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South Korean President Yoon's impeachment fails as his ruling party boycotts vote SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean legislative push to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived imposition of martial law fell through on Saturday after most lawmakers from his conservative governing party boycotted the vote. Kim Tong-hyung And Hyung-jin Kim, The Associated Press Dec 7, 2024 4:46 AM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message A view of the hall where the plenary session for the impeachment vote of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is set to take place at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. (Jeon Heon-kyun/Pool Photo via AP) SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean legislative push to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived imposition of martial law fell through on Saturday after most lawmakers from his conservative governing party boycotted the vote. The defeat of the motion is expected to intensify public protests calling for Yoon’s ouster and deepen political chaos in South Korea, with a survey suggesting a majority of South Koreans support the president’s impeachment. Yoon’s martial law declaration drew criticism from his own ruling conservative party, but it is also determined to oppose Yoon’s impeachment apparently because it fears losing the presidency to liberals. Impeaching Yoon required support from two-thirds of the National Assembly, or 200 of its 300 members. The opposition parties who brought the impeachment motion had 192 seats, but only three lawmakers from PPP participated in the vote. The motion was scrapped without ballot counting because the number of votes didn’t reach 200. National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik called the result “very regrettable” and an embarrassing moment for the country’s democracy that has been closely watched by the world. “The failure to hold a qualified vote on this matter means we were not even able to exercise the democratic procedure of deciding on a critical national issue,” he said. Opposition parties could submit a new impeachment motion after a new parliamentary session opens next Wednesday. There are worries that Yoon won’t be able to serve out his remaining 2 1/2 years in office because his leadership took a huge hit. Many experts say some ruling party lawmakers could eventually join opposition parties’ efforts to impeach Yoon if public demands for it grow further. If Yoon is impeached, his powers will be suspended until the Constitutional Court decides whether to remove him from office. If he is removed, an election to replace him must take place within 60 days. Woo repeatedly urged ruling party members to return to the chamber to participate in the vote, waiting several hours for them to come. At one point, Democratic Party leaders visited a hall on the floor below the main chamber where PPP lawmakers were gathered, attempting to persuade them to vote. After being blocked from entering, they angrily accused the conservatives’ leadership of preventing its lawmakers from voting freely. Earlier Saturday, Yoon issued a public apology over the martial law decree, saying he won’t shirk legal or political responsibility for the declaration and promising not to make another attempt to impose martial law. He said would leave it to his party to chart a course through the country’s political turmoil, “including matters related to my term in office.” “The declaration of this martial law was made out of my desperation. But in the course of its implementation, it caused anxiety and inconveniences to the public. I feel very sorry over that and truly apologize to the people who must have been shocked a lot,” Yoon said. Since taking office in 2022, Yoon has struggled to push his agenda through an opposition-controlled parliament and grappled with low approval ratings amid scandals involving himself and his wife. In his martial law announcement on Tuesday night, Yoon called parliament a “den of criminals” bogging down state affairs and vowed to eliminate “shameless North Korea followers and anti-state forces.” The turmoil resulting from Yoon’s bizarre and poorly-thought-out stunt has paralyzed South Korean politics and sparked alarm among key diplomatic partners like the U.S. and Japan. Tuesday night saw special forces troops encircling the parliament building and army helicopters hovering over it, but the military withdrew after the National Assembly unanimously voted to overturn the decree, forcing Yoon to lift it before daybreak Wednesday. The declaration of martial law was the first of its kind in more than 40 years in South Korea. Eighteen lawmakers from the ruling party voted to reject Yoon’s martial law decree along with opposition lawmakers. Yoon’s speech fueled speculation that he and his party may push for a constitutional amendment to shorten his term, instead of accepting impeachment, as a way to ease public anger over the marital law and facilitate Yoon’s early exit from office. Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, told reporters that Yoon’s speech was “greatly disappointing” and that the only way forward is his immediate resignation or impeachment. His party called Yoon’s martial law “unconstitutional, illegal rebellion or coup.” The passage of Yoon’s impeachment motion appeared more likely Friday when the chair of Yoon’s party called for his removal on Friday, but the party remained formally opposed to impeachment. On Saturday, tens of thousands of people densely packed several blocks of roads leading up to the National Assembly, waving banners, shouting slogans and dancing and singing along to K-pop songs with lyrics changed to call for Yoon’s ouster. Protesters also gathered in front of PPP’s headquarters near the Assembly, angrily shouting for its lawmakers to vote to impeach Yoon. A smaller crowd of Yoon’s supporters, which still seemed to be in the thousands, rallied in separate streets in Seoul, decrying the impeachment attempt they saw as unconstitutional. Lawmakers on Saturday first voted on a bill appointing a special prosecutor to investigate stock price manipulation allegations surrounding Yoon’s wife. Some lawmakers from Yoon’s party were seen leaving the hall after that vote, triggering angry shouts from opposition lawmakers. On Friday, PPP chair Han Dong-hun, who criticized Yoon’s martial law declaration, said he had received intelligence that during the brief period of martial law Yoon ordered the country’s defense counterintelligence commander to arrest and detain unspecified key politicians based on accusations of “anti-state activities.” Hong Jang-won, first deputy director of South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, told lawmakers in a closed-door briefing Friday that Yoon had ordered him to help the defense counterintelligence unit to detain key politicians. The targeted politicians included Han, Lee and Woo, according to Kim Byung-kee, one of the lawmakers who attended the meeting. The Defense Ministry said Friday it suspended three military commanders including the head of the defense counterintelligence unit over their involvement in enforcing martial law. Vice Defense Minister Kim Seon Ho has told parliament that Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun ordered the deployment of troops to the National Assembly after Yoon imposed martial law. Opposition parties accused Kim of recommending to Yoon to enforce martial law. Kim resigned Thursday, and prosecutors imposed an overseas travel ban on him. Kim Tong-hyung And Hyung-jin Kim, The Associated Press See a typo/mistake? Have a story/tip? This has been shared 0 times 0 Shares Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message More World News An explosion has caused several injuries and damaged apartments in a Dutch city Dec 7, 2024 3:53 AM An explosion has caused several injuries and damaged apartments in the Dutch capital Dec 7, 2024 1:51 AM Polls open in general election in Ghana overshadowed by the worst economic crisis in a generation Dec 6, 2024 11:51 PM Featured Flyer
NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart's sweeping rollback of its diversity policies is the strongest indication yet of a profound shift taking hold at U.S. companies that are re-evaluating the legal and political risks associated with bold programs to bolster historically underrepresented groups. The changes announced by the world's biggest retailer on Monday followed a string of legal victories by conservative groups that have filed an onslaught of lawsuits challenging corporate and federal programs aimed at elevating minority and women-owned businesses and employees. The retreat from such programs crystalized with the election of former President Donald Trump, whose administration is certain to make dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion programs a priority. Trump's incoming deputy chief of policy will be his former adviser Stephen Miller , who leads a group called America First Legal that has aggressively challenged corporate DEI policies. “There has been a lot of reassessment of risk looking at programs that could be deemed to constitute reverse discrimination,” said Allan Schweyer, principal researcher at the Human Capital Center at the Conference Board. “This is another domino to fall and it is a rather large domino,” he added. Among other changes, Walmart said it will no longer give priority treatment to suppliers owned by women or minorities. The company also will not renew a five-year commitment for a racial equity center set up in 2020 after the police killing of George Floyd. And it pulled out of a prominent gay rights index . Schweyer said the biggest trigger for companies making such changes is simply a reassessment of their legal risk exposure, which began after U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in June 2023 that ended affirmative action in college admissions. Since then, conservative groups using similar arguments have secured court victories against various diversity programs, especially those that steer contracts to minority or women-owned businesses. Most recently, the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty won a victory in a case against the U.S. Department of Transportation over its use of a program that gives priority to minority-owned businesses when it awards contracts. Companies are seeing a big legal risk in continuing with DEI efforts, said Dan Lennington, a deputy counsel at the institute. His organization says it has identified more than 60 programs in the federal government that it considers discriminatory, he said. “We have a legal landscape within the entire federal government, all three branches -- the U.S. Supreme Court, the Congress and the President -- are all now firmly pointed in the direction towards equality of individuals and individualized treatment of all Americans, instead of diversity, equity and inclusion treating people as members of racial groups,” Lennington said. The Trump administration is also likely to take direct aim at DEI initiatives through executive orders and other policies that affect private companies, especially federal contractors. “The impact of the election on DEI policies is huge. It can’t be overstated,” said Jason Schwartz, co-chair of the Labor & Employment Practice Group at law firm Gibson Dunn. With Miller returning to the White House, rolling back DEI initiatives is likely to be a priority, Schwartz said. “Companies are trying to strike the right balance to make clear they’ve got an inclusive workplace where everyone is welcome, and they want to get the best talent, while at the same time trying not to alienate various parts of their employees and customer base who might feel one way or the other. It’s a virtually impossible dilemma,” Schwartz said. A recent survey by Pew Research Center showed that workers are divided on the merits of DEI policies. While still broadly popular, the share of workers who said focusing on workplace diversity was mostly a good thing fell to 52% in the October survey, compared to 56% in a similar survey in February 2023. Rachel Minkin, a research associate at Pew, called it a small but significant shift in short amount of time. There will be more companies pulling back from their DEI policies, but it likely won’t be a retreat across the board, said David Glasgow, executive director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at New York University. “There are vastly more companies that are sticking with DEI," Glasgow said. "The only reason you don’t hear about it is most of them are doing it by stealth. They’re putting their heads down and doing DEI work and hoping not to attract attention.” Glasgow advises organizations to stick to their own core values, because attitudes toward the topic can change quickly in the span of four years. “It’s going to leave them looking a little bit weak if there’s a kind of flip-flopping, depending on whichever direction the political winds are blowing,” he said. One reason DEI programs exist is because without those programs, companies may be vulnerable to lawsuits for traditional discrimination. “Really think carefully about the risks in all directions on this topic,” Glasgow said. Walmart confirmed will no longer consider race and gender as a litmus test to improve diversity when it offers supplier contracts. Walmart says its U.S. businesses sourced more than $13 billion in goods and services from diverse suppliers in fiscal year 2024, including businesses owned by minorities, women and veterans. It was unclear how its relationships with such business would change going forward. Organizations that have partnered with Walmart on its diversity initiatives offered a cautious response. The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, a non-profit that last year named Walmart one of America's top corporation for women-owned enterprises, said it was still evaluating the impact of Walmart's announcement. Pamela Prince-Eason, the president and CEO of the organization, said she hoped Walmart's need to cater to its diverse customer base will continue to drive contracts to women-owned suppliers even if the company has no explicit dollar goals. “I suspect Walmart will continue to have one of the most inclusive supply chains in the World,” Prince-Eason wrote. “Any retailer's ability to serve the communities they operate in will continue to value understanding their customers, (many of which are women), in order to better provide products and services desired and no one understands customers better than Walmart." Walmart's announcement came after the company spoke directly with conservative political commentator and activist Robby Starbuck, who has been going after corporate DEI policies, calling out individual companies on the social media platform X. Several of those companies have subsequently announced that they are pulling back their initiatives, including Ford , Harley-Davidson, Lowe’s and Tractor Supply . Walmart confirmed to The Associated Press that it will better monitor its third-party marketplace items to make sure they don’t feature sexual and transgender products aimed at minors. The company also will stop participating in the Human Rights Campaign’s annual benchmark index that measures workplace inclusion for LGBTQ+ employees. A Walmart spokesperson added that some of the changes were already in progress and not as a result of conversations that it had with Starbuck. RaShawn “Shawnie” Hawkins, senior director of the HRC Foundation’s Workplace Equality Program, said companies that “abandon” their commitments workplace inclusion policies “are shirking their responsibility to their employees, consumers, and shareholders.” She said the buying power of LGBTQ customers is powerful and noted that the index will have record participation of more than 1,400 companies in 2025.
49ers need their own red-hat mojo Since 49ers standout Nick Bosa displayed a “Make America Great Again” hat in support of President-elect Donald Trump on TV after a football game (getting fined over $11,000 for violating NFL rules), and because his team has a mediocre record so far this year, maybe he should get another more appropriate hat. I suggest, “Make the 49ers Great Again.” — Margarida da Silva, Novato Our socialistic tendencies deserve a much closer look In a recent letter, Ed Bazquerio posits that, “‘blue’ states will be taxed to uplift ‘red’ states.” That sounds like the “equity” that I hear so much about — leveling the playing field as it were. To me, the consequences of equity means finding the lowest common denominator. That’s a divisive process. Conceptually, imagine the disincentive to an A student being given a B so a D student can have a C. Former President Ronald Reagan used to say that, back when he made his money in film, he would take the rest of the year off as soon as his income hit the 90% tax bracket. Why do the same work for 10% of the reward and give 90% to the “red states,” as it were? Had it been a more moderate rate, Reagan surely would have kept working and revenue into the tax coffer would have continued. There is a popular political observation from across the pond that can be adapted here: The problem with socialism (aka the taking and giving other people’s money away) is that, eventually, you run out of other people’s money. In Bazquerio’s case, it would be the blue state’s money. It seems that more of us are catching on every day. — Eric Fransen, San Rafael Seeing Texas helps me support Newsom’s plan I don’t think California is as bad as some think. I think it has a messaging problem. I just returned from two trips to visit family in Dallas and Austin, and was expecting some sort of Texas Republican cowboy nirvana. What I found was the opposite of nirvana. From what I saw, Dallas was a hotbed of the “haves” and “have nots.” I saw evidence of high crime and a high cost of living. I think Austin is a “hot mess.” Its infrastructure — airport, roads and parking — is undersized (some of it is in terrible condition). Meanwhile, it appears to have unchecked construction. It’s no wonder some people call it the “city of cranes.” They are everywhere, lifting steel into the new highrises. Both Dallas and Austin appear to have drug-addled people on the street. I think the numbers rival San Francisco. Oh, and it was 85 degrees and humid in mid-November. As I arrived home and thought about Gov. Gavin Newsom’s statements about preparing for another Donald Trump presidency, I fully understand that he wasn’t speaking to issues of interest to the majority of American voters. But I know that Trump’s “communication machine” convinced enough people to deal the country a terrible hand with his election, so we better get more focused on our message. And to all the former Californians who moved to Texas: We’re here if you want to come back. — Polly Elkin, San Rafael Transgender issues were a big factor in the election I am writing in response to the recently published article about what some in Marin public health departments think will change when President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January (“Trump presidency casts shadow over Marin health care, social services,” Nov. 19). I found some of the comments to be silly. The most striking sentence for me was in regard to Janna Barkin, identified as “a Marin advocate for parents and families of transgender youths.” According to the article, “Barkin said she recently spoke at a gender identity training conducted by the Novato Unified School District to instruct teachers in how to be allies.” I do not agree with that path. When asked during exit polling following the Nov. 5 election, Blueprint, a public opinion research group, found that “transgender issues” was a top-three reason driving voters away from Vice President Kamala Harris. In the U.S., more states are shutting down transgender procedures for minors and Biden administration transgender “health-care protections” are facing many legal challenges. Make no mistake, I consider puberty blockers and surgeries for minors to be child abuse. They should be treated as such. — Tief Gibbs, Novato
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save In his letter of Dec. 3 (“Sad, embarrassed, disillusioned”), Bill Lauer asks how we can explain the election of Donald Trump to our children (and lists the many negative attributes of our soon to be president. Here are some explanations I have thought of or read from others: 1. Many Americans are still racist and sexist, and Kamala Harris is a woman with color in her skin. This is the very image that many Americans fear beyond all others. 2. Many of our colleges and universities have stopped teaching psychology, except to psych majors. So very few Americans have the knowledge that would help them recognize the severity of Donald Trump’s multiple mental illnesses. Many of our past presidents have had some level of psychological disturbance, of course, but never anything like what we see in Donald Trump. 3. Our high schools stopped teaching civics/government quite awhile back. So most Americans do not understand how our own government works and what is needed for it to work well. People are also reading... The real reason Corvallis' Pastega Lights moved to Linn County Corvallis chemical manufacturer eyes Albany for expansion UPDATED: GAPS teacher strike NOT off after talks over returning to the classroom break down Recently made-over park sees this change after Albany got an earful Corvallis decides layout for new civic campus — with a side of strife Agreement reached (again), GAPS teachers get new contract Albany man pleads to numerous sex crimes Strike to end, GAPS reaches tentative deal with Albany teachers Philomath moves forward following July Nazi flag controversy Court dismisses jail-related Benton County whistleblower complaint 2025 to bring rate increases, new fee for hauling Corvallis waste Corvallis woman cuts hair for homeless: 'The Lord gave me a calling' OSU football: Beavers add 18 players as signing period opens Graduate employees reach deal with OSU to end strike Family objects to Jefferson man’s sex offense sentence 4. The Democrats failed to appeal to the working class of America. 5. Americans have been angry and scared about the economy for a long time, and we blame whoever is in power. This all began when Ronald Reagan changed the tax laws, so that the rich paid less and the middle class paid more. He gave so much to the rich that it also required gutting social programs for the poor. After several years of “Reagonomics,” people were angry and scared and turned to Bill Clinton. Clinton solved some problems but did not change the tax structure back to what it had been, so the harm to the middle class continued, as did the lack of programs for those that now fell into poverty. Consequently the fear and anger increased, and Americans swapped parties and made George W. Bush the next president. Bush, however, created two more tax cuts for the rich, driving even more middle class folks into poverty. More anger and fear developed, and there was a switch of parties over to Barack Obama. Obama did nothing about changing the tax laws to help the middle class, and folks were so scared and angry that they elected Donald Trump, a man with no political experience or acumen. Trump immediately provided yet another tax cut for the rich at the expense of the middle class, pushing ever more working class folks into poverty and Americans swing, yet again. This time to Joe Biden. Biden did some good things for the economy, in general, but did not change the tax code. So the average American continues to suffer, and in their desperation the American people swung back to Trump. 6. Americans have a long-standing habit of voting against their own best interests. Mark Weiss Mark Weiss lives in Corvallis with his brilliant wife, two cats and a dog. He was a counselor in our community for 39 years. Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly!US and foreign leaders praise Jimmy Carter's legacy
Josh Norris scores late power-play goal in the Senators' 3-1 victory over the Wild ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Josh Norris broke a tie on a power play with 7:18 left, Leevi Merilainen made 30 saves in his fifth NHL game and the Ottawa Senators beat the Minnesota Wild 3-1 on Sunday night. Phil Ervin, The Associated Press Dec 29, 2024 8:04 PM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message Ottawa Senators left wing Brady Tkachuk (7) attempts a goal while Minnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson, center right, saves the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt) ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Josh Norris broke a tie on a power play with 7:18 left, Leevi Merilainen made 30 saves in his fifth NHL game and the Ottawa Senators beat the Minnesota Wild 3-1 on Sunday night. Ottawa has won seven of its past nine games, while the Wild have lost five of their past seven. The Senators won in Minnesota for the first time since 2016. With starter Linus Ullmark and backup Anton Forsberg out with injuries, the Senators have been relying on Merilainen and Mads Sogaard since before the NHL holiday break. Frederick Gaudreau opened the scoring for Minnesota late in the first period. Ridly Greig tied it early in the second. Claude Giroux added an empty-netter. Takeaways Senators: A team that finds itself surprisingly in a playoff position after missing the postseason the past six seasons topped a Western Conference contender in Minnesota. Norris has been a big part of the Senators' surge and now ranks second on the team with 14 goals. Wild: A lower-body injury kept Kirill Kaprizov out of his second straight game, but Joel Eriksson Ek returned after missing 11 games with a lower-body injury. The Wild are 17-5-4 with Eriksson Ek in the lineup and 5-6-0 without him. Key moment The Wild killed one penalty midway through the third, but Jared Spurgeon went to the box seconds later on a holding call. Norris scored on the power play. Up next The Senators’ nine-game trip continues Thursday at Dallas night. The Wild host Nashville on Tuesday night. ___ AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl Phil Ervin, The Associated Press See a typo/mistake? Have a story/tip? This has been shared 0 times 0 Shares Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message More National Sports Samsonov stops 31 shots as Golden Knights earn sixth straight win, 3-0 over the Flames Dec 29, 2024 8:02 PM Willander scores twice to lead Sweden to 7-5 win over Switzerland at world juniors Dec 29, 2024 7:42 PM Unconvincing Canada tops Germany 3-0 at world juniors Dec 29, 2024 7:19 PM Featured Flyer
Independence Message: The Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of BarbadosBy ALEXANDRA OLSON and CATHY BUSSEWITZ NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart’s sweeping rollback of its diversity policies is the strongest indication yet of a profound shift taking hold at U.S. companies that are revaluating the legal and political risks associated with bold programs to bolster historically underrepresented groups in business. The changes announced by the world’s biggest retailer followed a string of legal victories by conservative groups that have filed an onslaught of lawsuits challenging corporate and federal programs aimed at elevating minority and women-owned businesses and employees. The risk associated with some of programs crystalized with the election of former President Donald Trump, whose administration is certain to make dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion programs a priority. Trump’s incoming deputy chief of policy will be his former adviser Stephen Miller , who leads a group called America First Legal that has aggressively challenged corporate DEI policies. “There has been a lot of reassessment of risk looking at programs that could be deemed to constitute reverse discrimination,” said Allan Schweyer, principal researcher the Human Capital Center at the Conference Board. “This is another domino to fall and it is a rather large domino,” he added. Among other changes, Walmart said it will no longer give priority treatment to suppliers owned by women or minorities. The company also will not renew a five-year commitment for a racial equity center set up in 2020 after the police killing of George Floyd. And it pulled out of a prominent gay rights index . Schweyer said the biggest trigger for companies making such changes is simply a reassessment of their legal risk exposure, which began after U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in June 2023 that ended affirmative action in college admissions. Since then, conservative groups using similar arguments have secured court victories against various diversity programs, especially those that steer contracts to minority or women-owned businesses. Most recently, the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty won a victory in a case against the U.S. Department of Transportation over its use of a program that gives priority to minority-owned businesses when it awards contracts. Companies are seeing a big legal risk in continuing with DEI efforts, said Dan Lennington, a deputy counsel at the institute. His organization says it has identified more than 60 programs in the federal government that it considers discriminatory, he said. “We have a legal landscape within the entire federal government, all three branches — the U.S. Supreme Court, the Congress and the President — are all now firmly pointed in the direction towards equality of individuals and individualized treatment of all Americans, instead of diversity, equity and inclusion treating people as members of racial groups,” Lennington said. The Trump administration is also likely to take direct aim at DEI initiatives through executive orders and other policies that affect private companies, especially federal contractors. “The impact of the election on DEI policies is huge. It can’t be overstated,” said Jason Schwartz, co-chair of the Labor & Employment Practice Group at law firm Gibson Dunn. With Miller returning to the White House, rolling back DEI initiatives is likely to be a priority, Schwartz said. “Companies are trying to strike the right balance to make clear they’ve got an inclusive workplace where everyone is welcome, and they want to get the best talent, while at the same time trying not to alienate various parts of their employees and customer base who might feel one way or the other. It’s a virtually impossible dilemma,” Schwartz said. A recent survey by Pew Research Center showed that workers are divided on the merits of DEI policies. While still broadly popular, the share of workers who said focusing on workplace diversity was mostly a good thing fell to 52% in the November survey, compared to 56% in a similar survey in February 2023. Rachel Minkin, a research associated at Pew called it a small but significant shift in short amount of time. There will be more companies pulling back from their DEI policies, but it likely won’t be a retreat across the board, said David Glasgow, executive director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at New York University. “There are vastly more companies that are sticking with DEI,” Glasgow said. “The only reason you don’t hear about it is most of them are doing it by stealth. They’re putting their heads down and doing DEI work and hoping not to attract attention.” Glasgow advises organizations to stick to their own core values, because attitudes toward the topic can change quickly in the span of four years. “It’s going to leave them looking a little bit weak if there’s a kind of flip-flopping, depending on whichever direction the political winds are blowing,” he said. One reason DEI programs exist is because without those programs, companies may be vulnerable to lawsuits for traditional discrimination. “Really think carefully about the risks in all directions on this topic,” Glasgow said. Walmart confirmed will no longer consider race and gender as a litmus test to improve diversity when it offers supplier contracts. Last fiscal year, Walmart said it spent more than $13 billion on minority, women or veteran-owned good and service suppliers. It was unclear how its relationships with such business would change going forward. Organizations that that have partnered with Walmart on its diversity initiatives offered a cautious response. The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, a non-profit that last year named Walmart one of America’s top corporation for women-owned enterprises, said it was still evaluating the impact of Walmart’s announcement. Pamela Prince-Eason, the president and CEO of the organization, said she hoped Walmart’s need to cater to its diverse customer base will continue to drive contracts to women-owned suppliers even if the company no longer has explicit dollar goals. “I suspect Walmart will continue to have one of the most inclusive supply chains in the World,” Prince-Eason wrote. “Any retailer’s ability to serve the communities they operate in will continue to value understanding their customers, (many of which are women), in order to better provide products and services desired and no one understands customers better than Walmart.” Related Articles National News | Bird flu virus was found in raw milk. What to know about the risks National News | Ransomware attack on software supplier disrupts operations for Starbucks and other retailers National News | Man found guilty of holding down teen while he was raped at a youth center in 1998 National News | What Black Friday’s history tells us about holiday shopping in 2024 National News | New rule allows HIV-positive organ transplants Walmart’s announcement came after the company spoke directly with conservative political commentator and activist Robby Starbuck, who has been going after corporate DEI policies, calling out individual companies on the social media platform X. Several of those companies have subsequently announced that they are pulling back their initiatives, including Ford , Harley-Davidson, Lowe’s and Tractor Supply . Walmart confirmed to The Associated Press that it will better monitor its third-party marketplace items to make sure they don’t feature sexual and transgender products aimed at minors. The company also will stop participating in the Human Rights Campaign’s annual benchmark index that measures workplace inclusion for LGBTQ+ employees. A Walmart spokesperson added that some of the changes were already in progress and not as a result of conversations that it had with Starbuck. RaShawn “Shawnie” Hawkins, senior director of the HRC Foundation’s Workplace Equality Program, said companies that “abandon” their commitments workplace inclusion policies “are shirking their responsibility to their employees, consumers, and shareholders.” She said the buying power of LGBTQ customers is powerful and noted that the index will have record participation of more than 1,400 companies in 2025.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Darrell V. McGraw Jr., a former longtime West Virginia attorney general and state Supreme Court justice who fought back against the state's drug overdose crisis, died Saturday. He was 88. Jared Hunt, a spokesman for the state Supreme Court, said in an email that McGraw died of a heart attack. The West Virginia Democratic Party called McGraw “a tireless advocate for justice, fairness, and the people of our great state.” “His legacy of service and commitment to our state will never be forgotten,” it said in a statement. “Darrell’s work made a lasting impact on our state, and his spirit of public service will continue to inspire generations to come.” A Democrat, McGraw won a 12-year term on the Supreme Court in 1976. He was elected attorney general in 1992 and re-elected four times before losing to Republican Patrick Morrisey in 2012. McGraw lost a bid to return to the Supreme Court in 2016. Get the latest breaking news as it happens. By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy . “My prayers and sympathies go out to the family and friends of Darrell McGraw for their loss,” Morrisey said in a statement on the social platform X. In 2001, McGraw accused Purdue Pharma in a lawsuit of dishonestly marketing the painkiller OxyContin in West Virginia. The company agreed to a $10 million settlement in 2004. McGraw later filed a lawsuit over excessive amounts of prescription painkillers that were flooding southern West Virginia pharmacies. After McGraw left office, the state announced settlements of $20 million with distributor Cardinal Health Inc. and $16 million with AmerisourceBergen Drug Co. In addition, a Georgia company that McGraw accused of supplying ingredients used to make drugs known as bath salts and synthetic marijuana agreed not to sell or advertise in the state. The drug overdose epidemic has killed more than 1 million people in the United States since 1999. West Virginia for years has had by far the nation’s highest overdose death rate. McGraw also focused on consumer protection and antitrust laws, suing direct mail marketers, credit card companies, alternative lenders and other businesses. In 1998 his office was part of a national settlement against major U.S. cigarette manufacturers. West Virginia currently has the highest rate of adult smokers. Born Nov. 8, 1936, in Wyoming County, McGraw enlisted in the Army as a teenager. Attending West Virginia University, he was elected student body president and earned bachelor’s and law degrees. He later became counsel to the state legislature and to Gov. Hulett Smith before being elected to the Supreme Court. McGraw’s wife, Jorea Marple, is a former state schools superintendent. His brother, former state Supreme Court Justice Warren McGraw, died last year. McGraw is survived by his wife and four children, Hunt said.3 Clean Energy Stocks That Could Thrive Under TrumpWolves' Matheus Cunha transfer price sky rockets as suitors learn £25m reality
MARPAI ANNOUNCES GENERAL UPDATES FOR Q4By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER WASHINGTON (AP) — One year after the Jan. 6, 2021 , U.S. Capitol attack, Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department was committed to holding accountable all perpetrators “at any level” for “the assault on our democracy.” That bold declaration won’t apply to at least one person: Donald Trump. Special counsel Jack Smith’s move on Monday to abandon the federal election interference case against Trump means jurors will likely never decide whether the president-elect is criminally responsible for his attempts to cling to power after losing the 2020 campaign. The decision to walk away from the election charges and the separate classified documents case against Trump marks an abrupt end of the Justice Department’s unprecedented legal effort that once threatened his liberty but appears only to have galvanized his supporters. The abandonment of the cases accusing Trump of endangering American democracy and national security does away with the most serious legal threats he was facing as he returns to the White House. It was the culmination of a monthslong defense effort to delay the proceedings at every step and use the criminal allegations to Trump’s political advantage, putting the final word in the hands of voters instead of jurors. “We always knew that the rich and powerful had an advantage, but I don’t think we would have ever believed that somebody could walk away from everything,” said Stephen Saltzburg, a George Washington University law professor and former Justice Department official. “If there ever was a Teflon defendant, that’s Donald Trump.” While prosecutors left the door open to the possibility that federal charges could be re-filed against Trump after he leaves office, that seems unlikely. Meanwhile, Trump’s presidential victory has thrown into question the future of the two state criminal cases against him in New York and Georgia. Trump was supposed to be sentenced on Tuesday after his conviction on 34 felony counts in his New York hush money case , but it’s possible the sentencing could be delayed until after Trump leaves office, and the defense is pushing to dismiss the case altogether. Smith’s team stressed that their decision to abandon the federal cases was not a reflection of the merit of the charges, but an acknowledgement that they could not move forward under longstanding Justice Department policy that says sitting presidents cannot face criminal prosecution. Trump’s presidential victory set “at odds two fundamental and compelling national interests: On the one hand, the Constitution’s requirement that the President must not be unduly encumbered in fulfilling his weighty responsibilities . . . and on the other hand, the Nation’s commitment to the rule of law,” prosecutors wrote in court papers. The move just weeks after Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris underscores the immense personal stake Trump had in the campaign in which he turned his legal woes into a political rallying cry. Trump accused prosecutors of bringing the charges in a bid to keep him out of the White House, and he promised revenge on his perceived enemies if he won a second term. “If Donald J. Trump had lost an election, he may very well have spent the rest of his life in prison,” Vice President-elect JD Vance, wrote in a social media post on Monday. “These prosecutions were always political. Now it’s time to ensure what happened to President Trump never happens in this country again.” After the Jan. 6 attack by Trump supporters that left more than 100 police officers injured, Republican leader Mitch McConnell and several other Republicans who voted to acquit Trump during his Senate impeachment trial said it was up to the justice system to hold Trump accountable. The Jan. 6 case brought last year in Washington alleged an increasingly desperate criminal conspiracy to subvert the will of voters after Trump’s 2020 loss, accusing Trump of using the angry mob of supporters that attacked the Capitol as “a tool” in his campaign to pressure then-Vice President Mike Pence and obstruct the certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s victory. Hundreds of Jan. 6 rioters — many of whom have said they felt called to Washington by Trump — have pleaded guilty or been convicted by juries of federal charges at the same courthouse where Trump was supposed to stand trial last year. As the trial date neared, officials at the courthouse that sits within view of the Capitol were busy making plans for the crush of reporters expected to cover the historic case. But Trump’s argument that he enjoyed absolute immunity from prosecution quickly tied up the case in appeals all the way up to the Supreme Court. The high court ruled in July that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution , and sent the case back to the trial court to decide which allegations could move forward. But the case was dismissed before the trial court could get a chance to do so. Related Articles National Politics | After delay, Trump signs agreement with Biden White House to begin formal transition handoff National Politics | Rudy Giuliani in a courtroom outburst accuses judge in assets case of being unfair, drawing a rebuke National Politics | Surveillance tech advances by Biden could aid in Trump’s promised crackdown on immigration National Politics | Expecting challenges, blue states vow to create ‘firewall’ of abortion protections National Politics | Washington power has shifted. Here’s how the ACA may shift, too The other indictment brought in Florida accused Trump of improperly storing at his Mar-a-Lago estate sensitive documents on nuclear capabilities, enlisting aides and lawyers to help him hide records demanded by investigators and cavalierly showing off a Pentagon “plan of attack” and classified map. But U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the case in July on grounds that Smith was illegally appointed . Smith appealed to the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, but abandoned that appeal on Monday. Smith’s team said it would continue its fight in the appeals court to revive charges against Trump’s two co-defendants because “no principle of temporary immunity applies to them.” In New York, jurors spent weeks last spring hearing evidence in a state case alleging a Trump scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn actor who said the two had sex. New York prosecutors recently expressed openness to delaying sentencing until after Trump’s second term, while Trump’s lawyers are fighting to have the conviction dismissed altogether. In Georgia, a trial while Trump is in office seems unlikely in a state case charging him and more than a dozen others with conspiring to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state. The case has been on hold since an appeals court agreed to review whether to remove Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis over her romantic relationship with the special prosecutor she had hired to lead the case. Associated Press reporter Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed.
LUQUE, Paraguay — Sake is perhaps more Japanese than the world-famous sushi. It's brewed in centuries-old mountaintop warehouses, savored in the country’s pub-like izakayas, poured during weddings and served slightly chilled for special toasts. The smooth rice wine that plays a crucial role in Japan's culinary traditions was enshrined on Wednesday by UNESCO on its list of the “intangible cultural heritage of humanity." At a meeting in Luque, Paraguay, members of UNESCO’s committee for safeguarding humanity's cultural heritage voted to recognize 45 cultural practices and products around the world, including Brazilian white cheese, Caribbean cassava bread and Palestinian olive oil soap. People are also reading... Unlike UNESCO’s World Heritage List, which includes sites considered important to humanity like the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, the Intangible Cultural Heritage designation names products and practices of different cultures that are deserving of recognition. Japan's Takehiro Kano, ambassador to UNESCO, reacts after the traditional Japanese brewing of sake was officially named to UNESCO's "intangible cultural heritage of humanity" list during a World Heritage Convention in Asuncion, Paraguay on Wednesday. Marta Escurra, Associated Press A Japanese delegation welcomed the announcement in Luque. “Sake is considered a divine gift and is essential for social and cultural events in Japan,” Kano Takehiro, the Japanese ambassador to UNESCO, told The Associated Press. The basic ingredients of sake are few: rice, water, yeast and koji, a rice mold that breaks down the starches into fermentable sugars like malting does in beer production. The whole two-month process of steaming, stirring, fermenting and pressing can be grueling. The rice — which wields tremendous marketing power as part of Japan's broader cultural identity — is key to the alcoholic brew. For a product to be categorized Japanese sake, the rice must be Japanese. Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed | SoundStack | All Of Our Podcasts Japanese sake, a nominee for UNESCO's "intangible cultural heritage of humanity" list, are displayed on Japan's delegation table, during a UNESCO World Heritage Convention in Asuncion, Paraguay, on Wednesday. Marta Escurra, Associated Press The UNESCO recognition, the delegation said, captured more than the craft knowledge of making high-quality sake. It also honored a tradition dating back some 1,000 years — sake makes a cameo in Japan’s famous 11th century novel, “The Tale of Genji,” as the drink of choice in the refined Heian court. Now, officials hope to restore sake's image as Japan's premier alcoholic drink even as the younger drinkers in the country switch to imported wine or domestic beer and whiskey. Japanese breweries also expressed hope the listing could give a lift to the country's export economy as the popularity of sake booms around the world and in the United States amid heightened interest in Japanese cuisine. “I hope that this will also be an opportunity for Japanese people to take another look at sake, shochu and awamori, which are the essence of their culture," Hitoshi Utsunomiya, director of the trade group Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association, said in Tokyo. "I would like them to try it even once and see what it tastes like,” he said. Sake exports, mostly to the U.S. and China, now rake in over $265 million a year, according to the association. Japan's Takehiro Kano, ambassador to UNESCO, reacts as the traditional Japanese brewing of sake was named to UNESCO's "intangible cultural heritage of humanity" list during a World Heritage Convention in Asuncion, Paraguay on Wednesday. Marta Escurra, Associated Press Japan's delegation appeared ready to celebrate Wednesday — in classic Japanese style. After the announcement, Takehiro raised a cypress box full of sake to toast the alcoholic brew and cultural rite. “It means a lot to Japan and to the Japanese,” he said of the UNESCO designation. "This will help to renew interest in traditional sake elaboration.” In Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said he was “delighted” by UNESCO's recognition of traditional sake-making techniques, and he congratulated those dedicated to preserving and promoting the tradition. How to host the ultimate wine tasting How to host the ultimate wine tasting The crisp autumn air ushers in more than just pumpkin spice latte season. Consider cozying up inside with friends for a wine tasting and sharing delicious food and drinks with more complex flavors than cinnamon and sugar.Perhaps once thought of as stuffy affairs only for wine connoisseurs, today a tasting can be as casual as pouring a few bottles while doing another activity—say, bar games like darts or art activities like painting. The tasting can also be more traditional, especially if held at a winery or local wine shop, which is a great way to learn about what wines you might like to later serve at home. To host the ultimate wine tasting, it pays to do some R&D.One of the best aspects of hosting a wine tasting at home is that you get to establish the mood, tone, and guest list for the gathering—you can't pick a playlist when you sample wines at a bar or wine shop or make the dress code loungewear. So whether the mood is serious or playful, sophisticated or laid-back, the key to a successful tasting is enjoying and appreciating the wine and having fun with friends and family.Of course, there are a few other things to figure out along the way. Peerspace put together a few tips for hosting your wine-tasting party. Canva Tip 1: Determine the vibe A tasting party is all about sampling different wines and evaluating and hopefully enjoying them—and there are a variety of ways to do that. Would you like to host a playful gathering where each guest brings a mystery bottle of wine within a certain price range—a BYOB affair? Or would it be better to have more control over which wines are featured by curating and supplying all the wines as a host?This decision sets the tone—a tasting where guests contribute wine can be a bit of a free-for-all, whereas one where you select wines you supply allows guests to sit back and simply enjoy. And you don't have to break the bank to buy excellent wines—there are lots of wine experts ready to share their affordable picks.How much folks know about wine differs—and that's a good thing. Tastings are group learning experiences. Expertise isn't necessary to host or attend a tasting, but it is helpful to think about what will keep guests comfortable and having fun. Decide whether the vibe will be relaxed and laid-back, like friends sipping wine fireside, or more upbeat and formal. Think about elements like the atmosphere and the location, and consider whether folks will be seated or standing.Will you have a spirited playlist (couldn't resist) or live music? Do you want an expert to introduce each wine, or will you be that expert? Consider how guests will share their thoughts on what they are tasting. Do you want to just talk about them or do something more organized, like take notes or give ratings? Then supply notebooks or notecards and pencils, with categories or questions established ahead of time—all of which can reflect your evening's tone as well. Canva Tip 2: Know your numbers How many people to invite is a question largely informed by the answers to tip #1: Are you having a big, formal affair or an intimate catch-up with close friends? Or something in between?Whatever the case, an RSVP is essential because not only do you need to plan the setup of the space, but you must also make sure there's enough wine for everyone to taste, including each of the wines featured. There's nothing worse than a tasting that runs dry!The math to determine how much wine you need considers the size of the tasting pours—a full glass of wine at a restaurant is usually around 5 ounces, which yields around five glasses of wine from a standard bottle. For tastings, you'll want to do less, depending on how many wines you are featuring—say, 2 ounces if you'll be trying a lot of different wines.Experts agree, having more wine than you need is always a good idea—that way you can send guests home with a bottle should there be a prize at the end of the night. Canva Tip 3: Set a theme Picking a theme is essential to curating the selection of wines—it's the organizing principle behind your selections. Otherwise, your tasting might as well be just walking down the wine aisle at the grocery store and taking sips from random bottles. There's too much wine out there not to be strategic about this.Plus, a theme helps you to tell the story of each wine better—it's the plot line of the night, if you will. Common themes are types of wine, regions they are from, or even price points—really, one can get as creative as they wish. For inspiration, check out local wine shops and see what they do for tastings. Often, they will follow seasonality and group wines in novel ways for their own in-house tastings. DavideAngelini // Shutterstock Tip 4: Don't forget food Don't let food be an afterthought for the festivities—after all, food can enhance particular qualities of wine and vice versa. There are many rules around what foods to pair with which wines, but consider this simple advice from Alder Yarrow's Vinography: "Stick with eating good food and drinking good wine."Since the focus is on the wines, allow the drinks to determine what food makes sense, but don't overthink it. Food is a supporting character here—at the very least, guests will need something to soak up all the alcohol (unless you are spitting it out). Eating foods that contain a mixture of protein, fats, and carbs when drinking helps increase the rate of alcohol elimination. Whether it's a full meal or heavy hors d'oeuvres, thoughtful noshes are necessary. Canva Tip 5: Small pours = big fun The bottom line is, however you do it, hosting the ultimate wine tasting should be fun. Wine can feel intimidating to many people, but most wine experts are passionate, inspired folks who want to share what they know and help you find wines you like. So visit your local wine store or winemaker and ask questions. There are good guides specifically concerning how to taste wine.Dig a little, taste a lot, and have fun. It's all research for your next ultimate wine tasting.Story editing by Carren Jao. Additional editing by Kelly Glass. Copy editing by Kristen Wegrzyn. Photo selection by Lacy Kerrick.This story originally appeared on Peerspace and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio. Canva Be the first to knowESTERO, Fla. (AP) — Kaden Cooper led Louisiana Tech with 16 points, and Daniel Batcho and Amaree Abram made key free throws in the closing seconds as the Bulldogs defeated Richmond 65-62 on Tuesday. Cooper added nine rebounds and four steals for the Bulldogs (6-0). Batcho scored 13 points, going 4 of 6 and 5 of 7 from the free-throw line. Abram shot 3 for 13 (2 for 7 from 3-point range) and 4 of 4 from the free-throw line to finish with 12 points, while adding six rebounds. Delonnie Hunt finished with 26 points and three steals for the Spiders (3-4). Abram scored eight points in the first half and Louisiana Tech went into halftime trailing 35-27. Sean Newman Jr. scored a team-high 12 points for Louisiana Tech in the second half. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .‘Jersey Shore Family Vacation’ season 7: Stream new episode on MTV for free tonight
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy appears to love rib-ticklers these days, aiming them with aplomb at his Cabinet colleagues. The other day, at the Rythu Panduga in Mahbubnagar district, his comments left many chuckling. First it was irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy’s turn to get a good-natured poke. Uttam is this district’s son-in-law, the CM said as Uttam’s wife, Kodad MLA Padmavathi Reddy, hails from a village near Jadcherla. The bottom line? Because of his “special status” Uttam owes the district and should ensure irrigation for 20 lakh acres in Mahbubnagar. That is the dowry Uttam owes, the CM went, prompting chuckles and guffaws. Deputy CM and finance minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka was next with the CM recalling the local connections of Bhatti’s elder brothers, Mallu Anantha Ramulu and Mallu Ravi, with the district. Bhatti holding the state purse strings could sign some blank cheques for the district, the CM went. Then came the turn of health minister Damodar Rajanarsimha, the in-charge minister for Mahbubnagar, with Revanth going “Damodar anna signs without reading! That way, we can sneak in higher amounts for our district easily.” A good time to call it a day... sort of. This is now the case with senior IAS officer Burra Venkatesham who sought voluntary retirement from service (VRS) to take up the job of Telangana State Public Service Commission (TGPSC) chairperson. Burra is not the first to seek VRS and head the commission, since the TGPSC post is a much coveted one. It was B. Janardhan Reddy who quit his IAS job in a similar fashion during the BRS regime and joined the commission in May 2021. But, for Janardhan, his dream job — six years at TGPSC’s helm, or until reaching the age of 62 — was cut short to just two-and-a-half years with the Congress sweeping to power on December 7, 2023. Forced to resign within five days of the political shift, his abrupt exit on December 11 sent shockwaves through bureaucratic circles. Now, the word doing the rounds is that with four years of regular service left, Burra with a penchant for taking calculated risks, has placed his bets on staying on for six years in his new position, a win-win situation for him, making him one more among officials betting their careers in a high-stakes game of strategy, resilience, and luck, and hope that they can weather future political storms. Leaders who are reluctant to lead are the current flavour in erstwhile Adilabad district with folks looking askance and their elected representatives, present and past, missing in action. While leaders from the ruling party are staying away fearing “accountability”, those from the Opposition parties too are missing from action on the field worried that they would be taken to task for their failed policies that led to the current situation. This became clear at the recent protest against an ethanol plant in Dilawarpur village with neither side putting in an appearance and finally, people’s power making it felt. Just for good measure, the protestors were also holding up placards with pictures of the MLA and two others declaring them missing. AP’s labour minister Vasamsetty Subhash appears to be harvesting trouble after courting some serious controversy after issuing legal notices to women agriculture labourers in Ramachandrapuram of Dr B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district recently. The women say all they did was to harvest paddy from a field and were not aware of a dispute on its ownership. The land belonged to a brother and sister and was bought by another person who allegedly had Vasamsetty’s blessings. When the dispute initially reached the local police station, the women workers were made a party to the case. When the women alleged they were being made scapegoats in a case in which a minister was involved, Subhash was apparently cut to the quick and served legal notices to all his critics in the case, including the women farm labourers who are now hugely worried and anguished that they are up against their state minister. Heroes on the big screen can suddenly become zeroes in real life. The latest to become an example of this phenomenon appears to be Allu Arjun, whose film ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’s first screening resulted in the death of a woman who went to watch the movie at the same theatre that he decided to go to and made a grand entry setting, off a stampede by his crazed fans carrying aerosol can torches among other paraphernalia. With the woman dying in the stampede and her son nearly getting killed at the same time, Telangana minister for cinematography Komatireddy Venkat Reddy questioning Allu Arjun’s choice of going to the hall — the situation resulted in serious questions about the desperate thirst for adulation among movie stars who other than a handful of hits in their entire career, have nothing much to show far. There is a joke doing the rounds in the BJP in Telangana these days. Nothing new but a repurposed old one and the butt of the joke is party state president G. Kishan Reddy. The man, known to work hard to ensure he makes no enemies, did not want this post of state chief. But when he was given the job, he got stuck with it. With no signs of a new president on the horizon, and amidst rumours that when a new one comes, Kishan could well be given the job of the BJP national president, some in the party are apparently tickled at this prospect, getting a new chance to have a jibe at Kishan. A senior party leader the other day narrated the now famous anecdote about visiting US journalists in Bihar saying the state can be turned into the US as it had potential. Lalu Prasad Yadav, hearing about this, retorted that he could turn the US into a Bihar in no time. If Kishan goes to Delhi then he can turn the national BJP into Telangana BJP which is struggling on many fronts, this particular BJP leader said. Once a man who wielded enormous power, former Speaker in the BRS government and Banswada MLA Pocharam Srinivas Reddy is now struggling to cope with life after power. After joining the Congress following the BRS’ drubbing, he is facing stiff opposition in the now-ruling party with former MLA and Banswada constituency Congress in-charge Enugu Ravinder Reddy raising his voice against Pocharam alleging autocratic attitude. Party leaders from lower rungs too are reported to be upset at Pocharam’s attitude and all of this apparently has now come to a stage where the former Speaker, according to the grapevine, is believed to be considering returning to the BRS.[File Photo] Minister for Women, Children, and Social Protection, Lynda Tabuya has highlighted the urgent need to address technology-facilitated gender-based violence. She highlighted this during a panel session titled “Digital Gender Divide: Prevention, Regulation, Empowerment” held alongside the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on the Beijing+30 Review. Tabuya says while technology plays an important role it also opens up new avenues for abuse and exploitation, particularly when it comes to gender-based violence. She says Fiji is experiencing a rapid rise in digital connectivity adding that at the start of this year, 541.4 thousand users aged 18 and above were active on social media, representing 86.7 percent of the adult population. She says additionally, there were 1.19 million active cellular mobile connections, equivalent to 126.2 percent of the total population. Tabuya says while this widespread connectivity presents incredible opportunities, it also exposes significant vulnerabilities, particularly in addressing the darker side of technology. She says while comprehensive data on technology-facilitated gender-based violence remains limited, further reports from the Online Safety Commission highlight social media platforms, particularly Facebook, as the most reported platform for abuse. She says 22 percent of women are frequently subjected to image-based abuse and 30 percent are targeted by defamatory comments. The Minister says the panel session served as a platform for experts and policymakers to discuss strategies for preventing and regulating technology-facilitated gender-based violence, as well as empowering individuals to navigate the digital landscape safely and securely.
Fall is the best time to think about cooking soup. Here’s 5 recipes you’ll want to tryWASHINGTON (AP) — Working-class voters helped Republicans make steady election gains this year and expanded a coalition that increasingly includes rank-and-file union members, a political shift spotlighting one of President-elect Donald Trump’s latest Cabinet picks: a GOP congresswoman, who has drawn labor support, to be his labor secretary. Oregon Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer narrowly lost her bid for a second term this month, despite strong backing from union members, a key part of the Democratic base but gravitating in the Trump era toward a Republican Party traditionally allied with business interests. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
Sunday, November 24, 2024 British Airways flight BA65, a scheduled service from London Heathrow (LHR) to Nairobi (NBO), experienced an unexpected diversion today, landing at Jeddah King Abdul Aziz International Airport (JED) in Saudi Arabia. Operated by a state-of-the-art Airbus A350-1000 , the flight initially departed London at 09:58 GMT and was expected to complete its 8-hour journey to Nairobi uninterrupted. However, due to unforeseen operational concerns, the aircraft was re-routed mid-flight. The airline has confirmed that the diversion was a precautionary measure and that the aircraft is scheduled to depart Jeddah at 19:20 local time, resuming its journey to Nairobi. This report provides a detailed account of the inci dent, its implications for passengers, and insights into the operational measures taken by British Airways to ensure safety and efficiency. The following is a timeline of the events surrounding the diversion of flight BA65: The Airbus A350-1000 (registration G-XWBN), a modern and fuel-efficient aircraft, is one of British Airways’ newest additions to its fleet, having been in service for just over a year. Known for its cutting-edge technology and passenger comfort, the A350-1000 is designed for long-haul flights and operates with high safety standards. While British Airways has not disclosed the specific reason for the diversion, operational diversions are typically prompted by technical issues, weather conditions, or medical emergencies. In this case, initial reports suggest that the decision to land in Jeddah was precautionary, emphasizing the airline’s commitment to passenger safety and operational excellence. Such diversions are not uncommon in the aviation industry, and airlines prioritize passenger and crew safety above all else. British Airways’ proactive response to the situation underscores its dedication to maintaining the highest standards of operational reliability. Passengers on flight BA65 have been accommodated in Jeddah during the layover. British Airways has assured travelers that they will reach Nairobi as soon as possible, minimizing the delay caused by the diversion. The airline is also expected to offer assistance, including meals, refreshments, and any necessary accommodations, in line with international aviation standards. Affected passengers may also be eligible for compensation under British Airways’ customer service policies, depending on the cause of the diversion and the length of the delay. The airline’s swift communication and support efforts aim to mitigate the inconvenience and maintain passenger satisfaction. The Airbus A350-1000, one of the newest aircraft in British Airways’ fleet, is renowned for its advanced technology and superior passenger experience. Featuring a spacious cabin layout, reduced noise levels, and state-of-the-art safety systems, the A350-1000 is a preferred choice for long-haul routes. This aircraft model is equipped with the latest fuel-efficient engines, reducing carbon emissions while offering an extended range. Its sophisticated monitoring systems provide real-time diagnostics, allowing pilots and ground crews to address potential issues promptly, as seen in this incident. Jeddah King Abdul Aziz International Airport is a key hub in the Middle East, offering world-class facilities for international flights. Its strategic location makes it an ideal diversion point for aircraft operating between Europe, Africa, and Asia. The airport’s advanced infrastructure and comprehensive support services enable airlines to manage diversions efficiently, ensuring minimal disruption to passengers. In this instance, Jeddah’s proximity to the flight path and its ability to accommodate the Airbus A350-1000 made it the most suitable location for the diversion. As one of the world’s leading airlines, British Airways has built a reputation for prioritizing safety and customer satisfaction. The airline’s response to the BA65 diversion reflects its adherence to rigorous safety protocols and its ability to manage operational challenges effectively. Flight diversions, while inconvenient, are an integral part of ensuring safety in the aviation industry. British Airways’ transparent communication and quick resolution of the issue demonstrate its dedication to maintaining trust and reliability among its passengers. Following the diversion, the affected aircraft will undergo thorough inspections and maintenance checks before resuming operations. British Airways continually invests in advanced training for its crew and technicians, as well as cutting-edge diagnostic tools to prevent and address operational issues. This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of robust safety systems in modern aviation. By prioritizing proactive measures and fostering a culture of safety, British Airways ensures that its passengers can travel with confidence. The diversion of British Airways flight BA65 to Jeddah highlights the complexities and challenges of modern air travel. While such incidents may cause temporary disruptions, they also showcase the aviation industry’s unwavering commitment to safety and reliability. British Airways’ swift and professional handling of the situation underscores its reputation as a trusted global carrier. As the flight resumes its journey to Nairobi, passengers can rest assured that their safety remains the airline’s top priority. This incident serves as a testament to the resilience and adaptability of the aviation industry, ensuring that even unexpected challenges are met with precision and care. British Airways continues to uphold its legacy of excellence, delivering world-class service and safety standards to travelers around the globe. Flight BA65’s successful management reaffirms the airline’s commitment to ensuring a smooth and secure travel experience for all its passengers. Read Travel Industry News in 104 different regional platforms Get our daily dose of news, by subscribing to our newsletters. Subscribe here . Watch Travel And Tour World Interviews here . Read more Breaking Travel News , Daily Travel Alert , and Travel Industry News on Travel And Tour World only.Strictly Come Dancing fans fear star to leave for good and predict show 'set up'