DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday takes on another battle over restrictions on firearms as the justices consider the Biden administration's move to ban "ghost gun" kits that allow people to assemble deadly weapons at home while skirting existing regulations. The challengers focus on the text of the Gun Control Act, saying in their brief that the law simply doesn't apply to gun kits. The ATF does not have unilateral authority to ban ghost guns, with Congress required to act if it wants to do so, they argue. Those defending the availability of ghost gun kits say that they are mostly used by hobbyists, rejecting the government's argument that criminals favor them. Although it is a gun case, the legal question does not turn on the right to bear arms under the Constitution's 2nd Amendment.

Persons: WASHINGTON —, —, Biden, Elizabeth Prelogar, Attorney Alvin Bragg, John Roberts, Amy Coney Barrett, District Judge Reed O’Connor, Jennifer VanDerStok, Michael Andren Organizations: Biden, of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Explosives, Manhattan, Attorney, federal Gun Control, District, Circuit, Control, ATF Locations: York City, Texas, New Orleans

The Georgia Supreme Court on Monday reinstated the state’s six-week abortion ban while it reviews an appeal from the state of a lower court ruling that had struck down the law. The state Supreme Court's decision, however, left in place the lower court’s ruling blocking a separate provision of the law that had given state prosecutors broad access to the medical records of abortion patients without due process protections. The state's near-total abortion ban, known as the LIFE Act, was signed by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp in 2019 but didn’t take effect until July 2022, after it faced a legal challenge and the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade. Last week, a judge in Fulton County, Georgia, struck down the state’s six-week abortion, allowing the procedure to resume and almost immediately making it legal up to 22 weeks of pregnancy.

Persons: Brian Kemp, Roe, Wade, Robert McBurney, ” McBurney, Court’s, —, Amber Nicole Thurman, Candi Miller, Kamala Harris, Miller, Thurman, ProPublica, Kwajelyn Jackson, ’, Jaylen Black, Amber Thurman, ” Organizations: Georgia Supreme, LIFE, Republican Gov, U.S, Women’s Health Center Locations: Georgia, U.S ., Fulton County , Georgia, Fulton County

Sen. JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee, confirmed to reporters Saturday that former President Donald Trump is "consistent" in his views on defunding Planned Parenthood. A journalist asked Vance, R-Ohio, whether a future Trump administration would defund Planned Parenthood, the reproductive health care group that has garnered opposition from many conservatives for its pro-abortion-rights positions. “On the question of defunding Planned Parenthood, look, I mean our view is we don’t think that taxpayers should fund late-term abortions," Vance said after Trump's rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The Trump campaign and Planned Parenthood did not immediately respond to requests for further comment Sunday night. In 2016, then-candidate Trump said in a debate that he would end federal funding for Planned Parenthood, saying he would “defund it because I’m pro-life.”

Persons: Sen, JD Vance, Donald Trump, Vance, Trump, “, Lauren Hitt, Kamala Harris, MAGA, Harris, Hitt, Melania Trump, ‘, I’m, we’ve, Roe, Wade, ” Trump, Joe Biden, ” Organizations: Republican, Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, Trump, Democrats, Guardian, NBC News, Fox News, NBC, Truth Locations: R, Ohio, Butler , Pennsylvania

☆ Rodrigo Duterte: Former Philippine president to run as mayor despite drug killings legacy
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-07 | by ( Story The Associated Press | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Manila, Philippines (AP) — The Philippines’s former President Rodrigo Duterte registered Monday to run for mayor of his southern home city despite his notorious legacy over his brutal anti-drugs crackdown that the International Criminal Court is investigating as a possible crime against humanity. His son – incumbent Davao city Mayor Sebastian Duterte – would run as his vice-mayor in next year’s mid-term elections, officials said. More than 6,000 people, mostly poor drug suspects, were killed under a massive police-enforced crackdown against illegal drugs that Duterte oversaw when he was president, according to government pronouncements. Duterte has denied condoning extrajudicial killings of drug suspects, although he has openly threatened suspects with death and has ordered police to shoot suspects who dangerously resist arrest. During his presidency, Duterte nurtured cozy ties with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin while lambasting the security policies of the United States and other Western governments.

Persons: Rodrigo Duterte, Mayor Sebastian Duterte –, Duterte, Sara Duterte, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Marcos, Marcos administration’s, China’s, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Mayor, ICC Locations: Manila, Philippines, Davao city, Davao, Duterte, China, United States

☆ Lawmakers from both parties urge Biden to secure the release of Americans imprisoned in China
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-04 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Lawmakers are appealing to President Joe Biden to use the remaining time in his term to work for the release of Americans who are “wrongfully detained” in China, saying U.S. officials need to do more to help secure their freedom. “There are more Americans wrongfully detained in China than in any other country. They deserve tenacious advocacy to gain their release,” said Smith and Merkley, co-chairs of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China. China has denied the allegations and says it has treated detained Americans properly and respected their legal rights. Dui Hua, a rights group that advocates for detainees in China, estimates there are more than 200 Americans “under coercive measures” in China.

Persons: Joe Biden, ”, Chris Smith of, Democratic Sen, Jeff Merkley, Smith, David Lin, Kai Li, Mark Swidan, Hua, Li, Biden, Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva, Xi Jinping, “, Li’s, Harrison Li Organizations: ” Republican, Democratic, Congressional, Commission, State Department, White, and State Department Locations: China, Chris Smith of New Jersey, Oregon, Washington, Long Island , New York, Texas, Russia, People’s Republic of China, United States

☆ Lebanon: Israeli bombardment the ‘most intense aerial campaign’ outside Gaza in last two decades
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-04 | by ( Kara Fox | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The bombardment, which Israel says is targeting Hezbollah strongholds in the country, marks the world’s “most intense aerial campaign” outside of Gaza in the last two decades, according to the conflict monitoring group Airwars. “This isn’t normal,” Tripp said of both the scale and size of Israel’s strikes on Lebanon. CNN teams in Beirut this week found that many Israeli strikes happened without prior warning. Umm Mohammed and her five-year-old son who escaped the Israeli bombardment of southern Lebanon, are now sheltering under a tarpaulin on a seaside boardwalk in Beirut. More than 100 villages in southern Lebanon have now been issued the evacuation notices, stoking fears of an expanded ground invasion.

Persons: CNN — Israel, Emily Tripp, Raqqa, Israel, ” Tripp, Hassan Nasrallah, Umm Mohammed, Jomana Karadsheh, –, Michael Adams, , stoking Organizations: CNN, ISIS, Amnesty, CNN Hezbollah, CARE International, Residents Locations: Lebanon, Israel, Gaza, United States, Afghanistan, Beirut, Jomana, Iran, Gaza –, Dahiyeh, Beirut –

And they’ve kept up a drumbeat of dubious claims about voting, along with the lie that the election was stolen in 2020. Prosecutors allege that the Trump campaign used similarly aggressive tactics in Philadelphia to force confrontation with election officials, which Trump and his allies used to claim his supporters were denied access to observe the count. Election officials have been operating in an increasingly hostile environment as GOP skepticism of election administration has climbed. Among them: shifting numbers of noncitizens Trump allies claimed had voted in the 2020 election. In Georgia, state courts are reviewing new rules from the State Election Board that Democrats say give county election officials broad authority to delay certification of the results in search of purported election irregularities.

Persons: Donald Trump, They’ve, they’ve, ”, Sean Morales, Doyle, Brennan, ’ playbook, Jack Smith’s, Trump, Hannah Fried, Smith, Rebecca Cook, Brooks, Republican Al Schmidt, Schmidt, “, You’ve, Michael Whatley, Whatley, Zach Manifold, Joshua Lott, noncitizens Trump, hasn’t, Cleta Mitchell, –, “ I’ve, ” Lisa Posthumus Lyons, ” Posthumus Lyons, Jocelyn Benson, Patrick T, Fallon, Mike Pence, Pence, Trump’s, Smith’s, Adrian Fontes, ” Fontes, It’s, Morales, ” CNN’s Marshall Cohen, Fredreka Schouten Organizations: CNN, Justice Department, Republican, Trump, GOP, TCF Center, Detroit’s TCF Center, Prosecutors, Republican National, RNC, Guadalupe, Washington Post, Getty, Republicans, America, Legal Foundation, United Sovereign Americans, Center, Fox News, Republican Party, Board, Arizona, Brennan Locations: Detroit , Michigan, Florida, Philadelphia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Gwinnett County , Georgia, ”, Gwinnett County, Guadalupe Mercado, Guadalupe , Arizona, Kent County , Michigan, Swing, Georgia , Michigan, Maricopa, AFP, Georgia, Arizona, Cochise County

Former first lady Melania Trump appeared to discuss her views on women's rights Thursday in a video on X, one day after publication of an excerpt from her coming memoir in which she reportedly takes a strong stance in support of abortion rights. The Guardian reported Wednesday that Trump defends abortion rights in her memoir, scheduled for release Tuesday. Reached for comment about the former first lady's views on abortion, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung pointed to Donald Trump's remarks in the interview. Abortion is not the source of their freedom and liberation.”The former first lady's new position also prompted backlash from reproductive rights groups, which pointed to Donald Trump's record on abortion. She’s been a champion of reproductive freedom her whole career."

Persons: Melania Trump, Trump, Donald Trump, I'm, I've, Steven Cheung, Donald Trump's, “, Roe, Wade, ”, Harris, Sarafina Chitika, Trump’s, presidency's, Kamala Harris, Susan B, Anthony Pro, Marjorie Dannenfelser, —, Alexis McGill Johnson, Melania, She’s Organizations: Guardian, NBC News, Fox News, Trump Locations: America

☆ Mech Dara: Concern grows for detained Cambodia journalist awarded by US for exposing online scam centers
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-03 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The award-winning reporter is renowned for his investigations exposing corruption, environmental destruction and human trafficking in a country that heavily restricts press freedom. In 2023, Mech Dara won the US State Department’s TIP Hero Award for his work uncovering the multi-billion-dollar illegal scam center industry in Cambodia. Cambodia is ranked 151 out of 180 countries on Reporters Without Borders’ 2024 World Press Freedom Index. As a freelancer, Mech Dara worked for several local and international media outlets including Voice of Democracy, which was forced to close last year. At the time, Mech Dara told CNN: “We fought for the truth.

Persons: Dara, “, LICADHO, Mech Dara, Antony Blinken, Mech, Dara “, ”, Clampdown, Hun Sen, Hun Manet, Cambodia’s, Kate Schuetze Organizations: CNN, Cambodian, Court, Mech, US, Department’s, Embassy, USAID, USAID Cambodia Counter, European Union, US State Department, United Nations, US Institute of Peace, UN, Cambodia Rights, of Democracy, Amnesty International Locations: Cambodian, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, USAID Cambodia, Australia, Southeast Asia, Asia, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, ”

☆ A Cambodian maid was arrested and deported by Malaysia for criticizing Cambodian leaders on social media
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-03 | by ( Story The Associated Press | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Phnom Penh AP —A Cambodian woman who worked as a maid in Malaysia has been deported to her homeland for comments she posted on social media criticizing Cambodian government leaders, in the latest example of a Southeast Asian government helping another arrest a dissident. Nuon Toeun is neither an opposition leader nor a well-known activist. Radio Free Asia said Nuon Toeun was a supporter of the opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party, which was dissolved ahead of the 2018 general election as part of a crackdown on the opposition. The Khmer Movement for Democracy, a movement formed by opposition leaders in exile, condemned Nuon Toeun’s deportation from Malaysia. It said in a statement that she was working legally in Malaysia and had committed no crime except expressing her opinions.

Persons: Nuon, “, ″ Nuth, Nuon Toeun, couldn’t, Mech Dara, Cambodia’s, Hun Manet, Hun Sen, ” Organizations: Phnom Penh AP, Malaysian, Rights Watch, Cambodian, Radio Free, Cambodia People’s Party, Radio Free Asia, Cambodian National Rescue Party, Cambodian People’s Party, National Assembly, Facebook, ” Radio Free Asia, Khmer Movement for Democracy Locations: Phnom Penh, Malaysia, Asian, Cambodia, . New York, Vietnam, Laos, China, US, Prey, Radio Free Asia

☆ The CIA is soliciting secret tips from informants in the national languages of Iran, North Korea and China
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-02 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

The Central Intelligence Agency is releasing instructions in Farsi, Mandarin and Korean to allow people to share information with the agency without running afoul of authoritarian regimes. The instructions, in a text-only video and infographic, were posted online across multiple social media platforms and sites on the dark web, the agency said. In 2023, the CIA announced it had posted instructions in Russian on how to access a site on the dark web accessible only through a Tor internet browser, which unlike most browsers has encryption protections. The spy agency’s director, William Burns, has said that disaffection in Russia after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has created a “once-in-a-generation” recruiting opportunity for the CIA. Once a message lands at the agency, the CIA will evaluate it, the agency said.

Persons: “, William Burns, Moscow’s, ” Organizations: Central Intelligence Agency, CIA Locations: Iran, China, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Louisiana governor wants live tiger back at LSU football games
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-01 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Jeff Landry confirmed his support on Tuesday of restarting the tradition of bringing Louisiana State University’s live tiger mascot onto the football field ahead of home games. For years, the school’s live mascot would ride through the stadium in a travel trailer “topped by the LSU cheerleaders” before home games, based on information about the mascot on the LSU Athletics’ webpage. Following the death of the school’s tiger, Mike VI, in 2016, LSU announced that future Mike the Tigers would no longer be brought onto the field. In the past, animal rights groups have called on LSU to stop keeping live tiger mascots. Louisiana is not the only school that is home to a live mascot.

Persons: Jeff Landry, LSU’s, didn’t, Landry, “, ” Landry, ”, —, Mike VI, Mike, Mike VII —, Dan, University of Colorado’s Ralphie Organizations: —, Louisiana State, Tiger, University, Animals, LSU, PETA, Gov, Press, university’s School of Veterinary Medicine, LSU Athletics ’, Tigers, Yale, University of Texas, Longhorn, University of Colorado’s, Buffalo Locations: BATON ROUGE, La, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, U.S, Louisiana

☆ 5 things to watch for at the VP debate: From the Politics Desk
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-01 | by ( The Politics Desk | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +11 min

Programming note: Stay tuned for a special edition of the From the Politics Desk newsletter tonight, where we will be recapping and analyzing the Vance-Walz debate. 5 things to watch for at tonight’s VP debateSen. JD Vance of Ohio and Minnesota Gov. Walz has the longer debate record, but Minnesota is something of a backwater on the national political scene. How Vance and Walz’s poll numbers stack up to past VP nomineesBy Steve KornackiHeading into tonight’s vice presidential debate, JD Vance has an image problem. With tens of millions expected to watch tonight’s debate, Vance does have an opportunity to improve his standing — just as a shaky performance by Walz could erase the advantage he now enjoys over Vance.

Persons: JD Vance, Tim Walz's, Vance, Walz, Sen, Tim Walz, Garrett Haake, Will Vance, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, hasn’t, Harris, who’ve, Vance —, Henry J, Gomez, Peter Nicholas, Harris ’, Emma Barnett, Gen, Raquel Coronell Uribe, Joe Biden, Trump, Biden, Steve Kornacki, James Stockdale, Ross Perot’s, Dan Quayle, George H.W, Bush, Lloyd Bentsen, Quayle, Michael Dukakis, Dan De Luce, Carol E, Lee, Courtney Kube, Monica Alba, Abigail Williams, Israel, Read, Rea, arter Organizations: NBC, White House, Capitol, CBS News, Minnesota Gov, Trump, Democratic, GOP, Quayle Republican, Bentsen Democratic, Biden White, Israel —, Washington Locations: Ohio, New York City, Minnesota, American, Israel, Iran, Tehran, United States, Syria —, U.S

JERUSALEM — Almost 12 months of unbridled war, death, destruction and suffering in Gaza have proved the deadliest conflict on record for journalists. One year in, NBC News has spoken to 21 media professionals and organizations in the region who described killings, attacks and arrests by Israeli forces. The majority, 111, were Palestinians killed in Gaza, three were Lebanese and two were Israeli journalists killed by Hamas militants on Oct. 7. The majority were killed in Gaza, including Al Jazeera’s Ismail Al-Ghoul and his freelance cameraman Rami Al Refee, both 27. “The thing is no one is safe in Gaza,” she said last month when asked if she thought Israel was deliberately targeting journalists in Gaza.

Persons: JERUSALEM, “, ”, Christina Assi, Dylan Collins, shellfire, Alma Al, Issam Abdallah, Alessandra Galloni, Emilie Madi, Assi, Collins “, ” Assi, Collins, that’s, It’s, Al Jazeera’s Ismail Al, Ghoul, Rami Al Refee, Al, Al Jazeera, ” Al, Jodie Ginsberg, ” Walid, Al Jazeera’s, Israel, ” Wael Al, Hamza, Mustafa Thuraya, Israel’s, ” Al Jazeera, Shlomo Karhi, Noor Harazeen, you’re, Yarden, we’re, David Mencer, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Harazeen, “ They’re Organizations: NBC, Committee, Protect Journalists, Reuters, ” Reuters, AFP, Getty, Agence France Presse, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Rights Watch, Amnesty, Israel Defense Forces, NBC News, Al, IDF, News, West Bank, China Global Television Network, ” Health, Haaretz, Sky News Locations: Gaza, New York, Israel, Alma, Lebanon, Saaideh, Israeli, Hamas, Al Jazeera, Ramallah, Jordan, East Jerusalem, Egypt, ”, British

☆ Just Stop Oil protesters handed prison terms for throwing soup on Van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers’
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-27 | by ( Billy Stockwell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Two climate activists in their early 20s were sentenced to prison by a London court Friday for throwing soup over Vincent Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” painting during a protest against fossil fuels. Phoebe Plummer, 23, and Anna Holland, 22, from the protest group Just Stop Oil were imprisoned for two years, and 20 months, respectively, according to PA Media. 🚨 BREAKING: 2 VAN GOGH PAINTINGS SOUPED HOURS AFTER PHOEBE AND ANNA SENTENCED🥫 3 Just Stop Oil supporters have thrown soup over 2 of Van Gogh paintings in the 'Poets and Lovers' exhibition at the National Gallery. Hehir is the same judge who recently handed yearslong prison terms to five climate activists for their roles in disruptive protests. All were from Just Stop Oil or its allied group, Extinction Rebellion.

Persons: Vincent Van Gogh’s, Phoebe Plummer, Anna Holland, Van Gogh Organizations: CNN, PA Media, Oil, Gallery

TOYKO — A Japanese man said to have spent the world’s longest time on death row was cleared in a retrial of the 1966 murders of four people on Thursday, ending his family’s search for justice for a wrongful conviction. On Thursday, the Shizuoka district court acquitted the former boxer. He spent 48 years behind bars — more than 45 of them on death row — making him the world’s longest-serving death row inmate, according to the rights group, Amnesty International. Hakamata’s lawyers had argued that DNA tests on bloodstained clothing said to be their client’s showed the blood was not his. Amnesty International hailed the exoneration as a “pivotal moment for justice” and urged Japan to scrap the death penalty.

Persons: TOYKO, Iwao Hakamata, Hideko Hakamata, ”, “, Hakamada, Hakamata, Hideko, Hideyo Ogawa Organizations: Prosecutors, Japan’s, Amnesty, Norimichi, Amnesty International, ” Amnesty Locations: Shizuoka, Japan, Norimichi Kumamoto

Two years after an Alabama prisoner was spared when staff members struggled to execute him by lethal injection, officials plan to try again Thursday — using the rare method of nitrogen gas. He filed a federal lawsuit in March seeking to halt his execution, citing the state's past execution failures and concerns that the method of nitrogen hypoxia would add pain and prolong death. "The resolution of this case confirms that Alabama's nitrogen hypoxia system is reliable and humane," Marshall said in a previous statement. Alabama officials have insisted in court filings that nitrogen hypoxia is "painless because it causes unconsciousness in seconds" and death within minutes. "Whether by lethal injection or nitrogen suffocation, the myth of the 'humane execution' is a lie fewer and fewer people believe," Foa said in a statement.

Persons: Alan Eugene Miller, Miller, Kenneth Smith, gurney, Steve Marshall, I've, " Miller, Marshall, Lee Holdbrooks, Christopher Scott Yancy, Terry Lee Jarvis, Smith's heaving, Maya Foa, Foa Organizations: Alabama, NBC News, Alabama Department of Corrections, Prosecutors Locations: Alabama, Atmore, South Carolina, Missouri, Birmingham, U.S, London

☆ Pakistan says police responsible for killing a doctor accused of blasphemy
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-26 | by ( Associated Press | Story The | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Multan, Pakistan — Pakistan’s government said Thursday that police had orchestrated the killing of a doctor who was in custody after he was accused of blasphemy. The statement marks the first time the government has accused security forces of what the doctor’s family and rights groups have said amounted to an extrajudicial killing carried out by police. Hassan’s statement backed up Nawaz’s family allegations earlier this week. Accusations of blasphemy, sometimes even just rumors, can spark riots and mob rampages in Pakistan. Nawaz’s killing was the second case of an extrajudicial killing by police this month in Pakistan.

Persons: Shah Nawaz, Islam’s Prophet Muhammad, Ziaul Hassan, Nawaz, Hassan, Islam, Nawaz’s, “, …, ”, Mohammad Saleh, Saleh, Rehmat, Syed Khan, Khan, Mohammad Khurram Organizations: Minister, Associated Press Locations: Multan, Pakistan, Sindh, Mirpur Khas, Umerkot, Karachi, Quetta

☆ Sudan’s army launches push to retake ground in capital
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-26 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Reuters —Sudan’s army launched artillery and airstrikes in the capital on Thursday in its biggest operation to regain ground there since early in its 17-month war with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), witnesses and military sources said. Witnesses reported heavy bombardments and clashes as army troops tried to cross bridges across the Nile connecting the three adjoining cities that make up the greater capital, Khartoum, Omdurman and Bahri. Army sources said their forces had crossed bridges in Khartoum and Bahri. The RSF told Reuters it had thwarted the army’s attempt to cross two bridges to Khartoum. Though the army retook some ground in Omdurman early this year, it depends mostly on artillery and airstrikes and has been unable to dislodge nimble RSF ground forces embedded in other parts of the capital.

Persons: Reuters —, General Abdel Fattah al, Burhan, “, ” Ahmed Abdalla, RSF, Fashir, ”, Volker Turk, autocrat Omar al, Bashir Organizations: Reuters, Rapid Support Forces, United Nations General Assembly, UN, Human, UN Security Council Locations: New York, Khartoum, Omdurman, Bahri, Sudan, United States, Switzerland, North Darfur, Darfur, al

☆ Panda pair arrive to VIP welcome in Hong Kong, as Beijing marks 75 years of communist China
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-25 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

An An and Ke Ke, both five years old, are expected to land shortly after noon at Hong Kong International Airport, where they will be greeted with a welcoming ceremony. Ke Ke the panda in Chengdu, Sichuan province, China. Ke Ke is one of two two giant pandas due to arrive in Hong Kong. An An and Ke Ke arrive from a breeding center in mainland China’s Sichuan province. Ying Ying made headlines in August by giving birth to twins, making her the oldest known first-time panda mother.

Persons: Ke Ke, Ke, acclimatize, John Lee, Le, Ying Ying, ‘, “, ” Lee, Hong, hub’s, Kevin Yeung, ” Organizations: CNN, Communist Party, Hong Kong International Airport, Ocean, Elite, Staff, RTHK, China Daily, Reuters, city’s, Le Le, Hong, People’s Locations: Hong Kong, Chengdu, Sichuan province, China, Ocean, Sichuan, Hong, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

☆ A Haitian-rights group wants Trump and Vance arrested over false claims of pet-eating in Springfield
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-25 | by ( Joshua Nelken-Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewA Haitian-rights group is seeking the arrest of former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, over them repeating unfounded claims about Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, eating pets. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. "The direct impact on Springfield, Ohio of Trump and Vance's unrelenting lies cannot be overstated," it said. AdvertisementLocals told Business Insider earlier this month that the claims had created a tense and, some said, dangerous atmosphere in the Ohio town. Trump and Vance's offices did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Sen, JD Vance, Trump, Vance, Guerline Jozef, Kamala Harris, Mike DeWine —, Jozef, Rob Rue's Organizations: Service, Business, Haitian Bridge Alliance, Court, Trump, Springfield Locations: Springfield , Ohio, Clark County, Ohio, Springfield

☆ Mysterious magma in extinct volcanoes may be filled with elements needed to power the future
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-24 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Rare earth elements, such as lanthanum, neodymium and terbium, are critical for helping the world break its long, destructive relationship with planet-heating fossil fuels. These materials — so-called rare earths — are not actually that rare but can be challenging to extract as they are often found in low concentrations. They wanted to understand whether this was “a geological accident, or is there something inherent about those iron-rich volcanoes that makes them rich in rare earth elements?” Anenburg told CNN. Pilot Knob National Wildlife Refuge in Missouri, a former iron-ore mine, could also hold rare earth elements. Some experts have suggested there should be more of a focus on recycling rare earth elements rather than mining.

Persons: ”, Michael Anenburg, Anenburg, Jamie Kidston, Lingli Zhou Organizations: CNN, Australian National University, University of, Chinese Academy of Sciences, ANU, Companies, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Wildlife Locations: China, Kiruna, Arctic Sweden, United States, Chile, Australia, Vrije, “, Missouri

☆ Israeli soldiers raid and order closure of Al Jazeera’s Ramallah offices
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-22 | by ( Irene Nasser | Niamh Kennedy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Israel’s military has raided and ordered the closure of Al Jazeera’s office in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, the network said. Al Jazeera broadcast live footage early on Sunday of Israeli soldiers entering its offices in Ramallah, capturing the reactions of bureau chief Walid Omary and staff members live on air. Video broadcast by Al Jazeera showed one soldier informing Omary of a military order to close Al Jazeera’s office for 45 days. Shortly after, as Israeli soldiers approached Omary, the live video feed was cut, and Omary could be heard saying that soldiers had taken the camera and broadcast equipment the team had been using. CNN has contacted Al Jazeera and the Israeli military for comment.

Persons: CNN —, Al, Al Jazeera, Walid Omary, Omary, Al Jazeera’s, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, ” Organizations: CNN, West Bank, Al, United Nations, Israeli, Foreign Press Association, Qatari Locations: Ramallah, Reading, Israel, Jerusalem, Gaza

☆ Jailed Cuban dissident leader wins Norwegian human rights award
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-19 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

OSLO, Norway — A Norwegian human rights foundation gave its annual prize on Thursday to jailed Cuban dissident leader Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara for his “fearless opposition to authoritarianism through art”. Four past laureates of the Rafto prize — Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi, East Timor’s Jose Ramos-Horta, South Korea’s Kim Dae-jung and Iran’s Shirin Ebadi — later went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize. This year’s Peace Prize will be announced on Oct. 11 in Oslo. “The 2024 Rafto prize aims to highlight the importance of the work of Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and other artists in challenging power structures and defending democracy and human rights, both in Cuba and globally,” the Norwegian foundation said in a statement. On Thursday, the Rafto foundation called on the Cuban government to release him, joining similar calls by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.

Persons: Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, Jose Ramos, Kim Dae, Shirin Ebadi — Organizations: San Isidro Movement, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International Locations: OSLO, Norway, Norwegian, Cuban, Suu Kyi, East, Horta, South, Oslo, Cuba, Havana

☆ Sindh, Pakistan: Police fatally shoot blasphemy suspect in second such killing in a week
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-19 | by ( Associated Press | Story The | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Karachi, Pakistan — Police in southern Pakistan shot dead a blasphemy suspect during an alleged shootout with armed men, officials said Thursday, the second such apparent extra-judicial killing in a week, drawing condemnation from human rights groups. Videos circulating on social media showed local clerics throwing rose petals at police and praising officers for killing the blasphemy suspect. There was no immediate clarification from the Sindh government about the circumstances in which the suspect was killed. The latest killing comes a week after an officer opened fire inside a police station in the southwestern city of Quetta, fatally wounding Syed Khan, another suspect held on accusations of blasphemy. Pakistan has witnessed a surge in attacks on blasphemy suspects in recent years.

Persons: Shah Nawaz, Mohammed, Niaz Khoso, Nawaz, “, Khoso, ”, HRCP, Syed Khan, Khan, Mohammad Khurram, —, Islam Organizations: Pakistan — Police, Police, Local, Human Rights Locations: Karachi, Pakistan, Umerkot district, Sindh province, Mirpur Khas, Sindh, Umerkot, Quetta, Madyan, Punjab, Jaranwala

Search resuls for: "Rights Group"

25 mentions found