DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

Medvedev gave several interviews explaining that the murder by Wagner of its own deserters led him to leave and seek asylum in Norway. He told CNN he witnessed brutality and incompetence on the front lines in Ukraine, where the mercenary group's fighters have played a pivotal role in Russia's invasion. Legal troubles in Norway: Medvedev crossed the Russia-Norway border on foot in January and sought political asylum. Horrors in Ukraine: Medvedev was the commander of ex-convict Yevgeny Nuzhin, who Wagner executed for surrendering to Ukrainian troops. “They would round up those who did not want to fight and shoot them in front of newcomers," Medvedev told CNN in January.

☆ Opinion | Two Decades of Prison Did Not Prepare Me for the Horrors of County Jail
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Christopher Blackwell | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Conditions in county jails aren’t just bad for people suffering from mental illnesses. A small bag of freeze-dried coffee that costs $3.34 in state prison cost almost $13 in County. Phone calls to our loved ones, which cost just over a dollar for 20 minutes at a Washington State prison, cost nearly $4 from the county jail. We have to care about what’s happening in county jails if we are to make our communities safer. With positive changes, people confined in county jail could come out of their stays better equipped to thrive in their communities.

☆ The Brutal Past and Uncertain Future of Native Adoptions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Gabrielle Glaser | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

“This law has helped us return home,” said Ms. White Hawk, who is also the author of “A Child of the Indian Race,” a memoir. “It has helped us to reclaim our spiritual wealth as Indian people.”For Mr. Stearns, the road to connect with his Navajo self was long and uneven. “His long hair made my mom suspicious,” Mr. Stearns said. Mr. Stearns said that his parents, who are both dead, never hid his adoption, and were proud that he was Navajo. “They were in it to show the love they had to a kid.” But Mr. Stearns could never breach a more personal chasm.

☆ County with high rate of overdose deaths doesn’t use opioid settlement funds for addiction program
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Aneri Pattani | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Greene County, Tenn., resident Nancy Schneck wants opioid settlement funds to be used for addiction and mental health treatment. In Tennessee, 15% of the state’s opioid settlement funds are controlled by the legislature and another 15% by local governments. Greene County, Tenn., is directing some of its opioid settlement money into the county's capital projects fund. Pack, from East Tennessee State, urges them to increase access to medications that have proven effective in treating opioid addiction. Some Greene County residents want to see opioid settlement funds go to local initiatives that are already operating on the ground.

☆ I lived and worked in Antarctica for 5 months without WiFi or running water. Here's what surprised me.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Lucy Bruzzone is one of several women who spent the last five months working in Antarctica. I've always been fascinated by ice and the polar regions and I'd been exploring opportunities to visit Antarctica for many years. At the same time, changes in Antarctica affect our lives at home, destabilizing systems we depend on for food, water, and security. Lucy Bruzzone spent five months in Antarctica. Work was more physical day-to-day, but I still spent a lot of time working at a laptop for someone in Antarctica!

Migrants trying to cross the border can… Get appointment at border checkpoint Seek humanitarian parole Cross border illegally Few nationalities qualify. ‘Transit ban’ Almost everybody Can you show you’ve been denied asylum in another country on your way to the U.S.? ‘Transit ban’ Can you show you’ve already been denied asylum in another country on your way to the U.S.? ‘Transit ban’ Can you show you’ve been denied asylum in another country on your way to the U.S.? ‘Transit ban’ Can you show you’ve already been denied asylum in another country on your way to the U.S.?

WASHINGTON, May 10 (Reuters) - China is facing a growing backlash from the United States and other Western governments over its controversial efforts to pressure dissidents and their advocates abroad, but Beijing has appeared undeterred. Authorities in the U.S., Canada, Britain and elsewhere recently have taken a hard line, including with expulsions, indictments, arrests and probes, against Chinese operations they say are aimed at intimidating critics and pursuing officials accused of corruption living abroad. Among Beijing's alleged tactics are threats of harm, online harassment and clandestine operations on foreign soil to hunt pro-democracy activists. Beijing responded within hours by ordering a Canadian diplomat in Shanghai to leave over what it called Ottawa's "unreasonable actions". Despite the latest diplomatic spat between China and Canada, “I don't think that you can say that these particular actions are harming the business relationship," said Sarah Kutulakos, the executive director of the Canada China Business Council.

☆ Australian journalist nears 1,000 days in detention in China on state secrets charge
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

read moreHer arrest by state security in September 2020 came as China widened blocks on Australian exports amid a diplomatic dispute, but the barriers are falling now, with a visit by Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell planned. China has previously said Australia should respect China's judicial sovereignty, adding that her legal rights were being upheld. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Cheng had shown "great resilience and courage", and the Australian government was concerned by the delay. Born in China, Cheng moved with her scientist parents to Australia as a 10-year-old. "No light has been shed on the allegations" against Cheng after three years, said former trade minister Simon Birmingham, whom she interviewed on his visits to China.

☆ Cooler temperatures offer temporary reprieve for Alberta wildfires
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Nia Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 9 (Reuters) - Wildfires in Canada's main oil-producing province Alberta eased on Tuesday thanks to cooler weather, but thousands of people remained under evacuation orders and officials warned temperatures were expected to rise in coming days. The wildfires also forced oil and gas producers to shut in at least 319,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd), or 3.7% of the country's production. Officials said firefighters had made progress in southern and central Alberta where cooler temperatures and higher humidity slowed the blazes. The fire danger remains high in many parts of northern Alberta and the province is forecast to have high temperatures return by the end of this week. "We are not expecting the kind of winds we saw last week ... but certainly we are not taking it for granted," said Christie Tucker, information unit manager for Alberta Wildfire.

☆ Being outside can improve memory, fight depression, and lower blood pressure — here are 12 science-backed reasons to spend more time outdoors
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Kevin Loria | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Spending time in forests, hiking in mountains, and just being outside can lead to significant health benefits. Studies have shown that walking in the woods can improve blood pressure, boost mental health, and decrease cancer risk. Go spend some time "forest-bathing" to improve your health. Psychologists and health researchers are finding more and more science-backed reasons we should go outside and enjoy the natural world. But humans do need to spend time in natural environments if they want to improve their physical and mental health.

☆ Thailand's influential ex-PM Thaksin eyes July return from exile
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Panu Wongcha-Um | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BANGKOK, May 9 (Reuters) - Thailand's billionaire former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said on Tuesday he would return home in July after 17 years in self-imposed exile, just days ahead of an election his party is expected to win. Although Thaksin, arguably Thailand's most influential and divisive former leader, has failed to make good on numerous pledges to return, his remarks on Twitter were the first time in recent years that he has set a timeframe. The latest surveys show parties in the ruling, military-backed coalition far adrift of Pheu Thai and another opposition party, Move Forward. In a later Twitter comment, Thaksin said he would not "be a burden to Pheu Thai" and his return would follow legal processes. But his family and business clique is reviled by some of Thailand's most powerful families and institutions, including the military.

☆ Why has India's Manipur state exploded in ethnic violence?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

People are evacuated by the Indian army to a temporary shelter as they flee ethnic violence that has hit the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, near Imphal on May 7, 2023. Manipur, a lush, hilly state which borders Myanmar, has long history of civil conflict since modern India’s creation. The divide between the Meiteis and the other ethnic groups is cut sharply across political and geographic lines. People wait at a temporary shelter in a military camp, after being evacuated by the Indian army, as they flee ethnic violence that has hit the northeastern Indian state of Manipur on May 7, 2023. Modi, who is in the southern Indian state of Karnataka to campaign for state elections, is yet to speak publicly about the unrest, sparking widespread anger among Manipur’s residents.

☆ Ukrainians Return Home, Renewed and Resigned
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Jeffrey Gettleman | Finbarr O Reilly | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A new sound wafts through the open windows at night in this town near the front line: children hollering at each other down the block, even long after dark. It is remarkable — “Unrecognizable,” one city official said — how different this small town in eastern Ukraine feels from a year ago. Last summer, Pokrovsk was a spooky landscape of boarded up houses and bushy yards. Now it’s hard to take a few steps without passing someone on the sidewalk. Ukrainians are still dying in droves.

☆ Migrants stranded on Chile-Peru border repatriated to Venezuela
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Undocumented migrants from Venezuela who were in limbo at Chile-Peru border, stand at the airport while they board a special homecoming flight to Venezuela from Arica airport, Chile May 7, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander InfanteSANTIAGO, May 7 (Reuters) - Chile's government said that 115 Venezuelan migrants who had been stranded on the border with Peru were repatriated to Venezuela on a humanitarian flight Sunday. Hundreds of migrants, mostly Venezuelans seeking to return home, had been stranded in the country's northern border after being denied entry into Peru. The incident sparked diplomatic tensions as Peru sent police and soldiers to the border to block migrants. In a statement released Sunday, Chile's Foreign Ministry said the flight was the result of diplomatic efforts with the Venezuelan government and its "Return to the Homeland" plan.

☆ Cate Blanchett calls for more support for refugee host countries
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Marie-Louise Gumuchian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, May 3 (Reuters) - Actor Cate Blanchett, a goodwill ambassador for the UN refugee agency, has called for more support for countries hosting people forcibly displaced from their homes to prevent "a forgotten crisis." Blanchett, appointed a UNHCR goodwill ambassador in 2016, said it "was easy to forget" there were protracted conflicts around the world leading people to seek refuge elsewhere. "When you think that 74% of refugees are sheltered by lower to middle income countries, it's not the wealthiest countries in the world that are bearing that responsibility. [1/3] UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Cate Blanchett visits a TIGER workshop in the community centre in District 2 of Zaatari refugee camp, in Mafraq, Jordan, April 25, 2023. Blanchett reunited with families in Amman and travelled to Zaatari refugee camp, created soon after the Syrian conflict erupted in 2011 and where some 80,000 people now live.

☆ Oklahoma bodies found: Convicted sex offender Jesse McFadden and 2 teen girls among 7 bodies found at his home
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Tina Burnside Caroll Alvarado Eric Levenson | Tina Burnside | Caroll Alvarado | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A convicted sex offender and two missing teenage girls were believed to be among seven bodies found at the man’s Oklahoma home on Monday, authorities said. Brittany Brewer, 16, left, and Ivy Webster, 14, right, were the subject of an endangered/missing advisory issued by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. From Nathan Brewer/Okmulgee County Sheriff's OfficeThe seven bodies were found at a property where McFadden lived and was listed as his home in the Oklahoma Sex Offender Registry. “Our hearts are hurting, and we have considered what would be best for our students in the coming days,” the school system said. “Please continue to keep these families in your thoughts and prayers.”Located in central Oklahoma, Henryetta had a population of 5,640 at the 2020 US census.

☆ John Blake: The story about race I didn't know how to tell
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( John Blake | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

John Blake, seen here in a second-grade photo, grew up as the son of a White mother and Black father. What I didn’t know was that my community had died long before the Freddie Gray protests. That’s the story I wanted to tell, but I didn’t know how. I didn’t know how to tell Harlow any of that because my story doesn’t fit traditional narratives about race or identity. My white family members didn’t change because I shamed them with an impressive lecture on systemic racism.

☆ Russian commanders now punish misbehaving troops by sticking them in dirt holes covered with metal grilles called 'zindans:' UK intelligence
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The holes in the ground are covered by metal grilles, and are makeshift dungeons called "zindans." Independent Russian media also reported recent cases of Russian troops being held in"zindans." The intelligence update comes several weeks after the independent Russian media outlet Vertska also reported that Russian troops were beaten and placed in "zindans." He pleaded for help from the Russian defense ministry, accusing his commanding officer of being "corrupt." The Russian defense ministry's press service did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment sent outside regular business hours.

☆ Manila airport cancels 40 domestic flights after power outage
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 1 (Reuters) - An unexplained power outage at Manila airport's Terminal 3 on Monday led to about 40 domestic Cebu Pacific (CEB.PS) flights being cancelled, the airport said. "Flight delays are expected due to the outage", the Ninoy Aquino International Airport said in a statement posted on Facebook, without disclosing the cause of the power failure. Standby power systems were supplying electricity to critical facilities enabling airline and immigration computers to function partially and enable processing of both inbound and outbound passengers, it said. In a statement, Cebu Pacific offered its passengers departing to and from Terminal 3 an option to rebook or to request refunds to be put in a travel fund for future use. Reporting by Akanksha Khushi in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian SchmollingerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Russian commanders are brutally punishing their own soldiers by putting them in 'holes in the ground,' UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russian commanders are punishing soldiers by putting them in holes in the ground covered with metal grilles. The ministry pointed to multiple recent reports from Russian personnel about the use of such holes in an intelligence update on Sunday. There have previously been reports of Russian soldiers getting into drunken brawls, which have sometimes been deadly. Since the early days of the war, reports have also emerged of Russian troops mutinying and refusing to fight. It has not confirmed the number of casualties, but The Center for Strategic & International Studies estimated in February that between 60,000 and 70,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in Ukraine.

☆ New York repatriates three antiquities to Yemen after seizing them from Met board member
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Moira Warburton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 28 (Reuters) - New York will return three antiquities worth $725,000 to the people of Yemen, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced on Friday, as part of a criminal investigation into a Manhattan-based private collector. The investigation into White by the Manhattan Antiquities Trafficking Unit "has allowed dozens of antiquities that were ripped from their countries of origin to finally return home," Bragg said. "These are just three of nearly 1,000 antiquities we have repatriated over the past 16 months." In December, the Art Newspaper, a trade publication, reported that the Manhattan district attorney's office had seized $24 million worth of antiquities from White's apartment. The Yemeni pieces will be on temporary display at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington until Yemeni authorities can safely repatriate them.

☆ Opinion: I’m a Wiradjuri man. Forgive me for not cheering King Charles’ coronation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Opinion Stan Grant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

White Australia. Martial law was declared on my people, the Wiradjuri nation, during the 1820’s in what was referred to as an “exterminating war.”The survivors were locked away on segregated missions and reserves. I knew standing there alongside so many white Australian faces that I did not belong. Her mother – a white Australian woman – was turned away from a hospital having her first child. We are only roughly 3% of the Australian nation yet more than a third of prison population.

☆ Latest status on foreign states' Sudan evacuation efforts
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Several evacuation efforts appear to be via Port Sudan on the Red Sea, which is directly located about 650 km (400 miles) northeast of Khartoum, but is about 800 km (500 miles) by road. SAUDI ARABIA AND KUWAITSaudi Arabia on Saturday pulled 91 Saudis and about 66 people from other countries out from Port Sudan by naval ship to Jeddah, across the Red Sea. QATARSudan's army accused the RSF of attacking and looting a Qatari embassy convoy heading to Port Sudan. OTHER COUNTRIESJordan said it had begun evacuating about 300 of its nationals from Port Sudan on Saturday. Sweden has given the government permission to deploy forces to help evacuate embassy staff and families.

☆ Russia's war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

People who fled contested territory in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region disembark at a railway station in the Russian port city of Nakhodka. Photo: Vitaliy Ankov/Sputnik/APAs Russia’s war on Ukraine grinds into a second year, some Ukrainians who fled the fighting and ended up in far flung parts of Russia are still unsure if they will ever be able to return home -- and whether they would be welcome when they get there. Ukraine describes these refugees as forcibly deported, though some Natalia says no one forced her to leave. “It was our decision,” she told CNN by phone from Russia’s far east, where she has resettled since arriving last spring. Over the course of many months, CNN has managed to reach a handful of Ukrainians like Natalia.

☆ Nuclear workers describe beatings, detention, and looting by Russian soldiers to force them to keep a Ukrainian power plant running
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Former workers at a Ukrainian nuclear power plant have spoken about mistreatment by Russian soldiers. They described being shot with rubber bullets, beatings, and detention and witnessing murders. The UN says that "the use of torture by Russian authorities, may amount to crimes against humanity." It included, a source told The Times, being shot with rubber bullets, beatings, and detention — and, if they continued to show support for Ukraine — murder. Earlier this week, a Ukrainian woman delivered harrowing testimony to US lawmakers, recounting scenes of torture, physical abuse, and mock executions.

Search resuls for: "Return Home"

25 mentions found