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how Russia is using online recruits for a campaign of sabotage in Europe how Russia is using online recruits for a campaign of sabotage in Europe default Serhiy was just about to board a coach bound for Germany when Polish security services detained him at the bus station in the city of Wrocław. In his backpack, the officers found firelighter cubes, a juice bottle filled with paraffin, a lighter, two pocket knives, a mini handsaw and a face mask. Later, when they searched the mobile phone of the 49-year-old Ukrainian refugee, they found a pdf of a Russian-language book called Modern Pyrotechnics. It contained detailed instructions on how to start fires and detonate explosives. Serhiy S – as he is identified in accordance with Polish law on naming criminal suspects – is one of dozens of people who have been rounded up across Europe over the past two years and accused of being foot soldiers in a new front of Russia’s war against the west. European intelligence agencies say Moscow has launched a campaign of sabotage, arson and disinformation against the continent. Sometimes, it is focused on specific targets related to support for the Ukrainian war effort, but more often it is simply aimed at causing chaos and unease. In Lithuania, an Ikea shop was set on fire; in Britain, seven people were charged over an arson attack on a business with links to Ukraine; in France, five coffins inscribed with the words “French soldiers in Ukraine” were left under the Eiffel Tower; in Estonia, the car windows of the interior minister and a local journalist were smashed. There have been numerous suspicious fires in Poland, including one that destroyed a huge shopping centre in Warsaw. Taken together, the incidents point to how Russia’s intelligence services have moved towards a new kind of attack on the west, one that is dangerous and violent but also piecemeal and hard to prove. On the ground, the acts are carried out by people who are recruited online and often paid in cryptocurrency. Some know exactly what they are doing and why, others do not realise they are ultimately working for Moscow. The professional intelligence officers who direct the operations never need to leave Russian territory. This account of Russia’s sabotage offensive is based on thousands of pages of court documents from Britain and Poland, interviews with current and former security and intelligence officials in several European countries and the US, and discussions with people who knew some of the perpetrators. “It’s easier to deal with spies under diplomatic cover or even [deep-cover] illegals,” said one senior European security official. “This kind of action is becoming dangerous for all of us.” Just how aggressive the campaign might become remains a matter of conjecture. Western intelligence officials say that in recent months there has been a lull, perhaps as Vladimir Putin explores the possibility of improved relations with the US under Donald Trump. But before the change of US administration, there were signs that Moscow was raising the stakes ever higher. Intelligence last year about an apparent plot to send exploding parcels to the US, which could have led to a plane ****** and mass casualties, caused so much alarm in Washington that top Biden administration security officials called their Russian counterparts to warn them that such an escalation would force the US to respond. They were not sure if the orders had come from the Kremlin or from overenthusiastic mid-level planners. “We didn’t know if Putin had approved it or knew about it,” said a former US security official. In a series of calls, senior Russian officials denied there was any such operation in the works but promised to pass on the message to Putin. The phone calls seemed to put an end to the exploding parcels plan, but the episode left nerves frayed over what lines Russia might be willing to cross in future, and what the consequences might be. “Their goal is not the same as Islamist jihadists who want as many victims as possible,” said Harrys Puusepp, the head of bureau at Kapo, Estonia’s internal security agency. “But if someone dies, they don’t care.” Interactive *** Serhiy was born in Odesa in 1974 into a Soviet military family. As he was finishing school, the Soviet Union collapsed and his home city became part of independent Ukraine. The years went by, and Serhiy grew increasingly disdainful of the government in Kyiv, believing it discriminated against Russian speakers like him. His motto, displayed on his Facebook page, was: “I speak Russian. Only Russian”. After the Maidan revolution of 2014, he spent a lot of time scrolling through pro-Russian news websites. Soon after the full-scale invasion in February 2022, he left a comment under a political video on a Telegram channel, and another commentator, a man called Alexei, messaged him privately to say he agreed with Serhiy’s point of view. Alexei said he was a Kyiv-based businessman in the construction sector, and asked a lot of questions about Serhiy’s life and work. He made it clear he also hated Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian authorities. In the middle of 2023, scared of being conscripted into the Ukrainian army to fight in a war he did not believe in, Serhiy illegally crossed the border into Moldova. He made his way to Germany, where a former schoolfriend from Odesa told him there was casual work that paid €75 a day. After a few months of doing these odd jobs, his old Telegram buddy Alexei got back in touch from a new account. Alexei said he was now based in the Baltic states and suggested meeting up in Latvia or Lithuania to discuss a business proposal. Serhiy told him it was too far away and too expensive for him to travel, but Alexei offered to pay for the trip and suggested a closer destination – Wrocław in Poland. He transferred about £350 in Ukrainian currency to Serhiy’s wife’s bank account, and Serhiy bought a bus ticket to Wrocław. He left on 27 January 2024. Soon after Serhiy arrived in Poland, Alexei called him and apologised – something had come up and he was not able to travel. But he could reveal the business proposal: he wanted Serhiy to look for shopping malls and industrial centres in Wrocław and photograph them. If they found a suitable place, Serhiy was to set it ablaze. Alexei would pay him $2,000 upfront, and a further $2,000 on receiving proof of the arson. For Serhiy, who was taking day jobs to keep afloat, it was a huge amount of money. According to the story he later told Polish investigators, he asked no questions about who might want to order such a plan or why. Serhiy paced the streets of Wrocław looking for possible targets. Eventually he settled on a paint wholesaler in an industrial estate on the outskirts of town. He sent photographs of the building to Alexei, who agreed it was an excellent target – near various sensitive infrastructure sites and close to a canal that could be heavily polluted if paint spilled into it. Serhiy bought supplies for starting a fire. But at some point, all alone in Wrocław and realising the seriousness of what he had signed up for, Serhiy got cold feet. He remembered a building near his home in Germany that had burned down, and told his wife to send him a photo of it. Perhaps, he thought, he could send that to Alexei and pass it off as somewhere in Wrocław, to get the money without doing the deed. He decided there would be no arson, on this trip at least, and bought a bus ticket back to Germany. He was arrested just before he boarded the coach. A week after Serhiy was arrested, a message appeared on a small Telegram group with 28 subscribers that shared white supremacist content. It was posted below an image of a mountain range that, if you squinted, appeared to show an image of Adolf Hitler’s face. “Attention! Fight with *******. We are looking for partisans in Europe,” read the message, in English. “We are looking for comrades who make arson to the store of ****** migrants.” The reward was $5,000. Attached was a photograph of the building Serhiy had identified. The account that posted the message was the same one used by “Alexei”, who had told Serhiy he was a construction magnate from Kyiv. Now, the account was posing as a European neo-Nazi. In fact, Polish authorities believe, it was run by a staff officer of the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence service. *** Russia’s campaign of setting things on fire did not come out of nowhere. Research in the archives of ********** security services shows that sabotage in enemy countries was part of the KGB’s intelligence doctrine as early as the 1960s, to be launched in times of heightened tension or war. After the annexation of Crimea and the start of the war in east Ukraine in 2014, Russian operatives targeted ammunition factories and arms dealers in Europe who supported Ukraine. Unlike much of the current wave of sabotage, those attacks were carefully planned, using trained operatives against specific targets. Many of those who carried it out were from a shadowy GRU unit known as 29155, whose tasks included sabotage and assassinations across Europe. However, their activities were so brazen that they were eventually unmasked. After the poisoning of Sergei Skripal in 2018 with the nerve agent novichok, British authorities – as well as investigative journalists from the outlet Bellingcat – identified the poisoners as 29155 operatives. In response, European countries ordered the expulsion of hundreds of Russian intelligence officers working under diplomatic cover out of embassies. Checking passport databases, Bellingcat was able to identify many other 29155 operatives who had been used on short-term missions, busting their cover and rendering them unable to travel. Then, after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, there was a new round of diplomatic expulsions. These episodes severely hampered Moscow’s ability to operate outside Russia, and spy bosses had to get creative to plug the gaps. First, some of the clean diplomats still abroad were co-opted. “We saw them tasking ordinary diplomats with intelligence activities, and this is not a phenomenon limited to Estonia,” said Puusepp, in an interview at the domestic security agency’s headquarters in Tallinn. Second, Russia activated its network of “illegals”, deep-cover operatives posing as foreigners, whose missions could last decades. Giving them more daring missions meant more risk of capture, and in the year after the invasion of Ukraine, illegals were identified in Slovenia, Norway, Greece and Brazil. Those who did not flee in time were arrested. Third, Russia turned to the services of all kinds of freelancers. In some cases, this meant hiring people with organised crime ties, such as Orlin Roussev, a Bulgarian based in the *** who ran surveillance and other operations for Russia using a group of fellow Bulgarians he called his “minions”, three of whom were found guilty last month at the Old Bailey in London. In addition to using new actors to carry out old tasks, Moscow also launched a campaign of sabotage that was much broader than anything seen before. Unlike the earlier, targeted actions, this wave would be more scattergun and have different goals. One former US intelligence official said that, in the immediate aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Washington had expected to see massive Russian cyber-attacks launched against the west. These attacks largely did not materialise, and one theory is that Moscow went for a more explosive option instead. “The idea of sabotage was always in the field of vision as a possibility, but it’s still very surprising to see it play out,” said the former official. In many cases, it is hard to prove Moscow’s involvement beyond reasonable doubt. There have been mixed signals over whether damage to a series of undersea cables in the Baltic Sea was the result of nefarious Russian actions or had more innocuous causes. But even when there is no apparent evidence of foul play, such as in the fire that closed down Heathrow airport last month, there is now inevitable speculation of possible Russian involvement. “It creates a kind of fog,” said one senior European security official. “In the beginning some of these things look natural, but then it happens more and more and you start to wonder. You have cases where there is no proof, but we have strong suspicions.” Many of the same operatives from unit 29155 who have been involved in sabotage operations for more than a decade are part of the new campaign, western officials say. The unit has been folded into a ******* GRU department and is still run by its longstanding chief, Andrei Averyanov. But now, the work on the ground is done by one-time operatives recruited over Telegram, rather than the unit’s staff officers, most of whom are no longer able to travel to Europe. And instead of focusing narrowly on specific targets closely related to the Ukraine war, the approach is much broader, targeting shopping centres, warehouses and other civilian infrastructure. “The strategic aim is to sow discord and insecurity. They are not destroying significant infrastructure. They are concentrating on soft targets that influence a general perception of insecurity in society. This is classic psy-ops,” said Piotr Krawczyk, the former head of Poland’s foreign intelligence service. *** The way Moscow recruits operatives and selects targets varies from country to country. In the Baltic states, the Russian services make use of the extensive family ties of the local Russian-speaking population, according to intelligence officials there. Recruitments are made during visits to Russia, and Telegram is then used for communication, rather than for making the initial contact. The motivating factor is usually either money or blackmail. Puusepp said: “It’s not a question of ideology but of business and relatives inside Russia. When we look at the people, their overall understanding of the world is not about much more than survival.” Elsewhere in Europe, people are recruited over Telegram, without any in-person interaction at all. Some, like Serhiy, initially think they are talking to like-minded friends about a joint business project. Others may think they are working on the orders of white supremacist groups or domestic political actors. Operatives are recruited via the grey employment groups where immigrants often find casual gig-economy work that pays under the counter. Often, they are people who have operated on the margins of the law for some time, and when the order comes to burn something down, they may think it is part of a criminal dispute rather than intelligence work. Some recruits do have an ideological affinity with Russia, such as Serhiy, who supported Russia’s war in Ukraine and longed for his native Odesa to become Russian-controlled. More often, though, there is no ideological component. Last May, Polish authorities arrested a Pole and two Belarusians on suspicion of planning sabotage acts for the Russians inside Poland. All three men had previously fought in Ukraine on the side of Kyiv. A separate group of 16 saboteurs, mostly Ukrainian and Belarusian men, was apprehended in Poland in early 2023 and later sentenced. This group mainly comprised people who had little sympathy for the Kremlin’s geopolitical goals but were simply looking to earn money in the gig economy. The recruits were offered tasks in Poland that ranged from posting anti-Nato flyers to installing cameras that would monitor trains with humanitarian and military cargo bound for Ukraine. Payments, made in cryptocurrency, ranged from $5 for putting up a poster to $400 for installing a camera. The group’s activities were directed by a man who identified himself only as “Andrei”, and who communicated with two of the group and told them to distribute tasks among the others. One of the defendants, a 20-year-old Belarusian woman who was arrested and convicted with her boyfriend, claimed that neither of them were supporters of Russia’s war effort. Her boyfriend, she claimed, would often put up a poster, take a photo to provide proof, and then immediately pull it down. “He was doing this to earn money for us, because I was spending a lot. He just did it to have some extra cash without thinking of the consequences,” she wrote in a letter to her family after her arrest. “This is the worst thing to happen to me in my whole life.” *** In late February, Serhiy was brought into a courtroom in Wrocław, dressed in the red prison overalls reserved for highly dangerous prisoners, his hands and legs in chains. “The goal of the accused was to lower our morale, to question the effectiveness and competency of our state, and to question our support for Ukraine,” said the judge, Marcin Myczkowski, reading his verdict. Serhiy looked on impassively, giving the occasional sigh, as an interpreter whispered the judge’s words into his ear. He had previously agreed a plea bargain with prosecutors in exchange for a three-year sentence but Myczkowski cancelled the deal, claiming it was too lenient. Even though Serhiy had not, in the end, set anything on fire, and was arrested when he was about to board a bus out of the country, Myczkowski handed him an eight-year sentence. In part, the judge said, it was meant as a warning to others – “a clear and unequivocal signal to you and to all potential candidates that committing such acts is not worthwhile”. For the Russians, the benefit of using one-time operatives is that, if something goes wrong, Moscow can discard them and leave them do their time in prison. No Russian diplomats are working behind the scenes to free Serhiy, and it is highly unlikely that he would be included in any prisoner exchange. Instead, the controllers at GRU headquarters can simply set up new Telegram accounts and start the process again. “You jail one person and another pops up to take their place. These people are disposable and Moscow doesn’t care about them,” said a European security official. The possibility that anyone looking for odd jobs on Telegram could be signing up for Russian intelligence missions sparks surveillance and privacy dilemmas reminiscent of counter-terrorism work, as authorities scramble to catch potential perpetrators before they act. There is another question, too, brought into focus by the alleged aborted plot to send explosive packages to the US last year: what is the endgame? One senior security official said that as Russia increasingly considers Europe a party to the war in Ukraine, the sabotage campaign is only likely to intensify as long as the war goes on. “They are crossing one red line after another and we don’t know how far they will go,” said the official. Additional reporting by Ada Petriczko • Russia’s spies: Uncovering Russia’s secret espionage programmes. On 22 May, join Shaun Walker, Christo Grozev and Daniela Richterova as they discuss how Russia is using deep undercover agents known as “illegals” to infiltrate the west, live in central London and livestreamed globally. Book tickets here or at Guardian Live Source link #Russia #online #recruits #campaign #sabotage #Europe Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Google’s Gemini has beaten Pokémon Blue (with a little help) – TechCrunch Google’s Gemini has beaten Pokémon Blue (with a little help) – TechCrunch Google’s Gemini has beaten Pokémon Blue (with a little help) TechCrunchArtificial Pokémon Intelligence Milestone by Gemini Team Signals Advanced AI Trading Opportunities Blockchain NewsGoogle’s reasoning LLM Gemini 2.5 Pro beats Pokémon Blue with a little help the-decoder.comGoogle Gemini and Claude are competing on Twitch to be the first AI model to complete Pokémon Red, and as a massive Pokémon fan I’m hooked TechRadarGemini 2.5 Pro Showcases Breakthrough in AI Gaming: Completes Pokémon Blue Live on Stream Blockchain News Source link #Googles #Gemini #beaten #Pokémon #Blue #TechCrunch Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The West *********** Pulse 2025: Meet some of the artists, and explore the big ideas, of their entries The West *********** Pulse 2025: Meet some of the artists, and explore the big ideas, of their entries Unimaginable grief, ridicule for being yourself, mental health struggles and neurodivergence. We meet some of the artists, and explore the big ideas, of their The West *********** Pulse entries. Source link #West #*********** #Pulse #Meet #artists #explore #big #ideas #entries Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Gov. Greg Abbott signs landmark $1B private school voucher bill into Texas law – San Antonio Express-News Gov. Greg Abbott signs landmark $1B private school voucher bill into Texas law – San Antonio Express-News Gov. Greg Abbott signs landmark $1B private school voucher bill into Texas law San Antonio Express-NewsPrivate school vouchers are now law in Texas. Here’s how they will work. The Texas TribuneTexas Gov. Greg Abbott signs controversial $1 billion voucher for school choice bill into law CBS NewsTexas governor signs largest US school voucher law in win for conservatives The GuardianAbbott signs Texas school voucher program into law Axios Source link #Gov #Greg #Abbott #signs #landmark #private #school #voucher #bill #Texas #law #San #Antonio #ExpressNews Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

US court halts ruling ordering Voice of America employees back to work – Reuters US court halts ruling ordering Voice of America employees back to work – Reuters US court halts ruling ordering Voice of America employees back to work ReutersCourt foils plan to reinstate more than 1,000 Voice of America employees The GuardianVoice of America’s fate still in flux after appeals court pauses back-to-work orders CNNVoice of America Reporters Are Set to Return to Work The New York TimesAppeals court muddies plan to send Voice of America staff back to work The Washington Post Source link #court #halts #ruling #ordering #Voice #America #employees #work #Reuters Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

WAFL 2025: Swan Districts sweat on scans for Leigh Kohlmann after spearhead hurts hamstring WAFL 2025: Swan Districts sweat on scans for Leigh Kohlmann after spearhead hurts hamstring Swan Districts horror start the season has got worse with star spearhead Leigh Kohlmann set to be sidelined with a hamstring injury. Source link #WAFL #Swan #Districts #sweat #scans #Leigh #Kohlmann #spearhead #hurts #hamstring Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Elon Musk Admits He Failed to Cut $2 Trillion in Federal ****, But Says at Least He Enjoyed His Trump Sleepovers With Ice Cream Elon Musk Admits He Failed to Cut $2 Trillion in Federal ****, But Says at Least He Enjoyed His Trump Sleepovers With Ice Cream Failson Elon Musk failed miserably at his goal to cut $2 trillion in federal spending — but he did shout out his sleepovers with Donald Trump during his time at the White House. In his first (and presumably last) time meeting press in the West Wing, Musk told reporters from Fox News, Axios, CNN, and a handful of other outlets that his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has cut about $160 billion in federal spending. That might sound like an impressive figure, at least until you remember that Musk promised to trim $2 trillion, or that the US has already spent $200 billion more than it did during the same ******* last year. “In the grand scheme of things, I think we’ve been effective,” the South African-born billionaire said of his DOGE tenure, which is ending imminently because his special government employee status is about to expire. “Not as effective as I like… but we’ve made progress.” During that same press gaggle, Musk boasted that his DOGE cuts have thus far resulted in one percent of the federal workforce, or about 20,000 people, having their jobs slashed. He added that he and his minions have “probably” gotten the job done right about “70-80 percent of the time.” We All Scream The wide-ranging interview wasn’t all about dollars and cents. When asked where he spends his nights in Washington — the subject of ample speculation, especially after Wired revealed that he and his staff often sleep in the DOGE’s Capitol Hill offices — Musk dished that the president had invited him to stay in the White House on more than one occasion. This situation arose, per the billionaire’s retelling, when Trump asked Musk where he was staying one night. “I was like: ”I don’t know. At a friend’s house, I guess,'” the world’s sometimes-richest man told reporters. “And then he was like: ‘Why don’t you stay here?’ I was like: ‘Sure.'” While Musk refused to say exactly how many nights he slept over in the White House’s Lincoln bedroom, he admitted that it was “more than once” — and that on one such occasion, the president urged him to sample the kitchen’s ice cream selection. “He’ll actually call me late night and say, ‘by the way, make sure you get ice cream from the kitchen,'” the 53-year-old recounted, per Fox News. “I ate a whole tub of ice cream — caramel Häagen-Dazs.” “Yeah, it’s epic,” Musk said. “Don’t tell RFK.” More on Musk and Trump: Trump’s New Tariff Rule Is Wildly Convenient for Tesla Source link #Elon #Musk #Admits #Failed #Cut #Trillion #Federal #**** #Enjoyed #Trump #Sleepovers #Ice #Cream Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Elon Musk’s Starbase on its way to becoming a Texas city after lopsided early voting results – Politico Elon Musk’s Starbase on its way to becoming a Texas city after lopsided early voting results – Politico Elon Musk’s Starbase on its way to becoming a Texas city after lopsided early voting results PoliticoStarbase in Texas is a ‘real city’, says Elon Musk after winning key vote Hindustan Times‘He’s Trying to Colonize This Community’: Inside Elon Musk’s Plan to Take Over This Texas Town PoliticoElon Musk’s Starbase city in Texas on brink of becoming official BBCHow Elon Musk’s SpaceX may take over a corner of the Texas coast ABC News Source link #Elon #Musks #Starbase #Texas #city #lopsided #early #voting #results #Politico Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Federal election 2025: Ali France, the woman who unseated Peter Dutton to take out seat of Dickson Federal election 2025: Ali France, the woman who unseated Peter Dutton to take out seat of Dickson In an extraordinary turn of events, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton not only lost the election, but the seat he has held since 2001. Australians woke up on Sunday morning, all asking the same question: Who is the Labor candidate who unseated the leader of the Liberal National Party? Ali France, a former journalist and world champion para-athlete, made the historic win in the division of Dickson on her third attempt campaigning for the seat. The 49-year-old Arana Hills local and disability advocate said she and her family have experienced firsthand the importance of Medicare and disability support. Ms France lost her leg in a horrific accident in 2011, after an elderly driver hit accelerate instead of reverse in a shopping centre car park, pinning her to a wall, as her infant son became trapped beneath the car. Tragedy struck again when Ms France lost her eldest son Henry, 19, to leukaemia in early 2024, after spending 18 months by his side in Hospital. Feel like giving the politicians a rating this Federal election? Our Pollie Rater lets you do just that. Rate the politicians Her former partner, Clive France, also died of ******* less than six-months before their son. Camera IconAli France and leader of the opposition in Queensland Steven Miles. Credit: FacebookCamera IconAli France and her son Henry, who died from Leukaemia in 2024. Credit: Facebook Now a single parent to her son Zac, Ms France said she understands how hard it can be to juggle the pressures of rising bills. On Saturday, Labor volunteer Hannah said she had been supporting Ms France since her first campaign in 2019. “I just want a really good progressive, positive candidate for Dickson, and that’s why I’m working for Ali,” she said. “She has lived experience of Medicare and the benefits it’s brought to her, and she’s really frightened about it becoming a worse problem under an LNP, Peter Dutton led government. “I want a candidate who stands for the people in this electorate. I’ve been with Ali since she started campaigning. Camera IconLabor volunteer and Ali France supporter Hannah at Ferny Hill State School on Saturday. Credit: 7NEWS When asked what it would mean to her personally if Ms France won, Hannah said she was almost too scared to hope, because her heart had been broken before. “I would be in tears, and I would just be really happy to have a positive, energetic, kind, caring woman who represents me.” In a heartfelt post to social media on Sunday, Ms France thanked her community. “Thank you, Dickson voters, thank you,” she said. “I will do you proud.” Source link #Federal #election #Ali #France #woman #unseated #Peter #Dutton #seat #Dickson Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Donald’s the Next Pope, A Pardon For J.K. Rowling and Elmo Is Apprehended by ICE Donald’s the Next Pope, A Pardon For J.K. Rowling and Elmo Is Apprehended by ICE Donald Trump praised his own accomplishments and signed a slew of new executive orders in the cold open of the May 3 episode of “Saturday Night Live.” James Austin Johnson reprised his role as the president, who was visited by Stephen Miller (Mikey Day) and Marco Rubio (Marcello Hernández) while pushing forward his agenda. While introducing himself, Trump referred to himself as “Your next pope,” nodding to Trump’s real-life AI-generated image of himself as the Pope he recently posted. More from Variety He then congratulated himself for “100 years … I mean days” in office, with Miller entering to help Trump sign more executive orders. Among the changes he proclaimed: *Cancelling funding for PBS and “Sesame Street” has been canceled, and now Elmo has been apprehended by ICE, which, according to Trump, is ‘brought to you by the letter ‘L’ for El Salvador … He isn’t coming back.” *Creating the Belichick law: “We’re going to make girlfriends hot again!” *Pardoning J.K. Rowling for her anti-trans rhetoric, especially after she created the Harry Potter franchise, “a wonderful place for overweight millennials to stake their whole identity.” *Outlaw ghosts, because, according to Trump, “Every Christmas Eve, I get visited by three ghosts and I don’t know what the hell they’re talking about.” Best of Variety Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Source link #Donalds #Pope #Pardon #J.K #Rowling #Elmo #Apprehended #ICE Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Alligators, snakes, biting insects: Small plane ****** survivors recall 36-hour ordeal – AP News Alligators, snakes, biting insects: Small plane ****** survivors recall 36-hour ordeal – AP News Alligators, snakes, biting insects: Small plane ****** survivors recall 36-hour ordeal AP NewsFive people rescued almost two days after plane crashes into alligator-infested swamp CNNGroup in Bolivia survive 36 hours in alligator-infested swamp after plane ****** CBS NewsFive people survive 36 hours in swamp ‘surrounded by alligators’ after plane ****** BBCChild and 4 Others Rescued from Alligator-Infested Swamp Over 40 Hours After Plane ****** People.com Source link #Alligators #snakes #biting #insects #Small #plane #****** #survivors #recall #36hour #ordeal #News Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Recipe for disaster as *********** cooks in plagiarism debate due to come face to face next week Recipe for disaster as *********** cooks in plagiarism debate due to come face to face next week In one corner is Nagi Maehashi, whose Recipetin Eats website spawned best selling books and a social media following of five million. In the other is Brisbane baker and TikTok sensation Brooke Bellamy. Source link #Recipe #disaster #*********** #cooks #plagiarism #debate #due #face #face #week Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Medical Professionals Are Sharing “Mundane” Things That Can Actually Make You Really Sick Medical Professionals Are Sharing “Mundane” Things That Can Actually Make You Really Sick We all want to be the healthiest versions of ourselves. Still, it’s easy to forget all of the everyday habits, behaviors, and tendencies that can have major impacts on our wellbeing. So Redditor chickencaesar8 asked, “Medical professionals, what are some of the most mundane reasons most people are unaware of that make them sick?” Here’s what people said. (However, please note that this post is not meant to take the place of medical advice.) 1.”Not finishing antibiotics. Always finish the full course you are prescribed. You might think you’re better. But the bacteria may not be dead and it’s going to come back stronger.” Grace Cary / Getty Images —Fianna9 2.”Wash. Your. Hands. I don’t mean a little squirt of soap and then immediately rinse it off, I mean wash your hands for the whole 20 seconds. If you don’t, you could get Norovirus/Sapovirus, C. Diff, and more. Trust me, you don’t want these things.” Guido Mieth / Getty Images —Chilly-Dawgs 3.”More related to injury than sickness, but after a certain age (different for everyone), you should eliminate every slippery pair of socks, uneven area rugs, or other tripping hazards in your home. It’s very easy to trip and fall in the dark, trying to get to the bathroom, and a lot of people have major complications trying to recover from a broken hip or other leg injury. Small trip hazards in your house may not seem like a big deal, but they could lead to an injury that you never recover from, and it’s a very common problem.” Siarhei Khaletski / Getty Images —Reprobate726 4.”Swimming with contact lenses in. Every time I dispense fortified vancomycin and gentamicin eyedrops, the chart shows that the patient was swimming with contacts in. They get super ****** infections.” Sally Anscombe / Getty Images —Caibee612 5.”Do not let your dog lick an open wound! A dog’s mouth is full of bacteria. No, they don’t have ‘clean mouths’ like we were told when we were kids.” Jillian Lukiwski / Getty Images —Steambunny 6.”An untreated sleep apnea is terrible for you. Over time, it can lead to heart problems, diabetes, stroke, and even shorten your lifespan. A chronic lack of quality sleep can also have immediate effects on mental and psychological health. Snoring all night, every night is not normal. Just use the CPAP.” —stephanonymous 7.“Not following a doctor’s advice to cut something from your diet. For example, people who say, ‘Doc told me to stop eating gluten and dairy. So I had pizza for dinner, but it’s ok because i took a lactaid.’ Just..no. That’s not how that works. That’s not how any of that works.” Megaflopp / Getty Images/iStockphoto —fumblingvista Related: 20 Women Are Sharing The Actual Symptoms Of Menopause, And I Can’t Believe It But I Actually Haven’t Heard Of Most Of These Before 8.”Not brushing your teeth. Mouth bacteria can lead to a hundred different head-to-toe issues, and it can even kill you.” Maskot / Getty Images/Maskot —athrowawayhandle 9.”Dermatologist PA here: Please moisturize your skin. Wearing lotion is not only a ‘girly’ thing to do. Dry skin can lead to itchy skin, which can lead to chronically itchy skin, which can lead to intense scratching and can leave open wounds and sores. Itchy skin can drive a person bonkers. I see it every day. The easiest way to prevent this is to just wear lotion.” Catherine Falls Commercial / Getty Images —atelectasisdude 10.”Putting off season the doctor for fear of a new concern. I had a patient utilize their health insurance really well. He managed to dodge several cancers and came out with just a few scars on his skin. It’s pretty amazing when you can catch things early and only need a surgery with no chemo. But unfortunately for many people, anxiety and fear over going to the doctor can get the better of us.” —lazylilack 11.”Riding a motorcycle. After multiple months performing X-rays at an inner city level 1 trauma hospital, I will never ever get on a motorcycle, four wheeler, ATV, dirtbike, none of that. Nope, no thanks, I’m good.” Bymuratdeniz / Getty Images —ghoulxgrl22 12.”Consistently getting less than seven hours of sleep. Even if it’s six and a half hours, it’s enough to suppress your immune system. This is because deep sleep is essential for T-cell function, the cells that seek out and destroy infected cells and *******. Chronic short sleep leads to more frequent infections and takes longer to recover.” 3Magic_Beans Related: “It Thoroughly Icked Me Out”: People Are Calling Out The “Toxic” Things Society Romanticizes That Are Actually Harmful, And It’s Spot On 13.”Pharmacy technician here. Don’t stop taking your blood pressure meds. If your blood pressure is good, now is not the time to stop your meds. They are working.” Maria Korneeva / Getty Images —ContextSensitiveGeek 14.”Not keeping a watchful eye on symptoms from diabetes. If your toes start turning ****** from untreated diabetes, it’s not going to get better on its own. It will only continue to get worse and can lead to irreparable damage, including the loss of the foot entirely.” Uma Shankar Sharma / Getty Images —ghoulxgrl22 15.”Not paying attention when you experience a physical/mental change. Even minor issues that don’t go away or continue to get worse should always warrant a trip to the doctor. I’m a medical student, and I put off going to the doctor for embarrassing ******** symptoms for six months. I finally saw someone a couple of weeks ago, and they think I may have MS. I’m so mad at myself that, if I do have MS, I could’ve started treatment months ago and prevented ongoing nervous system damage.” —BumblebeeOfCarnage 16.”Not drinking enough water. So many people feel like ***** but only drink coffee, soda, and beer. People like this are on the edge of minor dehydration, making the tiniest bit of exertion feel impossible. If you just drink the amount of water your body needs, it fixes all sorts of issues.” Maskot / Getty Images/Maskot —Crayshack 17.”Unexplained weight loss. If you experience sudden, unexplained weight loss, please go get checked out. I can not begin to count how many people (especially middle-aged and older) I’ve triaged for some other symptoms when they finally tell me, ‘oh yeah, and I’ve lost xx amount of lbs in a month.’ More often than not, the culprit turns out to be *******.” Kseniya Ovchinnikova / Getty Images —Elphababa 18.”Toxic relationships. People often don’t realize how their partners make them mentally sick.” —No_Lion_8923 19.”Vaping. I have patients who repeatedly see allergists because they don’t know why they’re wheezy all the time and it feels like they can’t breathe. They try nasal sprays, antihistamines, allergy pills, and nebulizers…all while denying that they vape.” Chuchart Duangdaw / Getty Images —nosyNurse 20.”Psych nurse here. Don’t stop your meds because you’re ‘feeling better.’ Why do you think you feel better?” Malorny / Getty Images —mewmewnmomo 21.”Not being especially cautious as you get older. About 15 years ago, when I became a nurse’s assistant, the nurse teaching the course told us that for many elderly people, a fall was the beginning of the end. Small falls that younger people deal with constantly can break a bone in an older person, and their body has to fight harder to heal when they’re older, which overdrives the immune system and makes it easier to get sick in other ways.” Miniseries / Getty Images —Cautious_Parsley_898 22.”Not paying attention to your salt intake, in particular, people with congestive heart failure who don’t check labels for sodium content. Here in Louisiana, I see people with CHF going to multiple crawfish boils.” Photographer, Basak Gurbuz Derma / Getty Images —lonesomejohnnie 23.”Leaving a tooth infection without treatment. An infected tooth can cause so many bad things.” Tunvarat Pruksachat / Getty Images —lhollmann 24.”Long car rides without breaks can absolutely cause blood clots, which can lead to a pulmonary embolism if left untreated.” Olena Malik / Getty Images —SoleIbis 25.And finally… “Listening to influencers who are not medically trained. I’ve watched ads on TikTok where an influencer will pour two packs of liquid IV into a cup to make a new flavor. Or whatever the hell the raw milk and unpasteurized nonsense is. You can’t lemon and cayenne water your way out of hyperlipidemia, but you can erode your gastric lining.” —thesevenleafclover Also in Goodful: 19 Wholesome Posts I Saw This Week That Were So Cute, They Legitimately Put Me In A Happier Mood Also in Goodful: Doctors Are Sharing The “I Can’t Believe I Need To Explain This To You” Convos They’ve Had With Adults, And I Can’t Believe These Are Actually Real Also in Goodful: “I Didn’t Discover It Until My 40s”: Adults Over 40 Are Sharing The Life-Altering Habits They Wish They’d Formed When They Were Way Younger Source link #Medical #Professionals #Sharing #Mundane #Sick Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

NBA playoffs: Nuggets cap grueling series with Game 7 blowout over Clippers, set up showdown with OKC, matchup of MVP finalists – Yahoo Sports NBA playoffs: Nuggets cap grueling series with Game 7 blowout over Clippers, set up showdown with OKC, matchup of MVP finalists – Yahoo Sports NBA playoffs: Nuggets cap grueling series with Game 7 blowout over Clippers, set up showdown with OKC, matchup of MVP finalists Yahoo SportsNuggets crush Clippers in decisive Game 7 ESPNNBA playoffs: Game 7 predictions! Who wins Clippers-Nuggets and Warriors-Rockets? Yahoo SportsClippers vs. Nuggets odds, prediction, where to watch: Game 7 TV channel, time, NBA playoffs live stream CBS SportsNuggets host Clippers for critical Game 7 NBA Source link #NBA #playoffs #Nuggets #cap #grueling #series #Game #blowout #Clippers #set #showdown #OKC #matchup #MVP #finalists #Yahoo #Sports Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Marcella L. Garcia Marcella Lucero Garcia, 95, passed Marcella L. Garcia Marcella Lucero Garcia, 95, passed Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what’s in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.Generate Key Takeaways May 3—Marcella L. Garcia Marcella Lucero Garcia, 95, passed peacefully in her sleep April 6th, 2025 on a morning that brought a spring dusting of snow. The fifth child to Sara and Clemente Lucero, Marcella was born 1930 on a humble Rio Puerco valley ranch amidst the sloping mesas at Cabezon, NM. Marcella spent her formative years divided between the Harwood School for Girls in Albuquerque and the life lessons derived from the family homestead. As a shy and reticent young woman, Marcella embarked on a broadcast production program in Los Angeles and during the 1950s worked in Albuquerque among several local television and radio outlets, notably the Hebenstreit operated KGGM. Devout and dutiful, Marcella held family and home her greatest legacy. She took pleasure in choral music as a member of her church choir. She was a faithful rose gardener amid the unforgiving arid New Mexico summers enjoying compliments on her handiwork from neighbors. She was known to carry a characteristic lilting hum of a song. These simple things she held quietly to herself as a selfless daughter, wife, and mother. She is survived by sons, Richard (Jody) Garcia, Robert (Carla Chavez) Garcia, and Gary Garcia; daughters, Carol Garcia and Joan (Mark) Wilson; her much loved grandchildren, Phillip Chavez, Christian (Sierra) Garcia, Isabella Garcia y Lauer, Joaquin Garcia, Alejandro Garcia, Enrique Garcia, and Quinlan Wilson; sister-in-law, Rose Lucero; a beloved niece, Patty (Eddie) Cordova, and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Bonifacio Garcia; brothers, Elizardo (Emilia) Gonzales, Arneldo (Stella) Lucero, Benjamin (Pina) Lucero, Albert (Isidora) Lucero, Ostacio Lucero; sisters, Frances (Gabriel) Sena, her infant twin, Maria Catalina, Kathryn (Arnold) Paroline, Rosalie Lucero. ******** services will be held at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church, May 9, 2025, beginning with a Rosary at 10:30 am and Mass at 11:00 am. Committal services will immediately follow at Mount Calvary Cemetery. The family wishes to express their heartfelt appreciation to the kind and compassionate care provided by Marcella’s caretakers and Desert Hospice of Albuquerque. Services provided by Salazar Mortuary. www.salazarfunerals.com/obituaries/marcella-garcia Source link #Marcella #Garcia #Marcella #Lucero #Garcia #passed Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Australia’s reelected government says U.S-China tussle a top priority Australia’s reelected government says U.S-China tussle a top priority Australia’s Treasurer Jim Chalmers in Canberra, on May 15, 2024. Tracey Nearmy | Getty Images News | Getty Images Australia’s government will prioritize dealing with the “dark shadow” of the U.S.-China trade war following its resounding reelection victory, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said on Sunday, after a campaign that highlighted concerns over U.S. trade policy and the global economy. Labor Party leader Anthony Albanese, Australia’s first prime minister to win a second consecutive term in two decades, promised in remarks on Sunday that he would run a disciplined and orderly government, stressing that Australians had voted for unity. The center-left Labor Party appeared likely to expand its majority in parliament to at least 85 seats from 77, the *********** Broadcasting Corp projected, after most polls had suggested it would struggle to keep its slim hold on the 150-seat lower house. More than two-thirds of votes have been tallied, with counting to resume on Monday. Echoing an election in Canada less than a week earlier, Australia’s conservative opposition leader, Peter Dutton, lost his seat as voters, who initially focused on cost-of-living pressures, grew increasingly concerned over U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs and other policies. “We will be a disciplined, orderly government in our second term, just like we have been in our first,” Albanese told reporters while visiting a coffee shop in his Sydney electorate where he said his late mother took him as a child. “The *********** people voted for unity rather than division,” Albanese added in brief public comments. Polls had shown Labor trailing the opposition conservative coalition for nine months until March, amid widespread angst about the government’s handling of inflation. But the polls flipped when the conservatives unveiled a proposal to slash the federal workforce, which was compared to the Trump administration’s moves to cut back government agencies. A proposal to force federal workers back to the office five days a week was also criticised as unfair to women. Trump’s April 2 tariff announcement added to voters’ unease as it sent shockwaves through global markets and raised concerns about the impact on their pension funds. “The immediate focus is on global economic uncertainty, U.S. and China, and what it means for us,” Treasurer Jim Chalmers told the *********** Broadcasting Corp. “What’s happening, particularly between the U.S. and China, does cast a dark shadow over the global economy … We need to have the ability, and we will have the ability, to manage that uncertainty.” Former conservative member of parliament Keith Wolahan, who conceded his seat at the election, told the ABC his party had mis-read the public mood. “It was clear that our party has an issue in urban Australia, which is where most people live,” he said. “We need to really dig deep and think about who we are and who we fight for and who makes up Australia,” Wolahan added. Source link #Australias #reelected #government #U.SChina #tussle #top #priority Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Warren Buffett devotees say farewell at poignant Omaha ‘pilgrimage’ – Financial Times Warren Buffett devotees say farewell at poignant Omaha ‘pilgrimage’ – Financial Times Warren Buffett devotees say farewell at poignant Omaha ‘pilgrimage’ Financial TimesWarren Buffett announces his retirement and warns the trade war will hurt America NPR6 big things investors learned from Warren Buffett at this year’s Berkshire shareholder meeting CNBCWarren Buffett, on Stage at Berkshire Meeting, Defends Global Trade WSJNews Wrap: Warren Buffett warns against U.S. using trade as a weapon PBS Source link #Warren #Buffett #devotees #farewell #poignant #Omaha #pilgrimage #Financial #Times Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Fremantle Dockers midfielder Hayden Young could miss up to six weeks after hamstring injury Fremantle Dockers midfielder Hayden Young could miss up to six weeks after hamstring injury Fremantle midfielder Hayden Young is set for an extended stint on the sidelines with the hamstring injury suffered against St Kilda expected to keep him out for at least a month. Young missed the start of the Dockers’ campaign with two strains to his right hamstring but strung together three consecutive games in the AFL after returning through the WAFL. However, the run came to a devastating end for the 24-year-old on Friday night at Marvel Stadium, Young clutching high up on the back of his leg in pain after a diving tackle during the second quarter of the Docker’s nightmare defeat to St Kilda. The defender-turned-midfielder was assisted from the ground by a trainer and taken straight to the rooms. He was then subbed out of the clash barely five minutes later, with 7NEWS’ Mitch Cleary reporting that the star could miss four to six weeks on Sunday. Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir couldn’t hide his concern during the post-match press conference either. “We’ll get a scan, but it doesn’t look great,” he said “It looks serious. It is concerning.” The injury compounded another horror road trip to Melbourne for Fremantle who just a fortnight ago were stunned by the Demons at the MCG. The Dockers managed just one goal for the entire first half and had just two heading into the last quarter before succumbing to a 14.10 (94) to 5.3 (33) hammering. Source link #Fremantle #Dockers #midfielder #Hayden #Young #weeks #hamstring #injury Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Gigi Hadid Goes Instagram Official With Boyfriend Bradley Cooper, Shares Kissing Photo From 30th Birthday Party – Just Jared Gigi Hadid Goes Instagram Official With Boyfriend Bradley Cooper, Shares Kissing Photo From 30th Birthday Party – Just Jared Gigi Hadid Goes Instagram Official With Boyfriend Bradley Cooper, Shares Kissing Photo From 30th Birthday Party Just JaredGigi Hadid Makes Bradley Cooper Relationship Instagram Official with Kissing Photo People.comGigi Hadid and Bradley Cooper Enjoy Rare Date Night at Her Birthday Party E! OnlineGigi Hadid Sparks Engagement Rumors with Bradley Cooper During Birthday Outing instyle.comGigi Hadid Finally Goes Instagram Official With Boyfriend Bradley Cooper Us Weekly Source link #Gigi #Hadid #Instagram #Official #Boyfriend #Bradley #Cooper #Shares #Kissing #Photo #30th #Birthday #Party #Jared Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Optus Stadium reportedly slated to host world-first Serie A game outside of Italy Optus Stadium reportedly slated to host world-first Serie A game outside of Italy One of the world’s biggest soccer leagues is weighing up an offer to bring a competitive match to Perth in what would be a world-first move. Source link #Optus #Stadium #reportedly #slated #host #worldfirst #Serie #game #Italy Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

If you see purple paint, stop walking. What your state’s paint law means. If you see purple paint, stop walking. What your state’s paint law means. If you spot purple paint on your early morning hike, it may be best to turn around and find another route, because you might be trespassing. Many U.S. states abide by the “purple paint law,” which allows land and property owners to use purple paint marks on trees and fences to deter people from trespassing. Using the paint is akin to posting a “No Trespassing” sign, although not everyone knows what it means. So far, more than 20 states have a “purple paint law” in place, the Hudson Valley Post reported. Officials chose the color purple because it stands out in a natural setting, is not used in the forestry industry and is a hue people who are colorblind can identify, the outlet said. Purple paint is also a preferred option over signs because property owners often struggle with keeping signs up due to wind, rain or even vandals, according to Carolina Forestry & Realty. While purple is used in most U.S. states, some states with similar laws designate different colors, such as orange, blue, silver, yellow and red. For example, the paint used in Maryland is blue since the state’s law was passed in 1989, according to the University of Maryland Extension. A no trespassing sign is nailed to a tree and chunks of concrete are spray-painted with purple, a common “no trespassing” indicator. What U.S. states have the ‘purple paint law’? According to AL.com, the U.S. states with laws identifying purple paint (or designated colors) for “no trespassing” include Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. The laws have some restrictions depending on the state. For instance, in Pennsylvania, the statute is effective in all but Philadelphia and Allegheny counties. What happens if you violate the ‘purple paint law’? Consequences of violating the “purple paint law” vary depending on the state, but they include charges, fines and possibly jail time. According to David M. Lurie, a Missouri-based criminal defense attorney, not knowing what the lines mean and unintentionally trespassing is “not a valid defense.” He added that the punishment for crossing the lines could vary depending on what happened after “you went onto someone else’s property by mistake.” “If you harmed an animal or took something, that would be yet another offense,” the attorney says. “If you did no harm and left when you were told to leave or realized you were on someone’s private property, many property owners wouldn’t call law enforcement.” This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ‘Purple paint law’: See which states have it, what it means. Source link #purple #paint #stop #walking #states #paint #law #means Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘People Who Are Salaried Are Crying’: Taxes on Workers Add to Debt Misery ‘People Who Are Salaried Are Crying’: Taxes on Workers Add to Debt Misery The pay stubs tell the story. Hefty deductions to help cover the cost of Kenya’s new funds for affordable housing and health insurance. More money subtracted for jacked-up contributions to the National Social Security Fund and an increase in the tax rate. In a matter of months, Kenyans with a 45,000-shilling-a-month salary — roughly $350 — saw their take-home pay shrink 9 percent, to $262. Pay stubs for an employee at Shining Hope for Communities, a nonprofit in Kenya: JUNE 2024 “People who are salaried are crying,” said Kennedy Odede, the founder of a self-help association in Nairobi’s Kibera slum. The increased payroll taxes are one element of President William Ruto’s desperate bid to raise revenue to keep the government running and pay off Kenya’s staggering foreign debt. New excise taxes were put on sugar, alcohol and plastics. A tax on business profits doubled to 3 percent. Government fees for money transfers and for phone and internet data services went up 15 to 20 percent. A tax on every import, including essentials like wheat and cooking oil, to be used for railroad development was increased to 2 percent from 1.5 percent. Some exemptions for retirees were scrapped. The list goes on. Tax increases are never popular. But the impact on countries like Kenya, with low incomes and crippling debt, is particularly acute. Years of harum-scarum borrowing and spending combined with economic wallops from the Covid-19 pandemic, soaring interest rates and inflation helped drive up Kenya’s debt to $80 billion. Kenya has to use nearly 60 percent of its revenue for paying off its loans. It is a common problem across Africa, where many countries spend more on interest payments than on health or education. At the same time, countries need billions of dollars in new financing for basic medical care, schools, clean water, sewage systems, paved roads and climate-related disaster relief. Getting the country’s finances in order is a prerequisite for long-term growth. But there are limited options to raise such revenue in Kenya, where 40 percent of its 52 million people live in poverty and youth unemployment is estimated to top 25 percent. Small businesses and subsistence agriculture make up much of the economy. According to one estimate, 83 percent of the country’s labor force works in jobs that are out of tax collectors’ sight, including as hairdressers, maids, street sellers and drivers. That means the sliver of the population that works in enterprises that record salaries bears most of the tax burden. “Our buying power has really decreased because of the taxes,” said Elizabeth Okumu, who works at Shining Hope for Communities, or SHOFCO, the nonprofit organization Mr. Odede started two decades ago. The country’s economic crisis has pushed the value of the shilling lower in relation to the dollar, meaning that the cost of imports has soared. Six months ago, a thousand shillings ($7.73) were enough for cooking oil, flour, rice and sugar, said Ms. Okumu, chairwoman of SHOFCO’s urban network in Nairobi. Now, she said, she can buy only sugar and flour with that same amount. Last year, proposed tax increases set off deadly riots in Nairobi, the capital. More than 50 people were killed, and part of Parliament was set on fire. The government temporarily backed down, only to reimpose many of the additional taxes and fees a few weeks later. The government has been talking to the International Monetary Fund about a new loan package. The fund is likely to ask for additional guarantees that the Ruto administration will cut spending and raise more revenue. But you can’t squeeze much water from a wrung-out towel. Behind the widespread discontent with specific policies is a deep cynicism about the government’s ability to either pay back the debt or provide essential services. Regular reports from the country’s auditor general, Nancy Gathungu, detail gross examples of corruption or mismanagement. At the end of last year, for example, she said, the government could not account for more than $1.24 billion that had been earmarked for debt payments. In March, Ms. Gathungu reported that $64 million worth of government-funded Covid-19 vaccines had never been delivered. Critics have also fumed about extravagant spending by government officials. “Ruto says we need to pay our debts, but there are no public services to show for it,” said Tatiana Gicheru, a student at Strathmore University in Nairobi. “I can’t walk into a government hospital and get any services.” Ms. Gicheru, 21, sat outside Java House, a coffee chain in Nairobi, and sipped a latte with her friend Jewel Ndung’u. Ms. Ndung’u, 25, graduated from Strathmore two years ago and has been looking for full-time work as an analyst or a developer. From September to January, she said, she applied for 73 jobs. She got half a dozen callbacks and no job offers. Where is the affordable housing? Where are health services and public transportation? Ms. Ndung’u asked. Ms. Gicheru added, “Suddenly the system is crumbling.” Ms. Ndung’u said she would rather see Kenyans directly pay off the debt to China, the country’s biggest bilateral creditor, by using M-Changa, a digital fund-raising platform, instead of giving the money to the government through taxes and trusting it to do it. As taxes rise, Kenyans have grown angrier about the lack of public services. In November, a crowd of people frustrated about dilapidated roads in Syokimau, a few miles south of Nairobi’s main airport, jeered as they forced their council representative to walk through flooded, muddy streets. In the southwestern part of Nairobi is Kibera, considered the largest urban slum in Africa. Its dirt streets teem with shoppers, pedestrian commuters, peddlers, hustlers, students in neat uniforms and residents filling bright yellow jerrycans with clean water from coin-operated taps. They navigate around piles of garbage and occasional raw sewage as well as motorbikes and bicycles hauling oversize loads better suited to a sport utility vehicle. There are no government-funded sanitation services in Kibera. The jampacked skyline features ramshackle homes of plasterboard, rusted roofs, and a forest of haphazard poles and wires on which ******** electricity hookups hang like Christmas ornaments. Benedict Musyoka, a youth community organizer in Kibera, said a young man had told him: “I won’t marry.” Earning enough to support himself is hard enough, let alone with a wife and child. And the man had a degree. “You are taxing hard, and we have no jobs,” Mr. Musyoka said. With Kenya’s level of debt, there are no easy options, said Thys Louw, a portfolio manager at Ninety One, a global investment firm in London. Expanding the revenue base — bringing more businesses and people who are not currently paying taxes into the system — is crucial, he said. And there are too many exemptions. In Kenya, taxes amounted to 16.6 percent of the country’s total output in 2022, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The share is not unusual in Africa, but half the amount found in richer industrialized nations. June will be one year since the riots, and talk of commemorative gatherings and further protests is bubbling. That is also when the government will be finishing a new budget, which could possibly include further tax rises. Many people like Ms. Okumu at SHOFCO fear there will be more riots. People work so hard, she said, hoping “that tomorrow they’ll see the light.” “But when tomorrow comes, it’s still darkness.” Abdi Latif Dahir contributed reporting. Source link #People #Salaried #Crying #Taxes #Workers #Add #Debt #Misery Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Why Being a Horse in Red Dead Redemption 2 is a Digital Nightmare Why Being a Horse in Red Dead Redemption 2 is a Digital Nightmare Discover the hilariously tragic existence of horses in Red Dead Redemption 2. From physics-defying deaths to emotional manipulation, it’s tough being Arthur’s steed! Source link #Horse #Red #Dead #Redemption #Digital #Nightmare Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Nuggets vs. Clippers score, results: Denver eliminates L.A. in dominant Game 7, will play OKC in second round – CBS Sports Nuggets vs. Clippers score, results: Denver eliminates L.A. in dominant Game 7, will play OKC in second round – CBS Sports Nuggets vs. Clippers score, results: Denver eliminates L.A. in dominant Game 7, will play OKC in second round CBS SportsNuggets crush Clippers in decisive Game 7 ESPNNBA playoffs: Game 7 predictions! Who wins Clippers-Nuggets and Warriors-Rockets? Yahoo SportsClippers vs. Nuggets odds, prediction, where to watch: Game 7 TV channel, time, NBA playoffs live stream CBS SportsNuggets host Clippers for critical Game 7 NBA Source link #Nuggets #Clippers #score #results #Denver #eliminates #L.A #dominant #Game #play #OKC #CBS #Sports Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Warren Buffett has created a $348bn question for his successor – The Economist Warren Buffett has created a $348bn question for his successor – The Economist Warren Buffett has created a $348bn question for his successor The EconomistBusiness leaders react to Warren Buffett stepping down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway: ‘Only G.O.A.T’ Fox BusinessEnd of an era: Warren Buffett will ask Berkshire board to replace him as CEO with Greg Abel CNBCFrom Apple to Dexter Shoes: Warren Buffett’s top wins and biggest blunders in 60 years of investing Times of IndiaShareholders react to Warren Buffett’s retirement announcement Yahoo Source link #Warren #Buffett #created #348bn #question #successor #Economist Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]