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Breaking the taboo around ‘living wills’ in India Breaking the taboo around ‘living wills’ in India Cherylann Mollan BBC News, Mumbai Getty Images Health activists are helping champion the idea of living wills in India In 2010, IP Yadev, a surgeon from the southern Indian state of Kerala, was confronted with one of the hardest decisions of his life. He had to decide between keeping his father – a terminal ******* patient – alive, and honouring his wish, expressed verbally, to stop all treatments and put an end to his suffering. Warning: This article contains some distressing details “As a son, I felt it was my duty to do whatever I could to prolong my father’s life. This made him unhappy and he ended up dying alone in an intensive-care unit. The doctor’s last efforts to revive him using CPR crushed his ribs. It was a horrible death,” Dr Yadev says. The experience, he says, deeply impacted him and helped him realise the importance of advance medical directives (AMDs), also known as living wills. A living will is a legal document that allows a person over 18 years to choose the medical care they would want to receive if they develop a terminal illness or condition with no hope of recovery and are unable to make decisions by themselves. For example, they could specify that they don’t want to be put on life-support machines or insist that they want to be given adequate pain-relieving medication. In 2018, India’s Supreme Court allowed people to draw up living wills and thereby choose passive euthanasia, where medical treatment can be withdrawn under strict guidelines to hasten a person’s death. Active euthanasia – any act that intentionally helps a person kill themselves – is ******** in the country. But despite the legal go-ahead, the concept of living wills hasn’t really taken off in India. Experts say that this has much to do with the way Indians talk, or rather, don’t talk about death. Death is often considered to be a taboo subject and any mention of it is thought to bring bad luck. But there are now efforts underway to change this. In November, Dr Yadev and his team launched India’s first programme – at the Government Medical College in Kerala’s Kollam district – to educate people about living wills, offering information in person and over the phone. Volunteers also conduct awareness campaigns and distribute will templates. IP Yadev Volunteers at the information counter on living wills in the government-run hospital at Kollam, Kerala Creating a living will requires family members to have open and honest conversations about death. Despite some resistance, activists and institutions are taking steps to raise awareness, and there’s a growing, though cautious, interest. Kerala leads the way in these conversations. Currently, it has the country’s best palliative care network, and organisations that offer end-of-life care have also started awareness campaigns around living wills. In March, around 30 people from the Pain and Palliative Care society in Thrissur city signed living wills. Dr E Divakaran, founder of the society, says that the gesture is aimed at make the idea more popular among people. “Most people have never heard of the term so they have many questions, like whether such a directive can be misused or if they can make changes to their wills later on,” Mr Yadev says, adding that most inquiries have come from people in their 50s and 60s. “Right now, it’s the educated, upper-middle class that’s making use of the facility. But with grassroot awareness campaigns, we’re expecting the demographic to widen,” he says. According to the Supreme Court order, a person must draft the will, sign it in the presence of two witnesses, and have it attested by a notary or gazetted officer. A copy of the will must then be submitted to a state government-appointed custodian. While the guidelines exist on paper, many state governments are yet to set up mechanisms to implement them. This is what Dr Nikhil Datar, a gynaecologist from Mumbai city, realised when he made his living will two years ago as there was no custodian to whom he could submit it. Nikhil Datar Dr Nikhil Datar (right) handing over his living will to the custodian So he went to court and it resulted in the Maharashtra government appointing about 400 officials across local bodies in the state to serve as custodians of living wills. In June, Goa state implemented the Supreme Court’s orders around living wills and a high court judge became the first person in the state to register one. On Saturday, Karnataka state ordered district health officers to nominate people to serve on a key medical board required to certify living wills. [Two medical boards have to certify that a patient meets necessary criteria for the implementation of a living will before medical practitioners can act on it.] Mr Datar is also advocating for a centralised digital repository for living wills, accessible nationwide. He has also made his own will available for free on his website as a template. He believes a will helps prevent problems for both families and doctors when a patient is in a vegetative state and beyond recovery. “Very often, family members don’t want the person to endure more treatment but because they can’t care for the patient at home, they keep them in the hospital. Doctors, bound by medical ethics, can’t withhold treatment, so the patient ends up suffering with no way to express their wishes,” Mr Datar says. Living wills aren’t just about choosing passive euthanasia. Dr Yadev recalls a case where a person wanted his will to specify that he should be placed on life support if his condition ever required it. “He explained that his only child was living abroad and that he didn’t want to die until his son got to meet him,” Mr Yadev says. “You have the freedom to choose how you want to die. It is one of the greatest rights available to us, so why not exercise it?” he says. Healthcare advocates say that conversations around palliative care are slowly growing in the country, giving an impetus to living wills. Dr Sushma Bhatnagar of Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences says the hospital is launching a department to educate patients about living wills. “Ideally, doctors should discuss living wills with patients, but there’s a communication gap,” she says, adding that training doctors for these conversations can help ensure a person dies with dignity. “Throughout our lives, our choices are coloured by our loved ones’ wishes or by what society thinks is right,” Mr Yadev says. “At least in death, let us make choices that are in our interest and fully our own.” Source link #Breaking #taboo #living #wills #India Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Bitcoin dips below $97,000 after Trump orders tariffs, smaller cryptocurrencies tumble Bitcoin dips below $97,000 after Trump orders tariffs, smaller cryptocurrencies tumble U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Bitcoin. Cheney Orr | Dado Ruvic | Reuters Cryptocurrencies tumbled on Sunday in a risk-off move after President Donald Trump hit Canada, Mexico and China with long-threatened import tariffs. The price of bitcoin was last lower by 3%, according to Coin Metrics, a modest loss compared to the broader crypto market. Earlier, it fell as low as $96,202.42. The U.S. dollar index, which has an inverse relationship with bitcoin, was up nearly 1%. The CoinDesk 20 index, which measures the largest 20 digital assets by market cap, dropped 9%. Ether slumped to its lowest level since November. The slide began Saturday night after Trump signed an order imposing 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada, as well as a 10% duty on China, which will take effect Tuesday. The U.S. does about $1.6 trillion in business with the three countries. Jeff Park, Bitwise Asset Management’s head of alpha strategies, said a sustained tariff war will be “amazing” for bitcoin in the long-run due to an eventual weakening of the dollar and U.S. rates. While many believe bitcoin is a hedge against inflation and uncertainty over the long term, it trades like a risk asset in the short term — and is likely to respond negatively to any uncertainty around the trade war triggered by Trump’s tariffs. Investors are watching $90,000 as the key support level in bitcoin, and some have warned of an even deeper pullback toward $80,000 should the cryptocurrency meaningfully break below its support. Bitcoin is about 11% off its Jan. 20 record of $109,350.72. Seasoned crypto investors and traders have become accustomed over the years to corrections of around 30% during bull markets. Don’t miss these cryptocurrency insights from CNBC Pro: Source link #Bitcoin #dips #Trump #orders #tariffs #smaller #cryptocurrencies #tumble Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Thames Water seeks court approval for emergency cash Thames Water seeks court approval for emergency cash Thames Water will seek approval for an emergency cash lifeline in court on Monday as it faces running out of money in four weeks’ time. Lenders to the debt-saddled company are offering up to £3bn in additional short-term loans to buy time to complete a major restructuring of the ***’s biggest water and waste company. Failure to secure approval will see Thames edge closer to a temporary nationalisation, which could cost the government some £2bn a year. The company is still considering whether to appeal a decision by the regulator Ofwat to increase bills by 35% above inflation over the next five years – short of the 53% increase it applied for. Thames Water has been struggling for some time and has been heavily criticised over its performance following a series of sewage discharges and leaks. The dire state of the company’s finances emerged about 18 months ago when it began a search for funding to avoid collapse. The Thames fiasco is a combination of poor historical regulation, greedy shareholders, climate change and management failure. Its debt pile is currently about £17bn. But regardless of what happens to the company in the future, water supplies to households will continue as normal. In the latest bid to survive, lenders have offered Thames a further loan of up to £3bn in two instalments. The first payment is to get it through to the autumn, and a second is to be used if the company decides to appeal Ofwat’s 35% bill rise to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) – a process that could take up to a year. The company has until 18 February to launch an appeal to the CMA. Investment bank Rothchilds is also soliciting bids to take over the company and inject much-needed funds. The court hearing on Monday is scheduled for four days with a possible extension as a much smaller group of lenders are challenging the terms of the lifeline and proposing an alternative. Although Thames will not collapse immediately if the deal is not approved by the judge, insiders have acknowledged that the company will move a step closer to temporary nationalisation – a so-called Special Administration Regime – if it fails. The government has already sounded out a number of consultancies to take that on if the situation arises. The company has been keen to stress that whatever happens, its services to 16 million customers would continue uninterrupted, but big questions about the future of Thames and other key infrastructure providers have been thrown up. Some argue that Thames should be allowed to go bust and have the government take over the company due to it being the architect of its own misfortune. Previous owners loaded the company with debt, took out big dividends and paid executives handsomely. Caving in to its demands for customers to pay more now for a failing service would be a gross injustice. Others say that poor regulation has allowed this mess. Bills were kept too low for too long which hampered investment in the aging infrastructure that is now being overwhelmed by a wetter climate. Ofwat is fighting yesterday’s battle and making things worse by imposing fines of tens of millions of pounds for failures, thus further depriving the company of the funds to fix the very things it is being fined for. What Thames and ministers both agree on is that neither want this sprawling company on the government’s books. Consultancy Teneo has predicted a temporary nationalisation would cost up to £2bn a year. However, a wider, perhaps more important argument made by some is that the failure of Thames as a private company would send an unhelpful message to the international investors that Chancellor Rachel Reeves hopes will invest hundreds of billions in *** airports, windfarms, rail links and everything else on her long shopping list of growth-boosting projects. Sources close to the company and its creditors argue that we cannot agonise over and regulate for past mistakes. We are where we are – between a rock and a hard place. Carve out a special deal for Thames – or risk its collapse. Thames has just over two weeks to appeal to the CMA to bump up the bills its allowed to charge. Its not without risk – the CMA could revise them down. Last week, the chair of the CMA was forced out by ministers unimpressed by the regulators focus on growth. Thames says it needs higher bills to invest £20bn over the next five years. It will be an interesting test case for the new chair. Source link #Thames #Water #seeks #court #approval #emergency #cash Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Retail spending slips in December following heavy sales: ABS Retail spending slips in December following heavy sales: ABS *********** retail sales have slipped in December following strong growth in the previous months as a result of heavy discounting from retailers. Retail turnover fell 0.1 per cent in December, according to fresh *********** Bureau of Statistics data on Monday, beating forecasts of a 0.7 per cent drop. It followed two months of growth, with sales up 0.7 per cent and 0.5 per cent in November and October, respectively. Year-on-year, retail sales rose 4.6 per cent. “Retail spending held firm following strong growth in recent months with promotional activity stretched across the quarter,” ABS head of business statistics Robert Ewing said. “Cyber Monday fell in early December and boosted spending to begin the month, particularly on discretionary items like furniture, homewares, electronics and electrical items.” Sales results were mixed across categories, with household goods retailing posting the the biggest rise (up 1.6 per cent). “Cyber Monday drove more spending on household goods as consumers took advantage of discounts on big ticket items,” Mr Ewing said. More to come. Source link #Retail #spending #slips #December #heavy #sales #ABS Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

These 9 local Winn-Dixies will convert to Aldi stores These 9 local Winn-Dixies will convert to Aldi stores Editor’s note: This story is available as a result of a content partnership between WFTV and the Orlando Business Journal. Just how many Winn-Dixie grocery stores will undergo conversions to become Aldi locations in Central Florida is coming into view nearly 11 months after the latter’s acquisition of the former. WATCH CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS An Aldi spokesperson Jan. 24 confirmed to Orlando Business Journal that nine conversions either are underway or set to begin soon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read: FDLE offers cybersecurity tips for helping protect your personal data Six Winn-Dixie grocery stores across Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Lake, Volusia and Brevard counties, as well as The Villages, already have closed and are in the process of converting to Aldi’s, after which point they will reopen. Click here to read the full story on the Orlando Business Journal’s website. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. Source link #local #WinnDixies #convert #Aldi #stores Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

China Caixin PMI, South Korea retail sales China Caixin PMI, South Korea retail sales View of the central business district skyline at sunset in Beijing, China. Sheng Peng | Visual China Group | Getty Images Asia-Pacific markets opened lower Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump levied tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China over the weekend. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 dropped 1.86%. Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 1.84% at the open, while the Topix lost 1.75%. South Korea’s Kospi dropped 2.32% and the small-cap Kosdaq traded 1.9% lower. ******** markets remain closed for the Lunar New Year holiday. Caixin/S&P Global services manufacturing activity data for China will be released later in the day. The PMI is expected to come in at 50.5, according to Reuters poll estimates. On Saturday, Trump signed an order implementing a 25% tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada, and a 10% tariff on goods from China. Energy exports from Canada will face a reduced 10% tariff, which are set to come into effect on Tuesday stateside. The U.S. conducts around $1.6 trillion in annual business with these three countries combined. Investors will also be assessing the market impact of the India’s Union Budget released over the weekend that offered a huge income tax relief to the country’s middle class. The Indian government also pledged to reduce its fiscal deficit to 4.4% of its GDP for the year beginning April 1, a decrease from a revised 4.8% for the current year, amongst other measures. Last Friday in the U.S., the three major averages closed lower. The S&P 500 shed 0.50% to end at 6,040.53, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 337.47 points, or 0.75%, weighed down by a decline in Chevron. The 30-stock Dow ended the session at 44,544.66. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.28% to 19,627.44. —CNBC’s Lisa Kailai Han, Alex Harring and Tanaya Macheel contributed to this report. Source link #China #Caixin #PMI #South #Korea #retail #sales Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump tariffs take aim at trade loophole used by Temu, Shein Trump tariffs take aim at trade loophole used by Temu, Shein Shein and Temu icons are seen displayed on a phone screen in this illustration photo taken in Krakow, Poland on August 27, 2024. Jakub Porzycki | Nurphoto | Getty Images President Donald Trump’s tariffs against China, Canada and Mexico target a trade provision that helped fuel the explosive growth of budget online retailers, including Temu and Shein. Trump on Saturday signed executive orders imposing tariffs on the country’s top three trading partners. Goods imported from Canada and Mexico will be slapped with a 25% tariff, while goods from China will be charged a 10% tax. Energy resources from Canada will have a lower 10% tariff. The duties are expected to take effect on Tuesday. The orders against China, Canada and Mexico all halt a trade exemption, known as “de minimis,” which allows exporters to ship packages worth less than $800 into the U.S. duty free. The de minimis provision has existed since the 1930s, but its use has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years. The Biden administration took steps last September to curb the “overuse and abuse” of de minimis, arguing it has helped ******** e-commerce companies undercut competitors with lower prices. Officials have also argued that de minimis shipments are “subject to minimal documentation and inspection,” raising product safety concerns. The U.S. processed more than 1.3 billion de minimis shipments in 2024, according to data from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency. That’s up from 139 million a year in 2015, the CBP said. The loophole has enabled low-cost e-commerce companies like PDD Holdings-owned Temu, Shein, and Alibaba‘s AliExpress, which all have links to China, to offer a virtual smorgasbord of cheap apparel, household items and electronics, such as $15 smartwatches and $3 shoes. Shein and Temu have gone on a digital marketing blitz over the last few years in an attempt to lure more deal-hungry shoppers. Temu in 2024 vaulted to the top of Apple’s list of the most downloaded free apps in the U.S. for the second year in a row, while Shein came in at number 12. Their popularity in the U.S. prompted Amazon to launch its own bargain outlet, called Haul, last year that allows third-party sellers to ship goods to consumers directly from China. Amazon reportedly relies on the de minimis trade rule to import items sold on Haul to bypass tariffs, The Information reported, citing people familiar with the program. An Amazon spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to CNBC for a request for comment. Amazon, eBay and Etsy could stand to benefit from the Trump administration’s clampdown on the de minimis loophole. The companies operate online marketplaces that let third-party sellers market wares directly to consumers, competing directly with Temu and Shein. Amazon has long connected ******** manufacturers to American shoppers through its sprawling third-party marketplace. The marketplace is a key component of Amazon’s retail strategy, accounting for about 60% of products sold on the site. Amazon also generates fees by providing fulfillment, shipping, account support and advertising services to sellers. China-based merchants have made up a sizable contingent of Amazon’s marketplace for many years, though the company acknowledged for the first time in 2023 that they account for a “significant portion.” By some estimates, they outnumber American sellers on the platform, according to data from Marketplace Pulse. Temu and Shein have also expanded their strategies as the de minimis loophole came under threat. Last year, Temu began onboarding ******** sellers to its site that have inventory at U.S. warehouses, allowing it to ship packages faster to American shoppers, according to The Information. Shein has also opened distribution centers and a supply chain hub in the U.S. WATCH: Amazon Haul takes on Temu to bring shoppers cheap goods from China Source link #Trump #tariffs #aim #trade #loophole #Temu #Shein Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Trump tariffs take aim at trade loophole used by Temu, Shein Trump tariffs take aim at trade loophole used by Temu, Shein Shein and Temu icons are seen displayed on a phone screen in this illustration photo taken in Krakow, Poland on August 27, 2024. Jakub Porzycki | Nurphoto | Getty Images President Donald Trump’s tariffs against China, Canada and Mexico target a trade provision that helped fuel the explosive growth of budget online retailers, including Temu and Shein. Trump on Saturday signed executive orders imposing tariffs on the country’s top three trading partners. Goods imported from Canada and Mexico will be slapped with a 25% tariff, while goods from China will be charged a 10% tax. Energy resources from Canada will have a lower 10% tariff. The duties are expected to take effect on Tuesday. The orders against China, Canada and Mexico all halt a trade exemption, known as “de minimis,” which allows exporters to ship packages worth less than $800 into the U.S. duty free. The de minimis provision has existed since the 1930s, but its use has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years. The Biden administration took steps last September to curb the “overuse and abuse” of de minimis, arguing it has helped ******** e-commerce companies undercut competitors with lower prices. Officials have also argued that de minimis shipments are “subject to minimal documentation and inspection,” raising product safety concerns. The U.S. processed more than 1.3 billion de minimis shipments in 2024, according to data from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency. That’s up from 139 million a year in 2015, the CBP said. The loophole has enabled low-cost e-commerce companies like PDD Holdings-owned Temu, Shein, and Alibaba’s AliExpress, which all have links to China, to offer a virtual smorgasbord of cheap apparel, household items and electronics, such as $15 smartwatches and $3 shoes. Shein and Temu have gone on a digital marketing blitz over the last few years in an attempt to lure more deal-hungry shoppers. Temu in 2024 vaulted to the top of Apple’s list of the most downloaded free apps in the U.S. for the second year in a row, while Shein came in at number 12. Their popularity in the U.S. prompted Amazon to launch its own bargain outlet, called Haul, last year that allows third-party sellers to ship goods to consumers directly from China. Amazon reportedly relies on the de minimis trade rule to import items sold on Haul to bypass tariffs, The Information reported, citing people familiar with the program. An Amazon spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to CNBC for a request for comment. Amazon, eBay and Etsy could stand to benefit from the Trump administration’s clampdown on the de minimis loophole. The companies operate online marketplaces that let third-party sellers market wares directly to consumers, competing directly with Temu and Shein. Amazon has long connected ******** manufacturers to American shoppers through its sprawling third-party marketplace. The marketplace is a key component of Amazon’s retail strategy, accounting for about 60% of products sold on the site. Amazon also generates fees by providing fulfillment, shipping, account support and advertising services to sellers. China-based merchants have made up a sizable contingent of Amazon’s marketplace for many years, though the company acknowledged for the first time in 2023 that they account for a “significant portion.” By some estimates, they outnumber American sellers on the platform, according to data from Marketplace Pulse. Temu and Shein have also expanded their strategies as the de minimis loophole came under threat. Last year, Temu began onboarding ******** sellers to its site that have inventory at U.S. warehouses, allowing it to ship packages faster to American shoppers, according to The Information. Shein has also opened distribution centers and a supply chain hub in the U.S. WATCH: Amazon Haul takes on Temu to bring shoppers cheap goods from China Source link #Trump #tariffs #aim #trade #loophole #Temu #Shein Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Grammys Photos: All the Looks From the 2025 Red Carpet – The New York Times Grammys Photos: All the Looks From the 2025 Red Carpet – The New York Times Grammys Photos: All the Looks From the 2025 Red Carpet The New York TimesGrammys 2025: See what Sabrina Carpenter, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan and more stars are wearing on the red carpet Yahoo EntertainmentGrammys 2025 Live Updates: Early Winners, Red Carpet and More The New York TimesWatch Live: Grammy Awards red carpet highlights, fashion and big moments CBS NewsGrammys fashion: Sabrina Carpenter, Kelsea Ballerini turn heads on red carpet Fox News Source link #Grammys #Photos #Red #Carpet #York #Times Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

'A complete performance' – how Arsenal overwhelmed Man City 'A complete performance' – how Arsenal overwhelmed Man City MOTD2 pundits Theo Walcott and Danny Murphy analyse Arsenal’s “complete performance” in their 5-1 Premier League win over Manchester City. Source link #039A #complete #performance039 #Arsenal #overwhelmed #Man #City Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Marion Wiesel, Translator, Strategist and Wife of Elie Wiesel, Dies at 94 Marion Wiesel, Translator, Strategist and Wife of Elie Wiesel, Dies at 94 Marion Wiesel, who translated many books written by her husband, Elie Wiesel, including the final edition of his magnum opus, “Night,” and who encouraged him to pursue a wide-ranging public career, helping him become the most renowned interpreter of the Holocaust, died on Sunday at her home in Greenwich, Conn. She was 94. Her death was confirmed by their son, Elisha Wiesel. The Wiesels met in the late 1960s and married in 1969. By then, Mr. Wiesel had already achieved wide acclaim. “Night” — a memoir about his teenage experience at Auschwitz and a tortured spiritual reckoning about the meaning of the Holocaust — came out in 1960, originally translated from the French by Stella Rodway. Mr. Wiesel’s Nobel Peace Prize and his numerous encounters with world leaders still lay decades away. Friends, relatives and writers all attributed the moral stature he achieved partly to the quiet influence of Marion. “In the alignment of stars that helped make Wiesel the international icon he became, his marriage to Marion was among the most significant,” Joseph Berger wrote in “Elie Wiesel: Confronting the Silence” (2023), a biography. By nature, Mr. Wiesel was a reader of literature, a chess player and an observer of Jewish rituals. Into his early 40s, he led the intense but unworldly life of a passionate intellectual. For days he might not sleep. He often forgot to eat meals. He abstained from alcohol. He took trips abroad without notice and could not be reached. Ms. Wiesel, too, was a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust. Following their marriage, she changed the rhythm of Mr. Wiesel’s days and expanded his sense of possibility — without altering his moral temper. Her most obvious impact on his career was through translation. He was an eloquent, powerful speaker of English, but he cherished his command of French, which dated from his days as a youthful refugee. Ms. Wiesel shared her husband’s cosmopolitan knowledge of European culture and fluency in several languages. She quickly began translating his writing from French to English, ultimately working on 14 of his books. None was more important than her 2006 translation of “Night.” In his biography, Mr. Berger reported that, of the 10 million copies that the memoir had sold, three million came after her translation. It was heavily promoted by Oprah Winfrey and, in the following years, it became a widely assigned book in high schools, a concise literary work of moral instruction, like “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Animal Farm.” Ms. Wiesel also advised and coached her husband as he made public appearances — including frequent TV interviews with Ted Koppel on ABC — and became a voice in world politics. Using money from Mr. Wiesel’s 1986 Nobel Prize, the couple founded the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity. Ms. Wiesel took the lead in managing the Beit Tzipora Centers in Israel, which provide schooling and other support to Jewish children of Ethiopian origin, who have faced challenges integrating into Israeli society. The initiative is ongoing and reaches hundreds of children every year. Mr. Wiesel’s other activities in public life included serving as the founding chairman of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Perhaps no single moment of his political career is so vividly recalled as his plea to Ronald Reagan, issued in the White House alongside the president and in front of TV cameras, not to visit the Bitburg military cemetery, where members of the SS are buried in what was then West Germany. “That place, Mr. President, is not your place,” Mr. Wiesel said. “Your place is with victims of the SS.” Those remarks had an editor: Ms. Wiesel. “There would not have been a Bitburg speech without Marion’s conviction,” the couple’s editor and friend, Ileene Smith, wrote in an email. She called Ms. Wiesel her husband’s “most trusted adviser,” adding: “As his translator from the French, Marion pored over every sentence of Elie’s work with astonishing insight into his interior world, his literary mind.” Mary Renate (also sometimes spelled Renata) Erster was born in Vienna on Jan. 27, 1931. Her father, Emil, owned a furniture store. He and Mary watched from a street corner as Nazi troops took over Vienna. A long flight ensued. Her mother, Jetta (Hubel) Erster, carefully guarded jewelry and silver candlesticks that she would barter over years of repeated escapes. During a brief ******* in Belgium, Mary attended school. She announced to her classmates that she had shed her first name — which was inspired by her mother’s love of Americana — and that from then on she would be called Marion. “It was an emotional turning point — my first step toward freedom,” she wrote in an unpublished reminiscence. The family spent time at Gurs, a French concentration camp, then fled to Marseille, where they narrowly avoided detection thanks to the protection of neighbors. Jetta had a relative with Swiss citizenship, and the family managed to smuggle themselves into Switzerland in 1942. The family arrived in the United States in 1949. Marion attended the University of Miami but mainly lived in New York City, where she worked at a bra factory and as a saleswoman at a department store. She wound up having a creative career of her own. She edited “To Give Them Light” (1993), a collection of Roman Vishniac’s photographs of Eastern European Jewry before World War II. She also wrote and narrated “Children of the Night” (1999), a documentary about children killed during the Holocaust. She married F. Peter Rose in the late 1950s and had a daughter, Jennifer. While her marriage was falling apart, she met Mr. Wiesel. They discussed French literature on their first date. He quickly fell in love. In addition to their son, Ms. Wiesel is survived by her daughter and two grandchildren. The Wiesels’ relationship was not solely an experience of Holocaust remembrance. Ms. Wiesel also had the ability to convince her philosophically inclined husband that he would, for example, enjoy going to a Broadway cast party at Sardi’s. Back when Mr. Wiesel was single, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the revered Lubavitcher ******, wrote him a personal plea to marry and have children, the propagation of the Wiesel line a repudiation of the Nazis. Mr. Wiesel was unconvinced: He did not want to bring more Jews into the world. “I changed his mind,” Ms. Wiesel told Mr. Berger. “I told him he would be happy.” Source link #Marion #Wiesel #Translator #Strategist #Wife #Elie #Wiesel #Dies Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

The biggest winners and losers of the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade The biggest winners and losers of the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Pau Gasol. Anthony Davis. And now Luka Doncic. The Los Angeles Lakers’ storied history of pulling off seismic blockbuster trades continued late Saturday with a monumental swap no one saw coming. Doncic, the 25-year-old, five-time all-star guard, is headed to Hollywood. The 31-year-old Davis, who rode shotgun to LeBron James during the Lakers’ 2020 NBA championship and was just named to his 10th all-star team, is off to team up with Kyrie Irving on the Dallas Mavericks. The stunning trade will see the Lakers send Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick to Dallas; the Mavericks send Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to Los Angeles; and both teams send additional capital to the Utah Jazz, and is rare on several fronts. Franchise players who are in their prime, such as Doncic, are rarely traded in the NBA. Top 10 players such as Doncic and Davis are rarely exchanged for each other. And longtime conference rivals such as the Lakers and Mavericks rarely do such big business together. “It’s insane,” Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant told reporters Saturday. “It’s crazy. I would have never thought Luka Doncic would have gotten traded at his age. Midseason. The NBA is a wild place, man. If he can get traded, then anybody is up.” More moves from across the league are surely coming in advance of Thursday’s 3 p.m. Eastern trade deadline, but here’s a look at the winners and losers of the Lakers’ latest superstar grab. Los Angeles Lakers (winner) The Lakers woke up Saturday with a pleasant present and a future full of major questions. They were good enough to sit in fifth place in the Western Conference standings, but had prevailed in just two playoff series since winning the championship in 2020. James just turned 40, Davis was approaching 32, and the organization seemed to have a bleak five-year outlook. Even if they managed a playoff run this year, the James-Davis pairing no longer looked capable of living up to the franchise’s championship standard. True contenders typically rank in the top 10 in both offense and defense; the Lakers didn’t qualify in either regard. Meanwhile, James’s quality of play has understandably slipped this season and his uncertain retirement timeline looms over the franchise. If the Lakers kept running back James and Davis together, they were looking at the possibility of a painful rebuilding cycle once James decided to hang it up. Remember, the Lakers won 17 games in Kobe Bryant’s final season in 2015-16, then averaged just 33 wins over the subsequent three seasons before pairing James with Davis. Rather than repeat that cycle or be stuck trying to land a star partner for an aging Davis sometime down the road, the Lakers boldly landed Doncic as the heir to James. Better yet, they did so while parting with only one future first-round pick, ensuring they will have tools to bolster Doncic’s supporting cast. By comparison, the Suns gave up four first-rounders to get Durant from the Brooklyn Nets in 2023, and the New York Knicks sent five to the Nets for Mikal Bridges this past summer. To extract the maximum benefit from this deal, the Lakers must make it work well enough with Doncic that he is willing to commit to them with a long-term extension. That can be a delicate and dramatic dance, but it’s also one they’ve learned to master thanks to James. Dallas Mavericks (loser) The Mavericks made two decisions that will subject them to significant second-guessing: They gave up on Doncic less than one year after he led them to the NBA Finals, and they took back a veteran player rather than a bevy of draft capital. First, it must be said that Doncic, who has been sidelined since Christmas with a calf strain, has dealt with consistent questions about his health, conditioning and temperament throughout his career. It also must be acknowledged that Dallas was staring at the possibility of paying him a five-year, $345 million extension this summer. At various points, he didn’t seem to mesh with former coach Rick Carlisle and former sidekick Kristaps Porzingis. Despite those challenges, his supreme skills have carried the day. He has been an all-NBA first-team selection in each of the past five years, he led the NBA in scoring last year and he buried several clutch shots during Dallas’s Finals run. Whenever Nikola Jokic starts to decline, Doncic and Victor Wembanyama are the odds-on favorites to be the best player in basketball. Parting with that combination of established A-list talent and sky-high upside will be a bitter pill for Mavericks fans to ********, especially if he thrives with the hated Lakers. Dallas lucked into a miracle by trading for Doncic on draft night in 2018, and now that miracle is gone for good. Davis is one of the NBA’s most underrated stars. His vast two-way abilities have often gotten lost in James’s shadow, and he has been a consistent and healthy force over the past two seasons. He is a perennial defensive player of the year candidate and an easy player to build lineups around, and he is aligned age-wise with Irving. Davis should keep the Mavericks relevant and competitive in the challenging West for the foreseeable future. But is that enough? Doncic offered the dream of a title to match Dirk Nowitzki’s 2011 masterpiece, and the Davis-led Mavericks can’t match that rosy long-term outlook. Davis was limited by injury issues in three of his six seasons with the Lakers, and it’s unclear how well his game will age as he gets deeper into his 30s given that he is not a three-point shooter. Dallas has now locked in with an expensive veteran core trio of Davis, Irving and Klay Thompson that would have been a lot more fearsome in 2018. If the Mavericks can’t muster another run this year or next, their lack of draft assets will keep coming back to bite them. Luka Doncic (winner) Before arriving in the United States, Doncic starred for Real Madrid, one of Europe’s most prestigious clubs. The Slovenian’s love of clutch moments and big stages is well documented, and he should be a natural fit as the face of the NBA’s highest-profile team. Indeed, the merging of Doncic and the Lakers sets him up to be the face of the league as he progresses through his 20s and James, Durant and Stephen Curry head off into the sunset. Camera IconDallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic will soon be lining up alongside LeBron James. (AP PHOTO) Credit: AAP Though the Lakers know how to cater to superstars, Doncic must understand there will be nowhere to hide in Los Angeles. In an ideal world, the heightened expectations will force him to get serious about his conditioning and grow out of his tantrums toward referees. If that’s how it plays out, he will have a shot at following Abdul-Jabbar, Gasol and Davis in adding to the Lakers’ banner count. Consider this, too: Doncic tends to play his best when he is trash-talking with rival fans or nursing a grudge, and a mid-career trade should provide him with years’ worth of ammunition. Anthony Davis (loser) Davis was reportedly blindsided by the trade, which is the latest reminder that the NBA is a cold and cutthroat business. Remember, Davis is a former No. 1 pick who signed a maximum contract extension in 2023. He is represented by Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, the most influential agent in the NBA and James’s longtime business associate. And his family recently had to evacuate his home because of the wildfires in Los Angeles. Together, James and Davis won the 2020 title and reached the 2023 Western Conference finals, yet James typically received most of the credit. Playing with James meant Davis was perpetually cast in a No. 2 role and left out of MVP conversations that included fellow big men Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid. Davis halfheartedly campaigned for himself for end-of-season awards and James had taken to referring to his teammate as the Lakers’ “best player” this season, but those efforts went widely unheard. As always, James was selected as a starter for the upcoming All-Star Game and Davis was merely a reserve. If anyone deserved a heads-up about a career-altering midseason trade, it was Davis. Now, he must recover from an abdominal strain suffered last week and adjust to a new city, new teammates and a new coaching staff, all while knowing that Doncic left huge shoes to fill and that the clock is ticking on the Mavericks’ roster. That’s a tough spot. LeBron James (winner) James has played with Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Irving, Kevin Love, Davis and Russell Westbrook, but Doncic might be his most talented teammate of his 22-year career. The two playmakers have long shared a mutual respect, and Doncic arrives as James’s ageless game has finally shown signs of decline. This season, James has seemed intent on shifting more of the offensive responsibilities to Davis and Austin Reaves. Asking Doncic to carry an offense is simply asking him to do what he loves best. James should be able to maximize his efficiency in a complementary role, and their combined passing ability could produce some special highlights. Perhaps most importantly, Doncic’s arrival should shift some of the focus off James’s retirement countdown. James and the Lakers needed a new narrative, and Doncic’s arrival fits the bill. LeBron James (loser) A partnership between James and Doncic sounds delightful on paper, but James has never truly played second fiddle during his career. There was a little give-and-take with Wade when they initially teamed up with the Miami Heat, but James’s talent won out. For the Lakers to thrive, James must be willing to cede center stage to Doncic and to think of himself as a counterpunch. Such a fundamental adjustment is much easier said than done after 22 years, even if a fifth championship ring looms as a juicy carrot. The other, major short-term issue will be the Lakers’ defense. Davis was a critical linchpin, and backup centers Jaxson Hayes and Christian Koloko don’t bring much to the table. James could find himself playing more center in small-ball lineups if fortifications aren’t made before the deadline. As James and Paul process the fallout from this mega-trade, they should push Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka to land a starting-caliber center for the upcoming playoff run. Oklahoma City Thunder (winner) Landscape-altering trades usually take a while to shake out. Three relevant datapoints: James didn’t win a title in his first season with the Heat, the Lakers didn’t win the title until the season after they traded for Gasol, and the Mavericks didn’t reach the Finals until Doncic and Irving had more than a year to jell. In the short term, Doncic and Davis must both get healthy, and the Lakers and Mavericks are both headed for significant transitions that could get crazier if they make more moves before Thursday’s trade deadline. This immediate chaos favors the stable Thunder, which sits atop the Western Conference and is eying its first championship since arriving in Oklahoma City. While the Thunder owns the West’s best record at 38-9, three of those losses came against Dallas. In last year’s second round, Doncic’s Mavericks knocked out the Thunder in six games. What’s more, the Lakers’ physical front line of James, Davis, Jarred Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura and Dorian Finney-Smith could have posed some mismatch issues for the Thunder, which favors a small and aggressive style. As it stands, the Thunder could realistically face both the Lakers and Mavericks during a run to the Finals. Instead of facing two teams with star duos that have made Finals appearances, Oklahoma City could get the benefit of catching – or dodging – both while their new headlining pairs iron out the inevitable wrinkles. © 2025 , The Washington Post Source link #biggest #winners #losers #Luka #DoncicAnthony #Davis #trade Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

With chaos reigning supreme, Trump’s honeymoon is already over With chaos reigning supreme, Trump’s honeymoon is already over The chaotic start of Trump 2.0 proved that Sam Rayburn was right when he said, “Any jackass can kick down a barn, but it takes a good carpenter to build one.” America needs a carpenter to rebuild the nation. It got Trump to make things worse. Rayburn, the late and great House Speaker, helped guide Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal through Congress. Voters demanded change in 1932 when they elected FDR president, and his agenda gave them hope. Voters wanted change again in 2024 and Donald Trump gave them chaos. Chaos and confusion reign supreme. The Trump administration is the gang that can’t shoot straight. Trump needed just a week and a half to bring the nation to its knees. The scary thing is Trump has been planning this shaky transition for four years. The first and certainly not the last mistake of the new administration occurred just a week in. His Office of Management and Budget issued an order that froze federal government spending and loan programs. This action made it impossible for seniors to request Medicare benefits, for high school seniors to apply for college student loans and frightened millions of people before the administration bowed to pressure and rescinded the action. Then, the new press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, added to the drama when she said the OMB recission did not unfreeze spending. The ugly incident was a lesson to voters on the value of the federal government and on the incompetence of the Trump administration. Trump had only one chance to make a first impression at the dawn of his second presidency, and he’s already blown it. Last week an air ****** of a passenger plane and an Army ****** Hawk helicopter killed 67 poor souls at National Airport in Washington. Trump could have used the tragic and fatal accident as an opportunity to unite a divided nation in prayer for the victims. Instead, he used it as a political football and blamed it, without any evidence, on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies of the Biden administration. His invocation of DEI as a reason to criticize anything he opposes will wear thin quickly as the roof collapses on his not ready for prime-time players administration. These attacks against diversity also come with the shrill sound of a dog whistle. Voters wanted a president to battle high prices. All they got was a bigot who wants to fight over race. Trump, of course, failed to acknowledge his own complicity in the tragedy. The head of the FAA resigned on Jan. 20 and Trump didn’t bother to pick a temporary replacement until the day after the accident. The buck stops at the president’s desk in the Oval Office. Even before the freeze folly, there was evidence that Trump and his cronies had quickly put the wrong foot forward. It certainly didn’t take long for him to squander the little political capital he possessed after his narrow popular vote win in November. New national surveys conducted for Reuters by IPSOS indicated his negative job rating already increased from 39 percent to 46 percent in the first week of his second presidency. This president no longer enjoys the luxury of the honeymoon that Americans traditionally give the new occupant of the White House. If his disapproval is so high now, imagine what it could look like in two months. It’s no wonder that Trump is in a rush to get things done. Soon, he might have no political currency at all to spend. Before my Democratic and progressive friends get too excited, it’s important for them to understand Trump’s strengths and weaknesses so they can pick their fights. He has made traditional media and the tech titans afraid of their own shadow. He also enjoys the support of a compliant Congress and Supreme Court. That kind of concentration of power can forgive lots of political sins. Despite his rocky early approval rating in the Reuters poll, most Americans support Trump’s executive orders to reduce the size of the federal government. Big government is still a bad guy, and we need to create our own heroes and focus the spotlight on innovative state and local government officials who are fighting climate change and making politics work for everybody in their states, cities and counties. But most Americans opposed many other of his executive orders. Only one in three people supported his Jan. 6 pardons. Americans want law and order but not terrorism and violence. Or maybe they just don’t trust a president on legal issues after he was found guilty by a jury of New Yorkers on 34 counts of felony fraud. There wasn’t much more support for Trump’s unilateral decision to end the constitutional right to birthright citizenship or his abrupt departure from the Paris agreement. Trump zealots may be surprised to learn that most Americans, including three in 10 Republicans, even oppose his dictate to end the recruitment of women and disabled citizens to positions in the federal government. Trump has done everything he can to ****** up his honeymoon. Now it’s up to Democrats to show Americans that we can do a better job. Delaying Trump’s agenda is fine because he’s wearing out his welcome. But Democratic proposals to shake up the status quo are even better. In the end, Americans want a president who will make the federal government work better; not one who will put it out of work. Brad Bannon is a national Democratic strategist and CEO of Bannon Communications Research, which polls for Democrats, labor unions and progressive issue groups. He hosts “Deadline D.C. with Brad Bannon,” a progressive podcast on power, politics and policy. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Source link #chaos #reigning #supreme #Trumps #honeymoon Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Grammys 2025: See what Sabrina Carpenter, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan and more stars are wearing on the red carpet – Yahoo Entertainment Grammys 2025: See what Sabrina Carpenter, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan and more stars are wearing on the red carpet – Yahoo Entertainment Grammys 2025: See what Sabrina Carpenter, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan and more stars are wearing on the red carpet Yahoo EntertainmentKelsea and Chase! John and Chrissy! See the Hottest Couples at the 2025 Grammys PEOPLEGrammys 2025 Live Updates: Early Winners, Red Carpet and More The New York TimesYe, nearly nude wife Bianca Censori surprise on 2025 Grammy Awards red carpet USA TODAYGrammys 2025 red carpet: All the best and the wackiest-dressed stars of music’s biggest night Hindustan Times Source link #Grammys #Sabrina #Carpenter #Billie #Eilish #Chappell #Roan #stars #wearing #red #carpet #Yahoo #Entertainment Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Denmark vs the US: What Greenland really wants Denmark vs the US: What Greenland really wants Peter Harmsen Journalist and author of Fury and Ice: Greenland, the United States and Germany in World War II Reporting fromCophenhagenBBC On a hill above Nuuk’s cathedral stands a 7ft statue of the protestant missionary Hans Egede. He had reopened Greenland’s link with Northern Europe in the early 1700s and laid the groundwork for the establishment of Denmark’s proudest colonial possession. One day in the late 1970s, the bronze figure was suddenly covered in red paint. I remember that day well – I passed the statue every day on my mile long walk to school. I spent two years living on Greenland while my father taught geography at Nuuk’s teacher training college. It was apparent not everyone among the Inuit majority was happy about the changes that Egede had brought to Greenland a quarter of a millennium earlier. The clinking of beer bottles in filled plastic bags carried home by the Inuit to their tiny apartments – much smaller, usually, than the ones we Danes lived in – was testimony to pervasive alcoholism, one of the ills that Denmark had brought to Greenland, amid a lot that was undeniably good: modern health, good education. But apart from the paint-covered statue, the dream of Greenland being independent from Denmark was only slowly beginning to manifest itself. Getty Images Greenland, home to 57,000 people, has been an autonomous territory of Denmark since gaining home rule in 1979 At the Teacher Training College right next to my school, the closest Greenland got to having a radical student movement was developing – some young people at the college demanded to be taught in their native Greenland language. By the late 1970s, the capital was called Nuuk and no longer Godthaab, its official name for well over two centuries. Now, decades on, change is afoot once again, as Donald Trump has his eyes on gaining control of the country. Asked in January if he would rule out using military or economic force in order to take over the autonomous Danish territory or the Panama canal, he responded: “No, I can’t assure you on either of those two. But I can say this, we need them for economic security.” Getty Images Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, has requested a meeting with Donald Trump Later on Air Force One he told reporters: “I think we’re going to have it,” adding that the island’s 57,000 residents “want to be with us”. The question is, do they? Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has, meanwhile, insisted Greenland is not for *****. “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders,” she said. “It’s the Greenlanders themselves who have to define their future.” So, what do the island’s inhabitants want that future to look like – and if it does not involve them being part of the kingdom of Denmark, then what is the alternative? Strained ties with the Danes One poll of Greenlanders suggested only 6% of Greenlanders want their country to become part of the US, with 9% undecided and 85% against. But despite this, Frederiksen knows that the question of what Greenlanders want is a delicate one. Traditionally, Danes have viewed themselves as the world’s nicest imperialists ever since they started to colonise Greenland in the 1720s. This self-image has been eroded in recent years, however, by a string of revelations about past high-handedness in dealing with the island’s population. In particular, there have been reports of serious wrongs committed against Greenlanders – not in the distant past, but within living memory. This included a controversial large-scale contraceptive campaign. A joint investigation by authorities in Denmark and Greenland is examining the fitting of intrauterine devices (coils) into women of child-bearing age on the island, often without their consent or even their knowledge. It has been reported this happened to almost half of all the island’s women of child-bearing age between 1966 and 1970. Alamy King Frederik X of Denmark met with Greenland’s Prime Minister, Múte Egede last week (Pictured here in July 2024) Last December, Greenland’s prime minister Múte Egede described this as “straightforward genocide, carried out by the Danish state against the Greenland population”. He made the remark while talking to the Danish Broadcasting Corporation in an interview that dealt generally with relations between Greenland and Denmark. Also, in the 1960s and 1970s hundreds of children from the island were taken from their mothers, often on dubious grounds, to be reared by foster parents in Denmark. In some cases, this happened without the consent of the biological mothers, and in other instances, they were not informed that their ties with their children would be cut completely. This left a raw emotional wound that often was not healed decades later. Some of the adopted Greenlandic children were later able to trace their biological parents, but many others were not. A small group demanded compensation from the Danish state in the summer of 2024. If they are successful, it could pave the way for a large number of similar claims by other adoptees. Getty Images Greenland is already home to a large U.S. military base Iben Mondrup, a novelist who was born in Denmark and spent her childhood in Greenland, sees the recent events as a rude wake-up call for the Danes who have been accustomed to viewing themselves as a benign influence in Greenland. “The entire relationship has been based on a narrative that Denmark was helping Greenland, without getting anything in return,” she says. “We have talked about Denmark as the motherland that took Greenland under its wing and taught it gradually to stand on its own feet. There has been a widespread use of educational metaphors. “We Danes constantly return to the idea that Greenland owes us something, at least gratitude.” ‘Greenland has now grown up’ Opinion polls carried out in recent years indicate a fairly consistent pattern in which around two-thirds of Greenland’s population say they want to be independent. A survey carried out in 2019 showed support of 67.7% for the move among adult Greenlanders. Jenseeraq Poulsen, director of Oceans North Kalaallit Nunaat, an environmental charity in Nuuk, says: “As I see it, Greenland has now grown up, and our sense of self-worth and our self-confidence requires that we can start making our own decisions as adults on an equal footing with other nations. Getty Images King Frederik, pictured with Queen Mary, previously altered the royal coat of arms to emphasise Greenland “It’s important for a country to not be in a straitjacket,” Nunaat continues. “We shouldn’t have to ask for permission to do anything. You know the feeling [as a child] when you have to ask your parents something and they say you can’t? That’s what it’s like.” And yet the word “independence” may not fully capture the complexity of the challenges and choices that Greenland faces, according to Poulsen. He says he doesn’t like the word “since everyone is interdependent in the modern world”. He adds: “Even Denmark, which is a sovereign state, is interdependent… I prefer the word statehood.” Ingredients for independence Not a huge amount is known about the mechanics of how Trump proposes to acquire Greenland. When he first floated the idea in 2019 he said it would be “essentially a large real-estate deal”. The extent to which Greenland would remain autonomous under US rule is unclear. So too is how its benefits system would work. After the proposal to buy the island, Trump has now doubled down on his rhetoric, apparently open to satisfying his territorial ambitions in the North Atlantic by military means. Getty Images Donald Trump Jr met some Greenlanders during a recent visit who said on camera that they were supportive of the idea of the United States taking control of their country The visit by Donald Trump Jr and members of Trump’s team added visual emphasis to the then president-elect’s words but not everyone on Greenland was wowed. “That makes us dig in our heels and say, ‘Please control yourself,'” says Janus Chemnitz Kleist, an IT manager for the Greenland government. “Some people who might previously have had a positive attitude towards closer ties with the United States have started reconsidering.” Aaja Chemnitz, a member of Danish parliament for the left-leaning party Inuit Ataqatigiit, has her own take on what needs to be done to pave the way for independence, in whatever form that may take. First, she argues that it is important to reverse what she describes as a mild brain drain out of Greenland. She says only 56% of young Greenlanders who are educated at universities and colleges in Denmark and other countries return upon graduation. “That’s not a very high number. It would be good if we could make it more attractive for them to return home and take up some of the positions that are important in Greenland society,” she says. But in her view there is a broader economic issue too. Getty Images Donald Trump Jr described his visit as a “personal day-trip” “Political and economic independence are interconnected,” she says, “and it’s crucial that we cooperate with Denmark on the development of business in Greenland but also work with the Americans on the extraction of raw materials and the development of tourism.” At present, the Greenland economy is heavily reliant on the so-called block grant, a subsidy paid by the Danish government that in 2024 amounted to the equivalent of around £480m a year. As this subsidy would likely disappear after independence, one of the most important challenges facing the Greenlanders is to find ways to replace it, explains Javier Arnaut, an economist at the University of Greenland in Nuuk. “The economy is one of the main factors holding back the movement towards independence,” he says. “The economy is reliant on the Danish block grant, and if it disappeared, Greenland would have a large hole in the public budget that would need to be filled. “The question is how. If the gap could be filled, for example, by increasing fiscal revenue through projects in mining with new partners, a clearer path towards economic independence could emerge.” The ******** factor There is another question – not unimportant in a Nordic-style ******** state where a large part of the economy is under government control – of what would happen to all those health and social benefits that Greenland currently receives as a result of its relationship with Denmark. Currently, these benefits include access to treatment in Danish hospitals. Ask Greenlanders whether they want separation from Denmark, and most who say they do have a caveat – only if it does not cost them their ******** system. The question of what happens to the ******** system would be particularly acute in the event of a US takeover of Greenland given the American ******** state is not only smaller than those in the Nordic countries but of those in most other Western countries. Getty Images Donald Trump Jr described his visit to Greenland as an “epic day” But not everyone is convinced by suggestions that Greenland’s ******* patients, for example, would suddenly have nowhere to go in case of independence. ***** Broberg, Greenland’s former foreign minister and now chairman of the political party Naleraq, cites Iceland, which left the Danish kingdom in 1944 as an example. “Iceland still sends medical patients to Denmark,” he says. “They still have students studying in Denmark, and vice versa. I have a hard time seeing what kind of obstacles Denmark would like to put up if we decide to leave the kingdom. “It’s rhetoric meant to scare us from having a discussion about independence,” he argues. However, some Greenlanders believe that true independence may never be accomplished because of these very concerns. Mr Chemnitz Kleist argues: “The kind of independence that you see in countries like Denmark or Belgium or Angola will never happen here. “With such a small population, some of it not well educated, and with a complex ******** system which we would like to keep, we can never become independent in the way the word is usually understood.” Trump’s tactics and the case for the US All of these issues have been discussed for years, but they have suddenly attained a new sense of urgency with Trump’s apparent bid for control of Greenland. But regardless of who sits in the White House, the question is whether Greenlanders would see any benefit in raising cooperation levels with the United States – and if so, to what extent? “Greenland’s national project is all about spreading out the island’s dependence in order to have as many ties as possible with the outside world,” says Ulrik Pram Gad, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies and an expert on the Arctic region. It is in this context that some Greenlanders are warming to the model of a “free association” with either Denmark or the United States – replicating a similar loose arrangement between the United States and certain islands in the Pacific. “The problem is that Greenland feels swallowed up by Denmark,” says Mr Pram Gad. “It aims to feel less constrained and less dependent on just one country. Free association is not so much about ‘association’ and more about ‘free’. It’s about having one’s own sovereignty.” Donald Trump’s threat to take over Greenland may have been unexpected but with the trip to Nuuk his team were well aware there was a thread to be pulled at, that his security concerns come at a time when many Greenlanders are considering their future. “In recent years all these stories have emerged and placed the modernisation narrative in a different light. The whole idea that Denmark was pursuing an altruistic project in Greenland has been challenged,” says Iben Mondrup. “The project that the Greenlanders were told was for their own good was actually not good for them after all. This gives rise to all kinds of thoughts about the status of the Greenlanders inside the Danish kingdom. It adds fuel to the criticism that has developed in Greenland in recent years about the idea of a community with Denmark.” Norway, Iceland and Canada But if it’s not only Denmark and it’s not only America, who else can Greenland turn to? Surveys suggest that a majority of the island’s inhabitants would like to step up cooperation with Canada and Iceland. Mr Broberg, the party chairman, likes the idea, and he throws Norway into the equation as well. “We have more in common with Norway and Iceland than we have with Denmark,” he says. “All three of us have a presence in the Arctic, unlike Denmark. The only reason I leave open the possibility of a free association with Denmark after independence is it may put some Greenlanders at ease because they are used to the relationship with Denmark.” Still, the question is: Would Canada and Iceland want to take on the task of providing the social benefits that Greenlanders covet? The answer would almost certainly be no. In this way, the future presenting itself to the Greenlanders is both exhilaratingly open and at the same time depressingly narrow. Peter Harmsen is a journalist at Weekendavisen. He spent time as a child living in Greenland. Top picture credit: Getty Images BBC InDepth is the home on the website and app for the best analysis, with fresh perspectives that challenge assumptions and deep reporting on the biggest issues of the day. And we showcase thought-provoking content from across BBC Sounds and iPlayer too. You can send us your feedback on the InDepth section by clicking on the button below. Source link #Denmark #Greenland Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

BBC visits DR Congo city under rebel control BBC visits DR Congo city under rebel control BBC Medical doctor Nathaniel Cirho was injured after a bomb fell on his neighbour’s house When I first drove into DR Congo’s eastern city of Goma, it was hard for me to tell I had entered a conflict zone. Goma residents filled the streets a few miles from the border with Rwanda – commuters headed to work, hawkers sold goods by the roadside and taxi drivers scrambled to win customers. But it only took a few minutes to notice there was a new “government” in town. As I reached a checkpoint near a police post formerly run by the Congolese authorities, gun-toting fighters from the M23 rebel group stopped my car. Last week M23 had captured Goma, an eastern city of nearly two million people, after a lighting advance in DR Congo’s eastern region. At least 700 people in the city were killed and close to 3,000 injured as the rebels clashed with DR Congo’s army and its allies, according the UN and the Congolese government. M23, which is made up of ethnic Tutsis, say they are fighting for ********* rights, while DR Congo’s government says the Rwanda-backed rebels are seeking control of the eastern region’s vast mineral wealth. At the checkpoint M23 rebels peered into my car, asked my driver a few brief questions, then waved us into the devastated city. The rebels faced no opposition – it was like they had always been there. I made my way to one the few hospitals treating wounded victims and as I entered, cries of pain echoed through the corridors. I met Nathaniel Cirho, a medical doctor who, in a strange role reversal, sat in a hospital bed with a sling around his left arm. A bomb had landed on the house next to his and Mr Cirho and his neighbours were struck by the resulting shrapnel. “I sustained an injury on my arm. A 65-year-old man was injured on his abdomen. After surgery, he didn’t survive,” he said with regret. Several wards away, an elderly woman lay in her another hospital bed, hooked up to an oxygen tank. She had plucked a bullet from her own arm after a fierce exchange of fire broke out in her neighbourhood. “Suddenly my hand felt cold, and I realised I had been shot,” she said, struggling to find her speech. For days, she had nursed the gunshot wound without help. She told me she was eventually escorted to a public hospital by M23 fighters. Getty Images M23 rebel troops walk freely through the city The woman asked to be moved to a private hospital, where she is now receiving treatment, because she was not receiving adequate attention from the overstretched doctors. But even at this second hospital, medics were overwhelmed as an increasing number of patients came through the doors. “We have treated most of them because we had contingency plans,” a doctor, who did not want to be named for security reasons, said. He added: “On Sunday when the fighting began, we received 315 patients and we treated them.” But now, the hospital counts over 700 patients with various degrees of injury, the doctor told me. He spoke of receiving patients with “gunshot wounds to the head, others on the chest, stomach, hands and legs”. Getty Images A destroyed armoured vehicle is seen following clashes in the outskirts of Goma As eastern DR Congo reels in political disquiet, the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has warned that ******* violence is being used as a weapon of war by the rival parties. The doctor in this private hospital corroborated the UN’s statement, saying his facility has so far received about 10 victims of ***** and gender-based violence. Outside the hospital and into the city centre, there was a mixture of serenity and circumspection. People walked past four bullet-riddled vans, witnessing what played out when they were sheltering for safety. Although the gunfire and explosions in Goma have all but died down, not all establishments are back to business as normal. A few shops have opened in certain streets, but not in others. Major banks also remain shuttered. Perhaps some remain wary that anything could happen amid the volatile security situation in the wider North Kivu province. “People are afraid… I am still afraid because those who caused the tension are still with us and we don’t know what is going on,” shop owner Sammy Matabishi said. “But the bad thing is that there are no people to buy from us, many have gone to Rwanda, [the Congolese city of] Bukavu, Kenya and Uganda.” He adds that traders who import goods from neighbouring countries have been unable to transport products into city. Abandoned military gear lays on the floor outside the base of the UN peacekeeping unit Many residents I spoke to said they had come to terms with M23 running the place. And as an outsider I could see the rebels were intent on asserting their control. They had taken over the office of the North Kivu military governor, who they had killed as they advanced on Goma. Fighters were also present in strategic areas around the city, while others patrolled the streets on pickup trucks, weapons in hand. During the whole time I was in Goma, I did not see a single active Congolese soldier. I did, however, see abandoned trucks emblazoned with “FARDC”, the French acronym for the DRC’s armed forces. Near the base of the UN peacekeeping mission (Monusco) – who have been tasked with protecting civilians from rebel forces – military fatigues, magazines and bullets were strewn across the road. “When M23 arrived here, they surrounded our army,” Richard Ali who lives nearby, told me. “Many removed their military uniforms, threw away their weapons and wore civilian clothes. Others ran away.” Getty Images A world Food Programme warehouse in Goma was looted during the fighting As M23 rejoices over a major conquest, the Congolese government continues to refute the rebels’ claim that they have totally captured Goma. The authorities accuses M23 of illegally occupying their land -with the support of Rwanda – and promises to recover any lost territory. Although Rwanda used to consistently deny backing the rebels, its response has shifted to more defensive one, in which government spokespeople states that fighting near its border is a security threat. The rebels are now reported to be moving south towards Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu, and have vowed to reach capital city Kinshasa. For now, Goma remains their biggest coup. Conditions there foreshadow what life could be come for many more Congolese people, should the M23 gain more ground. Additional reporting from the BBC’s Robert Kiptoo and Hassan Lali in Goma More about the conflict in DR Congo:Getty Images/BBC Source link #BBC #visits #Congo #city #rebel #control Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Grammys red carpet and pre-ceremony in pictures Grammys red carpet and pre-ceremony in pictures Getty Images Sibling stars Jaden Smith and Willow Smith turned heads on arrival Music stars are stepping out in their gladrags for the Grammys on Sunday night in Los Angeles. Here are some of the best early looks from the red carpet and inside the pre-show. Getty Images Sabrina Carpenter wore a sky blue dress. Not a garment you would want to spill your espresso on. She won best pop solo performance for her coffee-themed summer hit. Getty Images Breakthrough star Chappell Roan is up for a raft of awards including album, record and song of the year. She wore a fittingly striking outfit. Getty Images Olivia Rodrigo wore a vintage Versace halter-neck dress as she took to the red carpet. Getty Images Billie Eilish is in the house with her brother and trusted producer Finneas. She’s in the running for most of the night’s major awards again, so their parents might have to clear even more space on the mantlepiece. Getty Images Kacey Musgraves waved to photographers as she arrived. She later got her hands on an award – her eighth – for best country song, for The Architect. Getty Images Charli XCX’s boots are made for walking… potentially to the podium for several major awards later including album and record of the year. Getty Images Poppy is up for best metal performance for Suffocate, a track she features on alongside Knocked Loose. And she went for a smart-casual look. Getty Images A be-horned Kim Gordon is up for best alternative music album for The Collective. Getty Images Kehlani walked the red carpet with her daughter, Adeya Nomi. The singer is nominated for three awards including best R&B song for After Hours. Getty Images Sierra Ferrell swept the board in the American Roots categories, winning four awards – and beating Beyoncé for best Americana performance. Getty Images Singer-songwriter Norah Jones was all smiles on arrival. She won best traditional pop vocal album for Visions. Getty Images Knxwledge and Anderson .Paak accepted the best progressive R&B album gong for Why Lawd? Unusually, the prize was a tie. They shared the award with Avery*Sunshine for her album, So Glad to Know You Getty Images Kelsea Ballerini may have lost best country duo/group performance to Beyoncé and Miley Cyrus. But she was a winner with this outfit. Getty Images Sean Ono Lennon picked up the award for best rock performance on behalf of his late dad’s band, The Beatles Getty Images St. Vincent scored several awards on the night, including best alternative music album for All Born Screaming. The rock star also had some fun on the red carpet with fellow musician Charlotte Kemp Muhlattend. Getty Images Kanye West wore ****** while his Bianca Censori wore, well, next to nothing. He was up for best rap song for his and Ty Dolla $Ign’s track Carnival. The award went to Kendrick Lamar, though, for Not Like Us. Getty Images Green Day – fronted by another Billie, Joe Armstrong – are up for several rock awards. They lost one to the Beatles which might explain the sulky look here. Getty Images It’s all white on the night for US singer Gracie Abrams, who is nominated for best pop duo/group performance for her track Us, featuring Taylor Swift. Having supported Swift on some of her Eras tour dates, she knows how to dress for a big occasion – tonight choosing a butter chiffon Chanel dress, with a bridal veil. Getty Images Raye represents the *** in the songwriter of the year and best new artist categories. Getty Images Nine-time Grammy winner Sheryl Crow knows her way around a red carpet, as well as a rousing chorus Getty Images Celebrity couple Chrissy Teigen and John Legend let their eyes do the smiling. Source link #Grammys #red #carpet #preceremony #pictures Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Next PlayStation State Of Play Presentation May Happen During 2nd Week Of February 2025 Next PlayStation State Of Play Presentation May Happen During 2nd Week Of February 2025 piroh1h ago If true they might show something from Death stranding 2, Ghost of Yotei, Intergalactic, Wolverine. Perhaps we will see Phil introducing Forza Horizon 5 PS5 Pro enhancements and release date or even Gears E-Day or maybe rumored MCC, Starfield, Fable or so… As I was being told by some wise obscure man- Keep dreaming…. And it’ll happen Source link #PlayStation #State #Play #Presentation #Happen #2nd #Week #February Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

FBI staff told to reveal their role in January 6 probes FBI staff told to reveal their role in January 6 probes A memo with list of questions reportedly directs FBI employees to detail any role they played in the January 6, 2021 investigations. Source link #FBI #staff #told #reveal #role #January #probes Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

4 Places With Plummeting Home Prices That Are Perfect for an Investment Property 4 Places With Plummeting Home Prices That Are Perfect for an Investment Property Zephyr18 / Getty Images/iStockphoto Falling home prices can present an opportunity for real estate investors to score a deal. Although home prices aren’t in free fall everywhere, the following markets have seen falling prices, which could mean more opportunities for real estate investors. Explore More: 25 Places To Buy a Home If You Want It To Gain Value For You: How Middle-Class Earners Are Quietly Becoming Millionaires — and How You Can, Too Typical home values: $386,771 One-year value change: -1.9% The housing market in Atlanta has slowed to a crawl, with homes sitting on the market for around 51 days before going under contract. Although Atlanta has seen falling housing prices, it’s still a popular Southern city with room for growth in the future. Be Aware: Real Estate Agents Explain Why You Should Never Invest in These 7 Home Features Typical home values: $514,193 One-year value change: -3.8% Although typical home prices are still above $500,000, Austin residents have seen housing prices take a significant tumble. Not only are house values falling, but sellers typically wait 76 days before going under contract. In this buyer’s market, real estate investors could find motivated sellers willing to work out an attractive deal. Typical home values: $545,849 One-year value change: -1.3% Denver has been a hotspot for people looking to move to a beautiful city surrounded by natural beauty. Although the city saw major gains in recent years, home prices have started to fall. Plus, it takes sellers around 42 days to go under contract, which may put some in a position to negotiate with buyers looking for a deal. Typical home values: $251,098 One-year value change: -2.4% Famous for the battle of the Alamo, San Antonio has been a popular place to live for decades. Although home prices remain relatively affordable, home values have fallen by over 2% in the last year. Since it takes around 53 days for homes to go under contract, investors might find a motivated seller willing to offer a lower price. When it comes to finding the right investment property, running the numbers is a key element. But to find a place that meets your financial goals, the following tips can help: Expand your search radius. Although tempting to invest only near where you live, that might not be the right market for a rental property. Don’t be afraid to consider houses outside of your initial search area. Find off-market deals. The best deals typically don’t stay on the market for long or don’t even make it to the listing stage. If possible, seek out off-market deals to increase your chances of finding a home run. One way is to get in touch with wholesalers in your area. Another is to call property owners to see if they’ll sell. Work with a real estate agent who knows their stuff. A great real estate agent can streamline the buying process. Don’t underestimate the power of a great agent. It might take time to find the right person, but don’t give up on the search. Network with other investors. Not only can other investors point you in the right direction, but sometimes they are looking to sell. It never hurts to attend local real estate networking events. Negotiate creatively. When it comes to buying a property, it never hurts to ask for the moon. Go beyond asking for a lower purchase price, and ask for the seller to cover projects you’ll have to tackle anyway. Story Continues In the lead-up to purchasing an investment property, getting educated about your options is crucial. Take advantage of free resources to beef up your knowledge before becoming a landlord. Searching for an investment property in the right market can make it easier to find an attractive deal. In hot markets with rising prices, finding an investment property can feel like finding a needle in a haystack. But when the market cools and prices plummet, you’ll likely find more investment opportunities present themselves. As you seek out the right property, take your time, run the numbers and never be afraid to negotiate. Editor’s note: Housing market data was sourced from Zillow and is accurate as of Jan. 30, 2025. More From GOBankingRates This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 4 Places With Plummeting Home Prices That Are Perfect for an Investment Property Source link #Places #Plummeting #Home #Prices #Perfect #Investment #Property Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Grammy Awards 2025: Live updates on winners and nominees – BBC.com Grammy Awards 2025: Live updates on winners and nominees – BBC.com Grammy Awards 2025: Live updates on winners and nominees BBC.comHow To Watch The 2025 Grammy Awards On Cable, Streaming And For Free ForbesGrammys 2025: the winners, the losers, the performances – live The GuardianSabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX win early Grammys BBC.com Source link #Grammy #Awards #Live #updates #winners #nominees #BBC.com Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Ex-Spain football boss Luis Rubiales on trial over World Cup kiss Ex-Spain football boss Luis Rubiales on trial over World Cup kiss The former president of Spain’s football federation, Luis Rubiales, goes on trial on Monday, accused of ******* assault for kissing the player Jenni Hermoso, in a case which has fed into wider discussions about sexism and consent. Hermoso is scheduled to appear as a witness on the opening day having travelled from Mexico, where she plays club football. The trial runs until 19 February. As Spain’s players received their medals after defeating England in Sydney to win the 2023 World Cup, Rubiales grabbed Hermoso by the head and kissed her on the lips. Afterwards, Hermoso said the kiss had not been consensual, while Rubiales insisted it had been. The incident triggered protests and calls for Rubiales’s resignation, and it also entered the political arena. Prime minister Pedro Sánchez, whose left-wing government has approved reforms seeking to boost gender equality and ensure consent in ******* relations, said that Rubiales’s kiss had shown that “there is still a long way to go when it comes to equality and respect between women and men”. After initially remaining defiant and denouncing a witch-hunt driven by “fake feminism”, the federation president eventually resigned, before legal charges were brought against him. Prosecutors are calling for Rubiales to receive a one-year prison sentence for ******* assault for the kiss. They are also calling for him to be given a sentence of a year-and-a-half for coercion, for allegedly trying to pressure Hermoso into saying publicly that the kiss was consensual. Rubiales denies the charges. Three colleagues of Rubiales are also on trial, accused of colluding in the alleged coercion: Jorge Vilda, coach of the World Cup-winning side, Rubén Rivera, the federation’s former head of marketing, and former sporting director, Albert Luque. They all deny the charges. Isabel Fuentes has watched the female national team closely ever since she was among the first women to represent Spain at football, from 1971 onwards. She describes the furore caused by the Rubiales kiss as “very sad”, because of how it overshadowed the World Cup victory, which, when mentioned, brings her to the verge of tears. “It was something we would have liked to experience, but we weren’t allowed to,” she says. “These players won it for us. They have lived out our dreams.” Fuentes played when the dictatorship of Francisco Franco was still in place and the women’s team were not even allowed to wear the Spanish flag on their shirts. “The regime said: ‘We don’t want you to play football, but we’ll just ignore you,'” she says. “And the federation put all manner of obstacles in our way.” Like many fans, she was concerned by how the Rubiales controversy affected the international image of Spanish football and she was also shocked by footage showing the former federation president celebrating the World Cup win by grabbing his ******* as he stood just a few feet away from Spain’s Queen Letizia. But younger players, like Belén Peralta, prefer to emphasise how far women’s football has come, rather than dwell on the Rubiales case. Playing for third-division side Olimpia Las Rozas, Peralta says that even in the last few years she has noticed a shift in terms of the attention and support that women’s football receives. “When I was younger, girls playing football was kind of strange, you were told, ‘Oh, that’s for boys,’ or ‘That’s not a girl’s thing,'” she says. “And nowadays, you go to some places and you say, ‘I’m a footballer,’ and that’s so cool and attractive.” Her teammate, Andrea Rodríguez, agrees. Although she says that occasionally she might hear sexist comments about women’s football, social attitudes are overwhelmingly positive. “People are more open-minded now,” she says. Source link #ExSpain #football #boss #Luis #Rubiales #trial #World #Cup #kiss Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Starmer first *** PM to join EU leaders’ meeting post-Brexit Starmer first *** PM to join EU leaders’ meeting post-Brexit Getty Images Sir Keir Starmer visited the European Commission headquarters in October Sir Keir Starmer is heading to Brussels to join a gathering of European Union leaders – the first time a British prime minister has done so since Brexit. Starmer is heading over the English Channel for talks focused on defence and security co-operation and will also meet Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte. The trip is part of what he calls a “reset” between the *** and the European Union. The government has promised the *** will not re-join the EU’s Single Market or Customs Union, or sign up to freedom of movement. But ministers do want what they see as a better relationship on defence and security, crime and trade. They hope to sort this out by the spring and finalise it at a ***-EU summit, possibly in April or May. Leaders of the European Union’s 27 member states are gathering for what is described as an “informal retreat” at the Palais d’Egmont in Brussels – a 16th century palace in heart of the Belgian capital. The backdrop is clear: the ongoing war in Ukraine and the return of Donald Trump to the White House. The EU acknowledges it needs to take greater responsibility for its own defence – a key and recurring demand of President Trump, as he threatens the bloc with import taxes or tariffs. The prime minister said: “President Trump has threatened more sanctions on Russia and it’s clear that’s got Putin rattled. We know that he’s worried about the state of the Russian economy. “I’m here to work with our European partners on keeping up the pressure, targeting the energy revenues and the companies supplying his missile factories to crush Putin’s war machine. “Because ultimately, alongside our military support, that is what will bring peace closer.” PA Media Last month Sir Keir Starmer pledged to put Ukraine in the “strongest possible position” where he signed a “landmark” 100-year pact with Ukraine The *** is also exploring closer ties with the EU on dealing with serious and organised crime, and, crucially, trade. Allowing food and animal products to be traded more freely is being discussed, as is cooperation on energy with a possible tie-up between the *** and the EU’s emission trading schemes. The mutual recognition of professional qualifications and allowing touring musicians to travel more easily are also themes of interest. Plenty in the EU are keen on a youth mobility scheme allowing young people from the *** and the EU to travel much more easily. But such a scheme will sound to some rather like freedom of movement, albeit for a narrow chunk of the population and so may be a hard sell for the *** politically. PA Media New EU border checks are not expected to be brought in at the Channel port until later this year after being postponed several times amid fears of heavy traffic delays It is also likely, given the respective sizes of the EU and the ***, that more young people from the EU would come to the *** than vice versa. Ministers have rejected the idea so far. The EU has also floated the *** joining what is known as the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention. The Convention isn’t quite a customs union but removes customs on the components that go into a product that are sourced from the other countries signed up to it. Notably, the *** has not ruled out signing up to this and it is not seen by the government as a breach of its red lines. Some sectors, such as the car industry, with its ‘just in time’ supply chains, would likely welcome such a move but other manufacturers would be exposed to greater competition. Leading the technical negotiations for the *** is Michael Ellam, who worked in Downing Street when Gordon Brown was prime minister. Ellam has been tasked with managing what is known as the “the EU Relations Secretariat” within the Cabinet Office, which the prime m inister set up shortly after the general election to lead on his planned “reset” with the EU. As the negotiations continue, Starmer knows he faces political pressure from both sides of the argument. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has claimed “the Labour government are trying to reopen the divisions of the past and edge us back into the EU.” Sir Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, has said the government should be negotiating to re-join the customs union. Source link #Starmer #join #leaders #meeting #postBrexit Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

The finisher: ODI icon Bevan elevated to Hall of Fame The finisher: ODI icon Bevan elevated to Hall of Fame Michael Bevan has been elevated to the *********** Cricket Hall of Fame after a tweak to the criteria governing selection. Bevan, one of Australia’s greatest white-ball players, scored 6912 runs at 53.58 from 232 ODIs while routinely steering his side to victory in chases. The batter’s last-ball four, to secure a one-wicket win at the SCG on New Year’s Day in 1996, ranks highly among the sport’s most iconic moments. Bevan, who featured in both the 1999 and 2003 World Cup wins, has been eligible for elevation for 15 years. But, until last month, the Hall of Fame’s rules penalised him for a relatively-modest Test career that spanned 18 matches. “It was Michael’s exceptional playing record and public standing that pushed the *********** Cricket Hall of Fame Committee to review its selection criteria,” Hall of Fame chairman Peter King explained. “To ensure players who excelled in one-day or Twenty20 Internationals were equally recognised as those who shone in the Test format. “Michael without a doubt revolutionised white-ball cricket and became a household name for his masterful batting, amazing athleticism and ability to chase down runs.” Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley described Bevan as an “icon and a pioneer”. “He was a favourite among fans with his incredible temperament and ability to deliver in pressure situations,” Hockley said. “He is a two-time World Cup winner and finished his career with one of best records in 50-over cricket. He was also one of the most prolific run-scorers in the Sheffield Shield during what was one of the strongest eras in *********** cricket.” Source link #finisher #ODI #icon #Bevan #elevated #Hall #Fame Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Oil prices jump after Trump imposes tariffs on Canada, Mexico, China Oil prices jump after Trump imposes tariffs on Canada, Mexico, China SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Oil prices jumped at the market open on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump imposes tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, raising fears of a trade war and disruption in crude supply from two of the United States’ biggest suppliers. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $74.27 a barrel, up $1.74, or 2.4%, by 2319 GMT, after hitting more than a week’s high at $75.18 a barrel earlier in the session. Brent crude futures rose 73 cents, or 1%, to $76.40 a barrel. Trump on Saturday ordered sweeping tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada and China, kicking off a trade war that could dent global growth and reignite inflation. Energy products from Canada will have only a 10% duty, but ******** energy imports will be charged the full 25%, White House officials said. The tariffs on the two biggest sources of U.S. crude imports will raise costs for the heavier crude grades U.S. refineries need for optimum production, industry sources said, cutting their profitability and potentially forcing production cuts. That would offer European and Asian refineries a competitive advantage against their U.S. rivals, analysts and market participants said. (Reporting by Florence Tan; Editing by Jamie Freed) Source link #Oil #prices #jump #Trump #imposes #tariffs #Canada #Mexico #China Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]