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Trump Administration Offers Millions of Federal Workers Payouts to Resign Trump Administration Offers Millions of Federal Workers Payouts to Resign The Trump administration on Tuesday offered roughly two million federal workers the option to resign but be paid through the end of September, in an effort to drastically reduce the size of the federal work force and push out people who do not support President Trump’s political agenda. In an email, the Office of Personnel Management, an agency that oversees the federal civilian work force, gave employees the option to leave their positions by typing the word “resign” into the subject line of an email and hitting send. Workers have until Feb. 6 to accept the offer. The email, with the subject line “Fork in the Road,” said that the majority of federal agencies would probably be downsized and that a substantial number of employees would be furloughed or reclassified to “at-will status” — essentially making them easier to fire. Most people who have been working remotely will be required to work from their office five days a week, the email said, and some physical offices will be consolidated, causing some people to be relocated. The message also said that “enhanced standards of conduct” would be applied to ensure that workers were “reliable, loyal, trustworthy” and warned that “at this time, we cannot give you full assurance regarding the certainty of your position or agency.” The email amounted to a frontal assault on the federal bureaucracy, which Mr. Trump has long derided as the “deep state” and has sought to bend to his will. In making the move, the president was testing the limits of his power, trying to push past the federal law that governs payouts and rules that have long protected the civil service from political interference and pressure. The move also risked gutting the staffs of a wide array of federal agencies that Americans depend on, though federal unions immediately condemned the offer, and many federal employees viewed it as a trick. The message echoed an email that the billionaire Elon Musk, a constant companion to Mr. Trump in recent months, sent to Twitter employees after buying the social media platform in late 2022. Mr. Musk’s email shared the same subject line and offered employees three months of severance. Mr. Musk, who is leading the Trump administration’s cost-cutting effort known as the Department of Government Efficiency, does not officially work at the Office of Personnel Management. But the agency has hired several of Mr. Musk’s allies in recent weeks, including Amanda Scales, who until this month worked at Mr. Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI, and is now the O.P.M.’s chief of staff. In a post on X on Tuesday, Mr. Musk’s America PAC said the move to offer severance packages could lead to billions of dollars in savings. Mr. Musk recirculated the post on his social media platform. Employees who accept the offer will “promptly have their duties reassigned or eliminated,” according to a guidance memo published by the O.P.M. on Tuesday. Workers will then be placed on paid administrative leave until the end of September, or an earlier resignation date of their choosing. Employees who resign will not be expected to work, except in rare cases determined by agencies, according to a question-and-answer page on O.P.M.’s website. Agency heads can require some employees to continue working for some time before they are placed on leave. It is unclear what authority the Trump administration has to offer paid administrative leave to effectively the entire federal civilian work force. Under the law, no employee can be on administrative leave for more than 10 days in a year — let alone more than seven months. Under the Homeland Security Act, agencies that are downsizing or reorganizing can offer federal workers $25,000 in exchange for their resignation, known as a Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment. In many cases, though, the payments proposed in the O.P.M.’s email Tuesday would far exceed that sum. Other actions mentioned in the email to federal employees could run afoul of civil service laws, as well as union contracts. Anticipating those limits, the O.P.M. said in the email that the effort to cull the federal work force would be pursued “to the extent permitted under relevant collective-bargaining agreements.” A spokesperson for the Office of Personnel Management said some workers would be exempt from the offer, including military personnel, Postal Service workers, immigration officials and certain national security officials. Agencies can also carve out exceptions for specific positions. Still, almost every facet of the government could be significantly affected by mass resignations, and a culling of the federal work force would have wide-reaching impacts on the lives of many Americans. Regular activities like traveling, renewing passports or filing for a tax return could be delayed or disrupted. The operation of national parks and museums, and the administration of benefits like Social Security, Medicare, veterans’ care and food stamps could also be affected. Regulators and inspectors for food, water, drugs and workplace safety could also leave the government. Among the government employees who could turn in their resignations are skilled researchers and doctors; environmental, nuclear and rocket scientists; and meteorologists at the National Weather Service. Depending on how the Trump administration defines “national security,” officers at law enforcement agencies like the F.B.I. and Drug Enforcement Administration may also resign. The American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union of federal employees, representing over 800,000 workers, quickly condemned the move. “There are more Americans than ever who rely on government services,” said Everett Kelley, the president of the union. “Purging the federal government of dedicated career civil servants will have vast, unintended consequences that will cause chaos for the Americans who depend on a functioning federal government.” Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia — a state that hosts a large chunk of the federal work force — denounced the offer, and suggested that the offer of pay was a trick. “If you accept that offer and resign, he’ll stiff you.” Mr. Kaine, a Democrat, said in a floor speech on Tuesday, referring to Mr. Trump’s past refusals to pay workers. Mr. Kaine added of Mr. Trump, “He doesn’t have any authority to do this. Do not be fooled by this guy.” Source link #Trump #Administration #Offers #Millions #Federal #Workers #Payouts #Resign Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

138pc resource lift enhances potential of Galan Argentina lithium project 138pc resource lift enhances potential of Galan Argentina lithium project Galan Lithium has extended a 2019 resource estimate for its Candelas resource in Argentina from 685 kilotonnes (Kt) lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) to 1634kt LCE, an impressive increase of more than 138 per cent. Perth-based consultants SRK Consulting’s recent upgrade estimates the Candelas LCE mineral resource categories at an indicated 1284kt and an inferred 350kt, for a total of 1634kt, boosting Galan’s total combined resource for its Candelas and nearby Hombre Muerto West projects to 9501kt LCE. The resource upgrade arises from Galan’s surface mapping and geophysical surveying of the project late last year. The resulting new data was incorporated by SRK into its new resource estimation. Galan’s November 2021 preliminary economic assessment for Candelas and SRK’s latest resource upgrade both used a 500 milligrams per litre cutoff grade for the 2019 685kt LCE estimate. Galan’s adjacent Hombre Muerto West total resource estimate remains unchanged at 7867kt LCE since March last year, however its recent Candelas resource upgrade to 1634kt has lifted the company’s entire combined resource endowment for the two projects to 9501kt LCE. The enhanced Candelas resource estimate represents a significant boost to the economic potential of the individual and combined projects in the Hombre Muerto West system, which the company says is among the world’s top 10 lithium construction and production projects. Applying sound geoscientific knowledge and modern exploration techniques to a world-class lithium resource has continued to deliver outstanding results for Galan. We identified the potential to add significant value-accretive LCE tonnes at Candelas on a very modest budget and have delivered on that opportunity. The latest resource estimation process incorporated relevant parts of the extensive knowledge and principles gained from Galan’s five-year development of Hombre Muerto West to the Candelas project. In doing so, other potential pathways by which Candelas may be commercialised have become apparent, including more extensive evaporation systems and/or alternative lithium extraction technologies. Armed with its new resource upgrade and brine modelling data at Candelas, Galan is looking at configuring its future exploration to address two key objectives – the first is to upgrade the Candelas indicated resource category to the measured category. The second imperative will be to confirm the brine potential south of the current indicated resource. It is possible more drilling and other exploration might uncover additional resource potential in the central and southern parts of the Candelas ground. Galan says regardless of the important resource upgrade at Candelas, the company will maintain its focus and momentum on the construction and operations of the initial phase of the Hombre Muerto West development and hold off on any major exploration at Candelas for the immediate future. Galan yesterday also said it had received funds from Latam Resources, an affiliate of Chengdu Chemphys Chemical Industry, from a share placement announced by Galan last September. Chemphys agreed to subscribe for US$3 million ($A4,811,200) worth of shares under the terms of the placement. The placement is significant in the context of the company’s announcement last August that it had entered into an off-take prepayment memorandum of understanding with Chemphys in which Galan would supply and Chemphys would purchase a total of 23,000 tonnes LCE, as a lithium chloride product, over the first five years of phase one production from Hombre Muerto West. Chemphys would also provide Galan with a US$40m (A$64.15m) offtake pre-payment facility to continue developing phase one of the project. Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: *****@*****.tld Source link #138pc #resource #lift #enhances #potential #Galan #Argentina #lithium #project Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump Orders ‘Iron Dome’ for U.S., but Freezes Funds for Nuclear Protection Trump Orders ‘Iron Dome’ for U.S., but Freezes Funds for Nuclear Protection Star Wars is back, with an executive order from President Trump that the White House said “directs the building of the Iron Dome missile defense shield for America.” The order, issued on Monday night, didn’t quite do that. It was more a vaguely worded set of instructions to accelerate current programs or explore new approaches to defending the continental United States than a blueprint for arming the heavens with thousands of antimissile weapons, sensors and tracking devices. But two blocks away, on the same evening, the Office of Management and Budget issued a 56-page spreadsheet that detailed the suspension of funding for thousands of programs. They included most of the major U.S. efforts to reduce the amount of nuclear fuel that terrorists might seize, to guard against biological weapon attacks and to manage initiatives around the globe to curb the spread of nuclear arms. The two announcements seemed to encapsulate the administration’s conflicting instincts in its opening weeks. Mr. Trump wants to build big and take the Space Force he created to new heights, even at the risk of new arms races. That effort has been underway since Ronald Reagan’s day, with only mixed results. But in its drive to shut down programs it believes could be creations of the so-called deep state, the administration wants to cut off funding for many programs that seek to reduce the chances of an attack on the United States — an attack that could very well come in forms other than a missile launched from North Korea, China or Russia. A judge paused Mr. Trump’s spending freeze on Tuesday, but the president’s intentions are clear. Though Mr. Trump calls his plan the Iron Dome, it has little if any resemblance to the Israeli system of the same name that has succeeded in destroying small missiles that move at a snail’s pace compared with the blinding speeds of intercontinental warheads. Any system that will cover the United States will have to cope with a Russian arsenal of 1,250 deployed weapons, a fast-growing ******** arsenal that the Pentagon believes will be of similar size within a decade, maybe earlier, and a North Korean threat that has only grown larger since Mr. Trump’s diplomacy with Kim Jong-un collapsed. The Russians and the ******** have been experimenting with hypersonic weapons that weave an unpredictable path within the atmosphere, making their trajectory far harder to anticipate. And the Russians boast of an undersea autonomous nuclear torpedo that can cross oceans to hit the West Coast. Still, enthusiasts of missile defenses celebrated Mr. Trump’s announcement, hoping it would jump-start programs that have been operating for some time. Thomas Karako, the director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said on Tuesday that the order would accelerate work on space-based sensors to detect hypersonic missiles like the ones that were launched last year by the Biden administration. “But the big piece is space-based interceptors,” he said. “That is coming, even if the implications of space as a warfighting domain hasn’t sunk in on people.” Missile defense has long been a favorite topic for Mr. Trump, who has envisioned the project as the next step for the Space Force, which he created in his first term. But it could also trigger a new arms race, some experts fear. And unaddressed in Mr. Trump’s new initiative is the threat of nuclear terrorism and blackmail with an atomic bomb, which might be smuggled into the United States on a truck or a boat. Many experts see the terrorism threat as far ******* than an enemy firing a single missile or a swarm. In 2001, after Sept. 11 attacks, the federal government scrambled to get wide-ranging advice on how outwit terrorists and better protect Americans from the threats of germ, computer, chemical and nuclear attacks. “The combination of simultaneously deploying a missile defense system of questionable effectiveness against any real threat” while “suspending operative programs against nuclear or bioterrorists, sophisticated cyberattackers or others” is a “terrible trade-off,” said Ernest Moniz, the energy secretary under President Barack Obama who now heads the Nuclear Threat Initiative. “The Iron Dome reference conjures up the success of the Israeli missile defense, but that’s misleading given the relatively short-range missiles that Israel defends against and the small territory it needs to defend,” said Mr. Moniz, a former professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with long experience in nuclear weapons Asked about the suspension of counternuclear programs during her first press briefing at the White House, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said that “this is not a ban.” “This is a temporary pause and a freeze to ensure that all of the money going out from Washington, D.C., is in line with the president’s agenda,” she said. Critics of the executive order say it is more a list than a program, and includes systems that have never panned out. In an interview, Theodore A. Postol, an emeritus professor of science and national security at M.I.T., called Mr. Trump’s missile plan “a compendium of flawed weapons systems that have been shown to be unworkable.” “It’s going to be a giant ****** hole for taxpayer dollars with nothing coming out of it,” he said. Stephen I. Schwartz, an independent consultant who studies the cost of military projects, estimates that over the decades the United States has spent more than $400 billion on the kind of antimissile goals that Mr. Trump now says will provide “for the common defense” of the continental United States and its allies. One failed plan of the nation’s star warriors centered on firing into orbit thousands of small rockets, or “Brilliant Pebbles,” meant to track and destroy enemy missiles by the sheer force of impact, which in theory would turn them into tiny bits of space junk. During his first term, Mr. Trump in 2019 vowed to reinvigorate and reinvent the art of making of reliable defenses that could shoot down enemy missiles. “Our goal is simple: to ensure that we can detect and destroy any missile launched against the United States anywhere, any time, any place,” he said. The strategy, Mr. Trump added, “is grounded in one overriding objective: to detect and destroy every type of missile attack against any American target, whether before or after launch. When it comes to defending America, we will not take any chances. We will only take action. There is no substitute for American military might.” In fact, Mr. Trump offered only incremental plans and steps. The Pentagon’s explanation for the 2019 initiative looked mainly at destroying small numbers of missiles launched by regional powers, rather than overwhelming strikes by Russia or China. Weeks after Mr. Trump unveiled his plans, the Pentagon said it successfully tested a new method for intercepting missiles aimed at American cities. The exercise appeared to simulate how the United States might defend against an adversary like North Korea. The test’s novel feature was that it fired two interceptor rockets at an incoming mock warhead, rather than one. In contrast, antimissile experts say Russia could launch missiles that rained down many hundreds of deadly warheads on the United States. Antimissile skeptics point to those kinds of large numbers and big threats — typically hidden during a nuclear attack in swarms of thousands of decoys — as posing insurmountable problems for a reliable system of defense. Source link #Trump #Orders #Iron #Dome #U.S #Freezes #Funds #Nuclear #Protection Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Italy’s ‘ticking time bomb’ plays peek-a-boo through a mysterious hole in the clouds Italy’s ‘ticking time bomb’ plays peek-a-boo through a mysterious hole in the clouds When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The caldera at the summit of Mount Vesuvius was perfectly aligned with a hole in the clouds when the Landsat 8 satellite passed overhead in 2022. | Credit: NASA/Landsat/Joshua Stevens QUICK FACTS Where is it? Mount Vesuvius, Italy [40.82177024, 14.42760653] What’s in the photo? The peak of Vesuvius aligned with a gap in the clouds Which satellite took the photo? Landsat 8 When was it taken? Jan. 2, 2022 This stunning satellite photo shows one of the world’s most famous and potentially dangerous volcanoes, Mount Vesuvius, playing a game of peek-a-boo with an orbiting spacecraft through a strangely shaped hole in the clouds. Vesuvius is a 4,203-foot-tall (1,281 meters) stratovolcano located next to the city of Naples along the western Italian coastline. It is most famous for a massive eruption in A.D. 79, which destroyed the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, and killed around 2,000 people, around half of which were perfectly preserved by the pyroclastic flows, along with their homes and possessions. Today, around 800,000 people live on the volcano’s slopes and up to 3 million people reside within the potential danger zone of future eruptions, making Vesuvius “one of the world’s most dangerous volcanoes,” according to NASA’s Earth Observatory. In the image, Vesuvius’ caldera — a large bowl-like depression caused by the collapse of the mountain’s summit during a previous eruption — appears to peer up through a gap in the clouds like a giant eye. A large curved ridge can also be seen near the top of the cloud gap. This is the remnant of Mount Somma — an ancient volcano that once stood in the same spot as Vesuvius, before the newer volcano’s cone grew from its center. Related: See all the best images of Earth from space It is not exactly clear why such a circular hole opened up in the thick cloud cover surrounding Vesuvius. | Credit: NASA/Landsat/Joshua Stevens It is unclear exactly what caused the gap in the otherwise thick clouds covering Vesuvius and Naples. However, the circular shape of the hole is similar to circular holes punched in the clouds by airplanes, known as “fallstreak holes.” It is, therefore, plausible that a plane taking off or landing from Naples International Airport could have created the hole. “Ticking time bomb” Vesuvius is part of the Campanian volcanic arc — a string of volcanoes in Italy, including the currently active Mount Etna, that sits on a boundary between the African and Eurasian tectonic plates. The volcano’s last major eruption concluded in 1944. Since then, the region surrounding Vesuvius has experienced several earthquake swarms, most recently in 1999, according to the Global Volcanism Program at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. MORE EARTH FROM SPACE —‘Lake of clouds’ appears between volcanic nesting dolls in Russia via rare mirror-like phenomenon —Eerily circular ‘Goblin Forest’ surrounds sacred volcano with human rights —Majestic ‘yin-yang’ crater sits atop a dormant volcano in Turkey Scientists also believe that the next big eruption may not be too far around the corner. In a 2011 paper published in Nature, researchers described Vesuvius as “Europe’s ticking time bomb” and warned that scientists and the civil authorities can’t agree on how to prepare for a future eruption. Source link #Italys #ticking #time #bomb #plays #peekaboo #mysterious #hole #clouds Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump, Musk suggest sped-up return of NASA astronauts, but details scarce – Reuters Trump, Musk suggest sped-up return of NASA astronauts, but details scarce – Reuters Trump, Musk suggest sped-up return of NASA astronauts, but details scarce ReutersTrump asks SpaceX to bring “abandoned” Starliner crew home, blames Biden administration for inaction CBS NewsElon Musk Suggests SpaceX Will Accelerate Return of NASA Astronauts The New York TimesDonald Trump Seeks Elon Musk’s Help To Bring ‘Stranded’ Sunita Williams Home NDTV Source link #Trump #Musk #suggest #spedup #return #NASA #astronauts #details #scarce #Reuters Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Pentagon Removes General Milley’s Security Detail and Revokes His Clearance Pentagon Removes General Milley’s Security Detail and Revokes His Clearance Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has told Gen. Mark A. Milley, the retired chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that he is removing his security detail, revoking his security clearance, and ordering an inspector general inquiry into his record, the Pentagon said late Tuesday. Mr. Hegseth’s spokesman, John Ullyot, said in a statement that the secretary directed the investigation to determine whether “it is appropriate” to review the rank upon retirement for General Milley, who stood up to President Trump in his first term. Essentially, Mr. Hegseth is asking whether General Milley should be demoted. “We have received the request and we are reviewing it,” Mollie Halpern, a spokeswoman for the acting Defense Department inspector general, said of the referral to examine General Milley’s actions as chairman. The general retired in 2023, and at a ceremony marking the occasion he reminded troops that they took an oath to the Constitution and not to a “a king, or a queen, or to a tyrant or dictator, and we don’t take an oath to a wannabe dictator.” Senior Pentagon officials late Tuesday sought to cast Mr. Milley as an insubordinate political operator while in the chairman’s job. “Undermining the chain of command is corrosive to our national security, and restoring accountability is a priority for the Defense Department under President Trump’s leadership,” Joe Kasper, Mr. Hegseth’s chief of staff, said in a statement late Tuesday. General Milley could not be reached for comment on Tuesday. Just days before General Milley’s retirement ceremony, Mr. Trump, then still planning a political comeback, suggested that the general had committed treason and should be put to death. Amid continued threats from Mr. Trump of retribution against his enemies upon returning to office, General Milley received a pre-emptive pardon from President Joseph R. Biden Jr. hours before he left office last week. (In his first week back in the White House, Mr. Trump had the general’s portrait removed from the hallway in the Pentagon outside the chairman’s offices.) Since General Milley has been pardoned, he cannot be court-martialed. But a finding against him could lead to a decision to reduce his rank, even in retirement. General Milley and other former Trump administration officials had been assigned government security details because they remained under threat following the U.S. drone strike that killed the powerful Iranian general Qassim Suleimani in early 2020. Two Republican Senate allies of President Trump urged him on Sunday to rethink his decision to strip security details from the former advisers who have been targeted by Iran, saying the move could chill his current aides from doing their jobs effectively. Senator Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas and the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, spoke after Mr. Trump abruptly halted government security protection for three officials from his first term who were involved in his Iran policy and have remained under threat. Fox News earlier reported that Mr. Hegseth was moving to revoke General Milley’s security detail and order the inspector general review. As the newly sworn-in defense secretary, Mr. Hegseth has been a sharp critic of General Milley. General Milley’s split with Mr. Trump had its roots in his decision to apologize also for inserting himself into politics when he walked alongside Mr. Trump in 2020, through Lafayette Square, for a photo op after the authorities used tear gas and rubber bullets to clear the area of peaceful protesters. “I should not have been there,” he said later. “My presence in that moment and in that environment created a perception of the military involved in domestic politics.” Mr. Trump’s supporters have also attacked General Milley over his contacts with his ******** counterpart during the first Trump administration, assuring them that the United States was not seeking to strike them, or trigger a military crisis. General Milley, 66, was promoted to chairman of the Joint Chiefs by Mr. Trump in 2019. At the time, the president was impressed with his military record and his bearing. But he quickly soured on him. A book published by Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig, “I Alone Can Fix It,” reported that General Milley was worried that President Trump might attempt to stage a coup after he lost the 2020 election. He made efforts to ensure a peaceful transfer of power, and issued a statement condemning the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol. Source link #Pentagon #Removes #General #Milleys #Security #Detail #Revokes #Clearance Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Roman Abramovich could owe *** £1bn in unpaid tax Roman Abramovich could owe *** £1bn in unpaid tax James Oliver, Harriet Agerholm and Will Dahlgreen BBC News and File on 4 Investigates BBC Sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich could owe the *** up to £1bn after a botched attempt to avoid tax on hedge fund investments, evidence seen by the BBC suggests. Leaked papers reveal investments worth $6bn (£4.7bn) were routed through companies in the British Virgin Islands (BVI). But evidence suggests they were managed from the ***, so should have been taxed there. Some of the money that funded Chelsea FC when Mr Abramovich owned it can be traced back to companies involved in the scheme, the BBC and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) also found. The oligarch’s lawyers said he “always obtained independent expert professional tax and legal advice” and “acted in accordance with that advice”. He denies having any knowledge or being personally responsible for any unpaid tax. Joe Powell, a Labour MP who leads a Parliamentary group on fair taxation, called on HM Revenue and Customs to “urgently” investigate the case to recover what could be “very significant amounts of money that could be invested in public services”. At the heart of the scheme was Eugene Shvidler, a former Chelsea FC director and a billionaire businessman in his own right, who is currently challenging the *** government’s decision to sanction him for his close links to Mr Abramovich. Mr Shvidler moved to the USA after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but from 2004 until 2022 he lived in the ***, with properties in London and Surrey. A tax expert told the BBC that evidence Mr Shvidler had been making strategic decisions on the investments while based in the ***, and not in the BVI, was “a pretty big smoking gun”, suggesting the companies should have been paying *** tax. Lawyers for Mr Shvidler said the BBC was basing its reporting on “confidential business documents that present an incomplete picture” and had “drawn strong and erroneous conclusions as to Mr Shvidler’s conduct”. They said “the structure of investments” was “the subject of very careful and detailed tax planning, undertaken and advised on by leading tax advisors”. The scheme involving Mr Abramovich’s hedge fund investments was revealed in a huge leak of data that the BBC and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism have been examining for over a year – thousands of files and emails from a Cyprus-based company that administered Mr Abramovich’s global empire. Getty Images Eugene Shvidler, right, is a former Chelsea FC director and long-standing friend of Mr Abramovich The BBC and its media partners, including The Guardian, have been reporting on the leaked files since 2023 as part of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists’ Cyprus Confidential investigation. On Tuesday, we revealed how Mr Abramovich had dodged millions in VAT on the running costs of his yacht fleet. The leaked data shows how Mr Abramovich invested a large part of the wealth he acquired in the 1990s through a corrupt deal – ploughing it into a company in the BVI called Keygrove Holdings Ltd. A network of British Virgin Islands companies owned by Keygrove invested this money – up to $6bn (£4.8bn) between the late 1990s and early 2020s – into Western hedge funds, according to the leaked files. These investments made the oligarch an estimated $3.8bn (£3.1bn) in profits over almost two decades. By making the investments through companies in the BVI, which does not levy tax on corporate profits, the scheme appears to be set up to ensure as little tax as possible was paid. ‘Full power to do anything’ It is not unusual for businesses to legally avoid paying tax on their profits by making their investments from companies in tax havens. But the companies involved must be managed and controlled offshore where they are incorporated. If an offshore company’s strategic decisions are being taken by someone in the ***, its profits could be taxed as if it were a *** company. The leaked documents show how the directors of the BVI investment companies handed sweeping powers over them to Mr Shvidler, who was living in the *** and gained British citizenship in 2010. The BBC has seen “general power of attorney” documents dated between 2004 and 2008, that gave him the “broadest possible powers” and “full power to do everything and anything” to investment companies in the BVI. From 2008, Mr Shvidler appears to have acquired the power to direct the investments of Keygrove, which owned the BVI companies, through another company. Millennium Capital Ventures Ltd, which was owned indirectly by Mr Shvidler’s wife and appointed him as a director in 2000, became Keygrove’s investment manager. It was assigned “full power and authority to supervise and direct” the investment of the assets, “all without prior consultation with client”. ‘Strong evidence’ Further evidence of Mr Shvidler’s crucial role in the investment decisions of the BVI companies emerged in a court case brought in September 2023 by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) against a New York firm called Concord Management. The SEC filing says that Concord had only one client, since identified as Mr Abramovich. The company advised on investment decisions for the oligarch’s BVI companies. It identifies a “longtime close associate” of Mr Abramovich, referred to as “Person B”, who “made investment decisions” for Mr Abramovich. It says he was “the point of contact for receiving investment advice” and “for either deciding or communicating the decision whether to go forward with recommended transactions”. Using the leaked documents, the BBC was able to identify “Person B” as Eugene Shvidler. The evidence suggests Mr Shvidler was making the decisions described by the SEC, managing and controlling Mr Abramovich’s investments, from the *** rather than the BVI. Getty Images Mr Shvidler reportedly owns Le Grand Bleu, a 113m yacht formerly owned by Mr Abramovich Tax expert Rita de le Feria told the BBC that evidence a *** resident, such as Mr Shvidler, was taking “strategic big decisions” on the hedge fund investments was a “clear indication” the huge profits should have been taxed by the ***. “I think this is a pretty big smoking gun. That would be, again, strong evidence that the effective management of the company was not taking place in the BVI,” she said. Mr Shvidler’s lawyers said there can be “no question of Mr Shvidler, either knowingly or negligently, being involved in an unlawful scheme to avoid paying tax”. Lawyers for Mr Abramovich said that in addition to the advice he obtained over his tax affairs, he “expects that similar advice was sought” by those with responsibility for running companies related to him. The leaked documents also reveal how large amounts of the untaxed profits from Mr Abramovich’s hedge fund investments passed through a network of the oligarch’s companies before flowing into Chelsea FC. The hedge fund investments flowed back into his companies in the BVI and then into Keygrove, their parent company. Keygrove then loaned out money to other companies in Mr Abramovich’s network, which in turn lent money to Camberley International Investments Ltd – a company set up to bankroll Chelsea FC. By 2021, when Chelsea won the Champions League, Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup, hundreds of millions of dollars in loans to the club could be traced back to companies benefiting from Mr Abramovich’s untaxed hedge fund investments. How we calculated the bill If HMRC were to investigate, how much could Mr Abramovich or the companies concerned owe? We have assessed the profits made by the investment companies in the BVI from 1999 to 2018. The leaked documents only contain complete accounts for the companies investing in hedge funds from 2013 to 2018. But we can estimate how much money the companies involved were likely to have made over the entire ******* by looking at their “revenue reserves”. These are profits kept in the businesses, rather than being paid out to shareholders. By the end of 2018 this amounted to $3.8bn. Applying historical *** corporation tax and currency conversion rates to the revenue reserves up to 2012, and the yearly profits to 2018, amounts to a potential tax bill of more than £500m owed to HMRC. Getty Images After the ***** of Chelsea, £2.5bn remains in a frozen bank account But in the event of an enquiry into unpaid tax, HMRC can also impose late payment interest and penalties for failure to notify the authorities. If tax has gone unpaid, then depending on whether an investigation concluded those responsible knew but did not tell HMRC, or whether they did not know, the total amount due could range from almost £700m to over £1bn. There is a possibility that some tax on the profits could not be recovered, as HMRC investigations can only go back a maximum of 20 years. However, our calculations are also likely to be an underestimate, because we have applied the lowest rate of corporation tax that existed between 1999 and 2012, and it is possible profits had been extracted from the companies in that ******* that we have not included in our sums. In any event, Mr Abramovich’s tax bill could dwarf the £653m bill imposed on Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone in 2023. Frozen funds Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the British government allowed Roman Abramovich to sell Chelsea FC to Todd Boehly. It did so on the condition that £2.5bn from the proceeds would be donated to charities supporting victims of the war in Ukraine. Nearly three years later, the money still sits in a frozen Barclays bank account, reportedly due to disagreement over how it should be spent, with Mr Abramovich wanting the money to go to “all the victims” of the war, and the *** government insisting it should be spent solely on humanitarian aid in Ukraine. The BBC’s investigation suggests that, just as Ukrainians are waiting for money from the former Chelsea boss, so is the British taxpayer. Cyprus Confidential is international collaborative investigation launched in 2023 led by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) into Cyprus firms provided corporate and financial services to associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime. Media partners include The Guardian, the investigative newsroom Paper Trail Media, the Italian newspaper L’Espresso, the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ). TBIJ reporting team: Simon Lock and Eleanor Rose. Source link #Roman #Abramovich #owe #1bn #unpaid #tax Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

American Children’s Reading Skills Reach New Lows – The New York Times American Children’s Reading Skills Reach New Lows – The New York Times American Children’s Reading Skills Reach New Lows The New York TimesAmerican Kids Are Getting Even Worse at Reading, Test Scores Show The Wall Street JournalUS children fall further behind in reading, make little improvement in math on national exam CNNNew data highlights ‘achievement gap’ for students in the US ABC NewsOregon math, reading achievement among the nation’s worst, new scores show OregonLive Source link #American #Childrens #Reading #Skills #Reach #Lows #York #Times Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Millers and Noni B to be wound up as receivers for parent company Mosaic Brands fail to secure buyer Millers and Noni B to be wound up as receivers for parent company Mosaic Brands fail to secure buyer The axe has been swung on fashion brands Millers and Noni B, with hundreds of stores to close and more than 900 jobs to be made redundant. The downfall of the two chains was confirmed on Wednesday by receivers and managers of parent company Mosaic Brands Group, and comes a week after it was announced *********** clothing and footwear brand Rivers would also be wound up. “Despite the best efforts of all parties, we have been unable to achieve a ***** of any of the brands within the Mosaic portfolio,” KPMG partner David Hardy said. “As a result, all stores in the Mosaic Brands Group will be wound down over the coming months. We expect all stores will be closed by mid-April.” In all, 252 stores — including 11 in New Zealand — will be shut down, with the decision impacting 933 workers. “The receivers would again like to acknowledge and thank the Mosaic management team, employees, customers and suppliers for their support throughout the receivership process,” David Hardy said. The timing of individual store closures will differ and sales events will be run while stocks last. – More to come . . . Source link #Millers #Noni #wound #receivers #parent #company #Mosaic #Brands #fail #secure #buyer Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Israeli father says even in ****** captivity, his daughter heard his pleas to come home alive Israeli father says even in ****** captivity, his daughter heard his pleas to come home alive RAMAT GAN, Israel (AP) — For more than 470 days, Eitan Gonen publicly pleaded with his daughter to stay alive while in ****** captivity. He didn’t know if she would hear him, but he ended every interview he gave with the same hopeful message: Romi is coming home alive. When he finally got to speak to his daughter for the first time in 15 months after she and two other women were freed Jan. 19, he got his answer. “She said, ’Dad, I came home alive,’” Eitan Gonen told The Associated Press on Tuesday in his first interview with an international news outlet since her release. Trusted news and daily delights, right in your inbox See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. “I know that my interview back then gave Romi a lot of strength, a lot of hope, something to cling on,” he said. Romi Gonen, 24, was among the first hostages to be freed from Gaza and one of seven women so far released in exchange for hundreds of ************ prisoners as part of the ceasefire, a long and uncertain process aimed at eventually ending the war. Some 250 people were kidnapped during ******’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war. About 90 hostages remain in Gaza, although at least a third of them are believed to be dead. During the ceasefire’s first phase, ****** agreed to gradually release 33 hostages in exchange for Israel freeing nearly 2,000 ************ prisoners. Six more hostages are expected to be released this week in exchange for hundreds of prisoners. Israel has been preparing for the hostages to return, with the expectation that after more than a year in captivity, many would likely be dealing with life-threatening health issues or other physical and psychological problems. This week, Dr. Ami Benov, who is working with the hostages, told reporters that the women were in poor physical condition and would face a lengthy recovery process, as they suffered from “mild starvation” and vitamin deficiencies. Sitting in a complex in central Israel where his daughter and some of the other freed hostages are staying, Eitan Gonen wouldn’t comment on Romi’s health but said there’s a long road ahead. “The rehabilitation status just started,” he said. Because she spent so long in captivity, the family isn’t pressuring her to speak. Instead, they are trying to give her autonomy and control, and to let her take things at her own pace, he said. Like many others, Romi was taken captive at the Nova music festival. That morning, her sister and mother, Merav Leshem Gonen, spent nearly five hours speaking to Romi as militants marauded through the festival grounds. Romi told her family that she would try to hide in the bushes, as the roads being clogged with abandoned cars made escape impossible. For nearly two months, her family had no idea if she was dead. They only learned she was alive from other hostages who were freed during a weeklong ceasefire a month after the attack, Eitan Gonen said. Praising his daughter’s strength, he said she survived in part by learning Arabic, as it was the only way to communicate with her captors. “Human beings will do anything to survive. Anything. And since the terrorists don’t speak any other language other than Arabic, she didn’t have any chance in order to communicate with them — to start learning their language,” he said, noting that she has even spoken it at times since being freed, likely out of habit. Something else that helped her stay alive was the support from other hostages, Eitan Gonen said. For a *******, Romi was held with Emily Damari, a British-Israeli hostage who was released along with her. “I believe God set it up somehow that Emily and Romi … had each other to survive. … It’s a dynamic duo,” he said. Other released hostages expressed similar sentiments about their own time in captivity. Israeli soldier Naama Levy, who was released Saturday, wrote in an Instagram post that after spending 50 days mostly alone, she was given strength when she was reunited with other kidnapped soldiers. Being held hostage with someone can provide strength through a shared fight for survival in the face of unimaginable adversity, said Dr. Einat Yehene, a psychologist who specializes in trauma and loss. Even though he finally got his daughter back, Eitan Gonen is still urging the Israeli government to keep working to bring home all of the remaining hostages. And he urges the families of hostages to keep giving interviews in all languages and mediums, to maintain the pressure and let their relatives know they haven’t been forgotten. But he’s mostly focusing on spending time with his daughter. “I just enjoy being with her even in silence, touching, hugging, watching her,” he said. “I missed it so much.” ___ Associated Press reporter Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv contributed to this report. Source link #Israeli #father #****** #captivity #daughter #heard #pleas #home #alive Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

A Day in Life of a ******** Food Delivery Worker A Day in Life of a ******** Food Delivery Worker Liu Chunyan jumped at the opportunity four years ago when the pandemic drove up the demand for food delivery in China. The money was good, though the hours were long. Now she is just one of more than 10 million food delivery workers in a country where the economy is contracting. She is hustling more and earning less. Like many delivery drivers, Ms. Liu is wondering how much longer she can last in the job. The New York Times asked her to document a typical day by taking videos and recording her thoughts. Before she became a driver, Ms. Liu, 48, spent a decade working factory jobs. In one, she glued tiny components into smartphone speakers, and in another she trimmed the edges of wooden doors. The breadwinner of her family, she lives in a small town near Shanghai and was attracted to gig work because the pay seemed good. “I will live the life I want through my own efforts,” she writes on her social media profile. Soon after starting as a driver, Ms. Liu scored the biggest paycheck of her life: 10,583 renminbi, about $1,500. That was almost three times what she had made in factory work. She started to believe she could one day make enough money to not only support her husband and son, but also help her parents and siblings who live in a rural village far away. Today, however, those goals are slipping away from her. The economics of her job have worsened considerably. Ms. Liu works for Meituan, which controls 70 percent of the market for food delivery in China. The company had two million more drivers in 2023 than in 2021, its latest data shows, and on average is paying its drivers less per order. Drivers are under intense pressure to make deliveries, running red lights if that’s what it takes. Late orders can mean penalties and low customer ratings, which can lead to smaller paychecks. In recent months, videos of overwhelmed drivers crying out for help have popped up on China’s internet, and the government, highly uncomfortable with public displays of discontent, has been working to regulate the industry. Under a test program, gig workers in certain cities will receive expanded social security coverage. And Meituan is trying to require mandatory breaks during long shifts. But for now, Ms. Liu’s work life is no less arduous than ever. This is what it looks like. 8:59 a.m. Orders delivered today: 0 Net income: -$0.41 Ms. Liu signs on to the Meituan app, which automatically takes out -$0.41 for daily accident insurance. Soon she is assigned her first batch of deliveries — she has to pick up and drop off three orders. 9:40 a.m. Each order comes with its own deadline. Ms. Liu said she was once fined 40 percent of her earnings on one delivery because she was a minute late. Today is off to a good start: She is on time for all three orders in the first batch, though she arrived a mere three minutes early for the last one. Close call. She earns about $0.50 for each order. The job can be physically taxing. This building at the start of her day has an elevator, but most don’t. Ms. Liu often has to run up stairs to make her deadline. The streets also take a toll. She has broken at least two scooters and has had multiple traffic accidents racing to make deliveries. “It brings me to tears to talk about those experiences,” she said. Ms. Liu comes across a group of other drivers waiting for assignments, a common scene in her town as the number of delivery workers has increased. She remembers when orders would come in nonstop. Now she feels lucky she’s not sitting and waiting. 10:15 a.m. Orders delivered: 3 Net income: $1.18 Her next set of orders comes in. It’s five this time! The arbiter of how much work a delivery driver gets is the Meituan algorithm. Ms. Liu has no idea how it works — but she knows she wants to stay on its good side. She once hurt her leg while working, but didn’t take time off, not wanting to be marked as inactive. To avoid low ratings on the app, drivers comply with additional requests from customers, like picking up a pack of cigarettes and taking out their trash. Today, for successfully delivering this second set of orders, Ms. Liu earns $2.66. 1:31 p.m. Orders delivered: 26 Net income: $13.16 After working through the lunch rush, she decides to take a break. She eats a can of porridge she brought with her. She often packs lunch to save money. She devours it in one minute. The demands of her job mean she rarely sits down for meals with her family, even dinner. On the eve of the last Lunar New Year, when many families were gathering to celebrate, Ms. Liu’s husband, son and in-laws had to wait for her to get off work. 2:51 p.m. Orders delivered: 31 Net income: $16.10 Uh oh. Ms. Liu notices her scooter’s battery is running low. She finishes up a few orders and heads to a nearby charging station to exchange the battery. To use the charging stations, she pays a monthly subscription that comes out to about $1.32 a day. Only a couple of hours later, the new battery is running low! She figures out there’s a problem with the electrical connection to it, but she has orders to deliver. With a deadline approaching, she calls the customer to apologize that she might be late. But she manages to make the delivery one minute early. Another close call. 5:31 p.m. Knowing the battery won’t last for another batch of deliveries, Ms. Liu goes to get her bike repaired. The mechanic replaces the connector and charges her -$2.80, about how much she makes for five deliveries. Drivers must pay to maintain their scooters. 5:45 p.m. Orders delivered: 42 Net income: $17.53 It’s the dinner rush, but Ms. Liu is not getting any orders. Between that and the problems with her bike, she decides to call it a day. After nine hours of deliveries, and paying for the bike repair, she made less than $18. Ms. Liu recently decided to cut back on the time she spends delivering food. “It’s really difficult,” she said in tears. “I am already 48. I can’t do deliveries for much longer.” Now she is looking for other ways to make a living. She paid for an online course to learn how to produce short-form videos, which are very popular, though she knows that, too, is a hard way to make money. “All I can do is to give it a try.” Ms. Liu said. Source link #Day #Life #******** #Food #Delivery #Worker Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Report: Mike McCarthy won’t coach in 2025 – NBC Sports Report: Mike McCarthy won’t coach in 2025 – NBC Sports Report: Mike McCarthy won’t coach in 2025 NBC SportsSource: McCarthy shifts focus to ’26 hiring cycle ESPNFormer Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy won’t coach in NFL in 2025, will focus on 2026 hiring cycle, per report CBS SportsFormer Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy reportedly removes name from Saints search, to sit out 2025 Yahoo Sports Source link #Report #Mike #McCarthy #wont #coach #NBC #Sports Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

*********** PoW Oscar Jenkins may still be alive, Albanese government says *********** PoW Oscar Jenkins may still be alive, Albanese government says Australia is seeking more details from Russia that Melbourne-born prisoner of war Jenkins may still be alive in Russian captivity, Anthony Albanese says. The Prime Minister said on Wednesday he had “received that information through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade” and was “seeking confirmation”. “I am reticent to confirm that is the case, but certainly that has been the statement made by Russian authorities through to our Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade officials as well, so if that is the case it certainly would be welcome,” he told ABC. “It is something that we have demanded information on and we are demanding more information so that we can be certain that what has been suggested is in fact the case.” The Prime Minister he wanted to ensure Mr Jenkin’s family was informed before the government publicly confirmed the news. Camera IconAn image purporting to show *********** man Oscar Jenkins. Credit: Supplied Questions have been looming around Mr Jenkins’ fate since footage showing Russian troops interrogating him began circulating on pro-Kremlin social media channels in late December. In the video, his inability to speak Russian or Ukrainian fluently appears to frustrate his interrogator, who hits him multiple times and repeatedly mocks him and swears at him. At one point, the Russian asks him: “Do you want to live?” Mr Jenkins replies: “I want to help Ukraine.” It is unclear how the 32-year-old Melbourne man went from being a college lecturer in China to a fighter in Ukraine’s International Legion, which is largely made up of ex-soldiers from Kyiv’s Western allies. Camera IconA new image has emerged of *********** soldier Oscar Jenkins wearing combat gear. Supplied Credit: SuppliedCamera IconAustralian man Oscar Jenkins was captured by Russian forces in Ukraine. Screengrab Credit: Supplied The video emerged just days after Australia pledged fresh aid to Ukraine and announced the reopening of the embassy in Kyiv. Canberra has given Kyiv north of $1.5bn worth of support in its fight against invading Russian forces, including munitions and battle tanks. Responding to initial reports of Mr Jenkins’ death earlier this month, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said “all options are on the table”. More to come Source link #*********** #PoW #Oscar #Jenkins #alive #Albanese #government Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Driver headed wrong way on I-70 crashes into oncoming traffic, killing one of the drivers Driver headed wrong way on I-70 crashes into oncoming traffic, killing one of the drivers A driver headed the wrong way on westbound Interstate 70 crashed into oncoming traffic, including a semitractor-trailer, killing one of the drivers, a police spokesman said. The fatal ****** occurred about 12:25 a.m. Tuesday along I-70 near U.S. 40 highway and Blue Ridge Boulevard, said Sgt. Jeff Buck with the Independence Police Department’s traffic safety unit. A preliminary investigation revealed that a driver of a Toyota Camry was headed east in the westbound lanes of I-70 and crashed into a Kia Optima, killing its driver, Buck said. The Camry continued east and collided with a semi-truck, Buck said. A Honda Accord then crashed with the Camry before traffic on the highway came to a stop. The driver of the Optima was identified as 64-year-old Ricky Monroe of Blue Springs. Two of the other three drivers were seriously injured in the ****** and were taken to hospitals for treatment of serious injuries. The ****** closed down westbound westbound Interstate 70 at Noland Road for hours before it was fully reopened shortly before 8 a.m., Buck said. “Please use an alternate route,” Independence police, in a post on Facebook, asked drivers as they headed out on their morning commute. Kansas City Scout traffic showed that the shutdown caused traffic to back up beyond Lee’s Summit Road and nearly to the interchange with Interstate 470/Missouri 291 highway during the morning commute. Source link #Driver #headed #wrong #I70 #crashes #oncoming #traffic #killing #drivers Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The Fed Is About to Hit Pause on Rate Cuts. Here’s Why. – The New York Times The Fed Is About to Hit Pause on Rate Cuts. Here’s Why. – The New York Times The Fed Is About to Hit Pause on Rate Cuts. Here’s Why. The New York TimesThe Fed meets for the first time since Trump’s term started. Here’s what to expect CNBCFederal Reserve set to repel Donald Trump’s calls for deep rate cuts Financial TimesThe Fed sent stocks spiraling after its last meeting, and now the central bank is expected to leave interest rates untouched on Wednesday FortuneUS bond investors seek safety amid uncertainty about Trump policies, Fed outlook Reuters Source link #Fed #Hit #Pause #Rate #Cuts #Heres #York #Times Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Belongings strewn aside after festival crush Belongings strewn aside after festival crush Blankets, shoes and backpacks lie strewn on the ground at the site of a crush in northern India which took place in the early hours of Wednesday at the huge Kumbh Mela religious festival. Several worshippers are feared injured and sources have told the BBC that at least a dozen people have been killed – although there is no official confirmation. The BBC’s Samira Hussain reports from the scene where the crush took place. Source link #Belongings #strewn #festival #crush Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump ‘scraps extension of protections for Venezuelans’ Trump ‘scraps extension of protections for Venezuelans’ The Trump administration has revoked an extension of deportation protections that the previous administration granted to more than 600,000 Venezuelans already in the United States, the New York Times reported, citing a copy of the decision. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem rescinded a Biden administration move to grant Venezuelans in the US an additional 18 months of deportation relief and access to work permits through the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program, according to the New York Times. President Donald Trump, a Republican, took office on January 20 vowing to crack down on ******** immigration and humanitarian programs he says go beyond the intent of US law. Trump tried to end most TPS enrollment during his first term but was stymied by federal courts. TPS is available to people whose home country has experienced a natural disaster, armed conflict or other extraordinary event. Former president Joe Biden, a Democrat, greatly expanded the program and it now covers more than one million people from 17 nations. Biden’s Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas issued the Venezuela extension a week-and-a-half before Trump took office, even though existing protections for Venezuelans did not expire until April for some enrollees and September for others. He also extended TPS for people from El Salvador, Ukraine and Sudan. The New York Times reported that Noem’s rollback of the extension requires her to decide what to do with protections expiring in April by Saturday or have them automatically renew for six months. The US Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Separately, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has revoked the security clearance and personal security detail for retired Army General and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, a Pentagon spokesperson said. Hegseth has also directed the Department of Defence Office of Inspector General to open an inquiry into Milley’s conduct to determine whether it is appropriate to reopen an assessment of Milley’s military grade, according to the Pentagon. “Undermining the chain of command is corrosive to our national security,” Joe Kasper, the Defense Department Chief of Staff, said in a statement. Representatives for Milley could not be immediately reached. The news was first reported by Fox News on Tuesday. Milley was among the pre-emptive pardons that former President Joe Biden issued on Jan. 20, his last day in office. Milley has said he was grateful for the pardon by Biden, who said Milley and others “do not deserve to be the targets of unjustified and politically motivated prosecutions.” Trump had once suggested Milley should be executed for holding back-channel talks with China. Milley’s photo was removed from the Pentagon shortly after Trump was sworn into office. Source link #Trump #scraps #extension #protections #Venezuelans Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Undocumented father of 4 removed from Elgin home during raid targeting different man Undocumented father of 4 removed from Elgin home during raid targeting different man ELGIN, Ill. — An undocumented father of four was removed from a home in Elgin on Tuesday after federal agents raided the home in search of a different man charged with attempted ******* and wanted for violating his parole. The U.S. Marshals’ Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force arrived early in the morning at the home in Elgin, looking for 26-year-old Jose Ramos. Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines Ramos was wanted for a parole violation for aggravated battery with a firearm and charged with attempted first-degree *******. Family members said Ramos has not lived at the home for months. Doorbell video shows family members outside in handcuffs as the task force searched the house. Agents did not find Ramos, but they did encounter 44-year-old Raul Lopez, a father of four who was living in the country illegally. A task force spokesman told WGN-TV that ICE was part of the team and removed Lopez from the house after finding him hiding in the attic. “We were just asking them ‘Where are you taking him,” Lopez’s daughter Bethzy said. Bethzy, who is 18 years old, said her father is a roofer who was working to put her through nursing school. “His whole life he was just working, telling us that he just wants what’s best to work for us, give us everything he can so we can be good,” Bethzy said. “Not everyone is bad, some people do try to come here just to give their kids a better life.” Bethzy said she fears what is ahead. LATEST CASES: Missing people in Chicagoland “I’m just scared, I’m worried about him, I don’t know how he’s doing, I worry about my family too, like what’s going to happen, what are we going to do,” Bethzy said. While the Kane County Sheriff’s Office was not involved in the operation, they said they understand the fear that exists on both sides of the door. “It’s fight or flight for them right now. We don’t know what is going to happen. Are they armed? Are they not? They’re fighting for their life right now to remain where they’re at and with their families,” Kane County Undersheriff Amy Johnson said. According to Bethzy, her family is still trying to figure out where Raul is. WGN-TV has reached out to ICE for more information but has yet to hear back. 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 WGN-TV. Source link #Undocumented #father #removed #Elgin #home #raid #targeting #man Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Trump signs order to block federal support for minors’ gender transitions – CNN Trump signs order to block federal support for minors’ gender transitions – CNN Trump signs order to block federal support for minors’ gender transitions CNNTrump Signs Order Restricting Gender-Affirming Treatments for Minors The New York TimesTrump signs executive order to restrict transgender care for youths The Washington PostThe Implications of Trump’s Executive Order on Sex TIME Source link #Trump #signs #order #block #federal #support #minors #gender #transitions #CNN Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘Misleading’ Toyota could hit vehicle owners’ wallets ‘Misleading’ Toyota could hit vehicle owners’ wallets Toyota has been criticised over allegedly misleading statements which failed to disclose the possible financial and legal consequences to vehicle owners who obtained a “free” fix to their engine defects. The automotive firm is facing a class action in the Federal Court for those who purchased Hilux, Fortuner and Prado vehicles between October 2015 and April 2020 that had defective diesel particulate filters. While Toyota has offered to repair these defects, it will argue in an upcoming trial that owners who opt to have their cars fixed cannot be compensated for any reduction in the value of their vehicles. During a hearing on Wednesday, Justice Michael Lee raised concerns about “entirely misleading” communications sent in October 2024 which said the repairs would be free of charge. Toyota’s statements did not reveal the company’s lawyers would try to lower the compensation paid to vehicle owners in the court, class action barrister Stephen Free SC said. While Quinn Emanuel, the law firm behind the class action, flagged with Toyota that the statements were inappropriate, it was sent out anyway, the court was told. Toyota’s barrister Garry Rich SC said his client would promise not to send any further emails or letters to vehicle owners regarding their rights in the class action without approval from the court. The motor company will have to hand a list of all vehicle owners who received its communications to Quinn Emanuel. These individuals are set to receive a statement from the Federal Court clarifying the potential legal and financial outcomes of repairing their vehicles. A spokesperson from Toyota declined to comment further on the revelations made in court on Wednesday. Justice Lee also heard that individuals who purchased the defective vehicles through private sales will be seeking compensation from Toyota. A new class action will be filed to bring these claims. In a judgment delivered in April 2022, Justice Lee rejected arguments by Toyota that issues with the diesel particulate filter system could not be considered defects in the actual vehicle. While the judge ordered compensation, the auto firm challenged this all the way to the High Court which clarified how damages will be calculated in a decision handed down in November 2024. The High Court ruled that those who had since sold their vehicles could not be compensated for any reduction in value that the defects caused. Class action lawyers have issued subpoenas to state and territory vehicle registration authorities to gain information about recent sales and help calculate the total amount owed. A further trial will be held, likely in 2026, to determine the amount of damages payable by Toyota and consider the company’s defence that repaired vehicles do not have reduced value. Before then, the parties will have further talks to try to settle the case. The matter will return to court on March 18. Source link #Misleading #Toyota #hit #vehicle #owners #wallets Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard worked to hide true condition of village finances, former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot says Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard worked to hide true condition of village finances, former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot says Just months after her election in 2021, there was a “concerted and systematic effort” by Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard to hide the condition of village finances from trustees, former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Monday. In her final report on her investigation into Henyard and village finances, Lightfoot told some 200 residents and others the concealment continued and that, by March 2022, trustees “were effectively cut off from receiving regular financial reports.” Lightfoot was hired by village trustees last year to investigate spending by the village and the Henyard administration. Lightfoot gave an initial report of her findings last summer. She credited trustees Monday for taking steps to curb spending and bring costs and revenue more in sync, but said Dolton still owes at least $5 million to vendors for goods and services, and continues to run a budget deficit. After her public comments, Lightfoot told reporters the “residents of Dolton have suffered needlessly because of the financial mismanagement of the current mayor.” Trustee Jason House, who is challenging Henyard in the Feb. 25 Democratic primary, said he and other trustees are working to get finances on the right track. The findings from Lightfoot “reminds us we have a lot of work to do and we’re going to do it,” House said. Federal investigators have served subpoenas at Dolton Village Hall and at Thornton Township, where Henyard is supervisor. She faces a big obstacle in seeking a second term as supervisor, having not qualified for the Democratic caucus and losing a lawsuit challenging the result. An attorney representing Henyard said Tuesday she had no comment on Lightfoot’s report. Lightfoot said she has been in contact with the U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago regarding her findings. She told the audience that, unlike law enforcement, she does not have subpoena power and there were “consistent challenges” in getting the needed documents and other information to show a clearer picture of village finances. Dolton resident Lydia Miller said she was astonished after hearing Lightfoot’s findings. “I don’t know how we got into this mess and I really don’t know how we can get out of it,” Miller said. “We need outside help, maybe from the state.” A revelation from Lightfoot’s report was in the village’s insurance coverage. She said many longtime insurance companies that provided coverage to Dolton opted not to last spring. The village was able to get insurance for 2024 and into this year, but it is costing more and the coverage is lower, as far as maximum payout on claims for departments such as police. Apart from spending more, the village also had to make a concession that insurance coverage for village officers not include the mayor, Lightfoot said. With an insurer unwilling to include Henyard in coverage, that “puts the village and taxpayers potentially at risk,” Lightfoot said. She said the village’s financial condition has improved slightly in recent months. Through the first six months of this fiscal year, average monthly spending is running at $2.1 million, down from $2.6 million in fiscal 2024. So far this budget year, through October, both revenue and spending in the village’s general fund are in alignment, at just under $13 million. In fiscal 2024, spending outpaced revenue by nearly $5 million, according to Lightfoot’s report. At the end of October, the village was running a negative cash balance of just under $5.5 million, which had improved from a negative balance of $5.68 million at the end of last May, according to her report. Lightfoot’s report also touched on spending in Thornton Township, particularly credit card bills. “In the course of our investigation, we received information that there was significant use of Thornton Township funds to cover expenses for the benefit of the Village,” Lightfoot said in the report. The investigation was unable to verify the allegations of township money being used to help keep the village financially afloat, but records do show a “similar pattern of financial operations” between the village and township, Lightfoot said. She said there were multiple credit cards issued in the names of township employees, and 2024 records show monthly charges ranging from about $88,000 to more than $100,000. The cards were used for “a significant number of food purchases and other expenditures that warrant more investigation as to whether there was a legitimate governmentpurpose for the expense,” according to Lightfoot’s report. The report also looked into issues with Dolton’s history of responding to Freedom of Information Act requests. Village Clerk Alison Key had been responsible for handling FOIAs, but the volume received by the village grew to a point where it made getting responses difficult, Lightfoot said. Key also said village staff were not always responding to her requests for documents needed to fulfill FOIA requests. In a Sept. 7, 2023, email from Village Administrator Keith Freeman, Key was told she was being removed, effective immediately, as FOIA officer due to her “inability to process FOIA request(s) in a complete and timely manner.” Freeman said the village “redirected FOIA officer duties to another party.” Lightfoot said she was unable to determine who took over as Dolton’s FOIA officer, but that the change did nothing to improve the village’s responsiveness. She also said that there are 12 pending lawsuits centered on village FOIA practices. Lightfoot was also tasked with investigating trips to Las Vegas taken by Dolton officials, including Henyard, in May 2022 and May 2023. Lightfoot said that several village and township representatives made the trips to conventions hosted annually by the International Council of Shopping Centers. The village said the trips were intended to bring new commercial development to Dolton. In her report, Lightfoot said there is “no evidence any business development opportunities came to the village as a result of either of these trips.” However, a now-former Dolton employee filed a lawsuit naming Henyard, the village, Thornton Township and a village official, accusing the village official of performing nonconsensual sex with the employee after she had “blacked out” during the trip. Lightfoot said authorities in Las Vegas closed an investigation into the matter last fall. The woman has a complaint pending with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over her dismissal from the village. That complaint alleges the woman was fired “as a result of making an outcry to Mayor Henyard directly about the alleged assault, among other allegations,” according to Lightfoot. She said the woman, the village official named in the lawsuit and other “key witnesses” declined to cooperate with her investigation. Lightfoot said she did learn Henyard authorized an investigation to beconducted by R.E. Walsh & Associates, Inc., of Oak Brook. She said the investigation was not authorized by the Village Board and results have not been shared with trustees. Lightfoot said the firm would not cooperate with her investigation because it had not been paid by the village. Lightfoot was hired last year by Dolton trustees as a special investigator, at a cost of $400 per hour. Although many village vendors have gone unpaid, Lightfoot said after her presentation that she has been compensated for her work, but did not know offhand how much she has received. *****@*****.tld Source link #Dolton #Mayor #Tiffany #Henyard #worked #hide #true #condition #village #finances #Chicago #Mayor #Lori #Lightfoot Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

As Sean Combs’ ‘Love’ Era Began, New Accusers Say He Was Still a ‘******’ – Rolling Stone As Sean Combs’ ‘Love’ Era Began, New Accusers Say He Was Still a ‘******’ – Rolling Stone As Sean Combs’ ‘Love’ Era Began, New Accusers Say He Was Still a ‘******’ Rolling Stone Source link #Sean #Combs #Love #Era #Began #Accusers #****** #Rolling #Stone Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

De Grey Mining’s top shareholder still won’t bite on $5b Northern Star takeover, but says ‘options open’ De Grey Mining’s top shareholder still won’t bite on $5b Northern Star takeover, but says ‘options open’ Gold Road Resources’ chief executive has implied a proposed $5 billion purchase of De Grey Mining is no sure thing and that the miner is keeping all options open should ‘other scenarios’ emerge. Source link #Grey #Minings #top #shareholder #wont #bite #Northern #Star #takeover #options #open Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

6 Questions You Should Never Ask at a Car Dealership 6 Questions You Should Never Ask at a Car Dealership nd3000 / iStock.com Going toe to toe with a car salesperson can feel like you’re about to test-drive both your patience and your budgetary constraints. Car purchases should be a pretty straightforward process, but there is more nuance to the art of the deal with it comes to buying cars, trucks and SUVs. Walking into a car dealership can feel like entering a chess game where every move counts and a good salesperson will dangle preapproval for reasonable car loans or car payments before you can even see the full board. While it’s important to ask questions that will help you make an informed decision, some questions could tip the scale out of your favor. Watch Out: 7 SUVs To Avoid Buying in 2025 Read Next: 4 Low-Risk Ways To Build Your Savings in 2025 Before you dive into these “never asks” when car buying, first it’s good to know what to never say to sales staff. Here are a few key takeaways: “I don’t know much about cars”: This may tell the car dealer that you are a novice and could lead them to sell you a car they need to move rather than one that fits your needs. “My car is on its last legs”: Telling a car salesman this indicates you are in a situation where you have to make a purchase no matter if it’s a good car for you or not. This could also drop any potential car deal that was on the table as they know you need to buy. “I love this car”: Even if it is a great car, indicating how interested you are in purchasing it could leave you less wiggle room to negotiate the price of the car. “I don’t know my credit score”: When it comes to car sales, buyers with lower scores might get offered higher interest loan rates than buyers with good credit. Don’t count on the dealer to give you the best rates and do your research beforehand. Now that you know what not to say, it’s time to explore what you should never ask at a car dealership. Here’s a look at the questions you should steer clear of to keep the power in your hands. It seems like a logical question to ask. Cut through all the sales tactics and get down to the nitty-gritty, right? Well, asking this right off the bat puts you in a position where the salesperson knows you’re looking to haggle before you’ve even started. It can lead to a less flexible negotiation process because the dealer now knows your primary focus is on the price, not the value or the fit of the vehicle to your needs. See More: 7 Hybrid Vehicles To Buy in 2025 That Will Last Throughout Retirement This question might sound like you’re being financially responsible. However, in reality, you’re in a car dealership, not your bank, so full disclosure isn’t necessary. Story Continues Discussing your financial situation or questioning your ability to afford a car could give your salesman too much insight into your financial health. It can lead to a scenario where the dealer might steer you toward financing options that are more beneficial to the dealership than to you. Always do your budgeting at home and know what you can afford before stepping into the dealership. Comparing options is great, but showing your cards by mentioning specific other cars you’re considering gives the salesperson insight into your research and preferences. This information can be used to sway your decision-making process, emphasizing the positives of their cars while downplaying any advantages of the competition. It’s better to keep your options close to your chest and independently research the pros and cons of each vehicle you’re considering. You can play a chess match with your finances, but you don’t need to add in another bias player. While understanding the down payment is important, asking this question too early in the discussion signals to the dealer that you might not be prepared to make a purchase or that you’re overly concerned about upfront costs. This can affect the negotiation dynamics, as the dealer might focus on lowering the down payment in exchange for higher monthly payments or a longer loan term, which isn’t always in your best interest. This is a tricky one. Of course, you want to know the value of your trade-in, but asking this directly can lead to lowball offers. Dealerships make a significant portion of their profits on used cars, so they have an incentive to acquire your trade-in for as little as possible. Instead of asking them for a value, research your car’s worth ahead of time through trusted online sources and get quotes from multiple dealerships to have a strong negotiating position. Asking for freebies might seem like a good way to get added value, but it can actually weaken your negotiation stance. It signals to the salesperson that you’re near a decision point, ready to buy if just sweetened a bit more. Instead of asking for free add-ons, focus on the total price of the vehicle and negotiate the best possible deal. Once you’ve settled on a price, then you can discuss any additional perks or accessories as part of the final agreement. The bottom line is to remember that knowledge is power, especially at a car dealership. By avoiding these questions, you avoid showing your hand too early and maintain a strong position throughout the negotiation. That way, you’ll drive off the lot not just with a new car, but with the satisfaction of a well-played game. More From GOBankingRates This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 6 Questions You Should Never Ask at a Car Dealership Source link #Questions #Car #Dealership Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Justin Baldoni Apologizes to Blake Lively Over ‘It Ends With Us’ Rewrites in Lengthy Voice Note: ‘I Am Far From Perfect, I Am a Flawed Man’ – Variety Justin Baldoni Apologizes to Blake Lively Over ‘It Ends With Us’ Rewrites in Lengthy Voice Note: ‘I Am Far From Perfect, I Am a Flawed Man’ – Variety Justin Baldoni Apologizes to Blake Lively Over ‘It Ends With Us’ Rewrites in Lengthy Voice Note: ‘I Am Far From Perfect, I Am a Flawed Man’ VarietyBlake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s Legal Battle Is Riveting Hollywood The New York TimesBlake Lively Moves to Depose Key Player in ‘It Ends With Us’ Justin Baldoni Feud; Court Sets First Hearing Hollywood ReporterJustin Baldoni Sent Blake Lively Voice Note Apologizing After ‘It Ends With Us’ Dispute (Report) Yahoo EntertainmentJustin Baldoni Made Comment on Blake Lively’s Boobs in 2 AM Voice Memo – E! Online E! NEWS Source link #Justin #Baldoni #Apologizes #Blake #Lively #Ends #Rewrites #Lengthy #Voice #Note #Perfect #Flawed #Man #Variety Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]