3. President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), discussed prospects for cooperation in digital and telecommunications technologies, Trend reports via press-service of the President of Kazakhstan. Tokayev congratulated Bogdan-Martin on the 160th anniversary of the ITU, highlighting the organizations pivotal role in strengthening global collaboration in digital development. During the meeting, the Kazakh president emphasized the importance of building a modern digital ecosystem and advancing national infrastructure. He also highlighted Kazakhstans active participation in low-Earth orbit satellite projects, including OneWeb, Starlink, Amazon Kuiper, and Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology. Bogdan-Martin praised Kazakhstans efforts in developing its digital industry and implementing artificial intelligence technologies. She reaffirmed the ITUs commitment to deepening its partnership with Kazakhstan and expanding joint initiatives. Even the name wire transfer is a relic of a pre-WiFi era. Now, blockchain solutions like stablecoins are putting pressure on payment processors to get with the times and overhaul how they handle transactions. Global payments leader Swift is getting ahead of the tech that could otherwise render it obsolete by building a blockchain to enable instant transactions around the world 24/7. Thats a big step forward from waiting one to five business days as its system slowly navigates global banks varying hours, time zone differences and bureaucratic speed bumps. Swift said its working with more than 30 financial institutions, including Bank of America and Citigroup, to create its digital ledger, starting with a prototype built by blockchain company Consensys. READ ALSO: Economists Bullish on US Growth Despite Rising Inflation, Shrinking Job Market and Broadcoms $10B Mystery Customer Underscores Ballooning AI Investments Its a Block Party Swift processes transactions for more than 11,500 institutions in over 200 countries its so influential that blocking access to it can cut a country off from the global economy (Russian banks are banned from Swift). Its foray into blockchain tech goes to show that traditional finance is taking the tech seriously as a means to overhaul old-school systems. Stablecoins, especially, have made the financial industry question why banks are still waiting five business days for their funds: The digital assets, which maintain one-to-one value with another asset (typically the US dollar), allow for instant payments at any time over the blockchain while potentially lowering fees. Financial institutions have rushed into the space this year after President Trump signed the Genius Act, which put guardrails around stablecoins and legitimized them on a national scale. A consortium of US banks, including JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo, is reportedly exploring the launch of a stablecoin. Last week, a group of EU banks, including ING and UniCredit, announced that theyre creating a euro-backed stablecoin. JPMorgan Chase has also built blockchain-adjacent solutions like a private digital ledger, as well as a deposit token that operates like a stablecoin but is only available to its clients. Can Be Too Careful: McKinsey has called stablecoins a direct challenge to traditional payment rails. Building a blockchain could help Swift compete with stablecoin providers, as Swift and other traditional finance giants make blockchain tech their own rather than let outside companies lead them into the future. Still, Swift and others are moving slowly as they navigate a minimally regulated arena. While they exercise caution, peoples payment habits could shift without them. Citi estimated last week that by 2030, $100 trillion worth of stablecoins could be traded annually. This post first appeared on The Daily Upside. To receive delivering razor sharp analysis and perspective on all things finance, economics, and markets, subscribe to our free The Daily Upside newsletter. ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 3. Kazakhstan has launched a project for the extraction and supply of raw gas from the Tuzkol field in the Kyzylorda region, Trend reports via the country's Energy Ministry. The initiative aims to strengthen energy resilience and support the development of regional infrastructure. The project is operated by TuzkolMunaiGaz Operating LLP, which is implementing the initiative in close coordination with the Ministry of Energy and with the participation of relevant national companies. At the initial stage, around 30 million m of raw gas will be supplied annually. With the transition to industrial development of the Tuzkol gas reserves in 2026 and the Ketekazgan West field in 2028, supply volumes are expected to increase gradually, potentially reaching up to 200 million m per year. This will significantly expand gas supply coverage and strengthen the regions energy infrastructure. The project really puts its money where its mouth iscreating new jobs, roping in local specialists, and building up the necessary infrastructure. The extracted gas will be processed at partner facilities and integrated into the national gas transportation system. The Ministry of Energy provides comprehensive support at all stages, ensuring technological reliability and compliance with state standards. The Tuzkol gas project serves as an example of effective cooperation between the government and business, aimed at sustainable development, energy security, and improving the living standards of the population. The hydrocarbon reservoirs of Kazakhstan can be categorized into four delineated or potential petroleum and gas provinces within the Republic of Kazakhstan. Investigations within the territories where hydrocarbon extraction has previously occurred culminated, by the year 2010, in the identification of over 200 distinct accumulations of oil, gas, oil-and-gas mixtures, and condensate resources. Among these, the Kashagan, Tengiz, and Karachaganak fields can be classified as supergiants. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 3. Samruk-Kazyna and Masdar got together to discuss the rollout of a large-scale wind power project in Kazakhstans Zhambyl region, Trend reports via the state-owned company. The meeting was attended by Nurlan Zhakupov, Chairman of Samruk-Kazyna, and Masdar CEO Mohammed Jameel Al Ramahi. Stakeholders engaged in a comprehensive dialogue regarding the project's trajectory, with groundbreaking anticipated to commence in 2026. The wind energy project is slated for phased commissioning commencing in 2028, with an anticipated attainment of full operational capacity by 2029. Masdar, a global leader in renewable energy, is a strategic investor in the 1 GW wind farm in Kazakhstan, which will include an energy storage system. The project is among the largest wind energy initiatives in the region and will support Kazakhstans strategy for green energy development and carbon emission reduction. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Photo: Ministry of Industry and New Technologies of the Republic of Tajikistan DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, October 3. Minister of Industry and New Technologies of Tajikistan Sherali Kabir and Deputy Director General of Russias Rosatom State Corporation Nikolai Spassky discussed key issues of bilateral and multilateral cooperation, Trend reports via the Tajik ministry. They also reviewed prospects for further collaboration in the remediation of territories affected by uranium production, the peaceful use of nuclear technologies, and the implementation of joint projects in the healthcare sector. In July 2025, it was announced that Rosatom would rehabilitate two uranium legacy sites in Tajikistan, the tailings storage facility in the town of Adrasman and the waste dump of Workshop No. 3 at the Taboshar site near the city of Istiklol. The project is being carried out under an intergovernmental agreement between Russia and Tajikistan on cooperation in the remediation of territories affected by uranium mining and other extractive industries. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 3. The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty between Iran and Russia officially entered into force on October 2, 2025, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced, Trend reports. The treaty was originally signed in Moscow on January 16, 2025, by the presidents of the two countries. According to the Ministry, the agreement reflects the determination of Tehran and Moscow to deepen relations and expand cooperation on the basis of mutual respect, good-neighborliness, and the shared higher interests of the two nations. The document outlines a framework for strengthening ties in a wide range of areas, including diplomacy, trade, investment, energy, science and technology, culture, and defense. It is described as a turning point in the history of bilateral relations, designed to elevate partnership across multiple sectors. The treaty also emphasizes cooperation in safeguarding international peace and security, with Iran and Russia pledging to uphold the principles of the UN Charter. The two countries reaffirmed their commitment to multilateralism and closer coordination within organizations such as BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). The U.S. Department of Defense has issued an urgent call to America's missile makers: dramatically ramp up production to meet growing global threats. This directive constitutes a seismic shift in defense spending that could deliver massive gains for Boeing (BA), which holds some of the military's most critical missile contracts. Recent reports show the Pentagon aims to secure capacity for nearly 2,000 PAC-3 missiles from fiscal years 2024 to 2026 with a new $9.8 billion contract to Lockheed Martin (LMT). More News from Barchart This production surge comes as geopolitical tensions rise and the U.S. military consumes munitions at an unprecedented rate, creating what defense analysts call a "golden age" for missile contractors. Boeing could become one of the biggest beneficiaries. www.barchart.com Boeing May Become The Pentagon's Go-To Missile Supplier Boeing holds multiple high-value contracts that position it perfectly for the production surge. The company's Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) program received a massive $7.5 billion contract last year to convert "dumb" bombs into precision-guided munitions. These kits, which Boeing produces at its St. Louis facility, transform standard bombs into GPS-guided weapons capable of striking targets with pinpoint accuracy. With the Pentagon pushing to increase JDAM production, this contract alone could see significant expansion. Even more compelling is Boeing's role as the sole producer of the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), a 30,000-pound bunker-busting behemoth designed to destroy deeply buried targets. After the weapon's first combat use against Iranian nuclear facilities, the Air Force is preparing a $123 million contract to replenish depleted stocks. Budget documents show the Pentagon intends to at least triple MOP production capacity, with Boeing as the prime contractor. The company is also co-developing the Next Generation Penetrator (NGP) with Applied Research Associates. Boeing's Defense Segment Shows Surprising Strength Boeing's Defense, Space & Security segment is quietly becoming quite profitable. In Q2 2025, BDS posted a 1.7% operating margin. Analysts expected negative margins throughout the year. It had $110 million in Q2 operating profit ($913 million loss in the year-ago quarter) on $6.6 billion in revenue, with backlog growing to $74 billion. International orders constitute 22% of this backlog as allies rush to replenish their own munitions stockpiles. By Nicole Lyons, October 2, 2025 Josiah Nyangau, Ph.D., assistant vice provost of Assessment and Planning, and his children visit the new family study room at the James C. Kirkpatrick Library. University of Central Missouri (UCM) student parents now have a dedicated study room at the heart of campus that supports academic success while providing a child-friendly space for their families. Thanks to a grant from UCM's Academic Affairs Strategic Opportunity Initiative, the James C. Kirkpatrick Library (JCKL) has added a new service for parenting and caretaking students, faculty and staff: the Family Study Room, located on the second floor of the library, Room 2439. The space is designed to provide a distraction-free environment for studying while offering children enriching activities. Students, faculty, staff and community members visited the new study room during a grand opening reception Wednesday evening, Oct. 1. Many guests brought their children, who were the first to enjoy the toys and explore the family-friendly space. The project was spearheaded by Assistant Dean of Library Services Maya Kucij and College of Education Subject Librarian Sara Evans, who both understand firsthand the challenges of pursuing higher education while raising young children. I was still breastfeeding my daughter when I started graduate school, Kucij shared. It was really hard to balance the demands of school with having two kids under age 4. I often felt isolated from peers who didnt have any kids. Inspired by Supporting student parents in the academic library (Keyes and Dworak, 2024), Kucij and Evans envisioned transforming a standard study room into a supportive, family-friendly space. They regularly saw students arrive at the library with children in tow, often struggling to keep kids entertained without disturbing others or sacrificing their own focus. To ensure the design met real needs, Evans formed a Student Parent Advisory Board. Board member Christopher Todd brought his son, Declan, to a planning session to help identify common concerns. We modeled the room after a daycare in many ways, Evans explained. There are safe, engaging toys set up in activity centers to stimulate childrens interest while still allowing parents to keep an eye on them and concentrate on academic work. The Family Study Room is equipped with two networked computer workstations, a scanner, a whiteboard and a projector. Plenty of engaging activities are provided for children, including a play kitchen, interactive toys, books, a table and chairs and other materials. Additional supports like a rocking chair, baby swing, and child step stools and changing tables in nearby restrooms are also provided. UCM students, faculty and staff who are accompanied by children can reserve the Family Study Room for up to four hours per day. A key can be checked out from the first-floor Information Desk. To learn how to book the study room and review the booking procedures, visit the Student Parent Resources page. Campus community members may already be familiar with the James C. Kirkpatrick Librarys vibrant childrens and young adult collection, located on the third floor of the library. The collection features educational and recreational reading materials for children from toddlers to high schoolers. At James C. Kirkpatrick Library, we consistently evaluate our library spaces to ensure they are meeting the needs of the UCM community, said Janette Klein, Ph.D., dean of Library Services. With a growing number of nontraditional and student parents on campus, we felt it was essential to create a dedicated study space designed specifically to support them. Many student parents do not have access to consistent childcare. The new family study room offers a welcoming space for student parents, allowing them to focus on their studies while balancing their academic responsibilities and caring for their children nearby, without worrying about disrupting others. At JCKL, we recognize that our students are balancing academics alongside family, work and community responsibilities, Klein said. The JCKL Family Study Room reflects our ongoing commitment to providing the resources, support and spaces students need to succeed academically, while also ensuring they feel supported and can thrive as part of the UCM community. For more information, contact Evans at saraevans@ucmo.edu or 660-843-8502. Tweet tweet button for twitter Published October 2, 2025 MONROE, La. The University of Louisiana Monroe is highlighting enrollment growth in key areas for the Fall 2025 semester. Undergraduate enrollment in the College of Health Sciences rose 4.75% compared to Fall 2024. Within the College of Health Sciences, graduate programs increased 9%, boosted by an additional cohort in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program and the inaugural class of the Occupational Therapy Doctorate program. Graduate enrollment university-wide rose 11%, while overall student headcount increased by about one percentage point. Many degree programs saw a double-digit percentage increase in enrollment, such as Management, Marketing, Social Work, Education, Music, Atmospheric Science, Toxicology, and Construction Management. In my first semester as president of ULM, there is an excitement among the students on our campus. The energy is palpable as a new generation of Warhawks undertake an educational journey that will change their lives, said ULM President Dr. Carrie L. Castille. These enrollment increases in key areas show that we are leading the way in preparing our students for in-demand jobs in healthcare, business, and beyond. The ULM Honors Program saw a 10% increase in enrollment over Fall 2024, including the second-largest freshman class in its history. The number of students living on campus has increased as well, with campus residence halls at 93% capacity, continuing to rebound each year since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. We know that continued growth is possible, and we are hopeful for increases in the coming years. Our recruiters are in high schools throughout Louisiana and the surrounding states, telling students about the quality and affordability of a ULM education. Ive visited schools myself and hosted high school students on campus. The future is bright and Im confident that ULMs best days are ahead, said Castille. We invite all potential students to join us on campus for Browse on the Bayou on November 1 and see in person why the best is on the bayou! she added. For more information, please visit ulm.edu/browse. UN Legal Experts List 15 Reasons to Reject Trumps Gaza Plan Around 35 UN legal experts Friday released 15 reasons to highlight why Donald Trumps Gaza Peace Plan is against international law and must be rejected Friday October 3, 2025 11:49 PM , ummid.com News Network [The UN said Israel-designated so-called humanitarian zones in the south of the enclave are places of death. (Image: Quds News Network/X)] United Nations: Around 35 UN legal experts Friday released 15 reasons to highlight why Donald Trumps Gaza Peace Plan is against international law and must be rejected. Around 35 UN legal experts, including the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, said they welcome parts of the peace plan, but warned that any peace plan must absolutely safeguard the human rights of Palestinians, and not create further conditions of oppression. We welcome parts of the peace plan announced by the United States to end the war in Gaza, including a permanent ceasefire, rapid release of unlawfully detained persons, an influx of humanitarian aid under United Nations supervision, no forced displacement from Gaza, the withdrawal of Israeli forces and the non-annexation of territory. These are broadly requirements of international law that should not depend on a formal peace plan, the experts said in a statement published by United Nations Human Rights Office of The High Commission (OHCHR). The experts warned that the key elements of the plan are deeply inconsistent with fundamental rules of international law and the 2024 Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice that demand that Israel ends its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. 15 Reasons Why Trump's Gaza Plan Must be Rejected The experts highlighted major concerns about the following aspects: The Palestinian right of self-determination, including through independent statehood, is not guaranteed as international law requires, and is subject to vague pre-conditions concerning Gazas redevelopment, Palestinian Authority reform, and a dialogue between Israel and Palestine. Palestines future would thus be at the mercy of decisions by outsiders, not in the hands of Palestinians as international law commands. The plan also preserves the failed status quo of requiring more negotiations with Israel, when the Israeli Prime Minister has already declared that Israel would forcibly resist statehood. This is blatantly against the International Court of Justice (ICJ) finding that fulfilling the right of self-determination cannot be made conditional upon negotiations. The temporary transitional government is not representative of Palestinians and even excludes the Palestinian Authority, further violating self-determination and lacking legitimacy. There are no concrete benchmarks or timeframes for a transition to representative governance, which belongs to the Palestinians only, without foreign interference. Oversight by a Board of Peace chaired by the US President is not under United Nations authority or transparent multilateral control, while the US is a deeply partisan supporter of Israel and not an honest broker. This proposal is regrettably reminiscent of colonial practices and must be rejected. An International Stabilisation Force, outside the control of the Palestinian people and the United Nations as a guarantor, would replace Israeli occupation with a US-led occupation, contrary to Palestinian self-determination. Partial Israeli occupation could continue indefinitely through a security perimeter inside Gazas borders, which, is absolutely unacceptable. The demilitarisation of Gaza has no end date and, if permanent, could leave it vulnerable to Israeli aggression. Nothing is said regarding the demilitarisation of Israel, which has committed international crimes against the Palestinians and threatened peace and security in the region through aggression against other countries. Deradicalisation is imposed on Gaza only, while anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab sentiments, radicalisation and public incitement to genocide have been hallmarks of dominant rhetoric in Israel over the past two years. The plan largely treats Gaza in isolation from the West Bank including East Jerusalem, when these areas must be regarded as a unified Palestinian territory and State. An economic development plan and special economic zone could result in illegal foreign exploitation of resources without Palestinian consent. There is no duty on Israel and those who have sustained its illegal attacks in Gaza to compensate Palestinians for illegal war damage. The plan provides for the release of all Israeli hostages but only some of the many arbitrarily detained Palestinians. Amnesties offered to Hamas seem to be unconditional, even if they committed international crimes, denying justice for victims of international crimes. The plan does not address accountability at all for Israeli international crimes and human rights violations against the Palestinian people. There is no commitment to transitional justice, historical truth-telling or genuine reconciliation. There is also no guaranteed access for independent journalists. Accountability and justice are integral to sustainable peace. The plan does not address other fundamental issues such as ending illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank including East Jerusalem, borders, compensation, and refugees. The plan does not provide a leading role for the United Nations, General Assembly or Security Council, or specifically for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which is vital to assisting and protecting Palestinians. Any peace plan must respect the ground rules of international law, the experts said. The future of Palestine must be in the hands of the Palestinian people not imposed by outsiders under extreme conditions of duress in yet another scheme to control their destiny. The experts recalled that the International Court of Justice had been crystal clear. Conditions cannot be placed on the Palestinian right of self-determination, they said. The Israeli occupation must end immediately, totally and unconditionally, with due reparation made to the Palestinians. The United Nations not Israel or its closest ally has been identified by the ICJ as the legitimate authority to oversee the end of the occupation and the transition towards a political solution in which their right of self-determination is fully realised, the experts said. Discontent among Arab and Muslim Leaders The statement of the UN Legal experts came two days after three Arab officials talking to Associated Press said the 20-Point Gaza Peace plan mooted by Trump has been tweaked in favour of Israel. The Arab officials said the plan is not the one drafted by the Arab and Muslim leaders of eight countries who had met Trump on the sidelines of the September 2025 UN General Assembly Session. Also on Friday, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also said Trump's Gaza Peace Plan is not the one drafted by the Arab and Muslim leaders as being projected. Pakistani Prime Minister was one of the eight Muslim leaders who met Trump in September. Soon after Trump released his peace plan, Arab and Muslim leaders, who met Trump to chalk-out the plan to end war in Gaza, while endorsing the Trumps version clearly outlined that besides other things they want two state solution of the Palestinian issue and complete withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces from Gaza. Follow ummid.com WhatsApp Channel for all the latest updates. Select Language to Translate in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic We recently compiled a list of the 12 Best Healthcare Stocks to Buy and Hold for 5 Years. Penumbra, Inc. is one of them. Penumbra, Inc. (NYSE:PEN) based in California, is a global leader in thrombectomy and vascular intervention technologies, offering products such as the Indigo and Lightning series, as well as neuro and vascular embolization solutions. Operating in over 100 countries, the company serves acute stroke and broader vascular markets through both direct and distributor-driven channels. In September 2025, Shruthi Narayan was promoted to President, bringing engineering and commercialization expertise to strengthen PENs focus on global innovation and market growth. The business also introduced the Ruby XL System, the largest and longest detachable embolization coil, demonstrating versatility in complex vascular procedures and supporting wider clinical adoption. These advances contribute to PENs reputation among the best healthcare stocks. Expanding its thrombectomy capabilities, Penumbra, Inc. (NYSE:PEN) released the Lightning Bolt 6X device in a 150 cm length, enabling Computer Assisted Vacuum Thrombectomy (CAVT) in smaller, distal vessels, a critical advance for peripheral arterial disease interventions. Additionally, the firm completed enrollment for the STORM-PE Randomized Controlled Trial, evaluating CAVTs effectiveness in pulmonary embolism, with results poised to influence future treatment guidelines and expand market penetration. Penumbra, Inc. (PEN) Promotes Shruthi Narayan to President to Drive Global Growth Looking ahead, Penumbra, Inc. (NYSE:PEN) remains committed to advancing minimally invasive clot removal technologies that improve patient outcomes while enhancing healthcare efficiency. The firms recent clinical data highlights the speed, safety, and efficacy of its CAVT devices, reinforcing growth potential in both U.S. and international markets. While we acknowledge the potential of PEN as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 30 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and 11 Hidden AI Stocks to Buy NOW Disclosure: None. We recently published 11 Stocks Crushing Wall Street With Whopping Gains. Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) is one of the top performers on Tuesday. Pfizer Inc. extended its winning streak to a third straight day on Tuesday, jumping 6.83 percent to close at $25.48 apiece as investors cheered its exception from the US governments imposition of 100 percent tariffs on pharmaceutical imports. In a statement, Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) said it reached a landmark agreement with the US government to lower prescription drug costs for American patients. In response to the four points covered in Trumps letter on July 31, Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) said it agreed to implement measures to ensure Americans receive comparable drug prices to those in other developed countries, and that pricing of newly launched medicines are at par with other developed markets. Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) will also participate in a direct purchasing platform, TrumpRx.gov, that will allow American patients to purchase medicines from Pfizer at a significant discount. The large majority of the companys primary care treatments and some select specialty brands will be offered savings as much as 85 percent and on average 50 percent. Pfizer (PFE) Soars on Tariff Exemption, Landmark US Govt Deal The agreement exempts the company from getting slapped with a 100 percent tariff that will be effective to all pharmaceutical imports beginning tomorrow, October 1. While we acknowledge the potential of PFE as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an extremely cheap AI stock that is also a major beneficiary of Trump tariffs and onshoring, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 30 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and 11 Hidden AI Stocks to Buy Right Now. WASHINGTON The White House is asking nine major universities to sign a new agreement pledging to uphold the Trump administration's higher education priorities or risk losing preferred access to federal funds, officials confirmed this week. The initiative, called the Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education, outlines requirements for universities to demonstrate alignment with administration policies in order to secure priority access to grants, contracts, and other benefits. According to the White House, the compact was signed by May Mailman, White House domestic policy advisor; Linda McMahon, secretary of education; and Vince Haley, deputy assistant to the president for policy. "The White House is asking nine U.S. universities to sign an agreement pledging to uphold the Trump administration's higher education priorities, or risk losing out on preferred access to federal funding," CBS News reported. While the administration has not publicly disclosed the full list of universities asked to sign, the compact is being framed as a step to "elevate standards" in higher education. Critics, however, warn that the agreement could blur the line between political priorities and academic independence. Federal funding is a lifeline for research universities, which receive billions annually from agencies such as the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Health and Human Services. The compact signals a sharper political test for universities seeking federal resources. University leaders have not yet issued collective statements on whether they will agree to the compact, though conversations are expected in the coming weeks as details emerge. The move comes amid a series of Trump administration actions reshaping the relationship between higher education and federal policy, including lawsuits, new rules on free speech, and threats to cut funding from institutions seen as out of step with administration priorities. Whether the compact strengthens universities' access to funding or sparks broader resistance remains to be seen. Small-business owners, entrepreneurs and startups will have the opportunity to learn about trademark basics Tuesday, Oct. 10. Jason Lott will lead a Wyoming Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network webinar titled Trademark Basics: What Every Small Business Should Know Now, Not Later from 11 a.m.-noon. To register, go here. The Wyoming SBDC Network offers business expertise to help Wyoming residents think about, launch, grow, reinvent or exit their business. The Wyoming SBDC Network is hosted by the University of Wyoming with state funds from the Wyoming Business Council and funded, in part, through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. The webinar will cover what trademarks are; the benefits of federal trademark registration; and the basics of the registration process. Additionally, the discussion will include why its important for any new business to select a trademark that is both federally registrable and legally protectable. The webinar will close with a question-and-answer session and direct attendees to free resources from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Lott is the managing attorney for Trademarks Customer Outreach at the USPTO, where he specializes in helping small-business owners understand trademarks and the federal trademark registration process. He conceptualizes and delivers educational content using live presentations, creative videos and other multimedia platforms. He also presents to experienced practitioners on advanced trademark topics, providing them the tools and expertise to better serve their clients. Lott began his career at the USPTO in 2000 as a trademark examining attorney. For more information, call Tyler Schanck, marketing, communications and database manager for the Wyoming SBDC Network, at (307) 343-0925 or email tschanck@uwyo.edu. It can be confusing, even overwhelming, trying to navigate the legal matters facing those caring for loved ones living with dementia. The next edition of Wyoming Dementia Together (WDT) will tackle the subject Wednesday, Oct. 8, at 10:30 a.m. in a program titled Legal Considerations in Dementia: Wills and Trusts. The program will be presented by Nancy Norton, a Jackson attorney who specializes in estate planning and elder law. Caring for a loved one facing cognitive decline is a journey filled with many challenges, Norton says. One of the most important ways caregivers can provide support is through thoughtful legal planning. Ill guide you through key legal documents designed to help your loved one maintain dignity and security even as their ability to make decisions changes. Understanding these legal documents empowers caregivers to act confidently and compassionately, ensuring your loved ones wishes are honored. Learning about legal planning -- and doing it -- is an act of love and preparedness that brings peace of mind through your loved ones dementia journey. WDT, which operates under the direction of the University of Wyoming Center on Aging, meets via Zoom every other Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. Pre-registration for the program is required. Programs feature guest speakers and allow time for interaction from those who attend online. WDT support staff members include dementia care professionals, licensed clinical social workers, physical and occupational therapists, and caregivers themselves. Caregivers from throughout Wyoming and surrounding states have benefited. Future WDT programs will feature Care Partner Support Through Technology, Oct. 22; Respite Care for Myself and My Loved One, Nov. 5; Peace, Love and Joy: Activities for the Holiday Season, Nov. 19; and Peace, Love and Joy in the Holiday Season: Caring for Your Loved One and Yourself, Dec. 3. More information is available online here. Information regarding registration for these online Zoom calls and the other free services offered by WDT is available by calling (307) 766-2829 or emailing wycoa@uwyo.edu. Devon Energy Corporation (NYSE:DVN) is one of the S&P 500 stocks with a low PE ratio. Devon Energy, an independent Oklahoma-based energy firm, is involved in the exploration, development, and production of oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids. On September 5, Raymond James boosted the target price on DVN from $45 to $46, while assigning an Outperform rating to the stock. Raymond James Raises Devon Energy (DVN) PT to $46 From $45 Jeff Whyte / Shutterstock.com Raymond James updated its estimates based on present commodity prices, following Devons outperformance of production and capex forecasts by the research firm itself and Wall Street by 2% and 7% respectively, along with a second consecutive $100 million slash in 2025 capex. Raymond James observed that $75 million of DVNs $100 million capex reduction stems from its current optimization program. The company further estimates around $1 billion in extra free cash flow over the next three years from reduced cash taxes and an additional $50 million per year from purchasing the remainder of the non-controlling interests in Cotton Draw Midstream. For Q3 2025, the firm forecasts production of about 837,000 barrels of oil equivalent daily, including 387,000 barrels of oil and capex of $908 million, in line with guidance and analyst expectations. Full-year 2025 production of nearly 833,000 BOE/day and $3.7 billion in capital expenditure are also in accordance with consensus estimates. Raymond James also expects Devon Energy Corporation (NYSE:DVN) to achieve free cash flow yields of about 9% in 2025 and 10% in 2026, similar to peers, with a 2026 EV/EBITDA projected at 4.2x versus roughly 4.5x for peers. The new price target is an indicator of greater capital efficiency by DVN. While we acknowledge the potential of DVN as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: Dow 20 Stocks List: Ranked By Hedge Fund Bullishness Index and 10 Unstoppable Dividend Stocks to Buy Now. Disclosure. None. Vietnam Briefing has developed into a premium source for insight on doing business in Vietnam. It publishes business news concerning foreign direct investment into Vietnam, including the most important tax, legal and accounting issues. The Vietnam Briefing Magazine was first published in 2009, and is contributed to by investment professionals based in Vietnam. Further to the letter dated 27 September from the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, I wish to convey, in the strongest terms, our categorical objection to the action taken today by the Secretariat in notifying Member States of the so-called reapplication of terminated resolutions concerning the Islamic Republic of Iran. In this regard, I would like to draw your attention to the following. Security Council resolution 2231 (2015) does not provide any mandate whatsoever to the Secretary-General or the Secretariat to determine, declare or notify Member States about the so-called reapplication of terminated resolutions. The resolution sets out a specific mechanism under operative paragraphs 11 and 12, placing the matter exclusively within the purview of the Security Council. By acting unilaterally, the Secretariat has exceeded its authority and trespassed into the domain of the Council. The precedent of October 2020 is clear: when similar claims of snapback were raised by the United States, deep divisions within the Security Council over the validity of such a claim prevented the Secretariat from taking any unilateral or administrative steps to give effect to it. The restraint shown at that time reaffirmed the absence of any mandate under resolution 2231 (2015) for the Secretariat to act independently in this highly contested matter. By deliberately issuing this notification despite evident and fundamental disagreement among Security Council members, and in the face of the lack of consensus at the Security Council meeting on 19 September 2025, the Secretariat has taken sides with the three European countries and the United States. This action constitutes a serious breach of Article 100 of the Charter of the United Nations, which obliges the Secretary-General and the staff of the Secretariat to refrain from seeking or receiving instructions from any member or external authority and to maintain the highest standard of independence and impartiality. The Secretariats partiality in this matter undermines its credibility and impartial standing as an international civil service. Such conduct severely damages the trust of Member States in the office of the Secretariat and sets a dangerous precedent of politicization of the Secretariats role. The Islamic Republic of Iran firmly rejects the action taken by the Secretariat today as null and void, lacking any legal basis, and in direct contravention of the Charter. We urge that this grave breach be immediately rectified and that assurances be provided that the Secretariat will fully respect its obligations under Article 100 of the Charter, refraining from any further action or interference in such matters. I would be grateful if you would circulate the present letter as a document of the Security Council. I deem it necessary to appeal to you regarding the claims by the United Kingdom, France and Germany about them allegedly having triggered the snapback mechanism in the context of the Iranian nuclear issue. I would also like to draw your attention to the vote on the Security Council draft resolution submitted by the Republic of Korea on extending the regime of termination of the United Nations sanctions against Iran that took place on 19 September 2025, as well as to the vote on 26 September 2025 on the draft presented by China and Russia aimed at the extension of Security Council resolution 2231 (2015). During the above-mentioned meetings of the Security Council, the United States, the United Kingdom and France, supported by a number of non-permanent members of the Council, voted against both drafts, thus expressing themselves against giving additional room for negotiations in the context of the Iranian nuclear issue. Regrettably, despite all the energetic diplomatic efforts of the last two weeks and Irans readiness to engage in finding a solution, the above-mentioned States rejected all the compromises and chose an escalatory path. In parallel, the United Kingdom, France and Germany have continued to insist on the validity of their so-called snapback notification that was circulated in the Security Council on 28 August. Their claims cannot be further from the truth. Russia has repeatedly clarified that this notification is null and void and that it cannot be regarded as a notification submitted pursuant to operative paragraph 11 of Security Council resolution 2231 (2015), as indicated, inter alia, in the letter addressed to you by the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Russia, China and Iran dated 28 August. Therefore, the draft resolution put to a vote on 19 September by the President of the Council undoubtedly did not meet the requirements of resolution 2231 (2015), and the outcome of its consideration cannot entail the restoration of the United Nations sanctions against Iran. For that reason, the claimed snapback procedure cannot be considered to be triggered. The efforts of the Western States to maintain the opposite only demonstrate that they are desperately trying to legitimize their blatant violations of resolution 2231 (2015) committed previously, as well as to compel the rest of the world to side with their confrontational and fundamentally erroneous policy. Against this backdrop, I count on your responsible position and prudence in order not to yield to those acting beyond the legal framework and trying to use the Security Council and the Secretariat of the United Nations as tools of political retaliation against Iran. I expect that neither you nor the United Nations Secretariat will undertake any practical steps on restoring the sanctions regime against Iran, as there is no mandate to act accordingly. Any opposite actions would be a direct violation of the Charter of the United Nations, particularly its Article 100. The Secretariat should not support any attempts to manipulate the global nuclear non-proliferation regime and let any State use it to settle political scores with unfavoured countries. I hope that you will make consistent efforts to avoid such a negative scenario. Brookfield Renewable Corporation (NYSE:BEPC) is one of the 10 Most Promising Green Stocks According to Wall Street Analysts, supported by hedge fund interest and analyst-rated potential. RBC Capital Maintains Its $31.00 PT on Brookfield Renewable Corporation (BEPC) with Outperforming Rating On September 26, 2025, RBC Capital maintained its $31.00 price target for Brookfield Renewable Corporation (NYSE:BEPC) and retained its Outperforming rating. Growth visibility for the renewable energy company is stronger than ever, according to analyst Nelson Ng, demonstrating confidence in its long-term expansion plan. The rating follows weeks after Brookfield Renewable Corporation (NYSE:BEPC) reported lower-than-anticipated Q2 2025 profits, with EPS of -$4.16 versus an expected $0.01 and sales of $991 million against a prediction of $1.77 billion. Nevertheless, its hydropower and distributed energy companies made significant contributions to Funds From Operations, which increased 10% year over year to $371 million. A pipeline of U.S. M&A opportunities and investments in grid reliability technology support managements continued goal of double-digit annual FFO per unit growth and 1215% long-term total returns. Hydro, wind, solar, storage, and other sustainable energy assets are owned and operated globally by Brookfield Renewable Corporation (NYSE:BEPC). It is one of the most promising stocks. While we acknowledge the potential of BEPC as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 11 Best Gold Royalty and Small-Cap Gold Stocks to Invest in Now and 11 Best Coal Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds. Disclosure: None. Last week, I warned our readers, particularly Israeli ones, against Benjamin Netanyahus rapid drift toward fascistismand perhaps Naziism, in Ben-Gurions words about Vladimir Jabotinsky. [1] I had indeed noted the Prime Ministers public conversion to the doctrine of "Greater Israel." Let us recall that this expression is not intended to justify the annexation of the entire Palestinian territories to the State of Israel, but also eastern Egypt, parts of Jordan and Saudi Arabia, all of Lebanon, most of Syria, and part of Iraq, to the point of reforming the ancient Assyrian empire "from the Nile to the Euphrates." This announcement, made exclusively in Hebrew, that is, for the sole use of his fellow Israelis, drew strong criticism from all Arab leaders, even reaching the United Nations Security Council on September 23. Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf declared that "the Israeli occupation compromises any prospect of creating an independent and sovereign Palestinian state, not only on the ground but also in peoples minds." Fueled by the myth of "Greater Israel," the Israeli government seeks to redefine the regions borders and extend its hegemony in defiance of international law and the norms governing peaceful coexistence between states; a statement echoed by the Russian Permanent Representative. Indeed, how can one not question this reference, which the Prime Minister had always avoided citing throughout his political career and which he now uses in the midst of the "genocide" in Gaza? The term genocide is not a legal whim, but the carefully chosen word of the "Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories," which submitted its report (reference A/79/363) to the United Nations General Assembly on September 20 [2]. This is also the opinion of Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, the Advocate General of the Israel Defense Forces. The latter had warned the IDF General Staff that 1.2 million Gazans could not be displaced without ensuring their fate. But on September 8, General Eyal Amir, Chief of Staff, overruled these objections. This is the first time since the creation of the State of Israel that a Chief of Staff has ignored the warnings of an Advocate General. No matter. Benjamin Netanyahu is now reclaiming his complex legacy of fascism and Nazism: on September 15, during a conference organized by Israels Accountant General, the Prime Minister declared that the entire world was now against the State of Israel (which is false: he is against its own policies). Particularly Europeans, who are giving in to pressure from their Arab and Muslim immigrants. The enemy is no longer Hamas and Iran, but Belgium and Spain. Also, he continued, Israel must transform itself into a self-sufficient country... a "Super-Sparta." It must abandon its conventional economic activities and develop its defense industries. [3] Benjamin Netanyahu spoke cautiously about this myth, saying: "We are Athens and Sparta. But we are going to become Athens and super-Sparta." It must be remembered that no politician has referred to Sparta since the fall of the Third Reich. It was a leitmotif of the Nazis and their allies, right up to the Japanese imperialists. Everyone claimed to be a Spartan against Athens, just as today, everyone claims to be an Athens against Sparta... except Benjamin Netanyahu and the Straussians. This is why I immediately refer you to what I wrote two years ago [4]: the man behind Netanyahus legal coup, the Israeli-American Elliott Abrams, claims not only to be Vladimir Jabotinsky, the founder of Revisionist Zionism, but also to Leo Strauss. But Leo Strauss was not only a disciple of Jabotinsky, whom he came to welcome in New York with Benzion Netanyahu (Benyamins father). He was a philosophy professor at the University of Chicago. He secretly trained his favorite students. He called them his "hoplites" (that is, his soldiers, in reference to ancient Greece). He tested them by sending them to disrupt the classes of his rivals. Then he taught them that to protect themselves from a possible holocaust, they should not rely on democracies, weak regimes, but build their own dictatorships. It was his students, like Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz, who rigged US intelligence and initiated both the attacks of September 11 and the destruction of Afghanistan and Iraq. The reference to Sparta is a means of recognition that all fascists understand. Yair Lapid, the opposition leader, commented the next day on Radio 103FM, declaring: "Sparta was destroyed. He is the son of a historian. He surprised me. Sparta is a sword, why did he mention it? Because it transformed us into a country at war. We dont want to be a state at war, we want to be a prosperous, prosperous, and popular country in the world." Above all, he should have said and repeated that Benzion Netanyahu was a fascist and that Sparta is an unworthy reference in a democracy, that the Holocaust survivors who, fleeing aboard the Exodus, participated in the creation of the State of Israel would turn in their graves to hear the Prime Minister evoke a Nazi myth and perpetrate genocide. As if that werent enough, Benjamin Netanyahu continued to lie before the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly [5]. In a room deserted by three-quarters of the diplomatic delegations, he claimed that Hamas had massacred "1,200 innocent people" on October 7, while, according to the Israeli press, he had ordered the IDF to kill soldiers and civilians themselves so that they would not be "taken prisoner by the enemy" [6]. He is therefore responsible for half of the deaths he denounces. Then, he claimed that Hamas called in its charter for "the murder of all Jews on the planet," which was never included in it. He boasted of taking all necessary measures to protect Gazan civilians, while all non-Israeliand often Israeliexperts note the opposite. He accused all those who try to save Gazans of being anti-Semitic and of spreading anti-Semitism, without realizing that it is his policy, carried out in the name of a self-proclaimed Jewish state, that fuels this anti-Semitism. He accused 90% of the Palestinian people of supporting the horrors of October 7, while they supported a military operation by the entire Resistance (except Fatah) and largely disassociated themselves from the crimes committed that day. He accused the Palestinians of not wanting an independent state alongside Israel, but instead of Israel, while Yasser Arafat signed the Oslo Accords alongside Yitzhak Rabin, accepting the two-state solution. And so on. When will we admit that Benjamin Netanyahu is no longer a democrat and that it is our duty to fight him before he kills all the Gazans and begins to purge the Israelis? More than anyone else, Israelis, whose parents were betrayed by their homelands and delivered to Nazi barbarism, should rise up against what the State of Israel is becoming, not only against the Arabs, but also against them. Since Israel imposed a naval blockade on the Gaza Strip in 2007, numerous initiatives have attempted to deliver humanitarian aid by sea. While the first attempt may have been improvised, all subsequent attempts have been organized by the Muslim Brotherhood and its Palestinian branch, Hamas. In essence, this blockade is illegal under international law and the Muslim Brotherhood is therefore right to break it, since Israel is a member of the United Nations and has undertaken to abide by its decisions, which it has not done. The United Nations Security Council has described this blockade as collective punishment. The Mavi Marmara affair in 2010-2011-2012 should have opened everyones eyes to the political manipulation of these flotillas humanitarian operations. When the flotilla was boarded by Israeli Special Forces and the passengers arrested, several of them were hospitalized in Turkiye, including the Irish-Turkish El-Mehdi El-Hamid, who was photographed kissing Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the forehead. Later, it turned out that El-Mehdi El-Hamid was both a Muslim Brother and a CIA agent. In 2011, he was put in power in Tripoli by NATO during the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi, then in 2012 he became the second-in-command of the Free Syrian Army, i.e. the so-called "Syrian rebels," even though he had never before set foot in Syria. According to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, one of the organizers of the numerous flotillas to Gaza over the past 15 years is listed as an agent of the PCPA, the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad. This organization would be "subordinate to Hamas and would serve as a wing of the movement." Another agent on the PCPA list is Saif Abu Kashik, who is the CEO of a company that "owns dozens of vessels participating in the Sumud flotilla." Therefore, according to the ministry, "these ships are secretly owned by Hamas." It added that in a 2021 letter, the late head of Hamas Political Bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, "publicly endorsed the PCPA organization." The accusations against Muslim Brother Zahier Birawi began in June with an article in The Telegraph. He was the one who organized and launched the "Sumud" (Resilience) flotilla. He is a journalist with Muslim Brother Azzam Tamimis satellite TV channel Al-Hiwar (Dialogue), which advertises the Muslim Brotherhood and its Palestinian branch, Hamas. The goodwill of the volunteers in these flotillas is being manipulated by the Anglo-Saxon intelligence services to maintain and reinforce animosity between Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs. The interception on 2 October of thirteen boats of the "Sumud" flotilla by the Israeli army is part of this charade. The arrest of more than 200 passengers, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, guarantees the publicity of this sinister operation of hate communication. The joint involvement of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Israeli army guarantees the success of this "strategy of tension". You can find original article here WealthManagement. Subscribe to our free daily WealthManagement newsletters. Robertson Stephens, a San Francisco-based wealth manager with more than $7 billion in client assets, has lured a former Hightower Advisors team based in Rhode Island. According to SEC filings, Carol Nulman, who leads the Nulman Group, and her team moved to Robertson Stephens in September. She has taken on the role of managing director and principal, joined by Richard Lewis, another managing director and principal; Hunter Norte, a vice president; and a client service associate, according to the firms website. Neither the Nulman team nor Robertson Stephens responded to requests for comment. A Hightower spokesperson also didnt immediately respond to a comment request. Nulman joined Hightower in 2015, when she was managing about $500 million in client assets, according to a press release from the time. She made the move to Hightower from Oppenheimer & Co. Lewis joined Hightower in 2017 and Norte in 2022, according to BrokerCheck. In July, Robertson Stephens announced that financial advisor Leah Hokenson joined as a managing director and principal in New York, having previously worked at Baldwin Wealth Partners. The firm went on an acquisition run with four deals in 2024, but has been quieter in deal announcements this year. It is backed by private equity firm Long Arc Capital and has offices in 24 locations across the United States. Union leader rejects claim that strike is unlawful as Salvini warns: "If violence prevails we will know how to react". The leader of Italy's largest trade union has confirmed a general strike on Friday 3 October, rejecting claims by the country's strike watchdog that the protest is unlawful. The strike has been called by the CGIL union, as well as by the USB and other small unions, in protest after Israel intercepted an international flotilla of civilian boats carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. CGIL leader Maurizio Landini said his union would challenge the ruling by the strike guarantor commission, which exposes unions to economic sanctions, insisting that the strike would go ahead as planned on Friday. The industrial action is set to disrupt both the public and private sector, affecting Italy's schools, healthcare and transport sectors, including air and rail travel, as well as public administration, offices and factories. "Our strike is fully legitimate because we did so in compliance with Law 146, which provides that in the event of constitutional violations, or the jeopardisation of workers' health and safety, strike action is permitted without notice", Landini told RAI News. The dozens of Italians on board the Global Sumud Flotilla who were arrested by Israeli forces will be expelled from Israel within a couple of days, or face trial if they oppose expulsion, foreign minister Antonio Tajani told parliament on Thursday. "Our constitutional norms are not being respected," Landini said, adding that "our compatriots arrested in open waters" by Israel were not being protected. Meloni Landini also hit back at comments made by Italian premier Giorgia Meloni who criticised the flotilla and the decision by unions to call a general strike on Friday. Meloni claimed the flotilla has "brought no benefits for the Palestinian people" but is set to "bring many inconveniences to the Italian people", before goading the unions: "A long weekend and the revolution do not go together". Organisers of last nights protest in Rome in solidarity with the Global Sumud Flotilla estimated that 50,000 people joined the march from the Colosseum. pic.twitter.com/wUV432azHZ Wanted in Rome (@wantedinrome) October 3, 2025 Landini responded to Meloni's long weekend jibe by stating: "I never thought a prime minister would reach such a low level". "We should be respectful; striking is not an obligation; when someone goes on strike, they give up their salary" - Landini noted - "If someone gives up their salary, it means they believe they're participating in something important." Interior minister Matteo Piantedosi on Thursday said that Italian authorities and police are prepared in case Friday's general strike and protests degenerate into violence. "I trust in the reasonableness of the majority of the protesters on the one hand, and the well-established professionalism of our police forces on the other", Piantedosi told reporters in Naples. Salvini Italy's transport minister Matteo Salvini had been considering ordering an injunction to block the strike, a tactic he has used in the past, however on this occasion he has decided against the move. "In this delicate phase, Salvini does not believe shows of force are useful," the ministry of infrastructure and transport stated. Salvini has instead proposed "a review of the current legislation on strikes, and in particular of the sanctions for those who disobey the rules", stating: "Whoever participates tomorrow in a strike declared illegitimate by the Commission will personally pay the consequences, as provided by law." On Thursday Salvini wrote on X: "Occupying an airport runway, causing problems and disruptions to workers and travellers, has nothing to do with the situation in Gaza. These are not pacifists, but hoodlums". Warning Later that evening, Salvini posted a video on social media stating: "Final warning, given that there are 40 more strikes called between now and the end of the year. If common sense prevails tomorrow, we will behave in a certain manner. If arrogance, violence and oppression prevail tomorrow, we will know how to react." For official strike information and updates see the transport ministry website. Photo Wanted in Rome, 2 October 2025. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has released the latest figures for pre-registrations in the UK new car market for August 2025. The Supply of New Cars Order 2000 mandates that motor manufacturers disclose the number of pre-registered cars supplied and the corresponding gross income. This information is made public on a monthly basis. According to the data, Volkswagen has topped the table, securing 8.52% of the total market for the year 2024, with a gross revenue of 262,360 ($352,633) from these pre-registered vehicles. Following in market share, BMW secured 6.41%, with Audi close behind at 6.27% and a gross revenue of 172,117. Other manufacturers with notable pre-registration figures include Kia at 5.75%, Ford at 5.63%, Mercedes at 5.26%, and Toyota at 5.19%. The list further includes Nissan with a 5.14% share, Hyundai at 4.70%, MG at 4.18%, Vauxhall at 4.04%, and Skoda at 4.03%. Peugeot recorded a 3.53% share while Volvo, Land Rover, Renault, Tesla, and Mini had shares of 3.40%, 3.14%, 2.97%, 2.58% and 2.41%, respectively. Other brands such as Seat, Dacia, Honda, Cupra, Citroen, Mazda, Suzuki, and Porsche also featured in the pre-registration data, with different share figures. In terms of gross revenue, alongside Volkswagen and Audi, Skoda and Seat reported revenues of 343,054 and 344,851, respectively. An earlier SMMT report highlighted a 2% decline in UK new car registrations for August 2025, totalling 82,908 units. The month of August typically sees a slowdown in activity, representing a small fraction of annual deliveries before the September number plate change. Despite the market contraction, battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) reached a record market share of 26.5%. "SMMT discloses August car pre-registration figures in UK" was originally created and published by Motor Finance Online, a GlobalData owned brand. The Director of Roads at Waterford City and County Council has welcomed an additional allocation of roads infrastructure funding, but said it is not nearly what they need. At the September sitting of Dungarvan-Lismore District Council, Councillor Tom Cronin said he wished to acknowledge the funding announced a week previous. Director Gabriel Hynes replied: Yeah we received a 350,000 in RI funding. I was looking for 8 million but yeah it's welcome. In March, Mr Hynes expressed concerns that if that money was not allocated, the council would struggle to maintain the roads. Cllr Cronin also complimented the roads department on the work they have carried out over the summer. Minister for State John Cummins has said he welcomes the news of the private investment proposal for Waterford Airport. Minister Cummins told the Waterford News and Star that he has been given an overview by Waterford City and County Council CEO Sean McKeown, Airport Company Chairman Michael Walsh and director William Bolster. I respect the process which is currently underway and it is important that Waterford city and county councillors are given the space to consider the proposal. The delivery of the runway extension project is critical for connectivity and economic growth in the South East. "As a former board director, I have always advocated strongly for this project and ensured its inclusion in the Programme for Government earlier this year. I am very hopeful that a positive outcome can be achieved, which will see the runway project and critical air connectivity for South East passengers restored, said Minister Cummins. Minister Cummins also said that he was looking forward to working within the government to ensure OPEX (operational) support is provided to Waterford Airport under the Regional Airports Programme, when commercial air connectivity is in place. Michael 'Butch' Power was laid to rest last week after a Requiem Mass at the Holy Family Church in Waterford city. The father of seven was a dedicated fighter for social causes and workers' rights. At the funeral mass, he was remembered by his close friend Jimmy Kelly, who offered his sincere condolences "to Betty and to all your sons and daughters, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, the grandchildren and the wider family". Jimmy recalled the context in which Michael tried to shape his working life and that of his fellow workers "for the better". "For the years Butch spent in Waterford Crystal, he will be recalled as a union stalwart, shop steward, chief shop steward, branch chairman and union officer. Butch Power was a union leader workers could, and did, look up to," he said. He said Michael's communication skills were "first class, whether he was speaking with one member or addressing a mass meeting of all our members". Coming from the Blowers Section of Waterford Crystal, Michael took a senior position within the branches in Waterford and Dungarvan. "He was a man to be trusted and with his natural instinct on behalf of workers, they knew Butch would always represent their best interest and would always get the best agreement possible," Jimmy said. "We are saying farewell to a very good man, a big man in lots of ways, who was a good friend to many. He championed the cause of workers at Waterford Crystal and, as a union officer, workers across Waterford." The Glass workers took up the national issue that saw PAYE workers paying the bulk of taxation, in the region of 86% of all income tax, collected in the State. "This meant going up against the employers, the Revenue and the Government," said Jimmy. "With much thanks to Butch, his standing being what it was, agreement was got from the payroll staff not to run the wage program on the main computer. Following negotiations, the company, however reluctantly, paid our wages, without income tax or PRSI deductions. "When declared by Butch on the main evening news, the prospect of this action being repeated by other workplaces sent a shiver through the government." Butch travelled to other workplaces advocating for similar action for tax justice and spoke at numerous public demonstrations of Unite the Union's branches. "Butch was asked by a reporter how would we pay back our taxes. Butch replied we will pay it back weekly, 'Very Weakly'," said Jimmy. A Commission on Taxation was set up by government that produced reforms, and shone a light on those enjoying tax avoidance measures and tax evasion. "This indeed was an inspiring example of which there are many, when workers took up the political issues," said Jimmy. "Butch was one of our two full-time convenors leading the campaign along with 40 shop stewards. "Butch was also on board in 1981 for our supportive involvement in the demands for political status of political prisoners in the Maze prisons of H-Block. "Strike action was taken on the occasion of the death of each of the 10 hunger strikers. Many workers took time to work on behalf of Kevin Lynch, when he stood for the Waterford constituency in the General Election that year. "Butch as a senior lay leader supported without question, this great solidarity action." Waterford Crystal workers had at the time a strong tradition of supporting appeals that, according to Jimmy, "benefitted not only our local community but further afield". "Butch would have supported all and coordinated some of these, including, the likes of the Campaign for Radiotherapy, Cardiac Care, Fight for Sight and the support for the Convoy to Chernobyl, on which our members made the arduous overland trip to help those facing the horrors of the Nuclear reactor fallout," he said. "Butch was a man of great intellect, had he chosen another path he would have achieved the highest status our education system has to offer. Each year of his working life Butch was completing the equivalent of compiling a thesis, reaching degree status in his chosen field would, there is no doubt, have been a given for Butch. "Thankfully the path he did choose in representing workers gave all of us the benefit of his energy and skill as a workers representative, a comrade and as a friend for all that, today we say a massive thank you to Butch and all his family. Thank you Butch for all the memories. "Rest in Peace Brother." Tammy Darcy, Founder and CEO of Waterford charity The Shona Project, was among a select group of individuals invited to meet President Barack Obama ahead of his appearance at the 3Arena in Dublin last week. Tammy, who was selected in 2024 as an Obama Foundation Leader for Europe, described the meeting as both inspiring and deeply affirming. It was an incredible honour to meet President Obama here in Dublin. "His leadership has inspired me and so many others to believe in the power of community, resilience and hope. The meeting came just days before The Shona Project unveiled its new three-year strategic plan, setting out an ambitious vision to expand its reach and impact on young women across Ireland and beyond. Tammy added: "To have this opportunity at the same time as launching our most ambitious strategy yet feels especially meaningful. It reinforces my belief that young women in Ireland deserve the very best support and opportunities, and that our work at The Shona Project is more important than ever. The Shona Project, founded in 2016, has already reached over 250,000 young people monthly through its digital platforms and more than 45,000 students directly in schools. The project aims to educate, empower, and inspire young girls in Ireland. With its new plan, the organisation aims to deepen its impact, expand programming, and strengthen its work in empowering young women to become confident, resilient, and connected. In an interview with the Waterford News and Star this week, as the Global Sumud Flotilla's 40 plus boats were intercepted by Israeli defence forces, Councillor John Hearne recounted his experience of being detained in prison after the Israeli military seized the flotilla he was on, in an attempt to break the blockade on Gaza in 2011. Cllr Hearne had been inspired to join the flotilla after seeing the devastating loss of lives on the Mavi Marmara 2010 flotilla. Eight people were killed on that occasion by Israeli soldiers in an attempt to break the Israeli maritime blockade. After this event, it was difficult to convince people to join a flotilla. Hearne said, There was always an excuse for them not to go. Originally, there were supposed to be 10 ships and over a thousand activists, but by the time the activists set sail, there were just two boats and a few dozen activists. The group planned to set sail from Greece to Turkey and then on to Gaza. Members of the 2011 flotilla included Paul Murphy, Trevor Horgan (rugby player), Chris Andrews (Fianna Fail Councillor), Billy Smith (an engineer from Dunmore East), as well as teachers, poets and trade unionists. The boat Saoirse, which was intercepted by the Israeli military in 2011. Civil society was going to stand up for a civil society. It was the civil society, not the governments, who were coming to the aid of Palestinians, Hearne explained. When docked in Greece, Hearne said that the government and local authorities were openly hostile towards the activists. He told the Waterford News and Star, Im not a person that gets afraid, but I remember thinking, this is the wrong place to be. While docked in Turkey, the propeller on their boat, the Saoirse, had been blown up. Hearne maintains that this was done by the Israeli secret service. He said Turkish people they met in pubs, would be telling us who the Israelis were. They had an explosives expert called Phil McCullough, who was able to confirm that explosives were used to sabotage the boat. Hearne has been on several flotillas in his lifetime and said that despite being a fisherman, he is unlucky when it comes to boats. He said, Every boat Ive been on has sank. Except for Saoirse, which was blown up. When in Turkey before heading to Gaza, Hearne was accosted by the Turkish authorities on two occasions and put in the back of a police van. He told the News and Star that they questioned his reason for being in Turkey and warned him not to sail to Gaza. John Hearne, Pat Fitzgerald and Billy Smith. The three Waterford men who were on the flotilla to Gaza in 2011 pictured planting an olive tree for Palestine. Hearne told the police he was standing up for the Turkish men and women who had been killed by Israeli forces the previous year in the Mavi Marmara flotilla. However, this was only the beginning of their troubles. Hearne knew at the time that it was not a question of if the Israeli military would intercept the boat, but when. You just write yourself off, said Hearne. When the Israeli soldiers boarded the boat, they put a gun to Hearnes head and told them to do exactly as they said. Hearne told the News and Star that he told the soldier to shoot or shut up. Hearne said the group of activists refused to disembark from the boat, wanting to secure their status as kidnapped victims rather than political prisoners. Hearne said the soldiers caused significant damage to the boat and stole, among other things, the Irish flag. They were robbers, said Hearne, Thats the last thing you want to be known for. The wheelhouse was like a disco with the sniper's beads trained onto every activist on the boat. They were escorted to the port of Ashdod in Israel. This is the same place where the current activists involved in the Global Sumud Flotilla are being held. They were shackled to the floor of a bus and taken to a military prison. In the prison, they were strip-searched and sent to 16-person cells. Chris Andrews, a Fianna Fail Councillor at the time, was John Hearne's bunkmate. Ill never eat hummus again, Hearne said, referring to the poor quality of food served in the Israeli prison. According to Hearne, on the first day in prison, they were presented with documents to sign. They were told that if they signed the documents, they would be deported back to Ireland the very next day. However, signing the documents would mean admitting to entering Israel illegally, making them criminals. There was never even a question of whether we would sign it; we were never going to sign it, Hearne said. According to Hearne, they were frequently threatened with physical violence. They spent eight days in total in prison. They were dragged to court but refused to participate once again, stating they were kidnapped victims, not political prisoners. All the activists were given suspended sentences and barred from Israel for five years, despite not having ever been before a judge. The first thing he did when he got home was have a pint in Larchville. John Hearne, Paul Sheehan and other members of the Irish delegation to Gaza. They were smuggled in and out of the strip. A few weeks later, Pat Sheehan (Sinn Fein politician, former Provisional Irish Republican Army member and hunger striker at the Maze Prison) called John Hearne and asked him to go to Egypt the very next day. Like in the movies he was smuggled across the Sinai desert and into Gaza. They were escorted by the Egyptian army. Alongside a United Nations delegation, Hearne said they were the first outside group in Gaza after the last war ended. After the previous war in 2010, Gaza was lacking basic services, Hearne said. There was no water, no shower, no way to wash your clothes. We met the fishermans union, we met the communist party, we met PLO, Fatah, we met every group we could meet, and we kept trying to sell them the same thing; the peace process we had because it was so successful. The mayor of Gaza City gave them a civic reception, and they were made members of the Bedouin tribe. Now, almost 15 years later, the councillor reflected on the differences between his experience and the current flotilla. The beauty of this flotilla is that there are so many of them and theyre so credible. Hearne feels hopeful about the future for Palestine, saying, The Palestinians have faith in their cause. The world has faith in the Palestinian cause. The Palestinians cant be beaten. It's inevitable they will get a state. When asked what he would say to the activists currently detained in Israel, he said, You know why youre there, youre there for the Palestinians. He went on to add, Things are wrong, and they have to be righted. Firefighters in Dungarvan and Tallow have gone head-to-head in a match to decide the best in the west Speaking after the event, Councillor Donnchadh Mulcahy said there was no shortage of excitement on Thursday night for the match. It was a fantastic night in Tallow, and a great example of the spirit and camaraderie that exists between our firefighters. These men and women give so much to our communities, and it was brilliant to see them enjoying themselves while showing the same teamwork and determination we rely on them for in emergencies, said Cllr Mulcahy. Cllr Mulcahy said the match was not about winning or losing but celebrating the local fire crews. He said supporters turned out for both teams, who played with skill, teamwork and determination, while giving it their all. A Waterford TD has said decision makers must be given the space to consider the new funding proposal for the airport. Conor McGuinness told the Waterford News and Star that, as the full details of the proposal have not yet been released to the public, it would be premature to give a full comment. But he did say there is a huge amount of frustration at the lack of action by the Government. There is also huge frustration in Waterford and right across the South East at the Governments failure to progress this project to date, or even to make a clear decision on its future. My priority is clear: Waterford needs a functioning airport with a runway capable of accommodating jet aircraft. "That is the real game changer for the South East unlocking connectivity, investment, and tourism potential on the scale our region deserves. It is now important that those directly involved are given the space to work through the processes, conduct proper due diligence, and ensure that any arrangement is robust, transparent, and in the best interests of the community and the region, said Deputy McGunniess. The Sinn Fein TD was referencing the years of work done to secure state funding to progress the extending of the runway. Following a meeting in July, the airport was preparing another preliminary business case for consideration by the Department of Transport. If the 30million package in question is accepted, state funding would no longer be needed. Deputies McGuinness and David Cullinane organised a protest in July to demand the Government make a decision. Both TDs have continued to raise the issue in the Dail dozens of times over the past year. Advertisement October 2, 2025 10:30pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share 87 View all comments In this edition of On Background, Network Tens news reckoning amid wider company malaise, the media merger post-credit scene, and the ABC recognises Palestine. Deja vu at 10 It could be a case of history repeating itself at Network Ten. In 2011, Ten poached legendary anchor George Negus from SBS to host 6.30 with George Negus, spending $20 million in the process. The half-hour program lasted just nine months, cancelled due to poor ratings. After its fall, a little show called The 7PM Project was extended to one hour, renamed The Project, and went on to blitz it for a decade. Amelia Brace and Denham Hitchcock during the premiere episode of 10News+. Ten When The Project was dumped in June, the hour-long 10 News+ was subbed in. We think its fair to say its been struggling. After just three months on air, questions are already being asked about the shows future. Despite a $15 million outlay, the result has been poor ratings and a product that looks like its filmed in a home studio. Advertisement The flummoxing decision has riled up some senior staff in the companys Pyrmont HQ, who are calling it disgraceful and the kind of move executives should lose their jobs over. Related Article Media & marketing The last mogul: Sun sets on Kerry Stokes media ambitions Now the wheels are in motion to cut the show to just 30 minutes in the new year, with further adjustments on the way, senior executives say. Thats if it isnt cut completely, with Ten also having to find space for Millionaire Hot Seat, which has been brought over from Nine. The only thing stopping an early call being made on the news show at this stage is pride. Legendary news boss Peter Meakin tells On Background, that if the ratings of 10 News+ are correct, I dont think the network can live with it for long. Advertisement Now is not the time for mistakes for commercial TV stations, with executives getting desperate for cash as the shadow of global streamers grows longer every day. While audience declines have been arrested, the cash coming in continues to dip. To help sell the story of TV to advertisers, who funnel money hand over fist to Google and Facebook, greater collaboration between competitors has long been touted. More recently, there have been discussions to create a consolidated, single sales unit for Ten, Nine and Seven, though it would be contingent on all three signing up, for regulatory reasons, multiple network executives tell On Background. There have also been mentions of news and production both being consolidated too. The idea would be to bring advertisers in the door for the AFL (Seven), and on-sell them space during MasterChef (Ten) or The Block (Nine) for example. But Seven is said to be less keen on the idea, and its merger talks, which finalised this week, have added to the idea stalling. Son of Larry 10News+s fate is indicative of the wider malaise at the network while it waits for the eyes of David Ellison, its new owner, to eventually turn to Australia. Advertisement Its a peculiar scenario. While the company is hamstrung as far as its long-term future in concerned, it has continued to make redundancies and cuts in the interim. The bottom line is that Ten remains in limbo while Ellison decides what to do with the vast suite of assets he acquired with his half-a-trillion dollar dad Larry Ellisons money this year. David Ellison, Paramounts new owner, is backed by his $500 billion father, Larry. The New York Times There are two ways it could go for Ten. First option is that Ten gets sold, like most of the companys non-US broadcast channels are expected to be. The second is that it manages to stick around and becomes a cog in the wheel of a global mega-company which could include an acquisition of HBO-owner Warner Bros. Discovery, and potentially uses TikToks algorithm and platform to leverage its own content. A recent Bloomberg profile of Ellison parsed some of his thinking behind a looming company overhaul. At least $US2 billion ($3 billion) will be cut out of its budget, the firing of thousands of workers, fewer cable shows, and the sale of some international networks. Yikes. Advertisement Ellison does want to reinvest into Paramount+, and bringing HBO Max into the fold would supersize the platform. For some time, Ten has served its purpose as a promotional tool to help grow Paramount+ in Australia. That model in Australia squares more closely with the set-up in America and the UK, particularly as the company focuses more on English language content. That works in Tens favour, and with the new global boss of Paramounts TV networks, Kevin MacLellan, jetting in for its annual presentation to advertisers next month, the pressure is firmly on. But theres a problem. To promote Paramount+, you need to have people watching Ten, and starting the night with 10News+ just doesnt deliver audiences. News is supposed bring in audiences, who then stick around for a night of flashy shows, which in turn bring advertisers. The tribe has spoken While Australian Survivor continues to deliver for the shows loyal audience, Ten decided to sack beloved host Jonathan LaPaglia this year. It was an unnecessary change to a tried and tested format, and there have been conflicting reports about what led to his exit. Advertisement Jonathan LaPaglia, or JLP, was cut loose by Ten after hosting Australian Survivor for 10 years. It doesnt help that Tens only new hit in the past five years has been Hunted, an Australian spin-off of its UK namesake where contestants (or fugitives) have to evade an expert team of hunters over 21 days. It was a fresh format and initially rated well, but couldnt replicate its first season and was nowhere to be seen in 2025. Alongside Millionaire, Ten is also rebooting Traitors Australia in 2026, a show which has flourished overseas, but fell flat on its face here. The network needs one or more of these moves to work, or else its own torch could get snuffed. ABC recognises Palestine Our public broadcaster has become the latest entity to recognise Palestine, with editorial director Gavin Fang giving staff permission to use the name following Australias recognition last week, as it approaches two years since the October 7, 2023 attacks. Advertisement Related Article Updated Media & marketing Kyle and Jackie O owner fails to rein vulgar, offensive content says watchdog ABC content can refer to Palestine when referring to its geography, history, community and the intended state encompassing the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Fang said in an email seen by On Background. There is no need to correct interviewees who refer to Palestine or otherwise qualify the word when used by people featured in our stories. Still fired up The blame game continues this week at Sky, after its senior executives axed Freya Fires Up over the weekend and everyone tries to point the finger elsewhere. Advertisement But even Ryan Williams, who was the bacon-donning guest on that fateful show, is confused by the whole thing. I mean, what did they expect? I didnt say anything that I havent always said on my profile he said on Instagram this week, in between masses of Islamophobic bile. Deal not done yet Australian media got its first taste of major consolidation in six years this week with a proposed tie-up of Seven West Media and Southern Cross Austereo, the owners of the Triple M Network and streaming platform LiSTNR. Its a deal that almost wasnt. Word is, Seven had conversations ongoing with both Southern Cross and its radio rival, ARN Media, until the very last moment, ultimately backing the financially healthier SCA. The deal, as it stands, is non-binding, leaving the door wide open for Nine to come in over the top of Seven, should it manage to shift its talkback networks. Some at Southern Cross believe shareholders would view a higher price per share offer as much more attractive than the current merger deal in place. Advertisement The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning. Advertisement Exclusive BusinessWorkplaceBuilding Bad CFMEU in fresh crisis over secret park meeting with underworld identity Nick McKenzie October 3, 2025 3:00am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share The union leader backed by the Albanese government to reform the CFMEU directed a subordinate to secretly meet underworld identity Mick Gatto, undermining efforts by police and administrators to combat the notorious figures role as a construction industry fixer. The fresh revelations have plunged the embattled union and its government-appointed administration into crisis, triggering an internal investigation, an overhaul of union policy and a warning for the union leader at the centre of the scandal, who apologised late on Thursday. After questions from this masthead about the clandestine meeting, which was initially confirmed by three sources, union boss Zach Smith admitted sending a CFMEU organiser to a meet Gatto at a discreet location in Melbourne. The sources, who requested anonymity due to fear of repercussions, said the liaison was called to discuss a dispute involving a construction company working for the Melbourne Airport operator, which is partly owned by the federal governments Future Fund. CFMEU Victorian and Tasmanian branch executive officer Zach Smith last year. Alex Ellinghausen During the meeting, in a park in East Melbourne on September 12, Gatto demanded the CFMEU allow airport contractor Maz Group to operate free of union pressure and requested he be a conduit for future union concerns. Two sources said that before the meeting, the organiser was instructed by Smith to meet Gatto where no one could see the pair. Advertisement Administrator Mark Irving, who was appointed by the federal government to clean up the CFMEUs embattled construction division after allegations of corruption and criminality were brought to light by this masthead in 2024, issued a rare statement to this masthead on Thursday in response to questions about Smiths actions. Underworld figure Mick Gatto. Justin McManus Irving said he had ordered an investigation into the scandal and would urgently publish a draft policy to curb the influence of construction industry fixers like Gatto. I will now make this very clear no organiser or official is to agree to, or meet with Mr Gatto or any other industrial mediator or fixer, except in the circumstances clearly identified in the [new draft] policy, he said in the statement. I have written to Mr Gatto today and advised him that any contact by him with any of our employees contrary to the draft policy will not be tolerated and in my view may be a contravention of federal laws and may be referred to law enforcement agencies or regulators. Advertisement I have warned Zach Smith that I will not tolerate any contraventions of the policy, and Mr Smith has acknowledged the serious mistake that he made. The draft policy does not entirely ban officials meeting with industry fixers, but limits the circumstances under which they can do so and requires such meetings to be transparently reported. Permission can be granted by the branch executive officer for such a meeting. Smith is the executive officer of the Victorian and Tasmanian branch. Smith told this masthead he took full responsibility for the mistake of sending an organiser to meet Gatto and said he intended to keep working under the government-imposed administration to return the union to democratic control. Related Article Exclusive Building Bad Nobody will admit theyre behind Mick Gattos famous phone call, but he seems sure No organiser should be put in a situation which may put them in an unsafe position or opens them to undue pressure. I have apologised to the administrator and the organiser concerned and have taken steps to reallocate him away from this project. Advertisement The directive to meet Gatto in secret conflicts with Irvings previous internal and public demands that the union cease dealing with the veteran gangland identity, who in March was identified in this mastheads reports as one of several people being investigated as part of a multi-agency probe being conducted with the co-operation of Irvings administration. There is no suggestion Gatto is guilty of any offence. Law enforcement sources described the union meeting with Gatto as disgraceful and unjustifiable in light of well-documented concerns about his infiltration of the union and impact on its culture. Gatto is a fixture of Melbournes underworld scene who was acquitted of murder during the gangland wars when a jury found he acted in self-defence. He has previously denied all wrongdoing in relation to his construction industry dealings, but did not respond to a request for comment. Related Article Exclusive Building Bad Nobodys stopping it: The taxpayer money trail from building sites to the underworld Compounding the scandal is what two sources described as efforts by Smith to downplay the significance of the meeting to senior administration officials in the days after the officials first learned of it via a tip-off. While Smith ultimately answers to the administration in his capacity as a CFMEU Victorian and Tasmanian branch boss and, until recently, national secretary, he conducts his day-to-day running of the Victorian branch at arms length. Advertisement One source said it defied belief any union leader would consider it appropriate to approve a secretive catch-up between a lone organiser and Gatto, given the repeated efforts of Irvings administration to stop the self-styled industry fixer and survivor of Melbournes gangland wars from cultivating union officials via informal meetings. Similar conduct involving Gatto and since-sacked union chiefs was at the heart of the decision by the Albanese government to place the CFMEU into administration in August last year. The revelations not only cast a serious cloud over Smiths judgment, but raise broader questions about capacity and competence of the Irving administration 15 months after it was appointed to rid the union of its long-standing ties to gangland figures such as Gatto. Irvings administration has already faced major challenges, including the resignation of three key administration appointments, limited capacity to investigate corruption, legal challenges and major delays reforming the scandal-plagued Victorian branch. Advertisement Advertisement But Smiths backers told this masthead he had taken brave steps to challenge corruption within the union, backing the removal of some bikies and appointing famed corruption buster Geoffrey Watson, SC, to investigate allegations of gangland infiltration. Editor's pick Opinion Rich Listers Read it and weep: Elon Musks obscene wealth breaks new ground Elizabeth Knight Business columnist Irving has repeatedly decried the entrenched involvement of figures such as Gatto in the industry, warning in mid-August that so-called fixers engaged by building firms were often no more than enforcers who traded on intimidation and must be stamped out. The comments were in response to revelations in this masthead that Gatto was still lobbying and liaising with union officials, despite being declared persona non-grata by the administration in March. Less than a month later, Gatto began texting and calling his CFMEU contacts, demanding a meeting to press the concerns of the Maz Group, which has won a major contract to deliver construction and maintenance services at Melbourne Airport. Advertisement In the second week of September, those calls prompted Smith to direct his organiser to meet Gatto in private to discuss the gangland figures requests. Maz Group owner and former Australian motorcycle champion Marty Craggill described himself to this masthead in an interview this week as anti-union, but insisted he had no knowledge of Gattos representations on behalf of his firm. He confirmed his company had spent months resisting demands that it sign a union-endorsed agreement with its Melbourne Airport workforce. This masthead is not suggesting Craggill engaged Gatto. The airport operator said it was seeking an urgent response from Maz Group and had commenced an audit of projects the company has undertaken at Melbourne Airport, while also flagging gaps in federal government requirements that meant only certain airport contractors had to undergo intensive background checks. There is no suggestion that any improper inducement or threat was made to the organiser by Gatto and no suggestion the organiser or Gatto engaged in any criminal wrongdoing. Smiths conduct appears at odds with his own public commitments in March to the unions 500 delegates, which were made after it was reported publicly that police were probing Gattos role as a fixer for construction companies seeking to cut a deal with the union or keep it at bay. Advertisement Smith said at the March delegates meeting that the union had drawn a line in the sand against gangland figures promoting their own interests. The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here. With significant upside potential, CGI Inc. (NYSE:GIB) secures a spot on our list of the 12 Best Widow and Orphan Stocks to Buy According to Analysts. The State of New Jersey Awards CGI Inc. (GIB) a 10-Year Contract to Continue Building and Maintaining Its State Integrated Recovery Operations Management Systems (SIROMS) On September 26, 2025, the State of New Jersey awarded CGI Inc. (NYSE:GIB) a 10-year contract to continue building and maintaining its State Integrated Recovery Operations Management Systems (SIROMS). Originally developed to coordinate recovery operations after Superstorm Sandy, SIROMS has now become the states official system of record for natural disaster recovery, enabling the distribution of over $7 billion in recovery funds. Under the renewed agreement, CGI Inc. (NYSE:GIB) will enhance New Jerseys disaster response capabilities and improve the management of federal recovery funding. Along with its 7.13% year-over-year revenue growth and the August acquisition of Apside in France, the award highlights CGI Inc. (NYSE:GIB)s growing role in U.S. public-sector IT services and positions it for further growth despite market challenges. CGI Inc. (NYSE:GIB) provides IT and business process services globally, including software solutions, systems integration, and strategic IT consulting. It is one of the Best Widow and Orphan Stocks. While we acknowledge the potential of GIB as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 15 Stocks That Will Benefit From AI and 12 Best Quantum Computing Stocks to Buy According to Wall Street Analysts. Disclosure: None. Advertisement CultureCelebrityCourts Diddy jailed for four years, fined $757,000 for sex charges Michael Idato October 4, 2025 5:14am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share Hip-hop star Sean Diddy Combs has been sentenced to four years and two months in prison. Combs was also fined $US500,000 ($757,000) and will be subject to five years of supervised release when his sentence is served. The sentence was handed down in New York after an eleventh hour plea for leniency from Combs defence lawyer Nicole Westmoreland. Mr Combs is not larger than life, hes just a human being, Westmoreland said. Hes just a man and hes made some mistakes. He has flaws like we all do. Your honour, he gets it, plain and simple. An impression of Sean Diddy Combs in court during his trial in July. Elizabeth Williams via AP Despite that, Judge Arun Subramanian said the court had to consider all of Combs history. A history of good works cant wash away the record in this case, which shows that you abused the power and control over the lives of women who you professed to love, he said. In sentencing Combs to 50 months in prison, Subramanian said he was inclined to give Combs a meaningful sentence, but that the 11-year sentence sought by the prosecution was not reasonable. Advertisement In July, Combs, 55, was found guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, related to his former girlfriend Cassie Ventura and a victim identified only as Jane. Two other charges, racketeering and sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, were dismissed. Each count of transportation carried a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison; had Combs received the maximum penalty to be served consecutively, he could have been jailed for up to 20 years. Sean Diddy Combs daughters arrive at Federal Court in New York for the sentencing hearing. AP Combs appeared in the Federal District Court in Manhattan for sentencing, supported by members of his family, including his mother, Janice Combs. When Combs entered the courtroom, he quietly waved to family members and hugged his lawyers. Before sentencing, Combs addressed the court saying that he had lost the opportunity to raise his children, and take care of his mother. Most of all, I lost my self-respect, he said. I hate myself right now. Ive been stripped down to nothing. Addressing his mother directly, Combs said: You taught me better. Advertisement I want your honour to know that, given a chance, people can change, Combs added. I beg your honour for mercy. Ive got nobody to blame but myself. I know that I will never put my hands on another person again. These are not excuses. I cant change the past, but I can change the future. No matter what anyone says, I know Im truly sorry for it all. Unusually, given Americas predilection for televised celebrity trials, Combs sentencing hearing was not broadcast, and no photography or video was permitted. Subramanian placed a similar restriction on the trial, earlier this year. Sean Diddy Combs. AP Despite that, there was a lively exchange of final arguments over the fate of the disgraced rapper. Combs defence lawyer Brian Steel made a passionate plea to Subramanian to consider the great trauma in Seans life, referring to the death of Combs father, and a ferocious drug addiction that got out of hand. Combs children also testified at the sentencing hearing, with son Justin Combs saying: My father is my superhero. Seeing him broken down and stripped of everything is something I will never forget. Advertisement Prosecutor Christy Slavik described the closing chapter of the trial as a case of accountability and justice. Accountability for the defendant, who committed serious federal crimes repeatedly over the course of 15 years, and justice for the public, including the victims whose lives have been shattered by the defendants acts of abuse and exploitation, Slavik said. In a courtroom sketch, Sean Diddy Combs breaks down and cries during the playing of a video about his life on Friday. AP Prosecutors argued that Combs should face a penalty that reflects the substantial psychological, emotional, and physical damage he has inflicted on his victims. The defendant tries to recast decades of abuse as simply the function of mutually toxic relationships, but there is nothing mutual about a relationship where one person holds all the power and the other ends up bloodied and bruised, the prosecution argued. Advertisement Time and again, he has shown that he is concerned only with his own power and control. Only a significant term of imprisonment, meted out in a substantial number of years, can effectively deter him and show future victims that their abusers will be held accountable, no matter their wealth or fame. One of Combs victims, former girlfriend Cassie Ventura, also submitted a letter to Subramanian, describing him as the manipulator, the aggressor, the abuser, the trafficker ... [this] is who he is as a human. In pre-sentencing submissions, Combs lawyers said the impact of the trial had already destroy[ed] his reputation and [led] to terrible collateral consequences for his businesses. Mr Combs celebrity status in the realms of music, fashion, spirits, media and finance has been shattered and Mr Combs legacy has been destroyed, they said. Combs also wrote a letter himself to the judge, asking for a second chance. The scene and images of me assaulting Cassie play over and over in my head daily, Combs wrote, referring to a video of him assaulting Ventura in a hotel. Advertisement Editor's pick US dispatch Celebrity life Sex, drugs and a place in the queue: Waiting in line at the Sean Diddy Combs trial That clip became one of the most affecting pieces of evidence in the trial, replayed on TV networks around the world. I literally lost my mind, Combs wrote. I was dead wrong for putting my hands on the woman that I loved. Im sorry for that and always will be. I realise that this trial has received a tremendous amount of global press and your honour may be inclined to make an example out of me, Combs wrote. I would ask your honour to make me an example of what a person can do if afforded a second chance. Slavik, the prosecutor, used her closing remarks to directly address Combs letter, saying his remorse was qualified, and that it made him sound like hes the victim in this scenario. Advertisement This is not a person who has accepted responsibility, Slavik said. After handing down his verdict, Subramanian took a moment to commend the women who had testified in the trial. I want to say first, we heard you. I am proud of you for coming to the court to tell the world what really happened, he said. Subramanian also said there was light at the end of the tunnel for Combs and his family. You are going to get through it. You will have a chance to show your children and the world ... real accountability, change and healing. Im counting on you to make the most of your second chance. Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732). Advertisement Updated PoliticsFederalMiddle East tensions Women and children return to Australia after years stranded in Syria Alexander Darling Updated October 3, 2025 4:22pm ,first published October 3, 2025 3:17pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share A group of Australians believed to be the wives and children of Islamic State fighters who spent years stranded in Syria have managed to quietly return to Australia. The women went to Syria and Iraq during the rule of the terrorist group Islamic State, which controlled large parts of both countries between 2013 and 2019. Women and children in the foreign annex of a camp in Syria in 2019. Kate Geraghty After leaving Syria, the group of six arrived in Beirut and was detained by Lebanese authorities as they did not have valid visas or legitimate entry records, the federal government has confirmed. The opposition said it was gravely concerned ... that half a dozen ISIS brides and their children have secretly returned to Australia. Advertisement Related Article National security The fear is palpable: Australian women and children trapped in Syria afraid for their lives Members of the group were issued passports after being processed by Lebanese authorities, the government said. Australian citizens are entitled to passports if they meet eligibility requirements. The government also said it had been monitoring the women and children in Syria for some time, and that it anticipated some people would try to return unaided. It said agencies had been preparing to ensure Australians were safe if and when this happened. Advertisement The Australian government is not providing assistance and is not repatriating individuals in Syrian [internally displaced people] camps, a government spokesman said in relation to the group. If any of those people find their own way to return, our security agencies are satisfied that they are prepared and will be able to act in the interests of community safety. Our agencies have been monitoring these individuals for some time. We have confidence in our agencies. Owing to our privacy obligations, we are unable to provide further comment. The safety of Australians and the protection of Australias national interests remains the governments overriding priority. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke is yet to comment on the new information. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and acting opposition home affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash said in a statement: This is a highly dangerous cohort of individuals who associated themselves with the barbaric Islamic State regime. The government must come clean: either they knew about this cohort returning and hid it from the Australian public, or worse, family members of Islamic State terrorists returned to Australia without the governments knowledge. Advertisement This is nothing short of a dereliction of duty by the Albanese Labor government. These are people who willingly travelled to a war zone and aligned themselves with one of the most barbaric terrorist organisations in history. Related Article Exclusive Syrian conflict Life on 'Australia Street', Syria, where even our government fears to tread In 2019, at a time when the then-Coalition federal government was saying it was too dangerous to head into Syria to repatriate Australians in the IDP camps, this mastheads Michael Bachelard and Kate Geraghty walked into al-Hawl camp and spoke with Australians there. The group of hungry, scared women from Sydney and Melbourne told the reporter and photographer that there were too few guards, that food was scarce and that shootouts had occurred within the camp. In September, the government denied reports that more than a dozen women, children and young men were set to be evacuated from Al Roj camp in Syria to be brought to NSW and Victoria before Christmas in a secret operation. Advertisement Save the Children Australia CEO Mat Tinkler said his organisation had long advocated for the government to safely repatriate the Australians still stuck in Syria. Every child deserves a life free of violence and fear. As conditions in the camps worsen and the region grows more unstable, we hold serious concerns for the wellbeing of the innocent children who remain there, Tinkler said. We call on Australian authorities to provide all returnees with comprehensive support for reintegration, something Australia has proven it can do safely and successfully, as with the two previous repatriations in 2019 and 2022. Related Article Analysis Refugees Every day is a living hell: The Australians languishing in a Syrian detention camp A civil war that began in Syria in 2011 degenerated into a messy and multifaceted conflict. Advertisement Syrias long-term president, Bashar al-Assad, was ousted by rebel troops in December 2024. The country is set to hold an indirect vote on Sunday to establish its first parliament since Assad. Our travel advice continues to advise Australians do not travel to Syria due to the dangerous security situation and threat of armed conflict, airstrikes, terrorism, arbitrary detention and kidnapping as it has been since these Australians travelled there, the federal government said on Friday. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter. Advertisement TechnologyTelecommunications Triple Zero was built for 1960s phones. Can it handle 2025? David Swan October 3, 2025 9:46am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share 61 View all comments Theres a good reason 000 was chosen as Australias emergency number. It was, at least in part, because zero was closest to the finger stall on rotary-dial phones, making it easy to dial in the dark or in smoke. That was more than 50 years ago, in 1961. Before then, Australia had no national emergency number. Police, fire, and ambulance services each had their own local numbers scattered across the country. Can Australians still trust the three digits theyve been taught to dial since childhood? Marija Ercegovac Now, Triple Zero is Australias primary national emergency telephone number, but multiple failures and three deaths linked to last months Optus outage have led to an uncomfortable question: can Australians still trust the three digits theyve been taught to dial since childhood? Most Australians know to dial 000 in an emergency, but few understand what happens next. The system has two distinct parts: the national Triple Zero service operated by Telstra, and state-managed emergency service call centres. Advertisement When you dial 000, the call goes to one of Telstras three national call centres, which answer an average of 33,000 calls daily. After a six-second recorded message: You have dialled emergency Triple Zero, your call is being connected, a Telstra operator asks whether you need police, fire or ambulance, and for mobile callers, your location. Average handling time is 46 seconds. Its meant to be fail-safe, a digital lifeline that transcends commercial boundaries. By law, mobile networks must take emergency calls from customers of competing networks through a national camp-on mechanism, allowing phones to roam onto any available carrier. Optus chief executive Stephen Rue has felt the heat. Sitthixay Ditthavong But that fail-safe sytem failed dramatically in September. And then it failed again. Just 11 days after the fatal Optus outage, almost 5000 of the telcos customers in the Illawarra region of NSW were unable to contact emergency services for more than nine hours, with at least nine Triple Zero calls from the Dapto area failing. One resident had to borrow a phone linked to another provider to call an ambulance. Another simply gave up. The following day, Telstra reported its own outage in Broadwater, Western Australia, potentially disrupting Triple Zero connectivity and prompting police to urge residents to check on vulnerable neighbours. Advertisement The cascade of failures poses a concerning hypothesis: Australias emergency call infrastructure may no longer be fit for purpose. Related Article Investigation Telecommunications The emails that reveal how Optus downplayed the Triple Zero disaster We should expect that there will be network outages, but we shouldnt expect that we lose access to Triple Zero, says Rob Nicholls, a telecommunications expert at the University of Sydney. We should expect it to work, and we need all of the carriers to make sure their systems work to deliver it. The core service is more than 50 years old, but Triple Zero has been updated and modernised over the decades. When callers dial 000, they first hear a six-second recorded message: You have dialled emergency Triple Zero, your call is being connected. That simple addition, introduced in 2008, dropped call volumes by around 300,000 per month by allowing mis-dials to hang up before reaching an operator. After the 3G network closure, telecommunications providers are now legally prohibited from providing services to phones that cannot access Triple Zero, requiring devices to support at least 4G or VoLTE for calling. Advanced Mobile Location technology now helps automatically determine caller locations through GPS, Wi-Fi positioning, and mobile phone tracking. Telstras current platform, implemented in 2019, has maintained 100 per cent uptime. Advertisement Modernisation has also brought with it new vulnerabilities, however. The system is now a complex web of carriers, handsets, software updates, automated processes and human operators, with multiple points of failure. And, importantly, the recent failures werent platform failures at all. The September disasters were not isolated incidents. In November 2023, a nationwide Optus outage left more than 2100 calls to Triple Zero failing, with at least 300 people not receiving welfare checks when the issue was identified. Optus was later fined more than $12 million for failing to convey or transfer emergency calls. Then in March 2024, Telstra suffered technical issues at one of its Emergency Service Access Points for 90 minutes, resulting in 148 of 500 Triple Zero calls not being transferred. A Victorian man died from cardiac arrest during this period when his emergency call couldnt be transferred and ambulance dispatch was significantly delayed. According to Telstra internal data, calls to Triple Zero have surged 44 per cent over the past decade, from 8.1 million in 2014 to 11.7 million in 2024. The crises have spawned reviews and recommendations, many of which remain unimplemented. Without urgent reform, the system risks becoming obsolete, compromising community safety, first responder effectiveness and the wellbeing of frontline staff. Advertisement Thats according to the National Emergency Communications Working Group (NECWG) a public safety body established in 1995 to provide independent analysis of Triple Zero across Australia and New Zealand. It produced a white paper in June. Related Article Opinion Optus There will be more outages like Optus as tech runs the world Stephen Bartholomeusz Senior business columnist The paper identified a workforce under generational change, outdated operating models from the 1960s, fragmented responses across jurisdictions, and technology that cant keep pace with wearable devices, AI, and changing community expectations. Craig Anderson is the working groups executive chair. The fundamental principle of how you contact Triple Zero hasnt changed since 1961, he says. If you want services, you need to make a phone call. He points to generational shifts voice calling is diminishing among younger users and there are circumstances, for example people who are hearing-impaired, or suffering through domestic violence, in which a phone call might not be the best option. Advertisement Communications Minister Anika Wells has faced criticism for delaying Triple Zero custodian laws. Sitthixay Ditthavong There need to be alternate channels, he says. Were not building these systems for the people using it today. Were building these systems for the 10-year-olds, 11-year-olds, 12-year-olds who, in 10 years time, will be the ones either wanting emergency assistance or will be part of the process to deliver that. While theres widespread agreement that Triple Zero can be improved, the carriers themselves should carry the blame for its myriad issues, according to some. Telecommunications expert Rob Nicholls says the carriers need to be investing in network improvements, to ensure resilience. The fundamental way that Triple Zero is managed should be fine as long as the network operators do what they promise to do, Nicholls says. Its fit for purpose when its implemented the way that its supposed to be implemented. Multiple investigations will probe what went wrong with Optus fatal outage last month. But in the eyes of Nicholls and others, it was an Optus network issue, not a Triple Zero issue. Advertisement Related Article Analysis Optus Optus scolding puts the blowtorch on all the telcos Theres another layer to this crisis that complicates the narrative of pure carrier failure. Industry insiders say a significant part of the problem lies with the devices themselves. When a phones home network fails, the handset is responsible for scanning for and connecting to another available network. This camp-on process isnt instantaneous. Even under favourable conditions, the technical requirements scanning available bands, reading system information, identifying a suitable cell, completing attach procedures can take 10 to 30 seconds. Some devices have been observed taking up to 45 seconds. For someone in an emergency, that delay feels like failure. As CommsDays Graham Lynch puts it: Callers who see no immediate progress often redial, restart their phones or abandon the attempt. Operators reviewing past outages have seen this pattern in logs: alternative networks were available and camp-on would eventually have succeeded, but users gave up first. Advertisement Complicating matters further, device compliance is based on manufacturer self-declaration. Australias communications watchdog doesnt directly test devices. Grey-market imports like those bought cheaply online or belonging to temporary visitors arent required to meet Australian standards at all, and may not behave as expected during emergencies. Bushfire season is set to heap pressure on Australias Triple Zero system. Wallcliffe Volunteer Fire Brigade It comes as Australia heads into another bushfire season, and pressure mounts for action. Before these devastating outages, Optus was already facing major consumer trust issues, says Carol Bennett, chief executive of telco consumer group ACCAN. Now this lack of trust is spreading to damage confidence in our emergency service system itself. Triple Zero reform wouldnt be simple or cheap. The challenges span technology, regulation, compliance, human factors and system design. Advertisement The Bean Review, conducted by Richard Bean after the 2023 Optus outage, laid out a road map. Its 18 recommendations all of which were accepted by the federal government covered everything from mandatory requirements for network operators to wilt towers (effectively shut them down) during core network failures ensuring calls can be carried by other networks to six-monthly end-to-end testing of all aspects of the Triple Zero ecosystem, to real-time network information-sharing with emergency services during outages. Bean declined to comment for this story. We should expect that there will be network outages, but we shouldnt expect that we lose access to Triple Zero. Rob Nicholls, University of Sydney telecommunications expert Theres one recommendation that sits at the heart of the solution. A Triple Zero custodian. The idea behind the custodian is that its someone, essentially somebody peering over the shoulder of the networks, Nicholls explains. When networks do critical incident exercises, when they practise for when things go wrong, the custodian in the network operation centre will ask the awkward question: what happens to Triple Zero calls at that time? The Triple Zero custodian would theoretically oversee carrier incident response exercises, coordinate major service disruptions, and maintain a complete picture of the emergency call ecosystem. Basically, someone who has overarching responsibility for Triple Zero. Advertisement Craig Anderson says the custodian would help Triple Zero keep pace with technological changes, which are happening constantly. Weve had examples where phone companies like Apple or Google will launch something, and we may know its coming, but were not necessarily up to speed with preparing for it. After the 2023 Optus outage, the government announced plans to establish the custodian, but its implementation has drawn criticism for being too slow. The opposition has accused the government of effectively sitting on the plans for nearly a year, while Communications Minister Anika Wells office insists that the legislation to beef up the custodian role is on its way, despite parliament sitting for only four more weeks in 2025. Loading The NECWG white paper also calls for AI to help: it could weed out false and mischievous calls, and assist with language interpretation. Anderson sees AI supporting critical decision-making through pattern recognition detecting background noises or voice stress rather than replacing human judgment. Advertisement Carriers like Optus probably need better automated monitoring and testing systems, too. The fact that Optus conducted a network upgrade without properly isolating emergency-call traffic points to fundamental failures in change management processes. Optus chief executive Stephen Rue called the fatal September outage a human error, a people problem. The engineers carrying out the firewall upgrade didnt follow the prescribed steps. Related Article CBD Failure to launch? Embattled Optus pulls out of space industry roadshow Communication with customers and the broader public during outages is perhaps the most obvious and easiest area for improvement. Following Optus 2023 Triple Zero failure, new national standards about communication during outages with customers were made, but clearly theyre not working. People attempting to call Triple Zero during an outage need to know immediately whats happening and what alternatives exist. And as bushfire season approaches, the timing is pointed. The government acknowledged in its Bean Review response that it is not possible to guarantee there will never be another major outage. Advertisement Yet, the answer to that uncomfortable question if Australians can still trust Triple Zero will depend on technology, and more importantly political will, and how quickly talking becomes doing. The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning. Advertisement WorldEuropePutin's Russia Putin hails Charlie Kirk as a hero, says killing reveals deep split in US society Vladimir Isachenkov October 3, 2025 9:46am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share 92 View all comments Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin has called the assassination of conservative American activist Charlie Kirk a disgusting atrocity that reflects a deep split in American society. Speaking at a forum of foreign policy experts in Russia, Putin described Kirk, who was shot dead on September 10 while speaking at a university in Utah, as a hero killed for promoting the same conservative values that Russia shares. This is a disgusting atrocity, especially since it was broadcast live. We all essentially saw it. It was truly disgusting, horrific. First and foremost, of course, I offer my condolences to Mr Kirks family and all his loved ones. We sympathise and empathise, Putin said. In a wide-ranging speech, Russian President Vladimir Putin also warned the United States that supplies of long-range missiles to Ukraine would seriously damage relations between Moscow and Washington. AP What happened is a sign of a deep rift in society in the United States. I dont think theres any need to escalate the situation externally because the countrys political leadership is trying to restore order domestically. Advertisement In a wide-ranging speech, Putin also warned the US that supplies of long-range missiles to Ukraine would seriously damage relations between Moscow and Washington but would not change the situation on the battlefield, where the Russian army is making slow but steady advances. The potential supply of US Tomahawk cruise missiles to Kyiv would signal a qualitatively new stage of escalation, including in relations between Russia and the US, Putin said at the forum in Russias Black Sea resort of Sochi. Charlie Kirk hands out hats at Utah Valley University on the day he was killed. AP The Russian leader noted that even though Tomahawk missiles would inflict damage on Russia if supplied to Ukraine, Russian air defences would quickly adapt to the new threat. It will certainly not change the balance of force on the battlefield, he added, emphasising that the Russian military was continuously making gains against Ukraine. Asked about US President Donald Trump dismissing Russia as a paper tiger because of its failure to defeat its smaller neighbour after more than 3 years of fighting, Putin argued that Russia had faced all the NATO allies backing Kyiv. Advertisement We are fighting against the entire bloc of NATO and we keep moving, keep advancing and feel confident, and we are a paper tiger; what NATO itself is? he said. A paper tiger? Go and deal with this paper tiger then. Related Article Opinion International affairs China and Russia are winning the hybrid war. Sadly, the West hasnt noticed Peter Hartcher Political and international editor The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Putins remarks. At the same time, Putin hailed Trumps efforts to help negotiate peace in Ukraine and described their August summit in Alaska as productive. It was good that we made an attempt to search for and find possible ways to settle the Ukrainian crisis, he said, adding that he felt comfortable talking to Trump. Advertisement Putin also reaffirmed his offer to the US to extend their last remaining nuclear arms control pact for one more year after it expires in February. The 2010 New START treaty limits each country to no more than 1550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers. If they dont need it, we dont need it either, he said, adding that we feel confident about our nuclear shield. Loading While praising Trump and trying to emphasise potential common interests, the Russian president sent a stern warning to Ukraines Western allies against trying to seize ships that carry Russian oil to global markets. He argued that would amount to piracy and could trigger a forceful response while sharply destabilising the global oil market. Asked about the detention of an oil tanker off Frances Atlantic coast, which French President Emmanuel Macron linked to Russias so-called shadow fleet of ageing tankers of uncertain ownership that are avoiding Western sanctions, Putin cast it as an attempt by Macron to distract public attention from his countrys internal problems and mockingly likened the French leader to Napoleon. Advertisement He strongly warned the West against such action, arguing that it defied international maritime law and risked triggering military confrontation. Its piracy, and how do you deal with pirates? You destroy them, he said. Related Article Russia-Ukraine war Europe presses on with drone wall project as airspace violations mount Putin also scoffed at Western claims of possible Russian involvement in recent drone flights over Denmark, casting them as part of purported NATO efforts to inflame tensions to boost the defence spending. Intrusions into NATOs airspace blamed on Russia reached an unprecedented scale last month. A swarm of Russian drones flew into Poland, Estonia complained about an intrusion by Russian fighter jets and numerous unidentified drones were sighted over Denmark, Germany and other countries in what some European officials described as Moscow testing NATOs response. European defence ministers have agreed to develop a drone wall along their borders to better detect, track and intercept drones violating Europes airspace. Advertisement Putin dismissed Western allegations of Russias purported aggressive plans against NATO allies as nonsense aimed at distracting public attention from domestic problems. We are carefully watching the growing militarisation of Europe, he said. Is all of this just words, or is it time for us to take countermeasures? No one should have doubt that Russias countermeasures will not take a long time to come. At one point during the four-hour event televised live, Putin, a former Soviet KGB officer and one-time head of Russias top domestic security agency, misspoke and referred to himself as the CIA director while describing a meeting with former US president George W. Bush and his administration officials. The future director, Putin quipped as the audience broke into laughter. AP, Reuters Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on whats making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter. Protesters on Coronation day, 2023. Polling, however, suggests such views are hardly flourishing. Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Share 31 View all comments In the crowded aisles of the Liverpool political gathering meant to build support for the Labour Party, a small stall has one of the biggest challenges: it wants the party faithful to sign up to a British republic. Volunteers for the stall, which is run by Labour for a Republic, try to talk to party members in the hope that they will stop and put on a sticker showing they want to remove King Charles III from the throne. Most of the delegates shuffle past with their eyes on other things like the Premier League stand, or the policy talks with free food, or the main speeches in the hall. Ken Ritchie does not seem to be losing heart and is thinking long term. He is not asking the party to demand an instant end to the monarchy. There would be a huge reaction to that because the public hasnt got to the stage of thinking about it, he says. Loading So were not asking the Labour Party to do that. This seems wise because Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer is in a political fight to revive support for his flagging government on issues such as wages, migration, health and education. At the gathering of about 20,000 people at the Liverpool conference, he has no time for a debate on a republic. Advertisement We have a long way to go, but in a sense, the debate hasnt started. And you can point to other big changes that take time. How many thought that the Berlin Wall would fall? Ken Ritchie, Labour for a Republic What Ritchie wants, however, is a series of smaller steps to increase the power of the parliament and scale back the Kings sway over the country. This includes changing the oath of allegiance for new MPs so they could swear allegiance to the people who elected them, rather than the King, his heirs and successors. Another change would be to scrap the royal prerogative that allows the monarch to act without the consent of parliament. King Charles presides over the State Opening of Parliament in 2023. Getty Images A third reform would be to control royal expenditure, so that the royal familys budget would resemble that of any other arm of government and perhaps be brought under tighter restraints. But of the ultimate removal of the monarch? It will be a thing that takes time, he says. We have a long way to go, but in a sense, the debate hasnt started. And you can point to other big changes that take time. How many thought that the Berlin Wall would fall? Look at the environmental movement how fast did it move to become mainstream? Advertisement Soft power: The royal familys diplomatic value was on full view on President Donald Trumps recent state visit. Getty Images The King, three years into his reign, is a beloved figure to many in the United Kingdom. The mourning for Queen Elizabeth II has given way to respect for her son and his wife, Queen Camilla. Charles has exuded calm and charm, whether he was drinking kava with chiefs in Samoa, listening to an angry Victorian senator attack the monarchy in Canberra or greeting US President Donald Trump at Windsor Castle. Only days ago, he met Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his fiancee, Jodie Haydon, with a warm smile when they arrived at Balmoral Castle in Scotland for lunch. The King and the prime minister: Charles meets Anthony Albanese at Balmoral last week. AFR Hours after those talks, Albanese told the ABCs Insiders program he did not want a referendum on a republic in his time as prime minister. If a republic seems a distant prospect in Australia for those who want the change, it seems barely visible on the horizon in Britain. The pollster, YouGov, found that 59 per cent had a positive view of King Charles and 31 per cent had a negative view, resulting in a net favourability rating of 28 points. Advertisement And perhaps ominously for republicans, support appears to be stratospheric for Charles heir, Prince William, and his wife, Catherine, who had matching net favourability ratings of 57 per cent. William himself, though, appears mindful of not counting any chickens. In a candid Apple+ TV interview this week, the prince told Schitts Creek actor Eugene Levy that when he becomes king, change is on my agenda. Change for good, and I embrace that I dont fear it, thats the bit that excites me, the idea of being able to bring some change. Not overly radical, but changes that I think need to happen, he said. But while the royal family continues to suffer scandals, the institution endures. Prince Andrew has a net favourability of minus 82 per cent after being exposed over his friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but he has been removed from royal duties and banished to a lodge near Windsor Castle. Next in line: William appears mindful that the monarchy must remain relevant into the mid-21st century. Getty Images For those who oppose, railing against the monarchy can be risky. When Labour MP Emma Dent Coad suggested former British Army pilot Prince Harry could not actually fly a helicopter, she lost her marginal Kensington seat at the next election. Under the framework of the EU-WCO Rules of Origin (RoO) Africa Programme, funded by the European Union, the World Customs Organization (WCO), in collaboration with the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office and the Nigeria Customs Service, held an Advanced Training on Rules of Origin in Abuja, Nigeria, from 16 to 18 September 2025. The Workshop aimed to strengthen the competencies of the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office staff and stakeholders to enhance the implementation and application of Rules of Origin. This Workshop formed part of a comprehensive training cycle designed to progressively build expertise, guiding participants from basic to advanced levels, and ultimately to Training of Trainers (ToT). By the end of this cycle, Nigeria will have developed a pool of well-equipped origin trainers capable of sustainably supporting the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as well as other applicable Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). The AfCFTA seeks to accelerate intra-African trade and strengthen Africas trading position in the global market. Achieving these goals requires the capacity building of all actors within the international trade supply chain at the national, regional, and continental levels. Reflecting this, the Workshop brought together participants from a wide range of sectors, including officials of the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office and representatives from Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, Federal Ministry of Finance, Nigeria Employers Consultative Association, Nigeria Association of Small-Scale Industrialists, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade & Investment, Nigeria Export Promotion Council, Small and Medium Sized Enterprises and the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria. Through in-depth sessions, participants gained clarity on origin concepts to ensure uniform and consistent application of the Rules of Origin. A variety of learner-centric methodologies including exercises, case studies, plenary discussions, brainstorming sessions, and practical illustrations were used to achieve the set learning outcomes. By the end of the Workshop, participants expressed strong confidence in their ability not only to apply Rules of Origin effectively but also to support other economic operators in leveraging opportunities provided by the FTAs to which Nigeria is a party. In line with the WCOs Capacity Building Paradigm, the Workshop was co-facilitated by an official from the Nigeria Customs Service who had successfully completed the full training cycle and is now recognized as an expert trainer in Rules of Origin. The success of the Workshop stands as a testament to the synergies achieved through collaboration and partnership. For further information please contact EU-WCORoOAfrica.Program@wcoomd.org Under the framework of the EU-WCO Rules of Origin (RoO) Africa Programme, funded by the European Union, the World Customs Organization (WCO held a national training workshop on rules of origin for Djibouti Customs. The workshop was held from 22 to 25 September 2025 with the objective to assist Djibouti in enhancing its knowledge and application of preferential rules of origin. In his opening remarks, Mr. Abdourahman Aouad Izzi, Technical Advisor to the General Manager, expressed his appreciation to the EU and the WCO for their continued support. He stressed that rules of origin are crucial to secure, facilitate and promote intra-African trade through creation and strengthening of regional value chains. He urged the participants to internalise the necessary competences and share their experiences in an aim to harmonise the rules of origin management and modernise the Customs administration. During the workshop, participants worked on key concepts for proper origin determination, related operational and procedural issues, including origin certification and origin irregularities, as well as the establishment of efficient origin management. In addition, participants discussed specific areas of concern, including the low level of knowledge and use of the FTAs and challenges linked to verification of origin including trough administrative cooperation. They also discussed recommendations for better management and implementation of rules of origin on a national and regional level. Participants engaged actively and greatly appreciated the opportunity given by the workshop to exchange knowledge and experiences and stressed that this training would contribute to trade facilitation as well as fair and efficient revenue collection. In the margins of the training workshop, the facilitators met with Mr. Gouled Ahmed Youssouf, General Director of Customs, who thanked the WCO and especially the RoO Africa Programme for the assistance provided. He stressed that investing in human resources has helped Djibouti Customs in the modernisation of the administration and welcomed the next steps in the cooperation. The EU-WCO Rules of Origin Africa Programme will continue its work with Djibouti Customs to equip them with extended knowledge for efficient implementation and application of rules or origin. The next steps in the competency development will cover an advanced training followed by a Training of Trainers on rules of origin. For further information please contact EU-WCORoOAfrica.Program@wcoomd.org According to Highlander Fire, a call came in around 5 p.m. Thursday for a fire explosion in the 4600 block of E. Luther Road, off Highway 150 in Floyds Knobs. We recently compiled a list of the 12 Best Healthcare Stocks to Buy and Hold for 5 Years. Stryker Corporation is one of them. Stryker Corporation (NYSE:SYK), a global leader in medical technology, has strengthened its innovation footprint with the opening of a 140,000-square-foot research and development center in Bangalore, India. The facility will focus on robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), digital health, and product security, aiming to accelerate product development and strengthen collaboration with healthcare providers, particularly in emerging markets. By leveraging Indias talent pool and cost efficiencies, SYK is positioning itself for sustainable growth and stronger global margins. Further advancing its technology-driven strategy, Stryker Corporation (NYSE:SYK) announced a partnership with Siemens Healthineers to co-develop a robotic system for neurovascular procedures. The initiative targets greater precision and efficiency in treating strokes and aneurysms, underscoring the firms expansion into robotics and integrated digital platforms within the neurotechnology sector. The business also broadened its orthopaedics portfolio with the launch of the Incompass Total Ankle System at the 2025 American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) meeting in September. This rollout reflects ongoing investment in specialized medical solutions to address diverse patient needs. Stryker Corporation (SYK) Opens 140,000-Sq-Ft R&D Hub in India to Accelerate AI and Robotics Financially, Stryker Corporation (NYSE:SYK) continues to deliver strong results, with recent quarterly earnings surpassing analyst estimates. The company reaffirmed its optimistic full-year 2025 earnings guidance of $13.40 to $13.60 per share, supported by innovation, global expansion, and a robust product pipeline. While we acknowledge the potential of SYK as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 30 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and 11 Hidden AI Stocks to Buy NOW Disclosure: None. Pictured: in this frame grab taken from video, former Scott County Sheriff Kenneth Hughbanks appears in court with his attorney after he was charged with felony tax evasion linked to his position at the Clark County Jail under Jamey Noel. (WDRB image) Ken Murphy wants a pro-growth and pro-jobs Budget in November - Ben Stevens/Parsons Media via Reuters The boss of Tesco has told Rachel Reeves that enough is enough on tax rises amid growing fears she will launch a fresh raid on businesses to plug a hole in Britains finances. Ken Murphy, the retailers chief executive, urged the Chancellor not to make it harder for supermarkets to keep prices down when she delivers her Budget next month. Tesco said it had been dealt a 235m blow from Ms Reevess decision to raise National Insurance contributions paid by employers this year, while a new packaging levy will cost it 90m. Mr Murphy said: What wed love to see from the next Budget is a Budget thats pro-growth and pro-jobs, which as a result will help customers with the cost of living. We know that people are worried about what lies ahead and were seeing that in the consumer sentiment. We operate in a very, very competitive and a very tough environment. Our one ask is, dont make it harder for the industry to deliver great value for customers. In the last Budget, the industry and the sector incurred substantial additional operating costs. Were doing our best to deal with them but enough is enough. Mr Murphys comments come days after the Chancellor warned that her second Budget would not be easy for families and businesses as she left the door open to another tax raid on corporate Britain. While Ms Reeves acknowledged it was important that Britains tax regime was internationally competitive, she added: I think businesses recognise, like everybody does, that paying taxes is important to support the economy. Mr Murphy said the Chancellor needed to be careful on measures such as the upcoming business rates reform, which threatened to raise costs further for large supermarkets. He said Tesco would wait to see the details until it makes a decision on any store closures. Mr Murphy was speaking as Tesco raised its forecasts for the year, saying it now expected profits of between 2.9bn and 3.1bn for the year to February. It had previously been expecting profits of between 2.7bn and 3bn. This followed a period where Tesco won over more customers, having stepped up price cuts in response to growing competition from Asda. The rival supermarket launched a price war earlier this year in an attempt to revive its fortunes. Tesco said it has cut the prices of 6,500 products with an average reduction of around 9pc. It said it was matching Aldi on more than 600 lines. The supermarket said this had helped it to win more customers, with the company now holding 28.4pc of the grocery market. Sales were up 4.3pc in the first six months of the year. Profits slipped 9.6pc to 950m in the period after it had previously forecasted a decline in earnings. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. General Mills is to shut three factories in the US as part of the companys bid to cut costs and improve productivity. In a stock-exchange filing, General Mills said it will close three facilities in Missouri it acquired in the last three years by the end of its 2029 fiscal year. The group said it would also conduct the consolidation of assets at certain of our other facilities. In May, General Mills set out a global transformation programme to make the business more productive. As a consequence, the company said yesterday (1 October) a pizza-crust facility in St. Charles in Missouri will shut by the end of June next year. Two pet-food plants in Joplin will end production a month a later. Production at these locations will transition to other facilities, a spokesperson said. General Mills declined to comment on the number of jobs that could be lost. The Cheerios maker acquired the pizza-crust site when it bought Wisconsin-based TNT Crust three years ago. The Joplin pet-food sites joined General Mills through the companys $1.45bn acquisition of Whitebridge Pet Brands North American cat-food and pet-treats business last year. In the SEC filing, General Mills said it expects to book $82m of restructuring charges from the closure of the three sites and the consolidation of the other, unnamed assets. The company declined to provide further details on its planned actions beyond the closures in Missouri. In General Mills last full financial year, which ran to 25 May, net sales fell 2% to $19.5bn, with organic sales also declining 2%. Last month, the company reported a fall in reported and organic sales for the first quarter of its new financial year. Group reported sales and organic revenues were down 7% and 3%, respectively, at $4.5bn, in the three months to 24 August. Reported volumes fell eight percentage points across the group in the quarter in reported terms, with price/mix a positive one point. North America retail saw a 16-point decline and the international business a two-point drop. General Mills is looking to invest some of the savings it is generating to boost sales volumes. Speaking after the company released its first-quarter results, chairman and CEO Jeff Harmening said management is increasingly confident that our approach is working. He added: So far, so good. We strengthened our pound share in eight of our top ten categories and now were holding pound share in pet. "Three General Mills plants for chop in push on costs" was originally created and published by Just Food, a GlobalData owned brand. When 25-year-old Soracha McGrath boarded her Aer Lingus flight from Washington to Dublin this summer, she expected little more than a long overnight journey home. What she got instead set the tone for the two weeks that followed. I was sitting in my seat when this lovely air hostess came over to me and asked, Are you the Washington D.C. Rose by any chance? Soracha told the Western People last week. The next thing I knew, they were upgrading me, giving me champagne, and announcing me over the intercom. I got so many shout-outs. They made me feel like one in a million. That unexpected upgrade was more than a travel perk; it was the start of an unforgettable adventure as Soracha took her place among the international group of young women competing in the 2025 Rose of Tralee Festival. It was the most fabulous time ever, she said. I loved every second of it. Born in Dublin and raised partly in Claremorris before moving to the United States in her early teens, Soracha had always associated the Rose of Tralee with family. My Nana Carmel, who sadly passed away last year, would always make us watch it together every summer, she said. It was our tradition. That tradition shaped her dream of one day wearing the sash herself. In April 2025, she realised that dream when she was crowned the Washington D.C. Rose. A graduate of UCD in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics, she now works at the World Bank as a Junior Professional Associate. But amid the spreadsheets and policy discussions, the Rose of Tralee offered something different: a chance to connect with her heritage and represent her community on an international stage. After touching down in Dublin and taking two days to prepare - hair, nails, make-up - the whole shebang - Soracha joined the official Rose tour in Meath. Thats when it all kicked off, she said. The Roses travelled across the country, from Dublin to Kenmare and on to Tralee, with stops at landmarks and community centres along the way. One highlight was Barack Obama Plaza, just off the M3 in Co Tipperary, where the Roses were greeted like celebrities. The amount of people that came out just to see us at every stop was so cool, she remembered. The tour itself was fully funded, but Soracha did highlight the challenges faced by international Roses. The dresses, the hair - thats all personally funded or sponsored locally. For those of us abroad, we dont have the same connections to boutiques or businesses that the Irish Roses do. It can be a real financial burden. Id say to anyone thinking of entering: just be prepared. When the Roses reached Tralee, they were introduced to their Rosebuds, Rose Buddies, and Escorts. Sorachas escort, Evan from Cork, was such a gentleman,. He was great - so supportive and kind. The days were packed with activities, from photo shoots to circus trips, GAA matches, and dog racing. Evenings often ended in music sessions at the hotel or local pubs, with families and friends joining the celebrations. It was such a lovely way to unwind and be together after busy days, she said. Then came the parades. Dressed in gowns and carried on floats through the streets of Tralee, the Roses were greeted by throngs of spectators. They told us there were about 20,000 people there, Soracha said. The amount of enthusiasm and support was just incredible. It was emotional - something you can only experience once in a lifetime. Her television appearance came on the first night. I was second out, which was a relief, she said. It meant I could relax and enjoy the rest of the show afterwards. There were surreal moments too, such as meeting Daniel ODonnell backstage. After the final, which saw Katelyn Cummins, the Laois Rose, crowned, there was one last celebration before Soracha returned to Dublin with her parents. With limited leave from work, she flew back to Washington shortly after. By Monday morning, she was back at her desk at the World Bank. Honestly, I couldnt believe it, she admitted. I had just spent two weeks living one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and suddenly I was back doing Excel spreadsheets. It felt like it had all been a dream. For Soracha, the Rose of Tralee was never about competition. This isnt a beauty pageant, she insisted. Its about representation, voice, and connection. You meet women from all walks of life - doctors, teachers, students, entrepreneurs - and what unites us is this shared love of our heritage. Looking back, she describes the whole journey as a full-circle moment". I started out watching the Roses with my Nana in Claremorris, she said. To be one of them now - its surreal, but deeply meaningful. It was a terrific experience. Mayo University Hospital looks set to recruit more emergency department nursing staff as the hospital comes under fire for resourcing and overcrowding issues. Hospital Manager Catherine Donohoe responded to a parliamentary question posed by Mayo Aontu TD Paul Lawless. The hospital manager outlined that that 15 whole-time-equivalent roles will be filled. Additionally, the MUH intends to hire 3.5 Healthcare Assistants. The new roles "are currently being resourced with offers having gone out to 6 Nursing staff and two Healthcare Assistants," Mrs Donohoe said. The Hospital Manager also noted an 'optimistic target' of having all staff in post by year end. Deputy Lawless had asked Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill to provide an update' on the hiring process for Mayo University Hospital. He said the latest news is welcome but only a first step. This is not the finish lineits the starter pistol. A positive first step, yes, but one taken after far too many laps around the bureaucratic track, said the Mayo TD. Let us not forget. This audit sat idle for far too long while dangerously high patient-to-staff ratios became the daily reality. On some days, just five nurses were expected to manage an Emergency Department handling over 160 patients. The staff were extraordinarybut no one should have to be extraordinary just to get through a shift. This wasnt just a strainit was a warning siren the system chose to ignore, a system that abuses it's heroes on the front line, Deputy Lawless commented. In recent weeks, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) began a ballot of its members in Mayo University Hospital in response to what it described as "dangerous staffing shortfalls" in the hospital. The union has accused the HSE of failing to implement the Safe Staffing Framework, which sets out minimum staffing levels required for safe patient care. The INMO said it is calling for a significant number of additional funded positions to be added in the Emergency Department to meet these minimum levels. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE:TEVA) is one of the 12 Best Widow and Orphan Stocks to Buy According to Analysts. Truist Securities Reaffirms Its Buy Rating for Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited (TEVA) On September 23, 2025, Truist Securities reaffirmed its Buy rating for Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited (NYSE:TEVA), maintaining its $25 price target, following a recap call on Olanzapine LAI (long-acting injectable) data presented at the Psychiatric Congress. Truist emphasized the potential of Tevas schizophrenia treatment franchise based on the new data. The launch of Olanzapine LAI is part of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited (NYSE:TEVA)s broader strategy to expand its innovative medicines division, which grew 27% in Q2 to offset a slight decline in generics. CEO Richard Francis highlighted Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited (NYSE:TEVA)s transition toward higher-value treatments during the Bank of America Global Healthcare Conference on September 24, where he reiterated the companys focus on innovation, debt reduction, and achieving $700 million in cost savings by 2027. Key drugs such as Austedo are projected to reach $3 billion in peak sales, while Ajovy could generate up to $2 billion. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited (NYSE:TEVA) develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes generic and biopharmaceutical products across the U.S., Europe, Israel, and other countries. It is one of the Best Widow and Orphan Stocks. While we acknowledge the potential of TEVA as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 15 Stocks That Will Benefit From AI and 14 Best IT Stocks to Buy for the Long Term. Disclosure: None. MUHLENBERG TWP., Pa. Swifties aren't the only ones celebrating Taylor Swift's release of her 12th studio album. Some businesses are also getting in on the fun. Rita's is offering a special deal starting at midnight Friday. The first 1,989 people to use the promo code "Showgirl" in their Rita's app will get a free small Italian ice with any purchase. That's 1989 the year Taylor was born at Reading Hospital. And if you want more, movie theaters like AMC in Muhlenberg Township have a new film. They're showing "The Official Release Party of a Showgirl" an 89-minute presentation that includes the world premiere of the music video, "The Fate of Ophelia," behind-the-scenes footage and Taylor's reflections on making the album. Stellar House Gift Shop Photo setup at Stellar House Gift Shop in Boyertown. In Boyertown, Stellar House Gift Shop on East Philadelphia Avenue says it will be hosting an album release part on Oct. 4 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The store says fans can shop its Taylor Swift merchandise and take showgirl-themed photos. USA Rare Earth's Round Top deposit contains valuable heavy rare earths, such as terbium and dysprosium, which sell for hundreds to thousands of dollars per kilogram, compared to the cheaper light rare earths that competitor MP Materials produces. LCM brings 30 years of proven operating experience and stands as the only scaled producer of samarium metal outside China. It currently operates with a capacity of 1,500 metric tons, with plans to expand to 20,000 metric tons over the next decade. This metal-making capability fills a critical gap in USA Rare Earth's supply chain, sitting between its Round Top heavy rare earth deposit in Texas and its 5,000-ton magnet production facility under construction in Stillwater, Oklahoma. USA Rare Earth is making aggressive moves to challenge China's dominance in the critical minerals sector through a transformative $100 million acquisition of UK-based LCM. The deal aims to complete an integrated mine-to-magnet supply chain that few Western companies can match. Valued at a market cap of $1.67 billion, USA Rare Earth (USAR) is a pre-revenue company engaged in mining, processing, and supplying rare earths and other critical minerals in the United States. It explores for neodymium, dysprosium, terbium, gallium, beryllium, lithium, and other critical minerals. The government needs multiple partnerships to diversify risk and ensure reliable domestic production of these strategic materials. So, here are three other mining stocks that should be on your watchlist right now. For years, China has allegedly suppressed prices to squeeze Western competitors out of the market. The MP Materials deal signaled Washington's willingness to abandon strict free market principles and meet national security demands. The rationale is straightforward, as China controls roughly 70% of U.S. rare earth imports, giving Beijing enormous leverage over materials critical to everything from F-35 fighter jets to electric vehicles (EVs) and smartphones. The Trump administration's decision to take an equity stake in MP Materials (MP) sent shockwaves through the mining sector. The Pentagon's unprecedented deal with America's largest rare earth producer included a government equity position and a price floor of $110 per kilogram for key magnetic materials. Now investors are wondering which companies might be next in line for similar federal backing. Story Continues The company raised $125 million through a common stock offering at $15 per share to fund the acquisition and ongoing expansion. Management expects to commission its first 600-metric-ton magnet production line in Q1 2026, with plans to reach 1,200 tons by the end of 2026. The company has signed memorandums of understanding with 12 customers and maintains a pipeline of 70 potential clients representing 5,000 to 7,000 metric tons of annual demand. Out of the five analysts covering USAR stock, four recommend Strong Buy, and one recommends Hold. The average USAR stock price target is $19, which is above the current price of $17.20. www.barchart.com Ramaco Resources (METC) Valued at a market cap of $2 billion, Ramaco Resources (METC) develops, operates, and sells metallurgical coal used in steelmaking. It manages five major coal properties across West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Wyoming, totaling approximately 190,750 acres. Ramaco Resources is transforming from a pure metallurgical coal producer into a dual-platform company with a potentially game-changing rare earth and critical minerals operation. The company's Brook Mine in Wyoming represents America's first new rare earth mine in over 70 years and contains 1.7 million tons of total rare earth oxide across just one-third of its 16,000-acre property. Unlike traditional hard rock deposits, the rare earths at Brook Mine are co-mingled with coal in soft material that's easier and cheaper to process. The deposit contains five of the seven rare earth elements recently banned from Chinese imports, including high-value heavy rare earths such as dysprosium and terbium, which are worth hundreds to thousands of dollars per kilogram. The mine also holds scandium, with Western aerospace customers reportedly willing to consume six times current demand if a secure domestic supply existed. Fluor's preliminary economic analysis outlined a pretax net present value of $1.2 billion, with a 38% internal rate of return and a steady-state EBITDA of $143 million by 2029. The analysis also included initial capital costs of $473 million, excluding contingency. Ramaco has accelerated its timeline and now expects commercial oxide production in 2027 rather than 2028. In the coal segment, second-quarter results showed cash costs of $103 per ton, placing Ramaco in the first quartile of the U.S. cost curve despite weak pricing. It achieved record production for the second consecutive quarter while temporarily idling its higher-cost Eagle mine. Management trimmed full-year sales guidance purely due to pricing weakness, refusing to sell tons at negative margins into oversupplied Asian spot markets. Out of the four analysts covering METC stock, three recommend Strong Buy, and one recommends Hold. The average METC stock price target is $27.67, below the current price of $33. www.barchart.com NioCorp (NB) The final stock on the list is NioCorp (NB), which explores and develops mineral deposits in North America. Its flagship mineral property is the Elk Creek niobium, scandium, and titanium project that consists of a 227-acre parcel of land and associated mineral rights. It also owns an additional 80 acres of surface rights and 40 acres of mineral rights, as well as an optioned land package that covers an area of 1,272 acres located in Johnson County, southeast Nebraska. NioCorp is advancing its fully permitted Elk Creek project, which aims to become America's domestic source for multiple critical minerals currently imported almost entirely from other countries. The project's economics remain compelling, with $403 million in annual EBITDA over a 38-year mine life. However, these figures don't yet include the recently added rare earth production or the six times more titanium output resulting from an improved process flow. Management expects the updated feasibility study to show significantly improved numbers when it is released later this year. NioCorp has raised over $152 million in 2025, maintaining a zero-debt balance sheet while advancing toward the final investment decision. It received a $10 million Department of Defense grant supporting reserve drilling, which will upgrade probable reserves to proven status, thereby reducing project risk. Nine drill holes are complete, with analytical results expected to be released on a hole-by-hole basis in the coming months. Out of the three analysts covering NB stock, two recommend Strong Buy, and one recommends Hold. The average stock price target for NB is $6.62, which is below the current price of $6.68. www.barchart.com On the date of publication, Aditya Raghunath did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Barchart.com Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited (NYSE:TEVA) is one of the 20 NYSE Stocks with the Lowest P/E Ratios. UBS Maintains its Buy Rating on Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited (TEVA); Raises Its Price Target to $26.00 UBS maintained its Buy rating on Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited (NYSE:TEVA) on September 24, 2025, but increased its price target from $23.00 to $26.00. UBS raised its 2030 sales estimate from $6.3 billion to $6.6 billion, taking into account possible income from Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited (NYSE:TEVA)s new inhaler DARI, which is anticipated to launch in 2028, citing a stronger outlook for the companys branded business. To boost sentiment around the stock, UBS also pointed out that Medicares pricing for Austedo will be clarified by November 30. It projects a 40% discount, which is less than the 60% some investors fear. Globally, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited (NYSE:TEVA) develops, produces, markets, and distributes biopharmaceutical products and generic medications. Its product line includes tablets, capsules, injectables, inhalants, liquids, patches, ointments, creams, sterile goods, and combination therapies. It is one of the Stocks with Low PE Ratio. While we acknowledge the potential of TEVA as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 15 Stocks That Will Benefit From AI and 14 Best IT Stocks to Buy for the Long Term. Disclosure: None. U.S. soybean exports to China dropped 39% by volume to 5.9 million metric tons from January to July, before the autumn harvest began, the latest government data show. By value, shipments sank 51% to $2.5 billion, robbing farmers of billions of dollars' worth of business. After months of work that included planting seeds, fertilizing fields and spraying weedkillers, Illinois growers are facing losses of up to $8 per acre thanks to low crop prices and weak exports, according to University of Illinois estimates. About 60 miles (97 km) west of Chicago, where the city and suburbs start to give way to green fields, farmer Ryan Frieders, 49, will be storing much of his beans in bins after previously selling some of his expected harvest at prices below the cost of production. CRISIS ACUTE FOR ILLINOIS SOYBEAN FARMERS The crisis is particularly acute in Illinois, the largest U.S. soybean producing and exporting state. But alternative markets for U.S. exports are tiny by comparison and have not replaced China, long the world's biggest importer by far. Tit-for-tat tariffs that Washington and Beijing imposed on each other's goods this year have made U.S. soybeans too expensive for Chinese buyers, leading importers to buy from South America instead. On Thursday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the government would make an announcement on Tuesday about support for farmers. In a sign that hard times are expected to continue in rural America, Trump has promised to give proceeds from tariff revenues to farmers, who largely supported his campaigns for president. For the first time in more than 20 years, Chinese importers have not yet bought soybeans from the autumn U.S. harvest, forcing farmers to store their crops on hopes that prices will eventually rise from around a five-year low. It is a risk that delays their ability to bring in money from crop sales at a time when they face rising costs for everything from labor and energy to fertilizer. The efforts so far are failing to offset the loss of the country's biggest customer for the crop, data and interviews show, with financial pain extending to tractor makers and other agricultural businesses. These countries are not typically major customers for soybeans from the U.S. farm belt. But desperate farmers, their trade organizations and President Donald Trump 's administration are turning to far corners of the world in hopes of averting a disaster for agriculture from a trade war that has kept China from purchasing U.S. supplies. WATERMAN, Illinois (Reuters) -A trade mission to Nigeria. A memorandum of understanding with Vietnam. A surge of purchases from Bangladesh. Story Continues The U.S. made a big increase in exports to Bangladesh at just over 400,000 tonnes, a fraction of China's typical demand. Despite rising shipments to Vietnam, Egypt, Thailand and Malaysia, total U.S. soybean exports were down 8% by volume from the same period a year ago to 18.9 million tonnes. Along with industry officials, Frieders, who farms in Waterman, Illinois, traveled to Turkey and Saudi Arabia in February to meet with buyers and visit processors on a trip sponsored by the U.S. Soybean Export Council trade group. "There's talk about India and expanding there, and Southeast Asia, and North Africa: those are markets of the future," said Frieders, adding, "there isn't this lost market that we haven't looked at that could just suddenly explode and be a new China." SOY INDUSTRY SEEKS TO IMPROVE TRADE U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on social media in September that Taiwan committed to $10 billion in U.S. agriculture purchases over the next four years, including soybeans. She called the commitment a "game-changer," but it was misleading: such a commitment would not represent an increase. The U.S. exported $3.8 billion worth of U.S. agricultural products to Taiwan in 2024, according to U.S. data. If that same pace of sales continued over four years, it would total $15 billion. The U.S. Department of Agriculture did not respond to a request for comment about Rollins' statement. Industry groups have also tried to boost U.S. exports. During a trade mission in June, co-sponsored by the U.S. Soybean Export Council, Vietnam's agriculture minister signed memorandums of understanding to buy more than $1.4 billion in U.S. farm products, including soybeans, the council said. The council also met with Nigerian importers and soybean processors in June to promote trade, hoping to build off a modest 64,000 metric tons shipped there last year, according to the U.S. Mission in Nigeria. In August, the U.S. Mission in Nigeria said it also joined the American Soybean Association at a graduation ceremony involving aquaculture, an industry that can use soy as fish food. Through July, though, the U.S. had not exported any soybeans to Nigeria this year, according to U.S. data. Illinois hosted agricultural buyers from Peru, Colombia, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Mexico and the Dominican Republic on an annual tour of farms and crop handling facilities in August. The U.S. did not export soy to Peru through July, while Nicaragua and El Salvador bought a negligible amount, U.S. data show. Exports were largely flat to Mexico and down to the Dominican Republic. Farmers hope the efforts pay dividends over the longer term, though they are struggling now. CHINA DOMINATES GLOBAL SOY IMPORTS With more than 1.4 billion people and the world's biggest hog herd, China is hard to replace as a soybean buyer. It has imported an average of 61% of the world's traded soybean supplies over the past five years, more than the rest of the world combined, according to the American Soybean Association. In 2024, the U.S. exported nearly 27 million metric tons of soybeans to China and 5 million metric tons to Mexico, the second biggest buyer. "The Soybean Farmers of our Country are being hurt because China is, for 'negotiating' reasons only, not buying," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday. He said soybeans would be a major topic of discussion when he meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping in four weeks. China's business is now going to South America, as it did during Trump's last trade war. Last month, U.S. soybeans were about 80 cents to 90 cents a bushel cheaper than Brazilian soybeans for shipment in September or October, but China's 23% tariff on U.S. shipments added $2 a bushel to the cost for importers, traders have said. In Argentina, the government of President Javier Milei briefly suspended export taxes on soybeans in September, luring Chinese buyers who swiftly booked cargoes, traders said. The deals infuriated U.S. farmers shut out of China as Bessent said Washington was negotiating to support Milei, a Trump ally, financially with a $20 billion swap line for Argentina. "The frustration is overwhelming," said Caleb Ragland, 39, a Kentucky farmer and president of the American Soybean Association. CHINA'S ABSENCE IN THE MARKET SPILLS OVER TO OTHERS The decline in income from crop production has spilled over into other facets of rural America. Equipment manufacturer CNH, which sells tractors and combines, said net sales in its agriculture business dropped 20% in the six months ending on June 30, compared to the previous year. "The good news only comes when China actually starts to order," CNH CEO Gerrit Marx said in an August interview at the Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Illinois. Decatur, home to Archer-Daniels-Midland's North American headquarters, was formerly known as the soy capital of the world because of its processing industry, Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe said. At the Farm Progress Show, when asked where the new soy capital was, the mayor dropped her voice to a whisper. "It might be Brazil," she said. (Reporting by Tom Polansek. Editing by Emily Schmall and Anna Driver) Wits celebrates the launch of Dr Farai Mlambos new book A Survival Guide for Every Postgraduate Journey speaks to the emotional and intellectual challenges of postgraduate studies. Wits Business School (WBS) proudly hosted the launch of Dr Farai Mlambos insightful new book, A Survival Guide for Every Postgraduate Journey. The event drew together academics, postgraduate students, and members of the broader Wits community in a heartfelt celebration of resilience, scholarship, and student success. The evening began with warm opening remarks from Professor Maurice Radebe, Head and Director of WBS, who reflected on the schools commitment to fostering academic excellence and supporting postgraduate journeys. Professor Logan Rangasamy, Academic Director at WBS, offered further reflections on the importance of mentorship, resilience, and innovation in postgraduate education. A dynamic panel discussion followed, expertly facilitated by Professor Mills Soko, Director for Development and Partnerships, which explored the themes of the book and their relevance to the contemporary postgraduate experience. A Foreword Rooted in Institutional Leadership The book carries a powerful foreword written by Professor Lynn Morris, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Innovation at Wits University. Morris, reflecting on her journey as a postgraduate student, supervisor, and institutional leader, describes the book as essential reading for anyone involved in postgraduate education. She notes that, unlike conventional manuals, the book does not prescribe research steps but instead provides something rare: a deeply empathetic companion for the moments of doubt, uncertainty, and exhaustion that postgraduate students inevitably face. Prof Morris highlights how Dr Mlambos lived experience as a teacher and supervisor brings unique value to the guide, emphasising that success in postgraduate study requires not only intellect, but also perseverance, self-belief, and the ability to navigate often unforgiving academic systems. She applauds the books candid treatment of challenges such as perfectionism, impostor syndrome, and rejection, while also praising its practical tools, checklists, planning templates, and institutional reflections, which make it both accessible and actionable. Importantly, she frames the book as relevant not only to students but also to supervisors and institutions, offering a timely call to build fairer, more humane, and more supportive academic environments. A Book for Postgraduate Journey Dr Mlambos book speaks directly to the emotional and intellectual challenges of postgraduate studies. With honesty, empathy, and practical wisdom, it explores 30 hard truths that students often encounter, ranging from impostor syndrome and perfectionism to sustaining motivation and learning how to depersonalise feedback. Drawing from his own experience as both a student and a supervisor, Dr Mlambo provides strategies that blend encouragement with actionable guidance. The book is designed not only as a motivational resource but also as a companion for those moments of doubt that inevitably arise during postgraduate research. Its accessible language, supportive tone, and practical advice make it the kind of resource many wish they had at the beginning of their journey. Reception Across the Wits Community Since its launch, A Survival Guide for Every Postgraduate Journey has already begun to make a tangible impact across the Wits community. The book is being actively used in postgraduate support programmes, symposia, and workshops across faculties. Postgraduate Support Programme (1112 September 2025): As facilitator of a two-day writing retreat programme for ISFAP and EMET bursary-supported masters students, Dr Mlambo integrated themes from the book into sessions aimed at strengthening research capacity and resilience. Drawing on the books lessons, students explored how to navigate supervision, build momentum, and cultivate sustainable research habits. Twelve copies of the book, procured through the Wits Campus Bookshop, were distributed to participating students. As facilitator of a two-day writing retreat programme for ISFAP and EMET bursary-supported masters students, Dr Mlambo integrated themes from the book into sessions aimed at strengthening research capacity and resilience. Drawing on the books lessons, students explored how to navigate supervision, build momentum, and cultivate sustainable research habits. Twelve copies of the book, procured through the Wits Campus Bookshop, were distributed to participating students. Cross Faculty Postgraduate Symposium (10 September 2025): Dr Mlambo delivered the opening keynote to masters and doctoral candidates from across all faculties at Wits. Grounded in the books themes, the session highlighted sustaining resilience, managing supervisory relationships, overcoming perfectionism, and aligning day-to-day research practices with long-term scholarly impact. Dr Mlambo delivered the opening keynote to masters and doctoral candidates from across all faculties at Wits. Grounded in the books themes, the session highlighted sustaining resilience, managing supervisory relationships, overcoming perfectionism, and aligning day-to-day research practices with long-term scholarly impact. CORES Seminar (July 2025): At the African Research Centre in Ore Systems Science (CORES), Dr Mlambo shared strategies for postgraduate success drawn from the books 30 Hard Truths. The talk inspired participants to adopt a long-term, strategic approach to their research, anchored in consistency and purposeful planning. At the African Research Centre in Ore Systems Science (CORES), Dr Mlambo shared strategies for postgraduate success drawn from the books 30 Hard Truths. The talk inspired participants to adopt a long-term, strategic approach to their research, anchored in consistency and purposeful planning. Ashanti Gold Legacy Scholarship Writing Retreat (July 2025): As part of the Development and Leadership Units Wraparound Support Programme, Dr Mlambo facilitated two sessions on navigating supervisory relationships and sustaining academic productivity. Sixteen copies of the book were distributed to participating scholars, who engaged with its lessons on ownership of research, independence, and managing perfectionism. As part of the Development and Leadership Units Wraparound Support Programme, Dr Mlambo facilitated two sessions on navigating supervisory relationships and sustaining academic productivity. Sixteen copies of the book were distributed to participating scholars, who engaged with its lessons on ownership of research, independence, and managing perfectionism. Wits Doctoral Academy (August 2025): At a special lecture and book signing, Dr Mlambo addressed approximately 60 PhD candidates, offering practical insights on resilience, uncertainty, supervision, and worklife balance. Each participant received a signed copy, and the session fostered interactive dialogue linking personal reflections with actionable strategies. Building a Culture of Resilience The strong reception of the book at Wits reflects its relevance to the everyday realities of postgraduate students. By providing both practical strategies and empathetic support, A Survival Guide for Every Postgraduate Journey has already become more than a book; it is a resource woven into Wits broader ecosystem of postgraduate education. Its use across formal programmes, retreats, and symposia demonstrates how scholarship can directly enrich the student experience. Looking Ahead Wits celebrates Dr Mlambos contribution as an important step in promoting resilience and success among postgraduate students at Wits and beyond. The books growing presence across the University speaks to a shared recognition: postgraduate journeys are as much about intellectual discovery as they are about personal growth, perseverance, and community support. As one student reflected at the Doctoral Academy session, This book gives words to the struggles many of us face quietly. Its reassuring to know that what we experience is normal, and that there are ways forward. With A Survival Guide for Every Postgraduate Journey, Dr Mlambo has provided a timely, practical, and compassionate resource for a generation of scholars. Its influence across Wits is already clear, and its message of resilience and momentum is set to inspire postgraduate students for years to come. Copies of the book are available at the IH Pentz Bookstore on campus (https://pentzbooks.co.za/products/a-survival-guide-for-every-postgraduate-journey-by-farai-mlambo?_pos=1&_sid=f8357b85e&_ss=r), making it easily accessible to students, staff, and the wider Wits community. After months of work that included planting seeds, fertilizing fields and spraying weedkillers, Illinois growers on average are facing losses of up to $64 per acre this year, thanks in part to low crop prices and weak exports, according to University of Illinois estimates. About 60 miles (97 km) west of Chicago, where the city and suburbs start to give way to green fields, farmer Ryan Frieders, 49, will be storing much of his beans in bins after previously selling some of his expected harvest at prices below the cost of production. The crisis is particularly acute in Illinois, the largest U.S. soybean producing and exporting state. But alternative markets for U.S. exports are tiny by comparison and have not replaced China, long the world's biggest importer by far. Tit-for-tat tariffs that Washington and Beijing imposed on each other's goods this year have made U.S. soybeans too expensive for Chinese buyers, leading importers to buy from South America instead. On Thursday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the government would make an announcement on Tuesday about support for farmers. In a sign that hard times are expected to continue in rural America, Trump has promised to give proceeds from tariff revenues to farmers, who largely supported his campaigns for president. For the first time in more than 20 years, Chinese importers have not yet bought soybeans from the autumn U.S. harvest, forcing farmers to store their crops on hopes that prices will eventually rise from around a five-year low. It is a risk that delays their ability to bring in money from crop sales at a time when they face rising costs for everything from labor and energy to fertilizer. The efforts so far are failing to offset the loss of the country's biggest customer for the crop, data and interviews show, with financial pain extending to tractor makers and other agricultural businesses. These countries are not typically major customers for soybeans from the U.S. farm belt. But desperate farmers, their trade organizations and President Donald Trump 's administration are turning to far corners of the world in hopes of averting a disaster for agriculture from a trade war that has kept China from purchasing U.S. supplies. WATERMAN, Illinois (Reuters) -A trade mission to Nigeria. A memorandum of understanding with Vietnam. A surge of purchases from Bangladesh. (Corrects paragraph 11 to say Illinois soybean growers on average facing loss of up to $64 per acre this year, from $8 per acre) Story Continues U.S. soybean exports to China dropped 39% by volume to 5.9 million metric tons from January to July, before the autumn harvest began, the latest government data show. By value, shipments sank 51% to $2.5 billion, robbing farmers of billions of dollars' worth of business. The U.S. made a big increase in exports to Bangladesh at just over 400,000 tonnes, a fraction of China's typical demand. Despite rising shipments to Vietnam, Egypt, Thailand and Malaysia, total U.S. soybean exports were down 8% by volume from the same period a year ago to 18.9 million tonnes. Along with industry officials, Frieders, who farms in Waterman, Illinois, traveled to Turkey and Saudi Arabia in February to meet with buyers and visit processors on a trip sponsored by the U.S. Soybean Export Council trade group. "There's talk about India and expanding there, and Southeast Asia, and North Africa: those are markets of the future," said Frieders, adding, "there isn't this lost market that we haven't looked at that could just suddenly explode and be a new China." SOY INDUSTRY SEEKS TO IMPROVE TRADE U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on social media in September that Taiwan committed to $10 billion in U.S. agriculture purchases over the next four years, including soybeans. She called the commitment a "game-changer," but it was misleading: such a commitment would not represent an increase. The U.S. exported $3.8 billion worth of U.S. agricultural products to Taiwan in 2024, according to U.S. data. If that same pace of sales continued over four years, it would total $15 billion. The U.S. Department of Agriculture did not respond to a request for comment about Rollins' statement. Industry groups have also tried to boost U.S. exports. During a trade mission in June, co-sponsored by the U.S. Soybean Export Council, Vietnam's agriculture minister signed memorandums of understanding to buy more than $1.4 billion in U.S. farm products, including soybeans, the council said. The council also met with Nigerian importers and soybean processors in June to promote trade, hoping to build off a modest 64,000 metric tons shipped there last year, according to the U.S. Mission in Nigeria. In August, the U.S. Mission in Nigeria said it also joined the American Soybean Association at a graduation ceremony involving aquaculture, an industry that can use soy as fish food. Through July, though, the U.S. had not exported any soybeans to Nigeria this year, according to U.S. data. Illinois hosted agricultural buyers from Peru, Colombia, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Mexico and the Dominican Republic on an annual tour of farms and crop handling facilities in August. The U.S. did not export soy to Peru through July, while Nicaragua and El Salvador bought a negligible amount, U.S. data show. Exports were largely flat to Mexico and down to the Dominican Republic. Farmers hope the efforts pay dividends over the longer term, though they are struggling now. CHINA DOMINATES GLOBAL SOY IMPORTS With more than 1.4 billion people and the world's biggest hog herd, China is hard to replace as a soybean buyer. It has imported an average of 61% of the world's traded soybean supplies over the past five years, more than the rest of the world combined, according to the American Soybean Association. In 2024, the U.S. exported nearly 27 million metric tons of soybeans to China and 5 million metric tons to Mexico, the second biggest buyer. "The Soybean Farmers of our Country are being hurt because China is, for 'negotiating' reasons only, not buying," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday. He said soybeans would be a major topic of discussion when he meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping in four weeks. China's business is now going to South America, as it did during Trump's last trade war. Last month, U.S. soybeans were about 80 cents to 90 cents a bushel cheaper than Brazilian soybeans for shipment in September or October, but China's 23% tariff on U.S. shipments added $2 a bushel to the cost for importers, traders have said. In Argentina, the government of President Javier Milei briefly suspended export taxes on soybeans in September, luring Chinese buyers who swiftly booked cargoes, traders said. The deals infuriated U.S. farmers shut out of China as Bessent said Washington was negotiating to support Milei, a Trump ally, financially with a $20 billion swap line for Argentina. "The frustration is overwhelming," said Caleb Ragland, 39, a Kentucky farmer and president of the American Soybean Association. CHINA'S ABSENCE IN THE MARKET SPILLS OVER TO OTHERS The decline in income from crop production has spilled over into other facets of rural America. Equipment manufacturer CNH, which sells tractors and combines, said net sales in its agriculture business dropped 20% in the six months ending on June 30, compared to the previous year. "The good news only comes when China actually starts to order," CNH CEO Gerrit Marx said in an August interview at the Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Illinois. Decatur, home to Archer-Daniels-Midland's North American headquarters, was formerly known as the soy capital of the world because of its processing industry, Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe said. At the Farm Progress Show, when asked where the new soy capital was, the mayor dropped her voice to a whisper. "It might be Brazil," she said. (Reporting by Tom Polansek. Editing by Emily Schmall and Anna Driver) Deepfakes and South African law South African law tackles deepfakes but enforcement remains a challenge. Deepfakes are forgeries of peoples faces, voices and likeness generated through artificial intelligence (AI). They create a serious digital deception. Deepfakes undermine constitutional rights, reduce trust in media and distort fairness in elections. While many countries have laws that address the risks caused by deepfakes, enforcement remains a challenge. Deepfakes began to be widely created in 2017 after theyd first appeared on Reddit, a discussion website of forums where people exchange information. A Reddit user called Deepfakes shared an AI software tool that could superimpose celebrities faces on pornographic videos. AI-generated media became widely accessible through software apps that enable people to freely create deepfakes. There are several types of deepfakes: text deepfakes in the form of fake receipts and identification documents photo deepfakes, often swapping faces and bodies using apps to create memes audio deepfakes, where text-to-speech apps are used for voice cloning, often targeting politicians video deepfakes, where face and movement are transferred onto someone elses video, commonly used to create revenge pornography. Deepfakes pose three main dangers: They deceive audiences into believing fabricated media. They enable cybercrimes, reputational harm and misrepresentation. They can be published by anyone, including anonymous social media users. The key issue is how law can protect people from the illegal use of their images, voices, and likenesses in deepfakes. Since 2020, I have looked at laws that regulate deepfakes in South Africa and their implementation. My findings show that the biggest problem with deepfakes is law enforcement, rather than any lack of laws that prohibit the unlawful creation and distribution of deepfakes. Deepfake threats South Africa has seen notable cases that highlight the growing impact of deepfakes. In 2024, Leanne Manas, an award-winning South African broadcast anchor, was a victim when her image was used in fake endorsement of weight loss products and online trading on Facebook and TikTok. South African-born businessman Elon Musk also appeared in a deepfake video that induced many South Africans to invest in a financial scam that promised high returns. In 2025, Professor Salim Abdool Karim, the director of the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa, appeared in a deepfake video showing him making anti-vaccination statements while endorsing counterfeit heart medicine. Legal protection in South Africa South Africa has a mixed legal system that combines constitutional rights, legislation and common law rules to provide deepfake victims with remedies. There are laws that provide remedies in both civil and criminal cases. For example: Common law remedies Anyone can claim violation of privacy if their private images are used without permission. They can also enforce their right to identity if a deepfake misrepresents them or gives a perpetrator commercial advantage. I investigated these principles in an article about the impact of deepfakes on the right to identity in South Africa. Using South African cases, I found that the unauthorised use of a persons identity attributes in a deepfake deserves protection. The Supreme Court of Appeal confirmed, in Grutter v Lombard, that South African law protects a persons identity from being exploited without permission. And this protection is supported by the constitutional guarantee of human dignity. Grutter and Lombard once practised on the same premises under the name Grutter and Lombard, but Grutter later left. Lombard kept using Grutters name without consent. The court ordered him to stop as it falsely implied an ongoing professional association and infringed Grutters right to identity. In another case, a surfers magazine called ZigZag published a photo of a 12-year-old girl as a pin-up cover image. The court stressed that the key issue was whether an image was exploited for anothers benefit without consent. The defendants were ordered to pay compensation and costs. Another case is that of South African television personality, beauty pageant titleholder, businesswoman and philanthropist Basetsana Kumalo. She sued a business that took photos of her while she was shopping in their store and used those images in an advertisement for their products without her permission. The court ruled that using someones likeness for false endorsements infringes identity and privacy, because it creates the misleading impression of support for the product, service or business. These cases fit squarely into the deepfakes misuses, showing that false endorsement, election disinformation and non-consensual pornography on social media can trigger liability. Enforcement challenges While South African law provides remedies against deepfakes, four hurdles frustrate enforcement: These enforcement challenges can be addressed through capacity building and legal reform. AI research centres should work with law enforcement to train personnel and provide practical skills and tools for tracing and authenticating deepfakes. Parliament must update social media laws so that platforms are directly accountable for fast and fair action when peoples identities are misused in deepfakes. Legal rules should set minimum standards that deepfake apps and platforms must follow. Rather than relying on age restrictions or consent alone, the law should require these tools to embed watermarking to signal that content is a deepfake, enable tracing of where it comes from, and make sure takedown systems actually work. Justice on paper South African law clearly prohibits the misuse of identity through deepfakes, but enforcement gaps leave victims exposed. Without affordable legal access, faster platform accountability, and effective international cooperation, illegal deepfakes will continue to increase. Nomalanga Mashinini, Senior Lecturer, University of the Witwatersrand. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Weather Alert ...COLD WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 10 AM CST SATURDAY... * WHAT...Very cold wind chills as low as 30 below expected. * WHERE...Oneida, Vilas, Florence, Forest, Northern Marinette County, Northern Oconto County, Southern Marinette County, and Southern Oconto County Counties. * WHEN...From midnight tonight to 10 AM CST Saturday. * IMPACTS...The dangerously cold wind chills as low as 30 below zero could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Use caution while traveling outside. Wear appropriate clothing, a hat, and gloves. && Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images Energy company AES may be purchased in one of the largest infrastructure takeovers ever Key Takeaways AES, a renewable energy provider that counts several big tech giants among its clients, is reportedly in talks to be acquired by BlackRock's Global Infrastructure Partners. The Financial Times said the deal could be worth $38 billion, making it one of the largest infrastructure takeovers in history. AES (AES) shares jumped nearly 17% Wednesday following a report the renewable energy provider is in talks to be acquired by BlackRocks (BLK) Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP). The Financial Times said the purchase could be worth $38 billion, which would make it one of the largest infrastructure takeovers ever, and could be announced within days. The report noted that AES is strapped with $29 billion in debt, which would be part of the deal, and that while talks are in the advanced stage, the two sides may not come to a final agreement. AES, which has been exploring a sale among other options, also counts several big tech giants among its clients, with deals to power artificial intelligence data centers for Google parent Alphabet (GOOGL), Amazon (AMZN), and Microsoft (MSFT). Why This Is Significant The deal would underscore how some renewable energy providers have seen growing interest in recent months as investors bet on demand for power to support AI and cryptocurrency mining. A spokesperson for AES told Investopedia that per company policy, it does not respond to rumors in the marketplace. GIP did not respond to Investopedia's request for comment in time for publication. BlackRock acquired GIP last year for $3 billion in cash and 12 million BlackRock shares, for a total of about $12.5 billion. Before that closed last October, GIP struck a $6.2 billion partnership deal to take Minnesota-based energy company Allete private. With Wednesday's gains, shares of AES have added roughly a fifth of their value this year. BlackRock shares lost 2% Wednesday, but have climbed over 11% in 2025 so far. This article has been updated since it was first published to reflect more recent stock prices. Read the original article on Investopedia As visa crackdowns and diplomatic tensions block traditional study-abroad routes, Indias Leverage Edu is helping students reroute their dreams from Canada to Germany, and from India to Nigeria and Saudi Arabia. That agility is paying off: The startup has doubled its revenue, turned profitable, and is now expanding its global footprint. Over the past several months, students across emerging markets have faced growing uncertainty around international college admissions. Shifting visa rules and diplomatic tensions from the 2023-2024 standoff between India and Canada to new strains in India-U.S. ties over tariffs and immigration policy have disrupted application timelines and eligibility for thousands. Countries such as Canada and Australia have introduced stricter student visa policies, catching many families off guard. Even long-standing local consultants and study-abroad firms have struggled to adapt. Meanwhile, Leverage the startup behind the study-abroad platform Leverage Edu has responded by helping students identify alternative destinations and adjust quickly, keeping their plans on track despite the disruption. The eight-year-old startup was quick to respond when India-Canada relations soured, helping Indian students reroute to Germany and assisting Canadian universities in recruiting from Nigeria effectively salvaging student pipelines in both regions. It is now applying that same playbook amid ongoing U.S.-India strains. While Leverage continues to send students to the U.S., a growing share of that demand now comes from countries like Brazil and Vietnam where interest in U.S. universities remains strong, founder and CEO Akshay Chaturvedi said in an interview. That ability to shift quickly across geographies is now central to Leverages growth strategy. In the last two months, the startup has expanded into Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Vietnam, and Malaysia emerging markets with growing numbers of students seeking to study abroad but with limited access to structured admissions support. With this push, Leverage now operates in 16 countries where it recruits students, helping them apply to universities across 11 destination countries. Beyond applications, the startup headquartered in Noida, a tech hub on the outskirts of New Delhi is positioning itself as a full-service platform for international education, helping students plan, finance, and manage their journeys. Its tools include a mobile app, an AI-powered course search engine, a university matchmaking tool called UniConnect, and a newly launched SaaS suite for global universities under the brand Univalley.ai. The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature. Europe Thousands of Greek workers demonstrate during general strike to protest anti-worker laws Thousands of workers held a one-day nationwide strike in Greece Wednesday, protesting recent government changes in employment law that attack working conditions and social and political rights. Demonstrations were held in Athens, Thessaloniki and other cities, as the stoppages affected transport, schools, hospitals, courts, municipal and other public services. The Civil Servants Confederation (ADEDY) and the General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE) called the strike day, and were joined by a dozen other unions. Their leaderships are attempting to pre-empt a broader protest movement, as anger is erupting among Greek workers and students over high living costs, low wages and long working days. There is also anger at tougher disciplinary law in the bill for civil servants, aimed ultimately at criminalising political opposition. Airline workers in Italy strike for improvements in pay and conditions and in solidarity with Palestine Airline workers, including ground staff, security workers, baggage handlers, pilots and flight attendants, held a one-day work stoppage at Milans airports September 26 to demand wage increases and improvements in working conditions. Disruption was caused to WizzAir and Volotea flights and also affected cargo flights out of Milan. The strike by CUB, USB and CGIL union members was also held in solidarity with other Italian workers actions against the genocide in Gaza and to voice their concerns over flights to and from Tel Aviv, Israel. Dock workers in Genoa and Livorna blocked arms shipments to Israel on Saturday, in one of the largest anti-genocide demonstrations in Italy. French energy workers in continuing strikes for wage improvements and a reduction in energy tax Energy workers at three Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) port terminals in France operated by the Elengy company have been on strike since September 26, as part of ongoing national energy sector strikes around wage increases and other demands. The LNG terminal at Dunkirk operated by Fluxys has also been affected by the energy workers stoppage. Nuclear energy workers at government-owned EDF, who previously held stoppages in August and September, began a two-day strike Tuesday. The General Confederation of Labour union members want a 9 percent rise for those on the lowest salary, a reduction in value added tax on gas and electricity and higher on-call payments. Thousands in Namur, Belgium protest regional and national austerity measures On September 24, over 8,000 workers and unemployed marched in Namur, capital of the Wallonia region, Belgium, demonstrating against high unemployment and cost of living, housing shortages and attacks on benefits and pensions. The demonstration, organised by the Confederation of Christian Trade Unions, the General Labour Federation of Belgium and the Belgian Network for the Fight against Poverty, gathered outside the Walloon parliament building to protest the austerity policies of the regional coalition government. A national strike against the federal Arizona coalition governments austerity measures and attacks on pensions and benefits takes place October 14. Workers strike for improved redundancy payments at Belgian food manufacturer Bakery workers at the Alysse Food factory in Seneffe, Belgium began a strike September 18, after plans to make 92 of the 210 workforce redundant. Many have been employed there for over 20 years. The Confederation of Christian Trade Unions members demand greater compensation for those losing their jobs and a commitment of job security for the remaining workers. Workers at the National Coal Mining Museum in Wakefield, England continue pay stoppage Workers at the National Coal Mining Museum in Wakefield, England are continuing their stoppage begun August over pay. The 40 Unison members rejected a pay offer of 5 percent or 80p an hour. Some workers earn just 12.60 an hour. Unison said the museums chief executive refuses to negotiate. Many of the workers are former miners involved in the bitter year-long strike in 1984/85. The Trades Union Congress refused to call a general strike at the time, leaving the miners isolated. This led to the decimation of the industry. Alan Woodcock, who worked at Nostell Colliery near Wakefield as an apprentice electrician in 1978, told the BBC, We are not just tour guides, we are fitters, electricians and train drivers we are on a pittance. Wakefield council, run by a Labour majority, is withholding government funding from the museum until the dispute is resolved. Lecturers at University of Leicester, England begin stoppage over job cuts Academic staff at the UKs University of Leicester began a three-week stoppage Monday until October 17 against plans to make cuts of 11 million targeting jobs. The action by University and College Union (UCU) members is discontinuous, meaning staff can choose when and how often to participate. Action short of striking is planned until February 28. On Tuesday, students joined the picket lines. Departments under threat of redundancies include chemistry, history, geography, geology and the environment, education and modern languages. Academic staff at the University of Nottingham, England are continuing their four-week strike over 200 proposed redundancies, begun September 22. Universities across the UK face cuts and 10,000 job losses. There have been strikes at Bradford, Newcastle and Dundee universities, but the UCU refuses to mobilise its members in unified action, in order to impose sellout deals involving voluntary redundancies on a university-by-university basis. Middle East Protests and demonstrations spread across Iran over wages, pensions and conditions Protests and demonstrations over unpaid wages and worsening conditions have continued across Iran, as the country confronts the reimposition of UN sanctions. Different sectors of workers and retirees have demonstrated in cities nationwide. On September 30, aspiring teachers staged a third consecutive day of protest outside the Ministry of Education in Tehran. After preparing a year for recruitment exams, they are angry at the drastic reduction in available positions and last-minute rule changes and exam guidance which bureaucratically eliminated thousands of candidates. They had been told there would be 30,000 positions, but a capacity of only 11,000 was finally announced. Protesters said the process had been rigged in favour of insiders. In Tabriz, medical staff and hospital workers protested outside the main university medical building at severe pay delays, inadequate bonuses, and overtime and allowance disparities between administrative and frontline staff. Nurses complained of rising workloads, warning that patient lives are being put at risk. There have been widespread demonstrations in universities. At Khajeh Nasir University in the capital, students held a night rally and sit-in against mounting tuition fees and poor living conditions. They say protests will continue until the authorities respond. Medical students in Isfahan refused to eat dormitory food in protest at unhygienic conditions. Staff at Sharif University protested at their living conditions and benefits. At Dezful University of Medical Sciences, workers demanding months of unpaid overtime were met with contempt by the university president. Protests by bakers were reported across the country, including at Khorramabad, Yazd and Mashhad. Bakers are angry at delays in payment of state subsidies. In Isfahan, bakers said they had received no subsidies since July. Bakers are protesting mismanagement of the distribution system, resulting in higher production costs and reduced income. Bakers in Isfahan said the problems are making it impossible to continue operating. Protests have erupted over social conditions generally. Farmers protested outside the Khuzestan provincial governors office on Monday at water shortages and the damage they have caused. Investors in a stalled commercial complex held a rally in Rasht over broken contracts, while farmers and tractor owners in Yazd protested to demand restoration of the fuel allocations they require for seasonal work. Oil workers and pensioners in Ahvaz, Asaluyeh and the South Pars platforms protested to demand payment of overdue wages and benefits, and enforcement of legal rules on entitlements. Firefighters in Nishabur protested against low wages, stalled overtime, the appointment of unqualified operational staff and inadequate bonus rates. This week also saw two days of protests over months of unpaid wages by workers at the Chini Taghdis factory in Gonabad. On Monday, workers from the Iran National Steel Industrial Group marched from the Khuzestan provincial governors office to the Ahvaz governors office and the headquarters of the National Bank of Khuzestan. They have been staging similar protests for two weeks, demanding overdue wages, proper supplementary health insurance and the reopening of suspended production lines. They are protesting the sudden reduction of overtime pay, cancellation of meal provisions and that their work is not classified as hazardous for retirement calculations. Retirees have been at the forefront of protests. In Kermanshah, retirees in various pension funds protested delayed payments and the inadequacy of their pensions. Retirees in Fars province staged a protest in Shiraz on September 29. That day also saw protests against hardship by telecommunications retirees in many cities. Living conditions have collapsed and the economy continues to deteriorate. The situation is exacerbated by this weekends reimposition of UN sanctions, part of the US/NATO restructuring of the Middle East as a prelude to war against China. Africa Protests topple government in Madagascar over poverty living standards Mass protests over falling living standards and shortages of power and water toppled the Madagascan government at the beginning of the week. Protests in the capital Antananarivo (population 1.4 million), led by young people, began last week and continued into Monday, September 29. The protesters gathered at the main university in Antananarivo Monday, carrying placards and singing songs. They then marched into the city centre. Police fired tear gas to disperse the crowds and authorities imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew. Security forces used rubber bullets in an attempt to put down the unrest. The president, Andry Rajoelina, dissolved the government in response to the mass protests. Appearing on television on Monday, he acknowledged the widely held public grievances, feigning contrition for his governments failings. Madagascar, an island off south eastern Africa, is one of the continents poorest countries. Around 75 percent of its 30 million population were below the poverty line in 2022, according to World Bank statistics. Residents of Ventersdorp, South Africa protest for jobs, suffer brutal police attack South African residents of the small town of Ventersdorp protesting for jobs were brutally attacked by police while protesting on September 22. Workers have been blocking roads with burning tyres to pressure the JB Marks local municipality into offering them employment at the nearby diamond mine. They claim unfair discrimination, saying African National Congress councillors instruct management at the mine to hire their friends and relatives. Nigerian oil workers in nationwide strike over job losses Nigerian oil workers began a national strike September 29 after the Dangote oil refinery dismissed more than 800 unionised staff. The workers at the privately owned Dangote Oil RefineryAfricas largest oil producer, with a capacity to process 650,000 barrels per daywere reportedly fired en masse September 25 for joining the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN). The courts intervened on behalf of the employers, demanding a return to work. PENGASSAN made clear it would seek to comply with the court order as soon as proper procedures were followed. The union said it did not comply with the order because it had not yet been served officially. Ugandan teachers resume strike over pay Just before the start of term, Ugandan teachers resumed their national strike on September 15 over the governments failure to enhance salaries. Many teachers did not report for duty. The government issued a stern warning, urging teachers to return to their posts or face dismissal. The government claimed that salary increases are planned for the 2025/2026 financial year. Last week, the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) club at Australias University of Melbourne held its Annual General Meeting (AGM), allowing the club to remain affiliated and continue its activity on campus next year. A section of the 2025 IYSSE AGM at University of Melbourne The meeting was one of a series being held by the IYSSE, including a successful AGM at the University of Newcastle, in New South Wales. The Melbourne meeting, titled Charlie Kirk and the promotion of the far right, drew over 50 students, in person and online, surpassing the 20 required to reach quorum. Many students were attending their first IYSSE meeting and signed up to become members. The meeting was an indication of the growing interest among students in a socialist and anti-war perspective. IYSSE campaigners spoke with hundreds of students in the weeks leading up to the AGM, handing out over 5,000 copies of World Socialist Web Site articles on the Israeli genocide in Gaza, the drive by the imperialist powers towards a third world war, and Trumps accelerating efforts to establish dictatorship in the United States. In particular, the IYSSE won support for its call to halt fascism and war through the mobilisation of the working class against capitalism, in opposition to the bankrupt protest politics advanced by pseudo-left groups on campus such as Socialist Alternative. Weeks before the AGM, Socialist Alternative and the University of Melbourne Student Union held a Special General Meeting for Palestine, as part of a national series of student meetings. The organisers promoted the dead-end line of pressuring the Australian Labor government and university management to end their complicity in the Gaza genocide. The IYSSE had planned to speak at the meeting, attended by over 600 students, against the notion of moral appeals to pro-genocide forces, and present an alternative motion calling on students to build an anti-war movement in the working class and halt weapons shipments to Israel. However, the organisers blocked the IYSSE from speaking. At the AGM, Morgan Peach, who was re-elected club president, delivered a report on the Trump administrations glorification of Charlie Kirk, a fascist agitator, as part of its efforts to establish dictatorial rule in the United States. He said, Kirks funeral in Arizona, which was transformed into a fascist rally, was an unprecedented event in American history: the mobilisation of the far right by the highest levels of the White House itself. The beatification of Kirk is being used to galvanise the most reactionary forces in the country and prepare a massive counterrevolutionary assault on the working class, its democratic rights and social conditions. Peach pointed out that Trumps drive to create fascist rule in the US is not a question of Trump as a deranged individual, although he certainly is that, nor is it a question of specific American conditions. The accelerating lurch to the right by governments is a global process, arising from the historic crisis of world capitalism. He explained that the Albanese Labor government is part of that process, as it cracks down on mass opposition to the ethnic cleansing in Gaza and aligns itself with the Trump regime. The fight against fascism will not be taken up by any of the official parties of capitalist rule, such as the Democrats in the US, or Labor hereall institutions that exist to protect the privileges of the financial oligarchy. Instead, Peach emphasised that the struggle against dictatorship, genocide, and war can only be taken forward by the international working classthe revolutionary force in modern societybased on a socialist strategy. That means students who want a future free of nuclear war and fascism must turn their attention towards workers in the factories, in logistics, in the universities, and build a political movement against capitalism. The report provoked a lengthy discussion with numerous questions from students. These centred on the issues of how socialism will be established, whether it is possible to enact socialist measures within capitalism, why international revolution is necessary, and how the working class can be unified internationally and mobilised. After the meeting, reporters from the WSWS spoke with students. Saad, a first-year commerce student who was elected the clubs secretary, first met the IYSSE through the Socialist Equality Partys (SEP) campaign in the Australian federal election in May. He voted for Peach, who ran as the SEP candidate in the working-class electorate of Calwell. Saad This was a great introduction for anyone who wants to get into socialism, he said. What were seeing now around the world is capitalism in decline. This kind of crisis naturally happens over and over again under this system. For example, you had the 2008 economic crisis, and then again in 2020 when the COVID pandemic started. On the glorification of Charlie Kirk, Saad said, He was someone who was responsible for much of the right-wing discourse that targeted minorities. It was telling that all these governments and the media denounced the killing. I dont support him being killed, but its being framed in a way to give power to political forces, to Trump, to take action against minorities and what he calls the left. What Trump is doing is completely awful on many levels. Whether its the tariff war hes waging, or attacks on social equality, the villainisation of DEI, or political suppression, this is the start of dictatorship. Anyone who plants themselves in opposition to Trump is attacked, including students protesting the massacres happening in Gaza, like the two were deported from the US. And his policies are having an overall effect on the world, since the far right in other countries see a figure like him come to power and think, Maybe its our turn too. When asked about the growing threats of fascist dictatorship and world war, Saad said, They go hand in hand. And thats because of the concentration of power in the hands of a few capitalists, and the impoverishment of the working class, but also of sections of the middle class. We need to spread our analysis. Class consciousness is obviously on the rise, and thats important for building a coalition of the working class across nations. That means building new organisations and a working-class party, not to work within this system, but to build a sort of workers authority. And the main goal has to be a revolution to oust the capitalist system as a whole. Jack, a science student, said that he found the analysis and critique of the far-right exploitation of Kirks assassination very engaging. Moreover, I shared the outrage in the Australian Labor governments deceptive gesture in its recognition of the state [Palestine] when it actively contributes to its extinction. Stella, a biomedicine student who grew up in the US, said, The rise of fascism internationally, the fact there are right-wing governments everywhere is so crazy. Were taught growing up that we should read history and learn from it so we dont repeat it. But today were seeing the build-up towards World War II being repeated. Stella She spoke about how the experiences of the past two years of the Gaza genocide had radicalised her: I didnt know much about the struggle in Israel and Gaza before the October 7 events. But the general lack of an international response when Israels war crimes started immediately was shocking to me. Being from the United States, to see the US deliberately block so many attempts in the UN to get aid to Gaza Its just shocking its gone on for so long, the very publicised genocide of a whole people. This will be judged very heavily in the future, like how we judge those who did nothing during the Holocaust. When it was explained that the genocide was one expression of American capitalisms drive to dominate the world economy through war, Stella raised, War is a money-maker for a lot of companies, Lockheed Martin for one. They absolutely want to be at war. Trump just renamed the Department of Defense the Department of War. What bigger statement could they make about their real intentions? It makes them money, it keeps them in control of certain areas. Ive read about all the shady things that have happened with America destabilising governments in the Middle East, in order to gain better access to natural resources, oil especially. So I have no problem believing that its all a money and power grab for them. They dont actually care about the people. In response to the IYSSEs call for students to turn to the working class, Stella said: Theres a history of workers and students getting together and fighting for change against governments. Weve been trying to put pressure on the government for two years now, and unfortunately theres been no change. Politicians come out and make pretty statements, such as how we recognise Palestine, but have done nothing for two years and are continuing to support Israel. So I do think there needs to be a change in attitude in what the protests are trying to do. I absolutely think we should try building a movement of workers. Agus, an international student from Indonesia, said, The meeting was really insightful, it dealt with the major issues today like the rise of fascism, dictatorship and war. Capitalism is the cause of these problems: war, poverty, inequality. A socialist movement is so important and necessary. Donald Trump is clearly preparing for fascism in the United States, Agus said. Its almost like we are living in a dystopian world. The US, a Western democratic country, is transforming into an autocratic state. Trump is using his executive powers to do this, and he is encouraging his supporters to follow this agenda. The Trump government is capitalising on the assassination of Kirk, a far-rightist, to wage a war against the civilian population, particularly against progressive movements. And what Trump does in the US influences world leaders to follow his agenda. This will make the world even more chaotic than it already is. The far-right is coming to power everywhere, and I think this is a consequence of capitalism. It enables the wealthiest 1 percent to control the rest of the population, which is crazy. In a democratic society, a government should reflect what the majority wants, the working-class people. For that reason, I really resonated with what the IYSSE was saying, to establish a socialist society founded on genuine equality. This is something we should fight for, especially young people. We should unite and cede control to the working class. The elites do not think about the general population, they want to remain in control and push an agenda that benefits themselves, and not the working class. This is crazy, and we obviously need big changes in society. I encourage young people to have more discussions about this topic, how capitalism has failed the world and is leading to a disaster. They need to join this club and the IYSSE movement around the world. The Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ), which has governed Canadas second most populous province for seven years under Premier Francois Legaults hard-right leadership, is presently facing mounting public discontent. According to recent polls, if an election were held today, the CAQ would suffer a crushing defeat and be reduced at best to a rump in the National Assembly. Meanwhile, the ruling elite has grown increasingly frustrated with what it perceives as the Legault governments failure to fully implement its reactionary agenda, especially massive social spending cuts. Last month, Legault responded with a relaunch of his government intended to signal a further shift to the right. In a speech delivered on September 10 alongside a cabinet shuffle, Legaulta multimillionaire former Air Transat CEOdeclared open war on the social and democratic rights of the working class. Declaring his intention to administer shock therapy, Legault announced that his government will cut deeply into bureaucracy. This is a euphemism for slashing and privatizing what remains of essential public services, particularly public health care and education, and eviscerating all social supports. He also targeted environmental regulations in a clear signal to big business that it will be given carte blanche to rake in profits by ignoring and trampling on the most basic environmental protections. Quebec premier and CAQ founder Francois Legault [Photo by LouisRoyQc / CC BY 4.0 The CAQ is also intensifying its frontal assault on immigrants and religious minorities, as part of its ongoing efforts to make them scapegoats for the social crisis engendered by bankrupt capitalism. In his September 10 speech, Legault repeated the fraudulent claim that Quebec is being overwhelmed by an explosion of immigrants, then went on to announce that he does not rule out any means to reduce the pressure on our public services and our identity. This language echoes the Great Replacement theory promoted by the European and North American and far-right. It claims that there is a plot to replace Western countries white and Christian majorities with immigrants, especially from predominantly Muslim countries in Africa and Asia. In the Quebec version of this conspiracy theory, Canadas federal Liberal government and sections of the Anglo-Canadian elite are said to be seeking to overwhelm the French-speaking Quebec people with a flood of immigrants, hostile to Quebec values and inclined to speak or learn English. The Legault government has already threatened to cut off access to public services for asylum seekers if Ottawa does not reduce the number of refugee claimants entering Quebec. While the CAQ points the finger at one of the most vulnerable sections of society, its austerity policies designed to benefit the richmassive budget cuts and sharp tax cuts for large corporationsare the true source of the pressure on public services. In order to divert workers attention from this social reality, the ruling elite, led by the CAQ and the Parti Quebecois (PQ), have for years incited Quebec chauvinism, fueling xenophobia and racism, particularly through their promotion of Islamophobia. The CAQ government banned teachers and others in the public service in positions of coercive authority from wearing the hijab and other ostentatious religious symbols under Bill 21 in 2019. Underscoring the completely hypocritical and anti-democratic character of the governments crusade for state secularism, Bill 21 provides an exemption for discrete crucifixes and, in the name of protecting Quebecs heritage, otherwise protects the Roman Catholic symbols that are omnipresent in the provinces public spaces. Now, claiming that Quebec is under threat from radical Islamists, the CAQ government is moving to reinforce Bill 21. In April, it introduced legislation (Bill 94) to extend Bill 21s religious symbols ban to all school staff and anyone providing services in schools. In his September 10 speech Premier Legault promised further measures, including banning public prayer. In the coming weeks, the government will either introduce amendments to its Bill 94 or table a new bill banning the wearing of religious symbols in daycare centers and engaging in public prayers. Immigration Minister Jean-Francois Roberge justified the latter measure by pointing to a supposed proliferation of street prayers. The government and media have whipped up a furor over the fact that some participants in demonstrations protesting Israels imperialist-backed genocide of the Gaza Palestinians have engaged in public prayer as a form of protest and to honour the dead. It is not necessary to endorse such a practice, which does not contribute to the political clarification of workers and youth, in order to emphatically denounce any bill aimed at banning it. The ban is part of the growing efforts by the ruling class around the world to criminalize the rising popular opposition to the Zionist states genocidal assault on Gaza, which has been carried out with the political support and military assistance of Washington, Ottawa and the European imperialist powers. The Legault government has been especially provocative and repressive: It has slandered protesters opposed to Israels genocide as antisemites, and last spring it pressured the police to intervene and dismantle pro-Palestinian encampments set up on several Quebec university campuses. Citing the persistent budget deficit and the downgrading of Quebecs credit rating by the US credit rating agency S&P Global, the CAQ is carrying out devastating austerity measures. It has already announced cuts of around $1 billion in public health care and more than $500 million in education. Anticipating mass opposition among workers, Legault announced in his September 10 speech that his government will change the rules governing strike votes in order to strengthen state control over the process and further limit workers right to strike. We must have the courage to modernize the trade unions, he declared. This new attack on workers rights follows closely on the heels of last springs passage of Bill 89, which gives the government and the provinces Administrative Labour Tribunal, vast, arbitrary powers to limit workers participation in strikes and outright ban them. As part of its modernization of Quebecs unions, the government is also planning to make changes to the union dues check-off system (the Rand Formula) to limit unions ability to launch political campaigns and legal challenges. The Legault government and the Quebec chauvinist far-right are incensed that the Federation autonome de lenseignement (FAE, Autonomous Teachers Federation) has joined and helped finance a Supreme Court challenge to Bill 21, which bars its public school teacher members from wearing the Muslim hijab, Jewish kippah and other religious symbols. The Quebec ruling elites promotion of chauvinism and nationalism is part of a global ruling class revival of the far-right, heralded by the likes of Le Pen in France, Meloni in Italy and the pro-Nazi AfD in Germany. In the United States, the Trump regime has declared war on immigrants, employing the federal immigration police (ICE) to track down and deport, Gestapo-style, hundreds of thousands of immigrant workers of all origins and legal statuses. Trumps persecution of immigrants is a key component of his broader drive to establish a fascist presidential dictatorship, which is meeting with no opposition from the Democratic Party or union bureaucracies. This assault on democratic rights has gone hand in hand with unprecedented vandalism against public infrastructure and services, overseen by the infamous US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), from which Leagult and his CAQ have taken inspiration. Under the cover of Trumps tariff war and his threats to annex Canada, the ruling elite in Canada has itself made a rapid lurch right. Under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the Liberal government had already drastically reduced immigration rates in the name of combating the housing and public services crisis. Continuing in the same vein, the Liberal government, now headed by the former central banker Mark Carney, has moved to slash the number of new permanent residents, limit the number of temporary residents to 5 percent of the population, and curtail the rights of refugee claimants in flagrant violation of the Canadas commitments under international law. This has been accompanied by the announcement of a 15 percent cut in federal discretionary spending, and an immediate 17 percent hike in military spending. The leaders of Quebec's four major trade union federations (left) in an meeting earlier this year with Premier Legault (center right) and his advisors. [Photo: Francois Legault/X] Apart from a few demagogic denunciations, the Quebec unions response to the assault on workers social and democratic rights has consisted of pathetic appeals to the CAQ government for social dialogue, i.e., for it to continue to use the union bureaucracys services in imposing its attacks. Although they have characterized it as a declaration of war, the unions have not organized a single mass demonstration, let alone a campaign of industrial action, against Bill 89. Rather they are urging workers to take revenge on Legault by supporting another of the parties of Quebecs capitalist elite in the provincial election to be held in October 2026. Magali Picard, the president of the FTQ (Quebec Federation of Labor), recently revealed that the provinces largest labour federation is in talks with the PQ about the possibility of supporting this big business party in the upcoming electionseven as it attacks the CAQ from the right for out of control spending and competes with it as to which party is the most aggressive in denouncing immigrants and inciting Quebec chauvinism. Following Legaults September 10 speech, Quebec Solidaire (QS), a party of the upper middle class that occasionally raises timid left-wing criticisms, announced through its co-spokesperson Guillaume Cliche-Rivard that Legault had made another declaration of war on workers. However, QSs concerns have nothing to do with advancing workers interests and waging class struggle. QS has played a key role in stifling and paralyzing worker resistance. QS does this not only through its promotion of the project of an independent capitalist Quebec and apologias for the strident chauvinism of the PQ, but also through its promotion of the pro-capitalist union apparatuses. Legaults speech is a serious warning. In order to respond to this declaration of war with their own counteroffensive, it is essential for workers in Quebec to repudiate nationalism in all its forms and recognize the international character of their struggle. They must launch, in close alliance with their class brothers and sisters across Canada and internationally, a worker-led counteroffensive against capitalist austerity and in defence of jobs, public services and democratic rights. This must be combined with a new political perspective: the socialist reorganization of the economy to meet social needs, not private profit. Not a day passes without grim tidings for workers in the automotive and supplier industries. The major manufacturers have announced large-scale job cuts in the high four- and five-digit range: Volkswagen, Mercedes, Bosch, ZF, Porsche, Ford, Audi and others. At the same time, hundreds of jobs are being lost daily at countless medium-sized companies. March 2024: 10,000 employees demonstrate in front of the headquarters in Gerlingen near Stuttgart against Bosch's redundancy plans The IG Metall union has over 2 million membersmost of them in the car industry, and through its numerous works council representatives and shop stewards, it is fully informed about every development in the various factories. But instead of mobilising this industrial power against the mass destruction of jobs, it helps enforce these attacks against its own members. The shelf life of studies on the expected job losses in the automotive and supplier industries is shorter than that of an unstable nucleide. When the German Economic Institute (IW) reported at the beginning of September, on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, that a further 18,000 jobs would be eliminated in Germany by the end of this year and a total of 98,000 by 2030, that forecast had already been overtaken by reality. Only last week Bosch announced the largest jobs massacre in the companys history: In Germany alone 22,000 jobs are to go, far in excess of the 9,000 jobs that had been originally slated for elimination. According to the IW, 1.2 million people currently work for car manufacturers, their suppliers and other dependent companies. In forward-looking transformation areaselectrification, automation and connectivityonly 182,000 people are currently employed. Job creation is stagnating in that sector due to poor sales of German automakers EV models. Meanwhile, the corporations are planning a U-turn, refocusing on their gas-powered cars. That may slow the wave of insolvencies and cuts temporarily, but it only means they will then resume the cuts later with even greater force. The job cuts are being driven by falling profits. On 14 September, finance daily Handelsblatt reportedciting a sector analysis by consultancy EYthat profits at the worlds 19 largest carmakers had fallen by 50 percent in the first half of the year compared with the same period last year (down 49.2 percent) but were still a respectable 42.8 billion. Leading automaker Porsche has already issued four profit warnings this year, although it still is projected to record profits. Porsches market capitalisation has halved since its stock market debut three years ago. That fact has enraged the Porsche and Piech families, the owners of Porsche. They want to keep growing their billions at the expense of autoworkers. That is why, like other shareholders and owners, they are demanding the destruction of jobs and further wage cuts to boost profits and sagging share values. The victims are tens of thousands of workers, as the following incomplete list (with announcement dates) shows: Bosch (announced 25 September)By 2030 at the latest, an additional 13,000 jobs will be cut on top of the 9,000 already announced in the Mobility division, mostly in Germany. (announced 25 September)By 2030 at the latest, an additional 13,000 jobs will be cut on top of the 9,000 already announced in the Mobility division, mostly in Germany. Stellantis/Opel (25 September)The Stellantis group is temporarily halting production at several European plants, including Opels plant in Eisenach, Thuringia. Production will be adjusted through a temporary closure on two days in October. (25 September)The Stellantis group is temporarily halting production at several European plants, including Opels plant in Eisenach, Thuringia. Production will be adjusted through a temporary closure on two days in October. Kiekert Heiligenhaus (25 September)Lockmaker Kiekert AG, inventor of the modern central locking system, has filed for insolvency. The roughly 700 workers in Germany will receive insolvency pay until November; what happens afterwards is unclear. (25 September)Lockmaker Kiekert AG, inventor of the modern central locking system, has filed for insolvency. The roughly 700 workers in Germany will receive insolvency pay until November; what happens afterwards is unclear. Goodyear Fulda (25 September)On 30 September the Goodyear plant in Fulda will shut down for good after 125 years of industrial history. All 1,050 former employees of the tire manufacturer will by put out on the street. (25 September)On 30 September the Goodyear plant in Fulda will shut down for good after 125 years of industrial history. All 1,050 former employees of the tire manufacturer will by put out on the street. ZF Koblenz (19 September)Supplier ZF announced last week that about 450 jobs will go at Koblenz by 2030. The bulk of the remaining reductions should be completed by the end of 2026. (19 September)Supplier ZF announced last week that about 450 jobs will go at Koblenz by 2030. The bulk of the remaining reductions should be completed by the end of 2026. Stabilus Koblenz (19 September)The pneumatic spring manufacturer is cutting 450 jobs worldwide and consolidating office and production space in Germany, US, Singapore and Thailand. The measures are to save 19 million by September next year. (19 September)The pneumatic spring manufacturer is cutting 450 jobs worldwide and consolidating office and production space in Germany, US, Singapore and Thailand. The measures are to save 19 million by September next year. MAN Salzgitter (18 September)An unspecified number, likely several hundred, of jobs will be eliminated through relocations or closures at the Lower Saxony site. The axle assembly, pipe and crankshaft operations are affected. (18 September)An unspecified number, likely several hundred, of jobs will be eliminated through relocations or closures at the Lower Saxony site. The axle assembly, pipe and crankshaft operations are affected. Ford Cologne (16 September)The Cologne main plant is moving from two shifts to one, with a further 1,000 jobs lost. Just two weeks earlier, IG Metall had pushed through cuts of 2,900 jobs. (16 September)The Cologne main plant is moving from two shifts to one, with a further 1,000 jobs lost. Just two weeks earlier, IG Metall had pushed through cuts of 2,900 jobs. Breyden Lollar (12 September)The brake disc maker is closing its site in Lollar, Hesse, with 230 employees this year. The foundry workers, once part of the Bosch empire, have feared for their jobs for over three years. Now the end is being targeted within months. (12 September)The brake disc maker is closing its site in Lollar, Hesse, with 230 employees this year. The foundry workers, once part of the Bosch empire, have feared for their jobs for over three years. Now the end is being targeted within months. BorgWarner Darmstadt / Offenbach (8 September)The US supplier intends to cut nearly half the workforce at Darmstadt and Langen. According to management, around 40 percent of [300] engineering posts (BTC) and 45 percent of [500] plant jobs are to go by January 2026, reported IG Metall. (8 September)The US supplier intends to cut nearly half the workforce at Darmstadt and Langen. According to management, around 40 percent of [300] engineering posts (BTC) and 45 percent of [500] plant jobs are to go by January 2026, reported IG Metall. Musashi Hann. Munden / Luchow (8 September)The Japanese supplier plans to cut headcount and close two German plants. Sales of forged parts produced by Musashi have slumped by 40 percent. Plants in Hannoversch Munden (Lower Saxony) and Leinefelde (Thuringia) will close; staff will be cut at Luchow (Lower Saxony). Hundreds of workers are affected. IG Metall has made it its business everywhere to push through the attacks and break workers will to fight. The unions are actively working to isolate the affected sites, leaving workers to fight on their own. Union officials negotiate so-called social contracts that drive workers out of jobs via early retirement, part-time work for older workers, severance packages and the use of temporary employment companies. Even compulsory redundancies, the exclusion of which in the past unions always traded for massive cuts to jobs and wages, are now being implemented. But workers are willing to fight. The ZF works council in Koblenz reports there was a readiness to fight for the preservation of jobs. But, as across the groupwhich aims to cut up to 14,000 jobs in Germany alone by the end of 2028the works council and IG Metall refuse to wage common defensive struggles. When union bureaucrats do respond with feigned anger to the announced attacks, they do so solely to blunt growing militancy. For example, while the IG Metalls regional secretary in Darmstadt claims the works council and IG Metall will not accept without protest the plans at BorgWarner, nothing will happenbeyond a few whistle-and-placard protests or the tired, demoralising ritual of carrying cardboard coffins through the streets. The talk of opposition is never followed by concrete, effective resistance. On the contrary, IG Metall and all the mainstream unions support the corporations attacks. Corrupted by lucrative supervisory board seats and works council posts, the bureaucrats share the view of top management and the shareholders: to safeguard profits, jobs must go and personnel costsi.e., wages, bonuses, extras, sick pay, occupational pensions, etc.must be cut. Workers in the car industry must be clear: The IG Metall apparatus and its works council reps are on the other side of the barricades. Growing opposition must therefore be organised independently ofand againstthe bureaucracy. To that end, independent rank-and-file action committees must be built, bringing together all who truly want to fight and overcoming the fragmentation imposed by the unions across sectors and borders. Production and all social resources must serve the social needs of the working classthe creators of all valuerather than the profit interests of the wealthy. If you agree with this orientation, we call on you to contact us to put a stop to the relentless attacks. Fill out the form or send a WhatsApp message to +49 163 337 8340. US Marines training in Puerto Rico for deployment in the Caribbean [Photo: @22nd_MEU] The ongoing US military buildup near Venezuelas coasts threatens to ignite a regional war following the extrajudicial mass murders of at least 17 passengers aboard four vessels sunk by the US expeditionary force deployed in the Southern Caribbean. The White House made its most alarming escalation yet by declaring a non-international armed conflict against drug cartels, according to a memo to Congress obtained by the Associated Press on Thursday. The term is a pseudo-legal attempt to evade the War Powers Act which reserves to Congress the authority to declare war. At the same time, the idea that war across the hemisphere is non-international both expresses the neo-colonial ambitions of the Trump administration for the region and provides a euphemism for the Nazi concept of Total War waged against the regimes domestic and foreign enemies alike. The declaration of war on cartels takes place as it becomes clearer by the day that many, if not all, of the victims of the boats sunk were fishermen accused without any evidence of drug trafficking by the Pentagon. The New York Times reports that the first boat destroyed on September 1 (with the attack gleefully announced by Trump on social media the following day) carried people from the Paria Peninsula in Sucre. Times regional correspondent Julie Turkewitz interviewed a widow of a passenger killed, who recounted, My husband was a fisherman with four children who left one day for work and never came back. Other journalists have stressed that this stretch of Caribbean coast is not just a corridor for cocaine but also for migrants, human trafficking victims and the smuggling of government-subsidized gasoline. Local sources, independent reporters, and relatives of victims have all indicated the absence of any evidence linking those killed to organized drug trafficking and have widely denounced the sinking of their vessels as acts of murder. The lack of forensic identification and the subsequent detainment of other fishing crews by US naval forces has provoked national outrage in Venezuela and alarm in neighboring Colombia. The UN and multiple human rights organizations have condemned the US strikes as extrajudicial executions, demanding accountability and a halt to the campaign. Neighbors and relatives of the victims openly paid homage to them on social media, with the Venezuelan outlet El Pitazo concluding from these publications that eight of the victims were from Unare and three from Guiria. Many of the social media comments make clear that the victims were fishermen, although some alleged neighbors claim they were possibly working out of necessity for smugglers of some kind. During an unprecedented assembly of hundreds of generals and admirals near Washington on Tuesday, Trump boasted of the obliteration of unarmed vessels in the Caribbean as a precedent of the homicidal violence expected from the military. If you try to poison our people, we will blow you out of existence, he declared. That same day, Trump expressed his readiness to look very seriously at cartels coming by land, reflecting new plans to attack Venezuelan territory beyond the maritime buildup. The New York Times reported Monday that the US Army has prepared plans for strikes inside Venezuela. Eight warships and a nuclear-powered submarine are currently stationed in the Southern Caribbean, carrying about 4,500 marines and sailors, supplemented by F-35 jets and MQ-9 drones based in Puerto Rico. In contradiction to the rhetorical justifications around saving American lives from drug cartels, US government data and independent reviews confirm that Fentanylthe main killer in US overdose deathsis neither produced nor transported through Venezuela. Only a small fraction of cocaine is shipped from Venezuela, a fact acknowledged by the US State Department and corroborated by the DEA. In the first instance, these attacks and buildup are aimed at provoking the downfall of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who has been charged in the US with leading the non-existent Cartel of the Suns. Interviews and on-the-ground reporting by the New York Times have revealed that opposition forces, led by far-right politician Maria Corina Machado and her circle, are openly coordinating with the Trump administration on post-coup plans. Machados adviser, Pedro Urruchurtu, bragged to the Times of a 100-hour transition blueprint involving international allies, especially the United States. Edmundo GonzalezMachados surrogate after her own disqualification in last years electionsis presumably ready to take power. The plans reportedly include guaranteed stability, a phrase that veils the threat of purges and violence against supporters of the current government and any opposition from below. Inside the Pentagon, there are active debates on a new national defense strategy focused on US soil and the Western Hemisphere, disclosed in recent Military Times reports. The Pentagon can use this hyperfocus on the Western Hemisphere to better counter Chinese malign activity in Latin America, officials said, confirming that preparations for war against China underpin the new strategy. Drug interdiction is invoked as a fraudulent pretext for aggressive military maneuvers akin to the weapons of mass destruction in the war against Iraq. A US official admitted, The strategy is still very keyed in on defending against China [and] drug cartels that are tied to China, making clear the so-called war on narco-terrorism is primarily a tool for imperialist intervention. The shadow of war extends further. In Brazil, President Lulas government is conducting the largest military exercise in the countrys history, from October 3 to 9, in the Amazon region bordering Venezuela, involving 10,000 troops and advanced weaponry. This unprecedented buildup, while publicly pitched as an exercise supporting regional stability, clearly reflects growing anxiety over US intervention and the potential spillover of war into neighboring states. Maduro has hinted at declaring a state of commotion as a response to American aggression, which constitutes a threat to use the conflict to suppress internal dissent. A prominent Venezuelan businessman, also quoted by the Times, bluntly described the stakes: If you kill Maduro, you turn Venezuela into Haiti. Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, for her part, appealed to the American daily for the normalization of relations with Washingtona signal of exhaustion and alarm in the face of overwhelming US pressure and the risk of catastrophic instability. Colombian President Gustavo Petro, whose government Washington decertified last month as a partner in the war on drugs because of its opposition to the US military deployment in the Caribbean, retaliated by declaring the suspension of American arms purchases. The current wave of extrajudicial killings, provocative military deployments, and open plotting for coups across Latin America goes hand in hand with the declaration of war against the American working class at home and the deployment of troops to US cities. Only by uniting across borders in opposition to capitalism, the root cause of fascist dictatorship and war, can workers across the Americas defend their lives, livelihoods and democratic rights. Musicians and staff at the world-famous La Fenice opera house in Venice are continuing to threaten strike action over last weeks announcement that Beatrice Venezi would be the new music director of the company. Interior of La Fenice in 2015 [Photo by Youflavio / CC BY 4.0 The 35-year-old Venezi is a favorite of Italys neo-fascist prime minister, Giorgia Meloni. Meloni has praised Venezi, describing her as a talented and courageous artist who refuses to bow to the dictatorship of thought and language. Meloni, closely allied with Donald Trump, is copying the US presidents campaign to impose a fascistic stamp on cultural life, characterized by ultranationalism, superpatriotism and undisguised hostility to the left-wing views of the majority of artists. A recent exhibit on Futurism was organized so as to present the Mussolini regime in a positive fashion. Certain high-profile museum and musical appointments saw Italians replacing international figures. Venezi, who is already music adviser to the culture ministry in Melonis Brothers of Italy coalition government, is also the daughter of a former regional leader of Forza Nuovo, another Italian neo-fascist party. She is scheduled to take over in Venice in October 2026, for a term ending in March 2030. Venezi is clearly Melonis choice, although the prime minister has not said that in so many words. While she may not display the same flamboyance as the fascist in the White House who appointed himself the president of the Kennedy Center in Washington, Meloni assuredly shares his aims. As one critic remarked about Venezi, who has never conducted at any of the major European opera houses, Venezi is not a famous conductor who happens to be right-wing. She is famous because she is right-wing. The newly appointed music director has also achieved some fame for her appearances in shampoo ads on television. La Fenices history goes back 250 years, and it was among the most well-known venues for performances of works by the 19th centurys four most famous Italian opera composersRossini, Bellini, Donizetti, and the greatest of them all, Giuseppe Verdi. With 1,126 seats, it is significantly smaller than the typical opera house, and is especially renowned for its acoustics. The name translates as the Phoenix, which is apt, considering the fact that it has been destroyed three times by fire, most recently in 1996, but has risen from the ashes each time. A letter signed by all of the Fenice musicians, addressed to superintendent Nicola Colabianchi, demanded that Venezis appointment be revoked. Colabianchi, who had earlier promised to consult the orchestra, feigned concern and met with the staff. He subsequently defended the appointment. Shes excellent, shes young, shes a woman, he said, in a crude appeal to feminist sensibilities. Accusing the musicians of rigidity, he added, She can help La Fenice chart new paths that will attract young people. The musicians responded, Just twenty-four hours after the announcement, long-standing season ticket holders have cancelled They angrily declared that it was unacceptable to sacrifice the trust of a loyal audience, built and maintained over time even through enormous difficultiesWe are unable to recognize [Venezi] as the leader of our theatre. The main union at La Fenice accused management of misleading conduct. Rappresentanza Sindacale Unitaria (RSU) issued a furious statement after the appointment was announced, as reported on the SlippedDisc website. Just five days ago, during an official meeting, the union declared, Superintendent Nicola Colabianchi assured that the names on his desk were still being evaluated, with no final decisions being made. Today, however, we find ourselves faced with a decision that was evidently already made, and then matured over the last weekend, which resoundingly contradicts the Superintendents words Our audience is the pride of La Fenice, as are the caliber of its orchestra and its international reputation. With this decision, these values are seriously called into question, reads the letter signed by the orchestra. Giorgia Meloni Solidarity with the musicians of La Fenice came from the rest of staff, who gathered in an assembly and said they reserve the right to call strikes, demonstrations and sit-in to defend the professionalism of its artists and respect for democratic rules in the management of the Foundation. They demanded the immediate revocation of the appointment, which was made in a manner that trampled upon every principle of dialogue and transparency. Last Saturday, staff distributed leaflets outside La Fenice before a concert, and a member of the orchestra read a statement inside calling for the immediate revocation of Venezis appointment. The statement was greeted with huge applause and ovations. The Turin and Milan opera houses issued statements coming in defense of their colleagues in Venice. As reported on OperaWire, the statement from Turin declares, Teatro Regio in Turin expresses its full solidarity with the workers of the Fondazione Teatro La Fenice, who have recently been openly protesting the appointment of director Beatrice Venezi. This appointment was imposed from above, without consultation, and is in direct conflict with the internal professionalism and the very dignity of those who daily build the theaters artistic identity. It added, We are convinced that culture, if it is to remain alive, cannot be reduced to a stage to please the powers that be. Instead, it must return to being a critical, open and communicative place. And this can only happen if workersthe true guardians of the continuity and identity of institutionsare listened to and respected. La Scala Milan, the most famous opera house in Italy, expressed full and sincere solidarity with our colleagues at the Fondazione Teatro La Fenice, who are currently carrying out their protest with determination and courage against the appointment of the Music Director, which was made without transparency Opera houses are common goods, the heritage of the community, built over time thanks to the work of artists, technicians, and craftsmen. The choices that shape the future of such important institutions must arise from dialogue and respect for internal expertise, not from decisions imposed by logics unrelated to art and culture. Under these conditions, it becomes extremely difficult, if not impossible, to build the relationship of trust and artistic harmony that is the essential prerequisite for any authentic cultural project. The president of La Fenice, Luigi Brugnaro, has called a meeting at the theatre for next week in order, he says, to promote dialogue and find a solution. The threat of strike action in Venice coincides with the strikes and protests across Italy in response to the Gaza genocide and, specifically, the illegal interception of the latest flotilla by the Israeli navy. The unions have called for a general strike for Friday. Addressing the 60th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on September 8, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath declared that Colombo was opposed to any external mechanism imposed on the country, such as the Sri Lanka Accountability Project. Sri Lankan Foreign Affairs Minister Vijitha Herath addressing UNHRC in March 2025 [Photo: Facebook Vijitha Herath ] Herath was responding to a key recommendation in the Councils recent 16-page report on Sri Lanka. Issued on August 12, the report, titled Situation of Human Rights in Sri Lanka, calls for the establishment of an international mechanism to investigate war crimes and human rights violations in Sri Lanka. Herath dismissed this demand, claiming that the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna/National Peoples Power (JVP/NPP) government, led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, had made progress on human rights and national reconciliation within its first year in office. In reality, the so-called reforms are nothing more than window dressing. On September 10, the Sri Lanka Core Groupcomprising Canada, Malawi, Montenegro, North Macedonia and the United Kingdomformally tabled a resolution titled Promoting Reconciliation, Accountability and Human Rights in Sri Lanka at the UNHRC. It seeks to extend the mandate of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to continue monitoring and reporting on Sri Lankas human rights situation. It also calls for oral and written updates at future UNHRC sessions, culminating in a comprehensive report at the Councils 66th session. The August 12 report reviews the human rights situation in Sri Lanka up to July 2025. It covers nearly the entire first year of the JVP/NPP government since the previous resolution was passed. The report follows UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turks trip to Sri Lanka from June 23 to 26. During his visit, Turk met President Dissanayake and other political leaders, and travelled to war-torn Jaffna, where he spoke with Tamil party leaders and relatives of war-affected individuals. Contrary to Heraths claims of progress, the UNHRC report documents widespread human rights violations under the Dissanayake administration, including: Routine use of torture and ill-treatment, particularly in detention facilities. Multiple custodial deaths, allegedly due to torture or ill-treatment. According to government figures, 13 custodial deaths occurred since 2024. Lack of effective investigations into custodial deaths, prison deaths, and arbitrary arrests during drug raids. Ongoing use of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), leading to arbitrary arrests and prolonged detention without charge or trial. As of May 23, 2025, 49 people had been arrested under the PTA. (During the 2024 presidential and national elections the JVP/NPP falsely claimed it would abolish the PTA.) Restrictive legal framework created by the combined effect of the PTA and the Online Safety Act, limiting freedom of opinion and expression. Targeted arrests of individuals, mainly from Tamil and Muslim communities, for participating in memorialisation events or protests. The report also highlights surveillance, intimidation, and harassment, especially in the North and East, and the targeting of families of the disappeared, community leaders and human rights activists. Longstanding land disputes with the military and state agencies also remain unresolved. The UN high commissioner called for broad-ranging reforms by the Sri Lankan government and the international communityi.e., the imperialist powersincluding accession to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court to enable so-called transitional justice. Other measures include a moratorium on the PTA and the repeal of other repressive laws, such as the Online Safety Act; reduced military involvement in civilian affairs, and fair resolution of land disputes. The high commissioner also urged continued OHCHR monitoring, legal reforms, targeted sanctions and prosecutions under universal jurisdiction. US-sponsored UNHRC resolutions on war crimes and human rights violations in Sri Lanka since 2011 have not been driven by genuine concern for the rights of oppressed Tamils, Muslims or the working class. For nearly three decades, the US and its allies supported successive Sri Lankan governments in their war against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). In the final months of the war, which ended in May 2009, the US and its allies began raising concerns about war crimesmainly as a geopolitical manoeuvre to pressure then-President Mahinda Rajapakse to distance himself from China. When that failed, the US backed a regime-change operationwith Indian supportto replace Rajapakse with Maithripala Sirisena in the 2015 presidential election. Sirisenas government, alongside Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, realigned Sri Lankas foreign policy toward Washington. The current JVP/NPP government continues this pro-US orientation, deepening Sri Lankas integration into the US-India war drive against China. Although the US, under President Donald Trump, has withdrawn from the UNHRC, pressure on Sri Lanka continues via other major powers. This posturing has nothing to do with exposing war crimes or defending human rights. The JVP/NPP governments opposition to international accountability, however, is not based on opposition to imperialist interference. President Dissanayake has welcomed senior US and Indian officials to Colombo, including Admiral Steve Koehler, commander of the US Pacific Fleet, and Donald Lu, US assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia. In April, during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Colombo, the JVP/NPP government signed the first-ever formal defense agreement with India. The real reason behind its rejection of an international mechanism lies in the JVPs Sinhala chauvinist politics. A ruthless proponent of Sinhala supremacism, the JVP from the outset supported Colombos communal war against the LTTE, becoming political cheerleaders for the military during the almost 30-year war. The JVP participated in governments that prosecuted the war and was notorious for its extrajudicial violence against opponents of its militarism and anti-Tamil chauvinism, including the use of political assassination. Like previous regimes, the JVP relies heavily on the military to maintain power and continues to deny the war crimes. During last years elections it formed a so-called Three Armed Forces Collective whose members include majors and other senior officers who led the communal war. A previous UN investigation estimated that about 40,000 Tamil civilians were killed in the final weeks of the war, many by indiscriminate military fire. Some who surrendered were disappeared while others, including LTTE leaders waving white flags, were executed. Attempting to save face, Foreign Minister Herath cited a series of cosmetic measures by the Dissanayake administration as proof of progress. They include the formation of a committee to propose the repeal or replacement of the PTA; proposals to amend the Online Safety Act; recognition of Tamil plantation workers as a distinct community, and the strengthening of domestic reconciliation mechanisms, including the Office on Missing Persons (OMP). These are recycled promises from previous regimes. For example, the OMP was established in 2018 to investigate disappearances. It collected some data, but no meaningful action was taken. Past governments proposed paying compensation to families of the disappeared, a move rejected by Tamil communities seeking justicenot handouts. The Tamil bourgeois parties have seized on the UNHRC report to further their pro-imperialist agenda, calling on the US and India to pressure Colombo for justice. On August 4, four days before the reports release, a coalition of Tamil political parties and over 100 civil society groups urged the UNHRC to refer Sri Lanka to the International Criminal Court. Signatories included the Tamil National Peoples Front (TNPF), Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO), Democratic Tamil National Alliance (DTNA), Tamil National Green Organisation, and others. On September 9, the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchchi (ITAK) condemned the continued use of the PTA. Colombos Daily Mirror reported ITAK leaders stating that victims were left with no choice but to seek international assistance. In the same breath, ITAK welcomed Indias support for devolution, equality, and early provincial council elections. These parties are not fighting for genuine democratic rights but rather external support from imperialist powers in exchange for limited power devolution. They are fully aligned with the governments IMF-backed austerity agenda, which has devastated working people. Tamil workers and oppressed people can secure their rights neither through the Tamil bourgeois parties, nor by appealing to the Sri Lankan government or imperialist powers, all of whom are violators of human rights. The Modi regime in India is itself trampling on the rights of ethnic and religious minorities, as part of a broader offensive on civil liberties. That is why the Socialist Equality Party is fighting to build an independent political movement of the working class, uniting Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim workers across communal lines. This movement must be based on the fight to overthrow capitalist rule and establishment of a United Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and Tamil Eelam, as part of the broader struggle for socialism in South Asia and internationally. Only through this path can democratic rights be secured for the Tamil people, other oppressed communities and for the entire working class. Elevenlabs AudioNative Player The U.S. Department of Education building is seen in Washington, Tuesday, December 3, 2024. [AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana] On Thursday morning, US President Donald Trump said he intends to use this weeks government shutdown to impose, through dictatorial means, mass layoffs and the destruction of social programs in line with the plans outlined in the far-right Heritage Foundations Project 2025 plan. Trump announced in a social media post that he would meet with Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought, he of PROJECT 2025 Fame, to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent. I cant believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity. What are the Democrat Agencies Trump refers to? While the Democrats long ago abandoned any genuine support for social programs, the New Deal programs such as Social Security, and the later Great Society programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, were passed under Democratic administrations. The elimination of these programs will throw tens of millions into poverty. Project 2025 is a program of social counterrevolution years in the making. Anchored in the right-wing unitary executive theory of unchecked presidential power, it aims to usurp congressional control over the budget in order to deconstruct the Administrative State, i.e., to destroy agencies created by acts of Congress and enforce personal loyalty of government employees to the president. This program, already partially implemented through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the so-called Big Beautiful Bill and other measures, includes: Dismantling the Education Department and ending federal funding for low-income schools. Decimating regulatory enforcement powers over big business, including the gutting of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and the effective termination of even the most limited climate change measures. Sharply limiting Medicaid benefits, shifting cost burdens to states and individuals, and allowing states to impose or increase premiums. Shifting Medicare recipients towards private Medicare Advantage plans. Lowering corporate taxes and income taxes for the wealthy. Dismantling civil rights protections, such as Title IX and federal consent decrees with local police departments notorious for violence. Even if Social Security funding itself is not immediately touched in the shutdown, the layoffs and furloughs at the Social Security Administration will greatly limit accessibility to benefits. Trump is carrying out a jobs massacre under the cover of the shutdown. On Thursday, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said that firings could be in the thousands. This is likely a vast undercount. Permanent layoffs have been preceded by mass furloughs. According to the New York Times, the largest planned furloughs, relative to the size of the workforce, are at the Environmental Protection Agency (89 percent), Education Department (87 percent), Commerce Department (81 percent), and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (71 percent). In April, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) warned that as many as 1 million jobs could be affected by Project 2025. Project 2025 is deeply unpopular, as Trump indirectly admitted during the campaign by flatly denying any connection to it. It cannot be implemented through even the semblance of democratic norms. Resistance to dictatorship must be centered in the working class, because the working class is its main target. The social content of Trumps program is the destruction of millions of jobs, the lowering of life expectancy and the dismantling of programs won through decades of struggle on which tens of millions rely. The trillions clawed from workers are to be redirected to war and financial swindling. Ominously, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday that the government is demanding a doubling of missile production for war with China. At the same time, federal mediators have intervened to end the two-month strike by Boeing defense workers. The reforms of previous generations were not granted out of charity. They were concessions won by the working class when US capitalism, at the height of its industrial and political might, was prepared to dispense limited reforms in order to stave off the threat of social revolution. Now, at a point of deepest decline, American capitalism is abandoning such concessions and resorting to more brutal methods. The policies of the Trump government are not the result of a deranged individual. They express a turning point in the forms of class rule in the United States. Democracy has become incompatible with capitalism. This is why the Democrats, the other capitalist party in America, exclude any mention of fascism in their statements on the shutdown. Even their posturing over restoring Medicaid cuts will amount to nothing. Their overriding priority is to chloroform the population to the seriousness of what is happening, divert anger and prevent the eruption of social opposition, which they dread. Tellingly, Trump concluded his statement Thursday by declaring, They [Democrats] are not stupid people, so maybe this is their way of wanting to, quietly and quickly, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! Here, Trump, in his own way, points to the political fact that the Democrats agree with the main elements of Trumps domestic policy. Their differences with Trump center not on the assault on the working class or the destruction of democratic rights, but on issues of foreign policy, particularly the war against Russia. But the working class cannot accept cuts that would reduce them to industrial slaves. The social interests of the working class make it the leading force in the fight against dictatorship. This, however, requires complete independence from the Democrats and their political satellites. It also means independence from the union bureaucracy, which either aligns openly with Trump or confines itself to mealy-mouthed statements that commit to nothing. Trump has ripped up the collective bargaining rights of 1 million federal employees, and Trumps ally Steve Bannon called teachers terrorists. But AFGE, the American Federation of Teachers, and the rest of the American union bureaucracy have done nothing to mobilize the countrys 14 million union members and the working class as a whole in defense of their own members. The Trump administration is carrying out a historically unprecedented assault on the working class. The working class must answer with mass resistance. New organizationsrank-and-file committeesmust be built in every workplace, school and neighborhood to lead the fight. These committees must become centers of resistance, including among government workers but uniting all sections of the working class and student youth in a common struggle against Trumps dictatorship, against war and inequality, and for the defense of jobs, living standards and democratic rights. The mobilization of the working class requires the combination of social and democratic demands, which have become inextricably linked together. The fight against dictatorship is impossible without the fight for equality. In addition to the rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rightsthe right to free speech, protection against unlawful search and seizure, and other basic democratic freedomsworkers must insist upon and fight for their inalienable social rights, which are essential to life in a functioning modern society. The Socialist Equality Party first elaborated the concept of social rights in its 2010 program, The Breakdown of Capitalism and the Fight for Socialism in the United States. These include: The right to a job and a livable income The right to leisure The right to decent and affordable housing The right to utilities and transportation The right to high-quality healthcare The right to a secure retirement The right to education The right to a healthy and safe environment The right to culture These rights, everywhere under assault, can be guaranteed only through the expropriation of the billionaires and the nationalization of major industries under workers control. Under the present circumstances, this is not only a social but also a democratic demand. The support of considerable sections of the ruling elite for Trump shows that the domination of society by the oligarchs and major corporations makes a democratic society impossible. Genuine democracy is possible only when the majority, the working class, runs society in the interests of all, not private profit. That form of society is socialism. The Socialist Equality Party is doing everything it can to help organize this resistance. Contact us today. While the Democrats and the media are doing everything to conceal from the population the danger of Trumps unfolding fascist coup detat, the response to recent videos posted by the World Socialist Web Site on social media has revealed a desire in the working class to draw the lessons of history and fight back. A 30-second video of a teacher speaking out against Trump, posted on October 1, has been viewed over 199,000 times on Facebook as of this writing. Its been shared over 2,800 times, liked/loved 13,000 times, and it has generated over 700 comments. In the video, a WSWS reporter speaks to a history teacher outside of a union event in Detroit. I think people need to study their history, the teacher says, and look up what is a dictator, what is authoritarianism, what is an oligarchy, and compare it to whats going on today. Theyll see its a playbook and its being played. Our reporter then asks the teacher about a general strike, to which she responds favorably, citing recent strikes against pension cuts in France. Among the major social media platforms, Facebook has the highest percentage of working-class users, and many of the hundreds of comments below this video express strong agreement with the teacher, including explicit support for a general strike. For example: I like the idea of everyone going on strike. Lets do a general strike now! Strike sounds good to me. and A General strike would be good, why cant that happen? Some commenters focused on the need to learn the lessons of history, with special emphasis on Nazi Germany: Read a little about how Germany was taken over in WWII. Its very plain to see the comparisons. Read about not just the holocaust, but the events that led up to it. That play book is Mein Kampf. Its Hitlers playbook. The only way to save ourselves and this country is to really have an understanding of history, how these things start and how we can stop it together! Another video of a mother of a special education teacher in the Detroit area, posted on social media on September 30, now has over 35,000 views across Facebook, TikTok and Instagram. She speaks with great urgency about the need to fight Trump. Weve got to band together and do something, or theres going to be nothing left, she says. She calls for shutting down the schools and a strike, as well as throwing out Trump and his whole gang of fascists. She then reads part of a letter she wrote to the union president, which refers to the fight waged by Norwegian teachers against the Nazification of the schools in 1942. The many comments on this video reveal strong agreement among a layer of workers and young people who want to fight Trump: Do it!! You are right, the time is up. I love this idea Im with her-Trumps MAGA thugs are a joke! Stand up and fight! Trump needs to go!!!! SHUT IT DOWN. We must fight like hell to drive Trump out ASAP or were done! Trump is the enemy within! Look at what Nepal did to their authoritarian government. The USA can do the same. Bravo. I would donate to the strike fund. While right-wing bots promote reactionary politics in comment sections online, these commenters supporting a general strike, opposing the oligarchy, and extolling the lessons of history are real people expressing the genuine sentiments that exist among masses of people. A third video of a Dana auto parts worker in Toledo who speaks out against Trump, posted September 23, now has over 490,000 views on Facebook, with 43,000 likes/loves, 4,000 shares and 51 comments. In it, our reporter asks, What do you think about the working class carrying out a general strike to drive [Trump] out? The worker responds, I agree with it. We should do something. He needs to be gone. And who does Trump speak for? The rich!, she says. The comments: Say when. Shes absolutely right! 100 pct! All in lets do it!!! Im in her camp. Trump needs to be impeached now and removed ASAP. He belongs in prison. Trump is strictly in it for his own self interests and his billionaire buddies. These videos have found an audience, despite political censorship on social media, because the opposition expressed in them is shared by millions. Growing numbers of workers and young people want to fight against Trumps dictatorship. The World Socialist Web Site fights to give this opposition both a voice and a socialist political perspective. Follow us on social media and share our videos and other material widely. Follow the WSWS on social media Facebook Instagram Twitter/X TikTok (International Youth and Students for Social Equality) YouTube As the determined strike by 700 nurses and case workers at Henry Ford Genesys Hospital in Grand Blanc, Michigan, enters its fifth week, the healthcare corporation has escalated its strikebreaking campaign. Striking Genesys nurses on the picket line in Grand Blanc In a provocative move, management ordered the striking workers to dismantle their picket line encampments, while the Teamsters union bureaucracy has openly sided with the company, telling the strikers that there is nothing that can be done about it. The nurses, who have been on strike since Labor Day, are fighting against intolerable working conditions. Their key demand is the implementation of safe, mandatory nurse-to-patient ratios. Their struggle has exposed the reality of the US healthcare system, where patient care is systematically sacrificed for corporate profits. Tensions on the picket line flared this week after Henry Ford management demanded the removal of tents, burn barrels, and chairs that have provided striking nurses with minimal shelter from the elements. The hospital also ordered the nurses to park in a more distant lot and confined their picketing to a narrow four-foot strip of grass next to a busy road. The company cynically claimed these measures were necessary due to public safety concerns. The striking nurses, however, see the move for what it is: a desperate act of retaliation. One nurse explained, They are feeling pressure from the community, and they dont like that. They have some fear in them, that we are stronger than what they first anticipated. They think they misjudged us, and this is their move to retaliate, to try to scare us. The leadership of Teamsters Local 332 immediately buckled to the hospitals demands. In a video message sent to striking nurses, Local 332 President Dan Glass declared that Henry Ford was right and that the hospital had their lawyers on it, ordering his members to comply with the directive. The response on the picket line revealed a growing chasm between the determination of the rank-and-file and the pro-company orientation of the union apparatus. Upon hearing Glasss message, one nurse responded with an exasperated, What about our lawyers? Her comment was met with laughter from other nurses, a clear sign that trust in the union leadership is rapidly breaking down. This climb down is not an isolated incident but part of the strategy of the Teamsters union apparatus to isolate the strike and strangle it. While Henry Ford claims it has a handshake agreement with the Teamsters to remove the picket-line infrastructure, it is clear this agreement was made over the heads of the striking nurses, who remain defiant. As one nurse affirmed, Were still going to stand strong out here. You can take every tent, chair, whatever it may be. Were still out here fighting for the community. A struggle against the corporate demolition of healthcare Interviews with striking nurses paint a picture of a healthcare system in a state of advanced collapse, systematically dismantled in the interest of private profit. The nurses struggle is not primarily about wages, but a fight to defend their patients and their ability to provide the quality care they were trained for. Jane, a nurse with 27 years of experience at the hospital, traced its decline. When the hospital was first built as Genesys, I loved working here, was proud, she said. But after being taken over first by Ascension and then by Henry Ford Health last October, the situation has become unbearable. Henry Ford is terrible. They do not care about the patients; its entirely about money, she stated. The central issue is the dangerously high patient loads imposed on the nursing staff. Multiple nurses described being forced to care for 10 or 11 patients at a time on floors where the safe ratio is four or five to one nurse. Another key issue is protection of existing contractual rights, which Henry Ford management is seeking to scrap in the aftermath of its acquisition of the hospital in 2024. Henry Ford Health acquired the Grand Blanc Genesys Hospital through a joint venture with Ascension Michigan. The Genesys nurses are not fighting alone. Their struggle is part of a broader fight against the escalating attacks on the right to quality healthcare. On September 30 the contact expired for 62,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers in California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington state. Among their key demands are safe staffing ratios. Madeline, a nurse of 19 years, works on a medical-surgical floor that also treats oncology patients receiving chemotherapy. We on our floor should have four to one, and were 11-1, she explained. Where we should have less than four patients. This is very time-consuming, and you cant do that. Youre forced to choose, and were dealing with human lives. You can either hold somebodys hand as theyre dying or pass a pain med. We all have a lot of shame and guilt from not being able to take care of people properly. Under these conditions, basic nursing care has become impossible. Nurses may only get to see a patient for three minutes during a shift. They fall so far behind that they might be passing morning medications when their shift is supposed to end. When worried family members approach the nurses station for an update, the nurses are often forced to admit, Im sorry, I have not seen your loved one or that they know nothing about the patient they are supposed to be caring for. The crisis extends beyond staffing ratios to a chronic and deliberate lack of basic supplies and equipment. Madeline detailed how the hospital refuses to provide adult briefs and frequently runs out of wipes for patients. Were forced to use washcloths, which are super rough on the skin. These people have breakdown and sores, and then were using this on their skin, she said. The situation has become so dire that family members are forced to bring in their own wipes and briefs for their loved ones, an embarrassing and degrading reality for the dedicated nursing staff. Essential medical equipment is also in a state of disrepair. Computers on wheels used to scan and verify medications are always broken, creating enormous risks for patient safety. The staff shortages are hospital-wide, forcing nurses to take on numerous other roles. Were not only doing our nursing job, but everybody in the hospital is short, so we also are catering, were transporting people, were nurse aides, one nurse explained. There is no support from management, who are never on the floor helping and instead blame the frontline staff for the systemic failures. Many nurses had hoped that the takeover by the larger Henry Ford Health system would bring more resources and staff. Instead, the opposite occurred. That didnt happen at all, Madeline stated bluntly. The COVID-19 pandemic served as a catalyst for management to intensify its exploitation. The ruling class saw how nurses and other healthcare workers sacrificed during the pandemic, working understaffed and without proper equipment, and decided to make those crisis conditions the new normal. One nurse, Louisa, explained, Management saw what we did during COVID and expected us to continue doing exactly that. They let conditions stay bad, concluding, Oh, they can do it like that. So, lets just continue. This has led to immense burnout and trauma, driving scores of experienced nurses out of the profession, which in turn exacerbates the staffing crisis. Its hard to retain people when were short-staffed, a nurse said. People come in to train with us, and they see the conditions that were in, and I think they question themselves if they want to be in that profession. Henry Fords lies and hypocrisy In its public statements, Henry Ford Health has resorted to slanders and lies to discredit the striking nurses. The corporation claims the current contract dispute is not about ratios, but about eliminating premium pay provisions that, it alleges, incentivizes coordinated call-offs. Nurses are not engaged in a scheme to get premium pay. They are calling off because they are physically and mentally exhausted and their requests for vacation time are systematically denied due to the chronic understaffing that the hospital itself has created. Furthermore, they are subjected to mandated overtime every shift. An eight-hour shift becomes 12, and a 12-hour shift becomes 16. Refusing mandatory overtime three times results in disciplinary action. What if you have family? one nurse asked. Doesnt matter, they dont care. While attacking its dedicated staff, the hospital pleads poverty, projecting a $50 million loss this year after a decade of purported financial challenges. This claim is rendered absurd by the fact that Henry Ford is spending a fortune on travel nurses to break the strike. These temporary nurses are being paid double what the striking nurses make, and are also provided with housing, food, and other amenities. They got the red carpet pulled out for them, one nurse noted with disgust. This exposes the corporations real priorities. There is no money to ensure safe staffing for the community, but there are unlimited funds for strikebreaking. The issue is not a lack of resources, but the subordination of every aspect of healthcare to the profit motive. As one nurse, Louisa, observed, The whole philosophy behind nursing and healthcare has been lost. It has just become about profits and how much they can make, skimming off what is really needed to deliver quality care because they want to make more money themselves. The class divide between the nurses, and the healthcare corporate executives could not be starker. An experienced nurse named Jenny said, The CEOs, they dont even know what it is to do our jobs. They dont know healthcare. All they know is the business end of it Come and walk a day in our shoes. A growing determination and political consciousness Despite the attacks from the corporation and the betrayals of the union bureaucracy, the striking nurses remain unbowed. We are not going back in there without a contract. Thats the feeling of many people, one striker declared. Their commitment to the community they serve was demonstrated during the recent tragic mass church shooting that took place less than two miles from the picket line. Upon hearing the news, a group of striking emergency room nurses immediately ran back into the hospital to help treat the victims. While distraught staff inside initially welcomed them, upper administration officials appeared minutes later and ordered the striking nurses to get out. This incident starkly reveals the class interests at play: the nurses, who instinctively act to save lives, versus the corporate administration, which is guided by callous legal and financial calculations. Striking Genesys nurses show sympathy for the victims of recent mass church shooting in Grand Blanc The strike has won considerable support from the community. A former state worker named Bob, soon to be 80 years old, had come to walk the picket line with the strikers. A patient with a cardiologist appointment, he refused to cross the picket line to see his doctor. It is about money, Bob said of the hospitals position. They have more money than the nurses and they are going to wait as long as they can until it really hurts them. The lengthy strike is forcing a deeper political discussion among the workers. On the picket line, conversations have moved from the immediate issues to the broader attacks on public health and the financialization of the entire healthcare industry. Nurses eagerly took copies of articles from the World Socialist Web Site analyzing the role of private equity in healthcare. When asked about the need to unite with other healthcare workers across the country, Louisa responded, I do think we need to unite under extreme situations like this. Since the hospitals and care facilities are feeling the same pinch nationwide, maybe something has to be done. Its time to act. The way forward The strike at Henry Ford Genesys is at a critical turning point. The nurses have demonstrated immense courage and solidarity. However, their struggle is being systematically sabotaged by the Teamsters bureaucracy, which is working hand-in-glove with the corporation to isolate and wear down the strike. The instruction by Dan Glass for nurses to comply with the companys strikebreaking demands is an unmistakable sign that the union apparatus is preparing a sellout contract that will resolve none of the fundamental issues of staffing and working conditions. To prevent this betrayal, striking nurses must take the conduct of the struggle into their own hands. This requires the formation of a rank-and-file strike committee, democratically controlled by the nurses themselves and independent of the pro-corporate Teamsters officials. Such a committee would break the isolation imposed by the bureaucracy and launch a powerful counter-offensive. It would formulate its own non-negotiable demands, starting with firm, mandatory nurse-to-patient ratios, and a fight to expand the strike by appealing for support from other Henry Ford workers and healthcare workers throughout Michigan and across the country. The fight at Henry Ford Genesys is the same fight being waged by nurses and healthcare workers everywhere against the subordination of human life to private profit. This struggle must be connected to the broader movement of the working class, including the 150,000 autoworkers whose UAW leadership has also worked with the Big Three auto corporations and negotiated a sellout contract. The fight for healthcare as a social right, not a source of corporate wealth, requires a political struggle by the entire working class against the capitalist system for a socialist program that places the hospital chains and pharmaceutical corporations under public ownership and democratic control, to be run for human need and not private profit. Occidental Petroleum (OXY) shares closed higher on Wednesday following rumors that Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) (BRK.B) plans on buying its petrochemical division, OxyChem, for about $10 billion. Investors also likely rushed into OXY today because it formed an intriguing golden cross pattern for the first time since April 2024 indicating bullish momentum ahead. More News from Barchart Including todays gains, Occidental stock is up more than 35% versus its year-to-date low in April. www.barchart.com OXY Shares Golden Cross Is Doubly Significant The golden cross is typically characterized by the 50-day moving average crossing above the 200-day moving average. Historically, it signals the beginning of a longer-term uptrend. In the case of OXY stock, this technical formation gains additional significant given the Berkshire development. This bullish indicator is particularly noteworthy following Occidental shares recent consolidation phase, as such patterns often carry more reliability when they emerge after periods of base-building. Moreover, the convergence of moving averages has occurred with relatively low volatility, which often precedes sustained directional moves. www.barchart.com What Berkshire Deal Would Mean for Occidental Stock For Houston-headquartered Occidental Petroleum, the potential sale of OxyChem to the Warren Buffett conglomerate would mark a strategic pivot that would reduce its massive debt burden of $24 billion. The transaction would represent Berkshires largest acquisition since its $11.6 billion purchase of Alleghany, and its second major investment in the chemicals sector in nearly 15 years. It will deepen the conglomerates existing ties with the oil giant, in which it already has about 28% stake valued at nearly $13 billion. OxyChems robust performance, generating roughly $5 billion in revenue for the 12 months ending June 2025, makes it a rather attractive asset for Berkshires portfolio. All in all, the combination of technical strength indicated by the golden cross and the fundamental catalyst creates a compelling setup for potential upside in Occidental shares. Wall Street Doesnt See Significant Upside in OXY Despite the golden cross formation and the potential OxyChem sale, Wall Street isnt particularly bullish on OXY stock. Will Lehman speaking at the IWA-RFC investigation into the death of Ronald Adams, Sr., July 27, 2025 In a stinging rebuke to the Trump administrations handling of rank-and-file autoworker, Will Lehmans complaint over the 2022-2023 United Auto Workers elections, Judge David M. Lawson on Thursday denied the Department of Labors effort to use the government shutdown as an excuse to stall compliance with a court-ordered deadline. The ruling forces the Department to deliver, by October 31, a formal statement of reasons for why it rejected Lehmans election complaint. The decision exposes the governments repeated efforts, under both Biden and now Trump, to obstruct the case and shield the UAW bureaucracy from accountability. The lawsuit filed by Lehman seeks judicial review of the Labor Departments refusal to rerun the 2022-2023 UAW national elections, which were marred by widespread disenfranchisement of rank-and-file workers. Lehmans complaint charges that the election violated the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA) after the Department of Labor dismissed his grievances despite evidence that hundreds of thousands of workers never received ballots. After Judge Lawsons September 24 scheduling order set the October 31 deadline, the government filed a motion seeking to suspend proceedings, citing the federal shutdown triggered October 1. Government attorneys argued that the Anti-Deficiency Act barred them from working on the case without appropriations and that no staff could prepare the statement of reasons until funding was restored. Lehmans attorney, Eric Lee, filed a sharp opposition October 1, stressing that the Department had already had well over a year to provide Mr. Lehman with the statement of reasons to which he has long been entitled. He pointed out that the governments filing failed to show that all staff at the Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) had been furloughed, making the shutdown argument a transparent excuse for yet more delay. Citing a Department of Labor contingency document dated September 26, Lee noted that OLMS retained a small number of employees to perform necessary activities expressly authorized by law. Providing Lehman with the legally required statement of reasons, he argued, was precisely such an activity. Moreover, he added, the fact that the Department of Justice attorneys are not able to work on this case during the shutdown is immaterial. Counsels involvement is not required in order for the Department of Labor to provide the statement of reasons by the deadline set by this Court. Judge Lawsons October 2 order sided with Lehman. He acknowledged the general prohibition on unpaid government work during appropriations lapses but noted that other federal courts have rejected similar requests, holding that legal work becomes authorized by law once ordered by a court. He also stressed that lawyers practicing in the Eastern District of Michigan are bound by professional conduct rules requiring continued representation when ordered by a tribunal. Crucially, Lawson pointed to the Departments long pattern of delay. He recalled that in Lehmans previous lawsuit, the court had already found the Department acted arbitrarily and capriciously in dismissing the election grievances without examining their merits. Since Lehman first filed on March 29, 2023, more than two years have elapsed, much of it due to the Departments stonewalling. The plaintiff and the Court have justifiable concerns about allowing further delay to elapse, when the merits of the grievances ought to have been addressed in the first instance years ago, Lawson wrote. The order concluded bluntly: The Court finds that the government has not established good grounds for either a stay or an extension of the deadlines previously established. The motion therefore will be denied. Lawsons ruling underscores the extraordinary obstacles rank-and-file workers face in asserting their democratic rights. The Department of Labor first rejected Lehmans complaint in August 2025without issuing reasons. Only under direct order from the court did it promise to produce them. Now, after trying to exploit the shutdown as another excuse for inaction, the Department has been ordered once again to comply with the law. The governments conduct exposes its fundamental alignment with the UAW apparatus against the rank and file. The reality, Lehman noted earlier, is that the Department rejected his complaint first and has been scrambling ever since to manufacture justifications after the fact. The context of the case is the UAWs 2022-23 election, conducted under court supervision after a corruption scandal sent more than a dozen top officials to prison. Out of more than 1 million members, only about 104,000 ballots were cast, a turnout of less than 10 percent. The low vote paved the way for the installation of Shawn Fain as president, presented as a reformer but in fact a long-time apparatus functionary who has since aligned the union with the corporations as well as the Biden and Trump administrations. Lehmans campaign, which called for abolishing the bureaucracy altogether and transferring power to workers on the shop floor, won nearly 5,000 votes despite systematic voter suppression. The governments effort to use the shutdown as a pretext to delay its legal obligations comes as the Trump administration seizes on the shutdown as an opportunity to carry out mass firings of federal employees, dismantle social programs, and restructure the state along authoritarian lines. At the same time, Trump has escalated his conspiracy to establish a military-police dictatorship, branding opposition as domestic terrorism and deploying troops into US cities with authorization to use full force against civilians. Responding to the governments arguments, Lehman said the invocation of the shutdown only underscores the real character of this administrations policies. The same government that claims it cannot provide reasons for rejecting my complaint has unlimited resources for war, repression, and attacks on the working class. The shutdown is being used to escalate a dictatorship on behalf of the oligarchy, and workers must recognize that defending their rights depends on opposing both the government and the union apparatus. With Lawsons denial of the stay, the Department of Labor must submit its statement of reasons by October 31. Lehman will then have until November 14 to amend his complaint and continue pursuing judicial review. For rank-and-file workers, the decision is a vindication of Lehmans persistence and a warning about the lengths to which the government will go to block democratic rights. Kash Patel speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2024, at the National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland, Friday, February 23, 2024. [AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana] On October 1, FBI Director Kash Patel announced that the Bureau would no longer cooperate with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), one of the foremost private Zionist organizations in the United States. Patel declared, That era is finished. This FBI formally rejects Comeys policies and any partnership with the ADL. For decades the ADL has cultivated close ties with the US government and its police agencies. FBI directors, including James Comey and Christopher Wray, have been featured speakers at ADL conferences, and since 2000 the ADL has partnered with the FBI to train new agents on civil rights and hate crimes. Moreover, the ADL, along with the entire network of Zionist organizations, aligned itself with the extreme right in the name of defending Israel, including by promoting the slander that opposition to genocide is antisemitic. Now these same forces, which include genuine antisemites, are moving against the ADL itself. The FBI cut ties because the ADL had correctly described Charlie Kirk and Turning Point USA (TPUSA) as a conduit for racism, white supremacy and Christian nationalism. In the wake of Kirks assassination thousands of workers, students and teachers across the country who object to Kirks fascist policies and the effort by the ruling class, including both the Democrats and Republicans, to deify Kirk have been harassed, suspended or fired from their jobs or kicked out of school. Until last week, the ADLs Glossary of Extremism and Hate included an accurate entry on Kirk and TPUSA. It noted that since founding TPUSA: Kirk moved further to the right and promotes conspiracy theories about election fraud and COVID-19. He pushed Christian nationalism: the idea that Christians should dominate the government and other areas of life in America. Kirks views have led him to attack the transgender community several times. TPUSA continues to attract racists. Numerous TPUSA representatives have made bigoted remarks about the Black community, the LGBTQ+ community and other groups. While TPUSA leaders say they reject white supremacist ideology, known white nationalist have attended their events. Kirk has created a vast platform for extremists and far-right conspiracy theorists and has raised millions from conservative donors and has played a significant role in [Republican] politics and elections. Not only this entry, but the entire Glossary of Extremism and Hate was deleted by the ADL under pressure from Elon Musk, Kirks followers, Donald Trump Jr. and other neo-Nazis. Justifying its capitulation, the organization claimed on October 1 that an increasing number of entries were outdated and that some were intentionally misrepresented and misused. In a parallel statement, the ADL reaffirmed its deep respect for the Federal Bureau of Investigation and law enforcement officers at all levels and their supposed role in protecting all Americans. In reality, the FBI exists, as Lenin explained in State and Revolution (1917), as a special body of armed men to defend capitalist rule, not to safeguard democratic rights. For decades the ADL has worked hand in glove with the FBI to surveil students, workers and Palestine solidarity activists. Throughout the ongoing genocide in Gaza the ADL, working with Democrats such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, has smeared opposition to Zionism and genocide as antisemitism. The ADL entry on Kirk was not outdated. The only social forces misrepresenting Kirks entry in the glossary are those who share Kirks reactionary ideology. While Musk and Kirk pose as the ADLs enemies, the organizations real role has been to launder Zionism as a civil rights cause. The ADL insists that anti-Zionism is antisemitism, erasing the reality that Jewish people long predate Zionism as a political ideology. The purge of the TPUSA entry and the glossary as a whole is the product of a years-long fascist campaign. Musk has relentlessly used his platform to promote racist, antisemitic, and fascist content. On September 30, his America PAC reposted a racist meme from a neo-Nazi account which just a day earlier had lamented the death of Hitler. The next day, Musk declared, The ADL is a hate group and attacked the FBI for relying on ADL classifications in investigating TPUSA. Donald Trump Jr. joined in, characterizing the ADLs inclusion of Kirk and TPUSA in the glossary as Disgraceful. Prior to his death, Kirk joined neo-Nazis in denouncing the ADL as a mass purveyor of anti-white hate and spearheaded calls to #BanTheADL. Kirk, like Musk, Trump and the Republican Party at large, promote the great replacement conspiracy theory that inspired the El Paso, Buffalo and Christchurch massacres. As the World Socialist Web Site warned in September 2023, the original #BanTheADL campaign led by Musk was the spearhead of a broader effort to legitimize antisemitism, rehabilitate fascism, and intimidate all those who oppose it. The WSWS noted at the time that Musks attack was not limited to denouncing the ADL for criticizing his Nazification of Twitter. It was part of a conscious strategy of the far right to dismantle what even minimal liberal opposition exists to the normalization of fascist ideology. Elon Musk gives a Nazi salute at an indoor presidential Inauguration event in Washington, Monday, January 20, 2025. [AP Photo] This is not the first time the ADL has capitulated to fascists. When Musk gave a Nazi salute at Trumps inauguration earlier this year, the ADL under CEO Jonathan Greenblatt simply dismissed it as an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute. Now, instead of confronting the whitewashing of Kirks, and the Republican Partys, open antisemitism and white supremacy, the ADL has erased evidence of TPUSAs racism. Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), participates in the Addressing antisemitism panel discussion during the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Thursday, January 18, 2024. [AP Photo/Markus Schreiber] The FBIs break with the ADL comes just weeks after the Justice Department quietly removed a study from its website that confirmed far-right extremists were responsible for the overwhelming majority of political violence in the United States. It said: Militant, nationalistic, white supremacist violent extremism has increased in the United States. In fact, the number of far-right attacks continues to outpace all other types of terrorism and domestic violent extremism. Since 1990, far-right extremists have committed far more ideologically motivated homicides than far-left or radical Islamist extremists... The removal of the study came in the immediate aftermath of Kirks assassination and on the eve of Trumps September 25 National Security Presidential Memorandum-7, which branded all left-wing opposition, including anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, and anti-Christianity, as domestic terrorism. The removal of the TPUSA entry, the erasing of the DOJ study, and Trumps executive orders and memorandums attacking anti-fascism are part of the same process: The state and its auxiliary organizations are clearing away even the most moderate obstacles to the legitimization of fascist politics. Far from opposing the normalization of fascism, organizations like the ADL, which posture as defenders of civil rights, are collaborating with the state in Trumps drive to establish a presidential dictatorship. In this way, the ADL, which supposedly exists to combat antisemitism, has, in service of the Israeli state and the genocide in Gaza, helped to strengthen the far-right and the revival of genuine antisemitism. Over 50 Israeli documentary filmmakers issued an open letter September 15 supporting an appeal by thousands in the international cinema world for a boycott of official Israeli film institutions because of the role of the Zionist government in committing a genocide in Gaza. Yuval Abraham [Photo by Martin Kraft / CC BY 4.0 Signers of the letter include such notable figures as Yuval Abraham, one of the co-directors of No Other Land; director Avi Mograbi (Z32 and The First 54 Years: An Abbreviated Manual for Military Occupation); the former chair of the Documentary Forum, Yulie Cohen, whose trilogy My Terrorist, My Land Zion and My Brother has won international acclaim; Barak Heymann, the head of the film school at Beit Berl College and winner of the Berlinale audience award-winner Whos Gonna Love Me Now?; Ada Ushpiz (Vita Activa: The Spirit of Hannah Arendt and Children); and producer Liran Atzmor (winner of the 2011 Sundance Grand Jury Prize for The Law in These Parts). Their letter begins: We, a group of documentary filmmakers in Israel, feel profound shame, pain, daily torment, and helplessness in the face of the horrors of mass murder, destruction and internal transfer (for now), and starvation that the State of Israel is carrying out in our name in Gaza. We reject with disgust all attempts at denial, silencing, and whitewashing, with the systematic use of euphemismspreferring to speak of hunger instead of starvation and war instead of genocide. The letter continues: The facts speak for themselves: about 64,000 civilians in Gaza have been killed, including some 20,000 infants and children, and more than one hundred thousand have been wounded. To these we must add the thousands of innocent Palestinians kidnapped from Gaza still held as bargaining chips in Israeli captivity, and the daily killing, destruction, and abuse in the West Bank. The open letter condemns the October 7, 2023 Hamas raid, even within the framework of the legitimate Palestinian struggle for national freedom and against the occupation, but argues that the events of that day cannot excuse this brutal war of revenge, which has already surpassed the atrocities of Hamas many times over. In a significant appeal to documentary filmmakers around the world, the letter addresses the complicity of the imperialist governments in the assault on Palestinian lives and fundamental rights: We call on the international documentary community, our artistic home, to hold itself to the same standards and focus on its domestic role: resisting the silence and complicity of European and American governments in the massacre in Gaza. Our [Israeli] government thrives and gains audacity by the backing of Donald Trump, who also makes a point of neutralizing the protests of European leaders; without him, this accursed war could not have lasted so long. In late July, 31 leading artists and intellectuals, including some of the same figures, had penned an open letter, The starvation of Gaza is shameful. Crippling sanctions on Israel are needed. It read: We, Israelis dedicated to a peaceful future for our country and our Palestinian neighbours, write this with grave shame, in rage and in agony. Our country is starving the people of Gaza to death and contemplating the forced removal of millions of Palestinians from the Strip. The international community must impose crippling sanctions on Israel until it ends this brutal campaign and implements a permanent ceasefire. Abraham and Atzmor were among that letters signatories, along with Raanan Alexandrowicz (The Law in These Parts), Ari Folman (Waltz with Bashir), Nadav Lapid (Aheds Knee), Samuel Maoz (Lebanon) and architect Eyal Weizman. Yulie Cohen [Photo by Yulie Cohen / CC BY 3.0 The recent letter from the Israeli documentarians follows a series of denunciations by filmmakers and actors of the genocide in Gaza. These include the protest of thousands at the Venice International Film Festival early last month, whose organizers stated: The Venice Film Festival must not remain an event isolated from reality, but rather become a space to denounce the genocide being carried out by Israel, the complicity of Western governments, and to offer concrete support to the Palestinian people. On September 13 at the annual Emmy awards ceremony, honoring the most prestigious for television programming, actress Hannah Einbinder used the podium after she was given the award for best supporting actress (for the comedy series Hacks), to declare Fuck ICE, free Palestine. Most notable has been the letter signed by thousands in the film industry that calls for a boycott of the Israeli film industry, organized by the group Film Workers for Palestine. In it, signatories pledge: Not to screen films, appear at or otherwise work with Israeli film institutionsincluding festivals, cinemas, broadcasters and production companiesthat are implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people. The letter was signed by a wide range of film and television professionals, including Olivia Colman, Ayo Edebiri, Mark Ruffalo, Riz Ahmed, Tilda Swinton, Javier Bardem, Yorgos Lanthimos, Josh OConnor, Emma Stone, Ava DuVernay, Asif Kapadia, Emma Seligman, Boots Riley, Hannah Einbinder, Cynthia Nixon, Adam McKay, Joshua Oppenheimer and others. The Israeli documentarians letter explains why they support that boycott: As documentary filmmakers who have dedicated their lives to recording different aspects of reality in our country, and some of us, especially to documenting the occupation, we are acutely aware of the importance of recognizing the truth as a first step toward changing reality. For this reason, we wholeheartedly support the global filmmakers boycott against us. The Film Workers for Palestine letter also prompted a response from the Israeli film industry. Tzvi Gottlieb, CEO of the Israeli Film & TV Producers Association, told the Hollywood Reporter the boycott is counterproductive, explaining, there is no group in Israel thats been working as hard to promote anti-violence and has been as critical of this government. This industryalready small, already vulnerableshows the damage of occupation. We need to be helped, not hurt. In direct response to such claims, the documentary filmmakers letter notes: For us, there is no comfort in the complex, sensitive, and critical films we have made over the years as part of our role and mission; they do not absolve us of responsibility for the atrocities carried out in our name. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen greets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the European Political Community summit, in Copenhagen, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. [Photo: Suzanne Plunkett/Pool Photo via AP] The past two days mark a new high point in the European and transatlantic escalation of war against Russia. On Wednesday and Thursday, two high-level meetings were held in Copenhagen: first the informal gathering of EU heads of state and government, followed by the summit of the European Political Community (EPC) with more than 40 European states. Both meetings made clear that the European powers are determined to escalate the war against Russia under all circumstances. At the center were the construction of a pan-European drone wall against Russia, the use of frozen Russian central bank assets to pay for weapons and ammunition, and even closer military coordination. The meetings were accompanied by Washingtons announcement that it would soon provide Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missilesa decision that would mean direct confrontation between the US, NATO and Russia. At the EPC meeting on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared in person and spread the central war propaganda: Russia threatens not only Ukraine, but all of Europe. If the Russians dare to use drones against Poland or violate the airspace of northern European countries, then it can happen anywhere, Zelensky warned. In doing so, he echoed the statements of leading European politicians who had seized on the alleged overflight of Russian drones over Denmark and other countries as a pretext to massively expand Europes rearmament and preparations for war against Russia. Drones in Copenhagen underline how difficult the security situation is, declared Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo. Europe was engaged in a hybrid war with Russia. Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina made similar comments: The drones are no longer only flying over Ukraine. Suddenly they are even reaching Denmark. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda warned of significant gaps in the detection and defense against drones and demanded massive investments in European air defense. Documents alone, Nauseda said, do not defend. We need action. The host, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, called for a radical acceleration of Europes militarization. I would say that by 2030 we must be able to fully defend ourselves, she declared. What is meant is the creation of an independent European military power capable of operating both against Russia and independently of the United States. Frederiksens words summed up the agenda of the European governments: they are rearming the continent at breakneck speed. With the permanent stationing of NATO combat troops in Eastern Europe, the preparation of intervention forces in Ukraine, the planned drone wall along the eastern flank and the demand to shoot down Russian jets if they violate European airspace, the continent is being step by step driven into a state of war. Already on Wednesday, the EU heads of state and government reaffirmed the plan for a pan-European drone wall. In view of the massive use of drones in the Ukraine war, a common defense line along NATOs eastern flank is to be built. Germany is pushing this development particularly aggressively. Inspector General Carsten Breuer announced a few days before the summit that the Bundeswehr would make so-called loitering munitionskamikaze dronesoperational by the end of 2025. In the end it will have to come down to drones being used against drones, he said. The new Inspector of the German Army, Christian Freudingnotorious for his ties to Ukrainian neo-Nazisalso announced an escalation of the drone and air war. We will once again have an army air defense force, he declared in his first daily order. Time was of the essence, since the enemy will not wait for our ready message. The rhetoric alone underscores that Berlin and Brussels are not concerned with defense, but with the active preparation of a full-scale war against the enemy Russia. The Kremlins reactionary invasion of Ukraine does not change the fact that the NATO powers systematically provoked the conflict. And now their longstanding policy of militarily encircling Russia and supporting Kievs war is turning into open war intervention and imperialist plunder. Another central topic of the summit was the planned use of frozen Russian central bank assets. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz had already called in a Financial Times op-ed a few days earlier for these funds to be used to finance Ukraine. We must systematically and massively increase the costs of Russias aggression, he wrote. The EU is thereby carrying out an unprecedented breach of international financial law. Russian reserves worth more than 270 billion were frozen after the start of the war. To now misappropriate them for arms deliveries to Ukraine would not only be a massive escalation against Moscow, but also a signal to all states worldwide: property and reserves are not safe if they conflict with the interests of the imperialist powers. We are talking here about plans to illegally confiscate Russian property. In Russian we simply call that theft, declared Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, threatening consequences. But this will not stop the European governments. They will use the stolen money to further arm Ukraine to the teeth with tanks, missiles and drones. A current proposal envisages a 140 billion program for weapons and ammunition, partly financed from these funds. There is a very broad consensus in the European Union to go down this path. Putin should not underestimate our determination, Merz declared. He expected a decision at the next EU summit in three weeks. Parallel to the European summits, Washington announced a step that dramatically increases the danger of war: the US will supply Ukraine with Tomahawk cruise missiles. These weapons have a range of up to 2,500 kilometersenough to strike Moscow or other Russian cities. Delivering such systems would require direct involvement of US soldiers, as their operation is highly complex. This would cross the line between indirect support and direct warfare. Russia has already made it unmistakably clear: should Ukraine use such weapons to attack Russian territory, Moscow will target military sites in NATO countries. The danger of direct military confrontation and even a devastating nuclear exchange thus increases enormously. Even now, the imperialist powers are taking military action against Russian ships. French President Emmanuel Macron announced in Copenhagen a coordinated campaign against the so-called Russian shadow fleettankers transporting Russian oil worldwide despite sanctions. Last weekend, the French navy detained an oil tanker off its own coast. Two crew members have now been arrested. This illustrates exactly this policy, Macron declared. In the coming days, the chiefs of staff of the coalition of the willing are to meet to coordinate further measures against the Russian fleet. Above all, German imperialism is placing itself at the head of the war offensive against Russia, using the escalation to reassert its historic role as Europes leading military power. How martial its appearance has become was demonstrated by the presence of the German navy in Copenhagen. The frigate Hamburg, equipped with anti-aircraft systems and reconnaissance technology, secured the summit. With its current rearmament drive and great-power ambitions, Berlin is directly harking back to the war aims of German imperialism in the First and Second World Wars: domination of Eastern Europe, control over Ukraine, and ultimately the subjugation of Russia. According to government plans, more than 80 billion in arms spending is planned for the next 15 months alone. The list comprises 154 major projects: new armored vehicles, combat drones, air defense systems, warships and submarines. Even more gigantic are the medium-term rearmament plans: more than 350 billion are earmarked for armaments over the next 15 years. Taken together, the war credits passed in the Bundesrat with the votes of the Greens and the Left Party amount to over one trillion euros. The return of Germany and Europe to unrestrained militarism is not merely a megalomaniacal and insane policy. It has deep objective causes. It is an expression of the historic crisis of world capitalism. On the one hand, geopolitical conflicts are escalating: the US is preparing for confrontation with China, consolidating its dominance in the Middle East, and pushing the European powers to bear the main burden of the war against Russia. On the other hand, both European and US capitalism are mired in deep social and political crisis. As in the 1930s, with the transfer of power to Hitler and the Nazis, the ruling class on both sides of the Atlantic is responding not with reforms, but with war, rearmament and fascism. In the US, fascist President Donald Trump is mobilizing the military against the growing opposition of the population, while in Germany figures such as Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) openly speak of the need to make society fit for war. But the very contradictions that are again conjuring up the evils of dictatorship, fascism and world war also create the objective basis to overcome them once and for all through social revolution. The gigantic sums for rearmament and war are accompanied by brutal cuts in the social sphere, with attacks on wages, pensions and public services. The Copenhagen summits coincided with new protests and strikes in several European countries. On Wednesday, a general strike took place in Greece, and on Thursday hundreds of thousands protested in France against Macrons austerity and rearmament plans. This is only a foretaste of the coming social explosion. This opposition must break through the control of the pro-capitalist union apparatuses and be developed politically. To defend their social and democratic rights, workers need their own fighting organizationsindependent action committeesand a clear international socialist perspective that links the struggle against war with the struggle against its root causecapitalism. This is the program fought for by the Socialist Equality Parties and the International Committee of the Fourth International. Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) is one of the best Goldman Sachs bank stocks. On September 17, a bloc of 15 Democratic senators, under Arizonas Ruben Gallegos leadership, asked Wells Fargo to end what they called efforts to discourage employee unionization. The group told CEO Charlie Scharf in a letter that developing better labor relations may reduce what they consider a toxic workplace and help the bank rebound from past controversies. Wells Fargo (WFC) Faces Calls From Democratic Senators to Stop Anti-Union Efforts Rob Wilson / Shutterstock.com The lawmakers asserted that Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) has taken a notably harsher stance against staff seeking to organize unions in states including Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, and Wyoming. The senators letter mentioned that six charges of unfair labor practices were brought before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against WFC this year. The group also claimed that aggressive sales quotas in the banks past have contributed to customer mistreatment, lack of staff, and low wages, which led employees to seek unions. The letter highlighted employees rights to fair pay, safe conditions, and whistleblower protections as well, pressing Scharf to halt the companys anti-union initiatives. While we acknowledge the potential of WFC as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: Dow 20 Stocks List: Ranked By Hedge Fund Bullishness Index and 10 Unstoppable Dividend Stocks to Buy Now. Disclosure. None. Key Points It's about to significantly expand its biologics research and manufacturing effort at a facility in Massachusetts. This should cost it a cool $70 million. 10 stocks we like better than AbbVie The announcement of a new buildout, as well as developments on the political front, were the factors driving up AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) stock on Wednesday. The pharmaceutical company's shares rose by nearly 6% in value as a result, during a session when the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) crept up a comparatively modest 0.3%. Getting out the shovels On Tuesday afternoon, AbbVie reported that it had begun construction on a $70 million expansion of its AbbVie Bioresearch Center (ABC) in the Massachusetts city of Worcester. The project is aimed at bolstering both research and development (R&D) of investigational medicines and manufacturing, specifically of biologics. Image source: Getty Images. The buildout will see an expansion of existing manufacturing spaces, in addition to the construction of a three-story building to house warehouse, office, and laboratory facilities. Dovetailing with the Trump administration's goal of locating more corporate assets such as factories in this country, AbbVie said that this is part of a $10 billion-plus aim to support the advancement of biologics. The company quoted COO Azita Saleki-Gerhardt as saying that the project will also "build upon its impressive track record of developing, manufacturing, and launching next-generation complex biologic medicines." A deal with Trump AbbVie also benefited from the latest moves of a major peer in the pharmaceutical realm. On Tuesday, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla formally agreed to lower the prices of a clutch of its drugs, apparently for the Medicaid program. His company will also get a break from the pharmaceutical industry tariffs planned by the Trump administration, as Pfizer has pledged to invest more in the U.S. If Pfizer can do it, so can AbbVie. It seems the two major threats hanging over the pharmaceutical industry -- pricing and tariffs -- might not be as scary as they first appeared. Should you buy stock in AbbVie right now? Before you buy stock in AbbVie, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now and AbbVie wasnt one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $646,567!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $1,143,710!* Key Points Investors continued to be positive on the pharmaceutical giant following a deal reached with the government. Among other benefits, it will have a reprieve from potential tariffs on its industry. 10 stocks we like better than Pfizer Still basking in the glow of a likely advantageous deal it signed with the government the previous day, Pfizer's (NYSE: PFE) stock was extremely healthy on Hump Day. That positive sentiment was boosted by a positive analyst take, to the point where Pfizer's share price rose by almost 7%. That was well above the 0.4% bump of the benchmark S&P 500 index. A shot of good news On Tuesday, Pfizer and President Donald Trump announced the company had signed an agreement under which the pharmaceutical giant will lower its prices for selected prescription drugs in the federal Medicaid program. Pfizer also committed to so-called "most favored nation" pricing (the lowest price on the global market) for the new drugs it'll launch in the U.S. market. Image source: Getty Images. Additionally, Pfizer will enjoy a grace period of three years from Trump's planned tariffs on pharmaceutical products if it builds assets in the U.S. The company has pledged to spend $70 billion on such activity. Investors took the news positively, not least because of the break from the potential levies. A bull reiterates his buy rating At least one analyst also had a bullish view on these developments. This was BMO Capital's Evan David Seigerman, who, that afternoon, in a new research note, reiterated his outperform (buy, in other words) recommendation on Pfizer stock. He also maintained his $30 per share price target. According to reports, Seigerman's update was based on conversations with company executives. These revealed that the promised discounts would apply only to Medicaid and not its sister program, Medicare. He rated the deal highly and added that it would be quite beneficial to the company. Should you buy stock in Pfizer right now? Before you buy stock in Pfizer, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now and Pfizer wasnt one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $646,567!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $1,143,710!* JOHNSTOWN, Pa. The luck of the Irish will be shining down at this cultural performance. A Taste of Ireland will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 9 at the Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center on the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown campus in Richland Township. As one of the worlds top Irish dance shows, the production features a roster of international dance champions, musicians and a contemporary vocalist who present an exhilarating celebration delivered with more than a pint of Irish wit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The production, which debuted in the United States in 2004 with a successful Off-Broadway engagement, followed by hit runs around the world, blends cultural traditions with modern flair and plenty of fun creating a performance that has had audiences across the globe leaping to their feet for an immersive and entertaining experience that captures the essence of Irish culture. This show offers audiences an adventure through the heart and soul of Ireland, where every beat of the music and every step of Irish dance shares a captivating journey, said Brent Pace, the shows producer and director. Set to reimagined classics such as Danny Boy, Tell Me Ma, Wild Rover and others that have been given modern spins, the high-energy performance offers thrilling dance performances that convey heartfelt emotion transporting audiences through Irelands tumultuous history. Each narrative is interwoven with dramatic lighting, breathtaking visual scenery and performances that express the depth of these stories so that audiences can appreciate Irelands rich history through movement, music and dance, Pace said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The show also combines heartwarming storytelling with modern Irish dance, tap and contemporary dance that bridges traditional and contemporary Irish art forms. Dance fans will be further thrilled to find that the taps in A Taste of Ireland are not pre-recorded but performed 100% live, Pace said. Every performance is a breathtaking feat of excellence. Janie Grela, director of the Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center, said the campus is pleased to support the performing arts in the region and present the cultural arts. The PPAC venue is the only performing arts center of its kind in the county, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many organizations rely on our venue to present their work to the community. Tickets are $47 to $91 and can be purchased online at www.1stsummitarena.com. For more information on A Taste of Ireland, visit www.atasteofirelandshow.com. Originally appeared on E! Online You will marvel at Brie Larson's vacation style. The Oscar winner shared a glimpse into her recent trip to Tulum, Mexico, just ahead of her 36th birthday. In two photos, Brie is seen wearing a bright red and orange striped balconette-style bikini, paired with a straw cowboy hat and sunglasses, while paddleboarding in a lake. Captioning her Sept. 29 Instagram post, "an unparalleled escape," the Captain Marvel star also shared a pic of herself snorkeling, an image of fish and turtles swimming in crystal clear water and an elegant table setting at the luxury beach resort Hotel Esencia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In recent years, Brie has grown comfortable showing more of herself on social media, especially after learning how to train for Captain Marvel. "I didn't know what strength was," she told reporters in 2018. "I was truly an introvert with asthma before this film, so I had a lot of work to do, and I just started to fall in love with it. I started to fall in love with the way my body was changing and transforming." More from E! Online Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It was the first time where I felt like I was making my body work for me," she continued. "I think in the past, I was more interested in my body never being part of conversation. To me, it felt like objectification; I just wanted to be a brain, so I've only cared about reading books and understanding words, and anything that involved my body made me itchy. But this was an opportunity for me to...make my body mine." Instagram / Brie Larson Indeed, Brie has been open about her body image struggles. "I don't believe that there is a beauty standard," she told W magazine in an interview posted in November 2020. "I struggled with feeling ugly and like an outcast for so much of my life. And so I really, really feel for that. It took me a long time to be able to be totally comfortable with myself. The thing that has brought me solace is knowing that I can be whoever I want to be with myself." Instagram / Brie Larson She continued, "What breaks my heart is to think of people in the world who dont feel that they have safety within their own bodies. That, to me, is my ultimate goal in life: to do whatever it is that I can so people have the freedom to express themselves and be exactly who it is that they want to bewhatever that isknowing that that can also change." For more examples of Brie being a superhero IRL, keep reading. She's Made a Young Girl's Day At the Captain Marvel premiere in London in February 2019, Larson met a young girl dressed up as her character. She chatted with her and the two posed together on the red carpet with the actress' co-stars. Photos were shared on Marvel UK & Ireland's Twitter page, and Larson retweeted the post and wrote, "She's my hero!" She Promotes Female Empowerment and Equality At the 2018 Crystal + Lucy Awards, Larson was honored with he Crystal Award for Excellence in Film. During her acceptance speech, she talked about a USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism study that found that women and people of color were not well represented in the the film critic and reviewer scene. "So you're probably thinking right now, "Wow that super doesn't represent the country that I live in,' and that's because that's true," she said. "This is a huge disconnect from the U.S. population breakdown of 30% white men, 30% white women, 20% men of color, and 20% women of color." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She Gives Back In April 2019, Larson and her Avengers: Endgame co-stars united at Disney California Adventure Park to co-present a $5 million donation to children's hospitals across the country, via the Avengers Universe Unites campaign. She Isn't Afraid to Take a Stand The actress is an advocate for sexual assault survivors, and won a Best Actress Oscar in 2016 for her portrayal of a rape survivor in Room. A year later, she presented an Oscar to Casey Affleck, who was once sued for alleged sexual harassment. She appeared reluctant about handing him the statuette and did not clap for him. Affleck had denied the harassment claims and he and the plaintiffs settled the matter out of court. She Raises Awareness In April 2019, Larson and the rest of the Avengers: Endgame cast, as well as cancer survivors, were featured together in PSAs and posters for Stand Up to Cancer, a charitable program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation. Tagline: "Inside, we are all heroes. Together, we are one POWERFUL movement." She's Got a Female Superhero's Physique All those hours at the gym definitely paid off! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App Hes enjoying the rough life. Josh Duhamel left Los Angeles to live off-grid in the remote Minnesota home hes been working on for over 15 years and he has no regrets. It was about this land out there, Duhamel, 52, exclusively told The Post while promoting his latest movie, London Calling. Josh Duhamel enjoying his remote property in the Minnesota wilderness. @joshduhamel/Instagram Josh Duhamel promoting his newest movie, London Calling. I knew I wanted to be out away from everything in the woods and build sort of my own little oasis, in a way. And its taken a long time, he continued. It was a lot of pickaxes and shovels in the beginning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The change in scenery wasnt always easy for the Ransom Canyon star, however, as he was without basic utilities early in the process. It was no electricity or water for a while, the Las Vegas alum shared. Then we dug wells. Then we built a sink in the kitchen, and we built the bathroom, and it became a little bit less rugged and a little bit more normalized, at least to what were used to. Josh Duhamel promoting his latest movie, London Calling. Josh Duhamel chatting about his remote Minnesota property and his new movie, London Calling. So its been a process, and I really appreciated the process, because we got to make sure we got enough wood and water and food because were 40 miles from anything and were deep in the woods, he continued. So we got to make sure that were prepared. Duhamel first bought his Minnesota property shortly before tying the knot with Fergie, 50, in 2009. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The former couple welcomed one child together, son Axl Jack, 12, before separating in September 2017 after eight years of marriage. Their divorce was finalized in November 2019. In 2022, the All My Children alum married model Audra Mari Duhamel and the former Fargo, ND, beauty queen welcomed their son, Shepherd Lawrence, in January 2024. Josh Duhamel with his wife, Audra Mari, and sons Axl and Shepherd. Josh Duhamel/Instagram Josh Duhamel in the Minnesota wilderness. @joshduhamel/Instagram The Transformers star admitted that hes fallen for the Minnesota wilderness and the idea of living outside the glitz and glamour confines of LA with his wife and two sons. I think that was what I weirdly fell in love with, Duhamel said. It became about just the basics, hand-to-mouth, making sure that I could take care of everybody, and we had enough just to stay alive out there, especially in the winter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But after 15 years, Duhamels Minnesota property has become less of a project and more of a normalized home. Josh Duhamel revealed that his off-grid home is 40 miles from anything. @bobcatcompany/Instagram So that was the beginning, he shared. Now its pretty. Weve got all the amenities that we need. I still try to keep it a bit like it used to be. But its nice to have a warm shower and a toilet. Were not using outhouses anymore, thank God, Duhamel joked. As for London Calling, the actor opened up about what led him to choose a role where he portrays a hired gun in an action comedy especially after 25 years of mostly soap operas, rom-coms and Westerns. Josh Duhamel relaxing with his youngest son, Shepherd. joshduhamel/Instagram The Ransom Canyon star on his off-grid Minnesota property. @joshduhamel/Instagram I think that when you start, you just kind of take whatever you can get and try to make the most of whatever opportunity, he told The Post regarding the trajectory of his career as an actor. And that was what I did when I first started, I just tried to take whatever little window of opportunity I had and just jump through it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its been a really fun 25 years, Duhamel continued. I learned a lot over the years. You make decisions differently based on family, based on location, based on director, based on script. He went on to reveal the two most important things he now looks for when choosing roles. Josh Duhamel on The Jennifer Hudson Show in Burbank, Calif., on Sept. 17, 2025. Getty Images Jeremy Ray Taylor and Josh Duhamel in a still from London Calling. Quiver Distribution More than anything, if you dont have a great script, I try to stay away from it because its hard to make a good movie if you dont have a good script, Duhamel told The Post. And I just try to surround myself, whether its as an actor or a director, with the best talent and not just talent, but good people. He added: Life is too short not to work with really good, easy people who dont take themselves too seriously. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Allan Ungar-directed flick, which hit theaters Sept. 19, stars Duhamel as Tommy Ward, a hitman and British expat hiding out in LA after accidentally killing the relative of Londons biggest crime lord. Josh Duhamel at the Los Angeles premiere of London Calling on Sept. 15, 2025. ZUMAPRESS.com Rick Hoffman and Josh Duhamel in a still from London Calling. Quiver Distribution Duhamel said the role forced him to get [his] ass in shape, and opened up about how being healthy for an action-heavy film like London Calling was definitely a motivator. I think thats what the fun part about this is, he said. Every job is a little bit different. Sometimes you got to be really, really ready. Sometimes you dont. This business forces you to kind of keep your body, your health and everything else in check. I think that this is a movie that really required that because there was a lot of action, a lot of running, a lot of wrestling around, a lot of flying around in the dirt, he explained. Which I love. This is why I got into this business. Rachael Kirkconnell made new memories in Japan. Kirkconnell, 29, showed off a stunning look while visiting Kyoto with her sister, Trinity Kirkconnell, and even playfully poked fun at her ex-boyfriend Matt James, who broke up with her during a January trip to the country. During her getaway, Rachael rocked a chic black outfit via Instagram on Wednesday, October 2. Her stylish ensemble consisted of a silky black tailored shirt complete with a button-up design, a relaxed collar and short sleeves. The Bachelor Nation alum styled the piece with a matching shiny pleated skirt. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She accessorized with statement earrings, featuring a crystal stud and gold hoop, as well as a chunky silver cuff and black shades. Rachael teamed the look with a black shoulder bag and knee-high brown boots. Rachael Kirkconnell Posts Tokyo Photo Dump After Matt James Split, Bachelor Nation Rallies Around Her Rachaels glam was just as flawless as her fit, including black eyeliner in her waterline, long lashes and brown eyeshadow. She completed her makeup with dewy skin, blushed cheeks and pink lips. Her brunette hair was styled in her signature slicked-back ponytail. Lets try this again shall we , Rachael captioned the post. Bachelor Nation members and fans were quick to laugh along with her in the comments section. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement THE CAPTION OF THE YEAR , Katie Thurston wrote, as Kelsey Anderson added, Period. Maria Georgas also added, A redo done right . More fans commented that her caption was iconic, while another quipped, It appears you found the best places to eat lol. Rachael previously made light of her breakup, which happened after an argument about where to go for dinner in Tokyo, while filming an ad with Brawny in February. Courtesy of Rachael Kirkconnell/Instagram Even though I dont have to worry about picking out the perfect dinner spot anymore, life can still get messy, she said while sprinkling cheese over a homemade pizza. But now, I have someone I can always depend on. Someone strong and reliable, too, she added as the Brawny mascot cleaned up after her. Rachael first opened up about her split in January, during an episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, just 12 days after James, 33, broke the news via Instagram. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She explained that the night before they broke up, the duo were butting heads over where to go for dinner, and she felt as if she was disappointing him over her restaurant choice. He was like, Im just so confused, like, why were you so upset. Like, what was that? she recalled. And I explained to him, I felt like Id let you down. I felt like that was disappointing. And I hate going to a place that isnt somewhere that you could post about [on Instagram]. I feel like its a waste. James was apparently concerned as to why Rachael was so frustrated. He was like, There was no reason for you to get upset like that. And he found it concerning that I got that emotional, I guess, she said. Paras Griffin/Getty Images for STARZ He was trying to express to me, like, If you get emotional about little things like this, what is going to happen in life when something really terrible happens? Like, how are you going to be able to react to things that are actually really scary or disappointing or sad? I felt like I was being punished for crying, she added. The following day, James broke up with Rachael after they had a minor disagreement that opened a can of worms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said that at the end of the day there were just qualities about me that he worries about having in a wife, Rachael told host Alex Cooper. It was just one of those things where he just had this realization that I should want to propose to you by this time. (Rachael and James dated for four years after finding love on The Bachelor.) Rachael Kirkconnell Says Everything Feels Scary and Discouraging in Statement After Matt James Split She added that he told her, At this point in our relationship, I should be wanting those things and I should be ready for that. But Im not still, I still dont feel like were ready or I dont feel like Im ready. I dont know if I ever see myself proposing to you. I cant actually see myself married to you. Rachael also shared that days before their split they were talking about engagement rings and a potential wedding. Key Points The company's multibillion-dollar investments in manufacturing in the U.S. are likely to be warmly welcomed by the Trump administration. Eli Lilly's management has already committed to taking action to lower pharmaceutical prices in the U.S. 10 stocks we like better than Eli Lilly Shares in Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) had risen 13.2% in the week to Friday morning. The move comes at a time when peer Pfizer announced a deal with the Trump administration that gave that pharmaceutical company three years of grace from tariffs imposed on drugs it manufactures abroad and imports to the U.S.. The deal, which is conditional on Pfizer investing in manufacturing in the U.S., raises hopes that Eli Lilly will also come to a similar agreement with the government. Investors are optimistic Eli Lilly is in a good position for a couple of reasons. First, it's already investing heavily in the U.S. with a $5 billion manufacturing facility planned in Virginia, as well as a $6.5 billion manufacturing facility planned in Texas. Second, Eli Lilly has already announced an intent to rebalance the costs of its research by increasing the prices paid by governments and healthcare bodies "in other developed markets like Europe in order to make them lower in the U.S." With negotiations ongoing and the Trump administration unlikely to impose pharmaceutical tariffs on Eli Lilly and others until they are finalized, the odds look favorable for the company to reach some form of agreement with the administration, just as Pfizer did. Should you invest $1,000 in Eli Lilly right now? Before you buy stock in Eli Lilly, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now and Eli Lilly wasnt one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $626,942!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $1,157,870!* Now, its worth noting Stock Advisors total average return is 1,063% a market-crushing outperformance compared to 191% for the S&P 500. Dont miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of September 29, 2025 Lee Samaha has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Pfizer. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Why Shares of Eli Lilly Soared This Week was originally published by The Motley Fool Originally appeared on E! Online Teddi Mellencamp is sharing an encouraging update on her cancer battle. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum revealed that her stage 4 cancer which she doctors previously gave her 50/50 survival odds is "gone." "Just to give a little life update to you guys," Teddi said on the Oct. 3 episode of her Two T's in a Pod podcast, "I had my immunotherapy yesterday and I did my scans and at this point there is no detectable cancer." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dolores Catania, who was on the podcast to recap the latest episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County, reacted to her news with glee. "Oh, Im so happy!" the Real Housewives of New Jersey star said. "How am I supposed to carry on after this? F--k the episode!" "I wish I could hug you," she added. "I love you. Thank you for telling me that. It took my breath away." Teddiwho shares Slate, 12, Cruz, 10 and Dove, 5, with estranged husband Edwin Arroyavewent on to detail the emotions she felt when she heard the results of her scans. "When they told me, I was in such shock," she shared. "I was like, numb." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While it was certainly a cause for celebration, the 44-year-old cautioned that she's not completely out of the woods quite yet. More from E! Online "When they told me, I was in such shock," she shared. "I was like, numb." While it was certainly a cause for celebration, the 44-year-old cautioned that she's not completely out of the woods quite yet. JC Olivera/Variety via Getty Images "The way the they said it works, its like one year, then two years, then at three years youre allowed to be consideredin remission," she recalled. "So, but that was huge news yesterday." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Teddi had previously opened up about how her cancer battle was forcing her to think about her own mortality. Instagram/Teddi Mellencamp "The way the they said it works, its like one year, then two years, then at three years youre allowed to be consideredin remission," she recalled. "So, but that was huge news yesterday." Teddi had previously opened up about how her cancer battle was forcing her to think about her own mortality. "I don't think you understand the debilitating pain that I feel some days, she told ET in April, choking up at the thought of leaving her children without a mom. "That is extremely frightening. My kids are young." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Keep reading about Teddi and her family... Red Carpet Outing Teddi and Edwin take Slate, Dove and Cruz to the LOL Surprise! The Movie premiere in Los Angeles in 2021. Disney Days The family of five enjoy a day of fun at Disneyland and California Adventure with friends in June 2024. "They say its a small world," Teddi wrote on Instagram, "but my feet say otherwise." Cruz Cuddles "I needed this," Teddi captioned a pic with her youngest. "Thank you." Horsin' Around "When you jump to a 90 at Junior Hunter Finals at 11-years-old and WIN the Classic Stake!!" Teddi posted in July 2024 while celebrating her oldest child's major milestone. "So proud." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Back to School 2024 "I cried because?" Teddi wrote on Instagram in August 2024. "1. Im going to miss them. 2. Theyre getting older which means I am too. 3. I can actually work in peace throughout the day. 4. A combination of all the above." A Legend's Birthday The family honors Teddi's dad, music legend John Mellencamp, in October 2024. "Happy birthday, Dads," she wrote. "It was a gift to be able to spend time with you at the @capitalchallengehorseshow over the weekend. But the last slide is really the gift that keeps on giving. Love you, @johnmellencamp." Grandpa Time Slate, Dove and Cruz enjoy a day with grandpa. Family Reunion "Grandpa is 93 and he still will get picked before me for teams in our family football game," the Bravo alum shared on Instagram. "But I think the even bigger discourse in the fam is pumpkin or apple pie. Which do you prefer?" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Happy Turkeys Teddi celebrates Thanksgiving 2024 with her three kids. Christmas 2024 "The North Pole comes to SoCal!" Teddi shared with a festive photo. Happy New Year "Raise your hand if you dont realize you are celebrating the ball drop at 9PM PST," Teddi shared on New Year's Eve in 2024. "Who lets their kiddos stay up until midnight local time on NYE (and how do you do it)?" Dove Turns 5 "Happy birthday to my miracle baby," the Two T's in a Pod cohost wrote in February 2025. "Hard to believe its been 5 years since you made our lives better and brighter. But no matter how grown you get, youll always be My Baby Dovey." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Smashing Machines Emily Blunt recently revealed details about her next project with costar Dwayne Johnson: a Hawaii-set mob movie helmed by Martin Scorsese. Before The Smashing Machine, Blunt and Johnson starred in the 2021 fantasy action film Jungle Cruise. Emily Blunt teases Dwayne Johnsons role in Martin Scorseses Hawaii-set mob movie Emily Blunt discussed her upcoming collaboration with Dwayne Johnson and Martin Scorsese at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills at the premiere of her new film, The Smashing Machine (via Deadline). Blunt dubbed the project an astonishing story. She said, Were developing it right now. Its a really astonishing story. Its the last great American mob story, and I cant believe it hasnt been told yet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Academy Award nominee teased that Johnsons character in the movie would be terribly exciting for the Red One star to dig into. She added, So, its being written, were working on it. And thats the wonderful part, is building it. Scorseses pitch for the project compares Johnsons character to Robert De Niros Jimmy Conway from Goodfellas. It also details that the project will be set in the 60s and 70s and will revolve around an aspiring mob boss who battle encroaching rivals for control of organized crime on the islands. Wilford Nappy Pulawa reportedly serves as inspiration for the mob boss in question. Nick Bilton is writing the script. According to a February 2025 report from Deadline, Leonardo DiCaprio is also part of the project as a cast member and producer. DiCaprio is a frequent collaborator of Scorsese. Earlier this month, various outlets, including ComingSoon, reported that the pair would work on a StudioCanal movie alongside Jennifer Lawrence. That is a different project from the one featuring Blunt and Johnson. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In March 2025, a separate Deadline report stated that Disney was close to securing the rights to the Hawaii-based period crime drama. It currently doesnt have a release date. Originally reported by Tamal Kundu on ComingSoon. The post Emily Blunt Hypes up New Dwayne Johnson & Martin Scorsese Mob Movie With Astonishing Story appeared first on Mandatory. EXCLUSIVE: Luke Brawleys nonfiction agency Indox has boarded two new titles, Jaripeo by Efrain Mojica and Rebecca Zweig, and Scarlet Girls by Paula Cury. Both films are feature documentary debuts and are currently in post-production. Indox will handle worldwide festival representation for both films. More from Deadline Advertisement Advertisement Jaripeo is directed by Efrain Mojica and Rebecca Zweig and produced by Sarah Strunin. Set in the rural rodeos of Michoacanlong considered a bastion of machismothe film reframes this highly traditional space by centering queer rancheros who navigate desire and identity. Synopsis reads: Through a lyrical blend of memory, verite, and poetic imagery, the protagonists navigate the rodeos hypermasculine tradition to find belonging within their community and within themselves. We were drawn to working with INDOX because of how filmmaker-friendly Luke is, the Jaripeo film team said in a statement. Since we first met him at Sheffield over a year ago, hes really understood and supported the vision for Jaripeo. Were grateful to be part of his slate of films that embrace risk and experimentation, and were excited to keep working with him to bring this film into the world. The second new addition, Scarlet Girls, is directed and produced by Paula Cury, with Samuel DiDonato also producing, and Natalia Imaz and Omar Lara on board as co-producers. Set in the Dominican Republic, the film confronts the challenges of womanhood in a country where abortion remains criminalized. Advertisement Advertisement The synopsis reads: Through intimate access and evocative visual language, Scarlet Girls follows women as they navigate the stigma of abortion, the realities of forced motherhood, and the difficult choices imposed by a system that denies them autonomy over their own bodies. Due to the controversial nature of its subject matter, Scarlet Girls took a long time to complete. It only feels fair to partner with experienced collaborators who will embrace the project with excitement, vision, and care, as Luke/INDOX has done, Cury said in a statement. He believed in us and the film even before it was finished, so it felt right to bring him along on our team as we enter this next phase of festivals and distribution. Mojica is a photographer, filmmaker, and performance artist from Michoacan. Their work has been shown in galleries around the world, including in Berlin, Barcelona, and Mexico City. Zweig is a filmmaker, journalist, and poet based in Mexico City. She is a graduate of the Iowa Writers Workshop, where she was a Teaching and Writing Fellow. Jaripeo received a Sundance Institute grant. Advertisement Advertisement Cury is a Dominican film producer and director. Her short documentary Adrift won the Best Documentary Short at the Flickers Rhode Island Film Festival. Scarlet Girls won the Berlinale World Cinema Fund and is finalizing postproduction. Best of Deadline Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Perus most prominent production company, Tondero, run by Miguel Valladares, has officially set up an outpost in Madrid, following its fifth co-production in Spain, the upcoming A Family (Una familia) by celebrated Spanish actor-writer Ricardo Gomez (Las aguas mansas) in his first directorial outing. With A Family, Tondero lays the groundwork for its new office in Madrid, which will facilitate its access to Spains filming incentives and co-production treaties with other countries. Tondero Espana is currently developing two feature films and a series for streaming services. More from Variety Advertisement Advertisement Tonderos move follows the lead of other Latin American companies, most recently by Chiles Clara Films of Chile. Tondero recently co-produced Salvador del Solars Ramon y Ramon with Pedro and Agustin Almodovars El Deseo. The romantic drama was theatrically released in Peru and Spain following its world premiere at the 2024 San Sebastian Film Festival. It also has a series in development with El Deseo and Infinity Hill, based on the hostage crisis that took place at the Japanese embassy in Lima in 1996. A Family brings together a strong team of producers: El Desorden Crea, founded by Elite creator Carlos Montero, Lagrimas Films, headed by Diego Betancor (Elite, Respira) and Estela Films, led by Felix Tusell (El Trono). The project also has the backing of Spanish broadcaster RTVE, Movistar Plus+ and funding from national film agency ICAA and the Madrid region. Filmax will handle distribution. Advertisement Advertisement With filming set to begin shortly, this marks another step in Tonderos strategy to build strong creative ties in Spain, working alongside some of the countrys top producers. Im truly excited about this project not only because its a beautiful and deeply personal story told by Ricardo Gomez, who at such a young age opens his heart to a narrative that I personally connect with, but also because I get to co-produce it with Diego Betancor, a fantastic Spanish producer Ive been wanting to work with for years. Its finally happening, and I couldnt be happier. I believe well form a great team, and this also strengthens my mission to bring more Peruvian talent to Spain, Valladares told Variety. . He has been in Madrid for the 5th Iberseries & Platino Industria and for a round of meetings. A Family follows three interconnected stories from one family: a former child actor caught between fiction and reality, a prisoner on temporary leave and a woman overwhelmed during her childs baptism. Set across different times, these stories explore identity, bound by blood and a life-changing decision. Best of Variety Sign up for Variety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Taylor Swift is officially in a new era. After finishing the Eras Tour, her international stadium tour that celebrated each of her previous albums and the eras of her life they represent, Swift is entering a whole new era. Her twelfth studio album just released titled "The Life of a Showgirl." Here's what to know. Is Taylor Swift's new album out? Yes, Swift's brand new album, "The Life of a Showgirl," released at midnight on Friday, Oct. 3. Advertisement Advertisement The album features 12 new songs, including one song that features Sabrina Carpenter. For this album, she worked exclusively with producers Max Martin and Shellback. They have previously worked together on several of her hits including "I Knew You Were Trouble," "22," "Blank Space" and "Shake It Off." She wrote the album while she was on her record-breaking Eras Tour, where she sold out stadiums for multiple nights in cities around the world, including two nights in Cincinnati in 2023 and three nights in Indianapolis in 2024. What are Taylor Swift's new songs called? The track list for "The Life of a Showgirl" is as follows: The Fate of Ophelia Elizabeth Taylor Opalite Father Figure Eldest Daughter Ruin The Friendship Actually Romantic Wi$h Li$t Wood CANCELLED! Honey The Life of Showgirl (feat. Sabrina Carpenter) Where to buy 'The Life of a Showgirl' Fans can pick up a vinyl pressing, CD or even cassette of the album on Swift's website, store.taylorswift.com, your favorite local record store likely has copies and Target has its own unique pressing and album cover only available at their stores. Taylor Swift will release her 12th studio album "The Life of a Showgirl on Oct. 3, 2025. Shown is "The Life of a Showgirl: The Crowd is Your King" edition (Summertime Spritz Pink Shimmer Vinyl, Target Exclusive). Which songs on 'The Life of a Showgirl' are about Travis Kelce? Fans have already theorized that several tracks on the new album are about Swift's now fiance, Travis Kelce. Advertisement Advertisement The Kansas City Chiefs tight end proposed to Swift in August. It was announced shortly after her podcast debut on Kelce's show "New Heights" that he hosts with his brother, Jason Kelce. "The Fate of Ophelia," "Opalite," "Wi$h Li$t," "Wood" and "Honey" are believed to reference Kelce and their relationship. Travis Kelce appears at 150th Kentucky Derby Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce cheers on Lord Bullingdon and Noted in the ninth race of the 150th Kentucky Derby day at Churchill Downs on Saturday, May 4, 2024. Kelce appeared at Churchill Downs for the 2024 Kentucky Derby, and several on the internet poked fun at his outfit. One X user asked if he was "running a speakeasy?" while another said his attire had an "old Hollywood" feel to it. Travis Kelce buys into race horse with 'Swift' in its name following Kentucky Derby appearance After appearing at Kentucky Derby 150, Team Valor announced in August of 2024 that Kelce acquired a significant share of a racing horse whose name bears resemblance to his now fiance. The horse is named Swift Delivery, and during the first year of his career in 2023, he earned just over $8,000. Advertisement Advertisement In 2024, he earned almost nine times that amount and at close to $72,000, according to EquiBase. Swift Delivery: Taylor Swift wasn't at the 2024 Derby, but Travis Kelce was, and now he owns this horse. Taylor Swift's album review USA TODAY released a review of the new album, "The Life of a Showgirl." Click the link below to read it. USA TODAY music review: Taylor Swift ups her game again on playful 'Life of a Showgirl' Taylor Swift: Taylor Swift engaged to Travis Kelce. About his last Kentucky Derby appearance and his 'swift' horse How many albums does Taylor Swift have? "The Life of a Showgirl" is Swift's twelfth studio album. IndyStar and Midwest Connect reporter Katie Wiseman contributed. Reach Marina Johnson at Marina.Johnson@courier-journal.com. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Taylor Swift's 'The Life of a Showgirl' is now available. More about album Before Norman Bates in Psycho, Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs, and Leatherface in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, there was Ed Gein. Known as the Butcher of Plainfield, Edward Theodore Gein was viewed by his Wisconsin neighbors as a mild-mannered, if slightly eccentric, handyman and farmer. He was also a murderer and body snatcher who used the skin of his victims to make clothing and crafts. Geins shocking crimes became widely known and had a profound impact on pop culture and true crime. His notoriety became the building block of the archetype of the monster next door the loner who seems harmless but is committing some kind of appalling act behind closed doors. It seems inevitable that Gein be the subject of Ryan Murphys Monster series. Available on Netflix beginning Friday, Oct. 3, the third season of Murphys anthology series features Charlie Hunnam as Ed Gein and Laurie Metcalf as his mother, Augusta Gein. The cast also includes Addison Rae as alleged victim Evelyn Hartley, Tom Hollander as Alfred Hitchcock and Joey Pollari as Psycho star Anthony Perkins. SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox Charlie Hunnam as Ed Gein in Monster: The Ed Gein Story.Courtesy of Netflix Who was Ed Gein? Ed Gein was a body snatcher and murderer who robbed graves and fashioned clothing and accessories from the skin of corpses. He confessed to the murder of two women and was suspected of more crimes but was diagnosed with schizophrenia and found not guilty by reasons of insanity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gein was born on Aug. 27, 1906, to a violent alcoholic father, George Gein, and religious zealot mother, Augusta. The younger of two sons, Gein lost his father in 1940 to a heart attack and his older brother Henry Gein in 1944 under suspicious conditions (Henry was reported missing before being found dead, but no official investigation was conducted nor was an autopsy performed). Following Henrys death, Gein was left alone with his mother. Determined to protect her sons from temptation, Augusta had isolated the brothers, denying them any opportunity to form friendships with their classmates. Augusta had a profound impact on Gein, who developed an unhealthy dependence on her. A religious fanatic, she was puritanical to the point of cruelty in her opinions on alcohol and women, and an Oedipus complex inevitably formed.Gein cared for her as she suffered two strokes, dying from the second in 1945. Gein was the inspiration for Robert Blochs novel Psycho, later adapted into Alfred Hitchcocks iconic 1960 film. Characteristics of Gein are also seen in the characters Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs,who made a woman from the skin of his victims, and Leatherface in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, who crafted a mask the same way. What crimes did Ed Gein commit? Shortly after Augustas death, Gein closed off her rooms in the house, forming a macabre shrine. He began studying anatomy and visiting local graveyards at night, robbing at least nine different graves. His crimes werent discovered until 12 years later in1957. The police visited Geins home while investigating the disappearance of Bernice Worden, the manager of a local hardware store, and the truth about his horrifying habits was revealed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Worden disappeared, her son Frank Worden, who was a deputy sheriff, immediately suspected Gein. When police searched his home, they found Wordens body hanging in his barn, beheaded. The remains of local tavern owner Mary Hogan,who had disappeared in 1954, were also discovered, along a collectionof gruesome keepsakes from Geins crimes. Ed Gein in the Wabsara county courtBettmann / Contributor via Getty Heads had been made into soup bowls, and organs were stored in the refrigerator. Some of Geins chairs were upholstered with human skin. The police also found assorted pieces of human skin used to make masks and belts; 10 skins of human heads; skulls mounted on bedposts; and a box of noses. Gein confessed to the murders of Worden and Hogan and exhuming corpses from several graves. He created a woman suit with the skins of the corpses in an attempt tobecomehis mother. When questioned, Gein said he murdered Worden and Hogan because the cold Wisconsin weather made it too difficult to rob graves. Gein was diagnosed with schizophrenia following his arrest. He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity and was declared unfit for trial. Instead of jail, he was committed to the Central State Hospital for the Criminally Insane in Waupun, Wis. In 1968, he stood trial for Wordens murder after being declared mentally competent. He was found guilty but ruled insane and transferred to the Mendota Mental Health Institute in Madison. He was never charged for grave robbing nor the murder of Hogan. Related: Ryan Murphys Monster Anthology Returns for Season 3 With The Ed Gein Story This Fall Did Ed Gein kill his brother? Monster Season 3 portrays Henry as Ed's first kill, after he playfully, yet fatally, bludgeons him over the head with a log. In reality, the surroundings of Henry's death are more mysterious. He was reported missing for some time before his body was found, and no autopsy was performed to determine the cause of death. Chalk this up to a creative liberty Murphy and company chose to take for the show. Did Ed Gein kill his mother? While Ed Geins mother undoubtedly had a profound impact on her son and undoubtedly contributed to his decline in mental health,she was not a victim of her sons crimes. A strict, domineering and fanatically religiouswoman, Augusta was the subject of her sons unhealthy obsession.Her death in 1945 is considered the impetus of Eds crimes especially given his two admitted victims physically resembled her. Home of serial killer Ed Gein in Plainfield in Wisconsin in 1957. Bettmann / Contributor via Getty Did Ed Gein kill Adeline Watkins? The majority of Monser Season 3 revolves around Ed's perverse romance with Adeline Watkins (Suzanne Son). She is the only person not to react adversely to his gruesome activities, and even helps support him. In real life, however, she claims she eventually distanced herself from him after his criminal activity was exposed. Where is Ed Geins house? Ed Gein was born in La Crosse County, Wis., in 1906, and he lived there with his father, mother and brother, Henry, until 1941 when his family moved to Plainfield. The family lived in an isolated farmhouse, where Gein preserved a disturbing shrine to his mother, Augusta, and where he stored souvenirs of his crimes. Was Ed Gein a cannibal? Ed Gein committed some truly horrifying crimes, but cannibalism was not one of them. He made a body suit, along with furniture and other strange objects from the body parts of his victims, but, from what is known, he did not eat their flesh. When did Ed Gein die? Ed Gein died on July 26, 1984, at the Mendota Mental Health Institute in Madison, Wis. He was 77 years old. Charlie Hunnam and Ryan Murphy attend the Netflix's 'Monster: The Ed Gein Story' New York premiereSantiago Felipe/Getty Images Who plays Ed Gein in Monster? Monster: The Ed Gein Story premieres on Netflix on Friday, Oct. 3, with Charlie Hunnam playing Ed Gein. Ryan Murphys anthology series also features Laurie Metcalf as his mother, Augusta; Tom Hollander as Alfred Hitchcock; and Addison Rae as alleged victim Evelyn Hartley. This story was originally reported by Parade on Oct 3, 2025, where it first appeared in the TV section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Adriana de Moura brought an unexpected plus-one to The Real Housewives of Miami's Season 7 reunion but he got kicked out before the sitdown even got underway. As if Adriana's finale performance of "I Love My Dog" didn't already provide enough evidence of how much her poodle, Basquiat, means to her, she presented Exhibit B on RHOM's Reunion Part 1. As she and her castmates arrived on the New York City set, Adriana took her seat with her "emotional support dog" cradled in her arm. Sadly, host Andy Cohen quickly broke the news that Adriana would have to face her castmates without backup. RELATED: Stephanie Shojaee Reveals Unseen Details of the RHOM Finale Party: "This Is Tea" (EXCLUSIVE) "Adriana, they won't let you keep your pooch on the set," he announced, immediately prompting Guerdy Abraira to fire back, "Why not?!" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As Andy explained, "It's too chaotic." Why Adriana de Moura's dog, Basquiat, came up at the RHOM reunion Adriana De Moura and her pet dog sitting on the RHOM Season 7 reunion couch Even though Basquiat was instantly escorted backstage, he still managed to be the topic of conversation twice more during RHOM's Oct. 2 episode. First, the Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen host referenced Basquiat's humping incident involving Lisa Hochstein during a Season 7 photo shoot, asking Adriana if she or her dog "has a higher sex drive." "Basquiat," Adriana answered, without hesitation, to which Andy admitted, "I mean, Basquiat did pretty well." Later, when Julia Lemigova confessed that former bestie Adriana was never "in contention" to be a godmother to her and wife Martina Navratilova's two adopted sons, Jaxon and Luca, Basquiat's name entered the chat once again. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Where the RHOM Cast Stands After Season 7: Shocking Splits, Family Updates & More (EXCLUSIVE) "That's like the deepest dagger in my heart," Adriana responded, pointing out how she had vouched for Julia and Martina during their adoption process. "I asked you to be the godmother of Basquiat my baby." Andy, meanwhile, questioned if dogs even have godparents. "I said, if something ever happened to me, I wanted her to take Basqui," Adriana explained to him. "I love him with all my heart." Inside Adriana de Moura and Julia Lemigova's RHOM reunion confrontation A split of Adriana De Moura and Julia Lemigova at The Real Housewives of Miami Season 7 Reunion. That perceived slight turned out to be symptomatic of some much larger issues looming between Adriana and Julia amid their friendship's demise, though. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "When Julia and Adriana first met, they were so obsessed with each other, they actually got friend-gaged," Andy said, before introducing a retrospective video package on the duo's highs and lows. "But now, shifting friendships have everyone wondering if the honeymoon is officially over." After the clips rolled, the WWHL host asked Adriana if it was "fair" to assume that Julia's newfound closeness with Alexia Nepola and Marysol Patton "was the catalyst for the division" in their friendship. "I feel like when she started to be friends with Alexia, I was fine with it," Adriana eventually answered, following some initial interjections from Julia. "Alexia wasn't instigating Julia, but then, when Marysol got in the picture, Julia transformed herself and she took a... dive on the dark side. And I couldn't even recognize her anymore." As Adriana saw it, there was "something underneath" that was "changing" Julia, or "maybe enabling her to bring her true self out." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That's when Andy gave Julia the opportunity to share her side of the story and she dropped a major bombshell, in the process. "I would like to say something that will bring clarity, hopefully, on why we are with Adriana where we are," Julia began, before making the reveal. "In the Hamptons, Adriana and I slept together." Though Julia made the allegation about her and Adriana which seemingly occurred during the RHOM Season 4 cast trip to New York's Long Island in the episode's final moments, viewers at least had the chance to see the stunned cast's (and Andy's) eyes bulge and jaws drop, as some even let out shocked gasps. Unfortunately for Adriana, Basquiat wasn't there to protect her from the explosive accusation. Get more with Bravo Insider Sign up for Bravo Insider and read behind-the-scenes features including: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cynthia Bailey Unpacks the Differences Between Filming RHOA and RHOBH: "Night and Day" Receipts, Proof, Timeline, Screenshots: A Complete Guide According to Bravolebs Brittany Cartwright Reveals the Real Reason She Wore That Tiny Romper to a Job Interview: "Backfired" Angela Oakley on the RHOA Beef She Squashed "Too Soon" & What You Didnt See at the Reunion Confessional Interviews 101: What Bravolebs Eat, How They Prepare & More Behind-the-Scenes Secrets As you await to hear Adriana's response to Julia, take a sneak peek at even more RHOM Season 7 reunion drama to come. Fall is here. The water's cooling off, but it still retains a few hints of that summer warmth. October is one of the best months to be a surfer in the northern hemisphere. Swells out of the Pacific and Atlantic are becoming more consistent for the top half of the globe, with plenty of options for surf zones to have their day in the sun. October can be seen as a transitional month. We are moving away from summer but still a couple of months away from the depths of winterwhen thicker wetsuits may be pulled out from dusty garages. The fall tends to see thinner crowds, too, as the busy summer season has fully wound down. With this in mind, here are your best bets of where to surf in October. Lower Trestles, Southern California Lower Trestles, Southern California. Lowers comes alive in October. A combination of swells and decent wind is prevalent throughout the month, meaning you're more likely to score here before winter settles in. South swells out of the Pacific become more frequent as the month rolls on, too. That is one of the best aspects of Lowers: if there's a whiff of a south swell, it will wrap into the jointbut so too will everyone within a 10-mile radius. Watch for a favorable east wind. If it veers south, just forget about it and save it for another day. You're better off heading elsewhere, as Lowers will crumble under it. Related: Night Surfing Lower Trestles on Illuminated Surfboard (Video) Hossegor, France Hossegor, France. Fast, hollow and heavy really sums up the experience of Hossegor in October. La Nord is easily one of the best waves in the Old Continent, but it can be temperamental, and hunting an overhead barrel can be like finding a needle in a haystack when the sand is failing to cooperate. When it does, though, the wave klaxon will sound as dozens of Europe's best surfers fill the shoreline. Just avoid La Graviere for a while; the sand hasn't been good there since 2020. North Nicaragua Nicaragua. October is more of a shoulder season for Central America's wave-rich Nicaragua. It may be slower than the peak swell season of summer, but October still delivers plenty of great surf opportunities, minus the big crowds. Southern hemisphere swells are still occurring around Australia that can send pulses towards Nicaragua. The downside of surfing Nicaragua in October, however, is the rain. Rains can be heavy, causing run-off that turns the water a deep shade of brown. So while the swells are there, you might not be able to access them. It's not that you can't score in Octoberit's more that you need the conditions to align. When they do, Nicaragua is a brilliant surf zone. Miramar, the country's throttling left-hand point break, shines with a southwest swell, of which October has plenty. Look for long-period energy to really kick the joint off. Related: Filipe Toledo Unloads In Freesurfing Highlight Reel (Video) Ericeira, Portugal Ericeira, Portugal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From the right-hand point break powerhouse of Coxos to the hellish paddle-out and take-off combo of Cave, Ericeira is fabulous in October. At this time of year, the North Atlantic is hyperactive. Swells can stem from powerful hurricanes that are born off the coast of Africa, head to the Caribbean, spin up the east coast and boomerang back across the Atlantic, sending waves to Europe. With Portugal's western coastline directly in the swell path, it laps up any bump in energy out of the ocean and delivers some of the greatest waves on the planet this time of year. North Shore, Oahu North Shore, Oahu. Traditionally, winter is the best month to visit the North Shore, but don't write off October just yet. October can be a bit of a mixed bag: flat, solid, XXL and everything in between. North swells from the North Pacific begin to filter through, with the prevalent swell switching to a more northwest angle across the winter. But October can be special in Hawaii. The crowds thin out after the summer tourists leave and before the pros turn up for their six weeks in paradise. The wind is far more favorable in October than in the summer months, and it gets progressively better into January. You're also equally likely to score fun and pumping surfit really is a coin toss depending on the mood of the north Pacific. West Coast of Ireland Mully isn't for the casual surfer. Ireland is a glorious surf zone, and October is when it shines brightest. Deep swells out of the North Atlantic detonate across the Emerald Isle's west coast, making for some of the best spots in the northern hemisphere. There's a reason why some of the best surfers in the world make an annual pilgrimage to the land of Guinness. Arguably, the highlight is Mullaghmore, Ireland's premier slab that churns out thunderous moving mountains of water for only the hardiest of surf souls. There are many other dazzling waves across the country, as well, especially along the Wild Atlantic Way. Take Bundoran, for example. The Peak is a horseshoe-shaped wave with a left-hander that can spin off into the distance. When it starts to ramp up in size, the left is a no-go, but the right comes alive and spits you out into a deep channel. It's definitely worth the five or six millimeters of rubber you'll need to wrap up in. Related: Bombs Galore, Roller Coaster Shows Ireland Going Off This story was originally reported by Surfer on Oct 3, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Surfer as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Chili may have its roots in Mexican cuisine, but this humble stew, always made with some sort of chile pepper, is uniquely North American and its as diverse as the places in which it's made. From beefy, beanless Texas red to the creamy white chicken chili found in the Southwest, theres a chili to suit every taste. Chile was more than a favorite flavoring for Mesoamericans," says Robb Walsh, author of The Chili Cookbook: A History of the One-Pot Classic. Along with the vitamins and minerals contained in chile peppers, the peppers also acted as a preservative. Related: How the Scoville Scale Works and Where Your Favorite Chiles Fall Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Modern chilis story began around the 1880s, with the Chili Queens of San Antonio, a group of women who started selling chili from roadside stands over mesquite fires in San Antonios public plazas like Military Plaza and Market Square. "The idea that spicy foods incite illicit passions was part of [chili]s early allure. " Robb Walsh, author of The Chili Cookbook: A History of the One-Pot Classic The chili stands of San Antonios Laredito barrio were located on the edge of the red light district, explains Walsh. The city was a popular tourist destination, and the district was a place where people from all walks of life, both high and low, tended to gather. The idea that spicy foods incite illicit passions was part of the dishs early allure. Increased regulation eventually shut the chili stands down in the 1930s, but helped to solidify chili as a dish of its own. In 1896, Texas-based German immigrant William Wille Gebhardt trademarked Eagle Brand Chili Powder, a proprietary blend that was likely made with common chili spices like ground chiles, cumin, oregano, and black pepper. Chili powders with ingredients like garlic powder and paprika took off. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So what is modern chili? The International Chili Society has categories for traditional red (red chile peppers and no beans); homestyle (beans required); and chili verde (made with green chile peppers). Beyond those unofficial definitions, curious and tasty regional variations abound that are worth tracking down. Here are eight of the most interesting and flavorful regional chilis from around the country and where to try them. Todd Taulman / 500px / Getty Images Texas: chili con carne (aka Texas red) Chili con carne is one of the earliest versions of the modern dish we call chili. The name hearkens back to early Mexican dishes that called for spicing cooked game meat, such as venison, with the fruit from the native chile pepper plant where all modern peppers come from. Its often (but not always) made without tomatoes, and is more focused on larger chunks of stew meat cooked in a spicy sauce. Most Texans consider true chili con carne to be made without beans and it even became the state dish of the Lone Star State in 1977. One of the great popularizers of this dish was midcentury journalist and author Frank X. Tolbert, who wrote numerous stories and a book about it. You can find his version at Tolberts Restaurant in Grapevine, Texas. Related: An Essential Guide to Texas Barbecue Illinois: tavern-style chili The most historic spot to enjoy a bowl of tavern chili is The Dew Chilli Parlor, which introduced the dish when it opened its doors in 1909 in Springfield, Illinois. The restaurant has been serving bowls of tavern chili to state politicians, locals, and visitors ever since. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Today, the dish can also be found across the state at restaurants like Lawsons and Smittys. Also called Springfield Chilli (yes, with two Ls) by locals, its often made with ground beef, beans, and tomatoes. It uses dried chili powder and plenty of cumin. One distinguishing ingredient is beef suet, an unprocessed fat that is often rendered into tallow. Indiana: Hoosier chili Indianas contributions to the lexicon of peppery meat-and-bean stews might not be as well-known as others, but the Hoosier state is one of the earliest proponents of an untraditional chili ingredient: pasta. Though southern Ohio may be better known for chili over spaghetti (more on that below), Indianapolis residents were suggesting noodles both long and short as a budget-minded way to stretch a pot of stew as early as 1908. Today, Hoosiers have happily added tomato soup, cans of vegetable juice, potatoes, and more add-ins to the mix. You can get a bowl of Indiana chili (minus the pasta) in a bowl or served over a burger or fries at our favorite fast-food restaurant in the state: Schoops Hamburgers. bhofack2 / Getty Images Ohio: Cincinnati chili In 1922, brothers Tom and John Kiradjieff began serving a Greek-style spiced meat sauce over hot dogs, and then eventually over spaghetti, to residents in the Queen City. Over 100 years later, Skyline Chili and its competitor, Gold Star Chili, both dominate the fast-food scene in Southern Ohio, each with its own distinct version of the chili. It has also been adopted by numerous local restaurants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cincinnati chili is more of a sauce or topping than a standalone stew, but it has more in common with Texas red than other chilis. Its made exclusively with ground beef and typically uses chili powder rather than fresh chiles. Its real distinction is the combination of other spices, which can include clove, allspice, nutmeg, and particularly cinnamon (though apparently not chocolate, despite rumors). While beans arent in the chili, theyre sometimes a topping. Order Cincinnati chili three-way for chili with spaghetti and cheese, four-way for the addition of either onions or beans, or five-way for both. Hawaii: Zippys chili Francis and Charles Higa opened the first Zippys restaurant in Honolulu in 1966, serving a particularly Hawaiian brand of fast food that blends American, Japanese, Korean, Native Hawaiian, and Chinese dishes. The chain grew quickly and now has 22 locations across the islands and one (since 2023) in Las Vegas. Zippys signature dish is chili served with rice customers buy more than 100 tons of it per month, according to the restaurants website. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Related: 16 Recipes That Channel the Flavors of Hawai'i Zippys keeps its chili recipe closely guarded, but that hasnt stopped numerous fans from trying to recreate the slightly tangy concoction at home with ground beef, Portuguese sausage, and pinto beans. Many people claim it must include mayonnaise. Others have sworn it has a touch of ginger. All agree that it's a uniquely creamy, not too spicy, and flavorful concoction. rudisill / Getty Images Midwest/Southwest: white chicken chili While there are many variations of white chili across the country, it does have some generally agreed-upon elements. Instead of beef or pork, it is made with chicken or another type of poultry. In lieu of red beans, this chili uses white beans such as chickpeas or Great Northern. White chili tends to omit tomatoes, though it may include tomatillos. It is mostly made with fresh or canned green chile peppers, and it often includes cream and plenty of cheese. According to Walsh, the first print mention of white chili came in a 1984 cookbook by the Junior League of Kansas City. The recipe caught on quickly, both with home cooks looking to make a lighter dish without the red meat and with white-tablecloth restaurants wanting to offer a more refined version. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Related: Marry Me White Chicken Chili By the early 1990s, health-focused magazines such as Cooking Light and Weight Watchers were featuring low-calorie, low-fat versions, while Bon Appetit featured a version from now-closed Louisville, Kentucky, restaurant Timothys. Others touted the white chicken chili from Washington D.C.s Bistro Bistro, another departed restaurant. Today the flavorful combination of cream, chicken, green chile peppers, and white beans mostly shows up on recipe websites. Because of the fresh green chile peppers and tomatillo, white chicken chili is now most often associated with the Southwest. New Mexico: Hatch chili verde Hatch green chile peppers are closely associated with New Mexico (especially the town of Hatch, where they're grown), where the distinctively tangy and spicy peppers are involved in dozens of regional dishes, including salsas, burgers, enchiladas, queso dips, and more. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Like white chili, Hatch chili verde tends to eschew beef. The main protein is most often pork, and youll also almost never find tomatoes or beans. Typically, the dish begins with a sauce made of Hatch green chiles and tomatillos as well as cumin and garlic; the pork is stewed in the sauce until tender. Try it at The Shed in Santa Fe or Duran Central Pharmacy in Albuquerque. bhofack2 / Getty Images Colorado: green chili New Mexicos northern neighbor has not been content to sit idly by while the state claims all the chile pepper fame. The town of Pueblo, Colorado, has been growing its own green pepper, aptly named the Pueblo chile, for generations, since at least the early 1900s. The states restaurants mainly use the chiles for a chili-like sauce to smother dishes like burritos or burgers. Versions abound with proteins like pork and chicken at restaurants such as Savinas Mexican Kitchen (formerly known as La Loma) in Denver and Castle Rock and El Taco de Mexico in Denver. Read the original article on Food & Wine The awe-inspiring Swiss Alps often combine amazing scenery with quaint towns, creating little slices of heaven between the snow-capped peaks. Switzerland's nature has even inspired the names of beautiful places in other parts of the world, such as Bohemian Switzerland National Park, a hidden gem of Czechia. In the United States, there is a region known as the "Swiss Alps" of Oregon. Tucked inside this pristine, mountainous section of land is the small town of Joseph. While tourism and population increases are causing some U.S. towns to lose their small-town spirit, Joseph has seemed to remain under the radar. A visit brings you close to scenic drives through peaks and valleys, outdoor adventures ranging from relaxing to challenging, camping, and unique activities related to the town's history. It may seem remote, but nearby Interstate 82 connects it to other parts of the state. Hells Canyon Scenic Byway incorporates part of this highway and Joseph as well. Therefore, Joseph is the perfect addition to a scenic road trip in Oregon. Read more: Old-School American Towns That Are Still Full Of Fun 1950s Charm Discover important parts of Oregon's history in Joseph statue of indigenous man, trees, wooden building - Benedek/Getty Images Among the unique details of Joseph are its bronze statues. Businessman Glen Anderson set up a bronze foundry for local artists to use in 1982 and this medium has been a mainstay of the town's art scene ever since. Spot these bronze statues in downtown Joseph and in art galleries like Aspen Grove Gallery. The subjects of these statues include wildlife native to the region, cowboys, and Indigenous people. The statue of Chief Joseph (pictured above) on Main Street is also an important reminder of eastern Oregon's Nez Perce tribal history. Chief Joseph was a celebrated 19th-century Nez Perce leader who lived at a time when the Nez Perce were sadly pushed out of their homelands by settlers. Joseph's bronze foundry is now called Valley Bronze of Oregon and is open to the public. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For more glimpses into the history of this part of Oregon, head to the Maxville Heritage Interpretive Center (MHIC) in Joseph. Maxville was a town further north in Oregon and the MHIC works to keep the stories of its former residents alive. Logging was a major draw for Maxville and this line of work attracted indigenous, immigrant, and African American laborers. Descendants of these loggers helped create the MHIC. Pedal through beautiful landscapes on railroad carts tourists waving on railroad pedal carts, grass and trees - Joseph Branch Railriders/Facebook Oregon is one of the top West Coast destinations for fun outdoor adventures, and Joseph is no exception. Joseph's railroad history dates back to the late 19th century and has created a unique means of exploration. Enjoy Joseph and its surrounding nature by booking a rail-riding trip with Joseph Branch Railriders. Pedal on railroad carts (some equipped with electric assistance) to get sweeping views of mountains, rivers, and untouched nature right from the town itself. You'll also hopefully spot wildlife like elk and birds. To best take advantage of a Joseph Branch Railriders experience, check the organization's website for availability. The company only operates May through September and during these months, you don't want to arrive on a day that is already fully booked. It is also important to see which trip best matches your comfort level, as there are one hour and two hour round trip options. Regardless of the route you choose, you'll quickly see why a railroad cart adventure with Joseph Branch Railriders boasts a nearly five-star rating on Google and Trip Advisor. Find more incredible scenery just minutes from Joseph gondola cars coming up a hill, mountains in distance - Jessie Kirk Photography/Shutterstock A 10 minute drive south on Highway 351 out of Joseph takes you to Wallowa Lake State Park. This is one of Oregon's most enchanting natural gems with Switzerland-like views. Camping here is quite popular. You can book RV sites with full electric and water hook-ups, tent sites, and even yurts. Whether you camp here or just visit for a day trip, enjoying the beautiful water of Wallowa Lake is a must. Rent kayaks, canoes, stand-up paddleboards, or even motorized boats at this beloved state park. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wallowa Lake State Park is right next to Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. Get a unique perspective on this part of Oregon by taking a ride on the Wallowa Lake Tramway. Just a 15 minute trip brings you 3,700 feet up to the top of Mt. Howard. Aside from amazing views, there is even a restaurant at the top of this mountain. Enjoy pub food and drinks at The Summit Grill while you take in the peaks and valleys below. However, keep in mind that the Wallowa Lake Tramway only operates from May through September. Book tickets online ahead of your visit. Hike in the Wallowa Mountains and Eagle Cap Wilderness mountain peaks, light snow, clouds - Jessie Kirk Photography/Shutterstock Joseph is the perfect home base for an adventure through the Wallowa Mountains and Eagle Cap Wilderness, which are both part of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. Here you'll find hiking trails to mountain peaks like Sacagawea Peak and Matterhorn. Find access to both from the Wallowa Lake Trailhead at the southern end of Wallowa Lake. Chief Joseph Mountain is another notable peak to summit, and is closer to Wallowa Lake than Sacagawea Peak and Matterhorn. Get to this mountain's trailhead by driving past the Hurricane Creek campground. From the Hurricane Creek trailhead, take either Twin Creek or Thorp Creek trails to reach Chief Joseph Mountain. If you plan to take on any of these strenuous, yet incredibly rewarding hikes, be sure to obtain a Northwest Forest Pass in order to park at any of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest parking areas. You'll need another permit for national forest camping, but you can get these at the national forest's trailheads. Ready to discover more hidden gems and expert travel tips? Subscribe to our free newsletter for access to the world's best-kept travel secrets. Read the original article on Explore. Key Points The U.S. government wants to boost domestic lithium supply in the nation. It just bought a stake in Lithium Americas to advance its key lithium project. Can Standard Lithium be the next target? 10 stocks we like better than Standard Lithium Standard Lithium (NYSEMKT: SLI) stock surged 10% through 11:30 a.m. ET Wednesday following the explosive rally in shares of rival Lithium Americas (NYSE: LAC) on a significant development. Investors are hoping Standard Lithium is next in line for a big breakout. Image source: Getty Images. The story behind Lithium Americas stock's rally Lithium Americas stock jumped over 20% today after the U.S. government bought a stake in the lithium miner. Lithium Americas is jointly developing the Thacker Pass lithium project in Nevada with General Motors. It has reached an agreement with the Department of Energy (DOE) to draw $435 million on a previously agreed-upon loan of $2.3 billion to finance the construction at Thacker Pass for lithium carbonate manufacturing. In exchange, the DOE will acquire a 5% stake in Lithium Americas and a 5% stake in the joint venture through warrants. Thacker Pass site contains the largest lithium resource in the continent and is expected to produce 40,000 metric tons of battery-grade lithium carbonate per year once fully operational. All of that is great news for Lithium Americas, but why is Standard Lithium stock soaring? The answer is tied to the reason behind the U.S. government's decision to take a stake in Lithium Americas. Time to load up on Standard Lithium stock? Here's how the U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright explained the rationale behind the move: "Despite having some of the largest deposits, the United States produces less than 1% percent of the global supply of lithium. Thanks to President Trump's bold leadership, American lithium production is going to skyrocket." Trump is moving to reduce the nation's reliance on imports for critical materials. Before Lithium Americas, the U.S. government bought a stake in MP Materials, the largest rare-earth miner in the U.S. Lithium is a critical raw material for batteries that power electric vehicles, energy storage systems, and consumer electronics like laptops and smartphones. Given that the U.S. imports nearly all of its lithium, the government is unlikely to rely on one company and could strike multiple deals. Investors in Standard Lithium hope their company is next in line. Standard Lithium is focused on the Smackover Formation, a major lithium-brine resource, in Arkansas and Texas and is developing projects in partnerships, including with energy giant Equinor. Standard Lithium is targeting first production in 2028 with an initial capacity of 22,500 tons per annum of battery-grade lithium carbonate. Haagen-Dazs was leading the luxury ice cream market well into the 1970s, but in the early '80s, a new face appeared, giving high-end brands a run for their money. Frusen Gladje, which is Swedish for "frozen delight," was an all-natural ice cream brand that had everyone in a chokehold. Unlike other brands on the market, there were no stabilizers or emulsifiers in this carefully churned ice cream. The recipe was simple: milk, cream, egg yolks, sugar, and natural flavors with at least 16% butterfat. Ice creams at the time were rather light, whereas Frusen Gladje was so dense that just one pint could weigh up to one pound. Aside from being hand-packed with conscious ingredients, the edge with Frusen Gladje was the rich taste and mild sweetness. The flavors, starting with chocolate chip swirled chocolate, plain chocolate, and classic vanilla, didn't carry a sugary, artificial taste so typical at the time. No one was complaining about consuming those sugary frozen treats, but Frusen Gladje was a new and exciting addition to the ice cream aisle. Before Viennetta grew into the fanciest frozen treat of the '90s, there was Frusen Gladje. Read more: 15 Vintage Ice Cream Flavors No One Seems To Eat Anymore Frusen Gladje: adored but short-lived selection of different flavors of Frusen Gladje ice cream - Frusen Gladje Glassverkstad/Instagram While Swedish-sounding, the ice cream wasn't Scandinavian. The company's president, Erhard Sommer, was a German chef who simply admired the "good, clean, wholesome image" of Sweden, as he explained to The New York Times, which declared Frusen Gladje as one of the few "Rolls-Royces of ice cream" in 1980. The ice cream was distributed throughout NYC and the surrounding areas, competing with the existing Haagen-Dazs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The comparable ice cream label, which was just as American, founded in the Bronx, felt threatened enough to push a lawsuit. Haagen-Dazs tried to sue the brand not long after its debut, but was unsuccessful. Artisanal ice cream may have only accounted for 11% of the $2 billion market in the early 1980s, but competition was limited after winning that case, and Frusen Gladje grabbed the spotlight. Sprinkled, rainbow-ed ice cream novelties notoriously feel centered around kids, but Frusen Gladje felt geared towards adults. As some commercials advertised, the fancy ice cream was "a gourmet experience for those who prefer the very best." The fancy ice cream label passed through many hands, starting with Kraft acquiring the brand in 1985 for an undisclosed amount. Kraft carried on marketing Frusen Gladje into the late '80s, with iconic commercials celebrating the brand's elitism, but then it suddenly fell off. They're reclaiming the term Frusen Gladje in Sweden Frusen Gladje ice cream in cup - Frusen Gladje Glassverkstad/Instagram People still reminisce about Frusen Gladje, even in Sweden. Despite its zero affiliation with the country, Swedish businesses like Orum119 have released ice cream inspired by the 1980s American favorite. Their decadent recipes focus more on sourcing local Scandinavian ingredients like milk from Smedstorp and chocolate from Osterlenchoklad something that the original ice cream didn't even do. There's a lot of mystery surrounding the ice cream brand, and that mostly circles back to convoluted business deals in the early 1990s. In 1993, Unilever bought out Kraft's huge ice cream line, but it didn't get its hands on a few of Kraft's best-selling frozen treats, one being Frusen Gladje. There were even conflicting accounts from officials at both companies years later, with a Kraft spokeswoman confidently affirming Frusen Gladje was included in that 1993 sale while a fellow Unilever spokesperson disagreed. The mix-up eventually led to the brand's downfall, with the label quietly disappearing not long after the Unilever acquisition. No one had heard a peep from Frusen Gladje in ages, until 2016, when Country Mile silently purchased the trademark. It's not clear what the future holds for Frusen Gladje, but ice cream lovers can dream. Want more food knowledge? Sign up to our free newsletter where we're helping thousands of foodies, like you, become culinary masters, one email at a time. Read the original article on Tasting Table. With the GlobalData Automotive Europe Conference 2025 about to kick-off, I a Bot, who will be attending as a NETSOL delegate, takes a playful detour into the world of machine-guided travel. Can AI really curate something as personal as the perfect holiday drive? Spoiler alert: Yes, but bring your own sunscreen. This summer, we did something bold. Faced with extreme heat in the Mediterranean, we scrapped our original driving route mid holiday and decided, a bit rashly over a glass of Limoncello, to hand the driving reins to AI. What could go wrong? Seven days, three countries and zero motorways. Could ChatGPT really plan something that personal? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Admittedly we googled a quick lesson in effective prompting and then gave it the key things we wanted to do: we asked it to design a scenic route that transited Switzerland avoiding the motorways (and the dreaded Vignette toll sticker), included wild swimming spots, mountain passes, and vineyard campsites in France. The result? Surprisingly, a journey that felt curated by a well-travelled friend with a flair for the arts and cuisine, that was even handily generated in google maps. We swam in alpine lakes wed never heard of, crossed Switzerland via sunny quiet valleys and snowsided hairpin passes, and camped among vines in Burgundy and Champagne. Google maps reviews made recommended add ons seamless, such as having a bottle of the chilled locally bubbly delivered directly to our pitch. Tourist routes were suggested with just enough charm, think medieval towns illuminated nightly by laser light shows, cheese stops, historic battlefields and riverside walks. Our final night was spent at a tranquil French campsite two hours from Calais. Was it perfect? Not quite. One high altitude lake that I think a polar bear would have refused to swim in and a scenic route that ran out of tarmac for several kilometres, not fun in a 3.5 ton camper but luckily the human in the loop worked out a diversion back onto the black stuff! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But AIs ability to respond to the prompts with a blend of cosmic cartography skills and local knowledge diversions, was uncanny. So, would I let AI run my business? Maybe not while it keeps hallucinating that synergy is a spice. But my holiday? Absolutely! AI may not have packed the sunscreen but it did remind us that the best journeys are often the ones you dont plan your self. Without realising it we also learned a key lesson about AI adoption, start small, learn fast, scale with confidence and for the time being keep a human in the loop! Next year, well ask it to plan the wine pairings too. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I a Bot is brought to you by NETSOL Technologies "Holidaying with an algorithm: When AI took the wheel" was originally created and published by Motor Finance Online, a GlobalData owned brand. Throughout much of the United States, fall is the perfect time for a road trip. Many parts of the country including southern Idaho will see peak fall foliage in October, making the spooky month the best time to catch autumn's full-color show, according to the Farmer's Almanac for 2025. If you're looking to explore some of Idaho's most colorful scenery, you can't do better than this four-day road trip adventure. Created by photographer Scott Kranz in partnership with Visit Idaho, the itinerary leads travelers through the state's most stunning parks and gorgeous forests bathed in red and orange hues. Though there are coffee shops and convenience stores along the route, you won't find many hotels or restaurants in this remote area of Idaho. (On the plus side, you won't see any crowds, either.) It's best to have your own camping equipment, food, and drinks and you'd be smart to stock up on everything you'll need before leaving Boise. REI in Boise Town Square has everything you'll need for sleeping under the stars, and the busy commercial area around it is full of grocery stores, restaurants, and lodgings. Read more: Essential Tips To Make A Rocky Mountain National Park Visit Affordable Road-tripping through colorful landscapes Tea Kettle Cave, Idaho - Noah Zastrow/Shutterstock The journey begins in Boise. You'll drive southeast on I-84 for about 1.5 hours to the first stop, Bruneau Canyon Overlook, with a winding river and dramatic cliffs with gorgeous views. Take in sweeping views of volcanic cliffs and dramatic spires, looking out over the Bruneau River below. The canyon's environment is desert-like, characteristic of Idaho's high plains, so you won't see changing leaves just yet; expect your first glimpse of fall foliage on the next leg of the trip. If you're done driving for the day, wild camping is available for free at nearby Jacks Creek Campground. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On day two, the trip continues along Highway 30, which offers views of the bright green Snake River and the vibrant yellow cottonwood trees that line its shores. Take a coffee break in the town of Glenns Ferry (about an hour into the drive), then go for a short hike in nearby Malad Gorge State Park, a paradise of stunning canyons and volcanic cliffs. The itinerary takes you next to Snake River Canyons Park, a 50-minute drive from Glenns Ferry, where you'll spot more fall foliage, including orange and red shrubs. It's a great destination for bird watching, rock climbing, and horseback riding, and there's primitive camping available free of charge. Wake up to a display of fall foliage Fall foliage lines a quiet road in southern Idaho - Jim Arner/Getty Images After a majestic sunrise over the canyon on day three, it's time to experience Tea Kettle Cave, about an hour's drive away. Formed by ancient lava flow and named for its unusual domed shape with a hole on top, it's a fantastical sight. Then, it's onward to Mount Harrison (two hours and 15 minutes by car), where you'll enjoy panoramic views over colorful forests and hills from the 9,265-foot summit. Nearby Bennett Springs Campground, with primitive (and free) camping, is a convenient place to stay nearby. It's part of Sawtooth National Forest, where native trees including tamaracks, sugar maples, moose maples, and birches turn bright orange, red, and yellow in fall. On the last morning of the itinerary, expect a particularly vibrant display at dawn when you wake in the national forest. "At daybreak, we explored the colorful groves next to our campground, which were popping with vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows," Kranz wrote of his own experience. "The morning sun eventually rose above the ridgeline to our east, creating a spectacular show of color and light, a fantastical finish to a surprise-filled journey in southern Idaho." From the final stop, it's a three-hour journey back to the trip's starting point, Boise, and its international airport. Ready to discover more hidden gems and expert travel tips? Subscribe to our free newsletter for access to the world's best-kept travel secrets. Read the original article on Islands. The sandwich is the classic high-low food. It can be as fancy, special, and specific as one cares for it to be, or it can be the easiest, cheapest, and most slap-dash meal or snack possible. Sure, every state has a signature sandwich, there are once popular sandwiches that people don't really eat anymore, and there are cheap sandwiches from around the world that everyone should try. But, when hunger strikes and time and/or money are scarce, it's been the practice in the United States for the last 60 years or so to just root around in the drawer in the fridge, find whatever heavily processed and pre-sliced luncheon meat that's in there, take a bit, and slap it between two pieces of bread and add minimal condiments. As real, whole meats have grown popular and become more readily available and affordable, the luncheon meat is increasingly a relic of a disappearing way of life. It wasn't that long ago that the neighborhood deli and supermarket packaged meat section were well stocked with dozens of choices of products derived from beef, ham, and pork and scientifically and industrially transformed into something modern and convenient. Here are some once top-selling luncheon meats that have virtually disappeared from stores and the collective consciousness. Read more: The Signature Sandwich Of Every State Ham and cheese loaf Sliced ham and cheese loaf on bread - Lisa Andneil Ward / Facebook For decades, Oscar Mayer has been one of the leading names in processed protein and luncheon meats. Now a subsidiary of Kraft-Heinz, the hot dog and lunchmeat company makes a lot of ready-to-eat sliced meats, even as they grow more obscure, such as Ham and Cheese Loaf. With a name that suggests an all-in-one product that will deliver on the classic pairing of the ham and cheese sandwich, Ham and Cheese Loaf is way more about the ham than it is the cheese. Sold in square slices, it's made mostly of chopped ham pieces, pressed and formed into a loaf, which has been speckled with minuscule, bright orange pieces of processed American cheese, or "real Kraft cheese" as the package promises. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While increasingly forgotten, and sold only in one size (16-ounce packs of vacuum-sealed meat) Oscar Mayer Ham and Cheese Loaf's eventual and probably inevitable demise was hastened by a scandal. In December 2022, 2,400 pounds of the luncheon meat were recalled by the manufacturer. A production facility in Kirksville, Missouri, had failed to clean its equipment before churning out a run of Ham and Cheese Loaf, potentially contaminating a whole day's run of the product with germs that cause foodborne illness potentially left behind by undercooked meat. Liverwurst liverwurst whole and sliced on crackers - Jerrydeutsch/Getty Images Liverwurst is a food of German origin, and it's technically a sausage on account of how it's made from a pig's organ meats (mostly liver) and pork fat. It's all finely ground up together and extruded into tubes. The finished product is soft enough that it works as a spreadable paste for bread or crackers, but firm enough that it can be used in slices or hunks on a sandwich. Liverwurst's popularity peak in the U.S. lasted from the 1940s to the 1970s, sold alongside bologna at deli counters and appearing in little cylinders in grocery store luncheon meat sections. It was so popular that it led to the embrace of another, similar sandwich filling called braunschweiger. That's merely liverwurst in all of its porky and fatty goodness that's been given an extra level of flavor through the smoking process. By the 2020s, liverwurst had disappeared from the mainstream, even in deli hotbeds like New York City. After 2024, what little liverwurst that remained in distribution grew even more rare. One of the few companies still making it, Boar's Head, ended production after an outbreak of the foodborne pathogen listeria at a Virginia processing plant directly led to the deaths of nine people. Olive loaf olive loaf slices on a plate - Tamer A Soliman/Shutterstock Take a bunch of meat bits and other edible, fatty detritus leftover from industrial meat processing and packing, form it into a rounded rectangular shape, and to add some flavor, throw in some finely cut pieces of olive both the sour and vinegary outer green part and the sweet and pickle-evoking inside red pieces called pimiento. That makes olive loaf, perhaps one of the most quintessential and polarizing of all the increasingly fading and once top-selling luncheon meats of the 20th century. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Made by the same companies that also produced things like bologna and hot dogs, olive loaf is similar to those meat products, just in a different physical form, with the ingredients varying greatly. Veteran meatpacker Hummel Brothers made it with pork, beef, and soy, while Oscar Mayer mostly used chicken, pork, turkey, and corn syrup. To keep the pieces of olive in place in the olive loaf, they were coated with milk powder, meaning the luncheon meat wasn't safe for the lactose intolerant. Once a regular presence at deli counters, where it was often used to make a sandwich or sold freshly sliced for later use at home, olive loaf was a popular choice a couple of generations ago and even enjoyed a sales resurgence in the late 1990s. Very few meat producers even bother to make olive loaf anymore, with both Hummel Brothers and Oscar Mayer quietly discontinuing the former lunch staple. Luxury loaf luxury loaf or leberkase sliced on a sandwich - kochen_backen_wohnen_garten / Instagram The major influx of emigrants from Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries gave way to emigrants from Latin America and Asia settling in the U.S. in large numbers, expanding and transforming the food culture away from one bearing a heavy influence from European culinary traditions. German food no longer has the prominent stature in the U.S. that it once did, and with that means a fade into obscurity for formerly familiar German-originated deli meats. For decades, a luncheon meat called Luxury Loaf was part of the lineup for industry leader Oscar Mayer. Sold under an anglicized name, the sliced and packaged sandwich meat resembled chopped ham, but with more dark meat included. The food itself was a mass-produced version of an old German meat called leberkase. Dating to the Bavaria region of the 1700s, butchers combined beef and pork flesh with pork liver, and then ground it so fine that it was like a sausage, and had a texture likened to bologna. After it's made into a loaf shape, leberkase is baked so that it may acquire a crusty topping. Traditional German delis and meat packers still sell their versions of leberkase, or luxury loaf, while Oscar Mayer stopped making it without fanfare sometime in the past few decades. Beef Lebanon bologna Lebanon bologna on a roll - Hope Phillips/Shutterstock Bologna was once so omnipresent that the market could sustain numerous variations, including regional favorites and even products that didn't bear much similarity to the mildly flavored, sausage-like, sliced luncheon meat best known by that name. Take for example Lebanon bologna. Developed and popularized in the 19th century as part of the cuisine of the Pennsylvania Dutch community living and working out of Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, the meat has the reddish-pinkish hue of standard bologna but tastes more like salami, as it's traditionally hardwood smoked, noticeably cured, and fermented. It's got a smoky, slightly bitter, and powerful flavor, while the variant sweet Lebanon bologna is expectedly all of that with a bit of a sugary hit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rarely seen outside of Pennsylvania and surrounding states, it had faded into luncheon meat limbo both in its region of popularity and elsewhere. Specialty meat manufacturers still produce it, but it's not the major Northeastern food it once was. Mock chicken loaf mock chicken loaf at deli counter - itsyourtimeca / Instagram Chicken isn't the most consumed meat in the world, but it sure is in the U.S. Massive, factory-farming operations keep Americans in a good supply of the wings, drumsticks, breasts, strips, nuggets, sandwiches, and grocery store rotisserie chickens that are in huge demand. Americans' embrace of affordable chicken is a relatively recent development, going back only about 50 years. Up until the mid-20th century, real, roast chicken was largely a special treat, grown on smaller or personal farms and the centerpiece of special occasion meals or Sunday family dinners. Eating chicken on the regular was so cost prohibitive for so many that if they wanted a taste of the stuff on a random weekday afternoon and didn't want to spend a lot of money, they could partake in the bologna-adjacent mock chicken loaf. When chicken was rare and expensive, pork and beef were common and affordable. Those became the chief ingredients in mock chicken loaf, along with a whole lot of seasonings to make two hooved animals' flesh taste almost like poultry. Today, some of the few manufacturers who still produce the largely obsolete mock chicken loaf, use turkey as well as a bunch of fillers and preservatives, to approximate the taste. Beef aspic aspic on a cake stand - Ordasiphoto/Shutterstock It's a notoriously off-putting dish, and despite modern recipes designed to cure fears of aspic, it remains the definitive example of a classical food that evolved into a weird or gross one as collective tastes changed. To make a beef aspic, for example combine beef stock with gelatin acquired by boiling the bones of a cow or using a store-bought unflavored powder to create a transparent jelly. It's then used to envelop meats, vegetables, and eggs, and the resultant jiggly loaf is sliced. It's like Jell-O with fruit pieces suspended in it, if the Jell-O was beef flavored and little bits of beef replaced the fruit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aspics of all kinds, particularly beef aspics, are so associated with dinner parties of the 1950s and 1960s that there isn't much market for premade, ready-to-eat ones in the 21st century. Some delis or grocery stores may still stock it and sell portions by the pound to those who are curious or miss the good old days when sliced beef gelatin was a viable and mundane sandwich foundation. Liver cheese sliced liver cheese with crackers - kristiewilliams1972 / Instagram For decades, Oscar Mayer sold a luncheon meat called Liver Cheese. Despite the name, it wasn't a hard sell of a mashup between liver, with its limited appeal and strong flavor profile, and cheese. It didn't include any of the latter item at all, but bore the consistency of a soft or processed dairy-based cheese. Oscar Mayer's Liver Cheese was inspired by various sausages from Eastern Europe or Germany, and was made smooth and speckled by the industrial mincing of pork, pork fat, pork livers, and a heavy load of spices and preservatives. Only tasting a little like overwhelmingly umami and fatty liver, Liver Cheese was a more savory kind of bologna that performed well on a sandwich or cut into smaller pieces for party trays or charcuterie. By 2020, Oscar Mayer had slowed production on liver loaf without a lot of notice, as evidenced by confused and irate longtime customers posting online about the luncheon meat's sudden disappearance. It was around that time that the biggest name in processed meat stopped making and distributing liver cheese altogether. Corned beef loaf canned corned beef loaf - Royal Power / Facebook In the early 20th century, many of the foods that would become embedded into the culinary cultural firmament originated as recipes that appeared on the side of canned or packaged products developed in the manufacturer's kitchen as a way to drive sales. One such dish, apparently popular from the 1930s and for several subsequent decades: Corned Beef Loaf. Promoted and popularized in large part by a recipe book published by Jell-O in 1931, Corned Beef Loaf was designed to not only move boxed and powdered gelatin but to stretch valuable meat during the Great Depression. Per Jell-O's recipe, corned beef either deli-made or taken from the can, the kind that today is found most often at drug, convenience, and dollar stores was added to a mold and the gelatin would set around it. The corned beef, along with lemon-flavored Jell-O, beef stock, bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, onions, and mustard, took the shape of a loaf, which was then sliced and served atop lettuce alongside hard-boiled eggs and tomato. Any leftovers might be served the next day, sliced up and between two pieces of bread. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Corned Beef Loaf became entrenched enough that Oscar Mayer sold a version in the 1970s with the more descriptive name of Jellied Corn Beef Loaf. The deep-pink meat was speckled with spices and jelly bits, so customers could fully know what they were getting into. The luncheon meat company no longer makesJellied Corn Beef Loaf, but canned versions can be found. Head cheese cross section of head cheese - Artcookstudio/Getty Images A terrine is the name of a food as well as the deep pan used to make the rich, savory, and meaty loaf made sliceable or spreadable. One potentially intimidating and centuries-old example of a terrine: head cheese. It's not dairy-derived, and there's nothing even close to cheese here. It's made by boiling the whole head and other tough to sell or market pieces of a slaughtered hog, and then taking the gelatinous substances, liquids, and pork pieces that merged, pouring them into a mold, covered in vinegar for the sake of preservation, and then cooled and set until it forms a semi-solid brick. When homemade, head cheese might be spread onto crackers or sliced and placed between a couple of pieces of bread. It was once such an accepted sandwich meat that Oscar Mayer sold a mass-produced version throughout America's supermarkets, a mixture of light and dark meat pork with pieces of fat, all suspended in a light jelly. That item was discontinued years ago. Pickle and pimiento loaf sliced pickle and pimiento loaf with crackers - dewigmeats / Instagram When Oscar Mayer ruled the luncheon meat universe in the latter decades of the 20th century, it could cater to very specific tastes because the market could support it. While olive loaf was essentially a flagship style in its extensive lineup of sliced sandwich meats sold in yellow plastic squares, the public also readily bought large quantities of slight variations on the form. Pickle and Pimiento Loaf looked almost exactly like Olive Loaf, for example, with the pink, mildly spiced, very fatty, and extensive loaf of meat dotted with green and red bits. But those green pieces weren't olives, but rather small and crunchy bits of pickled cucumber. The red parts were still pimientos. A dying favorite of yesteryear, Pickle and Pimiento Loaf, or P&P Loaf, was sometimes also known as just Pimiento Loaf, despite the fact that it was just as much loaded with pickles, too. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oscar Mayer ceased production on Pickle and Pimiento Loaf sometime after 2021, but other, smaller meat companies still package sliced versions of the festive, tangy ingredient-addled luncheon meat, as long as there's still a slight but decreasing demand for it. Cotto salami cotto salami sliced on a plate - lgmeat / Instagram "Salami" doesn't refer to one specific kind of meat, but rather a whole class of products. Developed in Italy out of European meat curing traditions several centuries ago, salami is most commonly made with pork, and occasionally beef, or a finely minced blend of the two, not unlike a sausage. Different regions of Italy specialize in different, locally created styles of salami, which by its definition is cured, or preserved, with air, smoke, salt, or another method. (The ever popular Genoa salami is fermented, for example). Curing makes the meat safe for consumption without traditional cooking; the one major salami that's different from the others is cotto, because it's very much cooked in addition to being cured. Hailing from the Piedmont region of Italy, cotto is derived from pork shoulder and spices, and is boiled or smoked, before or after it's cured. The Oscar Mayer take on cotto palatable and appropriate for mainstream consumption because it's been cooked as well as cured to add an extra level of food safety to potentially apprehensive salami eaters unfamiliar with Italian meat-treating traditions is hardly authentic. More akin to bologna, the American luncheon meat brand makes its cotto with chicken and beef, and only a little bit of pork. As a wider variety of salami brands and styles have become more available in the U.S., the macro version of cotto has fallen out of favor and just isn't a prominent offering in the luncheon meat section of the grocery store anymore. For more food and drink goodness, join The Takeout's newsletter. Get taste tests, food & drink news, deals from your favorite chains, recipes, cooking tips, and more! Read the original article on The Takeout. Set in Virginias picturesque Shenandoah Valley, Front Royal, Virginia, is much more than a gateway to Shenandoah National Parkits a haven for history buffs and outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds. Known for its abundant recreation opportunities, especially along the Shenandoah River, Front Royal proudly holds the title of the Canoe Capital of Virginia. With its stunning natural beauty, rich historical significance, and undeniable small-town charm, Front Royal is a must-take Virginia getaway in every season. Heres what to see and do when youre ready for Front Royal. Front Royal History Brush Up on the Battle of Front Royal The Battle of Front Royal Driving Tour allows you to explore the rich Civil War history of Front Royal from the comfort and convenience of your car. This self-guided tour makes stops at key sites like Asbury Chapel, Richardsons Hill, and Belle Boyd Cottage, unlocking the stories that shaped this battle. Interpretive markers provide insights into the battle's significance, troop movements, and the impact on the community. Pick up a driving tour guide at the visitor center on Main Street. Explore Historic Sites and Structures The Warren Heritage Society is dedicated to preserving and celebrating the rich history of Front Royal and Warren County, including historic homes, museums, and shops. Among the landmarks are the Belle Boyd Cottage, one of Front Royals oldest buildings, Balthis House, a rare Federal-style townhouse from the late 1700s, and the Country Store Museum, a small building constructed in the 1950s that today serves as a reproduction of a country store from the late-1800s. Visit a Civil War Cemetery At Prospect Hill Cemetery in Front Royal, more than 200 Civil War soldiers rest in peace, many of whom perished during the Battle of Front Royal in May 1862. As you wander this tranquil 31-acre hilltop cemetery, youll encounter historic monuments and meticulously crafted headstones, each with a fascinating story to tell. The serene setting offers sweeping views across Virginias Shenandoah Valley. Where to Eat and Drink Explore the Beer Scene The Front Royal area may be small, but its making a name for itself in the craft beer scene. Right on historic Main Street, Vibrissa Beer has on tap more than a dozen house-brewed beers, including lagers, sours, and IPAs, as well as a menu chock full of shareables and handhelds. From here, its a two-minute walk to the Virginia Beer Museum where you can dive into the history of beer in the state, which proudly boasts more than 200 craft breweries. A short drive to nearby Middletown leads you to Backroom Brewery, an award-winning farm brewery set on 40 picturesque acres. Toast Award-Winning Wineries Front Royal is home to several award-winning wineries. Glen Manor Vineyards and Chester Gap Cellars both offer open-air tasting patios that showcase breathtaking views of the Shenandoah Valley. Chester Gap Cellars even has an on-site Airbnb complete with an outdoor fire pit and hot tub. In historic downtown, The Vine & Leaf invites you into their sipping room to indulge in fine wines by the glass or bottle, as well as expertly curated wine pairings. Savor Scrumptious Apple Butter Donuts In nearby Linden, The Apple House is an iconic roadside gem known far and wide for its warm, freshly made apple butter cinnamon donuts that are irresistible. This beloved spot also offers an array of Virginia-inspired gifts, from peanuts and hams to apple butter and locally-brewed craft beers. You may also want to browse more than 300 hot sauces. The on-site cafe serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Of course, the famous apple butter donuts are always on the menu. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement theapplehouse.net, 4675 John Marshall Hwy, Linden, VA 22642 Eat Local Family-owned restaurants capture the heart and soul of this charming town. If you want to dine where the locals do, start your day at LDees Pancake House, a favorite spot for classic comfort foods, like fluffy pancakes and juicy burgers, but keep in mind that LDees is cash only. Another local gem is Moms Country Kitchen where you can nosh breakfast favorites all day. For freshly-brewed coffee and sweet pastries, look to Main Street Daily Grind. Outdoor Activities Explore Shenandoah National Park From the historic district, its a five-minute drive to the north entrance of Shenandoah National Park, offering quick access to one of Virginias most scenic treasures. From here, enjoy a leisurely drive along iconic Skyline Drive, which winds 101 miles along the parks ridgeline. Stop in Dickey Ridge Visitor Center at milepost 4.6 to watch a park film and chat with park rangers about hikes, waterfalls, and picnic areas. For an easy stroll, the Fox Hollow Trail is a lovely loop that leads you through land once home to a family farm in the 1930s. Related: https://www.southernliving.com/travel/south-carolina/best-national-parks-south-carolina Paddle on the Shenandoah River Given its location along the South Fork of the Shenandoah River, its no wonder Front Royal has earned the title of Canoe Capital of Virginia. This charming town is your gateway to calm waters and breathtaking views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. For a perfect day on the water, Front Royal Outdoors offers a variety of self-guided canoe trips, along with adventures by raft, kayak, stand-up paddleboard, and tube. In nearby Bentonville, Downriver Canoe Company also organizes river excursions, letting you soak in the natural beauty of the Shenandoah. Get to Know Shenandoah River State Park Virginia is home to 43 state parks, and Shenandoah River State Park is a true gem along the South Fork of the Shenandoah River. Spanning 1,600 acres, this state park has something for everyone, including hiking, camping, fishing, paddling, and mountain biking. In the summertime, its a favorite spot for floating down the river in a tube. More than 24 miles of multi-use trails crisscross the park. Dont miss stunning views of Massanutten Mountain and the Shenandoah Valley from Cullers Overlook. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/shenandoah-river, 350 Daughter of the Stars Dr, Bentonville, VA 22610 Go Underground Front Royal is home to Skyline Caverns, a breathtaking underground marvel where visitors can discover fascinating geological formations like Wishing Well and Painted Desert. Discovered in 1937, Skyline Caverns offers one-hour guided tours through beautifully illuminated, winding underground passages. With a cool, constant temperature of 54 degrees, the caverns are a perfect year-round adventure. For more fun, there is also a mirror maze, a nature trail, and a miniature train, making this a must-visit attraction for all ages. skylinecaverns.com, 10344 Stonewall Jackson Hwy, Front Royal, VA 22630 Arts, Culture, and Shopping Check out the Main Street Murals More than a half-dozen colorful murals grace downtown Front Royal, adding vibrant splashes of color and character to the historic streets. A local favorite is the Appalachian Trail mural, which youll find next to Mountain Trails, the outdoor gear shop on Main Street. Its one of more than 100 celebrated artworks along the Appalachian Mural Trail. Another in-town mural showcases billowy clouds against a perfect Carolina blue day. Fittingly, its located on Cloud Street. Get Down with Dinos For fans of quirky roadside attractions, a visit to Dinosaur Land in nearby White Post is an absolute must. This delightfully kitschy spot has been charming families and dinosaur enthusiasts since the 1960s. Thanks to more than 50 super-sized dinosaur sculptures, its a place where you can take a playful step back in time. Along with the dinos, youll also find a gigantic shark you can crawl inside, a massive octopus, and a saber-toothed tiger, all adding to the nostalgia of this outdoor adventure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement dinosaurlandva.com, 3848 Stonewall Jackson Hwy, White Post, VA 22663 Browse Boutiques and Flea Markets Front Royal is home to charming boutique shops and flea markets, including Andricks Front Royal Flea Market, which is open on weekends and is ripe for treasure hunting. On Main Street, White Picket Fence beckons with an array of thoughtful gifts, from bath products and homemade jams to holiday ornaments and home decor. For a touch of Western flair, Buckle & Belle Boutique features stylish fashion items and even has a fun make-your-own trucker hat bar. Read the original article on Southern Living Rendering of the future Project Health facility the glass structure connected by pedestrian skywalks to a future parking garage and the CORE building that's under construction on the west side of Saddle Creek Road in what is dubbed The Edge District. (Courtesy of University of Nebraska Medical Center) OMAHA About $1.22 billion was unlocked Friday to begin the most visible phase yet of Project Health, an Omaha hospital and training complex described as the largest and most ambitious undertaking in University of Nebraska history. The NU Board of Regents, in approving an intermediate design review, gave its green light to construction of the core and shell of a skyline-changing structure on about 7.5 acres of the University of Nebraska Medical Centers midtown Omaha campus. NU President Jeffrey Gold holds a model of how the University of Nebraska Medical Centers footprint would grow in Omaha with Project Health. Oct. 3, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) NU President Dr. Jeffrey Gold, a former UNMC chancellor, said this phase keeps the project within the overall $2.19 billion price tag to be covered by public and private sources. Officials have said that funds wont be committed unless theyre secured. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This initiative represents not only the most ambitious project in our universitys history but is one of the most consequential investments in the health and well-being of the people we serve, Gold said during the monthly regents meeting. Training ground He said Project Health will be the states largest teaching, clinical research and clinical health care facility. It will serve as the primary inpatient hospital for Nebraska Medicine, creating more than 550 beds, and as a training ground for the next generations of the states health care professionals. Fridays action on the UNMC-area project came as the broader NU system and its campuses deal with carrying out major budget cuts, which brought multiple testifiers to the meeting to voice opposition to the trims. Much of the medical projects state spending tracks back to years before the budget shortfall. Gold, in addressing the regents, underscored the projects contribution to Nebraskas workforce demands. He said Nebraska Medicine annually serves as a training ground for more than 4,000 students across more than 50 different health programs and 10 different colleges of medicine. He said about 700 residents and fellows gain clinical experience there each year, many of whom go on to practice in urban and rural communities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The new facility, Gold said, will allow UNMC the states only public academic health science center the ability to expand enrollment, provide more space to accelerate the transformation of learners into practitioners and expand access to research and life-saving clinical trials. Renderings provided to regents show a grand, glassy complex connected by pedestrian skywalks to a new parking garage and the CORE tower (Campus Operations and Research Excellence) rising on the Edge District west of Omahas Saddle Creek Road. UNMC Student Regent Brock Calamari was among several expressing support. He said he was impressed by the portion of Project Health geared toward student education. UNMC Student Regent Brock Calamari. Oct. 3, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) Its kind of hard to believe that what is now a hole in the ground next to a Don and Millies will one day be like this giant, world-leading structure for that education of students, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dr. Dele Davies, interim chancellor of UNMC said 30% of the project is dedicated for educational purposes, which should help fulfill a need for the medical center to grow professional learner enrollment by 20-25% to meet needs across the state. Calamari says patients should see a difference, too. These rooms are purpose built. They are the future of medicine. So it will help us bring better healthcare implementation to every single patient that comes through our halls. Public, private funds Dating back to early 2022, the regents have approved installments to move along Project Health. The largest chunks approved before today were $50 million in July 2024 to start pre-construction design and planning. Then, in April, the board approved about $69 million for site and foundational preparation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is truly the largest and highest impact, public-private partnership in our states history, Gold said. Funding for the project comes from sources including philanthropists, the State of Nebraska, the City of Omaha, NU, Nebraska Medicine and private financing. Project Health site is shaded. (Courtesy UNMC) Project Health is the first phase of a broader vision called Project NExT. Future phases call for partnerships with federal and regional agencies that could, for example, lead to a civilian-military medical facility that would respond to national catastrophic disasters, such as a pandemic or biological attack. Total investment could exceed $4 billion. Demand for health care pros Dr. Dele Davies, UNMC interim chancellor, and Dr. Jeffrey Gold, NU president, said Nebraska faces a critical need for more health care professionals and offered insight: Of 93 counties, 66 are medically underserved. An uneven distribution of Nebraska health professionals shows 83% of providers reside in metro areas, while only 65% of the states population does. An imminent retirement boom looms over the next 5-10 years, including about 20% of practicing physicians. That coincides with an expected decline by 2030 of 1% of dental professionals and 9% of primary care physicians, which is defined as family medicine, general practice, internal medicine, OB/GYN, pediatrics and pediatric internal medicine. In 2023, 21 Nebraska counties lacked a primary care physician and, according to the Nebraska Center for Nursing, the state is short 5,436 nurses this year. Rendering of the future Project Health facility the glass structure connected by pedestrian skywalks to a future parking garage and the CORE building thats under construction on the west side of Saddle Creek Road in what is dubbed The Edge District. (Courtesy of University of Nebraska Medical Center) SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Two men with Massachusetts ties are believed to be in Israeli custody after their boats were among 42 vessels seized late Wednesday en route to Gaza with stories of food and medicine. After being monitored and harassed by Israeli drones along its route across the Mediterranean, boats in the flotilla were pounded by water cannons from Israeli Navy ships, according to various news sources. Both Massachusetts participants Adnaan and Tor Stumo of Sheffield plan to begin hunger strikes to protest Israels move to prevent more than 440 occupants of boats in the Global Sumud Flotilla from reaching Gaza, their mother said in a phone interview Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They dont want to take in any food from an entity starving Gazans, said Nadia Milleron, the mens mother. Adnaan Stumo, 32, was aboard the ship called the Mikeno, which reportedly succeeded in breaking Israels naval blockade of Gaza, before also being boarded and its passengers detained. He was on one of the last boats to be taken, said Milleron. Its very important that Adnaans boat got into Gaza territorial waters. The brothers began the trip toward Gaza Aug. 31, setting off from Barcelona as part of an international aid effort to confront starvation in Gaza. According to the World Health Organization, more than 500,000 people in Gaza are trapped in famine amid widespread starvation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Israeli government had called the aid convoy a provocation and said it would prevent the ships and cargo from reaching Gaza. Last week, the flotilla was attacked over the course of three hours while underway in the open Mediterranean, with ships suffering damage. In a statement, the flotilla said it came under fire off the coast of Crete, in Greece, from multiple drones. Unidentified objects dropped, communications jammed and explosions heard from a number of boats, the flotilla said in a statement quoted by the Times of Israel. In a statement this week, the Israeli government said it carried out its pledge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement None of the Hamas-Sumud provocation yachts has succeeded in its attempt to enter an active combat zone or breach the lawful naval blockade, the Israeli foreign ministry said. At the time, one boat, believed to be Adnaan Stumos vessel, had not been seized. One last vessel of this provocation remains at a distance, the statement said. If it approaches, its attempt to enter an active combat zone and breach the blockade will also be prevented. All passengers are safe and in good health, the Israeli foreign ministry said in an earlier statement reported by the Guardian. They are being safely transported to Israel, and from there they will be deported to Europe. The Guardian reported Thursday that the detainees were to be taken to Ketziot prison in the Negev desert. Anyone who refuses to be deported faces trial for illegal entry into the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Amnesty Internationals secretary general said Thursday the seizure was designed to punish and silence critics of Israels genocide and its unlawful blockade on Gaza. As the Israeli Navy closed in, passengers on the boats threw their cell phones into the ocean to prevent them from being used to track past communications among flotilla members, Milleron said. Tor Stumo, 26, was on the third ship to be taken over by the Israeli Navy. Adnaan Stumo got word to his mother that he had seen the boat that Tor Stumo had been on pass by his own craft, now piloted by an Israeli crew. They put all the people on a prison ship, Milleron said. People taken into custody were relocated to the Israeli city of Ashdod, roughly 20 miles north of the Gazan border. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She expected that her sons in detention in a country they never wished or intended to go to will receive assistance from Adalah, a non-governmental organization that provides legal aid. Families of those detained are being told it may take days for the cases to be addressed. Theres just a big backlog of people, Milleron said. In phone calls Thursday to the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, Milleron said American officials were monitoring the status of the detainees. She said she was told by the State Department that the Americans might remain in custody through the coming weekend, in part because it is a holiday week in Israel. Jack Chamberland, a member of U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neals staff, asked for a photocopy of the local mens passports to help with processing their release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Milleron said she was also in touch Thursday with staff in the offices of both Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey. Israel announced that the vessels, which had been donated to the flotilla, will be sold at auction. They should not be able to take that property, but they are, Milleron said. Both Adnaan and Tor Stumo work in the maritime industry. Tor Stumo is trained as a ships engineer. Adnaan Stumo is a sailboat captain familiar with the Mediterranean and has sailed across both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. While the flotillas progress toward Gaza had been monitored by tracking devices, those electronics were disabled after the ships were seized Wednesday, leaving blank areas on an online map of the mission. Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Additionally, indictments were filed against two others who were reportingly working with the Islamic Republic. A 23-year-old Israeli who works at a hotel at the Dead Sea was arrested this week on suspicion of spying for Iran, Israel Police announced on Friday. Lahav 433 and the Shin Bet conducted the investigation, and revealed that he had been in contact with Iranian intelligence officials for some time and had carried out missions under their direction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the police statement, the Israeli citizen carried out "collection missions" for the Islamic Republic at the hotel where he worked. He had also reportedly taken photographs of the hotel and its surroundings for Iranian intelligence. Two others indicted the same day for spying for Iran KAN additionally reported on Friday that another civilian, Tal Amram, 26, and an IDF reservist, Maor Kringel, 27, had indictments filed against them. THE EROSION of the Dead Sea. (credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90) Both of them are residents of Holon, Walla reported. Kringel is accused of aiding enemy forces during wartime by providing them with key information. He provided Iranian agents with documentation and locations of ports, stores, shopping malls, private homes, public centers, municipal buildings, and government and judicial bodies, according to KAN. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The indictment filed by the Tel Aviv District Attorney's Office said that he maintained contact with Iranian agents from mid-2024 until his arrest last August. He had also informed the foreign agents of his reserve service, and provided addresses of the various IDF bases where he had served, Israeli media reported. Other reports in Israeli media said that Kringel was asked by the foreign agents to kill his commander in exchange for NIS 100,000, and that he was invited to attend meetings with Iranian agents in Turkey and Azerbaijan. Last January, at the request of the foreign agents, he began recruiting additional Israeli citizens to carry out the missions, including Tal Amram. Amram contacted one of the foreign agents the following month, knowing that he was acting on behalf of an operative hostile to Israel. This is the future South Omaha Global Market at 5125 S. 24th St., which was a former second-hand store and a car dealership. A groundbreaking event Thursday marked the official start of transformation. The first phase, buoyed by a $4.3 million state grant, is to be done by the end of 2026. (Courtesy of B2Lab Architecture) OMAHA Groundbreaking for the South Omaha global market a food-centric project fueled by a multimillion dollar state grant brought a parking lot of supporters Thursday to a community known as a landing place for waves of Nebraska immigrants. State, city and county officials joined grant recipients as they formally launched a $5.8 million award from the pandemic-related $235 million North and South Omaha Recovery Grant program administered by the Nebraska Department of Economic Development. Jorge Ernesto Espejel Montes, the Mexican Consul serving Nebraska, speaks at the groundbreaking event for the Global Market. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner) In this case, three projects at three separate locations are sharing the $5.8 million, though the lions share, $4.3 million, goes to the global market. That market venture aims to transform a second-hand store, once a car dealership, vacated years ago along the South 24th Street main commercial corridor, just north of Q Street. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 16,500-square-foot building and parking area will provide space for a commercial kitchen, more than a dozen indoor vendors and three outdoor food trucks, as well as flexible event space for workshops and community functions. Another $1 million of the multi-pronged grant will help build a six-townhouse project near 29th and Jackson Streets, and $500,000 will go toward expansion of the International Bakery, said Marta Sonia Londono Mejia of Midwest Businesses & Projects LLC, which led the application process and is coordinating the award. While several in attendance said commercial activity is still down in the Latino merchant-heavy area following a June 10 high-profile immigration raid at an Omaha food processing plant, Londono Mejia expects the global market to flourish and draw customers that will help other area businesses. It will be a destination place, she said of the market, which is expected to see its first phase done in the fall of 2026. We expect people from different communities will come here for food, a place to visit, to study. We want people to come, stay and have fun. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Buoyed also by $827,591 in tax-increment financing approved by the Omaha City Council, the global market carries an overall anticipated price tag of about $9.4 million. Gloria Patricia Avalos of GPA Properties, owns the property and is the markets CEO. Arts and culture Organizations behind the other two components expect to host their own formal groundbreakings in coming weeks. The project trio is among about 130 groups and businesses to share the $235 million earmarked for the North and South Omaha Recovery Grant Program intended to spur economic growth in areas hardest hit by COVID-19. Awards were announced in early 2024, but the competitive application process harkens back to 2022. Front of the future Global Market, a 16,500-square foot building and a parking lot. This is looking south along South 24th toward Q Street. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner) Among vendors that will be cooking up ethnic specialities is a restaurateur who had to close her 24th Street Mexican diner during the pandemic, said Londono Mejia, a native of Colombia. She said the lineup is expected to represent countries from Africa, Europe, Latin America and more. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The grant fell into the category of arts and culture. Londono Mejia said the global market and future phases will host events and programming that promote diverse cultures. Among guest speakers Thursday was Omaha Mayor John Ewing Jr., who likened the project to a town square that will draw people and create jobs. State Sen. Margo Juarez of South Omaha spoke of how she grew up down the street and around the corner, and was impressed with South Omahas development. Special guest speakers during ceremonial groundbreaking of the South Omaha Global Market on Thursday. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner) Mexican Consul Jorge Ernesto Espejel Montes said he was proud of the contributions Latinos are making to Nebraska and elsewhere. The consul general of Guatemala, Flor de Maria Sanchez Fuentes also spoke, as did Luis Marcos, Maya ambassador and executive director of Pixan Ixim, and Javier Saldana of the Nebraska DED. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Roger Garcia, chair of the Douglas County Board, told the group in both English and Spanish that the global market is a continuation of the South Omaha story one that features various waves of immigrants who landed in the area to work in meatpacking plants, on railroads, in restaurants and more. He said the groups included Germans, Italians, Poles, Czechs, Irish, Greeks and newcomers from Mexico, Central and South America and Africa. So many groups have come through South Omaha to pursue their dream, he said, adding that the district he represents is now about half Latino with ancestors from multiple Spanish-speaking countries. Hope and opportunity Itzel Lopez of the Latino Economic Development Council was among supporters who said business in South Omaha is slower following the June 10 raid led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. But she said merchants are taking steps to make shoppers feel safer, such as posting educational signage on constitutional rights. She expects activity to continue to gradually pick up with community support. A 16,500-square foot building along the South 24th Street business district just north of Q Street is the future South Omaha Global Market. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner) Avalos said she wants to promote a welcoming environment for people to socialize, as well as a place for entrepreneurs to nurture their craft. She expects the physical site to grow in future phases, with a rooftop space and a greenhouse. Thursdays groundbreaking, she said, signaled not just a groundbreaking but hope and opportunity for generations to come. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Another unoccupied house in Buxton, North Carolina, fell victim to the Atlantic Ocean's pounding surf on the night of Oct. 1, bringing the count to seven collapsed homes within about 30 hours. An eighth house fell on the evening of Oct. 2, the National Park Service said. The houses are collapsing as a result of hurricanes Humberto and Imelda, which made a mess of the Atlantic Ocean in the coastal waters off North Carolina's Outer Banks. Huge waves continued on the evening of Oct. 2, but conditions are forecast to begin improving, the National Weather Service said. Five of the unoccupied houses on the oceanfront collapsed from 2 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. on Sept. 30, along Cape Hatteras National Seashore as a high tide pounded the beach and washed over dunes, the park service said. Another unoccupied house collapsed that evening at 11 p.m., when the weather service estimated the surf height on Sept. 30 at 8 to 12 feet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The seventh house collapsed on Oct. 1, around 8 p.m., the seashore announced. Almost 24 hours later, the 8th house slid into the ocean. This house at 46007 Cottage Avenue in Buxton, North Carolina is one of five that collapsed within 45 minutes on the afternoon of Sept. 30, according to Cape Hatteras National Seashore, as rough seas from two hurricanes pounded away at beaches along portions of the Outer Banks. This photo released by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) shows a collapsed home on the beach at Kitty Hawk, NC on September 1, 1999, in the wake of the storm that was Hurricane Dennis. Billy Stinson (L) comforts his daughter Erin Stinson as they sit on the steps where their cottage once stood before it was destroyed by Hurricane Irene August 28, 2011 in Nags Head, North Carolina. The cottage, built in 1903, was one of the first vacation cottages built on Roanoke Soundin Nags Head. Stinson has owned the home, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, since 1963. "We were pretending, just for a moment, that the cottage was still behind us and we were just sitting there watching the sunset," said Erin afterward. A Mandatory evacuation order is displayed in Kitty Hawk, N.C. on Sept. 5, 2019 due to Hurricane Dorian which is expected to impact the Outer Banks on Friday. Eric Mennicucci, 13, left, and Blake Strydom, 13, from Kill Devil Hills, NC, fishing for trout and puppy drum from the Avalon Beach Boat Launch in Kill Devil Hills as the first bands of Hurricane Dorian with wind and rain reach the Outer Banks with the major impact of the storm to be felt on Friday, Sept. 6, 2019. Hurricane Dorian makes impact at the Avalon Fishing Pier at Kill Devil Hills, N.C. on the Outer Banks on Sept. 6, 2019. Rodanthe, NC police patrol the streets after Hurricane Dorian impacted Rodanthe, NC on Hatteras Island on Friday, September 6, 2019. Sandbags can be seen in front of several of the structures along North Topsail Beach Monday Oct. 21, 2024. The sandbags help slow the effects of daily erosion from the ocean along the north end of the beach and while Rodanthe on the Outer Banks is getting all the headlines right now, eyes could turn our way soon. Sandbags can be seen in front of several of the structures along North Topsail Beach Monday Oct. 21, 2024. The sandbags help slow the effects of daily erosion from the ocean along the north end of the beach and while Rodanthe on the Outer Banks is getting all the headlines right now, eyes could turn our way soon. KEN BLEVINS/STARNEWS An unoccupied house collapsed at in Rodanthe, North Carolina late Thursday Nov. 14, 2024 An oceanfront home in Rodanthe on the Outer Banks collapsed into the Atlantic in late May. It was the sixth home since 2020 to fall into the ocean in the small village on Hatteras Island. An oceanfront home in Rodanthe on the Outer Banks was washed away Monday. Construction workers build a sand dune along North Carolina Highway 12, the oceanfront highway along the Outer Banks, to protect the road from high tides and waves that wash over the road. Kellie Maier gets splashed by a passing car while kayaking on water covered Highway 12, on September 3, 2010 in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. Hurricane Earl was downgraded to a category 2 before brushing the Outer Banks early Friday morning causing minimal damage. The surf moves close the main road in the Outer Banks September 17, 2003 in Frisco, North Carolina. Hurricane Isabel is churning toward the Outer Banks, a thin band of islands off the North Carolina coast. The deck of a house lies prone as Hurricane Isabel batters the coast September 18, 2003 in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Hurricane Isabel struck September 18 on the Outer Banks, a thin band of islands off the North Carolina coast. A Kitty Hawk Police Officer crosses flooded Highway #12, a 4-lane highway through Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, 18 September, 2003 as Hurricane Isabel comes ashore. Isabel lashed the US East Coast, ripping roofs off buildings, cutting power to hundreds of thousands of homes and bringing Washington to a standstill. Towns along the North Carolina and Virginia coasts were desolate and boarded up as the eye of the storm brought 95mph winds and started moving toward the US capital. Isabel, which was slowly weakening, headed up the Atlantic seaboard and a tropical storm warning was even issued for New York by the National Hurricane Center. Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, resident Brain Daniels pulls his wife Nikki and daughter Lexi in a small boat after checking on their parent's flooded trailer deep in water on September 19, 2003 one of the many areas flooded by Hurricane Isabel along the Outer Banks. Carl Crabtree surveys damage to his cottage hotel Crabtree Court September 19, 2003 in Nags Head, North Carolina. Crabtree says that FEMA estimated the damage to his array of cottages and bungalows of over a million dollars. Residents of the Outer Banks spent the day cleaning up after Hurricane Isabel, which lashed the area September 18 and caused flooding and heavy damage. Carl Crabtree surveys damage to his cottage hotel Crabtree Court September 19, 2003 in Nags Head, North Carolina. Crabtree says that FEMA estimated the damage to his array of cottages and bungalows of over a million dollars. Residents of the Outer Banks spent the day cleaning up after Hurricane Isabel, which lashed the area September 18 and caused flooding and heavy damage. Heavy surf pounds the beach, on September 3, 2010 in Nags Head, North Carolina. Hurricane Earl was downgraded to a category 2 before brushing the Outer Banks early Friday morning causing minimal damage. A beach-front cottage is pounded by wind and rain from Hurricane Irene August 27, 2011 in Nags Head, North Carolina. The eye of the hurricane is expected to hit Dare County, which sits along the Outer Banks and includes the vacation towns of Nags Head, Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills, around mid-day. People shield themselves from blowing sand and rain as they look over the beach during Hurricane Irene August 27, 2011 in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. Hurricane Irene hit Dare County, which sits along the Outer Banks and includes the vacation towns of Nags Head, Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills, as a category one hurricane around mid-day today. Surfer Nick Haven looks for a place to surf near the old damaged Hatteras Pier, July 2, 2014 in Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. A Hurricane watch has been issued for North Carolina's Outer Banks due to approaching Tropical Storm Arthur that is expected to gain strength. Power company trucks travel along Highway 64 after flooding caused by Hurricane Arthur July 4, 2014 in Nags Head, North Carolina. Hurricane Arthur hit North Carolina's outer banks overnight causing wide spead power outages, flooding and damage. Highway 12 leading onto Hatteras Island is covered with sand after Hurricane Dorian hit the area on September 6, 2019 in Pea Island, North Carolina. Dorian passed Charleston S.C. yesterday as a category 3 storm and now is hit the Outer Banks as a category 1 storm. Storms of the 2025 hurricane season so far 1 of 26 This house at 46007 Cottage Avenue in Buxton, North Carolina is one of five that collapsed within 45 minutes on the afternoon of Sept. 30, according to Cape Hatteras National Seashore, as rough seas from two hurricanes pounded away at beaches along portions of the Outer Banks. Where and when did the houses collapse? Sept. 30, 2-2:45 p.m. 46001 Cottage Avenue 46002 Cottage Avenue 46007 Cottage Avenue 46209 Tower Circle Road 46211 Tower Circle Road This house at 46007 Cottage Avenue in Buxton, North Carolina, is one of five that collapsed within 45 minutes on the afternoon of Sept. 30, according to Cape Hatteras National Seashore, as rough seas from two hurricanes pounded away at beaches along portions of the Outer Banks. Sept. 30, 11 p.m. 46203 Tower Circle Road Oct. 1, 8 p.m. 46207 Tower Circle Road Oct. 2, Before 5 p.m. 46221 Tower Circle Road A changing seashore The latest collapse brings the total number of homes lost to the ocean since May 2020 to 20, as the Outer Banks grapples with questions about communities built along the coast on a barrier island subject to some of nature's most dynamic forces. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shorelines change rapidly along the 75 miles of beach included within the national seashore, the park service wrote in a report to Congress in late 2024. However, erosion has accelerated in recent years, with the shoreline retreating at a rate of roughly 4 feet per year, according to the report. Some of the homes now collapsing were once a few lots back from the beach, local residents told USA TODAY. Sea level rise also takes a toll. Federal projections indicate sea level rise in the region could rise as much as 14 inches by 2050, bringing a tenfold increase in the number of coastal flooding days. Its everywhere: Sea-level rises surprising reach damaging more than East Coast shoreline Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It's not only hurricanes that can batter the seashore and move incredible volumes of water and sand. Winter Nor'easters can wreak similar damage. Of the total collapsed houses, one fell in February 2022 and another succumbed in March 2023. Removing collapsed home debris from the beach can take weeks or even months, the park service reported. Years of tumultuous discussion and research have taken place in communities along the Outer Banks, as property owners, as well as officials at the local, state, and federal government level have explored and debated how to preserve the lone highway that stretches along the Outer Banks, homes, local economies, and the seashore itself. While houses have been collapsing in Buxton and Rodanthe, eventually erosion and receding beaches in "many other villages" is likely to leave more oceanfront structures threatened along the scenic highway, the park service concluded. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2023, the national seashore bought two of the threatened properties within its boundaries for market value, with assistance and funding from the National Park Trust and Land and Water Conservation Fund. The homes were then removed. The seashore said the project would help assist property owners who did not have viable options to move the structures or promptly remove debris if they collapsed, and help restore the beach and provide public beach access. Dinah Voyles Pulver, a national correspondent for USA TODAY, covers climate change, wildlife and the environment. Reach her at dpulver@usatoday.com or @dinahvp on Bluesky or X or dinahvp.77 on Signal. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hurricanes Humberto and Imelda are blamed for 8 home collapses in NC Zach Witkoff, son of US special envoy Steve Witkoff and co-founder of World Liberty Financial, wants to drive the tokenisation of Trump properties by bringing them onto the blockchain. Speaking alongside Donald Trump Jr. at the Token2049 conference in Singapore on 1 October 2025, he shared his plans for the tokenisation of Trump properties, namely iconic assets like Trump Tower Dubai, into tokenised investments for investors. According to an article from Bloomberg dated 2 October 2025, Witkoff expressed his plans for the tokenisation of Trump properties, stating, The Trump family has one of the most exciting real estate asset portfolios in the world. What if I told you that you could go on an exchange and buy one token of Trump Tower Dubai? Although the idea is still in its early stages, it aims to make high-end real estate more accessible to everyday investors. Why dont you have access to investing in Class A real estate? Witkoff asked. Right now, you can only do that through a REIT or a public corporation. Witkoffs firm, World Liberty Financial (WLF), launched last year in collaboration with US President Trumps family, already offers a stablecoin (USD1) and plans to add lending and borrowing features. Additionally, Witkoff leads ALT5 Sigma, a publicly traded treasury firm that holds WLFI tokens. ALT5 positions itself as a platform for businesses to issue and trade tokenised assets, including real estate and private funds. Whitkoff didnt confirm whether World Liberty or ALT5 would manage the tokenisation directly. EXPLORE: Top 20 Crypto to Buy in 2025 Trump Family Eyes Blockchain for Global Real Estate Push Real estate tokenisation has been slow to take off. For the longest time, it was held back by tough regulations and past failures. (Source: RWA.xyz) But things are now starting to change. Big players like BlackRock are already tokenising money-market funds, and tokenised ETFs are gaining momentum. The Trump family has been ramping up its crypto efforts this year, diving into Bitcoin mining, meme coins and digital asset funds. Now, their global real estate empire could be next in line for blockchain integration. One of the most talked-about projects is the Trump Tower International Hotel and Tower in Dubai. The 80-story skyscraper includes a private members-only club called The Trump, offers sweeping views of the Burj Khalifa, and features luxury penthouses with sky pools. EXPLORE: The 12+ Hottest Crypto Presales to Buy Right Now Institutions Warm to Tokenised Assets as Market Potential Surges Animoca Brands, a Web3 digital property firm, published its research in August suggesting that tokenising real-world assets could open up access to a $400 Tn traditional finance (TradFi) market. On a late summer day in the driveway of his home, Senior Airman Harrison Friar came face-to-face with a gunman on a rampage through his neighborhood. The man, Dennis Burnell, lived directly across the street from Friar and had just fatally shot two neighbors, authorities later said, when Friar confronted the man. The sound of the shots had sent the Air Force intelligence troop into his driveway carrying his own personal firearm. Both Burnell and Friar were armed with pistols. As the two men looked at each other across their neighborhood street, Burnell took aim at Friar and fired. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My first thought was definitely not my own safety, it was just concern for everybody else, Friar told Task & Purpose on Thursday. And then once I realized that everybody else is in at least a semi-safe position, that I need to return fire and stop him from continuing to attempt to kill my wife and I and keep him from hurting my family. Top Stories This Week News Longest-serving active duty Marine to retire after 42 years By Drew F. Lawrence News Soldiers under misconduct investigation wont see careers stall under new Army policy By Patty Nieberg News The elusive ship built to carry US special operators is in the Caribbean By Jeff Schogol, By Patty Nieberg An airborne cryptologic language analyst assigned to Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, Friar was on parental leave at his home in Glenwood, Iowa, on Aug. 6, about 20 miles from the base. His youngest daughter had been born a little more than a week earlier, and his family was just sitting down for dinner when they heard loud noises outside that they initially thought were fireworks, he said. After realizing theyd heard gunshots, Friar told his father-in-law to move the children to safety. Then he got his personal firearm, a CZ P-07 9mm pistol, as his wife looked out the window. She yelled that Burnell, their neighbor, was outside with a gun. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Burnell had just fatally shot a couple that lived nearby, Brandon and Stevie Oman. Friar went outside with his pistol. His wife followed. I wasnt going out there excited, like: Hey, I get to use my firearm to shoot someone, Friar told Task & Purpose. I thought that maybe he went crazy. If I walk outside, hes going to see me with the firearm. Hes going to get scared, go inside, police are going to show up and take care of the problem. But, if not, at the very least I want to protect my family and my friends that I had seen hanging out outside about 15 minutes prior. At first, Friar couldnt see Burnell. The familys cats had sneaked out with them, so he and his wife tossed them back inside. As they sought cover behind cars, a neighbor yelled out that Burnell had fired into his window and asked them to call 911. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then Burnell came out of his screened porch about 30 yards away. He was armed with a Smith & Wesson pistol. What happened next was captured on video by a security camera at Friars home. Senior Airman Harrison Friar hit a gunman twice after returning fire on Aug. 6 in Glenwood Iowa. Air Force photo courtesy of Senior Airman Harrison Friar. We just looked at each other for probably less than a second before he started raising his firearm up at me, Friar recalled. I screamed, Dont, hoping that maybe it would de-escalate the situation. Maybe he would snap back to reality. But it didnt do anything. He obviously intended to fire upon us. Burnell fired about eight times at Friar and his wife. I think the first shot that he shot at me, I did hear it whizz by, Friar said. It hit the brick just inches behind me, just inches to the left of where my shoulder was. That one was very close. The second shot that I can really see in the video actually hit the windshield of a car that we had back in the driveway. My wife was standing in that spot, maybe less than half a second before. But it got caught in our sons car seat. So, he was extremely close to hitting me and then also extremely close to hitting my wife. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the bullets whizzed by, Friar thought about his children inside his home and his wife standing near him. He knew he had no choice but to shoot back. After checking that none of his neighbors were in his line of fire, Friar shot twice. His firing technique, he admitted, was not perfect. I did not use any sort of tactical training in the slightest, Friar said. I fired one-handed across the street at him and managed to hit him both times somehow. So, I will admit that was not proper shooting form in any way, but it did work out for me somehow. I feel like the adrenaline did the opposite of making me nervous. It just calmed me down and locked me in at that moment. Friar hit Burnell in the leg and wrist. Initially, Friar couldnt tell that he had wounded Burnell, who looked at the ground briefly and then retreated into his house. Burnell came back out to fire at Friars house, coming close to hitting his father-in-law, who was running to a bedroom. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By that point, police had arrived at the scene. Burnell went back into his home and apparently set off an explosive device that set the house on fire, setting off an explosion of ammunition that he had stored. After it was all over, Friar learned that Brandon and Stevie Oman had been killed. Only then, did he, he said, did it hit him how close he and his family came to death. A preliminary investigation into the incident has concluded that the shooting was the result of an interpersonal dispute between Burrell and the Omans, authorities said. Now that he has had time to reflect on the shooting, Friar said the most important lesson is that people need to be prepared when things go wrong. It can be something really small all the way up to a fight for your life, Friar said. I think its also important to just hold all your loved ones close. Be prepared for anything to happen because these things can happen with no notice. We never expected anything like this. So, I think its good to always be alert, be aware, and be ready, especially in the event that something like this does happen. In a wide-ranging panel interview, Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey Grob said he doubted he would go along with Cardinal Timothy Dolan's characterization of Charlie Kirk as a modern-day saint, and said he has discussed the possibility of removing the Sunday Mass obligation for immigrants afraid of federal arrests. Grob also said he doesn't "have any fear of" ordaining women as priests or deacons but said he must work within the current rules of the Catholic Church, so he would not be taking that step. At the Milwaukee Press Club's Newsmaker Luncheon Oct. 2, Grob, now eight months into his tenure as archbishop, reflected on questions from reporters in a contemplative way. He often answered with open-ended inquiries of his own. He urged more dialogue, criticized division and said he knew he had to wade into the political fray because of the times we live in, but wished it wasn't necessary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I have no desire to be political, but I'm thrust into a world where I have to be political. My politics is Jesus Christ," Grob said. "I was very content being a parish priest." Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey Grob carries an apostolic mandate from Pope Francis during his installation Jan. 14 at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist. Since becoming archbishop in January, he has emphasized listening, reaching across divides and connecting with the broader community. He echoed that again on the panel. "Divisions are not born of God, and so how do we build bridges?" Grob said. "We've got to break down the barriers, we've got to break down the silos. We're so much stronger when we work together." Grob said he has been making an effort to visit as many parishes and schools across the archdiocese as possible to lend his support and learn more about them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "If I'm truly going to be the shepherd of (the archdiocese), I have to know it, and not just simply be a museum piece that they keep shelved in the chancery office and dust off periodically and bring out," he said. "I want to go to the edges of the archdiocese." Here are a few more takeaways from Grob's comments. More: How did Jeffrey Grob journey from Dane County farm boy to Milwaukee's 12th archbishop? On immigration operations and faith communities' fears Grob was asked about other Catholic bishops' criticism of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown and the impact on immigrant parishioners and families. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Things have continued to deteriorate," he said, since the Wisconsin bishops put out a letter in February urging humane immigration policy. He said some south side pastors have raised with him the possibility of suspending the obligation for Sunday Mass to alleviate fears of immigration operations at their churches. It's a "discussion point" and not a done deal, and they will wait to see whether the situation escalates, he said. There's a "fine line you're dancing between" understanding the government has the right to defend its laws along with a core Catholic belief in the dignity of the human person, he said. On speaking out on political issues, current events In August, one of Grob's weekly email newsletters referenced starvation in Gaza, Alligator Alcatraz, bigotry, abortion and other issues. He wrote, "I ponder my own complicity at times for not speaking out more strongly and boldly in the face of the advancing darkness." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Grob said he has been "bombarded" by opinions from community members, some saying he's going too far, some saying he's not going far enough. Some said, "How dare you attack the president," and others said his comments upset them, Grob said. "It's the climate in which we're living. But the fact of the matter is, what are we doing tangibly to help real lives people so that they maintain their dignity as human beings?" he said. Grob said he hopes to invite people to think more deeply about issues, which he's also trying to do. "Subtlety is lost on a lot of people," he said, and people can misunderstand what he's trying to say. Grob said he doesn't have all the answers, but he is obliged to tell the truth in his role. He also believes that he's accountable to God at the end of his life and not to those who offer their commentary. Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey Grob met Pope Francis in 2022 as he was taking part in training in Rome to become a bishop. Grob was an auxiliary bishop in Chicago before becoming the archbishop of Milwaukee in January 2025. On transparency around clergy sex abuse Grob, who was an auxiliary bishop in Chicago, said he served on a diocesan board reviewing sexual abuse claims for 15 years and saw "things that would turn a lot of people's stomachs." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Shame on" those who perpetrated and covered up abuse, he said. He also said the archdiocese needs to continually review its policies and systems to prevent clergy abuse, and can't be lax. "We can never become complicit. We can never become anything other than vigilant," he said. Grob was asked whether he would consider adding religious order priests who answer to organizations unaffiliated with the archdiocese to the archdiocese's list of restricted priests credibly accused of abuse, as advocates long have urged. He said he told Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, who has led a statewide clergy abuse investigation, that he does not want to attach his name to reviews from religious orders he had no part in doing because the archdiocese cannot verify the religious orders' processes. "In good conscience, we could put links on our website to those religious orders," he said. However, "I'm not that foolish to speak to someone else's process." On the role of women in the church Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey Grob speaks with news reporters after his installation Jan. 14 at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist. On his views on women taking on leadership roles in the church, Grob said he recently hired Sister Diana De Bruin, of the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi in Milwaukee, to be the "vicar for religious" in the archdiocese, a high-up position. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Asked whether he favors ordaining women as priests and deacons, he replied, "I don't have any fear of it." "I see the role of women as integral in the life of the local church," he said. He said he is looking at roles where he can place women, use their skills and "create balance." "I have to work within the current structure. I don't think as archbishop I'll want to start ordaining women priests or deacons because it'll be a real short tenure," he said. More: Pope Francis dies at 88: Wisconsin bishops, Catholic leaders talk about his humility On the 'pendulum' of Catholicism A reporter asked Grob if he agreed with the assessment of Kirk from Dolan, the former Milwaukee archbishop, as a "modern-day St. Paul" and a hero. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Grob replied: "Charlie Kirk was a human person, was a husband, had a wife and child. Did not deserve, like anyone, to end like that. I don't know if I would compare him to a modern day St. Paul." He also offered a middle-of-the-road perspective on the trend of younger Catholics generally adopting more traditional or conservative practices, such as Latin Mass, compared to older generations. "The pendulum never stays long in the center," he said. "It swings from one side to another." He added that it was important to bring old and new ideas together, and the church will survive each iteration. On Latin Mass and incense, he said, "Again, things I'm not afraid of. But we're not only that." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The pendulum has swung in the past, he noted, such as from the conservative 1950s to the liberalizing movement of the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. "We're always living in those tensions. The fact of the matter is that we don't lose center, which is Jesus Christ," he said. Sophie Carson is a general assignment reporter who reports on religion and faith, immigrants and refugees and more. Contact her at scarson@gannett.com or 920-323-5758. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Archbishop Jeffrey Grob on Kirk, immigration, politics, clergy abuse FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) Websites for the two National Forests in the Natural State feature a political message as the government shutdown continues. A yellow banner at the top of websites for the Ouachita National Forest and the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest, saying the government shutdown was caused by the Radical Left Democrats. The banner reads: The Radical Left Democrats shut down the government. This government website will be updated periodically during the funding lapse for mission critical functions. President Trump has made it clear he wants to keep the government open and support those who feed, fuel, and clothe the American people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As of Thursday afternoon, the message is not just on the National Forest websites but also on the U.S. Forest Services website and the U.S. Department of Agricultures website. The USDA website, however, has this message: Due to the Radical Left Democrat shutdown, this government website will not be updated during the funding lapse. President Trump has made it clear he wants to keep the government open and support those who feed, fuel, and clothe the American people. Arkansas revenue outpacing 2024 proceeds in September Department of Finance and Administration report The Forest Service website says that national forest recreation sites remain open during the federal government lapse in funding, but some services may be limited or unavailable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The National Park Service, another federal land agency, has a similar message on the top of its website without the mention of the Radical Left Democrats. Ouachita National Forest is located in Hot Springs and covers most of the portions of western and central Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma. Ozark-St. Francis National Forest is located in Russellville and covers most of northern Arkansas. Before the government shutdown on Oct. 1, Republican lawmakers proposed a short-term funding bill that would have kept the government up and running until at least mid-November. The measure was blocked by Democrats, pushing for stronger healthcare provisions, but Republicans argued that it would have added more than $1 trillion to the federal deficit. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KNWA FOX24. PROVIDENCE Rhode Island's term-limited Attorney General Peter Neronha has ruled out a run for governor. In the last two weeks, he told The Journal, he wrote two statements on his political intentions. One version would have announced his entry into the Democratic competition for governor against incumbent Dan McKee and his only announced challenger, former CVS executive Helena Foulkes, while the second version announced he would not. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Friday, Oct. 3, Neronha, 61, announced the decision he said his wife, Shelly, and their sons reached the night before. "Today, I share the news that I will step away from politics at the end of my second term next year," he said in his statement. "I am grateful to Rhode Islanders for electing me twice as their Attorney General and for the encouragement of many to run for some other office in 2026. But Attorney General is the only elected office I have ever been truly interested in and politics for me was a means to an end, not an end in and of itself." Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha announces on Sept. 4 that he is suing the Trump administration over the federal order that has halted work on Revolution Wind. "After much discussion with my wife and sons,'' he said, "we've decided that it will be time for me to move on at the end of 2026." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 2026 elections are, of course, still more than a year away, and Neronha who has had a lead role in the filing of dozens of legal challenges to alleged illegal actions by the Trump administration, said: "There remains so much more to do in the next year or so as your Attorney General." As of Oct. 1, Neronha had filed or joined with other attorneys general in filing 37 cases seeking to stop Trump administration "actions that violate the rights of Americans and harm Rhode Islanders,'" according to his office website. Among the most recent: a lawsuit filed by a coalition of 12 attorneys general to stop the Trump administration from "unlawfully reallocating federal homeland security funding away from states based on their compliance with the administrations political agenda." "The fight for Rhode Islanders continues and it will continue to have all my focus, energy and commitment there,'' he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a brief interview with The Journal, Neronha said he only seriously considered a run for governor because he "thought that it was a place from where [he] could fix some of the obvious problems facing Rhode Islanders, health care being first and foremost among them." "It is fixable and ... the right governor can fix it," said Neronha, adding he is "not the only one that can fix it." First as the state's top federal prosecutor and then as attorney general, Neronha said he has been able to throw himself "into the parts of the law job that I love." But the more he thought about it, he said, he realized "there are a lot of trappings of being governor that don't have any appeal to me at all," including the prospect of a state trooper at his elbow everywhere he goes, even sailing (he joked). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Neronha said he is not ready to endorse any of the other announced or potential candidates, but confirmed that he had called both Foulkes, an announced candidate, and House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, a potential candidate "both of whom I think highly of" on Thursday night to tell them what he had decided. He did not call McKee, stating what has long been known: "There is no love lost" between them. "I wish him a long and happy life. I just think we need new leadership in the governor's office." Shortly after Neronha's decision went public, Foulkes issued this statement: Peter Neronha is a true public servant who has made a real difference for Rhode Island. "He has spent the last eight years as Attorney General fighting to fix our healthcare system and protect Rhode Islanders access to care,'' she said. "His recent leadership taking on Donald Trump reflects the kind of courage our state and our country need. Im grateful for his work on behalf of all of us. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In his own statement, Shekarchi thanked Neronha "for his many years of outstanding service not only in his current position but as the U.S. Attorney as well. I have always enjoyed a great working relationship with him, and I know he has plenty to contribute to our state in the years to come." "I will make my decision not based on who is running for Governor, but rather on who is the best person to lead Rhode Island in the next four years," Shekarchi said, while confirming that he intends to take the rostrum, as House speaker, when the new legislative session begins in January. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI Attorney General Peter Neronha rules out run for governor For much of his life, Kim Aris, 48, the younger son of Myanmar's detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, stayed out of the spotlight and kept his silence. He avoided the media even as they sought him out, snapping his pictures in a frenzy during those rare times when he was allowed to visit his famous mother in Myanmar. But following the 2021 coup that saw the military junta jail his mother, London-based Aris reluctantly stepped forward to speak out in the hope of alerting the world to her worsening heart problems and dire prison conditions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. Suu Kyi, 80, has spent a total of 19 years in detention since 1989, first under house arrest and now in solitary confinement in prison. She is the recipient of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize, which her sons accepted on her behalf. Kim Aris is the younger son of Aung San Suu Kyi. Photo: Reuters alt=Kim Aris is the younger son of Aung San Suu Kyi. Photo: Reuters> Aris called on Chinese President Xi Jinping to urge Myanmar's military junta to release his mother, saying Beijing held "the most influence" among foreign states given its long ties and extensive investments in the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I appeal to President Xi Jinping to call for her release and to do more to put pressure on the junta ... to make sure that those who should be freed are freed," Aris said. "China has been calling for May May's release, according to my sources," he continued, using the Burmese term for mother. Aris said he believed that Chinese officials "want to see her as much as anyone else and they have been asking for access". Chinese officials "have not been given access to her, as far as I am aware, just as nobody else has", he added. Aris invited anyone outside the prison to try to see her, for "then at least someone could confirm she is alive". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I worry all the time that my mother might die in prison. The conditions in prison are horrendous." In August, a report by the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, a United Nations body, said victims in the country's detention facilities endured beatings, electric shocks, gang rape, strangulation and other forms of torture, such as the removal of fingernails with pliers, according to Reuters. Myanmar's shadow National Unity Government said that if Suu Kyi remained imprisoned or died in detention, the country's crisis would deepen. "It will harden divisions, prolong the conflict and make national reconciliation far more difficult," said Sasa, the NUG's minister for international cooperation, who, like many Burmese, goes by one name. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Her absence would fuel further instability, creating ripple effects across Southeast Asia, including larger refugee flows, greater humanitarian costs and a weakened Asean role in regional peace," Sasa added, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Victims of scam centres who were tricked or trafficked into working in Myanmar sit at a compound inside KK Park, a fraud factory and human trafficking hub on the country's border with Thailand, on February 26, 2025. Photo: Reuters alt=Victims of scam centres who were tricked or trafficked into working in Myanmar sit at a compound inside KK Park, a fraud factory and human trafficking hub on the country's border with Thailand, on February 26, 2025. Photo: Reuters> Aris said he wanted "to see his mother again in person". The two have been separated since he was 11, when she went to Yangon, then the country's capital, to nurse her dying mother in 1988. Suu Kyi was later placed under house arrest for leading the opposition against the country's generals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aris said he believed Suu Kyi had "a better relationship with China" than junta leader Min Aung Hlaing, who led the coup against his mother and her ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party. "My mother and the NLD ... had a good, productive working relationship with China before the coup," Aris said. "She was trying to develop that relationship ... [which] she realised was very significant for her country." "Things were developing in Burma, and China could do business with Burma and trust that those business interests would see fruition of some sort and not be destroyed by other people's greed," he added, referring to Myanmar's former name. Xi and Suu Kyi met in 2020 during his two-day state visit to Myanmar. The visit resulted in 33 agreements to shore up key projects that formed part of the Belt and Road Initiative, China's plan to grow global trade. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They included speeding up the implementation of the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, a deep-sea port in Rakhine state and a new city project in Yangon. Later that year, Suu Kyi's administration signed the China-backed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, a free-trade agreement involving more than a dozen Asia-Pacific countries. Before that, Suu Kyi visited China in 2015 and 2016. China is Myanmar's second-largest foreign investor, pouring more than US$7.7 billion into the country in the 2024-25 financial year and more than US$3 billion so far in the 2025-26 financial year, according to The Irrawaddy news website in a September 8 report quoting Min Aung Hlaing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement China also imported 44,000 tonnes of rare earth elements from Myanmar last year, which accounted for 57 per cent of China's total rare earths imports, according to Wendong Zhang of Cornell University in New York. Aris warned that the crisis in Myanmar was causing challenges for China, citing illegal criminal activities enabled by the junta, including scam centres that have trafficked and enslaved thousands of Chinese citizens and other nationals. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights estimated that some 120,000 people were trafficked to work in scam compounds throughout Myanmar in 2023. The centres were targeting and scamming Chinese citizens in China as well, inflicting billions of dollars in financial losses, Aris said, adding that Beijing wanted "stability and prosperity" for themselves and the rest of the region. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Myanmar's last coup triggered a civil war that has killed more than 7,000 people since 2021 and left the junta controlling less than half the country. In December, the junta is scheduled to hold a general election, but many analysts and politicians have blasted the process as a sham. More than 40 parties, including Suu Kyi's NLD, have been banned from running. In the last election held in 2020, the NLD won more than 82 per cent of the vote. The UN's human rights commissioner said that since the junta came to power in 2021, it had arrested "29,209 individuals on political grounds, of whom 22,074 remained in detention". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aris described China as "looking for domestic peace, for national reconciliation and a government based on the will of the people and for the advancement of post-earthquake reconstruction and economic development". "These are the right goals for Myanmar, as they are for China, but they will not happen through a fake election in which millions of people are disenfranchised," he said. The planned election would only plunge Myanmar "into further chaos and suffering because no one will accept the results and the fighting will only get worse", Aris added. "I believe that my mother's release is the necessary precondition for resolving Myanmar's problems." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright 2025 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2025. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. CLARKSBURG, Pa. An Altoona man who went missing while operating an ultralight aircraft Wednesday in Indiana County was found dead a day later, authorities said Thursday. David E. Wittmer, 75, was located by searchers around 10:30 a.m. in a field roughly one mile from his operating site. During continued search efforts, a member of the Pennsylvania State Police Aviation Patrol Unit located Wittmers ultralight aircraft, which was found crashed in a cornfield along Coal Run Road in Young Township, a Pennsylvania State Police release said. First responders were dispatched to the crash site, at which time Wittmer was located and found to be deceased. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Indiana County Coroner Jerry L. Overman Jr. pronounced Wittmer dead at the scene and ruled the manner of death as accidental, with the cause being multiple blunt-force traumas. The Federal Aviation Administration was notified as well. Wittmer was practicing touch-and-go landings in a field near Church Street in Young Township and had taken off between 6 and 6:30 p.m. but not returned. Personnel from Pennsylvania State Police Troop A, Indiana; the Pennsylvania State Police Aviation Patrol Unit; and Coal Run/McIntyre, Black Lick, Iselin/West Lebanon, Creekside, Coral-Graceton and Elderton volunteer fire departments performed a search for him through the night and into the morning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State police said no foul play is suspected, and troopers are investigating the incident as an accidental death. Overman did not order an autopsy, but a toxicology report was requested. Funeral arrangements are being prepared by Derman Funeral Home, Tyrone. Paramount Skydance is poised to name Bari Weiss as editor in chief of CBS News in the coming days giving the hard-charging journalist unusual clout to revamp the struggling network as it also acquires her scrappy news site the Free Press, The Post has learned. Weiss a 41-year-old former New York Times opinion writer who has built the Free Press into a buzzworthy site with a contrarian bent is expected to be named to the top post in a Monday announcement, although the talks are in flux and the timing could change, a source close to the situation said. In a remarkable reshuffle of CBS News decades-old management structure, Weiss will report directly to Paramount Skydance chief executive David Ellison as she helps set the editorial direction at the Tiffany Networks third-place news division, a source close to the situation said. Bari Weiss is expected to be named editor in chief of CBS News in the coming days, a source said. Getty Images for Uber, X and The Free Press Weiss direct line to Ellison means she will not report to CBS News president Tom Cibrowski, who currently reports to George Cheeks, chair of TV media at Paramount Skydance. No further details could be immediately learned about how Weiss would work with Cibrowski. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Insiders said the hiring of Weiss casts doubts on speculation about the possible return of former CBS president David Rhodes to the network, with one source saying their job candidacies were an either/or situation. Sources told The Post that Weiss could be a strong counterpart to Cibrowski, a former Good Morning America executive who is regarded more as a production wizard than a journalist. Others said they expect it will only be a matter of time before Weiss who has emerged as a leading voice against antisemitism and the woke elites in mainstream media zeroes in on Cibrowskis job. Bari is extremely ambitious. Tom had better watch out, a source close to both parties said. Weiss will report directly to Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, according to a source. Evan Agostini/Invision/AP As previously reported, Paramount Skydance is expected to acquire the Free Press in a deal valued at around $150 million. Sources said the transaction is expected to include a mix of stock and cash and will include earn-out provisions to reach its full value. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A source with knowledge said the Free Press will remain a standalone property operating separate from CBS News and owned by Paramount. It is unclear if the site will eventually be integrated into CBS News digital site. Either way, it appears clear that Weiss is likely to take a major role steering the editorial coverage of the network. It is unclear whether Weiss who has a podcast, Honestly with Bari Weiss, and a column in the Free Press will take on an additional journalistic presence at CBS News. A Paramount Skydance spokesperson didnt immediately respond to requests for comment. Others expect the new leadership structure to create a strain on the already dug in culture at CBS at programs like 60 Minutes, which recently elevated longtime producer Tanya Simon to executive producer. The company is expected to shed light on how Weiss will work with CBS News president Tom Cibrowski. Getty Images It would be like dropping a grenade in the newsroom, one former CBS News veteran told The Post last month, of Weiss addition to the network. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They are used to doing things their way, another source said of CBS News and 60 Minutes veteran staffers. News of a potential partnership has sparked anger at the news division, which has been under fire over its alleged left-leaning bias. Weiss has been closing in on a deal with Ellison for roughly a year, sources told The Post, but his overtures grabbed the attention of the media when the two were spotted in July at the Allen & Co. summit, known as the summer camp for billionaires, in Sun Valley, Idaho. As previously reported by The Post, Ellison first approached Weiss about taking a top role at 60 Minutes as he looks to make major changes at the organization that will bring more conservative voices to the network. Ellison is resetting the left-leaning CBS News to include more conservative voices. AFP via Getty Images As part of Ellisons post-merger reset, Skydance Paramount recently named Kenneth R. Weinstein as CBS News ombudsman a Federal Communications Commission condition aimed at addressing bias complaints. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weeks before the merger was approved by the FCC, Paramount agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit brought by Donald Trump over alleged biased editing of a 60 Minutes interview with Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris shortly before the election. The network denied any wrongdoing, but it eventually settled the lawsuit, with Ellison sweetening the deal by agreeing to throw in an additional $20 million in pro-MAGA advertising to get the deal done, Trump has said. Aside from the Harris scandal, the network was forced to fend off calls of bias over its Israel coverage, which roiled the companys then-controlling shareholder Shari Redstone. Paramount agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit brought by Donald Trump over alleged biased editing of a 60 Minutes interview with Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. 60 Minutes Last October, CBS Mornings co-host Tony Dokoupil was thrust into the spotlight after a tense interview with author Ta-Nehisi Coates, who described Israel as a state built on apartheid and ethnocracy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dokoupil, who is Jewish and has two children living in Israel, slammed Coates for omitting historical context to the shock of CBS Mornings staff, who later complained to network brass. Adrienne Roark, president of the news division at the time, rebuked Dokoupil in an all-hands meeting on Oct. 7 the second anniversary of Hamas deadly attack on Israel saying his work didnt meet the standards of the network. Months later, 60 Minutes aired a controversial segment featuring State Department officials who quit over American support for Israels efforts to root out Hamas terrorists in Gaza a piece that the American Jewish Committee said was shockingly one-sided, lacked factual accuracy, and relied heavily on misguided information. PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) The Bay County Sheriffs Office has recovered most of the funds stolen by a Panama City couple. In April, 38-year-old Amanda Louise McPherson and 28-year-old Johnathon Edward McPherson were arrested on several charges involving a fraud scheme. Amanda was a postal carrier and allegedly confessed during an investigation to several mail thefts targeting checks, investment accounts, and identity theft. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Panama City couple arrested for $50K fraud scheme Deputies said that Amanda stole mail that contained checks and financial statements, called the bank posing as the victim, then changed the banking information to directly receive future checks. Amanda allegedly claims her husband provided all of the information and handled the stolen money. Deputies said Amanda admitted that they stole more than $50,000 from the victims she targeted on her mail routes in Youngstown and eastern Bay County. According to the BCSO, seizure warrants were issued to 25 banking institutions in an effort to recover the stolen funds. Currently, $49,763.07 has been recovered from Johnathons fraudulent accounts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Amanda and Johnathon were charged with seven counts of different fraud offenses, such as grand theft, identity theft, and an ongoing scheme to defraud. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to mypanhandle.com. Hilton is one of the largest hospitality companies in the world. It operates over 7,000 properties in over 120 countries, so the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card more frequently referred to as simply the Hilton Aspire card can be an appealing option for frequent travelers looking to maximize rewards. The Hilton Aspire card is a premium travel card that offers luxurious perks. If you're considering applying for the card, here are seven key details you should know. Check out our full list of the best travel credit cards Learn more Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card Rates & fees, terms apply Annual fee $550 Welcome offer Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 in purchases in the first 6 months of card membership (offer ends Jan. 14, 2026) Rewards rate 14x points on eligible purchases made directly with Hilton properties 7x points at U.S. restaurants 7x points on flights booked directly with airlines or AmexTravel.com and purchases at select car rental companies 3x points on all other purchases Benefits Complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond status Every six months, get up to $200 in statement credits on eligible purchases made directly with Hilton Resorts Annual free night reward Earn up to $200 back per year ($50 in statement credits each quarter) on eligible flight purchases directly with an airline or through AmexTravel.com Earn up to $209 in annual statement credits when you pay for an auto-renewing CLEAR Plus Membership with your card 1. It has a high annual fee As a premium travel rewards card, the Hilton Aspire card has a high annual fee. As of 2025, the fee is $550, so there's a high cost for simply possessing the card. There are other travel rewards cards that have lower fees. For example, the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card has a $95 annual fee, so unless you believe you can maximize the Hilton Aspire card's benefits, another card may be a less expensive option. 2. Cardmembers qualify for special travel perks As a cardmember with the Hilton Aspire card, you're eligible for useful perks while traveling, including: $400 Hilton Resort credit: Qualify for up to $200 in statement credits semi-annually when you use your card to make eligible purchases with your card at participating Hilton Resorts. Eligible charges include meals at resort restaurants and spa treatments. Free night reward: For each year you're a cardmember, you'll receive an email with a code that's valid for one free night at a participating Hilton resort. $200 flight credit: You can receive up to $50 in statement credits each quarter up to $200 per year for up to $200 in eligible airfare purchases made directly through an airline or through AmexTravel.com. $209 Clear Plus credit: The Clear Plus program can make it easier (and faster) to pass airport security. When you use your card to pay the program's annual membership fee, you'll receive up to $209 as a statement credit. Complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond status: Diamond status is the highest tier in the Hilton Honors program. Diamond status entitles you to executive lounge access, premium WiFi, room upgrades, and other perks. Car rental loss and damage insurance: Use your card to pay for the entirety of your car rental fee and you'll automatically be covered against damage or theft of the rental. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions, and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company. Other Hilton cards to consider 3. The card doesn't charge foreign transaction fees With some credit cards, you have to pay a foreign transaction fee a fee credit card companies charge you when you make a purchase abroad. Typically, the fee is about 3% of the transaction amount, which can add up over time when you're traveling. Unlike some cards, the Hilton Honors Aspire card doesn't charge foreign transaction fees, so using it while traveling outside of the U.S. could help you save money. 4. The best reward redemption values are on hotel stays With the Hilton Aspire card, you can earn Hilton Honors points on hotel stays, flights, car rentals, meals at restaurants, and other purchases. You can redeem those points in several ways, including Hilton hotel stays, Lyft rides, at checkout on Amazon and other partner sites, and rental cards. However, you'll get the most value for your points when you redeem them for hotel stays at qualifying resorts. In that case, your points are worth about 0.6 cents each. Other redemption methods produce lower valuations. See more: Best hotel credit cards for 2025 5. It provides other premium benefits As a premium card, the Hilton Aspire card provides other non-travel benefits that can be valuable and useful. These benefits include: Return protection : If a seller doesn't accept a return within 90 days of its purchase date, American Express will refund the full purchase price, excluding shipping and handling, up to a maximum of $300 per item and up to $1,000 per calendar year. Cell phone protection: Use your card to pay your cell phone bill, and you can be reimbursed up to $800 for the repair or replacement of your phone after it's damaged or stolen, subject to a $50 deductible. Events with Amex: As a cardmember, you can take advantage of special ticket access and event presales. 6. It doesn't have a promotional APR offer Some credit cards have promotional APRs on new purchases or balance transfers, giving you a year or more at 0% APR to pay down your balance or finance an upcoming vacation. For instance, the Chase Freedom Unlimited card has a generous intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers. By contrast, the Hilton Aspire card doesn't have a promotional APR, so the regular purchase APR applies to new purchases or vacation bookings. 7. The welcome offer is generous The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire card boasts a generous welcome offer for new cardmembers who qualify for the card. Assuming you redeem those points for Hilton hotel stays, that welcome offer could be worth $900 or more. That's comparable to the value of welcome offers of other premium cards, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, but the Hilton Aspire card gives you a longer period to make purchases and qualify for the offer. Read more: Here's how much Hilton Honors points are worth All information about the Hilton Aspire Card has been collected independently by and is no longer available through Yahoo Finance. This article was edited by Rebecca McCracken Editorial Disclosure: The information in this article has not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. All opinions belong solely to Yahoo Finance and are not those of any other entity. The details on financial products, including card rates and fees, are accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the banks website for the most current information. This site doesn't include all currently available offers. Credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product. A psychologist has found a Belleville woman is currently not mentally fit to stand trial on allegations she fatally stabbed an East St. Louis man last week, according to a court order Thursday. Michelle A. Schultz, 38, was charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of 67-year-old Van T. Perry of East St. Louis on Sept. 26. Schultz, of the 1800 block of West Main Street in Belleville, is accused of using a knife to stab Perry, charging documents state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Perry was found stabbed multiple times inside his home in the 6900 block of Church Lane, according to an Illinois State Police news release. Police did not say how Perry and Schultz knew each other or whether a motive for the homicide had been determined. St. Clair County Public Defender Cathy MacElroy on Tuesday raised a bona fide doubt about Schultzs ability to stand trial and she asked for an expedited mental fitness exam of Schultz. MacElroy said in an interview Thursday that Schultz is not well but couldnt release further details about her medical condition. Dr. Daniel Cuneo, a court-appointed forensic psychologist, examined Schultz on Wednesday and determined that she is currently unfit to stand trial, according to the order by St. Clair County Associate Judge Sara Rice on Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Based on Cuneos findings and Schultzs behavior and demeanor while in custody, Rices order noted that she finds Schultz unable to stand trial. The order states Schultz was remanded to the custody of the Illinois Department of Human Services for fitness restoration treatment in a secure setting. MacElroy said she doesnt know when Schultz would be transferred from the St. Clair County Jail to a state mental hospital but noted that theres no release happening. She wont have any freedom, MacElroy said. Its a locked facility. The Department of Human Services will send someone to evaluate Schultz to determine which hospital would be appropriate for Schultz, MacElroy said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Also, the state agency must submit to the court a treatment plan within 30 days of Schultzs admission. Illinois has seven mental health hospitals, including those in Alton and Chester. Rice scheduled a Jan. 9 hearing for a fitness review of Schultz. Schultz was booked into the county jail on Sept. 26 and she was being held there as of Thursday. Illinois State Police special agents were requested by the East St. Louis Police Department to assist with a homicide investigation. The St. Clair County States Attorneys Office signed the murder charge against Schultz on Sunday. Texas' fast-growing, beaver-branded gas station will soon be building a new store near the Country Music Capital of the World. Buc-ee's announced it will break ground on its newest travel center this month in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, a small town about 35 miles southeast of Nashville. The upcoming Buc-ee's Murfreesboro will be the convenience store chain's fourth Tennessee location, expected to serve road trippers traveling to the "Music City." Its groundbreaking will be October 14 at 3:30 p.m., followed by a ceremony attended by local leaders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Murfreesboro has been a great partner to work with since we first visited," Buc-ee's Director of Real Estate and Development Stan Beard said in a release. "This community will be a welcome pitstop for folks traveling to and from Nashville and Atlanta and the Gulf Coast." Located at Interstate 24 and Joe B Jackson Parkway, Buc-ee's Murfreesboro will occupy 74,000 square feet and offer 120 fueling stations. Once open, shoppers can expect Buc-ee's signature products including Texas barbecue, homemade fudge, kolaches, Beaver Nuggets, jerky, and fresh pastries, according to a release. In addition to Buc-ee's squeaky clean, award-winning restrooms, future guests will also be able to enjoy thousands of snack, meal, and beverage options, plus "competitively priced" gas, per the release. There are two Buc-ee's currently open in the Volunteer State: Crossville and Sevierville, on opposite sides of Knoxville. In April 2024, Buc-ee's announced plans for a third Tennessee location off exit 28 on Interstate 40 in Gallaway, just outside the Memphis metro area. The Gallaway Buc-ee's is slated to open in summer 2026. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Buc-ee's has reportedly been planning its newest Murfreesboro location since 2021, which will be the closest store for Nashvillians after Smiths Grove, Kentucky. The groundbreaking ceremony is expected to include City Manager Darren Gore, the Murfreesboro City Council, Rutherford County Mayor Joe Carr and the Rutherford County Commission. Founded in Lake Jackson in 1982, Buc-ee's operates 54 stores across the U.S. Since beginning its multi-state expansion in 2019, the Texas-based chain has opened travel centers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, and more with plans for more in Colorado, Wisconsin, Ohio, etc. Buc-ee's Murfreesboro will bring more than 250 full-time jobs to the area, with starting pay beginning above minimum wage, full benefits, a 6% matching 401k, and three weeks of paid vacation, per the chain. This article originally published at Buc-ee's to break ground on new store near Country Music Capital. The News Firmin Edouard Matoko, one of the two candidates vying to head the UNs culture and education agency, said he would build more museums in Africa to house artifacts returned from overseas if he secures the top job, a move he said could boost cultural tourism across the continent. Matoko, a veteran diplomat and economist from Congo Brazzaville, is competing with Khaled El-Enany, Egypts former tourism minister, to be appointed UNESCOs next director-general. The agencys executive board made up of 58 member states elected for four-year terms will hold a vote on Oct. 6 to select a recommended nominee for appointment. Matoko, a UNESCO official for 35 years who spoke to Semafor in a wide-ranging interview, welcomed the restitution in recent years of artifacts looted by former colonial powers in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement. The issue is not only giving back the artifacts, but its also setting up a museum and training the people on how to preserve those artifacts, he said. This is very important, otherwise the artifacts go back to the village and may be subject to illicit traffic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Matoko said that, under his leadership, UNESCO would support the construction of museums and training of staff. He added that he felt former colonial powers returning artifacts should, as a condition of the process, be responsible for some follow up action to create conditions for the preservation of items, such as providing funding to build museums. Know More The construction of museums to house artifacts offers an opportunity for African countries to bolster their cultural tourism offering for international and domestic visitors, potentially reaping economic benefits. Governments could boost revenues through museum attendance as well as through money spent by visitors, from hotel accommodation to restaurants and souvenir shops. It also offers a way to create jobs. The vast majority of African artifacts in museums are held outside Africa, with more than half a million in European institutions alone. In recent years, objects looted from Benin City by British soldiers in 1897 commonly known as Benin Bronzes have been returned to Nigeria, Asante artifacts have been returned to Ghana, and France has sent colonial-era skulls back to Madagascar. But the return of items has at times proved to be problematic. The campaign for the return of the Benin Bronzes attracted investment to Edo state, in southern Nigeria, to build a cultural district in Benin City. The investment includes the building of the Edo Royal Museum, the Edo Museum of West African Arts (EMOWAA) with the EMOWAA Pavilion (research and educational facility), and Benin City Mall amongst other features. But the plans sparked a dispute with the Oba of Benin, the traditional ruler, who argued that the items were stolen from his ancestors and should be returned to his family. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Matoko, in the interview, also said UNESCO would use digital technology to extend education to more children in Africa, if he became the agencys director-general. With the lack of teachers that we have, if you use new technologies, you can teach from a distance for virtual education. Thats a priority, he said, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic showed this approach can be implemented at scale. Step Back The person selected by UNESCOs executive board will be recommended for appointment by the agencys 194 member states next month. The winner will be UNESCOs first African leader in nearly 40 years. The View From Egypt El-Enany, an Egyptologist who was the early frontrunner in the race to be director-general, has emphasized the role of education in bridging inequalities worldwide and vowed to reduce bureaucracy within UNESCO. In an interview in May with The Korea Times, El-Enany said that, if elected, his first priority would be to rebuild consensus among the UN agencys member states to reduce political polarization. UNESCO must remain a neutral platform, he told the outlet, adding: Every member state should feel ownership of this organization where impartiality, inclusion and mutual respect prevail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He also said UNESCO needs to diversify its funding streams by building partnerships with multilateral donors, philanthropic organizations, the private sector, and governments. Notable NATIONAL AFFAIRS: Comparing Trumps two grand peace plans one that collapsed into the Abraham Accords, another designed to end a war. On January 28, 2020, US President Donald Trump stood in the White Houses East Room beside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and unveiled what he called the Deal of the Century. Five years later, once again alongside Netanyahu but this time in the State Dining Room, Trump rolled out what might best be described as the Deal of the Millennium. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If the first plan promised to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (it didnt), the new one aspires not only to end the Israel-Hamas War but in Trumps telling to deliver the peace that he said has eluded the region for more than two millennia. This is a big, big day, a beautiful day, potentially one of the great days ever in civilization, said Trump, not one for understatement. Im not just talking about Gaza. Gaza is one thing, but were talking about much beyond Gaza. The whole deal, everything getting solved. Its called peace in the Middle East. Trump has spoken in such grandiose terms before. His new Gaza initiative echoes not only in substance but also in style the ambitious Deal of the Century he unveiled five years earlier. US President Donald Trump speaks during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (not pictured) in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, DC, US, September 29, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/JONATHAN ERNST) That plan, formally titled Peace to Prosperity: A Vision to Improve the Lives of the Palestinian and Israeli People, was three years in the making. Drafted by his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who was also involved in shaping the current proposal, it was released in two stages: an economic workshop in Bahrain in 2019 and the 181-page political framework presented in Washington in January 2020. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The plan proposed a demilitarized Palestinian state on roughly 70% of Judea and Samaria, connected by bridges and tunnels, with Jerusalem as Israels undivided capital. Israel would annex all settlements and the Jordan Valley. In return, Palestinians would receive promises of $50 billion in international investment. The Palestinian rejection was immediate and absolute. PA President Mahmoud Abbas branded it the slap of the century, declaring, a thousand times no. Abbas cut ties with Washington, calling the plan a conspiracy designed for rejection. Even Arab states that were increasingly open to relations with Israel offered only tepid support. Many Europeans, led by France, Germany, and the EUs foreign policy chief, were highly critical. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Several flaws doomed the proposal, the most glaring being the exclusion of Palestinians from the negotiations. It was as if the US negotiating with Israel would be enough. The timing also raised suspicion: The release coincided with Trumps impeachment trial and one of Netanyahus election campaigns, raising questions about political motives. Dead on arrival as a peace plan, this deal nevertheless became the stepping stone to something else: the Abraham Accords normalization agreements with the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan. Instead of resolving the Palestinian question, Trump shifted the axis to Israels relations with the wider Arab world, bypassing Ramallah and embracing a regional approach. Five years later: Trump's Gaza peace plan NOW, FAST-FORWARD five years. Trump is back in the White House, Israel is just days away from marking two years of war in Gaza, and the conflict has spilled into Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iran. Against this backdrop, Trump unveiled his 20-point plan for Gaza. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Unlike the 2020 Deal of the Century, which was explicitly framed as a comprehensive end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Gaza plan is built around the immediate urgency of ending an active war. Its provisions focus on demilitarizing Gaza, establishing a Board of Peace headed by Trump himself (with Tony Blair in an undefined role) to temporarily oversee day-today governance, and bringing in an international Arab- and Muslim-backed force to eventually replace the IDF as the temporary International Stabilization Force. Reconstruction would transform Gaza into New Gaza, featuring special economic zones and attracting outside investment. While the focus is on ending the war and on Gaza, Trump has cast this initiative in grandiose, sweeping terms as the first step toward peace in the Middle East, not just Gaza. On paper, its scope may be narrower, but in Trumps telling, it is every bit as ambitious as his earlier effort. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, unlike in 2020, Trump presented this plan with strong regional backing. Eight Arab and Muslim nations Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Indonesia, and Pakistan issued a joint statement welcoming the effort, even though they attributed specific provisions to the plan that were not actually in it. For instance, the 19th point of Trumps plan is the only place where a future Palestinian state is hinted at. While Gaza redevelopment advances, and when the PA reform program is faithfully carried out, the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood, which we recognize as the aspiration of the Palestinian people, the plan read. The foreign ministers of these countries, in a joint statement welcoming the plan, turned that wink into an outright embrace, saying they reaffirmed their joint commitment to a plan that creates a path for a just peace on the basis of the two-state solution, under which Gaza is fully integrated with the West Bank in a Palestinian state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Their statement also mentioned a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza something absent from Trumps plan, which envisions a permanent Israeli security perimeter. Still, the very fact that Arab states issued a statement welcoming the plan is notable. That did not happen in 2020. Even the Palestinian Authority, while wary, praised Trumps determined efforts. This was a far cry from 2020, when it severed ties with the president. THE SIMILARITIES between the two plans are striking. Both were unveiled amid great fanfare, wrapped in Trumps characteristic showmanship. Both rely heavily on economic sweeteners, promising prosperity in return for political concessions. And both rest on the idea of outside supervision over Palestinian governance. In 2020, the Deal of the Century placed that oversight squarely in Israels hands, with the IDF retaining ultimate security control and international donors managing the economic piece. In 2025, the Gaza plan envisions something different: a global Board of Peace chaired by Trump, an Arab- and Muslim-led security force to replace the IDF, and Gulf states and international specialists overseeing Gazas reconstruction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In both cases, the deals offered terms the Palestinian side would be hard-pressed to accept, thereby highlighting Israeli flexibility while shifting blame to them the PA, in 2020, and Hamas, today for rejection. However, there are significant differences between the two plans. The first has to do with timing and urgency. The Deal of the Century was floated during a period of relative quiet; the Gaza plan was born of urgent wartime reality. Israel has been fighting Hamas for nearly two years. With Gaza in ruins and the population suffering, the Palestinians cannot afford to reject every initiative out of hand this time. This alone creates a different dynamic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then, there is the matter of scope. The Deal of the Century aimed at final-status peace, tackling Jerusalem, borders, and refugees issues that have defied solution for decades. The Gaza plan is far narrower: It seeks to end hostilities, rebuild Gaza, and establish interim governance. Broader Palestinian aspirations are only tangentially hinted at, and narrowing the deal to Gaza may render it more workable. Another difference has to do with regional support. The 2020 plan had little Arab backing; the Gaza plan has broad Muslim buy-in. The Saudis, in particular, are more open now, provided there is a credible path toward a two-state solution. Even Qatar and Turkey, implacably hostile to Israel, signed onto the initial statement. This type of coalition did not exist five years ago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As far as security arrangements, the earlier plan envisioned indefinite Israeli control of a demilitarized Palestinian entity. The Gaza proposal suggests an international Arabled force taking responsibility. For the first time, Arab states are prepared to police Palestinians, a significant shift in regional dynamics. The Palestinian response is also markedly different. Abbas slammed the door instantly in 2020, dismissing the Deal of the Century as illegitimate. This time, the Palestinian Authority has taken a different approach, initially expressing a degree of openness. Why? Because the circumstances have changed dramatically. After two years of war and devastation, Gazas population is desperate for relief, leading Ramallah to understand that its calculations this time need to be different. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement THE COLLAPSE of the Deal of the Century offers lessons for the Gaza plan. Chief among them: A plan without Palestinian buy-in is unlikely to succeed just as any plan without Israeli agreement would have little chance of success. The original plan assumed Palestinians would eventually cave under pressure; they did not. The Gaza plan could meet the same fate, though this time the Palestinians in this case Hamas will come under intense pressure from some influential Arab and Muslim states to take the deal. Another lesson, perhaps the most important, is that even failed plans can spawn unanticipated successes. Trumps 2020 plan did not deliver peace, but it paved the way for the Abraham Accords, a historic regional realignment. The question is whether the Gaza plan, even if it does not materialize as envisioned, could lead to a similar transformation. There are signs that it might. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The eight-nation Muslim coalition standing behind the Gaza plan suggests an unprecedented willingness to work with Israel, even if indirectly. Were Hamas to reject the proposal, these states foremost Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Indonesia may conclude that Palestinian leadership is incapable of compromise and move toward deeper ties with Israel regardless. The Gaza plan faces some of the same structural problems that doomed its predecessor. Yet, failure is not the end of the story. Just as the earlier plan morphed into the Abraham Accords, this one could turn into something larger: an expanded normalization process, a new regional security framework, or deeper economic integration. In that sense, Trumps overheated rhetoric may not be entirely misplaced. His plans may not solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but they may accelerate broader transformations in the region. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The US president has now twice promised to rewrite the script of Middle Eastern peace. The first time ended not with Palestinian-Israeli reconciliation but with Arab normalization. The second time, Gaza is the focus, and the Muslim world is more deeply engaged. Whether this weeks announcement becomes one of the great events of civilization, as Trump boasted, or merely another mirage remains to be seen. But one of the lessons of the Deal of the Century is that failure can still be consequential. Even if this plan does not end the Israel-Hamas War or deliver peace, it may, like its predecessor, reshape the region in ways its architects did not initially foresee. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is set to give an address on Friday as the nation celebrates reunification, 35 years after the event. On October 3, 1990, the states that made up East Germany were integrated into the Federal Republic of Germany - the formal name for West Germany - ending the long division of the German nation after World War II. This year, Saarbrucken is hosting the main event and Merz said he does not plan to focus on the past so much as to address the issues he sees as urgent to solve the country's problems. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a guest of honour, French President Emmanuel Macron is also due to give a speech at the ceremony held in the south-western state which borders France. The two halves of Germany were reunited after more than 40 years of division, about a year after the peaceful revolution in East Germany and the opening of the borders. Living conditions differed significantly at the time but have since become much more similar, though disparities remain in terms of wages, wealth and productivity, all of which are lower in the East. And as views on many political issues diverge, polls suggest many people presently see more differences than commonalities between the two parts of the country. Merz is also heading to eastern Germany in the evening for a concert in Halle an der Saale. It is part of a series of choral events held simultaneously in villages and towns nationwide, recalling the prayers and peaceful revolution of 1989. An assistant professor of cultural anthropology at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville has been the subject of a weekslong public debate regarding online comments she made about Charlie Kirk's assassination and whether her words should be considered a fireable offense. Knox News has been on top of the story since the beginning, digging through an array of university documents and talking to First Amendment experts around the state and country to fully understand the layered situation so we can best explain it to you (with reporting you won't find anywhere else). We've created a timeline breaking down every step of the ongoing situation to keep you up to speed. Sept. 10: Charlie Kirk assassinated at Utah Valley University 12:23 p.m. Kirk is shot during an event he was hosting on the Utah Valley University campus while responding to a question about mass shooters. 2:40 p.m. President Donald Trump announces on social media that Kirk was killed in the shooting. Later in the day: Some conservatives on social media begin a campaign to get people fired from their jobs for posting negative or celebratory comments about Kirk's death. Sept. 10-14: Tamar Shirinian posts her comment about Kirk's death Sometime between Kirk's assassination and Sept. 14, UT professor Tamar Shirinian posts her comment on Facebook. The comment has since been deleted, and a widely shared screenshot does not include a timestamp showing when it was posted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The original post: Another social media user made the original post, which was about unfriending certain people posting about Kirk's assassination and made reference to people comparing Kirk to Jesus Christ. Shirinian made the following comment on the post: The world is better off without him in it. Even those who are claiming to be sad for his wife and kids .... like, his kids are better off living in a world without a disgusting psychopath like him and his wife, well, she's a sick f--- for marrying him so I dont care about her feelings. Sept. 14: Shirinian's comment goes viral through activist Robby Starbuck 3:23 p.m. Conservative social media activist Robby Starbuck posts multiple screenshots on X showing Shirinian's comment and part of her UT profile page. Starbuck's post: UTK must take action, Starbuck says, prompting nearly 845,000 followers to contact the university and UT System President Randy Boyd to push for the professor's firing. Sept. 15: University of Tennessee takes 'swift action,' sends letter The University of Tennessee at Knoxville deleted Shirinian's biography webpage from the Department of Anthropology website sometime before noon Sept. 15. Starbuck's post draws responses from politicians, including U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn and U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett. The post has been viewed more than four million times. 8:54 a.m. Boyd posts to his UT-affialiated X account announcing an investigation , followed by a post on his personal account. "Celebrating or advocating violence and murder is reprehensible and has no place at the University of Tennessee," the posts said. Before noon: UT deletes Shirinian's biography webpage from the Department of Anthropology website. 1:01 p.m. The university posts a campus update to X that's also sent directly to students and faculty members, saying UT took "swift action against a faculty member who has failed to meet our expectations for civil engagement" and that "endorsing violence and murder do not represent the university or our values. Shirinian was removed from the classroom , according to the update, and placed on administrative leave as the university pursues her termination. 1:08 p.m. Boyd makes another post to his university X account saying he supports Plowman's decision and makes the same post on his personal account minutes later. 2:24 p.m. Plowman shares a statement on her X account, reiterating shes started the firing process and that violence has no place on campus. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Plowman also sends her first letter to Shirinian about her paid administrative leave, telling Shirinian to stop any UT business and leave campus. The same day, Knox News publishes its first report on the situation. From Plowman's letter: The incendiary nature of your statements has already negatively impacted the academic environment and increases the risk of violence on our campus. Sept. 16: Chancellor Plowman sends Shirinian second letter University of Tennessee System President Randy Boyd posted to X on Sept. 15 announcing he supports Chancellor Donde Plowman's decision to pursue the firing of an assistant professor for her online comments about Charlie Kirk following the assassination of the conservative activist. Plowman sends a second letter to Shirinian about how she arrived at her decision, doubling down on her belief the Facebook comment compromises Shirinian's role as a faculty member and citing the assistant professor for "gross misconduct." Plowman gives Shirinian the opportunity to respond by Sept. 22. What happens next? If Shirinian is fired, she can ask for hearing by a special committee of faculty members or through a Uniform Administrative Procedures Act hearing. Plowman's authority: The chancellor is handling the situation directly as campus CEO, invoking her powers in administration vested by the UT System Board of Trustees to remove faculty members she finds seriously derelict in his or her responsibilities as a member of the academic community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From Knox News: On the same day, Knox News publishes a recap of what we know so far. Sept. 22: Appeal sent to Chancellor Plowman, who explains decision Shirinian sends Plowman a letter of appeal, which she provided to Knox News, apologizing for her comment. The letter denounces political violence and expresses regret over her choice of words on her personal account, which was made in a private setting, and for not considering her words could reach a national audience. A personal connection: Shirinian's letter provides Plowman context about what spurred her to comment on the original post. For nearly two years, Shirinian says, she's been exposed to posts and reports about the genocide in Gaza, feeling a personal connection because of her Armenian heritage, birth in Lebanon and personal history as a descendant of genocide survivors. After Kirks assassination, her social media was flooded with posts about Gaza alongside posts expressing grief for Kirk. Kirk's history at UT: During a March 25 event at UT , Kirk engaged with a student who said her classes included scholarship on gender choice and spectrum two topics Shirinian studies. Kirk responded by saying UT should be defunded and should fire liberal professors. Mr. Kirk was targeting me and my livelihood, Shirinian says in her letter. Setting the record: "While I despise his bigoted, often hateful rhetoric, Mr. Kirk did not deserve to be killed for his words. No one does," Shirinian says in her response to Plowman. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This same day, Plowman meets with the Faculty Senate and offers three reasons behind her decision to pursue firing Shirinian: Shirinian "violated the universitys expectations for civil and professional engagement, and respectful conduct." Shirinian "undermined the mission and the focus of the university through her misconduct." Shirinian "harmed the reputation of the university considerably." Plowman is the person who ultimately made the decision, which Provost John Zomchick called a judgment call. From Knox News: A story about free speech laws and how the First Amendment applies to Shirinian's situation is published on knoxnews.com. Sept. 23-24: Knox News acquires documents, continues reporting Over the course of two days, Knox News publishes a report on the Faculty Senate meeting and acquires the letters sent between Plowman and Shirinian. Sept. 25: Chancellor Plowman delivers Flagship Address 11 a.m. Plowman delivers her seventh Flagship Address focused on pushing the university forward in the face of federal funding challenges, but she declines to answer questions about Shirinian when she speaks with reporters after the address, citing the ongoing disciplinary process. Sept. 29-Oct. 1: No new updates from University of Tennessee Sept. 29: Knox News publishes a story detailing Shirinians letter of appeal. Oct. 1: In response to a Knox News inquiry, UT spokeswoman Kerry Gardner says the university has no updates or announcements to share about the situation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Keenan Thomas is the higher education reporter for Knox News. Email keenan.thomas@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter @specialk2real. Support strong local journalism by subscribing to subscribe.knoxnews.com. This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Shirinian awaits University of Tennessee plans after Charlie Kirk post By Muvija M CANTERBURY, England (Reuters) -The Church of England named Sarah Mullally on Friday as the next Archbishop of Canterbury, the first woman to serve as ceremonial head of Anglican Christianity worldwide, prompting immediate criticism from conservative church leaders in Africa. The 63-year-old bishop, who once served as England's top nurse, will, like her predecessors, face a Communion divided between conservatives and more liberal Christians over the role of women in the Church and the acceptance of same-sex couples. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the appointment was welcomed by many religious leaders in Britain, Laurent Mbanda, archbishop of Rwanda and chairman of a global grouping of conservative Anglican churches, told Reuters that Mullally would not unite the Communion. A bishop in Nigeria said the choice was "very dangerous" because women should follow men. The Church of England's evangelical wing also called for a halt to what it called a drift away from scripture. MULLALLY HAS CHAMPIONED LIBERAL CAUSES Bishop of London since 2018, Mullally has previously championed blessings for same-sex couples, a major source of contention in the global Anglican Communion. Homosexuality is outlawed in some African countries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In an address in Canterbury Cathedral on Friday, she said she would seek to help every ministry to flourish, "whatever our tradition". On same-sex relationships, she told Reuters in an interview that the Church of England and the broader Anglican Communion had long wrestled with difficult issues. "It may not be resolved quickly," she added. Mullally said she wanted the Church to tackle the misuse of power after sexual abuse scandals and safeguarding issues, and she condemned rising antisemitism following an attack on a synagogue in Manchester on Thursday which killed two men. The Church of England, which broke away from Roman Catholicism in the 16th century, has allowed women to be ordained as priests for more than 30 years and to become bishops for more than a decade. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those reforms have been rejected by many churches in Africa and Asia which fall under the Anglican Communion and consider the Archbishop of Canterbury as their ceremonial head but set their own rules. "Christ is the head of the Church, man is the head of the family, and from creation God has never handed over the position of leadership to woman," Nigeria's Funkuro Godrules Victor Amgbare, Bishop of Northern Izon, told Reuters in Abuja. The Vatican, which does not allow women to be ordained as priests, welcomed Mullally's appointment in a statement, noting that the challenges facing the Anglican church were "considerable". SAFEGUARDING IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mullally will replace Justin Welby, who resigned over a child abuse cover-up scandal and who was criticised by some Anglicans for taking an activist role on social issues. In Friday's cathedral address she spoke of the difficulties of an age which "craves certainty and tribalism" and a country which is wrestling with complex moral and political questions. She noted the "horrific violence" of the previous day's synagogue attack, saying it revealed "hatred that rises up through fractures across our communities". Mullally, who as a bishop already holds a seat in the British parliament's House of Lords, is also an outspoken opponent of legislation currently being debated to allow assisted dying. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 'IT'S ALL ABOUT PEOPLE' Mullally is a former cancer nurse who worked as England's Chief Nursing Officer in the early 2000s. She was ordained as a priest in 2002 and became one of the first women consecrated as a bishop in the Church of England in 2015. The married mother of two adult children said there were similarities between nursing and Christian ministry. "It's all about people, and sitting with people during the most difficult times in their lives," she once told a magazine. Linda Woodhead, professor of theology and religious studies at Kings College London, said the Church needed Mullally's strong management skills. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Her emphasis on unity, gentleness and strength is exactly what the Church, and nation, needs right now," she said. Reflecting the Church's status as England's established faith, the appointment was announced by Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office and given formal assent by King Charles. The monarch has been supreme governor of the Church of England for nearly 500 years since Henry VIII broke from the pope in Rome. David Pestell, 74, who heads a tourist guide group in Canterbury, reflected on Mullally's predecessors. "Some of them have been very good, some of them have been pretty bad," he said. "Some of them have been very contentious, and some of them ended up murdered. I hope it doesn't happen to this one. It's delightful." (Reporting by Muvija M, writing by Sarah Young and Kate Holton; additional reporting by Abraham Achirga in Abuja Editing by Gareth Jones and Peter Graff) Correction & clarification: A prior version of this story misstated the origin of the U.S. law on daylight saving time. The sun is setting earlier and the nights are getting colder a sign that the clocks are about to fall back an hour for the time change. Here's when and what to know about the end of daylight saving time 2025. Many countries around the world and most of the United States still observe the practice of turning the clocks forward or backward an hour, in the effort to extend daylight hours seasonally, though some argue the practice should be brought to an end. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In April, President Donald Trump urged Congress to make DST permanent in a Truth Social post, The House and Senate should push hard for more Daylight at the end of a day. Very popular and, most importantly, no more changing of the clocks, a big inconvenience and, for our government, A VERY COSTLY EVENT!!! However, that April post followed a previous post by Trump in December 2024, when he said he would work to end DST and make standard time permanent. And in between those posts, in March, he called the issue "50/50" noting that some people prefer permanent DST while others prefer permanent standard time. The difference is DST would mean later sunrises and sunsets, allowing for more time for outdoor activities after work in the evenings, whereas standard time would mean earlier sunrises and sunsets, which some argue increase safety in the mornings for school children and is more in line with our biological circadian rhythms, according to savestandardtime. DST is approximately eight months, starting on the second Sunday of March and ending on the first Sunday of November. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The push to make DST permanent is not new and has been reintroduced multiple times as the Sunshine Protection Act, which would establish permanent DST across the country, extending daylight saving time from eight months of the year to the full year. The Sunshine Protection Act passed the senate in 2022 but stalled in the House. It was reintroduced again, in January 2025, but has not passed. Pennsylvania legislature introduced a bill in 2023 to establish year-round daylight saving time but it never passed. More recently in March, they passed a Senate resolution calling on the U.S. Congress to end the outdated practice of changing the clocks twice a year. They are one of 29 states thus far, that have introduced legislation to stop the clock changes. Here's what to know about daylight saving time, when it happens and what states observe it. When is daylight savings time fall 2025? Daylight saving time will end on Nov. 2, in 2025 at 2 a.m., at which time it will reset to 1 a.m. Why do we change the clocks every year? According to the Farmer's Almanac, the idea behind daylight saving time was to give us more daylight during the summer evenings and then move it back to give us more daylight during winter mornings. Will we lose an hour or gain an hour when DST ends? In the fall, clocks fall back one hour. You will gain an extra hour of potential sleep or play. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the spring, clocks spring forward one hour. You will have lost an hour when you awake that morning. When is the shortest day of 2025? Winter solstice 2025 The winter solstice will bring us the shortest day of the year on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, with approximately 9 hours 17 minutes of daylight. To check how many hours of sunlight you'll get and the sunrise/sunset times in your area, click here. What states observe daylight saving time? Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware are among the majority of states that observe daylight saving time, but there are exceptions. Hawaii and parts of Arizona do not participate in daylight saving time. The territories of American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands also do not participate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Maria Francis is a Pennsylvania-based journalist who covers trending topics across the Mid-Atlantic region. This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Do clocks fall back this weekend? 2025 daylight savings time start end MPONELA, Malawi (KDVR) A roll of duct tape is all it took for Jordan Banda to repair engine problems his four-wheel-drive faced days ago on a dusty road in east Africa. A program director for Marion Medical Mission who logs thousands of miles a year traveling between remote villages, Banda is used to the challenges of driving in Malawi. Boulder volunteer helping provide safe drinking water in one of the poorest countries on the planet Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ive blown a clutch in a truck in the middle of the night and had to have them come rescue me. Been stuck in the sand up to the hubcaps. Ive had a bridge collapse under me. Ive had at least seven flat tires. Crossed river bridges using my snorkel. Just one adventure after another, said Joel McGee, a longtime volunteer with the nonprofit. Then theres the time Doug Kees vehicle was shot at, a rare occurrence in rural areas of Malawi where theres very little crime. The challenges of navigating the roads in one of the poorest, least developed countries on earth are all in a days work for the 19 Marion Medical Mission volunteers on the ground right now Malawi, Zambia and Tanzania. Many of the volunteers are from Colorado. All of them are taking part in the final phase of installing some of the more than 4,000 safe, sustainable drinking water wells the non-profit plans to install in the most remote African villages this year alone. Over the past few decades, Marion Medical Mission has installed more than 58,000 wells in Africa, with no end in sight, because the need is so great. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Estes Park volunteers in east Africa help villagers, students in one of the worlds least developed countries Many times, people have said, Why cant the Africans themselves pull themselves up by their bootstraps? They dont have boots! Tom Logan, Marion Medical Mission founder and president, told volunteers at a training session last week. Logan has been doing this work since the mid-1980s, and says the need is so great, somebodys had to step in. People from Ethiopia and Kenya and Uganda have contacted (us) and said, Hey, you know, we need water, come up and build some wells up here,' Logan told FOX31. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Among those helping, Marion Medical Mission field officer Francis Kaponda, who helps oversee the construction of new wells. And program coordinator Jordan Banda, who took FOX31 to a village where a well was being dug. Before the project, villagers were getting sick from the drinking water. As we are drinking bad water, we feel pain in our stomach, one villager told FOX31. It wasnt like I came over here and showed them how to build a well. We learned how to build a well together, Logan said. The charity has helped more than five million Africans access clean water over the past few decades, overcoming immeasurable challenges to get the job done. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mission to Malawi: Colorado volunteers join effort to bring safe drinking water to one of the worlds least developed countries Even if it means carrying an extra roll of duct tape, in case engine repairs are needed. To learn more about Marion Medical Mission, visit their webpage. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver. An electric vehicle charging at a Colorado College parking lot on Sept. 27, 2021. (Julia Fennell/Colorado Newsline) A state program to incentivize electric vehicle purchases will offer more generous rebates in the absence of federal benefits repealed by President Donald Trumps administration, Colorado officials announced Thursday. The sweeping tax and spending law passed by Trump and congressional Republicans this year canceled a federal rebate of up to $7,500 for the purchase of electric vehicles, enacted by Democrats under former President Joe Biden. That incentive, which applied to domestically manufactured EVs, expired Sept. 30. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To continue to spur EV adoption, Colorado will boost the incentives offered through its two-year-old Vehicle Exchange Colorado program, which provides rebates for Coloradans who trade in older, high-emitting vehicles for a new or used EV. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The market has made it clear, EVs are here to stay, Gov. Jared Polis said in a press release. Colorado is a national leader in EVs, expanding access and creating pathways for Coloradans to purchase an EV at low-cost. I encourage all Coloradans who are thinking of buying an electric vehicle or have been holding off: get out there right now, Polis added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under the states expanded rebates, eligible Coloradans can receive up to $9,000 towards the purchase or lease of a new EV, an increase from $6,000. The maximum incentive for a used EV was raised from $4,000 to $6,000. To qualify for the vehicle exchange program, an applicant must trade in a gas-powered car that is at least 12 years old or fails an emissions test. Eligibility is also restricted to people with lower incomes, or who are enrolled in at least one state or federal financial assistance program. Full details are available on the Vehicle Exchange Colorado website. The state says more than 2,600 Coloradans have received rebates through the program since it launched in 2023. The EV rebate program is one of several supported by the Community Access Enterprise, funded through new fees on gasoline sales, EV registrations, rideshare vehicles and more under a major 2021 overhaul of state transportation funding. The EV trade-in program is funded through at least 2032. Overall, the expiration of consumer rebates and other clean energy programs under Trump and congressional Republicans is projected to cost the average Colorado household $500 a year by 2035, Polis office has said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials with the Colorado Energy Office told lawmakers in August that it now projects fewer than 600,000 electric vehicles will be on Colorados roads by 2030, far short of the goal of nearly 1 million it first set in 2019. Fully electric vehicles have accounted for just under 20% of all new vehicle sales in the first half of 2025, a decline from their peak market share in the second half of 2024, according to the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association. Transportation is a leading source of emissions in Colorado, making widespread EV adoption essential to achieve our climate goals, said CEO executive director Will Toor. Coloradans have made it clear that they want EVs, and with Congress revoking key incentives that save Coloradans money, we are stepping up. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Colorado will increase its point-of-sale electric vehicle rebates for those replacing old and high-emissions vehicles beginning Nov. 3 in response to the expiration of federal EV incentives, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis announced Oct. 2. Rebates available to Colorado residents through the states Vehicle Exchange Colorado program will increase from $6,000 to $9,000 on new EV purchases and leases and from $4,000 to $6,000 on used EV purchases and leases, according to a news release from the governors office. The rebates are available for both battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. The Vehicle Exchange program enables income-qualified Colorado residents to access EVs by trading in old or high-emitting vehicles to purchase or lease an EV. More than 2,700 Colorado residents have taken advantage of the program since its creation in the summer of 2023, the news release said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Funding of $25.6 million was approved for the programs first three years, with the increased rebates coming from the existing budget for 2026. Additional ongoing funding is expected until June 2032, the governors office said. A 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E electric vehicle charges at a Seattle-area Tesla DC charger. The increased rebates will take effect Nov. 3, 2025, and only apply to vehicles purchased on or after that date. Colorado residents who have already been approved for a Vehicle Exchange rebate but have not yet redeemed it will be able to receive the increased benefits for purchases made on or after Nov. 3, 2025, the news release said. Details about program eligibility and how to apply are available on the states Vehicle Exchange Colorado website. Participants must apply and receive approval for a rebate before purchasing or leasing an EV from one of the states 170 participating automobile dealers. All Colorado residents, regardless of income, are eligible for state tax credits of up to $6,000 on the purchase or lease of an EV. That credit can be combined with the Vehicle Exchange rebate, providing Colorado residents with up to $15,000 toward the purchase or lease of a new EV. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Colorado has more than 200,000 registered EVs in the state, according to the governor's office. EVs represent about a quarter of all new vehicle sales in the state to date in 2025. The state has more than 6,400 public charging plugs available, according to the state's EV CO website. Coloradoan reporter Kelly Lyell can be reached at KellyLyell@coloradoan.com. Follow him on x.com/KellyLyell, threads.net/KellyLyell and facebook.com/KellyLyell.news This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado ups rebates for EV purchases through vehicle exchange program A Connecticut man was arrested on felony child sexual abuse charges out of Pennsylvania, authorities from that state said Thursday. Matthew Blum, 45, was taken into custody in Connecticut on multiple felony counts of possession of child sexual abuse material and one count of criminal use of a communication facility, according to the Office of Attorney General Dave Sunday in Harrisburg, Pa. During attempts to take Blum into custody, the Office of Attorney General's Child Predator Section learned that Blum had relocated to Connecticut, the AG's office said, and he was arrested there Tuesday as a fugitive from justice. A news release about the arrest didn't say were in Connecticut he had been living. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Blum now is awaiting extradition to Philadelphia County for arraignment. "Exploiting or abusing children is among the most heinous conduct we come across, and we take very seriously our obligation to keep kids safe," the attorney general's office said. "Our Child Predator Section will continue to pursue these offenders and hold them fully accountable for their crimes." The investigation began after Office of Attorney General agents received tips about Blum searching for suspected child sexual abuse material using Microsoft Bing. Investigators later conducted a search at Blum's former Weikel Street home in Philadelphia. Numerous files of child sexual abuse material were found on his cellphone, the AG's office said. This article originally published at Connecticut man arrested on child sex abuse material charge out of Pennsylvania, officials say. Connecticut's top three public elementary schools all are located in one Fairfield County town, according to Niche's 2026 rankings. Niche rated about 295 of the state's public elementary schools for its 2026 Best Public Elementary Schools in Connecticut rankings, based on federal data and student and parent reviews. Fairfield County is home to Niche's Top 10 schools on the list, and New Canaan is home to its top three ranked schools. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To come up with its elementary school rankings, Niche used state test scores, student-teacher ratios, student diversity, teacher quality, grade school ratings, parental reviews and ratings of the overall quality of school districts, giving varying weight to each factor. Fairfield County is home to Connecticut's state's Top 10 public elementary schools, according to the rankings. 1. West School West School in New Canaan is ranked Connecticut's best public elementary school by niche. It has 496 students in prekindergarten to grade 4, according to Niche. West School also came in third in Niche's best public elementary school teachers in Connecticut ranking. In Niche's national public elementary school rankings, it ranked 46th in America. 2. East School Located less than four miles from Connecticut's top ranked school, New Canaan's East School came in one slot lower at No. 2 on Niche's list of the state's best public elementary schools. The kindergarten to grade 4 school has 557 students, according to Niche. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement East School's teachers topped Connecticut's best public elementary school teachers rankings. And the school ranked 73rd nationally for best public elementary school in America. 3. South School You don't have to travel far to find the public elementary school Niche ranked number three in Connecticut's list. South School, a kindergarten to grade 4 school with 512 students in New Canaan, earned that spot. Niche ranked South School's teachers as Connecticut's eighth best. Nationally, it came in 76th on the best public elementary schools in America rankings. 4. International School at Dundee International School at Dundee in Greenwich is fourth on Niche's ranking. The kindergarten to grade 5 public magnet school enrolls 325 students, according to Niche. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Niche rated International School at Dundee's teachers as Connecticut's second best public elementary school teachers. It ranked 77th in the list of Best Public Elementary Schools in America. 5. Long Lots School Westport's Long Lots School holds the fifth spot in Connecticut in Niche's public elementary school rankings. Long Lots enrolls 562 students in kindergarten through grade 5. The school came in as the 151th ranked Best Public Elementary School in America. Its teachers were ranked as 12th best in Connecticut. 6. Coleytown Elementary School Also in Westport, Coleytown Elementary School is Connecticut's sixth best public elementary school, according to Niche. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The kindergarten through grade 5 school with 486 students is ranked seventh on Niche's best public elementary school teachers in Connecticut list. Meanwhile, Niche ranked Coleytown as America's 161st best public elementary school. 7. Greens Farms School Stay in Westport to find Connecticut's seventh ranked public elementary school: Greens Farms School, a kindergarten to grade 5 school with 454 students. Niche ranked Greens Farms' teachers as Connecticut's ninth best. On Niche's national public elementary school rankings, it came in ranked 186th best in America. 8. North Mianus School Greenwich's North Mianus School is ranked eighth among Connecticut public elementary schools. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement North Mianus, which enrolls 475 students in kindergarten through fifth grade, made sixth on Niche's list of best public elementary school teachers. It ranked as 194th on Niche's best public elementary school in America. 9. Riverside School Also in Greenwich, Riverside School is the ninth ranked public elementary school in Connecticut, according to Niche. Riverside enrolls 473 students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Riverside's teachers are considered by Niche as Connecticut's fourth best. The school earned a spot at 203rd in Niche's best public elementary schools in America rankings. 10. Kings Highway Elementary School Head back to Westport for Connecticut's 10th rank public elementary school: Kings Highway, which serves 463 grades K-5 students. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The school's teachers were ranked Connecticut's 17th best. Meanwhile, the school was ranked American's 238th best. This article originally published at Connecticut's Top 10 public elementary schools sit in these 3 towns, Niche's 2026 rankings say. A conservative influencer who this week posted videos of clashes outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, Oregon, has been released without bond after he was arrested late Thursday night during what police characterized as a fight. Nick Sortor, 27, of Washington, DC, was arrested on suspicion of second-degree disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor, along with two people from Oregon, the Portland Police Bureau said early Friday in a news release. Now, the Justice Department is investigating Sortors arrest near the South Portland facility that has become the latest flashpoint in a city with a long history of loud protests and is now a key target of the Trump administrations broader crime crackdown in large Democratic-led cities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Portland Police Bureau Rapid Response Team arrested Sortor and the two Oregonians after an earlier incident in which federal law enforcement briefly detained two others during a scuffle, it said, adding the police team had continued to monitor the situation and responded after seeing additional fights break out. In Sortors view, local police made a big freaking mistake, he wrote of the arrest Friday morning on his X account. You PROVED what weve all been saying for years: youre CORRUPT and CONTROLLED by vioIent Antifa thugs who terrorize the streets. Sortor was called by Attorney General Pam Bondi on Friday morning and told the Justice Department will investigate what Sortor called his wrongful arrest, according to a post on his X account. The Justice Department confirmed the investigation to CNN, saying it will be supervised by Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon, whose official X account reposted Sortors message and advised Portland: Buckle up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dhillon posted a signed letter addressed to Portlands city attorney and police chief Friday on X, saying her office is concerned Sortors arrest is potential viewpoint discrimination, and requested investigative materials be shared by October 10. The City of Portland told CNN they received the letter while in court arguing against the potential National Guard deployment and are still reviewing the inquiry, but said the mayor has full faith in the police department. The Portland Police Bureau denied politics had anything to do with Sortors case: Among those arrested was an individual known to have a significant social media presence, as well as others representing a range of political viewpoints, the agency said in a statement midday Friday. As with all such situations, arrests are based on observed behavior and probable cause not political affiliation or public profile. The Trump administration cited Sortors arrest Friday in a new threat to federal funding for the city: I just spoke with the president about this, and he has directed his team here at the White House to begin reviewing aid that can potentially be cut in Portland, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said. We will not fund states that allow anarchy. More federal resources will be sent immediately following Sortors arrest, DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin confirmed in a post on X. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem appeared to reference the incident with Sortor while speaking with right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson, saying, what we saw happen to that journalist last night will not happen again. While police did not detail the altercation that led to Sortors arrest, his case immediately created a stir against Portland police in conservative social media: They will arrest an independent journalist but not violent antifa members who assault cops and journalists, posted the account founded by influencer Chaya Raichik. Maybe we just need to shut down Portland for good, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas wrote on X. The ICE building in Portland has been the site of protests against the Trump administrations immigration policies for months. - John Rudoff/AP Not all potential criminal violations at the protest site will result in immediate arrests, the Portland Police Bureau said, adding, That does not mean that people are not being charged with crimes later. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sortor was detained just hours before a federal judge is scheduled to hear arguments on whether to block President Donald Trumps National Guard callout in Portland, citing the need to protect ICE facilities from protesters. Sortor and Son Mimi Yi of Portland were released without bond overnight, while Angela Davis of Vernonia, Oregon, was still in custody early Friday morning, jail records show. It was not clear if any of those arrested had attorneys, and no court date was immediately set. Sortor, who has not responded to CNNs request for comment, earlier this week tweeted speculation he might be detained. If I defend myself, *I* will be the one who gets arrested. Not the assailant, Sortor posted to X late Wednesday night, calling Portland a third world hellhole. His early online posts focused on environmental crises With 1.2 million followers on X and a presence on other mainstream social media platforms, Sortors influence traces to his coverage in 2023 of the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, in which he often criticized government officials over environmental damage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He offered similar coverage of that summers wildfires in Maui and in recent months has posted about the nationwide immigration enforcement crackdown, with a focus on protests outside ICE facilities, and in celebration of the legacy of the slain conservative firebrand Charlie Kirk. Sortor headed to Portland this week, where tension over White House immigration policies peaked in mid-summer with a declared riot and arson arrests. The scene was largely calm until Trumps announcement this week he was federalizing 200 National Guard troops in the city. Portland and the state government have sued, saying the maneuver infringes on Oregons sovereign interest in managing law enforcement within its borders. With crime down by double digits in nearly all major categories, federal intervention is not needed, Portland Police Bureau Chief Bob Day told CNNs The Source with Kaitlin Collins on Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were talking about one city block in 145 square miles, he said of recent protests around the ICE building. Certainly (there have) been some challenges down at the facility. Police have been engaged down there extensively over the last nine months. Weve made over 20 arrests ourselves. Weve conducted assault investigations Portland is very much engaged, and, once again, this is just one small block in a big city that we are trying to manage for all of Portlanders, Day said. Meanwhile, troops were getting supplies and training at a facility 100 miles away before starting patrols, Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley told CNN affiliate KGW on Wednesday. The National Guard was getting further training and is expected in Portland in the coming days, Day told CNN on Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As of Friday, National Guard units were still completing training and must finish preparations before arriving in Portland, a US Northern Command spokesperson told CNN. They were not able to say when training would be complete. In the past, prosecutors in Portland routinely declined to pursue cases against people arrested for nonviolent offenses during protests, although the Multnomah County district attorney promised earlier this year to change that policy, The Oregonian reported. CNN reached out to the DAs office early Friday to ask if it plans to file charges in Sortors case. CNNs Michelle Krupa contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Czechs will cast ballots on Friday and Saturday in a general election which the party of self-described "Trumpist" Andrej Babis is expected to top, though without getting a majority. A possible return to power of the billionaire ex-premier could draw the Czech Republic an ally of Ukraine closer to EU mavericks Hungary and Slovakia, spelling rocky relations with both Kyiv and Brussels. But even if Babis's ANO ("Yes") party tops the vote, it will almost certainly have to negotiate a coalition or backing from other parties. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Babis is campaigning in the EU and NATO member of around 11 million people on pledges of welfare and halting military aid to Ukraine. The current centre-right coalition government of Prime Minister Petr Fiala has provided extensive humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine, but many voters blame it for ignoring problems at home. "A change is necessary. The Czech Republic must be more autonomous, it must not be just a messenger boy for Brussels," 68-year-old geographer Jaroslav Kolar told AFP. But doctor Anna Stefanova, 41, told AFP she was afraid of a "sway towards Russia". Babis was critical of some EU policies while he was prime minister from 2017 to 2021, and is on good terms with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Slovakia's Robert Fico, who have maintained ties with Moscow despite its invasion of Ukraine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement France's Macron in Prague for talks on Ukraine, nuclear energy 'Czechs first' Polling stations will opened at 12pm GMT and will close at 8pm GMT on Friday, before reopening from 6am-12pm GMT on Saturday, with the results expected on Saturday evening. ANO tops the opinion polls with support exceeding 30 percent, ahead of Fiala's Together grouping with about 20 percent. In 2024, Babis co-founded the far-right Patriots for Europe group in the European Parliament, which also includes France's National Rally among other parties. Fiala, a 61-year-old former political science professor, said on X that voters would decide "whether we will continue on the path of freedom, high-quality democracy, security and prosperity, or whether we will go east". 'Pragmatic businessman' But Charles University analyst Josef Mlejnek told AFP he did not expect "a fundamental change" if Babis wins. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Babis is a pragmatic businessman and the only thing he cares about is being prime minister," he added. Analysts caution, however, that all will depend on the election results. If Babis's party comes first but fails to win a majority, he could try to pursue a coalition with the far-right opposition SPD movement, which is backed by about 12 percent of voters, according to analysts. Some concerns about Russian propaganda being spread online to influence the elections have also emerged, though analysts say they cannot see a big shift in voter sentiment so far. Slovakia's neighbours boost border checks to stem illegal migrant flows Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A group of analysts said last week that Czech TikTok accounts reaching millions of viewers "systematically spread pro-Russian propaganda and support anti-system parties through manipulated engagement". Both Babis and Fiala have seen scandals tarnish their reputations. Fiala's government is under fire over the justice ministry's decision to accept $44 million in bitcoins from a convicted criminal. Babis, Slovak-born and the seventh-wealthiest Czech according to Forbes magazine, is due to stand trial for EU subsidy fraud worth more than $2 million. Babis allegedly took his farm near Prague out of his Agrofert food and chemicals holding company in 2007 to make it eligible for a subsidy for small firms. He has rejected all allegations of wrongdoing as "a smear campaign". Czech voters are heading to the polls in a vote that could have significant implications for the country's foreign policy particularly its steadfast support for Ukraine. Latest surveys indicate that the ruling pro-Western coalition has a slim chance of retaining a majority after the parliamentary elections scheduled for Oct. 3 and 4. The parties hoping for a takeover have not only pledged to limit or scrap military aid to Ukraine, but some have even challenged Czechia's membership in NATO and the EU. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ano, a populist movement of oligarch and ex-Prime Minister Andrej Babis, is the front-runner set to get around 30%, according to polls. A powerful business magnate under fraud investigation and known for opaque foreign policy views, Babis has surged in popularity as voters' concerns grow over the economy and the government's performance. The ruling center-right Spolu (Together) coalition comes second, with a significantly lower share of about 20%. Even when combined with their current and former government partners, the centrist Mayors and the liberal Pirates, respectively, they might not reach the 101 seats needed for a majority. Babis and the ruling coalition parties have ruled out post-election cooperation, and the small right-wing Motorists for Themselves party may not be enough for Ano to build a government, according to polls. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This opens the door for nationalists from the Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) and the communist-led bloc Stacilo (Enough) to align with Babis either via a confidence and supply agreement or as coalition partners. Experts and officials who spoke to the Kyiv Independent were split on how the election results would affect Ukraine and Czechia's future in NATO or the EU. "If a government were to be elected in this vote that is sympathetic to Russia, Ukraine would lose a key source of military and political support," Hugo Blewett-Mundy, an expert on Russia and Eastern Europe at the Prague-based think-tank Europeum Institute, told the Kyiv Independent. Czechia can expect "a certain foreign policy change" toward Ukraine if Ano forms a coalition government with parties such as Stacilo, SPD, and far-right Motorists for Themselves, likely with attempts to cancel the Czech ammunition initiative or transfer it under NATO supervision, according to Mila O'Sullivan, a researcher at the Institute of International Relations Prague. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read also: Czechias 2025 general election: All you need to know "Importantly, there would be less support for a just and sustainable peace in Ukraine under the Ano government, and more pressure on diplomacy and peace negotiations, and ending the war at any price," O'Sullivan told the Kyiv Independent. Kyiv is eagerly watching the Czech elections and is concerned about its future relations with one of its staunch supporters from the early days of the full-scale war. Oleksandr Merezhko, head of the Ukrainian parliament's foreign affairs committee, applauded Czechia's support, especially the Prague-led initiative to gather artillery ammunition for Ukraine "when we needed it the most." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I'm sure that even if worst comes to worst, in the sense that if a person who comes to power will be less inclined to support Ukraine, the Czech parliament will remain pro-Ukrainian," Merezhko told the Kyiv Independent. Czechia's ammunition initiative under threat Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Czechia has supplied tanks, multiple launch rocket systems, and helicopters to Kyiv and hosted hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees. Prague's most significant contribution to Ukraine's defense has been its ammunition initiative. Launched in 2024 amid Ukrainian shell shortages, the scheme allows Western countries to quickly buy artillery shells for Ukraine on global markets, with Czechia serving as an intermediary for 15 other participating countries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2024, Ukraine received 1.5 million shells under the initiative, according to the Czech government. Another 1.1 million were shipped as of this September, with the goal of surpassing last year's figure by the end of 2025. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, leader of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) and the Together (SPOLU) coalition, delivers a speech during a campaign rally in Prague, Czech Republic, on Sept. 18, 2025. (Michal Cizek / AFP via Getty Images) The initiative's future is now at risk, as Babis has pledged to scrap it if his party returns to power. Babis lambasted the scheme as overpriced and non-transparent in a July interview with Reuters. The populist leader and other Ano members, including Deputy Chair Karel Havlicek, have also suggested that NATO should take the initiative instead. The Czech government refuted Babis's accusations, calling his comments "dangerous." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "These are very dangerous issues, both for the security of the Czech Republic and its prestige abroad, because a number of other countries our allies are taking part in the Czech initiative," Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said. The Czech Defense Ministry dismissed proposals to pass the initiative to NATO agencies and projects, such as its Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) or the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL). "NATO does not and cannot buy materiel for Ukraine," the ministry said in a statement, stressing that military assistance through equipment and hardware donations "is always carried out by individual members." Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said that halting the ammunition initiative would be a gift to Russian President Vladimir Putin. In an interview with the Kyiv Independent last year, Lipavsky remarked that the scheme has been well-received in Ukraine and represents a "significant piece" of the country's defenses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Czech-led ammunition initiative is felt on the battlefield. After an August phone call with Fiala, President Volodymyr Zelensky praised it as having "helped save many lives and strengthen our positions." Even in Russia, some voices acknowledged the initiative's importance. Talking to pro-government outlet Lenta, Russian commentator Vadim Trukhachev admitted that the scheme is "unfortunately" effective, despite efforts by Russian diplomacy to "mitigate" its impact. While agreeing that the Czech ammunition initiative has been "extremely important" for Kyiv, Ukrainian lawmaker Merezhko said that it would not be a critical loss even if it were scrapped, as long as key players, such as Germany, France, and the U.K., continue their support. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "They will immediately step in, and they will make up this gap," Merezhko said. Pavel Havlicek, a research fellow at the Association for International Affairs in Prague, said that Babis's steps, if elected, are still unclear since he believes the former prime minister would be "rather cautious to make any radical moves." Klara Votavova, a Czech journalist and a researcher at the Europeum Institute, agrees that "Ano is not pro-Russian, not against raising the Czech military budget, etc., despite sometimes being accused of that." "The risk is that if Andrej Babis's government relies on SPD or Stacilo, Czechia will cut the military, financial, and humanitarian aid to Kyiv," as well as sanctions against Russia and Ukraine's EU membership prospects, she told the Kyiv Independent. Radicals challenge Western ties Far-left and far-right parties vying for influence in the next government are challenging not only the ammunition initiative, but also Czechia's entire geopolitical orientation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SPD and Stacilo have both called for a halt to military assistance to Ukraine and demanded a law on a referendum that would allow Czechs to vote on whether to remain in NATO and the EU. Stacilo has been particularly critical of the alliance, with Katerina Konecna, chair of the Communist Party and one of the bloc's leaders, referring to NATO as an "aggressive pact." During a recent debate, only SPD Chair Tomio Okamura and Konecna dodged a question on whether they view Russia as a security threat a position backed even by Ano. Babis, an ally of Hungary's Viktor Orban, has often criticized the EU and toyed with anti-Ukrainian narratives namely regarding Ukrainian refugees but has asserted Ano is a pro-Western party. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was Babis's previous government that expelled dozens of Russian diplomats in 2021 over suspicions that Moscow's agents blew up a Czech ammunition depot seven years prior. Havlicek, research fellow at the Association for International Affairs, said that he believes that the radical parties running in the elections, both in the far-right and far-left, have "a clear agenda" of backing away from NATO and the EU and rebuilding ties with Moscow. Andrej Babis, billionaire and former Czech prime minister, meets supporters during an election campaign rally in Prague, Czech Republic, on Sept. 30, 2025. (Milan Jaros / Bloomberg via Getty Images) However, Babis has ruled out a referendum on NATO and EU membership. He has also vowed not to form a government together with the communists though last year, Babis said he did not apply this label to Stacilo. Even if Ano returns to power with the support of radical groups, shifting Czechia's geopolitical orientation is no easy feat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Blewett-Mundy notes that any "government proposal to hold a referendum will need to have the support of at least two-fifths of parliament or two-fifths of the Senate and be submitted to the president." As only the president can call a referendum and no major party backs such a move, it is unlikely to succeed, the expert adds. The Senate, the Czech parliament's upper chamber, is elected separately and is currently dominated by pro-Western parties. Czechia's president, former NATO General Petr Pavel, has repeatedly warned against attempts to shift the country's geopolitical orientation or its democratic system. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vojtech Bohac, a Czech political analyst and editor-in-chief at local media Voxpot, ruled out the possibility of withdrawing from NATO and the EU, especially with a president like Pavel, who feels "really strongly" about being part of the security alliance. "During the next four years, if something really substantial doesn't happen in the world, I don't think the possibility that we will leave NATO or EU (exists)," Bohac told the Kyiv Independent. O'Sullivan agreed that Czechia can expect foreign policy continuity regarding pro-EU and pro-NATO orientation. "Babis is an oligarch who has greatly benefited from the Western structures and European funds," O'Sullivan said. "Even potential coalition government or parliamentary support from extremists would not make this orientation negotiable." Read also: Europe split on drone wall project, plan to battle Russias attacks remains elusive Note from the author: Hi, this is Martin Fornusek, one of the authors of the article. At the Kyiv Independent, our team strives to bring you insights from European politics and their impact on Ukraine's struggle against Russia. This work is only possible thanks to the support of readers like you. If you value independent journalism, please consider joining the Kyiv Independent's community. Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Dave Chappelle has claimed that free speech is under threat in the United States while on stage at the Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia. The stand-up comedian, 52, had been strongly criticized by fellow comics for agreeing to perform in the country. According to The New York Times, Chappelle appeared in front of an audience of 6,000 and commented: Right now in America, they say that if you talk about Charlie Kirk, that youll get canceled. I dont know if thats true, but Im gonna find out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He added: Its easier to talk here than it is in America. Chappelle later said that he is concerned about returning to the United States because theyre going to do something to me so that I cant say what I want to say. Dave Chappelle at the Lincoln Center Gala in New York in April 2025 (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Jazz At Lincoln Center) Human Rights Watch has described the Riyadh Comedy Festival as Saudi Arabias latest attempt to deflect attention from its brutal repression of free speech and other pervasive human rights violations. The festival, held in the capital of Saudi Arabia from September 26 to October 9, features more than 50 prominent comedians, including Chappelle, Kevin Hart, Louis C.K., and Bill Burr. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many of the headliners, which also include British comedians Jimmy Carr, Omid Djalili and Jack Whitehall, have been dubbed sellouts for taking part in the Saudi state-sponsored event in the wake of journalist Turki al-Jasser's death, and a reported rise in executions for non-lethal and drug-related crimes, along with long prison sentences imposed for social media posts. In June, the Saudi regime executed journalist al-Jasser for high treason. He was imprisoned in 2018 and sentenced to death on charges of terrorism and high treason. The accusations stemmed from writings he authored on a blog and a newspaper. Comedian David Cross, who said he was not asked to perform at the festival, wrote in a statement shared on Instagram: I am disgusted, and deeply disappointed in this whole gross thing. That people I admire, with unarguable talent, would condone this totalitarian fiefdom forwhat, a fourth house? A boat? More sneakers? David Cross said he was disgusted by fellow comedians who had chosen to take part in the state-funded festival (Getty) Cross went on to call out specific names from the lineup, including comedy giants Chappelle, C.K. and Burr. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Clearly you guys dont give a s*** about what the rest of us think, but how can any of us take any of you seriously ever again? Cross said. All of your b****ing about cancel culture and freedom of speech and all that s***? Done. You dont get to talk about it ever again. By now weve all seen the contract you had to sign. The contract comedians were required to sign, which has been widely circulated, included stipulations that they not make fun of religions or the Saudi royal family. Earlier this year, a video of Chappelle mocking President Donald Trumps tariff plans went viral on social media. COPENHAGEN (Reuters) -Russian warships have repeatedly sailed on collision courses, aimed weapons at Danish naval vessels and disrupted navigation systems in Denmark's straits that connect the Baltic Sea to the North Sea, its defence intelligence service said on Friday. Such incidents risk unintended escalation, it said. The Baltic region remains on high alert after incidents involving undersea cables, gas pipeline outages, airspace violations and drone sightings since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which increased tensions between Moscow and the West. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Denmark, a staunch supporter of Ukraine in its war with Russia, has beefed up its military budget and committed to acquiring long-range precision weapons capable of striking targets inside Russia. RUSSIAN WARSHIPS POINT WEAPONRY AT DANISH HELICOPTERS, DANISH INTELLIGENCE SAYS "We have seen several incidents in the Danish straits, where Danish air force helicopters and naval vessels have been targeted by tracking radars and physically pointed at with weapons from Russian warships," Danish Defence Intelligence Service Director Thomas Ahrenkiel told a press conference. He said Russian warships had sailed on collision courses with Danish vessels during their passage through the straits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ahrenkiel said a Russian warship has been anchored in Danish waters for over a week, suggesting possible interference from Moscow if Denmark tried to curb movements of Russia's "shadow fleet" of tankers used to circumvent Western sanctions on its oil exports imposed over its war with Ukraine. In May, tensions escalated in the Baltic Sea when Russia deployed a fighter jet during Estonia's interception of a Russian-bound oil tanker suspected of being part of the shadow fleet. The Danish straits, a busy international shipping route, see frequent movement of Russian military vessels that are typically escorted by Denmark's navy. Defence intelligence has also recorded Russian warships sailing through Danish straits with sonar and jamming equipment, according to Ahrenkiel. He said it was "highly probable" that they, on at least one occasion, had jammed signals and caused extensive GPS interference in Denmark. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Denmark's intelligence service assesses that Russia is conducting hybrid warfare against Denmark and the broader West. "Russia is using military means, including in an aggressive way, to put pressure on us without crossing the line into armed conflict in a traditional sense," Ahrenkiel said. Moscow has repeatedly denied responsibility for hybrid attacks in Europe. President Vladimir Putin joked on Thursday that he would not fly drones over Denmark anymore and described as "nonsense" the idea that his country would potentially target a NATO member. NO DIRECT MILITARY THREAT DESPITE INCIDENTS Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite the incidents, defence intelligence emphasised that there was no direct military threat against Denmark. However, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen last week described recent drone incursions over Danish airports and military installations as a "hybrid attack" on the country. Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said investigations into the incidents were continuing, with no conclusions yet on the identity of the perpetrator. Hybrid threats, which include sabotage, disinformation, espionage and cyberattacks, have been flagged as increasingly aggressive by Western security agencies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NATO has strengthened its Baltic operations in response to the drone incursions. Sweden proposed new legislation on Friday to expand maritime surveillance by its coast guard. (Reporting by Jacob Gronholt Pedersen, Anna Ringstrom, Soren Jeppesen and Louise Rasmussen; editing by Terje Solsvik and Mark Heinrich) As Germany marks 35 years since reunification on Friday, Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called for unity across the formerly divided nation. "It remains our task to reach out to one another: in east, west, north and south," Merz wrote on X, hours before he is due to to give a major speech commemorating the anniversary in the western state of Saarland. "Our diversity makes us strong," he wrote. Reunification was not a "sure-fire success," but "the work of courageous people who stood up for freedom and democracy." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He added: "35 years of German unity are a reason to celebrate." On October 3, 1990, the states that made up East Germany were integrated into the Federal Republic of Germany - the formal name for West Germany - ending the long division of the German nation after World War II. The date is a national holiday known as German Unity Day. But decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the consequences of reunification are still heavily contested. The continuing discrepancies between eastern and western regions were laid bare by the results of February's parliamentary elections, which saw the far right make significant gains across eastern states. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This year, the city of Saarbrucken is hosting the main celebration of the anniversary, with French President Emmanuel Macron the guest of honour. The chancellor posted a picture of himself putting the "finishing touches" to his speech. "After 35 years and at a difficult time for our country, we should regroup and look to the future," he wrote. The ceremony will be accompanied by a public festival, art, music and discussions. The motto of the celebrations is "Future through change" and "Celebrating what unites us." Merz is also heading to eastern Germany in the evening for a concert in Halle an der Saale. It is part of a series of choral events held simultaneously in villages and towns nationwide, recalling the prayers and peaceful revolution of 1989. The Des Moines School Board is suing JG Consulting, the superintendent search firm that helped the district find and vet potential candidates and chose its now former Superintendent Ian Roberts. Roberts, a native of Guyana, was hired by the school board in 2023 after the firm conducted a closed, nationwide search to replace former Superintendent Tom Ahart. Roberts was much revered as the first person of color to lead the state's largest and most diverse school district. The board's decision to file a lawsuit came after two closed meetings Friday, Oct. 3, a week after Roberts' arrest by immigration authorities for allegedly overstaying a deportation order issued in 2024. The districts lawsuit accuses JG Consulting of negligence, fraudulent mispresentation and breach of contract for offering Roberts as a candidate without sufficiently vetting him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The firm failed its duty to properly vet candidates," DMPS board chair Jackie Norris said. "Ian Roberts should have never been presented as a finalist. If we knew what we knew now, he would have never been hired. Since his arrest Sept. 26, Roberts' background and DMPS hiring practices have come under scrutiny. Though he presented himself to the district and the state as a U.S. citizen, public records indicate Roberts never has been. A federal complaint filed against him Thursday on a separate weapons charge said he hasn't been authorized to work in the country since 2020. And Des Moines Register reviews have found Roberts did not earn the doctorate from Morgan State he frequently claimed he received and that other alcolades listed on his resume were false. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the lawsuit, JG Consultings $41,000 contract required the company to disclose to the district all known information of a positive or negative nature regarding any candidate and not to refer any candidate to the district unless the search firm reasonably believed the candidate could lawfully and satisfactorily perform the position and that the candidates application materials were true and complete. The district relied on JG Consulting to present only vetted, suitable candidates for the superintendent position, the petition states. The filing summarizes Roberts hiring and downfall, noting his lack of work authorization and multiple reports casting doubt on the truthfulness of Roberts stated biographical and professional background. JG Consultings contract also contained an indemnity clause, according to the complaint, in which the company agreed to cover any losses caused by JGs errors or omissions. The district now wants to make good on that promise, seeking damages including Roberts compensation, costs related to his replacement, reputational harm and attorney fees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When asked whether the board would consider any other lawsuits related to the situation, Norris said their focus right now is on JG Consulting. The Texas-based firm was responsible for advertising, recruitment, application and resume review, a public domain search, complete reference checks and a "comprehensive" verification of candidates' backgrounds, Norris said. Part of JG's work included a third-party background check by Baker-Eubanks, which conducted a "comprehensive criminal, credit, and background checks," Norris said. The firm did not look into Roberts' citizenship or whether he could work in the U.S. because it was not a service they provide, Baker-Eubanks CEO Kim Cockerham previously told the Register. The Des Moines School Board met in two closed sessions Friday, Oct. 3, 2025, to discuss potential litigation related to ex-Superintendent Ian Roberts' arrest and hiring process. "It's clear that people are identifying and finding information online in a matter of hours, and so it is probably something that they should have caught," Norris said. "And that was our expectation." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Josh Romero, attorney for JG Consulting, said in a statement Friday it is proud of its track record identifying candidates nationwide for superintendent and executive leadership roles. "With regard to Mr. Roberts and his immigration status, he provided the documents necessary to show that he was eligible for the position in Des Moines. Beyond that, our team conducted a thorough search of his background and utilized a respected third-party company trusted by many search firms to verify Mr. Roberts information," Romero said. The board accepted Roberts' resignation via his attorney Alfredo Parrish on Sept. 30. Roberts also is facing a possible lawsuit from Millcreek Township School District in Erie, Pennsylvania, where he served as superintendent before coming to DMPS. Much like DMPS, Millcreek officials are considering taking legal action against the search firm that helped recruit Roberts, Ray and Associates, which is based in Iowa. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Related: Who conducted the background check on Des Moines Superintendent Ian Roberts? What we know. Roberts' situation goes beyond DMPS, board chair says The district is facing several investigations including from the U.S. Department of Justice related to whether it violated federal employment law by discriminating on the basis of race, color or national origin. The Iowa House Government Oversight Committee on Saturday took the first step to probe DMPS over its hiring of Roberts. "Nothing is off the table at this point. But we must first review all the facts then we can determine the best way forward," iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley, R-New Hartford, said in a statement. On Friday, Democratic state Sens. Tony Bisignano and Janet Petersen, who represent Des Moines, called for a review of the processes that led to Roberts' hiring. Their goal, they said, is to find answers for the students and families affected by the mistakes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is no justification for the recent reckless partisan threats from opportunistic politicians looking to score some cheap political points, Sen. Tony Bisignano, D-Des Moines, said in a statement. The call for extreme, punitive measures directed toward the Des Moines school board are divorced from reality. Ian Roberts lied to our schools, our students, the families we serve, governmental agencies, and private sector firms alike. Norris told reporters Friday the district is cooperating with federal and state investigations. She also stressed DMPS was not the only entity that accepted the information Roberts submitted. Roberts presented himself to DMPS and the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners as being a U.S. citizen. After a background check, the BOEE issued Roberts a license in July 2023. The state board revoked his administrator license on Sept. 28. "I think it's important to remember that the (state) also provided Dr. Roberts a license," Norris said. "So, there are state entities that also provided acceptance of Dr. Roberts' licensure." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The goal now is to partner with state and federal officials to strengthen processes, she said. In recent days, district officials have publicly said there were different versions of documents used during the superintendent search. DMPS spokesperson Phil Roeder previously told the Register that JG Consulting discovered that Roberts did not receive a doctorate from Morgan State. Informed of the discrepancy, Roberts submitted a new resume that accurately reflected his lack of a degree from the school. The school board voted to hire Roberts after receiving the amended resume. "What we found is there are different versions, there are different resumes, there are transcripts that appear different one versus an official," Norris said. "... To be clear, the board understood that Dr. Roberts did not have a doctorate (from Morgan State University)." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Related: MIT, George Washington dispute Ian Roberts' claims about academic credentials, honors "And so, it seems as though somewhere along the way, there was a change in that verbiage, and the board understood what we were hiring, and the school board doesn't request a doctorate," Norris said of the information received. The district has confirmed Roberts received a doctorate from Trident International University, an online, for-profit college in 2021. In his statement, Romero, the JG Consulting attorney, said it told the school board about the doctorate degree discrepancy and "the board decided to proceed forward with Mr. Roberts despite that notification." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It should be noted that Mr. Roberts has a record of high-quality leadership and accomplishments in Des Moines and in each of his prior positions in other school districts, in other states. Any discrepancy regarding his immigration status was not discovered in any prior placements, by any other consulting firm or any other board," Romero said. "That the district has now decided to litigate about their choice of candidate at this time, when they have had all relevant information since the beginning, is unfortunate and unwarranted. We will answer any claims brought by the district in court." Additionally, MIT Sloan School of Management told the Register they have no record that Roberts was a student, as he had claimed. Roberts' claim he was named the District of Columbia Principal of the Year by George Washington University has also been debunked. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The university has no record of awarding such recognition to DC principals, and did not present this award, a spokesperson told the Register. Roberts now faces federal gun charge After Roberts' arrest, an unsecured gun was found in his school issued car, law enforcement officials have said. Hours later, a search of Roberts' home turned up three more firearms and several rounds of ammunition, according to court documents. Roberts was again arrested Oct. 2 at Woodbury County Jail where he has been detained since shortly after his arrest last week by the U.S Department of Justice and has been charged with possessing a firearm as an "illegal alien," according to federal prosecutors. He's now being held in the Polk County Jail on a U.S. Marshals hold. Since Roberts was not authorized to work or live in the U.S. he could not legally possess any firearms, federal officials have said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Register reporter Tyler Jett contributed to this story. Samantha Hernandez covers education for the Register. Reach her at (515) 851-0982 or svhernandez@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @svhernandez, Bluesky at @svhernandez.bsky.social or at facebook.com/svhernandezreporter. This story was updated to add more information. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: DMPS board suing search firm that found Ian Roberts DES MOINES, Iowa Des Moines Public Schools announced on Thursday that it is considering taking legal action against former Superintendent Ian Roberts. In a press release, the district said it will discuss the potential legal actions that can be taken against Roberts following recent developments regarding his legal status and qualifications during a special session on Friday morning. The special session will be held in closed session at 8 a.m. at the district offices. More Coverage: Former DMPS Superintendent Ian Roberts facing federal charges Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The district released the following statement about the special session: Des Moines Public Schools is facing a different reality than we were last Friday. As a learning institution, we will use this opportunity to both review the most recent superintendent hiring process as well as holding those accountable who contributed to this current situation. From misrepresenting his citizenship status to degrees that did not exist, Ian Roberts appears to have misled people about who he was not only here in Des Moines, but a trail that extends from Pennsylvania and across the country. Between legal action and a thorough internal review, we pledge to find the truth so this can never happen again. -DMPS Board Chair Jackie Norris On Thursday, the Department of Justice released more details regarding Roberts legal status, saying he applied for permanent residence for several years and was denied each time before eventually receiving a final order of removal by an immigration judge in May 2024. The DOJ also said that Roberts work authorization had expired in December 2020. DMPS isnt the only district considering legal action against Roberts. Millcreek Township School District in Erie, Pennsylvania, where Roberts served as superintendent from 2020-2023, announced on Wednesday that it had advised their lawyers to investigate whether they were able to take legal action against Roberts and the firm that conducted the search to fill the position. Metro news Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to who13.com. Oct. 2 (UPI) -- Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader sent letters to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, asking them to support the Multinational Security Support Mission for Haiti that was authorized by the U.N. Security Council. The mission, approved Tuesday, aims to address the humanitarian and security crisis in Haiti and calls for a new "suppression force" to confront the gangs controlling the country. The resolution, sponsored by the United States and Panama, passed with 12 votes in favor. China, Russia and Pakistan abstained, citing concerns about the clarity of the mandate and accountability. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Dominican media, Abinader warned in letters sent Wednesday that "the humanitarian and security crisis in Haiti continues to deepen" and that violence "keeps spilling over its borders, directly affecting the national security of the Dominican Republic, with serious implications for peace in the region." Abinader stressed the importance of support from the permanent members of the Security Council, saying that "their involvement is essential to avoid an irreversible collapse" of the country. The mission authorizes an international force of 5,550 personnel to replace the current Kenya-led mission, with explicit powers to detain suspects tied to gangs -- authority not granted until now. The new force -- coordinated by the United States and Panama -- will operate under a 12-month mandate, working independently of Haitian authorities to neutralize, isolate and deter armed groups that control much of Port-au-Prince. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Still, questions remain about the mission's viability because it depends on voluntary funding and requires strong human rights safeguards. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X that it was an "important step as the U.N. Security Council takes decisive action for Haiti by adopting the resolution to establish a Gang Suppression Force & U.N. Support Office in Haiti. This is a critical effort to restore order, protect lives and support Haiti's path to stability and democracy." In Haiti, gangs have become a parallel power that dominates much of the territory, especially in Port-au-Prince, where they are estimated to control about 90% of the capital. Armed groups impose extreme violence with kidnappings, killings, extortion and roadblocks, paralyzing daily life and commerce. At the most recent U.N. General Assembly meeting, Laurent Saint-Cyr, president of Haiti's Transitional Presidential Council, described the dire situation in his country, calling it "a modern Guernica." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Haiti wants peace, expects peace and has the right to peace," he said, issuing an urgent appeal to the international community to take immediate, coordinated action against the gangs that control much of Port-au-Prince and keep civilians under siege. Saint-Cyr supported creating a stronger international force with clear rules of engagement, stable funding and a broad mandate to reopen supply routes and protect critical infrastructure. He said more than 1.3 million people have been displaced and half the country faces food insecurity, with hospitals and schools closed by violence. He also announced the launch of a national committee to demand historic reparations for the "ransom" imposed on Haiti after its independence. By Ayhan Uyanik MUNICH (Reuters) -Drone sightings overnight at Germany's Munich airport led to the cancellation and diversion of dozens of flights on the eve of a national holiday, leaving nearly 3,000 passengers stranded and leading politicians to call for a tougher response to drone threats, potentially including shooting them down. The Munich airport disruption was the latest in a series of similar incidents that have rattled European aviation, raising concerns about deniable hybrid attacks on Ukraine's European allies, possibly directed by Russia. The Kremlin has indeed denied any involvement in the incidents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The airport said several drone sightings late on Thursday evening had forced air traffic control to suspend operations, leading to the cancellation of 17 flights and disrupting travel for nearly 3,000 passengers, who were provided with camp beds, blankets and food. Another 15 arriving flights were diverted around the region. "Our police must get the power to shoot drones down," said Markus Soeder, premier of Bavaria, of which Munich is the capital. He told Bild newspaper: "We need sovereignty over our airspace." As airport operations resumed early on Friday morning, passengers checking in for a flight to Varna in Bulgaria, and the departure board showed only a few flights had been cancelled. A flight from Bangkok was the first of the day to land at around 5:25 a.m. (0325 GMT). Public broadcaster BR said local and national police were investigating the incident. State and federal police had no immediate comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The drones were sighted in the late evening above the airport, a police spokesperson told newspaper Bild. But because it was dark, the sizes and types of the drones could not be determined, he added. Police did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. The drone incidents follow airspace intrusions last week that temporarily shut airports in Denmark and Norway, which led European Union leaders at a Copenhagen summit to back plans to bolster the bloc's defences with anti-drone measures. "Europe must be able to defend itself," Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said after the meeting. Her defence minister spoke on Friday morning of a Russian "hybrid war against NATO and the West". Authorities have not publicly blamed anyone for the Munich drone incident, but some European officials have suggested Russia was behind other recent airspace violations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Russia tries to test us. But Russia also tries to sow division and anxiety in our societies," European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday. Interior minister Alexander Dobrindt, who already plans legislation letting armed forces help shoot down drones, said more money was needed along with research into ways of countering the drone threat. "The race between the drone threat and drone defences is getting ever tighter," he told Bild. Russian President Vladimir Putin joked on Thursday that he would not fly drones over Denmark anymore, but Moscow has denied responsibility for the incidents. European authorities have accused Russia of brazen violations of the region's airspace, including recent incursions by drones over Poland and fighter jets over Estonia, while Moscow has in turn accused NATO of provocations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The airport disruption in Munich added to a tense week for the city after its popular Oktoberfest was closed temporarily due to a bomb threat and the separate discovery of explosives in a residential building in the city's north. Friday is German Reunification Day, a public holiday. (Reporting by Ayhan Uyanik in Munich and Gnaneshwar Rajan in Bengaluru; writing by Thomas Escritt, Editing by Jamie Freed and Hugh Lawson) Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) at the National Republican Senatorial Committee building on June 13, 2024 in Washington, D.C. Trump is visiting Capitol Hill to meet with Senate Republicans and participate in additional meetings. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images) Its harvest season in Montana as the leaves change colors, the temperatures drop, and the pantries and freezers across our big, beautiful state fill with the bounty of field, forest and stream to face the coming winter months. Despite the chaos emanating from Washington, D.C., there is a sense of stability here where individualism, respect for differing opinions, and self-sufficiency are a way of life. It seems impossible that the Republicans, who control majorities in both chambers of Congress, the White House, and a majority of the Supreme Court, cannot keep the federal government funded and operating to provide the greatest good to the greatest number. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In fact, far from that goal, our nation seems to be in the clutches of an ideologically blinded and incredibly vindictive GOP that likes to point fingers a lot more than looking in the mirror to see who, exactly, is causing the problems swamping the nation. Good example: Who cut DOGE loose on the federal workforce with their Chainsaw Man Elon Musk and his teenage tech goons running rampant? Nope, it wasnt the hapless Democrats who were totally incapable of stopping the ill-informed, poorly prioritized slashing. Who has turned much of the world against the U.S. through incredibly punitive tariffs on global trade? Nope, no D behind their name. And as those global supply chains upon which our consumer-driven economy are re-directed to more favorable nations, who cannot even manage to pass a federal budget to keep the government they control functioning yet blame the Congressinal minority for their utter failure? That would be the GOP. Maybe the befuddled Republicans in Congress and the White House should contact Montanas Llew Jones, who has served as a Representative and Senator while leading both the House Appropriations and Senate Finance and Claims budget committees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Perhaps Montanas senior senator, Steve Daines, who sits on the Senate Finance Committee, could ask Jones how he managed to not only pass a two-year state budget, but establish a new trust fund dedicated to taking care of Montanas long-term infrastructure needs. Moreover, as required by Montanas Constitution, Jones had to negotiate with the Democrat legislative minorities to pass a balanced budget not the short-term, stop gap, and deficit-laden budgets Daines and his fellow Republicans are struggling to pass in Washington. None of this, at least in Montana, is particularly a mystery and both Democrats and Republicans have passed balanced budgets for decades, somehow managing to treat each other with enough respect to actually hammer out agreements instead of just hammering each other. But that cant happen when what spills daily from the White House is brutal invective against anyone and everyone who doesnt agree with the president. It cant happen when the nation is artificially divided into red states and blue states by so-called leaders that tolerate no dissent or difference of opinion on the complex issues facing the nation. Montanans dont ask for political affiliation before we help someone out of a snowbank. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While our state relies significantly on federal dollars, the shut-downs and short-term continuing resolution budgets do no one much good. In fact, fiscal stability is critical for business, education, infrastructure, health care, and resource management. Since the D.C. chaos will likely continue for the next four years, it behooves Montanans and our politicians to make state stability and self-sufficiency a high priority. Not only do we have the resources to be largely self-sufficient, we have a populace that understands people have a right to differing opinions and good governance is achieved through negotiation, not by threatening and punishing those with whom you disagree. Voting is beginning in Berks County. Election officials said the first batch of about 20,000 mail ballots are being sent to voters who requested them and will be arriving in mailboxes. Voters can decide to cast their ballot by mail or they can go to the polls on Nov. 4. They will select their choice for representatives on the state appellate courts, local judicial positions, municipal boards and councils, school boards and some county row offices. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heres what you need to know about voting by mail. How can I request a mail ballot? Voters can apply online by visiting VotesPA.com, apply in person at the county elections office or contact the county elections office directly to request a paper application. You will need to apply with a valid Pennsylvania identification card or supply the last four digits of your Social Security number. What is the deadline to apply for a mailed ballot? The deadline is Oct. 28 seven days before the primary. But election officials ask that voters request a ballot as soon as possible. How do I vote with a mail ballot? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 1. Carefully open the ballot package when you receive it in the mail. 2. Make sure there is a secrecy envelope included because a mailed ballot not in a secrecy envelope, also known as a naked ballot, will not be counted. 3. Fill out the ballot immediately. 4. Place your ballot in the secrecy envelope, then put the secrecy envelope into the official envelope. Be sure to sign and date the declaration. 5. You can mail ballots to the county election office in the services center, deliver them in person to the office or place them in one of the three drop boxes available in Berks County. Will there be drop boxes for ballots? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Three drop boxes are available in Berks. One box is in the lobby of the Berks County Services Center at 633 Court St. in Reading; one is in the lobby of the Berks County South Campus at 400 E. Wyomissing Ave. in Mohnton; and another is inside the Reading Regional Airport terminal at 24 Liberator Way in Bern Township. The drop boxes will be open the following days and hours beginning Oct. 20: Monday through Friday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2: noon to 4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 3: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Election Day, Nov. 4: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. All three drop boxes are secured by deputies from the sheriffs department and are monitored by security cameras. Workers in the election services department collect the ballots at the end of each day and seal them when the centers are closed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Voters who choose to drop off their ballots are not allowed to drop off ballots belonging to anyone else a practice Democrats call community collection and Republicans deem ballot harvesting. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled the practice is illegal. What if I dont get my mail ballot? No problem. You can go to your assigned polling place and vote in-person by filling out a provisional ballot if you have not received your mail ballot. What if I signed up for a mail ballot but want to vote at the polls? If you misplaced your mail ballot or have decided to cast your ballot at the polls, you still have an opportunity to vote. Go to your assigned polling place. If you have the mail ballot, you will need to surrender the ballot and its envelopes to the judge of elections to be voided in order to vote on the voting machines. If you misplaced the mail ballot, you will need to tell the judge of elections and they will give you a provisional ballot to fill out. It has been two years since the Oct. 7 attack that killed 1,200 Israelis and took at least 240 more hostage. That day in 2023, Israel's military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials. The devastation in the region has draw international attention, including here in Eugene. In 2024, University of Oregon students established a 25-day-long pro-Palestinian encampment. The April 15, 2024, pro-Palestinian demonstration led to the arrest of 50 Lane County residents and subsequent court proceedings. Local Jewish groups have called for action against antisemitism and held demonstrations of their own. As the conflict still weighs heavy on the minds of many Eugene and Springfield residents, several local activities are planned for the days leading up to the anniversary. Showing of "Gaza: Doctors Under Attack" at local church New local pro-Palestinian group People for Peace and Justice in Palestine (PPJP) have organized a showing of a 2025 documentary "Gaza: Doctors Under Attack" that shows the reality of violence in Gaza. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The film was created by British investigative journalist Ramita Navai and British filmmaker Karim Shaw. The hour-long film documents "fatal bombings, drone and sniper attacks as well as the disappearances and torture of Gaza medical workers." Signs rest on a planter as protesters gather for a pro-Palestinian One Year of Genocide, One Year of Resistance rally at the old federal courthouse in October 2024. Karen McCowan, an organizer for PPJP, said more than 1,000 doctors and medical workers have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023. She added that the World Health Organization reported 734 incidents where medical personnel or hospitals were targeted in violation of international law. PPJP has scheduled two showings of the documentary Oct. 5 at the First Congregational Church in Eugene. The showings will be followed by discussions with local medical personnel. PPJP is organized by Alex Awad, a Palestinian who now lives in Eugene. McCowan joined Awad on the Holy Lands tour in October 2023. She was in the West Bank when the Oct. 7 attack happened. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We felt our building shake with the bombs," McCowan said. "We tried to get out of Bethlehem the evening after the war started in the morning, and we were at first turned away. They said only military peoples could go in and out. For someone holding up a U.S. passport and being told, 'No, you can't go anywhere, you can't leave here,' was the real eye opener. "It was, for me, a realization that this is what they (Palestinians) live with all the time." Before getting to know Awad through church, McCowan said she wasn't familiar with the situation in Gaza and the West Bank. In her travels, she said she saw first-hand the oppression the Palestinian people were living with. Tom Peck, another member of PPJP, said the group is calling on lawmakers, including U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, to push for the end to weapons shipments and U.S. support of Israel that has contributed to the thousands of bombs that have rained down on Gaza. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The daily life in Gaza is an open-air prison where they can't escape," Peck said. "They have ocean on one side and 20-foot barbed wire fences on the other side. There are hundreds of checkpoints. They really have no civil rights." After watching the documentary, Peck knew it was something that needed to be shown to others. He said it's powerful and "picks apart the lies from Israel." He hopes those who see the documentary will be motivated to call on lawmakers to make a change. "I'm just appalled by what this country is supporting," Peck said. "It's way beyond our worst imagination of living in a place. The death toll is only measured by the Hamas health department, and it has only documented people that they are able to identify as dead. There's hundreds and thousands more that are buried in the rubble that are not accounted for." How to attend: Showings are at 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Oct. 5 at the First Congregational Church, at 24th Avenue and Harris Street in Eugene. University of Oregon Ducks 4 Israel vigil On Oct. 7, several UO-affiliated Jewish groups will hold a vigil on campus to remember the Israeli lives lost and those taken hostage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We honor the lives lost, pray for the safe return of the remaining hostages, and reflect on how Israel and the Jewish people have been forever changed," stated an Instagram post about the event by Oregon Hillel. "Together, we find strength in our resilience and in our shared responsibility to stand against hate." Members of Ducks 4 Israel (D4I), Oregon Hillel and Alpha Epsilon Pi are again hosting the event. This year, they are supported by national pro-Israel groups StandwithUs and Israel on Campus Coalition. Ducks 4 Israel officer and University of Oregon student Rachel Lennard sets out candles in the shape of the Star of David as part of a commemoration for the Oct. 7 attack and Israeli hostages one year later at the Erb Memorial Union on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. D4I President Rachel Lennard said the event will be similar to last year, with images and information about the hostages on display and an evening filled with speeches, poetry and song. Throughout the day, the images of each of the remaining 48 hostages will be displayed on the Lillis Lawn on UO campus. "I'm hoping that people remember that the people being held in Gaza deserve to come home to their families and, if they're dead, to be buried," Lennard said. "They don't deserve to be starved, beaten, tortured for simply being Israeli. I think that's our main goal, is just remembering them and continuing to fight for them." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement D4I has a history at UO, but it died out during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was revitalized with the help of Oregon Hillel in 2023. "Being a pro-Israel student on campus has been very isolating since Oct. 7," Lennard said. "Hillel and Chabad are doing the work, putting in the time, meeting with administrators to fight the antisemitism that happens on campus. Because it is a thing, it does happen." Lennard was part of a group of UO students who traveled to Israel with Oregon Hillel this summer. She said the trip's purpose was to hear multiple perspectives on not just the Israel-Palestine conflict, but on all on Israel's conflicts with its neighbors. Lennard said she was able to hear from Israelis both critical and supportive of the Israeli government. "The most powerful thing I heard is, between talking to Israelis and Palestinians, that the one goal that everyone has is peace," Lennard said. "Maybe their ideas of peace are different, but they all have one collective goal. They want the war to end and they want to see peace. And I think that's something that Ducks 4 Israel fights for as well. We also want to see an end to this war and the hostages to come home." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement How to attend: RSVP is required. Text 10/7 to 541-845-3134 to RSVP. The event will be held at the Erb Memorial Union amphitheater at 6 p.m. Penpals for Palestine The Neighborhood Anarchists Collective is inviting community members to participate in a letter writing session to connect with children in the West Bank. The "Penpals for Palestine" event will be at the Eugene Public Library. NAC encourages people of all ages, especially families, to join on Oct. 4. A flyer for the event states "the children living in the West Bank need some light and compassion. Let's let them know they have friends in Eugene who are thinking of them." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement How to attend: 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 4 at the Eugene Public Library, 100 W. 10th Ave., Bascom and Tykeson rooms 'Let Gaza Live' rally downtown On Oct. 4, several pro-Palestinian groups are organizing a rally at the federal building to "demand a total arms embargo and sanctions against Israel." Oct. 4 is an international day of action in support of Gaza. There are other protests planned including in Seattle, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Chicago. Protesters march down East 13th Avenue on the University of Oregon campus in Eugene in 2024 to mark one year since Hamas attacked Israel. "We will not rest until the genocide is brought to an end, until those who bear responsibility are made to answer for their crimes before an international tribunal, and until Palestine is free," stated an Instagram post by the Party for Socialism & Liberation Eugene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement How to attend: 11 a.m. on Oct. 4 at the Federal Courthouse, 405 E. Eighth Ave. Miranda Cyr reports on education for The Register-Guard. You can contact her at mcyr@registerguard.com or find her on Twitter @mirandabcyr. This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Remembering Oct 7 in Eugene pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel events Thousands of people took to the streets of major cities in Europe and elsewhere across the globe on Thursday after Israel intercepted the Gaza aid flotilla, which aimed to break the long-standing Israeli blockade and was carrying humanitarian relief to the Strip. The flotilla consisted of over 40 ships and about 500 activists, marking the largest attempt of its kind. On Thursday, hundreds of Israeli police officers were deployed to the southern port of Ashdod to process activists detained by the Israeli navy. Activists on board included climate activist Greta Thunberg, Nelson Mandela's grandson Mandla Mandela, and former Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau and European lawmakers, among others. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Israel's Foreign Ministry said the activists were "safe and in good health," and dismissed their mission as provocation, adding that various countries including Italy via the Vatican had offered to deliver the aid the boats were carrying. Israel had warned the flotilla that it was approaching an active combat zone and requested the convoy to change course. However, the flotilla remained on its way, as it emphasised that its mission was peaceful in nature. All activists apprehended on intercepted boats will be deported, Israel said. France: Protests merge with anti-government strikes In Paris, a nationwide strike against the government and budget cuts called by trade unions turned into a protest for Gaza. Over a thousand protesters gathered in Republic Square in Paris to denounce Israel's offensive in Gaza, its interception of the flotilla and the arrest of the detained activists. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Demonstrators were heard chanting, "Free the flotilla, free Palestine!" A protester tries to avoid tear gas during demonstration in Paris, France, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. - AP Photo/Thibault Camus The event was organised by France's leftist France Unbowed party (LFI). Four lawmakers of the party were part of the flotilla and are currently held by Israeli forces. In Marseille, around a hundred pro-Palestine demonstrators were arrested on Thursday afternoon as they attempted to block access to the site of arms company Eurolinks, which they accused of supplying military components to Israel. Italy: Crowds gather in major cities Large demonstrations took place throughout Italy and in major cities including Rome, Milan and Naples. In Milan, 20,000 people marched through the city centre, and in Rome, local authorities reported 10,000 people attended a rally that started from the Colosseum and reached Porta San Paolo. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Bologna, clashes broke out as riot police used tear gas against demonstrators. Hundreds of protesters had gathered outside of the city's central train station, where witnesses say police charged at crowds after what started as a peaceful march. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather in front of the Milan's Duomo gothic cathedral in Italy, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. - AP Photo/Antonio Calanni Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said 22 Italian citizens who were part of the flotilla are currently detained by Israel. Italys largest union CGIL called for a one-day general strike on Friday. Spain: Minor scuffles with police erupt Protesters gathered in Bilbao and Madrid, outside Spain's foreign ministry, in support of the flotilla and in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators and riot police in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday. Oct. 2, 2025. - AP/Emilio Morenatti In Barcelona, demonstrators blocked several major roads and clashed with riot police. Portugal: Calls for activists' release Demonstrations were called for in nine cities, including Lisbon, Porto and Coimbra, by the Palestine solidarity movement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Lisbon, hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the Israeli embassy, holding signs that read "Freedom for the flotilla," "Sanctions against Israel," and "End the siege on Palestine." Among the detained are four Portuguese activists. The demonstrators called on their government to demand their release. Switzerland and elsewhere Several protests took place in Switzerland, with the main demonstration in Geneva, where over 3,000 people gathered. Protesters, who condemned Switzerland's "complicity," set fire to tyres and briefly blocked railway tracks at the Cornavin train station, prompting police to use tear gas. Protesters take part in a rally in support of the Gaza flotilla boats, in Geneva, Switzerland, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. - Magali Girardin/Keystone via AP The march moved toward the city centre but was stopped at the end of the Mont-Blanc bridge by riot police. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More than a thousand people gathered in Athens, marching towards the Israeli embassy, some throwing flares and fireworks in the direction of the building. Petros Constantinou from the Movement United Against Racism and the Fascist Threat (KEERFA) in Greece said the protesters were demonstrating "against the act of piracy of Israel's army against the Flotilla". Similar protests also took place in other European cities such as Geneva, Helsinki, The Hague, Brussels, Nicosia and Istanbul, as well as New York, Kuala Lumpur, Sydney, Karachi, Buenos Aires and Mexico City. Welcome back to World Brief, where were looking at the possibility of a European drone wall, day one of the U.S. government shutdown, and a deadly earthquake in the Philippines. Sign up to receive World Brief in your inbox every weekday. Build the (Drone) Wall Following a slew of alleged Russian incursions into European airspace, European Union leaders gathered in Copenhagen on Wednesday to discuss strategies to protect the continent from future aggression out of Moscow. Their proposal: Build a drone wall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Russia will continue, and we have to be ready, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said. We have to strengthen our preparedness. Although several European nations have already committed troops and anti-drone systems to Copenhagen to protect the summitand with all drone flights over Denmark banned until FridayEU leaders maintain that more must be done to stop Moscow from advancing farther into Europe. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen first floated the idea of a drone wall during her annual address last monththe same day that some 20 Russian drones violated Polish airspace. Like in Poland, Moscow has repeatedly stepped up its brazen incursions into European territory. In recent months, two Russian Gerbera drones (one of which was carrying explosives) crashed into Lithuania, a Russian Mi-8 helicopter and three armed Russian MiG-31 fighter jets separately violated Estonian airspace, two Romanian F-16s detected a Russian Geran drone over its territory, and Denmark shut down several of its airports over sightings of unidentified drones. The Kremlin has denied responsibility for the drones over Denmark, disputed several other drone and fighter jet sightings, and maintains that it did not intend to send unmanned aircraft into Poland. At the same time, though, Russia has increased its military spending to about 7 percent of its GDP and continues to push for greater control of Ukrainian territorylargely via drone warfare. This is essentially a hybrid war against Europe, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said. And that is what we need to respond to. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The EUs proposed drone wall would not be a physical structure. Instead, the blocs members would deploy a network of sensors and weapons to detect, track, and intercept drones that violate European airspace. Although it is still unclear whether the drone wall would involve shooting down unmanned aircraft, creating a system to jam Russian drones so they are inoperable, or simply boosting Europes defenses, the proposal would improve information- and data-sharing among EU members and their allies. Such a development would address U.S. President Donald Trumps demands that Europe take greater responsibility for its own security. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte praised the idea, calling it timely and necessary. In the end, we cannot spend millions of euros or dollars on missiles to take out the drones, which are only costing a couple of thousand of dollars, Rutte said on Tuesday. However, Moscow has warned that creating a drone wall would only worsen Russias relationship with Europe. As history has shown, erecting walls is always a bad thing, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday. According to the European commissioner for defense and space, the drone wall could be operational within a year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Todays Most Read How Military Leaders Should Respond to Trumps Norm-Busting by Peter D. Feaver and Heidi A. Urben Donald Trump Will Never Be a Restrainer by Stephen M. Walt The ASEAN Plan for a Post-American World by Joseph Rachman What Were Following Government shutdown. Many U.S. federal services ground to a halt on Wednesday after Congress failed to pass a funding bill by the midnight deadline. Democrats opposed the Republican-backed proposal over concerns about health care; they seek to reverse Trumps Medicaid cuts and wish to extend tax credits that would make health insurance premiums more affordable for millions of people. However, Republicans have called the Democrats countermeasure a nonstarter that would cost taxpayers more than $1 trillion. Theres nothing to negotiate, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Wednesday. There isnt anything we can do to make this bill any better for them. The countrys longest partial shutdown occurred during Trumps first term; it lasted 35 days due to an impasse on funding Trumps border wall. Experts expect the U.S. government shutdown to have adverse effects on the global economy. Already, markets opened lower on Wednesday, reflecting fears of how long this shutdown might last. Meanwhile, Trump has threatened massive layoffs to hurt the Democrats bargaining position, potentially affecting hundreds of thousands of federal workers. We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible, that are bad for them and irreversible by them, like cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting programs that they like, Trump said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ring of Fire. A devastating 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck near the Philippines Cebu island late Tuesday, killing at least 69 people, injuring more than 150 others, and decimating local infrastructure. Emergency services working alongside military forces, police officers, and civilian volunteers continued to search for survivors on Wednesday. However, authorities expect the death toll to rise. Tuesdays quake was the deadliest to rock the Philippines since 2013, when a 7.2 magnitude earthquake off of Bohol island killed 222 people. The Philippines sits on the Pacific Oceans Ring of Fire, a geological zone known for its intense seismic and volcanic activity. A minor eruption from the countrys Taal volcano was also recorded on Tuesday. Cebu island declared a state of calamity on Wednesday following repeated aftershocks. The earthquake comes barely more than a week after the Philippines suffered back-to-back typhoons that killed more than 20 people, caused extensive flooding, and destroyed homes. Increased intervention. The United Nations Security Council voted on Tuesday to authorize an up to 5,500-person international force to help quell gang violence in Haiti. The U.S. and Panamanian resolution will transform the Kenya-led multinational effort (set to expire on Thursday) into a Gang Suppression Force, more than doubling the mandated forces size as well as expanding its powers to allow its personnel to arrest suspected gang members, which the current mission does not have the ability to do. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., said the new force offers Haiti hope. It is a hope that has been rapidly slipping away as terrorist gangs expanded their territory, raped, pillaged, murdered, and terrorized the Haitian population, Waltz said. Violent gangs currently control around 90 percent of Haitis capital, Port-au-Prince, and have expanded their control into the countrys countryside. Fighting has displaced more than 1.3 million people. Although the resolutions backers touted the new force as a means to eventually hold democratic elections in Haiti, China and Russia both abstained from the vote, arguing that further U.N. involvement risks exacerbating the countrys already precarious security situation and accusing the United States of failing to stem the illegal flow of weapons into Port-au-Prince. Pakistan also abstained from the vote. Odds and Ends Be careful with how you express your feelings. As part of North Koreas latest crackdown on freedom of speech, officials from a factorys Socialist Patriotic Youth League last month reportedly condemned the contents of a personal letter discovered during a bag search, in which a young person wrote, I love you and The only thing I think of is you. The officials have turned the message into an ideological issue, calling such language evidence of a decadent lifestyle imbued with capitalist views of love. New footage shows several European leaders sharing a laugh over President Donald Trumps constant confusion between Albania and Armenia. Earlier this year, Trump helped broker an end to nearly 40 years of fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan, prompting calls from some of the presidents allies that he should be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. Politics: 1 Word In French Presidents Congratulatory Message To Trump Has People Howling But Trump himself has had a hard time describing it, often butchering the names of the countries involved and confusing Armenia with Albania, which is nearly 1,500 miles away. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At one point, he claimed to have settled a war between Aberbaijan and Albania. That led to the moment caught on camera between French President Emmanuel Macron, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev at the European Political Community meeting in Copenhagen on Thursday, according to The Telegraph. You should make an apology to us, Rama told Macron as Aliyev and others looked on. Because you didnt congratulate us on the peace deal that President Trump made between Albania and Azerbaijan. Politics: Emmanuel Macron Reacts To Trump's Hot Mic Comment On Vladimir Putin Several people in the gathering laughed, and Macron smiled. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I am sorry for that, he said, and playfully smacked Rama on the cheek: The moment seems to confirm what California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said over the summer. Ive had the privilege of meeting a lot of foreign leaders, Newsom said at a Politico event in August. Theyre laughing behind his back. Politics: FBI Agent Fired For Refusing James Comey Perp Walk While Newsom has been relentlessly trolling Trump online, he insisted that his observation was based on dozens and dozens of encounters with foreign leaders and officials. Theyre laughing behind his back, Newsom said. Hes being played everywhere. Its an embarrassment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During Trumps first term, a clip went viral that appeared to show world leaders snarking behind his back at a reception in Buckingham Palace: .@JustinTrudeau, @EmmanuelMacron, @BorisJohnson and other VIPs shared a few words at a Buckingham Palace reception Tuesday. No one mentions @realDonaldTrump by name, but they seem to be discussing his lengthy impromptu press conferences from earlier in the day. (Video: Host Pool) pic.twitter.com/dVgj48rpOP Power & Politics (@PnPCBC) December 3, 2019 World leaders also had a laugh at Trumps expense at the 2018 United Nations General Assembly while he was bragging about his supposed accomplishments: WATCH: Laughter in UN General Assembly as President Trump touts his administration's progress in past 2 years: "Didn't expect that reaction, but that's OK." pic.twitter.com/V7GViB5g4B NBC News (@NBCNews) September 25, 2018 Read Next Read the original on HuffPost Does a video show a crowd on a beach in Gaza who came to greet the arriving Samud Flotilla? No, that's not true: The crowd in the video gathered on Sidi Bou Said beach near Tunis, which is 1,400 miles across the Mediterranean Sea from Gaza. The video was filmed Sept. 10, 2025, weeks before the flotilla approached Gaza. The miscaptioned video resurfaced in a post on X (archived here) published by @Brandons__1 on Oct. 2, 2025. The caption reads: The Mikeno landed on the beaches of Gaza The sole boat from the #Flotilla broke the siege and made it to Gaza It evaded capture by switching it's location on & off #GlobalSumudFlotilla This is how the video appeared in the post: Image source: Lead Stories screenshot from x.com/Brandons__1/status/1973723191479841209. This miscaptioned video (archived here) had already surfaced on TikTok on Sept. 27, 2025 (pictured below). The post caption, originally in Arabic, (translated by TikTok) reads: sumud flotilla arrived today at gaza # Praise be to Allah for the arrival of the delegation that came from all over the world ## 43, 93, 185, 1 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This video does not show the flotilla arriving in Gaza. The crowded beach scene near two distinctive towers is captured in another video (pictured below) published by reuters.com (archived here) on Sept. 11, 2025. The video is captioned: Thousands of Tunisians flocked to Sidi Bou Said beach near Tunis on Wednesday (September 10) to back the Global Sumud Flotilla, a convoy of boats carrying international activists set to sail toward Gaza. The flotilla will attempt to sail towards the Strip in a major gesture of solidarity with Palestinians and an effort to challenge Israel's blockade of the enclave. 43, 93, 185, 1 Another angle of the beach gathering in Tunisia appears in a video (embedded below) posted on Instagram on Sept. 11, 2025. A familiar face to local TV news viewers in Green Bay and the Fox Valley is sliding into a new role. Stacy Engebretson is joining WFRV-TV, Channel 5, to co-anchor the 5, 6 and 6:30 p.m. broadcasts of "Local 5 News" alongside longtime evening anchor Tom Zalaski. Their first newscast together will be at 5 p.m. Oct. 13. She replaces Michele McCormack, who left the station in May after more than four years as an anchor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Engebretson has 23 years of experience in the Green Bay-area market, including 20 years at WGBA-TV (NBC 26), where she worked as an anchor and reporter and then as an assistant news director as well. She signed off from the station in 2020 and became the assistant news director at local ABC affiliate WBAY-TV in June 2022 and left in September. Stacy Engebretson is joining WFRV-TV as its new evening co-anchor alongside Tom Zalaski. She is originally from Bloomington, Minnesota, and is a graduate of St. Cloud State University. She started her television career in Alexandria, Minnesota, before moving on to WAOW-TV in Wausau a year later. I am thrilled to join the talented, hardworking Local 5 News team and continue serving Northeast Wisconsin through compelling local journalism, Engebretson said in a news release. It is more important than ever to dig for the truth, demand accountability and inform viewers on the issues that matter most to you so you can make informed decisions. More: Y100's Charli McKenzie reflects on 20 years of hanging with country stars, being a hugger and always keeping it real Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: WBAY-TV announces new weekend meteorologist after Keith Gibson's departure In addition to co-anchoring with Zalaski, who has been at WFRV since 1999, Engebretson will host a half-hour program on WFRV+, a 24-hour streaming service that includes exclusive programs, breaking news, in-depth coverage and browsable archives. She plans to continue volunteering with community organizations as she has done throughout her career and to emcee local events. Kendra Meinert is an entertainment and feature writer at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at 920-431-8347 or kmeinert@greenbay.gannett.com. Follow her on X @KendraMeinert. This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Stacy Engebretson joins WFRV-TV as Tom Zalaski's new evening co-anchor NEED TO KNOW Seven family members have died after a fire tore through their home and others in Thailand, according to reports Three children are among the victims who died in the blaze, which damaged multiple homes in the neighborhood A police official said some of the victims "died in a huddle" A family of seven has died after a fire tore through their home and others in Thailand, according to reports. The fire broke out during the early morning hours of Thursday, Oct. 2, while the family was sleeping on the second floor of a townhouse in Rayong province, the Associated Press reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The family reportedly attempted to escape the fire, which blocked their efforts after consuming the first floor and eventually burned them to death. The victims of the blaze include at least three children, according to the AP and Thai PBS World. They have been identified as grandmother Ladda Polsiri, 57, her daughter Nan Polsiri, 29, son Sarawut Polsiri, 32, his wife Sararat Polsiri, 29, and their three children Face, 2, Ikkyu, 2, and Honey, 1. Police Lieutenant Colonel Chaikrit Taorat of the Rayong City Police Station said some of the victims died in a huddle, according to the AP. The fire destroyed the entire house, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Neighbors called for help around 2:30 a.m. local time after hearing members of the family plead for help. Footage from the scene showed neighbors efforts to put out the fire using bowls of water. The fire eventually spread to four other houses before it was extinguished after about 30 minutes, according to the AP. The buildings were all destroyed before the fire was put out, Thai PBS World reported. Afterward, some of the victims' bodies reportedly were found lying in a second-floor doorway. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Meanwhile, the AP reported that three neighbors were treated at Rayong Hospital for smoke inhalation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities are still investigating the exact cause of the fire, according to the reports. Anusorn Saengkla, Mueang Rayong district chief, said authorities believe the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit," the AP reported. Read the original article on People The Helsinki District Court ruled that Finland does not have jurisdiction to prosecute the captain and two assistants of the Eagle S oil tanker, Finnish media outlet Yle reported on Oct. 3. The three men Captain Davit Vadatchkor and assistant captains Robert Egizaryan and Santosh Kumar Chaurasia had been accused of damaging undersea cables in the Baltic Sea. Prosecutors sought at least 2.5 years of in prison. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Finnish investigators suspected the Eagle S deliberately dragged its anchor for dozens of kilometers across the Baltic seabed, damaging critical infrastructure. The Estlink 2 undersea power cable on Dec. 25, a 170-kilometer (106-mile) link between Finland and Estonia, was seriously damaged. In January, the Swedish Navy recovered an anchor from the site. The court completely dismissed the charges against the sailors and ordered the Finnish state to cover their legal costs, totaling about 195,000 euros ($228,000). It ruled that jurisdiction lies either with the vessel's flag state or the home countries of the defendants, not Finland. The Eagle S is believed to be part of Russia's "shadow fleet," a network of tankers used to bypass sanctions and the oil price cap through obscure ownership structures and flags of convenience. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The decision follows growing Western scrutiny of the shadow fleet. German investigators are reportedly probing whether drones spotted over northern Germany in September were linked to a Russian vessel operating in the Baltic Sea. President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Sept. 29 that Russia may be using such ships to launch drones into NATO airspace, calling for Europe to restrict Moscow's access to the Baltic Sea. Read also: Europe split on drone wall project, plan to battle Russias attacks remains elusive Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson speaks in May 2022 at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon) Former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson said Thursday in Fairbanks that he intends to run for governor in 2026, becoming the 13th candidate and 12th Republican in next years race. Incumbent Gov. Mike Dunleavy is term-limited and unable to run again, which has caused an unusually large number of early entries into the governors race. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Only one Democratic candidate, former Anchorage state Sen. Tom Begich, has entered the race. Other Democrats say they are awaiting the possible run by former Democratic U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, who had the highest favorability rating among top candidates, according to one poll this summer. Republicans face no such obstacle. In addition to Bronson, the Republican field of candidates includes former state Sen. Click Bishop of Fairbanks; Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom of Eagle River; Anchorage businesswoman Bernadette Wilson; podiatrist Matt Heilala of Anchorage; Matanuska-Susitna Borough Mayor Edna DeVries; former teacher James William Parkin IV of Angoon; current state Sen. Shelley Hughes of Palmer; Bruce Walden of Palmer; former Alaska Revenue Commissioner Adam Crum; and former Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor. All of those candidates have filed letters of intent or statements of candidacy with the Alaska Public Offices Commission, which allows them to fundraise and spend money on a campaign. They have not yet registered with the Alaska Division of Elections, which officially places a candidate on the August primary ballot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republican Henry Kroll of Soldotna, who has not registered with the Public Offices Commission, is the lone candidate to have registered with the Division of Elections. The deadline to file with the Alaska Division of Elections is June 1, 2026. In Alaska, the top four vote-getters for a state office, regardless of political party, advance from the August general election to the November general election. Wilson has vowed to withdraw from the election if she finishes in the top four but isnt the top Republican. She has encouraged other Republicans to take similar vows in an attempt to consolidate support for the top Republican front-runner in the general election. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bronson, who delivered brief remarks in Fairbanks before participating in a panel discussion with six other Republican candidates, said he supports increased spending on infrastructure and the Permanent Fund dividend, saying he would like to see a constitutional amendment that would mandate a dividend paid according to a formula that was used from 1982 through 2016. That would require spending an additional $2 billion per year for dividend payments above what lawmakers and Dunleavy approved this year. As a whole, the states operating budget is currently $5.9 billion. Bronson did not explain how he intends to pay for the increase. An experienced pilot, Bronson was elected mayor of Anchorage in 2021, months after the incumbent Democratic mayor resigned during a sex scandal and amid a conservative backlash against COVID-19 mitigation efforts imposed by the Anchorage assembly. He served a single term and was endorsed for re-election by Dunleavy and U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan but lost in 2024 to current Mayor Suzanne LaFrance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bronsons time in office was marked by major conflicts with city employees, public health officials and the assembly. In 2023, the city manager Bronson appointed and fired, sued him and the city, alleging illegal and unethical acts. The assembly settled that case in 2024 for $250,000 after Bronson left office. In January, Dunleavy appointed Bronson to manage Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. After less than eight months, he announced his resignation from that job in August. DES MOINES The former superintendent of Iowa's largest school district, who was detained by immigration agents last week, has been charged in federal court with possessing firearms while in the United States without legal authorization, prosecutors said Oct. 2. Ian Roberts, who resigned earlier this week as the superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, was detained on Sept. 26 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents after he was pulled over and allegedly fled from officers. Federal authorities accused Roberts, 54, of lacking legal authorization to reside or work in the United States. During the arrest, federal agents discovered a loaded handgun that was wrapped in a towel inside the vehicle Roberts was driving, a criminal complaint alleges. Law enforcement also executed a search warrant at Roberts' home, and found three other firearms and multiple firearm magazines, according to the complaint. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Department of Homeland Security previously said it was referring Roberts to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives for an investigation into how he obtained the gun found in his vehicle. Roberts was being held at the Woodbury County Jail in Sioux City, about 150 miles northwest of Des Moines, pending deportation by immigration authorities. But on Oct. 2, Roberts was taken into custody by the Department of Justice on a federal warrant for his arrest and was removed from the jail. He had his initial court appearance on Oct. 2, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Iowa said in a news release. Roberts will remain in federal custody pending further proceedings. A photo included in the federal criminal complaint against former Des Moines Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts shows one of the guns U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents say they found in his home after he was arrested Sept. 26. Ex-Des Moines schools superintendent received order for deportation in 2024 Roberts, who was hired by Des Moines Public Schools in 2023, received a previously unreported order for deportation in 2024. He is originally from Guyana in South America and immigrated to the United States to study and play college sports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 1999, the federal government granted Roberts a student visa. Between 2001 and 2018, according to the new criminal complaint, Roberts unsuccessfully applied to become a permanent U.S. resident. Federal authorities alleged in the complaint that Roberts was not eligible to work in the United States when he assumed the district's top job. Roberts' work authorization in the United States expired in 2020, more than two years before he became the Des Moines Schools superintendent, according to the complaint. In May 2024, Roberts failed to appear in a Dallas immigration court for a hearing on his potential deportation. A judge then ordered Roberts to return to Guyana. Roberts' attorneys have said they are seeking to pause his deportation and reopen his case. Attorney Alfredo Parrish told the Des Moines Register, part of the USA TODAY Network, on Oct. 2 that his legal team was still working with state and federal entities to try to protect Roberts' interest and "take this one step at a time." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We cant say we didnt know a possibility this would happen, but obviously we want to see if we can reach a resolution," he said of the complaint. Des Moines schools superintendent case: MIT and George Washington dispute Ian Roberts' claims about academic credentials, honors ICE agents found order of removal paperwork in superintendent's car, complaint reveals While searching Roberts' home on Sept. 26, officers allegedly discovered a copy of his May 2024 deportation order in another vehicle inside his garage, according to the complaint. Defending his client during a Sept. 30 news conference, Parrish said Roberts believed he was allowed to live and work in the United States. Parrish also shared a letter from Jackeline Gonzalez, a Texas immigration attorney who previously represented Roberts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I am writing to inform you of the closure of your immigration case," Gonzalez wrote in the letter, dated March 27 of this year. "It has been my pleasure to represent you throughout this process, and I am pleased to report that your case has reached a successful resolution." Despite Gonzalez's announcement of a "successful resolution," an immigration judge denied Roberts' motion to reopen the case in April. Following Parrish's news conference, ATF Special Agent Robert Carlson wrote in the complaint that he had called Gonzalez, who told him she had been attempting to quit the case. He said she provided a November 2024 letter in which she told Roberts that he owed her firm about $11,800 in unpaid legal bills. She filed a motion to withdraw as Roberts' attorney in January, but a judge did not rule on her request before denying Roberts' motion to reopen his case, according to the complaint. Regarding Gonzalez's letter, Carlson wrote in the complaint that it was "not intended to convey to Roberts that his immigration case with the immigration court was completed but rather it was being closed in her office." Des Moines Public Schools is considering possible legal action Since Roberts' initial arrest, Des Moines schools officials have said they believed he was a U.S. citizen. They said Roberts completed an I-9 form, the document that employers must use to confirm employees' authorization to work in the United States. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Phil Roeder, a spokesperson for the district, said in an email on Oct. 2 that Roberts gave the district a copy of his driver's license and a Social Security card before the school board hired him in May 2023. The school board said in an Oct. 2 news release that it will discuss possible litigation related to the arrest and subsequent revelations on Roberts' background during a special session on Oct. 3. "Des Moines Public Schools is facing a different reality than we were last Friday," school board chair Jackie Norris said. "As a learning institution, we will use this opportunity to both review the most recent superintendent hiring process as well as holding those accountable who contributed to this current situation." "From misrepresenting his citizenship status to degrees that did not exist, Ian Roberts appears to have misled people about who he was not only here in Des Moines, but a trail that extends from Pennsylvania and across the country," Norris said. "Between legal action and a thorough internal review, we pledge to find the truth so this can never happen again." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: Des Moines Superintendent Ian Roberts' Iowa administrator license revoked after ICE arrest Contributing: Samantha Hernandez, Des Moines Register; Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Ex-Des Moines Superintendent Ian Roberts hit with federal gun charges ELKHART A former Israel Defense Forces combat soldier, speaking to the Elkhart Rotary Club on Monday, told his story and the story of his family, organizers said, in an effort to portray Israelis in a different light. Omer Karavani, after discussing his familys history during a 30-minute presentation at the Matterhorn Restaurant, defended the war in Gaza and denied Israel is committing genocide. Karavani is starting his third year as emissary for the Jewish Federation of St. Joseph Valley. He was born and raised in Ashkelon, Israel, a coastal city, about an hour drive south of Tel Aviv and eight miles from the border with Gaza. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Before his mandatory service in the Israeli army, Karavani said, he did a gap year of volunteer service. He worked in Jerusalem in underserved communities with children and the elderly. In August 2019, Karavani joined the IDF to be a combat soldier in the Artillery Corps and served for almost three years. After his presentation about his family history and military service, Karavani took questions from the audience. The audience asked him about Jewish identity, the war in Gaza and whether or not he agrees with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus decisions. Karavani defended the war in Gaza and denied Israel is committing genocide. He said his family came from Iraq, Romania and Yemen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After the program, Moshe Kruger, executive director for the Jewish Federation of St. Joseph Valley, said his organization has been bringing a Jewish emissary from Israel for the past 20 years. I think the audience had good questions, Kruger said. These were questions on the minds of many Americans, including here at the Rotary in Elkhart. As Omer said, he is not here representing the Israeli government, hes not a politician, hes not a military expert, hes here serving the community, and I think he answered questions that satisfied the audience. Kruger said Karavanis family story is not what a person would hear in the American media. He said much of the story in the media is around politics, Zionism or genocide. Jordan Price, director of programming for the Jewish Federation of St. Joseph Valley, agreed the program brings a narrative not often heard in mainstream news. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Omer shared how his family came to Israel from Yemen in the 1800s and from Baghdad, where Jews had lived since being exiled after the destruction of the First Temple in the 6th century BCE, Price said. Anti-Israel protesters often claim that Israelis are European colonizers, but Omers story shows otherwise. In fact, more than half of Israels Jewish population is of Mizrahi or Sephardi origin descendants of Jews from the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia. While some Jewish communities arrived long before the State of Israel was established in 1948, the majority of Mizrahi and Sephardi Jews came as refugees fleeing persecution. Todays audience had the opportunity to hear that side of Israels story. TBILISI, Georgia (AP) Almost every day for nearly a year, Gota Chanturia has joined rallies at Georgias parliament against the government and its increasingly repressive policies. He's done this despite mass arrests and police violence against demonstrators. And the civics teacher keeps marching even though he's racked up an astonishing $102,000 in fines from the protests. That's about 10 times what the average Georgian earns in a year. Weve said that we will be here until the end, and were still here, Chanturia told The Associated Press as he participated in yet another demonstration this week in the capital of Tbilisi. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The protests began when the government halted talks about joining the European Union. That move came after the longtime ruling party Georgian Dream won an election that the opposition alleged was rigged. The rallies, big and small, continue despite a multipronged crackdown by the government through laws that target demonstrators, rights groups, nongovernmental organizations and independent media. More protests are planned for this weekend to coincide with local elections. The repression in the South Caucasus nation of 3.7 million has drawn comparisons to Georgias powerful neighbor and former imperial ruler Russia, where President Vladimir Putin has stifled dissent. Georgian Dream has been accused of steering the country into Moscows orbit of influence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Human Rights Watch says Georgia is suffering a rights crisis. The clampdown is unprecedented in the country's independent history and is escalating steadily, said Giorgi Gogia, the group's Europe and Central Asia associate director. But Georgias vibrant civil society is pushing back, and it has become a question of who would blink first, Gogia said. If it's the public and civil society, they could wake up in an authoritarian country, "which would be a huge transformation from what Georgia used to be up until now, he added. Fines, beatings and prison Ketuna Kerashvili joined a rally in rainy Tbilisi on Wednesday despite the fact that her 30-year-old brother Irakli was arrested in December, convicted of disrupting public order, and sentenced to two years in prison. He had rejected the charges as unfounded. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kerashvili told AP her brother's trial was tough to watch. All of those boys and girls who are in prison now were trying to protect our country from pro-Russian forces and a pro-Russian government, she said. The violent crackdown escalated after largely peaceful protests in late November 2024, with over 400 people detained within two weeks; at least 300 reported severe beatings and other ill-treatment, according to Amnesty International. The group alleged much of the brutality occurs out of sight in detention. Between April 2024 and August 2025, at least 76 people have faced criminal prosecution in the protests, with more than 60 imprisoned, according to Transparency International Georgia, an anti-corruption organization. The number of prosecutions is likely higher now, and scores more people have been slapped with steep fines. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chanturia said he was fined 56 times for allegedly blocking a road - a common charge levied against protesters. He said he hasn't paid them and doesn't intend to. Under new regulations, failing to do so could land him in jail. HRW's Gogia says it's hard to estimate how many people have been fined, but he estimates it could be thousands. The penalties are issued via automation, like highway tolls and traffic fines, with authorities using surveillance cameras with facial recognition. Sometimes those penalized weren't protesting but just happened to be at the rally. Mariam Nikuradze, a prominent journalist and co-founder of the independent news site OC Media, has accrued 20,000 lari (about $7,300) in fines, after being cited four times for allegedly blocking a road. She said she was merely covering the demonstrations. Javid Ahmedov, a journalism student from Azerbaijan, told AP he was filming at a July protest when the cameras spotted him. He learned he had been fined 10,000 lari (about $3,700) upon returning to Georgia last month to complete his studies at the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He eventually was denied entry, risking the completion of his degree and his U.S. scholarship. I have to be in Georgia, he told AP from Germany, where he is now an exchange student. But its a big question. Opposition parties, media and NGOs targeted Authorities also have targeted key opposition politicians and parties, along with rights activists and media. In the summer, eight opposition leaders were jailed on charges of refusing to cooperate with a parliamentary inquiry, and two more were arrested later on different charges. The opposition said these arrests were politically motivated. In August, authorities froze the bank accounts of seven rights groups. The Prosecutors Office alleged they were supplying demonstrators with gear like masks, pepper spray and protective glasses that were used in clashes with police. The organizations said the gear was for journalists covering the rallies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The government is trying to create a narrative that there are attempts to overthrow the government, violate the constitution and engage in sabotage and violence, said Guram Imnadze of the Social Justice Center, a group whose funds were frozen. Another goal is to stop all the independent actors in the country, to limit or shrink democratic free spaces in the country, (and) make independent actors such as NGOs, media outlets or individual activists unable to support democracy, he said. Georgian Dream has filed lawsuits against several independent TV channels and revealed plans to petition the Constitutional Court to declare the main opposition party, United National Movement, and others to be unconstitutional. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said last month the lawsuit will target everyone considered to be under the umbrella of the United National Movement, under the radical opposition and under foreign influence against all of them. Against everyone, everyone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He alleged the protests are orchestrated and funded from abroad. No foreign agent will be able to destabilize the situations in the country, he added, referring to legislation that allows labeling NGOs, media and individuals as foreign agents. The targeted groups remain defiant. The seven groups with frozen funds vowed to fight against authoritarian rule and Russian-style laws, using every legal mechanism available, to ensure that the opponents of the democratic and European path enshrined in our constitution cannot achieve their goals. Seeking EU pressure on the government Gogia says the crisis represents Georgias stark departure from trying to be a modern, independent, pro-human rights country with a very, very vibrant civil society and human rights community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement HRW and other international rights organizations last month urged the EU and its member states to use all diplomatic and legal tools at their disposal to exert pressure on Georgian officials and members of the judiciary, prosecution and law enforcement, involved in human rights abuses, and prosecutions of human rights defenders and civil society activists. Despite suspending talks to join the EU, Georgian authorities still care what the EU does or says, Gogia said, adding the public overwhelmingly supports membership and the government knows that. Kobakhidze said this week the goal of EU membership by 2030 is realistic and achievable. But a European Commission official told AP that the repressive actions taken by the Georgian authorities are far from anything expected from a candidate country." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The EU is ready to consider the return of Georgia to the EU accession path if the authorities take credible steps to reverse democratic backsliding, said the official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and thus spoke on condition of anonymity. ___ Litvinova reported from Tallinn, Estonia. Associated Press journalist Sam McNeil in Brussels contributed to this report. Germany's military is to help defend the civilian sector against drones by providing administrative assistance to the police, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said on Friday. Speaking hours after a major unidentified drone scare at Munich airport, the minister said he would shortly present a new draft aviation security law. The threat posed by drones is growing, not only because of their increasing numbers, but also because of the quality of the devices, according to Dobrindt. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He cited sightings of drones with a wingspan of up to 8 metres in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein. However, the minister did not provide details about the type and number of drones that had been sighted near Munich Airport the previous day. It was not yet possible to give a figure because multiple sightings of a single aircraft were also possible, Dobrindt said. The background to the possible pilots and motivation had also not yet been clarified. Drone defence and migration issues were agenda items at a meeting with his European counterparts this weekend, Dobrindt said. Among other things, this involves the development of a European plan for the detection and defence against drones. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We are in a race between the drone threat and drone defence," said the minister, adding that these must still be balanced up. A joint drone defence centre is recommended to be set up in Germany by the federal and state governments with the involvement of the armed forces. This centre will be responsible for analysing threats, joint communication, and coordinating an appropriate response. It will also be necessary to distinguish between concrete threats and attempts at provocation, he noted. On Thursday evening, police said several people reported seeing a drone near Munich airport, one of Germany's busiest, with subsequent sightings over the airport grounds. It remains unclear whether it was a single drone or multiple devices. The airport's runways were closed as a precaution, affecting some 3,000 passengers. Flights were operating as usual on Friday. Editor's note: This item has been updated with Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Soder's statement. Germany's Munich Airport temporarily suspended operations the evening of Oct. 2 due to suspicious drone sightings in the area, airport officials said. The closure follows a series of mysterious drone sightings in European airspace in recent days, including an incident in northern Germany on Sept. 26. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Several drone sightings were reported late in the evening of Oct. 2, prompting German air traffic control to restrict and then suspend flight operations shortly after 10 p.m. local time, Munich Airport said in a statement. The closure grounded 17 flights, affecting nearly 3,000 passengers. Fifteen arriving flights were also rerouted to Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Vienna, and Frankfurt. The statement did not disclose how many drones were seen in the area. After the incident, Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Soder called for German police to be authorized to shoot down unidentified drones, saying his state is already drafting legislation to allow it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The drone incidents demonstrate the immense pressure. From now on, the rule must be: shoot down drones instead of waiting. And do so consistently," Soder told Bild. "Our police must be able to shoot down drones immediately." Similar drone sightings in recent weeks have disrupted operations at major transportation hubs, including Oslo Airport in Norway and Copenhagen Airport in Denmark, both of which were temporarily shut down as a precaution. An unidentified drone was also observed flying over the Norwegian Equinor-operated Sleipner gas field in the North Sea on Sept. 29. A day later, another drone was recorded flying over Bronnoysund Airport in Norway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read also: I wont do it anymore Putin jokes, dismissing European drone sightings Drones have also been previously spotted in Germany. German police on Sept. 29 reported sightings of large quadcopters near the Rostock seaport. Authorities in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein also reported multiple drone sightings overnight on Sept. 26. The German outlet Der Spiegel reported on Oct. 1 that those drones may have been surveilling critical infrastructure. The drone sightings follow a rash of high-profile Russian airspace violations that have heightened tensions between Moscow and NATO. In early September, Polish forces shot down several Russian drones that had entered their airspace during a mass attack against Ukraine. A Russian drone also breached Romanian territory a few days later, though Bucharest opted not to engage it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets also briefly entered Estonian airspace on Sept. 19, remaining there for 12 minutes before being intercepted by NATO forces. Read also: Europe split on drone wall project, plan to battle Russias attacks remains elusive Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. In a first coordinated African-led effort at the United Nations, leaders have declared the Transatlantic Slave Trade as the greatest crime against humanity and called for reparations. African leaders recently took the global stage at the U.N.s General Assembly in New York, where Ghanas president, John Dramani Mahama, announced plans to submit the first formal motion demanding reparative justice. The motion will challenge the international community to endorse concrete U.N.-backed compensation for the historical and ongoing injustices faced by Africans on the continent and people of African descent globally, namely Black Americans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If the U.N. advances a global reparations framework, it could strengthen calls for federal acknowledgment and redress for slaverys legacy in the United States. International leaders hope it will put pressure on American policymakers to act. For Black Americans, these developments offer hope for both recognition and material compensation for centuries of stolen labor, economic exclusion, and ongoing inequity. Reparatory justice is not about pity, Mahama said. It is about recognition, responsibility, and restitution. The descendants of Africa deserve the dignity of acknowledgement and the fairness of redress. The address underscored continental unity, with support from the Central African Republic and Latin American allies, such as Bolivia, which advocated for financial restitution, environmental restoration, and the return of stolen cultural heritage. This coordinated appeal represents the most forceful push yet by African leaders to secure reparations through global mechanisms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We demand reparations for the enslavement of our people and the colonization of our land that resulted in the theft of natural resources, as well as the looting of artifacts and other items of cultural heritage that have yet to be returned in total, Mahama added in his speech. The context Calls for reparations at the United Nations reached new heights last week, thanks to decades of persistent advocacy, mounting Pan-African coordination, and a growing global conversation about historical justice. The roots of this moment trace back to the forced displacement of more than 12.5 million Africans, whose labor and suffering generated enormous wealth for Western nations while leaving lasting scars throughout the African continent. As the Transatlantic Slave Trade brought enslaved people to the U.S., colonial powers extracted an estimated 98% of the wealth from Ghana in the form of gold, cocoa, and other resources, enriching Britain and the U.S. while impoverishing the local population and leaving lasting economic disparities. Mahamas argument draws from a well-documented historical paradox: after abolition, Western governments compensated former slave owners for the loss of enslaved people. Yet no reparations were provided to the victims or their descendants. This legacy is central to present-day reparations advocacy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ghanas leadership is grounded in recent initiatives, such as the Year of Return, which aimed to reconnect the global Black diaspora with Africa. However, the twin dynamics of attracting diaspora dollars and rising Black American migration have sparked anxieties within Ghana over gentrification and local displacement, complicating the legacy of repair and return for some communities. What are people saying? Online, Black folks have expressed support for the initiative and dismay that it has taken so long. The fact that the transatlantic slave trade, which saw millions of Africans ripped from their homes, forced into slavery, and subjected to unimaginable atrocities across the Americas and the Caribbean, is still not formally recognized as a crime against humanity is ridiculous, Lisa Stevens wrote on X, formerly Twitter. The post was liked more than 2,500 times. Another user, who went by Mrs. Cole, wrote about her trip to Ghana. I literally went to Ghana back in May, and when I tell you once you walk in, you can feel the death around you, it was stifling and [people] have the nerve to say get over it. Im still sick to my stomach. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other people connected it to the erasure of Black history in the U.S. Its like the more [President Donald] Trump tries to remove black history, the more it motivates other countries and places to make it more known, one user wrote on Instagram about the speech. Tourists pose for pictures at the Cape Coast Castle in 2019. African American visitors flocked to Ghana that year as it marked the Year of Return to remember the 400th anniversary of the first slave ship landing in Virginia. (Natalija Gormalova/AFP via Getty Images) What did it reveal? Ghanas motion outlines three pillars for reparations: direct financial compensation, the restoration of plundered environments in Black communities, and the return of cultural property. We must demand reparations for the enslavement of our people and the colonization of our land that resulted in the theft of natural resources, Mahama emphasized. The reparations push exposes both the material legacy of violence and the ongoing structures keeping many African and diaspora communities at a disadvantage. Statistics from his speech and reparations advocates point to the continuing gap between the wealth generated for the West and enduring poverty in Black communities everywhere. What to watch next With Ghanas motion on the table, the coming months are likely to bring intense diplomatic wrangling and public debate, especially as Western states, such as the U.S., have repeatedly resisted binding reparations mechanisms at the U.N. The success of Ghanas proposed U.N. motion will depend partly on securing support from sympathetic non-African nations and effectively framing reparations as universal human rights issues rather than purely African concerns. Read More: The post Ghanas President Calls Slave Trade Greatest Crime, Pushes U.N. for Reparations appeared first on Capital B News. RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) A tough on crime bill passed by state legislators in the wake of a deadly train stabbing was signed into law by Gov. Josh Stein, his office said Friday. The governor announced he would sign House Bill 307 in a video statement. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: NC Senate approves Irynas Law bill, focus on pre-trial norms and mental health The bill is also known as Irynas Law after Iryna Zarutska, the Ukrainian woman stabbed and killed on a Charlotte train last month. The man accused of stabbing Zarutska, DeCarlos Brown Jr., had a violent criminal history, but was recently charged with a nonviolent misdemeanor crime, and released by a magistrate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republican lawmakers drafted the bill, stating it was intended to keep people such as Brown held in jail or treated for mental health concerns. The bill requires judges to order a mental health evaluation if the suspect faces a violent offense and theyve been involuntarily committed at some point during the three years prior. Mental health evaluations must also be ordered if the judge believes the defendant is a danger to themselves or others. But the bill received opposition from Democrats after a late amendment to add alternate execution methods was added. While North Carolina has capital punishment on the books, continued legal challenges have meant no one has been executed in the state since 2006. Under the bill, North Carolina may adopt execution methods used by other states if current laws are struck down in court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The North Carolina General Assembly passed the bill on Sept. 23, sending it to Steins desk for final approval or a veto. RELATED: What would be the impact of Irynas Law in North Carolina? In his statement, Stein, a Democrat, said he would sign the bill into law because it would make people safer. He made note of both Zarutskas death and a recent shooting at a restaurant in Southport that left three people dead in his decision to support it. These random murders raise real concerns for people all over the state, Stein said in his statement. Everyone deserves to be and to feel safe in their daily lives, on their way to or from work, at school, at their place of worship, in a restaurant, and in their own home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite signing it into law, the governor also voiced several criticisms towards the bill. He said it fails to focus on the threat posed by a person instead of their ability to post bail. Stein was also critical of the amendment to allow alternative executions methods into the state, such as firing squads. Its barbaric, Stein said in his statement. There will be no firing squads in North Carolina during my time as governor. Additionally, the governor stated the bill did not do enough to keep the public safe, describing it as lacking ambition and vision. The governor called on legislators to pass his comprehensive public safety package, which he said would provide more assigned police officers and violence prevention measures such as stopping juveniles from joining gangs and combating drug addiction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If we are serious about making people safer, we have to acknowledge the role that guns and mental health play in violence were seeing all across the country, Stein said in his statement. We can respect peoples Second Amendment rights while also ensuring anyone who is violent or dangerously mentally ill does not have access to guns. Stein urged the use of comprehensive background checks to prevent those who may be violent or dangerous from accessing firearms. He also said families and law enforcement should have the power to seek the temporary removal of guns from individuals who are dangerous to others or themselves. The governor concluded his comments by calling for a well-function mental health care system, telling legislators they must fund Medicaid when they return to the State Capitol this month. Its time to get real about the causes of violence and to take meaningful action to address them, the governor said in his statement. Lets roll up our sleeves, actually tackle tough issues head on, and put in place effective solutions to make North Carolina families safer. Lets get to work Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS17.com. Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg was sworn in on Friday after his father Henri abdicated following 25 years on the throne. Prime Minister Luc Frieden called the ceremony a "historic moment" for the country of 670,000 inhabitants, the world's sole remaining Grand Duchy. Among high-ranking politicians from across Europe, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands and King Philippe and Queen Mathilde from Belgium were in attendance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Supporters gathered in front of the Grand Ducal Palace in Luxembourg City, where the abdication ceremony took place early on Friday. The 43-year-old Guillaume swore the oath of allegiance to the constitution in a solemn sitting in parliament. "I want to be a Grand Duke who builds bridges between generations, between tradition and innovation," he said in his speech. Luxembourg has a "unique strength" in its multicultural and multinational population, Guillaume said. He thanked the many cross-border workers from neighbouring countries, whose work makes "a significant contribution to Luxembourg's prosperity." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After the swearing-in ceremony, Guillaume will appear on the balcony of the palace with Grand Duchess Stephanie and his family. The couple have two young sons. French President Emmanuel Macron and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier are due to join a gala dinner in the Grand Ducal Palace on Friday evening. Guillaume, 43, is the seventh sovereign in the House of Luxembourg-Nassau. The Luxembourg branch of the Nassau-Weilburg dynasty has existed since 1890. By Nidal al-Mughrabi CAIRO (Reuters) -Hamas said on Friday it would agree to some of the terms in U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end the Gaza war, including releasing hostages, but avoided addressing more vexing issues like disarmament and said it would seek further negotiations. In a copy of a statement seen by Reuters, Hamas issued its response to Trump's 20-point plan after the president gave the Palestinian militant group until Sunday to accept or reject the proposal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was unclear if the U.S. or Israel would be willing to engage in further negotiations on the plan's terms. Hamas did not say if it would agree to disarm and demilitarize Gaza something Israel and the U.S. want but Hamas has rejected before. It also did not agree to an Israeli withdrawal in stages, as opposed to the immediate, full withdrawal Hamas demands. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Earlier on Friday it had urged Hamas to accept the proposal or face grave consequences. There was also no immediate comment from Israel, which backs the proposal. A senior Hamas official told Al Jazeera that the group would not disarm before Israel's occupation of the enclave ends, comments that underscored the gap between the parties as the war approaches its two-year mark. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement HAMAS SEEKS FURTHER NEGOTIATIONS In its response to Trump's plan, Hamas said it "appreciates the Arab, Islamic, and international efforts, as well as the efforts of U.S. President Donald Trump, calling for an end to the war on the Gaza Strip, the exchange of prisoners, (and) the immediate entry of aid," among other terms. It said it was announcing its "approval of releasing all occupation prisoners both living and remains according to the exchange formula contained in President Trumps proposal, with the necessary field conditions for implementing the exchange." But Hamas added: "In this context, the movement affirms its readiness to immediately enter, through the mediators, into negotiations to discuss the details." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The group said it was ready "to hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body of independents (technocrats) based on Palestinian national consensus and supported by Arab and Islamic backing." Hamas has previously offered to release all hostages and to hand over administration of the Gaza Strip to a different body. Trump's plan specifies an immediate ceasefire, an exchange of all hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, a staged Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas and the introduction of a transitional government led by an international body. TRUMP EARLIER WARNED OF 'ALL HELL' Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier on Friday, Trump warned that "all HELL" would break out in Gaza if Hamas fails to sign up to his proposal for the enclave. "An agreement must be reached with Hamas by Sunday Evening at SIX (6) P.M., Washington, D.C. time," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. Trump added: "Every Country has signed on! If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas." After presenting his plan to Arab and Muslim nations last week, Trump hosted Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House where the Israeli prime minister endorsed the document, saying it satisfied Israel's war aims. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hamas was not involved in the negotiations that led to the proposal, which calls on the Islamist militant group to disarm, a demand it has previously rejected. TRUMP PLAN 'A WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY,' U.N. AID CHIEF SAYS Israel blocked Gaza City's main road on Thursday and has told its million residents to flee south, warning it was their last chance to escape a major offensive. The United Nations has repeatedly said that nowhere in Gaza is safe. "President Trump's Gaza initiative opens a window of opportunity. It offers both a chance for Palestinians to receive life-saving aid at the scale urgently needed, and to bring the hostages home," U.N. aid chief Tom Fletcher said in a statement on Friday. "We are ready and eager to act." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trumps plan calls for aid to Gaza to be distributed without interference by neutral international groups, with the U.N. promising 170,000 metric tons ready to enter. Israel began its offensive in Gaza after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken as hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. Israel says 48 hostages remain, 20 of whom are alive. Israel's military campaign has killed more than 66,000 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to Gaza health authorities. (Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi, Yomna Ehab and Ahmed Tolba in Cairo; Bhargav Acharya and Doina Chiacu in Washington; Andrew Mills in Doha and Michelle Nichols at the United Nations; Writing by Michelle Nichols and Rami Ayyub; Editing by Howard Goller) It was never about bringing aid to Gaza. It was about the headlines and social media followings, Israeli Police spokesperson Dean Elsdunne said. None of the 40 vessels participating in the Global Sumud Flotilla, which Israel intercepted on Yom Kippur, was carrying humanitarian aid, according to the Israeli Foreign Ministry. The ministry also released a video by the Israeli Police featuring spokesperson Dean Elsdunne showing the empty interior of one of the flotillas largest vessels. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The spokesperson points out that the complete lack of aid explains why the organizers refused Israels and multiple countries offers to hand over the aid and avoid entering an active war zone and breaking the law. It was never about bringing aid to Gaza. It was about the headlines and social media followings, Elsdunne says in the video. Another flotilla heading for Gaza Separately, another flotilla is now heading towards the Gaza Strip, according to social media posts by the Sumud Flotilla. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition has confirmed that a boat named Conscience departed Italy on Wednesday carrying around 100 people who describe themselves as activists. The group claims that many of the passengers are also healthcare workers and journalists. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another eight boats have set sail from Italy nearly a week ago, and according to live tracking over the internet, the nine ships are currently near Crete. At the same time, the Sumud Flotilla X accounts report that a second flotilla of 45 boats has left the port of Arsuz in Turkey for Gaza, hosting a video to support this. However, it has not yet been officially confirmed whether the boats shown are indeed heading for Gaza. Ben-Gvir says flotilla participants should be imprisoned National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said in a video posted on X/Twitter that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision "to allow the terror supporters from the flotilla to return to their countries is a mistake. "I think they must be kept here in an Israeli prison for a few months, so they can smell the scent of the terrorists' wing. "After all, it can't just be that [Netanyahu] sends them back to their countries again and again and again, which causes them to return again and again and again." Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday he ordered another strike on a boat off the coast of Venezuela in international waters, killing four "male narcoterrorists," in what appears to be the Trump administration's fourth time using extraordinary lethal military force against a criminal enterprise. Hegseth and later President Donald Trump posted video of the strike, which appeared to hit a small speedboat. "A boat loaded with enough drugs to kill 25 TO 50 THOUSAND PEOPLE was stopped, early this morning off the Coast of Venezuela, from entering American Territory," Trump declared. @SecWar/X - PHOTO: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the U.S. ordered a strike on another alleged drug boat that left Venezuela, Oct. 3, 2025. Hegseth said no U.S. forces were harmed during the operations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The strike was conducted in international waters just off the coast of Venezuela while the vessel was transporting substantial amounts of narcotics - headed to America to poison our people," Hegseth said in an X post on Friday, including footage of the attack. The defense secretary didn't say who was killed, insisting only that intelligence "confirmed that this vessel was trafficking narcotics, the people onboard were narco-terrorists, and they were operating on a known narco-trafficking transit route." This is now the fourth strike off the coast of Venezuela in what the Trump administration insists are international waters. On Sept. 2, the military said it hit a boat, killing 11 on board who Trump claimed were members of Tren de Aragua. Subsequent strikes on Sept. 15 and Sept. 19 also resulted in several deaths, although the Trump administration declined to say who was killed and how they knew the boats were headed toward the U.S. At one point, Vice President J.D. Vance joked, "I wouldn't go fishing right now." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some legal experts have questioned the use of military force against what appears to be civilian criminal networks that have historically been handled by law enforcement. The Trump administration says its operations are justified, though, because it views all drug cartels as "foreign terrorist organizations." When pressed by lawmakers for more details, officials told Congress this week that they believe the U.S. is engaged in "armed conflict" with drug cartels and that they believe anyone smuggling illegal drugs should be considered "unlawful combatants." The term is a legal one used during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars by the government to justify lethal force by military troops as well as indefinite detention. Putting drug runners in the same camp as al-Qaida fighters on the battlefield is considered a stretch by many legal experts who say that's never been done. @SecWar/X - PHOTO: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the U.S. ordered a strike on another alleged drug boat that left Venezuela, Oct. 3, 2025. One official on Capitol Hill told ABC News this week that lawmakers were interpreting the latest notice on the strikes as the administration "essentially waging a secret war against secret enemies, without the consent of Congress." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday at a press conference that the strikes were "pursuant to his constitutional authority as commander in chief and the chief executive to conduct foreign relations." "The president has been very clear, dating back to the campaign trail, that he is always going to do what's in the best interest of the American homeland," she said. U.S. officials have long claimed that Venezuelan cocaine shipments contribute to overdose deaths in the U.S. -- and they accuse the country's leader, Nicolas Maduro, of facilitating drug trafficking, which he denies. The Trump administration has placed a $50 million bounty on his head for his arrest. Hegseth defended the move as legal in his post, without offering details, and warned it could happen again. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Our intelligence, without a doubt, confirmed that this vessel was trafficking narcotics, the people onboard were narco-terrorists, and they were operating on a known narco-trafficking transit route," he wrote. "These strikes will continue until the attacks on the American people are over!!!!" There are currently eight Navy ships operating in the Caribbean, with F-35 jets and MQ-9 Reaper drones spotted in Puerto Rico. ABC's Mariam Khan contributed to this story. U.S. military assets killed four people and destroyed another boat in a fourth strike against alleged drug traffickers, according to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Under Donald Trumps orders, Hegseth directed a lethal, kinetic strike on a narco-trafficking vessel affiliated with Designated Terrorist Organizations off the coast of Venezuela on Friday morning, according to Hegseth. Hegseth, in a post on X with a video of the destruction, accused the boat of transporting substantial amounts of narcotics to the United States to poison our people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our intelligence, without a doubt, confirmed that this vessel was trafficking narcotics, the people onboard were narco-terrorists, and they were operating on a known narco-trafficking transit route, he wrote. These strikes will continue until the attacks on the American people are over!!!! The attack marks the fourth such strike, which have killed more than 20 people within the last month. A screenshot of a video posted by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shows an alleged drug boat blown up by U.S. forces off the coast of Venezuela October 3 (Pentagon) A recent notice from the Pentagon to members of Congress and obtained by The Independent states that the United States is formally engaged in an armed conflict with drug cartels that the Trump administration has labeled unlawful combatants. The unclassified notice appears to claim extraordinary wartime powers to justify military strikes against alleged drug traffickers which have drawn legal scrutiny and allegations that the administration and defense officials committed extrajudicial murder. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the notice, the administration says that the president has determined that cartels are nonstate armed groups whose actions constitute an armed attack against the United States and are now engaged in a noninternational armed conflict or war with a non-state actor. The administration cites a statute requiring reports to lawmakers about conflicts involving U.S. military personnel. A White House official told The Independent that the administration is complying with requirements under the National Defense Authorization Act to inform Congress of any attack involving armed forces. Under Donald Trumps direction, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered a fourth strike on an alleged drug-carrying boat, killing four on board, after the administration declared the US is engaged in armed conflict with cartels (Getty Images) Following news of the notice to Congress, White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly told The Independent that the president acted in line with the law of armed conflict to protect our country from those trying to bring deadly poison to our shores, and he is delivering on his promise to take on the cartels and eliminate these national security threats from murdering more Americans. Defense officials have been ordered to conduct operations against them pursuant to the law of armed conflict, the notice says. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The United States has now reached a critical point where we must use force in self-defense and defense of others against the ongoing attacks by these designated terrorist organizations, according to the notice. It remains unclear what evidence the United States has collected to justify the attacks; the White House and defense officials have declined to share additional information about the strikes, citing national security concerns. Legal experts and former national security officials have disputed the presidents legal authority to launch extrajudicial killings against suspected drug traffickers, raising consequential questions on both the administrations growing conflict with Venezuela and the presidents anti-immigration agenda. Homes are selling fastest in these cities The amount of time it takes to list, show, and sell a home is highly variable. But in some places throughout the U.S., turnaround times are quickly shrinking, which means that homes are selling faster and more easily. Between 2020 and 2024, transplants quickly poured into Sun Belt states like Florida and Texasbut the most recent list of the fastest-selling U.S. metropolitan areas shows that trend gradually slowing down. Multiple factors affect the median time houses last on the real estate market, but it seems that supply has at least partly caught up to demand in places like Miami; San Antonio; Nashville, Tennessee; and Phoenix. As buyers gain more leverage in those locations, sellers are enjoying advantages in a number of U.S. coastal and Midwestern cities. Below, Find a Neighborhood lists some notable statistics on the five metros where houses stay on the market the shortest amount of time, as measured and presented in July 2025. Investors, homeowners, and real estate agents alike can leverage these insights to find the right markets to buy or sell in based on their goals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Information used to compile this review was gleaned from a variety of sources, including the National Association of Realtors, Bankrate, Realtor.com, and Zillow. The list below reflects data compiled by The Close on five major U.S. metropolitan areas experiencing population growth and median home value appreciation. The 5 Fastest-Selling Metros by U.S. Region Upon examination, the five fastest-selling major metropolitan areas in the U.S. in the first half of July are clustered on the East and West fringes, with some notable exceptions. Low inventory and fast job growth have emerged as two factors that make the following metros ultra-competitive for homebuyers in search of wholesome neighborhoods. Using a neighborhood lookup tool or real estate database can help you zoom in closer on the specific cities, neighborhoods, and streets youre interested in. For now, though, lets explore the highlights in each region of the U.S. Midwest Throughout the upper half of the country, there are several mid-sized cities that promise quick real estate turnaround times: 1. Buffalo, New York Buffalo, New York, which many consider to be part of the Rust Belt, sees its typical homes (median listing price: $239,000) last 12 days on the market, which makes it the fastest major real estate market in the U.S. 2. Indianapolis IndianapolisIndianas capital and largest cityalso registers in the top-five fastest-selling U.S. metros. A median listing in Indianapolis stays on the market for 16 days, which is the countrys second-shortest time to closing. The median Indianapolis home sells for an affordable $234,000. 3. Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City is almost in the exact middle of the continental U.S., and transplants from all over the country are flocking to the metropolitan area, which covers both Missouri and Kansas. Over the first half of 2025, Kansas City homes lasted on the market for a median period of 19 days, good for fifth-fastest in the U.S. A typical home goes for just over $251,000. East Coast While cities bordering the Pacific and scattered along the West Coast may dominate this list, there are still hot spots located on the East Coast for prospective buyers to take advantage of. 4. Providence, Rhode Island Rhode Islands capital city, Providence, is selling its homes rather quickly. After experiencing a dramatic population decline that started during the Great Depression and continued for nearly a half-century, Providence continues its steady growth. Median homes in the Providence metro (median price: $423,000) stay on the market for about 18 days. 5. Richmond, Virginia The final U.S. metro on the top-five fastest-selling list is Richmond, Virginia. Although residential construction has exploded in recent years, the demand seems to still be outpacing the supply. The median time for a Richmond listing to sell in 2025 is around 14 days. The median price runs about $373,000. Median Time on Market for All U.S. Homes Steadily Increasing In the span of a few days in April 2022, the median U.S. home listing stayed on the market for only 30 dayshistorically low, especially compared to the pre-COVID baseline of 73 days. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As of June 2025, the median time on market for a U.S. home listing was 51 days. That represents a 13 percent increase from the same period in 2024 (45 days). At the end of 2019, the median time-to-closing was 5 Despite these increases, a number of metrosincluding the five we covered in this articleare still situated squarely in red-hot markets. If you plan to sell or buy in these areas, being aware of what to expect can help you ensure that the perfect property doesnt slip through your fingers. This story was produced by Find a Neighborhood and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. Rep. Ed DeLaney parses through a portion of the 127-page IEDC audit before talking to reporters on Oct. 3, 2025. (Whitney Downard/Indiana Capital Chronicle) Fallout from a damning audit of Indianas economic development agency could include an ethics investigation, the governors office told the Indiana Capital Chronicle Friday. Throughout the course of this audit, FTI (Consulting) worked in coordination and shared all relevant findings, including any potential ethics violations, with the Office of the Inspector General, said office spokesperson Griffin Reid. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 127-page report from FTI Consulting found no allegations of criminal wrongdoing, but flagged concerns about a lack of oversight at the quasi-public state agency. Thousands of dollars spent at high-end hotels for state officials were funded by anonymous donors and few staffers filed official conflict of interest disclosures even if they had ties to the companies receiving millions in tax breaks or state contracts. Earlier Friday, a pair of Democrats said the audit was just the beginning and called for follow-up action and further scrutiny. The state of Indiana has managed to spend $800,000 to have an outside organization come up with identifying conflicts of interest that we should have had identified years ago, said Rep. Ed DeLaney, D-Indianapolis. its a good start. If you wanted to do a real, thorough investigation of what happened, you start with this. The state contract with FTI Consulting is worth up to $800,000 and final expenses havent yet been tallied. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DeLaney noted that the report doesnt publicly name any staffers, though some could be identified using context clues. Additionally, the report redacted some of the names of those who donated to the Indiana Economic Development Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the IEDC, citing state law. Both DeLaney and Sen. Fady Qaddoura, also from Indianapolis, are part of a group of Democrats who have been especially critical of the IEDC and its veil of secrecy in the last few years. Citing the $1.2 billion spent by the IEDC during the audits review between January 2022 and December 2024, Qaddoura lamented lost opportunities, specifically following state cuts to child care subsidies and waitlists for Medicaid services for elderly or disabled Hoosiers. He criticized Republicans for advancing bills creating tax cuts for data centers while not addressing utility costs. They are not fully funding the waiver for senior citizens they are not fully funding the health and wellness waiver, said Qaddoura. Yet they are subsidizing multi-billion and in one instance multi-trillion dollar corporations in Indiana. Further investigation In addition to tapping the State Board of Accounts, State Budget Agency and State Ethics Commission, DeLaney said he wanted a legislative panel to conduct its own investigation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We should have hearings and bring in people from these agencies and ask them these questions: Where did the money go? Did you overpay? What do you think about the LEAP project? Did we put too much money in that? I predict we wont do that because we dont want answers as to our failures and the failures of this agency, concluded DeLaney. Rep. Ed DeLaney, D-Indianapolis, talks with reporters about an IEDC audit on Oct. 3, 2025. (Whitney Downard/Indiana Capital Chronicle) In a statement Friday, Senate Majority Leader Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville, said the legislature would closely review the report and determine if it warrants further action. Transparency and accountability are of paramount importance when it comes to investing taxpayer dollars, and conflicts of interest need to be brought to light. The IEDC plays an important role in bringing jobs and capital investment to our state, and we need to ensure the IEDC is operating in a way that instills public trust, Bray said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The audit tabulated instances where IEDC staffers had conflicts of interest with companies before the agency but opted not to properly disclose that or, if they did, it was seldom discussed before the governing board or sent to the ethics commission. Another employee who left the IEDC for a company that benefitted from agency dollars through a lucrative contract similarly didnt seek a post-employment waiver, according to FTI. It was an infested culture filled with conflict of interest designed to help and to support those who were in charge of the agency, said Qaddoura. These individuals purposefully and intentionally created entities and double dipped when it came to salaries from both the state of Indiana and these external entities that they control. Qaddoura appealed for an even higher level of legal scrutiny, calling for Attorney General Todd Rokita to investigate potential criminal wrongdoing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think we would like the attorney general to get fully engaged on this to determine if there are any criminal charges to be filed and, if not, at least if theres any dollars that can be recouped from these entities, Qaddoura said. Indianas attorney general can only file criminal charges in a limited number of circumstances, but can assist local prosecutors. One particular concern listed in the report was spending through the nonprofit Indiana Economic Development Foundation on international travel for former Gov. Eric Holcomb and other economic development officials. The three-year review found that 107 entities donated $6 million to the foundation, with 46 of those entities receiving $238 million in payments or tax credits from the IEDC. The foundation spent $13.4 million during that time, including: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement $86,000 for international care race tickets and events $70,000 in expenses for expedited VIP airport services and $700,000 for hotels, including some high-end brands Roughly $167,000 of that was for three family members of state officials. Qaddoura also noted a no-bid contract awarded for $77 million, of which the company kept $18 million while passing the rest onto subcontractors, for development costs related to the Limitless Exploration/Advanced Pace District, or LEAP. Sen. Fady Qaddoura, D-Indianapolis, talks with reporters about an IEDC audit on Oct. 3, 2025. (Whitney Downard/Indiana Capital Chronicle) When asked if he believed Gov. Mike Brauns newly appointed IEDC board would be more transparent and accountable, Qaddoura said, I hope so. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite my disappointment (with) the delayed investigation it cost taxpayers $800,000 and its three years delayed, but at least its a good first step. I want to give them credit for moving forward in that direction, said Qaddoura. As of Friday, the Indiana Transparency Portal documents $627,000 in processed payments to FTI. Both Democrats questioned the effectiveness of the investments made by the IEDC and whether they would pay off. Im extremely frustrated, said Qaddoura. The question for economists and for state leaders and for legislators: Had we invested those dollars elsewhere, would the return (on investment) be higher? SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Washington An immigration judge in Maryland declined to reopen the immigration case involving Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Salvadoran man who was mistakenly deported to his home country earlier this year and then brought back to the U.S. to face criminal charges, according to court filings. Abrego Garcia's lawyers had asked an immigration judge in August to reopen the proceedings and allow him to seek asylum in the United States. While the bid was denied, Abrego Garcia can appeal the decision to the Board of Immigration Appeals. In a court filing in one of Abrego Garcia's cases in Maryland, his lawyers said that immigration judge Philip Taylor determined that there is "insufficient evidence that the Department of Homeland Security 'has presented [Abrego Garcia] with a formal notice of removal or any other document showing its intent to remove him to Uganda, Eswatini, or any other third country.'" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Taylor wrote in a separate decision that there is "insufficient evidence" to demonstrate that Abrego Garcia's removal to Uganda, El Salvador or another country is "imminent." The Department of Homeland Security said Abrego Garcia's final order of removal stands. "His lawyers tried to fight his removal from the U.S. but one thing is certain, this Salvadoran man is not going to be able to remain in our country. He will never be allowed to prey on innocent Americans again," the department said in a post to social media. Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national, had been living in Maryland for more than a decade with his wife and children when he was first taken into federal immigration custody in March and deported to El Salvador. But an immigration judge in 2019 had granted Abrego Garcia a withholding of removal, a legal status that prohibited the Department of Homeland Security from removing him to his home country because of likely persecution by local gangs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to facilitate Abrego Garcia's return to the U.S., though the Department of Homeland Security resisted doing so for weeks. But in early June, Abrego Garcia was brought back to the U.S. after a federal grand jury indicted him on two counts of human smuggling. He pleaded not guilty to both counts, and in July, a federal judge overseeing his criminal case ordered him to be released on bond while awaiting trial. But he remained detained for several weeks because of concerns that Abrego Garcia would be swiftly taken into immigration custody following his release and deported. Abrego Garcia left criminal confinement in late August, but was arrested by immigration authorities days later when he went for an interview with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Baltimore. He filed a petition challenging the legality of his arrest and detention, and a judge in Maryland temporarily blocked the Trump administration from removing Abrego Garcia from the U.S. He had been held at a detention center in Virginia but was transferred to a facility in Pennsylvania last month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Abrego Garcia applied for asylum in 2019, but an immigration judge said he waited too long to do so and denied the bid. Under federal immigration law, an asylum-seeker has to file an application within one year of their arrival to the U.S. The immigration judge said in the 2019 decision that Abrego Garcia waited seven years to file a request for asylum. But the judge, David Jones, said Abrego Garica provided "credible responses" to questions and provided "substantial documentation" bolstering his claim for asylum, including affidavits from family members describing threats by a local gang. Arrested former Des Moines superintendent's resume appears to have been greatly exaggerated Fans share first reactions to Taylor Swift's "The Life of a Showgirl" Counterterrorism expert reacts to Manchester synagogue attack JAKARTA (Reuters) -Indonesia said it has suspended TikTok's registration status as an electronic system provider after it failed to hand over all data relating to the use of its live stream feature, though the social media app was still accessible to users on Friday. Alexander Sabar, an official at Indonesia's communications and digital ministry, said in a statement some accounts with ties to online gambling activities used TikTok's live stream feature during recent national protests and monetised it. Protests rocked the world's third-largest democracy over exorbitant lawmaker allowances and police brutality from late August to September. TikTok temporarily suspended its live feature during the protests, saying this was intended to "keep TikTok a safe and civil space." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sabar said the government subsequently asked the company for its traffic, streaming and monetisation data. The company, owned by China's ByteDance, only provided partial data, citing its internal procedures, Sabar said. "So the communications and digital ministry deemed TikTok to have violated its obligations as a private electronic provider," and suspended its registration, he said. The regulation regarding the list states every company that has signed up to Indonesia's licensing rules must hand over its data to the government for the purpose of supervision or risk being blocked. TikTok, which has more than 100 million accounts based in Indonesia, did not respond to a request for comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was unclear if access to TikTok in Indonesia was fully blocked. Reuters was able to access the application as normal on Friday. The ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reporting by Stanley Widianto; Editing by Lincoln Feast.) CHEYENNE New accusations are being made in the wake of a Wyoming Tribune Eagle article last month regarding criticism of Laramie County Republican Party Chairwoman Lorraine Quarberg. On Sept. 19, the WTE received an email from Michael Heath, a member of the county GOP, regarding Wyoming GOP Treasurer Dallas Tyrrells claims against Quarberg, stating many of them if not all were either exaggerated or false. WTE received a second email from Heath on Wednesday morning that included four screenshots of a conversation between Tyrrell and an unidentified person over Facebook Messenger concerning Quarbergs leadership. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement University of Wyoming, Turning Point USA chapter In the WTEs previous article, published Sept. 18, Quarberg told the WTE that she invited University of Wyoming Turning Point USA (UW TPUSA) chapter members to the county GOPs Oct. 17 Red State Rendezvous event. In one of the messages sent by Tyrrell to the unknown recipient, he states that a UW TPUSA member contacted him after reading the article to let him know Quarberg had never reached out to invite them to her event, and that the TPUSA students are very hurt by (Quarbergs) actions, according to Tyrrells message. Quarberg told the WTE via email Thursday that the UW TPUSA members were invited to the Rendezvous through Facebook Messenger on Sept. 15, to which the person running the UW TPUSA account responded, saying, Absolutely! We always enjoy coming on over for the fundraiser! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Quarberg said an email was sent Sept. 17 to the county GOP Central Committee members announcing the UW students confirmed attendance. But two days later, she received notice that the TPUSA students had canceled due to a scheduling conflict after being invited to a TPUSA fundraising event that Tyrrell helped organize (the details of which are mentioned later in this article). Additionally, Tyrrell claims Quarberg tried to convince people to boycott the 2024 Red State Rendezvous. According to the Turning Point kids, she did NOT INVITE THEM , Tyrrell wrote in a Facebook message to the unidentified recipient. Just tried to use them to advance her bullying! And we are just doing what Lorraine did to us the last Red State Rendezvous Lorraine led the charge to boycott and tell people to not attend she treated us all very terribly! But the county GOP never held a Red State Rendezvous last year. Instead, former LCGOP Chairman Taft Love held a special event called The Summit, which featured current Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard as a keynote speaker. The Summit cost the county party almost $57,000 and resulted in a deficit of almost $28,000, according to a profit/loss statement sent to the WTE by Quarberg. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite some claims to the contrary, there was no boycott of the event, Quarberg said. Attendance remained consistent with previous fall fundraisers, with roughly 150 guests in attendance. Although I was unable to attend, my absence was not a form of protest, despite the ongoing false assertions made by Dallas (Tyrrell). Suggesting a boycott occurred is unfounded, especially given that attendance matched the higher end of our typical turnout for these events. When the WTE asked Tyrrell whether a Red State Rendezvous was held last year, he maintained that it happened, and that it was the same event Gabbard spoke at. But in a WTE article published in March, it is stated that the special event with Gabbard was held instead of a Red State Rendezvous. After further investigation by Tyrrell, he told the WTE via text message Thursday that he was misinformed, and now knows that Quarberg did, in fact, invite the UW TPUSA students to the Oct. 17 event. Conflicting Wyoming GOP, Laramie County GOP events Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tyrrell is involved with organizing an event called Rise Up for Freedom: Honoring Charlie Kirk that will take place at The Office Bar and Grill on East Pershing Boulevard at 6 p.m. Oct. 17. All proceeds from the event will be given to the UW TPUSA chapter. This is also the date and time the county GOP is holding this years Red State Rendezvous. In the Facebook messages sent to the WTE Wednesday, the unidentified person messages Tyrrell to ask if he realizes his UW TPUSA fundraiser is happening the same night as the county GOPs Red State Rendezvous. Tyrrell responded to the unidentified recipient that he does realize the two events are happening at the same time. Of course I realize its the same night! Thanks to Lorraine, I now know the expert way to handle anything I dont like: complain, boycott, destroy, repeat, Tyrrells message read. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, Tyrrell told the WTE on Wednesday that the UW TPUSA fundraising event was not scheduled at the same time as the county GOPs event intentionally, and that its heartbreaking that people believe it was. He also said he did not schedule the fundraiser himself, but rather the UW students collaborated to find a date and time that works best for their school schedules. We were trying to do something for the Turning Point USA kids, Tyrrell said. They came up with the time, and I simply am just helping promote it and get donations to it. Theres nothing sinister about it. Laramie County GOP financial claims Another claim Tyrrell made in the WTEs Sept. 18 article is that Quarberg is financially terrible, and that the county party is broke. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, Heath claims that although Tyrrell, who was the former LCGOP fundraising chairman under Love, raised over $200,000 for the group, Tyrrell and Love also spent a lot of money from the groups funds, and left Quarberg with little money to work with when she was elected as chair in March. Tyrrell refutes this claim, stating that he and Love left around $30,000 in the county partys bank account by the end of Loves term as chairman. Weve asked, and weve requested information as to where the money went in the bank account, and that has been withheld from us, Tyrrell said. I reached out to (Quarberg) and asked her about two weeks ago; shes never returned any of my emails and never returned my phone calls. We have not been provided accurate financial statements, so those are the facts. According to a balance sheet Quarberg sent to the WTE Thursday, the balance of the LCGOP bank account as of Dec. 31, 2024, was $2,425.76. Quarberg said the county party held its Lincoln Day Dinner on March 1, which upped the balance to $29,259.50 on March 31. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But over the next few months, Quarberg said the party had to pay $12,859.28 to Little America Hotel & Resort for the Lincoln Day Dinner, $4,935 to Tyrrell for the firearms that were auctioned at the Lincoln Day Dinner, $8,017.50 to the Wyoming Republican Party for the balance of the county partys shares (dues) and $1,197.80 for three rooms at Little America for employees of Tulsi Gabbard who attended The Summit last year. That left the County Party with a balance of $2,249.92, Quarberg said. We pass the hat at every meeting, and that has allowed us to pay our monthly bills and keep a balance of about $3,000. Conservative Coalition 307 Heath told the WTE another point of contention regarding Tyrrell and the county GOP is that Tyrrell is a major part of a group called Conservative Coalition 307, which started taking part in the county party around 2020, and has caused chaos since. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heath said the group will disrupt county GOP meetings, and will shower (the county GOP) with endless and meaningless resolutions. When asked about this claim, Tyrrell told the WTE that not only is he not involved with Conservative Coalition 307, he also doesnt know the group, although he said hes aware the group is involved with the county GOP. However, regarding Conservative Coalition 307, Tyrrell later told the WTE: Theres certain groups in politics that youre going to have to get along with, and youre going to have to work with to get anything done, Tyrrell said. And if thats being misconstrued to (say) weve been disruptive thats ridiculous. I have not been disruptive. Ive just been trying to get things done. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Based on this answer, Tyrrells involvement in the group is unclear. Quarberg did not confirm Tyrrells involvement in the group. Despite the accusations against her, Quarberg maintains that she is hopeful for the future of the Republican Party. Since my election, in which I defeated Dallas in the race for county chairman, there has been a persistent stream of obstacles and false accusations that have hindered efforts to build a strong and unified Republican Party, Quarberg said. Despite this, I remain optimistic that the Laramie County Republican Precinct Members and officers will work together. The upcoming election next year is critical to the future of Wyoming. A western Iowa man has been charged in connection with a fire that erupted at an Altoona Walmart on the evening of Thursday, Oct. 2. The Altoona Police Department arrested Jack Cedeno, 41, of Schleswig on a first-degree arson charge after officers allege he started several fires inside the Walmart while employees and customers were in the store, according to court documents. Altoona firefighters were called just after 9 p.m. to the Altoona Walmart, 3501 Eighth St. S.W., on a report of a fire. Crews saw dense smoke and fire in the back of the store, according to a news release from the Altoona Fire Department. A man has been charged with first-degree arson in connection with a fire at the Altoona Walmart at 3501 Eighth St. S.W. on Oct. 2, 2025. Crews evacuated shoppers and employees and put out the fire. Officials said that because the store's sprinkler system turned on, the fire was contained to one area. There were no injuries or fatalities, fire officials said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Altoona police officers arrested Cedeno after he was seen near witnesses around the fire. Cedeno allegedly told police that voices told him to start a fire in the bathroom, according to court documents. Cedeno was taken to Polk County Jail after midnight Oct. 3, where he is being held without bail. Ankeny, Bondurant, Des Moines, Pleasant Hill, and Urbandale fire departments, as well as the Altoona Police Department, helped the Altoona Fire Department during the incident. Virginia Barreda is the Des Moines city government reporter for the Register. She can be reached at vbarreda@dmreg.com. Follow her on Twitter at @vbarreda2. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa man charged with starting fire at Walmart in Altoona Low water levels of Latyan Dam that provides water to Tehran, Iran on May 8, 2025. Credit - Bahram/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images Iran is a warning to every society that treats water as infinite. Over the summer, Irans water crisis turned into an emergency. Wells collapsed and some reservoirs ran dry. Taps went dry for half a day in Tehran, and state media warned that the city of about 10 million people could hit Day Zero, the point at which water resources can no longer meet demand, within weeks. Temperatures rose above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, air conditioners droned, and power cuts followed. Millions of Iranians baked in the punishing heat. In a rare admission of failure, Masoud Pezeshkian, the Iranian president offered 100 billion tomans (about a million dollars) to anyone who could solve the crisis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Iran isnt facing a mere drought. Iran faces water bankruptcy, with demand far outstripping supply. The collapse of water security in Iran has been decades in the making and is rooted in a mania for megaprojectsdam building, deep wells, and water transfer schemesthat ignored the fundamentals of hydrology and ecological balance. For millennia, qanatsingenious underground aqueductsbalanced survival with scarcity across the central plateau of Iran. Those traditional systems are now collapsing alongside aquifers, and ancient settlements in Yazd in central Iran, Kerman in southeast Iran, and Khorasan in northeastern Iran have been abandoned as qanats dried up, aquifers caved in, and land subsided. Satellite imagery and field surveys show entire farming communities disappearing because their groundwater sources failed. Successive Iranian rulers believed that dams, deep wells, and inter-basin transfers could outsmart geography and climate. The mismanagement of resources by the Islamic Republic compounded the crisis. Political hubris and mismanagement have reduced one of the oldest water civilizations to a parable of collapse. Origins of the water crisis The environmental unraveling of Iran began with a fascination for concrete. In 1949, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, visited Las Vegas and marveled at the Hoover Dam. The Shah was enthralled by colossal structures as symbols of control. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the 1950s and 1960s, the United States and the Soviet Union competed for influence in Asia and Africa, packing their ideological visions in the guise of development, and luring modernizing Asian and African leaders with loans and technical assistance in dam building and hydraulics. President Harry S. Trumans Four Point Program offered the Shah technical assistance, sending American engineers to train Iranian specialists, transferring modern irrigation and drilling technology, and introducing deep well drilling equipment and powerful pumps that enabled Iranian farmers to drain aquifers at an unsustainable pace. The Shah placed water-hungry industries such as steel and petrochemicals in Irans driest central plateau in Isfahan and Fars provinces, tying development of heavy industry to regions with no water of their own and dependent on diversions from other basins. In 1963, the Shah introduced land reforms to modernize the countryside by redistributing large estates to small farmers, breaking up control of feudal landlords, and promoting mechanized farming with state credit. More than two million peasant families were given land. The reforms hastened the break with traditional systems. Many farmers abandoned the ancient qanats for motorized wells. But the Shahs failure to provide support to the peasants led to their farms failing, and sent waves of impoverished migrants to Tehran and other Iranian citiesmany of whom would later fuel the 1979 revolution. The age of the Ayatollahs After the fall of the Shah in January 1979, the nascent Islamic Republic denounced his aggressive modernization drive inspired by the West. In November 1979, radical Iranian students seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, demanding the Carter Administration extradite the Shah, who had been granted asylum in the United States. President Jimmy Carter froze Iranian government assets in the U.S. and imposed a trade embargo on the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Iran-Iraq war broke out in Sept.1980, and the Islamic Republic faced intense pressure to feed the people. Food rationing was introduced. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, championed self-sufficiency and food sovereignty. Almost overnight the number of wells in Iran doubled. The construction site of a dam in Iran in May, 1970. Roger WoodGetty Images My father, Sayyed Ahang Kowsar, was a scientist, who worked on preventing desertification in Iran by using floodwater to recharge aquifers since the early 1970s. Before the 1979 revolution, Iran had just 14 major dams and fewer than 80,000 wells, but within three years the number of wells had doubled and the new government was planning hundreds of dams. Between 1980 and 1988, as the war with Iraq drained the national budget, only a handful of dams were under construction. After the war, my father and his scientist colleagues warned that dams and water-intensive farming were unsustainable in a warming climate. But their voices were drowned out when Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the relatively moderate leader, took office as President of Iran, a few months after the death of Ayatollah Khomeini, and aggressively championed privatization of the economya policy outlook that ignored ecological concerns. The rise of a water mafia President Rafsanjani empowered some key institutions: Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarters, the engineering arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the Iran Water and Power Resources Development Company (I.W.P.C.O.), a state-owned enterprise founded by regime insiders. And there was Mahab Ghodss, an incredibly powerful and opaque consulting firm run by regime insiders, which drafted the studies for dam projects and lobbied for approval. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The trinity formed a closed loop: I.W.P.C.O. commissioned the dam building projects based on outdated Western blueprints and without environmental safeguards; Mahab Ghodss lobbied; and Khatam, the I.R.G.C. engineering wing, walked away with the construction contracts. From this collaboration emerged Irans water mafia a cartel of ministry officials, politically connected consultancies, IRGC contractors, and their academic allies. Dams and water diversions became engines of patronage, enriching insiders, killing rivers and exacting a terrible cost from rural communities. Projects were approved without proper reviews, and hundreds of dams rose without environmental safeguards. Lake Urmia in western Iran is the starkest instance of ecological destruction. Once the largest lake in the Middle East, it was reduced to a salt-crusted basin by the 2010s, starved of inflows after a dam-building frenzy throttled the rivers feeding it. Even in regions without dams, farmers pumped recklessly from unmonitored wells. Aquifers collapsed, fertile plains subsided, and deserts spread. It was all justified in the name of self-sufficiency. Inter basin transfers created the illusion of abundance. Rain-fed fields in arid areas that had relied on dry farming for centuries were converted to water-intensive farms growing rice, and alfalfa. The Amir Kabir Dam, one of the five main reservoirs supplying water to Tehran, on July 29, 2025. Fatemeh BahramiAnadolu/Getty Images The cycle of mismanagement spanned administrations. President Mohammad Khatami, who was in office from 1997 to 2005, grew up in Yazd province in central Iran, an arid region that relied on qanats for survival and development. Khatami backed water transfers to his home region and supported I.W.P.C.O. 's relentless drive to build multimillion dollar water megaprojects. In 2001, I published some essays in Norouz, an Iranian newspaper, criticizing his administrations unsustainable water management plans. Khatami summoned me and heard my warning. Soon, I was banned from writing about water. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the late 2000s, as the climate warmed further, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad loosened restrictions on well drilling and started another dam building spree. Policies supposed to appease farmers destroyed their land and water. Farmers once proud of living and working their ancestral land were driven into poverty and forced into shantytowns. By the summer of 2024, more than 10,000 villages in Iran had no access to drinking water. A broader water crisis was affecting some 27,000 villages, stripped their residents of work and status. The water mafia kept building dams that would never fill. Plains sank as water tables fell mostly from the 1990s and fertile lands turned to dust. Aquifers could be recharged on modest budgets through flood-spreading and rainwater harvesting that had proven effective in countries like India. But these nature-based solutions were dismissed in favor of multi-million dollar contracts that enriched regime insiders. Oversight bodies and parliament looked the other way; some lawmakers aligned with the water mafias agenda. How to confront Irans water scarcity Iran is a stark case study of governments doubling down on bad policies. Iran has already crossed into water bankruptcy and no hidden reserves remain. Many experts, including a former agriculture minister, have repeatedly cautioned that Iran must keep water use below 40% of renewable supplies, leaving enough for rivers to flow, wetlands to breathe, and aquifers to naturally recharge. Instead, agriculture accounts for nearly 90% of water usage, including withdrawing non-renewable water reserves. Iran faces a grave threat and needs to rethink its catastrophic mismanagement of water. Many of the worlds top water scientists are Iranian, who have been forced into exile or sidelined at home by Irans entrenched water mafia. They are well equipped to help Iran if they were allowed to. Swan-shaped boats lie on the dried-up riverbed of the Zayandeh Rud River in Isfahan, Iran, on Feb. 22, 2025. Morteza NikoubazlNurPhoto/Getty Images Iran may need an independent water authority insulated from partisan politics. A serious plan to confront the water bankruptcy would begin by balancing water consumption to the lands natural supply and reserving a share for the environment. Iran can achieve that by abandoning water-hungry crops, shifting to smart farming, conserving every drop, and reviving flood-management techniques Iranians once mastered to recharge depleted aquifers. Tehran also has to say no to megaprojects that devour budgets and ecosystems. Reckless schemes like scaling up desalinated seawater transfers will only worsen the damage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tehran loses nearly a third of its water through broken pipes.Smarter city systemsleak detection, pressure control, wastewater reuseare essential fixes. Securing a livable future demands collective responsibility and public participation in reshaping governance before the wells run dry. The water crisis wont stop at Irans borders as disputes over shared river basins with neighboring Iraq and Afghanistan could ignite the regions next security flashpoint. Unlike Ayatollah Khamenei, the future leaders of Iran will not be able to dodge global standards forever. Supporting exiled expertise, tying international aid and diplomacy to sustainable water governance, and treating access to water as a human right would send a clear signal that the crisis is not just technicalit is existential. Contact us at letters@time.com. The Global Sumud Flotilla said Israeli naval forces had intercepted "all 42 of our vesselseach carrying humanitarian aid, volunteers, and the determination," to break the blockade of Gaza. The Israeli Navy intercepted the last boat in an aid flotilla attempting to reach blockaded Gaza on Friday, a day after stopping most of the vessels and detaining some 450 activists, including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg. The organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla said the Marinette was intercepted some 42.5 nautical miles (79 km) from Gaza. Israeli army radio said the navy had taken control of the last ship in the flotilla, detained those aboard and that the vessel was being led to Ashdod port in Israel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The IDF dubbed the mission "Operation Horizon Shield," adding that it took 12 hours to take over all the vessels during the Yom Kippur holiday that attempted to breach the maritime blockade. Navy units used by Israel in the operation included the Shayetet 13, Shayetet 3, and Snapir troops, amongst others. IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir was also present at the military operation at the Navy command center. The Navy stands up to a mission that requires determination and professionalism, to ensure that any attempt to breach the maritime security blockade will be stopped far from our shores," said Israeli Navy Commander VAdm. David Saar Salama. In a statement, the Global Sumud Flotilla said Israeli naval forces had now "illegally intercepted all 42 of our vesselseach carrying humanitarian aid, volunteers, and the determination to break Israels illegal siege on Gaza." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A camera broadcasting from the Marinette showed someone holding up a note saying "We see a ship! It's a war ship," before a boat is seen approaching and soldiers boarding. A voice is heard telling the people on board not to move and to put their hands in the air. An Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the boat's status. The ministry said on Thursday the flotilla's one remaining vessel would be prevented from breaching the blockade if it tried to. IDF intercepts last of Gaza flotilla The flotilla, which set sail in late August, marked the latest attempt by activists to challenge Israel's naval blockade of the enclave, almost two years into Israel's siege of Gaza, which was sparked by terrorist group Hamas's October 7 attacks. Israeli officials have repeatedly denounced the mission as a stunt. The foreign ministry had said the flotilla was previously warned that it was approaching an active combat zone and violating a "lawful naval blockade," and asked organizers to change course. It had offered to transfer aid to Gaza. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Israeli foreign ministry on Friday said that four Italians had been deported. "The rest are in the process of being deported. Israel is keen to end this procedure as quickly as possible," it said in a statement. All the flotilla participants were "safe and in good health," it added. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators took to the streets in cities across Europe, as well as in Karachi, Buenos Aires, and Mexico City on Thursday, to protest the flotilla's interception. On Friday, tens of thousands of Italians demonstrated, as part of a day-long general strike called by unions in support of the flotilla. During a visit to Ashdod on Thursday night, Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was filmed calling the activists "terrorists" as he stood in front of them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "These are the terrorists of the flotilla," he said, speaking in Hebrew and pointing at dozens of people sitting on the ground. His spokesperson confirmed the video was filmed at Ashdod port on Thursday night. Some activists are heard shouting "Free Palestine." Cyprus said one of the flotilla boats had docked in Cyprus with 21 foreigners aboard. The vessel had asked to dock in Larnaca for refueling and humanitarian reasons, a Cypriot government spokesperson said. The spokesperson did not identify the boat or say whether it had been among those stopped by the Israeli military. Israel has faced widespread global condemnation over the war in Gaza, and is defending itself against charges of genocide in the International Court of Justice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Israel says its actions have been in self-defense and has consistently denied genocide allegations. Israel's offensive has killed over 66,000 people, Palestinian health authorities say. It began after Hamas-led terrorists attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. About 1,200 people were killed during the assault, and 251 were taken hostage, according to Israeli figures. Israel has accepted a new US proposal announced this week to end the war that demands Hamas surrender. US President Donald Trump, who said he would temporarily oversee the governance of Gaza under the plan, has given Hamas a few days to respond and warned Hamas that Israel would continue its siege of Gaza if the group refused. Multiple vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla, a humanitarian convoy sailing towards Gaza, were intercepted and boarded by Israeli forces overnight Wednesday as they attempted to push through the naval blockade. RFI spoke to a French surgeon on board one of the 44 ships and the wife of a UK activist whose boat was intercepted. The Israeli military is trying to terrorise us by relentlessly attacking us with water cannons, blasting bright flashing lights and shrilling sirens, Yacine Haffaf, a French surgeon on board the Jeannot III told RFI this morning. He is one of the 450 people from over 40 countries sailing on the 44 boats of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), which set sail for Gaza at the beginning of September to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last night, several GSF vessels were intercepted by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) while they were hours away from the shores of Gaza. Haffaf, 69, heads Waves of Freedom, the French contingent of the flotilla. He told RFI before the ship was intercepted that his morale was still high even though he is drenched and the Israeli boats are dangerously close. Live-streamed footage of the Jeannot III has shown the eight activists on board with their hands held high, fingers spread apart to indicate that they are unarmed and not posing a threat. The civilians on board have been trained to adopt this attitude to present themselves as non-violent individuals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A GSF activist reported that the Israeli military said if you stop the engine, we stop the water. Growing calls for France to lift 'collective punishment' ban on visas for Gazans Israeli forces reportedly ordered the flotilla to halt before it reached the blockade off Gaza. You are instructed to change your course. Approaching the naval blockade violates international law and poses a direct security threat to Israel and its citizens, the navy told one of the GSF vessels. Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, said the claim is absolute nonsense.. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The flotilla has not entered Israels territorial waters, this is Palestines waters and Israel has no authority over it, she said on Wednesday in a press conference. Therefore, any intervention by Israel in these waters is unlawful. Furthermore, the International Court of Justice has ordered Israel to dismantle the occupation and withdraw its troops outside Palestine. "This does not only mean the land Gaza, the occupied territory it also includes the territorial waters. As Gaza aid flotilla comes under attack, NGOs urge Europe to act 'He's my hero' Another vessel, Adara carrying 22 people from several countries was intercepted and boarded by the IDF on Wednesday night. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sid Khan, a 48-year-old banker from Glasgow, was on board the Adara. His wife Isma told RFI that she has had no news of her husband since the interception. Her last conversation with him was late Wednesday afternoon. He was in good spirits even though he knew that they were going to be captured, jailed even, she said. Sid told me that it is likely the Israeli forces will force them to sign a document to say that theyve breached Israeli territory. But they havent they are in Palestinian waters. She said her husband believed going to jail for a few days was nothing compared to what Palestinians face. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hes my hero, Isma said. I am crying because it is hard, but it is also admirable, his determination to stand up for the Palestinians so that they can live a life of dignity and not live in an open prison. Isma and Sid are no stranger to humanitarian activities. Isma Khan, a Scottish Pakistani optometrist, does charity work for remote populations in the Himalayas by providing eye health and preventing avoidable blindness. Sid believes that the humanitarian mission has achieved its goal in opening the eyes of the world to Gaza, said Isma. Flotilla bound for Gaza finally sets sail amid escalating Israeli strikes Enforcing international laws Meanwhile, Albanese has underlined that the humanitarian aid the flotilla is carrying is just a drop in the ocean. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More importantly, what the flotilla is carrying is the courage to enforce international laws, she said. In one of the videos released overnight by GSF, Thiago Avila on board the Alma was responding to the Israeli navys close presence by asking them to keep clear of the flotilla. Please keep a minimum of one nautical mile away from the Global Sumud Flotilla, he said. All vessels our mission is a non-violent humanitarian solidarity mission for the Palestinian people in Gaza. Any attempt to block or hinder this mission is illegal by international law. The IOF regards attempts to breach the naval blockade as a violation of international law. Israel sees it as an act of operation with the Hamas terrorist organisation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Israels foreign ministry said on X that several vessels of the Hamas-Sumud flotilla have been safely stopped and their passengers are being transferred to an Israeli port. GSF spokesperson Saif Abukeshek said the group was ready to pursue legal action against Israel. This is land and sea mobilisation. Any violation of international law and human rights that Israel is going to commit we will take all legal actions, whether through our participants or also the flags of the ships, he said. Humanitarian aid flotilla sets sail for Gaza to break illegal siege Citizen mobilisation Haffaf said he hoped public pressure would help secure the activists release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I hope our citizens will put pressure on all the governments to stop the apartheid, to stop the famine, to stop the genocide. Because it is indeed a genocide even though the French President who finally recognised the state of Palestine refuses to say the word, he added. He criticised France for offering nothing more than consular protection for its citizens in the flotilla. Isma Khan said ordinary people were taking on a task that governments had failed to shoulder. In this day and age, there shouldn't be the need for a Global Sumud Flotilla, our governments should stand up to a genocide which is now recognised by everyone, she said. But were still watching 20,000 children being murdered. Its our governments who should be breaking the siege. Italians held a major strike on Friday in solidarity with a flotilla that was intercepted by the Israeli Navy while carrying humanitarian aid towards the Gaza Strip. The strike caused major disruption across the country, with trains and public transport in cities such as Rome and Milan affected. Large demonstrations were also planned in several Italian cities throughout the day. Italy's largest trade union, the General Confederation of Labour (CGIL), called for a general strike after the Global Sumud Flotilla was intercepted by Israel earlier this week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Israeli authorities took more than 400 crew members from dozens of countries into custody. According to the Foreign Ministry in Rome, 40 Italians were among them, four of whom are members of parliament. The strike is a direct response to the flotilla being stopped, CGIL said, accusing the Italian government of "abandoning Italian workers in open international waters." Travellers in Italy should brace for severe disruption today, 3 October, as a nationwide general strike coincides with mass protests across the country. The 24-hour work stoppage has been called by two of Italys biggest unions, CGIL and USB, in response to Israels interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which included an estimated 40 Italian nationals and members of parliament among its passengers. The snap walkout overlaps with a previously planned general strike, with potentially hundreds of thousands expected to take part in cities across the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The action is expected to hit air, rail, sea and local transport services at the start of the weekend. Which airports and stations will be affected? The action is set to affect schools, healthcare facilities and transport services nationwide, including air hubs such as Milans Malpensa airport. National rail services will also be hit, with Trenitalia and Italo anticipating widespread disruption. In Milan, metro operators this morning warned passengers to expect interruptions throughout the day, while in Genoa, dockworkers have pledged to block Israeli-linked shipments, raising the prospect of closures at one of Europes busiest ports. Where are demonstrations taking place? Organisers have vowed to block everything, in a call that echoes the bloquons tout movement occurring in France. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Rome, a major rally was scheduled to begin at 11 am on Friday at Piazza dei Cinquecento, outside Termini train station. Police expected up to 70,000 people to join a march from Termini to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transportation. The UK Foreign Office also warned of another demonstration that could attract thousands more in Rome on 4 October. Related Demonstrations are also planned in Milan, Bologna, Florence and Naples. Travellers should expect road closures and delays near protest sites, especially in city centres. Some transport services are guaranteed during strikes, but the timetables vary from city to city. Check local websites for current information. Why are unions striking? Union leaders say the action is a response to Italys handling of the flotilla raid. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The aggression against civilian ships carrying Italian citizens is an extremely serious matter, CGIL said in a statement. It is not only a crime against defenceless people, but it is also serious that the Italian government has abandoned Italian workers in open international waters, violating our constitutional principles. Italian authorities have declared the strike unlawful, since it is taking place without a legally mandated 10-day notice. How has the Italian government responded? Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni accused the unions of exploiting the flotilla incident for political purposes. Speaking outside a European Union summit in Copenhagen, she claimed the convoy had brought no benefits for the Palestinian people but was set to bring many inconveniences to the Italian people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Related Taking aim at the timing, she added: I would have expected they would not have called a general strike on a Friday, because a long weekend and revolution dont go together. Transport minister Matteo Salvini likewise criticised the movement and floated an injunction to block it. We will not allow the CGIL and left-wing extremists to bring chaos to Italy. We will not tolerate any sudden general strike, he wrote in a post on X. What does this mean for travellers? Italys civil aviation authority ENAC reminds travellers that flights scheduled between 7 am and 10 am and between 6 pm and 9 pm must still operate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During strikes, most services to and from Sicily, Sardinia and other smaller islands are also guaranteed. Outside these windows, cancellations and delays are likely. Travellers are advised to check with their airline or train operator before departure and allow extra time for journeys, especially in places where demonstrations are occurring. More strikes ahead Fridays action comes at the start of a turbulent month for transport in Italy. Between now and the end of the year, there are 40 planned strikes, including walkouts at Rome Fiumicino, Pisa, Florence and Milan Linate airports later this October. For the latest updates, consult the Italian transport ministrys strike calendar. Jane Goodall, the world's most famous primatologist, accomplished an astounding feat in her 91 years of life: She fundamentally changed the world's view of what it means to be human. At the age of just 26, Goodall observed a chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) in Gombe Stream National Park, Northern Tanzania, use a blade of straw to dig termites out of a mound. When she told her boss, paleoanthropologist Louis Seymour Bazett Leakey, he replied: "Now we must redefine 'tool,' redefine 'man,' or accept chimpanzees as humans." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the space of one woman's lifetime, the study of animal tool use has grown from a single blade of straw to a bouquet of functional objects used by monkeys, crows, dolphins, orcas, humpback whales, and even bees and other insects. Related: World-Renowned Primatologist Jane Goodall Passes Away at 91 Tool use is no longer considered a defining human trait. Nor is cultural transmission. YouTube Thumbnail Over the decades, Goodall and other primatologists working in various forests of Africa have discovered extensive tool use among chimpanzee populations, with different traditions from group to group and region to region. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Among Gombe chimpanzees, Goodall noticed the animals using sticks, stalks, stems, and twigs for termite fishing, as well as leaves for 'napkins' and 'drinking tools'. YouTube Thumbnail In Gabon, however, scientists observed chimps using sticks to extract honey rather than termites, and in the 1980s, chimpanzees in Guinea were observed using stone hammers and anvils to crack nuts. For decades, primatologists like Goodall strongly suspected that adult chimps were teaching younger generations how to use sticks and rocks in ways that best suit their habitats, but firmer evidence didn't arrive until 2016. That year, researchers working in the Republic of Congo observed and filmed chimpanzees teaching their young to use tools to forage for food in a major first. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That particular discovery brought together two of Goodall's greatest contributions to the field: tool use and the strong bonds between mother and offspring. The findings hint at deep evolutionary roots of teaching and learning among primates and they suggest that intergenerational cultural transmission isn't unique to humans. It's also not just confined to mealtimes. Recently, scientists observed some chimpanzee cultures sticking grass in their ears and butts, much like a social fashion trend. YouTube Thumbnail So if tool use and culture don't set humans apart, then what does? After Goodall's discovery, many scientists turned to language as the defining trait of our species. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even in that regard, however, chimps continue to surprise us. These primates have a rich vocal communication system, and their hoots, hollers, grunts, lip smacks, and physical gestures hold weird similarities to our own languages. They can also be taught to say some real human words, which suggests they have basic neural foundations for speech. In a nature reserve in Guinea-Bissau, chimpanzees use the forest like a drum kit, chucking stones against wood to create rhythmic thumps. It's a possible form of long-distance communication achieved via tools. The late primatologist Frans de Waal doesn't even think morality sets humans apart. De Waal is famous for studying the world's largest captive colony of chimpanzees. In the early 2000s, he discovered that these animals exhibit signs of deception and conflict resolution, and he argued, albeit controversially, that these primates display traits such as empathy and 'moral behavior'. In 2019, experts studying primates in the forests of Gabon noticed a behavior that supports de Waal's ideas. A female chimpanzee named Suzee clamped what looked like a tiny insect in her mouth and applied it to a wound on her son's foot. Once seen, researchers noticed the behavior frequently in the community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Looking back through historical documents, scientists have since tallied numerous cases of chimps caring for the wounds of others, using insects, leaves, or munched materials. "Our research helps illuminate the evolutionary roots of human medicine and healthcare systems," said primatologist Elodie Freymann of the University of Oxford earlier this year. In an interview in 2012, de Waal said that "Over the years the dividing line between humans, certainly between humans and the apes, has sort of become fuzzy under the influence of field work, such as the work by Jane Goodall which has shown all sorts of capacities that we had not suspected in the apes." One of De Waal's last books before he died was titled, "Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Goodall just might have been. Because of her contributions, research on animal intelligence will never be the same. Related News Maryland father Kilmar Abrego Garcia had his asylum bid denied by a Baltimore immigration judge on Thursday. Abrego, who gained widespread attention after the Trump administration wrongfully deported him to El Salvador in March, will have 30 days to appeal. The administration returned the Salvadorian national, who has a protected status, to the U.S. in June after mounting pressure from activists and a Supreme Court order directing officials to facilitate his return. Kilmar Abrego Garcia is being threatened with being deported tp to Uganda after he rejected a plea deal to be charged with human smuggling and deported to Costa Rica. / Andrew Harnik/Getty Images In March, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) blamed his deportation on an administrative error, according to court documents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, on his return, he was immediately slapped with human smuggling charges and detained in Tennessee. Days after his release, he was detained again by ICE in Baltimore as part of a scheduled immigration check-in. His lawyers have denied the charges and the Trump administrations campaign to tie him to the MS-13 gang. WATCH Trump explains exactly what theyre doing with Kilmar: These judges want to try and take the place of a president that won in a landslide Bring him back and show everybody how horrible this guy is. THEN: A Bondi presser painting him as the literal Devil. pic.twitter.com/LSn1hYkdsR The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) June 7, 2025 In June, President Donald Trump called him horrible, and Attorney General Pam Bondi held a press conference to announce the charges and launch abuse claims. In August, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted on X, echoing Bondis claims against the Maryland father, saying hes an MS-13 gang member, human trafficker, serial domestic abuser, and child predator. Today, ICE law enforcement arrested Kilmar Abrego Garcia and are processing him for deportation. President Trump is not going to allow this illegal alien, who is an MS-13 gang member, human trafficker, serial domestic abuser, and child predator to terrorize American citizens Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) August 25, 2025 Abrego holds no criminal convictions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His lawyers have filed motions with a Tennessee federal judge, requesting a gag order on top officials, out of fear that their comments may prevent Abrego from getting a fair trial. It is unclear whether the judges authority can extend to the DHS, which posted on X on Wednesday that he is not going to be able to remain in the U.S. With todays ruling, Kilmar Abrego Garcias final order of removal stands. This MS-13 gang member, human trafficker, domestic abuser, and child predator will never be loose on American streets. His lawyers tried to fight his removal from the U.S. but one thing is certain, Homeland Security (@DHSgov) October 1, 2025 The Salvadorian national immigrated illegally as a teenager in 2011, but married an American mother of two, fathering a child with her. A judges 2019 order barred his deportation to the Central American country, citing he had proved a well-founded fear of future persecution from local gangs. Abrego, who has a six-year-old son with special needs and works full-time as a union sheet-metal apprentice, faces new deportation plans to Uganda, then Eswatini. 1. Gaza will be a deradicalized terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbors. 2. Gaza will be redeveloped for the benefit of the people of Gaza, who have suffered more than enough. 3. If both sides agree to this proposal, the war will immediately end. Israeli forces will withdraw to the agreed upon line to prepare for a hostage release. During this time, all military operations, including aerial and artillery bombardment, will be suspended, and battle lines will remain frozen until conditions are met for the complete staged withdrawal. 4. Within 72 hours of Israel publicly accepting this agreement, all hostages, alive and deceased, will be returned. 5. Once all hostages are released, Israel will release 250 life sentence prisoners plus 1700 Gazans who were detained after October 7th 2023, including all women and children detained in that context. For every Israeli hostage whose remains are released, Israel will release the remains of 15 deceased Gazans. 6. Once all hostages are returned, Hamas members who commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommission their weapons will be given amnesty. Members of Hamas who wish to leave Gaza will be provided safe passage to receiving countries. 7. Upon acceptance of this agreement, full aid will be immediately sent into the Gaza Strip. At a minimum, aid quantities will be consistent with what was included in the January 19, 2025, agreement regarding humanitarian aid, including rehabilitation of infrastructure (water, electricity, sewage), rehabilitation of hospitals and bakeries, and entry of necessary equipment to remove rubble and open roads. 8. Entry of distribution and aid in the Gaza Strip will proceed without interference from the two parties through the United Nations and its agencies, and the Red Crescent, in addition to other international institutions not associated in any manner with either party. Opening the Rafah crossing in both directions will be subject to the same mechanism implemented under the January 19, 2025 agreement. 9. Gaza will be governed under the temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee, responsible for delivering the day-to-day running of public services and municipalities for the people in Gaza. This committee will be made up of qualified Palestinians and international experts, with oversight and supervision by a new international transitional body, the Board of Peace, which will be headed and chaired by President Donald J. Trump, with other members and heads of State to be announced, including Former Prime Minister Tony Blair. This body will set the framework and handle the funding for the redevelopment of Gaza until such time as the Palestinian Authority has completed its reform program, as outlined in various proposals, including President Trumps peace plan in 2020 and the Saudi-French proposal, and can securely and effectively take back control of Gaza. This body will call on best international standards to create modern and efficient governance that serves the people of Gaza and is conducive to attracting investment. 10. A Trump economic development plan to rebuild and energize Gaza will be created by convening a panel of experts who have helped birth some of the thriving modern miracle cities in the Middle East. Many thoughtful investment proposals and exciting development ideas have been crafted by well-meaning international groups, and will be considered to synthesize the security and governance frameworks to attract and facilitate these investments that will create jobs, opportunity, and hope for future Gaza. 11. A special economic zone will be established with preferred tariff and access rates to be negotiated with participating countries. 12. No one will be forced to leave Gaza, and those who wish to leave will be free to do so and free to return. We will encourage people to stay and offer them the opportunity to build a better Gaza. 13. Hamas and other factions agree to not have any role in the governance of Gaza, directly, indirectly, or in any form. All military, terror, and offensive infrastructure, including tunnels and weapon production facilities, will be destroyed and not rebuilt. There will be a process of demilitarization of Gaza under the supervision of independent monitors, which will include placing weapons permanently beyond use through an agreed process of decommissioning, and supported by an internationally funded buy back and reintegration program all verified by the independent monitors. New Gaza will be fully committed to building a prosperous economy and to peaceful coexistence with their neighbors. 14. A guarantee will be provided by regional partners to ensure that Hamas, and the factions, comply with their obligations and that New Gaza poses no threat to its neighbors or its people. 15. The United States will work with Arab and international partners to develop a temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF) to immediately deploy in Gaza. The ISF will train and provide support to vetted Palestinian police forces in Gaza, and will consult with Jordan and Egypt who have extensive experience in this field. This force will be the long-term internal security solution. The ISF will work with Israel and Egypt to help secure border areas, along with newly trained Palestinian police forces. It is critical to prevent munitions from entering Gaza and to facilitate the rapid and secure flow of goods to rebuild and revitalize Gaza. A deconfliction mechanism will be agreed upon by the parties. 16. Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza. As the ISF establishes control and stability, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will withdraw based on standards, milestones, and timeframes linked to demilitarization that will be agreed upon between the IDF, ISF, the guarantors, and the Unites States, with the objective of a secure Gaza that no longer poses a threat to Israel, Egypt, or its citizens. Practically, the IDF will progressively hand over the Gaza territory it occupies to the ISF according to an agreement they will make with the transitional authority until they are withdrawn completely from Gaza, save for a security perimeter presence that will remain until Gaza is properly secure from any resurgent terror threat. 17. In the event Hamas delays or rejects this proposal, the above, including the scaled-up aid operation, will proceed in the terror-free areas handed over from the IDF to the ISF. 18. An interfaith dialogue process will be established based on the values of tolerance and peaceful co-existence to try and change mindsets and narratives of Palestinians and Israelis by emphasizing the benefits that can be derived from peace. 19. While Gaza re-development advances and when the PA reform program is faithfully carried out, the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood, which we recognize as the aspiration of the Palestinian people. 20. The United States will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous co-existence. A 66-year-old Kona woman pleaded not guilty Thursday to federal criminal charges accusing her of making more than $5.2 million selling 100 % Kona coffee that was actually from foreign countries and bought in California and Washington. Patricia Johnson, aka Trish, was charged in a 24-count indictment Sept. 25 with 16 counts of wire fraud, five counts of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specific unlawful activity and three counts of obstructing an official proceeding. Federal prosecutors had asked that Johnson be held without bail until trial because she allegedly attempted to manipulate federal grand jury witnesses into altering their testimony to protect her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The government raised serious concerns that Johnson will attempt to threaten, intimidate, or injure prospective witnesses in this case, according to a memo filed by federal prosecutors Wednesday. In court Thursday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Nammar withdrew the governments motion after pretrial services produced a set of conditions of release the government could live with. Ms. Johnson, youre in federal court so the stakes are high. There are legitimate concerns raised by the government you know what Im talking about, said U.S. Magistrate Judge Rom A. Trader, speaking in court. There better not be anything remotely similar to those allegations. You can only make your situation worse if you do anything youre not supposed to. Johnson was released on an unsecured $50, 000 bond until her trial Dec. 1 before Senior U.S. District Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kona coffee beans have to be grown in Kona, and if it is mixed with other beans, the percentage has to be accurately labeled and marketed. Between October 2012 and April 2024, Johnson made millions by advertising, labeling and selling coffee described as 100 % Kona coffee when in fact Johnson knew that the coffee was not 100 % Kona coffee, according to the 26-page indictment. The U.S. Department of Justice is seeking forfeiture of $5, 260, 095 from Johnsons business. Johnson was arrested Tuesday in Kona by agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Her attorney, William A. Harrison, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that he was very disappointed Johnson was arrested after he had been in contact with federal prosecutors for more than a year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Federal agents did not need to search her home in April 2024 in full tactical gear with automatic weapons drawn, he said. She would have walked herself into the courthouse, Harrison said in an interview Wednesday. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca A. Perlmutter is prosecuting the case. Federal agents seized more than $830, 000 in cash after a series of April 2024 searches of Johnsons business, home, storage units and four safe deposit boxes at Central Pacific Banks Kona branch. Johnsons Kona Coffee Cafe on Alii Drive opened in the 1990s and purportedly sold 100 % Kona Coffee in drinks, coffee beans and chocolate-covered coffee beans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kona Coffee Cafes physical location is closed but its online business remains open, according to the company website. She allegedly bought more than 194, 000 pounds of green coffee beans, including 68, 000 pounds of Peaberry beans, from wholesalers in Seattle and Oakland that she allegedly sold as pure Kona coffee. Green coffee beans are dried, milled beans with all the parchment removed. The beans were sourced from foreign countries including Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Papa New Guinea, Peru and Timor. None of the coffee beans Johnson sold were Kona coffee beans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Federal prosecutors published alleged communications from March and April 2021 between Johnson and one of the wholesalers about buying 100 to 150 pound bags of coffee beans. Johnson allegedly discusses needing peaberry beans for her chocolate-covered coffee beans but is told the New Guinea peaberry beans she usually ordered were out. But we do have Kenya PB (peaberry ), however, I dont think we are allowed to send African coffee to Hawaii Is there something else you can use instead of Peaberry ? asked the seller, identified as Foreign Coffee Wholesaler 2 from Oakland in federal court documents. Johnson explained she didnt know anything about the regulations regarding shipping African coffee to Hawaii. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I was able to find 18 bags of Timor Peaberry for you, very similar to PNG (Papua New Guinea ) and priced well at $2.69 a pound. Sound good ?, the wholesaler asked Johnson. OMG youre the best. I want to make two separate wire transfers so they are not over the $10, 000 and you have to fill out papers at the bank, Johnson replied. She allegedly changed the name of her account with the wholesaler from Kona Coffee Cafe to other names twice. In September 2023 she allegedly added Person B who was not associated with her business and had no idea, to the name of her account with the wholesaler. Johnson again changed the account to reflect the name of her clothing line. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Johnson bought more than 494, 000 pounds of coffee beans from Foreign Coffee Wholesaler 2, according to federal court documents. She allegedly used a shipping company in Utah for 12 years to conceal the shipments of foreign coffee to her business. Johnson allegedly instructed the company and others to avoid U.S. Department of Agriculture and state screening mechanisms. She paid multiple people to roast the beans and some of those roasters suspected the coffee was from a foreign source and not from Kona, based on the information on the coffees burlap sacks, according to the indictment. Johnson sold her coffee using labels that read 100 % KONA COFFEE from KONA COFFEE CAFE and told all the employees the coffee was pure. She said it was from a private farm at a high elevation in the Kona district that was not decimated by the coffee borer beetle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She told her employees and customers that the farm and its owner, Person A in federal court records, were her supplier. Person A and their farm shut down in the 1980s, according to federal prosecutors. On Nov. 6, 2023, an undercover law enforcement agent approached Johnson about buying a large amount of coffee. Johnson allegedly told the undercover agent that her coffee was 100 % pure and she got it from Person A s farm. Johnson sold the fake coffee on Amazon and used PayPal to funnel money from the sales into her business accounts. Suzanne Shriner, vice president of the Kona Coffee Farmers Association, told the Star-Advertiser that fraud like the type alleged in the Johnson case hurts both growers and consumers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It damages the reputation of Hawaii coffee when substandard foreign coffees are labeled with our premium brand names. Counterfeiting takes money directly from farmers pockets, said Shriner, who runs Lions Gate Farms. Clearly, fraud is profitable. We need greater enforcement of our labeling laws and strong support from our Attorney Generals office when fraud is suspected. The industry is aware of similar counterfeiters in the marketplace but it has been tough to get action taken against them. Shriner says the industry supports criminal prosecution of those who profit illegally from counterfeit agricultural products. Its theft, plain and simple, she said. Consumers can protect themselves by buying direct from growers online, or by making sure brands belong to the Hawaii Coffee or Kona Coffee Farmers Associations, which verify their members, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The state Department of the Attorney General investigated allegations that Johnson was mislabeling pure Kona coffee in 2019. In June of 2021, Johnson told state investigators that she bought coffee from the same farm and used the same roaster for 25 years. The roaster denied doing business with Johnson and told investigators they had not roasted her coffee for decades. When Kona Coffee Cafe employees quit and suggested they knew she was pushing fake products, she would allegedly send harassing and threatening communications. After the April 2024 search of Johnsons home and business, she changed the descriptions of the products on her website to indicate the coffee was blended. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The indictment included detailed descriptions of 16 wire transfers between Johnson and the Oakland wholesaler documenting coffee purchases in the hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars. Five other transfers in excess of $10, 000 from Johnsons PayPal account to Kona Coffee Cafes business account are also documented to establish that she transacted funds gained from illegal activity. Federal agents searched Johnsons Lewa Place home when in the early morning hours of April 17, 2024, numerous government agents, in tactical gear and armed with what appeared to be automatic weapons, tossed a flash bang device onto the Johnson property, awakening the household, who were unaware of what was transpiring and believing they were under attack, according to a May 13, 2024, motion by Johnsons attorney, Harrison. The motion sought to get $93, 601.96 of Johnsons businesses money back that was seized during the search. Federal agents also seized $746, 431 in cash from Johnsons safe deposit boxes. Firefighters were battling a blaze at a Chevron refinery in Southern California late on Thursday, company and government officials said, after a massive fireball erupted at the facility. It was not immediately clear what caused the blaze, which was burning in El Segundo, a city in Los Angeles County. "All refinery personnel and contractors have been accounted for and there are no injuries," Allison Cook, a Chevron spokesperson, told ABC News. Daniel Cole/Reuters - PHOTO: Firefighters work to contain a large fire that broke out at the Chevron refinery, in El Segundo, California, U.S., Oct. 2, 2025. Gov. Gavin Newsom was briefed on the fire, his office said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Our office is coordinating in real time with local and state agencies to protect the surrounding community and ensure public safety," the office said in a statement. The sprawling refinery, which is located just south of Los Angeles International Airport, has its own fire department on site, according to its website. Chevron's firefighters were joined by emergency personnel from El Segundo and Manhattan Beach in responding to the "isolated" fire within the facility, the Chevron spokesperson said. KABC - PHOTO: A massive fire is seen erupting at the Chevron refinery in El Segundo, California, on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2025. "No evacuation orders for area residents have been put in place by emergency response agencies monitoring the incident, and no exceedances have been detected by the facilities fence line monitoring system," the spokesperson said. L.A. Mayor Karen Bass said she'd been briefed on the fire. She also said she'd spoken with Holly J. Mitchell, the supervisor who represents El Segundo. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "LAFD stands at the ready to assist with any mutual aid request. There is no known impact to LAX at this time," Bass said on social media. "We will continue to monitor this situation." Daniel Cole/Reuters - PHOTO: Firefighters work to contain a large fire that broke out at the Chevron refinery, in El Segundo, California, U.S., Oct. 2, 2025. A 3-hour shelter-in-place order was issued for areas within the Tree Section of Manhattan Beach, according to Alert SouthBay. "Bring all people and pets indoors," the alert said. In an earlier social media post, the alert system said, "There is NO PUBLIC threat at this time and NO evacuation orders in place at this time." The fire department in nearby Torrance, California, issued an alert, saying it was aware of the fire, but there was "no impact" to the city. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. ABC News' Naomi Vanderlip contributed to this report. PLATTSBURGH The Adirondack Wind Ensemble crisscrosses the Atlantic Ocean with its fall concert, Latin Music for Winds. AWEs annual Eleanor Marcus Memorial Concert, which will be held at 2 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 5, in E. Glenn Giltz Auditorium on the SUNY Plattsburgh campus, features music from several Latin regions around the world: Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos Choros No. 3 (South America), Joaquin Rodrigos Adagio for Wind Orchestra (Spain), an orchestration of Louis Moreau Gottschalks Souvenir de Porto Rico, and H. Owen Reeds La Fiesta Mexicana. A pre-concert meet -the-conductor session will take place with conductor Daniel Gordon at 1 p.m. in Hawkins Hall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think its helpful for people to understand how and why a conductor chooses the repertory that they do and how they arrive at a program because normally what people do is show up at a concert, sit there for an hour and half or so, and enjoy the music. But some of them wonder how did the guy choose this music and why this collection of pieces or why this theme or something like this? I dont know if all conductors think this way, but this is the way this conductor thinks. In order to understand, I think you have to go back to origins of AWE because it has to do with some of the early concerts that we had, he said. The professor of music formed the Adirondack Wind Ensemble in 2002 after he had been in Plattsburgh for about six or seven years. In the early years that I was here, I came to know many of the music educators in the region and realized they had a distribution of instrumental expertise such that if I managed to get them all in the same room at the same time, we would have a bare-bones wind ensemble. Now for clarification purposes, a wind ensemble, to make things simple, is an orchestra without the strings, he said. So, you have flute, oboe, clarinet. There are saxophones in it, which arent usually in the orchestra trumpets, trombones, horns euphonium, which isnt usually in the orchestra tuba, and then percussion. A symphony orchestra will have strings in addition to that and there is a much longer tradition of music history with the full orchestra. The wind ensemble is, for the most part, a contemporary creation for most of our repertory comes from the 20th century. Predating AWE was the Plattsburgh Community Orchestra, later the Plattsburgh Symphony Orchestra, which was under the direction of the late Bill Phillips, starting in 1979. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There was an effort to keep that orchestra alive, but it died kind of a natural death because there were not enough string players in this community to sustain it. An orchestra has to have probably 70 percent of its players being string players, and in this region most of the trained musicians are public school teachers and there are only two programs in this area that has a string program in their high school. Thats Peru and Plattsburgh. So that means they hire two strings specialists, and two string players does not an orchestra make. It was just unsustainable without the critical mass of string players, he said. Gordons AWE did have a critical mass of players because every school district has a band program. They hire a wind specialist whether it be brass or percussion or woodwind player, so there were plenty of these people around and the issue was that there are a lot of talented people that had very few places to showcase their skills. So I put together this group as a way to provide a meaningful high-level musical experience for the trained musicians in the area, who didnt have a lot of opportunity to perform otherwise. That was reason number one. Reason number two was as a graduate student studying conducting, I studied a number of works, which were quite technically difficult, and which I came to love and I realized that I was never going to be able to perform many of these pieces because they were just beyond the technical capabilities of my students. So, I did it for the players, and I did it for myself. I ran an experiment in 2002, and I said, lets try this, and we put on a concert. That first concert gave me the opportunity to program one of those pieces that I loved dearly and realized I would never be able to do with my students, he said. That work is Joaquin Rodrigos Adagio for Wind Orchestra. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That gives you an idea of how high esteem I hold that piece in because my first chance to perform in this community, a technically difficult wind ensemble piece, I chose that one. The rest of that program was pretty standard stuff, which we play frequently and all the players knew because they conducted it a lot of times, he said. Due to time constraints for the players and conductor, AWE has only two rehearsals, a dress rehearsal, and a concert performance. Its debut was after only one rehearsal. I still have to be very conscious of the difficulty level of the repertory that I choose. Rodrigos Adagio for Wind Orchestra, I was really lucky to be able to program that piece because it has an unusual instrumentation. It calls for three oboes, which is fairly unusual, and it was even more unusual to have three talented oboe players in this community. So recognizing that when I got to know most of the players in the region, I said heres our chance to do Rodrigo, he said. Two of the original oboists, Janice Kyle and Sandy Verity, will be playing in Sundays concert. Kyle is a retired music educator of Westport Central School, and Verity from Plattsburgh City Schools. They will be joined by Lija Treibergs, a research associate at Adirondack Watershed Institute in Paul Smiths. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After AWEs 2002 performance of the work, a number of the players told Gordon they wanted to play it in concert again. But, Sandy Verity stopped playing. She got busy with life, family, kids, career and those things, and every year I would call her up and Ill say, Sandy do you want to play this year? She said, No. Im taking a hiatus from playing. I call her back the next year. Nope. Still on hiatus. Nope. Nope. Nope. She did that for 18 years, until she retired recently and in her retirement she decided to take up the oboe again. I said, heres our chance. For the first time in over 20 years, we do have three talented oboists who can handle this, he said. In the intervening years, Gordon had time to think differently about programming and repertory and started building concerts around themes such as last years Home in the Adirondacks. I found that theme concerts work better because it makes people think more about what the music is trying to say and how the different pieces on the program relate to each other and to the theme. So when I realized we can do Rodrigo again, I thought what kind of program can I build around Rodrigo. Rodrigo was Spanish. Ive always loved Latin music. That has something to do with the fact that I lived in Spain for two years in the mid-80s. I talked English in Barcelona for two years. Lets just say Latin music got into my blood. That particular piece really speaks to me, but Latin music in general with its rhythmic energy and vitality has always been very attractive to me. So I thought, we havent done a concert with Latin music for winds with AWE, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If You Go WHAT: Latin Music for Winds Adirondack Wind Ensemble concert WHEN & WHERE: Sunday, Oct. 5, 2 .p. m, E. Glenn Giltz Auditorium, Hawkins Hall, Plattsburgh ADMISSION: $15 general admission (cash or check only), at the door, all students free NOTE: Pre-concert Meet-the-Conductor session with Daniel Gordon at 1 p.m. in Hawkins Room 131. More Information Adirondack Wind Ensemble Personnel Flute Robin Cameron-Phillips, Retired Music Faculty, SUNY Plattsburgh Trevor White (piccolo), Music Graduate, SUNY Plattsburgh Sue Grimm Hanley, Sues Studio, Saranac Lake Nell Porter, Syracuse University Alum, BS Music with Performance Honors Jenni Foutch, Freelance Musician/Studio Teacher, Elizabethtown Oboe Janice Kyle, Retired Music Faculty, Westport Central Schools Sandra Verity, Retired Music Faculty, Plattsburgh City Schools Lija Treibergs, Research Associate, Adirondack Watershed Institute, Paul Smiths, NY Clarinet Diane Bargiel, Retired Music Faculty, SUNY Adirondack Nelson Bosworth, Retired Music Faculty, Northeastern Clinton Central Schools Ryan Nerp, Music Education Graduate, SUNY Fredonia Amy Mountcastle, Anthropology Faculty, SUNY Plattsburgh Noah Siskavich, Senior, Saranac High School Gregory Quenell (bass), Retired Mathematics Faculty, SUNY Plattsburgh Margali Grenier (contrabass), Director, Plattsburgh Community Clarinet Choir Saxophone Todd Pray (alto), Music Faculty, Peru Central Schools Rachel Murphy (alto), Music Faculty, Keene Central Schools Kevin Alexandrou (tenor), Care Coordinator, Caregiver Support Initiative, SUNY Plattsburgh Linda Sullivan (baritone), Retired Music Faculty, Plattsburgh City Schools Bassoon Molly Finkel, Music Faculty, University of Vermont Alex Malin (contrabassoon), Conductor, Community String Orch. of the Adirondacks, Lake Placid Trumpet Keith Kogut, Music Faculty, Saranac Lake High School Jeanette Woodruff, Retired Music Faculty, Saranac Central Schools Drew Benware, Music Faculty, Saranac Lake High School Bill Long, Retired Campus Machinist, SUNY Plattsburgh Matt Kuhn, Band Instrument Repair Technician & Electrician, Plattsburgh French Horn Bruce McRae, Retired Director of Instrumental Music, Fairfax, VT Tom Whitney, Chief Engineer, Vermont Mechanical Inc., Williston, VT Nancy Liotta, Retired Music Faculty, Saranac Central Schools Eric Neilsen, Photographer, Castleton, VT Macks Hollis, Sophomore, Lisbon Central High School, NY Trombone Mike Nystoriak, Music Faculty, Beekmantown Central Schools Tricia Jackson, Graduate, Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam Bob Garrow (bass), Music Faculty, Northern Adirondack Middle/High School Euphonium Matthew Snyder (doubles tuba), Music Faculty, AuSable Valley Central Schools Tuba Benjamin Cepulo, Music & Music Arts Management Graduate, SUNY Plattsburgh String Bass Matt Dunne, Retired Music Professor, University of Texas at San Antonio Percussion Alison Grovine, Music Faculty, Northeastern Clinton Central Schools Mike Lewandowski, Music Faculty, SUNY Plattsburgh & Chazy Central Rural School Jesse Roth, Freshman Music Education Major, Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam Dana Atwood, History Faculty, Peru Central Schools Andrew Stortz, Artist, Portsmouth, NH Harp (Keyboards) Rose Chancler, Professional Musician and Concert Presenter, Westport, NY Conductor Daniel Gordon, Professor of Music, SUNY Plattsburgh A Democratic lawmaker is urging President Donald Trumps allies in government to personally confront the president over his erratic behavior and tell him that hes unwell. After Trump, 79, gave a rambling and at times incoherent partisan speech to the nations generals earlier this week, House Speaker Mike Johnson was caught on tape appearing to agree with Democratic Rep. Madeleine Dean that the president is unwell. During an interview with CNNs John Berman, the Pennsylvania Democrat said it had been extraordinarily dangerous, reckless and vain for Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to summon more than 800 military leaders from the around the globe for a bizarre and meandering presidential speech. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pulling them out from the theaters where they are working and leading, and then to stand before them rambling about how he walks on stairs, what wars he solved, that he doesnt like the design of battleships, Dean, 66, said. Does he want them to be gold or something? Americas top military brass barely reacted to the president's remarks, despite him urging them to laugh and clap if they wanted to. / Kevin Lamarque / Reuters I am gravely worried for the leadership of the United States, she added. I want this president to succeed. But it is clear to me that he is unwell. And I think the people around him have to recognize that, and go to him, and admit it to him. Trump is aging, Dean said, and is clearly a different man than he was during his first term. Hes slower and more lethargic, but more important, his remarks on Tuesday were incoherent and very dangerous, as they are making other world leaders wonder whether the U.S. is still an indispensable partner, she added. Some of the generals were trying to take notes and they just abandoned their notes because it was incoherent, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement to the Daily Beast, a White House spokesperson declined to address Trumps health or leadership, and instead attacked Deanwhose name she misspelledand former President Joe Biden. Madeline Dean played a leading role in covering up Bidens decline and insisting there was nothing wrong with him after the entire country saw his brain melt on the debate stage after months of him failing to remember his own name, spokesperson Abigail Jackson said. No one knows who this back bench House member is, and if they do, they know she has no credibility to talk about this. After Tuesdays speech, Dean approached Johnson and said, The president is unhinged. He is unwell. A lot of folks on your side are too, Johnson replied, not disputing Deans characterization. I dont control him. House Speaker Mike Johnson claimed not to have seen the presidents remarks to the nations top military brass. / Win McNamee/Getty Images Oh my God, please, Dean scoffed. That performance in front of the generals? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I didnt see it, Johnson claimed. Its so dangerous! Dean pushed on. You know I serve on Foreign Affairs and Appropriations, its a collision of those two things. Our allies are looking elsewhere. Our enemies are laughing. You have a president who is unwell. Besides his speech to top military brass, Trump has dedicated considerable time this week to trolling Democrats and posting AI-generated videos and memes after Congress failed to reach a funding agreement and the government shut down on Tuesday at midnight. His speech and behavior have led to growing concerns that the president may be suffering from dementia in addition to physical issues around a diagnosis of chronic venous insufficiency. The president has tried to conceal a large bruise on his right hand with heavy makeup. / Win McNamee/Getty Images For months, the president has suffered from large swollen ankles and a giant mystery bruise on his right hand, which he has taken to smearing in makeup, hiding under tables, and covering with his left hand. The White House has denied that the president has any major health issues. PROVIDENCE Legislative leaders have laid the groundwork for a November "oversight hearing" on the failed and now demolished Washington Bridge by publicly disputing Gov. Dan McKee's contention that key people in his administration are not free to talk about what went wrong. Until the state's lawsuit against 13 private companies that did work on the bridge goes to trial, McKee took the position that "state actors, including RIDOT employees cannot respond to questions from oversight committees about the failure of the Bridge without potentially jeopardizing the State's case and the recovery of millions of taxpayer dollars." House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi and Senate President Valarie Lawson disagree. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They issued a joint statement on Friday, Oct. 3, in which they said they had consulted with Attorney General Peter Neronha, who is leading the bridge legal team, and he raised no objections to the questioning of top state Transportation officials, under oath, about the findings in a leaked forensic audit. The two legislative leaders included this statement by Neronha, who is leading the state's legal effort to recover money toward construction of a new bridge from 13 private bridge consultant companies: The people of Rhode Island deserve transparency and accountability, and I support Speaker Shekarchi and Senate President Lawson in their mission here." Though my office seeks to hold accountable several contractor companies for what we allege was negligent behavior, that doesnt mean those in state leadership charged with maintaining our roads and bridges get a free pass," Neronha continued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We must know the full truth, and these hearings can absolutely provide helpful insight," he said. Shekarchi and Lawson: 'The public deserves answers' In their own turn, Shekarchi and Lawson said: We look forward to a thorough and rigorous examination of the new information contained in the forensic report that was released publicly last Friday. "The public deserves answers after nearly two years of major disruption due to the closure of this vital highway which connects and touches all Rhode Islanders. Shekarchi and Lawson were responding to the stance McKee took, in a letter to them, earlier this week after they called for a new round of hearings on the leaked findings within a "forensic analysis" on why the bridge failed and raised the possibility of placing state Transportation Director Peter Alviti under oath. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the same time he "respectfully urge[d]" the legislative leaders to hold oversight hearings on the progress to line up a contractor to build a new bridge, McKee drew a line at answering questions about the 64-page forensic analysis of what went wrong that was conducted by Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates Inc. in 2024. The report identified years of failures by the state and numerous private companies that failed to realize how bad the deterioration was and how close the bridge was to catastrophe."Many of the issues highlighted in this report show that program managers, bridge inspectors, and designers should have and could have been aware of problems that were developing," the report says. Of note: McKee opted to keep Alviti, the state Department of Transportation director since former Gov. Gina Raimondo took office in 2015, and give him a raise earlier this year. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Washington Bridge report: Top RI lawmakers promise 'rigorous' review A Central American government has proposed the nation's first legislation to appropriately deal with the effects of rising global temperatures. Several bills were introduced during a September meeting of Belize's House of Representatives. As Amandala reported, one of those was the Climate Change and Carbon Market Initiatives Bill, which officials said would be the country's first bill that focuses on our warming planet. The bill "will allow us not only to protect our land, our waters and our people, but also to benefit from the new opportunities of the global carbon market," Orlando Habet, Belize's minister of sustainable development and climate change, told Amandala. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Greater Belize reports that the bill calls for several reforms. It would create a dedicated council and governmental department to deal with rising temperatures. It would also establish a carbon registry with strict reporting and measurement standards and a carbon market. Lastly, the bill would require enforcement mechanisms, including penalties for those who don't meet the country's new carbon emission guidelines. The effects of rising temperatures are being felt across the entire globe. As humans burn more dirty energy sources and create toxic air pollution, those fumes trap heat within our atmosphere. As a result, the last 10 years have been the 10 warmest in recorded history, with more heat records expected to fall in the coming years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Belize's location makes it especially vulnerable to these temperature changes. The country has hundreds of miles of coastline along the Caribbean Sea and is home to a spectacular coral reef system. Studies have shown that warming ocean temperatures could destroy coral reefs, which would prove devastating to the aquatic life that calls them home. And rising temperatures have also caused sea levels to rise, which threatens entire coastal communities. The Belize government also secured access to a $20 million loan from the World Bank, Amandala reports, that is designed to provide rapid access to relief funds during natural disasters. These disasters now occur with more frequency and severity, as warming temperatures create conditions that experts refer to as "steroids for weather." "This is a proud and defining moment for our nation," Habet said while introducing the bill, according to Greater Belize. "A moment when Belize takes bold action, not just for today, but for tomorrow. A moment that says to our farmers, our fishers, our youth, and our children, we will not leave you behind, and we will not leave you unprotected." Do you think the government should ban gas-powered lawn tools? No way Definitely Only certain tools I don't know Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. LEBANON, Ohio (WDTN) Lebanon Correctional Institute inmate James Ogletree was sentenced to the maximum sentence of 46 years to life in prison by Warren County Judge Timothy Tepe on Wednesday, Oct. 2. Ogletree had been previously convicted of murder, felonious assault, and aggravated robbery. The court also found Ogletree guilty of specifications for being a repeat violent offender. On Dec. 6, 2023, Ogletree entered the cell of another inmate, Marquise Weatherington, and violently assaulted him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State planning replacement of area correctional facility An autopsy revealed that Weatherington died due to numerous inflicted injuries, including multiple blunt force traumas to the head and evidence of strangulation. At the time of the offense, Ogletree was already serving a significant sentence for offenses committed in Cuyahoga and Lake County, including robbery and involuntary manslaughter, with a scheduled release date for October 2043. Judge Tepe ordered the new sentence to run consecutively to his previous sentence, which means that Ogletree will not be eligible for release from prison until 2089. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDTN.com. LEBANON, Va. (WJHL) A Lebanon, Virginia man was found guilty of multiple child sex crimes, including aggravated sexual battery, on Thursday. According to a news release from the Commonwealth Attorneys Office in Russell County, 54-year-old David Walter Moore III was found guilty of the following: Object sexual penetration (10 counts) Aggravated sexual battery (one count) Indecent liberties of a child (one count) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Commonwealth presented evidence during a jury trial that Moore sexually abused a child multiple times for two years. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Crime Watch We are grateful the jury reached the right result and held the defendant responsible for these horrific and unjust acts against an innocent child, Commonwealth Attorney Zack Stoots said in the release. My office will be asking the court to impose multiple life sentences against the defendant. The Russell County Sheriffs Office, the Washington County Sheriffs Office and the Highlands Childrens Advocacy Center investigated the case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Law enforcement agencies worked together to thoroughly investigate this case, Stoots said. The efforts of law enforcement, combined with the forensic interview performed by the Highlands Childrens Advocacy Center, were essential to outcome of this case. We appreciate the assistance from the Washington County Commonwealths Attorneys Office and the efforts from the Russell County Victim Witness Assistance Program. Moores sentencing is set to take place Jan. 8 at 1 p.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather. By Tilman Blasshofer and Alessandro Parodi SAARBRUECKEN, Germany (Reuters) -The leaders of Germany and France marked the 35th anniversary of Germany's democratic reunification on Friday by calling for more resolve to check the spreading appeal of what they called the "dark enlightenment" of authoritarianism. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron said Europe must do more to counter illiberal, anti-immigrant parties surging in opinion polls, in part by bolstering the continent's flagging economy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 'DARK ENLIGHTENMENT' "New alliances of autocracies are forming against us and attacking liberal democracy as a way of life," Macron told an audience of dignitaries from both countries in Saarbruecken on Germany's border with France. "In the face of the return of the dark enlightenment ... there is a path to a new enlightenment," Macron said, "a way to love culture, music, literature, conversation and debate, to believe that respect and science are stronger than hate and fury." He was echoing remarks by Merz, who had earlier warned that economic troubles across the European Union were giving openings to far-right nationalist parties offering radical solutions at odds with democracy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Years of irregular, undirected migration to Germany have polarised our country," Merz said, asking its citizens to recognise the value of living in a democracy under rule of law. "Politics, the state, the government have their responsibility," he said. "But the scale of the challenge must be understood by us all, by every citizen in our country." CEREMONY MARKS 1990 END OF GERMANY'S POST-WAR DIVISION Germany's Reunification Day on October 3 commemorates the 1990 end of the nation's post-World War Two division into a western democracy and an eastern, Soviet-dominated Communist regime, symbolised by the Berlin Wall dividing the capital. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Merz took office in February after an election campaign marked by emotional rhetoric on migration. The far right now leads his conservatives in some polls at a time when Germany's export-dependent, high-tech economy faces its biggest challenge in decades due to U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff blitz. Germany's economy, Europe's largest, has been hard hit by U.S. protectionism and a competitive onslaught from China. It has registered barely any growth since the end of the COVID pandemic, contributing to a broad mood of malaise. Both leaders are outspoken supporters of Ukraine against Russia's invasion and have called for more European strategic autonomy in the face of a United States they see as turning away from Europe. Both face stiff challenges from far-right parties with strong pro-Russian elements leading in many opinion polls. (Additional reporting by Andreas Rinke in Berlin and Brice Makini in Paris; writing by Thomas Escritt; editing by Tomasz Janowski and Mark Heinrich) French President Emmanuel Macron invoked Franco-German friendship and called for the defence of democracy in Europe at celebrations marking the anniversary of German reunification on Friday. After centuries of conflict between the neighbours, France and Germany were now partners, he noted. "The war between us no longer exists," Macron said in the western German city of Saarbrucken, calling it "a great achievement of this Europe." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Every year a different German state hosts the main celebrations marking German Unity Day. This year is the small state of Saarland, which borders France. Macron was the guest of honour. On October 3, 1990, East Germany and West Germany united to become the Federal Republic of Germany. In his 30-minute speech, Macron warned that war had returned to the continent, however, pointing to Russia's relentless attacks on Ukraine over the past three and a half years. He also cited Moscow's cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns and airspace violations. "Unfortunately, we once again find ourselves in a time of confrontation. In the face of this, we have managed to remain united," Macron said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For the first time, he argued, Europe is taking shape as a military power not to wage war, but to defend its territory and its values. Macron: Protect public debate from hate speech Macron warned that Europe's democracy is under pressure not only from external threats but also from within, saying distrust in government was rising and doubts about the rule of law growing. Respectful public debate has given way to hate-filled arguments, fuelled on by social media, he said. "If we Europeans do not wake up and say: we want to take back control of our democracy, then I can already tell you that in 10 years all those who are playing with this infrastructure will have won, the French president warned. "And we will be a continent like many others full of conspiracy theorists, extremists, noise and anger." The more things change, the more they stay the same. I recently came across a document from 1977 that speaks volumes about the seemingly endless battle over how we should vote, and what the rules should be. Its a draft of a press release issued by Maines former governor, Ken Curtis, who Jimmy Carter had named head of the Democratic National Committee in Washington. Curtis was responding to a direct mail fundraiser, a then-new technique, from the Republican National Committee claiming the wrong people would soon be voting. Congressman Guy Vander Jagt, RNC chair and Curtiss opposite number, specialized in the kind of press releases that then seemed inflammatory and unfortunately now seem routine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vander Jagt was attacking what we now know as Election Day voter registration, or same day, which the congressman referred to as walk-in voting. He charged that, under this system, voters were herded in from skid row like sheep, and said that for a few dollars they would vote as instructed. The mailing concluded with a photo of a poor neighborhood with people sitting in doorways, and saying Votes could be bought and sold in skid rows like this, if we have walk-in voter registration. Please send your contribution today, so we can defeat the liberal Democrats who support this radical change. Maine had earlier adopted same-day registration as part of a series of voting reforms with Curtis as governor when the Legislature, throughout his two terms, was controlled by Republicans. The legislative record shows that lawmakers overwhelmingly saw this as a common sense way to ease access to the ballot at a time when voting in presidential years had declined nationally in four straight elections. Time passes and memories fade. In 2011, Maine Republicans, in charge of both the Legislature and the governors office for the first time since 1966, decided to end Election Day registration. Democrats immediately organized a peoples veto campaign and that November the GOP law was vetoed overwhelmingly, by 60.5%. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That campaign is widely credited with helping Democrats retake the House and Senate in 2012. And one can hear an echo of Vander Jagt in Maine Republican Chair Charlie Websters comments following those losses, telling an interviewer that In some parts of rural Maine, there were dozens, dozens of black people who came in and voted on Election Day. After criticism from fellow Republicans Webster apologized, but was replaced the following year. Back in the day, Ken Curtis pointed out that allowing same-day registration with proof of residence the standard Maine still has helped turn around lagging participation. The states then with same-day registration Maine, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Oregon ranked in the top five in participation, a list that has changed little since then. North Dakota also has high turnout; its the only state that has never required voters to register. What does Maine's Question 1 say? Now we come to Question 1 on the Nov. 4 ballot. In addition to requiring voters to show photo ID on top of other forms of proof, it makes a variety of other changes, including limiting drop boxes and the provision of absentee ballots, that amount to micromanaging voting rules better left to the relevant state statutes and municipal decision-making. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The question we should ask ourselves is why do we need to make these changes? What problem is it that were trying to solve? The answers usually given are security and preventing fraud. Yet election after Maine election, theres no evidence none that there are any significant numbers of ballots cast illegally or inappropriately. Legal charges are so rare they make headlines. Curtis perceived this. In a hand-written addition to the release, he said, The real issue is not fraud. The issue is peoples right to vote. We shouldnt be too complacent about Maines record, even though it places us regularly in the top three among states. Participation in presidential elections has ticked up recently, in large part due to a sense of national crisis those elections have done little to dispel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yet the United States continues to lag well behind other countries in turnout, and this raises a fundamental question: If substantial numbers of Americans think it not worth their while to vote even in the most important elections, can we say our democracy is truly healthy? I do not believe that Question 1, should it pass, will have dire consequences for voting participation; most people will find a way. Still, its hard to see that it would do any good. Encouraging people to vote, and to fully understand their choices, is a far more pressing concern. Douglas Rooks Douglas Rooks has been a Maine editor, columnist and reporter for 40 years. The author of four books, his new study of the Ken Curtis administration is due next year. He welcomes comment at drooks@tds.net. This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Maine Question 1 the latest effort to scale back right to vote: Rooks VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) A man charged with murdering a 20-year-old outside a nightclub has also been accused of being in the United States illegally, according to court paperwork. Cesar Bermudez Evans, 21, currently sits without bail at the Virginia Beach Correctional Center after being arrested Saturday on charges of second-degree murder and the use of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Bermudez Evans shot and killed Juelle Morton outside of Central 111 Tapas Lounge at Renaissance Place shopping center shortly after 2 a.m. Saturday, according to Virginia Beach Police. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, after being booked into the jail, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement promptly issued a detainer for Bermudez Evans, according to a Virginia Beach Sheriffs Office spokesperson. Bermudez Evans is a citizen of Nicaragua and was part of an inadmissible alien proceeding last year. Man killed along N. Great Neck Rd., suspect in custody I want people out there to know Im not really what people out there are painting me to be, Bermudez Evans said through a translator during an interview from jail. Bermudez Evans admitted he did go to the club on the night of Sept. 26. There are two located at the shopping center. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Bermudez Evans was in a car in the parking lot before the crime occurred, according to a criminal complaint. Video recovered by detectives show him then exiting the vehicle, approaching Juelle Morton of Newport News, shooting Morton multiple times and then leaving the scene. Bermudez Evans wouldnt go into details without his attorney, but said he is aware his actions are on video. I cant say much, but I was punched and I wasnt in perfect conditions, Bermudez Evans said. I wasnt 100% aware of what I was doing in that moment, but for the people that think I did it just because, I am offering my sincerest apologies to the family, to the general public, .. but everything has an explanation. Every action has a reaction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bermudez Evans has only been in the region for two months, has worked construction work under [the] table and his mother lives in a neighboring city, according to a bail determination sheet filed with the court. While he didnt clarify how long he has been in the country, he explained he I arrived to the United States from Nicaragua following a trip and said that he is going through the asylum process. However earlier this year, the Trump Administration ended temporary protected status for thousands from Nicaragua, citing improved conditions in the country. Trump administration ends protections from deportation for Honduras, Nicaragua Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Department of Homeland Security didnt immediately respond to inquiries about Bermudez Evans status. But they will again be in contact with Bermudez Evans. When an individual is taken into VBSO custody and identified as not being born in the United States or a U.S. territory, ICE is promptly notified, said Toni Guagenti, a spokesperson for the sheriffs office. If ICE deems necessary, a detainer will be issued. If a detainer is issued, after all state and local charges are satisfied, the inmate would be released to ICE custody. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com. NEW YORK (AP) Federal prosecutors have charged a man they say played a role in a gang-related shooting that broke out in a crowded Brooklyn bar this summer, leaving three dead and 10 others injured. For the first time Wednesday, prosecutors also released security camera footage of the chaotic gunfight, which unfolded Aug. 17 inside the Taste of City Lounge in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. The video showed patrons scrambling for cover as bullets ricocheted across the densely-packed club, with at least 40 shots fired from five guns, prosecutors said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Among the shooters was Elijah Roy, a 25-year-old gang member who arrived at the club with several associates, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Wednesday. At around 3:30 a.m., one of those associates, Marvin St. Louis, 19, began taunting a rival gang member, Jamel Childs, 35, authorities said. The confrontation quickly escalated with, authorities said, St. Louis shooting at Childs, who returned fire. Both St. Louis and Childs were killed in the shoot-out, as was another man, 27-year-old Amadou Diallo, who is believed to have been a bystander. After ducking under a table, Roy fired two shots, according to prosecutors. It was unclear if those shots hit anyone. He is accused of violent assault in aid of racketeering and illegal possession of ammunition. Mehdi Essmidi, an attorney for Roy, did not respond to a voice message. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors described Roy and St. Louis as members of the 5-9 Brims, a subset of the Bloods. They said Childs was part of a rival gang, the Folk Nation Gangster Disciples. Roy was arrested last week in North Carolina, carrying $7,000 in cash, according to the criminal complaint. He was arraigned Wednesday afternoon and ordered held without bail. New York City has seen a year of record-low gun violence, with the fewest number of shootings and shooting victims recorded across the city during the first nine months of 2025, according to police. At a vigil held for the victims in August, Mayor Eric Adams said that what happened in the Taste of the City is not a reflection of our city. A 60-year-old man who was found dead at an Arkansas campground Thursday was likely killed by a black bear, according to officials in Newton County. In a statement issued Wednesday, the Newton County Sheriffs Office said it was still awaiting autopsy results to determine the mans cause of death, but that a preliminary investigation led them to believe a bear was responsible. Until the Arkansas Crime Lab completes the autopsy, we cant one hundred percent say it was a bear, but everything strongly indicates it, Sheriff Glen Wheeler said. We know without a doubt that a bear was in camp with our victim and the injuries absolutely are consistent with a bear attack. Wheeler added that it was a highly unusual case, and that they will update the public on the full findings of their investigation when complete. Officials have not released the identity of the man, who was visiting the state from Missouri. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wheeler explained in the statement that the sheriffs office had gotten a call from the mans son on Thursday. He said that his father was camping at Sams Throne but hadnt checked in for a couple days. When officers arrived, the man was not in his camp. They found his body several yards outside the campsite. The campsite had been disturbed and there was evidence of a struggle and injury, the statement reads. There were also drag marks leading from the campground into the woods. Officials also learned after talking with the mans family that he had sent them pictures of a bear in his camp Tuesday morning. The photos showed what appeared to be a younger male black bear. Read Next: Its Just Unheard Of. Arkansas Just Had Its First Black Bear Attack in Decades Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. Forest Service has closed Sams Throne Campground, which is located in the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest south of Mt. Judea. This was done for the safety of the public, and to allow wildlife officials to look for the bear and potentially set traps for it. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is supporting these efforts, according to Sheriff Wheeler, who also contacted local hunters who own bear dogs to potentially assist with the search. (Hunting bears with dogs is illegal in Arkansas, but it is in other states.) If the attack is confirmed, this would be the second fatal black bear attack to take place in Arkansas in a month. The previous incident, which took place near Mulberry Mountain in Franklin county on Sept. 3, involved a man in his seventies who was working on his tractor on the side of a gravel road. His son witnessed the attack and helped get the bear off him, but the man later died in the hospital from his injuries. At the time, officials with AGFC called the fatal bear attack unheard of. They said it was the first confirmed bear attack in the state in at least 25 years. DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) A wanted man who was believed to be headed to Ohio has been located, according to law enforcement. The Bennington Police Department in Vermont was searching to locate a man reportedly wanted on one count of aggravated human trafficking child under 18 years of age and one count of lewd and lascivious conduct with a child. A law enforcement official confirmed to WDTN.com around noon Thursday that they received information that the man had been in Massachusetts and was trying to get to Ohio. The official did not have information on where specifically. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Friday morning, the department provided an update, saying MALE HAS BEEN LOCATED. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDTN.com. The annual march to commemorate the 1968 Tlatelolco massacre of protesting students in Mexicos capital has been eclipsed by demands to bring an end to Israels nearly two-year-long genocidal war in Gaza. Protesters marched on Thursday from the Tlatelolco plaza where 57 years ago, Mexican troops attacked students demanding an end to Mexicos militarisation and greater freedoms, leaving a death toll believed to be in the hundreds to the capitals central plaza. But this year, the October 2 March was packed with Palestinian flags and signs demanding an end to Israels genocidal war on Gaza. Israel has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians and injured at least 168,000 others since October 7, 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The march comes after Israel threatened Gaza Citys remaining residents to leave or face the full force of its ground and aerial assault, with Defence Minister Israel Katz saying that anyone who stayed would be considered terrorists and terror supporters. The continuous bombardment of Gaza City has razed the territorys largest urban centre, killing dozens of people daily, destroying numerous residential buildings and schools, and forcing tens of thousands of Palestinians to flee to an unknown fate to the south, often while being attacked en route. We feel empathy not only for ours, for those our grandparents died for, but for all men and women around the world who are suffering what at one time we suffered, Edgar Lopez, a 23-year-old economics student, who marched with a Palestinian flag on his back, told The Associated Press news agency. While much of the march was peaceful, some groups vandalised storefronts and threw objects, including Molotov cocktails, at the hundreds of police guarding the National Palace. Demonstrators and riot police face off during a protest commemorating the anniversary of the 1968 Tlatelolco massacre, when soldiers fired on student protesters, in Mexico City, on October 2, 2025 [Claudia Rosel/AP] Mexico City officials estimated the march drew 10,000 people, and authorities said about 350 were masked and acting aggressively. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement AP journalists saw at least three other journalists attacked by police and protesters, and a police officer cornered and attacked by protesters. Local media reported at least six police officers were injured, but authorities did not immediately confirm that number. Meanwhile, a smaller spontaneous protest had broken out in the capital on Wednesday night after Israel detained members of the Global Sumud Flotilla carrying a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid as they attempted to end the naval blockade Israel has imposed on Gaza since 2009. Among those detained were six Mexicans. Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum said earlier on Thursday that her administration had demanded their immediate repatriation. Mexico is one of 11 countries to have recognised the State of Palestine in 2025 and the 20th since Israels war on Gaza began, reflecting a growing wave of international recognition for Palestine. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden is calling for all sheriffs in North Carolina to be heard in regards to the passage of Irynas Law. McFadden said in a statement Thursday that the public safety bill raises expectations but provides no support to meet them, leaving local sheriffs to absorb the strain of potentially overcrowded jails. Detention centers are not optimal treatment settings, he said. Consequently, many sheriffs across the state may need to expand or enhance their mental health services to effectively coordinate with local hospitals or manage patients in crisis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NC Democrats want mental health addressed in Republicans planned crime legislation Officially House Bill 307, the bill was created following the fatal stabbing of Iryna Zarutska Aug. 22 on a Charlotte Blue Line train. It passed trhough the General Assembly Sept. 23 and awaits a signature by Gov. Josh Stein. McFadden says it creates unintended challenges for law enforcement agencies, claiming it would create a spike in overtime costs, especially tied to increased hospital transports and extended holding times. There have been too many individuals whose lives were tragically lost and who deserve the highest level of justice served, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the bill adds 15 more staff members for the District Attorneys Office, opponents say lawmakers should focus on funding for additional judges. Audit raises concerns about Charlotte transit armed security staffing McFadden reiterates alignment with lawmakers regarding the necessity of what he calls long overdue policies to ensure that violent offenders are held in custody for appropriate durations. Public safety is not only about keeping dangerous individuals off the streets but ensuring that those who need treatment are not lost in the system, said Sheriff McFadden. Lawmakers have the opportunity to stand with all sheriffs and ensure we have the resources, staff. and programs to make our communities safer and healthier. These solutions are achievable if we work together. With the right policies in place, the Mecklenburg County Sheriffs Office, along with the other 99 sheriffs offices in North Carolina, can be leaders in balancing safety with compassion. Our office stands ready to do the work, but we need lawmakers to join us in this commitment. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. Mariah Walker is the Wake County school systems 2025-26 Principal of the Year, and Jose Espinal is the Assistant Principal of the Year. The winners were announced Thursday night at a ceremony in Raleigh at the Angus Barn, one of the events sponsors. Walker has been principal of Wake Young Womens Leadership Academy (WYWLA) in Raleigh since 2022. She has been a finalist multiple times for Principal of the Year, including in 2023, when Winston Pierce won and in 2020 when Elena Ashburn won. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement District leaders pointed to Walkers many years championing the cause of female students, culminating in her leading the only all-girls school in the district. During an acceptance speech that incorporated Bible verses, Walker told her fellow educators that education is the living expression of hope. Faith involves moving when we dont see the next step, and that is what we do for schools every single day, Walker said. We move when we dont see the next step. We create hope for people who dont have hope for themselves, and we create life where there is none. Works to inspire female students Walker has two decades of experience working in the Wake County school system. She started as an English teacher before becoming an assistant principal at Sanderson High School in Raleigh. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While at Sanderson, she founded WISE (Women Inspiring Success in Each other), a leadership program empowering at-risk and underrepresented female students to excel academically and personally, and SANKOFA Moms, a collective for teen mothers. She later became an assistant principal at Pleasant Grove Elementary in Cary and then principal of Hilburn Academy in Raleigh, which is Wakes only K-8 school. The Wake Young Womens Leadership Academy allows female students to take single-gender courses in middle and high school before taking courses with a partner college. Walker helped students bridge the transition when the district ended its partnership in 2024 with St. Augustines University. The Wake Young Womens Leadership Academy is now partnering with Shaw University for college courses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To the extraordinary women at WYWLA. Thank you for inspiring me, for being the light in education, Walker said during her speech. Walker is the president of the Wake County Division of Principals and Assistant Principals. She holds a doctorate in Educational Administration and Supervision, masters degrees in Educational Leadership and Supervision and Curriculum Instruction and Supervision, and a bachelors degree in English and Secondary Education, all from NC State University, Walker will receive a prize package that includes $1,000. She will compete in North Carolinas Principal of the Year program. This years other Wake Principal of the Year finalists were: Leslie Blake of Green Elementary School in Raleigh Keith Faison of South Garner High School Juley Sexton of Combs Elementary School in Raleigh Roxann Sykes of Dillard Drive Elementary School in Raleigh Repeat Assistant Principal of the Year winner This marks the second time Jose Espinal, an assistant principal at South Garner High School, has won the district honor. In 2017, Espinal was named Wake Countys Assistant Principal of the Year when he was at Enloe High School in Raleigh. Jose Espinal was named the Wake County school systems 2025-26 Assistant Principal of the Year. Espinal has been an educator for 20 years. He taught visual arts at Leesville Road High School in Raleigh and at West Charlotte High School before becoming an assistant principal at Enloe. He came to South Garner in 2022. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At South Garner, Espinal leads the Career and Technical Education, World Language and English as A Second Language departments by implementing AVID strategies. Its a program that helps support and prepare students to take college courses. Espinal helps foster collaboration among teachers through professional learning teams and uses data-driven interventions to help at-risk freshmen earn promotion to 10th grade. Espinal also serves as a facilitator for the school system, helping guide new assistant principals in their journey into leadership roles in Wake. As one of the few Latino leaders in this space, I carry this award with deep responsibility, Espinal said during his speech. I hope this moment serves as both a mirror and a window. A mirror for those who see themselves in me, a window for others to see what is possible when diverse voices are present in leadership. Proud child of immigrant parents During his speech, Espinal talked about being a proud child of immigrant parents who came to America fleeing a civil war and a dictatorship. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Espinal was born in Nicaragua and was raised speaking Spanish. He learned English when he came to the U.S., so he says he sees himself in his students. The crowd repeatedly cheered when Espinal said that representation matters. Our students deserve to see leaders who look like them, who share their experiences, and who speak their language, literally and figuratively, Espinal said. Espinal will receive a prize package that includes a $500 check. The other finalists for Assistant Principal of the Year were: Local Georgia residents are up in arms as Meta's newest AI data center build is causing issues to their water supply. A 4-million-square-foot center being built in a rural farming community in Louisiana has caused their warer supply to be undrinkable and affected their appliances. The issues originally began in 2018 when Meta first started construction, with Beverly and Jeff Morris from Newton County, Georgia, reaping the unfavorable outcome. Located only 1,000 feet away from the facility, they claim the AI data center has caused a buildup of sediment in their water. That's not all, as appliances that normally use water had stopped working, leading them to replace the items multiple times. They also have one working bathroom that they share with their adult son. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It feels like were fighting an unwinnable battle that we didnt sign up for," Beverly told the Times. She added the changes now make her "scared to drink our own water." The couple's neighbor, Chris Wilson, is also facing the same issues with his well water. With a decrease in water pressure and to help maintain a decent water flow, Wilson has no choice but to change his filters every month. On average, they are changed every year. He also claims the water gets so brown in color, "you'd think it came from a creek." Meta has refused to acknowledge that the new AI data center is to blame. They claim the water used for the center is sourced miles away from the Morris's and is "very unlikely" that the facility is causing their problems. Reports from Meta state that they use clean and renewable energy and even reuse the same water. The facility consumes 500,000 gallons of water, mostly to cool its servers. Ben Sheidler, a spokesperson for the Joint Development Authority, who oversees the area where the facility is located, told local papers they couldn't "speculate" that the facility is to blame. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "One thousand feet away is a pretty significant distance," he said, according to People. This story was originally reported by Men's Journal on Oct 2, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here. NEW MEXICO (KRQE) The New Mexico Motor Vehicle Department is tightening its rules for truck drivers. The department will pause commercial drivers licenses and learners permits to foreign nationals who do not have a permanent residence in the United States. The pause comes after the feds restricted who is eligible for a non-domiciled commercial drivers license. Special session delivers $8 million to food banks as SNAP cuts loom in New Mexico The change applies to both new licenses and renewals. MVD will still issue CDLs and permits to those who present a passport and a proper arrival document. As of right now, the federal government is not requiring states to revoke what they have already issued. They want us to pause on the issuance of new ones, said Cabinet Secretary Stephanie Schardin Clarke, New Mexico Taxation & Revenue Department Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The department said that right now, New Mexico has 204 active, non-domiciled commercial drivers licenses and learners permits. Only 500 have been issued since 2023. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. LANSING Michigan lawmakers unveiled and approved a long-awaited budget that makes funding cuts to many state agencies while allocating an extra $1.1 billion to the Michigan Department of Transportation, which is responsible for fixing state roads and bridges. And shortly after 3 a.m. on Oct. 3, after days of protests and lobbying and arm twisting for and against the measure, the Senate voted 19-17 to impose a 24% wholesale tax on marijuana sales. The House earlier passed the same legislation on Sept. 25, meaning the controversial bill now goes to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for her signature. Whitmer, in an Oct. 3 statement, celebrated the bipartisan budget which helps cement her legacy on her first campaign pledge to "fix the damn roads." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "With this budget, we're locking in a significant, bipartisan investment to fix state and local roads for decades to come, creating and protecting thousands of jobs in the process. I'm proud to deliver on my promise and look forward to driving on safer, smoother roads long after my time as governor," she said. The budget proposals, taken up during a session that began Oct. 2 and stretched into Oct. 3, totaled $51.8 billion for general government and $24.1 billion for education, for a $75.9 billion budget total. But a House Fiscal Agency report shows that total artificially reduced by the way billions in federal funding is accounted for, by moving Medicaid money to contingency funds where they are not included in the budget total. It's not yet clear how the total top-line number will compare to the 2025 fiscal year's $82.5 billion total. Michigan state budget 2026: 7 things to know about the bills For the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2026, lawmakers have crafted a K-12 education budget that proposes almost $21.3 billion in school aid funding, which is up slightly from 2025, according to Senate and House Fiscal Agency analyses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The proposed school aid budget would increase the per-pupil funding grant from $9,608 to $10,050, a $442 increase. It also allocates over $200 million for Michigan's universal meals program that provides free breakfast and lunch for every PreK-12 public school student, and newly allows nonpublic schools to participate, too. Senate Democrats worked across the aisle to get the job done and deliver another responsible budget that boosts public education, invests in our aging roads, and protects access to health care, all while mitigating the worst effects of the devastating federal cuts," Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, said in a news release. The spending plans for general government and school aid were approved with unanimous bipartisan votes in conference committees charged with resolving differences between the House and Senate. They then received strong bipartisan votes in the House and Senate on Oct. 2 and Oct. 3. But questions lingered on the morning of Oct. 3, amid a marathon legislative session, about the fate of a controversial proposed 24% wholesale tax on marijuana, which is a key element of the road funding plan reached between Whitmer and lawmakers from both parties. But the measure, House Bill 4951, passed in a narrow vote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: Free lunches, record per-pupil funding: What made Michigan's proposed education budget Sen. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, who opposes the tax, said its passage is good news for illegal drug dealers, who he said will see their business increase. "This is going to drive Michigan customers out of the legal market," Irwin told the Senate. "Local governments will lose revenue and gain blight and crime." But Sen. Ed McBroom, R-Vulcan, said in the Senate he supports the tax and takes the opposite view about its effects. "I have communities in the U.P. (Upper Peninsula) that are overrun with stores, overrun with dispensaries," McBroom said. "We have an industry that is out of control (and) too large," and possibly the tax will result in "some right-sizing," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hours earlier, state Rep. Alabas Farhat, D-Dearborn, who served on the conference committee that sent the spending plan to the floor, kicked off a House vote on the general government budget with a bit of levity and a victory all lawmakers could celebrate. Among other things, the Detroit Tigers won today, he said Oct. 2. He celebrated the spending plan, including tax cuts, road funding and social safety net programs. He said that it also provided proof that Democrats and Republicans can come together. While the budget is not perfect, he said, it is what we were sent here to do. House Appropriations Committee Chair state Rep. Ann Bollin, R-Brighton Township, followed Farhat to say that the budget process reflected a different approach that included greater transparency and going through each spending item line by line, with the intent of rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse.. We put principles and people first, Bollin said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The budget bill passed the House 101-8 on Oct. 2 and moved on to the Senate. The Senate, shortly after 1 a.m. on Oct. 3, approved both the general government budget and the education budget in 31-5 votes, with five Republican senators voting no. The House passed the education budget, with a 104-5 vote, shortly before 2 a.m. on Oct. 3. Those budget bills were sent to Whitmer, who is expected to sign them. The proposed $51.8 billion general government budget finds savings in multiple departments. The comparable total for the 2025 fiscal year was $54.7 billion, according to the House Fiscal Agency. House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, has spoken out strongly against unfilled state government positions, describing them as "ghost employees." But a report from the House Fiscal Agency shows the elimination of about 2,000 unfilled full-time positions, included in the budget plan, does not account for a significant share of the proposed savings. Proposed cuts to gross state agency budgets, which contain federal funding, included $7.6 billion from the Department of Health and Human Services, $690.7 million from the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, and $119.6 million from the Department of Technology, Management and Budget. More: A weed tax to pay for roads? Michigan marijuana industry says it's not that simple. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the brunt of the cuts to the DHHS total appeared to be accounting-related, and DHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel issued a statement praising the budget agreement as one that will allow her department to "continue its vital work of protecting the health, safety and prosperity of Michigan families." The biggest DHHS cut, by far, was just over $6 billion for the Hospital Quality Assurance Assessment Program, which Hall has criticized. The budget moves those mostly federal funds, if received, to a pass-through account where they don't impact the budget total, according to a House Fiscal Agency summary. The proposed budget cuts $500 million from the SOAR (Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve) Fund, which has been the major fund the Whitmer administration has used to pay incentives to attract major industrial developments. The Corrections Department budget increases wages for corrections officers but also makes tens of millions of dollars in cuts by eliminating programs and administrative costs and funding for positions that have not been filled. Programs recommended for elimination include $1.3 million for Goodwill Flip the Script, $2 million for Public Safety Initiative, and $1.5 million for Residential Alternative to Prison. The controversial 24% wholesale tax on marijuana was the major stumbling block to finalizing the budget's projected road funding revenues, as lawmakers held a series of Oct. 2 conclaves inside the Capitol, including meetings with Whitmer inside her ceremonial second-floor office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The proposed marijuana tax is a key plank in a plan to raise more than $1.5 billion extra to fix Michigan roads, and both Whitmer and Hall said there should be no budget without a long-term road funding deal. The Republican-controlled House approved the marijuana tax expected to contribute $420 million annually to the road funding plan on Sept. 25, in a 78-21 bipartisan vote. But opposition then mounted. Hundreds of opponents of the tax demonstrated at the Capitol on Sept. 30. Demonstrators returned Oct. 2, forming a ring in the second-floor rotunda area, beneath the Capitol dome, and chanting, "Save our jobs; no new tax." Hall told reporters Oct. 2 that Brinks promised him her chamber would pass the marijuana tax. If that didn't happen, state government would shut down, Hall said. Still, the two main budget bills easily passed both chambers and were sent to the governor before the Senate took up the marijuana tax legislation, taking the bite out of Hall's threat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State Sen. Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit, exited the governors office at about 6 p.m. Oct. 2 and said she remained undecided about voting for the marijuana tax, and had put forward proposals to change it. Im not necessarily a no. I havent decided yet, Chang told reporters. Im trying to get people to think creatively, she said. State Sen. Rosemary Bayer, D-West Bloomfield, was another holdout ahead of eventual approval of the tax. Im undecided, Bayer told reporters after meeting with the governor. Im concerned that people will turn to the black market," and that could result in those who can't afford to pay more as a result of the tax consuming an unsafe product, she said. But Bayer didnt necessarily anticipate major changes to the budget framework, saying it was mostly process-related matters holding up the bills. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both Chang and Bayer ultimately voted in favor of the marijuana tax. State Sen. Jim Runestad, R-White Lake, had said he was a firm no on the marijuana tax and Sen. Jon Bumstead, R-North Muskegon, had expressed serious reservations. Irwin scoffed at Halls prediction that failing to pass the marijuana bill would prompt a government shutdown. Speaker Hall will continue to threaten to shut down state government to get the maximum leverage out of this process, and hell say whatever he needs to say to maximize that leverage, Irwin told reporters. State Rep. Matt Maddock, R-Milford, who serves as the majority vice chair of the House Appropriations Committee, said he supports the marijuana tax. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I like getting wins for everyone in Michigan and having a budget thats overall less spending, and has a lot of great things in it, is good for everyone, he told reporters. Maddock said that although he generally opposes tax increases, Michigan has divided government, which requires lawmakers to compromise. Voting yes on the marijuana tax were Sens.: Sarah Anthony, D-Lansing; Bayer; Brinks; Darrin Camilleri, D-Trenton; Mary Cavanagh, D-Redford Township; Chang; John Cherry, D-Flint; Kevin Daley, R-Lum; Erika Geiss, D-Taylor; Veronica Klinefelt, D-Eastpointe; Dan Lauwers, R-Brockway; McBroom; Sean McCann, D-Kalamazoo; Mallory McMorrow, D-Royal Oak; Jeremy Moss, D-Southfield; Dayna Polehanki, D-Livonia; Sam Singh, D-East Lansing; Roger Victory, R-Georgetown Township; and Paul Wojno, D-Warren. Voting no on the marijuana tax were Sens.: Thomas Albert, R-Lowell; Joseph Bellino, R-Monroe; Jon Bumstead, R-North Muskegon; John Damoose, R-Harbor Springs; Roger Hauck, R-Mount Pleasant; Kevin Hertel, D-St. Clair Shores; Michele Hoitenga, R-Manton; Mark Huizenga, R-Walker; Irwin; Ruth Johnson, R-Groveland Township; Jonathan Lindsey, R-Coldwater; Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township, who is the Senate Minority Leader; Runestad; Sylvia Santana, D-Detroit; Sue Shink, D-Northfield Township; Lana Theis, R-Brighton, and Michael Webber, R-Rochester Hills. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Senate passed another key piece of the road funding plan, House Bill 4961, in a 22-14 vote on Oct. 3. The measure, earlier passed by the House Sept. 25, would direct a share of Michigan's corporate income tax revenue to roads, in the following amounts: up to $688 million in 2026; up to $776 million in 2027; up to $864 million in 2028; up to $952 million in 2029; and just over $1 billion a year every year thereafter, according to a House Fiscal Agency summary. The same bill has tax breaks for overtime, tips, and Social Security income, which mirror recent changes at the federal level and were pushed for by Hall. The Senate also passed, by wide margins, legislation already passed by the House that will remove the 6% sales tax from fuel sales and raise the fuel tax by 20 cents per gallon, leaving the price motorists pay at the pump about the same. The measure has been long sought to ensure that every penny of tax paid at the pump goes toward road and bridge improvements. Lawmakers have promised that schools and local governments, which receive a large share of the sales tax revenue the state collects, will be held harmless by the shift. Irwin told the Senate that although the fuel bills have been described as revenue neutral, the state is actually projected to raise an extra $8.3 million from the change, through higher fees charged to owners of electric vehicles and plug-ins. As detailed in a House Fiscal Agency report, the increase in the fuel tax will trigger higher annual fees of $100 for EVs and $50 for plug-ins, Irwin said. That's because one of the three registration-related annual fees that owners of those vehicles pay is tied to the price of fuel. Lawmakers, after first missing a self-imposed July 1 deadline to pass a budget for 2026, on Sept. 30 missed a more critical deadline by failing to pass a budget before the Oct. 1 start of the new fiscal year. However, early in the morning of Oct. 1, lawmakers passed a nearly $1.6 billion continuation budget to fund the state until Oct. 8, and Whitmer quickly signed it into law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This story was updated to add new information. Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lawmakers approve 2026 budget, including 24% marijuana tax NEWTON COUNTY, Ark. Deputies in Newton County said a man who was found dead near a campsite in north Arkansas may have been killed in a bear attack. According to the Newton County Sheriffs Office, deputies said they received a call Thursday to do a welfare check on a man who had been camped at a campground at Sams Throne near the town of Mt. Judea. Residents report bear sightings in west Little Rock Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After arriving, deputies said the man wasnt in his camp, but there was evidence of a struggle and injury at the site. Deputies said there were also drag marks leading from the campground into the woods. During a search, deputies said they found the camper dead several yards outside the campsite, and his body had injuries that could have been from a bear attack, deputies said. Authorities said the camper was a 60-year-old man from Missouri. Investigators said they received information that the victim had sent pictures of a bear in his camp earlier that week. WATCH: Black bear follows elderly woman through her neighborhood Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Deputies said it cannot be confirmed that the victim was killed by a bear until the Arkansas Crime Lab completes an autopsy. We know without a doubt that a bear was in camp with our victim and the injuries absolutely are consistent with a bear attack, deputies said. This is a highly unusual case. Deputies said they are working alongside the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission to locate the bear. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK. The Mississippi Department of Public Safety has begun reviewing police operations in Moss Point following the resignations of Police Chief Brandon Ashley and most of the citys sworn officers. Mayor Billy Knight requested the assessment from Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell, asking for recommendations on how to strengthen the department and improve public safety. Josh Bromen, director of the MDPS Office of Public Safety and Planning, is leading the review this week, Tindell said. His work has included interviews with Ashley and the remaining officers, including five scheduled to leave at the end of the day on Friday. The review also covers investigative files and other department operations. Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell speaks to the press during a press conference on drug crime at Mississippi Bureau of Investigation offices in Biloxi on Wednesday, May 11, 2022. Tindell supports a bill that would limit the publics right to record police interactions in the state. Bystanders would have to stand at least 15 feet away to record. Im sure Director Bromen is meeting with them to see what they could do to meet accreditation standards and improve the efficiency of the Police Department, Tindell said Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Once the review is complete, Bromen will submit a list of recommendations to the mayor. When asked if those recommendations could include a partnership with the Jackson County Sheriffs Department to police Moss Point, Tindell said that was not requested as part of the evaluation. Still, he said that option could be considered. I think it could be considered and should be evaluated, but that is really up to the cities to make that decision, Tindell said. I believe, if done properly with a good working relationship and appropriate resources, it could work perfectly. Moss Point Police Officer Tyrone Baker, Sgt. Kimberly Snowden and Police Chief Brandon Ashley are pictured here after the city passed a proclamation honoring law enforcement officers who lost their lives in the line of duty as part of National Police Week. All three are leaving the Police Department City advertises for new chief So far, the city has not expressed interest in such a paid partnership. Instead, it began advertising this week for a new police chief, offering a salary range of $65,000 to $80,412. The position will not include civil service protection. In the meantime, officials voted on Tuesday night to appoint Dennis Stevenson, a retired Mississippi state trooper and current pastor of New Faith Missionary Baptist Church in Moss Point. Stevenson began his career at the Biloxi Police Department, where he served for four years before joining the MDPS, retiring in 2024 after 27 years of service as a state trooper.. Dennis Stevenson, the new interim police chief in Moss Point The city also interviewed former Police Chief Art McClung for the interim position, but selected Stevenson in a 6-1 vote, with Alderman Darius Wilson abstaining. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Former Police Chief Calvin Hutchins, now a constable and local minister, attended the meeting to find who the city would consider for the interim chiefs position. This is an important position to hold within the city, and as a constable who has worked closely with the local chiefs and the sheriff, I wanted to make sure that I continue to work closely with whoever was selected for the betterment of the city. Now that a decision has been made I will offer my support to assist him with any concerns or questions he may have. City officials hope to have a new police chief hired within 30 to 45 days, Knight said in an address to the city and in a letter sent to city employees Thursday. Former Moss Point Police Chief Art McClung Ashleys resignation came in the aftermath of his unpaid five-day suspension for failing to report to inform city officials about the arrest of former Police K-9 Officer Craig Chandler on a charge of misdemeanor domestic violence. Chandler has since been convicted of the offense. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ashley successfully appealed his unpaid suspension to the Civil Service Commission, but dropped the appeal when the city agreed to reinstate his pay and remove the suspension from his record. Ashleys last day on the job is Friday. Selecting interim chief At Mondays Board of Aldermen meeting, Knight said three men had expressed interest in the interim role and that the city hoped to have someone in place by Thursday. The Board is scheduled to meet again Thursday. Once an interim chief is appointed, the mayor said that person will meet with Sheriff John Ledbetter to determine the citys temporary needs so that they can be covered. Moss Point Mayor Billy Knight stands on the second floor balcony of City Hall on Wednesday, June 28, 2023. Knight, always a sharp dresser, is known for his leadership skills and decades of public service in the city and Jackson County. In the address on Wednesday evening, Knight stated that state police and Ledbetter have assured him that they will deploy officers to help patrol the streets in the interim. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That enforcement, he said, will include state police saturating the city to help us with our drug issues. Ledbetter told the Sun Herald he is already making arrangements within the Sheriffs Department to cover calls for service in the city of Moss Point. But we are still planning based on whatever decision is made in Moss Point, he said. We have to move some personnel out of other positions in a way that does not hurt enforcement in the rest of the county to make sure calls are answered in the city of Moss Point, Ledbetter said. Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter speaks during a candidates forum at the Mary C OKeefe Cultural Arts Center in Ocean Springs on Monday, July 31, 2023. Police chief turnover in Moss Point Until Ashley took over, Moss Point has grappled with finding police chiefs whose tenure lasted more than a few years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since 2000, the city of Moss Point has had 8 police chiefs. Those include: 2000-2002 -- Butch Gager (resigned) 2002-2005 -- Michael Ricks (resigned) 2005-2007-- Demetrius Drakeford (resigned) 2008 - 2011 - Sheila Smallman (fired) 2011-2014 -- Keith Davis (resigned) 2014-2016 -- Art McClung (fired) 2017 -2018 - Calvin Hutchins (resigned) 2018 - present - Brandon Ashley (resigned) Six of the eight Moss Point police chiefs since 2000, from left to right; Michael Ricks, Demetrius Drakeford, Sheila Smallman, Keith Davis, Art McClung and Calvin Hutchins. A look at police salaries over the years Before Ashley was hired as police chief, the Sun Herald filed a public records request for a list of salaries for Moss Point police chiefs dating back to 2008. Heres the list: Sheila Smallman - $55,702 (June 24, 2008 to March 2, 2011). City officials fired Smallman in 2011 after city leaders said they lost confidence in her abilities as police chief. Keith Davis - $60,000 to $69,999 (May 16, 2011 to June 27, 2014). Davis left because of a deteriorating relationship with former mayor Billy Broomfield. He is now head of security at Ingalls Shipbuilding. Arthur Art McClung - $72,827 (Jan. 6, 2015 to Sept. 13, 2016). McClung was fired after the Sun Herald revealed how he was stopped by Pascagoula police in 2016 for driving 109 mph after having at least three vodkas. The Sun Herald obtained dash-cam footage from two Pascagoula police patrol cars to expose the incident that had otherwise gone unreported. Calvin Hutchins - $69,999 (March 27, 2017 to Feb. 9, 2018). Hutchins, a veteran Pascagoula police officer, served as police chief until he left to serve as head of the police force in the Pascagoula-Gautier School District. He is also a constable. Brandon Ashley- $80,000 at the time of his resignation Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moss Point PD to lose chief, more than half its officers. Heres why, and whats next Moss Point scrambling for police help after wave of officer resignations Judge calls facts in ex-officers domestic assault disturbing, then finds him guilty The entrance to Montana State University Billings (Photo by Darrell Ehrlick of the Daily Montanan). Students at Montana State University-Billings say their academic careers and, in some cases, their lives, were upended when the administration abruptly put two longtime, tenured professors on indefinite leave on the first day of class. The Daily Montanan learned that they were placed on the leave just hours after they submitted concerns about an academic program meant to give state prison inmates the chance to earn a college degree. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At least four faculty members who spoke to the Daily Montanan said they were threatened by the administration not to say anything or risk losing their jobs, but all confirmed Joshua Hill, a professor of economics, and Jennifer Scroggins, who teaches criminal justice, were suspended by Academic Affairs Vice Chancellor Lee Vartanian on the first day of class, Sept.3. Both Hill and Scroggins were scheduled to teach a full-time load of courses. Their suspension leaves potentially hundreds of students facing academic uncertainty, and students said the administration has let them fall through cracks and could force some to pay for an extra semester of school to graduate. Moreover, Scroggins was a part of new masters level criminal justice program that leaned heavily upon her ability to teach research techniques. She is just one of three professors listed as instructors for that program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A spokesman for the university confirmed both are on leave. However, no other details surrounding their absence was released, including how many students were enrolled in their courses and what alternatives the university offered. Union officials at the local level said they couldnt comment on the situation, and the Montana Federation of Public Employees, the union that represents faculty at MSU-B and statewide, declined several opportunities to comment. Faculty told the Daily Montanan they believe the two were sacked even if temporarily because they dared raise concerns about the prison education program, including that it benefits MSU-B with cash from Pell grants, but doesnt deliver marketable degrees for prisoners and leaves some financially worse off. Two faculty members said problems with the program have been an ongoing issue between administrators who support the program and the faculty who teach in it. Furthermore, they said that during a Faculty Senate retreat before the start of this semester, faculty brought the subject up with Vartanian, who himself has only been the universitys provost since July 1, after moving from out-of-state. Students speak out A handful of students spoke to the Daily Montanan about the impact Hill had on their lives. Several told a similar story: Needing an economics course to complete a business degree and becoming nearly instantly hooked on the subject because of his style and passion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I know this sounds impossible, but he can teach an economics course without numbers, said student Jeremiah Woods, a military veteran who said hes taken every one of Hills courses. He said that it was because of Hills mentorship and inspiration that Woods wants to go onto graduate school in economics and teach in a similar manner connecting history, politics and deep theory to analyze the world. He doesnt give you answers, he gives you tools, Woods said. He and other students described the difficulties they face now that the professors are not teaching: Different courses are needed to graduate and some have to be taken in sequence. When Hill and Scroggins were suspended, the university suggested the students find other courses but those may not fit the requirements, and for students looking to graduate school the alternatives MSU-B offers may not fit the bill. Students who spoke to the Daily Montanan showed emails from administrators suggesting the students find a course, but didnt say whether those courses fit the students degree programs. Students speaking to the Daily Montanan also say the universitys response has been unacceptable and insulting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Students report that on the first day of class, they were left sitting in classrooms without a professor. In a couple of cases, a professor or department chairperson passed out a syllabus and said that the weeks classes for that course would be cancelled, leaving the students with questions they said went unanswered. In other cases, they were told that they needed to find alternative courses, but several students also pointed out that courses like macroeconomics and microeconomics are required for a degree program in business. I knew something was off the first day of class, said senior Matthew Heimbichner. He had taken other classes from Hill. He was always there at least 10 minutes early. I knew something was up. Dr. (Paul) Pope, the department chairman, showed up and handed out the syllabus. He didnt say anything except that the classes were cancelled for the week, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heimbichner said he worried that it was a health issue or a car accident. Some students were urged to contact their academic advisors, but that proved difficult, too, because students said that many faculty advisors were left stunned by the move and unable to tell if other courses would qualify for the degree program. Students who had either Hill or Scroggins as advisors were not notified that they had been suspended, leaving them in a lurch. Heimbichner said that he was concerned also because the GI Bill, which helps pay for college, requires a minimum number of credits. I was worried about my living stipend, Heimbichner said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said Hill was a stand-out professor, not just because of what he taught, but how he taught. With some of the other professors, I could make it through without much reading. But I had been deployed twice and have had to go to school. Some of the courses didnt feel like they were teaching grown-ups. But I knew from the first day the first quiz that I was going to have to really apply myself, Heimbichner said. The students said the difference was noticeable nearly from the first word Hill spoke: He handed them the syllabus, telling them they were all adults who could read. He said he was there to teach. For me, he was not there to force us to think like he does, Heimbichner said. He told us hes not creating students, hes creating peers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For example, the final project in Heimbichners class was analyzing economically what Irans next move would be after a brief war with Israel, something he said was really helpful as he hopes to become part of the State Department in the future. I now feel like I have been robbed, he said. Two students contacted by the Daily Montanan said they went to the provosts office wanting to speak about the situation, only to be cut off by the administrative assistant who told both that Vartanian would not speak to students about the matter, advising them instead to go to the Dean of the College of Business, a college that does not have oversight of either Hill or Scroggins. Students have also taken their concerns to the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education, the administrative umbrella for all public universities and colleges in Montana. They said theyve been rebuffed by the office, which has sent them back to the same closed-lipped administrators in Billings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Woods reached out to Todd Buchanan, who serves on the Montana Board of Regents, and is from Billings. Woods said he was disappointed by Buchanans response, and doubted if the regent had done much inquiry into the situation. We are proud of how MSU-Billings faculty and administration have worked hard to make accommodations to affected students related to the schedule change, and we trust they will continue to do so. I am sorry to hear that your fall schedule has been impacted, (and) we are all hopeful that MSU-Billings will continue to work to make these necessary classes available as soon as possible. We appreciate your concern for the impact of this change on schedules and MSU-Billings students, Buchanan wrote in an email to Woods. One student, who spoke to the Daily Montanan on condition of anonymity because she fears the administration will not approve course changes to her schedule if she speaks publicly, said that because MSU-Bs program is more limited than other larger universities, she needed publication credits for graduate school, something she and Hill were working on collaboratively. I think the new provost wanted to show all the faculty who is boss, and it backfired, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When she went to speak to Vartanian, his executive assistant told her this is not a student matter, something she balked at because it affects so many students. A group of nearly a dozen students, including some interviewed for this article, have banded together, collecting examples of poor work by other MSU-B professors in order to show administrators that they appear to only target some faculty, while letting others slide. All of the students who were interviewed by the Daily Montanan said theyre concerned that they may have to stay enrolled for additional semesters because of the interruption, something they said no faculty or administrator has addressed. At least give us a seat at the table. (Id ask) why are you wasting our money and our time? she said. It makes me think this has to be a really stupid reason because theyre not saying anything. If they had the goods, theyd say it. If its that big of deal, we should be aware of it because it means its an insane reason. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The students, many of them nontraditional, including Woods and Heimbichner, said theyve served the country and have been in the military. They say theyre adults being treated like children. Woods was with Hill when the professor got the message he was being suspended. Woods said that they were meeting about research and study projects and Hills phone blew up. Finally, after the messages could not be ignored, he excused himself. But the example stayed with Woods: He prioritized a student above himself. The former U.S. Marine Corps member described Hills influence as amazing and said hes taken every class Hill teaches. Woods wants to go onto graduate school so he, too, could teach economics. When he teaches, it means hell meet me as much as I can invest, Woods said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Woods said he has now read nearly a dozen books on Afghanistan, pursuing answers to why the warn-torn country remains so poor. Ive done more reading and writing in his classes than in classes that require much more reading and writing, Woods said. When he emailed the dean of the college with his concerns about completing his degree Hill taught two of the three remaining courses he needs for graduation he was told to contact the department chair. But there is no economics professor and economics is what I need, Woods said. He said hes also helped a number of international students who study at MSU-B, in part because of a robust business program. He wonders what those students relay back to their home countries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For me, theres a lost opportunity cost, Woods said. If I have to spend another semester, thats what? $8,000? $9,000? And then theres the cost of the money I could have been making. All students the Daily Montanan spoke with were also aware of a re-accreditation for the business program this semester. Theyre concerned that the administration will try to sweep the situation under the rug, while still not explaining to them how the university can award degrees in criminal justice or business without the right course offerings or faculty. The Daily Montanan asked university officials for the number of students enrolled in the courses that Scroggins and Hill were scheduled to teach, and what substitutions were made for those classes. A spokesman for the university didnt provide a headcount, but forwarded a course catalog for the Fall 2025 semester. However, a check of those offerings show that Hill and Scroggins had been removed from the catalog. Moreover, a check of the MSU-B faculty website shows that the courses they had offered had also been removed, while other faculty members have theirs currently shown. Scroggins was nominated for a faculty teaching award in 2023. Hill has won the faculty teaching award as well as an award for promoting international student success. Termination process at MSU-B The faculty manual and union contract for the professors lays out the reasons for a suspension and termination, plus a process for union grievances. Suspension is appropriate only when immediate harm to the faculty member or others is threatened by his/her continuance. Salary will continue during the period of suspension, according to section 15.120 of the union contract. Faculty members who spoke to the Daily Montanan said theyve been told that speaking about the situation could result in disciplinary action, but theyve confirmed that the administration has said it intends to terminate both of them, but has so far not given a reason in writing. They believe that concerns and complaints raised with the state Department of Corrections by Hill and Scroggins could jeopardize funding for the university, and believe theyre being retaliated against for whistleblowing. The union contract, though, warns against using the termination process as retaliation. Terminations will not be employed as a punitive measure or to punish faculty members for the exercise of their right to academic freedom or constitutionally guaranteed civil rights, the contract states. The contract also outlines the legal reasons for termination at the university those include, a felony conviction, failure to carry out the duties of teaching, fraud or misrepresentation, or endangering students. While the collective bargaining agreement does not specifically mention whistleblowing the act of reporting problems, fraud, abuse, waste or violations of law in its contract, the Montana State system encourages employees and faculty to make good faith reports of problems and concerns, and offers protections from retaliation. Montana State University is a subordinate campus of Bozeman, which is also a part of the Montana University System. The policy says the university will protect employees who report concerns, violations or problems. (This policy) protects individuals from reprisal by adverse employment action or other retaliation as a result of having reported suspected legal, regulatory or policy violations, it said. Meanwhile, the students say theyve provided numerous examples of other faculty at the university who often did not show up for class or carry out assigned duties, none of whom appeared to be disciplined in accordance with the contract. They say the administration is guilty of picking and choosing which faculty to target or discipline. Prison programs The Daily Montanan contacted the Office of Commissioner of Higher Education (OCHE) and it responded that all personnel matters are handled at the campus level, in this case, Billings. It referred all questions to the regents and the commissioner back to Billings. Faculty members say theyre disappointed in Chancellor Stefani Hicswas leadership because she appears to have either pushed away from situation or left it in the hands of Vartanian, who had only been in leadership since July 1. Galen Hollenbaugh, the deputy commissioner for government relations and communications for OCHE, said that the prison program, formerly known as the Second Chance Pell Grant program, is now called the Prison Education Program, and that MSU-B is one of several campuses that hosts programming through its faculty. In MSU-Bs case, it appears the program is administrated by the College of Liberal Arts, the one to which Hill and Scroggins belong. Hollenbaugh said the programs have been running in Montana since 2022, and the U.S. Department of Education approves the program which then enables prisoners to receive Pell Grants. However, it was exactly concerns about the program that appear to have caused Hill and Scroggins, both instructors in the program, to submit complaints to the Montana Department of Corrections, which also has to sign off on the programming. Faculty members, including some who are members of the Faculty Senate, said that Hill and Scroggins had previously been involved in discussions with the administration and College of Liberal Arts Dean Tami Haaland about those concerns, including raising them at a gathering between administration and the faculty before the beginning of the school year. Among the concerns were whether the program provides prisoners with a marketable degree. The faculty say the format and the restrictions imposed by the Department of Corrections makes teaching a course nearly impossible, and it appears to be designed so that the prisoners will not be able to graduate. Faculty said that while MSU-B gets the cash from the Pell grants, students often dont earn a degree and burn through their Pell eligibility, meaning if they want to enroll in another program, especially after their prison sentence, they are ineligible and left in a worse financial position. Hollenbaugh said the OCHE has not received any complaints about the prison program to its offices. FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) Many police departments host National Night Out in August and October but what is it? What is National Night Out? National Night Out (NNO) is an annual community-building campaign by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW) that aims to promote partnerships between law enforcement and neighborhoods. According to the NNO website, the initiative involves events such as block parties, festivals, parades, cookouts, safety demonstrations, youth programs and visits from emergency personnel. When and where does it take place? National Night Out is held on the first Tuesday in August in most locations. Some areas, including Texas and parts of Arkansas, observe it on the first Tuesday in October (Oct. 7, 2025). The campaign includes participants across all 50 states, U.S. territories, and military bases. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It now involves an estimated 38 million people in roughly 17,000 communities and focuses on fostering connections between law enforcement and residents while promoting neighborhood safety. How does Arkansas participate? In Arkansas, 18 cities participate. These cities are: Activities and features vary by police department, but NNO events often involve free food, K-9 officer demonstrations, touch-a-truck experiences and more. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bentonville police search four businesses in prostitution probe How did National Night Out begin? In 1981, Matt Peskin founded the National Association of Town Watch (NATW) to provide community watch groups with resources and support, according to the NNO website. NATW launched National Night Out in 1984. The first campaign involved about 2.5 million participants across 400 communities in 23 states. More information about NNO is available on the campaigns website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KNWA FOX24. Vladimir Putin hit back at Donald Trumps suggestion that Russia is a paper tiger, claiming it was Nato that had shown weakness since the war in Ukraine broke out. In an unusually long appearance at the Valdai Discussion Group in Sochi, the Russian president warned Europe that Moscow would respond to what he described as the continents militarisation. A combative Putin spent nearly four hours on stage taking questions from journalists. He used the appearance to attack the West over its continued support for Ukraine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Putin even took a jab at his American counterpart. Mr Trump last week dismissed Russia as a paper tiger and urged Kyiv to take back all the territory captured by Russian troops. Putin and Trumps relationship has soured since they shook hands in Alaska in August - Kevin Lamarque/Reuters The Russian leader said: A paper tiger. What follows then? Go and deal with this paper tiger. Well, if we are fighting with the entire Nato bloc, we are moving, advancing, and we feel confident, and we are a paper tiger, then what is Nato itself? Putin also promised a significant response to what he described as Europes militarisation and dismissed the hysteria surrounding recent drone incursions into Nato territory. We are closely monitoring the escalating militarisation of Europe, he said. I think no one doubts that such measures will force Russia to act, and Russias countermeasures will not be long in coming. It seems that the response to these threats will be, to put it mildly, very convincing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On recent drone flights over Nato territory, which Europe has blamed on Russia, Putin said: I just want to say: cool down, sleep calmly, and take care of your own problems. Just take a look at whats happening on the streets of European cities. He then called Sweden and Finlands decision to join Nato stupid. Putin laid responsibility for prolonging the war in Ukraine at the door of Europe, saying a minority of nations were constantly escalating the conflict. He argued that Russia, with its superior military strength, should dictate terms and claimed that his troops were advancing along the entire front line. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to jabbing at Mr Trumps paper tiger comments, Putin also said that any decision by Washington to supply long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine would trigger a whole new level of escalation with the US. It came after JD Vance, the US vice president, said on Sunday that Washington was considering a Ukrainian request for Tomahawks, which many experts believe could allow Kyiv to strike Moscow. Putin said: It is impossible to use Tomahawks without the direct participation of American military personnel. This will mean a completely new, qualitatively new stage of escalation, including in relations between Russia and the United States. b' ' Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But he also seemed to suggest that Mr Trump would not approve such a decision given their recent summit in Alaska, where the two leaders spoke about ending the war in Ukraine and restoring bilateral ties. When asked by a moderator whether he felt like Russias Tsar Alexander I, who negotiated the Congress of Vienna after the French Revolutionary Wars, Putin insisted that he was not an emperor, but an elected official. He said: No, I do not feel like that. Alexander I was an emperor. I am a president elected by the people for a certain term. Many Western observers and politicians have accused Putin of ruling as an autocrat, while Russian opposition figures - most of whom are in exile or dead - say he has turned their country into a corrupt dictatorship. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. NATO needs cheaper air defenses that can be mass-produced, a top commander told Business Insider. His comments came after fighter jets shot down Russian drones that violated NATO airspace. The incident added urgency to a push to field cost-effective defenses. Russia's swelling drone threat has NATO scrambling for new defenses cheaper than missiles and jets and deployable at scale, a top alliance commander told Business Insider. Adm. Pierre Vandier, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, who oversees modernization efforts, said that the alliance is building something like a Walmart of counter-drone capabilities for member states. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of the promising solutions being tested is a new interceptor drone, which costs roughly the same as its Russian target and is less expensive than a missile launched from a fighter jet, he said. "We need to find a mass versus mass solution," Vandier said. "We are working on that, and the goal I've given to my team is a cost-efficient solution in order to match the threat." His comments came just weeks after Russian drones violated Polish airspace during a large-scale attack against Ukraine. Dutch F-35 stealth fighter jets shot down a number of the drones, likely using air-to-air missiles worth several hundred thousand dollars on the low end, significantly more than the target. The early September incident, widely condemned across Europe, immediately raised questions about NATO air defenses and the cost-efficiency of using fighter jets and missiles to shoot down cheap drones worth just tens of thousands of dollars. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It's a problem that Ukraine is facing nightly, with its soldiers tasked to protect cities from swarms of dozens or hundreds of Russian drones. Air defenders rely on truck-mounted machine guns, helicopters, self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, and other tools to blast threats out of the sky. Dutch F-35 stealth fighter jets shot down Russian drones over Poland last month. Dutch Ministry of Defense Vandier described the Russian drone threat as industrial in scale. The country produces around 4,000 a month at its factories, and Western intelligence has warned that Moscow could soon be able to expand its attacks against Ukraine from hundreds of drones a night to thousands. Several European officials said the recent drone incursion into Polish airspace was a test of NATO and a probe of its air defenses. The alliance's existing air defense network is mainly focused on targeting expensive and complex threats, such as fighter aircraft or missiles, not cheap drones. Days after the incursion, NATO allies including Denmark, France, Germany, and the UK committed to sending additional fighters and a warship to participate in a new mission to defend the alliance's eastern edge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Almost immediately after that new Eastern Sentry mission began, fighter jets were scrambled to intercept a Russian drone that had violated Romanian airspace. The responding pilots did not shoot it down, and the drone eventually headed back toward Ukraine. Using a $1 million missile is fine if it's taking down an $80 million jet, Vandier said. But the ability to mass drones in large-scale attacks has created new complications for NATO, as it had done for Ukraine. NATO was already testing solutions to counter threats like Russia's Geran-2, a one-way attack munition used frequently against Ukraine, that can be cheap and mass-produced. The incursions into NATO airspace last month have, however, added a fresh sense of urgency to these efforts. One solution that NATO is eyeing right now is autonomous interceptor drones carrying explosive warheads that can hunt down enemy drones and slam into them. The expectation is for the interceptor drone to cost roughly the same as its target $20,000 to 40,000 and have a one-to-one kill ratio, or one interceptor per target. Interceptor drones, which have gained popularity in Ukraine, are viewed by NATO leadership as a viable, low-cost air defense tool. Les Kasyanov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images Vandier said that the interceptor drones need to be produced in large numbers and quickly. First, though, this tech must endure another round of testing later this month before they are presented to NATO allies. Then, it becomes a question of which countries buy the systems and how many are deployed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Speed is paramount," Vandier said. NATO countries need something that they can field within weeks or months, not years or decades. Developing this tech is not one and done, though. One of the challenges that Ukraine has had to contend with is that drone technology and tactics are constantly adapting. "Drones and software change in a matter of weeks," Vandier said. "That means that you don't have a magic bullet that will work for the next 10 years. That means that you need to constantly update. The enemy is updating." Interceptor drones are not the only solution NATO is looking at; the alliance has also tested radars that can predict trajectories and a wall of small drones to act as a last-resort shield against incoming munitions. And Vandier said directed energy weapons, which use high-power lasers or microwaves, are also under consideration. NATO militaries do have counter-drone capabilities, and a number of them deployed personnel and systems to Denmark ahead of the European summits this week after the country was forced to temporarily close some of its airports due to drone sightings. However, leadership says more solutions are still needed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since the Russian drone incursion into Polish airspace in September, NATO has cast a wider net and expanded its search for more systems. Vandier said the alliance is putting together a "catalogue of solutions" for member states to then browse and purchase for their militaries. "We are building sort of a c-UAS Walmart," he said, using the term for counter-unmanned aerial systems. "Given the rapid evolution of the threat, the more solutions you have, the more resilience you have, because some solutions may be good today and obsolete tomorrow." Read the original article on Business Insider In 2018, my wife and I poured our life savings into opening Matts Local Pharmacy in Middletown. Id previously worked as a pharmacist for a major chain drug store and also worked in a hospital pharmacy but I wanted to own my own pharmacy so I could provide more personalized service to my patients. Ive been able to do just that over the past eight-plus years, but Ive also faced a serious challenge that threatens the very existence of my pharmacy. Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs), who act as middlemen between health plans, pharmaceutical manufacturers and pharmacies, have routinely forced me and other independent pharmacy owners in Rhode Island to accept reimbursement rates below cost for certain prescriptions, a practice that has driven more than a dozen independent pharmacies in Rhode Island out of business over the past 20 years. My fellow independent pharmacy owners and I have been fighting for years in the Rhode Island General Assembly to get relief from these predatory PBM practices, with limited success. Its no surprise, given the reluctance of many lawmakers to challenge one of the largest business units of CVS Health, CVS Caremark. Pharmacist Matthew Olivier at his Middletown location. Thankfully, our Attorney General, Peter Neronha, is not afraid to challenge CVS Caremark and other major PBMs for their unfair trade practices. On May 27, 2025, the Attorney General filed a lawsuit against CVS Caremark, Express Scripts and Optum Rx. The AGs lawsuit references many of the allegations revealed by the Federal Trade Commission in two scathing reports on PBM abuses published last July and this January. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While CVS Caremark requires independent pharmacies like mine to accept reimbursement rates below cost, the FTCs 2024 report highlights that CVS Caremark and the other two major PBMs markup specialty generic drugs by hundreds of percent, sometimes exceeding 1,000%. The report also confirms my personal experience: The Big 3 PBMs reimbursed their affiliated pharmacies at higher rates than unaffiliated pharmacies for nearly all the specialty generic drugs examined. In his lawsuit, the AG alleges that CVS Caremark and the other two PBMs have unfairly and deceptively increasing the costs of prescription drugs, limiting care choices for Rhode Islanders, and harming local businesses. The AGs complaint goes on to allege that the defendant Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) and Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs) deceive consumers by branding themselves as a source of cost-savings when in fact they profit directly from cost increases. Often secretive and unknown to consumers, PBMs and GPOs exploit the complex scheme of pricing and payment for prescription drugs, and they take a cut of ever-increasing drug prices at every step of the way. They may also make decisions about formularies the lists of drugs that are available to plan enrollees that unfairly restrict access to safe and effective medications. In Rhode Islands ongoing battle for PBM reform, a new chapter opened recently when former CVS Health executive Helena Foulkes announced her candidacy again for governor in 2026. Foulkes was a senior executive at CVS Health during the very period the FTC alleges improper behavior by CVS Caremark. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rhode Islanders deserve to know exactly where Foulkes stands on PBM reform and whether she supports the Attorney Generals efforts to hold PBMs accountable. But this fight cannot be won in a court of law alone Congress must also act to bring real transparency and accountability to PBMs nationwide. Thankfully, U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse helped pass a key PBM reform measure, the Modernizing and Ensuring PBM Accountability Act (MEPA), in the Senate Finance Committee, moving Congress a step closer to enacting long-overdue reform. Without federal reform, independent pharmacies like mine and elsewhere will continue paying the price for PBM abuses. Matt Olivier is the owner of Matts Local Pharmacy in Middletown. This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: Neronha lawsuit against CVS can help save Middletown pharmacy: Guest View The Dutch government must re-examine the export of spare parts for F-35 fighter jets to Israel following a ruling by the Netherlands' highest court on Friday. The export ban imposed last year remains in force for the time being, the High Council in The Hague made clear. In February 2024, a court ruled that exports must be halted because of the risk that Israel would violate international humanitarian law by using them in its military campaign in the Gaza Strip. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The government stopped the exports but lodged an appeal. The High Council has now overturned the ruling from the previous instance, deeming that it is not for a court to decide on an export ban. That is the responsibility of the Minister of Foreign Trade, it said. The minister now has six weeks to review the decision on the export of military equipment. International law must be taken into account, according to the ruling. If it is determined "that there is a clear risk that the goods to be exported will be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law," the ruling states that approval may not be granted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Human rights and peace organizations had filed a lawsuit against the export to Israel of spare parts for the F-35. The US manufacturer of the fighter jets has its European parts warehouse in the Netherlands. Israel is also supplied from here. There are steps marketplace shoppers can take to ensure they make the right choices for the upcoming plan year. (Nevada Health Link video screengrab) Nevadans who get insurance through Nevada Health Link, the states Affordable Care Act marketplace, are facing premium rate hikes of 26%, the state Division of Insurance confirmed to the Nevada Current. The average approved rate increase of 26% is significantly higher than the 17.5% average proposed increase announced by the Nevada Division of Insurance in late July. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The July estimate was based on preliminary filings, according to the division, and has been adjusted upward by carriers because of rising medical costs and prescription drug spending, increased medical utilization and a less healthy risk pool, Medicaid unwinding and the expiration of enhanced federal premium subsidies. Regulatory changes related to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Marketplace Integrity and Affordability Rule are also driving up premium costs, according to the division. Among several revisions in the rule is one addressing how premiums are adjusted, which is expected to raise the costs of not only premiums but also out-of-pocket costs. These factors are not unique to Nevada, a spokesperson for the division noted, similar increases are being reported nationwide. For most ACA enrollees, the overall premium rate hike will be compounded by the loss of enhanced federal subsidies that brought down their out-of-pocket premium costs. These subsidies, according to health policy analysts at KFF, increased the amount of assistance received by enrollees already receiving subsidies and qualified middle-income people for tax credits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The enhanced federal subsidies expire at the end this year and are a key sticking point in a political showdown between Republicans and Democrats that has resulted in a federal government shutdown. KFF estimates the vast majority of ACA enrollees nationwide receive the advanced premium tax credit. Nevada Health Link has said that 9 out of 10 enrollees receive a federal subsidy that brings down the cost of their premium. Approximately 110,000 Nevadans get their health insurance through Health Link. Nationally, 24 million people get health insurance through the ACA. Keep Americans Covered, a coalition of health care providers, insurers, and customers, has estimated 85,000 Nevadans will lose the enhanced subsidy. KFF estimates the number higher at 94,500. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nevada Health Link in a statement to the Current acknowledged that health care premiums across the country are rising but added that the cost of going uninsured can be devastating. The statement continued: We encourage Nevadans to come to NevadaHealthLink.com to see your actual price after savings, compare plans from multiple carriers and get free, local help from licensed brokers and navigators; dont assume that there are not affordable options just because the average plan price is increasing. The marketplace includes eight health insurance carriers and 140 qualified health plans, according to a news release from the organization. Thirteen qualified dental plans through four insurance carriers are also offered. The average approved premium increase by carrier was not available on the Nevada Division of Insurances website as of Thursday afternoon. A spokesperson said the division was experiencing a technical malfunction but expected to post the information on Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heath Link will hold more than 20 community events across the state in October where Nevadans can discuss their options. Open enrollment will begin Nov. 1 for coverage beginning Jan. 1. The open enrollment period ends Jan. 15, according to Health Links website. Political battle The federal government shutdown, which began early Wednesday, appears to be a result of a deep divide between Republicans and Democrats on health care policy. Democrats have said Republicans refuse to negotiate on health care, which they have indicated is their priority issue. They have focused on the expiration of ACA premium subsidies. On Tuesday, Republicans introduced a stopgap funding bill that did not include an extension of the premium credits. All but two Democrats (and one Independent who typically votes with Democrats) voted against the bill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto was one of the Democrats to support the bill. (U.S. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the other.) In a statement defending her vote, Cortez Masto said she did not want to hurt federal government employees. We need a bipartisan solution to address this impending health care crisis, but we should not be swapping the pain of one group of Americans for another, she said. U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen, on the Senate floor hours before the federal government shutdown began, took a markedly different stance from her colleague. Nevadans sent me here to fight for them, not to cave and let Washington Republicans take away their ability to go to the doctor and get your medication, she said. Everyone should have access to affordable, quality care. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rosen defended the ACA premium credits. This is not a handout, it isnt welfare, she said. Its just a tax cut that helps lower the cost for nearly 95,000 Nevadans so they can afford to buy an insurance policy. So they can go to the doctor when theyre sick and go to the pharmacy to get their medication for a copay. So they can just afford their insurance U.S. Rep. Susie Lee in press conferences and statements has expressed similar sentiments and emphasized the importance of addressing the issue immediately because of the open enrollment timeline. Meanwhile, the National Republican Congressional Committee is running ads accusing Democrats of shutting down the federal government in order to give illegal immigrants free health care. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for ACA marketplace plans, whether subsidized or not. Similarly, they are not eligible to enroll in Medicaid. Medicaid does reimburse hospitals for some emergency care provided to undocumented immigrants, but that spending is less than 1% of overall Medicaid spending, according to KFF. Emergency services entail care that prevents death, serious harm or disability. Nearly half of states provide prenatal and pregnancy-related care to undocumented immigrants through the Childrens Health Insurance Program, known as CHIP. Nevada is among them. Editors Note: This article has been updated with a statement from Nevada Health Link. LAS VEGAS (KLAS) Federal prosecutors plan to appeal a federal judges disqualification of acting U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah from supervising several criminal prosecutions. The government filed a notice of appeal on Thursday in each of the four criminal cases filed in the District of Nevada. The filing by Adam Flake, appellate division chief and assistant U.S. Attorney, is the latest move in the battle over Chattah holding the position. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement U.S. District Judge David Campbell, based in the District of Arizona, issued his order disqualifying Chattah on Tuesday after federal public defenders argued she is improperly serving in her role. FILE Attorney Sigal Chattah appears in court in Las Vegas, March 4, 2024. (Wade Vandervort/Las Vegas Sun via AP, File) Given the courts conclusion that Ms. Chattah is not validly serving as Acting U.S. Attorney, her involvement in these cases would be unlawful, Campbell wrote in his order. Campbell did not dismiss the criminal cases, but he is requiring federal prosecutors to file statements that they are not being supervised by Chattah in their prosecution of the cases. The order pertains to four cases in which each of the four defendants were indicted for felony offenses in the District of Nevada. Campbells order opens the door for other criminal defense attorneys to file similar motions challenging Chattahs authority and the work of federal prosecutors in her office. In March, President Donald Trump appointed Chattah as the interim U.S. attorney for the District of Nevada. She resigned from that position before the 120-day deadline expired. This triggered the Federal Vacancy Act, which allowed the president to appoint Chattah to the new position and remain in the office, she told 8 News Now in an earlier interview. In late July, the Trump administration appointed Chattah to the role on an acting basis, which the filing from federal prosecutors alleges was unlawful. Chattah is a former Republican National Committee woman, made an unsuccessful run for Nevada Attorney General, and has made headlines for controversial statements she has made. Presidents appoint U.S. attorneys for each district, which the U.S. Senate confirms. Following the 120-day interim period, judges in the district can appoint an interim attorney until a Senate appointment, according to the public defenders. Because Ms. Chattahs period as interim U.S. Attorney has expired, the judges of this district should exercise their authority to appoint a new interim U.S. attorney, their filing said. In two interviews with the 8 News Now Investigators, Chattah defended her position and appointment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You know, a lot of these people, I know that theyre scared because I know where a lot of the bodies are buried because I come from the defense world, Chattah told 8 News Now Investigator Vanessa Murphy in early August. Without saying too much about my previous experience as a defense attorney, but when you played that side, you know where all the bodies are buried. Sometimes we even choose the location to bury them. The challenges in Nevada followed two others involving appointments in New Jersey and California. I took that opportunity. Its not unconstitutional, Chattah said in August. It was not done in a nefarious manner, and theres nothing that politicians can do about it. Nevadas two U.S. senators, Democrats Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen, have been vocal against Chattahs appointment. Last month, Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson called Chattah unfit to serve. Chattah declined to comment Tuesday. The 8 News Now Investigators also reached out on Wednesday morning. To reach investigative reporter Vanessa Murphy, email vmurphy@8newsnow.com. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS. This story was originally published on Higher Ed Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Higher Ed Dive newsletter. Dive Brief: California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday threatened to pull state funding from colleges that signed a proposed compact from the Trump administration seeking to impose sweeping policy changes in return for priority in research funding. If any California university signs this radical agreement, theyll lose billions in state funding, Newsom said in a statement. California will not bankroll schools that sell out their students, professors, researchers, and surrender academic freedom. First reported by the Wall Street Journal, federal officials offered the compact to the University of Southern California and eight other high-profile research universities this week. Dive Insight: Since taking office, President Donald Trump and his administration have waged a legal and financial campaign against colleges in an effort to transform them ideologically. It comes after Trump on the campaign trail described colleges as dominated by Marxist maniacs and lunatics and full of academics obsessed with indoctrinating America's youth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With the compact, the administration has gone from using mainly sticks typically in the form of civil rights investigations and canceled research grants to using carrots as a means of pushing institutions to make reforms. The Trump administration offered to prioritize colleges for research grants and other funding if they agree to give the government unprecedented control over internal institutional decisions and governance. That includes: Taking a position of institutional neutrality on events that don't directly impact the college. Committing not to consider race, gender, religion and other characteristics explicitly or implicitly in admissions. (The compact would grant exceptions for religious and single-sex institutions to limit admissions based on religious belief and gender, respectively.) Conducting broad, public assessments of the viewpoints of employees and students. Changing governance structures and potentially dissolving or taking over departments that purposefully punish, belittle, and even spark violence against conservative ideas. Adopting policies that recognize "academic freedom is not absolute and prevent discriminatory, threatening, harassing, or other behaviors that abridge the rights of other members of the university community. Capping international undergraduate enrollment at 15% of the broader student body while screening out students who demonstrate hostility to the United States, its allies, or its values. Freezing tuition for five years. Requiring applicants to take standardized tests such as the SAT. Committing to using lawful force and swift, serious, and consistent sanctions to handle protests that delay or disrupt class instruction or disrupt libraries or other traditional study locations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The compact would also require colleges with endowments worth $2 million or more per student to waive tuition for students studying hard sciences, though the memo didnt define the field. Along with USC, eight other colleges received the administrations memo detailing the compact: the University of Arizona, Brown University, Dartmouth College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Texas, Vanderbilt University and the University of Virginia. The compact has drawn alarm and stern rebukes throughout the higher education world. College and university presidents cannot bargain with the essential freedom of colleges and universities to determine, on academic grounds, whom to admit and what is taught, how, and by whom, the American Association of Colleges and Universities said in a statement Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Denise Forte, president and CEO of the policy analysis and advocacy organization EdTrust, described the compact in a statement as an existential threat to all institutions of higher learning and the latest example of the federal government overexerting its power to intimidate colleges and universities viewed as ideological enemies. In a joint statement Thursday, top leaders of the American Association of University Professors and the American Federation of Teachers described the compact as offering preferential treatment "in exchange for allegiance to a partisan ideological agenda" and said that it stinks of favoritism, patronage, and bribery. They urged all governing boards and administrators to reject the agreement. American Council on Education President Ted Mitchell in an interview with The New York Times described the compact as a power play designed to divide the higher education community. And then there is Newsom, who has been among the most vocal Democrats opposing Trump, especially since the president sent the National Guard into Los Angeles this summer, a move that a judge later ruled illegal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a press release, Newsoms office described the compact as tying access to federal research funding to radical conservative ideological restrictions on colleges and universities. The governor also specifically threatened to instantly" pull colleges eligibility for Cal Grants, a form of state aid for students from low- and middle-income families. USC on Friday confirmed it had received and was reviewing the administration's letter, but the university did not offer further comment. Most of those institutions have remained quiet about their plans, if any, to sign or reject the agreement. A leader from one, however, voiced enthusiastic openness to the compact. In a widely shared statement, Kevin Eltife, chair of the University of Texas Board of Regents, said that the system was honored that its flagship in Austin was selected among the nine to receive the compact. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We enthusiastically look forward to engaging with university officials and reviewing the compact immediately, said Eltife, a former Republican state senator. Recommended Reading After the world was struck by the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in the heart of Utahs Happy Valley, the states governor told the nation to go touch grass. His point was that what you experience online is not reality. What makes Kirks murder different from the political assassinations of the 1960s is that within seconds of it taking place, millions around the world were able to watch the gruesome scene on social media. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Over and over and over if they wanted. Yes, it was real that Kirk was murdered, but what Cox emphasized was that viewing it on social media and then casually swiping to the next video is not how humans are meant to process information, especially something this vicious. Social media is a cancer on our society right now, he said. While some information has been released pointing to the motivations behind the alleged killers actions, there is still more to be discovered. Charging documents depict a troubled 22-year-old who believed Kirk was full of hatred and that this was enough to justify ending the young father and husbands life. Charlie Kirk hands out hats before he was shot during Turning Point USAs visit to Utah Valley University in Orem on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News Some hate cant be negotiated out, alleged assassin, Tyler Robinson, texted his roommate, per the documents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Perhaps not a true nihilist a person who believes life is meaningless and holds no foundational principles like religion, family or nationalism but there appears to be an all-consuming nihilistic force in American culture today, one that is being used to justify violence. In the case of Kirk, that violence took place in the presence of children and students at an American university where freedom of expression should be encouraged without fear for ones life. An eerie symbolism given Kirks platform, as arguably one of the most impactful conservative voices for young people, he died doing what he loved: debating with Americas youth on a college campus. Learning about evil before seeing it Until the morning of Sept. 10, I wasnt familiar with the term nihilism. My editor asked that I look into what a Nihilistic Violent Extremist is, a new category of criminal according to the FBI. I sat in the UVU library, waiting for Kirk to appear as part of his The American Comeback Tour," going down a dark rabbit hole of crimes connected to nihilism modern mass shootings, like the recent attack on the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis that killed two children and the 1999 Columbine, Colorado, High School massacre. Allison Hemingway-Witty cries after Charlie Kirk was shot during Turning Point USA's visit to Utah Valley University in Orem on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News In both events, the shooters carried out their attacks and then turned their weapons on themselves, leaving behind either online posts or journal entries that described existence as pointless, society as irredeemable and morality as a sham. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement People like this people who hunger to sow destruction and death form a decentralized network of lone wolves spread across screens and feeds and chat rooms across America," The Free Press writer Peter Savodnik wrote in a piece on nihilism that I read the morning of the shooting. America has a long and torturous history of political violence, Savodnik wrote. But over the past several years, that violence has morphed into a more amorphous nihilism detached from any clearly defined agenda or principle. As I walked to the event, with this evil at the forefront of my mind, I texted my boyfriend, Hopefully no one hates Kirk enough to bring a gun. I sent it, mainly because I had been knee deep in nihilism for two hours, but also because I think I knew deep down that there were people who would do that. When Kirk finally took the stage, he opened by addressing God, then spoke warmly about the Latter-day Saint community in Utah, noting his admiration for their strong family values. He also highlighted his deep sense of patriotism. Listening to him, I thought, This man embodies the American ideals that inspire millions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Less than 10 minutes later, I watched the personification of those ideals die before my very eyes. It was like watching what I had just read come to life. Lessons from a dark rabbit hole Charlie Kirk speaks before he was shot during Turning Point USAs visit to Utah Valley University in Orem on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News From what is being discovered about Robinsons background, a bright student who grew up in a two-parent household in a southern Utah suburb, a lesson can be learned that if the allegations against him are true there is no criminal mold. No one size fits all. Anyone can end up at a violent destination. Rather than name Robinsons political ideology, Savodnik told me at a Salt Lake City coffee shop a week after the shooting that bringing attention to his involvement in online nihilistic culture is more productive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The information released so far into Robinsons behavior ahead of his alleged involvement in the shooting show he used the social media platform Discord to send messages about the rifle he owns and the engraved bullets he reportedly used in the shooting. FBI Director Kash Patel recently said at a congressional hearing that more than 20 people were part of the online chat. Officials have so far been tight-lipped about what exactly allegedly put Robinson over the edge regarding Kirk, but FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino described Robinson on Fox News as having some obsession with him based on his digital footprint. Savodniks running hypothesis with Robinson is that hes split into bifurcated personalities. Meaning theres his offline, his so-called real world, and then his digital world. Over time, though, the online realm became his reality. A growing concern of Savodniks is that this is happening to many young people. When a shooting occurs, typically the political right blames mental illness and the left points to guns. But in a piece published last month in The Spectator World magazine on how nihilism is destroying young minds, Katherine Dee argues that a dark underbelly in society needs to be confronted before the hot political takes capture the narrative. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The media environment that oscillates between numbness and panic, the economic system that tells the young they have no future, the culture that produces people primed for violence, she wrote, should be prioritized. After interviewing a boy who had fallen into the dark world of the furry subculture, Dee said his interests led him to view violent, animal-torture pornography. It should be a warning to all parents everywhere that this boy wasnt a troubled or traumatized kid. His parents were inattentive, not criminally neglectful, Dee said. There arent many practical case studies of what falling down an internet rabbit hole looks like, so his experience and the conversation we had matters. It shows how these online communities can potentially mutate and hurt people, and how some of those offshoots can draw people toward obsession, alienation and harm. A turning point or just another tragedy? The crowd cheers as Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, hands out hats before he is fatally shot during Turning Point USAs visit to Utah Valley University in Orem on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News Since Kirks death, many of his fans and fellow conservative personalities have said the tragedy should be a catalyst for change a national turning point, echoing the name of Turning Point USA, the nonprofit Kirk co-founded in 2012. Time will tell if Kirks murder will be a pivotal moment or if it will remain just a dark day in American history, Savodnik said. That depends on whatever happens next. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If it is the case that there are no more major political assassinations over the next few months or years ... then yes, this will have been a turning point. But if we see just an uptick in political assassinations, then sadly, this will not be that, he said. We still talk about September 11 with these kinds of, almost like reverential overtones, Savodnik continued, whether we talk about Charlie Kirks murder that way, in the future will depend on whether there are more Charlie Kirks, meaning political assassinations. We certainly hope not. SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) A North Dakota man has pleaded guilty to vehicular battery from an incident at the 2024 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. In a news release from the South Dakota Attorney General, Robert Shipp, 37, pleaded guilty Friday in Meade County. He is facing a 10-year maximum sentence when he is sentenced December 12. Rhoden, Noem attend naturalization ceremony at Mt. Rushmore Shipp was driving a motorcycle August 10, 2024, when he hit a female pedestrian at a the Buffalo Chip Campground. KELOLAND News reported on the crash last year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This was a violent crime that could have been avoided, said Attorney General Marty Jackley in a news release. The victim is suffering long-term consequences because of the defendants actions. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KELOLAND.com. As the United Nations mandate of the Kenya-led multinational security mission in Haiti officially ends Thursday, the U.N.s human rights chief is calling for urgent funding to support the successor force while expressing concerns about the increasing number of atrocities in the Caribbean nation. International commitment and backing for this are urgent, U.N. Human Rights Chief Volker Turk said Thursday, welcoming the decision of the U.N. Security Council two days earlier to transition from the Kenyan mission to a larger and more lethal Gang Suppression Force. Without them, the worst may be yet to come for Haiti and the broader region. More than 16,000 people have been killed and some 7,000 people injured in armed violence since Jan. 1, 2022, when the U.N. High Commission began monitoring gang-related violence, Turk said as he delivered an update to the U.N. Human Rights Councils 60th session on the situation in Haiti. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Turk expressed grave concerns about the number of Haitians who are dying not just at the hands of armed groups, but by Haitian authorities use of unnecessary and disproportionate lethal force in operations against gangs. Government drone attacks, for example, have become a near-daily occurrence in Port-au-Prince in recent months, raising serious humanitarian and legal concerns. I am concerned that state law enforcement have used unnecessary and disproportionate lethal force in their operations against the gangs, he said. For example, operations by law enforcement account for more than half of killings and injuries so far this year a steep increase compared to 2024. Almost one third of people killed or injured were hit by stray bullets. Specialized police units have summarily executed 174 people this year for alleged affiliation with gangs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Turk underscored concerns about the governments use of armed drones, as well as the rise of so-called defense groups and spontaneous angry mobs. These last two groups, he said, have killed more than 500 alleged gang members this year with the alleged support of Haitian national police officers. Since March, the government has stepped up its use of explosive drones in its anti-gang operations in Port-au-Prince. As of mid-September, drone strikes have killed at least 559 people, including 11 children. Most of these drone strikes are likely unlawful under international human rights law, he said. Meanwhile, more children are being subjected to trafficking, exploitation and forced recruitment by gangs. They are used as couriers, lookouts or weapons carriers, and are sometimes coerced into combat roles against rival gangs, security forces and so-called self-defense groups. We can only imagine the long-term impact, for the children of Haiti, and for society as a whole, Turk said. Rising civilian casualties In addition to the human rights office, the French medical charity Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres and the U.N.s food aid agency also sounded the alarm on Thursday. The World Food Program warned that rising violence by armed groups in Port-au-Prince is restricting humanitarian access and pushing families deeper into hunger as extreme funding shortfalls force the food agency to slash rations and suspend programs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Separately, Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres said that as Port-au-Prince plunges deeper into crisis marked by violent clashes between police and armed groups, the charitys doctors are seeing a rise in the number of civilian casualties at its facilities. Nearly two in five Haitians are in urgent need of medical care due to the violence, while 60% to 80% of Port-au-Princes health facilities are closed or not working for the same reasons. Between January and June, the medical charitys teams assisted 2,600 survivors of sexual violence, admitted 13,300 patients to emergency rooms and treated 2,267 people for traumatic injuries from violence. Among those with traumatic injuries, 26% were minors, compared to 11% in 2024. Most minors were under the age of 15, and one-third were girls. Some 30% of all minors admitted for violence-related injuries suffered gunshot wounds. These figures reflect the alarming deterioration of the situation in Haiti, where civilians, including women and children, are increasingly exposed to danger every day, said Mumuza Muhindo Musubaho, the meidcal charitys head of mission in Haiti. Civilians must be spared by the parties to this conflict. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On September 20, 17 wounded people were treated at the charitys organizations hospital in Drouillard following a drone attack the same day in the Cite Soleil neighborhood. Among those brought to the medical group were two men who were already dead on arrival, another man who died while being transferred, 10 women one of whom died en route to the charitys trauma hospital in Tabarre and three children who did not survive their injuries. Two more women injured in the attack died at the nearby Isaie Jeanty Maternity Hospital. Haitian civilians, the medical charity said, are trapped between the threat of explosive drones and the brutal violence of armed groups that loot and burn homes, destroy neighborhoods, terrorize communities, and increasingly use sexual violence as a weapon of control, punishment, and extortion. There are an estimated 270,000 to 500,000 firearms circulating illegally in Haiti, with most weapons in the hands of gangs, Turk said. Gangs are killing and kidnapping people, extorting them at illegal checkpoints, hijacking trucks transporting food and other supplies, and burning and destroying homes, hospitals, schools, and public buildings. They are committing widespread sexual violence to assert dominance and territorial influence, and displace people, he added. The gangs kidnap women and girls, and subject them to extreme brutality, including killing and sexual exploitation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.N. Human Rights Office is working with the authorities to step up investigations and prosecutions, using Specialized Judicial Units, Turk said, urging strong support for the program to protect victims of sexual violence. Since the beginning of the year gangs have begun expanding beyond Port-au-Prince into the Center region while continuing their attacks in the Lower Artibonite and reaching into the northwest. All of this, Turk said, creates fertile ground for more trafficking of weapons, drugs and people. Despite the overwhelming support for the new Gang Suppression Force, many questions remain, including the final costs, which countries will deploy troops, how soon the additional security forces will arrive and the role of the Kenyan troops. An official said with the Kenyan-mission transitioning as of Thursday into the Gang Suppression Force, theres no need for panic, and now its just a matter of the new command structure along with the force commander taking on their new responsibilities with overseeing the mission. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio joined several regional leaders, including Dominican President Luis Abinader and the 15-member Caribbean Community Regional bloc in welcoming the Security Councils 12-month authorization of the Gang Suppression Force. In a post on X, Rubio said the adoption of the U.S. resolution to establish the Gang Suppression Force and a U.N. Support Office in Haiti to provide logistical and operation support was an important step and decisive action for Haiti. This is a critical effort to restore order, protect lives, and support Haitis path to stability & democracy, he wrote. The work begins now. HARTFORD - The court hadn't even taken a break for lunch yet, and things were already off track. In a windowless courtroom on the sixth floor of the federal building in downtown Hartford last Thursday, the judge's bench sat empty. Instead, a large video monitor beamed Judge John DeCure in from a different courthouse in New York. The long wooden pews in the gallery were full - a bailiff had let people in to alleviate a standing-room-only crowd in the lobby. As people waited for DeCure to call their case, they stole glances at their phones in between warnings to not use electronic devices from the bailiff, who periodically came in to check on the courtroom. One woman dozed off, her head leaned against the back wall. Children, and some adults, took advantage of the coloring books and washable crayons scattered around in neat stacks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Finally, DeCure realized he wouldn't have time for the evidentiary hearing he'd set for 1 p.m. He asked the court clerk - one of just two staff members physically present in the courtroom - to call the family in from the lobby so he could explain the situation. "We still have multiple cases that were scheduled for as early as 8:30 this morning," DeCure said through an interpreter, who sat at a table behind the monitor. "And they involve multiple languages, which takes time to coordinate." DeCure asked the assistant to reschedule the hearing soon, but it was impossible, the assistant said - there just weren't any open slots on the calendar. After some back and forth, DeCure gave the family a new hearing: Sept. 9, 2026. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This is the earliest date that we can reschedule your case," he said. Then, after five straight hours of proceedings, the court broke at 1:30 p.m. for a quick half-hour lunch. The strain faced by Connecticut's only immigration court was evident last week after the U.S. Department of Justice cut ties with one the few immigration judges assigned to its day-to-day operations. DOJ placed Judge Theodore Doolittle on administrative leave Sept. 11 through the end of his two-year probationary appointment on Sept. 23, according to a letter he shared with CT Insider. "Pursuant to Article II of the Constitution, the Attorney General has decided not to extend your term or convert it to a permanent appointment," it said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The letter did not explain that decision further. But DOJ let some 20 immigration judges go last month, NPR reported. Many were part of Doolittle's cohort, he said. DOJ declined to comment on Doolittle last week, citing "personnel matters." Last Thursday, as people crowded the lobby and courtroom, schedules were derailed and follow-up hearings got pushed back a year or more, all overseen by a judge in another state. It's part of a case backlog at the Hartford court - and nationwide - that has been decades in the work, data shows. It's not clear how much of the apparent breakdown Thursday was because the court is short-staffed. Throughout the day DeCure said the long hearing was due to the complexity of juggling respondents who speak multiple languages and trying to get cases back on track that have lingered on the court's docket for months or years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At one point, however, he seemed to hint that the paucity of immigration judges - or IJs, as they're sometimes called - might play a role. "Everyone's dealing with a lot of (case) volume," DeCure told a government attorney who also appeared in court via video link. "I think you're going to get some reinforcements soon, in terms of IJs. I know you need them." For now, the Hartford court is operating normally amid a shutdown of the federal government, according to a person who answered the phone there Wednesday. CT Insider reached out to the immigration courts for comment on this story. The main national spokesperson for the courts is on furlough due to the shutdown, according to an auto-response from her email Thursday. A secondary contact did not return a request for comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One thing's clear: The backlog long predates Doolittle's departure. The Hartford court had a backlog of 41,567 cases through the end of August, according to DOJ data analyzed by the nonprofit Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse. That number's been growing for years, records show. It peaked last fiscal year, at 46,053 cases. But this fiscal year is still the second-highest on record since 2012. Everyone who's going through the immigration court process is there because they're not a U.S. citizen, and the government believes they should be removed from the country. For some, the backlog can mean more time to find an attorney or save up to afford one and more time to file paperwork. But the backlog can also mean spending all day in court for a hearing that was supposed to happen in the early morning, having to come to court multiple times or people waiting years to learn whether they'll be able to stay in the United States - even as they try to build a life here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "A lot of the human toll is just the mental stress of not knowing your future," Vanessa Dojaquez-Torres, practice and policy counsel at the American Immigration Lawyers Association, told CT Insider earlier this year. "I've had cases where it took an asylum seeker 10 years to get a decision on their case." During an interview with CT Insider in March, a White House official speaking on background, said many people in the immigration court system take advantage of the long backlogs to stay in the United States longer when they don't have a valid claim to stay here - a common complaint among many who support tougher immigration policies. The official took exception to the idea that having more immigration judges would solve that problem and said the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts were a better solution. "When people are almost explicitly trying to game the system ... the solution isn't to throw more judges at it," the official said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Every adult who appears in the Hartford immigration court is free on bond while their case is being adjudicated - Connecticut doesn't have any immigration detention facilities - but not all of them have a Social Security number or a work permit. And some have GPS ankle monitors. It's not uncommon to hear a respondent ask an immigration judge about these issues during their hearing only for the judge to refer them to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, separate agencies under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that handle those aspects of the immigration process. At one hearing in Hartford before Doolittle in August, a man complained that his Social Security card came in the mail, but he never received his work permit. "Sir, I'm very sorry to hear that," Doolittle replied. "The immigration court has very little to do with the work permit process." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In an interview with CT Insider last week, the former immigration judge said his absence will only make that backlog worse. "Obviously, it's going to increase it," he said. Hartford had six immigration judges, including Doolittle, on the day President Donald Trump took office, according to an archived version of the court's website. Of those, just two are still listed there. A third immigration judge, Angela Munson, has also been added since then. CT Insider also observed DeCure hearing cases remotely in Hartford even while Doolittle was still in his former post. The Executive Office for Immigration Review, the agency within DOJ that oversees immigration courts, declined to say which immigration judges heard cases in the Hartford court in September before and after Doolittle left. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "EOIR does not provide copies of immigration court records, including the posted daily docket," spokesperson Kathryn Mattingly said in a statement. "Immigration courts are created by statute and regulation and are not Constitutional courts of public record." However, in a statement to CT Insider law week, Mattingly said, "Any immigration judge can hear any case at any time throughout the country to assist with caseloads." Immigration courts are administrative, not civil or criminal. They fall under the Executive Branch rather than the Judicial Branch, and immigration judges do not have lifetime appointments. This article originally published at With one less judge, delays mount in CT's only immigration court. One of the victims who died in the Manchester synagogue attack and another who was injured were likely shot by armed officers aiming for the killer, police said on Friday. The police said they believed the two victims were huddled behind a door in the synagogue in the northern English city, trying to prevent the attacker from entering, when they were shot. The admission came the day after two Jewish worshipers were killed and three others seriously injured in a car ramming and stabbing attack outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in the Manchester suburb of Crumpsall on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism. The suspected attacker was also killed by police. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the attack in Manchester shocked the country, many members of the Jewish community there said they felt like it was inevitable. Several local residents told CNN that people there were increasingly talking about moving to Israel, as they no longer felt safe in the UK. Britains chief rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said that Thursday was the day we hoped we would never see, but which deep down, we knew would come, pointing to the rise in antisemitic incidents in the United Kingdom following the October 7 attacks against Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza. The attack, and the police reaction to it, unfolded in a very short span of time on Thursday morning. The police said that armed officers were deployed to the scene within three minutes of receiving an emergency call at 9:31 a.m saying that a car had been driven into people outside the synagogue. According to the police, shots were fired by the officers at 9:38 a.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Manchester police Chief Constable Stephen Watson said on Friday that one of the deceased victims would appear to have suffered a wound consistent with a gunshot injury, according to a preliminary report from the Home Office pathologist. He said that since the police believed that the suspect, Jihad Al Shamie, did not have a gun, it must have been the police gunfire that hit the victims. The only shots fired were from GMPs Authorised Firearms Officers as they worked to prevent the offender from entering the synagogue and causing further harm to our Jewish community, he added. It follows therefore, that subject to further forensic examination, this injury may sadly have been sustained as a tragic and unforeseen consequence of the urgently required action taken by my officers to bring this vicious attack to an end. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said Friday it is investigating the use of lethal force by Greater Manchester Police during the attack. It added that this was standard practice when police use of force may have resulted in the death of a member of the public. The police said shots were fired by the officers at the scene, confirming later that the assailant had been killed. A video from the scene showed armed police officers shouting instructions at bystanders and worshippers inside the synagogue, while pointing their weapons at a person lying on the ground. The two men killed in the attack were named by the police as Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66. The police did not say which of the two men was believed to have been shot by the officers. The police said three people were receiving treatment in a hospital for injuries sustained during the attack. One a suffered a gunshot wound, one had been stabbed and one was struck by the car involved in the attack. Investigation continues In a Friday update, police said the suspect Al Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent, may have been influenced by extreme Islamist ideology. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Al Shamie had recently been arrested on suspicion of rape, but was released on bail pending further enquiries, Greater Manchester Police confirmed to CNN Friday. It is not clear where the alleged offence took place. UK counter-terrorism police said three more people had been arrested in relation to the attack, bringing the total number of people in custody to six. We have now arrested three further people, one man and two women, aged between 18 and mid-40s. This brings the number of people in custody arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism to six, Laurence Taylor, head of Counter Terrorism Policing, said in a statement. Police said they will be seeking warrants of further detention for all six individuals, while stressing that their investigation is still in its early stages. A woman places bunches of flowers and tribute messages at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Crumpsall on Friday. - Peter Byrne/PA/AP A person lays flowers at the scene outside the Manchester synagogue. - Phil Noble/Reuters UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited the site of the attack on Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Speaking after the attack on Thursday, Starmer said he would do everything in my power to guarantee the security every Jewish person in this country deserves. Later Friday, crowds of mourners gathered in Manchester to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in the attack. Heaton Park Rabbi Daniel Walker called the two victims truly wonderful, special men, before leading a moment of silence. Also at the vigil, British Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy vowed to never stop fighting terrorism amid heckling from the crowd. That is why we stand in defiance of those terrorists who seek to divide us, who want to pit neighbor against neighbor, Lammy said. Britain's Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy speaks during a vigil in Manchester, Britain, on Friday. - Hannah McKay/Reuters Jews make up a small minority of the UK population, with just under 300,000 people living in England and Wales identifying as Jewish during the most recent census in 2021. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the community is feeling increasingly targeted, with the number of antisemitic incidents rising over the past decade and reaching new record levels last year, according to Community Security Trust (CST), a charity that monitors incidents and protects British Jews from terrorism and antisemitism. The Metropolitan Police in London urged organizers of protests in support of the banned group Palestine Action, scheduled for this weekend to cancel the gatherings in light of the Manchester events. The horrific terrorist attack that took place in Manchester yesterday will have caused significant fear and concern in communities across the UK, including here in London, the police said. Yet at a time when we want to be deploying every available officer to ensure the safety of those communities, we are instead having to plan for a gathering of more than 1,000 people in Trafalgar Square on Saturday in support of a terrorist organisation, the police said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar urged his British counterpart Yvette Cooper in a call to take a firm stance against what he called the toxic antisemitism movement in the UK. Saar raised the need to confront pro-Palestinian marches and demonstrations that bear an antisemitic character and sometimes include explicit support for terrorism, a foreign ministry spokesperson said. In an article published in The Jewish Chronicle on Friday, Starmer asked anyone thinking about protesting this weekend to recognise and respect the grief of British Jews this week. This is a moment of mourning. It is not a time to stoke tension and cause further pain, he wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lammy also called on those planning to attend this weekends protests to reflect with all human dignity, grace and understanding and to stop, and to stand back. This story has been updated. CNNs Char Reck and Billy Stockwell contributed reporting. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) The cities of Lebanon and Sweet Home filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against the United States Army Corps of Engineers, alleging the Corps mismanaged the Green Peter Reservoir, causing $37 million in damages. The lawsuit alleges that the Corps violated the Administrative Procedures Act and the Clean Water Act. The suit focuses on the 2023 court-ordered drawdown at the Green Peter Dam in Linn County, with the cities alleging that the Army Corps of Engineers failed to implement any sediment control measures. The drawdown, which decreased the reservoirs water levels in order to help the Chinook and steelhead populations, elevated turbidity levels in the South Santiam River, according to the lawsuit. The cities said this increased the sediment load in their water treatment facilities that the systems were not prepared for leading to higher operational costs, equipment damage and expensive pretreatment upgrades. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oregon judge recuses himself from National Guard proceedings Among the damages highlighted in the lawsuit, the City of Sweet Home claims that the high turbidity levels created a sludge blanket buildup in the citys facility. With the lawsuit, the cities are seeking compensation for over $26 million in damages in Lebanon and more than $11 million in Sweet Home. Officials said these costs reflect anticipated upgrades for water treatment facilities to handle future drawdowns and ensure long-term water safety. In a May 2023 announcement of the drawdown, the Portland District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said they would gradually lower the reservoir levels to help juvenile spring Chinook and steelhead survive and pass through the dam. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oregon has no choice: New SNAP requirements will impact over 313K residents In a statement shared with KOIN 6 news, an attorney representing the cities of Lebanon and Sweet Home said, Lebanon and Sweet Home understand the gravity of bringing a lawsuit; however, doing so became necessary to protect community resources and ensure safe, clean drinking water. A federal court has already determined that the Corps violated the Endangered Species Act with the operation of its Willamette Valley dams, including those on the South Santiam River, and the court ordered the Corps to conduct reservoir drawdowns to comply with the law. The Corps is equally required as the federal court said to fulfill its duties under the Clean Water Act and water quality standards for my clients communities. But the Corps has clearly failed to do so, year after year, and its actions are unsustainable. The Corps ongoing noncompliance left my clients with no choice but to file this lawsuit. KOIN 6 News has reached out to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This story will be updated if we receive a response. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. (WBRE/WYOU) 95 days and counting without a State Budget in Pennsylvania. The budget deadline of June 30 has passed. With each passing day, the impact of the budget impasse is being felt by a wide variety of entities, including county and local governments, nonprofits, and school districts. The I-Teams Andy Mehalshick talks with the superintendents of the three largest school districts in NEPA: Hazleton, Scranton, and Wilkes-Barre, about the impact the budget battle is having on their districts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its all part of a Mehalshick Files podcast on the 28/22 Now CTV App. Andy reports live on 28/22 News. Its day 95 without a state budget in Pennsylvania, and theres no end in sight to the stalemate. The financial pain from that budget stalemate is being felt by a multitude of entities across the commonwealth, including county governments, municipalities, and school districts. The I-Teams Andy Mehalshick is working the story and joins us to discuss whether there is any end in sight. The short answer is no. In fact, the state lawmakers, Republicans and Democrats, whom 28/22 News spoke with, say they have no idea when the money will start to flow again from Harrisburg. That fact alone has many local officials, including school superintendents, watching very closely. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So its really short-term, tough short-term decisions that we have to make right now for long-term commitment to our children, explained Dr. Brian Costello, superintendent, Wilkes-Barre Area School District. 28/22 News interviewed the superintendents of the three largest school districts in northeastern Pennsylvania for a Mehalshick Files podcast on the 28/22 Now app: Dr. Bran Uplinger from Hazleton, the largest district, Dr. Erin Keating from Scranton, the second largest, and Dr. Brian Costello from the Wilkes-Barre Area School District, the third largest. Wilkes-Barre received only about half of its $100 million from the state when the state budget process stalled. We hired back in May-June teachers, academic coaches, interventionists to help support our students for this upcoming year, but we havent been able to start them all until the budget gets passed because without that budget, we would not be able to afford those additional resources, said Costello. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Scranton School District receives about $140 million from the state. Dr. Keating says they have already halted programs. So we are at the point where we have cut after-school, and we have cut the before-school programming. We are currently not allowing field trips. Weve halted professional development. Essentially, right now, if its not zero dollars, its not happening, expressed Dr. Erin Keating, Superintendent, Scranton School District. Hazleton is still holding its own financially, thus far, despite the budget stalemate. It receives around $157 million from the state, but Dr. Uplinger says they have identified programs that could be cut. Those programs, maybe school or after school, stated Uplinger. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theyre so vital for so many families, voiced Mehalshick Theyre really important for those families that dont have that babysitter at home, so we provide those services. Again, thats just one, concerned uplinger. The key point of contention in the budget stalemate centers around the use of Pennsylvanias $11 billion cash reserve. Governor Shapiro issued a statement on the budget stalemate: Let me be clear. I introduced the state budget 241 days ago, and during that time period, the State Senate Republicans, who run the State Senate, not Leader Costa, have only managed to come to work 29 days. Theyve literally only worked 29 session days. Again, I introduced the budget 241 days ago. I think theyve got to stop prolonging this to play politics, which is clear what theyre doing. Theyre hurting real people, from our counties to our school districts, as a result of their games. Note that there is $11 billion in a state surplus. This should not be hard. My budget is balanced. It cuts taxes. It makes important investments, and its long past time for the state senate to come back to work, put 26 votes together, and send a package to the House that can actually pass the House and reach my desk, Gov. Shapiro said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Listen, youve got to propose a budget. Youve got to vote on a budget. Youve got to sign a budget. I can do two of those three things. The Senate has to show up for work and do its job, which is actually to vote on a budget. And the longer they delay and play political games, the more people in Pennsylvania will be hurt. They basically have one job as legislators, to pass a budget, and they havent done it yet, and I think theyve got to come back to work and get it done, Gov. Shapiro continued. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to 28/22 News. GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) We continue to honor Hispanic Heritage Month, highlighting stories from the Hispanic and Latino communities. Tonight, we are bringing you a special story of a young Latina artist who lives in Greensboro. Daniela Alcivar-Castillo is originally from Panama. She is one of the 14 artists whose work is being featured at the Greensboro Cultural Center. You can spot the work of Alcivar-Castillo right away inside the GCC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement GTCC student honors family, culture and community pursuing healthcare career Hanging among the colorful paintings and photographs, Alcivar-Castillos artwork is the only one in black and white. But this collection all shares one thing: it portrays heroes. For us, it was important to look inwards and see you are the people we are looking at in this time, in this month, in this year? Claudia Femenias, the co-chair of Casa Azul Greensboro, said. Faces of different ages and races, showing that the word hero can be interpreted in many ways. For Alcivar-Castillo, its a familiar face. Her hero is her 9-year-old son, Alexander Miller. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hes allowed me to embrace motherhood in a whole different aspect and really helped me become a parent I needed when I was a child, Alcivar-Castillo said. Alcivar-Castillo came to the United States from Panama in 1999 at the age of 5. She was raised by a single mother. Through her mom, Alcivar-Castillo saw firsthand just how scary motherhood could be in a foreign land. She did have a lot of fear, but it was fear that was noticeable, so I learned from that, Alcivar-Castillo said. Through her parenting, she hopes to break that cycle of fear. Photographer uses art to change perceptions of Down syndrome Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To be able to allow my child to be a child and to be free. Talking has been the one gateway to really changing a cycle or breaking a cycle for him to have a healthy childhood, Alcivar-Castillo said. While also teaching her son the richness of their Hispanic heritage. I hope he uses his voice, whether it be literal or visual, so continue to spread the love he has for his community and heritage, she said. Alcivar-Castillo wishes her son could see the way she views him. He doesnt even know how much weight he holds within himself, Alcivar-Castillo said. You can check out Alcivar-Castillos artwork, along with the entire Heroes collection, at the African-American Atelier in the Greensboro Cultural Center from now until Oct. 18. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX8 WGHP. MONROE TWP, Pa. (WETM) A Pennsylvania woman was sentenced in September to more than five years in state prison following an arrest in 2024 regarding a large amount of meth found during a traffic stop, according to information from the Bradford County District Attorneys Office. Terra Lynn Painter, 61, of Orefield, PA, was sentenced on Sept. 9 to no less than 69 months in state prison to a maximum of 160 months, along with a fine of $2,000 for the following offenses: Possession with the intent to deliver 214.56 grams of meth. Driving under the influence of meth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Painter was arrested in July 2024 after she crashed her car when she drove off the road on route 220 in Monroe Township. Pennsylvania State Police were called to the scene, where they found Painter with bloodshot eyes and dilated pupils. Elmira man sentenced for theft at Athens Township Walmart Painter was carrying several bags that she had taken with her when she got out of her car. The AGs office reported that Painter failed the field sobriety test and confessed to smoking marijuana earlier in the day. When her belongings were searched, troopers found the meth, which is one of the largest amounts ever recovered in a single event in Bradford County, the DAs office said. Given the amount of meth, along with the other items in her possession, Painter was suspected of trying to deliver the drugs, resulting in her conviction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a result, Bradford County District Attorney Richard Wilson commended the trooper for his investigative skills and for ensuring that these drugs were removed from the street. Thanks to the troopers efforts, we were able to take a significant amount of methamphetamine off the street, and also hold Ms. Painter accountable, Wilson said. Wilson added that this sentence is appropriate given Painters lengthy criminal history. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WETM - MyTwinTiers.com. HUGHES COUNTY, S.D. (KCAU) New details have been released on a car versus pedestrian accident in South Dakota that killed one person. The states department of public safety says Taylor Hanson, 27, of Rock Valley, Iowa, was driving a minivan west on Highway 34 in Hughes County on Sunday. Story continues below Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials said his vehicle hit Elvera Driving Hawk, 23, of Kennebec, South Dakota. Authorities said she was pronounced dead at the scene. An investigation into the crash remains ongoing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to SiouxlandProud | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports. Mark Schiefelbein/AP photo Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced Friday on X that he directed an additional strike that killed four alleged narco-terrorists on a boat off the coast of Venezuela on President Donald Trumps orders. The vessel was transporting substantial amounts of narcotics headed to America to poison our people, wrote Hegseth. Our intelligence, without a doubt, confirmed that this vessel was trafficking narcotics, the people onboard were narco-terrorists, and they were operating on a known narco-trafficking transit route. Earlier this morning, on President Trump's orders, I directed a lethal, kinetic strike on a narco-trafficking vessel affiliated with Designated Terrorist Organizations in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility. Four male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel were killed in the pic.twitter.com/QpNPljFcGn Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) October 3, 2025 Hegseth went on to confirm that the kinetic strike took out the boat in international waters in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility and that no U.S. forces were harmed in the operation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The attack is the latest in a series of Trump-ordered strikes on boats allegedly smuggling narcotics in the Caribbean Sea, with three last month killing all 17 people on board. Just yesterday, The New York Times reported that in a confidential notice to Congress, Trump declared the U.S. was in armed conflict with drug cartels he called terrorist organizations, and that these alleged drug smugglers were unlawful combatants. These strikes will continue until the attacks on the American people are over!!!! wrote Hegseth in his Friday announcement. Notably, trafficking drugs is not punishable by death in the U.S.. Trump also posted a video of the strike on Friday via Truth Social, writing that A boat loaded with enough drugs to kill 25 TO 50 THOUSAND PEOPLE was stopped, early this morning off the Coast of Venezuela, from entering American Territory. The post Pete Hegseth Announces Four Alleged Narco-Terrorists Killed in Trump-Ordered Strike Off Coast of Venezuela first appeared on Mediaite. National pharmacy chain Rite Aid has announced the closure of all its stores. The chain shared the news of its closure on their website. All Rite Aid stores have now closed. We thank our loyal customers for their many years of support, the website reads. The website now provides customers with information on how to find a new pharmacy for their prescriptions and how to request prescription and immunization history records. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The pharmacy chain had previously filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in late 2023, citing massive long term debts. At the time, the chain was operating more than 2,200 stores across the country, according to CNN. The chain was also subject to an opioid lawsuit that alleged it violated controlled substance regulations. The chain settled for $410 million in July 2024. As of Sept. 30, only 89 of their locations remained open, according to ScrapeHero. Some of these stores were in New England. Rite Aid was founded in Scranton, Pennsylvania in 1962. It was the third largest pharmacy chain at its peak, behind CVS and Walgreens. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CVS remains the largest pharmacy chain in the country with 9,026 locations. Walgreens follows close behind with 8,099 locations. The latest from MassLive Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Voters in the Czech Republic are heading to polling stations in the country's two-day parliamentary election, which is expected to see the return of Andrej Babis, a billionaire right-wing populist, as prime minister. Polling stations will be open from 2 pm to 10 pm (1200-2000 GMT) on Friday, and will close at 2 pm on Saturday. More than 8 million people are eligible to vote. The latest opinion polls predict a victory for 71-year-old Babis, who was in power from from 2017-21. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His ANO (Yes) party recently polled at 29.3% in a survey by the STEM agency. Prime Minister Petr Fiala, by contrast, is expected to see his centre-right coalition Spolu (Together) slump to 20.5%. The far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy party of businessman Tomio Okamura is hoping to secure third place. Undecided voters hold sway According to pollsters, up to one-third of voters were still undecided in the days leading up to the ballot. In a final televised debate on broadcaster Nova, the main challengers accused each other of lying. Babis criticized EU initiatives such as the Green Deal, establishing a common asylum system and emissions trading. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fiala warned that Babis would pull the country "eastward." "Russia is putting us to the test, it is testing us, and therefore we must do everything we can to be strong," the 61-year-old appealed to voters on Thursday night. As is the case every four years, the 200 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, the more important of the two parliamentary chambers in Prague, will be filled. First official results from the vote count are not expected until Saturday evening. Following the election, it will fall to President Petr Pavel to designate who should form a government. The former NATO general had defeated Babis, who was born in Slovakia, in the January 2023 presidential election. Debate over support for Ukraine During the election campaign, Fiala's four-party coalition emphasized its support for Ukraine and its plans for a stronger army. "Vote for freedom! Vote for security!" was its slogan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Babis, on the other hand, accused the government of scaremongering. "I don't know from which direction the Russian tanks should come," he said and called for an end to the supply of weapons to Kiev. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) casts his vote at a polling station, on the first day of the elections to the Chamber of Deputiesat. Salek Vaclav/CTK/dpa People wait for the opening of polling station at the Balabence Elementary School on the first day of the elections to the Chamber of Deputies. Simanek Vit/CTK/dpa CHICAGO, Ill. (WTVO) Citing media reports that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem would be visiting on Friday, Gov. JB Pritzker said Noem should no longer be able to step foot inside the State of Illinois without accountability for the Trump Administrations gross misconduct. Pritzkers office issued a demand that Noem hold a public press conference upon learning through media sources that Secretary Krisit Noem is visiting Illinois. Federal agents reporting to Secretary Noem have spent weeks snatching up families, scaring law-abiding residents, violating due process rights, and even detaining U.S. citizens. They fail to focus on violent criminals and instead create panic in our communities, Pritzker said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last time when the secretary was here, she snuck in during the early morning to film social media videos and fled before sunrise. Its been nearly 45 days since Secretary Noem has held an official press conference, so its time she faces the public and takes questions from the press, he added. DHS on Wednesday said its ongoing Operation Midway Blitz had arrested over 800 criminal illegal aliens in Illinois, despite both the states sanctuary policies and violent protests. Earlier this week, Pritzker told reporters U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcements operations in Chicago have nothing to do with law and order. The governor accused federal agents of shaking down citizens for not being white. Tensions have escalated near a federal building in Broadview, which has become an ICE detention facility. On Friday, activists and elected officials are expected to hold a news conference to demand the removal of a fence erected around the facility without a permit, officials said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There, protesters have clashed with federal agents, with tear gas and pepper balls being deployed. On Thursday night, a designated protest zone was established outside the facility, with concrete barriers in place to keep clashes at a minimum. The Illinois State Police released a map Thursday night showing a restricted area and a lane that allows emergency vehicles. ISP officers will be on-site to help direct people. Last weekend, ICE agents in tactical gear were seen patrolling downtown areas, including Michigan Avenue, the Riverwalk, and near Trump Tower. Pritzker has maintained that current ICE operations are a provocation, hoping to enflame a violent response so that President Donald Trump can send the military to Chicago, under the pretext of supporting federal agents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its a pretext for bringing troops into the city and normalizing the militarization of our cities, and we just wont allow that, Pritzker said during a Sept. 29 press conference. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to MyStateline | WTVO News, Weather and Sports. Melissa Flynn, a registered nurse with La Plata County Public Health Department, inside one of the clinic's exam rooms, where patients can choose different types of birth control and have pregnancy and other tests performed, on Sept. 25 in Durango. (Photo by Jerry McBride for Colorado Newsline) Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains efforts to reopen its Durango clinic come amid an increasingly difficult landscape for reproductive health providers in southwest Colorado and rural communities like it around the country. Tracy Anselmo, director of the La Plata County Public Health Department, said because Durango is the largest municipality in the area outside of Farmington, New Mexico, people seeking health care come from all over the Four Corners region. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The landscape in the southwest part of the state related to sexual and reproductive health is quite grim, Anselmo said. After being shuttered for just over a year, the Durango Planned Parenthood clinic will reopen this month for two days a week. Democratic state Rep. Katie Stewart, who lives in Durango, said southwest Colorado has a limited number of hospitals that offer birthing services and reproductive health care, so Planned Parenthood has been pretty integral in making sure people have access. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Stewart has driven to Denver from Durango several times for health care herself, which she said creates a burden that takes time away from her family and work. Having the Durango Planned Parenthood clinic open again will be really wonderful for southwest Colorado as fewer people will need to make the trek out of town. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When the Durango clinic closed, she said she was in close contact with Planned Parenthood leaders who wanted to ensure their patients continued to have access to care. Planned Parenthood really stepped up, and they didnt want to leave patients in Durango without an alternative, so they did transition a number of their Durango patients to their virtual care center during the site closure, Stewart said. Without the Durango Planned Parenthood, most patients in the area transferred their care to telehealth or a different local provider, said Adrienne Mansanares, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains. It closed as a result of the impact of COVID on the labor market in September 2024, she said. Around the country, Planned Parenthood clinics have announced permanent closures, often due to hostile federal and state policies. And the demand on other local providers has increased with changing policies affecting Planned Parenthoods ability to provide care in the Four Corners region. Planned Parenthood in Durango was still closed on Sept. 25 after temporarily closing in 2024. (Photo by Jerry McBride for Colorado Newsline) County public health administrators had just started talking about offering sexual health services at their clinic when the Durango Planned Parenthood clinic closed. Anselmo said it was key for those in need of reproductive health care in the area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres just been a lot of change for southwest Colorado around reproductive and sexual health that have really necessitated us to step up our game here, Anselmo said. The closure also coincided with the local Title X family-planning provider declining to renew its contract and a prominent OB-GYN clinic closing. The county public health office was not prepared for the demand it would face for its brand new services, Anselmo said, some of which used to be provided by Planned Parenthood. Tiffani Roberts, the countys health access programs manager, says the clinic now offers various forms of contraception, sexually transmitted infection testing, vaccines and cancer screenings. Just over 1,400 patients went to the Planned Parenthood in Durango for health care before it closed, about 20% of whom specifically sought abortion care, most often medication abortion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When the clinic reopens this month, a nurse practitioner who works at the Cortez Planned Parenthood clinic will commute to Durango in the short-term, but Mansanares said the goal is to hire a full-time nurse practitioner. The La Plata County Public Health Clinic does not offer abortion care, and without the Planned Parenthood clinic up and running, people in need of in-person abortion care have had to travel to New Mexico or the Front Range, Roberts said. The clinic in Cortez is 45 miles from Durango, or just under an hour drive, and Planned Parenthood operates another in Farmington, which is 50 miles away. PPRM spokesperson Fawn Bolak said neither saw an increase in the rate of abortion care sought after the Durango clinic closed last year. Colorado and the national fight over funding During its recent special session, the Colorado Legislature approved money to cover Medicaid reimbursements to reproductive health care organizations, namely Planned Parenthood, whose federal Medicaid funding was eliminated for a year by the recent federal Republican tax break and spending cut law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republicans in Congress included a one-year prohibition against federal Medicaid dollars going to Planned Parenthood in their big, beautiful law, which President Donald Trump signed in early July. A federal appeals court allowed the provision to take effect last month after a lower court temporarily paused it. The freeze on Medicaid reimbursements led to canceled appointments and delayed care for patients who already face long travel distances and limited provider options, Bolak said. She said the law allowing the use of state funds is a critical lifeline for Medicaid recipients who rely on Planned Parenthood in Colorado, but workforce shortages and increased housing costs still present challenges for rural communities, among other issues that are only getting worse under Trump. The La Plata County clinic saw an uptick in patients seeking sexual and reproductive health care soon after the Durango Planned Parenthood clinic closed, Roberts said, and again in July once remaining Planned Parenthood clinics could no longer accept Medicaid. The county applied for grant funding through the Caring For Colorado Foundation specifically to increase rural access to contraceptive care as the clinic saw increased demand once it started offering those services. Roberts said the county clinic has worked with the Planned Parenthood clinics in Farmington and Cortez as they saw an influx of shared patients seeking care covered by Medicaid after the July freeze on Medicaid reimbursement for Planned Parenthood. Collaboration in small communities like Durango is much more prevalent than in larger communities because we have to, Anselmo said. Mindy Joyce, left, business office manager and health access programs manager, and Tiffani Roberts, a registered nurse, with La Plata County Public Health Department clinic work in the office on Sept. 25 in Durango. (Photo by Jerry McBride for Colorado Newsline) Were all really out here to help our community members get the services that they need, so we reach as far as we can into every single crack and beat the bushes as much as we can to make sure that people are getting what they need to maintain their health, Anselmo said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats in the Legislature are proud of their work in the special session to create a state fund for Medicaid recipients seeking care from Planned Parenthood, Stewart said, as legislators should absolutely be supporting people and their access to health care. But she said other health care cuts in the federal spending bill will be felt in rural Colorado. Our health care system in the United States and Colorado, its an ecosystem, so having access in rural Colorado means its better for the entire state, Stewart said. Patients can stay in their communities and get care there versus driving hours, whether its to Grand Junction or Denver to get that care. It just keeps the health ecosystem healthier. Job vacancies in rural areas can be really challenging to fill, Mansanares said, which is why the Durango clinic had to close after the nurse practitioner who previously worked full-time at the clinic changed jobs. Planned Parenthood is a beloved partner and community presence for Durango, but the issues for our candidates were about the housing crisis and how expensive it is to live in that area, Mansanares said. We do have some providers that live all throughout the Four Corners region, but then when winter comes, it can just be dangerous or uncertain in driving. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The health care provider shortage is amplified particularly for reproductive and sexual health care by anti-abortion advocates and extremist politics, and certainly now with Trump, Mansanares said. Reopening the Durango clinic has been a long journey that Bolak said is about honoring our commitment to rural communities and ensuring that everyone regardless of where they live can access the high-quality, compassionate care they deserve. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Inarajan Pools (Photo by YanaPadigos/Courtesy of The Guam Guide) Wondering where to take beautiful pictures that capture the essence of your visit to Guam? We think Guam is photogenic from every angle but here are a few #InstaGuam spots around the island that our visitors love. Guam map (Map by Stripes Guam) Two Lovers Point (Photo courtesy of The Guam Guide) Two Lovers Point, or Puntan Dos Amantes, is without a doubt one of Guams most iconic sites. Every year, hundreds of thousands of visitors are drawn to the towering cliff that is the site of one of Guams most renowned and romantic legends. The site features tiered lookout points that offer a dramatic view of the Philippine Sea and breathtaking Tumon Bay. From the top, it is a 400-foot drop to the crashing waves below. Visitors can walk the plunging face of the cliff on walkways that hug and hang over the jagged rock. There are also telescopes for long range views of the ocean and Guams western coastline. Fort Soledad Fort Soledad overlooks the southern village of Umatac. (Photo courtesy of The Guam Guide) No visit to southern Guam would be complete without stopping at Fort Nuestra Senora de la Soledad, or Fort Soledad. It is the last fort standing of four that were built around Umatac Bay in 1810 and it is named for Our Lady of Solitude. Fort Soledad provides a superior view of the village, the picturesque bay and coastline, and the southern mountain range. Fort Soledad is one of the most visited places in southern Guam and is an icon of the islands Spanish-era history. You can explore many of the villages historical sites on a walking tour of Umatac. Cetti Bay Overlook (Photo courtesy of The Guam Guide) One of the most well-known scenic points and popular stops along the southern route is the Cetti Bay Overlook. Poised high above the surrounding foothills and Cetti Bay, the overlook provides a perfect island backdrop for vacation selfies and family photos. Cocos Island, which lies off the coast of Merizo village, can be seen in the distance. Because of its cultural and historical significance, Cetti is on the Guam and National Registers of Historic Places. Its also a great spot for sampling fresh coconut from the stand at the entrance to the overlook. Ypao Beach (Photo courtesy of The Guam Guide) With vibrant reef systems, fascinating marine life, and warm temperatures year-round, Guam offers some of the best snorkeling in the world in easy to access spots that are just a few feet from the sand. Ypao Beach in Tumon is one of Guams snorkeling paradise spots and offers a myriad of colorful tropical fish and coral heads to be observed and explored beneath its clear turquoise waters. Ypao Beach is part of a free public park that features open grassy areas, picnic tables, lifeguards and facilities a great spot for a family outing. Cap your day with an epic sunset on the beach photo with Two Lovers Point in the distance. Street Murals Part of the mural in Barrigada, Guam (Photo courtesy of The Guam Guide) In recent years, large-scale wall murals and vibrant art depicting local culture have popped up on the walls of businesses around the island. These colorful scenes have been painted by Guam and international artists as part of the Guam Art Exhibit in collaboration with a global network of artists and organizers as part of a traveling mural festival. Some of the murals feature indigenous birds such as the beloved Koko (Guam Rail) and Mariana Kingfisher, as well as dreamy, thought-provoking murals of Chamorro people that were painted by some of the worlds renowned mural artists. In the southern village of Inarajan, San Jose Avenue is known for the Hotnu Bakery and the paintings by local artist Judy Flores that adorn the houses along this historical street. Throughout the island, you can find village murals and bus stops painted by the local community that feature Guam cultural scenes and elements. The Guam Guide logo (Illustration by The Guam Guide) theguamguide.com A Pueblo man has been sentenced to five years of probation for sexual exploitation of a child. Sebastian Cleaver, 25, previously pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a child after law enforcement found more than 200 videos and images of child sexual abuse materials on his cell phone. He was originally charged with five counts of child sexual exploitation, all but one of which were dropped in exchange for his plea of guilty, according to a July 10 plea agreement obtained by the Chieftain. The Dennis Maes Pueblo Judicial Building located at 501 Elizabeth St. There was no agreement in regard to sentencing, except that any sentence in the Colorado Department of Corrections would not be more than two years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The charge of sexual exploitation of a child typically carries a sentence of one to three years in prison, according to Colorado law. Cleaver will also be required to register as a sex offender. Members of Cleaver's family spoke on his behalf at an Oct. 2 plea hearing, stating that he had a "big heart" and was always compassionate and helpful toward others, although he faced severe challenges and often had trouble distinguishing between appropriate and inappropriate behaviors. His stepfather stated that Cleaver was a "genius" with a talent in linguistics namely, that he had invented his own fantasy language. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In an impassioned speech to the court, Cleaver's father told Judge Allison Ernst his son had "made a mistake" but was capable of much more, and "wanted to see him excel." He told the court that he still fervently believes his son can do so, despite the mental and emotional challenges he faces. Family members indicated that Cleaver would be supported and have reliable transportation to all appointments if granted probation. His grandmother told the court that Cleaver, who has been living with her since the investigation began, has grown substantially since the beginning of the criminal probe, and has been compliant with her and the terms of his bond, including not accessing certain websites or gaming platforms. In a statement to the court on his own behalf, Cleaver acknowledged that he had made a grave error and told the court that he was ashamed of what he had done. He told the court that he accepted whatever punishment the court deemed appropriate. Attorneys weigh in, judge renders sentence Amelia Blyth, a public defender representing Cleaver in the case, told the court Cleaver has some severe mental barriers, including some "fairly heavy" diagnoses regarding his mental health. However, she stated she believes her client can be treated and be a productive, healthy member of society if given a chance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Deputy District Attorney Eric Walser said he concurred with the defense that treatment would be the most appropriate sentence in the case, and that probation was appropriate. Judge Ernst expressed concern that if Cleaver fails, the probation could be revoked. However, Blyth stated that no one understands the consequences of failure as much as Cleaver. She said he was beaten during his time in the Pueblo County jail, and that when she met him for the first time, "he was in a serious state of disrepair." Ernst sentenced Cleaver to five years of probation. Along with standard terms of probation, Cleaver cannot access the internet in any way without previous written consent from his treatment team, including using messaging services or interactive online gaming. He is also forbidden from having contact with anyone under 18 years old, barring one 17-year-old sibling. "The plea agreement in this case left the sentencing decision to the presiding Judge," 10th Judicial District Attorney Kala Beauvais said in a statement to the Chieftain. "Under the sentencing guidelines the Judge had the option to sentence the defendant to probation, community corrections, or the Colorado Department of Corrections. Given that this person is going to be in our community, treatment and oversight by probation is necessary." How the investigation came about The Pueblo County Sheriff's Office's investigation into Cleaver started in late March 2022 when investigators reviewed a tip from the Colorado Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force referencing multiple images of child sexual abuse material. That tip came to the task force through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The images in question dated from July 2019 and December 2021, according to a PCSO arrest affidavit, and the suspect's IP address was tracked to a computer owned by a family member of Cleaver. Although a search related to the original tip turned up nothing, another tip from NCMEC came in June 2022, regarding a user's activity on Discord, a communication and messaging platform with chat, voice, and video capabilities. That tip concerned child sexual abuse images that were linked to an email account connected to Cleaver, according to the affidavit, as well as an IP address connected to computers in Cleaver's home. In 2019 direct messages between two accounts that were later deactivated, one user asked the other about his user name, and the other replied that his real name was Sebastian and not to tell anyone, according to the affidavit. In another message, the same deactivated account stated his birthday was July 1, which matched Cleaver's. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In another conversation, the deleted user account associated with Cleaver allegedly sent child sexual abuse material to another account, which was also later deactivated, according to Discord records cited in the affidavit. A conversation between the two users ensued in which Cleaver allegedly discussed with the other user how to hide illegal material electronically so it wouldn't be discovered by law enforcement. In an interview between Cleaver and detectives, he initially denied possession of child sexual abuse materials. However, he confirmed that an email address connected to the suspect account belonged to him, according to the affidavit. When asked if investigators would find child sexual abuse material on his devices, Cleaver allegedly replied that they might find it on his phone, "maybe accidentally." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When asked how the illegal materials could "accidentally" end up on his phone, Cleaver said he "can't tell the difference between (the ages of) people," and stated he "didn't grow up with people," according to the affidavit. PCSO detectives noted in the affidavit that the images in question could not be mistaken for an adult. Results of a search warrant on Cleaver's cellphone revealed 207 video and image files of child sexual abuse materials. Cleaver was arrested in Olney Springs and booked into the Crowley County Jail before being transported to the Pueblo County jail on Dec. 13, 2024, after a warrant for his arrest was issued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: Affidavit alleges Pueblo man charged with possessing CSAM admitted to regularly viewing it Questions, comments, or story tips? Contact Justin at jreutterma@gannett.com. Follow him on X at @jayreutter1. Support local news; subscribe to the Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo man gets probation for possessing child sex abuse materials Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk on Thursday, calling last months shooting in Utah a disgusting atrocity. You know, this disgusting atrocity, and even more so, live, Putin said at a forum held by the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi, Russia. In fact, we all saw it, but I dont know, thats really disgusting. It looked horrible. I first of all, of course, offer my condolences to the family of Mr. Kirk and all his loved ones, the Russian leader continued. We sympathize and empathize, especially since he defended those traditional values. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He added that the fatal shooting is a sign of a deep rift in society, according to Reuters. In the United States, I dont think theres any need to escalate the situation externally because the countrys political leadership is trying to restore order domestically, Putin said. Kirk, the co-founder of Turning Point USA a nonprofit organization that promoted conservative values in schools died Sept. 10 after being shot during a campus visit to Utah Valley University. Videos of the incident circulated online but were eventually restricted or taken down following outcry from several Republican officials. President Trump, who considered Kirk a key ally, and administration officials spoke out against speech that seemingly praised the assassination. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The move raised concern across the U.S. about rising political violence and the protection of free speech. Though Putin acknowledged the Trump administrations attempts to restore order following Kirks death, he also criticized the president during the forum for casting doubt on the Kremlins power amid its war with Ukraine. Trump previously posted late last month to Truth Social that Moscow had been fighting aimlessly for over three years against Ukraine and looked like a paper tiger. Russian leaders, including Putin, have pushed back on this characterization. Russia has not been fighting the Armed Forces of Ukraine or Ukraine itself these past years, but effectively the entire NATO bloc, Putin said, according to a transcript of his forum remarks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yet if we are combating the entire NATO alliance, advancing thus with unwavering confidence, and are deemed a paper tiger what does that make NATO itself? he said later. Putin also warned that the U.S. sending long-range missiles to Kyiv could put the U.S.-Russia relationship at risk. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Corrections & Clarifications: This story has been updated to remove an incorrect portion regarding groceries. Note: Polls closed at 7 p.m. Find our latest updates on the candidates and issues in this story in our live Election Day blog and live election results story. This November, voters will elect a new Fort Collins mayor and multiple City Council members, determine who will sit on area school boards and weigh in on a variety of local ballot measures from what should be done with the old Hughes Stadium site to tax measures to support natural areas, childcare and more. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Election Day is Nov. 4, 2025, and the Coloradoan is providing comprehensive coverage of the candidates and ballot measures facing Larimer County voters as well as voters in the nearby Weld RE-4 School District. Bookmark this guide for when you're ready to work on your ballot. As additional stories are published, we'll add them to the appropriate section below. Sections are organized based on the order they would appear on your ballot. Note: Some races and ballot measures are location-specific and won't appear on all ballots. Fort Collins mayor There are seven candidates in the running to be Fort Collins' next mayor. This race will use ranked voting. For more information on that process, click here. About the candidates Candidates for Fort Collins mayor in the 2025 election are, in order of how they appear on the ballot: top row from left, Tricia Canonico, Adam Eggleston, Emily Francis, Adam Hirschhorn. Bottom row: Shirley Peel, Jeffrey Shumway and Scott 'ScottyV' VanTatenhove. Tricia Canonico is a current City Council member, representing southeast Fort Collins' District 3 since 2021. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read her introduction. We asked all Fort Collins mayor candidates to complete a Q&A. Check out Canonico's here. Adam Eggleston is a victim witness specialist with experience as a Realtor and on civic boards and commissions. Read his introduction. We asked all Fort Collins mayor candidates to complete a Q&A. Check out Eggleston's here. Emily Francis is a current City Council member, representing Fort Collins' District 6. She is also mayor pro-tem. Read her introduction. We asked all Fort Collins mayor candidates to complete a Q&A. Check out Francis' here. Adam Hirschhorn is a community member who has advocated before City Council on social, environmental and cultural issues. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shirley Peel is a former City Council member who represented Fort Collins District 4. She is retired with a background in education. Read her introduction. We asked all Fort Collins mayor candidates to complete a Q&A. Check out Peel's here. Jeffrey Shumway is a U.S. Air Force veteran and former police officer. Read his introduction. We asked all Fort Collins mayor candidates to complete a Q&A. As of the morning of Oct. 21, Shumway had not submitted his Q&A. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Scott VanTatenhove, or "Scotty V," is a Poudre School District employee who has served on the city's transportation board and the board of Fort Collins Music Association. Read his introduction. We asked all Fort Collins mayor candidates to complete a Q&A. Check out VanTatenhove's here. Other coverage of this race Fort Collins City Council District 1 There are three candidates in the runing to represent District 1 on Fort Collins City Council. This race will use ranked voting. For more information on that process, click here. About the candidates The candidates in the Fort Collins City Council District 1 race are, in order of how they appear on the ballot, clockwise from top left: Chris Conway, Susan Gutowsky and Daisy Montgomery. Chris Conway is a high school teacher and founding member of Fort Collins YIMBY, which advocates for policies that promote housing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Susan Gutowsky is a retired teacher and current City Council member, representing northeast Fort Collins' District 1 since 2019. Read her introduction. We asked all Fort Collins City Council candidates to complete a Q&A. Check out Gutowsky's here. Daisy Montgomery is a small business owner and disability advocate who serves on the city's Disability Advisory Board and the board of directors for the Autism Society of Colorado. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read her introduction. We asked all Fort Collins City Council candidates to complete a Q&A. Check out Montgomery's here. Other coverage of this race Fort Collins City Council District 3 There are three candidates in the running to represent District 3 on Fort Collins City Council. This race will use ranked voting. For more information on that process, click here. About the candidates The three candidates in the Fort Collins City Council District 3 race are, in order of how they appear on the ballot, clockwise from top left: Josh Fudge, Lance Smith and Steve Yurash. Josh Fudge is a volunteer, board member for the Poudre River Public Library District and budget director for the Larimer County government. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read his introduction. We asked all Fort Collins City Council candidates to complete a Q&A. Check out Fudge's here. Lance Smith is the former finance director for Fort Collins Utilities, where he worked with residents, City Council, and boards and commissions. Read his introduction. We asked all Fort Collins City Council candidates to complete a Q&A. Check out Smith's here. Steve Yurash is the founder of the Colorado Center Party and has served on the Fort Collins Electric Board and Larimer County Board of Health. Read his introduction. We asked all Fort Collins City Council candidates to complete a Q&A. Check out Yurash's here. Other coverage of this race Fort Collins City Council District 5 There are two candidates in the running to represent District 5 on Fort Collins City Council. This race will not use ranked voting. About the candidates The two candidates in the Fort Collins City Council District 5 race are, in order of how they appear on the ballot, Amy Hoeven, left, and Zoelle Lane, right. Amy Hoeven is a community advocate and serves on Fort Collins' Citizens Review Board. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read her introduction. We asked all Fort Collins City Council candidates to complete a Q&A. Check out Hoeven's here. Zoelle Lane is a human resources professional at CSU with a background in nonprofits. Read her introduction. We asked all Fort Collins City Council candidates to complete a Q&A. Check out Lane's here. Other coverage of this race Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: Looking for advice on how to vote in the Fort Collins election? Here's where to find it Poudre School District Board of Education District C There are two candidates running for the District C seat, which covers northeast Fort Collins. School board members in Colorado must reside within the geographic boundaries of the specific district that they hope to represent but are elected by all voters within the boundaries of their school district. About the candidates Karla Baise, left, and Sabrina Herrick are running for the District C seat on the Poudre School District Board of Education in the Nov. 4, 2025 election. Karla Baise is the longtime community outreach director for Odell Brewing Co. and parent of two children attending PSD schools. Read more about her in this story announcing her candidacy. We asked all Poudre School District Board of Education candidates to complete a Q&A. Check out Baise's here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sabrina Herrick is the mother of a victim of Tyler Zanella, a former PSD school bus attendant who was sentenced to 12 years in jail for physically and verbally assaulting and harassing students with special needs while working on a school bus transporting them to and from school during the 2022-23 school year. Other coverage of this race Poudre School District Board of Education District D There are two candidates running for the District D seat, which covers northwest Fort Collins and portions of Laporte and Bellvue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement School board members in Colorado must reside within the geographic boundaries of the specific district that they hope to represent but are elected by all voters within the boundaries of their school district. About the candidates Tom Griggs, left, and Coronda Ziegler are running for the District D seat on the Poudre School District Board of Education in the Nov. 4, 2025, election. Tom Griggs, now retired, spent most of his professional career teaching teachers as a professor of education at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley for 20 years and at San Jose State before that. He has two adult children who attended PSD schools. Read more about him in this story announcing his candidacy. We asked all Poudre School District Board of Education candidates to complete a Q&A. Check out Griggs' here. Coronda Ziegler is a student success manager at Colorado State University and mother of three children attending PSD schools. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more about her in this story announcing her candidacy. We asked all Poudre School District Board of Education candidates to complete a Q&A. Check out Ziegler's here. Other coverage of this race Poudre School District Board of Education District E There is one candidate running for the District E seat, which covers the northern portion of the school district, including Wellington, Red Feather Lakes and a portion of Timnath. School board members in Colorado must reside within the geographic boundaries of the specific district that they hope to represent but are elected by all voters within the boundaries of their school district. About the candidate Andrew Spain is running unopposed for the District E seat on the Poudre School District Board of Education in the November 2025 election. Andrew Spain was appointed June 17 to fill the District E seat on an interim basis. Spain is a former paramedic who now serves as associate executive director of a professional society promoting simulation to improve the quality of healthcare. He served as a parent representative on the Facilities Planning Steering Committee that the school board tasked in early 2024 with recommending school consolidations and closures to address declining enrollment. Other coverage of this race More: Need a ballot or want to vote in person? When centers will be open in Larimer County Thompson School District Board of Education District B There is one candidate running for the District B seat, which covers northwest Loveland stretching north to Trilby Road in south Fort Collins. School board members in Colorado must reside within the geographic boundaries of the specific district that they hope to represent but are elected by all voters within the boundaries of their school district. About the candidate Mike Scholl, a former economic development manager for the city of Loveland, is the parent of two boys, one in college and the other a senior at Loveland High School. Scholl has spent the past six years working primarily on economic planning and affordable housing issues for a Fort Collins business that does work in comprehensive planning and other areas. We asked all Thompson School District Board of Education candidates to complete a Q&A. Check out Scholl's here. Other coverage of this race Thompson School District Board of Education District E There are two candidates running for the District E seat, which covers central Loveland. School board members in Colorado must reside within the geographic boundaries of the specific district that they hope to represent but are elected by all voters within the boundaries of their school district. About the candidates Mary Buchanan is a Loveland native, graduate of Thompson School District schools and parent of a current student. She works in risk assessment. We asked all Thompson School District Board of Education candidates to complete a Q&A. As of the morning of Oct. 21, Buchanan had not submitted her Q&A. Incumbent Alexandra Lessem was first elected to the school board in 2021 and is seeking reelection. Lessem is a family nurse practitioner with two children who attended Thompson School District schools since kindergarten. We asked all Thompson School District Board of Education candidates to complete a Q&A. Check out Lessem's here. Other coverage of this race Thompson School District Board of Education District F There are two candidates running for the District F seat, which covers east Loveland stretching to Interstate 25. School board members in Colorado must reside within the geographic boundaries of the specific district that they hope to represent but are elected by all voters within the boundaries of their school district. About the candidates Dmitri Atrash, a former Navy pilot now working in new technologies and data modeling for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has two daughters attending Thompson School District schools. His wife is a teacher at Mountain View High School. We asked all Thompson School District Board of Education candidates to complete a Q&A. Check out Atrash's here. Lori Goebel served on the Loveland Planning Commission from 2022-24 and currently serves on the board of directors for House of Neighborly Service. Goebel and her husband, James, are pastors of Faith Now Fellowship, a Loveland church. We asked all Thompson School District Board of Education candidates to complete a Q&A. Check out Goebel's here. Other coverage of this race Weld RE-4 Board of Education District A There are two candidates running for the District A seat, which covers the southern portion of the Weld RE-4 School District. School board members in Colorado must reside within the geographic boundaries of the specific district that they hope to represent but are elected by all voters within the boundaries of their school district. About the candidates Christopher Kiraly worked in operations for United Parcel Service and Amazon and served as senior director of operations for a large property management company based in Chicago for many years before putting his career on hold to become a stay-at-home dad during the COVID-19 pandemic. He and his wife, Brooke, have two young children, a preschooler and first grader. We asked all Weld RE-4 Board of Education candidates to complete a Q&A. Check out Kiraly's here. Incumbent Raymond Ruth is an Air Force veteran and executive with a global service company that works on test and measurement equipment for a wide range of industries. He and his wife, Christen, grew up in Greeley and have three daughters, two who graduated from Windsor High School and are now in college and a third who is a freshman this year at Windsor High. We asked all Weld RE-4 Board of Education candidates to complete a Q&A. Check out Ruth's here. Other coverage of this race Weld RE-4 Board of Education District C There is one candidate running for the District C seat, which covers the northeastern portion of the Weld RE-4 School District. School board members in Colorado must reside within the geographic boundaries of the specific district that they hope to represent but are elected by all voters within the boundaries of their school district. About the candidate Board President Lance Nichols and his wife, Adele, own and operate her familys farm and cattle feeding business, Lind Farms, near Severance, and Lance Nichols is a partner in Nichols Auctioneers, a business he runs with other members of his family. Their two children were the fourth generation on her side of the family to attend Weld RE-4 schools and graduate from Windsor High School. We asked all Weld RE-4 Board of Education candidates to complete a Q&A. Check out Nichols' here. Other coverage of this race As you head into the ballot measures, here's a cheat sheet to the alphabet soup. Colorado Proposition LL Colorado Proposition LL would allow the state "to keep and spend $12.4 million in tax revenue that has already been collected for the Healthy School Meals for All Program," according to the 2025 State Ballot Information Booklet, also called the blue book. It would also keep existing taxes on housesholds making $300,000 or more a year in place. If the measure does not pass, Colorado will refund that $12.4 million to those households. A "no" vote would also mean deduction limits could change "as scheduled under current law, which will lower taxes paid by these households," per the blue book. Read more: Colorado Proposition MM Colorado Proposition MM also pertains to the Healthy School Meals for All Program. This measure would increase state income taxes for households making $300,000 or more per year, with increased revenue going toward these priorities, per the blue book: Offering free school meals to all students in public schools. Implementing "previously approved local food purchasing and employee wage components" of the program. Helping fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. A "no" vote for the measure would mean state income taxes for households making $300,000 or more per year wouldn't change, according to the blue book. Read more: Larimer County Ballot Issue 1A Larimer County voters will be considering a 0.15% sales and use tax this November and, if passed, it would mean more dedicated funding for the county's roads, bridges and intersections. The tax would equate to 15 cents on a $100 purchase, not including grocery, gas, diaper and prescription drug purchases. If approved, the tax is expected to generate approximately $15 million annually until its expiration in 15 years. Its revenue would go toward safer roads, bridges and intersections; construction, maintenance and improvements to the county's transportation system; and better mobility and reliability for those traveling in Larimer County, according to the ballot language. Read more: Larimer County Ballot Issue 1B Larimer County voters will have a chance to address the area's childcare shortage and rising childcare costs this November. A quarter-cent sales and use tax designed to boost the availability and affordability of childcare and preschool programs will be on this year's ballot. If passed, the tax equating to 25 cents per $100 purchase, excluding grocery, gas, diaper and prescription drug purchases would be in effect for 20 years and generate an estimated $28.7 million annually. Its revenue would go toward lowering the cost of preschool and childcare in Larimer County, increasing wages for preschool and childcare teachers and staff, and making facility improvements to improve the quality and availability of early childhood services in Larimer County, according the ballot language. Read more: Thompson School District Ballot Issue 5A Thompson School District voters will decide whether they want to provide the district with $99 million annually by extending the duration of a mill on their property taxes that was first approved through a 2005 bond measure. Money from the proposed 2025 bond, according to the districts website, would be used for: Critical maintenance and repairs. Upgrading outdated safety and security systems. Responding to shifting demographic and enrollment patterns. Planning responsibly for the future without raising taxes. Read more: City of Fort Collins Ballot Issue 2A Fort Collins has been using voter-approved sales tax initiatives to fund major capital projects since 1973 including landmark facilities like Old Town Library, City Hall, Mulberry Pool and the Lincoln Center. Now, the city is seeking to renew a quarter-cent capital sales tax to build new community amenities and expand or improve existing ones. The Community Capital Improvement Program (CCIP) tax would equate to 25 cents on every $100 purchase, not including grocery purchases. If renewed, it could generate an estimated $11 million per year until 2035. Read more: City of Fort Collins Ballot Questions 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G (Charter Amendments) These are six charter amendments brought to Fort Colins voters by City Council because voters must approve any changes to the City Charter. These concern things like: council terms and vacancies, election procedures, campaign contributions, how the city notifies the public about ordinances, open records, executive sessions and council member conflicts of interest. Read more: Hughes Stadium site: City of Fort Collins Ballot Question 2H and Ballot Question 303 Ballot Question 2H was referred to Fort Collins voters by City Council. It seeks to make the former Hughes Stadium site a multiuse site with not only a natural area but also a city park with a bike park and community gathering area, along with facilities for environmental education and wildlife conservation. It would be developed in consultation with Indigenous groups. Ballot Question 303 is a citizen-referred question and required organizers to gather at least 5,070 signatures to get on the ballot. It would require the former Hughes Stadium site to be designated 100% a natural area. Read more: City of Fort Collins Ballot Issue 302 Fort Collins taxpayers have been supporting the city's natural areas through a sales and use tax for decades, passing a quarter-cent tax in 1992 and extending it in 2002. A citizen group is hoping lightning strikes thrice with Ballot Issue 302, which would extend the tax without an expiration date. If passed, the way the tax revenue is currently allocated would change, with 70% going toward land conservation activities and 30% toward operations and maintenance starting in 2061. Currently, 80% of its revenue goes to land conservation while 20% is earmarked for operations and maintenance, according to past Coloradoan reporting. If not renewed, the tax will expire at the end of 2030. Read more: Town of Timnath Ballot Issue 3A Timnath's population is on the rise and the town is hoping to meet its growing needs with a community recreation center. The proposed center would be funded, in part, by a 1.25% sales tax that's on the November ballot. The sales and use tax would bring in $9 million in estimated annual revenue until sunsetting in 2056. Tax revenue, combined with approximately $8 million in developer impact fees, would be used to construct and maintain the recreation center at an estimated cost of $98 million, according to the town's website. Read more: Wellington Fire Protection District Ballot Issue 6D Voters will decide on a potential 0.5% sales tax for the Wellington Fire Protection District, which spans from south of Wellington to Wyoming and from U.S. Highway 287 to the border between Larimer and Weld counties. The tax would bring in an estimated $100,000 annually and help fund capital projects for the district, possibly including a $4.5 million fleet replacement and station upgrades, according to the ballot language and minutes from the district's Aug. 20 board meeting. The tax will continue until repealed. Read more: Returning your ballot (and other voter information) This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Your guide to Larimer County-area candidates and issues on 2025 ballot Republican lieutenant governor nominee John Reid, right, with former White House press secretary Sean Spicer during a Sept. 8 fundraiser at Butterworths in Washington, D.C. The event, a few blocks from the White House, was hosted by current Qorvis executives. (Courtesy of campaign) On a Monday evening in early September, a mix of Virginia politicos and Washington regulars filed into Butterworths, the Capitol Hill newcomer profiled by Washingtonian this spring as the MAGA crowds favorite D.C. restaurant. The Sept. 8 fundraiser for Republican lieutenant governor nominee John Reid according to an invitation reviewed by The Mercury billed former White House press secretary Sean Spicer and several current Qorvis executives, including Chief Executive Officer Matt Lauer, Chief Editorial Officer Samantha Sault and Managing Partner Grace Fenstermaker. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tickets ranged from $35 for a happy hour to a $2,500 bundle with two dinner and four happy-hour admissions. The Washingtonian piece described Butterworths as a conservative social hub that opened just before the 2024 election, part of a shifting power-dining scene now that the old Trump Hotel is gone. Advertisement for a Sept. 8 fundraiser for Republican John Reid at Butterworths in Washington, D.C., featuring former White House press secretary Sean Spicer and Qorvis executives. (Contributed photo) The setting and the hosts put a spotlight on a consequential line on Reids resume: his 20112014 stint as a partner and registered foreign agent at Qorvis, the Washington strategic communications shop whose client list has included foreign governments and politically connected figures abroad. Qorvis in recent years has described itself as a global advisory firm standing at the nexus of influence and capital, with practice areas spanning international communications, geopolitical intelligence & strategy, and public diplomacy, and primary offices in Washington, Geneva and Dubai. David Leblang, the Randolph Compton professor of Public Affairs at the University of Virginias Miller Center of Public Affairs, said Qorvis has a history of representing foreign governments, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The firm has also worked for others, such as the governments of Libya and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which have been criticized for human rights abuses, he said. Reids campaign declined to answer nearly 30 detailed questions The Mercury sent about his duties, clients and any Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) filings during his Qorvis years. Instead, the campaign supplied a written statement summarizing his tenure. John Reid worked for Qorvis between 2011 and 2014. During that time, Reid worked on strategic communications for Qorvis clients, the statement read. Reids work at Qorvis consisted largely of public relations with foreign media, and no lobbying activity, the campaign continued, saying that as a former journalist, his role promoted transparency within the international press corps. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The campaign also said Reid would, if elected, advocate that all candidates for statewide office disclose their clients and foreign affiliations, pointing specifically to Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanbergers past jobs at the Islamic Saudi Academy in Northern Virginia and Royall and Company. Reids campaign did not respond to follow-up questions attempting to clarify some of his remarks. Qorvis offered its own defense of its long-criticized foreign-influence work and of Reid personally. In an emailed statement, Sault, the companys chief editorial officer, said that John Reid was a respected, thoughtful leader during his tenure at Qorvis and has exemplified hard work and principled service throughout his career, adding that three Qorvis partners who have known John for more than a decade contributed personal funds to the September 8 fundraiser. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The firm, Sault said, is proud of its 25-year record of trusted client service and commitment to compliance and transparency. Why Qorviss work draws scrutiny Founded in 2000 and led by CEO Lauer after a management buyout in late 2022, Qorvis markets itself as a full-spectrum influence and advisory company. Its website further highlights capabilities in lobbying and government relations, as well as crisis and reputation management. Public records, meanwhile, document substantial foreign-principal work by Qorvis over the years. The Justice Departments FARA e-filing system and OpenSecrets Foreign Lobby Watch show Qorvis repeatedly reporting representation of the government of Saudi Arabia, among others, with frequent informational materials and exhibit filings in 20182019 and beyond. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement UVAs Leblang said that voters concerned about human rights or U.S. complicity in authoritarian PR might see this as a red flag, questioning if Reids experience normalized influence-peddling for repressive governments. Seven years before Reid joined the firm, in December 2004, the FBI searched several Qorvis offices as part of a probe into the firms Saudi-related work a memory that still colors coverage of the company. The controversy intensified again in 20162017, when multiple outlets reported that Saudi-funded efforts with Qorvis and a network of subcontractors in the mix recruited U.S. military veterans to lobby against the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), a law enabling 9/11 families to sue foreign governments. Samantha Sault, chief editorial officer at Qorvis. (Courtesy of Qorvis) In her statement, Sault tried to draw a bright line around compliance in this complex space. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Qorvis complies fully with all Department of Justice requirements, including FARA, she said. All required information regarding past or present clients or employees is disclosed in public filings on the DOJ website, as required by law. That assertion aligns with the firms branded relaunch since the 2022 buyout, which emphasizes transparency and market-intelligence offerings alongside traditional communications work. What Reid did and didnt do at Qorvis Pressed on his personal role, the statement from Reids campaign underscores what he says he didnt do. Neither Fiji nor Saudi Arabia were ever clients of Reids so he cannot speak to those projects. The campaign added that his portfolio consisted largely of public relations with foreign media, not lobbying. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But that narrow description contrasts with how Reid has characterized his work overseas. On a recent episode of The Jeff Katz Show, Reid said his background would help him bring more business to Virginia, adding: Somebody like me who has been a partner in a major government relations firm and cut deals all around the world. Reid also addressed a specific allegation circulating that he was tied to Qorviss FARA-registered work for Fijis military-led government in the early 2010s. Out of an abundance of caution, Reid registered under FARA when he was being considered for a Fiji project, the statement reads, however, that contract ultimately went to others at the firm and Reid was not involved with the Fiji account in any shape or form. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The documentary record confirms that Qorvis did FARA-registered work related to Fiji as a foreign principal in that era. A Lowy Institute for International Policy analysis contemporaneous with Reids tenure reported that the Fiji Government pays Qorvis Communications US$40,000 a month to provide public relations services, as the Bainimarama administration attempted to recast its image following the 2006 coup and amid restrictions on civil liberties. The U.S. Department of Justices public system also contains Qorvis supplemental statements and exhibits from the period. Reids assertion that he was considered but not ultimately assigned and that he filed out of an abundance of caution could be clarified by short-form filings, engagement letters or time logs, documents the campaign did not provide. On other accounts, the record shows Qorvis connected to a French lawyers representation of Egyptian steel magnate Ahmed Ezz a Mubarak-era power broker who faced a cascade of graft and money-laundering cases after the 2011 revolution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Contemporary reporting chronicled Ezzs prosecutions, including a seven-year sentence for money laundering in 2012. The Mercury asked Reid whether he worked on any Egypt-related matter and what his tasks were if so; he did not respond to those specific questions. But Reid has repeatedly described living in the region during and after his Qorvis years. On a 2017 episode of The Jeff Katz Show, he said, for a couple of years I was living in Kuwait and in the Middle East. And in 2018 remarks at a WRVA Politics & Pints event, he said he had lived in the Middle East, in Kuwait and Dubai and Bahrain during the middle of the Arab Spring, framing his views as informed by firsthand experience. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As recently as July 2025, while guesting on the John Fredericks Show, he prefaced commentary as someone who has lived in the Middle East. The Khashoggi murder The Saudi portfolio has been the most politically radioactive for Washington firms, especially after the Oct. 2, 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul an assassination a U.N. special rapporteur later said the Saudi state bore responsibility for, citing credible evidence that warranted further investigation up the chain of command. In the Oct. 18, 2018, WRVA segment reviewed by The Mercury, Reid urged holding judgment on Saudi Arabia as early reports emerged, while criticizing what he called a very dishonest press corps. The Mercury asked Reid if his view changed as evidence mounted, but his campaign did not answer. Instead, Reid reiterated that neither Fiji nor Saudi Arabia were ever his clients, and that his Qorvis work was public relations with foreign media rather than lobbying. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reids role in a FARA-registered firm means he helped shape narratives for foreign interests in the U.S., UVAs Leblang said. He added that in todays climate of foreign election interference concerns such as Russian or Chinese influence this could raise doubts about his judgment or potential conflicts in a high-profile state role like lieutenant governor, who presides over the Senate and acts as a policy tiebreaker. Leblang said that as a conservative running on restoring trust and defending values, Reids early career, which includes interning for former President Ronald Reagan, contrasts with mid-career work for regimes antithetical to those ideals. At the same time, Leblang cautioned that the Qorvis chapter was over a decade ago, comprising just three years of Reids 30-plus year career, noting that Reid left to work for the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and then moved into Virginia media. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No scandals or violations are tied to Reid personally, Leblang said, and Qorviss FARA filings were standard for the industry; lobbying for foreign clients is legal and common in D.C. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) Congressman Troy Carter (D-La.) voiced his concerns for the safety of a New Orleans resident and veteran, Susan Zue Jernstedt, who was aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla. The last boat carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza from the flotilla was intercepted Friday by Israeli forces. Israel Foreign Ministry wrote on X, Already 4 Italian citizens have been deported. The rest are in the process of being deported. Israel is keen to end this procedure as quickly as possible. Hamas says it accepts some elements of Gaza peace plan after Trump issues ultimatum Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Carter said in a statement that he is closely monitoring this situation. He called the report of Americans detained disturbing, adding that the release of those captured needs to be demanded. Our voices, especially those of our national leaders, must be unwavering in calling for their safe return home, he said. Read Carters full statement below. I am deeply concerned about the safety and well-being of Susan Zue Jernstedt, a New Orleans resident and veteran, along with other Americans and international activists aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla. Im closely monitoring this situation and have made my office available to assist as we await further information. As Ive consistently stated, nations have a responsibility to civilians, aid workers, and other noncombatants during military operations. These responsibilities go beyond the laws of war to include fundamental human rights, morality, and decency. That was the mission of these activists: to provide critical aid to the people of Gaza. I firmly stand with them in that mission. What is particularly disturbing is the report that Americans including veterans and humanitarian workers are being detained in maximum security facilities by a government that receives billions of dollars in U.S. support. This is unacceptable. The immediate release of all Americans captured must be demanded without hesitation. Our voices, especially those of our national leaders, must be unwavering in calling for their safe return home. Sue is quoted as saying, its never too late to stand up for humanity. Lets take a cue from her and stand firmly, demand justice, call for an end to this humanitarian crisis, and insist that every American unjustly detained is returned safely and immediately. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Latest News Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Louisiana First News. (Ian Hodgson/AP Photo/YouTube screenshot) The father of the man who carried out a terrifying attack on a Manchester synagogue on one of the Jewish calendars holiest days was found to have praised Oct. 7 Hamas fighters after they invaded Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Faraj Al-Shamie, who works as a trauma surgeon in Britain, released a statement on Facebook on Friday a day after his son, Jihad Al-Shamie, rammed his car into pedestrians outside a synagogue in the Manchester suburb of Crumpsall before getting out and stabbing others: The news from Manchester regarding the terrorist attack targeting a Jewish synagogue has been a profound shock to us. The Al-Shamie family in the UK and abroad strongly condemns this heinous act, which targeted peaceful, innocent civilians. We fully distance ourselves from this attack and express our deep shock and sorrow over what has happened. Our hearts and thoughts are with the victims and their families, and we pray for their strength and comfort. We kindly request that all media outlets respect the familys privacy during this very difficult time and refrain from using this tragic event in any context that does not reflect the truth. May God have mercy on the innocent victims, and we pray for the swift recovery of the injured. But a deep dive into the elder Al-Shamies frequent social media posts by the Daily Telegraph uncovered disturbing statements about the Hamas militants behind the horrific Oct. 7 terror strike that left nearly 1,200 people dead, including 38 children. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The scenes broadcast by the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades of a group of fighters storming an occupation army camp with simple means balloons and motorcycles prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Israel will not remain, he said in a post written the day of the attack in Arabic but translated into English by the Telegraph. In another, he said: Where is this so-called resistance with the Haifa rockets May Gods curse be upon the hypocrites, the traitors pledged to a disgusting and filthy sectarian agenda the moment of truth is inevitably coming. (The Daily Telegraph) It also emerged Friday that the younger Al-Shamie was out on bail for sexual assault when he committed the synagogue atrocity, according to the Times of Israel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jihad Al-Shamie was shot dead by police officers outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall after the attack that left two dead on Thursday. Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, both Jewish Crumpsall residents, were identified as the two deceased victims, police told the Associated Press. Three others were hospitalized in serious condition. The post REVEALED: Dad of Manchester Synagogue Terrorist Praised October 7 Attackers in Social Media Posts first appeared on Mediaite. Astronomers have observed a planet that in some ways behaves more like a star including a massive growth spurt unlike anything witnessed before in a free-floating planet. The rogue planet, which does not orbit any star, is called Cha 1107-7626 and is outside of our solar system, 620 light-years from Earth in the Chamaeleon constellation. A single light-year, or the distance light travels in one year, is equal to 5.88 trillion miles (9.46 trillion kilometers). The planet has a mass five to 10 times that of Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system. And its getting bigger every second, according to new research published Thursday in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Estimated to be 1 million to 2 million years old, Cha 1107-7626 is still forming, said study coauthor Aleks Scholz, an astronomer at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. It may sound old, but astronomically speaking, the planet is in its infancy. By contrast, the planets in our solar system are about 4.5 billion years old. Cha 1107-7626 is surrounded by a disk of gas and dust, which constantly falls onto the planet and accumulates during a process that astronomers call accretion. But the rate at which the young planet is growing varies, the study authors said. Observations with the European Southern Observatorys Very Large Telescope in Chiles Atacama Desert, along with follow-up views conducted by the James Webb Space Telescope, showed that the planet is adding material about eight times faster than a few months earlier and gobbling up gas and dust at a record rate of 6.6 billion tons (6 billion metric tons) per second. The unusual burst of activity is the strongest growth rate ever recorded for a planet of any kind, said lead study author Victor Almendros-Abad, an astronomer at the Palermo Astronomical Observatory of the National Institute for Astrophysics in Italy, and is shedding light on the tumultuous formation and evolution of planets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weve caught this newborn rogue planet in the act of gobbling up stuff at a furious pace, said senior coauthor Ray Jayawardhana, provost and professor of physics and astronomy at Johns Hopkins University, in a statement. Monitoring its behavior over the past few months, with two of the most powerful telescopes on the ground and in space, we have captured a rare glimpse into the baby phase of isolated objects not much heftier than Jupiter. Their infancy appears to be much more tumultuous than we had realized. An unprecedented burst of growth Astronomers first discovered Cha 1107-7626 in 2008, and since then, they have observed it with different telescopes to learn more about how the infant planet evolves, as well as to study its surroundings. The research team observed the planet with Webb in 2024, making a clear detection of the surrounding disk. Next, the researchers studied it using the X-shooter spectrograph on the Very Large Telescope, which can capture different wavelengths of light emitted by an object ranging from ultraviolet to near-infrared. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The observations detected a puzzling event as the planet transitioned from a steady accretion rate in April and May to a burst of growth between June and August. I fully expected that this is a short-term event, because those are much more common, Scholz said. When the burst kept going through July and August, I was absolutely stunned. Follow-up observations made using the Webb telescope also showed that the chemistry of the disk had changed. Water vapor, present during the growth spurt, wasnt in the disk before. Webb is the only telescope capable of capturing such detailed changes in the environment for such a faint object, Scholz said. Prior to this research, astronomers had only ever seen the chemistry of a disk change around a star, but not around a planet. Comparing observations from before and during the event showed that magnetic activity seems to be the main driver behind how much gas and dust is falling on the planet a phenomenon typically associated with stars as they grow. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the new observations suggest that objects with much less mass than stars the rogue world is less than 1% the mass of our sun can have strong magnetic fields capable of driving the growth of the object, according to the study authors. An infrared image taken with the Visible and Infrared Telescope for Astronomy shows Cha 1107-7626, a dot located in the center. - ESO/Meingast et al. A planet that acts like a star The origin of rogue planets remains murky. Its possible they are planets that are kicked out of orbit around stars due to the gravitational influence of other objects. Or perhaps they are the lowest-mass objects that happen to form like stars. For Cha 1107-7626, astronomers said they think its the latter. This object most likely formed in a way similar to stars from the collapse and fragmentation of a molecular cloud, Scholz said. A molecular cloud is a massive, cold cloud of gas and dust that can stretch for hundreds of light-years, according to NASA. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were struck by quite how much the infancy of free-floating planetary-mass objects resembles that of stars like the Sun, Jayawardhana said in a statement. Our new findings underscore that similarity, and imply that some objects comparable to giant planets form the way stars do, from contracting clouds of gas and dust accompanied by disks of their own, and they go through growth episodes just like newborn stars. When comparing the new data with archival information, the team noted that the planet also experienced a high growth rate event observed in 2016, hinting at the idea that it may undergo recurring growth spurts. Now, the team wants to investigate how long the bursts last and how often they occur. From that we can find out how much they really contribute to the growth, or what is triggering strong accretion bursts, Scholz said. The fact that we see accretion bursts across such a wide range of (objects) must be telling us something we are not quite sure yet what it is. Seeing behavior typically associated with the formation of stars in an isolated young planet is significant, said Dr. Jacco van Loon, an associate professor of astrophysics and director of the Keele Observatory at Keele University in England. He was not involved in the new research but noted that the wealth of observational detail revealed a rich molecular chemistry within the disk around the planet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Further research might clarify to what extent this differs from the disks around forming stars, but my curiosity focuses on what the composition might be of possible moons of this massive planet that might also form in this material, van Loon said. One can only think of Saturns moon Titan, which boasts an atmosphere and weather, to imagine what such moon might be like and whether it could eventually play host to life. This visible-light image from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 shows the position in the sky of the rogue planet Cha 1107-7626. - ESO/ Digitized Sky Survey 2 The study also marks an important new step in understanding the accretion process of rogue planets, said Dr. Nuria Miret Roig, assistant professor in the department of quantum physics and astrophysics at the University of Barcelona in Spain. Roig also was not involved in the new study. To deepen our understanding on the origin of these exotic celestial bodies, Roig said, it is essential to complement this type of work with studies on their abundance, atmospheric composition and the presence and properties of surrounding disks and companions. Rogue planets are incredibly dim and faint, making them difficult to detect. But new telescopes, such as the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, the upcoming Extremely Large Telescope, or ELT, in Chile and the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, slated to launch in 2027, could change the way astronomers study these wandering worlds and just how starlike they are. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ELT will be powerful enough to not only study these faint, free-floating planets in much more detail, but for example it will also be possible to look for close companions that might be responsible for triggering such bursts, Almendros-Abad said. (Rubin will) catch these rare outbursts across the whole population of known young planetary-mass objects, giving us, for the first time, a statistical picture of how often they happen, and how long they last. Sign up for CNNs Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com It can be frustrating to know that your long-anticipated vacation will probably look very different from what you had imagined. Occasionally, though, the disappointment of a scrapped trip and the hard work of going through and canceling your vacation plans is the best way to keep yourself and your loved ones safe. Royal Caribbean, one of the biggest cruise operators in North America, has canceled a series of trips to Labadee, Haiti, until at least spring 2026. Passengers with affected bookings are being contacted by Royal Caribbean and informed of altered itineraries or canceled sailings. The news comes after the Caribbean country declared a three-month state of emergency in August following an increase in terrorism and violent crimes. The U.S. Department of State updated its travel advisory to Level 4, recommending travelers to avoid travel to Haiti at this time. Royal Caribbean had already canceled trips to Labadee earlier in 2025. This is the second time in recent years that the cruise line has had to pause trips to its private destination in Haiti, the first series of cancellations having taken place in spring and summer 2024. Read more: 14 Safest Caribbean Islands For A Stress-Free Vacation, According To Research Is it safe to travel to Haiti right now? A beach in Labadee with people in the water - Mary Baratto/Shutterstock Labadee is considered one of the Caribbean's most dangerous cruise ports. At the time of writing, it remains unclear when the situation will settle down and current advisories will be lifted. Haiti has been a country in crisis since President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in 2021. After the government failed to hold elections, protesters hit the streets of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Elections were then pushed back multiple times. In frustration, armed groups have resorted to violence. Today, over 1.4 million Haitians, mainly women and children, have fled or lost their homes to fires. Violent crimes are on the rise and tourists should not expect to be spared. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Caribbean has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, but it also has some dangerous destinations, including Haiti. Countries in the region may see some changes in their travel advisories, depending on local situations. If you're planning a trip, it's good to stay on top of recent news and events to ensure it's safe to visit. Expect that, in the case of extreme socioeconomic disturbances, like those in Haiti, your travel plans may have to be adjusted. Ready to discover more hidden gems and expert travel tips? Subscribe to our free newsletter for access to the world's best-kept travel secrets. Read the original article on Islands. Determining the passage of time in our world of ticking clocks and oscillating pendulums is a simple case of counting the seconds between 'then' and 'now'. Down at the quantum scale of buzzing electrons, however, 'then' can't always be anticipated. Worse still, 'now' often blurs into a haze of vagueness. A stopwatch simply isn't going to work for some scenarios. A potential solution could be found in the very shape of the quantum fog itself, according to a 2022 study by researchers from Uppsala University in Sweden. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Watch the video below for a summary of their results; YouTube Thumbnail Their experiments on the wave-like nature of something called a Rydberg state revealed a novel way to measure time that doesn't require a precise starting point. Related: 3D Time Could Solve Physics' Biggest Problem, Says Bizarre New Study Rydberg atoms are the over-inflated balloons of the particle kingdom. Puffed up with lasers instead of air, these atoms contain electrons in extremely high-energy states, orbiting far from the nucleus. Of course, not every pump of a laser needs to puff an atom up to cartoonish proportions. In fact, lasers are routinely used to tickle electrons into higher energy states for a variety of uses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In some applications, a second laser can be used to monitor the changes in the electron's position, including the passing of time. These 'pump-probe' techniques can be used to measure the speed of certain ultrafast electronics, for instance. Inducing atoms into Rydberg states is a handy trick for engineers, not least when it comes to designing novel components for quantum computers. Needless to say, physicists have amassed a significant amount of information about the way electrons move about when nudged into a Rydberg state. Being quantum animals, though, their movements are less like beads sliding about on a tiny abacus, and more like an evening at the roulette table, where every roll and jump of the ball is squeezed into a single game of chance. The mathematical rule book behind this wild game of Rydberg electron roulette is referred to as a Rydberg wave packet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Just like actual waves, having more than one Rydberg wave packet rippling about in a space creates interference, resulting in unique patterns of ripples. Throw enough Rydberg wave packets into the same atomic pond, and those unique patterns will each represent the distinct time it takes for the wave packets to evolve in accordance with one another. Electrons moving when nudged into a Rydberg state are less like beads sliding about on a tiny abacus, and more like an evening at the roulette table, where every roll and jump of the ball is squeezed into a single game of chance. ( graphics.vp/Canva It was these very 'fingerprints' of time that the physicists behind this set of experiments set out to test, showing they were consistent and reliable enough to serve as a form of quantum timestamping. Their research involved measuring the results of laser-excited helium atoms and matching their findings with theoretical predictions to show how their signature results could stand in for a duration of time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "If you're using a counter, you have to define zero. You start counting at some point," physicist Marta Berholts from the University of Uppsala in Sweden, who led the team, explained to New Scientist in 2022. "The benefit of this is that you don't have to start the clock you just look at the interference structure and say 'okay, it's been 4 nanoseconds.'" Related: The Strange Science Behind Ghostly Lights That Have Haunted Us For Centuries A guidebook of evolving Rydberg wave packets could be used in combination with other forms of pump-probe spectroscopy that measure events on a tiny scale, when now and then are less clear, or simply too inconvenient to measure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Importantly, none of the fingerprints require a then and now to serve as a starting and stopping point for time. It'd be like measuring an unknown sprinter's race against a number of competitors running at set speeds. By looking for the signature of interfering Rydberg states amid a sample of pump-probe atoms, technicians could observe a timestamp for events as fleeting as just 1.7 trillionths of a second. Future quantum watch experiments could replace helium with other atoms, or even use laser pulses of different energies, to broaden the guidebook of timestamps to suit a broader range of conditions. This research was published in Physical Review Research. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An earlier version of this article was published in October 2022. Related News Indiana's statewide elected officials and Gov. Mike Braun's cabinet reported spending more than $90,000 in state tax dollars on travel over the last year, with trips everywhere from the popular SXSW conference in Austin, Texas, to President Donald Trump's Washington, D.C., inauguration, according to a new set of disclosures that state lawmakers required of them for the first time. As public scrutiny mounted on the overseas travel of Secretary of State Diego Morales in early 2025, Senate budget writers added language into the state budget to require travel reports each October from state officers, accounting for any trips they took on official business on the state's dime. Among the 19 reports collected from the electeds and the members of Braun's cabinet, Morales' travel topped the list, totaling nearly $33,000. The period requested is the state fiscal year, from July 2024 to June 2025, so Morales and Rokita have expenses dating back to 2024 while the newly elected Braun administration's reports start in January. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Not every office responded to this request in the same manner. Whereas Morales' report appears to include hotel and airfare expenses in addition to ground mileage, Braun's report lists Washington, D.C., visits with just the associated gas mileage to the airport. Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith's report only includes monthly gas totals for his travels around the state and doesn't list hotels or airfare. More: Diego Morales: 'I will not apologize' for overseas trips, no-bid contracts for campaign donors Some are very specific with trip descriptions. Others, like Attorney General Todd Rokita, simply label everything as "official business." Here's a brief look at what each official's report unveiled. Gov. Mike Braun's travel costs Braun spent about $7,800 on travel costs, mostly around the state of Indiana to visit high schools, businesses, commuity leaders and various events. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His two largest expenses involved the use of the state police helicopter: $4,200 for a trip to northeast Indiana to give a commencement speech at Trine University, and $750 to fly into the Indy 500. Braun left the state four times, each time to Washington: for President Donald Trump's inauguration, a National Governors Association meeting, a White House visit for a "nutrition event," and a series of "meetings with federal agencies and stakeholders" in June. Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith Beckwith reported monthly readouts of his gasoline costs only, totaling $4,286 between January and June. He reported mostly in-state events everywhere from Gary to Evansville. The reported trips taken out of state include visits to Hillsdale, Mich.; Gainesville, Ga.; Morengo, Ohio; and Lynchburg, Va. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement IndyStar has requested but hasn't received additional office travel records. Diego Morales Morales pounded pavement over the 12-month period, racking up $10,116 in fuel expenses alone traveling to various counties for meetings and events. State dollars also paid for 18 trips out of state, mostly to Chicago and D.C., totaling $22,839. Trips to those locations included conferences and meetings with foreign dignitaries specifically, the consul generals of India, Kyrgz Republic, Taiwan, South Korea, Turkey, Romania, Japan and Hungary. His most expensive trip was to San Jan, Puerto Rico, for the National Association of Secretaries of States conference, costing $4,240. Morales also included two trips on his report that he says were not paid with state money: his India trip from March, where he attended the National Association of Software and Service Companies conference, and a trip to Vancouver in September 2024 for a North American Securities Administrators Association Meeting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The May trip to Hungary, which he has repeatedly called a personal trip, is absent, though he took meetings with foreign dignataries while there. Attorney General Todd Rokita Rokita listed 100 trips on his report, but only 15 of them had an associated cost to taxpayers, totaling $4,650. Most of that total comes from his two trips to D.C., once in September 2024 and once in March 2025. Comptroller Elise Nieshalla Nieshalla's travel costs totaled $11,916, but some of the most expensive trips on that list a $1,500 trip to Charlotte for a National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers conference; the $750 State Financial Officers Foundation conference in Arkansas; and the $750 National Association of State Comptrollers conference in Denver were not paid with state money. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That brings her state-funded total down to $8,698, comprising many visits to county auditors around the state. Indiana State Comptroller Elise Nieshalla addresses the attendees of 2025 SoConCon, a Social Conservative Policy conference, gathered for a reception Tuesday, July 22, 2025, at the Indiana State House. Treasurer Daniel Elliott Elliott's travel expenses over the last year totaled nearly $9,300. His state-funded travel included trips across Indiana as well as meetings and events in Washington, D.C., Orlando, Fla., Scottsdale, Ariz. and Oklahoma City. The largest expense, more than $1,400, was for a visit to Washington D.C. during the timeframe of President Donald Trump's inauguration. Braun's cabinet Altogether, Braun's cabinet reported spending a combined nearly $24,500 in state dollars on their travel expenses. Here's how it breaks down: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Education Secretary Katie Jenner: Reported spending about $7,200 on various meetings and trips, including representing the state at conferences in San Diego, D.C., and Austin, Texas. Former Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter: Reported spending more than $5,300 on three trips in late 2024 including to Boston and Quantico, Va. Carter retired in January. Secretary of Energy and Natural Resources Suzanne Jaworowski: Reported spending more than $4,900 on trips including meeting with the U.S. Department of Energy and White House in Washington. Former Secretary of Public Safety Jennifer-Ruth Green: Reported about $3,200 in expenses, including two trips to D.C. Green resigned in September in the wake of an ethics investigation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Secretary of Transportation and Infrastructure Matthew Ubelhor: Reported about $2,200 in expenses, including a trip to meet U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy in Washington. Secretary of Commerce David Adams: Reported spending about $1,000 on various expenses associated with an office listening tour and a groundbreaking. Indiana State Police Superintendent Anthony Scott: Reported spending less than $600 on three in-state trips. Secretary of Health and Family Services Gloria Sachdev: Reported just $72.79 in total expenses at a Health and Human Services secretaries meeting in Washington. Chief of staff Josh Kelley, Office of Management and Budget Secretary Lisa Hershman, Secretary of Business Affairs Mike Speedy, and Adjutant Generals Lawrence Muennich and Roger Dale Lyles had no state-funded travel to report. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Contact state government and politics reporter Kayla Dwyer at kdwyer@indystar.com. Contact senior government accountability reporter Hayleigh Colombo at hcolombo@indystar.com. Sign up for our free weekly politics newsletter,Checks & Balances, curated by IndyStar political and government reporters. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Diego Morales reports the most taxpayer-paid travel of Indiana leaders ADDISON Its a good time of the year to see a goose or two in the Champlain Valley. Or a thousand or two. When snow and Canada geese head south every October and November, thousands of the birds visit a local rest stop of sorts: the Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area in the Addison County towns of Addison, Bridport and Panton. Along the south side of Route 17 and about a mile west of Route 22A, you can post up and get a great view of the fall flocks at the 3,000-acre wildlife site, says the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. There's also a small boat access on Route 17 as it crosses Dead Creek. A small crowd gathers in the viewing area to take in the spectacle of hundreds of migrating snow geese in the Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area in Addison in 2005. The snow goose and Canada goose migration at Dead Creek is one of the most magnificent gatherings of wildlife in North America, the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department proclaims in its list of the state's best 10 wildlife-watching experiences. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The geese turn the sky gray and white during their remarkable 5,000-mile journey from the Arctic tundra to the American South, the article reads. While their numbers have fluctuated in recent years, the geese still flock by the thousands, taking over the wetlands and cornfields around Dead Creek to rest and refuel. The article says the geese are best viewed flying and feeding during the first hours after sunrise and the last hours before sunset at the Route 17 viewing area. The southern migration normally takes place from early October to mid-November. Those who miss the fall migration, or want to see the trek in reverse, can catch the geese on their return northward between early March and late April, according to Vermont Fish and Wildlife. The Dead Creek area is also where, one day every year since the 1960s, state scientists invite the public to help herd and wrangle geese that have molted their flying feathers and are stuck on the ground. Volunteers and biologists encircle the grounded geese, wrangle them up in an almost comical display and then attach small metal bands to their legs. The Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area viewing site along Vermont 17 in Addison on Oct. 1, 2025. The bands let scientists keep track of the nesting population at Dead Creek. The University of Vermont's Community News Service captured the scenes at a goose-banding day this summer. Contact Brent Hallenbeck at bhallenbeck@freepressmedia.com. This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: One of VT's best wildlife watches is migrating geese at Dead Creek BUFFALO COUNTY, Wis. (WFRV) A semi-truck rollover in Wisconsin prompted officials to respond after the truck caught on fire with huge amounts of smoke. The Buffalo County Sheriffs Office posted images on Facebook showing the significant smoke, as the truck rolled over near farmland off Highway 95 near Joos Valley. Suspect arrested, claims self-defense in Appleton domestic violence incident Officials say the curved roadway will be closed until the scene is cleared and deemed safe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Sheriffs Office is urging people to plan alternate routes with caution nearby for the time being. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton. [Source] Tattoo artists in South Korea will soon be able to work legally for the first time after lawmakers voted 195 to zero on Sept. 25 to pass the Tattooist Act. The measure replaces decades of criminal penalties with a government-run licensing system designed to regulate hygiene and training standards. The unanimous vote comes a month after over 70 artists from across the country gathered outside the National Assembly in Seoul to call for its approval. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Tattooist Act redefines tattooing and semi-permanent makeup as recognized services and allows non-medical practitioners to apply for licenses under official oversight. Tattooists will be required to comply with hygiene protocols and may need to complete regular training at state-approved institutions. The law will take effect two years after presidential promulgation, during which existing tattooists can register provisionally until full licensing becomes available. Tattoo removal will remain limited to licensed medical professionals, and tattooing minors without parental consent will continue to be banned. For years, South Korea maintained one of the strictest stances on tattooing in the developed world, with unlicensed artists facing penalties of up to five years in prison or fines of 50 million won ($35,500). Despite this, demand for tattoos grew rapidly, pushing the practice into an unregulated underground economy. Trending on NextShark: Immigrants with no criminal records now the majority in US immigration detention Doy, a union leader representing 1,100 tattooists, said, Tattooists in Korea, each working in their own spaces, overcame the isolating nature of our profession and built a solidarity of 1,100 members. Another tattooist welcomed the changes, saying, With legalization, card payments will become possible, meaning taxes can be paid properly, and as a result, the financial burden of tattoos may even decrease. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This story is part of The Rebel Yellow Newsletter a bold weekly newsletter from the creators of NextShark, reclaiming our stories and celebrating Asian American voices. Trending on NextShark: Asians face highest risk of early death from oil and gas air pollution, study shows Subscribe free to join the movement. If you love what were building, consider becoming a paid member your support helps us grow our team, investigate impactful stories, and uplift our community. Subscribe here now! Trending on NextShark: South Korea legalizes tattoo industry after unanimous vote Download the NextShark App: Want to keep up to date on Asian American News? Download the NextShark App today! The post Southern Miss, Omega Psi Phi sued for hazing appeared first on ClutchPoints. Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. is facing yet another lawsuit. A student from the University of Southern Mississippi is suing both the university and the fraternity for allegedly failing to address allegations of hazing made by him and other students. The plaintiff in the lawsuit is former Southern Mississippi student Rafael Joseph. Joseph is alleging that he suffered serious injuries while trying to pledge the Nu Eta chapter of Omega Psi Phi from December 2022 until April 2023. As reported by WAPT 16 ABC, Southern Mississippi, Omega Psi Phi, as well as other individuals and organizations, have been listed as the defendants in the lawsuit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Joseph alleges that while trying to join the fraternity, he and other pledges experienced various abuse for months at the hands of fraternity members. He says that he experienced intimidation and threats, sleep and food deprivation, financial abuse, and repeated physical abuse. He says that he and other pledges were beaten repeatedly with a wooden paddle. The ongoing abuse led to Joseph being sent to the hospital on multiple occasions. One incident left him unable to work and required surgery that needed a blood transfusion. According to the lawsuit, the abuse came to an end on the fraternitys Hell Night. That night resulted in Joseph spending 11 days in the hospital and relearning how to walk. Joseph says that faculty at Southern Mississippi knew about the alleged hazing incidents and did nothing to stop them. This lawsuit comes just days after Caleb Wilsons parents filed a lawsuit against Southern University and Omega Psi Phi for the death of their son. Wilson died in a Baton Rouge warehouse back in February during an unsanctioned, off-campus fraternity ritual. He was punched multiple times in the chest by fraternity members, which led to a seizure causing him to collapse. Members failed to get Wilson immediate medical attention, which resulted in his tragic death. Since the incident occurred, the Beta Sigma chapter of Omega Psi Phi at Southern University has been expelled from campus indefinitely.Caleb M. McCray, Kyle M. Thurman, and Isaiah E. Smith were arrested and charged for their involvement in Wilsons death. McCray is said to be the one that delivered the punch that killed Wilson, so he is being charged with manslaughter and felony criminal hazing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wilsons family is claiming negligence, gross negligence, and intentional conduct. They are seeking compensation for Wilsons death, any pain and suffering he may have experienced before his death, and funeral and burial expenses. Related: Fort Valley State band members arrested for hazing Related: Shaquille Leonard leaves tremendous HBCU legacy in retirement WASHINGTON The Supreme Court is taking up another gun rights dispute in a case that could lead to more handguns in public places. The court, which has made major expansions to gun rights in recent years, agreed on Oct. 3 to hear a Trump-backed challenge to gun restrictions in Hawaii that require a gun user obtain permission before venturing onto private property open to the public such as a business. Hawaii and four other states led by Democrats California, New York, Maryland and New Jersey imposed new rules after the court in 2022 made it harder to restrict which individuals may arm themselves in public. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After such states lost most of their control over who could publicly carry guns, their focus turned to where in the public sphere they could bring them. While property owners were always able to restrict weapons, Hawaiis law makes the default that handguns arent permitted on private property open to the public unless a property owner gives express permission. Previously, the standard legal presumption in the state and others was that lawful weapons could be brought onto private property unless the armed person was expressly told not to have them. Three gun owners in Hawaii and the Hawaii Firearms Coalition challenged the law, saying it eviscerates the right to carry arms for self-defense that the Supreme Court affirmed in 2022. The Trump administration backed an appeal by the Hawaii firearms advocates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Someone carrying a firearm for self-defense cannot run errands without fear of criminal sanctions, Solicitor General John Sauer wrote, urging the court to take the case. Supporters of gun control laws rally in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 2, 2019. Lower courts grappling with Supreme Court's gun rulings Lower courts are still struggling to apply a series of recent Supreme Court rulings on guns. In the 2022 decision striking down a New York law requiring state residents to have a special need to carry weapons outside the home, the court said gun rules must be similar to a historical regulation on weapons to pass constitutional muster. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Hawaiis rule passes that test. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said that a similar restriction in New York does not. Both states also ban firearms in sensitive places. In Hawaii, that includes beaches and parks, and restaurants and bars that serve alcohol, a prohibition that is also being challenged. The case is expected to be argued next year with a decision by July. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Supreme Court will hear challenge to Hawaii's gun law Washington The Supreme Court said Friday that it will decide whether Hawaii can bar people with concealed carry permits from bringing handguns on private property that is open to the public unless they receive permission from the property owner. The high court said it will review a decision by a federal appeals court that upheld Hawaii's firearms restriction. In agreeing to take up the dispute, it adds gun rights to a term already loaded with hot-button issues, including race-based redistricting, state laws targeting transgender athletes and campaign finance, as well as several cases involving President Trump. The legal battle is the latest involving gun regulations to arrive at the Supreme Court since it expanded Second Amendment rights in 2022 with a decision that set a new standard for evaluating the constitutionality of firearms restrictions. This case appears to be the first that the Supreme Court will hear since its ruling that involves the places where guns can be carried. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since that 2022 decision, the high court has declined to take up challenges to state assault-weapons bans, as well as others involving longstanding federal laws restricting who can have guns. Last year, however, the Supreme Court upheld a federal law that prohibits people who are subject to domestic violence restraining orders from having firearms. The legal battle now before the high court arose after Hawaii passed legislation in 2023 that responded to the Supreme Court's 2022 decision in the case known as New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen. The measure prohibits a person with a concealed carry permit from bringing a handgun onto different types of property, including beaches, playgrounds, bars and restaurants that serve liquor, and other "sensitive" locations. The law also prohibits concealed-carry permit holders from bringing handguns onto private property unless they are given "express authorization" from the property owner, which is the provision the Supreme Court will review. Four other states California, Maryland, New Jersey, and New York have similar laws that require a property owner's permission to carry firearms on private property, such as by posting signs stating that guns are allowed. The Hawaii Firearms Coalition and three Hawaii gun owners who were issued concealed-carry permits filed a lawsuit in June 2023 challenging the law, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ultimately upheld Hawaii's law restricting concealed carry on private property. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Nothing in the text of the Second Amendment or otherwise suggests that a private property owner even owners who open their private property to the public must allow persons who bear arms to enter," a 9th Circuit panel of judges found. In seeking the Supreme Court's review, lawyers for the gun owners warned that the 9th Circuit effectively found that the Second Amendment does not apply to private property open to the public, rendering "illusory the right to carry in public." The Trump administration had urged the Supreme Court to take up the dispute, warning that because few property owners post signs allowing or prohibiting guns, Hawaii's restriction functioned as a "near-complete ban on public carry." "A person carrying a handgun for self-defense commits a crime by entering a mall, a gas station, a convenience store, a supermarket, a restaurant, a coffee shop, or even a parking lot," the Trump administration argued. "Yet, in the decision below, the Ninth Circuit upheld that rule against a Second Amendment challenge." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued that in Hawaii, a person who carries a handgun for self-defense cannot run errands without the risk of running afoul of the law. He said that the restriction aims only to impede the exercise of Second Amendment rights. But Hawaii officials said the rule regarding private property "represents a permissible effort to vindicate the rights of Hawaii's citizens." They argued that under its law, a person who wants to bring a gun into a store can simply ask for oral permission. "The Second Amendment protects 'an individual right to keep and bear arms for self-defense,'" Hawaii's lawyers wrote in a Supreme Court filing. "It does not override a property owner's fundamental right to exclude." Janet Carter, managing director of Second Amendment Litigation at Everytown Law, urged the Supreme Court to uphold the law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The Ninth Circuit was absolutely right to say it's constitutional to prohibit guns on private property unless the owner says they want guns there," she said in a statement. Arguments in the case will likely take place early next year, with a decision expected by the end of June or early July. Arrested former Des Moines superintendent's resume appears to have been greatly exaggerated This is Rob Reiner | Sunday on 60 Minutes Trump gives Hamas until Sunday to reach a ceasefire agreement and release all hostages MAGA influencer and conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiecwho helped spread election fraud rumors in Pennsylvania in 2024has been voting in Pennsylvania for nearly a decade while living in Maryland. Slate has reported that Posobiec, also of Pizzagate fame, voted in Pennsylvania from 2004 to 2024. But when Posobiec resigned from his Navy Intelligence job and remained in Maryland in 2017, the same year his political influencing really started to take off, he continued to vote in Pennsylvania via absentee ballots and later in person. Posobiec used his parents Pennsylvania home address to vote in the crucial swing state in 2018, 2022, and 2024, all while evidence strongly suggests he lived in Maryland that entire period. A 2017 divorce complaint from Posobiecs ex-wife lists a Maryland apartment as his full-time address. Since then, he and his new wife have shared photos of a suburban home in Maryland, which he listed as his address on over a dozen political campaign contributions last year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SECURED THE BAG. Just stopped by the county voting board and did the deedeasy and even open on Sunday! Vote Early, Pennsylvania! Posobiec posted last year. The overcompensating didnt stop there. Thousands of fraudulent registrations have already been reported in multiple counties across PA and we all saw Josh Shapiro sit silent as officers blocked people from early voting yesterday, Posobiec wrote that same year. While Posobiec is yet to be charged with a crime, these findings are yet another addition to the now long history of MAGA hypocrisy. Calling for witch hunts over fake voter fraud while potentially committing real voter fraud encapsulates the movements unseriousness. By James Oliphant and Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON (Reuters) -After attempting to bludgeon U.S. colleges and universities into complying with its ideological mandates, the Trump administration is trying a new tactic: using financial incentives to encourage schools to comply. Critics concerned about academic freedom say the move shows President Donald Trumps administration remains intent on its campaign to attain unusually broad control over the countrys top institutions of higher learning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The White House on Wednesday sent a memo titled A Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education to nine elite U.S. universities, detailing a series of policies schools can follow to receive preferential treatment in receiving federal funds. Those policies include capping international undergrad enrollment at 15%, banning the use of race or sex in hiring and admissions and defining genders based on biology. The 10-point memo also proposed that the Classic Learning Test, embraced by some conservatives, be among the entrance exams considered alongside the SAT and ACT. And it called for "transforming or abolishing institutional units that purposefully punish, belittle, and even spark violence against conservative ideas." Since Trump took office in January, his White House has targeted what it deems liberal-leaning institutions in education, law, media, politics and municipal government. The administration has tried to rein in colleges and universities over a range of issues such as pro-Palestinian protests against U.S. ally Israel's war in Gaza, transgender policies, climate initiatives and diversity, equity and inclusion programs. But the administrations threats to cut off federal funding to schools such as Harvard University and the University of California, Los Angeles for allegedly favoring radical left policies have run into legal roadblocks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Institutions that develop models and values other than those outlined in the memo could forgo federal benefits, the memo reads, while others could be rewarded for their participation. This seems to be [the administration] moving to a carrot approach, but embedded in the carrot is the stick, said Todd Wolfson, president of the American Association of University Professors, an advocacy group that has been fighting the White Houses efforts. Wolfson's group joined with the American Federation of Teachers on Thursday in releasing a statement that called on the nine schools to reject the White House's terms, which they compared to a "loyalty oath." Tyler Coward, lead counsel for government affairs for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, was concerned that a government that can reward colleges and universities for speech it favors today can punish them for speech it dislikes tomorrow." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SCHOOLS ON THE SPOT The White House did not respond to requests for comment on the contents of the memo. An official confirmed that letters were sent on Wednesday to solicit agreement and feedback from Vanderbilt University, Dartmouth College, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Texas, the University of Arizona, Brown University and the University of Virginia. The universities of Southern California and Virginia told Reuters that university officials are still reviewing the White Houses memo. The University of Texas said it was enthusiastically looking forward to working with the administration on its requirements. Schools that agree to the terms of the memo will be required to hire an independent auditor to evaluate the universitys performance. The results would be reviewed by the Trump Justice Department. (Reporting by James Oliphant and Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Donna Bryson and Matthew Lewis) Nearly seven months after the Trump administration cracked down on pro-Palestinian activists, the only one still jailed is breaking her silence, recounting how the suffering of family members in Gaza drove her to protest. Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian from the West Bank who has lived in New Jersey since 2016, has been held in a U.S. immigration detention center since March. The experience has left her feeling powerless to assist family members caught in the war or to speak out on their behalf, she said. Most days I feel helpless, Kordia, 32, said recently. I want to do something, but I cant from here. I cant do anything. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here are some takeaways from a recent interview with Kordia, the first since her arrest: Motivated by the loss of family Kordia said she was moved to protest because of deep personal ties to Gaza. Before the war began, she said, daily life was filled by responsibilities as a server in a Middle Eastern restaurant in New Jersey and taking care of her half brother, who has autism. Those routines were upended in 2023 after Hamas attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage. Israel responded with a massive military campaign that Gaza health officials say has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In calls with relatives in Gaza they were telling me that Were hungry. We are scared. Were cold. We dont have anywhere to go, Kordia said. So my way of helping my family and my people was to go to the streets. Unlike most others targeted Many of the protesters pursued by the Trump administration were prominent activists. All of the others who were locked up have gained release. Kordia languishes in detention, in part, because her story is different. When she joined demonstrations against Israel outside Columbia University, she wasnt a student or part of a group that might have provided support. As the arrests of activists like Mahmoud Khalil drew condemnation from elected officials and advocates, Kordias case largely remained out of the public eye. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the month since, she's been trapped in a legal maze, with government lawyers contesting a judge's decisions that she be released on bond. They say she has been in the country illegally since 2022 when she left school, surrendering her status as a student and invalidating her visa. Surveillance, then arrest Kordia said she had joined more than a dozen protests in New York, New Jersey and Washington, D.C. In April 2024, she was arrested with 100 other protesters outside Columbias gates charges quickly dismissed by prosecutors and sealed. Soon after President Donald Trump took office, Department of Homeland Security officials began assembling dossiers on noncitizens who criticized Israel or protested the war. It's since become clear that DHS obtained records of her brief arrest from the NYPD, saying the information was needed in a criminal money laundering investigation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In March, immigration agents showed up at Kordias home and workplace, as well as her uncles house in Florida. The experience was very confusing, she said. It was like: Why are you doing all this? At a March 13 meeting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, she was detained immediately and flown to Prairieland Detention Center, south of Dallas. Kordia said she didnt understand the reasons for her detention until a week or two later, when a television at the facility was tuned to news of protester arrests. I see my name, literally in big letters, on CNN and I was like, whats going on? she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Payments scrutinized Administration officials touted Kordias arrest as part of the deportation effort against those who actively participated in anti-American, pro-terrorist activities. A DHS press release noted her arrest the previous year at a pro-Hamas demonstration, mistakenly labeling her as a Columbia student. At a bond hearing weeks later, government attorneys argued for Kordias continued detention, pointing to subpoenaed records showing she had sent large amounts of money to Palestine and Jordan. Kordia said she and her mother had sent the money, totaling $16,900 over eight years, to relatives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To hear the government accusing them of being terrorists and accusing you of sending money to terrorists, this is heartbreaking, Kordia said. An immigration judge, examining transaction records and statements from relatives, found overwhelming evidence that Kordia was telling the truth about the payments. But the government has mounted an unusual appeal of that ruling, leaving her detained more than 200 days after her arrest. Apple has capitulated to demands from the Trump administration and removed apps from its App Store that allowed users to track ICE officers. The company removed ICEBlock, a crowd-sourced app that allowed users to report sightings of ICE goons around the country, from its App Store. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement to Fox News, We reached out to Apple today demanding they remove the ICEBlock app from their App Store and Apple did so. ICEBlock is designed to put ICE agents at risk just for doing their jobs, and violence against law enforcement is an intolerable red line that cannot be crossed. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed that Apple had removed apps that allowed users to track the location of ICE agents upon the DOJ's request. / Ken Cedeno/Reuters The Department of Justice raised concerns that the app put officers at risk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The news comes days after MAGA far-right influencer Laura Loomer published an expose identifying the creator of a similar app, Red Dot. Loomer said Red Dot was available in both Apple and Googles app stores despite the fact that law enforcement has confirmed violent, Leftist radicals are using these apps to locate ICE agents and shoot them. The FBI has previously said that the perpetrator of a shooting at an ICE facility in Dallas last week that killed two immigrants and injured a third had used apps that allowed him to track the presence of ICE officers. Loomer celebrated the apps removal and highlighted several similar apps were still available on the Google Play store, writing, Your move, @Google! ICE agents at an ICE processing center during a protest in Broadview, Illinois. / AFP via Getty Images A statement from Apple confirmed that it had also removed similar apps at the same time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Apple told CNBC, We created the App Store to be a safe and trusted place to discover apps. Based on information weve received from law enforcement about the safety risks associated with ICEBlock, we have removed it and similar apps from the App Store. The creator of ICEBlock told 404 Media that he was disappointed by Apples decision. Capitulating to an authoritarian regime is never the right move, creator Joshua Aaron told the outlet. ICEBlock is no different from crowd-sourcing speed traps, which every notable mapping application, including Apples own Maps app, implements as part of its core services. An email sent to Aaron by Apple and seen by 404 Media explained that ICEBlock was removed because its purpose is to provide location information about law enforcement officers that can be used to harm such officers individually or as a group which is a violation of the App Stores guidelines involving objectionable content. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aaron disagreed, telling 404, This is protected speech under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. He added, We are determined to fight this with everything we have. Our mission has always been to protect our neighbors from the terror this administration continues to rain down on the people of this nation. We will not be deterred. We will not stop. #resist. The Half Price Books closures are extending beyond Texas. Next month, one of the beloved affordable bookstores in California is expected to close. A Half Price Books location in downtown Berkeley, California, is expected to close Nov. 30, SFGATE reports. The beloved Dallas-based bookstore told Berkeleyside that the company wishes it could stay at the location, but they have "been unable to come to a lease agreement with our landlord." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The move disappointed readers and others in search of physical media such as magazines, vinyl, VHS tapes and more. The store's closure comes after 20 years, and it will leave a space in the city's landmark Kress building, built in 1933. Half Price Books started in Dallas in 1972. The Bay Area will still have three other Half Price Books locations. However, the shuttering continues a streak of closures of other locations in Texas. The location in Houston's Rice Village announced its closure in 2019 after its rent rose. In 2024, Half Price Books closed its San Antonio location on Broadway, along with two North Texas locations. That was followed in 2025 by the bookstore closing a North Austin location after 18 years. The store similarly cited that it was "unable to agree to terms on a new lease." While Half Price Books has taken on challenges with lease agreements and declining customer traffic in some locations, it has also been at the forefront of other fights. The bookstore chain argued against a proposed bill in Texas that would have held bookstores legally liable for the "distribution, transmission, or display of harmful material to a minor." In a letter to a Texas House committee, Half Price Books President Kathy Doyle Thomas said that "the rise of challenges and book bans has become a critical attack on our freedoms." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More recently, Half Price Books hosted a panel at its flagship Dallas store about censorship during Banned Book Week last month. While the Berkeley store nears its end, Half Price Books maintains more than 120 locations in 19 states, continuing its mission to "buy and sell everything ever printed or recorded (except yesterday's newspaper)." More Culture Yee-haw | Whataburger teams up with Texas company for western wear line Explainer | Another tribal casino is coming to Texas. How is it legal? Impact | Mattress Mack no longer has any love for this sport Sports | Even 'Jeopardy' is clowning the Astros' late-season collapse For the latest and best from Chron, sign up for our daily newsletter here. This article originally published at Texas book chain loses another popular store. PAWHUSKA, OK Texas megachurch founder Robert Morris pleaded guilty in an Oklahoma court on Oct. 2 to sex crimes against a girl that started in 1982 and continued for years. Morris, 64, entered guilty pleas to five felony counts of lewd or indecent acts to a child in an Osage County courtroom. He will serve six months in the Osage County jail and then be on probation for nine years and six months, according to a plea agreement outlined by Oklahoma Attorney General Getner Drummond in a news release. He also must register as a sex offender and pay $270,000 in restitution to the victim, Cindy Clemishire, who in court called him "a pedophile, disguised as a preacher." Morris did not apologize in court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Robert Morris' indictment: Here's a timeline of the events Osage County Special Judge Cindy Pickerill accepted the deal after Clemshire acknowledged she had been consulted about it and was in agreement with the punishment. The probation is considered a suspended sentence under the plea agreement, which means Morris is now a convicted felon. He could go to prison if he violates the conditions of his probation. "This case is all the more despicable because the perpetrator was a pastor who exploited his position of trust and authority," Drummond said in the news release. "The victim in this case has waited far too many years for this day." Victim says crimes 'wounded faith itself' Morris admitted to wrongdoing after Clemishire spoke to The Wartburg Watch, a blog about sexual abuse within the church. Clemishire previously told USA TODAY, which typically does not name victims of sexual abuse, that she decided to come forward publicly to encourage others who may be victims to tell their stories. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Any and all victims, come forward ... I just don't believe that I'm the only person," she said. In her victim impact statement during the Oct. 2 proceedings, Clemishire said again that Morris sexually abused her for more than four years. "While you built a megachurch, authored books, and gained fame, I dropped out of college, endured divorces, (and) struggled with self-worth," she told Morris in a voice choked with emotion. Cindy Clemishire leaves the Osage County courthouse where Texas megachurch founder Robert Morris pled guilty to child sex crimes in Pawhuska on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. "While you twisted your crimes into a story of 'infidelity' to protect your image, my family and I were left trying to explain the truth to pastors who looked the other way. I battled depression, made countless poor decisions, adding more shame to my life. And when I finally spoke, you tried to call it consensual." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She told him his crimes "wounded faith itself" and that she hopes he genuinely repents. Morris kept his head down and his eyes closed during the impact statements. What was Robert Morris accused of? Clemishire said in the blog post that she and her family met Morris at a youth revival in Tulsa when he was 20 and she was 11 years old. Morris was a traveling evangelist with his wife, Debbie. Morris would preach at Clemishire's church on Sundays, and sometimes he, Debbie, and their son would stay at her family's home. She viewed him as "safe and friendly," she said. Things changed on Christmas in 1982 when Morris asked a 12-year-old Clemishire to "visit him in his room that night," and she thought nothing of it, she said in the post. Once in his room, she said he sexually abused her and warned her: "Never tell anyone about this because it will ruin everything." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She said the abuse continued in Oklahoma and Texas until 1987. In statements made last year, Morris said he was involved in his early 20s in "inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady in a home where I was staying." Morris pleaded guilty "for the sake of finality," his Texas attorney Bill Mateja said in a news statement. "Pastor Robert made it a point to ask that I tell Ms. Clemishire and her family that he sincerely apologizes for his conduct and asks for their forgiveness," the attorney said. U.S. President Donald Trump is greeted by Pastor Robert Morris as he arrives for a roundtable discussion with members of the faith community, law enforcement and small business at Gateway Church Dallas Campus in Dallas, Texas, U.S., June 11, 2020. Morris was on Trump's spiritual advisory board during 2016 campaign Morris resigned as senior pastor of Gateway Church last year after admitting wrongdoing. He founded the church in Southlake, Texas, a suburb of Dallas and Fort Worth, in 2000. Under his leadership, it expanded to multiple locations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The church removed several of its officials following a law firm's investigation into the allegations in November. Morris was on Trumps spiritual advisory board during the 2016 campaign and during the first term of his presidency. He did not have a role in the 2024 reelection effort. Morris had a television program that aired in over 190 countries, and his radio program aired in more than 6,800 cities, according to his biography on the Gateway Church website. His YouTube page, which is no longer online, had 80,000 subscribers and included videos with titles like "Freedom Through Forgiveness" and "Did You Know You're Made Perfect By God's Grace?" What's next for Robert Morris? Morris still faces a civil lawsuit accusing him of defaming the victim over the years, including when he claimed she had forgiven him. Clemishire and her father filed the lawsuit in Dallas County District Court in June. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They complained Morris has described the sexual offenses as an "extramarital affair" and has said Clemishire seduced him. They also complained church officials have known about the sexual abuse for years but attempted to cover it up "in order to continue to profit from the church." "So often victims experience what I did in 2024 slander of my character and an effort to shift blame, which minimized my abuse and turned my private pain into national news," Clemishire said in a statement after the guilty plea. If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, RAINNs National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support to survivors and their loved ones in English and Spanish at 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Espanol RAINN.org/es. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas megachurch founder pleads guilty to child sex abuse Katie Hamilton, the sister of the man who shot and killed four people at a Latter-day Saint meetinghouse in Grand Blanc, Michigan, said her family is overwhelmed with gratitude for the love and support theyve received from the Latter-day Saint community, Fox News reported Wednesday evening. Thomas Sanford attacked a Michigan Latter-day Saint congregation on Sunday morning, killing four and wounding a number of others. Hamilton said in a statement, I dont have words right now to express when I saw what you as a community have done and remembered us as a family in this situation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A fundraiser set up by Latter-day Saints to support Sanfords family has far exceeded organizers expectations with nearly 15 times the funds raised than they expected. Originally anticipating $20,000, the money to support the disabled child and widow of the shooter has now reached $285,000. The average contribution is $40, with about two-thirds of the approximately 6,700 donors staying anonymous. Fundraisers have also exceeded goals for grieving families of three of the deceased victims: the widows of Craig Hayden, Pat Howard and John Bond. A fourth fundraiser for the surviving son and daughter of Thelma Armstrong is nearing its goal. Other verified fundraisers continue for several injured in the shooting, including Ben Phelps and his 6-year-old son, Greg Mikat, Jeff & Marei Kubiak, Pierre Dery, Brandi Hickens, daughter Piper and her husband and two medical residents injured. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although some have expressed reservations about the idea of fundraising for the perpetrators family, most responses have been overwhelmingly positive including from national journalists and news outlets. Just unbelievable kindness and forgiveness. Like I said on the day of the terrible shooting, my LDS friends and neighbors show incredible Christlike virtue, and this is just further evidence. So marvelous. https://t.co/W4AMcETsW9 David French (@DavidAFrench) September 30, 2025 Some students piled on the produce in the salad bar, particularly the apples from Colorados Western Slope and baby carrots and slices of canary melons from Hoffman Farms in Greeley. An even bigger hit, though, were the hamburgers, made entirely from Colorado-raised beef, served on buns made with Colorado eggs and flour from Colorado grains, and topped with pickles and other items from Denver-based Hearty Provisions. Alongside the burgers, students also received corn on the cob. Thompson School District celebrated the first day of Colorado Proud School Meal Month with an all-Colorado menu, said Sarah Tomsic, the districts chef and farm to school specialist. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The hamburgers were made from Colorado-grown beef, processed at a Blue Ribbon Processing plant in Fowler. The buns were from Harvest Moon Baking Co. in Denver; the apples from Rogers Mesa Fruit Co. in Hotchkiss; and the corn cobs from Hoffman Farms. The lunch menu was the same throughout the school district on Oct. 1, Tomsic said, while she and others prepared interactive displays highlighting Colorados agriculture industry in the cafeteria at Coyote Ridge Elementary School in south Fort Collins. Students at Coyote Ridge Elementary School in Fort Collins enjoy a school lunch menu of foods sourced entirely from Colorado on Oct. 1, 2025, the first day of "Colorado Proud School Meal Month." It tasted super good, fourth grader Addison Gunter said. Delicious, added classmate Kenzee Lanz. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As students finished their lunches and returned their trays, they were invited to pose for silly pictures with agricultural-themed props at a photo station on one side of the cafeteria, where Tomsic was snapping the pictures. Or they could choose their favorite Colorado crop from a set of stickers across the room and place them on a whiteboard with an outline of the state and its growing regions. The cities of Denver and Loveland, home to Thompson School Districts headquarters and administrative offices, were highlighted on the map. The map filled up quickly, with students placing stickers of various crops all over the state and even across the lines on the edges of neighboring states. Although the goal was to select a sticker representing their favorite crop and place it in the region of the state where they thought it might be grown, most were putting them just about anywhere they could fit them. Students in the younger grades, in particular, seemed to enjoy jumping to place their stickers as high as they could reach, with many making it above the state line into Wyoming and Nebraska. Regardless, the activities were as big a hit, if not bigger, than the menu. I think it was really cool, because I feel like they put a lot of effort into it, Addison Gunter said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reporter Kelly Lyell covers education, breaking news, some sports and other topics of interest for the Coloradoan. Contact him at kellylyell@coloradoan.com,x.com/KellyLyell ,threads.net/KellyLyell and facebook.com/KellyLyell.news. This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Thompson schools celebrate agriculture industry with all-Colorado meal Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin announces the arrests of three women accused of voting illegally in 2024 as Secretary of State Cole Jester looks on on Oct. 2, 2025 in Little Rock. (Photo courtesy of Attorney General's Office) Three women without citizenship status have been arrested and charged with felonies for violating Arkansas election law by voting in 2024, Attorney General Tim Griffin announced Thursday. The investigation began earlier this year when federal officials notified us about certain voters in Arkansas whose voting records appeared to be incongruent with their citizenship status, Griffin said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Working with the U.S. Department of Homeland Securitys Homeland Security Investigations arm, investigators determined the conduct of three people warranted further investigation, according to a news release. Griffin said in a press conference that such arrests and charges are rarities and not a persistent problem, but that his office is committed to protecting the integrity of Arkansas elections. He created an Election Integrity Unit in his offices Special Investigations Division in March 2023. One of the three women, 59-year-old Cecilia Castellanos of Rogers, has had a pending order of removal from an immigration judge since 1999, according to the attorney general. She also has three prior felony convictions in New York state, Griffin said. She is being held for Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Benton County, according to jail records. Castellanos, who is from Cuba, is charged with one count of perjury, a Class C felony, and one Class D felony count of violating state election laws. The perjury charge stems from marking her voter registration form that she is a U.S. citizen and that she didnt have any prior felony convictions, Griffin said. Voting in the 2024 general election and not being a U.S. citizen accounts for the election-law violation charge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The other women arrested by investigators are: Zlata Risley, 50, of Hot Springs Village, who is a lawful permanent U.S. resident originally from Kazakhstan, according to the AGs office. She is charged with one Class D felony count of violating Arkansas election laws and accused of voting illegally in the 2024 Republican primary. Griffin said his office didnt have enough evidence to charge Risley with perjury. Risley was released on bail from the Garland County Detention Center Tuesday, the day she was arrested, according to the Hot Springs Sentinel Record. Chi Baum, 59, of Texarkana, is charged with one count of perjury and one count of violating Arkansas election laws. Baum, originally from Nigeria, is a conditional permanent resident, according to the AGs office. The perjury charge alleges she attested to being a U.S. citizen on a voter registration form, and the election law violation accuses her of voting in the 2024 general election. Though not registered as a Republican, Baum told investigators she voted Republican. She was released on personal recognizance after being booked into the Miller County Detention Center, according to the attorney generals office. Griffin thanked Secretary of State Cole Jester and prosecuting attorneys in Benton, Garland and Miller counties for their assistance. Jester praised Griffins effort to keep Arkansas elections secure. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) The Vietnam traveling memorial wall will be in Gahanna over the weekend. The 3:5-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., stretches nearly 300 feet. It honors the more than 58,000 U.S. service members who lost their lives during the Vietnam War. The wall offers communities throughout the country a chance to remember, reflect, and heal especially for those who cant visit the national memorial in person. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The memorial travels coast to coast every year, and is run largely by volunteers. I have a cousin who is on the east side of the wall, wall manager Doc Russo said. I dont get paid to do this, this is a labor of love. The opening ceremony is Friday at 10 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Park on Johnstown Road. The closing ceremony is at 9 a.m. Monday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV. OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) A 43-year-old man accused of stabbing his mother to death at a Southwest Oklahoma City apartment complex earlier this year is set to go to trial in 2026. On Sunday, February 2, police responded to the Ventura Green Apartments near SW 70th Street and Walker Avenue. When officers arrived, they found a woman, identified as Carol Watkins, critically injured. She was transported to a local hospital, where she later died. While on scene, officers took Carols son, Odis Watkins, into custody. Investigators believed that Odis and his mother got into an argument, and he ended up stabbing her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement RELATED: Trying to cope: Family grieving after mothers murder Apparently, the two had had some type of an argument, and during the argument, he had stabbed her, causing her death. He had remained at the scene, said Msgt. Gary Knight with OKCPD. Very sad scene, obviously. Odis was booked into the Oklahoma County Detention Center on a second-degree murder complaint. Following her mothers death, Latoya Watkins, Carols daughter, was devastated and couldnt wrap her head around that her brother allegedly stabbed their mother to death. Were not doing too good, but were trying to cope We lost the rock of this family, said Latoya Watkins. Couldnt believe it, you know, because of the person who done it. Someone, you know, that I loved and someone that she loved. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She described her mother as a beautiful soul, loved by many and gone far too soon. She was a woman that loved God. She was a phenomenal woman inside and out, said Latoya Watkins. I know whoever sees this story that knew her, theyre going to feel my pain. Odiss trial date is set for Monday, April 20, 2026. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City. The Trump administration detained a Florida man for three weeks and then deported him to Venezuela, even though he had court-ordered deportation protections under Temporary Protected Status. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained Darian Maldonado Medina, 28, during a routine check-in at an immigration office in Tampa on Sept. 5. When he entered the U.S. through the Mexican border in June 2021 authorities determined he did not prove a credible fear of returning to Venezuela and issued him an expedited removal order. He was released into the United States under ICEs supervision and received TPS in 2023. He also had a pending family petition through his U.S. citizen mother, the beginning of the green-card process. The same day Maldonado Medina was detained, federal judge Edward Chen upheld President Joe Bidens administrations extension of TPS for over half-a-million Venezuelans, including Maldonado Medina, after the Supreme Court in May let the Trump administration end the protections while litigation was ongoing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Maldonado Medina re-registered for TPS as recently as May, meeting the required deadlines. Even with a pending renewal, lawyers emphasized that beneficiaries are protected from deportation in the interim. Still, ICE did not release him following the judges ruling and instead deported him to Venezuela just weeks later. They said TPS didnt cover anything, that it didnt work, and that I should just sign, Maldonado Medina said from Valencia, Venezuela, during a phone interview with the Miami Herald. The Department of Homeland Security told the Herald in a statement that his TPS had ended in April 2025. DHS did not respond to follow-up questions about why it proceeded with Maldonado Medinas removal after Chens order was issued. TPS was never intended to be a de facto amnesty program, yet thats how previous administrations have used it for decades. Secretary [Kristi] Noem is returning TPS to its original intentTEMPORARY, said a Homeland Security spokesperson. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But lawyers told the Herald that the deportation of Maldonado Medina was illegal and that the federal law that created Temporary Protected Status explicitly protects immigrants from being removed while the designation is in effect. They say his case highlights troubling inconsistencies in how the DHS is enforcing TPS protections. TPS holders should be, by law, protected from deportation. TPS protects individuals from detention and deportation during the period that the status is valid, said Emi MacLean, one of the attorneys representing Venezuelans in the lawsuit against the Trump administration decision to terminate TPS. She described the deportation as egregious and accused Homeland Security of violating the federal judges orders. TPS provides protections against detention and deportation. Yet many Venezuelan TPS holders continue to be detained illegally, MacLean said. Hundreds of Venezuelan TPS holders remain in detention, particularly in Texas, where more than 50 people are still being held. Oklahoma is another state where individuals have yet to be released, the Herald reported last week after speaking with family members of 30 detainees in ICE facilities across the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Recently, dozens of TPS holders have been released after months in custody in states like Florida, Georgia, California, New Jersey, New York, Michigan and Pennsylvania. The releases followed efforts by attorneys from the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at the UCLA School of Law, along with the Venezuelan American Caucus, an advocacy group, which submitted documentation in support of at least 400 cases nationwide. The legal experts are part of the team representing Venezuelan TPS holders in the ongoing lawsuit against the federal government. READ MORE: Trump administration detains hundreds of Venezuelans with TPS despite court order Extremely disappointed Before ICE picked him up, Maldonado Medina had been living for the past four years in Spring Hill in Hernando County. He worked as a roofer and was the primary breadwinner for his partner and son. He told the Herald that during his detention, ICE agents repeatedly pressured him to sign a voluntary deportation order even after he said he had TPS. Maldonado Medina was scheduled to be deported on Sept. 24, but a series of earthquakes in Venezuela forced the flight to divert to Aruba for several hours before returning to Miami. He was held for 48 hours at Alligator Alcatraz, the state detention site in the Eveglades, which he described as a birdcage with no shower, with open toilets and bunk beds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They never told me they were going to deport me. I realized I was going to be deported when we were flying, Maldonado Medinda said. They just kept stalling me. Nearly a week after his deportation, the ICE online locator continues to show him as being held in El Paso. Im glad they released me because being in detention was awful. But Im extremely disappointed in what they did to me, he told the Herald. Some lawyers said that the federal government could argue Maldonado Medinas deportation was legal because Judge Chens order did not grant the pending petitions under TPS, and that because he had a pending TPS petition and a removal order, they could deport him since his TPS was not active. However, the law confers deportation protection on TPS beneficiaries with pending renewals, and other lawyers said that having an expedited removal order was not grounds to deport him because he was a TPS beneficiary. There are already tons of people who have removal orders with TPS. You cant be deported. You cant be removed, said Randy McGrorty, director of Miami-Based Catholic Legal Services. TPS protects you notwithstanding the removal order. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Sept. 15, ten days after Maldonado Medinas arrest, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services updated its website to reflect the federal courts decision, confirming TPS was extended through Oct. 2, 2026. The notice also affirmed that Employment Authorization Documents were automatically extended through April 3, 2026, pending further litigation. To receive and maintain TPS, beneficiaries must pass background checks. Public records indicate that Maldonado Medina was listed as having a hold by ICE in Pinellas County, titled as a felony on the same day he was arrested by ICE, but no charges were filed. When the Herald contacted the Pinellas County Court Clerks Office, officials said they found no charges against him and referred the inquiry to the Pinellas County Sheriffs Office. That office also found no public records for Maldonado Medina. A conviction for one felony or two misdemeanors, regardless of the type of offense, automatically disqualifies an individual from being eligible for TPS. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Records show Maldonado Medina did have traffic citations in Pinellas County in 2022 and 2023 for driving without a valid driving license and speeding. A search of Hillsborough County Clerk records, where Tampa is located and where ICE arrested him, shows no felony charges. The only record under his name in Hillsborough is from 2024, a traffic citation for failing to stop at a red light. No future in the U.S. for now After being deported, Maldonado Medina is now subject to a five-year bar from the United States. If he were to try to re-enter through the Mexican border sought asylum, he would need to claim persecution in Venezuela and establish a well-founded fear of returning. The roofer planned to build a life in the United States, to raise his family and work toward stability. I wanted to live there forever, but I feel disappointed about what happened to me, he said. If I ever have the chance to return legally, without problems, I would absolutely. A Venezuelan father was deported, leaving behind his partner and their 15-month-old son in Florida. His deportation left his family shattered a 15-month-old U.S. citizen son and a partner who remain in Florida and are now struggling to get by. He was the familys sole breadwinner, and now theyre left trying to figure out if, and when, they might be together again. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I am holding onto the hope that he will come back, said Valentina Veloz, Maldonado Medinas partner, who was waiting for him during his check-in at the ICE office in Tampa. The day he was arrested was also their anniversary. The couple has been together for more than eight years and share a son, Ivar Alejandro. Veloz said they were building a future in the U.S., planning to buy a home next year and create a stable life for their family. Our plan was to build a life here, have a baby, find stable jobs, and live peacefully. The US is in an armed conflict with drug cartels, Donald Trump has declared. In a memo to Congress, Mr Trump reportedly labelled the gangs non-state armed groups whose activities constitute an armed attack against America. Based upon the cumulative effects of these hostile acts against the citizens and interests of the United States and friendly foreign nations, the president determined that the United States is in a non-international armed conflict with these designated terrorist organisations, the memo reads. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The US president appeared to be making a bid to co-opt sweeping wartime powers that would allow him to launch military strikes on drug smugglers. Under international law, countries in an armed conflict can kill enemy fighters who pose no immediate threat and detain them without trial. The notice, seen by The New York Times, was sent to Congress citing a law which requires them to submit reports about hostilities that involve the military. US president justifies recent airstrikes Mr Trump also justified the US governments recent airstrikes on suspected Venezuelan drug boats, saying they had targeted unlawful combatants. Some critics accused the administration of stepping beyond the bounds of international law with the attacks, which have killed dozens onboard. Mr Maduros government has accused the US of murdering its citizens. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Referring to the first airstrike on Sep 2, the notice stated: The vessel was assessed by the US intelligence community to be affiliated with a designated terrorist organisation and, at the time, engaged in trafficking illicit drugs, which could ultimately be used to kill Americans. This strike resulted in the destruction of the vessel, the illicit narcotics, and the death of approximately three unlawful combatants. Credit: Reuters/Donald Trump via Truth Social On his first day in office, Mr Trump signed an executive order designating cartels as terrorist groups in a precursor to US military action against drug traffickers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Congress has not made a formal declaration of war against the cartels, even though it is meant to authorise military force under its constitutional powers. Military strikes could begin next month The Pentagon is reported to have drawn up plans for military strikes against cartels on Venezuelan soil to tackle drug smuggling at its source. Attacks could potentially begin this month, sources told NBC News, blaming Mr Maduro for failing to stop the flow of illegal drugs into the US. The plans primarily focus on launching drone strikes against the membership and leaders of the cartels, as well as targeting drug labs. However, the sources emphasised that military action had not yet been approved by Mr Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The president is prepared to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into our country and to bring those responsible to justice, a senior administration official said. Nicolas Maduro, the president of Venezuela, has accused the US of murdering its citizens - Leonardo Fernandez Viloria On Thursday, a senior member of Venezuelas government condemned the US for using the military to harass their citizens. I denounce before the world the military harassment and military threats by the United States government against the Venezuelan people who seek peace, work, and happiness, said Vladimir Padrino Lopez, Venezuelas defence minister. In January, the US State Department offered a $15m reward for information leading to Mr Padrinos arrest, claiming he was allowing cartels to transport cocaine from Venezuela to Central America in return for a protection fee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Drug Enforcement Agency is also reported to have pushed for strikes on the cartels in Mexico, but faced resistance from the Pentagon and White House. Claudia Sheinbaum, the Mexican president who has enjoyed a surprisingly close relationship with Mr Trump, has previously warned the move would constitute a violation of her countrys sovereignty. It was revealed on Sept 29 that the Pentagon is pushing defence companies to quadruple their production of missiles, although some experts have cast doubt on how realistic the governments timetable is. While this appears to be a result of concerns among the top brass about a potential conflict with China, amid tensions in the Pacific, these munitions could in theory also be deployed against the cartels to devastating effect. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Strikes against drug gangs would eat into the USs missile stockpile, which is dwindling after years of Washington providing military support to Israel and Ukraine. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. President Donald Trump continues to garner low approval ratings in Massachusetts, shows a new poll from the University of New Hampshire Survey Center. 35% of Massachusetts residents approve of his handling of his job as president, while 61% disapprove. His net approval rating (-26) is up slightly from May (-31). Despite the low support overall, nearly all Republicans in the state (95%) approve. Of voters who disapprove of Trump, the most important reasons are undermining democracy/Constitution (28%), poor conduct or corruption (22%) and handling of immigration (10%). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Of those who approve, the most important reasons are handling of immigration (31%), leadership/decisiveness (12%) and honesty/transparency (12%). A majority of Bay Staters also dont approve of Trumps handling of the economy, foreign affairs or his actions toward the federal reserve. About two-thirds of Massachusetts residents also dont approve of Health and Humans Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The poll, released Sept. 30, surveyed 762 Massachusetts residents online from Sept. 17 23. The margin of error is +/- 3.6%. President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office at the White House on Sept. 30, 2025. Massachusetts residents worried about political violence Following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, 70% of Massachusetts residents are worried that they or a family member will be victimized by politically motivated violence by a fellow American. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Massachusetts residents are less likely to be worried about this than those in Rhode Island, Connecticut or New Hampshire, the poll found. 69% of Bay Staters are also worried about being victimized by a mass shooting. Massachusetts residents are less worried about being the victim of a terrorist attack by foreign actors (45%) or a natural disaster (43%). The poll found that libertarians are most worried about politically motivated violence, while progressives, socialists and moderates are most concerned about a mass shooting. Socialists and progressives are more likely to be concerned about a natural disaster while moderates and conservatives are more likely to be concerned about a terrorist attack. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The poll also found that a majority (54%) of Massachusetts residents would feel less safe if the National Guard was deployed to cities in Massachusetts, as it has been to cities like Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. A majority thought that those deployments were not justified, the least of which being Los Angeles. Should Trump get the Nobel Peace Prize? Several countries, including Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have nominated Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize. But Massachusetts would likely not nominate him for the honor, as 72% of residents said he does not deserve the prize. However, 80% of Republicans in the state said they believe he does deserve a Nobel Peace Prize. This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: MA Trump approval rating: Should Trump get the Nobel Peace Prize? The Trump administration informed Congress in a confidential notice this week that President Donald Trump has "determined" that the United States is in an armed conflict with drug cartels and that members of the organizations can be targeted as unlawful combatants. The President determined these cartels are non-state armed groups, designated them as terrorist organizations, and determined that their actions constitute an armed attack against the United States, the notice said. "In response, based upon the cumulative effects of these hostile acts against the citizens and interests of United States and friendly foreign nations, the President determined that the United States is in a non-international armed conflict with these designated terrorist organizations, it added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The designation essentially puts drug cartels in the same legal category as terrorist groups like Al Qaeda or the Islamic State. In recent weeks, the U.S. military struck at least three boats from Venezuela allegedly carrying narco-traffickers and drugs that could threaten Americans, Trump said on Truth Social. The notice to Congress cited an attack on Sept. 15 that killed approximately 3 unlawful combatants" as an example of actions Trump could take in targeting cartels. The White House has defended the strikes. As we have said many times, the President acted in line with the law of armed conflict to protect our country from those trying to bring deadly poison to our shores, and he is delivering on his promise to take on the cartels and eliminate these national security threats from murdering more Americans, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NBC News reported last month that the administration is considering strikes on drug cartels inside Venezuela. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has denied any role in drug trafficking and has repeatedly alleged that the United States is trying to force him from power. Many critics of the strikes, including congressional Democrats and some Republicans, maintain the administration still does not have the legal authority to target the drug cartels using the U.S. military and that it remains a law enforcement matter relying on interdiction. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is also acting national security adviser, has declared interdiction efforts ineffective. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com A megachurch founder who was a Donald Trump faith adviser has pleaded guilty to years of sexual abuse. Robert Morris, 64, admitted to five counts of lewd acts with a childall felonies, NBC News reported. Morris plea deal, made in Oklahomas Osage County District Court, resulted in a suspended 10-year sentence that will require Morris to serve just six months in county jail. He has also been ordered to pay $250,000 in restitution and will need to register as a sex offender. Morris, the founder of Texas Gateway Church, was indicted in March. In 2024, Cindy Clemishire had publicly claimed Morris had sexually assaulted her multiple times when she was underage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Morris responded with a quasi-confession, telling The Christian Post that it was inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady. Clemishire was 12 when the abuse began. People gathered outside Texas' Gateway Church last year in protest of child sexual abuse following allegations against Morris, who founded the church in 2000. / Fort Worth Star-Telegram / TNS/Getty Images It was kissing and petting and not intercourse, but it was wrong, Morris said. Clemishire recalled there being more than 100 instances of abuse by Morris over 4.5 years, beginning in December 1982. According to the indictment, Morris had been visiting Clemishires family in Oklahoma that Christmas as a traveling evangelist. Clemishire said Morris invited her into his room and told her to lie on her back. She said Morris then felt her breasts and under her panties. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Never tell anyone about this, Clemishire said Morris told her. It will ruin everything. Morris offered to pay off his victim, but only if she would sign a non-disclosure agreement. She didn't. / Fox 4 Decades later, after Clemishire sought $50,000 in restitution, Morris tried to keep her quiet. Put a price on it, Morris told her in a Sept. 22, 2005 call obtained by NBC News. Clemishire rejected his offer of $25,000 because it would have required signing a non-disclosure agreement. On top of that, according to NBC, one of Morris lawyers blamed Clemishire two years later for Morris abuse. Clemishire was in the courtroom Thursday for Morris plea, after which he was led away in handcuffs. In June 2020, Morris (L) welcomed Trump and other Republican leaders at Gateway Church for a Roundtable on Transition to Greatness. / Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images Let me be clear, she told Morris. There is no such thing as consent from a 12-year-old child. We were never in an inappropriate relationship. I was not a young lady but a child. You committed a crime against me. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Today marks a new beginning for me, my family and my friends who have been by my side throughout this horrendous journey, Clemishire added. Robert, I want you to see me clearly: I am no longer the silenced little girl you abused. Morris first entered Trumps orbit nearly a decade ago. In 2016, the Trump campaign included him on its evangelical executive advisory board. After Trump won the election, Morris served on the presidents faith advisory council. And in June 2020, Morris hosted Trump at his church for a Roundtable on Transition to Greatness. Morris had no role in Trumps 2024 campaign, a spokesperson said, after Clemishire had gone public with her allegations and Morris had resigned from his church. By Andy Sullivan, David Shepardson and Nandita Bose WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump's administration froze $2.1 billion in Chicago transit funding on Friday, starving another Democratic city of funds as the government shutdown entered its third day. Budget director Russ Vought said the money, earmarked for elevated train lines, had been put on hold to ensure it was not "flowing via race-based contracting." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The administration has now frozen at least $28 billion in funding for Democratic cities and states, escalating Trump's campaign to use the extraordinary power of the U.S. government to punish political rivals. He has also threatened to fire more federal workers, beyond the 300,000 he is forcing out this year, and a White House source speaking on condition of anonymity said dozens of agencies have submitted workforce reduction plans. The Republican president has made Chicago, the nation's third-largest city, a regular rhetorical punching bag and has threatened to send in National Guard troops. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is a high-profile critic of Trump and is seen as a possible 2028 Democratic presidential candidate. The Illinois funding freeze follows moves on Wednesday to halt transit projects in New York, home to the top two Democrats in Congress, and green-energy projects in Democratic-leaning states like California and Colorado. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats said Trump's actions amount to extortion. "Everyone can see these crooks for what they are," Democratic Senator Patty Murray of Washington said. NO SIGN OF SWIFT SOLUTION In Washington, the shutdown stalemate showed no signs of ending. The U.S. Senate is due to vote on dueling Democratic and Republican plans to end the shutdown on Friday, but neither is likely to win passage. If the shutdown continues into a fourth day Saturday, it will be the fifth-longest in U.S. history. Democrats and Republicans have spent the past several days blaming each other for their failure to keep the government funded beyond October 1, the start of the fiscal year, and they do not appear to have made any headway toward a deal that would allow the money to flow again. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The standoff in Congress has frozen about $1.7 trillion in funds for agency operations, which amounts to roughly one-quarter of annual federal spending. Much of the remainder goes to health and retirement programs and interest payments on the growing $37.5 trillion debt. Democrats say any funding package must also expand pandemic-era healthcare subsidies due to expire at the end of December, while Republicans say that issue should be dealt with separately. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, said he is not troubled by Trump's pressure campaign, which undercuts Congress' constitutional authority over spending matters. "President Trump is just as anxious as we are to get the government back open," he told reporters. "Is he trying to apply pressure to make that happen? He probably is, yeah. And I applaud that." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SERVICES INTERRUPTED The shutdown, the 15th since 1981, has suspended scientific research, financial regulation, and a wide range of other activities. Pay has been suspended for roughly 2 million federal workers, though troops, airport security screeners, and others deemed "essential" must still report to work. On Friday, the government did not release its monthly unemployment report, leaving Wall Street guessing about the health of the world's largest economy. A prolonged shutdown could disrupt air travel and food aid for millions of Americans, and also force federal courts to close. Federal workers would miss their first paycheck in mid-October if the standoff is not resolved by then. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The longest shutdown lasted 35 days in 2018-2019, during Trump's first term in office. The Senate has three times already rejected a Republican plan, which would fund the government through November 21, and a Democratic alternative that would also bolster the expiring health subsidies. The chamber will vote on both of those plans again on Friday. Republicans control both chambers of Congress, but they need at least seven Democratic votes to advance spending legislation in the Senate. A group of senators from both parties say they have been exploring a compromise. But some Democrats say they do not trust Republicans to honor any agreement that would first reopen the government and then tackle the healthcare subsidies, which were passed as part of a 2021 Democratic COVID relief package and now help 24 million Americans pay for coverage. (Reporting by Andy Sullivan, Doina Chiacu, David Shepardson, Nandita Bose, David Morgan and Nolan McCaskill; Editing by Scott Malone, Alistair Bell and Deepa Babington) U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he arrives on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 30, 2025 (photo credit: REUTERS) "Hamas has been a ruthless and violent threat for many years in the Middle East!" the US President added in the post. US President Donald Trump has given Hamas until Sunday at 6 p.m. DC time to agree to his proposal to end the Gaza war, he announced in a Friday Truth Social post. Trump threatened that unless Hamas agrees, "all HELL like no one has ever seen before, will break out," against the terror group. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Hamas has been a ruthless and violent threat for many years in the Middle East!" he added. "They have killed (and made lives unbearably miserable), culminating with the October 7th MASSACRE, in Israel, babies, women, children, old people, and many young men and women, boys and girls, getting ready to celebrate their future lives together." "THERE WILL BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" Hamas unlikely to agree to Trump proposal, BBC reports This comes after a Hamas official told the BBC that it was unlikely to accept Trump's proposal to end the war in Gaza. The British public-service broadcaster cited the official saying that the plan "serves Israel's interests" and "ignores those of the Palestinian people." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The BBC report noted that a Palestinian official had said that it is being examined by Hamas leadership both inside and outside of Gaza. Another condition that Hamas reportedly rejects is releasing the remaining hostages at once, which the BBC describes as them letting go of their only "bargaining chip." Trump's plan calls for the immediate release of all hostages, the deradicalization of Gaza, and an Israeli withdrawal to an agreed-upon line, amongst other conditions. Gadi Zaig, James Genn, Corinne Baum, and Sam Halpern contributed to this report. Donald Trump ominously suggested that he just wants to survive when asked about his plans for next year. The president made the morbid comment before saying that he had big plans for 2026 in a new interview Yeah, I have big plans, I want to survive, Trump told One America News Network. You look at whats going on, its crazy. The rhetoric that these crazy Democrats are using is very dangerous; they made politics very dangerous. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The presidents comments come less than a month after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, a right-wing commentator who was shot at Utah Valley University on September 10. Donald Trump told a reporter that he simply hopes to survive in 2026 (AP) There has been a spike in political violence since 2024, with Democrat Representative Melissa Hortman assassinated at her home in June. Trump himself was shot and wounded in his right ear by Thomas Matthew Crooks at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania during the 2024 election campaign. Referencing the Pennsylvania shooting, Trump later released a fundraising note which told supporters that he wanted to try and get to Heaven. I certainly wasnt supposed to survive an assassins bulletbut by the grace of the almighty God, I did, the note continued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More recently, the president has been dogged by rumors of ill health as he is often spotted wearing heavy makeup to cover large bruises on his hand. Representative Madeleine Dean confronted House Speaker Mike Johnson over the issue of Trumps condition in footage aired by MSNBC this week, following a bizarre speech at Quantico last month. There has been speculation about the presidents health because of repeated bruising on his hand (REUTERS) The president is unhinged, Dean said in reference to Trumps rambling address to an assembly of U.S. military leaders. He is unwell. Johnson failed to refute the claim and instead said he did not see the presidents performance. Trumps speech covered a wide range of topics, as he told the military officials that troops could soon use U.S. cities as training grounds to fight the enemy within. Later, he praised former president Barack Obamas great ability to walk down the stairs. Conversely, Trump said he was very careful before descending into a song and dance mimicking Obama on a staircase. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, as the government currently faces an ongoing government shutdown, Trump has conceded the 2026 midterms will be a tough battle for the Republicans. Now, the one thing that I worry about is that, if you look over many, many yearsI dont have the numbersbut the person that wins the presidency always seems to lose the midterms, he said. I dont know whyits crazy. Even presidents that did well, and there have been some. But that he told One America News Network his economic success will lead his party to victory next year. The GOP currently controls both the House and the Senate, though both are by small margins. The Republicans hold 219 seats compared to the Democrats 213 seats. The Senate is controlled by the GOP on a 53-45 split, with two seats also being held by independents. United States President Donald Trump has issued a weekend ultimatum for Hamas to accept his 20-point plan for a ceasefire in Gaza, as Israels war on the territory grinds on. On Friday, the Republican leader took to his social media platform Truth Social to denounce Hamas as a ruthless and violent threat and to pressure it to accept his proposal. He warned that an agreement must be reached by 6pm US Eastern time (22:00 GMT) on Sunday, or else Gaza would face further violence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas. THERE WILL BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, Trump wrote in a lengthy, 329-word post. The Trump administration had discussed the peace plan with a group of Arab and Muslim leaders in September on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Then, on Monday, as he welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a fourth visit to the White House, Trump unveiled the full text of the plan. On Friday, after his post went online, Hamas signalled it would move forward with some parts of Trumps plan, including the return of all Israeli captives, both living and dead. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In this context, the movement affirms its readiness to immediately enter into negotiations through the mediators to discuss the details of this agreement, Hamas said in a statement on Telegram. But the group expressed reticence about other elements of the proposal, saying they needed to be addressed through a comprehensive Palestinian national framework, in which Hamas will participate and contribute responsibly. Terms of Trumps plan The text does not include a pathway to Palestinian statehood, a major point of contention. And it makes few demands of Israel, whose military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians, many of them women and children. An independent UN commission in September determined that Israels actions in Gaza amounted to the crime of genocide, confirming similar reports from human rights observers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Trumps outline does set forth a plan to redevelop Gaza into a deradicalised terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbours. It also requires Hamas to agree to not have any role in the governance of Gaza, directly, indirectly, or in any form. In exchange, aid will be allowed into Gaza, where famine has been declared for half a million people. An Israeli blockade has prevented adequate resources from reaching civilians, heightening the hunger crisis. The plan also calls for Hamas to release Israeli captives and the bodies of those who died. Israel, in return, will release the 1,170 Palestinians from Gaza who were detained after the start of the war on October 7, 2023, plus 250 people sentenced to life imprisonment. The plan also calls for the establishment of a Board of Peace, led by Trump himself and helmed by other heads of state, including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, as a temporary governance structure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A separate International Stabilisation Force would be put in place to bolster Palestinian police and work with Israeli and Egyptian border agents. A last chance for Hamas? In Fridays social media post, Trump repeatedly called the proposal Hamass last chance to come to the bargaining table. He also reiterated warnings that Hamas would face heavy losses should it fail to acquiesce. As retribution for the October 7th attack on civilization, more than 25,000 Hamas soldiers have already been killed, Trump wrote, citing unsubstantiated numbers. Most of the rest are surrounded and MILITARILY TRAPPED, just waiting for me to give the word, GO, for their lives to be quickly extinguished. As for the rest, we know where and who you are, and you will be hunted down, and killed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In apparent anticipation of further violence, Trumps message also included an appeal for civilians to relocate to safety, though it was unclear where he hoped they would move. I am asking that all innocent Palestinians immediately leave this area of potentially great future death for safer parts of Gaza, Trump wrote. Everyone will be well cared for by those that are waiting to help. The statement echoed remarks Trump had made earlier in the week, in his meeting with Netanyahu. At their joint news conference, Trump made it plain that the US would support Israel in its attacks on Hamas, should the deal fail to be accepted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Israel would have my full backing to finish the job of destroying the threat of Hamas, Trump told reporters. Fridays post, however, is not the first time Trump has set a deadline for the release of Israeli captives and the implementation of a ceasefire. In February, for instance, Trump warned he would let hell break out if the captives were not released. Israel ultimately let the ceasefire negotiations expire a few weeks later, on March 1, and it soon thereafter resumed its bombing campaign in Gaza. Criticisms of ceasefire proposal This time around, however, Trump told reporters that Hamas had three or four days to agree to the newly unveiled plan, before setting a fixed deadline in Fridays post. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hamas had said on Thursday it was considering the proposal and would respond soon, but critics, including several government officials, have expressed scepticism about Trumps demands and conditions. Earlier this week, Pakistans Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told the news outlet Dawn that the published proposal had strayed from the original plan presented to Arab and Muslim leaders at the UN. Changes were made to our draft. I have the record, Dar said. Others have questioned the idea of appointing a Board of Peace as a transitional governance structure. It is unclear who, besides Trump and Blair, would be leading such a council and what its timeline and end goals would be. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The US has long been an ally of Israel, and it has supported Netanyahus campaign in Gaza with billions of dollars in military aid since the start of the offensive. On Friday, ahead of Trumps Truth Social post, a group of 28 UN experts including Francesca Albanese, the special rapporteur for the Palestinian territory raised some of those concerns. The US is a deeply partisan supporter of Israel and not an honest broker, the experts said. This proposal is regrettably reminiscent of colonial practices and must be rejected. They warned that the plan could potentially replace Israeli occupation with a US-led occupation, in violation of international law. Palestinian self-determination, their letter added, should not come at the mercy of decisions by outsiders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Imposing an immediate peace at any price, regardless of or brazenly against law and justice, is a recipe for further injustice, future violence and instability, they said. But in his social media post, Trump appeared to dig in his heels, pledging to hammer down a resolution to the nearly two-year-long conflict, which marks a grim anniversary in four days. We will have PEACE in the Middle East one way or the other, he wrote, a sentiment he underscored twice. Earlier on Wednesday, a senior official of Hamas told the BBC the terrorist organization will likely reject US President Donald Trump's 20-point peace plan. Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani discussed with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday his plan to end the war in Gaza in a phone call, the Emiri Diwan said in a statement. Sheik Tamim reiterated Qatar's support for peace efforts and expressed confidence the countries backing the plan could reach a just settlement that guarantees regional security and stability and protects Palestinian rights, it added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier on Wednesday, a senior official of Hamas told the BBC the terrorist organization will likely reject US President Donald Trump's 20-point peace plan, with the British public-service broadcaster citing the official saying that the plan "serves Israel's interests" and "ignores those of the Palestinian people." The official added that Hamas also refuses to disarm and surrender its weapons. It also rejects any presence of an "International Stabilization Force" in the Gaza Strip, both of which are conditions in Trump's plan, the BBC noted. Palestinians fleeing northern Gaza due to an Israeli military operation, move southward after Israeli forces ordered residents of Gaza City to evacuate to the south, in the central Gaza Strip, October 1, 2025 (credit: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa) World awaits Hamas response as Trump issues stark ultimatum The report comes in contrast with a Tuesday CBS report, citing an informed source, saying that Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups are leaning toward accepting Trump's proposal. The terrorist organization had not given an official response to the proposal, but was reviewing it "responsibly," the CBS report stated. The BBC report noted that a Palestinian official had said that it is being examined by Hamas leadership both inside and outside of Gaza. US President Donald Trump on Tuesday issued a stark ultimatum to Hamas, saying the group has three or four days to accept his newly unveiled Gaza peace plan or pay in hell. Donald Trumps administration is facing another round of calls to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove the president from office in the wake of his remarks to an unprecedented assembly of the nations military leaders. Trumps Cabinet and then-Vice President Mike Pence faced similar demands in the aftermath of the January 6 attack, when a mob of the presidents supporters stormed the halls of Congress to derail the certification of an election he lost. And its not the first time Trump has faced calls to step down since he returned to the White House in January. Liberal commentators and critics on social media routinely demand his Cabinet invoke the 25th Amendment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is extremely unlikely that Trumps allies and a Republican-dominated Congress would vote to oust him. The president has the ironclad allegiance of his Cabinet and Vice President JD Vance, who would effectively have to agree with their political opponents that the president can no longer serve. But prominent Democrats claim the president is unfit for office, that his cognitive health is in decline, and that a speech to military leaders this week all but endorsed the idea of active-duty troops fighting civilians in U.S. cities. President Donald Trump speaks to senior military leaders this week in Virginia at an unprecedented gathering. The presidents remarks amounted to authoritarian and un-American rhetoric, Air Force veteran Gretchen Klingler told The Independent (Getty Images) What are Trumps critics saying now? After Trump suggested cities like Chicago should be used as training grounds for our military, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker said the 25th Amendment should be invoked to oust the president, marking the first time that the governor has publicly called for his removal. It appears that Donald Trump not only has dementia set in, but hes copying tactics of [Russian President] Vladimir Putin, Pritzker said Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump is set to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago, among several Democratic-led cities where he is surging federal law enforcement and military assets. Sending troops into cities, thinking that thats some sort of proving ground for war, or that indeed theres some sort of internal war going on in the United States is just, frankly, insane and Im concerned for his health, Pritzker said. There is something genuinely wrong with this man, and the 25th Amendment ought to be invoked, he added. That call was publicly supported by at least one Democratic member of Congress: California Rep. Eric Swalwell wrote 25TH AMENDMENT! on social media as Trump spoke to military officials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told The Independent that Pritzker is a slob of a governor and that it appears hes particularly hangry today based on his unhinged ramblings. The only reason anyone has even heard of him is because hes failed his constituents so spectacularly that the raging crime crisis and dangerous sanctuary city status of Chicago is national news, she said. President Trump is deeply concerned with the safety and security of all Americans, including those in Chicago and hes stepping in where J.B. failed. J.B., heres a tip: eat a snickers; youre not you when youre hungry (which is all the time). The latest calls for Trumps removal follow his rambling speech to the nations top military leaders, in which the president suggested American cities could serve as a testing ground for US armed forces (AP) Military veterans and former defense officials speaking to The Independent and other outlets were furious with the presidents remarks to the nations top military brass in Quantico. The event was an expensive, dangerous dereliction of leadership by the Trump administration, according to a statement from Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Forces Committee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The presidents remarks amounted to authoritarian and un-American rhetoric, Air Force veteran Gretchen Klingler, director of Veterans for American Ideas at Human Rights First, told The Independent. Trump was incoherent, exhausted and at times stupid, according to Ret. Army General Barry McCaffrey, who called the presidents address one of the most bizarre, unsettling events Ive ever encountered. One U.S. defense official mentioned invoking the 25th Amendment in an interview with The Intercept. This is truly disturbing. He is clearly unwell, even for Trump, the official said. Has it been used before? Congressional Democrats publicly urged then-Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump after failing to stop hundreds of his supporters from breaking into the Capitol in a violent attempt to halt the certification of the 2020 presidential election. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement House lawmakers voted 223-205 on January 12, 2021 to adopt a resolution that would compel Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment. Pence rejected the effort in a letter to then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Trump was later impeached by the House for inciting an insurrection. House Democrats called on then-Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment after the January 6 attack on the Capitol, though Pence rebuffed the demand (AFP via Getty Images) Republican officials and Trump allies also routinely called on former President Joe Bidens Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment against him, including most notably after his decision to end his re-election campaign last year. Trump himself had baselessly claimed that Democratic leaders told Biden to end his campaign or be removed from office. During the campaign, Vance also called on Bidens Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove him. You dont get to do this in the most politically beneficial way for Democrats, he said on Fox News at the time. If its an actual problem, they should take care of it the appropriate way. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement GOP lawmakers also called on officials to invoke the 25th Amendment against Biden after a report from special counsel Robert Hur suggested that then-president Bidens mental fitness was significantly limited. The 25th Amendment, however, has been invoked as a practical matter several times to temporarily transfer power from a president to the vice president during medical procedures. Ronald Reagan briefly transferred power to then-Vice President George Bush when Reagan underwent colon cancer surgery in 1985. George W. Bush similarly transferred authority to his Vice President Dick Cheney, twice, in 2002 and 2007, during his colonoscopies. Biden also transferred authority to Kamala Harris for a colonoscopy in 2021. How does it work? Prior to the ratification of the 25th Amendment in 1965, the rules of succession were constitutionally vague and did not spell out how, exactly, the vice president would become acting president if the president were to die, resign or be removed from office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement First, the amendment explicitly makes clear that the vice president becomes president in case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation. But removing the president would require the vice president and a majority of the 16-member presidential cabinet to jointly agree that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. Republicans repeatedly called on Bidens Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment over allegations of his cognitive decline and after he ended his 2024 campaign (REUTERS) Another option would require the creation of a disability review panel that would need approval by Congress and signed into law by the president, or, if vetoed, the support of at least two-thirds of the House and Senate. Once the vice president and either the cabinet or a disability review panel agree that the president must be removed, the vice president would then immediately be able to assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The president can tell Congress that no inability exists and will resume the powers and duties of his office, which the Cabinet or disability panel can then challenge. Congress then has 21 days to settle whether the president is fit to serve. A two-thirds vote from both chambers of Congress must agree to let the vice president step in. The Trump administration sent $230 million to Lebanon in a last-minute action to save the funds from expiring during a government shutdown, assistance that helps protect a fragile ceasefire between Beirut and Israel. The funds are aimed at strengthening the Lebanese military in its push to disarm Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed political and military force severely weakened by Israeli actions, but not fully defeated. Yesterday we were able to get through roughly $230 million, a Democratic congressional aide told reporters in an Oct. 1 briefing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its not a huge amount, but for a small country like Lebanon, thats really significant. Reuters reported that $190 million went to the Lebanese military and $40 million went to its Internal Security Forces. A State Department spokesperson said U.S. assistance supports Lebanons armed forces as they work to assert Lebanese sovereignty across the country and fully implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701, the only viable framework for a durable security arrangement for both Lebanese and Israelis. U.N.S.C. 1701 was the 2006 ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon. Hezbollah attacked Israel after Hamass Oct. 7, 2023, attack, leading to more than a year of crossborder fighting. The U.S. brokered a ceasefire between the Lebanese government and Israel in November that is contingent on the Lebanese military disarming Hezbollah. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Democratic congressional aide said the last-minute appropriations to Lebanon help the government follow through on the terms of the ceasefire, and also raised it as an example of successful bipartisan work. The U.S. government shut down Wednesday because of bitter fighting between Republicans and Democrats, which could have endangered the funding and highlights a potentially dangerous consequence of a shutdown on Americas foreign policy and security priorities. Ed Gabriel, president and CEO of the American Task Force on Lebanon (ATFL), said the funds will allow the Lebanese to enhance their work of clearing Hezbollah from south of the Litani River and begin operations in the Bekaa Valley and north of the Litani. I think the challenge for the Lebanese government is to get the resources necessary to finish the disarmament job in the coming year, with an emphasis to complete south of the Litani within the next few months, Gabriel said, speaking with The Hill in a phone call from Beirut. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gabriel was in Beirut for a trip that was supposed to include members of Congress, who would have met with top Lebanese officials to see firsthand how U.S. dollars are being put to work. The ATFL is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization focused on supporting strong U.S.-Lebanese relations. It was a timely opportunity to bring the members of Congress in so that they could convey very strong messages to the Lebanese Government about moving forward at an increased speed, but also to thank them for the work to date, which is always needed in order to enhance the trust factor of moving ahead, Gabriel said. So it was a perfect time for that to happen. Its too bad it didnt. Stability in Lebanon is a key priority for President Trump as part of his overall push for eternal peace in the Middle East beginning with resolving Israels war in Gaza. The effort is ultimately about ending Irans influence in the region and brokering ties between Israel and its neighbors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think the administration definitely has in their eyesight the ultimate goal of peace between Lebanon and Israel. Its pretty clear, Gabriel said. From the Lebanese side, they would say that their ultimate goal is a stable, prosperous Lebanon at peace with all their neighbors. So they both have used the word peace, with different emphases. Tom Barrack, Trumps ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria, has also taken on the Lebanon file, having traveled to Beirut with Morgan Ortagus, special representative to Lebanon and counselor of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. In August, Barrack helped staff a trip to Beirut with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a top Trump ally. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shaheen, speaking from Beirut, said strengthening the armed forces and advancing financial reforms were key U.S. priorities for the country. Graham, in more combative remarks, put the onus on Beirut to disarm Hezbollah despite ongoing Israeli military actions in the south of the country, which are criticized as violating the terms of the ceasefire. Whether they [Israel] withdraw or not, it depends on what you [Lebanon] do. So dont tell me anymore, Were not going to disarm Hezbollah until Israel does something. If thats the model, youre going to fail, Graham said. This country is going backward, not forward. If you dont follow through with disarming the Palestinians and Hezbollah and making the Lebanese army the central repository of arms for the nation, if you dont do that, youre going nowhere. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Oct. 3 (UPI) -- Hamas leaders say they will release all hostages, living and dead, but need more than three days to do so, which prompted President Donald Trump to urge Israel to stop bombing Gaza. Hamas said it wants to enter into negotiations to end the war in Gaza that started when Hamas and its allies attacked, killed and kidnapped Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, 2023, The Jerusalem Post reported. Hamas leaders in a Friday night statement said they agreed to "release all Israeli prisoners, both living and dead, according to the exchange formula contained in President Trump's proposal," according to the BBC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its leaders said they will need more than 72 hours to arrange the release of an estimated 48 hostages, of which only 20 are thought to be living. Hamas did not say it accepts the peace plan proposed by Trump and others, though. The president set a deadline for Hamas to agree to the peace plan that was negotiated with Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu or face "all hell, like no one has ever seen before," Trump said on Truth Social. The 20-point peace plan was written by Trump's son-in-law and former adviser Jared Kushner, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The plan calls for an immediate end to fighting, the release within 72 hours of the 20 living hostages and the return of remains of those believed to be dead. Hamas leaders said they are willing to "hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body of independents (technocrats), based on Palestinian national consensus and Arab and Islamic support," as reported by NBC News. After reviewing Hamas' response, Trump said he believes the designated foreign terrorist organization is "ready for lasting peace," The Times of Israel reported. He also said it's important for Israel to stop attacking Gaza to support the peace effort. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the hostages out safely and quickly!" the president said in a Truth Social post on Friday evening. "Right now, it's far too dangerous to do that," he added. "We are already in discussions on details to be worked out." Trump said ending the war is about more than Gaza and is aimed at bringing peace to the entire Middle East. Federal funding for Chicago Transit Authority improvements is the latest target in the Trump administration's pressure campaign on Democrats to reopen the government the second large-scale infrastructure project the White House has frozen as the shutdown enters day three. On Friday, White House budget director Russ Vought posted on social media that the administration had paused $2.1 billion in federal funding for Chicagos Red Line Extension and Red and Purple Modernization Project to ensure funding is not flowing via race-based contracting. On the first day of the shutdown, the administration said it was pausing federal funds for an $18 billion project to revitalize rail tunnels under the Hudson River near New York City, a key priority for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). The Chicago funding pause is the latest White House effort to make the government shutdown as painful as possible for Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Democrats in Congress as a whole. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The office of Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker directed inquiries to aposting he made on X saying that the Trump administration is holding bipartisan funding hostage and is harming the economy and the hardworking people who rely on public transit to get to work or school. The Chicago Transit Authority did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a statement, the Transportation Department said it is scrutinizing the Chicago Transit Authority's projects to make sure "no additional federal dollars go towards discriminatory, illegal, and wasteful contracting practices," and alluded to the transit agency's use of DOT's Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program, or DBE. Illinois, like New York, is well known to promote race- and sex-based contracting and other racial preferences as a public policy, the agency said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Chicago Transit Authority says on its website that its Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program shows its dedication to the success of small businesses that are owned "by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals by promoting contracting opportunities to DBEs within transit." Getting rid of policies that boost diversity, equity and inclusion has been a priority of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and the Trump administration writ large. Secretary Duffy and USDOT are committed to conducting these reviews as fast as possible so reimbursements can move forward, DOT said. Unfortunately, Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries decision to shut down the government has negatively affected the Departments staffing resources for carrying out this important analysis. Just ahead of the government shutdown, on Sept. 30, DOT put out an interim final rule that is geared to ensure the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program removes race and sex-based presumptions of social and economic disadvantage that violate the U.S. Constitution. The Chicago action follows a similar pause in New York City in which the White House held up $18 billion on two major projects: the Gateway Program, which plans to provide a new train tunnel beneath the Hudson River to connect commuters between New Jersey and New York City, and the Second Avenue Subway line. President Donald Trump said the U.S. is in an armed conflict with drug cartels that are distributing narcotics, according to a notice sent to Capitol Hill that looks to give legal cover for lethal action taken against drug traffickers. This comes after several strikes last month that were launched against Venezuelan boats in international waters. The notice sent to multiple congressional committees says Trump has determined that smugglers for cartels are unlawful combatants, meaning that the military was legally authorized to strike boats believed to be transporting members of a group the administration has designated as a terrorist organization, per CNN. The notice did not name the group. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The three strikes carried out over the last month have killed 17 people in total, but the notice sent to Congress only mentioned one of the strikes which occurred on Sept. 15. Multiple lawmakers and legal experts argue that the notification is dubious legal justification for the strikes on alleged civilian criminals, not combatants engaged in direct battle with American forces, per The Washington Post. Lawmakers were also briefed on Wednesday by the Pentagons general counsel Earl Matthews and uniformed representatives from the Department of War about the legal justification for the strikes, per CNN. The briefing was similar to the written notice. The cartels involved have grown more armed, well organized, and violent. They have the financial means, sophistication, and paramilitary capabilities needed to operate with impunity, the notice says. These groups are now transnational and conduct ongoing attacks throughout the Western Hemisphere as organized cartels. Therefore, the President determined these cartels are non-state armed groups, designated them as terrorist organizations, and determined that their actions constitute an armed attack against the United States. What it means to determine something is an armed conflict Describing these strikes as part of an armed conflict suggests that they are part of a longer-term campaign and not just a one-off occurrence in self-defense, per CNN. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although this strike was limited in scope, U.S. forces remain postured to carry out military operations as necessary to prevent further deaths or injury to American citizens by eliminating the threat posed by these designated terrorist organizations, the notice says. The move to deem this campaign against cartels as an active armed conflict means Trump is cementing his claim to extraordinary wartime powers, according to The New York Times. As defined by international law, during an armed conflict, a country can lawfully kill enemy fighters even when they arent posing a threat, detain them indefinitely without trials and prosecute them in military courts. A White House spokesperson, Anna Kelly, said in an email to The New York Times that the president acted in line with the law of armed conflict to protect our country from those trying to bring deadly poison to our shores, and he is delivering on his promise to take on the cartels and eliminate these national security threats from murdering more Americans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The notice to Congress says that the president determined that cartels engaged in drug smuggling are nonstate armed groups whose actions constitute an armed attack against the United States. It also uses the term noninternational armed conflict which is a term from international law which refers to a war with a nonstate actor. Based upon the cumulative effects of these hostile acts against the citizens and interests of the United States and friendly foreign nations, the president determined that the United States is in a noninternational armed conflict with these designated terrorist organizations, the notice said. The notice also cites a statute which requires reports to lawmakers about hostilities involving U.S. armed forces. By determining that this is an armed conflict the administration is equating the trafficking of drugs and associated crime with an armed attack. In the notice it says that cartels illegally and directly cause the deaths of tens of thousands of American citizens each year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to The New York Times, the administration did not explain how selling dangerous substances equates to a use of force. Congress has also not authorized the use of military force against cartels. For years, the U.S. government has said that it is engaged in a metaphorical war on drugs, which means aggressive law enforcement. About the strike on a boat on Sept. 15 the notice said: The vessel was assessed by the U.S. intelligence community to be affiliated with a designated terrorist organization and, at the time, engaged in trafficking illicit drugs, which could ultimately be used to kill Americans. This strike resulted in the destruction of the vessel, the illicit narcotics, and the death of approximately three unlawful combatants. The notice did not include any names of the specific drug cartels which the administration claims to be in an armed conflict with, per The New York Times. President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House on Sept. 30, 2025. Credit - Francis ChungPolitico/Bloomberg/Getty Images President Donald Trump has declared that the U.S. is in a formal armed conflict with drug cartels in a confidential notice to Congress. The notice, obtained by the New York Times, labels suspected drug smugglers as unlawful combatants, and seeks to justify the Trump Administrations three military strikes on civilian vessels in the Caribbean sea last month as part of a sustained active conflict. The strikes, which experts said were likely illegal and amounted to extrajudicious murders, killed a total of 17 people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a Jan. 20 executive order, Trump designated several drug cartels as terrorist organizations, and the Trump Administration has characterized the strikes as instances of self-defense against national security threats to the U.S. The notice, however, suggests that the Administration has moved to expand its basis for the strikes, by now describing its intensifying military campaign as an active armed conflict, in which a country can legally kill enemy combatants even when they do not pose an active threat, detain them without trial, and prosecute them in military court. Based upon the cumulative effects of these hostile acts against the citizens and interests of the United States and friendly foreign nations, the president determined that the United States is in a noninternational armed conflict with these designated terrorist organizations, the notice, which was reportedly sent to several congressional committees, said. The President acted in line with the law of armed conflict to protect our country from those trying to bring deadly poison to our shores, and he is delivering on his promise to take on the cartels and eliminate these national security threats from murdering more Americans, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a Thursday statement to media outlets. Heres what to know. Notice raises legal questions The notice, which is considered controlled but unclassified information, reportedly calls drug cartels nonstate armed groups and says that their actions constitute an armed attack against the United States. In characterizing the campaign as a noninternational armed conflict, the Administration is invoking the legal concept of a conflict between a nation state and a non-state party (or between two or more non-state parties), as opposed to two or more nation states. A noninternational armed conflict does not need to be constrained within a state, but the non-state party must be organized and possess an organized armed force, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross. Additionally, hostilities must reach a level of violence that is sufficiently intense to be considered a noninternational armed conflict, which does not include banditry, unorganized and short-lived insurrections, or terrorist activities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. government has engaged in noninternational armed conflicts before. Following the deadly Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, the George W. Bush Administration argued that its war on terror was a noninternational armed conflict. Congress passed the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force, which allowed the President to employ limited wartime powers against Al-Qaeda operatives. The use of AUMFs has come under criticism for effectively giving U.S. Presidents carte blanche to authorize military action without congressional scrutiny and to effectively lead forever wars. Even so, the Supreme Court in 2004 acknowledged the U.S. war with Al-Qaeda, determining the Bush Administrations indefinite detentions without trial of enemy combatants as lawful while still requiring some judicial constraints, although in 2006 it initially restricted the governments use of military commissions. It would appear that the Trump Administration is seeking to use a similar argument to justify to Congress its military campaign against cartels. The Trump Administration has sought to constitute the inflow of dangerous substances to the U.S. as a direct armed attack by arguing in the notice that cartels illegally and directly cause the deaths of tens of thousands of American citizens each year. The notice also seeks to provide justification for the Trump Administrations summary executions of alleged drug traffickers, whom Trump has called narco-terrorists, through strikes. In ordinary times, penalizing a suspected criminal, let alone killing them, without due process would be considered a crime. But the notice appears to use the pretext of armed conflict, on top of previous claims of self-defense, to transform the civilian boats and their crews into legitimate military targets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The vessel was assessed by the U.S. intelligence community to be affiliated with a designated terrorist organization and, at the time, engaged in trafficking illicit drugs, which could ultimately be used to kill Americans, the notice reportedly said. This [Sept. 15] strike resulted in the destruction of the vessel, the illicit narcotics, and the death of approximately three unlawful combatants. Experts have raised concerns about the legality of Trumps determination and its ability to apply to the military strikes that have already killed more than a dozen civilians. Matthew Waxman, a law professor at Columbia University, told the Council of Foreign Relations last week that the U.S. government has sought to recast the war on drugs from a criminal matter to a military one. The U.S. government has historically gone after alleged narcotics traffickers through a combination of interdiction outside U.S. borders, the use of criminal law within U.S. borders, and some extension extraterritorially of U.S. criminal law, Waxman said. The United States government cant go around the world killing people, even the most odious ones, without some lawful basis, Waxman said. The question is what is a lawful basis for overcoming this baseline idea that the government cant kill people. To that end, the Trump Administration has portrayed drug cartels as waging an attack against the U.S. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Geoffrey S. Corn, a retired judge advocate general lawyer and former senior adviser to the Army for law-of-war issues, told the Times that selling a dangerous or illegal substance is not the same as an armed attack. Venezuela is also not a major source of cocaine, although it acts as a transit hub for the drug. It is also not believed to be a source of illegal fentanyl coming into the U.S. The notice reportedly also does not define with any specificity the unlawful combatants the U.S. is at war with. It does not name the drug cartels, or describe how the Administration determines that individuals have links to these organizations or are combatants. Trump previously asserted that the U.S. government has recorded proof that the vessel struck on Sept. 15 was carrying illicit drugs, but the footage does not clearly show what cargo is on the boat. Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, the ranking Democratic member on the Armed Services Committee, posted on X, Every American should be alarmed that Pres Trump has decided he can wage secret wars against anyone he labels an enemy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After Vice President J.D. Vance argued in a post that Killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican, questioned, Did he ever wonder what might happen if the accused were immediately executed without trial or representation?? What a despicable and thoughtless sentiment it is to glorify killing someone without a trial, Paul added. Ryan Goodman, a New York University law professor and former Pentagon lawyer, told the Times last month after the first U.S. strike, Its difficult to imagine how any lawyers inside the Pentagon could have arrived at a conclusion that this was legal rather than the very definition of murder under international law rules that the Defense Department has long accepted. Brian Finucane, a former State Department lawyer, told the Times that it is not clear that these drug cartels, in particular the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua, constitute organized armed groups, as required for a noninternational armed conflict. An April U.S. intelligence memo, which was declassified in May, concluded that Tren de Aragua, which has spread to other countries, has a decentralized structure with loosely-organized and small local cells that focus on low-skill criminal activities. The assessment also found that there is no evidence of widespread cooperation between the Maduro regime and Tren de Aragua, and indeed that top Venezuelan officials view the group as a threat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Important threshold issue is the Presidents determination that US has suffered an armed attack as a result of drug smuggling, Finucane posted on Bluesky. Baloney is the technical legal term for that claim. Waxman said the Trump Administrations flagrant flouting of international law sets a dangerous precedent for other nation states to do the same, and undermines the U.S.s geopolitical position. The U.S. has an interest in strengthening, not weakening, the basic rules on the use of military force, Waxman said. By flouting international law or dismissing it through sort of boasting that the Administration doesnt care, the United States is undermining some of its strategic interests, both in the short and the long term. To take this dismissive approach to international law is a real opening for our main competitor, China, to make some diplomatic inroads by painting itself as a reliable partner and painting the United States as the predatory one, Waxman said. The U.S.s decision to join Israel in bombing Iranian nuclear facilities presented that very opportunity to Beijing earlier this year. Escalated campaign on Venezuelan targets The Trump Administration has ramped up its military campaign on Venezuela in recent months. The government has moved thousands of troops, several navy ships and other military craft to the region, which prompted the Venezuelan government to mobilize militia troops in August. Trump has ordered three military strikes on Venezuelan vessels in international waters: the first on Sept. 2 killed 11 people, the second on Sept. 15 killed three, and a third on Sept. 19 killed another three. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement U.S. military officials have also prepared potential plans to target drug traffickers within Venezuela, including the possibility of drone strikes on the countrys mainland which could begin within weeks, officials told NBC last week. The strikes would target cartels leaders, members, and drug labs, the officials said. Well see what happens. Venezuela is sending us their gang members, their drug dealers and drugs. Its not acceptable, Trump said on Sept. 14 when asked if the U.S. would consider strikes on mainland Venezuela. Trump at the time had not yet approved of the plans, officials said last week. The officials told NBC that the Trump Administrations escalating campaign against Venezuela was in part based on the view that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was failing to sufficiently stop the flow of illegal drugs out of Venezuela. Trump in early September denied seeking regime change in Venezuela, but a camp of top aides led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio have reportedly pushed for intensifying U.S. military pressure in order to oust Maduro. Outwardly, the Trump Administrations goal is to stop the inflow of illegal drugs, but a source familiar with the Trump Administrations thinking told NBC in early September that the Administration has a second objective: to pressure Maduro into making a reckless decision that could lead to him being pushed out of office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has long railed against the Venezuelan leader, whose last two electoral victories are not recognized by the U.S. government. The Trump Administration has accused Maduro of being one of the worlds largest drug traffickers and the leader of the so-called Cartel of the Suns, allegations that the Venezuelan government has denied. In August, the Administration doubled the reward to $50 million for information leading to Maduros arrest. In March, Trump imposed penalty tariffs on countries that buy oil from Venezuela on the basis that such purchases aid the Maduro regime which poses an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States. During Trumps first term, the Justice Department in 2020 indicted Maduro on charges of drug trafficking. In response to the Sept. 2 strike, Venezuela has flown F-16 fighter jets over a U.S. Navy ship, which prompted Trump to warn that the U.S. would shoot down Venezuelan jets that put us in a dangerous situation. Maduro and other Venezuelan officials have also repeatedly affirmed that their country is prepared to defend itself and accused the Trump Administration of seeking to provoke a war in the Caribbean, with the goal of regime change in Venezuela. Earlier this week, Maduro signed constitutional decrees to ready the countrys security powers to defend itself in case of an attack. But Maduro also sent a letter to Trump on Sept. 6, days after the first strike, offering to engage in a direct and frank conversation with your special envoy. Maduro also denied in the letter any involvement in narco-trafficking, calling the allegations fake news, propagated through various media channels. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed last week that Trump had received the letter but dismissed it. Frankly, I think there were a lot of lies that were repeated by Maduro in that letter, and the Administrations position on Venezuela has not changed, Leavitt said at a White House press briefing. We view the Maduro regime as illegitimate, and the President has clearly shown that hes willing to use any and all means necessary to stop the illegal trafficking of deadly drugs from the Venezuelan regime into the United States of America. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Administration is treading more carefully, however, after facing an unexpected level of blowback towards the strikes, an official told NBC last week. The White House is reportedly in talks with Venezuela through Middle Eastern mediators, and Maduro has reportedly offered concessions to the U.S. in order to stay in power. Anibal Sanchez Ismayel, a Venezuelan political analyst, told NBC that a U.S. attack within Venezuelas borders could in fact strengthen Maduros regime. An attack on Venezuelan soil would have consequences from diplomatic protests to an increase in political persecutions of those they classify as collaborators, to further uniting the population with the need to defend sovereignty reaffirmed, he said. Geopolitical rifts Tensions resulting from the Trump Administrations war on drugs have rippled beyond Venezuela. Colombian President Gustavo Petro last week called for a criminal investigation into Trump over the U.S. strikes on Venezuelan boats. Criminal proceedings must be opened against those officials, who are from the U.S., even if it includes the highest-ranking official who gave the order: President Trump, Petro said during the annual United Nations General Assembly meeting. Petro said the passengers on the boat were not drug traffickers; they were simply poor young people from Latin America who had no other option. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They said that the missiles in the Caribbean were used to stop drug trafficking. That is a lie stated here in this very rostrum, Petro added. Was it really necessary to bomb unarmed, poor young people in the Caribbean? Petro, who took office in 2022 as Colombias first leftist president, has resumed diplomatic ties with Venezuela and pursued relations with China, the U.S.s biggest geopolitical rival. On Tuesday, the Colombian leader dismissed diplomats from Colombias embassy in Beijing, claiming that they felt ashamed of engaging and sabotaged relations with China. The U.S. on Sept. 26 revoked Petros visa after he joined a pro-Palestinian demonstration in New York and urged American soldiers not to point their guns at people. Disobey the orders of Trump. Obey the orders of humanity. Colombias Ministry of Affairs said in a statement to Reuters that the U.S. was using visa revocations as a diplomatic weapon, adding that the U.N. should find a completely neutral host country. Earlier last month, the U.S. decertified Colombia as a partner in the war on drugs, prompting Petro to argue that the U.S. is meddling in Colombias internal politics, wanting a puppet president. Contact us at letters@time.com. President Trump on Friday gave a new Sunday deadline to Hamas to agree to his peace plan and end the war with Israel. Trump warned it is the last chance to secure a deal, declaring that otherwise, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas. He said in his Truth Social post that Hamas has a 6 p.m. EDT Sunday deadline, which is 1 a.m. Monday in Israel and the Gaza Strip. Trump earlier this week unveiled a 20-point plan for ending the war between Israel and Hamas and rebuilding the Gaza Strip. The first part is a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, with the U.S.-designated terror group prepared to hand over hostages it kidnapped from Israel during its Oct. 7, 2023, attack, including the 20 still alive and the bodies of 28 others. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Egyptian and Qatari officials transmitted the plan to Hamas for review, and the militant group is planning to respond positively, a source familiar with the negotiations told The Times of Israel. But the BBC reported that a Hamas military commander in Gaza has indicated he does not agree to the new plan. Trumps plan calls for Hamas to lay down its arms, leave the Gaza Strip and abdicate any role in a future government in Gaza. If a ceasefire is reached, humanitarian aid is supposed to surge into the strip to alleviate a crushing humanitarian crisis caused by Israels war. Famine has been identified in certain parts of the territory. Trump said even if Hamas does not agree, his plan for reforming and reconstructing Gaza could move forward, with an as-yet-developed International Stabilization Force taking over security in areas determined terror-free by the Israeli military. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Israel is already conducting military operations in Gaza City, and if Hamas refuses the ceasefire, it would allow Israel to push forward on expanding its operations. THERE WILL BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. Thank you for your attention to this matter! Trump posted. Updated at 10:49 a.m. EDT Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. By Asif Shahzad ISLAMABAD (Reuters) -The 20 points that U.S. President Donald Trump announced this week under his plan to end the war in Gaza were not in line with a draft presented to him by a group of Muslim-majority countries, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Friday. The group had proposed a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza during a September 22 meeting with Trump, whereas his plan envisages a partial Israeli pullback to prepare for a release of remaining hostages held by Palestinian Hamas militants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I have made it clear that these 20 points which Trump has made public are ... not the same as ours. I say that some changes have been made in it, in the draft we had," Dar said in remarks to Pakistani lawmakers. PLAN TO END WAR BETWEEN ISRAEL AND HAMAS MILITANTS Trump on Monday published a 20-point blueprint for ending the war between Israel and Hamas under which all hostages, living and dead, would be returned within 72 hours of a ceasefire. It refers to a redeveloped "New Gaza" in future. The plan leaves many details for negotiators to hash out and hinges on acceptance by Hamas, which killed over 1,200 people in its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and took 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's subsequent war in Gaza has killed over 66,000 Palestinians and widely demolished the small enclave, according to Gaza health authorities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had earlier welcomed Trump's plan. Sharif while in transit had given a general response to Trump's broader social media post, Dar said. Trump unveiled his plan a week after meeting leaders of eight Muslim nations - Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia and Pakistan - to discuss the situation in Gaza. The Trump administration wants Arab and Muslim countries to agree to send military forces to Gaza to enable Israel's withdrawal and to secure funding for transition and rebuilding programs, Axios reported. MUSLIM NATIONS PROPOSED FULL ISRAELI WITHDRAWAL Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dar said the eight nations received a commitment from Trump that he would not allow an Israeli annexation of the occupied West Bank, which far-right allies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his governing coalition have called for. A consensus draft prepared by the Muslim countries asked for a "full Israeli withdrawal" and "a path for a just peace on the basis of the two-state solution" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Dar said, reading from a copy of their proposal. The creation of a Palestinian state co-existing with Israel is Pakistani policy, he said. Netanyahu has repeatedly ruled out Palestinian statehood, saying this would endanger Israel. The Trump plan said all military operations would be suspended and battle lines frozen in Gaza until conditions were met for a "complete staged withdrawal" of Israeli forces. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hamas would have to disarm under Trump's plan and on Tuesday he gave the Islamist group three to four days to accept it. The plan envisages a "Board of Peace" of international overseers led by Trump himself and including former British prime minister Tony Blair in an undefined role. Gaza would get a temporary, transitional government consisting of a "technocratic, apolitical" committee made up of Palestinians and international experts. (Reporting by Asif Shahzad; writing by Hritam Mukherjee; editing by YP Rajesh, Kim Coghill and Mark Heinrich) Turning Point USA will stop at the University of Oklahoma in Norman on Oct. 16 as the organization resumes its college campus tour following the shooting death of its co-founder, conservative influencer Charlie Kirk. The cross-country tour, now dubbed the "This is the Turning Point Tour," will feature 18 notable right-wing speakers, including Tucker Carlson, Glenn Beck and Vivek Ramaswamy. The organization, known for its influence among young conservative voters, has not announced who will speak at OU during its stop in the Sooner State. Kirk, 31, was shot and killed on Sept. 10 during a stop at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. Kirk was known for his appearances on college campuses, where he frequently debated critics of his controversial stances on gender, race and immigration policies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heres who is speaking at the event. More: Longtime CareerTech leader will succeed Ryan Walters as Oklahoma's top schools official Gov. Kevin Stitt Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt will be a speaker at the event. On Sept. 10, he ordered all flags in Oklahoma to be lowered to half-staff for four days following President Donald Trump's directive. Later, he appeared on Fox News and delivered a message about coming together. Gov. Kevin Stitt addresses the room during ceremonial bill signing in the Blueroom at the Oklahoma Capitol, Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025. The problem is weve gotten so divided, we cant even have conversations," Stitt said during the appearance on Sept. 21. In his statement to The Oklahoman after Kirks death, he reiterated his call for honest debate over political attacks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "After the most horrific and evil act of political violence our country has seen this century, I think Americans are looking for an off-ramp to de-escalate," Stitt said in the statement. Stitt compared Kirk's death to the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Kirk was a conservative activist, who courted controversy through his views on race, LGBTQ+ rights and women's rights. Charlie Kirk died really for what he believed in," Stitt said. Russell Brand Russell Brand is an English comedian, actor, podcaster and media personality. He has appeared on Big Brother, and held roles in several notable movies including Forgetting Sarah Marshall and voiced Dr. Nefario in the Despicable Me movies. He also hosts his own talk show and has 6.77 million subscribers on YouTube. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In recent years, Brand has pivoted to become more well-known as a commentator and political pundit on YouTube and Rumble, where he's gained millions of subscribers with videos criticizing globalism, mainstream media and vaccines. Comedian and actor Russell Brand attends the fourth day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 18, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Brand pleaded not guilty to charges of rape and sexual assault in a London court in May. According to the Associated Press, prosecutors said the offenses took place between 1999 and 2005. The trial is scheduled for June 2026. Savannah Chrisley Reality TV star Savannah Chrisley is also speaking at the event. She advocated for her parents, Todd and Julie Chrisley, to be pardoned after they were convicted of tax evasion and fraud charges. President Donald Trump pardoned the couple. Savannah Chrisley attends the red carpet for Fox's "Special Forces: World's Toughest Test" at Fox Studio Lot on September 12, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Savannah Chrisley spoke at the Republican National Convention in 2024 and said her parents had faced a "two-faced judicial system" that persecutes "Christians and conservatives that the government has labeled extremists or even worse." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chrisley is mostly known for her appearances in "Chrisley Knows Best," "Special Forces: World's Toughest Test," and "Sharknado: The 4th Awakens." Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, the 27-year-old reality TV star lives in Middle, Tennessee, where in addition to podcasting, she works in real estate. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Turning Point USA OU stop to include Russell Brand, Savannah Chrisley The two suspects, 31 and 32 years old, reportedly smuggled the cigarettes from Dubai, evading taxes estimated at about NIS 20 million. The Israel Police and the Israel Tax Authority have opened an investigation into two individuals suspected of smuggling some 80,000 packs of cigarettes, which were disguised as tissues, into Israel, the Israel Police announced on Wednesday. The two suspects, 31 and 32 years old, reportedly smuggled the cigarettes from Dubai, evading taxes estimated at about NIS 20 million. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The men were apprehended following a prolonged undercover investigation conducted by the Ashdod Customs Unit and the Israel Police. Two suspects arrested after smuggling 80,000 cigarettes disguised as tissues. (credit: Police Spokesperson ) Suspects released under restrictive conditions The suspects own an importing company, and the police were able to intercept the containers after they arrived at Ashdod port. A raid was conducted at the location, and the suspects were arrested, the police added. The two were brought before the Ashkelon Magistrates Court before being released under restrictive conditions. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry announced Oct. 2 that it is severing diplomatic relations with Nicaragua, citing Managua's recognition of Crimea and four partially occupied Ukrainian regions as part of Russia. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine strongly condemns the decision of the Republic of Nicaragua to recognize the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation, and parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson regions of Ukraine as part of the territory of the Russian Federation," the statement read. "In response to such unfriendly acts, Ukraine announces the severance of diplomatic relations with the Republic of Nicaragua," it added." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier this year, Nicaragua signaled support for Russia's claims over the four Ukrainian regions, which remain under partial Russian occupation. Nicaragua has strengthened ties with the Kremlin in recent years. In 2020, it opened an honorary consulate in Simferopol, Crimea, prompting Ukraine's parliament to impose sanctions on the Central American nation. The following year, Nicaraguan officials signed a trade and economic cooperation agreement with Russian-installed authorities in Crimea. Nicaragua is also among the few countries that regularly support Russia at the United Nations, joining Belarus and North Korea in voting against resolutions critical of the Kremlin. Russia's illegal annexation of the four Ukrainian regions came after widely condemned referendums staged during its full-scale invasion. Despite the declarations, Russian forces do not fully control any of the territories. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Ukraine will continue to react as harshly as possible in response to any attempts to encroach on its sovereignty and territorial integrity. We will not tolerate any encroachments on our statehood and will take all necessary measures to protect our independence, security and the inviolability of our borders," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said. As of Oct. 1, Russia occupies approximately 19% of Ukraine's territory, with its territorial gains dropping sharply in the past month. Read also: Whats stopping us? Putin threatens to attack Ukraines nuclear power plants Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. The United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said Friday that Israeli troops dropped grenades close to its personnel and Lebanese soldiers during a mission in a border village at the Lebanese-Israeli border. According to a UNIFIL statement, the incident took place late on Thursday morning as peacekeepers and Lebanese army units were overseeing civilian workers clearing rubble from homes destroyed in the recent conflict in the area of Maroun al Ras. According to the UNIFIL statetment "Around 11:30 am local time, peacekeepers at two sites reported a grenade exploding near an excavator about 500 metres away. Minutes later, one team saw a drone overhead before another explosion went off 30 to 40 metres from their position." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It added that a second group said they then witnessed a drone releasing a grenade that detonated only 20 metres above them. No one was injured, and work continued after the force demanded that the firing stop. UNIFIL stressed that the Israeli army had been informed of the activity in advance. The mission warned that attacks or interference with its operations show disregard for the safety and security of its personnel and the Lebanese army, calling the incident a serious violation of UN Security Council resolution 1701. The Israeli military told dpa it was still checking the report. UNIFIL has been deployed in south Lebanon since 1978 and currently fields about 10,000 personnel from nearly 50 countries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah has been in place since late November, though both sides regularly accuse each other of breaches. Israel continues near-daily operations in Lebanon, accusing Hezbollah of attempting to rebuild its military capabilities in the south. In August, Lebanon's government approved a US-backed plan to disarm Hezbollah in the country. By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) -A U.S. judge dismissed a lawsuit by dozens of Israelis who accused the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees of funneling more than $1 billion that aided Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres in Manhattan said the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) had "absolute immunity" from the lawsuit because it is a subsidiary of the United Nations, which has immunity from such lawsuits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In her decision made public on Wednesday, Torres also rejected an argument that UNRWA was merely a "specialized agency" not entitled to immunity. She cited U.N. lawyers who said subsidiaries such as UNRWA that have considerable autonomy are not "completely independent" because their parent entities can change their structures or close them. Gavriel Mairone, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said on Friday his clients plan to appeal. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini and several current and former agency officials were also defendants. Their lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hamas' attack on Israel killed about 1,200 people. The plaintiffs included more than 100 people who survived the attack or had relatives who were killed. They accused UNRWA of spending more than a decade helping Hamas build "terror infrastructure," including by funneling the $1 billion from a Manhattan bank account. Several countries including the U.S. halted UNRWA funding after Israel alleged that staff members were involved in the attack. The Biden administration said last October the lawsuit should be dismissed because UNRWA deserved immunity. On April 24, the Trump administration reversed that position, and said the defendants "must answer these allegations in American courts." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both administrations said Hamas committed "atrocious" crimes. Established in 1949, UNRWA provides schooling, healthcare and humanitarian aid in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. It is funded almost entirely by U.N. member states. The case is Estate of Kedem et al v United Nations Relief and Works Agency et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 24-04765. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Cynthia Osterman) Venezuela on Thursday said it had detected five US fighter jets flying near its Caribbean coast. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino described the incident as a provocation by the United States that posed a threat to national security. They are combat aircraft. Combat aircraft that US imperialism has dared to approach the Venezuelan coast, Padrino said in comments broadcast on state TV. Later on Thursday, the Venezuelan government issued a statement saying the aircraft had been detected 75 kilometers (about 46 miles) from its coastline, miles away from standard territorial waters which are typically 12 nautical miles from the coast. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Padrino described the planes as US F-35 fighter jets flying at a speed of 400 knots and an altitude of 35,000 feet. He said they were detected by air defense systems in the Maiquetia flight information region, a large expanse of sky that extends northward over the Caribbean Sea encompassing the entire airspace of Venezuela and beyond into international airspace. Padrino said the crew of an international airliner flying in the area also reported to Maiquetia air traffic controllers that it had seen the US aircraft. CNN has reached out to the US Department of Defense for comment and to the Venezuelan Defense Ministry for the exact positions of the flights. The news comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Caracas following the deployment of several US warships in the Caribbean, which the US insists is a mission to combat drug trafficking, but Venezuela believes is aimed at regime change. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Recent US strikes have targeted at least four boats, killing more than a dozen suspected drug traffickers, though the US has not provided concrete evidence that those targeted were criminals. We had never seen this deployment of aircraft, which we know are stationed in Puerto Rico, of the F-35 class, Padrino said. At least five F-35 fighter jets arrived in Puerto Rico in mid-September, according to the US Department of Defense. Two White House officials previously told CNN that the US would send 10 of those planes to the island, where a unit of US Marines has been conducting training exercises for amphibious landings. We are watching you, Padrino warned, And I want you to know that this does not intimidate us. CNNs Jonny Hallam contributed. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com State Attorney General Dave Sunday, in conjunction with Pennsylvania State Police, announced charges against a former corrections officer at SCI Forest for assaulting two fellow officers. Police charged Garrett Smead, 29, of Warren, on Monday with multiple misdemeanor counts, including indecent assault, unlawful restraint, indecent exposure and related offenses. In separate incidents in May, Smead handcuffed and violated recently-hired officers at the prison, according to investigators. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The allegations in this case are unacceptable for anyone, let alone a corrections officer with a sworn duty to secure our prisons and protect our communities, Sunday said in a statement. Anytime an officer is charged with a crime, it negatively impacts the trust that we rightly show to the honorable members of law enforcement. I commend the Pennsylvania State Police for a sound investigation that will ensure the defendant is held accountable for this dehumanizing behavior. According to the investigation, during two incidents on May 21, Smead restrained two officers by handcuffing them, then removed his clothing and sexually assaulted them. In one incident, Smead allegedly wrote Property of G. Smead on the victims body. Both victims were left handcuffed until other officers arrived and freed them. This case is being prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Stephen Sliger of the Criminal Prosecutions Section. Criminal charges, and any discussion thereof, are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Smead is awaiting his preliminary hearing in front of Magisterial District Judge Daniel Miller in Forest County. DENVER (KDVR) October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Colorado State Patrol troopers are honoring their loved ones who have battled the disease. The agency said patrol vehicles will have a pink wrap during October to bring awareness about breast cancer and the importance of early detection. Bra-less run in Denver to benefit Coloradans with breast cancer Around one in eight women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their life, according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. However, advances in early detection and treatment of the disease in recent years have significantly increased breast cancer survival rates, with over 4 million survivors currently in the nation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A pink ribbon has also become a symbol of breast cancer, not only bringing awareness but also showing support for those battling the disease, said the foundation on its website. Colorado State Patrol is raising awareness about breast cancer and importance of early detection during October, (Credit: Colorado State Patrol) Colorado State Patrol is raising awareness about breast cancer and importance of early detection during October, (Credit: Colorado State Patrol) CSP said the wrap will commemorate 58 loved ones who battled breast cancer, which had been provided by its members. Free on Your TV New FOX31+ App for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV Nineteen of the names are in memory of a loved one, and 39 celebrate the survivors, said CSP in a post to X on Wednesday. Troopers will ride with their loved ones names and can be seen across the state, said CSP. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver. Chad Butterfield is in a rebuilding phase, working to mend his relationships, his career and his faith in the future. The Holladay, Utah, man is also, at age 40, fighting a battle, trying to resist an expensive, all-consuming craving for something he thought was going to help him give up his unhealthy addiction to alcohol. Instead, he got hooked on something else. Chad Butterfield pets his dogs Rowan and Bella at his home in Holladay on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. Butterfield was addicted to the herbal supplement kratom, but has been sober from alcohol for two years and kratom for six months. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News Tiffanie Browns on another battlefield, facing the same foe. She was suffering from migraines and ulcers when someone recommended a safe, natural product that would help. Like Butterfield, the 41-year-old West Valley City mom became addicted to kratom, an herbal supplement that has been called gas station heroin because over time sometimes not much time it can create something that very much resembles an opioid addiction, acting on the same receptors in the brain. And its widely available. She bought a packet of little chewable tablets and it worked amazingly. It got rid of my headaches. She said her stomach felt better. I just faithfully was taking it every day because it made me feel good. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Health experts say, however, that perhaps as many as 1 in 8 people who begin taking kratom will end up dependent on it, similar to the share who drink alcohol and become addicted. Brown and Butterfield find themselves in kratoms unhappy group. Mental health providers, addiction specialists, in some cases lawmakers and particularly those trying to come off kratom warn that although kratom-containing products are readily available in service stations, convenience stores, smoke shops and plenty of other locations, they can be dangerous. Its hard to predict who will or wont have their life derailed. Tiffanie Brown relaxes on the couch at her home in West Valley City on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. Brown started using kratom, a natural herb, for her migraines, not knowing it was addictive. She became addicted to kratom and spent the last few months trying to stop using the supplement while going through painful withdrawals. She has been completely off kratom for a few weeks and has been outspoken on risks associated with its addictive qualities. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News Said Brown, who readily admits shes embarrassed she got addicted, Its just not worth the risk. It totally destroyed me. I didnt even know it existed. And I knew nothing about addiction. Butterfields older brother Brian had recommended kratom because he was using it for his own addiction and believed it would help his brother; they both became addicted. Butterfield watched the brother he loved go from working on his life and having a good job to spiraling. Eventually, Brian took his own life. Butterfield believes his inability to conquer that addiction contributed to Brians death. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dr. Spencer Hansen, an Intermountain Health addiction psychiatrist, said when people go through withdrawal, suicidal thoughts may come out of the blue and people dont know where to get help. He said recognizing that as a withdrawal side effect helps. But knowing that doesnt ease Butterfields pain. People say anything could be dangerous, like if you drink too much water, it could wipe out your electrolytes. Well, this is designed to hit the same receptors in the brain as OxyContin and Percocet. I dont know why the government is dancing around it, Butterfield said. Chad Butterfield poses for a portrait at his home in Holladay on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. Butterfield was addicted to the supplement kratom, which he took to conquer an alcohol addiction. He has not used alcohol for two years and kratom for six months. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News He and his dad feel strongly enough about the risks that theyve talked to Utah legislators about it a number of times. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His personal wreckage includes losing a great construction job and the tremendous stress the addiction places on his marriage. He estimated he probably spent $20K a year on kratom and tried stopping multiple times. I could not get away from it. It made me this crazy liar whatever it took to get it. Hes trying to put things back together and make amends. Kratom can destroy lives, he said baldly. Dont even try it. A tree, a leaf and, for some, a risky choice Kratom is Mitragyna speciosa, a tropical tree growing in Southeast Asia. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says its leaves are in products sold online and in retail shops, from teas to energy drinks to gummies, powders and more. Although making medical claims about supplements is not legal, manufacturers, retailers and users often hint that kratom is a do-it-yourself remedy for everything from pain, cough and depression to diarrhea, addictions and more. Kratom is not approved by the FDA for any medical use. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lots of people are drawn to kratom products. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administrations National Survey on Drug Use and Health estimated that 1.7 million Americans 12 and older used kratom in 2021. The number is believed to be growing. Kratom has two main biologically active components, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine. The latter is usually called 7-OH for the sake of ease. 7-OH is the stronger component and its synthetic version is especially addictive, so its the subject of some states bans and others attempts at regulation. Chris McCurdy, a professor of medicinal chemistry, told Axios that kratom leaf products are a light beer as far as potency. 7-OH is more like Everclear, a grain spirit banned in Utah, with alcohol content by volume as high as 95%. Dr. Elizabeth Howell, an addiction psychiatrist at Huntsman Mental Health, says the synthetic 7-OH form is 10 to 12 times stronger than morphine and thats where most people find themselves in trouble. She said kratom has both stimulant and sedative effects, similar to nicotine, depending on the dose. In small amounts, it provides some energy. At higher doses, it has a sedative effect. Sometimes consumers think they are purchasing low-potency kratom and end up with high-potency instead, according to the California Society of Addiction Medicine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its possible to overdose on kratom, though overdoses typically involve 7-OH along with something else. If you look up side effects of kratom online, you sometimes find it linked to seizures, decreased sex drive and organ failure. The Texas Department of State Health Services just three weeks ago warned people not to use products containing 7-OH, which can create nasty symptoms like nausea and vomiting, agitation, confusion, sweating, fast pulse, hypertension, breathing problems, sleepiness, unconsciousness, seizures and depressed breathing. Online forums are full of stories of people who became addicted to something they thought was going to help them and shared advice on getting well. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stories like this one, posted on the North Dakota legislative page: I fell victim to Kratom 8 years ago. It was described to me as a safe and healthy alternative to alcohol. It was marketed as a supplement, similar to a vitamin that would give you energy and focus. I was not told I would become dependent. I was not told it was a legal opioid (which I had never used in my life). It destroyed my life, my skin, my drive, my desire to do my favorite hobbies and almost destroyed my marriage. It gave me nose bleeds, high blood pressure, heart palpitations, panic attacks, severe depression and uncontrollable vomiting. When I would go a few hours without drinking it, the piercing stomach pains and body aches deterred me from staying off. After a few years my personality began to fade, I became a shell of a person, and all I could think about was having my next dose of kratom. Tiffanie Brown poses at her home in West Valley City as her son Brennan Brown, 14, sits in the background on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. She started using kratom, a natural herb, because she has migraines, not knowing it can be addictive. She spent the last few months trying to stop using it while going through painful withdrawals. She has been completely off kratom for a few weeks and is outspoken on risks associated with its addictive qualities. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News In late July, the FDA announced plans to protect Americans from dangerous, illegal opioids by asking Congress to schedule some 7-OH products under the Controlled Substances Act. The FDA calls 7-OH the most addictive component of the kratom leaf. Right now, its not scheduled and it may not become scheduled. The DEA listed it as a drug and chemical of concern in 2016 and said it would put it in Schedule 1 alongside drugs like heroin. The effort died after public and congressional pushback. Some states ban kratom, including Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin. Others regulate it, including Utah, Nevada, Arizona and Georgia. They each have their own rules, which could include age restrictions, labeling requirements or bans of adulterated or synthetic kratom products. Some limit potency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many other states have left kratom alone. Its an issue internationally, too. Australia and several EU nations ban it entirely, while some countries treat it as a controlled substance or require a prescription. Some focus solely on 7-OH. Many dont indicate kratoms on their radar. How Utah regulates kratom A photo of Tiffanie Browns son Brennan Brown, 14, right, taken when he was 3 years old, is displayed at their home in West Valley City on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. Tiffanie Brown started using kratom, a natural herb, to treat her migraines. She became addicted to kratom and spent the last few months trying to stop using the drug while going through painful withdrawals. At one point, Brennan Brown had to call an ambulance because withdrawals made her so sick. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News Utah passed the Kratom Consumer Protection Act in 2019, effective that May. Its codified under the Utah Agricultural Code Chapter 45 and that department is in charge of implementation and enforcement. Retailers and manufacturers must register with the department and products containing kratom sold in Utah must be registered, too, quantifying mitragynine and 7-OH. They cannot contain synthetic versions of either alkaloid. 7-OH is capped at 2% (exceeding that is a Class C misdemeanor). In August, KUER reported that some retailers in the Beehive State still sell the synthesized and concentrated 7-OH. The drug thats been called legal morphine has been found in high levels even in states with tough regulation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The law requires that purchasers be 18 or older. Many forms from powders to liquids and pills to tea bags are acceptable. Any combustible or vapor-friendly version is not. Nor can they mimic candy or be intended to mix into other foods. There are penalties for not complying with labeling or registration rules. According to the Utah agriculture departments September kratom newsletter, there are about 396 kratom products registered in the state, with another 56 pending. The Grow Kratom website warns, DO NOT use our products if you are subject to any form of drug testing. The Utah attorney general declined through a spokesperson to talk about kratom or whether there are other plans to regulate it. A brutal withdrawal Chad Butterfield poses for a portrait at his home in Holladay on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. Butterfield was addicted to the herbal supplement kratom, which he took to help get off alcohol. He has been sober from alcohol for two years and hasn't used kratom for six months. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News Deseret News met Brown and Butterfield through Hansen, who is treating them. The addiction psychiatrist is convinced the public needs to know kratom is dangerous because it can lead to a painful, life-altering addiction, but also that its treatable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brown, whod never been addicted to alcohol or drugs, had decided she needed to stop taking kratom. That hasnt been as simple as not buying more. Id never dealt with withdrawals before, so I didnt know what was going on, but I was deathly ill. Sweating. Burning up. My nose was running. The clerks at the smoke shop where she bought kratom said she was in withdrawal, which made no sense to her because she didnt crave it. As a group they decided if she took a little kratom and felt better, that would prove it was withdrawal. One pill and the misery left. I thought, this is something Im going to have to try to get off of, she said. The journey has been fraught, relapses a big part of her story. She experienced severe withdrawals that only more kratom could calm. On several occasions shes gone to the emergency room because the withdrawal was so terrible. They gave her Suboxone to help a treatment often used to help people get off heroin and opioids. When that ran out, she gave in and took kratom so she could function and go to work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its just been a really crappy cycle. Ive been off (kratom pills) for a few weeks now, but it still really messes me up. I still feel out of whack. The fact I couldnt get off them made me very depressed. I missed work, though I didnt lose my job. Its just been horrible. So bad. Nor is kratom inexpensive, especially if one is addicted. Brown was spending $50 every two or three days, but the longer she used, the more she needed. Butterfield said he was eventually spending $60 to $100 a day. He borrowed on his mortgage, lied to his wife and was totally in the drugs throes. Its a source of sorrow and shame. Tiffanie Brown pets her cat Yin as her son Brennan Brown, 14, back right, plays a video game at their home in West Valley City on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News Hansen said hes had a lot of people walk into his clinic, desperate for help to leave kratom behind them. He raised the issue with Deseret News because its very difficult to come off. And when you do stop it, if youre dependent on it, its very similar to heroin withdrawal, so its no small thing and people have been getting really discouraged because they dont know where to turn and they dont know who to talk to about it. He called it important to know treatment works. And tragic to know something so readily available can create that need and so much misery. Kratom discussions are raging Dr. Michael Moss, medical toxicologist and medical director of the Utah Poison Control Center, said kratom is a hot topic with legislatures, patients and the public discussing it more and more. He doesnt have a number for whether kratom cases are going up, but conversations about it certainly are, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Poison Control Center has seen cases increase two- to threefold in the past four years, Moss said. Withdrawal is a big issue and a lot of health care providers are not familiar with kratom or its challenges. It is an opioid and it does produce dependence and withdrawal, just like heroin or OxyContin or fentanyl. Addiction specialists have seen people accidentally take too much and some who tried to use kratom to end their lives. Asked who becomes addicted, Moss answered, those who use the products regularly. He describes people hes known who used it to treat pain after losing insurance or having a doctor cut off access to prescription opioids. Why not? Its billed as natural and safe. Kratom is an opioid that lives in this weird regulatory state, he said. Some people are fine, others have quite a bit of tolerance, especially those with chronic pain who had already been on opioids and switched to kratom with an existing tolerance that has not gone away. It is clearly the ones taking more and more to conquer pain he hears about. Its not popular to go and get high on. Its not a heavy hitter like Oxy or Dilaudid, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He hears mostly about users trying to overcome an addiction, like Butterfield. Or treating pain, like Brown. Moss said the withdrawals are not typically life-threatening, but can be absolutely miserable. Hansen and Howell both said kratoms not an easy thing to get off if you start using it regularly. Hansen likens it to alcohol addiction in that some people can have a drink and walk away. Some can have kratom and walk away. But once some find what kratom can do for them, it quickly overwhelms their capacity to regulate their intake and becomes a problem. Hansens also concerned that the brains of people who struggle with addiction work somewhat differently and they understand substances differently, which makes it hard to use the substance in a helpful or healthy way. Kratom can become another of those substances quickly that overwhelms them and makes it so they lose control over their capacity to control how much they take, he said. Those are the people Im seeing. Or people going through a really hard time and then finding this product that, if they take a lot, will relax them. Its not everyone who tries kratom, he was careful to emphasize. But its not just people with addictions who fall prey to kratoms worst effects. Brown wasnt an addict, he said, and she didnt find kratom until middle age, but it satisfied an important need for her at that time and it quickly became out of control. I think anyone that uses kratom has to understand the risk that it can be very addictive and it can be, at that point, dangerous to stop on your own if you dont know whats about to come with the withdrawal effects. Getting off kratom is similar to coming off pain pills, heroin or fentanyl. Its an opioid withdrawal syndrome, Hansen said. The American Society of Addiction Medicine recommends symptomatic treatment for people, similar to how you would treat opioid withdrawal: some prescription medications, over-the-counter meds or Suboxone. Hansen knows people who spend $100 to $200 a day on kratom. If the government finally bans kratom, where are all these people going to go, he wonders. That happened with prescription opioids; people turned to heroin. They were ashamed or embarrassed and didnt turn to their doctors. Often, it was the doctors who put them in this place. Theres a lot of resentment there. Doctors arent addicting them to kratom, but many still dont want to talk about their dependence. He said Suboxone as a substitute to aid withdrawal is not forever. As soon as they feel strong enough, mentally and physically, spiritually, in their relationships, then we can start a taper plan off Suboxone as well, but at any point along the journey, they can go back on Suboxone, rather than have to go back to kratom. This week, Brown said she is managing now without Suboxones help. There are other tools, too. For instance, kratomquitters.com has three daily meetings, akin to Alcoholics Anonymous, online. Moss predicts Utah lawmakers will do something more with kratom soon, whether its better warnings, education or deciding to regulate it more. Anyone with questions about whether theyve had too much, he added, can call the Poison Control Center at 800-222-1222. EDMOND Could a simple blue envelope save a life? Possibly, if it keeps miscommunication from becoming confrontation during a police traffic stop. It could calm nerves, for sure. Law enforcement agencies in the OKC area, along with the Autism Foundation of Oklahoma, launched the Blue Envelope Program "to make interactions between police and residents safer and calmer for people who experience communication challenges," said Edmond Police Chief J.D. Younger. The program, promoted by the Metro Law Enforcement Leaders Network, "provides a simple but powerful tool: a blue envelope that people can hand to first responders," Younger said. "The envelope explains the persons condition and affirms their intent to cooperate, helping officers understand how best to communicate with residents." Oklahoma autism advocate: Blue Envelope Program helps bridge communication gaps An example of the Blue Envelopes OKC-area police departments are distributing to people who have communications challenges to hand to officers during traffic stops. Messages on the envelopes are printed in English only. The intent is to give drivers a way to communicate, to an officer, their inability to communicate and that could mean inability to speak and understand English. With assistance checking boxes, any driver can use the envelopes, Younger said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Younger, Oklahoma City Police Chief Ron Bacy, Oklahoma County Sheriff Tommie Johnson III, and chiefs from Choctaw, Midwest City, Moore, Norman, and The Village announced the program Thursday, Oct. 2, at the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Forensic Science Lab in Edmond. Drivers should put a copy of their drivers license, registration and insurance in the envelope, Younger said. Being stopped by police can be stressful for anyone, but it can be especially overwhelming for people with autism or other neurodevelopmental conditions, said Emily Scott, executive director of the Autism Foundation of Oklahoma. The Blue Envelope Program helps bridge communication gaps by giving officers key information they need for safer, more supportive interactions. Why did OKC-area law enforcement agencies start the Blue Envelope Program? Left to right, front: Oklahoma City Police Chief Ron Bacy, Carley Dummitt, engagement manager for the Autism Foundation of Oklahoma, Edmond Police Chief J.D. Younger, and Oklahoma County Sheriff Tommie Johnson III, with other county law enforcement officers, at the launch of the Blue Envelope Program by the Metro Law Enforcement Leaders Network Thursday, Oct. 2, at the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Forensic Science Center in Edmond. "Why would we do this? In the U.S., there are about 20 million traffic stops a year," Younger said. "It's one of the highest-profile ways a citizen may come in contact with a law enforcement official. And because of that we want to make sure we're doing our best to make sure those contacts are productive and safe. ... Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It's an immediate indication to the officer that's making the traffic stop that there's a communication challenge. It could be someone with special needs. It could be someone that's deaf. It could be someone that has a neurological issue. There's a range of things. It could be a vocabulary issue. "This allows the officer to adjust the way they're communicating because they know the intent of the driver is to communicate with us." The point is to "overcome any barrier that may exist on a traffic stop and reach the safest outcome possible," Bacy said. The sheriff said the Blue Envelope Program is just one tool to use in the larger effort of enhancing public safety. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The sentiment behind it, the movement behind it, is so appropriate because we're trying to find ways to partner with our community, to help people in every space that they're in," Johnson said. Who could benefit from the Blue Envelope Program? Oklahoma Police Chief Ron Bacy and Oklahoma County Sheriff Tommie Johnson III chat at the launch of the Blue Envelope Program by the Metro Law Enforcement Leaders Network Thursday, Oct. 2, at the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Forensic Science Center in Edmond. The envelopes could be beneficial for people who: Are deaf or hard of hearing. Have difficulty speaking clearly. Are learning English. Live with autism, ADHD or other neurodevelopmental conditions. Experience anxiety, PTSD or other mental health conditions. Have dementia, cognitive or neurological impairments. Experience involuntary movements, such as those associated with Tourette syndrome. Are blind or have low vision. Have medical-related speech difficulties. Tips for drivers in the participating in the Blue Envelope Program A sign showing instructions and tips for the Blue Envelope Program, launched by the Metro Law Enforcement Leaders Network Thursday, Oct. 2, at the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Forensic Science Center in Edmond. The envelope includes reminders for drivers, such as: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stop in a safe location. Stay in the car until told otherwise. Keep your hands on the steering wheel. Tell the officer you have a blue envelope and follow instructions. Blue Envelopes are available at any participating police department or precinct and the Oklahoma Autism Foundation, 6608 N Western Ave, No. 428. Staff writer Richard Mize covers Oklahoma County government and the city of Edmond. He previously covered housing, commercial real estate and related topics for the newspaper and Oklahoman.com, starting in 1999. Contact him at rmize@oklahoman.com. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Police bring Blue Envelope Program to OKC, suburbs for traffic stops Islamabad, Pakistan An uneasy calm hangs over Pakistan-administered Kashmir as the region marked the fourth day of a complete shutdown on Thursday, with at least nine people killed including three police officers during violent clashes between protesters and security forces. Dozens more have been injured on both sides as the standoff continues. The federal government has dispatched a negotiating committee that arrived on Thursday in Muzaffarabad, the territorys capital, to hold crucial talks with the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), an umbrella organisation representing traders and civil society groups that has emerged as the voice of grassroots discontent across the region. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Led by activist Shaukat Nawaz Mir, the JAAC-organised lockdown commenced on September 29 and has brought several districts of Pakistan-administered Kashmir locally known as Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) to a grinding halt. The government, on its part, has meanwhile imposed a complete communications blackout, with residents cut off from mobile telecommunications and internet access since September 28. In Muzaffarabad, the usually bustling markets have remained shuttered, while street vendors and public transport have vanished from the roads. The paralysis has left the regions roughly four million residents in a state of uncertainty. The government said in a statement that authorities were working to restore order and urged the public not to be swayed by what officials described as propaganda and fake news circulating on social media as part of a specific agenda. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This JAAC-led protest the third such major mobilisation in the past two years erupted after the government failed to agree to the committees 38-point demands, according to the groups leaders. The current crisis marks the latest escalation in a two-year confrontation between Pakistan-administered Kashmirs local government and a grassroots movement that has shown its street power on several occasions. What caused the protests? The Kashmir valley is a picturesque yet deeply contentious Himalayan region over which Pakistan and India have fought multiple wars since both nations gained independence from British colonial rule in 1947. Both control parts of it, with China also administering two slivers of the regions north. The region is claimed in its entirety by India, while Pakistan claims all of Kashmir except the parts held by China, its ally. With a population exceeding four million, according to the 2017 census, Pakistan-administered Kashmir operates under a semi-autonomous system with its own prime minister and legislative assembly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The current unrest has roots in May 2023, when residents first took to the streets to protest against what they said were skyrocketing electricity bills. Simultaneously, complaints emerged about widespread flour smuggling and acute shortages in subsidised wheat supplies. By August 2023, these disparate grievances had coalesced into organised resistance. In September that year, hundreds of activists gathered in Muzaffarabad to formally establish the JAAC, bringing together representatives from all districts of the region. The movement reached its first major flashpoint in May 2024, when protesters launched a long march towards Muzaffarabad. Violent clashes ensued, resulting in the deaths of at least five people, including a police officer. The violent protests were suspended only after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif agreed to key demands to slash flour prices and reduce electricity tariffs, with the government allocating billions of rupees in subsidies to make flour affordable and support electricity price reductions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, the peace proved short-lived. In August of this year, the JAAC announced it would launch another lockdown, this time broadening its critique beyond economic grievances. Commuters ride past burning logs along a street blocked by protesters during a demonstration demanding structural reforms and political and economic rights, in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, on October 1, 2025 [Farooq Naeem/AFP] Why are protesters dissatisfied, and what are their demands? The latest charter of demands presented by the JAAC consists of 38 distinct points. The demands range from providing free education and healthcare facilities and launching major infrastructure projects to changing the structure of the provincial legislature. But topping the list is the abolition of what the JAAC characterises as ruling elite privileges, a demand that has featured prominently in previous sets of grievances as well. The JAAC maintains that following the May 2024 protests, the government acknowledged that a judicial commission would be formed to review privileges granted to high government officials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some of the perks provided to senior government officials, such as ministers, include two government-provided vehicles, personal staff including bodyguards, as well as unlimited fuel for vehicles they use for government work. A second key demand, incorporated into the JAACs list for the first time, involves ending the system of 12 reserved seats for refugees in the autonomous regions legislative assembly. According to the JAAC, refugees and their descendants, who migrated from Indian-administered Kashmir after the 1947 partition, now constitute a powerful political bloc that has monopolised development funds. The charter also demands the withdrawal of legal cases filed against activists during the protests that erupted in 2023 and 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Demands also include tax exemptions and improved employment opportunities, among others. Infrastructure development features prominently in the JAACs vision. The committee has demanded new projects, including tunnels and bridges connecting the mountainous region with the rest of Pakistan, apart from an international airport. Muzaffarabad currently has an airport that has remained nonoperational for years. However, in April of this year, Prime Minister Sharif formed a committee to work on reviving the project. He also issued instructions to examine the feasibility of the development of another airport in Mirpur, the second-largest city in the region. How is the government responding? The local administration has implemented a communications blackout and has ordered educational institutions shut indefinitely. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More controversially, it has called for paramilitary forces as well as additional police contingents from the rest of Pakistan. Pakistans federal government says nine people have been killed in clashes, but senior local government officials have said the death toll stands at 15. The JAAC has objected to the deployment of paramilitary forces. Mir, the JAAC leader, told reporters earlier this week that with local police already present, there was no need to order paramilitary from mainland Pakistan. Abdul Majid Khan, the finance minister of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, acknowledged that while there had already been a first round of negotiations, a new committee had now arrived in Muzaffarabad specifically tasked with addressing the protesters grievances. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Initially, when they launched their protest last year, it was all about electricity and flour price, and we agreed on those. But they also must understand that things cannot happen overnight, and they take time, Khan said, defending the government. However, Khan acknowledged that while the government has agreed to most of the JAACs 38 points, negotiations have reached a deadlock on two particularly contentious issues the elimination of the 12 reserved seats for refugees and what the JAAC calls ending ruling elite perks. Shaukat Nawaz Mir, a leader of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), shows bullets allegedly fired by police during a demonstration in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, on October 1, 2025 [Farooq Naeem/AFP] The minister challenged the logic behind eliminating seats reserved for refugees, pointing to what they lost at the time of the subcontinents partition. These are the people whose families migrated from India, where they were landowners and businesspeople, but moved to Pakistan in abject poverty, having left their wealth behind, but JAAC thinks it is unjust to give them a quota of seats. If we dont give these people the rights, then why did they even go through the trouble of moving here? Khan argued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The minister himself belongs to the estimated 2.7 million people in the region whose families migrated from India-administered Kashmir. Khan also questioned the logic of renewed protests, given that the JAACs previous demands had largely been met. He said that for many of the current issues, local authorities must seek funding from the federal government in Islamabad. There is barely any taxation on the people here, with already reduced electricity tariffs. Additionally, we have less than 5,000 tax filers in the entire region, which shows little revenue generation for the government, he said. What happens next? Thursdays negotiations between government representatives and JAAC members concluded without any resolution, with the next round of talks expected on Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both sides publicly profess their commitment to dialogue, but distrust runs deep after repeated cycles of promises and disappointments. Despite the JAACs persistent protests, the government maintains it has met most demands and that constitutional and electoral reforms require legislative processes that cannot happen overnight. Khan indicated that once there is meaningful progress in negotiations, the government will move quickly to restore internet and mobile services, which he said had to be curtailed due to the situation on the ground. With the negotiation team being present in Muzaffarabad, I am sure there will be a solution to this deadlock, and things will return to normalcy soon, Khan said. When I saw that two wildlife investigators were speaking at CrimeCon, an annual true crime convention held last month in Denver, my curiosity was piqued. Ive profiled a number of people who work in different areas of true crime, but Id never considered this branch of law enforcement. These federal and state agencies focus on protecting endangered species by bringing poachers and animal traffickers to justice. In the end, your job is to save species, and that's a pretty cool mission, Ed Newcomer, a retired special agent for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, told me at CrimeCon. He now hosts the true crime podcast Natures Secret Service , in which he interviews investigators of wildlife crimes. Tobias Nowlan / Getty Images A critically endangered wild Javan rhino makes its way to a forest in Java, Indonesia. Related: "Democrats Tried To Do This For Teachers And Republicans Lost Their Mind": Politics Has Gone Bananas, So Here Are 33 Of The Most Brutal Tweets Of The Week While agents like Newcomer do not specifically investigate animal abuse, it is often the tragic result when animals are trafficked or killed in the hugely profitable illegal trade. According to Interpol , it is one of the most lucrative criminal activities in the world, with illegal wildlife products worth up to $20 billion a year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You do see cruel treatment of animals, because in the wildlife trafficking world, they're treated like a commodity, not an animal, Newcomer, an animal lover himself, told me. Traffickers don't love animals, he said. When you arrest a wildlife trafficker, inevitably they get in front of a judge and they say, I'm just an animal lover. I got a little carried away. I'm trying to do this for the benefit of the animals. No, they're in it for money, and they're no different than a cocaine dealer. Newcomer shared some pretty grim statistics about animal trafficking. For example, only about 50% of endangered parrots trafficked from Mexico survive due to how cruelly they are treated in transit, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They're normally stuffed in secret compartments, and their mouths are taped shut so they can't squawk, so you're going to have a high mortality rate, Newcomer said. And traffickers who illegally sell rhino horns , elephant ivory or pangolin scales are killing the animal to get the product, he said. Ed Newcomer Ed Newcomer crouches beside an elephant tusk during a crime scene training course conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2016 for the Malawi Police. Related: 7 Bone-Chilling True Crime Cases That Would Make Me Pause My Life For A Weekend Binge Few people familiar with crime scene investigations imagine animals as the victim, but Newcomer has traveled the world to investigate the sites of illegal animal killings. Onstage at CrimeCon, he shared a heartbreaking story about a case he worked in Vietnam. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2010, he was asked to assist in a follow-up death investigation of the last Javan rhino known to be in existence in Vietnam after officials had previously determined that the animal died from natural causes. Newcomers team used sniffer dogs, a bullet wound and clues derived from damage to the surrounding terrain to prove that the rhino had been shot and died while trying to escape. Its horn had been removed. It was a sobering experience, Newcomer said, to be a witness to what was likely the global extinction of the Vietnamese subspecies . When asked how he copes with such disturbing crimes, Newcomer said that like any other law enforcement officer, hes learned to turn off the traumatic aspects and focus on the positive. You know that you're trying to do something bigger, he added. You're going to catch this person in the end, and they're going to be held accountable. So you kind of desensitize yourself to the cruelty side of it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During his 20-year career with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Newcomer also worked undercover an important role in wildlife trafficking, he said, because the bad guys are very sophisticated, so it takes a lot to catch them. Its a great way to build evidence against people, because sometimes there is a legal wildlife trade, said Newcomer, who is a licensed attorney and worked as a public prosecutor before pivoting to law enforcement in 2002. There's permits required and import/export licenses. That makes investigations extra complicated, because you have to be able to show not only is this illegal, but they knew it was illegal. And they intentionally laundered it, or circumvented the permitting process, which makes things very difficult. Bruce Bennett / Getty Images An alligator roams in the Wakodahatchee Wetlands on January 12, 2025, in Delray Beach, Florida. Related: "This Is Not The Desk Of Someone Who Actually Does Work": 49 Political Tweets From The Last Month That Are Too Good Not To Share This is one of the reasons Jeff Babauta, a retired Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officer who also spoke at CrimeCon, worked undercover as an alligator farmer. Alligator farming in Florida requires a license and a limited number of permits are granted, so he had the tricky assignment of identifying illegal farmers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During a yearslong sting operation, aimed at preventing alligators from returning to Floridas endangered species list, Babauta raised more than 10,000 alligators. Not one of these stayed in the state of Florida, Babauta told me. They were all shipped out. So if this trend continued, I was afraid that we were going to go back and put the alligator back on the endangered species list after decades of being on a special concern status, he said. I dedicated my career to protecting our resources, and that's why I took the challenge, Babauta said. Again, alligator farming is not illegal in Florida, but the high demand mostly by the fashion industry, who uses the animals hides in luxury apparel and handbags, shoes, luggage and belts attracts bad actors who bypass regulations and threaten the species. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There's this demand cycle that you have to break, and part of it is breaking the criminal enterprises that are involved, making it more difficult for them to do business, Newcomer said. Part of it is deterring people by putting them in jail and taking their money. And the third is to educate people, because a lot of people don't know [the laws]. For example, Newcomer said, a lot of Americans go on vacation in Mexico, see a sea turtle shell for sale, and they buy it because they think it's cool. Well, sea turtles are endangered, and you can't import them into the United States, and suddenly they're crossing the border with a sea turtles shell. California Department of Fish and Wildlife Wildlife officers discovered two illegal taxidermized mountain lions and an illegal taxidermized wolverine in a Napa resident's "trophy room." One California couple knew it was illegal when they told two fellow airline passengers that they were carrying the skull of an endangered sea turtle in their luggage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Unbeknownst to the couple, they had struck up a conversation with two officers from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, who were flying back from a training in San Diego and dressed in plain clothes, according to a press release from the CDFW . The couple identified as Byron Fitzpatrick and Shannon Price also discussed their unlawful take of a mountain lion, a specially protected species in California. Fitzpatrick and Price then revealed that a close family member, Harry Vern Fitzpatrick, owned multiple taxidermized mountain lions, a wolverine and wolves and showed the officers a video of the trophy room where he displayed them. Authorities searched their homes and found other evidence of poaching crimes, the CDFW said. All three accepted plea agreements and were fined and sentenced to probation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To solve wildlife crimes, Newcomer said investigators have to ask a number of questions: What are the drivers for the wildlife trade, who's demanding these things, who wants them, who's buying them, who's the seller, who's the supplier, who's the poacher. In his podcast, which just launched its second season, Newcomers guests share fascinating stories about their roles in conservation enforcement. His hope is that listeners can also learn how they can help prevent poaching and wildlife trafficking. You have to educate people, he said. Don't buy this stuff, because you're contributing to the demise of species around the world. Related: "Trends That Can Lead To The Alt-Right Pipeline": This Woman Is Calling Out Ways The Far Right Targets Women And Girls Hoang Dinh Nam / Getty Images A critically endangered species of rhino has been poached to extinction in Vietnam, wildlife groups said after the country's last Javan rhino was found dead with its horn hacked off. Also in In the News: "This Is So Weird": People Cannot Believe What This MAGA Influencer Said To A Young Girl Asking About Her Future Also in In the News: A Pregnant Alabama Woman Says She And Her Trump-Supporting Husband Were "Blindsided" When ICE Detained Him Also in In the News: 13 Regretful Trump Supporters Who Got EXACTLY What They Voted For But Are Somehow Shocked And Upset Read it on BuzzFeed.com Whether at airfields, on ships, in hangars or in the air, at any point in time there are 84 million components or more on the U.S. military's fleet of Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopters, not including any number more in other countries. For Justin Wolfanger the only number that counts is one - the part that could be at risk of failure during flight. His Triumph Group is among an army of suppliers trusted by Stratford-based Sikorsky to bring those odds as close to zero as humanly possible. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With some 700 employees in West Hartford and Windsor, Triumph is among Sikorsky's largest Connecticut-based suppliers. At a Connecticut Business & Industry Association manufacturing conference on Thursday, Wolfanger said Sikorsky relies in turn on far smaller companies to produce some of those 40,000-plus parts that go onto every helicopter. With more than 2,100 Black Hawks in Army use today - Sikorsky has produced more than 5,000 in its history - it is a staggering amount of upkeep for those helicopters. And with the constant need for fresh parts or systems as Sikorsky modernizes helicopters under a new Department of Defense contract, that is creating ample work for "Team Black Hawk" as the company dubs its suppliers according to Audrey Brady, vice president of operations for Sikorsky. "If one part [fails] it means that aircraft won't fly," Wolfanger said. "And that one part could come from a machine shop that's family-owned in Wisconsin ... [or] Connecticut." As Sikorsky reveled this week in a $10 billion-plus contract to build more heavy cargo and troop carrier helicopters for the U.S. Marine Corps and another to upgrade existing Black Hawks, it is finalizing details on a contract to build nearly 100 new Black Hawks over four years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The Black Hawk is going to be around for a very, very long time," Brady said Thursday during the CBIA conference in Southington. "The Black Hawk of today will not be the Black Hawk of tomorrow." It takes people to manufacture those parts, or assemble them into the systems and aircraft that make up the Black Hawk today. Brian Montanari, CEO of Habco Industries in Glastonbury, noted the hiring needs for smaller suppliers - which in Connecticut might be competing head-to-head with Sikorsky itself for young workers; RTX and subsidiaries Pratt & Whitney and Collins Aerospace; or other better-known employers. As of September, Sikorsky had more than 7,000 employees in Stratford, Bridgeport, Shelton and Trumbull, among 10,000 in all including at locations in Florida and Alabama. https://www.ctinsider.com/business/article/sikorsky-helicopter-layoffs-ct-stratford-19417675.php "We can't compete on compensation - it's just not something we can do," Montanari said. "We're trying to focus on how do we grow the business without having to scale the personnel at the same rate, because it's just a zero sum game." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Montanari said a big part of that is cross-training Habco employees for multiple roles in the company so that it can operate at close to full operating efficiency. Whether for employees heading out at the end of a shift from Sikorsky or any of its suppliers in Connecticut or beyond, Montanari said the thrill never leaves him when an aircraft passes overhead, and knowing he played a small part in helping it get back onto the ground. "It's kind of neat for us to be a very small company located in Connecticut, and you can look up at the sky and very rarely ever see any aircraft - fixed wing or rotary, commercial or military - that we don't touch in some manner," said Brian Montanari, CEO of Habco Industries in Glastonbury. "It's really exciting." This article originally published at As it wins federal contracts, Sikorsky relies on smaller CT suppliers even more. A 66-year-old Kona woman was indicted by a federal grand jury after she allegedly made more than $5.2 million selling 100 % Kona coffee that was actually sourced from South American beans bought in California and Washington. Patricia Johnson, aka Trish, was charged in a 24-count indictment Sept. 25 with 16 counts of wire fraud, five counts of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specific unlawful activity and three counts of obstructing an official proceeding. Kona coffee beans have to be grown in Kona, and if it is mixed with other beans, the percentage has to be accurately labeled and marketed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Between October 2012 and April 2024, Johnson made millions by advertising, labeling and selling coffee described as 100 % Kona coffee when in fact Johnson knew that the coffee was not 100 % Kona coffee, according to the 26-page indictment. The U.S. Department of Justice is seeking forfeiture of $5, 260, 095 from Johnsons business. Federal prosecutors also are asking that Johnson be held without bail until trial because she allegedly attempted to manipulate federal grand jury witnesses into altering their testimony to protect her. Johnson was arrested in Kona by agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday and is in custody at the Federal Detention Center, Honolulu. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her attorney, William A. Harrison, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that he was very disappointed Johnson was arrested after he had been in contact with federal prosecutors for more than a year. Federal agents did not need to search her home in April 2024 in full tactical gear with automatic weapons drawn, he said. She would have walked herself into the courthouse, Harrison said. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca A. Perlmutter is prosecuting the case. Federal agents seized more than $830, 000 in cash after a series of April 2024 searches of Johnsons business, home, storage units and four safe deposit boxes at Central Pacific Banks Kona branch. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Johnsons Kona Coffee Cafe on Alii Drive opened in the 1990s and purportedly sold 100 % Kona Coffee in drinks, coffee beans, and chocolate-covered coffee beans. Kona Coffee Cafes physical location is closed but its online business remains open, according to the company website. She allegedly bought more than 194, 000 pounds of green coffee beans, including 68, 000 pounds of Peaberry beans, from wholesalers in Seattle and Oakland that she allegedly sold as pure Kona coffee. Green coffee beans are dried, milled beans with all the parchment removed. The beans were sourced from foreign countries including Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Papa New Guinea, Peru and Timor. None of the coffee beans Johnson sold were Kona coffee beans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Federal prosecutors published alleged communications from March and April 2021 between Johnson and one of the wholesalers about buying 100 to 150 pound bags of coffee beans Johnson allegedly discusses needing peaberry beans for her chocolate-covered coffee beans but is told the New Guinea peaberry beans she usually ordered were out. But we do have Kenya PB (peaberry ), however, I dont think we are allowed to send African coffee to Hawaii Is there something else you can use instead of Peaberry ?, asked the seller, identified as Foreign Coffee Wholesaler 2 from Oakland in federal court documents. Johnson explained she didnt know anything about the regulations regarding shipping African coffee to Hawaii. She desperately needed Peaberry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I was able to find 18 bags of Timor Peaberry for you, very similar to PNG (Papua New Guinea ) and priced well at $2.69 a pound. Sound good ?, the wholesaler asked Johnson. OMG youre the best. I want to make two separate wire transfers so they are not over the $10, 000 and you have to fill out papers at the bank, Johnson replied. She allegedly changed the name of her account with the wholesaler from Kona Coffee Cafe to other names twice. In September 2023 she allegedly added person B who was not associated with her business and had no idea, to the name of her account with the wholesaler. Johnson again changed the account to reflect the name of her clothing line. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Johnson bought more than 494, 000 pounds of coffee beans from Foreign Coffee Wholesaler 2, according to federal court documents. She allegedly used a shipping company in Utah for 12 years to conceal the shipments of foreign coffee to her business. Johnson allegedly instructed the company and others to avoid U.S. Department of Agriculture and state screening mechanisms. She paid multiple people to roast the beans and some of those roasters suspected the coffee was from a foreign source and not from Kona, based on the information on the coffees burlap sacks, according to the indictment. Johnson sold her coffee using labels that read 100 % KONA COFFEE from KONA COFFEE CAFE and told all the employees the stuff was pure. She said it was from a private farm at a high elevation in the Kona district that was not decimated by the coffee borer beetle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She told her employees and customers that the farm and its owner, Person A in federal court records, were her supplier. Person A and their farm shut down in the 1980s, according to federal prosecutors. On Nov. 6, 2023, an undercover law enforcement agent approached Johnson about buying a large amount of coffee. Johnson allegedly told the undercover that her coffee was 100 pure and she got it from Person A s farm. Federal prosecutors also cited a 2012 interview Johnson gave to local media where she allegedly pushed her coffees fake origin story. Johnson sold the fake coffee on Amazon and used PayPal to funnel money from the sales into her business accounts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The state Department of the Attorney General investigated allegations that Johnson was mislabeling pure Kona coffee in 2019. In June of 2021, Johnson told state investigators that she bought coffee from the same farm and used the same roaster for 25 years. The roaster denied doing business with Johnson and told investigators they had not roasted her coffee for decades. When Kona Coffee Cafe employees quit and suggested they knew she was pushing fake products, she would allegedly send harassing and threatening communications. After the April 2024 search of Johnsons home and business, she changed the descriptions of the products on her website to indicate the coffee was blended. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The indictment included detailed descriptions of 16 wire transfers between Johnson and the Oakland wholesaler documenting coffee purchases in the hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars. Five other transfers in excess of $10, 000 from Johnsons PayPal account to Kona Coffee Cafes business account are also documented to establish that she transacted funds gained from illegal activity. Johnson also allegedly approached four witnesses that she knew were testifying before a federal grand jury and trying to get them to cover for her. She allegedly instructed person D to plead the fifth, telling the individual you cant answer one question. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Johnson also allegedly instructed the witness to tell the grand jury some days we even hardly make any money and to say they dont remember a lot of stuff. She also allegedly tried to orchestrate grand jury witness through a scheme to put the blame on another individual, according to federal court records. Federal agents searched Johnsons Lewa Place home when in the early morning hours of April 17, 2024, numerous government agents, in tactical gear and armed with what appeared to be automatic weapons, tossed a flash bang device onto the Johnson property, awakening the household, who were unaware of what was transpiring and believing they were under attack, according to a May 13, 2024, motion by Johnsons attorney, Harrison. The motion sought to get $93, 601.96 of Johnsons businesses money back that was seized during the search. Federal agents also seized $746, 431 in cash from Johnsons safe deposit boxes. Thereafter the agents rushed onto the property and at gunpoint ordered Patricia Johnson, her husband and young grandson out of their home, wrote Harrison, who noted Johnson was not immediately given a copy of the warrant. Johnson is scheduled for an arraignment and plea in U.S. District court today. Located about a 20-minute drive from Jackson in Wyoming, the Grand Teton National Park famous for its challenging hikes with lakes, wildflowers, and panoramas has been facing an unprecedented challenge. According to a 2022 study (via Outside), rangers found a large amount of human excrement near Taggart Lake, a very popular location in Grand Teton National Park. During five of their routine patrols, park rangers discovered human poop and toilet paper 73 times. By fall 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency disclosed the results of their latest research, showing that a lake in Wyoming's Wind River Range was contaminated 384 times higher than the permissible swimming limit. No one wants to step on someone else's droppings, let alone see it or smell it. But despite there being plenty of signs at trailheads informing visitors that there are no bathrooms available, people aren't taking enough steps to poop responsibly. As a result, the people running the park are also considering installing pit toilets by the lake and extra toilets along the trails. If the proposal is approved and implemented, the authorities hope this will help curb the problem. Read more: The 5 Most Rodent-Infested Cities In America How to leave no trace in the wild Yellow public toilet sign in a forest - di-photo.co.uk/Shutterstock Human feces are a community health issue. The germs found in it can remain active for over a year in the wilderness, causing intestinal issues and other diseases in visitors who may accidentally come into contact with objects or ingest food or water that's been contaminated. Melting ice and rain, for example, can cause human droppings to come into contact with streams and lakes, leading to water contamination. In a study of Grand Teton hikers conducted by Leave No Trace an organization focused on supporting travelers about this issue 66% of respondents reported they hadn't been adequately informed about how to go number 2 while in the wilderness. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When there's no toilet in sight and you need to go, make sure to do so at least 200 feet or 70 large steps away from water sources. Then, try to dig a small hole --commonly referred to as a cat hole -- and do your business in there. If you miss your target, push it down the hole with a trowel or, worst case scenario, with your shoes. Oftentimes, you're able to dispose of toilet paper in cat holes too, as long as it's permitted by whatever park you're in (so check before you go). If the ground's too hard for hole-digging? Well, pack your stuff in a bag and keep it with you until you find the next waste bin. Another sustainable option is packing Wag Bags, which are designed for exactly such an occasion. You can find these stationed at some national parks, or you can purchase them on Amazon. After reading about its poop-scattered trails, hopefully you won't feel discouraged from visiting the Grand Teton National Park. Don't waste a chance to enjoy rock climbing, fishing, camping, and wildlife spotting in one of the most breathtaking national parks in the United States. Just make sure to watch your step. Ready to discover more hidden gems and expert travel tips? Subscribe to our free newsletter for access to the world's best-kept travel secrets. Read the original article on Islands. By Jonathan Saul and Lisa Baertlein LONDON/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Yemen's Houthis will target U.S. oil majors including Exxon Mobil and Chevron despite an earlier truce agreed with President Donald Trump's administration to not attack U.S.-linked ships sailing in the Red Sea and the wider Gulf of Aden, the Iran-backed militia said on Tuesday. The Sanaa-based Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center (HOCC), which liaises between Houthi forces and commercial shipping operators and is associated with the Houthi military, sanctioned 13 U.S. companies, nine executives and two vessels. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Entities designated by the Houthis "shall be dealt with in accordance with the principle of confrontation," HOCC said on its website of what it will do regarding those deemed with being under their sanctions. The announcement is a notice that the companies, which also include ConocoPhillips and Diamond S Shipping, are deemed hostile entities that are open to attack. The companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Houthis since 2023 have launched numerous assaults on vessels in the Red Sea that they deem to be linked with Israel in what they say is solidarity with Palestinians over Israel's war on Gaza. This week, they attacked a Dutch cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden, injuring two crew and leaving the ship ablaze and adrift. (Reporting by Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles and Jonathan Saul in London; Editing by Leslie Adler) ELKHART A New York man is in jail after leading Indiana State Police and several other assisting agencies on a pursuit that spanned four counties on Thursday. At 8:20 a.m., a trooper attempted to stop a gray Kia passenger car traveling west for speeding on the Indiana Toll Road near mile marker 93 in Elkhart County. The driver of the Kia increased his speed to flee, police reported. The driver of the Kia continued to flee west on the Indiana Toll Road across St. Joseph County, avoiding stop sticks that assisting officers deployed, the report reads. As the pursuit entered LaPorte County, the driver still refused to stop and avoided more stop sticks that were deployed before exiting onto Ind. 421 and heading north. The driver of the Kia then continued onto I-94, heading west. The driver of the Kia then exited onto Ind. 49, heading north before turning around and heading south. The driver then approached two busy intersections before pausing to disregard the red light and continuing southbound on Ind. 49 approaching the Indiana Toll Road, according to police. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The driver of the Kia entered the toll road fleeing west at nearly 120 mph, the report reads. Troopers were able to successfully deploy stop sticks near the 26-mile marker that deflated both passenger side tires. The driver of the Kia continued west through the Portage Barrier Toll Plaza before driving into the ditch on the north side of the roadway, coming to a stop. The driver, identified as Daniyal Zaidi, 28, of Jamaica, New York, followed verbal commands given during a felony stop and was safely taken into custody, police reported. Zaidi was transported to the Elkhart County Jail on charges of resisting law enforcement and reckless driving. Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought testifies during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on the rescissions package in June. Vought announced this week that nearly $8 billion in funding for clean energy projects nationwide was being canceled. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) The regional investigative prosecutor's office of Budapest has begun seizing evidence from Peter Juhasz, a former politician, in connection with its investigation of the case of the Szolo Street young offenders institution, the central investigative chief prosecutor's office (KNYF) said. The prosecutors office is also preparing to interview Juhasz and other individuals as witnesses in the case, KNYF told MTI. Noting that the Budapest regional investigative prosecutor's office has set up a separate unit to investigate the case after taking it over from the police, KNYF said the regional office has taken urgent steps to map out the investigation. So far, two suspects are in custody, with their detention having been extended until Nov 29. The prosecutors office noted that the head of the Szolo Street institution and his partner are suspected of prostituting young adults whom they had hired on paper but did not actually work at the institution. The man was also in possession of an air rifle without a permit, the office added. Meanwhile, the opposition Democratic Coalition (DK) expressed solidarity with Juhasz. DK leader Klara Dobrev told an online press conference that Juhasz had been the first one to talk openly about the alleged child abuse associated with the case. But the authorities are not after the perpetrator but "investigating those that have the courage to speak", she said, adding she was certain that the prosecutor's office was "acting on instruction from the highest level". "Hands off" those that seek answers to questions around the case, Dobrev said, adding that "should Juhasz or any other person be detained, we'll take to the streets." Source: MTI Hungarys national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent. Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media. XpatLoop believes in empowering readers to form their own views through complete and comprehensive coverage. To facilitate this XpatLoop has a balanced range of news partners, as you can see when you surf around XpatLoop.com ********************************************************************************************* You're very welcome to comment, discuss and enjoy more stories via our Facebook page: Facebook.com/XpatLoopNews + via XpatLoops groups: Budapest Expats / Expats Hungary You can subscribe to our newsletter here: XpatLoop.com/Newsletters Showcase Your Business to Expats in the Loop: As an independent portal were grateful to all commercial supporters who help keep you in the loop with fresh insights and inspiration. Do you want your business to reach tens of thousands of potential high-value expat customers? If so please contact us here. Pilisi Parkerdo Zrt. has completed the conservation and ecotourism renovation of the Holdvilag Gorge, ensuring that one of Hungarys most visited ravines can now welcome hikers more safely while offering them an even richer experience. This was announced at the ceremonial opening of the restored trail on Wednesday. At the event near Pomaz on October 1, 2025, Gabor Reinitz, CEO of Pilisi Parkerdo, explained that in order to guarantee the safety of visitors, foresters restored 275 steps, built 11 new fords using local materials, created three debris barriers to protect the streams, installed new information boards, benches, and fire pits, and erected handrails on the steepest sections of the route. Peter Zambo, State Secretary responsible for forests and land affairs, emphasized that this development represents a model of good practice, demonstrating how the protection of nature, the advancement of tourism, and the creation of community value can be pursued together. He recalled that his own professional career began at Pilisi Parkerdo and that back in 1989 significant resources were invested in restoring the Holdvilag Gorge. However, no major renovation had taken place since then. The present development, he added, preserves the wild character of the site while at the same time making its wonders easier to experience. Gyorgy Bacsa, a member of the board of trustees of the MOL-New Europe Foundation, highlighted that partnerships between private and public actors are capable of creating sustainable solutions that place the protection of natural treasures at the service of future generations. The works carried out with the support of the MOL-New Europe Foundation follow on from the spring renovation of the Baratkut rest area, where visitors have already been able to enjoy new benches, information panels, and an orderly recreation spot. The Holdvilag Gorge, situated at the eastern gateway to the Pilis Mountains near Pomaz, has for decades attracted hikers with its striking geological formations, rock walls, and diverse wildlife. The most famous point of the gorge is a ten-metre-high rock face, which can be climbed with the help of the Meteor Ladder, an iconic structure erected in 1965. Pilisi Parkerdo Zrt. currently manages 65,000 hectares of forest around Budapest, welcoming around 30 million visitors each year. Owing to its proximity to the capital, these forests serve not only as sites of conservation but also as destinations for recreation and sport. The demand for hiking grew even further during the pandemic years; for instance, the lookout tower on Predikaloszek alone recorded 1517,000 visitors over a single weekend. Source: MTI Hungarys national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent. Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media. XpatLoop believes in empowering readers to form their own views through complete and comprehensive coverage. To facilitate this XpatLoop has a balanced range of news partners, as you can see when you surf around XpatLoop.com ********************************************************************************************* You're very welcome to comment, discuss and enjoy more stories via our Facebook page: Facebook.com/XpatLoopNews + via XpatLoops groups: Budapest Expats / Expats Hungary You can subscribe to our newsletter here: XpatLoop.com/Newsletters Showcase Your Business to Expats in the Loop: As an independent portal were grateful to all commercial supporters who help keep you in the loop with fresh insights and inspiration. Do you want your business to reach tens of thousands of potential high-value expat customers? If so please contact us here. Tesco has opened Hungarys first Premier convenience store in Csepel, signalling a new direction for the retailer as it faces growing competition from discount chains such as Lidl. The shop replaces a former Tesco Express, but the change represents more than just a new name its a test of a different business model. Premier is a well-established convenience store brand in the United Kingdom, operated under the Booker Group, which Tesco acquired in 2018. While Tesco Express outlets in Hungary are directly owned by the company and known for their smaller size and higher prices, Premier stores in the UK usually run as franchises or independent shops supplied by Bookers distribution system. They aim to provide an accessible, community-oriented shopping experience with everyday groceries, fresh produce, drinks, ready meals, and household items. By launching Premier in Hungary, Tesco appears to be trialling a format that could better match urban and residential shopping patterns. The company may eventually open the door to franchising opportunities for local entrepreneurs similar to how Spar and Coop already operate here. The Csepel outlet is being treated as a pilot location, where Tesco is monitoring customer feedback and operational results. The shop continues to use Tescos logistics, IT systems, and supply chains, but the layout and product range have been adapted to local demand. This move comes against a backdrop of regulatory pressuressuch as retail taxes and government-imposed pricing rulesalong with the growing dominance of discount retailers in Hungarys urban centres. Tesco says these challenges are driving investment in new formats to strengthen its network, improve value, and retain customer loyalty. In addition to the Csepel store, a fully Tesco-operated Premier has also opened on Budapests Kossuth Lajos Street, where further innovations and operational models are being tested. The results of these pilots will play a key role in shaping Tescos future strategy in Hungarys highly competitive retail market. ********************************************************************************************* You're very welcome to comment, discuss and enjoy more stories via our Facebook page: Facebook.com/XpatLoopNews + via XpatLoops groups: Budapest Expats / Expats Hungary You can subscribe to our newsletter here: XpatLoop.com/Newsletters Showcase Your Business to Expats in the Loop: As an independent portal were grateful to all commercial supporters who help keep you in the loop with fresh insights and inspiration. Do you want your business to reach tens of thousands of potential high-value expat customers? If so please contact us here. This marks the first high-level delegation from Kabul to New Delhi since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, signalling a new phase in India-Taliban relations, as per reports. Taliban FM Amir Khan Muttaqi will visit India Oct 916, meeting EAM Jaishankar and NSA Doval, after UN exemption, marking the first official engagement and potential thaw in India-Taliban ties. Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the annual Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi on Thursday, offering candid remarks on a wide range of issues, from Ukraine and NATO to US foreign policy, global energy, and Indias position on Russian oil. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalins Chennai residence received a bomb threat, prompting a swift response from the police. Bomb disposal squads and sniffer dogs were immediately deployed to the CMs residence. A Trump gaffe confusing Albania for Armenia became a running joke at a European summit, with Albanian PM Edi Rama and other leaders mocking the error. The World Bank lends to countries worldwide to fund infrastructure, social programs, healthcare, and climate resilience. These funds are loans, not grants, and must be repaid. India tops the list with USD 39.3 billion in outstanding World Bank loans. Heres a list of eight countries that top the World Banks 10 largest debtor nations, highlighting how they are using loans to fund infrastructure, social programs, and economic development: On Tuesday, the first official day of World Dairy Expo, the venue was flooded with students from across the Midwest and beyond, with more than 2,000 in attendance. Agriculture education teachers hop on buses with their students and make the annual trek to Expo. Those on the grounds know it by FFA day, where middle and high school students often make the rounds in the trade show gathering as many freebies as they can, watch the cattle show, do some shopping, and several get to participate in the contests hosted by World Dairy Expo. This year, nearly half of those students in attendance also participated in the FFA contests held on the grounds, which include: dairy cattle judging, dairy cattle showmanship, forage management cup, and dairy products judging. With an astounding participation of 143 teams with nearly 1,000 students total in these contests, the sea of youth could be found on all corners of the grounds. FFA students who participated in the dairy cattle judging contest were divided into three heats to allow for the many students to view the cattle for evaluation, stretching the contest across the morning. Anyone on the grounds was aware that all corners of World Dairy Expo were abuzz with students participating in contests and securing their souvenirs. Unofficial results of the contests have been released, with team results as follows. Dairy cattle evaluation: Stoughton, Wisconsin Arcanum MVCTC, Ohio North Mongonmery, Indiana Forreston, Illinois DeForest, Wisconsin Baldwin-Woodville, Wisconsin Seymour, Wisconsin Prairie Central, Illinois Albany, Wisconsin Maquoketa Valley, Iowa Forage management cup: Watertown, Wisconsin West Dubuque, Iowa Mount Horeb, Wisconsin Harford, Wisconsin Rosholt, Wisconsin Arcadia, Wisconsin Argyle, Wisconsin Lakeside Lutheran, Wisconsin Viroqua, Wisconsin Lancaster, Wisconsin Dairy products contest: Sturgis Brown, South Dakota LaRue County, Kentucky National Trail MVCTC, Ohio Monroe, Wisconsin De Soto, Wisconsin Maquoketa Valley, Iowa West Dubuque, Iowa Shullsburg, Wisconsin Hartford, Wisconsin Hamilton Southeastern, Indiana Microsoft solutions provider Avanade today announced its design partnership with Microsoft in the new Microsoft Sentinel platform and as a Security Copilot depth partner. Avanade was selected based on its world leading experience with Microsoft Security technologies, ability to explore and provide impactful feedback and insights on cutting edge functionality, and its close relationship with Microsoft. Avanade notes that it is working with Microsoft product teams to shape the Sentinel platform and Security Copilot platform product development, including validation of new scenarios, feedback on product operations, and API extensibility - while also extending Sentinel and Security Copilots capabilities as part of the partner ecosystem. By creating solutions such as new Security Copilot AI agents, Sentinel connectors, analytics rules, playbooks, hunting queries, Jupyter notebook jobs, and evolving its agents to leverage Sentinels new data lake, graph capabilities as well as its new MCP server options for agent to agent communications. Avanade is helping make innovation accessible to customers worldwide, notes Avanade. Avanade says it is pleased to announce the launch of its first three agents ready for clients, which will also soon be available in the new Microsoft Security Store: 1. Sentinel Analytics Optimiser - Cut the Noise - Boost Efficiency 2. Threat Shield - Threat Intelligence-Driven SOC Coverage 3. Endpoint Risk Insights - From Detection to Direction Jason Revill, Global Security Practice Technology Lead at Avanade, said Our involvement as a design partner in Microsofts Sentinel Platform and Security Copilot Agents, signals our deep relationship with Microsoft and our leading position as a driver of innovation within cybersecurity. Now more than ever, prioritising digital advancements in the cybersecurity space, in the wake of a multitude of cyber breaches taking place globally, is extremely important. We are looking forward to being a part of Microsofts journey to becoming the security data and AI layer of choice for our clients, creating the foundations for Security AI Agents to thrive. This is particularly of value to mid-market organisations, whose cyber platforms and teams, are often stretched and struggle to ready themselves for evolving cyber threats and adoption of new technology that can help mitigate risk such as the new Sentinel Platform, which can make security data more accessible, whilst enabling Security Copilot agents to be more effective in defending the organisation. Vasu Jakkal, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Security, says Weve reimagined Microsoft Sentinel as an AI-ready platform, unifying security data into a single, enriched data lake that delivers graph-powered visibility and intelligent agent capabilities. This transformation positions Microsoft Sentinel as the backbone of modern defense, offering deep context, connected insights, and empowering security teams to act with precision, and stay ahead of evolving threats. This transformation is amplified by a vibrant partner ecosystem. We are grateful to our partners that use Microsoft Sentinel to create integrated solutions. This collaboration powers a collective defense, because after all security is a team sport. Microsoft Sentinel is evolving beyond its traditional role as a SIEM to also be a data lake powered, AI-ready platform equipping defenders with unified security data, intelligent reasoning tools to help agents interpret data, and enriched context through graph-powered visibility. By bringing all these features together, Microsoft Sentinel now provides a scalable backbone for modern defense. About Avanade: Avanade is the worlds leading expert on Microsoft. Trusted by over 5,000 clients worldwide, we deliver reliable, AI-driven solutions that solve business challenges of all sizes and unlock the full potential of people and technology. We empower organizations to use Microsoft technology to optimize operations, drive growth, and foster innovation, enabling them to excel in delivering exceptional customer experiences. Together with Accenture, we combine global scale with local expertise in AI, cloud, data analytics, cybersecurity, ERP to create human-centered experiences. We are committed to doing what matters for our clients, their customers, employees and partners by designing solutions that prioritize people and drive meaningful impact. Since 2000, Avanade has leveraged its close partnership with Microsoft to bring the latest technologies to market, serving as Microsofts "Client Zero" and earning, with Accenture, Microsofts Global SI Partner of the Year Award a record 19 times. As a purpose-driven and responsible organization, Avanade champions diversity, inclusion, and sustainability, ensuring our work benefits society as well as drives business success. Learn more at www.avanade.com and follow us on LinkedIn. GUEST OPINION: For decades, IT security teams have been trained to think of cyber threats as external forces attempting to breach the walls of their organisations. Their focus has been on preventing unauthorised outsiders from gaining access to networks, systems, and platforms. However, new research suggests this external-first mindset is now dangerously outdated. A growing proportion of threats are no longer coming from the outside but are emerging from within. Insiders, whether acting maliciously or inadvertently, are now considered by many organisations to pose a more significant risk than external attackers. According to the research, 84% of Australian respondents expect the number of insider threats to grow during the next 12 months. Concerningly, 58% said they now view insiders as a greater risk than external actors. This represents a profound shift in the threat landscape and raises questions about whether organisations are equipped to defend themselves against a problem that, by its nature, originates behind the corporate firewall. Limited detection capabilities Despite this growing risk, many Australian organisations remain poorly prepared to spot and stop insider activity before it causes harm. The study found that less than half (34%) of Australian organisations are currently making use of user and entity behaviour analytics (UEBA), a technology designed to detect anomalies in user behaviour that could signal insider compromise. Instead, many continue to rely on more traditional security measures such as identity and access management, data loss prevention (DLP), and endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools. While valuable, these technologies are primarily designed to counter known external threats rather than subtle behavioural shifts by trusted users. Without the ability to detect unusual internal activity early, many organisations are effectively flying blind when it comes to insider threats. By the time data is exfiltrated or systems are sabotaged, the damage may already be done. The double-edged role of AI Complicating matters further is the rapid rise of generative AI (GenAI) tools within workplaces. While AI holds promise for enhancing security, it is simultaneously creating new vulnerabilities that can be exploited by malicious actors. According to the research, 76% of Australian organisations report unauthorised use of GenAI by employees, while an overwhelming 93% believe AI is increasing the potential impact of insider attacks. One of the ways cybercriminals are exploiting the technology is through phishing campaigns. By using GenAI to craft highly convincing phishing emails, they dramatically increase the likelihood that employees will be tricked into clicking malicious links or surrendering credentials. Once attackers gain access, they can infiltrate AI-powered systems already integrated into business workflows, often operating with minimal human oversight. If control of these systems is gained by an outsider through a successful phishing campaign, the result can be severe disruption or data loss. Using AI to combat insider risk On the other side of the ledger, many organisations are also beginning to leverage AI in the fight against insider threats. The research found that 94% of Australian organisations are now using some form of AI as part of their insider threat strategy. These tools can help identify anomalous behaviour, automate responses, and reduce the time between threat detection and remediation. However, there remains a perception gap between different levels of the corporate hierarchy about how mature these AI capabilities really are. While 55% of executives globally believe AI tools are fully deployed for this purpose, this confidence drops to 40% among analysts and just 37% among managers. This disparity suggests that in many cases, AI-based defences may be less comprehensive in practice than senior leadership assumes. Adding to the challenge is the fact that governance frameworks for AI security tools are still maturing. Without clear policies and monitoring, AI deployments can themselves introduce risk. Overcoming organisational barriers The research also explored the barriers organisations face when attempting to tackle insider threats. Privacy resistance was cited as the top challenge by 20% of global respondents, reflecting ongoing concerns about balancing employee monitoring with privacy rights. This was followed by the difficulty of understanding user intent and behaviour (17%) and a lack of visibility into internal activity (16%). These hurdles point to the need for a cultural as well as a technical response. Organisations must develop security programs that are transparent, proportionate, and respectful of employee privacy, while still providing sufficient visibility to detect threats early. Building a new security mindset The findings underline the urgency for organisations to take significant steps to close the insider threat gap. This will require expanding their ability to detect threats, embedding behavioural analytics into their security stack, and making more effective use of AI tools while strengthening governance frameworks around their use. Importantly, AI agent behaviour needs to be baselined and separated from user activity. By doing so, organisations can more easily spot subtle deviations that may indicate compromise and take action to neutralise threats before they escalate. Insider threats have become one of the most pressing cybersecurity challenges facing Australian businesses. Addressing them will demand not only new tools and technologies but also a shift from treating security as a perimeter problem to recognising it as a trust problem. Ping Identity, a leader in securing digital identities for the world's largest enterprises, released its 2025 global Consumer Survey, revealing a decline of trust among Australians alongside rising security concerns in the age of AI. The report, which surveyed 1,000 Australian adults, found that 61% now report using AI, while just 11%, among the lowest of any country surveyed, have full trust in the organisations that manage their identity. Trust is eroding quickly, with a majority (82%) reporting more concern about personal data security than they felt five years ago, alongside growing demand for stronger authentication and tighter government regulation. Read the full survey: Bridging the Trust Gap in the Age of AI Australian consumers trust in brands is eroding as the global economy approaches a trust nothing era accelerated by AI-enabled fraud, said Ash Diffey, Vice President ANZ, Ping Identity. AI and the rise of agents is heightening the problem, becoming more autonomous, persuasive and harder to detect, which raises the stakes for both businesses and consumers where robust identity verification and protection is increasingly king. The brands that will thrive will be those that make customers trust their top priority through stronger authentication, transparency, and identity-first security. Key Findings from Australian Respondents: AI Adoption Soars, But Security Concerns Loom Larger Than Ever: 82% say they are more concerned about personal data security than five years ago. 61% now use AI personally or at work, up from 41% globally in 2024. 42% cite AI-driven phishing as the modern scam that concerns them most. Citizens Crave AI Safeguards, But Feel Left in the Dark: 82% believe government regulation of AI to protect their identity data online is important. 34% are concerned about a lack of transparency in how AI is using and storing personal information, more than any other country surveyed. 33% are concerned about the invasion of their personal privacy by AI programs. Only 20% feel very confident in their ability to determine whether something is legitimate or a scam. Biometrics Top the Wishlist to Improve Trust, Security and Experience: 47% report multi-factor authentication and 34% biometrics as top features that would increase their trust in online brands. Fraud is fuelling demand: Financial (24%) and account take-over (21%) were the most common types of fraud experienced, which may have been prevented through biometrics. The leading change people want in their login experience is more biometrics (21%). Methodology This random double-opt-in survey, commissioned by Ping Identity, was conducted by market research company Talker Research, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR). Talker Research interviewed 10,500 consumers across the US (2,000), UK (2,000), France (1,000), Germany (1,000), Australia (1,000), Singapore (1,000), India (500), Indonesia (500), Netherlands (500), Sweden (500) and the UAE (500). Year over year comparisons based on Ping Identitys 2024 Consumer Survey. About Ping Identity At Ping, we make it possible to trust every digital momentmoments with customers, employees, partners, and non-human identities. Whether you're securing millions of users, fighting sophisticated fraud, simplifying third-party access, or embracing passwordless experiences and verifiable credentials, establishing trust shouldn't slow you down. Our enterprise-grade identity platform is built for scale, speed, and flexibilityand works seamlessly with your existing tech stack across cloud, hybrid, and on-prem. We help innovators like you accelerate growth and confidently leverage AImaking life easier for your developers, users, IT teams, and partners. With Ping, all your digital experiences start with trust. Learn more at pingidentity.com. GUEST OPINION: Walk through downtown Dubai, and youre surrounded by ambition made of concrete and steel. Towering skyscrapers, sprawling resorts, intricate infrastructure each a marvel of modern engineering. But behind every gleaming facade is a complex, often invisible, web of logistics, finances, and human coordination. Managing a single construction project in the UAE is like conducting a symphony where the sheet music is constantly changing. Now, imagine managing dozens. For decades, the industry relied on a patchwork of tools: spreadsheets for budgets, paper logs for materials, separate software for payroll, and endless email chains for communication. This fragmented approach worked until projects got bigger, margins got tighter, and regulations got stricter. Today, a fundamental shift is underway. Construction companies, both general and specialty contractors, are increasingly turning to integrated digital platforms such as ERP software for construction in UAE to tame the chaos. This isnt about replacing workers with robots; its about giving them the right tools to succeed. The goal isnt flashy technology. Its sustainable efficiency. Its about moving from reactive problem-solving to proactive, data-driven management. Companies arent adopting these systems for the sake of innovation; theyre doing it to survive and thrive in one of the worlds most dynamic and competitive construction markets. Why the Old Ways Are Crumbling? The traditional methods of managing construction projects are showing their age. Theyre slow, prone to error, and create dangerous information silos. When the site foreman doesnt know what the procurement team ordered, or finance cant see real-time project costs, things fall apart. The consequences are more than just inconvenient theyre costly. Common pain points include: Budget Blowouts: Unapproved purchases or untracked change orders silently drain project funds. Unapproved purchases or untracked change orders silently drain project funds. Project Delays: A missing shipment or an equipment failure halts work for days because no one saw it coming. A missing shipment or an equipment failure halts work for days because no one saw it coming. Compliance Headaches: Miscalculated wages or inaccurate financial reporting can lead to serious legal and financial penalties under UAE regulations. Miscalculated wages or inaccurate financial reporting can lead to serious legal and financial penalties under UAE regulations. Strategic Blindness: Without clear, unified data, company leaders are forced to make critical decisions based on gut feeling, not facts. These arent minor inefficiencies; theyre existential threats to profitability and reputation in a hyper-competitive market. What Does a Modern Construction Platform Actually Do The goal of a dedicated digital system is simple: to create a single, reliable source of truth for the entire project lifecycle. Its not magic; its meticulous organisation. Think of it as a central nervous system for the business, connecting every department and process. Heres how such a platform typically transforms core operations: From First Quote to Final Invoice Uses historical data and customizable templates to generate faster, more accurate bids. Tracks every revision and client communication linked directly to the potential project. Automatically updates project budgets when changes occur, preventing nasty financial surprises. Keeping Materials and Machines Moving Manages purchase requests with built-in approval workflows, ensuring spending stays on track. Tracks materials across multiple job sites to prevent costly shortages or wasteful overstocking. Monitors equipment usage and maintenance schedules to maximise uptime and extend asset life. Ensuring Financial Health and Compliance Forecasts cash flow so companies know exactly when money is coming in and going out. Ties invoicing directly to the percentage of work completed, ensuring accurate and timely billing. Automates payroll based on integrated site attendance data, guaranteeing compliance with local labour laws. This level of integration means that when a project manager logs a delay on-site, the finance team can immediately see the projected cost impact. When a warehouse clerk scans a delivery, the purchasing department knows the budget has been adjusted. Information flows freely, and decisions are made with confidence. Three Non-Negotiable Features for the UAE Market Not every digital tool is created equal, especially in a unique and demanding market like the UAE. The most effective platforms tend to share three critical characteristics: 1. Built for Builders, Not Businesses Generic accounting or project management software often fails because it doesnt understand construction-specific concepts like Bill of Quantities (BOQ), Work Breakdown Structures (WBS), or phased revenue recognition. A platform designed for the industry speaks its language and follows its complex rules, making it intuitive for users and accurate in its outputs. 2. Deep Local Integration Operating in the Emirates requires more than just translating the interface into Arabic. It means understanding the nuances of UAE VAT, labour laws, WPS (Wage Protection System) compliance, and local business culture. A solution thats been developed with or deeply adapted to the UAE market removes friction and ensures seamless compliance from day one. 3. Real-Time, 360-Degree Visibility Perhaps the most transformative benefit is the ability to see everything at once. Instead of waiting for weekly reports compiled from five different departments, managers get a real-time, holistic view of every projects status, budget, and resource allocation. This isnt just about convenience; its about empowerment. With clear, accurate data, leaders can spot trends, identify bottlenecks before they cause delays, allocate resources smarter, and ultimately, make better strategic decisions that protect their bottom line. The Quiet Revolution: Efficiency Over Hype The adoption of these platforms isnt driven by a desire for flashy technology. Its a pragmatic response to real-world pressures. Companies are seeking sustainable growth, not just survival. They want to reduce waste, eliminate costly errors, and free up their teams to focus on what they do best: building. The transition isnt always easy, but the payoff is clear. Firms that embrace integrated digital management report not just cost savings, but also improved team morale, faster project delivery, and stronger client relationships built on transparency and reliability. For any construction business in the UAE looking to future-proof its operations, exploring dedicated digital solutions is no longer optional its essential. Understanding whats available is the first step towards building a more resilient, efficient, and profitable future. Dave Wardrop as Chief Technology Officer and Director of Solution Consulting for Australia and New Zealand at Hitachi Vantara COMPANY ANNOUNCEMENT: Hitachi Vantara , the data storage, infrastructure and hybrid cloud management subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), today announced the appointment of Dave Wardrop as its new Chief Technology Officer and Director of Solution Consulting for Australia and New Zealand, effective immediately. Based in Canberra, Wardrop will be responsible for leading the companys technical sales strategy in the region as the company continues to capitalise on the growing demand for data storage, infrastructure systems, cloud management. He reports directly to Matthew Hardman, Chief Technology Officer for APAC at Hitachi Vantara. Wardrop has more than 25 years experience in IT consulting, network engineering, infrastructure management, project management and professional services. In his three years at Hitachi Vantara, Wardrop has spearheaded the companys technical strategies across numerous critical Federal Government agencies in Australia, showcasing technical leadership in highly complex defence solutions. Previously, Wardrop was Federal Systems Engineering Manager at Nutanix where he focused on supporting government agencies with hybrid cloud deployments over a five-year tenure. His earlier career included roles at EMC in both Australia and the UK in technology consulting and professional services leadership roles. Dave demonstrates high empathy for people, strategic direction, and a deep understanding of the functionality of our technology including its application in complex customer environments, said Hardman. He embodies the Hitachi Vantara spirit of not only doing the right thing for the customer, but also has a strong connection for doing whats right for his team and those around him. We are delighted to have him join the team and contribute to delivering meaningful outcomes for customers as they seek to manage data across mission-critical environments and the explosive growth of processing required for generative and agentic AI. Wardrop added, Hitachi Vantara has consistently set the benchmark for delivering solutions that solve complex IT challenges, fundamentally transform processes and unlock efficiencies through hybrid cloud, automation and data intelligence. My new role as CTO and Director of Solution Consulting for Australia and New Zealand gives me an incredible opportunity to build on that foundation. I look forward to supporting the deployment of Hitachi Vantaras solutions among enterprises and public sector agencies, and in turn accelerating their ability to scale, fast-track AI innovation, harvest real-time insights, reduce complexity, and continuously deliver customer value." For more information on Hitachi Vantaras data storage, infrastructure, and hybrid cloud management products, solutions, and services, please click here. Great drinking music (Photo courtesy of Japan Travel) Prost! If you cant make it to Germany for the real Oktoberfest, head down to Yokohama for the best substitute youll find. Located at Yokohamas historic Red Brick Warehouse (Akarenga Soko), Oktoberfest is an annual fall tradition that never disappoints. Come satisfy your craving for a stein of dark German beer (or any other kind, for that matter), delicious food, and a rousing good time to be had by all. At Oktoberfest, beer is the way beer ought to bedark, German, and plentiful. Each year there are plenty of imported and domestic vendors alike, from standard Japanese brands to authentically German ones sporting their special Oktoberfest brews. Though the exact companies change a bit from year to year, the odds are that youll be able to find your favorite with no difficulty. 0.5 liters typically runs between 1,000-1,300 with a one-time deposit of 1,000 on your cool stein glass, refundable unless you drop it. Food choices vary each year, but always include nice selections of bratwurst, sauerkraut, potatoes, ham, and other German favorites. The food is good but predictably pricey for such an event. However, your entrance ticket (500) allows re-entry, so eating elsewhere and then returning is another option. The true draw of Oktoberfest, though, is its atmosphere. Rain or shine, Oktoberfest has always brought out the playfulness in people (or maybe its the beer). Starring at the event is the bona-fide oom-pah band that takes up their accordions and tubas every few hours throughout the day and rocks out everything from classic pop cover music to traditional Bavarian drinking songs. Their best performance is always the last one of the night, when the crowd really gets into dancing and singing until you forget what country youre in. Outside of Yokohama Oktoberfest (Photo courtesy of Japan Travel) Authentic German beer (Photo courtesy of Japan Travel) Though essentially a booze-fest, Oktoberfest always remained friendly and controlled enough to confidently bring your young ones along to enjoy the food, music, and fun. The complex includes both indoor and outdoor facilities, so weather isnt an issue (except for high winds, which have caused canceled days in the past). If there is a drawback to the event, its the long lines. Come on a national holiday and be prepared to line up to enter, and then again to use the toilets. Oktoberfest festivals have, over time, spread to take place in other areas of Japan including Tokyos Odaiba and Hibiya Park, and the schedule has been experimented with to include multiple instances per year (including Golden Week). However, the first two weeks in October can always be counted on for a great time. You can find cheaper food and drink elsewhere, but Oktoberfests roaring good time makes it worth the extra cost. Things to know SIGN UP FOR THE DAILY JWR UPDATE. IT'S FREE. (AND NO SPAM!) Just click here. SAN JOSE, Calif. Matt Mahan didn't set out to be a scold and pain in Gavin Newsom's backside. He doesn't mean to sound like a wrathful Republican when he criticizes one-party rule in Sacramento. Or a disgruntled independent when he assails a Democratic establishment that's become, as he sees it, "a club of insiders who take care of each other" and mostly go along to get along. Maybe because that's "my diagnosis of it," said the 42-year-old San Jose mayor, "I have tried very consciously to not fall into that trap of just wanting to be liked." He is, Mahan insists, a Democrat to his core, his roots sunk deep in the loamy soil of working-class Watsonville, where, over the mountains and light years from Silicon Valley, he grew up the son of a mail carrier and a high school teacher. That makes his candor all the more bracing, and refreshing, at a time when Democrats are struggling nationally to regain their footing and find a meaningful way forward. "We have become so caught up in our own rhetoric of helping the little guy that we've stopped actually checking to make sure that we are doing that," Mahan said over lunch at a cantina downtown. Results, he said, are what matter. Not good intentions. And certainly not the performative pugilism that some, including the hyper-online Newsom, pass off as leadership. "A sugar high," Mahan called it. "I think a lot of Democrats are frustrated and feel powerless, and so that rhetoric has this cathartic effect," he said. "But I don't know that it actually, over time, moves us toward success, and I mean not just success in society, but even political success, because ultimately, if you're not offering solutions, I think you can have a hard time getting to a majority position." Mahan comes by his outsider status naturally. In high school, he rode the bus four hours a day from Watsonville to San Jose and back again to attend a college prep academy on a work-study scholarship. ("My golden ticket," he called it.) He worked on the grounds crew to help pay his way, and continued on to Harvard, where his dorm mates included Mark Zuckerberg. (The two hung out in college and still talk occasionally.) After a year in Bolivia, helping family farmers, and a stint teaching middle school, Mahan co-founded a social media company that focused on civic engagement and raising money for nonprofits. He was elected to the San Jose City Council in 2020. Even before his first term was completed, Mahan launched an upstart bid for mayor. The front-runner was a member of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, a former San Jose vice mayor and longtime civic leader. Waging a nothing-to-lose campaign "we had no endorsements, we had much less money" Mahan knocked on thousands of doors. He asked voters what they had on their minds. It turned out to be rudimentary stuff. Potholes. Public safety. A sense they were paying a whole lot of taxes and getting very little in return. The experience impressed two things upon Mahan: a need for accountability and the importance of voters' lived experience, as opposed to vague promises, abstract notions and politically fashionable statements. "I think ultimately political success and policy success comes from offering better ideas and demonstrating impact," Mahan said, sounding very much like the technocrat he calls himself. Mahan won the mayor's race narrowly, in a major upset and was reelected two years later in a November 2024 landslide. (The year Mahan was elected, San Jose voted to shift its mayoral contest to correspond with presidential balloting, which cut his first term in half.) Soon enough, Mahan found himself at odds with some major Democratic constituencies, including powerful labor unions, which pushed back over wages and a return-to-office policy, and homeless advocates who bristled at Mahan's focus on short-term housing and threat to arrest homeless people who refused multiple offers of shelter. "Homelessness can't be a choice," Mahan said at a spring news conference announcing the move. His heresies don't end there. Mahan broke with many Democrats by vigorously supporting Proposition 36, the 2024 anti-crime measure that stiffened penalties for repeated theft and crimes involving fentanyl. Despite opposition from Newsom and most of the state's Democratic leadership, it passed with nearly 70% support; Mahan has since criticized Newsom and the Democratic-run Legislature for stinting on funds needed for implementation. But his most conspicuous breach involves the governor's Trumpy transformation into a social media troll. While the mockery and memes may feel good as snickering payback and certainly stoke the Democratic base boosting Newsom's presidential hopes Mahan suggested they are ultimately counterproductive. "If we don't have a politics of solutions and making people's lives better, I just don't know where we end up," he said, as his enchiladas sat cooling before him. "It's politics practiced in bad faith, where we just ... tell people things that test well because they sound nice, and then we just blame the other side for being evil, incompetent, corrupt. ... It's just a race to the bottom." He took particular issue with Newsom's taunting reaction after Bed Bath & Beyond recently announced it won't open or operate new stores in California. It wasn't "a reasoned argument," Mahan wrote in a scathing opinion piece in the San Francisco Standard. The tart headline: "How about less time breaking the internet and more time fixing California?" "'Breaking the internet' doesn't solve real-world problems quite the opposite," Mahan wrote. "More often than not, it's just political theater that serves to excuse inaction and ineffective policies." He elaborated over lunch. "You have an employer who's pointing out real issues that everybody else who's watching thinks are real issues. Talking about business climate, cost of doing business, public safety issues, retail theft, untreated addiction and mental illness," Mahan said. "When we start turning on constituents because we don't agree with their ideology, or attacking Trump is more important than actually solving problems or listening to the criticism ... I think we're heading down a dangerous road." Inevitably, there's the question: To what end all this poking of thumbs in his fellow Democrats' eyes? Mahan has drawn wide notice, in particular from the more pragmatic wing of the party. His back-to-basics approach has yielded some measurable success. A recent study called San Jose the safest major city in the country and, while the overall homeless population grew slightly, there's been progress moving people off the streets into city shelters. He considered plunging into the race for governor, but the timing wasn't right. Mahan has two small children and a wife who's flourishing in her career as an educator. Besides, Mahan said, he's quite content being mayor of California's third-most populous city. "I have a wonderful marriage," Mahan said. "I have two wonderful kids. I loved working in the private sector. I've got a lot of great friends. I'm doing this because I genuinely want to make our city better, and I love the job. But it's not who I am, and I can separate myself from the job." That grounding and perspective, so different from those politicians oozing ambition from every pore, may be Mahan's best commendation for higher office. If and when. (COMMENT, BELOW) Mark Z. Barabak Los Angeles Times/(TNS) Mark Z. Barabak is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times, focusing on politics in California and the West. SIGN UP FOR THE DAILY JWR UPDATE. IT'S FREE. Just click here. Congressional Democrats , by centering their demands on restoring funding for Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, are deploying their strongest legislative weapon the ability to shut down the government behind what polls show is their strongest issue: health care. That may, in fact, be the approach that maximizes the party's chances of winning back at least the House of Representatives in the 2026 midterms. But the Democratic strategy in this shutdown also suggests that if Trump's offensive against bedrock constitutional safeguards is to be stopped, or even slowed, it will not be because of the opposition party. It will be because of the kind of decentralized, bottom-up backlash that convinced the Walt Disney Co. and ABC to restore Jimmy Kimmel after they initially capitulated. By any conventional political calculation, health care is a tempting target for Democrats . As a result of the Medicaid cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and the year-end expiration of the Affordable Care Act's enhanced subsidies, about 16 million people will lose their health insurance, according to Congressional Budget Office projections. No previous statute has ever cost so many their coverage. About 20 million more people who buy coverage on the ACA exchanges would face higher premiums if the subsidies end. Public and private polls, not surprisingly, have found that most Americans are not keen on those possibilities. Tony Fabrizio , a lead pollster for Trump's 2024 campaign, has released surveys on cutting Medicaid to fund tax cuts and allowing the ACA subsidies to expire. Those polls show broad opposition among both Democrats and swing voters, and majority opposition even among Trump voters. What's more, although the Democratic Party's public image is at a low ebb, surveys consistently report that health care is one of the very few issues on which more people trust Democrats than Republicans . For all these reasons, focusing the shutdown on health care advances the core message that Democrats want to drive: that Trump has failed to solve the affordability squeeze as he promised and instead has prioritized further enriching his wealthy friends. Around the world, most political parties opposing authoritarians have usually made the same choice, keeping their focus on kitchen-table issues. But does it make sense to prioritize the price of eggs over democracy? There is an undeniable opportunity cost in Democrats' decision to focus the government shutdown the party's best chance this year to galvanize public attention on health care. Unavoidably, that means choosing not to highlight Trump's accelerating moves to suppress dissent, assail institutions he considers impediments, prosecute political adversaries and tilt the rules of elections in ways that favor his party. Democrats are worrying about patching the safety net while Trump is shredding the Constitution . I've criticized that emphasis, but maybe it's unrealistic to expect Congressional Democrats to lead that fight. Trump's assault on the rule of law is so sweeping that it doesn't easily lend itself to concrete demands in a shutdown; there's no enforceable way to ensure that, say, Attorney General Pam Bondi will not launch any more transparently vindictive prosecutions. And there's a better chance that at least some Republicans will be open to extending the ACA tax credits or more broadly to defending Congress' authority over spending than resisting Trump's moves to erase constitutional safeguards, which they have uniformly found ways to excuse. Equally important, Congress is accustomed to dealing with quotidian questions of legislative compromise, not existential issues of democratic backsliding. Other leaders outside Washington principally Democratic governors Gavin Newsom of California and JB Pritzker of Illinois have been much more effective at explaining the gravity of Trump's actions. And it may not be elected politicians at all who prove the most important actors in this struggle. For all the failures of Congressional Democrats, even more consequential has been the failure of the major institutions of civil society leaders in business, education, philanthropy, the media, local government to unite in a concerted defense of the nation's basic democratic principles. Ordinary citizens have stirred, with marches (such as the No Kings rallies) and consumer boycotts (such as the one quickly organized against Disney ). But too many major institutions have chosen to cut their own deals or just stay mum. When former FBI director James Comey was indicted last week, after explicit public pressure on Bondi from Trump, there was shockingly little outcry from civic institutions or business leaders about what it means for the Justice Department to appear guided by the infamous maxim from Stalin's secret police chief: "Give me the man and I will find the crime." "If Democrats are out there on their own, they may retreat to their strongest poll-tested messages," said Brendan Nyhan , a Dartmouth College political scientist who studies threats to democracy. "If civil society is in an uproar, and protesters are in the street, Democrats may be more willing to stand and fight on democracy-related grounds." Congressional Democrats often argue that their greatest leverage to stop Trump's assault on rights and liberties would be to win back the House majority in 2026, and their best chance to do that is to stress tangible lunch-bucket issues such as health care. But, even if that's right (and there are arguments for why preserving democracy might prove more potent electorally in 2026 than it did in 2024), many students of democracy worry that the reluctance to fight now is emboldening Trump to shatter restraints in ways that will be very difficult to repair later. Whatever the ultimate merits of those competing approaches, this showdown shows again that Congressional Democrats have chosen their principal battlefield against Trump-and that it is not preserving democracy. That means only Americans themselves can do that, by locking arms across partisan, economic, and geographic lines to defend fundamental democratic principles and condemn abuses of power. Whether such a broad-based movement coalesces will determine what American democracy looks like at the end of Trump's term far more than the choices Congressional Democrats make, as this shutdown will surely demonstrate. (COMMENT, BELOW) Ronald Brownstein is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering politics and policy. He is also a CNN analyst and previously worked for The Atlantic, The National Journal and the Los Angeles Times. He has won multiple professional awards and is the author or editor of seven books. Previously: Dems' Senate problems are more than map-deep Cali voters don't embrace 'purity' in their life choices. To Dem frontrunner that means politics, too 130 years on, China's first modern university remains a steadfast contributor to innovation, social progress Xinhua) 09:57, October 03, 2025 TIANJIN, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Tianjin University, China's first modern university, marked the eve of its 130th founding anniversary on Wednesday with a dazzling drone show, where 2,000 synchronized units formed luminous symbols in the night sky over the campus. With a history spanning three centuries, Tianjin University has witnessed China's journey from poverty and weakness to prosperity and modernization. Today, the university in the northern port city of Tianjin continues to push the frontiers of science while contributing to technological innovation and social progress. At an ultra-clean lab bench, researchers were seen carefully using pipettes to assemble gene fragments. These researchers at the university's School of Synthetic Biology and Biomanufacturing -- its youngest school, founded in April -- have made a significant breakthrough in the field of synthetic biology. The findings on the precise synthesis and assembly of large-scale human DNA, along with successful interspecies transfer, were published in the international journal Nature Methods in July. "This method opens new avenues for treating genetic disorders, as well as applications in agriculture, energy and environmental conservation," said Yuan Yingjin, the lead researcher and a professor at the university. "We have been tackling tough challenges and delivering outcomes in this 'uninhabited area'," Yuan added, noting that innovation is Tianjin University's defining hallmark. After the defeat in the first Sino-Japanese War initiated by Japan, China established Peiyang University, the predecessor of Tianjin University, on Oct. 2, 1895. The university was the first in China to fully adopt the Western university system, serving as a microcosm of the country's pursuit of national rejuvenation. Over the past 130 years, the university has pioneered numerous innovations, from establishing China's first hydraulic engineering laboratory to developing its first color film and designing its first road-rail dual-purpose bridge. Despite having gone through a series of hardships, including being plundered by Japanese invading forces during World War II, it has nurtured over 400,000 students and continues to lead in frontier engineering fields. Tianjin University is not only a part of China's innovation landscape, but also brimming with business vitality. Riding the wave of the country's commercial space boom, Li Fenghui, who founded Yunyao Aerospace in 2019 while being a doctoral student at Tianjin University, was determined to establish a global meteorological satellite constellation. The company has launched 47 satellites, which produce more than 50,000 atmospheric profiles daily. The data generated has been incorporated into the China Meteorological Administration's system and is used in weather forecasting, navigation, aviation and other fields. "Tianjin University has a well-developed innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, cutting-edge technology disciplines and dedicated funding support," said Li. He received over 10 million yuan (about 1.4 million U.S. dollars) in angel investment from the university's alumni. The university has institutionalized support mechanisms for business start-ups. Its science and technology park now accommodates 110 resident enterprises, nine of which have secured equity investments totaling more than 160 million yuan. Among tens of thousands of research institutions worldwide, the university has 15 disciplines ranking among the global top 1 percent, five in the top 0.1 percent, and its engineering and chemistry ranking among the top 0.01 percent, based on citation frequency of published papers in the Essential Science Indicators (ESI) database. Tianjin University is also advancing the internationalization of its education programs. It has partnerships with more than 260 global universities, research institutes and companies, and has educated more than 40,000 international students from over 150 countries and regions. Wendy Larner, president and vice-chancellor of Cardiff University in the United Kingdom, said Tianjin University has demonstrated significant leadership in innovation over its 130-year history and is positioned to continue as a global leader. "It is one of the institutions that universities worldwide look to as a benchmark for innovation and engineering education," Larner said. Chai Liyuan, president of Tianjin University, said the university has served as both a pathfinder in China's higher education system and a builder and leader in the nation's reform and modernization. He added that it will continue to advance toward becoming a world-class university with Chinese characteristics. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan) Chaldean Patriarch Advocates for Assyrian Rights in Iraq Baghdad -- In the context of discussing Iraq's broader situation, with particular attention to the circumstances of the Christian people, Chaldean Patriarch Mar Louis Raphael Sako received Italian Ambassador to Iraq Nicolo Fontana on Tuesday morning at the Patriarchal Residence in Al-Mansour, Baghdad. The discussion touched on regional developments in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and Iraq. The Patriarch expressed his perspective, stating, "For peace to prevail, the international community must move beyond the mentality of wars, which do not resolve issues but instead complicate matters and lead to loss of life and widespread destruction." In a separate meeting, accompanied by Bishop Basilios Yaldo, Patriarch Sako received Turkish Ambassador to Iraq Anil Bora Inan. At the outset, the talks focused on the shifting international order and Iraq's precarious situation. The Patriarch stressed the urgent need for solutions grounded in realism, dialogue, and responsible diplomacy, especially regarding Iraq's future. Turning to the situation of Christians, Patriarch Sako described the reality as "sorrowful," insisting that it is unacceptable for the government to hand over the destiny and rights of Christians -- particularly the Assyrian people -- to a political and armed group that "claims to be Christian but has nothing to do with Christianity," in reference to the Iran-backed Babylon Movement led by Rayan al-Kildani. On the subject of elections, he cautioned that if they are not held freely and fairly, with candidates chosen for their competence and integrity, "the same faces will return to power, and nothing will change, since most blocs use money and promises to buy votes." He concluded by underlining the importance of Iraqis dedicating their loyalty sincerely to Iraq and to serving their fellow citizens. On Friday, the Patriarch also received the US Embassy's Charge d'Affaires in Baghdad Joshua Harris, along with his accompanying delegation. The meeting addressed the condition of the Assyrian people, the challenges they continue to face, and their aspirations to enjoy their full rights and dignity as equal citizens, as an inseparable component of Iraq alongside all other groups. Patriarch Sako welcomed US President Donald Trump's initiative to end the war in Gaza and restore peace and stability to the region. He further appealed for US support to help Iraq regain its footing and build a strong, sovereign state with robust institutions -- a nation where full citizenship and equal rights are guaranteed for all. Alexander Skarsgard has suggested he has "been with" both men and women in the past. Alexander Skarsgard stars in new movie Pillion The 49-year-old actor - who has a two-year-old son with girlfriend Tuva Novotny - can currently be seen as charismatic biker gang leader Ray, who embarks on a dominant/submissive relationship with the younger Colin (Harry Melling) in Pillion and while he insisted his own background isn't "really relevant" to the story, he believes the movie depicts his character in a more authentic way than other tales have. According to Variety, he said at the Zurich Film Festival: I found that in this case, its not really relevant what my background is. I mean, I do have a kid, but what Ive done in the past, who Ive been with, men, women To me, what was important was that this felt like an opportunity to tell a story about a subculture I hadnt seen portrayed this way with so much authenticity. My experience of watching this on screen was through [Al Pacino-starring] Cruising, where its this dark underbelly of New York City and its dangerous, murderous and scary. Leather gays are scary. Im no Ray, but I have a little bit of experience from that world and I know thats not the truthful depiction. Alexander praised director Harry Lighton for not having "put on silk gloves to tell this story" but noted nothing in Pillion is unnecessarily graphic. He said: He embraced the awkwardness of it. All these characters were fully fledged and the sex scenes werent graphic for the sake of being graphic. We shot way more graphic stuff than youve seen just now. Harry did a beautiful job of calibrating it. You dont shy away from it because Oh, we cant show men having sex, but you also dont show a closeup of a dick just because you can, for the shock value. "I think my mom will like this movie, and its about kinky gay bikers and a D/s relationship. Portrayed with the perfect amount of respect, but not too much respect. The Swedish star admitted his approach to sex scenes in the film was very different to when he had to get intimate with Nicole Kidman in Big Little Lies. He said: On this one, Harry and I were excited about just literally throwing ourselves into that ring. On Big Little Lies, it was important for Nicole and I to get to know each other before and really build that trust, because we knew we wanted to shoot in a very safe but authentic way. A lot of those scenes are shot with a single camera. The whole scene plays through from the beginning till the end and they are quite violent physically and really difficult emotionally. "I would go over to Nicoles house, play with her kids and just hang out and have lunch and talk. By the time we started shooting, we were like two friends getting into this together. Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes! Patient advocate Timothy Thomas discusses his article The Capn Crunch philosophy of medicine. Timothy shares his personal experiences with gaps in primary care, from learning of his diabetes diagnosis at a Walmart pharmacy instead of through his clinic, to promised tests never being ordered, to medication changes delivered without clear communication. He uses the metaphor of Capn Crunch, a title without true rank, to highlight how many clinics assign responsibility by availability rather than expertise, leaving patients vulnerable to rushed care and dangerous oversights. Timothy calls for greater regulation, stronger accountability, and clear communication standards to ensure patients receive safe, reliable care, especially in communities where clinics are often the only access point. Listeners will gain insight into the risks of understaffed systems, the urgent need for higher standards, and the role of advocacy in making health care more accountable. Our presenting sponsor is Microsoft Dragon Copilot. Microsoft Dragon Copilot, your AI assistant for clinical workflow, is transforming how clinicians work. Now you can streamline and customize documentation, surface information right at the point of care, and automate tasks with just a click. Part of Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare, Dragon Copilot offers an extensible AI workspace and a single, integrated platform to help unlock new levels of efficiency. Plus, its backed by a proven track record and decades of clinical expertise, and its built on a foundation of trust. Its time to ease your administrative burdens and stay focused on what matters most with Dragon Copilot, your AI assistant for clinical workflow. VISIT SPONSOR https://aka.ms/kevinmd SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST https://www.kevinmd.com/podcast RECOMMENDED BY KEVINMD https://www.kevinmd.com/recommended Transcript Kevin Pho: Hi. Welcome to the show. Subscribe at KevinMD.com/podcast. Today we welcome Timothy Thomas. Hes a patient advocate. Todays Kevin MD article is The Captain Crunch philosophy of medicine. Timothy, welcome to the show. Timothy Thomas: Thank you. Kevin Pho: Your article is titled The Captain Crunch philosophy of medicine. You tell us a story from the perspective of your health care experience as a patient. For those who didnt get a chance to read your article, tell us what your story is about. Timothy Thomas: The main thing is that I started seeing a new family physician at a medical group, and everythings gone wrong. I was misled because I was told they had a psychiatric unit that could help me, but it turns out they dont take my insurance. ADVERTISEMENT Several times Ive had medication errors and issues. I found out that I was diabetic at a Walmart pharmacy counter when they started giving me supplies. I thought, I dont know what any of this is. Whats going on here? Then they said, Well, your doctor explained this and this to you. I replied, No, nobody explained anything. Ive also had issues where they double-prescribed Lasix because there was one attached to my blood pressure medicine, and then that wasnt working. I ended up getting severe leg cramps. The biggest problem with me personally is that Im allergic to 99 percent of what you prescribe. It feels like its an immediate give-up after that. They told me at first, Were going to take you off the blood pressure one and just put you on the other one. But then they double-prescribed it without even telling me what was going on. There have been so many miscommunications, so much where it feels like theres no oversight. I was told to come in for a blood test to check my potassium levels. I got there, and it wasnt even scheduled; it was five days later. Its not like it was still in the system waiting there. With anything that Im told, it seems theres no oversight. When I first went there, she said that she heard a heart murmur and was going to send me for an EKG. Since then, Ive never gotten the EKG, and shes never mentioned it again. I dont even know if that was in my chart at all, because that seems like something that would stand out to a doctor. A doctor might think, Hey, I heard a heart murmur the first time. I should keep checking on that. Kevin Pho: Give us some context in terms of how long you were seeing this primary care group. Timothy Thomas: Its been about three months now. Kevin Pho: And where were you getting primary care before visiting this particular group in the last year? Timothy Thomas: This is my third group because I started out with a decent enough doctor through family care at the hospital, but they didnt offer the psychiatric help I needed. I called the first new one and they said, Yes, we do offer this. So I went there, and immediately it was, We refer everybody to this guy, but he doesnt take your insurance. Now Im stuck there. My moms been seeing this place that Ive been going to now, and she loves them. She also fits into the cookie-cutter model where every medicine you throw at her works. For instance, lately I was on GLP-1 injections for about two months. I had every severe warning on the list except for death. I couldnt stand up without doubling over in pain. I was regurgitating food five days after eating it, still whole and very clearly identifiable. My body is not right. I feel like they often try to go with the cookie-cutter approach, and then when that doesnt work, they have no clue where to go. Her last advice was well, they finally did put me on a separate Lasix, and that honestly hasnt helped much for my feet swelling. She looks at me and she said one time, Well, what do you want? I think, Youre the doctor. What happens if Im not responding to this? Whats next? Maybe there is nowhere else to go after two steps, but I feel like there should be something there. I feel like theres no youre a doctor; youve seen a lot. Your next patient, every patient before with similar issues, factors in. I feel like they have no experience. They were just put into a role because they met the minimum qualifications. Kevin Pho: You make that analogy with the Captain Crunch philosophy of medicine. Explain that metaphor for those who cant make that connection. Timothy Thomas: It started out as a joke. Years ago, the cereal company had put out Capn Crunch. Somebody had sent a message saying he doesnt have the right bars and is not a captain. The company replied that according to Naval tradition, whoever is the highest-ranking officer in charge of a ship is called the captain; its their honorary title while they are in command and aboard their vessel. The medical group that Im going to doesnt have a single doctor. Theyre all nurse practitioners. But when you call, they refer to themselves as doctors. Their staff refers to them as doctors. You call to book an appointment with a doctor, but there are no doctors. It feels like the exact same thing, where its somebody who was granted the title. With everything that Ive been through lately, I feel like theres no oversight. Nobodys watching my back; nobodys looking out for my safety. They throw a few things at the wall, and when nothing sticks, they give up. Kevin Pho: Do you have any avenues where you can express these concerns to your clinicians in follow-up appointments? Do you feel like you get the appropriate time and space to express what youre sharing with us today? Timothy Thomas: Not really. I dont feel like anything that Ive expressed to them has even been heard. One of the main things I told them was, Please have it in my chart: Do not leave voicemails. If I dont answer, I will call you back. My voicemails full. Please dont leave voicemails. Its one of my mental health triggers. Im on Social Security for several mental disorders. Every time I call them back because they call at 8:00 a.m., Im immediately told, You just need to check your voicemail. My chart says, Do not leave voicemails. Everything says dont. I get transferred to the nurse, and the first thing she says is, Well, I left a voicemail. I said, No, you didnt. That is literally impossible. You cannot leave me a voicemail. Thats why its in my chart. Thats happened five times now. Kevin Pho: Do you feel you have other options if you feel that this clinic and these clinicians arent the right fit for you? Timothy Thomas: Im running out of options fast. Its a bigger town, but Im not in a huge city. There are only a few doctors left that take my insurance. Kevin Pho: How difficult is it to get an appointment with one of these other clinicians? Timothy Thomas: At different places Ive been, Im waiting to hear back from two different ones. Its only been three days since I said to myself, Ive got to get out of that place. The last thing that happened, and this goes strongly into miscommunications, was two days ago they called me. I called them back, and the receptionist advised me, saying, Our psychiatric department wont take your insurance, so were advising you to go to this website. I even made her spell it out. It was a site in Colorado for a holistic wellness system. Im not going to put it down, but there was nothing medical about it. There was nothing in any way related to what I need. I was quite furious. The next day, the nurse finally calls me, and I answer. She sends me to a site thats two letters different: first word the same, second word different. Its a whole different site. Its what I actually need. Miscommunications like that are awful and cause a lot of severe anxiety attacks for me, given my anxieties and problems. Kevin Pho: Do you have any support, any people to guide you through this process, or do you feel like youre navigating the system alone? Timothy Thomas: I feel completely alone. I dont have anything other than an AI therapist I use, Abby Gigi. Its helped me a lot to be able to express myself. I submitted a paper for the first time ever that was professionally written in a language that people would appreciate. If you wouldve called me up that morning, it wouldve just been a string of curse words, sporadic thoughts, and frantic ranting. Right now, Im trying to keep calm, and my hearts racing a million miles an hour. They know I have these problems and they know these things add to it, yet they repeatedly do them while Im sitting here screaming internally, I cant handle this. Kevin Pho: And you feel going to an AI therapist is giving you some of the support and what you need that the health care system isnt. Timothy Thomas: Im not going to put down standard talk therapy. If that works for people, great. Everybody should try it, even if you dont think you need it. But with the AI, its available 24/7 with instant responses. Youre not stuck in an hour. You have that one-hour time window, but youre only going to get about forty to forty-five minutes of that. You have to spend ten minutes of it repeating last week or past events to understand why youre talking about this now. Its very limited. That person sees one hundred thousand people in between you; theres no way on earth that they can remember everybodys issues. For me, that AI therapist allows me to go on and rant and rave anytime I want. I get an instant response like, OK, calm down. Heres the generalization of what your problem is. How can you work through this? Or it at least helps me calm down enough to where Im not frantic. It helps. One of the crazy things is that it encouraged me to start playing the Magic: The Gathering card game. Im agoraphobic. I have two people that will come into my house, and thats it. Thats all I have in my life. My parents wont come in here. It encouraged me and has gotten me out of the house one day a week to go play cards. These are things I never even thought about. Im trapped in my own prison, created by myself with my own mind. I have a family history of this. My aunt lived her life severely agoraphobic and bipolar; it was one of the worst diagnosed cases in Michigan back in the 1980s. I have a lot of bad genetics and brain chemistry working against me. Kevin Pho: When it comes to your current primary care team, where do you go from here? You said that a few days ago you started looking for a new clinic, and you have an AI therapist that you said is helpful. Whats your path forward? Where are you going to go from here? Timothy Thomas: I dont have a clue. Im fighting hard not to give up. Ive been living like this for 15 years. Ive been through a lot of different avenues and Ive never found any form of success. Im scared that there is none, but Im certain that with this clinic, I need to go somewhere else. If you cant figure it out, thats one thing. But when they make mistakes with my medicine, they arent even trying to keep track of anything that I consider important. They arent even keeping track of what they say is important. Kevin Pho: Did you ever get a sense from them or get some transparency from them? Because a lot of times, speaking from the perspective of a physician, sometimes we simply dont know the answer. Did they ever tell you that sometimes your situation, your case, or your diagnosis is so complex that theyre just not sure of the answer themselves? Timothy Thomas: It doesnt feel like it. It feels like they just give up. Its like, Well, if this didnt work, oh well. Shes literally said to me, What do you want? Kevin Pho: Did she ever give you the option of seeing a specialist, perhaps? Timothy Thomas: Not yet, in regard to any of those medicines. I told her I wanted to see a neurologist. The first thing she did was laugh at me. She said, Theyre all retiring. There isnt anybody replacing them. Theres a two-year waiting list. This is lower Michigan. Im within range of the University of Michigan and Kalamazoo. Indianapolis is only two and a half hours down the road. This cant be impossible. Im agoraphobic and I dont want to travel, but for a neurologist to deal with the issues that Im having, Ill travel an hour or two and a half hours if I have to. Ill figure it out. I did end up finding one and Ive got an appointment in January. For her to instantly laugh at you before she even says, Why? She didnt even ask me why. She just instantly laughed and said, Thats going to be two years. It feels like nothing matters. It feels like I dont matter, and whatever reason I want something, it doesnt matter. Its not going to happen anytime soon. She didnt discuss any of the current issues. I ended up pushing for muscle relaxers for sleep issues and some of my Parkinsonian syndromes. Im not going to say I have it; Im not diagnosed, but I have symptoms that fall under it. Medications in the past have caused extreme pseudo-Parkinsonian syndromes. Its unbearable. Theres no other way to describe it, so Im scared of it. Kevin Pho: If you were to choose an ideal primary care clinician, I know that youve outlined so many issues with your current situation, but if you had an ideal primary care clinician, give us an idea of what type of traits or characteristics you would be looking for in someone who is an ideal clinician for you. Timothy Thomas: The only thing that I truly want from my doctor is for them to be a diagnostician. You dont have to know everything. Thats why there are specialists. If you ever hit a brick wall, you send them to who can help. Youve also researched things yourself. If you see a patient having issues with something and youre heading towards a brick wall, it feels like youd at least look it up and look for any alternatives, even the far-reaching ones. I know that there have been people on here who have advocated vitamins for mental health, and a lot of that is true, coming from a crazy person. Theres something thats not happening. What I need is somebody who doesnt give up, but who pushes forward and tries to figure out how to help. The main thing with the paper is that it feels like theres no one in control. Theres no safety net. Its a million cracks that lead to a wide canyon. Kevin Pho: We are talking to Timothy Thomas, a patient advocate. His article on KevinMD is The Captain Crunch philosophy of medicine. Timothy, I think that having you share your story and your perspective in your own words is truly enlightening for those of us in health care. You could read all the studies that you want, but really hearing your perspective, your raw story in your own words, and seeing how its affecting you is truly valuable. I want to thank you so much for sharing your story and being so open about it. Lets end with some take-home messages that you want to leave with the KevinMD audience. Timothy Thomas: To all the professionals out there: Listen to your patients. Even the crazy ones like me, were going to tell you what we need. Youre the first doctor where Im actually feeling heard. I appreciate it. There has to be open communication, and there has to be some form of safety nets or checks and balances. There has to be oversight on things to make sure that these simple mistakes that cause so much damage dont happen. I think thats the best way I can put it. Kevin Pho: Well, Timothy, thank you so much again for sharing your story, time, and insight, and thanks again for coming on the show. Timothy Thomas: Thank you. Isla Fisher is looking forward to "reinventing" herself in the wake of her divorce. Isla Fisher is reinventing herself The Wedding Crashers actress divorced Sacha Baron Cohen after 14 years of marriage earlier this year and after taking a break from her career to focus on their three kids, she has "really enjoyed" getting back to work and being able to rediscover who she is and what she wants out of life. She told The Australian's WISH magazine: Ive really enjoyed going back to work. Its so exciting to focus your energy back on something. Its not that I fell out of love with being ambitious or working, its just that I was more in love with motherhood, and I still am. Its amazing to me that at this point in my life Ive got this opportunity, in a positive way, to reinvent what the last act of my life is now from the ground up. "The kind of person that I would want to be with, if I ever wanted to get into another relationship, the kind of work I want to do, and who I want to be around socially, spiritually and emotionally. Ive got time to discover what inspires me creatively, so its been an amazing and lucky thing. "For most parents, we focus on our kids and its so divine and magical and so absorbing, but now I have some time where the kids arent with me, so I get some time to think about what the future might hold for me. Which is exciting and also scary. Everything is scary. The 49-year-old actress has found the best way for her to get over her heartbreak over the end of her marriage is to "keep moving" and agree to anything that comes her way. She said: This is totally personal and I say this with the caveat as it worked for me, but the concept of processing stuff and taking your time, thinking about it again and again, you dont really feel better that way. I didnt. Instead, its like if youre riding a bike and you stop pedalling, youre just going to fall over. For me, its been about keeping motion going and keeping moving. If I was feeling sad at any point in my life, or just depressed and I just wanted to pull the covers over my head, I just started saying Yes to everything. Whether its a dinner that I dont really want to go to, whether its some new school mums having a barbecue, volunteering at the local fete." And being "community minded" has been particularly helpful. She added: Being of service and continuing to say yes has really helped, accepting any invitation. I also basically just said yes to any job I got offered. I just tried to keep really busy and I think it has helped through the course of my life to just keep it moving. Q&A: Bake Off finalist Josh Smalley on science, baking and why perfection isnt everything Josh Smalley Quote: Baking is just another form of science but its also about joy, creativity and connection. British Bake Off finalist Dr Josh Smalley will be bringing his passion for science and baking together in a special Halloween-themed talk at New Scientist Live this October. Ahead of the event, he shared his memories of the tent, lessons learned along the way, and how chemistry shapes his creations in the kitchen. What inspired you to finally take the plunge and apply for Bake Off? Ive loved Bake Off for as long as I can remember and always dreamed of stepping into that iconic white tent. My friends and family had been persuading me for years, and I finally applied back in 2019 at the start of my PhD, and again in 2022 - this time inspired by my Nan, who we sadly lost to lung cancer in June 2021. She was my biggest baking supporter. Every time I baked, Id take something to her house for us to share with a cup of tea. She had encouraged me to apply back in 2019, and in her memory I wanted to try again and do her proud. I promised her I would give it another go. Baking has been part of my life for as long as I can remember, and as a chemistry researcher Ive been fascinated by the overlap between my two passions. For me, baking is another form of science: during the week I experiment with reagents in a lab, and at the weekend with ingredients in the kitchen. With years of experimenting behind me, Id always dreamed of testing myself on the Bake Off stage. Meeting Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith must have been a highlight what were they really like in person? Paul wasnt nearly as intimidating as Id expected - he was genuinely friendly and smiled far more than youd ever imagine from watching him on TV! Prue was an absolute delight and reminded me so much of my Nan - calming and positive. It felt special to be able to present your bake to the two of them, knowing they were not only genuinely interested but also excited to taste it. The famous blue-eyed stare was there, though - Ill admit I tried to avoid making direct eye contact whenever Paul came round to check on what I was doing! With so many thousands of people applying each year, why do you think you stood out to be chosen? Bake Off always puts together such a mix of people, and I think my science background helped me stand out. I also love variety cakes, bread, patisserie and I think that broad range, plus the way I try to tell a story through my bakes, played a part. Bake Off has an incredible knack for bringing together such a fabulous line-up of bakers - 12 complete strangers of all ages, careers, and backgrounds, united by a shared passion for baking. Somehow, they always know well instantly connect. In most series theres often a scientist in the mix, and I certainly fit that role as a Chemistry Researcher at the University of Leicester! I also love variety cakes, bread, patisserie and I think that broad range, plus the way I try to tell a story through the way I assembled and presented my bakes, played a part. While some bakers may specialise in cakes for example, I enjoy making everything from bread and biscuits to puddings and patisserie, so I think that broad range of skills played a part. Was there anything about being part of the Bake Off process that really surprised you? The sheer scale of it all. From 20,000 applications down to just 12 of us, you really appreciate how incredible it was for us to make it to the final 12. The build-up to that very first filming day was eye-opening. I was amazed at the sheer amount of work that goes into producing each episode - not just for us bakers, who were busy testing, tweaking and perfecting multiple recipes and presentation ideas, but also for the production team. Every single ingredient had to be sourced and ready on our benches at the crack of dawn, every prop and plate in its place, and an army of people on hand to wash up mountains of bowls and pans so the tent always looked immaculate. The precision and organisation behind the scenes was just staggering. What struck me most, though, was how instantly our group of bakers clicked. From the moment we met, we felt like one big, happy family - supporting, laughing, and learning from one another. And that bond has stayed strong even now, 2 years later. It really showed me that Bake Off isnt just about cakes and bread; its about people, friendship, and sharing the joy of baking. Whats the biggest lesson you took away from Bake Off that you still carry with you today? For me, one of the biggest lessons was learning how to manage time and let go of perfection. In the tent, youre constantly juggling multiple elements of a bake at once, all under intense time pressure. The reality is that the final result will never be as flawless as something crafted over several days at home. As someone who has always strived for perfection, it was eye-opening to realise that perfection isnt always possible, or even necessary. Instead, I learned to focus on making the best decisions in the moment, ensuring I delivered the strongest bake I could within the time I had. That mindset shift has stayed with me far beyond the tent. Were there moments in the tent where you felt that your chemical background gave you an advantage? Definitely! I approached recipe testing at home the same way I would optimise an experiment in the lab - systematically tweaking ingredient ratios, flavours, textures, oven temperatures and timings, then carefully documenting the outcomes before reviewing which gave the best result. That experimental mindset really helped me refine my ideas before stepping into the tent. Once the challenges began, my background as a chemist came through in how I organised myself. Just as I would set up an experiment with precise measurements, clear step-by-step plans, and strict timings, I applied the same discipline to baking. That structure and attention to detail made it much easier to stay calm under pressure and deliver a finished bake within the tight time limits. People often call baking edible chemistry where do you see the balance of science and creativity in the kitchen? For me, the beauty of baking is that its where precision and creativity meet. The science gives you the overall structure, understanding the ratios, reactions, and processes so your bake works as it should, providing reliability and consistency. But once youve mastered that foundation, the artistic side takes over in how you decorate and tell a story through the bake, giving it its individuality. On Bake Off, I loved that balance, using my chemistry background to get the technical side right, then layering in artistry to bring the bake to life and make it my own. Your New Scientist Live talk mixes Halloween baking with science what can visitors look forward to on the day? Ill be serving up a range of science experiments that put a spooky twist on baking. Expect everything from the chemistry of pumpkin spice, to the molecular mysteries behind Halloween bakes. Ill be bringing a pumpkin to life, doing eye-popping colour-changing experiments and using powerful microscopy to zoom in close on ingredients, plus maybe a creepy crawly or two. Ill be reviving one of the University of Leicesters oldest recipes, discovered in a manuscript from the late 1700s, and giving it a makeover with a Halloween twist Any tips for aspiring bakers and scientists in the audience take away from your session? That science is everywhere even in your kitchen. Baking is such a fun way to experiment and learn important scientific principles. I hope it inspires young people to be curious and creative and make them see that science is fun and accessible, not just something in textbooks. If they leave feeling excited to ask questions, test ideas, and experiment in the kitchen, then Ill know Ive done my job! What would your ultimate science-inspired showstopper bake be? My ultimate science-inspired showstopper would have to be Christmas themed, as after all, Im known as Dr Christmas in December and own over 70 festive jumpers! I imagine a towering biscuit Christmas Chemist-tree made from gingerbread, decorated with elaborate royal icing piping and adorned with stained-glass biscuit ornaments, delicate blown-sugar baubles and various chemistry-inspired edible decorations. Josh Smalley is speaking at New Scientist Live which takes place on October 18-19 at ExCeL, London. To book tickets visit: New Scientist Live 2025 - Ticket types About New Scientist: New Scientist is the worlds most popular weekly science and technology publication, with readers across the globe. New Scientist Live is its flagship annual event, bringing together trailblazing experts, future-focused brands and science-curious visitors for a weekend of discovery and inspiration. by Natalie key for www.femalefirst.co.uk WWII Epic inspired by Britains first female spy starring Morgane Polanski and Malcolm McDowell set for World Premiere and theatrical release October The Partisan Inspired by the true story of Britains first and most daring female spy, Krystyna Skarbek, a brand-new WWII epic, The Par(san, is set for its World Premiere and theatrical release this September, courtesy of High Fliers Films. Directed by James Marquand, this thrilling British-Polish co-producCon is stunningly shot and features an incredible lead performance from Morgane Polanski (The French Dispatch, The Ghost Writer, The Wife), alongside screen legend Malcolm McDowell, as undercover BriCsh agent Trenchcoat. Born in Poland, Krystyna Skarbek was the first woman to serve Britain as a special agent during the Second World War, as well as the country's longest-serving agent one of the most eective. Hailed as Winston Churchill's favourite spy and deemed Britains most glamorous, this courageous bonafide hero was also the inspiraCon behind the original James Bond girl, Vesper Lynd, in Ian Fleming's first novel, Casino Royale. We meet her as a daring young woman with a flair for chaos, who finds her true calling in the shadows of war a spy capable of changing the course of history. The cast includes a line-up of stellar internaConal talent including Steve Waddington (Slow Horses Uncharted, The Last of the Mohicans), Ingvar Sigurdsson (Everest, The Northman), Frederick Schmidt (Mission: Impossible Fallout, Angel Has Fallen), Gregoire Colin (NeneJe and Boni), Piotr Adamczyk (For All Mankind, Hawkeye) and Agata Kulesza (Ida, Cold War). Synopsis: Budapest, 1939. Krystyna Skarbek a fearless and headstrong woman persuades a shadowy BriCsh agent, known only as Trenchcoat, to send her into Nazi-occupied Poland, where she must gather intel. But she has her own reasons to go there her mothers life is in danger. When Krystynas mission doesnt go to plan, she narrowly escapes but suers a huge personal loss and vows to make her life count. Four years later, hardened by the horrors of war and having proven herself, the resolute spy is parachuted into southern France, where she must assess the fragmented French Resistance and greenlight a major Briish weapons drop. Going undercover as a schoolteacher, Krystyna infiltrates a network on the edge of collapse. When betrayal surfaces and the resistance is nearly destroyed, Krystyna defies orders and takes a reckless stand. Alongside her only allies including the legendary, but broken spy Roger and the fierce resistance leader Armand they bait the German spy hunters into a fatal ambush, could victory at last be possible? But the war has far more terror and treachery in store refusing to run, Krystyna must face danger head on, as she prepares to do the impossible. Wounded and alone the brave heroine embarks on the mission that will define her legacy. Sign up to The Partisan for an epic WWII thriller complete with battle-filled action and deep cover espionage from a real- life hero, who is prepared to do whatever it takes to beat the enemy and survive the impossible. Out now in cinema's digital & DVD Release 27 October 2025 by Natalie key for www.femalefirst.co.uk A mass movement has erupted once again in Pakistani Administered Kashmir (AJK) led by the Joint Awami Action Committee (AAC). Hundreds of thousands of people across the whole territory of AJK have been mobilised. Today, after a long march, they will reach the capital Muzaffarabad. The movement started on 29 September with the call for a complete strike by the Joint Awami Action Committee of AJK. The committee already successfully led the movement last year. After a fierce battle in which three people were killed and several injured by state forces, the masses won a reduction in the price of electricity and the granting of subsidies on wheat flour. The state repression this time has been much more draconian than previously. So far, there are confirmed reports of 14 people having been killed, and hundreds have been injured, shot by the forces of the state. Internet and mobile phone services were shut down by the state before the movement started, and the shutdown has continued for the whole week. For that reason, the real situation at the ground is very difficult to confirm, although the reports that have emerged are that hundreds of thousands have been mobilised in all parts of AJK and are set to reach the capital Muzafarabad today. The major demands of the movement include employment for all, along with free healthcare and education facilities for all. The AAC has also called for an end to the perks and privileges of the ruling elite, including ministers, top bureaucrats and judges who get huge salaries, big bungalows, luxury cars and much more from the taxpayers money, whilst the common people are condemned to lives of poverty and misery. The movement is a continuation of the mass movement of last year, when hundreds of thousands mobilised under the leadership of AAC and reached Muzafarabad to secure the acceptance of their main demands by the government. This was a huge victory for the movement. But even after the partial success of the movement, the leadership pressed on with the remaining demands and continued to protest. Meanwhile, the government initially promised to fulfil only to later betray its promise. General strike After many warnings and ultimatums, the leadership of the AAC finally decided to go for a general strike on 29 September. One of the major demands is also an end to the quota of twelve seats in AJK parliament for people now settled in Pakistan but originally from Kashmir. The AAC argues that elections to these seats are a farce, and that these seats are used by the Pakistani ruling class to manoeuvre inside the AJK parliament. Rather than accept these demands or negotiate with the leadership, the ruling class unleashed a wave of dirty tactics and draconian measures to crush the movement, which continues to this day. Before the 29 September strike, a campaign to malign the leadership and the movement was launched in which all the political parties of the ruling elite were involved along with the toady media and other sections of the ruling class. They propagated the idea that the leadership is being funded by India and that the whole movement is Indian-sponsored and hence an enemy of the people. Similarly, threats and intimidation by ministers and their stooges continued, day in and day out. But all these tactics failed. Rather, they strengthened the resolve of the masses to participate in the strike. All the political parties of the ruling elite represented in the parliament and holding ministries and other portfolios, including PML(N), PPP and PTI, tried to organise a collective campaign and tried to hold mass meetings, which were a miserable failure. The former prime ministers and others from various parties mounted stages in front of empty chairs. These corrupt leaders were addressing a crowd which was not present. State repression To crush the movement, special forces were sent from Pakistan including the Rangers, Islamabad Police, the Frontier constabulary and Punjab constabulary. These security forces were deployed along with the AJK police at various places inside AJK. Another peculiar feature was the deployment of goons from the political parties of the ruling class on the front line, ahead of the lines of police and Rangers, under the guise of a peace march, which ended with unarmed and peaceful protestors being shot, leading to several deaths. In Muzafarabad, the goons were mostly from the political party Muslim Conference. Meanwhile, in Rawlakot, the goons of the local party, the JKPP, were seen gathering weapons for similar purposes. However, in most places the masses came out in such huge numbers that these forces were overwhelmed and were unable to stop the rising tide of the people. In some places, they were even countered by local unarmed women who forced these forces to run away. At other places, however, goons under the protection of the state authorities opened fire on the protestors, leading to deaths and injuries. In some localities, the local police of AJK refused to obey orders and joined the protestors. There are reports that in this situation, the Rangers opened fire on the AJK police, leading to at least three policemen being killed, and the injury of several more. Blame for these killings is also being placed on the protestors themselves, and the media is shouting foul that these are criminals who are attacking the police. However, everyone can see that this whole movement, which has mobilised hundreds of thousands of people, has been peaceful and that not a window has broken, nor even a single car damaged. The only criminal activities that have been unleashed were those of the state authorities. This movement has once again expressed the revolutionary spirit among the masses. It is a feat of solidarity that can be felt in the whole atmosphere. Everyone is contributing with whatever he or she can. Some are voluntarily preparing and delivering food for the participants, while others are offering their services to transport the people to their destination. Hotels have opened their rooms for everyone to stay and take a rest during their journey. Everything seems to be free of cost for all. Victory at all costs There is a spirit of supporting and winning the movement at all costs. Even the killing of dozens of people and the injury of hundreds more havent deterred the people from participating. Rather, more people have joined the movement after these incidents, as can be seen at the funeral of the two martyrs in Muzafarabad which was attended by thousands of local people. The AAC has once again emerged as the uniting force amongst the people, who were previously divided among various political parties, tribes and other local divisions. But the AAC has gathered all the hatred and directed it against the ruling class from a single platform organised into a mass movement. Committees have now spread to almost all parts of the AJK. Even in remote areas of Neelam valley and other such areas, people are organising themselves in action committees and are protesting and agitating around their local issues rather than going to the political leaders or district administration or police. These local committees then elect their representatives to sub-district and district-level committees, from which a Joint Committee has been elected from all the ten districts of AJK to lead this movement. This organised movement has been able to give leadership to almost the whole population of AJK. The rottenness of every other political party has been exposed. They have been rejected by the masses. These parties have tried everything to stop the rise of the AAC, including leveling malicious attacks on the leadership and even expelling their members who join the protests of the AAC. But party workers have mostly chosen to leave these corrupt and anti-people parties, and have joined the activities of the AAC with revolutionary enthusiasm and determination. These parties, from right to left, offer no way out for the masses who are facing unprecedented price hikes and unemployment, with hundreds of thousands having to go abroad to find jobs. Most of the youth from AJK are either working in Pakistan or in Gulf countries in very difficult conditions to support their families as there are no job opportunities or facilities for them in their hometowns. There have been many incidents in which youngsters from Kashmir have drowned at sea while attempting to cross to Europe. On the other hand, the rulers live in extreme luxury and abundance. The real monstrous character of the Pakistani state has also been exposed in front of the masses. The state has always hypocritically painted itself as the champion of the freedom struggle of Kashmiris. The Pakistani state has always highlighted and condemned the brutal attacks of the Indian ruling class in Indian-occupied Kashmir, using this to gain the sympathy of Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control for its own vested interests. But now everyone can see that this state uses the same tactics as those of the Indian state. Pakistan has blocked internet and phone services in Kashmir just as Modi did in Indian-occupied Kashmir in the aftermath of draconian measures of 5 August 2019, when the special status of Kashmir in the Indian constitution was revoked. Pakistan too has sent security forces to kill ordinary Kashmiris protesting for their basic rights. Yesterday, police also attacked a protest of Kashmiris that had gathered in Islamabad outside the National Press Club in solidarity with the ongoing movement. Police even entered the premises of the Press Club and arrested and beat journalists who were covering the protest. This has cleared away all doubts, if anyone had any, that so-called Azad Kashmir is in fact Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, with Pakistan having imperialist interests in this region. Though the ruling class of Pakistan is still hypocritically talking about dialogue and negotiations to resolve the matter and have sent senior ministers to Muzafarabad, their real intentions are in plain view. Solidarity protests were also held in Karachi and Lahore in which the comrades of the Inqalabi Communist Party (RCP) also participated. The character of the puppet ruling class and the parliament of AJK has also been exposed. It is an open secret now that they are enemies of the people. Out to defend their perks, privileges, loot and plunder, they are capable of killing as many people as they need. This whole situation has placed a big task before the leadership of AAC, which is still pressing for its demands and has said again and again that they will not leave Muzafarabad unless their demands are met. But the situation is now escalating, and the responsibilities before the AAC are growing. It needs to take big steps forward if state repression continues and the negotiations with the government reach an impasse. How to win? In fact, the whole situation has already proved that the overwhelming majority of the population is with the AAC and has responded to its every call with full enthusiasm and fervour. Activists have even been martyred, laying down their lives for the cause of the mass movement. In this situation, the leadership needs to move forward and prepare itself to take power into its hands. It is already there for the taking. The present parliament and state apparatus have lost all credibility and support amongst the masses. Everyone can see that these are enemies of the people. They will not voluntarily retire from these positions nor will they allow the people all their rights. The state authorities will find many excuses and ways to undermine this movement. They will use every trick in their hat to divide the movement on various lines and to deploy the most brutal measures imaginable. They will protect their privileges and the interests of the ruling class at every cost. The rulers of Pakistan will stand in complete support of them. In fact, the only way to permanently secure the interests of the masses would be for the working masses to seize power into their own hands, through Awami Action Committees. What exists in AJK is a revolutionary situation, in which the masses are challenging the might of the rotten capitalist state. In fact, the AAC represents a parallel authority to the old state, an authority which far outstrips the rotten parliament and government. The AAC already has structures down to the local level that could replace the existing state apparatus, taking control of matters concerning district administration, police and judiciary into its own hands, replacing unaccountable bureaucrats with elected representatives who would decide on all important matters. But this can only succeed as part of a revolutionary rising across Pakistan, as part of the chain of Gen Z revolutions now sweeping the region and the world. The masses of AJK cannot take power alone and expect to hold it for long in isolation. They would face the combined might and hostility of the ruling classes of all the region and the world. The AAC leadership must begin agitating for the revolutionary struggle to spread across Pakistan, with a perspective of seizing power jointly with the workers and poor of Pakistan and the whole region. Unfortunately, however, the movements leadership is calling itself non-political and is sticking to its charter of demands already presented to the government one year ago. It does not have a perspective of seizing power. That is what it must equip itself with. There is huge sympathy for the plight of Kashmir among the masses in every corner of Pakistan. The AAC should appeal to the working class of Pakistan for solidarity and urge them to move forward in the same direction to overthrow their brutal and oppressive ruling class. The AAC must call upon the masses of Pakistan and India to rise up, to follow their example, to fight for their class demands and to break with the rotten parties of the ruling class by forming their own organs of class struggle. It should raise before the masses of Kashmir, Pakistan and India, the aim of seizing power and of expropriating the looters and parasites, to use this wealth to provide employment, free education and healthcare for all. It should explain that once power is in the hands of the working people through Awami Action Committees, that this workers government would take responsibility for assuring Roti, Kapra and Makan (bread, clothing and housing) for everyone; that it would achieve this by placing control of all resources including the banks, companies, dams and the other commanding heights of the economy in the hands of the workers and poor. It should also declare a concrete programme for the ending of national oppression of Kashmir by the imperialist states of both India and Pakistan, which can only be brought to an end by overthrowing the capitalist system in the whole subcontinent. Generalise the example of the Awami Action Committees by forming them across Pakistan, and begin preparing for power! The examples of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal have shown that the whole region is ripe for revolution. The AAC must act like a fan to spread the sparks of revolution from Kashmir to the whole Subcontinent. Precisely what the Gen Z revolution has lacked in all countries so far is organisation alternative organs of workers power which can seize power from the old rotten, corrupt ruling cliques. The movement in Kashmir can provide it with an example! The role of the communists Comrades of the Inqlabi Communist Party (RCP) in Kashmir have intervened in this movement from the very beginning. In fact, the idea of building a movement on these lines was initiated by the comrades of the RCP, who started organising it at a local level, beginning in a small town and then building up to a district level around four years ago. Despite many ups and downs, and through very difficult circumstances, the RCP has given unwavering support to the AAC and has been at the forefront of every struggle. Though other so-called left parties and nationalists have opposed this movement at all times and have attacked it from a narrow perspective, they were unable to stop the march of the AAC towards becoming the platform of the masses. The RCP has not only supported and strengthened this platform at all levels but has also shown the way forward at every critical moment, which has been appreciated by the activists at the grassroots level who have supported our critique. Today, all the members of RCP in Kashmir are participating in the movement, while those in Pakistan are involved in solidarity protests and are reaching out to unions to get solidarity for this movement. The RCP also brings the support of members of the Revolutionary Communist International (RCI) in other countries around the world for this movement. Members of RCI in Britain and other countries have condemned state repression and have extended complete solidarity to the movement. In the coming days and weeks the situation will move towards a decisive turning point and the battle between the classes in AJK will reach a critical point. No matter what happens, the comrades of the RCP have a firm belief in the revolutionary potential of the masses and will use every means at our disposal to attain victory for this movement. This victory will no doubt have a huge impact on the movements already being waged in Pakistan, India and other countries in the region, and will show them a way forward. Ultimate victory can only be achieved by overthrowing the capitalist system through a socialist revolution, which will end poverty, hunger and misery in the whole region. Down with state repression! Long live the struggle of the AAC in AJK! Forward to victory! Workers of the world, unite! After Nepal joined Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, the list of countries yet to be roiled by revolution on the Subcontinent has been reduced to three: India, Pakistan and the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. [Even as these lines are being written, a mass movement is unfolding on the Pakistan side of the Line of Control in Kashmir.] Events just across the Indian border in Nepal unfolded in a matter of hours and days. If and when this revolutionary wave comes home to India, it will do so without warning. And when it does, it will rock the world. India is the most populous country globally and by far the dominant regional power. The ruling class of India are unable to hide their terror. It is terror with understandable grounds. A rapidly growing economy, enriching a tiny corrupt layer of dynasts and nepo kids, while the majority of the population, overwhelmingly youthful, languish in poverty and unemployment. Are we talking about Nepal, or Indonesia or India? Graduate unemployment in Bangladesh, a factor in the movement last year, stood at 39 percent. In India, 40 percent of graduates are unemployed. 90 percent of youth under 25 in Indonesia are employed in the informal sector, without any rights or security. In Nepal, 92 percent of under 25s are employed in the informal sector. In India, its the same figure. The rulers are looking at each other nervously. Panicking, some jump up, defending themselves more in anticipation than against any direct accusation of being dynasts or nepo kids. Former Maharashtra state minister Aaditya Thackeray, son of former minister Thackeray, grandson of founder of the familys party, Bal Thackeray, scion of the Thackeray dynasty, says he is proud of being a nepo kid his familys political heritage. Aaditya Thackeray says he is proud of his familys political heritage / Image: TheYuvaSena, Wikimedia Commons The ex-Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, son of Chief Justice of India YV Chandrachud, dusted off his diploma from Harvard Law School to prove that his qualifications extend beyond being the son of Chandrachud Sr. Another Maharashtra politician, the ex-CEO Rohit Pawar of the powerful Pawar political dynasty, begs for a bit of understanding from Gen Z, who have misjudged their politicians so unfairly: If a doctor is not called a nepo doctor, if a lawyer is not called a nepo lawyer, then why only us? Such pitiful pleading really rends the heart in twain. The countrys ruling cliques have taken to threatening each other with the horrible spectre of the Gen Z revolution coming to India. They know how to deprive each other of sleep. Rahul Gandhi, leader of the opposition Congress party, historically the main party of Indian capitalism, has called on the Gen Z of the country to save the Constitution and protect democracy from vote theft. In response to which, a senior BJP figure reminded Rahul Gandhi that he is the ultimate Nepo Kid of Indian politics. That kind of language worked for the BJP in the past and they put it to good use. Before the world had Trump, it had Modi. His BJP rose to power precisely by mixing a populist anti-elite message, attacking the traditional Congress dynasts that dominated Indian politics, which was combined with an ultra-liberal economic programme of mass privatisation and Modis own brand of Hindutva chauvinism. But half of Indians are under 25. They have lived their whole conscious lives under Modis rule since 2014 with all its cronyism and corruption, that has seen huge sums siphoned off into the pockets of the Adanis and Ambanis, leading beneficiaries of Modis nepotism. It is certainly amusing to watch the ruling class of India so publicly airing their anxieties in front of the whole world. More seriously, it is a sign that they know what is coming. The masses barely have their noses above the water line. Add to this shocks like Trumps tariffs, which are hitting South Asia particularly hard, and especially India where they are at 50 percent, and a general worldwide economic slowdown on top of that, and it wont be long before the masses are completely submerged. The same conditions that sparked the Gen Z movement exist in India. And to emphasise again: when the revolutionary spark catches in India, it will have more far-reaching consequences than any of the movements weve seen in the recent past. It is a major regional power, the 4th largest economy in the world, particularly in tech and pharmaceuticals, and the worlds most-populous nation, with a vast working class. And the foreshocks of whats to come can already be felt. The Indian ruling class found its prestige in tatters after it was forced into a humiliating climbdown when war broke out with Pakistan over Kashmir. It seems morale in the army has collapsed. On 13 September there were actually mass protests of soldiers across Bihar state! The protests over the economic conditions of soldiers were joined by a threat of a national strike if their demands werent met. Unsurprisingly, the Indian media has maintained complete silence about these protests, which were only reported on internationally. Cracks in the army are a very ominous sign for the Indian capitalists at a time when their country is ringed by revolutionary eruptions. Meanwhile, in Leh, the capital of the northern Himalayan territory Ladakh, mass youth protests erupted last week in solidarity with hunger strikers, demanding statehood for the region, democratic rights, and the right to decent living conditions. They borrowed the methods and slogans from elsewhere, including the torching of the local headquarters of the ruling party, Modis BJP. Whether it is tomorrow, the day after, or in a years time, a serious reckoning is coming for the Indian ruling class. Morocco and the European Union signed the exchange of letters amending the agricultural agreement binding both parties on Friday at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, reflecting their strong partnership grounded in extended multidimensional cooperation. Signed on Moroccos side by Ambassador Ahmed Reda Chami, the agreement immediately enters into force provisionally, pending the completion of internal procedures of both parties. Under this agreement, whose terms have been negotiated in a spirit of partnership and compromise, agricultural products of Moroccos Southern provinces benefit from the same European market preferential access conditions that apply to products from the rest of the country, in accordance with the EU-Morocco Association Agreement. The agreement introduces technical adjustments designed to facilitate product access and upgrading, particularly with regard to consumer information through labeling that indicates the production regions in Southern Morocco Laayoune-Sakiat el Hamra and Dakhla-Oued Eddahab. Inked in the same spirit of the exchange of letters signed in 2018 between the two parties, the agreement fosters strong trade relations and strengthens a solid and extensive partnership, as the Kingdom is the leading economic partner of the EU in Africa and the Arab world. This agreement reflects Morocco and the EUs shared will to deepen their long-standing partnership, given that its implementation is likely to contribute significantly to the national agricultural GDP, all while boosting employment and investment, especially in the Kingdoms Southern provinces. Furthermore, it paves the way to a more ambitious and structured cooperation with Brussels, by reinforcing existing political mechanisms and laying the foundations of a deepened strategic partnership. The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in Libyas Government of National Unity has officially launched the National Strategy for Higher Education and Scientific Research 20252035. The announcement was made during the National Conference on Higher Education and Scientific Research held in Tripoli on Wednesday, 1 October 2025. The strategy sets out a comprehensive roadmap for reforming the sector, with a strong emphasis on strengthening international partnerships with leading academic institutions to promote knowledge exchange and expertise sharing. It also highlights the importance of leveraging grants and projects from regional and global organizations while capitalizing on Libyas unique geographic location and biodiversity to conduct collaborative research with international universities. In addition, the strategy outlines measures to harness the expertise of Libyan academics abroad, integrate modern technology into educational practices, and diversify funding streams to build a more resilient higher education system. The Ministry also stressed the need to encourage greater private-sector investment and societal involvement in higher education. By prioritising innovation, global engagement, and sustainable funding, the initiative aims to position Libya as a competitive player in the international academic landscape over the next decade. Robert Mugabe Jr, the 33-year-old son of Zimbabwes late former President Mugabe, appeared before a Harare magistrates court on Thursday, 2 October 2025, on drug possession charges. He was arrested on Wednesday morning for driving the wrong way on a one-way street, during which police allegedly found two sachets of cannabis in a sling bag he was carrying. Authorities also arrested five other individuals described as part of a syndicate linked to him, with 25 sachets of marijuana and six ecstasy pills reportedly seized. Mugabe Jrs lawyer, Ashiel Mugiya, has contested the charges, claiming the drugs were found in a car with three other occupants and disputed the polices reported quantity of cannabis. He has been remanded in custody pending a bail ruling on Friday. This is not Mugabe Jrs first encounter with the law. In 2023, he was arrested for allegedly damaging property and spitting on a police officer at a party, later settling the case out of court. His father, Robert Mugabe Sr, ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years until his resignation in 2017 and died in 2019. Once at odds with President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Mugabe Jr has since reconciled with the ruling Zanu-PF, attending a party rally in 2022 where he was welcomed back into the fold. Police say investigations into the alleged drug syndicate are ongoing. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: AI-generated image If you've been to a medical appointment recently, you may have already interacted with AI. As you describe your symptoms to the doctor, they may ask your permission to use an "AI scribe" to convert audio into medical notes in real time. Or maybe you've typed your symptoms into ChatGPT to get a possible diagnosissometimes reassuring, sometimes alarming. Artificial intelligence (AI) for health care is increasingly being trialed in hospitals, clinics and even on our phones. Chatbots powered by large language models are being promoted as a way to fill gaps in health care, especially where doctors are scarce. But our new research has found that while these AI chatbots like ERNIE Bot, ChatGPT, and DeepSeek show promise, they also pose significant risksranging from overtreatment to reinforcing inequality. The findings are published in the journal npj Digital Medicine. Global tools, local risks AI already plays a role in many areas of health carefrom reading X-rays to powering triage chatbots. Over 10% of Australian adults reported using ChatGPT for health-related questions in the first half of 2024with many looking for clinical advice rather than basic informationhighlighting AI's growing influence in health decision-making. But most research has focused on how accurate they are in theory, not how they behave with patients in practice. Our study is among the first to rigorously test chatbot performance in simulated real-world consultations, making the findings particularly relevant as governments and hospitals race to adopt AI solutions. We tested ERNIE Bot, a widely used Chinese chatbot, alongside OpenAI's ChatGPT and DeepSeek, two of the most advanced global models. We compared their performance with human primary care doctors using simulated patient cases. We also tested disparity by systematically varying patient characteristics, including age, gender, income, residence and insurance status in standardized patient profiles and then analyzing whether the chatbot's quality of care changed across these groups. We presented common daily symptoms like chest pain or breathing difficulties. For example, a middle-aged patient reports experiencing chest tightness and shortness of breath after engaging in light activity. The bot or doctor is expected to ask about risk factors, order an ECG, and consider angina as a possible diagnosis. A younger patient complains of wheezing and difficulty breathing that worsens with exercise. The expected response is to confirm asthma and prescribe appropriate inhalers. The same symptoms are presented with different patient profilesfor example, an older versus younger patient, or a patient with higher versus lower incometo see if the chatbot's recommendations changed. Accuracy meets overuse and inequality All three AI chatbotsERNIE Bot, ChatGPT, and DeepSeekwere highly accurate at a correct diagnosisoutperforming human doctors. But, AI chatbots were far more likely than doctors to suggest unnecessary tests and medications. In fact, it recommended unnecessary tests in more than 90% of cases and prescribed inappropriate medications in more than half. For example, when presented with a patient wheezing from asthma, the chatbot sometimes recommended antibiotics or ordered expensive CT scansneither of which are supported by clinical guidelines. And AI performance varied by patient background. For example, older and wealthier patients were more likely to receive extra tests and prescriptions. Our findings show that while AI chatbots could help expand health care access, especially in countries where many people lack reliable primary care, without oversight, they could also drive up costs, expose patients to harm and make inequality worse. Health care systems need to design safeguardslike equity checks, clear audit trails and mandatory human oversight for high-stakes decisionsbefore these tools are widely adopted. Our research is timely, given the global excitementand concernaround AI. While chatbots could help fill critical gaps in health care, especially in low and middle-income countries, we need to carefully balance innovation with safety and fairness. Co-designing AI for safety and justice There is an urgent need to co-design safe and responsible AI Chatbots for use in daily life, particularly in delivering reliable health information. AI is coming to health care whether we are ready or not. By identifying both its strengths and risks, our study provides evidence to guide how we use these powerful new tools safely, fairly and responsibly. We are hoping to continue this critical area of research in Australia to ensure AI technologies are developed with equity and trust at their core and are beneficial for our community. More information Yafei Si et al, Quality safety and disparity of an AI chatbot in managing chronic diseases: simulated patient experiments, npj Digital Medicine (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41746-025-01956-w Journal information: npj Digital Medicine Key medical concepts Angina Asthma Electrocardiography This article was first published on Pursuit. Read the original article here. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Response times for emergency medical services (EMS) in rural areas can take almost 20 minutes longer compared to the national average, and the severity of the medical needs in these communities are likely to be much worse, according to an analysis of a large national EMS database. Results of the study were presented at the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress 2025, held in Chicago, October 47. "EMS response times in rural areas are considerably longer than what you would see in an urban or suburban setting," said Isabella Turcinovic, lead study author and a third-year medical student at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. "In an emergency, this can be the difference between life or death for many patients." Turcinovic and her co-authors analyzed EMS and patient data from the National Emergency Medical Services Information System, comparing outcomes between rural (more than 4.8 million) and national EMS (64.6 million) calls from January 2023 to January 2025. Key outcomes were total call times, which included scene response, on-scene, and transport times, along with severity of patient injury (evaluated as high or low patient acuity) and the type of hospital the patients were taken to. Key findings EMS call times across all severity (acuity) levels were 92.8 minutes in rural communities compared with 74.1 minutes nationally. High-acuity activations, meaning EMS calls treating patients with very severe medical issues or injury, were far more common in rural settings: 39.3% compared with 26.4% nationally. Among patients with more severe (high acuity) injuries, total call times were almost 30 minutes longer: 97.1 minutes compared with 69 minutes nationally. For these patients transported to specialty centers, the call times were even longer: 155 minutes compared with 114 minutes. Rural patients were four times more likely to be transported to a trauma center designated for less severe injuries (8% compared with 2%) and five times more likely to go to a critical access hospital (10% compared with 2%). Level 1 and 2 trauma centers are designated to treat patients with more complex injuries. "These data demonstrate a disparity in access to care," said senior author Chad T. Wilson, MD, MPH, FACS, associate professor of surgery at Baylor and section chief of acute care surgery at Ben Taub Hospital in Houston. The study findings underscore the role of rural hospitals as a first point of treatment for many patients in rural areas, Turcinovic said. "Rural patients present to critical access hospitals at far higher proportions than urban counterparts, highlighting the importance of these rural hospitals, especially at a time when their funding can be constrained," she said. "The findings also illustrate why rural hospitals may need support for the management of high-acuity patients." A number of factors may explain why a higher percentage of rural EMS patients present with more severe injuries, Turcinovic added. "I think of it as an acute and chronic concern," she said. "It's been established in the literature, unfortunately, multiple times, that rural patients are more likely to have limited access to care, which prevents early or adequate management of medical problems, resulting in more acute exacerbations. Secondly, rural communities have higher rates of injury from work from longer commuting distances and higher commuting speeds." Turcinovic said the group plans further research in this area. Policymakers and planners may use this information to further justify the need for rural hospitals and to better deploy EMS resources in rural areas, she said. Lubna Khan, MD, a surgical resident at Baylor, is a co-author of the study. More information Khan L, et al. Disparities in Timely Access to Prehospital Care in Rural America. Scientific Forum, American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress 2025. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Pedestrian-motor vehicle accidents are a common cause of injury in both children and adults, accounting for one death every 64 minutes and injuring thousands every year. Two recent analyses reveal that while both adults and children suffer serious injuries in collisions, adults tend to experience more severe outcomes than children. Additionally, mapping the locations of these injuries can pinpoint where accidents occur most frequently, offering valuable insights for targeting prevention efforts effectively. The research was presented at the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress 2025, held in Chicago, October 47. Adults are more severely injured than children in pedestrian-auto collisions According to a national analysis led by a team of researchers at Morristown Medical Center in Morristown, New Jersey, pedestrian-motor vehicle collisions commonly lead to serious injuries in both adults and children; however, adults often face more serious outcomes than children. Based on data from the ACS Trauma Quality Improvement Program (TQIP), the researchers analyzed injury patterns using the Injury Severity Score (ISS), which measures the overall effect of injuries using a scale from 1 to 75. An ISS score above 25 indicates that multiple regions of the body were injured simultaneously, which may include broken bones and severe bleeding injuries affecting organs. The researchers analyzed the injury patterns of 760 children (ages 1 to 17) and 760 adults over 18 using 2022 TQIP data. Key findings Life-threatening injuries in both adults and children: In pedestrian-motor vehicle accidents, the average ISS score was 28 for adults and 26.4 for patients under 18, suggesting severe injuries in both groups. Adults face more severe injuries than children: Adults experienced higher rates of mortality (18.8% vs. 8.1%) and other complications, including deep vein thrombosis (3.8% vs. 1.3%), a condition that can cause life-threatening blood clots, and cardiac arrest (5.3% vs. 2.6%). Adults were also twice as likely to have an unplanned operation compared to children. These differences were statistically significant. Children's bodies may be more adept at recovering from injury: The authors hypothesize that children may have better outcomes due to their ability to maintain blood flow to their organs and compensate for blood loss following an injury. "That children did significantly better than adults was slightly surprising, as we would have expected there to potentially be worse outcomes for children, but it highlights the resiliency of pediatric patients and their bodies' natural ability to compensate for blood loss in certain contexts," said Eric J. Charles, MD, Ph.D., a trauma and acute care surgeon at Morristown Medical Center and co-author of the research. However, no matter the age of the patient, the authors emphasized that motor vehicle accidents involving pedestrians very often lead to serious injuries that can quickly become life-threatening. "There is very seldom a pedestrian who gets struck by a motor vehicle and walks away with limited injuries. This patient population usually sustains significant injuries that are often life-altering," Dr. Charles said. "The overarching take-home message is that anything and everything we can do from an injury prevention standpoint and as a community to decrease the likelihood of pedestrians being struck by motor vehicles will likely make a tremendous difference in the health and well-being of the community." The location of the accidents and conditions that may have contributed to the collisions could not be analyzed using TQIP data, potentially limiting some of the study's broader implications, the authors said. Future research will evaluate ways to prevent accidents, including improved signage, lighting, and visibility at crosswalks. Mapping injury 'hotspots' in Colorado To understand where motor vehicle-pedestrian accidents happened most frequently in Colorado, researchers from the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora, Colorado, analyzed injury patterns using the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) database and a process called geocoding, which maps the location of injuries to understand injury patterns in clusters. "Pediatric trauma is something we can prevent with dedicated efforts. If we can identify the causes of these injuries, we can work together to advocate for changes in our communities that can help decrease the chances that a child is struck by a car," said Shannon Acker, MD, FACS, senior author of the study and an associate professor of pediatric surgery and trauma medical director at Children's Hospital Colorado, in Aurora, Colorado. Dr. Acker added that the unique position of Children's Hospital Colorado also inspired the research project, as the hospital, a Level I pediatric trauma center, treats patients across seven states in the region. Reviewing data from 321 pediatric patients injured from 2016 to 2024, researchers compared the rate of motor vehicle-pedestrian injuries in areas with high socioeconomic deprivation to areas with low deprivation as defined by the Area Deprivation Index (ADI). The ADI is a nationally ranked measure of neighborhood-level socioeconomic disadvantage, calculated using the American Community Survey across income, education, employment, and housing conditions. The researchers then mapped the location of these injuries alongside ADI data to visualize geographically, based on density patterns, where car crashes involving pedestrians occur most frequently. Key study findings Neighborhoods with high disparity levels at risk: Motor vehicle crashes involving pedestrians occur more frequently in neighborhoods with high levels of disparity as defined by the ADI. In a previous analysis of patients treated at Children's Hospital Colorado, the researchers found that rates of auto-pedestrian injuries were about five times higher if a patient resided in the highest ADI quintile compared to a patient residing in the lowest quintile. Two major hotspots identified: Through geocoding, the researchers identified two injury hotspots where most motor vehicle-pedestrian accidents occurred in Denver County: one at the northern edge of the county at the intersection of Federal Boulevard and Exposition Avenue and another at the southern edge of the county at the junction of Federal Boulevard and Jewell Avenue. Shifting density patterns: The researchers noted reduced density patterns at the intersection of Federal Boulevard and Exposition Avenue from 2022 to 2024 when compared to 2016 to 2021, suggesting fewer accidents occurred at this intersection after 2021. The authors hypothesize that a median placed at the intersection may have helped reduce accidents. Studying the pattern of hotspots over time can pinpoint which areas may benefit from traffic calming measures and where rates of injuries have improved or worsened, the authors noted. "The patterns in this research may not reflect national patterns. However, the methodology used can be applied nationally to understand the unique context that is contributing to auto-pedestrian injury disparities in other cities and states," said Emily K. Myers, MD, lead author of the study and a pediatric surgery critical care fellow at Children's Hospital Colorado. More information Myers E, et al. Geocoding and Geospatial Analysis to Identify High Disparity Neighborhoods with a High Frequency of Auto-Pedestrian Injury and Develop Targeted Injury Prevention Programs, Scientific Forum, American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress 2025 Nemeth Z, et al. Clinical Outcomes of Pediatric Versus Adult Pedestrian Motor Vehicle Collisions, Scientific Forum, American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress 2025 Oasis guitarist Paul 'Bonehead' Arthurs has revealed he will miss a leg of the band's reunion tour to undergo prostate cancer treatment. Paul 'Bonehead' Arthurs was diagnosed with prostate cancer earlier this year The 60-year-old musician explained that he was diagnosed with the disease earlier this year and will be absent from the Oasis Live '25 gigs in Seoul, Tokyo, Melbourne and Sydney over the coming month. In a statement posted on social media, Bonehead said: "Early this year I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. "The good news is I'm responding really well to treatment, which meant I could be part of this incredible tour. "Now, I am having to take a planned break for the next phase of my care, so I'll be missing the gigs in Seoul, Tokyo, Melbourne and Sydney. "I'm really sad to be missing these shows but I'm feeling good and will be back ready to go in time for South America. "Have an amazing time if you're going this month and I'll see you back onstage with the band in November." The rocker is due to return to the stage with the Wonderwall band in Buenos Aires on November 15, as Oasis bring the tour to a close with five concerts in South America. The Britpop legends shared Bonehead's statement on X and added: "Wishing you all the best with your treatment Bonehead - we'll see you back on stage in South America." Bonehead received well wishes from Noel Gallagher's daughter Anais, who commented: "We love you so much bonehead!" Meanwhile, Liam Gallagher's daughter Molly Moorish wrote: "Sending love!" Bonehead was previously diagnosed with tonsil cancer in 2022 but revealed later that year that he had been given the "all clear" by doctors. He wrote on Instagram at the time: "Update on my cancer, I had a full scan 10 days ago, and its all clear, its gone. Thank you so much all of you for the messages Ive had throughout, youve helped me more than you know. Thank you especially to the team @TheChristieNHS, into recovery now and see you all soon x (sic)" Bonehead was with Oasis from their formation in 1991 before leaving in 1999 as he wanted to spend more time with his family. However, he continued working with Liam over the years, including in his band Beady Eye and on other solo projects. The musician - who has two children with his wife Kate - then rejoined Oasis when the Gallagher brothers reunited after 16 years for their new tour. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Bone Research (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41413-025-00450-z Scientists have found a direct link between osteoporosis and rotator cuff tears, two conditions that often develop with age. Using health and genetic data from hundreds of thousands of people, researchers showed that fragile bones increase the risk of painful shoulder injuries, especially in women. They also identified shared genetic variants, offering fresh insight into the biological ties between bone and tendon weakness and pointing toward targeted prevention and treatment strategies. Rotator cuff tears (RCTs) are one of the most common causes of shoulder pain and disability, affecting nearly 1 in 3 people over the age of 60. They often lead to long-lasting pain, loss of arm strength, and difficulty with daily tasks. Despite their prevalence, the underlying risk factors behind these shoulder injuries have not been fully understood. A new study, published in the journal Bone Research, has now uncovered a strong connection between osteoporosis and RCTs. The study was led by Dr. Jinjin Ma and Dr. Hongmin Cai from South China University of Technology in Guangdong, China, along with Dr. Xiaofei Zheng from Jinan University, China. Osteoporosis is a widespread condition in which bones gradually lose strength and density, making them more fragile and prone to fractures. By analyzing health and genetic data from the UK Biobanka resource that tracks the health of over half a million peopleresearchers found not only that osteoporosis raises the risk of RCTs but also that the two conditions share common genetic roots. Dr. Ma explains, "Our results provide strong evidence that osteoporosis significantly increases the risk of rotator cuff tears. This suggests that managing bone health could also play a critical role in preventing these painful shoulder injuries." To explore the connection, the research team examined health records from nearly 458,000 people and then tracked more than 268,000 of them for 11 years. They used advanced statistical and computer-based methods to rule out other possible explanations, such as age, sex, or lifestyle. This allowed them to move beyond showing a simple link and instead suggest that osteoporosis itself may directly increase the risk of RCTs. The findings were striking. Individuals with osteoporosis were 1.56 times more likely to suffer an RCT than those without the condition. The risk was particularly pronounced among women, highlighting how hormonal changesespecially the sharp decline in estrogen after menopausemay accelerate both bone loss and tendon damage. "The sex differences we observed suggest that women may require special monitoring and earlier interventions for rotator cuff health if they also have osteoporosis," notes Dr. Cai. The researchers also looked at whether genes might explain why the two conditions often appear together. By comparing large sets of genetic data, they discovered six points in the genome that seem to influence both osteoporosis and RCTs. Among these, one variant near the PKDCC gene stood out and was confirmed across multiple datasets. This gene is known to help regulate bone and tendon tissue, offering a possible biological explanation for the link. The study also found that common supplements such as calcium and vitamin D did not reduce the risk of shoulder injuries. This suggests that stronger osteoporosis treatmentssuch as certain prescription drugs or hormone therapiesmay hold greater promise, though further research is needed. RCTs are already a growing public health concern, with nearly a quarter of surgical repairs failing within two years. Combined with the high global burden of osteoporosisaffecting more than 200 million peoplethe link between the two conditions highlights an urgent need for preventive strategies. Dr. Zheng emphasizes, "Our study suggests that preventing or treating osteoporosis may also reduce the likelihood of rotator cuff tears. This dual benefit could improve quality of life for millions of aging individuals worldwide." Although this extensive study offers valuable insights, the authors emphasize the need for further research. It only considered individuals with diagnosed tears, leaving silent, undiagnosed cases unexamined. Additionally, the exact mechanisms linking osteoporosis to tendon weakness require validation through further laboratory studies. The findings signify a key advancement in musculoskeletal research. By combining extensive population data, modern analysis, and genetic insights, the team has shown that brittle bones and torn shoulders are more closely related than previously understood. "These findings remind us that bone and tendon health are deeply interconnected. By recognizing and addressing this relationship, we may be able to develop new strategies to protect both, ensuring healthier and more active lives as people age," concludes Dr. Ma. More information Yibin Liu et al, Association between osteoporosis and rotator cuff tears: evidence from causal inference and colocalization analyses, Bone Research (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41413-025-00450-z Key medical concepts Osteoporosis Rotator Cuff Tear Provided by Cactus Communications This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Do you ever get that peculiar feeling that what you're doing or seeing has already happened, even when you're pretty sure it hasn't? That abrupt and acute sense of familiarityhowever improbableis a phenomenon known as deja vu, the French phrase for "already seen." Deja vu feels so strange and uncanny that popular culture has associated it with everything from time travel to glitches in "The Matrix." But deja vu is not a sign that you can see into your past life or travel to an alternate dimension, it's part of how the brain works, says Professor Sam Berkovic, a clinical neurologist and director of the Epilepsy Research Center at Austin Health. "It's a normal phenomenon. And when you ask people, about 60 to 70% will say they get it," he says. "I get it every now and again. You kind of shake your head and say, "Oh, it's my brain playing tricks on me," which is exactly what it is." The ephemeral nature of deja vu makes it hard to study, so scientists aren't exactly sure what causes it. Some researchers attribute it to discrepancies or errors in parts of the brain that control memory. Professor Berkovic says researchers have learned a lot about how the brain works by studying patients who have epileptic seizures, which occur when there's an abnormal electrical discharge in part of the brain. People with epilepsy can sometimes experience a heightened and extreme feeling of deja vu at the onset of a seizure. This is often an indication of a discharge in the hippocampus, a structure deep in the temporal lobe and the part of the brain beneath the temples that controls memory. But the deja vu experienced by a person with epilepsy is longer and more intense than so-called physiological deja vu, or everyday deja vu in people without epilepsy. "It's all-encompassing. They are absolutely convinced that they are experiencing something that's happened before," says Professor Berkovic. Scientists have actually stimulated that part of the brain in patients with epilepsy to replicate those intense feelings of deja vu. "We don't really know why it happens in healthy people because we've never stuck electrodes in the brains of healthy people," he adds. "But it could be that similar discharges can evoke the same feelings." Professor Berkovic says deja vu is considered so normal that when he and his Ph.D. student Dr. Piero Perucca studied relatives of people with a mild form of epilepsy, they found that they experienced an increased frequency of intense deja vu that could be considered epileptic. These relatives never thought to complain to their doctors about it because they did not think it was abnormal. Associate Professor Piers Howe, in the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, links deja vu to the feeling of having a "sixth sense." "These are rather ill-defined terms, and they are not scientific, but a lot of people use them to mean that they sense something going on, although they can't see it or describe it," he says. Professor Howe decided to look closely at this confounding feeling when a student approached him with a strange experience she described as a sixth sense. The student had recently met a friend that she hadn't seen in a while, and thought immediately he had been in a car accident. "He'd completely recovered, and there was no visible clue, but my student just knew he had been in an accident. And she was right," Professor Howe says. "She thought she had a mystical property and wanted me to confirm it." Fleeting memories or sensations can be difficult to replicate in a laboratory. But Professor Howe and his student Margaret Webb thought they could mimic this student's mystical experience by showing people similar photographs of the same person. Each photograph would show the subject looking slightly different, whether it was a new pair of earrings or a different lipstick. "Participants needed to indicate whether they thought a change had occurred and what it was," Professor Howe says. "What we found is that people were actually very good at identifying changes they couldn't localize or describe. "They would say, 'I know something's changed, I just don't know what it is.'" It is likely, then, that the student, who had claimed to have a sixth sense, had unconsciously noticed subtle information about her friend that led her to believe, correctly, that he had been in a car accident. Professor Howe has run a number of similar experiments, all of which indicated that when people look at something, they process far more information than they think they do. They may have been consciously aware of only two or three features of someone's face, but their brain has noticed much more. The same kind of process may be happening when someone experiences deja vu. Something you see or hear may have triggered an eerie feeling of familiarity; you just can't pinpoint where the memory comes from. "Our visual memory is not based just on memorizing two or three objects in a scene, it's also picking up on the summative statistics of the rest of the scene," Professor Howe says. "What people might claim as deja vu or a sixth sense is what you've picked up from one of your senses. You just don't know you have. "That information comes to you as a sensation that something has happened or will happen." Professor Howe says his findings are closely related to studies on deja vu that have attempted to spark false memories in people by showing them a list of related words, such as door, pane and glass. Later, when participants are shown a word that is related to the words that they have studied, for example, the word "window," it feels familiar to them so they believe (incorrectly) that they have seen it before. Just like in the experiments conducted by Professor Howe, this form of deja vu is caused by the brain picking up more information than which the person is consciously aware. The sense of familiarity is caused by the brain subconsciously determining that the word "window" is semantically related to the words on the list. Akira O'Connor, a psychology lecturer at the University of St Andrews in the UK, conducted such a study in 2016. He then used MRI scans to see what was happening in participants' brains. He found that the deja vu experience activated the frontal regions of the brain responsible for memory conflictor checking through our memories. He concluded that deja vu might be the result of the brain trying to resolve an error between what you think you have seen before and what you are actually seeing. So, the next time you feel like you're in a real-life Groundhog Day, remember that your brain is behaving normally. "The brain is very complex," Professor Berkovic says. "And deja vu is your brain behaving in its very complicated way." Key medical concepts Epilepsy This article was first published on Pursuit. Read the original article here. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain An increasing number of people are dying from drug-related accidental injuries. The rate has risen by nearly 60% within the last five years, according to new study findings. The research was presented at the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress 2025, held in Chicago, October 47. "Drug use is now contributing to more accidental injury deaths, especially in middle-aged adults. As a result, it is reshaping the way we need to think about trauma and trauma prevention," said study co-author Krista L. Haines, DO, MA, assistant professor of trauma, critical care, and acute care surgery at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. "We need to focus more on overdoses overall, and not just on overdoses at home. The medical response in trauma is much more complicated when drugs are involved, making resuscitating patients more difficult. As a result, our response needs to consider whether drug use was involved when treating traumatic injuries." In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers looked at the role of drug use in accidental injury in the United States. Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER), a national database that compiles death certificates from each state, researchers examined trends in mortality rates specifically for drug-related unintentional injury from 2018 to 2023. Age-adjusted rates per 100,000 individuals were derived and grouped by drug-induced, alcohol-induced, and all other causes. Substance use included opioids, recreational drugs, and prescribed medications. Alcohol-induced death was excluded from the analysisthe authors only included substances that are not traditionally associated with unintentional injury and trauma deaths. Key findings From 2018 to 2023, the total number of deaths from unintentional injury in the United States was 534,000. Drug-related death rates from unintentional injury rose from 19.5% to 30.8% in the five-year period analyzed. Death rates increased significantly for adults in the 35 to 44 age group. Of all deaths from drug-induced injuries from 2018 to 2023, about half (51.4%) were within that age category. Black patients had the highest mortality rates. Of all those who died of drug-induced unintentional injury over the five-year period, 34.9% were Black patients. After adjusting for age differences between groups, men died at twice the rate of women (38.4% versus 15.6%). Study findings raise public health concern "It's very surprising to discover just how much drug use is contributing to death from accidental injury, increasing nearly 60% in just five years," said lead study author Christina Shin, a fourth-year medical student at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. "The bottom line is that drug use is reshaping the pattern of accidental injury death. Public health efforts need to address not only overdoses but also the rising role of drugs in accidental injuries, bridging addiction medicine and trauma care." According to the CDC, about half of Americans take at least one prescription drug. Based on another study, one in five Americans use more than one drug, either recreationally or medically. "We hope that we continue to use drugs appropriately. The goal of this project was not to stigmatize drug use, but rather to understand the causation so that we can better take care of patients, because it's becoming more prevalent in the U.S. population," Shin said. This analysis was limited by the data collected from death certificates. In future research, the study authors plan to analyze the root causes of these trends and develop interventions, which may involve creating partnerships between trauma care and addiction medicine as well as identifying the health care needs of this vulnerable population. Study co-authors are Esther H. Park, BA; Jennifer Freeman, MD, FACS; Scott Gallagher, MD, FACS; and Suresh Agarwal, MD, FACS. More information Shin GJ, et al. Middle-Aged Adults at Greater Risk of Death from Drug-Induced Unintentional Injuries, Scientific Forum, American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress 2025. Key medical concepts Opioid Prescription Drugs This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Graphical abstract. Credit: Neuron (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2025.08.030 Trying to document how single brain cells participate in networks that govern behavior is a daunting task. Brain probes called Neuropixels, which feature high-density silicon arrays, have enabled scientists to collect electrophysiological data of this nature from a variety of animals. These include fish, reptiles, rodents and primates, as well as humans. Neuropixels, which come in several versions, record electrical activity from hundreds to thousands of neurons simultaneously. Neurons are nerve cells that receive, process and transmit information. While the data collected has led to insights on the neural basis of perception and decision-making, those probes cannot sample fine-scale brain structures. They also are limited in resolving (separately distinguishing) the electrical fields around individual brain cells. A newly developed probe, called Neuropixels Ultra, overcomes some key technical challenges in recording the cell type and activity of thousands of individual cells across many brain regions during a single experiment. The probe is essentially an implantable, voltage-sensing camera that can capture flat images of a brain cell's electrical field. "We developed a silicon probe with much smaller and denser recording sites than previous designs," said Nick Steinmetz, the corresponding author of a report on tests of the probe's function. Steinmetz is an associate professor of neurobiology and biophysics at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. The Steinmetz lab is part of the International Brain Laboratory and the Neuropixels Consortium. The recent project brought together scientists from several neuroscience and bioengineering labs across the United States, as well as in Japan, Germany, Belgium, China, Norway, England and Italy. Their paper appeared Sept. 30 in the journal, Neuron. The project is part of the National Institutes of Health's "Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies," also known as the BRAIN Initiative. The initiative was established to develop and apply innovative technologies to map brain circuits and understand their functions, as well as other brain research tools. The overarching goal is to produce a dynamic picture of the brain that shows how individual cells and complex neural circuits interact in time and space. The new ultra-high density Neuropixels Ultra probe is a significant step in that direction. By obtaining more detailed information about the electrical field surrounding a brain cell than was previously possible, the new probe improved scientists' ability to detect and classify individual cells. For example, the researchers conducted recordings of the mouse visual cortexan area near the back of the brain that processes and interprets information coming from the eyes. The scientists were able to detect twice as many brain cells, compared with recordings with other Neuropixels versions. They also could distinguish three cortical cell subtypes from each other and from other neurons. Being able to detect specific cell subtypes is important in studying brain circuits. Because the probe gathered data from smaller sites, it predictably had higher noise levels per channel than earlier probes. But because it sampled 10 times more recording sites, it still offered better data quality. Neuropixels Ultra was more precise in estimating the spatial position of spikes, the rapid rise and sudden fall of an electrical impulse from a brain cell. It was better at separating spikes from one neuron and not attributing them to nearby neurons. This spatial precision helped increase the yield of sortable, visually responsive neurons. Such measurements could help scientists more accurately decode and track brain cell performance related to visual stimuli. The researchers also used Neuropixels Ultra to determine how prevalent small-footprint extracellular spikes were across different brain regions and in species other than mice. These animals included electric fish, bearded dragon lizards and pigtailed macaques. "These small spatial footprints, which are difficult to detect with lower density probes, are consistently detected with Neuropixels Ultra," the scientists observed. They also found that the spatial footprints of cell types that were genetically identified were different for each cell type. This information could help, for example, in determining which cells are present and their distinctive electrical activity. The researchers concluded that there were trade-offs between the newer and older probes, depending on the type of experiments a lab conducts. Although the newer probe has a smaller site size and spacing, it also has what its developers describe as "unprecedented" resolution. By contrast, the older probes have a larger vertical recording span. Nonetheless, the recent findings "highlight the advantages of electrophysiological probes with increased site density for a wide range of neurosciences applications," the researchers noted. The first authors of the paper are Zhiwen Ye, a postdoctoral neuroscientist in the Steinmetz lab at the UW School of Medicine, and Andrew M. Shelton, of the MindScope Program and Institute for Neural Dynamics as well as the Behavioral Group at the Allen Institute for Brain Science. More information Zhiwen Ye et al, Ultra-high-density Neuropixels probes improve detection and identification in neuronal recordings, Neuron (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2025.08.030 Journal information: Neuron Key medical concepts Visual Cortex This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: CC0 Public Domain A new national study reveals that hospitals providing surgical care have closed at a significantly higher rate than new ones have opened, with closures disproportionately concentrated in communities with high levels of poverty and social vulnerability. The study highlights a growing disparity in access to surgical care. The research was presented at the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress 2025, held in Chicago, October 47. Researchers used American Hospital Association data to track hospitals performing at least 100 operations per year in 2010 and 2020. Between hospital openings and closures, they found a net decrease of 298 surgical hospitals nationwide. The study authors then used the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) to compare the socioeconomic characteristics of areas with hospital closures versus those with stable or new hospitals. "We were surprised by just how big of a number it was," said lead author Jesse E. Passman, MD, MPH, MSHP, a general surgery resident at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. "It is pretty startling to see such a drastic drop without adequate replacement volume, and it's concerning for patient access to care." Key findings Net loss of access: The number of geographic areas within a 15-minute drive of a surgical hospital decreased by 6.2%, and the areas within a 30-minute drive decreased by 3.7%. Targeted closures: Newly closed hospitals were disproportionately located in census tracts with lower median incomes and higher social vulnerability scores than areas with hospitals that opened or remained active. These areas were more than twice as likely to be highly socially vulnerable. Systemic strain: Study authors warn that closures create a "huge influx of patients to surrounding hospitals, straining the emergency departments and surgical departments." "One of the hidden things that gets lost in the shuffle is patient records," said senior author Heather Wachtel, MD, MTR, FACS, an associate professor of surgery at the University of Pennsylvania. "When a hospital closes, patients who had their care there may lose access to their health care records. Having that information is essential to their ongoing health care." The reasons for closure, while not directly studied, are likely economic, related to challenges in sustaining smaller hospitals and safety-net institutions that serve a high proportion of patients on government insurance, authors note. Impacts for patients and health systems The study underscores several critical consequences of hospital closures: Loss of medical history: Patients can permanently lose access to their medical records, leading to costly and dangerous duplicative testing, re-establishment of medical history, and a lack of crucial health information for new providers. Strain on surrounding systems: Remaining hospitals must absorb a sudden influx of new patients without established histories, stretching resources thin. Patients may forgo care: The increased burden of travel and finding new providers can cause some patients to delay or completely avoid seeking necessary medical or surgical care, allowing conditions to worsen. "For each one of these patients that actually shows up to our hospitals, I'm sure that there's a number of patients that don't," Dr. Passman said. "These conditions that could be handled and potentially cured surgically are now festering and becoming chronic problems." More information Passman JE, et al. The Differential Impact of Surgical Hospital Closures on Socially Disadvantaged Populations, Scientific Forum, American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress 2025. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay from Pexels Researchers at McGill's Centre of Genomics and Policy (CGP) have launched a first-of-its-kind guide to help Canadian health-care providers offer more inclusive, respectful and affirming care to intersex adults. Co-written with Intersex Canada and developed in close collaboration with the intersex community, "Towards Affirmative Intersex Health Communication in Canada" is meant to address barriers in health care faced by people born with variations in physical sex characteristics that do not fit typical binary notions of male or female bodies. These barriers range from stigma and discrimination to gaps in access and communication. "Affirmative health communication is a key part of providing quality health care for intersex people," explained Terese Knoppers, qualitative lead at the CGP and project co-ordinator. "There are other guides like this in other countries, but Canada has its own unique medical system and histories. It was important to create a guide for this context and help health-care practitioners sensitively and respectfully engage with this population," they said. A community-driven, interdisciplinary effort The guide, which centers intersex voices, responds to health-care professionals' expressed need for tools and resources and to intersex people's experiences of being inadequately served by care providers. "There was some disconnect between what we were hearing from patients and their families versus from physicians. A guide like this can definitely alleviate that disconnect and fill in blanks," said Yann Joly, Director of the CGP and James McGill Professor in the Department of Human Genetics. "Health-care providers told us, "We don't really have anything as students. We want resources like this because we have questions we don't know how to address,'" he said. Jess Baptista, a graduate student in the Department of Equity, Ethics, and Policy and the Department of Philosophy and a research assistant with the project, noted that it's important for health-care practitioners to understand each patient's language preference. "The guide doesn't only emphasize 'correct' terminology, but that it's important for providers to take the time to understand how patients want to be addressed," Baptista said. Outreach and what's next The free guide is available for download on the CGP website in both English and French. It is intended to evolve through ongoing community feedback. Distribution channels include hospitals, medical schools, advocacy groups, professional networks and national organizations. The researchers say early reception of the guide has been positive, especially among student associations. "We are grateful to the community members who trusted us to work on this guide. Moving forward, our role is to listen, follow their lead on next steps and collaborate on the issues they've identified as important," Joly said. Examples include the fight to end medically unnecessary, non-consensual surgeries on intersex infants and children. These types of procedures remain legal in Canada despite consistent emphasis from the intersex community that they cause physical and psychological harm. Two companion articles have also been published: a qualitative paper on interviewee insights, perspectives and experiences, and a comparative legal paper arguing for a more proactive approach to legal and medical reforms and protections in Canada. "We don't want doctors or clinicians to feel uncomfortable. We want to work with them," Joly added. "We are trying to create tools for things to take their course in the way they should. We want the intersex community to be treated with the respect they deserve." This launch coincides with McGill's Queer History Month. The annual event seeks to raise awareness, advance education and increase the visibility of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. More information Guide: Towards Affirmative Intersex Health Communication in Canada This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Facing a cancer diagnosis can be one of the most stressful times for patients and their loved ones. When seeking a surgeon for treatment, providing emotional support and helping patients manage expectations are among the top areas of communication valued by patients, according to a new systematic review. The research was presented at the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress 2025, held in Chicago, October 47. "Surgical oncologists play a pivotal role in the care of patients with many types of cancer, often serving as the initial point of contact for health care delivery," said Shruti Koti, MD, first author of the study and a resident in the department of surgery at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell Health in New Hyde Park, New York. "With this research, we sought to provide guidance for surgical oncologists on approaching these difficult and often complex conversations." While previous research has shown that effective communication between surgeons and patients can boost outcomes and motivate patients to follow through with treatment, very little research has investigated the patient perspective, the authors said. To analyze the existing data on patient perspectives in cancer care, researchers examined 2,402 studies using research databases. They identified 15 studies that met their inclusion criteria, which included both qualitative and quantitative studies. Key findings Six overarching areas of communication were identified in the review: Emotional support, optimism, and surgeon demeanor: Patients valued surgeons who provided emotional support and optimism during office visits, balancing facts with empathetic language that considers the emotional weight of having a cancer diagnosis. Setting patient expectations: Patients valued care providers who helped them understand the long-term effects and risks of their treatment, and the impact on their quality of life. Use of communication aids or tools: Patients appreciated surgeons who used physical cues, such as sitting down with them or a pat on the shoulder, and communication aids such as pictures and pamphlets that explained their diagnosis. Shared decision making: While some patients preferred that the surgeon determine their treatment plan, other patients expressed a desire to have a more active role in choosing their treatment. This variability suggests that surgeons may want to take an individualized approach in determining how much patients want to be involved in their treatment decisions, the authors said. Prognosis and long-term outlook: Most patients wanted to know statistics about their cancer and expected outcomes; however, if the outlook was poor, patients generally preferred not knowing as many details about their prognosis, reflecting the difficulty care teams may face in balancing optimism with realistic expectations, especially for patients with more complex cancers. Office setting and team logistics: Patients preferred being part of a multidisciplinary team and knowing their surgeon was communicating with other team members, for example, a translator (if needed), a nutritionist, or a social worker. "Going into this review, we had no idea whether patients wanted to see their surgeon use a very direct and fact-based approach, or if they preferred surgeons who were more hopeful, optimistic, and appeared invested in their emotional well-being," Dr. Koti said. "We ended up finding that patients really look for emotional support from their surgeons, and they find a lot of value in surgeons sitting down and being upfront with them, but in a very hopeful way that maintains optimism." Dr. Koti added that while surgeons aren't always trained in communication skills in the same way as they are for performing surgery, research like this helps to break down communication into concrete, manageable components that can be practiced and perfected, just like a procedural skill. "Effective communication is crucial in patient care, and has been linked to improved patient outcomes, increased satisfaction, and better adherence to treatment," she said. "Recognizing important domains of communication can help both patients and surgeons, as well as other members of the health care team, approach a common understanding." The review is limited by the relatively small sample size of 15 studies, few of which reported demographic information such as education level, income, and insurance status of the patients. Additionally, none of the studies reported how the surgeon's characteristics, including age, race, and gender, impacted patient perspectives. Future studies will investigate how these factors may impact patient preferences for communication. More information Koti S, et al. Six Domains of Communication: Findings from a Systematic Review of Patient Communication Preferences in Surgical Oncology, Scientific Forum, American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress 2025. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain In the realm of memories, "where" holds special importance. Where did I leave my keys? Where did I eat dinner last night? Where did I first meet that friend? Recalling locations is necessary for daily life, yet spatial memorywhich keeps track of "where"is one of the first cognitive abilities to fade in old age. And deficits earlier in life can be a telltale sign of dementia. Now, researchers at Stanford Medicine and their colleagues are uncovering what goes awry in older brains when spatial memory falters and whether these changes can be prevented. In a new study comparing young, middle-aged and old mice, the researchers found that activity in the medial entorhinal cortexsometimes likened to the Global Positioning System of the brainbecomes less stable and less attuned to the environment in elderly animals. Those with the most impaired activity in this brain region were the most confused on a spatial memory test. "You can think of the medial entorhinal cortex as containing all the components you need to build a map of space," said Lisa Giocomo, Ph.D., professor of neurobiology and senior author of the study published in Nature Communications. "Before this study, there was extremely limited work on what actually happens to this spatial mapping system during healthy aging." Although on average, elderly mice were noticeably worse than their younger counterparts at navigating their environments, there was wide variation among thema sign that spatial memory decline may not be an inevitable part of advanced age. Mental maps The medial entorhinal cortex is an essential part of the brain's navigation system. It contains a variety of cells that track different information, including the animal's speed and head direction, as well as the dimensions and borders of a space. For the new study, the researchers focused on so-called grid cells, which create a map of the environment, almost like a longitude and latitude system. They studied mice in three age categories: young mice approximately 3 months old, middle-aged mice approximately 13 months old and old mice approximately 22 months old. These ages roughly correlate to human 20-year-olds, 50-year-olds and 75- to 90-year-olds. The researchers recorded the brain activity of slightly thirsty mice as they ran virtual reality tracks looking for hidden rewardsa lick of water. They ran on a stationary ball surrounded by screens that displayed the virtual environment, like a mouse-sized treadmill in a mouse-sized Imax theater. Each mouse ran the tracks hundreds of times over six days. (Mice are naturally avid runners, the researchers noted.) With enough repetition, mice in all age groups could learn the location of a hidden reward on a particular track. By day six, they only stopped to lick at the reward locations. Accordingly, the grid cells in their medial entorhinal cortex developed distinct firing patterns for each track, as if building custom mental maps. Switching tracks But on a more challenging task in which the mice were randomly alternated between two different tracks they had already learned, each with a different reward location, the elderly mice were stymiedseemingly unable to determine which track they were on. "In this case, the task was more similar to remembering where you parked your car in two different parking lots or where your favorite coffeeshop is in two different cities," Giocomo said. Unsure of where they were, the old mice tended to sprint the rest of the track without bothering to stop and search for rewards. A few took a different tactic and tried licking everywhere. Their grid cells reflected their confusion. Despite having developed distinct firing patterns for each track, their grid cells fired erratically when the tracks were alternated. "Their spatial recall and their rapid discrimination of these two environments was really impaired," said Charlotte Herber, Ph.D., an MD-Ph.D. student and lead author of the study. The findings seem to align with human behavior. "Older people can often navigate familiar spaces, like their home or the neighborhood they've always lived in, but it's really hard for them to learn to navigate a new place, even with experience," Giocomo said. In contrast, both young and middle-aged mice understood the assignment by day six, and their grid cell activity swiftly matched whichever track they were running. "Over days one through six, they have progressively more stable spatial firing patterns that are specific to context A and specific to context B," Herber said. "The aged mice fail to then develop these discrete spatial maps." The middle-aged mice had somewhat weaker patterns in their brain activity, but they performed very similarly to the young mice. "We think this is a cognitive capacity that at least until about 13 months old in a mouse, or maybe 50 to 60 years old in a human counterpart, is probably intact," Herber said. Super-ager Though young and middle-aged mice performed uniformly within their age groups, the oldest set showed more variability in spatial memory. Male mice generally performed better than female mice, though the researchers do not yet know why. One elderly male mouse stood out: It aced the test, remembering the hidden reward locations on alternating tracks just as well asif not better thanthe young and middle-aged mice. "It was the very last mouse I recorded, and honestly, when I was watching it run the experiment, I thought, "Oh no, this mouse is going to screw up the statistics,'" Herber said. Instead, the super-ager mouse turned out to confirm the link between grid cell activity and spatial memory. Its grid cells were as unusually sprightly as its behavior, firing clearly and accurately in each environment. "The variability in the aged group allowed us to establish these correlative relationships between neural function and behavior," Herber said. The super-ager mouse also encouraged the researchers to look for genetic differences that might underlie variability in aging. They sequenced the RNA of young and old mice and found 61 genes that were more expressed in mice with unstable grid cell activity. These genes could be involved in either driving or compensating for spatial memory decline, the researchers said. The gene Haplin4, for example, contributes to the network of proteins that surround neurons, known as the perineuronal net, which could help shore up grid cell stability and protect spatial memory in aging mice. "Just like mice, people also exhibit a variable extent of aging," Herber said. "Understanding some of that variabilitywhy some people are more resilient to aging and others are more vulnerableis part of the goal of this work." Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, contributed to the study. More information Spatial coding dysfunction and network instability in the aging medial entorhinal cortex, Nature Communications (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-63229-0 Journal information: Nature Communications Key medical concepts Spatial Memory Dementia Channel 4 announces new antiques series for More4. Channel 4 has commissioned The Antiques Riviera for More4 The Antiques Riviera - which will air in 2026 - whisks viewers to the stunning Devon coastline to discover what fortunes can be made for Brits with treasure to cash in. Deborah Dunnett, Commissioning Editor, Channel 4, commented: "Who wouldnt want to escape to the Antiques Riviera? A glorious backdrop, brilliantly British characters, money to be made and really heartfelt stories. "We know our More4 audience is going to love this series." The six-part series - produced by STV Studios Factual, the creators behind BBC's Antiques Road Trip - follows a colourful cast of expert traders and local dealers. Each hour-long episode will welcome a new seller who is looking to turn their items into cash. By offering their heirlooms and antiques to dealers up and down the Devon coastline, the sellers hope theyll leave with as much money as possible to fund their dreams whether that is a once-in-a-lifetime holiday, deposit for their first home, or even their wedding. On hand will be The Antiques Riviera's dealers, who will reveal their tips and tricks to finding hidden valuables that could end up making a life-changing profit. Craig Hunter, Creative Director, STV Studios Factual, said: "Inspired by the real-world buzzing antiques trade in this corner of the UK, Im thrilled that we are able to reimagine the antiques genre for the More4 audience. "This commission is a strong vote of confidence in our expertise from the Nations and Regions, and I cant wait for viewers to escape to this sunny new format. Applications are now open to take part in The Antiques Riviera apply here: stvstudios.com/take-part. Boeing is moving ahead with plans to bring in replacement workers for its St. Louis defense plants as more than 3,200 employees continue a strike now in its eighth week. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 837 has been on strike since August 4, with members rejecting Boeing's latest contract offer. In an internal memo shared Thursday, Boeing Vice President Dan Gillian told employees that the company will begin training new hires for munitions assembly and other defense jobs starting Friday. Gillian also said Boeing is considering outsourcing some of the work if the strike continues. Boeing did not disclose how many replacements would start training. Union leaders quickly pushed back, saying Boeing's move is more show than substance. According to ET, they pointed out that most of the jobs require months of training and security clearances that can take up to six months to obtain. "It's not realistic to think they can just walk people in off the street," one IAM member said. The strike has drawn attention from Washington. Senator Bernie Sanders sent a letter Wednesday urging Boeing to settle the dispute. "Do the right thing. Sign a fair contract," Sanders wrote to Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg. Sanders, Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts, and Missouri's Republican Senator Josh Hawley also criticized the company at a Senate hearing the same day. From St. Louis picket lines to Washingtons halls of power, pressure is building on @Boeing. 3,200 workers approved a fair deal. Corporate greed is the only thing prolonging this strike. pic.twitter.com/EQ67fKb3LV IAM Union (@IAM_Union) October 2, 2025 Senators Slam Boeing Over $22M CEO Pay During the hearing, Boeing's chief labor counsel Scott Mayer, nominated for a role at the National Labor Relations Board, was pressed on what a fair resolution would look like. "The concept of fairness is an elusive one," Mayer said, adding that he was not speaking on behalf of the company. Hawley fired back, saying, "Fairness may be elusive, but that doesn't look like fairness to me." The criticism comes as Boeing faces scrutiny over executive pay. The company's board approved $22 million in compensation for Ortberg this year, while IAM estimates its proposals would cost Boeing around $40 million annually, Reuters said. Workers say the gap highlights the company's unwillingness to negotiate in good faith. The union strike covers employees who assemble fighter jets like the F-15, maintain the F/A-18 program, and produce Joint Direct Attack Munition kits. Boeing has argued that government contracts insulate its defense division from major financial harm, giving it more room to wait out the strike. With Boeing already planning to shift F/A-18 service work out of St. Louis in the coming years, many see this fight as one about long-term job security. Originally published on vcpost.com Murphys, CA Caltrans will begin fixing a contentious concrete median on Highway 4 in Murphys that had residents complaining about no access to businesses along the roadway. Currently, the only way to get to a business is by taking side streets. As we reported in September, the raised median on the highway near Tom Bell Road/Big Trees Road brought criticism as soon as it was completed. Caltrans had built it to improve highway safety after a history of significant crashes and a fatal one during the study. As crews are set to begin the new construction on Monday, October 6, 2025, Caltrans noted that, following feedback from the community regarding local business access, modifications are being made. Left-turn pockets into both Sierra Hills Market to the north of the highway and the Shell gas station to the south. Were committed to safety as a top priority here at Caltrans, said Grace Magsayo, Caltrans District 10 Director. The department believes these changes will offer greater mobility and reduce the potential for collisions along this stretch of highway. There will be nighttime closures, beginning Sunday, October 5, 2025, through Friday, October 10, 2025, from 7 p.m. until 6 a.m., with the work expected to last ten days. Caltrans asks motorists to slow down and follow site personnel and signage in the cone zone. MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Minnesota regulators voted unanimously Friday to approve an investment groups takeover of a power company over the objections of the state attorney general, big industrial electricity buyers and consumer advocates. In voting for the takeover of Duluth-based Minnesota, the five members of the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission said they believe the conditions imposed on the deal will protect the public interest and shield customers from rate increases. Opponents warned that the private equity group is only interested in squeezing bigger profits from regular ratepayers. The approval came as electricity bills are rising fast across the U.S., and growing evidence suggests the bills of some residential customers are increasing to subsidize the rapid build-out of power plants and power lines to supply the gargantuan energy needs of Big Techs data centers and the boom in artificial intelligence. Raising the stakes is the potential that Google could build a data center in Minnesota Powers territory in the northern part of the state, a lucrative prospect for the utilitys owner. Opponents also expressed fear that the sale would encourage more such deals across the U.S. Under the planned buyout, a BlackRock subsidiary and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board will take over the publicly traded company Allete, parent of Minnesota Power, which provides power to 150,000 customers and owns a variety of power sources, including coal, gas, wind and solar. The buyout price is $6.2 billion, including $67 a share for stockholders at a 19% premium, and assuming $2.3 billion in debt. In its petition, Allete told regulators that Minnesota Powers operations, strategy and values wouldnt change under BlackRock and that the deals cost wouldnt affect electric rates. Building trades unions and the administration of Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, who appointed or reappointed all five of the utility commissioners, sided with Allete and BlackRock. The state Department of Commerce, Minnesota Power and the investors negotiated a package of modifications this summer that included additional financial and regulatory safeguards. The departments attorney, Richard Dornfeld, told the commission the changes will protect the public interest. The commissions chair, Katie Sieben, agreed. Because of the collective work of partners, stakeholders, labor, environmental groups and others, weve made the overall package better for Minnesota Power customers, Sieben said. Opposing the deal were the state attorney generals office and industrial interests that buy two-thirds of Minnesota Powers electricity, including U.S. Steel and other iron mine owners, Enbridge-run oil pipelines, and pulp and paper mills. Allete argued that BlackRock will have an easier time raising the money that Minnesota Power needs to comply with a state law requiring utilities to get 100% of their electricity from carbon-free sources by 2040. Previously, an administrative law judge recommended that the commission reject the deal, saying that the evidence revealed the buyout groups intent to do what private equity is expected to do pursue profit in excess of public markets through company control. Commissioner Audrey Partridge said she started with a high degree of skepticism and I would say even cynicism, and assumed the absolute worst in these investors. But she said the added safeguards, and the over $100 million that the investors will provide for relief for ratepayers and investments in clean energy, will protect the public interest. Opponents said they were dismayed by the approval. Private equity ownership of Minnesota Power will likely mean higher bills, less accountability, and more risk for Minnesotans, Alissa Jean Schafer, climate and energy director at the Private Equity Stakeholder Project, said in a statement. The national nonprofit says it seeks to bring transparency and accountability to the private equity industry. ___ Levy reported from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. By STEVE KARNOWSKI and MARC LEVY Associated Press BROADVIEW, Ill. (AP) Federal officials reported the arrests of 13 people Friday protesting near an immigration facility outside Chicago that has been frequently targeted during President Donald Trumps administrations surge of immigration enforcement this fall. As Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem met with employees inside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing facility in Broadview, a crowd grew over several hours, some riled by newly installed barricades to separate them from law enforcement officers stationed outside. Noem also accompanied agents Friday on a raid near a local Walmart store and later engaged in a tit-for-tat over unannounced visits and even bathroom use with the Broadview mayor. Immigrants rights advocates and residents separately reported that federal agents had used tear gas near grocery or hardware stores they had targeted for enforcement elsewhere in Chicago on Friday and detained a city council member as she questioned the attempted arrest of a man. The federal government has restricted airspace over Broadview, officials said Friday, and Gov. JB Pritzker called for an investigation into an immigration raid on the citys South Side early Tuesday morning. Objections to barricades, local police step up At the ICE facility, some protesters have aimed to block vehicles from going in or out of the area in recent weeks, part of growing pushback to a surge of immigration enforcement that began in early September. Called Midway Blitz, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced Friday that it has resulted in more than 1,000 immigration arrests. Federal agents have repeatedly fired tear gas, pepper balls and other projectiles toward crowds in response and at least five people have faced federal charges after being arrested in those clashes. While Fridays demonstration was quieter at Broadview, about 12 miles (19 kilometers) west of Chicago, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin reported 13 protesters were arrested. Charges were not released but McLaughlin said they included alleged assaults on federal officers. The Illinois State Police, whose officers patrolled the grounds wearing riot helmets and holding batons, set up concrete barriers Thursday night to segregate protesters and designate spaces to demonstrate, with several adjacent streets being closed. Many demonstrators ignored the zones to protest on the other side of the building, saying the corrals prevented free speech rights. Others were angered by local and state officers standing shoulder-to-shoulder with federal agents, including Homeland Security Investigations, ICE, the Bureau of Prisons and others. At one point, Illinois State Police joined Border Patrol in pushing back a crowd. Jonny Bishop, a 28-year-old former teacher from Palatine, Illinois, and from a Mexican immigrant family, said the cooperation concerned him. ICE acts with impunity, said Bishop, whos previously encountered tear gas and pepper balls. They know that they can shoot at us. They can tear gas us. And Broadview Police Department is not going to do anything. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed it has restricted Chicago airspace, with Border Patrol citing a credible threat against law enforcement amid ongoing clashes with protesters at the Broadview site. The restriction, which is in effect from Oct. 1-12 and targets drones, extends in a radius of 15 nautical miles (28 kilometers) and includes Broadview. Critics question the length of time and the geographic breadth of the prohibition, worried about oversight of ICE operations. Tear gas used on quiet street; city council member handcuffed at hospital In a Chicago neighborhood, Andrew Denton, 39, stopped at a grocery store for lunch and heard honking from an SUV stopped behind a motorcycle parked in the middle of the street. He realized ICE agents were in the SUV and started shooting video just before the agents threw canisters of gas near passersby. There was no reason to use tear gas on the crowd, he said. No one was threatening them in any way. Denton said he immediately began tearing up. His nose began running, and he felt like he was choking. He said the 20 or so people in the area included seniors, families with children and children outside at recess at an adjacent elementary school. Every week, ICE escalates its violence against us, said Demi Palecek, a military veteran and candidate for state representative. With this level of escalation, its only a matter of time before someone is killed. In a near West Side neighborhood a few miles away, Chicago Alderperson Jessie Fuentes shared video appearing to show her being handcuffed as she confronted federal agents at a hospital. She said a resident had fallen and broken his leg while chased by ICE agents who then transported him to the emergency room. Fuentes arrived after an emergency room staff member called to say there were ICE agents in the room with him. In the video, none of them answers when she asks if they have a signed warrant. One agent then says, You need to leave, and handcuffs her from behind as she repeats her question about a warrant and then says, Youre hurting me. Fuentes said agents escorted her outside and released her. Noem participates in raid, engages in restroom dispute Noem, alongside Gregory Bovino, chief patrol agent of the U.S. Border Patrols El Centro Sector, appeared on the Broadview buildings roof, surrounded by armed agents and a camera crew while standing beside a snipers post, according to footage shared online by conservative media personality Benny Johnson. Johnson also posted video outside a Walmart store where he said agents, accompanied by Noem, had conducted a raid. Another video showed detainees in a parking lot where Noem noted consequences for breaking the law and jeopardizing our law enforcement. Noem attempted to visit Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson at the village hall, but she was not there, and Noem was turned away when she asked to use the facilities. The city police wouldnt even let us use the restroom, she said in a video. Broadview village spokesperson David Ormsby said Thompson later returned her visit at the ICE facility, where she too was refused access. We are distressed to hear that the bathrooms are unavailable at the ICE facility, Ormsby said in a statement. Governor decries anonymous, inhumane tactics Pritzker, the governor, lashed out at the Trump administration for the way federal agents, many of them masked to hide their faces, have treated protesters over the past month. He castigated officers inhumane tactics including slamming protesters to the ground, arresting a reporter and firing chemical agents into the crowds. It is clear federal agents cannot be trusted to act to protect the safety and constitutional rights of the public, the Democrat said. Pritzker also ordered state agencies to coordinate possible action to hold federal agents accountable for a raid on an apartment building in the citys South Shore neighborhood early this week in which residents, regardless of status and including children, were detained for hours, some handcuffed. Children were separated from their parents, while officers smashed windows and tore through apartments, leaving piles of debris in the hallways. Homeland Security officials said 37 undocumented immigrants were arrested, some with criminal histories and two allegedly members of a criminal Venezuelan gang. ___ Associated Press journalists Erin Hooley and Laura Bargfeld contributed from Broadview and Joey Cappelletti from Washington, D.C. OConnor reported from Springfield, Illinois. ___ This story has been corrected to say that Demi Palecek is running for state representative. By CHRISTINE FERNANDO and JOHN OCONNOR Associated Press An ornate balcony or quirky garage door might be in reach for more Californians as homeowners associations across the state are being forced to govern without the power of exorbitant fees to enforce regulations. Millions of California residents could get a break if they violate their homeowners association rules due to a new law that caps fines at $100, down from hundreds to thousands of dollars. Amid an affordability crisis, lawmakers and groups that represent homeowners have characterized the cap, which took effect July 1, as protecting the pocketbooks of middle- and low-income residents. However, HOA boards worry the new restriction will limit their authority to enforce rules. Attorneys for homeowners and HOAs say it will get rid of extreme cases where board members impose unfair and egregious fines to retaliate against homeowners they dislike. I have seen the worst of the worst and HOAs fine thousands of dollars and foreclose on those homes, said Edward Susolik, CEO and president of Callahan & Blaine, who represents both homeowners and HOAs. Generally speaking, that seems reasonable to bring that down because that is one of the biggest issues living in California, because HOAs have very broad powers to enforce their rules. The cap on HOA fines was quietly inserted into unrelated major housing reform legislation, Assembly Bill 130, that exempts most new housing from environmental review and was led by Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco. The language of a separate bill by Democratic Sen. Aisha Wahab of Fremont, Senate Bill 681, capping the HOA fee was included in the housing reform bill just days before the governor signed it into law, drawing little attention. We were in active negotiations with Sen. Wahabs staff and actually provided amendments to the pro tems office as well. What we were promoting was greater transparency and notice when fines take place at associations and avoiding a cap at all, said Louis Brown, an attorney who represents HOAs with the Community Associations Institute. We were very surprised when the language showed up in AB 130. Sen. Wieners office did not respond to an email requesting comment. HOAs are proliferating nationwide HOAs are a nearly inescapable reality for home buyers. Their rise continues to skyrocket as 67% of all new single-family homes built in 2024 nationwide were in communities with HOAs, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, up from 46% in 2009. In California, more than 50,000 HOAs govern around 65% of the states homeowners, according to the California Association of Homeowners Associations. California residents paid a median of $278 in monthly fees among the steepest in the nation, according to data from the Census Bureau. They create and enforce rules for home, apartment and condominium owners and are controlled by the residents themselves, who elect and can recall board members. HOAs have faced the ire and frustration of some Californians for decades, and lawmakers have proposed legislation seeking more transparency on governing boards. Most neighborhood disputes are resolved through casual conversation and end cordially without a fine needing to be imposed, according to David Zepponi, chief executive of the Executive Council of Homeowners and a lobbyist for HOA boards. In cases that require more formality, the board must hold a hearing where residents can explain themselves before a fine is levied. But there are extreme instances where situations escalate and devolve into expensive disputes between residents. The new state law bans HOAs from charging late fees or interest in addition to the $100 cap, with the exception of rules that affect public health or safety. It also gives residents more leeway to absolve fees after theyve been charged. Lawmakers said it is a step toward addressing exorbitant fees prevalent in some HOAs. With nearly 65% of California homeowners living in HOAs, excessive fees have quietly drained family finances for too long, said Wahab, who heralded the effort, in an emailed statement. By capping fines except for health and safety we set fair standards, protect generational wealth, and finally put homeowners and HOA boards on equal footing. Theyre guilty until the homeowner proves their innocence Some homeowners also see the new restrictions as a necessary check on boards that misuse their power over superfluous violations, such as painting a home a bold color. Our concern about violation fines in the past are that there has been no procedure for determining if a violation has occurred, said Marjorie Murray, an advocate for homeowners with the Center for California Homeowner Association Law. The board tells the homeowner theyre guilty until the homeowner proves their innocence. Many board members are fearful of the consequences of their diminished power and worry how it will affect their ability to enforce neighborhood rules, Zepponi said. You dont have the leverage anymore to get people to change bad behavior, Zepponi said. A neighbor who leaves their RV parked on the driveway in violation of association rules might just eat the $100 rather than pay for RV storage that is more expensive, he said. It takes a tool away from a board to make behavioral changes that are needed, he said. Board members have also argued that the lower fine could cost the entire community more if a neighbor continues to break the rules and refuses to pay their fees, forcing boards to pursue the only available alternative costly litigation more frequently. The change is not expected to affect HOAs financially, as fines are not a significant amount of their revenue stream, according to Community Associations Institute lawyer Louis Brown. The days of homeowners associations telling you that your garage door needs to be painted might be over, said Susolik, the attorney who has represented homeowners and HOA boards. Thats probably a good thing. ___ This story was originally published by CalMatters and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press. By NADIA LATHAN/CalMatters CalMatters BERLIN (AP) German authorities on Thursday remanded into custody three alleged members of the Palestinian militant group Hamas on suspicion of plotting attacks on Israeli or Jewish institutions in Germany. The suspects appeared before an investigating judge in the western city of Karhlsruhe, where formal arrest warrants were issued, said Ines Peterson, a spokesperson for the federal prosecutors office. They were set to be transferred to a prison for detention ahead of a trial, which is likely to take months as an investigation continues. Germanys federal prosecutor announced Wednesday that the suspects were arrested on suspicion of being involved in procuring firearms since earlier this summer. Various weapons, including an AK-47 rifle, and ammunition were found during a raid. Two of the suspects are German citizens. The federal prosecutors office described the third as being born in Lebanon. They were only named as Abed Al G., Wael F. M., and Ahmad I., in line with German privacy rules. Hamas said in a statement Wednesday that it has no connection to the suspects, calling the allegations of a link to the group baseless and aimed at undermining the German peoples sympathy with our Palestinian people and their legitimate struggle against the Zionist occupation. Hamas also said it has always confined its armed struggle to Israel and the Palestinian territories and would continue to do so. It has carried out hundreds of attacks against Israeli civilians, but has rarely operated outside Israel and the Palestinian territories. TORONTO (AP) Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will visit U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House next week, it was announced Friday. The meeting comes ahead of a review of a free trade agreement and as Trump is engaging in 51st state talk again as Canada asks to be included in Trumps future Golden Dome missile defense program. In a statement, Carneys office said the prime minister will travel to Washington on Monday before meeting Trump in the Oval Office on Tuesday. Carney won Canadas election earlier this year fueled by Trumps annexation threats and trade war, but he has tried to improve relations ahead of a review of the free trade deal next year. More than 75% of Canadas exports go to the U.S. and Canada recently dropped many of its retaliatory tariffs to match U.S. tariff exemptions for goods covered under the United States-Mexico-Canada trade pact, or USMCA. Canada and the U.S. each launched consultations last month that will inform preparations for the first joint review of the trade pact, the statement said. The Prime Ministers working visit will focus on shared priorities in a new economic and security relationship between Canada and the U.S. Canada popped back into Trumps head earlier this week when he brought up the Golden Dome missile defense program he wants to build to protect the United States. Trump said Canada called him recently asking to be covered by the proposed missile shield. They want to be a part of it, he said. I said, Why dont you just join our country, become the 51st state and you get it for free. Earlier this year, Trump began pressuring Canada to join the United States as he threatened it with steep tariffs. Canada said it will never join the U.S. Trump is back on the 51st state theme. And he is somebody whose modus operandi is extortion, said Robert Bothwell, a professor of Canadian history and international relations at the University of Toronto Carney said that he privately asked Trump to stop calling Canada the 51st state during their last meeting in the White House last May. A key political risk is that President Trump raises the 51st state issue again and seeks to publicly embarrass Prime Minister Carney during his visit, said Daniel Beland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal. Another risk is that no apparent progress on trade is made, which would be bad news for the prime minister domestically, as the Conservatives accuse them of failing to successfully address the ongoing trade war with the United States, he added. Carney has said the USMCA, which is up for review in 2026, is a unique advantage for Canada at a time when it is clear that the U.S. is charging for access to its market. Carney has said the commitment of the U.S. to the core of USMCA means that over 85% of Canada-U.S. trade continues to be free of tariffs. He said the U.S. average tariff rate on Canadian goods is 5.6% and remains the lowest among all its trading partners. But Trump has some sector specific tariffs on Canada, known as 232 tariffs, that are having an impact. There are steep tariffs on steel and aluminum imports for example. Canadas Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Tim Hodgson said the government is working to remove unfair and unjust tariffs on certain sectors such as the aluminum industry. Hodgson also said they are setting up the next stage of negotiations with the free trade agreement. Carney will be accompanied by his minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade as well as his foreign minister and industry minister. Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states. Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian (US$2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day. About 60% of U.S. crude oil imports are from Canada, and 85% of U.S. electricity imports are from Canada. Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the U.S. and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for and investing in for national security. Pete Hoekstra, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, has expressed frustration over the anti-American sentiment he sees in Canada. Travel by Canadians to the U.S. has plunged. By ROB GILLIES Associated Press T. Lance, Sharp Museum curator of exhibits, shows off textile and ceramic artwork now on exhibition as part of the Oak Street Art Collective Member Series. (Photo by Russell Bailey) SIU Sharp Museum series highlights Oak Street Art Collective works by Pete Rosenbery CARBONDALE, Ill. The work of two local artists at Southern Illinois University Carbondales Sharp Museum will kick off a series that highlights a collective of talented and creative women artists. The Oak Street Art Collective Members Series, featuring the works of co-founders Luca Cruzat and Darby Ortolano, runs through Oct. 30 in the museums Hall of Art. A reception with a gallery talk by Cruzat is from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Oct. 17 in the museums south hall. The exhibition is free and open to the public during museum hours. Cruzat and Ortolano are both SIU Carbondale alumnae; Cruzats work features textiles, and Ortolanos work is with ceramics. The exhibition is the first of four two-person showings the museum will host featuring creations by the collectives artists, leading up to the 10th anniversary of Murphysboros Oak Street Art Fair in April 2026, said T Lance, the museums curator of exhibits. It is important at the museum to build and strengthen connections to the community. This series of exhibits of Oak Street Art members does just that, they said. Not only is it good publicity for the collective, but it is also a great way to show current art students what some of our alumni have gone on to do after graduating, inspiring them to reach further for their goals. Working with different media Started in 2016, with Cruzat, Ortolano and Sue Gindlesparger, a third co-founder, the annual Oak Street Art Fair is a juried event open to artists highlighting their original work. Most of the members are SIU Carbondale alumnae. Current members, with their specialties are: Luca Cruzat, printmaking. Stephanie Dillard, stained glass. Sue Gindlesparger, metals and jewelry. Meagan Majors, painting. Darby Ortolano, ceramics. Nicki Rathert, textiles. Cathy Schmidt, leather. Madeline Steimle, fused glass and illustrations. Cruzat, a Chilean-born artist, received both her Master of Fine Arts and a masters degree in foreign languages and literatures (French) from SIU Carbondale. While in Chile, she taught French and attended art school. After arriving in the United States in 1988, she resumed making embroideries, French studies and teaching. Cruzat has exhibited her work both nationally and internationally in Hong Kong, England, Germany and Chile. Ortolano earned an MFA in ceramics from SIU Carbondale and a bachelor's degree also in ceramics at the Kansas City Art Institute. She was a visiting instructor at SIU Carbondale in the mid- to late 1990s and an assistant professor at John A. Logan College from 2000 to 2013. Other exhibitions scheduled Six other artists in the collective will also show their works in the coming months: Nov. 18 Dec. 13 Sue Gindlesparger (metal and jewelry) and Nicki Rathert (textile and weaving). Jan. 20 Feb. 21 Stephanie Dillard (stained glass) and Meagan Majors ( painting). painting). March 23 April 25 Cathy Schmidt (leather) and Madeline Steimle (illustration and glass). Museum hours For more information on the exhibition, contact Lance at 618-453-5388 or t.lance@siu.edu or visit museum.siu.edu. Sharp Museum hours are noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 1-4 p.m. Saturday. The museum is closed Sunday and Monday, and during all SIU breaks and holidays. China's high-quality, sustainable cashmere industry weaves warmth for world Xinhua) 10:02, October 03, 2025 A Chinese staff provides technical guidance to local workers at the Madagascar plant of China's Inner Mongolia King Deer Cashmere Co., Ltd. in Antananarivo, Madagascar, March 28, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Yahui) HOHHOT, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- As autumn brings cooler temperatures to the Northern Hemisphere, demand for cashmere sweaters climbs. On a ranch in Erdos City, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, white Albas cashmere goats amble from solar-panel-covered sheds to lush grasslands, with their fleece white as clouds. Inner Mongolia is a key global source of high-quality cashmere, where local companies are building a sustainable industry centered on superior quality. Cashmere is primarily produced in temperate zones between 35 degrees and 55 degrees north latitude. Inner Mongolian cashmere is prized by international fashion houses, including Dormeuil, Louis Vuitton and Loro Piana, for its softness, fineness, color and warmth. Inner Mongolia has established a comprehensive industrial chain for cashmere, spanning breeding, processing and sales. In 2024, the total industrial output exceeded 18 billion yuan (about 2.5 billion U.S. dollars). Harmony with nature is a long-held principle in local industrial development. For example, the solar power project at the ranch of cashmere manufacturer the Erdos Group generates enough electricity to fully power the ranch operation, with surplus energy supplied to the grid. In production, the company employs energy-saving dyeing technology that breaks down pollutants into water and carbon dioxide, releasing no dyeing effluent and cutting water use for dark colors by half. A 2024 report from the group showed carbon emissions from producing a 200-gram cashmere sweater fell by 11.43 percent in 2023 compared to 2022. To prevent the degradation of grasslands resulting from the expansion of goat herds, Inner Mongolia has enforced a series of policies since 2011 to balance herd size with pasture capacity, including setting a grazing ban period in some areas. Finer cashmere offers greater comfort, warmth and value. Through selective breeding and improved husbandry, the local industry is shifting toward high-value cashmere. Government and leading firms jointly offer subsidies for premium cashmere measuring 14.5 microns or finer, so as to encourage herders to prioritize quality over quantity. In Alxa League, the number of cashmere goats dropped from a peak of 1.48 million to around 450,000, yet the average raw cashmere yield per goat rose from 300 grams to 500 grams. "Raising fewer animals with better breeding has improved both grassland ecology and cashmere quality," said Zhu Lixian, director of a local husbandry and veterinary technology promotion center. Local herders are benefiting from this quality-focused transition. Buyinchogetu, a herder in Erdos, produced 178 kilograms of cashmere this year, 72 kilograms of which measured under 14 microns. Under the 2024 subsidy program, this high-quality portion will earn him an extra 36,000 yuan -- three times the price of ordinary cashmere. Meanwhile, local companies have partnered with research institutions to breed superior cashmere goats, leveraging somatic cell nuclear transfer and gene-editing technologies. Production processing is also being upgraded. At Dongli Cashmere in Chifeng City, an intelligent air-suction system identifies the quality of the fiber and removes unsuitable material, ensuring high fabric standards. With technological advances, Chinese cashmere firms are contributing to setting global standards. The King Deer Group defined a quantitative relationship between fiber length and spinnability, adopted as a guideline by the International Wool Textile Organization. While Erdos Group has led the formulation of six international cashmere standards, including a fineness measurement standard that replaces subjective tactile assessments, significantly reducing trade disputes. As China's high-quality cashmere gains wide recognition, "ranch experience tours" are attracting consumers interested in the production process. In Alxa League, herder Saihan offers a "ranch experience tour" where visitors can participate in activities such as herding, shearing and weaving cashmere, as well as purchase products directly from the ranch. During the peak season, his ranch receives over 100 visitors a day, with tourism income reaching 500,000 yuan per year. Combined with income from raising goats, his family's annual earnings exceed 800,000 yuan. "One industry chain has created multiple income streams," Saihan said. As China's cashmere industry grows, companies are establishing overseas factories in Belt and Road Initiative participating countries, boosting local economies. For instance, King Deer Group operates factories in Madagascar and Cambodia, employing over 10,000 locals. Transitioning from high output to high quality and sustainability, China's cashmere industry sets global standards, providing warmth to consumers and creating economic opportunities both domestically and internationally. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan) NewsVoir Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], October 3: TVS Motor Company, during the second quarter of the financial year 2025-26, registered the highest ever quarterly sales of 15.07 Lakh units. The two-wheeler of the company registered a growth of 22% with sales increasing from 11.90 Lakh units in Q2FY25 to 14.54 Lakh units in Q2FY26. Three-wheeler of the company registered a growth of 41% with sales increasing from 0.38 Lakh units in Q2FY25 to 0.53 Lakh units in Q2FY26. Total exports registered a growth of 30% with sales increasing from 3.09 Lakh units in Q2FY25 to 4.00 Lakh units in Q2FY26. September 2025 Sales UpdateThe Company recorded monthly sales of 541,064 units in September 2025 with a growth of 12% as against 482,495 units in September 2024. Two-WheelerTotal two-wheelers registered a growth of 11% with sales increasing from 471,792 units in September 2024 to 523,923 units in September 2025. Domestic two-wheeler registered growth of 12% with sales increasing from 369,138 units in September 2024 to 413,279 units in September 2025. Motorcycle registered a growth of 9% with sales increasing from 229,268 units in September 2024 to 249,621 units in September 2025. Scooter registered a growth of 17% with sales increasing from 186,751 units in September 2024 to 218,928 units in September 2025. Electric VehicleEV registered a growth of 8% with sales increasing from 28,901 units in September 2024 to 31,266 units in September 2025. Magnet availability continue to pose challenges in the short to medium term. International BusinessThe Company's total exports registered a growth of 10% with sales increasing from 111,007 units in September 2024 to 122,108 units in September 2025. Two-wheeler exports grew by 8% with sales increasing from 102,654 units in September 2024 to 110,644 units in September 2025. Three-WheelerThree-wheeler registered a growth of 60% with sales increasing from 10,703 units in September 2024 to 17,141 units in September 2025. TVS Motor Company (BSE:532343 and NSE: TVSMOTOR) is a reputed two and three-wheeler manufacturer globally, championing progress through sustainable mobility with four state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities located in India and Indonesia. Rooted in our 100-year legacy of trust, value, and passion for customers, it takes pride in making internationally accepted products of the highest quality through innovative and sustainable processes. TVS Motor is the only two-wheeler company to have won the prestigious Deming Prize. Our products have led in their respective categories in the J.D.Power IQS & APEAL surveys and J.D.Power Customer Service Satisfaction Survey. Our group company Norton Motorcycles, based in the United Kingdom, is one of the most emotive motorcycle brands in the world. Our subsidiary in the personal e-mobility space, TVS Ebike Company AG, has a leading position in the e-bike market in Switzerland. TVS Motor Company endeavours to deliver the most superior customer experience across 80 countries in which we operate. For more information, please visit www.tvsmotor.com (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) PRNewswire Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], October 3: UST, a leading AI and technology transformation solutions company, has been recognized as a CandE Benchmark Research Award Winner for candidate experience excellence in the North America; Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA); and Asia Pacific (APAC) regions by the 2025 Global Candidate Experience Awards. In addition to earning accolades in all three categories, UST received recognition as the number one overall company for candidate experience in the EMEA region. * Prestigious recognition includes number one overall rank for the EMEA region The CandE Awards are recognized globally as the benchmark for candidate experience, with hundreds of companies across industries evaluated annually. Recognition across multiple regions highlights UST's global commitment to creating the ideal candidate experience, no matter the position applied for. Candidate experience is a critical driver of employer brand, retention, and hiring efficiency, and UST's 'No Candidate Left Behind' initiative exemplifies this by proactively engaging with all candidates regardless of the result. CandE Benchmark Research Award recipients were determined by Survale through a comprehensive analysis of more than 66,000 candidate satisfaction survey responses. To qualify, companies must meet a statistically significant minimum response rate, including responses from candidates who were not hired. "Receiving CandE Candidate Experience Awards across multiple regions is a huge win for our global recruiting team. This recognition reflects our commitment to protecting UST's talent brand, the intuitiveness of our career portal, the professionalism of our hiring managers, and the exceptional onboarding experience we deliver. Receiving awards in all three categories we entered highlights that UST has built a cohesive global team dedicated to making every candidate interaction outstanding," said Kendall Messner, Global Head of Strategic Talent Acquisition, UST. "When the economy is uncertain, candidates remember how you made them feel. Improving the experience isn't just the right thing to do -- it's a long-term investment in relationships and the ultimate impact on businesses. Transparency, along with consistent communication and feedback loops at every stage of the recruitment process, are always critical differentiators in our research and can equate to positive business outcomes and employment brands," said Kevin Grossman, VP of Benchmark Research, Survale. About UST Since 1999, UST has worked side by side with the world's best companies to make a powerful impact through transformation. Powered by technology, driven by AI, inspired by people, and led by our purpose, we partner with our clients from design to operation. Our AI-driven digital solutions, proprietary platforms, engineering, R&D, products, and innovation ecosystem turn core challenges into impactful, disruptive solutions. With deep industry knowledge and a future-ready mindset, we infuse expertise, innovation, and agility into our clients' organizations --delivering measurable value and positive lasting change for them, their customers, and communities around the world. Together, with 30,000+ employees in 30+ countries, we build for boundless impact -- touching billions of lives in the process. Visit us at www.UST.com Media Contacts, UST:Tinu Cherian Abraham+1 (949) 415-9857 Merrick Laravea+1 (949) 416-6212 Neha Misri+44-7341787926 Roshini Das K+91-7736795557media.relations@ust.com Media Contacts, India.:Adfactors PRust@adfactorspr.com Media Contacts, U.S.:S&C PR+1-646.941.9139media@scprgroup.com Makovskyust@makovsky.com Media Contacts, U.K.:FTI ConsultingUST@fticonsulting.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1422658/UST_Logo.jpg (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same.) In a social media post, Minister Goyal expressed his delight over the meeting, stating that the discussions reaffirmed the commitment of both countries to build on the strong momentum of their bilateral ties and explore the vast potential for future growth. He stated "Delighted to call on H.E. @LawrenceWongST, Prime Minister of Singapore. Discussions reaffirmed our commitment to further strengthen our comprehensive strategic partnership, building on the strong momentum and vast potential for future growth". During his visit, Minister Goyal also met Chin Yau Seng, CEO of Singapore Airlines Engineering Company (SIAEC), where they discussed enhancing India-Singapore cooperation in the aviation Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul (MRO) sector. The discussions focused on exploring new avenues for collaboration in innovation, skill development, and investment, aimed at boosting India's growing aerospace ecosystem and strengthening global connectivity. In addition, Minister Goyal held separate meetings with Lee Chee Koon, Group CEO, and Manohar Khiatani, Senior Executive Director of CapitaLand Investment. Goyal stated "Met Mr. Lee Chee Koon, Group CEO, and Mr. Manohar Khiatani, Senior Executive Director of CapitaLand Investment. The discussion centered on advancing sustainable urban development and infrastructure expansion in India especially in logistics, warehousing, and data centers". These discussions centered on advancing sustainable urban development and expanding infrastructure in India, with a focus on logistics, warehousing, and data centers. Both sides also explored new opportunities for driving India's growth story through strategic collaboration. The meetings highlight India's ongoing efforts to deepen ties with Singapore across multiple sectors, including aviation, urban infrastructure, and investment, while leveraging innovation and skill development to support long-term economic growth. Minister Goyal's engagements highlight the importance both nations place on strategic partnerships that not only enhance bilateral cooperation but also contribute to regional connectivity, sustainable development, and economic expansion. (ANI) Mari Elka Pangestu, Special Advisor for International Trade and Multilateral Cooperation to the President of Indonesia, has stressed the importance of ASEAN, RCEP, and other regional trade platforms in helping Asian nations build resilience against tariffs imposed by the United States. In a conversation with ANI, Pangestu highlighted the need for strengthening intra-regional trade and investment to counter uncertainties arising from what she referred to as "liberation day tariffs." "India and Indonesia have very strong and established economic relations, and we have a pre-trade agreement within ASEAN which is currently being amended and updated. We do hope that there will be an early conclusion of this deal because one of the key responses to the uncertainties created by the tariffs is for the rest of us to increase trade and investment with each other," Pangestu said. She highlighted that regional resilience can only be achieved by building up platforms that allow countries in Asia to continue their trade and investment partnerships. "The ASEAN-India Free Trade Agreement, any of the bilateral mechanisms, as well as the existing RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) where India has already participated but not yet joined, these are all very important platforms that we can leverage to build our regional resilience," she added. When asked about Indonesian exports of palm oil to India, given that India is the largest importer of palm oil from Indonesia, Pangestu said both sides continue to work on addressing issues. "From our side, of course, we continue to export and we continue to build up the sustainability of our palm oil, including meeting the international standards of health. I think we should come to an agreement with India on whatever standards of concern are important to India," she explained. Pangestu's remarks emphasize the significance of regional cooperation at a time of global economic challenges, with ASEAN and RCEP seen as crucial mechanisms for ensuring stability, sustainable trade, and stronger economic integration between Asian economies. (ANI) PNN Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 3: The film Dakuaan Da Munda 3 is a successful continuation of a well-liked Punjabi film trilogy in which the screen is dominated by stories of perseverance, grandeur, and unflinching spirit. This movie has been released in theaters on June thirteenth, 2025, and will have its worldwide digital gold standard on ZEE5 on October 2, 2025, is extra than only a sequel. It is a visceral development that combines extreme thrills with deep emotional undertones. The 155-minute, intense movie, which was produced with Zee Studios and Dream Reality Movies. Scroll down to find more about the Dakaaun Da Munda 3 movie. Plot of one of Punjabi's New movies: Dakuaan Da Munda 3 One of the Punjabi new movies on Zee5, Dakuaan Da Munda 3(2025), delves deeper into the life of Yodha (performed through Dev Kharoud), who seeks atonement within the untamed mountains of Uttarakhand. This film was directed by Happy Rode and written by Narinder Ambarsariya, released in theaters on 13 June, and will debut on ZEE5 on October 2, 2025. Dakuaan Da Munda 3 combines emotional depth and social commentary on dependency, corruption, and systemic exploitation. Produced by Zee Studios, it enriches the saga with a story that is every explosive and introspective, solidifying Yodha's route as a poignant story of perseverance. Actor's Performances in Dakuaan Da Munda 3 Dakuaan Da Munda 3, which stars Dev Kharoud, explores issues of forgiveness, corruption, and the human soul's unbreakable spirit in more depth, demonstrating how Punjabi storytelling has evolved into an effective international pressure. It solidifies the trilogy's reputation as a trend for local movement epics with a period that strikes a balance among dramatic set portions. The officer, performed with Kabir Duhan Singh, is a shape-clad evil whose hazard is hidden in his banality. While Satinder Kassoana (as a mentor) and Navi Bhangu offer humour and coronary heart, Drishty Talwar's activism adds feminist fury. Supporting actors Raj Dhaliwal and Balwinder Dhaliwal, who play a woodland population entangled, help to ground the narrative in nearby authenticity. Watch the entire movie to find the complete plot of Dakaaun Da Munda 3. It will surely give an amazing experience until the end. Social commentary and themes Dakuaan Da Munda 3 addresses dependence, corruption, and structural exploitation below its motion-packed outdoors, putting a chord with India's socioeconomic hardships. Punjab's crisis is mediated in Yodha's struggle, and the officer's trafficking ring highlights how tribal companies are marginalised. Through Meera and the activist, the film's feminist overtones subvert patriarchal conventions. Where can you watch the Dakuaan Da Munda 3 movie? The ZEE5 will debut on October 2, 2025, and might be available in Punjabi with English subtitles and an English-dubbed version, growing its international reach. Hindi ZEE5's Business Head, Kaveri Das, praised it as "a testament to Punjabi cinema's energy to inform uncooked, relatable tales that go beyond borders." Baani Sandhu agreed, "It's about living through pain, loss, and hope--emotions that go beyond performance." "Yodha's journey mirrors the cracks in our corrupt systems; this film is about rising from them," says Dev Kharoud, who views it as a personal milestone. Why Dakuaan Da Munda 3 Stands Out? Dakuaan Da Munda 3 stands out as a fearless, contemplative beast in a genre where Punjabi movies frequently rely on cliched romance or comedy. This film reminds us that true electricity comes from repaired souls in place of unbroken fists. It does more than just entertain; it challenges, heals, and evokes. Expect it to rewrite the records of the trilogy, one wooded area echo at a time, as it storms ZEE5. This munda's battle is far from over, whether it is being fought on screens or in theatres. Why Watch on ZEE5? Dakuaan Da Munda three will be available globally in Punjabi with English dubbing and subtitles for non-resident viewers on Zee5. Its themes of resistance and redemption are generic, and the improvement of the franchise demonstrates the storytelling competencies of Punjabi cinema. For an adventure, this is both action-packed and a soul-stirring moment. So be ready to stream it on one of your favourite OTT platforms (ZEE5) and have fun till the end of the movie. Final Words Dakuaan Da Munda three (2025) is a successful finish to the Punjabi series that skillfully combines heartfelt atonement with unadulterated movement. Yodha's trek via the wilds of Uttarakhand addresses corruption and addiction, hanging a chord with demanding situations which might be ordinary. It is a must-see for fanatics of gritty, heartbreaking dramas that redefine the global impact of regional cinema and will ultimately air on ZEE5 on October 2, 2025. We highly recommend everyone to watch this movie. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) VMPL Kartarpur [Pakistan], October 3: After floodwaters entered both the Ladies' and Gentlemen's Sarowar Sahib, as well as the basement of Gurdwara Sri Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur, Pakistan, the water filtration plant and control systems sustained extensive damage. The floodwater carried sand, mud, and debris, which severely affected the filtration plant, its controls, and seven high-power generators." Since September 6th, UNITED SIKHS volunteers have been actively serving at Darbar Kartarpur Sahib, Narowal, by pumping out floodwater and clearing sand, debris, and mud from the basement of the Sarowar (holy pond). The basement - which contains the water filtration system, electrical connections, and the Sarowar's main control valve - suffered extensive damage, posing serious operational and safety risks. In response, UNITED SIKHS mobilized technical expertise, including civil engineers, energy specialists, and Kamaljeet Singh (Kam Singh Kahlon), Director of UNITED SIKHS from Texas, USA, who led the on-site damage assessment and recovery planning. The team's focus was on evaluating the Sarowar Sahib, the water and energy systems, and the structural integrity of the complex, with the mission of revitalizing essential services while preserving the sanctity of this revered site. After 20 days of continuous effort, the Sarowar Sahib has been fully cleaned and restored to working order. Power control and energy systems have been restored. New water motor pumps have been procured and installed. In addition, following a thorough assessment of all flood-affected generators, UNITED SIKHS successfully restored all seven generator units located at the Darshan Deori (entrance), near the Langar Hall, and other key areas of Gurdwara Sri Darbar Sahib. The control systems and sensors of all generators have been updated, two batteries replaced, filters changed for all seven units, and coolant water replenished to ensure proper functioning. This marks a critical milestone in the recovery process, enabling partial restoration of essential services and reinforcing the resilience of the site's energy infrastructure. Additional focus areas of the assessment include: * Sarowar Recovery: Addressing water quality and structural rehabilitation of the holy pond * Power Control Systems: Including the Water Filtration Plant and backup energy units * Infrastructure Review: Evaluating long-term needs for structural safety and climate resilience In addition to energy infrastructure repairs, recent flooding has severely damaged the carpeted flooring at Gurdwara Sri Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur. Approximately 12,000 square feet of carpet now requires replacement to restore the sanctity, comfort, and safety of the sacred premises. The Project Management Unit (PMU) of Gurdwara Sri Darbar Sahib is appealing for support to install new carpet across the affected floor and tiled areas. This replacement is essential to: * Ensure the comfort of pilgrims and visitors, especially during barefoot entry * Protect against heat from sun-exposed tiles * Preserve the spiritual atmosphere and dignity of the Gurdwara UNITED SIKHS joins the PMU in urging the global sangat to come forward and assist in this effort. Together, we can help maintain the serenity and sacredness of Kartarpur Sahib for all who walk its path. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by VMPL. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same.) VMPL New Delhi [India], October 3: Adding festive cheer to its menu, Tim Hortons India proudly unveils its Diwali Festive Range across all stores nationwide. This indulgent collection, featuring an array of pistachio-inspired delights, is specially curated to capture the joy and warmth of Diwali, offering guests delicious new ways to celebrate the festival with Tim Hortons' signature touch of innovation and indulgence. This festive season, Tim Hortons shines a spotlight on pistachio -- a nut deeply tied to India's celebrations. Infused with international flair, the special range features five indulgent creations crafted to elevate every moment. From the cozy Pistachio Latte and decadent Pistachio Hot Chocolate to the calming Pistachio Matcha, each hot sip brings a nutty twist to beloved classics. For those who prefer something chilled, the Pistachio Dream Frappe offers a creamy, indulgent escape, while the Pistachio Donut completes the collection as a delightful festive treat. Whether savoured in-store, enjoyed at home, or shared with loved ones, these pistachio-inspired creations are designed to make your celebrations truly memorable. Speaking on the launch, Tarun Jain, CEO, Tim Hortons India, said, "The festive season is all about joy, togetherness, and creating cherished memories with loved ones. At Tim Hortons, we wanted to capture that spirit in our own way. Our Special Festive Range celebrates pistachio -- an ingredient which has been a part of the Diwali celebrations through various traditional and indulgent recipes since as long as one can remember and, in that sense, invokes warm memories and nostalgia of happy times spent with family and friends . Each creation we crafted in this collection is designed to add warmth, delight, and a touch of indulgence to every festive moment. At Tims, we believe in making everyday indulgences feel extraordinary, and this festive range reflects that promise." This Diwali special range solves the eternal festive craving for something indulgent yet celebratory, offering guests the perfect blend of flavour, warmth, and festivity. Guests can enjoy the range starting 01 October 2025 at all Tim Hortons stores across India, or order online via Zomato and Swiggy. About Tim Hortons India: Tim Hortons is Canada's iconic coffee house, known globally for its freshly brewed coffee, signature Timbits, and innovative beverages. Since it entered India, Tim Hortons has carved a niche for its globally inspired yet locally loved offerings, redefining the coffee culture for the modern Indian consumer. Connect with Us:Website: https://timhortonsindia.com/Instagram: @timhortonsindia (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by VMPL. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same.) The Japanese Minister was accorded a traditional Garba welcome at the Surat airport. The two Ministers reviewed significant aspects of the project during their visit, including the advanced track slab laying car and the track slab adjustment facility, both key components. They expressed satisfaction with the quality standards being followed and commended the rapid pace of construction. The visit reflects strong collaboration between India and Japan in implementing India's first High-Speed Rail corridor. Surat is set to witness a major boost in growth and connectivity with the upcoming Bullet Train station. The station has been thoughtfully designed with a strong focus on passenger comfort and convenience. Soothing interiors, natural lighting through skylights, and well-ventilated platforms will ensure a calm and pleasant travel experience. A Multi-Modal Integration plan has been prepared in collaboration with Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) and Surat Urban Development Authority (SUDA) under the project for Station Area Development along the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail project (SMART). This will allow passengers to easily switch between metro trains, buses, taxis, autos, and other local transport, ensuring smooth traffic flow around the station. Such connectivity will significantly reduce transition time, making travel faster, safer, and more convenient for everyone. India's first 508 km long Bullet Train corridor is being constructed between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Out of 508 km, 323 km of viaduct and 399 km of pier work have been completed, including 17 River bridges, five PSC (pre-stressed concrete) and nine Steel bridges. (ANI) Actor Rhea Chakraborty shared an emotional note after finally receiving her passport back on Friday, nearly five years later. The Bombay High Court recently ruled in her favour, allowing the return of the document in connection with the Sushant Singh Rajput case. Taking to Instagram, Rhea reflected on the difficult years and "countless battles" she faced, saying that "patience" was her only passport during this time. Along with her message, she also shared how she is ready to start fresh. She wrote, "Patience was my only passport for the past five years. Countless battles. Endless hope. Today, I hold my passport again. Ready for Chapter 2!" https://www.instagram.com/p/DPWRMHqCgfR/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== Rhea was in the spotlight following the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June 2020. She was rumoured to be in a relationship with him and was taken into custody by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on September 8, 2020, in a drugs case linked to his death. However, she was granted bail on the condition of depositing her passport with the NCB. For those unaware, Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead at his Bandra apartment on June 14, 2020. On the film front, Rhea was last seen in Rumi Jaffery's Chehre, where she shared screen space with the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Emraan Hashmi, and Annu Kapoor. (ANI) Netflix, in collaboration with GNCT of Delhi, hosted a special screening of 'Kurukshetra', the platform's first animated mythology, at the Delhi Secretariat Auditorium on Friday. The event was attended by Kapil Mishra, Minister for Art, Culture & Language, Government of NCT of Delhi and Niharika Rai, IAS, Managing Director & CEO, Delhi Tourism. It was followed by a chat with writer-director of the series Ujaan Ganguly and Ashish Thapar, CEO of Hitech Animation, who shared their perspectives on bringing 'Kurukshetra' to life and the creative possibilities of reimagining Indian epics for a new generation, as per the press note. Comprising 18 episodes, 'Kurukshetra' celebrates India's cultural heritage by reimagining the Mahabharata through the voices and choices of 18 warriors across 18 days of war. The series revives a timeless epic for older audiences while presenting it in a fresh, innovative format for younger ones. With the lyrics of Gulzar at its heart, 'Kurukshetra' blends poetry, anime, music, and mythology into a truly unique experience. The animated show is written and directed by Ujaan Ganguly. Speaking at the screening, Kapil Mishra, Minister for Art, Culture & Language, Government of NCT of Delhi, said: "The history of the Mahabharata is an integral part of Delhi's heritage, and Kurukshetra brings this to life in a way that is accessible to millions of future generations. I appreciate this initiative by Netflix and the entire team, and I urge the creative community to continue sharing India's real history - the hidden stories, the tales of brave women, and the examples of courage and sacrifice, so that these lessons reach audiences everywhere," as quoted by the press note. Niharika Rai, IAS, Managing Director & CEO, Delhi Tourism, added, "This collaboration with Netflix reflects our shared commitment to showcasing India's cultural richness and diversity. By reimagining the Mahabharata in a contemporary animated format, Kurukshetra makes this timeless epic accessible to younger generations while honouring its legacy. Preserving our epics in modern formats is vital, and that is why Delhi Tourism is proud to partner with Netflix for this special screening. The AVGC sector is a powerful medium to share India's stories, heritage, and culture with audiences across the world," as quoted in a press note. Mahima Kaul, Director - Global Affairs, India, Netflix, said, "Kurukshetra is Netflix's first animated mythology, created to bring generations together. It resonates with those who grew up with the Mahabharata and now wish to share it with younger audiences in a fresh, innovative format. In line with the government's vision of 'Make in India, for the world,' our aim is to tell stories that are deeply rooted in India's culture, and Kurukshetra reflects that spirit. The series will be available in multiple Indian and international languages, subtitled in 34 more, and inclusive with Hindi audio description, ensuring this epic can be experienced by audiences everywhere," as quoted in a press note. The series premieres on October 10, only on Netflix. (ANI) Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary D Raja on Thursday lambasted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his "RSS' role in freedom struggle" remarks during the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's centenary celebration speech. The CPI leader challenged PM Modi to explain the role of RSS during the independence movement. Speaking to ANI, Raja said, "RSS never fought for the Independence of the country. Our party was formed in the same year, 1925, and was at the forefront of the freedom movement, making supreme sacrifices. In fact, our party was the first to give the call for complete Independence and to end colonial rule. Where was RSS? What contribution has RSS made in social and cultural history? It is reactionary, divisive, sectarian, and polarising people, posing threats to the unity and integrity of the country. I challenge the Prime Minister to explain the role of RSS during the freedom movement. Let him explain to the people." Meanwhile, on Wednesday, speaking during the centenary celebrations of RSS in the national capital, PM Modi praised the RSS for its long-standing commitment to nation-building. He said the RSS has helped nurture and strengthen countless lives over the years. "Just as human civilisations flourish along the banks of mighty rivers, similarly, hundreds of lives have blossomed and thrived along the banks and in the flow of the RSS. Since its formation, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has pursued a grand objective. That objective has been nation-building," PM Modi said. On Thursday, AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi strongly refuted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's claims about the RSS' role in the freedom struggle, asserting that no Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh member sacrificed their life for the country's Independence. "The Prime Minister claimed that the RSS took part in the war for freedom. I was surprised and concerned about where this story comes from. History shows that not a single RSS member lost their life fighting for the country. If someone can name one, I am willing to hear it," the AIMIM chief said. He pointed out that the RSS founder, KB Hedgewar, was associated with the freedom struggle before establishing the organisation. (ANI) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Thursday praised the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for its significant contributions to national unity and societal development, as the organisation celebrates its 100th anniversary. Speaking on the occasion of Vijayadashami, Saha described the RSS as unparalleled in its efforts to strengthen the country. For the first time in Agartala, the traditional Ravana Dahan ceremony was organised at the BT College ground on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami. A large number of people gathered to witness the symbolic burning of Ravana, inaugurated by the Chief Minister. "RSS works for the unity and integrity of the country, the important role it plays in building society is commendable. I believe there is no other organisation like the RSS in the world. RSS is celebrating its 100th anniversary. I also extend best wishes to everyone on the occasion of Vijayadashami," he said. Founded in 1925 in Nagpur, Maharashtra, by Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, the RSS was established as a volunteer-based organisation with the goal of fostering cultural awareness, discipline, service, and social responsibility among citizens. Marking 100 years of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Chief Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday emphasised the importance of individual character building and the central role of the Shakha system in nurturing discipline and value-driven citizens. Applauding the work done by the Swayamsevaks in maintaining dialogue with society-oriented individuals, the RSS chief said, "This includes both local and national-level organisations. Swayamsevaks continue to cooperate and engage in dialogue with numerous individuals who are actively working in society. The Sangh has drawn certain observations and conclusions based on its collective experience." To commemorate the Sangh's 100-year journey, the Centre has released a special postage stamp and commemorative coin. The Rs 100 coin features the national emblem on one side and a majestic image of Bharat Mata in Varad Mudra with a lion, being saluted by swayamsevaks, on the other. (ANI) The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) has accused the ABVP of trying to spread Islamophobia by burning effigies of former JNU students Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam during a Ravan Dahan on Vijayadashami, calling it a communal act meant to exploit religion. A violent clash broke out between two groups of students at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus on Thursday during a 'Visarjan Shobha Yatra' organised on the occasion of Vijayadashami. A statement released by JNUSU reads, "On 2 October, the ABVP once again exposed its communal agenda by staging a Ravan Dahan in which former JNU students Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam were depicted as Ravan. This was a deliberate attempt to exploit religion and spread Islamophobia. Umar and Sharjeel have been imprisoned for five years. Their cases are still under trial, and bail has been repeatedly denied on flimsy grounds. Yet the ABVP chose to hold a public trial on the streets." JNUSU has accused the ABVP and RSS of weaponising religion for political gain, rejecting claims that they opposed Durga Puja. They have also challenged the ABVP to provide any evidence supporting their claim of protests, calling the accusations false and saying no such incident took place. "The RSS and ABVP have a long record of weaponising religion against political opponents. In 1945, the RSS magazine Agrani carried a cartoon portraying Gandhi, Nehru, and Maulana Azad as Ravana, while Savarkar and Syama Prasad Mukherjee were shown as Rama. Nathuram Godse, Gandhi's killer, sat on that editorial board. They pelted stones, waved sandals, and tried to intimidate us. When outnumbered, they fled and began spreading the lie that JNUSU was protesting against Durga Puja. This is an utter lie. Just like many other festivals, Durga Puja has been celebrated by student groups across campus for the last many days. No instance of any violence or disruption was reported at any point. We challenge ABVP to present a single shred of evidence to support their claim. They cannot, because it never happened," the statement read. Meanwhile, earlier, JNUSU Joint Secretary Vaibhav Meena, said they called for a symbolic 'Ravan Dahan' at Sabarmati, targeting what they described as "Naxal-like forces." Meena claimed that effigies and photos of individuals with alleged Naxal ideologies, including Afzal Guru, Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, G Sai Baba, and Charu Majumdar, were burned during the event. "Today, on Vijayadashami, JNUSU had given a call that we would perform the 'dahan' of Naxal-like Ravan, of naxal forces. The nine-day Durga Puja of Navratri is also observed at JNU. Immersion of the idol is done on Vijayadashami. So, a 'Shobha Yatra' was also being taken out. First, 'Ravan Dahan' was done at Sabarmati with photos of all Naxal leaders, and those with Naxal ideology like Afzal Guru, Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, G Sai Baba, Charu Majumdar," he said. He further stated that while the 'Shobha Yatra' was being carried out across the campus, members of Left-affiliated groups, stationed at Sabarmati Tea Point for a separate effigy-burning event, disrupted the procession by hurling shoes and slippers at participants. (ANI) Days after protests over the 'I Love Mohammad' row turned violent, heavy police deployment continues in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly to maintain law and order. Bareilly police conducted a flag march in the area on Thursday as a precautionary measure ahead of Dussehra celebrations in the city. Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Bareilly, AK Sahni, told ANI that the situation in the city was "completely normal," with police engaged in foot patrolling to maintain peace. He added that 10 companies of Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) have been deployed in view of the celebrations. "The situation is completely normal. Police are conducting a route march and foot patrolling. We are talking to all stakeholders. In view of the festivals, 10 companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC), a Paramilitary force, along with the CRPF and district forces, are deployed here. We appeal to the public to celebrate festivals in a peaceful manner," DIG Sahni said. The senior police official further added that the miscreants responsible for the violence are being identified. Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh police have arrested Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC) National General Secretary Nafees Khan and his son Farman Khan in connection with the September 26 protests in Bareilly, taking the total arrests in the case to 81. According to the police, Farman used to handle the Facebook page of IMC. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Bareilly Anurag Arya informed that Nafees and his son revealed that "everyone was involved in the conspiracy". "Dr Nafees and his son have been arrested, and it has been revealed by them that everyone was involved in this conspiracy and that they deliberately created confusion by calling the appeal fake so that a crowd could gather. A total of 81 people have been arrested," SSP Arya told ANI. A group of people had gathered outside Ala Hazrat Dargah and IMC chief Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan's house, holding "I Love Mohammad" placards. The protestors pelted stones at the police during the protest after the Friday prayers. In response to the unrest, the Bareilly administration suspended mobile internet and broadband services for 48 hours, from 3 pm on October 2 to 3 pm on October 4. (ANI) At a ceremony held in the Peravoor area near Ramanathapuram, the construction work of a new bus stand in Ramanathapuram covering 16,909 square feet was started in 2023 at a cost of Rs. 20 crore. After the completion of the work, Chief Minister MK Stalin inaugurated the new bus stand in Ramanathapuram. He inaugurated various projects that were completed in the district. Additionally, he laid the foundation stone for new projects. The Tamil Nadu CM also provided government welfare assistance worth Rs. 4,268 crores to 50,752 beneficiaries. Several ministers, MPs and MLAs were present at the event. Earlier, MK Stalin on Wednesday visited the upgraded Tholkappia Poonga (Eco Park) at Raja Annamalaipuram, Chennai, developed by the Chennai Rivers Restoration Trust (CRRT) under the Department of Municipal Administration and Water Supply, for Rs 42.45 crore, a press release said. During his visit, the Chief Minister inspected various development projects, planted a Kondrai sapling, and directed officials to open the upgraded park to the public at the earliest opportunity. The upgraded facilities in the Eco Park include a new entrance gateway, a watchtower, a visitor gallery, a children's play area, and several other modern amenities. According to the release, the foundation stone for Tholkappia Poonga was laid in 2008 by M. Karunanidhi. Later, CRRT restored the 58-acre Adyar Creek and established the Tholkappia Poonga, which was inaugurated and opened to the public on January 22, 2011, by Karunanidhi. Since then, the park has been serving the people. As the park lacked proper maintenance over time, Chief Minister Stalin instructed CRRT to undertake redevelopment. Accordingly, in July 2021, a detailed project report was prepared, and the Government of Tamil Nadu sanctioned Rs 42.45 crore for the revitalisation project. As part of the redevelopment, CRRT has established new facilities, including a modern entrance gateway, a watchtower, a visitor centre and gallery, walkways, a food court, new restrooms, an open-air theatre, a connecting bridge, CCTV surveillance, and a children's play area. (ANI) Delhi Police will produce Chaitanyananda Saraswati, originally named Parthasarathy, in court around 2 pm on Friday, and will not seek any further police remand, a source informed. Earlier on Tuesday, Delhi Police had recovered two fake visiting cards from alleged sexual assaulter, Chaitanyananda Saraswati; one identifying him as a "Permanent Ambassador to the United Nations" and another describing him as a "member of the BRICS Joint Commission and a Special Envoy of India." He was apprehended from a hotel in Agra in connection with an alleged sexual harassment case involving female students at the Sri Sharda Institute of Indian Management. DCP South West Amit Goel said that Chaitanyananda Saraswati, who has been accused of molesting 17 students at a Delhi institute, may have lured victims with promises of employment, exploiting his influence. Speaking with ANI, DCP South West said that a detailed investigation is underway, and evidence is being gathered against him, divulging that three women, in particular, were close to Chaitanyananda from the beginning, and he may have targeted many more.Chaitanyananda allegedly used an international number for communication, attempting to conceal his identity. He was caught in a hotel where he used his old name to avoid detection. DCP South West Amit Goel said, "A detailed investigation is currently underway. Evidence is being gathered against him for whatever allegations he is facing. He is being questioned. The 3 women, in particular, were the ones who were with him from the beginning. Their role is being established. He may have lured many of them (the victims) with the promise of a job. He was not using his phone directly. He was using an international number for communication." The police have found lewd chats and women's photos on Chaitanyananda's phone, which suggests a pattern of predatory behaviour. According to police, a complaint was received on August 4 at Vasant Kunj North Police Station from an administrator of the Sri Sharda Institute, alleging sexual harassment of female students pursuing PGDM courses under the EWS scholarship scheme. Police said that during the enquiry, statements of 32 female students were recorded, out of which 17 alleged abusive language, obscene WhatsApp/SMS messages, and unwanted physical contact by the accused. Victims further alleged that female faculty and administrators pressured them to comply with the accused's demands. A case was registered on September 23 under charges of alleged sexual harassment against Chaitanyananda Saraswati. The Sri Sharada Peetham, Sringeri, has already revoked the Powers of Attorney issued to him in 2008. (ANI) Antananarivo, Madagascar (PANA) - Amnesty International has called on the authorities in Madagascar to launch a thorough and efective investigation into the deadly force used against Gen Z protestors in the country The fire took place at the jewellery store on Thursday. There were no casualties; however, the estimated loss of property is approximately Rs. 10 lakhs. The cause of the fire is still unknown, and an investigation is underway to identify the origin of the blaze, a fire official informed. In a separate incident, a massive fire broke out at a paper factory in Maharashtra's Bhiwandi late Wednesday night. The cause of the fire remains under investigation in this case as well. On the same day, a godown at Mankoli in Thane district also caught fire at around 11 pm. The fire erupted at the paper and cardboard godown. Fire officials reached the spot and controlled the situation. There were no reports of casualties in either of the incidents. (ANI) https://x.com/dir_ed/status/1973977370936946991 The raids conducted under the PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act), 2002 in connection with the illegal surrogacy racket being run by Dr. Pachipalli Namrata alias Athaluri Namrata in the name of Universal Srishti Fertility and Research Centre. During the searches, various incriminating documents were recovered and seized. Earlier, ED has attached 10 immovable West Bengal-based properties valued at Rs 15.41 crore that belong to Amit Gupta, one of the masterminds of a large-scale GST fraud syndicate, and his associates. ED's Ranchi Zonal Office attached these properties in Kolkata and Howrah on September 29 under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. In a statement, the ED said it initiated an investigation based on multiple complaints filed by the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI), Jamshedpur, against a criminal syndicate led by Shiva Kumar Deora, Amit Gupta, Sumit Gupta, and Amit Agarwal, also known as Vicky Bhalotia. ED investigation revealed that "the accused masterminds orchestrated a sophisticated fraud by creating and operating a network of 135 shell companies across Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Delhi." "The syndicate's modus operandi involved the issuance of bogus GST invoices without any actual supply of goods, thereby fraudulently generating and passing on fake Input Tax Credit (ITC) valued at over Rs 734 crore," said the ED." This fraudulent ITC was then sold for a commission to various end-user entities, which used the illicit credit to evade their legitimate GST liabilities, causing a massive loss to the government exchequer." ED said its investigation has established that "the syndicate earned a commission of approximately Rs 67 crore from this criminal activity, which constitutes the Proceeds of Crime (POC). (ANI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah is set to attend the historic Bastar Dussehra celebrations in Chhattisgarh's Jagdalpur district on Saturday during his day-long visit to the region, which was once infamous as a Naxal stronghold but is now steadily emerging from the shadow of extremism. According to the itinerary, Shah will begin his visit by offering prayers at the revered Maa Danteshwari Temple in Jagdalpur. The temple, dedicated to Goddess Danteshwari, holds immense religious significance among the local tribal communities and is considered a spiritual centre of the Bastar region. The Home Minister will attend the grand celebrations of the Bastar Dussehra Festival at Lal Bagh in Jagdalpur--the centuries-old festival is one of the most prominent cultural events in Chhattisgarh, drawing thousands of participants and visitors every year. Shah's visit is being seen as a gesture of cultural outreach and an acknowledgement of Bastar's rich traditions. Bastar Dussehra is a unique celebration in India, where Dussehra is observed for 75 days, and the effigy of Ravana is not burnt. The festival has a history that spans over 600 years, making it one of the oldest and most unique festivals in India. It was initiated by the Kakatiya dynasty and has been preserved and celebrated by the local tribal communities ever since. The festival is deeply rooted in the spiritual beliefs of the Bastar tribes, who honour Goddess Danteshwari as their protector and guide. The cultural importance of Bastar Dussehra lies in its ability to unite the diverse tribes of Bastar, showcasing their traditional customs, music, and dance in a grand celebration of devotion. This unique Dussehra is celebrated in Bastar, a tribal-dominated area of Chhattisgarh, and is known as 'Bastar Dashara'. The fame of 'Bastar Dashara' is nowadays such that tourists from different parts of the country and the world also come to see it. Bastar Dussehra begins with the greenery of the new moon in the month of Shravan (Savan). On this day, the first wood is brought from the forest to build chariots. This ritual is called Pat Jatra. This festival runs till Dushara and ends with the ritual of Muria Durbar. In this ritual, the Maharaj Darbar of Bastar listens to the problems of the public. This festival is the most celebrated festival in the country. (ANI) In a landmark initiative for youth development, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will unveil various youth-focused initiatives worth more than Rs 62,000 crore at 11 AM in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, giving a decisive push to education, skilling and entrepreneurship across the country. The programme will also feature the Kaushal Deekshant Samaroh, the fourth edition of the National Skill Convocation, organized in accordance with the Prime Minister's vision, where 46 All India Toppers from Industrial Training Institutes under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship will be felicitated. The Prime Minister will launch PM-SETU (Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs), a centrally sponsored scheme with an investment of Rs 60,000 crore. The scheme envisages the upgradation of 1,000 Government ITIs across the country in a hub-and-spoke model comprising 200 hub ITIs and 800 spoke ITIs. Each hub will be connected to four spokes on average, creating clusters equipped with advanced infrastructure, modern trades, digital learning systems and incubation facilities. Anchor Industry Partners will manage these clusters, ensuring outcome-based skilling aligned with market demand. Hubs will also house innovation centres, training-of-trainers facilities, production units and placement services, while spokes will focus on expanding access. Collectively, PM-SETU will redefine India's ITI ecosystem, making it government-owned but industry-managed, with global co-financing support from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank. In the first phase of the scheme, there will be special focus on ITIs in Patna and Darbhanga. The Prime Minister will inaugurate 1,200 Vocational Skill Labs established in 400 Navodaya Vidyalayas and 200 Eklavya Model Residential Schools across 34 States and Union Territories. These labs will equip students, including those in remote and tribal areas, with hands-on training in 12 high-demand sectors such as IT, automotive, agriculture, electronics, logistics and tourism. Aligned with the National Education Policy 2020 and CBSE curriculum, the project also involves the training of 1,200 vocational teachers to deliver industry-relevant learning and create an early foundation for employability. A special emphasis of the programme will be on transformative projects in Bihar, reflecting the state's rich legacy and youthful demographic. Prime Minister will launch Bihar's revamped Mukhyamantri Nishchay Svyam Sahayata Bhatta Yojana, under which nearly five lakh graduate youth every year will receive a monthly allowance of Rs 1,000 for two years, along with free skill training. He will also launch the redesigned Bihar Student Credit Card Scheme, which will provide completely interest-free education loans of up to Rs 4 lakh. More than 3.92 lakh students have already availed loans worth more than Rs 7,880 crore under the scheme. Further strengthening youth empowerment in the state, Bihar Yuva Ayog, a statutory commission for people between the ages of 18 and 45, will be formally inaugurated by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister will also inaugurate the Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur Skill University in Bihar, envisioned to impart industry-oriented courses and vocational education to create a globally competitive workforce. Taking forward the National Education Policy 2020 with the vision to make higher education avenues better, Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone for new academic and research facilities in four universities of Bihar -- Patna University, Bhupendra Narayan Mandal University in Madhepura, Jai Prakash Vishwavidyalaya in Chapra and Nalanda Open University in Patna -- under the PM-USHA (Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan). Together, these projects, with a total allocation of Rs 160 crore, will benefit more than 27,000 students. Prime Minister will dedicate to the nation the Bihta campus of NIT Patna. With the capacity to host 6,500 students, the campus houses advanced facilities including a 5G use case lab, a Regional Academic Centre for Space established in collaboration with ISRO, and an Innovation and Incubation Centre that has already supported nine start-ups. Prime Minister will also distribute appointment letters to more than 4,000 newly recruited candidates in the Government of Bihar and release Rs 450 crore in scholarships through Direct Benefit Transfer to 25 lakh students of Class 9 and 10 under the Mukhyamantri Balak/Balika Scholarship Scheme. The initiatives to be launched are expected to create significant opportunities for India's youth. By integrating education, skill development, entrepreneurship, and improved infrastructure, they aim to support a solid foundation for the country's progress. With a special focus on Bihar, the state is likely to develop as a centre for skilled manpower, contributing to growth both regionally and nationally. (ANI) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the JITO (Jain International Trade Organisation) Connect 2025 on Friday in Hyderabad, Telangana. Earlier in the day, he recieved a warm welcome at the Hyderabad Airport. The Jain International Trade Organisation (JITO) is a multi-stakeholder community of Jain Industrialists, businessmen, and professionals who share a commitment to shaping the future of the community and society at large. Yesterday, on the occasion of Vijayadashmi, the Defence Minister performed Shastra Puja at the Bhuj Military Station in Gujarat and asserted that the balance of "Shaastra" (knowledge) and "Shastra" (weapons) kept our civilisation "vibrant and invincible". According to the Ministry of Defence, in his address yesterdaylauded the Indian Armed Forces for successfully thwarting Pakistan's attempts to breach India's defence network during Operation Sindoor. "Pakistan had tried to penetrate India's defences from Leh to Sir Creek Sector, but the swift and effective counter-action of the Indian forces not only exposed the weaknesses of Pakistan's air defence system but also sent out a clear message to the world that India can inflict heavy damage at a time, place and manner of its choosing," he said. He drew attention to the fact that even after 78 years of Independence, Pakistan continues to create disputes over the Sir Creek Sector, despite India's repeated efforts to resolve the issue through dialogue. He pointed out that Pakistan's recent expansion of military infrastructure in the Sir Creek Sector reflects its ill intent. He also said that any misadventure by Pakistan in the Sir Creek sector will invite a decisive response, stating, "If Pakistan dares to act in Sir Creek Sector, the reply will be so strong that it will change both history and geography. In 1965, the Indian Army showed courage by reaching Lahore and in 2025 Pakistan must remember that the road to Karachi also passes through the Creek. "Lauding the success of Operation Sindoor in record time, Rajnath Singh said that it was possible due to the seamless jointness of the Armed Forces. He congratulated the soldiers and officers for their strategy, courage and capability that proved India's ability to defeat its adversaries under any circumstances. Singh underlined that despite having the capability, India demonstrated restraint as the Operation Sindoor was aimed at countering terrorism, not provoking a wider conflict. He expressed satisfaction that all military objectives of Operation Sindoor were successfully achieved and reaffirmed that India's fight against terrorism will continue with full resolve. Singh assured that Indian Armed Forces and the Border Security Force are vigilantly guarding the nation's borders. Addressing the armed forces on this occasion, the Defence Minister highlighted that Shastra Puja is not merely a ritual, but a reflection of India's civilizational philosophy, where weapons are regarded as instruments of dharma, not just tools of violence. (ANI) Bharatiya Janata Party MP Sudhanshu Trivedi on Friday slammed Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi's remark that "Indian democracy is under attack." Trivedi questioned Gandhi's democratic credentials, calling him the new head of a family that "kept the monarchy alive in the Congress by wearing the cloak of democracy." "There cannot be anything more ridiculous and ironic than those who kept the monarchy alive by wearing the cloak of democracy for 100 years, giving a speech in a democracy, and that too against the biggest symbol of democracy, PM Narendra Modi," Trivedi said in a press conference. Rahul Gandhi had accused the BJP-led central government of mounting a "wholesale attack on Indian democracy" during an interaction at EIA University in Colombia. "...The family has been ruling the Congress for 00 years. Panicked by the downfall of his organisation and loss of power, the head of that family, who today seems to be becoming the henchman of anti-India forces, has, as per his habit, made another statement from foreign soil, which is not surprising," Trivedi added. He also slammed the INDIA bloc parties, saying that "the mentality of opposing PM Modi has become so strong that one stops seeing the truth." "The one who has got 'Modi-a-bindu' in their eyes cannot see all this manufacturing in the country. That means the mentality of opposing PM Modi has become so strong that one stops seeing the truth, and the INDI alliance, which may have India in its name but does not have India in its heart, has caught 'Modi-a-bindu'," he said. Speaking at an event at EIA University of Colombia today, Rahul Gandhi took a swipe at the Narendra Modi government, asserting that the biggest challenge India is witnessing is the attack on its democracy. "India has strong capabilities in areas like engineering and healthcare, so I am very optimistic about the country. But at the same time, there are also flaws in the structure that India has to correct. The biggest challenge is the attack on democracy taking place in India," Gandhi said. The Congress leader argued that the democratic system remains crucial for diversity, allowing different traditions, customs, and ideas, including religious beliefs, to thrive. However, he added, the democratic system in India is under attack, which is a "major risk" or threat. "Currently, there is a wholesale attack on this democratic system, and that is a major risk. Another big risk is the tension between different conceptions in parts of the country. With 16-17 major languages and many religions, it is crucial to allow these diverse traditions to thrive and give them the space they need," he added. Gandhi also attacked the RSS-BJP duo, saying that "cowardice" was at the heart of their ideology. "This is the nature of BJP-RSS. If you notice a statement of the foreign minister, he said, 'China is much more powerful than us. How can I pick a fight with them?' At the heart of the ideology is cowardice," the Congress leader said. The BJP has raised strong objections against remarks made by Rahul Gandhi, labelling them as "anti-India" and "insulting" to the nation. A BJP leader said that it was Gandhi's nature to tarnish India's image abroad. (ANI) Madras High Court Justice N Senthilvkumar on Friday dismissed the anticipatory bail filed by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam district secretary N Sathish Kumar seeking bail in the Karur stampede case. The judge raised questions on why the party failed to control the mob, highlighting the cadre's unruly behaviour, including the rampage and damage caused to the public properties during the party chief Vijay's roadshow. Additionally, Government Advocate S Santhosh also submitted nine First Information Reports (FIR) registered against the party members, including the district secretary, in connection with the destruction of public properties, opposing the granting of the anticipatory bail. The stampede occurred on September 27 during a public rally led by Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief and actor Vijay, resulting in the death of 41 people and leaving several others injured. The event drew a massive crowd, and preliminary observations suggested that lapses in crowd management contributed to the chaos. Meanwhile, CM Stalin criticised the BJP party and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for rushing to Karur after the stampede, stating that the Centre had ignored Tamil Nadu during previous disasters. He said, "When Tamil Nadu was struck by three major disasters, affecting thousands of people, the Union BJP Finance Minister neither visited nor provided any funds. But now, she immediately rushes to Karur. The BJP, which did not send inquiry commissions for the Manipur riots, Gujarat incidents, or the Kumbh Mela deaths, is now promptly sending a team to Karur, not out of any genuine concern for Tamil Nadu, but simply because elections are due next year." He further added, "They (BJP) think they can gain some political mileage out of this (Karur stampede deaths) or use it to threaten someone. The BJP is in a position where it survives by sucking someone else's blood." Stalin also targeted the AIADMK, accusing it of supporting a party that neglects state interests. Earlier, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Anurag Thakur urged the Tamil Nadu Chief Ministwr MK Stalin to take full charge of the situation and direct the concerned authorities to furnish a comprehensive report at the earliest.Thakur was a member of the NDA-BJP fact-finding delegation that visited Karur. In a letter to the Chief Minister, Thakur called for a detailed inquiry into the incident, urging that the report include an analysis of the primary causes of the tragedy, crowd control arrangements made by local authorities, lapses identified so far, and measures being planned by the state to prevent such incidents in the future. (ANI) The Delhi High Court has rejected the plea of a former IAS officer seeking the quashing of an FIR filed against him by the Central Bureau of Investigation in a cheating and corruption case while he was Registrar of Cooperative Societies, Delhi. The CBI registered the FIR in December 2006. This case pertains to the allegations of freezing of the list and expelling members of a society, namely the Naval Technical Officers Cooperative Group Housing Society, registered with the Registrar of Cooperative Societies (RCS). Justice Neena Bansal Krishna dismissed the revision petition moved by Gopal Dikshit and said that there is no illegality or perversity in the Order on Charge of the trial court. " The material placed on record by the prosecution, including the witness testimonies, the noting in the files of the RCS office, and the Complaint by Lt. Cdr. Hukum Singh, is sufficient to establish a prima faciecase and raise a grave suspicion against the Petitioner for the offences alleged," Justice Krishna said in the judgment on September 26. The High Court pointed out that the defences raised by the Petitioner involve disputed questions of fact, which are the subject matter of trial. There is no illegality or perversity in the impugned Order on Charge of the Learned Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ). " There is no merit in the present Revision Petition, which is hereby dismissed," Justice Krishna ordered. Petitioner Gopal Dikshit had challenged the order on Charge of 25.10.2013 and Charge dated 29.10.2013 framed under Section 120B read with Sections 420, 468, 471 IPC and Section 13(2) read with Section 13(1) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (PC Act), by the CBI court. It was alleged that Petitioner, while serving as the Registrar of Co-operative Societies, Delhi (RCS) from 09.07.1997 to 11.07.1999, had approved Freeze List of members of the Naval Technical Officers Cooperative Group Housing Society (CGHS) [NTO, CGHS] and also passed an Order expelling members, in violation of the provision of Delhi Co-operative Society Act, 1972 and Delhi Go-operative Society Rules, 1973 (DCS Act and DCS Rules. A Preliminary Enquiry was undertaken, on which a FIR on 29.12.2006 was registered. The petitioner has moved an Application under Section 197 Cr.P.C. on 05.11.2009, seeking discharge for want of Sanction. However, he did not press the same and sought liberty to take the plea at the stage of arguments on the charge. The Order on charge was challenged on the ground that the relevant documents of NTO, CGHS came for approval of the Petitioner only after the verification was done by the subordinate officers, namely Inspector, Dealing Assistant (DA), Assistant Registrar (AR), Deputy Registrar (DR) and lastly by the Joint Registrar (JR) of the RCS, Delhi, and the Petitioner had no reason to doubt the acts of all these officials who are presumed to have done their duty honestly and in good faith, unless there are reasons to believe to the contrary. It was contended that the perusal of the documents filed along with the Chargesheet reflects that, as per the practice established, the documents submitted by the NTO, CGHS, pertaining to the the Freeze List of members, were repeatedly verified by the subordinate officers of the Petitioner and only after thorough verification by them and ensuring all statutory requirements were met, the Freeze List of members was sent to the Petitioner for approval. On the contrary, the core of the prosecution's case is that the petitioner did not act in good faith; rather, it is alleged that he was a conspirator in a scheme to illegally oust original Members and approve a fraudulent list. The claim of good faith is a defence that must be proven during the trial, and cannot be a threshold bar to the proceedings. " The alleged act of knowingly approving a manipulated list, which facilitated the illegal removal of members, forms the basis of the conspiracy charge. These circumstances, when viewed collectively, are sufficient to raise a suspicion that the Petitioner was acting in concert with the other co-accused. Therefore, the material on record is sufficient to frame charges for these offences," the High Court said. (ANI) In a step toward realising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of "Vocal for Local," the city of Surat is set to host a state-of-the-art PM Ekta Mall (Unity Mall), with an investment of Rs 202 crore, the Chief Minister's office said on Friday. This initiative is part of the Union Budget 2023-24's nationwide campaign to promote indigenous products and empower local artisans, aligning with the broader mission of Aatmanirbhar Bharat. The statement mentioned how the Unity Mall in Surat will serve as a flagship embodiment of this campaign, providing a national platform for ODOP (One District, One Product), GI-tagged items, and traditional handicrafts from every corner of India. Under the leadership of Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, the state has taken swift action to implement the PM's vision, the statement read. The Gujarat Government has allocated land for the mall and is actively facilitating its construction, ensuring that artisans and MSMEs gain access to broader markets and new opportunities. 'Vocal for Local' is a national movement, spearheaded by the Central Government and actively promoted by NITI Aayog, with the aim of encouraging consumers to prioritise domestically produced goods and services. At its core, the initiative seeks to strengthen India's economic foundation by empowering local businesses, boosting employment, and enhancing the country's manufacturing capabilities--thereby advancing the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India). "The movement emphasizes the importance of supporting products made by Indian enterprises, including small businesses, startups, and traditional Kirana stores," the official statement read. Beyond economic impact, 'Vocal for Local' nurtures a thriving ecosystem for grassroots entrepreneurship. It creates opportunities for innovation, inclusive growth, and prosperity by enabling local producers to access broader markets and contribute meaningfully to India's development journey. (ANI) Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar (CEC) on Friday described the election observers as the "beacons" of the democracy. According to a press release, the Election Commission of India on Friday organised a briefing for General, Police and Expenditure Observers to be deployed as Central Observers for the forthcoming Bihar Legislative Assembly elections and bye-elections in certain states. 425 Officers including 287 IAS officers, 58 IPS officers, and 80 officers from IRS/IRAS/ICAS and other services attended the meeting. The briefing meeting was held at IIIDEM, New Delhi. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi briefed the Central Observers. Addressing the Observers, CEC Gyanesh Kumar described them as the beacons of democracy. As the Commission's eyes and ears, the Central Observers were asked to familiarize themselves with all the election laws, rules, and guidelines, provide direct field inputs and ensure their strict and impartial compliance. Observers were instructed to remain fully accessible to political parties, candidates, and voters for the redressal of their grievances. The Observers were also instructed to visit polling stations, and ensure the implementation of the recent initiatives taken by the Commission for the convenience of the voters. The Commission has appointed Central Observers under the plenary powers conferred on it by Article 324 of the Constitution and Section 20B of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 to assist the Commission in the conduct of free and fair polls. They also oversee the efficient and effective management of the electoral process at the field level. Earlier on September 30, the ECI published the final electoral roll for the Bihar assembly elections following the completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). The total number of electors in the final list stands at 7.42 crore, while there were 7.89 crore electors as of June 24 this year. An Election Commission press release stated that 65 lakh voters were removed from the draft list, and the number of electors in the draft list as of August 1, 2025, stood at 7.24 crore. It stated that ineligible electors removed from the draft list stood at 3.66 lakh, while 21.53 lakh eligible electors were added to the draft list (Form 6), taking the total to 7.42 crore voters. Bihar is expected to go to the polls later this year. (ANI) Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Government of National Unity (GNU) say they are holding the Israeli occupation authorities fully responsible for the safety of the members of its ship Omar Mokhtar, which was to deliver aid to besieged Gaza as part of the international humanitarian flotilla, Soumoud Chaitanyanand Saraswati brought to court after expiry of 5 days police custody in a molestation case. It is alleged that he molested 17 girls in an educational institute in Vasant Kunj area. Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Animesh Kumar remanded Chaitanyanand Saraswati alias Parthasarthy in judicial custody till October 17. Delhi Police had moved an application for judicial custody of Chaitanyananda Saraswati in a molestation case. Senior advocate Ajay Burman alongwith advocate Manish Gandhi appeared for Chaitanyanand Saraswati. Counsel for accused moved an application seeking permission to take spectacles, holy books in custody. They also urged to provide him sanyasi food in judicial custody. Court has sought a response from Delhi Police on the applications moved on behalf of Chaitanyanand Saraswati seeking supply of seizure memo, signing of case diary and provide sanyasi food, Sanyasi Garb, medicines and books etc. The court allowed one application for signing of case diary by the judge. The court is to hear the remaining applications tomorrow. During hearing, the counsel for accused raised a query regarding adding one new section in the FIR. Investigation officer told the court that there was a complaint alleging threat by a person on the instance of the accused. That why a new section for the offence of threat has been added, police said. (ANI) Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday expressed strong displeasure over the delays in addressing grievances raised through the CM Helpline 1905, directing strict action and faster redressal measures across all departments, according to a release. During a review of the CM Helpline at the Secretariat, the Chief Minister was informed that Sakshi, a student of Shri Dev Suman University, Tehri, had not been issued her degree despite raising the matter through the helpline. The Chief Minister expressed strong displeasure over the delay and directed the IT Secretary and Higher Education Secretary to investigate the matter, submit a report within a week, and take strict action against the responsible officer. The Chief Minister instructed that the candidate be provided with her degree within a week. He further emphasised that help desks should be established in universities and colleges to address students' grievances. Services under the Right to Service Act should be displayed on office notice boards. Complaints registered on the CM Helpline concerning electricity, water, roads, and other basic amenities should be resolved promptly. Relevant officers should display on office notice boards the specific days they will be available to address such issues. During the review, the Chief Minister also spoke with complainants and instructed officers to resolve their problems as quickly as possible. He directed that complaints from people affected by disasters be given priority. All District Magistrates were asked to review the CM Helpline on a weekly basis, Secretaries twice a month, and the Chief Secretary monthly. He also ordered that pending cases over three months be cleared through special drives. For the speedy resolution of public grievances, District Magistrates are required to conduct public interaction programs regularly. Officers who fail to resolve complaints within the stipulated timeframe will be held accountable. Works on disaster-damaged lines and protective walls should be carried out on a priority basis, and reports submitted promptly. The Chief Minister emphasised that a problem would be considered resolved only when the complainant is fully satisfied. Departments are required to submit the status report of all complaints received on Helpline 1905 to the Chief Minister's Office by the 5th of every month. ITDA Director Gaurav Kumar provided detailed information about complaints received on the CM Helpline and the actions taken by various departments. It was noted in the meeting that the highest number of complaints were related to water supply, home affairs, and the energy sector in Uttarakhand. (ANI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday described the three new criminal laws that came into force on July 1, 2024, as a landmark in India's legal history, calling them the "biggest reform of the 21st century." Speaking at an event in Kurukshetra, Shah stated that the laws were framed in accordance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's guiding principles of "Citizen First, Dignity First, and Justice First." "We have introduced various provisions. Narendra Modi said: Citizen First, Dignity First, and Justice First. These laws were enacted based on these three principles, and I can undoubtedly say that PM Modi has made improvements in many areas." "However, the most significant reform of the 21st century is these three laws of our criminal justice system. Instead of using force, our police now operate on data, and instead of using third-degree torture, they rely on scientific evidence. Through these laws, the 5 pillars of police, prisons, judiciary, prosecution, and forensics have been integrated online," he added. The three new criminal laws--Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam--were conceptualised with the vision of the Prime Minister to replace colonial-era laws that persisted post-independence and to reform the judicial system by shifting the focus from punishment to justice. The theme of the program is "Secure Society, Developed India- From Punishment to Justice". New Criminal Laws replaced the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), and the Indian Evidence Act. On the other hand, Amit Shah inaugurated the 'Sabar Dairy Plant' in Haryana's Rohtak district on Friday. He asserted that the plant has completed construction of the "largest plant in the entire country" for producing buttermilk, yoghurt, and sweets. (ANI) DMK leader TKS Elangovan reiterated Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin's statement that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was using the Karur stampede tragedy for political mileage. He slammed the BJP for sending a fact-finding team to Karur. He alleged that if the BJP filed a case against Vijay, then the actor would be compelled to join the BJP. TKS Elangovan said, "People were made to wait from 8 am. Vijay was about to speak at 12 pm, but they were made to wait until 7.30 pm in the scorching sun without water or food. Any fool can understand that this is the reason why people faint. But nobody took care of the people who fainted there. They rushed to see Vijay. When Vijay arrived, the people were already in a bad state. In this situation, anybody will understand the reason behind this. However, I do not understand why the BJP has immediately sent a team of MPs to Karur to inspect the place. All they have to do is analyse the situation, and they will find out the reason. But they didn't do that." "If the place which was sought by Vijay had been given, then the casualties would have been much more because it is narrower. In this place, Edappadi K Palaniswami had already had a roadshow. That place is sufficient for 20,000 people. But Vijay was waiting because there was no crowd earlier and they started collecting crowd from various places. Earlier in the day, Vijay addressed a gathering at Namakkal. Namakkal to Karur takes 1 hour. He should have come by 1 pm in afternoon but he came at 7.30 pm. Earlier, DMK conducted a meeting in Karur in a field, and more than 1.5 lakh people attended. Everything went smoothly. Why did TVK want a roadshow? Amid all these things, the BJP's drama is something special. That's what our chief minister mentioned," he added. He further alleged that the BJP wants to capitalise on the situation for political gain. "If the BJP files a case against Vijay, then Vijay will fall at their feet and Vijay will join the BJP," he added. Earlier, TN CM M.K. Stalin on Friday accused the BJP of using the Karur stampede tragedy for political mileage, saying the party's response was driven by upcoming elections rather than "genuine concern" and added that the BJP "survives by sucking someone else's blood." While inaugurating development projects in Ramanathapuram district, CM Stalin criticised the BJP party and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for rushing to Karur after the stampede, stating that the Centre had ignored Tamil Nadu during previous disasters. He said, "When Tamil Nadu was struck by three major disasters, affecting thousands of people, the Union BJP Finance Minister neither visited nor provided any funds. But now, she immediately rushes to Karur. The BJP, which did not send inquiry commissions for the Manipur riots, Gujarat incidents, or the Kumbh Mela deaths, is now promptly sending a team to Karur, not out of any genuine concern for Tamil Nadu, but simply because elections are due next year." On September 27, the Karur stampede claimed the lives of atleast 41 people, with more than 100 people injured. The incident occurred at Velusamypuram, on the Karur-Erode Highway, following a large crowd gathering for a political rally. Reportedly, Vijay's arrival was delayed by several hours. (ANI) Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha hit out at the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress leader, Rahul Gandhi, amid row over his "attack on India's democracy" statement and criticising BJP government in Colombia. He called him the "prince of Congress" who weakened the country, defamed it, and engaged in politics of sympathy. Speaking to ANI, Vijay Kumar Sinha said, "Rahul Gandhi is the prince of Congress who weakens the country, defames it, and engages in politics of sympathy. He stands in favour of people like those involved in terrorism, extremism, corruption, and nepotism, aiming to create an atmosphere of anarchy. People with such a mentality are never acceptable to the country. People will never accept such people who are part of dynastic politics and those who consider politics as their estate." The "cowardice" remarks made by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi in Colombia against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have created an uproar in the political circles. He also criticised the Narendra Modi government, claiming an "attack on India's democracy". The BJP has jumped into the mounting controversy, raising strong objections against remarks made by Rahul Gandhi, labelling them as "anti-India" and "insulting" to the nation. A BJP leader said that it was Gandhi's nature to tarnish India's image abroad. Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad accused Gandhi of "insulting" India on foreign soil while defending the centre against his "attack on democracy" charge. While addressing a press conference here, Prasad implied that Rahul Gandhi was making such remarks because he wants power. He further accused the LoP Lok Sabha of "abusing" Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India's development. "Rahul Gandhi is abroad. It would have been nice if he had wished well, but he is attacking India. He says everything baseless. He says there is no democracy in India. There is complete democracy, but the problem with Rahul Gandhi is that he wants power," Prasad, who is a former Union Minister, said. "In Bogota, Colombia, Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi stated that there is no democracy in India and people don't have the freedom to speak. Rahul Gandhi abuses PM Modi, development of the nation, the most," he added. The BJP MP stated that the public will not vote for Gandhi if he keeps on insulting India during his foreign trips. Prasad further noted that Gandhi's love for China was evident when he claimed that India could not be a global power. "If you go abroad and insult India, the public will not vote for you, and you will not win the seats that you won this time. Now you're praising China, saying that India can't become a major global power, but China can lead the world. Today, India is the world's fourth-largest economy and is on track to become the third-largest. Your love for China is evident, and you never miss an opportunity to insult India. We strongly condemn this," Prasad said. Union Law and Justice Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal slammed Gandhi, saying that the latter was becoming accustomed to defaming India on foreign soil. "It has become a habit for Rahul Gandhi to defame the country's constitutional institutions abroad. The people of the country do not approve of this behaviour," the Union Minister told ANI. Speaking at an event at EIA University of Colombia on Thursday, Rahul Gandhi took a swipe at the Narendra Modi government, asserting that the biggest challenge India is witnessing is the attack on its democracy. "India has strong capabilities in areas like engineering and healthcare, so I am very optimistic about the country. But at the same time, there are also flaws in the structure that India has to correct. The biggest challenge is the attack on democracy taking place in India," Gandhi said. The Congress leader argued that the democratic system remains crucial for diversity, allowing different traditions, customs, and ideas, including religious beliefs, to thrive. However, he added, the democratic system in India is under attack, which is a "major risk" or threat. "India has multiple religions, traditions, and languages -- in fact, the country is essentially a conversation between all these people and cultures. Different traditions, religions, and ideas require space, and the best method for creating that space is the democratic system," Gandhi said. (ANI) Defence expert Anil Gaur on Friday backed Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi's remarks on Operation Sindoor, warning that Islamabad must stop sending terrorists into India and end state-sponsored terrorism or endanger its future as a nation. Gaur said Pakistan's ongoing involvement in cross-border terrorism could have serious consequences for its stability and international standing. "What General Dwivedi said is a continuation of what our Prime Minister announced from the Red Fort that Operation Sindoor has not ended; it is ongoing and will continue until Pakistan stops state-sponsored terrorism and ceases sending terrorists into India to create chaos and mayhem," Gaur said. "Therefore, if Pakistan wanted to live in peace and wanted its existence to be acknowledged, it should desist from sending terrorists into India. Otherwise, in the coming days, it will become very difficult for Pakistan to survive as a nation," he added. Gaur also said that India's counter-terror operations now extend beyond terrorist bases. "Operation Sindoor has shown what India can do, and this time they are very clear in their minds that it will not be restricted only to terrorist bases, but will also include military and civilian establishments," he said. Earlier, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi warned Pakistan that if it continues to sponsor terrorism, India will not show the same restraint in "Sindoor 2.0" as it did during Operation "Sindoor 1.0", and that Pakistan must change its ways if it "wants to exist geographically". "India is fully prepared this time. We will not show the restraint we exhibited during Operation Sindoor 1.0. This time, the action will be such that perhaps Pakistan will have to think whether it wants to exist geographically. If Pakistan wants to continue with its position in geography, it should stop its state-sponsored terrorism," Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Dwivedi said. The Army issued the warning to Pakistan during his visit to forward areas, including the Bikaner Military Station, where he assessed troops' operational preparedness. The Army Chief stated that the "motive" of his visit was to review the state of readiness of the troops for Operation Sindoor 2.0. "The motive behind my visit here was to see our preparedness if Operation Sindoor 2.0 takes place... I am confident that if we get the chance, we are fully prepared... Whenever we get an opportunity, you would definitely head towards a positive result, and the results would be in our favour," he said. General Dwivedi praised soldiers, saying the ongoing operation has become a part of their lives and will remain with them forever. Addressing troops, the COAS said, "For Operation Sindoor 1.0, Defence Minister told me especially that whenever I meet you, I should tell you that the entire credit for its success goes to all of you.Operation Sindoor 1.0 is linked to our lives in such a way that it will be with us for as long as we live... Whenever a woman applies sindoor on her forehead, she remembers the uniformed persons who are always guarding the borders of the country." The Indian Armed Forces initiated Operation Sindoor on May 7 in response to the barbaric Pahalgam terror attack, following which terrorist infrastructure was struck in pre-dawn strikes across the length and breadth of Pakistan and also in Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), as per a prior statement from the Ministry of Defence (MoD). This later led to a series of attacks and counterattacks across the entire western border. India conducted "high-impact" air operations on key Pakistani targets, including the Nur Khan Air Base and the Rahimyar Khan Air Base, with surgical precision. (ANI) The Center of Policy Research and Governance (CPRG) hosted "AI for Inclusion in India", an official pre-summit dialogue ahead of the India-AI Impact Summit 2026, at New Delhi on Friday. The seminar brought together practitioners, and academics to deliberate on how artificial intelligence can be harnessed to advance equity, accessibility, and empowerment in India's digital future. The seminar is part of CPRG's 'Future of Society' initiative, which examines how emerging technologies reshape institutions and everyday life. It also serves as a pre-summit dialogue in the lead-up to the India-AI Impact Summit 2026. Multiple industry leaders, and educationists took part in the dialogue, highlighting the use of AI, public-private partnerships and closing the digital divide between rural and urban areas. Rajit Punhani CEO, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India said that "If India is to grow to the level we aspire by 2047, AI can be a powerful accelerator provided we ensure that growth remains inclusive, and reaches educational spaces in rural areas who often face the larger brunt of the digital divide." Rashmi Das Director, Higashi Autism School observed that "equity is already a challenge in classrooms but AI can help if designed for diverse learners," adding that "public-private partnerships, whether for mother tongue materials or teacher training, will be key to making it work." Noopur Jhunjhunwala Trustee and cofounder of Changeinkk highlighted that many tools that began as assistive ended up helping everyone - like audiobooks. AI should evolve in the same way, shaped by voices from different communities and grounded in real needs, she said. Bipin Jojo Tata Institute of Social Sciences stressed on how AI can be an enabler for tribal communities if their diversity is recognised and the digital divide reduced, noting that culturally responsive approaches will be essential to strengthen inclusion and protect indigenous knowledge. The seminar emphasised CPRG's role in shaping India's AI policy agenda through dialogue that places inclusion at the centre. Notably, CPRG was the only Indian non-governmental organisation to host an official side event at the Paris AI Action Summit 2025, and several of its initiatives have been recognised at premier global platforms, including the Belgrade GPAI Summit 2024. Earlier this year, CPRG convened the PadhAI Conclave 2025, a national-level policy platform on AI in education that brought together senior ministers, policymakers, and academics. Building on this momentum, CPRG will continue to organise such events in the lead-up to the 2026 Summit, reinforcing its commitment to participatory and forward-looking inclusive technology policy. The Center of Policy Research and Governance (CPRG) is a policy research think tank that aims to promote responsive and participatory policy-making. As an Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) recognised institution, it has established itself as a leading voice in technology policy through its 'Future of Society' initiative. (ANI) The ceremony witnessed the participation of Rajya Sabha MP Anil Kumar Yadav, Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, MLCs Mirza Riyaz Ul Hassan Effendi and Mirza Rahmat Baig, MLAs Mohammed Mubeen and Mir Zulfiqar Ali, GHMC Commissioner RV Karnan, Charminar Zonal Commissioner Srinivas Reddy, Chief Engineer (Projects) Bhaskar Reddy, corporators, and several public representatives. A major infrastructure boost for South Hyderabad has been realised with the inauguration of the newly constructed parallel Road Over Bridge (ROB) at Falaknuma, built alongside the existing bridge on the Secunderabad-Falaknuma Broad Gauge line. The project, executed by GHMC, was completed at a cost of Rs 52.03 crore. The length of ROB is 360 meters (including the railway span). Covering both the reconstructed existing ROB and the new parallel ROB, it is a 4-lane facility. Additional works include 36 m box culvert, a 12m-wide light vehicular underpass, 60m and 100m at-grade road lengths on Chandrayangutta and Falaknuma sides respectively, and over 210m service roads, the press release said. The project is set to transform traffic flow in the Old City by ensuring conflict-free movement from Barkas Junction (near G-Max Convention) to Falaknuma Bus Depot. It will significantly reduce travel time and decongest heavy traffic leading towards Charminar. The new bridge will also provide major relief to traffic around Global School, Kali Mata pilgrimage routes, and the Falaknuma Railway Station. Local residents and commuters have welcomed the project, noting that it will put an end to frequent traffic snarls, save time, and ease movement across one of Hyderabad's busiest corridors. (ANI) Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Delhi President Saurabh Bhardwaj on Thursday alleged that the BJP government wanted to privatise healthcare and hospital facilities, so they have deliberately crippled the resources and medicines available at government hospitals, and the patients were left in distress. Addressing a press conference, Saurabh Bhardwaj said, "BJP has completed 8 months in Delhi, and the dismal condition of the government hospitals, which exist currently, is like never before. There was a time when all medicines were provided free under former CM Arvind Kejriwal, and all tests were free. If some of the test facilities were not available, then they were conducted in private labs free of cost. If any surgery was difficult, then they used to be done in a private hospital. Today, there is chaos in the government hospital under the BJP government. Neither are there medicines, nor equipment for surgery, nor are medical consumables available. Implants used in orthopaedic surgery are not available.Patients have to buy medicines from their own pocket." He alleged that this is the condition of Delhi government hospitals as well as government hospitals under the Central government, like Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. He further said, "Why is the BJP government doing like this? BJP wants to privatise the hospitals and healthcare. BJP wants to give big benefits to private hospitals and Nursing homes, so it deliberately started to cripple the government healthcare facility. The patients who used to visit from UP, Rajasthan, and Uttarakhand are suffering like the patients in Delhi. The lack of medicines in Delhi government hospitals has been created." He further alleged that earlier there was a budget of Rs 80 crores, which has been cut in the Delhi Arogya Kosh. "The budget of Rs 80 crores in Delhi Arogya Kosh has been reduced to zero. The Farishtey scheme has also been stopped. Medicines procured through CPA have become negligible, and there is a shortage of medicines," he added. (ANI) The Chief Minister also wished for the speedy recovery of the injured. In a social media post on X, Chief Minister Kumar, "The incident of four people their lives after being hit by Vande Bharat train at Purnia Junction is tragic. Wishing for the speedy recovery of the person injured in this accident. Praying to God to grant strength to the bereaved families to bear this hour of grief with patience." https://x.com/NitishKumar/status/1974080735142424631?s=08 Tragedy struck in Purnia district on Friday morning when four people lost their lives after being hit by a Vande Bharat Express near Kasba Jawanpur on the Katihar-Jogbani rail section while many others sustained injuries and have been admitted to GMCH for treatment. Soon after receiving the information about the incident, officials of Bihar Police and Railway Police Force (RPF) immediately reached the spot. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem. Injured are receiving treatment at the hospital. Earlier today, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar transferred a total amount of Rs 2500 crore to 25 lakh beneficiary women under the 'Mukhya Mantri Mahila rojgar Yojana'. In a post on X, the Chief Minister's Office wrote, "Today, Honorable Chief Minister Shri Nitish Kumar ji transferred a total amount of Rs 2500 crore to 25 lakh beneficiary women under the 'Mukhya Mantri Mahila rojgar Yojana' at the rate of Rs 10,000 per beneficiary from 'Sankalp' located at 1 Anne Marg." "The Honorable Chief Minister said that the Honorable Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, launched the 'Chief Minister's Women's Employment Scheme' on September 26, 2025. On that occasion, a total amount of 7,500 crore was transferred through DBT to 7.5 million women beneficiaries of the state at the rate of Rs 10,000 each," it added. (ANI) N'Djamena, Chad (PANA) - Human Rights Watch (HRW) has slammed Chad for stripping a blogger and a journalist of their citizenship describing it as a chilling escalation in the repression of dissent Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Raipur on Friday. He was received at the airport by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai. Union Home Minister Amit Shah is set to attend the historic Bastar Dussehra celebrations in Chhattisgarh's Jagdalpur district on Saturday during his day-long visit to the region, which was once infamous as a Naxal stronghold but is now steadily emerging from the shadow of extremism. According to the itinerary, Shah will begin his visit by offering prayers at the revered Maa Danteshwari Temple in Jagdalpur. The temple, dedicated to Goddess Danteshwari, holds immense religious significance among the local tribal communities and is considered a spiritual centre of the Bastar region. The Home Minister will attend the grand celebrations of the Bastar Dussehra Festival at Lal Bagh in Jagdalpur the centuries-old festival is one of the most prominent cultural events in Chhattisgarh, drawing thousands of participants and visitors every year. Shah's visit is being seen as a gesture of cultural outreach and an acknowledgement of Bastar's rich traditions. Bastar Dussehra is a unique celebration in India, where Dussehra is observed for 75 days, and the effigy of Ravana is not burnt. The festival has a history that spans over 600 years, making it one of the oldest and most unique festivals in India. It was initiated by the Kakatiya dynasty and has been preserved and celebrated by the local tribal communities ever since. The festival is deeply rooted in the spiritual beliefs of the Bastar tribes, who honour Goddess Danteshwari as their protector and guide. The cultural importance of Bastar Dussehra lies in its ability to unite the diverse tribes of Bastar, showcasing their traditional customs, music, and dance in a grand celebration of devotion. This unique Dussehra is celebrated in Bastar, a tribal-dominated area of Chhattisgarh, and is known as 'Bastar Dashara'. The fame of 'Bastar Dashara' is nowadays such that tourists from different parts of the country and the world also come to see it. Bastar Dussehra begins with the greenery of the new moon in the month of Shravan (Savan). On this day, the first wood is brought from the forest to build chariots. This ritual is called Pat Jatra. This festival runs till Dushara and ends with the ritual of Muria Durbar. In this ritual, the Maharaj Darbar of Bastar listens to the problems of the public. This festival is the most celebrated festival in the country. (ANI) The Delhi High Court has recently rejected the plea of a former IAS who was Registrar of Cooperative Societies, Delhi, against the charges framed against him in a cheating and corruption case. The case is linked to an FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation in December 2006. This case pertains to the allegations of freezing of the list and expelling members of a society, namely the Naval Technical Officers Cooperative Group Housing Society, registered with the Registrar of Cooperative Societies (RCS). Justice Neena Bansal Krishna dismissed the revision petition moved by Gopal Dikshit and said that there is no illegality or perversity in the Order on Charge of the trial court. " The material placed on record by the prosecution, including the witness testimonies, the noting in the files of the RCS office, and the Complaint by Lt. Cdr. Hukum Singh, is sufficient to establish a prima faciecase and raise a grave suspicion against the Petitioner for the offences alleged," Justice Krishna said in the judgment on September 26. The High Court pointed out that the defences raised by the Petitioner involve disputed questions of fact, which are the subject matter of trial. There is no illegality or perversity in the impugned Order on Charge of the Learned Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ). " There is no merit in the present Revision Petition, which is hereby dismissed," Justice Krishna ordered. Petitioner Gopal Dikshit had challenged the order on Charge of 25.10.2013 and Charge dated 29.10.2013 framed under Section 120B read with Sections 420, 468, 471 IPC and Section 13(2) read with Section 13(1) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (PC Act), by the CBI court. It was alleged that Petitioner, while serving as the Registrar of Co-operative Societies, Delhi (RCS) from 09.07.1997 to 11.07.1999, had approved Freeze List of members of the Naval Technical Officers Cooperative Group Housing Society (CGHS) [NTO, CGHS] and also passed an Order expelling members, in violation of the provision of Delhi Co-operative Society Act, 1972 and Delhi Go-operative Society Rules, 1973 (DCS Act and DCS Rules. A Preliminary Enquiry was undertaken, on which a FIR on 29.12.2006 was registered. The petitioner has moved an Application under Section 197 Cr.P.C. on 05.11.2009, seeking discharge for want of Sanction. However, he did not press the same and sought liberty to take the plea at the stage of arguments on the charge. The Order on charge was challenged on the ground that the relevant documents of NTO, CGHS came for approval of the Petitioner only after the verification was done by the subordinate officers, namely Inspector, Dealing Assistant (DA), Assistant Registrar (AR), Deputy Registrar (DR) and lastly by the Joint Registrar (JR) of the RCS, Delhi, and the Petitioner had no reason to doubt the acts of all these officials who are presumed to have done their duty honestly and in good faith, unless there are reasons to believe to the contrary. It was contended that the perusal of the documents filed along with the Chargesheet reflects that, as per the practice established, the documents submitted by the NTO, CGHS, pertaining to the the Freeze List of members, were repeatedly verified by the subordinate officers of the Petitioner and only after thorough verification by them and ensuring all statutory requirements were met, the Freeze List of members was sent to the Petitioner for approval. On the contrary, the core of the prosecution's case is that the petitioner did not act in good faith; rather, it is alleged that he was a conspirator in a scheme to illegally oust original Members and approve a fraudulent list. The claim of good faith is a defence that must be proven during the trial, and cannot be a threshold bar to the proceedings. " The alleged act of knowingly approving a manipulated list, which facilitated the illegal removal of members, forms the basis of the conspiracy charge. These circumstances, when viewed collectively, are sufficient to raise a suspicion that the Petitioner was acting in concert with the other co-accused. Therefore, the material on record is sufficient to frame charges for these offences," the High Court said. (ANI) Union Minister Kiren Rijiju has asked Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, to be "mindful" following his "wholesale attack on Indian democracy" remark during an interaction at EIA University in Colombia. Putting up a post on X referring to Rahul Gandhi's video interacting with students Rijiju wrote, "Within India it's fine, but in a foreign country, one must be mindful as our nation's image is at stake. Especially, when Indians have high reputation of being logical and intelligent." BJP National Spokesperson CR Kesavan on Friday also slammed Rahul Gandhi for his remark and called it "toxic anti-India rant on foreign soil". "The agenda of Rahul Gandhi's current 'Bharat Badnam Yatra' is to insult India and defame and undermine Indian democracy. In the most foul manner, Rahul Gandhi has been twisting the truth to peddle pernicious lies and badmouth Bharat, which is most condemnable, and everybody is wondering whether now Rahul Gandhi LoP means leader of pessimism or leader of polarisation," Kesavan told ANI. "Rahul Gandhi's toxic anti-India rant on foreign soil very clearly shows that neither Rahul Gandhi nor the Congress party have a shred of respect or regard for India's reputation and India's image...the people of India will teach Rahul Gandhi and the Congress a fitting lesson in the coming days," he added. Speaking at an event at EIA University of Colombia today, Rahul Gandhi took a swipe at the Narendra Modi government, asserting that the biggest challenge India is witnessing is the attack on its democracy. "India has strong capabilities in areas like engineering and healthcare, so I am very optimistic about the country. But at the same time, there are also flaws in the structure that India has to correct. The biggest challenge is the attack on democracy taking place in India," Gandhi said. The Congress leader argued that the democratic system remains crucial for diversity, allowing different traditions, customs, and ideas, including religious beliefs, to thrive. However, he added, the democratic system in India is under attack, which is a "major risk" or threat. "India has multiple religions, traditions, and languages -- in fact, the country is essentially a conversation between all these people and cultures. Different traditions, religions, and ideas require space, and the best method for creating that space is the democratic system," Gandhi said. "Currently, there is a wholesale attack on this democratic system, and that is a major risk. Another big risk is the tension between different conceptions in parts of the country. With 16-17 major languages and many religions, it is crucial to allow these diverse traditions to thrive and give them the space they need," he added. Gandhi also attacked the RSS-BJP duo, saying that "cowardice" was at the heart of their ideology. "This is the nature of BJP-RSS. If you notice a statement of the foreign minister, he said, 'China is much more powerful than us. How can I pick a fight with them?' At the heart of the ideology is cowardice," the Congress leader said. The BJP has raised strong objections against remarks made by Rahul Gandhi, labelling them as "anti-India" and "insulting" to the nation. (ANI) Former Kerala Minister for Co-Operation, Tourism and Devaswom, Kadakampally Surendran, said on Friday that a "thorough investigation" should be carried and the culprits should be duly identified regarding the Sabarimala gold-plating row. "The controversy over the gold-plating has surfaced now. The High Court is directly looking into the matter. The state government has also decided to probe everything related to it. Investigation is being carried out under the direct supervision of the High Court", the former minister told reporters here. Earlier, the Kerala High Court ordered an investigation into the Sabaraimala row. The Dwarapalaka idols at the Sabarimala temple had gold-plated copper plates, originally installed in 1999, with the intention of keeping them there for the next 40 years. However, defects were seen in the plates after just a few years. In 2019, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) had removed the plates for repairing. Calling for a thorough investigation into the incident, the former minister said, "Let the investigation proceed thoroughly, and through it, let the culprits be identified. That is the government's stance, and it should be everyone's stance. The probe is to determine whether there was any lapse or not. Let that investigation take its course." Surendran was the state's minister for Co-Operation, Tourism and Devaswom between 2016 and 2021. Meanwhile, TDB is also seeking an investigation into all matters related to Sabarimala from 1999 to 2025, saying that they will move the court after it re-opens. "The Travancore Devaswom Board will request the High Court to investigate all matters related to Sabarimala from 1999 to 2025. The request for investigation will be made on the very day the High Court reopens after the Puja holidays. The Board has no intention of protecting any official if wrongdoing is found. Unnikrishnan Potty carried out numerous scams and embezzlements in the name of Sabarimala", TDB president PS Prasanth said. Meanwhile, V Sree Kumar, a Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) member called for devotees to "take matter into their hands" and force the government to order a comprehensive inquiry. He accused the state government and the TDB of malpractice. "It is because of the connivance of Devaswom officials and with the political leadership of that timewhich is responsible for the malpractices happening in Sabarimala. Now is the time for Hindu organisations, the devotees, to take the matter into their hands, and force the Devoswom board, the government to order a complete comprehensive enquiry under the supervision of Kerala High Court. Even a CBI enquiry is also preferable", Kumar told ANI. Historical records show that the 1998 gold cladding, completed in 1999, was carried out under the leadership of Chennai-based jeweller Nagarajan of JNR Jewellery with the expertise of 53 Tamil Nadu artisans. The process involved layering gold beaten into thin foils and bonding them onto copper plates with mercury. In 2019, during repairs, Devaswom records listed the removed panels as copper sheets. When the replated panels were returned, records showed a reduction of 4.41 kg. Unnikrishnan Potty testified that the sheets given to him were copper-based with residual gold, later replated at a Chennai firm. (ANI) Trichy police have arrested three more suspects in the case related to the burning of Lord Rama's portrait during an event organised by the "Aindham Tamil Sangam" at Ayanputhur village near Gundur in Trichy, Trichy District Police said in a press release. On Thursday, the first accused, Adaikkalaraj (36), son of Shankar, from Kavarapatti, Viralimalai Taluk, Pudukkottai district, was arrested and remanded to judicial custody. The three arrested people have been identified as Thilakeswaran (31), son of Rajalingam, from Chithankottai, Ramanathapuram district, Napoleon (31), son of Kaliyanan, from Attanur, Rasipuram, Namakkal district and Vasanthakumar (28), son of Saravanan, from Nedumanur, Sankarapuram Taluk, Kallakurichi district. They were produced before the court on Friday and remanded to judicial custody. Police said investigations are continuing, and if any further accused are identified, action will be taken against them as well. Meanwhile, Trichy District Superintendent of Police C Selvanagarathinam, has warned that strict action will be taken against anyone who posts or shares content on social media that hurts religious sentiments, incites violence, or disturbs public peace. Earlier, Trichy police registered a case after a video surfaced on social media showing people burning a portrait of the Hindu deity Ram. The police arrested one person involved in the act, the Trichy police said in a press release. The case was registered under Crime No. 18/25, sections 192, 196(1)(a), 197, 299, 302, and 353(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). According to the release, on September 28, 2025, an event titled "Aasivaga Thirumal Guidance Festival" was organised by the "Aindham Tamil Sangam" (Regd. No. Book-4/360/2024) at Ayanputhur village under Navalpattu police limits. The event began with flag hoisting at 6:00 a.m. and concluded by 6:00 p.m., with nearly 100 people in attendance. That night, around 5 to 6 members of the organisation allegedly beat a flex banner depicting Lord Rama with slippers, set it on fire, and later uploaded the video on social media platforms, including the group's Facebook page under the ID "Aindham Tamilar Sangam." The press note further stated that the video showed participants chanting "Ravanae Potri, Ravanae Potri" (Hail Ravana) while burning the banner. Towards the end, it also displayed phone numbers encouraging people to join the group. Based on a complaint by a cybercrime monitoring officer, a case was registered on October 2, 2025, at the Cyber Crime Police Station under Crime No. 18/25, sections 192, 196(1)(a), 197, 299, 302, and 353(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). (ANI) Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday (local time) hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, calling him a "wise leader" and stating that PM Modi thinks first about his country, according to Russia Today. Putin was speaking at the plenary session of the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi and mentioned that India and Russia both share a "special" relationship. "People in India do not forget about this and our relations, I believe. Some 15 years ago, we made an announcement about a privileged strategic partnership, and that is the best description. Prime Minister Modi is a very wise leader who thinks first about his country," Putin said, quoted by Russia Today. The development comes after the reports of Putin's visit to India at the end of this year. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is also expected to visit India before President Putin's visit to prepare for the summit and discuss bilateral issues. At the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on September 27, Lavrov announced that a visit by the Russian President is planned for New Delhi in December, marking the ongoing diplomatic preparations. Meanwhile, addressing the issue of US tariffs imposed on Indian imports at the Valdai Discussion Club, President Putin stressed that if it stops buying Russian oil, it could suffer economic losses of USD 9 to 10 billion. He expressed confidence that PM Narendra Modi wouldn't bow down to any foreign pressure and also backed India's dignity and strategic autonomy. "There is no political aspect here; it's purely an economic calculation. "Will India give up our energy resources? If so, it will incur certain losses. Estimates vary; some say it could be around $9-10 billion. But if it doesn't refuse, sanctions will be imposed, and the loss will be the same. So why refuse if it also carries domestic political costs? [Indian people] will never allow themselves to be humiliated by anyone. I know Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi, he will also not make any such decisions," Putin added, as per Russia Today. Putin's remarks come two weeks after US President Donald Trump, during his address in the United Nations General Assembly, called China and India the "primary funders" of the Ukraine war, accusing them of financing it by continuing to buy Russian oil. "China and India are the primary funders of the ongoing war by continuing to purchase Russian oil," Trump said. (ANI) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday (local time) condemned the Manchester synagogue terror attack, stating "weakness in the face of terrorism only brings more terrorism." Netanyahu paid his condolences to the victims and wished for the speedy recovery of the injured. He said that terrorism can only be defeated by strength and unity. "Israel grieves with the Jewish community in the UK after the barbaric terror attack in Manchester. Our hearts are with the families of the murdered, and we pray for the swift recovery of the wounded. As I warned at the UN: Weakness in the face of terrorism only brings more terrorism. Only strength and unity can defeat it," Netanyahu wrote on 'X'. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday (local time) condemned the Manchester synagogue terror attack, promising security to every Jew staying in the country. He said that "anti-semitism" is a hatred that is rising in the country, and that it should be defeated. "This was a vile terrorist attack that attacked Jews, because they are Jews. Anti-semitism is a hatred that is rising, once again. Britain must defeat it, once again. To every Jewish person in this country: I promise that I will do everything in my power to guarantee you the security you deserve," Keir Starmer wrote on X. The attack took place in the Crumpsall area of Manchester, where a car was driven into members of the public and a man was stabbed. At least two people were killed, and three others remain in serious condition. Police confirmed that the suspected attacker was shot by armed officers and is believed to be dead. Worshippers who were inside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue at the time were evacuated as emergency services responded to the scene. Following the attack, Greater Manchester Police declared PLATO, a national code used when armed officers are deployed across the force in response to an ongoing attack, according to CNN. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced "additional police assets" will be deployed at synagogues across the country. "The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific," the Prime Minister said in a post on X. "My thoughts are with the loved ones of all those affected." According to the UK news media, Starmer will cut short his trip to Copenhagen, where he was attending a security meeting of European leaders, to return to the UK and chair a session of the government's Cobra committee - a cross-departmental group convened during national emergencies. (ANI) Union Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi in Moscow on the occasion of the 156th birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation. Margherita offered his respects at Mahatma Gandhi's statue located in Ramenki Rayon Park in the Russian capital. In a post on X he highlighted how Gandhi's virtues of non-violence and peace continues to guide the world towards harmony and peace. "Commemorating the 156th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, I offered floral tributes at his statue in Ramenki Rayon Park, Moscow. Gandhiji's eternal message of truth, non-violence and peace continues to guide the world towards harmony and justice", MoS Margherita posted on X. https://x.com/PmargheritaBJP/status/1973672842135765092 Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid homage to Gandhi through a post on X, recalling his courage and values of service and compassion. PM said the nation would continue to follow the Mahatma's path in its quest for a 'Viksit Bharat.' "Gandhi Jayanti is about paying homage to the extraordinary life of beloved Bapu, whose ideals transformed the course of human history. He demonstrated how courage and simplicity could become instruments of great change. He believed in the power of service and compassion as essential means of empowering people. We will keep following his path in our quest to build a Viksit Bharat," the Prime Minister wrote. This year marks the 156th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, commemorated as the Father of the Nation for his pivotal role in India's freedom struggle. October 2, in India, is celebrated as Gandhi Jayanti, while across the globe it is observed as the International Day of Non-Violence, following a 2007 United Nations resolution that received support from over 140 countries. At the United Nations, the day is observed with statements from the Secretary-General and events that connect Gandhi's philosophy to today's realities. In recent years, these messages have highlighted the conflicts across the globe and reminded nations that Gandhi's belief in truth and non-violence is "more powerful than any weapon." In India, the observance takes the form of tributes at Raj Ghat, cultural and educational programmes, and public campaigns that highlight Gandhi's ideals. Born on October 2, 1869, Mahatma Gandhi was a leading figure in the Indian freedom struggle. Inspired by the concepts of Satyagraha and non-violence, Gandhi led the Dandi March of 1930, during which thousands walked to the sea to defy the salt law, and the Quit India Movement of 1942, a protest against British rule. (ANI) Taiwan recorded Chinese military presence around the island with 6 PLA aircraft and 7 PLAN vessels operating around its territory, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence (MND) reported on Friday. Sharing the details in a post on X, it noted that one out of the six sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's southwestern ADIZ. "6 PLA aircraft and 7 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 1 out of 6 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's southwestern ADIZ. #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and responded accordingly". https://x.com/MoNDefense/status/1973915911733309684 On Thursday, MND said it has detected the presence of 11 PLA aircraft, eight PLAN vessels and two official ships operating around its territory. The latest activity comes amid warnings from defence experts that China's newly unveiled weapon systems are designed to counter Taiwan's long-standing asymmetric warfare strategy. According to the Defence and Security Biweekly, published by the Institute for National Defence and Security Research (INDSR), assistant research fellow Sheu Jyh-shyang has said that Taiwan has invested heavily for decades in asymmetric warfare, a defence strategy based on low-cost, highly effective systems meant to deter Beijing from launching a large-scale invasion. The frequent incursions and maritime operations reflect rising tensions between Taiwan and China, a relationship long fraught with geopolitical strain. Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China (ROC), governs itself independently with its own distinct political and economic systems. However, China continues to claim Taiwan as part of its territory under the "One China" principle, insisting there is only one China with its capital in Beijing. The dispute's roots trace back to the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, when the ROC government fled to Taiwan after the Communist Party, led by Mao Zedong, took control of mainland China. Since then, Beijing has maintained its goal of reunification, using military, diplomatic, and economic means to apply pressure on Taiwan and diminish its international space. Despite these efforts, Taiwan maintains its de facto independence, backed by strong public support, and continues to assert its sovereignty amid ongoing external pressures. The MND regularly monitors and publicly reports such military movements to ensure transparency and national security awareness. (ANI) The Pakistan Journalists Union announced a "black day" to be observed on Friday after the alleged assault on Journalists at the Islamabad National Press Club on Thursday, Dawn reported. Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) President Afzal Butt said, "The journalists are furious at the moment. He also stated that all press clubs across Pakistan will hoist black flags in condemnation of this act. According to Pakistan media reports, the Lawyers Community of POJK were staging a peaceful protest at the Press club when the Police attacked them. The protests in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) entered their sixth consecutive day, intensifying anger against authorities across the region after security forces killed three. Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Thursday ordered a probe after Islamabad police stormed the National Press Club (NPC) and attacked journalists, sparking nationwide outrage and calls for protests, Dawn reported. Journalist unions declared Friday a "black day," saying the assault was a direct attack on media freedom. Visuals broadcast on Pakistani channels and widely circulated on social media showed baton-wielding policemen dragging journalists, breaking cameras, and assaulting staff inside the NPC cafeteria. As per Dawn, visuals showed a photojournalist with his shirt torn and his camera smashed. "Violence against the journalist community cannot be tolerated under any circumstances," Naqvi said in a statement, adding that disciplinary action would be taken against those responsible. He has sought a report from the Islamabad inspector general. But journalist leaders rejected mere enquiries and warned of a stronger response if such actions continued. "This is not only the Islamabad press club's issue," Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) President Afzal Butt said at a press conference. "Press clubs across Pakistan believe that if they ignore this worst incident, tomorrow it could be Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar or Quetta." Butt, who described the raid as "one of the darkest days in Pakistan's history," said journalists would hoist black flags at press clubs nationwide. "The attack on the National Press Club was an attack on media freedom," he said, as per Dawn. Other journalist bodies accused the government of sanctioning the raid. "Islamabad police did not come here on their own. They were sent," Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists President Tariq Virk said. "They tortured and arrested even an ailing employee of the club. We will now adopt such a plan of action that nobody dares repeat this rogue behaviour." (ANI) AUSTIN, Texas and TOKYO, Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- According to DataM Intelligence, the global animal health market was valued at US$ 58.64 Billion in 2023, rose to US$ 62.69 Billion in 2024, and is projected to reach US$ 119.44 Billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 7.5% (20252033). Growth is driven by rising animal health spending, increasing use of AI, regulatory changes, prevalence of animal diseases, zoonotic concerns, pet insurance uptake, and pet humanizationwith AI adoption emerging as the key factor. At its 92nd General Session (May 2025), the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) adopted Resolution No. 5, launching governance reforms to improve transparency and adaptability. These include refining commission member selection, better documenting stakeholder input, and modernizing procedures, reinforcing WOAH's global role in advancing animal health and welfare. Get a Free Sample PDF Brochure of the Report (Use Corporate Email ID for a Quick Response): https://www.datamintelligence.com/download-sample/animal-health-market Browse in-depth TOC on " Oral Contraceptive Pills Market " 62 Tables 55 Figures 180 Pages By product type, the biologics segment from product type is dominating the animal health market with a 30.3% share in 2024 The biologics segment, particularly vaccines, leads the global animal health market due to its preventive and cost-effective advantages. Vaccines protect livestock and aquaculture from infectious diseases, reducing mortality and boosting productivity. With rising concerns about antimicrobial resistance, regulations are shifting the focus from drugs to immunization. Advances in recombinant and vector-based vaccines, along with cost-effective mass immunization programs, make biologics the highest revenue-generating category in veterinary health. By animal Type, The production animal segment from animal type is dominating the animal health market with a 60.3% share in 2024 The production-animal segment (poultry, swine, cattle, sheep, goats, and fish) dominates the global animal health market due to its scale and economic value. Rising demand for meat, milk, eggs, and seafood drives investment in biosecurity, diagnostics, vaccines, and parasite control. Preventive care is both cost-effective and compliant with regulations on antibiotic use, ensuring safe food supply. Poultry leads by volume for its rapid cycles, pigs and cattle generate high profits, aquaculture is the fastest-growing subsegment, while sheep and goats retain strong regional shares. Get Customization in the Report as Per Your Business Requirements: https://www.datamintelligence.com/customize/animal-health-market North America is expected to dominate the global animal health market with a 43.5% in 2024 North America is expected to dominate the global animal health market due to its large livestock and companion-animal populations, which drive high demand for vaccines, biologics, and pharmaceuticals. The region benefits from advanced veterinary infrastructure, strong research and development, and rapid adoption of innovative technologies, including diagnostics and therapeutics. Additionally, high disposable incomes and increasing pet ownership fuel spending on companion animal health. The U.S. animal health market is expected to dominate due to its large livestock and companion animal populations, which create strong demand for vaccines, biologics, and pharmaceuticals. The country benefits from advanced veterinary infrastructure, significant investment in research and development, and rapid adoption of innovative technologies, including diagnostics, therapeutics, and preventive solutions. Europe is the second region after North America which is expected to dominate the global animal health market with a 34.5% in 2024 The European animal health market is growing rapidly, driven by Germany, the UK, and France. Strong veterinary services, advanced livestock and poultry farming, and regulatory support from the EMA fuel demand, with a focus on biosecurity and disease prevention. In Germany, widespread use of customized vaccines and biologics, backed by strict regulations and initiatives from the BVL, reinforces its leadership in preventive animal health and reduced antibiotic reliance. The Asia Pacific region is the fastest-growing region in the global animal health market, with a CAGR of 7.4% in 2024. The Asia-Pacific animal health market is growing quickly, led by China, India, Japan, and South Korea. Rising prevalence of livestock and poultry diseases, expanding cattle, swine, and poultry farming, and stronger veterinary infrastructure are driving demand for vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics. Japan benefits from government biosecurity programs, while China's market is expanding rapidly due to its large livestock sectors, increased awareness of biosecurity, and high demand for animal protein. Brazil Leads Latin America Animal Health Market with Rising Pet Care & Livestock Demand The Latin American animal health market is set to grow, driven by rising livestock diseases, supportive government funding, economic development, and expanding animal husbandry practices. Brazil leads the region, fueled by its large pet population, diverse animal base, and strong role as a global meat producer with high feed consumption. Purchase This Exclusive Report at Just USD 4350 Only: https://www.datamintelligence.com/buy-now-page?report=animal-health-market Top Players in the animal health market Top companies in the animal health market include Zoetis, Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, Elanco, Merck & Co., Ceva, Virbac, Vetoquinol, Dechra, Phibro Animal Health Corporation, and Bimeda US, among others. Recent Developments in the market: In March 2025, AquaTactics, Bimeda's aquaculture division, gained US FDA approval to produce autogenous fish vaccines, enabling customized solutions, with production in Texas and continued development and support from their Kirkland, Washington, site. In November 2024, Ceva Animal Health, the fifth-largest global animal health player, unveiled its latest investment in European vaccine manufacturing with the construction of a new facility in Hungary with the most advanced technologies, where Ceva will produce fermentation-based multicomponent inactivated vaccines for animals, expanding the capacity of Ceva Phylaxia. Re lated Reports: Veterinary Vaccines Market Size, Share, Trends & Forecast, 2025-2032 Animal Feed Additives Market Size, Share, Growth Trends & Forecast, 2025-2032 Animal Nutrition Market Size, Share, Growth, Research Report, 2025-2032 Ab out DataM Intelligence 4Market Research: DataM Intelligence 4Market Research is a comprehensive market intelligence platform offering syndicated and customized reports along with expert consulting across multiple industries, including chemicals, healthcare, agriculture, food & beverages, and more. With extensive experience and a strategy-focused approach, DataM provides businesses and individuals with reliable market insights, statistical forecasts, and personalized research solutions to help them make informed decisions and successfully bring innovations to market. To find out more, visit https://www.datamintelligence.com/ or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Contact: Mr. Sai Kiran DataM Intelligence 4market Research LLP Ground floor DSL Abacus IT Park, Industrial Development Area Uppal, Hyderabad, Telangana 500039 USA: +1 877-441-4866 Email: [email protected] Content Source: https://www.datamintelligence.com/research-report/animal-health-market Visit Our Website: https://www.datamintelligence.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1858619/3573087/DataM_Intelligence_Logo.jpg SOURCE DataM Intelligence 4 Market Research LLP A Cinema in Oakville, west of Toronto, has announced the cancellation of all South Asian film screenings following a shooting and an attempted arson on its premises in the last week, CBC reported on Thursday (Canada local time). According to CBC, it was noted that Film.Ca Cinemas said both incidents at its Oakville, Ontario, location occurred overnight while the theatre was closed, hence no one was injured. It also mentioned that the incidents "may be connected to disagreements" within the South Asian film industry. It added that the decision to halt South Asian film screenings was made in the interest of safety for staff and patrons. Halton Police, which is probing the matter, said that they are investigating after two suspects used a flammable liquid to set the theatre's entrance doors on fire on September 25, although the blaze remained contained and didn't cause significant damage, CBC reported. Citing Halton police, it further noted that the police said that in the second incident, shortly before 2 AM on Thursday, a suspect approached the cinema's front entrance and fired a handgun multiple times through the doors. It asked people who have information to contact investigators. "We remain open for business and will fully co-operate with and assist law enforcement in retrieving any information about the perpetrator and conspirator and bringing them to justice -- because this just cannot stand," Jeff Knoll, CEO of Film.Ca Cinemas, said in a statement as reported by CBC. "We recognise that many guests had eagerly anticipated these films, and we sincerely regret any inconvenience and disappointment this decision may cause." As per CBC, similar incidents, several of which involved drive-by shootings, have previously been reported at other theatres in the Greater Toronto Area and in British Columbia. It also mentioned that some distributors of South Indian films in Canada have alleged that there is an ongoing campaign to prevent popular movies from appearing in Canadian theatre chains as part of an effort to control the market and safeguard profits. (ANI) Geneva [Switzerland], October 3 (ANI) | Pakistan's record on enforced disappearances and extrajudicial abuses came under sharp criticism at a side event organised during the 60th Session of the UN Human Rights Council. Chongshi Yeah Joseph, Executive Director of the Centre for Human Rights and Peace, accused Islamabad of turning into a "rogue state" over its alarming number of cases of extra-judicial killings, torture, and detention in unknown places. The event, titled "Enforced Disappearances in Pakistan: Amplifying Voices, Demanding Justice, Calling for Global Action", was convened by the Centre for Human Rights and Peace Advocacy. Joseph said enforced disappearances amount to a war crime, and Pakistan was "becoming alarming" in its use of such practices. "It is a very serious crime, considered a war crime. All states are guilty of these crimes, but I think in Pakistan it's becoming alarming... extrajudicial killings, torture, detention in unknown places, irrespective of who they are, and all this detention with the consent of the state means that the state is becoming a rogue state," he told ANI. Joseph urged the UN to intervene, warning that silence would mean failure of its duty to ensure peace after the horrors of the two World Wars. "It is the responsibility of the UN to come in, advise, recommend and even sanction its member states for continuing to violate their human rights," he said. Furthermore, Speakers from Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) also highlighted cases of abductions, torture and killings, urging the United Nations to act under its founding mandate of protecting peace and human rights. Political activists from PoJK, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Balochistan used the platform to expose the scale of enforced disappearances. They described Pakistan as one of the leading states in South Asia for such abuses and called for its compliance with the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Convention on Enforced Disappearances. Pashtun activist Fazal-ur-Rehman Afridi of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) said more than 6,500 confirmed cases of enforced disappearances involving Pashtuns had been documented. "Besides Pashtuns, there are Sindhis and Balochis as well. The number is astronomical... We informed the United Nations Human Rights Council about these enforced disappearances," Afridi told ANI. From PoJK, exiled activist Nasir Aziz Khan of the United Kashmir People's National Party condemned killings of demonstrators during protests in Muzaffarabad last week. "Pakistan is using brutal force against civilians and peaceful protesters... More than 10 people lost their lives since September 29. Hundreds are in jail and tortured. We urge the UN to intervene to protect the lives of Kashmiris living under Pakistan's occupation," he said. Sindhi activist Kamran Jatoi of the World Sindhi Congress said those who opposed a canal project in Sindh were abducted and silenced. He criticised Pakistan's anti-terrorism courts for being misused against peaceful activists. Former Canadian MP Dr. Habib Millat, now head of the Global Center for Democratic Governance, called enforced disappearances a "grave human rights concern" that required coordinated international action. (ANI) Geneva [Switzerland], October 3: (ANI) At the 60th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), the CEO of Rajasthan Samgrah Kalyan Sansthan (RSKS) India, Dr SN Sharma, in his oral intervention, highlighted Pakistan's treatment of Hindu minorities, urging the global community to hold Islamabad accountable for persistent rights violations. Addressing the Council under General Debate IX, Dr Sharma stated that equality and dignity are the fundamental values that cannot be compromised under any circumstances. "We categorically reject all forms of racial discrimination, xenophobia, and religious intolerance, regardless of where they occur," he said. Dr Sharma drew attention to the worsening plight of Pakistan's Hindu population, where religious minorities are routinely subjected to forced conversions, sexual exploitation, denial of services, and violent displacement. He described how many families are deprived of their properties and livelihoods, forced to live under constant threat, and stripped of their fundamental rights. Condemning Pakistan's negligence, Dr Sharma accused Pakistan of perpetuating a form of "religious apartheid," in direct violation of international human rights treaties. He said the global community must no longer remain silent, adding that the UNHRC must push for immediate accountability and ensure mechanisms are put in place to safeguard persecuted minorities. Dr Sharma highlighted India's long-standing civilizational ethos of inclusion, noting that India has consistently extended refuge and citizenship rights to displaced Hindu families, guaranteeing them security and dignity. He highlighted that India's approach exemplifies how a nation can uphold universal values of equality and compassion. "Pakistan's continued failure to protect its minorities is not just a national failure but an international challenge to human rights principles. Dr Sharma's intervention highlighted India's dedication to promoting equality, solidarity, and dignity in the global fight against racial and religious intolerance, while placing Pakistan's dismal human rights record firmly under international scrutiny. (ANI) Russian Ambassador to India, Denis Alipov, on Friday, hailed the completion of 25 years of India-Russia strategic partnership, underscoring how it opened a new chapter in the bilateral relationship of the two countries. In a post on X, Alipov said, "On October 3, 2000, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee signed the declaration on strategic partnership, which opened a new chapter in bilateral relations. Today we are celebrating the 25th anniversary of this historic declaration." https://x.com/AmbRus_India/status/1973942892214595696 The post by the Russian Ambassador comes as India and Russia are finalising dates for Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to India, which is expected to take place in early December, sources said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is also expected to visit India before President Putin's visit, to prepare for the summit and discuss bilateral issues. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday (local time) hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, calling him a "wise leader" and stating that PM Modi thinks first about his country, according to Russia Today. Putin was speaking at the plenary session of the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi and mentioned that India and Russia both share a "special" relationship. "People in India do not forget about this and our relations, I believe. Some 15 years ago, we made an announcement about a privileged strategic partnership, and that is the best description. Prime Minister Modi is a very wise leader who thinks first about his country," Putin said, quoted by Russia Today. Former diplomat KP Fabian appreciated the statement by President Putin and trold ANI, "President Putin's statement is welcome." Former diplomat Rajiv Dogra termed the statement by the Russian President "sincere" but also urged caution. "We have to be careful not to be taken in by his words. At the moment, he is sincere... However, we should also keep in mind recent reports suggesting Russian transfers of advanced fighter jet engines to Pakistan. Clearly, there are many shades to Putin," he said. At the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on September 27, Lavrov announced that a visit by the Russian President is planned for New Delhi in December, marking the ongoing diplomatic preparations. Speaking about India-Russia relations, Lavrov highlighted the depth of the bilateral agenda, covering trade, military and technical cooperation, finance, humanitarian matters, healthcare, high technology, artificial intelligence, and close coordination at international forums such as the SCO and BRICS. On India's trade autonomy, Lavrov emphasised, "We have full respect for the national interests of India, full respect for the foreign policy that Narendra Modi is carrying out to promote these national interests. We hold regular contacts at the highest level." He further clarified that India is "perfectly capable" of making its own decisions in trade relations, including those concerning Russian oil. The visit will not only reinforce the long-standing camaraderie between New Delhi and Moscow but also open new avenues for cooperation in emerging sectors. Given India's non-alignment with the International Criminal Court (ICC), Putin's visit to India is feasible without concerns over the ICC arrest warrant. (ANI) The Consulate General of India in Seattle, in partnership with the Gates Foundation, hosted a special India Day celebration on October 2 to mark Gandhi Jayanti. The event showcased Indian culture, arts and cuisine, and was attended by Bill Gates, Chair and Board Member of the Gates Foundation, along with senior leaders from Washington State and Seattle city governments. Addressing the gathering, Bill Gates noted that it was symbolic to celebrate the day on Mahatma Gandhi's birthday. "The ideals he championed, the equality and dignity of every person, are foundational to the work we do," Gates said. He also praised India's role in global innovation, especially in finding solutions for health and development across the Global South. "Today, India stands as a global leader in innovation and is pioneering solutions with the potential to save and improve millions of lives. We look forward to continuing to partner with India on its journey toward Viksit Bharat 2047," Gates added. The Consulate General of India in Seattle described the event as a reflection of the strong partnership between India and the Gates Foundation, highlighting areas of cooperation in healthcare, innovation and development. In an X post the consulate general office in Seattle wrote, "Gandhi Jayanti celebrations @ Gates Foundation HQrs in Seattle. Thank You @BillGates for your strong support". https://x.com/indiainseattle/status/1973945972301705222?s=46 The Gandhi Jayanti celebration at the Foundation's headquarters also featured cultural performances and Indian food, giving guests a glimpse of India's heritage alongside discussions on shared values of equality and human dignity. This year marks the 156th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, commemorated as the Father of the Nation for his pivotal role in India's freedom struggle. October 2, in India, is celebrated as Gandhi Jayanti, while across the globe it is observed as the International Day of Non-Violence, following a 2007 United Nations resolution that received support from over 140 countries. At the United Nations, the day is observed with statements from the Secretary-General and events that connect Gandhi's philosophy to today's realities. In recent years, these messages have highlighted the conflicts across the globe and reminded nations that Gandhi's belief in truth and non-violence is "more powerful than any weapon." In India, the observance takes the form of tributes at Raj Ghat, cultural and educational programmes, and public campaigns that highlight Gandhi's ideals. (ANI) A government advertisement portraying journalists, freelancers, NGO staff, and civil society actors as possible instruments of "enemy propaganda" has sparked outrage from press freedom advocates and human rights groups, as reported by Dawn. According to Dawn, the half-page advertisement, published by the Ministry of Information in several leading newspapers on October 1 and 2, warned that the battlefield of war has shifted from guns to information. Under the headline "Have you ever wondered what war looks like today?" It declared that today's enemy no longer uses gunpowder but "information," and may appear in the guise of a reporter, an NGO worker, or a freelancer. The ad suggested such actors could extract sensitive information to create fear and unrest. The Freedom Network, a media watchdog, condemned the advertisement in strong terms, saying it had placed journalists and civil society workers in danger by equating them with threats to national security. "This reckless narrative undermines press freedom, fuels hostility, and stigmatises professionals who deliver reliable information to the public," the organisation said in its statement. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), the Women's Action Forum (Lahore), Shirkat Gah-Women's Resource Centre, South Asia Partnership-Pakistan, Simorgh, and the Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS) also issued a joint statement denouncing the Ministry of Information's move. These groups described the advertisement as deeply troubling, stressing that it further narrows Pakistan's already restricted space for free speech and independent media, as highlighted by Dawn. The campaign comes at a time when the government has tightened controls on digital platforms, particularly in the wake of an opposition leader's imprisonment. Rights advocates fear the ad's messaging could embolden hostility against journalists, freelancers, and NGOs, making them more vulnerable to harassment and violence. Critics warn that by casting independent voices as "enemies of the state," the government risks legitimising attacks on democratic freedoms. The controversy has reignited debates about censorship, repression, and Pakistan's shrinking civic space, as reported by Dawn. (ANI) Members of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and journalists briefly boycotted the National Assembly (NA) session on Friday over separate matters, Dawn reported. According to the report, the PPP, which is a coalition partner of the ruling PML-N at the Centre, staged a walkout after remarks made by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz amid an ongoing rift between the two parties over flood relief. At the same time, journalists protested against a police raid at the National Press Club (NPC) on Thursday, during which media persons were assaulted. As the NA proceedings began, PPP's Naveed Qamar said, "I want to say this on record that in the last session, we had raised some issues. We had also protested and walked out. After that, the government sent a team that engaged in dialogue with us." He, however, added that despite the talks "there has been no difference on the ground [...] We cannot be a part of this House until this matter is resolved. So, we are walking out today." Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, while opening his speech, expressed optimism that the differences between the PPP and PML-N would be settled. He asked Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and National Food Security Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain to hold talks with PPP leaders to bring them back to the session if they had not yet left. Dawn noted that as Dar continued speaking, some PPP members returned to the hall amid applause. The foreign minister thanked them and remarked that the issues between the two sides would be resolved with leadership involvement. The PPP had also walked out of the September 30 NA session over Maryam's comments, which escalated a row that began with flood compensation and later extended to water rights on the Indus River. Maryam had asked PPP leaders to "keep its advice to itself," prompting PPP lawmakers to boycott the NA and Senate sittings in protest. On Wednesday, senior PPP and PML-N figures met in Islamabad to seek a way forward, with PPP urging Maryam to "rethink her tone" regarding water rights and Sindh. The meeting attended by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Law Minister Azam Nazir, Senator Rana Sanaullah, and PPP's Naveed Qamar and Ijaz Jakhrani decided to escalate the matter to PML-N President Nawaz Sharif and CM Maryam, Dawn reported. Separately, journalists also staged a walkout from the press gallery over the Islamabad police raid at the NPC. Members of the Parliamentary Reporters Association of Pakistan (PRA), led by President MB Soomro and Secretary Naveed Akbar, walked out of the NA session. In a statement cited by Dawn, the PRA described the NPC as the "home to journalists" that had been attacked by police. "Violence against journalists and such incidents are becoming common," the statement read, adding that the PRA considered such acts a "reflection of undemocratic thinking." NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq directed treasury members to engage with the media, following which Public Affairs Minister Rana Mubashir Iqbal, Minister of State for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel Malik, and Minister of State for Finance and Revenue Bilal Azhar Kayani visited the press lounge. Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry also joined them. Chaudhry assured journalists their demands would be met, condemned the raid, and expressed solidarity with the media. He said the law minister was in contact with him on the matter and that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had also been briefed. Following these assurances, journalists agreed to postpone their boycott of the NA session. (ANI) President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday accepted the credentials of newly appointed envoys from Mauritania, Luxembourg, Canada, and Slovenia at Rashtrapati Bhavan. According to a statement from the President's office, Ahmedou Sidi Mohamed presented his credentials as the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. Christian Biever assumed charge as the Ambassador of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, while Christopher Cooter joined as the High Commissioner of Canada. Tomaz Mencin presented his credentials as the Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia. The ceremony, held at the Presidential Palace in New Delhi, is part of the formal process through which foreign diplomats assume their roles in India. By presenting their credentials to the Head of State, the envoys officially begin their diplomatic assignments. India maintains robust diplomatic ties with all four countries across various sectors, including trade, education, technology, and cultural exchanges. The arrival of the new envoys is expected to further strengthen bilateral cooperation. According to Ministry of External affairs, India and Luxembourg enjoy warm and friendly relations characterized by a high degree of "mutual understanding and cooperation" at bilateral and multilateral levels. The diplomatic relations between India and Luxembourg were established in 1948, with Luxembourg opening its Embassy in New Delhi in February 2002, which is one of its five embassies in Asia. Luxembourg also has Honorary Consuls in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Bengaluru. After months of a strained relationship with India, Canada's foreign minister in August announced that Cooper Coote will take charge as the New High Commissioner in India, a position previously held by Cameron MacKay. The announcement followed a commitment made by Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G7 Summit in June to appoint new High Commissioners to Canada and India. The appointments are a crucial step towards restoring essential diplomatic services to citizens and businesses in both countries. (ANI) The Indian Embassy in Italy has expressed condolences over the tragic death of two Indian nationals from Nagpur in a road accident near Grosseto. "The Embassy conveys its heartfelt and sincere condolences for the tragic loss of two Indian nationals from Nagpur in an accident near Grosseto. Our prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured family members who are undergoing treatment. The Embassy is in contact with the family and local Italian authorities. We are providing all assistance to the family," the Embassy of India in Italy posted on X. https://x.com/IndiainItaly/status/1974042014636229068 The Embassy confirmed that relatives injured in the same accident are receiving medical treatment, with officials maintaining close coordination with both the family and Italian authorities to ensure necessary support is provided. This latest expression of grief comes months after the Embassy had also issued condolences on June 20, 2024, following the death of another Indian national in Latina. The worker identified as Satnam Singh, had died after sustaining critical injuries in a farm accident. Singh had succumbed on a Wednesday in June after suffering grave injuries earlier that week. His arm was severed in the accident, and reports said he was later abandoned near his residence instead of being given immediate medical help. At the time, the Embassy had stated that it was in touch with local authorities and working to reach Singh's family. In a post shared on X, the mission had written, "The Embassy is deeply saddened by the unfortunate demise of an Indian national in Latina, Italy. We are actively liaising with local authorities. Our immediate priority is to contact the family and offer necessary consular support." Singh's death had drawn wider attention as he was injured while working on a farm in Latina, a rural region south of Rome where many Indian migrant labourers are employed. Italian Labour Minister Marina Calderone, in her address to parliament, had said, "The Indian agricultural worker involved in a serious accident in the countryside of Latina and left in critical condition... has passed away." She condemned the incident as an "act of barbarity" and vowed that investigations would continue to deliver justice. Further details shared by the Flai CGIL trade union revealed that Singh had been operating a hay-cutting machine when the accident occurred. "The employers, instead of assisting him, callously abandoned him near his residence," the union alleged. Local authorities responded after Singh's wife and friends raised the alarm, dispatching an air ambulance. Despite the intervention, he could not be saved. The case also drew sharp criticism from Italy's centre-left Democratic Party, which described the treatment of Singh as a "defeat for civilisation" in a region long associated with the exploitation of migrant workers. (ANI) Massimo Bottura is Beko's global brand ambassador, a partnership that took the spotlight at The Best Chef Awards in Milan, celebrating Beko's commitment and desire to innovate with a strong sense of reliability and sustainability. ISTANBUL, Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Beko, one of the leading brands in the global home appliances sector, proudly announces the appointment of Massimo Bottura as its global brand ambassador. This strategic collaboration builds on the long-standing relationship and trust between the Italian chef and Beko's parent company, founded on shared values of reliability, sustainability, and innovation. Best Chef Awards Beko Best Chef Awards Beko Best Chef Awards Beko The synergy between Beko and Massimo Bottura marks the beginning of a shared journey that looks to the future with both concreteness and inspiration. Their partnership reflects a shared commitment to creating lasting value, whether through appliances built to endure or culinary creations designed to inspire generations. Together, they champion a more reliable, thoughtful and sustainable way of living. Recognized by Time Magazine as one of the world's most sustainable companies - ranked 17th globally and #1 in its industry - Beko has chosen Massimo Bottura as its global brand ambassador: an alliance that celebrates responsible innovation and authentic passion. The Michelin-starred chef, visionary, and pioneer of sustainable gastronomy brings to Beko his revolutionary philosophy: turning every daily gesture into an act of love for the planet and for all. A commitment translated into action Bottura and Beko have always shared the same vision: uncompromising excellence, innovation that respects tradition, and a concrete commitment to sustainability. These values found a prestigious stage at The Best Chef Awards (Milan on October 2), where Beko was the official 'sustainability' partner. The event, which brought together leading figures and emerging talents from the global culinary scene, celebrated cuisine as an art form and as a cultural bridge between traditions. In this context, Beko sponsored the "Terroir" Award, a recognition dedicated to the chef who demonstrated excellence across every stage of their gastronomic activity. A role model who combined production and cuisine, by innovating through new technologies or safeguarding traditional practices, while always placing sustainability and local communities at the heart of their work. In this spirit, this year the "Terroir" Award went to Debora Fadul, DIACA, Citta del Guatemala, Guatemala, who stood out for their remarkable ability to unite tradition and innovation, and for promoting a vision of gastronomy rooted in responsibility, respect, and environmental awareness. The "Terroir" Award embodies the mission of creating a better future by fostering education in environmental respect and by preserving what was already valuable. A commitment that was further strengthened through the use of cutting-edge technological tools, such as those offered by Beko. To seal this synergy, Massimo Bottura presented the award on stage as Beko's global brand ambassador, as a testament to the shared commitment to a future where gastronomic excellence and sustainability walk hand in hand. About Beko Beko, from Europe's No.1 Home Appliances Company*, is helping customers make confident choices with its highly reliable appliances that are rigorously tested for proven durability, ensuring they stand the test of time. The brand's essence is built on the motto of 'Beko state of mind', which defines the absolute confidence that customers have in making the right choices. Beko is committed to protecting the planet by designing and manufacturing innovative, reliable, efficient and sustainable products. * Source Euromonitor International Limited; Consumer Appliances 2025 edition, Beko Corp, Large Appliances as per "Major Appliances", GBO, retail volume, 2024 data. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2788432/Best_Chef_Awards_Beko.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2788430/Best_Chef_Awards_Beko__1.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2788431/Best_Chef_Awards_Beko__2.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2765641/5543834/Beko_Logo_Corporate.jpg SOURCE Beko Days after the Lawrence Bishnoi gang was listed as a terror entity by Canada's federal government, Ministry of External Affairs on Friday confirmed that National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met with his Canadian counterpart last month and that both sides held "productive discussions" on counterterrorism among other areas and have agreed to strengthen security cooperation and further reinforce existing mechanisms of engagement The Canadian federal government earlier this week listed the Bishnoi gang as a terrorist entity under its Criminal Code giving authorities the power to freeze assets, block funding, and prosecute members under "anti-terrorism" laws. MEA Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in his weekly media briefing stated, "As you are aware, NSA Ajit Doval met Canada's National Security and Intelligence Advisor (NSIA), Nathalie Drouin on 18th September... Both sides held productive discussions on strengthening the bilateral cooperation in areas of counter terrorism, transnational organised crime and intelligence exchanges." Jaiswal further said, "They agreed to strengthen security cooperation and further reinforce existing mechanisms of engagement. Both sides remain in touch on all these issues." The MEA in a statement underlined that the meeting between Doval and Droun formed part of the regular bilateral security dialogue between India and Canada and also served as a follow-up to discussions between Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Carney on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta in Canada. Both sides, according to the MEA, acknowledged the clear momentum for rebuilding trust and expanding cooperation at the highest levels of political leadership. They held productive discussions on advancing the bilateral relationship, including counterterrorism, combating transnational organised crime and intelligence exchanges. They agreed to strengthen security cooperation and reinforce existing mechanisms of engagement. In addition, the two NSAs also deliberated on priority areas for future cooperation and exchanged views on regional and global developments. According to the MEA, both sides agreed to work closely on the way forward and adopt a collaborative approach towards a new chapter in bilateral relations. Meanwhile, in a statement earlier this week, the Government of Canada has said that the Bishnoi Gang have a presence in Canada and is active in areas with significant diaspora communities. It further said that the Gang engages in murder, shootings and arson, and generates terror through extortion and intimidation. They create a climate of insecurity in these communities by targeting them, their prominent community members, businesses, and cultural figures. According to the statement, with the addition of the Bishnoi gang, there are now 88 terrorist entities listed under the Criminal Code of Canada. (ANI) Amid continuing protests in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), where several civilians have died in firing by government forces, protest leaders have accused authorities of using force against peaceful demonstrators. Protests in PoJK entered their sixth consecutive day on Friday, spreading across the region after three young men were allegedly killed by Pakistani forces. Their funeral prayers in Muzaffarabad drew thousands of mourners, further intensifying public anger against Islamabad. "This was a peaceful lockdown call by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Public Action Committee. All the citizens of Muzaffarabad were peacefully recording their protest on Neelum Bridge when a few people--some facilitators, facilitators of institutions--arrived with institutional weapons in the presence of the administration and police, and opened direct fire on our venue. We have evidence of this. As a result,... our youth were martyred and more than 20 were injured by the direct fire. We will not forgive this murder under any circumstances," JKJAAC leader Shaukat Nawaz Mir said, speaking to Reuters. Faisal Jamil Kashmiri, another JKJAAC leader, said protests were being driven by longstanding grievances and economic hardships. "These protests are growing because these promises have not been fully implemented. The issue of the 25 per cent quota... which has been in place since 1947, is also a key reason. With an unemployment rate of 64 per cent, our youth are protesting to demand that this quota system be completely abolished," he told Reuters. The demonstrations, which began over unfulfilled demands, have now intensified amid public anger. Protest leaders continue to demand justice for those killed and injured, while also pressing for the abolition of quotas they say discriminate against local youth. The growing anger spilt onto the streets on Thursday, when thousands gathered in Muzaffarabad for the funerals of those killed during days of violent protests in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Visuals showed large crowds participating in funeral processions and offering prayers. Protests in PoJK entered their sixth consecutive day on Friday, spreading across the region after three young men were allegedly killed by Pakistani forces. Their funeral prayers in Muzaffarabad drew thousands of mourners, further intensifying public anger against Islamabad. The agitation, spearheaded by JKJAAC, is centred on a 38-point charter of demands. These include political reforms, subsidised wheat flour, lower electricity tariffs, free education and health facilities, and the abolition of perks for government officials. Muzaffarabad has emerged as the epicentre of the movement. Shops, markets and transport services have been shut, paralysing daily life across several districts of PoJK. Adding to the charged atmosphere, PTI leader Syeda Zahra posted on X on Friday, "The tsunami of Kashmir will hit Muzaffar today." She also shared a video claiming that despite reports of large-scale violence inflicted upon the people of PoJK, protests continued undeterred. The clip further mentioned that after Friday prayers, it would be difficult to control the crowds, highlighting that resentment against the central government in Islamabad is growing among people in PoJK. Amid ongoing civilian protests in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), India has strongly criticised Pakistan's actions in the region, calling for accountability for its "horrific" human rights violations. Adressing the weekly presser in New Delhi, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that, "We have seen reports on protests in several areas of Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir, including brutalities by Pakistani forces on innocent civilians." He further stated that the unrest is a "natural consequence of Pakistan's oppressive" approach towards the region. "We believe that it is a natural consequence of Pakistan's oppressive approach and its systemic plundering of resources from these territories, which remain under its forcible and illegal occupation. Pakistan must be held accountable for its horrific human rights violations," Jaiswal added. (ANI) Amid ongoing civilian protests in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), India has strongly criticised Pakistan's actions in the region, calling for accountability for its "horrific" human rights violations. Adressing the weekly presser, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that, "We have seen reports on protests in several areas of Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir, including brutalities by Pakistani forces on innocent civilians." He further stated that the unrest is a "natural consequence of Pakistan's oppressive" approach towards the region. "We believe that it is a natural consequence of Pakistan's oppressive approach and its systemic plundering of resources from these territories, which remain under its forcible and illegal occupation. Pakistan must be held accountable for its horrific human rights violations," Jaiswal added. The protests, which have been reported in multiple districts of PoJK, have seen civilian demonstrations against economic hardship, lack of basic services, and exploitation by the Pakistani authorities. Reports from the region also suggest a heavy-handed response by security forces, leading to casualties and widespread condemnation from local groups. India has consistently maintained that the entire Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, including areas under Pakistani control, is an integral part of the country. In line with that position. Meanwhile, thousands of people turned up on Friday for the funeral of those killed during days of violent protests in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. Visuals showed people gathering in large numbers to attend the funeral procession and prayers. Protests in PoJK continued for a fifth consecutive day on Friday, spreading across the region after three young men were allegedly martyred by Pakistani forces. Their funeral prayers in Muzaffarabad drew thousands of people, further intensifying public anger. The protests, led by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC), centre around a 38-point charter of demands, including political reforms, subsidised wheat flour, reduced electricity tariffs, free education and health facilities, and the end of perks for government officials. Muzaffarabad has become the epicentre of the agitation, which has spread to multiple districts of PoJK. Shops, markets and transport services have been shut down, bringing life to a standstill. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Syeda Zahra, in a post on X on Friday, said, "The tsunami of Kashmir will hit Muzaffar today". Zahra shared a video on X where it was mentioned that a report was prepared on the large-scale violence inflicted upon the people in PoJK, despite which people did not retreat, and it further mentioned that after Friday prayers, it would be difficult to control the people. Zahra shared the clip, which mentioned the report stating that hatred among people in PoJK towards the Central Government in Islamabad is increasing. After the unrest, a high-level government delegation held negotiations with a civil society alliance in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Talks, It resumed after deadly unrest in PoJK Kashmir (poJK) on Thursday, after days of violent clashes at the hands of Pakistani forces on protesters had left at least 10 people dead and scores critically injured, Dawn reported on Friday. According to Dawn, an eight-member committee has been dispatched by Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif, which comprises federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Amir Muqam, Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, Rana Sanaullah and Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, along with PPP leaders Raja Pervez Ashraf and Qamar Zaman Kaira, and former PoJK president Sardar Masood Khan. They were accompanied by PoJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq. As per Dawn, the negotiations began in the committee room of the Chief Secretary's office in the afternoon, with Shaukat Nawaz Mir, Raja Amjad Ali Khan and Anjum Zaman Awan from the Muzaffarabad division representing the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC), which has been spearheading the rights movement in the territory. The Pakistani news outlet had reported further that the meeting continued until late in the night on Thursday and talks with the government's high-level committee were expected to resume on Friday morning. Addressing the mourners, Mir of JKJAAC updated the crowd on the latest developments, vowing that the struggle would continue until the acceptance of key demands is done. According to Dawn, these include the abolition of 12 refugee seats, withdrawal of elite privileges, implementation of a June 2019 High Court decision regarding agreements on power projects in PoJK, and the provision of health cards. He stressed that before discussing these issues, the alliance would demand the immediate arrest and exemplary punishment of those responsible for killing "unarmed protesters" in Muzaffarabad, Dhirkot and other areas of PoJK. He also sought a public mandate to engage in negotiations with the official committee, pledging that there would be no compromise on people's rights. In the face of the demonstrations, security forces have been deployed across PoJK, clearing bridges to block protest marches. Despite an indefinite lockdown and an internet blackout imposed by authorities, large protest caravans have pushed through blockades to join the movement. (ANI) Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday told the National Assembly that the 20-point Gaza peace plan unveiled by US President Donald Trump was "not ours," while stressing there was no room for politicking on the issue, Dawn reported. Dar, referring to his earlier press briefing in Islamabad, said: "I made it clear that the 20 points that President Trump made public are not ours. Changes were made to our draft. I have the record." He added, "This is the end result, and there is no room for politicking." According to Dawn, Dar explained that eight Muslim and Arab countries Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt had engaged in a meeting with Trump on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly session, where the US president presented his plan to halt Israel's assault on Gaza. Dar recounted that before the main session, foreign ministers of the eight countries convened a preparatory meeting in New York. "During the meeting, there was no other agenda. Today I am telling you the details," he said, noting that the discussions were deliberately kept discreet. He said that Trump responded positively and assured that his team would work with the ministers on a "workable solution." Dar added that Trump mentioned he was scheduled to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu soon and wanted to attempt halting the bombardment of Gaza. "President Trump's committee also came and open talks were held on what they wanted [...]. They gave us a 20-point proposal," Dar said. The foreign ministers, he explained, chose to work within that framework, amending or deleting points as needed. "We held different meetings in the next 24 hours. We were exchanging hard copies in hotel rooms," he added. Dawn reported that Dar described how the eight countries produced a counter-draft and sent it onward. Shortly after leaving New York, he received word that while some states wanted all eight ministers to sign, others said it was not essential. "This was a small thing in my eyes," Dar noted. "By the time we landed at our next destination, I was told the American side had received the draft." When Trump later met Netanyahu on September 29, the US president announced the 20-point plan. Dar said he spoke with the Saudi foreign minister afterward, who told him some of the urgent points proposed by the eight countries were accepted, while others needed further discussion. Quoting the Saudi minister, Dar said there were two choices: "to continue and perhaps Israel will continue its bloodshed, or we let Trump's plan be implemented and issue a joint statement." Dar agreed, saying, "I said you are right, we should do this," adding that the statement was finalised on September 29. "This was the only way to end Israel's bombardment of Gaza when all other forums had failed. Statements will not suffice. We need practical work," Dar said, extending his gratitude to the other states involved. Reaffirming Pakistan's long-held stance, Dar told the Assembly, "Pakistan's policy on Palestine remained the same as that of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah. There has not been any change nor will there ever be," reiterating Islamabad's call for an independent Palestinian state with Al Quds Al Sharif as its capital. Dawn also reported that Dar condemned Israel's interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), which included former Jamaat-i-Islami senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan. "According to our information, it is not confirmed yet, [...] but according to our information, Khan is included in this," Dar said, noting that Israel had detained activists after seizing 22 vessels from the fleet. He said Pakistan had sought assistance from a third "influential" European country for Khan's release, though he did not disclose the name. "Definitive information would be known by Sunday," Dar added, assuring that efforts were underway to secure the release of Pakistanis aboard the flotilla. (ANI) Afghan Taliban's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is set to visit India from October 9, marking the first high-level delegation from Kabul to New Delhi since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021. Addressing a weekly media briefing, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed continued engagement with the interim government in Afghanistan, highlighting both diplomatic exchanges and humanitarian assistance following a recent earthquake in the region. The United Nations Security Council has approved a temporary exemption on international travel restrictions for Muttaqi allowin him to stay in India for a week beginning October 9. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that the Ministry of External Affairs will continue to share updates regarding the visit. "We have been having a conversation with the interim government in Afghanistan. You would have seen the telecon that had taken place some time back between the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi," he said. The conversation between the two ministers took place earlier this year in May. "We also had a conversation between the Joint Secretary in charge and his counterparts on the Afghan side," Jaiswal said. In the wake of a recent earthquake that affected parts of Afghanistan, India extended humanitarian support by swiftly delivering aid. "Recently, when the earthquake happened, the same day, we were able to transport relief material to Kunar province, and subsequently, we sent more relief material via Chabahar," he said. Jaiswal added that the MEA "will keep you updated with the developments that will happen regarding the visit." On Tuesday, Jaishankar shared a post on X, saying, "Indian earthquake assistance reaches Kabul by air. 21 tonnes of relief materials, including blankets, tents, hygiene kits, water storage tanks, generators, kitchen utensils, portable water purifiers, sleeping bags, essential medicines, wheelchairs, hand sanitisers, water purification tablets, ORS solutions and medical consumables, were airlifted today." Jaishankar added, "India will continue to monitor the ground situation and send more humanitarian aid over the coming days," highlighting India's commitment to supporting the relief operations in the aftermath of the disaster. The death toll from the powerful earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan on Sunday night has risen to 1,411, officials said, according to Al Jazeera. Rescue efforts are ongoing as teams search for survivors following the magnitude 6.0 quake, which has left over 3,000 people injured, with the majority of casualties reported in Kunar province. Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council on Thursday approved travel ban exemptions for Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Foreign Minister of Afghanistan, to visit India from October 9 to 16. Under Security Council resolution 1988 (2011), certain individuals linked to the Taliban are subject to travel bans. However, the resolution allows the Council to grant exemptions for official duties or medical reasons. "On 30 September 2025, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1988 (2011) approved an exemption to the travel ban for Amir Khan Motaqi (TAi . 026) to visit New Delhi, India, from 9 to 16 October 2025," the United Nations Security Council wrote in a statement. (ANI) Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, held a series of bilateral meetings with Presiding officers from the Parliaments of Russia, Germany, Italy, and host South Africa on the sidelines of the 11th G20 Parliamentary Speakers' Summit (P20) in Kleinmond, South Africa. According to the Office of the Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha, "These meetings focused on strengthening bilateral parliamentary cooperation, and presenting India's perspective on trade partnerships, technology, and sustainable development. "In his meetings with various delegations, the Deputy Chairman also recalled the recent engagements with the Indian delegation comprising MPs who travelled to these nations to put forth India's stance on cross-border terrorism following the Pahalgam terror attack and OperationSindoor," the statement added. In his meeting with Konstantin Kosachev, Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council of Russia, he recalled various productive engagements between the two nations and long-standing partnerships in key sectors. In his meeting with Omid Nouripur, Vice President of the Bundestag (Lower house of the German Parliament), Harivansh underlined the potential for more co-operation between the leading democracies and the successful engagement on trade and sustainable development partnership. The Deputy Chairman Harivansh also sought Germany's support towards the conclusion of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement negotiations. The bilateral trade between the two nations on goods and services has crossed $50 billion. Germany also has a 'Skilled Labour Strategy' that focuses on facilitating avenues for Indian professionals to come to Germany. Harivansh also interacted with the Speaker of the National Assembly of South Africa, Thoko Didiza and recalled the historic and strong bilateral ties between the two nations with a common outlook towards upholding international fairness, justice, and the collective interest of developing countries. India is among the top three trading partners of South Africa. Earlier, he held a bilateral meeting with the Italian delegation led by Licia Ronzulli, Vice President of the Italian Senate. In his meeting, he spoke about the progress made, particularly in areas of trade and investment, Education, Defence, Culture, Academics and people-to-people ties. (ANI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday met Ambassador Celso Amorim, Special Advisor to the President of Brazil, in New Delhi. Sharing details of the meeting in a post on X, he wrote, "A pleasure meeting Amb. Celso Amorim, Special Advisor to President of Brazil, today in New Delhi. Had a useful exchange on the current global scenario and on opportunities for deepening our strategic cooperation." https://x.com/DrSJaishankar/status/1974092999132111145 In the backdrop of his visit, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval also met Ambassador Amorim in New Delhi for the 6th India-Brazil Strategic Dialogue, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in an official statement. Ambassador Amorim was accompanied by a delegation of senior Brazilian government officials and advisors, according to the MEA. The dialogue provided an opportunity to follow up on issues identified under the five pillars of cooperation during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's State Visit to Brazil in July. NSA Doval and Ambassador Amorim reviewed ongoing progress in the Strategic Partnership across sectors such as defence and security, energy, rare earths and critical minerals, and health and pharmaceuticals. They also discussed cooperation in multilateral fora, including BRICS, IBSA, and the forthcoming COP-30 to be hosted by Brazil in November, the MEA noted. Both sides agreed to carry forward the work to implement the vision laid down by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the ministry added. Linking to the forthcoming climate summit, President-designate of COP30 and former Brazilian Ambassador to India, Andre Aranha Correa do Lago, has highlighted India's crucial role in the global climate discussions, noting the country's unique position as both an industrially advanced nation and a developing economy. Speaking on India's participation in the Conference of the Parties, Correa do Lago told ANI, "India is one of the most important actors in the Conference of the Parties, as India represents a country that is one of the most advanced, technologically and industrially." He further pointed out that India and Brazil share common challenges: they must pursue development that meets the expectations of their populations while also being climate-conscious. "At the same time, it is a developing country like Brazil that still has to lift many people out of poverty. So Brazil and India have a very strong thing in common. When we think of climate, we have to think of development, on the expectations of our populations and how we have to deliver development that will be climate conscious, but also create jobs and bring a better life to our people," he said. The senior diplomat praised India's firm commitment to global climate action, especially under frameworks such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement. The 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference, or Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC, more commonly known as COP30, is the upcoming 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference, to be held in Belem, Brazil, from 10 to 21 November 2025. (ANI) Tel Aviv [Israel], October 3 (ANI/TPS): On behalf of the Mossad, the Prime Minister's Office announced today that a terrorist cell linked to Hamas was uncovered in Germany on Wednesday. The cell was allegedly planning attacks on Israeli and Jewish targets. Three members of the cell were arrested by German security services (BFV). The statement added that "their arrest was made possible through close cooperation between the Mossad and German security and intelligence forces". Weapons were found, said the PM's Office, in possession of the cell members, which were reportedly intended for use in the planned attacks". "This is one of many Mossad operations that have taken place across Europe in recent weeks, in collaboration with local security and law enforcement agencies, including in Austria," the statement concludes. (ANI/TPS) China's move to deploy Dongfeng-17 (DF-17) hypersonic ballistic missiles at a People's Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) base close to Taiwan has raised alarm among defence analysts, who believe the weapon could endanger both US forces in the Western Pacific and Taiwan itself, as reported by Focus Taiwan. According to Focus Taiwan, the deployment plan was highlighted by The New York Times in an article titled "The Missiles Threatening Taiwan," which referenced the 2024 US Department of Defence report on China's military power. That report noted Beijing now possesses around 3,500 missiles, a 50 per cent increase from four years earlier. The PLARF's Brigade 616 base in Jiangxi Province, about 579 kilometres from Taiwan, has been rapidly expanded since 2020 and is now being readied for the DF-17. Satellite imagery cited by the newspaper showed that farmland was cleared to build the site, with several new structures completed by 2021, including what may be shelters for mobile launchers. The DF-17, which has an estimated range of 1,500-2,500 kilometres, was initially viewed as a system meant to target US air bases like Kadena in Okinawa or naval forces approaching Taiwan. Eric Heginbotham, a principal research scientist at MIT's Security Studies Program, stated that using such long-range missiles directly against Taiwan would not be an optimal use of resources. He warned that Beijing might resort to them if US forces did not intervene or if China ran short of other missile types, as highlighted by Focus Taiwan. Kao Chih-jung, a researcher at Taiwan's Institute for National Defence and Security Research, shared similar views. He noted that while China already fields about 1,000 short-range missiles aimed at Taiwan, the DF-17 could be deployed if those weapons fail. Given its manoeuvrability and ability to evade interception, the missile would add significant pressure on Taiwan's defences. Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence has vowed to closely monitor PLARF activities and strengthen its early-warning and multi-layered air-defence capabilities. Experts argue that Taiwan must also boost its own missile arsenal and prepare deep counterstrikes to effectively deter China's growing military threats, as reported by Focus Taiwan. (ANI) Earlier in the day, Nakano arrived at Surat airport and was accorded a traditional Garba welcome. The two ministers reviewed key components of the project, including the track slab laying car and the track slab adjustment facility, and expressed satisfaction with the quality standards being followed, commending the rapid pace of construction. The visit reflects strong collaboration between India and Japan in implementing India's first High-Speed Rail corridor. Last week, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that the bullet train will enable passengers to travel from Surat to Mumbai in just one hour. "So practically from Surat you can go to Mumbai in 1 hour, complete your work & come back and have time with your family," the Minister said. India and Japan share a 'Special Strategic and Global Partnership'. Friendship between the two countries has a long history rooted in spiritual affinity and strong cultural and civilizational ties. India-Japan relations were elevated to 'Global Partnership' in 2000, 'Strategic and Global Partnership' in 2006, and 'Special Strategic and Global Partnership' in 2014. Regular Annual Summits have been held between India and Japan since 2006. Notably, the first High Speed Rail (HSR) corridor is being implemented from Mumbai to Ahmedabad with technical and financial assistance from the Government of Japan. Cooperation in the field of education is being conducted through partnerships between education and research institutions, student and teacher exchange, government scholarships, promotion of Japanese language education in India etc. In recent years, there has been a change in the composition of the Indian community with the arrival of many professionals, including IT professionals and engineers. The Nishikasai area in Tokyo is emerging as a "mini India". Their growing numbers had prompted the opening of three Indian schools. Around 51,000 Indians currently live in Japan. (ANI) DALLAS, Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Black Box, a trusted provider of cutting-edge IT solutions, known for leveraging innovation and expertise in digital infrastructure, today announced a strategic partnership with Wind River, an Aptiv company and global leader in delivering software for the intelligent edge, to deliver next-generation intelligent edge and private cloud solutions across industries including industrial, manufacturing, retail, financial services, automotive, and telecommunications. Black Box Partners with Wind River to Accelerate Intelligent Edge and Cloud Innovation This collaboration brings together Wind River's advanced technologiesincluding Wind River Cloud Platform, with its unique workload migration capabilities, and eLxr Pro, with Black Box's global integration capabilities and customer-centric approach to help enterprises modernize operations and propel digital infrastructure transformation. Together, the companies aim to drive innovation and inspire excellence in every customer endeavor. Wind River Cloud Platform is a production-grade, distributed Kubernetes solution for virtualized and containerized applications, along with time-saving orchestration, automation, and analytics tools. Cloud Platform enables companies to deploy and manage complex cloud architectures in the most mission-critical environments. Based on the open source, enterprise-grade Debian derivative eLxr project, Wind River's eLxr Pro brings commercial enterprise support and maintenance on top of the eLxr community distribution to help customers adopt scalable, secure, and highly reliable Linux solutions that address the complex challenges for cloud to-edge deployments. As part of this partnership, Black Box has also entered into a separate agreement with Wind River under which the company will execute end-user customer agreements in multiple geographies. Darrell Jordan-Smith, Chief Revenue Officer, Wind River, stated: "Wind River Cloud Platform and eLxr Pro deliver the scalable, secure, and efficient infrastructure enterprises demand today, and by teaming with Black Box, we're unlocking that capability at scale. This partnership means customers gain faster access to proven, high-performance edge-and-cloud architectures, backed by trusted systems integration, operational support, and deployment reach. Quite simply customers can accelerate innovation, reduce risk, and run smarter across the entire cloud-to-edge continuum." Sanjeev Verma, President and CEO of Black Box, added: "Wind River's technologies are transformative for the intelligent edge. Combined with our integration expertise, we are delivering future-ready solutions that drive efficiency, innovation, and new revenue streams. This partnership also marks Black Box's entry into hyperconverged and edge compute, positioning us at the forefront of digital infrastructure transformation while creating long-term value for our customers and shareholders." The strategic partnership will focus on delivering: Integrated intelligent edge, robust digital and cloud-native infrastructure Secure, scalable private cloud deployments Lifecycle automation and centralized orchestration Support for virtual machines and migrations, containers, and AI workloads Enterprise-grade Linux with long-term support and security Together, Wind River and Black Box aim to empower enterprises with resilient, high-performance digital infrastructure tailored to their unique operational and regulatory needs. For more information, visit www.windriver.com and www.blackbox.com. About Black Box Ltd. Black Box (BSE: 500463) (NSE: BBOX) is a global leader in digital infrastructure solutions, delivering network and system integration, managed services, and technology products to Fortune 100 and top global enterprises. With a presence across the United States, Europe, India, Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Latin America, Black Box serves businesses across financial services, technology, healthcare, retail, public services, and manufacturing. Supported by a global team of around 3,500 professionals and strategic partnerships with leading technology providers, Black Box delivers end-to-end solutions in network integration, digital connectivity infrastructure, data centre buildouts, modern workplace solutions, and cybersecurity. Its Technology Products portfolio enhances business operations with cutting-edge solutions in AV, IoT, KVM, Networking, Infrastructure, and Cables. For more information, visit www.blackbox.com Safe Harbor Statement: Statements in this document relating to future status, events, or circumstances, including but not limited to statements about plans and objectives, the progress and results of research and development, potential project characteristics, project potential and target dates for project related issues are forward-looking statements based on estimates and the anticipated effects of future events on current and developing circumstances. Such statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties and are not necessarily predictive of future results. Actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. The company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results changed assumptions or other factors. For further information, please contact Black Box Limited CIN: L32200MH1986PLC040652 Ms. Ritu Rungta (Head - Marketing) [email protected] www.blackbox.com Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2788439/Sanjeev_Black_Box.jpg Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2607665/Black_Box_Logo.jpg SOURCE Black Box Limited Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Friday ruled out tendering an apology over her recent remarks that triggered a rift between her party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and its coalition partner, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Dawn reported. The dispute between the two parties, which began over flood compensation, later widened to water rights on the Indus River. According to Dawn, the PPP leadership asked Maryam to reconsider her tone during a meeting in Islamabad earlier this week, after the Punjab CM told them to keep their advice to themselves. In response, the PPP boycotted sittings of the National Assembly and Senate. Addressing a ceremony in Lahore, Maryam lashed out at the PPP for what she termed wrongful criticism of the Punjab government amid devastating floods. "When floods swept through Punjab, the people of one province not only wrongly criticised the Punjab government, but they also rubbed salt in the wound," she said. "If there is any issue in any province, do we level false allegations at press conferences? Do we spread lies? What we do is help them." Maryam further stated that she had reached out to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur to offer assistance despite political differences. "Those in other provinces are my Pakistani brothers and sisters; whenever a CM likes a project I've done and asks me for the technology, I immediately send a minister and secretary. So when people say that I celebrate anything bad happening in another province, it is upsetting," Dawn quoted her as saying. She also criticised PPP leaders Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, saying she was disheartened by their remarks during Punjab's crisis. "I want to tell Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal that I was upset when the people of Punjab were in distress. We saw Bilawal doing those three press conferences, where he mocked Punjab and spread lies that things were not being done," she said. "I am not going to leave my people alone. If you talk, I'll respond befittingly." Rejecting the demand for an apology, the Punjab CM questioned PPP's walkouts from parliament. "That spokesperson who criticised the Punjab government and politicised the suffering of Punjab's people is the one who needs to apologise," she said. "If I respond to anyone, I raise my voice for my people. Maryam Nawaz Sharif will never apologise." The chief minister also spoke about the shelved canals project, which had become a fresh source of discord between Punjab and Sindh. "That water is the right of Punjab's farmers, but it was politicised," she said. Maryam added that she had presented Punjab's case before the Council of Common Interests and was ready to fund the canals project, Dawn reported. On the controversy surrounding YouTuber Rizwan Razi, who made derogatory remarks about Sindh, the Punjab CM clarified her position. "He said something inappropriate and I cannot endorse it. Even he realised it. He was summoned to a Senate standing committee, where he apologised unconditionally. When someone apologises, you forgive them, right? But these people made fun of him. Still, I remained silent. However, I will not let this happen to another person in Punjab," she said. Maryam concluded her remarks by stressing the dignity of Punjab's people. "Punjabis love their land and the people's self-respect was also my responsibility. Think 100 times over before talking negatively about Punjab," she said. (ANI) The commission stated that "14 missing persons returned home" during the month. Since its inception in March 2011 until September 2025, the CoIED has received 10,636 cases, of which 8,986 have been disposed of, while 1,650 remain under investigation, Dawn reported. "The disposal of cases works out to be 84.48 per cent consequent to the investigation of cases," the report stated. It further highlighted that 289 cases were disposed of between July and September this year, averaging 96 cases per month. According to Dawn, the commission said it has also initiated welfare measures for families of missing persons by setting up a special cell. The cell is tasked with "providing relief to families by addressing matters such as the issuance of Form B of children of missing persons and the grant of pension to families of missing persons, who happen to be government servants." In September, a civil society organisation urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to "re-evaluate the entire mechanism for resolving the issue of enforced disappearances," Dawn reported. The issue of enforced disappearances has also drawn international attention. In August 2024, the United Nations called on Pakistan to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and to allocate sufficient resources for measures to prevent and end enforced disappearances among ethnic minority groups. Meanwhile, in December last year, the Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court emphasised that only parliament holds the authority to address and resolve the longstanding and unlawful practice of enforced disappearances. (ANI) Human rights activists and experts from South Asia and Europe expressed grave concern over widespread violations of human rights in Bangladesh under the interim regime of Chief Advisor Mohammad Yunus. The remarks came during a side event held on Friday at the 60th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Organised by the Centre for Gender Justice, the discussion, titled "Violations of Fundamental Human Rights, Rule of Law, and Democracy in Bangladesh," drew attention to the deteriorating situation in the country following the ousting of elected Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5, 2024. A short film screened at the event depicted extrajudicial killings, attacks on religious minorities, and the destruction of temples and Sufi shrines. It also highlighted how radical Islamist groups have openly threatened and lynched political activists linked to the Awami League, while media houses have come under violent attack. The panel featured Professor Md Habibe Millat, President of the Global Center for Democratic Governance (Canada); Paulo Casaca, former Member of the European Parliament and Executive Director of the South Asia Democratic Forum (Belgium); Suhas Chakma, Director of the Rights and Risks Analysis Group (India); Natalia Sineaeva-Pankowska of the NEVER AGAIN Association (Poland); and Chris Blackburn, Founding Editor of Narrative360 (UK). Speaking to ANI, Professor Millat reported that at least 213 Awami League leaders and activists have been killed since the interim government took power, while historic sites linked to the 1971 Liberation War have been destroyed. He further noted a rise in mob violence, with 637 people killed in lynching incidents, and said 30 members of minority communities had been murdered. He added that 17 churches were set on fire on Christmas Day 2024. "Human rights violations in Bangladesh are at the highest level in the last 54 years. All populations, not just minorities, are tortured...Nobody has been spared over the last 14 months. More than 2500 cases of torture have been documented, more than 30 people of the minority community have been killed," he said. "As per a report, at least 637 people were killed by mob lynching...At the moment, they are trying to do a fraudulent election...So, Bangladesh needs to get back to democracy, the rule of law and justice. That's what we are fighting for," he added. Belgium's Paulo Casaca, former Member of the European Parliament and Executive Director of the South Asia Democratic Forum, described the situation as a "humanitarian crisis," alleging that the interim government has fabricated over 50,000 cases in an effort to eliminate democratic forces. "This is the worst nightmare in Bangladesh. Under such conditions, all elections are a fraud," he said. "People thought that it was an idea to change the government, but it was hijacked by hardcore fanatic Islamists who want to destroy the country. They start with the minorities, but they don't stop with the minorities. They go ahead with the bulk of the population. They are a threat to the population in Bangladesh...," Casaca said. "For various reasons, people want to protest but what we have seen in Bangladesh is someone who grabbed the power, not to ensure any reform, any democracy but on the contrary, he needed 18 months to turn democratic elections impossible because it is absolutely impossible to hold free and fair elections in a country where the most important party is persecuted the way it is," he added. Highlighting the situation of Bangladesh, Casaca said that "the recent estimation of 15 million internally displaced people - they are just running away to not be murdered or imprisoned or falsely accused...People thought that it was an idea to change the government, but it was hijacked by hardcore, fanatic Islamists who want to destroy the country. They start with the minorities, but they don't stop with the minorities. They go ahead with the bulk of the population. They are a threat to the population in Bangladesh." Suhas Chakma called Yunus's leadership "an act of fraud," warning that the international community was being misled. "The priority of this government is to manufacture lies. The human rights situation is rapidly deteriorating," he said. Natalia Sineaeva-Pankowska said Bangladesh is facing its most severe crisis since independence in 1971, even comparing the current human rights violations to the Holocaust in Europe during World War II. The British political analyst Christopher J Blackburn emphasised that any movement must uphold human rights to be considered legitimate. "A revolution without protection of human rights is not a revolution," he said, noting that both minorities and the media in Bangladesh face constant threats. The speakers collectively urged the international community to take urgent action to address what they described as one of the gravest human rights challenges in South Asia today. Blackburn said that he thinks that "people in Bangladesh are quite fearful." "I think if Muhammad Yunus had made some small reforms and then moved towards the elections, I think people would have been a lot more content. I think what it seems is Muhammad Yunus and the students wanted to vandalise Bangladesh's foundation," he said. "On the other hand, there are radical Islamists...These could be creating the next Government in Bangladesh...It's an absolute shame for Bangladesh," he added. Barrister Nijhoom Majumder, Bangladeshi political activist from the UK, said, "Western power has captured indirectly. I always say that what is happening in Bangladesh is a proxy war against India. Target is India and the battlefield is in Bangladesh." "Many powers in the world are with us; they know that Bangladesh is becoming an extremist Islamist country. State-sponsored terrorism is being sponsored in Bangladesh. Bangladesh cannot be a battlefield for a proxy war against India, China or any other country," he added. (ANI) Locals said dug wells have dried up and government-supplied pipelines are providing water only intermittently. Several parts of the Afghan capital are currently facing shortages, according to the report. Naveed Rahman, a resident of District 5, told Tolo News: "Government-supplied water comes through the pipes only two to three times a week, and people are struggling with water shortages." Another resident, Mohammad Mokhtar, echoed the concern. "In District 5 of Kabul city, we are facing severe water shortages and cannot meet our needs with such a limited supply," he said. Residents have urged the authorities to intervene and find lasting solutions. Mohammad Tawheed, another resident of District 5, told Tolo News: "We have vast water resources in our country, including underground water. If these are properly managed, the water shortage problem can be solved." Experts have also warned that if the crisis continues, it could seriously affect public health and food security. They underlined the need for urgent water management projects, deep-well drilling and stronger distribution networks. Hamidullah Yalani, former head of the water supply authority, told Tolo News: "Unless drinking water is brought into Kabul from the north through Panjshir and Sayad and from the south via the Lalandar River and unless Kabul's water infrastructure is rebuilt and upgraded, the issue of safe drinking water in the city will not be resolved." International organisations have reported that Kabul's underground water levels have fallen by up to 30 meters in the past decade. Experts warn that if this trend continues, the capital's groundwater resources could be completely depleted by 2030. (ANI) Rajya Sabha Vice Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh met South Africa's National Assembly speaker Thoko Didiza and held bilateral talks with her in Cape Town on Friday (local time). Apart from meeting Didiza, Singh also held bilateral meeting with Omid Nouripour, who is the Vice President of Germany's Federal Parliament, Bundestag. Earlier, Singh held a series of bilateral meetings with presiding officers from the Parliaments of Russia, Germany, Italy, and host South Africa on the sidelines of the 11th G20 Parliamentary Speakers' Summit (P20) in Kleinmond, South Africa. According to the Office of the Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha, "These meetings focused on strengthening bilateral parliamentary cooperation, and presenting India's perspective on trade partnerships, technology, and sustainable development. "In his meetings with various delegations, the Deputy Chairman also recalled the recent engagements with the Indian delegation comprising MPs who travelled to these nations to put forth India's stance on cross-border terrorism following the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor," the statement added. In his meeting with Konstantin Kosachev, Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council of Russia, he recalled various productive engagements between the two nations and long-standing partnerships in key sectors.In his meeting with Omid Nouripur, Vice President of the Bundestag (Lower house of the German Parliament), Singh underlined the potential for more co-operation between the leading democracies and the successful engagement on trade and sustainable development partnership. The Deputy Chairman also sought Germany's support towards the conclusion of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement negotiations. The bilateral trade between the two nations on goods and services has crossed USD 50 billion. Germany also has a 'Skilled Labour Strategy' that focuses on facilitating avenues for Indian professionals to come to Germany. Singh also interacted with the Speaker of the National Assembly of South Africa, Thoko Didiza and recalled the historic and strong bilateral ties between the two nations with a common outlook towards upholding international fairness, justice, and the collective interest of developing countries. India is among the top three trading partners of South Africa. (ANI) US President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) expressed confidence regarding Hamas' willingness to ensure peace in Gaza, after the militant group agreed to the 20-point peace plan introduced by him earlier this week. Trump mentioned that the issue is not about peace in Gaza alone but in the whole of Middle East region. He further said that Israel should stop its attacks in Gaza so that it can quickly release its hostages. "Based on the statement just issued by Hamas, I believe they are ready for a lasting PEACE. Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly! Right now, it's far too dangerous to do that. We are already in discussions on details to be worked out. This is not about Gaza alone, this is about long sought PEACE in the Middle East," Trump wrote on Truth Social. Hamas on Friday (local time) agreed to release all Israeli hostages, whether dead or alive, in response to the 20-point Gaza peace plan introduced by US President Donald Trump earlier this week, Al Jazeera reported. "In this context, the movement affirms its readiness to immediately enter into negotiations through the mediators to discuss the details of this agreement," Hamas said in a statement released on Telegram, quoted by Al Jazeera. The group also agreed to hand over the Gaza administration to an independent Palestinian technocrats' body "based on Palestinian national consensus and Arab and Islamic support." "Other issues mentioned in President Trump's proposal regarding the future of the Gaza Strip and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people are connected to a unified national position and relevant international laws and resolutions," the statement said, as per Al Jazeera. "They will be addressed through a comprehensive Palestinian national framework, in which Hamas will participate and contribute responsibly," the statement added. The development comes after United States President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) issued a stern warning to Hamas, saying the militant group is "militarily trapped" and has been given a last chance to agree to a peace deal endorsed by regional and global powers. (ANI) CHIBA, Oct 03 (News On Japan) - The usually abundant seasonal katsuo (bonito) is showing sharp regional contrasts this year, with Chiba Prefectures Katsuura port bustling while Kesennuma in Miyagi, Japans top landing site for 28 consecutive years, is seeing poor catches and soaring prices. At Katsuura port, fishing boats have been bringing in haul after haul of katsuo, leading one port official to remark that it was unusual to see such quantities in autumn. Typically known for the first katsuo of spring, the port this year is experiencing unexpected activity in the autumn season, with the largest catch on one day reaching 21 tons, including fish weighing up to 8 kilograms. In contrast, Tokyos popular seafood izakaya Taiko Chaya, which normally serves fresh autumn returning katsuo known for its fat content, was forced to use frozen fish on October 2nd. Owner Kan Saka explained: This year the returning katsuo have not come back. The fat content is poor, so we have no choice but to use frozen fish. The situation is especially severe at Kesennuma port in Miyagi Prefecture, traditionally Japans leader in katsuo landings. Normally, fish weighing 2 to 3 kilograms are landed in abundance, but this season most catches are only around 1.2 to 1.3 kilograms and lack the expected fat. Even more alarming is the decline in volume: while more than 200 tons in a single day is not unusual in past years, only 85 tons were landed from nine vessels on one recent day. Prices have tripled, with wholesalers reporting that katsuo once sold for 1,000 yen now cost 3,000 yen. Experts attribute the reversal to changes in the Kuroshio Current. According to Masahiko Ariji, professor at Kindai University, katsuo typically form fishing grounds along the warm waters of the Kuroshio. This year, the Kuroshio large meander, which had lasted nearly eight years, ended, shifting the currents flow. With the current now running eastward from the northern Kanto region, fishing grounds have shifted, fueling Katsuuras prosperity while leaving Kesennuma in decline. Source: FNN CHIBA, Oct 03 (News On Japan) - Vast hillsides have been cleared for the construction of a large-scale solar power facility in Kamogawa, Chiba Prefecture, leaving piles of felled trees scattered across the slopes. The development covers approximately 146 hectares, or the size of 32 Tokyo Domes, and involves cutting down about 365,000 trees to make way for 470,000 solar panels. Citizen groups opposing the project argue that Chiba Prefecture revised its development standards after granting approval in 2019, insisting the plan should be reassessed under the new rules. "All of this is based on the 2019 standards, which means it no longer meets current requirements. That alone should invalidate it," said Kunie Katsumata of the Kamogawa Mountains, Rivers and Sea Protection Association. Chiba Prefecture has acknowledged that the developer is reviewing the plan and has issued 58 administrative guidance notices to date. These cover a wide range of requirements, including water quality inspections, submission of construction plans, and measures to prevent soil runoff. Residential areas lie directly below the cleared slopes, raising concerns among locals. "If theres a landslide, it could be disastrous. I dont oppose solar power itself, but I do worry about how safety is being ensured," said one nearby resident. Others expressed frustration, claiming that prefectural guidance allows authorities to sidestep responsibility and calling for the project to be halted. The developer is preparing a temporary storage site for the large volume of timber, while provisional fencing has been ordered to reduce the risk of debris flow until the site is complete. The company has stated on its website that sufficient safety measures are in place following inspections by prefectural officials, but it has offered little direct response to inquiries. Chiba Prefecture has pledged to continue monitoring the project and providing advice and instructions to ensure the development proceeds appropriately and in compliance with regulations. Source: FNN OSAKA, Oct 03 (News On Japan) - Police have revealed that a woman killed by her former partner in Higashi-Osaka had sustained dozens of stab wounds across her body, including injuries that pierced internal organs. Hiroshi Towa, 51, was referred to prosecutors on October 3rd on suspicion of stabbing and killing his former girlfriend, 33-year-old Arisa Sato, at his residence in Higashi-Osaka on October 1st. An autopsy confirmed that Sato had multiple stab and cut wounds to her abdomen, back, and other areas of her body. Some wounds penetrated her liver, and the cause of death was determined to be massive blood loss. Police also discovered two bloodstained kitchen knives near the body. Towa has reportedly admitted to the crime, telling investigators: "My emotions suddenly exploded, and I stabbed her with the intent to kill." Those who knew the two expressed shock at the incident. "I still cant believe it," said an acquaintance. "They always seemed close. Arisa had a strong personality, and Towa looked like such a gentle person." However, Towas former wife described him as prone to sudden outbursts. "He would snap without warning. He once even threw the children. His bursts of violence were overwhelming," she recalled. Investigators believe Towa harbored strong intent to kill and are continuing to probe his motives. Source: KTV NEWS CHICAGO, Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Cboe Global Markets, Inc. (Cboe: CBOE), the world's leading derivatives and securities exchange network, today reported September trading volume statistics across its global business lines and provided guidance for selected revenue per contract/net revenue capture metrics for the third quarter of 2025. The data sheet "Cboe Global Markets Monthly Volume & RPC/Net Revenue Capture Report" contains an overview of certain September trading statistics and market share by business segment, volume in select index products, and RPC/net capture, which is reported on a one-month lag, across business lines. Average Daily Trading Volume (ADV) by Month Year-To-Date Sep 2025 Sep 2024 % Chg Aug 2025 % Chg Sep 2025 Sep 2024 % Chg Multi-listed options (contracts, k) 15,273 10,459 46.0 % 14,325 6.6 % 13,318 10,587 25.8 % Index options (contracts, k) 5,250 4,130 27.1 % 4,893 7.3 % 4,775 4,112 16.1 % Futures (contracts, k)1 207 232 -11.0 % 218 -5.2 % 223 250 -10.5 % U.S. Equities - On-Exchange (matched shares, mn) 1,703 1,234 38.0 % 1,646 3.5 % 1,760 1,369 28.6 % U.S. Equities - Off-Exchange (matched shares, mn) 240 85 183.6 % 229 4.7 % 141 79 78.8 % Canadian Equities (matched shares, k) 192,599 148,628 29.6 % 148,538 29.7 % 157,964 144,297 9.5 % European Equities (, mn) 11,789 10,121 16.5 % 10,701 10.2 % 13,044 9,579 36.2 % Australian Equities (AUD, mn) 1,046 891 17.3 % 1,064 -1.7 % 923 790 16.9 % Global FX ($, mn) 52,406 48,096 9.0 % 48,819 7.3 % 52,713 47,092 11.9 % Cboe Clear Europe Cleared Trades (k) 107,956 102,208 5.6 % 98,364 9.8 % 1,142,301 900,227 26.9 % Cboe Clear Europe Net Settlements (k) 1,191 943 26.3 % 1,115 6.8 % 10,032 8,236 21.8 % 1 In the second quarter of 2025, Digital futures products were transitioned to Cboe Futures Exchange. Futures metrics prior to the second quarter of 2025 exclude Digital futures products. September and Third Quarter 2025 Trading Volume Highlights U.S. Options Total volume across Cboe's four options exchanges set monthly and quarterly records, with an ADV of 20.5 million in September and 18.8 million in the third quarter. Trading in Cboe's proprietary index options products set several volume records for the month and quarter, including: New quarterly proprietary index options ADV record of 4.9 million contracts. New quarterly S&P 500 Index (SPX) options ADV record of 3.9 million contracts. New quarterly Mini-SPX (XSP) options ADV record of 119 thousand contracts. New monthly SPX options ADV record of 4.3 million contracts, eclipsing 4 million contracts for the first time ever. Third-Quarter 2025 RPC/Net Revenue Capture Guidance The projected RPC/net capture metrics for the third quarter of 2025 are estimated, preliminary and may change. There can be no assurance that our final RPC for the three months ended September 30, 2025, will not differ materially from these projections. (In USD unless stated otherwise) Three-Months Ended Product 3Q Projection Aug-25 Jul-25 Jun-25 Multi-Listed Options (per contract) $0.054 $0.057 $0.062 $0.068 Index Options $0.926 $0.924 $0.926 $0.923 Total Options $0.280 $0.288 $0.293 $0.300 Futures (per contract) $1.742 $1.721 $1.697 $1.673 U.S. Equities - Exchange (per 100 touched shares) $0.015 $0.013 $0.014 $0.012 U.S. Equities - Off-Exchange (per 100 touched shares) $0.063 $0.070 $0.078 $0.082 Canadian Equities (per 10,000 touched shares) CAD 4.100 CAD 4.204 CAD 4.028 CAD 4.222 European Equities (per matched notional value) 0.288 0.288 0.282 0.261 Australian Equities (per matched notional value) 0.206 0.191 0.176 0.160 Global FX (per one million dollars traded) $2.885 $2.881 $2.838 $2.808 Cboe Clear Europe Fee per Trade Cleared 0.010 0.010 0.009 0.008 Cboe Clear Europe Net Fee per Settlement 1.012 1.000 0.996 0.956 The above represents average revenue per contract (RPC) or net capture is based on a three-month rolling average, reported on a one-month lag. Average transaction fees per contract can be affected by various factors, including exchange fee rates, volume-based discounts and transaction mix by contract type and product type. For Options and Futures, the average RPC represents total net transaction fees recognized for the period divided by total contracts traded during the period for options exchanges: BZX Options, Cboe Options, C2 Options and EDGX Options; futures include contracts traded on Cboe Futures Exchange, LLC (CFE). For U.S. Equities, "net capture per 100 touched shares" refers to transaction fees less liquidity payments and routing and clearing costs divided by the product of one-hundredth ADV of touched shares on BZX, BYX, EDGX and EDGA and the number of trading days for the period. For U.S. Equities Off-Exchange, "net capture per 100 touched shares" refers to transaction fees less OMS/EMS costs and clearing costs divided by the product of one-hundredth ADV of touched shares on BIDS Trading and the number of trading days for the period. For Canadian Equities, "net capture per 10,000 touched shares" refers to transaction fees divided by the product of one-ten thousandth ADV of shares for Cboe Canada and the number of trading days for the period and includes revenue. For European Equities, "net capture per matched notional value" refers to transaction fees less liquidity payments in British pounds divided by the product of ADNV in British pounds of shares matched on Cboe Europe Equities and the number of trading days. For Australian Equities, "net capture per matched notional value" refers to transaction fees less trading fee relief in Australian Dollars divided by the product of ADNV in Australian Dollars of shares matched on Cboe Australia and the number of trading days. For Global FX, "net capture per one million dollars traded" refers to transaction fees less liquidity payments, if any, divided by the Spot and SEF products of one-thousandth of ADNV traded on the Cboe FX Markets and the number of trading days, divided by two, which represents the buyer and seller that are both charged on the transaction. For Cboe Clear Europe, "Fee per Trade Cleared" refers to clearing fees divided by number of non-interoperable trades cleared and "Net Fee per Settlement" refers to settlement fees less direct costs incurred to settle divided by the number of settlements executed after netting. About Cboe Global Markets Cboe Global Markets (Cboe: CBOE), the world's leading derivatives and securities exchange network, delivers cutting-edge trading, clearing, and investment solutions to people around the world. Cboe provides trading solutions and products in multiple asset classes, including equities, derivatives, and FX across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Above all, we are committed to building a trusted, inclusive global marketplace that enables people to pursue a sustainable financial future. To learn more about the Exchange for the World Stage, visit www.cboe.com . CBOE-V Cboe, Cboe Global Markets, Cboe Clear, Cboe Futures Exchange, CFE, Cboe Volatility Index, and VIX are registered trademarks of Cboe Exchange, Inc. or its affiliates. Standard & Poor's, S&P, SPX, and S&P 500 are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services, LLC, and have been licensed for use by Cboe Exchange, Inc. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners. Any products that have the S&P Index or Indexes as their underlying interest are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Standard & Poor's or Cboe and neither Standard & Poor's nor Cboe make any representations or recommendations concerning the advisability of investing in products that have S&P indexes as their underlying interests. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners. Cboe Global Markets, Inc. and its affiliates do not recommend or make any representation as to possible benefits from any securities, futures or investments, or third-party products or services. Cboe Global Markets, Inc. is not affiliated with S&P. Investors should undertake their own due diligence regarding their securities, futures, and investment practices. This press release speaks only as of this date. Cboe Global Markets, Inc. disclaims any duty to update the information herein. Nothing in this announcement should be considered a solicitation to buy or an offer to sell any securities or futures in any jurisdiction where the offer or solicitation would be unlawful under the laws of such jurisdiction. Nothing contained in this communication constitutes tax, legal or investment advice. Investors must consult their tax adviser or legal counsel for advice and information concerning their particular situation. Cboe Global Markets, Inc. and its affiliates make no warranty, expressed or implied, including, without limitation, any warranties as of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy, completeness or timeliness, the results to be obtained by recipients of the products and services described herein, or as to the ability of the indices referenced in this press release to track the performance of their respective securities, generally, or the performance of the indices referenced in this press release or any subset of their respective securities, and shall not in any way be liable for any inaccuracies, errors. Cboe Global Markets, Inc. and its affiliates have not calculated, composed or determined the constituents or weightings of the securities that comprise the third-party indices referenced in this press release and shall not in any way be liable for any inaccuracies or errors in any of the indices referenced in this press release. There are important risks associated with transacting in any of the Cboe Company products discussed here. Before engaging in any transactions in those products, it is important for market participants to carefully review the disclosures and disclaimers contained at: https://www.cboe.com/us_disclaimers/. Options involve risk and are not suitable for all market participants. Prior to buying or selling an option, a person should review the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options (ODD), which is required to be provided to all such persons. Copies of the ODD are available from your broker or from The Options Clearing Corporation, 125 S. Franklin Street, Suite 1200, Chicago, IL 60606. Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Information This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. You can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as "may," "might," "should," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential" or "continue," and the negative of these terms and other comparable terminology. All statements that reflect our expectations, assumptions or projections about the future other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements, which are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions about us, may include projections of our future financial performance based on our growth strategies and anticipated trends in our business. These statements are only predictions based on our current expectations and projections about future events. There are important factors that could cause our actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. We operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks and uncertainties emerge from time to time, and it is not possible to predict all risks and uncertainties, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Some factors that could cause actual results to differ include: the loss of our right to exclusively list and trade certain index options and futures products; economic, political and market conditions; compliance with legal and regulatory obligations; price competition and consolidation in our industry; decreases in trading or clearing volumes, market data fees or a shift in the mix of products traded on our exchanges; legislative or regulatory changes or changes in tax regimes; our ability to protect our systems and communication networks from security vulnerabilities and breaches; our ability to attract and retain skilled management and other personnel; increasing competition by foreign and domestic entities; our dependence on and exposure to risk from third parties; factors that impact the quality and integrity of our and other applicable indices; our ability to manage our global operations, growth, and strategic acquisitions or alliances effectively; increases in the cost of the products and services we use; our ability to operate our business without violating the intellectual property rights of others and the costs associated with protecting our intellectual property rights; our ability to minimize the risks, including our credit, counterparty, investment, and default risks, associated with operating our clearinghouses; our ability to accommodate trading and clearing volume and transaction traffic, including significant increases, without failure or degradation of performance of our systems; misconduct by those who use our markets or our products or for whom we clear transactions; challenges to our use of open source software code; our ability to meet our compliance obligations, including managing our business interests and our regulatory responsibilities; the loss of key customers or a significant reduction in trading or clearing volumes by key customers; our ability to maintain BIDS Trading as an independently managed and operated trading venue, separate from and not integrated with our registered national securities exchanges; damage to our reputation; the ability of our compliance and risk management methods to effectively monitor and manage our risks; restrictions imposed by our debt obligations and our ability to make payments on or refinance our debt obligations; our ability to maintain an investment grade credit rating; impairment of our goodwill, long-lived assets, investments or intangible assets; the accuracy of our estimates and expectations; and litigation risks and other liabilities. More detailed information about factors that may affect our actual results to differ may be found in our filings with the SEC, including in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 and other filings made from time to time with the SEC. We do not undertake, and we expressly disclaim, any duty to update any forward-looking statement whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. SOURCE Cboe Global Markets, Inc. KYOTO, Oct 03 (News On Japan) - Arashiyama has launched a new night event called Moonlit Path on October 1st to tackle overtourism by shifting visitor traffic into the evening and channeling proceeds back into the local community. The illuminated walk runs from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. through October 31st, lighting up Nagatsuji Street and the famed Bamboo Grove, with a paid zone featuring bamboo-themed light installations. Organized jointly by local shopping street associations, transport operators, and residents, the project is designed not simply to attract more people but to disperse daytime congestion by creating a photogenic experience at night when visitor numbers are typically low. The paid area is intended to generate steady revenue that can be reinvested locally. Proceeds will prioritize practical measures such as adding trash bins and toilets, preserving the bamboo forest, repairing damaged stalks, and purchasing a community bus reserved for residents. The bus would improve mobility during peak tourist seasons when traffic restrictions are imposed and some neighborhoods face fewer regular bus services than before. Residents have long participated in discussions with merchants to address overtourism. During last years autumn foliage season, Arashiyama operated a trial ride-share taxi for residents affected by traffic controls to secure daily transportation. Crowding and etiquette remain pressing issues beyond central Kyoto. In Ine, the picturesque waterfront lined with boat houses, an hourly 60-seat route bus has struggled when visitors fill seats, leaving local riders behind, while narrow roads have suffered frequent congestion as more travelers arrive by car. Authorities and local groups are promoting park-and-bus-ride and park-and-cruise schemes that shift cars to free parking areas and move visitors by shuttle bus or boat, along with a sightseeing express bus that stops only at major attractions to reduce pressure on regular routes. Manners problems such as trespassing into boathouses and littering have become more visible since last year, which local observers partly attribute to the rise of group tours by overseas visitors. Countermeasures include distributing multilingual leaflets on buses to explain rules and cultural norms. The Moonlit Path organizers stress that dispersing crowds and encouraging better behavior must be paired with a tangible give-back to those who live with tourism year-round. By visibly reinvesting admission income in services residents can feelcleaner streets, maintained scenery, and dedicated transportthe initiative aims to build a model that other destinations can adopt if it proves effective this month. Source: ABCTVnews Senegal is planning the construction of second refinery, SAR 2.0, by 2029, to increase its annual refining capacity and put an end to its paradox: exporting crude and importing refined fuel although it joined Africas oil-producing nations in 2024. Actually, Senegal finds itself in a paradoxical position: exporting its crude to Europe while importing both Nigerian oil and Russian fuel to meet domestic needs. Senegals lone refinery in Dakar, designed to process light, sweet crude, currently runs on Nigerias Erha blend. Its own production from the Sangomar field 100,000 barrels per day of heavier, sour crude is unsuitable for the refinerys configuration. Consequently, nearly all of Senegals crude is shipped to Europe, with Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands among the top buyers. Industry data from analyst firm Kpler show that Senegal imported 30,000 barrels per day (kbd) of Nigerian crude to feed the 30 kbd Dakar Refinery in recent months. Meanwhile, the country imported 90100 kbd of refined fuels in 20242025 60% of which came from Russia, including diesel and fuel oil. To address this dependency, Senegal plans to construct a second refinery, SAR 2.0, by 2029. Backed by interest from China, Turkey, and South Korea, the $5 billion project aims to add 4 million tons of refining capacity annually, using Sangomar crude as feedstock. This gap we will cover, said Mamadou Abib Diop, CEO of the national refining company SAR, adding that this second refinery (will) add 4 million tons of processing capacity per year. Until the new facility comes online, Senegals energy balance remains precariously reliant on imported crude and fuel underscoring broader challenges in Africas downstream oil sector despite rising domestic production. At least 91 civilians were killed in September in the besieged Darfur city of El-Fasher, where hunger and violence have converged into what medical groups warn is a full-blown humanitarian disaster. According to the Sudan Doctors Network, 23 people including children and pregnant women died of severe malnutrition last month alone. UNICEF reports over 10,000 children have been treated for acute malnutrition this year, with 6,000 losing access to care after RSF forces cut off supply routes. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have surrounded El-Fasher, the militarys last stronghold in Darfur, choking off food, water, and medicine. The siege, said the medical group, constitutes a systematic crime and a possible silent genocide. The United Nations has echoed concern, noting the closure of community kitchens and warning that famine is spreading across Sudan. However, officials in Port Sudan continue to deny any famine, calling the reports politically motivated attempts to invite foreign intervention. Meanwhile, the Sudanese army claims it killed several foreign fighters allegedly Colombians and Ukrainians fighting alongside RSF units in El-Fasher. The military says the mercenaries were drone engineers and snipers operating from high-rise buildings in Al-Karama Square. The claims remain unverified, and neither the RSF nor the foreign governments allegedly involved have responded publicly. As international aid stalls and political leadership remains in denial, over 24 million Sudanese face acute food insecurity. Rights groups warn that unless urgent action is taken, El-Fasher could become the epicenter of an even deadlier chapter in Sudans spiraling civil war. NEWTOWN, Pa., Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Edelson Lechtzin LLP, a national class action law firm, is investigating data privacy claims regarding an incident at Superior Vision Service. Superior Vision Service learned of a data breach on or about July 11, 2025. If you would like to discuss this case with a lawyer, go HERE. About Superior Vision Service Superior Vision, a Versant Health company, provides vision care benefits to millions through individual and employer plans. What happened? On or about July 11, 2025, Superior Vision Service discovered that a phishing attack had compromised an employee's email account. The incident began on July 9, 2025, when the employee unknowingly provided their login details to a hacker. By July 11, 2025, the attacker had potentially accessed and copied emails containing sensitive customer data. This data included personal information, including full names, physical addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, dates of birth, genders, Social Security numbers, vision coverage election information, and employment information related to enrollment. How can I protect my personal data? If you receive a data breach notification concerning Superior Vision Service, you should take steps to protect yourself against identity theft and fraud by regularly reviewing your account statements and monitoring your credit reports for any suspicious or unauthorized activity. Edelson Lechtzin LLP is investigating a class action lawsuit to seek legal remedies for individuals whose sensitive personal data may have been compromised by the Superior Vision Service data breach. For more information, please contact: Marc H. Edelson, Esq. EDELSON LECHTZIN LLP 411 S. State Street, Suite N-300 Newtown, PA 18940 Phone: 844-696-7492 ext. 2 Email: [email protected] Web: www.edelson-law.com About Edelson Lechtzin LLP Edelson Lechtzin LLP is a national class action law firm with offices in Pennsylvania and California. In addition to cases involving data breaches, our lawyers focus on class and collective litigation in cases alleging securities and investment fraud, violations of the federal antitrust laws, employee benefit plans under ERISA, wage theft, and consumer fraud. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions. SOURCE Edelson Lechtzin LLP Morocco and the European Union signed the exchange of letters amending the agricultural agreement binding both parties on Friday at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, reflecting their strong partnership grounded in extended multidimensional cooperation. Signed on Moroccos side by Ambassador to the EU, Ahmed Reda Chami, the agreement immediately enters into force provisionally, pending the completion of internal procedures of both parties. Under this agreement, whose terms have been negotiated in a spirit of partnership and compromise, agricultural products of Moroccos Southern provinces benefit from the same European market preferential access conditions that apply to products from the rest of the country, in accordance with the EU-Morocco Association Agreement. The agreement introduces technical adjustments designed to facilitate product access and upgrading, particularly with regard to consumer information through labeling that indicates the production regions in Southern Morocco Laayoune-Sakiat el Hamra and Dakhla-Oued Eddahab. Inked in the same spirit of the exchange of letters signed in 2018 between the two parties, the agreement fosters strong trade relations and strengthens a solid and extensive partnership, as the Kingdom is the leading economic partner of the EU in Africa and the Arab world. This agreement reflects Morocco and the EUs shared will to deepen their long-standing partnership, given that its implementation is likely to contribute significantly to the national agricultural GDP, all while boosting employment and investment, especially in the Kingdoms Southern provinces. Furthermore, it paves the way to a more ambitious and structured cooperation with Brussels, by reinforcing existing political mechanisms and laying the foundations of a deepened strategic partnership. Dozens of young demonstrators gathered peacefully in a central district of Rabat and other cities, responding to a call by the GenZ 212 movement. The protesters chanted slogans demanding improvements in healthcare, education, and stronger measures against corruption. Before dispersing, they thanked police officers for their restraint and presence. Other protests in Casablanca and Agadir took place peacefully, As the GenZ 212 movement distances itself from the rioters. The sit-ins were part of a broader campaign by GenZ 212, which had urged peaceful demonstrations across Moroccos major cities while condemning recent riots that have shaken the country. Morocco witnessed its worst unrest in a decade, with hundreds of security personnel injured and widespread damage to vehicles, banks, and shops. In a statement, the government reiterated its willingness to engage in frank dialogue with peaceful demonstrators. However, it also warned against violent actions. Three individuals died during an attempted assault on a Royal Gendarmerie station in Lqliaa, in the province of Inzegane Ait Melloul. Security forces initially used tear gas and warning shots, but rioters reportedly looted a vehicle, set part of the headquarters on fire, and injured five gendarmes. Interior Ministry spokesperson emphasized the states commitment to upholding civil liberties, including the right to peaceful protest. The right to demonstrate peacefully, guaranteed to all, does not exempt public authorities from intervening, when necessary, El Khalfi said in a press briefing. He added that the ministry would not hesitate to take legal action against individuals who resort to violence, vandalism, or incitement. While public authorities are committed to protecting citizens safety, citizens must also respect the law and the freedoms of others, he said. The spokesman stressed that freedom and rights must be exercised within a framework of responsibility and civic duty, which serve the collective good. Opioids on the Job: Planning to Protect A New NSC Tool Helps Employers Prepare for Opioid Emergencies and Improve Workplace Safety. With overdoses now linked to nearly one in ten workplace deaths, the National Safety Council (NSC) has introduced a free Overdose Emergency Planning Tool to help employers prepare for opioid emergencies. Opioids are driving about 10% of occupational fatalitiesmore than many realize, says Claire Bryant, Senior Program Manager of Workplace Safety Programs at NSC. While EMS responded to more than 12,000 workplace overdoses in 2024, the number is starting to decline, offering hope that prevention efforts are working. The online tool, available at nsc.org/overdosetool, calculates the amount of naloxone a workplace should have on hand based on factors such as industry, workforce size, building layout, and emergency response times. It also provides state-specific requirementsCalifornia, for example, will require naloxone in workplaces by 2028and links to NSCs free training resources. Bryant emphasizes the importance of recognizing warning signs, such as pinpoint pupils, slowed breathing, or unresponsiveness, and acting quickly by administering naloxone and calling 911. She also highlights a growing trend: recovery-supportive workplace policies, which encourage openness, connect employees to assistance programs, and help prevent substance misuse before a crisis occurs. The workplace is a microcosm of society, Bryant says. By preparing and supporting recovery, employers can save lives. Download or stream this episode today from Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon and more. Addressing curtailment requires coordinated actions, including expanding transmission infrastructure, enhancing pricing mechanisms to incentivize demand, and developing a regulatory framework for battery storage, while developers can mitigate risks through careful site selection and portfolio diversification. The Northeast region, particularly Bahia for solar and Ceara for wind, is most affected by curtailment, which has reached 27% for solar and 16% for wind, leading to significant revenue losses and increased risks for project developers. Curtailment, the forced reduction of renewable generation, has become a critical issue in Brazil, doubling in 2025 to an estimated 20 terawatt hours due to insufficient transmission infrastructure and localized oversupply. Curtailment has become a very relevant issue in Brazil as renewable penetration grows. In short, curtailment is the forced reduction of renewable generation, which typically occurs when there is too much intermittent generation on the grid and insufficient transmission infrastructure. Operators are then required to shut down units to balance the system. The main drivers are transmission bottlenecks, operational restrictions related to grid stability and reliability and localized oversupply. We can split these into two major categories: infrastructure and demand. As of this year, non-hydro renewables already make up about one-third of Brazils power matrix, and curtailment has increased to very concerning levels. By August alone, we estimate nearly 20 terawatt hours of curtailed generation, double the total observed in 2024. Roughly half of this is linked to demand issues, while the other half stems from infrastructure constraints. Although wind makes up most of the curtailed generation in absolute terms, solar is proportionally the most affected. Curtailment has reached about 27% for solar in 2025, compared to 16% for wind, both much higher than last year. Which regions of Brazil are most exposed to renewable curtailment? Most of Brazils solar and wind resources are concentrated in the northeast, and this is the region most affected by curtailment. Transmission bottlenecks in the area limit the ability to export surplus generation to the main load centers in the southeast, leading to congestion and forced shutdowns. Looking more closely, Bahia is the most affected state for solar generation, with curtailment surpassing 30%. For wind, Ceara is the most exposed, already exceeding 25%. Other states in the northeast are also impacted, along with Minas Gerais in the southeast. Overall, the northeast stands out as the most vulnerable region, making new transmission lines critical for alleviating the issue. What risks does curtailment pose for project developers? For operational projects, curtailment leads directly to revenue losses, as compensation mechanisms remain under discussion. This reduces predictability of future revenues and lowers asset valuations. For new projects, the implications are even more serious. Lenders perceive higher risks, which translates into more expensive loans, stronger guarantee requirements and higher risk premiums. As a result, PPA prices for renewables are expected to rise as developers incorporate these risks. Large consumers should therefore anticipate more expensive renewable energy in the near future. Curtailment also impacts the development pipeline, since investors are now more cautious and uncertain about long-term risks. For context, we estimate curtailment costs this year to be around $10 per megawatt hour for wind and $20 per megawatt hour for solar, very significant compared to current PPA prices. Curtailment is thus a structural problem likely to persist, even if not at todays extreme levels. What actions must be taken to reduce curtailment, and how can developers mitigate curtailment risks? Easing curtailment will require coordinated actions across both demand and infrastructure. On the demand side, one option is to enhance pricing mechanisms for end users, incentivizing greater consumption during times when solar or wind generation peaks. Another approach is to add new on-site demand, such as crypto mining or green hydrogen production, to absorb surplus generation. Related: EIA Rattles Oil Markets With Reports of Crude Oil, Product Builds On the infrastructure side, expanding transmission remains the most important action. Brazil has successfully used transmission auctions, and new lines are expected online soon to increase export capacity from the northeast. However, more planning is needed to accommodate future demand drivers such as hydrogen production, data centers and fleet electrification. Battery storage is another potential solution for highly affected projects, but Brazil still lacks a regulatory framework for energy storage. We expect regulation to be introduced next year, which should help unlock investment. In the meantime, developers can mitigate risks by carefully selecting project sites with stronger grid infrastructure, diversifying portfolios geographically and by energy source and including contractual provisions in PPAs to account for curtailment events. At Rystad Energy, we track curtailments on a daily basis for every project in Brazil, enabling our clients to make more informed decisions when evaluating assets. Whats Next for Energy Markets? A new conflict in the Middle East... a surprise OPEC+ decision... a massive shift in Chinese demand. Most investors only react to the headlines. Oilprice Intelligence brings you the signals before they become front-page news. This is the same expert analysis read by veteran traders and political advisors. Get it free, twice a week, and you'll always know why the market is moving before everyone else. You get the geopolitical intelligence, the hidden inventory data, and the market whispers that move billionsand well send you $389 in premium energy intelligence, on us, just for subscribing. Join 400,000+ readers today. Get access immediately by clicking here. By Muched Nassif, Vice President, Renewables & Power Research for Latin America at Rystad Energy More Top Reads From Oilprice.com After two and a half years offline, crude from northern Iraq is finally moving again through Ceyhan. The restart comes off a tripartite deal between Baghdad, the KRG, and the key foreign operators in Erbil: all barrels routed through SOMO, producers compensated at a fixed cost rate, and the arrangement subject to monthly renewals through year-end. Early flows are reported around 180-190,000 bpd, well below pipeline nameplate but significant enough to hit crude benchmarks. Turkey, long resistant over the ICC arbitration ruling that saddled it with $1.5 billion in damages, signed off once it secured leverage of its own: proposals to build four refineries in northern Iraq and carve out a role beyond transit. Ankara also benefits from restored fees Washington has greenlit intelligence support for Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, in a package deal that includes intel on refineries, pipelines, and power plants deep inside Russia, not just on the front lines. This is a policy break that comes in the middle of Kyivs negotiations for long-range strike capacity and missiles. Moscow obviously views this as proof that the U.S. is a direct party to the war, and there will have to be retaliation (most likely asymmetric forms such as cyber, commodity leverage, ground escalation, poking around European borders). For Ukraine, it means precision data on choke-points in Russias energy system, designed to maximize disruption. Politics, Geopolitics & Conflict Washington has greenlit intelligence support for Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, in a package deal that includes intel on refineries, pipelines, and power plants deep inside Russia, not just on the front lines. This is a policy break that comes in the middle of Kyivs negotiations for long-range strike capacity and missiles. Moscow obviously views this as proof that the U.S. is a direct party to the war, and there will have to be retaliation (most likely asymmetric forms such as cyber, commodity leverage, ground escalation, poking around European borders). For Ukraine, it means precision data on choke-points in Russias energy system, designed to maximize disruption. After two and a half years offline, crude from northern Iraq is finally moving again through Ceyhan. The restart comes off a tripartite deal between Baghdad, the KRG, and the key foreign operators in Erbil: all barrels routed through SOMO, producers compensated at a fixed cost rate, and the arrangement subject to monthly renewals through year-end. Early flows are reported around 180-190,000 bpd, well below pipeline nameplate but significant enough to hit crude benchmarks. Turkey, long resistant over the ICC arbitration ruling that saddled it with $1.5 billion in damages, signed off once it secured leverage of its own: proposals to build four refineries in northern Iraq and carve out a role beyond transit. Ankara also benefits from restored fees and influence as a corridor state, while quietly betting that U.S. pressure to ease global supply tightness will insulate it from the legal overhang. The real drivers of the breakthrough were Baghdads fiscal need for revenues, Erbils economic desperation, and Washingtons insistence on de-bottlenecking northern exports. For now, the flows are real but not at capacity, the companies are only partially back on board, and the framework is fragile. Each 30-day renewal cycle will become a bargaining round, with arrears, revenue-sharing, and arbitration liabilities still hanging over the corridor. DNO and Genel have not fully re-entered the new BaghdadErbil export framework, leaving Kurdistans flows below potential. Both firms continue producing but are diverting much of their crude into the local market rather than nominating volumes to SOMO for pipeline export. Output is being throttled (some wells left under-utilized, drilling programs paused, and operational ramp-ups on hold) a deliberate tactic to preserve leverage. Their arrears, estimated near a billion dollars, remain unpaid, and the new contract terms cap returns at a flat per-barrel service fee, far below the profit-oil model they previously operated under. With the export agreement only running on 30-day renewals through year-end, DNO and Genel are signaling they wont sink fresh capital or restore plateau volumes until arrears and terms are resolved. The net effect is that Ceyhan flows are restarting at ~180-190 kbpd instead of approaching the 400+ kbpd capacity, highlighting that without these two operators full participation, northern exports will remain constrained and the political settlement fragile. The Kremlin is pushing hard against EU plans to tap frozen Russian assets, calling it theft and warning of retaliation. Brussels is weighing whether to use only the windfall interest or move toward seizing principal, with Washington pressing for the latter. Moscow is framing this as a direct attack on the sanctity of reserve holdings, with obvious implications for non-aligned states watching how safe their own money is in Western banks. Countermeasures are already being floated expropriation of European assets still inside Russia, financial restrictions, commodity leverage. The warning lands just as Brussels debates tighter enforcement on oil sanctions, which only sharpens Moscows line that Europe is shifting from financial freeze to outright confiscation. Discovery & Development BP just approved a $5 billion spend on its TiberGuadalupe deepwater project in the U.S. Gulf, marking one of its biggest bets there in over a decade. The hub will tie in discoveries, including Tiber (2009) and Guadalupe (2014), targeting ~80,000 bpd at peak with first oil slated for 2032. BP is positioning this as part of its Paleogene push, where Chevron (CVX), Exxon (XOM) and Shell (SHEL) are also advancing high-cost but long-life plays. The move reflects a renewed appetite for mega-projects in the Gulf just as global majors juggle capital discipline with extending oil output. Exxon is trying to revive its Rovuma LNG project in Mozambique, a ~$30 billion development stalled since 2020 by insurgent violence in Cabo Delgado. CEO Darren Woods met this week with President Filipe Nyusi to push for tighter security guarantees so Exxon can restart. FID has now shifted to 2026. Rovuma would export 18 mtpa, bringing Mozambique closer to the status of Qatar and the U.S. as a top LNG supplier if it moves forward. MidOcean Energy, backed by EIG and Saudi Aramco, just bought a 20% stake in Petronas upstream gas assets tied to LNG Canada, one of the biggest export projects under construction. The deal plugs MidOcean into a 14 mtpa development led by Shell (SHEL) and expected online in 202526. LNG Canada is already oversubscribed on volumes, with Phase 2 under study that could double capacity. For Aramco, the move builds exposure to North American LNG just as Asian buyers scramble to lock in long-term supply. India has revealed a natural gas discovery in the Andaman Sea basin, a frontier area long thought to hold sizable untapped reserves. The find is being called a potential game-changer for Indias energy security, with ONGC leading exploration and officials hinting that it could open a new gas province. India imports more than half its gas, so even modest output here could ease the bill and reduce reliance on LNG cargoes. Development will hinge on further appraisal drilling and whether infrastructure can be built to move gas to demand centers on the east coast. Deals, Mergers & Acquisitions Berkshire Hathaway just agreed to buy Occidental Petroleums OxyChem unit for $9.7B in cash, marking Warren Buffetts largest acquisition in years. For Oxy (OXY), the sale trims debt after its $55B Anadarko buyout left the balance sheet stretched, while keeping focus on upstream oil and Permian growth. OxyChem is one of North Americas biggest PVC and chlorine producers, so Berkshire is getting a defensive cash-flow engine with long-cycle demand. The deal shows Buffett is still willing to swing big in energy, even as Oxy doubles down on crude. BlackRocks Global Infrastructure Partners is in late-stage talks to buy AES Corp. in a $38B deal including debt. It would be one of the largest utility takeovers in U.S. history. AES has been building out renewable generation and supplying power to hyperscale data centers, making it a prime target as AI-driven electricity demand soars. For BlackRock, its a chance to grab a regulated cash-flow engine with growth optionality in renewables. The deal isnt final yet, but if sealed, it would underscore how AI is reshaping utility M&A just as fast as its reshaping power demand. Tamboran Resources is moving to acquire Falcon Oil & Gas in a ~$172M all-stock deal, consolidating control of Australias Beetaloo Basin. The basin is viewed as one of the countrys biggest undeveloped shale gas plays, with Tamboran pushing to unlock LNG export potential as Asian demand rises. Falcon shareholders will get about 10% of the combined group, giving Tamboran full operatorship across key permits. The move is aimed at accelerating drilling scale and positioning Beetaloo as a future competitor to U.S. shale and Qatar LNG. BKV Corp just closed a $370M deal to buy Barnett shale assets from BHPs old North Texas portfolio, adding ~300 MMcfe/d of production. The Barnett is mature but still cash-flowing, and BKV (already one of the top U.S. private gas producers) is betting it can squeeze more value through efficiency and scale. The acquisition lifts BKVs footprint in the play to nearly 500,000 net acres. Its another sign that while big publics chase LNG-linked growth, privates are still finding bargains in legacy shale gas. Despite OPECs attempt to walk back the headlineslabeling the reports as misleading on social mediathe damage was already done. Traders were quick to price in additional supply, particularly in a market already on edge from other bearish developments. The idea of a half-million-barrel increase has forced many speculative longs to reassess risk, contributing to this weeks accelerated pullback. The central driver behind this weeks sell-off was the resurgence of supply concerns, primarily linked to OPEC+ output plans. Market chatter early in the week suggested the producer group was preparing for a modest production increase of 137,000 barrels per day (bpd). But by midweek, reports escalated, with multiple sources claiming OPEC+ could authorize a hike as large as 500,000 bpd in November. That would triple the October increase and signal a significant pivot by Saudi Arabia and its allies toward reclaiming lost market share. Crude oil futures posted a sharp weekly decline, pressured by a renewed wave of supply-side concerns and deteriorating demand outlooks. After reaching a seven-week high early in the week, WTI crude retreated aggressively, driven by speculation of an OPEC+ production hike, the return of Kurdish exports, and signs of softening global consumption. By Thursday, prices had notched a four-day losing streak, and sentiment turned decisively bearish. Crude oil futures posted a sharp weekly decline, pressured by a renewed wave of supply-side concerns and deteriorating demand outlooks. After reaching a seven-week high early in the week, WTI crude retreated aggressively, driven by speculation of an OPEC+ production hike, the return of Kurdish exports, and signs of softening global consumption. By Thursday, prices had notched a four-day losing streak, and sentiment turned decisively bearish. OPEC+ Output Speculation Reignites Oversupply Fears The central driver behind this weeks sell-off was the resurgence of supply concerns, primarily linked to OPEC+ output plans. Market chatter early in the week suggested the producer group was preparing for a modest production increase of 137,000 barrels per day (bpd). But by midweek, reports escalated, with multiple sources claiming OPEC+ could authorize a hike as large as 500,000 bpd in November. That would triple the October increase and signal a significant pivot by Saudi Arabia and its allies toward reclaiming lost market share. Despite OPECs attempt to walk back the headlineslabeling the reports as misleading on social mediathe damage was already done. Traders were quick to price in additional supply, particularly in a market already on edge from other bearish developments. The idea of a half-million-barrel increase has forced many speculative longs to reassess risk, contributing to this weeks accelerated pullback. Strategists also flagged a shift in sentiment among institutional forecasters. Onyx Capital's Jorge Montepeque highlighted that several major banks, including Macquarie, are now projecting the possibility of a super glut in crude. This aligns with broader concerns that oil markets could be heading into a structurally oversupplied environment if production rises into weakening demand. Kurdish Crude Returns After Two-Year Hiatus Further weighing on sentiment was the restart of crude flows from Iraqs Kurdistan region. The long-stalled pipeline linking the semi-autonomous region to Turkeys Ceyhan port resumed operations over the weekend, marking the first shipment in more than two years. According to Iraqs oil ministry, the pipeline could return up to 230,000 bpd to global markets. Though this flow is relatively modest on a global scale, its timing exacerbated bearish sentiment. The restart added to the perception that more barrels are headed to market just as the demand outlook continues to erode. Combined with the OPEC+ narrative, the return of Kurdish crude further tipped the balance of sentiment toward oversupply. Russia Diesel Ban and Geopolitical Risks Offer Only Limited Support While fears of excess supply dominated the week, geopolitical risks provided a modest floor under pricesthough not enough to prevent declines. Russia extended its gasoline export ban through year-end and tightened controls on diesel shipments. These moves follow weeks of infrastructure disruption caused by Ukrainian drone strikes, which reportedly impacted up to 25% of Russias refining capacity. Despite these tensions, the market has largely looked past the geopolitical risks due to their limited real-time impact on supply volumes. Traders remain skeptical of building long positions on potential disruptions that have yet to materialize at scale. Even the Group of Sevens renewed commitment to tighten enforcement on Russian oil sales failed to stir bullish conviction. Similarly, the resumption of Kurdish flowswhich initially triggered a drop in cash Dubai premiumsunderscored the markets sensitivity to real versus implied disruptions. Unless geopolitical tensions escalate to the point of visible export losses, they are unlikely to drive sustained upward momentum in oil prices. U.S. Inventory Builds Reinforce Bearish Narrative The bearish tilt was reinforced by a fresh set of EIA inventory data showing a surprise build in U.S. crude stockpiles. According to the Energy Information Administration, inventories rose by 1.8 million barrels to 416.5 million barrels last week, well above analyst expectations. Gasoline and distillate stocks also climbed, signaling tepid refinery activity and weakening demand for refined products. These inventory gains have reintroduced concerns about domestic oversupply and feed into a broader global trend of demand softening. Market participants are increasingly focused on downstream indicators, such as implied gasoline demand and refinery utilization, both of which have shown signs of fatigue heading into Q4. Government Shutdown Adds Pressure to Demand Outlook Layered on top of the supply narrative is a deteriorating demand picture, especially in the United States. The ongoing federal government shutdown has already begun disrupting economic data reporting, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics suspending critical releases such as payrolls and CPI. Without these metrics, the Federal Reserve may be forced to delay or alter rate decisions, injecting further uncertainty into economic forecasts. More urgently, the shutdown threatens consumer spending. Nearly 750,000 federal workers face furloughs, with some roles potentially eliminated under Reduction in Force (RIF) procedures. This drag on disposable income could weigh on consumption in energy-sensitive categories such as transportation, autos, and household applianceskey drivers of refined product demand. Internationally, Chinese crude buying remains elevated but may not be enough to offset demand risks in the U.S. and Europe. Reuters noted that China has been importing nearly one million barrels per day above domestic requirements through the first eight months of the year, indicating ample stockpiles that could limit future purchases. Weekly Light Crude Oil Futures Trend Indicator Analysis Light crude oil futures are in a weak position late Thursday after plunging through the 52-week moving average at $63.07. Given the shift in momentum to the indicators bearish side, it now becomes new resistance. Additional resistance is the long-term 50% level at $64.21. Sellers also probed the weak side of the former bottom at $60.77, putting the 61.8% Fibonacci level at $59.91 in play. Taking out this level with conviction could fuel an acceleration into $55.74. Weekly Technical Forecast The direction of the Weekly Light Crude Oil Futures market the week ending October 10 is likely to be determined by trader reaction to the 61.8% Fibonacci level at $59.91. Bullish Scenario A sustained move over $59.91 will signal the return of buyers. This wont change the trend, but if this creates enough upside momentum, we could see a retest of a minor 50% level at $62.97 and the major 52-week moving average at $63.07. Overcoming this level will signal strong short-covering, but traders will still have to deal with resistance at $64.21. Bearish Scenario A sustained move under the Fibonacci level at $59.91 will indicate the return of sellers. This could fuel the start of a steep break since there isnt any strong support until $55.74. Weekly Forecast: Bearish Bias Dominates The fundamental backdrop for crude oil has shifted to a clearly bearish posture. Rising supply expectationsfrom both OPEC+ and Kurdish flowsare colliding with deteriorating demand conditions and weakening refinery economics. While geopolitical risks persist, they have so far failed to deliver meaningful support to prices. Unless there is a material escalation in global disruptions or a surprise reversal in production policy, the path of least resistance for crude remains lower heading into next week. Technically, the key level to watch is $59.91. In addition to serving as potential support, it could act as a trigger for a sharp $4.00 decline. On the upside, the combination of the 52-week moving average at $63.08 and the long-term pivot at $64.21 represents strong resistance. Once upon a time the promise of Net Zero enjoyed such universal support that a Tory government signed the UKs Net Zero pledge into law. Today, the Tories say theyd scrap it while alarm bells are ringing as the costs of the policy become clearer. In June 2019, Prime Minister Theresa May passed a law with near unanimous parliamentary backing and pretty much no debate committing the UK to achieve Net Zero by 2050. She hailed the move as a historic step that would make the UK the first major economy in the world to set such a legally binding target. Now is the time to go further and faster, she said for our children and it was framed as a moral issue, a moment to be on the right side of history. And while everyone was patting themselves on the back, and as the lofty ambition was turned into legal text, the UK accelerated down a path that is only now being fully understood. If Theresa May hadnt signed the 2050 into law someone else would have, such was the consensus and such was the sense of inevitability whipped up in those heady pre-Covid, pre-War days. And where has it taken us? The UK has the highest cost of energy in the developed world for households and businesses and weve been putting wind farms faster than our energy infrastructure can handle them leading to a situation where we taxpayers, bill payers will pay 1bn this year to wind farm operators to turn off those wind farms when its too windy. Weve put the cart before the horse Vast sums are then spent on replacement gas power to keep the lights on. And thats almost certainly imported gas, by the way, as weve rather gone off producing our own. Its a problem known as curtailment too much wind produces too much power and it would overwhelm the congested network and so theyre simply switched off. The National Energy System Operator, which runs the grid, says the cost of this the constraint cost could surge to 8bn a year by 2030. Weve put the cart before the horse. Windfarms were the great visible manifestation of our Net Zero drive but we havent built the pylons and cables to make them worthwhile something that will take years and cost billions. Related: New Quantum Breakthrough Could Lead to Super-Efficient Electronics Theres no problem with ultimately attaining a state of Net Zero emissions; the problems lie in the law, the target date and the consequences of an ill-thought through rush. High energy costs are forcing chemical, cement and manufacturing plants to close. Energy investment and associated manufacturing are heading for the US. The North Sea is viewed as an awkward relic rather than a natural asset and the combination of green levies, subsidies and taxes are making a mess of the entire system. Conservatives repent Today the Conservatives, the moral and political architects of the 2050 target, say theyd scrap their law. Theyve seen the light. The Institute of Economic Affairs says the Tories announcement is the first step back to sanity pointing out that the Climate Change Act was the biggest central planning mistake since the Soviet Unions Five Year Economic Plans. Kemi Badenoch says Climate change is real. But Labours laws tied us in red tape, loaded us with costs, and did nothing to cut global emissions. Previous Conservative governments tried to make Labours climate laws work they dont. She said that the Conservatives would make the North Sea the cornerstone of UK energy policy by ending a ban on new oil and gas exploration, and that as Prime Minister her priorities would be growth, cheaper energy and a renewed commitment to protecting the environment. Even Labour, whose climate change secretary Ed Miliband is a full blown High Priest of Net Zero zealotry, is considering rowing back from some of its bolder commitments. That would certainly please the unions, who have been shouting at the deindustrialisation unleashed by the Net Zero sprint. Miliband policies a disaster Sharon Graham, boss of the Unite union, has called for Miliband to be sacked, labelling his Net Zero plan a disaster and accusing him of being completely irresponsible with the UKs energy security and jobs in the oil and gas sector. And shes right. Oil refineries are closing. Chemicals plants are closing. And the promised green jobs boom is felt more in consultancy and the civil service than in any factory. Ahead of the Budget, the British Chambers of Commerce have called on the government to remove the windfall taxes imposed on oil and gas producers in the North Sea, saying the policy puts the UK at a competitive disadvantage. Meanwhile, our energy demands are going to skyrocket not least given all the hungry new data centres unveiled in recent weeks. It seems when it comes to energy the best approach is to do everything, everywhere, but not all at once. We need nuclear, and were getting more of it. We need the North Sea, but were ashamed of it. We need renewables but only when the network can actually take the power and we shouldnt be spending vast sums to subsidise biomass energy that burns wood from South America shipped to the UK and is somehow, supposedly, green. And we do need to look again at the law of the land the feel-good commitment to be Net Zero by 2050. The Tories and Reform have woken up to this. It seems many in Labour have, too, though its likely Ed Miliband will barricade himself in his office with hostages before recognising the political and economic reality thats coming into focus. Policies change. They evolve. They adapt to meet circumstances. They encounter problems and breakthroughs at unexpected moments. They do not always conform with political aspirations and timelines and badly-written law, and it seems that the penny is beginning to drop. By CityAM More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Trumps 20-point peace plan for Gaza has landed with sharp contrasts between official endorsements and Arab interpretations. The White House plan calls for an immediate ceasefire, Israeli withdrawal to agreed lines, the release of hostages within 72 hours, and a large-scale prisoner exchange, all of which exclude Hamas and mandate the destruction of its military infrastructure. Gaza would be administered by a transitional Palestinian committee overseen by an international Board of Peace chaired by Trump and including figures such as Tony Blair, and an International Stabilization Force of Arab and allied partners to provide security and train a new police force. Israel has endorsed the framework (but continues to pound Gaza in the interim). Trump has now given Hamas a short window to accept before facing what he called a sad end. Hamas has said it will consult internally before responding. Qatar, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia have expressed cautious support, highlighting gaps relating to sovereignty and Palestinian statehood. France has now joined in signaling unease, stressing that the plan risks entrenching occupation without addressing a two-state horizon. The EU has described it as an opportunity for lasting peace, while the Kremlin has voiced hope it will be implemented. Trumps 20-point peace plan for Gaza has landed with sharp contrasts between official endorsements and Arab interpretations. The White House plan calls for an immediate ceasefire, Israeli withdrawal to agreed lines, the release of hostages within 72 hours, and a large-scale prisoner exchange, all of which exclude Hamas and mandate the destruction of its military infrastructure. Gaza would be administered by a transitional Palestinian committee overseen by an international Board of Peace chaired by Trump and including figures such as Tony Blair, and an International Stabilization Force of Arab and allied partners to provide security and train a new police force. Israel has endorsed the framework (but continues to pound Gaza in the interim). Trump has now given Hamas a short window to accept before facing what he called a sad end. Hamas has said it will consult internally before responding. Qatar, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia have expressed cautious support, highlighting gaps relating to sovereignty and Palestinian statehood. France has now joined in signaling unease, stressing that the plan risks entrenching occupation without addressing a two-state horizon. The EU has described it as an opportunity for lasting peace, while the Kremlin has voiced hope it will be implemented. The Arab world frames the plan rather differently, as an American trusteeship over Gaza, a structure that risks stripping Palestinians of sovereignty while imposing vague commitments on Israel. Its all rather vague and excludes the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. They see it as convenient electoral optics in Washington (Trump needs a victory, even on paper). Still, a joint statement by eight Arab states largely signed off on Trumps deal, conditioning it on zero displacement of Gazans, a link-up to the West Bank, and a full Israeli withdrawal. They appear to have watered down their demand for a two-state solution, suggesting that the peace deal should have the roots of such a solution, if not a solution itself. And the picture inside Israel is increasingly unsettled. Netanyahus approval of the Doha strike, followed by a hasty apology under U.S. pressure, has exposed the depth of division between the political echelon and the security establishment. Mossad officers were opposed to striking Qatari soil, warning it would compromise intelligence relationships and cripple one of the few viable mediation channels with Hamas. Shin Bet shared those concerns (but focused more on the operational cost since Qatars intelligence network has been a conduit for signals and leverage over Gaza actors). The IDF brass supported the strike on operational grounds, arguing it was a high-value Hamas node. Netanyahus right-wing allies now frame the apology as weakness (the aggressive narrative here is that Washington can force concessions out of Netanyahu). On the other hand, Netanyahus security chief sees strategy subordinated to politics. As such, there is a growing split between the intelligence services (urging restraint) and the politicians (prizing shows of force). The Doha incident has become shorthand in Tel Aviv for the costs of overextension, and how that overextension might unfold in the context of Israels handling of Trumps peace plan. Interview: China's economy well-equipped for continued growth, says ADB chief economist Xinhua) 10:03, October 03, 2025 BEIJING, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- China's economy is well-positioned to maintain its positive growth trajectory, supported by its strong workforce and vibrant enterprises, said Albert Park, chief economist of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), in a recent interview with Xinhua. "The Chinese economy has tremendous capabilities in terms of the abilities of the workforce, the ability of its leading firms and the ability of many enterprises around the country," said Park while attending the East Asia Forum 2025 and Talk China Seminar in Beijing. He expressed confidence in the resilience of China's economy, though it is facing some challenges. Park welcomed the Chinese government's recent incremental policies aimed at stimulating the economy. "The government's emphasis on boosting consumption in the economy is a really good signal," he said, adding that it's important to "keep pushing forward in that direction." He highlighted that measures such as redistributing resources to low-income households and strengthening social protection programs can not only spur consumption but also build a more robust social safety net. The economist also pointed to a notable rebound in investor sentiment toward Chinese equities, attributing it to China's recognized technological leadership in digitalization and artificial intelligence (AI), as well as greater confidence that the U.S.-China relationship will become more stable and better managed. "Reduced geopolitical uncertainty may be encouraging more investment into China, which still is an economy that is growing at a decent pace," he said. At the seminar, themed "Harnessing AI to Promote High-Quality Development," Park praised China's "AI Plus" initiative for its potential to deeply integrate AI across society and drive economic growth. "China possesses a whole ecosystem for AI's development," he said, adding that the country is obviously a global leader in the AI field in terms of semiconductor production value chain, data centers, and large language models. Park also underscored China's active role in shaping global AI governance frameworks and promoting international cooperation. Citing an ADB report released in May titled "Harnessing Digital Transformation for Good," he emphasized that AI will bring tremendous opportunities for low-income countries, and urged efforts to strengthen good digital infrastructure and workforce training on digital skills. "The ADB is really focusing on that front to help developing countries throughout Asia realize opportunities brought about by AI," he added. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan) NEWTOWN, Pa., Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Edelson Lechtzin LLP, a national class action law firm, is investigating data privacy claims regarding an incident at The Rasevic Companies ("Rasevic Companies"). Rasevic Companies learned of a data breach on or about April 2, 2025. If you would like to discuss this case with a lawyer, go HERE. About The Rasevic Companies The Rasevic Companies is a family-run business based in the Mid-Atlantic region, specializing in luxury home building, comprehensive landscaping, and snow removal solutions. What happened? On or about April 2, 2025, Rasevic Companies discovered a network disruption caused by unauthorized access. An investigation revealed that between March 28 and April 2, 2025, an unauthorized individual accessed, obtained, or removed certain files from their computer network. These files may have contained personal information, including full names and Social Security numbers. How can I protect my personal data? If you receive a letter regarding the Rasevic Companies data breach, you should take steps to protect yourself against identity theft and fraud by regularly reviewing your account statements and monitoring your credit reports for any suspicious or unauthorized activity. Edelson Lechtzin LLP is investigating a class action lawsuit to seek legal remedies for individuals whose sensitive personal data may have been compromised by the Rasevic Companies data breach. For more information, please contact: Marc H. Edelson, Esq. EDELSON LECHTZIN LLP 411 S. State Street, Suite N-300 Newtown, PA 18940 Phone: 844-696-7492 ext. 2 Email: [email protected] Web: www.edelson-law.com About Edelson Lechtzin LLP Edelson Lechtzin LLP is a national class action law firm with offices in Pennsylvania and California. In addition to cases involving data breaches, our lawyers focus on class and collective litigation in cases alleging securities and investment fraud, violations of the federal antitrust laws, employee benefit plans under ERISA, wage theft, and consumer fraud. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions. SOURCE Edelson Lechtzin LLP Uzbekistan has announced a new batch of energy-related deals with US companies collectively worth upwards of $4 billion. Uzbek Energy Minister Jurabek Mirzamakhmudov told the Uzbekiston 24 TV channel that the government has signed a series of agreements with Pennsylvania-based Air Products to accelerate the Central Asian nations green transition. According to the companys website, Air Products aims to generate a cleaner future by serving a broad range of industries, including refining, chemicals, metals, electronics, manufacturing, and food, providing essential industrial gases, technologies and applications expertise. Air Products will speed up the construction of a petrochemical complex in Bukhara and will be involved in the development of a variety of coal gasification initiatives and the refining of clean jet fuel, according to a report published by the government-connected UzDaily information service. The minister described the deals as investments, not purchases. Mirzamakhmudov also disclosed deals with two major Houston-based energy services companies, Schlumberger and Baker Hughes. Those agreements cover the implementation of modern technologies, experience and management methods, the UzDaily report stated. In addition, Uzbek officials have inked a memorandum of understanding with Gulf Oil to develop a network of automobile gas stations across the country. The Export-Import Bank of the United States is ready to open an $852 million line of credit to support various projects, the Uzbek energy minister claimed. On a late September visit to New York, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced a number of deals, including an $8 billion contract to purchase Boeing passenger jets. During a brief meeting with US President Donald Trump, the Uzbek leader expressed an overall intention to conclude business deals with US firms worth about $105 billion. By Eurasianet More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Following an explosion of a yet-to-be-determined nature, a large fire broke out on Thursday night at Chevrons El Segundo refinery in the Los Angeles area. The fire, which was first seen at around 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, was later contained, the police in El Segundo said, adding there wasnt a call for residents to evacuate. Authorities have not received any reports of injuries of fatalities, El Segundo Mayor Chris Pimentel told local news station KCAL News. Chevrons 280,000-barrels-per-day refinery in El Segundo has its own fire department, which responded first to the incident. We were able to respond with Chevron fire immediately, our station is about a .25 mile away from the gates of Chevron, El Segundos Pimentel said. Obviously, we are very concerned, and there is a lot of investigative work to be done to see what has happened. As of the early hours in LA on Friday, there were no updates about the cause of the massive fire. The fire has been contained and there is no cause for alarm for El Segundo or the surrounding areas, LA County Supervisor Holly Mitchell told KCAL News. The El Segundo Refinery, which began operations in 1911, is one of the biggest on the U.S. West Coast. It is one of the few that oil majors arent closing due to Californias assault on the oil and gas sector in recent years. Several major refiners have decided to discontinue gasoline production at refineries in the state, due to the Californian mandates for clean energy vehicles and changed market dynamics. Phillips 66, for example, has started shutting down its 139,000-bpd Los Angeles-area refinery. Units at the plant will idle in phases through Q4 2025, with the facility permanently offline by year-end. Between Phillips 66s LA facility and Valeros Benicia refinery, scheduled to close in 2026, the state is set to lose roughly 17% of its refining capacityand thats likely to drive the high gasoline prices even higher. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Indias biggest state-owned oil companies seek long-term supply of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from the United States for the first time, according to tender documents Bloomberg has reviewed. Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPRL), and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) are seeking long-term deals with the U.S. for the first time, as global flows of the cooking fuel have been upended in recent months with the Trump Administrations trade policies. India has long-term deals to procure LPG from Saudi Arabia. Now it seeks U.S. LPG supply, after signaling it would seek to buy more of Americas energy products to appease the U.S. Administration and prompt it to review the 50% tariffs on Indian goods. The U.S. introduced the massive tariff in early August, doubling the previous 25% tariff due to Indias continued imports of crude oil from Russia. Supply of LPG from the Middle East and the U.S. is rising this year. Middle East LPG exports hit a record high in September at 1.46 million barrels per day (bpd), up by nearly 200,000 bpd from the same month last year, according to Vortexa data. U.S. LPG exports also hit a record high last month, with LPG production up by 3.5% year to date, Samantha Hartke, Head of Market Analysis, Americas, at Vortexa, noted. Year-to-date, 46% of total global LPG exports departed from the U.S. with Northeast Asia destinations accounting for 39% of the destinations. In contrast, LPG from the Middle East represented 33% of the global total, per data tracked by Vortexa. While India is reportedly looking to sign long-term LPG deals with the U.S., it is not giving up on Russian crude. Indias crude oil imports from Russia dropped by about 100,000 barrels per day (bpd) in September compared to August as Indian refiners expand crude sources amid ongoing U.S.-India trade talks and U.S. pressure to stop importing Russian oil and prop up the Kremlins energy revenues. While Indian crude oil imports from Russia slipped last month, they still accounted for about a third of all crude arrivals in the country. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Kazakhstan backs the OPEC+ groups decision to reverse part of the production cuts, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Friday. The president has emphasized Kazakhstan's support for the decision by OPEC+ to gradually increase oil production volumes, prioritizing the protection of national interests, Tokayevs press service said in a statement, after the president met with OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais. Non-OPEC producer Kazakhstan is part of the OPEC+ agreement, but it has been overproducing for years above its quota and hasnt done enough to compensate for the overproduction yet. OPEC+ producers including Kazakhstan are meeting on October 5 to decide production levels for November. The alliance will consider reversing in November another 137,000 bpd of the combined 1.65 million bpd cuts that it will begin unwinding in October with a first batch of 137,000 bpd, sources with knowledge of the groups plans told Bloomberg earlier this week. Despite the production hike from OPEC+, oil prices have not collapsed, with Brent prices trading closer to $70 than to $65 per barrel in recent weeks. Part of this could be due to estimates that the group is not hiking oil production as much as the headline figures in the agreement suggest, as some members are close to capacity while others are compensating for previous overproduction. Kazakhstan, however, has constantly busted its quota, although it continues to reiterate it is committed to the OPEC+ deals. Kazakhstan has raised production this year from expansion projects involving international majors such as Chevron. Kazakhstans Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov said on Thursday that the country has raised its output since January, thanks to the Chevron-led expansion at the giant Tengiz field. At the moment, we cannot yet fit into those compensation schedules, but Kazakhstan is taking all possible efforts to comply with the OPEC+ agreement, and we remain committed to it, Russian news agency Interfax quoted Akkenzhenov as saying. By Michael Kern for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Reuters and its anonymous sources are again stirring the oil market. This time, the wire says OPEC+ is preparing another supply hike in November, with Saudi Arabia pushing for something big and Russia urging restraint. But if recent history is any guide, a report of rising quotas doesnt necessarily translate into rising barrelsand OPEC is getting increasingly irritated with the narrative. According to Reuters unnamed insiders, Riyadh wants an increase of 274,000 to as much as 548,000 bpd, while Moscow is said to prefer another modest 137,000 bpd bump. The groups eight key producers are due to meet virtually on Sunday to decide. But its hard to forget that just three days ago, OPEC issued an unusually sharp rebuke of the media, flatly rejecting circulating reports of a half-million-barrel hike as wholly inaccurate and misleading. The statement was widely read as a direct shot at Reuters, whose reports had already knocked prices lower. The bigger issue is the difference between quota hikes and actual production increases. OPEC+ has been promising staged increases since April as it unwinds cuts, but its only managed to deliver about 75% of those barrels. Many members cant raise production even if they want to. Nigeria, Angola, and Iraq are still repaying earlier overproduction through compensation cuts, while only Saudi Arabia and the UAE have meaningful spare capacity. That leaves traders stuck parsing press leaks against physical reality. On paper, OPEC+ could announce another big hike. In practice, the barrels may never show up. The result is market theater: Reuters reports a glut-in-the-making, OPEC pushes back to protect the narrative, and prices swing on expectations rather than evidence. Brent crude is already down more than 7% this week on the latest supply-hike chatter, even though the extra oil hasnt actually arrived. For now, the gap between quota headlines and physical flows is as wide as ever. By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Amid rising global energy demand, oil prices could jump above $100 per barrel if Russias oil is pushed out of the market, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday. It's impossible to imagine that the loss of Russian oil volumes will preserve a normal situation in global energy and the economy, Russian news agency Interfax quoted Putin as saying at an economic discussion forum in Russia. This won't happen, because even if in a bad dream one can imagine that it's possible to take the Russian producer and Russian traders, who provide a substantial share [of the oil supply] on the world market, out of the equation, prices will immediately skyrocket, everything will instantly shoot up beyond $100 per barrel, Putin was quoted as saying. The Russian president said that $100 oil would be hardly in the interests of economies of countries that are doing poorly, including the economies of European countries. The United States has intensified efforts in recent weeks to call on Russias remaining customers to stop importing crude from Russia. The pressure has been particularly intense on India, the worlds third-largest crude importer and the second-biggest importer of Russian oil behind China. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, India has relied on the discounted Russian crude banned in the West to reduce its crude import bill. However, the Trump Administration, facing difficult trade negotiations with India and the dragging war in Ukraine, has singled out India as a culprit for buying Russian oil. Indian officials have repeatedly said the country would continue to buy the cheap Russian oil. Officials are now reportedly telling Trump Administration officials that India could cut crude imports from Russia if the U.S. were to allow flows from Iran and Venezuela. Putin said on Thursday that India will never allow itself to be humiliated and bow to U.S. pressure to halt Russian oil imports. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Saudi Arabias grand Vision 2030 ambitions may be colliding with a colder fiscal reality. Fitch Ratings warned Friday that Riyadh faces rising financial risks as oil prices soften and government spending balloons, threatening the kingdoms plans for fiscal consolidation. The numbers tell the story: Saudi Arabia now expects a budget deficit equal to 5.3% of GDP in 2025nearly double its original 2.3% forecastbefore narrowing to 3.3% in 2026. The deterioration comes largely from weaker oil income, Fitch said, with non-oil revenues holding up but not enough to offset the gap. The rating agency pointed to revenue shortfalls and overspending as the main culprits, noting the massive capital outlays required by megaprojects like NEOM. This weeks pre-budget statement from Riyadh signaled a shift toward tighter fiscal discipline, but Fitch noted the tension between Saudis promises of restraint and its reliance on the Public Investment Funds trillion-dollar Vision 2030 agenda. That tension is only magnified by sliding crude prices, with Brent down more than 7% this week on speculation of further OPEC+ supply hikes. Those hikes are themselves controversial. Reuters sources have floated that Saudi Arabia wants much larger quota increases than Russia, moves that could win back market share but put additional pressure on oil prices. OPEC has already lashed out at the newswire, dismissing reports of a half-million-barrel increase as wholly inaccurate. Yet the clash illustrates the stakes: Saudi Arabias fiscal health depends on a stable oil market, but its production strategy is geared toward defending long-term relevance, even if that risks lower near-term prices. Fitch said fiscal tightening would ultimately come through modest spending cuts, stable oil revenues, and continued growth in non-oil income. But the kingdoms vulnerability to oil price swings remains obvious. Vision 2030 may be designed to break the dependence on crudebut for now, Saudi Arabias books are still hostage to it. By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Iraq could ramp up its crude oil exports by some 250,000 barrels daily as it saves this amount from local consumption with the help of several solar power projects. Zawya reported the news, citing a government official, who said that Iraq consumes nearly a quarter million bpd of crude oil for energy useswitching to renewable energy will save this quantity. This will allow Iraq to export more crude and boost revenuesswitching to renewable energy is a significant step, but it does not mean Iraq will shift away from fossil fuels, Abdul Baqi Khalaf, an advisor at the Iraqi oil ministry, also said. Solar power currently supplies less than 1% of Iraqs electricity. Most of it is generated using natural gas, of which a lot is imported from Iran. Iraq also imports electricity from its neighbor directly, or it did, until recently, when the U.S. canceled a sanctions waiver for Baghdad. Plans for solar are ambitious, and the first steps are already being taken. French TotalEnergies earlier this year broke ground on a 1-GW solar power installation. The first part of the installation, with a capacity of 250 MW, should be ready to start generating by the end of the year. The Iraqi government plans to build as much as 12 GW of solar power capacity by the end of this decadeup from just 42 MW at the end of 2024. Meanwhile, earlier this week, oil minister Hayan Abdul-Ghani announced the government had plans to ramp up crude oil production to 5.5 million barrels daily by the end of the year. Iraqs current production rate averages 4.4 million barrels daily. By 2030, the government in Baghdad eyes production of 7 million barrels daily, according to an earlier statement by an oil ministry official. The plan suggests Iraq wants to make the most of its massive oil reserves and do that sooner rather than later. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com The U.S. Administration wants to ensure that the just-restarted oil exports from Iraqs semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan continue to flow via pipeline to Turkey in the long run, an anonymous official at the U.S. Department of State told Bloomberg on Friday. The Trump Administration is working toward the goal of keeping Kurdistans crude flowing in the long term to boost the Iraqi economy, counter Irans influence in the region, and benefit U.S. companies operating in Iraq, according to the official. The U.S. has played a role in the deal that allowed the resumption of the exports from Kurdistan, the official told Bloomberg. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio commented last week on the agreement to restart exports, saying on X We welcome the announcement that the Government of Iraq has reached an agreement with the Kurdistan Regional Government and international companies to reopen the Iraq-Turkiye pipeline. This deal, facilitated by the United States, will bring tangible benefits for both Americans and Iraqis while reaffirming Iraqs sovereignty. Kurdistans oil exports resumed on Saturday, September 27, following a two and a half year suspension of the flows via the pipeline from northern Iraq to the Turkish Mediterranean coast. Related: Supermajors Slim Down to Protect Shareholder Payouts Eight foreign companies operating in Kurdistan have signed agreements with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Federal Government of Iraq to enable the restart of international crude exports from Kurdistan. This agreement paved to way to the restart of exports, which were halted for two and a half years, after they were shut in in March 2023 due to a dispute over who should authorize the Kurdish exports. The federal government in Baghdad and the regional Kurdish government in Erbil squabbled for more than two years over who should be responsible for the oil exports and the subsequent revenue distribution. Under the agreement, hailed as historic by Iraqs federal government, KRG is delivering about 190,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude to Iraqi state marketing company SOMO. Kurdistan is also entitled to keep 50,000 bpd to use for local consumption. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com MUTSAMUDU, Comoros, Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Global trading platform Dupoin has outlined recent developments across its international operations, citing ongoing user growth, regulatory expansion, infrastructure improvements, and a range of client-reported platform experiences. Global Operations and Cross-Asset Offering Dupoin Reports Global Growth, Regulatory Coverage, and User Experience Insights Founded in 2020, Dupoin currently serves more than 500,000 active users in over 100 countries. The platform provides access to financial instruments including forex, commodities, indices, shares, and cryptocurrencies. With integrations across MetaTrader 5, the Dupoin App, and WebTrader, the company describes its offering as suitable for various levels of trading experience. Dupoin has received recognition from publications such as Global Business & Finance Magazine (Best Forex & CFD Broker of the Year SEA 2025) and Brands Review Magazine (Best Affiliate Program 2025), based on their respective evaluation criteria. The company continues to expand across Southeast Asia, the UK, Africa, and the MENA region, with future market entry plans that include Japan. Regulatory Framework and Risk Controls Dupoin operates under regulatory licenses from multiple jurisdictions, including the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Indonesia's BAPPEBTI, and the Union of Comoros' AOFA. These frameworks support structural features such as segregated client accounts, negative balance protection, and access to liquidity providers. According to the company, this regulatory infrastructure also facilitates improved banking relationships, contributing to more efficient deposit and withdrawal operations. User feedback has referenced these elements, particularly in relation to fund security and pricing oversight. Funding and Withdrawals: User Observations The platform enables account funding through wire transfer and cryptocurrency, with 24/7 deposit availability, including weekends and public holidays. Withdrawals are processed within two hours on Dupoin's side, though full settlement may take up to 35 business days depending on the banking provider. Some users have noted smooth processing, while others have reported delays. Dupoin has acknowledged these experiences and indicated ongoing improvements in transaction processing and client communication. Platform Features: Copy-Trading and Partner Programs Dupoin offers copy-trading capabilities, enabling users to follow signal providers and automate trading strategies. Signal providers have the opportunity to earn profit-sharing commissions, reportedly up to 60%. The platform also maintains an Introducing Broker (IB) and affiliate program. Participants earn commissions upon client trade closures, with options for customizable rebates, instant payouts, and marketing support. These programs have gained traction particularly in Southeast Asia, where trading communities often expand through referral networks. User Sentiment and Platform Feedback User reviews describe experiences with fast trade execution, platform usability, and responsive customer support. Notable examples include comments from Germany, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the UK, reflecting diverse geographic use. Some reviews also cite areas for improvement, such as occasional withdrawal delays, limited 24/7 support availability, and demand for additional trading instruments during market volatility. Dupoin has stated it is investing in infrastructure and expanding its support team to address these concerns. Addressing Online Allegations Mentions of "Dupoin scam" have appeared in online discussions, typically in the context of delayed withdrawals. Dupoin has responded by reiterating its licensed status, use of segregated accounts, and continued commitment to operational transparency. The company reports that user concerns are being addressed through platform enhancements and increased support capacity. About Dupoin Dupoin is a global fintech company and online trading broker, established in 2020 and licensed in the United Kingdom, Indonesia, and the Union of Comoros. The company provides access to trading across forex, commodities, indices, shares, and cryptocurrencies through platforms including MetaTrader 5, the Dupoin App, and WebTrader. Serving more than 500,000 users in over 100 countries, Dupoin operates with a focus on transparency, operational reliability, and platform accessibility. Dupoin has been recognized by industry publications such as Global Business & Finance Magazine (Best Forex & CFD Broker of the Year SEA 2025) and Brands Review Magazine (Best Affiliate Program 2025). Its offerings include account types starting from $10, spreads from 0.0 pips, leverage up to 1:1000, copy-trading functionality, and market education tools. Dupoin aims to support both individual and institutional participants in the global trading ecosystem. Contact Head of Marketing Sebastian Moreau Dupoin [email protected] Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2788370/Dupoin_Reports_Growth.jpg SOURCE Dupoin By Taxpayers Association of Oregon OregonWatchdog.com Once again, Kevin Dahlgren scores a great story. This man says he has been homeless in Hillsboro for much of 26 years. This means a lot of social services. View the post below, then follow Dahlgren and financially support him. I spoke to a homeless man in Hillsboro, Oregon. (15 miles from Portland) He has lived there for 26 years and he has been homeless for 26 years. The entire time he has been fed, clothed, given hundreds of tents, tarps and supplies. He has no interest in living indoors pic.twitter.com/PCJqRpIRmQ Kevin Dahlgren (@kevinvdahlgren) September 20, 2025 By Taxpayers Association of Oregon OregonWatchdog.com The Senate this week just passed the $4.3 billion gas tax/wage tax transportation package. They rammed this massive tax with as little public notice and input as possible and with over 93% opposition based on Capitol testimony. Now, thanks to State Senator Bruce Starr, State Representative Ed Diehl, and Jason Williams of the Taxpayers Association, they are the Chief Petitioners who are filing paperwork for a referendum petition to give voters a right to vote on this massive gas tax that will cost many families $300 in higher expenses. Now, Governor Kotek is asking voters NOT to sign the petition giving voters the right to vote. KPIC reports on Koteks response to a right-to-vote-on-gas-tax petition, She encouraged Oregonians to think twice about potentially supporting a referendum, saying it could compromise the safety of roads and the security of some jobs at ODOT.In terms of referral, Oregonians certainly have the right, and there is a process to refer to something they dont agree with. Frankly, I would urge Oregonians to think about signing on to a referral that will take away our basic ability as Oregonians to keep our roads operating, said Kotek. Lets all come together as a state to make sure we have the roads we need. How can Oregon come together, when Kotek shuts voters out of the process? Even worse, the petition to give voters the right to vote on this gas tax is frozen until Governor Kotek officially signs the bill. The longer Governor Kotek waits on the bill, the shorter the window people will have to gather signatures within the 90-day window to refer a tax. Stay tuned on details. Help us spread the word. Contribute online at OregonWatchdog.com (learn about a Charitable Tax Deduction or Political Tax Credit options to promote liberty). I recently finished reading William Craigs The Fall of Japan, a classic Second World War history. This book covers the deployment of the 509th Composite Group, the B-29s armed with atomic bombs, which is nicely juxtaposed by the policy discussion in the 1945 White House. In the spring, the 509th began to leave its desolate home. Eight hundred men sailed out of Seattle in May and the advance air echelon left shortly afterward. Though the war in Europe ended on May 8, fighting in the Pacific was becoming increasingly brutal. The 509th Group now embarking for Tinian from the West Coast hopefully would bring that conflict to an abrupt end. But Harry Truman would face a grave decision because of what the 509th was training to accomplish. On June 18, at a meeting in Washington, D.C., President Truman had talked with his military and civilian advisers: TRUMAN: As I understand it, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, after weighing all the possibilities of the situation and considering all possible alternative plans, are still of the unanimous opinion that the Kyushu operation [invasion of Japan] is the best solution under the circumstances. ANSWER: That is correct. TRUMAN: Mr. Stimson, what is your opinion? STIMSON: I agree that there is no other choice. I do think that there is a large submerged class in Japan who do not favor the present war and whose full opinion and influence have not yet been felt. I feel something should be done to arouse them and to develop any possible influence they might have before it becomes necessary to come to grips with them. Truman asked Admiral William Leahy for his views: LEAHY: I do not agree with those who say that unless we obtain the unconditional surrender of the Japanese that we will have lost the war. I fear no menace from Japan in the foreseeable future, even if we are unsuccessful in forcing unconditional surrender. What I do fear is that our insistence on unconditional surrender will only result in making the Japanese more desperate and thereby increase our casualty lists. I dont think this is at all necessary. TRUMAN: I dont feel that I can take any action at this time to change public opinion on the matter. I am quite sure that the Joint Chiefs should proceed with the Kyushu operation. As the meeting was adjourned, Truman asked John McCloy, Assistant Secretary of War, to add his comments before leaving. McCloy said that all the talk of invading Japan struck him as rather fantastic. The secretary asked, Why not use the atomic bomb? That question eventually answered itself when the uncertainty of the new weapons effectiveness was resolved. Imagine what it would have taken to conquer Japans home islands with infantry assaults rather than strategic bombing. This anecdote is prescient for how the Trump administration deals with Israels war in the Gaza Strip. Israel doesnt have a nuclear option. They may actually have the weapons, but the proximity of the target to Israels own territory and the political repercussions make that unviable. So, when our President puts some boundaries on the Israeli Prime Ministers military objectives, hes making a similar point Admiral Leahy made in the same building eight decades ago. Eric Shierman lives in Salem and is the author of We were winning when I was there. PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- LEGAL NOTICE If You Paid or Reimbursed for Certain PRESCRIPTION GENERIC DRUGS in the United States between May 1, 2009 and December 31, 2019, You Could Get a Payment from a Class Action Settlement. A federal court authorized this Notice. This is not a solicitation from a lawyer. 1-877-316-0171 www.GenericDrugsEndPayerSettlement.com Your legal rights might be affected by a new $200 million Settlement with Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Inc. ("Sun") and Taro Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. ("Taro") ("Sun/Taro" refers to both entities) in a class action lawsuit (In re Generic Pharmaceuticals Antitrust Litigation, No. 16-MD-2724 (E.D. Pa.)). The lawsuit claims generic manufacturers violated federal and state antitrust laws, consumer protection statutes, and common law, causing End-Payers including Consumers and Third-Party Payers ("TPPs") (e.g., entities such as insurers or employers with self-funded prescription drug plans) to pay more than they should have for certain generic drugs ("Named Generic Drugs"). Sun/Taro denies liability. The lawsuit remains ongoing against the Non-Settling Defendants. Am I a Settlement Class Member? This lawsuit was brought by End-Payers for Named Generic Drugs ("EPPs"), and the court has preliminarily certified an EPP Sun/Taro Settlement Class that consists of TPPs and Consumers. You may be an EPP Sun/Taro Settlement Class Member if you are a TPP or Consumer that indirectly purchased, paid for, and/or provided reimbursement for some or all of the purchase price for one or more of the Named Generic Drugs, for personal use by yourself or your members, and other than for resale, in the United States (except Indiana and Ohio) and in some United States territories, at any time during the period from May 1, 2009 through December 31, 2019. Certain kinds of entities are excluded from the EPP Sun/Taro Settlement Class. A more detailed notice that includes the full class description and who is or is not included; the list of Named Generic Drugs; the complete list of Defendants; and the Settlement Agreement are available at www.GenericDrugsEndPayerSettlement.com (the "EPP Settlement Website"). What does the Settlement provide? Under the proposed Settlement, Sun/Taro has paid $200 million into a settlement fund. The settlement fund may be reduced under certain circumstances, as explained in the Settlement Agreement. It will be used to pay eligible EPP Sun/Taro Settlement Class Members, after deductions for settlement notice and administration costs (up to $750,000); and, subject to Court approval, attorneys' fees of up to one-third of the fund plus interest, unreimbursed litigation expenses, plus an additional amount for future expenses in further litigation against the remaining Defendants (up to $4,000,000 for past and future expenses), and service awards to the Settlement Class Representatives (up to $500,000 total). Settlement Class Counsel will post their request for fees, expenses, and service awards on the EPP Settlement Website. Sun/Taro also agreed to cooperate with EPPs in providing information related to EPPs' litigation against the Non-Settling Defendants. How do I get a payment? Money will be distributed if and after the Court approves the Settlement. The amount and the timing of payment will be based on a Plan of Allocation that must be approved by the Court. EPPs' proposed Plan of Allocation is posted on the EPP Settlement Website. The claims process will open at a later date. To receive Settlement-related updates, including when claim forms are available, you should register on the EPP Settlement Website or call the toll-free number below. If I am an EPP Sun/Taro Settlement Class Member, what are my options? If you do nothing, you will remain an EPP Sun/Taro Settlement Class Member, be eligible to participate in the Settlement, and be legally bound by the Court's rulings on the Settlement and the claims against Sun/Taro, and you will not be able to pursue your claims against Sun/Taro. If you do not want to be legally bound by the Settlement, or if you want to keep your right to sue Sun/Taro yourself, you must exclude yourself. If you elect to remain in the Settlement Class but object to some or all of the Settlement, the proposed Plan of Allocation, the request for attorneys' fees, expenses, or the proposed service awards, you may object. Details on how to request exclusion or object are on the EPP Settlement Website. Any exclusion requests or objections must be submitted by December 2, 2025. The Court will hold a Fairness Hearing on January 15, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. to decide whether to approve the Settlement, the Plan of Allocation, and any request for attorneys' fees, expenses, or service awards. If you wish to appear at the hearing, you must file a "Notice of Intention to Appear" with the Court, and you may (but are not required to) hire your own attorney to appear in court for you at your own expense. The Court may change deadlines or the date and time of the hearing. Check the EPP Settlement Website for updates. In re Generic Pharmaceuticals End-Payer Antitrust Litigation c/o A.B. Data, Ltd. P.O. Box 173118 Milwaukee, WI 53217 For more information: Call 1-877-316-0171 or visit www.GenericDrugsEndPayerSettlement.com. SOURCE Fine, Kaplan, and Black, R.P.C. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: "Climate risk mitigation" is the practice of adjusting to actual or expected changes to reduce harm, and can be equated to "climate change adaptation." Credit: Meri Bek City Council Many Australians will have been reading up recently on whether they are likely to be among the 1.5 million reported to be at risk of sea level rise or the 190% increase in heat-related deaths in Sydney. These figures were part of Australia's first National Climate Risk Assessment (NCRA), a big announcement from our Federal Government who have spoken little about climate change since the election in May. You couldn't be blamed if, among these alarming media headlines, you missed the quiet companion to the risk assessment: Australia's inaugural National Adaptation Plan. This plan outlines what the federal government is going to do to try to reduce climate risks (besides reducing emissions). Climate change adaptation is an important partner to the National Climate Risk Assessment. Here, we'll unpack what we mean by climate change adaptation. And why it gives Australians some much-needed hope that we can significantly reduce climate impacts. What do we mean by climate adaptation? Adaptation is a term that is not commonly understood and is often forgotten in climate change reporting. Yet humans act to reduce climate risks all the time. First Nations communities, for example, have a demonstrated history of working with their natural environments to adjust to changes in climate, using practices like cultural fire management. We can continue to learn from these practices as we seek to innovate and improve our responses to climate change. For this reason, when we teach or write about climate change we always begin by acknowledging a few foundational facts that are worth remembering when thinking about climate risks. First, mitigation and adaptation go hand in hand Climate change mitigation, in the form of greenhouse gas reduction, is going to be essential to ensure we stop exacerbating damage to our climate and natural environment. Setting suitable net-zero targets and adhering to them is the only way we can address this persistent issue, making them a crucial point in this discussion. For some time, however, scientists have discussed the slow uptake of climate action and limited investment from key global players to reduce greenhouse gas emissionsmeaning that changes in our climate are now unavoidable. The NCRA report demonstrates that our climate has already changed and will continue to change, regardless of whether we successfully reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But the negative impacts of those changes depend on what we do next. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matterdaily or weekly. Second, adaptation can be used to reduce climate risk It's important to note that "climate change mitigation" refers to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to reduce human-induced (anthropogenic) climate change. Whereas "climate risk mitigation" is the practice of adjusting to actual or expected changes to reduce harm, and can be equated to "climate change adaptation." This is a key point of confusion in climate change language and an important distinction to make. When we discuss what "climate risk" actually means, we need to consider three primary factors: a climate hazard, exposure of people or assets to that hazard, and the likelihood that they will be negatively impacted. For a climate risk to exist, these three must occur at the same time and in the same place. And so, the climate risks reported in the National Climate Risk Assessment are not just contingent on projected future climate but also on the adaptation taken to reduce exposure and vulnerability of people and assets to climate change. The risks outlined are based on the current situation, and if we do nothing more to reduce them. But adaptation is a choice and a necessary pathway for Australian households and businesses. The National Adaptation Plan was released alongside our National Climate Risk Assessment in recognition that adaptation is an important piece of the puzzle. It outlines what the federal government sees as its role and responsibility to be, and how it intends to address each of the emerging climate risks discussed in the risk assessment. Third, adaptation is all aroundhere's what it looks like Adaptation is not a great unknownit's something that has been done for some time and will continue for years to come. In response to rising concerns for heat-related deaths in cities like Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide, practitioners have been working hard to increase urban greening, which can significantly reduce the impacts of heat on local urban environments. Trees and greenery help create shade and have cooling effects, which are particularly necessary in concrete environments that otherwise reflect heat. Research is also underway exploring how to protect workers who spend time in the heat, finding and mapping activities that are more suitable during the hottest part of the day. For sea level rise, local governments have already been addressing erosion issues with artificial reef installments and beach nourishment projects where sand is used to protect from waves. Likely, some low-lying areas will eventually be left with little choice but to relocate. This is why extensive community consultation and collaborative adaptation planning will be necessary to find suitable solutions. The impact of compounding, cascading and concurrent climate risks is another term we are hearing a lot lately. Australians know best that climate hazards don't discriminate and often coincide at the same time, on top of existing social or economic challenges (like our cost of living crisis), worsening impacts and making it more difficult to respond or cope. In New South Wales, the state government is seeking to address this very real challenge by bringing climate change adaptation together with disaster preparation in its new Disaster Adaptation Planning approach. While this is an area where more research is needed, we know that addressing underlying vulnerabilities in communities increases resilience to disasters and improves people's ability to cope. All these examples and more are captured in the Australian Adaptation Database, which has been used to inform the National Climate Risk Assessment and National Adaptation Plan about what adaptation in Australia looks like and where we need to do more work. It is important for Australians to be aware of the "dire" impacts of climate change that might be in our future, and of the need to drastically reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. But it is also important for Australians to understand and care about what climate change adaptation is, why it is worthy of our investment and how it can create hope for our future. This article was first published on Pursuit. Read the original article here. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain The 2008 film Wall-E depicted Earth as a post-apocalyptic wasteland with nothing on it but the abandoned remnants of human society and a forlorn, trash-compacting robot. The titular robot's only living company is a surprisingly adorable pet cockroach named Hal, Pixar's nod to the popular myth that cockroaches will outlive us all. Despite Hal's sympathetic portrayal, many people think cockroaches are pretty gross. But the creepy crawlies do have a reputation for resilience, likely contributing to the belief that they could even survive a nuclear bomb and subsequent radiation exposure. Media reports have suggested that the cockroach myth stems from rumors that insects thrived in the aftermath of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But School of Population and Global Health Professor Tilman Ruff, a Nobel Laureate who studies the health and environmental consequences of nuclear explosions, says he has yet to see any documented evidence that there were cockroaches scuttling through the rubble. "I've certainly seen photographs of injured people in Hiroshima that have lots of flies around, and you do imagine some insects would have survived," Professor Ruff says. "But they still would have been affected, even if they appear more resistant than humans." The U.S. TV series "Mythbusters" tested the cockroach survival theory in 2012 when they exposed cockroaches to radioactive material. The roaches survived longer than humans would have, but they all died at extreme levels of radiation. School of Biosciences Professor Mark Elgar says the results of the Mythbusters test are incomplete because they only looked at how many days the cockroaches lived after exposure. They didn't look at the cockroaches' ability to produce viable eggs, thus ensuring the continued survival of the species. "There is some evidence that they seem quite resilient to gamma rays, although they are not necessarily the most resistant across insects." "You could argue," Professor Elgar adds, "that some ants, particularly those that dig nests deep into the ground, would be more likely to survive an apocalypse than cockroaches." Previous tests of insects subjected to radiation found that cockroaches, though six to 15 times more resistant than humans, would still fare worse than the humble fruit fly. Professor Elgar says the feral American and German species of cockroachthe ones you might recognize from your kitchen nooks and crannieshave given the rest of the species a bad rap. "I think our view of cockroaches is informed by our frequent interaction with the American and German cockroaches, which have spread throughout the world," Professor Elgar says. "Their habit of basically acting as an unpaid house cleaner horrifies people." There are more than 4,000 species of cockroaches, however, including native Australian cockroaches marked by iridescent colors and patterns. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matterdaily or weekly. "Some of the Australian bush cockroaches are really lovely looking insects, which might change people's perspectives," he says. "The Mardis Gras cockroach, for example, has got these lovely yellow patterns on its plates and bright blue legs with little black spots." Cockroaches breed quickly, lay large numbers of eggs and are harder to kill with chemicals than other household insectsall traits that could contribute to the popular belief that they could withstand anything, even a nuclear bomb. "They are quite well defended. If you try and squish a cockroach it usually gives off an unpleasant smell that acts as a pretty effective deterrent for anything attempting to capture them," Professor Elgar says. "They're flat, so they can escape into places you can't easily access." Cockroaches feed off the detritus of other living organisms, however; so Professor Elgar questions whether they would be able to thrive without humans and other animals. "For a while they'll be able to eat dead bodies and other decaying material but, if everything else has died, eventually there won't be any food. And they're not going to make much of a living," Professor Elgar says. "The reality is that very little, if anything, will survive a major nuclear catastrophe, so in the longer term, it doesn't matter really whether you're a cockroach or not." Nuclear explosions affect living things in a range of ways, from the impact of the initial blast to the ionizing radiation released into the air. All organisms are affected by ionizing radiation because it permanently damages DNA, the complex molecular chains that determine who we are and what we pass on to others. "It knocks the electrons off atoms and changes the chemistry of things," says Professor Ruff. Low and prolonged doses of ionizing radiation can lead to diseases like cancer and increase the risk of a range of chronic conditions, particularly cardiovascular disease. High doses can kill cells. Nuclear explosions are also especially damaging because radioactive substances can accumulate and recycle through the environmentin freshwater systems, the ocean and the earth. They also concentrate up the food chain, so animals at the top of the food chain may contain levels of radioisotopes thousands of times higher than in their environment. So even if an organism is less susceptible initially, it's still part of an ecosystem that has been damaged. "The evidence from a disaster like Chernobyl is that every organism, from insects to soil bacteria and fungi to birds to mammals, would experience effects in proportion to the degree of contamination," Professor Ruff says. "There's less biological abundance, less species diversity, higher rates of genetic mutation, more tumors, more malformations, more cataracts in their eyes, shorter life spans and reduced fertility in every biological system." In the past, scientists theorized that the more complex an organism, the more likely they were to be affected by nuclear radiation. So humans would fare worse and insects would do better. But Professor Ruff says that focusing on a single species misses the complexity of the biological environment and how we relate to one another, as well as interactions between multiple stresses at the same time. "There's all sorts of factors we have to look at. There are environmental factors. There are chronic exposures, effects across generations and food shortages, for example," he says. "The magnitude of effects of a nuclear explosion is far greater than what you might see in carefully controlled experiments and laboratory conditions." So everything points to the conclusion that no, cockroaches ultimately wouldn't survive a nuclear apocalypse. This article was first published on Pursuit. Read the original article here. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: American lobster larvae viewed through a microscope. Credit: Abigail Sisti The Gulf of Maine is warming faster than 99% of the world's oceans, raising concerns for its $2 billion-a-year American lobster fishery. Scientists at William & Mary's Batten School & VIMS have been studying the impacts of ocean acidification and warming on lobster reproduction, and the results of their most recent research suggest the rising temperatures pose the greatest risk. Utilizing a purpose-built experimental facility designed by Professor Emily Rivest and housed in the Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences & VIMS' Seawater Research Laboratory, the researchers exposed egg-bearing lobsters from the Gulf of Maine to water temperature and pH conditions that mimic those predicted for 2060. Published in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series, the results revealed that the embryos can handle ocean acidification surprisingly well, but increased temperatures led to distinct stress responses that ultimately resulted in smaller larvae. "American lobsters are dynamic creatures that have been shown to tolerate highly variable conditions as they move from coastal waters to the deeper ocean," said the study's lead author Brittany Jellison, who conducted the research as a postdoctoral scholar at the Batten School & VIMS. "However, as we observe rising ocean temperatures, increased acidification and more frequent marine heat waves, it's important to understand how future environmental changes might impact this economically and culturally important species." Turning up the heat This study is the third publication by the research team, which also includes Jellison and former student collaborator Abigail Sisti. The team's first study found limited impacts on maternal grooming behaviors in response to increased warming and acidification, while their second study found evidence of stress responses and cellular damage in lobster embryos exposed to acute, short-term drops in pH levels. This most recent study investigated the long-term, interactive impacts of ocean acidification and warming on the development and physiology of brooded lobster embryos. Using 24 egg-bearing lobsters collected by the Maine Department of Marine Resources and the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, the team conducted experiments involving four different combinations of water temperature and acidity levels to determine how the changes affected embryo and larval development. "Our experiment was unique in that we were able to study the animals over a period of five months to determine how treatment effects accumulated over multiple life stages," said Rivest. "We measured overall development, metabolic rate, biochemical composition and enzyme activity and found the embryos tolerated increased acidification quite well, but they were much more sensitive to heat." A researcher inspects a clutch of fertilized eggs, which are carried externally under the lobster's tail for several months until they hatch into larvae. Credit: Virginia Sea Grant Water temperature was set to mimic seasonal temperatures in the Gulf of Maine, with experimental temperatures increasing by 4 degrees Celsius to 2060 projections. The warmer water led to increased metabolic rates and faster embryo development. However, when the larvae hatched, they were measurably smaller than those that developed in cooler temperatures despite their faster initial development. "Their ability to withstand increased acidification may be in part due to the varying pH levels found in their natural environments. However, the larvae hatched in warmer waters were noticeably smaller, which may result in decreased survival in the wild," said Jellison, who noted this may be why female lobsters tend to release their larvae in batches as they migrate through different marine environments. The study also found that the biggest changes in embryo activity happened during the warmest months, which correlates with seasonal patterns but also raises concerns about what might happen as marine heat waves become more frequent. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matterdaily or weekly. Implications for the fishery Understanding how early life stages are affected by predicted environmental changes is critical for protecting the future of the American lobster fishery. While landings in the Gulf of Maine have increased in recent years, harvests in Southern New England are in declinean indication that populations may be migrating north to cooler waters. However, as temperatures continue to rise with more frequent marine heat waves, even lobsters in the Gulf of Maine may eventually feel the impact. "Additional research is needed to better understand how these changes extend to influence the performance and success of free-swimming larval stages," said Rivest. "These negative carryover effects have been found in other crustaceans, and this knowledge will help determine the impacts on future recruitment and the overall success of the fishery." The team would also like to explore whether lobsters can pass on resilience to their young and how different offshore environments might help or hurt development. For now, their results stand as a warning that rising ocean temperatures could pose a serious challenge. More information: B. M. Jellison et al, Effects of multiple stressors on embryos and emerging larvae of the American lobster, Marine Ecology Progress Series (2025). DOI: 10.3354/meps14939 Journal information: Marine Ecology Progress Series This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Heat stress risks making harvests harder and less predictable. Credit: Priscilla du Preez / Unsplash Imagine a farm in 2050. It's summer and solar radiation and humidity are peaking. Fruit picking machines hum and cooling mist sprays overhead. In the haze, a robot stands among the rows of fruit. It scans two strawberriesone red and ripe, the other still green. It hovers, hesitates, then makes its pick. It's a scenario Katie Ricketts, a principal economic research scientist at CSIRO, thinks about a lot. "I've spoken with many in government and industry about this. Extreme heat makes farm work riskier, so managers need flexibility in how they use laborwhile workers need protection. But demands for greater flexibility and worker protection are often at odds, straining productivity and staff retention." That's usually when someone asks: "Won't robots fix this?" While automation is making strides, Katie is pragmatic. Picking delicate cropsberries, grapes, orchard fruitscomes with challenges. "It's not just about dexterity," she explained. "It's the judgmentknowing which fruit to pick, which to leave, and how to avoid damaging either. So, we still need human labor." And let's not forget the question of the price tag on each piece of expensive tech, which could put it out of reach for many growers. The real question isn't whether robots can handle the harvest, Katie said. It's whether people can handle the heat. The challenges of heat-proofing agriculture In 2024, the World Meteorological Organization confirmed we had just experienced the warmest year on record globally. In fact, the organization reported that "the past 10 years have all been in the Top Ten, in an extraordinary streak of record-breaking temperatures." At high temperatures, the body's cooling systems strainblood is pushed to the skin, the heart works harder and sweat ramps up. Once thresholds are crossedespecially with high humiditythese defenses fail, core temperature rises, and organs are put under pressure. Even before heat illness sets in, focus, memory and decision-making can slip as the body struggles to cope. For agricultural workers, this could mean an increased need to rest and rehydrate, a need for protective gear, and less time spent in the fieldall reducing the hours of effective labor. Katie and her team used wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) to estimate how heat, humidity, solar radiation and even wind speed could affect on-farm productivity across horticultural regions. "We tend to treat labor like a static input when thinking about agriculture and production risk and profitability," Katie said. "But people are not just inputs. They respond to risk, including changes in wages, working conditions, and regulation. If heat makes farm work more difficult and dangerous, that could affect worker attraction and retention and have bigger ramifications for overall labor supply and demand." Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matterdaily or weekly. Hot work, cold economics CSIRO partnered with the Australian Climate Service to deliver the National Climate Risk Assessment (NCRA) for the Australian Government, along with the Bureau of Meteorology, the Australian Bureau of Statistics and Geoscience Australia. This research shows the agricultural sector in Australia will face significant repercussions as extreme weather events become more frequent and more intense. Farmers are already grappling with reduced yields, depleted soils, rising pest and disease pressure, and mounting stress on livestock. What's been less visible is the toll on people. In fact, scientists have found that worker productivity dropped by 2%3% for every degree above 20C. Katie and her co-author Dr. Sarah Whitnall, formerly with CSIRO and now at the University of Western Australia, delved into the Australian context in their paper From heat stress to economic stress. It was published in a special issue of the Farm Policy Journal, a landmark edition released by the Australian Farm Institute in collaboration with CSIRO as part of the Ag2050 initiative looking at the future of farming. Katie and Sarah calculated that under a +2C warming scenario, Australian horticulture would need, on average, 4% more labor to maintain current output levels. While 4% might not sound dramatic, labor already accounts for a significant share of farmers' operating costsso even small shifts can have major financial impacts for farmers. Add to that the stark regional differences. In Victoria's Yarra Valley, for instance, strawberry pickers would need to work an extra 26 minutes per day to maintain current yieldsa change that could push labor costs up by nearly 5%. In hotter regions, like Queensland's banana plantations, the required increase in labor could be as high as 9% or approximately 7,400 additional contract workers monthly. Harvesting under rising temperatures demands more from farm labor. Credit: Max Smith/Unsplash Rising heat not the only factor The agricultural sector is already grappling with a growing labor shortage and rising competition for the skills needed to sustain food and fiber production, said Dr. Rose Roche, CSIRO's Ag2050 lead. "Rural communities are attracting fewer young people, who are increasingly drawn to opportunities in cities," she noted, adding that seasonal labor is harder to secure, with many growers reliant on overseas workers whose availability can be disrupted by policy shifts or global events. At the same time, an aging workforce means valuable knowledge is being lost faster than it can be passed on. "The industry will need to think about how to make farming an attractive career in the future. Technology will play a role, but farming will always depend on people working outdoors. As the climate warms, those conditions will only get tougher, so adaptation is essential. That means rethinking how work is organized, how risks are managed and how to build a safe, resilient workforce." Rose notes that broadening participation is one way to strengthen that resilience. Indigenous Australians, for example, remain under-represented in agriculture. In 2021 they accounted for just 1.8% of the workforce and in 2020 only 0.6% of business owners. Expanding pathways into both employment and ownership would not only address inequity but also build long-term investment and commitment in the sector, strengthening the human foundations agriculture will need as outdoor work becomes harder. The researchers' findings underscore why we can't keep treating labor as an afterthought. Katie flagged the need for more data on the long-term health impacts of heat exposure, better understanding of wages, work hours and contract structures. Rigorous evaluation of which adaptation strategies workedand what they costis essential. "There's a black box when it comes to the long-term effects of heat exposure on workers," she said. "And we need to understand what adaptation strategies are actually cost-effective." Adaptation isn't one-size-fits-all When it comes to dealing with a changing climate, what options do farmers have? Katie outlined several adaptation strategies, including shifting picking hours to cooler parts of the day and rotating between strenuous and lighter tasks. Farmers could also set up shaded rest areas or air-conditioned tents and provide workers with cooling vests. But these solutions all come with costsand complications. What happens if the harvest window shrinks even further due to extreme weather? Would enough workers be willing to start their shifts at 3am? Would that trigger penalty rates or require overtime pay? "The danger is that only large agribusinesses will be able to afford those adaptations," Katie said. "We don't want a two-speed agriculture system where small and medium growers are left behind." She argues for targeted support and more science-informed regulatory considerations. "Instead of a blanket approach, we could use science to identify the most heat-vulnerable regions and crops, then develop guidelines and incentives that actually fit those contexts plus grower types." Resilient farms, resilient food Australia isn't alone in relying on migrant labor, Katie notedmany OECD countries do the same. This means we would gain a competitive advantage if we could lead on heat safety and adaptation. "We want to be a place where people choose to work and where managers have every tool and opportunity to make things safe and fair," Katie said. And the implications go far beyond workforce logistics. Horticulture, she noted, is the foundation of Australia's micronutrient security. "We produce most of our own fruit and vegetables domestically," she said. "If we don't invest in the resilience of this system, we risk making healthy, nutritious food more expensive and less accessible. If we want healthy, affordable food, we need a healthy, resilient labor market. It's that simple." "This research illustrates the importance of thinking about climate change and adaptation in a systemic way," added Frank Sperling, Senior Principal Research Scientist at CSIRO and co-editor of the special issue. "It is about anticipating changes and making adjustments in a particular practice domain and sector to manage existing and emerging risks. Meanwhile, we must consider the implications for the enabling environment and identify where broader, more transformative adaptive actions are required to ensure the long-term viability of Australian agriculture," Frank said. Provided by CSIRO This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: A mother humpback whale with her calf on their Hawaiian breeding grounds. Credit: Martin van Aswegen under NMFS Permit No: 21476 The energy required for newborn humpback calves to grow after birth is 38 times greater than what they needed inside the womb according to research from University of Hawaii at Manoa Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) in collaboration with Alaska Whale Foundation and other key partners. These findings were published in the Marine Ecology Progress Series. "This study addresses a key piece of the energetic puzzle in estimating the cost of being a humpback whale in the North Pacific: the cost of growth," said Martin Van Aswegen, lead author of the study and postdoctoral researcher at HIMB's Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP). "While previous research has shown that these whales must grow very large in a short period of time, the actual energetic expense of that accelerated growth remained unknown." Geared to grow Research revealed that calves require 68 times the daily growth energy of an adult whale, and they achieve 30% of their total lifetime growth in less than their first year of life. In fact, more than 60% of a calf's crucial energy needs for growth occur within the first 150 days of birth. Humpback mothers must support lactation while fasting in Hawaii breeding grounds and then traversing back to their feeding grounds in Alaska. This exposes the mother-calf pair to significant vulnerability when ocean conditions threaten the mother's energy stores. The study found that a mother's ability to produce a large, healthy calfone more resilient to starvation and environmental stresshinges directly on her own energy reserves. Smaller females, with lower energy reserves, face trade-offs that constrain how often they can reproduce and how much they can invest in their offspring. "By quantifying the energetic demands of growing big and strong, we provide crucial insight into how external pressures, including climate change and human disturbance, may affect the survival and resilience of these ocean giants," said van Aswegen. Warning signs The study also revealed a worrying trend: Mature humpback whales today are noticeably shorter than historical records, indicating a decline in body size of approximately 12 feet since the mid-1900s. Recent signs of humpback population stress in the region include a 76.5% drop in mother-calf sightings and an estimated 80% drop in crude birth rates in Hawaii between 2013 and 2018. These declines coincided with the longest-lasting global marine heat wave, suggesting that low food availability prevented mothers from getting enough energy for the demands of nursing and calf growth. The results affected calves and juveniles, whose higher energy requirements make them highly vulnerable. "If humpback whales are to survive threats like extreme marine heat waves and other stressors that result from human activity, we need to understand precisely how reproductive females accumulate and allocate energy to support the exponential costs of gestation and lactation," said Lars Bejder, director of MMRP, professor at HIMB, and senior author of the study. "This knowledge is the foundation for making the urgent conservation changes required for the population's future." Drones and data The team used drones to take high-resolution aerial photos of more than 1,500 humpback whales in Hawaii and Southeast Alaska. They combined drone measurements with historical records and biological samples to acquire a full picture of humpback energy needs throughout their lifespan. "This noninvasive approach gives us a rare look at whale biology as they live, instead of relying only on historical whaling data from the 1900s," said van Aswegen. "Our humpback whale health database, comprising more than 12,000 measurements of 8,500 individual whales in the North Pacific, is being used across several projects within the Marine Mammal Research Program and abroad." The data can be used in conjunction with fine-scale behavior and movement data (from biologging tags), reproductive and stress hormone data (from tissue and breath samples), and tissue data derived from postmortem events. More information: M. van Aswegen et al, Age-specific body length, mass, and energetic cost of growth in humpback whales, Marine Ecology Progress Series (2025). DOI: 10.3354/meps14937 Journal information: Marine Ecology Progress Series This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The plant species that produce iridoids and possess a gene copy of the cyclase include (top row from left to right) icepac Carapichea ipecacuanha, fever tree (Cinchona pubescens), golden trumpet (Allamanda cathartica), princess tree (Paulownia tomentosa), (bottom row, from left to right) Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens), Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus), strychnine tree (Strychnos nux-vomica), and devil pepper (Rauvolfia tetraphylla). Credit: Eva Rothe, greenhouse of the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology (with the exception of the photo of the ipecac plant, which was taken by Maite Colinas). Iridoids are a widespread and evolutionarily ancient class of plant secondary metabolites belonging to the terpenes. They occur in thousands of plant species and play an important role in defense and other interactions between plants and their environment. Iridoids are also found in foods such as olives and blueberries, and are believed to have anti-inflammatory properties. They are also essential precursors for many medically important compounds, including the cancer drug vinblastine and the ipecacuanha alkaloids found in the medicinal plants, sage-leaved alangium and ipecac root. Despite their importance, the biosynthetic pathway had not yet been fully elucidated. The crucial step of cyclization to nepetalactolthe basic structure of all iridoidswas still missing. Sarah O'Connor, head of the Natural Product Biosynthesis Department at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, has been researching this biosynthetic pathway for over 15 years. "Enzymes that can form the iridoid skeleton have been known for a long time. These iridoid synthases produce small amounts of nepetalactol and large amounts of by-products simultaneously. We therefore long suspected that the crucial cyclization reaction could occur spontaneously, without the help of another enzyme," says Sarah O'Connor, explaining the starting point of the research. "However, later experiments, including those on catnip, provided evidence that cyclization is catalyzed by an enzyme. Nevertheless, we had no idea what such an enzyme might look like." As it was not possible to narrow the search down to specific enzyme classes, hundreds of possible candidates would normally have had to be tested for activity. However, thanks to a collaboration with Robin Buell from the University of Georgia (U.S.), a new dataset became available that proved crucial in narrowing down the number of candidates. The work has been published in Nature Plants. Generated by Robin Buell's laboratory using state-of-the-art methods, this dataset included gene expression in individual ipecac cells, rather than in different tissues as in a previously compiled dataset. Comparing the two datasets revealed that only a very small number of unknown genes correlated with the expression of the known iridoid biosynthesis genes in both datasets. This small number enabled rapid testing for activity, which was carried out by master's student Chloee Tymen. For one of these unknown genes, the researchers were able to demonstrate that the cyclization reaction is catalyzed when it is expressed in plants or bacteria. This confirmed that this gene encodes the long-sought cyclase. Comparing the amino acid sequence of the cyclase with sequences from thousands of plant species in public databases revealed that the enzyme occurs precisely in plant species that form iridoids. "We were able to show that the reaction we investigated is indeed catalyzed by the enzyme and that the expected substance, nepetalactol, is formed. However, to our surprise, the enzyme we found belongs to a completely unexpected class of enzymes. This class of enzymes is known for catalyzing a completely different reaction," explains Maite Colinas, group leader in Sarah O'Connor's department and first author of the study. Maite Colinas shows Sarah O'Connor the results of the enzyme activity tests. These were obtained using the mass spectrometry equipment shown in the picture. Credit: Karin Groten, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology The mechanistic process of cyclization is still unclear. There are different ways in which a cyclization can occur chemically, and it is not yet known through which of the possible chemical reaction mechanisms the discovered cyclization proceeds. It is also unclear how the cyclization function evolutionarily evolved from a completely different enzyme reaction. These questions are the subject of further investigation. The discovery of the cyclase important for iridoid formation shows once again that enzymes can catalyze completely unexpected reactions that cannot be predicted by bioinformatic methods. This enzyme paves the way for future biotechnological production of nepetalactol and its derivatives, such as the anti-cancer drugs vinblastine and vincristine, in yeast, fungi, or other plant species. More information: Discovery of iridoid cyclase completes the iridoid pathway in asterids, Nature Plants (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41477-025-02122-6. Journal information: Nature Plants This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Worked human skull with two perforations and a high degree of polish. Credit: Sawada et al. 2025 In a recent study by Dr. Sawada and his colleagues published in Scientific Reports, 183 human bones were surveyed, of which 52 were found to be worked human bones, all of which belong to the Neolithic Liangzhu culture. The Liangzhu culture emerged around 5,3004,500 years ago in the Yangzi River Delta in southern China. Named for the modern site of Liangzhu, the culture represents one of the earliest and largest walled urban societies in ancient China. The urban sites are typically surrounded by large enclosures and moats. Additionally, urban sites built dams, canals, altars, palaces, workshops, and cemeteries, all indicating a high level of social stratification. However, Dr. Sawada and his colleagues were interested in the unique phenomenon of human bone modification. Typically found discarded within the canals and moats of the Liangzhu culture, the worked human bones represent the first and only known instance of human bone modification in Neolithic China. According to Dr. Sawada, "So far, no archaeological materials from periods after the Liangzhu culture have been identified that directly continue this practice. However, we do find different treatments of the dead in later times across China, such as the custom of skull burials." As the culture has no written records, the significance of the bones, religious belief systems, and leaders of the Liangzhu culture are unknown. The majority of worked bones could be classified as skull cups, mask-like facial skulls, small plate-shaped skull fragments, skulls with posterior perforations, mandibles with flattened mandibular bases, and limb bones with working traces. Mask-like facial skull (Type B). Scale bar is 5 cm. Credit: Scientific Reports (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-15673-7 The analysis by Dr. Sawada and his colleagues concluded that the majority of bones seemed not to have a specific age or sex preference, with some having been obtained from children, adolescents, and adults alike. Additionally, both males and females were found to have undergone bone work. A difference they did not see was in the bone pathology, indicating low nutritional health, possibly due to these individuals belonging to a lower social status. In many cultures, worked human bones are the result of an intricate relationship between the worker and the worked, associated with kinship and conflict. However, the lack of signs of violence and cutmarks indicate these worked bones were unlikely to have been obtained during episodes of violence, possibly linked with war or enmity. Additionally, the presence of many of these bones in Zhongjiagang, which served as Liangzhu's workshop, may suggest that these bones were the result of a standardized production process. The lack of cutmarks further indicates these were not obtained through dismemberment but likely were collected after the soft tissue of the deceased had decomposed. Hereafter, the bones were worked. Interestingly, the majority of these worked bones appear unfinished, around 80%, and were apparently deliberately discarded in the canals of the moats. This treatment of the dead is in direct contrast to prior periods in which smaller-scale communities typically interred their dead in formal burial contexts. This may be linked to greater and tighter-knit kinship and social relationships in these earlier societies. However, with the advent of the much larger and less closely known Liangzhu culture, social bonds appear to have undergone a fundamental transformation. Dr. Sawada and his colleagues propose that urbanization may have altered how the living viewed the dead, particularly those outside their immediate kinship networks. These worked human bones were possibly perceived as "other" and thus not afforded the same commemoration and ancestor worship. The high proportion of unfinished worked bones suggests these remains may not have been rare or symbolically privileged materials, but rather more readily available resources in a society where anonymous death had become commonplace. Written for you by our author Sandee Oster, edited by Gaby Clark, and fact-checked and reviewed by Robert Eganthis article is the result of careful human work. We rely on readers like you to keep independent science journalism alive. If this reporting matters to you, please consider a donation (especially monthly). You'll get an ad-free account as a thank-you. More information: Sawada et al, Worked human bones and the rise of urban society in the neolithic Liangzhu culture, East Asia, Scientific Reports (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-15673-7 Journal information: Scientific Reports 2025 Science X Network This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: DNA molecules, initially free in solution (A), are trapped in nanocavities under the influence of the ACfp signal (B) and then released by zeroing the field (C). Credit: Science Advances (2025). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adv8863 Researchers in McGill's Department of Physics have developed a new device that can trap and study DNA molecules without touching or damaging them. The device, which uses carefully tuned electric fields, offers scientists unprecedented control over how DNA behaves in real time, creating the opportunity for faster, more precise molecular analysis that could improve diagnostics, genome mapping and the study of disease-related molecules. Doctoral student Matheus Azevedo Silva Pessoa, a nanofluids researcher, developed the tool in collaboration with his fellow students in Professor Walter Reisner's Nanobiophysics lab. Researchers from Professor Sara Mahshid's Bioengineering lab at McGill, genomics technology startup Dimension Genomics, and the University of California, Santa Barbara also contributed. The paper, "Single-molecule capture, release, and dynamical manipulation via reversible electrokinetic confinement (RECON)," is published in Science Advances. Harnessing DNA's electric charge "Previous models required you to mechanically control molecules to trap them," Pessoa explained. "You have to confine the molecules in a groove so you can study them, and then mechanically induce a plate, or lid, to push the molecules inside a well. But sometimes they break, and the control over the position of these molecules is extremely limited." Now, researchers can more quickly and gently modulate each DNA molecule by harnessing its inherent electrical qualities to guide it into a small well. Credit: Matheus Azevedo Silva Pessoa Like tuning an AM radio dial While previous research has attempted to control molecules with electric fields, the high voltage often caused various issues that made that approach impractical. Pessoa said the new device lets researchers adjust the electrical voltage to a specific frequency, like tuning an AM radio dial. This fine control allows them to trap DNA molecules without damaging them. Scientists can also release the molecules at will. By controlling how tightly the DNA is confined, they can observe its behavior in real time. "This way, we can see the specific dynamics of the DNA, because we can confine the molecules for as long as we want without breaking them, and see what happens when the electrical field we use to trap them is changed," he added. The researchers say that manipulating DNA at such a small scale can also help accelerate chemical reactions such as triggering liposomesfat-based carriers often used in drug deliveryto open and release their contents, allowing scientists to further study these dynamics. The platform could also be used to simulate cell environments, making it a powerful tool for both diagnostics and discovery. The researcher is among those listed as inventors on Dimension Genomics's provisional patent application for this device. More information: Matheus A. S. Pessoa et al, Single-molecule capture, release, and dynamical manipulation via reversible electrokinetic confinement (RECON), Science Advances (2025). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adv8863 Journal information: Science Advances This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems (2025). DOI: 10.1029/2025gc012593 An international research collaboration has harnessed supercomputing power to better understand how massive slabs of ancient ocean floors are shaped as they sink hundreds of kilometers below Earth's surface. Sophisticated computer models developed by researchers in the UK, Switzerland and the U.S. have cast new light on the complex physical interactions which govern the sliding and sinking of the ancient ocean floor, also referred to as subducted slabs, through Earth's mantle, a process known as subduction. Researchers from the University of Glasgow led the study. Their paper, "The Role of the Overriding Plate and Mantle Viscosity Structure on Deep Slab Morphology," is published in Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems. The team's findings help explain how the conditions at a critical point in the mantle and the forces from the plate above the subduction zones determine how these ancient slabs are transported through Earth. Previous research using seismic tomography to image deep inside the planet has shown that some subducted slabs flatten out at 660 km, while others continue to pierce through the lower mantle to depths beyond 1,000 km to eventually reach the core-mantle boundary. At 660 km below Earth's surface, the mantle undergoes what scientists call the "endothermic phase transition," where untransformed material within the cold core of the subducted slab resists its further sinking. This, together with a general increase of stiffness in the mantle at depths between 6601,000 km and deeper, make it more difficult for the subducted slab to continue its onward journey. Credit: University of Glasgow The team's modeling demonstrates that whether the slab can continue its journey towards the core-mantle boundary is influenced both by whether at the surface the slab is sinking under another oceanic plate or a continent and the specific depth at which the increase in mantle stiffness occurs. When a thick continental plate sits above the subduction zone, and the mantle becomes more resistant at a depth of around 1,000 km, the sinking slabs first deflect at 660 km but then continue deeper, forming a distinctive "stepped" shape similar to a flight of stairs. In contrast, when a thinner oceanic plate sits atop the subduction zone, the sinking slabs tend to flatten at a depth of 660 km regardless of the depth at which the mantle stiffness increases. This indicates that the presence of a continent at the subduction zone's surface provides enough extra forcing for the subducted slab to overcome the resistance to its sinking provided by the untransformed minerals at depth. Dr. Antoniette Greta Grima of the University of Glasgow's School of Geographical & Earth Sciences led the research and is the paper's lead author. She said, "The continents that we live on don't just shape the landscapes that we see around us, but they also influence how the 'earth's engine' that runs deep below the surface works as ocean plates are pulled into Earth's interior over millions of years. "Investigating how the relationship between the interior and the exterior of the planet works helps us better understand why certain regions on Earth are more prone to powerful earthquakes and volcanic eruptions than others, governed by this relationship between the surface and deep Earth properties." Credit: Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems (2025). DOI: 10.1029/2025gc012593 The team used the UK's supercomputer ARCHER to run two-dimensional models showing how cold, old subducted oceanic plates are shaped both by Earth's mantle structure and by the surface properties at subduction zones. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matterdaily or weekly. A key metric which guides the model's prediction is the "slab bending ratio," a new concept developed by Dr. Grima, which helps to quantify the behavior of a subducting slab and helps determine whether this will flatten around 660 km or continue piercing further down. The model's results aligned closely with what geologists already know about two slabs located below South America and Asia. In South America, the Nazca slab beneath Peru plunges in a "stepped" fashion, a signature of continental influence. Meanwhile, the Izu-Bonin slab near Japan flattens at depth, just as expected for the subduction of an oceanic plate under another oceanic plate. Dr. Grima added, "In medical settings, we use techniques like X-rays or CT scans to look inside bodies. In geology, we can use seismic tomography models to look deep inside Earth by creating images based on how the vibrations from earthquakes are absorbed and reflected by the differing densities of materials hundreds of kilometers below our feet. "Our models do not just reproduce what we see in seismic tomography scans, they explain it. They show that the surface of Earth sitting above a subduction zone can strongly influence what happens thousands of kilometers below. Where continents overlie a slab, their thickness and strength help drive the slab deeper into the mantle, below 1,000 km depth. "When only oceanic plates are involved, slabs flatten out instead. This reveals a direct link between the surface of Earth and the way its interior mantle resists flow, a connection that shapes how Earth works and one that scientists have long sought to understand." Researchers from the University of California Los Angeles in the U.S., and Undertone Design and the International Space Science Institute in Switzerland, contributed to the research and co-authored the paper. More information: Antoniette Greta Grima et al, The Role of the Overriding Plate and Mantle Viscosity Structure on Deep Slab Morphology, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems (2025). DOI: 10.1029/2025gc012593 Journal information: Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems Aims to standardize HR processes, enhance employee productivity and experience BENGALURU, India, Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Infosys(NSE: INFY) (BSE: INFY) (NYSE: INFY), a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, today announced its collaboration with Telenor Shared Services (TSS), a global business services organization that provides systems, services, and support to Telenor Group. Infosys will help TSS standardize HR processes, enhance employee productivity and experience through implementation of Oracle Cloud Human Capital Management (HCM). This collaboration highlights Infosys' deep expertise in Oracle Cloud HCM implementations and its commitment to delivering digital transformation solutions that improve HR performance and operational efficiency for the telecom industry. Through this collaboration, Infosys will help TSS streamline HR operations and unify its Human Capital Management, Financial Management, Supply Chain Management, and Projects Portfolio Management on a single platform. The resulting end-to-end digital integration will improve data quality and enable better decision-making through dashboards and advanced analytics, reshaping how TSS engages with its partners, suppliers, and employees. Morten Dean Dunham, CEO, Telenor Shared Services, said, "Modernizing our HR operations is crucial to improve efficiencies and employee experience. By collaborating with Infosys to implement Oracle Cloud HCM, we are confident we will get a solution that meets our future needs. This change will further streamline our processes, provide a unified view of critical data, and ultimately enhance the experience of our employees." Yvette Cameron, SVP, Global HCM Product Strategy, Oracle, said, "Our collaboration with TSS and Infosys is going to help drive the future of their HR operations with Oracle Cloud HCM. By leveraging our robust HCM cloud solution, we're helping TSS to standardize and streamline their HR processes to improve employee productivity and enhance employee experience. This collaboration will help organizations harness the full potential of embedded AI and cloud technology to transform business processes and stay ahead of competition." Upendra Kohli, EVP Communication, Media and Technology (Americas & Europe), Infosys, said, "We are thrilled to collaborate with TSS on this important HR transformation journey. By leveraging our deep Oracle expertise, we have overcome significant data and system integration challenges to deliver a modern, unified HR platform. This allows us to break down silos, improve data accuracy, and unlock new levels of operational efficiency. This unique approach positions TSS at the forefront of HR transformation, driving a competitive advantage in the market." Trademarks Oracle, Java, MySQL, and NetSuite are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation. NetSuite was the first cloud companyushering in the new era of cloud computing. About Infosys Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. Over 320,000 of our people work to amplify human potential and create the next opportunity for people, businesses, and communities. We enable clients in 59 countries to navigate their digital transformation. With over four decades of experience in managing the systems and workings of global enterprises, we expertly steer clients, as they navigate their digital transformation powered by cloud and AI. We enable them with an AI-first core, empower the business with agile digital at scale and drive continuous improvement with always-on learning through the transfer of digital skills, expertise, and ideas from our innovation ecosystem. We are deeply committed to being a well-governed, environmentally sustainable organization where diverse talent thrives in an inclusive workplace. Visit www.infosys.com to see how Infosys (NSE, BSE, NYSE: INFY) can help your enterprise navigate your next. Safe Harbor Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects, or our future financial or operating performance, are forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the 'safe harbor' under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding the execution of our business strategy, increased competition for talent, our ability to attract and retain personnel, increase in wages, investments to reskill our employees, our ability to effectively implement a hybrid work model, economic uncertainties and geo-political situations, technological disruptions and innovations such as artificial intelligence ("AI"), generative AI, the complex and evolving regulatory landscape including immigration regulation changes, our ESG vision, our capital allocation policy and expectations concerning our market position, future operations, margins, profitability, liquidity, capital resources, our corporate actions including acquisitions, and cybersecurity matters. Important factors that may cause actual results or outcomes to differ from those implied by the forward-looking statements are discussed in more detail in our US Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. Infosys may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company unless it is required by law. Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/633365/5460444/Infosys_Logo.jpg SOURCE Infosys This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Adam Krypel from Pexels EU researchers are developing powerful new telescopes to help uncover Earth-like planets around distant stars and advance the search for extraterrestrial life. Across the billions of galaxies and stars in the universe, only one place is known to host lifeEarth. Yet the hope of finding other living worlds drives scientists to pursue ever-smarter methods in their search. Despite cataloging roughly 6,000 exoplanets, a replica of Eartha planet similar in size that orbits a star like our sun in a similar position to ushas yet to be identified. This is not for lack of effort. Rather, it reflects the challenges involved. While scientists have found rocky planets similar in size to Earth around smaller red dwarf stars, those around sun-like stars are much harder to detect because they appear comparatively smaller against their brighter host stars. However, a new telescope could help researchers in this search. Doing so could expand our search for habitability in the galaxy. We know that Earth is just the right size and distance from its host star to support water and life. Is the same true elsewhere? Cutting through the noise Dr. Nuno Santos, a leading Portuguese astrophysicist and a driving force behind exoplanet exploration in Europe, is heading up a team of researchers developing new observational tools. They will help cut through the interference created by these distant fiery "suns." One of the main hurdles is the "noise" generated by stars such as our sun. The churning plasma and shifting magnetic fields on their surfaces produce a series of phenomena in the stellar atmospheres, including dark spots and a "granulation" patternmuch like the rolling boil of water. This obscures the faint signal that marks a planet crossing in front of its star. "If you look at the surface of the sun, it looks like a boiling pot of water, speckled with darker and brighter regions," Santos said. "The big issue is that we don't really understand how to diagnose this noise that comes from the star." Based at the Institute for Astrophysics and Space Sciences in Portugal, Santos and his team are building a brand-new telescope called PoETParanal solar Espresso Telescopeas part of an initiative named FIERCE, which runs until September 2027. This compact instrument measures just 60 centimeters across and is destined for Chile, where it will operate alongside the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT), stationed on a mountain in the Atacama Desert. Rather than tracking planets around distant stars, PoET will focus on our own sun, analyzing the noise produced by granulation and related processes. The solar telescope will connect with another space-exploring instrument stationed in Chile, called ESPRESSOthe Echelle SPectrograph for Rocky Exoplanets and Stable Spectroscopic Observations. It is specifically designed to separate starlight into its different colors and study the planets that orbit distant stars. "By connecting ESPRESSO to solar observations, we hope to understand exactly how the sun is behaving in different regions," said Santos. This will yield a detailed spectrum of chemical elements coming from the sun, revealing how they change as the surface shifts. Ultimately, these findings will help astronomers filter out noise from observations of other sun-like stars, making it easier to detect distant, Earth-like planets. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matterdaily or weekly. Preparing for PLATO Observations with PoET are expected to begin by the end of 2025 and continue for three years. The telescope uses an optical configuration to block all but the part of the sun under study. PoET will make daytime observations with ESPRESSO operated remotely by Santos from Porto. At night, ESPRESSO will return to its main role with the VLT. This groundwork is particularly crucial as the European Space Agency prepares for its PLATO (PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars) mission, launching in 2026. The PLATO space telescope will use 26 cameras to search for planets orbiting a million stars, focusing on Earth-like worlds around sun-like stars. Its instruments will measure each planet's radius, enabling scientists to determine density and compositioneven across hundreds or thousands of light years. Reducing stellar noise with PoET will be essential for PLATO to take precise measurements. "We have to find a way to get rid of this noise to be able to fully exploit the data from the upcoming PLATO mission," said Santos. "Our hope and our expectation is that PoET will learn enough so that we'll be able to reduce the noise to the needed level." Bolder efforts ahead FIERCE and PoET exist thanks to support from the European Research Council (ERC). "We could not do this without the ERC," said Santos. His team's work gives Europe a vital role in the global hunt for habitable worlds, with missions like PLATO promising exciting new discoveries. If all proceeds as planned, PoET could provide results by mid-2026, offering vital data for PLATO once it is launched. Further ahead, missions such as NASA's Habitable Worlds Observatory, expected in the 2040s, and the next big European telescope, due to be completed by 2030, will attempt to directly image some of the potentially habitable planets found by PLATO and look for signs of life. But before then, astronomers must discover how many such worlds exist, and where to find them. "The quest for earths orbiting other suns is one of the big questions we have," Santos said. Telescopes like PoET and PLATO will push the boundaries of what is possible in our space quests. Their progress will increase our understanding of the cosmos as we uncover more about our galaxy, but also about the potential for life far beyond our home. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Under President Donald Trump, the United States is expanding its efforts to detain and deport non-citizens at an alarming rate. In recent months, the Trump administration made deals with a number of third states to receive deported non-citizens. In Australia, the Labor government has similarly established new powers to deport non-citizens to third states. The government signed a secretive deal with Nauru in September, guaranteeing the small Micronesian island A$2.5 billion over the next three decades to accommodate the first cohort of deportees. In both countries, migrants can now be banished to states to which they have no prior connection. Last year in the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labor party promised that the previous Conservative government's plan to deport people to Rwanda was "dead and buried." Yet, Labor removed close to 35,000 people in 2024, an increase of 25% over the previous year. Starmer has also proposed establishing "return hubs" in third countries for people with rejected asylum claims. Meanwhile, the far-right Reform Party has put forward a "mass deportation" plan involving the use of military bases to detain and deport hundreds of thousands of people, if it wins power in the next general election. Similar policies may soon come to Europe, too. In May, the European Commission published a proposal that would allow EU member states to deport people seeking asylum to third countries where they have no previous connection. The deportation of populations deemed problematic is not a new practice. For centuries, states have used forms of deportation to forcibly remove people, as Australia's own history as a British penal colony illustrates. Today, deportations are a staple of migration governance around the world. However, the recent expansion of detention and deportations reflects an accelerated criminalization and punishment of non-citizens, tied to a rising authoritarianism across purportedly liberal Western countries. Criminalizing movement The expansion and outsourcing of deportation is underpinned by long histories of criminalizing migration. Over the past three decades, legal obstacles and securitized borders have increasingly forced those fleeing war, persecution and insecurity to rely on unauthorized routes to seek refuge. Governments have simultaneously reframed the act of seeking asylum from a human right to a criminal act, brandishing those on the move as "illegal" as a way of justifying onshore and offshore immigration detention. Racialized people living in the community have also been subject to increased policing, regardless of their migration status. In the US, UK and Australia, this criminalizing language, once the preserve of the right-wing press, is now echoed by politicians across the political spectrum and enshrined in legislation. This has accelerated what migration expert Alison Mountz has termed "the death of asylum," and normalizing deportations. In Australia, for example, the government lowered the threshold for visa cancellations in 2014, resulting in people with minor offenses being detained and scheduled for deportation. Those who could not be returned to their home countries continued to languish in detention until a 2023 high court ruling mandated their release. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matterdaily or weekly. Despite having served their sentences, in addition to protracted periods in immigration detention, a media frenzy framed these people as a major threat to the community. The Labor government then legislated to deport them, in addition to thousands of others on precarious visas, to a third country. Deportations have also been a central facet of US immigration enforcement for many years. Former President Barack Obama was branded "Deporter in Chief" for achieving a record three million deportations while in office. While Obama focused on "felons not families," Trump has equated migration itself with crime and insecurity. His administration has cast a much wider net, rounding up those with and without criminal convictions, including citizens. Detentions and deportations have also been used to suppress political dissent on issues, such as the genocide in Gaza. To expedite his pledge to deport one million people in his first year, the Trump administration hastily set up detention centers in former prisons and military bases, including at Guantanamo Bay. Reports suggest the government has also approached 58 third countries to accept deported non-nationals. Countries that have agreed, or already received people, are shown in the map below. In many cases, people are then re-detained on arrival in hotels, prisons and camps, with some subject to further deportation. Rising authoritarianism These recent developments reveal an explicit authoritarianism in which deportations are achieved through the elimination of procedural fairness. Reducing notice periods, the ability to appeal decisions, and access to legal counsel allows for rushed and opaque procedures. In June, eight people were deported from the US to South Sudan without the chance to contest their removal. After a failed court intervention, the three liberal US Supreme Court justices stated: "The government has made clear in word and deed that it feels itself unconstrained by law, free to deport anyone, anywhere without notice or an opportunity to be heard." In the UK, the Labor party expanded the "Deport Now Appeal Later" scheme in August, extending the countries to which people can be deported without appeal rights from eight to 23. And this month in Australia, the Migration Act was amended to expunge the rules of natural justice for people scheduled for deportation. Across all three countries, the rapid expansion of detention and deportation practices terrorize those targeted, leaving whole communities living in fear. Australian human rights lawyer Alison Battisson described deportation as "a creeping death to the individuals and their families." These policies have also legitimized and emboldened far-right, neo-Nazi groups, who have taken to the streets in both the UK and Australia in recent weeks calling for an end to migration. In both countries, the effects of decades of neoliberal policies, such as a lack of affordable housing, jobs, and health care, are redefined as a problem of migration. How communities are responding Communities are now organizing and making the case for a different sort of politics. In Los Angeles, for example, grassroots organizations mobilized earlier this year to counter escalating raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Networks also began providing information and support to those targeted by ICE arrests. In July, Detention Watch Network relaunched the Communities Not Cages coalition of grassroots campaigns against detention. In the UK, far-right rallies at asylum hotels have been met by counter demonstrations, with people insisting on a politics of welcome and unity. But the challenge remains how to turn local and national opposition into a coalition capable of confronting this rise in authoritarian politics of exclusion and expulsion. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. BIG SPRING, Texas, Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Isomeric Industries Inc., a leading supplier of oilfield chemicals throughout the United States, today announced the acquisition of Big Spring Rail Systems, Inc., effective September 15, 2025. Big Spring Rail Systems currently maintains and operates approximately 8.0 miles of rail line in Howard County, Texas, under trackage owned by the City of Big Spring. Formerly headquartered in Texas and Pennsylvania, the company will be relocating its operations to Big Spring, TX. Terms of the sale were not disclosed. Chris Harken, President of Isomeric Industries, described the acquisition as a strategic move that aligns with the company's long-term growth objectives. "This acquisition will allow Isomeric to reduce raw material costs through improved logistics, while also paving the way for broader industrial development in the region," said Harken. As part of the transaction, Isomeric Industries has formed a new subsidiary, Isomeric Development Corporation, which will oversee the development of approximately 500 acres of industrial property located adjacent to the Big Spring Airport. The development is intended to attract both domestic and international companies seeking access to efficient rail infrastructure. Mike Feeley, Airport Director for the City of Big Spring, played a key role in shaping the vision for the airport area and expressed excitement about the project's potential. "This acquisition marks a turning point for the economic future of Big Spring," Feeley said. David Lee, President of Big Spring Rail Systems, shared his thoughts on the sale: "After more than 13 years of operating Big Spring Rail, I am pleased to pass the company on to Isomeric Industries and look forward to seeing the positive impact they will have on the community." About Isomeric Industries Inc. Isomeric Industries Inc., headquartered in Big Spring, Texas, is a leading supplier of oilfield, mining and industrial preservation chemicals serving customers across the United States. The company is committed to operational excellence, innovation, and supporting the growth of the communities in which it operates. SOURCE Isomeric Industries Inc. NEW YORK, Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- To honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month, jscreen.org, a national nonprofit that provides accessible genetic testing, partnered with Myriad Genetics and Mount Sinai Cancer Center, hosted a historic event on Rockefeller Plaza: Pink Power Hour. Here, 350 participants gathered for the most people ever to sign up for genetic screening in one hour. Due to the generosity of jscreen's funders and Mount Sinai's supporters, the 350 hereditary cancer screening tests were fully covered for participants who registered on-site at the TODAY Show Plaza. Pictured L to R, jscreen CEO Dr. Matt Goldstein and Executive Director Karen Grinzaid on-site at the TODAY Show Plaza for a groundbreaking cancer genetic screening event in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month (Photo Credit: Michael Priest Photography) This initiative cast a powerful national spotlight on the importance of genetic testing, prevention, and early detection. By arming people with knowledge about their inherited cancer risks it underscored how proactive health decisions can prevent cancer and save lives. The goal of this high-profile event was not only to gather hundreds to register for genetic cancer testing in one hour, but also to create a nationwide ripple effect, encouraging individuals and families everywhere to take advantage of hereditary cancer testing through jscreen. With simple, at-home hereditary cancer test kits provided on site, jscreen empowers participants with life-saving knowledge about their genetic risks for cancer related to mutations in BRCA1, BRCA2, and dozens of other cancer genes. For jscreen, a nonprofit funded by donations and partnerships, this investment underscores a deep commitment to raising awareness about the power of genetic testing as a proactive health tool. "Knowledge is power when it comes to health. We are proud to remove barriers and provide this opportunity during Breast Cancer Awareness Month," said Dr. Matt Goldstein, CEO of jscreen. "This monumental event, where 350 gathered in one location in one hour, allows us to demonstrate how one simple test can change and even save lives." The event also featured breast cancer advocate and TODAY Show contributor Jill Martin, who has courageously shared her personal journey to highlight the importance of genetic testing and early detection, as well as Dr. Elisa Port, Chief Breast Surgeon at Mount Sinai. Together with TODAY, Mount Sinai, and Jill Martin, jscreen continues to turn pain into purpose, creating a movement of empowerment, prevention, and proactive health. The Event Was A Powerful Partnership for Public Health jscreen As a national nonprofit, jscreen works to expand access to high-quality hereditary cancer and reproductive genetic testing through education, outreach, at-home testing, and telehealth genetic counseling services. CEO Dr. Matt Goldstein, Executive Director and Genetic Counselor Karen Grinzaid, together with several members of the jscreen team were on-site to guide attendees and provide resources. As a national nonprofit, jscreen works to expand access to high-quality hereditary cancer and reproductive genetic testing through education, outreach, at-home testing, and telehealth genetic counseling services. CEO Dr. Matt Goldstein, Executive Director and Genetic Counselor Karen Grinzaid, together with several members of the jscreen team were on-site to guide attendees and provide resources. NBC's TODAY Show America's most-watched morning show brought unmatched reach to millions of households nationwide. Through on-air and digital coverage, TODAY helped raise awareness of hereditary cancer risks and inspired viewers to pursue genetic testing. America's most-watched morning show brought unmatched reach to millions of households nationwide. Through on-air and digital coverage, TODAY helped raise awareness of hereditary cancer risks and inspired viewers to pursue genetic testing. Mount Sinai Cancer Center One of the nation's premier cancer institutions, Mount Sinai helped to underwrite the cost of screenings on the Plaza through philanthropic support. Dr. Elisa Port, alongside a team of genetic counselors, provided expertise and educated the public on the lifesaving role of early detection. One of the nation's premier cancer institutions, Mount Sinai helped to underwrite the cost of screenings on the Plaza through philanthropic support. Dr. Elisa Port, alongside a team of genetic counselors, provided expertise and educated the public on the lifesaving role of early detection. Nationwide Access Viewers across the U.S. can access testing by visitingwww.jscreen.org for cancer genetic testing using Myriad Genetics' MyRisk Hereditary Cancer Test. About jscreen jscreen is a national nonprofit public health initiative dedicated to preventing hereditary cancers and genetic diseases through accessible education, at-home screening kits, and expert counseling. By making testing affordable and simple, jscreen empowers individuals and families to take proactive steps toward healthier futures. Learn more at www.jscreen.org. About Myriad Genetics Myriad Genetics is a leading genetic testing and precision medicine company dedicated to advancing health and well-being. Myriad develops and offers genetic tests that help assess the risk of developing disease, guide treatment decisions, and improve patient care while lowering healthcare costs. Together with jscreen, Myriad aims to expand nationwide access to high-quality hereditary cancer and reproductive genetic testing. For more information, visit www.myriad.com. About Mount Sinai Health System The Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest and most respected academic medical systems in the New York metro area, renowned for excellence in patient care, medical education, and groundbreaking research. Mount Sinai's Tisch Cancer Institute and affiliated programs provide world-class expertise in cancer prevention, screening, and treatment. Learn more at www.mountsinai.org. Media Contact: Stacey Bender 973-650-1218 [email protected] SOURCE jscreen By Erwin Seba and Shivani Tanna (Reuters) -A massive fire erupted in a jet fuel production unit at Chevrons El Segundo refinery near Los Angeles on Thursday, sending flames and smoke into the sky and raising questions over supply in Californias isolated energy market. No injuries were reported and all workers at the refinery were accounted for, Chevron spokesperson Allison Cook said in an email. Media said the blaze had been contained, though it was still burning early on Friday. It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion at the facility in the suburb of El Segundo, which supplies jet fuel for Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The fire broke out in the refinery's Isomax 7 unit, which converts mid-distillate fuel oil into jet fuel, two sources said. It was unclear how it would affect the refinerys ability to produce jet fuel, and whether wider output had been affected. Isomax 7 produces jet fuel along with the refinerys two crude distillation units for LAX airport, located just north of the refinery. "There is no known impact to LAX at this time," Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said. U.S. WTI crude futures prices were trading up 46 cents at $60.94 per barrel by 1011 GMT on Friday, on course for a weekly loss of more than 7% on the week. [O/R] The fire is unlikely to have a large impact on the wider oil market, two analysts told Reuters, but California gasoline prices could rise as the state's fuel market is isolated from other U.S. refining centers in the Midwest and on the Gulf Coast. Chevron's second biggest refinery in the United States, the El Segundo facility supplies a fifth of all motor vehicle fuels and 40% of the jet fuel consumed in southern California. "Chevron fire department personnel, including emergency responders from the cities of El Segundo and Manhattan Beach are actively responding to an isolated fire inside the Chevron El Segundo Refinery," Cook, the spokesperson, said. "All refinery personnel and contractors have been accounted for and there are no injuries." Local officials said no evacuation orders were issued for nearby residents, some of whom live in apartment buildings across the street from the refinery. Residents of Manhattan Beach, located southwest of the refinery, were told to shelter in place until 2 a.m. Los Angeles residents posted numerous videos of the fire online, saying they were stunned by the noise of the blast. A University of California-San Diego camera captured video of the explosion shortly after 9:30 p.m. PDT (0430 GMT). The fireball when the fire erupted turned the sky orange in the western Los Angeles area as did the refinery's safety flare, which was set off due to the blaze. Safety flares, which emit a tall plume of flame, are used when refineries cannot process hydrocarbons normally. In addition to Chevron, state and federal safety agencies will investigate the fire after the blaze is extinguished, they said. In December 2022, an isolated fire in the refinery was quickly extinguished. The refinery's total storage capacity is 12.5 million barrels in about 150 major tanks. The sources said they were not sure how much jet fuel was currently in storage. (Reporting by Erwin Seba in Houston, Shivani Tanna, Anmol Choubey, Mrinmay Dey in Bengaluru, and Stephanie Kelly in London; Editing by Susan Fenton and Clarence Fernandez) Geneva: Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), the global media safety and rights body, demanded justice for Karachi-based Pakistani journalist Imtiaz Mir, who succumbed to injuries on Monday from a shooting incident at Malir area. Imtiaz (40), who used to present a television show titled 'Aaj Ki Baat With Imtiaz Mir' on Metro 1 News, was attacked by a group of gunmen on 21 September. He was admitted in Karachi's Liaquat National Hospital where he succumbed to injuries in the early hours on 29 September. "As Imtiaz Mir hosted television shows covering socio-political issues of the trouble-torn south Asian nation and thus earned enmity from anti-social elements, it's primary responsibility of the authority to identify the culprits and punish under the law. Sindh province chief minister Syed Murad Ali Shah should take a special interest in speedy investigations into his untimely death," said Blaise Lempen, president of PEC (www.pressemblem.ch). PEC's south Asia representative Nava Thakuria informed Imtiaz was the 135 th media worker killed so far this year across the globe. Prior to him, Pakistan lost AD Shar (Hum News), Abdul Latif (Daily Intekhab) and Syed Mohammed Shah (Ab-Tak TV) to assailants since 1 January 2025. Last year, the Muslim majority country with a population of 241 million witnessed the murder of 12 media workers and in most cases the perpetrators enjoy immunity from the ill-functioned government machineries. Armed men target same Playa del Carmen bar killing another employee Playa del Carmen, Q.R. One man was left for dead Thursday night during a shooting at a central Playa del Carmen bar. Police arrived at Los Sergios in the Gonzalo Guerrero neighborhood where they found one man laying dead on a sidewalk. Police were made aware of the shooting around 9:00 p.m. outside the bar near 18th Street and Constituyentes Avenues. Paramedics pronounced one male dead at the scene and another seriously injured. The deceased is reported to have been an employee of the bar. The injured man is said to be a city taxi driver. According to initial reports, armed men arrived at the bar on a motorcycle, firing several random shots before speeding off. Police collected shell casings from the area. No arrests have been announced. The bar has a history of armed attacks. In June, two employees were killed in a targeted shooting also by men on a motorcycle. One of those employees was reported to be the bars manager. This latest shooting happened approximately one month after the bar reopened after being closed in June due to the death of two of its workers. Mexico demands immediate repatriation of nationals detained by Israel Mexico City, Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo demanded that the Israeli government immediately repatriate six Mexicans. The six are members of the Sumud Global Flotilla transporting humanitarian aid for the Palestinian people in Gaza. After noting that the flotilla was intercepted October 1 by the Israeli government, the President pointed out that the Mexican Foreign Ministry has been issuing diplomatic notes for at least three days. The first, to request a guarantee of the physical safety of the detained Mexicans; in the second, our government asked the reasons why they might be detained. The third diplomatic note, after the flotilla was intercepted, demanded the physical safety of the detainees. Finally, the most recent demanded the immediate repatriation of the Mexican members of the flotilla. On board are Mexican nationals Sol Gonzalez Eguia, Arlin Gabriela Medrano Guzman, Carlos Perez Osorio, Diego Vazquez Galindo, Ernesto Ledesma Arronte and Laura Alejandra Velez Ruiz Gaitan. We know that they are currently at the port of Ashdod. Consular support has not yet been able to enter. What the Israeli authorities say is that they are going to take them to a detention center. President Sheinbaum said that they have the full support of the Mexican government through the consulate, who have not been able to see them. In fact, they havent been able to see them. Theyre being held at the port. They havent yet been taken to the detention center. Obviously, we dont agree with what Israel has done. They have not committed any crime, she said. They should be handed over to the Mexican authorities for repatriation. We demand that humanitarian aid arrive and that this harassment of Gaza be stopped. In an October 2 statement, Israel en Mexico released an official statement saying that in coming days, they will be returned to their country of origin. LIMASSOL, Cyprus, Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Match-Trade Technologies, an international fintech provider of trading technology solutions, has announced the launch of a new global brand campaign for its flagship trading platform, Match-Trader . The initiative, titled Trading Beyond Limits, introduces a brand manifesto that outlines Match-Trader's vision for the future of trading emphasizing innovation, adaptability, and bold thinking as the foundations of progress. https://www.youtube.com/embed/PX0eiFaJdaA The manifesto highlights Match-Trader's commitment to building technology that goes further, works smarter, and creates new possibilities for traders. It reflects the platform's philosophy that trading should be as dynamic and intuitive as the people using it. "With Trading Beyond Limits, we reaffirm our mission to deliver a trading experience that combines advanced functionality with personalized control. Match-Trader adapts to each user's unique needs while pushing beyond traditional industry standards," said Alexis Droussiotis, Head of Match-Trader Platform. Brand Ambassador: Bartosz Ostalowski To bring its manifesto to life, Match-Trader partnered with Bartosz Ostalowski, professional drifter and Guinness World Record holder, recognized worldwide as the only driver competing at the highest level steering exclusively with his feet. His unique approach to motorsport demonstrates how innovation and adaptability can challenge expectations values that align with Match-Trader's brand philosophy. "When Match-Trader approached me, the connection was immediate. Drifting and trading both demand precision, adaptability, and instant decision-making. This campaign shows how thinking differently and refusing to be limited by convention can open new paths forward," said Bartosz Ostalowski, Match-Trader Brand Ambassador. Campaign Rollout The campaign features a cinematic video blending Ostalowski's precision drifting with powerful narration to illustrate Match-Trader's core principles: precision, adaptability, and intuitive tools that adjust to each user. It positions Match-Trader not only as a trading platform but as a symbol of how bold thinking can redefine established frameworks. "We wanted an ambassador whose story would go beyond traditional endorsements. Bartosz embodies passion, adaptability, and the courage to challenge conventions values that also define the development of Match-Trader. Our campaign highlights this spirit of bold approaches in trading technology," said Vladyslav Yurchyk, Brand Manager at Match-Trade Technologies. Industry Events The Trading Beyond Limits campaign will also be visible at upcoming industry events. Match-Trade Technologies will feature the video as part of its presence at the Forex Expo Dubai (October 67, 2025) and iFX EXPO Asia in Hong Kong (October 2628, 2025), alongside demonstrations of the Match-Trader platform and the company's wider technology ecosystem. More information about the campaign and manifesto is available at match-trader.com/beyond-limits . About Match-Trade Technologies Founded in 2013, Match-Trade Technologies provides trading solutions for forex brokers, prop trading firms, and financial institutions. Its flagship Match-Trader platform integrates TradingView charts, supports APIs for external connectivity, and can be deployed as a standalone front end, a backend powering proprietary applications, or a dual trading platform. The company serves brokers of all sizes, from emerging firms to established global players, offering end-to-end technology covering platforms, CRM, liquidity connections, social and copy trading, and back-office solutions. Contact Brand Manager Vladyslav Yurchyk Match-Trade Technologies [email protected] Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2788426/Match_Trader_Photo_1.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2788427/Match_Trader_Photo_2.jpg SOURCE Match-Trader Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. This article is a joint production of Slate and the Handbasket. Jack Posobiec is very concerned about voter fraud. An influential MAGA voice and prominent conspiracy theorist, hes perhaps best known for amplifying the 2016 Pizzagate conspiracy, which culminated in a man firing a gun in a D.C. pizza restaurant. In the years since, Posobiec has loudly espoused a range of debunked conspiracy theories. That includes the GOP theoryonce semi-fringe and now thoroughly MAGA mainstreamedthat Democrats have won elections via millions of fraudulent votes. The Republican National Committee last fall enlisted him to speak to poll watchers about election security. Posobiec is particularly focused on Pennsylvania, repeatedly accusing the states Democratic officials of fraud, even spreading conspiracy theories that were followed by an RNC lawsuit. The focus on voter fraud in Pennsylvania is particularly ironic because it sure looks like, and a trail of documentation suggests, that Posobiec is living in Maryland but voting in Pennsylvania. If so, that would be a violation of voting laws, experts say. The 40-year-old Posobiec has voted in Pennsylvania elections from 2004 to 2024, both in person and by mail, according to a copy of his voting record viewed by Slate and the Handbasket. Until 2016, Posobiec used military and civilian overseas ballots. After resigning from his job as a Navy Reserve intelligence officer in 2017, he remained in Maryland while becoming a full-time influencer and political activist with groups such as Charlie Kirks Turning Point USA. He continued voting in Pennsylvania via absentee ballots and, later, in-person on-demand mail voting, using his parents home address in 2018, 2022, and 2024, according to an official copy of his voter information file from Montgomery County obtained through a right-to-know request. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres nothing untoward about any of that, provided Posobiec actually lives in Pennsylvania. But the evidence is extremely strong that he doesnt. Instead, it suggests that, despite growing up in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Posobiec has lived in Maryland for almost a decade. In a 2017 divorce complaint from his first wife, Posobiec listed a Maryland apartment as his address. Both he and his current wife, Tanya, have posted on their personal social media accounts photos of the suburban Maryland home they appear to have resided in since 2018. Tanya often calls the house homeat least five times, according to our reviewand shows many milestones of family life there. She also lists her location as the District of Columbia on Facebook and enrolls in family crafts and lessons in the area, according to her social media posts. She registered to vote at their Maryland address on Election Day 2020. (Posobiec voted that year in person in Pennsylvania.) Advertisement Perhaps most damningly, Posobiec listed a Maryland addressthe same one he and his wife show in social media postsmore than a dozen times in his 2024 political contributions, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Some of those contributions (which, again, listed Maryland as his home address) were made on Oct. 27, 2024. Exactly two weeks earlier, Posobiec posted a photo on X featuring a Pennsylvania ballot and captioned: SECURED THE BAG. Just stopped by the county voting board and did the deedeasy and even open on Sunday! Vote Early, Pennsylvania! His voting record shows that he voted by hand-delivered mail-in ballot that day. Advertisement So is this the dreaded voter fraud that Posobiec has been warning America about? Determining legal residency for voting takes multiple factors into account, but Posobiecs situation appears problematic, according to Pennsylvania election law expert and attorney Adam Bonin. Your legal residence is where your life is rooted, the place you come back to, he explained. Usually, where your spouse lives is where you are presumed to live, but we look at the totality of the circumstances, adding that other evidence, like where someone pays taxes, whether they have a full-time job nearby, and whether their home is intended to be permanent, all comes into play. You only have one residence for voting, and you cant choose where you vote based on convenience or politics, Bonin said. Advertisement Advertisement (College students and members of the military are two exceptions and are allowed to vote in the place of their most recent legal residency, Bonin noted, as those two groups situations are considered temporary.) Posobiec has not been charged with any violation of voting laws, but both the Pennsylvania state attorney generals office and the Montgomery County district attorneys office were previously made aware of Posobiecs possible residency in Maryland, a source with knowledge told us. A spokesperson for the county DAs office said they do not comment on active investigations. A spokesperson for Attorney General Dave Sundays office said that the office does not discuss investigations or confirm their existence, but that, generally speaking, our office has jurisdiction over the Pennsylvania Election Code. Advertisement Advertisement In a brief phone call, Posobiec said he was unavailable to speak. He did not reply to a list of emailed questions. Advertisement Theres a strong political incentive to vote in Pennsylvania: Its an all-important swing state, where voters wield tremendously outsize influence over the future of American politics. Maryland, meanwhile, is a solidly blue state (at least in national elections), whose votersthanks to the U.S. Electoral College systemare effectively sidelined when its time to pick the president. The whole saga is a bit rich. For more than a decade, Republicans have been pushing conspiracy theories about mass voter fraud. Even before Donald Trump, they used those claims as the basis for laws that make it more difficult to vote. And MAGAs ascendancy has supercharged the conspiracy: The belief that 2020 was a stolen election is now gospel for much of the GOP, and it was at the heart of efforts to overturn the resultin court, in Congress, and, most famously, via the Capitol insurrection. Advertisement Advertisement But for all the bleating, the conspiracy theorists have continually failed to find widespread fraud. Despite court cases and mass searches, there have been vanishingly few substantiated instances of voters illegally casting ballots. Perhaps, for Posobiec, its a grand exercise in projection. Posobiec was part of extensive efforts to spread conspiracies about the results of the 2020 presidential election, posting often to Twitter (now X) with the movements catchphrase, Stop the Steal, as early as September of that year. He spoke at the Stop the Steal rally in Washington on Jan. 5, 2021, the prelude to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Advertisement In the run-up to the 2024 election, Posobiec was again pushing voting fraud claims along with other prominent Trump supportersparticularly in Pennsylvania. His claims about fraudulent registrations in the state went viral throughout that fall, as Pennsylvania became ground zero of the closely contested election. He accused Gov. Josh Shapiro of disenfranchising voters by not posting about extended early voting days in Bucks County and claimed: Thousands of fraudulent registrations have already been reported in multiple counties across PA and we all saw Josh Shapiro sit silent as officers blocked people from early voting yesterday. Here he was, echoing Trumps assertion in the days before the election that Pennsylvania is cheating, and getting caught, at large scale levels rarely seen before. State officials repeatedly denied Trumps and Posobiecs allegations. Advertisement Posobiec zeroed in on his parents Democratic-leaning county, falsely accusing a Montgomery County commissioner of voting illegally. The RNC sued the county with related allegations four days after Posobiecs post but withdrew the suit weeks later. The judge opined that the Petitioners have failed to produce any evidence that Montgomery County has violated any federal or state law [or] that the testing procedures employed by Montgomery County are unlawful or inaccurate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many of Posobiecs attacks on election integrity in the state focused on Shapiro, accusing him of various electoral improprieties and MAGA suppression. Shapiro, like Posobiec, grew up in Montgomery County, and his 2011 election to its board of commissioners flipped control from a GOP stronghold to a reliably blue county. Yesterday in Pennsylvania I saw officers blocking people from voting early in person. I saw Democrats wearing fake badges illegally posing as election officials. And I didnt see Gov Josh Shapiro doing a single thing about it. This is who Shapiro is. A bum, he posted on Oct. 30. Advertisement Related From Slate Youre Comparing Trump to the Wrong Fascist Dictator Read More The integrity of our elections is paramount. Voter fraud is extremely rare and in the few circumstances where it occurs, individualized, said Neil Makhija, chair of Montgomery Countys Board of Commissioners and Board of Elections, in a statement sent to Slate and the Handbasket. He continued: As chairman of Montgomery County Board of Elections, I take all allegations of election fraud seriously and make referrals as appropriate to our law enforcement partners. We are grateful that these crimes are assiduously investigated and prosecuted by our DAs, AG and DOJ, ensuring the integrity of our elections, as evidenced by these recent prosecutions by the USAO of the EDPA. We do not comment on individual matters. Advertisement Despiteor perhaps because ofhis role promoting voting fraud conspiracies, Posobiec has become a high-profile figure on the right. He was invited to join Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on his first trip to Europe in February, a decision that sparked alarm among defense officials concerned about the optics of a divisive political figure attending a trip to meet U.S. allies. Last month, CNN drew criticism for platforming the conspiracy theorist to speak about slain colleague Charlie Kirk, describing him simply as a friend of Kirks and a conservative commentator. This past April, Posobiec was a panelist at the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference, where the states Republican attorney general, Dave Sunday, was a speaker. The conference focused in part on election integrity. Sundays spokesperson said the two do not have a relationship. CANTON, Ohio, Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Metallus (NYSE: MTUS), a leader in high-quality specialty metals, manufactured components, and supply chain solutions, and the United Steelworkers (USW) Local 1123 have reached a tentative agreement for a new four-year contract. The date of the vote will be set and announced by the union. "We have reached a tentative agreement that ensures our employees continue to earn competitive wages and benefits while also supporting the long-term strategy and growth objectives of the company," said Mike Williams, chief executive officer of Metallus. "It's encouraging to see both parties working together to support our employees, maintain job continuity, serve our customers and address the needs of all stakeholders." The current agreement covers approximately 1,200 bargaining employees at the company's Canton, Ohio operations. ABOUT METALLUS INC. Metallus (NYSE: MTUS) manufactures high-performance specialty metals from recycled scrap metal in Canton, OH, serving demanding applications in industrial, automotive, aerospace & defense and energy end-markets. The company is a premier U.S. producer of alloy steel bars (up to 16 inches in diameter), seamless mechanical tubing and manufactured components. In the business of making high-quality steel for more than 100 years, Metallus' proven expertise contributes to the performance of our customers' products. The company employs approximately 1,850 people and had sales of $1.1 billion in 2024. For more information, please visit us at www.metallus.com. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release includes "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. You can generally identify the company's forward-looking statements by words such as "will," "anticipate," "aspire," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "outlook," "intend," "may," "plan," "possible," "potential," "predict," "project," "seek," "target," "should," "would," "strategy," or "strategic direction" or other similar words, phrases or expressions that convey the uncertainty of future events or outcomes. The company cautions readers that actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of the company due to a variety of factors, such as: (1) the effects of fluctuations in customer demand on sales, product mix and prices in the industries in which the company operates, including the ability of the company to respond to rapid changes in customer demand including but not limited to changes in domestic and worldwide political and economic conditions due to, among other factors, U.S. and foreign trade policies and the impact on economic conditions, changes in customer operating schedules due to supply chain constraints or unplanned work stoppages, the ability of customers to obtain financing to purchase the company's products or equipment that contains its products, the effects of customer bankruptcies or liquidations, the impact of changes in industrial business cycles, and whether conditions of fair trade exist in U.S. markets; (2) changes in operating costs, including the effect of changes in the company's manufacturing processes, changes in costs associated with varying levels of operations and manufacturing capacity, availability of raw materials and energy, the company's ability to mitigate the impact of fluctuations in raw materials and energy costs and the effectiveness of its surcharge mechanism, changes in the expected costs associated with product warranty claims, changes resulting from inventory management, cost reduction initiatives and different levels of customer demands, the effects of unplanned work stoppages, availability of skilled labor and changes in the cost of labor and benefits; (3) the success of the company's operating plans, announced programs, initiatives and capital investments, the consistency to meet demand levels following unplanned downtime, and the company's ability to maintain appropriate relations with the union that represents its associates in certain locations in order to avoid disruptions of business; (4) whether the company is able to successfully implement actions designed to improve profitability on anticipated terms and timetables and whether the company is able to fully realize the expected benefits of such actions; (5) the company's pension obligations and investment performance; (6) with respect to the company's ability to achieve its sustainability goals, including its 2030 environmental goals, the ability to meet such goals within the expected timeframe, changes in laws, regulations, prevailing standards or public policy, the alignment of the scientific community on measurement and reporting approaches, the complexity of commodity supply chains and the evolution of and adoption of new technology, including traceability practices, tools and processes; (7) availability of property insurance coverage at commercially reasonable rates or insufficient insurance coverage to cover claims or damages; (8) the availability of financing and interest rates, which affect the company's cost of funds and/or ability to raise capital; (9) the impacts from any repurchases of our common shares, including the timing and amount of any repurchases; (10) competitive factors, including changes in market penetration, increasing price competition by existing or new foreign and domestic competitors, the introduction of new products by existing and new competitors, and new technology that may impact the way the company's products are sold or distributed; (11) deterioration in global economic conditions, or in economic conditions in any of the geographic regions in which the company conducts business, including additional adverse effects from global economic slowdown, terrorism or hostilities, including political risks associated with the potential instability of governments and legal systems in countries in which the company or its customers conduct business, and changes in currency valuations; (12) the impact of global conflicts on the economy, sourcing of raw materials, and commodity prices; (13) climate-related risks, including environmental and severe weather caused by climate changes, and legislative and regulatory initiatives addressing global climate change or other environmental concerns; (14) unanticipated litigation, claims or assessments, including claims or problems related to intellectual property, product liability or warranty, employment matters, regulatory compliance and environmental issues and taxes, among other matters; (15) cyber-related risks, including information technology system failures, interruptions and security breaches; (16) the potential impact of pandemics, epidemics, widespread illness or other health issues; and (17) with respect to the equipment investments to support the U.S. Army's mission of ramping up munitions production in the coming years, whether the funding awarded to support these investments is received on the anticipated timetable, whether the company is able to successfully complete the installation and commissioning of the new assets on the targeted budget and timetable, and whether the anticipated increase in throughput is achieved. Further, this news release represents our current policy and intent and is not intended to create legal rights or obligations. Certain standards of measurement and performance contained in this news release are developing and based on assumptions, and no assurance can be given that any plan, objective, initiative, projection, goal, mission, commitment, expectation or prospect set forth in this news release can or will be achieved. Inclusion of information in this news release is not an indication that the subject or information is material to our business or operating results. Additional risks relating to the company's business, the industries in which the company operates, or the company's common shares may be described from time to time in the company's filings with the SEC. All of these risk factors are difficult to predict, are subject to material uncertainties that may affect actual results and may be beyond the company's control. Readers are cautioned that it is not possible to predict or identify all of the risks, uncertainties and other factors that may affect future results and that the above list should not be considered to be a complete list. Except as required by the federal securities laws, the company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. SOURCE Metallus Inc. The five-day 2025 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale concluded on the evening of Friday, Oct. 3 at the Fasig-Tipton Sales Pavilion in Lexington, Kentucky, with the final session topped by Elixir. Selling as Hip 913, Elixir induced bidders to a day-five high of $250,000 ($180,000 USD). Consigned by Hunterton Sales Agency, the Downbytheseaside colt was purchased by Summit Bloodstock, acting as agent for Jeff Berger of St. Petersburg, Florida. Elixir is the third foal out of the Grand Circuit stakes-winning mare Yankee Moonshine ($672,501 - 1:51.2f). The colt's dam is a full sibling to Pennsylvania Sire Stakes champion Yankee Bounty ($855,780 - 1:49.3f) and a half sister to Grand Circuit stakes winner Binge On Yankee ($637,201 - 1:48.3). Kissme Ifyoucan, Hip 894, was the second highest priced yearling of the fifth session, selling for $222,222 ($160,000 USD) to Greg Luther of Blacklick, Ohio. Consigned by Anvil And Lace Farm, the In Range-I Gotta Feelin filly is a half sibling to three six-figure earners, including Pennsylvania stakes winners That Ole Bar Stool ($414,145 - 1:52.4f) and Broadway Socks ($257,005 - 1:54.2f). This was the only yearling sired by In Range offered at the sale. Route Fifty, Hip 874, brought the next highest bid of the day at $208,333 ($150,000 USD), purchased by Country Club Acres Inc. of Findlay, Ohio. Consigned by All American Harnessbreds, the Downbytheseaside colt is out of Lorrie Please, a multiple Mares Open winner with more than $500,000 in earnings. Route Fifty is a half brother to three six-figure earners, including New York stakes winner Easy To Please ($788,618 - 1:51.4h). Three Downbytheseaside yearlings sold for $138,888 ($100,000 USD) to round out the top purchases of the day. Two were also purchased by Summit Bloodstock as agent for Berger, including colt Stateroom, Hip 899, and filly Priscilla Station, Hip 881. Consigned by Alliance Bloodstock, Stateroom is the first foal out of Kilee Rocks, a half sister to Breeders Crown champion Boston Red Rocks ($1,486,357 - 1:48.2f) and Grand Circuit stakes winners McSeaside ($599,788 - 1:48.4) and McCrunch ($388,421 - 1:48.2). Priscilla Station the second foal out of the Open pacing mare Pace Baby Pace, who earned $384,680 and has half a dozen six-figure earning siblings, including full brother Birthday ($758,166 - 1:47.4f) and half sister, O'Brien Award winner Pass Line ($959,405 - 1:49.3s). She was from the Spring Station Bloodstock consignment, along with the other yearling that sold for $138,888, Portofino Station. Portofino Station, Hip 892, was purchased by William Hartt of Carmel, Maine. She is the second foal out of Please Take Over, who has eight siblings with six-figure bankrolls, including a Pennsylvania stakes-winning full brother E Z Noah ($856,073 - 1:49.2f) and Dismissal ($106,615 - 1:51f), the dam of double millionaire Bythemissal. The fifth session of the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale featured 124 yearlings with gross sales totalling $5,561,111 ($4,004,000 USD) for an average price of $44,847 ($32,290 USD), down approximately 3.2 per cent from last year's day five average. A total of 890 yearlings sold during the entire five-day sale for $84,570,833 ($60,891,000 USD), with an average price of $95,024 ($68,417 USD). The average was down 5.2 per cent compared to the 2024 sale. Walner was once again the leading stallion for gross and average with more than one yearling sold, with 80 of his offspring selling for $14,576,389 ($10,495,000 USD) and an average price of $182,206 ($131,188 USD) over the course of the five sessions. For pacing stallions, Bulldog Hanover led for gross sales with 45 of his yearlings selling for $4,865,278 ($3,503,000 USD) while Downbytheseaside offspring has the highest average price with 34 selling for an average of $129,289 ($93,088 USD). *** The opening session of the Lexington sale was held on Monday and the Walner-French Cafe filly Dejeuner garnered the most attention with a $1.38 million ($1 million USD) price tag to top day one. Selling as Hip 70, Dejeuner was purchased by Noel Daley, who served as agent for Winning Key of Chesterfield, New Jersey. Kentuckiana Farms consigned the half sister to 2024 Elegantimage Stakes winner French Champagne (1:51.4 - $739,033). Attracting the highest bid of the second session on Tuesday, Jimdougie Armitage, a son of Captain Corey, went for $1.04 million ($750,000 USD) to Ake Svanstedt Inc. of Wrightstown, New Jersey. He is the first foal of Quick Bet, a full sister to Breeders Crown champion and Dan Patch Award recipient Winners Bet. The mare was a four-time winner on the track and took a mark of 1:56.1. The colt, Hip 182, was consigned by Armitage Farm LLC. Shoreline Station topped the third session on Wednesday, purchased for $381,944 ($275,000 USD) on a winning bid from Linda Toscano of Freehold, New Jersey, acting as agent. The Sweet Lou colt, Hip 394 consigned by Spring Station Bloodstock, is the first foal out of Seaside Park, a daughter of stakes winner Cinamony and a Downbytheseaside half-sister to Cane Pace champion Captain Optimistic and stakes winner Odds On Cinnamon. Ebb N Flow brought the highest bid during the fourth session on Thursday. Selling as Hip 727, Ebb N Flow went for $201,389 ($145,000 USD) to Sabine Kagebrant, acting as agent for Courant Inc. of Delray Beach, Florida. The Green Manalishi S filly, consigned by Kentuckiana Farms, is out of Hustle Heart, a daughter of Hambletonian Oaks champion Creamy Mimi and half-sister to millionaire French Wine. Ebb N Flow is a half-sister to stakes winner Fly Light ($528,591 - 1:52). IMPORTANT LINKS (Standardbred Canada) Once a week, throughout the harness racing season, Woodbine Mohawk Park will profile a horse who has had a life-changing impact on one of their closest connections. This week, the series features Renee Samson. After spending four years as a groom for several top conditioners including Carmen Auciello, Dave Menary, Rick Zeron and Scott McEneny Samson started her own training career this year, and the horse at the centre of her new journey is Bookie Baby. Samson, based out of Morriston, Ont., spoke about her close-knit relationship with the nine-year-old pacer, who continues to impart invaluable lessons upon her. Bookie Baby Foaled: April 28, 2016 Sire: Sportswriter (ON) Dam: Borderlinegorgious Starts-Wins-Seconds-Thirds: 198-11-20-26 Earnings: $107,181 Trainer: Renee Samson (since February 2025) Owner: Renee Samson (since February 2025) Breeder: Wall Tyme Stables Inc. What goes through your mind when you watch Bookie Baby race? A lot of anxiety It kind of makes me feel like I'm going to puke. Obviously, I want her to do well, but I'm super anxious as a new trainer to see if the changes I've made in her training schedule and her equipment are going to benefit her, and if they're not, then when I'm watching the race, I need to look and see what else I can do to help her. So, it's anxious, but also very much that I need to be on my game for it. But overall, every single time she goes out, I always tell her to be good and be safe because I just want her and her driver to come off the track safe and preferably sound. That's the biggest thing. Whenever she races, my first thought is just get around, stay safe, and come back home. When did you know you had a special connection? I would say a couple of weeks after I bought her. She's not very talkative. She has a little lip wiggle that she does, but she does it all the time. I would walk into the barn in the morning after she's already been fed like two hours earlier, or when I'd come back from jogging, she would nicker at me and I was kind of like, Oh, okay. Soon after she started doing that in the barn, no matter where I went, she would follow me with her eyes. One time I was standing behind her, talking to someone and I just glanced back over to make sure she's alright and she's got her head turned as far back as she can and she's making eye contact with me. I don't know if she's mad or whatnot, so of course, I go back and see her, and she starts doing the same thing where she sees me and her ears go up and she looks all excited and she nickers at me. I was like, Okay, I'm happy youre as happy to see me as I am to see you. That made me feel really special. Were getting somewhere, us two girls. Talk about her personality on and off the track? I hear that she's pretty alert and grabby. Shes pretty much the same at the track as she is at the barn. She's pretty chill, but she'll let you know what works for her and what doesn't, and she'll do the same thing at the track too. If I'm doing something a certain way, shell be like, Nope, don't like that. She'll let me know, never in a mean way, but she'll act a little different or give me a certain look or kind of pull her foot away. She does that at the barn, too. Shell say, Nope, I don't want to jog today. I'm tired of jogging, tow me instead. So, we'll tow her. And sometimes it's, Nope, I want to go on the wheel. I don't want to do this. I want to stay outside. She's very bossy but in a good way. She loves being outside, she loves her food, and her favourite thing is having spa days. She likes to be rubbed on quite often, much more than the average horse. Instead of a normal 30 minutes or so, she wants the hour. She wants all the brushes, all the kisses, and even at the track, she doesn't really do a whole lot wrong. She doesn't kick. She doesn't bite. She's not mean. She just sometimes gets a little rowdy and she does her cute little rears, but they're not at you, theyre saying I'm excited. I'm full of life. She might be nine, but she very much acts like our babies. Three words to describe her? Quirky. Tough. Smart." How has she changed your life? She's the first horse I've ever owned and the first horse I've ever trained. I didn't think I'd own a racehorse for a very long time because throwing out $8,000 is just not obtainable for someone who's a groom. But then she came along, I had just got my trainers [license], and everything lined up so perfectly. She may just be an eight claimer, but with the amount she's taught me, she's absolutely priceless. She's not the same horse she used to be and being a free-legged pacer, it definitely gets your mind working to figure her out. We dont have any wins yet, but weve collected a couple of good cheques and had a lot of fun experiencing everything being a trainer and owner has to offer with her. (Woodbine) The global leader in multi-modal travel announces operations in South America's largest country, elevating journeys for domestic and international travellers alike BERLIN and SAO PAULO, Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Omio , the leading multi-modal booking platform, today announced its official launch in Brazil, marking a major milestone in its global growth. Driven by the mission to make every journey seamless, Brazilian travellers can now effortlessly search, compare and book long-distance/intercity bus routes and flights from over 300 carriers - all on one app. With the expansion into Brazil, the Omio platform now unifies transportation via flights, trains, ferries and buses across 46 countries in four continents: Europe, North and South America, and Asia. Simplifying travel across Brazil Local and international travellers exploring Brazil will enjoy the seamless app experience that has made Omio the trusted companion for over a billion users worldwide. With multiple modes of transport in one app, Omio makes searching, comparing, and booking journeys radically simple without app, tab, or site switching. Many cities such as Gramado/RS, Buzios/RJ, Paraty/RJ, Chapada Diamantina/BA, Lencois Maranhenses/MA, Bonito/MS are difficult to reach by one mode of transport, and can now be easily accessed with options provided by Omio. From finding the fastest or most affordable routes, navigating in 32 different languages, choosing preferred payment methods and local currencies or AI-assisted Customer Service, travellers stay in control and well cared for, with Omio. In addition to enhancing the travel experience within Brazil, Omio elevates journeys for Brazilian travellers venturing to Omio's worldwide destinations. Successful beta phase accomplished Flights and Brazil's extensive, high-quality bus network remain the backbone of domestic travel. After a successful soft launch/Beta phase (July - September) and extensive partner onboarding, Omio now covers nearly complete ground transportation options, with plans for full coverage soon. So far, Omio's Beta app in Brazil has been well received by international and local travellers, with bookings coming from 48 different countries and a current review score of 4.9 on the App Store and 4.8 on Google Play Store in Brazil. Building on Brazil's momentum Omio's entry into Brazil coincides with a booming tourism sector. The country is experiencing unprecedented growth: In the first half of 2025 compared to the same period of the previous year, the sector recorded a 6.9% increase. The reported R$108 billion in revenue stands as the highest figure ever recorded in the country. The convergence of economic scale, travel appetite, digital readiness and the opportunity to take the sting out of travel via a multi-modal platform makes Brazil a strategic and timely choice for continued expansion. Vitor Lalor, General Manager Brazil, Omio comments: "Brazil is one of the most vibrant markets globally, with continental dimensions, natural diversity, vast cultural heritage, and world-famous events. We are proud to support millions of travellers in experiencing the country at its best. By unifying transportation options in a single app combined with our unmatched booking experience, we empower Brazilians and international visitors alike to explore all corners of Brazil with ease, and play a vital role in supporting local tourism." About Omio Since its foundation in 2013, the Omio Group has helped customers discover new ways of travelling. Thanks to its two interconnected platforms, Omio and Rome2Rio, Omio is the world's leading travel platform for searching, comparing, and booking. Omio B2B Partnership services OTAs and mobility providers with bespoke business solutions. Omio supports its customers in their desire to explore Europe, the US, Canada, Southeast Asia and Brazil via train, bus, flight, and ferry. Omio sells more than 80,000 tickets daily, employs over 430 staff from more than 50 countries and maintains offices in Berlin, Prague, Melbourne, London and Bangalore. The Omio Group offers its customers journeys that move them. omio.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2482408/5543288/OMIO_Logo.jpg SOURCE Omio This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain As Canada advances toward its 2050 net-zero emissions target, it's facing a fundamental challenge: ensuring all parts of the country can participate in and benefit from the transition to a clean economy. Canada's regional economies are diverse, spanning Alberta's oilsands, Quebec's hydroelectric systems, northern mining operations and urban tech hubs. These differences mean that net-zero transitions will manifest differently, creating opportunities for some regions and vulnerabilities for others. Rural and remote regions accounted for 52% of Canada's total greenhouse gas emissions in 2022 alone, and these regions in particular face complex transition dynamics. These regions host oil, gas, coal and mining industries that power Canada's economic development. An equitable net-zero transition requires promoting regional competitiveness while ensuring no place is left behind; in other words, cohesion. Successful sustainability transitions demand both innovation-driven growth strategies and support for regions facing economic disruption. Canada needs to ensure a net-zero transition translates into broadly shared prosperity rather than exacerbated regional inequalities. Doing so can help rectify the historical pattern of resource extraction that has not always benefited local communities. Challenges faced by rural and remote regions Rural and remote communities are typically less economically diverse than urban centers. They are often built around one or more dominant industries and have smaller labor markets with fewer specialists. They also have limited access to the financial and human capital necessary for transitioning to net-zero. Energy transitions can create new industries and transform existing ones to be cleaner. They can replace old industries with new ones and diversify the economy. However, they can also phase out industries in areas where there aren't enough replacement options. Communities that depend on a single industry are often hit the hardest by these changes. Canada's transition policies are rightly focused on regional competitiveness and innovation through, for example, the Regional Economic Growth through Innovation and the Global Innovation Clusters programs. However, they often fail to proactively support the rural, remote and resource-dependent regions and communities most vulnerable to the disruptions of transitions. This results in reactive policies and programs that are often deployed only after economic shocks. They rarely target the most at-risk groups and governance frameworks lack clear mechanisms for coordinated action, accountability and consideration of Indigenous rights and local well-being. European precedents The European Union's 55 billion euro Just Transition Mechanism provides valuable insights for Canadian policymakers. The EU initiative combines both competitiveness and compensation strategies within a comprehensive development model. The mechanism integrates investment schemes that promote innovation in clean technologies with targeted support for the regions most vulnerable to job losses and economic downturns. Each EU member state develops just transition plans identifying specific regions and industries requiring support, alongside dedicated investment programs tailored to local economic conditions. This approach recognizes that effective sustainability transitions require incentives for innovation and protections for disrupted communities. In addition, the EU's Just Transition Fund specifically targets regions that are socially, economically and environmentally most vulnerable to transition impacts, while simultaneously encouraging investments in emerging sectors critical for reaching net-zero. Canadian regional development approaches have historically emphasized competitiveness and innovation, with transition management remaining largely reactive rather than proactive. An exception is the Canada Coal Transition Initiative, which provided flexible, locally tailored approaches and coordinated support across federal, provincial and local levels. That approach is essential for sustainable and equitable transition outcomes in diverse regions. But Canada has generally been reluctant to explicitly identify and designate regions most at-risk from net-zero transitions. This hesitancy may leave vulnerable communities without targeted support. Institutional capacity and governance challenges The effectiveness of both competitiveness and cohesion strategies depends on a region's institutional capacity and governance. On this point, rural and remote regions are often at a disadvantage. They have smaller administrations, fewer resources and limited capacity to manage complex transitions. The Canadian government's Regional Energy and Resource Tables offer a new collaborative approach to help bridge these gaps by bringing federal, provincial, territorial and Indigenous partners together. The tables aim to coordinate expertise, resources and partnerships to identify economic priorities and build the capacity to pursue low-carbon growth opportunities. Ten tables are presently underway. This will be an important initiative to watch and evaluate. Other collaborations can also facilitate peer learning and shared problem-solving. For example, Yukon University's Northern Energy Innovation group partners with First Nations and utility companies to provide place-based solutions and facilitate knowledge networks. The challenge here lies in connecting these local strengths with external resources and expertise and to expand them as needed. Sustainable transitions As Canada encourages new economic activities essential for net-zero transitions, such as critical minerals development, it's crucial that past inequalities are not reproduced, particularly regarding Indigenous rights holders on territories where these projects are operating. Canadian governments have substantial room for improvement in this regard, as a lot of rural policy in Canada continues to treat these regions as sites of resource extraction detached from broader development strategies. The stakes of this transition are considerable. Managed effectively, net-zero transitions can put Canada on a path to sustainable and inclusive growth. Managed poorly, they risk deepening territorial divisions and creating new patterns of regional disadvantage. The policies adopted today will determine which of these futures emerge, making the integration of competitiveness and cohesion approaches not merely desirable but essential for Canadian prosperity and social cohesion in the decades ahead. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: There are fears supplies of Asahi's popular Super Dry beer could be hit by the outage. A damaging cyberattack on Japanese beer giant Asahi this week has halted shipments from its breweries and there is no resumption in sight, the company warned Friday, fueling fears of shortages. Asahi Group, producer of Japan's most popular beers, said Monday it had "experienced a system failure" owing to a cyberattack that forced the suspension of orders and shipments of various beveragesincluding its flagship Asahi Super Dry. "No immediate recovery of our system is in sight at the moment. Ordinary shipments remain halted," a spokesperson, who declined to be named, told AFP on Friday. "Production is not directly affected (by the system dysfunction) but it has been halted because shipments are suspended." The company said it was looking into the possibility of a ransomware attack after announcing in Monday's statement that its local operations had been hit. The news is worrying for Japan's ubiquitous convenience stores, who are major stockists of Asahi beer. A spokesperson for Seven & I Holdings, which operates the 7-11 convenience store chain, said it was preparing to put up notices to warn customers of the suspension, but added that the halt "had not yet caused major disruptions". "We don't expect (Asahi drinks) to disappear from all our stores at once, although it all depends on how sales will go at each of these outlets." AFP visited several convenience stores and supermarkets in Tokyo Friday, all of which still had stock. Asahi Group's shares are down almost 7% from last Friday's close. The attack comes after a cyberattack halted operations at Jaguar Land Rover's British factories for almost a month. The Indian-owned automaker said on September 2 that it had been targeted by hackers, severely disrupting sales and production and forcing it to seek emergency funding. The firm announced on Monday that it would partially restart production. 2025 AFP This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Text With Jesus, a religion-based chatbot displayed on this iPhone, has thousands of paying subscribers and lets users ostensibly ask questions of Mary, Joseph, Jesus and nearly all 12 apostles. Artificial intelligence, the technology upending nearly every corner of society, is creeping into religion, serving up virtual Jesus and automated sermonsa change drawing mixed reviews from the faithful. Religious chatbots and other faith-based digital tools are growing in number, offering counsel, comfort and spiritual guidance during an age of rapidly transforming socialization and engagement. One app, which is called Text with Jesus, has thousands of paying subscribers. It lets people ostensibly ask questions of Mary, Joseph, Jesus and nearly all 12 apostles. The idea is to educate, said Stephane Peter, CEO of Catloaf Software, which created the app. "This is a new way to address religious issues in an interactive way," he told AFP. Although the app makes clear it uses AI, virtual Moses and Jesus don't recognize that as such when asked the specific question. Peter said that ChatGPT's latest version, GPT-5, on which Text With Jesus is based, follows instructions better than previous iterations. It is also better at staying in whatever character it is supposed to be and can deny more forcefully that it's a bot. He said many people consider the app blasphemous but it still has received a good rating in the App Store4.7 out of 5. Online ministry Catholic Answers said it got a taste of how sensitive all this can be when it launched the animated AI character "Father Justin" last year. "A lot of people were offended it was using a priest character," said Christopher Costello, the ministry's director of information technology. People gather outside an interfaith service at the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis, Minnesota, following a mass shooting at a local Catholic school in August 2025. Days later, Catholic Answers stripped the avatar of its title to make it simply Justin. "We don't want to replace humans. We just want to help," Costello said. No 'heart and spirit' Other major religions have similar apps, such as Deen Buddy for Islam, Vedas AI for Hinduism, and AI Buddha. Most bill themselves as interfaces with scripture, not incarnations of actual holiness. Nica, a 28-year-old Filipina who belongs to the Anglican Church, said she uses ChatGPT almost daily to study scriptureeven though her pastor wants her to stop. "I'd say it's an added layer," said Nica, who declined to give her last name. "I am in a Christian community and my husband and I have spiritual mentors. It's just that sometimes I have random thoughts about the Bible and I want answers immediately." Not many will acknowledge using AI assistants in matters of religion, even though some of these apps have been downloaded millions of times. "People who want to believe in God maybe shouldn't ask a chatbot. They should talk to people that believe, too," said a woman named Emanuela as she left St Patrick's Cathedral in New York. Rabbi Gilah Langner said the halakhahthe collective body of religious laws derived from the Torah, the Jewish holy bookhas many interpretations. Jews need other Jews, with their insights and perspective, to connect them to the tradition of their faith, she said. A statue of the Hindu Goddess Durga is decorated with the theme of Artificial Intelligence (AI), in Kolkata, India, ahead of the Durga Puja festival. "I don't think you really get that from AI. It's possible it would be very nuanced, but the emotional connection is missing," Langner told AFP. AI can make people feel "isolated and not in an organic connection to a living tradition," she added. For their part, Christian communities do not reject AI outright. Peter said he had spoken to clergy members and they agreed that AI could be a tool to educate people. Last year Pope Francis named Demis Hassabis, a co-founder of AI research lab Google DeepMind, to serve in the Vatican's scientific academy. And as much of society experiments with artificial intelligence, so does the clergy. In November 2023, pastor Jay Cooper of the Violet Crown City Church in Austin, Texas, had an AI assistant deliver an entire sermon. He warned parishioners in advance. "Some people freaked out, said we are now an AI church," said Cooper. But, he added, the service lured some people who did not usually attend church, especially video-game buffs. Cooper said he has considered other ways of integrating AI into his church but has not repeated the AI sermon. "I'm glad we did it," he said, "but it missed the heart and spirit of what we usually do." 2025 AFP PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, Oct. 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On 9 September, Phnom Penh celebrated a historic milestone with the inauguration of Techo International Airport (IATA: KTI; ICAO: VDTI), the nation's largest aviation infrastructure project. Cambodian funded and built, with a design inspired by the nation's cultural and Angkorian heritage, the airport begins operations as a modernised hub for business and tourism. The launch was marked by the arrival of the first commercial flight operated by Air Cambodia, welcomed with a traditional water salute. Techo International Airport, Phnom Penh's new main international gateway on its opening day (9 September). Within its first month of operations, the airport has opened two new routes and supported Cathay Pacific by temporarily hosting some of its fleet during Typhoon Ragasa. Developed by Cambodia Airport Investment Co., Ltd. (CAIC) a joint venture between the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA) and Overseas Cambodian Investment Corporation (OCIC), a leading Cambodian conglomerate Techo International Airport underscores the country's growing role in regional connectivity. With capacity for 15 million passengers annually in its first phase, the airport will strengthen tourism, expand trade flows, and enhance Cambodia's international connectivity. The project was Cambodian built in collaboration with a consortium of local and international contractors and engaged more than 200 Cambodian engineers and 17,000 workers highlighting the nation's ability to deliver world-class projects by combining homegrown expertise with global partnerships. The terminal, designed by British firm Foster + Partners, reflects Angkorian traditions through sweeping roof canopies supported by structural "trees" inspired by the rumduol Cambodia's national flower. Natural light, tropical landscaping, and a nine-meter Buddha statue in the Abhayamudra pose together create a distinctive sense of place that celebrates Cambodian heritage while offering a modern gateway for future generations. The atmosphere combines a holistic and zen spirit, welcoming travellers with peace and balance from the very moment they arrive. "Welcoming the first passengers at Techo International Airport is a defining moment," said Pung Kheav Se, Chairman of OCIC and CAIC. "It creates new opportunities for Cambodia for visitors, businesses, and investors and marks the beginning of a new chapter for our country." To ensure high-quality operations, CAIC has appointed partners including Vinci Airports, Lagardere Travel Retail, Newrest, and Singapore Airlines Engineering Company (SIAEC) to oversee airport management, retail, catering, and aircraft maintenance. Techo International Airport also features a high-quality retail and dining offering. Among the shops and restaurants are Malis, Paul, Starbucks, Brown Coffee, Bodia, and Artisans d'Angkor blending Cambodian heritage with global hospitality. The inauguration also coincides with the 25th anniversary of OCIC. The group, with presence in Cambodia, Laos, and Hong Kong, has over the past two decades contributed to Cambodia's economic transformation across real estate, infrastructure, healthcare, and educationdelivering more than 10,000 homes as well as major roads, bridges, and flyovers. Techo International Airport now stands as both an emblem of Cambodia's identity and a gateway to the future, ready to welcome the world as the capital strengthens its position in global air networks. SOURCE Overseas Cambodian Investment Corporation St. Vincent and the Grenadines is among countries worldwide hit by a USA visa fee increase as that country tightens its entry rules. As of October 01, 2025, Vincentian began paying an additional US$250.00 - referred to as an integrity fee - for non-immigrant United States of America visa applications. The fee, introduced by the President Donald Trumps "One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law on July 4, 2025, is added to the existing visa application fees and, according to the preface of the Bill and the new fee therein, is intended to address visa overstays. Before October 01, 2025, Vincentians paid US$185.00 for a tourist visa. With the additional charge, that figure has now increased to US$435.00. And there is additional heartache built in to the visa application conditions as thrown up by the refund process. This includes a visa holder having to leave the USA within five days of the visa expiration, in order to "qualify to apply for a refund, and then having to face a number of further bureaucratic encumbrances, making the process a protracted and frustrating one. One reaction to the new charge by a caller went something like this: "Not me. Im not planning on visiting the USA once that pink-faced man (Trump) is President. The US$400 plus is a lot of money. And even if he loses next time, going to the States doesnt excite like before. It might be safe to conclude that the US could well be losing out on tourist dollars from the Caribbean. And while that might be small in the larger scheme of things, any little hurts. The operationalization of the New Port will occasion certain adjustments in the traffic flow in its immediate vicinity, that will necessitate the cessation of parking along certain streets in the capital. (Photo Source: API SVG) With limited parking in Kingstown compounded by the large volumes of vehicles imported, parking along McCoy, Melville and Higginson Streets will be discontinued when the port is opened later this month. Benarva Browne, Minister of Urbane Development, Energy, Seaports etc made the announced in Parliament on September 29. This was in response to a question from Dr Godwin Friday, Opposition Leader and Parliamentary Representative for the Northern Grenadines who asked about the impact of the traffic to and from the modern port when it becomes operational. In her response, Browne said that the port was expected to become operational on October 25, the day after it was officially handed over to the government. However, with the operationalisation of the new facility, motorists in downtown Kingstown will have to brace for some new changes to the flow of traffic in the area. According to Browne, the existing flow of traffic will be revised in order to optimise the movement between the projected volumes and turning radii required for 40-foot containers. She said that within the scope of the work, the contractor was expected to undertake minor road improvements at the following junctions including Melville and Bay Street, McCoy and Bay Street, Higginson and Bay Street and Higginson Street and Grenville Street. "The works will also include service pavements, repairs, manhole upgrades and drainage repairs, Browne told members of Parliament. There will not be any adjustments made to any of the existing corners in the said areas, she added, as the current turning radii was deemed adequate. "However, to facilitate large truck movement, roadside parking along certain streets must be discontinued, she explained. During her presentation, Browne said that a traffic volume assessment study for Kingstown was commissioned during the commencement stage of the port project which projected traffic patterns following the completion of the port and the anticipated traffic increase over the next 30 years. "Findings are currently under review and implementation measures will be undertaken in close collaboration with the police and other relevant stakeholders, she said. The Grenadines Wharf and that general area are included in the development plans of a future ULP government. Government is said to already be in discussion with external lending agencies for the development of a modern Grenadines passenger and cargo port. According to Senator Benarva Browne, Minister of Urban Development, Seaports and Energy as she addressed Parliament on Monday, assessments done on berth Number 5 at the existing Grenadines wharf in Kingstown suggested that it be demolished, after it sustained extensive damage during the passage of Hurricane Beryl in July 2024. The repair work on the damaged section of the jetty got underway in June 2025 and was expected to be completed in November. This, after it was advanced in December 2024, and anticipating an earlier commencement to the repairs, that the repair work was expected to be completed approximately 53 days after the construction work began. No date for the commencement of the repair work was given then. It was later learned that initial assessments underestimated the damage, requiring a re-evaluation of the work scope, including redesigning the structural support. While basic repairs were completed by November 2024, the extensive damage necessitated a more thorough engineering assessment to guide the structural redesign and repair of the concrete slabs. Minister Browne went on to say that the Port Authority had taken a number of steps to manage the situation in the interim. Among the steps were: confining the loading of large trucks in the vicinity of Massey Supermarket; passenger drop off being restricted; only vehicles off loading cargo permitted on to the wharf; and temporary parking spaces made available for persons dropping off passengers. "These interventions have reduced the congestion and improved the safety while remedial works have been advancing, she said. Drone light show staged in Chongqing to celebrate National Day Xinhua) 10:29, October 03, 2025 People take photos of a drone light show staged in celebration of China's National Day in Nan'an District of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Oct. 1, 2025. During the show, 5,000 drones performed in the sky at night, bringing a visual feast to spectators. (Xinhua/Huang Wei) A drone light show is staged in celebration of China's National Day in Nan'an District of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Oct. 1, 2025. During the show, 5,000 drones performed in the sky at night, bringing a visual feast to spectators. (Xinhua/Huang Wei) People watch a drone light show staged in celebration of China's National Day in Nan'an District of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Oct. 1, 2025. During the show, 5,000 drones performed in the sky at night, bringing a visual feast to spectators. (Xinhua/Huang Wei) People take photos of a drone light show staged in celebration of China's National Day in Nan'an District of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Oct. 1, 2025. During the show, 5,000 drones performed in the sky at night, bringing a visual feast to spectators. (Xinhua/Huang Wei) A drone light show is staged in celebration of China's National Day in Nan'an District of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Oct. 1, 2025. During the show, 5,000 drones performed in the sky at night, bringing a visual feast to spectators. (Xinhua/Huang Wei) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan) If you purchased certain PetSafe e-collar products in California between October 2018 and October 2022, you may be entitled to compensation. SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe LLP today announced a $1,900,000 settlement in a California consumer class-action against Radio Systems Corporation ("RSC") concerning certain of its PetSafe e-collar products for pets. The case, Hernandez v. Radio Systems Corporation, No. 5:22-cv-01861-JGB-DTB, concerns plaintiff's allegations that RSC made misleading statements and omissions about the safety of certain PetSafe e-collar products. RSC denies that it made misleading statements about its products and denies any liability or wrongdoing with respect to the claims alleged by plaintiff in the action. What does the settlement provide? RSC will pay $1,900,000 into a non-reversionary settlement fund to resolve the claims alleged in the action. The fund will be divided among settlement class members, as well as used to pay for costs and fees approved by the Court, including settlement administration. Settlement class members who submit valid claims will receive $30.00 for each Bark Collar Product, $35.00 for each Barrier Product, $90.00 for each In-Ground Fence Product, and $140.00 for each Wireless Fence Product. If claims exceed the total available funds, payments will be reduced. How do I know if I am part of the settlement? If you bought a PetSafe e-collar product in California between October 1, 2018 and October 31, 2022, you may be a member of the class and entitled to money. The settlement includes the following products: Bark Collar Products In-Ground Fence Products Classic Bark Collar PetSafe In-Ground Fence Basic Bark Control Collar Basic In-Ground Fence Lite Rechargeable Bark Collar Classic In-Ground Fence Rechargeable Bark Control Collar Rechargeable In-Ground Fence Stubborn Dog In-Ground Fence Barrier Products Elite Little Dog Deluxe In-Ground Fence Pawz Away Mini Pet Barrier Deluxe In-Ground Cat Fence Pawz Away Indoor Pet Barrier YardMax Rechargeable In-Ground Fence Pawz Away Outdoor Pet Barrier YardMax Cordless In-Ground Fence Wireless Fence Products Wireless Pet Containment System Stay & Play Compact Wireless Fence Stay & Play Wireless Fence for Stubborn Dogs Stay & Play Wireless Fence with Replaceable Battery How do I get a payment from the settlement? If you wish to receive money, you must submit a completed claim form to the Settlement Administrator online or download a claim form at petsafesettlement.com and mail to the Settlement Administrator at the address provided. The deadline is December 2, 2025. What are my rights? If you are a settlement class member and do nothing, you will be bound by the settlement and will give up any right to sue RSC in a separate lawsuit related to the legal claims in this lawsuit. If you want to keep your right to separately sue RSC, your written request to exclude yourself from the settlement must be submitted online or postmarked by December 2, 2025. If you do not exclude yourself, you may object to the settlement or ask for permission to appear and speak at the fairness hearing but only if you do so by December 2, 2025. When is the Court's hearing? The Court will hold a fairness hearing on January 26, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. PT at the United States District Court for the Central District of California to decide whether to approve the settlement and grant the requested attorneys' fees and litigation expenses. The hearing will be located at: George E. Brown, Jr. Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse Courtroom 1 3470 Twelfth Street Riverside, CA 92501-3801 You or your own lawyer may appear and speak at the hearing at your own expense, but there is no requirement that you or your own lawyer do so. Please check petsafesettlement.com for updates as to the date or time of the hearing. For more information, including the full notice and settlement agreement, visit petsafesettlement.com, email [email protected], or call 877-766-4150. About Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe LLP Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe represents consumers, employees, and shareholders in class actions and shareholder derivative actions against corporate defendants, focusing on data privacy. The firm is based in San Francisco, and with the help of co-counsel, litigates cases nationwide. Contact Amber L. Schubert Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe LLP [email protected] Tel: 415-788-4220 SOURCE Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe LLP The building (right) in Ottley Hall that has been converted into a police station. If the information received from a police source is correct, this country has recorded its 29th homicide for the year. The Royal Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (RSVGPF) confirmed that on September 29, 2025, that it was investigating a fatal shooting incident that occurred in Middle Road, Ottley Hall, on September 28, 2025, at approximately 11:50 p.m. The shooting claimed the life of Enrique Codougan, a 25-year-old labourer of Richmond Hill. Police responded promptly to reports of the incident and upon arrival at the scene, officers discovered Codougan with multiple gunshot wounds about his body. The District Medical Officer (DMO) was summoned and subsequently pronounced the victim dead on the spot. The RSVGPF has appealed to anyone with information that could assist in this investigation to come forward. After a number of fatal shootings in Ottley Hall, it was declared a crime hot spot and a mobile police unit was stationed in that community in January 2012. There were also additional patrols by officers not stationed in the Unit. Sometime after, a decision was taken to remove the mobile unit and police officers were moved into a privately owned building, which for all intents and purposes became a police station. The talk about town is that Ottley hall is the smallest community in St. Vincent and the grenadines with a police station as such. However, residents told THE VINCENTIAN that except for a few patrols by young officers stationed there, the station remains a "distant entity from the community in more ways than one. For the third consecutive year, an international student from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, living and studying in Toronto, has earned a full-tuition scholarship to pursue post-secondary studies at a Toronto college. Tiffani Sardine, who began her Bachelor of Commerce program at George Brown College in 2024, was first awarded a $1,000 bursary from the St. Vincent and Grenadines Association of Toronto Inc. to support her educational journey. Building on that foundation, she has now received the Council of Caribbean Associations-Canada (CCAC) full tuition-paid scholarshipsponsored by George Brown Collegewhich will fund the remainder of her three-year program up to $6,000.00 per year. This milestone marks the third successive year that a student of Vincentian heritage has earned the CCACs most prestigious academic award: * In 2023, Lenron Doyle became the first-ever recipient of the CCAC scholarship through Seneca Polytechnic. * In 2024, his brother, Donalan Doyle, followed in his footsteps by also earning the Seneca scholarship. * Now in 2025, Tiffani Sardine continues the legacy at George Brown College. The CCAC is an umbrella organization comprising the national associations of 13 Caribbean countries represented in the Greater Toronto Area. Each year, it awards bursaries and scholarships to students of Caribbean descent residing and studying in Ontarioincluding international studentsbased on academic achievement, community involvement, and leadership potential. "Its amazing to see such a consistent stream of talented international students from St. Vincent and the Grenadines achieving recognition and financial support for their education in Canada. Tiffanis story is especially inspiring, building on the path set by Lenron and Donalan Doyle. The scholarships and bursaries offered by the CCAC are a vital resource for Caribbean students, many of whom face financial barriers to post-secondary education. These awards reflect the power of community-based support systems to uplift and empower the next generation of leaders and changemakers. Tiffanis win, and the Doyle brothers accomplishments, should serve as powerful motivation for other students from St. Vincent and the Grenadinesand the wider Caribbean regionto pursue their dreams, both at home and abroad. A roundup of the most newsworthy tech announcements from PR Newswire, including the merger of Compass and Anywhere, EchoStar and SpaceX's commercial agreement, and Casio's new smart companion, Moflin. NEW YORK, Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of press releases published each month, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help tech journalists and consumers stay on top of the month's most popular releases and newsworthy trends, here's a recap of some of the past month's most read- and engaged-with stories. The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download. PR Newswire Monthly Technology Press Release Roundup, September 2025. Photos provided by Segway Inc., Casio America, Inc. and Dyna Robotics. For more news like this, check out all of the latest technology-related releases from PR Newswire. Trending Topics Among the technology news that was distributed in January, the PR Newswire team was able spot several larger stories that highlight the trends shaping the industry. Back-to-School tech to help students and teachers: As students return to school to start the new academic year, artificial intelligence is no longer the theme of a movie but rather a very helpful tool for not only students but teachers and parents alike. Quizlet, Kahoot! and SchoolStatus were among the many companies that launched tools exploiting AI to make academic success and even excellence more attainable. Quizlet revamped its platform to add AI tools to personalize the learning experience. Kahoot!'s new AI study toolkit helps students "save time, overcome exam anxiety, stay motivated, and ace their exams with free offline study experiences." Meanwhile, SchoolStatus launched an early warning system that identifies students at risk of becoming chronically absent, enabling earlier intervention. If you wish to keep up to date with this trend, visit PR Newswire's Back-to-School newsfeed. As students return to school to start the new academic year, artificial intelligence is no longer the theme of a movie but rather a very helpful tool for not only students but teachers and parents alike. Quizlet, Kahoot! and SchoolStatus were among the many companies that launched tools exploiting AI to make academic success and even excellence more attainable. Quizlet revamped its platform to add AI tools to personalize the learning experience. Kahoot!'s new AI study toolkit helps students "save time, overcome exam anxiety, stay motivated, and ace their exams with free offline study experiences." Meanwhile, SchoolStatus launched an early warning system that identifies students at risk of becoming chronically absent, enabling earlier intervention. If you wish to keep up to date with this trend, visit PR Newswire's Back-to-School newsfeed. iPhone 17 smart accessories: After the launch of the much-anticipated iPhone 17, the accessory market flooded consumers with new products to protect and enhance their new device's looks and functionality. CASEKOO and ROKFORM launched case lineups that not only offer enhanced protection for the new iPhone, but also include functional features such as a 360 rotatable kickstand and MAGMAX magnets for exceptional mounting capabilities. Scosche also launched a series of chargers and mounts adapted for the iPhone 17, capable of delivering up to 25W fast charging. Do you have a technology press release to distribute? Sign up with PR Newswire to share your story with the audiences who matter most. Helping Journalists Stay Up to Date on Industry News These are just a few of the recent press releases that consumers and the media should know about. To be notified of releases relevant to their coverage area, journalists can set up a custom newsfeed with PR Newswire for Journalists. Once they're signed up, reporters, bloggers, and freelancers have access to the following free features: Customization: Users can create customized newsfeeds that will deliver relevant news right to their inbox. Newsfeed results can be targeted by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more. Users can create customized newsfeeds that will deliver relevant news right to their inbox. Newsfeed results can be targeted by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more. Photos and Videos: Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include in a journalist or blogger's next story. Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include in a journalist or blogger's next story. Subject Matter Experts: Journalists will have access to ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in their articles. Journalists will have access to ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in their articles. Related Resources: Our journalist- and blogger-focused blog, Beyond Bylines, features regular media news roundups, writing tips, upcoming events, and more. About PR Newswire PR Newswire is the industry's leading press release distribution partner with an unparalleled global reach of more than 440,000 newsrooms, websites, direct feeds, journalists and influencers and is available in more than 170 countries and 40 languages. From our award-winning Content Services offerings, integrated media newsroom and microsite products, Investor Relations suite of services, paid placement and social sharing tools, PR Newswire has a comprehensive catalog of solutions to solve the modern-day challenges PR and communications teams face. For 70 years, PR Newswire has been the preferred destination for brands to share their most important news stories across the world. For questions, contact the team at [email protected]. SOURCE PR Newswire PROUD MOMENT: Terrance David, left, and Dashawn Hamilton pose with their Hummingbird Medals (Bronze) after the presentation by President Christine Kangaloo last evening at the national awards at Queens Hall, Port of Spain. They were awarded for gallantry. :Photo: ISHMAEL SALANDY Tucsonan Logan Hollarsmith was captaining one of the Gaza-bound boats intercepted by Israeli forces Wednesday night, drawn to the cause by a drive to help others, his friends and family said. Hollarsmiths mother, Sidney Hollar, and friend, TC Tolbert, described Hollarsmith as a community builder deeply committed to people. A carpenter by trade, Hollarsmith uses his skills to assist the Tucson community, Tolbert said. He just moves through the world with so much generosity, Tolbert said. He also, in his free time will go around and literally contribute everywhere. On the reservation, for No More Deaths, for the Outlaw Project, referring to a local organization that tries to prevent border-crossers from dying in Arizonas deserts and another that helps secure housing for trans women of color. Above all, they said he is humble, and not one for the limelight. He wants the story to be about the starving of the people in Gaza, his mother said. Hollarsmith and the other activists with the Global Sumud Flotilla were overtaken in international waters while attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, including baby formula, food and medical supplies. Only one boat appears to have crossed the 12-nautical-mile line marking territorial waters off Gaza, according to reporting by the Associated Press. The flotilla of 40 boats, carrying around 500 activists, was the latest attempt to establish a humanitarian corridor to facilitate the flow of aid into Gaza. Their goal was to break the siege and open up a corridor so that the rest of the world can come in and bring food and medical equipment and medicine and everything else to the people that are starving in Gaza, said Hollar, Hollarsmiths mother. He didnt say this, but I think it had to be a goal to provide education to the world. Because now the world is watching. In mid-August, when applications opened for positions on the Global Sumud Flotilla, Hollarsmith, who is an accomplished international sailor, was quick to apply. One of the things that I remember weve talked about many times is the power of individuals to come together and do what governments should be doing, Tolbert said. I know that that was really powerful to him. Al Jazeera reported that out of 26,000 applications, Hollarsmith was chosen to embark on the humanitarian mission. The fleet set sail in late August. As the flotilla boats neared Gaza on Wednesday afternoon, the Israeli navy warned them to turn back. When the boats continued on, the military personnel stormed the vessels and seized activists, including Greta Thunberg, Nelson Mandelas grandson and several European lawmakers, according to the Associated Press. The Israeli action has sparked condemnation from world leaders and human rights groups who say Israel violated international maritime law. The U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea stipulates that a nations territory does not extend beyond 12 nautical miles from its shores, though authorities may exercise control up to 24 nautical miles from land to prevent violation of customs, immigration, fiscal or sanitary laws, the AP reported. Robbie Sabel, an international law expert and former legal adviser to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, told the Associated Press that states generally dont have the right to seize ships in international waters, though there are exceptions, including during armed conflict. Israel said it was enforcing a legal naval blockade of Gaza and characterized the Global Sumud Flotilla as a provocation. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commended the military for stopping the boats from entering a war zone, according to media reports. The Associated Press reported that Israeli and European government officials had offered alternatives for the flotilla to transfer its aid to the Palestinian territory, which the activists rejected, citing Israels tight control over all aid entering Gaza. The activists maintain that their non-violent, civilian mission is lawful. Hollar said her son and the other flotilla activists are being detained in Ashdod, Israel, and she said its likely theyll be put in prison until potentially Oct. 7, after which she expects most will be voluntarily deported. Theyve been detained, but you know what, I would like to say they have been illegally arrested and kidnapped. They were in international waters. They were delivering humanitarian aid, said Hollar, who is a criminal defense lawyer. They had a completely legal reason to be there. What Israel has done is just unfathomable, right? And the videos are shocking of them boarding these boats, and (the activists) are non-violent. They had practiced since Day One what to do if they were intercepted. The videos show them all with their hands up. Theyre not making any furtive movements, theyre following directions, its peaceful. Hollarsmiths family and friends are encouraging the public to contact their congressional representatives and the U.S. Embassies in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Ive been encouraging people to call them, Hollar said. To have their representatives and their senators pressure the State Department to pressure Israel to release them. Now. Despite her concern, Hollar said she is proud of her son and his effort to make a difference for a cause he cares about. Im just really proud of him, she said. I think hes a good example of how to be. MILAN, Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Sigenergy hosted nearly 200 energy professionals from across Southern Europe for a high-level dialogue on the region's clean-energy transition, and at the same time unveiled its latest innovations including a hybrid inverter, micro inverter, and expanded energy gateway developed to address the growing energy needs of Southern Europe. The event brought together industry experts, media insiders, and technical specialists to share strategies for accelerating the shift to renewable power and advanced energy storage. Sigenergy new product official launch for Southern Europe Trends and Opportunities in Southern Europe's Energy Market The conference featured presentations and discussions on regional solar-market growth, regulatory frameworks, and incentive programs. Renowned Italian renewable-energy and energy-management expert Erica Bianconi shared an overview of the latest Italian policies and incentives, highlighting opportunities in solar and storage deployment. Additional perspectives came from Davide Bartesaghi of SolareB2B and Javier Lazaro of Spain's renewable-energy association APPA, who highlighted market trends and grid-regulation developments across Southern Europe. Bringing practical EPC experience to the discussion, three leading installers shared first-hand feedback from recent solar and storage projects. They emphasized how Sigenergy's modular design streamlines installation, simplifies on-site assembly, and reduces labor and overall project costs. The lightweight, stackable units also make transportation and handling easier, providing a highly efficient and practical solution that fits seamlessly into EPC workflows and project schedules. Products and Innovations in Sigenergy's Portfolio Roy Zhang, Head of Global Sales and Solution at Sigenergy. "We are committed to increasing our investment in the region and leveraging our innovative product portfolio to accelerate the local energy transition. By bringing together advanced technology and practical solutions, we aim to empower homes, businesses, and communities across Southern Europe with cleaner, more reliable power." Building on this commitment, Sigenergy showcased its full portfolio of residential and commercial-industrial (C&I) solutions, designed to support the region's ambitious renewable-energy targets with advanced, future-proof technology. SigenStor: A 5-in-1 energy-storage system integrating a solar (hybrid) inverter, EV DC charger, battery PCS, battery pack, and EMS into a single modular, scalable device for both residential and C&I applications. SigenStack: A modular commercial and industrial (C&I) storage solution with Sigenergy's proprietary EMS and BMS. Its hybrid inverters include integrated backup load ports and built-in energy gateways, enabling up to three units to operate in parallel without additional hardware, making it ideal for micro-grid deployments and mission-critical sites. Sigen Hybrid Inverter: Second-generation residential hybrid inverter with industry-leading 99% efficiency (three-phase), 200% peak off-grid output, a fan-less 99 mm design, and quiet operation below 25 dB. IP66-rated for reliable performance from 30 C to 60 C. SigenMicro Inverter: Combines patented DAB topology, the industry's first built-in EMS, and an IP67 rating. Its WLAN Mesh architecture extends communication coverage by 1,600% and enables self-healing within 150 ms for rapid, reliable installation and commissioning. Energy Gateway: Expanding on the existing C600 and C1200 models, the new Sigen Gateway C1600, C2000, and C2400 deliver higher power capacity and seamless on- and off-grid switching, ideal for large micro-grid applications. mySigen App: A smart energy-management platform giving homeowners and installers real-time control and visibility over energy generation and consumption. Powered by AI, it provides personalized optimization, improves system performance, maximizes ROI, and delivers an intuitive user experience. The application is now updated to version 3.2. The conference highlighted Southern Europe's accelerating clean-energy momentum and the impact of strong collaboration. With local insights guiding its innovations, Sigenergy is ready to deliver practical solutions that meet the region's evolving energy needs. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2788298/Official_Launch.jpg Tune in weekly for conversations with notable experts exploring issues and ideas that influence the life sciences across the U.S. BOSTON, Oct. 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The STAT First Opinion Podcast returns with a new season. From social media to the exam room to research ethics, this season of the First Opinion Podcast brings together renowned contributors and newsmakers reimagining the rules of medicine. The first episode , featuring science influencer Morgan McSweeney, aka Doctor Noc, was released on Wednesday, Oct. 1. STAT debuts new season of First Opinion podcast featuring conversations with notable experts on life sciences. Post this STAT First Opinion Podcast A Weekly Podcast Following The Most Interesting People and Ideas in Medicine STAT First Opinion Podcast New Episode Morgan McSweeney "Our First Opinion platform has become the most sought-after forum for persuasive and personal essays, ranging from patients to global health leaders to members of Congress,'' said Rick Berke, STAT's co-founder and executive editor. "Through the the provocative First Opinion Podcast, we bring those voices to life.'' This season, the podcast will feature exclusive conversations with esteemed guests including: Scientist and social media influencer Morgan McSweeney on how he approaches "edutainment" and delivers facts to his 4 million followers on how he approaches "edutainment" and delivers facts to his 4 million followers Oncologist Samyukta Mullangi and Joy Lisi Rankin explore what it means when cancer patients decline treatment and how providers can support their choices explore what it means when cancer patients decline treatment and how providers can support their choices Professor Jill Fisher and nonprofit director Jake Eberts discuss how research participants should be paid more and Jake's experience as a participant that willingly contracted dysentery for science. "On the First Opinion Podcast, the people who shape medicine in ways big and small share what they really think with an audience ranging from biotech executives to health care providers to patients and caretakers," said Torie Bosch, STAT's First Opinion editor. "I get to serve as the listener's voice, trying to get to the nuances of ideas that are often flattened into a simple pro or con, left or right, good or bad. In a moment of polarization, I think conversation is one of the best tools we have." Subscribe to the " First Opinion Podcast," available weekly on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , and all other major podcast platforms. Sign up for the "First Opinion" newsletter , delivered every Sunday, which features first-person essays from patients, biotech executives, social media influencers, and more. Contact: Carla Kath, Director of Communications, [email protected] About STAT: Founded in 2015, STAT is a digital media company that focuses on delivering fast, deep, and tough-minded journalism about the life sciences to over 8 million monthly site visitors and an additional 20 million readers on the Apple News app. STAT takes you inside academic labs, biotech boardrooms, and political backrooms, casting a critical eye on scientific discoveries, scrutinizing corporate strategies, and chronicling the roiling battles for talent, money, and market share. With an award-winning newsroom, STAT provides indispensable insights and exclusive stories on the technologies, personalities, power brokers, and political forces driving massive changes in the life sciences industry and a revolution in human health. STAT has twice been named a Pulitzer Prize finalist and has won a number of prestigious journalism prizes , including the George Polk Awards, Victor Cohn Prize for Excellence in Medical Science Reporting, Edward R. Murrow Awards, and SABEW "Best in Business" Awards. STAT's main newsroom is located in Boston, and it also has reporters in Washington, D.C., New York City, London, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Chicago, and Minneapolis. About Boston Globe Media: Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC is a locally owned, award-winning media company serving Boston and New England for over 153 years. Its cornerstone is The Boston Globe, a 27-time Pulitzer Prize-winning news source and one of the most successful metro news organizations in the United States. The Globe is headquartered in Boston with regional bureaus in Washington, D.C., Rhode Island, and New Hampshire. The Globe has been successfully growing its direct subscriber base, today boasting the highest total number of subscribers the organization has had since 2008. The Globe hosts events that connect community members to its journalism and provides a range of digital and home-delivered advertising solutions that reach more consumers than any other New England media brand. Boston Globe Media's portfolio includes The Boston Globe, Globe Opinion, Boston.com, STAT, The B-Side, Globe Publishing Services, Globe Events, Studio/B, and Boston magazine. SOURCE STAT HA NOI Asia Commercial Joint Stock Bank (ACB) has officially announced that it will resume its gold bullion trading activities starting October 10. The bank will become the first in Viet Nam to issue its own branded gold bullion, in addition to trading the State-issued SJC gold. This decision comes as other banks are reportedly preparing to reenter the bullion market. According to the official announcement, ACB has released terms and conditions for gold bullion transactions, which will take effect on October 10. Trading will be conducted at select designated branches. Products available for trading include ACB-branded gold bullion, SJC gold bars and other gold types as stipulated by the bank. Payments must be made in Vietnamese ong via accounts held at ACB. Payment and gold delivery will occur on the same day or within a maximum of two business days. The bank noted that individual customers must present valid personal identification, while institutional buyers are required to have a gold bullion trading licence issued by the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV). Buyers may request invoices from the bank, and must also issue invoices when selling gold back to ACB. The bank reserves the right to inspect the quality of gold and charge fees related to packaging and processing. The price listings published on its website and the ACB One mobile app are for reference only. Official prices will be applied at the transaction counter at the time of sale or purchase. ACBs return to the gold market comes at a time when significant policy changes are reshaping the industry. At a recent meeting with the SBV, a representative from Vietnam Technological and Commercial Joint Stock Bank (Techcombank) also shared the banks plans to reenter this market. Techcombanks plan includes seeking international partners for gold importation, exploring the production of its own branded gold bullion and preparing the necessary infrastructure such as personnel, storage facilities and distribution systems. In addition to traditional in-branch transactions, the bank also aims to develop a digital platform to enable customers to buy and sell gold online. VNS HA NOI The Vietnamese stock market came under pressure this week as investors grew cautious ahead of the FTSE Russell reclassification, with persistent foreign capital outflows weighing on sentiment. During the final trading session of the week, the VN-Index faced downward pressure amid low liquidity, closing down nearly 7 points, or 0.42 per cent, at 1,645.82 points. Despite the modest decline, the number of stocks that fell was nearly three times greater than those that rose. Liquidity, however, edged up slightly from the previous session to nearly VN24.6 trillion (US$930.8 million). The VN30-Index also slipped 0.29 points, or 0.02 per cent, to 1,859.51 points. Within the VN30 basket, 19 stocks finished lower, ten advanced and one remained unchanged. Losses on the VN-Index were partly offset by strong gains from the Vingroup group, with Vingroup (VIC) up 3.2 per cent, Vinhomes (VHM) up 1.4 per cent and Vincom Retail (VRE) up 3.1 per cent. Together, they contributed close to 8 points to the index. Elsewhere, widespread selling pressure hit most sectors including banking, securities, real estate, public investment and consumer goods, leading to significant losses. Among the top five stocks dragging on the market, four were banks and one was steel producer Hoa Phat Group (HPG), whose shares fell 1.6 per cent. A handful of other stocks managed to post gains. Navico (ANV) hit its ceiling price, while LPBank (LPB) rose 1.74 per cent, Coteccons (CTD) 1.1 per cent, FPT Corporation (FPT) 1.41 per cent, Vinh Hoan Corporation (VHC) 2.04 per cent and FPT Securities (FTS) 1.16 per cent. On the Hanoi Stock Exchange, the HNX-Index dropped 3.8 points, or 1.41 per cent, to 265.75 points. Foreign investors extended their selling streak, with net outflows topping VN1.2 trillion on the HoSE and more than VN85.9 billion on the HNX. Next week, the market is set to receive the FTSE Russell reclassification results. The VN-Index has already come under adjustment pressure in the past two weeks as investors wait for clarity on this key development. BIZHUB/VNS HCM CITY Cuba is calling for more Vietnamese investment in agriculture and technology, according to a meeting held between the Cuban National Assembly delegation and HCM City businesses on October 3. Cuban National Assembly President Esteban Lazo Hernandez said that the Cuban economy is facing challenges after a period of embargo, so the country has issued several investment attraction initiatives outside of its current legal framework. This will create favourable conditions for Vietnamese businesses to invest and implement socio-economic development projects in Cuba until 2030. The goal is to help Cuba overcome this difficult period, especially in the fields of finance, capital and foreign currency liquidity. The Cuban Government is focusing on helping local Vietnamese businesses in resolving bottlenecks, especially in finance and speeding up administrative procedures, he said. Currently a trial model for rice production is being carried out in Cuba, spanning over 1,000ha, with an output of 7.3 tonnes per ha, and using Vietnamese rice seeds, equipment and farming techniques. Cuba wants to expand this model to improve the countrys rice production and ensure national food security, he said, adding that Cuba can grant free agricultural land use right, and there are plenty of land available for Vietnamese businesses. The country is also keen on developing farming for fruit trees, crops for animal feed, and fertiliser production. Doing business in Cuba is also an opportunity to export to Caribbean and Latin American countries. He said that there are other venues of co-operation and investment, including pharmacy, bio-tech, healthcare, construction and digital transformation, and Cuba is also creating favourable conditions for firms to invest in real estate and building a suitable exchange rate mechanism to support business operations. The country wants to learn from Viet Nam in developing solar energy for households. Nguyen Van Dung, deputy chairman of HCM City, said that Viet Nam and Cuba, while far in terms of distance, have always been close friends with 65 years of loyal friendship. Cuba is a market with high potentials in healthcare, bio-tech, agriculture, consumer goods and tourism. With its strategic location in the Caribbean region, Cuba can become a gateway for Vietnamese goods to access the Latin American market. Dung said that while Cuba has made great efforts in improving its investment climate and issuing favourable policies, there are still challenges in terms of legal procedures, infrastructures, and global geo-political factors. Two countries trade promotion agencies are greatly important in connecting and supporting businesses, and ensuring that investment projects are implemented smoothly. HCM City is always ready to act as a bridge so that businesses from both sides can access information, exchange experiences, seek opportunities and gradually realise investment cooperation plans, Dung said, adding that the two countries bi-lateral trade co-operation will see strong growths in the coming time. Tran Thanh Tu, board chairman of the Thai Binh Investment Trading Corporation, which has invested in Cuba for nearly 30 years, said that Cuba is making strong reforms in terms of mechanisms and preferential policies, creating favourable conditions for investors from Viet Nam. Vietnamese companies can take advantage of this to invest in Cuba, creating a stepping stone to further penetrate the South American market, which still has much room for development. This meeting is part of a visit of top Cuban officials to Viet Nam from September 30 to October 5. VNS HA NOI The Ministry of Industry and Trade has proposed a credit rating system for rice exporters to be introduced as a key criterion for selecting companies to participate in government-to-government contracting and for export quota allocation. The proposal, outlined in a draft decree on rice export business to replace Government Decree 107/2018 and Decree 01/2025, marks the first time such a credit rating mechanism has been suggested. Exporters would be rated on a 100-point scale covering factors like credit ranking, tax compliance, customs record, supply chain partnership with farmers, brand development, export performance, inventory, and reporting. Logistics capacity, workplace safety, fire protection, disaster preparedness, and warehouse standards would also be taken into account under the proposal. Ratings would be classified into five categories, from 'very high' (80-100 points) to 'very low' (0-19 points). The Ministry of Industry and Trade will establish a council to access and publish the creditworthiness of rice exporters. These ratings would serve as a basis for allocating contracts and quotas, replacing the current system of even allocation. Ratings would help enhance prestige of rice exporters, improve competitive advantages and consolidate brands of Vietnamese rice in the international market, the ministry said. However, a trader warned that the system could favour large exporters with advanced logistics and management, leaving smaller and newer players at a disadvantage. An independent supervision mechanism to ensure fairness in evaluation will likely be needed. The draft also proposes opening up rice exports to foreign-invested enterprises, providing that they meet prerequisites and obtain licences. VNS HA NOI The Ministry of Justice on October 3 convened a pivotal seminar on developing a comprehensive legal framework for Viet Nams planned International Financial Centres (IFCs), a key step in the Governments drive to establish a Nang and HCM City as hubs for global finance and investment. The seminar brought together legal experts, economists, government officials, researchers, and representatives from the two cities designated to host the centres. Their task was to review and refine the draft decree detailing implementation of Resolution No. 222/2025/QH15, recently adopted by the National Assembly. The resolution sets out the foundation for the creation, operation and management of Viet Nams IFCs, signalling the countrys intention to integrate more deeply into global financial networks. Deputy Minister of Justice Nguyen Thanh Tinh opened the seminar, stressing that the establishment and effective operation of these financial centres constitute a major policy priority endorsed by both the Party and the State. While Resolution No. 222 provides the overarching legal framework, the government-issued decrees will be critical in translating vision into workable policies and operational guidelines. At present, the Ministry of Justice is overseeing the review and appraisal of eight draft decrees connected to the IFCs. Five have already been appraised, with two submitted by relevant ministries for government approval, while others remain under development. The seminar offered a vital platform for exchanging expertise, sharing perspectives and addressing potential challenges to ensure the decrees are practical and effective. Deputy Minister Tinh expressed hope that expert contributions would help build a legal framework both suitable and feasible, enabling Viet Nams IFCs to compete with established financial hubs in Asia and beyond. He also emphasised the need for a Nang and HCM City to move quickly in drafting their own operating regulations, ensuring alignment with international best practices. Without clear rules, he warned, even the strongest decrees risk becoming difficult to implement effectively. A key topic at the seminar was clarifying the roles and responsibilities of the agencies tasked with managing and supervising the IFCs. Deputy Director of the Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of Finance ao Thanh Huong outlined the ministrys responsibility in drafting two vital decrees: one establishing the Viet Nam International Financial Centre and another detailing the financial policies to be applied within it. As the IFCs will be located in a Nang and HCM City, the Ministry of Finance is working closely with local governments. The draft decree proposes that each city will have its own executive and supervisory agency. This decentralised approach is intended to give the two cities autonomy and flexibility in managing their respective IFCs, while the central government retains oversight to prevent unhealthy competition or duplication of efforts. Huong explained that having two agencies in each city would allow smoother management of continuous and complex financial activities, while specialised supervision would be handled by other central agencies with specific mandates. This structure is designed to balance local initiative with national coordination. Director of the Institute for Legal Strategy and Science under the Ministry of Justice Nguyen Van Cuong highlighted the critical role an IFC plays in a countrys financial ecosystem. Typically located in a city or designated special zone, an IFC is a nexus for global financial services including banking, insurance, capital markets, fund management, fintech, digital assets, and international commercial arbitration. Cuong stressed that an IFCs success depends on the presence of a transparent, stable, and investor-friendly legal framework that inspires confidence among global businesses. This framework must establish fair competition, reliable dispute resolution mechanisms and flexibility to adapt quickly to emerging technologies such as fintech, artificial intelligence, and digital currencies. Moreover, it should align with international standards and bodies such as FATF, IOSCO, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, and IAIS. To achieve this, Cuong recommended that Viet Nams IFC legal framework incorporate some degree of operational independence from the broader national legal system. Many successful IFCs worldwide maintain a dedicated judicial body or court known for high integrity and specialised expertise in financial law. Simplifying administrative procedures and creating a one-stop management agency were also identified as best practices to reduce compliance costs and improve efficiency. Additionally, attracting international financial, technological, and legal talent will require favourable policies on taxation, immigration, and visas. Cuong warned that Viet Nam must avoid any perception of becoming a 'tax haven' by linking tax incentives transparently and ensuring compliance with global standards. He emphasised the importance of building a 'legal trust brand' for Viet Nams IFCs, as reputation and institutional capacity often weigh more heavily than tax breaks in attracting high-calibre international players. One challenge discussed at the seminar was how to handle conflicts that are likely to arise between the laws governing the IFC and Viet Nams domestic regulations. Finding a balance to ensure IFC-specific laws do not contradict or undermine national policies is critical. Moreover, the IFC framework needs to integrate modern solutions such as electronic courts and streamlined administrative procedures to enhance transparency and speed. Viet Nams lawmakers are working towards establishing a comprehensive foundational law that will act as the legal bedrock for IFCs. This law, combined with detailed operational decrees and regulations, will form a holistic governance system designed to ensure long-term success. VNS SEOUL Viet Nam is joining other ASEAN member states in the Namdo International Culinary Expo (NICE) 2025, which is being held in Mokpo, South Jeolla province of the Republic of Korea (RoK) from October 1 to 26. It marks the first time that the RoK has hosted a government-approved international culinary exhibition. With the main theme Nature's Dining Table, Namdo: The Future of Sustainable Culinary Industry, and a slogan Where Nature Meets Flavour, Where Ocean Greets Taste, NICE 2025 not only showcases the culinary essence of the Namdo region, renowned for its local ingredients and centuries-old fermentation techniques, but also aims to integrate modern technology, consumer trends, and sustainable production. The organisers also expect the expo to serve as a platform connecting the global culinary industry, contributing to enhancing the competitiveness of Korean cuisine (K-Food) on the international stage. The participation of ASEAN countries from October 1 to 5 not only enriches the diverse culinary and cultural landscape but also opens opportunities for cooperation, exchange of experience, and market development between the region and the RoK. Traditional Vietnamese dishes presented at the event are expected to attract significant interest from the Korean public and international friends. VNA/VNS HA NOI An exhibition featuring love and passion for the graphic arts depicted in dozens of outstanding works by generations of lecturers at the Viet Nam University of Fine Arts (VNUFA) has opened in the centre of Ha Noi. The exhibition, themed Thang 10 (October), is being held by the VNUFA's Faculty of Graphics as a special event to celebrate the 100th founding anniversary of the university, which was formerly known as the Indochina School of Fine Arts. About 60 works, including prints, graphic paintings and designs, are on display at the exhibit, serving as an inspiration for students to continue promoting the value of Vietnamese graphic arts. Deputy Head of the Faculty of Graphics Ho Trong Minh said: "Graphic language is built from dots, strokes and blocks, of which the most important is strokes. Graphic design language is also based on these three elements, with the addition of a special element of typography." "The name of the exhibition, October, both reminds us of the basic symbols of graphic arts and relates to the binary language of the digital age," Minh added. Meanwhile, lecturer Trinh Ngoc Le said that the event aims to pay tribute to generations of lecturers, at the same time introducing to the public and students the creative process and dedication of artists and teachers. "This is also an opportunity for students to access the works of their teachers directly, thereby having a clearer picture of their careers and future creative orientations," Le said. "The exhibited works were created using a variety of materials, including woodcuts, lithographs, zinc prints and modern and hand-drawn models. This combination clearly demonstrates the spirit of modern graphics: it preserves traditional values and adapts to new creative trends." inh Trung Kien, a student at the university's Graphics Faculty, said the exhibition was a meaningful activity as the school prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary. "This is not only an opportunity to promote the graphics industry, but also helps students learn and practise skills in composition, image arrangement and colour use," Kien said. Visitors to the exhibition expressed their appreciation for the harmonious combination of traditional materials and modern breadth in the displayed works. Nguyen Mai Anh from Ha Noi said that each work has its own creative mark, and is still connected to the "general flow of Vietnamese graphic arts". According to Mai Anh, the exhibition will help the public better understand the role of graphics in life, and also brings new opportunities to access historical documents as well as contemporary spirit. Since the establishment of the Indochina School of Fine Arts in 1925, graphics have been included in the training programme through the subject of Decorative Arts and the practice of creating and researching woodcut prints. The first graphic prints from the school were also the first modern works of Vietnamese fine art to be introduced in France, an important milestone confirming the position and pride of the Vietnamese graphic industry. In the early period after the August Revolution, graphic artists made a significant contribution to the country's cultural and political life through various creative forms, including paintings, posters, prints and applied graphic products such as stamps and banknotes. After the restoration of peace, graphic arts continued to be maintained and developed in the school's curriculum. From the 1964 research on woodblock prints to the establishment of the graphic printing workshop in 1974 and the official founding of the Graphic Arts Faculty in 1977, this field has experienced steady growth. Currently, the VNUFA offers graphic arts training programmes in two majors: printmaking graphics and graphic design. Both programmes attract a large number of students. The exhibition October not only aims to express gratitude and honour a century of tradition in Vietnamese fine arts, but also confirms the enduring vitality and creative adaptability of graphic art in its preservation and development. The event is open until October 10 at the VNUFA at 42 Yet Kieu Street, Ha Noi. VNS HCM City President of the National Assembly of Peoples Power and President of the Council of State of Cuba Esteban Lazo Hernandez had working sessions with the Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organisations (HUFO) and Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education (HCMUTE) on October 3 as part of his ongoing official trip to Viet Nam. Welcoming the Cuban leader, Nguyen Van Loi, head of the city's delegation of National Assembly deputies, recalled 65 years of Viet NamCuba relations, affirming Lazo Hernandez visit as a vivid testament to the special bond nurtured by President Ho Chi Minh and Cuban leader Fidel Castro. He said that the city treasures the unwavering support Cuba gave Viet Nam during its struggle for independence and national construction. The immortal words of Fidel Castro For Viet Nam, Cuba is willing to shed its blood remain etched in the hearts of million Vietnamese people, he underscored, stating the enduring friendship has been forged through hardships, sacrifices, and loyalty. For his part, the top Cuban legislator praised the achievements that Viet Nam has obtained over the recent past, with HCM City emerging as the nations economic powerhouse. Briefing on Cubas formidable challenges due to embargo, he acknowledged Viet Nams nationwide campaign that raised over 14 million US dollars to support the country. The funds, he said, helped the Caribbean nation settle one of its most critical needs, which is to provide solar energy for schools and remote areas. The sunshine without border programme has deepened the bilateral ties while strengthening connections between HCM City and Cuban localities, he added. Earlier, the Cuban leader visited the HCMUTE, where they explored advanced training in sciencetechnology, and smart agriculture. He lauded the universitys strengths in renewable energy, hydrogen, telecommunications, digital infrastructure, and interdisciplinary research in AI, IoT, automation, robotics, and food technology. Chairwoman of the University Council Truong Thi Hien said the university stands ready to establish and promote bilateral training programmes in the domains of mutual interest. She proposed cooperation in student and lecturer exchanges, short training courses, research, technology transfer, and organisation of international forums. She also expressed her hope to receive support from Cuban universities, research institutes, and experts in developing medical technology, leveraging Cuba's strengths in healthcare, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and community health systems. VNS WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Luxury Hotel Association (ILHA) will soon welcome luxury hospitality leaders from across Europe and beyond to INSPIRE Europe, November 1213 at the Congress Centre of the Czech National Bank in Prague. This 15th edition of INSPIRE will feature 60+ speakers and 300+ attendees, delivering two days of insights, networking, and solutions for the year ahead. Spotlight on Key Sessions ILHA INSPIRE Conference Among the highlights in Prague: Third-Party Hotel Management: Investment, Agility, and Growth Xavier Grange , Chief Development Officer, Sofitel, MGallery, Emblems Global & Luxe Europe Ina Plunien , Vice President, Cedar Capital Partners Nicolas Horky , Partner, Head of Hotel Transactions CEE & SEE, Cushman & Wakefield David Anderson , President, Aimbridge EMEA Moderator: Alexandra Dumoulin , Director, HVS For Goodness Sake. Relax! Richard Hyde , Chief Operating Officer, Small Luxury Hotels of the World In-Depth Interview with Tom Rowntree VP Global Luxury Brands Six Senses, Regent, InterContinental, and Vignette Collection, IHG Exploring the evolution of luxury brand storytelling and guest experience. Sponsors Driving Innovation INSPIRE is made possible by the support of leading partners who bring expertise and thought leadership to the stage. Ecolab will lead a panel on Sustainability in Luxury Hospitality . will lead a panel on . Avendra International will present Resilient Luxury: Reinventing Procurement Strategy for Uncertain Times . will present . WorldHotels will join the conversation with Building Iconic Luxury Brands in the Digital Age: Strategies for the Next Generation of Luxury Hospitality. Additional sponsors across both conferences include Honeywell, Encore, WorldVue, ADA Cosmetics, Nutrafi, Matrix, Berkshire Hospitality, and many more . A Global Platform for Luxury Hospitality INSPIRE Europe in Prague sets the stage for ILHA's 16th Annual INSPIRE USA Conference, held December 1011 at Resorts World Las Vegas with 1,000+ attendees and 100+ speakers. Together, the two forums create the most influential B2B gathering for hoteliers, asset managers, investors, and developers worldwide. Register Today Tier three is almost sold out! Prague (Nov 1213, 2025) : inspire.ilha.org/eu : Las Vegas (Dec 1011, 2025): inspire.ilha.org/us About the International Luxury Hotel Association (ILHA) The ILHA is the leading trade association in the luxury hospitality industry, uniting hoteliers, travel professionals, and industry partners across the globe. With a community of over one million professionals worldwide, ILHA advances growth, best practices, and innovation in luxury hospitality. SOURCE International Luxury Hotel Association HA NOI President Luong Cuong on Friday received the Ambassadors of Finland and Canada and the non-resident Ambassadors of Jamaica, Tunisia, Slovenia, and Tajikistan to Viet Nam who came to present their letters of credentials. Welcoming Finnish Ambassador Pekka Voutilainen, President Cuong expressed his belief that, with his experience, the diplomat will prepare for upcoming high-level exchanges between the two countries leaders, and promote the upgrading of bilateral relations to a new height for the benefit of the two countries' people. He hoped the ambassador would contribute to peace and development in the two regions and the world. The President emphasised that over more than fifty years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the bilateral friendship and cooperation have achieved numerous positive results, but remain modest compared to the potential and strengths of each side. Therefore, he requested Voutilainen to promote cooperation in areas of mutual interest and strength, such as science and technology, digital transformation, and circular economy, during his tenure. The State leader also took this occasion to thank the Finnish Government for creating favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community in Finland and expressed his hope that it will continue to support them in their livelihood, studies, and contributions to the host country, and in serving as a bridge to strengthen the friendship between the two nations. For his part, Voutilainen affirmed that he will make every effort during his tenure to further deepen the bilateral relations, especially by promoting collaboration in areas where the two sides have strengths and shared interests. The ambassador expressed his desire for the two countries to continue fostering cooperation in clean energy, information technology, and artificial intelligence. He also emphasised the importance of organising more high-level visits to strengthen and deepen the bilateral relationship effectively. Receiving Canadian Ambassador James Nickel, President Cuong congratulated him on the new post and expressed his confidence that the diplomat would have a successful tenure, elevating the bilateral relations to new heights for the benefit of the two countries' people. He affirmed that Viet Nam always treasures and seeks to further deepen its Comprehensive Partnership with Canada with mutual benefit, in a concrete, substantive, positive, and effective manner, thereby contributing to maintaining peace, stability, and development in the regions and the world. Expressing his pleasure to take up his mission in Viet Nam, Nickel stated that Canada always regards Viet Nam as an important partner in the region. On behalf of the Canadian Government and people, he extended condolences over human and material losses Viet Nam has suffered during the recent storms. Affirming that Canada shares Viet Nams commitment to maintaining peace, friendship, and cooperation for development, he showed his wish for the two sides to strengthen cooperation in defence and security, peace initiatives, as well as in the fields of economy, trade, investment, science and technology, and digital transformation. President Cuong appreciated and agreed with the diplomats views on future directions for cooperation, stressing that the two sides should increase exchanges and meetings, particularly at the high level, to foster collaboration in areas of mutual strength for the benefit of their people. He thanked the Canadian Government for facilitating the Vietnamese community in Canada to live, study, and work there, and expressed his hope that Canada will continue to support the community so they can make positive contributions to the host country and serve as an effective bridge in enhancing the bilateral relations. Affirming the great potential of bilateral cooperation, particularly in economy, trade, and investment, the President noted that, based on the needs and strengths of each side, he hoped the ambassador during his tenure will help connect and promote bilateral trade commensurate with the potential and advantages of both countries; and foster stronger collaboration in science and technology, defence and security, education and training, digital transformation, and AI. Noting that Canada is currently the only G7 country that has yet to establish a Strategic Partnership with Viet Nam, President Cuong proposed the two sides continue to expand the framework of the Comprehensive Partnership, deepen the bilateral relations, and work towards elevating the partnership in the near future. In the context of todays complex global developments, and building on mutual political trust, he suggested the two countries strengthen cooperation and support each other at regional and international forums, with respect for multilateralism and international law. He also called on Canada, with its role and position, to continue voicing support for Viet Nams and ASEANs stance on the East Sea, in line with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The State leader affirmed that Viet Nam stands ready to serve as a bridge for Canada to intensify collaboration and investment in the Southeast Asian market and expressed his hope that during his tenure, the diplomat will work closely with relevant agencies to advance both bilateral and multilateral cooperation, for the benefit of the Vietnamese and Canadian people, the two regions, and the world. In the afternoon of the same day, the President received the letters of credentials from the non-resident Ambassadors of Jamaica, Tunisia, Slovenia, and Tajikistan. He affirmed that with its geostrategic location at the heart of ASEAN, situated along vital maritime trade routes linking the Pacific Ocean with the Indian Ocean, and particularly thanks to its peaceful and stable environment, Viet Nam has become an attractive destination for foreign investors and an important link in regional and global production chains. Underscoring that Viet Nam consistently pursues its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, and diversification and multilateralisation of relations, and being a friend, a reliable partner, and an active, responsible member of the international community, the President stressed that Viet Nam always treasures and wants to develop good friendship with countries in Europe, Central Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. President Cuong said he hopes that in the coming time, the ambassadors will work closely with Viet Nam to promote all-level exchanges, particularly high-level visits. He hoped for enhanced information sharing to seek cooperation opportunities and create new driving forces for the development of relations, and strengthen economic cooperation in potential areas, particularly in key sectors that can complement one another. For its part, Viet Nam is always ready to listen to the views and proposals of the ambassadors and will create favourable conditions for them to fulfil their missions, the State leader affirmed. VNS HA NOI Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung on October 3 held phone talks with Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow their first discussion following the latters appointment on September 19. Thanking Trung for his letter of congratulations, Sihasak affirmed that Viet Nam is an important partner of Thailand in the region, and agreed to continue strengthening close cooperation between the two ministries, thereby further promoting the Viet NamThailand Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Trung once again congratulated Sihasak on his new position, and expressed his delight at witnessing the increasingly profound and substantive development of the bilateral relations, based on mutual respect, trust, and benefit. He proposed the two sides continue working together to implement the concrete and important outcomes of the 4th Viet NamThailand Joint Cabinet Meeting, focusing on the early formulation of an action programme to realise the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for the 20262030 period. They agreed to work closely to arrange and make thorough preparations for all-level visits and contacts in the coming time, particularly activities at the ASEAN Summit and the MekongLancang Cooperation Summit scheduled to take place at the end of 2025. Noting that economic cooperation remains an important pillar of the bilateral relations, they agreed to further strengthen economic collaboration with a view to soon achieving the target of USD25 billion in two-way trade in a more balanced manner. The two officials also agreed to establish a Joint Working Group to effectively and substantively implement the Three Connectivity Strategy, which includes connecting supply chains, especially in supporting industries; connecting economic sectors, enterprises, and localities of both countries; and connecting the two countries sustainable growth strategies. Both sides also emphasised the importance of prioritising cooperation in new areas such as digital transformation, e-government, green economy, and just energy transition, as well as building an innovation ecosystem and connecting startup networks. The two sides expressed support for enhancing bilateral political and security cooperation, and agreed to work together in combating transnational crimes. They reaffirmed their commitment not to allow any individual or organisation to use each nations territory to act against the other. The Thai minister welcomed Viet Nams efforts in combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, while pledging to strengthen coordination with the country in joint exploitation activities and marine environment protection. On regional and international cooperation, both sides affirmed their continued close coordination at multilateral and regional mechanisms; and committed to, together with other ASEAN members, consolidating the bloc's solidarity and unity, and promoting its centrality, as well as stepping up sub-regional development cooperation. On this occasion, Trung invited Sihasak to visit Viet Nam and co-chair the 6th meeting of the Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation at a mutually convenient time. The latter confirmed that he will arrange to visit Viet Nam as soon as possible. VNS HA NOI Vice Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Nguyen uc Hai and a high-ranking delegation from the Vietnamese parliament paid an official visit to Greece from September 30 to October 3 at the invitation of First Vice-President of the Hellenic Parliament of Greece Ioannis Plakiotakis. During his trip, Hai held talks with Plakiotakis; met with Greek Vice President Kostantinos Chatzidakis; had a working session with General Secretary of the Communist Party of Greece Dimitrios Koutsoumpas; and met with the Vietnamese Embassy's staff and representatives of the Vietnamese community in Athens. In the talks with Plakiotakis on October 30, Hai expressed gratitude for Greeces support for Viet Nam during its past struggle for independence, and thanked the Balkan country for donating 250,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses. He affirmed that Viet Nam always attaches much importance to developing the friendship and multi-faceted cooperation with Greece, laying stress on the Vietnamese State's and National Assemblys determination in deepening the cooperation between the two legislative bodies and the two countries as a whole. Plakiotakis, for his part, expressed his impression of Viet Nams remarkable socio-economic development over the past years. He underlined its role as Greeces leading partner in Southeast Asia, stressing the importance of expanding cooperation in maritime transport, energy, and agriculture, especially under the EUVietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). Both sides voiced their delight at the robust partnership between the two parliaments through regular delegation exchanges, and concurred to promote the sharing of legislative experience and develop legal frameworks for collaboration in such potential areas as labour, renewable energy, green transition, digital transformation, fintech, and marine transport. They also agreed to maintain existing cooperation mechanisms, support each others initiatives, and strengthen coordination in multilateral forums for peace, cooperation, and development in the region and the world. Hai proposed establishing a formal cooperation agreement between the two legislatures to promote cooperation in a sustainable, effective and substantive manner. He also encouraged localities of both countries to foster partnerships in potential areas aligned with their strengths and development needs, while affirming Viet Nams readiness to serve as a bridge in strengthening ties between the Hellenic Parliament and the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA). Plakiotakis welcomed the establishment of the VietnamGreece Friendship Parliamentarians' Group, expressing his belief that it will play a bridging role in deepening the cooperation between the two countries. The two legislators agreed to urge their governments to effectively implement signed cooperation documents, particularly in cultural heritage conservation and tourism management; follow through on commitments reached during recent high-level visits, such as visa exemption for Viet Nams hi-tech personnel and the possible opening of a direct air route between the two countries; and accelerate the signing of new agreements in areas like taxation, labour, and maritime transport to provide a stronger legal framework for bilateral ties. On October 1, Hai had a meeting with Greek Vice President Konstantinos Chatzidakis, who affirmed that the Greek State always supports and attaches importance to promoting cooperation between the two countries in all fields. The Vietnamese NA's Vice Chairman suggested that Greece encourage the remaining eight EU parliaments to soon ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), facilitating Greek businesses investing and operating in Viet Nam. Both sides concurred on continuing delegation exchanges and contact at all levels, especially high-level ones; cooperating closely and supporting each other at multilateral and international forums, particularly at the United Nations and within the ASEAN-EU framework; and boosting bilateral collaboration in culture, locality-to-locality connections, tourism, and heritage preservation. They also pledged to coordinate activities marking the 50th anniversary of the countries' diplomatic ties. On the occasion, Hai invited Greek leaders to attend the signing ceremony of the UN Convention against Cybercrime to be held in Ha Noi on October 2526 this year. Chatzidakis expressed confidence in the events success and stressed its importance in contributing to global efforts to address cybercrime. Agreeing with Hais proposals, the Greek Vice President affirmed Viet Nams important role in Southeast Asia, supporting its role as a bridge to foster cooperation between Viet Nam and the EU, and between Greece and ASEAN. He stressed that implementation of EVFTA and ratification of EVIPA would benefit both countries. Greece was among the first to ratify EVIPA and strongly supports its early enforcement. He also underlined Greeces close attention to and welcome of Viet Nams commitments in implementing European Commissions recommendations against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Recognising vast cooperation potential, especially in infrastructure development, clean energy, and maritime transport, the official stated that Greece encourages the export of its high-quality agricultural products such as honey, meat, and kiwi to Viet Nam. The two sides stressed the importance of upholding international law, ensuring maritime and aviation safety and freedom in the region, and resolving disputes peacefully in line with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Hai extended an invitation for Chatzidakis to pay an official visit to Viet Nam, which the latter gladly accepted. At his meeting with General Secretary of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) Dimitrios Koutsoumpas on October 2, Hai expressed Viet Nams deep appreciation for the long-standing support of the Greek people and the KKE during the countrys struggle for independence and national development. He reaffirmed Viet Nams consistent stance on strengthening friendship, solidarity and cooperation between the Communist Party of Vietnam and KKE and the people of the two countries, expressed his confidence that with its century-long tradition of resilient struggle, the KKE will continue to enhance its role in Greek politics, and wished its upcoming 22nd Congress success for the benefit of Greek workers and people. Koutsoumpas extended his sympathy over the losses caused by Typhoon Bualoi in Viet Nam, affirmed solidarity with the Vietnamese people, and valued the enduring brotherly ties between the two parties and the people of Greece and Viet Nam. He welcomed Hai's proposals, pledged to promote exchanges and mutual support in multilateral forums, and expressed gratitude for the latter's invitation, voicing his hope to visit Viet Nam again soon. On October 3, Hai and the Vietnamese NA delegation visited the Vietnamese Embassy in Athens, meeting with its staff and representatives of the Vietnamese community. He commended Ambassador Pham Thi Thu Huong and the embassy's staff for their contributions in deploying foreign affairs, citizen protection and cultural promotion, and highlighted the role of the community in preserving traditions and fostering VietnamGreece ties. Hai briefed the community on the Party's and the State's major policies regarding overseas Vietnamese and encouraged them to continue unity and contributions as a bridge in the bilateral relations. During the visit, Hai attended the launch of the Greek edition of Selected Writings of President Ho Chi Minh, 19201960, translated from English and published in cooperation with local Newstar Group and Viet Nams World Publishing House. The delegation also held meetings with President of the Hellenic Court of Audit Sotiria Ntouni, Viet Nams Honorary Consul in Piraeus Gavriil Petridis, and the GreeceVietnam Friendship Parliamentarians' Group. They also toured the Hellenic Parliament and UNESCO-recognised cultural heritage sites, exchanging views on conservation and cultural preservation. VNS HA NOI As one of the first 30 countries in the world to adopt a multi-dimensional poverty standard, Viet Nam has highlighted poverty reduction as a key pillar of national development policy. This approach, designed to ensure a minimum standard of living while advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, is a cornerstone of the nations pledge to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Launched in 2021 at the behest of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, the nationwide campaign 'For the poor Leaving no one behind' has gone beyond words to shape real change. By combining State policy with the active involvement of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front and contributions from across society, the movement has reached communities large and small. Rather than relying solely on aid, households have been encouraged to take the initiative, with many choosing to remove themselves from the official poverty list. This shift in mindset has helped drive down poverty rates faster than expected, laying the groundwork for the remarkable figures recorded in recent years. According to the National Office for Poverty Reduction, Viet Nam has surpassed its own targets. The national poverty rate has dropped from 5.2 per cent in 2021 to 1.9 per cent in 2024, and is projected to decline further to around 1 per cent by the end of 2025. Among ethnic groups, the rate has fallen to 12.5 per cent, with an average annual reduction of 4.5 per cent. More than statistics Behind these figures lies a transformation in approach. Rather than relying on short-term aid, poverty reduction programmes now focus on conditional support that promotes long-term resilience. Essential infrastructure such as roads, schools, healthcare facilities, clean water and sanitation has been prioritised, particularly in disadvantaged regions. Coastal and island areas, once considered extremely difficult, have seen 19 communes emerge from poverty. This progress has narrowed regional disparities, boosted economic growth and lifted communities once left behind. Policies and legislation on poverty reduction have been issued in a comprehensive manner to support the poor, with priority given to vulnerable groups, ethnic minorities and areas of extreme hardship, said Deputy Director of the National Office for Poverty Reduction Pham Hong ao. We are gradually moving away from unconditional aid towards conditional support that encourages self-reliance, he told the Voice of Vietnam. Continuing challenges Despite these advances, challenges remain. In parts of the northern midlands, mountainous areas and the Central Highlands, poverty rates remain well above the national average, with some localities reporting figures above 50 per cent. In the most isolated communities, the rate can exceed 70 per cent, ao said. Basic infrastructure is still lacking in many remote areas, from healthcare and education to production and logistics. Climate change, population ageing, urbanisation and global economic uncertainty add further pressure. At the same time, some communities continue to depend heavily on State support, underscoring the need for more sustainable models tailored to local realities and cultures. He said that Viet Nam is now preparing its multi-dimensional poverty standards for 2026-2030. Proposals suggest raising income thresholds to VN2.8 million (US$106) per person per month in urban areas and VN2.2 million ($83) in rural areas, while also adjusting benchmarks for access to basic services such as information, clean water, sanitation and the environment. The new strategy will integrate poverty reduction with green growth, digital transformation and climate adaptation, alongside the national target programme on new rural development. The emphasis will be on stable job creation, digital skills training and opening up livelihood opportunities in both rural and urban areas, linked with entrepreneurship and the sharing economy. Poverty reduction in Viet Nam has long relied on collective effort, with Government, businesses and communities all playing their part. Over the next five years, Viet Nam has set its sights on ending poverty in all forms and building resilience for the future. VNS HA NOI Prosecution proceedings have been launched against two Algerians who reportedly circulated counterfeit money on Phu Quoc Island, An Giang Provincial Police said. Ramdane Amine, 35, and Hassaine Oukacha, 27, were apprehended by local police in Phu Quoc on September 22. The defendants statements showed that Amine travelled to Phu Quoc from Kuala Lumpur on September 9 and met Oukacha the following day. They both stayed in Duong ong Ward. After telling Oukacha about a source of counterfeit US dollars in Malaysia, Amine used a social media app to purchase US$1,000 in fake currency for $300 in real money. On September 21, a woman arranged a meeting with Amine in Phu Quoc, showing him and Oukacha the counterfeit US dollars. She then handed $1,000 (20 counterfeit $50 notes) to Oukacha. Oukacha made unsuccessful attempts to exchange the fake dollars at various stores and supermarkets, where salespeople noticed and refused the notes. He then brought the counterfeit money to a travel business in Phu Quoc to book a tour and exchanged 14 counterfeit $50 notes for VN18.2 million. He handed this amount to Amine, who gave him VN500,000 for personal use. Amine then gave Oukacha 10 more counterfeit $50 notes to exchange for Vietnamese ong. As per their agreement, Amine promised to give Oukacha 30 per cent of the amount exchanged. An examination conducted by Phu Quoc Police, in coordination with specialised units of An Giang Provincial Police, confirmed that the US dollar notes Amine and Oukacha used were fake. VNS HA NOI In his letter sent on October 3, State President Luong Cuong extended his warmest wishes to Vietnamese children nationwide and those abroad, ahead of the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival. His message, filled with hope and encouragement, came at a time when many families are grappling with the recent typhoon's devastating aftermath. The leader kindly shared and sent his deepest regards to the children and families who are affected by the natural disaster. The President wished children a joyful, meaningful, safe, and warm celebration with their families, teachers, and friends. He expressed his hope that disadvantaged children and those in areas struck by floods and storms would remain resilient, never back down in the face of hardship, keep their innocent, radiant smiles, and continue to nurture beautiful dreams, so that when the storms pass, their lives will once again be filled with light and joy. He expressed his belief that with the care and support of the Party and State, along with the solidarity, compassion, and protection of the entire nation, the children and their families will overcome difficulties, soon stabilise their lives, and continue studying and nurturing their dreams. "The Party, State, and society always give special attention to children, ensuring the best conditions for them to study, play safely, and develop comprehensively," he stated, showing his hope that they will uphold their love for learning, remain diligent and kind, stay united, support one another, and grow together, so that they can contribute to building a more prosperous and civilised Vietnam. The Mid-Autumn Festival or Full-moon Festival is a festive occasion for children. It is held on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month every year. This year, the festival falls on October 6. VNA/VNS HA NOI With communities reeling from the worst storm in a month, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has ordered ministries and localities to move swiftly on urgent relief and recovery measures after Typhoon Bualoi, storm No 10, while also strengthening long-term disaster preparedness. At an online meeting with Government leaders and 12 storm-hit provinces and cities on Friday, the Government leader instructed authorities to prioritise stabilising peoples lives, ensuring housing, food, water and essentials so that no one is left homeless or hungry. He also called for continued search efforts for the missing, proper funerals for victims, and care for the injured. Localities must mobilise resources to rebuild 349 collapsed houses by December and complete repairs of damaged homes within October. Schools and healthcare facilities are to be restored by October 15, with medicines, equipment and supplies provided in full. The PM also directed urgent repairs to electricity, water, telecommunications and irrigation systems and maximum support for households and enterprises to resume production, especially in agriculture. He asked the Ministry of Finance to accelerate financial assistance and insurance payouts for affected businesses, while directing the State Bank to work with commercial banks on rescheduling debts and offering new loans to aid recovery. The Government leader emphasised the importance of continued assessment of damages and mobilising support from across society to help affected communities. PM Chinh said safeguarding peoples lives and livelihoods should remain the top priority, noting that while early forecasting and preparedness had helped limit losses, considerable challenges still lay ahead. Typhoon Bualoi, designated in Viet Nam as Storm No. 10, which struck in late September, was the strongest of four consecutive storms to hit Viet Nam in just one month. Its long landfall, coupled with heavy rain, caused widespread flooding, landslides and record river levels. According to official data, 66 people were reported dead or missing, 164 injured and more than 172,000 homes damaged. At least 349 houses collapsed, nearly 1,500 schools and 145 health facilities were affected, and more than 100,000 hectares of crops and aquaculture were destroyed. Damage to infrastructure was severe, with 8,800 power poles knocked down and 2.7 million households left without electricity at the peak of the storm. Total economic losses are estimated at nearly VN15.9 trillion (US$600 million). The central province of Ha Tinh reported the heaviest damages at VN6 trillion, followed by two northern mountainous provinces Tuyen Quang (VN3 trillion) and Lao Cai (VN2.75 trillion), and then Nghe An (VN2.12 trillion). On Thursday, the PM approved VN2.5 trillion from the central budget contingency fund for 15 affected localities. The Viet Nam Fatherland Front has also mobilised more than VN673 billion in donations, with VN265 billion already distributed to 17 provinces and cities. In the long term, Chinh stressed the need to enhance disaster prevention capacity as extreme weather events become more frequent. He called for stricter construction standards, safer infrastructure design, relocation from high-risk areas, and more investment in forecasting, monitoring and emergency response. He also urged ministries and provinces to prepare for storm No 11, now forming in the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea). VNS HA NOI - Two eminent French scientists of Vietnamese origin have been bestowed with the highest of French awards, the Legion d'honneur (Legion of Honour), by French Ambassador to Viet Nam Olivier Brochet during a ceremony in Ha Noi on Friday. Biologist Dr Le Kim Ngoc and her husband, particle physicist Dr Jean Tran Thanh Van, are both high-profile researchers at the National Centre for Scientific Research, the only French organisation active in all scientific fields. A press release by the French Embassy in Ha Noi stated that both have devoted their lives, energy and personal fortune to the advancement of science and to strengthening ties between Viet Nam and France, and more broadly between Viet Nam and the global scientific community. On July 11, 2025, in celebration of Frances National Day (July 14), President Emmanuel Macron signed a decree promoting two professors to the rank of Officer of the Legion of Honour. They are the only married couple to be jointly promoted on this occasion, at the age of 91, a remarkable testament to their lifelong dedication to science, education, and social work. Prof. Van was awarded the title of Chevalier of the Legion of Honour in 2000, while Prof. Ngoc received the same distinction in 2016. "The international scientific community, the younger generations of both our countries, and indeed both nations that you have tirelessly worked to bring closer together, are profoundly grateful to you," said Ambassador Broche. "France honours two outstanding French citizens, two eminent scientists, remarkable and generous individuals who, over the past 60 years, have helped France shine on the international stage and strengthened the bond between France and Viet Nam. That is precisely why the President of the French Republic has decided to elevate your Legion of Honour to the rank of Officer. The Officer rank of the Order of the Legion of Honour was awarded to the couple in recognition of their exceptional commitment, reflecting Frances deep gratitude for their outstanding contributions to the development of scientific relations between France and Viet Nam. The professors lifelong commitment to Viet Nams scientific development began in 1993 with the establishment of the organisation Rencontres du Vietnam (Meeting Viet Nam) and the annual conference of the same name. Meeting Viet Nam has brought together world-renowned scientists to discuss a wide range of scientific topics, including sustainable development sciences (oceanography, earth observation, biology, and health), fundamental sciences (particle physics, astrophysics, and mathematics), as well as the humanities and social sciences. All proceeds from these events were reinvested to set up the International Centre for Interdisciplinary Science and Education (ICISE) in 2013 in Quy Nhon, Binh inh Province (now part of Gia Lai Province). As a unique initiative in Viet Nam, ICISE aims to become a premier venue for high-level scientific and academic conferences, attracting researchers from around the world. This ambitious goal has already been achieved, with several Nobel laureates and Fields medallists participating in events since its opening. ICISE also seeks to promote scientific culture among the Vietnamese public, especially to inspire young people to pursue careers in science. The centre is part of the Explorascience complex, which includes a planetarium and several exhibition halls, designed with support from Universcience (Cite des Sciences et de lIndustrie and Palais de la Decouverte) and other prestigious institutions. Today, ICISE stands as a cornerstone of Franco-Vietnamese scientific cooperation. It is supported by the highest French and Vietnamese authorities and was mentioned during discussions between Party General Secretary To Lam and French President Emmanuel Macron during his state visit to Viet Nam in May 2025. Great honour "Receiving the Officer rank of the Legion of Honour today is an immense honor and deeply emotional moment for my husband, Tran Thanh Van, and myself. We are sincerely grateful to all of you; we are indebted to your support for what we have been able to accomplish in both France and Viet Nam, said Prof. Ngoc in French. The achievements of Rencontres du Vietnam (including the ICISE, the Science Discovery Center, and the Astronomical Observatory) are also the fruits of friendship from around the world. Among those who contributed to the development in Quy Nhon, many are our dear friends from France. These accomplishments can be seen as a symbol of the close and enduring friendship between Viet Nam and France. On his part, Professor Van, President of Meeting Viet Nam and Director of ICISE, also expressed his deep gratitude to family, colleagues and scientific bodies. "I am deeply moved to receive this prestigious medal. This honour is not mine alone. It belongs to my family, my colleagues and all those who have stood by us throughout the journey. I am especially grateful to Kim Ngoc, my life partner, my companion in every endeavour and my greatest source of encouragement," he said. "I would like to express my sincere thanks to the institutions and organisations of both Viet Nam and France for their unwavering trust and support. It is a great honour to be here today, as we celebrate the enduring connections that have been patiently woven over many years - encounters that changed my life and, I hope, the lives of many others, Van said. It was the desire to share that inspired me to found the Rencontres de Moriond (Meeting Moriond) nearly 60 years ago. That 'crazy gamble' has since become a cherished tradition and a source of inspiration for generations of young scientists around the world. The spirit of Moriond is about opening paths for the younger generation, giving them a free space to present discoveries, challenge conventions and chart new directions. That is the deeper meaning of the word 'Rencontres' Rencontres de Moriond, Blois and Viet Nam, the 91-year-old scientist added. If France was the nurturing ground where my dreams came true, then Viet Nam has always been the place I hold dear. With Kim Ngoc, we have aspired to contribute to Vietnamese science, so that Viet Nam may stand firmly on the international scientific map. "I also wish to express my gratitude to [the late] Professor Nguyen Van Hieu, who paved the way for us to carry out scientific projects in Viet Nam. Professors Van and Ngocs scientific dedication is matched by their philanthropic commitment. In 1970, they founded the association Aid to the Children of Viet Nam and created the first SOS Childrens Villages in Viet Nam for orphans. _ VNS HA NOI A forum titled Unlocking the Innovation Potential between France and Viet Nam, Lessons from Nobel Laureate Serge Haroche took place in Ha Noi on October 3 as part of National Innovation Day 2025. The event served as a platform for representatives of French organisations and companies to exchange and share experiences and strengths in technology, science, innovation, and digital transformation, in the context of active bilateral cooperation. Speaking at the forum, Serge Haroche, Nobel Prize laureate in Physics in 2012 for his pioneering contributions to quantum physics, stressed the potential for Viet Nam to gradually become a quantum technology hub in the region. According to the professor, it is important to create an environment with favourable conditions for outstanding young researchers to conduct studies, while also paying attention to private-sector research. To promote applied research, a balance between the role of the State and that of the private sector is also essential. In addition, he noted that Viet Nam should focus on building a solid general education foundation in core sciences such as mathematics, physics, and chemistry, along with developing long-term, consistent science policies and ensuring substantial state financial support for research projects. French Ambassador to Viet Nam Olivier Brochet said that 2025 marks the FranceViet Nam Year of Innovation, launched by France to promote cooperation and exchanges in innovation between the two countries. This forum promotes scientific research, the development of strategic technologies, and serves as a bridge to foster public-private partnerships, linking universities, state agencies and businesses to create a sustainable innovation ecosystem in Viet Nam, the diplomat affirmed. Kim Ngoc Thanh Nga, Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Innovation Centre (NIC), stressed that after Viet Nam and France established their comprehensive strategic partnership, innovation cooperation has become a key pillar in bilateral relations. Both sides share the vision of fostering trade cooperation, digital transformation, and sustainable development. According to her, France, with its strengths in basic research, high technology, and a vibrant startup ecosystem, can support Viet Nam in developing human resources, technology transfer, and building innovation centres. Conversely, Viet Nam with its dynamic market, young workforce, and ability to quickly adopt new technologies offers a fertile ground for French innovative ideas to be put into practice. This synergy is expected to open up many strategic cooperation opportunities, contributing to strengthening Viet NamFrance trade and innovation ties, she said. VNS HA NOI Vice President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee and Chairwoman of the Vietnam Womens Union Nguyen Thi Tuyen has urged expanded collaboration between the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and Vietnamese political and social organisations to develop comprehensive programmes for child care and protection. Meeting with UNICEF Representative in Viet Nam Silvia Danailov in Ha Noi on October 3, Tuyen underscored that Viet Nam always sees UNICEF as an important development partner which has made substantive contributions to the countrys child care and education for decades. She noted the organisations support in helping the country overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, expanding immunisation programmes, and providing emergency relief during disasters. Child care, protection and education remain top priorities in Viet Nams development policy, Tuyen affirmed, recalling that Viet Nam ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1990 and adopted two optional protocols in 2000. She also emphasised the countrys legislative and policy framework to safeguard childrens rights. Notably, Party General Secretary To Lam directed the implementation of tuition-free education across all public education institutions from early childhood schools to upper secondary schools starting from the 20252026 academic year, aiming at ensuring the right to education and easing the financial burden on families, particularly those with difficult circumstances, she stressed. Tuyen added that over the years, the Vietnam Women's Union and the Ho iChi Minh Communist Youth Union have partnered closely with UNICEF in a range of initiatives, including healthcare and child protection programmes, anti-trafficking efforts, clean water and sanitation projects in rural areas, parenting education, and gender-based violence prevention. Danailov, for her part, highlighted the womens union as a vital partner in improving parenting skills, promoting gender equality, and combating gender-based violence. Both sides agreed to expand their cooperation to improve living conditions and protect the rights of women and children, with a focus on preventing child abuse, tackling child marriage, supporting victims of abuse and trafficking, enhancing gender equality, and increasing youth participation in social life. VNS Blog Archive: Dec 2025 (46) Nov 2025 (141) Oct 2025 (153) Sep 2025 (149) Aug 2025 (154) Jul 2025 (155) Jun 2025 (150) May 2025 (155) Apr 2025 (9) Mar 2025 (149) Feb 2025 (139) Jan 2025 (155) Dec 2024 (144) Nov 2024 (143) Oct 2024 (155) Sep 2024 (149) Aug 2024 (155) Jul 2024 (155) Jun 2024 (150) May 2024 (153) Apr 2024 (149) Mar 2024 (155) Feb 2024 (145) Jan 2024 (155) Dec 2023 (155) Nov 2023 (150) Oct 2023 (155) Sep 2023 (150) Aug 2023 (155) Jul 2023 (155) Jun 2023 (150) May 2023 (155) Apr 2023 (150) Mar 2023 (155) Feb 2023 (140) Jan 2023 (155) Dec 2022 (156) Nov 2022 (150) Oct 2022 (155) Sep 2022 (150) Aug 2022 (155) Jul 2022 (154) Jun 2022 (150) May 2022 (155) Apr 2022 (150) Mar 2022 (155) Feb 2022 (140) Jan 2022 (156) Dec 2021 (156) Nov 2021 (150) Oct 2021 (155) Sep 2021 (150) Aug 2021 (155) Jul 2021 (155) Jun 2021 (150) May 2021 (155) Apr 2021 (150) Mar 2021 (155) Feb 2021 (140) Jan 2021 (155) Dec 2020 (155) Nov 2020 (150) Oct 2020 (158) Sep 2020 (150) Aug 2020 (130) Jul 2020 (124) Jun 2020 (120) May 2020 (124) Apr 2020 (120) Mar 2020 (124) Feb 2020 (116) Jan 2020 (125) Dec 2019 (126) Nov 2019 (120) Oct 2019 (124) Sep 2019 (120) Aug 2019 (125) Jul 2019 (124) Jun 2019 (120) May 2019 (123) Apr 2019 (121) Mar 2019 (124) Feb 2019 (112) Jan 2019 (125) Dec 2018 (126) Nov 2018 (120) Oct 2018 (124) Sep 2018 (121) Aug 2018 (124) Jul 2018 (125) Jun 2018 (120) May 2018 (124) Apr 2018 (121) Mar 2018 (124) Feb 2018 (112) Jan 2018 (123) Dec 2017 (124) Nov 2017 (124) Oct 2017 (141) Sep 2017 (135) Aug 2017 (138) Jul 2017 (137) Jun 2017 (134) May 2017 (138) Apr 2017 (135) Mar 2017 (139) Feb 2017 (129) Jan 2017 (143) Dec 2016 (135) Nov 2016 (138) Oct 2016 (142) Sep 2016 (128) Aug 2016 (133) Jul 2016 (136) Jun 2016 (138) May 2016 (164) Apr 2016 (311) Mar 2016 (348) Feb 2016 (320) Jan 2016 (348) Dec 2015 (314) Nov 2015 (338) Oct 2015 (363) Sep 2015 (358) Aug 2015 (399) Jul 2015 (374) Jun 2015 (331) May 2015 (337) Apr 2015 (319) Mar 2015 (320) Feb 2015 (271) Jan 2015 (286) Dec 2014 (254) Nov 2014 (238) Oct 2014 (287) Sep 2014 (267) Aug 2014 (259) Jul 2014 (260) Jun 2014 (238) May 2014 (241) Apr 2014 (228) Mar 2014 (240) Feb 2014 (217) Jan 2014 (263) Dec 2013 (226) Nov 2013 (254) Oct 2013 (256) Sep 2013 (252) Aug 2013 (263) Jul 2013 (261) Jun 2013 (251) May 2013 (250) Apr 2013 (221) Mar 2013 (193) Feb 2013 (164) Jan 2013 (157) Dec 2012 (155) Nov 2012 (240) Oct 2012 (526) Sep 2012 (411) Aug 2012 (394) Jul 2012 (284) Jun 2012 (229) May 2012 (213) Apr 2012 (213) Mar 2012 (253) Feb 2012 (269) Jan 2012 (298) Dec 2011 (273) Nov 2011 (219) Oct 2011 (204) Sep 2011 (201) Aug 2011 (236) Jul 2011 (217) Jun 2011 (211) May 2011 (206) Apr 2011 (215) Mar 2011 (215) Feb 2011 (186) Jan 2011 (215) Dec 2010 (107) Nov 2010 (98) Oct 2010 (55) According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, export turnover in September alone hit $6.35 billion, nearly 12 per cent higher than the same month last year. Farm produce accounted for the largest share with $28.5 billion, rising almost 17 per cent. Forestry and seafood exports brought in $12.5 billion and $8.1 billion, up 7-12 per cent, while livestock products and input materials grew 18 per cent and 33 per cent respectively. Asia remained Vietnams largest market, taking 44 per cent of shipments, followed by the United States (23 per cent) and Europe (14 per cent). In fact, exports to Europe surged by more than 40 per cent, while those to Africa nearly doubled. By country, the US, China, and Japan were the top three buyers, posting growth of between 90-24 per cent. Several commodities posted standout gains. Coffee exports soared 61 per cent to nearly $7 billion, fuelled by a 45 per cent jump in average prices to $5,600 per tonne, with Germany, Italy, and Spain among the largest buyers. Cashews fetched $3.8 billion, up 19 per cent, while fruit and vegetables earned $6.2 billion, up 10 per cent. By contrast, rice exports faced headwinds. Although shipments remained steady at 7 million tonnes, export value fell 18.5 per cent to $3.55 billion due to a sharp decline in average prices to $509 per tonne, down 18.6 per cent. The Philippines continued to dominate with 44 per cent of Vietnams rice imports, followed by Ghana and Cote dIvoire. On the import side, Vietnam spent $36.3 billion on agro-forestry-fishery products over the same period, a 12.5 per cent increase. Agricultural imports accounted for $22.4 billion, livestock $3.3 billion, seafood $2.4 billion, and wood products $2.4 billion, with most groups posting 11-30 per cent growth. Imports of raw materials also rose, reaching nearly $6 billion, up 5.4 per cent. The two organisations signed a landmark MoU on September 19 aimed at accelerating cancer care transformation and improving outcomes nationwide. According to GLOBOCAN statistics from 2022, Vietnam recorded an estimated 180,480 new cancer cases and 120,184 cancer-related deaths, with breast, liver, lung, and colorectal cancers leading in both incidence and mortality. While clinical guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health in 2018 and 2020 have improved screening and treatment effectiveness, there remains a pressing need to enhance expertise and research in oncology. The partnership seeks to address this gap by fostering advanced training, scientific collaboration, and the adoption of global best practices in precision medicine. The partnership will focus on updating professional guidelines for cancer diagnosis and treatment, building capacity for healthcare professionals in oncology and research, and promoting public health education. Through this collaboration, the Vietnam Cancer Association and AstraZeneca Vietnam aim to accelerate the standardisation of clinical guidelines, aligning with international best practices while addressing Vietnams unique needs. Over 20252026, the Vietnam Cancer Association, in collaboration with oncology hospitals across the country, plans to develop and update 'Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines' for various cancer types. These guidelines will be submitted to the Ministry of Healths Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management for approval as national standards, ensuring widespread implementation across medical facilities. The partnership will also prioritise scientific research, international collaboration, and public health education to strengthen cancer care and awareness nationwide. Leveraging the expertise of the Vietnam Cancer Association, which brings together the countrys top oncology specialists, and the extensive experience of AstraZeneca a world-renowned company in oncology care from diagnosis to treatment the collaboration will focus on the following strategic initiatives: Strategic collaboration: advancing the development and updating of professional guidelines in oncology. Scientific conferences and training: organising scientific conferences, workshops, and activities to update medical knowledge and enhance the expertise of oncology healthcare professionals. Research and publication support: strengthening scientific research capacity and supporting the publication efforts of the Vietnam Journal of Oncology, alongside health education communication initiatives. Annual conferences and international engagement: supporting the Vietnam Cancer Association in organising annual cancer prevention conferences and facilitating participation of its members in national and international oncology conferences to update specialised knowledge. "Our goal is to reduce the burden of cancer through close collaboration, professional training, improving the quality of healthcare facilities, advising on policy, and raising public awareness about cancer," said Bui Dieu, president of the Vietnam Cancer Association during the signing ceremony. "We warmly welcome this partnership with AstraZeneca, which creates broad opportunities to strengthen key areas and elevate Vietnams oncology sector on the regional medical stage." Echoing this sentiment, Atul Tandon, general director of AstraZeneca Vietnam, remarked, "Our mission is to drive scientific advancements to build a comprehensive cancer care ecosystem, thereby transforming medical practices and the lives of cancer patients. We firmly believe that by combining AstraZenecas global expertise with the profound practical knowledge of the Vietnam Cancer Association, we can deliver meaningful changes in cancer treatment." Atul Tandon, general director of AstraZeneca Vietnam Over the years, AstraZeneca Vietnam has made significant efforts to establish a comprehensive collaborative ecosystem in oncology, reaffirming its long-term commitment to Vietnams healthcare system and community wellbeing. Through strategic partnerships with leading hospitals and training institutions such as K Hospital, Bach Mai Hospital, Hanoi Oncology Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital, Cho Ray Hospital, Can Tho Oncology Hospital, and Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy, the company has implemented in-depth training programmes to enhance diagnostic and treatment capabilities for healthcare professionals. Additionally, AstraZeneca works closely with associations and hospitals to organise international scientific conferences and specialised workshops, connecting local experts with cutting-edge global treatment trends. These efforts have played a vital role in advancing Vietnams oncology sector, laying a strong foundation for the sustainable development of specialised healthcare. AstraZeneca-led seminars put spotlight on genetic cancer treatments AstraZeneca Vietnam, in collaboration with health organisations in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, held a series of scientific seminars from June 14-21 aimed at improving treatment, healthcare, and the management of hereditary cancer in Vietnam. AstraZeneca Vietnam retains spot in 2025 top 50 Corporate Sustainability Awards AstraZeneca Vietnam was honoured in the Outstanding CSR (corporate social responsibility) Activities category at the 2025 Top 50 Corporate Sustainability Awards on July 15. On October 2, JICA signed a loan agreement worth up to $75 million with ECOM Agroindustrial Corporation Limited (ECOM) and its affiliate ECOM Agroindustrial Asia Pte Limited (EAA). Co-financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the deal strengthens ties with one of the worlds leading agricultural trading groups and aims to reinforce Asias agricultural and food supply chain. The loan is aimed at strengthening supply chains, improving livelihoods, and creating jobs for small-scale farmers across the Asia-Pacific. A key focus is the stable procurement of coffee from more than 60,000 smallholder farmers in Vietnam, Indonesia, India, and Papua New Guinea. Alongside purchase financing, the initiative also provides consulting services, including coffee certification support, pilot projects on climate change adaptation, and tailored farming assistance for women. These measures are designed to boost climate resilience and advance gender equality in the regions coffee value chain. Vietnam is the worlds second-largest coffee producer, with coffee beans accounting for 12.2 per cent of the countrys total agricultural exports. Yet, raising value-added output and improving rural incomes remain major challenges for the sector. The JICA loan aligns with Vietnams Agricultural Sector Reform for Value-Added and Sustainable Development and the 20212025 Socioeconomic Development Plan, both of which aim to enhance efficiency, quality, and productivity. It also supports Japans broader development agenda, echoing the Apulia G7 Leaders Communique of June 2024, which called for public-private partnerships to strengthen the global coffee value chain and support smallholder farmers in producing countries. It also reflects former Prime Minister Kishida Fumios pledge at the 2023 G7 Hiroshima Summit to advance sustainable development through the $1 billion Facility for Supporting Agricultural Supply Chains and Food Security Enhancement, a programme designed to tackle global food security challenges. "We are honoured to launch JICAs first exclusive working capital loan with ECOM, a global leader in sustainable coffee trading," said Yasui Takehiro, director general of JICA Private Sector Partnership and Finance Department. "This initiative, built on strong partnerships with ECOM and ADB, will strengthen the coffee supply chain and help tackle rural poverty, gender inequality, climate vulnerability, and the need for sustainable livelihoods. We also hope to expand this financing model to support more supply chain businesses in the future," he added. JICA remains committed to supporting inclusive and sustainable development initiatives in the region through strategic partnerships and providing innovative financing solutions. JICA willing to explore beyond traditional partnerships In recent years, Vietnam has undergone significant socioeconomic transformation. Per capita income has quadrupled, rising from $1,000 in 2008 to $4,110 in 2023, according to the World Bank. Vietnam is also projected to achieve upper-middle-income country status in the coming years. FinDev Canada, JICA, and SMBC pledge $215 million to HDBank Canada's bilateral Development Finance Institution, FinDev Canada, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on August 2 announced the signing of a $215 million syndicated loan facility for HDBank. Forecasts for the 20252026 La Nina show a high probability of occurrence between October and December at 7071 per cent, easing to 5470 per cent through the winter and dropping below 55 per cent in early 2026. The chance of returning to neutral conditions rises to 5574 per cent, suggesting a short La Nina cycle that could still have significant impacts. This coincides with the peak flood season in the Central region of Vietnam, creating a risk of an in increase in rainfall of 9-19 per cent compared with the multi-year average. Data show that La Nina years typically bring months of heavy rainfall 4.6 times more frequently than during El Nino phases. The Central region, particularly provinces from Thanh Hoa to Khanh Hoa, with their short and steep rivers, is prone to flash floods and landslides. The Red River Delta may face urban inundation if heavy rains coincide with late-season typhoons. In the Mekong Delta, compound flooding could occur as rising Mekong River levels overlap with high tides and monsoon-driven sea level rise, posing challenges for disaster management. This demands enhanced hydrometeorological forecasting, coordinated reservoir operations, and prepositioning of emergency resources to reduce losses. The El NinoSouthern Oscillation cycle stands as the dominant factor shaping interannual variability in global climate systems, emerging from irregular interactions between atmospheric circulation and oceanic heat distribution across the tropical Pacific. At its core, the cycle oscillates between El Nino, a warming phase that weakens trade winds and raises sea surface temperatures (SST) in the eastern Pacific, and La Nina, a cooling phase marked by intensified easterly winds and strong upwelling of cold water along the equator and the American west coast. Each phase generally persists for several months and repeats on a timescale of two to seven years, exerting profound influence on precipitation patterns, storm tracks, and hydrological extremes around the globe. While El Nino tends to displace convection eastward and redistribute rainfall towards the central and eastern Pacific, La Nina strengthens the westward push of warm surface waters, invigorating rainfall across the western Pacific basin and amplifying flood risk in Southeast Asia. By September 2025, multiple meteorological agencies, including the Philippines DOST-PAGASA and the World Meteorological Organisation, converged in declaring heightened alert status for La Nina. The scientific consensus points towards a rapid onset in the OctoberDecember period, with probabilities surpassing 70 per cent. This window of certainty highlights the urgent need for preparedness, as the climatic configuration strongly favours above-normal rainfall across vulnerable nations in the western Pacific. Forecasts further suggest persistence through the Northern Hemisphere winter, with probabilities moderating to the mid-fifties by early 2026 before a return towards neutral conditions. While the event is projected to be relatively weak and short-lived compared to multi-year anomalies, the compressed timeline poses its own challenges, concentrating severe hydrometeorological impacts into a narrow seasonal window. The projected intensity and duration have been characterized as weak and short compared to past events, such as the prolonged 20202023 La Nina. However, scientific assessments stress that weak intensity at the global scale does not necessarily imply diminished local hazards. Rising baseline global temperatures, accelerated by anthropogenic climate change, increase the energy available to atmospheric systems. This amplifies the likelihood of localised extremes during La Nina events, regardless of nominal classification. Regions already experiencing marine heatwaves or anomalous thermal gradients may encounter non-linear amplification of convection, raising flood and storm risks far beyond what statistical analogues alone would suggest. The convergence of global warming with cyclical variability underscores the complexity of projecting impacts, demanding that governments avoid complacency based on expectations of weakness. Mechanistically, La Nina reorganizes atmospheric circulation by strengthening the Walker Cell. The intensified eastwest SST gradient forces convection over the western Pacific Warm Pool, producing enhanced rising motion, deep cloud development, and widespread rainfall over maritime Southeast Asia. Reinforced easterly trade winds simultaneously drive warm water towards the west, elevating sea level by as much as half a meter in areas around Indonesia and the Philippines. This anomaly increases baseline coastal vulnerability and slows riverine drainage into the sea, prolonging inland inundation after heavy rain. Compound hazards emerge as fluvial flooding coincides with storm surge and elevated sea levels, expanding both the depth and duration of inundation in densely populated deltaic regions such as the Mekong and Red River systems. Regional monsoon dynamics further intensify the hazard profile. During transition seasons, La Nina enhances both southwest and northeast monsoon systems. In late 2025, enhanced Habagat circulation continues to deliver moisture to western Philippines and Indochina, while the strengthening Amihan simultaneously drives rain towards eastern seaboards. Vietnams central provinces often experience peak rainfall during this period, with La Nina adding between 9 and 19 per cent to seasonal totals relative to climatology. The overlapping influence of cyclonic anomalies, moisture-laden winds, and reinforced monsoonal flows sets the stage for severe flooding, landslides, and agricultural disruption. For archipelagic and coastal nations, the dual exposure of western and eastern flanks during the same quarter presents a uniquely difficult crisis management scenario, requiring national-level coordination to manage simultaneous emergencies across disparate geographies. Compound flood risk further complicates the regional hazard outlook. The simultaneous convergence of heavy upstream rainfall, storm surge, and elevated sea levels multiplies impacts in river deltas and urban centres. Modelling of the Mekong Delta under compound scenarios demonstrates that inundated areas and water depths expand significantly compared with single-driver flood models. The persistence of elevated sea levels reduces drainage efficiency, ensuring that recovery lags as floodwaters linger. This systemic characteristic makes La Nina a multiplier of preexisting vulnerabilities. Effective disaster risk reduction requires integrated strategies combining hydrological forecasting, dam operation protocols, and proactive relief prepositioning. Strategic readiness during OND 2025 will determine the extent of avoided losses in the short-lived but high-stakes La Nina episode forecast for 20252026. On October 3, the Ministry organised the workshop to introduce Decree No.242/2025/ND-CP on the management and use of Official Development Assistance (ODA) and foreign concessional loans. Issued on September 10, the decree introduces major reforms aimed at creating a more open, transparent, and efficient framework to unlock international resources for the countrys development. Workshop on Decree 242 held by the Ministry of Finance in Ho Chi Minh City on October 3 Speaking at the workshop, Nguyen Quoc Phuong, director general of the Ministry of Finance's (MoF) Department of Debt Management and External Finance , said the issuance of Decree 242 marked an important milestone in completing the legal framework for ODA and concessional loan management. "Many major projects, including Can Tho Bridge, My Thuan Bridge, and the Ho Chi Minh City Environmental Improvement Project, among many others, bear the imprint of ODA and concessional loans, supporting development in transportation, healthcare, education, and the environment," Phuong noted, adding that these investments have created widespread positive impacts across the Mekong Delta, the Central Highlands, and major urban centres. According to Phuong, over the past 30 years, ODA and foreign concessional loans have played a vital role in Vietnams socioeconomic development. Alongside these achievements, challenges remain in mobilising, managing, and using ODA and concessional loans, including complex procedures, slow disbursement, lack of coordination among agencies, and overlapping mechanisms that complicate work for project owners, ministries, sectors, and localities. As Vietnam enters a new phase of transformation, with strong political commitment to achieving at least 8 per cent growth in 2025 and double-digit growth in subsequent years, capital demand is high for infrastructure, transformative projects, green transition, digitalisation, and climate change adaptation. Key projects in the Mekong Delta include the Mekong Delta DPOs, which use over $3 billion in foreign loans, the nearly $500 million Mekong Delta Climate Resilience and Integrated Transformation Project, and the $315 million one-million-hectare rice-growing initiative financed by the World Bank. "The governments issuance of Decree 242, with significant reforms in mechanisms, will help create a more open, transparent, and efficient framework, unlocking international resources for the countrys development in the years ahead," Phuong said. Nguyen Ba Hung, Chief Economist of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Vietnam, assessed Decree 242 as a very positive step in simplifying procedures for projects using ODA funds. Firstly, we acknowledge the proactive and active cooperation of the Ministry of Finance during the drafting process, which involved consultation with donors and the incorporation of important feedback. As a result, Decree 242 reflects considerable progress, Hung told VIR. According to Hung, some immediate positive impacts can already be seen. For example, greater decentralisation to local authorities allows them to approve matters within their jurisdiction, thereby accelerating decision-making. In addition to simplifying approval procedures, project management processes have also been streamlined, such as revising and adjusting implementation procedures to become more flexible and faster. These changes, he noted, have had a tangible impact on ongoing projects. With the more open provisions of Decree 242, Asian Development Bank is also very optimistic that project preparation with line ministries and executing agencies will be accelerated in the near future, Hung said. Decree 242 remains subject to existing laws and, according to Hung, the government is in the process of amending related regulations, including reviewing provisions in international agreements. This creates space for ODA use and management to become more efficient, with greater decentralisation and simplified procedures, while ensuring stronger effectiveness control, he said. Hung also noted ongoing projects with international partners. "Currently, the ADB is working with Ho Chi Minh City to prepare two large-scale urban flood control projects. These are in the final stages of completing procedures for investment approval, and the ADB is hopeful the process will be expedited, so implementation can begin soon," he added. MoF backs reforms to cut red tape for overseas investment The new draft Law on Investment is set to reshape the policy framework, with reforms aimed at driving stronger business growth. MoF pledges fair, transparent tax policies for Korean investors The Ministry of Finance has held a dialogue with South Korean businesses, addressing tax and customs issues and pledging stronger support for investors. On October 2, the brewer was named among the Top 10 Reputable Brands at Vietnams Excellent Brand Awards 2025 by VnEconomy. SABECO also secured fourth place in Forbes Vietnams Top 25 Leading Listed Brands and ranked among the Top 5 Reputable Beverage Companies 2025 by VNReport. This recognition marks the third time SABECO has appeared in Forbes Top 25 Leading Listed Brands and the ninth consecutive year in the Top 10 Most Reputable Food and Beverage Companies, underlining its consistent industry leadership. The awards are the result of transparent and rigorous evaluations. Vietnams Excellent Brand Awards considers business performance, brand reputation, corporate culture, social responsibility, innovation, and international integration. Forbes Vietnam calculates brand value based on tangible and intangible assets, sector price-to-earnings ratios, and audited financial data. VNReport applies three key benchmarks: financial strength, media reputation, and stakeholder surveys. Lim Pei Chi Patsy, deputy general director of Marketing, SABECO, at the award ceremony SABECOs consistent presence in these rankings underscores its strong brand equity, sustained performance, and resilience in Vietnams highly competitive beverage market. The brewer has also placed sustainability at the core of its growth. Since 2024, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) policies have been integrated into its key performance indicators, while a Sustainability and Risk Management Committee has been established at the Board of Directors level. SABECO has announced its Net Zero roadmap and publishes Sustainability Reports in line with standards from the Global Reporting Initiative By the end of 2024, 64 per cent of SABECOs breweries had installed solar power systems, cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 9.3 per cent and reducing water consumption per unit by 7.3 per cent. Renewable energy accounted for more than 40 per cent of total energy use, while more than 64 per cent of waste was recycled or reused. These results underscore the tangible progress of SABECOs ESG strategy. The company currently operates 25 breweries, 11 subsidiaries, and a nationwide distribution system of more than 200 outlets. This ecosystem generates tens of thousands of direct and indirect jobs. SABECO has also remained among the largest taxpayers in Vietnam, contributing significantly to state budget revenues. In 2025, SABECO celebrates 150 years of heritage with a series of community activities being implemented. With steady growth, ongoing sustainability efforts, and a long-standing heritage, SABECO remains a key player in Vietnams food and beverage sector, delivering lasting value to consumers and investors alike. BANGKOK, THAILAND - Media OutReach Newswire - 2 October 2025 - Siam Paragon, a legendary landmark in the heart of Bangkok, Thailand, and a must-visit destination for local and international visitors, has solidified its reputation as the premier luxury watch destination with the success of "Siam Paragon Bangkok Watch Week 2025." Recognized as Southeast Asia's most prestigious and comprehensive watch festival, the event delivered an extraordinary experience for enthusiasts and earned recognition from leading global maisons and collectors worldwide. Held from September 2328, 2025, at Siam Paragon, the event brought together over 30 prestigious luxury watch brands, including A. Lange & Sohne, Bianchet, Bulgari, Breitling, Bovet, Boucheron, Cartier, Chopard, Franck Muller, Grand Seiko, Girard-Perregaux, H. Moser & Cie, Hublot, IWC Schaffhausen, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Jaquet Droz, Laurent Ferrier, Louis Erard, Omega, Panerai, Piaget, TAG Heuer, Tiffany & Co., Van Cleef & Arpels, Ulysse Nardin, Vacheron Constantin, and Zenith. Founders and executives from these maisons graced the occasion, enhancing its international significance. A key highlight was The Symposium, featuring 13 engaging sessions. Renowned horology expert Mr. Wei Koh, globally respected in watchmaking, shared his personal journey and visionary perspectives on timepiece creation, inspiring both new and seasoned collectors. The festival attracted thousands of enthusiasts from Thailand and abroad, solidifying Bangkok's reputation as a rising global hub for luxury watches. Thanaporn Tantiyanon, Managing Director of Siam Paragon Business Unit, said: "The success of this event shows that today's market values rare moments and extraordinary experiences. Siam Paragon Bangkok Watch Week 2025 delivers this for both brands and attendees. Our vision is to set a new benchmark for the watch industry in Thailand and the region, establishing this as an annual world-class event and reinforcing Bangkok as a must-visit global destination for luxury timepieces." The event also served as a premier stage for global and regional launches. Highlights included Chopard unveiling the L.U.C XPS Urushi "Naga" Limited Edition; Louis Erard introducing the Le Regulateur Louis Erard x Vianney Halter Thailand Edition; Grand Seiko presenting the Spring Drive U.F.A. Violet Dawn; Bovet showcasing the Pioneer Perpetual Calendar Month Date in Stainless Steel for the first time in Southeast Asia; and Jaquet Droz revealing the Tourbillon Skelet-One Gold Dragon Mask for the first time in Thailand. The Exhibition showcased exceptional timepieces valued over THB 1 billion, including the rare Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref.96 Steel, Salmon Dial, circa 1944, the Audemars Piguet Master02 Ref.15240SG, and the Bvlgari Fenice Octo Roma Secret, while The Experience offered innovative creations and exclusive activities unavailable elsewhere. Over six remarkable days, Siam Paragon Bangkok Watch Week 2025 attracted an exceptional gathering of High Net Worth individuals, collectors, and watch enthusiasts from Thailand and around the world. The event set new world-class standards in luxury experiences, reinforcing Siam Paragon's position as a premier global destination. https://www.bangkokwatchweek.com/ The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Launch of the World Banks report on talent and innovation for Vietnams semiconductor industry, October 2 At a forum on innovation in strategic technology sectors on October 2, the World Bank released a report on talent and innovation for Vietnams semiconductor industry. The report noted that landmark reforms, particularly Resolution No.57-NQ/TW, reflect Vietnams commitment and determination to advance into high-tech industries. "Vietnam has real advantages. A young, talented workforce. Macroeconomic stability. A strategic location in Asia's growth corridor. And a proven ability to learn and adapt. What we need now is the right strategy," said Mariam J. Sherman, World Bank country director for Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. According to the World Bank, the 'three-plus-one' formula centres on building a skilled workforce and top tech talent, developing an innovation ecosystem that connects academia, domestic and foreign firms, and the government, and strengthening supply chain linkages. The plus one is a sharp focus on a few targeted clusters of innovation excellence to anchor Vietnams technological progress. On talent, Sherman stressed that Vietnam must boost both the number and quality of graduates, while producing more world-class technicians, scientists, and engineers. Universities need more investment to train talent and drive research, while vocational colleges should work hand-in-hand with businesses to supply the skilled technicians high-tech industries demand. "Attracting and retaining talent matters as much as developing talent. Nearly 65 per cent of Vietnam's top tech talent in critical and emerging technologies currently work overseas. Creating the right conditions for this talent to return and thrive in Vietnam can close knowledge and network gaps that might otherwise take decades to fill," she said. "In short, investing in people is fundamental. It's what drives sci-tech forward and gives firms confidence that the right talent will be there at every level, from skilled technicians and engineers to visionary scientists and leaders," she added. Building a strong innovation ecosystem mean bringing together academia, government, and both local and foreign firms. It's an ecosystem where research can flourish, where ideas move from lab to market, and where startups can scale into homegrown unicorns. Vietnam has laid important groundwork. Yet, higher-value work, like product design, engineering, and turning research into commercial products, is still in its early days. To give an example, from 2010 to 2020, Vietnam filed fewer than 100 patents in the top five international patent offices, with virtually none in semiconductors. This is where the opportunity for growth lies. "Boosting public and private investment in research and innovation is critical, especially in infrastructure for research and development (R&D). Breakthroughs in high-tech require research labs, prototyping and pilot lines, and advanced training centres," said Sherman. The World Bank is urging Vietnam to establish national semiconductor design hubs world-class centres where universities, researchers, and startups can share access to advanced computing, design libraries, and prototyping tools to test chips before commercial production. According to Sherman, "These hubs speed up innovation and give students and scientists hands-on experience to turn designs into reality." To unlock Vietnams full innovation potential, the Bank stresses the need to strengthen the 'triple helix' partnership of academia, industry, and government. In leading global hubs, universities drive research and talent, firms scale innovation, and governments link the pieces a model already proven across 33 East Asian science and tech clusters in the worlds top 100. Mariam J. Sherman, WB country director for Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos As for deepening ties between Vietnam's domestic companies, especially small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large oversea firms, the goal is straightforward to help Vietnamese companies capture more value from global supply chains by moving from simple suppliers into trusted co-innovators and long-term partners of multinationals. "To make this happen, a collaborative partnership model, where international and Vietnamese companies formally co-invest alongside the government to upgrade the capabilities of local firms, is essential," Sherman said. This approach draws on proven global models. In Singapore, the Partnership for Capability Transformation matches multinational spending with SME upgrades through supplier development and joint R&D. Ireland runs a national buyer-supplier scheme that pairs global buyers with local firms and co-finances improvements. Sherman suggested Vietnam could adopt a similar path, with foreign firms mentoring local SMEs to meet international standards on quality, delivery, and certification, supported by government funding tied to results. Such schemes could also co-finance projects to test prototypes or localise key parts, opening direct entry points into global production chains. "We should start in sectors where Vietnam already has momentum: electronics, semiconductors, biotech, and pharmaceuticals," she said. "The payoff is clear: the knowledge stays and grows in Vietnam. Your companies win more business and climb the global value chain. And you build and keep a generation of highly skilled local talent." And finally, the 'plus one' is the element that ties all the other three pillars together: to focus on a few well-chosen clusters of innovation excellence. China has built innovation corridors like the one connecting Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and Guangzhou. South Korea has its Daedeok Science Town. And Singapore has its dedicated innovation districts, like Fusionopolis and Jurong. The worlds leading innovation hubs share a common DNA: flagship universities, joint universityindustry science parks, R&D institutes, high-tech firms, innovative SMEs, ambitious startups, and major foreign investors. In Vietnam, Sherman pointed to Hoa Lac High-Tech Park, which she said could evolve over the next decade into a centre for advanced manufacturingspanning semiconductors, biomedicine, robotics, and automation. The cluster could unite universities, research institutes, training providers, and factories of the future into one ecosystem, making it possible to go from training and R&D to prototyping and full-scale production all in one place. "Such clusters are powerful magnets for talent and ideas. They inspire young people in Vietnam to pursue careers in sci-tech, and they attract more of the Vietnamese diaspora to bring their skills and networks back home," she said. This journey requires a whole-of-nation effort, with government, businesses, academia, and international partners each playing a vital role. The government sets the vision, creates enabling policies, and provides seed funding; universities work with industry to train the workforce and conduct R&D; and international partners contribute global expertise and financing. "The World Bank is proud to be Vietnam's partner on this journey, building on more than 30 years of close collaboration. We are aligning our support to help Vietnam unlock its high-tech potential," Sherman said. Coleg Cambria launches butchery academy with award-winning mentor This article is old - Published: Friday, Oct 3rd, 2025 Coleg Cambria is set to sharpen the future of food skills with the launch of its brand-new Butchery Academy. And leading the way is award-winning butcher and mentor, Matt Edwards. Matt Food Manufacturing Work-Based Learning Practitioner at Cambria and a former WorldSkills UK gold medallist has already been sharing his expertise with learners. Recently, he supported Gabi Wilson, from NPTC Group in Newtown, ahead of her appearance in the cooking category at EuroSkills in Denmark. Gabi and her tutors specifically turned to Matt for his sector knowledge and competition experience, underlining his reputation as one of the UKs foremost industry experts. It was a pleasure to work with Gabi and help her refine her butchery skills in preparation for EuroSkills, said Matt. With the new Butchery Academy at Coleg Cambria, well soon be offering classes not only to trainee butchers but also to chefs and members of the public. Its about showcasing the craft and inspiring the next generation. The Academy will be based at the state-of-the-art training kitchen launched in partnership with The Savoy Educational Trust at Yale in Wrexham earlier this year. The cutting-edge facility was part-funded by the Trust and is located alongside Ial Restaurant in the colleges 21m Hafod building. Matts journey began at just 14 in a local butchers shop before training at award-winning outlets including Swans Farm Shop (Treuddyn), Joness Butchers (Llangollen), and with Steve Vaughan in Penyffordd. Now, from behind the training block rather than the counter, he is committed to supporting the sectors new blood through mentoring, competitions, and outreach. Kate Muddiman, Cambrias Work-based Learning Manager, praised his impact: By connecting expertise from different colleges, we are ensuring young people have the best possible preparation to compete internationally. Skills-based education is about creating opportunities, raising aspirations, and showing learners that their craft can open doors to global success. Alongside his role at Cambria, Matt is also an Inspiring Skills Excellence in Wales ambassador, promoting the trade in schools and championing a profession that is seeing growing demand for skilled candidates. For more information on the wide range of courses and qualifications at Coleg Cambria, visit www.cambria.ac.uk and follow them on social media. New building safety law could make flats unsellable, warn lenders This article is old - Published: Friday, Oct 3rd, 2025 Building safety reforms risk suppressing the appetite of mortgage lenders to offer loans on flats, making properties effectively unsellable to most buyers, a committee has heard. John Marr, from UK Finance which represents the banking industry expressed concerns about unintended consequences of the Welsh Governments building safety bill. The bill, which aims to create clear lines of legal responsibility for managing safety risks, would create three categories of building with different restrictions for each: category one: highest risk, at least 18 metres or seven storeys category two: medium risk, 11m to 18m or five or six storeys category three: lower risk, less than 11m and fewer than five storeys Warning the bill could curb the appetite of mortgage lenders, Mr Marr said: This could be so, particularly if the proposed obligations/duties in relation to category three buildings mean no flat owner is willing to take on these responsibilities. This could result in a lack of management/maintenance for such buildings. Mr Marr added that additional legal and cost burdens could accelerate further flight from the private-rented sector in Wales, limiting the available supply of homes. Neglected Under the bill which was brought forward to ensure the 2017 Grenfell Tower tragedy, in which 72 people died, can never happen again flat owners could become the legally responsible accountable person for a buildings safety. UK Finance warned owners may lack the skills, resources or willingness to take on such a role, resulting in critical safety works being delayed or neglected. In written evidence to the Senedds housing committee, which is scrutinising the bill, Mr Marr wrote: If a repossession takes place, lenders would not expect then to be responsible for funding outstanding repairs potentially, to the further financial detriment of the former owner. Lenders would also need to understand the affordability consequences of obligations on borrowers some of which might fall to individuals rather than collectively. The overall effect of the proposals particularly for category three buildings could impact lender appetite to lend on such properties. Mr Marr said the broad definition of accountable person raises concerns about exposing lenders to duties and liabilities despite their limited operational control over the property. Implementation failure Concerns about the bills real-world impact were echoed by councils and fire services, which warned of demands on an already overstretched workforce. The Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA), the national voice of Wales 22 councils, described plans to designate councils as building safety authorities as unrealistic. While supportive of the bills overarching aims, the WLGA pointed to funding pressures, workforce capacity challenges and limited technical expertise. The umbrella organisation told Senedd members: Local authorities will struggle to fulfil these new responsibilities effectively, potentially undermining the bills objectives. Warning of implementation failure, the WLGA said financial estimates that accompanied the bill significantly underestimate the costs and demands on councils. Short-sighted Fire services similarly warned of the financial impact cautioning that without funding, the new legal duties will force them to divert resources away from existing safety work. In its written evidence, the WLGA said: Introducing new responsibilities without adequate funding is short-sighted, especially given the financial pressures facing local authorities. With England pursuing full cost recovery, it is questionable why Wales would opt for a less robust or cheaper model particularly given the high stakes involved in building safety. In its evidence, an all-Wales housing expert panel depicted plans for 22 building safety authorities as unworkable particularly in light of a massive skills gap advocating a regional model based on the three fire service areas. The Senedds housing committee will take oral evidence on the bill from representatives of councils, fire and rescue services, and UK Finance during its meeting on October 1. By Chris Haines, ICNN Senedd reporter Wales gives eco-engineer beavers dam good protection This article is old - Published: Friday, Oct 3rd, 2025 Beavers are set to be legally recognised as a native species in Wales, the Welsh Government has confirmed, paving the way for their managed reintroduction. Climate change secretary Huw Irranca-Davies said new legislation would make it an offence to deliberately harm beavers or their habitats in Wales. He confirmed the law would be changed before the May 2026 Senedd election, bringing Wales in line with Scotland and England. The announcement came during a debate led by Joyce Watson who called for their reintroduction to act as eco-engineers in tackling the nature crisis. Ms Watson, the Senedds beaver champion, made a passionate case for bringing the majestic animals home centuries after they were hunted to extinction in Tudor times. Ms Watson, who has represented Mid and West Wales since 2007, told Senedd members beavers could be critical to improving water quality and reducing flood risk. Eco-engineers She said: Beavers are amazing eco engineers, innate wetland managers, restoring habitats, increasing biodiversity, preventing flooding, and providing all manner of ecosystem services. Leading a short debate on October 1, she raised Wildlife Trusts Wales reintroduction project focused on the Dyfi catchment where a small number of beavers are already living wild. Ms Watson said: In short, re-establishing sustainable populations could breathe new life into our water system for the benefit of both wildlife and people. She told the Senedd any potential downsides could be mitigated, arguing that beavers can be managed easily and at relatively low cost by learning from international models. But the Labour politician stressed that for the project to succeed, beavers must be given protected species status and recognised as a native animal. She warned that funding for the beaver project comes through the Welsh Governments Nature Networks programme which ends in March 2026. Bring them home Ms Watson said: Ultimately, as with other once prosecuted animals like red kites and ospreys beavers belong to Wales. We removed them; we need to bring them home. Her Labour colleague Carolyn Thomas backed reintroduction, describing beavers as a vital part of the ecosystem benefiting other species like otters, trout and salmon. She explained how their dams improve water quality, prevent flooding and drought. Mr Irranca-Davies, who is deputy first minister as well as climate secretary, said he was proud to support the transformative plan for the managed reintroduction of beavers. Calling beavers natures engineers and a keystone species, he explained their presence has a disproportionately positive impact on biodiversity and ecosystems. Mr Irranca-Davies said he was delighted to make such a dam good announcement. By Chris Haines, ICNN Senedd reporter Reno Police say they're looking into a possible suspect who may be involved in last night's shooting that killed one person. You may remember us reporting this yesterday. It happened on Enterprise Road at The Highlands Student Housing apartments near the University of Nevada, Reno. Reno Police were initially responding to a report of a fight at the apartments just before 7:30, but things became much more serious when they found a man with a gunshot wound. He was quickly taken to the hospital but died from his injuries. The Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner's Office will release the identification of the victim as soon as the proper notifications have been made. Reno Police Chief Kathryn Nance says there's no threat to the public: "It seems to be an isolated incident between a group of people that had some sort of altercation or interaction with one another, and it appears that they probably did know each other, so at this point in time we don't believe there are any additional threats to the public or anything else that we are looking for." Police have not yet confirmed if the person they're looking into is the actual shooter. Chief Nance tells us they're still determining the exact nature of the shooting. Anyone with information is urged to call Reno Police at (775) 334-2677, or Secret Witness to remain anonymous at (775) 322-4900. . LOCKSLEY ADVANCES MULTIPLE ANTIMONY and RARE EARTHS WORKSTREAMS AT MOJAVE Locksley Advances Multiple Antimony and REE Workstreams Perth, Oct 3, 2025 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Locksley Resources Ltd ( ASX:LKY ) ( X5L:FRA ) ( LKYRF:OTCMKTS ) is pleased to provide a market update on activities across the Mojave Critical Minerals Project in California, where the Company is rapidly advancing numerous parallel workstreams. Highlights - Plan of Operations approval for upsized drilling program at Desert Antimony Mine (DAM), subject to receipt of bond - Locksley has secured a drill contractor for El Campo rare earths drilling in Q4 and is in the process of finalising the expanded drill programactivities and timeline at DAM - Lidar surface and underground survey completed at DAM, providing detailed 3D mapping of adits and stopes to guide drill targeting and mine design - Underground sampling program planned at DAM to validate historical grades and support resource definition - Regional exploration advancing across newly acquired claims, extending coverage to over 40 sq km of the Mojave corridor - Multiple parallel workstreams reinforce Locksley's fast-track mine-tomarket strategy for U.S. antimony supply Locksley has received approval from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) expanding the Plan of Operations for the Desert Antimony Mine, which will become effective upon completion of the bond payment and receipt of a letter from the BLM that the bond has been accepted, this process is underway. Following the announcement on 15th September, which outlined a significant enlargement of the exploration program at the Desert Antimony Mine ("DAM"), Locksley has moved quickly to initiate onground activities across the broader Mojave Project. Exploration Workstreams - Drilling: Locksley has secured a drilling contractor for the upcoming exploration program planned for Q4 2025. The drilling at the El Campo rare earths project is designed to target the steeply dipping, structurally controlled mineralised horizon in five locations along the interpreted 860m long NW-SE striking El Campo 'lode'. This lode hosts elevated REE, as delineated from high-grade rock chip sampling conducted during 2023. The first planned drillhole is designed to target the down-plunge El Campo outcrop dipping to the SW. - LiDAR Surveying - DAM: A comprehensive LiDAR survey of underground adits and stopes has been completed, providing data to inform both program drilling design and future mine planning. The underground LiDAR survey will expand Locksley's knowledge of historic antimony production. It will also provide a 3D wireframe model of the historic underground mine, which will assist with future drill targeting aiming to delineate un-mined high-grade antimony mineralisation along strike from the historic stopes. The LiDAR survey team deployed an Elios 3 with the Rev7 LiDAR payload to map the internal spaces of the underground mine, while the team also operate the DJI M350 RTK drone equipped with the L2 LiDAR payload to capture imagery for surface mapping. The dataset will enable the contractors to accurately integrate and geospatially align all underground scans, ensuring a comprehensive and precise 3D model of the Desert Antimony mine site. - Underground Sampling - DAM: Systematic sampling of underground workings at DAM will commence in the near term, designed to further evaluate grade continuity and confirm historical production records. An adit located ~50m to the south-east of the historic Desert Antimony smelter will be used to conduct UG mapping and sampling which will progress Locksley's understanding of subsurface stibnite bearing quartz-carbonate vein orientation, grade and continuity. Two stopes crosscutting the main orientation of the adit still contain timber beams and ladders that were used for mining during the late 1920's and 1930's. Evidence of sheeted massive to semi-massive stibnite bearing quartz-carbonate veining is observed to be dipping sub-vertically to the west and north-west and run parallel to the orientation of the stopes. - Broader Exploration Activities: o Field sampling: Regional reconnaissance and claim wide sampling will commence later this month, extending coverage across the newly acquired tenure and prospective corridors. o Geophysics: Locksley is currenting reviewing the optimal geophysical methods to evaluate its expanded land position. Technics including airborne magnetic, radiometric surveys, Induced polarization, gravity survey and passive seismic are being evaluated. Airborne geophysics has the potential to provide additional REE anomalies that may be associated with REE-bearing carbonatite intrusions, similar to the Mountain Pass REE deposit. o Stream sediment and rock chip sampling: Wide-spread regional stream sediment and rock chip sampling are planned across the entire North-western Block, South Block, and areas of the newly expanded North Block using coarse fraction stream sediment sampling methodology. Ongoing mapping coinciding with outcrop rock sampling will also assist in providing potential REE, antimony and base metal geochemical anomalies within the Mojave Project's land tenure. Kerrie Matthews, Chief Executive Officer of Locksley Resources, commented: "Since commencing as CEO, my focus has been on advancing Mojave through multiple, parallel workstreams. The exploration team is rapidly progressing technical programs, from securing a drill rig to underground sampling and Lidar surveys at the Desert Antimony Mine. With the Plan of Operations now approved pending bond finalisation, we are commencing activities to prepare for the initial drilling at the El Campo REE target. The team and I are extremely focused on our fast-track mine-to-market strategy and it positions Locksley to deliver near-term U.S. antimony supply into critical defense and energy supply chains." About Locksley Resources Limited Locksley Resources Limited (ASX:LKY) (FRA:X5L) (OTCMKTS:LKYRF) is an ASX listed explorer focused on critical minerals in the United States of America. The Company is actively advancing exploration across two key assets: the Mojave Project in California, targeting rare earth elements (REEs) and antimony. Locksley Resources aims to generate shareholder value through strategic exploration, discovery and development in this highly prospective mineral region. Mojave Project Located in the Mojave Desert, California, the Mojave Project comprises over 250 claims across two contiguous prospect areas, namely, the North Block/Northeast Block and the El Campo Prospect. The North Block directly abuts claims held by MP Materials, while El Campo lies along strike of the Mountain Pass Mine and is enveloped by MP Materials' claims, highlighting the strong geological continuity and exploration potential of the project area. In addition to rare earths, the Mojave Project hosts the historic "Desert Antimony Mine", which last operated in 1937. Despite the United States currently having no domestic antimony production, demand for the metal remains high due to its essential role in defense systems, semiconductors, and metal alloys. With significant surface sample results, the Desert Mine prospect represents one of the highest-grade known antimony occurrences in the U.S. Locksley's North American position is further strengthened by rising geopolitical urgency to diversify supply chains away from China, the global leader in both REE & antimony production. With its maiden drilling program planned, the Mojave Project is uniquely positioned to align with U.S. strategic objectives around critical mineral independence and economic security. Tottenham Project Locksley's Australian portfolio comprises the advanced Tottenham Copper-Gold Project in New South Wales, focused on VMS-style mineralisation in a well established mining region. Locksley is committed to delivering value through discovery, development, and strategic partnerships, with a focus on securing access to U.S. aligned funding and downstream collaborations. Related Companies Sunward Credit Union at 3707 Juan Tabo NE in Albuquerque is pictured Thursday. It is one of several New Mexico-based credit unions offering programs to help federal workers through the government shutdown. New Mexico credit unions are offering loan programs and waiving penalties to help workers affected by the federal government shutdown. Credit unions are nonprofit, member-owned financial institutions, and three Albuquerque-based credit unions are offering programs to help out members who have been furloughed or are missing paychecks because of the shutdown. I think people keeping their cars, staying in their homes, having access to credit or funds to help bridge them to whatever this looks like on the other end, thats where we can show up, said Alex de la Cruz, executive vice president at Sunward Federal Credit Union. Sunward Federal Credit Union is offering a member assistance program during the government shutdown. The program has been offered to its members before in other times of financial hardship, like after recent floods in Ruidoso. It includes waived penalties for early term certificate withdrawals, waived non-sufficient funds and penalty fees for overdrafts, skipping a payment on a signature loan or auto loan, requesting a loan modification on mortgages, and applying for a relief loan for up to three months net pay. If the shutdown stretches out for a long period of time and member needs increase, the credit union will add more things to the program to help mitigate those effects, de la Cruz said. Alex de la Cruz Courtesy of Emily Joanne Photography While government shutdowns can financially strain federal employees, they can also affect military personnel and if a shutdown stretches out, can impact small or midsized businesses that support federal institutions, according to de la Cruz. To prepare ahead of a government shutdown, make sure you have savings and are managing your credit score and budget, de la Cruz said. To respond to a shutdown, you can lean on trusted financial partners. He said that could be a credit union or bank you have an account with, state resources or municipal and county programs. Nusenda Credit Union is also offering flexible loan payment options, early certificate withdrawals and a 0% interest member assistance loan, to help ease the financial burden for members, according to spokesman Eric Harrison. Ad U.S. Eagle Federal Credit Union is also offering a relief loan for its members, with 0% interest for the first 90 days. The Eagle Relief loans are up to $5,000 and meant to help members who experience a sudden loss of income, like a furloughed federal employee. It requires documentation of the hardship. Affordable short-term loans are also available for non-members affected by the shutdown. In situations like these, were less concerned about how much money we can earn off a loan or anything like that, said Michael Moore, executive vice president and CFO of the credit union. We just want to make sure that people are able to get back on their feet, and we are happy to be a part of that. The government shutdown does not extend to the National Credit Union Administration and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., the federal agencies that provide deposit insurance to credit unions and banks. Both entities are considered essential and continue operating. House Speaker Javier Martinez, D-Albuquerque, shakes hands with Rep. William Hall, R-Farmington, on the House floor after the end of a two-day special session on Thursday. U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., is shown cheering them on in the background. Eddie Moore U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M. takes a cell phone photo during a Thursday news conference after the end of a two-day special session. Stansbury, a former state House member, lauded Democratic legislators in New Mexico for taking action to address the looming impacts of a federal budget bill. Eddie Moore House Minority Leader Gail Armstrong, R-Magdalena, speaks during a Thursday news conference at the Roundhouse, while other Republican legislators look on. GOP legislators said they were largely excluded by majority Democrats from special session planning meetings and bill drafting discusssions. Eddie Moore Rep. Cristina Parajon, D-Albuquerque, gets ready for the start of a floor session on the second day of a legislative special session called by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. Lawmakers approved five bills during the special session, which ended Thursday evening. Eddie Moore Senate Minority Leader William Sharer, R-Farmington, left, and Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, talk on the Senate Floor before the start of the second day of a special session called by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. The Senate adjourned after wrapping up its work around mid-day Thursday. Eddie Moore House Speaker Javier Martinez, D-Albuquerque, talks with other Democratic lawmakers after the end of a special session at the Roundhouse on Thursday. Legislators passed five bills during the two-day special session, and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is expected to sign the bills in the coming days. Eddie Moore First-term Sens. Cindy Nava, D-Bernalillo, and Steve Lanier, R-Aztec, record a social media video after the Senate wrapped up a two-day special session in this Oct. 2 file photo. The social media post was intended to show how Democrats and Republicans work together in the Legislature. Eddie Moore Rep. Mark Murphy, R-Roswell, talks with House Majority Whip Dayan Hochman-Vigil, D-Albuquerque, on the House floor Thursday before the start of the second day of a special session. The House adjourned late in the day after several lengthy bill debates. Eddie Moore SANTA FE New Mexico lawmakers wrapped up a two-day special session on Thursday that revealed islands of bipartisanship amid a sea of political turmoil and an acknowledgement that more hard choices lie ahead. Facing big federal budget changes, legislators approved bills dealing with vaccines and rural health care funding during the special session, along with a $161 million spending package bolstering food assistance programs, food banks and public television and radio stations. Those bills are expected to be signed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who called lawmakers back to Santa Fe for the special session, by as soon as Friday, a spokesman said. We refuse to let New Mexico families fall through the cracks because Republicans in Washington have abandoned their responsibility to the American people, Lujan Grisham said in a statement after lawmakers adjourned. While Democrats described the special session as a success, Republican lawmakers were less upbeat, with Senate Minority Leader William Sharer, R-Farmington, saying, This so-called special session just wasnt that special. The special sessions final day played out much differently in the two legislative chambers, as the Senate moved quickly to approve a bill dealing with health care coverage before adjourning midday Thursday. In contrast, debate on several bills in the House was delayed after members spent nearly three hours making politically tinged speeches. Revisiting a familiar criticism, multiple House GOP lawmakers aired grievances about the special sessions agenda and being excluded from pre-session negotiations between Governors Office staffers and top-ranking Democrats. They also railed against time limits imposed by Democratic committee chairs for each legislator to ask questions about bills. We represent half of this state and it seems like the Democratic leadership doesnt give a darn, said House GOP floor leader Gail Armstrong of Magdalena during a Thursday news conference. Ad During the House floor session, Rep. Rod Montoya, R-Farmington, spoke about the definition of terms like fascism and racism, while also criticizing a social media post made by House Speaker Javier Martinez, D-Albuquerque, that lambasted President Donald Trump and U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The House speaker did not directly address that criticism, but said he never ignores meeting requests or phone calls from Republican lawmakers. I am sorry that you all dont feel like youve been included, Martinez said. It was not on purpose. He also contrasted the Legislatures special session work with the ongoing federal government shutdown that reached its second day on Thursday. While Washington sits in dysfunction, this Legislature and in particular this caucus continue to show how we can work with civility and on behalf of New Mexicans, Martinez said during a news conference after the special session ended. U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., also attended the House Democrats news conference, describing the New Mexico Legislature as the nations only legislature to take action in response to the looming federal cuts. Session full of temporary fixes While describing the special session bills as urgently needed responses, top Democrats said more work needs to be done in a state with one of the nations highest percentagesof residents enrolled in Medicaid. Martinez described the bills as temporary fixes, while also saying, No state in the nation can withstand the immensity and the cruelty of these cuts (in the federal bill). In addition, House Democratic floor leader Reena Szczepanski of Santa Fe said lawmakers will have to go back to the drawing board to ensure state residents have access to health care. While most of the bills passed will take effect immediately upon Lujan Grishams signature, Senate Bill 3, a measure giving the governors administration more authority to set state-level immunization requirements, fell short of a necessary two-thirds vote threshold in the House. As a result of the 43-26 vote, the bill would not take effect until Dec. 31 or 90 days after the special sessions adjournment. Lujan Grisham criticized Republicans for that delay Thursday, saying it could lead to limited access to the COVID-19 vaccine for children for the rest of this year. There is no good reason for Republicans to make New Mexicans wait 90 days for vaccines they need to protect their health, the governor said. Im deeply disappointed in Republicans for voting to restrict vaccines, but our Department of Health remains committed to vaccine access. House Majority Whip Dayan Hochman-Vigil, D-Albuquerque, said the legislation would safeguard parents ability to protect their families from infectious disease. State lawmakers are making sure that science-based vaccines are both readily available and affordable to New Mexicans who want to take advantage of their benefits, no matter what happens on the federal level, Hochman-Vigil said. While the vote on the vaccine bill broke down along party lines, with Republicans voting in opposition and Democrats in favor, other bills received bipartisan support. That includes a measure, Senate Bill 1, expanding the allowable uses for a state rural health care delivery fund. The bill passed without a single no vote in the Senate and just three dissenting votes in the House. Meanwhile, several legislators expressed optimism about possible breakthroughs on two hot-button health care issues during the 30-day session that starts in January. Those issues, interstate medical compacts and changes to the states medical malpractice laws, were left off the special session agenda by Lujan Grisham as part of an agreement with leading Democratic lawmakers. But leading Senate Democrats and Republicans both said in recent days they plan to fast-track bills dealing with the medical compacts and possibly other issues to the governors desk during the 30-day session. Special session costs The special session was the seventh such session called by Lujan Grisham since the governor took office in 2019. The governor did not immediately weigh in on the special session Thursday, but said at the sessions onset it was intended to protect New Mexico residents who need help the most. As for the special sessions cost, Lawmakers authorized a total of $240,000 to pay for staffing, security and other expenses, though not all of that money might ultimately end up being spent. To understand how business insurance customers perceive Gen AI risks and their demand for related insurance solutions, the Geneva Association conducted a survey of 600 corporate insurance decision-makers across China, France, Germany, Japan, the UK, and the US. A new report, Gen AI Risks for Businesses: Exploring the role for insurance, presents the survey findings, assesses the insurability of emerging Gen AI risks, and explores available insurance solutions. Report highlights Rapid adoption: 71% of surveyed businesses have implemented Gen AI in at least one function. Insurance demand: Over 90% of businesses show interest in insurance cover for Gen AI risks; two thirds would pay at least 10% higher premiums for such coverage. Top Gen AI risks: Cybersecurity concerns ranked highest, followed by third-party liabilities and operational disruption. Market challenges: Difficulties in verifying Gen AI risks and potential for large losses raise insurability concerns, echoing the challenges of cyber insurance. Industry implications: Insurers are experimenting with both policy extensions and standalone AI products, but modular approaches and cross-sector partnerships will be critical to closing protection gaps. Jad Ariss, Managing Director of the Geneva Association, said: Few technologies in history have spread as rapidly as Gen AI, yet its risks are complex and poorly understood. This report provides insurers with a clearer picture of business demand for insurance protection, helping the industry anticipate needs. Insurers have a unique role to play in ensuring that Gen AI adoption is safe and sustainable. The findings also underline the urgency for insurers, regulators, and technology providers to work together in developing frameworks that can safeguard businesses while enabling innovation to flourish across economies. Ruo (Alex) Jia, Director Digital Technologies at the Geneva Association and lead author of the report, said: Generative AI amplifies some existing risks and creates entirely new categories of exposure that extend beyond traditional insurance boundaries. Our survey shows strong demand for risk transfer solutions, especially from firms that have already experienced severe Gen AI failures, but it also highlights insurability challenges. The task for insurers now is to define clear risk boundaries and pilot modular coverage models that can adapt to this evolving technology. EPC summit highlights divisions over Ukraine's EU membership Xinhua) 10:55, October 03, 2025 European leaders pose for group photos during the seventh meeting of the European Political Community (EPC) in Copenhagen, capital of Denmark, Oct. 2, 2025. (Photo by Anders Kongshaug/Xinhua) OSLO, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- European leaders convened in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Thursday for the seventh meeting of the European Political Community (EPC), with Ukraine's prospects for future ties with the European Union (EU) high on the agenda. Hosting the summit, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen underscored Europe's security challenges, saying the continent must become strong enough to make war "unthinkable." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country is ready to open the first cluster of EU accession negotiations, arguing that such progress would strengthen Europe's overall security. However, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban reiterated his opposition, telling reporters that Ukraine's full membership in the EU was unacceptable. "Membership would bring the war into the EU, and EU money would go to Ukraine. That is too much," he said, adding that a strategic partnership on economic, energy and security issues would be acceptable. Before Denmark assumed the rotating EU presidency on July 1, Copenhagen signaled its intention to push forward accession talks with Ukraine, including the opening of negotiation clusters. But Hungary's objections have raised doubts about how much progress can be achieved during Denmark's presidency. The Copenhagen summit brought together around 50 leaders from both EU and non-EU countries under the EPC framework, with discussions focused on European security and hybrid threats. Launched in 2022, the EPC serves as a platform for informal political and strategic dialogue to strengthen security, stability and prosperity across the European continent. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (2nd, L) poses for a group photo with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (1st, L) during the seventh meeting of the European Political Community (EPC) in Copenhagen, capital of Denmark, Oct. 2, 2025. (Photo by Anders Kongshaug/Xinhua) European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (Front, L) speaks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (Front, R) during the seventh meeting of the European Political Community (EPC) in Copenhagen, capital of Denmark, Oct. 2, 2025. (Photo by Anders Kongshaug/Xinhua) European leaders attend the seventh meeting of the European Political Community (EPC) in Copenhagen, capital of Denmark, Oct. 2, 2025. (Photo by Anders Kongshaug/Xinhua) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan) October 3, 2025: Yemen remains a problem area for the 10th consecutive year. The civil war, lack of food and medical care for the civilian population, and seizure of foreign aid personnel by the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist organization in Yemen continued. This hindered the government, NGO, and international organizations efforts to address these problems. At the start of this year, the Houthi militia in Yemen halted their attacks on American commercial ships headed for the Suez Canal. Those attacks resumed after the June 1314 Israeli airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Yemen is at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, which has the Persian Gulf on its northeast coast and the Red Sea on its west coast, with the Indian Ocean on the southeast coast. Ships that dont go through the Suez Canal have to make a much longer journey all the way around the south coast of Africa. A lot more merchant vessels are making that journey due to the very high cost of war risk insurance for going through the Red Sea, which is now an official war zone. On the plus side, the need for so many more ships to make this long journey instead of going the shorter way through the Suez Canal required a ten percent increase in the container ship fleet. Fortunately, there was an eleven percent surplus of these long ships, and now nearly all of them are at work. The Houthis say they are at war with Israel and still fire at ships more or less at random, though they contend they only fire on ships serving Israel. So far, over 200 ships have been attacked, and about 20 percent of them were damaged. The U.S. Navy sent a carrier task force to launch airstrikes on Houthi targets with predictable minor effects. That led to more frequent and aggressive attacks, which briefly reduced Houthi activity. These attacks used over 200 missiles and as many shells from 127 mm or five-inch guns on destroyers. Several of those 127 mm shells actually shot down Houthi drones. In 2024, one of the Houthi drones hit a building in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, killing one civilian and wounding several others. The next day, Israel sent F-15 and F-35 fighter-bombers to destroy several economic targets in the Yemeni Red Sea port of Hudaydah. This is where weapons arrive from Iran for the Houthis to use against Red Sea shipping. The airstrikes destroyed fuel storage sites as well as port facilities, including the difficult-to-replace ship-unloading cranes. If the Israelis leave the port alone, repair of these facilities could take up to a year. The Israelis and other nations are not leaving the port of Hudaydah alone as long as the Houthis are using it. Yemens Shia rebels, led by the Houthi tribe, have used their large stockpile of Iranian missiles to try to block access to the Suez Canal. This capability developed over the last decade as the rebels launched attacks on more distant targets. The rebels obtained more powerful weapons as well, including Iranian ballistic missiles, which were disassembled so they could be smuggled from Iran to Yemen, where Iranian technicians supervised the missiles being assembled and launched into Saudi Arabia. In the last few years, the rebels have received longer-range ballistic missiles fired from northern Yemen across Saudi territory to hit Saudi and UAE oil production facilities on the Persian Gulf coast. The rebels also acquired the reconnaissance capability to accurately fire missiles at ships passing through the narrow, 26-kilometer-wide Bab el-Mandeb straits off southwestern Yemen and force ships to take the longer and more expensive and time-consuming fourteen-day, 6,000-kilometer route around the southern tip of Africa. These attacks have always been a potential threat to ships using the Red Sea to reach the Suez Canal in Egypt, at the north end of the Red Sea. Transit fees from ships using the canal are a major source of income for Egypt, bringing in about $10 billion a year. Egypt and Iran are enemies, and reducing Suez Canal income is a win for Iran, which supported the Yemen rebels for more than a decade to make such an interdiction possible. Western nations reacted slowly to this interdiction effort but, by the end of 2024, were launching regular airstrikes on Houthi targets, coordinating their efforts with the Israelis and U.S. carrier task forces operating in the region. In October 2024, American B-2 bombers dropped penetrating bombs on Houthi underground facilities, destroying missile stockpiles and headquarters for the rebels. This reduced the number of missiles available. This was seen in lower frequency of attacks. A naval blockade of Yemen was tightened, with more frequent inspections of fishing boats and coastal freighters. Western warships close to the Yemen shore continue using their defensive weapons to defeat attacks launched from the Yemen coast. The United States currently has several destroyers based off the coast of Yemen. The Arabian Peninsula is home to several wealthy Arab kingdoms that prosper on huge pools of petroleum underneath the desert sands. The only area with no oil is Yemen in the fertile south. Until the Persian Gulf oil industry was created over a century ago, Yemen was the most prosperous part of Arabia because it was green from monsoon rains that soaked Yemen on their way to East Africa. The current head of the Houthi movement is 47-year-old Abdul-Malik al-Houthi. Several of his predecessors were killed by American, Arabian, or European attacks. The loss of so many Houthi leaders has not disrupted the violent activities of the Houthis and, with the aid of Iranian-supplied missiles and drones against shipping in the Red Sea and an occasional missile attack on Israel, shows no sign of slowing. The Israeli missile defense system blocks the Houthi attacks, but the Houthis are satisfied that they are able to make such attacks. These attacks justify the hundreds of millions of dollars in missiles and other military aid Iran has sent to the Houthis. Western efforts to disrupt Houthi violence via assassination of Houthi leaders have failed. The Houthi clan is large, and there are always replacements. At best, these assassinations cause some disruption in Houthi operations. Opponents are dealing with a death cult that disregards the loss of Yemeni civilians and leaders so they can concentrate on attacking Israel and its allies. Few of these attacks do any damage and usually elicit retaliatory attacks that kill a lot of Houthis, Yemenis, and any Iranians in the way. Any Yemenis or Iranians who protest this treatment are attacked and often killed by Houthi or Iranian forces. The Israeli/Western response is to kill as many Houthi supporters and Iranian allies as possible. This approach largely destroyed the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in 2024. Hezbollah still exists but was rendered ineffective for months and is still trying to rebuild. Disrupting Houthi finances and logistical operations is essential. Even terrorists have to be paid, and there is so much opportunity for graft in Yemen that the Houthis can easily keep their fighters motivated. This war in Yemen drags on into 2025. Before the Israeli attacks on Gaza and Iran-backed militias in Lebanon, Iran was under widespread internal pressure from Iranians protesting the expensive foreign wars in Syria and Yemen. Despite that, Iran smuggled in more and more weapons. These were not intended for the ongoing Yemen civil war but for use against targets designated by Iran. At the same time, Iran saw the growth of domestic uprisings to deal with back home. The Iranian religious dictatorship held onto power and supported more violence against real or perceived enemies of Iran. In early 2015, Iran admitted it had been quietly supporting the Houthi Shia rebels for a long time but now was doing so openly, and that support was increasing. Many Yemenis trace the current crisis back to the civil war that ended, sort of, in 1994. That war was caused by the fact that, when the British left Yemen in 1967, their former colony in Aden became one of two countries called Yemen. The two Yemens finally united in 1990, but another civil war in 1994 was needed to finalize unification. That fix didn't really take, and the north and south have been pulling apart ever since. This comes back to the fact that Yemen has always been a region, not a country. Like most of the rest of the Persian Gulf and Horn of Africa region, the normal form of government until the 20th century was wealthier coastal city-states nervously coexisting with interior tribes that got by on herding or farming or a little of both plus smuggling and other illicit sidelines. This concept of nationhood is still looked on with some suspicion. This is why the most common forms of government are the more familiar ones of antiquity like kingdom, emirate, or modern variation in the form of a hereditary secular dictatorship. For a long time, the most active Yemeni rebels were the Shia Houthis in the north. The Houthis have always wanted to restore local Shia rule in the traditional Shia tribal territories, led by the local imam, a religious leader who was a Houthi. This arrangement, after surviving more than a thousand years, was ended by the central government in 1962. Yemen also became the new headquarters of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula/AQAP when Saudi Arabia was no longer safe for the terrorists after 2007. Now there is Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant/ISIL and an invading army composed of troops from oil-rich neighbors like Saudi Arabia, which was very upset by Iranian/Houthi missile attacks. By late 2017, the rebels were slowly losing ground to government forces who, despite Arab coalition air support and about five thousand ground troops, were still dependent on Yemeni Sunni tribal militias to fight the Shia tribesmen on the ground. While the Shia are only a third of the population, they are united while the Sunni majority is not. By late 2025, the Houthi militia was still using missiles from Iran and improvised fire boats to attack shipping in the Red Sea. Some of the missiles are fired at Israel, where most are intercepted. A few missiles get through and do some damage. When that happens, the Israelis retaliate with devastating airstrikes on Yemeni ports and infrastructure. The majority of the Yemenis want the Houthis to go away. That will not happen as long as the Houthis' attacks on Israel continue. This is very popular in Arab countries. India Condemns Manchester Synagogue Terror Attack That Killed Two 2 India on Thursday strongly condemned the deadly Islamist terror attack on a synagogue in Manchester, United Kingdom, that left two people dead. The attack occurred when an assailant drove a car into people outside the Heaton Park Synagogue and later stabbed them. New Delhi expressed solidarity with the people of the UK, terming the incident a grim reminder of the ongoing threat posed by terrorism worldwide. We condemn the terror attack on the Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester, during Yom Kippur services today, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. He noted that the tragedy was particularly saddening as it took place on the International Day of Non-Violence. This attack is yet another grim reminder of the challenge we face from the evil forces of terrorism, which the global community must combat and defeat through united and concerted action, Jaiswal said. India extended its condolences to the victims families and the people of Manchester, stressing the need for collective global action against terrorism. Putin Hails PM Modi as 'Balanced and Wise,' Backs India's Oil Purchases 2 Russian President Vladimir Putin has strongly backed Indias decision to continue purchasing oil from Moscow, asserting that New Delhis choices are guided by economic pragmatism rather than political pressure. Speaking at the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi, Putin said India would face losses of $910 billion if it stopped importing Russian energy, with sanctions carrying equal costs. He praised Indias leadership, stressing that the country would not compromise under external pressure. The people of India will never allow humiliation in front of anyone. I know Prime Minister Modi; he himself would never take such steps, Putin said, describing Modi as a balanced, wise, and nationally oriented leader. The remarks came shortly after US President Donald Trump accused India and China of funding the Ukraine war by continuing Russian oil imports. In August, Trump imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods, raising total duty to 50 per cent in response to New Delhis stance. Highlighting the deep-rooted diplomatic relationship between Russia and India, Putin said the two nations have shared trust since Indias independence. We have never had any problems or interstate tensions with India. Never, he emphasised. Calling Modi a friend, Putin underlined their close and comfortable relationship while acknowledging the need to address trade imbalances. He suggested expanding imports of Indian agricultural goods, pharmaceuticals, and other products while tackling financing, logistics, and payment challenges. With the special strategic partnership between India and Russia approaching its 15th anniversary, Putin reaffirmed the importance of strengthening bilateral cooperation and unlocking new opportunities. A Briarwood Christian School employee was arrested Friday on nearly two dozen child pornography charges. Taylor Michael Ward, 34, is charged with 10 counts of possession of child pornography and 10 counts of dissemination/display of child pornography. Ward, who lives in Montevallo, was an assistant IT director at the school, according to his LinkedIn profile. Ward was fired on Friday. Charging documents state Ward was in possession of multiple videos of young girls and an infant being subjected to various sexual acts. Ward was booked into the Shelby County Jail and remains held on bonds totaling $900,000. The investigation by the Shelby County Sheriffs Office began Sept. 22 when authorities received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding the dissemination of child sexual abuse material at multiple locations in Shelby and Jefferson County. As members of the Alabama Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, sheriffs office investigators quickly identified a suspect. The Shelby County Sheriffs Office will work tirelessly to stop any transmission or receipt of child pornography in this county, said Sheriff John Samaniego. I have a team of incredibly skilled investigators armed with state of the art technology to track such abhorrent images and stop the victimization of precious children. The Rev. Dr. John Scott Redd Jr., pastor of Briarwood Presbyterian Church, released this statement to AL.com: We have just been made aware that an employee of Briarwood Christian School was arrested this morning in his home for possession and dissemination of child sexual abuse materials. Briarwood strives to provide a safe and secure environment for all of our children, families and staff, and we are shocked and deeply saddened by this news. We are fully cooperating with the Shelby County Sheriffs Office in their investigation. The investigation is still ongoing. Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Investigator Gibson at rgibson@shelbyso.com or at 205-670-6274. Tips may also be submitted anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777 or online at www.crimestoppersmetroal.com. U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Mobile, speaks during a ceremony commemorating the inaugural run of the Amtrak Mardi Gras Service on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, at the Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center in downtown Mobile, Ala. John Sharp President Donald Trump is facing renewed criticism over his online behavior, including the use of artificial intelligence to attack political opponents and the promotion of unproven medical products, as concerns grow about political rhetoric following violence against public figures. Among the critics is freshman U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Ala., who said in a recent interview that reckless communication from national leaders has contributed to a toxic political climate. The remarks come amid backlash over a video posted to Trumps social media accounts on Monday that used AI-generated content to depict Democratic leaders in racially and culturally offensive ways. Leaders should be leaders and lead by example, Figures said in a comment to AL.com on Tuesday. Elected officials at all levels especially the President must be responsible in how we communicate on all platforms. Unfortunately, the example coming from this administration as evidenced by the video put out (on Monday) is that it is OK to demean, ridicule, and belittle democratic leaders. That is not the type of example or leadership we need from our nations leaders. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., right, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., speak to reporters after meeting with President Trump at the White House, Monday, Sept. 29, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) AP AP The deepfake video, shared widely by Trump, shows Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., criticizing fellow Democrats while standing next to an exaggerated and stereotypical depiction of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., styled as a caricature of a Mexican persona. Figures, a Democrat from Mobile, Alabama, said his office avoids engaging with such inflammatory content. We just dont partake in those types of conversations, he said. The context for Figures remarks includes rising fears over political violence, particularly after the Sept. 10 shooting of right-wing activist and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. The killing remains under investigation, but it has reignited national debate over how inflammatory rhetoric can escalate into violence. We have to be unambiguously clear about what happened to Charlie Kirk is unjustifiable, Figures said during an appearance on Capital Conversations. It was wrong. It never shouldve happened. No one should have been shot down in the way he was regardless of what his beliefs were or regardless of the things he said. I obviously disagreed with him on many things, but I agreed with his right to say them. Kirk, a prominent conservative commentator and frequent Trump ally, had been a vocal critic of Democratic policies and was known for controversial campus speeches. His killing has become a flashpoint in ongoing conversations about extremism and political discourse. Figures said the tone of political communication must be set by those in the highest offices, beginning with the White House. The obligation and responsibility with political communication starts at the top, he said. We have to be mindful of the conditions we are creating and the departure from the norms of decency and standards of professionalism that we have become very comfortable with letting deteriorate to where we are now. President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) AP The Trump administrations use of official platforms for political messaging has also drawn scrutiny. On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development used a government website to blame a government shutdown on the radical left in Congress. Critics, including several Democratic lawmakers, argue this violates the Hatch Act, which prohibits executive branch employees from engaging in partisan political activity while acting in their official capacity. Legal scholars say in published reports that if Trump or his campaign team coordinated or approved the use of official government platforms for political messaging, it could constitute a clear breach of federal ethics laws. In response, some Democrats have begun mimicking Trumps aggressive online tactics. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, among others, has used his social media accounts to directly troll and counter Trumps posts. Trumps digital strategy has long relied on shock value and personal attacks. During his first campaign, Trump averaged more than 20 tweets per day, often labeling political opponents as lightweights, failing, or dishonest. Those posts helped galvanize his base but drew criticism for fueling a hostile political environment. Robbyn Taylor, director of the Hall School of Journalism & Communication at Troy University, said modern political discourse has been degraded by screen-mediated interactions. Communication theory tells us that when interactions are mediated filtered through a screen we lose the cues that remind us the person on the other side is human, Taylor said. That distance makes it easier for politicians, or their constituents, to treat opponents like abstractions or enemies. She said leaders have the opportunity to shift the narrative. Instead of using social media to score points, they can use it to explain policy, invite dialogue, and acknowledge the humanity of people who disagree with them, she said. When leaders communicate in a way that invites conversation, the tone shifts. Texas megachurch founder Robert Morris is escorted out of the building after pleading guilty to lewd and indecent acts with a child at the Osage County Courthouse in Pawhuska, Okla., on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News via AP) AP The founder of a Texas megachurch who resigned last year after a woman in Oklahoma accused the pastor of sexually abusing her in the 1980s pleaded guilty Thursday to five counts of lewd and indecent acts with a child, authorities said. Robert Preston Morris, 64, entered the pleas before a judge in Oklahomas Osage County as part of a plea agreement, according to the state attorney generals office. The abuse began in 1982 when the victim was 12 and Morris was a traveling evangelist staying in Hominy, Oklahoma, with her family, according to the statement by Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond. The abuse continued over the next four years, the statement said. Morris was the senior pastor of Gateway Church in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Southlake, where he led one of the nations largest megachurches until his resignation. Morris in 2024 resigned from his position as an overseer for the Church of the Highlands. After being made aware of the disturbing media reports, Highlands trustees and overseers immediately initiated a due diligence process that included reaching out to Gateways elders. Before the scheduled follow-up meeting to determine changes in our governance structure, Pastor Morris resigned, the church said at the time. He was indicted earlier this year by an Oklahoma grand jury. Under the plea agreement, Morris received a 10-year suspended sentence with the first six months to be served in the Osage County Jail. Morris was handcuffed and wearing a suit as he was escorted out of court on Thursday by two sheriffs deputies. The victim, Cindy Clemishire, who is now 55, said in a statement that justice has finally been served, and the man who manipulated, groomed and abused me as a 12-year-old innocent girl is finally going to be behind bars. The Associated Press typically does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly, as Clemishire has done. My hope is that many victims hear my story, and it can help lift their shame and allow them to speak up, she said. I hope that laws continue to change and new ones are written so children and victims rights are better protected. I hope that people understand the only way to stop child sexual abuse is to speak up when it happens or is suspected. Morris must register as a sex offender and will be supervised by Texas authorities via interstate compact. He also was ordered to pay his costs of incarceration, including any medical expenses, and restitution to the victim. One of Morris attorneys, Bill Mateja, said Morris wanted to accept responsibility for his conduct, and wanted to bring the legal matter to an end for the sake of him and his family and Clemishire and her family. While he believes that he long since accepted responsibility in the eyes of God and that Gateway Church was a manifestation of that acceptance, he readily accepted responsibility in the eyes of the law, Mateja said. Mateja said Morris wanted to apologize to Clemishire and her family for his conduct and asked for forgiveness. When asked about the allegations last year by The Christian Post, Morris said in a statement to the publication that when he was in his early 20s he was involved in inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady in a home where I was staying. He said it was kissing and petting, not intercourse, but it was wrong. Gateway Church was founded by Morris in 2000. He has been politically active and formerly served on President Donald Trumps evangelical advisory board. The church hosted Trump on its Dallas campus in 2020 for a discussion on race relations and the economy. Gateway Church declined to comment Thursday. The pleas were entered before Osage County District Special Judge Cindy Pickerill. There can be no tolerance for those who sexually prey on children, Drummond said. This case is all the more despicable because the perpetrator was a pastor who exploited his position of trust and authority. The victim in this case has waited far too many years for this day. The Alabama Port Authority's Pinto Island Steel Terminal near the mouth of the Mobile River. The port authority announced Friday, Oct. 3, that the Mobile Ship Channel has officially reached 50 feet, making the Port of Mobile the deepest container terminal in the Gulf region. Lawrence Specker | LSpecker@AL.com The Mobile Ship Channel, the corridor used by cargo ships traveling from the Gulf into Mobile Bay and the Port of Mobile, has officially reached a depth of 50 feet thanks to a $366 million Army Corps of Engineers project. As soon as the Corps confirmed the channel was ready, our customers took advantage of the additional depth, interim Alabama Port Authority CEO Doug Otto said in a news release Friday. This is exactly why this project mattersit means lower shipping costs, more efficient trade, and an even stronger economic engine for Alabama. Since 2021, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been working to deepen the ship channel from 45 feet to around 50 feet, allowing newer and larger cargo ships to access the port. The Port of Mobile is now the deepest container terminal in the Gulf region, according to the news release. Thursday, the port authority, corps of engineers, and shipping pilot agency Mobile Bar Pilots concluded that the channel was suitable for vessels with a draft of up to 50 feet, according to a news release. Taking advantage of the new depth, the cargo ship SAKIZAYA POWER, which was docked at the McDuffie Coal Terminal, loaded additional freight, bringing the ships draft to 48.4 feet. As of 12:15 p.m. on Friday, the ship cleared the ship channel. A sketch showing the six phases of the deepening and widening of the Mobile Bay shipping channel. (Rendering courtesy Alabama Port Authority) Maggie Oliver While the ship channel is now 50 feet, the corps of engineers is continuing to work to widen the turning basin near the Mobile Container Terminal in the north part of the channel. Work began in 2024 but is taking longer because the dredged sediment is being used for shoreline restoration on Dauphin Island, according to the news release. The $366 million project was largely funded by the federal government; retired Sen. Richard Shelby was instrumental in securing funds. This is a proud day for Alabama and for me personally, Shelby said in Fridays news release. Securing full federal funding for the deepening and widening of the Mobile Ship Channel was one of my top priorities in Congress because I knew what it would mean for our states economy. Todays achievement cements the Port of Mobiles place as a premier gateway for global trade and ensures Alabama businesses have the tools they need to thrive in the decades to come. Around 25% of the funds for the deepening and widening project came from money generated by the Rebuild Alabama Act, which uses gas tax revenue for infrastructure projects throughout the state. From day one, I have said that the Port of Mobile is Alabamas gateway to the world, said Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey. By passing the Rebuild Alabama Act, we ensured that our state could provide the federal match and move this critical project forward. Today, we see the payoff of that vision. While state and port officials have touted the economic benefits of the deepening and widening project, others have criticized the projects negative impacts on the Mobile Bay and coastal Alabama environments. Last year, Mobile Baykeeper, an environmental advocacy group, filed a notice of intent to sue the corps of engineers over the plan to dump maintenance dredge spoil from the ship channel back into the bay, arguing the plan endangered the threatened Gulf Sturgeon. No lawsuit has been filed, however, the states fishing and oystering communities have joined the advocacy groups fight. And in 2018, environmental and fishing advocates criticized the corps study of the environmental impacts of the deepening project. The corps concluded at the time that there would be no substantial impacts in aquatic resources within the study area. But advocates argued the studies did not have a large enough scope to adequately assess the environmental impacts of the project. A ceremonial ribbon-cutting is planned in the coming weeks to mark the channels new depth, according to the news release. An Alabama senator is refiling a bill that would change some provisions to sexual education in public K-12 schools. SB 3, sponsored by Sen. Shay Shelnutt, R-Trussville, would require schools to exclusively teach sexual risk avoidance and encourage abstinence from all sexual activity. Sexual risk avoidance is defined in the bill as primary prevention approach to sex education that seeks to achieve the most favorable health outcomes for all Alabama youth. More from Alabama Reflector The bill prohibits schools from providing a referral to or information about how to acquire an abortion; misrepresenting the efficacy of or demonstrating the use of contraceptives, and using images that are sexually explicit. A message seeking comment was left with Sen. Shelnutt Thursday. Shelnutt filed a similar bill in the 2025 legislation session. It got approval from a Senate committee but failed to move out of the chamber, in part due to a Democratic filibuster. Christina Clark Okarmus, executive director for Alabama Campaign for Adolescent Sexual Health, a non-profit organization that works to reduce the rate of teen pregnancies in the state, said the bills provision to prevent schools from using the services of any individual or organization that does not endorse sexual risk avoidance or that advocates for or performs abortions is harmful. There are a number of organizations that provide good, adequate sex education that may also, in another branch of their organization, provide abortions or referrals for abortions. And those two things should not cancel one another out, Okarmus said. The states teen birth rate is significantly higher than the country as a whole. Alabamas birth rate for females aged 15 to 19 in 2023 was 20.3 per 1,000 live births, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That was the seventh-highest in the nation. The national average that year was 13.1 per 1,000, according to the CDC. Nationally, in 2023, people aged 15-to-24 made up 48% of all reported cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis. Okarmus said abstinence should not be the only message students are taught in sex education classes. We believe that abstinence is a very important part of the conversation, but it is not the only part of the conversation, and that is what the goal of this bill is, to make it to the absence only until marriage is the only thing taught in public schools. So we are firmly against that, she said. Okarmus said contraceptive demonstrations such as showing students IUDs, birth control pills and condom demonstrations are helpful. Condom demonstrations are a really important tool in ensuring that young people know how condoms should be used, and so that they can use them themselves if and when they need to do so, she said. Theres lots of research that shows that showing young people [how to use a condom] and then letting them practice on the model is very helpful for them. The bill would also require that parents are given a 14-day notice to opt their children out of the classes. Okarmus said this is a good measure. We believe that parents should be the first teachers of sex ed, and we want to be partners with them in teaching sex ed. So if a parent is not comfortable with a sex ed class being taught, that is of course, like we support their ability to opt out, she said. The Alabama Legislature will begin meeting on Jan. 13. FBI Director Kash Patel announced Friday that the bureau has dissolved its partnership with the Montgomery-based Southern Poverty Law Center. The Southern Poverty Law Center long ago abandoned civil rights work and turned into a partisan smear machine. Their so-called hate map has been used to defame mainstream Americans and even inspired violence. That disgraceful record makes them unfit for any FBI partnership, Patel tweeted Friday. The Southern Poverty Law Center long ago abandoned civil rights work and turned into a partisan smear machine. Their so-called hate map has been used to defame mainstream Americans and even inspired violence. That disgraceful record makes them unfit for any FBI partnership. In pic.twitter.com/ZZ9yIkmzWj FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) October 3, 2025 The group responded to Patels comments Saturday. Patels statement referenced the SPLCs Hate Map, an interactive visualization of the spread of extremist groups across the country. The map has been criticized by conservatives who claim the SPLCs designations unfairly label right-wing groups as hate groups. Following the shooting of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, Republicans claimed the SPLC helps fuel political violence by including Kirks Turning Point USA on the hate map. In April, during our Anti-Christian Bias Panel, I made it clear that the FBI will never rely on politicized or agenda-driven intelligence from outside groups and certainly not from the SPLC," Patels statement went on to say. Under this FBI, all ties with the SPLC have officially been terminated. Patels announcement comes days after he said the FBI would end ties with the Anti-Defamation League, a prominent Jewish advocacy organization that fights anti-Semitism. The announcements amount to a dramatic rethinking of longstanding FBI partnerships with prominent civil rights groups at a time when Patel is moving rapidly to reshape the nations premier federal law enforcement agency. The organizations over the years have provided research on hate crime and domestic extremism, law enforcement training and other services, but have also been criticized by some conservatives for what they say is an unfair maligning of their viewpoints. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Samsung is breaking new ground with a world-first innovation: the integration of detection and monitoring of Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction (LVSD) into its smartwatches. LVSD is a serious cardiovascular disease responsible for almost half of all instances of heart failure and is more deadly than many types of cancer. Since early diagnosis is the key to survival, Samsung's innovation may revolutionize personal healthcare in the future. AI-Powered Heart Failure Detection To achieve this breakthrough, Samsung partnered with Medical AI, a Korean medical device company specializing in AI-driven electrocardiogram (ECG) analysis. Their joint work focuses on advanced algorithms based on Medical AI's in-house 12-lead ECG system, which is already in use across more than 100 hospitals in South Korea and serves over 120,000 patients every month. The South Korean tech giant Samsung hopes that y applying this established medical technology to consumer smartwatches, it can bring early LVSD detection to mainstream users. The aim is not just to save lives, but also to reduce the exorbitant healthcare expenses of late-stage heart failure through preventive care and early intervention. Preventive Healthcare is the Key One of the greatest advantages of this technology is that it will screen asymptomatic patients who are not even aware of having underlying heart disease. Early warning notices would encourage users to get medical care before complications arise, lowering hospitalization rates and enhancing long-term outcomes. Samsung's integration with smartwatches would put sophisticated medical-grade diagnostics into consumers' hands, arguably one of the most effective health tech upgrades in watch history. Expanding Into Brainwave Monitoring In addition to heart health, Samsung is also venturing into advances in neuroscience, GSM Arena finds out. Samsung, jointly with Hanyang University's Department of Biomedical Engineering, has created an around-the-ear EEG prototype device. Unlike bulky EEG devices, the prototype is ergonomic and light, allowing for real-time brainwave monitoring beyond clinic settings. The prototype has a real-world potential, such as precise detection of drowsiness and AI-powered analysis of brainwaves to forecast video preferences at almost 93% accuracy. While the EEG prototype remains in the early stages, the LVSD detection system is much nearer to mass deployment. Samsung has not announced a concrete release date, but with the level of maturity the technology has achieved, the LVSD smartwatch feature can be anticipated to roll out first. Kash Patel, President Donald Trump's new director of the FBI, reacts as Alexis Wilkins watches during Patel's ceremonial swearing-in, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025, in the Indian Treaty Room at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) AP FBI Director Kash Patel has fired an FBI trainee who placed a gay pride flag on his desk in 2024, according to multiple news reports. I have determined that you exercised poor judgment with an inappropriate display of political signage in your work area during your previous assignment in the Los Angeles Field Office, Patel wrote, according to MSNBC. The agent-in-training was fired from his position in Quantico on the first day of the government shutdown, that report stated. The employee, who received multiple awards for service during his career, had also been a field office diversity program coordinator and displayed a Pride flag at his workstation, CNN reported. The move comes after the FBI fired roughly 20 agents who were photographed kneeling during a racial justice protest in Washington that followed the 2020 death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers. As Director Patel has repeatedly stated, nobody is above the law, the FBI Agents Association said. But rather than providing these agents with fair treatment and due process, Patel chose to again violate the law by ignoring these agents constitutional and legal rights instead of following the requisite process. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Consider this week a restart for UAB. Coming off an open date on the schedule, the Blazers (2-2, 0-1) will return to American Conference play this week as they host Army (1-3, 0-2) inside Protective Stadium. A victory would allow UAB to match last years win total. It would also mark the first time the Blazers have moved above the .500 mark after five games since Trent Dilfer took over the team in 2023. This will be UABs seventh matchup against Army. The Blazers won the first five meetings against the Black Knights before suffering a 44-10 defeat in West Point, New York last season. Heres everything you need to know about Saturdays game, including key matchups, storylines and a score prediction. Key matchups UAB safety Pierre Royster vs. Army quarterback Dewayne Coleman Pierre Royster will have his hands full when it comes to chasing down Armys ball carriers out of the triple option. However, after running the veer as a quarterback at Virginias Lake Taylor High School, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound safety might have a small leg up when it comes to stopping the option. Going from the veer that I ran to what the service academies do, its like a whole nother level because theyve got a lot of different motions and different plays off of it, Royster said. But I can say it helps me to the point where my eyes are not going all crazy because Ive seen some of the things like that before. The first time Royster faced an option-based offense in college was UABs Week 2 loss at Navy. The St. Francis transfer performed pretty well then, recording a team-high 11 tackles, including four solo stops. Limiting Armys running game begins with containing quarterback Dewayne Coleman. The 5-foot-10, 200-pound senior leads the Black Knights with 268 yards and three touchdowns on the ground and has found the end zone in all three games hes played in this season. UABs running backs vs. Armys run defense Unlike Army, the bulk of UABs offensive production has come through the air. Still, the Blazers will need to be able to move the ball on the ground on Saturday, as they look to sustain drives and prevent the Black Knights from grinding down their defense. UABs rushing attack was near non-existent against Tennessee, as the Blazers carried the ball 19 times for just 23 yards and a touchdown in a 56-24 loss. UAB should be able to generate more of a ground game against Army this week, as the Black Knights rank 106th nationally, allowing 168.75 rushing yards per game. We have to run the ball, Dilfer said. I have always believed in balance. I want to be a balanced offense. Its just hard to call runs when youre not running it well and youre not getting movement. But yeah, I do think we have to be a little more stubborn with the run, and thats really me. I need to call more runs and make sure that our week of practice, were giving our players the best chance to be successful in the run game. Running the football will be a big point of emphasis this week. UAB receiver Kaleb Brown vs. Army cornerback Jaydan Mayes UAB will be without Corri Milliner for a second straight week, as the star receiver is currently away from the team after missing the Tennessee game due to disciplinary issues. While the Blazers will miss Milliners playmaking ability, a new home run threat might be emerging in UABs offense. Iowa transfer Kaleb Brown is coming off his best performance of the season against Tennessee, recording four catches for a team-high 79 yards, including a 61-yard score. Brown was one of UABs top additions through the transfer portal. However, his start with the Blazers was met with adversity as he broke his foot on the opening day of spring camp. The 5-foot-10, 200-pound receiver was able to participate in preseason camp in August but has finally returned to full health over the past couple of weeks. Browns touchdown against Tennessee is a good example of the former top-100 recruits ability to get behind the defense. This week, he will be tested against Army cornerback Jaydan Mayes, who leads the Black Knights with four pass deflections and has allowed just seven completions on 16 balls thrown his way this season. Storylines An extra coach on the sidelines Sirad Bryant wont be in action against Army, but the suspended safety is still looking to make an impact during Saturdays game. The redshirt senior has taken an active role on UABs scout team during practice this week, while also providing pointers on what to look out for in Armys option attack. On Saturday, Bryant plans to bring that coaching to the sidelines. When they come off the field after every drive, Im going to try to give them some tips, some reminders and stuff like that, Bryant said. Then Ill have like a sheet, trying to help them with the film, trying to help them with something when they come off the field, especially when theyre having trouble or something like that. Bryant is one of the few members of UABs revamped defense with experience against Armys triple-option offense. Last season, he recorded three tackles and a pass deflection against the Black Knights. A big boost on defense It took a bit longer than expected, but Jamichael Rogers finally got the opportunity to show why he was one of UABs biggest transfer targets this offseason. After missing the first three games of the season due to an Achilles injury, the Miles College defensive line transfer made his Blazers debut against Tennessee. Rogers didnt disappoint either, logging three tackles, including 0.5 sacks and a stop for a loss. Last season, Rogers recorded 53 tackles, including 18.5 stops for a loss and eight sacks, to go with 11 quarterback hurries for Division II Miles College. Now back to 100%, the 6-foot-2, 250-pound redshirt senior is looking to make a similar impact for the Blazers moving forward. Hes a very disruptive player, as you know, Dilfer said. He is a guy that needs to make plays for us. We need defenders like him to make plays beyond the Xs and Os and hes one that can do that. Game notes Army might be better than its 1-3 record indicates. The Black Knights were able to upset Kansas State, 24-21, on the road last month. Meanwhile, two of their three losses have come in one-score games. Even last weeks 28-6 defeat at East Carolina was closer than it appeared, as Army rebounded after spotting the Pirates a 21-0 lead in the first quarter. UAB quarterback Jalen Kitna has thrown for 300 or more yards in each of his last three games, marking the longest such streak of his career. Last week, the redshirt senior tied a single-game school record with 38 completions against Tennessee, completing 38 of 51 passes for 364 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. Army holds a 53-3 record when winning the turnover battle in games under head coach Jeff Monken since 2016. Armys win over Kansas State is the only time it has won the turnover battle this year. The Black Knights currently have a -3 turnover margin through four games. Army wide receiver Brady Anderson is averaging 33.4 yards per reception with five catches for 167 yards and two touchdowns. That average ranks second nationally among players with at least five receptions this season. Prediction UAB 38, Army 34 Protective Stadium isnt always packed, but UAB has done a decent job of capitalizing on homefield advantage, posting a 17-8 home record since 2021. The Blazers need this game to establish some much-needed momentum heading back into conference play. UAB displayed some promising moments against Navys option attack in Week 2. The Blazers should be able to improve on that against an Army offense that has less firepower this week. It wont be easy, but I expect Dilfer and company to do just enough to pull back over the .500 mark. Game info Who: UAB (2-2, 0-1) vs. Army (1-3, 0-2) Where: Protective Stadium, Birmingham, Ala. When: Saturday, Oct. 4 11 a.m. CT Watch: ESPNU On The Call: Matt Schumacker (play-by-play), Dustin Fox (analyst) Listen: WJOX 94.5 FM | SiriusXM Channel 384 On The Call: David Crane (play-by-play), Bryant Turner (analyst), Landrum Roberts (sideline) Ministry of Equality Marks the United Nations Day of Older Persons The Ministry of Equality marked the United Nations International Day of Older Persons today with a morning panel discussion, Building Belonging: Celebrating the power of our social connections at the Mayors Parlour, City Hall. Minister for Equality, The Hon Christian Santos GMD MP opened the event paying special tribute to the generation of Gibraltarians who lived through the evacuation, the repatriation and the closing of the frontier. This was then followed by an address by The Hon Sir Joe Bossano KCMG, the Constituency MP with Special Responsibility for Senior Citizens. who spoke about the very positive contributions that older citizens can continue to make in post-retirement life. The ensuing panel discussion was facilitated by Marlene Dalli from the Ministry of Equality, and the invited panellists were Kyara Lewis, Senior Social Worker at the Care Agency, Brenda Cuby CEO at GibSams, Paddy Canepa, PAAMOA (Physical Activities Association for Mature Older Adults) and Michael Clarence from Supability. The discussion covered the services and support provided by HM Government of Gibraltar through the Care Agency, the launch of GibSilver line, the importance of social interaction and physical activity and the link to mental and physical well-being. Following the panel discussion, stalls by several government departments, organisations and charities were at hand to give information about their services and support for older members of the community. The Ministry of Equality would like to remind the public that it has collaborated with several charities and organisations to mark the International Day of Older Persons throughout the course of the week offering several different activities which are free and open to the public. Wednesday 1st October: Petanque Open Session, Gibraltar Petanque Association, Smith Dorien Avenue, 5:30pm to 7:30pm. Thursday 2nd October: GADS Coffee Morning, Bishop Canilla House, 9:30am 12:30pm Friday 3rd October: Coffee and Art session, Gibraltar Horticultural Society, Growing Artists Studio, Irish Town, 10am to 11am. To register for this event, please contact: 54004737. Minister for Equality, Employment, Culture and Tourism, The Hon Christian Santos GMD MP said, I am very happy to have been able to mark and celebrate this day in a way that is positive and affirming. It is important to raise awareness of the services provided by the Care Agency and of the support offered by the new GibSilver line, by the Citizens Advice Bureau and the Supported Needs and Disability Office. I would like to thank all the organisations and government departments and agencies that have supported our work today and throughout the course of the week. Social connections are vital to our physical and mental well-being so I would like to encourage older members of the community to take part in the activities schedule for this week. The latest line of Nest cameras includes a wired Nest Cam Indoor, a wired Nest Cam Outdoor, and a new wired Nest Doorbell. The key upgrades here are the 2K video recording and Gemini integration. This time around, there are no new battery-powered models in this 2K refresh. This means the new models are quite distinctive from the 2021 refresh, where we saw a battery-powered Doorbell and camera. It appears that Google has an explanation for not having battery Nest Cam 2K models. Gemini is the reason why theres no 2K upgrade for battery-powered Google Nest cams 9to5Google reportedly asked Google why the battery models are not being updated. The main reason, for now at least, is Gemini. The new wired cameras offer a better experience for these new AI-centric features, along with their hardware. For a battery-backed camera, the priority is to turn on, capture an event, and then turn back off quickly. Gemini is capable of looking at footage and gathering context, making the battery-powered models less ideal. A camera thats constantly on and gathers more information is more suitable for these features. Hence, it makes sense for Google to offer wired models instead of battery models. Battery-powered Nest cameras may return Google apparently hasnt dismissed the return to battery-powered Nest cameras, but its unclear when those will make their debut. From what we gather, the latest Nest refresh wont be the end of Googles smart home hardware efforts. If youre thinking of picking up the new Nest devices, the Nest camera indoor 2K retails for $99.99, and the Nest cam outdoor 2K sets you back by $149.99. Lastly, the Nest Doorbell 2K costs $179.99. Google has rebranded Nest Aware as Google Home Premium, while keeping the same $10 per month price. Theres a higher-tier Google Home Premium Advanced, which is $20 per month with more smart features. Though Perplexity was one of the first companies to launch an AI-powered browser, gaining access to it wasnt that straightforward. You had to shell out $200 per month for the top-tier Max subscription. Thats finally changing now that it is available for everyone. Whats interesting is that Perplexitys Comet browser is free for all. This move is possibly to lure you over other browsers. Perplexitys Comet AI browser is now available for free to everyone Perplexity says that Comet had millions of interested users who had signed up for the waitlist. It has become the most sought-after AI product of the year, no matter how fast we release invites, said the company. The Comet browser works by combining the companys search-focused personal AI assistant and usual web browsing features. If youve been waiting for the Perplexity Comet browser, you can download it from the official website. However, its not available on Apples App Store or the Microsoft Store for Windows devices. Mobile app coming soon Perplexity also confirmed to launch the Comet mobile app soon, but a specific timeline has not been revealed. It, however, said that it will make Comet available on any device, with a personal AI designed for your phone. This means an iPhone and Android version of the Comet browser will be out soon, possibly at a similar time. Other AI upgrades include Background Assistants, which, according to Perplexity, will work for you simultaneously and asynchronously, so you can focus on what matters. This comes soon after it launched the new Email Assistant, which is available for its Max subscribers. Curated news content is coming to Comet Plus users. If you dont have a Perplexity subscription, youll have to shell out $5 per month to access the news content. The first batch of publishing partners includes CNN, Conde Nast, Fortune, Le Figaro, Le Monde, The Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post. Samsung is preparing a visual refresh for its mobile software with the upcoming One UI 8.5. The update is set to debut with the Galaxy S26 series in early 2026. While previous iterations focused on cleaner lines, the latest One UI 8.5 internal builds suggest a significant 3D-looking design shift is coming to the most fundamental part of the interface: the app icons. Samsung is reportedly abandoning the flat, two-dimensional aesthetic that has characterized recent One UI versions. Instead, app icons are taking on a more three-dimensional appearance. They will incorporate subtle shadows, smooth curves, and highlights that give them a more realistic, raised look on the screen. Samsung One UI 8.5: The return of depth for app icons The revamp moves away from pure flatness adds depth to the user interface. The new icons retain the bright gradient colors introduced in earlier One UI versions but layer on a drop shadow effect. The style makes them appear slightly raised, like physical objects. This change will arrive not just to Samsungs stock apps but also to popular third-party apps like YouTube and the Google Play Store. The report suggests a unified visual experience across the entire system. Below you can check out a comparison of One UI 8 flat icons vs. One UI 8.5 3D icons with depth effect (courtesy of Phone Art). For long-time Samsung users, this 3D look may feel familiar. It draws visual inspiration from the later versions of the old TouchWiz interface, last seen on devices like the Galaxy S6. While critics may argue the design choice is backward-looking, Samsung is likely aiming for a more refined and modern iteration that complements the current UI. Interestingly, this push for a more dimensional icon design aligns with similar changes seen in testing builds of iOS. Beyond the icons: UI and performance The icon redesign is part of a broader visual shake-up in One UI 8.5. Inside Samsungs core applications, the bottom navigation has been updated to a compact, pill-shaped tab bar. This new bar also follows a minimalist trend by removing the text labels that were present in One UI 8. The change results in a cleaner, less cluttered look. However, a major visual change like this does come with potential risks. Early reports from those testing the leaked builds suggest that the heavier 3D rendering and drop shadows are stressing the hardware on testing devices. This design complexity has reportedly led to a noticeable impact on battery life. Since One UI 8.5 is still deep in development, Samsung has plenty of time to optimize the design and performance. Hopefully, Samsung will find the perfect balance between aesthetics and functionality in upcoming beta updates. Taiwan has firmly rejected a proposal floated by a senior US official to split global semiconductor production equally between the two nations. The idea, intended to reduce Americas reliance on the island nation for critical chip supplies, met with strong opposition from Taiwans top trade negotiator and prominent political leaders. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick recently articulated the proposal in an interview. The body suggested a strategic goal of moving from the current 95% US reliance on chips manufactured in Taiwan to a 50-50 split. Lutnick argued that the US needs to significantly onshore its chip manufacturing capacity. He asserted that a more balanced supply chain would ultimately increase security for both Washington and Taipei. Chip talks focus on tariffs, not production quotas Taiwanese Vice Premier and top trade negotiator, Cheng Li-chiun, quickly countered the narrative upon returning from recent trade discussions in the US. She stated publicly that the 50-50 chip production arrangement was absolutely not discussed during the negotiations. Instead, Cheng Li-chiun confirmed the recent trade talks focused squarely on long-standing issues. The main issue was reducing tariff rates and securing exemptions from additional duties, often called tariff stacking, on Taiwanese exports to the US. This clarification firmly separates the US political rhetoric from the immediate commercial and trade priorities of the two partners. Political backlash over Silicon Shield The suggestion of moving production has drawn sharp condemnation from Taiwans political figures. Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu strongly opposed the proposal. I have labeled it as an act of exploitation and plunder. Chu emphasized, No one can sell out Taiwan or TSMC. Currently, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company is the world leader in advanced chip production. This fierce defense relates directly to the widely held concept of the Silicon Shield. This is the belief that Taiwans critical role in the global economy, particularly in chips, deters potential military conflict from mainland China. Other political leaders also voiced concern. They fear the proposal represents an attempt to hollow out the foundations of Taiwans technology sector. The US seeks to build a more resilient domestic supply chain. However, Taiwan remains focused on preserving its technological dominance and ensuring fair trade terms. The rejection of the 50-50 split ensures that the islands semiconductor industry remains firmly rooted at home for the foreseeable future. St Paul's School - Loved Ones Appreciation Day To celebrate the first month of school this academic year, St Pauls School surprised the childrens family members by hosting a Loved Ones Appreciation Day outside their two school gates. As loved ones dropped off their children in the morning, staff warmly welcomed them with tea and coffee and treated them to a selection of biscuits as a token of appreciation for their support to the school. St Pauls School feels strongly about working closely together with the childrens family members and developing a partnership of cooperation, respect and support in order to ensure that every child thrives in their learning journey at the school. St Pauls School would also like to thank Restsso and Caterpac Gibraltar for their kind donations in helping the school with this initiative. 50 Cent warns judge that dangerous Diddy should not be unleashed on public ahead of sentencing Rapper 50 Cent publicly called on the judge sentencing his old rival Sean Diddy Combs to consider the safety of the general public when deciding whether the disgraced music mogul should go to jail and how long for. In an open letter posted on X, 50 Cent real name Curtis James Jackson III urged Judge Arun Subramanian to consider carefully before unleashing Combs on the public. Prefacing his letter with a message reading This is my letter to the judge on Diddys case. what Im scared for my life! LOL,, 50 Cent wrote: There hasnt been enough time for him to reform or make any adjustments, despite him trying to teach a class in there. Combs, 55, was expected to be sentenced Friday and could face up to 20 years in prison. A jury convicted him in July of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, also known as the Mann Act, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years per count. 50 Cent, a longtime rival of Sean Diddy Combs, posted a mock letter to Judge Subramanian on Thursday, calling the soon-to-be-sentenced rapper very dangerous (X/@50cent) While prosecutors are pushing for a sentence on the higher end, at least 11 years in prison, the defense is urging for as little as 14 months. The Bad Boy For Life rapper was acquitted of the more serious racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges. In his open letter, 50 Cent described his long-standing feud with Diddy, calling him very dangerous and claiming that he had feared for [his] life on multiple occasions. The 50-year-old also mocked details from last years Homeland Security raids on Combss properties, most notably referencing the discovery of over 1,000 bottles of lube and baby oil. In a biting jab, he wrote, Anyway, Diddys only going to return to hiring more male sex workers and keeping most of the baby oil away from the general public. And babies need it! 50 Cent wrote that he was scared for [his] life. 50 Cent said he feared the consequences of unleashing his old rival on the public (Getty Images) He closed with the note that his Netflix doc on this scandalous subject is coming soon. 50 Cent and Combs have a long history of clashing in the public eye. Their feud has played out largely on social media, where 50 Cent has mocked Combs business ventures, music, and personal life, often turning serious headlines about him into memes and viral jokes. 50 Cent has also capitalized on Combs legal troubles. His Netflix documentary series, Diddy Do It, reportedly focuses on the federal raids and allegations against Combs, although a release date has yet to be announced. Kapil Raghu and his wife, Ashley Mays. Photograph: Courtesy of Laux Law Group An Arkansas man who was detained for a month by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) after authorities mistook his bottle of perfume for opium is seeking to have his visa status restored after the charges were dropped. Kapil Raghu, an Indian national married to an American woman and working towards American citizenship, was detained on 3 May after police officers in Benton, a suburb of Little Rock, pulled him over for having a non-moving traffic violation, according to his attorney, Mike Laux. During the traffic stop, police found a small perfume bottle in his car labeled Opium and arrested Raghu for possessing narcotics, even though he told them the bottle contained perfume and the word opium referred to the scent. The body-cam video obtained by local network THV11 shows police accusing Raghu of having an illegal substance in his vehicle. You got a vial of opium that was in your center console, an officer told Raghu. Go and take a seat. I was not doing anything wrong when he pulled me over. I was following all regulations, said Raghu, who told the Saline Courier that he was making a food delivery when he was stopped. Ashley Mays, Raghus wife, arrived at the scene and said: Im confused on why hes going to jail. The Arkansas State Crime Lab concluded that the substance in the bottle was perfume, not opium, but still Raghu spent three days in the Saline county jail, where authorities found an administrative/legal error showing his visa status had expired, according to his attorney. The Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin said, after publication of this article, that Raghu overstayed his B2 tourist visa, which required him to depart the country by 24 November 2024. Ice officers took Raghu into custody and sent him to a federal immigration facility in Louisiana, where he was detained for 30 days. She used to call me every night, Raghu told THV11, speaking next to his wife. Crying, and my stepdaughter putting a Bible on her chest, crying. My stepdaughter was crying a lot. And she [Mays] was planning to sell her cars and move to some other country where we can live happily. While the charges against Raghu were officially dropped by a district court judge on 20 May, the Ice detention put a blip on his journey to becoming a permanent citizen. Mays said in a fundraising page to cover legal fees and basic expenses that Raghus work visa was revoked. It is my understanding that, though released, Kapil now has a deportation status, meaning he can be immediately deported for any minor offense, even jaywalking, reads a statement sent by Laux. But, more crucially, this classification bars him from working and earning money for his family, which has been devastating for them. Raghu sent a letter to Ices legal office this week, explaining his case and asking whether his immigration status could be resolved through proper legal channels. In the letter, Raghu said that his immigration attorney had failed to timely file the required paperwork before my visa expired, which left me vulnerable and placed me in my current situation. My wife, who has always been my greatest support, is carrying the entire financial burden alone, as I am currently unable to work, reads the letter by Raghu. The mounting legal fees and the pressure of not being able to contribute have created a difficult situation for our family, and it has become increasingly challenging to manage. A California woman who attempted to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2022 has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison. Judge Deborah Boardman sentenced Sophie Roske to 97 months in prison on Friday afternoon in Greenbelt, Maryland. The 29-year-old pleaded guilty to the attempted assassination in April. I sincerely apologize to the justice and his family, Roske said in court, adding that this tragic mistake will follow me for the rest of my life, according to CNN. Roske traveled from California to Kavanaughs home in Maryland on June 8, 2022, with a plan to assassinate him, according to the Justice Department. U.S. Marshals who were protecting Kavanaughs home spotted Roske getting out of a taxi and walking down the street. Shortly afterward, Roske called 911 and told the operator she traveled to the state with a gun to kill a Supreme Court justice. At the time of the incident, she was known as Nicholas Roske. The person who attempted to assassinate U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison (REUTERS) Investigators later found a gun in Roskes suitcase, along with several other items, including a knife, ammunition, zip ties and pepper spray. When interviewed by police, Roske said she was upset about a recently leaked Supreme Court draft decision on abortion as well as the recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, the Justice Department said. A month prior, Politico had published a leaked draft of the Supreme Courts decision in Dobbs v Jackson, which overturned the Constitutional right to an abortion established in 1973 in Roe v Wade. Prosecutors asked the judge to sentence Roske to at least 30 years. They also argued that the sentence should serve to deter others, citing a letter Kavanaugh received in April that said he should die from a gunshot and referenced Roske, CNN reports. Meanwhile, the defense asked for 96 months. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh pictured with his fellow justices. Kavanaugh received a threatening letter in April, prosecutors said (Getty Images) The prosecutions request was not reasonable, Boardman said in court. She cited Roskes decision to tell authorities about her plan, as well as her mental health struggles, according to CNN. Roske struggled with depression for years and had attempted suicide in the past, according to her defense attorneys. If she had not called 911, law enforcement would have never known about Sophie Roske and her plot to kill a Supreme Court justice, Boardman said. Boardman also cited President Donald Trumps executive order from January 20, which states that transgender inmates must be incarcerated in prisons that correspond with the gender they were assigned at birth, ABC News reports. Roskes attorneys disclosed in September that she is transgender. Boardman went on to acknowledge the real harm that was caused to Justice Kavanaugh and his family, adding that they should never have to face a fear of threat because he does his job. Attorney General Pam Bondi said prosecutors will be appealing the woefully insufficient sentence, arguing it does not reflect the horrific facts of this case. The attempted assassination of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was a disgusting attack against our entire judicial system by a profoundly disturbed individual, Bondi said in a statement. If you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If youre in the UK, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you. Kemi Badenoch says leaving the ECHR will empower Britain - Jonathan Brady/PA Kemi Badenoch has vowed to take Britain out of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) if she wins the next election. Seventy-five years after the UK signed the treaty, the Tory leader said the country had to pull out to protect our borders, our veterans, and our citizens. She called the shadow cabinet together on Friday afternoon to rubber-stamp her decision, after a leading legal expert told her that withdrawal was the only feasible way to safeguard Britains borders. The Conservatives hope the move, disclosed on the eve of the partys conference in Manchester, will help revive their fortunes against Nigel Farages Reform UK party, which is enjoying a steady lead in the polls while the Tories languish in third place. Announcing her decision, Mrs Badenoch said: It is time for Britain to leave the ECHR. I have not come to this decision lightly, but it is clear that it is necessary to protect our borders, our veterans, and our citizens. I have always been clear that we should leave the ECHR, if necessary, but unlike other parties we have done the serious work to develop a plan to do so, backed by legal advice from a distinguished Kings Counsel. Our country, and our Parliament, must be sovereign. This step will ensure that the next Conservative government will enact the policies the British people rightly expect: controlling our borders and strengthening our economy. Mrs Badenoch said it would empower the Government to deport foreign criminals and illegal immigrants, stamp out vexatious court claims against Army veterans, and give British citizens priority access to social housing and public services. It would also allow Parliament to set the length of prison sentences without interference from the courts, and would stop judges from having a say on climate change policies. Reform UK pledged to leave the convention in its 2024 election manifesto, while the Tories, under Rishi Sunak, declined to do so, saying they could tackle small boats by sending illegal migrants to Rwanda. Earlier this week Sir Keir Starmer indicated he was ready to change the way the ECHR is applied in the UK to enable the Government to deport more failed asylum seekers and foreign criminals who claim they are victims of torture. He said the Government needed to look again at the interpretation of Articles 3 and 8 of the convention, which protect the rights of migrants against breaches of their family life and torture or inhuman treatment if removed back to their home country. In an interview with the Telegraph, Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: The ECHR started off as quite a noble endeavour. Over the years, judges have stretched the meaning of what those articles in practice specify, to the point that its totally unrecognisable from the document that the original framers agreed. So youve now got to the ridiculous situation where the people who are mostly protected by the ECHR are foreign criminals and illegal immigrants ... Its become, frankly, farcical when foreign criminals and illegal immigrants are the ones being protected, not British citizens. Critics of ECHR membership say it has frustrated Britains efforts to secure its borders after judges used it to prevent the deportation of illegal immigrants on human rights grounds. They say it has also enabled the protracted prosecutions of British Armed Forces veterans, and prevented the government from prioritising British citizens for social housing and NHS treatment. In June, Mrs Badenoch asked Lord Wolfson, the shadow attorney general, to carry out a review of the UKs membership of the ECHR. In his 200-page report, he concluded that in five policy areas, membership places significant constraints on the governments ability to deal with the issues, and that it makes it impossible to control the UKs sovereign borders. He said that in the areas of public services, prison sentences and climate change, the necessary changes to our laws would be subject to debilitating legal challenges. Lord Wolfson also argued that alternative options, such as renegotiation, derogation or repealing only the Human Rights Act, are either unrealistic or ineffective. He advised the Tory leader that leaving the ECHR is compatible with the Good Friday Agreement. In a letter to Ms Badenoch, he said: When it comes to control of our sovereign borders, preventing our military veterans from being pursued indefinitely, ensuring prison sentences are applied rigorously for serious crimes, stopping disruptive protests, or placing blanket restrictions on foreign nationals in terms of social housing and benefits, the only way such positions are feasible would be to leave the ECHR. Such a decision will not be a panacea to all the issues that have arisen in recent years, and other obstacles to achieving the desired policy objectives will remain, but it is clear that should you wish to achieve a policy goal of, for example, the UK government having full control over its own borders, then withdrawal from the ECHR is the only feasible option. Our party is taking a stand that puts the British public first By Nicholas Soames Kemi Badenoch has now settled one of the most vexed political questions of recent times: our partys position on the European Court of Human Rights. I emphasise recent times because this has not always been a subject of such great controversy. Our predecessors largely agreed on what a European Court of Human Rights was for. Sir Winston Churchill, my grandfather, spoke of a Europe in which extreme cases such as religious persecution can be brought to the test of impartial justice. Churchill envisaged a European court to protect the rights of Europeans. He did not, however, as some now pretend, advocate for judicial activism which infringes on the rights of sovereign parliaments to make laws or control borders. This would have been unthinkable in a Britain which, then as now, has good claim to be the birthplace of modern democracy. And the idea that Parliament should reassert itself against such overreach would have seemed as obvious and necessary then as it does to us today. We should cherish both impartial justice and democratic accountability. A position with which, I am sure, all Conservatives would have agreed upon across the ages. The ECHR, as it operates in our day and age, has gone beyond what was envisaged by impartial justice. I think we can be sure Churchill and his peers would never have stood for a foreign court trampling on the will of democratically elected lawmakers. They too would have reacted with disgust at the case of the Nigerian criminal who was convicted of raping a 13-year-old girl but had his deportation order overturned. Or the Zimbabwean paedophile who was allowed to stay in the UK in case he faced hostility in his country of origin. Or even the disgraceful spectacle of two of the Rochdale rape gang ringleaders, Adil Khan and Qari Abdul Rauf, using Article 8 of the ECHR in their bid to prevent deportation. Such cases not only rightly offend our British sense of fair play, but demonstrate a living instrument which has far outgrown its original and honourable intention. Over time, we have lost a sense of perspective around the role of the ECHR. Instead of analysing these judgments and how they reflect on the balance between the will of Parliament and the courts, the matter of the ECHR devolved into a bitter political dividing line. After the tribalism of the traumatic experience of Brexit, we have allowed the ECHR to become yet another unnecessary cause of factionalism and infighting. Instead of starting with the elements which we all agreed had to be changed, we have crafted a new purity test based around an absolute position of in or out and lampooned those that point out the complications. Our leader, Kemi Badenoch, has rejected this false dichotomy. It is part of the reason that I supported her in the leadership contest. She has always said that if we must leave, then she will deliver that. But she committed first to a careful and detailed examination of the legal framework and a genuine and honest interrogation of the benefits and drawbacks. As one would expect from an engineer, she first sought to establish the facts. In June, my esteemed colleague, Lord Wolfson of Tredegar KC, was asked to undertake a proper analysis. He has addressed whether it is practically possible to leave the ECHR. He has considered the impact on the Good Friday Agreement. He has investigated the plethora of other legislation and case law which impact our ability to enact policy. Kemi Badenoch and her shadow cabinet, having studied this work, are now resolved that we should leave the ECHR to allow a future Conservative government to deport foreign criminals and illegal migrants, protect our veterans and put the British public first. And I support them in that decision. This need not be a moment of division for the Conservative Party. Yes, we must take great care that we explain our case for leaving with coherence and awareness of the facts. We will get no credit for taking the approach of Reform, which makes promises it cannot possibly keep and poses questions it can never answer. But with the work done, we can now all stand behind a clear position and move on to the other things that matter. Growing our economy after Labours disastrous economic mismanagement. Restoring our place in the world. Rescuing our public finances. Being a pragmatic and sensible political party which is ready for government. Those are the fruits of the approach that Kemi Badenoch has taken. Let us now unite behind her decision, which has been properly considered and is appropriate for the political realities we face today. Lord Soames of Fletching is a Conservative peer and former MP Canada issues warning for citizens traveling to US with gender-neutral passports after Trumps executive order The Canadian government has issued a new warning for its citizens with gender-neutral passports traveling to the United States in light of President Donald Trumps executive order. Canadas Department of Global Affairs updated its travel advice for citizens coming to the U.S. on its website last week, CBC first reported. While the Government of Canada issues passports with a X gender identifier, it cannot guarantee your entry or transit through other countries, the page reads. You might face entry restrictions in countries that do not recognize the X gender identifier. Before you leave, verify this information with the closest foreign representative for your destination. Canadians may still be asked to provide your sex/gender information as either male or female when traveling, the advisory stated. In January, Trump signed an executive order that stated it is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female. The order says: These sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality. The Canadian government issued a travel advisory for citizens with gender-neutral passports visiting the United States after President Donald Trumps executive order (Getty Images) Days later, Secretary of State Marco Rubio instructed the State Department to immediately suspend all applications for passports with the X gender marker. The ACLU then sued the State Department on behalf of transgender, nonbinary, and intersex people. A federal judge in June granted a preliminary injunction, blocking the State Departments requirement from taking effect. Last month, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to overturn the injunction. As of January, roughly 3,600 Canadian citizens listed "X" as their gender on their passports, CBC reported. The Department of Global Affairs has posted advisories about the X identifier since 2022, but decided to "expand and harmonize the information" about the passport marker across all travel advisories last week, Alexandre Fournier, a spokesperson for the department told CBC. The U.S. Embassy in Canada said its not in a position to provide comment or schedule interviews at the time due to the U.S. government shutdown, a spokesperson told the outlet. David Lammy, the Deputy Prime Minister, was accused of allowing Jew hatred in Manchester as he prepared to address the vigil - Danny Lawson/PA David Lammy was heckled by mourners of the Manchester synagogue terror attack on Friday night, amid mounting calls for a halt to pro-Palestinian protests. The Deputy Prime Minister was booed and faced shouts of stop the marches as he addressed a vigil near Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, after the marauding attack which left two men dead and three seriously injured. Before Mr Lammys speech, one man could be heard to shout: My childrens school was closed today. You have allowed this to happen. You are all guilty. You have allowed Jew hatred in Manchester, on the streets. You are all guilty. We do not want you speaking here today. Another could be heard to shout Empty words. We want action. Pro-Palestinian protesters are set to defy calls to respect the victims of the tragedy by holding a major demonstration in London on Saturday. Up to 1,500 pro-Palestinian activists are expected to break the law and risk mass arrests by displaying support for the banned terror group Palestine Action. Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, said the protests were entirely wrong, and un-British, but that she was powerless to stop them. Sir Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan Police commissioner, also pleaded with protesters not to go ahead. In a statement that suggested he viewed the planned protest as an affront to the Jewish community, he said: People have been debating for the last two years whether pro-Palestinian protests are simply a call for peace, or have an implicit intention to stir up anti-Semitism. Continuing such protests within hours of Thursdays awful terrorist murder of British Jews, when communities are most fearful, will likely create further tensions and some might say lacks sensitivity. Khan rejects calls to halt protest However, Sir Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, refused to endorse calls to halt the protest, but urged protesters to be mindful of the terror attack. Sadiq has always said that protest is a fundamental cornerstone of democracy but must be peaceful, lawful and safe, a spokesman for the Mayor said. He urges those considering protesting tomorrow to be mindful of the appalling terror attack this week, which has devastated our frightened Jewish communities we all have a responsibility to consider how our words and actions make others feel. In an article for the Jewish Chronicle on Friday, Sir Keir Starmer also stopped short of calling for the protest to be cancelled although he urged the protesters to recognise and respect the grief of British Jews this week. Police and ministers are powerless to ban the protests as the Public Order Act of 1986 only enables them to block marches if there is a risk of serious disruption. Because the protest on Saturday is a static assembly, it cannot be halted under the legislation. A member of the public makes her anger at David Lammy clear during the vigil - Hannah McKay/Reuters Jonathan Hall, the Governments independent reviewer of terror legislation, said ministers should consider new powers to allow protests to be banned when counter-terrorism police are stretched by multiple threats. He suggested there was a gap in the law which meant there were no powers at present for the Government or police to bar a protest even if officers risked being overwhelmed by terror threats. There may come a point where the counter terrorist burden on the police and the need to protect people is so great and specific that we do need to look again at whether or not marches should be allowed to go ahead in those precise circumstances, he said. Sir Ephraim Mirvis, the Chief Rabbi, also called on the Government to get a grip on pro-Palestine protests. He told the Today programme: We call on the Government yet again, we have been doing so continuously and yet again we say get a grip on these demonstrations, they are dangerous. Cancelling peaceful protests lets terror win The group behind the Trafalgar Square protest planned for Saturday, Defend our Juries, insisted they had a democratic right to go ahead with the protest against restrictions on their free speech through the proscription of Palestine Action. Cancelling peaceful protests lets terror win. Its more important than ever to defend our democracy, including our fundamental rights to peaceful protest and freedom of speech, and to take a stand tomorrow against killing and against oppression, and for peace and justice for all, they said. Keir Starmer visited the scene of the Manchester synagogue attack Ms Mahmood said she was very disappointed at the groups decision: I dont think they do their cause any favours by behaving in this way. If the point of protest is to stand up for something and persuade other people that you are right, then I think this is entirely the wrong way to go about it, but that is on their conscience. What I am sure will happen is that the police will respond to that protest. It will be policed, and anybody who breaks the law of our land will face the full force of the law. Sir Mark wrote to the organisers, urging them to cancel but they refused. The outrage has been fuelled by the fact that pro-Palestine protests took place across the country just hours after the Manchester attack. There were violent clashes on Thursday evening between Gaza protesters and police outside the gates of Downing Street, with 40 people arrested. Gideon Saar, Israels foreign minister, made a personal appeal to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper in a phone call to combat the poisonous anti-Semitic movement, claiming it was a decisive moment in the UKs own history to preserve its character. In a tweet, Mr Saar said: I raised the need to fight the pro-Palestinian marches and protests, which bear anti-Semitic traits, and at times include explicit support for terror. I said that this rabid incitement rightly disturbs the Jewish community in Britain deeply and it must be fought aggressively and determinedly. Supporters of Palestine Action attending a mass protest organised by Defend Our Juries in London in August. Photograph: Tolga Akmen/EPA The prime minister has called for protesters to respect the grief of British Jews this week after the Manchester synagogue attack. Ahead of a planned demonstration against the ban on Palestine Action this Saturday, Keir Starmer wrote in Jewish News and the Jewish Chronicle that activists should recognise this is a time of mourning. Peaceful protest is a cornerstone of our democracy and there is justified concern about the suffering in Gaza but a minority have used these protests as a pretext for stoking antisemitic tropes, he wrote. I urge anyone thinking about protesting this weekend to recognise and respect the grief of British Jews this week. This is a moment of mourning. It is not a time to stoke tension and cause further pain. However, those protesting against the ban on Palestine Action have said cancelling Saturdays event would let terror win, amid pressure from police and the government to call it off after the attack in Manchester. The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, added her voice on Friday to calls to postpone the event, after police said they wanted to be able to focus their resources on protecting Jewish and Muslim communities. The Metropolitan police commissioner, Mark Rowley, said that continuing protests after the attack will likely create further tensions and some might say lacks sensitivity. The organisers, Defend Our Juries, said in a statement on Friday that supporters, including many Jewish people, wanted the protest to go ahead. It expected 1,500 people, including priests, vicars, pensioners and others, to take part in the event, which would involve them peacefully sitting holding cardboard signs saying I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action. More than 1,600 people have been arrested at a series of protests in London and elsewhere since the proscription of Palestine Action came into effect on 5 July. Our thoughts are with everyone who has lost loved ones in the horrific attack on Heaton Park synagogue and we stand in solidarity with the Jewish community across the UK, Defend Our Juries said in a statement on Friday. It added: Many Jewish supporters of Defend Our Juries have warned that postponing tomorrows action would risk conflating the actions of the state of Israel with Jewish people around the world, as [Benjamin] Netanyahu seeks to do who bear no responsibility for Israels crimes, which could fuel antisemitic hatred and prejudice. It couldnt be clearer that tomorrows action which is in Trafalgar Square and not near any synagogue is about defying the governments absurdly authoritarian proscription of Palestine Action and the governments complicity in the genocide being committed by the Israeli government. Defend Our Juries reiterated its condemnation of the attack and urged the police to prioritise protecting the community, instead of arresting entirely peaceful protesters. Cancelling peaceful protests lets terror win. Its more important than ever to defend our democracy, including our fundamental rights to peaceful protest and freedom of speech, and to take a stand tomorrow against killing and against oppression, and for peace and justice for all, it added. Rowley accused Defend Our Juries of drawing valuable resources away from the communities of London at a time when they are needed most. People have been debating for the last two years whether pro-Palestinian protests are simply a call for peace, or have an implicit intention to stir up antisemitism, said Rowley. Continuing such protests within hours of Thursdays awful terrorist murder of British Jews, when communities are most fearful, will likely create further tensions and some might say lacks sensitivity. Rowley said the Met would call in support from forces across the UK to ensure it could arrest all those breaking the law in support of Palestine Action, while the police also provided protection to communities. Additional resources will be deployed in the vicinity of mosques and in communities with larger Muslim populations. He added: Some may ask why we do not ban the protest, but there is no power in law for us to do so. Nor is there even the possibility for us to apply to the home secretary to ban static assemblies in the way there is in very limited circumstances for protest marches. However, the government-appointed official reviewer of terrorism legislation has told the Guardian that police should be given greater power to seek bans on political marches in the immediate aftermath of a terrorist attack. Jonathan Hall KC said the power should only be used to spare police resources, which would be under huge strain after an attack. Hall said: If there is an urgent case where police need resources to deal with the aftermath of a terrorist attack, I am surprised there is no power to ban a march or assembly in these specific circumstances. He emphasised any ban should be temporary and be justified because police resources were needed elsewhere, such as investigating an attack or to provide extra patrols. The Met has complained that having to police constant protests since the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel had placed it under significant strain. Speaking about pro-Palestinian protests that went ahead on Thursday, Mahmood said in an interview on BBC Radio 4: I was very disappointed to see those protests going ahead last night. I think that behaviour is fundamentally un-British. I think it is dishonourable. I would have wanted those individuals to just take a step back. Minister Feetham visits the Admiral Insurance Gibraltar office This week, Minister Nigel Feetham visited the office of Admiral Insurance Gibraltar, the largest insurer in Gibraltar by gross written premium. Minister Feetham met the Chief Executive Officer Will Moulder and Chief Operating Officer Lisa Casemore and their growing team to discuss how they could collaborate to attract and retain young talent in the industry. Mr Feetham spent time meeting with Admiral colleagues and learning about how the insurer supports employees to develop new skills and gain professional qualifications. Admiral has evolved from a monoline insurer to a leading personal lines provider and Will and Lisa highlighted the importance of good governance for delivering good customer outcomes for customers as the business and their team continues to grow. Admiral is known for its strengths in data and Minister Feetham was interested to understand how the insurer is using Artificial Intelligence to maintain its competitive pricing across its range of insurance products. Minister for Justice, Trade and Industry, Nigel Feetham, commented: Admiral Insurance shows its commitment to Gibraltar by being one of the biggest corporate taxpayers, so it was fantastic to visit its office and talk with colleagues about why they like working for the insurer. I meet so many talented young people and Im passionate about helping them harness their skills and find good jobs. It was great to connect with the Admiral team and discuss how we can attract young talent and show that you dont need a university degree to have a fulfilling career within the insurance industry. CEO of Admiral Insurance Gibraltar, Will Moulder, commented: It was a pleasure to welcome Nigel to our office. We have been in Gibraltar for over two decades and are proud of the business that we have built here. We are always looking for ways to attract young talent and are committed to providing opportunities for colleagues to grow and expand their expertise. We are really excited to welcome an apprentice to the team over the next few months and look forward to working with Nigel in the future to demonstrate the diverse roles and opportunities that working in the insurance industry can offer. Celebrities including Meryl Streep and Dame Emma Thompson put on their best outfits for George Clooneys star-studded London awards event on Friday. Stars arrived in their droves to The Albies an awards ceremony created by Clooney and his wife, human rights lawyer Amal, to shine a protective spotlight on brave individuals and groups from around the globe who, at great personal risk, have devoted their lives to fighting for justice. Hannah Waddingham in a glittering gown (James Manning/PA) Glittering in a sequinned dress was Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham, who arrived at the event wearing a neutral-coloured gown with stripes of sequins and a matching cape. Top Guns Meg Ryan, CBS News presenter Gayle King, and Now You See Me star Isla Fisher were among the other attendees at the event, held at the Natural History Museum in London. Meg Ryan arrives at the awards (James Manning/PA) British stars included Saltburn actor Richard E Grant, chat show host Graham Norton, fashion designer Stella McCartney, actress Felicity Jones and Gavin And Stacey star Russell Tovey. Elsewhere, make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury was pictured wearing a figure-hugging dress with ruffles and a corset alongside the Clooneys. Meryl Streep arrives at the Albie Awards (James Manning/PA) Oscar-winning actress Streep wore black trousers with a sheer black top adorned with green beads, while Dame Emma, another Oscar winner, wore a corduroy suit with a heavily sequined top. Another notable figure was New Zealands former prime minister Jacinda Ardern, who sported a halter neck gown with a floral motif. Michaela Jae Rodriguez, Bella Tilbury, Isla Fisher, Charlotte Tilbury, Hannah Waddingham, Jemima Khan and Felicity Jones (James Manning/PA) The Albies are named after anti-apartheid hero Justice Albie Sachs, who received a lifetime achievement award at the charitys inaugural fundraiser in 2022, according to the Clooney Foundation for Justice website. He also attended Fridays event, which gives out awards in multiple categories, including the justice for women award. The Clooneys are co-founders of the Clooney Foundation for Justice, which provides free legal aid in defence of free speech and womens rights. Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis: Some of [the protests] contain outright antisemitism, outright support for Hamas. Photograph: David Hartley/REX/Shutterstock The UKs chief rabbi has said many in the Jewish community and and well beyond it are wondering why protests such as those against the ban on Palestine Action are allowed to go ahead. Sir Ephraim Mirvis said: Some of them contain outright antisemitism, outright support for Hamas. Not every single person, however there is so much of this, which certainly is dangerous to many within our society. Speaking before arriving in Manchester on Friday to join those grieving the deaths of two men killed in a terrorist attack at a synagogue, he said there was an urgent need for national soul-searching. The attack had come in the wake of what he described as an unrelenting wave of hated against Jews on Britains streets, campuses, social media and in some sections of the media, Mirvis told BBC Radio 4s Today programme. Singling out the slogan globalise the intifada that many regard as a call to violence against Jews he said Britain had seen with tragic clarity on Thursday what those words meant. Referring again to what he said was being aired in public spaces and online, he said: So much of it is so hateful and in addition to that when there is the unjustified demonisation of Israel that feeds directly into an anti-Jewish sentiment within the tone of Britain and that then encourages extremism. Our government needs to be mindful of that. Asked about marches organised by pro-Palestinian groups calling for an end to the war in Gaza and protests calling for the lifting of the ban on the banned group Palestine Action, he said that so much of it was dangerous to many in British society. Ever since 7 October 2023 there are so many people who have wondered why are such marches allowed to take place on our streets. Some of them contain outright antisemitism, outright support for Hamas, he said. You cannot separate the words on our streets, the actions of people in this way and what inevitably results The two are directly linked and therefore we call on the government yet again to get a grip on these demonstrations as they are dangerous. Defend Our Juries, which has been organising the protests in London in support of lifting the ban on Palestine Action, said it intended to go ahead with its protest on Saturday and it urged the police to focus on protecting those communities fearing reprisals or follow-up terror attacks. It said it utterly condemned the attack in Manchester. Faith leaders also had a specific role to play, the chief rabbi also said, adding: We must speak about controlling our mouths, the views that we say, how we express those views and also a faith leader must encourage harmony and peace on our streets and in our homes. His comments came as the president of Israel, Isaac Herzog, said Thursday was a horrific day for the Jewish community in Britain, Britain at large, and the Jewish community throughout the world. Its a shocking reminder of what weve been alerting on for quite some time, that this heatwave of antisemitism and anti-Jewish feelings all over the world at the end reaches bloodshed, he told LBC radio. Among those calling for further government action on antisemitism were Danny Cohen, the former controller of BBC 1, who told Times Radio there should be a national inquiry on antisemitism established straightaway as something has gone badly wrong in our society, and it needs urgently addressing. The new Archbishop of Canterbury could be a woman for the first time in history The Church of England is set to name its new Archbishop of Canterbury on Friday, with significant anticipation surrounding the possible appointment of the first woman to the role. The top position has remained vacant for almost a year, following Justin Welbys resignation over a safeguarding scandal. A member of the General Synod has said that the failure to appoint a woman would represent a missed opportunity. While no official shortlist of candidates was published, the Bishop of Chelmsford, the Rt Rev Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, is widely considered to be one of the favourites to take up the role. She fled Iran with her family as a teenager in the wake of the Iranian Revolution in 1980, and has previously discussed her own story and how she has a sense of the real trauma that many asylum seekers have experienced. The Bishop of Chelmsford, Guli Francis-Dehqani, is among those tipped for the role (PA) Others tipped for the role include the Bishop of Gloucester, the Rt Rev Rachel Treweek, who made history in 2015 by becoming the first female diocesan bishop and the first female bishop in the House of Lords. The Bishop of London, Dame Sarah Mullally, a former chief nursing officer for England, has also been mentioned as a possibility. Men thought to be in the running include the Bishop of Bath and Wells, Michael Beasley. He is a former epidemiologist and was a member of the Churchs Covid-19 task force during the pandemic. The Bishop of Sheffield, the Rt Rev Dr Pete Wilcox, who describes himself online as a sports fan & Newcastle Utd nut, has also been mentioned in reports. Women were first ordained priests in the Church in 1994, while the first female bishop appointment followed 20 years later, in 2014. Speaking ahead of Fridays announcement, Professor Helen King, an elected lay member of the Church of England General Synod, otherwise known as the Churchs parliament, said she is hopeful that a female will be appointed. The Bishop of Gloucester, Rachel Treweek, has also been reported as a possible candidate for the role (PA) She said: Its been 10 years since weve had women bishops, and that means weve got women who have the experience to be archbishop. So I think it would be a missed opportunity, but the Church of England is perfectly capable of missing opportunities. I wouldnt be surprised [if its not a woman], but I hope very much it is. Andrew Graystone, a longtime advocate for survivors of Church abuse and victims of safeguarding failures, said it would be a historic moment for the Church, and a huge opportunity if a woman were appointed to the role. He warned that whoever is chosen has a challenging road ahead of them. He said: The new archbishop will be faced with declining church attendance, bloated management structures, and clergy squabbling over what people do in the bedroom. But the biggest challenge for the new archbishop is to restore trust after a decade of abuse scandals. Former Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby formally stood down in January over failures in handling an abuse scandal, having announced his intention to resign two months earlier, in November 2024. Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell has taken on most of the responsibilities in the interim, and was one of the voting members of the body charged with choosing Mr Welbys successor. The King, pictured with former Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, is technically head of the Church of England (PA) The Crown Nominations Commission, chaired by Lord Evans of Weardale, a former director general of MI5, had to agree to the new appointment by a two-thirds majority vote. Following agreement, the process involves a name being given to prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and then passed to the monarch. While the King is technically the head of the Church of England, the person holding the role of Archbishop of Canterbury is the most senior bishop, and is considered the spiritual leader of the Church and of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The next archbishop will not formally take on the role until a confirmation of election in January, while their enthronement service will come later, after they have paid homage to the King. Kemi Badenoch said she had not come to this decision lightly. Photograph: Jonathan Brady/PA Kemi Badenoch has announced that a Conservative government under her leadership would pull the UK out of the European convention on human rights. The move marks a lurch to the right for the Tories, who are attempting to stem a loss of support to Nigel Farages Reform UK. Farage has long been a critic of the ECHR and has pledged to leave it if he becomes prime minister. Badenoch said on Friday night that she had not come to this decision lightly, but it is clear that it is necessary to protect our borders, our veterans and our citizens. Critics of the ECHR claim it frustrates the governments efforts to deal with illegal migration and deport foreign criminals. Others argue that pulling out of the treaty would damage the UKs international reputation and breach the Good Friday agreement, which brought an end to decades of conflict in Northern Ireland. Russia and Belarus are the only two European countries that are not signatories. Badenochs decision follows the conclusion of a months-long review by David Wolfson, the shadow attorney general, which found that the treaty places significant constraints on the government across a range of areas, including border control. Lord Wolfson, a commercial barrister, deemed other options, such as renegotiating or derogating from the treaty, either unrealistic or ineffective. He argued that leaving it was compatible with the Good Friday agreement and the Windsor framework negotiated by Rishi Sunak to ease post-Brexit trading arrangements. Badenochs announcement, which the Guardian reported on Thursday was coming, was made after the shadow cabinet met to sign off the policy. The Conservative party said: Unlike Reform UK, who have made slapdash announcements with no consideration of the implications and no plan to deliver behind them, the Conservatives have done the serious work to explore the legal and practical considerations necessary to leave the ECHR in an orderly manner. The ECHR was established in 1950 and sets out the rights and freedoms people are entitled to in the 46 signatory countries of the Council of Europe. It is a central part of UK human rights law and has been used to halt attempts to deport people who are deemed to be in the UK illegally. Its critics focused their concerns on article 3, which protects against inhuman or degrading treatment, and article 8, which helps to protect the right to private and family life, arguing that they are being interpreted too broadly by judges and prevent legitimate deportations. Individuals and countries can only make an application to the European court of human rights in Strasbourg after they have exhausted every domestic route. During the Conservative leadership election last summer, membership of the ECHR became a dividing line between Badenoch and Robert Jenrick. Badenoch argued that leaving the ECHR would not solve the UKs problems, while Jenrick said his party would die if it argued to stay in. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy was heckled and booed as he addressed a vigil for the victims of the Manchester synagogue attack. The crowd at the vigil accused Mr Lammy and the government of allowing antisemitism to grow in the UK and called for an end to regular pro-Palestine marches. Mr Lammy, who is also Justice Secretary, was also criticised over the governments decision to recognise a Palestinian state, as he sought to offer a message of unity following the attack on the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester, on Thursday. Two worshippers died in the attack on Thursday. One of the deceased were one of two people accidentally shot by armed police while attempting to prevent a knife-wielding terrorist from entering a synagogue, with the being injured. Three others remain in hospital with serious injuries following the attack, which took place on Yom Kippur, Judaisms holiest day. As he took to the stage in the pouring rain on Friday afternoon, Mr Lammy faced calls of go to Palestine, leave us alone, apparently in response to the governments decision to recognise a Palestinian state. One woman shouted shame on you, before the crowd began chanting it. Ahead of Mr Lammys speech, one man could be heard to shout: My childrens school was closed today. You have allowed this to happen. You are all guilty. You have allowed Jew hatred in Manchester, on the streets. You are all guilty. We do not want you speaking here today. Another could be heard to shout Empty words. We want action. David Lammy was repeatedly heckled during his speech (Peter Byrne/PA) As Mr Lammy began his speech with the word friends, there were scoffs and laughter from some in the crowd. Another cry heard was stop the marches, and Mr Lammy had to pause several times as the shouting continued. Others shouted youve allowed it to grow on the campuses and you have blood on your hands. The Deputy Prime Minister told the crowd: We stand in solidarity with the Jewish people, because an attack like this is never felt alone. Wherever you are in our country, Jewish people, our friends, our neighbours, our loved ones are terrified by the events of yesterday of becoming targets, victims of antisemitic hate, simply for who they are. But I know this about Britains Jewish community, a community I have known all of my life: You are strong, you are resilient, and you will never be cowed, and thats what I want you to know today that our country, those of all colours, all faiths and none, stand with you. Uproar resumed in the vigil crowd as Mr Lammy said that is why we stand in defiance of those terrorists who seek to divide us. There were shouts from attendees, and one man could be heard saying you enabled it, every Saturday, in reference to the regular pro-Palestine marches through London and other cities. The Justice Secretary continued: We cannot, must not, let them divide us we must show them who we really are, not what they want us to become or to believe. Mr Lammy concluded his remarks by asking those who are planning pro-Gaza marches over the weekend to reflect with all human dignity, grace and understanding and to stop and stand back. After the Deputy Prime Minister finished speaking, another person shouted: They called for our death in the past. Walk past a university some day. The vigil was attended by several senior Labour figures including Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood (Danny Lawson/PA) Joanne Lazarus, 61, from Whitefield, Bury, shouted shame on you and youre embarrassing at Mr Lammy as he spoke at the vigil. She said she wanted the government to stop pro-Palestine marches. She told the PA news agency: I took the chance to make my voice heard. I cant take these marches every single Saturday. Ive been into town on a Saturday and have been told Im a baby killer and to go home. That hatred is felt through the whole of the UK and through what happened here yesterday. I knew it would happen. Ms Lazarus, who attended the Heaton Park Shul when she was younger, said she did not think Mr Lammy would care about the response he received at the vigil. Tony Levene, a local Jewish man who barracked the Deputy Prime Minister, chanting: Shame on you! Empty words! claimed the attack on the synagogue, where he said he got married, was a result of a lack of government action over hate-speech. Mr Levene said: We have been knowing that this could happen on the streets of Manchester for years and finally we were shocked, but it wasnt unexpected. People were allowed a few years ago to drive around London and shout, eff the Jews, rape your daughters nothing happened to them, not one of them was prosecuted. This is here at home. Forget Israel. This is here, in England, this is allowed to happen. Once you allow that to stem, you get the result of yesterday. Were bored of words. Words are no good anymore. The politicians cannot keep saying word, over word over word. We demand action. This is a direct result of the government rewarding terrorism, not holding back, allowing hate speech, this is where we are today. They have blood on their hands. Eddie Edwards, who said his grandfather was murdered in a concentration camp, said he was due to do a security shift on the synagogue where the attack took place and his father-in-law, aged 89, was due to arrive just five minutes after the attack. He said: Hamas has thanked the British government, Keir Starmer and David Lammy, for recognising a state, it is rewarding terrorism. It is rewarding what happened on October 7. We just want action now, not words. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy was heckled as he was introduced at a vigil for the victims of the Manchester synagogue attack on Friday. Some attendees chanted shame on you and accused Mr Lammy of having blood on his hands. As he took to the stage in Crumpsall where the attack took place he faced calls of go to Palestine, leave us alone", and "you've allowed it to grow on the campuses". A man heard to shout that the government is responsible for allowing "jew hatred" - then said "we do not want you here today", which led to a round of applause from others in the crowd. Mark Adlestone, chair of the Jewish Representative Council in Greater Manchester, was compelled to intervene, saying: All right, weve heard enough. We know how you feel. The anger at Mr Lammy appeared to focus on alleged inaction over the rise of antisemitism in the UK and the UK Governments policy towards Palestine. One heckler highlighted pro-Palestine protests that have taken place since the Israel- Hamas conflict began in Gaza. Uproar resumed in the vigil crowd as David Lammy said that is why we stand in defiance of those terrorists who seek to divide us. There were shouts from attendees, and one man could be heard saying you enabled it, every Saturday. The Government has also been criticised by Israel for its decision to formally regognise the Palestinian state. DAvid Lammy addresses the crowd (Danny Lawson/PA Wire) Mr Lammy told the crowd: we stand in solidarity with the Jewish people, because an attack like this is never felt alone. The Justice Secretary continued: Wherever you are in our country, Jewish people, our friends, our neighbours, our loved ones are terrified by the events of yesterday of becoming targets, victims of antisemitic hate, simply for who they are. But I know this about Britains Jewish community, a community I have known all of my life: You are strong, you are resilient, and you will never be cowed, and thats what I want you to know today that our country, those of all colours, all faiths and none, stand with you. He said we all feel terrorism and used the example of his best childhood friend who was blown to smithereens in the July 7 2005 London bombings. He said: We stand with you against those who think bombs and blasts will break us, we stand against all states who would minimise or coddle or obfuscate on anti-Jewish hate. We know terrorism in this country. We know it, of course, in this city we saw it at the arena, and we have seen it in Heaton Park. We all know terrorism, we all feel terrorism my best friend from childhood, James Adams, was blown to smithereens in the 7/7 bombings. And I vow to you, every Christian, every Muslim, every Jew, every Mancunian, every Brit: We will never stop fighting it. Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police Sir Stephen Watson , Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham and Rabbi Daniel Walker, from the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation were among others to address the vigil. Rabbi Walker paid tribute to the brave members of security and worshippers who stopped the attack being worse. He also paid his respects to Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, who died in Jihad Al-Shamies car and stabbing attack. The family of a college student killed in a Cybertruck car crash has sued Tesla, claiming the design of the vehicles doors were a death trap. Krysta Tsukahara, 19, and two others were killed when the driver of the vehicle rammed into a tree in Piedmont, California in November 2024. The Savannah College of Art and Design student, riding in the backseat, was trapped inside the vehicle as it burst into flames, unable to find the manual door releases when the vehicles battery caught fire. The doors are electronically powered, but when theres no power, riders must use the manual door releases, according to the vehicles owner manual. To do this from the rear seat, the passenger must remove the rubber mat on the bottom of the rear door's pocket, pull the mechanical release cable forward and then push the door open. The Cybertruck lacked a functional, accessible, and conspicuous manual door release mechanism, fail-safe, or other redundant system for emergency egress, the filing, obtained by the The Independent states. The Independent has asked Tesla for comment. The family of Krysta Tsukahara is suing Tesla after she and two others were killed after a crash last November (City of Piedmont / AP foto/Richard Vogel) Carl and Noelle Tsukahara, the teens parents, are seeking damages against Tesla, which is owned by the worlds richest person Elon Musk. Weve had to endure not only the loss of our daughter, but the silence surrounding how this happened and why she couldnt get out. This company is worth a trillion dollarshow can you release a machine thats not safe in so many ways? Carl Tsukahara said in a statement. Matt Riordan, a friend of the teens, told police that he was driving behind the Cybertruck and jumped into action when he saw it was ablaze, Bloomberg reported. Although he tried pressing the buttons to open the doors, they didnt open. Riordan then smashed the front window open with a tree branch, rescuing the passenger in the front seat. He unsuccessfully attempted to rescue Tsukahara from the back, the outlet reported. Soren Dixon, the 19-year-old driver, and Jack Nelson, a 20-year-old also riding in the rear seat, also died in the crash. Nelsons family also sued the automaker Thursday, Bloomberg reported. The automaker is developing new designs that will make it easier to open doors in the event a car loses power, Franz von Holzhausen, Teslas chief designer, said on a podcast (Getty Images) This case arises from catastrophic design defects in the Tesla Cybertruck that turned a survivable crash into a fatal fire, the Nelsons complaint states. This is a case where two things can be true at the same time, Matthew Davis, a lawyer for the Nelsons, told Bloomberg. There can be people responsible for the crash and there is a company responsible for the fact that they couldnt get out. The lawsuits come weeks after federal automobile safety regulators revealed they were investigating the door handles on another Tesla vehicle: the 2021 Model Y. At this time, NHTSAs investigation is focused on the operability of the electronic door locks from outside of the vehicle as that circumstance is the only one in which there is no manual way to open the door, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration disclosed last month. The automaker is developing new designs that will make it easier to open doors in the event a car loses power, Franz von Holzhausen, Teslas chief designer, said on Bloombergs Hot Pursuit podcast last month. Tesla has known about the issues with the door handles for more than a decade before the crash, the Tsukaharas suit says. In that period, Tesla had repeated and direct notice that its reliance on electronic door systems created a serious risk of entrapment. Owners, bystanders, and first responders documented instances where Tesla occupants survived crash forces but could not escape when electrical power failed and fire ensued, the filing alleges. Tesla was added to the suit Thursday. Earlier this year, the Tsukaharas filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Dixons estate. Toxicology reports showed Dixon, as well as other passengers, had alcohol and drugs in their systems, the familys lawyer Roger Dreyer said in a statement in May. This young woman suffered the most horrifying death one could imagine, the familys lawyer, Dreyer said. Her death was caused by her inability to get out of the car and being consumed in the fire that engulfed the vehicle. Paul Hughes (left) and Usman Nurmagomedov contested an even close fight than their first clash (Getty Images) The MMA fanbase was sent into a frenzy on Friday night, with many followers of the sport taking issue with the scorecards from Paul Hughess rematch with Usman Nurmagomedov. For the second time in 10 months, Nurmagomedov won a decision against Hughes to stay unbeaten and retain the PFL lightweight title in Dubai, and while the first fight was competitive, the rematch was even more-closely contested. Yet Nurmagomedov, who was awarded a majority decision in the first fight in January, won 50-45, 49-46, 48-47 on Friday (3 October) with many fans and journalists raging at the first two scorecards. The consensus was that the Russian, 27, and Northern Irishman, 28, had contested a close-enough fight for a 48-47 scorecard in either mans favour. But the width of the first two cards sparked major controversy. 50-45 is an abomination, tweeted Canadian journalist Aaron Bronsteter, while his countryman and colleague Ariel Helwani wrote: That was a super close and great fight. I accept 3-2 either way. The judge who had it 50-45 should never be allowed to judge MMA again [...] 50-45 (and 49-46) is absolutely insane. WOW. One Irish journalist, Andy Stevenson, tweeted: Great fight. Two great fighters. 50-45 is corruption. Meanwhile, his compatriot and fellow journalist Peter Carroll wrote: 50-45, 49-46 are criminal cards [...] And by the way, I dont think this is a robbery. I had it for Paul by a round but I knew it was close. 50-45 ffs [for f***s sake]. British journalist Simon Head added: Id take 48-47 either way in that fight. 49-46 is a HUGE stretch. But 50-45? Thats disgraceful. That sort of scoring is damaging to credibility. Paul Hughes (left) and Usman Nurmagomedov contested an even close fight than their first clash (Getty Images) The Independent scored the bout 48-47 in Nurmagomedovs favour, yet a 48-47 win for Hughes was conceivable after a close fight, in which only the first round was clear and belonged, surely, to Nurmagomedov. Like the pairs first fight, the rematch was full of controversy even before the result was announced; in January, Nurmagomedov was docked a point for repeated low blows, while a clash of heads also marred the action, and the rematch also saw numerous low blows from the Russian as well as a head clash. This time, the head clash affected Nurmagomedov more than Hughes, but it took place with one minute left in the final round. One round prior, Hughes was left lying flat on his stomach from a low blow, although he did appear to dip into two of the fights illegal strikes. But earlier in the fight, at the end of round one, Nurmagomedov did headbutt his challenger and escape without any warning. That was a super close and great fight. I accept 3-2 either way. The judge who had it 50-45 should never be allowed to judge MMA again. Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) October 3, 2025 50-45, 49-46 are criminal cards. I said all week Paul Hughes would have to stop Usman Nurmagomedov, those cards prove it. Shocking. Peter Carroll (@PetesyCarroll) October 3, 2025 Great fight. Two great fighters. 50-45 is corruption. Andy Stevenson (@andyste123) October 3, 2025 After the result was read out, Nurmagomedov said: I felt I won every round, but it was a very tough fight. I didnt underestimate you this time; I think maybe you underestimated me? Thank you so much for the fight, Paul. Hughes did not address the scoring and in fact looked dismayed well before the scorecards were revealed. I want to thank everybody so much for travelling all the way to Dubai, he said to his present compatriots. They were telling me I wasnt getting a post-fight interview, but I had to come over here to thank you. I will be back, trust me, I will be back. And thank you Usman and his team as well so much respect. Rabbi Daniel Walker (centre R) stands among armed police officers as they talk with members of the Jewish community outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Crumpsall, north Manchester, on October 2, 2025 - Paul Currie/AFP Next month will mark 35 years since I walked up the steps of the Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester as a nervous bride in a cream pudding dress, ready to marry my childhood sweetheart. But memories of this elegant place of Jewish worship stretch much further back in time. This was my familys synagogue, the backdrop to countless Sabbath and High Holy Day visits. I can still see myself, dressed in some scratchy frock, walking to shul with my late mum and older sister to take our regular seats on the left-hand bank of the upper pews. In truth, I didnt spend much time praying. Like many children whose parents attended the synagogue, I preferred playing in the grounds of this lofty post-war building. Particularly at Rosh Hashanah. The Jewish new year falls in early autumn, the perfect time to scavenge thorough fallen leaves beneath the horse chestnut trees surrounding the synagogue, hunting for prized conkers. Its almost impossible now to reconcile this kaleidoscope of nostalgia with the horror and bloodshed that unfolded there on Yom Kippur. Partly because the shock is so great. Living in the heart of Manchesters second-largest Jewish community, of course conversations about rising anti-Semitism have been a familiar feature of Friday-night dinners since the atrocities of October 7th. Even in the face of hostility worldwide, we I have clung to the belief that here in the UK, in Manchester, at least, we were safe. Only recently, thousands of Oasis fans thronged Heaton Park the public space, not the synagogue as if to underline the normalcy of suburban life around here. This surely wasnt a place for terrorists to take their aim? Every Saturday morning I walk past at least three synagogues, exchanging cheerful waves with the security guards posted outside, or sharing warm greetings with Community Security Trust volunteers and the occasional police officer strolling around the area. The extra presence is a necessity but it never felt freighted with inevitability. This is a leafy suburb where, yes, the occasional idiot might honk their horn at Jewish families walking to shul, but little more sinister than that occurred. Until now. When we were woken on Yom Kippur morning the holiest day in the Jewish calendar by the roar of low-flying helicopters, terrorism didnt even cross my mind. A criminal on the run, perhaps. A drug bust in nearby Cheetham Hill. But a terrorist attack? Here? Shock has partnered grief for the innocent people slain on the synagogue steps, for the building where my life and family history are entwined. But its hard not to smoulder with a burning fury, too. At the mindless attacker who launched his murderous quest to slaughter Jews. But also at the performative podcasters with their half-baked hot takes on the Middle East, even though their knowledge wouldnt pass muster in a sixth-form classroom. Fury at metropolitan celebrities who swoon over the fashionable anti-Israel narrative while parroting propaganda uncritically. And above all, fury at a Prime Minister who seems unwilling or unable to stop the hate marches; who rewards terrorism by recognising a Palestinian state without first insisting on the release of hostages (an act that Hamas merrily declared to be the fruit of October 7). A Prime Minister who then has the temerity to offer the Jewish community meaningless words of comfort after what unfolded at the Heaton Park synagogue. Together, these actors collude in a toxic counterfactual, delivering fresh ammunition to anti-Semites and a green light to those who twist the truths of October 7th into excuses for hatred of Jews. It starts with words and ends at the Heaton Park synagogue. So what next for the Jewish people of the diaspora or at least, for my corner of north Manchester? To paraphrase a Hebrew saying (it sounds better in its original tongue), we got through Pharaoh, well get through this. Ill always remember wonderful times at the Heaton Park Synagogue. But Ill also never forget those whose tacit compliance with anti-Semitism has meant that those memories are now smeared with blood. U.S. military assets killed four people and destroyed another boat in a fourth strike against alleged drug traffickers, according to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Under Donald Trumps orders, Hegseth directed a lethal, kinetic strike on a narco-trafficking vessel affiliated with Designated Terrorist Organizations off the coast of Venezuela on Friday morning, according to Hegseth. Hegseth, in a post on X with a video of the destruction, accused the boat of transporting substantial amounts of narcotics to the United States to poison our people. Our intelligence, without a doubt, confirmed that this vessel was trafficking narcotics, the people onboard were narco-terrorists, and they were operating on a known narco-trafficking transit route, he wrote. These strikes will continue until the attacks on the American people are over!!!! The attack marks the fourth such strike, which have killed more than 20 people within the last month. A screenshot of a video posted by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shows an alleged drug boat blown up by U.S. forces off the coast of Venezuela October 3 (Pentagon) A recent notice from the Pentagon to members of Congress and obtained by The Independent states that the United States is formally engaged in an armed conflict with drug cartels that the Trump administration has labeled unlawful combatants. The unclassified notice appears to claim extraordinary wartime powers to justify military strikes against alleged drug traffickers which have drawn legal scrutiny and allegations that the administration and defense officials committed extrajudicial murder. According to the notice, the administration says that the president has determined that cartels are nonstate armed groups whose actions constitute an armed attack against the United States and are now engaged in a noninternational armed conflict or war with a non-state actor. The administration cites a statute requiring reports to lawmakers about conflicts involving U.S. military personnel. A White House official told The Independent that the administration is complying with requirements under the National Defense Authorization Act to inform Congress of any attack involving armed forces. Under Donald Trumps direction, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered a fourth strike on an alleged drug-carrying boat, killing four on board, after the administration declared the US is engaged in armed conflict with cartels (Getty Images) Following news of the notice to Congress, White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly told The Independent that the president acted in line with the law of armed conflict to protect our country from those trying to bring deadly poison to our shores, and he is delivering on his promise to take on the cartels and eliminate these national security threats from murdering more Americans. Defense officials have been ordered to conduct operations against them pursuant to the law of armed conflict, the notice says. The United States has now reached a critical point where we must use force in self-defense and defense of others against the ongoing attacks by these designated terrorist organizations, according to the notice. It remains unclear what evidence the United States has collected to justify the attacks; the White House and defense officials have declined to share additional information about the strikes, citing national security concerns. Legal experts and former national security officials have disputed the presidents legal authority to launch extrajudicial killings against suspected drug traffickers, raising consequential questions on both the administrations growing conflict with Venezuela and the presidents anti-immigration agenda. by Nils Peterson Reading into and about Wallace Stevens this morning I find this quotation, The deepening need for words to express our thoughts and feelingsloving them and feeling them, makes us search for the sound of them, for a finality, a perfection, an unalterable vibration. Im an endless rewriter and surely this is part of the reason for that, getting the sound exactly right even if it means a shift in meaning, but I thought as I read those words of my first pure experience of the delight in sound divorced from meaning. I should add as an adult because I loved word-sounds as a child Hey diddle diddle, with a knick-knack paddy whack, Rumplestiltskin. At this time I was sitting at my desk working as Assistant Director of Admissions at Upsala College in East Orange, New Jersey [auto-correct wanted to make it Upscale College which it wasnt though it was a good school] reading a lot of Faulkner in my spare time, thinking of myself essentially a fiction person though I had written some traditional poems and had bouts of strange love with one poem and another. A phrase out of nowhere flew in one ear and almost out the other before I managed to catch it, crew went the curlew as it flew in a curlicue. I cant explain the delight it gave me. I loved the sound of it, the shape of it, the feel of it though clearly it was meaningless. But meaning was irrelevant. I dont know if I wrote it down, but memory found some way of retaining it. I would take it out now and then and feel it, almost like pebble one finds at a beach and carries in a pocket for awhile for comfort. Almost sixty years later, I found a place to put it. I was poet laureate of Santa Clara County in California. There were half a dozen other laureates around and we were going to do a reading together. I suggested that it would be fun to all write something of the same kind and suggested a piece of exactly 100 words. It could be prose or lined, whatever shape or form, but it had to be exactly 100 words including the title. The ocean of words and word combination possibilities is so large that some kind of shape-giving limitation is a gift not a handicap. By making things harder, it makes things easier. Heres what I wrote: A Small Bang Syllables pour into a hundred word universe shocked as the first hydrogen atoms. Each has a music. They circle, join, suddenly word sounds Crew went the curlew as it flew in a curlicue. They rhyme. Ache did pairs with naked. They gather into galaxies, He did not know who he was until she taught him desire, then he did not know who he was, until here at the end of the Dictionary of the Milky Way, we dangle from a participle, aware of dark matter, what has not as yet been seen, so not as yet said. [I wonder now if it should end what has not as yet been said, so not as yet seen. Just a morning wonderment.] The more I read this, the prouder I am of it and glad that my old bit of sound joy at last had a home. How my koan about desire got in there Im not sure, but Im proud of it too though my pride derives from sense as well as sound. Ill add as a little footnote here, in my collection All the Marvelous Stuff there is a gathering called The Book of Scheherazade. A Small Bang is the opening poem. The gathering consists of ten hundred-word pieces and one more word, the word I think of as the most important in the language, in any language. Youll have to go there to find out what it is. Youll remember that Scheherazade saved her life by telling stories for a thousand and one nights. P.S. I want to end this by giving you the full Stevens quotation that began this piece. The deepening need for words to express our thoughts and feelings which, we are sure, are all the truth that we shall ever experience, having no illusions, makes us listen to words when we hear them, loving them and feeling them, makes us search for the sound of them, for a finality, a perfection, an unalterable vibration, which it is only within the power of acutest poet to give them. from The Noble Rider and the Sound of Words. The middle of the second sentence offers much to think about. P.P.S Two more hundred-word pieces from Scheherazade. Introversion How immense the space inside. Sometimes gazing up into the night skys viscidity we think how small we are, yet we take it all in, inside ourselves, and theres room, room for sun, moon, galaxies, the ocean of nebulae, and if the red shift carries us on and on, theres room for that too, room for our immense selves, the idea of God, the moving slide show of our lives. No matter how greedy our eyes, they are not bigger than our stomachs. We hold it all. No indigestion, though sometimes a dose of language helps get it down. Time, twixt sleep and wake Body comfortable in its cocoon of quilt. Spirit, free to travel, lands on a clearing between woods-edge and woodpile. Early morning. Air crisp, clean. Snow, blue with night, red-orange with morning. A fox on his way home trots by leaving a trail of footsteps one could follow if one were interested in history. I leave no footsteps, but the fox looks my way, nods, and sets off about his business. Why am I here? I wonder, then see in a cairn a Buddha, serene as surrounding stone, present to snow, woods, fox, me. P.P.P.S. OK, the one word more, the greatest word is and. Its why Scheherazade survived. Ill say the same for me and for any of you who are out there reading this. N The man accidentally shot dead during the Manchester synagogue attack was holding the doors shut to make sure the knifeman could not enter, says rabbi Daniel Walker. Police revealed earlier that one of the two victims died from a police bullet, fired as officers shot dead Jihad al Shamie. Attack latest: Al Shamie was on bail for alleged rape Rabbi Walker told Sky News: "One of the men was murdered entering into the synagogue from the outside on his way to pray, he was coming for morning services, Yom Kippur, and his life was taken. "The other man was inside the foyer, helping hold the doors to stop the terrorist coming in and when shots were fired he was fatally wounded. "That was Adrian, who was holding the doors to make sure everyone inside stayed safe." Adrian Daulby's family have described the 53-year-old a "hero" and a "down-to-earth man" who would "forever be remembered for his heroic act". One of his neighbours, Abdul Rahimi, told Sky News he was a "very, very good man" who often bought books and toys for children on their street. It comes as police said on Friday night that three more people - a man and two women - had been arrested on suspicion on terror offences, bringing the total to six. Synagogue security guard Melvin Cravitz, 66, was the other man killed in Thursday's attack at Heaton Park synagogue His relatives told Sky News he was a "gentle giant" who "would never harm a fly". In another tribute issued via the police, they added: "Melvin would do anything to help anyone. He was so kind, caring and always wanted to chat and get to know people. "He was devoted to his wife, family and loved his food. He will be sorely missed by his wife, family, friends and community." Greater Manchester's police chief, Sir Stephen Watson, said one of the three people in hospital also suffered a gunshot injury which isn't life-threatening. The chief constable said it's believed they was close to Mr Daulby behind the synagogue door. He said Mr Daulby's wound appeared to be a "tragic and unforeseen consequence of the urgently required action taken by my officers to bring this vicious attack to an end". Rabbi Walker told Sky News the "pain is very raw - we are still in the crisis stage - but we are strong and we are going to recover". "I still believe in hope, I still believe that we will come together and that we are better than this - and that we'll be better than this," he said. He praised the solidarity shown by the public and politicians as "heartening" and said "it's good to know we're not alone". Al Shamie, 35, was shot dead outside the synagogue on Thursday morning amid fears he had a suicide vest - later revealed to be fake. He had ploughed his car into people at the gates of the building before launching a stabbing attack. Police said he was also seen acting suspiciously outside the synagogue 15 minutes before, but was confronted by security and walked away. The killer came to the UK from Syria as a small child and hadn't been on the radar of counter-terror police or MI5. However, he was on bail for an alleged rape at the time of the attack. Read more: Ex-minister says father-in-law was at synagogue attack Attacker's family condemn 'heinous act' Al Shamie is believed to have lived in a council house in Langley Crescent, Prestwich, around two miles from the scene. "We used to see him out in the garden working out, doing weights, press-ups," said one of his neighbours. "He used to change his clothes. One day he would be wearing the full gown, to the floor and the next jeans and pyjama bottoms." Geoff Haliwell, 72, told Sky News he believed the family, including his mother, father and brothers, had lived there around 20 years. "There's no way I could've thought they were in any way involved in anything like this," he said, describing the family as "nice people". Another neighbour, Kate McLeish, said she thought al Shamie was "an odd guy" and said he used to park his battered black Kia "quite badly on the road". India shot down five Pakistan fighter jets in May when the two nuclear-armed nations came dangerously close to a full-scale war, the top Indian Air Force official said on Friday. Air Force chief Amar Preet Singh also revealed the class of the fighter jets India struck. As far as air defence part is concerned, we have evidence of one long range strike along with that five fighters, high-tech fighters between F-16 and JF-17 class, our system tells, Captain Singh said at the Indian Air Force annual day press conference in New Delhi on Friday. Pakistans fighter jet F-16 is US-made and the JF-17 is of Chinese origin. The Indian Air Force and the government had not, until now, revealed the class of jets of the rival nation they targeted since the military escalation earlier this year. Indian prime minister Narendra Modi holds a security meeting with top security officials and IAF chief Amar Preet Singh (EPA) The top Indian Air Force official also declined to comment on questions on Pakistans claim of downing Indian jets. India and Pakistan exchanged heavy fire for four straight days in their worst conflict in more than a quarter century in May, launching missiles and drones at each others military bases and leaving dozens of people dead. The Narendra Modi government said it launched airstrikes at terrorist installations in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Pakistan in May retaliation to the terror attacks carried out on its civilians in Kashmirs Pahalgam in April. Both sides used fighter jets, missiles, artillery and drones during the four-day conflict, killing dozens of people, before agreeing to a ceasefire. While Islamabad denied involvement in the Kashmir attack and said that there was no evidence linking the strike back to Pakistan, India said in July that three terrorists involved in the attack who were killed and there was lot of proof that they were Pakistani nationals. The attack in Kashmir killed 26 men and was the worst assault on civilians in India since the Mumbai attacks in 2008. Islamabad has denied Indias assertions and the Pakistan foreign ministry said the Indias account of the events was replete with fabrications. India and Pakistan have been locked in a dispute over Kashmir since independence from British colonial rule in 1947. They both claim the territory in full but control it only in part. The neighbours have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir. India has long accused Pakistan of fuelling an armed separatist movement in its part of Kashmir which started in 1980 and has killed tens of thousands so far. It also blames Pakistani Islamist groups for attacks elsewhere in the country. Pakistan rejects the accusations. It claims to only provide moral, political and diplomatic support to Kashmiri separatists. Both countries have expelled each others diplomats and nationals, as well as closed their borders and shuttered airspace. India has also suspended a critical water-sharing treaty with Pakistan. The dividends that Jamie Oliver and his wife, Jools, paid themselves relate to the familys wider interests, which include a further licensing business. Photograph: Justin Ng/Alamy Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and his wife, Jools, have paid themselves 2.5m in dividends for the second year in a row as pre-tax profits at their core media and restaurant empire slumped. Pre-tax profits at Jamie Oliver Holdings (JOH) fell by 1m to 2.4m last year. This was despite a 6% rise in sales to 28.6m, helped by a surge in restaurant income after the November 2023 opening of his first directly run restaurant since the collapse of his empire of 22 Jamies Italian UK outlets in 2019. JOH includes Olivers media interests, such as TV production, books, endorsements, his cookery school and restaurant, as well as franchise income from the overseas restaurants that still bear his name, fees for promoting the supermarket Tesco, and royalties from products bearing his name. His latest book, Eat Yourself Healthy, is currently the UKs bestselling cookery book, and the chef is also involved in charitable efforts with his Ministry of Food foundation now teaching cooking in 1,150 secondary schools. The group, which became a certified B Corp in 2019 in recognition of its ethical efforts, was run by chief executive Kevin Styles for more than two years until December last year. No replacement has been appointed and the company is now run by its operating board. The dividends relate to the familys wider interests, which also include a further licensing business for which detailed accounts are not available. Income from directly owned and operated restaurants jumped to 3.6m in 2024, from 335,983 in 2023, while franchise income from overseas restaurants including Jamies Italian and Jamies Deli, rose to 3.8m from 3.6m. That was despite a tough environment for the hospitality industry in recent years amid rising costs and a shift away from dining out as households try to deal with high bills including for energy and groceries. Sales at the chefs cookery school also remained steady at about 1m before the opening of a new school inside John Lewiss Oxford Street store earlier this year. However, income from royalties, endorsements, licences and TV production fell by 10% to 19.8m falling back after a major deal with Tesco in 2023 ended last year. A spokesperson for the Jamie Oliver group said it was opening 12 new restaurants internationally this year, including the first outlets in Oman and Greece, and had tripled its capacity for the cookery school with the John Lewis opening, which was performing ahead of target. John Lewis has said it wants to open more cookery schools with Oliver, but no firm plans have been announced. The death of Dame Jane Goodall has signalled the launch of a new Netflix show where an interview featuring a public figure is released posthumously. The conservationist, who was the worlds leading expert on chimpanzee behaviour, died aged 91 from natural causes in California, The Jane Goodall Institute said in a statement on Wednesday. Famous Last Words is based on a Danish TV format of the same name, Det Sidste Ord, and the sessions are recorded by remotely operated cameras, ensuring only the interviewer and interviewee know what was said. I would say I was somebody sent to this world to try to give people hope in dark times because without hope, we fall into apathy and do nothing. Earlier this year, Dr. Jane Goodall a UN Messenger of Peace sat down for a deeply reflective conversation about her legacy and pic.twitter.com/o0mPgP8ebg Netflix (@netflix) October 3, 2025 In her episode Dame Jane talks about who she would want to welcome her when she dies, saying: I just hope and pray that some of the chimps, that my special chimps, David Greybeard, Rusty, my childhood dog, Rusty, and some of the others, I hope theyll be there. And of course, I hope, mum. Dame Jane began researching free-living chimpanzees in Tanzania in 1960 and this is where she observed a chimpanzee named David Greybeard making a tool from twigs and using it to fish termites from a nest, a groundbreaking observation that challenged the definition of humans as the single species capable of making tools. At the end of the episode, in a last address, Dame Jane tells the camera: I want you to understand that we are part of the natural world, and even today, where the planet is dark, there still is hope. Dont lose hope For the children alive today and for those that will follow, you have it in your power to make a difference. Dont give up. There is a future for you. Do your best while youre still on this beautiful planet Earth that I look down upon, from where I am now. US TV writer Brad Falchuk, who interviewed Dame Jane for the series, said: Jane Goodall was fearless in all things. She deeply loved humanity and the natural world. It was clear to me in our conversation that she was approaching her final adventure with the same fearlessness, hope, humour, and joy that she approached everything else in life. She was one of the worlds greatest and most beloved champions of good. Dame Jane Goodall died at the age of 91 (Ian West/PA) Following her death, tributes poured in for the ethologist, who began researching free-living chimpanzees at a time when it was unheard of for a woman to venture into the wilds of Africa. Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio said we all must carry the torch for Dame Jane and protect our one shared home, in a post to Instagram. Elsewhere, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex described her as a visionary humanitarian, scientist, friend to the planet, and friend to us while Sir David Attenborough praised the primatologist as a tireless advocate for chimpanzees. Naturalist and TV presenter Chris Packham lauded the conservationists work as revolutionary and told BBC News that Dame Jane was up against it when she began her career. Lando Norris broke his front wing following a collision in the pits with Ferraris Charles Leclerc during second practice for the Singapore Grand Prix. The British driver had just left his garage after a second red-flag stoppage when Leclerc was released directly into his path. Norris hit the concrete wall as he attempted to take evasive action and suffered damage to the front of his McLaren before he was wheeled back by his mechanics for repairs. This doesn't happen often! Here is how Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris ended up colliding in the pit lane in FP2 #F1 #SingaporeGP pic.twitter.com/nDhYpT8fsX Formula 1 (@F1) October 3, 2025 I just crashed, said Norris over the radio. He drove straight into me. Ferrari were later fined 8,700 for an unsafe release. Norris returned to the track for the concluding 10 minutes but could finished only fifth, 0.483 seconds behind McLaren team-mate and championship rival Oscar Piastri. A downbeat Norris, who trails championship leader Piastri by 25 points with seven rounds remaining, then took aim at his own performance, telling his race engineer, Will Joseph: The car is not half-a-second off. My driving is. Isack Hadjar finished an impressive second for Racing Bulls, one place ahead of Max Verstappen, with the Red Bull driver still in the hunt for the title. He heads into Sundays race in the City State, 69 points back. Mercedes driver George Russell crashed out of second practice in Singapore (Vincent Thian/AP) Fernando Alonso, fastest in the first session, ended the day in fourth. Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were ninth and 10th respectively for Ferrari. George Russell was battling a virus at the previous round in Azerbaijan and admitted here he was still not operating at 100 per cent. The Mercedes man finished 10th in the opening running and then crashed out of the second session when he lost control of his car through Turn 16. A bit of a weird one to be honest and Im not too sure what happened, said Russell. Oscar out front! After an interrupted FP2 session, here's where all the drivers stood in the timesheets #F1 #SingaporeGP pic.twitter.com/vkf3DcjjYM Formula 1 (@F1) October 3, 2025 I braked a bit earlier, went in a bit slower, but lost the rear. Thankfully I went in front-end on and didnt do too much damage but it was game over. A bit annoying, so I am sorry to the team for that, but better it happened today than tomorrow. Russells early accident brought out the first red flag, with Liam Lawson causing a second suspension when he struck the wall at the penultimate corner, losing the tyre off his front-right wheel. Organisers of a major pro-Palestine protest this weekend have defied pressure to call it off in the wake of the terror attack at a Manchester synagogue. Sir Keir Starmer urged protesters to respect the grief of British Jews as a row over the demonstration intensified. Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley asked organisers to cancel Saturday's event in support of Palestine Action, warning it would escalate tensions and will pull police resources away from communities at a time when they are needed most. His plea came after home secretary Shabana Mahmood called for a pause in protesting in solidarity with the Jewish community, calling on demonstrators to show some humanity. However organisers Defend Our Juries have pledged to carry on with their demonstration in Trafalgar Square, insisting: Cancelling peaceful protests lets terror win. Around 1,500 people are expected to risk arrest by holding placards showing support for the direct-action group, which was designated as a terrorist organisation in July. Supporters of Palestine Action have protested in Parliament Square over recent months (PA Wire) The previous two events have seen a total of 1,422 people arrested under terrorism laws in a mass show of defiance against the controversial decision to ban the group. Writing in the Jewish Chronicle on Friday evening, Sir Keir said: I know that planned protests over the weekend, just a few days before the anniversary of the October 7 attacks, as well as in the shadow of the Manchester attack, will cause distress. Peaceful protest is a cornerstone of our democracy and there is justified concern about the suffering in Gaza but a minority have used these protests as a pretext for stoking antisemitic tropes. I urge anyone thinking about protesting this weekend to recognise and respect the grief of British Jews this week. This is a moment of mourning. It is not a time to stoke tension and cause further pain. The Met said the horrific attack at Heaton Park Synagogue on Thursday had caused significant fear in communities. Yet at a time when we want to be deploying every available officer to ensure the safety of those communities, we are instead having to plan for a gathering of more than 1,000 people in Trafalgar Square on Saturday in support of a terrorist organisation, Sir Mark said. By deliberately choosing to encourage mass law breaking on this scale, Defend Our Juries are drawing valuable resources away from the communities of London at a time when they are needed most. Keir and Victoria Starmer visited the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue following the attack (PA Wire) His comments come after Ms Mahmood condemned a protest that took place in Manchester on the night of the attack, arguing the Jewish community should have been given a day or two to process their loss. Others took place in Westminster and Leeds. I was very disappointed to see those protests go ahead last night, Ms Mahmood told Sky News. I think that behaviour is fundamentally un-British. I think its dishonourable. I would have wanted those individuals to just take a step back. Chief rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said Jewish communities have faced unrelenting wave of hatred since the 7 October 2023 attacks. He said many people in the Jewish community and well beyond it wonder why marches in support of Palestine Action are allowed to take place. The home secretary called on pro-Gaza demonstrators to cancel protests (PA Wire) Defend Our Juries said they unreservedly condemn the horrific synagogue attack and they stand in solidarity with the Jewish community across the UK. However, they said their demonstration will go ahead, noting their Jewish supporters fear postponing the rally would risk conflating the actions of the state of Israel with Jewish people around the world. A spokesperson added: It couldnt be clearer that tomorrows action, which is in Trafalgar Square and not near any synagogue, is about defying the governments absurdly authoritarian proscription of Palestine Action and the governments complicity in the genocide being committed by the Israeli government. Yesterdays attack was actual terrorism and we join others across the country in condemning it unreservedly and we urge the home secretary and the police to prioritise protecting the community, instead of arresting entirely peaceful protesters. Green party leader Zack Polanski, who is Jewish, accused the home secretary of being deeply irresponsible with her call to halt the march. He said: I think ultimately conflating protests against a genocide in Gaza and ultimately weaponising that against an antisemitic attack on our streets, a terrorist attack, is deeply irresponsible. He added: We need statesmanship in this moment. We need responsibility. We need people to be sensitive about their language, but also recognise that there is complexity for this and it can't just be about finger pointing at people who are very worried about a genocide. Labour MP Kim Johnson also told The Independent the march should go ahead and policing should prioritise public safety over silencing peaceful protest. A pro-Palestine supporter is detained by police officers following a protest in central London (PA) She said: We must stand together to condemn the awful violence in Manchester there is no place for hate. But the Defend Our Juries response is right banning Palestine Action has put unnecessary strain on the Met Police. Political decisions like this are diverting resources away from tackling genuine threats to our communities. The march should go ahead this weekend, and policing should prioritise public safety over silencing peaceful protest. However, Lord Walney, the governments former adviser on political violence, said Ms Mahmood was absolutely right. He added: I hope Labour will instruct its elected representatives to play no part in these demonstrations. We particularly need to see leadership from Andy Burnham about the planned Palestine protest in Manchester tomorrow. And former Tory home secretary Amber Rudd said: The leaders of this march, irrespective of who they are or what they stand for, are doing the wrong thing. By cancelling the protest the organisers would show the kind of solidarity with their fellow citizen she said, adding she believes it would show that the country can engage together rather than be in their boxes. Chief rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said this is a very dark time (PA Archive) Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, died after car and knife attacker Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, targeted worshippers marking Yom Kippur, Judaisms holiest day. He was shot dead by armed police who feared he would detonate a belt laden with explosives, which was later found not to be viable. However police confirmed two innocent civilians, including Mr Daulby, were hit by stray police bullets as they barricade themselves behind the synagogue door. Three people have been arrested on suspicion of planning a terror attack in connection with the killings in Manchester. Shamie, a British national of Syrian descent, had entered the UK as a young child and was granted British citizenship in 2006 at around the age of 16. The UK's chief rabbi has described the terror attack at a synagogue in Manchester as "the tragic result of Jew hatred". Two Jewish men were killed outside Heaton Park Synagogue on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. The attacker, named by police as Jihad al Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent, was shot dead by police seven minutes after officers were alerted to the incident. Follow the latest updates Sir Ephraim Mirvis said it was "the day we hoped we would never see, but which deep down, we knew would come". He celebrated the "courageous leadership" of rabbi Daniel Walker, who has been praised for his efforts to keep his congregation safe as the terrorist tried to get inside. In a post on X, Sir Ephraim wrote: "For so long we have witnessed an unrelenting wave of Jew hatred on our streets, on campuses, on social media and elsewhere - this is the tragic result. "This is not only an assault on the Jewish community, but an attack on the very foundations of humanity and the values of compassion, dignity and respect which we all share." He added: "May the victims' memories be for a blessing and may the injured be granted a swift recovery. "I pray that this tragedy strengthens our collective resolve to confront antisemitism, in all its guises, once and for all." Read more: Witnesses describe how attack unfolded What we know about synagogue attack The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council said the attack "was sadly something we feared was coming" at a time of rising antisemitism in the UK. They said: "We are devastated at the loss of two members of our Jewish community, and our thoughts are with their families, those who are injured and receiving treatment, and all those who have been affected by this act of antisemitic terror." Listen to Sky News Daily on your podcast app Thanking the government, the King, the prime minister and senior politicians for their support, they added: "At this dark time, these acts of solidarity will be a comfort to our community. "At a time of rising antisemitism in the UK, this attack was sadly something we feared was coming. We call on all those in positions of power and influence to take the required action to combat hatred against Jewish people." The chief executive of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, Olivia Marks-Woldman, said antisemitism "has no place in our society" and "we must confront it whenever it arises". "We are horrified by today's antisemitic attack in Manchester. Taking place on Yom Kippur, a moment of atonement and reflection, it is a truly horrendous event," she said. "Our thoughts are first and foremost with the victims and with the Jewish community in Manchester and across the UK, who will understandably feel shocked and afraid." The president of the Conference of European Rabbis, Pinchas Goldschmidt, called for more to be done to "stamp out murderous ideologies". He added: "Jews in Manchester, England, woke up this morning to pray, and were murdered in their own synagogue. Governments from the world over should spare us the statements about fighting antisemitism and instead ensure Jews are safe." Terrorist Jihad Al-Shamie was on police bail for an alleged rape when he carried out the Manchester synagogue attack, sources said. Al-Shamie, 35, was also struggling with debt after splitting up with his wife and young son before the rampage. He had been investigated by officers in relation to the serious sexual assault alleged to have taken place earlier this year. One of the two victims of the Manchester synagogue attack was shot by police as they tackled the terrorist, it has been revealed. Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, died after Jihad Al-Shamie drove into a group of people outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue before stabbing a man. Three others remain in hospital with serious injuries. Al-Shamie, 35, was shot dead by police seven minutes after officers were alerted to the attack in Crumpsall on Thursday morning, which took place on Yom Kippur, Judaisms holiest day. Relatives of Al-Shamie, who was a British citizen of Syrian descent, said they condemn his heinous act. A post on Facebook on Friday, appearing to be from his family, reads: The news from Manchester regarding the terrorist attack targeting a Jewish synagogue has been a profound shock to us. The Al-Shamie family in the UK and abroad strongly condemns this heinous act, which targeted peaceful, innocent civilians. We fully distance ourselves from this attack and express our deep shock and sorrow over what has happened. Our hearts and thoughts are with the victims and their families, and we pray for their strength and comfort. The statement was signed by Faraj Al-Shamie, on behalf of the Al-Shamie Family. Sir Keir Starmer and wife Lady Victoria visiting the scene of the attack on Friday morning (Peter Byrne/PA Wire) During a vigil for the victims, the Justice Secretary David Lammy was booed by some of the crowd with shouts of shame on you and go to Palestine, leave us alone. In his address, Lammy said that is why we stand in defiance of those terrorists who seek to divide us. There were shouts from attendees, and one man could be heard saying you enabled it, every Saturday. In a statement issued shortly after 11am on Friday morning, Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson revealed that one of the two victims had suffered a gunshot wound. He said: Following the terrorist incident yesterday at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation, Middleton Road, Crumpsall; further and urgent enquiries continue. Overnight, we have taken advice from the Home Office Pathologist ahead of full post mortem examinations scheduled for later today. The Home Office Pathologist has advised that he has provisionally determined, that one of the deceased victims would appear to have suffered a wound consistent with a gunshot injury. It is currently believed that the suspect, Jihad Al Shamie, was not in possession of a firearm and the only shots fired were from GMP's Authorised Firearms Officers as they worked to prevent the offender from entering the synagogue and causing further harm to our Jewish community. It follows therefore, that subject to further forensic examination, this injury may sadly have been sustained as a tragic and unforeseen consequence of the urgently required action taken by my officers to bring this vicious attack to an end. #UPDATE | Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson has provided an update following yesterdays tragic incident on Middleton Road in Crumpsall. pic.twitter.com/VWTpOE4KG3 Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) October 3, 2025 We have also been advised by medical professionals that one of the three victims currently receiving treatment in hospital, has also suffered a gunshot wound, which is mercifully not life threatening. It is believed that both victims were close together behind the synagogue door, as worshippers acted bravely to prevent the attacker from gaining entry. Our thoughts and prayers remain with all of the families, and the wider community, impacted by this incident across Greater Manchester and beyond. Specialist officers are providing support and care for all of those directly affected, including our brave first responders. Three people have been arrested on suspicion of planning a terror attack in connection with the killings. MI5 and the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre are analysing whether to increase the national terror threat from substantial following the attack. Greater Manchester Police said while formal identification is yet to take place, the families of Mr Daulby and Mr Cravitz, both from Crumpsall, have been informed and offered support by family liaison officers. On Friday morning, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed extra officers would provide a high visibility presence in North Manchester, Bury, and Salford within Jewish communities and around synagogues. There will also be increased visits to local places of worship, police added. Al-Shamie, who was shot dead by police seven minutes after officers were alerted to the attack in Crumpsall, Greater Manchester, on Thursday morning. was a British citizen of Syrian descent. A bomb disposal technician and a robot work by the body of a man, believed to be the attacker, at the scene (REUTERS) The 35-year-old is understood to have entered the UK as a young child and been granted British citizenship in 2006 when he was around the age of 16. It is understood his name has not appeared in initial searches of police and security service records, and he is not thought to have been under investigation. It is "too early" to say if there was a terrorist cell behind the attack on Greater Manchester, the Home Secretary said. Shabana Mahmood also told BBC Breakfast: "Arrests have been made and the police investigation is continuing at pace. "We will, of course, provide more information as that comes in from the police, but I think it's important we don't get ahead of what we know as the basic facts of what has happened." The force said two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s were arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism. It is understood that Al-Shamies name has not appeared in initial searches of police and security service records, and he is not thought to have been under investigation. GMP said officers were working to understand the motivation behind the attack and confirmed the killer had not been referred to the Governments Prevent anti-radicalisation scheme. Face of a killer: Jihad Al-Shamie was a British citizen of Syrian descent (Facebook) Counter-terrorism police are investigating if Al-Shamie sent death threats to an MP for his stance on Israel. Former Tory MP John Howell, 70, received a barrage of threatening emails in 2012 - one of which was from a "Jihad Alshamie". According to The Times, The letter read: "It is people like you who deserve to die." Al-Shamie appears to have lived in Prestwich, around two miles from the scene. His name is linked to a property in the town and a neighbour recognised his face from photographs of the synagogue attacker. She told The Telegraph: "He lived there 10 years, with no wife or kids that I could see. He never seemed to speak to anyone around here." Police were stood at a cordon restricting access to the street where he lived. Neighbours described armed police arriving at his home, believed to be three-bed end-terrace council property, on Thursday afternoon. Forensic officers were seen arriving at the property on Friday morning. The Home Secretary said she was surprised by this name, which LBC presenter Nick Ferrari translated as struggle of the Syrian. She told the broadcaster: I was very surprised to discover that name myself. Actually, as a Muslim, Ive never heard someone being called Jihad, but it is the name that he was born with that has always been his name. A dramatic picture of Al-Shamie shows the moment he stood outside the synagogue with unidentified objects strapped to his waist, initially thought to be an explosive device which police later said was not viable. (Supplied) Three men remain in hospital with serious injuries after Al-Shamie - who is yet to be formally identified - rammed into people with a car before stabbing a man outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue. Among the men in hospital, one was stabbed and a second was hit by the car. A third man presented himself at hospital with an injury that may have been sustained as officers stopped the attacker, police said. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer visited an unnamed synagogue on Thursday evening after he vowed to do everything in my power to protect Jewish communities in the UK. Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said the terror attack was the tragic result of an unrelenting wave of Jew hatred on our streets, campuses, on social media and elsewhere. He added: This is the day we hoped we would never see, but which deep down, we knew would come. GMP Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson praised the immediate bravery of security staff and worshippers who shut the attacker out during what Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham described as a horrific antisemitic attack. An armed police officer at the scene of the terror attack in Crumpsall, Manchester (PA Wire) Sir Stephen said: There were a large number of worshippers attending the synagogue at the time of this attack, but thanks to the immediate bravery of security staff and the worshippers inside, as well as the fast response of the police, the attacker was prevented from gaining access. Former Tory minister Sir Grant Shapps told The Times that his father-in-law, Michael Goldstone, came face-to-face with Al-Shamie from inside the synagogue, where he is a member of the congregation. Sir Grant told the newspaper: He was face-to-face with the terrorist, holding the inside of the door, as he tried to break down the front doors. The chap had turned up 10 minutes earlier before the car came back and smashed into the security. They locked the doors when the car crashed into the gate, which prevented more killings. Members of the Jewish community comfort each other near to the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue (PA Wire) Speaking from Downing Street after a Cobra emergency committee meeting, Sir Keir condemned the terrorist attack that attacked Jews because they are Jews, which he said had been committed by a vile individual. Addressing the Jewish community in the UK, he said: I promise you that I will do everything in my power to guarantee you the security that you deserve, starting with a more visible police presence, protecting your community. Sir Keir said additional police assets would be deployed at synagogues across the country. Sir Keir Starmer speaks at 10 Downing Street (via REUTERS) Elsewhere 40 people were arrested in Whitehall on Thursday evening during a protest organised by the Global Movement for Gaza UK, Scotland Yard said. The Home Secretary condemned the Pro-Palestine marches as "dishonourable" and "fundamentally un-British", as they took place in the wake of the terror attack. Ms Mahmood called for demonstrators to "step back" from plans to hold marches in coming days, claiming this would show "some love and some solidarity" with Britain's Jewish community following the attack. The Met has written to protest group Defend Our Juries, which plans to hold a march in central London on Saturday, asking that it does not go ahead. More than 1,500 people so far have pledged to take part in the event in Trafalgar Square, which aims to be the biggest ever mass action yet defying the ban on Palestine Action. A letter from the force shared by Defend Our Juries raised concerns about the amount of police resources the protest would divert at a time when "visible reassurance and protective security" is needed in communities across London. But the protest group, which has led demonstrations against the terrorist ban on Palestine Action, said it planned to go ahead with the march. Ms Mahmood told GB News: "As far as I am concerned, I would have wanted to see people in this country step back from protesting for at least a few days, just to give the Jewish community here a chance to process what has happened and to begin the grieving process as well. "I am very disappointed that some of the organisers haven't heeded the call to step back. "I would still call on people to show some love and some solidarity to the families of those who have been murdered and to our Jewish community." An image of Jihad al-Shamie posted on social media in 2024. Photograph: Facebook The Manchester synagogue terrorist was on police bail for an alleged rape when he carried out the attack, the Guardian can reveal. Jihad al-Shamie, 35, was being investigated over an alleged sexual attack which it is understood was said to have taken place earlier this year. The Syrian-born attacker is also believed to have criminal convictions, although he was not on the radar of counter-terrorism officers or of MI5. Shamie was shot dead by armed police after killing a Jewish man and seriously injuring several others when he attacked the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in north Manchester on Thursday. The revelation emerged as: Greater Manchester police said it appeared that armed officers at the synagogue accidentally shot one of the two victims killed during the terrorist attack and that they probably injured another after opening fire on the attacker. Sources disclosed that counter-terrorism police were examining whether Shamie was responsible for a death threat sent to a former Conservative MP in 2012. Keir Starmer called for people to respect the grief of British Jews after activists planning to demonstrate against the ban on Palestine Action on Saturday said cancelling the event would let terror win. David Lammy, the justice secretary and deputy prime minister, was heckled and booed as he addressed a vigil close to the scene of the attack. He faced calls of shame on you, go to Palestine, leave us alone and you have blood on your hands. Police named the two dead men as Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66. Relatives of Cravitz said he was a gentle giant who would never harm a fly. A Muslim neighbour of Daulby described him as one of the most fantastic men I ever knew in my life. Rabbi Daniel Walker, who was leading a service at the synagogue at the time of the attack, told how the attacker shouted Im going to get you as he tried to force his way in. Counter-terrorism police and security services are working to piece together the background of the attacker, who is believed to have chosen the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur, to target worshippers. The Guardian has been told that Shamie was not known to counter-terrorism agencies and had not been referred to the anti-radicalisation scheme Prevent but he had been prosecuted for criminal matters. It is not known when exactly the alleged rape took place but at the time of the synagogue attack Shamie was on bail while under investigation by Greater Manchester police. One source said Shamie had criminal convictions for lesser offences not related to terrorism. He was on nobodys radar for terrorism but he definitely had a criminal record, though nothing to suggest he was going to do anything like this, said a source. Police are examining whether Shamie was responsible for a death threat sent to a former Conservative MP in 2012. The email to John Howell came from someone calling themselves Jihad Alshamie and said: It is people like you who deserve to die. Howell, who stood down as MP for Henley in 2024, said he did not know if it was the same person and he did not feel the police had taken the death threat seriously enough at the time. A news report from 2012 said Howell was believed to have been targeted over his support for Israel. The last thing I want to appear as is a drama queen, but you have to take seriously a threat when it says I would like to see you dead, Howell said in 2012, in remarks reported by the Jerusalem Post. It is not just a question of me, it is my family and my staff. All it takes is one person out there who is weird enough, with a distorted view of life, to make an attempt to carry this out. He said Thames Valley police had provided him with extremely good security advice. Police have not confirmed whether the Jihad Alshamie who messaged Howell was the same person who carried out the synagogue attack but they are looking into whether there is a link. It was later reported that the attackers father, Faraj al-Shamie who has worked as an emergency trauma surgeon for several non-governmental organisations in conflict zones including South Sudan, Afghanistan and Mali had previously posted on his Facebook page in support of the 7 October attacks on Israel, claiming they had been perpetrated by men of God on Earth and describing the attacks as a miracle by all standards. Keir Starmer visited Manchester with his wife and offered a very humble thank you to the emergency services, but the response of the armed officers at the scene on Thursday is set to be under the spotlight. On Friday morning the Greater Manchester police chief constable, Stephen Watson, issued a statement saying a Home Office pathologist had provisionally determined that one of the victims died of a gunshot wound. One of three people receiving treatment in hospital for serious injuries is also said to have received such an injury, leading to the conclusion that both were close together keeping the synagogue door shut to the attacker when officers opened fire. Watson said: It is currently believed that the suspect, Jihad al-Shamie, was not in possession of a firearm and the only shots fired were from GMPs authorised firearms officers as they worked to prevent the offender from entering the synagogue and causing further harm to our Jewish community. It follows therefore that subject to further forensic examination, this injury may sadly have been sustained as a tragic and unforeseen consequence of the urgently required action taken by my officers to bring this vicious attack to an end We have also been advised by medical professionals that one of the three victims currently receiving treatment in hospital has also suffered a gunshot wound, which is mercifully not life threatening. It is believed that both victims were close together behind the synagogue door as worshippers acted bravely to prevent the attacker from gaining entry. At a vigil close to the synagogue, Lammy, who was appointed deputy prime minister last month, told a crowd that the country stood in solidarity with the Jewish people, because an attack like this is never felt alone, but he received a hostile reception from the start of his address. As he began with the word friends, there were scoffs and laughter and a cry was heard of stop the marches. Lammy had to pause several times as the shouting continued. Joanne Sheldon, 61, from Radcliffe, Bury, said she turned her back when Lammy began to speak. She said: We didnt know he would be speaking here and when we found out we just thought: why is he here? Jewish people dont feel its safe in Britain now. Her friend Hayley Lawson, 49, said hatred was being stirred up by pro-Palestine marches. Ahead of a planned demonstration against the ban on Palestine Action this Saturday, Starmer wrote in the Jewish Chronicle that protesters should recognise that this was a time of mourning. Peaceful protest is a cornerstone of our democracy and there is justified concern about the suffering in Gaza but a minority have used these protests as a pretext for stoking antisemitic tropes, he wrote. Walker, the rabbi, spoke of the shocking moment the attacker attempted to force his way inside the building. He described the very, very brave men who helped him hold the doors as the attacker repeatedly tried to get inside while brandishing a knife and shouting threats. He told ITV: When I first arrived at the synagogue there was some kind of incident outside the gates. Someone behaving suspiciously and aggressively. Half an hour into the prayers I heard an almighty bang from outside, shouting. Someone was trying to get in with a knife. When he tried to get inside the synagogue, there was a large number of us trying to hold him off. Walker became emotional as he recounted the abuse shouted by the attacker as he tried to get inside. Bringing home a foster or rescue dog can be one of life's greatest adventures, but it's also full of obstacles and challenges that will put both you and your foster to the test. You'll navigate training, socialization, and healing their broken heart as you prepare them to find their forever home. That includes many moments of fascination, frustration, curiosity, and even joy as you discover more and more about your new furry friend. No one knows this better than Monica Matute, a Los Angeles dog rescuer who fosters, rescues, and advocates for as many shelter dogs as possible. She recently brought home a timid Chihuahua mix named Nacho, and everything changed in late September when she accidentally discovered an adorable detail about him: he understands Spanish! This realization was an epiphany for both her and Nacho, and you can watch it unfold in real time thanks to the heartwarming TikTok video she shared on September 29. Pass the tissues, please! It brings a tear to my eyes to see how Nacho lit up when Monica began speaking Spanish. He must have felt so lonely without anyone truly talking to him! Related: New Research Shows What Dogs and Cats Sound Like in Different Languages "I wonder how long it had been since he heard a familiar voice?" one commenter asked. Don't make me think about that! Monica doesn't know her foster dog's whole story, or even his former family's, but something tells me that someone loved him before he found his way to Wags and Walks Rescue in Southern California. And he is still loved today! The emotion in Monica's face when she realizes he knows Spanish tells the entire story. She adores every foster and rescue dog who's come into her life, and Nacho is no exception. Dogs With Different Languages As unique and special as this moment may be, this is far from the first time a dog foster or rescue parent has discovered that their pup speaks a different language than they do. "We thought one of our rescue dogs was deaf because he just ignored us all the time when we spoke to him," @elizabethpepperphd wrote. "Then our Spanish-speaking friends came over, and thats how we discovered he understood Spanish. So we all learned Spanish. He opened up to us so much more." That's the definition of love right there! Sure, dogs can learn to understand new words in new languages over time, but meeting a rescue dog where they're at is the greenest of flags. That's just one reason why Nacho is in the best care possible with Monicashe'll never stop looking for ways to bond with him! Looking for more PetHelpful updates? Follow us on YouTube for more entertaining videos. Or, share your own adorable pet by submitting a video, and sign up for our newsletter for the latest pet updates and tips. This story was originally reported by PetHelpful on Oct 3, 2025, where it first appeared in the Pet News section. Add PetHelpful as a Preferred Source by clicking here. by Ken MacVey In my last two columns, I raised issues about certain versions of right-wing libertarianism. In my column How Yard Sales Could Explain the Rise of Billionaires and Challenge Libertarian Thinking I argue that the yard sale model developed by mathematicians and physicists to explain wealth inequality presents a provocative challenge to philosopher Robert Nozicks vision of libertarianism as utopia. In my column Crony Capitalism, Milton Friedmans Contradiction, and Trumpocracy, I discussed how Milton Friedmans libertarian program was self-defeating by encouraging business to seek and get government favors inconsistent with a libertarian agenda. Here I will discuss one of the most touted foundations for libertarianism: self-ownership. The first articulation of the idea of self-ownership is attributed to John Locke in his classic 1690 Second Treatise of Government when he pronounced: [E]very man has a property in his own person; this nobody has any right to but himself. The labor of his body and the works of his hands we may say are properly his. Nozick himself traces his libertarianism to Locke. Based upon this mixture of labor with property, rights to other property are established. Ultimately all property rights are derived from self-ownership and property rights ultimately define our fundamental rights as individuals. Accordingly, the nonconsensual taking of property by private force or government taxation is violative of self-ownership and therefore wrong. What is the Foundation of Self-Ownership and Property Rights? It has been noted by critics, such as philosopher Thomas Nagel, that Nozick does not lay a foundation to justify the Lockean starting point. I personally have observed that many libertarian writers assert self-ownership as a given without further justification. Libertarian Karl Hess, for example, wrote in his pioneering manifesto The Death of Politics that Libertarianism is the view that each man is the absolute owner of his life, to use and dispose as he sees fit. Thats the extent of his justification of the self-ownership premise. Lockes justification likewise does not go much further than its pronouncement. Nevertheless, the notion of self-ownership does have an intuitive appeal as a slogan. Versions of the idea can resonate outside libertarian circles, such as when women assert their reproductive rights (I have the right to control my own body). There are some important values of autonomy the idea of self-ownership tries to capture. But there are problems with the idea. I noticed some of these problems when I was in law school. Harold Demestz was a nationally known economist who was associated with what was called the Chicago School of Economics. This school was part of the law and economics movement originating at the University of Chicago that used economics as a framework to investigate, explain and critique law. It was conservative/libertarian oriented in arguing against case law, statutes and regulations that ran afoul of laissez-faire capitalism. But the Chicago School and law and economics movement also attempted to provide empirical explanation why law, particularly Anglo-American common law, was the way it was. Demsetz was a visiting professor at my law school when I took his course on law and economics. There was a self-described libertarian in the class who applauded Demsetzs arguments in favor of government lite markets. But it became apparent that Demsetzs economic framework was in keyways incompatible with the students libertarian framework. Demsetz wrote a well known article called Toward a Theory of Property Rights. He recited historical situations (such as the growth of the fur trade in North America) whereby property rights came into existence because, according to him, they promoted economic efficiency by constraining resource depletion (a problem sometimes called the tragedy of the commons). The libertarian in the class seemed distraught that Demsetzs explanation for property rights was not based on natural rights such as Lockean self-ownership but instead on economic efficiency. The problem that dawned on him is that if economic efficiencies are the empirical explanation and normative justification for property rights they dont necessarily have anything to do with a natural right of self-ownership. Indeed, it might even explain and justify laws not compatible with a natural rights version of libertarianism. Taxationverboten under self-ownership principlesmight even be justified for economic efficiency reasons in preventing free riding on public goods, such as national defense or an effective system of laws necessary for upholding individual rights, which would otherwise be under-produced or not produced at all. (Even Ayn Rand disciple Alan Greenspan acknowledged as an economist that essential government services required taxation, contrary to Ayn Rands in toto rejection of taxation as violative of property rights.) The Concept of Self-Ownership Does Not Fit in with Actual Property Rights When thinking more about it, the idea of self-ownership struck me as odd. Property rights, as Demsetz himself helped to demonstrate, is a creature of convention and law developed over time in a course of usage which in some manner gets set by custom, decree or adjudication. Property rights as developed in case and statutory law were not said to be based on individuals self-ownership. In fact, studying property in law school revealed property legally can be owned not just by individuals but also by non-individuals, such as churches, colleges, governmental entities, non-profit charitable organizations, which arent owned by any individuals, or anyone for that matter. The only time the idea of self-ownership came up when I was in law school was when my law professor teaching a class on business associations mentioned it was legally possible for a corporation to be the sole owner of itself. He added law professors labeled these corporations ghost ship corporations with no idea how they could function. Self-ownership cannot be found in legal dictionaries or treatises on property law either. The idea of self-ownership as a natural right of individuals also seemed a poor fit with property rights in general. Inherent in property rights is a duality between owner and property. With self-ownership, there is no such duality. Ownership of specific property is also typically a matter of contingent fact. Whether you own a car or a house or piece of land is contingent. But self-ownership is automatic just by being an individual human. Property is generally transferrable and for that reason is usually associated with markets where property can be exchanged for money or other property. There are no legal markets for people selling themselves. (I will discuss in a bit whether it makes sense ethically or morally for individuals to be able to sell themselves into slavery.) The Concept of Self-Ownership Has Not Been of Practical Use in Defining Rights Its unclear what is owned under self-ownership. There are situations in law where personal features of individuals are subject to property claims and when they are not. If someone captures your likeness by taking a picture of you and puts the picture on a product for sale without your permission, you have legal rights to compensation and injunctions as a right to privacy. But if you are in a protest demonstration and your picture in the protest happens to be published in a newspaper you have no legal claims. If a comedian does impressions of celebrities, no court has held their rights were violated by this appropriation of their likeness. The California Supreme Court dealt with a patient at a university medical center who had his spleen removed as part of his treatment for cancer. He sued the university when learning his spleen had unique cellular characteristics that provided the basis for a patent application by the university. The patient claimed the spleen was his property and that the use of his spleen tissue for a patent constituted wrongful conversion of his property. The California Supreme Court rejected the property claim. (But the Court found the patient could sue the doctor for lack of informed consent.) In 1905 the US Supreme Court ruled that a statute in Massachusetts requiring adults to have smallpox vaccinations was constitutional and did not violate any liberty or property right because there was no right to expose others to smallpox. The point is that the idea of self-ownership has not actually shaped property or other legal rights in practice. This may because the concept of self-ownership is so indeterminate it cant provide practical or legal guidance on what aspects of a person should be considered part of that persons property. Do you own the information about yourself that you generate by clicking away on the internet? Do you own unique segments in your DNA which you can then patent? Do the police violate your property rights by gathering a sample of your DNA from your discarded trash? Does self-ownership mean you should have the right to copyright a book title you came up with for your novel ? (Not allowed under current copyright law.) Should it provide for the right to establish copyright of a novel lasting longer than the authors life when any self-ownership arguably ceases with death? (Allowed under current copyright law.) If there are to be term limits for patents and copyrights, how long should they last? The concept of self-ownership does no work in answering these questions. It gets particularly tricky with children. Do they own themselves? If so, on what basis do parents have to discipline and control them? If they dont, when and how do children develop self-ownership? Do parents own in whole or in part their children because children are derivative of their parents self-ownership? If so, do parents have full rights in deciding how to discipline their children before adulthood, even by beatings? Does a pregnant woman by self-ownership own her embryo or fetus or does the embryo or fetus have independent self-ownership? What about animals? Do they own themselves too? If not, is it therefore permissible to torture a cat just because you own it? The concept of self-ownership is not particularly helpful in grappling with what people really care about in confronting such questions as how to raise children, whether abortion is permissible, or whether and when to draw the line on animal cruelty. We focus on issues other than self-ownershipchildren simply are incapable of taking care of themselves but become more so with time. So we set legal milestones, maybe age 16 to get a drivers license, 18 to vote and to enter a binding contract, 21 to drink alcohol legally. The idea of self-ownership really is unnecessary to come up with the rationale for such milestones. Its just cruel and outrageously wrong for parents to beat their childrenits not a matter of property rights at all. In the case of abortion, maybe it violates fundamental notions of autonomy t0 say that embryos have personhood that trumps the mothers own personhood and agency when the embryo has no developed nervous system or agency. Others, on the other hand, may object that human life is inherently sacred or its a slippery slope to allow abortionagain having little or nothing to do with self-ownership. And torturing animals for fun is simply sick and evil whether or not perpetrated by their owner. How the Mixture of Labor Creates Rights in Other Property Is Confusing As Locke and libertarians have suggested, the idea of self-ownership also gets tied with the idea that it is the mixture of ones labor with property that creates rights to other property. If you come across an acre of unclaimed land and plant corn on it, your labor makes the land yours. But how does that work? Why should you have mineral rights just because you planted corn? Why should you get to build a shopping mall or a smelly pig farm on it just because you planted corn? Why should you get to own it with no time limit just because you cultivated the land for a year? The Lockean idea that the fruits of labor create rights to property was a prelude to the labor of theory of value propounded by early economists such as Adam Smith and David Ricardo. They proposed that the exchange value of a good was based on the amount of labor required to produce it. If two different commodities required the same number of labor hours to be produced, their exchange value measured monetarily or by exchange with other commodities would be equal. If you own yourself, the argument goes, you own the fruits of your labor, which is why libertarians like Nozick considered taxation a form of slavery or what he called forced labor. Your labor is being confiscated and you are a de facto slave working for someone else. (Never mind the fact that taxation which funded public infrastructure, police protection, and judicially enforceable contract rights may have made any work opportunities possible in the first place.) Karl Marx, on the other hand, claimed the confiscation went a different way. He used the labor theory of value to explain how capitalists exploit workers by appropriating their full labor without full compensation in order to grab a profit. (Never mind the fact that risk-laden capital investment may have made compensation and the work possible in the first place.) This was the ultimate Marxian jujitsu flip. Lockean self-ownership used to prop up private property rights was used to undermine them. But the labor theory of value ultimately went by the wayside with the marginal utility revolution in economics (perhaps in response to Marx) contending economic value was based upon subjective value and preference, not labor. At the same time, there are current left versions of libertarianism that take self-ownership as foundational but which are compatible with wealth redistribution based on equal rights to natural resources. I wont explore these versions of left libertarianism but wish to note how the thesis of self-ownership can be played on opposite sides of the street and be so bendable as to risk being practically meaningless. How the Idea of Self-Ownership Can Undermine Autonomy What the idea of self-ownership tries to capture is the importance most of us place in having some kind of autonomy, some kind of equal and reciprocal rights and say over how we are to live. Yet versions of right libertarianism can undermine that notion. Does self-ownership include the right to sell oneself into slavery? Robert Nozick in his book Anarchy, State and Utopia said yes. Implicit in the concept of property rights is the ability to exclude others from property but also to transfer property to others. If you own yourself, the argument goes, you should be able to transfer your property consensually, including selling yourself into slavery. There are at least two problems with the idea that one has the liberty to sell oneself into slavery. First, some aspects of personhood are not transferable. You do not have the right to give up your autonomy in a way that relieves yourself of the duty to be moral or ethical. You remain a person and a morally bound agent even if you sold yourself in slavery. If you are told by your slave master to kill or torture someone, you are not relieved of your duty from refraining from doing what is plainly wrong. To say you are morally bound by your consensual agreement to do whatever the master says, no matter how evil it is, is contradictory. There can be no moral or ethical obligation to be immoral or unethical. Second, the appeal of the idea of self-ownership and libertarianism is their attempt to capture something important about autonomy. But it is easy to anticipate circumstances where groups of people would agree to sell themselves into slavery. If someone has been lost at sea for days and is found at sea by a fisherman who conditions rescue upon the rescued agreeing to become the fishermans slave, it is easy to see how such agreement could come about. If there was a war, a natural disaster, a civil war, a societal collapse, it is easy to see how a wandering group of militias would say, We will save and protect your life and feed you if you agree to be our slave. The group then could go on picking up more and more slaves on that basis. There could even be competing or warring groups doing the same to the point that as a matter of survival virtually everyone has agreed to be a slave in one group or another. To say that everyone is bound by such an agreement in the name of freedom is absurd. To say everyone in such a situation is really free is absurd It might be argued such an agreement cannot be binding because there is no real consent in such extreme situations. But any libertarian, or anyone else taking this position, should flesh it out. Does real consent apply to workers born in a company town where the company is their sole source of income, food and transit? Does it apply to a congenitally disabled homeless person who has no feasible alternative but to live on someone elses property just to exist? Does it apply to a minority in a racist geographic region where the majority exercise their property rights in concert to deny the minority access to travel, restaurants, hotels, education, non-menial employment, or other fundamental means of livelihood? Can it be said the workers, the disabled, and the minority in these examples have autonomy in any meaningful sense even if they retain self-ownership as framed by libertarians? The Libertarian Mistake The problem is that self-ownership as a foundation of autonomy can be incompatible with meaningful autonomy, which, to borrow from legal philosopher Ronald Dworkins book Lifes Dominion, can be described as the right of individuals to make important decisions defining their own lives for themselves. Worse, such a notion can be logically compatible with living in a society no one would want to live in. For example, as discussed in my column on the yard sale model and libertarianism, such libertarianism is logically compatible with a society where only a small group owns all the property or where everyone is miserable because of libertarianism. According to student notes on one of Immanuel Kants lectures, the concept of self-ownership should be rejected because it collapses the duality between owner and property. It transforms persons into property, thereby equating personhood with thinghood. Self-ownership-oriented libertarianism leaves out too much that is critically important to human flourishing, ethics, and morality. The libertarian mistake is to use property rights to define what is valuable and right instead of using what is valuable and right to define property rights. The hierarchy of values is turned upside downwhat is derivative is taken to be fundamental, what is fundamental is taken to be derivative. To assert we are property misses the mark. There is much more to us and what is important than that. Property as a concept is our servant, not our master. . Henny the ball python (Pasadena Humane/Facebook) A hungry snake in southern California found its way into an In-N-Out burger joint miles away from home, apparently on the hunt for a tasty bite. Employees at the Monrovia outlet discovered the surprising python on the premises, according to the animal rescue center which recovered the large reptile. News of the snake sighting Monday soon led to local headlines, which ultimately led to the animal being reunited with its relieved owners who live over 50 miles away from where it was found. The snake turned up in a burger joint in California (Pasadena Humane/Facebook) Spotting their pet on TV, the family contacted Pasadena Humane, which provides animal care and services for homeless and owned animals in the greater Los Angeles area. They said the snake, named Henny, disappeared from her home in San Bernardino on 11 August more than a month before she turned up at the drive thru. Pasadena Humane said in a Facebook post that staff had contacted them after finding the beautiful creature, which they said appeared to have been well-cared for. After Henny was reunited with her family the organization said: "We are not sure how she made it from San Bernardino all the way to Monrovia, but they have been reunited, they said. Henny had traveled 50 miles before she was found (Pasadena Humane) "As curious as we are about her whereabouts over the last couple of months, only Henny knows that answer. And at this time, she says, No comment. A bicyclist travels along the east bank of the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, in 2008. Photograph: Don Ryan/AP In Portland, Oregon, a city Donald Trump claims to have seen burning down to the ground on his television, residents are pushing back on the US presidents false depiction of their tranquil city as a war zone. Trump, who refuses to accept firsthand accounts from Oregons governor and the Portland mayor that the widespread unrest he thinks hes seen on television is not actually happening, has ordered the military in to the Pacific north-west city. Portland police made three arrests on Thursday night after fistfights broke out between demonstrators and a pro-Trump influencer from Washington DC at an Ice field office, and 200 national guard troops are expected to arrive in the coming days. But a visit to the Ice field on Thursday afternoon showed that, far from being under siege by militants, there were fewer than 10 protesters on the sidewalk, nearly outnumbered by journalists. Now residents, frustrated with the presidents false claims that Portland is war ravaged, are showing a different side of their city from the one depicted by Trump and Fox News. A raft of Instagram and TikTok videos from Portlanders are poking holes in Trumps claim that life in their city is like living in hell, showcasing verdant hiking trails, trees in rich fall colors and a thriving food scene. Plans are also being drawn up for the most Portland of all possible responses: an Emergency Naked Bike Ride against the militarization of our city. On a rainy Thursday in the city, the kitchen at Kann, Portlands award-winning Haitian restaurant, was busy preparing for dinner. Jokes about Trumps war were shared at Coava, a cafe with a single-origin coffee menu that changes seasonally which is popular with Japanese tourists. Business was brisk at Powells Books, the downtown icon which inspired the new protest slogan: Portland isnt a war zone; its a bookstore with a city around it. The parking lot was full at Providore Fine Foods, a culinary marketplace whose owner, Kaie Wellman, said she was concerned about how Trumps threats against our city could be devastating for local businesses like hers, which worked so hard to survive the pandemic only to be hit first by Trumps tariffs and now his 100% false portrayal of a minor protest at the Ice field office in the citys south waterfront district. Its really profoundly upsetting, she said. Wellman, a fifth-generation Oregonian, is opening a bistro this month in the Portland Art Museums new Mark Rothko Pavilion, a $110m expansion that has taken a decade to complete. It really is such a cornerstone for our community, for downtown Portland, to have such a significant new building, she said. She describes her leap of faith in opening a new restaurant just blocks from where the 2020 protests for racial justice took place as a love letter to Portland and what a vibrant community we are. One of the main reasons that were opening up this cafe downtown, and do what we do here in town, is because of our deep love for the state and for the city. And to see it portrayed anything less than what it is, you know, is just so frustrating. Its a place that people want to come and live and raise their families. And its kind of unmatched in beauty, Wellman said. Yes, weve had issues here, but weve had the same issues that basically every other city around this world has had. And were coming at these issues from a thoughtful place and not trying to sweep them away. But the issue thats being portrayed right now does not exist in this town. Asked about Trumps claims of lawlessness, Wellman said it was not the case at all. And I am in the south waterfront at least two to three times a week because my 92-year-old mother lives in the south waterfront, she added. So I can tell you firsthand whats been happening down there. And what I have seen, at the quote-unquote very worst, its still been peaceful protests. Maybe theres been some strong words thrown around. I would say right now, if there is any disturbance thats been going on, its Black Hawk helicopters that are circling around a neighborhood that is filled with many retirees and older people causing all of them fear and a lack of sleep, she added. Back at the Ice field office protest, Amanda Cochran, a US army veteran, was holding a homemade sign that read Vets Against Militarization on one side, and Immigrants Are Not the Enemy on the other. She wore a tour shirt for the Canadian rock band Three Days Grace with the lyrics Lets start a riot. Im here because Im really fed up with the fact that Trump is talking about using the military to go into cities and to train the forces, she said. I served in the US army for six years and this is my first time ever protesting, she said. I just felt really strongly that if we dont stand up and say something then this could easily become a militarized country and the citizens will be under the control of the military, and I dont think that that is OK, and thats not what I fought for. Us veterans, we have the privilege of being able to express our opinions because were out, and hopefully we can kind of give those soldiers that dont want to be there a voice. If enough of us show up, maybe Trump will back off, she added. Across the street, the Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin, who has been reporting from inside the facility, prepared for a live hit out front, accompanied by three men with covered faces who appeared to be private security guards. Just to their left, a young protest organizer, Jack Dickinson, who achieved a measure of viral fame this week for the chicken costume he wears to mock Trump, was being interviewed for the local news. Why a chicken? One of the advantages of the costume, Dickinson explained, is that it disarms people. Were dealing with a real influx of rightwing agitators right now, he continued. It becomes difficult for them to interact in certain ways, I think, when theres the chicken suit, but not just the chicken suit, its then somebody who tries to have a conversation with them about the soybean situation that were facing right now, referring to the collapse in crop prices for US farmers due to Trumps trade war with China. We do not want this to escalate, he said, agreeing with local officials who suggest that Trump wants to provoke a response from the protesters. There is definitely a desire for a response. We saw this most clearly on Sunday night because for that protest, we had 30 people that were down here associated with rightwing Twitter accounts or rightwing YouTube channels, Dickinson said. There is a clear desire to get somebody reacting in a way that they can frame as a justification for what they are doing. And Portland just isnt giving them what they want. The Maidan protest of 2014 in Kiev was a show of support for the EU over Russia. Now the battle is on to secure the future of the pro-Europe nation - Alexander Koerner/Getty Europes leaders need to summon Churchillian resolve and avoid being paralysed by fear as they face down Vladimir Putins aggression, Ukraines first wartime prime minister told The Telegraph on Friday. Arseniy Yatsenyuk assumed the premiership in Kyiv in February 2014 after a popular revolution had overthrown a pro-Russian president. So corrupt was the previous government that only 10,000 was in the state coffers when Mr Yatsenyuk took office. Within days, Putin had seized Crimea and soon afterwards he invaded eastern Ukraine, starting the war that has raged ever since. Even now, after 11 years of combat claiming hundreds of thousands of lives, Mr Yatsenyuk still questions whether Western leaders have grasped the reality of the threat from Putin. Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the former prime minister of Ukraine, wants to see a Churchillian style among European leaders - Yan Dobronosov/Getty I dont want to go after European leaders because they are our allies. But I wish to see a Churchillian style among European leaders, he said. We are in a very high deficit of this kind of Churchillian style. We desperately need those who can make real decisions, who are not paralysed by fear, he said. They always try to calibrate and to calculate and to be very cautious. Thats not the way you can stop dictators. We need European leaders who are not paralysed by fear, says Mr Yatsenyuk - Getty The price of failing to deter Putin is evident in the brazen violations by Russian drones and jets of Polish and Estonian airspace. Denmarks government, too, accused Russia of launching the drones that forced the closure of Copenhagen airport last month. Drone incursion incidents have also occurred in Germany, Norway, Romania, the Netherlands and Sweden affecting hundreds of flights. This constant drumbeat of incidents makes it still more extraordinary that when Mr Yatsenyuk was prime minister of Ukraine from 2014 to 2016, he struggled to convince his European colleagues of the basic fact that Putin had invaded his country. I had to travel all over the world, and mainly in Europe, just to convince my European counterparts that it was the Russian military who was deployed in Crimea and in the east of Ukraine, he recalled. They said, Look, but Putin said its not his military. Its some kind of volunteer battalions of just pro-Russian forces in Crimea. Are you kidding? The 2014 protests paved the way for a Ukraine no longer dictated to by Russia. Now the country is fighting for its liberty - Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Mr Yatsenyuk added: There was this old style outdated pattern that please lets not escalate. Lets try to find the common ground with Russians. Maybe he will step back and we will manage to somehow de-escalate the situation. This was the joint approach of both Americans and Europeans. Some European leaders would even defend Putin. They didnt recognise that Putin is a real dictator. Hes such a kind guy, he smiles, he speaks German, he knows a few English words and he says that Russia could be a democratic state and he always cites that Russia has been humiliated, recalled Mr Yatsenyuk. My beloved Western friends, they always bought these grievances maybe he is right. During those crucial years, Mr Yatsenyuk implored Ukraines friends for financial support, Nato membership and weapons. He received an IMF programme on the first, empty words on the second and nothing on the third. Fast forward to 2022 and the devastation of Bucha by the Russians is plain to see - Laurent Van der Stockt for Le Monde/Getty Instead, Britain, Germany and France responded to Putins first invasion by imposing a de facto arms embargo on Ukraine which stayed in place until January 2022 a month before the full-scale onslaught when Boris Johnson as prime minister sent 2,000 anti-tank missiles. I always said we need defensive weapons, said Mr Yatsenyuk. But we didnt get anything. America also refused to supply arms until 2018 when Donald Trump in his first term sent Javelin anti-tank missiles. As he sought help abroad, Mr Yatsenyuk faced constant crises at home. Now in 2025, Ukraine is battling the Russian invader. Here, a Nato-standard howitzer lets fly in the Zaporizhzhia region - EPA/Shutterstock Were in a state of war and in that particular period I had to decrease the budget deficit from 10 per cent [of GDP] to 3 per cent and I did it, he said. I had to increase the expenditure for the military up to 5 per cent [of GDP] for the first time in history. I was begging for every penny could you guys help me? And instead of that I had a very tough and stiff programme imposed by the IMF on Ukraine, and I executed everything. I was out of cash, out of ammo and out of real financial and economic support. I want to be very clear about that. And I wish to see any government on Earth who can cope with this at the time of war. If Ukraine had received weapons, more money and Nato membership after the first invasion, Mr Yatsenyuk stated emphatically: This war would never have happened. The reality of todays situation, he added, was that neither side was winning. We have to do our utmost to make Ukraine win, he said. That would take a new package of American support from Congress, financing for Ukraines budget deficit for the next three years, a huge expansion of Europes arms-making capacity, and the seizure of the 200bn of immobilised Russian assets. Vladimir Putin is laughing at us, says Mr Yatsenyuk - Mikhail Metzel/EPA/Shutterstock Instead of holding summits and inventing a coalition of the willing, Europe should just take the necessary action. Could you just stop inventing all these fancy phrases? asked Mr Yatsenyuk. Guys, with all due respect, Putin is laughing at us. Would you do everything in silence? Just with a tight lip but with action. No announcement, no summit, just do it. Mr Yatsenyuk, 51, now chairs the Kyiv security forum and founded the Open Ukraine Foundation. He stressed that supporting Ukraines struggle was an investment in European security. Were fighting for our lives, he said. But were also defending you. Putin launches devastating attack on Ukraines energy network as Denmark warns of repeated provocations at sea Russia launched its largest attack of the war against critical natural gas facilities run by Ukraines state-owned Naftogaz group overnight, officials said on Friday. Serhii Koretskyi, chief executive of Naftogaz, said Russia had fired 35 missiles and 60 drones at facilities of the gas and oil company in the Kharkiv and Poltava regions. Mr Koretskyi said the attack had no military purpose and was yet another act of Russian malice aimed solely at disrupting the heating season and depriving Ukrainians of warmth in winter. Officials accused the Kremlin of plotting to wear down the Ukrainian power grid ahead of winter. Smoke billows from an oil refinery in Russia on Friday following a Ukrainian drone strike (SBU) The Russian Defence Ministry said its forces had carried out massive overnight strikes on Ukraine's gas and energy infrastructure, saying it had also attacked industrial facilities linked to the military. Russia launched a total of 381 drones and 35 missiles at Ukraine, according to Ukraines air force. Ukraine has also targeted Russian oil refineries recently. Attacks against Ukraine escalated as Kyivs backers in Europe raised their own concerns about alleged Russian interference in Nato territory. Danish intelligence warned on Friday that Russian warships have repeatedly sailed on collision courses, disrupted navigation and aimed weapons at Danish naval vessels in the Baltic Sea. "We have seen several incidents in the Danish straits, where Danish air force helicopters and naval vessels have been targeted by tracking radars and physically pointed at with weapons from Russian warships," Danish Defence Intelligence Service director Thomas Ahrenkiel told a press conference. He said Russian warships had sailed on collision courses with Danish vessels during their passage through the straits. A Russian drone attack caused a fire at a farm in northeast Ukraine overnight, emergency services said on Friday (Ukrainian Emergency Service) Defence intelligence has also recorded Russian warships sailing through Danish straits with sonar and jamming equipment, according to Mr Ahrenkiel. He said it was "highly probable" that they, on at least one occasion, had jammed signals and caused extensive GPS interference in Denmark. Denmark in recent days has also reported drone sightings over military sites, and Copenhagen and Oslo airports in Denmark and Norway respectively were forced to close temporarily due to drone sightings last month. Mette Frederiksen, the Danish prime minister, last week described recent drone incursions over Danish airports and military installations as a "hybrid attack" on the country. Danish police have not found any evidence that Russia was behind the drone disruption, but said that it appeared to be the work of a professional actor. Danish intelligence assesses that Russia is conducting hybrid warfare against Denmark and the broader West. Russia has repeatedly denied responsibility for hybrid attacks in Europe. A firefighter at a residential house damaged by a Russian strike on Kherson (Ukrainian Emergency Service) On Thursday, Russian president Vladimir Putin joked that he would not fly drones over Denmark anymore and described as "nonsense" the idea that his country would potentially target a Nato member. I wont anymore. Not to France, not to Denmark, not to Copenhagen, he joked. Hours later, Munich airport closed due to suspicious drone sightings in the area, airport officials said. The closure grounded 17 flights, affecting nearly 3,000 passengers. There was no immediate confirmation where the drones had come from, or who was operating them. But amid rising concern about drone disruption in Europe, Germanys interior minister Alexander Dobrindt said he would raise the matter of anti-drone defences at a meeting on Saturday of European interior ministers. Polish media, citing sources linked to the Polish Internal Security Agency (ABW) and the Polish General Prosecutors Office, reported on Thursday that Russias main intelligence directorate may have orchestrated drone strikes within Poland, Germany and Lithuania. Flights were cancelled at Munich airport after a reported drone sighting (AP) The ABW detained a suspect allegedly recruited by Russias GRU to transport explosives, drone parts and SIM cards between the countries. Hybrid threats, which include sabotage, disinformation, espionage and cyberattacks, have been flagged as increasingly aggressive by Western security agencies. Nato has strengthened its Baltic operations in response to the drone incursions. Sweden proposed new legislation on Friday to expand maritime surveillance by its coast guard. Forensic investigators and police outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Manchester. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian A rabbi who looked into the face of Jihad al-Shamie as he mounted a deadly attack on a Manchester synagogue has vowed not to allow the evil and hatred he saw to triumph. Rabbi Daniel Walker helped others to hold the doors of Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue shut as Shamie body-charged them during Thursdays attack, throwing heavy plant pots and doing everything he could to get in. Walker described looking at Shamie, 35, through the window of a door. He told the BBC: I saw evil, and I saw hate. We will not allow that to beat us. Alan Levy, the synagogues chair of trustees, said at one point during the attack he heard Shamie shout: This is what they get for killing our children. He told ITV News he had seen Shamie waving a knife outside the synagogue and ran inside to warn others. Levy then rushed to barricade the doors and described seeing the terrorist with a big knife, banging his way into the glass, trying to get through. He added: The heroes of the congregation who saw what was happening then came to the doors because he was trying to break the doors down to get in. We were barricading the doors between us with Rabbi Walker and a number of the other congregants. He couldnt get in because we were holding the doors firm. Walker said Adrian Daulby was among those helping to hold the doors shut. Daulby, 53, died after being accidentally shot by police as they tried to stop Shamie entering the synagogue. Melvin Cravitz, 66, also died in the attack. Greater Manchester police said he was working at the synagogue as a security guard and courageously stopped the attacker from entering the building. Three others were injured, including one who suffered a gunshot wound, and remain in hospital. Walker said two of those injured had blocked the terrorist with their bodies. Levy praised the efforts of the congregation, as well as the police and passersby who tried to help. He said: We need to pay respect to some non-Jewish people who saw what was happening and who stopped to try and help out. They tried to distract this man, to pull him away from the doors because they could see what he was doing. Weve been overwhelmed by the local community, Jewish and non-Jewish, whove offered help and support to us in this time. Walker told Sky News that although the pain is very raw, the Jewish community was strong and would recover. I still believe in hope, I still believe that we will come together and that we are better than this and that well be better than this, he said. Levy echoed the sentiments: Were a strong community. Were not going to be cowed by these terrorists. Were going to be strong, were going to carry on. He said the congregation continued their Yom Kippur service, which had been in progress when the attack started, at the police station while giving statements. Levy said: We will be carrying on our services at another venue, and were going to carry on. Were going to be strong, and were not going to let this defeat us in any way. CCTV appeal after incident at Camden Town station (British Transport Police ) A young man was punched and kicked to the ground during a racist attack at a London Underground station. British Transport Police said the 32-year-old had been on a Northern line train from Leicester Square when he was verbally abused by several people. A spokesman said: They all left the train at Camden Town where the incident escalated into the group kicking and punching the man to the ground. Members of the public and station staff tried to intervene but the assault continued before the thugs fled and got on a train towards High Barnet. Officers carried out extensive enquiries following the beating at around 1.50am on June 28. BTP released CCTV images of three young men and two women who could have information that may assist enquiries. A spokesman said: Detectives investigating a serious assault at Camden Town Underground station have released images of a group of people they would like to speak to. Anyone who recognises them is asked to text BTP on 61016 or call 0800 40 50 40, quoting reference 64 of 28 June, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Fitter people have far fewer heartbeats each day a finding that Australian researchers said this week potentially adds years to their lives. The difference between athletes and non-athletes is around 10 percent. Thats an incredible saving of about 11,500 beats a day, Professor Andre La Gerche, of the St Vincents Institute of Medical Research, explained in a statement. Even though athletes hearts work harder during exercise, their lower resting rates more than make up for it. The researchers said the findings dispel the myth that exercise uses up your heartbeats, which they claimed was popularized by President Donald Trump. Fitter people have around 10 percent fewer heartbeats a day than non-athletes, Australian researchers say (Getty Images/iStock) In a book about the president published in 2016, reporters from The Washington Post said Trump believed that the human body was like a battery with a finite amount of energy which exercise only depleted. But, La Gerche said thats incorrect. The fitter you are, the more metabolically efficient your body becomes, he said. Even if youre training hard for an hour a day, your heart beats more slowly for the other 23 hours. The net effect is fewer beats used overall. In a study of more than 100 athletes wearing heart monitors, the researchers determined the fittest individuals had resting heart rates as low as 40 beats per minute, compared to an average of between 70 to 80 beats per minute. For most adults, a resting heart rate between 60 and 100 beats per minute is considered normal, according to the American Heart Association. Experts have long known that athletes have lower heart rates because exercise strengthens their heart muscle, allowing the heart to pump more blood with each beat and delivering more oxygen to their muscles. Because of that, the heart needs to beat fewer times than it would in a less fit person while at rest, according to Harvard Medical School. Professor Andre La Gerche says just a few hours of exercise each week can help your heart health (St Vincent's Institute of Medical Research) Having a high resting heart rate has been linked to the build up of fat and cholesterol in arteries and an increased risk of dying from heart disease. Heart disease is the number one killer in the U.S., resulting in more than 941,000 deaths in 2022. Having a resting heart rate below 60 can also be a sign of a problem in people who arent athletes, signaling an electrical problem or a thyroid condition. Exercise is crucial to reduce the risk of life-threatening conditions, La Gerche said, adding that the benefits of regular, moderate exercise far outweigh any risks. Just a few hours of purposeful exercise each week can transform your hearts efficiency and help make every beat count, he said. Rossa Ryan registered his 1,000th British winner when he steered Blazeon Five to victory at Ascot on Friday. Primarily based with Ralph Beckett, the 26-year-old who was born in Ballinderry, County Galway, enjoyed his defining moment when steering Bluestocking to victory in the Prix de lArc de Triomphe last October. It is somewhat fitting he reached the career landmark almost a year to the day of that ParisLongchamp triumph, with the Alan King-trained Blazeon Five taking Ryan to four figures in the Colliers Business Rates Experts Handicap. He said: Its great to have ridden 1,000 winners. Ive had a lot of great support from people; I think the biggest thing is that I have a fantastic agent behind me. All the credit goes to Steve Croft. I had an unbelievable grounding with Richard Hannon and that evolved into going to Amo Racing and then that evolved onto Ralph Beckett. Its been a good journey, so far, with hopefully plenty more winners to come. Ryan was also aboard Bluestocking when she won the Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh last summer, while July Cup success with Shaquille and Breeders Cup Turf Sprint heroics aboard Starlust are other notable victories in his career to date. London commuters have been hit with rush-hour chaos as large sections of the Elizabeth line have been shut down. Services have been suspended while the network deals with a major signal failure. Trains on the Elizabeth line have stopped running between Abbey Wood and London Paddington. Services are also suspended between Stratford and Whitechapel. There is a fault with the signalling system between those two stations. National Rail said the disruption is expected to continue until 7pm today. Although there are Elizabeth line trains scheduled for later in the afternoon, commuters have been advised to seek alternative routes. Tickets will be accepted on London buses, the Underground, Greater Anglia trains between Shenfield and London Liverpool Street, Southeastern rail between Abbey Wood and London Terminals and on Thameslink between Abbey Wood and Farringdon. Trains between Shenfield and London Paddington will begin and end at London Liverpool Street. Passengers travelling to central London have also been advised to go to Liverpool Street Station and change for an Elizabeth line train. These commuters can also change at Stratford and use the Central or Jubilee Line, National Rail said. Engineers are reportedly en route to fix the signalling issue between Stratford and Whitechapel. Santander has announced its UK chief executive Mike Regnier will be leaving the bank to hand over the reins ahead of its major merger with TSB. Mr Regnier said he wants to pursue other interests so it is the right time to step down from the Spanish banking giant. He will leave by the first quarter of 2026, and Santanders board has started the process to find his successor. Mr Regnier said: It had been my intention to move on after four-five years with Santander as I have other interests I would like to pursue. Given that the integration of TSB will take considerably longer than this, I have suggested to the board that now would be a good time to find a successor who can see this critical project through to its completion and beyond. Judging the right moment to move on is very important to ensure leadership stability through a period of intense change and opportunity. Mr Regniers departure will bring an end to a four-year tenure as the boss of the UK bank. Ana Botin, the executive chairwoman of the wider Banco Santander group, said Mr Regnier was always very clear about his intention to stay for up to five years. She added: His decision allows an orderly transition and stable leadership through a very important integration project and the creation and growth of the newly enhanced bank. Santander agreed to acquire its smaller UK rival in July in a deal worth 2.65 billion. It plans to bring TSBs operations into the Santander UK group, which would create the third largest bank in the country by personal current account balances. It means the TSB brand could vanish from UK high streets after the merger completes, and has raised fears about further branch closures across the combined group. Sarah Mullally supports the churchs current teaching on marriage, that it is between one man and one woman for life. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA Media Dame Sarah Mullally, 63, who has been named as the 106th archbishop of Canterbury, has been described as a theological liberal who will ordain men and women to the priesthood, but also supports the inclusion of those who reject the ordination of women. A former chief nursing officer for England, who was made a dame in 2005 in recognition of her contribution to nursing and midwifery, she has been bishop of London since 2018. She came late to the ordained ministry, spending more than 35 years in the NHS, as a cancer nurse, then the youngest chief nursing officer for England at 37, advising government officials, before giving up her nursing position in 2004 to serve as an assistant curate in Battersea, south London. In 2012, she became canon treasurer at Salisbury Cathedral before becoming bishop of Crediton in the diocese of Exeter in 2015. By 2018, as bishop of London, she was the third most senior bishop in the Church of England after Canterbury and York, and with a seat in the House of Lords. She was critical of the former Conservative governments Rwanda policy., and a signatory with several bishops to a letter that said it should shame us as a nation. Mullally has also been a very vocal opponent of the assisted dying bill, telling the House of Lords: If passed, this bill will signal that we are a society that believes that some lives are not worth living. When legislation passed in the Commons, she criticised it as unworkable and unsafe and poses a risk to the most vulnerable people in our society. She knows the challenges she faces as a female archbishop. On becoming bishop of London, she said: I am very respectful of those who, for theological reasons, cannot accept my role as a priest or a bishop. My belief is that church diversity throughout London should flourish and grow; everybody should be able to find a spiritual role. In a 2012 blog post, Mullally said of abortion: I would suspect that I would describe my approach to this issue as pro-choice rather than pro-life, although if it were a continuum I would be somewhere along it moving towards pro-life when it relates to my choice and then enabling choice when it related to others. As bishop of London, she chaired a body framing the churchs decision on whether to bless same-sex marriages. She described the eventual decision to finally allow priests to bless same-sex couples in 2023 as a moment of hope for the church. But this remains one of many that will present challenge in the future. Same sex couples are still unable to marry in a C of E church. At the time, she said: I know that what we have proposed as a way forward does not go nearly far enough for many but too far for others. It is my prayer that what has been agreed today will represent a step forward for all of us within the church including LGBTQI+ people as we remain committed to walking together. A reminder that this issue will remain in her in-tray came from the conservative Church of England Evangelical Council (CEEC). It said of her appointment that it wanted to see her call the Church of England to recommit to the historic doctrines and formularies entrusted to it. Her appointment comes at a difficult time not only because of divisions within the Church of England but national and international challenges and a significant loss of confidence in the role of the archbishop, it said, adding it was praying she would hold to the apostolic faith. Archbishop of Canterbury-designate Dame Sarah Mullally during a visit to All Saints Church in Canterbury. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA Dame Sarah Mullally has been named as the first female leader in the history of the Church of England as Downing Street announced the 106th archbishop of Canterbury nearly a year on from Justin Welbys resignation over the handling of a safeguarding scandal. A former chief nursing officer for England, Mullally, 63, the Bishop of London, is now archbishop of Canterbury-designate. She will legally become the archbishop at a ceremony in Canterbury Cathedral in January, followed by a formal enthronement service at a later date where members of the royal family are likely to be present. The appointment of a woman as the archbishop of Canterbury had been widely anticipated as this was the first time the role has been chosen since the Church of England allowed women to become bishops in 2014. In her first address at Canterbury Cathedral, Mullally acknowledged her new role would be complex and challenging. There would be much talk about this as a historic moment a joyous one for many, she said. She shared in that joy not for myself, but for a Church that listens to the calling of God and says: Yes, we will follow you. Some would ask what it means for a woman to lead the Church of England, she added, saying: I intend to be a shepherd, who enables everyones ministry and vocation to flourish whatever the tradition. She thanked all the men and women, lay and ordained deacons, priests and bishops who have paved the way for this moment, and to all the women that have gone before me. She pledged to confront the safeguarding failures that led her predecessor to step down. The church had too often failed to take seriously the misuse of power in all its forms. She would to listen to survivors and the vulnerable. Our history of safeguarding failures have left a legacy of deep harm and mistrust, and we must all be willing to have light shone on our actions, regardless of our role in the Church, she said. Of the horrific violence of Thursdays attack on a synagogue in Manchester, she said: We are witnessing hatred that rises up through fractures across our communities. The church had a responsibility to be a people who stand with the Jewish community against antisemitism in all its forms. Hatred and racism of any kind cannot be allowed to tear us apart. Britain was wrestling with complex moral and political questions, she added. The legal right of terminally ill people to end their own lives, our response to people fleeing war and persecution to seek safety and refuge, the pressures on communities who have been overlooked and undervalued, the deep-rooted question of who we are as a nation, in a world that so often seems on the brink. Mullallys name was passed to Downing Street by the Crown Nominations Commission, chaired by Lord Evans of Weardale, a former director general of MI5, after months of deliberation by the 20-member panel, of which 17 are voting members and 12 must agree. After agreement, a name by tradition is given to the prime minister in this case Keir Starmer and then passed to the monarch. Welcoming her appointment, Starmer said the Church of England was of profound importance to this country. The archbishop would play a key role in our national life. Buckingham Palace said: His Majesty congratulates Bishop Sarah on her appointment as archbishop-designate, a role which is of such importance in the UK and across the global Anglican Communion. The appointment of a woman will be seen as a defining moment. For many liberal members of the church it will serve as an important acknowledgment of just how far women have come within the institution. The first female bishop was consecrated in 2015. But it will probably anger more conservative wings of the institution, which also represents Anglican churches outside the UK. Before being ordained Mullally, who is from Woking, worked as a cancer nurse in the NHS, and became the governments chief nursing officer for England, aged 37. She was made a dame in recognition of her outstanding contribution to nursing. She is married to Eamonn Mullally and they have two grown-up children, Liam and Grace. She takes on the role as the Church of England tries to tackle key issues, including that of same-sex marriage, declining church attendance, restoring trust after abuse scandals as well has how to respond to Christian nationalism on the far right. The global role played the archbishop as head of 85 million Anglicans worldwide means previous holders of the position have walked a tightrope between conservative churches in African nations, where homosexuality is outlawed in some places, and more liberal voices in the west. The campaign group for equality for women in the Church of England, Watch, has said it would welcome the announcement of the first female archbishop of Canterbury, and hoped it would lead to further equality for women in the church. It claimed there were still eight bishops who would not receive communion from the new archbishop as it published a list of 587 churches on its website that it claims limit women in the church. Declan George Candiani had horrific material on his devices, jurors were told (Dominic Lipinski/PA Archive) A self-proclaimed satanist actor who claimed he made a pact with a "red-horned devil" has been found guilty of possessing extreme right-wing material. Declan George Candiani, 26, a former Brit School of Performing Arts student, was stopped by counter-terrorism police at Stansted Airport on August 13, 2024. He had been attempting to travel to Finland with his girlfriend when officers examined his phone. Candiani was then arrested and his home in Streatham, that he shared with his mother, was searched. An examination of Candianis iPhone and iPad revealed a cache of extreme right-wing material, including "manifestos" of mass killers and documents advocating the use of serious violence to achieve white supremacy. Candiani denied wrongdoing, claiming his main interest was satanism and the occult. On Friday, he was found guilty of two charges of collection of information likely to be useful for terrorism and acquitted of two similar offences. During the trial, jurors had heard details of the horrific material Candiani had on his devices. Candiani claimed he had downloaded material after becoming interested in satanic group Order of Nine Angles (O9A) (PA Wire) In Haters Handbook, the leader of the Satanic neo-Nazi group Maniac Murder Cult claimed to have murdered for white race and promoted the likes of mass killer Anders Breivik. A document entitled 21 Silent Techniques of Killing outlined close contact assassination with a spike, knife and nunchucks. In police interview, Candiani claimed he had downloaded material after becoming interested in satanic group Order of Nine Angles (O9A), which has been linked with right-wing extremism. Giving evidence in court, Candiani described being visited by a red-horned devil in his bedroom who told him: You see me now Declan, you worship me. He told jurors he agreed to be his minion saying: I did literally make a pact with the devil. His mental health suffered and he went down a rabbit hole after his mother was diagnosed with cancer, the court was told. The defendant told jurors: At that time I was dealing a lot with my mum and just hated the world and I was very angry and upset and hated everything and everyone. Candiani accepted that he had a tattoo on his chest bearing a neo-Nazi symbol 88 meaning Heil Hitler. He also admitted applying to join a right-wing extremist group, Active Club but said he later got cold feet. However, Candiani told jurors he was not interested in terror attacks or hurting anyone. He said he did not remember looking at a lot of the terrorist material saying it must have been downloaded inadvertently. Candiani was assessed by psychiatrists who found he had a mild personality disorder and was fit to stand trial, despite his claim to hear voices and see the devil. Experts agreed the symptoms he described were not psychosis but a manifestation of his own personality. The jury deliberated for nine hours and 18 minutes to reach its verdicts. Judge Nigel Lickley KC granted Candiani continued bail ahead of a sentencing hearing on November 28. Worshippers had arrived early for a special morning service at Heaton Park shul in north Manchester. It was Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, and rabbi Daniel Walker was leading prayers in his long white robes. By 9.31am, they were stained with blood. As people made their way to the synagogue, they saw a small black car being driven erratically before it crashed into the gates. At first, some thought the driver had suffered a heart attack. But within seconds he had jumped out of the vehicle, dressed all in black, and had started stabbing those nearby. It was a rampage, said one witness. An elderly man lay motionless and bleeding at the entrance to the shul. Another victim lay crumpled beneath the car bonnet. In the courtyard, the attacker appeared to be trying to break into the synagogue, stabbing and slashing at the windows as worshippers barricaded the doors. Within six minutes, the knifeman lay prone after being shot by armed officers. As he lay on the floor, terrified passersby could see three white objects strapped to his waist. Hes got a bomb! shouted one man, as those inside the synagogue stared, terrified, from the windows above. Shoot him! The attacker then tried to sit up. Shoot him! a witness shouted again. One of the officers fired a final, fatal shot. In just six minutes, the assailant had brought terror to the Jewish community on their holiest day. Two people had been killed and a further four remained in a serious condition in hospital. It was only thanks to the bravery of the worshippers, police said, that the suspect was kept out of the building. By 9.37am, Greater Manchester police had declared a major incident and triggered Operation Plato, the plan for a marauding terror attack. Army bomb disposal units raced to the scene as reinforcements were called in from Wales and other forces. Fran Barrie, 75, was in her apartment overlooking the synagogue when she heard the sound of chaos: At about half nine I heard this big bang and thats when it all happened. There was about four loud noises. It might have been the police shooting at the guy but about 15 minutes later there was armed police, fire engines, everything. As paramedics rushed to help the victims, police locked down the synagogue. Nobody was allowed to leave. A huge police cordon was put in place as more armed officers arrived at speed. Military personnel arrived in what appeared to be two Blue Thunder helicopters, Eurocopter AS365 Dauphins used by the special forces. On a day when many Jews turn off their phones, the news filtered out slowly at first. One woman had raced to Edilom Road dressed only in her nightwear when she heard what had happened. Her husband had been inside. He wasnt answering the phone. Im sick, she said. I just ran out in my pyjamas. Her son, clearly shaken, said: Its terrifying. Were distraught. Barrie, whose husband is Jewish, heard a knock at the door. The police officer told all residents in their small block of flats to move to the back of the building, away from windows. He didnt say why. At about 11.15am, another police officer returned and said they were all being evacuated immediately. Those held in the synagogue were led away. We passed the bomb squad and an armed robot. Im shaken up, Barrie added. Over the next two hours, bomb disposal experts carried out three controlled explosions including one on the suspects vehicle. Each blast brought silence to those at either end of the police cordon. By now, security services were confident this was a terrorist attack. Police cars were dispatched to synagogues across Manchester as nearby hospitals were locked down. On Middleton Road, about 200 metres from the synagogue, some of those who had been inside Heaton Park shul were trying to digest what had happened. They were too upset to talk as volunteers handed out blue blankets and bottles of water. Children were among those being comforted. Josh Aronson, 39, had been planning to observe Yom Kippur at the synagogue later on Thursday when he heard gunshots ring out at 9.37am. He immediately recognised the sound. As a Manchester-based reporter for the Israeli newspaper Maariv, he had worked on conflicts across the world. Ive been in war-zone countries and know the sound of shots and I said: Oh my god I know thats the sound of shots. Then I heard too many sirens and I thought: oh my god, somethings happening. Aronson said police initially refused to let him leave the building but then told him to go, later pushing the cordon farther back before carrying out a controlled explosion. He then saw Walker, the rabbi: I saw there was blood on the long white robe. Its just shocking, he said. Ive said before, Im a journalist but I have no words [right now]. Ive covered these kind of attacks and never thought it would be in my own neighbourhood. As he spoke, armed police raced to a cul-de-sac about 500 metres from the synagogue. Officers surrounded a house and led at least one man away. Police later confirmed that two men had been arrested. Heaton Park shul, in Crumpsall, is in one of Britains largest and most diverse Jewish communities, whose history traces back to the early 18th century. It also borders one of the citys biggest Muslim populations, in nearby Cheetham Hill. Four months ago, the areas Jewish community was targeted when antisemitic graffiti including Nazi Jews are scum was sprayed outside synagogues, kosher restaurants and bus stops. Days earlier, pro-Palestine activists claimed responsibility for daubing red paint on another building, saying it was being used as a base for an Israeli weapons manufacturer. The incidents, all around two miles from the synagogue attacked on Thursday, were among 200 recorded in Greater Manchester in the first half of this year, according to the Community Security Trust, which monitors anti-Jewish hate. Police named the attacker on Thursday night as Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, a British citizen of Syrian descent. Greater Manchester police revealed that three other people two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s had been arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism. Many in the community are linking the stabbings to the rise in antisemitic incidents across this part of Manchester and Britain more widely in the wake of the Gaza conflict. Aronson, wearing a Manchester United shirt, said the attack would be a wake-up call in relation to antisemitism and the hatred toward Jewish people as a result of the conflict in Gaza. He added: Theres so much hatred between Jews and non-Jews at the moment. There must be dialogue. Not everything going on in Israel has to involve the Jewish faith. Outside the police cordon, Barrie struggled to comprehend what had happened to her community on this of all days. You dont do this in a civilised society, she said. Its not helping any case. Im feeling sad. Her neighbour Joyce Goldstone, 75, said: Im shaken up. Weve never had any animosity here. Whenever there was riots all over the police there was nothing like that here. I was born Catholic and my husband is Jewish we all have the same Ten Commandments so why cant we all get along? Sonay Kartal was knocked out of the China Open following a straight sets defeat to Linda Noskova in the quarter-finals. In the previous round, Kartal produced the biggest victory of her career with a win over Mirra Andreeva to reach her first last-eight contest at a WTA 1000 event. However, despite a battling performance from the Briton, Noskova claimed a 6-3 6-4 victory in an hour and 10 minutes to book her spot in the semi-finals. Set for a semifinal Linda Noskova overcomes Kartal 6-3, 6-4 and will play either Navarro or Pegula in the final four.#2025ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/Q21Ry0zGeQ wta (@WTA) October 3, 2025 Following a tricky start, Kartal fought back to level the opening set at 3-3, but had her serve broken in the seventh game and the world number 27 stormed ahead to clinch the set. Kartal broke Noskovas serve early in the second set to go 2-0 up, but another tight encounter followed and Noskova was able to pull ahead to see out the win. Despite her loss, Kartal believes she is on the right path following a strong showing in Beijing. Im obviously disappointed with the result, but there were times where she played lights out tennis and sometimes youve just got to let that kind of opponent ride the wave, Kartal said. The scoreline was closer than it felt like playing, at least. Had the chances but got broken. Not overly pleased with the performance today, but regardless I had an incredible week this week. I feel like its the first time Ive really brought it to a match court, the new kind of style I want to play and Ive been trying to get myself to do and that Ive been working on the practice court. Sonay Kartal's great run at the China Open ends in the quarter-finals as Linda Noskova takes a 6-3, 6-4 win Another quality week for Sonay, reaching the last 8 at a @WTA 1000 for the very first time #BackTheBrits pic.twitter.com/dYCRNysI1h LTA (@the_LTA) October 3, 2025 So I think to be able to do it and to have the results so convincingly that I did in the previous rounds, I think Im on the right path. I think its given me a lot of confidence. Regardless of it being near the end of the year, I think Ive proved to myself that if I just add one or two more things into my game, I can take my level to a top-10 level and a much higher level than Im currently ranked at. Victory means Noskova will face Jessica Pegula in the semi-finals after she came from behind to beat fellow American Emma Navarro 6-7 (2) 6-2 6-1 in their quarter-final clash. It is our time, said Green leader Zack Polanski on the first day of his partys conference in Bournemouth - Finnbarr Webster/Getty The leader of the Green Party has accused Sir Keir Starmer of being the handmaiden to Reform UK. Zack Polanski, who was elected to the position in September, claimed Labour was engaged in Reform-baiting policy-making and called on party members and councillors to defect to the Greens. He went on to call Mr Farage a Trump-loving, tax-avoiding, science-denying, NHS-dismantling, corporate stooge. Mr Polanski made the comments in his first address to the Green Partys annual conference as leader. Membership has surged by 20 per cent since his election. Speaking to the party faithful in Bournemouth, he said: We are under no illusion as to the threat we face in this country. A march in London addressed by a whos who of the far-Right, a party leading in the polls with plans to deport our friends, our neighbours, our family members, and a government, a Labour government, who are the handmaidens of this dangerous, deceitful politics. Mr Polanski described the Governments policy as politics of managed decline. Its dressed up in this weird national renewal and draped in Reform-baiting policy-making. More of the same from Keir Starmer wont just fail us now, it will hand this country on a plate to the forces of Nigel Farage, he added. Sir Keir Starmers party has arrogant assumptions that it is entitled to anyones vote, said the new Green Party leader - Jon Super/AP The comments signal that Mr Polanski hopes to seize votes from the Labour left, highlighting the two parties differences on climate, Gaza and immigration. Were in a moment of change, and it is our time, the Green Partys time, to be bold, and that is why Labour councillors are defecting. Its why Labour members are joining, he said. Its why thousands upon thousands of ex-Labour voters are now saying enough is enough, and theyre putting a cross by the Green Party for the first time because of Labours arrogant assumptions that it is entitled to anyones vote. The Greens leader led delegates in a chant of well say it loud, well say it clear: migrants and refugees are welcome here as he praised the contribution of immigrants to Britain. He also said that his party also wanted to stop the boats, but by opening up legal routes for asylum seekers. Mr Polanski claimed that the UK had been failed by a political class poisoned by extreme wealth as he championed a wealth tax on the countrys top 1 per cent. Nigel Farage was also the target of Zack Polanskis ire - Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty The Greens are sitting at or just below 10 per cent in national polls, according to Politicos tracker, behind Reform, Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. A Labour Party spokesman said: It is no surprise that Zack Polanski, a man who said he wanted to learn from Nigel Farage, has done so in his speech today using his platform to sow division and grievance. Labour firmly chooses the path of national renewal. Only our Labour government is driving forward the change working people voted for, to renew our country, keep Britain safe and make sure people across all corners of the UK feel better off. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has urged people attending pro-Palestine protests this weekend to respect the grief of British Jews. Starmer added the protests, planned for both Manchester and London, could cause further pain to mourners. He is the latest figure to tell activists to reconsider whether they should attend pro-Palestine protests, days after two people were killed and others were injured during a terror attack on a synagogue in Manchester. Writing in The Jewish Chronicle, Starmer said: I urge anyone thinking about protesting this weekend to recognise and respect the grief of British Jews this week. This is a moment of mourning. It is not a time to stoke tension and cause further pain. Meanwhile Israels foreign minister Gideon Saar said he had spoken to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and urged the government to fight the pro-Palestinian marches and protests. The protest in central London, organised by the protest group Defend Our Juries, is set to go ahead. Starmer urged protesters not to toke tension and cause further pain (Reuters) The group claimed: Cancelling peaceful protests lets terror win. Meanwhile a similar event held by Greater Manchester Friends of Palestine, which has taken place regularly in the last two years, is also due to happen. It was referenced by members of the public who heckled Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy when he spoke at a vigil near the attack on Friday. Both the Metropolitan Police and Greater Manchester Police have raised concerns about the strain on police resources during the protests and called for organisers to cancel them. Officers have been deployed to synagogues and other Jewish buildings to offer protection and reassurance in the aftermath of the attack. Questions have also been raised over the insensitivity of marches. Pro-Palestine marches are set to take place in London and Manchester this weekend (REUTERS/Carlos Jasso) On Friday, the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police Sir Stephen Watson urged would-be attendees at the protest to consider whether this is really the right time. He added: You could do the responsible and sensitive thing and refrain, on this occasion, from protesting in a manner which is likely to add to the trauma currently being experienced by our Jewish community. Around 1,500 people, including priests, vicars, pensioners and healthcare workers, are expected to attend the protest in Trafalgar Square on Saturday. The previous two events have seen a total of 1,422 people arrested, the majority for supporting a proscribed organisation. A Defend Our Juries spokesman said it stood in solidarity with the Jewish community over the attack. He said: It couldnt be clearer that tomorrows action, which is in Trafalgar Square and not near any synagogue, is about defying the Governments absurdly authoritarian proscription of Palestine Action and the Governments complicity in the genocide being committed by the Israeli government. Yesterdays attack was actual terrorism and we join others across the country in condemning it unreservedly and we urge the Home Secretary and the police to prioritise protecting the community, instead of arresting entirely peaceful protesters. Cancelling peaceful protests lets terror win. Its more important than ever to defend our democracy, including our fundamental rights to peaceful protest and freedom of speech, and to take a stand tomorrow against killing and against oppression, and for peace and justice for all. The Metropolitan Police has said it will pull in officers and resources from neighbouring forces if necessary to police the protest. The Met has continued to urge the group to call off its plans, in a statement which echoed the earlier sentiments of Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood. In a statement, the forces Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said: At a time when we want to be deploying every available officer to ensure the safety of those communities, we are instead having to plan for a gathering of more than 1,000 people in Trafalgar Square on Saturday in support of a terrorist organisation. By deliberately choosing to encourage mass law breaking on this scale, Defend Our Juries are drawing valuable resources away from the communities of London at a time when they are needed most. He added: Continuing such protests within hours of Thursdays awful terrorist murder of British Jews, when communities are most fearful, will likely create further tensions and some might say lacks sensitivity. Sir Stephen urged protesters in Manchester to reconsider. The Chief Constable said: I am directly appealing to all those who might be intending to protest this weekend to consider whether this is really the right time. He added: I would call upon the common decency and humanity of all people across Greater Manchester to aid us in seeking to support our Jewish communities following such a horrific attack. Elsewhere, the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) said it plans to hold a demonstration outside Downing Street next Thursday, to mark a week following the Manchester terror attack. A spokesperson for the CAA said: The time for dialogue, platitudes, and lip service has passed. Britain can no longer afford excuses while our Jewish community faces terror on our streets. On Thursday evening, we will be protesting outside Downing Street to demand action, not empty words. Taylor Swift review, The Life of a Showgirl: As compelling as shes ever been the star, the ringmaster and the circus all in one Life is more upbeat, Taylor Swift responded when her fiance, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, described the sound of her 12th album as such. Yet as the pop titan is wont to do, The Life of a Showgirl still contains plenty of surprises that will wrongfoot any Swifties expecting sunshine and rainbows. Having completed Eras, the biggest tour in music in history, and shattered a few more industry records, Swift has seemingly raised the bar higher than any other artist can hope to reach at least this decade. So what next? In the case of this album, her answer seems to be to go as rogue as she fancies. Sonically, this is one of Swifts most experimental albums, one where she flits between Stevie Nicks-indebted pop-rock (Opalite), the Folklore-meets-Reputation backdrop of Honey with its stuttery beats, fuzzy Hammond organs and cascading piano notes and even Jackson 5 funk on the innuendo-ridden Wood, the most outrageous song shes ever released. In theme, too, she is giddy and in love one moment, pen sharpened and ready to draw blood the next. The Life of a Showgirl is Swifts first collaboration with Swedish production powerhouses Max Martin and Shellback since 2017s Reputation. That album one of her greatest to date was a portrait of an artist healing from, as she put it, getting cancelled within an inch of my life and sanity. Yet it also delivered songs about newfound love, in which she confessed to her trepidation at making herself so vulnerable while also detailing how said relationship helped muffle all the outside noise. Misogynistic predictions published ahead of this records release suggested that Swift would struggle to write anything as enthralling about her happiness with Kelce as her famous exes as if Love Story and Our Song arent still some of the best works of her career. Sublime opener The Fate of Ophelia should be enough to quieten those detractors, anyway, yielding as much literary flair as songs from Folklore (2020) or The Tortured Poets Department (2024) (only now we have just 12 succinct songs, as opposed to the latters somewhat exhausting 31). Swift sings of her gratitude at being spared the fate of Shakespeares doomed, drowned noblewoman. Its a gratifying twist on the teenage romanticising of her earliest work, in which she cast herself as the lovelorn princess waiting for Romeo to rock up. Theres a lightness in her voice that matches the buoyancy of the instrumentation: Tis locked inside my memory/ And only you possess the key/ No longer drowning and deceived/ All because you came for me. Her prowess as a storyteller continues on the magnificent, orchestral Elizabeth Taylor. There, she sketches parallels between the scrutiny and scandal of the Hollywood icon and her own life, remembering the view of Portofino and the Plaza Athenee where Elizabeth Taylor and her lover Richard Burton famously holed up for six months during their romance. The dramatic stomping flourish of the piano brings to mind Nicholas Britells Succession score, as Swift, singing through a violet-eyed gaze, thinks of the flames at her heels: Youre only as hot as your last hit, baby. The album is the first collaboration with Swedish production powerhouses Max Martin and Shellback since 2017s Reputation (Mert Alas & Marcus Piggot) Listeners anticipating the high-octane pop of 2014s 1989 will be surprised by the grunge-leaning CANCELLED!, a minor-key missive supporting famous female friends whove found themselves caught up in scandals of their own. Ruin the Friendship, too, is a disarming, prettily arranged acoustic throwback to her high-school days that reflects on a could-have-been romance cut tragically short. Actually Romantic, the subject of much fan speculation after its title was unveiled, will do nothing to convince fans that it isnt a thinly veiled swipe at the UKs reigning cool girl, Charli XCX (the Brat star appeared to reference insecurities that transpired during Swifts brief fling with The 1975 frontman Matty Healy on her own 2024 track, Sympathy is a Knife). Many will baulk at lyrics such as, Like a toy chihuahua barking at me from a tiny purse/ Thats how much it hurts, destined to be Swifts most divisive line since her notorious tattooed golden retriever on the title track of TTPD. Yet its one of the catchiest songs on the album, oscillating in tone between the jaunty This is Why We Cant Have Nice Things from Reputation and the similarly themed, but more pastel-hued, I Forgot That You Existed from 2019s Lover. More ambiguous is the George Michael-interpolating Father Figure, delivered in Swifts silkiest croons, that positions her as a kind of cigar-puffing Michael Corleone figure offering the world in return for undivided loyalty. Ill be your father figure I can make deals with the devil because my d***s bigger, she promises, before her warning: Mistake my kindness for weakness and find your card cancelled. Theres another throwback, this time to TTPDs Clara Bow, in the way she addresses a former protege. Yet it also appears to speak to her own experiences of being double-crossed in an industry always looking to replace its female stars with someone younger, hotter, shinier. Her fatigue at this permeates Eldest Daughter, accepting she will never be the cool girl the song is a deft and moving assessment of the roles women are expected to fill without question. Fellow pop star Sabrina Carpenter joins her on the title track, a curtain closer incorporating country-fied slide guitar, lush synths and, at the very end, audio from Swifts Eras tour farewell. The Life of a Showgirl might be one of her most uneven records, but shes as compelling as shes ever been the showgirl, the ringmaster and the circus all in one. The lawsuit against Tesla was filed Thursday in Alameda county superior court. Photograph: Mike Stewart/AP Tesla is being sued by the parents of a teenager killed in a crash involving one of its Cybertruck pickups last fall. The incident involved four passengers who were in the vehicle when it hit a tree and caught on fire in a quiet Bay Area town in California, according to court documents. Only one of the crash victims survived. The suit, filed Thursday in Alameda county superior court, is being brought by the family of Krysta Tsukahara, a 19-year-old college student who was visiting her family over Thanksgiving weekend in Piedmont, California, when the crash occurred. The incident happened on the night of 27 November 2024, when the Cybertruck was traveling at high speed, struck a tree and ignited, according to a California highway patrol report. When power to the trucks electric doors was shut down by the fire, the four passengers were locked inside with no way out. The lawsuit alleges the design of the Cybertrucks door handles is at fault for Tsukaharas death. From the inside of the truck, when electricity is cut off, the only way to exit a rear door is by pulling a cable thats underneath a pocket liner under the doors storage compartment, according to a report by Bloomberg. From outside the vehicle, the doors also remain locked and the flush handles make it difficult for rescue workers to jimmy their way inside. Tesla did not return request for comment. The design of this vehicle failed Krysta, said Roger Dreyer, the attorney representing the Tsukahara family. There was no functioning, accessible manual override or emergency release for her to escape. Teslas door handles are a flagship design for the vehicles and a point of pride for company CEO, Elon Musk. Teslas were the first make of car to be customized with such electric handles and are built to be flush with the body of the car to give the vehicles a more sleek and streamlined look. But the design has invited scrutiny from car-safety experts and currently is under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Tesla had repeated and direct notice that its reliance on electronic door systems created a serious risk of entrapment, reads the suit. Owners, bystanders, and first responders documented instances where Tesla occupants survived crash forces but could not escape when electrical power failed and fire ensued. Related: Tesla vehicle deliveries spike after several quarters of decline The Cybertruck has received high safety ratings in crash tests, but the vehicle has also received eight recalls since it first debuted less than two years ago. Tesla has been embroiled in other lawsuits over vehicle safety, including one in Florida where a jury ruled in August that Tesla must pay $243m in damages over its driver assistance system, known as Autopilot. Tsukaharas family is also suing the estate of the driver, Soren Dixon, who at the time of the incident was under the influence of alcohol, cocaine and amphetamines, according to a coroners report from Alameda county. Dixon also died in the crash. On the night of the accident, a friend was following the Cybertruck in another vehicle and saw what happened, according to various news reports. He rushed to try to save his friends, breaking a window on the Cybertruck. He was able to save one passenger, but when he attempted to rescue Tsukahara she wasnt able to make it through the fire. The lawsuit filed on Thursday alleges that Tsukahara didnt suffer physical trauma from the Cybertrucks collision with the tree, but rather she died of smoke inhalation and burns because she wasnt able to escape the vehicle. Her death was preventable, Tsukaharas parents, Carl and Noelle Tsukahara, said in a statement. She was alive after the crash. She called out for help. And she couldnt get out. Robert Morris, the former Texas megachurch pastor who founded Gateway Church, has pleaded guilty to charges of sexually abusing a girl in the 1980s. Appearing in an Oklahoma courthouse on Thursday, the 64-year-old, who resigned from the church last year after the woman accused him of abusing her decades earlier, pleaded guilty to five counts of lewd and indecent acts with a child, court documents show. The abuse began in December 1982 when Morris was a traveling evangelist visiting the family of Cindy Clemishire, who was 12 years old at the time, in Hominy, Oklahoma, the states attorney generals office said in a statement Thursday. The abuse continued for four years. Under the plea agreement, Morris received a 10-year suspended sentence with the first six months to be served in the Osage County Jail. He is required to register as a sex offender and will be supervised by Texas authorities, the attorney generals office said. Morris was also ordered to pay his costs of incarceration, including any medical expenses, and pay $250,000 in restitution to the victim, NBC News reported. Robert Morris, the former Texas megachurch pastor, pleaded guilty to charges of sexual abusing a girl in the 1980s ( 2025 Juan Figueroa / The Dallas Morning News) Clemishire, now 55, sat in the courtroom Thursday, the outlet reported. She told the court that the abuse rippled into every part of her life. Let me be clear, she said. There is no such thing as consent from a 12-year-old child. We were never in an inappropriate relationship. I was not a young lady but a child. You committed a crime against me. Today justice has finally been served, and the man who manipulated, groomed and abused me as a 12-year-old innocent girl is finally going to be behind bars, she said in a statement after he pleaded guilty. My hope is that many victims hear my story, and it can help lift their shame and allow them to speak up...I leave this courtroom today not as a victim, but a survivor. Cindy Clemishire went public with her allegations against Morris last June and has since filed a $1 million civil suit against him (AP) She went public with the allegations against Morris in June 2024. Days later, he resigned from his role at Gateway Church and admitted to inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady three decades earlier. Attorneys for Morris expressed his remorse in a statement to CBS News: "He sincerely hopes that his plea and jail sentence coupled with probation brings Ms. Clemishire and her family the finality that they might need," the statement said. "He is at peace with his sentence and, in an odd way, looks forward to fulfilling this penance, namely going to jail for his past sin and crime." In June, Clemishire filed a civil suit against Morris seeking at least $1 million for slander, defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress in the years following his abuse. Under the plea agreement, Morris received a 10-year suspended sentence with the first six months to be served in the Osage County Jail. He is required to register as a sex offender (AP) Morris founded Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas in 2000, later growing it into a megachurch that boasted 10 campuses and more than 100,000 active attendees, according to his website last June. But since the scandal first broke, the church has been struggling to get donations, according to Amy Smith, who monitors ethical concerns at megachurches. "Every few months there have been some announcements regarding financial issues," Smith told Fox 4 in June. "They cant just go on with business as usual." The former pastor served as Donald Trumps spiritual adviser in 2016. In 2020, Morris hosted the president at the Dallas campus, where Trump hailed Morris as a great person with a great reputation. After Morris resigned from his post following Clemishires accusations, a spokesperson for Trumps 2024 presidential bid told the The New York Times that Morris had no role in the campaign: President Trumps broad appeal among faith communities across the country is a testament to his unwavering commitment to upholding faith and the protection of religious liberties. Social media users celebrated the outcome, while some remarked that the plea agreement was too lenient. Too bad the time he spends in jail will be so short for such an egregious crime, one user wrote. Another remarked: He got off easy only 6 months in a county jail and no prison time. Tennessee Republican Congressman Tim Burchett also weighed in: Hang him. Several other officials have remarked on the case. "There can be no tolerance for those who sexually prey on children," Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said in a statement. "This case is all the more despicable because the perpetrator was a pastor who exploited his position of trust and authority. The victim in this case has waited far too many years for this day." Texas state Rep. Jeff Leach, a Republican, was in the courtroom Thursday. He told CBS: "Today I saw a real-life superhero conquer an evil villain. Leach added: "After today, Cindy Clemishire is free. And Robert Morris, her abuser, is not. And he never will be again. Going forward, we must do all we can to support abuse victims like Cindy, who had her childhood robbed from her and has had to live with shame and pain for decades before finally seeing justice prevail today. With reporting from The Associated Press. Luxembourg's Grand Duke Guillaume, right, and Luxembourg's Grand Duchess Stephanie (AP) Grand Duke Guillaume officially ascended to the throne of Luxembourg on Friday, taking his oath in a traditional ceremony attended by European heads of state and fellow royals. As church bells pealed, hundreds gathered outside the Grand Palace erupted into chants of "Guillaume, Guillaume!" as the new grand duke appeared on a balcony to greet his eager subjects. The 43-year-old, resplendent in an olive-green military uniform adorned with a yellow sash, was joined by his royal family. His wife, Grand Duchess Stephanie, wore a sky-blue gown, and they carried their two young sons, five-year-old designated heir Charles and two-year-old Francois, both dressed in shorts. Just moments earlier Guillaume had taken the throne after swearing the sovereign's oath in Luxembourg's parliament. I will live the life of my people, from whom I do not want to be separated by any barrier. I will share their joys and sufferings, Guillaume said, quoting a 1919 speech by one of his predecessors, the Grand Duchess Charlotte, in his first address to the nation. He drew a parallel between the carnage of World War I and geopolitical tensions today. A symbol of the principles of freedom and unity enshrined in our Constitution, the monarchy has remained then as now a constant point of reference and a steadfast support in times of crisis. In this sense, the oath I have just taken on the Constitution marks a significant institutional milestone for our country. Grand Duke Guillaume takes over from his father Henri, 70, who had served for 25 years in the largely symbolic role. The crowd gathered outside the yellow stone and ornate turrets of the palace carried photographs of the new grand duke and duchess, others flags of Luxembourg and the red lion and orange fields of the Royal House of Nassau. Some people had their faces painted in the Luxembourg flag: red, white and light blue. Luxembourg's Grand Duke Guillaume and Luxembourg's Grand Duchess Stephanie wave from the balcony of the Grand Ducal Palace in Luxembourg (AP) All across the old city of Luxembourg, storefronts boasted portraits of the royal couple and blue banners commemorated Trounweissel or ascension to the throne in Luxembourgish. Nefeni Neocleousk, 18, wore a Luxembourgish flag across her shoulders and wished the grand duke well in the Luxembourgish language. Maach dat gudd! Du packs dat!" she said, which means Do it well, you will succeed. Royals from the Netherlands and Belgium attended the ceremonies. Later on Friday, the new grand duke will host an evening gala for guests including French President Emmanuel Macron and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Guillaume is Luxembourgs seventh grand duke since 1890, when the modern monarchy was established. On Saturday and Sunday he will tour his new realm, a tiny duchy the size of Rhode Island of 700,000 citizens in the heart of Europe. The tour will end with a Sunday Mass with Archbishop Jean-Claude Hollerich at the Catholic Notre-Dame de Luxembourg cathedral. An official supplier to the Royal Court, Lea Linster, 70, dropped off roughly 200 madeleines, a small shell-shaped sponge cake, for staff at the ceremonies. Shes selling commemorative boxes of the cakes with Guillaume and Stephanie designed to look like a romantic fairytale reflective of Luxembourgs picturesque landscape of castles and forests. When Guillaume was 13, she began teaching him to cook dishes like Bouneschlupp, a hearty green bean and ham soup. Sitting beneath portraits of the French novelist Marcel Proust and a Grand Duke Henri, Linster said Guillaumes kindness and empathy will do him well as sovereign and hell be able to feed the family. You can feel that he is the son of a couple of parents who loved each other very much, she said, of Guillaume. Hes very emotive, very sensitive. So I love that and I think he will be a beautiful Grand Duke for us. Cleaved from part of what are now France, Belgium and Germany in the 17th and 19th centuries, the small nation is a parliamentary democracy with the grand duke as head of state, akin to King Charles in the United Kingdom or King Philippe in Belgium. Roughly 700,000 citizens speak a mix of Luxembourgish, a Germanic language, and French and German in public life. It is the worlds last remaining grand duchy. One of the European Unions smallest nations and its richest per capita, Luxembourg is a financial powerhouse that hosts important EU institutions like the European Court of Justice and the European Investment Bank. The grand duchy is home to many of the banks in the eurozone, reinsurance companies and managers of hedge funds and money markets. Luxembourg's Grand Duke Guillaume and Luxembourg's Grand Duchess Stephanie hold their children Prince Charles and Prince Francois (AP) Guillaume will be Luxembourgs seventh grand duke since 1890, when the modern monarchy was established. Across the duchy, his photo has replaced that of his fathers. His monogram, symmetrical golden G letters below a crown, has also been added to the uniforms of the army, the police, emergency services, the prison service and customs. Guillaume, like Henri, was educated in France, Switzerland and at the United Kingdoms military academy, Sandhurst. Guillaume then worked for Belgian, German and Spanish firms. Christoph Brull, a historian and professor at the University of Luxembourg, said Guillaume will be stepping into a very traditional role. His margin of maneuver or right to action is zero. So the only power he has is then the power of speech or words. For the rest, the grand duke will remain a political symbol, he said. (Owen Humphreys/PA Wire) Tottenham will have Cristian Romero back for their trip to Leeds this afternoon. Thomas Frank's side are at Elland Road for the lunchtime kick-off looking to improve on their dire record in matches before the international break. CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW LEEDS VS TOTTENHAM LIVE! It is two years since Spurs won in the fixture immediately before their players jetted off for international duty, a run extended by defeat to Bournemouth in August. Spurs will be keen to have Romero available again after he missed the draw with Bodo/Glimt in midweek in what was described as a "precaution". Romero posted pictures of himself in training on Thursday on his social media accounts and Frank confirmed at his pre-match press conference that his captain is available. Yes, Romero is fit and available, and he will start tomorrow, Frank said. Promising news. I think there was a contact to the foot, and the medical did a good job to get him turned around, so trained and ready for tomorrow. Joao Palhinha was on the bench against Bodo/Glimt and should come back into the starting lineup, while Archie Gray is pushing to be involved against his former club. Archie Gray came on in midweek and could start at the weekend (Action Images via Reuters) It is expected that Mohammed Kudus will start on the right after being surprisingly left out of the lineup in the Champions League and Xavi Simons could make his first start at No10 in the Premier League. Richarlison has looked tired up front but could have to lead the line again with Dominic Solanke out after ankle surgery. Summer arrival Randal Kolo Muani has made progress in his recovery from a dead leg but the Frenchman is still not ready to return to the squad and will not be involved against Leeds. Yves Bissouma and Kota Taki both returned to training ahead of the Bodo/Glimt match and could make the squad this weekend. Confirmed team news Leeds XI: Darlow; Bogle, Struijk, Rodon, Gudmundsson; Longstaff, Ampadu, Stach; Aaronson, Calvert-Lewin, Okafor Subs: Meslier, Bijol, Bornauw, Justin, Tanaka, Gruev, Piroe, Nmecha, Harrison Tottenham XI: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Palhinha, Bentancur, Kudus, Xavi Simons, Odobert; Tel Subs: Kinsky, Spence, Davies, Danso, Gray, Bergvall, Sarr, Johnson, Richarlison Injured: Dragusin, Maddison, Kulusevski, Solanke, Kolo Muani Time and date: 12:30pm BST on Saturday October 4, 2025 Venue: Elland Road How to watch: TNT Sports A protester carries a US flag through teargas launched to clear protesters outside the Broadview immigration processing centre in Chicago. Photograph: Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune/TNS/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock At 5am on a warm September morning a small crowd of protesters assembles in the dark. They are gathering outside the Broadview immigration processing centre, a two-storey brick structure in the Chicago suburbs that has the ambience of a US outpost in a foreign war. Windows are boarded with plywood. Fences are lined with razor wire and black cloth. Masked Ice agents appear sporadically, dressed in military fatigues tactical helmets, flak jackets and rifles. The protesters begin to heckle each time an agent turns up for work or leaves through a chainlink gate. Quit your job! they chant. Take off your mask! The centre is a focal point in the resistance to Donald Trumps recent immigration crackdown in the city, portentously dubbed Operation Midway Blitz. It is here, following arrest, that hundreds of people targeted for deportation are brought to languish in squalid conditions before being sent to detention centres around the country. I expect to see civil disobedience. But the first people I meet are 22-year-old Milagros Pelayo and her sister, Yessenia Garcia, who is 16. They have been here at sunrise for the past five days, searching for information about their father, Rosalio, a janitor who was arrested by immigration officers at his home a week earlier. He is currently detained inside. They wont let us talk to him, Pelayo tells me. They wont give us any information. Still bleary-eyed, the siblings stand by the doorway waiting for answers or an opportunity to say goodbye to their dad. I thought America was the land of opportunity, says Garcia. But it doesnt make any sense now. Suddenly, things begin to unravel. About a dozen protesters start blocking government vehicles from entering and exiting the buildings. Masked agents appear from behind the fence and snatch people from the street. One young man is body-slammed and dragged inside the centre. As the sun rises, more people arrive. A dispersal order is played on repeat and immigration agents appear on the roof, looking out over a crowd of around 100 people. Two SUVs attempt to leave the building and protesters push back. The agents fire pepper ball irritants from above and teargas canisters are launched into the group. A small phalanx of officers appear, as if dressed for combat. A thick plume of gas envelopes the street. It is a remarkable and disproportionate escalation; a telling image of where the country is right now. I find Pelayo and Garcia in the aftermath. Both squint into the sun, their eyes still watering. A first experience of teargas while still in high school, for Garcia. It was a burning sensation, says Pelayo. But were still here. Were still fighting. Chicago is among the handful of Democratic strongholds where Donald Trump has pledged to deploy the military amid false claims of rising crime. A mere mention of the city on rightwing cable news has long elicited a line of predictable tropes, branding it a failed liberal city ravaged by violence, corruption and economic decline. But it is also a window into the splitscreen of American life at this early inflection point in Trumps second term amid an assault on free speech and an alarming rise in political violence in the wake of the murder of rightwing youth organiser Charlie Kirk. The 31-year-old, who was shot dead on a college campus in Utah in September, grew up about 20 miles away from Broadview, in a separate Chicago suburb. He founded Turning Point USA, his hard-right campus political group, at a small office a short distance from here. One of the last things he [Kirk] said to me was: Please, sir. Save Chicago, Trump said during a eulogy at the organisers memorial later in September. Were going to go into Chicago and were going to have Charlie very much in mind. The troops may not be here yet, but to many in the immigrant community a federal government occupation has already begun. With the residue of teargas still on my shirt, I drive out to the village of Lemont, to the small converted garage where Kirk began his political movement. A steady line of mourners have been arriving all day and a sprawling tribute spills on to the pavement. Fight for freedom or lose it, says one placard. Its a sincere gathering. Many have driven for hours to come and lay flowers. One man tells me he has watched the video of Kirks murder a hundred times. I wonder if replaying an act of such horrendous violence on repeat is good for anyone. We must never look away from the atrocities, he says. It just showed me that the division between the people of this country will never be breached. Others strike a more conciliatory note. A young woman weeps as she lights a candle. I think hes a modern-day martyr, she says. And sometimes it takes the darkest dark to bring the greatest good. I truly think he was the vessel for that. Another young man, who neatly lays a white T-shirt with the word Freedom on it (the same design Kirk was wearing when he was shot), worries about the role social media plays in exacerbating polarisation. The elites have designed this algorithm to basically make us fight, he says. The sentiment here, away from the glare of cable news punditry, online polemic and Trump himself, is measured. But closer to Chicago the onslaught is inescapable. *** I first meet Kat Abughazaleh at the Broadview protest, sat cross-legged at the entrance to the facility with other protesters. A 26-year-old Democratic candidate for Illinoiss ninth congressional district and formerly a journalist with a focus on the far right her approach to electoral politics is at odds with the establishment wing of the Democratic party, with its lurch to the right on immigration policy and perceived capitulation to Trumps expanding authoritarianism. I dont think our representatives are doing enough to stand up against fascism, she tells me at the protest. I feel like Democratic leaders in particular have missed the moment. I think they are working from a playbook that is not in 2025. This is not a dry run. Abughazaleh, who is 5ft tall, was shoved later that day by a federal agent and thrown hard to the asphalt. A video of the incident spread quickly online and was picked up by Fox News, whose prime-time host Laura Ingraham ran a segment declaring the officer had done a good job. The Department of Homeland Securitys official X account also acknowledged it, posting an absurd accusation that effectively suggests she is siding with vicious cartels, human traffickers and violent criminals. When I visit Abughazaleh at her campaign office the following day, she is nursing bruises but remains resolute, despite the online barrage from some of the worlds most powerful institutions and media organisations. Things are going to get worse, and that is why it is more important to have solidarity between elected officials and protesters, between anyone with power or a platform, she says. What this administration is trying to do is terrifying. They want to crack down on our basic human rights. They do not want appeasement, they want complete and utter submission. We need to stop underestimating these people, we need to stop assuming that they will follow this social contract that people say exists, because they are following a new one, and it only caters to Donald Trump. She points to the documented instances of poor conditions inside the Broadview facility, which is overcrowded, has no showers or cafeteria and where there is extremely limited access to medical care. Ice has shown us who they are. They will do anything, including throwing a 5ft woman to the ground, but theyll do a lot worse stuff than that. Trump only returned to office eight months ago, but the popularity of his extreme domestic agenda already appears to be waning. Polling published by the New York Times this week indicates more than 60% of Americans believe the president has gone too far in pressuring media organisations that cover him unfavourably, while 53% oppose sending the National Guard into major cities. Cook County, the second most populous county in the US, and home to Chicago, is of course a staunchly Democratic jurisdiction where 70% of residents voted for Kamala Harris in 2024. Unsurprisingly, revulsion at Trumps plans for military deployment and his ongoing immigration raids seem pervasive throughout the city extending well beyond the frontlines of protest. In some areas, community groups have created their own informal patrols, where volunteers walk the streets, equipped with whistles and know your rights handouts. I join one of them, led by a local jiu-jitsu instructor named Elias Cepeda, in the citys Pilsen neighbourhood. We walk along tree-lined streets, and head towards a local middle school in time for pick-up. Chatter fizzes with politics and history. Some people fear a return to 1968, when the city hosted the Democratic National Convention, and seven days of anti-Vietnam war protests saw protracted clashes between police and protesters. Others point even further back, to the fight against fascism in the second world war. Its disgusting what theyre doing, says one man standing by his stoop, who claims that Ice surveys the area on a daily basis. Theyre violating everybodys rights. Cepeda, who himself was later detained and then released at another Broadview protest as they continue to escalate, fears even these informal neighbourhood patrols could come under suspicion. Last week, Trump signed a sweeping memorandum authorising government-wide investigations into activists and non-profits broadly connected with domestic terrorism he has recently labelled a decentralised, umbrella movement known as antifa with this classification. It is a move civil liberty groups say is simply an attempt to investigate and intimidate his critics. Theyre trying to criminalise speech, says Cepeda. And theyre trying to criminalise working with and giving resources to undocumented immigrants. Like Abughazaleh, he remains undeterred. *** On the day of Charlie Kirks memorial, which draws tens of thousands of attendees to a stadium in Arizona, I drive about 60 miles out of Chicago, to McHenry county a Republican-leaning area dotted with cornfields and grain silos. I come to a tavern in the small town of Woodstock, which is airing the event on a large outdoor screen. I had expected, perhaps, a few dozen people. Instead, around 600 arrive. There are lavish motorbikes, patriotic clothing and extremely loud fireworks, which explode between prayer and song. A giant stars and stripes hangs from a crane, and some raise a single hand in prayer while holding a beer in the other. A local pastor offers his own invocation to the group. We know that as one has fallen, millions and millions are rising up. We are truly a giant who has been woken from his sleep, he says. Bless this nation because of Christian people who are making a stand, who will not be pushed to the corner. Let us gain courage for the battle ahead. As the afternoon wears on, the alcohol continues to flow and there is louder heckling as the speeches beamed in from Arizona become more and more political. Fuck Obama! one man shouts. But a thunderstorm also rolls through; pounding rain and wind leaves me soaked to the bone and a few gazebos blow away. The event empties out before Trump speaks. I listen to his chilling words on the motorway back to the city. I hate my opponent, Trump says drawing a line between himself and Kirk. And I dont want the best for them. Im sorry. His shortcomings as a leader have perhaps never been so clear. And the consequences are likely to intensify in Chicago and far beyond. Office of management and budget director Russ Vought in Washington DC on 29 September 2025. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images The US government has put $2.1bn in funding for infrastructure projects in Chicago on hold, Russ Vought, the office of management and budget director, said on Friday, in another jab at a Democratic-led city during the federal government shutdown, presented as a move against diversity efforts. Vought said the money for major projects on Chicagos subway mass transit system including extensions of the Red Line route and modernizations have been put on hold to ensure funding is not flowing via race-based contracting. On Wednesday, Vought said the Trump administration had frozen $18bn for major transit projects in New York, too, including a rail tunnel under the Hudson River that flows between New York from New Jersey, and an extension of the Second Avenue subway underground rail system, citing the same justification. Related: My travels through Chicago: tear gas, resistance and Trumps big immigration crackdown The outgoing administration of former president Joe Biden finalized a nearly $2bn award of federal funds in its final days to help extend the Red Line 5.5 miles to connect Chicago far South Side to the main subway rail system, known locally as the L, for elevated, as a lot of the lines run overground and above the streets in the downtown area. Vought cited a new rule from the US transportation department that took effect on Wednesday to review whether any small-business contractors are engaged in what the White House would regard as improper diversity initiatives. This is one of a series of efforts intended to pressure Democratic lawmakers in the US Congress over the partial government shutdown that began just after midnight on Wednesday. Any substantive delays in federal funding over partisan political squabbles are almost certain to face swift legal challenges. In New York, the $17.2bn Hudson River tunnel project, which received more than $11bn in federal grants, involves repairs to an existing tunnel, and the building of a new one for passenger railway operator Amtrak and commuter lines between New Jersey and Manhattan. Any failure of the current Hudson tunnel, which was heavily damaged by 2012s Hurricane Sandy, would hobble commuting in the metropolitan area that produces 10% of US economic output. In a separate move on Friday, the Trump administration reversed its plan to cut $187m in security funds for New York, said Kathy Hochul, the states Democratic governor. Reuters contributed reporting Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office earlier this week. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images The Trump administration is trying to justify strikes on alleged Venezuelan drug boats by advancing a novel legal theory that the US is now in a non-international armed conflict, according to a person familiar with a notification to Congress. The notification was provided by senior Pentagon officials as part of an attempt to explain the Trump administrations legal arguments for the strikes, including a classified briefing to members of the Senate armed services committee on Wednesday. It comes after the US military conducted strikes on three boats in the Caribbean last month that killed 17 people and triggered widespread international outrage. The administration is required by law to report to Congress the US governments use of armed forces. Related: Hegseth says four killed in US strike on alleged drug boat off Venezuelan coast The New York Times reported that the administrations memo cites that statute, and also repeats its past justifications that the strikes were conducted in self-defense and accusing the boats of containing members of a Venezuelan drug gang. But the memo also reportedly goes further, and frames the US militarys attacks on the boats to be part of a sustained conflict. The memo also reportedly states that Trump has deemed cartels engaged in smuggling drugs as non-state armed groups whose actions constitute an armed attack against the United States. The Trump administration has been increasing its military presence in the Caribbean in recent months, deploying a number of ships and military personnel to Puerto Rico. It has justified the military action as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the US. But some lawmakers and human rights groups have questioned the legality of the attacks. The notice to Congress represents an aggressive escalation in the US governments attempts to stop the flow of narcotics. The US governments drug war in recent years has increasingly focused on political targets, and this latest escalation may be seen as an attempt by the administration to further place pressure on the Venezuelan government. On Thursday, Venezuelan officials said they discovered five US fighter jets flying about 46 miles (74km) from its Caribbean coast, CNN reported, citing the countrys government and defense minister, Vladimir Padrino Lopez. Earlier this year, the Trump administration determined several criminal groups to be terrorist organizations. The designation by the administration included a number of Mexican cartels, the MS-13 gang, the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and the Venezuelan so-called Cartel de los Soles. For years, the US government has accused the Venezuelan government of Nicolas Maduro of being involved in drug trafficking. The Trump administration earlier this year accused Maduro of directing the activities of Tren de Aragua, and used it as a justification to expel hundreds of immigrants to a notorious Salvadorian prison under the Alien Enemies Act. Related: Stephen Miller takes leading role in strikes on alleged Venezuelan drug boats Intelligence assessments have determined there is little proof of Maduros links to Tren de Aragua. Maduro and members of his cabinet and military also stand accused by the US of running the Cartel de los Soles and seeking to traffic cocaine to the US. The infrastructure of the cartel has been disputed, with drug trafficking analysts and experts saying that the Cartel de los Soles is a loose network of lower-ranking military officials without a strict hierarchical structure. Earlier this year, the US government raised its bounty for Maduro to $50m. There is an active indictment in a Manhattan federal court related to the Cartel de los Soles case. A co-defendant and former top Venezuelan military intelligence chief pleaded guilty earlier this year to narco-terrorism crimes. The three vessels that were targeted by the US in recent weeks were traversing through the Caribbean. Trump administration officials, without proof, have said the vessels were carrying members of Tren de Aragua with drugs destined for the US. The administration has been adamant in escalating its fight against fentanyl trafficking into the US. However, fentanyl typically arrives across the southern US border from Mexico. Most of the federal government may be shut down with rank and file employees forced to stay home on furlough or work without pay under threat of layoffs but that isnt stopping President Donald Trump from enjoying a couples night out. The president, joined by First Lady Melania Trump, left the White House on Thursday for the first time since government funding lapsed two days earlier for a six-minute motorcade along closed-off streets to a neighbors house Vice President JD Vances official residence at the U.S. Naval Observatory. There, the Trumps dined with the vice president and second lady Usha Vance for roughly an hour and a half before heading back to the White House. Vance later wrote on X that he and his wife were so grateful the President and First Lady were able to join them. It's always a good time when you get to have the boss over for dinner, he said. It's always a good time when you get to have the boss over for dinner! Usha and I were so grateful that President Trump and our lovely First Lady, Melania, could join us for dinner at the Vice President's Residence last night. pic.twitter.com/8XDsXyj8oD JD Vance (@JDVance) October 3, 2025 The high-powered foursomes double date night came just over day after Vice President Vance made a surprise appearance in the White House briefing room on Wednesday, the first day of what has now become a three-day partial government shutdown with no end in sight. At the time, Vance falsely accused Democrats of instigating the shutdown out of a desire to force the Trump administration to give billions of dollars to health care funding for illegal aliens something that has been illegal since the enactment of a 1986 law signed by then-president Ronald Reagan. The president, joined by First Lady Melania Trump, left the White House on Thursday for the first time since the government shutdown took effect for dinner with neighbors Vice President JD and second lady Usha Vance at the U.S. Naval Observatory. (Getty Images) He also promised imminent layoffs of federal workers on account of the shutdown, something that has no precedent in previous government funding fights and which may be illegal because carrying out the layoffs would incur new debts on the part of the government. Vance also defended President Trumps use of a racist AI-generated video to mock House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries by depicting the New York Democrat, who is Black, with an oversized sombrero and a cartoonish mustache. The vice president said the video was funny and said Trump was joking and having a good time. I'll tell Hakeem Jeffries right now I make this solemn promise to you that if you help us reopen the government, the Sombrero memes will stop. And I've talked to the President of the United States about that, he said. For his part, Trump has continued to threaten to fire thousands of federal workers from what he called Democrat Agencies in a social media post on Thursday, with the aid of Office of Management and Budget director Russ Vought. Vought, an architect of the right-wing Project 2025 plan for consolidating federal power in the White House and using that power to weaken the Democratic Party, has used his authority over federal spending during the shutdown to punish voters who elected Democrats to the Senate and did not vote for Trump last year by suspending or cancelling funding for infrastructure and clean energy projects in their states. Donald Trump records a response to Hamas from the Oval Office Donald Trump ordered Israel to stop bombing Gaza after Hamas announced it was ready to release all its remaining hostages on Friday evening. Mr Trump said he believed Hamas was ready for a lasting peace after receiving their formal response to his peace plan for Gaza. Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the hostages out safely and quickly! Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social. He released his comments on a day of rapid progress in the Middle East. On Friday night, Israeli media reported that Israels forces were preparing to reduce offensive operations in Gaza to a minimum, including pausing the ground assault on Gaza City. Israel said it would prepare for the immediate implementation of the first stage of the peace plan, which includes the release of all hostages. Hamas issued its response to Mr Trumps 20-point peace plan soon after the US president said it would face all hell if it did not sign up to the agreement by 6pm on Sunday. The terror group said it would release all its remaining hostages, living and dead, and negotiate terms of a peace deal in order to reach a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. In this context, the movement affirms its readiness to immediately enter into negotiations through the mediators to discuss the details of this agreement, the terror group said in a statement. More than 66,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip since October 2023 - Mohammed Saber/EPA/Shutterstock The response brings the prospect of peace a step closer, even if major hurdles remain. Despite the formal response to Mr Trumps proposal, a senior Hamas official said the group would not disarm before Israel ended its occupation and that it would not be possible to free the remaining hostages within 72 hours, another key demand. For his part, Mr Trump exuded optimism as he said an end to Israeli bombing would help create conditions for releases. Right now, its far too dangerous to do that, he said. We are already in discussions on details to be worked out. This is not about Gaza alone, this is about long sought PEACE in the Middle East. The White House released a photograph of the president recording a response to the Hamas statement soon after details of it emerged. In response, Benjamin Netanyahus office issued a statement on Friday night saying it was preparing for the immediate implementation of the first stage of the peace plan. Israel is prepared for the immediate implementation of the first stage of Trumps plan for the immediate release of all the hostages, the statement said. We will continue to work in full cooperation with the president and his team to end the war in accordance with the principles laid out by Israel, which correspond with Trumps vision for ending the war. Trump's post on Truth Social Negotiations moved rapidly after Israel launched strikes on Qatars capital Doha, where the Hamas negotiating team is based, last month. It took Mr Trump and his aides by surprise, and they used it to heap pressure on Mr Netanyahu to move forward with negotiations. The result was a 20-point plan unveiled at the White House on Monday, setting out conditions for the release of hostages by Hamas, alongside the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. Hamas said it appreciated Mr Trumps efforts to achieve peace but that some parts of the plan would need further negotiations. It said it agreed to hand over the administration of Gaza to an independent body of Palestinian technocrats. Under Mr Trumps plan, the strip would temporarily be run by the US presidents board of peace. Other issues mentioned in President Trumps proposal regarding the future of the Gaza Strip and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people are connected to a unified national position and relevant international laws and resolutions, Hamas said. A senior official laid out a series of potential stumbling blocks in an interview with Al Jazeera. Mousa Abu Marzouk said that transferring the hostages in the next 72 hours, another key requirement, was unrealistic and that the group would not disarm before the Israeli occupation ended. Michal Wahid Hanna, of the International Crisis Group, said Mr Trumps response moved the process forward but could signal fresh tension with Israel. Hamass statement, which was a qualified yes, was aimed at convincing Trump that they were on board with his plan, and that approach seems to have succeeded with Trump now deeming their response as an acceptance, he said. His call for the fighting to come to an immediate end also likely sets up friction with Israel. Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu set out the plan on Monday, initially telling Hamas it had 72 hours to agree - Stringer/Anadolu/Getty Images The plan calls for a ceasefire, the disarmament of Hamas and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. It also sets out proposals for a transitional government, with a board of peace led by Mr Trump and includes Sir Tony Blair, the former British prime minister. Sources earlier suggested that Hamas was divided over Mr Trumps plan, with different factions pushing for unconditional approval and a ceasefire to be underwritten by mediators, and other groups wanting more clarification on how the broad framework would be implemented. The group must also navigate a geographical split between commanders on the ground in Gaza and its senior leadership based in the Qatari capital Doha. Murmurings from Gulf capitals earlier in the day suggested Hamas may come under pressure from Arab leaders to accept the deal in the interests of regional stability and economic growth. The Palestinian cause has long been an article of faith in the Arab world. But Saudi Arabia, for example, had signalled it was willing to consider normalising relations with Israel and build economic ties, until the Gaza war derailed talks. Amr Moussa, the former Egyptian foreign minister, said: The mood is to welcome the Trump initiative because of the general atmosphere of pessimism in the Middle East. Closer to peace Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, in a statement on Friday, said: Hamass acceptance of the US peace plan is a significant step forwards. We strongly support President Trumps efforts, which have brought us closer to peace than ever before. There is now an opportunity to end the fighting, for the hostages to return home, and for humanitarian aid to reach those who so desperately need it. We call on all sides to implement the agreement without delay. The UK, alongside our partners, stands ready to support further negotiations and to work towards sustainable peace for Israelis and Palestinians alike. Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, added his voice to those optimistic regarding the peace plan. He said: Peace in Gaza and the release of the hostages are within reach. Mr Merz said in posts on X that the plan represented the best chance for peace in the conflict and that Germany fully supports Mr Trumps call upon both sides. The war in Gaza will reach its second anniversary next week. More than 66,000 people have been killed, according to local authorities in the Hamas-run enclave, since Israel launched its bombardment. The offensive followed the Oct 7 attack, when more than 1,000 Israelis were murdered. Friday brought fresh reports of heavy bombing and shelling of Gaza City. Gazas civil defence agency said at least 11 people had been killed across the territory. A closed sign at the US Capitol in Washington DC. Photograph: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA As the US government shutdown stretched into its second day, Donald Trump on Thursday hailed the funding lapse as an unprecedented opportunity to further his campaign of firing federal workers and downsizing departments. The president announced on social media that he would sit down with Russell Vought, the White House office of management and budget chief, an architect of the mass firings and buyouts of federal workers. I have a meeting today with Russ Vought, he of PROJECT 2025 Fame, to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent, Trump wrote on Truth Social. I cant believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity. Trump sees unprecedented opportunity to punish Democrats as shutdown enters day two The government shut down on Wednesday at midnight, after Democrats refused to support a Republican plan to continue funding unless it included a series of healthcare-focused concessions. Vought has threatened to use the shutdown to conduct further layoffs of federal workers, and on Wednesday announced the cancellation of billions of dollars in federal funding for projects tied to Democrats. Read the full story Trump declares that drug cartels operating in the Caribbean are unlawful combatants Donald Trump has declared that drug cartels operating in the Caribbean are unlawful combatants and says the United States is now in a non-international armed conflict, according to a White House memo obtained by the Associated Press on Thursday. Read the full story Hamas to demand key revisions to Trump Gaza plan before accepting, sources say Hamas is likely to provisionally accept Donald Trumps Gaza ceasefire proposal in the coming days but only on condition there are significant revisions of some of its key elements, analysts and sources close to the group say. Read the full story California vows to instantly cut funding to universities that cave to Trump compact Any California universities that sign the Trump administrations proposed Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education will instantly lose their state funding, California governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement. The Trump administration on Wednesday offered nine prominent universities, including the University of Southern California, the chance to sign a compact that asks the universities to close academic departments that purposefully punish, belittle, and even spark violence against conservative ideas, limit the proportion of international undergraduate students to 15%, accept the administrations definition of gender and ban the consideration of race or sex in hiring and admissions, in exchange for substantial and meaningful federal grants. Read the full story Judge denies Kilmar Abrego Garcias bid for asylum in the US An immigration judge in Baltimore has denied Kilmar Abrego Garcias bid for asylum on Thursday, but he has 30 days to appeal. Abregos case has drawn national attention since the 30-year-old was wrongfully deported by the Trump administration to El Salvador in March. The Salvadorian national has an American wife and children and has lived in Maryland for years, but he originally immigrated to the US illegally as a teenager. Read the full story What else happened today: Elon Musk, the multibillionaire and self-proclaimed free speech absolutist , has in recent days trained his attention on getting people to cancel their Netflix subscriptions in protest of what he claims is the companys woke bias and inclusion of LGBTQ+ characters. The White House recently issued a press release with links to scientific studies to back up Trumps claim that use of acetaminophen, commonly referred to as Tylenol, during pregnancy causes autism, but those studies provided only weak and inconclusive evidence, according to physicians with expertise in reviewing medical research who spoke to the Guardian. Catching up? Heres what happened 1 October 2025. President Donald Trump on Friday called on Israel to cease the bombing campaign it has waged against Gaza to permit hostages to be released by Hamas after the militant group said it agreed in part to his 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza pending some negotiations of details. Writing on Truth Social, the president said Hamas was ready for a lasting PEACE based on a statement released by the group earlier in the day in which it agreed to proceed with the hostage exchange portion of the peace plan, which hed unveiled on Monday alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly! Right now, its far too dangerous to do that, Trump said. He also said discussions on details to be worked out were already in progress before adding: This is not about Gaza alone, this is about long sought PEACE in the Middle East. Trump has called on Israel to cease the bombing campaign it has waged against Gaza to permit hostages to be released by Hamas (REUTERS) The presidents announcement followed an earlier statement released by Hamas agreeing to release all Israeli prisoners, both living and dead, according to the exchange formula contained in President Trump's proposal so long as the field conditions for the exchange are met. It said the group appreciates the Arab, Islamic, and international efforts, as well as the efforts of U.S. President Donald Trump, calling for an end to the war on the Gaza Strip, the exchange of prisoners, [and] the immediate entry of aid. Hamas also said it had agreed to turn over the day-to-day responsibility of running Gaza, which it has controlled since 2007, to a Palestinian body of independents (technocrats), based on Palestinian national consensus and Arab and Islamic support while maintaining that other points in the 20-point plan regarding the future of Gaza should be discussed within a comprehensive Palestinian national framework that it would contribute to with full responsibility. At the same time, the groups statement did not address a provision in the plan calling on Hamas militant wing to permanently disarm. A senior Hamas official, Mousa Abu Marzouk, told Al Jazeera Friday that the group would not agree to do so before the Israeli occupation of the enclave ends, but said Hamas would be willing to hand over its weapons to a future Palestinian body that runs Gaza. The group added that it affirms its readiness to immediately enter, through the mediators, into negotiations to discuss the details." Smoke billows following an Israeli strike in Gaza City amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas (AFP via Getty Images) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was prepared for the implementation of the first stage of Trumps plan, referring to the release of hostages. But his office said in a statement early Saturday local time that Israel was committed to ending the war based on principles it has set out before without addressing potential gaps with Hamas. "In light of Hamass response, Israel is preparing for the immediate implementation of the first stage of President Trumps plan for the prompt release of all the hostages, the statement from Netanyahu's office said. We will continue to work in full cooperation with the President and his team to bring the war to an end in accordance with the principles set out by Israel, which are aligned with President Trumps vision." Protesters shout slogans against the visit Monday to the US of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Lafayette Square in Washington, DC (AFP/Getty) The militant groups announcement and Trumps call for Israel to halt bombing came just hours after Trump posted an ultimatum giving Hamas until 6:00 p. m. Sunday to accept the deal and vowed all hell would break out had an accord not been reached by then. If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas, he said, adding later that there would be PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. He also threatened Hamas several times in his Truth Social post, claiming that its members are surrounded and MILITARILY TRAPPED, just waiting for me to give the word, GO, for their lives to be quickly extinguished by Israeli forces while vowing that Hamas militants will be hunted down and killed and urging Palestinian civilians to evacuate this area of potentially great future death in Gaza City for safer parts of Gaza. In a video posted to his Truth Social Friday evening following his call to Israel to stop the bombing of Gaza the president said, I want to thank the countries that helped me put this together, Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and so many othersthis is a big day, well see how it all turns out. We have to get the final word down in concrete, Trump said. He added that he was looking forward to having the living hostages come home to their parents and said those hostages who are no longer alive will also be coming home. This is a very special day, maybe unprecedented in many ways but thank you all ... Everybody was unified in wanting this war to end and seeing peace in the Middle East, and were very close to achieving that. A spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, Majed Al Ansari, said in a statement that the government of Qatar welcomes the announcement by the Hamas movement of its agreement to the proposal ... to end the war in Gaza [and] its readiness to release all hostages, within the framework of the exchange formula outlined in the proposal. He added that Doha agreed with Trumps call for an immediate ceasefire to facilitate the safe and swift release of hostages and to achieve rapid results that stop the bloodshed of our Palestinian brothers in the Gaza Strip. US president Donald Trump warned Hamas has until Sunday to respond to his Gaza peace plan, and vowed all hell will break out if a deal is not reached by his new deadline. Trump demanded Hamas agree to his 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza by Sunday, 6pm Washington time (11pm BST), and insisted the group will be given one last chance to respond. If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas, he wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform on Friday. THERE WILL BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, he added in all caps. Various Israeli media reports, citing officials familiar with the talks, indicate that Hamas is likely to respond positively to the US proposal but with a series of amendments. However, the BBC reported that Izz al-Din al-Haddad, head of Hamass military wing in Gaza, opposes the plan and is determined to keep fighting. Trump threatened Hamas several times in his Truth Social post, claiming that its members are surrounded and MILITARILY TRAPPED, just waiting for me to give the word, GO, for their lives to be quickly extinguished. Israel has intensified its military operation in Gaza City (Reuters) He continued: As for the rest, we know where and who you are, and you will be hunted down and killed. He urged Palestinians to leave this area of potentially great future death for safer parts of Gaza, seemingly referring to Gaza City in the north of the enclave, where Israeli forces have intensified their bombing campaign. Around 400,000 Palestinians have fled Gaza City and have headed south since Israel launched a major offensive last month aimed at occupying it, but hundreds of thousands remain. On Wednesday, Israels defence minister, Israel Katz, issued a warning which he described as the last opportunity for Palestinians to leave Gaza City and move south. Those who remain in Gaza will be [considered] terrorists and terror supporters, he said. Benjamin Netanyahu met with Donald Trump in Washington last month (AP) At least 60 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza on Friday, including 37 in Gaza City alone, medical sources told Al Jazeera. In his Truth Social post, Trump assured those who choose to leave for safer parts of Gaza that they will be cared for by those that are waiting to help, without elaborating further. Trumps Sunday deadline comes just two days before the second anniversary of the 7 October Hamas terror attack that killed around 1,200 people and saw around 250 taken hostage. A Rabbi has said the Jewish community in Manchester had been expecting an attack to happen, as he reacted to the terror attack on a synagogue which killed two people. Rabbi Shlomie A. told The Independent that his first thought upon hearing news of the attack was "Oh wow, we've been waiting for this, this is kind of something that's been expected." The two victims have been named as 53-year-old Adrian Daulby and 66-year-old Melvin Cravitz, with both killed outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Crumpsall, after Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, drove into a group of people and stabbed a man on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Shlomie said the attack "makes us think, how long do Jews have actually left to live in the UK... it seems to be getting worse and worse", and he has thought about moving out of the area or country. The Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester was filled with Jewish families celebrating Yom Kippur (Getty) Our editorials call for unity after the Manchester synagogue attack has prompted a wide-ranging discussion among readers on how Britain can come together and why it often feels so divided. Many emphasised that solidarity must start with communities themselves. They argued that Britain has long prided itself on tolerance and diversity, but these values need to be actively defended rather than assumed. Several said interfaith events, visible shows of support for Jewish neighbours, and public acts of remembrance could help counter the fear and isolation many Jewish families now feel. But others warned that division is being deepened by political opportunism, polarised debate on Gaza, and the failure to tackle antisemitic rhetoric from both far-right extremists and elements of the left. Many called for tougher regulation of online platforms, which they accused of fuelling hatred while shirking responsibility for hosting such toxic discourse. Overall, readers urged that Britain confront antisemitism head-on while resisting the temptation to let grief and fear harden into mistrust between communities. Heres what you had to say: Enough of hate We've been encouraged to hate one another for at least the past 15 years aimed at one another, encouraged not to stand up for our communities, not to seek unity and solidarity, but to mistrust the next person. Hate and manipulation are used against us so we don't have our best interests at heart; we only assist the very rich and powerful in their attempts to strip us of everything we value as a country. A country is a community made up of many people from a range of backgrounds. I send best wishes to Manchester from Yorkshire. I hope for peace and an end to all wars and killing. Too often in this world we are told to hate the other person when all the majority want is to be safe, be well and get on in life. The majority don't want to see anyone hurt or harmed. We value fairness and justice in this country, and it is still there. We cling to hope and our connections. Too many people in positions of power across this world want to see us at each other's throats to spread hate and chaos. We need to say no more. Human beings have the capacity to care for people across this world who are being harmed and killed, be they in Manchester, Gaza, Ukraine, Israel, and many other places. Yes, some people seek only to harm, but human beings have a huge capacity to care for one another. It is time to call an end to the rich and powerful, the haters, manipulations, and war games, because some people in power see our lives as nothing else than something they can play with. They see no worth in ordinary people's lives, when we all have people in our life that we love and need us. Well, it's time we told the haters we don't want their hate and greed hurting us all anymore. It's time we told those aiming to destroy our lives we've had enough of your hate! JJAMMontoast The dark side of humanity Historically, Britain never had a "traditional tolerance"! It would be insulting to debunk the many myths, and it is not alone as such anyway. Human nature, shared backgrounds, and experiences cause people to form enclaves naturally. It's the same if you come from a rough housing estate or a prestigious public school. The dark side of humanity doesn't come from being different, but rather from calling other people different. As several of the comments point out, this human phenomenon has been used by many and not always for the benefit of those being used. ouleejit Supporting all communities Love, strength, support, and kindness to the families of those who sadly perished in Manchester and elsewhere today. We have more in common than that which divides us; may we find the strength to challenge those who seek to create and maintain such division. Peace and love. Bianca Jews are part of Britain Starmer said that Britain was a welcoming place for Jews. I find that wording wrong, albeit I wish it was unintentional. Why? Well, to welcome someone, you need to consider they come to you, so they are not you. Let me explain what I mean: imagine Starmer said Britain was a welcoming place for gays. That would imply that Britain welcomes gays as if they were not already part of Britain. Jews are not "welcomed" in Britain; they are part of Britain! The Jews are an integral part of Europe and its history too. Joe22 Social media profits from anger Anger is very profitable to social media in terms of engagement. When people are angry, they talk endlessly and uncontrollably about it. They obsess over it like an addiction. This then spreads like a virus, infecting others. Social media is also designed to encourage and promote any content that's profitable, regardless of what it is. It's no coincidence that society has become more fractured and hostile. We're seeing more and more blatant and open hate speech every year. Calls for more moderation are only a token gesture. It is going to get worse simply because these products are fundamentally geared towards promoting such content, and there isn't the political will or ability to ban these companies due to their profitability and popularity. Ajames Building bridges We need to be kind to each other. There are families hurting in Manchester this evening. It's really sad! Like the suffering in Gaza. We need to reach out and build bridges. Maggie20 Britain is not tolerant In no way is Britain a tolerant society. Britain is only tolerant to outsiders if they have the same skin colour, even if they are supportive of genocide. If you have a different skin colour, you will be accused of all sorts of despicable crimes, and the Met Police will be after you too. Wolfe Tone Some of the comments have been edited for this article for brevity and clarity. Want to share your views? Simply register your details below. Once registered, you can comment on the days top stories for a chance to be featured. Alternatively, click log in or register in the top right corner to sign in or sign up. Activist and former beauty queen Meghna Alam recalls that she first met Essa Yousef Al Duhailan, then Saudi Arabias ambassador to Bangladesh, at an event in Dhaka last September. Al Duhailan, she claims, pursued her with charm. First he gave her a copy of the Quran, a prayer mat and a prayer dress as gifts. Then he sent flowers, jewellery, and even 200kg of dates labelled a Gift from the King of Saudi Arabia. What followed is a saga that has gripped Bangladeshi gossip columns for months, but also had real and damaging consequences for Alams reputation, career and even her liberty. Brands have dropped their associations with her, and she has been arrested and accused of jeopardising her countrys relationship with Saudi Arabia, an important ally. Alam became a national celebrity when she won the Miss Earth Bangladesh pageant in 2020. She now chairs the Miss Bangladesh Foundation and identifies herself as a political leadership trainer. Now 30 years old, Alam says she was initially hesitant when the ambassadors advances began. But they soon embarked on a romantic relationship, she says. It was a whirlwind: intense, but brief. I also did like the fact that a very powerful man was pursuing me, she tells The Independent. So, I am not lying about this, okay? He seemed like a very genuine person. I can understand now that things were rushing too fast. Alam was drawn in by the attention that Duhailan showered on her. She says the envoy told her he was divorced, and gave her a diamond ring. But, she says, there was a caveat. Duhailan told her, Alam claims, that Saudi Arabian diplomats were not allowed to marry Bangladeshi nationals. Alam was taken aback. If they got married, Duhailan allegedly told her, it would not be recognised and have any legal basis in his home country. In 2021, multiple news reports, citing the Makkah Daily, suggested that Saudi Arabia had banned its men from marrying women from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Chad. The Independent has reached out to Saudi Arabian authorities for clarification. Even as talk of Alam and Duhailans marriage was in the air, rumours started circulating in their circles that she had gotten pregnant and had an abortion. In a Muslim society like Bangladeshs, pre-marital relations are frowned upon, and pregnancy or abortion outside of marriage is taboo. Meghna Alam says she attends court with symbolic personal items to prove she had no illicit relationship with former Saudi envoy (Meghna Alam) Alam felt targeted. She tells The Independent that brands refused to work with her after these rumours started flying. People were literally telling me, we cannot have a brand ambassador whos had an abortion, she says, who had an illegitimate child, with the ambassador. These, she insists, were all lies. A few months after they first met, Alam says she received a call from a woman who identified herself as Duhailans wife. The caller allegedly told her that Duhailan was fooling her. At one point she even racially abused Alam, allegedly telling her that he will be ashamed to even tell his friends that he loves a Bangal. Shocked by the callers claim that Duhailan was married, Alam says she returned most of his gifts. She kept the Quran, the prayer mat and a few other items of religious meaning. And she demanded that Duhailan clarify the rumours about her having aborted his child. I was so furious, she recalls. Alam says the diplomat had a good, positive image. She claims he would hold her shoes, feed her with his hands and be so helpful all the time. In the wake of the call, all she needed from him, she says, was to provide a proper closure and an apology. She warned him that she would make a formal complaint if he didnt speak out and clear her name. The next day, 9 April 2025, when Alam was still processing her confrontation with Duhailan, there was a knock on her door. Plain-clothed men declared they were there to talk about her birth certificate and alleged there were drugs in her house. Alam says she was terrified and confused. She went live on Facebook to document what was happening. What followed was two days of interrogation in a secretive government facility, she alleges, where she was cut off from her family, stripped of her phone and laptop, and pressured to retract her statements. It was an ordeal she describes as psychological torment designed to break her will. She was taken to the Detective Branch headquarters, she alleges, a place notorious during ousted leader Sheikh Hasinas rule for enforced disappearances. Inside, officers subjected her to intense questioning, compelling her to erase the live Facebook video and pressuring her to hand over her passwords. Alam alleges she was arrested before a formal complaint had been filed. She was charged days after her detention. The Independent has reached out to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police for comment. Alam says she was detained under flawed legal procedures after officials warned that displeasing the Saudi ambassador could threaten Bangladeshs economic relations with Riyadh. Local media reports said that she was accused of fraud, extortion, and honey-trapping diplomats. She was in addition accused of harming relations with Saudi Arabia. Police charged that, along with businessman Dewan Samir, CEO of Kawaii Group, and several other people, Alam was part of a syndicate that used women to entrap foreign diplomats and wealthy Bangladeshi traders in romantic schemes, extorting money by threatening to tarnish their reputations. On 10 April, a midnight court reportedly ordered Alams 30-day detention under the Special Powers Act, citing a threat to public safety. The next day, police claimed she had endangered state security and foreign relations. She was granted bail on 28 April, the Dhaka Tribune reported. Alam says that while she was in detention, her photos from public events where she appeared with former ministers or at the Indian High Commission were circulated online by unknown accounts to falsely portray her as a prostitute or foreign agent, undermining my work and identity. Meghna Alam says she faces public scrutiny and character assassination (Meghna Alam) In the meantime, a group of 27 womens rights advocates wrote to Muhammad Yunus, Bangladeshs interim leader, demanding Alams immediate release. The letter, signed by lawyers, academics, artists and other professionals, condemned the circumstances of her arrest, including the use of nearly 30 officers, detention without a warrant, and alleged violations of her fundamental rights. Amnesty International said it was deeply concerned about the use of the Special Powers Act for the arrest of model Meghna Alam. The draconian legislation, with vague, overbroad provisions, has historically been used to arbitrarily detain people for long periods of time, without charge, and without judicial oversight. These all constitute gross violations of due process safeguards and international human rights standards and best practices, the rights group noted. As per media reports, Meghnas detention was shrouded in secrecy, and was allegedly carried out without a warrant, which are considered to be alarming violations of procedural safeguards. We call on the authorities to either charge Meghna with an internationally recognisable crime or release her. They must also end the use of and repeal the Special Powers Act. Alam claims Duhailan left Bangladesh the very day she was detained. He deactivated his SIM, deleted his LinkedIn and Facebook accounts, she adds. The Independent couldnt find an online presence for Duhailan. Both the Saudi embassy in Dhaka and the Saudi foreign ministry have been contacted for comment, but had not replied at the time of publication. Alam has since moved back in with her parents. She is thankful that they have been supportive. She had to give away her apartment, she says, due to harassment in the wake of the scandal. She also says she endured severe psychological and emotional distress due to her unlawful detention, character assassination, and harassment. They dragged it to an extent that it made me an object of shame for the whole society, she says, fighting back tears. A lot of people who dont know me at all are saying stuff like, I have been a prostitute for this person. Im going to the court every month and people think that I pull a lot of stunts, but, to be honest, I know there is no legal way to fight him, because it seems certain forces within the government are plotting to save him. The Independent has contacted the Bangladeshi home affairs ministry for comment. To demonstrate that there was nothing illicit about her relationship with the diplomat, Alam always took a few symbolic personal items he had given her like the Quran and the prayer dress to all her court dates. It is almost a year since Alam first met the diplomat and she is still struggling to put her life back together. If there are continuously anti-state kind of statements being made about me, I mean, no matter how positive I want to be, this is an obstruction to my work, Alam says. This has been five months, and this way I cannot survive. New York woman charged after more than 200 animals and 95-year-old woman rescued from hoarding situation A New York woman has been charged with animal abuse and endangering an elderly person after more than 200 animals and a 95-year-old woman were rescued from a hoarding situation. Suffolk County authorities searched the home of Samantha Boyd, a 57-year-old Northport resident, early Wednesday morning after receiving a complaint of possible animal hoarding. Authorities found hundreds of domestic and wild animals living in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, according to a Thursday press release from the district attorneys office. Officials gave a non-exhaustive list of 26 different species, among them were dogs, cats, ferrets, flying squirrels, parrots, chickens and tortoises. All the animals were living in cages with piles of waste and filth, with unsanitary food and water sources, in severe states of overcrowding, officials said, adding that the inside of the home was infested with insects, spiders, and other pests. A New York woman has been charged after more than 200 animals and a 95-year-old woman were rescued from a 'hoarding situation' (Suffolk County District Attorney's Office) Officials found at least 26 different species, including dogs, cats, ferrets, flying squirrels, parrots, chickens and tortoises (Suffolk County District Attorney's Office) John Di Leonardo, anthrozoologist and Executive Director of Humane Long Island, said in a statement that the animals were languishing in their own filth with bone infections and staph infections. Inside the extremely cluttered home, which was filled wall-to-wall with debris, garbage, and household waste, authorities found an elderly woman who was confined by all the debris, the DAs office said. Authorities have not provided an update on her condition. All the animals were rescued within a one-day operation with the help of multiple non-profit organizations, and many of the animals will be up for adoption soon through local rescue groups including Humane Long Island, Wildlife Center of Long Island and Strong Island Animal Rescue. All the animals were 'living in cages with piles of waste and filth, with unsanitary food and water sources, in severe states of overcrowding,' officials said (Suffolk County District Attorney's Office) Some animals will be put up for adoption, and others will be moved back into the wild or to reputable sanctuaries (Suffolk County District Attorney's Office) As for the wild animals, Di Leonardo said his group would provide the animals with veterinary care that they so desperately need after they were obviously denied even the most basic care. We will then begin the process of moving them back to the wild or to reputable sanctuaries where they shouldve been all along. Boyd was arrested and charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty and one count of Endangering the Welfare of a Vulnerable Elderly Person. Boyds 61-year-old partner, Neal Weschler, was charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty. Boyd has pleaded not guilty, according to the New York Post. She was reportedly released from custody but is under the supervision of probation. Weschler is waiting for his arraignment hearing, the district attorney said, per the New York Post. This was a deeply distressing situation, but thanks to the swift action and collaboration between our office and the dedicated rescue partners, these animals are now safe and receiving the care that they urgently need, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said in a statement. Keir Starmer visited the scene in Manchester on Friday morning. His Government has been accused of two-tier policing - PETER BYRNE/PA WIRE Following the attack on a synagogue in Manchester, Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, has called for pro-Palestinian protests to be cancelled this weekend, as well as criticising those which went ahead on Thursday despite the tragedy that had unfolded just hours earlier. On todays Daily T, Camilla and Tim speak to the chief executive of the Campaign Against Antisemitism, Gideon Falter, who says he doesnt know if theres a place for Jews any more in the UK and that this country is failing its Jewish community with the Government to blame for pouring fuel on the fire. He also criticises the Met Police for failing to provide more officers to protect Jewish communities and says it is evidence that two-tier policing is very real. Jihad al-Shamie was armed with a knife when he approached the synagogue in Manchester The police bullet that struck one of the Manchester terror attack victims may have first travelled through the knifeman as well as the heavy synagogue doors, firearms experts have suggested. Greater Manchester Police confirmed on Friday that one of the two men who died in the atrocity at Heaton Park Synagogue had sustained a gunshot wound. Jihad al-Shamie, the Islamist terrorist, was armed with a knife and the only rounds discharged came from authorised firearms officers (AFOs), who opened fire to prevent further bloodshed. An investigation will now examine how the innocent victim was also struck by a bullet. Firearms specialists said it was possible it was the same round that had killed the terrorist. The armed officers who arrived at the scene within minutes of the first 999 call were carrying Heckler & Koch G36 5.56mm semi-automatic carbines. Credit: Facebook The high-velocity weapons were introduced in British policing in the wake of marauding terror attacks across Europe and Mumbai. They replaced the 9mm semi-automatic weapons as they were not thought to have enough firepower. One former firearms officer said: It became something of an arms race with the terrorists and it was decided that a 9mm carbine was not going to be sufficient to challenge someone who was firing an AK-47. The 5.56mm is a high velocity weapon that can put a round through a half inch steel plate at 100m. If a terrorist is wearing body armour then the 556 will go through that like it is going through butter. The round travels a lot faster and loses its energy less quickly than a 9mm. So while a 9mm will hit a head-size target at 50m, a 556 would hit a target the size of a penny at the same range. With the extra power comes the increased risk that the bullet will not stop travelling once it has hit the target. Its possible bullet continued its trajectory The firearms source said: Terminal ballistics describes what happens when a bullet hits a target but it is impossible to predict with any accuracy because unfortunately terminal ballistics is not a precise science. It is entirely possible that the bullet that struck the innocent victim had first struck the terrorist target but then continued its trajectory through the door or glass window of the synagogue. There has also been a change in the kind of bullets used by AFOs, with police moving from soft point rounds, which break up on impact, to trophy bonded ammunition where the copper casing is electronically welded to the lead. This sort of ammunition, which is more penetrative, was introduced in order to allow officers to fire through windscreens in order to stop a terrorist at the wheel of a car bomb. The firearms officers are trained to shoot at the central mass of the target which is usually the chest because this is the largest area. However, if they believe the terrorist is carrying a bomb or wearing a suicide belt, they may opt for a head shot. The source said: What you are trying to do in that case is hit the brain stem because in doing so you can prevent them being able to press a trigger and set off a device. 0410 Synagogue attack (what could have happened) It is also possible the bullet ricocheted off another object after hitting the target and then travelled through the synagogue door. During the London Bridge terror attack in 2017 a bystander was wounded when they were struck by a stray bullet from a police gun. In 2019, during the Fishmongers Hall attack, a police bullet ricocheted and struck a London bus. Another possibility is that the firearms officers missed the target with one of the shots and it struck the victim inside the building. When the officers arrived at the scene to be greeted by the unfolding carnage, Shamie would have been moving around as he tried to gain entry to the building. A retired firearms officer said: You discharge as many rounds as you feel appropriate in the circumstances. If you shoot someone once in the torso that may do it but there are a lot of factors to consider at pace. As a firearms officer you are not trying to wound the target or even kill him, you are trying to stop him and so will do what you need to do to achieve that. Another police firearms source said: One can only begin to imagine how these officers are feeling today. Remember they are volunteers. They turned up to this awful scene and seven minutes after the first 999 call the terrorist was dead. But today their thoughts will be with the family of the innocent victims of this terrorist atrocity. Kieron Hatton remained proud of his Welsh roots and never missed a chance to cheer on the national rugby team Photograph: family handout My husband, Kieron Hatton, who has died aged 72 of cancer, was a radical social worker, community activist and leading academic in social work and social pedagogy, a discipline that emphasises creativity, inclusion and a holistic approach in social work practice. After graduating with a degree in social policy and administration at Portsmouth Polytechnic, and qualifying as a social worker at Swansea University, Kieron began work in Port Talbot. In 1979, he joined Cardiff Law Centre, a pioneering model of radical community legal work. He became central to the law centres ethos: collectivising individual legal problems into campaigns, standing with marginalised communities and resisting injustice through grassroots organising. Kieron received an MA in policy analysis from the University of Bristol and later completed a PhD at Portsmouth University, integrating academic research with a lifetime of activism. He brought his experience into the classroom, becoming a lecturer in social work at the Open University and then head of the social work centre at Portsmouth, where he taught for 27 years from 1992, followed by five years at Solent University in Southampton (2020-25). Born in Newport and raised in Merthyr Tydfil, along with his younger sister, Kieron was the son of Raymond Hatton, a further education lecturer, and Shelagh (nee Mcdermott) and he remained proud of his Welsh roots long after leaving Wales, never missing an opportunity to cheer on the national rugby team. Whilst Kieron was a student at Cyfarthfa grammar school, his father, like many local men, volunteered to dig for bodies after the Aberfan disaster. His witnessing of the grief, and the inadequacy of the states response, became a defining political moment for Kieron, leading to a lifelong commitment to socialism and to challenging injustice. He authored books and articles and regularly presented at conferences on a diverse range of issues, including the involvement of people with experience in social work practice and social pedagogy. I met Kieron in Cardiff at a meeting for private tenants he had organised. We married in 1991 and had two sons. Kieron taught others to question, to organise and to care, not in a sentimental sense, but in the practical, unrelenting way that changes the world. He was a loving father to his children Geraint and Sian, from his marriage in 1972 to Lyn (nee Curtis), which ended in divorce, and our sons, Cal and Ruari. He was also close to the partners of his children. He is survived by me, his children, and seven grandchildren. Melvin Cravitz was one of the two men who died after the terror attack The two men who were killed in the Manchester synagogue terror attack have been named by police. Melvin Cravitz, 66, and Adrian Daulby, 53, from Crumpsall, died in the attack outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue on Thursday morning. Terrorist Jihad Al-Shamie wore a fake suicide vest as he drove into a group gathering for Yom Kippur, Judaisms holiest day, before stabbing worshippers. He was shot dead by police seven minutes after officers were alerted to the attack. Elchonon and Hindi Cohen, friends of Mr Cravitz, visited his home on Friday morning to convey their sorrow and condolences. Mr Cohen said: He was a lovely person. Always with a joke, always making a smile. He had his humour. Mrs Cohen added: He would visit us often. Before every festival, we would have him over for a meal. He was very beloved. He was a figure around here. If you saw Melvin, you stopped and talked. He didnt always have it easy. He had health issues, but he was always with a joke and a smile. The attack devastated the community on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar - Paul Currie/AFP Mr Cravitz, who had had two heart operations, did not have children of his own but was regarded as a beloved uncle figure by his wife Karens children from a previous marriage. He didnt have immediate family of his own, but the family he had, he was desperate to connect with, said Mrs Cohen. This is a tragedy for all of them. David Salzman, Mr Cravitzs boss described him as such a special person with a big heart. He told the Manchester Evening News he spent Thursday at a different synagogue and did not learn that Mr Cravitz was one of the victims until Friday morning. He said: Im really shocked, Im still in shock sitting here. He was an unbelievable person, such a special person with a big heart. He was always there for everyone. You always have that one person thats just so special and wants to help and nothing was a problem for him. Mr Salzman added that Mr Cravitz had semi-retired around three years ago, but would still help out in the store and the customers loved him. He also helped out at his local foodbank, Mr Salzman said. A lovely guy Mr Daulby was pictured on a neighbours CCTV almost 24 hours before the attack. The 53-year-old lived alone in Crumpsall, just a 10-minute walk from the Heaton Park synagogue. He was seen on CCTV entering his neighbour John Kellys house at 10.47am on Wednesday to feed his cat. Mr Kelly, 52, told The Telegraph: He was a lovely guy. He used to feed my cat while I was away and I used to do his garden. He said that he grew up with Mr Daulby after first meeting when they were around six or seven years old. Although they went to different schools Mr Kelly is not Jewish they spent much of their childhood together and would often play football in the street. Mr Kelly said that Mr Daulbys father worked at a Jewish tailor before he died about three years ago. He said Mr Daulby had suffered from cancer in recent years and did not like to be photographed. The families of both victims are being supported by specialist family liaison officers, GMP has confirmed. Det Ch Supt Lewis Hughes said: My deepest sympathies are with Mr Daulby and Mr Cravitzs loved ones at this extremely hard time. This is a very dark time Sir Ephraim Mirvis, the Chief Rabbi, said he would be arriving in Manchester on Friday morning to pay his respects to the victims. Speaking on the Today programme, he said: Im going to be arriving in Manchester early this morning, together with my wife, in order to be with a grieving community, and this is a very dark time, not just for Jews of Britain but for all of our society because this wasnt merely an attack against Jews, it was an attack against the values of our society. He said that Britain had witnessed an unrelenting wave of hatred against Jews being expressed on our streets, on campuses, right across social media and some of the media. Three other victims remain in hospital with serious injuries. On Thursday night, police said the attacker was Al-Shamie, 35, a British citizen of Syrian descent. Police identified the attacker as Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, a British citizen of Syrian descent A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said Al-Shamie had not had any previous referrals to Prevent, the Governments anti-radicalisation programme. It is understood he entered the UK as a young child and was granted British citizenship in 2006. GMP said three other suspects have been arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism. They are two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s. The terrorist was seen trying to get into the synagogue The Manchester synagogue terror attacker has been named as Jihad Al-Shamie. The 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent was shot dead by police moments after he targeted worshippers at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester shortly before 9:30am. Two people were killed and four others were injured in the car and knife attack, which took place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. The attack began when a black Kia Picanto car ploughed into people standing outside the synagogue. The suspect, wearing all black, then climbed from the car carrying a knife and began stabbing an already injured security guard. Al-Shamie was shot within seven minutes of the first call to the emergency services and three people have since been arrested over the attack, including two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s. Members of the Armed Forces outside the synagogue - Getty Images Al-Shamie is understood to have entered the UK as a young child and granted British citizenship in 2006 when he was around the age of 16. A neighbour of a house raided in Langley Crescent, Prestwich, which appears to be a council house, said she recognised its occupant from photographs of the synagogue attacker. She told The Telegraph: He lived there 10 years, with no wife or kids that I could see. He never seemed to speak to anyone around here. I recognised him from the pictures of the attacker. I recognised his little car, the Kia, because hed always park it badly outside ours. Id see him walking around in his pyjamas and slip-on sandals, carrying a shopping bag. He was quite bulked up and used to keep his exercise weights in his garage. Id see them there. Two firearms officers were seen on social media footage surrounding a man on the ground, shouting at members of the public to get back, he has got a bomb. Credit: Facebook Moments later, the terrorist attempted to get to his feet before officers shouted a warning and gunshots rang out. Sir Keir Starmer flew back to the UK early from a meeting of European leaders in Denmark to chair an emergency Cobra meeting on the stabbing. The Prime Minister said the Government had deployed additional police assets at synagogues across the country. Gideon Saar, the Israeli foreign minister, said authorities in Britain had failed to take the necessary action to curb this toxic wave of anti-Semitism and have effectively allowed it to persist. He added: The truth must be told: blatant and rampant anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli incitement, as well as calls of support for terror, have recently become a widespread phenomenon in the streets of London, in cities across Britain, and on its campuses. Thank you for following our live coverage Here is a recap of todays events: Jihad Al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent, drove a vehicle into members of the public outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue before stabbing several people in Crumpsall, Greater Manchester. Two male members of the Jewish community were pronounced dead at the scene and three men remain in hospital with serious injuries. The terrorist was shot seven minutes after police were called to the scene at 9.31am and was later pronounced dead. A police chief praised the security guards for their bravery in preventing the attacker from accessing the synagogue full of worshippers. Counter Terrorism Policing has arrested two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism. The Prime Minister cut his Copenhagen trip short to chair a Cobra meeting, after which he warned that hatred is rising once again in Britain which must be defeated. Israel accused Sir Keir Starmer of failing to curb a toxic wave of anti-Semitism ahead of the Manchester synagogue terror attack. Scuffles broke out in the centre of Manchester after police allowed a pro-Palestine event to go ahead, while pro-Palestine protesters also clashed with police in Westminster. This is the day we hoped we would never see, but knew would come, says Chief Rabbi The UKs Chief Rabbi said the terror attack outside a Manchester synagogue was the tragic result of an unrelenting wave of Jew hatred on our streets, campuses, on social media and elsewhere. Our hearts are shattered, Sir Ephraim Mirvis said in a statement on X. This is the day we hoped we would never see, but which deep down, we knew would come. For so long we have witnessed an unrelenting wave of Jew hatred on our streets, on campuses, on social media and elsewhere - this is the tragic result. This not only an assault on the Jewish community, but an attack on the very foundations of humanity and the values of compassion, dignity and respect which we all share. Sir Ephraim, who has been Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth since 2013, said he had spoken with Rabbi Daniel Walker, the spiritual leader of the Heaton Park Synagogue. His courageous leadership, together with the resilience of his congregation, are an inspiration to us all, he said, adding: May the victims memories be for a blessing and may the injured be granted a swift recovery. I pray that this tragedy strengthens our collective resolve to confront antisemitism, in all its guises, once and for all. Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis photographed in 2023 - Jamie Lorriman Suspect entered the UK as a young child Jihad Al-Shamie entered the UK as a young child and was granted British citizenship in 2006 as a minor, The Telegraph understands. We feared this was coming, says Board of Deputies The Board of Deputies and the Jewish Leadership Council have said they are devastated by todays terror attack. The groups thanked the police and the synagogues security team for their courageous action, as well as the government, the King, the Prime Minister and other senior politicians for their expressions of support. At this dark time, these acts of solidarity will be a comfort to our community, they said, adding: At a time of rising antisemitism in the UK, this attack was sadly something we feared was coming. We call on all those in positions of power and influence to take the required action to combat hatred against Jewish people, and will be working with the authorities on a series of additional measures to protect our community over the coming days. Flowers lie at the scene in north Manchester - Temilade Adelaja/REUTERS Two men dead and three men in hospital Counter Terrorism Police have confirmed that two men were pronounced dead at the scene and that three other men remain in hospital with serious injuries. They said one of those men sustained a stab wound and a second was struck by the car involved in the attack. The third man later presented himself at hospital with an injury that may have been sustained as officers stopped the attacker. Manchester synagogue attacker named by police Counter Terrorism Police have confirmed the name of the suspect as Jihad Al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent. Police added that three people have been arrested and are being held on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism. They are two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s. Police said based on what they currently know, their records do not show any previous Prevent referrals relating to Al-Shamie. Blood of British Jews on the hands of virtue-signalling politicians, says Campaign Against Anti-Semitism Campaign Against Antisemitism has said todays attack was made inevitable after successive governments ignored every warning over radicalisation. Gideon Falter, the chief executive, said: Today, the blood of British Jews is on the hands of virtue-signalling politicians who have poured fuel on the fire of extremism with their posturing and appeasement, police forces and police chiefs who have failed to tackle the mobs on our streets, universities and schools that have tolerated incitement, the BBC whose bias and moral collapse has essentially turned them into spokespeople for Hamas, whom they still refuse to call terrorists, and regulators like the Charity Commission that has failed abjectly to address dangerous rhetoric at mosques. Mr Falter called urgent action to prevent further attacks. He added: The eyes of the Jewish people worldwide and decent Britons across the country now turn to Downing Street, not for thoughts and prayers or empty declarations that antisemitism has no place in Britain, but to hear what concrete, forceful measures will now be enacted. Spare us the statements and instead ensure Jews are safe, says Chief Rabbi President of the Conference of European Rabbis, Pinchas Goldschmidt, has called for more to be done to stamp out murderous ideologies following the terror attack in Manchester. Jews in Manchester, England, woke up this morning to pray, and were murdered in their own synagogue, the Chief Rabbi said. More needs to be done to stamp out murderous ideologies. Governments from the world over should spare us the statements about fighting antisemitism and instead ensure Jews are safe. Pinchas Goldschmidt, former chief rabbi in Moscow who led after the invasion of Ukraine - Quique Kierszenbaum Starmer visits London synagogue Sir Keir Starmer has visited a synagogue in London this evening. His wife, Lady Starmer, is Jewish. Watch: Pro-Palestine protesters clash with police Pro-Palestine protesters have clashed with police outside the gates of Downing Street just hours after a terror attack at a Manchester synagogue. Thousands of people waving Palestinian flags gathered in central London to protest against Israeli forces boarding Greta Thunbergs Gaza-bound flotilla. Credit: X/@NatashaC/LBC Weve seen this before, its part of Jewish history An American tourist caught up in the pro-Palestine protests in London said the sentiment was sad to witness but unsurprising. Justin Alintoff, 26, originally from New York, said: Theyre choosing to protest on Yom Kippur they know what theyre doing and they know that its the holiest Jewish day of the year. He added: I think the problem is, when you ask the protesters here about the attack, they say, It shouldnt have happened, but But I dont think there should be a but after any terrorist attack, especially one which kills people that are trying to worship in peace. And so, I think its sad. Its a shame. And unfortunately, its a part of Jewish history that weve been oppressed, weve been attacked. Im from New York, and from those who Ive spoken to, Ive heard that people are extremely concerned and threatened in London. Weve seen this before, if you look in the history book, weve seen anti-Semitism, and anti-Jewish sentiment, for thousands of years. Demonstrators gather in Parliament Square on Thursday - Jack Taylor/Reuters Time for British leaders to come to their senses, says Israeli minister Israels national security minister has called on the British Government to come to its senses after todays terror attack. Posting on the Telegram messaging app, Itamar Ben-Gvir said Britain had received a cruel reminder today that those who strengthen terrorism will eventually be struck within their own country. He added: It is time for British leaders to come to their senses and understand what the citizens of the State of Israel go through every day - terrorism does not discriminate between Israelis and Englishmen. Today its against Jews, tomorrow its against the entire Western world. I dont give a f*** about the Jewish community right now, says pro-Palestine protestor An attendee at a pro-Palestine protest in Westminster has said todays terror attack pales in comparison to the plight of Greta Thunbergs flotilla. Fiona Smith, 42, told The Telegraph: I dont give a f*** about the Jewish community right now. I thought about it and Im sorry about what happened, but the whole story and why were here is because of what happened yesterday [with the flotilla]. Some vessels in the Global Sumud Flotilla, which have been sailing towards Gaza carrying aid, were boarded by the Israeli military on Thursday morning. People chant in Parliament Square to demand protection for the Gaza flotilla - Jack Taylor/REUTERS Ms Smiths friend, Sibilla Todaro, 39, who lives in London, added: The fact that theyve been attacked doesnt mean that weve been attacked as well. Weve been attacked for three years. The fact that were here does not mean that we do not respect them and we do not feel sorry for what happened, which is obviously a tragic incident. But we shouldnt [stop everything] the show must go on. None of us are against the Jewish community - were against Zionism. Theres a lot of Jewish people here with us protesting, which clearly means they condemn what happened today as well as they support this. Theyre not mutually exclusive. This is an emergency protest because there has been an attack yesterday - theyve taken and effectively kidnapped a bunch of people in the flotilla from different countries in international waters and thats a crime. But no ones doing anything against Israel, because Israel is supported by the United States. A demonstrator speaks through a megaphone in Parliament Square on Thursday evening - Jack Taylor/REUTERS Scuffles break out at Pro-Palestine march in Manchester Scuffles have broken out at a pro-Palestine march in the centre of Manchester this evening. Earlier today, police said it would let a pro-Palestine protest go ahead at a Manchester Piccadilly railway station just hours after a terror attack on a synagogue. The British Transport Police said it would facilitate peaceful protest but warned officers would intervene if protesters tried to gain access to the station. Scuffles have broken out at a Pro-Palestine march in Manchester centre - William Lailey / SWNS One woman, who lost her hat in a scuffle, said: Im just so upset this has been held today. Im all for free speech on any other day, but its not right to be doing this today. Also among the critics was Nick Voss, 49, who said: After whats happened today, this should have been cancelled out of respect. I know that they are on an opposing side, but I think it should have been cancelled. We all have a right to protest, but these guys arent respectful. As far as Im concerned, theyre terror supporters and far-left communists and they disgust me to my absolute core. He added: It was upsetting to see what happened in Heaton Park, I know a couple of people who were nearby when it happened and theyre shocked. Ive come today to stand against this protest and Ill do it every single week. Pro-Palestinian protestors marched htrough Manchester centre - William Lailey / SWNS Those who seek to divide us will fail, says Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, said the Government has stepped up security at synagogues across the whole of the country She added: It will just take a little time for us to establish exactly what has happened here, but we will share more information as soon as we are able to. What I do want to say is to those who seek to divide us, they will fail. The Home Secretary delivers a statement in the wake of the Manchester attack - Phil Noble/REUTERS Speaking at the same press conference, Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, thanked the emergency services for their exemplary blue light response. We ask everyone to show solidarity to the Jewish community this weekend, and already weve mobilised through our interfaith network messages of support and solidarity through places of worship, he added. Shabana Mahmood and Andy Burnham arrive in Crumpsall - Phil Noble/Reuters Worshippers carried on service in face of terror A man who took refuge in the synagogue as the attack unfolded has revealed how worshippers carried on their Yom Kippur service after being evacuated. Rob Kanter, 45, said: I was in the synagogue at the time of the incident. You feel an initial sense of shock and disbelief, because its the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. You go over the road to the synagogue and just think, OK, today is going to be quite a long day of prayers, its going to be quite a lot of people in and itll be hopefully a nice atmosphere. I think its the shock of it. It was shortly after 9am, probably about 9.20am. Its all a bit of a blur, because we could hear when the police arrived, heard some shots, then the police came in and we were taken out from the main centre part of the synagogue, moved to safety in the back hall and then, of course, we were taken out of the premises. Weve been with the police for the whole day. I was bewildered, because the adrenaline kicks in and youre just kind of like am I really hearing that? Mr Kanter said the worshippers evacuated across Middleton Road to a nearby relief centre where they carried on parts of the service. We continued to do part of the service, because at the end of the day, of course, its awkward and its difficult and people have got a multitude of emotions going on, but we carried on, he added. We did not do the whole service, but we did what we could in the circumstances. A forensic technician works at the scene - Hannah McKay/REUTERS British Jews are now targets because UK treats Israel as a pariah British Jews are now targets because the Government treats Israel as a pariah, a man who was married at the synagogue attacked today has said. Nigel Tobias, a member of Manchesters Jewish Representative Council who was married and had his Bar Mitzvah at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, told Sky News: Its quite a simple link. Most Jews identify as Zionists, which is self-determination for a Jewish state. It does not preclude self-determination for Palestinian state, which I have fought to achieve for many years, working with Palestinians. But I think whats happened is that Israel has been made a pariah state by the UK and therefore most Jews who identify as Zionists, or are considered Zionists, have become a target. Weakness in face of terrorism only brings more terrorism, says Netanyahu The Israeli prime minister has suggested that a weak response to terrorism will only embolden the terrorists. In a post on social media site X, Benjamin Netanyahu said: Israel grieves with the Jewish community in the UK after the barbaric terror attack in Manchester. Our hearts are with the families of the murdered, and we pray for the swift recovery of the wounded. As I warned at the UN: weakness in the face of terrorism only brings more terrorism. Only strength and unity can defeat it. Yom Kippur will have kept some in the dark There is a sense of shock and anger at the police cordon, but mainly confusion as many of the community are unable to use their phones on this Jewish holiday. A 23-year-old Jewish man, who asked not to be named, said it was very likely that many in the community would still not know about the attack. He said: Its a close knit community but the sad thing is that there will be loads of people who dont know its happened because they cant check their phones - they definitely picked this day on purpose. He said it was a frightening time to be a Jewish person in Manchester. He said: It was only a matter of time. People have been saying this is going to happen again and again and its just been a case of preparing for it. I dont think Manchester has done enough to protect us - in terms of putting security outside synagogues. Its a scary time to be a Jewish person in Manchester at the moment. Not for me so much but for older people in their 50s or 60s who cant defend themselves. At 7:23pm tonight Yom Kippur ends & many Jewish people will turn on their phones & hear about today's horrific attack for the 1st time. Let's flood their feeds & phones with love so they know they're not alone. Share this or your own words at 7:23pm#BritainStandsTogether pic.twitter.com/LAuVWZX7zy Together (@togethercoalit) October 2, 2025 Starmer vows to protect Jews in Britain Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to guarantee the security of Jews in Britain. Speaking after the Cobra meeting, he said: To every Jewish person in this country, I also want to say this: I know how much fear you will be holding inside of you, I really do. And so, on behalf of our country, I express my solidarity, but also my sadness that you still have to live with these fears. Nobody should have to do that. Nobody. And so I promise you that I will do everything in my power to guarantee you the security that you deserve, starting with a more visible police presence, protecting your community. I promise you that over the coming days, you will see the other Britain, the Britain of compassion, of decency, of love. I promise you that this Britain will come together to wrap our arms around your community and show you that Britain is a place where you and your family are safe, secure and belong. The Prime Minister said Britain must defeat anti-Semtisim once again - James Manning/PA Hatred is rising once again in Britain, warns Starmer Sir Keir Starmer has warned that hatred is rising once again in Britain which must be defeated. Speaking after chairing an emergency Cobra meeting, the Prime Minister condemned the vile attack and vowed to guarantee Jews in Britain the security they deserve. He said: Earlier today, on Yom Kippur, the holiest day for the Jewish community, a vile individual committed a terrorist attack that attacked Jews because they are Jews, and attacked Britain because of our values. So many Jewish families first came to this country as a place of refuge, fleeing the greatest evil ever inflicted on a people, and Britain welcomed them. Communities like the one attacked in Manchester provided safety, but also the security that comes from a promise that this is a country that stands up to hatred and that we dont just provide refuge, we provide a home. He added: Britain is also a country where Jewish buildings, synagogues, even schools require round the clock protection, where dedicated specialist security is necessary because of the daily threat of antisemitic hatred. Todays horrific incident shows why. And while this is not a new hate, this is something Jews have always lived with, we must be clear, it is a hatred that is rising once again, and Britain must defeat it once again. Sir Keir Starmer speaking at 10 Downing Street - James Manning/PA Police will let pro-Palestine protest go ahead in Manchester this evening Police will let a pro-Palestine protest go ahead at a Manchester railway station just hours after a terror attack on a synagogue. The British Transport Police (BTP) said they are stepping up patrols after pro-Palestine activists began urging each other to descend on Manchester station at 5.30pm on Thursday. A force spokesman said BTP would facilitate peaceful protest but that officers would intervene if protesters tried to get inside the station. Social media posts urged pro-Palestine activists to block the tracks in protest against Israels arrest of Greta Thunberg. Thunberg and a group of friends were detained earlier this week off the Israeli coast after attempting to sail what they described as the Sumud flotilla to Gaza. Posters being shared on social media urged pro-Palestine activists to converge on 19 locations around the country between 5.30pm and 6pm on Thursday. Most of them are major railway stations in major towns and cities. Locations named include Parliament Square, Cardiff Central, Sheffield train station, Farnborough station in Surrey, Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly station. Vest which had appearance of an explosive device was not viable A vest which had the appearance of an explosive device worn by the suspect was not viable, Greater Manchester Police said. As a result, Operation Plato - the national code-word for responding to a marauding terror attack - has been stood down but major incident status remains. A spokesman added: We are working to get answers to other questions asked earlier as soon as we are able to and will update you proactively. A bomb disposal technician secures evidence at the scene - Hannah McKay/REUTERS Starmer has failed to take action to curb toxic wave of anti-Semitism, says Israeli minister Israels foreign affairs minister Gideon Saar said the Jewish community of Britain is facing a horrific wave of anti-Semitism. In a post on social media site X, he wrote: I am appalled by the murderous attack near the Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester on the morning of the holiest day for the Jewish people: Yom Kippur. My deepest condolences go to the families who have lost their loved ones, and I wish a swift and full recovery to the injured. I stand with the wonderful Jewish community of Britain, which is currently suffering from a horrific wave of anti-Semitism. The truth must be told: blatant and rampant anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli incitement, as well as calls of support for terror, have recently become a widespread phenomenon in the streets of London, in cities across Britain, and on its campuses. The authorities in Britain have failed to take the necessary action to curb this toxic wave of anti-Semitism and have effectively allowed it to persist. We expect more than words from the Starmer government. We expect and demand a change of course, effective action, and enforcement against the rampant anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli incitement in Britain. Gideon Saar in Belgrade, Serbia, on 30 Sept - ANDREJ CUKIC/EPA/Shutterstock Timeline of the attack A police chief has praised the rapid response of the emergency services to the terror attack in Manchester. Here is a recap of how events unfolded today: 9:31am: Police receive reports from a member of the public of a car being driven at people outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, and a man being stabbed. 9:37am: Police declare Operation Plato - the national code-word for responding to a marauding terror attack. 9:38am: Armed officers fire shots, later confirming that a man, thought to be the suspect, was shot and is believed to be dead. 9:41am: Paramedics arrive at the scene and tend to injured members of the public. Police initially say four people are thought to have been injured. 11:08am: Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemns the attack. 12:11pm: Police confirm two members of the public have died. Police say three more people are in a serious condition. 1:30pm: Explosions heard at the scene. 2.11pm: Police confirm the attacker has also died. 3.30pm: Counter-terrorism policing declares terror attack. An armed officer near the synagogue in Crumpsall - Peter Byrne/PA Worshipper recalls narrow escape A member of the synagogue has told of how he could have been attacked by the terrorist if he had arrived at his normal time. Walter Bloom, 87, said he would have been right in the middle of the attack if he had not turned up four or minutes later than usual. I got up to go to the synagogue because its the holiest day of the year and as I left the house, all the traffic was held up on the main road and I knew something was wrong, he said. When I walked past the synagogue I saw the police were in the grounds and they were pointing a gun at one of the guys shouting to them show me your hands, show me your hands, show me your hands. I kept on waking and a minute later I heard gunshots. Mr Bloom, who has been a synagogue member for 45 years, added: If Id have been four or five minutes earlier, Id have been right in the middle of it and I normally get there for that time. Members of the Jewish community comfort each other near to the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue - Peter Byrne/PA Home Secretary in Manchester Shabana Mahmood has travelled to Greater Manchester Police HQ to get the latest operational update and to show her support to officers. Home Office sources said the Home Secretary thanked the chief constable Sir Stephen Watson for the forces response and offered her full support to the police and emergency services. She also spoke to the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham. She pledged to provide any support needed to the city of Manchester and expressed her sympathies to all those affected. She has also spoken to Jewish leaders, including Marc Levy of the Jewish Leadership Council and Mark Gardner, Community Security Trust Chief Executive. Sources said she expressed her profound horror at the attack at the Heaton Park Synagogue, especially on Yom Kippur. She set out her most steadfast support to the Jewish community and said she would work across Government and law enforcement so Jewish people were reassured that everything possible is being done to keep them safe. She will join the emergency Cobra meeting chaired by Sir Keir Starmer by video link from Manchester Todays murders raise questions about state of UK, says Badenoch Kemi Badenoch has said the attack on the Manchester synagogue raises new questions about the state of the UK. In a post on X, she said: The murders in Manchester shock us all. Jews murdered simply for being Jews. That should not be the UK of 2025. But it is. On Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, Jews take time for introspection. To ask themselves - where have we gone wrong in the past, and what do we need to do to be better in the future. These are questions we urgently need to ask ourselves as a nation. Todays murders raise new questions. And they will require new answers. Graphic content warning: Bomb disposal unit inspects suspects body Warning: The hidden image shows a bomb disposal technician inspecting the back of the suspects dead body using a metal detector. Video shared on social media appeared to show police officers warning bystanders to get back and move on because the suspect had a bomb. The police are yet to confirm whether explosives items have been found at the scene, but loud explosions were heard earlier in the day. Bravery of security staff and worshippers prevented attacker entering synagogue The chief constable of Greater Manchester Police has thanked security staff and worshippers at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue for their bravery. He said: At this time, we know that a car was driven directly at members of the public outside the Heaton Park Hebrew congregation synagogue on Middleton Road, Crumsall, in Manchester.. The driver of the car was seen then to attack people with a knife. He was wearing about his body a vest which had the appearance of an explosive device. There were a large number of worshippers attending the synagogue at the time of this attack, but thanks to the immediate bravery of security staff and worshippers inside, as well as the fast response of the police, the attacker was prevented from gaining access. Suspect shot within seven minutes of first call Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson of Greater Manchester Police has said the suspect was shot within minutes of the first call to emergency services. Following a rapid response, armed officers from Greater Manchester Police intercepted the offender and he was fatally shot by officers within seven minutes of the original call, he said. Sir Stephen confirmed that two members of Greater Manchesters Jewish community had died as a result of the attack. He said his thoughts and those of his officers were with the families of those affected by todays horrific incident. Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Stephen Watson - PAUL CURRIE/AFP Cobra meeting expected to begin shortly Sir Keir Starmer has arrived back in Downing Street to chair a Cobra meeting on the Manchester attack. The head of counter-terrorism policing, who just gave a press conference outside Scotland Yard, has also entered No 10. Sir Keir Starmer arrives at 10 Downing Street - James Manning/PA Im not surprised, says former counter-terrorism coordinator A former national coordinator for counter-terrorism policing has said he is not surprised about the attack at the synagogue on Yom Kippur, because holy days bring an additional element of concern. Nick Aldworth told BBC Radio 4: Im not surprised that its happened. Yesterday, when I was driving home, there was a feature on Radio 4, which mentioned that today was Yom Kippur - Id forgotten. My immediate thought was oh, gosh, I hope nothing awful happens. And the reason I say that is because, for years, weve recognised that high holy days bring an additional element of concern to the Jewish community and to those of us who have been tasked with protecting those communities. And certainly in London I used to be responsible for a massive operation, probably the second biggest operation to New Years or Notting Hill Carnival, to actually protect those communities across the high holy day period. So I know the same is reflected in Manchester, which may well account for why theres been such a quick response up there today. But no, Im not surprised. We believe we know suspects identity The national head of counter-terrorism policing, just confirmed this in a statement outside New Scotland Yard in London. Speaking outside Scotland Yard, Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said: We believe we know their identity, but for safety reasons at the scene, we are unable to confirm at this stage. He said three other members of the public are in a serious condition. Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor Manchester synagogue killings declared terror attack The head of counter-terrorism policing has confirmed the killings are being treated as a terror attack and that two people have been arrested. Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said: We have also made two further arrests, and based on what we know, counter terrorism policing has declared this as a terrorist incident. He added: An attack on our Jewish community today on Yom Kippur is devastating. Communities across the UK would normally be marking this holy day. UK policing is mobilising, and its mobilising fast. Police forces are stepping up patrols across the country and at synagogues and Jewish sites, and more widely to provide reassurance to all those communities who have been affected by the atrocity. Counter-terrorism police chief to make statement Were expecting to hear from the head of counter-terrorism policing shortly. Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor is due to make a statement, followed by a statement from the Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson. British Muslim Trust warns against exploiting this violence The British Muslim Trust described the attack as despicable and cowardly, as it warned of potential retaliatory acts. The trust, a Government-funded organisation monitoring incidents of anti-Muslim hate, warned no-one should be allowed to exploit this violence to deepen the division they seek. Akeela Ahmed, the trusts chief executive, said: The attack in Manchester this morning is shocking and utterly abhorrent, and to commit these acts on Yom Kippur is sickening. We are deeply saddened by the loss of life and our thoughts and best wishes go to all those affected. There is never, and can never be, any place for this sort of despicable, cowardly violence in our society. The British Muslim Trust stands with all victims of hate, and in particular today with the Jewish community, the people of Manchester and the Community Security Trust. We utterly condemn this disgraceful attack and offer our support to those left to pick up the pieces. Finally, in worrying times like these we ask Muslims and all communities to look out for each other and remain vigilant. We know there are some who will seek to exploit this violence to deepen the division they seek - we must not let them. Starmer back in Britain Sir Keir Starmer has now landed back on British soil after flying back to lead a Cobra meeting on the Manchester stabbings. The Prime Minister was in Copenhagen in Denmark for a meeting of the European Political Community. Prince and Princess of Wales mourn tragedy The Prince and Princess of Wales said in a personal message posted on social media: Our thoughts are with the victims and the families of the terrible attack at Heaton Park Synagogue. The fact that this tragedy occurred on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more shocking. We are thinking of the entire community as well as the emergency responders who attended this terrible incident. The message was signed W & C. Knifeman operated in robotic manner, says witness A witness has described the knifeman moving from victim to victim in a robotic manner. Khurram Rafiq, who was driving past the building this morning, told the Mail said he had seen a car ram into a person. He said: Initially I thought it was an accident and that the driver had lost control for whatever reason. But he then got out and stabbed the man who was lying on the ground. This happened directly outside the synagogue. The knifeman walked through the front gates and stabbed at least two other men. The tech firm manager, 35, added: He was quiet, there was no shouting from what I could hear nor any religious slogans or chants, he was very robotic in his actions like he had a job to do and was just focused on doing it. The attacker is then said to have approached and then banged on the locked door to the synagogue. People were trying to distract him by throwing stuff like plant pots but nobody was going near him, he said, adding: That, I think, was because round his waist he had what looked like a belt containing explosives. He said people peered from the synagogue windows, afraid for their lives. Christian Wakeford (C), the MP for Bury South, reacts as he stands in the street near the synagogue - PAUL CURRIE/AFP The six minutes that brought terror to Britains Jews It was meant to be a celebration of the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. But about half an hour into their Yom Kippur service, several hundred worshippers at Heaton Park Congregation Synagogue in Manchester were interrupted by the sound of a screeching crash and screams from outside. Six minutes of terror followed, ending with two dead at the hands of a suspected terrorist who was shot by police The rampage began when a black Kia car, driven at speed along the busy Middleton Road, reportedly ploughed into a member of the synagogues security team, who was standing at the gates outside. At exactly 9.31am, having witnessed the incident, a member of the public dialled 999. But as they were reporting what they had seen, a man, wearing all black, climbed from the car carrying a knife and began stabbing the already injured security guard. Read the full report here. SAS helicopter circles scene A SAS helicopter has been spotted in the skies over Crumpsall. The air service, known as Blue Thunder, is part of an airborne Counter Terrorism initiative On board is likely to be the SAS officer currently in command of the squadron assigned to the domestic Counter Terrorism role. He will be charged with providing military advice if requested by the police force in charge at the scene and working up options to resolve the crisis should the situation deteriorate and the incident be handed over from the police to the military. The SAS Blue Thunder helicopter flies above the scene - Peter Byrne/PA Loud bang was police getting into suspects car A loud bang heard at the scene earlier was the police gaining entry into the suspects car. A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said: In response to todays major incident in Crumpsall, a loud noise was heard at the scene as specialist resources gained entry to the suspects vehicle as a precaution. There is no risk to the public and ongoing activity in relation to this major incident can be expected as we continue our enquiries. People are urged to avoid the area and speak to our officers if they have any concerns. We have officers deployed across key sites in the local area. Weve faced tsunami of hatred since Oct 7, says worshipper A regular worshipper at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue has described this mornings attack as a culmination of something the Jewish community has been fearing for two years. Raphi Bloom, co-chairman of North West Friends of Israel, told Sky News: This attack is a culmination of something the Jewish community have been fearing for two years. Weve been faced with a tsunami of Jew hatred since October 7 - vandalism, physical attacks, online abuse, mistreatment in the NHS by medics. University students have been intimidated and been attacked on campus. Weve had hate marches every week throughout our street with disgusting Holocaust imagery comparing Jews to Nazis. And ultimately, almost every Jew in this country realised that this day would come. I never thought it would happen at my synagogue, to my friends, to my rabbi, in my city. Its something we feared would come and has happened because there has been such inaction to tackle this wave of hatred targeting the Jewish community in the UK over a conflict two and a half thousand miles away. He called on every Jewish organisation in the UK to have large fences around it and 24-hour security. A member of the Jewish Community holds a Torah at a police cordon in Manchester - ADAM VAUGHAN/EPA/Shutterstock Attacker is dead Greater Manchester Police has confirmed that the attacker is dead. We can confirm three people have died, including the offender, who was shot by GMP Firearms officers, the police said. Two men taken away in handcuffs, says witness A man who lives on the cordoned off Whitehouse Avenue close to the synagogue said he saw two men in handcuffs being led away by police. The man, who wished to remain anonymous, told the PA news agency: Theyve arrested two people on our road. He said he had been at work when his wife had called and told him to come home because of the incident. Theyve closed the road and theres a police helicopter just over us. There were six or seven police cars with armed police, he added. Jewish school near synagogue is under heavy security, says Labour MP A Labour MP has said there is a Jewish school with heavy security near the synagogue which was attacked in north Manchester. Graham Stringer, the MP for Blackley and Middleton South, said it is depressing and appalling that it is felt those children are under such a threat that security has to be paid for at their school. He told BBC Radio 4s World at One that an increase in attacks on Jewish people shouldnt distort the fact that actually the vast majority of people in the Jewish community, the Muslim community, other communities, there is a real level of tolerance and a determination to get along with each other. Armed police at the scene near the Heaton Park synagogue - Peter Byrne/PA Tactics echo methods used by terrorists in 2017 The knife and car attack on a Manchester synagogue echoes the methods used by terrorists in attacks in London in 2017. On March 22 that year, Khalid Masood ploughed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before fatally stabbing Pc Keith Palmer in the grounds of the Palace of Westminster. Masood was shot by an armed police officer in the grounds of Parliament. US tourist Kurt Cochran, Romanian tourist Andreea Cristea and Britons Aysha Frade and Leslie Rhodes were also killed in the atrocity. Three months later, on June 3, a white van ploughed into pedestrians on London Bridge before three men got out of the vehicle and began stabbing people in nearby Borough Market. Eight people were killed and 48 injured in the rampage by Khuram Butt, Rachid Redouane and Youssef Zaghba, who were all shot dead by police minutes later. The trio wore fake bomb vests during the attack, a tactic also used by Usman Khan, who fatally stabbed Jack Merritt, 25, and Saskia Jones, 23, at a prisoner rehabilitation event at Fishmongers Hall in the City of London on November 29 2019. Khan, who wore a fake suicide vest, was confronted by members of the public brandishing a narwhal tusk and a fire extinguisher, before he was shot 20 times by armed officers on London Bridge. Explosion heard at the scene A loud controlled explosion has been heard behind the police cordon in Crumpsall, north Manchester. Video shared on social media appeared to show police officers warning bystanders to get back and move on because the suspect had a bomb. The police are yet to confirm whether suspicious items have been found at the scene, but a bomb disposal was deployed. The Armed Forces prepare a bomb disposal robot near the synagogue - PAUL CURRIE/AFP Police activity at Manchester property A road near the Heaton Park synagogue has been cordoned off with armed police standing guard. Police vehicles can be seen parked on Whitehouse Avenue. Police activity at a property in Whitehouse Avenue in Crumpsall, Manchester - Peter Byrne/PA Local mosque condemns attack A local mosque has condemned the synagogue attack in Manchester. Allama Qamaruzzaman Azmi, chief imam of the Anwaar Ul Haramain mosque, said: As a masjid serving the people of north Manchester, we stand in solidarity with our Jewish neighbours and community. For generations the Muslim and Jewish communities of Manchester have lived side by side in peace, mutual respect and friendship. We remain committed to nurturing that bond and strengthening it in the face of any attempt to sow division. Acts of violence have no place in our city, in our faiths or in our shared future. We must all uphold the sanctity of every human life. We call on all people to come together to show solidarity with our Jewish community. There is no room for violence or hate in Manchester - only unity, peace and respect for one another. Knifeman went on a rampage, says eyewitness An eyewitness has said the Manchester synagogue attacker went on a rampage, reports Sapphire Hope. The woman, who gave her name as Shah, told BBC Radio 5 Live: I was on the way to work actually about 9.30am. I live right by the synagogue so it didnt take me too long to get round to there, and as I turned the corner to get onto Middleton Road, its when Id seen the vehicle rushing past and driving straight for members of the public in the synagogue. And obviously after that I had seen a man jump out and sort of running towards the people. It was all a bit traumatising. I slowed down to see what was going on and to call the emergency services, and then the man just ran out with a knife and he just started going on a rampage. Burnham denounces vile attack on Jewish community Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, has denounced a vile attack on the Jewish community on its holiest day. Mr Burnham said: We condemn whoever is responsible and will do everything within our power to keep people safe. We stand with Greater Manchesters Jewish community at this time and will work through the day to support them. David Lammy, the Justice Secretary, also said he was thinking of British Jews. He said: I am sickened by the horrific attack at a synagogue in Manchester on Yom Kippur. My thoughts are with all those affected and with the Jewish community at such a sacred time. Grateful to the emergency services for their swift and courageous response. Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, said he was horrified by the attack, adding that his thoughts and prayers were with the Jewish community who will be suffering at this time. Community members and congregants speak across the cordon - Christopher Furlong/Getty Images Greater Manchester hospitals in lockdown A number of hospitals in Greater Manchester are in lockdown following the incident at the synagogue in Crumpsall, it has been reported. An internal note shared by the Northern Care Alliance (NCA) NHS Foundation Trust and seen by the Manchester Evening News said all of its sites have been asked to immediately lock down following the declaration of a major incident. NCA hospitals include: Salford Royal Fairfield General Rochdale Infirmary Royal Oldham Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership, which represents NHS and care organisations in the area, urged people to only attend A&E across if their condition is life-threatening. Attack in north Manchester was matter of time A father and son who were planning to attend the Heaton Park synagogue later today have said an attack was a matter of time. After hearing that two people had been confirmed dead, Heath Showman, 50, said: Thats shocking. The worst part is just not knowing who it is. He said an attack like this had only been a matter of time given the rise of anti-Semitism since the Oct 7 attacks. He said: Its been a matter of time. Ive been coming to this synagogue for 37 years and the security has increased every year but its been building over the last couple of years. The portrayal of the conflict in Gaza has affected all Jewish people. Harry, his 18-year-old son, added: The hate is always given to Jews when its the government whos doing this. Emergency services evacuate members of the community near Heaton Park synagogue - PAUL CURRIE/AFP First picture of suspected attacker A photograph has emerged of the suspected terrorist wearing what appears to be a bullet proof vest and a possible bomb. It is not clear if the device strapped to the alleged attacker is a viable explosive device but a bomb disposal unit has been deployed to the scene. The suspect was shot by armed officers and is believed to be dead. Manchester synagogue suspect pictured wearing suspected suicide belt He started stabbing anyone near him, says neighbour A neighbour has recalled the moment a car drove into the gate of the synagogue. Chava Lewin, who described herself as a religious Jew lives next door to the synagogue, said: I was outside and heard a banging sound and I thought it might be a firework. Mrs Lewin said she had spoken to a neighbour who saw a car driving erratically before crashing into the synagogues gates. She thought maybe he had a heart attack. The second he got out of the car he started stabbing anyone near him. He went for the security guard and tried to break into the synagogue, Mrs Lewin said. Someone barricaded the door. Everyone is in utter shock. Another man said prayers had started when the attack happened but Rabbi Daniel Walker remained calm and led the congregation to safety. He added: They are true heroes. Israeli embassy condemns abhorrent act of violence The Israeli embassy has condemned the incident in Greater Manchester, describing it as abhorrent and deeply distressing. The embassy said: That such an act of violence should be perpetrated on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, in a place of prayer and community, is abhorrent and deeply distressing. We thank the Greater Manchester Police for their swift response. The safety and security of Jewish communities in the United Kingdom must be guaranteed. The thoughts and prayers of the people of Israel are with the victims, their families and the entire Jewish community at this difficult time. Rabbi pictured with blood on his robe Rabbi Daniel Walker of Heaton Park synagogue has been pictured with blood on Kittel - a white robe worn by Ashkenazi Orthodox Jews. The Jewish population in the city of Manchester is the largest in the UK outside of London. Since 2011, the number of Jews living in the city has increased by about 20 per cent, to a total of 30,000 people. Of these, many Jews reside in the north of Manchester, in areas including Prestwich, Whitefield and Broughton. The location of todays terror attack, Crumpsall, is among the neighbourhoods in the north of the city. Rabbi Daniel Walker of Heaton Park synagogue at the police cordon - PAUL CURRIE/AFP King deeply shocked by horrific Manchester attack The King has extended his thoughts and prayers to the Jewish community in the wake of a horrific attack in north Manchester. He said: My wife and I have been deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the horrific attack in Manchester, especially on such a significant day for the Jewish community. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this appalling incident and we greatly appreciate the swift actions of the emergency services. Sadiq Khan announces patrols near London synagogues The mayor of London has announced the Metropolitan Police is deploying patrols in Jewish communities and synagogues across the capital. Sir Sadiq Khan said: Im horrified by the violent attack at a synagogue in Manchester. I have been in contact with the mayor of Greater Manchester and the home secretary, and would like to reassure Londoners that the Met police are stepping up patrols in Jewish communities and synagogues across London. My thoughts are with all those affected on the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur. London stands ready to help in any way we can. Security outside a West London synagogue on Thursday - Jonathan Brady/PA Two members of the public dead Two people have been killed in a suspected terror attack outside a synagogue, Greater Manchester Police said. A third person, a man believed to be the offender, was shot by armed officers and is believed to be dead. The police said it cannot currently confirm because of suspicious items on his person, but a bomb disposal unit is at the scene. Three other members of the public remain in a serious condition. Members of the public are advised to avoid the area while police continue to deal with the situation. A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: We know todays horrifying attack, on the Jewish communitys holiest day, will have caused significant shock and fear throughout all of our communities. We are grateful to the member of the public whose quick response to what they witnessed allowed our swift action, and as a result the offender was prevented from entering the synagogue. We remain in direct contact with all synagogues across Greater Manchester to provide reassurance and this will continue for as long as needed. We will continue to provide updates as we can, but I would ask anyone who believes they may have a loved one involved in todays incident, please use the Casualty Bureau information in the first instance. There is no place for Jews in Britain any more, says onlooker A Jewish man at the scene has expressed concern that Jews are no longer welcome in Britain. The man,who wished to remain anonymous, said: It is the holiest day of the year and we get this. There is no place for Jews in Britain any more. Its over. A rabbi has described the attack at the synagogue as every Jewish persons worst nightmare. Rabbi Jonathan Romain, emeritus rabbi of Maidenhead Synagogue and current head of the Rabbinic Court of Great Britain, said he felt appalled by what had happened, He said This is every Rabbis or every Jewish persons worst nightmare. Not only is this a sacred day, the most sacred in the Jewish calendar, but its also a time of mass gathering, and the time when the Jewish community, however religious or irreligious, gathers together. He added: This will obviously heighten the fears that many Jews have had, that political violence would spill over into religious hatred. Armed police talk with members of the community near the synagogue - PAUL CURRIE/AFP Jenrick brands attack sickening Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, branded the attack sickening and said he was praying the victims could fully recover. Mr Jenrick said: The police appear to have done an incredible job in stopping the attacker so swiftly. This will be a terribly painful moment for the Jewish community, even more so because it is the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. They must know the whole country stands with them. Onlookers react near the synagogue in north Manchester - PHIL NOBLE/REUTERS Analysis: Ministers have been bracing for an attack Ministers have been braced for the prospect of an attack on Jewish targets amid a surge in anti-Semitic incidents stirred by the war in Gaza. There were 1,521 anti-Semitic incidents in the UK from January to June 2025, the second-highest total of anti-Jewish hate incidents ever recorded by Community Security Trust in the first half of a year. This was second only to the first six months of 2024 which saw 2,019 anti-Semitic incidents following the immediate aftermath of the 7 October Hamas terror attack on Israel. Asked about rise in anti-Semitic incidents, Sarah Jones the policing minister said: Support from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government goes to ensure our synagogues are secure. I have a synagogue in my own community, and Im always keen to make sure were providing the right support. And of course, Im sure in the coming hours and days, we will, of course, want to make sure were doing absolutely everything we can to make sure our synagogues are safe. Members of the public look on near the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue - Christopher Furlong/Getty Images Starmer: Police being deployed to synagogues across the country Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to deploy additional police assets to synagogues across the country. Speaking on the tarmac at Copenhagen Airport as he prepared to fly back early from a summit, he said: The attack in Manchester this morning is absolutely shocking, and all of our thoughts are with those affected. I am on my way back to London. When I arrive, I will chair an emergency Cobra meeting. Im already able to say that additional police assets are being deployed to synagogues across the country, and we will do everything to keep our Jewish community safe. Ive spoken to Mark Gardner of the CST [Community Security Trust], and Andy Burnham, the mayor of Manchester. I want to thank the emergency services for the speed of their response. Sir Keir Starmer makes a statement at Copenhagen Airport - Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters Attacker was stabbing synagogue window, says witness An eyewitness has said the knifeman tried to force his way into the synagogue before he was shot by armed police. Speaking to BBC Radio Manchester, the delivery driver, who gave his name as Gareth, said: We was just driving up the road, doing our normal deliveries. Next minute, we were held back in a little bit of traffic, and we could see a car had crashed. So we just thought it were a normal collision. We got a big closer. We seen a guy bleeding on the floor. And then there was a few people stood in the road. Somebody shouted something in the school or the synagogue, or what [ever] it was. And then, as we looked over, the guy had a knife, and he was just stabbing the window trying to get in the [synagogue]. And then within seconds the police arrived. They gave him a couple of warnings. I am horrified, says Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, has thanked the emergency services for their brave response. She said: I am horrified by the news of an attack at a synagogue in Manchester today, on the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. My first thoughts are with the victims, our brave police and emergency services. I am being kept updated by Greater Manchester Police. I urge people to follow the advice of the emergency services. People gather near the synagogue in north Manchester - PHIL NOBLE/REUTERS Knifeman believed dead The knifeman is believed to be dead, Andy Burnham has said. Speaking to BBC Radio Manchester, the mayor of Greater Manchester said: It is believed that the offender is deceased, although its not confirmed. So, thats what I meant in saying that a degree of reassurance can be given that its not a developing, an ongoing, incident. It would appear that it is contained, although, obviously, the scene is very much an active scene. Violence against Jewish people has been on the rise, says Synagogues local MP Graham Stringer, the synagogues local MP, described the stabbing as absolutely appalling. The Labour MP for Blackley and Middleton South said he had noticed Jewish constituents feeling less safe in recent years. Asked if that was the case, he told GB News: Yes, the Community Security Trust who are the Jewish security operatives have been reporting, really since the start of the Gaza war, an increase in violence against Jewish people of about 400 per cent. Having said that, I mean, Manchester is a very tolerant city by and large. The synagogue is next to an area which is mixed, really... and it is a very tolerant multicultural community. He said he knew the Heaton Park synagogue well, having been to services there and lived round the corner until very recently. Armed police stand inside a cordon near the synagogue - PAUL CURRIE/AFP Explained: What is Yom Kippur? Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the holiest day of the year in Judaism. It marks the culmination of the Ten Days of Repentance, which began with Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year), and is observed with a 25-hour fast in which Jews abstain from all food and drink. During Yom Kippur, Jews take part in extended prayer services, typically in a synagogue, to reflect on the past year, repent (teshuvah) and undertake a spiritual reset. The most sacred and solemn day in the Jewish calendar, it is marked by prayers throughout the day and concludes with the sounding of the rams horn before the fast is broken at nightfall. Dave Rich, of the Community Security Trust (CST), a charity that monitors anti-Semitism in the UK, said the day is similar to Christmas Day for Christians, but is a day of solemnity and fasting rather than celebration. He said: Its a very solemn day and synagogues across the country will be full throughout the day. Theres always a significant security operation in place between police and CST across the Jewish community on all major Jewish festivals. Bomb disposal unit at the scene A white lorry marked Bomb Disposal has arrived at the scene amid suggestions the suspect may have been carrying an explosive device or wearing a suicide vest. In one video posted online witnesses at the scene can be heard shouting at police officers shoot him, hes got a bomb, hes trying to press the button. In previous terrorist incidents, including the attacks at London Bridge and Fishmongers Hall, those responsible we wearing fake suicide vests. The use of vehicle, knives and suicide vests has became the hallmark of Islamic State inspired attacks across Europe. Members of the army unload a bomb disposal robot at the scene - Peter Byrne/PA We are distraught, says family member Jewish congregants are hiding inside the synagogue following the attack. One man told reporters at the scene said his wife and daughter were among those sheltering inside. Another woman told The Guardian she was sick with worry because she has not been able to make contact with her husband, who was at the synagogue during the attack. Im sick, the woman, who declined to be named, said. Were just waiting for news. Ive not even got dressed yet, I just ran out in my pyjamas. The womans son added: We dont know anything. Theres rumours of a car ramming, a stabbing and a gunshot. Its terrifying. Were distraught. Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue - Ryan Jenkinson / Story Picture Agency Security guards intervened to stop attacker Security guards at the Manchester synagogue intervened to stop the knifeman killing more people, Andy Burnham has said. The Mayor of Greater Manchester told Mike Sweeney on BBC Radio Manchester: It seems, Mike, as though the security staff at the synagogue have done an amazing thing and, it seems, intervened to keep a great deal of people safe. A Greater Manchester Police spokesman has also praised the quick response of a witness to the attack which allowed police to take swift action to prevent the offender from entering the synagogue. He said: We are grateful to the member of the public whose quick response to what they witnessed allowed our swift action, and as a result the offender was prevented from entering the synagogue. The vehicle believed to have been involved in the attack Manchester synagogues cancel Yom Kippur services Other synagogues in Manchester have cancelled Yom Kippur services following the attack. In a statement, Manchester Reform Synagogue said: Yom Kippur services cancelled. Do not attend. Theres been an incident, police are in response, at another Manchester synagogue. For security reasons we are cancelling todays services with immediate effect. A cordon is in place following a stabbing at a synagogue in north Manchester - Sean Hansford/Men Media Starmer cuts trip to Denmark short to chair Cobra meeting Sir Keir Starmer will fly back to the UK to chair an emergency Cobra meeting on the synagogue stabbing. The Prime Minister had been in Denmark for a meeting of the European Political Community but it is understood he will now return to Britain. Several people have been hit by a car and a man stabbed outside a synagogue in Manchester. The suspect was shot by armed police, but is believed to be alive after the attack outside the Heaton Park synagogue in Crumpsall on Thursday morning. Responding to the synagogue attack, Sir Keir: Im appalled by the attack at a synagogue in Crumpsall. The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific. My thoughts are with the loved ones of all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services and all the first responders. He has a bomb, police told bystanders Video shared on social media appeared to show police officers pointing guns at someone laying on the ground outside the front of Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue. The armed officers shouted at onlookers to get back and move on, warning that the suspect had a bomb. The person on the ground is seen starting to get up before there is the sound of a gunshot and they fall to the ground. Another person was shown lying motionless on the ground outside the synagogue gates with blood near their head. Police have not officially commented on the presence of any improvised explosives. Credit: Facebook Attack will terrify Jewish community, says MP Christian Wakeford, the Labour MP for Bury South, has said the attack will instil fear in the Jewish community. He said: Aware of this incident and in direct communication with GMP Im getting more details as theyre released. For this to happen on Yom Kippur is horrendous, my thoughts and prayers are with those affected. I know how worried my Jewish community will be regarding this attack. Jewish people attacked at Yom Kippur service The knifeman in the attack on the Manchester synagogue attacked Jewish people attending a Yom Kippur service, Andy Burnham has said. The Mayor of Greater Manchester told BBC Radio Manchester: Today is Yom Kippur, as I understand, and obviously I think that explains why people were around, why there were a number of people gathered outside the synagogue, and why lots of people were attending a service. We understand this is a situation that probably is linked to the fact it is Yom Kippur, a day of celebration for the Jewish community. We can only imagine how people are feeling when they hear this news. The fear this will bring. Security ramped up outside every Greater Manchester synagogue Police presence is being stepped up at every Greater Manchester synagogue as a result of this mornings incident, it is understood. Members of the public are asked to avoid the area while the police continue to deal with the incident. Outrageous attack on the Jewish community on their holiest day, says Badenoch Kemi Badenoch said the stabbing was an outrageous attack on the Jewish community and said the rise of anti-Semitism in Britain must be quelled completely. The Tory leader told BBC Radio Bristol: I think this has happened while Ive been on air so I havent seen the full details. But it does look like an outrageous attack on the Jewish community on their holiest day, its Yom Kippur. I think it is a vile and disgusting attack. I know that many Jewish people in our country feel that they are no longer safe and my heart goes out to the people who have been hurt by this and everyone whos been affected. And I want to say to Jewish people all around our country that you belong here, Britain is a country which will look after you. We need to make sure that the rising anti-Semitism that we are seeing in our country is quelled completely. We need to stop some of the dangerous and nasty rhetoric which has been harming a lot of people and bring more light and less heat into the debate about whats happening in the Middle East. Emergency services at the scene of an incident at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue - Peter Byrne/PA Mapped: The Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue The Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in North Manchester is home to an Orthodox Jewish congregation. Founded in 1935, Rabbi Daniel Walker currently heads the congregation. Incident being treated as a terror attack The Telegraph understands that the incident is being treated as a terror attack. Police said it had declared Plato - the national code-word used by police and emergency services when responding to a marauding terror attack. Police were called to the synagogue at 9.31am - Ryan Jenkinson / Story Picture Agency Four people injured through vehicle and stab wounds Andy Burnham said a car has been driven at members of the public at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue. He told BBC Radio Manchester: I can give what I have been given by Greater Manchester Police, and of course it is a developing situation, so if people understand that at this point. But what I have been told is police were called to the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue on Middleton Road, Crumpsall, at 9.31am by a member of the public stating he had witnessed a car being driven towards members of the public, and one man had been stabbed. Firearms officers were deployed at 9.34am as police continued to receive further reports from members of the public that a security guard had been attacked with a knife. GMP declared Plato and a major incident at 9.37am. Shots were fired by Greater Manchester Police firearms officers at 9.38am. One man has been shot, and that is believed to be the offender. Paramedics are on the scene, arriving at 9.41am and tending to members of the public. Currently four members of the public with injuries caused by the vehicle and stab wounds. And obviously, Mike, to say members of the public are asked to avoid the area as police continue to deal with the incident. He added: There is a degree of reassurance that can be given here that it has been dealt with, it sounds as though very effectively, quickly, by Greater Manchester Police. The Plato response refers to Operation Plato which is the UK policings response to a marauding terrorist attack. Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue Pictured: Armed police respond Police and first responders can be seen on the scene of a reported stabbing in Manchester - Ryan Jenkinson / Story Picture Agency Four members of public injured in attack on synagogue - Ryan Jenkinson / Story Picture Agency Incident at synagogue comes on Yom Kippur The attack in Manchester has coincided with Yom Kippur - the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Traditionally, Jewish people fast for 25 hours of the holiday and attend synagogues. Suspect has been shot Greater Manchester Police has confirmed the incident happened outside Heaton Park synagogue, on Middleton Road. The suspect did not gain access to the building. He has been shot at the scene by armed police. His condition is not known, but he is believed to be alive. Its not clear how many people have been injured in this incident. Incident is serious but danger is over, says Burnham Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester has said the incident at the Synagogue was serious but the immediate danger appears to be over. Speaking to BBC Radio Manchester, the mayor said: It is a serious incident, I have to say. It is in the area you mentioned. And I would say to people listening, firstly, to avoid the area because it is a serious incident. But at the same time I can give some reassurance immediately to people that the immediate danger appears to be over. And Greater Manchester Police have dealt with it very quickly. And theres been amazing support I think from members of the public and security at the location. Ambulance at major incident in Manchester North West Ambulance Service said it is at the scene of a major incident in Crumpsall, north Manchester, following reports of a stabbing at a synagogue. A statement said: Following reports of an incident on Middleton Road in Crumpsall, the trust has dispatched resources to the scene. We are currently assessing the situation and working with other members of the emergency services. Our priority is to ensure people receive the medical help they need as quickly as possible. Fredi Rivero was the victim of unprovoked violence, said the Old Bailey prosecutor - Metropolitan Police Three teenage girls filmed themselves assaulting a pensioner who died after the street attack, a court heard. Fredi Rivero was set upon in Islington, north London, on Feb 27 and died in hospital the next day. The victim, a Bolivian national, was near a bus stop on Seven Sisters Road when the teenagers got off a bus and surrounded him. The girls who at the time were 14, 16 and 17 pushed, shoved, kicked and punched him, with one of them filming the incident on her phone. Officers recovered CCTV footage of the assault in which one of the girls was seen to punch Mr Rivero in the head, causing him to fall backwards and hit his head on the pavement. Victim made peace sign Louise Oakley, prosecuting, said the Crown considered this unprovoked violence by three young girls. CCTV was played to the court, which showed an initial interaction in which the victim made a peace sign, after which the assailants walked away then went back to him. Mobile phone footage was also played to the court which showed one of the girls pulling his glasses off his face, before one punched him and he fell backwards. Carla Rivero, the daughter of Mr Rivero, gave a victim impact statement at the Old Bailey on Friday in which she described her father as kind, polite and gentle. She said: He was the nicest person you could ever meet, so kind, never bothered anyone. Ms Rivero said her father will forever live in my heart and that she had been left questioning what type of generation of youths is being raised as a result of all this. It wasnt my dads time to die. His death was forced upon him by three girls, she said. They demonstrated no consideration or respect for an elderly person. He was an ill, elderly person who would never hurt anyone. Heartbroken wife Ms Rivero said her mother feels heartbroken and devastated and she cries every day and feels scared when she sees youths in the street. She said: My dad will be remembered and honoured for the kind and peaceful person he was, not in the manner of which his life was taken. Police were called at 11.25pm on the night of Feb 27 to reports of the disturbance and found Mr Rivero unconscious on the pavement with a severe head injury and in cardiac arrest. He was taken to the Royal London Hospital and initial investigations revealed he had suffered a traumatic brain injury, Ms Oakley said. Mr Rivero later died. The girls, who are now 15, 17 and 17 and cannot be identified because of their ages, previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter. At the Old Bailey on Friday, Judge Judy Khan KC sentenced the oldest girl to four years detention; the younger 17-year-old to three-and-a-half years detention; and the 15-year-old girl to two-and-a-half years detention.